Clearance

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Clearance

Off Camera

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New Year’s is a time when the human race begins to simultaneously think about the past and the future.  It is on this one time of year when we look back on the good and bad of the previous year, 2015, and when we look forward to the hopes and dreams of what 2016 may very well bring us.  In many ways, that makes New Year’s a very bittersweet holiday for very many people.  Sometimes people look back on the past year and all of the good memories.  Sometimes people look back and find only regrets.  Looking forward to the future, though, is almost a universally accepted time of hope.  Everyone hopes that the next year will bring nothing but happiness and joy.  That is what makes New Year’s a bittersweet period.

Marie Annabelle Jones’s New Year’s Holiday will be bittersweet to say the very least.  As she looks back upon 2015 she is reminded of failure, after failure to capture the top prize in the Independent Wrestling Cartel; the World Heavyweight Championship.  As she looks back on 2015 she is reminded of her failure to win Last Stand, failure to win at Invictus, and failure to defeat Vanilla Skyy, all failures in her attempts to become the world championships.

The one saving grace that Marie had to look forward to was the tag team title opportunity she had earned along with her best friend and #GingerNation tag team partner Sophie James.  And yet, even that small silver lining is being threatened, for The Crown Jewel of Professional Wrestling injured herself at an IWC wrestling event and was put on the shelf.  Without doctor’s clearance to wrestle, her future in IWC, her future as number one contender to the world tag team titles, all of it hangs in the balance.  Will Marie be cleared to wrestle in time to maintain her tag title shot?  Will Marie finally win the world title?  So many questions remain unanswered.

With 2016 now on the horizon and the Uprising Brand of IWC about to start a new year, some of those unanswered questions will be answered on the Uprising 9 card.  Chris Davids and Cassius DeLight will face Jessica Wilde and Lilith Evans.  The winners will face Sophie James and her tag team partner later on in the evening for the IWC Uprising Tag Team Titles.

Sophie is not the kindest of individuals.  As Sophie herself so eloquently put it, she is known as the Motor City Bitch, not the Motor City Carer.  And yet, for all of her bitchy attitude, she is loyal to Marie.  The two are friends.  Sophie is bound and determined to have Marie as a tag team partner on the Uprising 9 card when the tag team titles are decided.  But that can only happen if and only if Marie herself is cleared to wrestle by doctors.

The future of Marie Annabelle Jones hangs in the balance and that’s what brings her to the doctor this day after Christmas.  She sits in the waiting room of the doctor’s office, dressed in a tight form fitting pair of jeans, black boots, and a black long sleeve sweater.  Her long red hair hangs unrestrained to just below her shoulders.  With her is her love interest Arthur Pond, who is wearing a pair of khaki pants, dress shoes, and a plaid button up shirt.

Arthur shoots his lovely girlfriend a curious, concerned gaze, as he studies her for several moments.  He notices her wriggling nervously.  Many thoughts go through his head before he finally breaks the silence.

“Calm down.”

“Calm down?”

Marie repeats this in an incredulous tone, almost as if she cannot truly believe he made this request of her.  Jones shoots him a glare of her own that could kill.

“How can you ask me to calm down, Arthur?” She asks, snapping at him with venom dripping from her voice. “Some quack of a doctor is about to decide my professional wrestling fate.  I cannot be calm.”

Pond’s look of concern contorts into a wry grin.

“Now Marie, aren’t you overreacting just a little bit?” He snickers lightly. “I somewhat doubt your entire professional wrestling career hinges on what one guy says.”

“Girl, not a guy.”

Arthur rolls his eyes. “Fine, girl, lady doctor, but that’s not the point.  The point is that you have your entire career ahead of you, whether she clears you or not.”

“You don’t get it.” Marie shakes her head. “How could you get it?  You’re not a wrestler like me, you could not understand what I’m going through.”

Arthur sighs and nods his head. “No, I am not a wrestler, and you are right, there are some things about this sport that I will just never understand.”

