–Undisclosed Location–
Tuesday, July 13th 2021

“Come on.”

The nameless goon tugged on Lucy’s arm as he pulled her through the doorway, her view changing from the bright, blue skies to darkness. From hope to despair. She turned around as she was pulled, watching the last bit of sunlight disappear behind the closed door.

She was alone.

Another sharp tug on her arm pulled her back into the reality of where she was at.

“Come on.. Walk.”

Lucy stared at the back of the man’s head as he pulled her past doorway after doorway, down a barely lit hallway. She didn’t know where he was taking her, but she knew at the end of it she’d be where she was supposed to be. She knew at the end of it, there’d be Michael.

Her stomach churned with nerves, and her skin felt like it was on fire where the man squeezed – but her mind was elsewhere. It was odd. She was completely in this moment, she knew what she’d done and she most certainly knew why she’d done it.. But her mind kept going back to the night before.

The satisfied smirk on Rogan’s face after he pinned Centurion and got the win for their team. The happiness and relief she felt as they all walked backstage together afterwards. She remembered telling Rogan that she’d see him soon as he walked away… and the look in Gabriel’s eyes when her eyes met his. They stared at one another for what felt like an eternity before she nodded her head and turned for the exit – Knowing the phone call she was about to make.

A phone call that led her here.

The hallway opened up into a large room, and even in the dim light, she could see a few cells standing along the far wall. Her heart began beating a little harder as the man pulled her towards the left most cell. He pulled the door open and pushed her inside. Before she could turn around, the door was closed and she heard the clicking of the lock.

Well this is it… she thought to herself as she looked at the bars that now surrounded her. It wasn’t well kept at all. But she didn’t expect anything less, really. But what she really didn’t expect was the sinking feeling she felt in her chest when she peered into the cell beside her and saw another woman, a little older than she, possibly. The woman was sat on the ground, draped in what Lucy could only believe were literal rags – and when she finally sensed Lucy staring at her, she glanced up and Lucy could see the bruises on the side of her head where she was no doubt beaten.

Lucy swallowed hard and as much as she wanted to, she couldn’t look away. It utterly hurt her heart to see someone else in this hell hole.

“There you are…”

She heard Michaels voice just as she was about to say something to the woman next to her, and when she turned around, she was greeted by the smug smirk of her brother as he looked at his handy work. He spread his arms wide as he stepped closer, looking her over as if she were simply a piece of property.

And for all intents and purposes, that’s exactly what she was.

The thought made a cold chill run up her spine.

“Boy does it feel good to see you where you’ve always belonged.”

“I’m sure it does.”

Lucy shot back quickly, shaking her head. Michael chuckled as he leaned in towards the bars that separated them.

“Oh, it does.”

He grinned at her as he stood back up and motioned to the man who’d brought Lucy in.

“You checked her over for any belongings, yes?”

The man nodded his head.

“Good. Now, get comfortable, Lucille. We’ll have you working in no time.”

With that he turned and walked away, down the hallway that Lucy had come in. Lucy turned her gaze to the man who’d brought her in, his eyes raking up and down her body in a way that made her feel wildly uncomfortable. Her hands instinctively went to her hips as she sighed.

“You got a problem, chubby?”

The man laughed.

“Oh, no. But you finna have a big problem if the boss gives me my way. Heh.”

He licked his lips and stepped away once more, leaving Lucy feeling more disgusted than she was just a few moments ago. She moved away from the front of her cage and brought herself down to the ground on top of a balled up blanket in the corner, nearest the other woman who was still seated with her back to Lucy now, staring down at something in her hands.

Lucy wanted to say something so badly, but she didn’t have the words.

She simply looked down into her own hands and sighed.

“Fuck.”

 

–Undisclosed Location–
Wednesday, July 14th 2021

She barely slept the night before. Just laying awake, listening to the sounds around her. Crying, coughing, screaming, mumbling… All the telltale sounds of suffering. She had a hard time closing her eyes as she imagined what the women around her have already gone through, but when she finally did – it was morning before she knew it.

Lucy rolled over on the blanket she’d eventually smoothed out on the ground for herself, and stared out of the front of the cell, watching the morning routine of the people who’d imprisoned her and countless others. She wasn’t sure what they were doing, but her chest tightened every time one of the many men approached the row of cells and plucked one of the seemingly plentiful women from them and took her God only knows where.

All she knew is that every time they brought one of them back, their faces were wet with tears and their captors had satisfied looks on their faces.

Finally Lucy sat up and noticed an empty plate sitting at the front of her cell, precariously placed between hers and the one next to her. She slid forward just enough to touch the plate, making sure it was empty before she sat back, her stomach growled at her in protest.

“Lovely.”

She muttered to herself as she laid her head back against the wall.

“S-sorry.”

She heard a soft timid voice say. She glanced over to see the woman from the night before, staring at her through the bars.

“I-I took yours… I-It’s not o-often we get any ex-extra.”

Where she felt frustration, it was immediately replaced with pity as she quickly realized how skinny this woman was. Lucy shook her head, instantly feeling selfish and greedy in the face of someone who’d been suffering for much longer than she had.

“Don’t worry about it.”

She motioned towards the plate.

“Take anything else they give me too.”

“R-Really?”

The woman asked, the disbelief palpable on her face and in her question. Lucy simply looked away and nodded her head.

“Yeah, sure.”

“T-Thank you.”

It hurt Lucy to hear this woman thank her so desperately. It made her think of her own childhood and the way her father treated her. She was sure the women here got treated much the same, if not even worse than that.

And knowing that this what what she was being groomed to be?

