The scene opens up to “The Jawdropper” Kyra Johnson and “Godly” Ken Davison, collectively known as Baltimore Elite, standing together underneath a streetlight. Somewhere nearby, the gentle rustling of leaves in the night breeze can be heard.

Kyra sighs, breaking up the peaceful silence of the autumn evening.

“What a match we find ourselves in this week, huh? Ken and lil’ old me surrounded by some of the biggest names the UGWC has to offer. I mean, damn. If I weren’t so hard to impress, ya’ll might have made me blush.”

Kyra chuckles while Ken crosses his arms over his chest, taking on a more serious visage.

“I feel like Baltimore Elite comes into each and every match as the underdogs. I feel like because of the resume Sloane Taylor has built up, the reputation that Maggie Lockheart has built up, that we were set up to fail. However, we proved that we aren’t just Baltimore Elite, but simply Elite. That is why we are here, underneath this lamp. If UGWC isn’t going to give us the spotlight we deserve, we’re going to make our own.”

Ken puts his hand on Kyra’s shoulder, giving it an easy squeeze.

“Last week, I did something that was very unpopular, dare I say, controversial. I went to Johnny Hitmaker. I have been very vocal about the fact that I wanted nothing else but to get the opportunity to hold Cooperative Championships here in UGWC with my beloved. It was not a step that I wanted to take. It was a step I felt I had to take. Now, here we are, in a 10 person Cooperative match. Amongst our opponents this week are the two people that I have wanted to face since our first encounter, that being Incendium.”

Kyra nods her head.

“I can’t lie, I’ve been wanting to get into it with those two since Incursion. But then again, who doesn’t wanna get their hands on UGWC’s snakiest pair? That’s not a word, but whatever. You get the point. We might have come in and lost to them at Incursion, but Ken and I? We don’t forget.”

“When I started in this business, I lost a lot. Back then everyone was at least six foot six, 275 pounds or more. Each and every match I learned, win or lose. While the landscape may have changed, the game plan didn’t. As a team, Incendium is the only blemish on our record here. While it is important that we hold our own against them, this match is bigger than them, bigger than us. We will use this opportunity to learn more about them and when the time comes, the result will be much, much different.”

Kyra steals a glance at Ken.

“And while it’s pretty obvious Gabriel and Eden are high on our lists this week, we’d both be remiss if we forgot that we’re also getting an opportunity to go face to face with our newly crowned Co Op champs. Hi, Trav. How you doin, Sebastian? Told you I’d eventually get the chance to cave in that pretty little face of yours a little more, didn’t I?”

Kyra winks.

“Wrestlestock was fun, even though being handcuffed to you was… Well, it made it easier to whoop your ass, this week is gonna be even more fun, don’t you think? I’ll get to use both hands.”

“The Piercing Truth is that Travis is nothing more than an egotistical Wendy Williams wannabe that uses his platform to do nothing more than to fluff his own ego. You go from Conquest loser one week to getting a Cooperative Championship opportunity the next? Who’s ass are you kissing? Have you ever listened to yourself? Light travels faster than sound, which is why you seemed bright until you spoke. You have skated by your entire career and now your going to ride the backs of everyone else on your team. When I look at the talent that surrounds you, I remember that it’s impossible to underestimate you.”

Kyra chuckles.

“Damn. You’re not wrong though. But in all seriousness, who’s gonna hear our words and really listen to them? To a lot of you, we’re still just a couple of Carnage leftovers, right? Just a couple of fucks who think they can hash it in a place like UGWC, but hey, the way I see it? If someone like that dickhead looking librarian wannabe Donovan Hastings can make it here, why the fuck can’t we? And yeah, I know… I know, that’s your world champion! How dare this scrawny little bitch talk down about the man who’s somehow maintained his spot at the top of this place. Most of us ain’t gotta resort to being a little bitch in order to get the job done, Donny.”

A scowl replaces the smirk that once adorned her lips.

“I’ve fought motherfuckers who could eat your ass for breakfast, and I’ve beaten the absolute piss out of them. You ain’t gonna take me seriously until that shit happens to you, and that’s fine. Perfectly fine. But I guess we both have something to look forward to, don’t we?”

“With the dynamics of this match, I don’t expect a single Kendamned person to listen to our empty, hollow words. The one thing we have going for us of that unlike each and every single member of the opposition, we aren’t a bunch of egomaniacs. Our actions will show that we are the stronger team, that we are the better team and that despite all of their gold, we are the superior team.”

 

“Maybe I’ll just stay in the car.”

Rogan stated as the Buick roared down route 70. Their destination, Baltimore and the home of two of he and Lucy’s cooperative partners for this week. Lucy glanced over at him and rolled her eyes from the passenger seat, scoffing for good measure – You know, just in case Rogan didn’t catch how ridiculous his statement was by her nonverbal reactions.

“Or you won’t.”

“I could have just stayed at the house, I suppose.”

Another scoff came from Lucy’s direction, garnering a sideways glance from Rogan.

“What?”

“We both know there was no way you were staying at the house… by yourself.”

Of course Lucy was referring to the old farmhouse that once belonged to herself and CJ Wylde. The same house that creeped the Dark Man out the last time he was there. Just the thought of being alone in that house with the ‘spirit’ of Lucy’s ex-husband was enough to send a chill down Rogan’s spine.