He takes her by the hand and squeezes it tight. “But I do understand that you are young, you are strong, and I understand that even if this doctor refuses to clear you today that you will still return, eventually.”

The red-headed Boston native looks at Arthur and laughs lightly, shaking her head in some sense of disbelief.

“Right, I will return…” her voice trails off as tears form in her eyes “…after I have been stripped of my tag title shot.”

A sense of realization falls across Arthur Pond as he finally begins to figure out why his lovely girlfriend from Boston is so upset.  He wraps an arm around her shoulder in an effort to comfort her.

“I see…”

“Sophie wants me to remain as her tag team partner.  She has made that abundantly clear to Drew Bryant.  But Drew has made it abundantly clear that I have to be medically cleared first.”

“That’s ironic,” Arthur starts with a chuckle “I mean, isn’t IWC the place that that thrives upon chaos and yet they want you to look after yourself?”

Marie nods her head, grinning. “Yeah, I see the irony…”

Jones and Pond share a laugh, something that a stressed out Marie needs right now more than anything else.  Their joy and laughter is interrupted when a young woman with straight black hair dressed in khaki pants, white sneakers, a blue blouse, and a white doctor’s coat enters the waiting room.

“Marie…Marie Jones?”

“Huh?” Marie looks up, away from Arthur and at the woman. “Yeah…”

“Come with me.  You can come too, sir.”

Arthur stands up first and, taking Marie by the hand, urges her to her feet.  The two then walk hand in hand, following the black haired lady doctor through the door, into the back area.  She leads them back through a short hallway and then they make a right and enter a room.  The room is plain, cream colored, with a doctor’s bed on one end, two standard cushioned chairs, and a black chair with roller wheels.

“Have a seat.”

Marie and Arthur sit down in the two standard chairs while the doctor sits down in the roller chair.  She takes her stethoscope and puts the earpieces in her ear and then rolls over in the chair to Marie.  She places the stethoscope against her chest.

“Let me hear your heart.”

Marie sighs out of frustration but Arthur gives her hand a tight squeeze, signaling her to calm down.  The doctor smiles and then takes her wrist.

“Sounds good, now let’s hear that pulse.”

“Doc…”

“Marie…” Arthur scolds.

“No, Arthur, I’m being serious.” Marie gripes. “Why is any of this important?”

“Sorry, Ms. Jones, but it is standard operating procedure.”

Marie waits as the doctor takes her pulse.  After the minute has passed and the pulse taken the doctor wheels away and smiles pleasantly at Marie as she takes some notes.

“Ok, now let’s get down to business.”

The doctor places the clipboard down on the bed and then turns to stare back at Marie and Arthur.

“Marie already knows me quite well by now, but you and I have yet to meet.” She extends a hand towards Arthur. “My name is Dr. Lynwood.”

“Nice to meet you, doctor.” Arthur responds, shaking her hand.

“Now then, Marie,” she turns to face Marie “you know why you’re here.”

Jones nods her head. “Yes, I am here because the brilliant brain trust within IWC have seen it necessary to do everything they can to keep me away from the tag titles using every means available to them.”

“Marie!”

Arthur exclaims loudly, in shock at what his girlfriend just accused her workplace of doing.  The doctor, on the other hand, just laughs it off.

“Let her have it, sir.  Ms. Jones certainly has a right to be upset.”

“You say that and yet still I’m coming in to see you, still waiting patiently to be medically cleared to wrestle.” Marie narrows her eyes in a serious, angry gaze at the doctor. “I am ready, doctor.  I am ready to return to action.  I deserve to return to action.”

“Being ready to return to action and deserving to return to action are two different things.” Dr. Lynwood responds. “I am not here to judge whether you deserve the opportunity, I am here to decide if you physically can compete and, the way I see it, from looking at my records and charts….”

There is a slight pause.  Marie leans in closer as she anxiously and excitedly waits for the responds.  Arthur squeezes her hands tightly.  The doctor smiles pleasantly.

