vs. Alexis Quinne vs. Maddy Steward

==========

Scene 1

Off Camera

==========

Billy Breakdown, Bill Barnhart, The Gothfather, and now Lailoken Da Vinci have all fallen before me.  I have been extremely successful in Supreme Championship Wrestling ever since returning to my proper place in life; possessed by my true Mistress, her divine Lady Quinn Murray, the incarnation of Athena herself.  She’s promised strength, wisdom, and power to me in exchange for my undying loyalty to her.  It is a good sacrifice that I make, a sacrifice that is just about to pay dividends.  I face Alexis Quinne and Maddy Steward in a triple threat television title eliminator.  If I win I get a shot at the SCW Television Championship.  Things are finally looking up for me, and of course that’s when the ground falls out from beneath my feet.

I think about the situation I find myself in as I stare blankly ahead in my room…

Prison cell.

I thought I told you to shut up?

I don’t care what you told me to do.  It’s a prison cell, barely six feet by four. The walls are a thick grey stone, but instead of a wide window with a flower box there was a mean barred opening with thick metal bars and no glass.  And don’t you smell it?  Don’t you smell the stench of festering sewage?  The temperature is reduced to near freezing.  It was no brighter inside than the gathering gloom of dusk, even at midday.  The bed is a plank of wood on legs, no mattress, no cushioning, and only one thin blanket. It is suffocatingly quiet.

On that last part I do agree with you.  It is too quiet because I have to deal with you in my head otherwise!

I am you.

Wrong, you don’t exist.

Yes, I’ve developed a split personality.  Lucky me!  And it’s all thanks to my idiot sister-in-law Ashley O’Brian, Mark’s wife.  She came to visit me at a recent episode of Breakdown and she spoke volumes to me.  And whatever it is she said triggered something within me that I didn’t think existed any longer.  Unknown to her, she brought back a part of myself that I thought long dead.

If I have my way, it’ll stay dead and buried deep down in my subconscious.  This is my weak-willed personality. This is the personality that I am certain has cost me match, after match all this past year since joining Supreme Championship Wrestling. This is the personality my Mistress Quinn Murray has been working with me so hard to kill.  The fact that it has come back with such a vengeance right at this very moment has me nervous.  Will its influence cost me everything Mistress and I have worked so hard to obtain?

She’s not Mistress, she’s not a goddess either, and she’s not Athena.  She’s just a normal human being.  A very deluded human being with clear mental health issues if she actually thinks she is the goddess Athena.

Leave me alone.  I will not allow you to ruin this for me.  You are nothing but a weak safety blanket I created to protect myself from my abusive father.  That’s what you are.  I’m grown now and I don’t need you anymore.  I have Mistress.

You think you need her but you do not.  Look at what she’s doing to you.  She’s treating you like an animal.  I tug gently yet firmly at the chain around neck (our neck) that is attached to the wall.  Dogs are chained up, not humans.  She’s treating us like an animal.

No.  You’re the safety blanket I created to deal with my father.  I created this front of being a stoic, emotionless, sociopath in order to deal with the abuse I had to put up with as a child.  I’m the real Sophie O’Brian.

LIES!

I’m interrupted when the door opens.  I look up and one of Quinn’s butlers is standing there.  He places a bowl of mashed up food that almost looks like potted meat in front of me.  The butler says nothing as he makes his exit.

It’s probably dog food.  Looks like dog food.

No, it looks like potted meat.  In any event, I put my head into the bowl and start eating.

Dog food or potted meat either way, she’s feeding you like an animal!  And yet you think she cares about you?

Silence.

You’re justifying it.  Ever since we arrived here, ever since we declared our loyalty to her, you have been justifying every horrible thing she’s done to you, including this latest piece of humiliation.

It’s worth it.  I get wisdom and power and…

At what cost?!  Even Ian McKinnon is getting treated better like this.  He gets treated like a human being.  You’re literally her pet.  And all for power and knowledge?  At what point do we leave?  When do we achieve this power and knowledge you seek, because that’s when we leave, right?

That voice is once again lost as the door reopens.  I half-expect the butler, who hadn’t been gone long.  But as I look up I see Quinn Murray entering the room.  She walks over and pats me on the head.

“There’s my good girl, my pet.  Are you enjoying your lunch?”

“Of course, my Mistress.”

“Good, and I hate to disrupt your meal, but we have to talk.”

She reaches into her pocket and produces a key. She puts it into the lock around my collar around my neck and unhooks the chain.  She casts the chain aside and takes me by my hand, helping me to my feet.

“Follow me, my pet.”

She turns and exits the room.  Obediently I follow her out of the room and down the hall.  I’ve been doing this hall before.  She’s taking me to her office.  We turn a corner and step through an already open door and into a huge room occupying the corner of the building with floor-to-ceiling windows giving views in two directions. The two remaining walls contained a door, a low bookshelf, and a single oil painting - a vase of flowers by Vincent van Gogh.  Quinn walks over to the black leather swivel chair at the immaculate mahogany desk with three drawers on the right hand side and a mac book pro.  Off to the side is a filling cabinet with paper work stacked on top and a water dispenser with no cups.

“Sit, my pet.”

I nod my head and sit down.  Quinn grins knowingly.  The wheels in her mind are turning.  I have no clue what she has on her mind.  I’m not sure I want to know.

“Obviously you made a statement this past Breakdown.  The way you laid waste to Lailoken Da Vinci sent the perfect message to David Helms and the rest of SCW.  Now they know not to mess with you and more importantly not to mess with me.”

