05-23-2022, 11:58 AM
05-24-2022, 08:57 PM
05-24-2022, 09:13 PM
OOC: The following plays on details of previous roleplays dating back to Rise to Greatness but are not necessary to know to understand this. Enjoy.
Rebecca’s Log Cabin Home
20 km from Pilgrim Springs
May 22nd, 2022
12:43 pm
Despite her common sense, Selena Frost looked up at the clear blue sky again, her eyes wincing a little as she beheld the ‘noon-high’ sun shining in the sky, her sunglasses offering protection from such a stupid move, though it was not without consequence. Still, she had to do something to stop the boredom of waiting.
By all accounts, and on any other situation, the Snow Queen would have considered herself grateful for such a serene moment in the chaotic mess that was her life. Sitting on a swing porch that overlooked the downhill portion of the property, the dirt road that ran down it leading to the main highway that linked this property to a path to either Pilgrim Springs or Nome, where she and Deanna had come from, she could hear the birds swinging sweetly in the nearby trees surrounding the house and the wind blowing gently, creating a nice chill that held that briskness of Nome that she still, despite herself, desperately loved. On any other situation, she would savour the creaking sound of the old chains as she and her wife rocked back and forth and the feeling of Deanna’s head resting over her shoulder, the redhead having fallen asleep about half an hour ago. She would have savoured the feeling of her wife’s soft hair against her face as she rested her own head against Deanna’s gently, her closest arm wrapped around Deanna’s shoulders while the other held one of the younger woman’s hands.
On any other situation, such a serene moment was one that Selena would thank the gods for…
But she couldn’t. Her mind would not let her – choosing to give off spikes of irritation every few minutes as she continuously stared down the long, descending dirt road, the same question re-entering her mind with those emotional spikes.
Where the hell is she?
The two wives had shown up, uninvited, to the old property about two hours ago, thankfully, unlike last time, having no ‘tire troubles’ from a bitter, sadistic madman. Still, despite this, it WAS that same madman that was the cause for their visit this time as well – as well as Selena’s inability to enjoy the serene moment with her sleeping wife in her arms.
Killjoy’s deadline was fast approaching. Nine days, eleven hours… Selena checked the watch wrapped around her wrist. And fifteen minutes…. Her brain refused to cease keeping track of the countdown timer, able to calculate the time in a fraction of a second every time she spied a clock or was told the time from someone. Barely over a week was all she had left – barely a week to, somehow, not only solve the mystery of Project: Black Ice but also prevent Ryan Scythe from becoming the mayor of Nome…
For so long, she had gotten nowhere in her attempt to solve Killjoy’s ‘puzzle’, combing through hours and hours of paperwork from Malcolm Scythe’s files to try and find something. But now, such time was no longer an option. What were they even doing here in Nome but taking a chance at a ‘shot in the dark’, having found the house’s owner’s name within one of the files under the Resident and On-Site Staff Caretaker…
And yet… it actually made sense to the world champion.
Almost a year ago, Killjoy had forced the Frost women to take refuge here, meeting the old woman that resided in this house, who just so happened to be the ex-wife of Malcolm Scythe: Rebecca Scythe. It was here that Killjoy had also made his first physical appearance before them, holding them at gunpoint in order to formally ‘introduce’ himself and his vendetta against Selena and Malcolm. He had WANTED them to be here, he had stated as much… why hadn’t Selena considered that before? Had she been too distracted by the upcoming election? Or was it her work in SCW that had made her forget such details?
Releasing a slow exhale, Selena gently nuzzled her wife’s head. She already knew that the week was going to be a rough – especially if this interrogation came up dry. It would be a whole day or so of wasting her time on a wild goose chase when she should have kept researching her files over in Paris or studying for her upcoming match with Sammy Thomas Davies.
A match that she could not allow herself to lose.
She had to admit, she did not regret challenging the young ‘client’ of Giovanni Aries, but she would be lying if Giovanni’s ‘aloof’ demeanour last Breakdown – laughing in her face – had not gotten under her skin a little. Since her involvement with The Brand (waring with them), the platinum-blonde had done all she could to not let their words or actions get under her skin. To let them affect her too much would be playing right into their hands, especially with such a mind as Holly and even Cid. Giovanni entering into their numbers made that a lot more difficult, and while she had managed to do so in her last tag match against the ‘Spiritual Advisor’, she had ‘slipped-up’ a little over the past few weeks with him being considered for the number one contender to her world title.
Giovanni knew her. Knew how to push her buttons, probably to the same level that Xander Valentine had done in his long wars with the Snow Queen. And while Selena had held her own in the ring and on the microphone as best as she could, she would be lying if Giovanni had not won a few ‘battle of wits’ with her. It was why she knew better than to engage him on Twitter, where he had zero restrictions and why she always tried to think about what she was going to say as opposed to simply let emotion rule her when dealing with him.
Still, she had acted impulsively when challenging Sammy – she refused to acknowledge his ‘name change’ that the Brand had thrust upon him with zero words from the aforementioned veteran Sammy. She had just gotten so tired of The Brand. She had beaten Cid Turner twice, retained her championship against Holly Adams three times and silenced any hearsay about the legitimacy of her abilities against The Brand leader during her Double Jeopardy match by cleaning beating her. In short, after so many battles, Selena having won most of them, The Brand and all its affiliates (How the HELL do you have three ‘stables’ inside of a stable…) were still going on and on about ‘taking over SCW’ and how they were ‘succeeding’ at it! She was sick of hearing their crap about it when that was all it was – utter crap! They could barely hold onto the Adrenaline title and she had denied them over and over again for the World title. They had no hands in any other division and their ‘clients’ of Cookie, Clamydia and Sammy? It was all a huge mess! Nothing like how stables like Infamous and The Beauty Factory/Network had ruled SCW in the previous years. They had had some arguing grounds and dominance. The Brand? Not even close!
But still, Selena wanted to prove it to the world – to expose that truth to the world and, especially, right in front of the smug face of Giovanni Aries!
Yet, instead of preparing for anything – like a damn ambush or inevitable interference from Giovanni-
She silenced the thought before it could fully form. She NEEDED to be here. She needed to chase every lead and every opportunity to try and solve this ‘mystery’. Her wife’s life literally depended on it-
The sound of an engine suddenly filled her ears as it ‘clunkered’ down the road, approaching the house. Turning her gaze towards it, Selena couldn’t help the smile and yet nervousness she felt as the blue pickup truck’s engine gave a loud “POP” sound as it reached the depth of the hill before starting to ascend towards the house, as if in protest of such a strain. The sound was enough to awaken the redhead, who jolted upright.
