I Am Not A Good Person

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Scene 1

Off Camera

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The offices at McBride Incorporated are empty; well, all of them except for the office of its principle owner, Karen McBride, the same Karen McBride who also happens to be the principle owner of the Independent Wrestling Cartel.  Yes, that same Karen McBride who, at Last Stand, will be competing against Abigail Lindsey in a match to determine which of them will be the first entrant in the rumble match itself and which will be the last entrant, a decided disadvantage and advantage respectively.

Whoever enters the rumble match first will have to outlast each and every person who comes into the match subsequently.  They will have to try and survive the onslaught of the entire IWC roster if they even hope to have a chance at victory, and even then victory is not a sure thing.  Nothing is ever a sure thing in a rumble match.

Then there is the person who gets the final and last entrant in the rumble match.  While every other IWC superstar will have been beating each other half to death throughout the night, the person who enters last will be fresh and refreshed, ready to fight, and ready to win it all.  And the winner will get a world title match at Invictus II.

Karen wants to become IWC World Champion and she wants it more than anything.  There was a time when she could have just given herself a title match.  Back when she first dropped her nuclear bomb, announcing that she owned twenty-five percent of the company, she also announced that she would challenge then world champion Ba'al for the title.  There was such a backlash from her rash decision making that she was forced to back out and, instead, let Shaun Cruze have a shot at Ba'al.

The wealthy businesswoman realizes she was wrong then and has since been striving to earn her spot in the main event championship match.  There is no better way to earn that match than to win the Last Stand Rumble Match.   No one would then be able to question her worthiness...

...not even herself.

Even more importantly than that, however, is the brewing rivalry and bitter feud she and her Prestige allies have had going on lately with Abigail Lindsey, better known as Serenity, and her group known as Psychomachia.

Serenity has made it her mission to “transform” the Prestige members, make them “go rogue” as she puts it, wanting them to become villains, monsters even, just like them.  Serenity wants Karen and her Prestige friends to unleash their inner demons, to let them run wild, to be completely unchained.

What Serenity does not realize, what she fails to realize, is that such a transformation would not be all that much of a change for McBride.  She may have immense wealth now, but that was not always the case.  Karen herself was not raised in a cushy environment surrounded by luxury.  Karen's biological family had to fight and claw to survive and Karen herself, when she was just a teenager, had to start prostituting herself just to help her family make ends meet.  Karen learned on the streets that life was not all peaches and cream.  She learned that she had to be cutthroat if she hoped to survive, if she hoped to live.

McBride had done terrible things on the streets, all of them in the name of survival.  Serenity need not preach to her about going rogue or transforming.  This is a transformation that Karen had undergone a long time ago.  It is a beast within Karen, a beast that she has never once kept hidden, that Karen never once pretended didn't exist.  And if Serenity wants to play with Karen's inner demons, then that's what she'll get.

Her office is empty.  Everyone in the building has left except her.  McBride is at her desk, her head propped up in her hands.  A sigh escapes her mouth as she contemplates what Last Stand holds for her and what she must do if she hopes to win the rumble and earn her title shot.  Going rogue, or transformation isn't her concern.  Karen knows who and what she is.  She doesn't need Serenity to tell her.

“Ms. McBride?”

“Hmmm?” Karen looks up, breaking from her deep thoughts, to see her secretary standing in the open doorway. “Oh...hello, June.”

The brunette secretary is wearing a brown jacket, white blouse, and a brown pencil skirt.  Her feet are encased in match brown pumps.  She smiles politely as she converses with her boss.

“I'm leaving for the day.” June announces.  “Do you need anything?”

“No,” Karen shakes her head “I'm fine.”

“Are you sure?”

“Honestly,  June.” Karen retorts. “I really am fine.  Go home, I will lock up.”

June reluctantly nods her head. “Ok...”

June turns to walk out but then stops and turns back “...oh, and by the way, your sister is here to see you.”

“Which one?” Karen asks inquisitively.

“The one you like.” June says half-jokingly.

Karen smiles, knowing exactly who she means. “Send Melanie in.”

“Will do.” June starts to make her exit. “And have a good day, Ms. McBride.”

“You too, June.”

