Saturday, October 26, 2019

Ashes to Ashes: Part 2


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October 21st, 2019
Miami, Florida
Off Camera
==========

Glory Braddock and her husband Kurt Logan are sitting inside the office of police lieutenant Joseph Kane.  The office was painted grey, and it had only one floor-to-ceiling window, which faced the main road. On the grey desk sat a desktop computer, a notebook lying open, and a stack of papers sitting under a turtle-shaped paperweight. In a corner, the air conditioner was blasting at medium, and there was a swivel chair in the middle of the office. A bookshelf, bursting with books was in a corner, with yet another stack of papers under a paperweight that was shaped to look like a tuft of grass. A few pens were lying on the papers, but some had fallen onto the top of the bookshelf.

Trouble is definitely afoot for the Braddock household in order for them to be here at this police station on this Monday afternoon.  Truth be told, The British Bombshell expected this; she has always feared that this day would come but she never imagined that it would be to this scale.  Her father, the illustrious patriarch of the family Glenn Braddock, is missing.  Glory always expected, or at least hoped, he would simply pass away peacefully.  Recently she had been bracing herself for a major seizure that might take her father’s life, for those have been occurring more frequently; but this is unexpected and most definitely unwanted.

Braddock sits next to her husband, Kurt, who tries his best to comfort her, tries his best to make his wife feel better but how does one feel better about their father being missing?  Glory and Kurt can only hope that the police lieutenant can provide some assistance for them in their time of need.  Joseph Kane is a tall, stout individual with a receding hairline.  He wears a navy blue sports coat over a white button up shirt.  He is punching away at his computer keyboard.

“Ms. Braddock, I put out a BOLO [Be On the Look Out] for your father.  If he is still anywhere in the area and any of my men see him, they will notify me immediately.” He turns from his computer and stares at The British Bombshell critically. “Though you probably should have come here yesterday.”

“My father is out there and who knows what condition he’s in and all you can do is criticize me?!” Braddock exclaims angrily.  She is not too thrilled right now but then again, who can blame her?  Her father is missing and she is deeply concerned.  The British Bombshell wants answers, not criticism.  Kane, however, is an office not known for empathy.  He is all business and by the book entirely.

“If your father left the residence when you say he did then he has had plenty of time to move around and get out of the area.  He may be out of my reach by now.”

“Bloody hell!” Glory exclaims. “What do you mean by that?!”

“Tell me something, Ms. Braddock; what happened the night before your father supposedly walked off?” The overweight police lieutenant asks.  This is not a memory Braddock particularly wants to relive for she feels guilty, she feels as if she is partially responsible for driving him away.

“We had an argument.” This is all Glory says but she knows it was more than just an argument.  This was the first time she ever really stood up to her father.  All of her life she idolized him, despite his flaws, and thus was afraid to ever stand up to him even when he was wrong.  When he told her that he didn’t approve of Glory’s daughter Melinda dating Archie Van Stanton and that Glory should do whatever she could to end that relationship, it was the final straw for Glory and she not only talked back to him, she outright told him off.  Her father clearly did not appreciate her words.  The British Bombshell believes that this argument is what pushed him to leave.

“Would you consider this an intense argument?” Joseph Kane asks.  Braddock immediately and without hesitation nods her head.

“Yes.  That’s why he left.”

“You believe that is the case.  The truth is we do not know yet why your father left.  Technically we do not know that he left of his own accord, though I think we can safely rule out kidnapping because there was no evidence of foul play at the residence.”

“So what the hell else could it be?!” Glory’s frustration is growing with each passing question from the officer.  Joseph sighs and shrugs his shoulders.

“The truth is, Ms. Braddock, that it could be any number of things.  What you also must understand is that your father is in his sixties.  He is mentally competent, within his right mind, and faculties.”

“What are you suggesting?” Braddock narrows her eyes in an angry glare at Joseph, for she already senses where this is going and she doesn’t like it.  This is not what she had hoped to achieve by coming here.

“Even if my men find your father we cannot force him to return home.  We can tell you where he is, we can even ask him to call you and notify you of his whereabouts, but that is all this department can do for you.  Your father is a grown man, Ms. Braddock, and he can make his own decisions.  He can do what he wants within reason.  But as I said, if any of my men see him, we will try to make contact with him and we will notify you.”

The British Bombshell starts to stand up but Kurt can sense that only trouble can come from this, so he gently and yet firmly grabs her by her arm and holds her tight.  Braddock turns to look into Kurt’s eyes and she gets the message loud and clear; calm down.  Glory sighs and nods her head as Kurt stands up and nods at the officer.

