Cant believe Im late for this mystery meeting.
Sprinting down a cold, sterile corridor, Cat Connor enters our eyes with her footsteps echoing down the vast, grey hall. She runs, pulling her hair from across her face. She checks her watch. It reads as 10:04.
Damn. Why did they have to send the e-mail so late? I havent even been to this part of the headquarters before.
She looks left. She looks right. All she is met with is more of the same lifeless architecture and colour palette. She grimaces and stops, taking a deep breath. Panting, Cat looks down the corridor and then she sees it.
Room 616. Do I knock? Or should I go straight in? Well I suppose Im late so I better show some manners.
Indeed, Cat knocks before opening the door and with her eyes closed she starts to apologise, a big grin on her face:
Cat: Im so sorry Im late I cant believe I--
Then, Cat Connor opens her eyes and she is confronted with a bizarre and rather unsettling sight.
Men and suits and one pissed off looking lady. This isnt going to be fun is it?
Indeed it would appear not as the list of attendees for this meeting include a cavalcade of familiar faces. But it is an unfamiliar one who speaks first.
??? : Cant believe your late Ms. Connor? I wouldnt worry too much about it, I only just got here a minute ago myself so get settled and well get started. Oh, by the way, my names Wallace Franklin. Im the Chief Operating Officer of WZCW. Not a pretty face, but I dont bite, honest.
Franklin smiles politely and invites Cat to take a seat at the table.
Thats the warmest smile Im getting today probably.
Entering the room fully now, Cat notes the seat at the bottom foot of the table. She takes to it quickly, settling herself in the seat before she takes a closer look at the attendees. Her attention is immediately to the trio to her immediate right; Steven Holmes, Celeste Crimson and Erik Holmes who stands, leaning against the wall.
Holmes. That monster; whats he doing here? That Cheshire cat grin and the open body language tell me Im in trouble. Hes a monster and yet hes wormed his way into these hallowed corridors of power. Money truly is a root of evil. Hes a demon hiding behind his luxury suits and glamour, using his aristocracy as a false presentation. Hes about as far removed from a civil human being as I can imagine and that bloody smile is giving me chills. I wish hed just stop.
Holmes: My dear Ms. Connor welcome...
Yeah, yeah you smug bastard, keep hamming it up.
Connor: Whats he doing here?
Cat points to Erik Holmes the bodyguard and shield of Steven, his brother.
Holmes: Why Erik is merely here to provide me with the protection I may require should any....ugliness rear its head at some stage.
Erik...dont know too much about him except the obvious. Hes tall, hes bearded, hes dark, hes mysterious and he seems a little rougher around the edges in terms of presentation compared to his brother. Probably less or at least not as well educated as the other Holmes. He could be a wild card but I suspect hes here to intimidate and nothing more.
As Erik flashes a smirk of his own, Cat turns her attention to third and final member of this insidious threesome; Celeste Crimson. Her face is rich with anger and apparent hatred. She looks as if she has swallowed a great big lemon but there is a fury in her eyes to accompany the sourness. Her eyes do not break away from Cat.
Celeste...her look tells me she holds the key to my reason being here.
Moving on from the deathly stares of Celeste is Ascension General Manager Vance Bateman, rounding out that side of the table. Passing past Franklin, Cat scans the other side, first is Chuck Myles, in charge of Aftershock and unsurprisingly sat next to him is Big Dave GM of Meltdown. The final man round the table is directly to Cats left. He is a chubby little man wearing horn-rimmed glasses, a flat-top hair cut and a brush like moustache. He is Holmes lawyer; Boss.
Franklin: Now that were a bit warmed up a bit lets get to the reasoning for your presence Ms. Connor...
Holmes: If I may?
Franklin shrugs his shoulders as if to say why not? and indicates for Holmes to take the floor, something he does without missing a beat.
