Raging Storm Chapter 13 Raging Storm
Chapter 13: It All Has a System
By: Jay Winger

Note: this is set the Monday after "Chapter 12: The Mental Elite."

To recap: Mick Foley found Billy Rose and Brick waiting in the garage area for Rain, who'd escaped a beating on Monday with the help of good Samaritans Roger and Mike. Mick placated them by giving Rain a "punishment match" against Ivory for interfering in Rose's match on Monday. During the match (which Foley had decreed no-interference to the Alliance, Faction, and Right to Censor), RTC nonetheless charged the ring and attacked Rain, who suffered a Censorkick, Censorbomb, and was set for a piledriver from Val Venis when Roger and Mike ran out and cleaned house. This brought out Mick Foley, who thanked them for helping enforce the commissionary decree, but Rose had something to say about that as well. Demanding a match, Rose was given a match with Rhino and RTC against the two good Samaritans and the partners of their choice in eight-man tag-team action on the following Monday. While heading back to the hospital to visit the Storm, Roger and Mike revealed to Rain they were actually the Storm's CIW buddies, Zed & Zeta, who had been brought in as part of a plan to get revenge on Billy Rose. Rain didn't understand completely, but the two men told her that the Storm would explain that it all had a system.

Teaser: Billy Rose takes on Zed & Zeta while Brick takes on Kane and the Storm shows how he's been manipulating things.

Rating: R - for violence and profanity

Disclaimer: All things WWF are property of Titan Sports. The characters of Matthew "the Storm" Skinner, Claire "Rain" Whittaker, Billy Rose, Brad "Brick" Dickerson, Roger "Zed" Ziger, and Mike "Zeta" Zahn are completely fictional. I do incorporate a few traits from existing WWF wrestlers, but for the most part, they're my creations. The lyrics to Brick's entrance theme were written by myself as well. (For those who are curious, I title his theme "Breaker.")

MONDAY: RAW is WAR, 10 July

(ring) "Technical Support. How may I disconnect you?"
"Mike."
"Storm! Zed, pick it up!" "Yo."
"Guys, you all set for tonight?"
"You know it. We've made arrangements."
"Good. Rain and our other ally know what to do as well. You positive Prick Bastard doesn't know anything?"
"Abso-tively, posi-lutely nothing."
"Good. Then go ahead with what I told you. I'll take care of my end."
"Right on, Storm." "Yeah, relax. We'll do our part."
"Right. Remember -- even if it doesn't make sense, it all has a system."
"Right! Catch ya on the flip!" "Z-ya!"
(click)

* * *

In the Faction's VIP room, Billy Rose taped up his wrists, then slicked back his hair. He turned to his friends, Edge & Christian, who were laughing over some private joke. "Guys, I'm set. Is my partner ready?"

"Yeah, no doubt!" Edge said. He turned to his brother. "Christian, get the Rhino." Christian grinned and nodded, then headed off a bit.

"You sure you don't want any help, Billy?" Shane asked. "I mean, we're well capable of helping you out."

"Simple enough, Shane-O," Rose replied. "These two are jobbers, plain and simple. It doesn't really matter who they pick to be their opponents, Rhino and me will smear them. As for Brick -- he's easily capable of taking out whomever Foley decides to book him against."

"It's Kane, dude," Edge said.

Rose blinked exactly once. Then he shrugged. "It still doesn't really matter. Brick's bigger, and Brick's meaner. Kane will go down -- trust me." He looked up as Christian returned with Rhino in tow. The man-beast was squeezing his wrist and grimacing, looking quite intense. "Right. Let's go talk strategy with RTC."

* * *

"The following contest is scheduled for one fall." The fans were quiet for a moment before the TitanTron lit up. "Break it! (Break it!) Break it! (Break it!)" The aggressive metal music of Brick's theme, "Breaker," played as the seven-foot-one behemoth stooped a bit to step out from under the arch. His dark brown hair was tied back in a spiky ponytail, and his lips curled in a snarl under his thick mustache. He wore a sleeveless black shirt, and on the back read the words DO NOT TAUNT in red stencil-lettering. He wore black pants with crimson stripes down the legs. Black elbow pads stood out on his massive arms, and black tape covered his wrists and the tops of his hands. Brick snarled and raised his arms in the air, then started for the ring. "Introducing first, from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, weighing in at 350 pounds... BRICK!"

