Raging Storm
Chapter 25: This is Getting Good
By: Jay
Winger
Note: this is set the Thursday after "Chapter 24: A War on Two Fronts" and during Boulder's "Viper's Revenge, Chapter 18: Trapped"
To recap: Rose was informed of the matches on Raw by Harvey Whippleman, and concocted a fiendish plan. Meanwhile, the Storm arrived at the arena and immediately went to pick the brain of two-time Hell in a Cell survivor Triple H, who told him that no matter how much the Storm prepares for the Cell, he's not mentally ready for it. Brick defeated Bradshaw in a singles' match, while Rain worried herself into distraction over the Storm's obsession. It came to a head during her Women's Championship #1 Contender's match against Lita, when Rhino attacked both women -- Lita with a steel chair and Goring Rain to the mat hard. The Storm, meeting Rain at the ambulance, took out his frustrations by ranting at Commissioner Foley, then proceeded to take Rhino apart in a singles' match, forcing him to tap out to the Necksnapper. Finally, as Rose battled Undertaker, disqualifying himself by attacking `Taker with a steel chair, the Storm ran out to exact his revenge, but the Californian had predicted this attack -- indeed, he told the Storm he had actually planned for it -- and countered by delivering Brain Damage onto a steel chair.
Teaser: Summerslam and the Cell are just three days away as forces converge on Rose and as the Storm picks the brain of the biggest Cell veteran of them all, and with the tensions where they are, the fans can only broil in anticipation.
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 and the Storm's were written by myself as well. (For those who are curious, I title Brick's theme "Breaker" and the Storm's "Force of Nature.")
THURSDAY: Smackdown!, 27 August
The Storm pulled into the arena and then opened the door on the other side of his car, helping Rain out. "You sure you're okay?" he asked her.
"Yes, I'm fine," she said, slightly irritated. "My head and back're just a little sore. I'll take it easy tonight."
"Rose is gonna pay for this, Claire," he told her. "I'll kill him in the Cell."
"About Hell in a Cell, Matthew," she said with a sigh, "I really think you should relax a bit. You're obsessing with this."
"You're damn right I'm obsessing with it!" the Storm snapped. "Claire, I've told you why I hate the bastard. He's had this coming for seven damn years. I'm not just doing this for me, but for every single person he's screwed over in his career. Someone's gotta take him down a peg. And that someone's gonna be me."
* * *
Elsewhere, Billy Rose, Rhino, and Brick were unaware of the Storm's arrival. Rose was simmering. He had plans for Skinner tonight, dammit, and if the bastard couldn't even show his face... His reverie was interrupted by Rhino. "Hey, Billy, what's up?"
"Why the fuck isn't Skinner here?" Rose snapped. "What the hell is he doing?" He glanced over at Brick and Rhino. The latter looked blank, while the other looked as sullen and surly as ever. Rose waved it off. "Ahh, doesn't matter anyway. He's as good as dead when we step inside the Cell anyways."
Rhino rotated his injured shoulder with a slight wince, then asked, "You want me to get anything done tonight?" Rose shook his head. Rhino blinked. "You sure?"
"Just concentrate on getting that arm better," Rose said. "It's not like you can do anything at the moment. And with only Brick as support, we're vulnerable to attacks, you got it?"
Rhino nodded. "I got it, Billy, just chill out and get ready to face Storm at Summerslam, `cuz--"
Rose suddenly pushed off the wall and advanced on him. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Are you saying that I can't handle one drunken Texas idiot that I've injured more times than I can count?"
Rhino held up his hands. "It's not that, I just--" But he was cut off as Rose grabbed him by the front of his shirt and hauled him close.
"You know what I've done to people who go up against me, Rhino?" Rose shouted in his face. "Huh? Do you?! If you knew some of the things I've done, it'd give you nightmares." He shoved him away and pointed a finger at him. "Besides, I've made more of a name for myself than you have, and I've been here a lot less longer than you have." The manic look on Rose's face was then replaced by the usual smug smirk. "And if I could prove to you that I'm ready, then I would. But at the moment, I really can't, `cuz none of the jackasses around here will face me. So keep your mouth shut."
Rose turned away and finished unloading his bag, setting his ring gear aside and draping the stolen WWF Championship belt on his shoulder as he taped his wrists. Rhino glanced at Brick, who glared at Rose's back for several moments before returning to his silent brooding.
* * *
The Storm left the Z-Men's commandeered rest room and started walking down the halls, and happened across the smirking form of Commissioner Foley. "What do you want?" the Storm growled. He held his ugly-stick in his hand, wary of attacks from Rose or his group. His head still ached from the Brain Damage he'd received on Raw.
