8 Person Tag Match

[Purity]

The Mason Estate.

Boston, Ma.

One Year Ago.

Drake Hemingway opened the large double doors of the mansion his mother raised his half siblings in. He took two steps outside. Taking a moment to breathe in his surroundings, he steadied his mind to remain in the here and now. Never imagined having an extended stay inside a large mansion. Was never in a position to afford quite a luxury. Helps that his  mother, a woman of former modest means, married a wealthy man, one that was responsible for his exile. That is the past. The here and now is what mattered. He felt someone's hand grab his. Looking to his right he saw Loretta Inglewood. She warmly looked up into his eyes. Somberness appeared to overcome her. He tried his best to keep a solid poker face. He didn’t want what was on his mind to be easily readable by her. A tough task since she knew him all too well. 


She squeezed his hand. 


He lightly squeezed hers.  


A black Toyota pulled up in front of them. 


Her grip tightened. 


“Do you really have to go...?” Loretta asked the man she has known for most of her life. 


Drake took back his hand. Turning to face Loretta, he placed his hands on her shoulders. She made no effort to hide her sadness.. 



“We agreed we needed to walk down separate paves to grow as individuals. Stagnation is death.” Drake assured her. 



Loretta sighs. “I know, I know but... I don’t want your path to lead to her.” 



Drakes takes one deep breath. “I could make the same argument about your kinship with Cookie.”



Loretta rolls her eyes. “Don’t. Cookie is a great person. What is wrong with a delightful human being wanting to put a smile on everyones face? She has made a difference in so many people's lives. She’s not our enemy. Not anymore.”


Their conversation is interrupted by a beeping from the driver inside the Toyota. Drake turns to the car. “Just a moment!” Drake says loud enough for the driver to hear. 


He returns his attention back to Loretta. “A woman like Cookie can’t be trusted. People of her ilk adopt these naive beliefs believing they are the beacon the world needs to smile. All she represents is a distraction; nothing more. One day that woman is going to disappoint you. And when she does, what will you do then? Hm. Tell me.”


“You're wrong.” Loretta says defensively. 


“Not about this. You taught me better. Remember that. Until we meet again.” Drake removes his hands from her shoulder. He goes to walk away. 



“No Drake, you don’t get to walk away from me like this!” Loretta called out. “Don’t go. There is a big world out there we explore together. I don’t care about saving the world. This planet can burn for all I care. As long as we are the last two standing, what could be better than that? Nothing.”


Drake chuckles. “Really? Did you tell my brother the same thing?”


Loretta lowers her head. “I was stupid for not listneing to you, ok! Don’t punish me like this!”



Drake shakes his head. He walks back to Loretta. Running the back of his hand on her cheek, he calmly states. “Don’t perceive my departure as a punishment.  I am not that cruel. For you I can overlook your transgressions. My fault for not protecting you from the snake oil salesmen my brother has always been. Be honest with yourself, you fell off the path a long time ago, allowing detrimental influences like my brother and Cookie to contaminate your essence. Our time apart is more about you finding your way than me.” 


Drakes kisses her on the forehead. “I wish you were the woman who helped me come into my potential. My path leads me elsewhere. Your path I hope brings the fruits of clarity. Don’t allow this world blind you to your ultimate truth. Be the woman I once knew, helps others, like I am.”


Loretta wipes the tears from her eyes. She shakes her head. “Don’t do this!”

“I must. Fate is calling. Don’t be afraid.” 


Drake turns around and walks towards the black Toyota. He opens the back door. Once more he turns to face Loretta. He notices she puts on a much braver look. She waves him goodbye, possibly for the last time? He nods. 


“Take care of yourself.” Drake says. 


Loretta nods back. “You too.”


Drake steps into the steps, slamming the door he immediately looks to his left. 


“You’re doing the right thing.” a man in a black mask says to him.


“I know Mr. Gunari, I know.” Drakes says without looking at him. 


And with that, the car pulls away from the Mason Estate. Drake left one part of his life behind in exchange for another...       

==

PROMO TIME:

==

The scene opens in an undisclosed location. Drake Hemingway can be seen sitting on the floor within a room that isn’t brightly lit. The sea of candles that form a circle around him provide enough lighting so the audience can see that he is wearing all black. What stands out is the golden crucifix he is wearing around his neck. He takes a deep breath before he launches into what’s on his mind. 



Drake: “I always fashioned myself to be a pragmatic individual. Part of my early training required me not to allow emotions to become a detriment in the completion of the goal that stands in front of me. Thanks to Minerva’s father, the stakes of this ongoing war have been raised to the zenith. The occupation of Tombstone, a sacred ground to Minerva, is officially up for grabs. It is quite a shame that the sins of the father have led to each and every single one of you vermin to offer your mental, emotional, and spiritual well being upon the altar in which we, The Jackals, will feast upon.” 


