-Static-
The emptiness of an abandoned concrete warehouse introduces us to the scene, the feel is cold, and the wind can be heard howling throughout. Graffiti lines the walls, catching a couple phrases.
“Flowing through all, there is balance.”
“There must be both dark and light.”
Finishing work on a giant fist, is Vincent Lyons Jr, his sister now having inked her own contract leaves him now to his own devices. That isn’t to say The Lyoness won’t have her brothers back, and even fight alongside him in the REVOULT, but she’s going to be having her own goals, especially when the smoke settles. And Ashes of The Wake are reduced to just that...ashes.
Tossing the spraycan aside, he looks back over his shoulder.
“The revolution will be televised...” he says, turning to face the camera,showing his half painted face, his representation of balance.
He looks back again at his work with a smile, he’s proud and he’s confident. He knows Havoc wants to invoke fear, and the best way to take him and Ashes of the Wake down, is to not be afraid.
“What you lack Havoc, is balance” Vincent began, “You have allowed yourself to be consumed by power, and there is multiple examples in history and all forms of media why being too consumed by power, always leads to ones downfall.”
A cold wind blows, Vincent sighs deeply, the cool air feels welcoming to him, comforting.
“Your defeats over me are still haunting, but something I have never done is become so consumed with power that I lost sight of who I was. The man who defeated me for the Affliction Championship was Christopher Sabertooth, and he deserved to hold that championship. He also taught me a valuable lesson.” Vincent says, his words stern and full of conviction.
“I was an arrogant little shit back then, and Chris beat the ego right out of me.” said Vincent, “Now, I get to return that favor. I am going to remind you of the MAN you once were, and alongside Renee and my sister, we will take EVERYTHING from you.”
Vincent laughs to himself, and leans back against the wall, next to the first, one foot propped up against the wall.
“You awoke The Lyoness, and now she’s going to fight as well, because when there’s a revolution, everyone needs to fight and she has just as much fight in her as I do, and Renee? That victory she has over her still haunts you doesn’t it? It proves that your fallible, that you are not as invincible as you may believe or lead others to believe. I would expect Nikki Caldwell to know better, but then again with her track record I should have expected no less.”
Vincent is confident, and it’s very clear he’s not the same skinny young kid who showed up here a couple of years ago. He’s matured and has become one of the top stars of WWH. He knows he can be world champion, and he knows he will.
“Be it Roxy or The Order, Nikki always seems to algin herself with the wrong people, and now she has chosen to follow Havoc, such a shame.” Vincent shakes his head, “Havoc doesn’t care about those who surround him, but Renee, my sister and myself all fight as equals. We will remove you from power, without those championships, you are nothing. But as I said, it’s a lesson I owe to Christopher Sabertooth.”
Vincent pauses for a moment, he knows a war is coming and the fight won’t be easy, but he has the utmost confidence in Renee and Victoria to keep fighting until Havoc has nothing.
“I tried to be a hero on my own, tried to become the Shogun and came up short….at your hands. I was too focused on the light, but now...now I have found my balance Havoc. We can not only be people of darkness, and we can not only be people of light. You have lost sight and given to the darkness, and for this you must be stopped."
There’s a certain tone when Vincent speaks now, he’s determined, he has a goal and even in the look of his eyes it’s clear he will stop at nothing to obtain it.
“Renee, Victoria and myself will assemble a force stronger than your Ashes of The Wake, because we refuse to let this company fall into darkness. We will not let you or the tramps who follow you around to run wild. Mark my words Havoc, you will fall victim to your own power, and The Revloutionaires will not stop until you do.” The words leave his lips with a sense of pride, and conviction.
“And don’t think I have forgotten about Ragnarok. They can be waiting in the wings to strike at anytime, this is just as much about them as it is about Ashes of the Wake. Two groups that seek to destroy one another, without a worry about what happens to the rest of WWH in the process. But we will stand against both, and promise we will NOT allow that to happen.” spoke Vincent.
He adjusts his black leather jacket, and exhales, his breath visible in the night air. He’s not scared, he’s ready, battle ready. Someone who tries to keep themselves evolving, this fight goes far beyond mere championships, for Vincent it’s a matter of stopping a tyrant.
“Even at my worst Havoc, I never let power get to me like it has you. When I held that Affliction title, I was arrogant, and thought nobody could ever stop me. But I never risked destroying the company itself. I was also some young punk who quite simply, won a championship too early. But you have become something else., and you need to be put down. Christopher Sabertooth deserves better than you.” said Vincent, keeping his tone serious and confident.
“You brought this upon yourself Havoc, and now you and those who choose to follow you will have to pay for your sins. We may not be perfect, but you will never see me quit, you will never see Renee Jonae quit, and you will never see my sister quit. We are The Revolutionaries, and The Revolution has begun.”
Vincent stands tall and proud, fist held proudly to the sky, a sign of solidarity among his fellow Revolutionaries.
“Be prepared.”
-static-
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The gym is quiet today, a few people fill the workout room, but with a real life pandemic, the world just doesn’t feel as busy as it used to. That hasn’t stopped the Lyons twins, Vincent and Victoria from getting their workout in. A revolution isn’t successful if when you lollygag around, and the twins know this, and now both of them have come to fight.