It made her sick.

“Don’t worry about it.”

Lucy replied quietly, shaking her head.

“W-What’s your name?”

“Lucy.”

“I-I’m H-Hanna.”

Lucy nodded.

“I wish I could say it’s nice to meet you…”

Her voice trailed off for a moment before she turned her attention back to Hanna.

“How’d you end up here?”

Hanna’s eyes widened and she looked away from Lucy, watching the front of the cells, presumably for any sign of someone who wouldn’t want them speaking like this. Finally she turned back and looked down at her hands, fidgeting with them as she spoke.

“I-I was outside, watering the flowers. I remember it like it was y-y-yesterday. S-Some man came up and he asked me for directions to… To.. I don’t know where.. And before I knew it.. H-Here I was.”

“That’s terrible.”

Lucy finally replied, after a long silence.

“I’m so sorry. How long have you..?”

“I-I don’t really know.”

Hanna replied sheepishly.

“I-It’s hard to keep t-time in here. But w-what about you?”

Lucy wasn’t sure if she should tell the truth, but she couldn’t find it in her to make up some story for the sake of it.

“I gave myself up to Michael.”

She heard a gasp from the other cell and looked over to see Hanna with her hands over her mouth.

“What?”

“B-But why?”

She asked in a whisper. Lucy sighed.

“Because he’s my brother, and if I didn’t hand myself over, he was going to take my sister and her daughter and put them in here. I couldn’t let that happen. I–”

Before she could continue, she was interrupted by a loud bang on the bars of the cell.

“Hey! No talking!”

Lucy rolled her eyes.

“The fuck you gonna do about it, asshole?”

Lucy said before she could stop herself. She heard another audible gasp come from Hanna in the cell beside her, but her eyes stayed trained on the scrawny man who stood in front of the door to her cell. If her mouth wasn’t dry as the Sahara desert, she’d of spit at him too. But for now, all she could settle for were words.

“Oh, we got a lively one.”

The man replied, grinning at Lucy.

“Gonna be fun to break you, sweetheart.”

Lucy scoffed.

“Good luck trying, dickhead. Tell me, how does Mike’s asshole taste?”

The man’s grin turned to a scowl. Apparently he wasn’t used to the ‘merchandise’ being as insolent as Lucy was being. But the truth of the matter was, Lucy didn’t care. She wasn’t going to cower down and hide like she did when she was a kid.

She knew true darkness and she wasn’t going to bow to it again.

But then she saw her brother step out of a door and immediately he noticed what was going on, and much to Lucy’s chagrin, he approached.

“What’s going on here?”

“This little bitch is talkin some mad shit, boss. Lemme shut her up, please.”

The other man moved around, like he was ready to knock Lucy down a few pegs, but instead of allowing it, Michael simply shook his head.

“No. You won’t break her that way…”

Michael glanced over into the next cell, at Hanna.

“Take that one and pretend it’s Lucille.”

He smiled at Lucy as the other man didn’t waste any time. Lucy’s eyes widened and she looked over as he unlocked Hanna’s cell and stepped in, grabbing the smaller blonde woman by the arm and he drug her from the cell.

Lucy climbed to her feet and moved towards her own door.

“Don’t..”

But once more, Michael was directly in front of his sister, smirking.

“Maybe next time you’ll remember that your actions can and will affect others, hmmm?”

“You son of a bitch…”

Lucy muttered, wishing she could get through the bars and choke the life out of Gary Johnson’s son. She glanced past him as she watched Hanna disappear into a room and moments later she heard a loud smack and some muffled crying.

Lucy sunk down to her knees and shook her head.

“Keep it up and I’ll have to break our little deal, sister.”

Michael said calmly as he knelt down in front of Lucy.

“Unless you don’t care about Kyra and little… Adina either?”

Lucy opened her mouth to say something but she didn’t. She’d already done enough damage.

“I thought so.”

 

–Undisclosed Location–
Thursday, July 15th 2021

Lucy didn’t speak a word for the rest of the day, and when they’d finally brought Hanna back from… whatever they did, she couldn’t even look in her direction. Guilt wasn’t even close to describing how Lucy felt when she heard Hanna’s soft cries from the cell beside her.

She should have known.

She shouldn’t have pushed them.

She should have just kept quiet.

And now, the next morning, Lucy just stared at two plates – both with all their food still on them. Fearing the worst, Lucy finally slid over to the set of bars that separated her cell with Hanna’s and she looked through, finding Hanna facing the wall, the corner of a torn up blanket pulled up close to her chest.

“I’m so sorry.”

Lucy said, her voice barely a whisper. She didn’t expect a response, and when she didn’t get it, she nodded her head and slid back over to the center of her own blanket and pulled her knees up to her chest.

Sure, she felt guilty. But the more she thought about it.. About everything that led her to this moment, and everything that her father and her own God damned brother had done to these people, not to mention what they’ve done to Kyra and herself… the more she felt the anger rise in her chest and radiate throughout her body.

She hated them.

She wanted them dead.

She wanted to do to Michael what she couldn’t do to her father – to choke the life out of him little by little. To end his horrible, miserable existence. Lucy couldn’t imagine anything she wanted more in that moment as her eyes flickered up to spot Michael as he stood down the hall, talking to one of his goons.

Soon enough.. she thought to herself.

“I-It’s okay…”

Lucy turned her attention to the cell beside her upon hearing Hanna’s soft voice, only to see her still laying where she’d been laying since they brought her back. Instead of feeling relieved, her response only served to solidify Lucy’s resolve.

It wasn’t okay. None of this was.

