It was done; Betsy Granger had gone to Warfare and claimed her victory over Bobby Bourbon going into Relentless. The message to the Bastards was sent and their date was set in stone.

Presently, Betsy was guiding Excellence to the werewolf-filled commune where Lycana sat at the head of her clan. The idea of having to walk through the village again made her want to chew on glass, but it had to be done. Even an outsider like herself could sense tension among the clan, and Lycana inviting a stranger to their turf didn’t seem to be helping matters. Even still, the Dissentient had insisted on her arrival, seeming excited to get on her way to finding her kyber crystal. The Impossible Traveler still couldn’t quite believe Lycana’s enthusiasm for the tasks ahead of them; Betsy found them exhausting, though her desire to see them through still burned beneath the surface.

There’s a soft bump as Excellence lands; this time, she lands mercifully in front of Lycana’s cottage. Before she could take a step towards the doors, they fling open wide, and standing in the frame is the partner she’d come to collect.

“About time.” humor entwines itself with a hint of frustrated eagerness as Lycana lays eyes on Betsy. A smile tugs the corners of her ruby-stained lips upwards as she takes a half step back, one hand remaining on Excellence’s door. She had taken the other’s recommendations to heart; her body clad in a stretchy black catsuit that clung to her curves like a second skin. The material shimmers lightly as she moves, like the sun on the water. Leather combat boots bind her from her toes to calves to her knees. “I thought you would never get here.” She flicks a glance around the still village before her gaze returns to Betsy.

”My fault.” Betsy shoots Lycana an apologetic grin, unable to help herself from admiring the fashionable tactical wear. Betsy was in her black leather catsuit, thigh-high black tactical boots adding another inch or two to her height. The top was slightly unzipped, revealing a black half-top underneath. A sturdy utility belt hung from her hips, her dual-ended lightsaber hanging from its place along with several other gadgets. Attached to a thigh holster is the blaster she used as a last resort, though she detested the clumsy weapons. ”I didn’t think you’d be at the door, ready for me to land.

Lycana’s eyes glitter, as her mouth opens.

“She’s been watching out the window for you.” a voice interrupts drily, causing Lycana’s head to swing around, and Betsy to peer over her shoulder.

Marf leans in the doorway of the small cottage, arms crossed, bicep muscles bulging as he shakes his head slightly at his blue-haired vixen, who was crinkling her nose at him for letting the cat out of the bag. He straightens, strolling over to stand by the side of his fellow Dissentient. “You’d think she was eager to put her life on the line like supernatural problems don’t find her often enough.” He boops her on the nose with the last words, causing her eyebrows to come crashing down in a fearsome scowl. He grins at her, obviously terrified.

“You make me sound like a dog.” she pokes him in the chest, her tone mellow despite the expression on her face. “Wolf. Dog...” Marf simply shrugs his shoulders, skillfully avoiding a swat, moving to place the silver handle of Lycana’s lightsaber into the holster on the belt that was slung low around her hips. “You ran out so fast you forgot that.”

A sheepish look creeps across Lycana’s façade, as she peers up at him. “Thank you.” His arm snakes around her waist, tugging her closer for a quick hug before releasing her. “You’re welcome.” Lycana risks a glance at Betsy, seeing how she took the little scene being played out before her, a side not many saw of the duo. Marf follows the direction of her gaze, his eyes hardening and jaw firming as he sets sights on the Impossible Traveler. “Remember what I said.”

Betsy nods, her gaze never faltering under the intensity of Marf’s gaze. ”You have my word... I’ll give my own life to get her back here to you if it comes to that.”

“We’ll see about that,” Marf replies gruffly.

”I just hope it doesn’t come to that.” Betsy says lightly, hoping to ease the tension between them. His blank stare is all the answer she needed on that front. Clearing her throat, she turns back to Lycana. ”Shall we, then?" Turning away from the couple, she gives them a minute to say a proper “farewell for now” to one another without her watching.

