Wendy is at her sublet wondering when she’s going to get paid, but she doesn’t get paid until she gets trained, and she doesn’t get trained until her trainer arrives from China. Lacey is working as a waitress at a pirate-themed sports bar, The Booty Chest, to supplement her student loans. Wendy tries to get to work but her car breaks down and a man, Tyler, strolls by and is impressed by her car. He introduces himself as a musician and gets the car to work, and he’s able to identify what type of artist she is. Tyler has problems of his own with his roommate, and mentions he got a temp employment offer from… the Middleman.
At Middleman HQ, Wendy wonders if the Middleman is trying to hire someone to replace her. He admits they wanted a backup in case she didn’t make it. Sensei Ping is arriving and someone needs to meet her, and warns that she should never ask Ping why he wears a Mexican wrestler’s mask, his age, or his membership in the Clan of the Pointed Stick. Ida reports in to say they have a case about the theft of a complicated diamond that can make a cage of light. They go to the museum and pass themselves off as Mossad agents. The place is in ruins and the Middleman determines that it was a carefully coordinated plan by a number of freakishly large individuals. The Middleman has Ida run a forensic scan through their special glasses. With time running out, Wendy volunteers to pick up Sensei Ping and he agrees, but she has no choice but to use her own car.
Wendy meets Sensei Ping at the airport and finds him wearing a Mexican wrestling mask. It doesn’t go well for her, particularly when he finds she’s describing a subcompact. Meanwhile, Ida has eliminated all of the police squad’s fingerprints but the Middleman spots some fresh biomatter and she identifies it as mole sauce. The Middleman realizes it means trouble for Sensei Ping.
Sensei Ping is driving Wendy to distraction and she finally pulls over and demands to know why he’s wearing a Mexican wrestling mask, how old he is, and that he’s a member of the Clan of the Pointed Stick. They’re interrupted when they’re surrounded by Mexican lucha libre wrestlers. They use the diamond and surround Sensei Ping in a light cage, and leave Wendy to tell the world what they’ve done. The Middleman arrives later to wake her up. She explains what happened and the Middleman recognizes the wrestlers, knowing they have a blood feud with Sensei Ping. She reluctantly admits that she asked about the three things he told her not to ask. The Middleman is less than thrilled and goes to find Sensei Ping and orders her to go back home. If the Middleman doesn’t find Sensei Ping in 17 hours, the Clan of the Pointed Stick will send three assassins after them.
Wendy returns to her subset where Noser greets her and trades Johnny Cash references. Wendy starts eating ice cream while Lacey says she quit the job when the men wanted her to provide a lap dance. When she mentions that lucha libre wrestlers showed up, Wendy realizes it’s a clue and takes Lacey’s Booty Chest outfit to infiltrate the place.
At Middleman HQ, the Middleman determines that a high-energy particle beam emitter was stolen and has Ida scan for power surges. Unfortunately the energy signature is similar to that of an exclusive water pick so it’s going to take a while.
At the Booty Chest, Wendy runs into Tyler who is also working there. Tyler warns her about the wrestlers and says they’re up to something. They discover they’re both military brats and she insists on talking to them. She then delivers their food, sits down next to their leader, and pulls a gun on him. He reveals Sensei Ping is on his way to the Dread Pyramid of Itzilichlitlichlitzl in Yucatan, and they’ve set a trap for the Middleman using a high-powered water pick. She drops the gun and he attacks her, but Tyler knocks him out. They prepare to leave but the other wrestlers close in. The van with the water pick is parked outside and the Middleman opens it just before Wendy can warn him. Tyler and Wendy are casually tossed aside as the wrestlers capture the Middleman and drive away.
Ida calls Wendy to warn her that the Clan of the Pointed Stick will be coming after her and the police are on their way. Wendy is forced to abandon Tyler and return to HQ where Ida is buying tickets to get out ahead of the Clan. Wendy insists she bring Sensei Ping back and call in their bosses, but Ida reveals they don’t have any bosses. Ida reveals they have a Middlejet, and Wendy reveals her father taught her how to fly.
Wendy flies south while making a call to Lacey, who is in a teddy bear costume. She needs Lacey to check up on Tyler. Lacey agrees but asks what Wendy’s new job is.
The Middleman wakes up in the Dread Pyramid inside the cage with the imprisoned Sensei Ping. The wrestlers arrive and accuse him of killing their legendary leader, El Sapo Dorado. Sensei Ping demands to be heard and explains that their master died of a heart attack: Sensei Ping fought him to a draw until he died, then wore his mask as a tribute. Sensei Ping demands trial by combat and the wrestlers agree, but force him to choose a champion.
Wendy flies over the Yucatan Peninsula and finds the Pyramid, and Ida informs her she’ll have to bail and parachute down. Ida helpfully activates the eject by remote. Meanwhile, the Middleman is introduced to his opponent: the dreaded Cien Máscaras. Sensei Ping explains that he was a man with a hundred masks until he was cursed to become a hundred men with the same mask. All one hundred wrestlers enter and the match begins. The Middleman holds his own for a while until a wrestler breaks his leg, and Wendy sneaks in and takes out the laser cage. Sensei Ping congratulates her and then thanks the Middleman, saying he hadn’t faced down a hundred men until he was twice his age. Sensei Ping then removes the mask of his defeated opponent and takes on all the wrestlers single-handedly. Finally only El Maestro De Ceremonias is left, and Sensei Ping kills him by unleashing the Wu-Han Thumb of Death.
Later, Wendy goes to visit Tyler at the hospital but the doctor informs her that Tyler has amnesia and will never remember anything from the last two days. She makes a hasty exist as Tyler starts to wake up.
The Middleman arrives to visit Wendy at her sublet and flirts briefly with Lacey. He explains he has to wear a badger costume to be creative, and understands her wearing a yellow teddy bear suit. Wendy is painting a sad painting and is unhappy that she had to see the wrestlers killed. The Middleman thanks her and explains that Sensei Ping is impressed with her… and so is he. He gives Wendy her first paycheck… and the keys to a new StreetSmart car. As they go for a drive, Lacey notices the license plate: MDDLMN2.
Written by Gadfly on Jan 3, 2016