Armando "Army" Rodriquez Vs. Jackie Saint-Michael: Predators

THUNDERINSILENCE

Single fall, no time limit, No-Holds Barred, Falls count anywhere. Pinfall or KO

After a short but heated promo the other night, the Tension crowd was filled with an electric buzz of anticipation, eager to see the two seemingly mismatched rivals clash. Considering this was her official debut match in the AFW, Jackie Saint-Michael's bold move to make it a No-Holds Barred, Falls Count Anywhere all-out brawl was a brave step, especially given she was heavily outsized and outweighed by the more physically potent Rodriquez. The crowd had quickly gravitated to her over Army during the promo, and only a day later there were a collection of banners and signs being waved, ranging from the well done to the made-it-in-the-back-of-the-car-on-the-way-over. A number were general symbols of Irish pride, but a great many more were shows of support to the petite wrestler, encouraging her to face down her larger opponent and conquer him.

Jackie watched the camera feed panning across the crowd, grinning all the while. She'd expected to garner support from yesterday after turning Army's own promo against him, but this exceeded even her best expectations. The crowd was practically a lynch-mob waiting to happen, and no matter the outcome of the match, Jackie knew she'd walk away with the support of the crowd, a commodity she already had ideas on how best to manipulate to her future advantage. For now though, she had a fight to win, and she expect it would very quickly turn into a brawl every bit as wild and nasty as any she'd been involved in. Last night, Rodriquez had been a wild dog at the end of a very frayed leash, and that made him dangerous, but Jackie knew a thing or two about feral animals in the ring. If the big Hispanic man thought he knew what he was walking into tonight, then he was going to learn the hard way that there were few things Jackie wouldn't do to put an opponent down hard, and keep them there.

Rolling out her neck, bouncing on the balls of her feet and doing a few last-minute limbering stretches, she heard the first bars of her intro music and burst out from behind the backstage curtain, moving with assured purpose down the ramp, one arm raised high to acknowledge her fans (as if they knew a thing about her) as she reached the ring, leaping with athletic grace to the ring apron, then clutching the top rope, she simply cleared them with an acrobatic flip, sticking the landing as she came down bouncing and ready to go, her heartbeat already elevated as she turned her attention back to where she'd just came from.

ACUYA

Carmen was being quiet. Army hated when Carmen was quiet.

He and his sister waited backstage while Skillet blared over the loudspeakers and Jackie started to make her entrance. Physically, he was ready for her. In prime condition. He stood tall in red boxing trunks with a black trim, the RODRIGUEZ name labeled across the front, loud and proud. The matching shoes, laced up and tight. The only thing missing were his gloves, but he had to wrestle without those handy - as much as he liked to just pummel the crap out of everything with his fists, he'd probably have to use his fingers for grabbing before the night was through. Best to keep them free. Carmen was almost through taping his fists up, that would be enough protection for this.

Mentally, though, he wasn't quite sure. He tried to stay confident, bring the same fire he'd brought to all his matches back in Puerto Rico. But some doubts were seeping in, and it didn't help that his sister - who usually wouldn't shut the hell up before his matches - was being tight-lipped all the sudden. Just standing there, all dressed up in her blue jeans and sandals and her little red Tap Out t-shirt, like he wasn't even there.

He let silence reign for a minute before he decided to just break the ice with a jackhammer. "You've got something to say, now's the time to say it."

"Keep you hands still." Carmen stayed focused on wrapping his fists up as he held them out. "You don't want to know what I'm thinking, Armando."

Damn it, that was their mother's scolding voice she'd just used. Not a good sign. "No, but I know you want to say it, so fuck it, just get it out already. Match is starting soon."

She exhaled, long and weak, as she started padding up his knuckles. "Okay." She gave him a quick look, craning her head up just enough to peek at him over the sunglasses. "What if she's right?"

Army canted his head to the side. "Right about...what?"

"Everything. Everything Jackie said happened. Maybe it's true." She finished up and took a moment to check her work, making sure his fists were properly protected. He was. She never messed that stuff up.

Army pulled away and folded his arms, raised his eyebrow, scoffed. "You're serious. You think I'm lying, you think I'm full of shit."

"You're always full of shit, but I didn't say you lied."

"Then what, then?" He threw his arms up. "What's the story, man? Get it the fuck out, come on."

She took a moment to step back and lean up against the wall, getting some distance, like he was about to swing on her. The thought was crossing his mind, he couldn't lie. "How much of that night do you remember? I mean, really remember? You said you were drunk, right?"

"Oh, come on..."

"Armando, I'm serious." Now she was giving him their mother's 'I'm serious' look. Furrowed eyebrows, just a little bit of pout, a subtle lean forward. It was like she'd rehearsed this shit. "You got drunk. Without me to drive you home, idiot, but you were drunk. What if-" He started to speak again, but she held her hand out and cut him off. "What if you did some stupid shit that night and you're just remembering it wrong. Think about it. Just. Think. What do you remember from that night, exactly? I mean, exactly?"

Army looked off the side as he actually did start to give it some serious thought. He remembered Jack kicking his ass, he'd never forget that for the rest of his life. But what else? He remembered hitting on Jack. They talked for a little bit about their homelands, and...stuff. There were some gaps, but he was pretty sure he hadn't said anything too dickish. Did he?

His thoughts ran off as his music started up, and he gave her one final look. "Fuck, it doesn't even matter now, does it? The fight's on. You with me or not?"

She just rolled her eyes and pushed her sunglasses up her face, answering him by simply following him out of the curtains. The two came out to a chorus of boos and jeers, though there were some cheers thrown in there, too - probably more for Carmen than him. She'd actually gotten a little popularity in Tension, drawing in some boxing and MMA fans with her style. Japan was taking to her well. Him, not so much.

He tried his best to ignore a few 'GO HOME' signs as he made his way to the ring and pulled himself up to the apron, stepping over the top rope as he came in. Carmen split off and stayed by ringside, leaning against the barricade as she watched. Best seat in the house.

As soon as he saw Jackie, his good mood returned. He was ready. He was hot. He was Armando Rodriguez, the Wrecking Machine of Puerto Rico, and he'd finally gotten someone who actually deserved everything he could throw at her. "You ready for me, baby?" He cracked his knuckles and started to walk her way. "Because I can dance all night. You?"

THUNDERINSILENCE

The grin of Jackie's lips widened as she saw the brief flare of anger light the big man's eyes, before attempting to shrug it off with a glib retort. "So she's here to hold you back in case you get too frisky again? What's the matter, does she not trust you to keep it in your pants without her supervising?" Jackie chuckled, arms held out as she allowed the ref to check her next, sparing Army a cheeky wink, "Careful lass, you might set him off again," the Irish girl laughed as the ref ran her hands along the sleek, toned physique of her body, patting her down. Jackie hadn't smuggled anything on her person, but she had taken the time to choose a few likely spots around the building to stash some choice items, just in case.

The ref finished her inspection, giving a nod as she signalled for the bell and quickly backed up to give both wrestlers some room, and the crowd gave a flood of cheers as things got underway. Normally, Jackie would have gone for a complete blitzkrieg, attempting to take an opponent off-guard with speed and ferocity, but Armando was already familiar with her preference for sudden rushes, and it was clear the big Puerto Rican was eager to get some offensive in himself this time. Sure enough, Army came out swinging, a hard right cross that held enough force to scramble her thoughts if it connected with her skull, but Jackie simply melted back from the swing, retreating rather than advancing as she practically skipped back out of his reach, bobbing to and fro erratically. Last time had been an ambush; this time, she was keen to see what his tolerances were, both physically and mentally. With a grin, she beckoned him over, eager to lead him around like an angry bull for a while until she got a feel for his movements.

