Frankenstein's Warning: McBride Corporation CD

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New York City
Off Camera
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We open up inside of the home office none other than Melanie McBride. The youngest McBride sibling has taken on most of the day to day operations of the family business lately, and this is due to her parents’ declining health. Stan and Dianne McBride were once spry enough to run things on their own but now they have been unable to. Thus they sold their half of McBride Incorporated to their youngest daughter Melanie. Their middle daughter, Karen McBride, while adopted had already owned half of the company. Karen was gifted a portion of the company from her new parents after adoption and then after educating herself in business had managed to negotiate herself into purchasing Melanie’s gifted portion and Blair’s gifted portion, making her half owner alongside their parents. But now with their parents in poor condition and unable to run things, Melanie bought them out to regain half of the company. Blair McBride, though, is still on the outside looking in. Karen doesn’t like it but Melanie doesn’t care. As far as Melanie is concerned, everything is working out just fine. The company is running smooth, Blair has plenty to do, and their wrestling careers are finally taking off now that they got rid of Mason Van Stanton who was holding them back.

A knocking at the door seems to interrupt Melanie McBride, who was deep in thought as she stared at the computer screen on her desk. She looks up and sighs. “Come in.” The door opens and a maid enters. Melanie sighs with frustration. “What is it, Yvette?”

“Apologies, Ms. McBride, but your sister is here and wishes to see you.”

“Which one?”

“Karen.”

Melanie grins. “Good! Send her in!”

Yvette the maid nods and steps aside, allowing Melanie’s older but adopted sister Karen McBride to enter. The maid then exits. Karen stares coldly at Melanie who just responds with curiosity and finally a shrug of her shoulders, wondering what’s wrong.

“What is it?”

“You had to ask which one of your sisters was here to see you?”

“Yes. What of it?”

“Had it been Blair would you have let her in?”

“Today, yes. But other days, maybe not. It all depends upon my mood.”

The older McBride rolls her eyes as she approaches Melanie’s desk and then sits down in a chair across from her. Karen shakes her head in disappointment. “I hate what has happened to you. I hate what you’ve become. The Melanie I knew wouldn’t treat people like that, especially not her own sister.”

“The Melanie you remember was weak. I’ve evolved into a stronger person.”

“Stronger or meaner?”

“Why not both?” Melanie says chuckling nastily. “Look, do you have a particular reason for stopping by or did you just want to continue lecturing me about what I’ve done with Blair? Because if it is the latter then I suggest you stop. We have had this discussion already.”

“Yes but we’re not through talking about this, at least I’m not. You said it, Blair has said it, I have said it...The McBride Corporation is a TEAM...we work together...and that’s why we have been winning lately. That is why we are on the cusp of getting a tag team championship opportunity, because we are finally operating on the same page.”

“And you have me to thank! I set Blair straight and now everything is running as it should.”

“Yes, it’s working now, but how long will your little fix work?”

Melanie smirks knowingly. “Evolution is permanent.”

“Is that so? I’m not sure. The Nero Organization certainly did a number on you and your psyche, they turned you into a cold hearted sociopath, and yet over the past several weeks I have seen that rough exterior crumble and I have seen a few hints of the old Melanie McBride. It has been several years since that cult twisted you and corrupted you and only now are you cracking.”

“I remember…” Melanie’s voice trails off, hinting at a sense of pain in her voice “...that’s why I know what I did to Blair will last.”

“But therein lies the flaw in your plan. You are not Nero. You did this to Blair, not Nero. Are you as good at mind manipulation as Nero is? How long do you really think what you did will last on Blair?”

Melanie is flustered by this and shakes her head. “Why do you care? You never liked Blair. From the moment mom and dad adopted you, she always hated you and you hated her right back. You never took any bullshit off of her.”

“You’re right and I stood up to her. I stood up to her when she bullied you.”

“So why do you care about Blair? She is doing her job. Leave it be, Karen.”

Karen reaches out and grasps Melanie’s hands. “Mel, I always fought with every fiber of my being to defend you. I defended you against bullies like Blair, I defended you against bullies in wrestling when you decided to follow in my footsteps. I did it because I loved you. You treated me like a sister, even though I was adopted and I wanted to repay your kindness in the only way I knew how. And then when I saw what the Nero Organization did to you, and how I was powerless to stop it…”

Tears are forming in Melanie’s eyes. “Don’t…”

“...it hurt me, Mel. It hurt me that I couldn’t stop them. And I felt awful when I saw what they did to you, because I felt that I had failed. Don’t you remember what they did to you?”

“I don’t want to remember. It hurts too much, Kare-Bear…”

“Kare-Bear.” Karen laughs. “That was your pet name for me. I always acted tough and for a time hated it. I would give anything for you to call me that again. Try to remember the pain The Nero Organization put you through and tell me that you really want to put your own flesh and blood, your own sister through that same kind of pain?”

“Remembering hurts, Kare-Bear. That’s why I block it out. That’s why I continue to be that person they created. Remembering what they did hurts too much. Being a sociopath, blocking out the emotions, its just easier. I’m not going to defend what I did to Blair. But I will say that I cannot do anything about it now. And I apologize, Kare-Bear...Karen...but I cannot allow myself to open up like this anymore. Never again.”

Karen sighs. “Fine. Well then as a cold and callous sociopath will you at least heed this one warning?”

As if flipping a switch Melanie goes from tears and grief stricken to being perfectly fine. “Fair enough.”

“Be careful of what you’ve done and pay close attention to Blair. You are not as good as you think you are. You are not as good as The Nero Organization. They may have created you, they may have turned into this, but you cannot duplicate their process on your own. Think of it like Frankenstein’s monster. God created life, God created Victor Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein wanted to turn around and create life himself. And you remember what happened to Victor Frankenstein and his creature, don’t you?”

Melanie nods her head. “Yes, I suppose that is a fair warning. But trust me, I know what I am doing. Blair is doing her job to perfection. We have earned our way into this match, we will earn a tag team title opportunity, and we will dethrone The Sovereign to become the GCW Global Tag Team Champions. I promise you that, Karen. You will have gold again.”

“Good. Because if I cannot have my sister back, then damn it I want championship gold back around my waist.”

Melanie smirks devilishly. “Great. It will happen. And not even Frankenstein’s monster can stop The McBride Corporation.”