“Thank you, Lieutenant Kane.”

“My pleasure.”

Kurt, arm in arm and hand in hand with Glory Braddock, exits Joseph’s office and steps back out into the main police station.  The British Bombshell is fuming and her husband can tell based on the tight grip she has on his hand.  Her anger is a mixture of how she was treated just now by Joseph Kane and also concern over her father’s well being.  Guilt also washes over her for she considers the real possibility that her father would never have left had she just not yelled at him.  Had she not lost her temper would her father have still remained at her Miami home and not run off?  It is a good question but still a hypothetical one, one that Braddock continues to ponder as she and Kurt exit the police station and step out into the parking lot area.  Their vehicle is parked near the front and they approach it.  Kurt opens the passenger’s side for his wife.  Normally she would thank him but on this afternoon she is too emotional for any response.  Braddock remains silent as she sits down and shuts the door.  Kurt walks over and gets into the driver’s side.

“Can you believe that fat bloke?!” Glory exclaims angrily, obviously referring to Joseph Kane. “He didn’t seem to want to help us at all!”

“That isn’t exactly true.” Kurt says quietly. “He’s just being realistic about the situation we face.”

“Don’t bloody well tell me you’re taking his side?!”

“He is right, your father is a grown man who can make his own decisions.  We can’t baby him.” Kurt points out softly.  Glory shakes her head defiantly, refusing to buy what her husband is selling.

“He may be a grown man but he is also epilleptic.  He is unsafe out there on his own.”

“Correct and the police are going to be looking out for him.  If they find him, they will notify us.  We can continue to try and call his cell phone and hope he’ll answer, we can occasionally check the places he frequents in Miami, otherwise we’ve done everything we can do.”

The anger upon Glory’s face is quite evident as she stares a hole deep into her husband.  Kurt just stares back, but lovingly.  If shouting at him will make her feel better then he is prepared to take it.  Knowing this quickly disarms Braddock and the look of anger quickly changes to a look of guilt as she slumps down in the chair.  She shakes her head in disappointment, disappointment in herself.

“It’s my fault…” her voice trails off.  Kurt grabs his wife’s hands and squeezes them tightly.

“It wasn’t your fault.  None of this is your fault.”

“Sure it is.” Braddock remarks. “Had I not snapped at him, had I not lost my temper…”

“What else could you have done?” Kurt asks. “Were you hard on him?  I can’t say because I wasn’t there.  But you weren’t wrong.  Your father was out of line for telling you to choose between your daughter and him, all because of some silly family rivalry.  Gloria, I have watched you take a lot of verbal abuse from him.  I never said anything because I knew how much you adored him but it was high time that you stood up for yourself.”

“But my dad…”

“He reacted to this entire situation very poorly.  That doesn’t mean we don’t love him still.  We are going to find him though.  Ok?”

The British Bombshell considers the words of her husband.  He is right, after all; this silly rivalry between the Braddock family and the Van Stanton family had to end eventually.  It’s her father who couldn’t let go of the feud, he could not forgive and forget.  So maybe this isn’t her fault after all?  Much like in the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, Glenn is allowing this rivalry to destroy him.

“Yeah, I guess…” Glory’s voice trails off.

“So what do you want to do now?” Kurt asks. “I mean, you have Breakdown this week.  I’m sure under the circumstances Sasha would understand if you weren’t there.”

“No, I want to be there.” Glory states defiantly. “Like you said, the police here are looking for dad.  Hopefully he’ll show up.  Meanwhile I have to keep myself distracted.  You know?”

“I understand.” Kurt leans in and plants a kiss on his wife’s lips. “Just try and take care of yourself.”

“I will try…”

==========
October 25th, 2019
Miami, Florida
Off Camera
==========

Glory Braddock stares absently and blankly out the window, watching the scenery pass by as she rides in the passenger’s seat of her vehicle, driven by her husband Kurt Logan.  The beautiful blonde barely notices he is present and doesn’t notice the scenery of downtown Miami, either; too much is on her mind right now for her to notice.  It has been almost an entire week since The British Bombshell has seen or even heard from her father.  Guilt is eating her up from the inside out over this entire incident, for she truly believes in her heart and soul that had she not said anything to him, had she not gotten into that argument, had she just kept her mouth shut, then maybe her father wouldn’t have run off.

