Chapter 005: What I'm born to do.

It was after mine and Saul’s Jiu Jitsu class that we showed up to Wild Bill’s Gym and just by looking at us, you would think that Saul was more excited to be at this class than I was. My heart was racing, and I even contemplated whether I should even open the door leading into the facility; everything in front of me became blurry… I felt myself bite down on my own bottom lip, as my hand pressed against the door but it didn’t budge. I could feel its weight pressing against my arm and back to my shoulder; it wasn’t heavy, but I was frozen… and too nervous to open the door.

“Well!” I heard Liliana’s voice call out from behind. It was a pleasant surprise because I knew that she had not been interested in participating, although she seemed to push myself and Saul into doing this… I mustered a smile to her, given more as a courtesy, but still didn’t budge. I could see Saul fidgeting, and knew that he felt the same way that I did, but Liliana continued to encourage us, “Ma and dad signed those papers because you both begged them to! Now get your asses in there!” She told us again.

That was the last little bit of encouragement we needed, and I pushed the door open with ease. The bell rang over our head which definitely would let Mister Dalton know that someone had entered, but he stood at the back of the room where the ring was set-up, and stood on the apron barking his instructions at the students. It felt surreal. Liliana walked into the gym with us and I could see that Bill had heard the bell; he looked as if he wanted to instinctively turn around to see who had walked in, but with him being in the middle of a lesson, he didn’t want to turn away. It took about two minutes for them to finish up that lesson, and he finally acknowledged us with a stare and a nod before finally announcing us to the rest of the students.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we have two new students that are going to be joining us!” His voice carried throughout the room and he hopped from the apron, landing on his feet; he didn’t waste any time in walking toward us and stretched his arm out as if he were about to put it around us but kept a respectful distance away as he gestured for us to follow. Liliana took a step away from us making it clear that she had no desire in participating. “Students, this is Tara and Saul. Mind you, they are both under the age of eighteen, but have received parental consent to join… And so we are going to be working with them on some of the basics.”

All of these aspiring wrestlers got out of the ring, and got into a line; each one shook our hands and introduced themselves to us… There were so many names. It looked like there were at least two dozen. Almost by instinct, Saul and I introduced ourselves just as well; although Mister Dalton had introduced us by our names, we repeated our names to each one. I took a hard gulp, but couldn’t contain the smile that crept on my face as Mister Dalton walked us to the stairs for the first time and allowed us to step into the ring… Saul was first. I wanted to get in the ring with him, but Mister Dalton had reached up and taken my wrist; he shook his head at me in a subtle fashion and I looked around to see the rest of the students surrounding the ring.

“How does it feel, Saul--” He raised the question, “--to be standing inside the squared circle?”

I could see my brother appear to be a bit nervous… He was never the type of person who liked to have all eyes lingering on him; he did not like to be the center of attention, but I could see why Mister Dalton insisted on this being the first moment; we would have to be used to it, or we would have to get over it. Saul didn’t make any drastic movements; he threw his arms in the air as a mild celebration then hurried out of the ring with his face as red as a tomato…

“Empowering?” Mister Dalton asked him. Saul just tried to nod, and a couple of the students on the far side where he had left the ring were patting him on the back and trying to encourage him… I wondered what they were saying, and tried to focus on it as if I could maybe read their lips, but the voice of Mister Dalton suddenly knocked me back to reality, “Tara! You’re up!” I looked over my shoulder at him and couldn’t help but share a look of confusion… I had just watched Saul do it, so I knew; just get a feel for it. Just see what it feels like. “Get in there!” He insisted.

I looked toward the ring; I wasn’t tall enough to step comfortably between the top and the middle ropes as I saw the rest of them do on TV, so I opted for the middle and bottom ropes… The moment that I stepped into the ring, I looked around, and I could… hear…

I could hear the fans chanting my name. I could envision the lights dimming down with the spotlight on me in the center of the ring. Where was I? I was in Madison Square Garden, the most famous arena of them all. I raised my hands as if to bask in the glory of the cheers that I heard in my head before reaching my hands to my hair and pulling my loose hair behind my back… It wouldn’t stay, but it was out of my vision long enough for me to take a light jog toward the turnbuckle where I felt something surge inside of me… I jumped to the middle rope, and landed on one foot before steadying myself with the other. I put my arms back out while my name was chanted from the rafters. There was a smile on my face… ear to ear… I felt it… I knew just from standing in this ring: this is what I was born to do.

