Author's Note: A rewrite of my Devil's Favorite Corporate Demon story. I wasn't really happy with the writing and direction of that story and I have spent a while working on different versions of this rewrite. This story will not be Kane/Harem but just Kane/Terri Runnels, yes I loved those segments back in 2002 and I wanted to see a story that continued them while ending the Triple H Reign of Terror that ran from 2002-2005 when he traded his sledgehammer for a shovel.
How will Kane deal with dating Terri, meeting Dakota Runnels and dealing with the Rhodes family all while defending his title and trying to steer the WWE from the PG era? As of right now, only this story will answer that question.
The harsh lights of the board room burned down on top of his bald head as he listened to the peons and coffee fetchers for Vince babble on about toy deals and brand promotion. For most of the men in the locker room being able to sit on the board as one of the movers and shakers of the WWE was probably what they all hoped to one day receive from all their hard work down in the ring. For the seven footer sitting idly by in his dark suit and red tie, it was torture worse than anything his father had ever put him through.
Kane loved the power that came with the position of the Director of Operations, hell he got to boss people around all the time as long as they weren't directly higher than he was in the company. Still, he missed the feeling of wrapping his hand around a man's throat and hoisting him into the air before slamming him to the mat for the impressive three count. The good old days when he fought with his fellow giants and lifted the Big Show over the top rope in the Royal Rumbled or held the record for most eliminations in a single match.
Now, he was stuck in a stupid suit, at a stupid table listening to Triple H and Stephanie attempt to defend their choice of Seth Rollins as the WWE Champion. The former Big Red Machine hadn't said a word after the conversation had turn to the cowardice of the champion and the weakness it showed in the company. He didn't really have anything to say about the matter to defend the Princess and her husband as he was actually very much against Rollins as he had stated many many times.
He would have gladly put the title on someone else, anyone else, but the choices from the locker room were limited. Sheamus would make a good champion or possibly even Wyatt or Owens but the latter two had been over ruled because they didn't 'look like a champion'. He wanted to snort at the idea of slapping gold around the waist of anyone just because they looked like they belonged on the cover of a magazine. Had Stephanie really forgot about the likes of Dusty Rhodes or Yokozuna, neither of whom could have been called 'Champion Material' under the new regime?
Hell, at any point he could have crushed that weasel Rollins and taken the title for himself but of course not, it wasn't something he was allowed to do as Director of Operations. He was barely more than an enforcer for the Authority even more, and it had gotten to the point where they had even taken away his mask. Now he was nothing but suits and ties and sitting in Connecticut listening to other people in suits and ties try and figure out the reason for the rating slumps.
Kane of course knew the reason, the ratings were bound to slump after the Monday Night Wars as these same fat cats got more and more complacent and took out all the wonder from the show. There was no real competition anymore and so no reason to just go bat shit insane like they had in the past. After all, one only needed to ask if Vince would have hired a traumatized burn victim psychologically scarred from his father's abuse and set on killing his older sibling now? The answer was most assuredly not. Not even the Wyatt family and their antics came close to the feared Ministry of Darkness or the off kilter antics of Degeneration X.
He groaned audibly at the sight of the lights being cut off as a projector was wheeled into the room. Now they had to look at slides and charts! His mismatched eyes looked toward the man across the table from him, some balding man who probably out weighed the Big Show and wondered if anyone would care if he hurled the man out the window just break up the monotony. His eyes narrowed as he felt Vince's daughter touch his arm and had to swallow the hate that he was now bound to obey the woman who had once helped his ex tag team partner steal his ex girlfriend.
He rolled his neck and was surprised as he felt a drop of moisture fall from his earlobe. Trying to play it off he reached up and felt just how much sweat had built up on his face over the course of the meeting. He was Kane, Hell-fire and Brimstone personified, he didn't get hot unless he was beating the hell out of someone in the ring. His hand went to the knot in his tie as he loosened it slightly and freed himself of its choke hold before undoing the top button of his shirt.
The slides and the rambling of the top brass continued but still he felt the sweat building up, could taste it when he licked his lips and could almost see it run past his eyes. Something was wrong and he moved to stand and excuse himself for a moment to collect his bearings but his legs wouldn't cooperate. Instead of rising to his feet he found himself slumping onto his side behind Miss. Whatever her name was chair beside him. His vision swam in front of his eyes even as he heard a startled scream and his name being called.
