S.O.N. of a Gun

02.02.24 The Office Moscow, Russia Kenny Freeman and Randall Schwartz stare each other down, realizing they’re in for a rough time as Ivan Stanislav steps into his office. His eyes widening in surprise, the look on the Russian Bear’s face quickly turns to a mix of confusion and frustration as his gaze darts between the Masters. “I…how…why…” Ivan is seemingly at a loss for words, struggling to find the best way to respond to this surprise before finally making a gruff statement. “No. I don’t know what this is, or how it happened, but we will discuss it later.” Stanislav opens the door back up, staring down Kenny and Randall. “Until then,” states the Russian Bear with a bit of a grunt. “Out of my office…now.” The pair take a gulp of air before nodding in response, leaving the office before Ivan slams the door behind him. What follows is a moment of awkward silence that seems to last forever and a day until… “Weird,” chimes in Randall as he scratches his head. “Guess Ivan didn’t want to see us in his office, for once.” Kenny just rolls his eyes before the pair walk down the hallway, ready to turn their attention to the future.

And in hindsight, I probably should’ve been a bit more focused on my future at that point ‘cause…holy moly, what an L to take. Randall’s been blubbering on about sharks ever since he had to deal with Lord Kurosame-sama inside that cage…but I’m not gonna dwell on the past. I can’t focus on losing to Anna Daniels, not when War Games is getting ever closer, and I need to get my focus where it belongs. For the good of the squad…but more importantly, for the good of the Red Army. Which is why ReVival 45 is such a critical moment. I face Sean O’Neil, a man who will stand across from me in War Games when he aligns himself with the Glue Patrol for the main event of Culture Shock Night Two. This is a man who picked up a win over Kennade Starr two weeks ago, and stood his ground against the likes of Hessian, Mar, and Rob Williams in his previous bouts here…which makes him a tough S.O.N. of a gun. Y’see what I did there? Jokes aside, I know what’s at stake here. This is a chance to fire off a warning shot against Farthington and his Amazing Acquaintances ahead of the biggest match of my career at Culture Shock. There will be no jokes about Culture Shock Rumbles here, folks…War Games is serious business, and I’m gonna make the first money move against O’Neil. TD Garden is where the troops start to gather, and Beantown is about to watch some beautiful bean footage when Kenny Freeman takes the Surreal to his limits. A bigger fella like ol’ Sean means he’s got a nice big target…in his legs. I’m talkin’ kneecaps and ankles and stuff, ya dig? Sean’s a big ol’ bruiser from Belfast, but keeping him grounded is the key to turning the fight in my favor. This is the way I’m gonna kick it when I’m shipping up to Boston…and that means disaster for Mr. Surreal when I score a crucial victory ahead of the Match Beyond come Culture Shock. I’m gonna show Sean what brought me to the dance…and believe me, this is the dance…and then I’m gonna Cupid Shuffle on ‘im till I get the W.

