07-29-2022, 10:00 PM
OOC: Here we go. The following plays on the previous roleplays (Selena’s and Deanna’s) from the previous weeks. On a personal note, thank you everyone that has been part of this story/journey. It’s been one of, if not my favorites, to write. Good luck, Adam! In two parts due to length.
She walks through the desert of snow, hearing the crunching of the white powder under her boots. How familiar it sounds – almost comforting amidst the barren land… almost.
In truth, she longs for home. She longs for the warm embrace of love that belongs only to her wife – her beloved redhead. She longs for that feeling of being welcome, of being loved, of being respected, of being trusted, of being adored – all of it.
The winter wasteland offers none of that to her. It remains cold, almost untouchable save by the savage winds and sub-zero temperatures. The trees, as always, are stripped of their leaves and parts of their bark are buried beneath the deep snow, forgotten to time and nature… much like she will be someday…
Perhaps someday soon… she tries to speak those words but finds she cannot – the strong wind blowing its power and rage swallows up the very sound in her voice as it whips her long braid of platinum-blonde hair any which way it pleases, even pushing her back every now and then as if in mockery.
This…this is feeling she cannot stand. This is her greatest fear. Being alone. Being forgotten. How long had she tried desperately to escape this? How many years had she wallowed in such a state, waiting for death to claim her? How she had, in her desperation, conjured up a snow child to believe in to try and maintain a single shred of sanity? How she had drowned herself in alcohol – whatever she could get – to numb the feeling of utter loneliness and worthlessness?
She hated returning here – to be forcibly reminded of where she came from, what she was before fate had stepped in and opened the metaphorical door a crack, allowing her to rush through it in mad desperation. Here? It was as if it never happened, as if it didn’t matter that she was known, respected and loved – that she was the world champion of SCW.
Here, she was still Se…no, she couldn’t even say that with 100% certainty anymore. Killjoy had been there every step of the way to throw doubt and pain every time she had come close to getting her life back – her identity back.
It was why she was walking now, walking through this nightmare. Walking to her death.
She knew she wouldn’t go down without a fight – her very nature refused to simply accept her fate. How often had she defied expectations in her life? Killjoy? The DeCarlos? The Scythes? The Frost/Frostmere clan? The Dragon Slayers? Not to mention so many – nearly every opponent in the past year – she had faced in SCW, demanding she surrender? That she ‘expose her true self’ – whatever that meant – and give up trying to be something more for the SCW World title and the SCW Universe.
She had defied them all, just like Deanna had. She had kept going, overcoming every challenge and ‘deadline’ set. Every expectation and “standard” placed on her.
Still, as her hands held onto her arms as she trudged through the thick blanket of snow into the clearing and she recognized the land and markings – she knew that, even with her heart and her passion and refusal to yield… she was merely delaying the inevitable.
Everything dies…
She didn’t have to look up to know the glowing yellow-green eyes were watching her from above. How part of her wished she could have understood that “constant” of her nightmares. They were the only thing she had yet to truly figure out. Were they Killjoy? Her father? Malcolm? Her stepmother from beyond the grave?
She almost laughed at that way of thinking. It was beyond pointless now to consider. Perhaps in the next life or after-life – whatever awaited someone like her.
Her eyes spotted a section of the untouched snow of the field – she could almost feel part of her, like she had in her childhood, wanting to rush and jump into it! Disturb it and play with it with the utmost abandon. Would the eyes then change to disappointment? Annoyance? Or would they smile at the display of such ‘wonder’ and ‘happiness’, however temporary?
Still, she kept walking into the open field, her eyes taking sight of the wrecked, burnt remains of the house just a few yards beyond her – covered with snow though, like the trees behind her, parts of the bare/stripped wood were visible. Beyond that, just a ways away, she could see the entrance to the cave, even amidst the flurry.
Her father’s cave. Her cave. The entrance to the mine.
And standing between her and her past – was the fiend.
She recognized instantly the dark leather jacket and the black skull helmet – trademarks of the murderer. Unlike her, the monster seemed unaffected by the winds and snow. Perhaps it was that that spiked the traveller’s pride, forcing herself to straighten up to her full height and drop her hands to her sides, withstanding the wind and the cold.
”Are you ready to die?” the voice echoes across the fields, ringing in her ears.
The woman said nothing in reply – why would she? She knew what she would like to say – what she desperately wanted to say, but she knew that the wind would simply swallow up her voice again. Nome was merciless – devoid of compassion – except for the scraps from a few of its people like her Uncle Liam. What was she but the product of such cruelty? Or was she the product of love against all odds – how she wished, with all her being, that would be true. That Deanna would tell their children how the Snow Queen was born – the story she knew… even if it might be untrue.
She took a slow, deep breath and closed her eyes, knowing what would come next. The same ending to every nightmare. Every visit. Every encounter her.
The foreboding, inevitable conclusion… her end.
And then…
….
And then….
“Answer me.”
Selena’s eyes shot open, her senses instantly reawakening from their temporary leave of reality. Her body exhaled the long breath she had taken as she had closed her eyes a mere moment ago. Those same eyes, sapphire in color, scanned her surroundings.
It wasn’t snowing but pouring rain. She was drenched, standing in the field with her leather jacket – the one she had stolen from Gavin years and years ago – and her black wrestling pants. She felt the material of her wrestling tights and the long, form-fitting shirt she wore (all but her wrestling jacket was on) against her skin, a choice she had made to give her the most freedom of movement. She could feel the rain drip in through the openings in her jacket to soak into the material of her clothes. She felt her hair, her braid, plastered against her back and the back of her neck. She heard the loud crack of thunder shake the skies above her. She felt the ground, soaked, beneath her boots.
Slowly, the Snow Queen’s eyes settled on the voice before her – Killjoy – standing before her impatiently. Behind her enemy were the soaked remains of her childhood home. The house Selena had burnt down years ago: her way of leaving her past behind her. Beyond that, the cave of her father – the stone soaked with the rainfall that surrounded and assaulted them both.
“Are you…” Killjoy rasped, the black skull giving the altered voice Selena was far more familiar with. “Ready to die…” there was still that smug satisfaction in her voice as she stood there, the raining coming down on her just as fiercely.
Standing there, just a few yards apart, Selena took one last breath, letting the thunder above her pass with a loud roar that shook the ground.
“No.” She replied with a smile. “Are you?”
Killjoy gave no reaction for a second, merely standing her ground. The few lights that stood to the sides, held up by tall poles, offered only a little illumination in the dark – along with the lightning of the storm – but it was enough for Selena to see all she had. Slowly, the skulled creature reached up towards her helmet and, despite the storm, Selena could hear the click and snapping of metal gears and latches releasing as her enemy slowly pulled off her helmet, tossing the contraption to the ground and revealing the young woman’s face – a face, even Selena had to admit, was so much like hers.
“This doesn’t end…” Killjoy stated in her real voice – the same timbre but lacking Selena’s accent. “Until one of us is dead.”
A sad sigh came from the Snow Queen as she slowly nodded her head, feeling the water continue to pour on her as she took off her jacket, tossing it to the ground. “There can be only one Selena Frost.” She answered back, repeating the words she had spoken to Killjoy at their last confrontation at the children’s school weeks ago.
“Precisely.” Killjoy grinned wickedly.
The wrestler opened her mouth to speak but the thunder roared again, muting her voice with authority. It was doubtful Killjoy would have listened anyway. For in that flash of lightning and crash of thunder, the fiend was bolting towards Selena, her feet kicking up water from the soaked ground as she ran.
She was only sixty feet away… fifty…forty…
Slowly, taking one last deep breath, Selena stepped back into her fighting stance as Killjoy continued to close the distance between them. “And then…” she whispered, the storm drowning her voice. “…oblivion.”
The Frost House
Nome, Alaska
July 24, 2022
12:09am
Selena felt herself flying back and quickly twisted her body into the momentum, her hand launching into the wet grass of the ground to keep her steady as she completed the modified cartwheel the momentum from blocking Killjoy’s kick had forced. She barely had time to land on her feet before Killjoy was before her again, throwing punches and kicks in rapid succession, water from the rainfall flying off both combatants.
Killjoy had been nothing but aggressive from the start, relentlessly attacking Selena and leaving only moments here and there for Selena to try and counter-attack. It was all the Snow Queen could do to block and dodge and roll through.
Her arms and legs hurt already from blocking the attacks – she was 100% certain there would be bruises on her body (or corpse) when this was over.
Her eyes suddenly shifted as she caught an opening in Killjoy’s offense – an error caused by the slippery ground! – as the woman slipped on her foot a little, exposing her side during another kick. Moving quickly, Selena stepped to the side and dropped to the ground to sweep the slipped leg further, effectively sending Killjoy crashing to the ground. Just as quickly, Selena rolled onto the murderer, mounting her and driving her fist into Killjoy’s face, the woman unable to get her hands up in time to block it until the second punch. Still, perhaps from desperation or fear or a mixture of both, Selena continued to rail down punches on Killjoy, driving her fist over and over again wherever she could land it.
She was suddenly being grabbed and flipped over by Killjoy’s legs, but she quickly spun out and landed on her feet, jumping back a bit as Killjoy pushed herself to stand, the latter clearly frustrated with the circumstances of this fight.
“You don’t need to do this.” Selena implored loudly atop of the sounds of the storm. “All of this…this madness! Why do you care how I live? How I am now? You could be your own ‘Selena Frost’ if you truly wanted to. No one would think twice.”
“Desperate are we?” Killjoy laughed as she paced around Selena, catching her breath.
“No.” Selena replied sternly. “I mean we don’t have to kill each other! I just don’t see why you need me gone to have a ‘life’. You won’t be able to simply ‘take my place’! Even you have to know that by now!”
