Sunday January 11, 2015
5:51 AM Hawaiian Standard Time
Honolulu International Airport- Security Corridor
Honolulu, Hawaii
“Oh for crying out loud,” Wendy Briese sighed as she turned the corner and saw the line waiting in front of her. The evacuation of Honolulu was clearly underway, with thousands of tourists taking the Sunday morning early flights back home, ending their vacations and being back in time to report for work early Monday morning. And all of them were trying to shoehorn their way in through the same security checkpoint, which, despite being fully manned and trying its best, wasn’t even close to being able to keep up with the raging tide.
Ah well, such was the price of having a show in paradise, she supposed. Smart of her to arrive extra early for her flight.
“Oy, Wendy!”
Wendy turned at the voice calling out to her, and grimaced as she saw Pollaski waddling around the corner, heading towards her, his carry-on backpack slung over his shoulder. He was still wearing the same clothes he’d worn the night before- or, rather, the same body armor, save for the helmet and gauntlets. The Red X’s dotting the armor were still glowing, even, but not as brightly, although Wendy supposed that could just because it was brighter here.
“She-it” Pollaski huffed, looking at the security line. “Good thing I got here early. Look at all these fuckers trying to get out. You’d think a tidal wave was coming…”
Wendy ignored the crass comments as the two of them got into the security line, behind a family that, if Wendy had to guess from the language they were excitedly babbling to each other in, were from Germany. She glanced back at Pollaski. “So, what-“
“Pretty cool, eh?” Pollaski said, holding him arms out so that Wendy could get a better view of the body armor. “When FFW okayed me doing a little segment about starting up the Power X again, I figured why not go big, right? Get people talking.” He grinned. “Admit it… you didn’t know it was gonna be me, didja?”
“No, I didn’t.” Wendy admitted, nodding. “I actually had no idea who it was, I was just curious to find out. But I didn’t think it’d be… you.”
“Well, I had everyone fooled. Heck, my own family… my own immediate family was fooled! I asked my mom last night, and she said she thought it was Rose Jenkins. And after seeing me in this… she actually wished it WAS Rose Jenkins…”
“Ouch,” Wendy said with a sympathetic wince. “I’m sorry.”
“Yeah, well, what are you gonna do, right?” Pollaski asked.
“So why are you still wearing it?”
Pollaski grimaced, and looked away. “Cntgtotft”
“What?”
“I can’t get out of it!” Pollaski said, more clearer and irritable this time. “You know when Mika attacked me? Which was COMPLETELY unprovoked and uncalled for?”
“Of course.”
“Well, it dented the armor in a few places and it kinda got locked together and I can’t get it off. I spent half the night trying before I gave up and went to bed, and I couldn’t sleep because it’s pretty hot in this. and I kept sweating and…”
“Oh God…” Wendy said, wincing.
“Tell me about it,” Pollaski responded, looking grateful for the sympathy.
“So you couldn’t shower this morning?”
“How could I?” Pollaski demanded, incredulous. “I can’t take-“
“I know, I know! It’s just, now I have to sit next to you on a plane for the next six hours, so…”
“Well, sorry to inconvenience you.” Pollaski responded in an acidic tone. “If it helps, I put Old Spice on the armor everywhere I could reach it.”
“I’m pretty sure it doesn’t work that way.”
“Ah well, at least you’re splitting up with me in Los Angeles to go to Sacramento, and don’t have to fly with me all the way to Dallas,” Pollaski said reassuringly.
“That’s true,” Wendy admitted, “But are you sure you shouldn’t go to Aggression? You know, the show the company you work for puts on?”
“Hey, Nick said I could have the night off,” Pollaski countered. “Hell, I think he was glad to give it to me. I was just going to watch the National Championship backstage and this way I wouldn’t be bothering anyone else.”
Wendy couldn’t argue with that. Pollaski was a dedicated zealot to his favorite sport of college football, something that seemingly got on everyone’s nerves from time to time. “But aren’t you worried about the Williams Dynasty? With the World Title match happening?”
“Eh, I ain’t worried, “ Pollaski said with a shrug. “Everyone’s EXPECTING them to do something tomorrow night, so everyone will be on their guard the moment that match ends. Nobody wants him to be Champion, and the moment it happens, twenty fuckers are gonna come through that curtain to kick his ass. Toddykins is gonna have to be more clever than that to pull off his little coup.”
“I hope you’re right…” Wendy muttered, looking up at the security line. Luckily for everyone, it was actually moving at a decent clip- they weren’t all that far back from the ID checker now. Her attention was turned back to Pollaski, who was unleashing a massive yawn. Unfortunately, that proved contagious, and Wendy found herself yawning as well.
“Man, I wish I’d gotten more sleep last night,” Pollaski lamented, tugging at the body armor he was still wearing.
