The Dragon Wakes
The Authority wasted no time in stripping Daniel Bryan of his title. Carly listened backstage at the Smackdown broadcast as Stephanie made the announcement. Either Stephanie could not hide her glee at the task, or she made no attempt to. Disgusted, Carly turned to the Shield.
"I know something that may interest you," she said, "Apparently Randy and Batista are tag-teaming against the Usos tonight."
"Sounds like Triple H wants to keep them busy so they don't start asking questions about the fate of the title," Seth surmised.
"It'd be a real shame if anything was to interfere with that match," said Dean, a grin spreading across his face.
Roman said nothing, but massaged his hands and then clenched them into fists, eager intensity lighting his eyes.
"I'll leave you to it, then," said Carly, "And I'll keep an ear to the ground, see what other intel I can scare up. Have fun hanging the Authority's hangmen."
"Oh, we will," Roman stated.
Carly knew when to bow out and let the Shield focus. Their efficiency and effectiveness as a unit was a marvel, really. Their specialty lay in getting things done. Carly's, on the other hand, lay in making sure things didn't go according to plan. It was a powerful symbiosis. Moments like this, where the battle lay in the arena and not behind the scenes, where the time for Carly to step back and cheer them on from the sidelines.
It didn't take long for Orton and Batista to start cheating, of course. And that was all the prompting the Shield needed. In an instant they were on top of Randy Orton, driving him off from Jimmy Uso. Then they turned to Batista, who was still in the ring.
It was strangely fascinating to watch when the Hounds of Justice went to work. The alert, fervent concentration on their faces, the way they moved in almost perfect synchronization. It was like seeing a pack of wolves on the hunt. It was more than that. It was almost poetry. Carly wondered, with some amusement, how she had come to see the beauty in the way these three men attacked.
"Excuse me, Miss Caden?"
Carly turned to see a nervous-looking intern standing beside her.
"Can I help you?" Carly asked.
"I have a message," the girl said, "From, uh... from the Authority."
xXx
"That's all she said?"
"That's all, Seth," said Carly.
"Well, didn't you try to get more out of her?" Seth pushed.
"Of course I did," said Carly, "But the poor girl looked scared half to death, and I've been in her shoes. I don't think she knew any more than she told me, anyway."
"So we've got the main event match tonight," said Dean, "But they're not telling us who we're facing. Well, that doesn't sound suspicious or anything."
"I don't like this at all," Roman frowned, "You know this has gotta be some kind of trap."
"I know," Carly agreed, "I just wanted to pass the message on to you, before I go off and see what I can-"
"Excuse us, gentlemen."
Wade Barrett's voice startled them out of their conference. They turned to see Barrett and Cesaro blocking the hallway, smirking confidently. Carly could nearly feel the Shield's hackles go up at the sight of them.
"We're here to collect Miss Carly," Barrett continued.
"Collect?" said Seth, "What are you talking about? What for?"
"She's going to be on commentary for your match tonight," said Barrett, "Triple H's orders."
"Why would he order me to be on commentary?" Carly asked apprehensively.
"And why are you coming for her now?" Dean demanded, "There's at least an hour before the main event."
"Don't know, don't care," Barrett shrugged, unconcerned, "We're just following orders."
"I'll show you what you can do with your orders," said Dean.
He started towards them, but was held back by Seth and Roman. Barrett smirked and shook his head mockingly.
"You better save your strength," he said, "You're gonna need it."
Carly turned to the Shield, holding up her hands reassuringly.
"It's alright, Dean," she said, "I'll go with them. Don't worry about me. I don't know what's going on, but you three just be careful, okay? Take care of yourselves, and look out for each other. I know you know to do that already. It just makes me feel better to say it."
The boys nodded. Carly swallowed hard. She couldn't quite say why, but she had a very bad feeling about all of this. The Authority had been gunning for her and the Shield for some time now. This felt different, though. Something was up. Something big. And Carly didn't like not knowing what it was.
She turned to go with Barrett and Cesaro. Cesaro put his hand on her shoulder to guide her along. Carly resented his touch and tried to shrug him off, but he did not remove his hand. In an instant, Roman was in front of Cesaro, staring him down. Cesaro flinched slightly. Roman didn't say a word, just glared sternly with his wolf's eyes. Cesaro slowly took his hand off Carly's shoulder. Roman glanced down at Carly. She nodded slightly, and he stepped aside.