Holmes: You see Ms. Connor, in our relationship Celeste Crimson is my sword of justice. She destroys and conquers in the name of her lord and king; me. Celeste bathes in her enemys blood and destroys them, much as she will to the monstrous Barbosa at Kingdom Come. However, Celeste is also my queen and in that capacity, it is a kings duty to protect his other half. It is my noble and sworn task to protect Celeste Crimson and I am. You see, this is not the battlefield. That is the arena for Celeste to defend me. No, this is the roundtable where politics are discussed and ideas churned out and this is where I must protect her. You have disgraced yourself in a bid to try and drag my dear Celestes name through the mud just as we are on the cusp of uniting the kingdom as champion and challenger respectively. You must be brought to justice for this.
I clench my fists at Holmes arrogance. I start matching Celeste in terms of apparent anger from what I can tell. In fact Im ready to erupt when suddenly...
Dave: Come on Holmes even you have to know that these charges are petty. She called your girlfriend a bad name so what, you and I have called each other far worse. Celestes a big girl, she can look after herself.
Holmes: Ah Big Dave, once again you live up to your immortal idiocy. It wasnt I who filed the charges.
Holmes stretches his right arm out, over the front of Celeste who remains deathly quiet, her stare never breaking from Cat, and presents Vance Bateman as the culprit in question. Dave scowls.
Dave: Vance you worm...
Bateman: Call me whatever youd like Dave. Were peers; Ill take it in good humour. Cat Connor and Celeste Crimson however are not. One works in the world of broadcasting, the other is a professional athlete. Yes they work for the same bosses, but at the end of the day they are under different branches of the same organisation and while we are all in charge of the wrestling talent, I specifically am in charge of Cat. She is the lead broadcaster on my show and as a result I am directly responsible. I have held her accountable for repeatedly poor decisions such as these and now she must face justice.
Just how deep do Holmes ties lie with Bateman and how much power does he have over him?
Bateman: Now Cat, if youll direct your attention to Boss, hell detail you with all the information youll need regarding these charges.
Boss: Thank you Mr. Bateman. Ms. Connor, you are charged by WZCW with counts of slander including the repeated use of the word ****e in association with Ms. Celeste Crimson--
I dont listen to this Boss drivel on. I know the charges here and I dont need a petty lackey for WZCW to tell me what sort of trouble Im in. I know its coming my way thick and fast, but I also know there has to be some sort of decency left within Celeste Crimson. Damn Holmes and his corruption. He wont stop smiling...
Franklin: Ms. Connor?
Cat shakes her head, deep in thought for a moment before hearing Franklin. She turns her head to the COO.
Franklin: I said do you have anything youd like to say?
Do I have anything to say? Do I? Oh I think I do...
Cat: As a matter of fact I do. Not to you Franklin or to the lawyer or even the general managers. Heck this isnt even directed at you Holmes. Im speaking directly to you Celeste because I know youve had your eyes burning me the whole time Ive been here. I know you really dont care for what I said about you at Ascension, but Celeste, in the grand scheme of things, its the truth. You didnt rise to a higher plane by aligning yourself with this creature. No, instead you sold yourself and your ideals for a perception, a rotten corrupted version of your ideals. You ****ed yourself out and sold your body, mind and soul to Holmes and it sickens me to see you of all people sit there and be used like a damn puppet Celeste...
Suddenly Celeste rises up, a fury and passion lit in her eyes. She has something to say and she will be heard...
Oh boy...
Celeste slams her hand down onto the table, the bang echoing across the room. She points her finger at me, the tip like the point of a gun ready to go off in my face. My instincts would have me cower away but I hold my ground.
Who in the hell do you think you are Cat!? You know nothing about me or my personal life. Of all the women that work in this company you are the only one that exists like a ghost in the middle of a cemetery. You are lost in your own little world hiding behind your job think that you can point fingers at me and judge my character? How asinine-
I cut her off, not wanting to hear her diatribe at the moment, and a shouting match ensues. In an effort to keep the peace Celeste and I are separated and returned to our seats. I watch as Big Dave takes control of the situation as best he can.
Ladies please, can we remain civil here? Were adults not barbarians-
In turn he is interrupted by Celeste once more, who forces her way back into the fray.
