Chronicle 17
Cathy Greenwall stopped outside one of the Academy's larger
meeting rooms.
"You ready?"
Joanna smiled nervously.
"I've wrestled in front of twenty thousand
people."
"So no."
Cathy laughed.
"Fair enough."
She opened the door.
Inside sat three women.
The first immediately stood.
Tall.
Athletic.
Perfect posture.
Not a hair out of place.
Marcy Carter.
Known to wrestling fans as Magnolia Wine.
She crossed the room and offered Joanna a firm handshake.
"Good to finally work together."
"You too."
Everything about Marcy was measured.
Precise.
Almost military.
Nothing about her felt accidental.
Joanna had heard the stories.
Marcy's great-grandmother, Maven Totts, had become the first
woman to play major league baseball nearly eighty years earlier.
Athletic excellence wasn't simply expected in the Carter
family.
It was tradition.
Marcy had simply chosen wrestling instead.
The second woman barely looked up from her phone.
"So..."
She said dryly.
"You're the new one."
Leah van Dahl.
Georgia Peach.
Former Empress of Combat Arts.
More than once.
Never for very long.
She slipped the phone into her pocket and finally stood.
"I'm Leah."
"Joanna."
Leah smiled politely.
Not warmly.
Just enough.
The third woman waved enthusiastically from the sofa.
"Carly."
Joanna smiled.
"Cotton Candy."
"Only when they're paying me."
Carly Sweeting laughed.
She immediately got up and hugged Joanna.
"So glad you're here."
Joanna hugged her back.
"You too."
Within seconds Joanna understood why everyone seemed to like
Carly.
She had a way of making a room feel less tense simply by
existing.
Cathy clapped once.
"Excellent."
"Now..."
"...let's talk about The Total Babes."
Nobody spoke.
Cathy looked around.
"I'll start."
She opened her binder.
"Georgia."
"The face of the group."
Leah nodded.
"Makes sense."
"Magnolia."
"The backbone."
Marcy simply folded her arms.
"...and Sugar Cane."
"The wildcard."
Joanna listened quietly.
"Cotton Candy."
"The heart."
Carly smiled.
"I like that."
Cathy looked pleased.
"So..."
"I'd like to hear your thoughts."
Marcy answered first.
"I don't particularly care who's standing in
front."
"I care whether everyone is prepared."
"If we're going to be the top faction..."
"...we train like it."
"We travel together."
"We arrive early."
"We leave late."
"We don't embarrass ourselves."
Leah leaned back.
"You missed one."
Marcy looked over.
"What?"
"We also apparently stop sleeping."
Marcy ignored the comment.
"If that's what it takes."
Leah sighed.
"See?"
"There it is."
Cathy raised an eyebrow.
"There what is?"
Leah looked toward Joanna.
"You'll learn."
"Marcy treats everything like military training."
Marcy answered immediately.
"I treat it like professionalism."
Leah groaned.
"I've spent twenty years hearing..."
"'This is your year.'"
"'Big push coming.'"
"'Just wait.'"
Leah shrugged.
"I'm done believing promises."
"I'm here."
"I'll do my job."
"...but forgive me if I don't start planning
championship celebrations."
The room became quiet.
Carly broke it.
"I still think this can work."
Everyone looked at her.
She smiled.
"We've all wanted something."
"We're all still here."
"That has to count for something."
Joanna finally spoke.
"I think she's right."
Three pairs of eyes turned toward her.
"I don't know any of you very well."
"I've shared locker rooms."
"I've said hello."
"...but this..."
She smiled.
"...this is different."
"I don't expect us to become best friends
overnight."
"...but..."
"...I'd like us to become a team."
Marcy nodded once.
"I can work with that."
Leah shrugged.
"We'll see."
Carly grinned.
"Progress."
Cathy closed the binder.
"All right."
"One more thing."
She looked around the room.
"I don't want four separate wrestlers wearing matching
colours."
