The Counter-Invasion
By: Jay Winger

Timeline Note: This chapter picks up the Thursday after the last one.

Teaser: Billy Rose gets a challenge of his own for the Rumble as The Storm gets more and more vicious closer to the PPV.

Rating: R - for violence and profanity

Disclaimer: All things WWF and WCW are property of WWFE, Inc. All things ECW are property of whomever the frell owns ECW. All things CIW are property of me. The characters of "The Storm" Matthew Skinner, Claire "Rain" Whittaker, Billy Rose, Brad "Brick" Dickerson, the band Cold Steel, et al. are also my property. Please ask before you use them. Viper, Rattler, Soul, Cobra, Python, and all other creations of Boulder are his property and are used with his permission. Lyrics from "Defy You" by Offspring are used without permission.

Previously: The Alliance foiled CIW's plans to gain some gold by making Victor E.'s scheduled U.S. Title match with Kanyon into a tag match with Smoker against Kanyon and DDP. Still trying to take out The Storm, Tommy Dreamer and Shawn Stasiak attempted to ambush him in the locker room area, but they were cut off by Scion and Brick, who were (an unaware) Matthew Skinner's bodyguards. Victor E & Smoker def. DDP & Kanyon after Victor hit DDP with a Victory Slam, then forced him to submit to a submission hold, the "Jaws of Defeat" (a deathlock STF). After the match ended, however, Rhyno emerged from the crowd and Gored Victor. Backstage, Victor challenged Rhyno to a match at Royal Rumble, which Rhyno accepted after Goring him again. In the main event, Booker T & Dudleyz def. The Storm & The Z-Men following a 3-D to The Storm. After the match, the Dudleys table-bombed Zeta through Zed and through the wood as Booker taunted The Storm with the spinaroonie.

Chapter 10: Mean Streak

Smackdown: January 23

William Regal tried to keep from sneering as he looked at the repulsive man across the desk from him. The WWF Commissioner was currently meeting with one-third of the Alliance's leadership, Paul Heyman. The ECW mastermind was smiling. "So we're in agreement?"

"Yes," Regal sighed. "Fifteen members of each side -- that means fiften from either WCW or ECW and fifteen from either the WWF or CIW -- will compete in the Royal Rumble match."

"And the winner gets a guaranteed title-shot at the WWF Champion at Wrestlemania," Heyman reminded him. "Don't forget that."

"I assure you, I can't," Regal said. "Mr. McMahon won't let me."

"Good!" Heyman said gleefully. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go do my announcement duties." He got up to leave, but a hand pushed him back down in his chair. He looked up and found himself looking at a smirking Billy Rose.

"Whoa, whoa, Paulie, what's the rush?" Rose said. "You want to be smart, don't you? Stick around. Hang out with us long enough and maybe you'll soak up some brains by osmosis." He paused. "Oh, sorry, is that too big a word for you?"

"You talk big, Billy," Heyman said, standing up to look him in the face, smirking a bit. "But I seem to recall that the last match you were in saw you get a 3-D through a table."

Rose frowned momentarily, then pointed out, "Yes, Paulie, but I seem to recall that in your last match... actually, come to think of it, I don't seem to recall you ever even having a match."

Regal chuckled as Heyman reddened, then left in a huff. Rose seated himself on a corner of Regal's desk and watched him leave, then turned to the commissioner. "So what's on tap for tonight?"

Regal consulted a pad of paper. "Kurt Angle has a match against Booker T, the Dudleys have a match against Tony Smiles and Joey, Rob Van Dam has a match against Scion, and there are a few interview segments as well. That miserable toe-rag Shane McMahon has one in particular."

Rose frowned again. "I might have to crash one of those interviews."

* * *

In one of the early matches of the show, the Dudley Boyz were wrestling Tony Smiles and his pal, Joey. Despite an early roll by the mafiosos, soon the more seasoned Dudleys pulled ahead and got Tony isolated from Joey. WCW referee Nick Patrick let the table-loving duo get away with a lot of dirty tricks and double teaming, and "accidentally" ignored the sight of D-Von exposing the turnbuckle in the hostile corner.

Soon Tony managed to escape D-Von's clutches and made the hot tag to Pal Joey, who charged the ring and started throwing around clotheslines. After he'd worn over the Dudleys for a bit, he grabbed D-Von by the throat with both hands and prepared to deliver his finisher, the Cleaver. He hoisted the black Dudley up, but then Bubba clipped one of Joey's knees. He dropped D-Von and started to turn around. Bubba retreated and ducked under Joey's swing. Swinging around, the larger mafioso charged, but the Dudleys grabbed him by the legs and carried him back in a double flapjack. Joey's jaw connected with the exposed turnbuckle and knocked him unconscious.

