==========
Scene 1
Off Camera
==========
Supreme
Championship Wrestling is off doing their big Asian Tour and Angelica Jones
leaped at the opportunity to be there.
And by leap that’s almost in the literal term, as Silas World’s Dragon
had to travel from the United States to Sheffield for a FRONTIER show and then
from Europe to India for the SCW Asian Tour.
Normal people would have jet lag by now but Angelica Jones is built of
tougher stuff than that. Plus she’s
traveled so damn much that she’s used to this kind of constant globe
trotting. It just plain doesn’t bother
her any longer.
Jones has
enjoyed her stay in Asia. She got to see
Malaysia, Hong Kong, and even China before finally making the trip here to
India for SCW’s final stop on the tour.
But once this evening has concluded she will be jet setting it back to
North America, specifically to Canada which plays host to the Independent
Wrestling Cartel’s Last Stand pay per view, an event which features the Last
Stand Rumble.
Angelica
isn’t going just to support Silas Mason’s quest for IWC domination. Instead Silas World’s Dragon is going to IWC
Last Stand so that she can enter and win it all. The winner of Last Stand will get to go to
Invictus and compete for the world championship.
Many
consider her a favorite, due to her experience and her ability to win in big
match scenarios, but rumble matches are wild cards. Anything can and will happen in a rumble
match where there are no real friends and alliances. Only enemies and only one winner. Only one person can advance to get a world
title match at Invictus.
Angelica
knows this will be very challenging. Any
rumble match is challenging. But when
you look at the talent level competing in this year’s IWC Last Stand Rumble,
you would note how difficult it will be for any superstar to win this one. Whoever does win it will definitely have
earned their prize.
Jones and
her teenage daughter Kelly step out the doors that lead from the hotel itself
and onto the poolside area. Surprisingly,
The Dragon and her daughter has this pool to themselves right now. It is surprising to Jones because it is a
lovely warm day here in Mumbai, India that you might think others staying at
this hotel might want to enjoy the warmth and the sun. But they are choosing to stay inside and this
beauty of Silas World gets to enjoy this large pool all by herself; a pool with
quite a view as it overlooks the city and has fake, but very realistic palm
trees scattered here and there around the pool area.
“I don’t wanna swim yet, mom.” Kelly,
dressed in a one-piece suit, remarks. “I
just wanna sun for a moment.”
“That’s fine.” Angelica, wearing a red
bikini. “As a matter of fact…”
She hands
Kelly the cell phone. “Take any
calls. Unless it ‘s life or death, I don’t
want to be interrupted.”
Kelly takes
the phone and stares at her mother incredulously. “Since when did I become your secretary?”
“Since I let you come with me to Asia on
this wrestling tour.”
“You didn’t have many other options!”
Angelica
snickers. “Your Aunt Kayla…”
Kelly rolls
her eyes. “All I woulda heard out of her
is about her neck!”
“Now don’t laugh.” Angelica scolds. “Your aunt is really upset about that…”
Angelica
then smirks. “Though you are right, you probably are better off here with me.”
Kelly rolls
her eyes as she splays her towel out and then lies down. Meanwhile, Angelica dives into the pool
headfirst and begins to swim. The
red-headed Dragon of Silas World, Dragon of Supreme Championship Wrestling, is
backstroking her way in the outdoor hotel pool.
The ginger makes it to the edge
and then spins around and then does a traditional stroke back across to the
other edge of the pool. Swimming is a
good exercise, one that Angelica enjoys thoroughly. The beautiful red-head makes it across to the
other edge but stops just as she prepares to make yet another lap. Jones stops because she hears someone
clearing their throat with an obvious intent of getting her attention. Jones looks up to find her cousin, Monroe Jones,
standing there.
“Monroe?” Angelica turns to face Kelly. “Kelly, why didn’t you tell me that Monroe
was here?”
“Huh?” Kelly looks up and seems oddly
surprised. “Oh, hi Monroe!”
