Bullet vs Azurine Vebbins

Off-Camera

Friday, January 17, 2019
Special Projects Room
Twisted Steel Garage
New Orleans, Louisiana
9:01 AM CST



Special Projects…

It was the bay/room in the Twisted Steel garage that was set up specifically for the projects being worked on by Shieldmaidens President Alex “Bullet” Carbajal, especially when she would be assisted by Chrome Dragons Sgt-At-Arms Khary “Spectre” Kenyon Shieldmaidens prospect Gabriela “Taza” Carbajal.

Today, she was staring at her own 2007 Harley Night Rod, the first bike she’d ever owned and still her favorite mode of transportation. Even though her other couple of bikes and her Ford Mustang, given to her by former girlfriend and current prospect, Eavan Maloney, were technically what most people would call “better,” there was just something about the bike she had bought used with her own money when she was sixteen that meant it held a special place in her heart.

Alex "Bullet" Carbajal: Háblame...

Patting the seat, Bullet moves slowly along the bike, scanning every inch to look for potential sources of problems.

ABC ¿Qué pasado? [/font]

As she steps back, a woman covered in tattoos and with long black hair steps into dooray.

Woman: You always talk to inanimate objects?

Bullet looks up to see Khary’s youngest sister, three-time world championship wrestler, Ashley Kenyon, standing there staring at both the bike and Bullet.

Ashley Kenyon: I mean, ain’t that weird of shit if you do but…

Bullet can’t help but smile.

Alex "Bullet" Carbajal: This one’s special so she get special treatment.

Ashley moves inside and nods as she closes the door behind her to keep out the chill.

Ashley Kenyon: Yours?

Bullet nods.

Alex "Bullet" Carbajal: My first, I bought it when I was sixteen. I met the Maidens on it in Destin.

Ashley smirks knowingly.

Ashley Kenyon: Is that the bloody wrench story?

Bullet nods, smiling back.

Alex "Bullet" Carbajal: Si, es la verdad.

Ashley shakes her head.

Ashley Kenyon: Heard at least three versions of it…

Bullet grins back.

Alex "Bullet" Carbajal: Any that do not make me sound like a crazy puta?

Ashley shrugs.

Ashley Kenyon: Like I would complain about that if you were? Come on, they call me “AK47” for how much I popped off…

Bullet nods.

Alex "Bullet" Carbajal: Half-cocked, spraying bullets…

Ashley points in acknowledgement.

Ashley Kenyon: That would be the one… Jezzy Gautier said it once ten years ago and it has stuck ever since…

Bullet nods knowingly.

Alex "Bullet" Carbajal: Your brother has said it many times. With a sparkle in his eye every time.

Ashley snickers.

Ashley Kenyon: Yeah… probably while talking about how he always makes sure my vehicles purr like kittens. Both KITT and Bumblebee probably owe him… the Ducati too assuming Rynn brought it here…

Bullet nods, her eyes suddenly dancing with delight.

Alex "Bullet" Carbajal: You ride too?

Ashley shrugs.

Ashley Kenyon: Rynn leaned on me in Vegas to start up, said here, hop on and hold on. Khary laughed his ass off when I came into town on what he called a crotch rocket with a tone to his voice that let me know it was definitely not a compliment…

Bullet nods knowingly having heard that comment made about Ducaris in general many times before in this building.

Alex "Bullet" Carbajal: What is it?

Ashley shrugs.

Ashley Kenyon: It’s red… that’s about all I know…

Bullet snickers.

Alex "Bullet" Carbajal: Never asked what it was?

Ashley shrugs.

Ashley Kenyon: Didn’t matter to me, it wasn’t about what the damn thing was named. It was about riding with Rynn, sometimes Shonn, Eef and Sorsh too.

Bullet can’t help but smile.

Alex "Bullet" Carbajal: So you were part of their group?

Ashley nods slowly, almost sadly.

Ashley Kenyon: In Vegas? Yeah...

Bullet sits down on a chair and looks up at Ashley, motioning at another chair. Ashley nods and takes the proffered seat.

Alex "Bullet" Carbajal: So how come you didn’t patch over with them?

Caught off-guard, Ashley looks away.

