Post by Maggie Lockheart on Oct 11, 2021 21:56:54 GMT -5
Her fingertips brushed back the strands of silver hair that covered the scar on the side of her head.
Maggie had become used to making tough choices. Her mentor made sure of that.
The headaches have been getting worse again. The bottle of Vicodin seems to stay empty somehow. The surgical plate that was once used to hold the pieces of her skull in place is as much a part of her body now as her two mako green eyes, her plush painted lips, and the ink embedded in her skin.
A sigh escapes her as she tips one of the first glasses of her own brand of Tequila up to her lips. The label on the bottle reads "Black Legacy". She wanted only the finest quality for a drink with her name on it. The drinks have become more frequent as well.
Before her, on the table, were two contracts. One would guarantee a date with destiny with Jin Min-Jun. The other would her sent to the Sin brand to take on Khaos for their World title. There were positives and negatives to either choice. The only thing that either choice shared in common is that either way, it would shape the future for Revolution 1 for 2022 and beyond.
Two contracts, but only one signature. She could be a leader on whichever brand would be happy to have her. Either way, she was proud to be in the position that she was in.
But if the two contracts represented the future, and what it could mean, the card for Dawn of a New Era was set and it only had one name on it. In the XL Center in Harford, Connecticut, Maggie was going to have to face Xavier Coldwater in the opening contest... and nothing was going to change that.
By the time Maggie pulled her glass back for another sip, she found the glass empty too.
And when she went to pour herself more from the bottle, that was empty as well.
The camera pans back to see her slumped over in the chair, almost unable to hold up her own weight against gravity, her sunglasses shielding her eyes even though the only dim light in the room is the television showing what little clips of highlights existed from Coldwater's profile.
Suddenly, there was a knock on her door.
She had ignored calls. Not answered texts. Ghosted Twitter. You can forget about emails.
But she couldn't ignore this.
"Nobody's here!"
"Go away!"
Yet no matter how mean she tried to be about it, the knocking wouldn't go away. It took all that she had to push herself up out of the chair, ditch the sunglasses and make her way to the door.
She opened the door with a balled fist ready to scare off the incessant knocker.
But when she opened it she would never have guessed who was standing on the other side.
"Eddie?"
"But, how did you-"
Eddie, former friend and fellow ring crewmate who had left Revo a short time after his best friend Tommy's passing, helped Maggie over to the bed.
"I asked da Boss for my old job back-" He said with his unmistakable thick accent. "They did me one better."
"But... why did you?"
"Ehh-"
The last time that they had spoken, Eddie was open and honest with how he placed blame on Maggie for being the reason that Tommy fell. He was trying to hang a large banner high up in the ceiling as a surprise for her. He was alone when the accident happened.
"I jus' wanted ta stop by and tell ya to your face that I thought it was cool what you did," he said as he scanned the room. "Everyone's been tellin' me you dedicated your win to Tommy."
"Of course I did," she replied as she clutched the side of her head. There was this constant migraine that felt like an icepick being jammed through the side of her skull below the scar. "I care a lot about Tommy."
"To be honest, I was mad at ya," He said as he picked up the empty Tequila bottle. "I still am, kinda. But I know it ain't yer fault."
"Maybe you were right," she replied. "Maybe it is."
Eddie set the bottle back down on the table.
"Ya know, Tommy was torn up over losin' his girlfriend. I dunno if he thought he had a chance wit you... or he jus thought that high of you. But eitha way, if Tommy was here right now? He'd be real disappointed to see what ya doin to yourself now."
"Xavier Coldwater. They say that curtain jerking is for the new or the struggling. But the true vets of the industry know that the first match on the card is a real place to shine."
"I've gathered as much as I can about you. High-flyer. High octane offense. Near perfect balance. Deadly strikes mixed in. I've seen similar combinations before but all in some of the greatest to ever step foot in a ring. Maybe tomorrow night this could be the first match of a future Revolution 1 world champion... maybe even the greatest of all time. But for right now the only person who knows what Xavier Coldwater is capable of is you... and it's up to you to prove it."
"They say the future is in my hands, and maybe it is. But far be it from me to look past the task at hand. Our fight has the potential to be many things, Xavier. It could be the start of a friendship, or the start of a war, or it could be just another fight. I'm not like anyone you've ever faced before, and I doubt you'll ever face anyone like me again."