A muffled exchange from behind Betsy, culminating in the soft tread of a foot stepping forward into the interior of Excellence. “I have everything here, just make sure you come back. Both of you. You have some Bastards to fuck up.” With that, the big man backs up, a gentle bob of his head at odds with the hardness of his eyes, screaming silently to the world that he would destroy anything that brought Lycana harm. The Dissentients stare at each other for a long second more, before Marf turns and disappears into the cottage, leaving the two women alone once more.

A light sigh escapes Lycana as she watches him go, before turning neatly on her heel, her soft demeanor transforming into one of enthusiasm for the task at hand.

“Where to first?” she inquires, tossing her long locks over her shoulder as she approaches to stand at Betsy’s side, her eyes wandering curiously over the control panel.

Betsy sweeps her green eyes towards Lycana, keeping them hidden underneath her lashes as she begins to type in coordinates. ”I thought we could go to Ilum first; the universe is full of kyber crystals waiting to be found, but Ilum is famous for storing them in its ice caves. I figured that would give us our best shot at finding your crystal fairly quickly; and if not, there’s a whole universe full of them.”

“I see,” Lycana replies softly, her blue gaze sweeping from the control panel to Betsy. “And where would we begin looking for this crystal if Ilum fails to provide?”

”Ah...” Her voice falters as she grins sheepishly at Lycana. ”That’s the trick; we could stumble over that thing anywhere. Ilum was just my first logical choice for the reason I chose, but the most important thing is to follow your feelings. When you’re near it, you’ll hear it begin to call to you. The closer you are, the louder it gets; by then, you’ll start to feel its power, too.” She smiles warmly at her new partner in crime, allowing Lycana’s excitement to infect her as well.

“Like a mind connection, I’m linked to it,” she speaks, more to herself than anything else, her face a study of fascination at the concept. “In reality, we could travel all over and not find anything? Is that a possibility?” dubiousness creeps, into her words, for just a moment, before she shakes her head. “No, no doubts. We will find it.” She watches with fascination as Betsy works the controls, her whole being like a child watching a magic show. “You know, I’ve done a lot of crazy things, but I never thought going to another universe or realm would be one of them until I came across you.” she pauses, a low chuckle dancing in her throat upon her next words. “I also would never have guessed we would be tagging together to take down the Bastards either.”

The Impossible Traveler pauses over the controls for a moment as she considers Lycana’s words. ”Yours is out there and we’ll find it; Excellence has a funny way of getting us exactly where we need to go. Even if she manages to get us into a heap of shit along the way... Ah, but who am I kidding? I wouldn’t trade any of the adventures I’ve had for anything.” An amused smile crosses her face as an impish giggle leaves her lips. ”I learned a long time ago to never count out the impossible, and I still find myself surprised by the way fate plays out. To think, we both arrived here at the start of the Bastards Reign of Error and wasted so much time trying to tear each other apart that we never stopped to recognize the bigger problem.” Her eyebrows scrunch together as she contemplates what's to come before her expression shifts into a smug smirk. ”I called that lovey-dovey shit in the Marftacular, though. I don’t know about everyone else, but I didn’t need a time machine to see that one coming between the two of you.”

“There were always circumstances looking to step between us, to be fair...” she softly responds, speaking of the Left Hand, and the animosity that had existed between Betsy and the entire faction. Despite all the battles, blood, and threats, there had always been that invisible thread that tied the two women together. Misinterpreted as the need to annihilate each other, they had tested it, tugged on it, tried to ignore it, and finally given in to learn more, a wary friendship blossoming as War games had loomed.

And now?

Now their alliance was stronger than Bobby Bourbon’s stomach at a buffet.

Being such, Lycana only chuckles, tilting her head towards the golden-haired stunner. “I admit, that was a pretty damn entertaining musical. And you saw it long before I did.” the admission comes with a rueful smile. “I suppose most thought I was incapable of softer feelings, thinking I was merely one-note; evil.” A delicate shoulder rises in an offhand shrug. “Not that I did anything to dissuade that. And I will still cheerfully slit the Bastards throats while singing a song.” A feral gleam lights her eyes. “I know that darker side of you enjoys such thoughts. They don’t think you have it in you, you know.”