Barrett and Cesaro marched her through the backstage area, garnering strange looks from the people they passed. They were keeping too close for her to make a break for it, in Carly's estimation. She wasn't quick enough or strong enough to get away. They stopped in front of one of the dressing rooms, and Barrett opened the door.
"You're supposed to wait here until the match," he said.
"Why?" asked Carly, crossing her arms.
"To keep you out of trouble," said Barrett, "Now go on, like a good girl."
Carly glared at the both of them, and decided to vent her helpless anger in petty name-calling.
"Eurotrash thugs," she spat as she stalked into the room.
"Sticks and stones, love," Barrett laughed, shutting the door.
Carly felt in her pocket for her cell phone, only to realize that she had left it in her purse, with the rest of her things, in the green room. Fantastic. She knew better than to ask Tweedledee or Tweedledum out there to get it for her. Now there was no way for her to contact anyone to try to figure out what was going on. She had essentially been taken captive by the Authority. Carly folded her arms over her stomach, trying to quell the worried knots that were forming.
But that was part of their plan, too, wasn't it? They called Triple H "the Cerebral Assassin". Of course part of his strategy was psychological. He was keeping Carly and the Shield apart so he could keep them all in the dark and, probably in Carly's case in particular, keep her afraid. Well, it was certainly working.
Carly sat down and rested her head in her hands. She wasn't going to let him win like that. She had to calm down and focus. There was no way to figure out what was going on outside this room, and she needed to accept that. She needed to try to accept that. She needed to… oh, what was the use.
She was worried about Seth and Dean and Roman. Not knowing where they were or what was in store for them was maddening. Carly felt sick. She glanced at the wall clock. Only an hour left to wait.
xXx
"Joining us on commentary tonight is manager and friend of the Shield, Carly Caden," Michael Cole was saying, "It's nice to have you with us, Carly."
"I wish I could say it's nice to be here," Carly said tersely, "But I'm not here by choice."
She felt a little bad for being sharp with Mr. Cole. He'd always been nice to her. But she was too worried to care right now. Barrett and Cesaro had marched her down to the announcers' table during a commercial break, but not before informing her in no uncertain terms that any attempts to get away would be dealt with harshly.
At first she sat ramrod straight in the chair, hands clenched onto the ends of the armrests, both feet of the floor as if tensed to run. She felt completely exposed and vulnerable out there, and it killed her a little inside to know that she was letting Triple H get to her like that. She couldn't give him that satisfaction. So as soon as the techs started to signal that they'd be coming back from commercial soon, she altered her posture. Carly relaxed into the chair as if it was a throne, crossing her legs and placing her elbows on the armrests. She would look calm and composed, but she wouldn't pretend to be happy about this.
"What do you mean by that?" JBL asked, "So Triple H ordered you to be on commentary for the main event. Why is that a bad thing?"
"It's been my experience that whenever Triple H orders you do be someplace," said Carly, "The safest place to be is anywhere but there."
"He's your boss-" JBL began.
"Be that as it may," Mr. Cole intervened, "The Shield's opponent or opponents in this match have been kept secret. Carly, do you have any guesses or insight as to who it might be?"
"I'm sorry to say that I don't," said Carly, "Because Triple H also gave an order for me to be locked in a dressing room all evening until his thugs escorted me out here."
"Why did he have you locked up?" Mr. Cole asked incredulously.
"So I wouldn't cause trouble," said Carly, smirking a little.
"A wise choice on his part if you ask me," said JBL.
"Nobody did, John," said Mr. Cole.
"Triple H is only doing what's best for business, Michael" said JBL, "And making sure the show runs smoothly is just that: best for business!"
"Oh, I don't know," said Carly, "I think this business could use a little trouble."
Before Carly got a chance to further bait JBL, the Shield's entrance music started up. Both commentators continued talking. Carly wasn't listening. Her eyes were fixed on the Shield. They descended the stairs with the same undaunted confidence as always, so apparently they hadn't run into any trouble. They were wearing those masks again. They only did that when they wanted to look especially intimidating. One by one they cleared the barricade. Roman paused a moment.
"You alright, Carly?" he asked.
"Yeah. You?" she said.