With that said, June makes her exit and Karen does her best to put on a happy, content front for her sister Melanie.  She doesn't want to give off the impression that anything is wrong or that Karen is worried in anyway, even if it may very well be true.  Karen has no problem unleashing her inner demons upon Serenity and leaving in a waste, but what she does have a problem with is how Melanie will think of her, how her the rest of her family might think of her when it is all said and done.  What will they think when they see the real Karen McBride in action at Last Stand?

“Kare-Bear!”

That is the excited, happy voice of Karen's sister, Melanie McBride.  They are not sisters by blood, mind you.  The McBride family adopted Karen.  But Melanie and Karen quickly grew to be inseparable, closer than any real sisters could ever hope to be.  Melanie may have grown up in this rich and wealthy family but Karen did not.  Karen was used to being the outsider and thus she grew close to Melanie, the one member of the McBride family who did not care one iota about the riches and the power that went with being an heir to the McBride fortune.  Karen would even go on to train Melanie in the art of self-defense and fighting and, eventually, in the art of professional wrestling, assisting her in getting a contract to compete in Cartel:NxtGen.

But not even Melanie has seen Karen at her absolute worst.

Melanie rushes in and Karen stands up from her chair in time to greet her younger sibling with a tight embrace.  Once they are finished hugging it is time for a verbal greeting.

“June told me you were still here!”

Karen nods her head. “Yeah...”

“I gotta admit, I'm kinda surprised.” Melanie states. “Usually you don't stay at work this late.”

“Well, I have a lot of paperwork, Mel.” Karen says in what is clearly a bold-faced lie, one she hopes Melanie will not pick up on.

“Now come on, Kare-Bear, paperwork never stopped you before.” She places her hands on her hips. “What's really keeping you busy?”

“Nothing, Mel.” Karen shakes her head. “It's nothing.”

“Doesn't sound like nothing.” Melanie hops up onto Karen's desk.  Only a sister could get away with such an action. “You sound all depressed.  Is it Eric problems?”

Eric is Eric Chambers, Karen's fiancée, the man whom Karen will be marrying very soon.  The two have been inseparable lately and of course Karen agreed to marry him, but even then any bride would get nervous leading up to her big day.  But this is not about the pending marriage.  This is about something else, something just a little more personal for Karen.

“No, Eric and I are just fine.” Karen responds with a grin.  “In fact, we're great.”

“Great!” Melanie responds.  “I'd hate for you to back out and then find out I'm NOT the maid of honor!”

“No getting you out of that, Mel.” Karen answers back with a slight laugh.  “You're my maid of honor.”

“And I wouldn't have it any other way, Kare-Bear.”

The sisters share another hug. “I love you, Melanie.  I want you to remember that.”

Melanie smiles upon hearing that, but that smile quickly fades as she notices the grim look on her elder sister's face, a look that tells her that something is truly wrong, that something terrible may be about to happen.

“Kare-Bear...what's wrong?”

Karen walks over and sits back down in her chair at her desk. “Melanie, you DO understand that Last Stand is coming up soon, correct?”

Melanie nods her head. “Of course I do.  You have a great chance to win the rumble match and get a world title match to boot!  How cool is that?”

Karen sighs, shaking her head. “It isn't all that cool, Mel, not when so much is at stake, much more than just a world title match.”

Karen wipes a tear from her eye. “Melanie...I am not a good person.”

“What are you talking about?!” Melanie exclaims. “You are one of the best people I know!”

“No, Melanie, I'm not!” Karen exclaims. “I abused my power to try and jump ahead of the line, to try and GIVE MYSELF a world title match.”

“Yes, but you had a change of heart and gave it back.  That shows heart.”

“Still, the fact remains that I helped Desmond Drake buy his portion of IWC all with the promise that I would get a world title match.  IWC was in a desperate position, nearly dead, because of my selfishness and my greed.”

Karen chuckles lightly. “Serenity wants me to go rogue?  I was there way before she coined the phrase.  As a teenager I had to do terrible things to help my brothers and mother survive, and I don't just mean sleeping with men for money.  I killed people, Mel.  I did terrible things, Mel.  Serenity wants a rogue?”

She motions to herself. “She's got one in me.”

“Serenity is all whacked up in the head, Kare-Bear, and you know it.”

“Your point?”

“My point,” Melanie insists “is that she has no idea what it means to go rogue, to be a villain.  So what if you beat her half to death at Last Stand? So what if you bloody her and batter so bad that she can't even walk out to the ring to compete in the rumble later on?  Does that make you a villain?”

