January 2021
Week of DEFtv 148

Terry Anderson:
I swear if this is one of Jason’s games I'm going to lose my mind.

Terry ‘The Idol’ Anderson, sporting his Hawaiian shirt and firmly ironed khaki shorts, stares at his cell phone while walking the hallways of a familiar looking apartment building. With caution he knocks on the wooden door he stops at, and within a few seconds the door creaks open slightly before being slammed shut again.

Terry:
JESSICA!

Terry calls out with exasperation as he places his hands on the wooden door that just slammed shut in front of him, the sound of the lock chain being moved is clearly heard and the door then pulls open as Jessica’s figure walks away from him.

Terry:
No hug.. No.. nice to see you Granddad? Hello…?

Calling out after his granddaughter, Jessica pays Terry no mind. Instead, she heads to the scattered table that would normally be considered a coffee table, now filled with boxes and other random objects.

Jessica:
I didn’t call you here to have a hugging session, Terry. I called you here to deliver something for me.

Terry:
Jessica - I haven’t heard from you in OVER a year! Suddenly… you..

The man has a hard time collecting himself.

Terry:
You come back and TEXT me to come here?! Jessica - you didn’t call me, you texted me! Some cryptic garbage too.. Why are you being so secretive and what happened to you this past year?

Jessica Reeves pauses as she looks about her apartment complex, contemplating the decisions that led her back to this very place. The same apartment building she was attempting to return to the night The Kabal ‘took her’. 

Jessica:
I don’t have time to explain it to you, Terry. I need you to get this done for me. Okay?

Without hesitating further, Jessica pulls up a sealed stuffed envelope and shoves it into Terry’s arms. The older man takes the envelope with reluctance as he shakes his head in frustration.

Terry:
I don’t like being pulled into this, Jessica. I really wanted to get away from this city after the whole Vacio thing. I only stuck around because you weren’t back yet. 

Jessica:
Then leave after you drop this off. I have to get going anyways - there is a hospital I need to visit. 

Terry’s face turns into pure perplexion as he looks at his granddaughter.

Terry:
Hospital? For what… who’s at the hospital?!?

Jessica:
A fellow Guardian.... Look you wouldn’t understand and i’m sorry if it seems like i’m brushing you off, Terry. But there is more at stake here than you realize and if you just allow me to take care of what I was sent here to do…. Your questions will be answered.

Terry:
I doubt that!

The older man laughs as he looks towards Jessica, a sad look on his face. He tries to soak in the state of her apartment, the untouched months of neglect leaving a bit of unease upon him.

Terry:
Jessica… are you sure you are okay. Jason made it seem like The Kabal had you and now he’s running rampant in DEFIANCE parading under that banner. I know.. Of all people what they did to you when you first signed up. Are… are you okay?

He asks with an approaching hand of comfort to Jessica who has turned to face away from him instead motioning over her shoulder for him to leave in silence. Before speaking up to further solidify her request for Terry to leave.

Jessica:
I need you to deliver it tonight. I’ll text you the address…

In her response Jessica is holding emotions back, not the stone faced Reaper she once was. Terry huffs but seeing the state of her and the surroundings of the apartment he realized that his objections were falling on deaf ears.

Terry:
Just be careful… don’t get involved with Stalker’s game. Please.. .Jessica.

Shrugging her shoulders forward, Jessica ignores his pleas and the pair fall into an awkward silence before Terry takes the cue that it’s time to leave.

Later that night.

Terry ‘The Idol’ Anderson approaches the Maison de la Luza hotel, looking at the signage outside of the high end hotel, and shakes his head in discontent. Looking over his shoulders he does a ‘private eye’ gaze to make sure he wasn’t followed. Once he seems satisfied that he’s in the clear he reaches forward and opens the lobby door, approaching the front desk with the confidence of a con man. 

Terry:
Excuse me.. Ma’am? Can you do me a favor? 

He chats with the night manager for a few moments; she smiles at him as he extends out the padded envelope that Jessica handed him, using his hands he gestures towards the exit indicating his urgency of needing to go. The look on his face makes it clear he does not want to be there.

A few seconds pass as the two continue their conversation. The manager uses her phone and smiles at Terry before nodding him towards the exit. Whatever request he makes of her seems to be confirmed by the phone call and within moments Terry is exiting the hotel.

Terry: (flustered)
I need a drink..

The former private eyed states proudly before walking away from the hotel. Glancing around his shoulders and down both ways of the streets, he looks disappointed.

Terry:
Kabal… Guardians… it’s all nonsense. I hope Jessica realizes that.

Meanwhile...

Upstairs, in one of the suites, Lindsay Troy sits cross-legged at a polished oak desk. Her tablet is opened, propped up with the aid of its case, and the screen is connected to a video call.

Voice:
So, is she going to use it?

Lindsay Troy:
Pretty sure, yeah; Muriel seemed really excited as she read through all the paperwork.

On the iPad, Clay Darcy - tenacious lawyer, ace agent, and Lindsay Troy friend since high school - chuckles. He shakes his head and rubs the back of his neck.

Clay Darcy:
Well, she’d better, since you were very adamant about her saying she didn’t want counsel for this, but you sneaked around and asked for my help anyway. Why do you befriend the weirdest people?

Lindsay Troy:
Muriel’s not weird.

Clay Darcy: (sighing, then deadpanning)
Lindsay.

Lindsay Troy: (mimicking him)
Clay.

Clay Darcy:
You do. I keep a running list. 