A pause.

“They don’t know how wrong they are.”

“They’ll learn the mistake of their delusions soon enough.”

Flipping a lever, Excellence begins to shake slightly as she takes off. Lycana watches as the engine chugs to life, pumping away as temporal energy glows from within. Her eyes seem to shine with the light, her excited curiosity showing. An idea pops into Betsy’s head and she sets up the controls to auto-pilot for a bit.

”You wanna see something cool?” She asks of Lycana, making her way up the ramp towards the doors.

Grinning, Lycana follows her eagerly and stands next to Betsy in front of the doors to the ship. Without a word, Betsy swings open the doors to reveal the breathtaking wonders beyond. Lycana stares out of the doors in more awe than she’d ever felt in her entire life as brilliant stars and strange planets lit up her blue eyes. She watches in childlike fascination as the universe stretched out endlessly beyond her, closer than she ever imagined she could get. Galaxies spiral out all around them, floating mindlessly through the abyss, lighting up the dark mass of the universe itself with colors Lycana never even knew existed.

“This is...” Lycana says, but her voice trails off, knowing there were no words to describe what Betsy was sharing with her. “This is incredible.”

”Welcome to the edge of our galaxy.” Betsy says, reaching out to pat Lycana’s shoulder.

The two women have a seat on the edge of the door and just stare out into the vast wonders before them. Silence hangs between them like a warm blanket as each one allows themself to get lost in thought.

It wasn’t to last.

A sharp jerk throws both women back into Excellence as the doors slam shut and the ship begins to shake violently. They grunt in pain as they each hit the base of the control console, which offers no cushion upon impact. Crawling around to the control panel, Betsy pulls herself up as Lycana gets herself into one of the chairs.

”It looks like we’ve accidentally hit an inter-dimensional pocket... hang on tight, girlie, cuz this is about to get bumpy!”

And that’s all either remembers as the sheer pressure of the pocket forces both of them to succumb to deep space sickness. As they lay unconscious on the floor, Excellence is led unwillingly through time and space via a wormhole. Their world becomes black, white, and all the shades of grey in between as the ship is pulled into another reality...

The world surrounding them outside was sometime in the 1940s; freshly built skyscrapers and early model cars gave that much away. A quick look around from the Impossible Traveler would tell her that they were in very early 1940s Chicago. And at the moment, a pair of unsavory figures, who happened to be passing by as Excellence materialized into her rough landing, was stalking towards the doors. They were proprietors and collectors and had been told by a higher being that just such a box was due to arrive that very day. Now they stared at it in wonder, curious as to the treasures that were hiding within...

Meanwhile, Betsy and Lycana were both coming out of the space-sleep sickness and looking at one another in confusion.

“Was that part of the plan?” Lycana asks, rubbing a small bruise forming on her forehead.

”Not a single bit.” Betsy replies sourly, sitting upright and rotating her left wrist around. ”But since we’re here...”

Lycana hides her eyes from the light for a moment as a headache threatens to form. “Is that such a good idea? I mean... What if we can’t breathe... Or we burn to a crisp as soon as we touch the surface... Or some weird space creatures blast us with melting acid on sight?”

By now, Betsy has made it to the doors and cracked one open, peeking out of it. At first, she thinks nothing of the scene before her and turns to tell Lycana such...

And she pauses. She looks blankly at Lycana for a split second before turning back to the door and looking out of the crack again...

Then back to Lycana, who is now beginning to realize exactly what’s amiss.

“Bets... Where did the color go? And why are you dressed like you’re about to seduce Jay Gatsby at the big party?” Looking down, Lycana realizes she’s dressed similarly and lets out a started shriek. “Woah, what is this?”

”Well...” Pushing the door open a bit more, she allows Lycana her first view of the outside. A gasp escapes the sapphire vixen as she quickly approaches Betsy’s side and looks out.

“This is real, isn’t it?”

”Yup... This is real.” Betsy replies softly.