“Wha- I’m up!” Deanna remarked, looking around frantically. Quickly, her eyes found the source of the noise. “Oh…” she yawned, stretching her limbs to better awaken. “She’s here.”
“Yeah.” Selena nodded, squeezing her wife’s hand with her own. “Let’s hope she remembers us.”
“And didn’t pack that shotgun she has.” Deanna quipped in memory.
It took another minute or two for the vehicle to reach the top of the hill – the Frosts unable to see the driver due to the glare coming off the front window – the blue truck parking further away from the house to accommodate the presence of their own rented car and allow exit when needed. Quickly getting to their feet, so as not to seem rude, the two women waited for the loud car to turn off and for the door to open, Selena adjusting her black sweater and fixing her braid while Deanna checked her face for any ‘nap-drool’, of which there was none.
The older woman hopped out of the truck, Selena recognizing the thick glasses she wore now having some kind of shade clip-ons on them. Her hair was short and white, as it was the last time they had seen her, and she wore a beige button-up and black pants that covered her small, almost frail-looking form.
“Hey.” She called out, drawing closer to her property. “Can I help you guys and-“
She stopped as she drew closer, the Frost wives moving off the porch to fully step into the sunlight.
“Hi, Rebecca.” Deanna smiled, almost the far more joyful and ‘pleasant’ one in introductions. “It’s the Frosts!”
“OH!” It took a moment of recollection (she had only met them once after all), but the older woman managed it without too much difficulty. With a smile, she pushed herself the rest of the way towards her home to meet the pair of women. “Long time no see!”
“Sorry for just ‘showing up’.” Selena tried, giving a gentle smile of her own. “But we didn’t really know how to contact you. You said you didn’t have a phone or anything-“
“I tried carrier pigeon…” Deanna tried. “But the pigeons in New York are jerks! You should see them in the parks! MEAN as hell!”
“I never liked the big city idea.” Rebecca shook her head. “And don’t worry about it. I’m sorry you just caught me on my ‘grocery day’.” She gestured towards the back of her car, the ‘bed’ of it filled with bags.
“Do you need help?” Both Selena and Deanna offered at the same time and both moving without receiving an answer, moving to the truck and picking up the dozen or so bags.
“Well, that’s kind of you.” Rebecca smiled, making her way towards her home to unlock the door. “I can’t imagine you remember the inside of the house but-“ she spent the next few minutes directing the women where to place the bags. “So…” she dusted off her hands. “What brings you here?”
The married women shared at glance at each other, Selena taking off her shades slowly before returning her gaze towards Rebecca. “Rebecca…” she started. “I assume you heard of Malcolm’s death?”
Slowly, the woman gave a nod. “Always knew that man’s demons would catch-up with him.”
The Frost wives said nothing as the elder woman gave a huff. “Warned him for years about some of the things he did…” she gave one more shake of her head before returning her gaze towards Selena and Deanna. “Sorry, you were saying?”
“Well…” Deanna tried, her purple sweater shifting a little as her hands fidget together, the fingers interlocking and unlocking. “Do you remember that man that attacked us here last year?”
“Hard to forget.” Rebecca scoffed. “He behind this?”
“Very much so.” Selena admitted without hesitating. They had kept quiet about revealing too much about Killjoy to anyone, but with time being of the essence, she had thrown that ‘plan’ out the damn window. “He has been stalking and harassing us for the past year and… it’s a lot to explain…” she tried. “But he-“
“He’s obsessed with Selena.” Deanna gestured towards her wife. “Same way he was obsessed with Malcolm.”
“Well, Malcolm I get.” Rebecca replied. “He had enemies, but I can’t imagine what he would have against a sweet woman like you.”
“I am…” Selena bit her lower lip for a second. “I have been trying to figure that out while trying to keep your sons from killing each other over the mayoral race.”
“I…” a look of utter sadness crossed Rebecca’s features. “I wish I could say I know them well… but I don’t. I had to leave them and keep quiet when they were just in their teens.”
“I’m sure Gavin would love to meet you!” Deanna tried, seeing Rebecca’s face light up.
“You think so?”
“He’s much different than when he was as a kid.” Selena nodded eagerly. “Trust me.”
“I…” she seemed to contemplate it for a moment. “No.. I mean… he wouldn’t want to see me now – he’d probably hate me for abandoning him.”
“I… I could talk to him after the election…” Selena tried.
“Or!” Deanna grinned. “You could come and support him the night of the election! Meet at his campaign office! We’re gonna watch the live results and it’ll be fun and-“
“Deanna…” Selena tried gently, attempting to slow her excitable wife. “It’s a lot to take in and ask.”
“It is…” came Rebecca’s voice. “But I…I don’t think I’d mind it. What about Ryan?”
The two Frost wives winced a little, once more sharing a look.
“He more like his father, I take it?” Rebecca’s voice dropped to a sense of knowing. “Not best to be near him?”
“We…” Selena tried. “No, Rebecca. He’s far more like Malcolm that you’d care to know.”
“I see.” She nodded her head. “I’ll need to give it some thought.”
“We can leave you the address and date for the event.” Deanna offered. “And we won’t tell Gavin so there’s no pressure on you.”
A grateful smile crossed over Rebecca’s features and Selena was sure she saw a bit of tears form in the older woman’s eyes. She could relate, her heart had stopped and then come alive again when she had learned of her Elsianna’s survival – the idea that she was STILL a mother, a REAL mother and not just one with a ‘snow child’. That her daughter was still alive – part of Selena was still alive. She recognized that same look on Rebecca’s face.
“I appreciate it.” She offered both women gratefully. “But!” she suddenly clapped her hands. “You’re here for a reason other than to placate some hermit-gal! How can I help you dealing with this craze-o stalking you?”
“Well…that’s just it.” Selena began to explain. “During all of this, the murderer-“
“We call him ‘Killjoy’.” Deanna shot in.
“He’s mentioned a project of Malcolm’s as the sort of…” her brain tried to search for the right words. “Centrepoint of all of this. And we were wondering if you had heard of it.”
“I mean…” Rebecca shrugged her shoulders. “I can try. I wasn’t allowed to keep any notes but… what was the project name?”
“Project: Black Ice.” Selena spoke the words slowly, her heart speeding up its beat in her chest. For a few minutes, she and Deanna watched Rebecca wrack her brain, the Snow Queen wondering what memories the older woman was searching, what moments – happy or sad – was she ‘reliving’ in trying to find the information. But as a sad expression crossed Rebecca’s features and she shook her wrinkled face, the Snow Queen felt her heart drop.
“I’m sorry.” Rebecca replied. “I don’t recall any project of that name.”
“It’s…” Selena sighed. “It’s okay. It was a longshot.”
“Wait!” came the excited voice of the redhead. “What about the orphanage?”
