The story was over and the team was now in jeopardy. Cursing loudly as she slammed her phone down, Betsy Granger slumps in her chair for several minutes, going over the phone call with Atara Themis once again. Some weak excuses and several empty apologies later, Atara had finally gotten to the point: she was out. No longer interested in participation in War Games, Atara had made it clear that her involvement with Estrada’s Angels was at an end. White-hot anger courses through Betsy’s body, causing the blinding glow to engulf her for the first time in a while. Her mind races miles a minute, coming up with as many plans as possible. She looks skyward, to where James was in his study working out a new contract. The idea of asking him to join the team was dismissed as quickly as it popped into her head. Even though he’d shown up on Anarchy to help, she didn’t want to drag him back into XWF against his will. Even though they desperately wanted James Raven, certain members of BOB would have to settle for Betsy Granger instead.

Getting to her feet, she begins to pace down the long hallways of their home. Names and faces flitted through her head, some more than once. One, in particular, kept coming back, again and again, as persistent in her mind as he was in her life. The idea of it lit a spark of hope inside her, causing her heart to skip a little even. Wringing her hands together, she heads back to where she’d dismissed her phone in anger. Her finger hovers over his name when she remembers where he was… And who he was with. Even if he was in a good mood, he may not be inclined to take her call at this time. Nibbling on her lip, she weighs the pros and cons of her decision, even as her feet carry her towards Excellence. Though he would likely be less than pleased to see her crash his vacation… again… The situation was too important. There was far too much more at stake than a simple match; BOB wasn’t just ANY opponent. The fact that Estrada’s Angels had been destined to face them in the first round was serendipity.

Breaking free from her thoughts, she looks in front of her and starts upon finding her hand on the handle of Excellence’s door. Knowing that her decision was made, she opens up and quickly heads out…

.... Moments later, she lands on the white, soft sands of that familiar turquoise beach in Mexico. Poking her head out of Excellence, she’s met with a cool breeze through her hair… And closely following that…

“You better have a good reason for being here AGAIN, Sister Mine.”

__________________________________

Days later, Betsy had called a team meeting, scooping up Lycana and Reggie Estrada in Excellence and taking them to her family farm. Now, they sit in comfortable chairs and watch as Betsy paces back and forth in front of them, arms behind her back. Standing quietly and discreetly in a dark corner towards the back are a small XWF camera crew, recording the meeting in session. This had been arranged by Betsy herself; she knew it was an obvious flex, but she was determined to show BOB that her team wasn’t backing down.

“As of now, Atara Themis is no longer participating in War Games.”

Reggie and Lycana both become more alert as they react. Lycana lets out a disgusted sigh while Reggie hangs his head slightly.

“So now what?” Lycana inquires, her voice more of a growl. “Do we get a replacement or are we fucked?”

“I wondered the same thing. So I consulted with Theo Pryce and as it turns out, we ARE allowed a replacement of my choice.” The corners of her mouth tug in a grin as she finally stops pacing and stands before them directly. “I had to act fast if we were going to get any training together as a team. Otherwise, I would have consulted both of you on this choice… However, I see no reason to believe there will be any complaints. I believe the two of you are familiar with the man I call Brother Mine… Better known as Shawn fucking Warstein.”

Lycana and Reggie both look torn between hesitation and hype. Shawn himself strolls in, standing next to Betsy and bowing immodestly before the other two. Lycana, her reserve dissolving quickly, smiles and nods her head towards Shawn. He acknowledges this with a nod of his own. Reggie still looks perplexed and perhaps a little disappointed that the new teammate wasn’t another “angel”. He gives Shawn a weak wave before sitting back down in his chair. Lycana also takes her seat, as does Shawn, who parks himself in between the other two. Betsy looks over her team, unable to contain her excited smile any further.

“Atty let us down, but we can’t let that stop our momentum. Our dynamic changes, but our goal does not. Now, more than ever, I feel confident in our chances at slaughtering BOB like the hogs they are. Of course, I would have liked the original team to move forward; hell, I honestly thought we were getting somewhere with her. But Fate had other plans and the results don’t suck so much for us."

Lycana snickers as she nods her head. “Did you see how fast TK and Bobby backpedaled when James and Shawn showed up? Calling them out for ages, and when they finally arrive, they want no part of them.”

“Be that as it may, TK may have brought up a valid point,” Reggie interjects, turning in his chair to study Shawn. “Replace a quitter with a quitter… How do we know you won’t skip out on us like Themis did?”

