HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS
RECORDED EARLIER
“Hello, you must be Mr. Bruce?” [She says, offering the man entry into her home.] “Thank you for coming. I’ve been on the market only a few days, so I didn’t expect someone to be interested so soon.”
“You’ve a lovely home, Mrs. Van Chan.”
[She smiles.]“Thank you. My husband worked very hard to build it. I feel like it took us years to finally get it to where we wanted it to be.”
[He walks over to a picture, picking it up. Inside the frame is Bruce, Paige and their kids.]“Is this your family?” [He asks inquisitively.] [She walks over, taking the picture politely.] “Yes, it is. My son is called Bruce, actually. He’s the reason I have to sell.”
“I’m very sorry to hear that. Is he okay?”
“Thankfully. He was in a very difficult situation and made the best choice. I’m just grateful that he’s still with us.”
[Vicki grimaces, letting her sadness get the best of her.]“Truthfully, I don’t want to sell. There’s so many memories here. My kids were born and grew up here. My husband and I lived for many years here, happier than I’ve ever seen. To put it on the market absolutely breaks my heart.”
[The man sighs.] “That’s a shame, because I’d really like to purchase it. The asking price is three hundred thousand dollars, isn’t it? I would give you four hundred thousand for cash, ma’am.” [She looks rather impressed by that. The man puts his hand inside his pocket and pulls out a piece of paper.]“Your signature here and the deal is done. That’s all it requires.”
[Call it naivety or desperation, Vicki doesn’t hesitate. She puts pen to paper quicker than a hiccup, signing over her house.] [Suddenly the phone rings. She puts a hand up to excuse herself and answers.]“Bruce, guess what?” [She says with a faint smile.] “I’ve sold the house.”
[She looks back at the man with a nod.] [He smiles back.]“What’s your name again, son?”
[The camera turns, finally catching a glimpse of the man.]“Edward Newton.”
SERGEI SOKOLOV VS. SHERIFF LAW
SINGLES MATCH
CONTENDERS
BACKSTAGE
“Hello, Brent.”
[He puts out a hand. Kersh shakes it without a second thought.]“Good to see you, Sharkman. What can I do for you?”
“I just wanted to thank you for coming out last week and stopping Royal in his tracks. I took that as a great sign of respect…”
“That’s what it was.” [Kersh responds with a nod. Sharkman nods back.]
“Anyway, I wanted to let you know I appreciated it. If you’re interested, I wanted to offer you a shot at the Double Feature Title at Death Wish. Are you interested?”
[Kersh smile and puts his hand out again. They shake.]“You got yourself a deal, Ax…. I mean… Sharkman.”
“Oh, I see how it goes.”
[A new voice, full of sarcasm, joins the fray.]“You can remember to call a fool in a costume by his appropriate name, but not your own tag team partner?”
[King Royal.]“What was that you were saying about fools in costumes, Royal?” [Kersh responds.] [Royal steps up to Kersh.]
“You will address your King with respect, peasant.”
[Kersh looks down, not because of intimidation, but because he’s trying to compose himself.]“I’ll address you any way I deem appropriate, Nigel.”
[King Royal somehow gets even closer. Close enough for Kersh to smell the royal breath…]“Watch your tone when you are talking to the King.”
[The tension is palpable. Sharkman tries to step between the two.]“Guys, guys! Knock it off; you’re partners!”
[Suddenly Kersh pushes Sharkman back. That is the second time in two weeks that Kersh has shoved Sharkman. Sharkman looks at Kersh. His expressionless mask doesn’t let on, but it isn’t too hard to guess that he’s getting frustrated. Kersh speaks.]“No, Sharkman, if Royal wants to step into business that isn’t his, he’ll get what’s coming to him…”
“What’s coming to one is a shot at his Double Feature Championship. It’s time for it to come home to its rightful owner.”
“You already missed your opportunity. Sharkman here already offered me the title shot!”
“Actually Kersh,” [Sharkman steps in.] “This is my title, and I’ll offer title shots to anyone that I want. And if King Royal thinks he deserves a title shot, then who am I to stand in his way?”
[Sharkman puts out his hand. Royal looks at it slightly disgusted, but shakes it anyway. Sharkman nods and turns around, leaving the Tag Champions behind. King Royal wipes his hand on his trousers and smiles at Kersh.]“See you in the ring, partner.”
[And with that, Royal turns and walks away, leaving Kersh to stew over what just happened. It looks like we have a three-way dance at Death Wish.]BAD TRIP
SOMEWHERE ELSE
“A week of hell. Nothing but a bad trip. I could have enlightened you all, shown you what was written in the stars. But you all sealed your fate with your fists, as did Calypso. You, the meek, may inherit the Earth… But I could have given you the stars.”