He nodded and went to join the others in the ring. After acknowledging the audience, they shed the masks, and Carly could see that they were every bit as on edge as she was. Not afraid, mind you. She'd heard their mantra enough to know that fear was a foreign concept to the Shield. But they were clearly uncomfortable with this situation. It was impossible to strategize when you had no idea what you'd be up against. There were a few seconds of silence after the Shield's music faded out, waiting for their opponents' theme to begin.
Carly watched, dumbfounded, as Alberto del Rio appeared on the stage. They couldn't be serious. Del Rio? Really? That didn't make any sense. Her confusion was only deepened when Jack Swagger appeared as well.
"Interesting," said Mr. Cole, "Swagger and del Rio. That's an odd couple."
Almost before he'd finished speaking, Fandango was there, too.
"It just got odder," JBL remarked.
"Carly, any thoughts on this?" asked Mr. Cole.
"Uh… I… I don't-" Carly stammered. What on earth was happening?
"This is the most unusual team that- What?"
JBL was interrupted by the entrance of 3MB. Three on six. The odds were against the Shield, but they still had a fighting chance. Then Titus O'Neil came out, followed by Ryback, and Curtis Axel. Carly felt her stomach drop.
"Nine," Mr. Cole intoned confusedly, "Is this the Authority's idea of a joke?"
"Don't cross the boss," said JBL.
Rusev.
"I love this choice," JBL laughed, "All I can say is: goodnight, Shield."
It took all of Carly's willpower not to punch him in his stupid mouth right then and there.
Bad News Barrett. Of course. Carly's hands shook.
"Eleven? What?" Mr. Cole exclaimed, "Are you telling me that all these men are against the Shield? Carly, do you- Are you feeling alright?"
Carly's face was flushed with suppressed rage. She wanted to scream, to flip this stupid table, to bash Triple H's stupid face in. This was his plan: destroy the Shield
"Cowards," she managed, her voice on the edge of breaking, "Those miserable cowards! How dare they?"
The Authority's goon squad rushed the ring, but were beaten back. Dean flipped Heath Slater into the ring, and would've made short work of him if not for the referee's interference.
"I'm sure they got their marching orders from Triple H," said Mr. Cole.
Of course they did. That despicable, arrogant…
"Justice comes in all forms," said JBL.
"This is not justice," Carly said flatly, "This is a firing squad sent by a sadistic megalomaniac."
The crowd chanted for the Shield as Slater got to his feet, grinning. Seth was up first. He eyed up the competition, shifting his weight from side to side. As soon as the bell rang, Seth maneuvered Slater into the Shield's corner. Good. Keep him there. Take him down quickly and go for the pin.
Carly paid little attention to the commentary. Mr. Cole was relating something Roman had said on twitter, something about kings and soldiers. Seth went for the cover on Slater. Barrett, curse him, interfered, throwing Seth into their corner before Dean could stop him.
"Lousy, cheating bullies," Carly seethed.
Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the commentators glance at her, electing to ignore her interjection. JBL in particular looked a little afraid. Carly didn't care. She knew very well why Triple H had put her here, and it wasn't to give insightful commentary. He was going to make an example of the Shield, and he was going to force her to watch from the sidelines.
Seth was trapped now, outnumbered and being beaten mercilessly. Dean and Roman paced agitatedly on the apron. They were as unable to stop this as Carly was. Titus O'Neil tagged in, hitting Seth with a backbreaker before literally tossing him aside. Carly gasped, nearly sick with rage, as she heard Seth scream under an assault from Rusev.
"No," she said through gritted teeth, her voice shaking, "You scum. You rats. You rotten, disgusting snakes…"
Dean and Roman called desperate encouragement to Seth as the thugs took turns wearing him down.
"This is fun to watch," Carly heard JBL say.
"Really?" Mr. Cole asked faintly. He at least had the decency to look disturbed by what was going on.
"If you think it's so much fun to watch," said Carly, her voice lowered menacingly, "How about I show you how it feels?"
JBL blanched and was silent for a moment. Ryback taunted Dean, then tossed Seth out of the opposite side of the ring. Seth hit the ground hard. Carly flinched. Should she interfere now? She was unarmed, but she knew for a fact that there were kendo sticks stored somewhere under the ring. If only she could get there without being stopped.
