Skirmishes
Seth and Carly held a bit of a war council the next morning over breakfast. Being the early risers of the group, they'd gotten into the habit of having coffee together before Dean and Roman stumbled sleepily into the lobby to eat everything in sight. But today, even Seth looked exhausted, and the other two were later than usual, moving stiffly, albeit as ravenous as ever.
"So, what's the plan?" Dean asked around a mouthful of Fruit Loops.
"We don't let them get any momentum," said Seth, "They'll be riding high after last night, so we have to shut them down, and soon. Triple H likes to talk, so on Monday we'll go out and talk. Which, for us, basically means giving Dean a microphone and standing back."
Dean grinned, and Roman nodded approvingly.
"Sounds simple enough," said Roman.
"You don't sound convinced," said Seth, tilting his head.
Carly wasn't sure she was convinced either. But Seth was confident, and he knew what he was doing. They all knew what they were doing. The Shield didn't become the most dominant faction in the company without good strategy.
"That's just last night sticking with me. I trust you, Seth," Roman smiled reassuringly.
xXx
Carly watched backstage as the Shield got its first chance to confront Evolution. Dean Ambrose turned on that strange, manic charisma of his in full force. She couldn't help but burst out laughing when he referred to Randy Orton as a "creampuff." Give Dean a microphone and stand back, huh? It was quite an effective tactic, to say the least.
Seth was on hand to reel Dean in when he started coming a little unglued, adding his own slighting remarks about Evolution needing the help of eleven other men to beat them. They were quick to prove him right. As soon as Roman finished speaking and the Shield advanced on Evolution, who should walk out but their goon squad.
Just like the Shield knew they would. Seth smiled knowingly, and Carly wore the same expression. Let them enjoy their posturing and their show of power. That was their strategy. The Shield was only just getting started.
xXx
"Hiding behind their little toy soldiers," Dean grumbled, "Too afraid to face us in a fight, huh? Too afraid we'll kick the laurels they've been resting on."
"Eyes on the road, Dean," Roman said warningly, with the nervous look of a man who was having second thoughts about his decision to let his friend drive his car, "Anyway, is it such a bad thing we didn't get a fight tonight? We aren't at one hundred percent."
"Besides," said Seth, "Going out there tonight wasn't about starting a fight. It was about sizing up the enemy, and Evolution gave us all the information we need."
Seth leaned back in his seat with a self-satisfied smile, looking completely relaxed for the first time since their run-in with Evolution. Carly was significantly less worried about the situation as well. In the time she'd spent around Seth, she was starting to learn how the strategist thought. She had nothing near his expertise, but the moments where she could guess what he was thinking were exciting.
"Well, would you care to enlighten the rest of us?" said Dean, a bit sardonically.
"You two are sitting back there grinning like the cats that ate the canary," said Roman.
"Well," Seth began, leaning forward a bit as he did when strategizing, "Last week Evolution sent eleven guys to beat us up before they would come near us. And tonight they backed off as soon as we showed up, and called out the reinforcements the second we came at them. What does that tell us?"
"They don't want to face you as a group," said Carly, "Like you said before, Seth, they're stronger as individuals than they are as a team. So, it looks like what they want to do is wait and pick you off one by one, right?"
"Exactly," Seth nodded, "And we're not going to let that happen. We're going to face them together, as the Shield, the most dominant faction in the history of the WWE, and we gotta do it soon."
"They're never gonna go for that," said Carly.
"Oh, I know," said Seth, that smile returning to his face, "Which is why we're gonna force their hand. Carly, you feeling up for a little boss baiting?"
"It would be my pleasure," Carly said.
"Hey, looks like the Architect's got himself an apprentice," Dean grinned in the rear-view mirror.
"Keep talking, Seth," said Roman, "I like where this is headed."
xXx
Carly sidled up to the wings just as Evolution rounded the curtain. They never saw her. Excellent. She almost had the theme from "Mission Impossible" playing in her head before she warned herself not to get cocky. Carly tapped one of the techs on the shoulder.
"On my signal, Bri?" she asked.
"Sure thing," Bri said agreeably, shrugging and passing Carly a microphone.
