What Makes Me Tick

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Scene 1

Off Camera

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Karen McBride thought that things would be so much easier for her once she dropped her nuclear bomb, forcing the IWC roster and especially Desmond Drake to recognize her with the proper respect she is due as a part owner of the company.

Boy was she wrong.

Since the nuclear bomb was dropped and the revelation about Karen’s newfound power has come out, she has been manipulated and used by Silas Mason and blatantly assaulted by Sinistry or put in matches by Drake where she is set-up to fail, set-up to get destroyed.  And she didn’t help matters out for herself by making some mistakes of her own along the way.  The biggest one being to grant herself a world title match without having to earn it.

Karen believed herself justified in granting that title match to herself.  She had made a deal with Desmond Drake that if she helped him purchase IWC she’d get a world title match and he never lived up to his end of the bargain.  Karen felt that she was just doing what was right.

The truth is, she was trying to take a shortcut and the rest of the roster who had supported her initially noticed it and turned on her immediately.  Now Karen McBride seems to have only one ally in the entire world, William Mason, and he is none too popular himself.

One ally in a war against very powerful men who want to control IWC is not a good place to find yourself in.

Another bad place Karen finds herself in is a match against Ambrosia, a hardcore match at Upping The Ante…

Today we find Karen McBride in her private gym in New York City.  The lovely brunette has her hair pulled back into a ponytail, she is wearing black workout pants and a black top with, yes, black sneakers.  The twenty-five percent owner of the Independent Wrestling Cartel stands in the center of a ring, circling her brother Gregory Leonard, who is similarly attired only his workout gear consists of gray sweats and white tennis shoes.  Both seem apprehensive, reluctant even, to get started.  Neither want to be the first to ignite this sparring session.

“What are you waiting for, Greg?” Karen asks with a sly grin. “Go on, come at me.”

“Not on your life.” He remarks. “You’re a better reaction-fighter than I am…”

“You mean I’m a good counter-wrestler.”

“Counter wrestler, reaction-fighter, whatever.  Point is I know better than to be the first to go after you.  You’ll take me apart.”

The two continue to circle one another, as neither is certain of what to do next.  Neither wants to make the first move, that much is evident.  Finally McBride breaks the ice if you will…

“Ok then…let’s do it…”

Karen goes in for a collar and elbow tie up.  You may think that Gregory’s size and strength would give him an edge but he has no formal wrestling training and Karen is easily able to go behind him with a waist lock and then take him down to the mat before locking in a headlock.

“Do you give?”

“Argh!” He winces in pain as she wrenches the hold in tight. “Yes!  Yes I give!”

Karen relinquishes the hold and gets back to her feet, shaking her head with disappointment.

“You disappointment me, Greg.  That was far too easy.”

“Of course it was…” Gregory gets up to his feet, rubbing his neck in an attempt to ease the pain “…like I said, you are a better wrestler than I am.  You’re going to beat my ass in a wrestling match every time.”

Karen sighs, realizing the truth of his words. “Yes, that is true isn’t it?  Maybe asking you to spar with me was a mistake?”

“If you needed me to help you prepare for a wrestling match, then yeah, it was a mistake.” A sly grin forms across his face. “But you’re not gonna be wrestling, are ya?”

“Come again?” Karen asks, looking genuinely confused.

“Let’s be real here, sis.  That Ambrosia chick is nuttier than three fruitcakes.  It’s clear she is a brawler more than a wrestler.  Even I know that and I haven’t done any of the homework that you should be doing.”

McBride nods her head.  Gregory is right and she knows it, for she has indeed done her homework on the woman known as Ambrosia.  She has been champion in many organizations but her success has come mostly from her skills as a fighter, especially in the realm of the hardcore and extreme fighting rather than the pure technicality of the sport of wrestling.

“Once again you’re right…”

“Damn, I’m on a roll!” Gregory exclaims, feeling rather proud of himself.

“And furthermore, this IS a hardcore match, if I understand correctly, made specifically by Desmond Drake with the hopes that Ambrosia will utterly annihilate me.”

“And sis, I hate to say it,” Gregory places a hand on her shoulder “that may very well happen.”

“Huh?”

“Let’s be honest, Sam was right about you.  The lifestyle of the rich and famous has kinda made you soft…”

The suggestion that the eldest brother, Samuel Leonard, was right about Karen, that she had indeed gone soft, was enough to get her blood boiling.  Karen drives a knee into Gregory’s midsection and then throws a right hand that further staggers him.  A spear takedown on Gregory from Karen and then she goes into mounted punches.