“He’ll be fine, Glory.” This is the voice of Kurt Logan trying to comfort and calm his wife.  All along he has done his best to convince her that none of this was her fault but she cannot shake the feeling of guilt that washes over her.  He has told her that Glory had every right to stand up for herself against the imposing and unfair will of her father.  Braddock doesn’t buy it; she should have known that nothing good could have come from talking back to her father.  Glenn Braddock is just like her, he has a temper, only worse.  She should have known that he would have done something; she just assumed he would shout back, or worse yet try to strike her physically.  Glory had no idea he would take the drastic act of walking away.

The police were useless and unable to help.  Glory isn’t even sure that the police lieutenant bothered to put any time or effort into looking for her father.  He told Glory that Glenn Braddock “was a grown man” and had every right to “make his own decisions.”  What he doesn’t understand and what Glory is most concerned with is the fact that her father is an eppileptic.  She isn’t convinced that he is safe out there on his own.

Yet there is still hope; earlier today she received a call from her father.  Despite her best efforts to get him to talk to her, the grizzled veteran was completely silent.  All he would tell her was that he would be at a bar in Miami later in the day.  He gave her the address and that was that.  Now Kurt is driving his wife to the address of this bar in hopes of a reunion and in hopes to fix this broken relationship between father and daughter.

“Gloria?  Are you listening to me?” Kurt asks after receiving no response from his wife.  Glory was off in her own world, trapped in her mind, but this question and the use of her full first name brings her to attention.  She turns to face her husband.

“Huh?”

“I said your father will be fine.” Kurt says, repeating himself for Glory’s benefit.  The British Bombshell still isn’t convinced of this.  She shakes her head, and the words that come next are dripping with skepticism.

“You don’t know that, Kurt.”

“Your father is the toughest son of a bitch I know.  Even at his age he can kick anyone’s ass and you know this.  Plus he is smart; stubborn but smart.  He is fine.”  Kurt is being sincere.  He isn’t just saying a bunch of bullshit hoping his wife will feel better.  Glenn Braddock is among the toughest individuals he knows.  Glory agrees with her husband on that point and she knows better than anyone else just how tough he can be, for it was Glenn who trained her.  Glenn prepared her and taught her everything he knew about professional wrestling.  Despite this, doubt runs through The British Bombshell’s mind.

“He is tough, he is smart, he is all of that, but do you know what else he is?” Glory waits for an answer from her husband but he remains silent.  “My dad is an epilleptic!  He could get killed!”

“Is that it, then?” Kurt asks quizzically. “Are you concerned because your father is an epilleptic?”

“Isn’t that enough?!” The British Bombshell exclaims.

“Just answer this question for me; is your dad taking any medicine for the seizures?”

Glory blinks several times out of confusion.  This is most definitely a strange question for her husband to ask.  Surely he would know just as well as she does about the medicine prescribed to her father.  Still, she humors him anyway.

“Depakote.”

“Right, and is that medication still at the house?”

“No, it was missing, because he…” she stops suddenly, she realizes where her husband is going with this.  Kurt is smiling knowingly.

“Your father took the medicine with him, because he knows just as well as we all do how important it is for him to take the Depakote in  order to control the seizures.  Your father is old enough to understand how important it is to control the seizures.  He hasn’t even had that many, to be honest.  So tell me, Gloria, are you really concerned about the epilepsy or is there something else?”

The British Bombshell is silent as she stares at her husband.  Braddock considers his question as Kurt pulls the car into the parking lot of a rather seedy, run down looking bar.  He pulls into a parking space and then turns off the car.  He turns and stares at his wife almost as a police officer would interrogate a suspect of a crime.

“Gloria, your father is fine.  He just called us today and told us where he would be.” Kurt points at the bar. “He’s in there waiting on you right now.  Your concerns are valid but we won’t know anything until we get in there and talk to him.”

“I…” her voice trails off, she is having a difficult time with this entire situation “...I’m sorry, Kurt.  I really am sorry for acting this way.  It’s just that I’ve always been so close to dad and he’s always been so close to me.  The thought of possibly losing him is frightening.”

“I understand.” He reaches out and takes her hand. “So let’s go find him.”

A nervous smile creeps across Braddock’s face, but despite her nerves and worrisome attitude she nods her head.  Kurt exits the driver’s side and Braddock immediately exits the passenger’s side.  They meet at the center and walk hand in hand towards the front entrance of the bar.  This is definitely not a place Glory would ever be caught dead in.  This isn’t her style or taste.  Kurt, maybe; but not Glory.  Glenn seems to enjoy this environment.  He always preferred things a little more rough around the edges, so it’s no surprise to his daughter that he would be found here on this evening.