ACUYA

Army tuned Jackie's words out - or tried to, anyway. He made a decent effort, but part of him just wanted to use her shit as fuel. She was just pissing him off, wearing on his nerves. But if she thought that was going to save her, he'd show her just how wrong she was when things ended with her back on the floor, staring up at the ceiling, wondering just how the hell she got there in the first place.

He needed to hit her before that could happen, though. Easy to say, hard to do. Army knew she was faster than greased lightning, he remembered enough from the bar to be sure of that. But seeing her in action now, up and close and live and even deadlier than before, he still couldn't help but get surprised by it. It wasn't simply the speed, either. He could deal with it, if it was just the speed. But no, it was the way she moved, the way she dodged his punch at the last second, casually moved around it like she had all the time in the world to not get her head caved in. Even her body movements pissed him off.

He ignored some laughs and applause from the audience as he rushed in again and closed the distance with two long strides, this time coming at her with a textbook 1-2 combination. Leading in with a crisp jab and at her jaw and following it up with a mean right cross, putting his weight behind it for some extra devastation.

THUNDERINSILENCE

The Irish-born wrestler could see her opponent was trying to keep his cool, despite the laughs and the taunts, but the urge to feel her face beneath his fist lured him into another series of swings. Each one was expertly made, hissing through the air in a sequence of shots that would have floored Jackie twice over, but she kept dancing back, tilting her head to one side as she felt the disrupted air from the jab tickle her cheek, then arcing her body backwards to let the hard cross sail clean over her, twisting around to bring her body pass the big Puerto Rican as the lunge carried him forward in turn, ending with both occupying the space the other had previously stood in. Rather than make an attack for his exposed back, she simply turned to face him again and hopped back to keep her distance, raising an arm to the crowd to elicit another wave of cheers. It was so easy to lead these people, all she had to do was act like a simpering babyface and they'd lapped the bullshit up and asked for seconds.

Still, she had gotten a good close up view of those swings, and she could tell he wasn't holding back, so desperate to land a punch on her that he was putting his bodyweight behind those blows. Jackie had gained an appreciation for his offense, and now she wanted a peek at his defence. Switching the motion of her feet, she raced forward, bounding to the right of Army, then the left, her body sailing through the air with easy bounds as she feinted a kick to his right side, curling the leg back at the last moment as she studied him, gauging his reaction speed to her blistering pace.

ACUYA

Army swung. Army missed. It wasn't just a little miss, either. His cross fired, caught nothing but, air and she was just gone. It was like his eyes weren't even equipped to track it as the punch's power made him stumble forward. He looked left and right, expecting her to be at his side, but...nothing.

"Army!" Carmen called out from the barricades as she pushed off and took a step towards the ring. "Detrás!"

He spun as the crowd cheered just in time to see her coming in and coming in fast. He'd lost sight of her. She moved so fast before that he was completely unable to keep track of the movement, leaving him in slow motion. And now that she was weaving towards him, Army's mind tried to process dozens of possibilities. Where was the next attack coming from? Left? No, right. No, wait, shit, the left! Was she going to strike his balls? His gut? Bounce up and hit his head. She was a blur, there was nothing to read, by the time he processed one move, she was starting the next, and-

A kick! He brought his arms up, way too late to block it, but found there was nothing to block - she was just fucking with his head. A feint. The crowd burst into laughter at the sight, seeing this big guy flinch at a hit from a girl half his size, and he couldn't blame them. If he were out there, he'd laugh, too.

But he wasn't. He was in the ring. And he didn't find any of this shit funny. "Fucking... He raised his leg up and shot it out, trying to plant his boot right in the middle of her chest. "...cunt!"

THUNDERINSILENCE

The feint told her a lot, the least of which being that if she'd committed to the kick he'd have been far to slow to block it before she'd been in and out again. Hardly a surprise, but it rarely paid to assume anything about an opponent. What interested her more was how long he had floundered after losing track of her, scanning to his left, right and everywhere in front of him, but failing to look behind - it suggested a poor level of kinaesthetic and spatial awareness, and Jackie could most certainly use that.

And of course, she learned that he was getting really fucking angry. The barbs and taunts from earlier, along with the constant heckling of the crowd, had sank beneath the Puerto Rican's skin and Rodriquez was responding by fighting harder, not smarter. Another heavy shot headed her way as he tried to stomp the sole of his foot into her chest, his anger telegraphing the move as she leant her body aside from the blow, flash Army a smile as she did so.

"Language," she tutted, her hands snaking out to grasp his leg and give it a sharp tug. She had no intention of keeping a grasp of the limb, she was pretty sure he could yank it free with sheer power even standing on one leg, but instead she pull it out to keep the leg extended, adding to the thrust the big guy had put into the strike while she spun on her heel off to the side where his other foot was still planted on the canvas, using the centrifugal motion to scythe a kick in at his ankle with the intention to sweep the leg out in the opposing direction to the other limb.

ACUYA

It would have been bad enough if the kick just missed, but, of course, things weren't that easy. Jack just had to make it that much worse.

It was a powerful move, enough force to end matches, which gave it a lot of force than usual. Jack knew how to use that force to screw him over, and he learned that the hard way when she pulled him in before he could even bring the leg back. He felt the kick at his other leg, and he knew what was coming. Knew it, dreaded it.

He let out a load, bellowing roar as she forced his legs into a split, bringing him to the limits of his flexibility for a torturous second, and he fell forward with flailing arms. The only thing that saved him from smacking the floor with his hands instead of his face was his arms just so happening to be in the right place before he hit the canvas. Even if he'd been spared that pain, his aching pride made up for it.

"Army, get your shit together!" Carmen was at the apron now, slapping the mat a few feet away to get his attention. "You're fighting like she wants you to fight. Stop trying to swat a fly with a baseball bat!"

Army just shook his head and grabbed the ropes, giving Carmen the quickest glance he could muster before he turned back to Jack. "I got this." He was on the right path, he could do it like this. Jack was dodging him now, sure, but it was only a matter of time before one of his punches hit, and he only needed one to do this job."

THUNDERINSILENCE

The big guy seemed to hang in the air for a split second, both legs spreading in opposite directions, before Armando tumbled to the canvas in an inelegant heap with a howl of equal parts pain and fury. Jackie neatly brought her spin to a stop, poised to launch herself into a fresh assault as she took a moment to take stock. Her body was bright with sweat, but her breathing was steady and even, her body accustomed to being pushed at breakneck speeds during her matches. She wiped a strand of hair from her brow, enjoying the sight of Rodriquez untangling his legs from under himself and starting to pull himself back up with the ropes. The image was only spoiled by the fact his sister was just outside the ring, trying to reel the big bruiser in as he staggered back upright.

Jackie's brow furrowed slightly, annoyed at the attempted interference of her efforts to keep Army charging away blindly. As the big guy turned back to face her, she shifted tact a little. "You should pay attention to your sister Rodriquez," the Irish woman said, her tone thick with mockery, "Seems pretty clear she's the one with the talent. I sure didn't see anyone boo her on the way to the ring anyway," she added with a wink before returning to her bobbing motion, skipping in an erratic pattern as she waited for him to come to her.

ACUYA

Army expected Jackie to be right behind him when he turned around, ready to drill him with a blitz, but nope - she was just over there, bobbing about, dancing on her toes like she wasn't in the ring with a guy who could crack her in half with one hand. And, of course, she had plenty to say on the matter.

"Oh, fuck off, like you'd even know if they were!" He broke into a run and charged straight for her, barreling towards her with all the speed he could muster, full steam ahead.

