4th November, 2019
04:01 AM EST
Manchester, New Hampshire
Exact Location: Hilton Garden Inn (Room 112)
Status: Off-Camera ”Sam … honey. You need to sleep.” ”I know …”The normally confident and knowing tone was replaced by a shaky one currently fueled by rage, sorrow, and shock.
Not but an hour ago, an emergency Church session had been called. And during it, both Sam and Joseph had heard some of the worst possible news that could have been relayed at that hour.
Aerynn and Shonn Maguire were dead.
But unlike Dazi, whom had at least died from something natural such as cancer, that wasn’t the case with her brother and sister-in-arms. No, they’d been
murdered. By the same Children group that Saoirse had to deal with, in fact.
While Sam hadn’t been as close to either of them as the other Maidens or Dragons, there were still a few facts that remained. Family was still family. Two, Shonn had been the one who had trained herself and Jackie. Hell, he was the reason they were able to reclaim their tag team titles after losing them briefly to the Brix City Boyz; because he had assisted and helped them out properly. But the third and perhaps most essential point?
They had been
murdered - very likely in cold blood and done in a very premeditated way.
Who the hell were these so-called Children that they had managed to not only find, but kill, two of their own kin?
It was the unknown answer to these rhetorical questions that were making Sam shake the hardest.
Orion let out a frustrated sigh, irritated at Fate more than his wife or even Bullet for telling them about the bad news.
”Love, I’m not saying don’t mourn. That’d be stupid. But you have a huge-ass match against Cyrus Black, and ...” An irritated glare being flashed right at him from his own spouse got Joseph to go quiet.
”Don’t talk like I’ve forgotten, please?! That’s the last thing I’ve done!”Still, he wasn’t wrong. The match was going to be a huge deal for an array reasons. But the most prominent one was she would be facing the only current double champion in EWC. Furthermore, Cyrus not only held the International Title, but also the Undisputed Championship.
It went without much saying that all eyes would very likely be on their match.
” … You’re not even tired, are you?” Sam quickly moved her head from side to side.
”Not overly, no.” Silently, Orion guided Samantha onto the bed. Tonight had been one of those evenings where he’d had to keep a closer than usual watch over his wife. She’d already tried to punch the wall several times - and damn well nearly succeeded. Naturally, he kept her from going through with the action because … it truly would have been something foolish to do.
And while a twenty-four hour gym would normally be something Joseph would recommend, he noticed his wife already had an idea of her own. An eyebrow rose as he watched Sam shakily grab her cell phone, staring down at it as if it held all of the answers.
A good few minutes would pass before finally, Sam dialed Bandit’s number.
”She may not be awake, you know?”Sam merely nodded in response. At first, that did seem to be the case. The Titaness would hear three rings before a very opposite-sounding Bandit. Whereas she tended to be cheerful and energetic, she sounded absolutely drained .. maybe even lost also.
” … Sam?””Yeah. Yeah, it’s me.””What do we do now?” It was
this exact reason Sam had bothered trying to call Jackie at all. Everyone was probably feeling this helpless in some form or fashion. While her match with Cyrus was important, Sam hadn’t forgotten about the upcoming one in Mile High.
But she wouldn’t blame Jackie if, even for a few moments, she had put their Ladder Match against Double Team Ihari near the back of her head.
Still, this one of those match set-ups where Sam
would need her partner. Not just because it was another goddamn Ladder Match, but that definitely played a part. Aerial moves were
not Samantha’s forte.
If anything, they were last resorts - something the world had seen when she went against Bullet for the Phoenix Championship and Lara Bratton.
Sam began to speak up, but felt the words get caught in her throat. Taking a few moments to clear it and regain her ability to speak, another slight pause hung in the air before Jackie would hear her question get answered.
”We go in and we fight, of course. If anything … think of it as doing this for Shonn. As a way to thank him, to show him that we’re not going to forget what he’s taught us, and that we’re never going to give up.” Now, it seemed to be Jackie’s turn to pause. To take all of Sam’s words in. And there were a few thoughts that she almost
swore could be heard; enough that convinced The Titaness to keep talking.
”I haven’t been taking this easily despite sounding otherwise. On the contrary, I’m as pissed as everyone else is. But this is what Joseph and Lio had to help me understand when Dazi passed away. Letting the sadness and depression cripple you quickly and direly will hurt you in the long run. Let’s use that to strengthen ourselves. It may not make sense now, but it definitely will come the tenth.”A weak chuckle would be the first thing Samantha would hear before Bandit eventually gave a response back.