Brick climbed up on the apron, then stepped over the ropes to throw his head back and let loose a roar that shook the rafters, then turned to face the TitanTron as pryos exploded and the Big Red Machine appeared. "And his opponent, weighing in at 326 pounds... KANE!" Kane walked down the ramp slowly, then climbed up on the apron, preparing to step over the ropes to get in the ring -- but Brick had different ideas. He grabbed Kane as he got on the apron, then hauled him over the ropes and threw him to the mat.

Kane got right back up again, but Brick put him back down with a big right hand. Kane was back up in a moment, and Brick pushed him back against the ropes, then whipped him across the ring. Kane came back and there was a hard smack as his masked face collided with Brick's huge boot. Kane fell, and Brick followed up the boot with a big elbow drop off the ropes. Brick went for a cover. 1... 2-- and Kane got a shoulder up. Growling, Brick pulled him up and went to whip him into the ropes, but Kane reversed the whip and swung a clothesline on the rebound. Brick ducked under it, shot off the other ropes, then ducked and caught Kane around his waist. Standing, Brick gave Kane a big back body drop, then turned to put the boots to him.

Kane crawled to the corner, where Brick continued to stomp away on him, then the Breaker put his boot against Kane's throat and pressed down. The referee tried to pull him back, then began a five-count. At four, Brick disengaged and cocked a fist back at the ref, who backed away. Brick pulled Kane back up and gave him a hard whip across the ring. Kane came off the post, groggy, and got floored by a huge clothesline from the big man. Brick shot off the ropes and came down with a falling elbow, but Kane moved out of the way this time. Brick held his elbow and grimaced a bit, but didn't seem all that injured. Kane got up and started putting the boots to Brick, who absorbed them as he got to his feet. Kane smacked him across the face with a few right hands, but Brick stood there like a mountain, glaring at the slightly shorter Big Red Machine. Kane blinked behind his mask, then went off the ropes to try a clothesline, but Brick stopped him in mid-charge with a hand around the throat.

Kane staggered a bit as his air supply was choked off, then Brick stooped a bit to grab Kane and suddenly hoist him overhead in a gorilla press. The fans were clamoring in shock as Brick held Kane overhead, then swung him back into the Breaker Chokeslam. Brick descended and made a lateral press. 1... 2... 3!

"Here is your winner... BRICK!" Brick stood back up as his music played and let loose another rafter-shaking roar, then snarled at Kane and threw his arms down from overhead. Kane's pyros went off at the corners, and then Brick stepped over the top rope and headed up the ramp while the fans booed around him.

* * *

"The following contest is an eight-man tag team match scheduled for one fall," Lillian Garcia announced. The obnoxious "music" of Right to Censor blared on the TitanTron, and Bull Buchanan and the Goodfather walked out, smiling and waving to the booing crowd. "Introducing first, at a combined weight of 595 pounds... Bull Buchanan and the Goodfather... RIGHT TO CENSOR!" They stepped into the ring, raised their hands in the air, then stood in the corner, where Bull removed his tie and unbuttoned his shirt partway.

"How long? How long? -- I said how long? I said how long? I said how long? Until you crack..." Billy Rose walked out in his Every Rose shirt, with Rhino alongside him. "And their tag team partners, at a combined weight of 520 pounds... the team of RHINO and BILLY ROSE!" They joined their partners in the ring, then turned to face the TitanTron.

The spotlights overhead began sweeping the crowd and the sets as the opening chords of Blur's "Song 2" played, and when Damon Albarn sang "Whoo-hoo!" the TitanTron lit up brightly. The two forms of the good Samaritans appeared on the stage, pumping up the fans, who were cheering. Mike Zahn was wearing an outfit that borrowed from View Askew's Jay Phat Buds, while Roger Ziger was wearing a jungle green tank-top and black-and-green pants. His hands and wrists were taped up bare-knuckle boxing-style, and both wore huge grins.