"I want a faction."
"A personality."
"A chemistry."
She pointed around the room.
"You four have to figure out who The Total Babes
actually are."
Nobody answered immediately.
Joanna looked around the room.
Marcy.
Disciplined.
Demanding.
Reliable.
Leah.
Talented.
Frustrated.
Waiting for one last opportunity.
Carly.
Steady.
Optimistic.
The peacemaker.
...and Joanna.
Still learning how to become Sugar Cane.
It struck Joanna that Vince hadn't created The Total Babes.
He'd assembled four women and given them a name.
Everything else...
They would have to build together.
Leah broke the silence first.
She leaned back in her chair and folded her arms.
"All right."
"You want to know how this goes?"
Nobody interrupted.
"I'll save everyone some time."
She counted on her fingers.
"We debut."
"We dominate."
"I'm Georgia Peach."
"I'm the mouthpiece."
"The face."
"The one doing all the interviews."
She shrugged.
"I win the Imperial Crown."
"Cotton and Sugar probably get the tag belts."
"Magnolia wins something secondary."
"Everybody gets a nice long title reign."
She looked at Marcy.
"Then..."
"...Magnolia gets jealous."
Marcy didn't react.
"You challenge me."
"You beat me."
"The faction explodes."
"Cotton and Sugar either pick a side..."
"...or get quietly shuffled into something else."
She smiled without humour.
"The end."
Silence.
Carly finally spoke.
"I mean..."
"...that's not the worst story."
Leah looked over.
"Of course you'd say that."
"What does that mean?"
"It means you actually believe this thing has a
future."
"You want it to work."
"I do."
"You have to."
Carly frowned.
"What is that supposed to mean?"
Leah sighed.
"It might be your last shot."
The room became noticeably colder.
Carly didn't answer immediately.
Instead she looked down at the table.
"...Maybe."
She admitted it quietly.
"...but that doesn't make me wrong."
Marcy finally entered the conversation.
"It also doesn't make you right."
Cathy pinched the bridge of her nose.
"We've been together ten minutes."
Joanna quietly listened.
Leah wasn't angry.
She was tired.
Marcy wasn't cold.
She was demanding.
Carly wasn't naïve.
She simply wanted to believe.
Finally Joanna spoke.
"...It doesn't have to be like that."
Leah turned toward her.
"No?"
"No."
Leah folded her arms again.
"Okay."
"What is it going to be then?"
Joanna opened her mouth.
Nothing came out.
Cathy stepped in.
"Actually..."
"I should probably tell you something."
Everyone looked at her.
"I've spoken with Vince."
"...and?"
Leah asked.
"He doesn't see this as another cookie-cutter women's
faction."
"He wants you to become..."
She searched for the right phrase.
"...the faces of the company."
Leah laughed.
"Oh, come on."
"I'm serious."
"So am I."
Leah shook her head.
"We're not Hulk Hogan."
"We're not Logan Creed."
"The only other thing I can picture is us getting built
up..."
"...just so Courtney Gilmour beats all of us."
Nobody immediately argued.
Joanna hated how believable Leah made it sound.
Still...
"There has to be something different."
Leah looked at her.
"Like what?"
Joanna thought aloud.
"What if..."
"...we weren't always wrestling?"
Leah frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"I don't know..."
"Maybe we influence other matches."
Leah immediately rolled her eyes.
"So..."
"...arm candy."
Marcy nodded once.
"I can absolutely see Vince suggesting that."
"No."
Joanna shook her head.
"Not like that."
"I'm just saying-"
Before she could finish...
Carly suddenly leaned forward.
"...Wait."
Everyone looked at her.
"No."
"I actually think she's onto something."
Leah raised an eyebrow.
"You do?"
"We already know how they're going to market us."
"Our looks."
"Our personalities."
"Our image."
She shrugged.
"We're not changing that."
"So..."
"...weaponize it."
