Concerns (2)

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Off Camera

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The sounds of a female grunting as well the echoes of feet against a heavy bag are heard throughout an empty gymnasium on the outskirts of Charlotte, North Carolina.  The concrete floor is gray and the walls are painted an off-white color, at least the walls that still have paint on them, as most of the paint on the walls have begun to peel.  There is a standard wrestling set up in the center, weights scattered all over the floor.  At one of the far ends of the room is a red heavy bag.  The lovely Aubrianna Powers is standing there at the heavy bag dressed in a pair of workout shorts, black tanktop, and her long pink tipped platinum blonde hair pulled into a ponytail in the back, as she viciously attacks the heavy bag with her well-educated feet.

With each kick, from roundhouse kicks to jumping spin kicks, Aubrianna grunts loudly and the bag heaves back and forth.  The force of these kicks would be enough to take the head off of any competitor; she just hopes they will be effective against her next opponent at MCW Shattered Dreams; a woman known as Kirsta Lewis.

Not too far away, watching the proceedings from afar, is none other than Aubrianna’s oldest brother, wrestling legend Steve Powers.  The man normally dressed to the T’s is wearing a much simpler attire today of denim jeans, black boots, and a black t-shirt.  His long dirty blonde hair hangs unrestrained to shoulder length.  Steve doesn’t wrestle as much as he used to these days, but he does spend a great deal of time helping his sister Aubrianna, who is still in her rookie year as a professional athlete, get her legs under her.  Thus far she’s been successful, only seven losses to her name during her rookie year and a reign as MCW World Tag Team Champion.  Add to that the fact that she has become a part of the group known as Monarchy and you could argue that she has had quite the rookie year.  But she looks to cap off 2017 with another milestone victory; one over the MCW legend Kirsta Lewis.

“Keep up the pressure, sis.”  Steve shouts encouragement from the relative comfort of his steel folding chair. “Think of that heavy bag as Kirsta Lewis.  Pound away!”

“I don’t get the point of all this.” Aubrianna complains but still drives home the punches and kicks.  “How is this helping me, Steve?”

“Do I need to really spell it out for you?” Steve smirks knowingly. “And yet you claim to be the most intelligent of the Powers family.”

“Oh, shut up, Steve,” Aubrianna snaps after delivering a vicious roundhouse kick to the heavy bag, following it up with more rights and lefts. “You know what I mean.”

“No, I really don’t.  Why don’t you explain it to me?”

Aubrianna stops the heavy bag session after a few more kicks.  She then grabs hold of the bag to slow it down to a complete stop.  Aubrianna turns to face her brother and starts to approach him slowly.  Wiping some sweat from her brow as she does so.

“My match against Kirata Lewis is a Taipei Death Match, Steve.  I haven’t been in one of those before but I’m no idiot.  I have seen you compete in them.  I’ve seen Derek compete in them.  I’ve also done independent research on these matches to prepare myself.” The beautiful blonde balls her hands up into fists and displays them to Steve. “These will be covered in sharp shards of glass, glass that can cut someone up.  Kirsta’s fists will likewise be covered in glass.  This isn’t a traditional wrestling match, bro.  I think it is safe to say that I can throw traditional preparation out the window.”

“Hell, I’d go even farther than that and say that there’s nothing you can really do to prepare for it.” Steve remarks, nodding his head. “You can make all the plans you want, strategize all you want, but what happens once your opponent cuts you wide open and you start to see your own blood?  That’s one thing you are not used to, sis.  You are not used to seeing your own blood.  What are you going to do when that happens, and as much shit as you talk to Kirsta, you will no doubt see your own blood for the first time in this match.  Are you ready for that?”

“Of course I’m ready, Steve.” Aubrianna answers, nodding her head.

“You’d better be, because all of those strategies and plans you have come up with will go out the window once you see your own blood.  You’ll panic.  It’s what happens to everyone when they see their own blood for the first time.  But therein lies the true strategy behind a Taipei Death Match.  It’s all about striking.”

“Striking first, if you want to get precise about it.” Aubrianna adds. “Strike first and cut that fake ass granny cat to pieces.”

“Exactly.  That’s the purpose behind this exercise with the heavy bag.  You are a hell of a striker, Aubrey. You are definitely a better striker than Kirsta and that’s why I think you are favored to win, but you need to hone those skills, just to be sure.”

Aubrianna nods her head in agreement.  Her brother makes a good point.  This Taipei Death Match will no doubt be dangerous and deadly but Aubrianna’s striking ability could make the difference in this match.  Aubrianna needs to hone her skills and make sure she is ready for this.  Still, there is another thing on Aubrianna’s mind.

