Control (Hell on Earth #1)

Perfection. While the word itself is an impossibility, the closest presentation of this was on the mind of Zane as she scanned her eyes around the kitchen. The food display she made was fine but she had to make sure there was no sign of the chaos that had occurred just hours before. With each corner scanned, another sigh escaped her. She was still shocked, not only at her behavior, which she later apologized for, but for the fact that she wasn’t really sorry. Saying what she did felt good. Taking responsibility felt good, and she finally had a moment outside of the squared circle where she believed she was in control. It seemed like everything was in order there at least. Her gaze shifted over to the living room area, flashes of the incident replaying in her mind.
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As usual when she didn’t come out with the victory, there were many words flung her way. Unlike what most would believe, nothing negative was said. It was quite the opposite. Many words of praise were sent her way and much like the old days, Zane ate it all up. Even with how much she matured, she still loves being complimented. One thing struck a nerve though and led to the verbal barrage she delivered. Now as usual, blame was placed elsewhere for how the match turned out. The shady opponent, sure, the others for not doing their part, okay. But then..

“Now you hold the fuck up, don’t you dare try to say that ——”

“You have no idea what has or hasn’t gone on!”

“I wasn’t distracted you asshole, if anything I was more motivated than I ever would have been if I had you barking orders at me!”

“For the sake of my brand?! You messed up the brand the day it stopped being about your daughter and turned into a fucking brand!”

“How dare I?! How dare you?! Then you wonder why I wanted to get so far the fuck away from everything that had to do with you and what you turned me into!”

“I’m a fucking human, I’m entitled to ——”

“Whatever fine! I’ll talk to you later, I have to clean another one of your messes up and prepare for company!”
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Shaking her head to bring herself back to the present, Zane grabbed her spray bottle of cleaning solution and a rag. Heading over to the living room she looked as carefully as she could for anything suspicious. Her gaze moved upward and her eyes widened seeing what would definitely cause raised eyebrows. She was quick to dash up the stairs, crouching down at the top so she could reach the issue that rested just underneath the railing. Spraying and dispatching of the eyesore Zane felt a sense of relief. She followed this by examining each of the six rooms, stopping when she got to the awfully named “Sanctuary of Accomplishment” an arrogant smirk coming across her face.

“I’ll be adding to this soon enough.”

The confidence behind her words were justified in her mind. While some have to convince themselves of their worth or put forth a persona, Zane took pride in the fact that she knew each match she was in was hers to win or lose. She was the star, she was the past, present and future. The narrative, at least in the ring, was hers to control. A soft giggle followed as she made her way back downstairs and checked on her food display again, just to make sure she had all in proper shape.

“There, there. No you stop it, stay in the pyramid like a good bunch of grapes. Ugh why can’t ‘life me’ be in control too? I swear I fail at every turn socially and then..ugh. Meanwhile, professional me is the closest thing to perfection in several sports, good grief.”

Before she continued, Zane shook her head almost looking ashamed.

“Oh great, I’ve resorted to talking to food now and not in the cute way that precedes eating it either. What has become of me and where the hell are they?”

She was impatient as usual but with pretty good reason. This whole time she was nervously preparing for something she hadn’t really dealt with in a long time, having media personnel in her home. With the last time having led to such..

“No, not yet. I don’t have time for that. They’ll be here any minute now.”

Again taking back the control, Zane slightly adjusted one plate before putting the spray bottle away. A small beep sounds off which catches the young woman’s attention. Checking her reflection as best as she can in front of the refrigerator, she gives herself a thumbs up, following this by beginning a silent countdown from five with her fingers. Upon reaching zero she hears the doorbell ring. Zane then took in and let out a deep breath before guiding her right hand along her face, as if putting on a mask and heading over to the front door. Opening it following the sound of a second ring, Zane waved for the camera crew to come in, greeting them with a pleasant smile.

“Good morning. Thank you so much for coming. I’m glad you made it here safely. I have snacks, food and drinks available in the kitchen if you would like some at any point.”

The crew enters her home but just as she shut the door behind them, she stopped them from stepping further, still smiling.

“Shoes off please. You may place them in one of the cubbies. I have house slippers here for you all and others for the parts of the home outside the main area. Now today is just the promo portion correct? I just want to make sure I have things right before we begin filming various parts.”