“I…AM…NOT…” Karen suddenly stops as she realizes she busted his nose open, blood is coming out of it “…soft?”

Karen gasps. “Oh God, I’m sorry!”

“Don’t be!” Gregory kicks her off of him as he scrambles to his feet, not bothering to wipe the blood that is still coming from his nose. “Ambrosia damn sure won’t apologize for splitting your head open!”

Karen frowns. “So you just said that to provoke me?”

“Yes, because damn it Karen, you need to be a street fighter for this match, not a wrestler, and I am gonna remind you of what kind of street fighter you can really be!”

She rolls her eyes. “Yeah, sure…”

“Come at me, sis…just come on…”

He doesn’t need to ask her twice.  McBride charges in but Gregory side steps her.  Karen hits the ropes, rebounds, and then comes back with a yakuza kick to the face that sends him to the mat.  He rolls to the outside to avoid further offense but Karen follows him.  She starts to after him again but he rolls out of the way and pushes her into the steel steps.  Karen struggles to her feet, clutching at her shoulder.

“Damn…that looked like it hurt…”

“It did.” She winces. “But don’t worry, keep coming.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.  Ambrosia won’t take pity on me.”

Gregory nods he walks in and goes for a right but Karen blocks it and then kicks him below the belt line.  He doubles over in pain as Karen delivers a knee lift to the chin that finally drops him to the floor.  Karen is about to inflict more punishment when she is stopped by the sound of hands clapping together…applause coming from the other side of the gym.  McBride turns to see that her adoptive sister Blaire McBride has entered the gym and is applauding with a wide grin on her face.

“Good move there, Karen” she snickers “but unfortunately that move won’t work against Ambrosia.”

“This is true, Blaire,” Karen retorts as she reaches down to help her brother back to his feet “but that’s a move that always works against my brother.”

“Doesn’t it work against all men, dear?”

“Yes, but in a fight you would think they would try to protect that rather sensitive area.  My brother here never did learn to guard against that.”

The two women share a laugh at poor Gregory’s expense but the lone male in the room seems to take it all in stride.

“Maybe someday I’ll learn…” He says with a wink.

“I doubt it.” Karen says mockingly. “You haven’t learned in well over twenty years, dear, what makes you think you’ll start now?”

“Don’t you worry about me, sis” Gregory begins with a shake of his head “you worry about yourself and that crazy ass Ambrosia chick.”

“Yes, yes, I know, and we’ll get right back to the sparring session.” Karen grins knowingly. “So where were we?  I believe we left off with me pummeling you.”

Karen and Gregory share a laugh, completely forgetting that Blaire had entered this gym for a reason.

“Ahem,” she clears her throat “before you two get back to kicking each other’s asses, I think there is something Karen should be aware of.”

Karen and Blaire are not blood related.  Karen and Gregory are blood related.  Blaire was born into this wealth and privilege.  Karen was born into poverty, born into a situation where she had to fight to survive and fight to make sure her family survived.  Were it not for the McBride family adopting her after their parents had been killed, Karen Leonard, now known as Karen McBride, would never have survived to this day.  Karen and Blaire didn’t used to get along, but they do now, and still to this day Karen does not appreciate all of Blaire’s tactics and approach to business.

For Blaire it has always been business first.  Blaire has always been about what’s best for business and the bottom line before anything else, even before what is morally right and just.  While Karen can be as deceptive and manipulative as Blaire is, she at least knows the difference between right and wrong and will put what’s right and just before the business any day of the week.

“What is it, Blaire?”

“Things are not well on the corporate front.” 

Karen sighs. “How do you mean?”

“The company, dear Karen.” Blaire answers. “The company isn’t looking very favorable upon you right now.”

“Tell me something I don’t already know.” Karen catches a towel that Gregory tosses her.  She uses it to wipe the sweat from her face. “Let’s see, Sinistry still has twenty-five percent of IWC and Kloe Masters has fifty-percent.  And the one I’d be willing to work with, namely Ms. Masters, doesn’t trust me.”

“Karen…”

“And that’s not to mention the fact that Sinistry, just like me, has some booking powers still available to them.  The fact that I was booked in this hardcore match against Ambrosia as their way to try and eliminate me is evidence of that.  So yes, Blaire, I am fully aware that things are not well for me in IWC at the moment.”

Blaire places her hands on her hips. “That isn’t what I was talking about.”

“Huh?”

“That’s your problem, Karen,” Blaire begins in a tone that resembles a mother lecturing her disobedient daughter “that’s always been your problem.  You never listen.  You’re too gung-ho, too pig-headed at times.”