Suddenly I feel light-headed.  My head rolls backward.  Quinn immediately takes note.

“Sophie!  Are you listening to me?!”

“Huh?” My head jerks forward and I look back at her. I nod my head. “Uh, yes…yes, of course.”

She frowns, glaring at me somewhat angrily. “Right, as I was saying, you have made the perfect statement.  You destroyed and ran Billy Breakdown out of town.  You annihilated Bill Barnhart.  You humbled The Gothfather. And now Lailoken Da Vinci has had to deal with the awesome power I have gifted you with.”

She reaches out and rubs my cheek with the back of her hand. “Isn’t it great to have such power?  Isn’t it great to humble those and put them beneath you where they belong?”

I pause as I stare deep into her eyes.  It’s easy to see how she is so enchanting with that almost hypnotic and beautiful stare.  After a few moments of no response she holds up her hand over my mouth to keep me silent.

“Hush now, no need to answer yet, my pet.  The best is yet to come because either this week’s Breakdown or next week’s you could become the SCW Television Champion.  You could win the SCW Television Championship for your goddess!”

“For…you?”

“Of course for me.  Who else would you win it for?  You do everything for me, my pet.  But I fear that your championship hopes and dreams are in jeopardy due to the involvement of your brother, Mark.”

“Mark?” I arch my brow curiously. “What is wrong with Mark?”

“Oh it isn’t Mark directly but more his wife.” She smirks nastily. “Yes, I know about how Ashley O’Brian approached you.”

“You do?” My voice starts to break.

“Yes, I do.  I don’t know what she said to you but I have no doubt that it couldn’t have been anything good. The fact that you haven’t been referring to me by my proper titles of Mistress or goddess the past few minutes is evidence of how she has most likely caused you to regress.”

She walks over to where I’m sitting and stands over me, towering over me in an intimidating fashion.

“I warned Mark not to get involved.  His wife getting involved is just as bad.  Thus he must be punished.”

“No, no please…” I shake my head as I realize what is coming next.

“I’m sorry, my pet, but you are no longer allowed to see Mark ever again!  Are we clear?” Tears start to flow down my cheek but she’s relentless. “I said, are we clear?!”

“I…understand...”

“Good, my pet.”

“BUT I DON’T CARE!”

I jump out of my seat and grab her by the throat and slam her down on her own desk.  I squeeze her as hard as I can and I start to scream right in her face.

“I AM NOT YOUR SLAVE ANYMORE!  I AM NOT YOUR TOY OR YOUR PET, EITHER!  I AM SOPHIE O’BRIAN!”

I roughly toss her to the ground. “Do you understand that…Bridgett?”

She gets up on her hands and knees and turns and glares at me. “You’re making a big mistake.”

“Maybe I am, but I don’t think so.  I’m leaving this place and you’d better not stop me.”

==========

Scene 2

Off Camera

==========

It’s raining outside.  It isn’t raining very heavily but it is raining fairly well and fairly consistently.  There are rumbles of thunder in the background as well as the occasional flash of lightning. This just isn’t a good day to be out in a thunder storm.

Is it ever a good time to be out in a thunderstorm, you lunatic?

I’m not a lunatic.

Yes, you are.  You abandoned the one chance we had at success, the one chance we had at power and wisdom!  You took what Mistress had to offer us and you threw it away right after you assaulted her!  Yes, you ARE a lunatic!

According to you I may be a lunatic.  Most rational observers would look at the decision I made as the most logical and most wise decision.  Any sane person would look at what Bridgett Kennedy was doing to you and see it for what it was; slavery.

Her name is Mistress Quinn Murray!  She is our goddess!  She is…

She is a fraud; a deluded, crazy, fraud who tried to ruin our lives.  But thanks to my family, thanks to my wonderful brother Mark and my beautiful sister-in-law Ashley, I have been liberated from that life of servitude.

My brother is a bone-headed dimwit Neanderthal and Ashley is a no-good whore who can’t keep her nose out of my business!

It’s time I thank them, and beg their forgiveness.  I gaze up the walkway towards the home where my brother Mark and his wife Ashley live.  It’s hard to make out the details of the house in this rain, a rain that has since picked up.  Occasionally I get a glimpse of the high triangular roof and red bricks that make up this home when the lightning flashes.  This thunderstorm is getting pretty bad.

Then go inside, moron!

My darker half is correct.  I slowly trudge my way up the walkway to the front door.  I ring the doorbell and wait patiently for someone to answer.  I hear heavy footsteps approaching.  It must be my brother Mark.

“I don’t know who ya are at this time of night in this bloody weather but go away!  You’re not welcome!”

“Mark, please, open the door.”

“Sophie?” Immediately I hear the lock unlatching and then the door opens up. Mark is standing there inside with a shocked look on his face.  Needless to say, he was not expecting this. “Bloody hell, Sophie!”

“Happy to see me, darling brother?”

“Of course I am, of course.” He grabs me by the arm and pulls me inside.  “Get in out of the rain!”

He immediately slams the door and then turns to shout. “Ashley!  Sophie is here!”

“She is?!” It isn’t long before Ashley O’Brian emerges from down the hall. She stares with wide-eyed shock at me. “Sophie!  You made it!  You got out!”

“I did, I escaped Quinn Murray’s control.” I reply, nodding my head. “I just had to be reminded of who I was.”

“Yeah, you had to be reminded you were the nasty, Belfast bitch Sophie O’Brian, right?” Mark says with a smirk.