D-Von covered Joey as Bubba caught a charging Tony for a Bubba Bomb. Nick Patrick counted the fall. 1... 2... 3. The Dudleys' music started to play as the two CIW mafiosos lay on the mat. The fans booed heavily, then cheered as two men jumped from the crowd. It was the Z-Men. Zed slid into the ring and started pounding on Bubba Ray, while D-Von turned to the corner just in time to see Zeta spring off in a twisting body attack -- the Zetasault. The heels scattered and retreated up the ramp, as Nick Patrick started angrily lecturing the WWF Tag Team Champions, pointing at the WCW patch on his shirt.

Zed and Zeta shared a look. Zed quickly punched Patrick in the face, caught his collar, then hauled him up a bit, holding him by the waist and legs. Zeta bounced against the ropes a bit, shouting, "Z-D!" as he held his hands palm-out, left above his right, so his thumbs and hands made a 'Z' shape. He then pushed off the ropes, jumped up and caught Nick Patrick's head in a clothesline neckbreaker, carrying him down as Zed delivered a spinebuster. The fans cheered as "Song 2" played. The Z-Men approached the ropes and pointed at the Dudleys, who just flashed the 3-D sign. Zeta did the 'Z' sign again, then flashed the CIW sign.

"See you at the Rumble!" Bubba shouted.

"Gonna get'cher ass kicked, Bubba!" Zed hollered back. "Guarantee ya!"

* * *

The next segment of the show started off not too long after this. "Here comes the Money! (Here we go - Money talks) Here comes the Money..." The fans booed as Shane McMahon made his way to the ring. The usual spring to the young McMahon's step was gone. His face was set with anger as he stepped through the ropes and took a microphone. He waited for his music to stop, then had to wait out a chant of "Shane's a pussy!" from the crowd. Once it died enough, he shouted, "I have had enough of this CIW crap!" The fans booed him again. "Billy Rose seems to have forgotten something, and that's that nobody cares about CIW! CIW was nothing. It still is nothing! CIW is a bunch of bush-leaguers. Boys playing in a man's world."

The fans booed him again, and when the noise subsided, Shane continued. "Billy Rose thinks he's so damn smart, bringing in CIW to help save the WWF. Nothing can save the WWF! The WWF is old, it is dying, and the Alliance is going to put it out of its misery. Nothing will save it, not even Billy Rose's CIW. The fact remains that the WWF and CIW can't keep up with the Alliance. My father, Vince McMahon, and Billy Rose run the WWF and CIW... but the Alliance is run by myself, my sister, Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley, her husband, the World Wrestling Federation Champion, Triple H, and by the man who created ECW, Paul E. Heyman. There's no way they can keep up with us, and the sooner Rose and Vince realize this, the sooner the Alliance can finish its job and destroy the Federation."

He paused for effect, but before he could start up again, he was interrupted by the OvalTron. The spinning CIW logo flashed on the screen, along with a snippet of the Offspring's "Defy You." "We... are... ALIVE!" This segued into the music of the Union Underground: "How long? How long? How long? - I said how long? I said how long? I said how long? Until you crack, man..." The fans started cheering as Billy Rose emerged, wearing dark jeans, a CIW T-Shirt, and his usual red over-shirt. He smirked, then out-and-out grinned at the crowd's reaction, then hit his usual pose, smirking smugly, then striding down to the ring as Shane seethed. Rose stepped through the ropes, strode up to Shane and deftly plucked the microphone from his hand before Shane could speak.

Rose paused to wait out a "C-I-W!" chant, then said, "Shane, I don't think I'm so damn smart. I am so damn smart. Lest you forget, Shane-O, I am the Mental Elite. The simple fact is that if you try to outsmart me, you're just gonna fail. It's that simple." Then he stepped forward and glared into Shane's face. "But let me get something straight, boy. That's this -- CIW is not a bunch of boys playing in a man's world. Let me remind you, Shane-O, of all the matches that CIW's had against the Alliance, with the exception of two guys, all of our competitors have come out victorious. CIW was only bush-league because we were shut out of the national spotlight by WCW and ECW. We were mistaken for a bunch of one-brain-celled idiots who broke light bulbs over each other's heads, when we were as hard-working and skilled as anybody in the industry."

