Chapter 29: Pit Stop
Normal POV; during the post SummerSlam Raw
"Hey babe . . ." said Amanda with a smirk as Randy walked into the locker room they shared with the rest of the Authority, his breathing slightly heavy since he just came back from the ring. "Did you have fun during your tag team match tonight?"
"It was a pretty good one babe. The only thing I disliked about it was that I was on the losing side . . . again," said the Viper as he rolled his head back. "Where're Nate and Alanna? I thought they were in here with you."
"Alanna got a little sleepy, so Nate took her back to the bus," answered Amanda as she crossed her arms. "So . . . has your body double arrived yet to take your place in the ring?"
"Nope . . . he missed his flight, so he won't be flying in till later tonight," said Randy as he grabbed his sweatpants and quickly pulled them on over his boots, kneepads, and ring trunks. Due to the fact that Randy was still a big part of the WWE's current storylines, the higher ups decided to hire a shapeshifter with wrestling experience to take his place while he took time off. It was the same for anyone on the roster who was going to go on vacation, but was still part of the storylines, like Reigns and current champions like Sheamus and the Usos. "You got to love hired body doubles that take your place while the real you goes on vacation for a couple weeks."
"A great big perk when you work for the WWE," said Amanda with a chuckle as she grabbed her bag while Randy put on one of his signature t-shirts. "Now grab your duffle bag and let's go. You did say you wanted to leave as soon as you were done with your match remember?"
"That I did . . . If we leave quickly, we could probably reach my grandparents' ranch by the middle of tomorrow morning," said Randy with a smirk as he grabbed his bag and walked over to her. He grabbed her hand and the two walked out the room to head for the lot, but as soon as they turned the corner, they spotted Lesnar and Heyman talking to each other down the hall. "Oh great . . ."
"And conveniently enough, they just had to stand in the middle of the only way that leads to the parking lot . . ." mumbled Amanda as she noticed the disdain on Randy's face as the two continued their conversation. "Well . . . they're standing in the middle of the quickest way to the lot. We can always circle around and take the long way back to the bus."
"And head straight into a whole bunch of screaming fans that'll pelt us with stupid questions and yell for autographs?" asked Randy as he shook his head in a show of defiance. "Not a chance . . . we're using this way to get back to the bus, even if Lesnar and Heyman are standing in the middle of it."
"Suit yourself . . ." said the Anaconda as she shrugged her shoulders. "Get ready. They're heading our way right now."
Randy slowly turned around to see that Brock Lesnar and his always-there representative, Paul Heyman, walking toward them. Paul had a small smirk on his face as he walked behind Lesnar, whose face was a serious mask as he looked the couple with hard eyes, the newly designed WWE World Heavyweight Championship belt lying securely on his shoulder as he kept his arms crossed.
"Ah . . . The Viper and the Anaconda, we meet again . . ." said Heyman with a slimy smile as he walked out of Lesnar's shadow to greet the tall couple. "You're leaving so soon . . . ? Aren't you going to stay for the rest of the show?"
"We'd love to, but I already finished my job for the night . . ." answered Randy as he spoke as plainly as he could. ". . . So we're going to hit the road early. Get our vacation started a little early you know?"
"Pfft . . . vacations are for the weak," said Lesnar as he turned to Randy. "I could have easily taken time off just like you're doing, but unlike you, I like to compete in the ring and build my strength up instead of getting all soft while lazily lying beside a pool."
"Now, now Brock . . . even the greatest wrestlers need to take a break once in a while . . ." said Heyman as he got in front of him to take his attention away from Randy, who was looking very angry after hearing the comments that the Beast Incarnate had just said out of his mouth. "C'mon Mr. WWE World Heavyweight Champion, let's get out of here. We have places to go and people to see."
"Fine . . ." said Brock as he walked past Paul. He passed by the couple, brushing shoulders with Randy as he did so, before walking down the hallway with Paul right at his heels. Randy turned to watch them leave and if it weren't for Amanda clutching his hand rather tightly to keep him in place, he would have gone after Lesnar and decked him in the skull just to shut him up.
"Don't even think about it mister," said Amanda as she stared at a still seething Viper. "I'll shut your mind down AND break your hand if you even try to take a step into that direction."
"Do you know how hard it is to control my temper every time Brock opens up his mouth?" asked Randy as he slowly turned to face her with a narrowed eyed look. "Every time he opens his pie hole, I just want to sock him in the face."