Karen nods her head. “Yes, I realize I am not the best businesswoman in the world.  That’s why I asked you to handle the corporate side of things for me while I handled the wrestling side of things.”

“Yes and that was a good move, because in order for this team to work we need to play to our strengths.  You admit that I am a better businesswoman than you…”

Karen smirks knowingly. “Not necessarily better, you just know more tricks than I do, you have more experience than I do, and you are willing to do more things than I am in order to get your way.”

“Yes, well, you asked me to help because the corporate world is my strength.  And I stayed out of the wrestling world because that is your field of expertise.”

“So tell me then,” Karen folds her arms over her chest “have you been doing your job?”

“That’s the thing, Karen, we cannot operate independently from one another.” She reaches out and places her hand on her sister’s shoulder. “Ours is a symbiotic relationship.  I cannot do my job if you are not doing yours.”

Karen frowns before removing Blaire’s hand from her shoulder. “What are you implying?”

“I am not implying anything.” Blaire shakes her head. “I am simply warning you that McBride Incorporated is very unhappy with the two of us, but more specifically with you.”

“They’re unhappy with me?!” Karen exclaims, her voice growing louder as the shock and realization sets in, as she tries to fathom what she was just told. “What does that mean?!”

“Allow me to spell it out for you, Karen.  McBride Incorporated wants answers and they believe they are entitled to these answers because you used their resources and finances to make that purchase of twenty-five percent stake in IWC.”

Karen’s rage and anger begins to grow, it begins to boil over.  It takes all of her willpower not to take out her frustrations either on Blaire or on Gregory right here and right now, but she has to remind herself that Blaire has nothing to do with this.  She is just the messenger.

“MY resources and MY finances you mean!” Karen exclaims. “I am twenty-five percent owner of McBride Incorporated.  Those were mine to do as I saw fit, and I saw fit to buy IWC.”

“Yes, and up until now they have been very supportive of you.  But lately they think you’re making them look bad.”

“Making them look bad?!”  Karen bangs her fist on the ring mat out of frustration. “Why the hell are they getting upset with me now?!  I’ve been a wrestler for YEARS and they never once whined about me making them look bad!”

“McBride Incorporated supported your wrestling career because that was an independent decision of yours that had no bearing upon them.” Blaire sighs. “Believe me, I know, Stan and I both tried to convince them to not allow you to do it.”

Karen shakes her head with disgust. “I recall…”

“Yes, and we were wrong about that.  We had no right to try and stop you from your dream of being a wrestler.  But this is different.”

“How is it different, Blaire?!”  Karen’s frustration continues to show through. “How the hell is this different?!”

“It’s different because the McBride Incorporated name is attached to it.  McBride Incorporated was excited at first to hear about you becoming part owner of IWC.  That allowed them a way into the wrestling business themselves, a business they thought was a lucrative one after seeing your success.”

“But things changed…”

“Yes, they have.” Blaire nods her head. “Between Desmond Drake booking you in these matches against psychopaths like Ambrosia with the full intent to hurt you and put you out and then women like Kloe Masters making a power play to become fifty-percent owner and thus negating you entirely, well it’s made you look very weak.”

“Weak?”

Karen wants to lash out but she cannot seem to find that anger any longer.  The street fighter turned business woman turned wrestler cannot find the anger inside her to lash out and that is probably because deep down in her heart she realizes that Blaire is right on the money.  She has looked weak lately and a lot of it is because of her own mistakes.  Karen has never run a wrestling company before and it is becoming clear that she is an amateur.

She hops up on the edge of the apron and sits down.  Gregory and Blaire approach her.  Gregory looks across at Blaire.

“What should she do?”

“She just needs to show signs of strength.” Blaire answers. “She needs to show IWC that she is not some pushover.”

“Would beating Ambrosia help any?”

Blaire nods her head. “Yes, definitely.  But she can’t rely on her wrestling skill alone.  She has to also show that she can outwit and outmaneuver people like Desmond Drake and Kloe Masters.”

Karen looks up at Blaire. “I want Kloe as an ally.”

“Sweetie, she’s part of the reason you look weak right now.” Blaire hops up on the ring apron next to Karen. “Hell, she’s the biggest reason you look weak.”

“But Desmond…”

“Desmond Drake has so far put you and William in tag weapons matches and in a match against Ambrosia.  That’s it.  And admit it, you teaming with your Prestige tag team partner is something you’d be doing anyway, correct?”