“Can’t I?” Killjoy smirked with a tilt of her head. “I’m faster than you, stronger than you, I’m more driven. And maybe your wife and my parents will need convincing…or other methods to ‘play along’.”
Upon hearing that, the proverbial ‘button’ being pressed, Selena was on the move, angrily charging and tackling Killjoy back to the ground. She had barely landed when she felt Killjoy catch her and roll her over, but she kept moving, causing the pair to roll across the wet grass several yards, each one fighting for control.
With a sudden kick, Killjoy launched Selena away from her, allowing the two to, once more, gain a standing position. “Hit a nerve did I?” the murderer taunted.
“You think you can just waltz into my life and take it? You step one foot into my house and Deanna will kill you – she knows how to work a gun.” Selena threw back. “Same with my parents.”
“True. True.” Killjoy smiled knowingly. “But as it stands, I have plans for that – of course you won’t have to worry about that when this is all over. And as for SCW, who will notice? Or even care?”
“What are you talking about it?” Selena asked, her stance shifting a little in confusion.
“Oh come on.” Killjoy laughed. “Think about how easy it would be. I go in for you and drop the world title to Adam Allocco. You’re out of the limelight, scorned, angry – lost the title that meant so much to you… it’s the perfect time to ‘turn’, don’t you think?”
“Turn?” the Snow Queen asked.
“Of course!” Killjoy laughed as she explained. “The ‘great Selena Frost’! Master of integrity… ‘soundly beaten’ by the man that would ‘do anything to win’. How can SCW be behind such a man – a man with no integrity - after so many months of integrity and hard work? Her heart breaks…” Killjoy simulated the act of a heart breaking with her hands as she continued to pace. “Suddenly, SCW doesn’t deserve ‘integrity’ or ‘goodness’. They deserve someone to ‘rule absolutely’. To overpower and destroy her opponents. To not wrestle for glory but pure domination. Suddenly, as if she was ‘holding back last July’-“ Killjoy winked a sapphire eye at Selena. “Selena decimates Allocco and regains the world championship. She’s back on top… perhaps hated but oh so comfortable in her ‘true skin’.”
Despite herself, Selena stood there, utterly dumbstruck. It was absurd! It was insane! It was…it was… completely possible.
For years, she had read discord messages and heard the chatter on the web – people wishing for her to take on a ‘heel’ persona. Her fellow superstars all believed she could and would – as if her ‘Believe it’ and morals was nothing more than a fascade – ‘Selena the fraud’. How many years had she heard those words? How many years had she been mocked for her standards and beliefs? Hell, Allocco had JUST talked her under the table last Breakdown with that ‘sainthood’ logic every superstar had used against her – including Owen Lee when she had fought him weeks ago!
Why weren’t you there when this happened? Why weren’t you there when this happened? Why didn’t you help this person? Or this person?
She had faced such accusations from the start of her career, when Autumn Valentine had started the campaign to ‘expose Selena as the evil brat’ because Selena hadn’t been there to stop The Coalition from hanging Christy Matthews upside down during an episode of Breakdown…
For Selena to forsake it all – her beliefs and morals – and just…just be like everyone else. Hell, be what the ‘latest’ had accused her of – be a damn ‘bully’ if The Brand was to be believed. If she stopped being ‘different’…. Like Allocco had said. ”Do I need to be?”
The world would accept it in a heartbeat – some would even praise her – as well as themselves - for it if she turned!
“Deanna won’t let you.” Selena tried. “She’d stop you. She’d fight you.”
“Of course she would.” Came Killjoy’s smug response. “But if you can’t stop me now…what hope does she have?”
It was a line that was meant to deflate Selena… that much was certain. So, Killjoy was surprised to see the Snow Queen laugh a little as the rain continued to fall.
“That what you think?” Selena asked, tilting her head. “Killjoy – Deanna is so much better than me in every way.”
“Bias.”
“No…fact.” Selena laughed. “She went to prison and still maintained her good nature. She survived being raped and still is ‘her’. She’s fighting a damn war in an Underground match and is still not giving in. And she’s getting better and better as a wrestler. Don’t you get it? She is going to surpass me some day… which means she will surpass you.”
The words seemed to sink in a little to Killjoy, the woman taking a moment to think about it before scoffing. “Too bad she won’t be around by the time such a thing is possible, then.” She answered with a smirk. “I told you… I have plans.”
“So your plan is to kill her?” Selena asked, her body growing stiff as Killjoy continued to pace around her, laughing at such a question. “Answer me.” Selena barked. “Are you planning on killing my wife?”
Slowly, Killjoy turned her head towards Selena. “Yes.” She answered. “Eventually, Deanna will die. It’s necessary.”
Selena felt it then. The familiar snap in her. That ‘step’ that pushed her into the territory she rarely wished to go. The place that had seen her destroy Xander Valentine in minutes. The place that had seen her bring him down into unconsciousness, take down Vixen Cain, and dismantle Bree Lancaster inside a roofed cage (just to name a few dark moments of history). The place that had made her toss the grenade into the church and kill Nicodemius, Brachiss, and Evangeline DeWinter. The place that had made her assault Queenie in Frankfurt… and so many other things that haunted her.
A place Killjoy thrived in.
“That’s all I needed to hear.” Selena replied before springing towards Killjoy, launching a crescent kick directly at the woman’s head, the Snow Queen putting everything she had behind it…. Only to be met with a strong block by Killjoy’s waiting arm.
“That doesn’t work.” The woman mocked. “You’ve tried that already.” With a quick spin, Killjoy effectively pushed Selena’s leg away and, using the same momentum, side-kicked Selena in the stomach, sending the wrestler stumbling back, the wind effectively knocked out of her lungs.
Rather than press her attack, however, Killjoy just stood there, smugly. “You’re out of your league, Selena.” She spoke as Selena struggled to breathe. “I know every move you can make and every way to counter it. I know everything you’ll throw before even you do.”
Selena’s eyes widened as she slowly regained her ability to breath. It was true – everything Killjoy said, every plan she had, it was based on one thing. Years of experience. Because Selena was Killjoy’s obsession! For nine years, she had studied Selena, learning her every move, how she thought and acted, learning every element of her life for the sole purpose of taking it over – as Killjoy believed Selena had done to her when they were babies thanks to Project: Black Ice.
It had been a year ago when she had finally met this woman and, just like then, Selena couldn’t fight her. Didn’t stand a chance against someone that knew her so well.
The thought suddenly froze in Selena’s mind. Knew HER so well… Knew her so well…
”I’m a master at this sport. Selena can’t afford to confuse me as another challenger. I have answers where she has questions…” Adam Allocco’s words from his promo against Holly Adams – it had sounded so familiar when Selena had heard it. Why had Adam hidden his ‘playbook’ of moves for so long? Because he knew Selena’s and didn’t want to even the playing field. Why was Killjoy so smug and arrogant? Because she knew Selena’s style! It was an advantage of ‘absence’ that Selena didn’t have… Allocco had only been back a few months (as he liked to brag) and Killjoy had lived in the shadows for years…
Selena had no way of knowing fully what either was capable of… but…but…
That doesn’t mean they know what I am fully capable of…but… her mind ran a million thoughts and possibilities, time seeming to slow just a little for the Snow Queen. Am I capable of pulling this off?
Taking a slow, deep breath, Selena straightened her posture, urging her heart to slow its beating. Taking a step back, her stance changed to one she had never done before but had seen… when she had faced a certain ‘Fallen King’.
Giving a tilt of her head, Killjoy scoffed. “Okay, let’s see where this takes us.” She walked forward, immediately throwing a punch. There was little behind it, the fiend mocking Selena with it. In the wrestler’s mind, she wanted to block it and counter it with a forearm… but Killjoy would be waiting for that…
But what if she…
She moved before she could finish the thought, she had blocked Killjoy’s punch and, instead of counter-attacking, simply grabbed her body and dropped Killjoy down into the ground with an STO, Killjoy’s head bouncing into a nearby puddle of mud! Quickly, Selena rolled away and was back on her feet, seeing Killjoy shake her head, now covered with mud, stunned and a little confused.
“What the hell was that?” she spat angrily.
“Something I learned from a guy that thought he was a god.” Selena shot back, bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet. “You going to fight or take a nap down there?”
Angered from being the one mocked this time, Killjoy was back up in seconds and mad-rushing Selena, back to throwing those serious punches and kicks she had at the start. Once more, Selena was on the defensive, but only part of her mind was staying present, keeping an eye on Killjoy to block and dodge any damaging blows. The other part of her mind was racking threw her memories – pouring through her past matches, her past opponents, digging through what had ‘worked’ against her…
She just managed to grab a hold of Killjoy’s leg from the side as the maniac threw it. “Nice try.” Barked Killjoy as she leapt up to throw a second kick with the other leg, but Selena ducked it – just as Killjoy had expected, the woman landing on her feet. Everything in Selena’s mind screamed at her to put her in a headlock or a reverse DDT like she would have in the ring. Again, Selena was already moving before she could properly think as Killjoy threw her hands up around her neck to block the expected attack. Grabbing the waiting hands, Selena instead fell back, dropping them both onto the ground with her knees folding up and ramming into Killjoy’s back with a loud crack!
’JUDAS SYNDROME! TOMMY SAW THE ENZIGURI COMING!’
Selena kicked Killjoy off her as she heard the woman yell in pain, again, rolling back onto her feet. This time, however, Killjoy took a bit more time on the ground, one hand grasping her back.
“What…” groaned Killjoy as she angrily hammer-fisted the ground before pushing herself back up. “The hell are you doing?”
“Honestly?” Selena laughed, despite herself. “I don’t even know!” she laughed again, the adrenaline making her just a little giddy despite the dire situation.
“Stop fucking around and fight me!” growled Killjoy.
“I am fighting you.” Laughed Selena again. “You’re just pissed cause now it’s you getting your ass kicked!”