"I know you do, but you just can't let him get to you babe . . ." said Amanda as she leaned up and pecked his lips. "Now come on. We have a bus to get to remember?"
"Alright . . ." said Randy as he relaxed his eyes, the anger in his face starting to fade as Amanda led them onward. Once they left the building, they instantly spotted Monica standing by her luggage at the side of the road, checking her fingernails.
"Hey Monica, are you waiting for your bus or something?" asked Amanda as she and Randy walked over to her twin sister.
"Nope . . . I'm waiting for my taxi. I let my driver go on vacation early," answered Monica as she turned to the two. "You guys are going off to Montana now right?"
"That's the plan . . ." answered Randy as he shook his head. "Where are you off to again?"
"I'm off to the airport to get on my late night flight to London," answered Monica as she noticed her taxi coming toward them. "Since Wade has officially met mom and dad, now it's my turn to meet his parents."
"Ooh . . ." said Randy as the taxi pulled up to the curb beside them. ". . . That'll be fun. . . Wait a minute. Where is Wade anyway?"
"He took an earlier flight out to London today. His flight should be halfway to England by now," said Monica as she quickly checked her watch to see that it was almost 11. "Once I touch down at Heathrow, we're going to get a rental and drive over to his parents' place to stay with them."
"Are you nervous?" asked Amanda as Randy helped the taxi driver put her sister's bags into the trunk.
"A little, but Wade has told me that his parents' are very friendly people and that I should have nothing to worry about," answered Monica as she crossed her arms. "After hearing him say that I don't know if I should stop worrying, or worry even more."
"Oh you'll do fine . . ." said Amanda as she shook her head. "Oh . . . before I forget, did Wade like the gift he got from me for his birthday back on the tenth?"
"Yes . . . he liked everyone's gifts actually," said Monica with a small smirk on her face as she shook her head. ". . . Although, he did prefer some gifts more than others, if you know what I mean."
"I saw those gifts too . . . Wade's feelings are understandable . . ." said Amanda as they watched as Randy closed the trunk. "Alright, you're all set to go. . . I'll see you in a few weeks."
"See ya . . ." said Monica as the two sisters hugged. She turned around and nearly bumped into Randy, who had his arms stretched out with an expectant look on his face, as if he knew his hug was coming. ". . . And yes, you get one too. . . . Don't get into any trouble now alright?"
"I'll try not to . . ." said Randy as he returned the hug. ". . . And yes, I'll make sure to keep your sister out of trouble too."
"I know my sis will be staying out of trouble," said Monica with a smirk as she broke out of his grip. ". . . It's you I'm worried about."
"Now that's a mean thing to say . . ." said Amanda a she turned to her sister with a small smirk on her face while Randy looked at her with a wary expression on his face.
"Hey, I bet you were thinking the same thing . . . See ya guys later." said the younger twin as she entered the taxi. Randy and Amanda waved as the cab drove off, Monica returning the gesture with one of her own until the cab was out of sight. Once she was finally gone, Randy and Amanda made their way to their awaiting bus, ready to get their vacation started.
Randy's POV; The next afternoon
"How long does it take to get from Vegas to grandpa and grandma's ranch again?" asks Nate as he looks at Amanda, who was sitting right next to me checking the internet on her phone. "Please tell me the travel time is less than a full day at least."
"Hmm . . . It says here that it takes 14 hours and 11 minutes to get from Vegas to Great Falls, Montana, which is the closest big city to the ranch," says Amanda as she continues to look at her screen. "That's a good 989 miles of driving to get through."
"That's almost a thousand miles of driving for crying out loud!" cries Nate as he pounds his head right into the table. "And we're still nowhere near Great Falls!"
"That sign we just passed says that Great Falls is still 15 miles away," says Alanna as she points out the window. "Don't worry Uncle Nate, we'll be their soon."
"It's already 1:30 now, so my best guess is that we'll be at the ranch in another hour or two, so just be patient." Amanda tells him with a smirk as she puts her phone in her pocket.
"I'm an Orton . . ." he tells her bluntly as he keeps his head on the table. "Ortons aren't known for their patience 'Manda."
"You may be right," she tells him with a shrug as she rests her head on my shoulder. "I have had to deal with yours' and your brother's impatience problems for years you know."