Eyes like steel narrow in Reggie’s direction as both Lycana and Betsy tense up. “I didn’t quit the XWF… I achieved everything there was to do and moved on to conquer new land.” His voice is low and his tone is dangerous. “I wouldn’t have agreed to this if I had any reason to believe I’d have to back out. Sister Mine asked me for a favor and I’m here on her behalf.”

Reggie and Shawn stare one another down in silence as the minute's tick by like hours. The women exchanged a glance that clearly expressed their displeasure at the silent struggle. Much to both their relief, Reggie finally nods, seemingly satisfied with what Shawn had to say. Taking a deep breath to hide her sigh of relief, Betsy continues.

“If there are any more hang-ups or suspicions about one another, I suggest we air them out now.” Holding her breath as her nerves threaten to take over, she waits for the hammer to fall.

It’s Lycana who speaks first. Rising from her chair, she stands next to Betsy and addresses Shawn directly. “I know you have every reason not to trust me, given the situation with the Baphomet and my ties to the Left Hand. You have no reason to trust my word, but trust in this: I was chosen by our captain to represent this team and I will never waiver in my loyalty to her during the War Games. Marf and I both shed the skin of the Left Hand from our lives and we only seek to prove we never needed the guidance of a false leader to be successful. I know your loyalty goes only to Betsy, but I give you my word that for as long as we are on the same team, I’ve got your back as much as I have hers.”

Shawn regards her in silence, allowing her words to go through his mind. Now they study one another, though their expressions show more curiosity than hostility. Accepting that Shawn wasn’t likely to respond, Lycana retakes her seat. Betsy watches her before throwing a hard look at her “brother”, who only shrugs in response.

“If that’s all, then I suggest we forever hold our peace and allow our suspicions of one another to be released. We’ll never unite if we can’t trust one another; the last thing we need is to make this an easy win for BoB.” This last line is enough to rally all three of her teammates. Shawn sneers at the name while Lycana gives a throaty growl and Reggie shakes his head in emphatic denial. “Miss Fury believes that BoB can’t be stopped because they gained the numbers game. All I see is a group of bowling pins ready to be knocked off their fucking asses. They may have their community bond, but we have something even stronger: raw determination and resolve. BoB only wants this win to assert more dominance over the XWF; we NEED this win to strike a blow in their armor.”

“We need to figure out a way to keep them separated.” Reggie offers, looking around at the others. “It’s only when they can use numbers that they are particularly strong; break them up and they’re pretty much fish in a barrel.”

“As much as I love a good strategy session, I don’t think we should make that public knowledge.” Betsy gestures towards the back of the barn, reminding them of their silent company. “We’ll save that for when the cameras are off.”

“Why exactly DID you invite those cameras here today, Bets?” Lycana inquires, slipping into using Betsy’s nickname without realizing it.

“To show those fuckers that no matter what challenges come our way, we don’t back down. Perhaps Atara did hang us out to dry, but that won’t stop the sound ass-whooping that’s waiting for them at War Games. It’s high time BoB gets stopped in their tracks and as of now-” Betsy pauses as she gives each of her teammates an appraising gaze. "-We are the team to beat. Fuck BoB and their numbers games, we’ll tear them apart, one by one or all at once. It matters not to me, their heads leave Woodstock on spikes when we’re finished. And then we’ll go on to face whoever follows. Dis-Continuum? Pfft, so Thad has Dock by his side, big deal. They also have to keep their eyes open for Chaos and Dixon, a task I don’t envy them for. Corey and Alias with their wild-ass team name that I’m not even going to try for at the moment. No problem, we’ll rip our way through them as well. These guys are held up in such high esteem, everyone regards them as the best of the best.” Anger courses through her, coloring her cheeks a bit. “Fuck that." She spits the words like venom. “It’s true, those four names are echoed throughout this company as the ones to beat. I’ve yet to go through them all myself, but does that mean I can’t? Fuck no it doesn’t; we’ve got as much a chance at toppling those guys as Charlie’s Carnies and Acockalypse Now. Better, if you ask me because they don’t have what we have. The wolf.” She points to Lycana, who gives a toothy smile. "The rebellious.” She points towards Reggie, who taps a fist to his heart three times in response. “The impossible.” She places a hand under her chin and gives a cutesy pose for a moment. “And now… Now we have the Unstoppable Legend.” Betsy smiles warmly at Shawn, who only nods his head. “Maybe before today, we were looked at as one of the underdogs in this thing. A dark horse bet by the risky gambler, at best. Despite the power we have on this team, some would doubt our ability to become a cohesive unit enough to put up a threat. Many believe that we just don’t have what it takes from a skill standpoint to hang with those so-called heavy-hitters of the XWF.” A dangerous smile crosses over the lips of the Impossible Traveler as her breath catches in her throat. “I say we topple all the titans showing no prejudice or mercy. BOB is only the first half of the battle and we’ll take our hits. Of course, I hope that all four of us make it through to the finals, but the reality of the situation teaches us otherwise. Perhaps sacrifices will be necessary, but if it sees that BoB is eliminated in the first round, then I’ll gladly throw my own body across the coals to make it so. It’s time for us to get loud and let the ‘top-tier’ boys of the XWF know that we’re fucking coming for all of their heads.”