That was enough to agitate the woman further, Killjoy again rushing in, ready to launch another punch. Again, Selena’s instincts told her to throw a dropkick or something, but she completely ignored them – choosing the opposite – and ducked low at the last second! Immediately, she felt the weight of Killjoy on her and stood back up, grabbing the woman’s neck and leg as Selena balanced her on her shoulders. Immediately, she felt Killjoy’s elbow strike her in the head but she ducked her head low to dull the blows.
“Hang on! I always wanted to try this!” Selena screamed in laughter as she began to suddenly spin on the spot! “WEEEEEE!! YOU’RE AN AIRPLANE!” she screamed, her mind flashing back to moments of picking up her little Amiliah and David so they could ‘fly’!
Moments her Deanna had missed…because of Killjoy.
The humor out of her mind in that instant, Selena’s jaw tightened as she felt her lifted enemy try a weak-as-hell elbow to stop Selena, the woman growing more and more dizzy atop of Selena’s shoulders. “Everybody off.” The Snow Queen growled before flinging Killjoy off her, spinning her around and into her waiting arms – the wrestler dropping down and lifting her knees up again for Killjoy’s head to crash into hard!
“Thank you, Giovanni…” Selena whispered. And he will NEVER hear me say that. She quickly thought on instinct before she was running, seeing Killjoy begin to push herself up – once more simply acting as she leapt up. Killjoy couldn’t see her and thus, couldn’t stop her, as Selena stomped Killjoy’s head back into the ground with a sickening curb stomp.
Stumbling away, Selena looked down, breathing hard as the grounded woman refused to move. “Okay… I don’t like that move.” Selena breathed, her heart burning. “I don’t know why Owen does.”
Still, she had felt Killjoy’s body go slack on that last curb stomp. With a deep gasp for air, Selena felt the last of the adrenaline leave her, causing her to drop to a knee.
She had done it. She had beaten Killjoy – or rather not being Selena had been the key to beating Killjoy. Still…
With another deep breath, the still conscious woman pushed herself to her feet walked the few yards from her enemy towards her own discarded leather jacket. Throwing it over her frame, she reached into her pocket to slowly pull out the silver weapon. She felt the gun – heavy in her hand – as she eyed it.
“It’s her or me.” Selena whispered to herself as she turned to eye Killjoy’s body on the ground. The woman, fake or otherwise to Selena, had made it clear. She would not stop until Selena was dead and she had taken over the Snow Queen’s life. She was going to kill Deanna – also admittedly!
With a slow movement of her fingers, Selena cocked the gun, feeling the click as well as hearing it. A frightening calm filled her – not at what she was about to do but how easy and right it felt. Turning on her foot, Selena walked the last few steps towards Killjoy, now only a few yards from her – and easily in range.
She would not miss.
She would not waste a shot.
A killshot for Killjoy… and everything would be right – everyone would be safe again.
She lifted the gun, held it in place with both hands, aimed straight at the platinum-blonde head that was soaked with rainwater and mud.
The flash of bright lights behind her and the large honk of a horn – a contrast of the lightning and thunder – was enough to halt her as Selena turned her head to see the car stopping right in front of her. The blue Honda Civic flashed its high beams, as if to further get Selena’s attention (which was not possible) and the door flew open, the driver tumbling out.
“STOP!” cried the woman as she ran from the car towards Selena, small hands reaching out to grasp Selena’s gun-wielding hands. “Don’t do it, Selena. Please.”
It took Selena seconds to piece the last few moments together. Her eyes took in the lights of the car, which helped to illuminate the dark red hair of the woman holding her now. The same lights allowed her to see the desperate emerald eyes that bore into hers.
“Deanna?!” Selena gasped. “What the hell! I told you to stay with the children-“
“And how many times have I EVER listened to you when you’ve said that?!” Deanna shot back, her hands choking the gun that Selena held. “Don’t do this, Selena! You’re not a killer.”
“She has to die!” Selena argued. “She swore you will eventually – that she’ll kill you!”
“But she won’t! She hasn’t!” Deanna implored. “Call the police! She’s beaten!”
“She’ll just get out!” Selena argued. “And she won’t stop! She needs to BE stopped!”
“That how it works?” Deanna threw back, her voice a mixture of pain and tears. “Someone too big and too scary, you’re just going to ‘do away with them’? If you can’t ‘beat them’, eliminate them? That it?”
“This isn’t like-“
“Like what?” Deanna interjected. “Like wrestling? Sure seems familiar to me!”
“This is life and death, Deanna! You – our children – our family!”
“Is fine! Fine, Selena! You don’t have to-“
The two were unable to finish their conversation as they both were sent to the ground with a powerful tackle. Immediately, Selena fought in the dark against the form, but it was quickly off her, allowing her to get to her feet, still feeling the gun in her hand. Looking around wildly, Selena held it out in front of her.
“Deann-“ her voice died in her throat as she saw Deanna standing there, just a few feet away from her… with Killjoy holding a gun of her own against Deanna’s temple.
“It seems we both brought guns to a fist fight.” Killjoy growled, though that smug smirk was back amidst the mud on her face. “You should have killed me when you had the chance.”
“Just…” Selena tried, taking a step forward but stopping immediately when Killjoy pressed the gun further against Deanna’s skin. “Let her go.”
“Throw the gun away. Hard as you can.” Killjoy ordered.
It only took a second for Selena to comply, the woman tossing the weapon into the dark forest. She heard it land but could not see where it had gone. “Now let her go!” Selena ordered.
“Oh please.” Killjoy laughed. “I told you. This doesn’t end until one of us is dead.”
Selena felt her breath catch in her throat, her body stiffen. This was it… this was oblivion. It had finally come as Killjoy gripped Deanna tighter to her.
Still, only silence met the trio.
“Still…” Killjoy seemed to think, turning her head this way and that. “No…that would be too easy this way.” Her eyes widened and a wicked grin suddenly crossed her features. “Move.” She ordered the redhead, pulling Deanna away and across the field. “Don’t move yet!” she ordered back to Selena in a yell.
“Stop!” Selena begged. “Let her go! I’ll- I’ll come willingly.”
“Oh, you’ll come willingly!” Killjoy mocked. “But you’ll die painfully! In here! With the REAL Donovan Frost.”
Without another word, Killjoy dragged Deanna into the cave – the cave of Donovan Frost that lead into the gold mine – the pair disappearing into the dark.
Too terrified to move, the implications clear in her mind, Selena could only inhale and exhale as she, once more, felt the weight of the rain on her head and shoulders and back. Why had she hesitated? Why had she listened to Deanna? Another second or two and Killjoy would have been out of their lives! Her family would be safe! So what if the price of that was risking her morality?!
“Dammit, Deanna…” Selena whispered into the thunder, feeling the last of her adrenaline link into anxiety. Her head jerked back towards where she had thrown the gun. There was no point looking for it now. It was lost in the dark – like a needle in a haystack.
Her head turned back towards the space where Killjoy and her wife had disappeared. She knew what she had to do. Of course she knew! There was no other choice for her!
Deanna was it for her. Without her, there would have been no Selena Frost! There WAS no Selena Frost. Not like this. And if it came down to her life or Deanna’s?
The frightening thing was how easy such a choice was.
Selena took a step forward, followed by another, until she was marching closer to her father’s cave. Even in the dim light of the streetlights and the lights of the Civic Deanna had driven, Selena could still make out the familiar etchings of stone that she knew so well… but also the object on the ground that reflected some of the high beams.
Her feet slowing, her sapphire eyes studied the object until she was standing in front of it. Tentatively, wet, pale hands reached down to pick it up. The fiberglass-metal construct felt a little heavy in her hands, but not by much, and the eye-socket visage stared into hers. Slowly, the most terrifying of ideas coming to her, Selena turned the helmet around, her thumbs finding the panels that widened to accommodate entrance as she slipped the skull helmet over her head.
It fit perfectly, which was worse than it not, she realized. The latches clicked and whirred together to close behind her, snugly fitting the item over her cranium. The rain suddenly felt so much farther away, the sound muffled slightly.
Her sight had not changed much and yet, but she could faintly hear gears or something humming in the metal and padding – her hands felt along the surface of her ‘head’ until one sunk a little behind the left eye socket. Immediately, it was as if someone had turned every light on in the space and her vision was clear with a yellow-green tint.
“Night vision…” Selena whispered, her hands leaping into her throat. That wasn’t her voice… it was Killjoy’s! So, that’s how she did it…
Without another word, her shock subsiding, Selena marched into the cave. It looked the same as it always did, but there was no time for nostalgia. Quickly, her eyes found the service elevator that would lead down into the mine – one of the first things the mining company had installed when she had come for this place. Silently, she thanked Odin that it was still operational – the cave having protected it from the elements for the last few years. Stepping in, Selena activated the down function and felt the shift in movement as she rode the machine down the lift.
She didn’t know what she was going to do. She couldn’t use the same trick she had in the field. There was no space for it. And anything foolish would just endanger – or even kill – Deanna. No, once more, as before, Killjoy was holding all the cards.
I need to trust that Deanna can work with me and help me solve this…. she breathed as she felt the old elevator stop its descent, the doors opening irregularly due to their lack of use and upkeep. Stepping out, the skulled Snow Queen immediately spotted several things.
First, the lights that ran across the stone walls every few feet, wired up to a makeshift control room. Second, said control room to her left that held a large fuse box, a PA speaker and a large, metal microphone. And third, PA speakers spaced far more sporadically than the lights (every dozen yards or so).
This was the doing of the mining company to ensure safety and communication while they had been excavating.