“I guess…”

“Right, and even in those matches he put you in you’ve done very well.  Kloe Masters is the one who managed to secure fifty-percent of the company and is making decisions around here, she has the power to overrule you.  Everyone looks at HER as the primary executive in charge, not you.”

Blaire wraps an arm around Karen’s shoulder. “Even if you managed to get Kloe Masters as an ally, you’d still look like a subordinate to her as opposed to an equal.”

“What do you suggest I do, Blaire?”

“Outmaneuver Kloe.” Blaire states matter-of-factly. “Take her out of the picture, then worry about Desmond.”

“And how do you propose I do that?!”

“Simple…Desmond has twenty-five percent, you have twenty-five percent, together you have fifty-percent and can negate anything Kloe tries.  Get rid of her.  Then find your own army to take on Desmond and Sinistry.  Once he’s out of the picture you have full power in IWC all to yourself.”

She pats Karen on the back. “Power my dear…power…”

It is tempting, very tempting, to go with Blaire’s suggestion.  It would be easy for Karen and Desmond together to take out Kloe.  It would be too easy…and Karen isn’t about to go the easy route.  That’s not how she was raised, by either her adoptive parents or biological parents…

“I can’t do it.” Karen hops off of the ring apron, standing to her feet. “It isn’t right.”

“This is all about power, Karen.”

“No, it isn’t Blaire.  Wrestling should be about competition and entertaining the fans.  Desmond Drake and Sinistry want to turn it into a blue kool-aid drinking Jim Jones house of horrors and I won’t let that happen.”

The two sisters stare each other down.  Karen tenses up, not wanting to blink first.  Finally Blaire cracks a smile.

“Good, I like your passion.  You’ll need it.”

Karen blinks out of confusion.  That was not the reaction she was expecting from Blaire. “Huh?”

“I didn’t think you would go along with my suggestion.  It’s the easiest path but it’s also a tad bit immoral.”

“A ‘tad’ bit immoral?”

“Ok, a LOT immoral!” Blaire snickers. “Point is, you’ve always been a better person than me, and I admire you for that.  I figured you wouldn’t take the easy path.  I figured you’d still want to do what’s right.  But I thought I’d pitch the idea anyway.”

Karen sighs, shrugging her shoulders. “Ok, so what do I do now?”

“Now you go back to training, you have a match against Ambrosia at Upping The Ante and a win will help you look strong.  But you also need to keep hold of that passion and fire you had just now, keep it and use it because McBride Incorporated investors will want to know what’s going on.  You will need to convince them to either trust your judgment or you’ll need to tell them to mind their own business.  I cannot keep speaking on your behalf in front of McBride Incorporated for much longer.  They want to see you in person, Karen.”

“Well they’ll get to see me in person.” Karen bangs her fist into the palm of her other hand. “And they’ll remember, just like IWC will remember, who Karen McBride is…”

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Gregory Leonard

On Camera

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Hello IWC.  You don’t know me and hell, you probably won’t see me that much either.  I’m not exactly the sharpest dressing guy there is and I’m not exactly the most well-mannered either.  My name is Gregory Leonard, I am Karen McBride’s biological brother.

You all know the twenty-five percent owner of IWC as Karen McBride, a brilliant and cutthroat businesswoman, but you don’t know her the way I know her.  You don’t know the person I know.  I know a Karen you guys don’t know.

I know Karen Leonard.

The Karen Leonard I knew was the toughest bitch in San Antonio.  And yeah, she had that Texas sized personality growing up too.  Go big or go home.  That’s why it didn’t surprise me at all to find out she risked a lot to become a twenty-five percent stockholder in the very same company she wrestles for.  It also didn’t surprise me that she saw the error of her ways after granting herself a world title match.  It didn’t surprise me that she gave that world title match away.

She gave it away because unlike midget boy, my sister has a conscience.

I also know Karen Leonard as a woman who would always fight like hell, not for herself but for others.  She fought and sacrificed so every damn day and every damn night to make sure me, my brother, and our mother survived.  Unfortunately mom ended up dead anyway, but then again, there’s only so much you can do when you’re caught in the crossfire of two warring gangs.

And maybe that’s why this war for the power within IWC is so important to Karen.  She knows what a gang war can do to people.  She knows the consequences of gang warfare.  And hell, you got a perfect gang warfare in the form of Sinistry against Silas World against The IWC.

Now the leaders of one of those gangs is trying to take out my sister by using some hired gun, a crazy psycho chick named Ambrosia.

