Threaded Mode | Linear Mode

Shawn Warstein · (03-15-2021)

“Hey you….” The calming tone of Atara rings in my head. A gentle caress of my cheek as I slowly open my eyes. As I lay on the couch my head gently rests on her lap. She looks down at me while her hair flows down over her shoulders, and a gentle smile on her face. “It’s okay. We will figure it out.”

“I— I don’t think we can sweetie.” I said while grabbing the remote and shutting off the television to give her my full attention.

“Did you just turn off ESPN?” I give her a quick nod. “Oh this must be serious.” She runs her hand through my hair. “Just tell me…”

I freeze for a moment, I just want to take it all in and just let the moment linger for a bit more.

“I don’t want to…” She didn’t let me finish before interrupting my train of thought.

“Don’t want to, what?”

“It’s just—” I sit up and grab a hold of Atara’s hands and squeeze them gently. “Everything has been going great. From you being here, to actually meeting my mom. I couldn’t have asked for anything more.” I scoff and suck air in through my teeth. “Of course with everything I had planned, this would happen right now.”

“Shawn, listen to me.” Atara reaches over and raises my chin. “We are fine. This is just a minor bump in the road.”

“I know. I just can’t get the image out of my head from the last time.” It’s not a thought I ever wanted to revisit. I’m sure it’s not one she wanted to relive as well.

The last time we squared off in the middle of the ring, I said some deplorable stuff. I mean some really off the wall shit. I went right for the jugular and I didn’t hold back. Do I regret the outcome? No. Do I regret what was said? Every waking moment. Every time she looks at me, it eats away at me.

The thought that maybe she still harbors resentment for what I said, kills me. And why wouldn’t she resent what I said? I was in a different headspace. She was in a different place all together. We weren’t even… us anymore.

I can only take solace in the fact that she came back. She could’ve just as easily left and never come back. Easily could’ve been looked at as a mistake in her life and chalk it up to living life.

Yet somehow, someway… she came back to me. By the grace of god. I’ve tried. I really have. I try every day to be better for her. Some days it’s easy. Other days it’s a struggle. I have a feeling, these next two weeks… are going to be a struggle.

“I figured as much.” The reassuring tone did little to actually reassure me. “I think about it too, ya know.” Her hand squeezes mine just a little bit tighter. “You know what sticks out the most to me?”

“Besides the fact I was a raging asshole, hellbent on torching and self destructing anything that was any good in my life?” It took a minute to get all of that out, but when I did Atara just smiled and shook her head.

“No.” Atara takes a deep breath. “Through it all, even when it was over. Even after everything I said, and the stuff you said… you still said you loved me. Like you took a moment, in the heat of battle, looked me in the eyes and said it.”

“Then promptly said fuck you.”

“Yeah.” Atara gives me a light few snacks on the cheek. “I try to leave that part out to keep it romantic.”

“Mmhmm.”

Romantic notions. Those were never on my mind. I kept my personal life and my business life separate. Jules was at home with Jacob and I was out providing. Now I’ve got Noah to keep an eye on, and the love of my life standing across from me in my quest to become King of The XWF. It would go nice with my Tyrant crown from Project Honor.

“It’s definitely not ideal Shawn.” Atara stands up from the couch and pulls me upwards with her. “But it was always a possibility… no, inevitable.” Atara pulls me in close and holds me tightly. After a moment she lets go. “I’m going upstairs. Osira asked me to call her, so when you’re done doing.” Atara waves her hand in a general fashion. “Whatever this is, come to bed.”

“Of course. Tell her I said Hello.”

“I’ll do no such thing. It wouldn’t be genuine and she would know.” Atara smiles as I shrug and nod in agreement. She disappears up the stairs leaving me in the living room. I walk over to the wet bar and pull out a glass. Grabbing a bottle of bourbon, I pull the top off and toss it to the side. The amber liquid splashes up along the side of the glass. Swirling the glass in my head I sit down on the couch, and take a sip from the glass.

“L.I.E. Bot… Initiate Promo Sequence- Until Death.”

The lights in the room begin to flicker for a moment as I take a drink.

“Command Failure.” A robotic voice echoes through the living room.

“Why?” Frustration begins to set in as I set my glass down to the side and quickly pull out a nearby laptop, but before it could even boot up the bot responds.

“It seems as the intended target is inside the home, sir. It’s a protective protocol to ensure wandering ears don’t hear what is inside.”

“Override Protocol.” I toss the laptop aside.

“Confirmation Code.”

“Atlas, Theory, Arrow, Reign, Anomaly.”

“Accepted. Hologram Activated.”

The Hologram of myself (From here known as Holo-Shawn) materializes on the other side of the coffee table. Standing there Holo-Shawn looks almost sentient, but there is a coldness behind his eyes. He stands there swaying back and forth.