Kelly waves
sweetly and Monroe greets her with a wave of his own. “Hello, Miss Kelly.”
Angelica
rolls her eyes. “What good are you
anyway, Kel?”
“You told me to answer any calls.” Kelly
points out. “He didn’t call, now did he?”
“True…”
“Am I interrupting a mother-daughter bonding
session?” Monroe asks.
“No, no, you’re fine.” Angelica turns
back to face Kelly. “Why don’t you go
back to the room? I forgot my sunscreen.”
Kelly sighs
and shakes her head. “I will miss the
good stuff.”
“Just do it, Kel. Please?”
“Oh alright…” Kelly turns and makes her
way back inside. Once she is out of
earshot…
“Monroe!” Jones is startled at first but
quickly smiles warmly upon seeing him there. “What are you doing here?!”
“Is there something wrong with traveling to
India?” Monroe chuckles. “The last
time I checked this lovely nation was not on the United States ‘do not travel’
list.”
The Dragon
smirks. “This is true, but you’re oversimplifying
things, Monroe.”
“Am I?” He smiles warmly and politely at
his cousin. “I just call it as they see
it.”
“Sure, right,” she holds up her hand “now help me out of here.”
Monroe nods
his head. He leans down and takes her
hand and gently tugs. Angelica Jones,
with Monroe’s help, pulls herself out of the pool. Her cousin reaches down and picks up a
towel. He hands it over to Jones.
“Here is your towel, my cousin.”
“Thanks.” Jones takes the towel and proceeds to dry
off. “But in all seriousness, this is a
little strange.”
Monroe tilts
his head to one side. “How so?”
“The last time I saw you, you looked like
you just emerged from the jungles of Cambodia after your Apocalypse Now
moment.”
Monroe lets
out a light chuckle. His red-headed
cousin is right, of course. He was a
very rough and rugged individual the last time they saw one another at
Angelica’s home in Boston, Massachusetts.
He had gone days without shaving and even longer without bathing. He looked like a complete and absolute mess,
which is unusual for Monroe. Angelica’s
cousin normally takes pride in his appearance.
He takes pride in keeping himself well-groomed. He indeed looked like an ape. But this time, as Angelica finishes drying
off and takes her first real good look at him, she notices how nice he looks in
his white button up shirt, brown suit coat and matches brown khakis with a
darker brown loafers. He has sunglasses
on over his eyes.
“Ah, yes, I did not look myself the last
time we spoke.” He motions to himself and his attire. “But as you can see, I have returned to the norm.”
“Yeah, I can see that.” Angelica smirks.
“But that’s not all, is it?”
“And what does that mean, cousin?”
“You know what I mean.” Angelica frowns.
“Like, for instance, why did you travel
all the way to Mumbai, India?”
Monroe
shrugs his shoulders. “Perhaps I merely
wanted to witness my beloved cousin compete in SCW?”
Jones places
her hands on her hips. “You just wanted
to see me compete? Now come on,
Monroe. Don’t lie to me. You know as well as I do that we Jones are
NOT good liars.”
Monroe smiles
warmly at Angelica, hoping to disarm his cousin but her stoic emotionless
features remain steadfast. Monroe then
decides to take another tact, walking past her and approaching the edge to look
at the view overlooking the city.
“What a beautiful view, Angelica!” He
gushes. “You certainly chose well in
staying here at this hotel. Which one is
it, again?”
“It’s a Palladium.”
“Ah, the Palladium.” He shuts his eyes. “A wonderful hotel chain.”
“Yeah, yeah it is…”
Angelica’s
voice trails off as she realizes what just happened, she realizes that Monroe
successfully changed the subject. She
quickly shakes her head.
“Oh no, not this time, Monroe!”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re not going to change the subject on
me.” She folds her arms over her chest. “Answer
me.”
“I don’t know what you mean.” He shakes
his head. “I was not trying to change the
subject.”
“Then tell me, why did you come to Mumbai?”
