For some people uncertainty can cause major malfunctions in both physical and emotional ties to relationships. It was a suffocating reality not being able to predict the future; and for those able to claim to possess such clairvoyance… those were the people who could say that they were free from the grip of destiny.
The whine of a motorcycle engine sends a cacophony of echoes across the upscale suburban neighborhood. The woman driver squeals with delight as she guns the throttle accelerating the machine past perfectly manicured lawns and million dollar estates. She races towards the highway, the wind in her face providing the perfect outlet in order to truly enjoy life’s simple indulgences.
For Celeste Crimson her paranoia would often rage to the point where uncertainty would enslave her. Not this time… even though she had lost the battle against Ty Burna, the war was yet to be fought.
‘I wasn’t expecting to win last week; Ty still has way too much influence and power,’ she thinks as she maneuvers the bike in and out of traffic at high speeds.
‘But now that I know my place in the future. Whether or not I succeed or fail in my quest to take Ty down… I know that either outcome is charged to be my destiny. I can rise above it. I can transcend destiny. I will not stop until I succeed.’
Her Ducati Desmosedici RR was a masterpiece of Italian superbike craftsmanship and engineering. Its acceleration was heart pounding, and its handling was like a fairy tale of innovation. She was forced to abandon the bike to her garage during the last trimester of her pregnancy, and wasn’t able to ride again until Nero had gotten a little older.
It was one of those little pleasures in life that she had missed so dearly; the other was being a pro wrestler and performing for others. It had taken her years to discover what was really worth fighting for. Love had changed her; had saved her from the chaos that Burna had so earnestly embraced, and as long as she had love in her heart, she knew that she could never be corrupted.
She revs the engine once again and races off towards her destination, whizzing past other motorists as if they were standing still. She wasn’t in any particular rush; she just wanted to savor this feeling of bliss… it was what it meant to be alive after all….
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Celeste pulls the bike into the parking lot next to the arena and warily remembers to pull out her executive parking pass. The week she had been attacked by the thugs hired by Ty Burna to take her out she received a ticket for her troubles. What a nuisance that turned out to be; she wasn’t about to make the same mistake again.
She steps off the bike and walks towards the arena. It was warmer that afternoon than usual, as if the weather wasn’t bipolar enough this time of year. Celeste disliked spring if not just for her allergies, but also the inconsistent patterns of hot days, pop up showers, and lukewarm winds. Summer was more manageable at least…
She pushes open the double doors, bypasses the lobby, and heads for the elevators…
‘For once our interviews aren’t being conducted in the basement… might actually get to see a window this time.’
She walks towards the lobby on the second floor, towards the executive offices. She opens a pair of double doors marked with a sign that read ‘Employees Only.’ She reaches down to show her pass to the security guard at the front, who greets her with a smile and waves her through.
To say that the production team was bust would have been an understatement; equipment was strewn everywhere as members bustled back and worth trying to get everything ready for the events this week. She still had ten minutes before her appointment time, and the fresh aroma of brewing coffee and hot chocolate was simply too tantalizing to pass up. She walks over to the lounge, grabs a cup and hits the button on the dispenser. She blows on the top of cup and mildly sips at the warm liquid.
“…There’s so many new faces around here I can hardly keep up some days.”
“…I wouldn’t mind the extra work so much that I no longer feel very secure. Mr. Burna has been acting like our safety is a second priority, and that’s bullshit.”
A pair of voices coming from the lavatory behind her catches her attention; she turns to see the dynamic duo of female interviewers approaching her… or most likely, the coffee machine.
Stacy Madison was aggressive, audacious and often times vulgar with the way she handled herself during interviews. Celeste had often wondered if the scowl that the girl almost always sported was permanent or not. Becky Serra on the other hand was patient and kind, and she always seemed to have a knack for being able to read the feelings of others. She had never once rubbed her the wrong way, even in the past.
Both women looked a little worse for wear sporting bags under their eyes and sluggish reflexes; it must have been a long day for them. Stacey walks right by Celeste to the coffee machine with nothing more than a curt nod as Becky stops to chat.
“Hey girl, how are you today? You must be here for an interview as well.”
She nods,
“I just got here a few minutes ago, thanks.”
Celeste turns to gaze at Stacy who is trying to cool her coffee,
“Both of you look like you’ve seen better days.”
“I wouldn’t mind all the extra work if I could feel comfortable walking around. It just seems like every other day I have to interview some maniac, or an arrogant asshole, or some lecherous pervert that can’t take his eyes off my breasts for two seconds to answer a few of my questions.”