”Okay … alright. I know that you’re right. Right now, I just … can’t feel it. But you’re also probably correct that come the time for our match, I should be well enough to help you out. Thanks, Sam.” ”No problem. I don’t know if I’ll be able to get much, but I’m gonna try for some sleep.””Yeah … I probably should also. Night.”It wasn’t much, but Sam was feeling at least a bit better now that she’d spoken to Bandit. Luckily, it was more than enough that not long after putting her head atop Orion’s chest, she fell into a much needed slumber, tears still slowly streaming down her face all the while.
7th November, 2019
18:01 PM CST
New Orleans, Louisiana
Exact Location: Shieldmaiden Clubhouse (Sam & Joseph’s Room)
Status: On-Camera Rather than her usual spots - such as on top of her bed or on the living room couch, we see Sam sitting on the
floor of what can be assumed to be her room. However, the camera lingers on what’s behind her as opposed to The Titaness herself.
Three framed photos, each holding significant faces.
”For you two selfish brats who have little more than our straps on your mind - evidenced by begging me and Bandit to fight you again at Episode Twenty-Five, these …”Sam slowly gets up to her feet, smiling sadly at the images before turning back to the camera … now wearing a very visible glare.
”They meant everything to all of us!” Taking a moment to think over her own words, The Titaness seems to realize something and temporarily backtracks.
”It’s funny in an ironic way. Solomon Cain constantly insisted the Shieldmaidens were never a family or group of any kind. And yet … we’re going against two members who are trying to do the exact same thing. But they’re also very adamant on insisting they deserve to hold any and all gold. The problem is …”Sam’s head shakes.
”Let’s be real, there’s several issues. But the main one I’m gonna focus on is the simplest one. We already beat your asses. But nah …”Her head continues moving from side to side.
”You couldn’t wait. You literally could have. The opportunity would have been worth the wait. Instead, you begged us, called us out. ‘Senpai, notice us! Come at us again! Give us another chance!’ That was literally the approach you more or less took. And, admittedly …”Sam shrugged.
”Given the abrupt loss of not only Solomon Cain, but SEX and The Foundation also, the amount of tag teams kinda have dwindled. Even still …”Samantha scoffs, clicking her tongue.
”Patience is a virtue. Have you two never heard of that? Doesn’t seem like it, going off how impatient you were. Well, tough shit. You asked … so you’re gonna get exactly what you whined for.
“It’s no secret to anyone here that Ladder Matches have been … less than kind to me. But girls, that’s not going to help you out nearly as much as you think. Mainly for one large but vital reason.”The Titaness points at herself.
”Those were also Ladder Matches that were Singles Matches. I’m not coming into this fight alone. Bandit’s gonna accompany me and between us? She’s the high-flyer. A damn good one, I might add. As for myself?”Her hand tilts in the air.
”Definitely not my preference, no. I’ll openly admit that. But when push comes to shove? You damn well better believe that I’ll be fine sacrificing myself off a ladder just to ensure those titles remain in our possession. In fact, you’d know that if you even referenced any time I ever stepped onto a ladder.
“But of course not. You’re Coven … the newest group here, and thus the best one.”Her eyes roll.
”Wrong .. at least with that last half. New, sure. But best? Far from it. There’s a damn good reason that most of the belts are currently in our possession - something you two even admitted. I may not know what Jackie’s true fear is, but I can confidently say this much. It isn’t relevance. After all, who was it that got booked into the Five Way Elimination Match to even try to dethrone Skrabz?
“Definitely neither of you two. So perhaps she hasn’t been booked in many singles frays, but neither have either of you. And most have been on AMMO, so …”Sam waves a hand through the air.
”Kinda makes your own point irrelevant, don’t ya think? As for me? Fuck no, I don’t fear Trump. Why should I? At worst, he’s like you two; a nuisance that - like him or not - I gotta deal with. I know I could easily Powerbomb that sad excuse of a human even easier than I did to “The Master” Isaac Combes! No, my own real fear is one I’ve faced before several times. I’m taphophobic, also better known as having the fear of being buried alive.
“At one point, I even allowed myself to be put in a coffin and broke out of it just to prove myself to my opponent. And actually? It worked. Don’t believe me? That’s fine, I don’t really give a fuck. I know I’m telling the truth. But I’ll let your ignorance about that slide because that was in my HcW days - the kind that only men like Skrabz, Lance Mikes, or even Tyke Index would know about. Simply because they were all there - or, in the case of Skrabz - he supposedly knows everything about what I did back there.
“But girls, I can promise you both this. It’s not what we fear that you should be worried about. It’s history repeating, and your lack of research screams that it definitely will. Again, had you looked back, you would see that every team - save for SEX - me and Bandit have beaten twice. Mosh and Ripley as well as the Brix City Boyz. Probably more than twice, really, but the point still stands. Had SEX not vanished into thin air, we could have gladly shown the world once more we emerged victorious because we are that damn good. Also … side note …”Her head tilts as an incredulous look appears, temporarily replacing Sam’s frown.