“Tara!” I heard my name being shouted… chanted…  “Tara!” The same voice could be heard, and my name was repeated three more times before I finally looked over to see Mister Dalton’s lips mouthing my name; the sound of the crowd almost transitioned from what had to have been thousands of people chanting my name to just Bill Dalton. “How did it feel?”

The question lingered in my head for a while, and I looked around to see the students all with their eyes on me… Saul, still with his reddened face, looking up at me; the way he looked at me, I knew that I felt something that he didn’t… I saw something that he didn’t… But I was too shy, still, and I played it off, “It was alright.”

I heard Bill chuckle and just by the glint in his eyes, he gave me a nod. He knew what I saw. “Today is day one.”

---

Tara stood at the monitor in the backstage area of Dallas, Texas with her arms folded across her stomach; she had her eyes glued to the monitor as if it had her entrapped. There was barely even a moment for her to blink. The monitor in front of her had the Lance Williams and Emmanuelle match playing.

There was nothing that could drag me away from the monitor; Emmanuelle and Lance Williams were set to wage war with each other… and while Lance and I never had a friendship, per say, there was a silent respect that we had for one another. The man was as strong as an ox. The man had a chip on his shoulder that he used to his advantage… He was determined, and after losing to MYO, he was hungry; he was angry.

I watched as he rammed his shoulders into Emmy’s midsection; it was a wonder that the air wasn’t driven out of her with how powerful and how much of an impact he was able to deliver with a move that was so basic. How could Emmy answer? A sunset flip? No. Emmy was gifted; there’s no way this was going to be the end of her… I watched Lance transition for a bulldog, and saw how Emmy effortlessly escaped it.

Emmanuelle was one woman that I grew to respect, and rather quickly; she was a friend of MYO’s and they had warned me about Emmy’s ability in the ring. It was something that I questioned because I knew what was important to her: the money. I had this strange feeling that that was all that mattered to her; that was all that she wanted. I was wrong. She was as gifted in the ring as some of the greatest that I’ve been in the ring with… She took me to my limits at Night of Honor, and I still feel that I barely escaped… But I still mustered a smile over that victory. Whether it was barely acquired, or in a dominating fashion, a win’s a win. I knew that I would still have to face her again throughout this tournament, and I needed to study my match… I needed to study this match… I needed to know what I could do differently to prevent it from being that close.

The match carried on for several minutes, and I watched the speed of Emma that Lance, while he was no slouch, did not stand a chance of keeping up with her. I watched the power behind each of Lance’s strikes that looked as if he had hit it just right, could end the match rather quickly… If it didn’t end the match, definitely have us seeing stars.

Who should I be pulling for? Should I be pulling for anyone? There was a part of me that felt that I wanted Lance to win… Just because I knew Emmanuelle could match my speed, could match my technique, could match my ferocity; she was probably the biggest concern of them all. I shook my head to dismiss the thought. Just look at what they do, look at how they do it; look for the signs.

Tara licked her lips while continuing to watch the match unfold in front of her… The back and forth action made it difficult to determine who was going to be able to walk out with their arm raised, but when the bell finally sounded over the monitor, Tara finally blinked her eyes several times…

I still didn’t look away. Emmanuelle had respect, but I had to see how she would react to this one… This was sometimes a key to finding something in their mentality that could cause them to tick. How do they react to a loss? How do they react to a win? It didn’t matter how many times we had to witness it; each one carried a different story…

The commotion coming from the monitor had caused Tara to cock her head to the side, and she had a puzzled look on her face; Lance Williams was arguing with the referee before the crowd went into a frenzy against him as he was assaulting the referees and even the security… Tara pivots on her feet for a moment and looks as if she is about to go out, but then hears Indy’s voice over the microphone.

”Enough! You’ve already earned yourself a fine and a suspension, but I swear to god if you don’t get out of this ring and cool off right now, I’ll be forced to take things even further…”

A fine and a suspension? What does this mean for the tournament? That would already prevent him from getting a series of points unless this were to somehow occur following the tournament… I continued to watch what was unfolding in front of me. It seemed like he may have done it, but then I saw that smirk go across his face and watched him pull the official to his feet to use another one of his Torture Bombs; there was a hesitation as Indy barked at another warning.