"Army, stop bringing the fight to her!" He could hear Carmen screeching from yards away, but even if he was inclined to give a shit - and he wasn't - he was already locked on the run. Instead of going with a punch or a kick this time, he decided to do as the Romans did and go for a wrestling move - a classic clothesline. He shoot his arm out as he ran past, keeping it low to try and catch her in the neck.

THUNDERINSILENCE

It was all too easy. Jackie could have felt sorry to the guy if she wasn't having so much fun showing him up in front of everyone...OK, so maybe not even then. She watched as Armando broke into a run, heedless of his sister's yelling, clearly with no intention of slowing down. It certainly didn't look like he was aiming to go for another boxing strike, perhaps trying to switch things up on her and try his luck with something a little more conventional. It hardly mattered, he was giving her exactly the kind of opportunity she needed.

For all her intensive training regimes, Jackie was very much aware of the limits of her body. While she was exceptionally strong, it was only relative to her size - she simply lacked the mass to put behind a blow to derail a charging target like Rodriquez. In such a situation, she had three options; she could continue to avoid him easily enough, but without concerted effort the Puerto Rican was tough enough to take the occasional strikes she'd be throwing his way; she could try to trip him again, but it was too early to take things to the ground, he was still fresh in the fight and could easily shrug her off if she attempted to capitalize on his prone position.

She settled on the third option. Grinning as the big guy picked up speed, she backed away with nimble steps, keeping ahead of him until she had almost reached the ropes, sparing a brief glance over her shoulder to check the distance left. As he closed on her, sweeping the arm low, she leapt backwards and let the strike land. The muscular arm crashed into her abdomen, and while a good deal of its impact was robbed by the timed jump, it still left an ache where it had landed. Christ, he hits like a truck! she thought to herself, but didn't stop to dwell on it. Letting him connect, albeit with less force than it might otherwise would have, was bait to focus his attention on finally getting a blow in, and keep him occupied as she looped an arm around his neck and let his stampeding mass carry them into the ropes, her legs extended out to hit the top set. They bent easily, Jackie's knees flexing as she in turn was pushed into them by the momentum of Army's mass, the charge faltering as it met the resistance of the straining ropes and Jackie's straining legs.

"Remember this one from the bar?" she whispered into his ear, and pushed out hard, letting the trembling ropes whip her forward with thrust borrowed from her opponent's own power. She twisted as she came off the ropes, intending to drag Armando along for the ride as she headed for the canvas in a tornado DDT.

ACUYA

Army had to stop himself from shouting for joy when he finally, finally managed to get a blow on Jack. Granted, it wasn't much of a hit. She'd managed to leap away and rob him of a good chunk of the impact, and if that trend kept up it was going to be a pain in the ass to lower the boom down on her. But it was a hit. A palpable hit. He could strike her, she wasn't some invincible speed demon. This ring was only so big, and as long as he played the waiting game, he'd get her. Maybe sooner, maybe later, but he would get her.

The celebration wasn't mean to last, though, as all that momentum came right back to him in the worst way. He didn't have time to try and dislodge her grip from around his neck, not that it would have worked if she did - it all happened so fast that, by the time he realized what she was trying to do, the move was already in action, bringing his head down and slamming it into the mat with way more force than she had any right to use. The impact shook the ring's ropes and left them vibrating for a little while after he hit, even made the audience wince...before they started clapping again, anyway.

"See?" Carmen rubbed her forehead, and Army knew an 'I told you so' speech was coming. "You need to hang back, play some defense and-"

Army cut her off with his fist, banging it on the canvas as he rubbed his head and tried to make the stars go away. "You know what? Fuck off, I got this."

Carmen stared at him for a moment, hard eyes burning through the sunglasses, before she through her arms up and started heading back up the ramp. "Fine. See you back at the house."

Army just shook his head and reached for the ropes, trying to pull himself back up to two solid feet. That last move hurt, but it was really more disorienting than anything, screwed up his entire equilibrium.

THUNDERINSILENCE

Jackie rolled back after the impact planted Army square on his head, coming up lightly on all fours as she watched him reeling from the move. His sister tried to coach him again, and this time he snapped, his fist pounding on the canvas as she bluntly told her to leave. Carmen, looking extremely pissed, finally gave up and granted Armando's request, heading back up the ramp towards the backstage curtain. Jackie smirked, satisfied that her opponent had not only driven away the one person trying to give him solid tactical advise, but removed one of the major obstacles to a great number of the Irish wrestler's potential tricks. Her game plan had just became wide open, and Army had been kind enough to do most of the hard work for her.

As the big guy started to fumble with the ropes, trying to get back to his feet in a daze, Jackie simply hopped to her feet with effortless grace, although there was a tight ache around the abdomen where that clothesline had hit her. She gave a few experimental bounces, feeling her abdominals flex and stretch as she bobbed and weaved on the spot, occasionally giving a twinge of protest, but nothing that would upset her speed much. Still, it was clear that she couldn't allow Army to get off too many big hits on her - the more punishment she took, the worse it would hurt her speed, and to lose that would be as good as losing the match. With that in mind, Jackie knew the time to pile on the offensive was now.

As Armando was reaching his feet, Jackie lunged in low, aiming a kick to the back of his knees with the intention of dropping him low on the ropes, before continuing past him and sliding beneath the ropes to the ring apron. With him in position, she'd clutch his head and leap off the edge of the ring, dropping down to the thinly padded floor and dragging his head down sharply with her descending momentum, snapping his neck against the ropes.

ACUYA

Oh, God, the bitching from Carmen was going to be epic on this one when he went home, Army could already hear it. He was going to get the first degree the moment he stepped in through those doors, not to mention he'd be getting the cold shoulder for a solid two weeks. And he could kiss his homecooked meals goodbye, too, which would be a real pain in the ass. Finding anything even close to Puerto Rican food was next to impossible in this city. He was desperate enough to even settle for Taco Bell, but they didn't even have that.

Whatever, Army had to focus on the fight he was dealing with, not the one he'd be suffering through in a few hours, and Jack gave him all the reminder he needed on that point. Her kick cracked him in the back of the leg and brought him down to that same knee once again. More annoying than anything, and if she thought that was enough to do more than piss him off, she was dead wrong.

...which was probably why that wasn't the only thing she did. Army felt her hand on his head and knew nothing good could come from it. He started to pull away, but she dropped before he could even get a few inches back and whipped his neck against the unforgiving rope.

Army let out a wheezing, airless scream and fell back, clutching his neck and rolling around on the mat as he broke into a coughing fit. For the moment he couldn't even be bothered to care where Jack was - he was far more focused on getting his breathing regular again.

THUNDERINSILENCE

Landing neatly on the outside of the ring, Jackie heard the choking cry as Armando throat was dragged into the ropes sharply, before they snapped back to send him tumbling over to the canvas, coughing and gasping. It wasn't perhaps as impactful a move, but it was one that would pay off as the match went on - with his breathing unsteady, the big guy would tire quicker from all those hard swings he enjoyed so much, provided he wasn't given time to recover, and Jackie had no intention of letting him catch his breath. Hopping back onto the ring apron, she grabbed hold of the top rope tightly and leapt clean over it, bending one knee as she did so, aiming it to land square in the washboard abs of Army's stomach and drive a little more air out of him. Regardless of whether she hit or missed the move, she intended to roll clear and back onto her feet, not keen to remain too close to the big man even when downed and after taking a few big knocks.

"It's always sad when siblings fall out," she said with a smirk, continuing to play with those frayed nerves, not wanting to let his anger ebb just yet now that Carmen was out of the picture.

ACUYA

In and out, in and out.

