Post by Danielle Basch on Mar 8, 2018 22:27:48 GMT -5
Basch Industries Worldwide Headquarters
Downtown Los Angeles, CA
Tuesday Morning, March 6, 2018
Nathaniel Basch, patriarch of the Basch family and the Chairman of the Board of Basch Industries, sits in a black leather high back chair behind a massive mahogany desk topped with black marble. Swiping his finger across the surface of a tablet, he is interrupted by a knock at the door.
Nathaniel: Come in...
He looks up to see his daughter-in-law, Danielle Basch enter the room, clad in a white pencil skirt and a black blouse under a white blazer. Holding a tablet of her own, she cautiously approaches Nathaniel’s desk.
Danielle: You wanted to see me, Sir?
He sets his tablet down, next to a picture of Danielle and Donovan in their wedding finery, then smiles up at Danielle even as he shakes his head.
Nathaniel: Oh, come on now; we’re family! I’ve told you there’s no need to be so formal.
Danielle smiles sheepishly.
Danielle: Sorry, Nathaniel. Force of habit, I guess.
He nods.
Nathaniel: Alright then. Donovan mentioned that you had some ideas for team building exercises that you wanted to run by me?
She glances down at her tablet, then pulls it close to hide what’s on the screen. A look of uncertainty comes over her face as she bites her lip.
Danielle: Yeah... though now that I think about it, some of them just sound silly.
Nathaniel tilts his head to the side, tenting his fingers with a smirk plastered on his face.
Nathaniel: Danielle, look at the bookcase in your husband’s home office and tell me again about things that seem silly.
Danielle: Fair enough. Granted, some of the... older board members might find it ridiculous.
Nathaniel: You see, this is precisely why I brought you on as a board member so quickly. You’re young, with plenty of fresh ideas. In fact, I want to implement some of your ideas as soon as possible, so that by the time you and Donovan take over the business, the transition will be practically seamless.
Danielle: As it should be. Just know that we’re not in any hurry to take the helm... at least I’m not.
Nathaniel: I can understand your reluctance. I mean, it’s been something that Donovan has been preparing for his entire life. You, you’re new to all of this. It’s only natural that you’d have some reservations. But I know Donovan has been mentoring you, and from what I’ve seen, you’re catching on quite quickly. I’m sure you’ll make even the most seasoned executive stand up and take notice. You’re a born leader, Danielle, and I’m confident that when the time comes, you will take BI to heights never imagined before.
Nathaniel’s words seem to put her at ease. She breathes a sigh of relief, and now seems much more confident than she was before.
Danielle: Thank you for the vote of confidence.
Nathaniel: Now, let’s see what you have in mind...
She approaches Nathaniel’s desk, directing his attention to his own tablet. He slips one of his earbuds into his ear and taps on an icon on his screen.
Danielle: Well, if you check the link that I just sent you, you’ll see that it’s basically a digital version of more... mainstream team building exercises. In a sense, it’s similar to the paintball sessions that some people use. The advantage to this would mean there would be a lot less bruising than paintball would be.
Nathaniel: Hmm...
He sets his tablet down, then looks up at Danielle:
Nathaniel: Danielle, this little proposal of yours...
The straight face quickly transitions into an ecstatic smile as he clasps his hands in front of him.
Nathaniel: IT’S ABSOLUTELY GENIUS! I can’t believe I haven’t thought of something like this already! But then again, that’s one of the benefits of being young; you’re up to date on all things trendy. And since this was your idea to begin with, I’m putting you in charge of implementing it. You already have access to the corporate account; now it’s just a matter of obtaining all of the necessary equipment. I’m picturing it now... company-wide tournament brackets... naturally rewards will come into play for whichever team wins...
Danielle: Well, I’m glad to see you approve of the idea.
Nathaniel: And if anyone balks at the idea, show them a few pictures of paintball bruises. And if that doesn’t work, tell them to take it up with me.
With a sense of pride in herself, Danielle smiles at Nathaniel as she gets ready to leave his office.
Nathaniel: One more thing... before you go... I know you have that match coming up on Saturday. Could you do me a favor and turn that little snot inside out?
An odd, twisted smile forms on Danielle’s face at the sound of these words. She looks her father-in-law in the face and nods her head.
Danielle: I’ll do my best. That girl has one major dose of karma heading her way....
Nathaniel: Then I will leave you to it.
Danielle: Thank you...
With that, Danielle takes her leave, smiling as she exits Nathaniel’s office. Once she leaves the room, Nathaniel reaches beneath the edge of his desk. A light, barely audible buzz fills the air just as two large men enter the room.