“Orphanage?” Rebecca asked, her attention on the redhead.
“Yeah!” Deanna nodded. “Back in 1986, you were the On-site staff and resident caretaker of an orphanage and homeless shelter that Malcolm built.”
“Yes, I was.” Rebecca nodded. “Wow, that was a long time ago… and it only was open for about three…” she gave it some thought. “Three years.”
“What happened?” Selena asked.
“I’m not sure. I was in charge of just taking care of the residents until they got adopted or found new homes or jobs. We mostly had orphans and women that were pregnant with nowhere else to go.”
“Mostly had?” Deanna asked. “How many homeless, pregnant women could there be in Nome?”
“And Pilgrim Springs and Anchorage.” Rebecca corrected. “I remember being surprised of the number, to be honest. I distinctly remember there being at least thirty at one point.”
“Thirty pregnant women?” Selena asked. “That’s insane.”
“I thought so too. But we had at least fifty children come and ago, some from those pregnancies and some from other families I think.”
“So, why did it close?” Deanna asked.
“I wish I knew.” Rebecca replied. “One day, one of Malcolm’s henchmen came in and ordered everyone out. Apparently, they were all being shipped to the orphanage or homeless shelter in Anchorage. I was brought back to Malcolm and he never explained it, just that it ‘hadn’t worked out how he wanted’.”
“Is that all?” Selena asked, her sadness not lifted from this information.
“As far as he would tell me, yes. But…” Rebecca bit her lower lip. “At the end of it all, after the closure years later, and after my divorce from him and my exile, my house was visited and a child was left at my doorstep.“ they saw Rebecca’s gaze go distant. “Apparently, the parents had not heard the shelter was closed and were desperate.”
“You think they found you through Malcolm?” Selena asked.
“I’m not sure. “ Rebecca shrugged. “But I felt so guilty that I couldn’t help any of those children years ago…”
“You thought you could save this one. Was that one?” Deanna’s voice trailed off as Rebecca nodded her head.
“My granddaughter.” Rebecca smiled. “Or that was the role I took on. She was too old – as was I - to believe I was her mother.”
A long sigh escaped Selena, the Snow Queen giving a sad nod of her head. “So… I was right.” She shook her head. “It WAS just a pointless PR stunt that served to give some good press for Malcolm.”
“That’s the same conclusion I drew years ago.” Rebecca replied sadly. “He even…even made a joke about it. As if all those lives that were whisked away meant nothing.” Her voice grew rougher, in a poor, accented imitation. “Project Snowman melted.”
Selena’s head jerked up, as did Deanna’s to regard the older woman, both sapphire and emerald eyes wide. “What?”
“That’s what the orphanage ‘mission’ was called. ‘The Snowman Project’.” Rebecca explained. “Building new lives for everyone.’” She recited as if from some corner of her memory.
Both Frost wives turned their heads towards one another, their sadness over this being a ‘wild goose chase’ obliterated with those words.
“There’s no way that’s just a coincidence.” Deanna shook her head. “Malcolm’s wouldn’t be that stupid.”
“No.” Selena replied darkly. “But he sure as hell would be that arrogant. A constant inside joke for him to laugh at.”
“So now what?” the redhead asked. “I mean, we didn’t have much more information on the shelter…”
“I…I don’t know.” Selena shrugged her shoulders. “I doubt Ryan would let us into the physical copies of his father’s-“
“If I may…” Rebecca interrupted the two, regaining their attention. “I doubt this will be much help… but since you both are here and have come from such a long way, I assume… maybe you’d like to see it?”
“See what?” Selena asked, tilting her head.
“The center. The building is still standing – it was just abandoned. Malcolm didn’t want to waste the money having it demolished.”
Once more, eyes went wide. “Can…” Selena gulped. “Can we?”
“Sure. It’s about an hour away from here – I’m sure I can recall the way.”
“Yes! Please!” Deanna smiled. “At this rate, we’ve got nothing to lose!”
“No problem.” Rebecca smiled. “We can go in the old clunker…”
“Actually…” Selena smiled, biting her lower lip, her sapphire eyes casting out playfully towards one of the windows the sunshine was spilling through. “We could take ours, if you wanted to drive…” she gestured towards their rented car, the blue Nissan Versa parked nearby.
It was Rebecca’s turn for her eyes to go wide. “I’ve…I’ve never…but I’ve always wanted to drive some of those fancy cars!”
“Well, today is your lucky day!” Deanna grinned, taking Rebecca by the hand to guide her outside to show her the vehicle, leaving Selena alone in the house.
Taking a slow inhale and exhale, her eyes roamed around the room before settling on the nearby clock hanging near the old television, the clock continuing to tick away the hour.
Nine days, eleven hours… she was unable to stop the thought as she turned and followed Deanna and Rebecca outside, the ticking of time echoing away in her mind like a death knell.
Project: Black Ice
”If the Wild Goose Chases You...”
Rebecca’s Log Cabin Home
20 km from Pilgrim Springs
May 22nd, 2022
12:43 pm
Despite her common sense, Selena Frost looked up at the clear blue sky again, her eyes wincing a little as she beheld the ‘noon-high’ sun shining in the sky, her sunglasses offering protection from such a stupid move, though it was not without consequence. Still, she had to do something to stop the boredom of waiting.
By all accounts, and on any other situation, the Snow Queen would have considered herself grateful for such a serene moment in the chaotic mess that was her life. Sitting on a swing porch that overlooked the downhill portion of the property, the dirt road that ran down it leading to the main highway that linked this property to a path to either Pilgrim Springs or Nome, where she and Deanna had come from, she could hear the birds swinging sweetly in the nearby trees surrounding the house and the wind blowing gently, creating a nice chill that held that briskness of Nome that she still, despite herself, desperately loved. On any other situation, she would savour the creaking sound of the old chains as she and her wife rocked back and forth and the feeling of Deanna’s head resting over her shoulder, the redhead having fallen asleep about half an hour ago. She would have savoured the feeling of her wife’s soft hair against her face as she rested her own head against Deanna’s gently, her closest arm wrapped around Deanna’s shoulders while the other held one of the younger woman’s hands.
On any other situation, such a serene moment was one that Selena would thank the gods for…
But she couldn’t. Her mind would not let her – choosing to give off spikes of irritation every few minutes as she continuously stared down the long, descending dirt road, the same question re-entering her mind with those emotional spikes.
Where the hell is she?
The two wives had shown up, uninvited, to the old property about two hours ago, thankfully, unlike last time, having no ‘tire troubles’ from a bitter, sadistic madman. Still, despite this, it WAS that same madman that was the cause for their visit this time as well – as well as Selena’s inability to enjoy the serene moment with her sleeping wife in her arms.