“Ok.” I grab the glass off the table. “Take it from the top.”

“Hello Dove...” Holo-Shawn smiles and winks.

“Nice touch. Cut it.” I bark from the couch.

“Sir, that is an excellent opening. I must deny your action.” Holo-Shawn responds coldly.

“Very well.” I roll my wrist towards Holo-Shawn.

“Hello Dove.” Once again a smile and wink. “I must say these are unexpected times we are in. The two of you have been through hell. You’ve seen the mountain tops with each other. You’ve both spit vile and venom towards each other, only to come together and continue as one.”

“It’s funny when you actually think about it. The last time everyone saw you two in the ring together. No I’m not talking about the GCWA match, no the last time it actually mattered. When something was on the line.” Holo-Shawn pulls up a quick video, and it shows Shawn holding his knee, and Atara making him tap out at last year’s March Madness. “Ahh yes. The hollow victory you’re going to claim over your beloved. The prize awarded to you was paramount to the ascension of Shawn. You getting that title off of him, and then later the both of you walked out with the spoils of war.”

“The X-Treme title and Universal title being held in close proximity made sure that there would be nothing untoward coming for Shawn.” Holo-Shawn sighs and shakes his head. “Yet you just couldn’t hold up your end of the bargain could you? Losing the title… not even in a match. Even with Shawn’s protection and measures taken to make sure it happened… you still fucked it up.”

“However Shawn knew that it wasn’t your fault. He thrust you into a position that no one should’ve been put into. Then the next atrocity happened…” Holo-Shawn pulls up the War Games Draft, where Atara was taken by Shawn but quickly announced as the sixth captain, undercutting yet another one is Shawn’s plans. “Again this wasn’t necessarily your doing, but we all know you could’ve easily said no, stood by your man and walked into the finals of War Games. However we all know what happened next, yeah?”

“The pressure of leading got to you didn’t it? Raven, Shawn, Page, Main… they all make it look so easy don’t they? They are truly Titans of this industry, and I’m sure you saw this as your way to stand shoulder to shoulder with them…and much like the X title, you floundered. You disappeared, leaving Jenny Myst to take the reins of a failing squad. Go ahead. Say it. Shawn didn’t win War Games… but he fought for it. That’s more than can be said about you.”

“Woah…. Maybe don’t bring up my failures, yeah?” I suggest.

“Noted. And Denied. It shows that you are not perfect and are capable of losing.” Holo-Shawn retorts.

“Yeah. But I’m supposed to be talking myself up, not casting doubt on my abilities.” I take a sip from my glass. “Okay. Just skip to the end of Leap of Faith.”

“Very Well.” Holo-Shawn flickers for a moment and then the signal comes back stronger.“Then after a cluster fuck, Shawn walked out of Leap Of Faith empty handed while you took the reigns of a brand new division. I think, after processing all the data, that’s when you started to truly believe you didn’t need Shawn. I think that’s when Shawn saw it as well. You no longer needed him. You no longer need him. Yet here you are.”

“With him.”

“Which begs the question on everyone’s mind. Why? Is it truly love? Or are you hoping to pull the wool over his eyes once more? I’m sorry Dove, but you know him. He’s already planned for that. It’s all just a matter of how far you want to take this. If you got for the heart, he will too. He cares about you. He loves you. Unlike Ned, this isn’t because you aren’t worth his time, I’m doing this so he doesn’t have to. He couldn’t possibly look you in the face again if he was forced to say all of this. You know what he’s going to ask you eventually. You feel it in your bones. It’s coming.”

“You don’t know what your response is going to be, and that’s okay. Just be prepared for the day where Shawn gets down on one knee and says…” Holo-Shawn gets down on one knee and holds a hand out. “Atara Eirene Themis… will you….”

“Pause sequence. No spoilers.” I bellow as the hologram stops. “Cut that last bit out. At the very least that isn’t happening until after March Madness and let’s not put it out there.”

“Cutting the last ten seconds.” Holo-Shawn fizzles out for a second. “Shall I remove it completely from the data?”

“No, it’s just not a weapon to be used against her. It’s not a weapon at all. You’re not wrong, it’s going to happen. Just not anytime soon.” I said in quick response.

“Define ‘Anytime Soon’, sir.” Holo-Shawn tilts his head.

“Just keep it on the server, and don’t delete it.” I bark at the Hologram. “Okay. Now what do I have on the server for the other six in the tournament.”

“Searching….” Holo-Shawn crackles and becomes dim. “There doesn’t seem to be much on the rest of the field. Shall I proceed anyways?”

“No. Go ahead and do your deep dives. I’ll take it from here.” I raise my glass towards Holo-Shawn as he nods towards me. Holo-Shawn disappears leaving me sitting there. I can hear Atara upstairs talking to her sister, and it brings a smile on my face.

