The sound of flickering lights coming on can be heard as a generator is heard to start. The interior of what can only be termed as a barn like room is revealed with a woman standing at the generator, a smile crossing her face. Vixen dusts off her hands on her rather ratty military camo pants before she moves towards a heavy bag that is hanging from a rafter. Around the area, worn workout equipment can be seen in various states of use.
From behind her, someone is chuckling. “Seriously Vixen, why did you want to come here and train? Because, number one, it is cold as hell here and two, it is cold as hell here.”
She rests one hand on the heavy bag as she turns to take in Spike who is smiling, his hands buried in his pockets trying his best to keep them warm. “For someone that spent time in Germany, I would have thought that snow and cold wouldn’t bother you much,” she teases. “Give it a minute and it will start to warm up in here. Heater will be coming on.”
As she says that, a fan like piece of equipment begins to glow a cherry red as waves of heat radiate from it. Spike moves closer as Vixen pulls a pair of dark leather gloves from a pocket on the side of her pants, putting one under her arm as she tugs the other onto her hand, fingers flexing slightly. Taking the other, she pulls it on and then closes her hand into a fist before slamming it into the canvas of the heavy bag angrily which causes it to rock slightly before Spike grabs it to steady it.
“So I guess this is about this week’s Climax Control,” he says as Vixen begins to use hard strikes and punches against the bag. “You and Jessie get the shot at Amy Marshall and Necra Kane. Jessie gets her title back and you get yourself another title and then NXT will continue to make Mark Ward’s life a living hell,” he adds with a grin as he braces the bag against his body and one hand brushes through the soft spikes of hair on his head.
Vixen stops for a moment and gives Spike a look and then moves close, her own hand covering his. “Of course I want to train hard to make sure that I don’t let Jessie down in this match,” she begins before slamming a hard knee into the bag which brings an answering grunt of surprise from Spike. “I know that they are going to be figuring that Jessie and I aren’t going to be as cohesive as they are because we don’t tag that often. Well considering that this week Jessie and I are serious about the gold means they aren’t going to be prepared for the teamwork that the two of us possess.”
“Jessie’s going to be a bit slow considering what Misty did to her last week,” Spike offers. “She’s got a never say die attitude but you gotta admit, Misty worked her over really well.”
Vixen nods. “Yeah she did and pretty much figure I am next on Misty’s list before she challenges Odette,” offers Vixen. “She’s coming after me to get to Odette but I have to ask you, do you think she might want to get a couple of shots in on me because of this…” Vixen motions with her finger between her and Spike.
“Who knows and more importantly, who cares,” Spike answers. “I seriously want you to forget about Misty this week and focus on getting the tag titles and then from what you have been showing me, you will be ready to take on Amanda Cortez for the Bombshell title. Just think of it babe, you will be doing something that no other bombshell has done, wearing two titles at one time in Sin City. Win the tag titles and then the Bombshell title.” He motions for her to continue to strike the bag.
“I know Spike, I know but it is sitting there in the back of my mind,” Vixen says as she hits the bag. “I am going to let it go because Jessie might not be at one hundred percent when she steps in the ring and isn’t going to be backing down. And I can’t let her down in her quest for the titles and I won’t let you down. That is why this week we are going to step in the ring and bring back the gold to NXT.” Vixen stops long enough to wipe at the sweat that is starting to bead on her forehead. “And then I am going to be celebrating with a certain champion.”
Spike chuckles as he swings the bag towards Vixen. “Anyone I know?” he taunts as he watches Vixen send a hard kick at the bag that jerks it to the side. Holding up his hands, he backs away from the swinging bag and then moves around it to drape an arm over Vixen’s shoulder. “Looks like you got things under control. And I got you fired up for this match and ready to train hard.” Spike begins to lead Vixen towards a table that is set up with a bottle of water, a towel and what looks like some kind of rope. “We want you to be ready for anything that could be thrown at you by Necra or Amy.”
At the table, Spike hands Vixen the rope and motions to an empty spot in the room that has enough room to jump rope. As she moves to the middle of the floor and begins to jump rope, Spike moves towards a trophy wall where newspaper articles, and other bits of paper hang on the wall in frames. “What’s all this,” he calls over his shoulder as he reads one yellowed page.
Vixen continues to jump. “That’s my history,” she offers breathlessly. “They talk about my life and what has made me who I am today. The one you are looking at is the article about the fire that killed my mother and put me into the foster care system.” Spike turns with a look as Vixen blushes slightly. “I was a bad seed I guess, got into some real legal problems. Luckily though, the judge took pity on me..gave me a choice of jail or the army. I heard he had heard about another punk kid that made good in the military so he thought he would be able to do the same with me.”
