The easy listening jazz sounds of CD 101.9 played throughout, while cool afternoon barely
lit the office. No lights on, just the natural golden brown rays of the sun lazily filing the room. Despite the music,
you'd swear there was an eerie quiet...
Rachel Winston sat at her rather large
desk, hands at the side of slumped head, as she stared at the reflective glass finish. She had finally done it. Done what
no other had done, she had taken the Circle to the Gladiator championship! Not Mary Jane Francis, not Catherine Jones, not
even Damian Knight's hand picked leader Angelica. Rachel Winston did it! Former valet to proud Circle member Deanna
Ravingwh- -, for crying out loud, David was rubbing off on her... Lady Deanna Raventhorne. To manager of the
Circle's most infamous associate, the OutLaw! To now leader of the most dominant force in pro wrestling, the Circle. She
had done it. A former quiet mousey young girl, who found her heritage stripped of her, because of her rather 'close'
relationship to her step mother, ... to proud, aggressive leader of the Circle. Obviously her stock in CTN would rise into
the stratosphere for this accomplishment. Yet it all felt just a little hollow...
This was her moment. The moment of her greatest personal triumph, at time when those moments
were becoming quite numerous. Looking deeply into her reflection's eyes, Rachel lost herself. Boring deeper into dark
windows and seeing an emptiness. No, a sadness. Moments like this were to be shared. The one she wanted to share this
moment was nowhere to be found. How could her lover not be here for her? How could he just abandon her like this. Instead
of standing on her desk dancing with triumphant joy, she just wanted to crawl underneath it and disappear. The OutLaw
- David Kidd stormed out of the arena after the Colosseum tournaments final match. Rachel had never seen the OutLaw or
David this way. Anger just doesn't seem to do justice the way he carried on Wednesday night. It wasn't just rage, it was
hurt, it was betrayal, it was frustration, and it all seemed to erupt at the same time. ...At her!
The evening didn't start well to begin with, the incident with Nikki Silver, the popcorn, and
his car put David in orbit. The car had been a gift to him from his sister in law, meant very much to him, only to see it
defaced with popcorn! Rachel had warned the OutLaw that Nikki was taking this whole popcorn thing very seriously, and that
he should as well. He of course dismissed it as just stupidity on the part of Silver wearing various bad hairstyles to
tightly. He was obviously wrong. Then after settling down, and preparing himself in his locker room, the OutLaw watched the
carefully edited montage and saw only one thing, scenes of him getting 'punked' as he put it. Even Furious Steele got made
to look good. David just shook his head and told her to run to a store and get him some vaseline, he could 'feel' this was
going to be a long night. Whatever 'paranoia' the OutLaw felt about the GWA staff having it in for him, he suddenly felt it
very justified.
There was of course the tournament itself, where the OutLaw fought his way through a very tough
three man match. The OutLaw sat in his locker room afterward, thinking he needed to shake Anthony Craven's hand. For he
felt he deserved to win as much as he did if not more. Rachel looked at him in bewilderment. The OutLaw spent the better
part of the week bashing Craven, trying to rattle his nerve, and now he was complimenting him, almost praising him. Rachel
had to excuse herself to oversee the Circle's business, but she asked if he wanted some of the Circle to make a presence out
at the final match. The OutLaw just shot her a look as if she HAD to be kidding. She offered it just in case the OutLaw's
paranoia was justified. In hindsight she wishes she had listened to herself.
The match was an intense back & forth affair. But in the end Xtreme showed himself the classy
fighter he's always claimed to be, and used two shots to the groin to put the OutLaw down. Rachel could only reel in horror
at the thought of the pain involved in getting hit not once, but twice in that area! While Xtreme reveled in what he
considered a well earned victory. But it wasn't that pain that bothered the OutLaw most. It was the fact that the shots
were taken directly in the face and presence of the referee. And he said nothing. NOTHING! He just jumped down to make the
count and awarded the victory to Xteme, Johnny Storm's chosen champion. That thought rang loud & clear in her mind, Storm's
chosen champion. Perhaps it is true, it's only paranoia when everyone chooses NOT to believe you. This was too blatantly
obvious! The OutLaw wasn't paranoid, just aware of the inevitable.
It was the scene in the locker room though, that stayed with Rachel. The rage, the fury, ...the
tantrum. Absentedly reaching for the tv/vcr remote Rachel turned the television on, then started the tape in the vcr. It
was a matter of courage for her to look at the tape. Once upon a time, she would have avoided at all costs watching something
so painful. Now, she had to. She had to understand. Why couldn't he see this is just a business? These things happen.
He's pushed painful injuries that would cripple the most fit individual, why can't he push aside this setback?
~CLICK!~
The otherwise previously unseen GWA footage snapped violently onto
camera, the OutLaw was already in mid rage. Chairs, clothing, water bottles, a bench, & more had already seen time flying
through the air. A vicious sidekick by a man who used a Superkick as a finishing move, sent lockers tumbling backwards.
Rachel could see herself every now and then step into frame, vainly trying to calm the OutLaw down. He never looked at her,
the destruction just continued. Then she heard herself ask those questions...
Rachel: David! David! Just calm down! We can fix this!
David! Why are you carrying on like this?! This isn't the first time you've been screwed over here? Get over it! Move on!