"I know you've got a lot to live up to in three days," Foley said, "so I thought I'd give you a real easy warmup match tonight."
"Real nice of you, Mick," the Storm replied. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to look for someone--"
"It's a handicap match, by the way," Foley went on. The Storm stopped and looked at him. "Relax! It's not against anyone real tough. You'll have a breeze getting it done."
"Foley, if you've set me up, I swear to God--"
"Hey, I want to see you take down Rose as much as anyone else here," the former Cactus Jack said. "This will just get you in the right mindset, because believe me, you'll need to be on your toes inside the Cell. Good luck." He started to leave, but the Storm stopped him now.
"Hold on a sec." The Storm looked at him a moment, as if assessing the value of his 'good luck,' then said, "Thanks, Mick. Where's Taker?"
"Fourth locker room on your right."
* * *
While Rose was busy ranting at Viper at the ring, the Storm was seeking out the Phenom of the WWF. The Storm knocked on the door marked with a "Deadman Inc." sign. "Come in," came the deep, distinctive voice from inside. The Storm stepped in. The Undertaker looked up at him, icing his shoulder, which Rose had injured with the Deadly Blossom on Raw. "What do you want?" `Taker asked.
The Storm set his ugly-stick against a locker, then calmly removed his sunglasses. "Wanna talk to you about Hell in a Cell," he said, looking back at the Dead Man.
Taker sat up a bit straighter, then leaned back in his seat. He looked at the Force of Nature for a long moment, then gestured with one gloved hand. "Sit down," he ordered. The Storm pulled over a chair and sat facing the Undertaker, who adjusted his gloves a bit, then said, without looking up, "You know what you're gettin' yourself into here?"
"Triple H explained it a little bit," the Storm said. "He said I'm not mentally ready for Hell in a Cell."
"He's not far wrong," Undertaker replied. "Lemme guess. He told you that the Cell makes you feel like you're trapped." The Storm nodded. "That's a good start, but Hunter didn't do it justice. You ever watched my matches?"
"Hell, yes," the Storm said. "I've been a fan of yours since I started getting into this business. Never missed a chance to watch them."
Taker nodded, still not directly looking at him. "You watched my Cell matches?"
"I've been studying them," the Storm said. "All of them. Even that one you had with Bossman."
Taker at last showed some expression, making a face of disgust. "I'd rather not talk about that one. But the point I'm trying to make is that Cell does something to you. I don't know how to describe it, and I've been in three Cell matches -- four, if you count Bossman."
The Storm leaned forward. "'Does something?'"
The American Badass nodded, examining his knuckles. "I don't know how to describe it," he repeated. "It's like... you take everything dark inside you, all the hate, all the rage, all the frustration, all the evil thoughts that lurk in the back of your head... and the Cell somehow brings that out to the front. It's like I told everyone before the Six-Pack Cell, I'm a different man when I'm in the Cell."
The Storm nodded a bit, and he had a flash in his mind, an image from that very match: a bloodied Undertaker, having just chokeslammed Rikishi off the top into the truck. He'd turned and looked in the camera's general direction, and stuck his tongue out, eyes half-rolling back in his head. It was an image that had sent a chill down his spine when he'd seen it, and it sent a chill down his spine now.
The Dead Man was looking at him. "You know what I'm talking about," he said, as though he could read the Storm's mind. "I could have a Hell in a Cell match every day for the rest of my career, and I doubt I'd ever be ready for what that Cell does to me. Hell, if the referees hadn't been around, if the EMTs hadn't been there to check on Mick, I think I would've killed him that night." He tilted his head to the side slightly as he looked at the Storm. "And I can look at you and see some of the same stuff in you that made me so damn dangerous in the Cell. Now, I know I can't talk you out of this, but I can tell you this -- you best have someone around to pull you outta the dark, `cuz otherwise, you will kill Rose on Sunday."
The Storm gave a dry chuckle and looked at him. "That's the plan, `Taker. That's the plan."
Undertaker suddenly looked straight into his eyes, straight into his soul. The Storm gazed levelly back. After several moments, Taker seemed to just look at his face, as though trying to comprehend what he'd seen in those cold gray eyes. The Storm smirked a bit. "You were once the Lord of Darkness," the Force of Nature said, "you walked the Darkside, you stole souls and everything. But I've got stains on my soul that even you should be fearful of." He put his sunglasses back on and stood up. "Thanks, `Taker. See you around." He reclaimed his baseball bat and left the room, while the Dead Man watched him leave.