Silence.
Carly continued.
"Not by standing at ringside looking pretty."
"That's boring."
"What if..."
"...people actually needed us?"
Marcy leaned forward slightly.
"Explain."
"The men's division."
"They all want championships."
"They all want opportunities."
"What if..."
"...the Babes decide who gets them?"
Leah frowned.
"How?"
"We influence matches."
"We interfere."
"We make alliances."
"We back people."
"We abandon people."
"We make wrestlers wonder..."
"'If I help them...'"
"'...will they help me?'"
She smiled.
"They're all trying to earn our favour."
Joanna's eyes widened.
"We're not distractions."
"No."
Carly nodded.
"We're power."
"We're the people behind the people."
Marcy slowly smiled.
"The powers behind the throne."
Cathy's pen immediately began racing across her notebook.
"Keep talking."
Leah sat quietly for several moments.
Finally...
"...That's..."
She sighed.
"...actually different."
Nobody celebrated.
It wasn't a finished idea.
It wasn't even close.
...but for the first time since the meeting had begun...
The four women weren't arguing about what Vince might do to
them.
They were imagining what they could do themselves.
...and for the first time...
The Total Babes felt less like four wrestlers placed in
matching colours...
...and more like the beginning of something dangerous.
Vince McGeady's office overlooked the Academy gym.
From his window he could watch three rings at once.
He claimed it helped him spot stars.
Cathy Greenwall suspected it mostly helped him keep an eye
on everyone.
She stepped inside carrying a binder.
"You wanted to see me?"
Vince looked up.
"You've got something."
"I do."
He leaned back.
"Go."
Cathy opened the binder.
"The Total Babes."
Vince nodded.
"What about them?"
"I think we should rethink what they are."
"They're the dominant women's faction."
"I know."
"They'll win."
"They'll make money."
"They'll get over."
Cathy smiled politely.
"I don't think that's enough."
Vince folded his arms.
"No?"
"No."
She walked toward the whiteboard.
"Right now..."
"...they dominate the women's division."
She drew a small circle.
"What happens after that?"
"They keep winning."
"For how long?"
He shrugged.
"Until somebody beats them."
"...and then?"
"They break up."
"They feud."
"They make money."
Cathy smiled.
"Exactly."
Vince frowned.
"What?"
"We've done that."
"We've done it dozens of times."
She turned back toward him.
"I've just come from a meeting with the girls."
"They came up with something."
"Oh?"
"They don't want to just dominate the women's
division."
"They want influence."
Vince raised an eyebrow.
"What kind of influence?"
"They become kingmakers."
Silence.
He waited.
"They interfere in men's stories."
"They decide who receives opportunities."
"They decide who's worthy of championship
matches."
"They back wrestlers."
"They abandon wrestlers."
"They become..."
She smiled.
"...the powers behind the throne."
Vince considered it.
Finally...
"I wasn't really thinking beyond the women's
division."
"I know."
"I figured four stars together..."
"...they'd become popular."
"They probably will."
Cathy nodded.
"...but that's not enough."
She took a deep breath.
"Vince."
"You know I love working here."
"You also know I'm going to tell you the truth."
He smiled.
"You usually do."
"The women aren't actually treated equally."
Vince frowned.
"They're presented equally."
"On paper."
She nodded.
"In practice?"
She looked him directly in the eye.
"When they get thirty seconds on a three-hour
show..."
"...that's not equality."
He didn't interrupt.
"I also know you."
She smiled.
"Do you?"
"You'll eventually want love stories."
"I always want love stories."
"I know."
"You'll put one of them beside a male star."
"You'll create jealousy."
"You'll create romance."
"You'll create betrayal."
He smiled.
"They work."
"They do."
"...but..."
She closed the binder.
"...what if we did something different?"
He leaned forward.
"I'm listening."
"What if..."
"...the seductresses have agency?"
"What if they're powerful?"