"We weren't that bad . . ." I tell her with a smirk. "Anger . . . now that's the definite Orton's problem in our family. Impatience is probably the second biggest one."
"You're telling me . . ." says Alanna as she looks at us sheepishly. "I still blame you for my anger issue daddy."
"I know you do sweetheart," I tell her with a nod of my head. ". . . It hurts to hear you say that, but I understand."
"Hey guys! I'm pulling into the service station up ahead. We're almost out of a gas and I need to refill the gas tank," calls Hal as he drives us up the lane that led to the station. "If you guys want anything from the plaza, you better make sure you're wearing your disguises before you get off this bus, especially you two 'Manda, Randy!"
"We heard ya Mom!" 'Manda yells at him as we look out the window to see the large station, which didn't have that many cars in the parking lot, despite the fact that it's located beside a busy highway. "There are a few cars here, so there's not much going on here to begin with."
"Now, now . . . Don't think like that Ms. K.O," says Nate as he wags his finger at her disapprovingly. "All it takes is just one WWE fan with a camera and access to social media to be here, and then it's all downhill from there."
"He . . . he does make a good point babe . . ." I say reluctantly as Hal pulls up by a gas pump.
"When have you ever agreed with your brother, on anything?" she asks me bluntly as she looks at me with narrowed eyes. "You guys don't even agree on the same football team, or the same kind of sports for that matter."
"We're just that perplexing babe . . . We agree on some things, and totally disagree on others," I say with a smirk as we hear Hal cut the engine, his footsteps getting fainter and fainter as he got off the bus. "Now come on . . . there should be a place that sells some food in the plaza and you haven't eaten since morning."
"Alright, alright . . ." she tells me reluctantly as we slide out of our seats. ". . . But we're going to have to wear the amulets in order to pull this off babe."
"Aw . . . why do we have to wear those things?" I ask, reluctantly whining in the process as she walks to the back of the bus. "Can't we just wear hoodies or baseball caps or something?"
"Those aren't going to cut it," she tells me with a grin as she walks out the room with a pair of familiar looking amulets, one amethyst and one onyx. "Besides . . . it would be weird for us to be going around in public in Montana when you're supposed to be in Phoenix getting ready for SmackDown tonight Ran."
"But do we have to use those particular set of amulets?" I ask as I narrow my eyes at the onyx one. "That onyx one made me look like a geek the last time I wore it."
"You're disguise isn't so bad. Just embrace your inner geek, that's all . . ." she tells me as she puts hers' on, transforming into her alter ego Mei-Lien. The disguise wasn't enough to hide her baby bump because it was still apparent, sticking out from under her black sundress. "Now put on the amulet. I'm leaving this bus with Ian, not Randy mister."
"Ian?" my brother practically exclaims at us in shock, his face looking very dumbfounded as he turns to me. "You named your disguise IAN? That sounds like such a geeky name."
". . . Which goes well with his geeky disguise," says 'Manda, her voice now carrying a Chinese accent as she walks past me toward the front of the bus. "Now let's go please. I'm hungry."
"Oh . . . now you say you're hungry," I say with a roll of my eyes as I put on the amulet, initiating my disguise in the process. As soon as I heard Nate cackling in laughter, I turned around to give him a hard stare, but all he does is laugh even harder as soon as he looks at me. "Stop laughing Nate."
"I. . . I can't," he tells me in between chuckles. "You trying to pull off your signature stare while disguised like a total geek is just too sad, and too funny. I just can't help but laugh."
"You're mean Uncle Nate!" says Alanna as she suddenly slaps him in his cheek, silencing him instantly. She then turns to me with a bright smile on her face. "You look good daddy. Just ignore Uncle Nate."
"Thank you Alanna . . ." I say with a grin as I pecked her forehead. "We'll be back with some food in a little while."
"Hurry back!" I hear Nate call after me as I step out of the bus, where Amanda was patiently waiting by the door. "We're starving here!"
"C'mon, let's get moving before Nate begins to shout what he specifically wants for lunch at us." she tells me quickly as we make our way to the plaza.
"Good call . . ." is all I say as we quickly move away from the bus before Nate has a chance to yell at us again.
Normal POV
Randy and Amanda walked into the plaza to see that not that many people were roaming the halls, and the few shops and restaurants that the station plaza had to offer, which had the two breathing a small sigh of relief as they walked over to a board that showcased a map of where everything was in the complex.
