Monday July 12, 2010
ARC Arena- WhirlyBirdz Locker Room
Valparaiso, Indiana
10:48 PM Local Time
“Who dat think they better than Terrence Thompson?” the man proclaimed as he flung open the door to the locker room.
“WHO DAT?” shrieked the little girl, who stumbled across the room to leap into her father’s arms.
“Congratulations,” Cassie DeSlair said, brushing a few loose strands of blonde hair from her face as she stood up to welcome the returning warrior, fresh from his ringside battle.
Still holding Theresa, Terrence quickly scooted to the side, allowing his two companions to enter the room. Wendy Briese sulked in behind her husband, giving the nanny a silent nod. It’s obvious that while she was unhappy with the events that transpired to end the Thompson-Ojeda match, there was very little she could do about it. The man strutting in behind her was the exact opposite. Daniel Pollaski looked like the cock-of-the-walk, the smug grin on his face betraying the paramount triumph he had felt by taking out one of the most dangerous men in the PWX.
The realization of the consequences of Ojeda ever got ahold of him would come soon enough, but for now, Daniel Pollaski was basking in the glow of both his and Terrence’s victory.
“Nice going,” Cassie said to the portly manager, just a hint of sarcasm in her voice.
“Hey, the moron went after ME,” Pollaski protested. “I was just trying to defend myself!”
Even Wendy nodded in her agreement, although fairly reluctantly. “Ojeda let his temper get the best of him,” she said quietly. “He lost his focus on the match, and it ended up costing him.”
“Bah,” Terrence said dismissively. “It’s not like the result woulda been any different. There was no way John Ojeda would have been able to keep me down for three. If anything, the way it ended gave John a convenient excuse as to why he lost, so he can keep deluding himself that he actually is relevant around here.”
Dan and Cassie laughed at the remark, and Theresa, although she didn’t know the reason behind the laughter, joined in as well. Only Wendy, now sitting in a chair, remained silent. Terrence paused as he took in the account. Sure she wasn’t happy with the way the match ended, but there was something else to her, as if an unexpected weight was causing her shoulders to slump.
Something was wrong.
“Everything okay, hon?” Terrence asked quietly.
Wendy paused for just a second. Her first instinct was to smile, feign fatigue, and tell her husband that everything was okay. But too many times over the past few months, Wendy had kept quiet about an issue until it blew up in her- and Terrence’s- face. That wasn’t going to happen this time.
“We need to talk,” she finally said, sighing to her husband. “Alone”
Terrence nodded, and turned towards Dan and Cassie. “Give us a minute, would ya?” he asked.
Pollaski nodded, and picked Theresa up, complying with Terrence’s request. Cassie, looking slightly disconcerted, hesitated for just a second, then followed the portly manager out the door.
“Stay within shouting distance!” Wendy called abruptly as the door closed.
“Why?” Terrence asked, shooting Wendy a curious glance.
Wendy sighed. “I ran into Victor tonight,” she finally said.
Terrence grimaced, neither happy nor surprised at the news. “I’m surprised it took him this long to approach you. I trust it wasn’t a pleasant meeting?”
“It never is, with him. He seems to think that my recent... accomplishments are entirely because of his influence. He’s less than pleased that I disagreed.”
“I can imagine,” Terrence chuckled, knowing full well how adamant his wife could get in an argument. His cut his laughter off when he realized that Wendy didn’t even crack a smile, but looked even more miserable . “What did he do?” he finally asked.
“He openly threatened Theresa.” Wendy forced out, locking her emerald eyes into Terrence’s brown ones. “Said that he would do whatever it takes to ‘break me of my delusions.’ He threatened you and Cassie too, but...”
Terrence nodded. Wendy knew that he could take care of himself, and while she would be devastated if Cassie came to harm, it would be nothing compared to if their daughter got hurt. Feeling suddenly weary, he sank into another chair, turning to face his wife.
“What did you do when he said that?”