“…I think you’re ready to return.”

Those were definitely the words that Marie wanted to hear.  She has been waiting to hear those words from the medical field for a very long time, ever since Drew Bryant issued the order that Marie would be out of action until further notice from the doctors.  These are the words Marie has been waiting to hear ever since Drew Bryant told Sophie James that she would have to find a new tag team partner if Marie did not get medical clearance.  Jones stands right up and jumps for joy, not even bothering to care about the fact that she is doing this right in front of the doctor and Arthur.

“Yes! Yes! Yesssss!”

“You certainly sound happy!” Dr. Lynwood responds.

“You have no idea, doctor.” Arthur chimes in. “She has been looking forward to this for a long  time now.”

Marie eventually c alms down.  She turns to face the doctor and shakes her hand. “Thank you doctor.”

“Don’t thank me, Ms. Jones.  I’m just doing my job.  But may I be so bold as to put my own personal opinion into this?”

Marie nods her head. “Sure.”

“Don’t squander this opportunity.”

Marie tilts her head to one side, frowning. “What do you mean?”

“I am one of IWC’s primary medical doctors.  I keep up with what you and your fellow wrestlers do and 2015 was a roller coaster for you, wasn’t it?  I mean, the Last Stand Rumble where you did so well but came up short.  Invictus II you came up short.  Your opportunity against Vanilla Skyy also you came up short.  Time and time again you came up short.”

“Yes, and you’re rubbing it in now?” Marie demands, getting angry.

“No, I’m just making a point.  Because each time you failed, you overreacted.  Each time you failed your actions became more and more extreme, you pushed the envelope, and what happened is that you ended up injuring yourself.”

“I have to keep pushing myself or else I will never get what I want.”

“I know you want to be a champion again but you cannot keep pushing yourself.” Dr. Lynwood warns. “You pushed yourself this time and got injured.  But you were lucky and it wasn’t a bad injury.  If you keep pushing yourself, you might injure yourself worse next time.  If you keep pushing yourself you might very well put your career at risk.”

Marie shakes her head. “I get what you’re saying, but you’re wrong.  You are dead wrong.  I have to push myself harder and harder.  I cannot stop, I cannot let up, because I have a second chance and I will not let this second chance get away from me.  I will be world champion.  I will be tag team champion and no one can stop me.”

“You’re right, you do have a second chance” Dr. Lynwood answers “but if you push yourself too much, you may very well squander that one in much the same way you squandered that first one.”

“And I already told you, I have to do what I have to do.”

Dr. Lynwood sighs and nods her head. “Ms. Jones, a new year is approaching, is it not?”

“Yes, and…?”

“And I am just suggesting that you should think about your successes and failures of this past year.  Think about everything that happened in 2015 and try to learn from your mistakes.  That’s all I’m saying.”

“Yeah and all I’m saying is that me and Arthur are leaving.”

Marie turns and storms out of the door.  Arthur follows closely behind, calling out after his girlfriend.

“Marie, wait!”

Marie doesn’t wait.  She keeps on walking.  She walks down the hall and into the waiting area.  Arthur keeps walking, trying to keep up.  Marie then walks out of the waiting room and outside of the doctors office building.  That’s where she stops and stands, waiting.  Arthur finally catches up with her and stands behind her, wrapping his arms around her in a comforting embrace.

“Marie, what’s wrong?”

“This is my chance, Arthur.” Marie says, clearly stifling tears. “This is my chance to be champion again.  This is my chance to prove to the world that I can get the job done.”

“I know that you can get the job done.  You know you can get the job done.” Arthur kisses her on the cheek. “But Dr. Lynwood is right, if you do not learn from the past, then you are doomed to repeat it.”

Arthur turns Marie around to face him as he gazes sternly down at her. “You can’t trust people like Silas Mason.  You can’t go on the warpath against your bosses like you did when you waged war against Drew Bryant.  You have to be smarter, darling.  You know this.”