Your ignorance is staggering Catherine. You have no clue about the emotional pain that I had to endure the months before I starting dating Steven. Becky and Stacey hold their tongues around me because we go way back; they respect the kind of person I am because they know where I came from-
She turns towards me with that vengeful look in her eye. It was true; I didnt have that type of close relationship with the other girls because they were my colleagues and nothing more. I didnt know much of anything about Celestes personal life, nor did I really care; I did know a bit about Stevens though. And he wasnt the type of man a woman like Celeste used to be would associate with if she didnt have ulterior motives.
Youre just a broadcaster. You know nothing about what goes on behind the scenes, and how could you? The way you treat your position acting all high and mighty thinking that youre better than the rest of us. And you have the nerve to make accusations against my character?
I was seething at this point. I could feel the tension rise as Celeste leaves her seat and steps closer, leaning over the table. Every single word hits me like a maelstrom of hot water burning my skin. Time seemed to stand still, the words echoing across the walls like a giant drum.
You arrogant, hypocritical, bitch!
The next few moments were very blurry my heart skipped a beat as I snapped. Suddenly I felt myself lunge out of my chair taking swing at the woman, trying to slap the taste out of her mouth. But to her credit her reputation wasnt just for show as she dodged it and took a step back. My breath got caught in my throat as I saw her eyes glaze over. At the same time I saw both Steven Holmes and Dave rush forward and grab her as she explodes forward across the table. The entire room devolves into chaos, and shouting from all sides erupts like a volcano, the putrid molten vocal tirade looking to engulf everyone. I look to see Celeste being restrained and placed back into her chair while out of the corner of my eye Steven shoots me the tiniest, but most distinctive looking smirks that I have ever seen. I sigh and bury my head in my hands. I was just played and I felt like a fool.
Way to go Cat. Blow this whole thing out of proportion. Theres nothing like a little corporate room brawl to make a mountain out of a molehill.
Should we add assault to the charges as well? asks Boss.
Steven shakes his head obviously highly amused with the whole ordeal. I look across the table as order has seemingly been restored once more. Celeste looks over to me with a look of indifference. She cracks a small smile.
I didnt think you had that in you Catherine, but it doesnt change anything.
Of course it doesnt, Celeste. And youre right. I never tried to understand you because I never wanted too. This is a cutthroat business not just for you superstars but for the rest of us as well. If Ive damned myself for not creating bridges for myself, then I swear youll make it to hell before me because lady youve burned all of yours.
Oh, and how so? Youre the big expert on how everything is supposed to run here, and yet you dont know the bridges Ive built or the ones that Ive maintained.
I hear Dave try to interfere once more as Celeste raises her voice, but she silences him. Beside her I hear that sick evil weasel Holmes snickering ever so slightly. Nothing was going to be civil about this meeting, and quite frankly Dave was kidding himself if he thought this wasnt going to turn into a verbal catfight.
You can think whatever you want. Call me a ****e, call me a bad person, call me whatever you want. Ive got nothing to prove to you, Ive got nothing to prove to the fans, and Ive got nothing to prove to all the other wrestlers. And most of all Ive got nothing to prove to Steven.
I scoff as I watch the WZCW champion lean back in his chair with a look that held no objections. Maybe I was out of the loop, but I knew the kind of man Steven was and if he wasnt manipulating her than it was Celeste doing the dirty work.
Nothing to prove to Steven thats rich, Celeste. A woman like you, who represents order and structure and justice, doesnt just fall in ranks with a man like Steven, who represents nothing but the opposite! If Steven isnt playing you for a fool then youre the one pulling the strings here!
I stop and stare as the room goes silent. I watch as Steven and Celeste glance at each other before breaking out into raucous laughter. I felt myself becoming angry again, but before I could engage the blond in another shouting match she cuts off my train of thought.
I know nothing about your personal life either Catherine but Im sure you have a husband that you see whenever you go home. At one point I did too, but I dont anymore. Steven suffered a similar fate. Cunning he may be, but a vindictive monster he is not. There are dark abysses that human beings can fall into that cannot be reached through desire, or anger, or hatred, or any emotion generated by ones own doing. That kind of abyss can only be reached when someone else throws you into it and the only lights around are those that you may have never thought were there in the first place.
