Outside of the building, The Flock, Hardcore, Crash, Steven and Molly had
gotten about six feet away before the explosion occurred.
The bang sounded for blocks, reaching the search party hunting for the missing wrestlers.
Kane turned to Lita and Jeff. "Tori did it…"
Lita looked concerned. "Did what?"
"What I was afraid she'd do."
The three took off running towards the source of the sound.
Tori looked over at Raven as the fire circled them. "You die now," she said to the thing inside his body.
"No, Tori. You die now. I just find another body."
Tori laughed deep in her throat. "You forget the rules. The second you leave that body you get sucked back into the pits of Hades that you came from. You stay in the body, you die."
"No," it replied. "I can't die!"
"No matter what you're finished," Tori barked at it, the flames making her a walking shadow. "I win. And now you're mission's failed. You want sympathy now?"
There was a split second of growling from the thing before Raven's body was overtaken by convulsions. Tori watched the thing leave his body and disappear in a flash of black light.
Raven fell to his knees. Tori ran to her friend, holding him as upright as possible. "So…" he coughed. "It ends like this, huh?"
"No," Tori replied, looking around the room. "It doesn't. Not for you. Trust me…"
The flames in front of them parted. The two looked up to see…
"Kane?" Raven asked.
"Took you long enough," Tori smirked, then coughed.
"I'm getting you two out of here," he responded.
"Get him out," Tori ordered him.
"Both of you, or neither of you," Kane insisted.
"Kane, do you see what I've done? I've used power that isn't mine and I've nearly used it to take a life. I have to die. If I don't…the punishment I'll incur…you know the price of what I've done," she coughed again. "Just get him out of here!"
Kane cast a look at the tall blonde woman, then picked Raven up and slung him over one of his massive shoulders. "I can't come back for you."
"I don't expect you to," Tori managed a smile back at him. "You don't love me enough."
Kane looked at her. "Tori…" he reached up and removed his mask. "You love me enough to look upon this," he motioned to his face with his free hand. "And I return that love." Then he replaced his mask and, almost silently, said "Goodbye."
Tori watched him part the flames again and leave her in the fire. She curled into a ball and prepared to die.
The group watched in fear as Kane returned from the flames with an unconscious Raven. Molly ran to help Kane with smaller man. "Is he?"
"The thing is gone," Kane told her.
"Where's Tori?" Lita asked.
Kane hung his head. "Tori…Tori told me to rescue Raven."
Lita's eyes widened. "You have to go back in there! You have to save her!"
"I can't. I'm not strong enough to part the flames again."
Molly stood up. "Well, I'll try something. I'm water, right? Raven said something about me being water…I'll put the fire out!"
"You can't," Steven informed her. "It takes years to master elemental power. It can't be triggered unless you're immersed in your element…"
Molly shook her head. "Impossible! I can't watch her die!"
Kane towered over her. "She has her reasons to wish for death…"
Tori had figured that the fire would overtake her before the smoke would begin to choke her, but she'd been wrong. She lay on the floor, coughing and hacking and just wishing the flames would incinerate her to end the pain.
The shadow before her took shape.
"Tori…" it whispered. "Return to me…"
"No…" Tori choked out, her throat dry.
"I'll save you…" it continued. "And this time, you will be master instead of slave…"
"NO!" Tori screamed as she passed out.
Outside, the group watched the building burn, each hoping for something to change.
That was when the shape of the flames began to morph. It took shape, a fiery bird in the night sky.
And in the claws it was clutching the body of Tori Powers.
It was three days later when Tori came to.
She sat up in her hospital bed, shocked to be alive. "How the hell?" she asked.
That's when she saw the other person in her room.
"You?" she asked, shocked.
The other body nodded. "I figured it'd come for you. If you'd have died it would've taken your body."
Tori hung her head. "I deserve to die."
"No, you don't. Nobody deserves to die. What you deserve is to live and make up for what you did wrong."
"But…my…my punishment…"
"Is that you will never channel again. I know, it's not exactly punishment. However, somehow the powers that be seem to think you'll be distraught."
"Oh, I am, terribly," Tori added sarcastically. "And everyone else?"
"Steven's visiting Ivory, who suddenly recovered last night. Molly and Spike are busy talking things out. That'll remain a friendship, nothing more. Lita's fending off Matt who's busy trying to apologize for what he did. She's not going to forgive him. Kinda sad actually. She'll need a new one."
"A new one? Who?"
"I don't know, someone who she'll actually trust," Chyna shook her head. "I'm still shocked I am."
"I'm relieved. You saved me." Tori smiled. "And I guess since it was you…"
"Yep. It's been ordained, by the powers that be," Chyna laughed. "You live." Then, "What's wrong?"
"It's still out there," Tori furrowed her brows. "It's still ready, whenever it gets a chance. It won't just disappear like the others do. What are we going to do?"
