Meanwhile, Sadie Davis skips into the Countdown locker room to find Red hunched over on a bench. ‘Poor guy! Sadie thinks. 'He looks down. Well, he’ll pep up soon enough when he hears my news!' “Hi-de-ho, Red!” Sadie says cheerfully.
Red is still slumped, head spinning thinking about Megan and how hurt and broken she must feel to walk out like she just did. On him. Then he hears an all-too-familiar voice. Looking up, he starts to say, “Sadie? What the f-- What are you doing here?”
“I’ve decided to apply for a spot in Countdown,” she chirps. “I’ve been working on my resume all night!” Sadie holds up a sheet of coffee-stained paper, “Granted it’s a little thin. Those six months on the Motel 6 apartment wrestling circuit were not my proudest moments, but, hey, the $10 winner purses were nothing to sneeze at!”
After a pause, Sadie decides she might need to accentuate a bit more of the positive from her past. “And let’s see...there are those couple of wins against Emily Layne early in my career but big whoop, right? Who hasn’t beat that poor girl up? But, lookee here! ‘Trained at Red’s Gym.’ That ought to count for something!”
While Sadie goes on, Red can't believe what he's hearing. She wants to be in Countdown? 'That fucking Callista Quinn has done nothing but use me and pretty much strip almost everything away from me. And now. Now she's...Sadie...Sadie wants...I can't...process...' Red's heart pounds in his ears as his Irish rage rises up within him. And he bites it down because standing before him is his heart, looking up at him with a questioning expression. Red is determined to remain calm, so he answers “Join Countdown?!? I'm trying to get the hell away from Countdown!!!” It's possible that wasn't quite as calm as he'd hoped.
“What?" Sadie says in disbelief, "Why would you want to leave the promised land? Come on, Red! Callista is the World Champion! I’ve heard she might even be in the new Expendables movie; which means if we play our cards right, cameo! PLUS! When I go to the ring, I’ll have two or three people watching my back at all times. Last but not least, I might FINALLY be able to sell some merch...my 'Sadie is the Club Sandwich of Wrestling' t-shirt – which, granted, in retrospect, doesn’t make any sense - is flopping.”
Behind his mask, Red frowns. This explanation doesn't sound right to him. He knows Sadie isn't a joiner. Not for those frivolous reasons. 'She...she's holding something back. From me. How the fuck can this day get any worse?' “Sadie, we both know it took months of me hounding you here and there with those back and forth texts just to get you to meet with me and discuss having you join my gym. You are the farthest thing away from being a volunteer in this crazy army of Callista's. Now you wanna tell me what really has you here instead of trying to blow smoke up my ass?”
Sadie's still smiling, but that smile takes on an edge. She steps close to Red and jabs a finger into his chest. “I don’t know, Red! Maybe it’s because I’m tired of you slobbering like a pathetic dog when NOBODIES like Virginia Dare show up on TV. Maybe I’m sick of you waltzing into the Countdown locker room every week singing Kumbayah with these psycho-witches while I'm out in the ring fighting for my life. Maybe if it takes me jumping on this crazy train to get you to pay attention to me, then choo fucking choo!”
“First, forget about Jenny. That was a lifetime ago and before I met you. Second, I never ever sing Kumbayah. Third, crazy train, you don't know the half of it. I only fought Gemma to see if I could get her on my side against the coming threat of Callista. When I lost I thought no problem, same result. Punky and Gemma are gonna recruit Rowan and all four of us are gonna stop Callista. Then Punky decides her gripe with Rowan is more a threat than Callista fucking Quinn.”
Sadie's eyes darted to the side, but Red was determine to get this all off of his chest. “And that led to that psycho Aika. Aika took out Gemma, hurt me and now is the reason Punky is leaving Countdown. Shit darlin’, I'm trying to get away from this madhouse and you wanna waltz in?”
“Red,” Sadie attempts to interject, but he continues undeterred.
“Callista fucking Quinn is the coldest woman I've ever seen. She moves us around the gameboard to suit her whims. Everyone else is playing checkers and she's playing chess. If you come into this, she will take every thing you know and twist it. She will take your desires and screw them up so you want what's best for her.”
Recognizing she wasn't going to get a word in edgewise, Sadie has taken to pointing behind him.
“She will use you like toilet paper and...and she's right behind me isn't she?” Red says, finally noticing the pointing.
