Part Five: Lockdown
Lockdown had arrived. The night when, hopefully, Bobby Roode would finally start to get what was coming to him.
Dixie and Serge arrived at the building a few hours before the show was to start. As they entered they were greeted by Christy.
The two women exchanged a warm hug and began to catch up.
Since the incident with Bobby it had been decided that it would be best if Dixie made herself scarce around the Impact Zone. Just for a little while.
Dixie had hated to do it, but realized it was the right thing to do.
Serge had tried to get her to skip tonight but there was no way she was going to miss seeing Roode get his butt kicked. Wild horses couldn't have been able to keep her away.
Dixie and Christy soon bid each other goodbye and Dixie and Serge continued on to the offices where they met with the backstage crew to finalize the schedule for tonight's PPV. Everything looked ready to go. It was almost showtime.
Showtime. Dixie found herself smiling at the word, instantly thinking of Sting. She wished he were there tonight. She knew he would have loved to see Roode lose as much as she was going to.
Nobody had seen or heard from him for weeks. Dixie knew she should have reached out to him, but with the way their last conversation had gone she thought it best to give him space.
Though she did admit to herself that she was just a little bit hurt he hadn't tried to contact her. It was silly, she knew, but still it did sting a bit.
She began to smile softly as she realized the pun.
Serge caught her smile and grinned, "What? What are you thinking about?"
She blinked, coming out of her thoughts, "Oh, nothing. Just thinking, is all."
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Lockdown was going off without a hitch. Dixie and Serge had taken up residence in one of the offices, watching it on the big screen TV. They had cheered when Garett Bischoff had pinned his father and booed when Crimson had defeated Matt Morgan. So far the night had been one of emotional ups and downs.
And soon it was time for the main event: Roode vs. Storm.
Dixie had insisted on being ringside for it. Though Serge had tried to discourage her she wouldn't take no for an answer. She needed to be there.
They sat in the front row and watched the fight, which was turning into a full out war. For almost thirty minutes it was a precarious back and forth between Roode and Storm. It looked as though either man could win it at any moment.
Soon it got to the point where Storm had Roode dazed. By the time he set up for the Last Call Super Kick the crowd was on it's feet, cheering wildly. And Dixie was cheering loudest of all.
Bobby wobbled and turned around and that was when James nailed him with the kick. Bobby hit the canvas and James was on him instantly for the pin.
"One! Two! Three!" Dixie and the crowd yelled with the ref's count.
The ref called for the bell and James jumped it his feet. He had won it!
The arena began to erupt with cheers and ovations.
As the ref handed James the belt he climbed onto a ring post and raised it high in the air, celebrating with the crowd.
While he did so Bobby staggered to his feet. He looked around in confusion, his eyes finally falling on Storm. Something in him clicked and he realized just what had happened. Rage began to overcome him and he began to make his way towards James, who had since climbed down from the ropes, but still had his back turned and was unaware.
Dixie noticed Bobby and she began to scream at Storm, "James, behind you! Look out!"
Bobby was almost on him when the lights suddenly went out.
Dixie's heart began to beat wildly in her chest. He was there. She was sure of it.
The crowd seemed to sense it, too, because they began to scream and call out for Sting.
As unexpectedly as the lights went out they came back on. James was no longer in the cage and Bobby was standing there in the middle, all alone.
He began to turn around in confusion. And, if Dixie wasn't mistaken, he also appeared to be a little nervous. Maybe even afraid.
Without warning someone came shooting down from the rafters into the middle of the ring.
The crowd went nuts as they realized it was Sting.
Dixie's had flew to her heart, her eyes wide. He was there. He was actually there.
The figure stood in the center of the ring and watched Roode, unmoving. Roode turned, finally taking notice. As soon as he realized who was behind him he actually fell back onto his butt in alarm. Instantly he raised his hands up and began to speak. Dixie couldn't really hear what he was saying because of the crowd's cheers, but she imagined he was begging for his life.
The figure continued to stare at Bobby, not making a more towards him. Bobby's eyes began to narrow and he slowly rose to his feet. Feeling brave he took a step forward. The figure remained still.
Bobby began to grow livid as he seemed to realize something. He reached forward and angrily ripped off the figure's mask.
It was just a mannequin made up to look like Sting.
