The Enigma vs. Marie Jones

[The Matt]

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April 29th, 2024
Albany, New York
Off Camera
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Breakdown was certainly an eventful night for “The Phoenix” Marie Jones. After being tag team partners with Chris Dumont at Taking the Leap, Marie marched into Breakdown and defeated him in a hard fought match to successfully retain her SCW Television Championship. This means that her nonstop, workhorse schedule will continue next week in Japan as she defends against the next challenger; former champion The Enigma. This defense will not be just any ordinary title match, not for The Phoenix. This one has become far more personal because, the same night Marie retained her title against Dumont, The Enigma also chose to appear out of nowhere and attack Marie’s identical twin sister Kimberly Williams. Was it a case of mistaken identity? Was The Enigma planning a preemptive strike on the champion and thought Kim was actually Marie? It is possible however unlikely. Everyone else knew it was Kim. She was announced as Kim. How could The Enigma have made such a mistake? It was obviously done on purpose. The Enigma intentionally struck at Marie’s family. And maybe that was just it? Perhaps his mind game all along was to strike at a member of Marie’s family? Whatever the case may be, Jones has now found more motivation to win in Japan. This isn’t just about her championship. This is about avenging her sister.

Marie has always felt a closeness to her twin sister Kimberly. Identical twins always have a close relationship, that goes without saying. But Marie and Kim have always been there for one another, even when one or the other went off the rails, the other always remained supportive. When Marie was lured into the Inner Peace Enlightenment cult, Kimberly never gave up on her. Kim never gave up on trying to bring her back into the family. Now Marie is back in her family’s good graces, she has custody of her son Sean back, and thanks in part to Kim, Marie learned that the woman she had been dating, Julianne Buchanan, had been manipulating and using her this entire time. Marie can now move on from Inner Peace and Julianne and attempt to rebuild and create new friendships and new bonds with people who truly do care about her. One such individual is Melinda Jade.

Melinda and Marie were close friends growing up. They grew apart when Marie was returned to her mother’s care. Melinda ended up committing crimes that put her in prison for a few years. But Marie reconnected with her friend, she remained supportive of her friend, and helped her rebuild her life when she got released from prison. And now that Marie has overcome her own deep seeded personal issues, Melinda is here to return the favor, Melinda is here to support her the best way she knows how. Tonight, Melinda is supporting her best friend by taking her out for a night of fun at a biker bar. The interior of this bar in Albany, New York is dimly lit, with a few neon signs casting a colorful glow over the worn hardwood floors. The bar stretches along one side of the room, its polished surface marred by scratches and cigarette burns. Behind it, rows of liquor bottles gleam in the low light, their labels faded from years of exposure. In one corner, an old jukebox plays classic rock tunes, its flickering lights adding to the ambiance.

Jones is trying to seem pleasant and happy to be here, and she is happy to be here with Melinda. But a biker bar isn’t exactly Marie’s idea of a good time, especially not one like this. Despite their close friendship, this has always been one thing that differentiated these two; Marie prefers the finer things in life and Melinda Jade has been down to earth, more practical. Marie and Melinda sit at a round table back up against the wall near the jukebox. The Phoenix dons a simple knee length denim skirt, a red silk blouse, and black boots. Melinda wears denim jeans, black boots, and a black t-shirt. Loud rock music plays in the background but Marie and Melinda still manage to maintain a good conversation despite the noise.

“Are you enjoying yourself, Marie?” Melinda asks. Marie forces a smile and nods her head.

“Yeah, definitely.”

“You sure?” Melinda points to the drink sitting in front of Marie, a glass of red wine that she has barely touched. “Have you even drank any of that wine?”

“A little.”

“You’re not singing along to the songs.” She points out. “I thought you Jones girls were songbirds?”

“That’s my mom.” Marie chuckles. “And my cousin, Glory, to a degree. Not me.”

“Oh yeah. You don’t dance much either, do you?”

“Right, I don’t.” Marie smirks. “I’m the prude, remember? Kim is the party animal.”

