Chapter 1

So this was it. This was the "The Dome". Mandy Moore sat her bag on the chair on the chair in front of her mirror, and looked around. This was a small dressing room for her. She was used to more elaborate setups but it had to do. She could've complained but that just wasn't her style. All the rumors about Mariah Carey had opened her eyes as to what she said around everybody else. She didn't want to be like that. She wanted people to like her, not just the fans but everybody.

Mandy reached into her bag and took out an outfit. It was a pair of blue tights that had silver glitter running down diagonally from just below the left breast down to the right hip. She held it against her, and looked into the mirror. She liked what she saw.

Still, she couldn't believe what she was doing. "The Dome" just in name made her throat swell. She had received a notice from somebody telling her about it. This was a place where stars become bigger than life. If you wanted to succeed in Hollywood, in music, or anywhere, you had to compete here. It was a secret. With todays trends, it wasn't just good enough for you to be thin, you had to be fit too. Her invitation said that Britney Spears went there as well, and look at her. She had one of the fittest bodies on the planet, and one of the most popular. She didn't get that way overnight. It was "The Dome" that did it.

When she first learned of "The Dome" she started to contact Brit for any advice much less to ask if it was for real but then she remembered the notice. "The Dome was not to be discussed," it said. She remembered the movie Fight Club, which was one of the few movies that rarely left it's home in her DVD player. Her heart throbbed every time she saw Brad in it. Damn that Jennifer Aniston!

She had followed directions on the invitation which led her here. From the outside it looked like an ordinary warehouse surrounded by fences and security. The inside, however, led to a parking deck where she was taken down into the basement. At least that's what she thought it was. Instead, this place was like a bunker, hidden underground where only the chosen few had known about it. Nothing further was to be discussed. She was given an ID badge, had her picture taken, and that was that.

Mandy pulled out the badge from her bag. She hadn't really taken the opportunity to look at it in detail. Her picture was a bit fuzzy, and she was looking off to the side. It was weird how they took a picture of her so fast. There was nothing else on there except her name and "PD". She had no clue what PD meant other than "Police Department?" Had she gotten herself into something that would get her into trouble. Mandy just shrugged her shoulders, and tossed the ID back into her bag. She was told to keep it at all times unless she was participating in a match then put it with the rest of her stuff.

Mandy started to take off her shirt and slip into her custom made tights when there was a knock at the door. Mandy looked expecting security to let her know who it was. Nothing.

"Who is it?"

From behind the door a female voice came. "It's Renee and Parker. Can we come in?"

Mandy looked confused, and lowered her blouse. She opened the door where two women stood. Both were shorter than her by a few inches, and perhaps twice as old. One had short blonde hair that covered just below the ears, and the other had dark hair that touched her shoulders. Mandy looked around the corner, and noticed no security around. She was a pop superstar without security, and two people she had never seen before were face to face with her.

"I'm sorry I don't give autographs."

The blonde just laughed.

"No, no. We're 'domers' too. Actually, we're actresses first, domers second but you get the idea."

Mandy was without words.

"Can we come in?"

It was obvious the blonde was the more talkative of the two. The black haired one had a stern look on her face. Her body was thin and pale. She definitely needed something to eat.

"Ummm... sure."

Mandy stepped aside to let them in.

"I'm glad you accepted my invitation," The blonde remarked.

"You sent that?"

"Yeah. I've always been a big fan of yours and believe me, if you wanna hit the big time, you have to spend time in the dome."

"Big time? I already am."

"I'm talking Britney Spears huge. We've just learned of this ourselves. I've been here a few years, and Parks is what?"

"I can came in about '98?"

Mandy looked nervous. The brunette was something. She didn't know what it was but it intimidated her.

"Before that she was stuck doing independent movies." The blonde smiled at the brunette.

"I'm the Indie queen, damn it." The brunette looked annoyed at the blonde. "Okay, yeah. I wish I heard about this place long before."

"I'm sorry, I didn't catch your names."

