It was a day later when Lita wandered into Tori's hotel room.
"Tori?" she called out as she gently pushed the door open. "Tori? Kane
told me I could find you here…"
She saw the tall blonde woman crouched over in a corner, cowering in fear.
"Tori? Are you alright?" She asked as she approached the former wrestler.
Tori made some sort of whining noise in reply.
"What's wrong? Did Raven get in here?" Lita walked slowly into the corner. "Spike's watching Molly. Well, from a distance, as she prances around with Hurricane. But he's watching her, just in case anyone tries anything. Jeff's still really upset, he's in no condition to be helping. But I figured I'd come talk to you. I…Tori something's really wrong with me, and I need your help."
The other girl shook harder.
"Tori? What's wrong? Talk to me here! The other night you tell Spike, Jeff and I that the end of the world as we know it could be upon us, now I come in here and you're in a corner not even answering my questions."
Tori turned and looked over her shoulder at Lita.
Lita finally grit her teeth and placed the palm of her hand up against Tori's cheek.
Tori gasped.
"That, Tori, is what I'm feeling! I know you can feel it, I know you can sense that! The emptiness, the feeling that there's something missing in me. I can't take it anymore, Tori! So you snap out of it right now and tell me what's wrong, tell me what he did to me!"
She let go of Tori's face.
Tori touched her own cheek lightly. "There's…" she choked. "There's a hole. But more than that…there's something…else." She looked at Lita in shock. "So they're gathering…"
"What are gathering? Look, now that you're talking can you try making sense?"
"I can't believe I didn't realize it before, especially with Kane…I'm a moron!" Tori slapped her forehead. "I never even thought that he'd bring them into this!"
"Bring who into what?" Lita asked.
"I have to explain. You see, before there could be a physical world for those creatures to exist in, one had to be created. So, four beings created the world, but in doing so were bound to it."
"Four beings?"
"Yes. The four classic elements; Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. The spirits created the physical world, but now they are forced to live in it, reincarnated over and over again with no knowledge of who they really are. If need be they can call upon their ancient abilities."
"What does this have to do with my hole?"
"Remember how I told you your power comes from a source he couldn't corrupt?"
"Yes?"
"You are an Elemental, Lita. One of four. Kane is one of the others, care to guess his element?"
"Fire," Lita whispered. "And I am?"
"Water or Air, those were the two who were considered female," Tori explained. "But why would Raven even try on you? He knows you can't upset the balance like that, there's no way to corrupt an Elemental."
"But he didn't corrupt me…he just made the hole."
Tori shook her head. "We have to find the other two Elementals and warn them."
"Tori…" Lita reasoned, "what if Molly's…"
That's when the phone in Tori's room rang.
"Lita, answer that," Tori instructed.
"Why?"
"It's Raven and I don't' feel like talking to him."
Lita picked up the phone as it rang again. "Hello?" she answered, softly.
"Put Tori on the phone," Raven ordered.
"Um…I don't think she wants to talk to you," Lita replied.
There was a shuffling on the other end. When it ended, Lita heard a familiar voice on the other end. "Lita…"
"Matt," Lita felt her knees buckle.
"Raven wanted me to talk to you. Tell you what you need to hear."
"Matt…I'm hanging up…"
"You hang up, Spike Dudley dies."
Lita gasped.
"Raven's got him. We're actually all here together, watching Molly and Hurricane. And Kanyon…well Kanyon's got both hands around Spike's fragile little neck, ready to snap it if you hang up on me. So it'd be in your best interest to just listen to what I have to say."
Lita shook in fear. "I'm listening."
"Tell Tori that Molly's our next target, and we'll be going after her on Smackdown this week. She can feel free to stop us."
"I'll give her the message," Lita's voice wavered as she tried to sound smug.
"See that you do," Matt laughed deep in his throat. "Oh, and Lita?"
"Yes?"
"Tell Tori Spike's in a coma."
There was a groaning noise in the background and what sounded like a body hitting the ground.
"SPIKE!" Lita screamed. She was met with silence as a reply.
Hanging up the phone slowly, she turned to Tori. "They're going after Molly this Thursday. And they…they did something to Spike."
Tori bowed her head. "He's not going to let me out of this, is he? He wants to be sure I'm there when he does whatever he's going to do."
"Tori…can I…"
"You need to stay as far out of this as you can," Tori insisted. "You're in too deep anyway."
"I want to help."
Tori touched her cheek again. "You already have."
Bubba Ray was sitting in the waiting room when Tori finally got to the hospital.
"Where is he?" Tori asked the larger Dudley.
"What are you doing here?" Bubba asked.
"Just tell me where Spike is."
"I don't want you seeing him. None of this st…st….st…started until you showed up."
It was then that Tori realized exactly how upset Bubba was. His stutter had been gone for over a year, and now it appeared again.
"Bubba, please. I can't say I have nothing to do with this, but I can say that it's not my fault."
Bubba suddenly stood, looking Tori dead in the eye. "No…no, you stay the hell away from me, from Spike, from everybody! I see you around again and you're going to wish all I'd done was slam your body through a table."
