Mending Open Wounds

 

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Mending Open Wounds

Off Camera

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Why?  That’s what IWC seems to be asking of me lately.  Why would I throw my lot in with Ethan and Alana of The Good Movement?  Why would I sell my soul, my principles, down the river just to become the IWC World Tag Team Champion?  The answer to that question has become increasingly clear.  I do not have a soul nor do I have any principles worth speaking of.  At least, the darkness that resides within me has no principles and no soul.  It doesn’t care about anyone or anything else but itself.  This darkness is what killed Tony Morgan, a man I had once loved, a man I had married.

Yet at the same time there is one person that brings a smile to my face, one person who brings a touch of light into my darkness; that person is none other than Polly Norah.  When Polly and The Good Movement reached out, looking for a replacement for Polly when she got injured, I knew I had to accept.  And while on the face of it it appears as if I did it just for the championship, there is that part of me that did it for Polly, that did it for my love of her, my desire to help her out in any way I can.

She has been forced to be a part of this Harem for a long time now, unable to escape due to contractual obligations.  As a friend and lover I could not stand idly by and just watch her suffer alone.  Misery loves company so perhaps one thing I could do was join her?  Maybe my presence within The Harem would make it better for poor Polly?

And if being a part of The Harem means doing Ethan’s dirty work for him then so be it.  I need some constructive way to feed this darkness within me, a darkness that seeks out the blood and pain of others.  Why not feed it with the screams and pain of victims chosen by Ethan?  I don’t care.  The darkness doesn’t care.  So TPKid has been chosen for extinction?  That is no problem for me.  On Riot I will gladly eliminate him.  I will gladly finish him off for Ethan.  It is a way of feeding the beast.

Unfortunately not every problem of mine can be settled with a little violence.  Just as with any war there is the physical fighting and there is also diplomacy.  I am not engaged in any physical fighting with my brother but a heated diplomacy, a cold war if you will, that needs to be resolved for my own peace of mind.  Mark O’Brian recently informed me that he didn’t want to have anything to do with me.  This is unacceptable.  I have to fix this someway.

That is what brings me to his and Ashley’s home in Belfast, Northern Ireland.  My finger gently touches the button that is clearly the doorbell.  I stand there and wait patiently after ringing the doorbell, waiting for the arrival hopefully of my brother.  I would rather speak to him right now and no one else.  Unfortunately, I do not get my wish granted and that is made abundantly clear as the door opens to Ashley Murray, my soon to be sister-in-law, standing there in the doorway.  The ice-cold gaze from her eyes tells the entire story: she is not happy to see me in the least little bit.

“Sophie….”

“Yes, I’m Sophie, and you’re Ashley, now that the introductions are out of the way may I speak to my brother?”

That ice-cold gaze turns into one of hate.  So maybe she didn’t appreciate my attempt at humor?

“No!”

Ashley attempts to shut the door on my face but I stop her by holding out my hands, blocking the door from being shut completely.  That’s one advantage to being a professional athlete.  I am much stronger than Ashley, someone who has had no real training in how to defend herself.  I can at the very least keep this door open.

“I don’t take no for an answer, Ashley.”

“Too damn bad!” Ashley grunts as she strains against the door but the force I am exerting is too much. “Leave!  Mark specifically said…”

“I know what he said.” I state definitively, interrupting her. “And I think he’d be interested in what I have to say.”

“Over my dead body!” She exclaims. “We aren’t interested in hearing what your type has to say.”

“My type, is it?”

“Yeah, your type…psychopaths!  Homicidal lunatics!”

The words string and ring true.  I have perpetrated many heinous acts.  I am responsible for the murder of the two men who framed Ashley’s twin sister for a murder she didn’t commit.  I murdered Carolyn Rose York, a former patient of Tony Morgan’s, before murdering Tony himself.  All of these acts, while suspicious, are all labeled as suicides.  Open and shut cases as far as the police are concerned as they really have no interest in solving them further.  Those people I killed and made it to look like a bunch of suicides, society never cared about them let alone police.  It was the perfect crime.  I couldn’t control myself and Ashley knows it.  Mark knows it.

“Maybe that’s true, but I have a right to speak to my brother.”

“Not if he doesn’t want to speak to you.”