“Okay, you’re probably right. But I don’t think your sister and her fiance are going to take too kindly to an unexpected guest.”

“Well, I didn’t expect you to just.. appear at my doorstep today, either. But here we are. And I already told Kyra I’d come by this evening to talk so… You’re stuck, Mr. MacLean. Besides, we are teaming up with them in a few days, so it might be a good idea to, you know… talk beforehand?”

Rogan shrugged his shoulders.

“Good point. But aren’t you forgetting something?”

Lucy laid her head back on the headrest and stared out at the road as it flew past them at seventy miles an hour.

“That we’ve got another partner this week? Yeah, I didn’t forget.”

She replied flatly. After the last Synergy, she really didn’t want to even think about the fifth partner on their team, let alone who they just happened to be facing in a few days time.

“Speaking of… You wanna talk about what happened at Synergy?”

Rogan asked, obviously referring to the ‘interaction’ between Lucy and Maggie. Lucy sighed and shook her head.

“I just.. I know what she’s capable of and–”

Lucy paused, closing her eyes. Rogan took another peek at her, making sure she was okay as she continued.

“She’s made it no real secret since she came back as ‘Jenova’ that protecting me and my ‘legacy’ is of the utmost importance.. I don’t want it and I sure as hell don’t need it.”

Rogan nodded and shrugged as if to say, fair enough.

“You are certainly stubborn, Ms. Wylde.”

He paused.

“But, I get it. I’ve felt the same way about some of my past friendships… relationships. Whatever you’d like to call them.”

He watched as the scenery floated past the sides of the highway. His eyes seemed to gaze past the scenery.

“You and I, as different as we may be, are startlingly similar, if you think about it.”

Lucy glanced at him, and shook her head.

“What do you mean?”

“Well…”

His knuckles tightened on the steering wheel.

“You’re suppressing a darker side. I’m suppressing a darker side, as well.”

Lucy’s eyebrows arched as she again looked over at her partner. She hadn’t expected that response.

“You? But… why?”

Rogan chuckled.

“I suppose I could ask you the same question.”

He shot her another glance, only to find her crossing her arms over her chest and her head turned away from him.

“That’s not who I am. It never was.”

Rogan could practically feel the chill coming from beside him, but he pressed on, albeit gently. The last thing he wanted to do was make her angry with him.

“Have you ever thought that maybe–”

His voice trailed off as he wondered if finishing that particular thought would do more harm than good in this moment.

“Maybe what?”

Lucy asked, finally turning her eyes back onto the side of Rogan’s head. But Rogan simply shook his head.

“Nevermind. We’re almost here.”

 

Knock Knock!

Lucy turned to look at Rogan as they stood on the doorstep of Kyra and Ken’s Baltimore home. She tried to put it out of her mind, but she was still wondering what Rogan was going to say before he’d pulled the Buick onto this street. But something about the soft smirk on his lips told her she wasn’t going to obtain that particular knowledge anytime soon, so she simply smiled back at him and turned around just in time for the door to open, revealing Kyra behind it.

“Well, this is… unexpected.”

Kyra said, shooting a look at Lucy, and then up at Rogan.

“Well, I–”

Lucy began, but Kyra shook her head and cut her sister off as she opened the door and motioned for the two of them to enter.

“Shut up, Lucy.”

Kyra said, extending a hand towards Rogan while Lucy sighed and stepped through the doorway and into the foyer.

“Nice to finally meet you, Rogan.”

Rogan took her hand and nodded his head.

“Likewise.”

Kyra shot another look at her sister and chuckled as she closed the door behind them.

“I’d tell you you were cute, but everytime I do that Lucy falls into the arms of the next neanderthal that shows any interest.”

Rogan let out a snort of laughter while Lucy buried her face in her hands.

“Kyra…”

“Oh relax for fucks sake. I’m not making that mistake again.”

“What mistake, babe?”

Ken said as he turned the corner.

“Oh, uh, I didn’t know your sister was coming over. I would have made coffee.”

Ken motioned to the loveseat in the living room.

“You two want to sit?”

Lucy moved towards the living room, but Kyra caught her by the arm before she could go any further.

“Actually… I was hoping to speak to my sister privately, so… by all means, you two go and sit and… do whatever it is you two do.”

Kyra replied, pulling Lucy off in the direction of the kitchen while Lucy mouthed an apology to Rogan. And just like that, Ken and Rogan were by themselves in the foyer. Rogan smoothed his hands over his denim jacket and glanced at Ken, who simply shrugged.

“So, this is awkward. Going to be honest with you, Rogan. It’s a good thing this house is insured, because with those two, this conversation could go really well or really badly.”

Rogan smiled.

“I’m not unfamiliar with those types of conversations myself, so I appreciate what you mean. I’ve seen you around, but haven’t properly welcomed you to the Coalition. It’s a pleasure to have someone as decorated as you and Kyra are.”

He extended his hand and shook Ken’s.

“I’ve watched you in the ring,”

Rogan continued.

“I think the two of you are destined for great things here.”

“She’s the only reason I’m still in the game. I’ve had my personal glory. Now, it’s time for better things.”

