Coming to Chicago early was a bit of a, “kill two birds with one stone” deal. Even though there were no birds and no stones to pummel them with.

But what Rogan and Lucy did have was an open afternoon and nothing to do with it.

Well, almost nothing.

In the recent few weeks, Rogan found himself living with a woman who was obsessed with watching people play mini-golf on YouTube.

He wasn’t sure how, let alone why but that’s just the way it was. His life was being taken over by videos of people playing with their balls. The child within the Dark Man giggled at that thought, while the man wondered what his life had come to (in the best way possible of course).

Every now and again he heard snippets of people talking like ‘Oh! That was a close one!‘ or ‘That was a great hole in 2!‘ and much to his surprise, he found himself wanting to play.

So here they were, having already putted through one of the three courses at the Putt-Putt in Chicago, sitting and having a drink between games.

“That was fun!” Lucy said, her eyes bright with excitement.

Rogan was lounging back in his chair, one leg pulled up and resting on his other knee. He grinned at Lucy’s excitement and took a drink of his beer.

“Well, of course it was for you! You had…”

He briefly glanced at the scorecard on the table between them.

“…three hole in ones! I could use a little more practice, I think.”

He frowned at the scorecard. She had beaten him pretty badly. He couldn’t remember the last time he had played mini golf. Even in Gulf Shores, he had never gone to any of their themed courses.

Lucy eyed him up playfully.

“I might be able to help you with that, Mr. MacLean. For a price of course.”

She sat back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest as if she were waiting on a business deal to go through. Rogan squinted.

“Is this price going to be as steep as the price for losing? I’m already in debt to you. I feel like I’ve been hustled. Are you secretly a professional putt-putt golfer?”

Lucy shrugged her shoulders.

“If I told you that, I’d have to kill you.”

She replied, unable to stifle a giggle once she finished.

He eyed her as he took another drink. As he put the bottle down, he made himself more comfortable.

“As if you’d ever do anything like that.”

He paused, considering.

“Well, on second thought… maybe you would, if it were within a wrestling ring.”

He gave her a wink and smiled. She feigned shock in response, placing a hand over her chest.

“I could never. Even in the name of.. success and championships.”

She gasped and let out a chuckle, shaking her head.

“I like you far too much to do that to you. But you already knew that.”

He smiled again, gazing past her and spacing out a little.

“Well… I don’t know,” he said, “I quite like that look you get when you turn it up a notch. I can always tell when you’re about to… I did at Outlast. We should talk about that, actually.”

He took another long gulp of his beer and set the empty bottle down in front of him.

“It was nearly flawless,” he said. “And you had that look, too. You mowed down our competition. You and Tony were both impressively on top of your games. How did that feel?”

The waiter quickly replaced his empty bottle with a full one and Rogan nodded politely. Meanwhile Lucy simply sat back, her face contemplative for a few moments before she shrugged her shoulders.

“I wouldn’t say I ‘mowed’ anyone down. But I felt good, you know? I had a real good feeling about it that night. It was nice to feel like I hadn’t missed a beat… Boy you notice everything, don’t you? But there’s something else on your mind, besides my Outlast performance, isn’t there?”

She said, leaning forward just a bit.

“There’s always something more on my mind, yeah? You’ve got me figured out, Lucy.”

He took a drink of his fresh beer, and his expression turned serious.

“I don’t know what the Creative Director has planned… but I think you should assert yourself into the World Championship discussion. It only makes sense to me that you should be in those talks.”

Lucy was taken back a bit by his statement.

“I mean, I appreciate that Rogan but I lost. At the end of the night, I may have been the last one to lose but I still lost. Besides, you know Montague will be back for Tony anyway.”

“Montague, who was defeated by… you, if I remember correctly. Not to take anything away from Tony, he’s earned this moment. But it could just as easily have been your moment. I’m sure Montague will be gunning for Tony, if for nothing else than for the thrill of it. Tony’s going to be a fighting champion, and Montague has unorthodox ideals of his own. He even told you that you are becoming one of his favorite opponents. I could see that as being an open door invite for you to challenge him for a right to number one contendership.”

Once more Lucy shrugged. She wasn’t used to someone telling her things like this. Although Rogan’s always been one to express his belief in her, she still has a hard time believing in herself.