He rolled over, prepared to sit up like he always had but nearly lurched as he felt pain erupt inside his chest and his arms immediately moved to try and rip the shirt, tie and jacket from his body. He could just make out Stephanie above him screaming at the members of the board before his fuzzy vision began to blacken around the edges. His hand reached out to the girl, that was all she was, a girl who had grown up among the greats and powerful and had it forced upon her. He watched through his darkening vision as she curled her fingers between his own but he couldn't feel it, he couldn't feel anything.
His breath rattled in his ears as the office around him went black.
"HE DID IT! BY GOD ALMIGHTY! KANE HAS WON THE WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP," the screams of JR filled television sets around the world as the referee finished the three count. The long haired seven foot tall leader of the Kanenites stood above the broken bodies of Triple H, Ric Flair and the infamous sledgehammer in victory. One hand held up the Intercontinental Title and the other held the thicker gold World Heavyweight Championship, the proud Freak stood dominant as his tag team partner, The Hurricane, slid into the ring beside him.
Kane lowered the belts in his hands and stared at them in awe. He had worked ages to get a belt like this and now he had become a unified champion, it was a long time coming but he was the Heavyweight Champion for Monday Night Raw. He smiled and turned grabbing the smaller masked man beside him and pulled the green and black clad superhero into a hug before turning to face the crowd as his music blared. Now he could do something he had dreamed about for ages as he lifted both titles into the air and brought them down to his sides as he summoned the fires of Hell itself and channeled them through the turnbuckles.
Together Kane and the Hurricane left the ring and headed to the back. It had been years in the making but the Big Red Machine held title gold and he wasn't going to let it go so easily. It had been this moment, this match that had sealed Triple H's reign of terror before and now with a simple reversal of the Pedigree that had once put him down for the three count, he had demolished the leader of Evolution and the future head of the Authority with a tombstone piledriver before shaking Earl Hebner awake long enough for the one two three.
He doubted Eric Bischoff had ever expected something like this but Kane had almost all the momentum going into No Mercy. He had won a four way Tables Ladders and Chairs match to retain the tag team titles just two weeks ago while his partner had been sidelined. He had won the Intercontinental Title the week before that and the duo of the Hurri-Kane had won the titles the week before that. He hadn't even been pinned for the tag titles on monday night, and Gregory Helms had been more than happy to carry the burden of the loss so that he could get things done tonight.
Walking through the gorilla he was surprised to see Bischoff standing beside the steps with that damned smile on his face. Cautiously he made his way down the steps with the Hurricane at his side to meet with the Raw General Manager who like seemingly always was dressed in all black.
"Well Kane, color me surprised," the greasy haired former commander of WCW said never letting go of that cheesy smile. "This will mark a whole new era on Raw, a whole new era! I can picture it now, the red and black flagship of the WWE with who else but the red and black warrior himself as the champion at the wheel! So what if Stephanie has Brock Lesnar and your brother in Hell in a Cell for the championship unless..." he smirked as he looked the bigger man up and down. "Well, we can wait on doing that, I'm sure all those blows from a sledgehammer must hurt like hell, huh? Go to the doctors and get checked out and we'll be talking about your future on Raw come Monday night."
"Sure Eric, whatever you want. Uh, what do I do with these," the big man asked holding up the two belts that had been unified in his match.
"Those? Well you keep the Intercontinental Title, it has your name on it, and I'll take the World Heavyweight Title and get you one with your name on it for your reign as champion," Eric said after a second of looking at the belts and then turning his attention back to Kane. "Why? Did you have something in mind?"
"Oh, I just had a little something made in case I won," the big man said with a grin that showed through his half-mask. "Don't worry, you'll see it along with everyone else come Raw," he said before handing over the gold with Triple H's name on it. "I'm sure he'll be wanting that one to add to his collection. I'll take the one with my name on it to put in my own," the red machine said with a grin before he slid the Intercontinental Title back onto his shoulder.
"Kane, that was the shizzle," Hurricane said to him as the two left Bischoff behind. "My man, Kane, the World Heavyweight Champion, there is nothing else that needs to be said, am I right? Of course I am," the loud mouthed smaller member of the team said as he followed the winner of Raw's main event towards the locker rooms. He didn't stop talking until they reached the door that read Kane's name and the big man pushed it open to get inside. "Hey, uh, we're still cool right? I mean, this isn't the end of our run?"