"And their opponents, first, from Baltimore, Maryland, weighing in at a combined weight of 460 pounds... ZED & ZETA!" Mike raised a microphone and then paused as the fans drowned out whatever he was about to say with big cheers. He raised his hand and flashed a Jimmy Snuka hand-sign, then said, "Cut the music!"

Roger took the mic and said, "Hey, Billy, what's up?" Rose stared at them as recognition began to sink in. "You remember us, don't you? Yeah, it's your old buddies from CIW -- me, the Bruiser from Baltimore, Zed, and my main man, Zeta!" Rose's face was turning red as he plainly remembered them. "Well, guess what, Billy? As I used to say back in Cal-if-orn-I-A, you got some hits coming!"

Zed & Zeta started down the ramp, but paused as Rose and Rhino approached the ropes, beckoning them in. Zed just smirked, then raised his wrist as though looking at a watch. Zeta counted down from five on his fingers. Four, three, two, one-- and suddenly a bomb whistled on the TitanTron and pyros exploded under the screen. Familiar music played as the Dudleys came out, carrying a table. "And their tag-team partners, at a combined weight of 515 pounds... Buh-Buh Ray and D-Von, the DUDLEY BOYZ!"

Rose looked startled as this revelation came out, and Rhino looked a bit surprised as well. The Dudleys set up their table outside the ring, then looked to the Z-Men. Nods all around, and they charged the ring. Zed grappled with Rose while Zeta eluded a gore from Rhino, then began hitting the man-beast in the back with forearm shots. The Dudleys locked up with the censors, and the Goodfather was sent sprawling out of the ring while Bull got a double flapjack from the boys from Dudleyville, getting dropped on his face. Zed sent Rose over the top rope with a hard uppercut, then turned to see Rhino whip Zeta across the ring, then gear up for a big gore. Zed cut him off with a shoulder block from the side, which sent Rhino rolling out of the ring. Zeta stepped out of the corner and shouted to Zed, who nodded and positioned himself near the ropes by Rhino. Zeta ran at him, and Zed caught his feet, said, "Alley-oop!" and catapulted him over the ropes onto Rhino in a big plancha.

Buh-Buh Ray, meanwhile, was walloping Bull with punches, then turned to see Zed beckoning. Buh-Buh nodded, then whipped Bull out of the corner -- right into a clothesline from Zed. The ex-boxer stooped to punch Bull in the head, then picked him up and pulled him over to the corner, where he tagged in a waiting Zeta. Zeta kicked Bull in the gut, then chopped him across the chest before grabbing his arm and trying to give him an Irish whip. Bull reversed it and aimed a big boot as Zeta came back, but the dyed-haired Z-Man slid under the kick and came up in a front dropkick to the back of Bull's head. Bull staggered, then turned around to eat a spinning heel kick, which knocked him down.

Zeta turned and grinned at the crowd, swinging his arms to get them pumped up, then turned back to Bull, just in time to get a boot to the face. The big man dragged Zeta up and pulled him to the hostile corner, where he tagged in Rhino. The man-beast began punching away at Zeta, then whipped him into the ropes, catching him with a big clothesline. Zeta attempted a rally with an enzuigiri off the mat when Rhino picked up one foot, but he ducked and dropped an elbow on Zeta's leg and put on a leglock.

Finally, Rhino stood him up and whipped him hard into the corner, then followed up with a huge gore. Rhino went for a pin, but Zed stepped in and dropped a double-axe handle on his back. The ref separated the two, but Zed managed to land a hard right hook that staggered Rhino, leaving him open to a sleeper hold from Zeta, which the blue-clad Z-Man turned into a rear naked choke drop. Zeta climbed up to the top rope, looked down at the prone Rhino, then flashed the hand-signs again. "Snoogans!" he yelled, then jumped out in a flipping senton. Rhino moved away, and Zeta hit the mat hard. The man-beast tagged the closest person -- the Goodfather, while Zeta crawled over to his own corner. The Goodfather got to Zeta first and put the boots to him, dragging him away from the corner, then working him over with right hands and forearms in the neutral corner.