Kurt pushes the front door open and steps inside the bar.  It’s a rather dark atmosphere and smoke fills the area.  It is only about half-full, and whether this is good business or an off night is anyone’s guess.  The patrons are mostly people like Glenn himself, rough individuals from all walks of life, only a few from the upper crust like Glenn while most might be described as thugs, bums, or just plain poor.

“There he is.” Kurt points towards a table in the far corner.  The British Bombshell turns her attention and sure enough her father sits alone at the table with an alcoholic beverage in front of him.  Glory doesn’t even wait for her husband to say anything else before she begins making her way with a determined stride towards the far corner, towards her father.  Kurt follows closely behind as they approach the table.

“Hi, dad…” Glory’s voice trails off as she pulls up a chair, not bothering to wait to be invited to sit down.  She sits on her own, next to her father.  Kurt pulls up a chair next to them and sits down. “Bloody hell, dad, you had us all worried sick!”

“Sorry about that, love.” Glenn says quietly.  He takes a sip of his beer.  Glory can tell that he isn’t quite drunk yet but he is on the verge of it.  “I just needed time to myself.  I know I should have told you but I felt that I needed to be alone and I was worried that you would follow me if I told you where I was going.”

“Damn right I would have followed you!” Glory exclaims, tears flowing down her cheek.  She realizes she is again losing her temper and so to avoid a repeat of the incident that led her to this situation in the first place, she sighs and shakes her head, backing off her harsh language. “Sorry, dad.  I’m just concerned.  That’s all.”

“No need to apologize.” He shakes his head. “You don’t need to apologize to me for anything, Gloria.  You have done absolutely nothing wrong.”

“Where have you been staying?” Kurt chimes in out of curiosity.

“A motel nearby.” Glenn grunts. “It isn’t exactly the lap of luxury that you two are used to, but it was good for me.”

“That may be the case, dad, but you deserve better than a motel.” Glory insists. “Come back with Kurt and me.  Come back to the house and let’s forget about everything that ever happened, ok?”

“No.” Glenn narrows his brow, stating this with intensity as he stares at his daughter.

“Why the bloody hell not?!” Glory exclaims.

“Look, if you think that bloody motel is so terrible then buy me a new place.  I honestly don’t give a damn where I stay, Gloria, and you know that.  I just think you and I need to live apart, we need to live separately and it’s for your own good as well as mine.”

“You can’t mean that!” Tears are welling up in Glory’s eyes yet again.  Losing her father is her worst fear and she is beginning to see it come to pass.  The British Bombshell is not a quitter and she will try her best to convince her father to abandon what she views as an insane idea.

“Damn right I mean it.” He takes another sip of his beer.

“Listen dad, I’m sorry about what I said Saturday night.  I am sorry for anything I may have said that offended you.  Just please come home.” Glory is pleading now with her father to return.  He shakes his head.

“You think I’m offended by any of that shit you said?” He chuckles again and shakes his head. “I mean, I’ll admit I was angry at first and that may have been why I left initially, but being away from you, Kurt, and Melinda gave me time alone to think. After a day or two of being alone I realized that you were right.”

He reaches out and takes hold of his daughter’s hands.  He squeezes them tightly, with a firm loving grip. “When I met your mother we were happy.  We truly were happy together.  She didn’t even mind my wrestling career.  Then you came along…”

The British Bombshell listens intensely to what her father is saying.  She recalls her mother saying that her parents divorced because her mother, Mary Ford, could not handle Glenn’s wrestling career.  Glenn, of course, had always denied it.  Being the child stuck in the middle Glory never quite knew what to think.

“...Saturday you told me that I had always wanted a son and that I never truly wanted you.  That’s only partially true.  I admit that I always wanted a son and that I was disappointed at first when you were born.  That’s on me.  I did love you, Glory, but maybe that disappointment is why I tried to...what was it that you said...make you into my clone?”

“Yeah…” Glory’s voice trails.  She regrets saying that, even if a part of her does believe it.

“After you were born your mother wanted me to retire so I could focus on helping to raise you.  I refused.  Wrestling became an obsession with me.  Your mother thought my injury at the hands of Thomas Van Stanton would finally force me into retirement but she was wrong.  It only made me more obsessed, this time I was obsessed with finding a way to continue my wrestling career.  And I chose to do that through you.” For the first time in Glory’s life she sees a tear forming in her father’s eyes.  “I knew you idolized me, I knew you looked up to me, I decided to pass everything I knew about the business to you.  It kept me alive.  You kept me alive.”

