In Madison’s Mindscape

As the shot opens, your view pans across a very familiar looking stage. Unless you’re a complete dunce (which is not impossible), you quickly recognize it as the Jeopardy soundstage. A polite applause from the unseen audience draws down as the camera focuses on your host….

….Mark Flynn.

Welcome back to Jeopardy! Once again I am your host Mark Flynn. Why? Because Madison can’t remember the name of the nerd who hosts Jeopardy now, Blossom sucks, and my unrelenting extreme autism makes me a perfect fit for the role.

Anyhow, headed into final Jeopardy we have an admittedly lopsided game with Madison Dyson in a commanding lead, her son Samael in second place, and that loser sadbrains Lux in a DISTANT third.

You mean a distant TURD! Samael chirps.He’s currently banking $1.

Madison points at Lux and laughs. Ha! GOT HER! Madison has $99,999 in her bank.

Lux however, looks thoroughly unamused and about ready to leap over her podium. A podium which proffers up Lux’s own grand total, which is unsurprisingly “negative a bajillion” somehow all spelled out like that. I cannot even fathom what the purpose of this is, Madison. If you’re just trying to embarrass me within the confines of your own paltry mind you’re going to have to do better than this.

Oh, trust me bitch, it’s gonna get better. She turns to Mark. Hey Temple Grandin, quite dawdling and give us the Final Jeopardy clue!

Mark bows his head ever so slightly in acquiescence. Of course Madison, you are, as ever, my lord and master.

Goddamn right.

Lux rolls her eyes damn near out of her skull.

On to the Final Jeopardy category! Here it is….

THINGS THAT WILL BREAK LUX ONCE AND FOR ALL.

Oh, I can’t wait to see this. Lux deadpans.

And the clue.

This is the thing that will break Lux once and for all.

You have thirty seconds players. Good luck!


As soon as that characteristic tune hits Madison scrambles to start writing. Samael starts digging around with the pen inside his nostril, and Lux looks disdainfully at Madison before she too starts jotting something down with a scowl. At the conclusion of the jingle, the lights spring back on and we focus once more on Mark Flynn.

Okay players, let’s see what we came up with. Lux we’ll start with you seeing as how you were in last place. Lux, you wrote….

FUCK YOU

Oh, Lux, I’m sorry but that was both incorrect and not in the form of a question. You lose tremendously, your shame is eternal, and your ass belongs to Madison. Samael, you’re next.

wut is….MaRk FlYnN iS GAY!

HA! GOT HIM, NOW!

Mark chuckles. Samael, that little scamp, wrote that I am gay. That is true but unfortunately not the answer we’re looking for.

Samael flips Mark the bird.

Okay Madison, what have you got?

A vicious serrated grin crosses Madison’s features and she turns to glower at Lux as her answer is revealed.

What is….join me in the real and let’s find out together?

Mark frowns. Madison, I’m sorry that’s also…

Shut the fuck up, Mark.

Yes’m.

Lux returns Madison’s glower, brow furrowed and eyes burning with a well stoked inner fire.

Madison, I’m tired of these games. You have nothing. I’ve already shown you that I can kill you. I’ve already shown you that I can control you…

Madison cuts in like a knife. But you haven’t been paying attention 24/7 have you, Lux?

Lux remains stoic and impassive in the face of Madison’s accusation. If it’s even possible, Madison’s acerbic smile grows even wider.

Ah, there it is. That tacit admission that you’re not completely in control. You know as well as I do that this isn’t some rout on your part. We’re two superpowers with a stockpile of nukes and our fingers on the big red button. Equals. Madison cants her head in Lux’s direction. And I’ve been up to something very, very naughty. But you’ll have to join me in the real to find out.

Lux’s eyes narrow. Fine.

Madison holds her hands aloft and gives two quick claps. And with that, we’re propelled from the inner workings of Madison’s mindscape back to….