Lucy shook her head and put her head back down onto her knees to hide her face from anyone who was watching.

“It’s not okay, but I have a plan. Just.. Just hang in there a little longer, okay?”

She had no way of telling if Hanna had heard her but she hoped to hear some acknowledgement come from her general direction. But what hope did that woman honestly have? It honestly couldn’t have been very much, if any at all – And Lucy understood that feeling all too well. That’s why she’s here, afterall.

Instead of a response, however, she heard footsteps as someone stepped up in front of her cell.

“Oh, Lucille…”

He paused for a few moments, most likely awaiting a response and when Lucy didn’t give him one, he chuckled softly.

“Not very talkative today, are we?”

And when she didn’t respond again, she heard a soft sigh as he began pacing back and forth on the other side of the bars.

“For someone who fights for a living, I expected much more trouble from you, Lucille. But I suppose finding out that even in death, our dear father still has power over you is a lot to comprehend, hmmm? You thought you could move on and live your life, free from the fear of ever seeing him again… Look at me, Lucille.”

He said calmly, but when Lucy again didn’t raise her head the eldest child of Gary Johnson banged his palm against the bars.

“I SAID LOOK. AT. ME.”

His voice boomed throughout the room and finally Lucy raised her head, her eyes settling on the face of the brother she never knew she had, and he smiled.

“Good girl. I knew when it came down to it, that you’ll always do what we say. Gary instilled that in you. And finally, we’re going to reap the benefits of his good work.”

“So you think.”

Lucy finally muttered, her eyes never wavering as she stared into a pair of cold, calculating eyes. Eyes just like those of her father. And when Michael smiled once more, her mind flashed back to the look on her fathers face when he looked her in the eyes and told her that she was going to die.

Michael leaned in towards the bars, his face framed between them as he spoke.

“Oh, I do. This is the face you’re going to see for the rest of your life, Lucille. Eventually, you’ll accept it. Eventually you’ll give in, just like Daddy always knew you would.”

With that, he stared at her for a moment longer before turning and stepping away. Lucy didn’t doubt a word he said, but she wasn’t scared.

She had a plan.

 

–Undisclosed Location–
Friday, July 16th 2021

“Well, we weren’t expecting any visitors today, but no matter. Welcome, my friend. Welcome. I do hope we can find what you’re looking for.”

Lucy didn’t bother rising from her prone position on the floor as she listened to Michael cheerfully welcome his guest into the ‘showroom’, or whatever he called his little dungeon of horrors. She concentrated on the footsteps as they walked through the room, stopping and starting over and over – Undoubtedly Michaels ‘guest’ was examining the ‘merchandise’. She couldn’t quite make out what they were talking about as they moved about, but she wasn’t sure she even wanted to.

She heard a soft gasp from Hanna as she heard the footsteps stop in front of Hanna’s cell.

“This one has been here for.. Just over two years. Very adept at taking instruction.”

Lucy’s stomach churned at the way he described her. She listened as Michaels ‘guest’ hummed to himself and the pair began to move again, and she knew that she was the next one to be inspected.

“What of this one?”

She finally heard the other man say. Michael simply laughed.

“This one… This one is my crowning achievement, my friend. I’m afraid she’s not for sal–”

Michael didn’t finish his sentence as Lucy heard a faint whooshing sound and then a loud thud. Lucy’s eyes widened as she rolled over to see Michael laying on the ground in front of her cell, unconscious.

“I’m afraid she’s not.”

Lucy pulled her eyes away from her downed brother and turned up into the smirking face of Gabriel as he lowered his cane back to the floor.

“Gabriel.”

She said, returning his smirk with one of her own. Gabriel knelt down at Michaels side and grabbed a keyring off of the floor, seemingly discarded when he unceremoniously hit the floor.

“My apologies for being late, my dear.”

Gabriel mused as he stood up and unlocked the cell door, swinging it open as Lucy rose to her feet. Her heart was beating a thousand miles a minute as she stepped out of her confinement and looked around the room as Gabriel tossed the keys to another man and they began unlocking the other cells, one by one.

“I knew you wouldn’t let me down. But what about all the other–”

“My.. Associates are rather skilled, Lucy.”

Gabriel interrupted. Lucy couldn’t stop herself from smiling at him as she watched the cell doors being opened, and witnessed those abused women stepping out of them… And they were free.

Two of Gabriel’s ‘associates’ stepped up to the two of them and Gabriel nodded towards Michael as he lay motionless on the ground. But Lucy shook her head at him and he gave her a curious look as she stepped up to, and stared down at the pitiful carcass of her brother.

And without a word, Lucy stomped her boot down onto his face once. Unsatisfied with that, she started driving her boot into his head again and again until she heard a cracking sound, and saw blood begin to pour out of his nose. She didn’t want to stop, but Gabriel gently grabbed her and pulled her away as she grunted and tried to free herself from his grip.

“Let me go Gabriel…”

She growled as she watched the two men pick Michael up and drag him towards the exit. She wasn’t done. She wanted him to drown in his own blood.

“Lucy…”

Gabriel said calmly, never letting her go.

“I can’t let you do something that you would regret.”

Eventually she stopped struggling against him, but when she spoke again, her voice cracked with emotion. Raw and unadulterated anger. She didn’t expect those feelings to rise up again so swiftly. But there they were.

“I wouldn’t regret it.”

She said softly as he let her go and she turned to face her friend.

“Yes. You would.”

Gabriel nodded as he motioned towards the door.

“I have places for people like him, and the rest of them – places where we can test new innovations. He may do some good in the world yet.”