Glenn shakes his head. “But it was unfair to your mother as well as unfair to you because I wanted you to be me.  My wrestling career continued, in a fashion, and in a way I got the son I wanted because I did mold you after my image.  I should have known that it was unhealthy.  Hell, there were plenty of damn warning signs but I ignored every bloody one of them.”

The elder Braddock guzzles the last of his beer and slams the glass on the table.  Glory barely notices this as she is focused on her father’s confession. “The first warning sign of my own destruction of this family was when your sister protested my favoritism of you.  She protested privately and I said nothing.  She protested publicly and I said nothing.  Finally she willingly allowed herself to be taken by Aphrodite Noel.”

The British Bombshell nods her head as she remembers this all too well.  Aphrodite Noel, cousin of Abigail Lindsey, took on a strange obsession with the Braddock family that started merely as an attempt to humble Glory and her sister Chastity and grew to Aphrodite trying to claim them as her “children.”  Chastity went easily, thanks in large part to everything to Glenn just said.  Glory was much more difficult but even she, too, recognized Aphrodite as her “mother” at one point.  The British Bombshell has since returned to her true family name but Chastity never did.

“I should have done more!” Glenn shouts, taking Glory by surprise. “But I still did nothing!  I focused all the more on you...but then I lost you too…”

“It’s ok, dad.  I’m sorry for ever going to her.  I just…” Glenn interrupts her…

“Do NOT apologize!” He shouts in a commanding tone.  “It was my fault because I pushed both of you to that crazy bitch!  You had every right to do what you did; but I admit, it did hurt me.  Yet even then I didn’t do a damn thing about it.  I was still too stubborn to admit I was wrong, too damn stubborn to reach out and apologize to you or your sister.  Then Saturday happened…”

Glenn’s voice trails off and he sighs “...you said those things to me and I was angry.  I was downright bloody pissed off with you so I left.  But then after a day or two it hit me; I realized that I may lose you again.  I lost you once to Aphrodite because of my stubborn and controlling attitude.  And I probably lost your sister forever to her.  So I knew I had to try and make things right.”

“Just say the word, dad.” Glory says with a smile as she wipes tears from her eyes. “We can start with a blank slate.  Forget all of it.”

“I don’t want a blank slate.  None of this should be forgotten otherwise I’ll make the same mistakes again.  All I want to know is that you forgive me.  Julia may be lost to me, but there’s still time to salvage our relationship.”

Julia Braddock, the name of Glory’s sister before she legally had her name changed to Chastity Noel.  Glory nods her head.  This is what she has been wanting.  She may not have known it days ago but this is truly what she wanted; not just to have her dad back with her physically but to repair this broken, damaged relationship. “Dad, of course I forgive you.  And know that it is not too late for my sister.  You two can still make things right.  Just swallow your pride, reach out, that’s all it takes.”

“That’s what I love about you most, Gloria.” Glenn says smiling warmly as tears now flow freely down his cheek. “Just like your mother you have no fear of calling me out on my flaws.  I need that kind of reminder.  I lost that when I allowed your mother to get away from me.  Never change, Gloria.  Never change.  Never...never...neee…..”

And just like that Glenn’s eyes start to roll in the back of his head.  He starts to slur his words.  Glory knows what is going on and she quickly turns to her husband. “Kurt, I think he’s having a seizure…”

Her fears are confirmed when her father collapses out of his chair and on the floor.  Glenn begins to convulse wildly and frantically.  Kurt takes out his cell phone and leaps from his chair. “You take care of him, I’m calling the medics.”

The British Bombshell nods, she would rather be with her father right now anyway as she drops down to the floor by her father’s side.  “Stay with me, dad.  Stay with me…” Despite her words and her pleading, her father’s convulsions seem to get wilder and more violent.  She checks her watch.  Timing these seizures are important.  Already this one has gone on longer than any of his previous seizures and that is quite distressing.

“Dad!  Stay with me!” A terrified look of fear is etched across Glory’s face as she begins to fear the worst.  “DAD!”

==========
October 26th, 2019
Miami, Florida
Off Camera
==========

Back at the Miami residence of the Braddock family, more specifically we find the bedroom of Glenn Braddock empty.  It is empty and silent, and will be for a long time now, because the patriarch of the Braddock family, Glory’s father Glenn Braddock, is no more.  The seizure he suffered was easily the worst one he had ever endured.  He hadn’t come out of it by the time the medical team had arrived and Glory dreaded the worst.  Her fears were confirmed after EMTs declared him dead on arrival.