THE REAL

Lux finds herself looking out of Madison’s eyes as she sits in her main living area, holding a tablet aloft. A fire burns nearby in the hearth, casting eerie shadows over the immaculate well furnished room. The impassive black face of the tablet holds Madison and Lux’s reflection in it, with Lux lurking just over Madison’s shoulder like a perched curious bird of prey surveying its environs. Madison turns on the tablet and taps on an application. A loading screen appears.

What are you showing me? Lux utters with a pinched expression of impatience.

Just a sec, eh…Madison intones in return, clearly savoring the moment.

Finally, an image appears on the screen. It’s a bearded man wearing a skull bandana over the thinning hair of his scalp. He appears to be dressed in tactical gear. The man smiles when he sees Madison. We can hear the sound of a helicopter in the background, and the clamor threatens to drown out the sound of the man’s voice, but not quite. Nevertheless, he has to shout over the din to be heard.

Maddy, good to see ya darlin’!

Madison smiles back at him. Frank, always a pleasure. So I trust he wasn’t too much trouble?

Nah. Not for us.

That’s why I pay you the big bucks, sweetheart.

Frank positions his device so we can now see what’s occurring behind him. A helicopter is coming in for a landing on a helipad. The glistening city lights in the foreground paint a picture of an urban landscape, of which this building seems to have a commanding presence over. Frank’s jacket is whipped about him and he has to hold on to the bandanna atop his head as the helicopter lands. It’s a few more minutes before the rotors finally stop spinning and the chopping winds generated by the helicopter die down.

Frank moves in closer to the helicopter, and when the door opens another man clad in tactical gear steps out. Following him, is yet another slim figure with a black hood over his head and handcuffs binding his arms behind his back. Two more outfitted grunts prod this person out of the chopper, and he nearly stumbles for his lack of ability to see.

Back in Madison’s home, the darkness about the edge of the tablet still manages to barely capture the reflection of Lux in Madison’s mind's eye. Her expression is less impassive now. There is the barest hint of worry tugging at her features. She’s trying to hide it. Trying to dam back her emotions.

But she knows full well who’s behind the hood.

Madison…you didn’t… Lux’s words have the affectation of a warning more than an accusation. A warning Madison doesn’t heed.

Bitch, you already know I did. Then, to Frank on the tablet. Take his hood off.

Frank steps up to the figure in the hood and yanks the covering off forcefully, revealing the battered and bruised face of….

….Corey Smith.

The blow came quicker than Madison could react to it. In a flash Lux assumed control of Madison’s body and slammed the tablet against Madison’s face.

Fuck! Madison shrieked.

The screen on the tablet splintered, bisecting Corey’s face before going black. Tossing the tablet aside, Lux forced Madison’s body to stand. Madison immediately fought back, digging deep into her own willpower to combat the nanotech AI that was pulling at her muscles and playing her own brain like some perverse puppeteer. But Lux’s attack had been sudden and all consuming, and before she knows it Madison is taking a series of hitching, uncertain steps towards the fireplace. Lux forces Madison to her knees and brings her face down low towards the flames.

I will fucking kill you, Madison! Lux’s voice echoed from the depths of Madison’s mind.

You are really not thinking this thing through, Lux. Madison winced as the heat from the flames started biting her flesh, reddening it but not yet hot enough to blister.

Call them off! Tell them to release Corey!

Lux brought Madison’s face slightly closer to the flames and Madison cried out in surprise and pain. Finally, Madison found that she had regained control of her left arm, and with another cry of pain grabbed hold of her own hair and started pulling her face away from the fire.

No, bitch! No, no, no, NO!

The games are OVER, Madison! I will not be toyed with! And you? You won’t even be ALIVE to harm Corey!

Yeah, you are…

With a fitful lunge, Madison’s face is once more plunged towards the fire.

Ahhhhhhhh!

One of Madison’s dreadlocks falls into the flame and ignites.

No, no, no! Listen to me! LISTEN! Madison can’t withhold the panic from her tone. You are NOT thinking this through! If you kill me Corey DIES!

The ensuing five seconds seem like ages, but finally Lux relents and Madison is able to regain control. Skittering back from the flames on her ass, Madison takes hold of the burning dreadlock and starts furiously blowing on it to extinguish the fire. With that done, she sinks inward once again.