“You are no prude, babe.” Melinda pats her on the back. “It just takes a bit to get that excitement out of ya. Although…” her voice trails off as she studies Marie some more “...I would have thought you would be more excited right now. I mean, you DID regain custody of your son, you escaped a toxic relationship, you escaped a cult. You retained your Television Title. That’s a lot of success right there.”

“I suppose.” Marie sighs and shakes her head. “But Kim was assaulted last week on Breakdown and I didn’t make it there to save her.”

“What idiot jumped her?”

“The Enigma.” Marie says. “The guy I’m defending the title against on Breakdown.”

“Wonderful.” Melinda smirks. “Then there’s your opportunity to kick his ass!”

“Yeah, you’re right.” Marie takes her glass of wine and takes a sip. She sets the glass down and sighs. “I’m sorry if I don’t seem grateful, Mels. I really am grateful for this, for everything you’ve done. And I know that tonight was supposed to be a celebration, celebrating everything I’ve done to try and rebuild my life.”

“But you’re not very comfortable in a bar like this, are you?” Melinda asks. Marie shakes her head.

“No, not really. Sorry.”

“Nah, it’s all good.” Melinda laughs softly. “I get it. Your taste is far more upscale and high class than mine are. But ya gotta trust me on this one, Marie, tonight will be very special. I guarantee it.”

“I hope you’re right.”

“I know I’m right.” Melinda smiles knowingly. “Look, I kinda get what you’re going through right now cause I went through the same shit. No, you didn’t go to prison, but you did get cut off from your family due to stupid mistakes you made. Now you’re trying to repair and rebuild your life. You’re trying to pull yourself back together. And sometimes you need a little extra help.”

“I know and I’m glad you’ve been there for me, Mels.” Marie says with a warm smile on her face.

“Yeah, yeah, but I aint talking about me, Marie. I mean, I’d like to think I am a great person, but it takes more than one body to create a good support system. Know what I mean?” Melinda winks. Marie furrows her brow.

“Where are you going with this, Mels?” Jones asks out of curiosity. “I mean, I have the greatest support system a girl could ask for; I have my family. My sisters, my mother, that’s all I really need. Right?”

“Family is great and all, don’t get me wrong, but ya also need friends, Mels. And maybe, some close friends. Ya got me, but maybe need more? Ya already lost that Julianne bitch. So maybe you need someone new?”

“Oh God…” Marie shakes her head vehemently “...what have you done?”

“Nothing bad!” Melinda grins with a hint of mischief written on her face. “I just think you should meet a good friend of mine.”

“What’s her name?” Marie asks.

“HIS name is Death’s Head.”

“What?!” Marie is taken aback by this. “You set me up with a guy named Death’s Head?!”

“Look, it’s just a nickname!” Melinda is laughing uncontrollably at Marie’s panic mode going ballistic. “He prefers Death’s Head because he’s embarrassed by his real name.”

“What’s his real name?”

“Percy Matthews.” Melinda snickers. “I mean, c’mon, can you imagine a big burly ex-con named Percy? Yeah, that’s why he hates it.”

“Wait…” Marie pauses for a moment to let that information soak in “...ex-con? You mean…”

“Yes.” Melinda nods her head. “He served time in prison. But that shouldn’t be a problem, should it? I mean, I’m an ex-con and you trust me.”

“That’s different.”

“How is it different?” Melinda asks. “Ex-cons are people too, people who made mistakes. You are no different from me and Percy. The only real difference is that you didn’t serve a prison sentence for your mistakes. You don’t have a criminal record for your mistakes. But all three of us still need a second chance and we all need a strong support system to help us rebuild our lives.”

“I dunno.” Marie shakes her head.

“Look, I can vouch for the guy. I met him when I first moved to the Albany area. We were both having difficulty transitioning back into society after serving prison time. But he is a good guy. Please give him a chance.”