Rogan nodded, a smirk pulling at the corners of his mouth.

“I’ve noticed you’ve got your crosshairs on the Cooperative Championships. That could be fun.”

He shifted his weight from one leg to the other, wincing slightly. Ken nodded at Rogan, in recognition of both the conversation and the old war injuries, so to speak.

“Well, at this point, it’s a team building exercise. I’m not trying to be facetious because it’s the Cooperative titles. This Kyra and I thing started when we were opponents. For reasons that were not entirely noble at the time, I told her she was her own person and not to stand in anyone’s shadow. Now, we are casting one shadow, but it’s side by side. I don’t know how it happened, but I’m glad it did.”

“What a coincidence! In my career, I have befriended the shadows!”

He gave Ken a wink, but his expression darkened.

“Forgive me, Ken, but when you speak, it certainly doesn’t feel like a team-building exercise from your perspective. From my point of view, it seems that you’ve got a chip on your shoulder, and you’re goddamned determined to prove something here. It may not be your own personal glory that you’re driven to, but there’s a passion burning in your eyes for glory. Even if it is to be shared with Kyra. Admirable. And also, contagious. When the Coalition sees one team burn for glory, suddenly two or three other teams come down with it, and then before you know it, three or four different cooperative teams are having matches of the year candidates and stealing the show. Now… doesn’t that sound fun?”

“Maybe I am still chasing glory. I spent 25 years in this business for myself. I put up walls that would have made Trump proud. This is the first time in my career that I’ve done this for someone else, personally or professionally. I just know that I don’t want to let Kyra down.”

After pacing throughout the conversation, Ken finally sat down in his recliner. Still, he leaned forward, continuing to engage Rogan.

“I think it’s put more pressure on me than any other time in my life.”

Rogan nodded, stuffing his hands in his pockets. He was reflecting on what Ken said. Just as Ken didn’t want to let Kyra down, Rogan didn’t want to let Lucy down. Even though the relationships were different.

“I understand.”

He gazed around the room, taking it in just as he had taken in Lucy’s home. He half-expected CJ’s ghost to pay him an ominous visit here as he looked around at the pictures and decorations. But, his ghost never came.

“Before much longer, I expect the two of you to be challenging for the Co-Op championships. Who knows… maybe Lucy and I will be lucky enough to be standing across from you and Kyra.”

Ken let out a deep sigh. He chose his words carefully. They almost come out Shatner-esque, though not being played for laughs.

“I don’t know if I would want that. Those two ladies in the other room, they’ve got a history bathed in blood. I don’t want that to ever happen again. If I could be somehow assured that history wouldn’t repeat itself, I would most certainly welcome the competition.”

Rogan ponders, considering with a tap on his chin.

“Yeah, I’m still trying to get caught up with all of that. It seems to be a sensitive subject. Understandably so.”

“I’m not trying to get in the middle of whatever…”

Ken motioned towards the kitchen with a look of concern etched across his visage.

“…that is. I just want to make sure we’re all on the same page, or at the very least in the same book. With Maggie involved, I don’t even know if we’re going to be in the same library.”

Ken put his hands on his knees and let out an exasperated sigh.

“I’m going to make my intentions clear. Kyra is my number one priority. If I can drag Gabe, Eden and Travis down, all the better. I want to make sure that they are the only problems in this match.”

Rogan grinned.

“We may not be in the same library, but it’ll be interesting to see what kind of chaos we bring with us. As far as Eden and Gabriel go, I think Lucy might agree with me when I say, I’ll be happy to let you and Kyra go toe to toe with them. Despite their…”

He waved a hand in a circular dismissive motion.

“…flaws, they’re still our friends. I don’t see any reason why we should jeopardize that. Not that I wouldn’t go head to head with Gabriel if I felt like I needed to.”

After a few moments of silence, Rogan awkwardly finishes his thought.

“But… I guess we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”

“Just so you know. I just don’t take losing well. They beat us, I want that win back. It’s just business. I’m not going to try to cripple anyone.”

Rogan nodded.

“Well then—“

He cleared his throat as Kyra and Lucy stepped back into the room.

 

Autumn was finally beginning to make its presence known. The chill of a cool breeze floated in from the west. What was it about the west in Rogan’s world that was so mysterious? So ominous? Lucy contemplated it often.

Rogan’s world. It overlapped her own so much that she wasn’t even sure when she passed through the doorways that led to and from his.

She tried not to think about it at all, sometimes it was too much to think about. It was mind-bending. And borderline mind-breaking, at times.

She could hear the sound of his worn boot heels clicking against the pavement somewhere behind her. He was sometimes referred to as ‘The Walkin’ Dude’ and she was beginning to understand why. Motherfucker liked to walk, probably more than he liked riding in the Buick. Or, lately, driving the Buick. She wondered where Jack had been, but seemed to always forget to ask Rogan once they were face to face.

He approached, his hair blowing in the autumn air. Once he reached her, he stopped and gazed out into the horizon. She could see the faint bruises on his face, and noticed the subtle limp in his walk as he came closer from his matches at Massive Melee. They were faded, but they were there, like distant memories that seemed to be just that already to Rogan. He was already turning his attention to the future.