Dean jumped into the ring. While the referee was distracted by him, Roman bolted around the ring to spear Ryback, who had gone out to retrieve Seth. That was all the motivation the goon squad needed. They jumped on top of Seth and Roman. Dean dove onto them from the ring. The bell rang as the match devolved into an all-out brawl.
This was Carly's chance. She ditched the headset and ran for the ring. She reached beneath it, her hand scrabbling desperately around. Suddenly, someone grabbed her by the shoulders and dragged her back. It was Slater, that lousy punk. Carly scrambled to her feet, but before she had a chance to escape, Slater had seized her arm. In an instant, he had her in a wrist lock. Carly cried out as the pain sent her to her knees.
Seth somehow made it into the ring and flipped over the ropes to knock down all the attackers, buying the Shield a few seconds. Dean helped Seth back into the ring. They stood together, holding the high ground for only a brief moment before they were mobbed by their opponents.
Carly was trapped, unable to rise, forced to watch as the Shield fought desperately against the assault. She may have shouted, screamed inarticulate threats at the assailants, nearly in tears from anger and the pain in her shoulder. The Shield was outnumbered, overpowered, driven into the ground as the attackers mocked them. Carly felt every blow that landed on them, every pained cry like a bullet through her.
Without warning, unfamiliar music began to play. Carly raised her eyes to the screen, baffled by what she saw there. What was this supposed to mean? What was Evolution?
Her heart stopped. She watched in mute horror as Triple H, Randy Orton, and Batista stepped onto the stage and walked, grim-faced, to the ring.
"No," Carly gasped, "Oh god, no."
At a gesture from Triple H, his thugs began to get out of the ring. Slater eased off on Carly's wrist to allow her to stand. She wrenched herself free, tried to scramble into the ring, but Slater caught her. Carly struggled frantically against him.
"Little help here?" Slater shouted.
In an instant, the goon squad had surrounded her. They were dragging her, pushing her towards the ramp. Triple H, Orton, and Batista were getting into the ring, faces blank and determined. Dean and Seth and Roman could not even stand. No. She had to get free. She had to help the Shield.
"Get off me!" Carly roared, "You filthy, stinking cowards, I'll kill you! Let me go!"
Seth pulled himself up on the ropes, but was quickly beaten down again. Something inside Carly snapped.
The Authority's thugs tried to keep ahold of her as Carly scratched and clawed at them. Cowards! Carly bit at the hands that held her back. She kicked out viciously. They yelped like the mangy dogs they were as some of her kicks hit home, as her teeth and nails scratched them. Carly struck out with her elbows, not caring if – no, hoping that – they would find their eyes and mouths and the bridges of their noses, causing as much damage as possible. With all of her strength, Carly struggled violently, vainly, as she was dragged backstage.
The thugs shied away from Carly's insane fury, leaving Barrett the only one standing between her and the stage. She leapt on him, kicking and clawing like mad. He wasn't going to stop her. None of these brutes would stop her. She had to help. She had to get to the Shield.
"Somebody get this hellcat off me!" Barratt yelled.
Two security guards seized Carly's arms and dragged her back. Barrett swore loudly, gingerly touching his scratched face and arms, as he and the other thugs staggered off to lick their wounds.
"Miss, you need to calm down," one of the guards ordered.
"Like hell I do!" Carly shouted, shaking them off.
But she stood still, breathing heavily. They were only doing their job. It wouldn't be right to fight them.
Carly stared up at the monitor. She watched, sickened, almost numb, as Roman was hit with a Batista bomb. Orton held Seth upright as Triple H punched him repeatedly. Orton stomped on Seth's chest, and Batista hauled him to his feet and threw in into an RKO. Dean leapt desperately into the fray and was quickly beaten down again. Now Seth was hit with a Batista bomb. Dean was Batista bombed into an RKO.
Carly did not know when she had started crying. Helpless fury compressed her breath into gasps. Orton flung Dean into the corner. Dean did not move. Seth had not moved since that painful landing on his neck.
Roman, at the end of his strength, unable to stand, dragged himself towards Triple H, who laughed, taunted him with words Carly could not hear. Orton and Batista grabbed Roman, hauling him to his knees, taking fistfuls of his hair and forcing his head back. Roman's chest heaved. He could not even open his eyes.
Triple H brought his face down next to Roman's.