We are at a stalemate as Ashley cannot force the door shut but yet at the same time I cannot overpower her.  Oh I could overpower her, but I would have to hurt her and I do not want to hurt her.  Despite what Ashley believes to be true, I am not evil incarnate.  I do love and care for my brother and my brother loves Ashley and doesn’t want to see harm done to her.  Thankfully the stalemate does end when a familiar figure, short in stature, comes walking into the scene.

“Aunt Sophie?”

Ashley is taken by surprise when her niece, Mark’s daughter Martina O’Brian, comes walking into the scene.   I use that surprise to my advantage to push the door the rest of the way open and sneak inside.  Once inside I stare into my niece’s eyes, loving eyes that gaze back up at me with curiosity buried deep inside, wondering no doubt where I have been and why I have stayed away.  A child like Martina has no way of comprehending the problems her father and myself are having right now.

“Martina…”

I approach her slowly and cautiously, bending down to my knees so that I am eye level with her.

“Don’t do anything to her, Sophie.”

“You think the worst of me, don’t you Ashley?” I shoot Ashley a smirk and then I turn back to face my niece. “There’s no need to worry.  I love Martina as if she were my own.”

“I missed you, Aunt Sophie.”

“I missed you too, darling.”

“Where have you been?”

“Always inquisitive?” I chuckle as I kiss her on the forehead. “I cannot answer that, dear, but make me a promise will you?”

“Sure.”

“Never stop asking questions.  Only the sheep, only the followers blindly accept the status quo.  Never accept the status quo on blind faith.  Question it at all times just as you questioned me.”

Martina nods her head. “Ok, Aunt Sophie.”

I stand up and smile proudly down at her. “She is very intelligent.”

Out of the corner of my eye I spot my brother approaching the scene. “She gets it from her aunt.”

I turn to face him.  He has his arms folded over his chest and is staring at me intensely.  I politely nod in his general direction.

“Hello, Mark.”

“Hello Sophie.”

“Mark,” Ashley interjects, pointing down at Martina “should I take Martina somewhere?”

He nods his head. “Yeah, take her to the kitchen.  Get her some ice cream while me and her Aunt Sophie have a talk.”

It is clear that Ashley isn’t too fond of the idea of letting me remain in the house but this is Mark’s house and Mark’s child so she reluctantly agrees.  Ashley grabs Martina by her little hand and leads her out of the room into the kitchen.  As I watch them walk away I cannot help but feel warm, salty tears forming in my eyes.

“Am I ever going to get to be in her life?”

“That’s really up to you.” I feel him grab me by my arm.  “Come on, we’re going into the living room.”

I let him lead me out of the hall area and into the living room.  I sit down on the sofa and he sits down next to me.

“That’s quite a daughter you have, Mark.”

“Thank you.” He says nonchalantly. “She’s very strong, very independent, and very smart.”

“Like her Aunt?”

He nods his head. “Just like her Aunt.”

“And what about Ashley?” I ask inquisitively. “The last time you and I spoke you told me she was pregnant?”

Again Mark nods his head. “Yeah and she’s coming along fine.”

“She certainly isn’t showing any signs yet.”

“Yeah, well, emotionally she is.  Her emotions are at an all time high and she’s already depressed about how her figure is about to go caput…”

“So you are experiencing all of the joys of being a husband and father?”

“That’s right, Sophie.” He smiles warmly, lovingly. “I love my family and I’d do anything for them.”

“That’s what I like about you, Mark.  You have always been loyal to your family.  But that brings up a good question…why?  If you care about this family so much, why let a minor business deal between me and The Good Movement drive a wedge between us?”

Mark stares at me with an emotionless gaze.  “You still don’t get it, do you?”

“Get what?”

“If it were just the business deal then we would have no problems.  No, I don’t much care for Ethan or Alana, but I could put up with them, I could tolerate them if it meant you would be happy.”

A slight grin forms on his face despite himself. “In fact, I’m glad you are the IWC World Tag Team Champion now, Sophie.”

He places a hand on my shoulder. “I am a father now, Sophie, and as much as I care about you, I care about my little girl just as much if not more-so and, quite honestly, you are a dangerous person.”

“I’m…”

My voice trails off, I want to fight back and argue against him but I cannot find the right words.  To be honest, he is right.  I am a dangerous person.

“Don’t try to deny it.  You murdered four people.  I was able to overlook your first three murders, because they were done in the name of your family, they were done to protect us all.  But when you killed Tony…”

“Don’t say his name…” I interrupt slowly, quietly.

