Post by King on Oct 20, 2022 9:55:28 GMT
Bang!
Bang!
Terrella draws back, his fingers tightening around the handle of the twenty pound sledgehammer in his hand. Heaving it forward, the heavy metal head strikes a stud with one final bang, knocking it from the board's former place within a wall. He rests the head of the sledgehammer on the floor, holding onto the handle as he surveys his work. A breath of hot, dry air fills his lungs.
"What are you doing in here, baby?"
The sound of Portia's voice hits his ears as she walks through the doorway. He turns his head toward her to see her carefully navigating her way around the various debris littering the floor.
"Knocking out this wall," he replies to her. "I think I can open up enough space in this back room to put a cage in it. Hold some fights in here. No rules. No bullshit. Underground type shit. Just two people fighting it out."
She bites down on her lower lip as she considers Stephen's idea. "Um… how illegal would this be?"
Wiping some sweat from his brow, he can only say: "It'd be illegal as hell if we get caught. We open these fights up for betting, we'll make a fucking killing though. Easy money here. Just got to be selective about who comes back into this room."
"How much are we talking?" One question, five words long, which is at the forefront of her mind given the risk.
"Straight up, couple grand a night maybe." He looks at the open space he has started to create. "We fix a few, helluva lot more than that is on the table."
Portia gives it another moment of thought. "Okay, if you think we can pull this off without it getting out-of-hand, let's try it."
"Yeah, easily." Terrella says with confidence. "That guy still coming to give us an estimate on the work out front?"
"Yeah, around four," she replies. "Brandy called, by the way. She wants to talk to you."
"Alright, I'll call her." Terrella turns to Portia once more for a quick kiss. "Could use a break anyway. Hotter than hell in here."
To be continued…
—------------------
A few hours later we find Terrella leaned against the front of his new sixty-nine Camaro. He has a heavy chain over his neck as he shoves a pinch of tobacco inside his bottom lip. After slowly returning the can into his pocket, he folds his arms across his chest.
Portia stands a mere few inches in front of him, feeling at the ends of her fingernails with her thumb. For a moment she seems almost completely unaware of the camera's presence, preoccupied with the quality of her manicure after doing a little work in the building that sits in the background. She extends her pointer finger, shaking it ever-so-slightly as she lifts her gaze and locks it on the camera.
"The last time Stephen stepped inside of an IWF ring was in the beginning of September. It was in one of those tag matches management loves to throw together where they take two people who don't get along and make them into a team for the night. They promised him if he played by the rules he'd have an opportunity to fight Alek Bronson the following week. If he won that, he could have gone on to fight Dane Preston for the Television Championship."
"They wanted him to jump through hoop-after-hoop."
"After hoop."
"After hoop."
Terrella leans forward slightly, spitting tobacco juice out so he can speak. "Thing is, I got a real low tolerance for bullshit."
Looking directly at Terrella, Portia tells him: "Which is one of the things I love about you."
She refocuses on the camera.
"So of course we walked out on Alek that night, leaving him all alone to take the bullets. Did any of you really expect any different? Did you honestly believe my man was going to swallow his pride and play by your rules?"
"That was more than just a statement to Alek. That was a statement to this whole entire company, from management on down- Stephen is done with the games. He walked out on Alek, you fans, the people who make the matches; and together the two of us have started to create our own opportunities. Now he can do what he wants with no thought to need whatsoever. Now he only does it for want."
Flashing a cold smile, Portia slowly drags out the statement: "Which brings us to Odyssey."
"From almost the moment it was announced people have been laying claim to being the new face of the new brand. Everyone wants to be a star. Everyone wants to see their face front and center on the posters. Everyone wants to be the brand new, very first Invictus Champion on this brand. It's an opportunity to mold something in your image."
"Sadly for you people, if you have designs on that title it may be time for a change in plans."
Terrella coils his fingers around the chain draped over his neck and spits at his own feet. "Let's get one thing straight, anyone who wants to step up and be the face of Odyssey, that's fucking fine by me. You do the bullshit promotional work. Shake hands. Run the stupid fucking podcast circuit. Hell, they can even put your fucking face up there on the big screen. I don't give a shit about any of it."
"You try to come between me and that Invictus Championship though, I'll put your fucking head on a wall. That belt is mine 'cuz I want it. I'm going to turn this whole fucking brand into a land of extreme violence. My rules! My terms! Anything goes! Man… woman… I don't care, you sign your name on that dotted line and I'll leave you bloody all the same. I'm not an asshole, I'm the fucking asshole… and I'm here 'cuz I want a fight."
