WWF RAW
When the Flock's music began to sound, Tori found herself finally awakening. She was tied down to a chair, a television tuned into RAW flickering in front of her. She was going to struggle, but then saw the boys carrying Lita down to the ring.
The red haired girl looked like she'd been nearly broken, though she wasn't even half as bad as Ivory had been. In fact, compared to her fellow diva, Lita looked the picture of mental health.
Test dropped her in the center of the ring while Raven reached for the mike. "Matthew Hardy, I'm done with your whore. You can come claim her now."
Matt and Jeff's music hit and the two ran down to the ring. Kanyon and Test stood behind Raven protectively. As the brothers entered the ring, Raven backed away from the captive girl, who was curled into a ball in the center of the ring. Jeff bent over her as Matt stared Raven down.
"You okay, Red?" Jeff asked, quietly?
Lita nodded, her eyes tear stained.
"Come on, let's get out of here," Jeff helped Lita up; the diva was barely able to stand on her own.
Matt was still staring at Raven intently, looking ready to attack.
"Matt, let's go," Jeff insisted.
"I've got something to take care of first," Matt growled.
"Matt, let it go. Lita needs to be looked at."
Matt never broke his stare. "I need to take care of this, Jeffery." Then, to Raven, "You asked me a question on Smackdown, and I gave you my answer. Did you think kidnapping her was going to change my mind?"
Jeff led Lita to the corner. "Are you going to be okay if I leave you here?" he asked.
He got a nod as an answer.
"Alright," Jeff turned to his brother. "Matt," he placed a hand on his brother's shoulder.
Matt grabbed Jeff's arm and gave him the twist of fate.
Lita fell into the corner, shaking her head.
Matt accepted the mike from Raven. "I gave my answer. When I asked to feel the pain of the Evenflow, I accepted the invitation to join the Flock. And there's nothing you," he kicked his brother, "or you," he walked to Lita and crouched until he was looking her in the eyes "can do about it."
Matt spit in Lita's face.
The Flock departed from the ring.
Tori thrashed about against the bonds keeping her in the chair. She didn't want to be there when the Flock returned; she didn't want Raven or Matt to touch her.
That hurt more than any tombstone she'd ever felt.
Funny she was thinking that when the door burst open and Kane charged into the room.
Pulling the tape off of her, he suddenly asked "How long have you known?"
"Long enough," Tori responded. "I warned Jeff, but he didn't care."
"Didn't understand you mean. I'm sure he cared."
"Caring's a funny thing. You can say you do or don't care about something, but in the end, you're lying."
"I can't believe you want to discuss this now."
"I can't believe you stranded me."
"Tori, please, let's not do this…"
"Kane, I know you hate what this body did to you, but please. You know it wasn't me. And losing you…losing you was the hardest part of it."
"I know, Tori. But every time I look at you all I can think of is what she tried to do…what she nearly did. And knowing that everything she took from me is still buried somewhere in you…that's hard to accept."
"Fine," the blonde woman, finally free, stalked towards the door silently, using the skills from her Ninja Girl days.
Once out of the room safely, Tori looked at her ex-lover. "Listen to me, I can't protect his other victims, but you can do something for me."
"What?" Kane asked.
"Molly. Watch out for her," Tori turned to walk away, then paused. "Do you know where Spike Dudley would be?"
"Why?"
"I want him to watch Molly too."
"She's with Hurricane."
"That's what frightens me."
"How'd you know?"
Lita was looking at Tori through tear-stained eyes. "Jeff said you'd know, how'd you know?"
Jeff was sitting in the booth at the Eat N Park, shaking his head. "Why'd he do it?"
"Because Raven is a dangerous creature," Tori responded.
Spike was looking shocked as well. "I had no idea…he didn't seem like he would…"
"I knew what was going on," Lita sobbed. "I just…I couldn't move to stop him. I couldn't warn Jeff. Something…something's wrong with me…"
"Raven tried something on you that he shouldn't have," Tori responded. "Something so evil, so vile…I'm surprised you didn't end up like Ivory."
"He said he didn't even try on her, but I was different. I was more special…he mentioned trying to open me up…"
Tori nodded sadly. "So he did try. That son of a bitch."
"What exactly did he try to do and how long would it take me to kill him?" Jeff asked, straight faced.