Lucy watched as the door opened and the sunlight poured in, highlighting Michaels limp body as they drug him outside to take him wherever Gabriel had planned. She sighed and nodded her head.

“Make him suffer.”

“Of course.”

Gabriel said matter-of-factly as he turned his attention back towards the rest of the room where the rest of his people were helping the many, many women that they’d just freed from their own personal hell.

“They’ll need help… Lots of it.”

Lucy finally said, as she watched Hanna as she took a timid step over the threshold of her cell and out into the room. One of Gabriel’s associates moved towards her, but she instantly cowered away from him. Lucy’s heart caught in her throat as she moved away from Gabriel and towards the frightened woman.

“It’s okay..”

Lucy said as she grabbed Hanna’s hand.

“They’re here to help.. No one’s gonna hurt you anymore.”

 

Wrestlestock
–”The Oasis”–
Monday, July 19th 2021

The drive was long, but to Lucy it felt like it was over far too soon. She told Rogan the story of why she’d disappeared for the majority of last week, and much to his credit – He took it far better than she thought he would.

He wasn’t happy. She could tell fairly easily that he wasn’t thrilled to find out what kind of predicament she’d put herself into. But most importantly, he understood why she did what she did.

Maybe it wasn’t the smartest plan in the world.

But the benefits were two-fold in Lucy’s mind.

Number one, she got to watch her father’s organization crumble right in front of her and she knows now that her brother will never be able to hurt another woman as long as he lives. She finally beat them. She finally proved them wrong and that alone gave her more joy than she’d felt in a long, long time.

And number two, she placed her trust in the very same man who’d condemned her to that warehouse with her father all those years ago – And he didn’t let her down. In one single action, Gabriel showed Lucy exactly how he felt about her, and in turn showed Lucy that regardless of what people like Johnny ‘Hitmaker’ or anyone else on the roster felt about Gabriel and Eden… That they were the people she wanted to stand beside.

Sometimes you have to do horrible things for the right reasons…

But alas, here they were. Wrestlestock. The sight of it always amazed Lucy as they had driven up to the sight of what is arguably UGWC’s biggest event. And having Rogan there was just a bonus.

She glanced over to him as they were granted entry into ‘The Oasis’, Eden and Gabriel’s home away from home. And once again, Lucy wasn’t a bit surprised to see how different this place felt from the rest of the districts Lucy peeked at as they made their way here. Eden wasn’t about to spend a week sweating it up in a desert, and Lucy honestly didn’t blame her.

Lucy was just grateful that Eden had given Lucy a place to stay here for the week, instead of trying to practically do a credit report on her before she’d let her in last year.

“What?”

Rogan asked, giving her a curious look as she chuckled to herself.

“I was just thinking about how Eden tried to make me give her a credit card last year before she’d let me in.”

He chuckled along with her then, the two of them taking in the sights of Eden’s vision of what true desert living should be. It was impressive. No one could deny that. It was ridiculous too, but those who didn’t have to go without basic air conditioning or plumbing weren’t really complaining about it either.

“The Buick wasn’t all that bad, was it? Nothing too odd happened on the way here, right?”

He smiled and glanced around the Oasis. To him, it wasn’t all that strange. Lucy shrugged her shoulders.

“Not bad at all, actually. Besides, it was nice to be driven around for a change.”

“That was probably the mildest Buick ride in its history, if I’m being honest. I wouldn’t get used to it.”

He chuckled and changed gears.

“Nervous?”

He glanced at her briefly, already knowing the answer.

“Nah. I’ve been knocked out and tossed in the back of a van so I’m pretty sure you can throw anything at me and I’d be…”

She paused for a moment and shook her head.

“You’re talking about my match, aren’t you? Not really nervous about that either. Seb is great and either I walk out with the belt or I don’t. Not the end of the world.”

“And if it was, there are other worlds than these, anyway.”

He winked.

“You do look good with that Chaos championship though. Much better on the eyes than some of its previous holders.”

“Then I’ll try really, really hard to keep it, hmm?”

She replied, giving him a devilish grin.

“Atta girl.”

He said, grinning back, and the two made their way deeper into the Oasis. After a few moments of peaceful contemplation, Lucy cleared her throat.

“And what about you?”

“You mean, am I nervous? Nah, I’m just happy to be back. I’ve got a goal to achieve, but Wrestlestock is fun for me, and I’ve missed out on a lot of them. This is almost a vacation. And, running into Jase has been a pleasant surprise.”

Lucy nodded her head.

“I’m glad you’re here. And seeing Jase was just the cherry on top. It feels like everything is coming together.”

She said that last part quietly, as a soft smile played over her features. Even if she walked out of Wrestlestock without the Chaos Championship, she still felt like a winner.

“The engine turns.”

He said it simply. As if on cue, Gabriel appeared ahead. He looked as if he were talking to someone, but neither Rogan or Lucy could see who it was. Part of Lucy wanted to leave the man alone and continue along with Rogan – But the other part of her stopped in her tracks and glanced over at Rogan apologetically.

“I.. I think I wanna go thank him again, for you know…”

“Of course! I need to go check on some things, anyway. Jase and I have a district on the south edge of the grounds. Big campfire, many white tents. You can’t miss it. Or you can text me, of course, and keep it simple. I tend to complicate things.”

He laughed as Gabriel looked up. Rogan gave him a nod and Gabriel returned it, then the Dark Man left, seeming to almost vanish in the Oasis. Lucy looked on in disbelief, shaking her head as Gabriel walked up beside her.

“Well hello, my dear. I see you’ve made it here safely.”