It wasn't a fun process, but Army managed to get his breathing right soon enough, after a little massaging on his neck. That was just one problem dealt with, though, and Jack was throwing them out at a mile a minute. None of his other fights had gone so poorly so damn fast, it was the craziest fucking thing ever. Even Ro hadn't worked him over this hard, and Army thought she was the toughest Tension had to throw. But she wasn't a five foot ball of hate like Jack. Speaking of which...

Army's eyes widened when he looked up and saw Jack flying towards him knee first, looking to drive what little weight she had right into his body. "Shit!" He rolled to the side with only half a second to spare as she crashed down behind him, and his first instinct was to lash out him and catch her on the recovery - no such luck, already gone.

"Yeah, I can see the tears in your eyes from over here." He rolled back and pushed up, getting up to his feet as fast as he could - not too fast, still lumbering a bit, her attacks starting to show a mark. He still had plenty of stamina left to go, though.

This time he fought the urge to charge and came at her more like a wrestler than a grappler, reaching out to try and catch her with a bearhug when he was close enough. If he could get close enough, anyway.

THUNDERINSILENCE

Her knee crashing into the canvas hard, Jackie winced as she used the momentum left from the dive to roll herself out of Army's reach, the sting of the failed hit numbing her leg. Her rise wasn't quite so smooth as she wobbled a little, her balance upset as she struggled to compensate for the unresponsive limb, but the tingling sensation soon gave way to the aching touch of sensation. She scowled slightly as she realised the delay had allowed Armando the time to struggle back to his feet, closing the window of opportunity to continue barraging him while prone. He also seemed to be moving with more caution now, not attempting to rush in like a bellowing bull and clearly more in control of himself. The flurry of hits Jackie had got of were telling on him, but there was still plenty of fight left in the big guy, and it was going to get harder from hereon in if he kept his fury in check.

Despite losing her initial advantage, Jackie wasn't too perturbed. While she'd taken a little hurt herself, it was far less than what she had dealt to her opponent, and even the big Puerto Rican could only take so much. If she could maintain that balance of damage dealt to damage received, she felt confident that his body would give out before hers did. No more games - she needed to blitz him, and hard.

Army didn't appear to be in a mood to make that easy for her though. His approach this time was to try and leverage some of that height and reach advantage, seeking to grapple Jackie and scoop her up into a crushing embrace. The Irish woman wove to the side at the last moment, letting the big man's lunge carry him by her as she balled her fists and shot a swift jab into his side, aiming for a quick kidney punch before skipping further around to get behind him. Her strikes wouldn't likely have quite the impact as his own, but Jackie figured to compensate for a lack of brute strength by hitting the more sensitive areas - if he wouldn't oblige her by rushing into her traps, she'd simply take her time attacking his blind spots, going for the most tender regions first.

ACUYA

Jack's kidney shot was hardly the first one Army'd ever taken in his life - part of being a big guy meant you had big targets, and they were just begging to be struck. It wasn't even the hardest punch he'd ever taken there, though Jack did hit insanely hard for someone so small and light. Not the first, not the hardest, but definitely the most annoying.

He stumbled to the side from her blow as she rearranged his insides with her little bee sting of a punch. It was hardly much of a hot at all, it wouldn't have fazed him just about anywhere else - except his balls - but she knew just were to put it to make it hurt. The worst part was that he knew blows like that were going to happen a lot in this match. It was inevitable. His only choice was wade in deep, go right into the storm and hope he could come out on the other side without getting battered around more than he could take.There were gonna be bruises...

He shook his head and fought through the pain, working on pure hate as he balled his fist and summoned up his strength. "Keep laughing, but you know I'm gonna get you before this shit's done." He spun around and swung his arm out in a long arc. No technique, no skill, just a wild, crazy, decapitating blow. "Dance around all you want, bitch, I got time on my side." Maybe not the smartest strategy, but it sounded decent on paper - he just had to be a little patient, keep throwing enough shit at the wall and wait for something to stick.

THUNDERINSILENCE

The grimace that passed across Armando's face told Jackie that the blow had at least stung the bigger man, sending him stumbling slightly away from her as he struggled to correct his balance after the lunge. Sure, it was getting through to him, but the guy was like a tank, soaking some of the heaviest stuff she could throw at him, even turning his own mass against him. She'd had matches with amateurs on the indie circuits around Europe and America that would have stayed down after getting hit with a surprise Tornado DDT like the one she'd planted him with, but the big guy had struggled back onto his feet and kept right on fighting. Despite herself, she had to at least grudgingly admire the tenacity he was showing.

The tactical sense? Not so much. Army was back to making those big heavy swings again, perhaps spurred on by her own swift jab to his kidney, and for all the muscle behind it, it was comically easy to see it coming. Jackie could already tell from how his body tensed and turned at the hip as he spun back around that he was going to come at her in a sweep, and it gave her an opening she could exploit. As he turned into the swing, rather than retreating, Jackie rushed in closer, a light hop bringing her foot up to brace against the leg he was leaning his weight on, and with a grunt of effort she made a strike of her own, powering her right arm up in an uppercut intended to connect flush under his jaw. No matter how big the opponent, head shots had a tendency to leave them reeling, and an opponent that wasn't thinking straight was easy prey. Not intending to leave such an inviting opportunity unexploited to its full, if the uppercut landed smooth, the next step would be to plant her hands against his strong shoulders and thrust herself up higher to send a knee crashing in right behind the uppercut, maintaining the barrage of shots to the head to keep him reeling. It was risky to stick so close, but Jackie banked on surprise and the brain-rattling impacts to keep his responses slow and uncoordinated.

"You think time is on your side? By the time I'm starting to slow down, you'll already be long done," Jackie purred back at him as she made the lunge.

ACUYA

Fat chance. Army was raised for the ring, born to fight, and he'd been swinging fists since he learned how to walk. He'd taken the heaviest hits. He'd gone up against the toughest guys. Maybe he didn't always win, but he always gave back just as good as he got, and there was no way he was getting wasted by a girl he could probably benchpress one-handed.

He would have loved to tell Jack that, too, but his jaw was snapped shut with an uppercut before he could even fully get his mouth open. It made him wish he'd bothered to wear a mouthguard with this fight - she snapped his teeth closed so fast that barely managed to pull his tongue, getting a little cut when the tip was biting and making him taste blood. Not a good sign. Army hadn't even taken a step away before she moved in again and hammered him with a blow to just about the same spot.

His back arched, his feet wobbled, his eyes rolled...and down he went.

Army fell on his back and rolled away, more on pure reflex than anything. He went under the ropes and fell off the apron, dropping to his hands and knees at ringside. Those blows. That speed. Just the sheer fucking insanity of it all was making his head reel. It wasn't as bad as what he could remember from the bar, but it was too close for his liking.

THUNDERINSILENCE

Jackie felt the combo fire, each solid hit felt throughout her body as she drove every inch of her small, tightly muscled body behind them. She came down to the canvas on all fours, head tilted up to watch how Armando had taken those shots. She saw his body reeling, back arching over as he wobbled, and a near-feral grin spread across her lips.

"Go on you big bastard, drop already," she hissed. Jackie's body was burning hot, the familiar ache in her muscles pulsing in time to the racing beat of her heart, and her breath was starting to come in hard, heavy pants. She was built to go fast and hard, but that came with a cost, and she could only keep it up for so long before her body needed to recover. She'd been dictating the pace of the match since it had started, in near-constant motion, and now the tally was starting to add up. If Army could weather through a combo like that, then she'd need a serious change in strategy to stay ahead, because she doubted she'd have much left in the tank that could match that pair of blows without having the opportunity to recover her stamina.