I never did follow wrestling until my sister got involved in it, but Ambrosia your reputation for hardcore proceeds you.  Thing is, if puny Drake thinks you’re gonna bloody my sister up, then he’s got another thing coming.

Karen Leonard…my sister…is gonna bust you in the mouth.

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Blaire McBride

On Camera

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What’s in a name?  A lot, if you think about it.

In many ways, Karen is two different people.  Well, two different people without the whole split personality thing going on.  We don’t need any more of those running around now do we?

When she needs to be Karen McBride is a cutthroat businesswoman.  She is truly a corporate powerhouse and one of the best legal minds I know.  She claims that she doesn’t know every trick but that’s a lie.  She knows every trick in the book.  She’s damn good at what she does.  Case in point, back when she and I were at odds, she managed to outmaneuver my brother and I so that she had both of our shares of stock in McBride Incorporated.  She made a massive power grab taking control of the company from us.

That’s how her mind works.  She is a brilliant tactician and can outmaneuver and outthink anyone.  But that’s not the only thing that makes her dangerous.

Karen, you see, comes from the streets.  She comes from an environment that I admittedly will never understand.  She comes from an environment where you truly do not know if you’ll live another five minutes let alone to see another sunrise.  She comes from a world where you have to fight with every fiber of your being just to have enough to get by for the day, just to continue living and breathing.

You may look at Karen McBride and see a well-dressed woman, a fancy rich girl, but if you think that’s all that she’s about then you have read her all wrong and you have fallen right into her trap.  If you misidentify her as just a technical wrestler, just a good tactician, then you are wrong and she will beat you.

Ambrosia, darling, I hope you’re smart enough not to make assumptions about Karen McBride.  If you just assume you know everything about her without doing any homework then you’re destined to fail.  The fact is that my sister loves a good fight and she will be ready to give you the fight of your life at Upping The Ante.

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Karen McBride

On Camera

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People in power tend to make enemies real quick.  That’s a lesson you learn not just in the business world but on the streets as well.  Any person of power, whether it be gangster on the street or Bernie Madoff, they all know that power attracts enemies.

I guess I rubbed poor little…and I do mean little…Desmond Drake the wrong way when I dropped my bombshell, when I let the world that I am a twenty-five percent owner of IWC, that I have just as much power and control in this company as Desmond Drake and Sinistry does.

Apologies, Little Dessie, but you brought this upon yourself.  You made a deal with the wrong damn woman and now you are going to pay for it.  You realize that too, don’t you?  That’s why your hired gun Ambrosia is going to try and take me out at Upping The Ante.

Hardcore match, eh?  Yeah, yeah, I get it.  I see through your scheme.  I see through your plans.  See, I have heard of Ambrosia.  Even before I did my homework, before I studied up on her, I had heard of her skill in the art of hardcore.

You don’t get the nickname Harlequin of Hardcore for no reason.

So this is the brilliant line of thought from Desmond Drake…poor Karen McBride will get maimed by little miss hardcore queen Ambrosia.

Nice thought but the logic is flawed and you are going to be the one who pays for it, Ambrosia.  What Desmond Drake failed to consider is that Karen McBride is not JUST a good wrestler, Karen McBride is not JUST a brilliant business woman…

For all my life until I was eighteen years old I was a brawler, a street fighter. All my life I had to learn how to use weapons to help me survive on the streets, just to get by another day.

A hardcore match with Ambrosia?  That’s a walk in the park.

On Riot you said you wanted to know what made me tick.  I’ll tell you what makes me tick, Ambrosia.  What makes me tick is a desire to do what’s right, to fight for what’s just.  No, I’m not a hero and I don’t pretend to be.  I just know from my experience growing up the kind of evil acts people in power can do and I want to do everything in my power to stop those people.

You’re not even evil, Ambrosia.  Crazy, maybe, but not evil.  And you’re not even a major player here.  You’re just a hired gun.  You are one of Sinistry’s goons fighting on their behalf.

You’re a lackey.  You went from being the Harlequin of Hardcore to being a lackey.

I just want you to understand that when you step into this hardcore environment against a woman who has perpetrated some pretty damn heinous acts in her past, that you are putting yourself at risk, not for glory or success, not for a title, and not even for the joy of blood and gore if that’s your thing…

…you’re doing it because you’ve become Desmond Drake’s lackey.

You should be the one to fear, though.  You should fear me because I can take you out.  I can maim you just as much as you want to maim me.  Oh but don’t worry darling, I won’t cripple or maim you.  I’ll allow you to walk away under your own power.

After all, I’d hate to take away the joy you apparently get from sucking off Desmond Drake…