“It’s real alright, ladies, and now, I think, you’ll be coming with us.”

And before either of the women could react, the same two unsavory fellas appeared from around the sides. Using their sophisticated walking canes, they clock each of the girls upside the temple and scoop them up, tossing them over their shoulders carelessly as they take them away to their speakeasy across town...

TO BE CONTINUED!

****IT’S PEANUT BUTTER PROMO TIME****



”I told you fuckwits I foundd the secret to defeating you and finally expanding that crack in the foundation. Chasing BoB as a whole was a fool's journey, and one that left Apex, Legacy, and many others looking all the worse for trying. So focused I became on your figureheads, I ignored how sturdy the ground they stood on truly was; on the backs of Them No Good Bastards did BoB begin to rise to power.”

Betsy Granger and Lycana stand together in a dark room, the only light provided by the candles that cast soft shadows across their faces.

”My other mistake was looking for a man to aid me in a job meant for women. I mean that with as little offense as possible and all the love in the world to the men I consider my brothers, but let's face facts. We had a clear goal and we weren’t reaching it the way we wanted to. Accumulated victories outside of the ring mean nothing if we don’t have the results to show for it. I’m sick of these cat and mouse games and the Bastards have made it clear that they want my head.

This is their chance to come and take it, once and for all. The difference this time is that I’ve got the best person for the job at my side to handle business.”

Betsy glances over at Lycana and shoots her a sly grin.

”If you thought what happened at Warfare was bad, wait until you see what I have for TK in reply to all those chair shots.”

Betsy rubs the back of her head.

”You didn’t think this was going to be all about Bobby, did you Knuckles ol’ buddy? Not a chance, but you can wait. I’ve pinned you what... Twice now? Yeah, we can pause on clowning you for the moment, I’m certain my lovely companion has a few words she’d like to say on Bobby Bourbon.”

“Oh, Bourbsy Bourbsy Bourbsy... Are you that stupid?

Wait, you don’t have to answer that.

The answer is a resounding FUCK YEAH.

Did you think that I would sneak around behind my partner's back and pair up with Betsy here without him knowing? Was that the golden nugget that you were grasping within your greasy little fingers to be the coupe de grace on Lycana?”

A throaty chuckle emerges as she leans forward, the candlelight –omg yes- shimmering in her eyes as she levels a sarcastic smirk towards the camera.

“You know, I had given you credit for having a modicum of brains compared to Teeks over there, but I’ll be damned because I might just have to eat those words given you had THAT train of thought. Given how Marf and I have been inseparable for the better part of a year, have never faltered in our support of one another, the fact that we live with one another, and... well, I can go on and on. You took a look at all that, and still chose that particular path to skip on down?

Oh, my darling...

My poor sweet Bourbon, are you projecting some fears over my way? Always have that nagging little thought in the back of your mind that someone might flash a fat stack of X-Bux at TK and they’ll have him panting, leashed, and heeled quicker than you can say ‘Feed me’?

Well, fret not for me! For that is not the case here... no. The Dissentients are still, unfortunately for you, still very much alive and well. It is just that when Betsy came knocking with the offer to get my hands on you both yet again, the urge was simply too much to resist. The idea of stepping into that ring with you on the other side. The knowledge that I would get to dish out a world of hurt so soon after enjoying the dance we had on Savage. I had trouble holding back the yearning that pulsed through me.

And so, I agreed.

With Marf’s blessing.

He knew where my desires were even as I demurred. He would never hold me back from something I wanted to do, especially if it meant handing you two clowns your asses on a gilded platter. You see Bourb, the need to make you hurt, to spill your blood, and make you pay during every hellacious second we can, runs strong through the Dissentients.

And also, through Betsy.

As does cunning. Resilience. And more than her fair share of determination.”

Lycana looks over to the Impossible Traveler, who looks back, each sharing a predatory smile of intent.

“Again, I reiterate... how could I resist?”

A smug smirk crosses the face of the Impossible One.