Killjoy’s deadline was fast approaching. Nine days, eleven hours… Selena checked the watch wrapped around her wrist. And fifteen minutes…. Her brain refused to cease keeping track of the countdown timer, able to calculate the time in a fraction of a second every time she spied a clock or was told the time from someone. Barely over a week was all she had left – barely a week to, somehow, not only solve the mystery of Project: Black Ice but also prevent Ryan Scythe from becoming the mayor of Nome…
For so long, she had gotten nowhere in her attempt to solve Killjoy’s ‘puzzle’, combing through hours and hours of paperwork from Malcolm Scythe’s files to try and find something. But now, such time was no longer an option. What were they even doing here in Nome but taking a chance at a ‘shot in the dark’, having found the house’s owner’s name within one of the files under the Resident and On-Site Staff Caretaker…
And yet… it actually made sense to the world champion.
Almost a year ago, Killjoy had forced the Frost women to take refuge here, meeting the old woman that resided in this house, who just so happened to be the ex-wife of Malcolm Scythe: Rebecca Scythe. It was here that Killjoy had also made his first physical appearance before them, holding them at gunpoint in order to formally ‘introduce’ himself and his vendetta against Selena and Malcolm. He had WANTED them to be here, he had stated as much… why hadn’t Selena considered that before? Had she been too distracted by the upcoming election? Or was it her work in SCW that had made her forget such details?
Releasing a slow exhale, Selena gently nuzzled her wife’s head. She already knew that the week was going to be a rough – especially if this interrogation came up dry. It would be a whole day or so of wasting her time on a wild goose chase when she should have kept researching her files over in Paris or studying for her upcoming match with Sammy Thomas Davies.
A match that she could not allow herself to lose.
She had to admit, she did not regret challenging the young ‘client’ of Giovanni Aries, but she would be lying if Giovanni’s ‘aloof’ demeanour last Breakdown – laughing in her face – had not gotten under her skin a little. Since her involvement with The Brand (waring with them), the platinum-blonde had done all she could to not let their words or actions get under her skin. To let them affect her too much would be playing right into their hands, especially with such a mind as Holly and even Cid. Giovanni entering into their numbers made that a lot more difficult, and while she had managed to do so in her last tag match against the ‘Spiritual Advisor’, she had ‘slipped-up’ a little over the past few weeks with him being considered for the number one contender to her world title.
Giovanni knew her. Knew how to push her buttons, probably to the same level that Xander Valentine had done in his long wars with the Snow Queen. And while Selena had held her own in the ring and on the microphone as best as she could, she would be lying if Giovanni had not won a few ‘battle of wits’ with her. It was why she knew better than to engage him on Twitter, where he had zero restrictions and why she always tried to think about what she was going to say as opposed to simply let emotion rule her when dealing with him.
Still, she had acted impulsively when challenging Sammy – she refused to acknowledge his ‘name change’ that the Brand had thrust upon him with zero words from the aforementioned veteran Sammy. She had just gotten so tired of The Brand. She had beaten Cid Turner twice, retained her championship against Holly Adams three times and silenced any hearsay about the legitimacy of her abilities against The Brand leader during her Double Jeopardy match by cleaning beating her. In short, after so many battles, Selena having won most of them, The Brand and all its affiliates (How the HELL do you have three ‘stables’ inside of a stable…) were still going on and on about ‘taking over SCW’ and how they were ‘succeeding’ at it! She was sick of hearing their crap about it when that was all it was – utter crap! They could barely hold onto the Adrenaline title and she had denied them over and over again for the World title. They had no hands in any other division and their ‘clients’ of Cookie, Clamydia and Sammy? It was all a huge mess! Nothing like how stables like Infamous and The Beauty Factory/Network had ruled SCW in the previous years. They had had some arguing grounds and dominance. The Brand? Not even close!
But still, Selena wanted to prove it to the world – to expose that truth to the world and, especially, right in front of the smug face of Giovanni Aries!
Yet, instead of preparing for anything – like a damn ambush or inevitable interference from Giovanni-
She silenced the thought before it could fully form. She NEEDED to be here. She needed to chase every lead and every opportunity to try and solve this ‘mystery’. Her wife’s life literally depended on it-
The sound of an engine suddenly filled her ears as it ‘clunkered’ down the road, approaching the house. Turning her gaze towards it, Selena couldn’t help the smile and yet nervousness she felt as the blue pickup truck’s engine gave a loud “POP” sound as it reached the depth of the hill before starting to ascend towards the house, as if in protest of such a strain. The sound was enough to awaken the redhead, who jolted upright.
“Wha- I’m up!” Deanna remarked, looking around frantically. Quickly, her eyes found the source of the noise. “Oh…” she yawned, stretching her limbs to better awaken. “She’s here.”
“Yeah.” Selena nodded, squeezing her wife’s hand with her own. “Let’s hope she remembers us.”
“And didn’t pack that shotgun she has.” Deanna quipped in memory.
It took another minute or two for the vehicle to reach the top of the hill – the Frosts unable to see the driver due to the glare coming off the front window – the blue truck parking further away from the house to accommodate the presence of their own rented car and allow exit when needed. Quickly getting to their feet, so as not to seem rude, the two women waited for the loud car to turn off and for the door to open, Selena adjusting her black sweater and fixing her braid while Deanna checked her face for any ‘nap-drool’, of which there was none.
The older woman hopped out of the truck, Selena recognizing the thick glasses she wore now having some kind of shade clip-ons on them. Her hair was short and white, as it was the last time they had seen her, and she wore a beige button-up and black pants that covered her small, almost frail-looking form.
“Hey.” She called out, drawing closer to her property. “Can I help you guys and-“
She stopped as she drew closer, the Frost wives moving off the porch to fully step into the sunlight.
“Hi, Rebecca.” Deanna smiled, almost the far more joyful and ‘pleasant’ one in introductions. “It’s the Frosts!”
“OH!” It took a moment of recollection (she had only met them once after all), but the older woman managed it without too much difficulty. With a smile, she pushed herself the rest of the way towards her home to meet the pair of women. “Long time no see!”
“Sorry for just ‘showing up’.” Selena tried, giving a gentle smile of her own. “But we didn’t really know how to contact you. You said you didn’t have a phone or anything-“
“I tried carrier pigeon…” Deanna tried. “But the pigeons in New York are jerks! You should see them in the parks! MEAN as hell!”
“I never liked the big city idea.” Rebecca shook her head. “And don’t worry about it. I’m sorry you just caught me on my ‘grocery day’.” She gestured towards the back of her car, the ‘bed’ of it filled with bags.