Monroe
sighs, realizing that his cousin, his stubborn cousin whom everyone calls The
Dragon, will not let him off the hook until he answers her question truthfully.
“Ok, I will tell you the truth. But I fear you may think less of me when I am
finished.”
Jones shakes
her head. “I would never think any less
of you, Monroe. You are family.”
“So you say,” he nods his head “so you say.”
Monroe takes
her by the arm and guides her towards two nearby pool-chairs. Angelica sits in one and then Monroe sits
down in the other. The normally calm,
cool, and collected gentleman sighs, clearly nervous over what is to come
next. He reaches into his coat pocket
and produces a picture and he hands it to Angelica.
“Do you remember this girl?”
Angelica
stares at the picture of a teenage girl.
She stares for just a moment before finally it hits her, like a light
bulb going off in her head she remembers where she has seen this photograph
before. It is the photograph that
Isabelle Jones, Monroe’s sister, had with her.
The same one Isabelle showed her the other week.
“Yes, I remember seeing this.” Angelica
nods her head. “Isabelle had it.”
“Did she ever tell you who this girl was?”
The Dragon
shakes her head. “No, she told me to ask
you.”
The man
chuckles ever so lightly. “I had a
suspicion she would throw me under the bus.
But then again, I deserve it.”
“No, no you don’t.” Angelica shakes her
head. “Don’t say things like that. Don’t talk like that.”
“But it is true.” Monroe sighs deeply,
shutting his eyes tightly. “If you only
knew of the things I did in Europe.”
Angelica
Jones opens her eyes slightly wider. “Then…Isabelle
was telling the truth?”
“Oh, so she did tell you a few things, did
she?”
“Not enough to know the whole story. Besides, if you think I’m going to trust her
then you’re nuts.”
Jones
reaches out and takes Monroe’s hands into hers, squeezing them tightly. “I want to hear your side of the story
first.”
“My story…” his voice trails off “…my story is not a good one, Angelica.”
“I don’t care.” The red-head states
defiantly. “I want to hear it. I want to hear the truth, not Isabelle’s
version of it.”
Monroe
stares at the defiant face of his cousin before nodding his own head. “Very well…”
Monroe takes
the photograph and stares at it blankly.
“Her name was Katrina.”
“Was?”
Monroe
chuckles. “Is…my apologies for the past
tense form of the verb. She isn’t dead.”
“Good to know.”
“As I was saying, her name is Katrina and
she and I had a relationship while I was overseas in Europe.”
“How old was she, Monroe?”
“At the time we began our intimate
relationship? Sixteen. We began dating when she was fifteen.”
He looks up
at Angelica. “But despite what Isabelle
tells you…Katrina was NOT Thaddeus Rogers’s daughter!”
“How did you…”
“I knew that’s what she told you because
that is the line she tells everyone. And
she may very well believe it to be true.
But it is not true. It is a lie
made up by Thaddeus to hide his own guilt for he was guilty of far worse than
I.”
He bows his
head in shame. “Katrina and I had a
consensual relationship whereas Thaddeus raped the poor girl.”
“In the eyes of the law you both would have
been rapists.”
Monroe nods
his head. “I know this…so did Thaddeus
but he would have ended up on the worse end so he hid his guilt by making up
this lie.”
He squeezes
Angelica’s hands tightly. “What I did was
wrong…”
“No shit.” Angelica’s anger begins to
form but she does her best to keep it in check. “She was underage, Monroe.
Consensual my ass. It is what it
is.”
“I did it during a time when I was reckless
in a reckless and anything goes part of Europe.
I realize now how wrong I was and…” he shakes his head “…I am prepared to face the consequences if
need be.”
Angelica
wants to hate him for this. This is
rape, what he and Thaddeus did, consensual or not, it was both rape, and rape
hits home for the Jones family. Kayla
Jones, Angelica’s sister, was raped by her step-father. Their mother was raped before being
butchered while poor Angelica was forced to watch. It’s enough to leave a mark on Angelica’s
soul forever. Yet at the same time she
realizes that she has done far worse to people.