Rose then paused a moment as Shane got another microphone, but continued talking before Shane could start. "There's something else you need to keep in mind, Shane. And that is that unlike Paulie, Steph, and yourself, I can actually wrestle."

"I can wrestle!" Shane said. "I've done way more street fights and hardcore matches than you have."

"I doubt that," Rose replied. "And I must point out, Shane, all of your wins in those street fights and hardcore matches came about because of outside interference. Let's review your big matches. You and Test. Test wins. You and Vince and Austin. You and Vince win, but Bossman raised the briefcase. You and Big Show. You win, but you had the assist from Test, Albert, Bossman, and Bull Buchanan. You and Vince. You win, but you had the assist from Mick Foley. You and Angle. You lose." He shook his head. "You see what I mean? All of your wins came out of outside interference. I think these people," he gestured at the crowd, "are right when they chant those three words at you every night."

The fans cheered, and started off a prolonged "Shane's a pussy!" chant. Shane seethed, then snapped, "I'm not! I'm not! I can beat anybody! I can beat you!"

"You challenging me to a match?" Rose said.

"Damn right! This Sunday, the Rumble, you and me, Street Fight!"

The fans cheered, and then Rose laughed. "Okay, Shane-O, you got a deal. It'll be a pleasure to give you Brain Damage."

"Oh, you're not gonna give me anything!" Shane retorted. "I'll show you I'm not someone to be underestimated!" He started to turn to leave, then stopped. "In fact, I think I'll give you a free preview right now!" He spun back and dropped his mike, aiming a punch at Rose's face. Rose, however, saw it coming and deflected the attack, knocking Shane down with his own fist. The Boy Wonder retreated from the ring as Rose advanced to the ropes, holding up three fingers -- "Three days," he mouthed.

* * *

Later that night, Rob Van Dam defended his Hardcore title against Scion. The highly popular Alliance superstar was the de facto face, as every move he did got a big "R-V-D!" chant. Scion, for his part, got a few cheers as well, but most of the heat went to the Whole F'n Show. Van Dam got a great deal of offense in, managing to stagger the enigmatic Scion a few times, hitting him with a Rolling Thunder at one point for a nearfall.

The golden-haired Act of God, however, would not stay down. His offense may not have been as lightning-quick as RVD's, but his more deliberate style meant his attacks dealt more damage than RVD's glancing and short attacks. He started to set the ECWer up for a Jesus Wept powerbomb, aiming a kick to the gut, but Van Dam caught the foot, stepped over it with his left foot, then spun around to snap his other heel into Scion's face. Van Dam then went upstairs to prepare for a Five-Star Frog Splash, but the CIWer rolled out of the way and RVD hit the mat hard.

Although moving with his usual deliberate speed, Scion did appear to be a bit winded, shaking a few stars from his eyes and holding his ribs where the Rolling Thunder had connected. He went to pick up a kendo stick that had been left in the ring, hitting RVD in the head with it as the Michigan native got to his feet. Van Dam staggered and started toward a steel chair in the corner. Scion cracked him in the back with the kendo stick, then caught up to him, grabbing his singlet and slamming him to the mat. Stooping, the Act of God picked up the chair, preparing to hit the downed Van Dam with it.

However, the Whole F'n Show had been playing possum. As Scion raised the chair, RVD popped to his feet and spun in the air, his foot cracking into the chair, knocking it back into Scion's head in the Van Daminator. Scion went down, not moving, as RVD stumbled into the corner. He heard the pops from the crowd, who could anticipate where he was going with this, then looked back at Scion's positioning. He looked back at the crowd, then grabbed the top ropes, hoisting himself up to the top, twisting around so he faced the ring. He looked right, left, then sprang out in the air, swinging his hands down between his legs, then pumping them up, stretching out so his body slammed into the prone Scion with full force -- the Five-Star Frog Splash. Van Dam held his ribs in pain as he hooked a leg for the 1... 2... 3. The fans popped and started chanting "R-V-D!" again. Van Dam got his usual cocky grin back as he accepted his belt, holding it up, then pointing at himself with his thumbs.

* * *

Not too long after Rob Van Dam's successful title defense, the OvalTron lit up again, playing "This is Extreme" while flashing images of Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley with a purple hue over them, also flashing the words EXTREME and ECW. The fans booed heavily as the Billion-Dollar Princess herself walked out in another semi-revealing outfit, smirking her arrogant smile as she slinked down to the ring. As she stood in the center of ring, holding a microphone, the fans chanted, "Slut! Slut! Slut!"

