Backstage, in that same, darkened corner as before, Fade sits alone with nothing but her thoughts to keep her company. Void has long since left to prepare for his match against the God Beast, Mushigihara, and every SHOOT Project staff member that’s walked by in the interim has either not noticed her or has paid her no mind.

She doesn’t like being ignored, but she’s been reduced to far worse in her life, and given the choice she’d rather be invisible than beaten or talked down to or humiliated or anything else. Still, there’s a sadness about her that’s only amplified by those that overlook her.

Fade pulls her knees further into her chest, trying to make herself smaller. As if such a thing were possible. She’s hungry. She wants to go home. She has no friends here, no one to hang out with. Only Void, who’s angry with her over an innocent admiration. She wants to fix things, but doesn’t know how. These thoughts, and others, furiously swirl around her brain, and she’s so focused that she doesn’t notice someone stopping in front of her.

“Hey.”

The voice breaks Fade from her reverie and she looks up. Her eyes widen as Lindsay Troy stands there, a bottle of water and a wrapped-up sandwich in her hands.

Lindsay Troy: Mind if I sit?

She feels her chest tighten. It’s Lindsay Troy.  Talking to her. She wants to cry immediately but chokes it back for all that she’s worth. She doesn’t know what to say or what to do. What if Void sees? What if one of these people that walk by tell him? Should she just scoff, insult, scream, claw at the Queen?

Fade: Uh…y-yeah! Yeah, it’s a…um…it’s a free Epicenter…

Her attempt at humor falls flat out of her mouth. She feels like a fucking idiot. She watches Lindsay’s every move now, trying her best to calculate what to do, what to say, or if nothing is the right move after all.

Lindsay plunks herself on the floor next to Fade, stretching her long legs out across the hallway. She looks up and around at their surroundings, then meets the young girl’s eyes.

Lindsay Troy: Not much of a location, huh?

She then extends the water bottle and the sandwich.

Lindsay Troy: You hungry? Catering’s pretty cleaned out by this time of night, but it’s turkey and it’s pretty good.

Fade looks at the sandwich and then to Lindsay. She is somewhat reluctant to take the food but Jesus she’s starving. After another beat, she takes the sandwich. She starts to unwrap it but stops.

Fade: Thank you.

She takes a “Thank you” bite, afraid of what the sandwich means or what any of this means. Her chest is hurting now but her stomach claws at the food coming its way. Lindsay watches her, the beginnings of a smile taking shape on her lips.

Lindsay Troy: Look, Fade, I don’t know a lot about you, and I know you don’t know a lot about me, but I do want you to know that I really appreciate what you said to Void about liking me. I get the impression that being honest about it wasn’t a very easy thing to do, and that he didn’t take it very well.

Fade laughs a little. She didn’t mean to and she hates herself immediately for doing so. She puts the sandwich down and sighs.

Fade: It’s stupid. I’m stupid. I don’t know anything about wrestling or…or…like, any of this really. He took me in and showed me this world and I fell in love with it, you know? Theatrical with physicality. It hit all my buttons.

She looks down at her lap.

Fade: I didn’t become a fan of wrestling thinking there was gonna be anybody I could, y’know, look up to. I just figured it’d be me and Void against the world. He’d teach me to wrestle, I’d be a star or something. I don’t know.

She stops again. Nobody asked for all that. She course corrects.

Fade: No, ma’am, he didn’t take it very well.

Lindsay Troy: You’re not stupid. And for what it’s worth, you can swing a chair pretty well.

In an instant, Fade looks horrified, remembering that she did, in fact, hit Lindsay with a chair. But the Queen is still smiling.

Lindsay Troy: Don’t worry, I’m not mad about that. I’ve been hit with chairs before by people who eventually became my friends. I’m more concerned with Void and how he’s treating you. You can still support him and look up to other people. I know he and I still have unresolved issues, but two things can be true at the same time.

Fade shakes her head at Lindsay’s suggestion of two things being true.

Fade: He doesn’t call himself Void just because he thinks he’s all dark and shadowy. It’s all black and white to him. If I’m not fully up on him and believing only in him then I’m against him. If he knew I was talking to you right now he’d forfeit his match with Mushigihara just to come back here and fight you or punish me.

She looks away for a brief moment.

Fade: He did so much for us, Miss Troy. He cleaned up the Tunnels. He put together a culture down there. It used to feel so good to go down there at night knowing he’d keep people in line and give people a home. He was so focused on family and wanting to build a family. He went after that Dan Stein guy because of that, y’know. Now, it’s like…he’s just jealous of you and what you got. It ain’t like him. This isn’t what he does. He’s never been like this.

She turns her attention back to Lindsay.

Fade: He used to wanna build something great for everybody else. But it’s like with you…he just wants it all for himself. He’s…done stuff down there he’s never done before. People are scared to go home at night now. I know it sounds stupid and melodramatic because that’s just how I see everything I guess but it’s true! I wanted Fade and Void to go away and be, like, Lucia and Tommy.

Her eyes burn as she thinks of everything. She takes stock of what she’s truly lost.

Fade: I don’t think that’s ever gonna happen if he don’t get his way.

Lindsay Troy: I don’t think it sounds stupid and melodramatic. There’s nothing wrong with wanting the best life possible, both for yourself and for other people. And I don’t think you’re wrong for wanting to see the best in Void either.

She puts her hand on Fade’s shoulder.

Lindsay Troy: Sometimes, though, people change, and we can’t explain why. It’s not anyone’s fault; it just happens. But I can tell just from talking to you that you care about what happens to the people in the Tunnels. I think you want to take care of them and make them feel safe and supported. If Void’s changed and made it unsafe for them, then you need to be that person for them now. I feel like communities know best what their needs are, you know? 

She stands up, the smile never leaving her face.

Lindsay Troy: I can handle Void within the walls of this place. And I have a pretty good feeling that you’re a lot stronger than you give yourself credit for.

Fade looks at the sandwich and then back to Lindsay. She can’t help herself but to smile back.

Fade: Thank you, Miss Troy.

She peels back the wrapping on the sandwich a bit further and stops when she sees the edge of a business card. Her eyes go wide for a second before she looks back once again to Lindsay.

Fade: Thank you.

Lindsay Troy: Use it any time, day or night. And don’t let him find it.

Fade nods, taking the card and slipping it into her sock. Lindsay walks off down the hall, back into the shadows, while the scene fades out.