She has killed a man. Truly, who
is she to judge?
Angelica
reaches out and embraces Monroe in a hug. “It’s
ok, Monroe.”
“Don’t say that.” He shakes his head. “It isn’t ok.”
“No, what you did isn’t ok, but I am in no
position to judge you.” She breaks the embrace and smiles. “So I don’t judge you.”
“You don’t?”
Jones shakes
her head. “No…I’m just glad you told me
the truth.”
The two
embrace in a hug, but that heartfelt moment is shattered when…
“Mom!”
Angelica and
Monroe both turn at the same time to find Kelly has returned and is waving the
phone. “You got a call…”
“I told you, dear, I didn’t want to be
bothered.” She motions to Monroe. “Can’t
you see I’m busy?”
Kelly
frowns, looking very grim and serious. “It’s
Isabelle.”
“What did she want?” Angelica asks, suddenly
growing colder.
“She says she’s on her way to India…”
“Now?!” Angelica exclaims. “How the hell did she…is she following me?!”
Monroe
sighs, shaking his head. “I don’t need
this right now.”
“I know,” Angelica sighs and looks at
Kelly “and neither does she.”
“Hey!” Kelly
protests. “I don’t mind Isabelle all that
much.”
“Maybe not, but you don’t need to see how I
might act around her.” Jones remarks before turning back to Monroe. “Why don’t you take Kelly out and show her
some sights, ok?”
“But mom…” Kelly protests.
“No discussing this.” Angelica states
definitively. “You and Monroe will be out
while I…”
Angelica
sighs, rubbing her temple “…while I try
to deal with this.”
==========
Monroe Jones
On Camera
==========
Good evening
IWC…it is IWC, isn’t it? These alphabet
soup organizations do get tiresome.
Nevertheless, my cousin Angelica Jones asked me to say a few words on
her behalf for this Last Stand Rumble coming up and, what can I say, anything
for family, correct?
Oh but
excuse my rudeness. I have not
introduced myself, have I? My name is
Monroe Jones and I am Angelica’s cousin from her father’s side of the
family. I always have tried to look out
for my sweet if not somewhat eccentric cousin and, in return, she tries to look
after me as well. One of the redeeming
qualities about her is that she does care immensely for her family. She would do anything for her family.
Thus the IWC
roster should be very careful. And I do
mean VERY careful. Angelica has a
distinct edge because of family. Think
about it for just one moment. Think
about the IWC Queen of the Ring Champion Jessica Lasiewicz. Think about the newest member of Silas World
Marie Annabelle Jones. And then think
about their mother, The Dragon, The Golden Goddess, Firestar, whatever name you
want to give her, whatever label you think she should go by, by any other name
she is still Angelica Jones, the matriarch of one of the most powerful and
decorated wrestling families in this industry.
All three of
them are entered in the Last Stand Rumble.
Granted this
does not guarantee a victory for my dear cousin. And yes, I know the typical retort to what I
just said is that a rumble match is every man…or woman in this case…for
himself. But face facts, ladies and
gentlemen of IWC, the Jones family is too strongly bonded to be torn apart by
something petty. I do not know how Last
Stand Rumble will turn out but I can tell you that Angelica will work together
with her children and if it does come down to two or all three of them, then
you will get to witness a great show of class and sportsmanship as they compete
against one another for the final victory.
Yes,
Angelica Jones does have the backing of Silas Mason and his so-called “World”
and I do hope she chooses not to utilize his assistance. I do hope she chooses to compete fair and by
the rules, but nevertheless, fair or otherwise, Angelica is a deadly threat and
is very good at what she does.
And what she
does better than most in this sport is win.
==========
Angelica
Jones
On Camera
==========
We open in a
dark brown stained wood oak room.