Vincent stands holding a punching bag for his sister, his face clean of any facepaint, now it’s the time for dramatics, now is a time to prepare and train, now is the time to be sure his sister really is ready for this transition. Of course, why wouldn’t she be? Both twins have spoken of their father, the namesake which Vincent now bears, but their mother too often fought alongside their father, and also formed a powerful girl trio alongside her best friend Cadney, as well as former WWH superstar Victoria Hamilton, who Victoria herself had been named after.
“Hard and fast Vicks.” said Vincent, watching the intensity in his sisters eyes, they say the female lionesses are more dangerous than the males, and with the look in Victorias eyes, that could very well be true. It’s clear watching her that the talent of the Lyons family flows through her as much as it does Vincent.
Left right, right, left. Left right, right left. Victoria strikes the bag with precision and power, Vincent keeps his feet grounded and holds the bag firm.
“You don’t need to worry about me Vincent,” she said throwing a hard right hook that stumbles Vincent slightly, “We come from the same bloodline. I’ve been ready to fight for a long time, I just needed to find the right time.”
Vincent nodded, “And that time is now.”
“Well, we have a revolution on our hands.” replied Victoria, taking another swing at the bag, “We all need to fight, I’ll be having my first match before long and it’s time I begin my legacy for the lionesses of our pride.”
“You’re going to do mom and Aunt Brandi proud, now it’s you who sets the example for our younger cousins.” said Vincent standing firm against another powerful strike.
“Uncle Zacks girls will be fine wrestlers someday.” replied Victoria, “Now, it’s our chapter in our family's story. Mom and Dad were part of a great time period at the dawn of the millennium, but it’s a new era now and it’s our turn to carry the family torch.”
“Well said.” replied Vincent, “I can’t wait to see you out there.”
“I can’t wait to be out there” she replied, ”I’ve watched you for too long, it’s something that’s been long overdue.”
She took a step back from the bags, and exhaled a sizeable breath.
“Okay, let’s switch.” she said,
Vincent nodded and the two switched places, now Victoria held the bag, and it was Vincent who threw the punches, right, left, right, left, left, left. right right.
“I’m not saying I shouldn’t train.” she said, “But you have a match this week. I’m just a guest on my husbands show. You have to help Renee show Havoc and Nikki that we are NOT a joke. You need to show them that our revolution is to be taken seriously.”
Vincent furrowed his brow, and slammed the fist with a hard jab from his right hand, “I’m tired of coming up just short. Whatever I need to do to better myself and take down the tyrant, the false king called Havoc, I’ll do it.”
Left, right, right, left, right. Victoria holds the bag just as firmly as her brother did when she took her swings, really one should feel sorry for the poor bag, they’re laying a beating on the poor thing.
“Hey now..” Victoria said with a grin, “Save some for Havoc, don’t beat the poor bag senseless, and leave nothing come Dystopia.”
“Please.” replied Vincent, “You know there’s no quit in me. You’ve been watching me from my corner for years.”
“Touche.” replied Victoria, as another strike slammed against the bag.
“If anything knowing my sister is joining the frontlines of this revolution is even more inspiring. We don’t come from the same history as many around here like Havoc,Noah Hanson, Chris Matthews and others all who have came across each other in other promotions, but we have our own history and own connections all the same.” said Vincent.
“Those who knew our history and were connected to us, have long since left. Like I said, this is the time for our chapter, our past lifts us up, but it’s up to us to embrace the future and make this revolution a success.” Victoria reminded him, between a left and a right.
“Absolutely” he agreed, “Just focus on your interview, and let them know about you. Renee and I will handle business in the ring.”
“I’ll still be there beside you. You think Havoc and Nikki are coming alone?” said Victoria, “Siren, Sierra and Jada are bound to be lurking. It’ll be my job to keep eyes on them.”
“All three?” said Vincent.
Right. Left. Right.
“I’ll do my best. Nobody ever said it would be easy.” she replied.
“Revolutions never are.” he said, taking a step away from the bag,
“Take 5?” he asked.
Victoria nodded in agreement. “Yeah sounds good, I got some water in my bag.”
Vincent sat there for a moment, thoughts about his future dancing in his mind, before he heard his sister call out.
“Think fast!”
In an instant, he reached out and caught the waterbottle midair, uncapped it and took a drink in one fluid motion.
“Reflexes are on point.” Victoria said, “That’s good.”
“I need everything on point.” said Vincent, “Havoc didn't get his power by accident, We do need to realize that he is a very serious threat, and won’t just lay down and let this revolution happen. If anything, it will delight him to go to war with us. None of us will come out this the same on the other side, this is going to be a war that changes us all.”
Victoria nodded
“But we can't lay down and let him destroy everything either. Not without a fight. More will come once they see what we’re fighting for.” she said.
Vincent nodded and replied, “Right, but we ourselves can not amass to much power, or we risk becoming what we’re trying to fight against.”
“Sounds like all we can do is fight.” shrugged Victoria,”Win or lose, at least we will go down fighting.”
“C’mon, let’s his the treadmills, get some cardio in.” said Vincent.
“Good idea.” Victoria replied.
The twins each found their own treadmill, keeping one in between them to at least attempt some form of social distancing, even if their work on the punching bag did violate it a bit. The twins are training hard for the rough roads that lay ahead, but they’ll come prepared as they always do.