Then Undertaker shook his head and went back to adjusting his gloves. "Boy doesn't know what he's getting himself into," he said to no one.
* * *
Later that night, as Rose was preparing for his match with Viper, the Storm headed to the ring, wearing his I am a Force of Nature T-shirt. He placed his ugly-stick in the corner, then stood on the turnbuckle and raised a fist in the air. He lowered it and made a cutting motion at his throat, thrusting his fist downward, setting off lightning pyros from over the ring. "The following contest is a Handicap Match and is scheduled for one fall. Introducing first, from Dallas, Texas, weighing in at 240 pounds... he is the 2002 King of the Ring... THE STORM!"
The Storm removed his sunglasses and paced in the ring, testing the ropes before crouching in wait for his opponents. He stood and raised an eyebrow as Oriental hooting music played, while a Japanese flag emblazoned with the word Kaientai flapped on the screen. The fans popped a bit as Taka Michinoku and Sho Funaki walked out on the ramp, waving Japanese flags in the air. "And his opponents, from Japan, Sho Funaki and Taka Michinoku... KAIENTAI!"
Taka and Funaki waved their flags for several more moments before Taka reached behind him and pulled a microphone from the waistband of his tights. He started speaking, and a couple moments later, a voice spoke from the sound system. "Storm, we fear you NOT! You think you can beat Kaientai, HAH! You of all people should know that a Force of Nature does not stand a chance against the forces... of... EEEEEEEEE-VIL!" Taka continued talking, while the voice said, "Ha ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha..." Taka at last threw back his head and laughed briefly, then looked out at the cheering crowd, then offered the microphone to Funaki. Funaki accepted it, then held up a finger before speaking several long and deliberate words. The voice supplied the punchline: "InDEEEEED!"
Kaientai walked down the ramp, saluted the ring by putting their hand before their nose and saying something in Japanese. Then they dropped their flags and slid into the ring, quickly trying to surround the Storm. For his part, the Storm looked more annoyed than concerned about the handicap of the match. Funaki struck first, lunging, but the Storm blocked his swing and kicked him into the corner before Taka jumped him from behind, forearming him in the back.
The Storm was staggered briefly as Funaki joined his partner in attacking the Storm, but then they whipped him into the ropes, intending to go for a double clothesline. The Storm slid underneath it and rose to his feet, hooking Taka for an inverse DDT, then ducking a swing from Funaki to whip him into the ropes. As Funaki came back, the Storm sidestepped and hurled him over the top rope to the floor. Taka got up groggily, and the Storm immediately started hammering him in the corner. He whipped him across the ring, and Taka showed good ring presence by jumping up the corner to go for a backwards attack, but the Storm got there first, snapping Taka's legs to the side and crotching him on the turnbuckle. Then the Force of Nature shoved the "eeeeeevil" one down into the Tree of Woe position and started stomping him in the stomach and chest.
Funaki got back in and attacked the Storm, trying to whip him into the opposite corner, but the Storm came back out to aim a clothesline. Funaki sidestepped, then clipped his legs with a drop toe-hold and quickly pounced into a camel clutch. As the Storm growled in pain and annoyance, Taka applauded and shouted, then faced the Storm and bowed. He went off the ropes and came back in a dropkick to the face.
Funaki released the Storm and celebrated with Taka, while the Texan stood up, holding his mouth. He shot off the ropes and clotheslined Kaientai from behind, then whipped Funaki into the ropes and repeated what he'd done earlier, hurling him over the top rope. Taka stood up, but the Storm kicked him, then turned him around and hooked him in the Downdraft. He covered him, 1-2-3. He stood and collected his sunglasses and ugly-stick before striding up the ramp, looking annoyed.
* * *
Later that night, sitting with Zed, Zeta, and Stone Cold in the Z-Men's room, the Storm watched with great satisfaction as two men he really detested -- Viper and Rose -- duked it out in the ring. Viper had said earlier that night that while they hated each other, he and the Storm did have respect for one another. This was very true. The Storm would never like Snake Boy, but he did have to respect his abilities. Rose was another matter. He could never respect the Prick Bastard, not after the things he did to him during his five-year tenure in CIW, and not after the last three months.
Zed was icing his head and looking quite disoriented, having been on the receiving end of a Conchairto from Edge and Christian after the six-man tag the Z-Men had had with Austin against Team ECK. Zeta was holding an ice pack to his ankle, having been in the "Anglelock" as well. Austin held a cold beer to the back of his neck -- where he'd landed after an Angleslam -- before popping it open and taking a swig. The Storm was glued to the monitor, however, and scarcely noticed any of this.
