The Two Families
The storm had finally passed, leaving behind a cold, gentle drizzle that washed away the heavy soot and acrid stench of the siege. At the countryside safe house... The place Kirsten had painstakingly built to be a true sanctuary away from the shadows... The air was clean, crisp, and completely free of the suffocating jasmine scent that had haunted The Compound for decades.
It was time to take stock of the aftermath. Nobody had been back to the safe house since the initial assault, and the grounds needed work. Deep feelings of guilt stretched through the souls of Kirsten's parents. Eager to show remorse and desperately wanting to repay their daughter and her allies for pulling them out of the wreckage, they had been adamant about helping clean up the grounds, stacking charred timber, sweeping shattered glass from the porch threshold, patching broken frames, and restoring what could be salvaged. Though hesitant and guarded, Kirsten and the crew had allowed them to work alongside them.
After hours of grueling physical labor, the sun began to dip beneath the horizon, casting a soft, golden hue across the wet gravel of the driveway. It was time for her parents to finally depart and begin the long, quiet process of returning to their civilian lives.
Kirsten stood on the rain-drenched porch, looking out over the progress they had made together. She took a long, deep breath, letting the cool country air fill her lungs. Down in the driveway, Hailey was by the running vehicle, checking the door locks, adjusting the headrest, and preparing to give Kirsten's parents the ride they needed, given that they had been forcibly taken from their own home days prior. Inside the backseat rested Emma, tired and still slowly recovering, with Ethan keeping a quiet, watchful eye over her.
Kirsten stepped down off the porch, her boots crunching softly over the wet gravel as she walked over to meet her parents by the hood of the car.
She looked into their eyes and saw an expression she hadn't seen in many long, painful years. It was a look of raw, unvarnished gratitude and profound appreciation for what had been done for them. She could see that they finally understood how completely they had been duped by the Prophets, and how the selfish, short-sighted choices they had made throughout Kirsten's childhood had led them down a tragic path that only they could feel at fault for.
Her mother swallowed hard, her voice trembling slightly against the quiet hum of the engine.
Kirsten's Mom: You know... We really do thank you for what you did. All of you... Each and every one of you helped save us from a nightmare...
Her father stepped forward, his head bowed, his hands clasped tightly to stop their lingering trembling as he spoke up.
Kirsten's Dad: We know thank you isn't enough, Kitt... We know our stupidity almost cost this family everything. We almost let them destroy Emma, just like we let them reshape you... And we have to live with that shame for the rest of our days.
Hailey chimed in from the driver's side door, her posture still sharp, her voice carrying the lingering animosity and protective edge that hadn't yet left her system.
Hailey Brooks: You do understand Emma was the main reason WHY we even invested that kind of dangerous energy, right? I mean, we went into that death trap to save HER... You two were just...
Kirsten held up a gentle hand, cutting Hailey off before the tension could escalate further.
Kirsten Scott: What she is trying to say is... You are welcome. We were never going to leave you two in that hellhole to be wrongfully accused of being part of their sick, grand scheme.
Both parents nodded rapidly, tears welling in their eyes. Without another word, they stepped forward and pulled Kirsten into a tight, desperate embrace. Kirsten hesitated for a fraction of a second before letting out a small, genuine smile, wrapping her arms around them.
After a quiet moment, Kirsten took a deep, steadying breath. A more stoic, grounded look settled across her features as she gently stepped back from them. Her parents could instantly see the gravity in her stance... She had more to say, and it was time to establish the line that would define the rest of their lives.
Kirsten Scott: ... But the absolute truth is, I do love you both. We would not have gone in there like a wrecking crew the way we did if I didn't love you. If I didn't care, we would have cut through, grabbed Emma, and gotten ourselves out. But this entire situation put me, and THIS family right here, under a tremendous amount of stress and worry that we simply did not need or deserve. And as someone who fiercely protects the people I care about, I cannot allow that to ever happen again. Yes, we ripped the world to absolute shreds to pull you out of the fire, but that was the final time I can allow that level of chaos into our lives. I cannot continue to be dragged into this twisted world you two have been a part of for all these years.
None of us can.
We have our own lives to build now. And this girl right here...
Kirsten turned slightly, gesturing toward Emma resting softly in the backseat of the vehicle, with Ethan giving Kirsten a firm, reassuring nod through the glass.
Kirsten Scott: ... She is nobody's personal "Oracle." She is nobody's personal fortune teller or spiritual puppet. She is a resilient young woman who is finding her own path in this world, and we are going to support her being just as free as we are. Because if I let her be turned into an "Oracle" for anyone, or if I put this family back in harm's way with those assholes ever again, I am completely selling my own soul out.