“This industry is a game of short memory.”

He said it as if he had been reading her mind. He continued to stare out at the sky that met the ocean in the distance.

“Whether you’re enduring failures, or fulfilling your dreams, this industry is a game of short memory. And if you don’t accept that, then you’ll be left in the dust.”

He held out a hand and dropped a handful of desert sand that swirled into the fingertips of the ocean’s air. Lucy looked around slowly. Had they been in the desert? Was there a desert anywhere near here? She looked at the Dark Man suspiciously. She would bet money that he carried desert sand in his pockets the same way Andy Dufresne carried the powder of the wall he dug through in The Shawshank Redemption.

He turned over his hand, palm up, and Lucy took it with a smirk. Now, two sets of boot heels clicked upon the highway.

“At Massive Melee, Donovan outsmarted me. After a hellacious match that we were nearly killed in, he picked up the pieces and had his way with me. And while we both had a very different vision of our fate that night, it’s not about how you fall… but how you come back from it. Am I right?”

Lucy smiled and nodded.

“In the past I’ve been called a hydra. And hydras, when you cut off one head, it grows two more heads. It multiplies, and becomes twice the pain in the ass it was before. Numinous Fate? We’re no different than that. We did our fair sharing of ass-kicking in that match, and we damn sure endured a lot of getting our ass kicked as well. And yet… here we are.”

“Well, we’ve got time to elaborate on that another time, Dark Man. When we have them to ourselves.”

The Dark Man grinned. There was something dark about the way Lucy said the last word: ourselves. She almost hissed it, like a snake.The highway was desolate, just like a desert, despite it running right alongside the Gulf.

“No, this week isn’t the time to focus on the Cooperative Champions. This week we have an interesting… challenge set before us. And while Rogan has already mentioned Donovan Hastings, that slimy asshole.. I think it bears mentioning that without his underhanded bullshit, Donny wouldn’t be where he is right now.”

Lucy rolled her eyes, a dark grin on her lips.

“Who am I, exactly? An awfully opinionated bitch, that’s who. I’m well aware I lost to him at Horizons to put an exclamation point on my 2020. But hey, at least I can still look myself in the mirror each morning and not see a piece of shit looking back at me.”

She shrugged her shoulders.

“But whatever, Donovan. You’re gonna do what you gotta do on Monday and on the flip side, we’re gonna do what we gotta do. But what am I thinking? You’re not going to actually do anything to help your team. Even if you’re working alongside your buddies. Speaking of… Hi, Gabriel. Hi, Edie. Not exactly what I envisioned this week being, you know? We know each other pretty well. And honestly, I’m not the biggest fan of this match because of the fact that you two are on the opposing side.”

Lucy raised her free hand in the air.

“But, that being said – You both know I ain’t about to take it easy on you. I’d hate to have ya’ll mad at me for pulling my punches.. However, I can’t say the same for the rest of our team. I think you guys already know that though. I do know one thing though, you two are two of the very best, and at the end of the day, I know you guys are good at looking after one another, so for what it’s worth… Good luck.”

She winked. And it seemed like the yellow smiley face on Rogan’s button winked with her. Rogan spoke once more, soft yet commanding.

“When I think about Gabriel and Eden standing across from us, it’s not appealing, I admit. But, I’ll be watching my back. I don’t think the two of you would do anything underhanded to me, especially in a match like this. But, I’ve also been the victim of mysterious attackers that have yet to reveal who they really are. I’ve also given Donovan too much credit and expected a fair fight with him, only to be left in the middle of the ring like a piece of garbage.”

He gazed out, his green eyes piercing.

“On Monday, I’ll have the opportunity to get my hands on Hastings again. That is, if he even shows up on time. My advice to my friends? Don’t stand in the way of that. You know what’s right and what isn’t. Don’t misunderstand me, though. At first, I was upset that he did that to me. I was offended, like so many people do these days. I felt like a victim. But then, I realized… a few years ago, I would have done the same thing to my opponent. And wouldn’t have thought twice about it. So unfair? Being offended? Where does that get me? Nowhere. But when I get my hands on you again, Hastings… there’s nothing you can do.”

They stopped walking, the sound of their clicking boot heels fading, and being replaced with the sound of a Buick speeding down the highway in the distance.

“And if Lucy and I both get our hands on you?”

He chuckled as the Buick drew nearer.

“Your fate will be what we make.”

Lucy finished coldly. The Buick slowed to a stop beside them, its driver a skeletal ferryman gazing out at them behind empty sockets as black as a bottomless well.

 

Kyra pulled Lucy into the kitchen, and when she was sure they were by themselves, she released Lucy’s arm. Lucy watched Kyra as the younger sister made her way around the counter in the center of the room and grabbed herself a drink out of the fridge.

“What’s going on?”

Lucy asked, her curiosity piqued.

“Are we good?”

Kyra finally asked, her back still turned towards her sister.

“What?”

“I said… Are we good?”

She asked again, turning around to face Lucy as Lucy just stood there completely confused. Finally Lucy shook her head and took a seat across from Kyra.

“Good? I mean, yeah.. You got pretty pissed at me a few weeks ago, but besides that?”

Kyra closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

“Yeah I was mad because you went and did something fucking stupid.”