"Where do you want to go eat?" asked Randy as he looked at the board keenly. "You have your choice between Subway, McDonalds, Dunkin Donuts, and a restaurant named Miguel's that serves Mexican food."
"All promising choices . . ." said Amanda as she placed a hand underneath her chin. "But we're going to have nix Miguel's because your brother gets all gassy whenever he eats Mexican food."
"Good call . . . the last time I was around him when he had Mexican food, I couldn't smell anything clearly for a good four hours straight," said Randy as he looked back at the memory disdainfully. ". . . That just leaves us with the Subway, McDonalds, and Dunkin Donuts."
"How about we go to Subway, buy some sandwiches, then we stop by the Dunkin Donuts and buy some donuts before we leave?" suggested 'Manda as she pointed to the board.
"That sounds like a plan, but I have no idea what Nate or Alanna would like on their sandwich . . ." said Randy as he shook his head.
"I have a simple fix for that . . ." said Amanda as she pointed to her head. "I can mentally ask them, or we could call Nate on his cell and have him tell us the orders, or text us if he wants to . . . either way is fine with me."
"You might as well text him . . ." said Randy as he shook his head. "I'm not in the mood of having him yell his order in my ear, and neither are you, I'm guessing."
"You got me there . . ." said Amanda as she took out her phone. As she busied herself with texting Nate, Randy looked around the plaza to see what else the place had to offer. As soon as he heard the sounds of steel chains rustling and motorcycle boots scuffling across the tiled floor, he turned to the main entrance, his eyes widening in shock as he saw who was standing right in front of the inside of the doors. ". . . Is there something wrong?"
"Huh?" Randy asked suddenly as he was broken out of his thoughts. He moved his gaze to 'Manda, who was staring at him curiously as she held her phone in her left hand. "What did you ask babe?"
"I asked if there was something wrong?" asked 'Manda as she looked at him curiously. "You look . . . a little spooked Ian. What's going on?"
"Uh . . . I'll tell you when we get to Subway," said Randy as he took her free hand and led her down the hall to the restaurant. "Let's go . . ."
"O...okay," said Amanda, her voice sounding unsure as Randy lead them away from the board. Once the two were safely within Subway's walls, Randy took a quick peek out the window before turning to 'Manda, who was still looking at him curiously. "Is there something out there coming to get us?"
"Not really, but they could if we're not careful," said Randy as he shook his head. "Do you see those guys out there by the info board?"
"Uh yeah . . ." said Amanda as she turned to the direction that he was pointing at. Her eyes locked onto a group of about five men, all of them dressed in black clothes, their eyes fixed on the info board in front of them. They were all tall and fit, and with their impressive good looks and similar looing clothing, they looked like they were possibly in an up and coming boy band . . . or maybe an emo punk band. "What's wrong with those guys? Is it there fashion choices or something?"
"They're hunters, babe . . ." whispered Randy as he led her over to an empty table. "And they're not the usual kind of bounty hunters that go hunting wanted criminals . . . they're the ones that hunt us. They hunt supernaturals."
"How are you so sure?" asked Amanda as she raised a stunned eyebrow. "How can you tell?"
"They all have the tattoo on their necks," said Randy as he looked out the window again. "You see it too right?"
"Yeah . . . I see it," said Amanda as she locked her eyes on the marking on one of the men's necks. Tattooed on the man's skin, was a sword, crisscrossed by two small daggers. The men around him had the exact same tattoo on their necks as well. "What's so special about them?"
"That's the signature marking that all hunters gets when they join the largest hunting guild in the U.S.," said Randy as a small grimace came across his face. "They're well known among the supernatural races."
"I've never heard of them before . . ." said Amanda as she crossed her arms.
"Because they don't really hunt psychics . . . When it comes to hunters, they don't usually go for the supernaturals that are the most similar to humans, like psychics and people with special abilities like John, Layla, and Sheamus. Hunters are usually the people they don't really hunt, like the kind of people I mentioned previously," explained Randy as he locked eyes with her. "Hunters go for the supernaturals that pose the biggest threat to human society, like demons, werewolves, and . . ."
". . . Vampires?" asked Amanda as she raised an eyebrow. Randy only shook his head yes for an answer. "Alright then . . . let's just buy the food, swing by Dunkin Donuts, and then get out of here."