“Do you need help?” Both Selena and Deanna offered at the same time and both moving without receiving an answer, moving to the truck and picking up the dozen or so bags.
“Well, that’s kind of you.” Rebecca smiled, making her way towards her home to unlock the door. “I can’t imagine you remember the inside of the house but-“ she spent the next few minutes directing the women where to place the bags. “So…” she dusted off her hands. “What brings you here?”
The married women shared at glance at each other, Selena taking off her shades slowly before returning her gaze towards Rebecca. “Rebecca…” she started. “I assume you heard of Malcolm’s death?”
Slowly, the woman gave a nod. “Always knew that man’s demons would catch-up with him.”
The Frost wives said nothing as the elder woman gave a huff. “Warned him for years about some of the things he did…” she gave one more shake of her head before returning her gaze towards Selena and Deanna. “Sorry, you were saying?”
“Well…” Deanna tried, her purple sweater shifting a little as her hands fidget together, the fingers interlocking and unlocking. “Do you remember that man that attacked us here last year?”
“Hard to forget.” Rebecca scoffed. “He behind this?”
“Very much so.” Selena admitted without hesitating. They had kept quiet about revealing too much about Killjoy to anyone, but with time being of the essence, she had thrown that ‘plan’ out the damn window. “He has been stalking and harassing us for the past year and… it’s a lot to explain…” she tried. “But he-“
“He’s obsessed with Selena.” Deanna gestured towards her wife. “Same way he was obsessed with Malcolm.”
“Well, Malcolm I get.” Rebecca replied. “He had enemies, but I can’t imagine what he would have against a sweet woman like you.”
“I am…” Selena bit her lower lip for a second. “I have been trying to figure that out while trying to keep your sons from killing each other over the mayoral race.”
“I…” a look of utter sadness crossed Rebecca’s features. “I wish I could say I know them well… but I don’t. I had to leave them and keep quiet when they were just in their teens.”
“I’m sure Gavin would love to meet you!” Deanna tried, seeing Rebecca’s face light up.
“You think so?”
“He’s much different than when he was as a kid.” Selena nodded eagerly. “Trust me.”
“I…” she seemed to contemplate it for a moment. “No.. I mean… he wouldn’t want to see me now – he’d probably hate me for abandoning him.”
“I… I could talk to him after the election…” Selena tried.
“Or!” Deanna grinned. “You could come and support him the night of the election! Meet at his campaign office! We’re gonna watch the live results and it’ll be fun and-“
“Deanna…” Selena tried gently, attempting to slow her excitable wife. “It’s a lot to take in and ask.”
“It is…” came Rebecca’s voice. “But I…I don’t think I’d mind it. What about Ryan?”
The two Frost wives winced a little, once more sharing a look.
“He more like his father, I take it?” Rebecca’s voice dropped to a sense of knowing. “Not best to be near him?”
“We…” Selena tried. “No, Rebecca. He’s far more like Malcolm that you’d care to know.”
“I see.” She nodded her head. “I’ll need to give it some thought.”
“We can leave you the address and date for the event.” Deanna offered. “And we won’t tell Gavin so there’s no pressure on you.”
A grateful smile crossed over Rebecca’s features and Selena was sure she saw a bit of tears form in the older woman’s eyes. She could relate, her heart had stopped and then come alive again when she had learned of her Elsianna’s survival – the idea that she was STILL a mother, a REAL mother and not just one with a ‘snow child’. That her daughter was still alive – part of Selena was still alive. She recognized that same look on Rebecca’s face.
“I appreciate it.” She offered both women gratefully. “But!” she suddenly clapped her hands. “You’re here for a reason other than to placate some hermit-gal! How can I help you dealing with this craze-o stalking you?”
“Well…that’s just it.” Selena began to explain. “During all of this, the murderer-“
“We call him ‘Killjoy’.” Deanna shot in.
“He’s mentioned a project of Malcolm’s as the sort of…” her brain tried to search for the right words. “Centrepoint of all of this. And we were wondering if you had heard of it.”
“I mean…” Rebecca shrugged her shoulders. “I can try. I wasn’t allowed to keep any notes but… what was the project name?”
“Project: Black Ice.” Selena spoke the words slowly, her heart speeding up its beat in her chest. For a few minutes, she and Deanna watched Rebecca wrack her brain, the Snow Queen wondering what memories the older woman was searching, what moments – happy or sad – was she ‘reliving’ in trying to find the information. But as a sad expression crossed Rebecca’s features and she shook her wrinkled face, the Snow Queen felt her heart drop.
“I’m sorry.” Rebecca replied. “I don’t recall any project of that name.”
“It’s…” Selena sighed. “It’s okay. It was a longshot.”
“Wait!” came the excited voice of the redhead. “What about the orphanage?”
“Orphanage?” Rebecca asked, her attention on the redhead.
“Yeah!” Deanna nodded. “Back in 1986, you were the On-site staff and resident caretaker of an orphanage and homeless shelter that Malcolm built.”
“Yes, I was.” Rebecca nodded. “Wow, that was a long time ago… and it only was open for about three…” she gave it some thought. “Three years.”
“What happened?” Selena asked.
“I’m not sure. I was in charge of just taking care of the residents until they got adopted or found new homes or jobs. We mostly had orphans and women that were pregnant with nowhere else to go.”
“Mostly had?” Deanna asked. “How many homeless, pregnant women could there be in Nome?”
“And Pilgrim Springs and Anchorage.” Rebecca corrected. “I remember being surprised of the number, to be honest. I distinctly remember there being at least thirty at one point.”
“Thirty pregnant women?” Selena asked. “That’s insane.”
“I thought so too. But we had at least fifty children come and ago, some from those pregnancies and some from other families I think.”
“So, why did it close?” Deanna asked.
“I wish I knew.” Rebecca replied. “One day, one of Malcolm’s henchmen came in and ordered everyone out. Apparently, they were all being shipped to the orphanage or homeless shelter in Anchorage. I was brought back to Malcolm and he never explained it, just that it ‘hadn’t worked out how he wanted’.”
“Is that all?” Selena asked, her sadness not lifted from this information.
“As far as he would tell me, yes. But…” Rebecca bit her lower lip. “At the end of it all, after the closure years later, and after my divorce from him and my exile, my house was visited and a child was left at my doorstep.“ they saw Rebecca’s gaze go distant. “Apparently, the parents had not heard the shelter was closed and were desperate.”
“You think they found you through Malcolm?” Selena asked.
“I’m not sure. “ Rebecca shrugged. “But I felt so guilty that I couldn’t help any of those children years ago…”
“You thought you could save this one. Was that one?” Deanna’s voice trailed off as Rebecca nodded her head.
“My granddaughter.” Rebecca smiled. “Or that was the role I took on. She was too old – as was I - to believe I was her mother.”