The door opens and this empty space is filled, temporarily, with the presence of his heir.  The blonde haired Glory Braddock walks in wearing a knee length purple skirt, matching purple high heel pumps, and a floral print white blouse.  A stoic look is upon her face as she gazes at the scene of her father’s old room.  It’s ironic, the man once known as Britain’s Best never got to spend another day in his beloved home nation, but Glory will try her damndest to make sure he gets buried at his true home.

Glory marches across the floor and over to what was once his bed.  She sits down on the edge of it and then reaches over to the nightstand where she finds a framed picture of Glenn and Glory together during happier times.  This was when she was ten years old.  Braddock puts this picture down and picks up another framed picture.  This one was taken from the Braddock Wrestling School back in 2007 when he was training her.

These are the happy, joyful memories of her father that she wants so dearly to hold onto.  These memories are all that she has now, for life took him away from her.  It isn’t fair, but life isn’t fair.  It is just another painful irony in all of this that mere moments after they made peace with one another is the time that her father was called into the next world.

Tears form in her eyes and she reaches up to wipe them away.  “Quit that bloody crying!”

The British Bombshell looks up and sees her father standing there.  He is wearing his gray workout pants and matching gray sweater.  A scowl is upon his face, the same scowl The British Bombshell recalls oh so well when he was training with her and working with her at the gym.  Despite seeing this vision she lets a low chuckle escape her lips. “I know that’s not you, dad.  I just happen to have a very wild imagination.”

“Does it really fucking matter?!” He exclaims in his usual drill sergeant manner.  “You’re sitting there on your pretty little ass bawling about me but we’ve made peace.  You forgave me, Glory, and that’s all I bloody well wanted.  Yet you sit there, crying like a damn baby, when tomorrow there will be no fucking crying when that you step into that chamber and you’re locked inside with five other pieces of shit who want your head on a platter.”

“I know; it’s just hard to let go of you…” tears drop down onto the picture she is currently looking at.

“You don’t have to let go of me.  You’re always gonna have me right here.” He reaches out and points at her chest and then she points up at her head. “And right there.  No one else will bloody well forget me either, because I have passed my legacy onto you.  I taught you everything I knew and you took it and you didn’t just run with it, you fucking surpassed me.  People called me ‘Britain’s Best’ but you?  Heh, you are the best in the god damn world!”

Glory shakes her head. “I don’t have the world title.”

“Titles are just temporary.  Look at that naive little bitch Alistaire who kept ducking you like a fucking coward.  Look how blasted quick he lost the title to the other snot nosed punk kid Owen Cruze.  And with the odds he’s up against, odds are he is going to lose it at Under Attack.  Greatness is determined by a consistent effort.  You have achieved so much over such a long period of time that even your enemies admit how great you are.  Are you the best in the world?  Ask that psycho jackass James Evans!  Even he called you the best!”

‘Glenn’ motions for his daughter to stand up.  “Stand up!” The British Bombshell obliges.  She stares into the eyes of this vision her mind has come up with. “I know what you said about Rise To Greatness, about how it’s a good thing Syren is no longer champion.  Bull fucking shit!  You’re trying to save face!  Now you get a second chance at Under Attack but so does Syren and also that backstabbing fake plastic ass bitch Sienna!  Alistaire wants the title back, James too, and Owen wants to keep it…” he growls “...now I’m not gonna lie, you’re gonna get hurt.  You’re gonna get planted.  I just want you to promise me one thing…”

“Anything.” Glory says quietly.

“When you get knocked down, I want you to pull yourself back up, punch each and every one of those pieces of garbage in the mouth.  I want you to fight and keep fighting and when you start to feel like can’t go on any longer, I want you to remember my face, I want you to remember that I told you to FIGHT LIKE HELL, LIKE IT WAS THE END OF THE WORLD…” a smirk crosses his face “...because your daddy loves you.”

“I love you too, daddy.” The British Bombshell wipes the tears from her eyes.  Slowly but surely the image of her father fades away.

“Glory!” Kurt’s voice comes from just outside. “Are you still in there?”

“Yes…” she says quietly, just loud enough for Kurt to hear.

“Well hurry up.  We have to make this flight to St. Louis.”

“I’m coming.” Glory gazes at her father’s bedroom one last time.  She winks. “Love you dad...I’ll miss you…” with that, Glory exits the bedroom.