“I don’t know, maybe. I mean, you’re right. I’m not denying that.. I just.. I..”

Lucy fumbled with her words, until she felt a reassuring hand on her own. She glanced up to see Rogan smiling softly.

“Good. I’m glad you agree.”

His smile broadened.

“You belong in the main event, Lucy. I know it. Everyone else knows it. And you should know it, as well.”

They sat in silence for a few moments before Rogan gazed past her at a man approaching.

“Mr. Savage,” Rogan said, standing. “Happy you could make it.”

Lucy stood as Rogan shook Tony’s hand.

“Rogan, Lucy, hope you don’t mind. I brought a guest. You remember him, Rogan? Little storyteller of the year, plus, not a half bad putt-putt prodigy apparently.”

The summer was always a good time for the World heavyweight champ. Cassandra was done with her teaching duties for the season in London, and lapping up a well earned vacation. Plus, that was the season his little deputy got to roll with the Sheriff full time. Little man was drinking a smoothie, dressed just like his dad in some matching Jordans and that iconic pink Gucci sweater pops turned into a marketing boon for the brand.

“Hi, Mr. Rogan. Are you gonna run that Paladin thing in the desert again? That was fun!”

Rogan’s smile was broad when he saw the young man he met a year ago in the Sonora. “Well, Robert Savage! And how has your year treated you, lad?!”

“It was fun. Except when I had to go to the hospital.”

“I heard about that, Robbie.” Lucy chimed in. “Are you doing better, kiddo?”

Robert enthusiastically nodded. “They took my appendix out. But I got ice cream all the time for like, a week after that.”

“Sounds like you got the better trade. Who needs a yucky appendix, right?”

“Oh, you guys order yet? I’m hungry as a mother chucker.” Tony bellowed, mindful of his language in this family friendly venue. “What about you, little man? You hungry?”

“Pizza. I want pizza!”

Tony chuckled. “Of course you want pizza. You always want pizza. Considering you beat your old man out there, I suppose you earned a pie.”

“You beat your dad out there?” Lucy laughed while the server patiently awaited their order. “Tony, I think you’ve got a future PGA pro on your hands here.”

“Nothing like putt-putt to foil a legit golfer. I’ve got a -2 handicapped certified, and Mini Me here took me by 3 strokes. I was looking like Happy Gilmore out there.”

Tony looked out on the course and growled at that 15th hole. “You ARE gonna die, clown! Stupid double bogie!”

Nobody tells stories like a 7 year old hopped up on sugar and having everybody paying attention to him at the table. Three mango lime smoothies and half a double pepperoni with extra cheese deep, and Robbie was chattering his cute little blonde head away about everything that was going down in his life. First, his move to the U.K.

“I don’t mind it. I got a lot of cool friends, and I like going to the Royal Museum. But it’s always cloudy. Plus, nobody I know plays baseball there. Cass mom is trying to get me to play cricket, but I don’t understand it.”

“Kiddo, I’m from that part of the world, and I barely understand it.” Rogan joked.

Then, Robbie relayed the tale of how he and his cousin accidentally broke the neighbor’s window with their toy rocket kit, or when his grandpa Nate accidentally let him watch Invincible because the old man didn’t think a cartoon show would be THAT violent. (Dad had to let Robbie sleep with him and Cass for a couple of nights because he had nightmares about that train scene in the season finale, yeesh!) Robbie made the soccer team at his academy, although…

“They don’t call it soccer over there, they call it football because you use your feet unlike football. Which gets confusing. Plus, Cass mom calls American Football “Ignorant mutant rugby for colonials!” And it makes dad sad, especially because she makes fun of the Atlanta Falcons all the time. Cass mom makes fun of dad until he reminds her he’s the only one in the house not hired by us that can cook and start arguing.. Then they stop talking to each other for hours and dad goes to the basement to work on his motorcycle.”

Kids also pull the curtain back a little too much.

“Hey, cooking isn’t her specialty.”

“Where is Cass right now, Tony?” Lucy asked while she was snitching fries off Rogan’s plate.

“Cassandra’s doing consultant work at the University of Chicago right now. Some project involving international trade law. Half of what she does sounds like Sanskrit to me, and I have a degree.”

While his boy was gorging on junk food, Tony was maintaining his clean fight camp diet. Salad, steamed chicken, and club soda. Tony was looking at his kid’s pizza like a fiend staring at a brick of coke. He finally broke down and snitched a slice.