IN MADISON’S MINDSCAPE

Madison is dropped down on a weather beaten hillside. The grass is yellowed and dying. A tree atop the hill bends low and ragged like a decrepit old man. In the distance, a thunderstorm rages. Lux is standing just beneath the tree, face contorted in rage and contempt. Madison appears halfway up the hill. With a weary countenance, Madison starts walking up the hill, calling out to Lux as she does.

I’m glad you saw reason!

You’re alive because of Corey. That’s the only reason I’m interested in. Lux counters, steely.

Madison stops about five feet shy of Lux, keeping her distance but bridging the gap just enough to converse.

Here’s the rules, Lux. If my guys don’t hear from me for 12 consecutive hours, Corey dies. If I give the order, Corey dies. Do you understand?

Lux doesn’t respond, save for a look like a killing blow.

I need to know that you understand.

Lux sighs and relents. I understand. Then, after a short pause. What do you want?

What I’ve always wanted, Lux. For you to train me. Help me improve.

Lux scoffs and turns her head away from Madison.

You have no choice. Corey’s life is literally in my hands. Madison smirks. You still love him, don’t you? You’ve always loved him.

Lux wheels about on Madison, looking as though she’s going to strike before thinking better of it. You don’t know anything about…

Oh, but I think I do. I think ultimately you’ll do anything for Corey. Right?

Lux’s smoldering look is answer enough.

So you’ll train me?

Lux’s face tics perceptibly. And with great effort she arrives at a response. Yes. But…Lux takes a step closer to Madison. You’ll let me talk to him. I need to know he’s okay.

Absolutely not!

Oh come on, Madison! It’s not like you won’t be present. It’s not like you won’t see exactly what’s going on!

Madison ponders this for a moment before speaking. Very well. Consider it a gesture of good will.

Yeah. “Good will.” Lux remarks coolly. So you’ll give me control? Let me talk through you?

You have ten minutes. Any more than that and well, I’ll order them to stomp Corey’s nuts into paste. Or something like that. Madison waves her hand dismissively. Capiche?

I understand.

Good. Now pick up the phone Lux.

THE REAL

Lux comes into Madison’s body. In control. She hears Madison’s phone ringing in her pocket and goes for it. Bringing it up to her ear, she clears her throat. The man known as Frank is on the other end, voice laced with worry.

Madison! Are you there? What the hell happened?

I’m fine. I need to speak to Corey.

Are you sure everything is…

Just put Corey on the damn phone.

Lux hears a slight jostling coming from the other end as Frank holds the phone up to Corey’s beaten countenance. And at first all she can hear is a labored, rattling breathing. All too familiar. The pained sound of breathing through fractured ribs.

I have nothing to fucking say to you.

If Lux had a heart it would have fluttered. His voice. Corey’s voice. It had been so long. Entirely too long.

Corey… Lux spoke his name, but stopped short, the magnitude of the moment cascading over her like an errant surf. Corey it’s…

An ambiguous sound is heard, followed by Frank’s angry voice sounding out in the background.

Madison he just spat on the fucking phone.

I didn’t say I was done, Frank! Lux barked back at him. Put him back on the line.

Frank obliged and Corey spoke again through pained rasps.

I just told you….

Corey, it’s Lux!

That’s sick Madison, even for you.

Corey…it’s….Lux contemplated her ensuing words carefully. Do you remember spring 2019? When we were still…together?

Corey remained silent.

We were in New York. I had work to do but you were so depressed. Missing your family. Still adjusting to being with…me.

God damn it fuck off, Madison….

No! Please listen! We went to…to….oh damn it what was it called? Orwashers! Orwashers bakery! We stayed there till they closed. Filling up on pastries on the patio and just talking. The first time we really honest to God TALKED. You told me that story about your dog. The one who went missing. How broken up you were about it. It’s the first time I truly realized what a good heart you had. Corey….do you remember that?