And then it happened. Rodriquez looked like he'd righted himself for a split second, but then gravity took over and the 6' tall man went over onto his back with a crash. The crowd erupted into wild cheers at the spectacle, as Army rolled towards the ropes and slunk beneath them, going to the outside and dropping off the apron onto all fours. Jackie felt a manic buzz as audience roared its approval, thrusting both arms up into the air in a gesture of elated success. For all the punishment that big body could take, she'd assured the crowd (and more importantly, herself) that her methods were wearing Army down, regardless of the massive size gap.

As much as she'd have loved to have continue the assault, or taunt him a little, Jackie knew the smart move was to catch her breath - even a few seconds of recovery time could make all the difference. Taking a few steadying breaths, she wiped a hand across her dripping forehead, her lean body coated with sweat that darkened the red of her ring attire to a dark crimson. She came up to her feet after a few moments, moving towards the side of the ring Army had rolled off of, taking a look to see how the big guy was handling himself after the brief respite.

ACUYA

As Army laid there on his hands and knees, panting hard and trying to stop the nuclear headache that was raging through his skull, it occurred to him that this strategy was just not working.

He always liked approaching his fights head on, balls-to-the-wall, just rush ahead and run the enemy over, but that wasn't going to fly with Jack. No, for this he'd have to get a little more clever and remember this wasn't a normal fight. No Disqualification. No rules. A real, straight up brawl, and she'd asked for it, the cocky little bitch. If he could start moving this fight away from the ring, he could maybe use the environment against her. Or something. It wasn't a fully formed idea, but fuck, it was an idea, and sure as hell better than getting used a human punching bag by an insane harpy.

Fortunately, Jack gave him a few moments to recuperate - it still hurt to even think, but he could move past it enough to get the job done, even if the crowd's cheering was making it worse. He could see her shadow out of the corner of his eye, coming towards him as he started to get back up, probably getting ready to set up another attack. Big mistake.

He turned and stood up when he felt she was close enough, then reached through the bottom rope and tried to grab her by the ankles, looking to yank her out and dump her on the floor. She wanted a falls count anywhere match, she'd get it.

by ThunderinSilence on Thu Oct 02, 2014 3:43 pm
From in the ring, Jackie was enjoying the opportunity to be the one looking down at Armando for once...well, except for that one time when we was flat on his back in the bar. She lent against the ropes as casually as if she were about to have a conversation with a friend, a smile on her lips. "So, you were saying something about having ti-"

She didn't get the rest of her taunt out. Army had reared up, reaching through the ropes with hand outstretched in a desperate grab for her ankles. Jackie hissed with surprise - she had expected the big Puerto Rican to have still been reeling, but that surprising tenacity was still in him, enough to make a sudden lunge that Jackie had not anticipated. She felt hard fingers clamp around her ankle, and a hard yank dragged her off her feet, crashing into the canvas on her shoulder with a grunt. She wasn't there long, as the big man pulled her out beneath the bottom ropes before Jackie could get her hands up to grab the rope, taking a second tumble in as many seconds, and this time onto the thin padding of the arena floor. Jackie chocked out a gasp as her back landed hard, her mind racing as she sought a way out of a very bad situation. She had to keep him off of her, the moment he had her pinned was the moment she lost all control of the match, but she couldn't fend him off if he simply sought to bring his weight down on her.

Her options limited, one ankle still in Army's clutches, she drew back her free leg and lanced it out in a swift heel kick to Army's crotch, figuring it was the most tender area she could reach from such a poor position. The fight having spilled out of the ring, it was time for the fight to turn into the brawl Jackie had promised her opponent.
by acuya on Thu Oct 02, 2014 4:00 pm
In a way, Army actually liked that he could only rarely touch Jack. It made things so much more satisfying when he pulled it off, like a fine wine you only get to taste once in a blue moon.

His little gambit paid off - Jack was out of the ring and on the floor now, and he had a solid hold on her ankle,something he could do all sorts of bad things with. It had been the biggest pain just getting to this point, but now that he had her in his grasp and she finally dropped her stupid smug look, it was worth every second of the effort.

He started to lift her up, looking to just fling her into the barricade he was beating a rug, but Jack had an infinite well of feisty bitchiness to draw her power from - she still had enough in her to kick him in the balls. Took her long enough, Army would have thought she'd get to that move a lot faster.

Fortunately, Army wasn't quite as stupid as people wanted to think. He'd planned ahead and brought a secret weapon to this fight - a cup. It didn't completely dampen her blow, it still hurt like crazy and made him let go of her ankle as he fell back and groaned, but it saved him from the mind-numbing pain he would have experienced if he hadn't brought protection. And, no surprise, the audience just ate it up and cheered Jack on. If he'd mauled Jack's crotch or grabbed her breasts, they would be reading him the riot act, but a girl kicking a guy in the balls? Funny. "Fuckers."

He dropped down to one knees as he massaged his aching privates through the cup, looking back her way with the same grin they both shared. "Low blows, now? Getting desperate?"
by ThunderinSilence on Thu Oct 02, 2014 4:24 pm
Her heel went crashing into the space between Army's legs, expecting to be met with an agonized howl from her opponent, and as such she was surprised when her foot met something hard and rigid...that wasn't supposed to be there at any rate - it wouldn't have been the first time Jackie had wrestled a guy like that, and they had all swiftly learnt to regret it. While the shot still jarred his grip from her ankle and freed her up, it was certainly a shadow of what it could have been had he not had the foresight to use protection. Jackie didn't want to think of what would have happened if she hadn't managed to break his grasp though - it had seemed like he was just going to thrash her around by the leg like some freaking caveman.

Jackie took stock of herself, as Army went down on one knee from the kick. Her back ached from the hard landing and a little of her recently regained air had been pushed out of her, but she didn't have the luxury to rest again - she'd just have to push through it. She rolled her body around, reflecting the same mad grin Armando wore.

"Getting desperate? Try getting started," she shot back, rolling to get her feet under her and coming up like a sprinter. The distance between them was short, but Jackie could accelerate hard, so while her lunge lacked her full momentum behind it, she figured it might still be enough. Hoping to be on the big guy before he had time to react, she grasped for his head, aiming to make a leap that would carry both of them over...and into the steel steps that led up to the apron at the corner of the ring. It wasn't going to be a comfortable landing for her either, but if it meant that Army took far worse than she did, she was good with a little pain.
by acuya on Thu Oct 02, 2014 4:41 pm
She was moving, again. Army swore, no matter how many times he saw it, he'd never get accustomed to just how blindingly fast she could go. Even for her size, it was inhuman. Army managed to get his fists up, not that it did him a bit of good - he expected a drop kick or a flying punch or something crazy like that. A strike. But instead she just grabbed his head as she crossed the distance, leaping up and gripping tight on his head tight. Normally it wouldn't have been able to do much, but she had Sir Isaac Newton on her side - crazy momentum. A bitch in motion stays in motion.

The two of them slammed hard into the steel steps with enough force to topple them over, and Army's back got the worse of it. He took the metal right on his spine and rolled away to his chest while he tried to nurse. Felt wet. Blood. There was some sort of nasty gash back there from the sharp metal, as if the bone damage wasn't enough.

"Fuck...fuck!" He started to push up again, this time grabbing the barricade for a little support, while some Japanese guy gave him shit on the other side. Something about him 'submitting to womanhood', Army didn't care to pay much attention.
by ThunderinSilence on Thu Oct 02, 2014 5:02 pm
The noise of their combined bodies hitting the steel steps was what Jackie imagined a dozen metal serving trays getting hurled at a wall would sound like. While Armando's body landed on it at an angle, hitting the corner with enough force to leave a bloody slice in the flesh, Jackie hit the top step with her ass, the momentum bouncing her off again to tumble to the floor on the other side, rolling hard until she bumped into the guard rail. Her head spun and she felt the dull ache that told her she'd have one hell of a bruise across her buttocks, but once glance at Army made the risky move utterly worth it.