A long sigh escaped Selena, the Snow Queen giving a sad nod of her head. “So… I was right.” She shook her head. “It WAS just a pointless PR stunt that served to give some good press for Malcolm.”
“That’s the same conclusion I drew years ago.” Rebecca replied sadly. “He even…even made a joke about it. As if all those lives that were whisked away meant nothing.” Her voice grew rougher, in a poor, accented imitation. “Project Snowman melted.”
Selena’s head jerked up, as did Deanna’s to regard the older woman, both sapphire and emerald eyes wide. “What?”
“That’s what the orphanage ‘mission’ was called. ‘The Snowman Project’.” Rebecca explained. “Building new lives for everyone.’” She recited as if from some corner of her memory.
Both Frost wives turned their heads towards one another, their sadness over this being a ‘wild goose chase’ obliterated with those words.
“There’s no way that’s just a coincidence.” Deanna shook her head. “Malcolm’s wouldn’t be that stupid.”
“No.” Selena replied darkly. “But he sure as hell would be that arrogant. A constant inside joke for him to laugh at.”
“So now what?” the redhead asked. “I mean, we didn’t have much more information on the shelter…”
“I…I don’t know.” Selena shrugged her shoulders. “I doubt Ryan would let us into the physical copies of his father’s-“
“If I may…” Rebecca interrupted the two, regaining their attention. “I doubt this will be much help… but since you both are here and have come from such a long way, I assume… maybe you’d like to see it?”
“See what?” Selena asked, tilting her head.
“The center. The building is still standing – it was just abandoned. Malcolm didn’t want to waste the money having it demolished.”
Once more, eyes went wide. “Can…” Selena gulped. “Can we?”
“Sure. It’s about an hour away from here – I’m sure I can recall the way.”
“Yes! Please!” Deanna smiled. “At this rate, we’ve got nothing to lose!”
“No problem.” Rebecca smiled. “We can go in the old clunker…”
“Actually…” Selena smiled, biting her lower lip, her sapphire eyes casting out playfully towards one of the windows the sunshine was spilling through. “We could take ours, if you wanted to drive…” she gestured towards their rented car, the blue Nissan Versa parked nearby.
It was Rebecca’s turn for her eyes to go wide. “I’ve…I’ve never…but I’ve always wanted to drive some of those fancy cars!”
“Well, today is your lucky day!” Deanna grinned, taking Rebecca by the hand to guide her outside to show her the vehicle, leaving Selena alone in the house.
Taking a slow inhale and exhale, her eyes roamed around the room before settling on the nearby clock hanging near the old television, the clock continuing to tick away the hour.
Nine days, eleven hours… she was unable to stop the thought as she turned and followed Deanna and Rebecca outside, the ticking of time echoing away in her mind like a death knell.
05-25-2022, 07:52 PM
Project: Black Ice
”Resident: Atlas”
Project Snowman: Abandoned site
Between Nome and Pilgrim Springs, Alaska
May 22nd, 2022
3:12pm
“This place gives me the creeps.” Deanna whispered, keeping close to Selena as the Snow Queen pushed a large cobweb out of the way with her hand.
“I know.” Selena whispered back. “Feels like a Scooby Doo episode or something.”
For a moment, her mind flew back to her children, safe in Paris, possibly watching a French-dubbed episode of the aforementioned cartoon. Rebecca Scythe had lead the Frost wives to the location of the homeless shelter/orphanage without any difficulty. Still, they had been stunned when they had travelled for an hour off a dirt road and through a forest trail before entering a clearing that held the complex.
Because that was what it was! A massive complex, larger than most of the houses/buildings in Nome! It was no wonder that Malcolm had chosen to let it rot rather than try and tear it down. Still, something about it had unnerved the Snow Queen at first glance, particularly the large, rusted fences that housed the property. It wasn’t uncommon… but the broken cameras at the top that had once served as surveillance?
Was this place a help-center or a prison?
Deanna shared that sentiment, being reminded of her time in Frankfurt. Still, it had been easy to get in – nobody seemed to care about a condemned building miles and miles away from any town or city in Nome. They had spent the last hour combing through the various rooms/offices of the complex, though most of it was empty and devoid of anything useful. Most of the ‘resident’ rooms were all the same: a simple cot with a desk, a lamp, closet/drawers for clothes and tons of tons of dust and cobwebs. Even rats, but Nome rats were SO much smaller than New York rats so only Rebecca was a little put off by them – Selena and Deanna had thought they looked ‘cute’ in comparison.
“Just so many rooms…” Selena heard herself whisper.
“We often paired the children without mothers with additional caretakers in each section of the building.” Rebecca explained, leading the women. “Come on.” She gestured, the sunshine coming through the dusty windows offering enough light for them to see. “We’re best to look in the director’s head office.”
The trio travelled up a series of steps – they refused to try and use the elevator (which hadn’t been used in decades – they had all seen how THAT movie ends) – to the top part that was ‘restricted access’. Of course, the door was so dilapidated that a good kick from Selena and Deanna at the same time was enough to break through it. “Teamwork!” Deanna had cheered at their success, earning an affectionate/loving eyeroll from Selena.
Through the halls, they continued to traverse until they had reached the door that read (through the thick dust): Sherman Pilter, Director of Operations.
“There was a farmer who had a dog… and BINGO was his name-o.” Deanna smiled as she reached for the door handle, the metal-appendage immediately falling off the door frame and onto the floor with a clang. The redhead’s head jerked back to Selena and Rebecca. “Uh…. Open sesame?”
“Way to go, hunny.” Selena smiled, leaning in to offer her wife a kiss on the cheek before entering the office.
Despite being the director, Sherman’s office was a small one, crammed into the building’s structure. It had a desk and a series of file-cabinets, and a leather chair that had, clearly, seen the business end of several rat’s teeth. Immediately, the two wives began searching through the filing cabinets. Sadly, any remaining files were little more than bug-food, discolored paper and in pieces. Despite expecting this, Selena could not help the spike of depression that hit her.
“Damn…” she whispered, turning around on the spot from where she stood. It was enough to allow her eyes to catch sight of the small safe that sat under the large desk, similar to how hers was in her office-room in Manhattan. “Guys!” she gestured to the safe, causing Rebecca and Deanna to rush to her side to observe it.
“Ooo! Safes are usually good! Means something important!” Deanna remarked. “How do we open it?”
“It looks to be in rough shape… and I doubt a 20-plus one would have a reloader…” Rebecca remarked. “I got an idea.” She was out of the room before anyone could object.
The two wives waited for several minutes, eyeing the door. “Do you think she remembers the code or where it’s stored or something-“
Deanna’s question was answered as Rebecca suddenly burst back into the room, her trusty shotgun in her arms, giving it a good cocking.