“Have you tried talking to management about all of this? Surely Bateman could do something…”
“…he hasn’t done a thing,” Stacy interrupts.
“All he’s done was promise to give us all raises to shut us up.”
“…this has all been swept under the rug,” she says with disgust.
“We’ve tried going to Mr. Burna but he doesn’t care,” Becca replies timidly.
“All he cares about is if we do our job or not; he’s made it clear that if we don’t he’ll get rid of us.”
Celeste listens in mild surprise and disgust as Stacy rambles on about the atrocities she’s had to put up with from various superstars over the past few weeks. She has always suspected that Stacy and Becca treated her differently from the other men, even if she treated them horribly in the past, simply because she was a woman competing in a man’s sport. She hadn’t forgotten about that either… most of the men didn’t view her as simply a woman; however, even Wonder Woman couldn’t fully climb out of Superman’s shadow.
“Stacy and I are glad that you’ve returned Celeste. We may not be able to do anything about our questionable working conditions, but you can.”
“I know we never got along in the past,” Stacy takes a sip of her coffee.
“But I just want to say that I think it’s admirable what you’re trying to accomplish against Mr. Burna. As a woman you can fight to represent us.”
“I’m flattered that both of you think so highly of me, but I’m not here to just to represent the woman in the company. I understand that being a woman in my position comes with many responsibilities, but I want to be an example for everyone to follow, regardless of age or gender, that it’s okay to stand up for what you believe in and to fight for what’s right.”
Becca smiles,
“You have my support 110 percent.”
“Fighting for what’s right, huh? What if fighting for what’s right gets you fired?”
Celeste frowns, “
This isn’t about pride, if it was I would have left weeks ago. I want this place to go back to the way it was; where the wrestlers didn’t have to conform, and whether or not they should worry about changing themselves simply because they might not get title opportunities in the future. We should be free to be ourselves… we shouldn’t be forced to follow the wrong path simply because it might benefit someone else.”
Stacy grins,
“We should be free to be ourselves? Alright, you have my support as well. I hope at Kingdom Come you really give Ty Burna’s team what’s coming to them.”
She smiles,
“No worries here…”
“…Hey Celeste, there you are. Are you ready?”
She turns to see Johnny Klamor in the hallway; he was looking slightly unnerved. He was probably pissed from having to come track her down.
“Ah, the interview; sorry to have kept you waiting.”
‘An apology from Celeste? That’s new; she’s become a true professional,’ Klamor thinks to himself.
Celeste bids farewell to the two women and follows the stocky man to the interviewing room, where a camera was already set up and ready to go. Klamor positions himself as the cameraman gives the green light.
“Hello wrestling fans, Johnny Klamor here with another exciting interview. WZCW’s own fiercest femme fatale, Celeste Crimson…”
… Now Celeste before we get into the big questions I have to ask, how does it feel to be a part of this year’s Kingdom Come?”
Klamor holds the microphone at waist level, never keeping his eye off the green camera light. Celeste’s eyes darts back and forth as she leans in to speak…
“It’s a dream come true Johnny. I was taken out of the Lethal Lottery so I did not have a chance to compete, so this is really an honor to already have a guaranteed spot on the biggest PPV of the year.”
“It has already been well documented as to way you were unable to make the Lottery match, but now you have earned yourself the top spot on Vance Bateman’s team. What are your thought’s going into this match.”
She pauses… if only to add dramatic effect; she leans into the microphone…
“Ty Burna has these delusions of grandeur about the power of chaos. It’s no secret that at one point he wanted me to be a part of the Apostles… and years ago I would have accepted.”
She pauses again, there was some truth behind that statement. For all the smack talk, she and Ty did know each other fairly well. But there was one thing that he had not taken into consideration… her ego. Celeste looks in the camera as she begins to focus…
“However; he would have been unable to control me back then. I was a loose cannon, a rampaging monster. I don’t think I even had a soul, and if I did it was engulfed by flames as black as a moonless night. I would have turned on him eventually, and his empire would have crumpled beneath my feet.”
But then something happened that she had not taken into consideration either… she became a mother, and her once blackened heart filled with arrogance and pride was replaced by joy and love. She found a new outlook on life with a completely new perspective. Her relationship with her husband improved, her relationship with her father improved, and she was able to enjoy the little things in life that once made her happy.
“When I returned to WZCW to start this crusade, I immediately singled out Ty because I knew that he was poison. And I can judge him because I used to be just like him… except I’ve found something in life worth fighting for other than to feed my own twisted ambitions and Ty Burna hasn’t. Until he does we will never be able to fight on even ground.”