“You have to hear this, Sophie!” He exclaims.  “You stepped over a line when you killed Tony and I cannot just let that slide.  You are dangerous, Sophie, not just to others, not just to yourself, but to my daughter and until you get some real help for yourself I cannot allow you to be with us.”

I slowly bow my head in shame.  He is right, of course, and it hurts to hear it.

“I’m sorry, but you know it’s the truth.”

“You have no idea what it’s like to be me, Mark.”

“No, I don’t.”

I look back up at him with tear filled eyes. “No, you really don’t get it!  You really don’t understand the struggle I go through damn near every day of my life!”

“Then explain.”

I sigh deeply. “I have lived with this darkness ever since I was a teenager, Mark, and ever since then I have struggled against it.  It would whisper into my mind things to do, evil things, and at first I could fight back against it but as time went on it got more and more difficult until I just total control…”

“And that’s when you killed Tony?”

I nod my head. “Yeah…”

I wipe tears out of my eyes, tears of sorrow and grief as memories of Tony come back to my mind.

“I miss him, Mark.  I miss him more than you can ever imagine.”

“What about Polly?”

“I love Polly, don’t get me wrong, but I miss Tony and regret what I did.  But I couldn’t control myself.  I lost control.”

I sigh. “They say admitting you have a problem is the first step to recovery.  I’m ready to take the next step and that’s what brought me here today.  I wanted to let you know that I have taken your advice.  I sought out professional help.”

“You mean…”

I nod my head. “Yes, I have placed myself in the care of a good psychiatrist.”

I grab Mark by his hands and squeeze them tight. “I can’t stand being away from you, from Ashley, and especially my niece.  And I can’t stand being controlled by this darkness.  I want things back the way they were, Mark and I am going to do whatever I can to bring us back together stronger than ever.”

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Thirst for Violence

On Camera

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The ring inside of this empty wrestling school is not the size of a standard, regulation wrestling ring.  It is slightly smaller.  The ring itself, though, does resemble your standard mat with its light blue coloring, black apron, black ropes, and black turnbuckle pads.  Sitting atop one of the turnbuckles is none other than Sophie O’Brian.

“Welcome to my world.”

She hops down off the turnbuckle and approaches the center of the ring as the camera follows her every step.

“This squared circle is my world.  I rule it because I am smarter than everyone else in this industry.  I am a master strategist who knows where and when to place her pawns on the board in preparation for the checkmate.”

“Any chess player, any military general, any strategist of any type will tell you that if you try something and it fails, and you try it again and it fails again, then maybe, just maybe, that plan doesn’t work and you should change.  The definition of insanity, they say, is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results.”

She holds up one finger. “Mark and I had one goal since arriving here in IWC and that was to become IWC World Tag Team Champions.  My original plan was a very simple one; break up The Harem.  If I could tear The Harem away from Ethan then that would leave him vulnerable to the offensive onslaught of Total War.  He wouldn’t stand a chance.  But Kordy and Polly proved to be tougher than I had imagined and at Invictus they earned the respect of Total War, but more than that, Polly earned my love.”

“I realized that since my original plan wasn’t going to work that something else needed to change.  Perhaps I needed to change?  Perhaps I was looking at things the wrong way and I needed to put myself in the shoes of The Harem and even Ethan himself to see what they were doing right that kept the belts with them and their faction?”

“So did I sell out?” Sophie nods her head. “Damn right I did.  I made a hell of a business move and sold my services to Ethan and The Good Movement.  But I didn’t do it purely for business purposes.  I did it for Polly as well.”

A low chuckle escapes her lips. “And when I stepped into that ring with Kordy and brawled with Kathryn and Syren at Extreme Fury, I never felt more alive!  I never felt as good as that time when I brutalized them.  And it was at that moment at Extreme Fury when I realized that this alliance of yours truly and The Good Movement is providing a much needed outlet for me…”

Cue the dramatic pause “…an outlet for my sheer, unrelenting violence.”

“I have a thirst for violence, TPKid…a thirst that can only be quenched when I taste the blood of my victims, when I break the bones of my opponents and listen to their cries of agony, a thirst that can only be quenched with the total and complete destruction of an enemy.”

“This thirst is controlling my, Kid.  It controls me so much so that I really do not care who I hurt, so long as I hurt someone.  So if your good friend Ethan asks me to break you, if he asks me to rip your lungs out, if he wants me to gut you like a fish, then I’ll gladly obey, because inflicting pain and torment upon you and your body is just another way I can quench the thirst for violence.”