Celeste and I lock eyes; It wasnt worth bickering over all the pointless minutia being thrown around, and I didnt feel particularly impressed. But it isnt my job to be impressed, nor is it my job to switch sides. I am a broadcaster and I call things exactly as I see them. Celeste continues to speak
Its going to dawn on everyone in this company exactly the kind of relationship that Steven and I have. At Kingdom Come Ill be facing Barbosa, a former WZCW champion, in a match where the winner becomes the number one contender to the WZCW title. Do you think that prospect scares me? It doesnt. Do you think it scares Steven? It doesnt. Why? Because we are more than a just a couple or a team
we are a unit.
I frown as I noticed out of the corner of my eye that Dave did too; Bateman was all smiles as was Steven. In fact my eyebrow began to rise as Steven and his brother Erik cracked a joke or to at the prospect of what a match between him and Celeste would look like. I had to bite my tongue on that one; what would she do, lay down for him? I start to watch as Steven grabs his WZCW title belt from his lap and lays it up on the table. I stare in disbelief as he slides it over to Celeste, who picks it up and slings it around her shoulder.
Does the belt look good on me or what, Catherine? What you dont understand, what Barbosa doesnt understand, and what David and Drake dont understand is that nothing will break Steven and me apart
not even the WZCW championship. Together we are stronger than anyone else in this company can possibly be by themselves. And we are stronger than any tag team because we share a bond that none of those guys could ever begin to understand. I didnt rise to this higher plane by joining Steven. We found each other in the abyss of our sufferings and we rose to this plane together.
Celeste takes off the belt and hands it back over to Holmes, who held a knowing look on his face as he speaks...
If the king falls in battle the queen will take his place. Under her lordship the king will become the knight and the sword of her justice, until it is time for him to take his place once more. And then the cycle starts over. David Cougar and Drake Callahan are my opponents at Kingdom Come. They wont be seeing eye to eye, because even if by some miracle they do manage to stop Celeste and I at the Supershow, they will disintegrate at Kingdom Come because they cant possibly trust each other. The gate will open and finally Celeste and I will be able to enter our utopia, a place where the king and queen will rule this kingdom forever.
He shoots me a sick smile before Bateman and Dave converse, as Steven and Celeste speak with Boss. The rest of the suits and Mr. Franklin, who have been watching the whole meeting with mild amusement, begin to converse as well. I began to pray for this nightmare of a meeting to be over soon. Boss walks over and says a few words to Bateman, who then addresses me.
Mrs. Conner after careful consideration between Mrs. Crimson and her lawyer we feel that no direct disciplinary actions will be taken. Consider this a warning.
I wasnt an idiot; I could read between the lines. They were basically trying to censor me by way of fear mongering, but that wasnt going to work. Id rather take a suspension than give up my opinions. I remain respectful on the outside, and I nod with respect, but on the inside I was seething. If Becky and Stacey want to walk around her on eggshells that was their business; that was the reason why I didnt have many friends in the company, to have bias to one side or another when changes occur that wasnt the way good broadcasters were suppose to act. So screw you Celeste.
I watch the others get up and leave as the meeting was dismissed, as I choose to stay behind. Soon the only other person left in the room with was Big Dave. He turns to look at me with a frown.
Steven and Celeste are a very dangerous duo. Ive known Steven for many years now, but when I look at him and Celeste I can tell hes changed too.
What do you mean? Are you suggesting that what Celeste said earlier about them being bigger than the WZCW title to be true?
I dont know, but when I look at Steven I see a man madly in love. I dont know if Celeste really is pulling his strings, but Steven wont be the one to turn on her even if shes the one to take the title away from him in the future. My biggest fear is that if those two do reach this utopia that they keep yammering about then no one will be able to stop them. The two of them together as a single unit is more potent than anything that this company as ever seen before, and trust me when I say that.
He shakes his head and raises to leave, as I did the same. Dark days were coming, and whether Steven and Celeste got what they wanted, or if David, Drake, and Barbosa were able to stop them it didnt matter. It was my job to broadcast it all with an unbiased tongue.