So the fact is... I love you both, just like I said. But my absolute loyalty, my heart, my time, and my PROTECTION now belong to the family who never wanted me to be, or asked me to be, their personal weapon simply to earn their approval. I fought for endless years just to earn yours, and I believe you finally see me for who I truly am today. But Hailey, Emma, and Ethan... They saw me from the very start. And I am fiercely loyal to them for that.
This past is officially done for ALL of us. And while I am telling you that I am staying with them... That I am not coming home to be "Kitt" again... I will always be your daughter. I will always be there for the moments that truly matter. And you both will always be welcome to slowly come to understand who this family is and what they represent to me.
I just cannot fight everyone's battles anymore... Nor do I ever want to.
Her mother reached out, her fingertips lightly brushing Kirsten's shoulder, her tears slipping freely now as she nodded in painful, honest understanding.
Kirsten's Mom: We see you, Kirsten... We finally see you. And we won't ask you to be anything else ever again. Go be with your family...
Kirsten pulled her mother and father into one last, long, lingering hug, holding them tightly before stepping away for good.
She turned on her heel and walked deliberately back toward the safe house. As her boots hit the wooden steps of the porch, the heavy wall of adrenaline and stoicism finally began to crack. A wave of profound emotional release washed over her chest, and a single, warm tear welled up in the corner of her eye, tracing a quiet line down her cheek.
She stopped at the top of the porch and turned back to watch.
Down in the driveway, Hailey gently closed the passenger doors, climbed into the driver's seat, and shifted the car into gear. The headlights cut twin beams of gold through the falling twilight as the vehicle rolled slowly down the long gravel driveway. Kirsten stood alone on the porch, wrapped in the cool evening breeze, watching the red taillights fade into the mist. She kept her eyes locked on the tree line until the car made its final turn at the bend in the road, the lights vanishing completely into the quiet countryside, taking the shadow of her past away with them forever.
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PROMOSupreme Championship Wrestling has seen things this year that, honestly, I don't think a single person in that front office was remotely prepared for.
It has seen world-class champions finally ascend to the top of the mountain. It has seen shocking, jaw-dropping upsets happen one after another. And, as proved by yours truly... It has seen people rise back up from the ashes when many in this locker room suspected they were either dead, buried, or simply giving up on themselves.
For me? It was NEVER about giving up.
It was never about giving in, either. I was never going to allow myself to fail in the pathetic manner that so many bitter critics anticipated. I didn't care how green I was back then, how new I appeared to the locker room, or how much more experienced others seemed compared to me on paper. I knew, deep down in my bones, that there was something far more lethal waiting to claw its way out. I knew there was inevitable success. I knew there would be undeniable opportunities.
And I knew that the terrifying ghost of being mediocre AT BEST was something that was SUPPOSED to happen to me early on! Why? Because it gave me the exact dose of harsh reality I needed early in my career. It taught me what rock bottom felt like before I ever tasted absolute power. It ensured that I wouldn't experience a sudden wave of unearned hype, only for the very first inkling of failure to completely derail my entire psyche. It forged me in the fire. It handed me every single tool I needed to survive, adapt, and evolve into someone infinitely BETTER than who I initially was!
It wasn't about the sheer number of matches...
It wasn't about inflating my win column...
It wasn't even about tallying up my losses...
It was about the humbling realization that THIS was what mediocrity felt like in an industry where I was once revered for my sheer tactical destruction. Yeah, sure... That reverence was forged in a completely different, darker type of environment... But it was still a level of absolute respect that I was accustomed to, and something I foolishly assumed would just automatically follow me everywhere I went!
Stepping into SCW, wallowing in mediocrity, and trudging through that initial go-round where I foolishly tried to carry on someone else's broken legacy... All of that trauma made me immeasurably stronger on the INSIDE. It made me sharper, colder, and exponentially better MENTALLY! It forced me to accept the undeniable fact that if I was going to carve my path completely alone, it was going to be excruciatingly painful. And at the exact same time, it taught me that if I was ever going to walk into war WITH someone at my side, I had to be ruthlessly selective about who I entrusted with my life.
Which brings us right into the exact era we are living in today...
The year 2026! A time in which I sit here holding a guaranteed #1 Contendership in my back pocket for one of the most prestigious, deeply fought-over titles in this entire industry... The SCW Adrenaline Championship! A title that has become completely synonymous with the true WORKHORSE of this business.
That championship opportunity is an absolute certainty. It is GOING to happen soon, and that bulletproof guarantee, combined with the psychological evolution inside my own mind, has taught me to exercise a calculated level of patience while I await the perfect moment to strike. I know the powers that be won't attempt to treat my title shot like some cheap, dangling carrot on a stick... Mostly because they know I would instantly see through the charade and transform their daily lives into an unmitigated living hellscape!