"Like I told you and the world a couple of weeks ago, we're freaks," Kane said turning to look at his fellow masked wrestler with a smirk. "I think the two of us could have a very, very long friendship. You heard Bischoff, I'll talk to him tomorrow about getting us another opportunity at the tag team titles. The Hurri-Kane team is not dead, not yet at least."
"That's great man! Well, I got to go and get ready for next week, I just thought, with Triple H having Flair at ringside you might need someone in your corner watching out for you. I'll see you tomorrow man," the superhero said with his usual excitement before he twisted on his heel and threw his arms out. With a whoosh sound effect from his mouth, the Hurricane 'flew' away down the hall, his feet padding the floor as he ran.
Shaking his head and chuckling to himself the long haired Heavyweight champion sighed as he walked into his locker room and let the door close behind him. Walking to the bench he laid down the now vacant title and reached into the black bag on the floor to lift the black leather belt up to his face. The gold glistened from beneath the red and black painted stripes that covered the skull relief made into the metal. Flames seemed to dance along the plate face in the light provided by the nearby television.
It had been a surprise for the him to find himself returning to Monday Night Raw to save Booker T and Goldust from the group known as the Unamericans. He had moved on autopilot to stop Test from burning the American Flag and even performing the old Kane-a-roonie in the ring to the crowds delight. Kane had felt powerful, incredible as he manhandled everyone in his path especially when he realized it was real. Here he was, thirteen years in his own past and raking up gold. He would let nothing stop him this time and now he was holding the Heavyweight Title all because he knew in advance of Triple H's equalizer.
He had rejoined forces with the Hurricane because, well it was awesome brand recognition and a hell of a lot of fun. He had hoped to remain the tag team champions going into No Mercy but that didn't seem to be the case as they once again dropped the titles just as they had before. It wasn't a waste though as he had just stomped on the power that had created Evolution by taking away Hunter's belt. Now it was his turn to rise up in the company and take his place as the most dominant force the WWE had ever seen.
The sound of his door creaking open had his mismatched eyes flying the dainty hand on the doorknob before he ever thought of putting away the belt in his hand. His blue and brown eyes opened wide as he saw the long blonde haired ex wife of Dustin Rhodes slide in, her heavy breasts barely contained by the black long sleeve shirt that fit her body like a second skin along with her red leather pants. In his unbridled excitement of winning and unifying the championships he had almost forgotten about the blue eyed goddess he had made a habit of making out with in the past few weeks but right now he was on a rush of adrenaline and power as he spotted her and felt his body react.
"Hi," the beautiful Terri Runnels practically whispered as she walked closer to him her hips swaying in a way that would have made the younger and more shy version of the Big Red Machine instantly uncomfortable. "I couldn't help but see your match out there and I thought I'd come and congratulate you," she continued as she walked up to him.
Kane was always a big man and nothing showed the size difference he had over women more than now. Terri only reached up to his pectorals in height but somehow he didn't feel he was looking down at her even as she reached up, her fingers combing through his curls and pulled him down into a searing kiss. The customized belt fell from his fingers as he latched his hands against the woman's waist and pulled her up until she was wrapping her legs around him to hold herself up.
In the confusion of a heated kiss and dropped clothing one of the pair had managed to lock the door. He wasn't sure which of them it was and he sure as hell didn't care. It seemed that his younger self was right all those years ago.
Chicks dig the mask.
He wasn't sure what to make the situation the night before but he was certainly glad when he rolled over in his hotel room and felt the warmth of the slim body beside him in the bed. He spent several seconds holding the lithe body against his chest the smell of her fruity shampoo easing the tension in his muscles before he carefully slid his way out of the bed. He gave a lopsided smile at her moan as the chilled air hit her bare flesh before he pulled the covers over her and made his way to the bathroom to get ready for the day.
Walking back into the room with just a towel he smirked at the woman who didn't even bother to flinch at his unmasked face so early in the morning and gifted him with a shy smile. He didn't bother to cover his shame as he dried off and slid into a pair of boxers and jeans before moving to sit on the foot of the bed while the blonde quickly wrapped herself in one of the hotel's fuzzy robes and moved to take her own spot in his lap. Blue eyes met the unmasked mismatched eyes of the new champion and he found himself swimming and lost in those sapphire jewels before he felt her lips hungrily feasting on his own.