Ashley Kenyon: I…

She sighs heavily and look back to Bullet.

Ashley Kenyon: Honestly, me and following instructions/orders… we don’t usually get along. Twoey wasn’t a fan of the idea either so that just kind of added on…

She suits up, looking towards the door, a hand waving slightly as if she doesn’t know what else to do.

Ashley Kenyon: I already had a team I was a part of with Bethy, Jezzy and Nik… it ended badly...

Bullet takes in everything and then nods slowly.

Alex "Bullet" Carbajal: You did not think you and RJ would get along, did you?

Ashley takes a second to ponder and then nods.

Ashley Kenyon: No, patience was never one of my virtues and from everything I’ve ever seen and heard of her, it wasn’t one of hers either. The two of us would have eventually pissed each other off something fierce and when we did…

Bullet nods understandingly. This was probably rather close to the truth if not the absolute truth to begin with.

Alex "Bullet" Carbajal: You are probably right. It was my job to calm RJ, talk her down when I could if something happened. She was the only one who could reason with Widow in those situations and I would need to reason with RJ to keep us from having a serious problem.

Ashley nods. She’d heard of Widow’s exploits and knew this was no joke or exaggeration to this way of seeing things.

Ashley Kenyon: That was usually me with our group…

She pauses and then nods in acknowledgement.

Ashley Kenyon: Well, me and Jezzy. Bethy usually knew how to talk both of us down, though that would get annoying and then Nik would have to step in and slow us both down, more me than Bethy though.

Shaking her head, Ashley looks down to the floor.

Ashley Kenyon: I don’t know how they used to it… be the leader/planner…

Bullet nods slowly.

Alex "Bullet" Carbajal: It is different… being the leader over being the second or third in command. When you’re the advisor, it is more your job to just help the leader come to a decision but when you are the one being advised…

Bullet trails off and Ashley looks up at her.

Ashley Kenyon: Then it’s all on you…

Bullet nods.

Alex "Bullet" Carbajal: I was not ready…

Bullet leans forward, staring at her hands.

Alex "Bullet" Carbajal: RJ told me I would need to take over and I am not ashamed to admit I was scared being being in charge. RJ had led us for so long, she was like a second madre to me. She and Forge took me in, gave me a job and place, a purpose. I thought she would always be here, we would always follow her and she always had the answer to whatever came our way. Then, one day, she was not here and it was my place to have all the answers and I realized quickly that I do not…

She nods to the door.

Alex "Bullet" Carbajal: But I cannot say that in front of everyone else. It’s like being a captain on a ship that has no home port. You have to act like you know everything, where you are going, where you have been, why you are going and when you will get there and you have to act like you knew them from the start.

Ashley nods in agreement.

Ashley Kenyon: Me either…

Her bottom jaw starts to quiver.

Ashley Kenyon: I was there when they came and took Rynn and Shonn. Me and Twoey, we were there visiting. Rynn looked so happy, she had her whole family right there and they were all enjoying their time together. She didn’t have to be worrying about the shit that was going on with Rivers or anyone else…

Looking away, Ashley shakes her head sadly.

Ashley Kenyon: Rivers leaned on me like I was a general, He trusted me to lead his troops in battle because I had done things like it before. It was crazy. For the first five years I even knew of him, I had been the most vocal against him and I was the only one this time around who would ever question him. I told him to fuck off I can’t even begin to count how many times…

Her hands fold together and start rubbing against one another nervously.

Ashley Kenyon: When they came in the house, we were trapped downstairs, Twoey and me. Rynn and Shonn had gone upstairs to protect the kids. We got to the guns, Twoey was cutting guys down with the blades and I was shooting whatever moved, I thought we were doing…

Her head droops even further.

Ashley Kenyon: Then we went upstairs and the depth of my failure…

Tears start to stream down her face.

Ashley Kenyon: It was my fault, Alex. Mayhem was my idea, I got her to do that while she was still pregnant. Then when Rivers came to us, recruiting because of shit that was going on, it was down to me. Rynn said she’d follow whatever I wanted to do and I wanted to get those fucking abstards that had taken Twoey and done things to her so bad I was literally willing to make a deal with the devil to get them. True to her word, Rynn followed me in…

Momentarily overcome, Ashley squeezes her hands together.