”Did you two seriously call us ST?”Finally, she busts out laughing.
”Did you gals get so upset in losing to us that you drowned yourselves in sake or something?! ST is Psycho and Bandit, bakas!”Her head slowly moves from side to side as Sam chuckles in disbelief.
”Unfucking real, just … wow. And we’re supposed to be the dumb blondes to most other people. Pfft. Whatever. Don’t worry, kouhai, because senpai has noticed how …”Sam raises a hand, getting the last of her chortles out of the way before finishing her trailed off thoughts.
”How desperate you two are and need quite the lesson. Since you fail to hint you know about patience being a virtue, I’m gonna make you learn that. We will retain our titles and after that? You two will sit down, shut up, and wait for Rob to say you’re ready to come at us ever again.” The Titaness looks over to the framed photos, speaking up after allowing a pause to hang in the air.
”Gold is all well and good. I’m not gonna deny that much, nor say you’re foolish for wanting our straps. But you know what’s better than bragging rights .. at least I think so, anyway? It’s when you can earn and keep such prizes while fighting in the names of others. What I’m about to relay is common knowledge … if you’ve paid heed to anything I’ve hinted in the past, be it via Twitter or in my shoots. Since you two seem to be hasty students though, I’m not expecting you to know this.”Sam points to the uppermost photo.
”She was my mentor at a wrestling academy I attended … and cruelly taken away by cancer. Ever since the world lost Dazi, I have been devoting each and every single fight to her. Literally wrestling in her name, as well as mine, the Shieldmaidens, Chrome Dragons, and my second recently joined family known as the Badd Breed.” When she mentions the disease, there is a clear tone of disdain that can be detected in Sam’s voice.
”Dazi’s funeral was the very first one I ever attended. Well .. correction, second, I suppose. But she was the first where I had a deep connection to the person who died. No offense to Bruiser, but I really didn’t know Allie nearly as well as you. Anyway, point being, I didn’t deal with the loss very well at first. It was Joseph and Lio that helped me, though, by reminding me of something.
“She was no longer suffering. She was free from any and all pain tormenting her. Aerynn and Shonn though …”Her grimace returns.
”They didn’t have that mercy. They didn’t have a ‘natural’ death, so to speak. Home invasion gone wrong … break-in. No matter how you wanna word it, they were literally murdered in the end. And I know for a fact that you two have no idea just how much will power it takes to go through with such a dire action.
“But me? You bet your ass I do. The difference between me and whomever took our brother and sister-in-arms away? Simple. The guy I killed raped me, along with three accomplices aiding him. I also did it in self-defense after hearing implications of being abducted or trafficked away or … maybe something even worse. I can’t say I knew what was going through their minds aside from nothing good.
“But at least it wasn’t planned nor in cold-blood. It was a very spur-of-the-moment action and frankly? One I don’t regret. What happened to our comrades was uncalled for. Somehow even more cruel than losing Dazi to cancer.
“So now … you’re gonna face us not only for a second time, but when we’re going to fight for much more than ourselves or something fickle like Glory.” Samantha gently pats the picture of Shonn.
”He is why me and Jackie were able to reclaim our titles so quickly after Brix City Boyz snatched them away! He gave us too much! Tossing away all of the skills and techniques he gave us … would be an insult!” Even though the sun hasn’t fully set, it doesn’t stop Sam from performing her next actions. She walks away, returning with two candles. She sets them down, one on either side of the photos - all while ensuring they’re not too close to risk burning the pictures. A cigarette lighter is pulled from her pocket as Sam pulls her thumb down and lights each candle up, effectively making a private vigil in her own room.
”Any and all advantages you thought you had? Gone. The timing to lose a brother and sister, let alone in such an unfortunate manner, was horrible for you both. Me and Bandit really didn’t need any further incentives to come out as the winners. But now?” A knowing grin spreads over Samantha’s face.
“Now … we’re gonna come in, clinging tightly onto our emotions, and using those plus our wrestling skills against you. Add in that we’re going to do so for our fallen siblings? Well …”Sam allows that sentence to remain unfinished.
”Patience is a virtue and the Shieldmaidens aren’t people you fuck around with … you’ll learn and understand why first hand come the tenth. May wanna bring your own shields of sorts, too, because this riot?”Sam’s head moves a few more times from left to right.
”You’re not gonna be able to handle it. Rioting is one of the other things aside from wrestling we do best, after all.” Her attention goes back once more to the framed photos.
”Dazi … Aerynn … Shonn. Thank you for everything.” A few silent tears slowly stream down Sam’s face. It’s the last sight we see before the feed cuts out as the promo ends.