==========
St. Louis, MO
On Camera
==========

The Enterprise Center is an impressive sight off in the distance, the sun shining down brightly over the home of the St. Louis Blues.  A few moments later Glory Braddock steps into view from stage left to stand directly in front of the Enterprise Center.  The British Bombshell is wearing a tight form fitting black dress, black high heel pumps, and a pair of sunglasses over her eyes.  Her gorgeous blonde hair flows freely to below her shoulders.  A confident grin is upon her face as she looks into the camera.

“Not long now the venue behind me will host a match so sadistic, so violent, that Supreme Championship Wrestling uses it only once a year at most.  Myself and five other wrestlers will step into the infamous elimination chamber to do battle.  I can tell you right now that Sunday I will be fighting with a heavy heart, for my father passed away this past Friday.” The grin on her face fades.  In its place is a much more stoic, serious gaze.

“My father taught me many things during his time as my trainer, but more important than anything else he would teach me, he instilled within me a respect for this business.  Ever since I made my debut as a professional wrestler in 2008, I have always fought for what I believed was for the best interest not of myself but for the great sport of professional wrestling.  I won’t stand here and pretend that I was right every single time in my career.  I won’t stand here and lie and say that I never made mistakes.  Hell, I’ve made plenty of them.  One of those mistakes was ever thinking that Sienna Swann meant a damn word she said to me.”

“Dear old dad also warned me that I would make mistakes and he told me that the important thing was to learn from those mistakes.  So I’m not going to give you some bullshit excuse to try and save face.  I screwed up, I failed when I trusted her.  But I have learned from that mistake and now at Under Attack you had better believe that I will look to get my hands on her make her regret the mistake she made of ever crossing Glory Braddock.”

The British Bombshell takes off her sunglasses and tosses them aside. “My instincts told me that you were no good, but I didn’t listen to my instincts.  I listened to my cousin.  I allowed my delusional cousin Angelica to blind me into trusting you.  Now that you betrayed that trust and betrayed me on Breakdown, you’re going to suffer because you will be locked in that chamber with me.  And I hope and pray we meet, I truly do, because I want to personally be the one to choke you out and dash your hopes and dreams of becoming world champion again.”

“It’s clear that you don’t care about this business like I do. It’s clear that you do not respect anyone but yourself.  And it has become abundantly clear to me that people like you do not belong anywhere near the world championship.” Braddock laughs sarcastically. “Funny thing is, as much as you detest Syren, you and her basically the same creature.  You’re cut from the same bloody clothe.  You’re both tyrants who need to be taken out.  Once I thought you were the lesser of the two evils, Sienna.  Truth is, there really isn’t much difference.  You have the Beauty Factory, she has Infamous.  Both of you want to win and be champion not out of respect for this business or the spirit of competition but to have both of your oversized egos stroked.”

Braddock shakes her head. “I cannot allow you to become champion.  Same goes for you, Syren.  We’ve already seen what a Syren title reign is like and it is a cancer upon this great company, a great company that has given so much to you and yet you act like the victim, you play this off as if SCW has done you wrong?  Answer me this question, mate; what the hell have you done to deserve entering the chamber?  Last I checked you lost to Aaron Blackbourne.  He’s not in this chamber but you are.  Not every organization would have allowed you this opportunity, and yet here you are.  What do I say to you, Syren, is the same message daddy would always give me when I was first learning the ropes; shut the fuck up, quit your bitching, and fight.  Fight and earn it the hard way, the right way.  Because that’s what wrestling is all about and that is the philosophy I have always grown up with, the philosophy I have competed with my entire career.”

A low chuckle escapes her throat. “I doubt daddy could have ever imagined the world championship being defended within the confines of a structure such as the chamber.  Wrestling has evolved and as athletes we have to evolve.  James Evans most certainly belongs in the chamber.  Despite the bullshit Sienna will no doubt spew about him, his resume speaks for itself.  He has come off of an impressive tag team run with my cousin and now has returned to singles competition.  And James, I recall your words about me.  Thanks for that, mate; but I refuse to recognize myself as the best of anything until I can beat the best and at Under Attack I will be locked in the chamber with five of the very best in SCW today.  It will be my job to take each and every one of you out using every ounce of talent, skill, and intelligence that I have until I am the last one standing.  Then and only then I will proudly call myself the Best in the World.”

“You’re used to the chamber, aren’t you?  You have chamber experience.  I recall you and my cousin winning a chamber match to earn a tag team championship opportunity and you seized upon that opportunity to become tag team champions.  We had a go in the six person tag and, fair play to you, you caught me off guard.  Granted there were some circumstances surrounding all that, Sienna and her bloody fake circumstances, but I’m not one to make excuses.  You beat me, mate in a tag.  We got to have a go at one another last Breakdown, but we got interrupted again.”