“Lance, I’m warning you for the last time… don’t do it!” He seemed to be pleading with Lance, as if he actually cared, and why wouldn’t he? Lance was a pretty hot commodity. One of the strongest contenders in the rumble event that Cadillac won; a former X-Factor Champion; put up one hell of a fight against MYO… He was good. He was damn good. And whether you loved him or hated him, he had a presence he brought to the ring.

But he finally… didn’t care… I watched him drop the official with the Torture Bomb, and then Indy finally answering, “Fine! You brought this on yourself, you arrogant son of a bitch! Lance Williams...you’re fired!” And silence. What does this mean for the tournament? Is this now just a three-person tournament? What does this mean?

---

“Truth be told, there was a part of me that was looking forward to stepping into the ring with Lance Williams… I despised the guy. I despised how he conducted his business, but I loved that ferocity that he brought! That attitude that he truly… did… not… care… But then he went off and did something stupid,” Tara said. She shook her head while contemplating back to the October 15 edition of Proving Ground. “He got himself fired.” Tara clicked her tongue a few times, and even subtly shook her head.

“The opportunity was there for us to finally meet in the center of the ring, after all of those words you had for me… those words I had for you. When I nearly broke your legs in the center of that very ring, and you wanted to make it clear to me, and clear to the audience, that you were my superior, and now? You get yourself fired.” Tara snickered. “I was preparing to fight you, Lance. I was ready to fight you. But you screwed that whole thing up and now I need to prepare for… Percival.” Tara scoffed just because of the name.

“Here we have a little… rat… that is in over his head, and I know what you’re thinking. I know exactly what’s racing through that tiny little mind of yours,” Tara adjusted her stance slightly, leaning in close. She licked her lips before continuing, “Wrong place, wrong time.” She said and cocked her head back to the side.

“I know that’s probably not what you were expecting, and I know that you’re probably thinking… quite the opposite, but that’s why I’m here… to give you the truth, to make sure you know that this entry that you’ve had given to you by Indy, it was not a gift. It was a punishment. A curse. A mistake. You are stepping into the ring with some of the greatest competitors that Project: Honor has to offer: Brandon Hendrix, Emmanuelle, and--” Tara scoffed again, as she put her arms out to put herself out as if she were a display model; she couldn’t refrain from rolling her eyes that had duh written all over them. “--yours truly.” She smirked. She tucked her hands into her pockets and began walking to her side but didn’t let her eyes stray away from the camera…

“Let me take you on a trip down memory lane…” Tara said while licking her lips again, “I’ve been doing this for twenty-one fucking years! I have been at the top of every company that I’ve signed to; I’ve been to the top of the industry! When the conversation comes up about who the greatest of all time really is, it’s my name that is constantly brought up… It’s my name that is near the top of the list, and do you want to know why that is? It’s not a fluke. It’s not a mistake. It’s because I’m fucking good. When I signed with Project: Honor, there was one goal that I had in mind: reach the top. Do what only three people have been able to do since it was brought into the company in February: become the Legacy Champion.”

Tara suddenly stopped, and pivoted on her feet to face the camera; she took another step forward and began her count, “Elena DeDraca,” one, “Shawn Warstein,” two, “And now… Syndicate.”

She took a brief pause, to let those three names sink into the minds of the viewers. The expression on Tara’s face was poised with self-confidence; a determination that she knew that she would one day be standing among that short list of names one day.

“You see, I do not sign my name to a contract without having the full determination to be the face of the company; to be at the top of the food chain. But…” She knew that she had to focus on what was directly ahead of her right now… That was the Round Robin tournament; that was getting through Percival, and possibly even Emmanuelle, to acquire her shot at the Grand Championship. “One step at a time. You are getting into the ring with someone who knows full well what she is capable of doing; against someone who knows full well that she belongs at the top of the company… I belong in the main event… I belong in the matches against the types like Ozymandias, against the types like Mark Hunter, against the types like Emmanuelle, against the types like MYOJIN; these are the people that when I think of Project: Honor, these are the people that stand out as the best… But I go into Clash for the Cup against… Percival…”

Tara shook her head and let out a long drawn out sigh, and even let out a chuckle.