Sophie points a finger into the camera. “You declared war upon Ethan…YOU did…and now you have to live with the consequences of your decision.  You have to understand that Ethan has now decided to finish this the same way world war two was finished…by dropping the atomic bomb.”

“I am that atomic bomb, Kid and I am the perfect weapon to eradicate you because I am a proponent of Total War, meaning I will not stop, I will not quit, until you are destroyed in every way imaginable.  I will not stop until this war between you and Ethan has ended with you in a pool of your own blood.”

Burial of the Dead

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Burial of the Dead

Off Camera

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I am the resurrection and the life, saith the Lord;
he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live;
and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.

Father Bernacki is the celebrant today and his voice echoes out in the cemetery while the small crowd of family gathers around the empty remains of Tony Morgan.  The priest is decked out in a long, loose-fitting black cassock with a white stole.  The black symbolizes death, the end of life, but the white symbolizes the resurrection and the beginning of a new life.  This service is supposed to be for my late husband, Tony Morgan, but this is every bit about me as it is about him.  And I apologize if that sounds rather selfish or conceited of me, but it is the truth.  It is how I truly feel.

It is a bright and sunny day in Belfast, Northern Ireland.  Tony was never much of a churchgoer.  I was not either, to be completely honest, but part of me felt it was only right to give this man a Christian burial.  Maybe it was out of my own guilty conscience considering I was the one who took Tony’s life?

I know that my Redeemer liveth,
and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth;
and though this body be destroyed, yet shall I see God;
whom I shall see for myself and mine eyes shall behold,
and not as a stranger.

For nearly a year I had been battling demons within myself, demons brought to the surface by a perfect storm of outside influences that drove me to the brink of insanity.  The potential of a happy life with Tony, living forever as his contented wife, was presented to me.  Another potential given to me was the life of a successful professional athlete, a life that had been threatened to end when GDW shut down just as my reign as GDW World Heavyweight Champion had only really begun.

Most professional athletes can successfully juggle both lives.  Most can be a good husband or wife and a good athlete at the same time.  My own inner demons and their constant mental battles with one another made it impossible for me to do both.  I could not have my cake and eat it too, I was faced with a question; would I make Tony happy and be his wife or would I seek out my own success and be a wrestler?

In the end my demons won out by eradicating that happy, sweet wife personality.  All that was left was the darkness and that darkness deep inside of me forced me to take the life of my beloved Tony.

For none of us liveth to himself,
and no man dieth to himself.
For if we live, we live unto the Lord.
and if we die, we die unto the Lord.
Whether we live, therefore, or die, we are the Lord's.

Father Bernacki folds his hands in front of him and bows his head, closing his eyes in the direction of the coffin containing Tony’s remains.

Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord;
even so saith the Spirit, for they rest from their labors.

He looks back up at us and smiles warmly.

The Lord Be With You!

“And with thy spirit…” I mumble silently to myself while the rest of the family and my brother Mark gathered here today shouts it in their loudest voice.

To this day a nagging part of my mind feels guilt over what happened with me and Tony.  I truly did love him; or at least, a part of myself loved him, but the darkness did not love him.  The darkness did not trust Tony and wanted Tony out of the way permanently.  The darkness felt threatened in more ways than one.

When I was a child and all through my teenage years I suffered beatings and abuse at the hands of an abusive father, a man I no longer consider my father.  George O’Brian routinely beat me and I got to the point where I could not take it any longer.  I ran away from home with my brothe Mark intending to bring ourselves up and we did, with the assistance of Glenn Braddock, a man we owe our lives to.

But I swore from that day on that I would never again allow myself to get caught in that situation again, I would never again allow myself to become that weak young girl who would get beaten and abused.  That is why I created the darkness.  The darkness is an evil side of my personality, a side I created for myself as a protection, a security blanket if you will, to make sure that I never again suffered abuse like I did at the hands of George O’Brian.

The darkness did not see me as a loving, happy wife.  It saw me as becoming weak, weak enough to allow myself to get abused once more, this time at the hands of Tony Morgan.  I do not believe Tony would have ever hurt me, but the darkness did not believe it.  The darkness wanted to protect me.  That is why the darkness took over and eliminated him.