With a slight laugh, Portia adds, "Friday will be just the first step when Stephen steps inside the ring with Nick Danger and Jennie Fenix. And both of you, wow…" Portia claps mockingly. "Well done these past two months. Nick, you've been making more of a name for yourself, even fighting one of your best friends to try and take his title off him. And not to be outdone, we all saw you challenge your own sister last week, Jennie. While the two of you have been filling your plates with matches though, my man has been resting up. He's fresh. Ready. No bumps or bruises, and that's a significant edge."
Terrella casually leans back, head tilted with confidence. "And Danger, I've already kicked your ass. All summer long I beat the shit outta you and your little friends. Every time you step in the ring with me, kid, same result. You try hard but you ain't damn near man enough to put my shoulders on that canvas."
"But I'll give you a small amount of credit 'cuz you can take a beating. And hell, you've gotten just a little better since the last time I beat your fucking ass. That's what being in the ring against the Work does 'cuz we're the best group of talent in this sport. And like my girl said, I watched you try to cut the legs out from under one of your friends. You're learning."
"I ain't Nick Knight though. You fuck with something I want, I'll cripple your ass. New nickname and a few fancy moves don't change that. You might have the desire to be on top of the mountain but you ain't got the balls for it, ace. You are gonna keep finding that out the hard way until you learn."
Terrella half-chuckles. "Hell, I ain't going to lie, aside from getting one step closer to that belt, the part about Friday that I'm going to fucking enjoy though is stepping in the ring with you, Fenix. And everyone is going to think I'm underselling your ass, looking past you 'cuz you're a girl… whatever. But that ain't it. If I wasn't in this match, you'd have the biggest set of stones out there. You walked into my dressing room uninvited of all fucking things."
"You fight hard and you sometimes fight a little dirty. Part of me could almost respect you. I want you to bring that fight to Odyssey, and I hope you bring it to me… maybe you can beat a confession outta me for some shit I didn't do. Harder you try, the sweeter it'll be when I break your ass."
"You have something I want though, Fenix- your blood. I'm going to spill it all over that fucking canvas."
"And when I'm done snuffing out that last bit of heart you got, I'm going to sling your tiny little body over my shoulder, carry it to the back and dump it at Wraith's door like a piece of fucking garbage 'Cuz all I hear from your family is how Wraith has beaten me twice. Since your family likes reminders so fucking much and all, they can clean up my mess."
Terrella tugs at his chain, metal clanking against metal as he lifts himself off the front of the car. The scene cuts.
Bang!
Terrella draws back, his fingers tightening around the handle of the twenty pound sledgehammer in his hand. Heaving it forward, the heavy metal head strikes a stud with one final bang, knocking it from the board's former place within a wall. He rests the head of the sledgehammer on the floor, holding onto the handle as he surveys his work. A breath of hot, dry air fills his lungs.
"What are you doing in here, baby?"
The sound of Portia's voice hits his ears as she walks through the doorway. He turns his head toward her to see her carefully navigating her way around the various debris littering the floor.
"Knocking out this wall," he replies to her. "I think I can open up enough space in this back room to put a cage in it. Hold some fights in here. No rules. No bullshit. Underground type shit. Just two people fighting it out."
She bites down on her lower lip as she considers Stephen's idea. "Um… how illegal would this be?"
Wiping some sweat from his brow, he can only say: "It'd be illegal as hell if we get caught. We open these fights up for betting, we'll make a fucking killing though. Easy money here. Just got to be selective about who comes back into this room."
"How much are we talking?" One question, five words long, which is at the forefront of her mind given the risk.
"Straight up, couple grand a night maybe." He looks at the open space he has started to create. "We fix a few, helluva lot more than that is on the table."
Portia gives it another moment of thought. "Okay, if you think we can pull this off without it getting out-of-hand, let's try it."
"Yeah, easily." Terrella says with confidence. "That guy still coming to give us an estimate on the work out front?"
"Yeah, around four," she replies. "Brandy called, by the way. She wants to talk to you."
"Alright, I'll call her." Terrella turns to Portia once more for a quick kiss. "Could use a break anyway. Hotter than hell in here."
To be continued…
—------------------
A few hours later we find Terrella leaned against the front of his new sixty-nine Camaro. He has a heavy chain over his neck as he shoves a pinch of tobacco inside his bottom lip. After slowly returning the can into his pocket, he folds his arms across his chest.
Portia stands a mere few inches in front of him, feeling at the ends of her fingernails with her thumb. For a moment she seems almost completely unaware of the camera's presence, preoccupied with the quality of her manicure after doing a little work in the building that sits in the background. She extends her pointer finger, shaking it ever-so-slightly as she lifts her gaze and locks it on the camera.