”Honestly boys, did you think I would just swipe Lycana from her longtime partner without consulting them both? You silly shits, backhanded trickery, and backdoor bullshit are more of a Bastards technique; I prefer a more direct approach to situations such as these. Marf saw, as Lycana and I both saw, that the way to bring down the Bastards was to shake up the mix a bit. Think about it... Well, as much as you can with the canned Spam you call brains.

The task of defeating the Bastards isn’t the rough and tumble brawl everyone seems to think it is. Everyone is so determined to out-shit the biggest shitstains the industry boasts at the moment they don’t consider an alternate direction for success. It took me longer than I care to admit to figure out the solution to the problem of Them No Good Bastards.”

Betsy looks over at Lycana and winks.

”Toppling the big men in the pond requires a more... feminine touch.”

A mirthless chortle leaves her throat.

”Whenever I came at BoB before, I always did so with an army of testosterone at my back. Ever since the formation of Apex-Legacy, I’ve run around with the boys and watched as they’ve gone back and forth, neither side moving an inch forward. And I couldn’t help but wonder where we were going wrong; the number was finally even, why couldn’t we manage to get over on this group of troglodytes?

It’s because men, in all their wisdom, giving in to the nature of their beings and always crave the direct action of fighting instead of the patience it takes for revenge. Violence for a quick fix, that’s what they are hard-wired to strive for. Many men brag that they study their opponents, but do very little to prove it; it’s because they fail to do the digging necessary to get into the mind of the enemy. It’s not just about learning a move set and picking out a pattern in their fighting style; if you can’t learn the psychology of an enemy, what will it gain you?

This is why the Bastards have been allowed to dominate the Tag Team Division for as long as they have. Think about it, when was the last time they were truly beat as a team? Ah... Yes, when Atara and I faced off against them earlier this very year. A pair of women who shouldn’t have a chance against the pair of beached whales that have the nerve to call themselves a premiere tag team.

Shaking her head in disgust, Betsy begins to play with the flame of one of the candles.

”If you think my choice of partner was foolish, I suggest you reconsider. It’s true, the Dissentients, for as talented and ruthless as they are, were unable to achieve the task of toppling Them No Good Bastards. Several attempts were made and every single time, the greasy fucks found a way to get themselves over. Until now, the Dissentients were the best chance XWF had of releasing the iron grip of the Bastards on those belts.

A new hope has arrived... A new era, with Lycana and me at the head.

There was no way for her to resist, just as I knew there was no one else I could have asked to be at my side to take the two of you out once and for all. I love James and Shawn to pieces, but they aren’t as willing to do what a woman is to get what she wants. Lycana and I... we’re not afraid to slice your balls clean off your bodies.”

A sinister expression crosses the face of the Impossible Traveler.

”Come for us, big boys; you love to cause the pain and we love taking it. At this point, there’s nothing you can do, nothing you can say that hasn’t already been recycled to death. All you have left is brutality and cowardice, and neither one of them is a good look. Both of you have pissed me off enough to bend my own rules of etiquette... That’s a very dangerous position to find yourself in.

Come Relentless, I come for the jugulars; after Lycana and I have thoroughly slain the beast, we will bathe in your blood as we drink wine from your skulls. The rest of your flesh will be left somewhere to rot as wild animals and predatory birds feast to their heart's content. Them No Good Bastards will soon be nothing more than a nightmare that lurks the halls of the XWF; a rumor that never had any substance. It’s time for you boys to come to terms with the fact that you are absolutely nothing.

Everything about the two of you is small, and I don’t even need to make the obvious dick joke to drive home that point. I’ve met a lot of bitches in my life, but never before have I met a pair of pathetic, moldy taints in all of my travels. Both of you are so full of shit, you should be oozing it from your pores, yet you’re both as yellow as my morning piss. Both of you should have turned in your man cards and self-mutilated yourselves into eunuchs ages ago; then again, you would have deprived Lycana and me the opportunity to do it for you.

I guess what I’m trying to say is, y’all are a couple of the biggest pussy ass mother fucking jokes I’ve ever known, and destroying you will be a pleasure.”