Lindsay Troy:
Look, I’ve been in a profession for over 20 years where I hurt people for a living and that has a mish-mash of SERIOUS BUSINESS dudes and over-the-top personalities. I have “normal” friends. Muriel’s fun, quirky, and unabashedly comfortable with who she is. We could use more people like her.

A soft knocking diverts Lindsay’s attention, and she turns her head to the right. 

Lindsay Troy:
Hold on, there’s someone at the door.

She pads across the room, looks through the eyehole into the hallway, flips the locks and opens the door. Standing there is the night manager with the envelope in hand.

Manager:
Hi, Ms. Troy, I’m so sorry to bother you, but a very strange man dropped this off for you. He said he was a fan of yours and wanted you to have what was inside. We had security scan it and open it because - well, we weren’t sure if it was safe. It looks like just a photograph, a recording device, and a letter. 

Lindsay Troy:
Oh. Well that’s...

She scrunches her nose and eyes, thinking.

Lindsay Troy:
Did they listen to the recording?

Manager:
Just a few seconds at the beginning, to make sure it wasn’t a death threat or anything untoward where we’d need to get the authorities involved.

Lindsay Troy:
Huh. Alright. Well, thank you. 

Manager: (handing her the envelope)
Please let me know if you need anything else.

Lindsay shuts the door, relocks it and returns to the desk, peering at the envelope and checking inside as she plops onto the chair.

Clay Darcy:
What was that about?

Lindsay Troy:
Dunno. Someone left me something. The night manager said it was a picture, a recorder, and a letter.

She dumps the contents out next to the tablet to find all the items exactly as described; the letter, though, is taped to the back of the picture. She grabs the recorder and holds it in her hand so that Clay can also hear what’s being said.

Voice Recorder:
Hey Lindsay… it’s been a very long time… and I know it’s weird for me to reach out to you like this but… I was warned that it would be better to stay away from you as eyes could still be on me.

Clay Darcy:
Well that’s not ominous at all…

Lindsay Troy: (pressing stop)
We are not going to MST3K this, alright? Between Jason Reeves’ lunacy and now this, my patience for dealing with spoopy shit is about at capacity.

Clay Darcy:
OK. Fair. Continue.

Lindsay hits the PLAY button, then picks up the photograph and stares at the picture: a younger version of herself, dressed in all-black wrestling gear complete with a tactical vest, towering over a little red-headed girl.

Jessica Reeves: (on the voice recorder)
Sorry for not introducing myself more directly to you again… but this is Jessica. Jessica Reeves… And I need you to listen very closely to me. There is a letter addressed to you from me and a picture to remind you of when we first met. 

Clay Darcy:
Jessica Reeves….Jason’s kid?

Lindsay Troy:
Gotta be...I didn’t know he had a daughter?

Jessica Reeves:
We had met when I was… I think.. 8 or so.. Maybe 9... You were still wrestling in Empire Pro. My mom, Riley when she was still alive, had walked me backstage throughout the night’s events and I'm not sure if you even remembered me because.. because I accidentally stumbled into the dressing room.

There is a pause on the recording followed by a hint of laughter, as it seems the memory actually causes joy for Jessica.

Jessica Reeves:
I… saw you as ‘Dis’ before you officially revealed yourself. At the time you thought I was just a security guard’s kid and honestly I didn’t correct you because my Dad never said nice things about you back then. Anyways, a lot of the reasons that Jason is here… now.. Is because of me. And I know he’s targeted you…because of me - the inspiration for Codename: Reaper was because of you. When you revealed yourself as ‘Dis’ - he called you weak but I saw nothing but strength behind those eyes. Being Reaper Prime served me well but it’s time to move on from that.

Lindsay Troy: (pressing stop again)
Wait… He said her name…

Clay Darcy:
What?

Lindsay Troy: (slightly dumbfounded)
A few weeks ago...Reeves - Jason - said that he told Jessica not to look up to me. I didn’t know what the hell he was talking about then. 

Lindsay plays the tape again and removes the letter from the back of the photograph. She opens it, beginning to read its contents to herself.

Jessica Reeves:
I wish I could make it to DEFIANCE Road - but The Guardians told me I have to wait. Good luck to you, Lindsay or as I like to call you.. Dis. As for my father.. Stalker. The Kabal has a lot of power and he’s only getting started with you, Henry Keyes and Deacon. Don’t hesitate to jump him or surprise him just as he would you. He has a habit of not playing fair and he’s only shown a cusp of his power. I will be watching from a distance and hoping - good luck at DEFIANCE Road. I’ll be there after to ensure he’s dealt with for good - just know that not all of the ‘Reaper Lights’ are bad. The Guardian is coming…

Jessica’s voice trails off, signaling the end of the recording. 

Lindsay Troy:
Oh this shit is wild…

Clay Darcy:
What?

Lindsay Troy:
Hold on, I’m going to send this to you. And this…

She grabs her phone and the padded envelope, where in the top corner there’s a small red symbol where a return address would be. Pictures are quickly snapped.

Lindsay Troy:
Read this and then send everything over to Di. Tomorrow is fine for that. Ask her to start doing some digging.

There’s an audible groan through the Zoom call.

Clay Darcy:
Really? You’re going to go down the rabbit hole, Alice? You just said that you had no patience for spoopy shit.

Lindsay Troy:
I don’t, but Jason Reeves made me a target, remember? Who’s to say he’ll stop at just me? I can end him in the ring, but is that gonna be enough? 

Lindsay sighs, running her fingers through her curls.

Lindsay Troy:
I’m in this now, Clay, whether I like it or not…

Fade to black.

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