“So that’s how you got into the military?” Spike asks before moving on to read about a younger Vixen in a small independent wrestling territory in her hometown. “What made you choose wrestling once you got out?”
“I found out I was pretty good in a fight,” she teased. “I mean, UAC was something I excelled at I was told so I figure wrestling was something I could do well. And boy did I,” Vixen added as she stopped the jump rope. Walking towards Spike, she stops in front of the first poster for the indy wrestling company that was graced by her picture. Just under it, Vixen’s name in a silvery marker shines in the flickering lights. “I kept winning title after title…until I made it to the top of Rocky Mountain Pro as the Heavyweight title holder.”
Taking Spike by the arm, she leads him to the heavyweight belt hanging below a ten by thirteen picture of Vixen in the belt. “Of course, that was before I joined SCW and now I don’t get to fight for the men’s titles…so your title is safe,” she taunts which makes Spike shoot her a look of ‘yeah right’. Laughing at his reaction, Vixen just shakes her head. “I so could beat you if they ever put me up for your title.”
Spike crosses his arms over his chest as he looks at Vixen. “Tell you what, you win the tag titles and I will give you a title shot at my belt,” he offers cockily. “Non-sanctioned of course,” he adds. “Don’t think management would be too happy to see their heavyweight title around the waist of the toughest bombshell in the division.”
Laughing outright at that comment, Vixen moves back to the middle of the room. “Okay then champ,” she calls out. “Come show me some of your best moves. I might need some pointers on picking up some good counters to Amy Marshall and Necra’s moves in the ring. I don’t think they would ever be ready for some of the moves you can show me. ”
“Very true Vixen, so let’s teach you how to get that title,” offers Spike as the scene fades out on him locking up with Vixen in the middle of the room, the grapple more of a hug than a wrestling hold.
*********
The flight back to San Jose was uneventful as Vixen and Spike returned from Canada where Vixen had invited him up to her home there while she packed some things for her new home in Vegas. After getting off the plane, the pair had headed to the hotel. After checking in, Vixen was on her way down to the lobby when she is joined in the elevator by Pussy Willow who smirks and looks at the numbers on the elevator.
“Fancy meeting you here Vixen,” she says sarcastically. Vixen doesn’t bother to reply with anything but Pussy actually turns to look at her. “I gotta know Vixen, can I get an interview with you for this week? I mean you get a shot at the tag titles from Mark Ward and I want to know what you think of Necra and Amy Marshall considering that you are not really in the tag division so much.”
Vixen sighs to herself before answering with a half grin. “Listen Pussy, I don’t really know Necra or Amy all that well. But I do know they are the champs, which means that they must be a tough pair of women. And Jessie told me that they were the ones that took the title from her and her partner. Now the two of us, Jessie and I, get a chance to bring the titles back to NXT.”
“So does that mean that you are going to be talking trash about your opponents? I mean I hear them talk about you like they actually don’t see you as a threat. So how does that make you feel hmmmm?” asks the interviewer. “Does it worry you that they don’t consider you more dangerous?”
“Honestly if they want to be so narrowminded as to think that I am not dangerous,” Vixen says with a shrug. “They have another thing coming. And I am quite willing to step in the ring with Necra and Amy and show them just how dangerous and Xtreme I can be. You have to love the fact that they don’t see me as dangerous. That means they are underestimating me and don’t really look that deep into who their opponents are. That definitely will make them beatable in the ring.” Vixen tucks her hands into the pockets of her well-worn jeans as she leans back against the wall of the elevator. “Some might say that I should be exploiting the fact that the champions do not fear me. I may not exploit it but trust me when I say that when I step into the ring with Necra, I am expecting some kind of violence that only someone that claims to be the goddess of the dead could bring. Hell, I am looking forward to it. I am ready to get down dirty and if need be, bloody in the fight for the tag titles.”
“Oooooo so you consider yourself hardcore do you?” asks Pussy with a look of surprise on her face.
“I am not afraid to get into a brawl if need be,” begins Vixen. “I have been in worse fights, in more dangerous matches than even Necra could conceive of. I have never back down from those fights and I will definitely not back down at Climax Control. I am coming for the titles and there isn’t anything Necra or Amy will be able to do about it. And that’s it, that’s all!”
As if to emphasize Vixen’s conviction, the final ding of the elevator is heard before the doors swoosh open and Vixen eits without a backwards glance at Pussy who is fuming at being left in the elevator without finishing the interview.