“Dad, that’s my pizza!”

“Boy, unless your name’s on the credit card, I get a piece of that action!” he sticks his tongue out at the boy. “hey, your uncle Lace is gonna pick you up in a few minutes for that sleepover. You ready for that?!”

Robbie just shrugged. “He gets mad when I beat him at video games.”

“Everybody gets mad when you beat them. You’re still a little stink butt for taking me down at NBA 2k. Shouldn’t have even bought you a pizza for that. Make you eat breadsticks.”

Tony chuckled. “I’m not lying. I’m not playing NBA 2k with him anymore; he’s a bully!”

 

Now, it was just the grown ups at the table. The plates had been cleared, and now just drinks were in front of them. After a bit of small talk, Tony finally leaned forward at the table and looked between his partners.

“I’m known to be a notoriously quiet type. Considering the screamers and bellyachers we deal with, sometimes it’s refreshing to see somebody just go out there and do their jobs right. I’m the type of guy that lets the hardware speak instead of the posturing. But, now that I’m World Champion, it’s time for me to be more than just a guy that shuts up and grapples. Oh, by the way, I wanna thank you two and Nate for the fire support. One thing I learned in life, you gotta treat the people that helped get you to the top like they are the reason for it. So, Rogan, Lucy…”

Tony raises his club soda. “Couldn’t have done it without you three.”

Lucy and Rogan raised their drinks up. “Keep paying the tab, that’s a good start.” Lucy joked.

“Slainte, lad. Hell of a performance out there that night. Feels good to be back on top after all those years, don’t it?”

“Considering 2 years ago I was in rehab sweating my ass off, you damn right. But it also makes you stop and look at the bigger picture. That’s one thing I forgot about being the Big Belt holder; everything starts to matter more. And right now, I’m seeing a lot of things that concern me besides just what’s in front of us this week.”

“And what does the new king see when he surveys his empire?” Lucy asked, as the last of Rogan’s fries found their way into her hands and mouth.

“The things that cause a kingdom to fall, especially the threats.”

Tony put his cup on the coaster and interlocked his fingers. His warm grin flattened, and casual discussion turned into straight business.

“CCPE rolled up in our block and nearly pushed Seb to the Crown. Yeah, we fought them back, but what about next time? Page has a Wu-Tang clan sized roster of goons he can deploy for another siege attempt.”

“Aye,” Rogan nodded in agreement. “They’ve got numbers and talent. And they’re spreading like a virus across other companies. Isn’t he also in AW with you as well?”

“Yeah. Dude’s trying to take over everywhere he steps foot in. Straight up colonization effort by him.”

“Page is just an exponentially more effective mouthpiece and recruiter than Johnny. But honestly, I’m not sure I see a threat. I mean, they only did the same exact thing every other team tried to do at Outlast.” Lucy motioned around the table, her hand finally stopping at Tony. “I mean, you’re living proof.”

Tony shrugged his shoulders.

“Don’t underestimate the power of a manipulator like him. He may not be the guy he used to be in the ring, but he is good in that field marshal role he’s crafted for himself. Plus, you think fighting Seb by himself is irritating…and it is, there’s a reason he’s done so much in a relatively short time…”

“That he has, lad.”

Tony nodded.

“Imagine having to worry about whether Pete Vaughn or Thaddeus Duke might pop up like Geico to provide some insurance.”

“I suppose.” Lucy conceded.

“Plus,” Tony informed them. “In case you didn’t know, Tempest is also part of the New Frontier Wrestling roster now, and he and his crew of merry make up sporting mayhem spreaders have been beefing with Jessica Matthews…”

“Lovely.”

“And she cliqued up with Lord Lucifer and his band of boogey people.”

Rogan groaned. Lucy also shook her head.

“Wonderful. Knowing Tempest, he’ll start a war with the other side of town that could spill over onto ours.”

“You’ve been around the game long enough to know things like this spark company wars, Lucy.” Tony stirred his drink with his straw. “That beef grease gets everywhere.”

Rogan and Lucy nodded as Tony continued.

