Off Camera
The camera opens to show Emily Desmond pacing around the living room of her New York apartment. Given that it’s not very big she’s not covering much space but it seems to be helping her think. One problem was that she hadn’t shared what’s on her mind with her boyfriend Sean Foster, SCW interviewer. Emily has always been open and honest with Sean but something is eating at her. Sean is watching her walk around and finally can’t stand the quiet any longer.
Sean: Are you going to tell me what’s wrong?
Emily looks at him and sighs thinking that maybe it is time to talk some of what she was thinking out with someone, even Sean. She takes a seat on the couch next to him but she doesn’t snuggle up to him. Instead she perches on the edge of it. She runs a hand through her dark hair gathering her thoughts.
Emily: its….a lot of things. This match should be a walk in the park but instead I feel like we’re walking into something that can tear our team apart.
Sean: What do you mean?
Emily: Ok first off let’s start with who we’re facing. Jonathan Mills, who has a shot at my title, and Jessica Tendonin, the woman who….people believe to be the face of SCW. Heaven knows that she sure acts like she’s some damn savior to the fed and ….maybe she is. Now let’s add on that they have teamed together even if it was years ago. Then look at MY team.
Sean: But that’s not what I’m understanding. You and Alzy ARE a team, and have been
Emily: Yeah well there are times I wonder. Ok at first I teamed with Dad thinking all his years of experience would help us have a successful team and we were. The only thing we couldn’t do was capture the tag titles. Then Dad was getting old and he had the idea that Alzy would be a great tag partner as his attitude is similar to mine. Plus he was the Alternative champion in FTWO. Not to take a damn thing away from him, but Alzy hasn’t had the greatest record in SCW.
Sean: Maybe his win and loss record isn’t stellar but he’s stepped up every time.
Emily: I hope he steps up this show. This could be a huge boost in proving why we deserve another shot at the tag titles.
Sean lets out a sarcastic laugh causing Emily to look at him.
Sean: Sorry but the current champions are pathetic. I mean when was the last time the titles were defended? I’ve seen this in another fed, where a champion only stayed champion because they didn’t defend their title. Guess what? When he was put in the ring after months to defend it, he lost. What happen is it proved only reason he was still champion was because of not having to defend it.
Emily looks at Sean, puzzled at this.
Emily: You want to share what fed this was?
Sean: FTWO.
Emily’s jaw drops and she sits there staring at Sean. Finally she finds her voice.
Emily: Oh come on. You have to be kidding. Mom ran FTWO and ……
Sean: And William Tolston screwed up before your mom came along, saw the error, and promptly put Michael Black in a match. He lost the TransAtlantic title to Amy Chastaine, who vacated and then Cam won a tournament and……
Sean shrugs.
Sean: It feels like Walker is taking a similar path or in all his hype of pushing Jessica and Paige and signing new talent that the tag titles have been forgotten.
Emily: See I know Requiem isn’t going to be around and then….and this I don’t agree with, but they allowed Kennedy to find a new partner to help him defend the titles and I think he chose Jessica.
Sean: Are you kidding me?
Emily: Take a look and it will show I’m right. You know if I had held those titles with Dad and he stepped down that they would make me give the titles up and then they could hold some big tournament or such to crown a champion. Which brings me to Alzy. Like I said I know he can win, and he’s done ok here in SCW but why the hell can’t I get the tag titles.?
Sean: What if you have to switch partners?
Emily: As this point there would be only one other person I could ask and I can’t ask her. She’s got too much going on.
Sean quirks an eyebrow at him, a name running through his mind. Emily looks at him and shrugs.
Emily: Maybe…..I should ask her.
Sean: Am I….are you thinking it should be….but
Emily: But she left SCW in tears. She gave up the tag titles and walked into retirement. Then she walked out of retirement and is now general manager of another company.
Sean: Another company? Em, she’s a huge part of…….
Emily nods.
Emily: Precisely why I can’t ask her. But….maybe I should call Neela or Jin.
Sean is about to say something when there is a knock on the door. Emily gets up and looks to see Alzy standing there. She opens the door and lets him in.
Alzy: Sorry I’m a bit late, traffic is horrible out there. Well more horrible than normal. What’s going on?