Shaking her head to clear it of all distractions, the wrestler moved further into the cave, peering around every corner she turned. Where were they? The cave stretched out, she knew that well, but it was not infinite. She would soon have them cornered, unless they had dropped off the-
At the thought, Selena quickened her pace, and then quickened it again when she began to hear muffled voices coming a ways ahead. She was almost in a dead run when she turned the corner and saw Killjoy wrestling to keep Deanna moving.
“Let her go!” shouted Selena, her voice dark and robotic – haunting her.
Spinning around, Killjoy’s eyes widened at the sight before her. It must have been a sight to see someone staring at her with her ‘face’ and glowing eyes. A quick glance at Deanna’s own expression confirmed this.
“So, that’s what it looks like…” Killjoy half-breathed, half-smirked before resuming her stance as she had outside the cave, pressing the gun to Deanna’s head. “It suits you.” She mocked.
“This isn’t going to end the way you want it to.” Selena warned as she took a step forward.
“Oh…” Killjoy breathed, tilting her head. Even in the dim lights of the cave, Selena could still see the dishevelled hair and patches of mud on her face. “You think so?”
“Think about it.” Selena spoke slowly. “You kill her, then I kill you. Even if you shoot her and then me, you will not be leaving here a free woman.”
She gestured towards Deanna. “She completes the picture. She goes missing? You give yourself away. She dies and you lose. You can replace me… but you can’t have me exist truly without her.”
It was a stretch to anyone that didn’t know Selena Frost – but it was beyond true to everyone that did. It would be a glaring hole in logic, especially after Deanna’s incarceration, thanks to Killjoy. One without the other? It was possible, but it was a red flag. Even Killjoy knew that, the murderer’s eyes flashing with recognition as she desperately contemplated her next move – so much so that she did not see Deanna’s eyes jumping from her to Selena, the redhead biting her lower lip as her hands slowly reached up towards the arm that Killjoy had wrapped around her neck.
Just a little more… Selena mentally growled, watching Deanna’s hands inch closer and closer. “Last chance, Killjoy.” She called out, regaining the woman’s attention. “It’s the only way we’re leaving here. Walk away. Leave us be – I’ll even help you if money is an issue. But let. This. GO!”
The second the word ‘go’ left her ‘lips’, Selena saw Deanna spring, her mouth and teeth clamping down on the forearm of Killjoy. In a flash of shock, Killjoy screamed out, but she didn’t pull the trigger – perhaps seeing the weight in Selena’s words – instead raising the butt of her gun to bring it down on Deanna’s head.
It never reached its target as Selena reached them and held the arm up with one hand, the other grabbing Killjoy to shove the woman harshly into the nearby wall of stone!
“RUN!” she roared in that Killjoy ‘voice’, grabbing Deanna’s hand and running back the way she came, hearing Killjoy real voice screaming angrily. Left and right Selena ran until the sounds of Killjoy were quiet echoes. Stopping, she turned around quickly to face her beloved redhead, who was winded and looked up at her with emerald eyes a mixture of pain and unease – no doubt seeing her wife in such a contraption.
“Sel-“ Deanna began but was stopped by the taller Frost.
“Take the next two lefts and then a right. You’ll reach the elevator.” She ordered in a harsh whisper. “Take it up, get back in the car and get out of here!”
“What about-“
“I am ending this.” Selena growled darkly. “One way or another.”
“But Selena…” Deanna tried.
“No.” shot the Snow Queen. “Whatever happens – do NOT stay here.”
“But you don’t understand!” Deanna tried, her voice still a whisper like her wife’s as her hands shot into her pockets, pulling out her…cellphone? “I have-“
“There’s no time for this!” Selena came in again, pushing Deanna away. “You need to go!”
“But everything-“
“GO!” Selena’s hadn’t meant to yell but her frustration guided her action and it was enough. Despite herself, Deanna turned and ran, taking the route Selena had instructed to her. Alone with her thoughts for a moment, the older Frost took a few breaths, calming her heart and mind as best as she could before pushing herself back up to her feet. With one last glance the way Deanna had gone, she then, cautiously travelled further back into the mine once more, straining to hear any sign of Killjoy-
Of course, the sound of a fucking shovel nailing her in the back of the head and echoing loudly in her ears solved that mystery as she turned a corner, her head, thankfully, protected by Killjoy’s helmet, though the impact sent her crashing into the stone ground.
Slightly dazed from the shock, Selena looked up to see Killjoy standing before her, a rusted, discarded shovel in the fiend’s hands, the handgun back in its holster.
“I hate you.” Killjoy declared darkly as she stalked towards the fallen Selena. “You were given so much – I gave you so much! I allowed you to reach your goals. I gave you time to accomplish all you wanted! I let you become a world champion! Headline Rise to Greatness! Become a bigger star than you ever were! And it STILL wasn’t enough for you! You had to defy me at every turn! You had to want more! You couldn’t just be content!”
She raised her hands and brought the shovel down, Selena, just barely, rolling out of the way.
“You took two years from Deanna and I!” Selena countered, trying to sweep the leg of Killjoy but the woman dodged it by leaping back. “You terrified me and my children! You tried to kill Gavin! You made us live in fear! And for what?! Because of something I never knew?! That I never meant to be part of?!”
Another swing, and Selena managed to throw her arms up and block the blow in the limited space of the pathway. Grabbing the shaft of the shovel, the Snow Queen strained to wrestle it from Killjoy, who fought back with a rage all her own.
“You took EVERYTHING from me!” Killjoy roared, her voice cracking in the echoes of the cave.
“No!” Selena shot back, her voice a robotic, dark growl. “I may have took your beginning. YOU’RE the one that’s wasted the rest!”
With a loud yell, Killjoy pressed hard and slammed Selena against the wall and then down, driving the wrestler into the ground and pressing the wooden neck of the shovel closer and closer into Selena’s neck, cutting off air to the Snow Queen’s lungs. Desperately, the trapped Selena struggled against the weight, unable to breathe.
“It’s over!” Yelled Killjoy, spittle escaping her mouth as she ground the weapon into Selena.
For a moment, as her lungs burned and her head became lighter and dizzy, Selena’s mind flashed through a million thoughts. Deanna, Elsianna, David, Amiliah, Oberon, Jean, Zoe, Jonathan, Alejanda… memories of her past with her father and step-mother. How would all of this go with her gone?
How would SCW fare without her? Probably better than with me… Why was she joking when she was dying?! Still, it was pretty funny. Not a lot of her fellow wrestlers liked her – maybe they would play “Ding! Dong! The Witch is dead!” rather than ring the bell ten times in memory of her. She found herself not minding the idea. Of course, Adam would be World Champion, which was sad but it wouldn’t last. She had faith someone like Glory, Owen, or Syren or even Cid or her Deanna would be strong enough, smart enough or crazy enough to take the title off him and, maybe, put things back on track with the integrity of the World title - maybe even make it better than I ever did…
That thought was pleasing, and as her vision began to darken, Selena found herself smiling at that thought. And her children would be okay. It broke her heart that she would not see them grow up and become the amazing people they were already growing into, but Deanna would protect them. She was far stronger than she realized – Selena had meant it when she had yelled it to Killjoy earlier. She just wished she didn’t have to break the redhead’s heart like this…
Please forgive me, Deanna… Selena tried to whisper but was too weak to do so, her voice coming out in sputters. Funny how they tell you about the white light at the end of the tunnel… her last thoughts began to form. But they never tell you of the music you hear when you die. Though the trumpets and horns make sense…wait what?!
Despite the dimming of her senses, the woman heard the music grow louder and louder until it was filling the cavern/mine halls. Killjoy’s head jerked up, eyeing the source of the noise – the PA system strung throughout the cave’s paths. “What the fuck-“ she growled at the system and noise and…singing?
“GOD SAVE OUR GRACIOUS QUEEN!” came the choir recording loud and – proud? – over the sound system. “LONG LIVE OUR NOBLE QUEEN! GOD SAVE THE QUEEN!”
It was so loud now that it almost burned in Selena’s ears, though she could still hear Killjoy screaming at it. “Shut it off!” the non-masked platinum-blonde yelled, driving up a hand to cover an ear as the noise grew louder.
“SEND HER VICTORIOUS! HAPPY AND GLORIOUS! LONG TO REIGN OVER US! GOD SAVE THE QUEEN!”
With one of Killjoy’s hands now off the shovel, Selena felt the weight lift of her neck and she gulped for air, her lungs burning with relief. It was enough for the Snow Queen, on instinct, to use both hands and spin Killjoy off her, the world champion rolling away with the shovel, getting to her feet awkwardly just as Killjoy did, the maniac pulling out her gun once more and holding it towards Selena.
The two stared down each other as the anthem continued to blare its last notes before suddenly stopping.
“Your wife, I assume.” Killjoy growled, annoyed.
“She…” Selena gasped more air into her lungs. “She never listens to-“
“Commencing…” the female, robotic voice interjected loudly as it broke out across the PA system, once more grabbing the attention of both women. “Final Project - Project: God Save the Queen.”
There was a snap and crackle from the PA, as if the recording was shifting, until a voice was heard – one that Selena was certain she would never hear again.
“Hello, Selena.”
Her eyes within the helmet went wide. There was no mistaking that voice – she had known it for years.
Her distorted voice rang through. “M…Malcolm?”
“Indeed.” Came the ‘reply’. “And now it’s time I told you the truth of who you are.”
_______________________________________________________________
She walks through the desert of snow, hearing the crunching of the white powder under her boots. How familiar it sounds – almost comforting amidst the barren land… almost.
In truth, she longs for home. She longs for the warm embrace of love that belongs only to her wife – her beloved redhead. She longs for that feeling of being welcome, of being loved, of being respected, of being trusted, of being adored – all of it.