Marie nods her head, using her right hand to wipe tears from her eyes. “Yeah, I know…”

“As long as you know this and as long as you have learned from the past, then I am confident that you will be fine.”

He leans in and kisses her passionately on the lips. “Happy New Year, Marie.”

“Happy New Year, Arthur.”

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On Camera

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Marie Annabelle Jones is wearing a knee length black skirt, black high heeled pumps, and a red short-sleeved sweater.  Her long red hair hangs unrestrained to shoulder length and she has her nails painted red to match the sweater.  A confident gaze is etched across her lovely features.

“Good evening, IWC.  It has been awhile, hasn’t it?” Jones spins around full circle. “But here I am!  I am back in all my glory!  No injury can keep me down and no force of nature here on earth and no power in heaven above or in hell below can keep me from fighting to achieve what I ultimately want more than anything else.  Nothing can keep me from fighting to achieve my dreams and goals, the same dreams and goals any wrestler worth their salt has…”

Jones smirks knowingly “…championships.  Glory.  Success.”

 “I spent all of 2015 fighting for that success.  The Last Stand Rumble was supposed to be my night and while I did succeed in making a statement, in making an impact, I failed to win the Rumble and a failure is still a failure.  I managed to get into the Invictus  II main event for the world title and I came within a hair of winning it, and yet, a loss is still a loss.  I battled tooth and nail with Vanilla Skyy hoping to ascend to the top of the Uprising Brand and, still, I failed to be champion.”

“New Year is all about learning from the past.  As they say, if you do not learn from the past then you will be doomed to repeat it.  Well I am not one to make the same mistakes over and over again.  I know I made a mistake by trusting Silas Mason.  I know I made a mistake with my constant overreactions and by waging war against Drew Bryant.”

Jones sighs. “I now realize that Drew Bryant was right about me all along.”

“No more!” Marie shakes her head. “Things change and I can change and starting now I am a different person!  I have been gifted with a rare gift, the gift of a second chance.  My second chance begins in the year 2016 and I will not make the same mistakes again.  In the year  2016 I will ascend to the top of the IWC mountain.  I will be the best.  I will be the Crown Jewel of Professional Wrestling, as I always said I am, because I will not make the same mistakes.  This time everything will be flawless.”

“And it all starts with the Uprising Tag Titles.  The tag team championship may not be the world championship but it’s a good place to start and, besides that, it’s a championship opportunity that me and Sophie James deserve.  The Ginger Nation has been promised this title opportunity for a long time and yet we have yet to actually receive our title shot until now.  2016 is the year that we will not be denied.  2016 will be the year that the Ginger Nation steps up to the top of the tag team division in IWC.”

“Cassius DeLight and Chris Davids have already been bested by the Ginger Nation.  No problem there.  Then there’s Lilith Evans and Jessica Wilde, the New Sinistry.  I still think of New Sinistry like New Coke.  It’s not as good as the original coke and never will be.  They are nothing but pretenders.”

Marie smirks. “And you know what the real advantage will be for Ginger Nation?  The element of surprise, because neither Davids and DeLight nor the New Coke Crew has any clue that Sophie James has chosen me as her partner.  And even if they did successfully guess that I was her partner, there is still the other advantage that Ginger Nation has; the advantage of being rested and refreshed.  New Sinistry and Davids/DeLight will have already fought once before having to fight the Ginger Nation for the tag titles.”

“Sophie and I have every right to be confident heading into Uprising 9.  This is our time and our chance and every advantage is on our side.  But are we taking this lying down?  Are we overconfident?” Marie shakes her head. “Not on your life.  That was my mistake in 2015.  I let overconfidence get the best of me but not this time.  I learned from the mistakes of 2015 and I will not repeat them.  2016 is the year of Marie Annabelle Jones and the Ginger Nation and it starts with the Uprising tag titles coming home to me and Sophie.”

Marie nods towards the camera. “I’m coming home, IWC.  See you soon.”