Ashley Kenyon: I always told anyone who asked why, I had my reasons…

She nods to the next building with the Shieldmaidens Clubhouse in it.

Ashley Kenyon: You’ve met them all…

Bullet nods.

Alex "Bullet" Carbajal: Maiko and Shay?

Ashley nods in return.

Ashley Kenyon: I knew from the start about the babies’ parentage and I knew even if we said no…

Bullet just stares at Ashley.

Alex "Bullet" Carbajal: That Shay would be in danger because if the secret was found, they would come for her and the babies…

Ashley nods and Bullet pats her on the back.

Alex "Bullet" Carbajal: You did what must be done, Ash. You did not do what your first instinct was, I am certain. If you had, that war would have been over very quickly and there would be many more casualties given Valdemar Johansen’s cruelty.

Ashley nods slowly.

Ashley Kenyon: Even after it happened, it wasn’t real until the bottle at the shooting range. I was so angry, I marched out to the shooting range we’d set up and I opened up the rack and… there it was… the bottle we used to make Black Tooth Grins out there together…

Bullet nods understandingly.

Alex "Bullet" Carbajal: Rynn’s suggestion?

Ashley nods.

Ashley Kenyon: You know Rynn and drinkin’...

Bullet nods, her eyes almost bugging out her head at the memories.

Alex "Bullet" Carbajal: Yes, I once made the mistake last year of allowing Banshee and Psycho to take us drinking in Dublin when EWC went there for a show. It almost felt suicidal…

Ashley snickers.

Ashley Kenyon: You’re not wrong. Anyone who tried to drink with the four of us in Vegas ended up under the table or…

Bullet nods, smirking knowingly.

Alex "Bullet" Carbajal: ¡Nunca más!

The two women share a laugh and Ashley nods.

Ashley Kenyon: I can understand the feeling…

She pauses and then nods again.

Ashley Kenyon: I think I’m gonna try training here…

Bullet smiles gratefully.

Alex "Bullet" Carbajal: ¡Gracias, Ashley!

Ashley shakes her head.

Ashley Kenyon: No, thank you, Bullet. For everything…

Standing up, Ashley nods and then glances at the bike.

Ashley Kenyon: So I’ll see you later in the gym after you get done fiddling with this thing?

Bullet nods, trying not to laugh.

Alex "Bullet" Carbajal: Si…

Ashley nods.

Ashley Kenyon: See ya then…

She walks out and closes the door behind her.

Alex "Bullet" Carbajal: ¡Que chimba!



On-Camera

Friday, January 3, 2020
Warehouse Gym
Shieldmaidens Clubhouse
New Orleans, Louisiana
7:21 PM CST




The camera opens on Alex “Bullet” Carbajal standing near the wall by the door under the familiar black Shieldmaidens banner with the white lettering on it. In her ensemble of tight blue jeans, black tank top, black tactical boots and her Shieldmaidens kutte, Bullet start to nod slowly for the camera’s benefit.

Alex "Bullet" Carbajal: So a cumbia with Azurine Vebbins…

She pauses and then starts to dance as one would in the traditional Colombian dance.

Alex "Bullet" Carbajal: ¡Baila, Malparido, Baila!

She finishes her dance and turns to face the camera.

Alex "Bullet" Carbajal: We’ve danced this dance many times, you and I, Azurine. We have pasted each other from pillar to post, we have knocked each other into next week and here we come to that proposition again. I know you will be ready, you will come at me and you know I will do the same...

Her right index finger extends from her hand.

Alex "Bullet" Carbajal: You are constantly underestimated, Azurine, and it is both your gift and your curse. You are underestimated because of a combination of others having egos so large they should have to form their own governments and because you got off to a rocky start here in Mile High…

She wags the finger scoldingly at the roster.

Alex "Bullet" Carbajal: But they should have watched…

Her hand balls into a fist and she pumps it angrily.

Alex "Bullet" Carbajal: ¡Atención!

Rubbing her first with free hand, Bullet nods knowingly to the camera.