The winter wasteland offers none of that to her. It remains cold, almost untouchable save by the savage winds and sub-zero temperatures. The trees, as always, are stripped of their leaves and parts of their bark are buried beneath the deep snow, forgotten to time and nature… much like she will be someday…
Perhaps someday soon… she tries to speak those words but finds she cannot – the strong wind blowing its power and rage swallows up the very sound in her voice as it whips her long braid of platinum-blonde hair any which way it pleases, even pushing her back every now and then as if in mockery.
This…this is feeling she cannot stand. This is her greatest fear. Being alone. Being forgotten. How long had she tried desperately to escape this? How many years had she wallowed in such a state, waiting for death to claim her? How she had, in her desperation, conjured up a snow child to believe in to try and maintain a single shred of sanity? How she had drowned herself in alcohol – whatever she could get – to numb the feeling of utter loneliness and worthlessness?
She hated returning here – to be forcibly reminded of where she came from, what she was before fate had stepped in and opened the metaphorical door a crack, allowing her to rush through it in mad desperation. Here? It was as if it never happened, as if it didn’t matter that she was known, respected and loved – that she was the world champion of SCW.
Here, she was still Se…no, she couldn’t even say that with 100% certainty anymore. Killjoy had been there every step of the way to throw doubt and pain every time she had come close to getting her life back – her identity back.
It was why she was walking now, walking through this nightmare. Walking to her death.
She knew she wouldn’t go down without a fight – her very nature refused to simply accept her fate. How often had she defied expectations in her life? Killjoy? The DeCarlos? The Scythes? The Frost/Frostmere clan? The Dragon Slayers? Not to mention so many – nearly every opponent in the past year – she had faced in SCW, demanding she surrender? That she ‘expose her true self’ – whatever that meant – and give up trying to be something more for the SCW World title and the SCW Universe.
She had defied them all, just like Deanna had. She had kept going, overcoming every challenge and ‘deadline’ set. Every expectation and “standard” placed on her.
Still, as her hands held onto her arms as she trudged through the thick blanket of snow into the clearing and she recognized the land and markings – she knew that, even with her heart and her passion and refusal to yield… she was merely delaying the inevitable.
Everything dies…
She didn’t have to look up to know the glowing yellow-green eyes were watching her from above. How part of her wished she could have understood that “constant” of her nightmares. They were the only thing she had yet to truly figure out. Were they Killjoy? Her father? Malcolm? Her stepmother from beyond the grave?
She almost laughed at that way of thinking. It was beyond pointless now to consider. Perhaps in the next life or after-life – whatever awaited someone like her.
Her eyes spotted a section of the untouched snow of the field – she could almost feel part of her, like she had in her childhood, wanting to rush and jump into it! Disturb it and play with it with the utmost abandon. Would the eyes then change to disappointment? Annoyance? Or would they smile at the display of such ‘wonder’ and ‘happiness’, however temporary?
Still, she kept walking into the open field, her eyes taking sight of the wrecked, burnt remains of the house just a few yards beyond her – covered with snow though, like the trees behind her, parts of the bare/stripped wood were visible. Beyond that, just a ways away, she could see the entrance to the cave, even amidst the flurry.
Her father’s cave. Her cave. The entrance to the mine.
And standing between her and her past – was the fiend.
She recognized instantly the dark leather jacket and the black skull helmet – trademarks of the murderer. Unlike her, the monster seemed unaffected by the winds and snow. Perhaps it was that that spiked the traveller’s pride, forcing herself to straighten up to her full height and drop her hands to her sides, withstanding the wind and the cold.
”Are you ready to die?” the voice echoes across the fields, ringing in her ears.
The woman said nothing in reply – why would she? She knew what she would like to say – what she desperately wanted to say, but she knew that the wind would simply swallow up her voice again. Nome was merciless – devoid of compassion – except for the scraps from a few of its people like her Uncle Liam. What was she but the product of such cruelty? Or was she the product of love against all odds – how she wished, with all her being, that would be true. That Deanna would tell their children how the Snow Queen was born – the story she knew… even if it might be untrue.
She took a slow, deep breath and closed her eyes, knowing what would come next. The same ending to every nightmare. Every visit. Every encounter her.
The foreboding, inevitable conclusion… her end.
And then…
….
And then….
“Answer me.”
Selena’s eyes shot open, her senses instantly reawakening from their temporary leave of reality. Her body exhaled the long breath she had taken as she had closed her eyes a mere moment ago. Those same eyes, sapphire in color, scanned her surroundings.
It wasn’t snowing but pouring rain. She was drenched, standing in the field with her leather jacket – the one she had stolen from Gavin years and years ago – and her black wrestling pants. She felt the material of her wrestling tights and the long, form-fitting shirt she wore (all but her wrestling jacket was on) against her skin, a choice she had made to give her the most freedom of movement. She could feel the rain drip in through the openings in her jacket to soak into the material of her clothes. She felt her hair, her braid, plastered against her back and the back of her neck. She heard the loud crack of thunder shake the skies above her. She felt the ground, soaked, beneath her boots.
Slowly, the Snow Queen’s eyes settled on the voice before her – Killjoy – standing before her impatiently. Behind her enemy were the soaked remains of her childhood home. The house Selena had burnt down years ago: her way of leaving her past behind her. Beyond that, the cave of her father – the stone soaked with the rainfall that surrounded and assaulted them both.
“Are you…” Killjoy rasped, the black skull giving the altered voice Selena was far more familiar with. “Ready to die…” there was still that smug satisfaction in her voice as she stood there, the raining coming down on her just as fiercely.
Standing there, just a few yards apart, Selena took one last breath, letting the thunder above her pass with a loud roar that shook the ground.
“No.” She replied with a smile. “Are you?”
Killjoy gave no reaction for a second, merely standing her ground. The few lights that stood to the sides, held up by tall poles, offered only a little illumination in the dark – along with the lightning of the storm – but it was enough for Selena to see all she had. Slowly, the skulled creature reached up towards her helmet and, despite the storm, Selena could hear the click and snapping of metal gears and latches releasing as her enemy slowly pulled off her helmet, tossing the contraption to the ground and revealing the young woman’s face – a face, even Selena had to admit, was so much like hers.
“This doesn’t end…” Killjoy stated in her real voice – the same timbre but lacking Selena’s accent. “Until one of us is dead.”
A sad sigh came from the Snow Queen as she slowly nodded her head, feeling the water continue to pour on her as she took off her jacket, tossing it to the ground. “There can be only one Selena Frost.” She answered back, repeating the words she had spoken to Killjoy at their last confrontation at the children’s school weeks ago.
“Precisely.” Killjoy grinned wickedly.
The wrestler opened her mouth to speak but the thunder roared again, muting her voice with authority. It was doubtful Killjoy would have listened anyway. For in that flash of lightning and crash of thunder, the fiend was bolting towards Selena, her feet kicking up water from the soaked ground as she ran.
She was only sixty feet away… fifty…forty…
Slowly, taking one last deep breath, Selena stepped back into her fighting stance as Killjoy continued to close the distance between them. “And then…” she whispered, the storm drowning her voice. “…oblivion.”
Project: Black Ice
”The Truth of Project Black Ice – Part 1: Frost vs. Frost”
The Frost House
Nome, Alaska
July 24, 2022
12:09am
Selena felt herself flying back and quickly twisted her body into the momentum, her hand launching into the wet grass of the ground to keep her steady as she completed the modified cartwheel the momentum from blocking Killjoy’s kick had forced. She barely had time to land on her feet before Killjoy was before her again, throwing punches and kicks in rapid succession, water from the rainfall flying off both combatants.
Killjoy had been nothing but aggressive from the start, relentlessly attacking Selena and leaving only moments here and there for Selena to try and counter-attack. It was all the Snow Queen could do to block and dodge and roll through.
Her arms and legs hurt already from blocking the attacks – she was 100% certain there would be bruises on her body (or corpse) when this was over.
Her eyes suddenly shifted as she caught an opening in Killjoy’s offense – an error caused by the slippery ground! – as the woman slipped on her foot a little, exposing her side during another kick. Moving quickly, Selena stepped to the side and dropped to the ground to sweep the slipped leg further, effectively sending Killjoy crashing to the ground. Just as quickly, Selena rolled onto the murderer, mounting her and driving her fist into Killjoy’s face, the woman unable to get her hands up in time to block it until the second punch. Still, perhaps from desperation or fear or a mixture of both, Selena continued to rail down punches on Killjoy, driving her fist over and over again wherever she could land it.
She was suddenly being grabbed and flipped over by Killjoy’s legs, but she quickly spun out and landed on her feet, jumping back a bit as Killjoy pushed herself to stand, the latter clearly frustrated with the circumstances of this fight.
“You don’t need to do this.” Selena implored loudly atop of the sounds of the storm. “All of this…this madness! Why do you care how I live? How I am now? You could be your own ‘Selena Frost’ if you truly wanted to. No one would think twice.”
“Desperate are we?” Killjoy laughed as she paced around Selena, catching her breath.
“No.” Selena replied sternly. “I mean we don’t have to kill each other! I just don’t see why you need me gone to have a ‘life’. You won’t be able to simply ‘take my place’! Even you have to know that by now!”
“Can’t I?” Killjoy smirked with a tilt of her head. “I’m faster than you, stronger than you, I’m more driven. And maybe your wife and my parents will need convincing…or other methods to ‘play along’.”
Upon hearing that, the proverbial ‘button’ being pressed, Selena was on the move, angrily charging and tackling Killjoy back to the ground. She had barely landed when she felt Killjoy catch her and roll her over, but she kept moving, causing the pair to roll across the wet grass several yards, each one fighting for control.
With a sudden kick, Killjoy launched Selena away from her, allowing the two to, once more, gain a standing position. “Hit a nerve did I?” the murderer taunted.
“You think you can just waltz into my life and take it? You step one foot into my house and Deanna will kill you – she knows how to work a gun.” Selena threw back. “Same with my parents.”