"Oh, sorry. I'm Renee O'Connor." Renee noticed that Mandy had no clue. "I played Gabrielle on Xena: Warrior Princess."

Mandy shook her head. "I'm sorry, I don't watch that much television."

Renee just shrugged. "Don't worry about it. Me either. This is Parker... 'The Indie Queen'... Posey."

"You saw me in Scream 3," Parker announced.

Mandy just shook her head.

"House of Yes?"

Mandy still had no clue. Unlike Renee, though, Parker didn't take this as well. She listed off several more movies she had been in but to no avail. Finally, she let off a grunt in frustration. Mandy apologized but Parker just gazed at her angrily.

"I bet you're wondering what you're doing here."

Mandy nodded.

"You know how this generation is. It's a generation of television. The public now demands that you not only be in shape but really, fit. Really, really fit. Which would explain my success and why bony ass over here has trouble finding jobs."

"You're using me as an example again, aren't you!" Parker yelled but Renee just smiled knowing she's been busted.

She continued, "Like I said before. I'm a big fan of yours. I got your cds, and yes, for some reason I listen to it. I just don't want you to become a washout so young, and so talented. These people out there are out there for a reason. We entertain them, and they turn around and hand us paychecks."

"Very big paychecks," Parker added.

"Who's out there?" Mandy inquired.

"All kinds of people. Actors, actresses, producers, directors, or in your case execs."

"Even government officials."

"Everybody who is somebody is out there. They all come here once a month to see us fight.

It finally hit Mandy. She was going to have to fight somebody.

"Fight?" She knew she was here for that but the word just happened to slip out.

She recovered nicely by asking who.

"You won't know until you're called." Renee saw the look of concerned in the youngster's eyes. "Don't worry about it though. You're green. They'll take that into consideration."

Renee felt the girls arms, and turned her around examining her.

"I think she'll do just fine. Don't you, Parks?"

"Um... yeah."

Renee gave Mandy a hearty slap on the shoulder as another knock on the door came.

"Miss Moore," came the voice. "You're on in 15."

"Thank you," she replied. "I'm going on soon. I'm nervous."

"Calm down, Mandy. Calm down." Mandy was a bit surprised to hear Parker say that. "You're gonna do just fine."

"Ever watch wrestling before?"

Mandy nodded. She used to watch it all time. She even had a huge crush on Bret Hart.

"Just do what they do. Everything is legal here. Even the dirtiest of tricks."

"Especially the dirtiest of tricks," Renee added. Parker looked at Renee. "What? I'm just telling her what to watch out for. Oh, and also remember, that pinfalls are to a ten count, not three."

"Ten?"

"Yeah. It helps to add to the action, and keeps cheap wins out of the dome. In order to win, you have to really knock your opponent out. Other than that everything else is practically the same."

"So why's it called "The Dome?"

"There's a steel dome outside the ring to keep perverts out, and messing up the matches. You shouldn't run into that problem though."

"Okay, thanks. If you don't mind, I've got to get dressed."

"Dressed?" Parker asked.

Mandy ran to pick up her outfit.

Renee nodded to Parker as if signalling something. Fortunately for them Mandy was too busy admiring how well blue looked on her.

"Oh, yeah. Dressed."

"Okay," Renee opened the door. "We'll be watching you backstage."

"Yeah, so good luck."

"Not that you'll be needing it."

Mandy just continued to look at her outfit. She was going to win, and win looking good!

Mandy stepped through the archway which separated the arena from the backstage area. She was a bit surprised to find that it was rather dark in there. People were sitting at tables as if at a show in Las Vegas rather than watching a concert or other sporting event. Each table was lit with a candle which gave off a faint glow off the white tablecloth.

She looked around at the audience. It was composed of mainly men but there were some women there too. They were smoking, and whispering to one another. It made her feel a bit uneasy. They were definitely talking about her.

Mandy continued on to stride down the aisle. What little light there was sparkled the glitter on her wrestling outfit. She looked down to the ring. It was well lit by lamps hanging overhead. A series of screens which showed her walking down hung just over the lamps.