“It truly does feel like they’re handing this to me. They are handing me this win! Because they know that I am the only one who truly has what it takes to take on Ozymandias, and I made my intent perfectly clear when I do walk away with the Clive Darling Memorial Cup: I am going to go after the Grand Championship. Whether Ozymandias is holding it, or Arata, or Mark Hunter, or Swindle, or TJ Thompson! I am going after the grandest prize on Proving Ground; I am going after the Grand Championship, and Percival, you are not going to be the one to stop me.”

The statement came out with more ferocity. There was no questioning the determination that Tara felt; the confidence that she knew she was going to defeat Percival… But she wasn’t going to do so by underestimating him. She scrunched her face and drew out a sneer before finally continuing.

“It’s true, Percival; it’s true that you shocked the world by going out against Brandon Hendrix and giving it your all! It’s true that you came… close… to walking out with a victory and really bouncing back from what has already been decided as your fate. The short straw and all that; you inherited what was Lance Williams’s failure. You almost stole a victory from Brandon Hendrix, but let’s go ahead and take a look at what Brandon Hendrix has accomplished in this Round Robin tournament, or even what he’s accomplished in Project: Honor… Hmm…”

Tara looks toward the ceiling as if contemplating… There wasn’t a long list that she had to go through, at least not in Project: Honor, “Let’s see… Most recently; before the Round Robin tournament was even announced, he went into the ring with Emmanuelle in which she forced him to--” Tara leaned in closer, “--pass out.” Gasp! Tara feigned an astonished expression and took a step back, “Shut the front door! There was no quit in him, which was an impressive little feat, but that was it! He still lost! What about before that? Oh, he actually did defeat Scott Oasis in what was… what? A show opener? How… utterly unimpressive. He defeated a man who had no defense. But he had such a sudden surge of confidence and thought that he was going to do something magical! Then he got into the ring with me, and was sent back to where he belonged: the bottom of the barrel! In over his head! Drowning! You were his lifeline, because you almost--” Tara pinched her fingers together, “--beat him! Several times, in fact! But it just wasn’t meant to be, and it still means absolutely nothing. When we get into the ring, I’m going to make quick work of you, okay? I’m going to give you the best possible chance of being able to walk out--” Tara pondered briefly, “--well, just walk out.” She shrugged.


“This is the highlight of the night, though… What we are all expecting to happen, because we know what will happen when I walk out with my victory, and if Emmanuelle can walk out with hers…” Tara chuckled for a moment, and cocked her head to the side, “I’m sorry, Emmy; I love you, but I have to hope that Brandon takes that win because as much as I would love to face you again--” Tara wavered her hand back and forth, “--I would rather bring home the Cup right now and have the round three with you in the future. For our second round; round one was me taking the Warrior Rising Championship from you, and round two, as we all know, ended in a draw… but when we were preparing for that battle, we were making our promises of what would happen at Proving Ground… neither of which came to fruition… I remember my promise. I remember what I said I would do to you in round two: I was going to make it decisive. I wasn’t going to let this end with another rollup where you could argue that it was just luck… I was going to make it decisive.” Tara let out a quick snortle, “Do you want to know what makes me so good at what I do? Because I am constantly learning; I am constantly evaluating and learning new tricks to bring to the ring… And I’ve got a few new tricks to bring at Clash for the Cup. I am going to bring those new tricks against you; I am going to use some of the classics… The Phoenix Wings could come out. The Genocide Kick could hit you out of nowhere! But I know how tough you are, Emmy, and I know that it’s not going to be easy… But that doesn’t mean that it’s not going to be decisive. With all of that being said, I still stand by my words: I hope Brandon beats you in your match.” Tara hesitated for a moment. “Now, I don’t want you to mistake my desire for you to lose to Brandon, Emmy… The desire is not there because of any sort of intimidation. I beat you at Night of Honor, and I know the situation that you’re thinking about…”

Tara couldn’t help but shake her head at the thought of the predicament that she had found herself in on Proving Ground. It was disappointing, that’s for sure, but the fact remained that… Emmanuelle did not make her tap out. Emmanuelle could not make her pass out. Emmanuelle could not finish the job. Tara nodded her head subtly while that is what stood out to her; no matter how much Emmanuelle tried, she could not end the match.