Alex "Bullet" Carbajal: Because then they would have noticed a natural tenacity inside you. You bare teeth most claim you do not have and you sink them into the flesh of those who would never see it coming because they do not want to see it coming. They try to brush you off as nothing…

She turns and looks up at the banner.

Alex "Bullet" Carbajal: We have to admit, it’s happened before with certain other Shieldmaidens who paid dearly for it!

Nodding slowly, she turns and faces the camera.

Alex "Bullet" Carbajal: But this will not happen with me… I know...

She nods again, pointing to her own chest.

Alex "Bullet" Carbajal: I know what you can do, Azurine, I saw it in my first weeks in this company, the first weeks of my career! We had a three-way dance and you walked out the winner without defeating me and since then, we have walked parallel paths, danced parallel dances. We are still the only ones to have pinned Skrabz in Mile High! As much as it pains him and everyone else…

She waves her hand, slicing it through the air.

Alex "Bullet" Carbajal: No one else can say that, just you and just me! We have both been champions in this company and we have both stepped to THE Champion and left him looking for another match after…

Again, Bullet hand swings through the air, dismissing an offensive idea.

Alex "Bullet" Carbajal: Anyone who says you cannot hang has not been paying attention!

Her hand balls into a fist and slams into the palm of her other hand.

Alex "Bullet" Carbajal: So here we are, new year, new fight and you’re right, I was just named to a pay-per-view match with contendership implications. If you trip me up here, you put yourself in that conversation as well and rightfully so! There was a time where I was seen as running neck and neck with Skrabz and should you do that, you will be the only person who can say you pinned both of us! If that does not put you in that conversation, nothing will and you should march up to Robert Mack, slap him across the face with a velvet glove and demand dueling pistols at dawn because the man has gone deaf, dumb and blind to your talent!

Her hand opens, index finger extended again.

Alex "Bullet" Carbajal: But if I win, I cement myself at the top of the damn food chain again! I win and I walk into that match at the pay-per-view with the kind of momentum that makes everyone sit up and take notice! I win and even Reaper’s manager has to acknowledge things will not be as easy as he always makes them out to be.

She nods forcefully.

Alex "Bullet" Carbajal: I win and I walk into that damn building with the wind in my sails and a renewed sense of this thing and I hope you come looking for the same thing! I hope you come to this match more motivated than you have ever been in your entire life! I hope you come to this dance with your horse hooves on and try to kick me so hard it’ll draw blood and leave marks that will never come off! I hope you come to this match looking to run my ass over at full horsepower and show that an obstinate housewife is more than just a catchy name! I want you to come to that ring and give me everything you ahev and then, just when you think you’ve given it everything, I want you to push until it feels like you’re fucking dying and keep pushing even more! I want to see the fire in your eyes, feel the fire in your fists and in your heart and I want you to try and burn me down so badly it will feel like the fires of hell’s ninth circle! I want you to show the whole damn world what I have known since that match early in my career and what I preached to all of my fellow Maidens when they would start to dismiss the notion of you…

Bullet’s eyes burn brightly as she starts to point furiously to the floor.

Alex "Bullet" Carbajal: I want you to come at me like I owe you money and I drew the dead man’s hand betting it all against you! I want you to come at me as if your very life depends on it and like I have your wife held hostage in the locker room under penalty of death if you lose! I want every fiber of your being to be dead set on one thing…

She points furiously to the floor again.

Alex "Bullet" Carbajal: I went this match, this battle to be such a battle that whoever wins has operas written of their triumph! If this is to be my end, I would have it be such an end that it is worthy of remembrance and if it is to be yours, that it is Biblical in its intensity! If you beat me I want it to be because there was no one that could have stopped you that night and if I beat you, it’s because you threw everything you could have thrown at me and I still survived!

She nods grimly to the camera.

Alex "Bullet" Carbajal: We need this...

Nodding her head in almost rapid fire succession, Bullet steps forward to get closer to the camera, her eyes laser-focused and practically burning a hole through the lens.

Alex "Bullet" Carbajal: We both need this fight, Azurine. We both need this dance and I intend to walk to that ball and show the whole fucking world what we’ve all know for so long is still true!

She holds her hand out in the shape of a gun pointed into the camera.

Alex "Bullet" Carbajal: Bang!