Lucy turned her attention away from where Rogan was just standing, and smiled at Gabriel.

“I did, apparently, in what was the ‘mildest buick ride’ in history.”

“I wouldn’t get used to it.”

Gabriel replied, amused. Lucy rolled her eyes and shook her head.

“So I’ve been told. But hey, while I’ve got you here…”

She began, her stomach twisting and turning in her gut. How hard was it to just say ‘thank you’? Well, it was pretty difficult when thank you really doesn’t even cover it. But she wanted to do it anyway.

“I just wanted to thank you. I–”

Gabriel held up his hand and shook his head.

“No need. It gave me great pleasure to do what I only hoped I could have done to your father. But I believe it is I who should be thanking you.”

Lucy’s eyebrows arched.

“What? Why?”

Gabriel peered down at the ground, kicking around some loose sand as he responded.

“For putting your trust in me, Lucy. It means a great deal, considering what we were just a few years ago.”

The doctor glances up. Their eyes meet as he and Lucy stand there in silence for a few moments. Lucy finally steps forward and wraps her arms around him, pulling him into a hug. At first, Gabriel didn’t really know what to do, but slowly he returned Lucy’s affection.

“Well, that’s why I needed your help. You’re the only one who knows everything as well as I do.”

She said as she pulled away and shrugged her shoulders as Gabriel nodded in agreement.

“Fair enough.”

Lucy chuckled softly as she thought about everything that led them to this point. What a fucking journey. But she was glad that this was her Gabriel, and for better or worse, she hoped he felt the same way.

“Oh lord…”

Lucy said aloud as she remembered something else.

“…Is Edie–”

“Wildly unhappy.”

Gabriel interrupted, shaking his head.

“With the both of us.”

“Yeah, that makes sense. But, she can’t stay mad at us, right?”

Lucy asked, hopeful. But when Gabriel didn’t immediately respond, she sighed.

“Great.”

Wrestlestock
–”The Palaver Way-Station”–
Tuesday, July 20th 2021

The next day, Lucy roamed the grounds of Wrestlestock on her own – Wanting to take in the sights and sounds of the extended festival. Overall, she wasn’t really disappointed. She always loved this festival, and the way it brings so many different promotions and fighters together on such a grand stage.

She passed by many of the districts, only stopping long enough to peek at the happenings within. She knew where she was headed, but she wanted to make a short stop along the way.

WAKKA WAKKA WAKKA WAKKA

And soon enough she found herself standing at the entrance of one of the stupidest things she’d ever seen in her life. Aptly named ‘Mr Rad’s Rad Party’, it housed the roster of a relatively new promotion – for which Magdalena Lockheart was the World Champion of. It was her that Lucy was here to find.

There was only the problem of not wanting to step inside.

Lucky for her though, Lucy caught a glimpse of Maggie as she walked through.

“Maggie!”

She shouted, hoping to get her ex-girlfriend’s attention, but amid all the loud video games and vomit inducing music, she hadn’t succeeded in doing so.

“MAGGIE!!!!”

Lucy screamed louder, garnering the attention of other Level Up roster members inside and a few people cast sideways glances at UGWC’s Chaos Champ as she made a fool of herself. It didn’t matter, Lucy told herself as she stopped shouting and paced around in front of the district.

She wasn’t even sure what she wanted to say to Maggie when she saw her. But the younger woman had given her back the home that Lucy shared with CJ not too long ago and Lucy was yet to make her way back to the deep woods of Western Maryland to actually move back into the haunted farmhouse that she never thought she’d return to.

The thought made her antsy.

But she was also looking forward to it in a weird way. She’d missed that home. She was the one that picked it out after all when she and CJ were trying to find their ‘forever’ home. And when she left, she felt like a piece of her stayed there, nestled in those woods… forgotten, along with the man she once pledged her life to.

“What?!”

Lucy nearly jumped out of her skin. She was so lost in thought that she didn’t realize that Magdalena Lockheart was standing right in front of her.

“Jesus Maggie you fuckin startled me.”

Maggie chuckled.

“Yeah, no shit. You’re lucky I even heard you in there though.”

Lucy rolled her eyes.

“Some party, huh?”

“Aww, now, comeon. I know it’s the Level Up district, but I ain’t here to party.”

“You’re not?”

Lucy said, surprised to hear that the Final Boss champion wasn’t there to celebrate.

“Then might I ask what exactly it is you’re doing in there?”

Maggie smirked.

“Oh, you know. I’ve been looking around for a certain someone all day who I think might be avoiding me. But then it hit me, what would be the last place in the festival that I’d go searching for someone?”

“Who are you looking for?”

“Just some weasley little shit who owes me something.”

“Oh God,”

Lucy scoffed. The look on her face was quizzical, but she simply shook her head.

“Why would you- nevermind. I take it you didn’t find this person yet.”

“No, sadly. Turns out reverse psychology doesn’t always work out after all.”

“Alright, so you’re still looking,”

Lucy replied.

“Good, how about you accompany me over to the Palaver Way-Station then.”

“Really?”

Maggie seemed surprised that she’d even ask.

“I mean sure, absolutely. I’d love to.”

“Rumor has it, you can get to all the other districts real fucking easy.. So what better way to find that dipshit? Besides, I was headed there to see Rogan and check it out so.. Two birds, one stone.”

The two women headed out in the direction of the Way-Station, with Lockheart scanning near every face they came across along the way. Even still, in the moments where she wasn’t searching for her bounty, she found it odd and somewhat pleasing to be back here again. Lucy too thought it was strange in a way that the two of them were walking through Wrestlestock together once more. So much lead up to this moment and the both of them truly were so much different than the last time.