The Goodfather whipped Zeta across the ring into the other corner, then pumped his arms, gearing up for the Censor Train. He charged, but Zeta moved aside and the Goodfather slammed hard into the corner. Zeta lunged and tagged in D-Von Dudley, who began hitting the Goodfather with right hand after right hand, then going to whip him into the ropes. The ex-pimp reversed the whip, but D-Von came off the rebound with a flying shoulder tackle. He got up and began hammering him with right hands again, but the Goodfather raked his eyes, then threw him into the hostile corner, where he tagged in Billy Rose. Rose grabbed D-Von and began to unleash on the black Dudley.

Rose finally pulled him out of the corner and whipped him into the ropes, then shoved him in the air for a Farewell as D-Von rebounded. Rose began to put the boots to him, then pulled him up for a short-arm clothesline. Maintaining his hold on D-Von's arm, the Californian wrapped his legs around his arm, shoulder, and head, then dropped down in the Deadly Blossom. D-Von started screaming, and managed to squirm enough that he grabbed the bottom rope with his free hand. Rose released him, but continued to stomp away on him until the ref pulled Rose back and lectured him. While the ref's back was thus turned, Rhino and Bull both attacked D-Von while Rose smirked. The ref, Mike Chioda, turned back and went to break up the mugging. Again, while the ref's back was turned, Zed and Zeta snuck out from their corner and hit him with Total Elimination (a sweep kick/calf kick combo), which took him down.

D-Von got back up and staggered over to Rose, whom he started to pound on again, then whipped him into the ropes. D-Von shot off the other ropes and the two collided in the middle of the ring with a double clothesline. Buh-Buh Ray shouted for D-Von to get up and make the tag, slapping his hand on the corner, as both men dragged themselves to their corners. D-Von tagged his half-brother as Rose tagged in Rhino. Buh-Buh clotheslined Rhino down, then did the same to Bull Buchanan when he ran in. Buh-Buh continued his momentum and knocked the Goodfather off the apron, then turned back to Bull as he got back up. He scooped Bull up and slammed him down, then raised his thumbs in the air. He stood over Bull, spread his legs, then looked up at D-Von, who was on the top of the post.

Everybody in the crowd yelled it as well as Buh-Buh wagged out his tongue: "Wassup!" D-Von went airborne and came down in a diving headbutt to the groin of Bull. D-Von stood up, did his victory dance, and then crossed himself. Buh-Buh shoved him. "D-Von!" The black Dudley smirked and looked away, then yelled back, "What?!" Buh-Buh pointed to the sides of the ring. "Get the tables!" The fans popped as D-Von headed out of the ring to collect a table from under the ring, eschewing the one they'd set up earlier. Buh-Buh turned to go out of the ring as well, but Rhino got back up and gored him down. Zed and Zeta charged the ring, Zed pummeling Rhino with a series of punches while Zeta floored a charging Rose with his twisting body attack.

D-Von's table search, however, was stopped short when the Goodfather attacked him. Zed knocked Rhino down with a right hook, then turned to see the Goodfather stomping on D-Von. He whistled to Zeta, who saw this, nodded, then went to shoot off the ropes. Zed positioned himself appropriately, then caught Zeta's jumping feet and catapulted him over the top rope -- "Alley-oop!" -- in a plancha onto the ex-pimp. Zed turned back and quickly sidestepped a gore from Rhino, grabbing the back of his head to continue his momentum and send Rhino sprawling out of the ring. The ex-boxer turned to see Rose setting Buh-Buh Ray up for the Thorn powerbomb, and stopped the gutwrench with a hard lariat.

D-Von slid a table into the ring while Zed snared Rose in a suplex hold, then swung his leg back and then up, as though for a snap suplex -- but instead, Zed swung Rose completely around into a powerslam. Rose oofed and rolled out of the ring. Buh-Buh Ray set the table up, then grabbed Bull Buchanan, who was still lying in the ring. D-Von whipped him into the ropes, then caught him in a flapjack, carrying him back into the waiting grasp of Buh-Buh, and the two brought the censor down in a 3D through the table with a huge CRACK! Buh-Buh Ray made the cover, and Mike Chioda counted the pin. 1... 2... 3!