Tori was shocked by the lack of anger in Jeff's voice. "Before you can understand that, you have to understand the nature of the universe. You have to be able to accept that there is no one God, there is no one being called Satan. Our world, the world we can touch, taste, smell, see, this is only one world. One of nine to be exact. The fifth. Right in the middle.
"Above us are four worlds, below us are four worlds. Above us are the creatures of intense good. Each level houses more powerful creatures than the last. Below us are the creatures of evil. Like the other four, each level gets more and more powerful, but also more and more cruel. But ours is unique. Our world is the only plane like it, the only one with this physical make-up. And the only one where there are creatures with free will."
Tori took a sip of her coffee. "There is only one difference between a good man and bad man, that's free will. The choice to be good or bad. Creatures from the other eight worlds use earth to test how good they truly are. They come here, become human, and see how they respond to being tempted when they can freely choose their reaction to it.
"But of course, they have to be human to do so. So, at any time on this planet, there are between two or three hundred people who are conduits. When one of the creatures needs to be human, they enter the body of a conduit. In the conduit, they experience humanity in all it's blessings and curses.
"However, some of them like humanity too much to leave. The only way to force some of them out is causing the body they're in intense pain. They don't know pain where they're from. They can't take it.
"And now you know."
Spike looked perplexed. "And just what does this have to do with what's going on?"
"Raven is a conduit. Whatever is inside him now is intensely evil and is looking to bring something just as evil, if not more so, into our world. He tried to open Lita up and make her a conduit as well to channel the thing into her. He failed because she resisted, there's something in her that rejected it."
It was Lita's turn to look confused. "What could that be?"
"You have a lot of power, Raven saw that and tried to take advantage of it. Your power comes from a source he can't corrupt."
"But…Tori…why did he take Matt like that?"
"He's building an army…gathering followers for when he brings this thing into being."
"I'm sorry Tori, this is just…this can't be true," Jeff looked at her. "I can't accept this, it goes against everything I've ever been taught. How do you know all this anyway?"
Tori looked around, closed her eyes, and lowered her head. Finally, she raised her head, looked Jeff and Lita in the eyes and said, flatly,
"I used to be a conduit."
When the Flock's music began to sound, Tori found herself finally awakening. She was tied down to a chair, a television tuned into RAW flickering in front of her. She was going to struggle, but then saw the boys carrying Lita down to the ring.
The red haired girl looked like she'd been nearly broken, though she wasn't even half as bad as Ivory had been. In fact, compared to her fellow diva, Lita looked the picture of mental health.
Test dropped her in the center of the ring while Raven reached for the mike. "Matthew Hardy, I'm done with your whore. You can come claim her now."
Matt and Jeff's music hit and the two ran down to the ring. Kanyon and Test stood behind Raven protectively. As the brothers entered the ring, Raven backed away from the captive girl, who was curled into a ball in the center of the ring. Jeff bent over her as Matt stared Raven down.
"You okay, Red?" Jeff asked, quietly?
Lita nodded, her eyes tear stained.
"Come on, let's get out of here," Jeff helped Lita up; the diva was barely able to stand on her own.
Matt was still staring at Raven intently, looking ready to attack.
"Matt, let's go," Jeff insisted.
"I've got something to take care of first," Matt growled.
"Matt, let it go. Lita needs to be looked at."
Matt never broke his stare. "I need to take care of this, Jeffery." Then, to Raven, "You asked me a question on Smackdown, and I gave you my answer. Did you think kidnapping her was going to change my mind?"
Jeff led Lita to the corner. "Are you going to be okay if I leave you here?" he asked.
He got a nod as an answer.
"Alright," Jeff turned to his brother. "Matt," he placed a hand on his brother's shoulder.
Matt grabbed Jeff's arm and gave him the twist of fate.
Lita fell into the corner, shaking her head.
Matt accepted the mike from Raven. "I gave my answer. When I asked to feel the pain of the Evenflow, I accepted the invitation to join the Flock. And there's nothing you," he kicked his brother, "or you," he walked to Lita and crouched until he was looking her in the eyes "can do about it."
Matt spit in Lita's face.
The Flock departed from the ring.
Tori thrashed about against the bonds keeping her in the chair. She didn't want to be there when the Flock returned; she didn't want Raven or Matt to touch her.