“It’s not just threats from the outside. Besides The Astro Creeps, there’s a huge power vacuum in the company. Most of us have been too busy with our individual agendas, or in the case of a few, too scared to deal with their presence head on. Gabe and Eden are offline until further notice. Goofballs like Raab and Travis sure as hell aren’t gonna step up and provide a counterbalance.”

Rogan shrugged his shoulders.  “Aye.”

“And you two know even better than me those old company heads like Hastings, Rydell, and Zane can’t function well enough together to order lunch, let alone shift the balance of power. The way I see it, UGWC needs a viable Option B.”

“And we…” Tony points at himself, then his Outlast squad mates. “We can and SHOULD be it!”

Rogan and Lucy’s eyes widened at Tony’s proposal.

“Well shit.” Lucy had to admire Tony’s suddenly grandiose ambition. “You sure you wanna work with us? Because eventually I hope you know that I’m coming for you.. And that belt.”

Rogan beamed with pride, while Tony nodded his head enthusiastically.

“Good. That means I can count on you to be equally aspirant as me. I don’t want foot soldiers in this army with me like other squads do. I want Special Ops class killers on the team. Can’t stop an army’s leadership when everybody’s general class. Think about it, they randomly stuck us together thinking we were gonna flounder against the firepower against us. Instead…”

He slapped the table. “Our squad brought home the gold. Our squad stood on top of the mountain after we kicked everyone else off. OUR little rag-tag pirate fleet ruled the seas that night! And we can do it again on Monday!”

The server replaced his empty cup with another soda. Tony leaned back, looking devilish as he plotted and stirred his drink.

“The way I see it, we can either go our separate ways and tear each other apart, or, we sail together and plunder everybody’s treasure stashes. Guys like Hastings pulls his “by any means necessary” shit, we’re not going to suffer through it like everybody else. He plays games, we roll up on him and deliver karma like Door Dash to his steps. Dude wants to play dirty with me, Tony goes Mud Show mode, show him how dirt’s done. Creeps or CCPE show back up to play the numbers game, we show up with better calculations in our formula. Even management would think twice about screwing with us knowing WE…could wreck their week with the quickness.”

“I like the way you think, Tony.”

Lucy said, stealing a glance across the table at Rogan.

“Why stop the pirate party when there’s PLENTY of plunder left to take?”

Rogan lifted his drink. “Aye, lad.”

“Monday isn’t just about notching another victory on the resume to me. If we work this right, Monday’s a batch of statements being made.”

“I love me a good statement.”

Tony grinned.

“We’re not done plundering yet, mateys. And a whole ass pirate fleet gets more loot than a single ship.”

Rogan and Lucy each gave a nod as they shared a look of unity between the three of them.

“Spoken like a true champion, Mr. Savage,” Rogan said with a smile. “It’s in good hands, I’m impressed.”

He gave Lucy a wink and she smiled. The Dark Man and the Dark Lady were in good company. If Rogan trusted Tony Savage, then that was all Lucy needed to sign off on her trust, as well.

 

The two members of Numinous Fate sat on a park bench near Lake Michigan. It was a stone’s throw away from where Rogan spent much of his last promo before he left for Colorado and Outlast, his favorite event. It was late, but there were still plenty of walkers and joggers that passed by. None of them seemed to notice Rogan or Lucy.

Rogan was gazing up at the stars. It was a clear night, and they sparkled like diamonds just like that nursery rhyme described. He sighed, taking in the beauty as Lucy watched him with a grin.

“Beautiful, aren’t they?” Rogan said, feeling her eyes on him. Lucy’s grin disappeared.

“Oh shit! You’re not going to give me the ‘I’m retiring from the Men In Black’ speech, are you?”

“What are you talking about?” Rogan said, confused but also amused. Lucy giggled.

“Haven’t you ever seen those movies?” she asked, slugging him in the shoulder playfully.

“I think I have, but it’s felt like… well, you know, a decade ago.”

“Ah,” she said, looking down as the pink rose to her cheeks. “I seem to always forget that you were gone for so long in your reality, even if you were only gone for a few minutes in this one.”

He smiled, letting his green eyes rest on her icy blue ones. “It’s difficult to wrap your head around, I understand. It’s hard for me too, sometimes.”

She nodded, reflecting on the nights when Rogan would suddenly sit up with a gasp as if he was about to die, haunted by the experience in a way that she didn’t think he had ever been haunted by before. In fact, she knew he hadn’t been haunted like that before. It was the reason he had taken the first part of the year off. It was more than just some interdimensional jetlag, she supposed.