“AH!” Both Selena and Deanna cried out in alarm, the platinum-blonde, yanking Deanna out of the way to the far corner of the room to push her against the wall, Selena using her own body as a shield as Rebecca fired into the door handle twice – the sound like thunder! When that was finished, she used the butt of her gun as a battering ram to smash at the lock/handle until it, like the door handle to the office, fell off.
“Knew it!” Rebecca remarked of the old safe as she pulled open its door, the renewed quietness enough to cause Selena to turn her head to survey the room, just in time to see Rebecca pulling out a series of folders and tossing them onto the table.
Carefully releasing Deanna, the taller Frost reached over to grasp the massive folder, pulling out the first paper she saw.
“Progress reports.” She read aloud. “Resident 1: Alpha. Born with noticeable eye defects. Time in center before ‘release’: 3 months.”
The report was full of details but the bold prints at the bottom was what Selena had read – the conclusion statements. Carefully, she moved the paper to read another.
“Resident 2: Freon. Decent health but slow cognitive growth. Time in center before ‘release’: 5 years, six weeks. What is this?”
“Must be some kind of report for all the residents.” Rebecca remarked. “Though I don’t remember any children named Alpha or Freon.”
“Resident 3: Giaus – must be code or something.” Deanna remarked. “Brain dead. Time in center before 'release’: Three hours…”
The more that word ‘release’ was mentioned, the more Selena didn’t like it. Why couldn’t it say ‘found a home/job’ or something positive like Rebecca had back at her house?
Despite herself, or perhaps because she had heard the saying in too many movies and jokes, Selena skipped through the chronological order of the residents, her sapphire eyes scanning for any other word other than that dreaded ‘release’. Over and over her eyes scanned papers and the various descriptions regarding each resident.
Health problems
Growth Issues
Mental incapacities
Wrong hair color
Wrong skin color
Birth defect
Skin defects
“It’s like the most elite vetting process I’ve ever seen.” She remarked. “What the hell was the criteria for this?” And what the hell were they looking for?
Her thoughts dropped as she spied one sheet different from the others that she had seen and her hands trembled to pick up the paper as she read it, unable to hear Deanna’s cellphone going off or see the redhead moving to answer it.
“Resident 222: Atlas. Resident fits all adequate parameters. Health in optimal state and mental capacities continue to advance at excellent rate. Adequate candidate for stage 2. Report to Mr. Scythe.” She spied a second handwritten note by, she assumed, the director. “Operation Snowman Complete.” Her eyes checked the date. “October 31st, 1991.”
“Selena…” the Snow Queen barely heard her wife’s voice.
“But what’s stage 2?” Selena whispered. “And who is this?” Desperately, she flipped through the files of the other residents, but all others stated ‘released’. Was this what Killjoy wanted her to find? Was he tied to all of this?! And if so - how?!
“Dammit! We don’t have time for this!” Selena growled, her hands tightening around the papers she held, almost crinkling them. Despite this new knowledge, they were no closer to figuring out what the hell Killjoy wanted! And time was running out!
Nine days…eight hours…
“SELENA!” Deanna’s cry broke the Snow Queen’s concentration, the older woman turning her head to gaze at her wife, finally able to see Deanna’s fear-stricken face.
“What is it?” she asked in alarm.
“It was Gavin!” Deanna spoke quickly, holding up her phone. “Talia’s in the hospital emergency room… in Nome…”
To Be Concluded…
______________________________________________________________
The Royal Letter
The camera opens up to a sitting room, where the SCW World Champion sits in a leather recliner, dressed in a white sweater and jeans, her hair tied up in a braid. One leg is crossed over the other.
There are a lot of things I didn’t consider when I made this challenge to Sammy Thomas Davies. First, I didn’t consider how it would look: The World Champion challenging the, as he put it, former ‘lovable loser of SCW’ or however he victimizes himself to justify his choices.
I also didn’t consider that the notion of ‘happiness’ would be brought into the equation.
Sammy, this isn’t about ‘happiness’. Do you honestly think that I would be challenging you because you want to ‘better’ yourself? If there is even an ounce of sincerity in you in that endeavor, it would be one of the few things that I respect about you. We live in a world where there are self-help books, gurus, healing crystals, and Odin knows what else. I don’t pretend to understand it all and I never will – so who the hell am I to judge on such methods?
So long as they are genuine.
See, Sammy, that is the word surrounding this challenge tonight. Genuine. The notion of being something real, true, honest. Because for every ‘cure’ or ‘service’, there are also cons. People that take advantage of desperate fools. People that promise the world and give far less.
But let’s get to that slowly. I don’t want to talk too much about Giovanni in this. This is about you, Sammy. Me facing you. And that’s an odd novelty, isn’t it? You did a lot of complaining about being here for nearly twenty years in SCW. Being a former tag-team champion with your life-partner – you actually made me a little jealous there. But you, Sammy? Nearly twenty years here… and you and I have never fought in a one-on-one match!
And at first, I thought I had missed something. I mean, I have fought every big name and small name there is. Ever heard of Aeon Century? Bolu? There was a girl name Joanna Jane Tarzana that joined SCW just to fight me. But in nearly nine years in SCW, despite me clearly being here week after week and you ‘claiming’ to do the same, we’ve never fought one-on-one. Tonight, in St. Louis, will change all that. Because for the first time EVER, The Snow Queen will face the ‘New Man’ of the Brand and/or the Haus of Nirvanna in Sammy Thomas Davies.
And all because I challenged you to a match and made it happen.
Because that’s what I do, Sammy. When I want to accomplish something, when I set my mind to do something, I make it happen. I don’t run to people and say ‘solve my problems’ or hire friends to ‘make it easy’ for me. I really don’t care what insults Giovanni writes for you and has you vomit out. I don’t care how you spaz on about the Haus of Nirvanna being the greatest thing since ‘sliced bread’, the one thing you can’t deny is that I have done all I can to bring integrity back to SCW through grit and determination. Have I always succeeded? No, life is full of pitfalls and tripping blocks. You, of all people, should know that. But through it all, all the losses, wins and controversy, being embarrassed on Breakdown episodes or standing tall on them, to being schooled in ‘promo-class’ by some world-class talkers, no one in SCW can deny my heart and passion for all of this.
My question for you, Sammy, is… where was yours?
See, you do A LOT of complaining every time you are in front of a camera since joining The Brand. Complaining about ‘no one loving you’ or ‘offering to help you reach stardom’ or, in more than one case, your wife ‘sleeping around with others in an open relationship’.
You whine and whine about no one doing anything for you for years… But what did you do?