"You see? Rob Van Dam just flattened Scion! Just like the Alliance is going to flatten the WWF and CIW this Sunday at the Royal Rumble! And once the Alliance's former five-time WCW Champion regains his title, and once one of the Alliance's fifteen superstars wins the Royal Rumble, it won't matter who goes onto face my husband, Triple H, at Wrestlemania, because the Alliance will hold all the cards! We will shut the WWF out of Wrestlemania and prove we are the dominant brand of sports entertainment." Stephanie smirked again.

"First, Tazz is going to destroy that meddling Viper and choke - him - out! Then, the last ECW Champion, Rhyno, is going to break Victor E. in half with the Gore! The WCW Tag Team Champions, Chuck Palumbo and Sean O'Haire, are going to take out the Brothers of Destruction! The Dudleys are going to annihilate the Z-Men and bring the WWF Tag Team titles to the Alliance! Then, my brother, Shane McMahon, is going to beat Billy Rose bloody in the Street Fight, because my brother thrives on competition!" Stephanie gestured and pointed her finger to emphasize her points, clenching her fist and generally pissing off most of the fans in attendance. "Booker T., the former FIVE-TIME WCW Champion, is going to become the new SIX-TIME WCW Champion when he takes his title back from that so-called Force of Nature, Matthew Skinner. And my husband, Triple H, will cripple Kurt Angle to retain his WWF Championship, leaving him to face our Alliance winner from the Royal Rumble itself at Wrestlemania!"

She was about to go on, but the roll of thunder/drums from the OvalTron interrupted her. The fans cheered as the disembodied voice proclaimed, "This is your Storm Warning." The Storm strode out of the smoke left behind after his pyros exploded, carrying his WCW Championship on his shoulder. He wore his GeT SeT To GeT WReCKeD T-Shirt and even wearing his sunglasses, one could tell that he was in a particularly foul mood. Stephanie looked a tad nervous as he walked up the steps and stepped into the ring. He let his belt dangle as he grabbed a microphone from a stagehand, then rounded on Stephanie. "I think Jericho will forgive me this one time if I tell you to just SHUT THE HELL UP!"

The fans cheered the end of that catchphrase with him, while Stephanie grew angry and started to speak again. "Who the hell do y--"

"What did I just finish telling you?!" Matthew Skinner demanded. "I've got news for you, Stephanie, and that is that I am NOT going to lose this title at the Rumble. Especially not to that roonie-spinning sucka, Booker T. I have worked too damn hard to get where I am today, and this belt," he said, holding it up, "is my reward for all the dues I paid. So if you think I'm going to just lie down and let him cover me like some no-talent hack, you've got another thing coming."

"If you lay a hand on me..."

"I'm not that stupid, Steph," The Storm said. "I may have taken my share of shots to the head, but all my marbles are still working. I pick my attacks, Steph. I am glad that you and your brother decided to give me the night off. I was surprised, sure, but I'm not one to look a gift horse in the mouth." He sneered. "However, I do have all this pent-up frustration that I have to vent tonight. Ask anyone in the back. I bumped into Tommy Dreamer back there. I hear he'll probably be conscious again by Sunday."

Stephanie now looked nervous. She backed up as Skinner advanced. "But I still got a lot more where that came from. So guess what, Stephanie?" He leaned forward, growling, "You're next." Before she could react, he dropped his mike, then blasted her in the face with his belt, knocking her to the mat. The fans gave a surprised "OHHH!" as Steph crumpled. The Storm snarled and dropped to the mat, pressing the belt against her head as he shouted at her, off-mike, "This is mine! You get me?! I earned this! You're not taking it away from me! Not you! Not anybody! Nobody! You hear me?!"

He stood up as Cold Steel's music blared around him, the fans cheering his attacking the despicable Stephanie, but nevertheless in shock at this change in his behavior. He draped the belt on his shoulder, stepping out of the ring and slowly walking along the side of the ramp, soon being flanked by Brick and the APA as Alliance people ran down the ramp to check on their fallen princess. They all turned and gave half-angry, half-shocked looks at the departing Force of Nature.

-more to come-

Next: There would be hell to pay at the Royal Rumble. But for The Storm? Or for the Alliance?

If you have any ideas for possible feuds/relationships for any of my characters, drop me a line at jay_winger_2k@hotmail.com.

-=Jay 2K Winger=-
Live and Almost Legal
April 20, 2002