Lycana eyes Betsy with a heavy amount of admiration, before giving an ‘I told ya so’ bob of her brows, her chin slowly sinking onto the palm of her hand. Her voice fills the room with its malicious coo.

“My dearest Bastards, look what you have gone and done... You’ve gotten my partner quite peeved. Pissed off to the point of desiring your balls, should you have had any to begin with, served up freshly carved from their homes, coated in gold, and mounted as a trophy to tell the tale of the fallen. You have stoked her fires from kindling to an inferno. You have lured the darkest part of her to the forefront, curling itself like onyx velvet around her, cloaking the sweet gossamer being you had once known. You have set her to the task of utter destruction, sword in hand, ready to take the heads of all who wander into the way. The thirst for vengeance flows unimpeded through her blood...

And for this...

I thank you.

Thank you for bringing into the light a match, that will go down in history as possibly one of the most brutal the world has ever seen. You have tasted hell at my hands, gone stumbling away battered and bloodied. You have tasted defeat at hers, crawling from the rubble bruised and hurting.

What can you expect now? Well, that’s simple... you can expect to be completely.

Utterly.

Undeniably.

Broken.

You can scoff all you wish. Deny the inevitable fate that looms over you like a dark specter. I can hear your baboonish guffaws as clear as if you were standing by me right now... particularly my own precious Thunder Knuckles.

Ooooh Knucky baby, you didn’t think we were going to spend alllll our time on Bobby, did you? And make you jealous? Never!

You know you are quite special to me... I make it known all the time, after all, I’m glad you’ve taken notice of that. To think I’d let a chance to have some precious one-on-one conversation with you pass me by, don’t be such a silly goose.

You get so up in arms when I speak about how you remain cradled in Bourbon’s arms, relying on him to carry your ass around... as you both flip flop within nearly every promo you spew, unable to decide if was Marf or Lycana who were carrying the Dissentients at that particular moment. I cannot wait to see who you decide is going to be the one shouldering the full burden of this little partnership Betsy and I have going on. Or will you be unable to keep your story straight there? At least I remain consistent within my thoughts.

You remain consistently fuckwitted... so there's that.

Bravo!

How did it feel, by the way? At War Games?

Oh, I don’t mean pinning me per se, laying across an actual female is probably one of the highlights of your life. I meant when your partner hopped atop of you, assuring that you could get the job done against little waste of life Lycana?

How did it feel that he didn’t think you had enough in you to hold me down? Or is there some other sad-ass little excuse for that? Yeah, I'm sure there will be one incoming. Was that meant to be some macho, manly display by you, two porcine slobs? So incredibly... uhh... impressive... I guess?”

She glances at Betsy with a pained look on her face.

“They thought it was a game of Hungry Hungry Hippos and mistook you for the little ball. Now you get to make them choke on it, along with all their other atrocities.”

“Ah, that explains a lot. TK is always on a never-ending quest to find some balls. Don’t think I didn’t notice how you handled those eggs, rolling them longingly in your palms. We all know you wish you could have stuffed them into that sad, empty, shriveled little sack you have dangling between your thighs.

Nothing, not even a decent pair of prosthetics can make you into a man.

Nothing can take the stench of cowardice off your disgusting body.

Nothing can wash the stain of canary that bathes your entire essence.

And both of you are staring down the barrel of a very long gun. Prepping for a very long, painful, walk to the end of your reign. The combination of deadly focus and studious calculation is now looking you directly in the face, preparing to execute you both. The death of an era, and nobody could be more excited to be participating in those honors than me.

The Dark Vixen of Violence and the Impossible Traveler are focused on one thing. United together on one mission. Bound towards a common goal.

To topple you two fat asses, and take away something that means so damn much to you.

Your gold.

And while we are at it... we are going to make you both our little bitches... as you deserve.”

Looking over at Betsy, the Impossible Traveler gives Lycana a wide smile as she nods her agreement. Both the girls turn to the camera and as one, stick their hands in the lens, causing the scene to go dark.

FORMER