“True. True.” Killjoy smiled knowingly. “But as it stands, I have plans for that – of course you won’t have to worry about that when this is all over. And as for SCW, who will notice? Or even care?”
“What are you talking about it?” Selena asked, her stance shifting a little in confusion.
“Oh come on.” Killjoy laughed. “Think about how easy it would be. I go in for you and drop the world title to Adam Allocco. You’re out of the limelight, scorned, angry – lost the title that meant so much to you… it’s the perfect time to ‘turn’, don’t you think?”
“Turn?” the Snow Queen asked.
“Of course!” Killjoy laughed as she explained. “The ‘great Selena Frost’! Master of integrity… ‘soundly beaten’ by the man that would ‘do anything to win’. How can SCW be behind such a man – a man with no integrity - after so many months of integrity and hard work? Her heart breaks…” Killjoy simulated the act of a heart breaking with her hands as she continued to pace. “Suddenly, SCW doesn’t deserve ‘integrity’ or ‘goodness’. They deserve someone to ‘rule absolutely’. To overpower and destroy her opponents. To not wrestle for glory but pure domination. Suddenly, as if she was ‘holding back last July’-“ Killjoy winked a sapphire eye at Selena. “Selena decimates Allocco and regains the world championship. She’s back on top… perhaps hated but oh so comfortable in her ‘true skin’.”
Despite herself, Selena stood there, utterly dumbstruck. It was absurd! It was insane! It was…it was… completely possible.
For years, she had read discord messages and heard the chatter on the web – people wishing for her to take on a ‘heel’ persona. Her fellow superstars all believed she could and would – as if her ‘Believe it’ and morals was nothing more than a fascade – ‘Selena the fraud’. How many years had she heard those words? How many years had she been mocked for her standards and beliefs? Hell, Allocco had JUST talked her under the table last Breakdown with that ‘sainthood’ logic every superstar had used against her – including Owen Lee when she had fought him weeks ago!
Why weren’t you there when this happened? Why weren’t you there when this happened? Why didn’t you help this person? Or this person?
She had faced such accusations from the start of her career, when Autumn Valentine had started the campaign to ‘expose Selena as the evil brat’ because Selena hadn’t been there to stop The Coalition from hanging Christy Matthews upside down during an episode of Breakdown…
For Selena to forsake it all – her beliefs and morals – and just…just be like everyone else. Hell, be what the ‘latest’ had accused her of – be a damn ‘bully’ if The Brand was to be believed. If she stopped being ‘different’…. Like Allocco had said. ”Do I need to be?”
The world would accept it in a heartbeat – some would even praise her – as well as themselves - for it if she turned!
“Deanna won’t let you.” Selena tried. “She’d stop you. She’d fight you.”
“Of course she would.” Came Killjoy’s smug response. “But if you can’t stop me now…what hope does she have?”
It was a line that was meant to deflate Selena… that much was certain. So, Killjoy was surprised to see the Snow Queen laugh a little as the rain continued to fall.
“That what you think?” Selena asked, tilting her head. “Killjoy – Deanna is so much better than me in every way.”
“Bias.”
“No…fact.” Selena laughed. “She went to prison and still maintained her good nature. She survived being raped and still is ‘her’. She’s fighting a damn war in an Underground match and is still not giving in. And she’s getting better and better as a wrestler. Don’t you get it? She is going to surpass me some day… which means she will surpass you.”
The words seemed to sink in a little to Killjoy, the woman taking a moment to think about it before scoffing. “Too bad she won’t be around by the time such a thing is possible, then.” She answered with a smirk. “I told you… I have plans.”
“So your plan is to kill her?” Selena asked, her body growing stiff as Killjoy continued to pace around her, laughing at such a question. “Answer me.” Selena barked. “Are you planning on killing my wife?”
Slowly, Killjoy turned her head towards Selena. “Yes.” She answered. “Eventually, Deanna will die. It’s necessary.”
Selena felt it then. The familiar snap in her. That ‘step’ that pushed her into the territory she rarely wished to go. The place that had seen her destroy Xander Valentine in minutes. The place that had seen her bring him down into unconsciousness, take down Vixen Cain, and dismantle Bree Lancaster inside a roofed cage (just to name a few dark moments of history). The place that had made her toss the grenade into the church and kill Nicodemius, Brachiss, and Evangeline DeWinter. The place that had made her assault Queenie in Frankfurt… and so many other things that haunted her.
A place Killjoy thrived in.
“That’s all I needed to hear.” Selena replied before springing towards Killjoy, launching a crescent kick directly at the woman’s head, the Snow Queen putting everything she had behind it…. Only to be met with a strong block by Killjoy’s waiting arm.
“That doesn’t work.” The woman mocked. “You’ve tried that already.” With a quick spin, Killjoy effectively pushed Selena’s leg away and, using the same momentum, side-kicked Selena in the stomach, sending the wrestler stumbling back, the wind effectively knocked out of her lungs.
Rather than press her attack, however, Killjoy just stood there, smugly. “You’re out of your league, Selena.” She spoke as Selena struggled to breathe. “I know every move you can make and every way to counter it. I know everything you’ll throw before even you do.”
Selena’s eyes widened as she slowly regained her ability to breath. It was true – everything Killjoy said, every plan she had, it was based on one thing. Years of experience. Because Selena was Killjoy’s obsession! For nine years, she had studied Selena, learning her every move, how she thought and acted, learning every element of her life for the sole purpose of taking it over – as Killjoy believed Selena had done to her when they were babies thanks to Project: Black Ice.
It had been a year ago when she had finally met this woman and, just like then, Selena couldn’t fight her. Didn’t stand a chance against someone that knew her so well.
The thought suddenly froze in Selena’s mind. Knew HER so well… Knew her so well…
”I’m a master at this sport. Selena can’t afford to confuse me as another challenger. I have answers where she has questions…” Adam Allocco’s words from his promo against Holly Adams – it had sounded so familiar when Selena had heard it. Why had Adam hidden his ‘playbook’ of moves for so long? Because he knew Selena’s and didn’t want to even the playing field. Why was Killjoy so smug and arrogant? Because she knew Selena’s style! It was an advantage of ‘absence’ that Selena didn’t have… Allocco had only been back a few months (as he liked to brag) and Killjoy had lived in the shadows for years…
Selena had no way of knowing fully what either was capable of… but…but…
That doesn’t mean they know what I am fully capable of…but… her mind ran a million thoughts and possibilities, time seeming to slow just a little for the Snow Queen. Am I capable of pulling this off?
Taking a slow, deep breath, Selena straightened her posture, urging her heart to slow its beating. Taking a step back, her stance changed to one she had never done before but had seen… when she had faced a certain ‘Fallen King’.
Giving a tilt of her head, Killjoy scoffed. “Okay, let’s see where this takes us.” She walked forward, immediately throwing a punch. There was little behind it, the fiend mocking Selena with it. In the wrestler’s mind, she wanted to block it and counter it with a forearm… but Killjoy would be waiting for that…
But what if she…
She moved before she could finish the thought, she had blocked Killjoy’s punch and, instead of counter-attacking, simply grabbed her body and dropped Killjoy down into the ground with an STO, Killjoy’s head bouncing into a nearby puddle of mud! Quickly, Selena rolled away and was back on her feet, seeing Killjoy shake her head, now covered with mud, stunned and a little confused.
“What the hell was that?” she spat angrily.
“Something I learned from a guy that thought he was a god.” Selena shot back, bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet. “You going to fight or take a nap down there?”
Angered from being the one mocked this time, Killjoy was back up in seconds and mad-rushing Selena, back to throwing those serious punches and kicks she had at the start. Once more, Selena was on the defensive, but only part of her mind was staying present, keeping an eye on Killjoy to block and dodge any damaging blows. The other part of her mind was racking threw her memories – pouring through her past matches, her past opponents, digging through what had ‘worked’ against her…
She just managed to grab a hold of Killjoy’s leg from the side as the maniac threw it. “Nice try.” Barked Killjoy as she leapt up to throw a second kick with the other leg, but Selena ducked it – just as Killjoy had expected, the woman landing on her feet. Everything in Selena’s mind screamed at her to put her in a headlock or a reverse DDT like she would have in the ring. Again, Selena was already moving before she could properly think as Killjoy threw her hands up around her neck to block the expected attack. Grabbing the waiting hands, Selena instead fell back, dropping them both onto the ground with her knees folding up and ramming into Killjoy’s back with a loud crack!
’JUDAS SYNDROME! TOMMY SAW THE ENZIGURI COMING!’
Selena kicked Killjoy off her as she heard the woman yell in pain, again, rolling back onto her feet. This time, however, Killjoy took a bit more time on the ground, one hand grasping her back.
“What…” groaned Killjoy as she angrily hammer-fisted the ground before pushing herself back up. “The hell are you doing?”
“Honestly?” Selena laughed, despite herself. “I don’t even know!” she laughed again, the adrenaline making her just a little giddy despite the dire situation.
“Stop fucking around and fight me!” growled Killjoy.
“I am fighting you.” Laughed Selena again. “You’re just pissed cause now it’s you getting your ass kicked!”
That was enough to agitate the woman further, Killjoy again rushing in, ready to launch another punch. Again, Selena’s instincts told her to throw a dropkick or something, but she completely ignored them – choosing the opposite – and ducked low at the last second! Immediately, she felt the weight of Killjoy on her and stood back up, grabbing the woman’s neck and leg as Selena balanced her on her shoulders. Immediately, she felt Killjoy’s elbow strike her in the head but she ducked her head low to dull the blows.
“Hang on! I always wanted to try this!” Selena screamed in laughter as she began to suddenly spin on the spot! “WEEEEEE!! YOU’RE AN AIRPLANE!” she screamed, her mind flashing back to moments of picking up her little Amiliah and David so they could ‘fly’!