Contained within this room is a large glass trophy case containing…what
else…trophies. Not just trophies, but
championship belts and rings, rings that you can only assume would be hall of
fame rings. A large plant is on one side
of the glass case and another large plant sits on the other side of the case.
“Welcome to my world.”
The clicking
sound of heels across a hard surface signals the arrival of none other than
Angelica Jones as she steps into view from stage right. The red-headed Boston native is wearing a
tight form fitting little black dress that stops at just about thigh
length. Her long red hair is left to
hang unrestrained to shoulder length.
Sunglasses are over her eyes. A
look of calm, confidence is etched across her lovely features.
“Each one of the trinkets behind me in that
glass case symbolizes an achievement, MY achievement, my very legacy.” She
waves to the case, Vanna White style, with her arms. “All of it, contained within that case.
All of those trinkets and treasures, they tell the exact same story.”
“In the lead up to the Last Stand Rumble
everyone has had to have a damnable press conference to declare to the world
that they are entering the rumble and why they are entering the rumble. Whether it be Katelyn Buehler and her sob
story, Tina Valentine greedy over championships, Aiken Frost wanting to rule the
world, or Ethan Von Aaron wanting to impress Rachel…or Rachel for that matter
just wanting an excuse to kick some ass…they all have their reasons and they
all have no problem telling the world their reasons.”
Angelica
shakes her head. “I’m not usually like
that. Normally I’m not the type to go
around trumpeting myself having these big announcements. I just go out to the ring and do what I do
best…which is win. Ever since I began my
career as a pro-wrestler at the age of eighteen, through all of the pain and
heartache, the broken bones and everything else that has gone with it, I have
always done one thing consistently…and that is win. And that is why I truly believe that at Last
Stand I will win the rumble, I will go on to Invictus, and I will become IWC
World Champion.”
“That’s what I would normally do. This time, though, is different. I’ve been at this game for a long ass time
now and I am owed. I am owed a great
deal for what I have put into this sport and I have decided to take some of
what I am owed. So you are all going to
sit back, relax, and listen to my story.
You will hear why I have chosen to enter the rumble and more importantly
you will hear why I will win.”
Angelica
Jones reaches off screen and produces a photograph of someone that should be
recognizable to the average IWC viewer.
It is a photograph of Angelica’s ex-lover and fellow Silas World member
Brittany Lohan.
“Back a couple of years ago when I decided
to return to the ring, my best friend, my compatriot, hell my lover at the
time, a woman you know as Brittany Lohan, asked me why…why did I have to
return? I had already been inducted into
a pro-wrestling hall of fame. Hell, I
had been inducted into three!”
She reaches
into the glass case and produces the first ring and places it on her finger “The GDW Hall of Fame,” she produces a
second, placing it on a finger as well “the
MCW Hall of Fame,” she reaches back into the glass case one final time and
produces the third and final ring, placing it on yet another finger “and the MWA Hall of Fame. Three Hall of Fame rings on my beautiful hand.”
She
mockingly waves her ringed hand at the camera. “Kiss ‘em!”
Angelica
raises up both hands now, holding up all ten fingers. “At the
time I was a ten time world heavyweight champion. There are those who have been in this sport
for ages and have never even won their first.
I have a successful career. I
could stop now and the world could not argue my greatness and my spot, my
legacy within the history books.”
“Thus, Brittany Lohan had a legitimate
question……why did I have to return to the ring?” Jones shrugs her
shoulders.
“The simple answer is that I am a competitor. I am a competitor and I have to constantly
challenge myself again and again and again.
When there are no longer any further achievements to be had, when there
are no longer any further challenges to overcome, then either wrestling is a
dead sport or I am dead myself, because I will ALWAYS find some way to
challenge myself.”
Angelica
Jones steps to one side and motions to a portion of the glass case containing
replica title belts from her time in Global Championship Wrestling and
Pro-Wrestling FRONTIER.