Before long they found themselves at the center of the Way-Station district at the large campfire that is said to never die down, let alone burn itself out. Maggie’s eyes widen with awe at the blaze as Lucy spots the person she was looking for, Rogan, seated on the far side.

He sat, arms rested on his thighs as he gazed into the fire. He turned his head slightly and saw Lucy and Maggie coming towards him. Smiling, he moved over and let them join him at the fire.

“Lucy… Maggie.”

He said Maggie’s name quieter than Lucy’s. He wasn’t sure about her.

Lucy sensed his apprehension but she didn’t let that stop the smile from crossing her face as she moved around the fire and sat down next to him. She crossed her legs and motioned for Maggie to have a seat.

“This is comfy.”

Lucy said, as her eyes watched the fire with a sense of wonder. She’d never really sat by a real campfire.

Maggie followed suit, careful in her way to have a seat on the far side of Lucy, all while keeping a safe distance from Rogan.

“Welcome to my district. I sense you’re here to do more than just chat with me? You both seem to be on a mission.”

He glanced from Lucy to Maggie, and back to Lucy, noticing her infatuation with the fire. He smiled.

“Or… maybe you’ve come to admire the atmosphere?”

Lucy nodded her head, casting a glance in Rogan’s direction.

“That and to see a friend, since he told me I ‘couldn’t miss it.”

She smirked and Maggie tried not to gag.

“So this is your district, hmm?”

Maggie directed her question at Rogan.

“Nice place you’ve got here. Has a certain… vibe to it.”

Rogan nodded, and let his eyes move into her direction. He watched her closely. But she remained reserved.

“So I’ve been told. I’d be lying and a bit remiss if I told you that it wasn’t my intention for it to be this way.”

Rogan said all-too-matter-of-factly.

“One may never know who might wander to Palaver, how lost one’s soul may be. But I like to think of this place, this Way-Station, as more of a guiding light. A place where the lost can go to be found again.”

“Or a place where someone who wants to stay lost can remain hidden,”

Maggie said.

“Not quite,”

Rogan replied.

“Though we aren’t exactly anywhere as much as we are on the way to everywhere, I can see someone trying to hide passing through here briefly, though I could not tell you where exactly they went.”

“Well I guess that leaves me right back at square one,”

Maggie said with a sigh.

“At least the next place I check ain’t far from here.”

“That is true. We here at Palaver are more than happy to offer our services. But that brings me, of course, to the matter of payment.”

A sly grin formed on the Dark Man’s lips.

“I’m sorry, but the rules are the rules for a reason. Since you both have decided to wander into our Way-Station on this fine evening it is only fair that we get a story out of each of you.”

Lucy chuckled.

“Then I guess I should’ve saved my story for this, huh?”

Rogan grinned.

“That would have worked for this payment. Too bad that’s what I charged you for the ride in the Buick.”

He snickered at his own—bad—joke.

“So you want a story, hmm?”

Maggie popped up from her seat.

“Tell you what, since telling stories is kinda my thing I’ll give you a story that’ll ‘pay’ for both of us and it’s a story the likes of which you simply cannot refuse.”

Intrigued, MacLean scratches his chin.

“Go on,”

He says, motioning towards the fire.

“This must be one hell of a story.”

“Oh — it is.”

Maggie took a spot near the fire ring. She turned so that she could have the blazing inferno as her backdrop.

“Ahem. Come one, come all! Gather ’round and listen to the tale of when the sheer force of infinite gravity finally defeated the eternal repulsion of two magnetized atoms. This is the story of change… of reconciliation… and what some might even call redemption, though I like to think of it more as a reckoning. This is the story of what happens when the rules of nature disagree so fundamentally with a human spirit so passionate and kind that a brand new Goddess is born to defy them-“

Lucy facepalmed the moment she realized what Maggie was talking about.

“This is the story of… JENOVA.”

“Alright, I’m going to stop you right there,”

Lucy said as she shook her head.

“No no, please, go on,”

Rogan replied, enthralled in what he was hearing so far.

Lucy shot him a glare.

“Tortured. A blonde hair girl runs away from home at a young age and finds talent in the most unlikely of places. She becomes a fighter back in a time where women were still considered to be lesser-than. Succeeds. Excels. She carves her own path, much to the chagrin of the old guard, teaching herself a whole new style of technique focused on precision, grace, elegance, and control.”

“Interesting.”

Rogan leaned in from his seat towards the storyteller.

“The girl grows good, no, she grows great. But she never loses who she is inside. Never escapes the pain of the home she ran away from. That is, until she met a boy. One who seemingly respected her and her talent. One who wanted to, seemingly, give that girl a chance at healing her pain in a new home all their own.”

Lucy’s cheeks burned as she kept shaking her head.

“But all was not as it seemed. That boy, as it turned out, was selfish, and arrogant. His sins would catch up to him… and when they did… he was given a death sentence. Not to be outdone by the pain that he felt, the boy decided that the best thing he could do for the love of his life was to send her away… and when she refused? He forced her away. He not only tore away years of healing – by ripping open the scar tissue he sent that girl right back into the hell she tried so desperately to escape from years prior. Except this time the well was much deeper, the walls were sheer as glass, and it was pitch dark. Much like crossing the event horizon of a black hole, there was simply no feasible escape.”

“What happened to the girl then?”

MacLean asked.

“I’m glad you asked, Sir.”

Maggie pointed in his direction.