"If I knew it was going to be like this, I would have tried my hand at the Invitational tournament a few years ago," he joked as he placed his massive arms around her waist. "I think I would have destroyed the Hardys along with Edge and Christian if I hadn't been lured in by that woman who will remain nameless," he chuckled. "So, Miss. Runnels, is this just a congratulations for the winning the title or do I have a lot more time to spend with the most beautiful woman in the locker room?"
"I don't know if you happened to notice but I've sort of been working every angle I could these past few weeks to get where I can interview you," Terri said with a shy smile as she interlocked her fingers with the man who was currently holding her. "Ever since you first kissed me after winning the tag team titles, I couldn't get it out of my head. My lips have felt like they were on fire every time I saw you and I thought a second kiss would dampen the flames but it only made things worse. I guess, what I'm saying is that I wouldn't mind seeing where this could take us."
The long haired man chuckled as he pulled her closer so that her back was leaning against his chest and smelled her scent again. "So, how do we break it to the men and women in the audience and in the back that we're off the market? I have a speech to give as the new Heavyweight champion and we could make it public in the middle of the ring or perhaps in a backstage interview?"
"I really don't mind so long as it isn't GTV," she said with a giggle and wiggled in his lap. "What plans do you have for today before the show?"
"I have a meeting with Bischoff at the arena soon and then I'll need to prepare for my speech tonight and probably a match," he answered honestly. "Gregory wants me to talk to Bischoff about a rematch for the tag titles and honestly I don't see the man giving us that much power so soon. If we created a stable or something, its possible that Gregory could go for the titles with someone else. I'm already carrying the unified title so the Hardcore, US and Intercontinental titles will symbolically be on my shoulder tonight along with the Heavyweight championship."
"That is a lot to carry," Terri admitted before she turned so that shoulder was against his chest and she could look into his eyes. "Well, we need to do something about our own names. I can keep going around as the Horny Little Devil but I don't think it works well with a nickname like the Big Red Machine."
Kane's eyes lit up as thought about his return before joining the Authority and the nickname he had picked up when he was feuding with John Cena and Zack Ryder during his 'give into the hate' phase. "How about this, tonight to start the show you walk down the ramp and you can remind everyone that you are the Horny Little Devil and then you can introduce me, the new World Heavyweight Champion and the Devil's Favorite Demon," he pitched.
"Oh, that is true enough," the blonde said with a grin as she moved her arm around the back of his neck and pulled him into a long lip lock that sucked the air out of both of their bodies and left them both panting as she rested her forehead against his. "So, if you are a demon and I'm the devil does that mean you have to do everything I say," she asked with panted breaths. "Because the Horny Little Demon wants another ride on the Big Red Machine."
"I think we have time for that," he said in a husky and graveled voice even as he slid an arm under her legs and shoulders and easily lifted her into the air. He turned and threw her back onto the bed so her hand landed on the pillows, her puffy white robe spilling open so he could drink in the sight of her tanned lean body and its lack of tan lines. He didn't even bother to unlatch his belt as he hooked his thumbs in the waistline of his boxers and easily slid them down his legs before joining her.
The pair arrived at noon to the arena and had to drive all the way inside to keep from being rushed by the fans. Kane smiled as he spotted the signs for himself among the crowd and pulled the large blue pickup into the loading bay next to Bischoff's long black stretch limo. Climbing out of the vehicle no one would think was his, the champion pulled his bag with his gear from the backseat along with Terri's and easily threw both over one of his shoulders as the blonde joined him and looped her left arm through his right.
The backstage area was quiet and mostly deserted so early in the day with most of the men and women not set to arrive for a few more hours but still Kane walked with his back straight and his half mask pulled across his face with his long hair pulled up into a ponytail through the leather straps. The production crew was stopping as they passed, staring in shock at the pair even as they were getting the arena ready for the show. Kane could only smirk back at them as he held onto the bags and made his way to Bischoff's office.
His title belt stashed away inside his bag, the Big Red Machine was dressed in a simple set of jeans and a button up white shirt and black sneakers. Beside him, Terri was wearing a sleeveless pink shirt that was cut to show off her flat stomach and a pair of low riding jeans that were held on by a white leather belt. The two wasted no time as they arrived at Eric's door and pushed the door open to catch the man sitting behind the General Manager's desk with the ten pound gold Heavyweight Champion belt laying across the solid wood with the nameplate reading Kane.