That hurt more than any tombstone she'd ever felt.
Funny she was thinking that when the door burst open and Kane charged into the room.
Pulling the tape off of her, he suddenly asked "How long have you known?"
"Long enough," Tori responded. "I warned Jeff, but he didn't care."
"Didn't understand you mean. I'm sure he cared."
"Caring's a funny thing. You can say you do or don't care about something, but in the end, you're lying."
"I can't believe you want to discuss this now."
"I can't believe you stranded me."
"Tori, please, let's not do this…"
"Kane, I know you hate what this body did to you, but please. You know it wasn't me. And losing you…losing you was the hardest part of it."
"I know, Tori. But every time I look at you all I can think of is what she tried to do…what she nearly did. And knowing that everything she took from me is still buried somewhere in you…that's hard to accept."
"Fine," the blonde woman, finally free, stalked towards the door silently, using the skills from her Ninja Girl days.
Once out of the room safely, Tori looked at her ex-lover. "Listen to me, I can't protect his other victims, but you can do something for me."
"What?" Kane asked.
"Molly. Watch out for her," Tori turned to walk away, then paused. "Do you know where Spike Dudley would be?"
"Why?"
"I want him to watch Molly too."
"She's with Hurricane."
"That's what frightens me."
"How'd you know?"
Lita was looking at Tori through tear-stained eyes. "Jeff said you'd know, how'd you know?"
Jeff was sitting in the booth at the Eat N Park, shaking his head. "Why'd he do it?"
"Because Raven is a dangerous creature," Tori responded.
Spike was looking shocked as well. "I had no idea…he didn't seem like he would…"
"I knew what was going on," Lita sobbed. "I just…I couldn't move to stop him. I couldn't warn Jeff. Something…something's wrong with me…"
"Raven tried something on you that he shouldn't have," Tori responded. "Something so evil, so vile…I'm surprised you didn't end up like Ivory."
"He said he didn't even try on her, but I was different. I was more special…he mentioned trying to open me up…"
Tori nodded sadly. "So he did try. That son of a bitch."
"What exactly did he try to do and how long would it take me to kill him?" Jeff asked, straight faced.
Tori was shocked by the lack of anger in Jeff's voice. "Before you can understand that, you have to understand the nature of the universe. You have to be able to accept that there is no one God, there is no one being called Satan. Our world, the world we can touch, taste, smell, see, this is only one world. One of nine to be exact. The fifth. Right in the middle.
"Above us are four worlds, below us are four worlds. Above us are the creatures of intense good. Each level houses more powerful creatures than the last. Below us are the creatures of evil. Like the other four, each level gets more and more powerful, but also more and more cruel. But ours is unique. Our world is the only plane like it, the only one with this physical make-up. And the only one where there are creatures with free will."
Tori took a sip of her coffee. "There is only one difference between a good man and bad man, that's free will. The choice to be good or bad. Creatures from the other eight worlds use earth to test how good they truly are. They come here, become human, and see how they respond to being tempted when they can freely choose their reaction to it.
"But of course, they have to be human to do so. So, at any time on this planet, there are between two or three hundred people who are conduits. When one of the creatures needs to be human, they enter the body of a conduit. In the conduit, they experience humanity in all it's blessings and curses.
"However, some of them like humanity too much to leave. The only way to force some of them out is causing the body they're in intense pain. They don't know pain where they're from. They can't take it.
"And now you know."
Spike looked perplexed. "And just what does this have to do with what's going on?"
"Raven is a conduit. Whatever is inside him now is intensely evil and is looking to bring something just as evil, if not more so, into our world. He tried to open Lita up and make her a conduit as well to channel the thing into her. He failed because she resisted, there's something in her that rejected it."
It was Lita's turn to look confused. "What could that be?"
"You have a lot of power, Raven saw that and tried to take advantage of it. Your power comes from a source he can't corrupt."
"But…Tori…why did he take Matt like that?"
"He's building an army…gathering followers for when he brings this thing into being."
"I'm sorry Tori, this is just…this can't be true," Jeff looked at her. "I can't accept this, it goes against everything I've ever been taught. How do you know all this anyway?"
Tori looked around, closed her eyes, and lowered her head. Finally, she raised her head, looked Jeff and Lita in the eyes and said, flatly,
"I used to be a conduit."