Moments her Deanna had missed…because of Killjoy.
The humor out of her mind in that instant, Selena’s jaw tightened as she felt her lifted enemy try a weak-as-hell elbow to stop Selena, the woman growing more and more dizzy atop of Selena’s shoulders. “Everybody off.” The Snow Queen growled before flinging Killjoy off her, spinning her around and into her waiting arms – the wrestler dropping down and lifting her knees up again for Killjoy’s head to crash into hard!
“Thank you, Giovanni…” Selena whispered. And he will NEVER hear me say that. She quickly thought on instinct before she was running, seeing Killjoy begin to push herself up – once more simply acting as she leapt up. Killjoy couldn’t see her and thus, couldn’t stop her, as Selena stomped Killjoy’s head back into the ground with a sickening curb stomp.
Stumbling away, Selena looked down, breathing hard as the grounded woman refused to move. “Okay… I don’t like that move.” Selena breathed, her heart burning. “I don’t know why Owen does.”
Still, she had felt Killjoy’s body go slack on that last curb stomp. With a deep gasp for air, Selena felt the last of the adrenaline leave her, causing her to drop to a knee.
She had done it. She had beaten Killjoy – or rather not being Selena had been the key to beating Killjoy. Still…
With another deep breath, the still conscious woman pushed herself to her feet walked the few yards from her enemy towards her own discarded leather jacket. Throwing it over her frame, she reached into her pocket to slowly pull out the silver weapon. She felt the gun – heavy in her hand – as she eyed it.
“It’s her or me.” Selena whispered to herself as she turned to eye Killjoy’s body on the ground. The woman, fake or otherwise to Selena, had made it clear. She would not stop until Selena was dead and she had taken over the Snow Queen’s life. She was going to kill Deanna – also admittedly!
With a slow movement of her fingers, Selena cocked the gun, feeling the click as well as hearing it. A frightening calm filled her – not at what she was about to do but how easy and right it felt. Turning on her foot, Selena walked the last few steps towards Killjoy, now only a few yards from her – and easily in range.
She would not miss.
She would not waste a shot.
A killshot for Killjoy… and everything would be right – everyone would be safe again.
She lifted the gun, held it in place with both hands, aimed straight at the platinum-blonde head that was soaked with rainwater and mud.
The flash of bright lights behind her and the large honk of a horn – a contrast of the lightning and thunder – was enough to halt her as Selena turned her head to see the car stopping right in front of her. The blue Honda Civic flashed its high beams, as if to further get Selena’s attention (which was not possible) and the door flew open, the driver tumbling out.
“STOP!” cried the woman as she ran from the car towards Selena, small hands reaching out to grasp Selena’s gun-wielding hands. “Don’t do it, Selena. Please.”
It took Selena seconds to piece the last few moments together. Her eyes took in the lights of the car, which helped to illuminate the dark red hair of the woman holding her now. The same lights allowed her to see the desperate emerald eyes that bore into hers.
“Deanna?!” Selena gasped. “What the hell! I told you to stay with the children-“
“And how many times have I EVER listened to you when you’ve said that?!” Deanna shot back, her hands choking the gun that Selena held. “Don’t do this, Selena! You’re not a killer.”
“She has to die!” Selena argued. “She swore you will eventually – that she’ll kill you!”
“But she won’t! She hasn’t!” Deanna implored. “Call the police! She’s beaten!”
“She’ll just get out!” Selena argued. “And she won’t stop! She needs to BE stopped!”
“That how it works?” Deanna threw back, her voice a mixture of pain and tears. “Someone too big and too scary, you’re just going to ‘do away with them’? If you can’t ‘beat them’, eliminate them? That it?”
“This isn’t like-“
“Like what?” Deanna interjected. “Like wrestling? Sure seems familiar to me!”
“This is life and death, Deanna! You – our children – our family!”
“Is fine! Fine, Selena! You don’t have to-“
The two were unable to finish their conversation as they both were sent to the ground with a powerful tackle. Immediately, Selena fought in the dark against the form, but it was quickly off her, allowing her to get to her feet, still feeling the gun in her hand. Looking around wildly, Selena held it out in front of her.
“Deann-“ her voice died in her throat as she saw Deanna standing there, just a few feet away from her… with Killjoy holding a gun of her own against Deanna’s temple.
“It seems we both brought guns to a fist fight.” Killjoy growled, though that smug smirk was back amidst the mud on her face. “You should have killed me when you had the chance.”
“Just…” Selena tried, taking a step forward but stopping immediately when Killjoy pressed the gun further against Deanna’s skin. “Let her go.”
“Throw the gun away. Hard as you can.” Killjoy ordered.
It only took a second for Selena to comply, the woman tossing the weapon into the dark forest. She heard it land but could not see where it had gone. “Now let her go!” Selena ordered.
“Oh please.” Killjoy laughed. “I told you. This doesn’t end until one of us is dead.”
Selena felt her breath catch in her throat, her body stiffen. This was it… this was oblivion. It had finally come as Killjoy gripped Deanna tighter to her.
Still, only silence met the trio.
“Still…” Killjoy seemed to think, turning her head this way and that. “No…that would be too easy this way.” Her eyes widened and a wicked grin suddenly crossed her features. “Move.” She ordered the redhead, pulling Deanna away and across the field. “Don’t move yet!” she ordered back to Selena in a yell.
“Stop!” Selena begged. “Let her go! I’ll- I’ll come willingly.”
“Oh, you’ll come willingly!” Killjoy mocked. “But you’ll die painfully! In here! With the REAL Donovan Frost.”
Without another word, Killjoy dragged Deanna into the cave – the cave of Donovan Frost that lead into the gold mine – the pair disappearing into the dark.
Too terrified to move, the implications clear in her mind, Selena could only inhale and exhale as she, once more, felt the weight of the rain on her head and shoulders and back. Why had she hesitated? Why had she listened to Deanna? Another second or two and Killjoy would have been out of their lives! Her family would be safe! So what if the price of that was risking her morality?!
“Dammit, Deanna…” Selena whispered into the thunder, feeling the last of her adrenaline link into anxiety. Her head jerked back towards where she had thrown the gun. There was no point looking for it now. It was lost in the dark – like a needle in a haystack.
Her head turned back towards the space where Killjoy and her wife had disappeared. She knew what she had to do. Of course she knew! There was no other choice for her!
Deanna was it for her. Without her, there would have been no Selena Frost! There WAS no Selena Frost. Not like this. And if it came down to her life or Deanna’s?
The frightening thing was how easy such a choice was.
Selena took a step forward, followed by another, until she was marching closer to her father’s cave. Even in the dim light of the streetlights and the lights of the Civic Deanna had driven, Selena could still make out the familiar etchings of stone that she knew so well… but also the object on the ground that reflected some of the high beams.
Her feet slowing, her sapphire eyes studied the object until she was standing in front of it. Tentatively, wet, pale hands reached down to pick it up. The fiberglass-metal construct felt a little heavy in her hands, but not by much, and the eye-socket visage stared into hers. Slowly, the most terrifying of ideas coming to her, Selena turned the helmet around, her thumbs finding the panels that widened to accommodate entrance as she slipped the skull helmet over her head.
It fit perfectly, which was worse than it not, she realized. The latches clicked and whirred together to close behind her, snugly fitting the item over her cranium. The rain suddenly felt so much farther away, the sound muffled slightly.
Her sight had not changed much and yet, but she could faintly hear gears or something humming in the metal and padding – her hands felt along the surface of her ‘head’ until one sunk a little behind the left eye socket. Immediately, it was as if someone had turned every light on in the space and her vision was clear with a yellow-green tint.
“Night vision…” Selena whispered, her hands leaping into her throat. That wasn’t her voice… it was Killjoy’s! So, that’s how she did it…
Without another word, her shock subsiding, Selena marched into the cave. It looked the same as it always did, but there was no time for nostalgia. Quickly, her eyes found the service elevator that would lead down into the mine – one of the first things the mining company had installed when she had come for this place. Silently, she thanked Odin that it was still operational – the cave having protected it from the elements for the last few years. Stepping in, Selena activated the down function and felt the shift in movement as she rode the machine down the lift.
She didn’t know what she was going to do. She couldn’t use the same trick she had in the field. There was no space for it. And anything foolish would just endanger – or even kill – Deanna. No, once more, as before, Killjoy was holding all the cards.
I need to trust that Deanna can work with me and help me solve this…. she breathed as she felt the old elevator stop its descent, the doors opening irregularly due to their lack of use and upkeep. Stepping out, the skulled Snow Queen immediately spotted several things.
First, the lights that ran across the stone walls every few feet, wired up to a makeshift control room. Second, said control room to her left that held a large fuse box, a PA speaker and a large, metal microphone. And third, PA speakers spaced far more sporadically than the lights (every dozen yards or so).
This was the doing of the mining company to ensure safety and communication while they had been excavating.
Shaking her head to clear it of all distractions, the wrestler moved further into the cave, peering around every corner she turned. Where were they? The cave stretched out, she knew that well, but it was not infinite. She would soon have them cornered, unless they had dropped off the-
At the thought, Selena quickened her pace, and then quickened it again when she began to hear muffled voices coming a ways ahead. She was almost in a dead run when she turned the corner and saw Killjoy wrestling to keep Deanna moving.
“Let her go!” shouted Selena, her voice dark and robotic – haunting her.
Spinning around, Killjoy’s eyes widened at the sight before her. It must have been a sight to see someone staring at her with her ‘face’ and glowing eyes. A quick glance at Deanna’s own expression confirmed this.
“So, that’s what it looks like…” Killjoy half-breathed, half-smirked before resuming her stance as she had outside the cave, pressing the gun to Deanna’s head. “It suits you.” She mocked.