She struggled up the guard rail to her knees, feeling those in the front row crowding in close to reach out, some in gestures of support, some just to get a feel of her. She barely caught herself as she went to slap their hands away, remembering that she was trying to maintain an illusion of being an upstanding human being. Instead she tried to push herself away and back onto her feet, but her legs weren't ready for her, and she tottered drunkenly into the ring apron, clutching it for support as she watched Army writhe, struggling to rise.

And she laughed. She felt it bubble up in her chest and well out of her, a hoarse, raspy-breathed laugh. She laughed at Army as he lay on his stomach, battered and bleeding, she laughed at the crowd for eating up her bullshit and cheering her on, and most of all she laughed because she was having a damn good time. As the feeling began to return to her legs, she wobbled into a roughly upright position, beckoning Army towards her.

"OK, you want to brawl? Lets take this somewhere a little more private," she panted with a wink, backing away towards the ramp and the entrance leading to backstage.
by acuya on Thu Oct 02, 2014 6:04 pm
It wasn't the blood that bothered him. It wasn't his aching bones. It wasn't the head that throbbed in his skull like a war drum, beating into him with erratic pulses that made it impossible ignore. It wasn't the sting of the arena's air conditioning against the wound on his back. It wasn't even the annoying-as-fuck crowd that he was seriously starting to loathe.

No, what really pissed him off was Jack's laugh. It was this nasty, shrieking little cackle, didn't sound anything like a normal person would make, but at the same, was 100% real. She was having the time of her life tearing into him. It was like she tailor-made it to piss him off. And it worked like a charm.

The spill was bad for her, too, and that was probably the only thing that kept her from following up and hammering him into the ground. He made his way up to see her moving away, heading towards the backstage and daring him to follow. Not that he needed any incentive. He'd follow her straight to hell, at this point.

"Ready or not..." Army stood up and started to move after her, going slow as they moved. Wherever they were going, he was going to take his sweet time getting there and heal up a little bit on the way, catch some of his rapidly depleting breath. Knowing her - and even though they'd only met a few days, Army already felt he had a good guess on her game - she had something nasty planned for him, but it was too late to back down. He'd just have to proceed with open eyes.
by ThunderinSilence on Thu Oct 02, 2014 6:25 pm
The crowd watched on, caught up in the brutal brawl the match had developed into, as Jackie reached the entrance curtain, Army still lumbering along the ramp a little way behind. Giving the big man a manic grin, Jackie stepped back to let the curtain envelop her.

At this point the ref was probably clambering out of the ring, her presence unnecessary for any reason other than to mark the pinfall. The camera crews at ringside would be tracking Army, keeping pace with him, which left her a few moments of unobserved quiet to consider her options. She'd been the one to call for a falls-count anywhere matchup, and she'd done that with the sole intention of giving herself the edge if things had spilled out of the ring.

She started with something simple and more likely to annoy than harm. Grabbing one of the nearby folded metal seats stacked in a nearby corner, she popped it open and set it right in front of the curtains. At best it might trip him up, but it would keep the fires of his frustration and anger burning. Then she raced off down the hall, yanking open the door to the mens locker room and making sure to leave the door ajar just enough to let her opponent know where she'd went.
by acuya on Thu Oct 02, 2014 6:44 pm
"Yeah, you just keep running!" Army called out as he broke into a more lively step. Not that he would ever be able to catch up to Jack if she didn't want him to, but that didn't mean he had to let her make the gap so damn wide. He cursed under his breath as she disappeared behind the curtain, because he knew, he just knew, that was going to lead to all kinds of bullshit.

He opened the curtain and stumbled right into a chair he was pretty damn sure wasn't there when he was here a few minutes ago, banging his shin against the stupid thing. Jack's work. Who else?"Funny!"

He gave it a hard soccer kick and sent it clattering down the hall, as the backstage crew wisely got the hell out of dodge and gave him some space. The chair came to a slow, sliding stop, right by the men's locker room. The slightly opened door of the men's locker room.

Army took a moment to get some water at the fountain - he was getting a bit dry, couldn't hurt - and made his way over to the door and opened it, let it creak open as he took a cautious step inside. "Men's locker room? You got a secret you want to tell the world, baby? Did everyone really call you 'Jack' before the operation?"
by ThunderinSilence on Thu Oct 02, 2014 7:03 pm
Jackie watched Army step through the door, his guard up as the big man peered to and fro, searching for her. She didn't reply, waiting for him to step just far enough into the room before making her move.

The locker rooms for both the men and women were laid out roughly the same, with only a few concessions to gender differences to tell them apart. Both shared the rows of tall, metal lockers though, which reached almost to the ceiling, leaving almost no room between them. Almost, but enough for Jackie to curl up into, and she hadn't met an opponent yet whose first instinct was to look up. Coming out of her crouch, she extended her legs out to bring them stomping into the red-streaked back of her prey, which would hopefully send him tumbling into the lockers in front of him.

"Is that what you were hoping when you met me at the bar?" she cackled, the ambush sprung, "Sorry to disappoint, although I can understand your confusion given the fact I have bigger balls than you ever will."
by acuya on Thu Oct 02, 2014 7:17 pm
The good thing about their little timeout was that it gave Army some good recovery time. He wasn't anywhere near 100% and he doubted he would be for the next, oh, two weeks, but he was a lot closer to it than he'd been in the ring. He could bring down the thunder if he hit Jack. When he hit Jack.

She didn't reply to his taunt, which likely meant she was trying to get the jump on him. He couldn't have guessed how literal that was, but he soon found out when she came down on him from above and behind. She didn't have much weight, but it was amazing how much damage she could cause with the proper application - her slammed into his bleeding back and sent him stumbling the lockers. He was just able to get his fists up in time place to brace them before he hit, sparing him a bloody nose and a flattened face.

"Yeah, right, that's why you keep running away and hiding from me." Army spun around and kicked the bench in the middle of the room, making it shoot up and go clattering towards her as it flopped. "You're fucking scared."
by ThunderinSilence on Thu Oct 02, 2014 7:31 pm
Jackie kept laughing as Army kicked the bench towards her, ducking underneath it as it tumbled through the air, practically lodging itself at an angle across the doorway. She could hear the sound of voices from the other side, the ref or perhaps the camera crew, it hardly mattered - what was important was that Armando and herself had some privacy. Hopping back onto her feet, she gave the Puerto Rican a shrug.

"Scared eh? That's why I'm the one giving up over a foot of height and about twice my bodyweight and still beating your arse?" She said, her eyes blazing a little more now, the lack of observers liberating as she rolled her neck out, "Or is it that you want me to be scared of you 'cause that's what floats your boat? Little girl, cowering at the big, strong man? I can see why you came to Japan, the local girls must love a big, strapping foreigner like you to put them in their place."

She flexed her fingers, bouncing on her feet again, feeling her muscles aching with the strain of keeping them pumping, but she had the advantage of terrain. Army had no idea what Jackie had up her sleeve, and she used that uncertainty, smiling at the big guy and waiting for him to come at her.
by acuya on Thu Oct 02, 2014 7:42 pm
The bench was blocking the ref and the camera crew from entering, and this was one of the few places in the whole building without any cameras. For the next little while, it would be just the two of them. Army was fine with that. Just fine. He'd beat the shit out of her, drag her out, get a pinfall and put this bitch and her bitchiness far, far behind him.

"And why'd you come to Japan, huh? Ireland have one too many bitches, need to even it out?" He mirrored her own posture as he started to make his way over. "Wait, don't tell me - you wanted to come to a place where no one calls you a midget, anymore? Am I right?" He covered his mouth. "Oops, my bad - little person."