See, I didn’t just challenge you and then sip on an iced-coffee while counting down the days till Breakdown. I had a mission and I was going to do all I could to accomplish that mission on my terms. So, I researched you. I combed through so much of SCW’s history/media. I did more work for one match with you than most people have in your career because I truly wanted to understand you. I wanted to see what all the complaining was about. All the whining you’ve done lately… and checking over a decade of on-and-off matches, of you ‘existing’ in SCW… do you know how many promos I found of you, Sammy? How many videos I found before The Brand where you put in the effort to hype your match? To tell the world who you were? To being an SCW superstar?
Selena holds up a single pointer finger.
One. One video of you running around your own house screaming up and down that a man named Havoc Warrior Exodus was going to kill you and of your wife begging said man to ‘go easy on you’…
*Sigh*
Over a decade of matches searched, Sammy… and only one promo…
Sammy, did you ever even try to better yourself? I mean, if you genuinely won and earned a victory at this upcoming Taking Hold of the Flame, I wouldn't be sick! I'd be damn impressed! Proud of you even! I'd even eat crow and see some validity in all you've said about turning your life around.
But after all this time, all these years, did you ever even try to be such a better SCW superstar? Or did you just sit around your house, waiting for that phone call from management to swing on by for a match? Like I said, nearly nine years I’ve been here and never did I see you walk out and challenge someone. Never did I see you release a video promoting a match or pushing your own abilities. Never have I seen you truly take the initiative on ANYTHING in SCW. You just sat around and waited for your name to be called. Waited for things to be handed to you.
Yet, you want to blame SCW and everyone else for ‘not being there for you’? How could anyone be there for you when you weren’t even there for yourself? How could anyone help you when you won’t even help yourself?
See, you’re complaining that you were seen as a 'loser' or a ‘jobber’, but what the hell did you do to change that?! You think I just strolled into SCW and became World Champion like that? No! I came in with zero confidence. I came in desperate and looking for a better life. And I realized quick that, while SCW could get me that better life, the onus was on me! Success wasn’t going to be handed to me. I had to earn it. The respect of my peers and the SCW Universe wasn’t going to be handed to me. I had to earn it!
I had to work every day, not just in the gym, but also on my promos and speaking skills. On my abilities. I had to be here, promoting every match I had, showing the world why they should watch me, why they should know my name. Why they should believe in what I was doing. And every mission I undertake, I know that I will have to work just as hard, if not harder, like I am with making the world title, genuinely, be the beacon of integrity and representation of SCW. And even when I succeed, I still constantly have to prove it. Constantly have to prove that I am not ‘the fraud’, ‘villain’, or ‘fake’ that those like Giovanni and The Brand keep desperately trying it paint me as.
And when you, Giovanni and The Brand showboat that such stardom – such success – can be bought? Can be ‘traded for’? Can be ‘acquired and kept easily’, Sammy? It’s a slap in the face to every single person that, unlike you, didn’t wait ‘by the phone’ or ‘on the couch’ for that call from management, but busted their asses to get here! That paid their dues, not in cash, but in blood and sweat and scars and broken bones and time away from their families! It’s a slap in the face of legends and Hall of Famers like Syren and CHBK and countless others that dedicated years and years of their lives to this! It’s a slap in the face of people like Shilo Valiant and Dillusion and Rachel Foxx who were physically scarred for life because of their careers. It’s a slap in the face to my wife! Who fights and claws for every inch and every chance to better herself here every week! It’s a slap in the face to me!
Because I refuse to believe that ‘stardom’ and ‘success’ in the business can just be ‘bought’ for ‘easy payments of whatever the hell he’s picking for numbers’! I refuse to have THAT be true of SCW! That ‘Supreme’ talent and ability can just be purchased ‘off the shelf’! No! Selena takes a long breath to calm herself.
No, Sammy. I refuse to believe such a thing. Which is why I have called you ‘Sammy’ and not ‘Samuel’ like The Brand and Giovanni wants everyone to. Because you haven’t ‘earned’ that belief from me yet. My believing that you have changed. You haven’t put in the work to make me think that you’re a ‘new man’ or a ‘new wrestler’ or whatever like Syren has done or Regan and Owen did. And you sure as hell haven’t earned our belief that “the Brand is taking over’ and that you are now ‘successful’ in SCW.
Because I look at you here- She snaps her fingers and a clip from the aforementioned STD promo, when he would face Havoc Warrior Exodus on an episode of Sunday Night Aggression, is shown. Sammy jumps up and down a bit flustered. “I’m going to die!”, he screams and then turns and runs away, still screaming.
The clip freezes as Selena gestures to another side of the ‘screen’. And here… as a second clip plays, this one from STD’s recent promo against Christy Matthews, the man clearly drunk.
Chrissssy you want to suck punch me cause you have problem with the Holly Adams Brand? You are lucky that I wasn’t expecting it. Just like you are lucky that our match is this week and not four or five months down the line. You are lucky that I’m not right payments in and I that much closer to nirvana cause you would be in deep trouble. Chrisssy you would definitely be wishing your never gave me that European uppercut. See Cheissssy I am totally improving myself.
Is that 'stardom'? Is that ‘success’, Sammy? That what you and Giovanni are calling it? No. I see no difference here, just like I see no difference between the cowardly man I’ve researched and the man that will be standing before me other than a makeover. You're still making excuses. Still looking for handouts. Still looking for shortcuts to fame rather than digging down and earning your spot here in SCW. Still blaming and holding everyone else accountable for your shortcomings. Still lacking and semblance of something 'genuine'.
That changes tonight in St. Louis. Because I am going to, personally, hold you accountable to the new standard of SCW. You and Giovanni think The Brand and Haus are running SCW? Time to prove it! You think you’re a success? You think that success and stardom can just be bought? Show me! Show me this power of nirvana or positivity that Giovanni is shilling, and I will show you nine years of grit, hard work and believing in your dreams, in SCW, and in yourself. Show me your ‘excuses’ and I will show you what being here every day and putting in the work will do! Show me your ‘new ways’ and I will show you what nearly a decade of growth and holding myself accountable to my own shortcomings has done! Show me what it means to be a follower of the Haus of Nirvanna and I will show you what it means to be a symbol of integrity in SCW…
Leaning forward, Selena’s eyes narrow a little, a cold glare coming from here. Show me what it means to be this… she gestures to a spot on the screen as a screenshot is shown, one of Holly Adams standing on top of Sammy at Tactical Warfare like he’s a doormat, Holly giving a pageant wave. Show me that… and I will show you what it means to be the SCW World Champion.
Believe it… Sammy.
The camera fades on the Snow Queen’s glare before going to black.
05-25-2022, 09:13 PM