Chapter o.1; Conflict. REBECCA RANCID LAUGHED. She sat outside the San Clemente Pier watching the sun set on its inhabitants, dipping deep into the ocean. There was fire in the sky. At that very moment, it possessed a certain shade of burnt orange that dominated over its natural blue color. The open body of water below glistened but kept its cool hue as a statement of struggle. It seemed as though the two massive bodies were at war with each other but there was one factor that reminded it that it was but one. Regardless of its impalpable beauty, it only served as a backdrop for the woman who sat so candidly, sprawled across the line that separated sand and water. The woman known as Rebecca Rancid. She laughed at the thing that happened to her this morning. There were a lot of complications ahead, but not ones that she couldn't prevent. And as she began to trace her steps back to her humble abode, she recalled the incident that changed everything. A conference was held in the country of Japan and Rebecca's presence was highly anticipated during the meeting. In actuality, no one knew of her arrival except for one Tony Patrelli, the proud business owner of International Wrestling Legion. He managed to round up some big names, members of the board and lure them into the conference room without making any great promises. They all sat at a long table with Rebecca at the helm as though she was the one who called for them. As usual, her boney right leg, lay on her left one with the end of her ankle touching the knee and her other knee resting comfortably on the handle of her chair. That alone solidified her power over them, even though she wished to have none. "Gentlemen," announced Tony Patrelli. "Don Rebecca Corleone!" Those who were in attendance clapped warmly, showing their acceptance of the tiny blonde female. Rebecca smirked subtly, and thanked Patrelli for the kind introduction but let their applause go unnoticed. It deeply infuriated them. She called him Tony when she would address him and it was not out of disrespect but because she preferred him to stand as an individual before her and not the continuation of a line of great men in his family. She studied the room before her and all of its contents. The men before her were dressed plainly. Dull grey or black suits hid their bodies from the sight of the people around them and they looked weary, wishing to be some place else. "Lady, Gentlemen, we seem to be having a bit of struggle in my current business. The wrestling federation I opened in Japan seems to be on the brink of failure according to my partner Gregory Pryce. Most of the superstars are incapable of garnering the much needed attention for IWL and are thus causing the business to lose money. The financial backers we managed to secure in the first show are already turning their backs on us," explained Patrelli in a stern voice. Rebecca, who balanced a menthol cigarette between her lips while speaking chose to interject at that moment. Her cohorts were all smoking cuban cigars but she when offered, she refused. They begrudgingly considered her part of an alliance with them, as her respect for them was of more value than theirs for her but that did not stop them from making snide comments during the conference. "While Tony makes a good point, I feel that no one is incapable, especially not those in the business of wrestling. From my personal experience, it is evident that those with such little pull in the industry are those who do not realize the power that dwells within them. It is men like Cross who make the best out of the worst of times and I suppose we should all learn from him, don't you agree gentlemen?" "Well I certainly.." "That was a rhetorical question," Rebecca interrupted the Japanese business man that sat in no significant place during the conference. "Why of course," he responded, with a feeling of vexation underlined by humiliation. "I apologize." Whether she accepted his apology or not was out of the question. He stared at her incredulously. "And then we had the incident," she said, turning her attention towards Patrelli as she does so. "Would you like to inform them of what happened, Tony?" He hesitated demurely but then continued on anyway. "It will be my pleasure, Don Corleone," Patrelli assured and began to dwell into the situation. "It appears that one of our best superstars named Lee Hellspawn has taken it upon himself to announce his problems in public instead of contacting myself of Gregory Pryce about it first. I assure you, gentlemen, that our superstars are our first priority and we would have been more than sympathetic towards Mr. Hellspawn had he respected our privacy. But he had to charge out there condemning everything within a 100 mile radius as though he is the most valuable asset to professional wrestling and we should consider ourselves lucky to have him when he addressed us with the same respect he would give to a concubine." "And mind you," Rebecca interjects unapologetically. "He has been singing the same tune over the years about respecting the owners of a federation." "Exactly the point I was going to make. Thank you, Don Corleone." Rebecca then winked his way, causing his cheeks to redden a bit. "His actions caused chaos backstage and then after much debate, I requested that my partner go out there and deal with the situation immediately and now we are waiting for live feeds on what curve balls Lee Hellspawn is going to throw our way." His voice is then followed by the empty silence in the room. No one dared to follow up with a solution, except Rebecca. "Waiting?" she questioned, undaunted by anyone in this room and beyond. "We are not going to wait for that man out there to utter another word of disrespect to the people who are collaborating with him in an effort to ensure his success in this company. If we had any will power left within us..." she paused for a second and then a wry smile came over her face. "Gentlemen, this conference is over. I believe we have found the solution we have been looking for." When she reached home that night, a man approached her. He was slender in size and self validation. His head hung low and in his small and shaky voice, he informed her that she received a call at her home. "Thank you, Larry," she said and then he saw her gaunt figure vanish past the porch of her house. Inside, she picked up the phone at once, without hesitation or the need to wait any longer. Dialing the number to Tony Patrelli's office, she first came in contact with his assistant who put her on the line with him immediately. "Rebecca!" she could hear him exclaim excitedly on the other hand. "I couldn't wait. I just had called to inform you that you got it. It's you versus Hellspawn on the next Bushido card." "Thank you, Tony. I have been sequestered for far too long. I know it's time for Lee Hellspawn to meet his demise." - The Perpetual Conflagration THE ORIGINAL DOLL 2008