In unison, Shawn, Lycana, and Reggie begin to stomp their feet on the wood floors. Heart thumping wildly in her chest, Betsy spins towards the camera and gestures towards the team. They get to their feet and flank around her.

“I hope all the teams are watching this just as hard as BoB should be. Individually, we may have had our share of stumbles lately. My losing streak. Lycana’s loss of her Extreme Title… Sorry about that, by the way.” She turns to Lycana with a sympathetic expression, but the sapphire-haired beauty waves it off. Betsy turns back to the camera with a confident smile. “All of us have tripped over our own feet and face planted to the ground. It doesn’t matter how many times we fall, it’s all about getting back up and standing your ground. BoB thinks they’ve got this in the bag, but they don’t realize just what it’ll take to make this team budge. BoB had little chance at defeating this team before, but with the addition of Shawn Warstein… Well, I hope they have their white flags ready. They’ll need them long before the final bell rings in our bout.”

Gesturing towards her team, she leads them out of the barn and around back. The sky is a dazzling array of orange, pink, and purple as the sun begins to set on the horizon. Standing off to the side is Adelaide Granger, who stands a wide stake; tied around it are four straw figures. Each figure has a headshot of each member of Team BoB on it. At their feet was dried out hay and stick, at Addy’s feet was a canister of gasoline. As they approach, Addy smiles their way and walks over to four torches, which she begins to light. Betsy turns back to her team.

“Figures like Thunder Knuckles and Bobby Bourbon would try to malign us with boorish wordplay and unlaughable humor. They’ve gotten away with being all talk and no substance for much too long; come War Games, Lycana and I will enjoy tearing our teeth into their meaty flesh as we tear them apart, limb by limb. Games may be a part of the title, but there will be nothing playful about the wrath the girls are going to put down on those worthless fucks.” Lycana licks her lips and chomps dramatically. “Girls get it done, something Miss Fury might try to use for herself. Unfortunately, she doesn’t have nearly as much heart or a smidge of the motivation we do. Look at how desperate you’ve truly made me; in lieu of Atara fucking off, I’ve turned to someone I know would rather be in Mexico with his girlfriend. I don’t blame him, but he also knows how important this is, not just to me, but for the XWF… And the fact that I’ve been forced to pull him from his vacation hasn’t exactly made Shawn Warstein a happy camper.” Shawn flashes Betsy a bemused look. She smiles sheepishly. “I may be the one who interrupted his bliss, but I’m not the one he’s gonna take it out on. And last but not least, Reggie Estrada has proved to us that he’s ready to step up and take this match in his hands. Unlike the blob that calls itself Money Oswald, Reggie is a keen athlete and a lethal threat between the ropes. It would be unwise to turn your back on him in favor of the rest of us; it’s exactly the moment he’ll strike. I wouldn’t want to be the person who wrote him off. We may not have the solid group dynamic as BoB… But you’ll never have the same drive that pushes us forward. That pushes a lot of these teams forward.”

Betsy and her crew walk over to the torches where the flames were dancing in the breeze. Everyone grabs one while Adelaide pours the gasoline over the fire.

“BoB won’t go down easy, many have tried. But that doesn’t make the task impossible, we just have to know where to strike. They’ve made themselves vulnerable in their predictability as a group. The only reason they seem like a powerhouse is that we’ve allowed them to attack us in numbers for far too long. It’s true that all the teams around us pose a threat, but if there was ever a team to rally against…

Blows have been struck against BoB, but I’m looking for so much more now. If it was my chaotic side you wanted all this time, all you had to do was ask. Now that you’ve provoked her, you may not be so glad that you did. My team and I are going into War Games with one objective for Team BoB:

Burn them all.”

With that, all four members touch their touches to the kindling and watch as it begins to blaze around the stake. The straw figures are quickly engulfed by the flames. Betsy watches this before turning back to the camera, a sinister smile on her face.

“I hope you’re watching this closely, Chris Page. After I dispose of your cock holster and hired guns at War Games, you’re next.”

The team is all malicious smiles as the camera fades to black.

FORMER