“Yes she is,” Callista says, stepping around him and heading to her locker, setting the duffel bag down on the bench. “I was entertained right up until your last simile. A tad vile, that.” Her nose wrinkles as she expresses her distaste. She starts pulling her gear out of the duffel. Quite casually, she takes out the FTW championship belt, setting it where Red and Sadie (especially the latter) can both get a good look. “But while I'd encourage you to use better analogies, please don't cease your conversation on my account, she says, seeming otherwise completely unperturbed by the content of Red's rant.
Sadie's eyes are fixated on the title belt. In her head, the room fades around her as a choir of angels bursts into Beethoven's Ode to Joy, the cheap fluorescent lights reflecting off of the gold buckle like a divine halo. 'This is it. The ultimate trophy. Everything.' The girl cannot take her eyes off of it. 'I wonder if Callista would let me lick it?' she thinks, when the corner of her eye catches Red, his knuckles going white.
'Red, you sweet, well-meaning Boy Scout. You are not ruining this for me,' Sadie thinks. She steps around the Red Enforcer and holds out her coffee-stained resume to Callista. “Hello, Ms. Quinn. I’m Sadie Davis. We met briefly in the ring a couple of weeks ago. I was the girl in the tank top trying to kill you. I was wondering if there might be a place for me in your Countdown organization. I’m a hard worker and have a 'can-do' attitude that can’t be beat!”
Red finds his voice, knowing he needs to do something to stop this. “Fine, I will keep going. Calli will put out whatever carrot she thinks will work on you and use you so that she gets what she wants while keeping the prize just outside your reach. You don't want this, Sadie. Once you are in, you can't get out. You deserve better. You can be so much more.”
Callista smirks at Red's comment, “So basically I'm every promoter any of us have ever worked for, before? Interesting.” She accepts the resume from Sadie, giving it a quick once-over to see if she can find anything in there that wasn't in the research she'd conducted earlier today. “He's correct though,” Callista says as she reads, still calm as a pond in summer, “I will use you to get what I want. As you are here to use us to get what you want. That's how mutually beneficial arrangements occur, after all.” She turns to face the masked Countdowner, “And you realize you are saying this literally minutes after Megan did, in fact, get out? Honestly Red, I'm not sure how it's possible to be both overly cynical and stunningly naive in the same paragraph, but I do believe you've managed it,” she says, shaking her head.
Red grits his teeth, not caring for the reminder of Megan's departure. He spits out, “You only let Megan go because you know she would kick your ass if you tried to stop her.” And the instant that leaves his mouth, he winces. Callista's jaw sets just a bit in annoyance, but it's not Callista that Red is worried about just now. While Callista is irked by the implication that she fears Megan, she also recognizes that he just implied she wouldn't have any cause to fear Sadie.
Sadie, however, has other things in mind. “Whoa, what? Megan's gone?” She's thinking that if Countdown is down one, that being accepted doesn't seem like such a long shot after all. “I’m willing to dye my hair a funny color if you're looking for a new clown to replace her!”
Callista has to bite her lip to keep from smiling at that. “Do I take this to mean you are voting no on allowing her to join? she asks Red. When the four of them formed Countdown, Callista herself suggested a set of rules that would ensure that her role as leader would have checks upon it, such as one that new members would need approval from a majority of existing members. Not that Callista has any intention of allowing such rules to hinder her, but in any event, she's quite curious to see just how far Red will go with this.
“Damn right I'm voting no," he says. "And there's no way in hell Gemma would vote yes. So this will be moot.” He declines to mention that Gemma does not care for him 'hanging out' with Sadie. But he knows this will be over once Gemma chimes in. Although Sadie sends Red a look that would peel the paint off of the wall behind him, it's less than he was expecting. For his part, Red didn't intend to imply that Sadie wasn't as tough as Megan, just that she isn't experienced enough yet to jump in the deep end. Red thinks he dodged a bullet there.
Red is wrong. Callista was going to cushion the blow on this one in the name of team unity, but she feels Red's earned himself a little payback, tonight. Returning to an air of unruffled calm, Callista glances towards Sadie and says, “He may be right. Not sure, myself. Gemma makes Megan look predictable, sometimes.”
Callista reaches into the pocket of her black Countdown hoodie, saying, “Only one way to find out,” before swiping at the screen and tapping at it.
Sadie squirms and fidgets nervously, while Red stands there with his arms crossed, confident in the outcome of this call. After three double-beeps, Gemma's voice can be heard offering a bleary, “Hello?”
“Hey Gems,” Calli says into the phone."
“Oh, you again.”
