Alice Knight is kidnapped and taken to the Ranch's Jail

[Plethora the Perilous]

ALICE KNIGHT'S HOME, MODERN DAY

The scene goes from darkness to a moment of static to the image of Alice Knight seated in her home. She looks around awkwardly, as though she doesn't really know what she's supposed to be doing. A loud knock at her door causes her to jump. She rises to her feet and heads to the door, opening it and seeing three people in Plethora robes. Her face goes from surprise to mild discomfort.

Alice: Oh.. you're all.. here again.. at my home.. Earl?

The people in the robes do not speak, they just stare at Alice. 

Alice: Uh.. Earl? Are you in one of these things?

One of the robbed figures pulls his hood back. It's not Earl, it's Boris the Cannibal. He begins speaking in his thick Russian accent. Alice's eyes grow wide.

Boris: Dearest Alice.. your presence is requested at the Second Chance Ranch.. to prepare for the Wheel of Misfortune.

Alice: Uh. I think I need to stay home.. and I'm not booked at the Wheel..

Boris: But you will celebrate with Mr. Benson when he wins the OCW Tag Team Championships for the two of you. We have saying in old country that goes like this: one for all, and all for one.

Alice: I think that lost something in translation..

Boris stares at Alice in silence for a moment and then makes a hand gesture before putting his hood back up. One of the other robbed men throws a sack over Alice's head and drags her away. She screams in horror. "Be nice," Boris said as he closed and locked her front door as the scene faded to darkness. 

OUTSIDE OF A HIGH SCHOOL, COLUMBUS OHIO, 2001

A young high school aged Kenny the Intern paced about outside his school when a dark Honda Accord pulled up. Kenny didn't look well, his eyes were surrounded by the signs of sleep deprivation and his shoulders slouched. He was a nerd, but looked particularly pathetic in this moment. Bifford stepped out of it and walked over to Kenny.

Kenny: Mr. Benson, as I've told you..

Bifford: Please, Kenny.. Call me Bifford. We still keep the business a little hidden.

Kenny: Fine.. Bifford.. like I told you, I don't have time. My grades have been suffering. I am applying for colleges soon.

Bifford: Kenny, school isn't important. If you stick with me, you'll be set for life. 

Kenny: Bifford, I want to go to college.. I don't want to go from shitty arena to bingo hall every week for the rest of my life.

Bifford (just throwing this out randomly): It's a shame about your aunt and uncle..

Kenny: My.. aunt and uncle?

Bifford: Yeah, you hadn't heard? They're having some financial difficulties.. they had to sell their house.

Kenny: THEY SOLD OUR HOUSE!?

Bifford: Oh? Do you live with them? Aunt Bella? Uncle Denny? Yeah, they had financial difficulties.. I bought their house though.

Kenny: What? Why?

Bifford: Because maybe they can afford the rent.. but I need a solid intern. Someone to really do all of the work for my operation.

Kenny: So you and Earl can slack off and party..

Bifford: Precis- what?! No, so we can be busy thinking about our next steps.. planning. It's all about thinking, Kenny. There are thinkers and there are doers.. You will do the things, but Earl and I will come up with the ideas.

Kenny: That sounds.. horrifying.

Bifford laughed.

Bifford: Shall I tell your Aunt and Uncle that they can remain in their home?

Kenny looked at Bifford, his eyes tired, his shoulders slumped. A broken man, even just as a teenager. 

Kenny: Fine..

The scene fades to darkness and then shows clips of Bifford ordering Kenny to kill people, of Kenny running Bifford's cannibal chicken empire, of Kenny's arrest and trial, and then of Kenny being broken out of prison. The scene again fades to darkness. 

AN UNKNOWN AIRSTRIP, WEST VIRGINIA, MODERN DAY

The scene brightens up to show a small private jet on a small privately owned airstrip. No other aerial vehicles are in sight. A black SUV, the one that usually contains Bifford, pulls up next to the airplane and a door opens. Bifford, wearing the Plethora robe but with his hood down, steps out accompanied by Earl and Kenny, who are both wearing the robes, but also have their hoods down.

Kenny: How long are we gonna have to wear these fucking things..?

Bifford: Forever, because of you and your crimes.

Kenny: THEY are YOUR CRIMES!

Bifford: Whatever, I won't battle semantics with you. Did Boris report back?

Earl: Yeah he texted a few minutes ago, they've got Alice.

Bifford: Did she want to come?

Earl: Uh..

Bifford: Uh?

Earl: Well..

Bifford: Well?

Kenny: What he's trying to say..

Earl: They had to put a sack over her head and drag her kicking and screaming.

Bifford: Well, if she declines being my partner we will just have to find someone else.. Is that Pixie Sloane still on the property at the Ranch?

Kenny: Honestly, Biff, it's kinda hard to tell. Everyone is wearing a dark hood and there's a hundred or more people now.. 

Bifford glares at Kenny for a moment in silence.

Bifford: Well maybe you should figure out a better system.. in the meantime, I need to head out to California. Earl, you're in charge of the Ranch.. Kenny, you gotta work on keeping better tabs on people.. 

Bifford began walking toward the jet.

Earl: You know, Bifford.. I've been working out a lot and getting in good shape.. if Alice says no.. you know.. I've wrestled before.

Bifford turns and looks at Earl as though he has 3 heads. Bursting into laughter he turns and walks toward the jet, "you're a fucking popcorn salesman.." he said as he began climbing up into the jet. "Wait, Biff - " Kenny began, getting his attention. Bifford turned and nodded. "What do we do with Alice? Guest quarters?" Bifford shook his head, "put her with the lawyer.. and the bailiff." Earl glared at him as he disappeared, both for his comment about his profession and for his request that they put Alice Knight in jail. Earl and Alice had become close.