Corey sucked in a shallow breath, though out of pain or emotion Lux wasn’t certain. I remember. A pause. Lux? Is that really you?

Yes!

Lux, what happened?! Why are you stuck with Madison now?

There’s so much to tell you, Corey. Lux fumbled for words. I’m a copy…of the original Lux. Madison made me. My memory, it’s spotty. But I remembered you. I….no! The “no” was frustrated and frantic.

Lux!

Madison, it hasn’t been ten minutes! Give me more time….give me….Corey she’s pulling me back in!

Fight her, Lux!

I swear we’ll get through this Corey! I’ll save you! I’ll….

And then Madison hung up the phone.

Yeah bitch, that’ll be enough of that.

Lux’s voice echoed out from the recesses of Madison’s mind. You didn’t give me what we agreed on! She remarked bitterly.

Madison chuckled disdainfully. I sure did! You wanted proof he was relatively okay. I gave it to you. You think I’m gonna sit around while you two have a powwow and plot bloody revenge? As if. Now get back in your box. I’m done with you.
Madison could feel Lux slide into the background of her mind. Cowed. Beaten. The fire in the hearth danced in Madison’s eyes as she replaced the phone in her pocket.

I’m in charge now. She spoke the words aloud, but whether to Lux or herself even she wasn’t quite certain.


Let’s talk about control, Serenity. Who has it? Who wants it?

Honey I’ll make it real simple for you. The answer to question 1 is me. The answer to question 2 is you.

Oh, I can hear you nattering from allllllll the way over here. Control? Madison?

Oh yeah, hunty. Let me explain.

You took to X bellyaching about me being mean to you. That was cessation of control number one. Oh you tried to razzle dazzle it up with the feloniously stupid claim that you’re half my age and twice as accomplished (bitch I’ve been doing this for 20 years, I’ve FORGOTTEN more title reigns than you’ve had PERIOD), but anyone with eyes for seeing and ears for hearing knows your TWIT for exactly what it was. A confession. A confession that I buried myself deep beneath your flesh like a tick and sucked you dry.

You couldn’t stand it that I didn’t know who you were. The unmitigated gall! The dolorous blow to your ego that it was! So you ran, yes RAN, to Elon’s playground to plaintively screech “I’m not owned! I’m not owned!”

But you were owned, Serenity. What I said bothered you to the point of overcompensation….of outright FABRICATION about your status with regard to yours truly.

People like SEB, their records are well known. But you? Honey….what? What have you done? I mean, the answer in the XWF is bupkis, obvs. So I did. I Googled you. And you know what I found? A masturbatory FIFTY-FOUR PAGE DOSSIER on page 2. I mean, Jesus Christ almighty you documented every time you so much as cut a queef in this damn thing. Clearly your biggest fan is YOU.

And yeah, I’ll admit, you have been around the block. I mean, leaving out your record at the Holmes MMA and Wrestling Academy (insert jerking off motion here), you HAVE won championships. Not as many as me, but you did alright. Which just makes it that much more confounding that you are an absolute fucking unknown to anyone outside your immediate circle of influence. Could it be because so many of your title reigns are nothing but a meaningless bit of puffery? (What the fuck is a “201 and Fun Championship”? What the fuck is “Hollywood Grapple Kingdom”? What the fuck is “Combat Unlimited Lethal Trials”? A Japanese game show?!) Clearly you were not exactly swimming with the sharks for a good bit of your career. But hey, who am I to judge?

Oh, that’s right. The person who OWNS you.

Let’s get back on track. Let’s talk about CONTROL.

Cessation of control number two was this very match. Deny it all you want you 22nd Century twit, but when you ran to X to to spout sweet nothings about me, you had no intention of ACTUALLY fighting me. At least not one on one. Nah. You figured shit would go down like it always does. Talk about somebody behind their back on social media, have it go completely unnoticed, and go about your day.

Except I did notice. And what you didn’t plan on was me holding your feet to the fire. What you didn’t plan on was actual honest to Christo CONSEQUENCES for your actions.