"Good plan, good plan . . ." was all Randy said as the two got out of their seats. "Hey, I'll go buy the donuts. You know what I like on my sandwich already, so you can just place my order in for me while I'm gone."
"Alright, but make it quick . . ." said Amanda as she let out a small breath. "Thanks to you mentioning all this hunter stuff to me, I'm getting nervous about staying in this place as long as those hunters are here."
"Alright I'm going . . ." said Randy as he raised his hands up in defeat. ". . . Oh, I'm sorry about making you nervous. . . To be honest, I thought you knew about the hunters already."
"Yeah well . . . let's just say my parents kept that big detail out of the lesson plan growing up okay," said Amanda as she walked over to the counter. As Randy walked over to Dunkin Donuts to buy the donuts, Amanda ordered the sandwiches, emerging from the restaurant twenty minutes later with a bag of food in hand. She looked around the plaza to see that the hunters were all at Miguel's, busying themselves with placing their orders at the counter. As soon as she spotted Randy waiting by the exit with a Dunkin Donuts bag in hand, she quickly made her way over to him, and the two were soon out the door.
"Well that was a close one . . ." said Amanda as the two walked out onto the parking lot, their bus now waiting for them at the other end of the lot by the exit. ". . . Are hunters that common in the world?"
"Well . . . not really," said Randy as he shook his head. "They were very common centuries ago, but over time as things got more peaceful in the supernatural community, hunters became a dying breed. The hunting groups have only started up again fairly recently."
"No wonder I've never heard of them . . ." mumbled Amanda as she rolled her eyes. ". . . Do they even have a good reason these days to hunt supernaturals in the first place?"
"Well . . . in the past, the hunters were kinda like the police force of the supernatural community," explained Randy as he brushed a hand across his chin. ". . . But when the different supernatural races began to organize themselves better and began policing their own members, the hunters became less and less needed . . . These days, only a few of them continue acting like police and taking down the bad ones . . . Most of them just hunt us supernaturals for sport . . . or for fun."
"Now that isn't right . . ." mumbled Amanda as she shook her head. "Doesn't anyone do anything about those guys?"
"Not really . . . the hunters usually work alone these days," said Randy as the two finally reached their bus. "But some come together to create these hunter guilds. They keep themselves very under the radar, so no one really investigates them that much."
"Who doesn't really investigate them that much?" asked Nate as the two stepped into the bus to see Hal at the wheel while the younger Orton brother stood beside the driver seat. "Who are you guys talking about?"
"There are hunters inside the service plaza," answered Randy as Hal closed the door behind them. ". . . Five of them, from the largest hunter guild in the States, to be exact."
"Oh . . . that's no good," said Nate as a disgruntled look came across his face. "The last time I heard about them, their members cleared out a gang of fire demons over in Denver. Rumor has it they targeted them for no good reason . . . just killed them for fun."
". . . Now that's just cruel," mumbled Amanda as she took off her amulet to reveal her true self. ". . . Anyway, it's time to eat."
"Hey bro . . ." said Nate as he stopped Randy from walking over to the table with the girls. ". . . You don't think we're going to see those hunters again anytime soon do ya?"
"I hope not . . ." said Randy as he ripped his amulet off his throat. "I hope not, for all our sakes. . . That would really suck for our vacation now wouldn't it?"
"You make a good point . . ." said Nate as he began to eye the Dunkin Donuts bag in his brother's hands. "Please tell me you didn't buy just one flavor of donuts."
"It's assorted . . . Now come on and let's eat." said Randy as he walked over to the table.
"Alright . . ." said Nate as he shrugged his shoulders. "But I call all the jelly filled donuts!"
"Can you guys leave at least two glazed donuts for me?" asked Hal as he drove them back onto the highway.
"Sure thing . . ." said 'Manda as she brought over two donuts in a napkin and put them in his cup holder. "There you go."
"Thank you!" said Hal as he nodded his head in gratitude. "Now . . . do you think you can get me a Red Bull from the fridge?"
"Nope . . ." said Amanda as she walked back to the table, where Nate, Randy, and Alanna were all chuckling to themselves. Hal grumbled something about mean pregnant women under his breath as he continued looking forward, the Orton grandparents' ranch still a little bit away.
And they're on their way again . . .
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