"Kane, Kane, I'm so glad you are here," the smooth talking former head of WCW said as he stood from his chair to shake the champions hand. "I have to tell you, Stephanie is jealous as hell that you are on Raw now. I have no doubt she wants to see a match between Heyman's Beast and our Big Red Machine at one of her pay per views. Oh and uh, Terri, I didn't expect to see you here," he said before taking her right hand and pressing a kiss to her knuckles. "So, I take it there is something going on between you two?"
"You could say that," the blonde said with a grin before her manicured pink nails idly traced the name plate on the heavy gold belt. "We've decided to let the world know tonight on Raw."
"It will be, interesting," Kane said with a grin as he looked to his blonde lover. "Actually tonight I thought I would be revealing a slight gear change as well as my belt."
"Right the belt, well I have some good news on that front so you can start preparing. Your first title defense will be at Survivor Series in a Raw exclusive match," Bischoff said as he retook his seat and motioned for the others to sit as well. "Hunter actually brought the idea to me and even though he isn't the champion anymore I thought it was to good an opportunity to pass up. Its a six man elimination match that takes place in a custom designed chamber. You as the champion would start the match against one opponent but every five minutes another man will be added from pods surrounding the ring."
"An Elimination Chamber," Kane said before nodding his head. "I do hold the record for eliminations at the Royal Rumble so I don't see why I would back down from something like that. I'll even do one better. You said that Stephanie wanted me to face someone on Smackdown, how about we do a champion versus champion three stages of hell match? We could start with a first blood match and immediately begin an I Quit match and then finish it with a Last Man Standing match."
"That is brutal Kane, an absolute nightmare that should never be aired on television... I like it,"the man said never losing that cheesy grin on his face. "I'll call Vince and Stephanie and see what I can do to make it happen. So, other than a segment tonight to let everyone know you are the champion and got yourself one of the hottest women on the roster, was there anything else you wanted to discuss with me?"
"Well, Gregory was asking me to check with you about the tag team titles. Since we lost them, we haven't really had a chance for a rematch with all my matches this past month," Kane began.
"I know, I know and I am sorry about that," Eric cut him off. "However, as the World Heavyweight champion you aren't going to be able to compete for the tag titles at the moment, especially after winning that gem last night. If you found him another partner I wouldn't mind getting to work on getting Mr. Helms back into the tag team division."
"I'll talk to him about it when I see him," Kane replied sounding slightly dejected. He had liked working with Gregory, the man was just as much a freak as he himself was. Of course, with Rob Van Dam also on the roster that could make a good tag team, but he sort of wanted to make a stable of freaks now that he had Terri and the Hurricane as allies. "That was all I really had to say," he finished and stood to his feet.
"Wait, wait a minute," Terri said with a glance at the man who had stood up beside her. "I know you wanted to talk to Eric here about making a stable as well," the woman said putting herself in the conversation. Her eyes were fixed on her new lover's before the seven foot tall man sighed and sit back down. "Now, as Kane said a few weeks ago, he liked teaming with Hurricane because he was a freak and freaks are cool. Do you think there are enough people to make a group that would naturally pull toward my man?"
The Big Red Machine blinked at the use of the term 'my man' and had to keep himself from commenting as he turned to look at Eric. He knew there was a 'freak' coming soon though he hadn't lasted long with the company the use of the man's popularity would be helpful so long as he was around.
"Well everybody on this show is a freak, Miss Runnels," Eric said with a chuckle, "no offense of course. However, I am in talks with someone who I could see fitting in well with a man of Kane's stature. He hasn't signed exclusively to Raw yet but he will be making his on air debut with the company at Survivor Series. I can get him on the phone and see what he has to say. However, I know this guy and more than likely he will not just sign up without a test of some sort. So, be ready for a match more than likely to show him that you are the dominant alpha of your team."
"Understood," Kane commented before he made to stand to his feet once more. "We should get ready for tonight and I'll talk to Hurricane when he arrives."
He was glad that Terri didn't have anything else to add as he lifted the Heavyweight title with his name on it from Bischoff's desk and slipped it over her arm. He'd be using his own belt but the title itself was going to be hanging in his living room as soon as he got home. It would look nice next to his WWF championship belt and amidst the rest of his previously won titles. Taking his new lovers hand he made his way to the door and out into the corridors to find his locker room for the evening.