“No, sweetie, I had to be reminded that I was a human being worthy of human dignity.”

Sweetie?!  Don’t call that dumb piece of human garbage ‘sweetie’!

No, it’s your turn to SHUT UP.  You’ve been abusive to that sweet man for far too long, you monster.

“And I also needed to be reminded how important my family is to me.” I embrace Mark in a tight hug. “I love you, Mark.  All my life I counted on you to have my back and the way I repaid you was by treating you like garbage.  And yet you still stood by my side.”

After breaking the embrace I shake my head. “No longer is that the case.  I love you, Mark, and I will be the best sister I can be going forward.”

I think I’m going to be sick.

Silence.

“Ashley,” I turn to face Ashley who also has tears rolling down her cheek “I owe you my life, and you didn’t even owe me anything.  How can I repay you?”

“Don’t mention repayment!” Ashley embraces me in a tight hug. “We’re just glad to have you back!”

She’s right, of course.  I am back; the one true Sophie O’Brian is back.  Things are going to be different from now on.

Bullshit.  This isn’t over, you pathetic weakling.  This isn’t over.

==========

On Camera

==========

Sun Tzu says, “To fight and conquer in all our battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting.”

You may wonder why I so often quote Sun Tzu.  The truth of the matter is that there is no one better when it comes to strategy and, dare I say, even wisdom itself than the great Sun Tzu.  His piece, The Art of War, can be applied not just to military tactics but to all aspects of life, from the business world and, yes, even professional wrestling.

What makes Sun Tzu and his Art of War so unique is that it never suggests rushing headlong into any conflict.  In some instances it is all a matter of using the weakness or strategy of the enemy against them.  Just look at what I’ve done in recent weeks to opponents such as Billy Breakdown, Bill Barnhart, The Gothfather, and most recently Lailoken Da Vinci.

I defeated them all, not because of brutish violence but because of master strategy.  I defeated them before the battles even began.  That is supreme excellence.

Now I want you meatheads in SCW to sit up and pay attention, because if you were involved in this triple threat match against Alexis Quinne and Maddy Steward you would just rush head long into the fight.

“Oh but it’s a triple threat match!”

“Triple threat matches are nothing but chaos!  It’s unavoidable!”

That’s what everyone wants you to believe.  That’s the lie the promotion wants you to believe. Chaos equals cash, or so they say.  But you don’t have to engage in chaos to win a triple threat.  Intelligence, wisdom, knowledge can help you through the mass chaos associated with a triple threat match.  A supreme master strategist can win a triple threat match.

Can I break Alexis Quinne’s resistance without fighting?  Can I break Maddy Steward’s resistance without fighting?  I can and I will.  How can I do it, you ask?  Sit and listen to further wisdom of the great Sun Tzu…

Sun Tzu says, “Those skilled in warfare made themselves invincible and then waited for the enemy to become vulnerable.”

I only need two weapons in order to win this triple threat match.  One weapon is named Alexis Quinne and the other weapon is named Maddy Steward.  They’ll destroy each other and then I will finish the job and claim my rightful spot as the next challenger to the SCW Television Championship.

And then one week from that day, the fun comes to an end.  The singing and laughter comes to an end.  One week from that day I will bring tears to the eyes of the Ikiro fans as I end him and end his reign as the SCW Television Champion.

vs. Lailoken Da Vinci

==========

May 2^nd, Breakdown

Los Angeles, CA - STAPLES Center

Off Camera

==========

The Los Angeles, California Staples Center is still buzzing; I can still hear the fans in the arena abuzz with excitement.  But none of that bothers me.  None of that matters to me.  I came, I wrestled a brutal match against The Gothfather and have the bruises and scars of battle to prove it, but I came out with the victory and that’s all that matters to me; I won.

The SCW staff, officials, and other wrestlers stare, some with awed appreciation at a warrior who just got finished with a brawl, or with confusion at a once strong independent woman who has seemingly given herself entirely to a stranger, to Quinn Murray.  Most if not all of them are curious as to what exactly is going through my mind.  I can’t say I blame them for being curious; me, a woman who once prided herself on being the master strategist of professional wrestling, a woman who prided herself on being the puppet master now finds herself as the puppet, being manipulated by her new manager, Quinn Murray.

But I still do not care what they think.  Their opinions do not matter.  All that matters to me is success.

Yet while it may not make sense for them, success does speak for itself.  I have been on quite the winning streak as of late.  And that’s what I have been striving for.  It’s what I have wanted for so long.  My first year in SCW was marred by losses, failures, and disappointments and now I have seemingly turned things around just by simply aligning with this strange woman known as Quinn Murray.

No, I don’t care what others think of m my arrangement.  The only person whose opinion does matter is Mark O’Brian, my brother.  I have received some minor resistance from my brother Mark.  Mark O’Brian isn’t pleased with this arrangement at all.  The way he sees it, Quinn is trying to split us up.  He believes Quinn is trying to separate us for her own nefarious motives.

Mark does not understand what I am going through.  How could he understand what I am going through?  Ever since I set foot in the world of professional wrestling I prided myself on being able to use my masterful strategic skills, my skills and my abilities inside the ring, all to work towards my advantage to achieve my goals.  And yet when my career takes the nose dive that it did, of course I would go back to the roots, of course I would go and return to where I got my start, to the person who taught me everything I knew.

Of course I would go to Bridgett Kennedy.

