"Used to be a conduit? How does that work?" Spike asked.
"This requires a recall of my history. Not all of it, just what happened right before…right before I left…"
"You mean when you were beating me up for Stephanie?" Lita asked.
"Wasn't me," Tori replied. "I'd been a conduit for years, but hadn't been tapped for quite awhile. Then, I started to date Kane. He was a wonderful guy, treated me like I was really something special. And he knew what I was."
"So why'd you dump you?" Jeff asked.
"I didn't. He lost that match, and I had to spend Christmas with X- Pac. I'm brought in and dropped on his bed, just as he looks like he's about to forget the whole thing and just let me alone, I start to channel something. Something not good.
"It was a being from one of the upper four levels that wasn't as innocent as she thought she was. She took one look at X-Pac and decided she wanted to know what the whole sex thing was all about. She seduced him in my body. She corrupted herself.
"After that, she went back to Kane with a new plan. Learn how to create and control fire like he can."
She was met with confused stares.
"You guys honestly think all of that pyro is planned? Half of it is him making a point."
"How could this thing have learned that from him?" Lita asked.
"Simple, he had to trust her enough. She started acting like she was afraid of everyone and everything, hoping he'd give me the power to defend myself. When that wasn't working, she decided it was time to leave him and hook up with X-Pac full time.
"Kane knew what had happened, knew it wasn't me. That's why he tombstoned me. He was trying to drive her out of me. Only she wasn't responding to it the way she should have. The pain wasn't enough. Kane gave up eventually.
"I was trapped in there, unable to stop her. She hurt so many people; I can't even begin to make amends. But then, the night the Dudleyz broke me in half she left.
"It was while I was getting ready to return to the WWF that I met Raven. He knew immediately what I was. And he was the one who offered me a solution. The beings can't handle pain, so the only way to stop them was to open me up to the pain of others, since everyone has pain in some way or another. By doing this, I could ensure that nothing would want to channel through me again. After all, it was working for him.
"So he did it. One of the conditions was that the two of us were going to be eternally tied; I'd always be able to be in his mind when I needed to and vice versa. And for the second, I agreed to help him."
"The attacks on Molly," Spike realized.
"I had my reasons," Tori defended. "Raven told me she was channeling and we had to help her. At that point I was still getting used to being opened up…and also being tied to him. I just went with what he was telling me.
"I didn't know at the time that he was channeling."
"How could he be?" Lita asked.
"Simple, whatever is in him is so strong it can withstand all the pain Raven is taking in. It can ignore it. And what it takes is a dose of it powerful enough to threaten the life of the conduit…"
"That's what we have to do, isn't it?" Spike asked. "We have to put him in a near death situation."
"Not we, me. And I can't. All I need you to do is guard Molly," Tori tossed at him. "And I need you two to stay away from Matt at all costs. He may try to pull Jeff in, and Lita, the Flock may decide to do to you what they did to Ivory anyway."
"How do you know what they did to her?" Lita asked.
"I told you, I'm opened up. When I touch someone, skin to skin, I feel every sensation of emotional pain in a very physical sense. When Raven touches me, it's not the thing possessing him that hurts me, it's Raven underneath crying out for what he's being forced to do to people he cares about. If Matt were to touch me, with all the negative emotion he's feeling now, I may end up knocked out.
"I went to where they had tortured Ivory and channeled her pain. I felt every sensation she did that night when they…when they raped her."
"Oh my god…" Lita's voice cracked.
"No, that's not what made her crazy, trust me," Tori looked at her watch and sighed. "I've got to go. Remember what I told all of you. And I'll be around, I promise. I've done what I can as far as I know."
She left the three other wrestlers sitting alone, their worlds shattered.
"I figured you'd come back," Kane said to her as she slid into the room.
"You knew I had to. I had to find out."
"You already know the answer Tori," Kane growled.
"Kane, please. She never got that from you. You never gave it to her. I promise you, it's not in here."
Kane looked at her, and then shook his head. "Tori, you don't know what you're getting into with this. You can't fight this battle."
"And who will? You? You can't, and you know it. Besides," Tori grew quiet, "I won't let you."
"You think I'm going to let you? I know the price you have to pay Tori, and it's not one I'm comfortable with."
"I thought you didn't care," the blonde snapped, hands on her hips.
"Of course I care!" Kane yelled at her. "I love you Tori, god dammit!"
Tori was silent. Then, finally, she licked her lips and sighed.
"I have to…"
Before she could say anything else, Kane took of his mask, grabbed her by the shoulders, and kissed her deeply.
Tori felt it all, the fire, the screaming, the pain of being locked away for years, finding out that you'd been betrayed by your own flesh and blood, being called a monster, and believing you were a monster.
Kane stopped and looked into her eyes. "Now, get some sleep," he ordered her. "You'll be ready for it. I promise you, and that's the only gift I can give. That promise."
Tori fell backwards. Kane caught her and carried her to her own hotel room.