Melanie shakes her head. “No...it makes you someone who is willing to do anything to protect her friends and family.  Serenity has had it out for William, for Christy and JaMarcus, for me and Blaire, and for you.  She has tried to destroy us.  If you beat her within an inch of her life I don't call it villainous...”

Karen arches her brow. “Then what do you call it, Mel?”

“I call it self-defense.”

Melanie embraces Karen with another tight hug. “You are the nicest person, I know.  You've been there with me through thick and thin, through good times and bad.  Do not let anyone tell you that you are a villain, a rogue, or a bad person.  You are Karen McBride and no matter what you do to Serenity at Last Stand...”

She smiles “...I love you.”

Karen stares almost incredulously at her younger sister for the longest time before letting out a small laugh.

“Thanks, Mel...I needed that.”

“Anytime!” Melanie exclaims. “What are sisters for?”

“You have been a life-saver.” Karen takes her by her hands. “Tell you what, let's ditch this place and go out for drinks...my treat?”

“You're on!”

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Melanie McBride

On Camera

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Serenity, Serenity, Serenity...you crazy, demented, lost little girl...the girl who thought it was wise to make an enemy of Karen McBride.

Not only was it NOT wise but it was the biggest mistake of your career!

Your mistake is that you are trying to transform someone who is already a monster into a monster.  That's your mistake, Serenity.  My sister never once denied that she was a vicious beast.  She never once denied that she has a monster hidden down deep inside.

What she is NOT, however, is a villain.  Karen McBride is NOT a villain and she does not bring out that hidden monster for evil, vile, diabolical schemes.  She does not bring out the monster for pure and utter anarchy like you and your crew.

My sister utilizes her monster to protect those that she loves the most.  Using a monster to protect your loved ones does not make you a villain, at least not in my eyes.  In my eyes it makes her a hero.  Or, at worst, a momma grizzly protecting her cubs.

And you...you're threatening her cubs.  And she'll rip you apart, limb from limb, at Last Stand.

You aren't fighting for a spot in the rumble match, Serenity.  You're fighting for survival.

As for the others in the Last Stand Rumble itself, my sister has never wanted anything more than she wants this win.  She wants to prove to the world and to IWC that she belongs, that she deserves this title opportunity.  More importantly, she wants to redeem herself from the past sins, from when she tried to take a title opportunity that she hadn't earned.

No better way to EARN her way than to prove herself in the rumble match, right?

Karen has the heart and the soul to win.  She has the will and determination to win.  She knows what she wants and she is prepared to sacrifice everything to make it happen, to make her dream of main eventing Invictus and competing for the world title a reality.

Good luck!  You will all need it against my sister, Karen McBride!

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Karen McBride

On Camera

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The Last Stand Rumble is a wild card of a match because quite literally anything can and usually does happen in these events.  It's hard to prepare for because you don't know who will enter and you don't know when you will enter.  Will you be the first entrant, last entrant, or somewhere in the middle?

Now I have no way of knowing exactly who will be in the rumble match itself but I can tell you this, I DO have control over who will enter first and who will enter last.

Serenity...you have been a thorn in my side for quite awhile now and for the life of me I do not know why.  It made little sense at first.  After all, you were trying to transform me, to make me go rogue when in actuality I am already rogue...I am already this monster you are trying to create.

Then it hit me, you aren't trying to transform me.  You are trying to label me.  You are trying to convince the world...or maybe even me...that I am a villain.

I admit to being this rogue monster you speak of but I am not a villain and I refuse to allow YOU to label me as such.  I refuse to allow anyone to slap a label on me.  I choose who and what I want to be, Serenity.  We choose our own path.

If you want to choose to be miserable because of your break-up with the Buehler girl then so be it, but you do not have to drag the rest of us along with you and, quite frankly, I am sick of being drug along with you into your world of misery.  I am sick of it and at Last Stand I am going to leave your little world of misery the only way I know how...

...by ending you.

You claim that's what you want me to do and you can tell the world that all day long.  Maybe someone will believe you.  Maybe you will eventually convince yourself of that nonsense.  But the reality is that I am ending you not because I am a villain but because I am a hero and because I care, because I care about my family and my friends, because I love them dearly.

At Last Stand I am going to kick the ever-loving shit out of you and shut you up for the good of society in general.  After I put you out of this world they should give me a damn nobel peace prize.