Excuse me, that’s Quinn Murray to the public.  I recently learned that Quinn Murray was but merely an alias and her real birth name is Bridgett Kennedy.  But according to her, Bridgett Kennedy is also an alias.  Bridgett, or Quinn, whoever…she claims that she is in reality the incarnation of Athena, Greek Goddess of Wisdom.  Now how do I feel about that, you ask?

It’s not for me to question my Mistress.  She gives me wisdom, I use it to win my matches, I’m happy with the arrangement.  No need to ask questions.

I continue walking until I stop suddenly and turn to the left, walking forward and to a dressing room door.  Mark O’Brian, my overprotective and somewhat Neanderthal-ish brother, rushed ahead of me, thus I anticipate finding him behind the door.  I turn the knob and push the door open.  Upon walking inside I find a strange new arrival in my dressing room.

A female, with brown hair, sitting cross legged on a stool, with her arms folded over her chest, staring critically and judgmentally at me.  I tilt my head to one side and frown.

“Ashley…”

Ashley as in Ashley O’Brian, my sister-in-law.  We’ve never had much of a relationship.  When she and Mark first dated, I convinced Mark to dump her.  I was so manipulative, so convincing, that I had Mark believing that she was only out for herself and would never accept me as part of their life.  Being how loyal he is to family, Mark immediately dumped her.  I was good then, very good.  I was so good I could convince people to take their own lives.  My plan to keep them apart didn’t work; they got back together and ever since then Ashley has hated and despised me.  Ok, well, maybe hate and despise are too strong.  She definitely never trusted me again since that time.  Seeing her here is definitely a shock to my system.

“Sophie.”

Her voice is stoic and emotionless, much like mine usually is.  It’s to be expected coming from the woman who does not like and does not trust me. I sigh and walk right on past her further into the room, approaching my bag, ignoring her very presence except to ask one question.

“So where is Mark?  He was with me at ringside.”

“He was at ringside with you, I saw him.” She responds, nodding her head. “It was a great match, by the way.”

“Like you care.” I snap back at her. “You never cared for wrestling at all. You’ve actively tried to talk Mark into quitting.  And you never cared about me at all, so…”

“True, I never was a big fan of Mark putting his body on the line, but I grew to accept it because I know he loves it so much.  As for you, well…” she shakes her head “…no, I don’t care much for you.”

“Exactly.”

I roll my eyes as I reach into my bag and pull out a towel.  I use it to wipe the sweat from my face. I toss the towel aside and look back at her.

“But it still begs the question, what are you doing here?  You’ve never come to any wrestling event with Mark and me.”

“You’re right.  Even though I accept it as part of my husband’s life, I still can’t stand watching him get hurt.  So I try not to attend these events very often.”

Normally I’m the cryptic one.  Normally I’m the one who avoids the questions and yet here I am the recipient of that precise kind of treatment on behalf of Ashley O’Brian.  It doesn’t make me happy in the least little bit.  I approach her and as I do so she hops up off of the stool she had been sitting on.  We are now face to face, nose to nose.  The tension is thick.

“I’m here to see you, Sophie.”

Now that’s rich!” I start to laugh. “You almost had me going there for a second, Ashley.  I actually thought you were here for a serious reason.  But clearly you’re just here to annoy me.  So let’s just skip all this nonsense and tell me, where is Mark?”

“Why do you care where Mark is anyway?” She asks, shrugging her shoulders. “It’s not like he’s going to take you home.  You have Quinn Murray for that, don’t you?”

Immediately the room goes cold.  I grow silent as I frown and study her for a few moments, pausing to collect my thoughts.

“How much did Mark tell you of her?”

“He told me enough.  He told me how she will only let you see him at these Breakdown events and house shows?  He told me how she made you move in with her.”

“Loud mouthed Neanderthal…” I growl angrily.

“That ‘loud mouthed Neanderthal’ is worried about you, Sophie.  He loves you and cares about you and the only reason he hasn’t said confronted her himself is because he knows if he does, that woman will try to manipulate you into never seeing him again.”

“He’s right for not sticking his nose where it doesn’t belong.”

I walk away from Quinn over to a nearby chair.  I pull it up and sit down.  Ashley walks over and stands over me.

“This isn’t like you, Sophie.  You’re a strong, independent woman; why are you allowing yourself to be controlled by her?”

“And what do you care?!” I shout angrily with tears forming in my eyes as I look up at Ashley. “You hate me!  You never trusted me!”

“You never gave me any reason to trust you.  Don’t think I forgot about how you drove a wedge between Mark and I when we dated the first time, causing us to break up.  I hated you for that.  But I also saw how much he loves you and despite my personal feelings towards you, I was willing to accept you into my life because Mark loves you so much.”

“So you want to stick your nose in just because you want to help Mark?” I suggest with a snarky voice.

“That’s part of it.  But also because I know you are capable of so much more.” She reaches over and places a hand on my shoulder.  “Sophie, I also remember how an ex-lover of mine tried to frame me for murder.  You went out of your way to try and clear my name.”

“I couldn’t bear the thought of my idiot brother being upset.  That’s all that it means.”

“No, you’re wrong.” She shakes her head. “You could’ve sat back, let the justice system do its thing, and I would’ve been unjustly convicted and sentenced to God knows how long.  You would’ve had Mark all to yourself and you wouldn’t have had to do anything except sit back and watch it happen.  But you fought for me.  What that shows is that you’re human, you have good in you Sophie.”

“Nice memory to bring up, Ashley, but how about I bring up a memory of my own?  Tony Morgan…”

Tony Morgan is my ex-husband.  Yes, I was married once.  It didn’t turn out well and Ashley remembers that incident.