Kenny: You're pissed at those comments, aren't you?

Earl nods.

Kenny: You're going to take it out on me since you're in charge, aren't you?

Earl nods.

Kenny: You're still going to put Alice Knight in jail even though you know it's the wrong thing, because you're afraid of our psychopathic, deranged, murderous boss, right?

Earl nods and the two men get into the back of the black SUV as the scene fades to darkness. 

INSIDE THE JET, 20 MINUTES LATER

The scene brightens to find Bifford on the jet, seated in an extra large chair in the middle of the jet. There is no other furniture. It is clear that this plane is for Bifford and his pilot(s) alone. Oh wait, there's one more. A woman appears and hands Bifford a glass of champagne which he sips slowly as he looks into the camera.

Bifford: Claudia. Beatrice. Frost. Your mother taught you to be better than you are, but it's clear she failed in raising a responsible and mature person. However, it's not too late for you, my dear. Claudia, move to my sovereign state in West Virginia, pledge your loyalty to me, and you can have a whole Second Chance. I'll teach you to live life better, I'll help you get the success you've always dreamed of.. We can hold our belts high at the end of this very show, after you lay down and let me pin you.

Laughing and taking a sip of his champagne, Bifford refocuses on the viewer.

Bifford: Ms. Frost, I know you won't lay down.. and I hope you know, I'm not going to run away and get counted out. I won't be able to Biff End you, but I will crush you and I will pin you. And when you hear that referee's hand hit the mat that third time, just know you can right then pledge your loyalty to me, join the Second Chance Ranch and I'll potentially hand you a title belt right there.. Potentially, only, of course. I mean, there is Alice Knight. There is Pixie Sloane. There's my fucking manager who sells popcorn for a living.. I could call Dangerous Dan or Titan 3 or Goldie and see if they're available. But maybe it should be you.

Bifford holds up the champagne flute and looks through it for a moment.

Bifford: Beatrice.. my dear.. There's something you don't realize.. There's a whole other side to life. A world of refinement, class, dignity, beauty, and truth. I can bring you there. You needn't read books about cults - cults don't bring you to life. We're a community, not a cult. We give you a second chance at whatever you want to be, Claudia. Because wallowing about with your loser friends living life like children is not the way of the future. You just need a change of scenery, a change of wardrobe, a change of life direction. And when I crush your body and you are lying there in California listening to the referee count, your life isn't over. It's just the beginning, if you make the smart move. Pledge your loyalty to me, Claudia, and you'll be right at the top of my organization. Hesitate.. and your spot may be much lower. 

Bifford takes another sip of the champagne and then sets it in the beverage rest on his arm rest. He throws the hood over his head and disappears into the robe: only Plethora remains. 

THE SECOND CHANCE RANCH, TEN HOURS LATER

A red jeep filled with three men in Plethora robes (presumably one is Boris the Cannibal) and Alice Knight pulls up in front of the Second Chance Ranch town hall. They all get out of the jeep and Alice looks panicked. The sack is no longer over her head, but she doesn't look her normal carefree self.

Alice: Is Earl around?

The door to the townhall almost immediately swung open and two men in robes walk out. They walk up to Alice and her eyes widen.

Alice: Earl?

Pulling his hood off his head, Earl looks at Alice and smiles.

Earl: Was your transportation okay?

Alice: Once the bag came off my head..

Earl: Sorry about that.. Boris grew up in Russia. They do things differently there.

One of the men from the Jeep in a robe shrugs his shoulders and walks away, presumably it was Boris but his face was never seen.

Alice: Why am I here?

Earl: Big man needs you for the show.. he's arranged transportation for you from here, but you just gotta stay here the night.

Alice: Oh is that it? That's no problem.. I loved that guest room.

Earl hesitates for a moment and then shakes his head, smirking, "nah, sorry it's full.. but I think Mr. Benson arranged for something else for you. Kenny, can you take her there?" He asked awkwardly, not wanting to be there when she sees its a jail cell. 

Kenny removes his hood and glares at Earl.

Kenny: Why don't you take her?

Earl glares back at Kenny and the two men just stare at each other with hatred.

Alice (not understanding, cheerfully): Let's all go together!

The two men look at her and then share a glance and nod. "Follow us," Kenny said as he led them both into the building. They went down the same stairwell they led The Bailiff in the first promotional video this week. As they reached the bottom of the stairs, Alice saw the prison cell bars.

Alice: No.. Earl.. no..

Earl: It's just a night, Alice..

Alice: NO! No it's not! NO!

Earl put his Plethora hood up and disappeared into the cloak - in that instant, he was Plethora. He walked to Alice and led her quietly, solemnly, to the cell. Unlocking the door, he looked at her and motioned for her to get in. "I thought we were friends," she hissed as she stepped inside. "Just following orders," Earl said back, his voice noticeably different: deeper and less Jamaican. He closed the door and it locked on its own. Earl and Kenny turned and left. Alice turned and saw Cornelius Cook and screamed.

Cornelius: Relax Alice.. Remember me from the courthouse? Before you and Bifford won the titles?

Alice: Why are you down here?

Cornelius: I lost the case..

Alice: Well that was the stupidest idea..

Alice screams as she notices The Bailiff laying unconscious on the ground. His face is covered in blood.

Alice: IS HE DEAD!?

Cornelius: No, but he knocked himself out..

Alice: Why?! He's so bloody..

Cornelius: He did the blood on purpose.. hit himself.. wrote on the wall.. Then knocked himself out..

Alice looked up and read the text on the wall. "DO NOT COME HERE." Written in blood (perhaps a little bit too neatly) with a handprint. She eyes bulged as the stress registered on her face. Screaming again, the camera focused on her face as the scene faded to darkness.