“That is an interesting observation. Now onto the actual match at Kingdom Come… if your team wins Mr. Burna will have to relinquish his control over Meltdown; however, the rest of your teammates have not been revealed yet. What are your thoughts on this?”
“The title picture is nothing but a game to him; he already has all the power that he needs to make himself champion. He has all of his pawns lining up to fight for him… but I have found an ally of my own in the world champion Steven Kurtesy. I know that there are plenty of others that despise the way that the ‘General Manager’ has composed himself in recent months, and they would love nothing more than to see him lose that power…”
Sandy Deserts had proven herself not only to be a valuable contact, but also a good friend. She would have to find a way to show her appreciation for her later.
“… I hope to stand united with a great bunch of guys in the near future as we prepare for war at Kingdom Come.”
“Before that though you have been scheduled to face Mr. Baller this week, a man you know quite well from your past as he lost his debut to you years ago. He has carved a name for himself since you’ve left, and was even considered to be a favorite to win the Lottery this year. What are thoughts on the match?”
She smiles softly,
“He really has made something of himself hasn’t he? I’m sure he has something to prove against me, and I respect that; however, I cannot afford to lose momentum going into the pay per view. I am disheartened that we could not meet under better circumstances, but I am not going to treat him with kid gloves in this match. If Baller wants to win he’s going to have to fight me like he’s trying to win the world title.”
Her glare intensifies and her voice hardens,
“If he doesn’t bring me anything but his best then he will lose…”
Klamor smiles; even though her persona was different, her passion was still red hot. It was her desire that caused those flames in her soul to turn from black to golden. Her rebuke would devour all the darkness in her path.
He moves the microphone back up to his face as the interview comes to a close…
“Interesting words Mrs. Crimson; from this interviewer’s perspective it really seems as though you are fired up about Kingdom Come and are ready to take on all challengers. Perhaps one day in the near future we might see this pretty young woman contending for the world title. This is has been a Johnny Klamor report…”
Celeste can’t help but smile as the camera is turned off; at the moment she was feeling really good about herself. On top of the world practically, although; there was still one more piece of business that she had to take care of. She bids her farewell to Johnny as she takes a quickly glance at her phone… she still had some time.
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Celeste takes the elevator back down to the bottom floor and walks over to the loading dock. There were hardly any people around. It was perfect for a private meeting. She checks her phone once more… he was late. Suddenly she spots a figure walking towards her. His fancy suit almost appeared pale in the dimmed area but the shiny gold piece of hardware that he carried on his shoulder glints as it catches the rays of the few lights posted high on top of the ceiling.
She greats the man with a smile,
“It’s about time you got here.”
He shrugs,
“I was caught in a surprise photo shoot; I am the WZCW champion after all. Those pop up out of nowhere you know?”
“I’m aware.”
She was greeted warmly by the reigning world champion Steven Kurtesy; their makeshift alliance was made official last week so this meeting was strictly business…
“I want to say thank you for coming to my aid against last week.”
“You fought well against Ty Burna; it’s been some time since I’ve seen him taken to the limit like that. It was impressive.”
“I couldn’t win though, but I guess you figured that.”
Kurtesy nods,
“I wasn’t expecting to win my match either; although I am worried about David Cougar.”
“Do you think he’ll join up with Ty?”
He shakes his head,
“I am not really sure; although I managed to get myself into a fine mess this time for helping you…”
“…and I can’t thank you enough. I’ll make sure that I have your back this week; even though I can’t interfere, I will make damn sure that the Apostles can’t inflict any more damage afterwards… that’s if you manage to survive.”
He laughs,
“Well that’s comforting to hear…”
“Then let’s make a vow, that at Kingdom Come we’ll stop them… you take care of Ty, and I’ll stop the Apostles. Deal?”
She holds out her hand. Kurtesy stares at it for a couple of seconds before lowering the belt. He reaches out and grabs a hold of her hand and shakes it.
“Deal…”
“Now if you’ll excuse me I have my interview in a few minutes,” he says as he sling’s the title back around his shoulder.
“Anytime; oh, and give Sandy my regards. She has been a huge help to me these past few weeks.”
“I will; you take care of yourself Celeste.”
He turns and takes his leave. Celeste continues to linger on the dock; enjoying the sudden remote silence that has washed over her. There was a brief feeling of uncertainty which lingered in the air, but she pushed those feeling’s aside; she had to. Learning how to keep a clear mind was an invaluable tool… she wouldn’t be tied to destiny much longer.