“Your marriage to Tony ended in a very…um…unfortunate way…”

I snicker “that’s a nice way to put it.”

“…BUT I do remember that time you two were together.  I saw the look in your eyes.  You were happy, and that Sophie O’Brian was a good Sophie O’Brian, a woman capable of love and compassion, not the sociopath you claim to be.”

“She was weak!” I stomp my foot on the floor as hard as I can. “She was weak and she’s dead!  She’s dead and she’s never coming back!”

“Is she?  I think she’s still there, you’re just holding her in.”

“No, she’s not coming back.” I shake my head. “She’s weak.  I need to be the way I am and that’s why I need my Mistress.  She’ll make me strong enough to be a winner, never again a failure.”

“So it comes down to that?  You thought you were a failure and so you sold your soul to this woman in order to be a success again?” She snickers. “For someone who claims to be so smart, you really don’t know much about life.”

“And what’s that supposed to mean?” I snap back.

“Sophie, sister…” her voice trails off and I admittedly am shocked that she called me ‘sister’, it’s the first time she ever acknowledged the relationship as sisters-in-law “…life is full of ups and downs.  No one is perfect, not you and not even your little puppet master.”

“You are very convincing.” I stand up and immediately grab hold of my gym bag. “But I hate to inform you, that person you think exists, that good Sophie O’Brian…she doesn’t exist.  This is who I am.  This is who I want to be.”

I start to walk out but then Ashley speaks up again. “And what about Mark?”

“What about him?”

“He’s being tortured because of this arrangement you have with Quinn Murray.  He knows the deal, he told me all about it.  Quinn Murray will force you to choose between her or Mark if he were to confront her.”

“Yes, that’s right.” I respond, nodding my head.

“Mark is almost certain that you’d choose him if you had to choose, but he isn’t willing to take the risk.  He loves you too much.”

I turn around to face Ashley. “Why are you saying this?  Why are you doing this to me?”

“You once saved me, Sophie.  So I’m doing what I can to save you, and unlike my husband, I’m not afraid to take the risk and confront Quinn.”

“You know what she will do if you confront her.”

“I do,” she nods her head “she will tell you to choose and you’ll tell her to kiss your ass and that you choose your family, your brother Mark.  That’s what will happen.”

“Like I said…you are very convincing…”

“I know you’re going to leave with her tonight, Sophie.  And I know what she’s promised you.  She’s promised to make you stronger, able to succeed and achieve your goals.  But ask her one question…”

“What?”

“When does this whole process of making you stronger end?  And when it does end, when you ARE stronger, when she perfects you, can you then leave?  Can you then return to your family?  Will she ever release you?”

==========

Present Day

Dublin, Ireland

Off Camera

==========

It’s been over a week since the encounter with my sister-in-law Ashley O’Brian.  I have to admit it was not only surprising but strangely touching that Ashley would go out of her way to say those things about me, to try and reach out to me and convince me to leave Quinn Murray.  I honestly didn’t think she cared about me at all.  And perhaps she doesn’t care a great deal about me, but she does see a lot of potential within me, potential that I never knew I had.

Quinn Murray sees potential within me as well.  But she sees a different kind of potential, the potential that can lead to superior strength and power; the kind of power that can lead to me becoming a force to be reckoned with in this world.  And it’s that kind of potential I’m interested in.  I am interested in reaching my fullest potential of power.  The only thing Ashley can lead me to is becoming weaker, even weaker than I was before reuniting with Quinn Murray, if that is even possible.

For over a year I’ve been a disappointment to myself.  And while I haven’t heard it from anyone, I can only imagine that I’ve become a laughing stock for everyone in the wrestling world.  The once great Sophie O’Brian, a four time world champion, can’t accomplish anything in the business, let alone stop a year-long winless streak in Supreme Championship Wrestling.  And yet as soon as I reunite with Quinn Murray, that streak ends with victory after victory after victory.

And Ashley wants me to not only dump Quinn but also to become even more of a disappointment, to become even weaker than I was before?

No, I will not allow myself to become weaker.  I need Quinn Murray to continue on my winning ways as I head into Breakdown against Lailoken Da Vinci.  He is a newcomer to SCW and I’m tasked with being among his first few opponents.

I intend to make sure he is not a success.

The elevator doors slide open revealing the entrance to the dungeon-like basement area of Bridgett Kennedy’s (aka: Quinn Murray’s) massive mansion like home.  It’s a surprising contrast to see, how beautiful it is above ground and yet this place is dark, dank, smells bad, and is just overall an unwelcome place.  Quinn exits the elevator first and I dutifully follow her closely behind.  We approach the portrait of the Greek Goddess Athena.  Immediately I drop to my knees and kiss the outstretched hand of Quinn Murray.

“Thank you, my pet.  Your devotion is appreciated.”

“Of course, my Mistress.”

“Now tell me, you were victorious over The Gothfather, which is yet another victory under your belt.  I may not know much about professional wrestling yet,  I am still learning mind you, but I would hope that SCW management would put you in a better match against a better opponent.  Am I correct?”

“I am wrestling Lailoken Da Vinci, my Mistress.”

Her eyes grow cold as a scowl forms on her face. “And who the hell is that?”

“He’s new, Mistress.  He had a match against Edward Adams and won.”

“And…?” She asks, her voice trailing off as if to expect more.  I merely shake my head.

“And that’s it.  He’s had one match.”