Carly had discovered something the Authority had yet to learn: people are generally more cooperative when they aren't genuinely scared that you'll fire them. Also, they appreciate it if you at least try to learn their names.
Triple H's voice echoed through the arena.
"Last week," he said, "You saw the Shield laid bare, exposed for what they really are: all bark and no bite."
"That's about enough of that," said Carly.
She waved to Bri, who nodded in reply and signaled for Carly to go ahead. Carly's entrance music cut off Triple H before he could say anything more. Carly sauntered slowly around the curtain and onto the stage, enjoying the exasperated glowers of the three men standing in the ring. She raised the microphone to her lips, pausing a moment while she waited for the music to fade out.
"I'm sorry," she said, not even bothering to feign contrition, "Am I interrupting something? Wait, don't tell me! Let me guess. You're… giving a lecture: Supervillain Monologuing 101 with Professor Helmsley."
"Carly, you are perilously close to being escorted from the arena. Again," said Triple H.
"Oh, but I came out here to congratulate you three," said Carly. Bitter sarcasm began to seep into her smug tone as she went on, "The return of Evolution. And what a triumph it was! You came out here and kicked the daylights out of three men who could barely stand because they'd already been ganged up on by eleven guys. You must be so proud of yourselves. It takes real men to accomplish something like that. But look at you, in those suits. You aren't men. You're mannequins. It's like I'm looking at a gradient scale of business-wear. Although… really, Mr. Orton. Put on a tie, you slob. Are you even trying?"
Even at that distance, Carly could feel the venom in Randy Orton's smile. Good. She'd hit him where it hurt. Vanity was always a weak point for Orton.
"If you have a point," Triple H growled, "I suggest you get to it, before I have you and the "Hounds of Justice" tossed out on your tails."
"I'm not here on behalf of the Shield, Mr. Helmsley," said Carly, "I'm here on behalf of the WWE Universe, and we'll see in a moment if they agree with me. Now, the way I see it, these people have been somewhat cheated. Answer me this, are you all satisfied with what you saw last week on Smackdown?"
The audience replied with an emphatic "No!"
"Would you rather see Evolution take on the Shield in a six-man tag-team match tonight?" she asked.
A resounding "Yes!" quickly accelerated into a Daniel Bryan style yes-chant. Carly laughed and turned her attention back to Evolution.
"These people have good taste," she said, "They really know what's best for business. So what say you, boys? Are you willing to accept the challenge? Or are you gonna hide behind your goon squad again?"
Triple H turned and asked something to Batista and Orton. Carly waited, though she was confident she already knew the answer. Triple H leaned on the ropes, his chin lifted with nonchalant arrogance as he replied.
"Alright, then. Go tell the Shield they've got their match. Everyone but us will be banned from ringside," Triple H paused a moment while the audience cheered, "But know this, Carly. One of these days, your luck is going to run out."
"Quite possibly," Carly nodded glibly, "But not today."
Right on cue, her theme began to play. Carly tossed her hair as she walked backstage for good measure (or rather, to ensure that she'd annoyed Triple H as much as possible) and returned to the Shield.
"Well, how'd I do?" she asked.
"Not bad at all," Roman grinned.
"Nice job, Carly," said Seth, clapping her on the shoulder, "You got Triple H right where we want him."
"Well, I know the mere sight of me annoys him so much that he'd be willing to agree to almost anything just to make me go away," Carly shrugged modestly, "I'm not quite a smart-mouth at Dean's level, but I couldn't resist embellishing just a little."
"I choose to take that remark as a compliment," said Dean, his mouth twisting into a half-smile, "Alright Seth, Mr. Architect, give us our strategy."
xXx
It was agreed that Carly would be ringside for the match, taking advantage of the ambiguity of Triple H's decree that "everyone but us" was banned. She wasn't on hand to interfere with the match, of course. The Shield planned on winning clean, as a way of publicly establishing themselves as a legitimate threat to Evolution. But they didn't want Triple H to have enough presence of mind to start pulling tricks on them, and one of the best ways to make someone careless was to make them angry. Carly's existence angered Triple H, so there she was.
Even though she didn't intend to get involved, she carried a kendo stick, just in case.