Lucy rolled her eyes.

“I did that ‘stupid’ ass thing to make sure you and your kid didn’t end up there. Besides, I told you, I had a plan. Gabriel pulled through. Michael ended up where he deserved to be and I’m fine.”

Kyra took a sip of her drink and laid it on the counter between them, shaking her head as she spoke.

“Yeah, yeah.. I know. I shouldn’t have gotten as pissed as I did, but you gotta stop doing shit like that. For fucks sake.”

“What? The right thing?”

Lucy asked, leaning on the countertop, her eyes narrowed at her sister. Kyra, however, didn’t return the look – Instead she simply sighed.

“We’re getting off topic here.”

Lucy threw her arms into the air.

“I don’t even know what the topic is. First you ask if we’re good, and then you–”

“I just need to know if you and I are okay… Because…”

Kyra’s voice trails off and she glances towards the doorway, making sure neither of the men have found their way in here – Which garners another curious look from Lucy.

“Kyra, what the fuck is going on? I know shit has been shaky to say the least between you and me but as far as I’m concerned, we’re good. Why? Do you feel differently?”

Lucy wasn’t used to seeing her sister like this. And on the flip side, Kyra wasn’t used to feeling like this. She was tired, and she honestly wasn’t sure what to do about it. Kyra hoped that talking to her sister face to face would alleviate the anxiety she felt over the dreams.. And hopefully help her to get a full night’s sleep for the first time in weeks.

After a few moments of silence, Kyra cleared her throat.

“No, no.. I think we’re as okay as we’ve ever been, honestly.”

“But…”

Lucy interjected, making Kyra roll her eyes instinctually.

“But, I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what happened a few years ago…”

As she finished the sentence, Kyra glanced up at that scar that adorned her sister’s neck and another wave of guilt washed over her. The scar that she gave her. Lucy followed Kyra’s gaze, putting her hand up to her neck and running her finger along the raised skin and shook her head.

“Why are you doing that to yourself? No good comes of shit like that, ask me how I know.”

Kyra sighed, averting her eyes down towards her hands as they rested upon the bottle of water she’d been drinking from.

“I don’t know. I’ve just been having these… dreams… about that night.”

Lucy could sense there was more to it, and she could also tell it was taking a lot for Kyra to even talk about it, so she wasn’t sure if she wanted to push the issue.

“…And?”

But she did anyway.

“But it’s different. Every night I watch myself actually…”

Kyra brought her eyes up to meet Lucy’s.

“…finish the job.”

Lucy sucked in a hard breath upon hearing those final two words, quietly nodding her head as silence settled between them for a few moments.

“I see.”

Lucy finally said, glancing down at her own hands. It’s not as if Lucy hadn’t relived that particular night in the Johnson sisters’ history many times over the years. But reliving it herself was nothing in comparison to seeing her tough as nails sister looking so… out of sorts about the very same thing.

She knew Kyra felt guilty over what she’d almost done, but at the end of the day, Lucy knew it was her choices too that brought both of them to that point.

“But I’m not dead. It was only a dream.”

“It’s hard to say it’s just a dream when you watch your biggest mistake over and over and over… And actually succeed.”

“Yeah.”

Lucy whispered. She wasn’t entirely sure what to say, or how to reassure Kyra that everything was fine, when it was obvious that in her sister’s mind, things were far from it. Lucy understood that feeling, all too well.

“But hey, I get it. Maybe I don’t understand exactly what you’re dealing with but I’ve had to relive things too that weren’t easy to go through a second or third time even. What happened between us? It fucking sucked, and I think we’re both to blame for how things ended up.. But the fact that we’re both here, right now? Says a lot.”

Kyra nodded her head without looking up.

“Yeah, I know it does. But not everyone feels the same way you do.”

It was Lucy’s turn to close her eyes and take a deep breath. She knew exactly what Kyra was saying.

“Well it’s not anyone else’s business but ours.”

She shrugged her shoulders as Kyra looked up.

“Trust me, I told her last week before her match with you and Ken, and I’ll tell her again this week if I gotta.”

Kyra scoffed.

“Do you really think you’ve got a say in it?”

Lucy stiffened her jaw.

“You’re damn right I do. Maggie isn’t going to like it very much if she tries to ‘avenge’ everything that’s ever happened to me. I just wish she saw that Ichabod was pulling the strings like the dickbag he is. We’re good. Gabriel and I are good. Eden and I are good. I just wish people would leave well enough alone.”

Kyra once more nodded her head as silence settled between the two of them. After a few minutes, Lucy looked up.

“..Does Ken know?”

Kyra shook her head and Lucy groaned.

“Kyra… Don’t do that. Don’t keep shit from him. I don’t even know him that well and I can tell that that man would do anything for you.”

Kyra frowned.

“I know he would. But I don’t know if he can fix… this and I just don’t want to put anything else on his shoulders.”

Lucy gave her sister a look that made Kyra put her hands up in surrender.

“..But I’ll tell him. I will. But what about you and–”

Lucy shook her head and got up from the stool she’d been sitting on.

“And there it is.”

Kyra chuckles softly and grabs her bottle of water as she rounds the island and steps towards her sister.