"What if the audience realizes..."
"...the men need them..."
"...more than they need the men?"
Vince tilted his head.
"You want intergender wrestling?"
"No."
"Although..."
She shrugged.
"I'm not opposed."
"That's not the point."
"The point..."
She walked toward the window.
"...is to flip expectations."
He remained silent.
"We've spent decades making women secondary characters
in men's stories."
"What if..."
"...the men became secondary characters in
theirs?"
Vince's expression didn't change.
...but Cathy noticed he hadn't interrupted her once.
"The Babes influence title matches."
"They influence careers."
"They create alliances."
"They destroy alliances."
"They become the people everyone wants on their
side."
She smiled.
"...and then?"
Vince asked quietly.
"Then every other woman on the roster notices."
He frowned.
"Go on."
"They want that power too."
"They start forming alliances."
"They oppose The Babes."
"They steal opportunities."
"They compete politically."
"They build factions."
"They stop waiting for the men's stories to make them
important."
She pointed toward the arena below.
"They make themselves important."
Silence filled the office.
Vince slowly stood.
Walked toward the window.
Folded his arms.
He watched two trainees running the ropes below.
"They came up with this?"
"They started it."
"I helped shape it."
Another silence.
Finally...
"Hm."
Cathy knew that sound.
She'd worked with Vince long enough.
"Hm" meant he was thinking.
Not rejecting.
Thinking.
He turned around.
"I still want them dominating."
"They can."
"I still want Georgia as the face."
"She can be."
"I still want Sugar Cane becoming a star."
"So do I."
He nodded slowly.
"Interesting."
That was all.
No approval.
No rejection.
Just...
"Interesting."
Cathy smiled to herself as she gathered her binder.
She had learned long ago that Vince McGeady never announced
his best ideas in the meeting where he heard them.
He let them grow.
As she reached the door, Vince spoke again.
"Cathy."
She turned.
"If we do this..."
"...they don't become side characters."
"No."
"They become the story."
A smile finally crossed Vince's face.
"Now..."
"...that sounds like money."
Cathy left the office believing something had shifted.
Maybe not much.
Maybe only a little.
...but sometimes...
A little was all it took.
The Academy ring had become considerably louder.
"Again."
Marcy clapped her hands once.
"No hesitation."
The four women reset.
Georgia Peach stood on the apron.
Cotton Candy and Sugar Cane occupied opposite corners.
Magnolia Wine stood in the middle of the ring.
"Ready?"
Joanna nodded.
The sequence began.
Leah charged.
Joanna ducked underneath.
Carly followed with a dropkick.
Marcy stepped in with a clothesline.
Reset.
Again.
Again.
Again.
The timing improved with every repetition.
Leah climbed through the ropes.
"I'll admit it."
She caught her breath.
"This is already feeling smoother."
Marcy nodded.
"It should."
"We've been drilling it for an hour."
Joanna smiled.
"You're relentless."
"I prefer 'prepared.'"
Carly laughed.
"Same thing."
They began another sequence.
This time Joanna moved almost instinctively.
Every step.
Every transition.
Every strike landed exactly where it should.
The others noticed.
Again.
Again.
Again.
Finally Marcy called for a break.
Everyone reached for their water bottles.
Marcy looked directly at Joanna.
"...You've gotten ridiculous."
Joanna frowned.
"What?"
"You've always been good."
"...but this..."
Marcy shook her head.
"...this is different."
Leah nodded.
"I was thinking the same thing."
"You've become..."
She searched for the word.
"...effortless."
Carly smiled.
"I've never seen you move like that."
Joanna shrugged awkwardly.
"I had some good coaching."
"The mountain man?"
Joanna grinned.
"My big sexy mountain man."
Leah laughed.
"You're actually sticking with that nickname?"
"He earned it."
Marcy folded her arms.
"How good is he?"
Joanna thought for a moment.
"...Very."
"Are you as good as him now?"