“I almost hit him,” Wendy confessed miserably. “But I stopped myself. I told him that he just wanted me to lose control to prove him right, then walked away.”
“Do you think he’s bluffing?” Terrence asked simply.
Wendy paused for a second, then shook her head. “Even if I did, I couldn’t afford to be wrong,” she said. “If Victor gets his hands on Ther-”
“If Victor Mandrake gets anywhere NEAR Theresa, he will die,” Terrence swore earnestly, and Wendy knew the sudden fire in his eyes left no doubt that Terrence was telling the truth.
“What are we going to do?” Wendy asked quietly, looking her husband dead in the eye.
Terrence paused, considering his options for several long seconds. When he finally spoke, it was very slowly. “We’ll take the necessary measures to protect our family. Nothing more.”
Wendy stared at her husband in blank surprise, stunned by the reserved response.
Terrence didn’t miss his wife’s shock. “Look, everytime I’ve gone after Mandrake, it hasn’t worked out. All it does is piss him off. And right now, whether or not he’s here in PWX, Victor’s attention is fully focused on his upcoming cage match against Eric Dane in Defiance. The dumbest thing in the world I could do right now is provoke him and give him a reason to come after us. Outside of the ring, I want no part of a war with Victor Mandrake.”
Wendy nodded. She didn’t either, but she couldn’t avoid the sinking feeling that one- ANOTHER one- was inevitable. “Everytime I think we’re finally rid of that horrible man, he...” she said quietly.
Terrence nodded silently, sharing her thoughts. “But Wendy?” He paused to make sure she was paying full attention to him. “I’m really glad you told me this. I know you didn’t want to worry me, but I had a right to know.”
Wendy nodded silently.
“Does anyone else know?” Terrence asked.
Wendy nodded slowly. “I told Cassie too. I tried to pass it off as little more than an irritation, but I think I scared her. It didn’t help that-” Wendy cut herself off as another memory from the night came flooding back to her. “Oh God,” Wendy said, with another agonized sigh.
“What?” Terrence asked, puzzled and concerned by his wife’s sudden deeper distress.
“Wild overheard me talking to Cassie, and he thought I was talking about him. So he confronted me. Actually, he got in my face and started screaming. I was already on my last nerve from my encounter with Mandrake, and he... well, he put his hands on me. So I hit him.”
“Jesus, you’ve been busy,” Terrence said, chuckling at the thought of Wendy’s hand smacking all the taste out of Wild’s mouth.
This time, Wendy did laugh, although it was a short burst. “I’m afraid I made us another enemy,” she said quietly.
“You didn’t do a damned thing,” Terrence admonished her. “For whatever reason, Wild took exception to us beating the Kings Among Men, and started talking shit the moment we grabbed those belts. Probably because he couldn’t win his own match at Do Or Die. But if he wants to grab a buddy and face us, let him. We’ll do more than slap him around.”
Wendy giggled a bit at Terrence’s bravado, and smiled at her husband, looking a little relieved. “You know, this communication thing’s actually pretty nice.”
“I’ve told you,” Terrence said, standing up and walking over to Wendy, hauling her to her feet as well. “Now, come on. Let’s grab the other’s and get the hell out of here.”
“You don’t want to watch Zion and Jeremiah?” Wendy asked, surprised.
“Cause Zion has a chance?” Terrence asked, grinning. “I’d rather beat the traffic.”
======================================================================
Tuesday July 13, 2010
The RV- Cockpit
Interstate 65 Near Lebanon, Indiana
10:49 AM Local Time
[They always say the early bird gets the worm.]
[That’s probably why Terrence Thompson is cutting his promo the morning after the Adrenaline show. After all, there’s not much else for him to do as he makes the three hour trip back to Indianapolis, and well, once he’s done, he’s got a whole week to train, and more importantly this week, help his wife train. Not a bad deal.]