“Steve, I want your opinion on my latest business venture.”

“You mean Monarchy?”

“Yes.  Dexter and I were out on a date and he expressed his displeasure with my decision to join them.  He thinks I made a mistake and that I can’t trust them.”

“Is that so?” Steve chuckles.  “Dorkster always was a goodie-two-shoes, Aubrey.  You know that.”

“Hey!” Aubrianna kicks him in the shin gently but firmly. “His name is DEXTER!”

“Whatever.” Steve rolls his eyes. “Point is, sis, you can’t trust anyone in this industry.  Not even Monarchy.  But that’s the way the world works in professional wrestling.  You have allies and you use them so long as they are useful to you and then you cast them off.”

“So Monarchy will cast me off?”

“Or you may cast them off.  But someone will cast the other off eventually.  It may be a long time down the road but it always happens.  But right now Monarchy is THE powerhouse force in MCW and you need to be associated with them, no matter what Dorkster…uh, Dexter says.”

“Yeah,” Aubrianna grins, nodding her head in agreement. “I couldn’t agree more.”

They say that history is written by winners, and you can’t find much more of a winner than me.  In my rookie year alone I have racked up a record of wins and losses that most would be jealous of.  I have been a former World Tag Team Champion here in MCW and I am the newest member of Monarchy.  Any normal person would be pleasantly surprised at this kind of success but, then again, I am a Powers and for me success just comes naturally.

Kirsta Lewis, in our battle, billed as the past versus the future, I am going to continue my success by defeating you.  In the past you have been victorious against so many opponents and thus you have been able to write the history books the way you wanted.  But at Shattered Dreams it will be me who walks out victorious and thus it will be me who gets to write the history books.  It will be me telling the story for ages to come of how “Simply The Best” put down the fake Hellcat once and for all.

The past is written by the winners, that much is true, but there is one other fact that rings true; the past is littered in bloodshed, tears, and broken dreams.  Let’s just look at the bloodletting that was the 20^th century and you will see my point.

World War 1; 21 million people died.

World War 2; 85 million people died.

Korean War; 1 million people died.

Vietnam War; nearly 4 million people died.

I could go on and on and on but as you can see, the past is a story of bloodshed.  It is a story of broken dreams, the dreams of the civilians caught in the crossfire of the shooting.  And the tears, the tears as they watched their loved ones die.

So in this story of past versus the future, it is appropriate that we settle this in the bloodiest way imaginable, it is appropriate that bloodshed settle this issue between us, Kirsta; a Taipei Death Match.

I won’t try to hide the biggest disadvantage that I face.  It should be painfully obvious to anyone with half a brain what my disadvantage is, so why not go ahead and face it head on?  I am still in my rookie year.  So there is the case that I do not have nearly the experience as you do, Kirsta.  And while that is true, I would also remind you that I didn’t have the experience of My Denton, Jessica Jones, or Jackie Daniels and yet I whipped their collective asses.

What you do have is experience in the kind of brutal, violent environment that a Taipei Death Match will be.  How many Taipei Death Matches have you been in, Kirsta?  Since you’ve been wrestling since the dawn of time, I imagine you’ve been in quite a few.  I’ve been in none.

But all that experience you have ultimately doesn’t mean a damn thing because once the shards of glass cut into you and that blood starts to flow, any strategies or plans you may have, Kirsta, will go right out the window.  Same goes for me.  Seeing your own blood tends to make you do crazy things.  It’s hard to strategize or plan for a match that could shorten your career if not end it.

Yet this is what the MCW universe wanted.  They wanted to see Aubrianna Powers and Kirsta Lewis in a Taipei Death Match.  They wanted to put glass on our hands as the ultimate lethal weapon.  And why?  Do they really think that you, Kirsta, will put me in my place?  Do they really think that you’re going to shut me up?

Well it isn’t going to happen.  What the MCW universe has done is inadvertently give the order for your own execution.  I may not have experience in a Taipei Death Match but what I am is the greatest striker in MCW.  There is no better striker on this roster than me.  My fists and my feet are my best weapons and now, in a Taipei Death Match, two of those weapons, my fists, will be covered in shards of glass.

Just think, Kirsta.  Just think of what I can now do to you with glass on my hands as a weapon.  I was deadly enough as it is with just my hands and my feet but give me glass to go along with it and I could very well deal a death blow to your career within the fist sixty seconds of this match.

The past is a history of bloodshed and Shattered Dreams will prove to be no different as I bleed you out, Kirsta, and I take my rightful spot in this industry.  I am the future and your time is over.