She felt him watching her and snapped out of her thoughts.

“Well, to answer your first question,” she said, looking up at the stars in the sky, “yes, they are beautiful. Now, tell me what’s really on your mind.”

He laughed quietly.

“You’ve got me figured out, Lucy Wylde. We’ve come a long way in a very short period of time.”

He paused, thinking about some of the encounters he had with the Lucy Wylde of the other reality.

“Well, in somewhat a short time. We’ve been together longer than we realize, even before we were together.”

“Uh huh,” she said, smirking. “So what’s really on your mind? You can’t word dance your way out of the question.”

He smiled, staying quiet for a moment.

“You’re right,” he said. “I was thinking about Tony Savage. He’s the champion that the UGWC deserves and needs, and I didn’t even realize it until speaking to him earlier.”

Lucy stayed quiet. Not for any other reason than she knew he had more to say. She didn’t necessarily disagree. She wasn’t offended, either, which she found almost startling. Rogan had unlocked a new perspective within her. She could see things from his point of view and they seemed to make sense and click more than anyone else she had teamed with in the past.

“He’s a fighting champion,” Rogan said, nodding. “And he’s got a nose for the business.”

“So we support him,” Lucy added. “And we fight him with honor when the time comes… just like you’ve always imagined.”

Rogan looked at her and now it was her turn to wink at him.

“You’re not the only one who watches from the shadows. I’ve noticed the way you honor the ring you wrestle in, the way you approach the business. Tony Savage is exactly the type of champion that Rogan MacLean would give his blessing to. And, I think you have.”

She paused, looking back up at the stars. One thin, gray cloud coasted across the sky slowly.

“So, we protect him, then. From CCPE, from Hastings, from the Astro Creeps. All of them. And when we step into the ring with him, everyone will know it will be Tony Savage at his best, against one of us, at our best. No mind games. No bullshit. Just one hell of a World Championship match.”

Rogan nodded, stretching on the bench.

“I couldn’t have said it better myself,” he said. Lucy glanced at him and smirked again.

“But… what’s really on your mind?” she asked once more.

Rogan looked at her for a moment, before smirking himself.

“Okay, okay, perhaps I’ve lost my touch,” he said. “I do have one thing on my mind that I’d like to talk about.”

“Uh huh. I thought so.”

“So,” he began, “I know we talked about my lease running out at the end of the month. I think Chicago is more beautiful than people give it credit for. Of course, this is coming from a naive boy from Galway, Ireland. The first time I saw Chicago, it was surreal.”

Lucy nodded, seeming to get lost in her own thoughts for a moment.

“But,” Rogan continued, “I don’t know. I don’t want to live here. We’ve talked about how we want to travel and see the world, you know?”

“Have we?” Lucy asked, tilting her head. Rogan considered. Had it been her? Or the Lucy in the other reality?

“I think so,” he said. “Don’t you want to?”

She looked back up at the stars.

“Well… yes,” she answered.

“Well, then tell me what you think of not living anywhere in particular and just…”

“And just living, wherever we may roam, so to speak?”

“Yes! Exactly!” He tried to hold back his eagerness. “I’ve always wanted to travel Route 66, for example.”

“Or visit the Grand Canyon,” Lucy added.

“Or Mount Rushmore,” Rogan said.

“Or Ireland,” she said dreamily. Rogan glanced at her.

“Yeah?”

“Absolutely,” she said, scrunching her nose at him. “Why wouldn’t I?”

He shrugged, gazing out at the street that went along Lake Michigan.

“I don’t know. I guess, no one’s ever expressed interest in it.”

“I find that hard to believe,” she said. “Even your friends?”

He nodded, still looking out into the night.

“Let’s do it,” Lucy said with finality. “Let’s travel. It’ll be exciting and spontaneous!”

Rogan chuckled.

“I guess the only thing we need is something to travel in. Do you have anything in mind?”

Lucy held up a hand. “Anything but a Buick.”

Rogan burst out laughing, and Lucy eventually joined in.

“Honestly,” Lucy said as the laughter died down, “I don’t care where we go as long as I’m with you.”

Rogan stopped and turned to her, his eyes locked on hers.

“Aye,” he said gently, “And I, you.”