The Dudleys' music played as the two posed at the corners and ropes in victory, while Zeta and Zed joined them in the ring. Billy Rose climbed up on the apron to jaw at them. Zeta looked at him, then shot off the ropes and hit him with his twisting body attack again, sending Rose flying off the apron -- and right through the table the Dudleys had set up earlier. CRACK! Zeta got back up and whooped, flashing the Snuka hand sign again, then yelling, "Snoogans!" He tapped fists with Zed, then hopped out of the ring with him and headed up the ramp.

* * *

Shane and Team ECK looked up as Rose and Rhino burst back into the Faction's room. Rose glared around, then spotted Brick seated in a chair in the corner. The big man looked up, and Rose crooked a finger, beckoning him. "C'mon, Brick, we got some Z-Men to break." Brick made a growling sound and got up. Rose stepped over to his bag to draw out a short, blunt club. Shane looked at Brick, who clenched his massive fists in anticipation.

"Does he ever say anything?" Shane asked Rose, who glanced up.

"Yes," Rose said, tapping the club in his palm. "But I don't speak grunt."

* * *

Zed and Zeta were back in the catering area, chatting with the Dudleys. "Nice work, guys," Zed said. "We showed that Prick Bastard a thing or two."

"Yeah," Zeta added, "and it was great to see him get wood -- hoo, Testify! Right, D?"

"Exactly," D-Von agreed. "You guys are hardcore. Coulda used guys like you in ECW."

"Hey, that's what CIW aspired to be," Zeta said. "We just lacked the money."

"What was that move you did to Rose there at the end?" Buh-Buh Ray asked Zed. "I couldn't tell if it was a suplex or a powerslam."

"It's sort of both," Zed replied. "I created by accident when I tried to do a snap suplex, but swung back a bit weird. It was so effective, though, I turned it into a move. The Z-Slam." He grinned. "Sometimes Zeta and me would take out both of our opponents with the moves -- I'd Z-Slam one while he hit the other with the Zetasault."

"The what?"

"Zetasault," the long-haired Z-Man replied. "A running twisting body attack -- like a corkscrew moonsault done from the mat instead of the post."

"Nice," D-Von said. "So what now? You gonna keep feudin' with the Faction?"

"No doubt," Zed answered. "We got beef with Rose -- and we got business to take care of with Brick, too. `Sides, those Canadian Zeroes have the Tag Team titles... and Zeta and me'll want those some time in the future."

"You have a few people to go through first," came a voice from behind them, then a deep, wordless roar followed as two massive arms crashed into the backs of the Z-Men's heads. The Dudleys stared at Brick in surprise, and then D-Von got gored by Rhino, who charged into him. Buh-Buh Ray turned to Rose, just in time to get clubbed in the stomach, then on the back of the head. He shouted in pain as he fell to the floor, where Rose stomped on him. Rhino turned to Zeta, who was pulling himself back up by the catering table, then started to charge. Zeta responded by grabbing the coffee pot and hurling its contents into the man-beast's face. Rhino yelled in pain and stopped, his hands going to his eyes.

Unfortunately for Zeta, Rose saw him and smashed him across the head with his club. While the long-haired Z-Man staggered in pain, Rose dropped his club, then thrust Zeta's head between his thighs. He executed the gutwrench and held Zeta behind his head in the crucifix position, then tossed him up to grip his waist and swing him down through the catering table in a Thorn powerbomb. Zed, meanwhile, was struggling back to his feet. Rhino, who had by this point cleared his eyes enough to see, gored him hard. Brick looked down at Buh-Buh Ray, who was struggling back to his feet. He grabbed him, hoisted him up off the floor, then threw him through a table.

"Just like old times, eh, Zed Head?" Rose said down at the groaning ex-boxer. "Right, Crack Head?" he asked of Zeta, who was curled up in a ball in the wreckage of the catering table. "Let this be another lesson for you boys -- I'm smarter than you. I'm better than you. Try me again, and I'll have you broken."

"Hey, Billy!" came a voice from behind him. The Californian turned, then got cracked over the head with a steel chair. Rhino and Brick turned around to see Viper, Rattler, and Triple H -- all wielding weapons. Rhino got smacked by Viper, while Triple H and Rattler both attacked Brick with sledgehammer and 2x4, respectively. Rattler broke the board across his back, staggering Brick a bit, who fell to one knee before Triple H brought the hammer into his forehead. Brick fell over, face-up on the floor.