[He staggers towards the exit, heading in the direction of the Tap Room.]“See you where the ocean ends… and the desert begins.”
[Cut to a back entrance of the Tap Room. Captain Zappa staggers up to the stage door and pulls it open, where he is greeted by the backstage manager.]“Captain Zappa? You look like hell! We’ve been searching all over for you. You’re match is up next, so you had better hightail it. Are you alright to compete?”
[Zappa merely nods and drags himself away, wincing in the direction of the ring.]“Just a bad trip, man. Nothing I can’t handle.”
[He staggers off, leaving the crewman dumbfounded. It is then that another figure appears out of the shadows, watching the limping figure of Captain Zappa disappear down the hallway. Calypso.]“So, you escaped, did you? Time to move on to the next phase then… Only to figure out now what it is that you hold most dear.”
[She exits through the stage door Zappa had entered through, obviously heading to check on her fallen followers.]BRUCE VAN CHAN VS. CAPTAIN ZAPPA
SINGLES MATCH
EXIT STRATEGY
SOMEWHERE ELSE
“Why the long face, pal? Is it because you assaulted an officer? If you’re gonna do the crime, you gotta do the time.”
[Gable refuses to look his former tag partner in the eye, which draws a chuckle from Law as he pulls out Gable’s gold medal.]“And this little baby is going into evidence for safe keeping. Who’s the Olympic hero now?”
[Gable glares in anger as Law puts the medal into an bag marked “EVIDENCE,” holding onto it with an iron grip.]“Enjoy your stay here Gable, you’re gonna be here for a long time.”
[Law walks off with a wicked laugh, leaving us with an angry Gable who slams a fist against the cell wall. Suddenly, we hear another voice, a young woman approaching the cell with a file folder.]“Mr. Cael Gable?”
[Gable nods in response, as the woman examines the contents of the folder.]“Your bail has been posted, Mr. Gable. You’re a free man.”
[Gable tilts his head in confusion, taken aback by the news.]“Who bailed me out?”
[The woman closes the file with a shrug, walking over to the nearest guard.]“They’ve asked to remain anonymous, for reasons unknown to me. I’m sure they had a good reason for it, though.”
[The door creaks open, and Gable walks out with a reluctant smile on his face as they shake hands.]“I’m sure they do. If you’ll excuse me, I need to take back my pride.”
[Cut.]THE SHARKMAN VS. CAEL GABLE
SINGLES MATCH
WHERE ARE WE GOING?
BACKSTAGE
“Hold up a moment…” [The Virus turns with a confused look on his face as Cussen continues his sentence.] “Where are we going?”
“That little concussion Bird gave you playing with your memory? We are going to claim our titles.”
[Cussen shakes his head, stopping the Virus in his tracks.]“No… I mean where are we going as a Family? First, Phoenix embarrasses us at Ring of Dreams after everything that we did to get that match together. Second, we should have claimed those belts at Double Tap, not have to pick up the scraps tonight.
All that, and you have spawn on the way with my daughter. What did you say, ‘she is the carrier of death… it will destroy mankind?’ Why do I feel left out of the loop on this one?”
[DTR’s face turns to a scowl that slowly fades into a glimmer of a smile. He pats Cussen on the shoulder and draws himself close to him.]“Strange that a child, so weak, can contain the power to destroy the world as we know it. Stranger still that this child draws us even closer together… we have never been more a Family as we are now. The mere presence of that seed has broken the Phoenix… and yet, you doubt?
What is there to doubt? What is there to question? Our family grows stronger and yet you’re acting weak.”
[Cussen stops to think for a moment, just as the Family’s music begins to play, sounding their arrival to the upcoming Tagteam Championship match.]“I just… I… Nevermind.” [He nods towards the curtain separating them from the Tap Room.] “Let’s just go and claim those titles?”
[Cussen steps forward, almost cautiously and untrusting. DTR stays behind a moment longer, his smile turning back to a scowl and his fists clenching while his eyes shoot daggers into the back of Jensen.] [They enter the arena. Together, but the air thick with tension.]THE FAMILY VS. WRESTLING ROYALTY
TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
FAMILY TENSIONS
RINGSIDE
“I don’t want to hear it right now.” [Jensen runs a frustrated hand through his hair.] “It seems like the wheels are falling off. One issue after another and it’s been happening for weeks now. We have always been so focused as a Family… But right now, you seem to be focused on growing this family, not on those closest to you.”
[DTR’s face reddens in anger, yet by the time he starts to speak his voice seems surprisingly calm.]“Don’t you get it Jensen? We are talking about the beginning of the end, the birth of death. The bringer of destruction. What daughter holds inside her brings us closer together as a family. It shouldn’t tear us apart.”
