Some people clean when they're stressed.

Vita Valenteen was no different.

Except it was 3:00 AM, and she was doing it with a wine glass full of rat blood.

A donation box sat beside her as she dug through the back of her closet.

"People say I'm weird."

She sipped.

"People are judgy."

Vita pulled a Vita's V-neck out of the closet and something black tumbled out behind it.

The Atomic Bat cowl.

Suddenly, Mercy's voice echoed in her head.

*"LiTeRaL cArToOn."*

"Yeah, okay..."

Vita slipped it on and checked the mirror.


"Fair enough."

Off again, and for a second, it hovered over the donation box, but then she tossed it to the top shelf instead.

A few seconds later Vita spread an armful of old dresses across her bed.

"Oh, God."

Black. Green. Red. Expensive!!

Sarah Lacklan.

Vita held one of the dresses against herself and checked the mirror.

"Okay, Sar... maybe you had a point..."

And then she heard Sarah's voice again.

*"Ashley Johnson... what do you want?"*

Vita took another sip.

"You know what really sucks, Mercy?

I watched that match back. A lot.

The first time you caught me in Mort Noire, I got out.

The second time?

Lights out.

And everybody keeps telling me I didn't tap like that's supposed to make me feel better.

Honestly?

Tapping would've been less embarrassing. At least then I would've made a choice. Instead, you put me to sleep with a wrestling hold I knew was coming.

So yeah...

Congratulations. You learned."

Vita raised the glass toward nobody in particular.

"Before that match, I thought your biggest problem was that you cared more about hurting me than beating me.

Then you stopped trying to carve me into a monster and locked in Mort Noire with the intention of finishing the job.

Good.

You fixed your mistake.

Now I fix mine."

Her eyes moved toward the dress she was holding.

"You told me I needed to accept what I really am.

Okay... but I'm not a monster.

There's not some horrible thing hiding underneath all this.

It's just me.

And I'm a wrestler.

One who's known what I wanted since I was seventeen years old and stupid enough to run away from home for this.

I want to be the best.

Why do you think I asked for this rematch? You didn't just beat me... you caught me with something I knew was coming, and then choked me out on live TV.

That kinda thing gets stuck in my head.

Kinda like how the first time Sarah beat me, she did so by outswimming a speed boat.

And Sarah beat me enough times that most people probably would've taken the hint.

I didn't.

Every time she beat me, I walked away knowing a little more than I did before.

So I kept going back and making her do it again.

Until eventually..."

Until War Games 2023. One! Two!! Three!!! ELIMINATED: SARAH LACKLAN

The lights flickered and laughter boomed from inside of the closet.

"What the HECK was THAT!?"

Vita stared into the closet. It was deeper now. Way deeper. Behind her clothes was a narrow corridor of rusted pipes.

Vita slowly leaned forward.

"Well, that definitely wasn't there five minutes ago."

Vita looked down at the wine glass in her hand.

The blood curdled.

"Nope!!"

She set it down.

Then from inside the closet, Mercy's voice called out.

*"AsHLeY joHNsOn... wHAt dO YoU wAnT?"*

She stepped into the closet as the bedroom vanished behind her.

Pipes steamed.

The distant laughing echoed.

Vita kept walking until suddenly!


Mercy was standing directly in front of her!

"Okay.

Cute place!

Very murder-basement chic!!"

*"yOu kEeP jOkInG wHeN yOu'rE sCaReD."*

"And you do the spooky voice every time you wanna sound deep."

Mercy was suddenly closer.

*"yOu wErE hElPlEsS."*

"Only for a few seconds..."

*"lOnG eNoUgH."*

"Obviously.

You won.

I'm not arguing with you about that.

You adjusted. That's literally why I'm standing here giving you credit!"

*"yOu hElD bACk aNd yOu fAiLeD."*

"TOTALLY!

Once.

Sarah made a whole hobby out of beating me before I finally got her.

So what makes you think YOU get one win and suddenly I'm done learning?"

Mercy's grin widened.

*"bEcAuSe yOu'lL sToP. yOu aLwAyS sToP."*

"See, THAT'S where you're wrong."

Steam hissed between them.

"I don’t like hurting people. That part’s true. What you got wrong is thinking that means I’ll hesitate when the person in front of me already decided the only way this ends is with me unconscious. Last time I gave you that window. I’m not handing it to you again."

*"iT's wHaT yOu dO."*

"No, it's what I did."

Mercy disappeared.

Vita turned.

Nothing.

Then Mercy slammed into her from behind.

Vita crashed chest first onto the floor as Mercy hooked both arms and folded them behind her.

MORT NOIRE!

*"sAmE gIrL."*

Vita kicked against the floor.

*"sAmE hOlD."*

Mercy pulled back harder.

*"sAmE eNdInG."*

A valve beside them screamed as steam burst from the pipe.

*"yOu kNoW hOw tHiS eNdS."*

"Uh, yeah? That's kinda the point."

Vita planted a foot and threw herself sideways, dragging Mercy with her toward the scalding pipes.

*"wHaT aRe yOu dOiNg!?"*

"Something different!"

Vita drove her into the pipe.

Mercy's grip loosened and Vita recoiled at the smell of burnt flesh.

*"sQuEaMiSh."*

"Maybe!"

Vita reached for the burning hot pipe.

"But not stupid enough to lose the same way twice!!"

Vita grabbed the pipe. Skin sizzled as the boiler room vanished.

Vita shot upright on the bedroom floor.

She grabbed her burnt hand.

No burn at all.

Vita stared toward the now normal closet.

Then reached down and pulled Sarah's dress back out of the donation box.

She folded it and placed it beside the Atomic Bat cowl.

"Those stay...

But hesitating against killers?

Yeah, that one's getting donated..."

Her eyes drifted toward the baseball bat standing inside the closet.

"Next time I get my chance?

I'm TOTALLY taking it!!"