“Yes, we’re just here for the promo and will be back tomorrow with Crystal for the interview…”

“Emiko works fine. I’d find it way too weird if you called me Zane in my house.”

Seeing that they all followed her directions, she nodded in approval. Motioning for them to follow her she spoke out for courtesy’s sake.

“Perfect. So I’m not sure if you all have accommodations sorted or not but I have prepared in case I have to house you for the night before the interview tomorrow.”

“We’re fine but thank you for the kind offer Emiko.”

Reaching the desired area, her personal indoor ring, Zane couldn’t help smirking at the looks the crew members had. Quickly directing them to the training area slippers, she walked over to the ring. Taking a seat on the apron, she tossed a flash drive to the cameraman and put on her wrestling sneakers, discussing the next step as she did.

“I figured we start with some clips or whatever of me in the ring and looking all like I’m training despite the fact that when I am actually doing that I don’t look as pretty.”

When she was met with no response, Zane looked up a bit perplexed.

“You know for the video package? I mean granted those can either ones featuring each individual competitor or a three to four minute one with all of us but I want to make sure you catch me on my good side. Oh and I also have old footage on that you can use too if you want to go the whole development from the child I was to how I am now. Some available stuff online is blugh so I have my own set.”

“We’re not exactly used to the talent being so...prepared for filming. Usually they have a general idea and let us handle the rest after going on with what they have to say.”

“Wait seriously? What kind of professionals am I working with here then? No, no I shouldn’t judge. It’s fine. They all seem.. some .. a couple of them seem lovely. I guess I’ve just been doing this so long, I run on autopilot. Alright, let’s do this.”

Standing up on the apron, Zane wipes her feet, noting the red light on. She easily hops into the ring over the top rope, immediately beginning to run them. Dropping down a couple times, followed by a few impressive leap frogs for someone her height, Zane hops up before performing a handspring moonsault like it was nothing. Landing on one knee, Zane gives an intense glare to the camera. She rolls onto her back before doing a no handed kip up and racing towards the turnbuckle. Performing the triple jump she normally uses for her Cherry On Top, Zane instead of leaping, showcases her incredible balance, easily walking across the ropes and jumping off with a side flip. Zane wastes no time and bounces off the far ropes and clears the top with a front flip dive, landing on her feet outside the ring. She gives a cute little bow before winking at the camera.

“I think that will do fine for the first time bit. I’ll do more next go and wear something cooler too. You can start setting up in the backyard now.”

Zane stands there waiting for the crew to make their move. Giving a barely audible huff, she then smiles.

“I have a little setup in the backyard, you head there now and I’ll meet you after changing. You can go on now.”

Politely shooing away the crew, Zane watches as they begin setting up, disappearing from their sights. A few minutes pass before she comes out stepping into frame, now dressed in black jean short shorts and a white halter crop top.

“Okay yeah that’s perfect. Focus on me with the ladder in the background and I’ll give an easy cue for you to begin to follow me. Hopefully the audio won’t be an issue for what I have in mind. I appreciate you coming out for this and I apologize in advance for the last part.”

Confused over her statement, the crew shrugs it off. Zane puts her hand over her face and mimics taking off a mask, a smirk appearing as the red light comes on.

“Hello lovelies, I hope you’ve all been well since you were last graced with my presence. I kid..I’m not that egotistical. I’m sure many of you are wondering why I’m looking out to you from afar with a pleasant demeanor considering what happened at Proving Ground. The answer’s pretty simple. My debut match, while not exactly what I envisioned, was only a small sample of what I have to offer. That plus the fact that I was clearly in control of the whole thing without breaking a sweat and shady tactics had to be used for the other ‘standout’ to obtain victory, it just has me feeling all the better for what’s to come. It didn’t take long for that next step to be revealed either as I was one of the four competitors announced for the ladder match at Hell on Earth that will see me crowned as the first ever Warrior Rising Champion. Now before you say anything, I know last time I made a declaration it didn’t go to plan. The thing is, while that’s true, I did prove my points at the same time. You see I showed that even someone with fangs can’t match my bite and that mma credentials don’t mean squat when in comparison to me. Hell I made the so called winner even look like the joke he claims others to be. The ring is my domain, and while I was the nice guy giving others the benefit of the doubt, this time I’m all business. I’m establishing my dominion and nobody will stand in the way of that. Being the gracious scholar that I am, of course I will gladly give you all a lesson as to why this statement will become fact.”

