NaNoWriMo Story Snippets

48. Excerpt from Retribution-sque story

I wanted a change of pace, so I'm playing around with a new idea. Very timeline AU. Basically a Retribution-like group, but this time with Mustafa Ali, Cesaro, Shinsuke, Becky, and maybe some others, planning a heist/sabotage surrounding the retirement of the Divas title and the debut of the new women's title.

Hiding in plain sight wasn't much of a risk when you were practically invisible, but Becky still thought it wasn't necessarily the wisest decision to be discuss their plans in Catering. Then again, it was exactly where everyone assumed they would be, so perhaps Mustafa Ali wasn't completely wrong. The gathering was his idea, but he refused to sit at the head of the table; he insisted that everyone in the group was equal, so they sat on the long sides of the table, leaving the shorter ends empty. Their numbers had dwindled over the past few weeks, so they didn't even need a full table anymore. Too many people were content to collect their cheques and sit backstage in Catering while the same handful of wrestlers got all the opportunities, and when push came to shove, they weren't willing to risk what they had for what they could gain.

"It has to be you, Becky," Mustafa said, leaning forward. "You've got the best chance of success, and it makes the most sense."

Becky wrapped her hands around her coffee cup. She always seemed to have a chill, but being nervous made her hands down-right icy. "Why do I make the most sense? Because I'm the only woman left?" There had been other women in the group before, but she was the last one now. Naomi believed in the cause, but after she married Jimmy Uso, she was worried her involvement could derail his career. Emma was planning to let her contract lapse so she could go wrestle for another promotion. Even Tamina, who was utilized even worse than Becky was, eventually left the fold.

"It would be poetic, don't you think?" Cesaro sipped at his water. He loved coffee even more than Becky did, but he steadfastly refused to drink the coffee that WWE provided backstage. "They're finally getting rid of that Divas belt, and you'll be the first woman on the roster to touch it."

Somehow Becky highly doubted that. Though nothing had been officially declared, everyone assumed Charlotte Flair would win the match and be the first rebranded champion. She had known her chances of winning were slim, but she really thought Sasha Banks at least had a chance of gaining the McMahons' favour. "Charlotte's probably already taken it home," she muttered. "Had it measured so it can have a custom perch in her trophy case."

"Exactly the reason why you should be the one to get it, Becky!" Mustafa insisted. "You're the only one of the Four Horsewomen to have not won the women's title in NXT. Hell, even Paige called you the least relevant woman in the division, and she's someone you considered a friend—someone you worked with and helped."

"Scripts are scripts," Becky said, keeping her gaze down. Paige had apologized profusely for the comment and told Becky she hadn't wanted to say it, but that didn't make it sting any less. This was Becky's second major attempt at a wrestling career and it wasn't going much better than the first.

Ali sat back in his chair and looked around at everyone seated at the table. They were tucked away in a corner, as if the other wrestlers on the roster didn't want their bad fortune to rub off on them. "I know you remember every single slight, and you should. I know it bothers you, and it should. You deserve better, and this is how we make that happen. This is how we strike back. You should have been a champion by now. Cesaro, you should have been the world champion by now. Same for you, Shinsuke. And me. McMahon keeps recycling the same stories, the same characters, but we all know the fans want something more."

"But how will stealing the new belt change anything?" Becky countered, trying to keep her voice down. She knew she had a tendency to be loud, and her accent was very distinct among the roster. "For all we know they have a spare made up just in case something happens to this one."

"That's why we have to do it right before WrestleMania," Mustafa explained. "To make sure they don't have time for back-up plans. The belt will be at Titan Towers right before, so—"

Becky's eyes went painfully wide. "Titan Towers? How the hell am I supposed to get in and out of there unnoticed?"

"Cesaro, Shinsuke, and I all look too much like wrestlers," Mustafa pointed out. "We'd be spotted too quickly. But if you wore a wig and some glasses, you could easily pass as a secretary or—"

Becky didn't feel particularly mad yet: she knew that Mustafa and Shinsuke would stand out in the mostly white workplace and Cesaro's build was too distinctive. "And I don't look like a wrestler?"

Cesaro leaned over and patted her arm. "Of course you do, Becks. But in terms of height, you're not that far off the average for a woman. You could blend in where someone like Charlotte couldn't."

It was hardly flattering, but she knew Cesaro had a point. She had dyed her hair flame red in a bid to stand out—and because WWE lacked subtlety and figured an Irish person should have red hair—but otherwise she could blend in quite well. In her first wrestling run, she could often mingle with the fans and not be recognized until someone heard her laugh.