So I FORCED you into this match. Oh sure you made a transparent attempt to play up your own supposed importance, but once again it was clear who the shot caller really was. I psychologically cornered you until you had no choice but to accept my challenge to save face. Shit, I even gave you an out by saying you could pick the show, but you ceded CONTROL back to me and let me pick! Jesus wept woman, do you even known how to spell SPINE?

What a weak minded lilly livered display from someone who’s supposedly an industry veteran. Bitch I played you like a fucking fiddle and you flopped over for belly rubs like a lovelorn dog whose master just rolled in from work.

I OWNED you! Do you understand that? I OWNED YOU. Completely. Utterly. Unambiguously!

And the best part? I’m not even DONE.

Because then…ohhhhhh….ho,ho,ho… the pièce de résistance…the very capstone of my ownership of you.

A little thing called War Games.

You know, honey, sweety, cupcake….the event where I PINNED you? And oh, I’m sure you’ll make the argument that Aurora did the work and that I just capitalized on her efforts. As if that isn’t a completely transparent attempt at splitting hairs considering that you flushed all that “multi-time champion braggadocio” down the shitter by being the very first one eleminated on your team.

Yep, Ms. Belt Collector herself showed her whole ass and proved to the world she was the most useless member of her team. More useless than even ROGER who, and fuck me running for having to admit this, ended up being the biggest threat out of all of you!

I mean, what do you even have to say about that Serenity? What CAN you say about that?

…..


Right. Nothing.

Your incompetence at War Games is indefensible. Because where you cashed out early, I went all the way to the final table. I outlasted you in spades, you vacuous trollop. And why? Because I’ve been doing this since you were shitting your pants and binging on Teletubbies you dumb bint. Because I have over 20 years in this business. That’s twenty years of titles. Twenty years of matches. Twenty years of blood, sweat, and determination that even with your dragon’s hoard of fool’s gold YOU JUST DON’T HAVE. 

See, people like you like to paint me as weak. They’ll say my greatest accolades came basking in the glow of the Universal Champions I managed. And do you know what I say to that?

GOOD.

I want all you fuckers to underestimate me. I want all you fuckers to deride me as “just a manager”. Because I’ll tell you one thing, I learned more from the vicious minds of my two Universal Champions than you could ever have learned in your four odd years of swimming in the kiddie pool, Serenity.

And I’ll tell you something else. In my first six years in the XWF, up until now, I wasn’t focused on my career. I was focused on Dexter Bright’s. I was focused on the second Engineer’s. I was focused on Mercy’s. It wasn’t until just this year that I started taking my OWN career seriously.

Do you understand the ramifications of that, Serenity? Do you understand what that means?

It means that all the titles I’ve held up until now. My King of the Ring victory. All of it! All of it has been nothing but a PRELUDE to the MAGNUM OPUS that is ME.

You? You’ve already peaked Serenity. I think War Games made that clear. But me?

I’m just getting fucking started. And I’m starting with YOU. An insecure, social media obsessed, clout chaser who built a so called career collecting toy belts in kiddy promotions. A woman who has been thoroughly owned and controlled by ME since she set foot in this company. A penultimate War Games LOSER with a mouth that can’t cash the checks you’ve written.

Now run tell that ya raggedy cunt.

ELSEWHERE

Corey’s meal slid under the slot in the door. Such as it was. It looked to be nothing more than bread and some thin soup. His head hung low. His body screamed from the beating he was dealt. He could still taste the blood in his mouth, his tongue pressed against the broken canine from the sucker punch the man known as Frank leveled at him. But despite all this, one word hung bright and true in his mind.

Hope.

Because she was there. She was back.

Lux.

Trapped in the body of his worst enemy, true. But she’s been through worse. Shit, somehow she’d survived death itself.

Corey had complete faith in Lux. In her ability to rescue him from this predicament.

And even if she couldn’t, there was still that other option. The one trigger he was loathe to pull. The one Madison didn’t know he knew about.

Samael Dyson was still out there.

And he was Madison’s worst goddamn nightmare.