The Shield entered first. Over their enthusiastic reception, Carly thought she heard someone calling her name. She turned to see Michael Cole beckoning to her from the announcers' table.
"As long as you're down here, Carly, you're welcome to join us on commentary," he said, "We have an extra headset."
JBL looked as though her presence was anything but welcome. She had never gotten along with him in the first place, and her rather uncharacteristic behavior last week probably had him a little leery. Ah, well. Let him be uncomfortable. She'd rather sit down to watch the match anyway. Carly thanked Mr. Cole kindly and accepted the headset.
"Now, Carly," said Mr. Cole, "From the looks of things, it appears that the Shield has more or less shaken off the events of last week. Do you think they're ready to face Evolution, one of the most dominant factions this company has ever seen, here on Smackdown tonight?"
"Absolutely, Mr. Cole," said Carly, "Evolution may have been a force to be reckoned with in their day, it's true. But they haven't worked together in, what, ten years? Whereas the Shield is out here fighting as a cohesive unit every week, like they have been for the past two years. If anything, Evolution should be concerned about this match, not the Shield."
Carly watched the Shield enter the ring, aware that she had been rambling a bit. She was apparently more nervous about this than she'd thought. She couldn't quite shake the all-too-vivid mental picture of the events of last week. The sound of Evolution's entrance music still made her stomach drop as it started.
"And what about you?" Mr. Cole asked, "You got into something of a scuffle yourself."
"Ah, yes. That I did," said Carly, laughing uncomfortably. Thanks for the reminder, Mr. Cole. She couldn't blame him, though. He was a reporter. "I may have gotten a little carried away."
"Like a woman possessed, it's been said," JBL commented.
JBL, on the other hand, was a garden-variety loudmouth.
"Well, they also say I'm the daughter of the devil himself. Make of that what you will," said Carly, "In my defense, can you blame me for being upset by what happened? Completely dishonorable tactics, altogether shameful, petty behavior on the part of people who are responsible for running this company."
Carly kept her eyes fixed on the men in the ring. There was no shortage of confidence on either side. It made the Shield look battle-ready, but Evolution wore it as arrogance. Both groups backed off; Evolution to the near corner, the Shield to the far one. Carly flinched as the bell rang.
"Looks like we're getting started with Dean Ambrose and Triple H," said Mr. Cole, "Both what you could call the frontmen of their respective factions."
Dean and Triple H began slowly, taking calculated strikes, falling back, sizing each other up.
"Both of them like to talk," Carly smirked, "The difference being, you can actually trust what Dean Ambrose says."
Dean had Triple H backed into a corner now, landing a series of kicks to his ribs.
"Interesting that you of all people should take such a dim view of the Authority," said JBL, "Considering the fact that you worked closely with them when you started out here."
"That's exactly why I take a dim view of the Authority. To them, everybody is expendable if – no!" Carly couldn't stop herself from shouting as Triple H connected a string of punches to Dean's face. The fight continued in the center of the ring. "I beg your pardon, gentlemen. You might say I'm personally invested in this match."
"Tag made to Rollins," said Mr. Cole.
Dean held Triple H upright while Seth leapt from the top rope to punch him in the head. Unfortunately, Triple H suddenly got his second wind, and began to mop the floor with Seth before he could get any momentum going.
"Carly, your victory over Stephanie McMahon two weeks ago ensured that she would no longer be able to 'directly or indirectly harm, affect, or otherwise interfere with' the Shield and yourself," Mr. Cole continued, "When you made that deal, did you anticipate the sort of backlash the Shield has received?"
"Did we anticipate backlash? Of course we did," said Carly, "Did we expect Evolution? Not so much. They caught us off guard once, but it won't happen again."
"Is that why you came out here with a kendo stick?" asked JBL, eying it apprehensively.
"I learned my lesson about getting caught unawares and unarmed last week," said Carly, "I prefer to be prepared. They're the Shield, I'll be the sword."
"And Triple H going for the cover," said Mr. Cole, "Rollins kicks out at two. The tag has been made to Batista now."