"Cost me my title, will you?" Viper snarled. He threw the chair down onto Rose, who spasmed a bit from the blow, then turned around to see Rain cutting off Shane, who had been sneaking up with another chair. She clubbed him in the face with a forearm, then smacked him upside the head with his own chair before turning to see the Alliance. She gave him a brief nod, then looked at Zed and Zeta, who were groaning in pain. She looked back at Viper. "What?" the masked wrestler asked.

"Just a thought," she said. "We've all got a common enemy in that Prick Bastard, Rose, right?"

"Right," Viper agreed, folding his arms.

"Well, here's an idea -- I'll go to Commissioner Foley and request an eight-man tag. Rose, Rhino, and those two Canuckleheads, Edge & Christian, against Zed, Zeta, you, and anybody else from your Alliance," Rain suggested. "That way, we all get a piece of him."

Viper was silent for a moment, regarding her, then glancing back at his comrades. He looked at Zed, who had gotten to his feet, albeit unsteadily, and was going over to pull Zeta out of the wreckage of the catering table. The two Z-Men turned to look at Viper, who looked back at Rain. "Agreed," Viper said. "You're not planning anything funny, are you?"

"Frankly," Rain said, "Storm and I have someone a bit more important to feud with than you. I won't do anything funny if you won't."

"Fine," Viper said. "Make the match." He turned to Zed and Zeta. "Just don't screw up."

"Hey, Fang-face," Zeta said, "we'll hold up to our end of the bargain. You just do the same, ya frickin' nut."

"Yeah," Zed added. "We've got a lot more beef with Prick Bastard than you do. Believe us -- we'll do our part."

"Fine," Viper said again. "See you on Monday." He, Rattler, and Triple H left in one direction while Rain, Zed, and Zeta left in another as Rose, Rhino, and Brick started to come around.

* * *

Much later that night, Claire, Roger, and Mike left the hospital and got into their car to head for the hotel. They didn't notice a dark red Honda Civic parked in the dark part of the lot, watching them as they drove off. The man in the front seat hid a cruel smile as the trio drove off. He stepped out of his car, pulled a cap over his blond hair, zipped up the windbreaker over his t-shirt, then took the bouquet of flowers off the front seat. Whistling a bit, he walked into the hospital and smiled to the receptionist. "Hi, delivering flowers for one..." He checked the card on the flowers. "Matthew Skinner?"

The woman checked her computer. "Yes, third floor. Room 316." She looked up as the man chuckled.

"Isn't that funny?" the man said. "Isn't he a wrestler or something?"

"Yes," the woman replied with a smile. "It is funny, isn't it? 'Austin 3:16,' and all that."

"Yeah," the man chuckled. "Anyway, I'll take these on up." He went to the elevator and rode it up to the third floor. He whistled again as he went down the hall to room 316, opened the door and peeked in to see a shape lying under the sheets and blankets. Billy Rose pulled the length of pipe out from the bouquet and swung it down on the shape under the sheets -- but struck nothing hard enough to be a human body.

Blinking with puzzlement, Rose yanked back the sheets to find a bunch of pillows grouped together. Snarling, Rose threw the pipe into the corner, then grabbed a pillow as he saw something pinned to it.

Hey, Billy -- saw this coming a mile away. Think I wouldn't expect you to try something like this? Try something original next time. --Skinner

Rose snarled, then squinted at something scrawled at the bottom of the note.

PS -- don't turn around.

Rose flinched and whirled around, raising his arms, but blinked as he saw no one. There was just something taped to the back of the door. Another note.

Made ya look! --Skinner

Rose snarled with fury and kicked over the hospital bed, ripped off the cap on his head and threw it to the floor, then marched out of the hospital, rage in his eyes.

-more to come-

Next: Zed & Zeta and Viper's Alliance go up against Billy Rose and the Faction while Rose gets paranoid, with the Storm's mind games getting "In Your Head."

If you have any ideas for who you think the Storm, Rain, Zed & Zeta, Brick or Billy Rose should team up with or go up against, drop me a line at jay_winger_2k@hotmail.com.