“This isn’t going to end the way you want it to.” Selena warned as she took a step forward.
“Oh…” Killjoy breathed, tilting her head. Even in the dim lights of the cave, Selena could still see the dishevelled hair and patches of mud on her face. “You think so?”
“Think about it.” Selena spoke slowly. “You kill her, then I kill you. Even if you shoot her and then me, you will not be leaving here a free woman.”
She gestured towards Deanna. “She completes the picture. She goes missing? You give yourself away. She dies and you lose. You can replace me… but you can’t have me exist truly without her.”
It was a stretch to anyone that didn’t know Selena Frost – but it was beyond true to everyone that did. It would be a glaring hole in logic, especially after Deanna’s incarceration, thanks to Killjoy. One without the other? It was possible, but it was a red flag. Even Killjoy knew that, the murderer’s eyes flashing with recognition as she desperately contemplated her next move – so much so that she did not see Deanna’s eyes jumping from her to Selena, the redhead biting her lower lip as her hands slowly reached up towards the arm that Killjoy had wrapped around her neck.
Just a little more… Selena mentally growled, watching Deanna’s hands inch closer and closer. “Last chance, Killjoy.” She called out, regaining the woman’s attention. “It’s the only way we’re leaving here. Walk away. Leave us be – I’ll even help you if money is an issue. But let. This. GO!”
The second the word ‘go’ left her ‘lips’, Selena saw Deanna spring, her mouth and teeth clamping down on the forearm of Killjoy. In a flash of shock, Killjoy screamed out, but she didn’t pull the trigger – perhaps seeing the weight in Selena’s words – instead raising the butt of her gun to bring it down on Deanna’s head.
It never reached its target as Selena reached them and held the arm up with one hand, the other grabbing Killjoy to shove the woman harshly into the nearby wall of stone!
“RUN!” she roared in that Killjoy ‘voice’, grabbing Deanna’s hand and running back the way she came, hearing Killjoy real voice screaming angrily. Left and right Selena ran until the sounds of Killjoy were quiet echoes. Stopping, she turned around quickly to face her beloved redhead, who was winded and looked up at her with emerald eyes a mixture of pain and unease – no doubt seeing her wife in such a contraption.
“Sel-“ Deanna began but was stopped by the taller Frost.
“Take the next two lefts and then a right. You’ll reach the elevator.” She ordered in a harsh whisper. “Take it up, get back in the car and get out of here!”
“What about-“
“I am ending this.” Selena growled darkly. “One way or another.”
“But Selena…” Deanna tried.
“No.” shot the Snow Queen. “Whatever happens – do NOT stay here.”
“But you don’t understand!” Deanna tried, her voice still a whisper like her wife’s as her hands shot into her pockets, pulling out her…cellphone? “I have-“
“There’s no time for this!” Selena came in again, pushing Deanna away. “You need to go!”
“But everything-“
“GO!” Selena’s hadn’t meant to yell but her frustration guided her action and it was enough. Despite herself, Deanna turned and ran, taking the route Selena had instructed to her. Alone with her thoughts for a moment, the older Frost took a few breaths, calming her heart and mind as best as she could before pushing herself back up to her feet. With one last glance the way Deanna had gone, she then, cautiously travelled further back into the mine once more, straining to hear any sign of Killjoy-
Of course, the sound of a fucking shovel nailing her in the back of the head and echoing loudly in her ears solved that mystery as she turned a corner, her head, thankfully, protected by Killjoy’s helmet, though the impact sent her crashing into the stone ground.
Slightly dazed from the shock, Selena looked up to see Killjoy standing before her, a rusted, discarded shovel in the fiend’s hands, the handgun back in its holster.
“I hate you.” Killjoy declared darkly as she stalked towards the fallen Selena. “You were given so much – I gave you so much! I allowed you to reach your goals. I gave you time to accomplish all you wanted! I let you become a world champion! Headline Rise to Greatness! Become a bigger star than you ever were! And it STILL wasn’t enough for you! You had to defy me at every turn! You had to want more! You couldn’t just be content!”
She raised her hands and brought the shovel down, Selena, just barely, rolling out of the way.
“You took two years from Deanna and I!” Selena countered, trying to sweep the leg of Killjoy but the woman dodged it by leaping back. “You terrified me and my children! You tried to kill Gavin! You made us live in fear! And for what?! Because of something I never knew?! That I never meant to be part of?!”
Another swing, and Selena managed to throw her arms up and block the blow in the limited space of the pathway. Grabbing the shaft of the shovel, the Snow Queen strained to wrestle it from Killjoy, who fought back with a rage all her own.
“You took EVERYTHING from me!” Killjoy roared, her voice cracking in the echoes of the cave.
“No!” Selena shot back, her voice a robotic, dark growl. “I may have took your beginning. YOU’RE the one that’s wasted the rest!”
With a loud yell, Killjoy pressed hard and slammed Selena against the wall and then down, driving the wrestler into the ground and pressing the wooden neck of the shovel closer and closer into Selena’s neck, cutting off air to the Snow Queen’s lungs. Desperately, the trapped Selena struggled against the weight, unable to breathe.
“It’s over!” Yelled Killjoy, spittle escaping her mouth as she ground the weapon into Selena.
For a moment, as her lungs burned and her head became lighter and dizzy, Selena’s mind flashed through a million thoughts. Deanna, Elsianna, David, Amiliah, Oberon, Jean, Zoe, Jonathan, Alejanda… memories of her past with her father and step-mother. How would all of this go with her gone?
How would SCW fare without her? Probably better than with me… Why was she joking when she was dying?! Still, it was pretty funny. Not a lot of her fellow wrestlers liked her – maybe they would play “Ding! Dong! The Witch is dead!” rather than ring the bell ten times in memory of her. She found herself not minding the idea. Of course, Adam would be World Champion, which was sad but it wouldn’t last. She had faith someone like Glory, Owen, or Syren or even Cid or her Deanna would be strong enough, smart enough or crazy enough to take the title off him and, maybe, put things back on track with the integrity of the World title - maybe even make it better than I ever did…
That thought was pleasing, and as her vision began to darken, Selena found herself smiling at that thought. And her children would be okay. It broke her heart that she would not see them grow up and become the amazing people they were already growing into, but Deanna would protect them. She was far stronger than she realized – Selena had meant it when she had yelled it to Killjoy earlier. She just wished she didn’t have to break the redhead’s heart like this…
Please forgive me, Deanna… Selena tried to whisper but was too weak to do so, her voice coming out in sputters. Funny how they tell you about the white light at the end of the tunnel… her last thoughts began to form. But they never tell you of the music you hear when you die. Though the trumpets and horns make sense…wait what?!
Despite the dimming of her senses, the woman heard the music grow louder and louder until it was filling the cavern/mine halls. Killjoy’s head jerked up, eyeing the source of the noise – the PA system strung throughout the cave’s paths. “What the fuck-“ she growled at the system and noise and…singing?
“GOD SAVE OUR GRACIOUS QUEEN!” came the choir recording loud and – proud? – over the sound system. “LONG LIVE OUR NOBLE QUEEN! GOD SAVE THE QUEEN!”
It was so loud now that it almost burned in Selena’s ears, though she could still hear Killjoy screaming at it. “Shut it off!” the non-masked platinum-blonde yelled, driving up a hand to cover an ear as the noise grew louder.
“SEND HER VICTORIOUS! HAPPY AND GLORIOUS! LONG TO REIGN OVER US! GOD SAVE THE QUEEN!”
With one of Killjoy’s hands now off the shovel, Selena felt the weight lift of her neck and she gulped for air, her lungs burning with relief. It was enough for the Snow Queen, on instinct, to use both hands and spin Killjoy off her, the world champion rolling away with the shovel, getting to her feet awkwardly just as Killjoy did, the maniac pulling out her gun once more and holding it towards Selena.
The two stared down each other as the anthem continued to blare its last notes before suddenly stopping.
“Your wife, I assume.” Killjoy growled, annoyed.
“She…” Selena gasped more air into her lungs. “She never listens to-“
“Commencing…” the female, robotic voice interjected loudly as it broke out across the PA system, once more grabbing the attention of both women. “Final Project - Project: God Save the Queen.”
There was a snap and crackle from the PA, as if the recording was shifting, until a voice was heard – one that Selena was certain she would never hear again.
“Hello, Selena.”
Her eyes within the helmet went wide. There was no mistaking that voice – she had known it for years.
Her distorted voice rang through. “M…Malcolm?”
“Indeed.” Came the ‘reply’. “And now it’s time I told you the truth of who you are.”
_______________________________________________________________
![[Image: hffOaUZ.png]](https://i.imgur.com/hffOaUZ.png)
SCW Supreme Champion
6x SCW World Champion
4x SCW World Tag-Team Champion
2x SCW United States Champion
3x SCW Adrenaline Champion
SCW Television Champion
Longest Reigning SCW World Champion (234 days)
Winner of Shot of Adrenaline Tournament (2016)
Winner of Best of the Best Tournament (2016)
Winner of Trios Tournament (2018)
Winner of U.S. Championship Tournament (2020)
Winner of World Championship Tournament (2023)
Winner of Tactical Warfare (2014, 2019)
Winner of Elimination Chamber (2015)
Winner of Roofed Cage Match (2019)
Winner of Last Person Standing Match (2019)
The Unbelievable Main Event (2021-2023)
Winner of Double Jeopardy Match (2022)
Winner of EOTY Invitational (2023)
Winner of EOTY Invitational (2023)
Female Wrestler of the Year (2016, 2021, 2022)
Tag-Team of the Year (2020 - w/ Regan Street)
Match of the Year (2018, 2019, 2021, 2023)
Feud of the Year (2014, 2019)
![[Image: 34zetxl.png]](https://i.ibb.co/SnpvD5T/34zetxl.png)