There wasn't enough air back here.
"Believe in Evolution."
Carly was getting lightheaded. The security guards were only doing their job.
Pedigree.
She shouldn't fight them.
Evolution stood over Roman, holding out their fists in a mocking imitation of the Shield.
They were only doing their job.
xXx
Carly sat perched on the trunk of Seth's car. She shivered, though the evening was not cold. Her shoulder ached. Her arms hurt where hands had tried to hold her and pull her back.
Carly was afraid. She was worried about the Shield. She was scared of what was going to happen to them. And she was a little frightened of herself.
What had happened back there? It was like she'd completely snapped. She'd scratched and bit anyone within in reach like some kind of crazed, rabid animal. Where were her ideals of honor and fair fights then? Where were they now?
But, thinking about it, what else could she have done? There was no honor to be found in standing idly by while her friends were being hurt. While her friends were…
Carly hugged her knees to her chest, pressing a hand against her mouth. Everybody had already seen her give in to madness. Nobody was going to find her out here crying. More importantly, the Shield wasn't going to find her crying. The sound of approaching footsteps caught her attention.
Dean and Seth and Roman walked slowly, painfully towards the car. Carly slid down off the trunk and ran to them.
"Are you alright?" she asked breathlessly.
Stupid girl. Stupid question. Of course they weren't alright. But she hadn't been able to think of anything else to say.
"We will be tomorrow," said Roman, his voice low and tired.
They looked dazed, exhausted, angry. Little flames of rage flared up in Carly's stomach. Look at them, the poor boys. They'd been beaten half to death. She suddenly had the impulsive desire to hold them, tell them it was going to be alright. But she was afraid to touch them for fear of hurting them worse.
"What happened to you?" Seth asked hoarsely, "I saw you fighting like a demon when they dragged you out, and then we couldn't find you."
Carly looked away, grimacing.
"There's a distinct possibility that I got kicked out of the arena for 'assaulting security' or something like that," she said dully, "Remind me to send them a heartfelt apology note, huh?"
Dean's eyes widened a bit as he exhaled sharply, a faint, tired smile crossing his face.
"Kicked out for assaulting security?" he repeated, "After trying to fight off eleven guys by yourself? You are something else, princess. Good for you."
In spite of herself, Carly smiled shakily.
"Let me have your keys, Seth," she said, holding out her hand, "You boys are in no condition to drive."
"And you are?" Roman asked skeptically.
"You should see the other guys," Carly shrugged unconcernedly, "Hand them over, Seth. I'll drive."
xXx
"Alright, somebody needs to explain this to me," said Carly, "What exactly is Evolution?"
It had been a very subdued ride back to the hotel. Emotions had settled somewhat now that the Shield had had a chance to recover. The boys claimed the anger, leaving Carly to pick up the worry, and they agreed to share the exhaustion. Dean was sprawled out, facedown, across one of the beds. Roman sat on the other, slumped forward a bit, while Seth leaned against the wall. Carly sat in the desk chair, shifting her weight back and forth so the chair spun slowly side to side.
"They ran the yard about ten years ago," said Seth, rubbing his eyes, "Trips, Batista, Orton, and Ric Flair. Something about representing the past, present, and future of WWE. Everything went south when Orton became the World Heavyweight Champion, and Trips got jealous and turned on him. So Orton was out for revenge against them, and then Batista got sick of Trips and turned on him, and it all pretty much imploded."
"And after all that, they decide to team up again?" asked Carly.
"Desperate times, desperate measures? I don't know. The point is," said Seth as he pushed himself away from the wall, "They caught us by surprise tonight, and it worked. But this was the only time that's gonna work, because we're ready for them now, and we're better than they ever were." Roman's eyes followed Seth as he paced, gaining momentum, his voice growing stronger. "We are the Shield. We're the Hounds of Justice. We don't experience fear and we don't back down, and we are going to destroy Evolution. Do you know why? 'Cause they're just a bunch of egocentric has-beens with their suits and their movies and their fancy cars. We're more than that. We're brothers. They had their day. Today is ours."
"But we sleep first, yeah?" said Dean, his voice muffled by the sheets, apparently unaffected by Seth's rousing speech.
Roman chuckled, and Seth's fervor flagged slightly.
"Yeah, yeah. We sleep first," Seth sighed, sulking a little.