“Oh come on, that’s a dude that’ll–”

Lucy put her arm up in Kyra’s face.

“Not having this conversation about myself and my friend. Let’s just focus on what we’re supposed to be doing this week, you think you can handle that?”

Kyra sighed and shrugged her shoulders.

“Fine. You know this is the first time we’ve ever teamed up, don’t you?”

“I was thinking the same thing. It’s kinda weird, huh?”

They both shake their heads.

“Weird ain’t even the word for it. But I think it’ll be good.”

“Damn right. Ken and I finally get to give your buddies a bit of payback for what happened back at Incursion and you two.. Well, you get to work over your opponents for next week, huh?”

Lucy nodded.

“Yeah, yeah.”

The two of them turned and began walking out of the kitchen, still talking about their upcoming match. A few moments later they turn the corner into the living room where Ken and Rogan are still sitting, talking amongst themselves.

“Well then-“

Rogan clears his throat and looked up as the two of them entered the room.

“Well then, what?”

Lucy asked, a soft grin on her face. Rogan returned the smile, but it was Ken who spoke up.

“We were just discussing where we stand on things. Short version: I want Gabriel. I want Eden. I want Pierce. I want us on the same page. Oh, and I won’t cripple them… at least not Gabriel and Eden.”

“Well, I don’t think we gotta worry about not being on the same page… But what I’m dying to know is if Lucy here can get along with our other partner long enough to get out of there with the win.”

And at that moment, every eye in the room turned on Lucy, who simply shrugged.

“We’ll see.”

 

And then there was one.

The Baltimore Elite felt the weight of each other’s success on their shoulders. Numinous Fate felt the weight of each other’s burdens on theirs.

Magdalena Lockheart was all alone, both figuratively and literally, as she prepared for the ten person tag. Word had gotten back to her that her four partners had gotten together to discuss strategy and how it might shift should certain things play out. It was the wise thing to do, she reasoned, no one on our side would take our opponents lightly; and we damn sure weren’t going to do this unprepared.

But what does our side even mean when everyone on that side doesn’t invite you?

She pushed all of that aside, and pulled her boot laces as tight as she could. She taped up her wrists a little more stiff than what she was typically used to. She pulled her hair silver-toned back and tied it into a ponytail a little bit tighter.

Ichabod couldn’t have planned this any better if he tried.

The new Calamity, the Engine of Entropy, and apparently “the one that nobody could trust” was on edge.

What felt unusual about all of this was that, as of late, Maggie would be one of the last ones in the arena and more times than not would barely get herself ready in time for her match. This time, however, she was the first fighter in the building.

It’d be a few hours yet until fans would pile into their seats and she was there, waiting, and already dressed. The sun outside was still flying high even though the mood in an otherwise empty locker room was so tense Maggie felt like she was wading in a pool of bridled, silent rage.

Maggie was set for war, she just didn’t know which war. Would it be World War 3 out there… or Civil War 2?

Didn’t matter much now, did it?

With the answers not coming until much later, she decided it best to take a walk to clear her mind. The hallways were still bare, barren, echoey. She felt it nice to hear the ripple effect of every step she forced herself to push forward on. It reminded her of something CJ used to say. It was soothing right up until the exact moment that it wasn’t soothing anymore.

“…Crikey…“

A man’s voice shattered her illusion of a peaceful getaway. Apparently showing up quite early wasn’t going to be the fortress of solitude that Maggie had hoped for.

She turned to see him; a man whom she hadn’t seen in years. She could feel the air like a cyclone begin to swirl around her even though there were no vents or fans to turn on. Whom she suspected peeked his head out of the trainer’s room.

“Well, if it isn’t Maggie Lockheart,”

Jordan King said in his instantly recognizable aussie accent, emerging from the doorframe to lay eyes on an old friend.

“…as I live and breathe…”

* * *

The Coalition’s Head Trainer hadn’t seen Magdalena Lockheart in several years. But he wasn’t about to forget her name nor her face it was attached to.

Maggie was uncomfortable, but she wasn’t sure why. She attributed it to her sour mood. Of all of the people that she had become reacquainted with since she’s been back, there was one name on the list of those yet to be seen that scared her more than all the rest.

Yet as King approached her he did so with a smile on his face. Everything was and seemed friendly enough. There were no hard feelings or ill will; at least none that she could detect anyway. It was surprising, sure. But then again Maggie couldn’t argue. In the UGWC, you take your wins when you get them, no matter how they come around.

“So how’ve ya been lassie?”

JK asked innocently enough.

“Good.”

An obvious ducking of the question.

“I ain’t seen ya in, how long now has it?”

He chuckled.

“I knew ya been back for a spell, but I ain’t seen ya around.”

“Oh, I’ve been around…”

WrestleStock open finals. Eliminated Ichabod at Massive Melee. Have the entire fan base of the Coalition buzzing… and apparently quite the storyteller when extra-large bonfires are involved.

“Yeah, but I ain’t seen you,”

King replied with a chuckle.

“Guess that’s a good thing, hmm? No more concussion tests? Brutal injuries week-to-week to discuss?”

Maggie’s chuckle was as cold and as dry as an icebox. If King only knew about the injuries she’s piled up since she’s been gone…

“Nope,”

She replied, doing her best to match his smile with her best facsimile she could muster.