Joanna immediately shook her head.
"I'm not saying that."
Leah looked genuinely confused.
"Why not?"
"Because..."
Joanna smiled.
"I don't think like that."
"I'm just trying to become a better wrestler than I was
yesterday. He helped."
Marcy sighed.
"I hate humble people."
"You don't."
"No."
She admitted.
"...but I also hate that you're probably the best
wrestler in this company now."
Joanna blinked.
"I don't believe that."
"We do," Carly replied.
Leah nodded.
"You absolutely are."
Joanna simply smiled and changed the subject.
"So..."
"What about our finishers?"
Everyone groaned.
Marcy pointed toward the ropes.
"Exactly."
"We need something."
"Something good."
"Not..."
Leah rolled her eyes.
"...The Face Sitter."
Carly visibly cringed.
"Please don't even joke."
"I've seen worse."
Marcy muttered.
"We are not winning matches with innuendo."
"We're winning them with wrestling."
Joanna looked around the gym.
"...Daniel!"
Daniel Miles looked up from another ring.
"Hm?"
Marcy beckoned him over.
"We need ideas."
Daniel climbed through the ropes.
"What kind?"
"A group finish."
"Maybe a tag finish."
"Something Vince likes."
Leah added quickly,
"...and something that doesn't inspire him to invent
another embarrassing move."
Daniel laughed.
"Fair request."
He looked at each woman in turn.
"All right."
"What are your strengths?"
Marcy answered immediately.
"Power."
"Carly?"
"Speed."
"Leah?"
"Timing."
Joanna shrugged.
"...Adaptation."
Daniel smiled.
"That's actually useful."
He began pacing around the ring.
"What if..."
He pointed toward Marcy.
"You hit the big move."
"Carly cuts off the save."
"Leah keeps the referee occupied."
Joanna finishes."
Leah frowned.
"So my job is distracting referees?"
"For this sequence."
"I don't hate it."
Daniel continued thinking.
"Or..."
"The four of you don't need one finisher."
"You need several."
Everyone looked at him.
"Champions evolve."
"So should factions."
"A four-person finish."
"A tag finish."
"Something spontaneous."
"So opponents never know which ending is coming."
Marcy nodded slowly.
"I like that."
Joanna smiled.
"So do I."
Daniel climbed back out of the ring.
"I'll sketch out a few ideas."
"...and before anyone asks..."
He looked over his shoulder.
"No."
"I'm not calling one of them 'The Face Sitter.'"
The four women burst into laughter.
As Daniel disappeared toward another ring, Leah shook her
head.
"You know..."
"...this might actually work."
Marcy looked around the ring.
Four women.
Four different personalities.
Four different ambitions.
Yet somehow...
The movements were beginning to synchronize.
Not because they had become friends.
Because they were slowly becoming a team.
Joanna leaned against the wall outside one of the Imperial
Academy training halls, her gym bag hanging from one shoulder. The building had
grown quiet. Most of the trainees had gone home hours ago, leaving only the
occasional thud from a ring being dismantled somewhere in the distance.
She checked the time.
Far too late by Cleveland standards.
Probably just right for Daral Lake.
She smiled and pressed the call button.
The phone barely rang once.
"Joanna."
"Hi."
Zas immediately heard it.
"You sound tired."
"I am."
There was a long sigh from Joanna, followed by an
unmistakable laugh.
"…but it's the good kind."
"I'm listening."
She slid down the wall until she was sitting on the floor.
"I think we're actually becoming a team."
"Oh?"
"The Total Babes." She grinned despite nobody
being there to see it. "We're finally starting to click."
"What changed?"
"I don't know if it was one thing."
She rested her head against the wall.
"We've been rehearsing entrances together... practicing
the tandem offense... talking through promos... figuring out who does what
without stepping on each other's toes."
"There are still a few rough spots."
"I'm still occasionally in Magnolia's way."