“You’re thinking that if the match had gone on just a little bit longer, then you wouldn’t be in this situation. You would be the clear leader rather than tied with me for it. But let me go ahead and set that record straight, Emmy; you were not going to make me tap out! You were not going to make me pass out! At Proving Ground, there was no fucking way that you were going to walk out with that win over me… You had it locked in, but you couldn’t end it. You had me in position to secure your victory, but you couldn’t end it. With all of the time in the world; you couldn’t end it. Emmanuelle…”

Tara lowered her head down to glance toward the floor. She shook her head and bit her bottom lip. A chuckle escaped from her before the smirk crossed her face, and she re-centered her gaze to the camera in front of her.

“You couldn’t end the match because you couldn’t end me. Why couldn’t you do that? The reason you couldn’t end me is because… I know how important Clash for the Cup is… I know what it means for whichever one of us is walking out with the Cup… This is about more than a belt, Emmy, this is about more than the Grand, X-Factor, or Warrior Rising Championships; this is about the Clive Darling Memorial Cup! This is available ONCE a year, whereas I could earn a shot at a title on any given night… There’s even a part of me that is coming to remember exactly who the fuck I am, and knowing full well that Rock is probably chewing Indy out right now for not already giving me a title shot. The Cup is the accomplishment; the Cup is the accolade! There are already… nine Warrior Rising Champions. There are already four X-Factor Champions. There are already THREE Grand Champions.”

I suppose, technically speaking, there would be four… if you wanted to count the five seconds that Petey held it before Indy came to his senses. Tara shrugged, and seemed to stutter as if she wanted to say something aloud; however, she managed to bite her tongue. The smirk returned to her face before she resumed.


“There is ONE Clash for the Cup; this is the first-ever… Whoever walks out as the winner has their name etched into the history books! This isn’t something that can be erased. This isn’t something that can be taken away. That, in itself, is the prize… The title shot, for a title of our choosing on the Proving Ground brand, is just a bonus. And so the question comes down to my determination… My confidence… My drive.”

There was that confident smirk, the one that showed off her ego… Anyone could pick up on the ego that she had, and one that she felt she had earned throughout a long career, a career that she thrived at. She cocked her head, and tucked her hands back into her pockets.

“Make no mistake that when I tell you I am the best, I fucking mean it. When you have my undivided attention, there is not one person out there who can get in the ring with me and do what I do… There is not one person who can get in the ring and match me move for move. There is not one person who can dig deeper when all the chips are down and ensure that I walk out with my arm raised! There is not ONE person who can stand toe-to-toe…” Tara stopped for a moment to lick her lips, and that smirk still on full display, “There is one. There is one Tara. There are people that try to imitate… a certain goddess that thinks she can stand with me. A certain goddess that believes herself to be my equal. There are people that try to drag my name through the mud because they think that they can break me, and let me just say…”

Her gaze fell away from the camera briefly, and she began contemplating all of the people that tried… There were so many. From ex-lovers, to bitter rivals. They’ve tried to break me. They’ve tried to end me. And I couldn’t help but think of the people that stood ahead of me; I knew that they didn’t have the desire to end me… But there were people that did. Clash for the Cup meant more to me than just a Cup. The most important piece of the puzzle to me was standing as the first… The first to capture it. The first to do it, but there were other elements that came into play. It was about sending a message to those who wished… hoped… for my downfall. The flag would be planted, and they would know that it would not fall. This Cup put that on display.

Only seconds passed before Tara resumed, but she didn’t raise her head just yet. “Better people have tried.”

Tara finally did raise her head back up, “Emmanuelle… Brandon… Percival… Project: Honor. When Clash for the Cup begins, you are getting the Tara that you were promised! You are getting the Tara that knows full well she can beat anyone that steps into the ring! Because this… is my calling… THIS is what I was born to do. THIS-- is me. And THAT--” Tara pointed out, gesturing her arm as if she stood in the very arena. “--is my ring. I prove that to everybody on Sunday. The Age of the Phoenix is upon us.”

Tara dropped her arm back to her side and turned to walk away. END.