"The only thing we can do. Fight."
The bang sounded for blocks, reaching the search party hunting for the missing wrestlers.
Kane turned to Lita and Jeff. "Tori did it…"
Lita looked concerned. "Did what?"
"What I was afraid she'd do."
The three took off running towards the source of the sound.
Tori looked over at Raven as the fire circled them. "You die now," she said to the thing inside his body.
"No, Tori. You die now. I just find another body."
Tori laughed deep in her throat. "You forget the rules. The second you leave that body you get sucked back into the pits of Hades that you came from. You stay in the body, you die."
"No," it replied. "I can't die!"
"No matter what you're finished," Tori barked at it, the flames making her a walking shadow. "I win. And now you're mission's failed. You want sympathy now?"
There was a split second of growling from the thing before Raven's body was overtaken by convulsions. Tori watched the thing leave his body and disappear in a flash of black light.
Raven fell to his knees. Tori ran to her friend, holding him as upright as possible. "So…" he coughed. "It ends like this, huh?"
"No," Tori replied, looking around the room. "It doesn't. Not for you. Trust me…"
The flames in front of them parted. The two looked up to see…
"Kane?" Raven asked.
"Took you long enough," Tori smirked, then coughed.
"I'm getting you two out of here," he responded.
"Get him out," Tori ordered him.
"Both of you, or neither of you," Kane insisted.
"Kane, do you see what I've done? I've used power that isn't mine and I've nearly used it to take a life. I have to die. If I don't…the punishment I'll incur…you know the price of what I've done," she coughed again. "Just get him out of here!"
Kane cast a look at the tall blonde woman, then picked Raven up and slung him over one of his massive shoulders. "I can't come back for you."
"I don't expect you to," Tori managed a smile back at him. "You don't love me enough."
Kane looked at her. "Tori…" he reached up and removed his mask. "You love me enough to look upon this," he motioned to his face with his free hand. "And I return that love." Then he replaced his mask and, almost silently, said "Goodbye."
Tori watched him part the flames again and leave her in the fire. She curled into a ball and prepared to die.
The group watched in fear as Kane returned from the flames with an unconscious Raven. Molly ran to help Kane with smaller man. "Is he?"
"The thing is gone," Kane told her.
"Where's Tori?" Lita asked.
Kane hung his head. "Tori…Tori told me to rescue Raven."
Lita's eyes widened. "You have to go back in there! You have to save her!"
"I can't. I'm not strong enough to part the flames again."
Molly stood up. "Well, I'll try something. I'm water, right? Raven said something about me being water…I'll put the fire out!"
"You can't," Steven informed her. "It takes years to master elemental power. It can't be triggered unless you're immersed in your element…"
Molly shook her head. "Impossible! I can't watch her die!"
Kane towered over her. "She has her reasons to wish for death…"
Tori had figured that the fire would overtake her before the smoke would begin to choke her, but she'd been wrong. She lay on the floor, coughing and hacking and just wishing the flames would incinerate her to end the pain.
The shadow before her took shape.
"Tori…" it whispered. "Return to me…"
"No…" Tori choked out, her throat dry.
"I'll save you…" it continued. "And this time, you will be master instead of slave…"
"NO!" Tori screamed as she passed out.
Outside, the group watched the building burn, each hoping for something to change.
That was when the shape of the flames began to morph. It took shape, a fiery bird in the night sky.
And in the claws it was clutching the body of Tori Powers.
It was three days later when Tori came to.
She sat up in her hospital bed, shocked to be alive. "How the hell?" she asked.
That's when she saw the other person in her room.
"You?" she asked, shocked.
The other body nodded. "I figured it'd come for you. If you'd have died it would've taken your body."
Tori hung her head. "I deserve to die."
"No, you don't. Nobody deserves to die. What you deserve is to live and make up for what you did wrong."
"But…my…my punishment…"
"Is that you will never channel again. I know, it's not exactly punishment. However, somehow the powers that be seem to think you'll be distraught."
"Oh, I am, terribly," Tori added sarcastically. "And everyone else?"
"Steven's visiting Ivory, who suddenly recovered last night. Molly and Spike are busy talking things out. That'll remain a friendship, nothing more. Lita's fending off Matt who's busy trying to apologize for what he did. She's not going to forgive him. Kinda sad actually. She'll need a new one."
"A new one? Who?"
"I don't know, someone who she'll actually trust," Chyna shook her head. "I'm still shocked I am."
"I'm relieved. You saved me." Tori smiled. "And I guess since it was you…"
"Yep. It's been ordained, by the powers that be," Chyna laughed. "You live." Then, "What's wrong?"
"It's still out there," Tori furrowed her brows. "It's still ready, whenever it gets a chance. It won't just disappear like the others do. What are we going to do?"
"The only thing we can do. Fight."