He closed the gap with a big step and came at her, throwing out a quick jab and following it up with an uppercut, both shots going low and aiming for her chest. Her nice chest. Army could admit, crazy as she was, Jack was easy on the eyes.
by ThunderinSilence on Thu Oct 02, 2014 8:11 pm
The two exhausted wrestlers stood for a moment, each having hurled their insults at the other, and Jackie felt the anger at Army's words hit her like a shot of adrenaline. Suddenly the ache in her limbs didn't feel quite so bad, not if keeping them moving meant putting that man down, and hard.

Armando was the first to lunge, taking the offensive with a jab followed swiftly by an uppercut, targeting Jackie's chest. The Irish woman slid back, eating up the distance left before her back reached the wedged bench, keeping just ahead of the big man. The lockers towered to either side, narrowing their movements, seemingly giving the advantage to Army's greater height and reach, not to mention his boxing experience. It was pretty much a straight corridor, with barely enough room for one to squeeze past the other without climbing over the lockers themselves.

As Jackie neared the bench, her hands slid behind her back, her quick fingers finding the cold touch of the little trick she'd stashed there when she'd first burst into the locker room. She grinned as Army closed in, switching from retreat to a sudden rush in a bid to take Armando off guard, and hammered a hard left-right combination into his muscular abdomen. Normally it would have been tantamount to suicide to get in so close, with no room to manoeuvre, and relying on striking power alone to push back the far stronger man.

Jackie was willing to bet that the metal knuckle dusters she'd just slipped on would help even the odds however...
by acuya on Thu Oct 02, 2014 8:36 pm
He had her. Army could hardly believe it, but damn it, he had her.

Those punches hadn't connected, but they'd done something almost as good - Jack was boxed in now. Two lockers on her left and right, a barred door behind her, and a pissed off Puerto Rican at her front. Caught between a rock and a hard place, almost literally, with no place to run or hide and do her little tricks.

Army's feral grin grew wider than ever before, feeling like a lion moving in for the kill. She was screwed. He knew, she knew, they knew, and there wasn't a damn thing she could do about it. Even so, she rushed toward him, probably knowing the only way out was to take her chances, but not knowing how bad those chances were.

Army reeled back, cocked his fist, got ready to strike, and...cried out in utter agony as his chest exploded in raw pain.

He stumbled away, clutching his chest as he recoiled. Those punches, so hard, unnatural. Just two blows and he already felt like his chest was ready to collapse. It was all he could do to just move away from her, as he spied the source - brass knuckles. The bitch had stored brass knuckes in the room.

The worst part of it all was that he couldn't even blame her. He almost wished he'd thought of it.

"Bitch..." He spoke as best he could through the moans. "You fucking bitch!" He'd had her!
by ThunderinSilence on Thu Oct 02, 2014 9:00 pm
The solid shots hammered into Army's muscular midsection, the knuckles sinking in deep and driving the air out of him as he staggered, utterly blindsided by the shocking impact. Jackie hopped back as the big man reeled, admiring her handiwork, and letting it sink in why she'd chosen to fight here. It wasn't her that was trapped and constrained by the furnishings - he was the one that couldn't escape, no room to avoid her shots, the combination of the weighted strikes and her horrific speed pretty much invalidating any credible defence he might have attempted. And she'd left it all until the last second, to snatch away that sweet sensation of almost having her right out from under him.

"I know," she replied to his angry outcry with a smile, and then she was on him again. Jackie was never as gifted with striking as she was with the more aerial manoeuvres, but as the saying went back home, God loved a trier. She abandoned the more precise strikes in favour of sheer blistering speed, putting out a flurry of shots, high and low, jabs and swings, ploughing into the bigger man and relishing the fact that he made for such a big target that it was hard to even miss him. Her fingers grew numb as each shot sent the recoil shooting through them, her wrists aching from the sudden jarring impacts, but she couldn't stop, couldn't give him a moment to recover. She either finished him here, or she exhausted herself to the point where her limbs couldn't carry her any further.
by acuya on Thu Oct 02, 2014 9:24 pm
Army knew what was coming. He was trapped, alone in small room with a crazy woman who wanted nothing more than to beat him to a pulp and had the tools to do just that. He was tied up, strapped to the tracks, and watching as a train came barreling towards him at full speed.

He got his fists up, if for nothing more than to protect his head as she moved in. What followed was just a hurricane of violence. He managed to block some of the hits, even though that just meant his arms took the pain instead of his main body.

But more than a few got through. Bruises started to fester. He could feel ribs cracked, filling up numbing sensations. Skin tore and blood started to leak. His arms grew sore, his knees grew week, and he knew that in a few moment his guard would fall and he'd be wide open. Army was getting pushed back further and further, getting battered into the bathroom, wish spacing running out fast.

He had to do something. Anything.

Army just threw it all to the wind, planted his feet on the hard tiles, and lunged forward to try and connect with his father's Shield Breaker - an overhand right, designed to shoot over her own strikes and come down right on top of her with all of his weight. A last, desperate move. "Fuck..."
by ThunderinSilence on Thu Oct 02, 2014 10:33 pm
Jackie threw her all into the relentless onslaught, driving Army across the locker room and into the bathroom, the tiles specked red as her fists continued to fly. She had the big man dead to rights, and just in time - she could hear the sounds of the people outside bringing down the bench, freeing up the doorway once more. She paused for a moment, mildly annoyed that her fun was being interrupted, but she supposed the work had already been down as she slipped the brass knuckles from her slightly bruised fingers and tossing them into one of the toilets with a splash to hide the evidence. Now, all she had to do was -

The world seemed to pause for Jackie, all sound muted as her vision simply flipped about one hundred and eighty degrees, then slowly angling back until she was looking...at the ceiling? She blinked, not comprehending how or why she was in her position, but knowing something was very wrong with what had just happened. Jackie tried to concentrate, but she couldn't think straight, her head feeling like it was stuffed with cotton wool.

And then it hit her, the pain and the realisation, all in one go. She'd been convinced that she'd hammered the fight out of Armando, and she'd been so focused on keeping an ear out for the approaching referee and camera crew that she'd dismissed Army as just a detail, a loose end that she would address when everything was in place. As pain raced along her body, she saw the blow play back in her scrambled thoughts - an overhead swing that had smashed into the top of her head, practically flipping her over as her head crashed into the tiled flooring while her legs snapped up into the air, only to tumble over onto her back with her limbs shivering from the shock of the blow. Her mouth was filled with the iron taste of blood, the left side of her face feeling tenderized from the collision with the ground, swelling up painfully as lightning stabs of agony raced through her skull. She was only vaguely aware of movement around her, but she wasn't certain she could move her head, her chest heaving as a spluttering cough broke out from her chest, sending pink spittle speckling the air.
by acuya on Fri Oct 03, 2014 2:00 am
Just one punch.

Army had been searching for that one, single head-cracking punch since they started. Jack wasn't the big bruisers he was used to slamming fists with back home, she was even the tough and crazy Tension girl that he'd taken on since he got here. She was a small fry, tiny thing, and the reason she moved so fast was because she knew a single punch from him on that little skull of hers would be devastating. He'd gotten a few glancing blows here and there, but nothing came to the golden blow he was looking for. Until now.

It was a perfect punch. It got all of his weight behind it, all of his muscle, every little inch of power he had devoted to one critical blow. It connected and sent her flying ass over teakettle, tumbling around until she landed hard on her back, staring up at the ceiling, probably wondering what the fuck happened. He might have laughed if laughing wouldn't hurt so much.

Army would have loved to just pin her and be done with it. He couldn't. He couldn't even come close.