"But I'll leave that in your hands, kid. Show me what you've got, and look at what you just made me do."
Maggie had become used to making tough choices. Her mentor made sure of that.
The headaches have been getting worse again. The bottle of Vicodin seems to stay empty somehow. The surgical plate that was once used to hold the pieces of her skull in place is as much a part of her body now as her two mako green eyes, her plush painted lips, and the ink embedded in her skin.
A sigh escapes her as she tips one of the first glasses of her own brand of Tequila up to her lips. The label on the bottle reads "Black Legacy". She wanted only the finest quality for a drink with her name on it. The drinks have become more frequent as well.
Before her, on the table, were two contracts. One would guarantee a date with destiny with Jin Min-Jun. The other would her sent to the Sin brand to take on Khaos for their World title. There were positives and negatives to either choice. The only thing that either choice shared in common is that either way, it would shape the future for Revolution 1 for 2022 and beyond.
Two contracts, but only one signature. She could be a leader on whichever brand would be happy to have her. Either way, she was proud to be in the position that she was in.
But if the two contracts represented the future, and what it could mean, the card for Dawn of a New Era was set and it only had one name on it. In the XL Center in Harford, Connecticut, Maggie was going to have to face Xavier Coldwater in the opening contest... and nothing was going to change that.
By the time Maggie pulled her glass back for another sip, she found the glass empty too.
And when she went to pour herself more from the bottle, that was empty as well.
The camera pans back to see her slumped over in the chair, almost unable to hold up her own weight against gravity, her sunglasses shielding her eyes even though the only dim light in the room is the television showing what little clips of highlights existed from Coldwater's profile.
Suddenly, there was a knock on her door.
Knock Knock Knock
She had ignored calls. Not answered texts. Ghosted Twitter. You can forget about emails.
But she couldn't ignore this.
"Nobody's here!"
Knock Knock Knock
"Go away!"
Yet no matter how mean she tried to be about it, the knocking wouldn't go away. It took all that she had to push herself up out of the chair, ditch the sunglasses and make her way to the door.
She opened the door with a balled fist ready to scare off the incessant knocker.
But when she opened it she would never have guessed who was standing on the other side.
"Eddie?"
"But, how did you-"
Eddie, former friend and fellow ring crewmate who had left Revo a short time after his best friend Tommy's passing, helped Maggie over to the bed.
"I asked da Boss for my old job back-" He said with his unmistakable thick accent. "They did me one better."
"But... why did you?"
"Ehh-"
The last time that they had spoken, Eddie was open and honest with how he placed blame on Maggie for being the reason that Tommy fell. He was trying to hang a large banner high up in the ceiling as a surprise for her. He was alone when the accident happened.
"I jus' wanted ta stop by and tell ya to your face that I thought it was cool what you did," he said as he scanned the room. "Everyone's been tellin' me you dedicated your win to Tommy."
"Of course I did," she replied as she clutched the side of her head. There was this constant migraine that felt like an icepick being jammed through the side of her skull below the scar. "I care a lot about Tommy."
"To be honest, I was mad at ya," He said as he picked up the empty Tequila bottle. "I still am, kinda. But I know it ain't yer fault."
"Maybe you were right," she replied. "Maybe it is."
Eddie set the bottle back down on the table.
"Ya know, Tommy was torn up over losin' his girlfriend. I dunno if he thought he had a chance wit you... or he jus thought that high of you. But eitha way, if Tommy was here right now? He'd be real disappointed to see what ya doin to yourself now."
"Xavier Coldwater. They say that curtain jerking is for the new or the struggling. But the true vets of the industry know that the first match on the card is a real place to shine."
"I've gathered as much as I can about you. High-flyer. High octane offense. Near perfect balance. Deadly strikes mixed in. I've seen similar combinations before but all in some of the greatest to ever step foot in a ring. Maybe tomorrow night this could be the first match of a future Revolution 1 world champion... maybe even the greatest of all time. But for right now the only person who knows what Xavier Coldwater is capable of is you... and it's up to you to prove it."
"They say the future is in my hands, and maybe it is. But far be it from me to look past the task at hand. Our fight has the potential to be many things, Xavier. It could be the start of a friendship, or the start of a war, or it could be just another fight. I'm not like anyone you've ever faced before, and I doubt you'll ever face anyone like me again."
"But I'll leave that in your hands, kid. Show me what you've got, and look at what you just made me do."