Can you imagine how difficult it must be to feel so powerless?  I killed my own husband and yet…I did not kill him…

“Let us pray…”

O God, whose mercies cannot be numbered: Accept our
prayers on behalf of thy servant Tony Joseph Morgan., and grant him an
entrance into the land of light and joy, in the fellowship of
thy saints and the Ever-Blessed Virgin Mary;

through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth
and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, on God, now
and for ever.

“Amen…”

Now that the darkness has seemingly taken complete control of my mind and body,  I have begun to descend into old habits of manipulation and deceit.  Back when GDW was still around the fans cheered me, they respected me for winning the GDW World Heavyweight Championship fairly in a tournament.  The fans cheered Mark and I was we sought after the IWC World Tag Team Championships by facing off against The Harem.  But now what have I done?  After failing to capture the titles from The Harem I have sold my soul and joined them just so I can be one half of the champions, replacing Polly Norah in their title match against Kathryn Pearson and a mystery partner at Extreme Fury.

Is that really who I am?  Am I someone who is willing to sell her soul for the world tag team championship?  Or am I doing this for something else?  Am I doing it for someone else?  Am I putting up with all of this for the sake of Polly Norah?  Maybe there is hope for me after all.

There is no hope for Tony, though.  He is dead and gone and any hopes of a relationship with him has been wiped out after I put a bullet through his head.  I made it look like a suicide, which is easy enough to believe considering his psychotic ex, Carolyn Rose York, had just kidnapped and tortured him.  It’s easy to believe the post-traumatic stress syndrome of that ordeal could lead to him committing suicide.  But I know the truth and I have to live with it the rest of my life and that kind of pain is something not even the darkness can protect me from.

O God, whose blessed Son was laid in a sepulcher in the
garden: Bless, we pray, this grave, and grant that he whose
body is to be buried here may dwell with Christ in
paradise, and may come to thy heavenly kingdom; through
thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

“Amen…”

Upon the closing prayer I watch with silenced grief as the casket is slowly lowered into the ground.  I blow a symbolic kiss towards the casket as it slowly drifts further and further away from me, a past life of mine being buried forever.

Tony had few family left and of those family few actually cared for him.  Truth be told, they are just here to keep up appearances.  They are wearing a mask, hiding their true feelings.  I have made it a point not to hide my true self any longer.  What you see from Sophie is what you get, unlike this crowd of mourners and grievers who do not stay long by Tony’s side after the service concludes.  Father Bernacki approaches me next.

“Are you ok, Mrs. Morgan?”

“Ms. O’Brian…”

“Excuse me?”

I look up into his eyes. “Tony is dead.  I guess that makes me Ms. O’Brian again.”

“I suppose so…”

“I am fine, Father.  Thank you.”

He is certainly not convinced but he knows by the look on my face and the tone of my voice that messing with me right now is not a good idea so he turns and walks off.  I do not need words of encouragement or spiritual advice right now.  I do not anything or anyone.  Perhaps all I truly am good at is inflicting pain and punishment upon others?  Perhaps I do need to just unleash the darkness, do not hold back.

“Hello Tony…” everyone is gone and now is a perfect time to meditate to myself “…I think now is as good a time as any to explain myself.”

A deep sigh escapes my lips.  I brush a strand of my long black hair out of my face.

“You were a good sweet man, Tony, and you deserved better than this.  You took a chance on a woman who was obviously broken and you tried to fix her, you tried to love her, thinking that your love could make her better and that makes you a saint.  I break things, Tony.  I break things and break people.  That’s what I do best, inside and outside of the ring, and you knew that going in.  You knew the risks going into such a relationship with me and you still loved me and wanted to help me.”

Tears form in my eyes.  Immediately I reach up and wipe the tears out of my eyes. “I am sorry, I am so sorry, I did not mean for this to happen, but I could not control the darkness.  It just happened.”

I gaze up into the heavens. “I am not an atheist.  I do believe there is something beyond this life, what it is I do not know.  I just hope that wherever you are now you know that I truly did love you.”

I look back down at the casket. “Goodbye, Tony.”

Well that’s it then.  I have said my goodbyes to Tony and I hope he has forgiven me, wherever he is.  I hope we can now move on from this and I can focus on the rest of my life.  As selfish as it may sound, I still have a career to worry about.  I cannot be mourning over Tony forever.  I cannot let Kordy and Polly down.  That in mind I turn around with the intent of walking away but I find my muscular, well-built brother Mark O’Brian is blocking my path.

“We should talk.”

“There’s nothing to talk about, Mark.”