"The last time Stephen stepped inside of an IWF ring was in the beginning of September. It was in one of those tag matches management loves to throw together where they take two people who don't get along and make them into a team for the night. They promised him if he played by the rules he'd have an opportunity to fight Alek Bronson the following week. If he won that, he could have gone on to fight Dane Preston for the Television Championship."
"They wanted him to jump through hoop-after-hoop."
"After hoop."
"After hoop."
Terrella leans forward slightly, spitting tobacco juice out so he can speak. "Thing is, I got a real low tolerance for bullshit."
Looking directly at Terrella, Portia tells him: "Which is one of the things I love about you."
She refocuses on the camera.
"So of course we walked out on Alek that night, leaving him all alone to take the bullets. Did any of you really expect any different? Did you honestly believe my man was going to swallow his pride and play by your rules?"
"That was more than just a statement to Alek. That was a statement to this whole entire company, from management on down- Stephen is done with the games. He walked out on Alek, you fans, the people who make the matches; and together the two of us have started to create our own opportunities. Now he can do what he wants with no thought to need whatsoever. Now he only does it for want."
Flashing a cold smile, Portia slowly drags out the statement: "Which brings us to Odyssey."
"From almost the moment it was announced people have been laying claim to being the new face of the new brand. Everyone wants to be a star. Everyone wants to see their face front and center on the posters. Everyone wants to be the brand new, very first Invictus Champion on this brand. It's an opportunity to mold something in your image."
"Sadly for you people, if you have designs on that title it may be time for a change in plans."
Terrella coils his fingers around the chain draped over his neck and spits at his own feet. "Let's get one thing straight, anyone who wants to step up and be the face of Odyssey, that's fucking fine by me. You do the bullshit promotional work. Shake hands. Run the stupid fucking podcast circuit. Hell, they can even put your fucking face up there on the big screen. I don't give a shit about any of it."
"You try to come between me and that Invictus Championship though, I'll put your fucking head on a wall. That belt is mine 'cuz I want it. I'm going to turn this whole fucking brand into a land of extreme violence. My rules! My terms! Anything goes! Man… woman… I don't care, you sign your name on that dotted line and I'll leave you bloody all the same. I'm not an asshole, I'm the fucking asshole… and I'm here 'cuz I want a fight."
With a slight laugh, Portia adds, "Friday will be just the first step when Stephen steps inside the ring with Nick Danger and Jennie Fenix. And both of you, wow…" Portia claps mockingly. "Well done these past two months. Nick, you've been making more of a name for yourself, even fighting one of your best friends to try and take his title off him. And not to be outdone, we all saw you challenge your own sister last week, Jennie. While the two of you have been filling your plates with matches though, my man has been resting up. He's fresh. Ready. No bumps or bruises, and that's a significant edge."
Terrella casually leans back, head tilted with confidence. "And Danger, I've already kicked your ass. All summer long I beat the shit outta you and your little friends. Every time you step in the ring with me, kid, same result. You try hard but you ain't damn near man enough to put my shoulders on that canvas."
"But I'll give you a small amount of credit 'cuz you can take a beating. And hell, you've gotten just a little better since the last time I beat your fucking ass. That's what being in the ring against the Work does 'cuz we're the best group of talent in this sport. And like my girl said, I watched you try to cut the legs out from under one of your friends. You're learning."
"I ain't Nick Knight though. You fuck with something I want, I'll cripple your ass. New nickname and a few fancy moves don't change that. You might have the desire to be on top of the mountain but you ain't got the balls for it, ace. You are gonna keep finding that out the hard way until you learn."
Terrella half-chuckles. "Hell, I ain't going to lie, aside from getting one step closer to that belt, the part about Friday that I'm going to fucking enjoy though is stepping in the ring with you, Fenix. And everyone is going to think I'm underselling your ass, looking past you 'cuz you're a girl… whatever. But that ain't it. If I wasn't in this match, you'd have the biggest set of stones out there. You walked into my dressing room uninvited of all fucking things."
"You fight hard and you sometimes fight a little dirty. Part of me could almost respect you. I want you to bring that fight to Odyssey, and I hope you bring it to me… maybe you can beat a confession outta me for some shit I didn't do. Harder you try, the sweeter it'll be when I break your ass."
"You have something I want though, Fenix- your blood. I'm going to spill it all over that fucking canvas."
"And when I'm done snuffing out that last bit of heart you got, I'm going to sling your tiny little body over my shoulder, carry it to the back and dump it at Wraith's door like a piece of fucking garbage 'Cuz all I hear from your family is how Wraith has beaten me twice. Since your family likes reminders so fucking much and all, they can clean up my mess."
Terrella tugs at his chain, metal clanking against metal as he lifts himself off the front of the car. The scene cuts.
Well howdy there pardner.