The second the blow connected, he went down with and fell to his knees, then flopped forward as he clutched his chest. Whatever mad adrenaline he'd been running on was fresh out now, and the depth of the damage she'd inflicted on him with the brass knuckles became apparent. He couldn't move. Could hardly breath. Every movement he tried to make just worsened the problem, and he hoped the blood he was spitting out came from his mouth and not somewhere deeper. His chest felt like a loose bag of bones, he sensed thing moving around in it that he knew shouldn't be. All he could do was lay there in a broken heap and pray to a God he rarely prayed to that it would all be over soon.
by ThunderinSilence on Fri Oct 03, 2014 7:41 am
Reeling from the shot she'd taken, Jackie's mind raced as she tried to figure out some escape from the situation she'd wound up in, but her concentration was shattered, every coherent thought she could put together bursting apart as soon as the next pulsing throb of anguish raced though her skull. All she could think to do once Army had draped his heavier body across hers was hammer away and hope her fists hit one of the spots she'd busted with the dusters, maybe get lucky and force him off of her.

Except he didn't. Jackie blinked, eyes squinting in the too bright light, her focus very slowly returning as she tried to figure out just what the fuck was going on. It was the work of a few moments, but she realised that someone was counting, slow and loud, and suddenly it all made sense - the ref was counting towards calling a double knockout! The realisation shocked her into action, her body screaming its protest as she sat upright sharply, head pounding as she held up a hand towards the slightly blurry figure that she assumed was the ref.

"I'm up, I'm up," she slurred her words, her mouth feeling thick with her cheek swelling up, "I'm not ending this bloody match with a count-out!" Not bothering to see if the ref was listening to her, she forced her leaden limbs to move, struggling as she got her feet beneath her and then with torturous effort rose back upright, her limbs trembling as she practically had to will herself not to topple over again. She doubted she could avoid anything Armando might have thrown at her if he had anything left, but as she turned to get a look at him, doubled over and kneeling with his face against the floor, she knew he was done. She'd have dearly loved to toy with him further, but the presence of the camera crew crowding in to get a shot was a reminder that she was trying to present an image here, so she instead hobbled over to the down Puerto Rican, bracing herself against the wall and planting a foot into his side, heaving to try and roll the big bastard over. She hoped it really, really fucking hurt too.
by acuya on Fri Oct 03, 2014 10:24 am
Army wasn't even sure what would happen next. Truthfully, he didn't much care so long as it involved him getting some much needed medical attention. Jack had definitely screwed up something internally, and he wasn't looking forward to seeing what the X-Rays would reveal.

He was dimly aware of hearing some familiar noise above his head - the referee was doing something. Army was having a tough time making out exactly what she was saying, her words sounding distant and warped through his fucked-up skull, but he could make out the rhythm - she was doing a double-count out. Normally, the idea of getting a draw would have just pissed him off something fierce, but this time he was willing to take it. It was about all he could ask for.

But that wasn't happening. Jack wasn't done, she still had just enough energy to get up and kick him in the side and roll him over on his back, leaving him on his back like an overturned turtle. He threw a fierce glare her way and started to open his mouth, when a sharp pain through his side cut that effort flat. He clutched his ribs and screwed his eyes shut as his teeth shut harder than a bear trap. Rocking for side to side, hissing through his teeth, his feet slowly pushing against the slick, tiled floor.

Helpless. Utterly helpless.
by ThunderinSilence on Fri Oct 03, 2014 10:39 am
The effort of getting the big guy over onto his back was about all her legs could manage, and Jackie slumped back to her knees, panting hard as her head continued to pound. The one shot she'd let slip past her notice had been enough that, were Army in better shape, she might easily have lost the match, and she wasn't about the let the hard work she'd put into taking her far larger opponent down be jeopardized a second time. Planting her hands on his pectoral muscles, sinking her fingers in just enough to let him feel it, she swung a leg over his chest, straddling his chest as she settled her weight onto those bruised abdominals, knowing that even as light as she was he'd be far from comfortable about her position. Flicking the sweat-damp strands of hair from her face with a toss of her head, she stared expectantly at the ref, watching as the woman went down and started to slap out the three count on the tiles.

"So, any more witty comments you want to make before we wrap this up?" Jackie asked teasingly, looking down into Army's eyes and taking a very deep level of satisfaction at the pain she saw in his gaze, "I mean I'd offer to get you a drink in, show there's no hard feelings, but since you'll be picking up my tab for the next year you'd just be buying one for yourself anyway."
by acuya on Fri Oct 03, 2014 10:58 am
"1...!"

Army ordered his body to move. He demanded it to do something. Just a spasm, a jerk, something to knock Jack off and reset the count, delay this for just a little longer. She'd just pin him again or beat him around some more, but if it gave him the slightest, smallest chance for retaliation he was more than willing to take opportunity.

2...!

It didn't listen. The best he could get was a few twitches and jerks, which only served to make the nails digging into his chest even worse. Aside from that, all he could was lay under her and try not to breath too hard.

3...!

He could hear the bell ringing outside, distant and muffled, showing he'd lost another match. It wasn't the first time, even in the AFW - he'd lost before. He could take that, after a good fair fight against a fun opponent. But this had been anything but that. This had been a massacre from start to finish. Jackie demolished him, ripped him to shreds, and he'd walked right into her crosshairs. Now, with her looking down at him, getting all cocky and smug at the man who'd be buying her drinks for the next year, Army had only one move left.

He spit in her face. "Ir al infierno, Jack."
by ThunderinSilence on Sat Oct 04, 2014 11:17 am
Jackie didn't flinch as the spit, tinged red from the blood swilling in Army's mouth, spattered against her cheek. It gave her all the justification she could need while in front of the camera to give the big guy a hard shot across the mouth, before sitting up on her perch atop his chest, wiping the smudge from her face with the back of one aching hand.

"Don't be a sore loser now," she chided him, giving the side of his face a light slap for emphasis, "I'm not the one that wrote a cheque their arse couldn't cash." She started to struggle up to her feet, but tumbled midway up, her legs giving out as her the strength just cut out of her for a second, her whole body trembling from the heavy toll her manic style took on her. The ref stepped forward, looking to help her up, but Jackie shrugged her off, managing with effort to make it back to her feet on the second attempt. Leaning against the walls, she walked herself along them, limping back out the locker room with the camera crew trailing behind her, as she made her slow trek back to the backstage curtain. As she stepped through, she was greeted by the wild cheers of the crowd, banners raised high as they celebrated her first victory in the AFW, and the Irish-born wrestler smiled and lifted one arm above her head, accepting their wild cheers.

It was only the beginning, but she had them rooting for her already. It wasn't the clean, crisp execution of her victim she'd been aiming for, but despite the hiccups and near-misses, she had come out on top and with the fans cheering for her like she was the latest babyface sensation. Of course, many of them thought just that, and Jackie was happy to let them delude themselves with that notion for as long as they liked, provided she got what she wanted from them. Her reputation would continue to soar, and with it the recognition...and the steady stream of opponents for her to bring down. Jackie's smile became a grin, and it was hard to keep the wolfish gleam of anticipation for her next match out of it...
by acuya on Sat Oct 04, 2014 2:57 pm
Army couldn't move.

He tried to sit up a few times and get to his feet, but he could only get about a third of the way each time before he was brought back down, the pain inside him proving too much. Something was sloshing around in his stomach. Something out of place. Something broken that was going to be unbroken anytime soon.

The medics came by soon enough and took him to the infirmary, let him lay down while he waited for the doctor to check him out. Carmen left for the night, so he was on his own when it came to making his way out of the building. Small surprise. It was just him. Alone in the dark. Laying out a slab and trying not to breath too much, since every little inhale and exhale felt like daggers poking his inside.

In the darkness, Army did something he hadn't done for a good, long while - he cried.