Corporate management knows that screwing me over would be, as the tired old cliche goes, terrible for business. But at the same time, it would be equally bad for business to just carelessly rush me straight into the title picture without letting the current chaos play out first. Besides... That Adrenaline Championship isn't the only burning iron I have in the fire right now... Is it?
Scarlett Carsons walks into frame, stepping up beside Kirsten and looking directly into the camera lens with a cold, predatory smirk on her face.
You see, this brilliant, unhinged lady and I have seemingly figured out that we possess a very rare, highly lethal talent when it comes to watching each other's backs in that ring. We both carry massive, deep-seated trust issues, and strangely enough, those shared scars have allowed us to see each other for who we truly are without ever having to fake a single thing. We don't have to play nice. We don't have to pretend to be best friends. We get to be our raw, authentic, violent selves, and while doing so, we get to beat the holy living hell out of every unfortunate soul foolish enough to cross our path!
And if I am being completely honest with you... A major part of me wants to stand here and declare that we should be completely undefeated as a unit right now. I mean, let's be real... It took massive outside forces and blatant corporate shenanigans for us to lose at Rise to Greatness. But all that loss really did was ignite a brand-new, insatiable hunger between the two of us!
And in our very second match together? We began to unleash that terrifying hunger on the entire tag team division...
Which brings us directly to Apocalypse! We have a night where one of the most obnoxiously mouthy human beings on the face of the planet, Dylan Howell, rolls into town alongside some random broad of his named Jessica Heart.
And together?
BUM BUM BUUUUUUM!
They call themselves "The Great and Secret Show!"
TA DAAAAA!
Both Kirsten and Scarlett stand side-by-side, staring directly into the camera lens with deadpan, utterly unimpressed, and thoroughly disgusted expressions on their faces.
Now, in all seriousness... From everything I know about this walking, talking CHUD of a human being, making his tag team sound like a cheap circus act is actually hilariously appropriate!
Why?
That is precisely who Dylan Howell has always been! He has spent his entire career acting like nothing more than a greasy, low-rent carny running a carnival sideshow... Swearing up and down to anyone dumb enough to listen that the Conjoined Twins of Tibet are 100% REAL, and definitely not just a couple of desperate, starving individuals looking to make a quick buck in poorly fitted latex prosthesis!
It is his entire shtick... A pathetic, worn-out, carnival barker routine... And we are, quite frankly, having absolute NONE of it!
See, Dylan... You can bring your pathetic little tent-pitching circus party to Apocalypse all you want. You can try to sell these gullible fans a fake bridge in California, but Scarlett and I are bringing a level of raw hunger, unquenchable thirst, and a psychological DESIRE to inflict pure pain, agonizing suffering, and career-altering embarrassment!
Dylan... Jessica... You two operating under a moniker like "The Great and Secret Show" proves the exact height of your delusion. It proves just how impossibly LITTLE you can be taken seriously as actual combatants in 2026. Because starting at Apocalypse... Scarlett and I bring a brand-new moniker into SCW. It isn't a circus act. It isn't a sideshow.
It is the RED GARDEN PROTOCOL!
It is the collision of two terrifying women who have unified their dark visions to manufacture absolute chaos and establish themselves as the two most brutally vicious combatants in this entire industry! Scarlett brings the spine-chilling creepiness... I bring the cold, calculated, tactical rage... And together, we come at you with an absolute NEED to put you both out to pasture once and for all!
Because let's face the cold, hard facts, Dylan... And Jessica, you better listen in very closely, too... Your embarrassing little sideshow act has grown beyond stale! This completely laughable fantasy of you being a "serious player" in modern professional wrestling came and went faster than a doctor checking your prostate!
Now... You get to surrender your time, your dwindling energy, and your insufferable, "never-shut-the-fuck-up" attitude at the altar of the RGP! You will crawl out of Apocalypse knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that you were systematically dismantled and put in your place by your absolute superiors!
You leave Apocalypse completely EXPOSED!
And when the dust settles... When Jessica is forced to physically drag your broken body out of that arena... Assuming she is smart enough to just lie on the apron and let you take the beatdown of a lifetime... You will finally be forced to tell the world the absolute truth for once in your pathetic life! You will look into every camera and admit that the absolute best in the world beat you down within a fraction of a heartbeat from everything going pitch black! You will tell the world that you are profoundly grateful that we didn't permanently merc you out of existence!
And you will FINALLY shut your loud, pathetic mouth and never be an annoying piece of trash ever again!
Why?
Because you walked straight into MY LIGHT, and OUR HALLOWED GROUNDS... Only to have your entire world GO DARK!