“Yeah, me again. Listen, I know you're tired, but Sadie Davis is asking to join Countdown. Wanted to get your vote on that.
“Oh fuck yes.
A smile erupted on Sadie's face, while Red did a literal double-take. Callista tilted her head and noted, “Red's opposed. That a problem for you?”
“Nah, can't be arsed to care.” Red's jaw drops.
“Very well. Take care, Gemma.”
“Later Calli.”
Callista pressed a single button on the side of her phone and tucked it back into her pocket. “One vote for. One against. It seems the decision is mine.” Red is still standing there, arms crossed, jaw wide open. 'The nice part about a democracy is the illusion of control it provides', Callista thinks, 'In an autocracy, it's blatantly obvious who's fucking you over.' “Before I make my decision, there's one question I want to ask. Why did you lay down for me in the semi-final match?”
Sadie's mouth goes dry. This is it. Everything she wants stripped down to one question. For a split second, she thinks about playing dumb and telling Callista that she's got no idea what she's talking about, that the Countdown leader pinned her fair and square. But something tells Sadie that trick doesn't work with her. She wants to tell Callista that she wants to join Countdown to keep Red close. And that's a HUGE part of it. But not all of it. She steps up to Callista, tilting her head back to look the taller woman in the eyes, her heart pounding. “Because you're everything I want to be. Teach me how to be you and I will do anything you fucking want.”
Red turns to Sadie and looks at her. Looks at her like he's seeing her for the first time. She wants to be Callista? The crazy, spunky girl that caught his eye and stole his heart is now saying she wants to be...Callista? That soulless monster? That unfeeling ice queen who loves nothing but herself? 'What...what does that mean about...us?' Red slumps down to the bench. Stunned. He can feel the strings tied to him. From Sadie. From Callista. In between them, all wrapping around his chest, tugging tighter until he can't breathe. The masked man stares blankly out into space.
None of which goes unnoticed by Callista. As soon as Sadie answered, Callista looked to Red. Because, mask or no, Callista had quickly determined that he was much much easier to read than Sadie. ‘Teach me how to be you,’ she had asked. It could be true. She was champion, merch money was pouring in, and she had a cadre of allies (or minions) around her to do her bidding. 'Why wouldn't an ambitious young woman want to be me?'
Of course, it could also be an exceedingly bold ploy. An audacious, bald-faced play on Callista's considerable ego. For what motive? Undetermined. All Callista knew was that she would find no answer in the girl's big brown eyes. So she looked to Red. Who seemed to be halfway to an aneurysm over there 'Shock,' Callista thought. 'The notion that I'm what she aspires to is one he finds absolutely shocking. Which means it's a lie.'
While Callista looks at Red, Sadie watches Callista. She wasn't entirely truthful. She doesn't want to be anything like Callista. What she wants is what Callista has. The belt, the money, the power. And she will do whatever it takes to get it.
Callista looks back to Sadie and smiles. It took some processing, but the FTW champion got what she needed from that question. “Very well, I will,” she says, holding a hand out towards Sadie, smiling warmly and saying, “Welcome to Countdown.” Callista was always going to say yes, for her own purposes, of course. She just wanted to take the measure of her new comrade first.
Sadie looks into Callista's eyes, reaching out and accepting the offered hand. Sadie notices that the smile on Callista's lips is completely absent from the woman's icy blue eyes. Sadie's smile is exactly the same.
However much truth was in Sadie's answer, Callista recognizes that she is a human being, one with her own hopes and dreams...and that means she can't be trusted. Only watched. That done, there's just one more piece of business to attend to. 'I could almost pity him, if his troubles weren't entirely of his own making.' “Speaking of which, Red. You and I had an arrangement regarding Miss Davis here. Given her status now as a member of Countdown, that's no longer necessary, so, while I don't quite know what your thing with Gemma is, as far as our agreement goes, you're entirely free to leave if that's what you want.”
Sadie blinks at that, looking confusedly at Red. Red looks up, feeling that dagger stabbing deeply into his heart. The offer of freedom is no real offer at all. It's a reminder that with Sadie in Countdown, he can never leave. Callista just wounded him for daring to challenge her. With no words to answer, he laughs.
He laughs, and laughs, and laughs. Not a joyful laugh. Not a melodic laugh. A laugh that people who sounds as if his mind has retreated and a more callous, hardened side has emerged. One that looks in the face of a domme and slaps her. One that sees a ghost and dresses like an oni. One that sees a mastermind and replies... “No, my dear Callista. I believe I will stay and play. Yes. I will play. Fun times.”
