With ANNIVERSARY well underway, CSWA owner Stephen Thomas sits alone in a plush leather chair ensconced inside the Presidential Suite of the CSWA. Earlier he sent away all the staffers that would usually be waiting to cater to his every whim. And so he sits there in silence, peering out from high above, watching the four rings in action.

The GOLD RUSH spectacle had sprung full-formed from his mind like Athena, brought on by desperation. The Hacker had been amusing at first, bringing to mind the ‘good ol’ days’ of the CSWA when some jumped up heel would name himself “The Boss” and wreak havoc by kidnapping a Parsons or rolling a wheelchair-bound Hornet down some stairs. Then his ‘hacks’ had become annoying, affecting production and forcing CSWA staffers to scramble to keep them out of the eye of the public as much as possible.

Then there was the CRUISE. The Hacker not only took over the boat and caused production to come to a standstill, but had actually stolen the boat and left the CSWA with lawsuits from several of the fans attending. Surprisingly, given the CSWA’s history with cruise ships, their insurance policy didn’t cover them for what was, in essence, an act of piracy in international waters.

That left Thomas to foot the bill for the ship, the pending lawsuits, as well as to pay back U-62 for the advertising dollars lost when the CSWA had to air “Best Of” shows instead of new content. And so, in the scramble of trying to come up with the ‘next big thing’, Thomas had hit a vein with GOLD RUSH.

It couldn’t go any better: the Auditorium at capacity, U-62 willing to take this event as partial repayment for the earlier blunders. But Thomas can’t rest. He keeps wondering when and where the Hacker will strike next.

The noise of the interior elevator shakes Thomas from his reverie. He gulps the last of his drink and straightens his tie in anticipation. Only one other man knows the code to enter that elevator – not even Hortense has been able to nag that one out of him. They had debated the cost of the “secret” elevator when the building was built – the city of Greensboro has refused to support the arena with any funding, so his partner had been focused on cutting as much excess cost as he could. Thomas had gotten around that little problem when he suggested that the building should be called the “Merritt Auditorium.”

The elevator doors slide open, part of the intricate cabinetry around the room moving as part of them. Thomas’ former partner, the former co-owner and then sole owner of the CSWA and CS Enterprises, Chad Merritt, steps into the Presidential Suite for the first time in a long, long time.

“So you came.”

“You asked me to. You seem surprised,” Merritt responds.

“I didn’t know if you still had any loyalty.”

“To the man that kicked me out and took my name off the building? And then gloated about it this time last year?”

“To the company you helped found and all the families that make their living here.”

“What do you want, Steve? I’ve got a flight back to the Caymans in a couple of hours.”

“Surely you can stay as long as you need to.”

“I lost my company jet privileges too, remember? My charter is scheduled to leave in two hours. Of course, I don’t mind waiting at the airport if you don’t get to the point.”

“You know the point by now.”

“The Hacker? How in the world is he… or she… still around?”

“I don’t know. I had Gethard investigating.”

“First mistake. Why didn’t you have Ivy look into it?”

“She’s been busy, and apparently now she’s pregnant.”

“And she doesn’t like you half as much as she did me.”

“I doubt that. Look, we didn’t find anything.”

“Any more cards or letters from your special friend,” Merritt asks.

“Not so far. He’s been quiet. Too quiet.”

“Any leads on who it might be?”

“It has to be someone internal. Or at least someone who’s getting a lot of internal help. I mean, forget the stuff that’s happened on TV…”

“Or the fact that he stole a cruiseliner out from under you?”

“It’s the other stuff… the access to the internal workings of the company.”

“Did you ever tell Paul that it was the Hacker who signed Ruben Ross?”

“No. I thought it was better to…”

“To let him think it was just another of your attempts at ratings? Instead of letting him know that he’s apparently in the direct line of fire?”

“I think he figured that out on the Cruise,” Thomas responds.

“What?”

“The Hacker locked Hornet, Ivy and Teri in a cabin together.”

“Good grief. And they all came out alive?”

“Apparently.”

“And Ivy’s pregnant?”

“It’s clearly Sean’s.”

“So what is it you want from me?” Merritt asks.

“I want your help. I want you to help me figure out who this is before it brings this company down. I want you to look over everything I’ve already checked on, make sure I haven’t missed anything, make sure that…”

“No.”

“What?”

“No. I’ve got a life to go back to. I’ve got my own work to do. You kicked me out of here, accused me of trying to kill you off and took away my legacy. You figure it out.”

“If I could, I wouldn’t have brought you here.”

“Exactly.”

“Look, we can work this out. We always have before. I’ll put your name…”

“See ya, Steve. Give my best to Hortense. That is, I’m assuming you’re still married to her since you still have her stock shares.”

The elevator doors slide closed as Merritt enters, the motion sensors reacting. The cabinets close back into their normal position, leaving Thomas to consider that he is now well behind in the count. Two strikes in the bag… and only room for one more.

Deep in thought, he doesn’t hear Marsha’s knock on the door at first. It’s quickly replaced by a deeper, louder knock that won’t take no for an answer. Thomas hits the button beneath his desk and the doors open, admitting…

“What do you want?”