"Cotton and I mistime things every now and then."
"Georgia is still learning when to interfere without
looking obvious."
"…but..."
She laughed again.
"We're operational."
There was unmistakable pride in her voice.
"…and Sugar Cane..."
"What about Sugar Cane?"
"I think she finally exists."
Zas smiled.
"You've found her."
"I really have."
"I know what she sounds like now."
"I know how she walks."
"I know how she smiles."
"I know when she's Joanna and when she's... well...
Sugar."
She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
"…and the funny thing is..."
"A lot of my ideas actually survived."
"Oh?"
"The Blue Rose."
"The entrance."
"The music."
"The whole unattainable thing."
"The little details."
"I kept waiting for Vince to throw half of them in the
trash."
"He didn't."
Zas chuckled softly.
"So he gave you no trouble?"
"Oh, he gave me one."
She rolled her eyes.
"He wanted to call our tag finisher..."
She paused dramatically.
"...'The Climax.'"
Silence.
Then Zas said, very carefully,
"I see."
"I told him absolutely not."
"You refused."
"I fought him."
"You fought Vince McGeady."
"I did."
"…and won."
"I did."
"What convinced him?"
"I think Cathy nearly died trying not to laugh."
"Triple X just buried his face in his notebook."
"Eventually Vince shrugged and said, 'Fine. Pick
something better.'"
"So we did."
Zas smiled.
"I suppose I should ask."
"You may."
"What is the finisher called?"
Joanna grinned.
"Nope."
"No?"
"You'll have to watch the first match."
He laughed.
"So there is a first match."
"There is."
That immediately caught his attention.
"When?"
"Not Buffalo."
"No?"
She shook her head.
"They changed plans."
"We're debuting on Combat Arts television first."
"The story is that the four of us are officially coming
together."
"We'll get the audience used to us."
"Then we'll set up another match for the Premium Live
Event."
"So Buffalo becomes the next chapter instead of the
first."
"I think it's smarter."
Zas nodded, though she couldn't see him.
"It allows people to know who you are before asking
them to care."
"Exactly."
There was a brief silence.
Then Zas sighed.
"Hm."
"What?"
"I wonder whether we shall need another feast."
Joanna laughed.
"Oh no."
"The Elder may object."
"I can already hear him."
"'Another feast? We held one last week.'"
"'The grain stores are not limitless, Zas.'"
Joanna covered her face with one hand, laughing harder.
"I'm sorry."
"I don't make the television schedule."
"I barely know the television schedule."
"Wrestling just... works like this."
"You do one show."
"Then another."
"Then another."
"Sometimes you don't wrestle for two weeks."
"Sometimes you wrestle three nights in five days."
"It's wonderfully disorganized."
"So this problem belongs to Daral Lake."
"It does."
"You'll have to negotiate with your Elder."
Zas sighed theatrically.
"I fear this will require diplomacy."
"Peace has nothing on convincing the Elder to authorize
a second celebration."
She laughed again.
"I'm staying out of that one."
"Wise."
"I learned from the best."
"You learned diplomacy from me?"
"No."
She smiled.
"I learned survival."
That earned a genuine laugh from Zas.
"Fair enough."
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
They simply enjoyed hearing the other breathing across half
the world.
Finally Joanna stretched her aching shoulders.
"I should head home."
"The girls are probably asleep."
"I hope."
"I hope so as well."
She smiled.
"I'll call you after the match."
"I'll be waiting."
"…and Zas?"
"Yes?"
"I'm really proud of this."
"I know."
His answer came without hesitation.
"I can hear it."
She closed her eyes.
"Good."
"I wanted you to."
"Then sleep."
"You've earned it."
"I'll try."
"Goodnight, Joanna."
"Goodnight, Zas."
The call ended.
Joanna remained seated on the Academy floor for another
minute, smiling to herself.
Sugar Cane was no longer just an idea.
In a few days, the world would finally meet her.