[Jensen thinks for a moment, before shaking his head.]“At Death Wish, the Family competes, but not as a team. We compete as individuals. If it comes down to me and you, I will not be giving you that wish.”
[DTR is about to reply when the ring is suddenly surrounded by fire. Solomon Rhodes appears.]“Trouble in paradise?” [The Dragon smirks at the pair as the flashfire dies down.] “If you hope to walk away from the Three Wishes with anything but empty hands, you both need to be on the same page. The more you bicker and fight, the easier it makes it for me to walk away with everything.”
[United against a common enemy, the Family don’t even need to talk. As one, they move toward the ringside ropes to take the numbers game to Rhodes. And as one, they freeze in their tracks. Ethan Bird, running down the entranceway to join the fray. The second week in a row that Ethan Bird has come to the aid of Solomon Rhodes.] [The Family and the Firebirds both stand toe to toe, eyeballing each other for a moment. Then all hell breaks loose. DTR and Cussen leap off the ring apron, each taking out a member of the Firebirds. The brawl spills out all over the Tap Room until the Firebirds get the better of the Family. RUNNING POWERSLAM FROM BIRD TO CUSSEN! DARK WISH SUPERKICK FROM RHODES TO DTR!] [With the Family down and out, Bird and Rhodes meet together, fists drawn. The nature of the Three Wishes match is enough to drive a wedge between both teams. Rhodes waits for Bird to attack, but Ethan only smiles, tapping his head at his temple.]“The Family can implode around us, and I’ll throw gas on that fire. But I’m not going to attack you Rhodes… Not until I take that wish away from you. Till then, I’ve got your back.”
[The Firebirds exit, leaving behind the Family to gather themselves and regroup for another week.]EDWARD NEWTON VS. CALYPSO
SHOWCASE CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
ON THE DOCK OF A BAY
SOMEWHERE ELSE
“Yes, it has been done,” [He confidently proclaims.] “The traitor has been taken care of.”
[Piotor listens carefully.]“You’re coming to the United States? But sir, I must exercise caution against such a decision. Nyet, Sergei Sokolov has yet to understand the gravity of this situation. I meet him in battle in two weeks.”
[Again, he listens.]“I understand,” [Svetolav’s face changes to stern focus.] “I will prepare for your arrival.”
[Piotor shuts off the phone and stops the engine, walking back towards the tarp which has come undone, revealing General Petrov. He rolls it back up, lifts it up and drops it over the edge and into the water.] [Dusting off his hands and heading back towards the boat, the camera pans out to show Sergei Sokolov, watching through binoculars on the dock.]ETHAN BIRD VS. SOLOMON RHODES
THE MAIN EVENT
IF YOU BUILT IT
SOMEWHERE ELSE
“GIVE ME BACK MY HOUSE!” [Bruce screams as he runs towards Newton, being blocked off by Officers who demand he retreats.] “Enough is enough, Edward. You don’t have to do this!”
“Your house?” [The Riddler huffs.] “I have the deed right here,” [He says reaching into his pocket and waving the deed around.] “Your mother sold it to me, Mr. Van Chan.”
[Van Chan puts his hand to his head, panicked.]“I know that you want it back. However, this is another one of our famed teachable moments.”
[Bruce’s eyebrows raise.] “What do you mean?”“This house has been wired with explosives. In a matter of moments, a controlled detonation will crumble your former family home into nothing but brick and rubble. But you have a choice.”
[Edward folds his arms.]“You could assault these officers, hop this cordon, and run inside the house. With you inside, there’s no way the building can be demolished. To do this, you’d have to break multiple laws. Assaulting a police officer, trespassing and probably one or two others I’d imagine. However, the choice is yours, Mr. Van Chan.”
[Bruce contemplates it for a moment. On the other side of the cordon is his family home. He looks back to see his mother in tears, being held by his wife who can barely stop her from falling to the ground. His eyes meet Newton’s, and he smiles, knowing that he holds all the cards.] [What will Bruce Van Chan do?] [Then he runs.] [He leaps over the cordon, bundling officers to the ground as he does, running towards the property as quickly as he can.] [BOOM!] [Just then, the entire building explodes from the foundations, sending dust and debris flying out into the air. The impact knocks Bruce to the ground immediately, causing everyone to ‘OOOHHH’ in shock.] [Van Chan barely scrambles to his feet before the cops descend on him, slapping handcuffs on his wrists before he’s even standing.] [He looks at his family home in rubble before him, then back at his Mother and Wife, who can barely believe their eyes. Edward walks over to him, folding the deed and placing it in Bruce’s top pocket.]“You can have it back now.”
[Van Chan almost snaps, only the cops drag him away and towards their nearby vehicle, ready to take him away.] [The Riddler laughs, another teachable moment in the bag.] [Cut.]