“When I returned to the ring I won three
more world championships, ran The Godfathers of Wrestling away from Pro-Wrestling
FRONTIER, and then I purchased Pro-Wrestling FRONTIER.”
The Dragon
points to herself with her thumb. “Me, I did all of that.”
“Am I done?” She shakes her head. “No,
because there are still challenges out there that await me and until I die or
until I am physically to do this anymore, then I will continue to step out into
the ring and it isn’t because of the fans because they can go to hell and it
damn sure isn’t because of the love I have for professional wrestling. As far as I’m concerned, professional
wrestling OWES me for the years of blood, sweat, and tears that I have given
it.”
“So yes, I am seeking out new challenges,
but it isn’t to help out this industry, it isn’t for the fans, it is all for
me. It is all for my legacy to prove to
any further doubters out there that I am the best professional wrestler to have
ever walked this wretched planet.”
Angelica
takes off her sunglasses and casts them aside, allowing the world to see the
full measure of intensity in her eyes.
“There’s a reason why I call myself The
Golden Goddess and it’s because I am professional wrestling’s deity. I am GOD inside that squared circle, so do
you think I’m sweating a rumble match at Last Stand?”
Jones smirks
before shaking her head. “Not on your
life.”
“Send the entire IWC roster after me. Send ‘em all one by damn one and they will
all fall like dominoes, one after the other, by my feet, by my hands they will
all fail. One by one I will illustrate
to them all the folly of their thinking, the foolishness of thinking that they
could ever stand a chance against Angelica Jones.”
“I do think Tina Valentine, Victoria
Salinas, and Mary-Allison Chainz all have what it takes. I do buy into Slay Revolution as the future
of IWC. Not so much Prii but the other
three definitely. I’ll give them that, I’ll
give them the future…”
“But ladies, the sport of pro-wrestling does
NOT operate on the future. It operates
on the here and now. It operates in the
PRESENT DAY and right now, in the present day, I am the best. You will just have to recognize that and pray
for a miracle because barring a miracle, it will be ME winning Last Stand, not
any of you. And Vicky, before you bring
up your war with my sister, let me just remind you of one very important fact…”
She points
to herself “…you haven’t had to deal with
me yet.”
“Katelyn Buehler may be the sentimental favorite
among the fans, and that’s all well and good, but Kate needs to realize a few
important facts. Namely, no one in IWC
likes her. No one in IWC trusts
her. Hell, I would dare say she will be
the one with the biggest target on her back.
Everyone wants to beat her ass for one reason or another.”
Jones holds
up two fingers. “The second most
important fact for Buehler to note is that while she may be the favorite among
the fans, ultimately the fans do not have any say in this outcome. The fans are stupid. They don’t know any better. If they had any intelligence then they would
realize that cheering you is pointless because you are NOT going to win.”
Will the fans chanting your name help to
numb the pain when myself or someone else beats the holy hell out of you at
Last Stand?” Again The Dragon shakes her head. “No, I
didn’t think so.”
“Finally there is the group that will
definitely be targeting me and Silas World in the rumble and that’s New Eden.”
Jones
chuckles lightly. “I know Aiken is going
to be in this thing but I don’t know about how many of his useless tramps are
going to be in this thing, but it really doesn’t matter to me, because I just look
forward to getting my hands on them. I
look forward to getting violent with them.
The IWC roster fears New Eden…”
“…don’t fear New Eden. Fear The Dragon.”
“I am a much worse kind of monster than any
of them could ever hope to be. That’s a
fact. Hell, I probably would fit in more
with New Eden were it not for the fact that I actually like having my eyeballs
and also because Silas is much cuter than Beetlejuice Frost.”
“Don’t fear the girls in Slay Revolution.”
“Don’t fear Katelyn Buehler’s sentimental
sob story.”
“Don’t fear New Eden.”
Jones laughs
maniacally. “Fear the most sadistic bitch
to ever walk this earth. Fear the most
dominant female athlete in professional wrestling. Fear Angelica Jones. Fear The Dragon.”
