Authors note: This was a combined effort by Jules and me. I originally wrote this part and Jules edited it and changed a little bit. Actually she had to retype it because I couldn't find the file. Anyway hope you like it. Ducks and runs

Blowing Off Steam

I needed to blow off some steam, though I know everybody back at the hotel will freak when they find out. The trial went a bit wrong yesterday. Somebody got to Michaels because he said something totally off as far as I know. We are worried about another potential hotel attack so Dad, Owen and Steve will be testifying beginning Monday. They were talking about Dad going first. Goldberg, the man who for years I thought killed my father, would also be testifying Monday.

I went to the Gold's Gym; I went there a couple of times in the past. There was a boxer's bag that I wanted to use. I went to it and started pounding it. I mentally plastered a picture of Vince McMahon on it.

"Whoa, take it easy on that bag. What did it do to you?" A voice said next to me.

I turned to see a man with gray hair standing there looking at me. He was muscular, but not huge or anything.

I was tempted to say it tried to kill my father, but I knew that wouldn't make sense. "Just trying to blow off some steam."

He stared at me. "Hey are you Benoit's kid?" I nodded. I worked in WCW with him. Never had any matches with him. Heck if you want another person to testify against Vince, I have plenty of things to say. I'm Larry Pfohl. I just thought of something. Come with me."

I followed him to the back of the gym. "I heard Michaels lying. I think I know somebody that might help you with that." He led me to an office of sorts. A man with black hair with gray at the temples was sitting behind a computer typing.

"Steve," Larry said getting the other man's attention. He looked up at me and then at Larry. "This is Daniel Benoit. Daniel Benoit, meet Steve Borden."

So this was Steve Borden. Maybe I'll find out before everybody else just what his involvement in this mess is?

Steve gave me a small smile. "I used to wrestle as Sting in UWF, NWA, WCW, WWA, and NWA - TNA." Now the name Sting WAS familiar to me. I have vague memories of Dad talking about finally getting a chance to wrestle him shortly before Steve Austin's 'death' at Survivor Series 2003. "Larry wrestled as Lex Luger in many of the same areas. I'm also testifying at Vince's trial. Me and Larry saw RAW that night. That's what finally convinced me to finally tell what I know about Vince's crimes. Somehow I wasn't shocked at what Shane McMahon had to say about his Dad.

He took two tapes out and stared at them for the longest time. One of them was a micro cassette tape and the other a videocassette that was clearly labeled SURVIVOR SERIES 2003. He sighed in the same manner my Uncle Eddy did. "I wrestled your dad at Survivor Series 2003. That show was one big nightmare. Your Dad was still favoring his left elbow, so I tried to avoid it though Hunter, who was booking that match, said to work it. So we did but I could tell he was in pain. Of course going in I was already suspicious of Vince plotting something. The match ended all right, and I jobbed. I knew Vince was readying your Dad for a title reign. Not my company but I was willing to help Chris."

The last part of what he said didn't surprise me. From what people have told me about that night, it sounded right. Steve had paused again and when he spoke again, his voice shook.

"Steve Austin knew about this tape," he said pointing at micro cassette tape. "I still remember coming home and hearing that message on the answering machine. It was the day after Brian died. If only I had heard that message right way, maybe I could have helped him. Poor Brian. He was a good guy. Some say it's why I seemed so brooding in this crow gimmick I did in the later years of my career. It was true to an extent. Bischoff set that angle up while I was in Japan without telling me. As far as I knew I was still in War Games. Then I get home and told they tried an Impostor Sting. Which later meant I'd have a lot of time off because my character was supposed to disappear for awhile. It was an interesting idea but I wouldn't have done it if I'd had a choice. The message I got from Brian made me feel guilty. I didn't tell anybody about it for the longest time."

"Then back in June of 2002, Steve Austin had stopped by the gym and was waiting to talk to me in this office. I'd slipped out for a few minutes to help with something. I forget what. When I came back, he was holding the tape. I looked at the label and it said 'Brian Pillman' and the date. He asked me what it was."

Borden ran a hand through his hair. "I didn't tell him anything. He got up and walked over to this tape player," he held up the old-fashioned micro cassette player, "and played it. He practically threw me up against a wall and demanded to know why I didn't tell anybody about it. I told him I honestly that I didn't know why I hadn't. He stormed out of the office with the tape. Next time he was here he had the tape and told me he'd walked out of the WWF. He gave it to me and told me if something happened to him, to do something with the tape. But I didn't. Part of me was scared after Steve's death that if I came forward, Vince would try to kill my family or me. But that's not excuse, and I know it."

"I left the sport completely after Survivor Series. I'd known that something had seemed wrong with that whole setup of the scaffold match. I even tried to talk Steve out of taking that particular match. Whether it was just his natural pride or if Steve was still mad at me for keeping the tape secret I don't know. He refused to listen to me. No matter how much Vince, Shane, Jarrett, Dustin, whoever tried to get me to come back, I refused. I knew Steve's death and later, your father's couldn't have been coincidences."

"I spent over 20 years living with guilt thinking that while I couldn't do anything to prevent Brian's death, that maybe I could've prevented others."

He tossed the tape on the desk. "Monday I'll do something about it."

As I got up to leave, Larry opened it. Bret Hart was standing there. "Danny, we've got to go."

"Bret, long time, no see."

"Steve," Bret said. He looked at the tape on the desk and snatched it up. "What is this?" he demanded.

"Bret......" Steve started to say.

"What is this Borden?" He put the tape in the player and pressed play.

"Steve," A scratchy voice said, "I'm in trouble Steve. I think Vince is going to kill me! I heard Helmsley and Hickenbottom talking about killing me! You got to help me Steve!" It cut off there.

I was feeling a little lightheaded. Maybe it was a combination of the shock of hearing somebody talk about his own impending death and the aftereffects of the injuries inflicted by the Kliq. If only Steve Borden had gotten the tape to the right people things may have turned out differently today.

Bret slammed him up against a wall much like I'd imagine Steve Austin had when he heard it.

"Why didn't you take it to the authorities!?" Bret practically shouted. "What happened to Austin, Chris, and my brother may never have happened! Nobody would've had to hide!"

I felt myself being caught by Larry Pfohl as I nearly slid to the floor in shock. Of all people I never imagined Bret Hart would slip up like that. You know I'm glad everything's about to come out in the open because this was getting bad.

"Hide? You mean they're alive?" Larry barely got out.

Bret let go of Steve as he realized his mistake. Yeah this day got screwed up fast.

Why did I go to the gym again?