I start to walk away but he puts his hand on my shoulder, stopping me from going any further.  Mark is not usually this aggressive with me.  Whatever this is about, he is hell bent on getting his words in.

“Oh I think we have a lot to talk about.”

“What’s your problem, dear brother?”

“I’ve been watching you the past month and I just…I just…”

“What is it?” I am growing more frustrated now. “Spit it out.”

“I just don’t recognize you anymore!”

I chuckle. “Oh really?  I’m glad you like my new hairstyle.”

“I’m not joking around, Sophie.” He remarks. “You have changed.”

Great, here comes the lecture.  I place my hands on my hips and prepare for what he has to say.

“Really?”

“Yeah, and let’s start with the small stuff.  We came to IWC together to become world tag team champions together.  But then I find out over the internet not from you personally that you have joined The Harem?  What’s wrong, Sophie?  Couldn’t wait for me?”

I shake my head. “No, Mark, I couldn’t.  I could not wait for you when you and I together were getting treated like a joke.”

“Total War is not a joke!”

“No, it’s not, but IWC is treating it as such.  Instead of being in the thick of the tag title hunt we are relegated to working with three imbeciles to fight Sinistry?”

“But Sinistry…”

“…is not our problem.” I remark, interrupting him. “Sinistry is not our problem, dear brother, and yet certain people are expecting us to just fight the good fight?”

Once more I shake my head. “No, I do not fight the good fight, I fight for myself, I fight for success, and I came to IWC to fight for the world tag team titles.  Now, thanks to my agreement, I have inserted myself into the thick of the tag title picture right where I belong.”

“Yeah but what about me?!”

“What about you?” I frown, sneering at him. “You didn’t seem to mind being interim world tag team champion with Greg Venom in MCW while Doctor Ian was on the shelf.  How is this any different?”

He sighs, holding his hands up in a sign of defeat. “Fine, you got me there, but there’s one other thing you can’t argue…”

“What’s that, pray tell?”

He points at the casket. “Tony.”

“Mark…do not go there…”

“Oh I’m going there.” He points a thumb at himself. “I may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer but I’m not completely stupid and I am pretty damn observant.  I am not ignorant to what you’ve done.”

He points a finger at me. “My girlfriend Ashley’s sister Leslie was framed for murder by Joshua Manning and his boyfriend.  After Leslie was executed YOU killed Josh and his boyfriend in revenge.  You killed Carolyn Rose York.  You killed Tony.  You killed all four of them and painted all of them as suicides.”

I sarcastically applaud him. “Bravo, Mark!  You are not as stupid as I thought!  Do you want a prize?”

“No, I just want you to listen to this one last thing I am going to tell you.”

He shakes his head. “I am done.”

“You are done with what?”

“I am done protecting you.  It’s becoming increasingly difficult, Sophie.”

I never asked for your protection.”

“You damn sure needed it!” He exclaims loudly. “Even Ashley is beginning to notice how suspicious it is that so many suicides have happened when you were around.  I have convinced her it’s just a coincidence but how long do you think the police will think that?”

I honestly do not have an answer for him.  I open my mouth to answer but I cannot, no words come out.

“Ashley and I are going to get married, Sophie.”

“You…you are?” I am stunned by this revelation. “But it’s…it’s so sudden…”

“Yeah, well, you’ve been so busy fucking Polly Norah and plotting your own husband’s death that you couldn’t be bothered to pay attention to my life.”

He holds up one finger. “Firstly, Ashley and I successfully gained custody of my daughter from Ashley’s parents.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, and that’s not all.  Ashley just found out she’s pregnant.”

“So you’re going to have another child?”

“Yeah, this time with Leslie’s sister.” He chuckles. “Funny, I have a daughter with Leslie, now that she’s gone I am with her sister Ashley and am about to have a child with her.”

He turns his back and starts to walk away. “Mark, wait…”

“Sorry, Sophie, I do not want my daughter or my future child around death and that’s what you have become.”

“Mark, please!”

“You know how to reach me, Sophie.  Get yourself help first.  Seriously, get yourself some professional help.”

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Secret Weapon

On Camera

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With the exception of Alexander the Great and the Greek Empire, no one single nation has ever been able to conquer the entire known world.  Many have tried, but all have failed.  Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany, The Soviet Union, Napoleon Bonaparte and the French empire, and many more whom I could continue to name off one by one, all have tried to achieve global conquest but all fell short of their ultimate goal.