Carly was silent for a bit as the commentators bantered back and forth. She couldn't tell if she was more worried about Dean or Seth or Roman in this match. She eventually came to the conclusion that she was most concerned about whoever was the legal man. Seth was making a good comeback against Batista, using his agility and quick-thinking against his opponent's strength. But Batista hadn't just been worn down by Triple H.
"Oh! Batista tossing Seth Rollins out of the ring, right in front of the announcers' table," said Mr. Cole.
"Rollins is a long way from home," JBL chuckled, "Looks like he could be in trouble."
And indeed, he was. Seth lay where he had fallen, breathing heavily, while Dean and Roman shouted encouragement. Batista paced in the ring. Carly saw a look pass between Triple H and Randy Orton. Thin, almost cruel smiles played on their mouths. The jumped down from the apron, advancing on Seth. Dean and Roman yelled at the referee to do something, but the ref only focused on telling them to cool off. This wasn't good. Carly stood quickly.
"Excuse me for a moment," she said, taking off the headset.
Carly tapped Triple H on the shoulder with the tip of the kendo stick, withdrawing it as he turned so he wouldn't have the chance to grab it from her. She smiled politely and shook her head.
"Back on the apron, if you please, sirs," she said.
Triple H and Orton hesitated, glancing at each other. Carly could see Seth getting to his feet. Batista seemed unaware, as he was watching Carly as well. Dean and Roman were tensed, ready to leap into action. Carly wanted to avoid that if at all possible. It would only wear them out more, and Seth had said they wanted to win clean.
"Now," Carly said firmly.
Apparently interference wasn't worth risking a drubbing with a kendo stick. Triple H and Orton returned to their corner as Seth slid back into the ring. Carly sat down and put the headset back on.
"I'm sorry about that," she said, "Some people have no sense of fair play."
The pace of the match quickened. Seth managed to make the tag to Roman at the same moment that Randy Orton was tagged in. Roman and Orton fought furiously until Roman tried to cover and Batista ran in to interfere. That was all the prompting Dean and Seth needed. They stormed the ring, tossing Batista over the ropes. Dean punched Triple H, sending him to the floor as well.
"Look out below!" JBL shouted as Dean and Seth executed their stereo suicide dive.
Back in the ring, Roman signaled for a Superman punch. It was all Carly could do not to scream in excitement along with the fans.
"Superman punch!" shouted Mr. Cole, "Orton is down! Ambrose and Rollins are making short work of the rest of Evolution outside the ring. Roman makes the cover… and he's got it! The Shield is victorious over Evolution!"
"Eat that, suckers!" Carly blurted out. Then, realizing she'd said that out loud, she cleared her throat and laughed sheepishly, "I beg your pardon. Thank you for having me, gentlemen."
And with that, Carly jumped up and ran to the ramp, throwing her arms around the Shield when they made their triumphant exit.
xXx
It was a rather exuberant bunch that walked out to the car that night. They had every right to be pleased with themselves. Another perfectly executed victory, courtesy of the Shield. It was Evolution's turn to run off with their tails between their legs.
"To the Shield!" said Carly, raising her hand as if making a toast, "Long may the Hounds deal out justice!"
"To my brother, Roman Reigns, for clinching the win," said Dean, following suit.
"To the Architect, Seth Rollins, for another brilliant game-plan," Roman patted Seth on the back.
"And to the brother they call the Lunatic Fringe, Dean Ambrose, for one hell of a fight," said Seth, giving Dean a quick hug around the shoulders.
"Let's not forget the princess," said Roman.
He smiled down at Carly as he put an arm around her.
"To Carly Caden, for her valiant efforts to keep Evolution honest," was Seth's tongue-in-cheek praise.
"And for being the only thing that annoys Triple H more than we do," Dean added.
"Gee, thanks," Carly said drily.
"Okay, boy wonder," Dean grinned as he turned around, walking backwards to address Seth, "What's their next move?"
"Well, taking us down all at once didn't work," said Seth, "And Evolution is stronger as individuals than it is as a team. You can bet their next strategy is going to be trying to take us out one by one."
(Note: Thoughts? Opinions? Read any good books lately? Or something. I'd love to know what you think so far, so don't be a stranger, okay? -M)