"This requires a recall of my history. Not all of it, just what happened right before…right before I left…"
"You mean when you were beating me up for Stephanie?" Lita asked.
"Wasn't me," Tori replied. "I'd been a conduit for years, but hadn't been tapped for quite awhile. Then, I started to date Kane. He was a wonderful guy, treated me like I was really something special. And he knew what I was."
"So why'd you dump you?" Jeff asked.
"I didn't. He lost that match, and I had to spend Christmas with X- Pac. I'm brought in and dropped on his bed, just as he looks like he's about to forget the whole thing and just let me alone, I start to channel something. Something not good.
"It was a being from one of the upper four levels that wasn't as innocent as she thought she was. She took one look at X-Pac and decided she wanted to know what the whole sex thing was all about. She seduced him in my body. She corrupted herself.
"After that, she went back to Kane with a new plan. Learn how to create and control fire like he can."
She was met with confused stares.
"You guys honestly think all of that pyro is planned? Half of it is him making a point."
"How could this thing have learned that from him?" Lita asked.
"Simple, he had to trust her enough. She started acting like she was afraid of everyone and everything, hoping he'd give me the power to defend myself. When that wasn't working, she decided it was time to leave him and hook up with X-Pac full time.
"Kane knew what had happened, knew it wasn't me. That's why he tombstoned me. He was trying to drive her out of me. Only she wasn't responding to it the way she should have. The pain wasn't enough. Kane gave up eventually.
"I was trapped in there, unable to stop her. She hurt so many people; I can't even begin to make amends. But then, the night the Dudleyz broke me in half she left.
"It was while I was getting ready to return to the WWF that I met Raven. He knew immediately what I was. And he was the one who offered me a solution. The beings can't handle pain, so the only way to stop them was to open me up to the pain of others, since everyone has pain in some way or another. By doing this, I could ensure that nothing would want to channel through me again. After all, it was working for him.
"So he did it. One of the conditions was that the two of us were going to be eternally tied; I'd always be able to be in his mind when I needed to and vice versa. And for the second, I agreed to help him."
"The attacks on Molly," Spike realized.
"I had my reasons," Tori defended. "Raven told me she was channeling and we had to help her. At that point I was still getting used to being opened up…and also being tied to him. I just went with what he was telling me.
"I didn't know at the time that he was channeling."
"How could he be?" Lita asked.
"Simple, whatever is in him is so strong it can withstand all the pain Raven is taking in. It can ignore it. And what it takes is a dose of it powerful enough to threaten the life of the conduit…"
"That's what we have to do, isn't it?" Spike asked. "We have to put him in a near death situation."
"Not we, me. And I can't. All I need you to do is guard Molly," Tori tossed at him. "And I need you two to stay away from Matt at all costs. He may try to pull Jeff in, and Lita, the Flock may decide to do to you what they did to Ivory anyway."
"How do you know what they did to her?" Lita asked.
"I told you, I'm opened up. When I touch someone, skin to skin, I feel every sensation of emotional pain in a very physical sense. When Raven touches me, it's not the thing possessing him that hurts me, it's Raven underneath crying out for what he's being forced to do to people he cares about. If Matt were to touch me, with all the negative emotion he's feeling now, I may end up knocked out.
"I went to where they had tortured Ivory and channeled her pain. I felt every sensation she did that night when they…when they raped her."
"Oh my god…" Lita's voice cracked.
"No, that's not what made her crazy, trust me," Tori looked at her watch and sighed. "I've got to go. Remember what I told all of you. And I'll be around, I promise. I've done what I can as far as I know."
She left the three other wrestlers sitting alone, their worlds shattered.
"I figured you'd come back," Kane said to her as she slid into the room.
"You knew I had to. I had to find out."
"You already know the answer Tori," Kane growled.
"Kane, please. She never got that from you. You never gave it to her. I promise you, it's not in here."
Kane looked at her, and then shook his head. "Tori, you don't know what you're getting into with this. You can't fight this battle."
"And who will? You? You can't, and you know it. Besides," Tori grew quiet, "I won't let you."
"You think I'm going to let you? I know the price you have to pay Tori, and it's not one I'm comfortable with."
"I thought you didn't care," the blonde snapped, hands on her hips.
"Of course I care!" Kane yelled at her. "I love you Tori, god dammit!"
Tori was silent. Then, finally, she licked her lips and sighed.
"I have to…"
Before she could say anything else, Kane took of his mask, grabbed her by the shoulders, and kissed her deeply.
Tori felt it all, the fire, the screaming, the pain of being locked away for years, finding out that you'd been betrayed by your own flesh and blood, being called a monster, and believing you were a monster.
Kane stopped and looked into her eyes. "Now, get some sleep," he ordered her. "You'll be ready for it. I promise you, and that's the only gift I can give. That promise."
Tori fell backwards. Kane caught her and carried her to her own hotel room.