Dixie felt her heart start to sink as she took in the fact that he wasn't there. This was all just a part of Sting's infamous mind games.
Bobby started to relax when Sting's laughter rang out over the area. At the sounds of his voice the crowd started cheering wildly again. Roode once again became nervous and he took a few worrisome steps back.
Dixie's eyes flew to the rafters as she tried in vain to spot him. But the lights were so bright above that it was hard for her to see much of anything.
"Bobby." Sting's voice called out from somewhere in the stadium, "Bobby, why so nervous?"
Roode actually began to tremble in fear. He hurried over to the cage door and yanked it open, practically falling out of the ring in the process. He staggered away from the cage, his eyes darting around wildly in terror.
Dixie also searched the arena, hoping to catch sight of Sting. But it was impossible. If he were there she couldn't find him.
"Soon, Bobby." Sting's voice assured him, his tone holding something dark in it, "Soon."
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The crew finished wrapping the event up. Everything was almost packed and put back into the waiting trucks. Lockdown was officially over.
Dixie and Serge stood backstage, waiting for James to shower and get changed. They were going out with him and his friends and family to celebrate his win.
"Come on," Serge told her, beginning to make his way to the back door, "Let's go."
"I'll be along in a minute." Dixie assured him, "I just want to make sure nothing was left behind."
Serge shrugged and headed out.
Dixie began to make her way back towards the arena. As she did she passed a few crewmembers.
"Hi, guys." she greeted them, "Listen, you guys haven't seen Sting tonight, have you?"
They shook their heads and told her no.
"Pretty cool surprise he pulled on Roode, huh?" one of the laughed.
Dixie smiled, "Yes. Yes, it was."
She thanked them for a job well done and continued on to the front. She slipped into the silent arena and looked around. It was almost completely dark, save for one of two spotlights that were to be the last to be turned off. The still, shadowy area gave off an almost sinister appearance and Dixie found herself feeling just a little nervous.
Her eyes traveled to the rafters, narrowing slightly as she tried to look up into the darkness and spot. . .something. Anything.
Anyone.
"Sting?" she found herself calling up into the shadows, "Sting, are you there?"
She was answered with only silence.
Dixie shook her head and even laughed a little, feeling foolish for believing he might still be there. Still be there? Most likely he wasn't at the event at all. For all she knew someone in the crew had helped him set up his little stunt.
Still, it would have been nice to see him.
She sighed and turned, walking back out of the arena. But she couldn't help the tiny twinge of disappointment that welled up in her heart.
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Sting entered his hotel room later that night. The red blood cells were still pumping through his veins. He was still high off of the energy from that night.
He slung off his jacket but didn't sit down. Too keyed up to stay still he began to pace the room.
He was excited and happy for James' win. He had never marked out so hard in his life as he had watching Storm Last Call Super Kick Roode and pin him.
And speaking of Roode. . .
He began to grin, the expression almost sinister. He couldn't have asked for a better reaction from that piece of garbage. And it was just the beginning. There was more to come as far as Bobby Roode was concerned.
Sting wandered over to the window, looking out over the darkened parking lot. His smile slowly left him as his thoughts traveled to Dixie.
He had seen her sitting front and center during the main event. He had found himself watching her more than match, if he was going to be honest. He couldn't stop himself from watching her, taking in her reactions. She had been so excited, so lively, cheering Storm on.
Sting felt as though he could have thrived off of her energy alone.
A hint of a smile came to his lips. She was an amazing person. Strong, resourceful, brave.
A little naïve when it came to people, he shrugged a little. But they'd said the same thing about him for years.
He wished he could have sought her out that night. He didn't like how their last conversation had ended and he wanted to apologize to her for it.
He began to frown. He was actually surprised she had never called him back. Surprised and more than a little disappointed.
He sighed, figuring that she just needed space. Plus she had a lot to deal with. Serge, the kids, the company, Roode.
Speaking of Roode. . .
Sting left the confines of the window and began to pace the room once more. He needed to focus all of his time and energy on Roode. He'll sit down and make everything right with Dixie later on. For now, he needed to concentrate only on Roode.
Because he was going to get his revenge, Sting decided, a dark light coming to his eyes.
Get his revenge not only for what Roode did to him, but for what he had done to Dixie.