“Been all clear since I been here, Doc-”

Jordan nodded his head.

“That’s good. That’s real good,”

He replied.

“Hopefully it stays that way. N-not because I don’t want to see you or anything… but usually if I have to get called in it’s pretty bad of course.”

“Right,”

Maggie stared down at the ground between their feet,

“I definitely wouldn’t want that.”

“No, absolutely not.”

JK had started to pick up that something was off, both in the tone and the shortness of her answers.

“So uhh, how do you like being back, huh?”

King asked if only to break the silence.

“I heard you’ve been doing really well for yourself in some other places.”

“Yeah-”

Once more Maggie seemed dejected, almost like she didn’t want to be there.

“Like really bloody well,”

He reiterated.

“Like ya didn’t need to come back here kinda well.”

Maggie didn’t answer. JK pursed his lips.

“So uhh… I guess the real question is why come back atoll, lassie?”

“I uhh,”

Lockheart muttered,

“You know, I don’t really know myself sometimes.”

JK nodded his head.

“I betcha you came back for yer ol’ favorite trainer…”

King pointed to himself playfully.

“It’s okay, you can be honest. We both know it’s me.”

Maggie chuckled a little bit, but for real this time.

“Okay, okay,”

She cracked the tiniest bit of a real smile,

“You’re not wrong.”

“Well I bloody well know I’m not.”

He laughed too.

“But you know what? Hey, I know why you’re really back though.”

“You do?”

“Yeah, of course I do. You have some unfinished business that needs tendin to. Hell, ain’t nothin wrong with that .I know it’s been a while… But the stuff that happened between you and uhh… Lucy…. back then? You two didn’t exactly end it off on the best of terms.”

It was a lot more complicated than that, but JK wasn’t wrong.

“Unfinished business, yes,”

Maggie said looking up at him.

“But Lucy and I are actually trying to work things out… I think.”

“Well, I hope that works out for ya lassies. But if things go south, I’ll probably be seein one or the both of you again real soon. I do hope they work out though.”

“You do?”

“Well yeah, of course I do,”

he said as he patted her on the shoulder.

“I can only fix broken bodies. But there are wounds that nothing but time and understanding will heal.”

Maggie has had plenty of time.

 

Back in the locker room, Maggie has relegated herself to sitting on the bench. She’s using her phone to record herself talking over a few thoughts in the hopes that someone will see it at some point.

“You know, I know as much about why I’m in this match as you know why I’m in your promotion.”

Her elbows perched on her knees. Her head hangs low.

“I thought I made it clear. But the only thing that seems clear to me now is that I’m forever an outsider. I’ll be an outsider wherever I go doing whatever it is I choose to do.”

He slowly raises her mako green eyes toward the camera lens.

“No, I don’t know what it is about me, just as I’m equally perplexed by this place. My best guess is that I’m ignorant. It’s clear what a mistake it is to go somewhere with the intention to solely make waves in someone else’s pool. It’s a nuisance. It’s annoying. The UGWC was fine without me. It’ll be fine long after I’m gone, too.”

“Can you imagine a Coalition without Donovan Hastings? Eden Morgan? Gabriel Baal? Travis Pierce? And the new guy? Whatever the fuck his name is, the third? I sure as hell can’t. Add a few names that have been around for what seems like centuries and their list of accomplishments that says as much about their longevity as it does their talent. It’s hard to imagine with a core group like that that the UGWC would ever go away.”

“And there was a time that Magdalena Lockheart used to think Sarah Lacklan was Magdalena Lockheart’s biggest problem here.”

Maggie laughs.

“You know, speaking of, I tried to apologize to Sloane for last week and all the shit that happened at the end of our fight. We ended up losing because I got distracted. That’s my fault. That’s all on me.”

“But why would I be surprised that Sloane, a well-liked, well-deserved former UGWC World Champion would ghost me in a way that would make CJ a glowing green vapor of envy? Why wouldn’t she? I only came here to start trouble. I only came here because I’m trying to do the one thing I promised myself I would never do-”

“Treat this business like it owes me something.”

“And, let’s not mince words here, that’s exactly who and what I’ve been since I first stood in front of that bonfire some months ago. I told you all the story of a past… my past… and the past of people who are dear to me and I tried to spin that into a reason as to why I needed to be here.”

“But I guess the truth is I didn’t need it. I never needed it. I just wanted it.”

Maggie lowers her head again. Her tone softens and drops.

“You know, it is a fascinating story and all… well… fascinating to me, anyway. But even I know there’s no such thing as justice. At least, there’s no justice without the desire for it. And right now I look across the card at four, possibly five UGWC stalwarts who see justice as getting that crazy bitch outta their pool. Like no one wants me, let alone needs me. I’m the one who has been disturbing the peace since I’ve been here… the one making echoes in the otherwise silent halls. The UGWC, and their inner circle, have made this peace and have moved on from the past. CJ Wylde is nothing short of a distant memory to them. A blink-and-you-miss-him talent with a bad attitude and not enough potential to make up for it. So who gives a shit if the man who paralyzed him for no good reason is still here? Let’s dress the man up in a tux and invite him to the next Hall of Fame ceremony. Let’s pour the poor guy some champagne and celebrate all of the hard work that he’s done.”

