From The Ashes.

[Alex Smiley]

"Like the legend of the Phoenix, all ends are beginnings..."

LEGACY TOWER - HAYWARD, CA
APRIL 17, 2018

After being empty for years, the boardroom is bustling as a group of men and women are all caught up in conversation. We listen in on just a little of what's being discussed:

"Why is this being reopened again, after all this time?"

"How will it be funded, with Jesse Gunn long gone?"

"Whatever happened to Michael Thunder?"

"Who called this meeting to order?"

This last question is soon answered by a familiar voice, as the door opens revealing a looming silhouette.

"I did."

From the shadows enters the source of the voice, a man that hasn't been seen since the downfall of the VWF...

"Timothy Kahrs!?"

The young businessman smirks with a chuckle as he takes a seat at the head of the boardroom table, behind a nameplate that reads "Michael Thunder - General Manager."

"Who were you expecting, the Viking King?"

This immediately raises the ire of the room.

"Who put you in charge of this operation? Michael Thunder disappeared, Jesse Gunn hasn't been involved in ages, and you certainly don't have the authority to just..."

Suddenly, the door opens again...and the man that walks in silences the room with just his presence.

"Tim might not have the authority, but I do."

Taking a seat next to Kahrs is none other than Xander Azula, better known to the wrestling industry as Legion. He says not another word, and the room is silent again until one brave woman speaks up.

"And what gives you the right to take over The Experts? We're well aware of your war with Jesse Gunn back in 2008, but you lost that war. The Collective was disbanded, and last we knew you were back to square one trying to get on people's good graces. You weren't even in the last Extreme Tournament!"

This simply draws a chuckle from Legion.

"Yes, and that event never even came to a completion. Haven't you ever wondered what happened to all those people, to all that property in Siberia?"

The board chat amongst themselves, trying to comprehend what Legion is getting at.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the board, I believe that the best way to win a war is to simply outlast your enemies. The Experts was closed down due to the chaos that occurred within the Siberian prison, but not before ownership was transferred over to me by parties with a vested interest in keeping it in the right hands, ready to reopen its doors should the opportunity arise."

Legion rises from his seat, looking out the window upon the unsuspecting world outside.

"And that opportunity has risen, like a phoenix from the ashes. The parties I speak of have begun reaching out to certain individuals, ghosts of the past that would be interested in taking one last ride before heading off into the sunset. I've been informed one such individual still lurks within the ruins of the prison, forcing the local community into doing his bidding for God only knows what reason. Another has decided to retire as champion, living out his life in the Sin City...but I'll bet I can drag him out of it, competition tends to do that to people."

He turns his attention back to the board, a big grin on his face.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is, The Experts is back...and the invitations are plentiful."

With that he takes his seat again, the board once again buzzing in conversation as we fade to black.

Fin.