The ring was canvas blue with a black skirt around it to make it look more solid, and hide the equipment used to building and maintaining it. Three bright blue ropes wrapped around the ring connected to black turnbuckles. Surrounding the ring was a steel cage shaped like a dome. The structure gave enough headroom for anyone inside. It was a darker blue but looked black from a distance. Only up close could it's true midnight color be noticed. Mandy recognized the dome as being similar to one she had played on in the school playground as a kid only much bigger. Triangle openings lined each row provided a good view inside. Wires led to a series of small cameras on several levels to give a better view on the screens overhead.

The closer Mandy walked to the ring, the more people she recognized. There were actors, actresses, directors, executives, musicians, and more people she had no clue who they might be.

She was quite surprised to see one of her favorites actors as a kid there, Pee Wee Herman. He looked a little worse for wear but that didn't stop the temptation of giving him a little wave. He responded by giving her a dirty look which made her feel a bit uncomfortable. He then slipped off his jacket, and placed it over his lap. Mandy wondered why he did that.

One of the attendants opened the door to the cage. It seemed like a long walk but only took a few seconds. Her heart was pounded with nervousness, and excitement. Mandy walked up the stairs that led to the ring, and climbed between the middle and bottom ropes. They felt a little stiffer than she had expected but then again she wouldn't have to worry too much about them breaking.

The ring had a fresh look to it. Everything was nice and shiny with no sign of wear or tear. The turnbuckles looked like they had been polished beforehand. Mandy walked into a corner, and rested against the turnbuckle. She stuck her knee out in a sort of pose waiting for her opponent to show up.

She had just noticed that there was a small box in the corner adjacent to her. She wondered what that was for.

Mandy was caught up admiring the colors of the ring when a roar of applause startled her. It was really a roar but a calm clap. Still, with the number there, it sounded like a roar to her. She then remembered, they never clapped for her. They just stared at her, and Pee Wee...

Mandy shivered.

She looked up towards the entrance where her opponent had appeared. Mandy couldn't tell who it was at first. There was only a silhouette in the spotlight shining on her. Whoever it was was big. She could make out muscle definitions in the outline. That wasn't good.

Had Mandy been able to look at the screens above her, she would have seen Cynthia Rothrock's smirk there. Cynthia walked down the aisle as the clapping subsided. She stared at Mandy in the ring. Mandy was finally able to see who it was. She didn't know her but she was huge. She was scary. Their eyes locked. Cynthia was halfway down the aisle, and could already sense the fear in Mandy. She grinned, and cracked her knuckles.

Mandy finally noticed that something wasn't right. It took a moment for it to click in her head over her fear. Cynthia was naked, completely naked! She didn't have on any wrestling tights, no boots, no pads, nothing.

Cynthia was in great shape. Her figure was still feminine yet strong as a rock. Her muscles were well defined yet her breasts still had sway to them. She entered the cage, and climbed in the ring a bit easier than Mandy was able to. Cythia walked to the middle of the ring. She never took her eyes off of Mandy. She never stopped cracking her knuckles. Mandy's pose in the corner turned into a bit of a cower.

The bell rang as soon as Cynthia had entered the ring but Mandy never heard it. Her focus was on the powerhouse standing in front of her. Cynthia waited but Mandy wouldn't leave her corner. She was too frightened.

The crowd murmured. They weren't at all surprised that Mandy, a newcomer to the dome, would act in such a way. Their main focus was betting on how long it would take for the pop sensation to be beaten.

Mandy didn't know that though. She thought they were talking about her; about how scared she was. She was scared. Mandy shook it off. She didn't want them to think that she was a coward. Mandy looked at Cynthia's body once more. There was no way she could beat her. She knew it. Still Mandy fought against her fear, and stumbled out of the corner. She did her best to hide her fear but it was painfully obvious to her, and everybody else.

Cynthia motioned for her to meet her in the middle of the ring. Mandy didn't want to get hurt. She was younger and a few inches taller than her opponent but that didn't ease her tension.