Masked
Chapter 9
Eric Bischoff grinned as he looked at the notepad in his hands. He let out a shallow laugh, running over the matches on the notepad, scheduled for the next week. Those superstars that had helped Stephanie escape his ambush, they would pay. They would never get a shot at any title, and he would make sure of it. And Pay-Per-View matches? Please, they would be begging for a good match on RAW. Grinning evilly, his eyes traveled to the monitor. His grin only widened as Stephanie walked down to the ring, unscathed. Apparently his wrestlers hadn't intercepted her at the curtains, like he'd ordered them not to. He licked his lips, setting the notepad down next to him. His plan was going great…and Stephanie didn't expect a thing.
Averting his gaze for a moment as Steven Richards, accompanied by Victoria, he glanced back at the list, as if it would disappear at any given moment. Eric rested his feet up on the table in front of him. He had control-well, half-control-over her guardians, and the people that helped her.
And if those wrestlers-RVD, Shawn Michaels, Jeff Hardy, and Kevin Nash-wanted their status in the show back, they would have to turn back to him. And if they didn't….
His smile returned, and he glared intently at the screen. The bell rang, and he smiled. 'Savor this moment, Stephanie McMahon,' he thought cruelly, 'You think that you're safe… Savor this, because this is the last time you'll ever feel safe on MY show…' A laugh escaped his lips as Richards leapt at Stephanie. Grinning, he turned the volume up.
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Stephanie took a deep breath as she clutched her Singapore canes. She tilted her head forward, crouched, and backed away as Steven Richards made his entrance. Keeping a steady eye on Victoria, she bounced off the ropes, testing them carefully. Steven looked over at her, and let out a laugh. She paused, cocking her head. He just continued to laugh. Stephanie scowled, lifted the cane in her right hand high, and brought it crashing down in front of her, stopping it right before it reached the mat.
Steven froze, his laughter stopping abruptly at the speed she'd brought it down with. His shocked face was quickly melded into a confident smirk, tied with anger for Bischoff. Bischoff, giving him a match with a woman? He bent his knees, arms out. All he had to do was disarm her…and then she was his.
Stephanie let out the breath she was holding as the bell rang. She tossed one of the canes up lightly in order to change her grip. Steven faltered, and rushed at her. She'd anticipated this, and thrust the canes forward. They locked around his arms, and she acted quickly, jumping and performing a side flip, sending Steven flipping to the side. As she picked up the fallen canes, she cursed under her breath, knowing there would be blisters across her hands from the move. Stephanie flipped the stick in her right hand back so it was aligned with her forearm.
Steven growled as he stood, eyeing the canes warily. Where had this girl learned to wield these things? Stephanie brought her right arm down, the cane flipping forward and adding its own momentum to the shot. He barely dodged, and left out a sharp breath at the noise of the cane cutting through still air. She thought ahead, spotting out various counters, and already was mid-thrust in a hit. The Singapore cane in her left hand smacked him on the side with a smarting hit. She continued, slapping at his sides and ribs with small, but powerful hits. As he tried to dodge, he vaguely noticed that she was limping. Once her cane rapped against Steven's ribs, she brought the second cane down, swiping his legs out from underneath him. She leapt backward as Steven lunged at her. She brought her cane lashing down, and he rolled out of the way. Without the strength to stop the cane's speed, it splintered against the ground, and in the middle of her palm. Feeling the pieces press painfully into her palm, she cursed, dropping the cane as it vibrated into her hand.
"Damn idiot!" she yelled at Steven, gripping the cane tighter in her hands. This time, fueled by anger, she brought the cane down in harder shots, eyes blazing at the pain in her hand and ankle. Grinning, she started in on Steven.
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"Edge! EDGE!" Edge pried his eyes away from the monitor that he and Kurt Angle were watching as Stephanie slammed her boot into Steven's groin. Kurt winced, not bothering to look at the person coming up, as she hadn't screamed his name.
Edge froze as he turned. "…Melody?! Danielle?!"
"Dude, they're out there in the –" Kurt started, and stopped abruptly as he saw the two forcefully making their way to the two.
"Where's Stephanie?" Melody demanded.
"She's-she's out in the ring," Edge stuttered, and Danielle swore. "What are you guys doing here?" he asked suddenly.
"We were attacked from behind," Melody explained.
"But… These masked women; they told us that Chyna, Kat, Faith and Rose were at the EMTS… And then they went to the ring…" Kurt stopped, realization dawning on him, staring back at Melody's determined blue eyes.
"Everyone is at the EMTS… We were the luckiest…" Melody explained, tossing her glossy, dark brown hair back, worriedly eyeing the screen.
"If you guys aren't out there…" Edge said slowly, eyes wide, "Then who's out there?" They all looked toward the monitor, and only Melody found the strength to reply what was clearly in each of their minds.
"Someone who's in perfect position to hurt her."
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None of the four noticed the taller man step further back into the shadows. He let out a sigh, scowling, the words of Eric Bischoff strong in his mind… The man really hated Bischoff, but if he wanted to have a career… This was the best, he convinced himself, drawing out a walkie-talkie.
"Make your move. They're on to you." With that cryptic message, he dropped the walkie-talkie, stomped on it, and walked away.
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Author's Note: Sorry it took so long to get this chapter up! I hope you like! Please, PLEASE review!