She peers up past her brow into the camera again.

“But see, that’s the thing with memories. They’re either cherished or oh-so-easily forgotten. There’s a tiny bit of gray area in-between but in reality… this is the human condition. We keep what we like, discard what we don’t… It’s all or it’s nothing at all. The only difference is what we throw away like garbage and what we choose to cherish. Trust me, I know this better than most.”

“Cause the thing is, and yeah, it’s a bit cliche, but you’d all understand what’s worth holding onto when it all gets taken away. See, I can sit here and with all honesty tell you now that I’m not the Magdalena Lockheart that the Coalition remembers her to be. I’m not the former UGWC Cross-Hemisphere champion. I’m not Lucy’s ex-girlfriend. I’m not the girl who once held Coalition gold and Carnage Wrestling gold at the same time. That person is dead. That person died the moment she was smashed in the head with a ring bell and all of her previous memories were either jumbled or erased.”

“And yeah, it still comes back to me, or at least the me that I am now, in bits and pieces, yes. But understand that in that long and painful process of trying to figure out who I was that I lost the essence of what it meant to be me. And for a while there, the memories flowed in like a dam bursting with the whole reservoir giving way and lately it’s calmed into a slow trickle. But nothing, and I mean nothing, has brought back more about who Maggie was and what Maggie meant than being back in this place. Nothing has brought me closer to Magdalena Lockheart than the Coalition. So for that, I should be grateful.”

“But I’m the outsider. That’s what I was then. That’s what you all choose to remember Maggie Lockheart as so that’s who you think I should be, too.”

“And hell, Lucy doesn’t trust me… she never has. Kyra doesn’t trust me, and she shouldn’t. Ken, well, he’s gonna protect his girl and Rogan I assume would do the same for his… ahem… friend. I’m a lonely island, but that’s okay. I don’t have any love for the competition either, and I’m not ashamed to admit it. I can joke and kid around with ol’ Gabby and his bitchy-bitch on Twitter but they ain’t without sin, either. So don’t get me started on the good ol’ days of when Dr. Baal went around stabbing us with his mystery concoction in these halls and subsequently leaving Lucy for dead. Classy. Or the time that everyone thought that Eden really was dead because I assume that’s what she wanted us to think. Had a funeral and everything. I know. Magdalena cried. But at least they’ve changed… or at least tried to change.”

“Hastings and Pierce are, years later, exactly how Magdalena Lockheart remembers them, too. And it’s kinda sad but what do I expect from them? The fish in the tank can only stare back at you through the glass, they have no idea how big the world really is outside. Hastings is a prick coward with a beard and Travis can get back to me whenever he finally decides to have his first original thought. But here, in the Coalition, they’re heroes. Sandbox heroes… and to them I’m just the villain who knocks over their hard-built castles for fun.”

“Except it’s not fun, at least not now that Ichabod is having his way. And I think that’s why I’m in this match… if for nothing more to make me think about how alone I really am. But that’s okay. I can patch things up with Lucy. I understand the error of my ways. Maybe it’s not right for me to waltz in like I’m judge, jury, and executioner. It’s not right for me to constantly be the sourpuss. Besides, everyone’s on the forgive and forget and the ‘let’s just move on policy’ anyway.”

She squeezes her taped fists as tight as she can.

“But I didn’t forget. Lucy, Ichabod, Kyra, Gabriel. I chose not to forget. If justice only works as a concept with desire… then all it takes is one. One heart. One mind. One person to stand up and say… you know what happened back then? Do you remember that time that you, I dunno, tried to kill your sister by dropping that cage on her throat? Remember that time you dropped Lucy off with her Father and left her for a gruesome, torturous death? Remember that time where you beat up CJ Wylde after a match only cause you were severely butthurt you weren’t going to make it to the finals of Outlast that year, Mr. Engine of Bullshit?”

She slams her fists down on the bench.

“Well I didn’t forget. And I damn sure don’t fucking appreciate it, either.”

“So stop. Stop asking me why I’m here. Stop putting me in matches with four people who are as uncomfortable in my presence by my side as the five people across from us who would rather pretend they’re God’s gift to professional wrestling anyway. Just stop all the madness Holden… or should I just say Ichabod since he’s clearly the one pulling the strings here? Just stop and all of this… ALL OF IT… will simply… go away.”

“But I’ll go when we’re even. And when that happens I’ll fade like a distant memory… You will watch me take my leave of the Coalition from the monitor at the foot of your hospital bed, Ichabod. That’s still mercy considering CJ watched me win my first World Title from the grave.”

“…and until that time, UGWC. It’s collateral damage. The suffering will commence, and the beatings will continue until morale improves. I might be an outsider here, but all that means to me is… in the pursuit of righting a few wrongs… I’ve got nothing here to lose.”

“And by that I mean… Jenova… has nothing to lose.”

“Like it or not, you will know the Calamity. When Jenova has her day of reckoning, it’ll be something you won’t soon forget. That’s your fault. I’m not the one to blame for having things be this way. You’re the one who put the puzzle pieces in place. Sorry if you’re not pleased with the bigger picture.”

“Sorry, but Look at what you just made me do.”