“It’s what I am told forges hydrogen into helium, and so on. It’s a reconciliation… the fusion of two things not meant to be fused. See, sometimes it feels like nature has an answer for everything but in those rare moments it doesn’t it kind of makes one up. And that’s what that girl did with her pain. She couldn’t bury it, and she couldn’t bear it, so she did the only thing one in her position could do lest she let her broken heart destroy her.”

Maggie looked out upon the growing crowd of spectators with a smirk.

“She put a face on it. She merged with her pain, letting it permeate her. And in doing so she became a new entity capable of rewriting any and all rules that applied to her. She dubbed this completely new self of hers Jenova… and since she has shattered the hearts, minds, bodies, and souls of anyone who even dreams about breaking hers.”

“And where is she now?”

Rogan asked as he took a glance over at Lucy.

“Rumor has it that Jenova’s Black Legacy has been passed down to the next generation… to someone who is supposed to learn the secret of reconciling all of her darkness back into the light. But wherever she is, this Jenova is a calamity, with death and destruction both as her precursors and at the same time always marking her wake as well.”

Maggie finished with a flourish and while Rogan looked enthralled – Lucy was much less so. She couldn’t disguise the redness of her cheeks as she shook her head and tried to focus on the fire, instead of the eyes she thought were on her.

“Lovely story, but it was nowhere near as… majestic as you make it sound.”

She scoffed.

“Your boyfriend liked it,”

Maggie said with a grin.

“With that being said though, I have an asshole to catch. So if you will excuse me, now is when I must take my leave of you.”

“Thank you for sharing such a profound story, Miss Lockheart.”

Rogan smiled.

“Oh, anytime. I wish I could stay more, but this third-wheel’s gotta roll. Catch you guys around.”

Before they realized it, Maggie was gone, leaving the two of them together by the fire. Lucy sighed and ran her hand over her head while Rogan simply sat there, his eyes lit up by the flames dancing in front of them.

“So tell me, you wouldn’t happen to know who this blonde haired girl was that Miss Lockheart was referring to?”

“You damn well know who she is. But I’m not that person anymore.”

Lucy replied as Rogan turned his head and looked at her.

“Well I for one would very much like to meet her sometime.”

 

Wrestlestock
–”Hell on Heels”–
Wednesday, July 21st 2021

The next day, Lucy took herself to Hell on Heels, the district she and Eden had put together to honor the women of UGWC. She figured after the embarrassment that was the night before, she’d drown herself in exhibition matches and the like. She even browsed the merchandise section and bought herself an Eden Morgan shirt because, why not?

She did a fairly good job of distracting herself throughout the day, although the cow print throne that Eden had placed next to her leopard print throne was just a little much. But it made Lucy laugh.

She had a hard time separating herself from the story that Maggie had told the night before, and she had an even harder time not being furious at her friend and former girlfriend. Lucy didn’t like the darkness she’d become back then. She’s tried very hard to forget that part of herself and having it acted out like a play for her and Rogan to see – She didn’t like it.

So she kept to herself all day, and tried even harder to push the angry thoughts from her mind. She was here to have fun..

And have fun she will.

Late in the day she returned to ‘The Oasis’ to change clothes because Hell on Heels at night was a completely different monster and she knew the shorts and t-shirt she’d been wearing all day wouldn’t do. And when she returned to the district and entered the burlesque style club, she was dressed to the nines in a long sequined black dress with a slit up to her hip and matching black heels that elevated her above many of the people she passed as she made her way towards the ‘bar’.

“Surprise me.”

She told the person behind the bar as she slid up onto the stool and crossed her legs. A few moments later a drink was slid in front of her and she took a sip, satisfied.

“Avoiding me are you?”

Upon hearing Eden’s voice, Lucy sighed.

“If I were avoiding you, why would I be staying in the Oasis… and why would I be here?”

She retorted as she watched Eden sit down on the stool next to her. Eden looked spectacular, but that was really no different than any other time. When Lucy glanced over at her best friend, she was greeted with a glare to end all glares, to which she put her hands up in surrender.

“Okay, okay.. I’m sorry, Edie.”

“Why are you so fucking stupid?!”

Eden hissed at her as she received her own drink.

“What the hell were you thinking?!”

Lucy averted her eyes back to her own drink as she sloshed it around in her glass, listening to the ice clatter around for a few moments before she finally sighed.

“I had a plan. Granted it wasn’t the best plan in the world, but… I had to make sure Kyra and her daughter weren’t in danger. Yeah, I put myself in danger Edie, but I already fucked Kyra over once, I wasn’t gonna let it happen again.”

Silence settled between the two of them as Eden sipped on her drink and thought about Lucy’s words. Finally she sat the drink down on the bar and turned to face Lucy.

“I get that. And that’s fine. But you could have told me.”

Lucy nodded her head.

“You’re right.”

“And for another thing– Wait, what?”

Lucy chuckled and shrugged.

“I said you’re right, bitch. I should have told you. I just didn’t want to tell too many people because if Michael found out, then none of this would have worked. That’s why I only told Gabriel. Don’t be mad at him for what I asked him to do… Please?”

Eden scoffed and rolled her eyes as Lucy did her best impression of a puppy dog.

“Bitch, stop it before I knock you off that stool. I’d hate to ruin that dress.”

“Of course you’d say that, you helped me pick it out.”

Eden chuckled.

“Damn right.”

Once more, the two women simply sat side by side and drank their drinks as they watched all kinds of people having fun around them.

As hard of a time as Lucy had asking for Gabriel’s help, she should have known that she could have talked to Edie about this too. Lesson learned she thought to herself as she finished her drink and told the bartender to surprise her again.

“So, I forgot to tell you…”

Eden scoffed.