The Storm watched as Viper built momentum and went for the Split Second, then frowned as Rose countered it and delivered Brain Damage. Rose smiled evilly as he stood up from the move, then pulled Viper back to his feet before delivering a second round of Brain Damage. He made the pin, and the Californian smirked and posed in the ring.
Triple H jumped out of the crowd at that point, and the Force of Nature burst out laughing as Rose got a sledgehammer shot to the head. The Game reclaimed his stolen championship belt, then quickly beat tracks as Brick charged out to avenge his boss. When an incensed Rose ordered Brick to "break" Viper, the Storm smiled again as his rival fell prey to the Breaker Chokeslam. "Bite that, Snake Boy," he chuckled, then frowned again as Rose left the ring. "You're next, Billy boy. Three days."
There was a knock on their door, and the four of them looked up as Debra stuck her head inside. "Hey, Mick wants to see y'all in his office." She left, and the four of them gave a series of sighs, groans, and grunts as they got up and trudged toward Foley's "office," in the boiler room.
The four of them met Kane there as well. The masked man glanced at them briefly, then flicked his hair back out of his face. All five of them tensed and looked ready to lunge as, a minute later, Foley led in another five men -- Rose, Edge, Christian, Kurt Angle, and Brick. Foley fixed them all with a glare. "If any of you lay a hand on anybody else, I'll have you suspended." Tempers cooled, but only slightly.
"All right," Foley said, "let's just run down what we've got here. This Sunday, Austin, you have a match against Kurt."
"Good to hear," Austin said. "Can't wait to open a can of whup-ass on that mealy-mouthed bastard."
"You aren't going to do anything to me," Angle protested. "I've fought tougher than you -- I'm an Olympic freakin' gold-medalist! I'll make you tap out faster than a woodpecker, oh it's true, it's damn true!"
"Shut up," Rose grated, not even looking at him, just locking eyes with the Storm's.
"Next, Kane." Foley looked over toward the Big Red Machine. "You have a match with Brick."
Kane nodded once, locking eyes with the behemoth, who merely made a soft growling sound in the back of his throat, lips curling in a sneer. Kane flicked his hair out of his eyes again, then adjusted his glove. Brick just clenched his fists, popping knuckles.
"Zed, Zeta?" The Z-Men glanced briefly at the Commish. "You will put your WWF Tag Team titles on the line this Sunday against Edge and Christian. And to make things more interesting, it'll be a ladder match."
"Oh, finally, our venerable commissioner makes a smart decision," Christian said. "We're the masters of the ladder match!"
"Yeah," Edge added, "that decision reeks of awesomeness, Mick. We get a chance to remind everyone of why we're the best tag team in WWF history when we take our titles back."
"Yo, news flash, dudes," Zeta spoke up. He tapped the title belt on his shoulder. "These belong to us now. There's no fuggin' way you're taking these back from Zed an' me, not even in a fuggin' ladder match."
"You were the best tag team in WWF history," Zed said. "Now you're dealing with the final word in greatness -- the Men of the Z, Zait and me."
"All right, enough," Foley said. He glanced at the last two men in the room. "And then we've got you two." Rose and the Storm didn't break eye contact, instead stepping forward until they were inches apart. Foley kept talking, "You two are in a Hell in a Cell match in three days. Now I know it's not going to do any good, but I'm asking again: will either of you reconsider?"
"No," Rose said, still looking into the Storm's eyes.
"Hell no," the Storm replied, his cold gray eyes staring into Rose's piercing dark ones.
"Didn't think so," Mick sighed. "All right. Just running things down for all your benefits. Let's try to keep it confined to in the ring on Sunday, shall we?"
"Fine by me," the Storm said. "I'll let Rose live his last three days in peace." His eyes at last broke contact with Rose's as he looked up at a bloody cut on his forehead where the sledgehammer had hit him. He smirked and pointed at it. "You'll want to bandage that."
Rose's eyes narrowed, then he tapped his finger on the Storm's chest, just to the left of the middle. "You'll want to kiss that goodbye, `cuz I'll rip it outta there."
The Storm smirked. "Rose, you fail to give credit where credit is due. Everything I've done since I got hospitalized after Brick put me there has all been planned for. It all has a system, and this Sunday, you'll learn just how deep the system runs." The smirk faded, and he leaned forward, and whispered, "And that is your Storm Warning."
-more to come-
Next: It is here, Summerslam. As the Storm and Rose prepare for their epic confrontation, their allies fight their own battles, and former comrades from CIW drop by as the Storm and Rose stand "On the Brink of Hell."
Afterword: 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.