“I respect the hell out of you, mate.  Despite everything that’s been said and done, I do respect you and I hope we can actually finish a match without any interruptions or controversy one day.  That’s the good thing about the chamber though, isn’t it?  Nothing stops it until there is a winner.  We can finish what we started, James.  And as much as I’m sure you are hoping to seize upon yet another opportunity inside the chamber, I am here to tell you right now that the opportunity is mine.” She pats herself on the chest. “Mine and mine alone.  No more saving face, no more moral victories like Rise To Greatness.  No more bloody excuses.  This time I accept nothing less than total victory and the world championship.”

“You’re not the only one with chamber experience.” Braddock smirks and waves at the camera. “Hi, Alistaire.  You have had the nerve to say I don’t deserve this opportunity, you have the nerve to say that I do not respect tradition or this sport?  The more you talk the more you piss me off!  Everything I have done, every single match I wrestled, every championship I have won, all of it was out of the pure spirit of this great sport!  I am a second generation wrestler, my daughter who is training as well and will be a third generation after me and her grandfather before me, we all have this business in our blood, and you still have the nerve to accuse me of being disrespectful of traditions, of wrestling itself?  On Breakdown you, Owen, and James were booked against myself, Sienna, and Bree.  Now my partners weren’t exactly the most popular of individuals, but what would you have had me do, huh?  I know that in the spirit of competition and the traditions of wrestling I would compete, no matter who my opponents were and despite who my partners were.  A wrestler competes and that’s what I did, I competed.  Sienna tried to get me to cheat, she even wanted me to use a chair against James but I refused, because I respected this sport and its traditions too much to stoop to her level.  Then last Breakdown when Infamous tried an ambush, I fought them off alongside Owen and James.”

Braddock’s look more intense than ever as she shouts. “Tell me, was that evidence for you, you stupid bastard?!  Honestly, I don’t need to prove anything to you.  I know who and what I am and done trying to convince you of anything.  You’ve made me angry, Alistaire, and that anger has nothing to do with you beating me at Rise To Greatness.  Hell, I tried to be a good sport and congratulate you and then you threw all of that back in my face.  So now at Under Attack I will enjoy getting the opportunity to choke you out.”

“Finally there’s Owen Cruze…” she shakes her head “...I feel bad for you, mate.  You just won the championship at Apocalypse and your first championship defense is against five other hungry, aggressive competitors inside one of the most sadistic structures ever devised.  And you’re so young at that.  But what I like about you is that you’re not complaining.  You’re not like those two entitled brassers Sienna and Syren who hate the very thought of sharing this opportunity with anyone else.  You’re just going to step into that chamber and do your very best.  You’re going to throw everything you have into this and let the cards fall where they may.  That’s what wrestling is all about, that’s what competition is all about, and I can honestly say that you as champion is a breath of fresh air.”

“Being the world champion means having to constantly defend it against the best and you have five of the very best targeting you right now, Owen.  One of those happens to be The British Bombshell.  Respect is there, Owen, believe me when I say that; but despite the respect that I have for you, understand that I will do whatever it takes to become the champion inside that chamber and if that means choking you out and ending this whirlwind ride you have been having right now, then so be it.  Know this, Owen, your dreams of being champion will come to an end at Under Attack and the reality will set in.  That reality is being locked in an unforgiving steel structure with me.”

The British Bombshell turns around and looks at the Enterprise Center.  “My father competed in many arenas during his time.  His era of wrestling may not have had the kind of flash and pizzazz that ours has but he did compete in front of large crowds.  He fought because he loved competition and wanted to prove he was the best.  Under Attack you have one who wants to be world champion because she thinks she’s fucking entitled to it just because her name is bloody Syren.  You have another who wants to use it as a bloody prop for her For The People propaganda machine.  You have another who wants to add another championship to his already impressive resume.  Another wants to have it so he can continue to be judgmental of what he believes wrestling is truly about.  Then you have the champion, a young kid living his dream who doesn’t want his dream to end so quickly.”

Braddock turns back around to face the camera.  She looks intense.  “Then you have me!  I fight for the same reason as my father, the spirit of competition and to prove to myself and to the world that I am the best.  And to do that I have to win this chamber, I have to become SCW World Champion.  So listen to this really good, my name is Glory Braddock and I am dedicating this match to my father, whose memory I am fighting for, and for every wrestling fan out there who still believes in wrestling!  Sic Semper Tyrannis…”

The British Bombshell walks off the scene stage right.  The scene fades to black.

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