“Big surprise. Rude cow.”

“Shut up. This isn’t like that. I talked to Maggie the other day and.. Well, she’s signing my old house back to me. You know, the house that CJ and I lived in when we were married.”

Eden eyed Lucy up for a few seconds before downing the rest of her own drink.

“Do you really think that’s a good idea?”

Lucy shrugged.

“I don’t really know, but I miss that house. And maybe I can fix it up again to be even better than what it used to be. I atleast know I wanna try.”

“Isn’t that where he died?”

Eden’s question froze Lucy for a moment and immediately Eden realized what she’d said.

“Sorry… I just mean, isn’t that going to be weird? For you?”

Lucy wasn’t really sure how to answer. To be fair, she hadn’t really thought about that part of it. She’d only really considered the fact that there were definitely some bad memories in that house, and how weird it would be to be there without CJ. But she’d neglected to think about the fact that he died in that house.

“I… I don’t know. I never thought about it.”

“That’s why you keep me around, but hey… I think you should just buy an island or move to the beach. But if you wanna move to bumfuck Maryland or whatever, you do you.”

She said, her tone that of indifference – But Lucy knew better.

As with Gabriel and Rogan… Eden was only looking out for Lucy’s best interests and that was more than Lucy could say about a lot of the other people in her life.

“Hey, if it doesn’t work out… I’ll just sell it and buy the island next to yours.”

Lucy said with a chuckle.

“Fine with me. Now shut up and drink.”

Lucy and Eden grinned at one another as they clanged their glasses together and toasted to their district and the success that it was.

But what neither of them saw in that moment was a Dark Man, standing in the doorway, his eyes unable to stray from the blonde who sat at the bar with a big smile on her face as a dark smile crossed his lips.  He was entranced by the darkness that lie within that soft, feminine exterior..

He wanted to know more.

 

Wrestlestock
–The Outskirts–
Thursday, July 22nd 2021

The lights and sounds of the Wrestlestock festival were off in the distance where Lucy Wylde sat on a blanket in the sand, watching the grandeur from afar.  Darkness all but consumed her, but she almost welcomed it after four days of hustle and bustle.  

She was dressed in what looked like a light colored dress, the hem falling just above her knee as she sat with her legs straight out in front of her. She was barefoot, and her long blonde hair was pulled back into a messy bun.   She leaned back upon the blanket and sighed as she began speaking.  

“I just wanna start out by saying what an honor it’s been to be the Chaos Champion.   Many people have held this belt, and many of them were far, far more adept to holding this than I could ever claim to be.  I’ve never tried to hide the fact that I’ve never really considered myself to be a ‘hardcore’ wrestler.  To be completely honest with all of you, I used to look down on those who wrestled the way that anyone who holds this belt does.  And as I said against Tempest, surprisingly enough, I’ve found out that I actually enjoy it.”

She smiles softly and turns her attention towards the festival. 

“I’m not the best, I don’t know if I ever will be – But I wanna try to be worthy of holding this belt.  Hell, maybe I already am… that’s not really for me to say.  But at the end of the day, here I am.. and here you are, Seb.   You want what I’ve worked so hard to attain, and in doing so… You wanna become a Grand Slam Champ.  I get it.  That’s my goal too, you know?  The Chaos Championship was one of the belts that had always eluded me.”

Lucy sighed and sat back up, leaning towards the camera as she wiped a stray hair out of her face. 

“I have no doubt that you’re gonna reach your goal because you’re God damned talented.  You know it, I know it… Everyone around here knows it.  But you know I’ve gotta make you earn what you want.  You know I’m not gonna lay down and give you that accolade.  I can’t.  I’ve went out there and I’ve earned every single thing I’ve gotten in my career and I respect you too much to not give you the fight of your life tomorrow night.”

Lucy shrugged. 

“But that’s shit we already know.  That goes without saying, Sebastian.  I know everyone is expecting me to tear you down and make you feel like you’re not good enough to win this belt, but the fact of the matter is – you’re every bit as good as me.  Hell, you might even be better.   You’re young.  And with that comes it’s own set of challenges.  Risk vs reward… you know?  How much are you willing to sacrifice in order to keep me down, Seb?  How much am I willing to sacrifice to make sure you have to wait just a little longer to become something I’ve been trying to be for years now?”

She nods her head. 

“You’ve got a lot more to lose than me, Seb.  See this scar on my neck?”

She points to a scar that extends over her windpipe. 

“A steel cage crushed my trachea a few years ago, and I couldn’t breathe on my own for what felt like forever.  It was my own damn fault… For being Lucy Wylde and for letting my guilt put me into a life changing situation… But now?  It’s a bullseye.  Why am I telling you all this?  Because honestly?  I wanna see how deep your respect goes, Seb.  I wanna see who you really are beneath that playboy exterior.  I wanna know if you’re willing to risk my career in order to become the Chaos Champ, and in turn, the Grand Slam champion.  And if you are?  That’s fine.  I get it.”

She runs her hand over her head. 

“But know this, Seb… However low you decide to stoop out there in the ring tomorrow night?  Just know that I’m ready and willing to do the exact same to you.  I don’t wanna do that to someone I respect as much as I do you, but if you push me… I push back.  I don’t wanna lose this belt.  Hell, I don’t want my career to end sooner than it has to… But like I said, you’ve got a lot more to lose than me at this point.  Just remember that, hun.  I’ll see you out there tomorrow.”

She smiles. 

“And good luck.”

OOC: Gabriel, Eden, Rogan and Maggie used with permission!! Thank you Mike, Britt, Cory and Chuck!!!