And if by some miracle you DO survive me and manage to walk away from the beating I give you in our match, then the rest of the IWC roster will finish the job for me because you will be entering first.   You will have to go through the entire IWC roster if you hope to win the rumble.  I promise you that.

The IWC roster will witness what I do to you and will be encouraged by it.  They will be encouraged to beat you up because they will have seen what I did.  You won't walk away from Last Stand, Serenity.  You've made your bed, and now you will have to lie in it.  You will have to deal with the loss of your dream, the loss of your chance to be world champion.

That opportunity belongs to me.  I will defeat you, I will enter the rumble last.  I will be victorious.

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Scene 2

Off Camera

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Karen McBride truly believes herself to be lucky.  Most of the time society would not have cared about a common street walker who lost her family in a drive by shooting.  But she was lucky enough that a wealthy family of entrepreneurs named McBride took pity upon her and adopted her.  Had it not been for them, things would not have turned out so well for her.  Had it not been for the McBride family showing her love and compassion, Karen may have turned out to truly be an evil monster, the kind of villain Serenity is trying to create.

Being a member of the McBride family also allowed her to meet Melanie McBride.  Even though they are not related by blood, Karen still sees a lot of herself in the younger McBride sister.  Melanie is happy, joyful, and full of life; much like how Karen was before she was forced into prostitution to save her family, before the shooting that killed her mother.

Therein lies the biggest reason why Karen is choosing to continue this fight against Serenity.  Karen does not want Melanie to lose that innocence in the same way Karen has lost it.  Karen can never again get her innocence back, but if she can just help Melanie to maintain her innocence, then she feels she will have achieved a victory.

Victory for Karen will also mean she gets to enter last in the Last Stand Rumble, which is a major advantage for a superstar to have when the rules are gauntlet style, which means endurance plays a major role.  Karen wants to be world champion and, maybe just as important, she wants to make sure Serenity does NOT become world champion.  Thus winning the match against Serenity is an important first step in that process.

The McBride siblings currently find themselves in a local bar.  They are sitting on stools at the bar and each of them has a partially empty glass of beverage in front of them.  Smiles and laughter seem to be the theme of the night, a night that had begun in a rather depressing manner with Karen sulking in her office.  Now the two are enjoying the New York City nightlife.

“Y'know, Kare-Bear, this really isn't such a great idea...” Melanie says with a grin of mischief

“Why do you say that?”

“Let's be honest...” she motions to the two glasses “...at the very least we're both gonna be buzzed.”

“Correct,” Karen motions to herself “I will be buzzed, YOU will be drunk as hell.”

“Me?!”  Melanie exclaims.

Karen nods her head. “That's right, YOU!  You don't hold alcohol very well.”

“Fine, fine, you got me there,” Melanie responds “but either way, neither of us will be in any condition to drive home.”

“Maybe not, but then again those are the perks of being wealthy.” Karen holds up her glass in a toast like manner. “We can call mom and dad to send a servant along.”

Melanie frowns. “Now Kare-Bear, you KNOW I don't like flaunting our wealth.”

“And YOU should know that anything is better than driving drunk.”

“This is true.” Melanie says, nodding in agreement. “You really do look after me, Kare-Bear.  Thanks.”

“Don't mention it.”

“I just wish I could return the favor.” Melanie answers with a sigh. “I know you'll need some help at Last Stand.”

“Listen, Mel,” Karen begins rather sternly “I will be fine at Last Stand.  I can handle myself against Serenity.”

Melanie nods in agreement. “Oh I know you can handle her.  I meant the rumble match.  I mean, I am sure you'll beat Serenity, but in the off chance you don't...”

“I will beat her, Melanie.” Karen states definitively. “There is no doubt in my mind that I will beat her.”

“BUT if you don't...” her voice trails off.

“Yeah, I know.” Karen retorts. “If I don't I enter the rumble at number one.  If I hope to win, I have to go the distance, bell to bell.”

“Are you prepared for that?” Melanie asks innocently.

“I am prepared for anything, Mel.” Karen says matter-of-factly. “And I am prepared for the possibility that I will have enter the rumble at number one.  To be honest, after what I did in trying to take a world title shot that I did not deserve, after trying to abuse my power, I should have to enter in at number one.  I should have to go the distance.”

“Don't say that!” Melanie scolds.

“It's true.” Karen retorts. “I lost a lot of trust by doing that and I need to earn back the trust.  Not only do I need to earn back the trust but I also need to prove that I belong.  I need to prove that I am worthy.”