With no hesitation, Zane turned herself away from the camera and began climbing the 20 foot ladder behind her. Following a few rungs, Zane purposely slips and locks her legs around the rung, hanging herself upside down. Feigning like she’s in trouble, Zane then laughs before continuing.

“I’ll start my point from the bottom and then work my way up as one should in this type of match. Now the first person I’ll address is that lanky weasel Correa. Might as well rip the band aid off right away. Now Mr. Buttface, while I was correct in my assumption when it came to your skill set being good but at the same time not all that was hyped up, I will admit I didn’t see that sneaky little trick of yours. For that I will gladly flip you off and give you props at the same time. But if you think for a second that little stunt has any impact on my mind, you are mistaken. If anything my already solid building of belief just got a couple fancy gargoyle statues added to it. Hell as a betting woman I’d go as far as to say how things went down at Proving Ground is eating away at you, though someone of your inflated status won’t ever admit it. I’d be genuinely shocked if you did, and even more so if you actually brought anything else to the table aside from a few basic moves and that moderate level of cleverness. Plus every path to greatness has moments where slip ups occur and others are foolish enough to think you’re stuck.”

Zane, with no effort, was able to sit herself, moving on with her statement right after.

“However just as I showed, my core is strong. You don’t last as long as I have in this business without building it. So sorry pal but there’s no way your game is going to work a second time, not with me involved. Now I’d waste more of my words on you Correa but I got to save something for Ms. Crystal who I’m sure will ask about you and plus, I kind of don’t think you’re all that worth it. Next!”

Getting back to the climb, Zane gets about halfway up the ladder before stopping and looking down to the camera.

“Another four way match, another supposedly unknown factor thrown into the mix. Unfortunately for you Buttface Correa kind of spoiled things for you, so instead of simply commending you on what I’ve seen, I’m going to safely assume the worst until I’m proven wrong. Oh and make damn sure you don’t make any type of anything for yourself at my expense. Now of course since I’m not an idiot, I did some scouting on you Hil with one L. What I saw was the case of a guy who is constantly working to improve himself which is something I can respect. I also saw someone who likes to lift, bend, snap and inflict pain on others. Now while I’ve seen many who fit that mold, there’s something I find interesting about you. Definitely not your run of the mill promos, blegh, but something else. I would reveal what it is but doing so would show what I have over you and I just don’t feel as though I should do that. I got my eye on your polished yet unpolished self during this match, honestly more than the other competitors. Don’t tell them that though, it’s our secret. For now though, next!”

Zane continues making her way up the ladder, nearing the top before looking down once again.

“Daniel Horror. You definitely exist. If I was a jerk I’d point to records and be like oh blah overdone bad guy crap about how you’ll never win but that’s not my style. Plus I’m not stupid. I see that with each Proving Ground that passes you show that much more fire. So I’m sure that Hell on Earth will be your best outing to date. You’ll probably even do something crazy so that despite not winning your name will still be talked about in praise. That is where my kindness stops though Daniel because I’m telling you flat out, with the utmost confidence, that you will not win. This match is mine, despite what terror you threaten me with. Oh and that goes for the other two of you too. You’ll go down in history no doubt, and I’m sure there are titles in your collective futures. It just won’t be this one. So bring your sneaky tricks, your bendy snapple style, hell bring all the weapons in the world and the kitchen sink. Nothing is keeping me from becoming the first Warrior Rising Champion. Not even unwanted pests. Hell on Earth is a night that will end with me eating an ice cream sundae of victory, even if I have to kill myself on damn legos to do it. Now while I have an interview lined up where I’ll give more detailed thoughts and probably get asked stuff that’ll make me feel uncomfortable, I decided to leave you with an image. A small preview if you will. I guess it’s your turn to see me be the ‘crazy’ one.”

Giving a quick wink, Zane climbs to the top, steadying herself. She takes a bow before leaping off with a picture perfect moonsault before gasps are heard and the feed cuts to black.