What Could Have Been VI

Not exactly sure why, Kane found himself turning on Heat that Sunday. He was shocked when Michael Cole announced that on the show, which normally didn't have much in the way of big-time matches, Commissioner Regal had ruled that as further punishment for getting in HHH and Austin's business, the Undertaker would face the two men in a handicapped match.

Kane was confused. Why would Regal be punishing the Undertaker? Weren't they all on the same side? A small, stubborn voice in the back of his head began to wonder if Kane hadn't fallen for another one of the Game's plots...maybe the Undertaker hadn't betrayed him. Kane viciously shoved that voice down. There was no proof, other than a supposed handicapped match tonight, that the Undertaker hadn't turned on him. Hell, the match tonight could easily be a trap for someone...like the Hardy Boyz...trying to get them to come out to help Taker, only to then have Taker, HHH and Austin attack them.

But Kane kept watching Heat. He told himself that it was just to stay current with what was happening back in the Fed, but when it was finally time for the Undertaker's match Kane found his heart beginning to race. As was the habit of the WWF production team, a brief recap of the events that had led up to the match were shown. Thus it was that Kane saw, once again, his own body being broken by HHH, Austin, Edge and Christian. This time around, however, Kane also saw the fate that had befallen his brother. For the first time, Kane watched as the Undertaker tried again and again to break down his locker room door, to come to the aid of Kane. And Kane felt his heart soar as he realized that the Undertaker had NOT abandoned him...had not betrayed him. Then he drew a sharp intake of breath, as the events of earlier in the week replayed in his mind. The harsh, hate-filled words he had said to his brother. Words which Kane now realized Taker had never deserved. A feeling of helplessness overcame Kane, as he watched HHH and Austin make their way to the ring.

Acting like their usual cocky, irritating selves, the two men began their promo. In the middle of it, just as HHH started to brag about how badly they had injured Kane, the lights in the arena went off and "Dead Man Walking..." was heard echoing throughout the space as the crowd went wild.

Kane felt a feeling of unease take hold of him when he saw the Undertaker making his entrance without his motorcycle. // Don't be stupid, // he told himself. // He probably just didn't want to risk anything happening to it during the match. HHH did trash his last one. // But Kane couldn't shake the feeling that something about his brother wasn't right. Kane growled in frustration. Sitting there, in the hospital, he just couldn't tell what it was about his brother that was bothering him...but he knew there was something.

Then the Undertaker got to the ring, and removed his sunglasses. One of the cameramen got a close-up of his face and Kane gasped. His brother's eyes were completely dead. "No, Mark," Kane whispered to himself, "what have I done?" And Kane did blame himself. He should have listened to his brother; he should never have just blown up at him like that. It was true that Kane had been abandoned many times in his life...but so had the Undertaker. And now Kane had abandoned him yet again.

Kane watched the match with trepidation. Nothing HHH or Austin did seemed to effect the Undertaker, he just kept getting up, kept fighting. Kane had seen him like this before, when he pushed his emotions, his rational thoughts aside and just concentrated on fighting...on causing pain. Hell, Kane had found himself doing the same thing many times. It was an ability...a curse...that they both shared. Finally the two-man Power Trip ran out of patience. As HHH continued fighting Taker on the inside of the ring, Austin rolled to the outside and grabbed two chairs, throwing them into the ring before he re-entered it. Austin picked up one of the chairs and hit the Undertaker across the back with a shot that sent a sickening thud across the arena via the microphones set up at ringside.

As the referee called for the bell, awarding the d-q win to the Undertaker, Kane's worst fears regarding his brother's state of mind were confirmed. Instead of going down under the attack, or even flinching, the Undertaker instead just slowly turned around to face Austin, whose face somehow went several shades whiter than normal. HHH seized this opportunity to grab the other chair that Austin had brought into the ring, and together the two men set about to destroy the Undertaker. That had been their plan, at least. What happened instead was truly frightening to all who watched, as the Undertaker shrugged off several chair shots from each man, smiling sadistically as he saw fear appear on their faces. Finally the two men looked at each other and, taking a page from Edge and Christian, moved to sandwich the Undertaker in a con-chairto. The Undertaker, however, had other ideas, and ducked under the chairs that came flying towards him. HHH and Austin's chairs hit each other with incredible force, stinging the hands and arms of both men and forcing them to drop the chairs. Then, taking advantage of his opponents' surprise and unarmed state, the Undertaker seized both Austin and the Game by the throats and slammed them mercilessly to the canvas.

The Undertaker stood triumphantly in the ring, looking down at the fallen forms of his opponents, and lowered his head. When he raised it, what Kane saw made his blood run cold. Standing there in the center of the ring stood the Undertaker; his eyes rolled back into his head so only their whites showed and his tongue extended from his mouth.

There in the center of the ring stood the Lord of Darkness.