[So we open in the cockpit of the WhirlyBirdz RV, Terrence Thompson sitting in the driver’s seat, and Wendy is shotgun, once again reading that book about the freaking Glorious Revolution. Luckily, it looks like she’s almost done with it. The rest of the gang is in the back, watching the television, which, if you squint just right, you can see a bunch of really pissed off trees chucking apples at an unfortunate quartet.]
[Wizard of Oz, yo.]
Twister: “Oops. I did it again.”
[He played with your heart?]
Twister- “Another week, another stunning upset for Terrence Thompson. It seems like its becoming the theme of my PWX career. I upset Valerie Belmont. I upset Jeremiah Belmont. I upset Valerie Belmont, again. Wendy and I upset the Kings Among Men. And now I upset John Ojeda.”
[Terrence shakes his head, as if he can’t quite understand it all.
Twister- “Seems to me that sooner or later, you gotta stop calling each and every big win I get an upset, and come to terms with the fact that I am actually THAT good. I told you all three months ago, I didn’t come here to lose valiantly. I came here to be the best in this company.”
[Smirk]
Twister- “So what’s next for yours truly? After all, I’m coming off of three big wins. My wife and I beat Chris Stern and Hollywood, and then we took the tag titles off the Kings Among Men. And last week, I showed I’m still a force to be reckoned with in singles competition by flattening John Ojeda. So do I get another chance to fly further up the rankings? A main event calibur match to prove to the world that I am the best wrestler in Pro-Wrestling X? Perhaps even a singles title shot?”
[Terrence gives almost an incredulous scoff, then shakes his head irritably.]
Twister- “No, I get Dean McDaniels. You have GOT to be kidding me. How the fuck do I even cut a promo on him? There’s NOTHING in his bio, and all we’ve seen of him over the past weeks is six minutes of him getting his ass kicked by Devon Poole and John King. What could I possibly say about that? That he sucks? Should I cut a promo on how the sky is blue, the grass is green, and fire’s hot? Spend three minutes talking about nothing but the most obvious shit known to mankind?”
[For a second, a glimmer of anger flashes in Terrence’s eyes. Then he looks over at his mirrors, navigating the RV through a lane change.]
Twister- “This guy is a walking, talking insult to professional wrestling. He’s an insult to the fans, who are forced to pay good money to watch him suck. He’s an insult to me, because now I actually have to waste a week of my career dealing with him. And he’s an insult to every talented wrestler who toils in backyards and bingo halls, waiting for their chance to shine, while this no-talent hack gets a contract. So Dean, bring your ass down to the ring, Monday, and I’ll put your career out of its misery, and by Tuesday morning, you can be off looking for another line of work.”
[Terrence again gives an irritated snort, then pauses, looking over at the red-haired woman still reading her book. Smirking just a bit, he turns back to the camera.]
Twister- “But this week really belongs to my wife, after all. Adrenaline is going to be her show. Ever since Brian Hollywood thwacked her over the head with a chair, Wendy’s been wanting a piece of him, and now, FINALLY, she gets her chance. In a way, I’ve feel sorry for our new boss, because I’ve been at the receiving end of my wife’s ire, and she actually LOVES me.”
[Upon hearing that she’s being talked about, Wendy snaps up from her book, looking over slightly at her husband. She smiles just a bit- until the last line, when she looks at her husband, obviously less than pleased at Terrence’s description at her temper. For his part, Terrence just grins, pretending to be completely oblivious to his wife’s death glare.]
Twister- “As for the rest of you lot, just watch Adrenaline closely. After Wendy takes out bossman, and I hit Dean McDaniels with such destructive force that it will leave no doubt as to the origin of my nickname, there will be no doubt as to who the emerging dominant force in Pro-Wrestling X.”
[Terrence thumps his chest, and gives another smirk, still ignoring his now-irritated wife.
Twister- “After all, haven’t I already told you all that you can’t stop us?”
[Terrence finally looks over at Wendy, and shrugs.]
Twister- “What?”
[Wendy merely rolls her eyes, and turns her attention back to her book. Terrence turns back to the camera, and flashes a wink and a small thumbs up, as the scene fades to black.]
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