Alzy walks into the front room to see Sean sitting there. He looks at Sean then Emily.
Emily: You mind if he’s here?
Alzy: No, he probably knows all the dirty laundry of the family.
Emily: Only a few things. I didn’t get into my parents history.
Alzy rolls his eyes and takes a seat in a chair. Emily comes back and sits next to Sean wondering how to broach the subject on her mind with her tag partner. Finally Alzy breaks the silence.
Alzy: Em I’m sure I’m not here to admire your art work, or lack thereof. What is on your mind?
Emily: Our match. We’re facing Jessica and Mills. Given that both are pretty talented I’m a bit worried.
Alzy: I’m pretty sure that we can do decent. We have the fact that we team together on a regular basis in our favor. The last time they worked together was years ago. I’m sure both have matured into great single wrestlers but that doesn’t always translate into a great team.
Emily: Which….I hate saying this.
Alzy has a pretty good idea where this is going.
Emily: You…..haven’t had the best singles run.
Alzy lets out an exasperated sigh.
Alzy: Look, I know I haven’t been winning like mad but I did win the MegaCup last year, I got a shot….in fact two shots. One I believe I was at you and the other for the World title. But hell …..
Emily: And then Brian Kennedy who beat you and now HE has a shot at Paige.
Alzy is trying to be patient with Emily but she’s not making it easy.
Emily: I’m starting to think bringing you out of retirement was a mistake.
Oops, wrong words. Alzy jumps to his feet.
Alzy: Are you saying we’re done? Are you saying you don’t want to tag with me?
Emily gets to her feet too and stops mere inches from Alzy.
Emily: I didn’t say that, and I’m not even really thinking it. I’m saying that this match could be huge. But we need to present a very united front.
Sean gets up and gently pushes Emily away from Alzy before slaps or blows are let loose. He’s about to say something when there is another knock at the door. Sean looks at Emily, who is puzzled. He goes and opens it to find Chris Desmond standing there.
Sean: Chris….um….I didn’t know you were coming by.
Chris: If you meant to say that you wouldn’t have been here if you had known, save it. I know you two are living together.
Sean steps aside, curious as to how Chris knows this little nugget of information. Emily sees her father, who is the last person she really wants to see right now. Chris looks at Emily then Alzy then Sean.
Chris: Have I missed something?
Sean: Not yet. They haven’t really laid into each other.
Emily: I simply told Alzy that we have to work together. We have to prove that Hellfire is a good team, a champion team. That’s all.
Chris: So that must be why there’s a camera crew on their way from the lobby.
Emily: I didn’t…..
Sean: I did. I thought it’s why you wanted Alzy to come over.
Emily rolls her eyes but Sean has indeed made it so that there’s no delay. The time is right and the clock is ticking. The knock at the door confirms what Chris had said and Sean lets them in. They quickly set up as Emily goes and runs a brush through her hair. Before long they are ready…..and Sean hopes Emily and Alzy are.
On Camera
The camera opens to find Emily Desmond and Alzy Hawkshaw sitting before a large picture window that overlooks Central Park in New York City. It’s apparent that there is something on the minds of Hellfire and quickly we know what .
Emily: So Jonathan Mills you must feel like you’ve won the whole thing. I mean you get a shot at the Alternative title, this title….
Emily has the Alternative title sitting next to her and she looks at it, almost affectingly.
Emily: But this match isn’t about just you and me, it’s about a team. You and Jessica are teaming together and I looked back through all the records I could find and discovered that you two teamed together years ago, but the key word here is years. You’re not as fresh as you once were, you’re not as in tune with each other as you should be if you’re going to be a team. Granted you have Jessica as a partner, but even here in SCW you haven’t done much more than beat a group of people who in my opinion…..well shouldn’t hardly be let near a ring. I’m not saying that of you, I’m saying it of them. But in a way I guess it could be a shot at your talent. I mean they’re barely worth worrying about and that doesn’t mean you had a huge challenge in order to win.
Alzy: And then next to you we have Jessica Tendonin. Jessica I take nothing from you because you are very talented. You’ve held pretty much every title in SCW, even if I don’t agree with how you are became tag champion this time around. You were handed a title, and I don’t care if you’re the freakin second coming, I still say that when Requiem decided to take some time off, Kennedy should have been made to vacate just like what happens in other feds. Hell I’ve seen some people even fight to keep champions when the champions don’t deserve the titles. I won’t mention any names, but wait to see if you come up with anyone.