“And then there were six.” I finish my drink and stand up from the couch. “See I don’t need a hologram to speak on all of you. I’ve been in this exact situation before. Sure the premise was a tad bit different, and I had a partner, and then I had to face that same partner… a Legend mind you.”

“But I’ve never been one to shy away from watching as all eyes eventually end up on me. I mean you all have to eventually come to the fact that even though I have to go through Atara, I’m still the odds on favorite to win this whole thing.”

“I know…. the fucking ego on this guy right!?!” I smile widely. “I know that. It’s no secret. That’s why when I hear people say Doc is going to win… it’s like nails on a chalkboard. I could easily just say ,damn Doc who’s coattails are you going to ride to the finals here, and then I realize what would be the point? I would be saying what everyone else had already said.you came back, hopped on Thad’s dick and rode that bitch to completion. Got your title and…. have done fuck all with it.” I raise my eyebrows and quickly roll my eyes. “I mean I just don’t get it with you. The demogods saved you from a proper embarrassment. I mean it’s not every day someone who has gotten one over on me gets away with it without being dealt with, don’t know what I’m talking about? Oh well, you will, but hey at least you get to plow through Overton. And I hope you do, after he knocked off Noah… it wouldn’t be the worst thing on this planet if you took him to the shed and later one on him. I mean it’s obvious who I think is going to the final four there but what about a match that’s a bit more highly contested?”

“Osira and Betsy... I mean I wish I could say Betsy is going to wallop Osira, but then that would just be wrong. I know Osira. She’s vile, she hates me with every fiber of her being, but also…” I hold up a hand and begin to wave my finger. “She’s a fucking warrior like her sister. Is she up to Betsy’s level… no, but not many are. Oh dear Betsy it really is Legacy score anyone else. I’d take a bullet for both you and Atara, but if you think I’m going to lay down for you like I did in GCWA… twice… that isn’t happening now. The XWF is my home and was my home long before you ever stepped foot in here. Long before you even thought this was a viable path. You may be the Shooting Star champion, but when it comes to the XWF… stepping across from me is the equivalent of walking on hallowed grounds. I know you’re going to bring your best, and I expect nothing less from Legacy, unfortunately it’s just not going to be enough this time.”

“Then finally…” I nod my head.[/whote]“There was Fury and Solace. The, pardon the wordplay, Afterthoughts of the March Madness tournament. Like Fury this isn’t Anarchy. This is legit competition. You should be relegated to the C show, I don’t give a fuck what Lachlan says. Anarchy is for the weak. My reasoning? Well I’m glad you asked, I’ve never lost on Anarchy, Vin was afraid to put me in the title picture there, and then when I left? The ratings plummeted and you followed me right out the door didn’t you? How’d that work out for you? Not well I assume but then again it’s difficult to remember if that was really you or not, ya know what I’m saying?” [white]A classic Jim Halpert to the camera. “That leads up to finally… Solace. I mean you could say saving the best for last, but that would’ve been Betsy. Could say most respected but that would be Doc. Cutest? Atara all day. Most underrated? Osira easily. So, Solace I can only really say… what the fuck have you done? I couldn’t even name who you beat to get to this point. Then again, I don’t pay attention to anyone other than myself and Legacy. I’m sure you’re very talented and I’m positive that you have the gusto to get the job done.”

“However, from the little that I have seen…” I raise an eyebrow and smirk slightly. “I wouldn’t put it past you to be a sheep. You know a follower. Someone willing to do unspeakable acts under the false pretenses of something greater.”

“What I’m saying is, you’re the exact type of person who I wouldn’t put it past them to be raising a certain hand. I dunno I guess you’re just weak and not fit for a crown.” Once again a classic shrug. “I guess what I’m really trying to hammer home in all of this is really simple. All of you are simply vying for second place. And we all know that, that is nothing more than the first loser.”

I look around the living room, I reach for the bottle of bourbon but quickly stop myself. I put the cap back on and head upstairs to the bedroom. As I open the door Atara greets me with a smile, but you could tell that she is also cautious.

“You did your promo didn’t you?” She asks as I sit down on the foot of the bed.

“Yeah.” I plop my body on the mattress and stare at the ceiling fan. I feel Atara as she sits down next to me, and follows suit, plopping down next to me.

“So how bad do you feel?” Sarcasm exuding from every word.

“I didn’t say anything.” I smile and swallow deeply.

“You know I’m not going to hold back right?” She says while neither of us break our gaze at the fan.

“I wouldn’t expect anything less, love.” I hold out my hand and wait for her to grab it.

“No hard feelings?” She asks as she grabs my hand and squeezes it as I do the same.

“None whatsoever.” A small smile comes across my face, as the camera fades to black.

Threaded Mode \| Linear Mode Promo Protocol: Until Death
Author	Message