Karen sighs. “And yet I also cannot just lie down and let Serenity waltz right into the last spot in the rumble.  I have to make sure she is number one.  I have to make it as difficult as possible for her to win.”

Just then a male figure seemingly stumbles upon the girls by accident, though both know it is no accident, and they can smell the distinct odor of alcohol on the man's breath as he breaths at them.  This man is highly drunk and he is staring at both McBride sisters as if they were pieces of meat.

“I couldnta help but overrrrrhear ya'lls conversation about...about...about...”

“Go away.” Karen says short and curtly.

“...about...oh yeah!  Waltzin'!  I can waltz!”

“Good for you.” Karen responds to the drunkard. “Now leave.”

“Naw, naw,” the man continues to ignore her, shaking his head “not until I've had ma piece.”

“Your piece of what?” Karen asks angrily, growling as if to dare him to say what she thinks is on his mind.

“Dat piece of ass.” He says, glaring hungrily at Melanie.

“Ewww...” Melanie remarks.

“The lady isn't interested.” Karen states.

“No one asssssked you.” He places a hand on Melanie's shoulder. “Whaddya say, babe?”

Melanie swats his hand away. “Hands off!”

“Aww, now don't be dat way...” he tries again but again gets it swatted away.

“The lady SAID hands off.” Karen says growling. “I'm warning you.”

“An' I said nobody asssked you...” he swats Melanie on her ass “...aint dat right girl?”

Karen was trying to maintain her composure, but seeing her sister get hit on like this sends her over the edge.  McBride jumps up off of the stool she had been sitting on and grabs the man by his throat and squeezes hard.

“Good God!” He exclaims.

“God?  Not quite.” She squeezes harder. “Now apologize to my sister.”

“I...I...”

“APOLOGIZE!”

After another squeeze “...I'm sorry.”

“Excellent.” Karen drives a knee into his gut, doubling him over, before punching him square in the face, knocking him straight backward and down to the floor.

“Kare-Bear!” Melanie exclaims in shock.  “I had no idea...”

“Come on.” She takes Melanie by her arm and nearly drags her up. “We're leaving.”

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Karen McBride

On Camera

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The Last Stand Rumble is upon us and so is the road to Invictus.  The winner of this rumble match will get to compete for the world championship in the main event of IWC's biggest event of the year.  It is a dream of any and every superstar worth their salt in this rumble match...

..well everyone except maybe Kordy, whose dream is to watch every Godzilla movie.

I admit, being world champion is my dream.  I have a great many years left before I am done with my career but before my career is done I would like one day to be recognized as a world champion and there is nowhere else that I would like to be world champion than this company, the Independent Wrestling Cartel.

I used my considerable wealth to buy into IWC, and at first it was to get into the title hunt, and I admit I was wrong then and I made a mistake.  But now, looking back on that and looking back on my albeit limited experience being the principle owner of IWC, I have come to love this company, I have come to believe in this company, and I will fight tooth and nail for this company.

That is why I feel so unworthy as I enter this rumble match.  I could even get to enter last, a decided advantage for me if I manage to defeat Serenity earlier in the evening.  But I still don't feel worthy.  I do not feel worthy of representing IWC.

Ah but that's the beauty of the Last Stand Rumble.  It is a proving ground for would-be-warriors like myself.  It is a place where I can prove not just to my doubters and critics, but most importantly to myself, that I not only belong, but that I am worthy of carrying the world heavyweight title over my head and representing this great company, MY company, as its champion.

IWC will not be poisoned any longer by the filth that is Silas World or New Eden, two diabolical groups that do not want what's best for this company or its fans but only what's best for Aiken...what's best for Silas Mason.

I will not allow groups like Psychomachia burn this great place to the ground with their practices of complete and utter chaos and anarchy.  Serenity and company will NOT prevail.

I will do everything within my power, I will give it my all, I will fight as hard as I can.  I will bleed and sacrifice my body and soul if I have to...but at the end of it all, even if I have to go bell to bell, I will walk away number one contender and I will finally have what I have been wanting, what I have desired since I signed with IWC.

A world championship match.

I won't have it because of a deal with Desmond Drake and I won't have it because I gifted it to myself either.  I will have it because I earned it through hard work.  I will earn this title opportunity and then, at Invictus, I will EARN the world heavyweight championship.