"All Your Box"

[OrochiGeese]

*We fade into the Walker locker room after "ALL YOUR BASE". Robin is lying on a bench with Geese using his shoulder to help stretch out her left leg. She has a sour look on her face. Kyle is guarding the door.*

[Robin:] "Geese, the water again."

*Geese hands her a bottle of water which she takes a swig of then spits onto the floor.*

[Geese:] "Still taste it, huh?"

[Robin:] "I've heard of 'keep your enemies close' but -"

[Kyle:] "It was really gross. Like one of the worst things I've had to watch you endure."

[Geese:] "I'm with him on that."

*Robin winks at Geese*

[Robin:] "Oh, so today you're remembering my career?"

[Geese:] "Enough to know how foul Moreno's muff must feel."

[Robin:] "Eh, I'll probably stop tasting her in like a week. But it was all worth it. I won."

[Geese:] "That was never in doubt, my dear. Even after the showboating."

*Robin laughs but then grunts in pain as Geese attempts to stretch her leg higher.*

[Robin:] "Agh, come on, do we really have to do a full stretch now?"

[Geese:] "I can remember the post match bargain too - it's this bad now or ten times worse the next day morning when your body tightens up overnight."

[Kyle:] "Fifty times worse in the winter."

[Robin:] "F'n Moreno, I hate leg work."

[Geese:] "Talk about memory? You forget Jenny McLanahan? You hated arm work too."

[Robin:] "True, but I have you two handsome gentleman to feed me when my arms don't work. I hate limping around all week like I'm riding a hobby horse."

*A few moments of silence pass to allow Robin to put her all into the next stretch.*

[Kyle:] "So..."

*Both Geese and Robin look over at Kyle who is looking at the ground.*

[Robin:] "Is it over?"

[Kyle:] "Yeah."

[Robin:] "With Ruby it is."

[Geese:] "I think that depends."

[Robin:] "On?"

*We hear a distinctive knock at the door and Geese smiles.*

[Geese:] "Him."

*Kyle opens up to see Mr. Clyde, invites him in, and locks the door. Clyde walks over to Robin and she gives him a hug. Clyde looks closely at Geese.*

[Clyde:] "We have a lot to discuss but this isn't the time or place. Thank you though, for something that you may not even remember at this point, but that I won't forget."

*Geese leans in closely*

[Geese:] "Those stock tips paying off?"

*Kyle groans and Robin rolls her eyes. Then she turns to Clyde and smiles.*

[Robin:] "What's in the box, Clyde?"

*She then says the words again, but far more dramatically, causing Kyle to laugh.*

[Geese:] "I don't get it."

[Robin:] "I probably should have guessed something was up by how much Kyle loved that movie."

*Kyle smirks and Robin returns it. Clyde pulls out a small box with an envelope from a bag.*

[Kyle:] "Moreno tried to give that to you, huh?"

[Robin:] "Yeah, so what's the deal, Clyde. Was it fresh baked Christmas cookies dusted with Destiny delight?"

[Clyde:] "No, it was something even more surprising."

*Clyde opens the box and we see a small electronic device covered by buttons and dials. One of the buttons causes the device to emit a bright shade of blue light. As Clyde holds down a button, he starts to toggle the dials and we see the light start to pulse. He toggles them some more and the light breaks into different pulsing rhythms. Finally, Clyde presses a different button and the light turns a deep red.*

[Robin:] "That's...that's the color the Arena turned last year right before Rivers attacked Geese!"

[Clyde:] "Yes, the exact color. There is something about this shade that initiated the recent mental state of Matt Rivers. I do not know exactly how but I suspect some form of hypnosis mixed with psychotropic drugs and heavy suggestion. In any case, the device comes with Ruby's admission of its role in Matt's change."

[Robin:] "The envelope? It's not a Christmas card?"

[Clyde:] "In a way, it is. Ruby's gift to you was this device and her confession with the hopes that you will be responsible for reverting Matt Rivers to a "normal" state."

[Kyle:] "You mean the way that he used to be?"

[Clyde:] "It doesn't confirm who the true Matt Rivers is. It just says how to revert him to being the 'UBL poster boy' as Ruby affectionately calls him. Whether that is who Matt always was remains a question to me."

[Kyle:] "Not to me. We saw the real Matt Rivers when he came to our ranch. I know what he did, and tried to do, to Geese last year but I don't believe it's who he really is. This doohickey caused it."

[Clyde:] "Celes would be pleased to hear you say that, to show genuine hope in another human being."

[Robin:] "Oh you know it, Kyle was extra good this year. He'll get all the presents. But Santa's not done with me yet. Is there anything more from Ruby"

[Clyde:] "Yes, and I think it helps explain her behavior. Moreno says that Gauntlet has forcefully splintered from Destiny. She gives the coordinates of their last meeting in the hopes that Thunder Strike can get surveillance tapes to show exactly what was said."