It took the massive bloodshed and human wreckage of a world war for the world leaders to figure out that individually they could do nothing on the world stage but together, as a united force, they were unstoppable.  So, after World War II, under the innocent pretense of ensuring safety and security, the world leaders formed the United Nations but, in reality, its goal was a new world order in which they could play with the globe as they saw fit.  Individually they had failed, but together they had finally succeeded.

Ever since it was announced that I would be taking Polly Norah’s place in the world tag team championship match people have asked, why would I take on such an immense challenge?  Furthermore they wanted to know why I would seemingly turn on my own tag team partners in the elimination tag and focus my time and energy on something else entirely?

It’s quite simple, really.  Jessica Lasiewicz may have caused quite a stir with her recent pipe bomb but she is absolutely right when she speaks of having your priorities in order.  My priority when I came to IWC was to become IWC World Tag Team Champion.  My only enemy were the champions, at the time The Harem.  But then Sinistry’s Pestilence decided to stick their nose into Total War’s business and so we had to take care of them.

So to all of my supposed fans who thought Total War was fighting the good fight against Sinistry, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Total War does not care about Sinistry.  Let Desmond Drake and Ba’al name it SIN and take over this company for all I care.  They were my concern only because they had been standing between me and the world tag team championship.

Oh but there are so many ways you can skin a cat, there are many ways to achieve your end game in a global battle of chess.  Victory on the battle field is not the only way to achieve ultimate victory.  Backstage politics, making new friends and allies, that is how the art of war is truly played.

Nikita Kruschev, during the heart of the Cold War, once said “We will take America without firing a shot.”  That is what I have now done.  I have become world tag team champion without firing a shot.

Did I sell out to Ethan Von Aaron and The Harem?  Yes, I did.  I sold out but what did I get in return?  I gained the gold I so rightfully deserved.  Am I taking my very good friend Polly’s place on this team?  No, we are teammates together in all of this.  So of course I am going to step up and help Polly out in her time of need when she is unable to compete.  And if Polly being hurt wasn’t bad enough, the challengers have the added advantage of a mystery opponent.

I applaud Pearson for her shrewd tactics.  Keeping her mystery weapon shrouded in secrecy in a time honored strategy that tends to work out.  After all, how can one prepare for the unknown?  How can we combat something when we do not know what it is we are combating?

Nazi Germany tried this very same tactic as they were racing to build the atomic bomb.  Unfortunately for Hitler, the allies discovered it first and they built the bomb first and they did not keep their bomb a secret.  They unleashed the bomb and they unleashed a living hell upon Hiroshima and Nagasaki, promptly ending world war two.

You have your mysteries and secrets, Pearson, but The Harem has its own not-so-secret weapon, an atomic bomb by the name of Sophie O’Brian.

Ethan didn’t just choose a random schmuck to replace Polly Norah in this match, he didn’t just choose a great tag team wrestler either, he chose an individual who is tag team wrestling personified.  Twice I held the Global Division of Wrestling World Tag Team Titles, twice I held the Millennium Wrestling Alliance World Tag Team Titles, in both companies I was the longest reigning tag team champion in company history.  I held both sets of tag titles at the same time.

I have a history of working together with anyone and everyone I am paired up with, not just my brother Mark.  Working together with Kordelia Price is going to be a piece of cake.  For sweet, innocent Kordy is dangerous on her own, she just needs guidance to make her deadly.  And just think of what she can do under the guidance of the most brilliant wrestling strategist in history?

If you think you are in the driver’s seat heading into Extreme Fury with the IWC World Tag Team Championship on the line then you are sorely mistaken.  If you foolishly believe that your mysteries and secrets, your masked partner hiding behind you, gives you an edge, then you have fallen into our trap, a trap set by your own arrogance.

Your arrogance will be your downfall, Pearson, if you think that everything is set up for you all nice and neat in a shiny package with a bow on it.  Victory for the allies in World War II was won through blood, shed, tears, and the loss of millions of lives.  Victory for the allies came at the cost of two entire cities of civilians in Japan.  Victory for the allies came at the sacrifice of men and women on the beaches of Normandy.

Victory will not be wrapped up for you or for Kordy and I in some nice and neat package.  It will be bloody, it will be violent, and the ones willing to push the envelope, the ones willing to unleash the Extreme Fury upon their opposition, will be the ones who walk out victorious.