“Help me get this straight, my pet, because as you know I do not know a great deal about wrestling just yet.” I see her pacing, I see the frustration growing on her face.  I do not dare stand up just yet.  I just listen. “You have strung together victories against Billy Breakdown, Bill Barnhart, and The Gothfather.  Clearly you have improved since your debut in Supreme Championship Wrestling.  And that isn’t to count the time you defeated Angelica Jones and the time you nearly became SCW Television Champion, and yet despite all of this, they have you facing a young no-name fool like Lailoken Da Vinci in what will be his second match with the company?”

“That is correct, my Mistress.”

“You know what this means don’t you?” She stops right in front of me and gazes down, her face is full of rage and anger. “This is a blatant sign of disrespect towards you as a competitor and, because you are my pet, my personal plaything, and my weapon of mass destruction, then it is also a blatant sign of disrespect towards me.”

She motions for me to rise up to my feet.  I do so with caution.  “How shall I remedy the situation, my Mistress?”

“I want you to send this David Helms person and whoever advises him a message.  Helms is the person making the matches now, am I correct?”

“Yes, my Mistress.”

“Excellent, then I want you to send him and his ilk a message.  That message will be Lailoken Da Vinci in a bodybag.  I will even hand deliver Mr. Helms a note, telling him that future disrespect of Athena The Goddess of Wisdom will be treated thusly.”

I watch her stoically, awaiting orders or even further words of wisdom.  What I see is the angry glare suddenly turn into a rather pleased grin.  It’s this kind of reaction from her that does worry me.  Yet, at the same time, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to me for it is the same kind of reaction I used to have; she switched from angry to seemingly happy and pleased in just a few seconds.  I used to do that, too.  Not anymore.

“All of SCW’s disrespect aside, I can happily report that I am very pleased with you, my sweet pet.” She rubs the back of her hand across my cheek. “Your mounting victories have proven that you have taken my words of wisdom to heart.  You have even helped recruit a newcomer to the fold.”

“Ian McKinnon.”

Ian McKinnon was once my loyal foot soldier.  He once served me and even swore that he would follow me to the ends of the earth and back.  True to his word, he has done just that. He has agreed to follow Quinn Murray’s path to wisdom.  I am not entirely sure that is a good thing for him.   Few can handle this life.  And it is that thought right there that brings Ashley O’Brian’s words from last week back to me.

“Mistress, may I be so bold as to ask a question?”

“Why, of course, my pet.  You are here, after all, to learn from the Goddess of Wisdom.  So by all means, ask away.”

“Yes, I am here to learn from you.  I sacrificed my soul, my very self I sold to you just so I could obtain the wisdom I needed to become stronger and to use that newfound strength and power to achieve all of my goals.  And I can feel that I am very close to achieving this; my victories over Billy Breakdown, Bill Barnhart, and The Gothfather prove this to me.  My question is, when I do reach that level I want to be, what will then become of our relationship?”

She arches her brow as her face furrows out of curiosity. “What do you mean?”

“With all due respect, Mistress, I think you know.  I live here with you, but not as a person as your toy…your pet…you plaything as you called me today.  And I’ve accepted your terms because I want the wisdom and strength.  What happens when I get that wisdom and strength?”

I watch her cautiously.  I’m not entirely sure how she’ll react.  I’m not entirely sure it was a good idea to ask this question Ashley had originally posed but something made me do it.  A grin forms on her face as she nods her head, but that grin does not mitigate my concerns.

“My sweet pet, you truly are a very wise individual, truly close to the precipice of greatness, the precipice of your Goddesses’ wisdom.  And you have indeed made great strides, you have grown stronger and wiser, but I think you may be setting your bar slightly too high.  You were very wise and very strong when you abandoned me, but you’ve returned because you think that’s not good enough.  You want perfect wisdom and perfect strength.”

“Correct, my Mistress.”

“Isn’t it accurate to say that no one is perfect?” She reaches out and taps me on my nose. “But then again, that applies to humans.  Humans are not perfect.”

“Forgive my disrespect, Mistress, but you have achieved perfection.”

“True, but the difference between you and the rest of your pathetic human race is that I am divine.  I am a goddess.  Now try to follow my logic, my pet.  I have perfect wisdom because I am the Goddess of Wisdom, and our agreement was that you would resume your proper role as my pet until you obtained that goal of perfect wisdom.”

“Correct.”

“And we’ve established that humanity is not perfect.  Is it even possible then for you to achieve PERFECT wisdom?  Besides, I am a goddess, beyond that I am your Mistress, do you dare say that you could achieve equality with your goddess and mistress?”

“No, my Mistress.” I shake my head.

“Then I think you know the answer to your question.”

“Yes, yes I do, my Mistress.”

“No need to thank me, my pet.” She runs her hand through my long black hair. “Your undying loyalty and devotion to me is all I ask.”

“Of course.” A smirk crosses my lips. “Thank you, my Mistress, for your wisdom.”

==========

On Camera

==========

I just wonder if David Helms and his ilk in Supreme Championship Wrestling are trying to annoy me.  It is a good question, because consider that my personal weapon, MY Sophie O’Brian, has been ripping through each and every opponent SCW has thrown her way…

…Billy Breakdown, gone.

…Bill Barnhart, still an afterthought.

…The Gothfather, still irrelevant.

And yet MY Sophie O’Brian is facing the newcomer, the rookie, the kid who has only one match to his name.  And of those three that MY Sophie has defeated, one of them is receiving a championship match on Breakdown.