[Kyle:] "I don't like the sound of all that but the intel sounds legit."

[Clyde:] "Even more importantly for Robin, Ruby says that she went into the match tonight not intending to enforce any of the stipulations you agreed to even if she won. That's right, she renounced her war with you even before the actual match. Tonight was about a rivalry, not a hatred."

*After a few minutes of his silence, Geese stands up and smiles.*

[Geese:] "Knight off the board."

[Clyde:] "Would not a queen be a more apt metaphor?"

[Geese:] "Only if victory was complete by her removal."

[Clyde:] "Understood."

*Geese reaches into his bag, pulls out a book, and starts reading it.*

[Robin:] "Still, I'll take the good news. What should we do with the Rivers box?"

[Kyle:] "Find him and immediately use it."

[Clyde:] "That's the right instinct but there are risks to that plan. Once Matt regains his senses, he will be emotionally vulnerable. Learning what he did over the past year could be crushing to him without others finding a way to gradually pace and put that information into context."

[Robin:] "I think you should give it to Thunder Strike but tell Luke about it too."

[Clyde:] "Before Matt was turned, Luke was as close to Matt as anyone was. He should have a bigger role in the decision than us. I just hope that someone isn't able to cause Matt to relapse."

*Robin takes the device and envelope off the bench and hands it back to Clyde.*

[Robin:] "Exactly - Thunder Strike will know what to do."

[Clyde:] "Hearing you say that takes some getting used to. It really has been a while, hasn't it."

*Robin slowly sits up on the bench and looks at Clyde.*

[Robin:] "Look, we haven't wanted to pry - and it's completely your choice who to spend your time with now. We just want to know - are you okay after what happened at the compound? I mean, you got shot!"

*Clyde takes a deep breath and lets it out as a sigh, then nods.*

[Clyde:] "I've suffered worse so the wound was tolerable. The hardest part was watching how Ruby and Gauntlet drained the faith of Jang, Joachim, and the others. I have stayed with them to help them regain it."

[Robin:] "I still don't really know what happened on your side during your extraction - I know what Geese went through there, but do you have any idea where Celes and Figaro are?"

[Clyde:] "I know exactly where they are and when they are coming back. From the little Celes told me, the only thing that matters now is that Geese gets his head straight so you can all achieve your objectives. I would like to assist in that but I'm not sure there's a direct role for me to play now."

[Robin:] "What if we need your help anyway?"

[Clyde:] "Like tonight?"

[Robin:] "Exactly!"

[Clyde:] "Exactly. I'll be there."

*Robin nods and smiles*

[Robin:] "That's such a ninja answer, Figaro would have loved it."

[Clyde:] "Figaro would have loved OG-Joshi coming back...maybe a little too much."

*Kyle hears a scratching on the door and looks over at everyone else.*

[Robin:] "Uh oh, was Jean right? Is this place really haunted by a ghost goat now?"

[Clyde:] "No ghost and you're off a few species."

*Kyle opens the door and a black and tan Doberman Pinscher runs into the room and heads straight for Robin.*

[Robin:] "Interceptor!"

[Clyde:] "Thank you for returning him last month but he's safer with you right now."

[Robin:] "Where are you going to go?"

[Clyde:] "Celebrate Alicia Gordon's victory with Jang. Then he, Joachim, and I have to decide whether to visit the old Destiny compound now that Moreno and Gauntlet have abandoned it."

[Robin:] "What do you expect to find there?"

[Clyde:] "Most likely nothing of strategic use but they needs closure, especially Joachim."

[Robin:] "What about you?"

[Clyde:] "I need to know you have things ready for the next step."

*Clyde looks at Geese who appears engrossed in the book he is reading.*

[Clyde:] "Psychology? I suppose it's a step in the right direction compared to finance."

[Robin:] "Dr. Holt gave it to him and told him to read it for their next session."

*Clyde studies the front of the book and nods.*

[Clyde:] "Esoteric for a statue but I can see the connection."

[Robin:] "What?"

[Clyde:] "Just keep an eye on him. He's treading into dangerous waters given his past tendencies. They will target the perfect ally hiding within their greatest enemy. We don't gain the power to win this war without making ourselves vulnerable in the meantime. I'm just not sure how or when that could manifest and I doubt Celes did either. His role is clear enough to me for now though, judging by that book."

[Robin:] "And your role?"

[Clyde:] "I'll let you know when I'm back in New York next. It was good seeing all of you and I'm glad you were the one to put OG-Joshi back on the map."

[Robin:] "Nah, that was Jean. I was just the tour guide."

*Clyde nods, hugs Interceptor, and leaves the locker room.*