Hell, I've been screwed over by the Circle enough times, but I just get over it, move on, and now I am at the top! You can
do the same! It's just business! Get over it? What the hell is wrong? What?!
Suddenly it's like entering the eye of a storm. Everything just
seems to stop. The noise, the chaos, emotion, everything just seems to just abruptly cease. The OutLaw turns to Rachel,
an almost possessed look on his face, then it just drains away...
The OutLaw: What?
Heh. [Looking at her puzzled] It was a decision wasn't it? Maybe it was a business decision. Maybe they think
Xtreme will get people interested in this fed? Maybe he will get people to care about him or his matches. He hadn't done it
before. Nobody gave a rat's ass about him before, until I mentioned his name. But maybe he has that certain something, I
can't see it. But that's me. Or...
Maybe it was a personal decision. The guys at the top, so filled with disgust with me, would rather have anyone win the belt
but me. But why him? Craven busted his ass out there tonight, and so did Benson. What the fuck did they get? Not as
screwed? Was it more important that the I had to lose?
But whatever it was, you're right about one thing. It was a decision. A concious decision was made that the OutLaw, me,
had to put over XCreme. Whatever the reasons, that nonsensical, nonfunny, nontalented, non original hack had to get put
over! A decision was made, it's because of that decision I "can't get over it"!
What am I supposed to think for the rest of the time I'm here? That it doesn't matter how much I bust my hump, no matter
how much time I put here, it won't matter?! It won't mean a thing that while other people are merely occasional guest stars
in this fucking soap, the OutLaw is here each and every damn week?! Everyone wants to rush out and make this guy, that guy
the champ, the winner. Then they sit around and hope he can be bothered to speak to them next week when he's been handed
the gold. Fuck 'em!!
I'm supposed to want to compete here?! I should want to be crapped on cause I dare speak out? I ain't on the nut suck
train to Stormville, and I should be happy getting penalized cause I got the will to put out the truth? Screw that! For
you, this is a business! For me this a passion! I go out and perform because I want to! Sure the money is good, but hell
it's secondary. It's a matter of pride! Going out there and giving my all, just to have it spit back in my face, just
cause some asshole doesn't like me?! That doesn't fucking fly! This fed wanted to send the OutLaw a message he isn't wanted
I got it loud and fucking clear! I'm out! Kill my contract, and call me gone! Tell Storm, he doesn't have to rack his
brain any longer coming up with new ways to screw me over! As of THIS Wednesday the OutLaw is history!
With that, the OutLaw stormed out, not even bothering to change into
his street clothes. Pushing over the GWA camerman, damaging a several thousand dollar piece of equipment, and even
brushing past Rachel. She just stood there in shock. She'd never seen David like this. And she hadn't seen David since
then.
Of course it was a business for her. This is what she had made her life, and business like
life, had to go on. If David needed time to go off and sulk she would give it to him. He'd be back. He always came back.
After all, he was right about one thing. For him this is a passion. It was in his blood. He had to be here, to face the
best in the business. The problem was, what if he was right? What if he was being singled out to be continually screwed
over? Rachel ran a hand through beautiful brown tresses, and sighed. Cause if the OutLaw ever wanted proof that he was
being 'yanked' about, the new card was going to literal smoking gun.
If there was one thing the OutLaw was not, it was a team player! The OutLaw went out of his
way to drive that point home every chance he got. The number of tag matches he'd been involved in could be counted on one
hand. With enough fingers left over for the most biased ref to count a three count, plus one! Now he was involved in a
match with Sianna Kane. The woman whom he spent the whole of the last week saying she was more man than her own man! A
woman who eventually took offence to the comments he made to her lover. Now he was involved with a tag match with a woman
he couldn't give a fig about. In a match that had no point. Why? Because Storm heard the Circle wanted this match?
What Circle? It certainly wasn't one that Rachel, the OutLaw, or Sianna were involved in.
The actual rumor going about the Circle was that Sianna was growing tired of this business.
A possible great loss to not only the Circle, but wrestling as a whole. A definite problem that Rachel was possibly going
to have to face. Made worse by the incredible showing of Critically Acclaimed, who clearly have breathed new life into the
tag team ranks in the GWA. They were an all to credible threat to the Circle's hold on the tag titles, whether Sianna was
completely focused and Caprice was physically 100%. But this match, what was the point of it? The OutLaw put on one of
the greatest shows at To the Max, and his reward? This tag match? Others were given chances to gain title shots for
other belts. The OutLaw got a pointless match in one event he never appears in. Just to get buried further?
Rachel's biggest concern right now was whether the OutLaw would really show. Would he
leave Sianna in the lurch? He had no real reason to show. And he was quite upset. Sianna's very health could be at issue
here. If she were to find herself with two hungry sharks like Critically Acclaimed. How would Caprice react when best
friend and partner is left out there to fend for herself. How would Anthony Craven take it, that a man he's long had a
rivalry with, left his woman to possibly be injured severely. This could quite literally tear the Circle apart. And on her
watch! Rachel couldn't afford to have the
Circle show weakness, show signs of disharmony. This was the Circle's crowning moment. And now, just as quickly as they
rose to the top, they could come tumbling back down in a humiliating heap. This couldn't be happening, not to her!
Not now!