Does this make sense?  Does this booking have wisdom behind it?  No, it doesn’t.  This booking offends Sophie but worse still it offends me.  And SCW will see what happens when I am offended, because Sophie O’Brian is my weapon and I have her aimed at Lailoken Da Vinci and I am ready to pull the trigger and end his existence.

==========

On Camera

==========

“I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do.”  --- Leonardo Da Vinci

Leonardo Da Vinci and I clearly are on the same wavelength.  We have the same thought process.  He explains quite well why I am on a quest for further wisdom, why I seek further knowledge and understanding.  I have always considered myself a master strategist, the ultimate student of the game, and yet it took me this long in my career to finally grasp the ultimate truth that you are never through learning.  There is always one more lesson to learn. There is always more truth and more wisdom to obtain.  That is why I am a lifelong learner of wisdom and truth.

It shouldn’t come as to a surprise to anyone why I bring up a master of the Renaissance period like Leonardo Da Vinci.  It should be fairly obvious considering my opponent is a blithering nitwit named Lailoken Da Vinci.

I wonder where he ‘obtained’ that name?

Despite your nonsensical ramblings, it is clear that you have at least some grasp of wisdom.  Your vocabulary gives that much away.  Knowing that I am facing someone with an appreciation for wisdom is heartening to some degree, but there is a drastic difference between you and me and that difference is explained in the second half of Leonardo Da Vinci’s quote.

Being wise isn’t good enough, Lailoken.  It’s what you do with that wisdom that makes the difference.

It’s a lesson I had to learn, my friend.  I was adrift in the abyss of this professional wrestling world, accomplishing little to nothing with what skills and abilities I had but the real disappointment came because of how I wasted my wisdom.

I have made it my quest to never again waste that wisdom.  Billy Breakdown, Bill Barnhart, The Gothfather, all of them have fallen before me since I refocused and retooled myself.  Ever since I realized that this wisdom I had built up had been going to waste and that I needed to use it, ever since that point I have been tearing through anyone and everyone SCW chooses to send my way.

Now they send you after me.  And believe when I say that this isn’t going to be very fun for you.

Yes, you’ve had it easy thus far.  You had Edward Adams and, yes, you were victorious.  But then you had Derek Adonis but what happened to that match? It was announced but it never happened.  What happened, Lailoken?

Two.  Since your announced arrival sometime in late March you’ve had two matches.  Where have you been, my friend?  Your wisdom, while worthy, is not being utilized, and if you do not utilize it, you will fail.

Trust me, I know.  I’ve made that mistake before and I will never again make that mistake.

Wisdom is a powerful tool, Lailoken, but as you will find out, if wisdom is not used properly, it can and will be the death of you.

w/ Drake Hemmingway & Kaito vs. Jason Dillinger, Alex Anarchy, & Dylan Cent

==========

Off Camera

==========

One down and how many more to go before I get my shots?  Well, actually, I beat two pieces of crap named Brooklyn McDaniel and Dmitri Regas; so I guess that’s two down…two little scrawny nobodies who fell to the power of Mark O’Brian!

Ok, that sounded like a nerd came up with it, forget I said anything.  Point is, people questioned my decision to go to Emerge, which some thought was a step-down for me.  I viewed it not as a step down but as an opportunity to hone my own craft and show what I can do on my own without my sister Sophie.

Truthfully, this isn’t just about trying to prove that I can wrestle and win on my own.  I already know I can and don’t need to prove it to anyone else.  The other reason I’m in Emerge is so to get away from it all.  Specifically, I need to get away from Sophie.  The more I’m around her the more frustrated I get and the more frustrated I get the angrier I get.

Sophie is a smart girl.  She boasts about being among the smartest women in the world and, to be honest, she isn’t far off the mark there.  Few can match her in terms of brain power.  And that’s what makes it so frustrating, because as smart as she is, she is allowing herself to be controlled and used by this little bitch named Quinn Murray.

What bugs me even more about all this is the fact that I pushed her to this. I encouraged her to go to square one, to go back to where she began, see if she could learn something new; but I never expected or anticipated her to devote her entire self to this crazy woman.

That’ll teach me to keep my mouth shut.

Right now I’m in the dining room, a place that my sister might describe as being drab but my wife says is elegant.  Perhaps the dining room was elegant in a minimalist sort of way?  The room echoed the outside world.  The table dominated the space, an elongated ellipse of oak with the raw bark at the edges.  The chairs, each one beautiful in its simplicity, all clean straight lines and high backs, were placed around the table.  I sit at one of them, with a bottle of Scotch in front of me.

I’m currently lost in thought, so much so that I don’t even hear the dining room door creak open.  I barely hear the voice that breaks the silence…

“Mark?”

It startles me back to reality.  I suddenly turn to spot my wife, the beautiful Ashley O’Brian, standing there.  She looks damn fine in her soft satin and eyelash lace pink teddy.  As good as she looks, she also looks that much concerned; concerned about me, no doubt, as she looks right into my eyes.

“Yeah…” I say gruffly while taking another swig of the Scotch “…watcha want, babe?”

“I would like my husband to come to bed sometime tonight.” She remarks as she approaches the table. “But he seems too busy getting drunk.”

“Sorry about that, Ash, but it puts my mind at ease.” I take another swig of Scotch. Ashley clearly isn’t happy as she glares angrily at me.  If looks could kill, I’d probably be dead.

“You know, Mark, talking to your wife could also put your mind at ease.”

“Not this time, Ash.” I shake my head. “You wouldn’t understand.”