"You and me both.” Wendy responded, stifling another yawn.
“Oh?” Pollaski raised an eyebrow. “Still fuming over the stunt Mika pulled? Or having nightmares about Mileena Savage?”
“Hardly on both counts,” Wendy snorted. “No… been more… thinking.”
“About?”
“Cody,” Wendy replied glancing appraisingly at her manager, not quite certain how much she should tell him. She finally shrugged and relented. After all, she’d trusted Pollaski implicitly through difficult situations before, so why not now. She dropped her voice slightly. “This is in confidence, okay? Nothing on the Power-X or Twitter or anything else, okay?”
For a response, Pollaski ran his fingers across his lips as if he was zipping them shut, and then tossed the key behind him.
“Thanks.” Wendy said, looking around on the offhand chance that there was someone else going to hear- the German family in front of her was still too busy talking and the apparently honeymooning couple behind was rounding first base on their way to second. “Okay, I met with Mr. Kincaid backstage at When World’s Collide, and, well, he and I talked… about Isabella.”
Pollaski said nothing, but did slightly raise an eyebrow, clearly intrigued.
“We both agree that she’s not good to have in a position of power. She’s petty and vindictive and has already used her role to target individuals she doesn’t like. And her ideas… are dangerous. I think we’re both afraid that under her watch, something could happen that no amount of buyrates or ticket sales could fix…”
“Naturally,” Pollaski said, nodding at Wendy to continue.
“He’s recruiting, drawing women to his side. He’s got Scarlett, of course, and Caroline, and Jo… and now me.”
“He asked Jo before you?” Pollaski scoffed. “I’d be insulted.”
“N..no! That doesn’t mean anything!” Wendy said, waving her arms, and quickly suppressing the pang of prideful indignation that had suddenly risen up in her. “The point is, he’s looking for a showdown with Isabella. His army, her army. Showdown. Winner take all.”
She saw Pollaski’s eyes go big around, and sensed that suddenly the man was regretting making his vow of silence- leaking such a story would be massive. But Pollaski simply shrugged, and nodded. “That’d be a huge match.”
“Tell me about it,” Wendy said quietly. “I was hoping it’d be only used as a last resort… but after last night… after that fan vote… did you see the look on his face when it got revealed?”
“Yeah… he looked like he got struck by fuggin lightning or something. But so what? That vote was a sham. Everyone knows the damn vote was a sham. Surely he does too… right?”
“I… I think so…” Wendy stammered in response. “Ugh… that stupid vote means nothing! Or, at least it should mean nothing. I could tell he took it hard anyways but…” she sighed. “And that had been going so well too. Ms. Star was tough but fair with Cody, but what she told Isabella? About how the safety of the Ultraviolence Division was on her head and that an injury would jeopardize her job? That was what we needed to hear! That was the accountability we needed! Just the knowledge that Isabella had to think things through now would be more settling.”
“But it won’t be enough now, will it?”
“Not after that fan vote,” Wendy sighed. “And… I’m starting to sense this isn’t really about stopping Isabella from getting too sadistic either. The way Cody talks about her… the way they were interacting last night… it’s personal. Deeply personal.”
“Shouldn’t surprise you.” Pollaski said, scratching the back of his neck. “I mean, Isabella did get Cody’s neck broken once.”
“I know,” Wendy admitted. “But when things get personal like that, emotions run high and people rush into hasty decisions based on those emotions. It’s not going to be a last resort, Dan. Unless Isabella miraculously resigns or gets fired in the next couple weeks, I think Cody’s going to MAKE this match happen. And when it does….”
“All or Nothing,” Pollaski finished.
“Yeah,” Wendy said, clearly dismayed by the prospect. “I mean… me, Scarlett, Caroline, Jo… I think we’d win against pretty much anyone put up against us. Of course we’d win! But… what if we didn’t?”
“No more Cody Kincaid, for starters,” Pollaski declared.
“Yeah, and I don’t want that to happen. I mean, he’s my friend, and I don’t want to see him put out like that. And he’s the best boss I’ve ever had, Dan. He showed faith in me even when Samantha Star was walking out and saying what a disappointment it was that I was the No Surrender champion. Heck, I’d much rather see Isabella in charge of the Ultraviolence Division, and Mr. Kincaid in charge of everything else, than to see Cody pack his bags and Isabella control EVERYTHING. I just don’t know if the reward of having Isabella removed is worth the risk of Cody going away.”
“Not to mention that if Isabella does gain control, she’s going to put you and anyone else who opposed her through absolute hell.” Pollaski reasoned.
“Yeah, that too,” Wendy sighed.
“So what are you going to do?” Pollaski asked.
Wendy shrugged. “What I promised. To have things come to that may not be my decision… but its not my decision to make, is it? It’s Cody’s and if that’s the route he wants to go, the least I can do is help make sure he has the best possible team representing him. And that’d include me.”