He backed away, never letting his gaze leave hers.
She saw the tall blonde woman crouched over in a corner, cowering in fear.
"Tori? Are you alright?" She asked as she approached the former wrestler.
Tori made some sort of whining noise in reply.
"What's wrong? Did Raven get in here?" Lita walked slowly into the corner. "Spike's watching Molly. Well, from a distance, as she prances around with Hurricane. But he's watching her, just in case anyone tries anything. Jeff's still really upset, he's in no condition to be helping. But I figured I'd come talk to you. I…Tori something's really wrong with me, and I need your help."
The other girl shook harder.
"Tori? What's wrong? Talk to me here! The other night you tell Spike, Jeff and I that the end of the world as we know it could be upon us, now I come in here and you're in a corner not even answering my questions."
Tori turned and looked over her shoulder at Lita.
Lita finally grit her teeth and placed the palm of her hand up against Tori's cheek.
Tori gasped.
"That, Tori, is what I'm feeling! I know you can feel it, I know you can sense that! The emptiness, the feeling that there's something missing in me. I can't take it anymore, Tori! So you snap out of it right now and tell me what's wrong, tell me what he did to me!"
She let go of Tori's face.
Tori touched her own cheek lightly. "There's…" she choked. "There's a hole. But more than that…there's something…else." She looked at Lita in shock. "So they're gathering…"
"What are gathering? Look, now that you're talking can you try making sense?"
"I can't believe I didn't realize it before, especially with Kane…I'm a moron!" Tori slapped her forehead. "I never even thought that he'd bring them into this!"
"Bring who into what?" Lita asked.
"I have to explain. You see, before there could be a physical world for those creatures to exist in, one had to be created. So, four beings created the world, but in doing so were bound to it."
"Four beings?"
"Yes. The four classic elements; Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. The spirits created the physical world, but now they are forced to live in it, reincarnated over and over again with no knowledge of who they really are. If need be they can call upon their ancient abilities."
"What does this have to do with my hole?"
"Remember how I told you your power comes from a source he couldn't corrupt?"
"Yes?"
"You are an Elemental, Lita. One of four. Kane is one of the others, care to guess his element?"
"Fire," Lita whispered. "And I am?"
"Water or Air, those were the two who were considered female," Tori explained. "But why would Raven even try on you? He knows you can't upset the balance like that, there's no way to corrupt an Elemental."
"But he didn't corrupt me…he just made the hole."
Tori shook her head. "We have to find the other two Elementals and warn them."
"Tori…" Lita reasoned, "what if Molly's…"
That's when the phone in Tori's room rang.
"Lita, answer that," Tori instructed.
"Why?"
"It's Raven and I don't' feel like talking to him."
Lita picked up the phone as it rang again. "Hello?" she answered, softly.
"Put Tori on the phone," Raven ordered.
"Um…I don't think she wants to talk to you," Lita replied.
There was a shuffling on the other end. When it ended, Lita heard a familiar voice on the other end. "Lita…"
"Matt," Lita felt her knees buckle.
"Raven wanted me to talk to you. Tell you what you need to hear."
"Matt…I'm hanging up…"
"You hang up, Spike Dudley dies."
Lita gasped.
"Raven's got him. We're actually all here together, watching Molly and Hurricane. And Kanyon…well Kanyon's got both hands around Spike's fragile little neck, ready to snap it if you hang up on me. So it'd be in your best interest to just listen to what I have to say."
Lita shook in fear. "I'm listening."
"Tell Tori that Molly's our next target, and we'll be going after her on Smackdown this week. She can feel free to stop us."
"I'll give her the message," Lita's voice wavered as she tried to sound smug.
"See that you do," Matt laughed deep in his throat. "Oh, and Lita?"
"Yes?"
"Tell Tori Spike's in a coma."
There was a groaning noise in the background and what sounded like a body hitting the ground.
"SPIKE!" Lita screamed. She was met with silence as a reply.
Hanging up the phone slowly, she turned to Tori. "They're going after Molly this Thursday. And they…they did something to Spike."
Tori bowed her head. "He's not going to let me out of this, is he? He wants to be sure I'm there when he does whatever he's going to do."
"Tori…can I…"
"You need to stay as far out of this as you can," Tori insisted. "You're in too deep anyway."
"I want to help."
Tori touched her cheek again. "You already have."
Bubba Ray was sitting in the waiting room when Tori finally got to the hospital.
"Where is he?" Tori asked the larger Dudley.
"What are you doing here?" Bubba asked.
"Just tell me where Spike is."
"I don't want you seeing him. None of this st…st….st…started until you showed up."
It was then that Tori realized exactly how upset Bubba was. His stutter had been gone for over a year, and now it appeared again.
"Bubba, please. I can't say I have nothing to do with this, but I can say that it's not my fault."
Bubba suddenly stood, looking Tori dead in the eye. "No…no, you stay the hell away from me, from Spike, from everybody! I see you around again and you're going to wish all I'd done was slam your body through a table."
He backed away, never letting his gaze leave hers.