Smiling, I look in the eyes of my friends where I can
see the curiosity and uncertainty. Glancing at Taker
for guidance, all I receive is a curt nod.
Nodding to Prince, "You're right, let's get going."
Walking to the stairs, I look over my shoulder at the
strange team assembled . . . To one side of the hall
stood my family, Prince, DA, Hellion . . . To the
other side stood our new allies, Kane, Christian and
our own Dark Lord, The Undertaker.
Sighing heavily, "Whether you believe my dream or not,
we still have a job to do here. So if you're with me
let's get going, otherwise . . . well, you know where
the door is." Turning I run up the stairs, taking them
two at a time. Reaching the next floor I smile as I
hear the hurried footsteps falling on the stairwell.
Waiting as the footsteps approach, I smile to myself.
Feeling Dragon pressing my mind, I open myself to him.'I'm all right calm down.'
With shame in his voice, 'I must apologize my Queen. I
should not have severed our connection. Had you needed
me, I would not have been there.'
Bowing my head, I sigh. 'It's all right. I know why
you did it. Just keep this link open in case something
comes up. And keep an eye out for any more surprise visitors.'
Looking up as the others join me at the top of the
stairs, "Well, my link with Dragon is back. DA, you
might want to try Sheetan now." Smiling warmly at my
family, I hug each in turn. Turning to our new
friends, "This was supposed to be our fight," nodding
to my family, "but now, it looks like we're all inthis fight together."
Stepping before Kane, "Do you know if there are others here tonight?"
Shaking his head, 'There is no way of really knowing.
There may be, but I cannot be sure.'
Christian, taking a step forward, "Well to let you
know, I called Edge while I was out there earlier. He
should be on his way." Taking a step backward, "I
figured you could use some extra help and I don't want
your friends outside to attack him."
Reaching over to pat Christian on the shoulder, DA
smiles. "It's all right. No one is going to hurt Edge,
but you shouldn't have called him. You weren't even
suppose to stay." Dropping her voice to slight
whisper, "Not that I mind that you decided to stay."
Pushing Prince out of her way, Hellion asks, "So DQ,what's the plan now?"
Looking from the group to the long empty corridor in
front of us, I groan and mutter under my breath. 'When
the hell did I become the leader of this pack? We were
all planning this, now, and it's up to me.' Running a
hand through my hair, I turn and face my friends.
Nodding slowly, "All right, here's the plan . . . we
don't know what lies between us and the top of this
building, so we take it slow and check the rooms as we go."
Catching a few groans, I quickly explain, "We don't
have any choice. If there's someone hiding in any of
these rooms and we miss them . . . that leaves our
back's open to attack. We're making sure we won't befollowed."
Closing her eyes, DA summons her demons. Stepping from
the resulting darkness, DA instructs the demons to go
downstairs to the conference room where Bran and
Santana remain guarding the writers. As the demons
disappear through the very floor at our feet, DA nods.
"If we're doing a room by room search, it might help
to have Bran and Santana up here. We could use their
help. They could smell out the . . . umm . . .opposition."
Grinning wickedly, I nod. Watching Hellion remove
Percy from her pocket I ask cautiously, "Hellion, whatare you doing?"
Whispering to Percy, Hellion places him on the floor
and watches as he scurries down the stairwell.
Standing up and brushing off her knees, she shrugs.
"Well, we're going to have two very big cats up here
in a few minutes and I don't think it would be a great
idea to have Percy up here too." Remembering Kane's
earlier remark about the bad Tweety and Sylvester
episode, I laugh. Continuing, Hellion looks at DA.
Grinning, "Besides, your demons may need help holdingthem."
Hands on her hips, DA snorts, "It wasn't my fault theycouldn't hold Kane."
Cutting our conversation short, Bran and Santana erupt
from the stairwell behind us. Freezing instantly as
they sight the Undertaker, they fall to the floor with
their noses in their paws. Rising slowly, they pad
down the hall stopping at each door to investigate.
Sending my mind out to Dragon, 'Search the outer rooms
if you can and then try to search the inner ones. We
don't have many here, so we could use all your help.'
Looking over my shoulder, I add quickly, 'Also keep
your eyes open for others showing up to help. I know
Edge is on his way. Christian called him earlier.'
Feeling Dragon pass the message onto the others, I
turn to the party. "All right, let's get going.