Nathaniel: I want you to follow my son and daughter-in-law to the event in Santa Rosa. See to it that no one interferes with my daughter-in-law’s match.
Men: We’re on it, Sir....
Nathaniel shifts his gaze between the two black-clad mountains of humanity, then nods his head in approval.
Nathaniel: Excellent. That will be all, gentlemen.
The two men leave the room, leaving Nathaniel alone to return to his work.
Three Hours Later
BaschTech Warehouse
Oceanside, CA
A few scattered light fixtures hang from the rafters of the warehouse, casting just enough light to highlight the pallets loaded with stacks upon stacks of boxes bearing the BaschTech logo. A single camera stands on a tripod, aimed toward a massive set of double barn doors that sit open, the light from outside streaming in to reveal the familiar shape of Danielle Basch’s red Jaguar F-Type convertible as it sits in the sunlight with its top down.
Danielle: Stupid little girl...
The voice of the South Bay Siren rings out through the room, not in the jovial tone the WCG Universe is more accustomed to, but an unfamiliar, vengeful hiss. Her heels click against the floor until she steps out into the center of the room. The sun streams through the windows, acting like a natural spotlight as Danielle stands there, clad head to toe in black leather, an uncharacteristic sneer etched into her normally pleasant face. Her hands are clasped tightly around the shaft of a crowbar, not unlike the one that was used against her at Ascension.
Danielle: Does this look familiar to you, Sela? Because this is what it took for you to knock me down. Like a coward, you attacked me from behind, and you didn’t even have the guts to do it with your bare hands. Now tell me something, Sela. Did you honestly think that you could just walk into this company, do whatever the fuck you wanted, and not have to face any consequences? “Because I could...” Seriously? That has got to be the most RIDICULOUS excuse I’ve ever heard! I don’t pretend to know where you came from, nor do I really give a rat’s ass, but that’s not how we do things here at West Coast Genesis. You see, this match at Hype isn’t for the title, so I really have nothing to lose by taking my boot and shoving it so far up your ass that I’ll kick your teeth out from the inside. On the other hand, I will gain something. Not that you have anything that I want. I just want to take that empty little head of yours and smash it against every surface of the arena. Is that really too much to ask? I certainly don’t think so.
Again, Danielle’s eyes turn to the crowbar in her hands. As a growl rumbles in her throat, she tosses the crowbar to the floor, letting it skid and spin along the concrete. She scoffs at the tool, her eyes burning with pure contempt as she stares into the camera.
Danielle: You see, the thing about it is, you don’t know a damn thing about me, Sela. You don’t know where I’ve been, what I’ve been through... all you see is the happy, smiling small town girl that married into a good family. Nah, we can’t have that, now can we? Just like so many other jealous little bitches that want everything handed to them, you have to come and try and tear me down because I’ve got what you don’t. Well, too bad, sweetie. Not all of us have to parade around naked to get what we want.
There’s one teensy little thing that you said that made me laugh, though. “You have never seen anyone like me.” Oh, you poor deluded little girl....
She lets out a laugh, a dark, disturbing noise that echoes throughout the warehouse, her hands clasping either side of her head as she tilts her head back. If not for the fact that her eyes are closed, she’d be gazing up at the ceiling. She eventually lowers her gaze, looking at the camera with a cold, piercing stare, the smirk never leaving her face.
Danielle: If I had a penny for every time I heard those same tired words spill from the mouth of some jackass that thought they were the end-all, be-all of professional wrestling, well... I’d have enough to cover every surface of the businesses that bear the name I know proudly carry. You are NOTHING new to me, you stupid little trollop. You are just another dumb, spoiled little bitch that needs to learn that she can’t get everything she wants. But hey... if you want to throw down, then I’m more than happy to show you what I’m capable of when I’m pushed. I’m normally a nice person... unless you do something to piss me off.
This isn’t going to play out the way you want it to, Sela. And the reason for that is because you went and picked the WRONG woman to mess with. At Hype, I will show you what happened to the last idiot that stuck his nose where it didn’t belong...
She walks over toward where the crowbar skidded to a stop, pausing only to bend down and pick it up. She holds it in one hand, smacking it against the palm of her other hand a couple of times.
Danielle: And the beauty of it is, I WON’T have to hit you from behind with a fucking CROWBAR to do it, either....
Without warning, Danielle tosses the crowbar directly at the camera. The last thing we see is the signal scrambling. We hear nothing but static until the feed cuts completely.