Emily: But one thing that has me wondering is….where are you? I expected the great Jessica and this wanna be Johnathan to speak out, to show that they are united, that they are a team but nothing. I have no idea what you two are doing but I get this feeling that even if you’re training….you’re not training.
Alzy: Please understand that we’re not saying that ….well if I was facing Jessica or Emily here was facing Jonathan that you wouldn’t be training, wouldn’t be watching old matches to see what you can learn, to see if you can any flaws. We would do that of you but the footage is so old it’s terribly irrelevant now. Now I know that Jessica has teamed with her husband, a man who is talented but some of the other people she …..hangs out with are questionable. Now I know the argument could be that we faced Kennedy and Requiem but one of those names is off taking care of family and I wish him the best. Yes Kennedy managed to barely beat me, but that doesn’t make him some god.
Emily: Jessica please know that I appreciate you were Alternative champion and like me you defeated Priest and …..well look around Jessica he’s gone. You were World champion and Paige beat you. You currently hold the International title, a title that had a name of North America championship but you got into your conceited head that you should be given the right to rename the title. The only good thing is that fortunately Mr. Walker appreciated what the title originally meant and came up with a fourth title and named it….North American championship. I’m surprised you haven’t decided you should challenge for it so you can say you really have held every singles title in SCW.
Alzy: But there is something here that you need to note in what Emily just said….you were BEATEN. See Jessica it proves that you can be taken down, that you are….fallible. I say that because if you were infallible then you wouldn’t have lost to anyone, Paige being the latest person. There are chinks in your armor.
Emily: Then we look at your record Jonathan and look at who you beaten and …..how am I, how are we to take you seriously? I mean let’s start with the whole “Firestorm” thing. You know I’ve heard that name before, and I don’t mean because it’s attached to you.
Alzy: It’s because it was the name of a great FTWO tag team, the team of the Crimson Cyclone Bryant McCoy and Kaji Fireson. Seriously they were a team to be reckoned with, a team that our family knows well because Lynn and Cam took them to the limits and pulled out a win. Please look through the FTWO archives if you want, or HVW, and you’ll find both names prevent as they were also FTWO World champions. You two barely scratch the surface of what these men were, together and apart.
Emily: Now I realize you two think that you can stop us, that Hellfire will once again go down with a loss but we are a team, and have been so for awhile now. I realize that people could make cracks about how I can’t seem to stick with a partner but I’m confident in my partner, and I know he’s confident of me. We know what the other can do in the ring. Hell we’ve even faced each other in the ring, not a pleasant thing both on a professional and personal level.
Alzy: But it’s how we were trained, what we learned, that sometimes you have to face family, no matter how unpleasant it is. Point is though we did it and if we had to we could do it again. Would you two be willing to face each other, no matter the prize? Maybe simple bragging rights, maybe a title. Maybe a title shot, wouldn’t matter. We would go through those ropes and expect the other to bring the full game. Not only do I think you two couldn’t or wouldn’t do it, I have a feeling one of you would destroy the other. Jonathan look at your partner and ask yourself if by some…..weird reason you won the Alternative title do you really think Jessica wouldn’t want a shot at you? Yes she’s held it, but we all know that Jessica isn’t happy unless she is either going for gold or holding it.
Emily: And Jessica how hungry is Jonathan? How far is he willing to go, including stabbing you in the back? I’ve looked into how long it’s been and he may not be the same person that he was back in the day. He might be willing to let you take a fall to save him for when he faces me.
Alzy: So see we have something you two don’t. We have each other and come Overdrive we are going to present our united front while I wonder if you two can even walk to the ring together. Well we’ll see who the winner is, we will see who is going into the pay per view with the win under their belts.
Emily: For me we’ll see Jonathan if you really do deserve this title shot or if it was a fluke that you won.
Alzy: While a loss would be disappointing, what we’ll be doing is exposing your faults, and yes even Jessica has faults.
Emily: The time has come to show up what you think you can do against us.
Camera fades to black.