The Phoenix isn’t sure whether or not she should give this guy a chance. The only thing he has going for him right now is that Melinda is willing to put her full trust in him. Before Marie can answer Melinda, a large bulky, muscular biker approaches their table. He is tattooed up one arm and down the other. He looks right at Melinda Jade and grins.

“Jade!”

“Percy!”

“Death’s Head.” He corrects her. “Ya know I hate my real name.”

“Sorry, bud.” Melinda motions to Marie. “Sit down. And meet my closest friend, my friend from childhood, Marie Annabelle Jones.”

“Marie would have sufficed.” Jones says with a sigh.

“Sorry!” Melinda smirks. “But I DID tell you Death’s Head real name, it’s only fair I tell him the middle name that you’re not exactly fond of.”

“Nice to meet ya, ma’am.” He extends a hand. Marie doesn’t want to be rude so she accepts the handshake. “You are awfully lovely.”

Jones is actually kind of surprised. He has quite the southern accent. And he has a bit of southern charm and hospitality as well. “Forgive me, but you don’t exactly sound like you’re from Albany.”

“I’m not, ma’am. At least not originally.” Percy answers. “I’m from Charleston, South Carolina. Born and raised. But I spent most of my prison time in the New York state prison system because, well, that’s where I committed most of my crimes.”

“What made you leave South Carolina?” Marie asks curiously.

“Just wanted to see the world, I suppose.” He chuckles. “Look at the good it did me, right?”

“Speaking of seeing the world!” Melinda chimes in. She wraps an arm around Marie’s shoulder. Jones can feel the spotlight about to shine down right on her. “Marie here gets to see the world at the time! She is a wrestler!”

“A wrestler? Ya serious?” Percy asks. Marie nods her head.

“Uh, yeah, I guess.”

“Don’t be so damned modest.” Melinda snaps. “You’re a freaking champion in SCW.”

“Oh yeah!” Percy snaps his fingers. “I thought I recognized you! I see you on the tube all the time! I never miss an edition of Breakdown.”

“That’s nice.” Marie chuckles. “But I want to go ahead and say it now so that you’re not too disappointed; I am not Kim. I am not the Underground Champion if that’s who you were thinking.”

“Who?” Percy asks. “Oh you mean the super violent chick. Nah, she’s fun, she’s entertaining, but I think she’s a bit too wild for my taste. The kinda stuff you do, the technical wrestling, the high flying moves, that is artwork right there. And the match you put on last week against The Ronin? Damn that was good!”

Marie’s eyes grow wide with surprise. For the past few years Marie has been living in Kimberly’s shadow. While Kim has racked up so many new fans with her crazy antics and her run as Queen of the Death Match across multiple promotions, Marie has become practically forgotten by the fans. But here, this ex-con named Death’s Head…or Percy Matthews as it were…he is a fan of Marie Jones. He is a fan of The Phoenix. For the first time since she arrived at this bar, a genuine sincere smile forms on Marie’s face.

“Well…” she giggles “...thanks, Percy…I mean, Death’s Head. It was tough. Dumont gave it his all and there were plenty of times I thought had me dead to rights.”

“No way.” Percy shakes his head. “You had him the entire time! And I can’t wait for you to outclass the cheap magician Enigma this week.”

The Phoenix cannot tell if this is him just being polite, if this is him being an excited super fan, or if this is just him saying whatever it takes to impress her, but whatever it is, these words are having an impact upon Marie. She realizes now how much she missed the love and the adulation of the fans. She realizes how much she missed being a fan favorite. Sure, she gets to be cheered every time she goes out to the ring, but to meet fans one on one like this? It is special. And Percy may not know it, but he just helped Marie’s self-confidence in a big way. She wasn’t sure about Melinda’s bright idea to introduce her to this man who calls himself Death’s Head. Part of her still isn’t so sure about befriending an ex-con. But Melinda has a point; Marie does need a good, strong support system that extends beyond just her immediate family. What could it hurt to make friends with this guy? He does seem to be quite the southern gentleman.