“A loyal answer,” Pollaski said. “That’s good but… loyalty can have a high price to it.”
“Then I’ll pay it. I owe Cody at least that much. But thank you for listening, Dan. I thought we were at Step One with this showdown thing, and last night seemed to leap things forward to like Step Seven or Eight. It moved quicker than I wanted it too, and it’s just got my mind running on overdrive.”
“No worries,” Pollaski said, “You’re up by the way.”
“Hunh? OH!” Wendy exclaimed as she looked at the German family walking towards the scanning machines, the way to the ID Checker clear. She quickly approached, handing her ticket and driver’s license to a grouchy looking TSA agent. The agent shined a UV light on the licence to guarantee authenticity, double checked her ticket, then handed them back with a jerk of his head for Wendy to proceed to the scanners. Wendy turned away as Pollaski approached.
“Sir, you can’t come through here with the armor on. You’re going to have to take it off.” Wendy turned around at the sound of the agent’s voice, turning in time to see Pollaski roll his eyes.
“I *CAN’T* take it off,” Pollaski said, frustration creeping into his voice. “Do you think this shit’s comfortable?”
“Doesn’t matter, sir. It needs to be taken off, or you can’t get past here.”
“Look!” Pollaski demanded, ire growing in his voice. “I’m clean, okay? Your goddamn scanners will still pick everything up. Now, let me through.”
The guard stared at him for a second, then picked up his radio. “We have a Code Fourteen.”
Uh oh, Wendy’s mind rang in a loud, sonorous, bell of doom. That compounded as three burly security guards came walking through the checkpoint up to the still ranting Pollaski.
“Seriously, I’d bribe you but I don’t have any money. I’m broke. You think I’d be travelling BROKE if I were a terrorist? No! I’d money for bombs and shit. Which I don’t. So serioiusly…”
“Sir, you need to calm down,” one of the newly arrived TSA agents said.
“I AM CALM!” Pollaski bellowed in protest. “All I want is to get past you assholes, and get on the FUCKING PLANE”
*Tink*
Something shot out from one of the agents, bouncing against the armor on Pollaski’s chest, to bounce harmlessly on the ground. Pollaski stopped ranting to look down at it, and even from her distance, Wendy could tell what it was- a barbed dart.
“Did you just try to tase me?” Pollaski demanded, incredulous. “Did you seriously just fucking try to TASE ME? Cause that’s really not cool-“
*PPPSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSST!*
Wendy bleated as a jet of spray came from one of the guards right into Pollaski’s eyes. Pepper spray, she realized.
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH-HANH-NAH WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYY?!” Pollaski screamed, clutching his eyes as he fell to the ground. Immediately the TSA agents set upon him with knight sticks, rising and lowering as they smashed over and over into the portly man.
“HEY!” Wendy protested, moving forward to put a stop to this. “You can’t do that…” she winced as a hand grabbed her upper arm.
“Stay back ma’am” Another security guard was next to her, apprehending her. “Official TSA business.”
“But he didn’t even-“ Wendy’s protests died in her mouth. Nothing she said was going to help, and in fact might make it worse. So she could do aught but watch helplessly.
At some point after the twentieth whack, Pollaski had stopped screaming, and simply lay quivering in a fetal position. Still, it was a couple more minutes before the barrage stopped, and the TSA agents put away their knightsticks. “Alright, we’re done here,” the man who had sprayed Pollaski said, and together they turned to walk away back through the checkpoint.
“Aren’t you going to get him medical attention?” Wendy demanded incredulously.
But she turned as Pollaski slowly picked himself off the floor, tossing away the cracked pieces of body armor, until he was simply standing in a Seahawks t-shirt and a blue pair of sweatpants. He checked himself over. “Hey, thanks!”
“Don’t mention it.” The lead agent intoned without even bothering to turn around.
“Are you okay?” Wendy asked as Pollaski limped towards her, clearly battered but still able to stand and walk. She rubbed her arm from where the TSA agent had grabbed her.
“Oh, yeah!” Pollaski exclaimed, looking over his body. “God, I kinda wish I had thought of that… I woulda let Hilton do it to let out her anger over being screwed by Mika…”
“Yeah, but… Pollaski… there’s like yellowy-green stuff leaking out of your eyes…”
“That? Oh yeah… the pepper spray does that for some reason. It’ll stop in a day or so.”
“But…” Wendy tried to argue, but Pollaski was already at the bins, kicking off his shoes and putting his bag in to be scanned.
“Move along ma’am, you’re holding things up here!”
Any further protests died in Wendy’s throat. With a sigh of resignation and frustration, she shook her head and trudged over towards the bins, kicking her shoes off in the process.
It was going to be a long day. She could feel it.
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