02.29.24 Freeman Estate Los Angeles, California For the first time in a while, Kenny Freeman is not out traveling all over the world…or even the multiverse. No, he is home, alongside his family, after a crazy night down in Long Beach for the Fuerza Pro show. Finally making his way home from Lethal Leap Year, Kenny knew he needed to spend some time with his parents and younger brother before heading back out on the road the next day. You may be wondering where Randall Schwartz has gone off to, dear reader, and as it turns out The Entertainer went off with Fuerza’s ring crew to the nearby Applebee’s…but this is not the story we’re focusing on. No, our focus is on the Freeman Family…something that immediately sounds like the title of a hit new sitcom on the ACE Network, come to think of it. The group looks to be stuffed from a big feast over the course of the past couple hours, centered around a large ham and a variety of sides. That’s right, Kenny Freeman got to go ham on some ham on this fine evening…but the real reason for this occasion becomes clear when his mother steps out into the dining room with a big chocolate cake, adorned with a “HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KENNY” in yellow icing. Space is made on the dining table, providing a landing zone for the celebratory dessert. The group then sings a lovely rendition of “Happy Birthday To You,” much to the delight of the young man celebrating his very rare, very special day. As the cake begins to be cut for serving, however, the mood in the room soon turns somewhat tense…particularly from Kenny’s father, whose smile has turned into a frown as he looks to his son. “Who is this Kendra girl, anyway?” he asks, a question that Kenny simply nods in response. “I can’t say I’ve heard of her until just the other week.” Since his travels across the multiverse have gone underway, the topic of meeting other Kennys (even finding a council of them) has been one he has been trying to avoid. Despite encountering so many that share his name and face, Kenny has been able to evade the awkwardness…but Kendra has stuck around this corner of the multiverse, becoming the inaugural champion of Fuerza Pro. News gets spread pretty damn fast in this digital age, and Mr. Freeman has picked up on the news of a woman he’s never heard of sharing similar physical traits and a surname…which brings us back to the dinner table. “Well, Dad,” Kenny responds, struggling to find a better answer as his mom hands him a plate of cake and a spoon. “Ya see, the thing of it is…” Before he can stammer his way through any more, Kenny’s cell phone goes off. He tries to stifle a sigh of relief as he excuses himself from the table to check, reading the screen to see a text from Alexei Ruslan. “Make sure you have your gear ready for the trip to Boston, gotta make the Red Army proud in Boston. Ivan still wants that chat about the office incident. Happy birthday.” Kenny’s mood starts out nervous but lightens up as he reads the final statement. It was nice to get such a thing from the likes of Alexei, even if Kenny realizes it’ll be all business when he gets back to action. With that, he puts his phone away before heading back to the table. Kenny feels a lot more confident as he takes a seat, a grin on his face as he looks back to his father. “Well, Dad,” he says again, this time not wavering in his tone. “You know those sci-fi movies we used to watch together when I was a kid? Turns out, truth is stranger than fiction.” Mr. Freeman’s eyes widen at the statement, a response that garners a smile from Kenny as he starts to lay it all down for his family. The trips throughout the multiverse, the close encounters of the Kenny kind, the fact a woman who looks awfully similar to him has been running around as an independent promotion’s champion…but the delight in their eyes starts to fade when the topic turns to his involvement with the Red Army. This story, it seems, they are much more familiar with since he first started teaming up with the Russian Bear…and more to the point, this is a story they are far less happy about. “Honey,” Mrs. Freeman says, resting a hand on Kenny’s shoulder. “You’ve had so much fun with your friend Randall it seems…but why would you two be hanging out with someone like Ivan Stanislav? Isn’t he…” “A damn commie!?” exclaims an exasperated Mr. Freeman, clearly not as…well…open-minded as his son. “That man is the epitome of the phrase foreign terror…and you’re siding with him?” “I…I…” Kenny is flat out stuttering now, his eyes darting between both of his parents while his brother continues to keep quiet. “Jack, you gonna help a brother out or not?” Jack just gives him a look reminiscent of Jim from The Office, raising his hands as if to tell Kenny this isn’t his battle to fight. Kenny turns his attention back to his father. “Dad, listen,” he finally responds. “Working with people you don’t necessarily like is common across all industries, isn’t it? You’re not exactly pals with Todd from Accounting.” “Don’t bring Todd into this,” replies Mr. Freeman, a snarl on his face as he points at his oldest son. “If I gotta listen to him dredge up the ledger numbers one more time I’ll…” “So you see my point,” retorts Kenny. “My interactions with Stanislav are a business deal. I’m trying my best to make ends meet on my own, and working alongside a man of Ivan’s stature has helped me get to a point I hadn’t before.” “Where’s your title, then?” asks Jack, who gets a cold glare from his older brother in response. “Hey man, you say it’s a business deal, but business ain’t boomin’ if you don’t have something to show for it.” “Now, Jack,” states Mrs. Freeman, trying to defuse the situation…but the man of the house nods in agreement. “He’s got a point, Kenneth,” he states, the use of the legal first name raising Kenny’s ire. “If this is truly a business thing and nothing more, then you need to sort yourself out. Don’t act like we don’t watch the product, Kenny…you haven’t exactly been showing your full potential, under Ivan’s banner or not.” “Oh boy,” Kenny mutters under his breath. “The full potential chat. I see where this is going…and I’m good to skip the lecture this time.” With that, Kenny takes his leave from the dining room as the parents look at each other. Mr. Freeman starts to let his guard down, his face softening at the look in his wife’s eyes. “I’m just concerned about him, is all,” he states glumly. “The last thing I want is our boy running around with the wrong people.” “I understand, dear,” replies Mrs. Freeman with a sigh. “Poor little Kenny, he didn’t even eat his ca--” She motions to the table, but the plate has gone missing…until we notice Jack having himself a nice time eating the slice of cake instead. “What?” he asks, his voice muffled by the cake in his mouth. “Kenny wants to be a brat, he doesn’t get the cake.” As the young brother enjoys a treat that doesn’t belong to him, the older sibling heads outside to ponder what does, taking a seat on the patio chair. He looks up at the night sky, drying the small stream of tears coming down his cheeks. “What the hell am I supposed to do?” he asks himself, knowing full well the answer isn’t coming…unless that blue light suddenly growing in the sky has anything to do with it. “I…what in the world?” The blue light gets bigger, and brighter…until we fade to white.