Remember, keep your eyes and ears open, and take it
slow. Let Bran and Santana lead the way, and Dragon
and the others will do mental searches floor by floor
to aid us." Glancing to Christian, "And don't worry,
when Edge shows up, he'll be safe."
Stepping to my side, DA asks, "What about searching
the rooms anyway? Even if Bran and Santana and the
Dragons don't find anyone inside them, maybe we can
find weapons of some sort . . . "
Hellion, laughing cynically, "Yeah, what are we gonna
use? Steel chairs and staplers?"
Watching the guys start down the hall without us, DA
yells, "YEAH! Where do you guys think you're going
without us? We started this attack, and you guysjoined us . . . remember?"
Stopping to look over his shoulder Prince softly
chides, "Well if you would stop yacking and get
moving, then we would all be working together."
Hugging my sisters tightly, I whisper, "We don't have
time to look for weapons. We use what we can when we
find it. Right now we have to get going." Stepping
back, "We started this attack, and I say we finishthis damn thing."
Watching the wicked grins forming on my sisters faces
as they nod in unison, "Then let's do it." Rushing
down the corridor, we join the guys and continue oursearch.
Chapter 17
Cautiously making our way down the empty corridor, we
watch Bran and Santana intently. Looking at Taker,
Kane and Christian, the rest of draw upon their
strength, and prepare to face the battle that we know awaits us.
Linking with Dragon I can feel his anxiety building.'What's wrong?'
'There is no one on that floor, but there are many on
a couple floors above you. I can not ascertain who
they are, but there seems to be trouble.'
Watching Bran and Santana bound up the stairs at the
end of the hall, I turn to DA. "Dragon found people a
couple floors up. Has Sheetan found anything?" Seeing
the worry and fear creep into DA's eyes, I give her a
quick hug and whisper, "Don't worry. We knew we'd have
to fight if we came here, but we have help now. We
have Taker with us, not to mention Kane andChristian."
Biting her lip, DA nods. "Yeah I know we were going to
have to fight, but I guess I was sort of hoping we
wouldn't have to." Closing her eyes, DA sighs. "Give
me a minute to check with Sheetan..."
Waving the others on, "Ok, the floor above should be empty but be careful."
Opening her eyes, DA nods. "Yeah there are about 8
people about two floors up. Are you sure we can handle them?"
Sighing heavily, "Yeah, we can take them. We got rid
of the writers didn't we?" Hugging DA, I reassure her,
"Don't worry, we're going to finish this. Whoever the
hell is sitting at the top of this building will be
meeting us soon." Dragging her to the stairs we rushup to join the crew...
Kneeling beside Bran, 'There are many above us, but we
still have to be careful to check this floor too.'
Grabbing Bran by the scruff of his neck I bring his
head up to meet my eyes, 'There's going to be a fight
up there, and we don't know who they are yet. So watch
it when the fight breaks out. We don't want innocents
getting hurt.' Ruffling his ears, I stand up and watch
as he races down the hall slowing only to pause ateach door.
With Santana trailing after Bran, we take off running
down the hall. Reaching the other stairs, I grab Taker
and Kane by the arm pulling them to a stop. Hopping up
on the stairs before everyone, "Alright, now here's
what we have above us..." Linking with Dragon,'Anything new?'
'No, there are about 8 people about half way down the
hall. I still can't tell who they are though.'
Growling in frustration, 'I should be there to help.'
Chuckling softly, 'No, I need you out there for now.
Besides, there's no room in here right now.''I could always change my Queen...'
'No, stay there for now, if I need you in here, youwill know...'
Looking at the others before me, "There are
approximately 8 people on the floor above us. They are
somewhere near the center rooms. We don't know who
they are yet, so let's not just run in and start
beating the crap out of everyone. We don't need innocents hurt."
Growling under his breath Taker glares up the stairs,
"There are no innocents here."
Grabbing Taker by the arm to catch his attention, I
try to open my mind, 'Can we speak?'
'If they get in our way, they will be removed.'
Nodding slowly, 'I know that, but if they don't attack
us, we leave them be. We started this attack, and we play it by our rules.'
Noting his curt nod, but the harshness still in his
eyes, 'We take it slow, and no one gets hurt.'
Turning to the others, "Let's do it. This is what we
came for. We knew we'd have to fight, we knew that. So
let's get this finished..."Letting Bran and Santana slip past me, I turn and
follow them with the others on my heels.