Ashley sits down next to me. I try to take another sip of Scotch but she takes the bottle away from me and places it back down on the table.  I turn and gaze into her eyes, eyes that are partially full of anger and partially full of kindness.

“Let me help.”

“You wouldn’t be able to help.”

“I can’t help unless you let me try!” Her voice sounds more and more frustrated.  Finally I sigh and nod my head.

“Ok, alright, you want to know what bloody disturbs me at this time of night, babe?  It’s my sister.  It’s Sophie.”

“Sophie?” I nod my head and Ashley shakes her head. “Stop. Don’t beat yourself up over her.”

“I knew it’d turn out this way.” I roll my eyes. “See what I mean?  You just don’t get it.  You can’t help.”

“What’s there not to understand?” She asks curiously. “She abandoned you and for what?  For who?  That crazy woman?  If that’s how she’s going to treat you, then I wonder just how much she actually cared about you to begin with.  Do you know what I mean, Mark?”

I chuckle lightly before reaching over and swiping the bottle of Scotch from her.  I take another swig of it before placing it back down onto the table.

“No, I don’t understand,” I point a finger at my wife “and neither do you, Ash.  Just as I said…”

“Then by all means, fill me in on what I don’t understand. Clearly I’m missing something here.  How could anyone who claims to love you and care for you abandon you the way she did?  It makes no sense to me.” She shakes her head.  Then Ashley reaches over and grabs me by my hands and squeezes them tightly. “I do want to help, Mark.  So please, help me to make sense of all of this.”

“You really want to know?”

“Yes, I really want to know.” She says, nodding her head.

“Fine….well let’s start with that ‘crazy woman’ you talked about.  A few weeks ago I spoke to her and she threatened to take Sophie away from me.  I didn’t believe her threats, I thought they were nonsense.  How could she take Sophie away from me?  I just took her as a lunatic, especially when she claimed that she owned Sophie.”

I shake my head. “I was wrong, Ash.  She does own Sophie.  And I don’t know if it’s blackmail shit or brainwashing shit or whatever, but she has Sophie jumping through hoops like a fucking puppet.  Sophie has openly told me that she is nothing more than this woman’s personal toy and pet.  Now I ask you, does that sound like the Sophie O’Brian you know?”

“No…” Ashley’s voice trails off as she shakes her head.

“No, it doesn’t.  It’s because it isn’t the Sophie you know, it isn’t my sister.  I don’t know what she did to my sister but my sister is gone and…and…” I sigh and take another sip of the Scotch “…oh what do you care anyway?  You’ve always hated Sophie.  You’re probably glad she’s gone.”

“You’re right, I never did much care for Sophie, but I do care for you and it pains me seeing you hurting like this because of what’s happening to her.  Besides no individual, male or female, should be someone’s property.”

“Nice thought, babe, but what can either of us do about it?  I barely get to see her now.  If either of us interfere, I’ve been told Sophie will never see me again.”

“That’s your sister you’re talking about, Mark.”

“Yeah, so?”

“Are you honestly telling me you believe she’d choose that crazy woman over her?”

“Uh…”

Ashley holds up a hand over my mouth to silence me. “Mark, smartest woman in wrestling or not, sociopath or not, at the end of the day she is your sister, and if there is any human quality to her at all, then she’ll choose you.  You two have been so much together. You endured years of torment and physical abuse from your father.  You worked your asses off together training to be wrestlers.  You were both in the same wrestling companies together.”

“You’re right, Ash.  We have a hell of a big history together.  I’m just not much of a gambler, you know?  I don’t know if I want to risk losing her.”

“I guess you have a question to answer then.”

“What’s that?”

“How much do you trust your sister?”

==========

On Camera

==========

Emerge 5 was the night I put this entire roster on notice.  Hell, I put SCW on notice too with my dominating, destructive performance against Brooklyn McDaniel and Dmitri Regas. I tossed the little bitches around like rag dolls and when I was done playing around I dropped them both like bad habits.  I told you all that I was a damn Sherman Tank; you can’t stop me!  You cannot stop my destructive force!

Now I’m in a six person tag, a match that’s being labeled “Strange Bedfellows” because I don’t got no damn clue who the bloody hell these idiots are!  Actually, I do know Drake Hemmingway.  We’ve had history in GCW.  But outside that, no clue; and I don’t care either.  Drake and Kaito should be on their hands and fucking knees thanking whatever deity they worship that they got me as their tag team partner.  I am what you might call a tag team specialist.  It’s what I do best.  I’ve won tag team titles in every company I’ve been with.  So trust me, I know a thing or two about winning tag team matches.

I also know a thing or two about running over the competition.  So Drake and Kaito can just stay out of my damn way and I’ll do all the heavy lifting.  I’ll wipe out Anarchy, Cent, and Dillinger and get us that win all on my damn own.

Why?  Because I can.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see the writing on the wall here.  It doesn’t take a genius to see who is gonna win this one.  Not only does one team have all the tag experience and all of the destructive force of a Sherman Tank, but the opposing side can’t work together worth a damn.

Jason Dillinger, who clearly has a major hard on for Peyton Rice, who just so happens to be feuding with Dillinger’s tag partner Dylan Cent.  Do you think Dillinger wants to win or wants to impress his crush by taking out Dylan Cent?

The big idiot will think with his dick just as he always does and sabotage his team.  Sure, he’ll lose, but at least he’ll make Peyton smile.

Dumbass.

Alex Anarchy, sorry for your damn luck.  Looks like you’re stuck between a rock and a dumbass piece of garbage.  You’re stuck on a team that is destined to implode.