“Remember what Tombstone represented for the wrestling world. Remember The Dark that Cindy Todd wanted to spread like cancer throughout the now defunct Triad? Tombstone was responsible for ensuring this company did not become swallowed in the belly of darkness. You no longer have to worry about a New Eden or any other outfits of terror due to the influence of Tombstone. We go from that to Goddard believing by offering Tombstone as a prize that it will stop his own flesh and blood from carrying out the mission that has been decreed by her?” 


“If it was up to me, this eight person tag team affair would be the last vestige of any real hope for you Mr. Cannon. You should have stayed away. Raised your unborn child. Lick your wounds, never come back. But you’re content to drag the likes of Mr. Knight. Mrs. Braddock and Ms Mathews down into the pits of darkness?  So be it. Just realize Mr. Cannon, your allies might not make it to see you fall one final time. As for you? You’ll be allowed to exist until the upcoming apocalypse. Your sins are the ripest among your champions, for that, Minerva will have the pleasure of driving the final nail in a coffin that should have been extinguished one year ago. Fate has finally arrived to claim your soul, Superman. Doomsday is coming, this time, there will be no rising up from the dead.”       


Drake closes his eyes. He allows the silence to fill the room so the audience can process what he just said. Now he reopens his eyes. His focus more zeroed in than ever before. 


Drake: “Knight. Matthews. Braddock... there is one name I wish to focus on above all others.”


“Hello Mrs. Braddock. I used to work for you once upon a time. Those days are long gone. We find ourselves inching closer and closer towards the heat of absolute battle. I wish to start this discourse with the following...” 



“You are in an interesting position in your SCW career. You stand across from us tomorrow night a former SCW World Champion among other accolades in THIS company. Yet Rise to Greatness wasn’t friendly to you; neither was your battle with Xander Valentine. The referee took pity upon you, declaring you weren’t physically capable of competing. Somehow you took offense to this company protecting you from yourself, like many a valiant warrior, your pride became your undoing. Funny thing about open challenges Mrs. Braddock, you never know who might answer them. Was Mr. Raab a bit overzealous in accepting your challenge? Heh, perhaps, we’ll never turn down an opportunity to make our presence felt.”


“Now that we are on this path Mrs. Braddock, can’t say I am not inspired. I am quite frankly. I am overcome with unmistakable joy. In your mind me, Tommy, Kandis and Raab are mere puppets in the grand design, you wouldn’t be the first person to bow to that theory.  TheJackals exist to push the limits of mortal men. We want to see how much punishment you can withstand. Are you weak or are you a step above everyone else. A person like yourself, driven by this egocentric notion that you are the best in the world, answer this Mrs. Braddock, if you are the best in the world, wouldn’t that mean there is no one on the planet better than you are? Why continue to push yourself if you believe in your heart of hearts that no one on the planet can touch you inside of a wrestling ring? Why wrestle at all Mrs. Braddock? Is there another reason why you are content to believe there is nothing else for you to do?”


“I wish to test that premise. Tomorrow obviously we’ll do battle. An eight person tag team match doesn’t allow us a chance to truly get to know one another so I propose this. On a date of SCW managements convenience, how about you and me Mrs. Braddock. One on one. I want to push you past limits you didn’t know existed. If you can survive my onslaught, bravo, maybe you are the so-called  best on the planet. Deep down we both know that isn’t true. I will be the one to show you beyond a shadow of a doubt, when you believe you are the best, there is always someone waiting around the corner to humble you where you stand. People of your ilk are in desperate need of humility. Speaking of humility---”       


A devilish half grin forms on Drake’s face.  


Drake: “Mr. Knight, we cross paths once more. No hard feelings about Rise to Greatness. You succeeded in one minor battle in a war that shall end when Minerva puts Christopher down one final time. Not this week. She’ll savor that honor for another day. It’ll be so much sweeter when her father is forced to hand over Tombstone. Mr. Cannon can exist in a world where he failed EVERYONE. For you Mr. Knight, humility comes in the form of you coming to terms with how powerless you are to stop us from taking exactly what we desire. Tommy and Kandis wanted to become tag team champions again. Despite your insistence that they didn’t deserve that chance due to your criteria, Kandis and Tommy once again stand as champions. If I want to lay claim to the SCW United States Championship, whenever the interim nonsense is accounted for, then I shall claim the United States Championship as my own. Why? Ultimately Mr. Knight, despite your holier than thou view of this company not rewarding the chaos we have inflicted in your eyes, The Jackals will take everything we desire, and there is not a goddamn thing you can do about it.” 


“We are taking Tombstone.” 


“We are taking the championships this company uses to symbolize who the elite are.”


“We will take whatever fight you bring us Mr. Knight, even if it takes a thousand years you and your ilk will break long before we do.”



Drake raises his right hand. He snaps his fingers. Instantly, the scene fades to black.