Stepping past me, Taker and Kane position themselves
in the front. Tapping me on the shoulder, Hellion
snickers, "The Brothers Grimm are back."
Walking slowly down the hall we can hear voices
growing. Reaching the halfway point of the hallway, we
pause. Bran and Santana stand frozen at the door
beside us, both growling ominously.'Steph is here.'
Snapping my head around to look at Taker, I suddenly
see a different look in his eyes. It was the look of
fear and concern. 'What do you mean Steph is here? Where?'
Glancing at me, then back to the door, 'In there.'
Grabbing my wrist in a vise grip, with his eyes locked
on the door, 'Steph is not to be harmed. Not inanyway.'
'Alright, we get Steph out and you get her to safety.'
Looking at Taker I wonder, 'But I thought the marriage was just a show?'
'I'll explain later, but right now, we get her out.'
Releasing my wrist, Taker steps forward. Before anyone
can stop him, Taker smashes in the door and stands in open shock.
Stepping to his side, I look inside and fall back in
disgust. Inside this small office was not only
Stephanie, but also Terri!! And surrounding the two
woman are some VERY familiar faces...Surrounding Steph
and Terri are... COTN!!!! Standing in the room, I
recognize a few faces...Hag, Reapers, Cal, but the others are unfamiliar.
Waving to Bran, 'Get your ass in there and protect
Steph and Terri. No one gets close to them, NO ONE!!!!!!'
Watching as Bran runs into the room, I glance at
Taker, 'Can you tell her we're here to help?'
Nodding, Taker locks eyes with Steph while the rest of us storm the room...
Running through the door, Prince, Hellion, DA and
myself take a stand before the COTN. Standing just
inside the doorway, Christian stands before Kane and Taker blocking any escape.
Staring in shock at the people before us, Hellion
growls, "What the hell are you guys doing here? This
was supposed to be just us. We asked if you wanted to
join us, but you all said no."Stepping in front of Hellion, Hag laughs wickedly.
"You don't understand any of this do you? We never
really wanted to write for the WWF, we wanted CONTROL
of the WWF!!" Stepping around Hellion, Hag stands
before Taker. "We've done this for you Master. This
little bitch would fight you every step of the way, we
will take care of her for you. We can find you asuitable bride..."
Snarling in uncontrolled rage, Taker wraps his hand
around Hag's throat. Raising her from the floor, Taker
rolls his eyes back, "I have a bride." Throwing Hag
across the room, hell breaks loose...
Diving at Hag, Hellion crashes into her driving her
back to the floor. Quickly covering the small room,
Prince grabs Reapers and starts beating the crap out
of him. Crashing through the room, Taker, Kane and Christian join the fray.
There was no wrestling here, only anger and fury.
Hearing roaring in the corner, I glance over...Santana
was attacking Bran!!! Screaming in rage, I turn to
rush to his side. Stepping between me and the corner,
DA smiles slyly. "You were so busy watching doors and
wrestlers, you forgot to look at your own back."
Snarling, Da dives and attempts a spear. Catching
sight of Da in flight, Christian leaps across the roomand connects with DA.
Scrambling to her feet, DA rushes out the door.
Summoning her demons to surround the COTN in the room,
DA rushes down the hall with Santana at her side. Each
grabbing a member of the COTN, the demons vanish
leaving the rest of us in the office alone.
Looking over at Christian leaning against the
doorframe, I shake my head as he starts out the door.
"Let them go. We'll take care of them later."
Turning to Bran, I notice the blood soaking his fur.
Shaking, I kneel beside him and rest a hand on his
side. Feeling his chest rise and fall slowly, I pull
the black statuette from my pocket. Setting it on the
floor beside him, I mutter the faint words of magic.
As the mist shrouds Bran's body I climb to my feet andface the others...
Hellion stood beside Christian near the door, Taker
had Steph wrapped in his arms, Prince stood with Terri
with an arm around her shoulders to steady her, and
Kane stood alone off to the side...Looking at Taker, I
smile grimly, "As if you don't know now, those were COTN."
Looking over Steph's shoulder, his voice shaking with
anger, "I figured that, but the hell were they thinking?"
Shaking my head sadly, "I don't know. I wish I did."
Walking to the door, "But I know for a fact, I'm gonna
finish what I started to do here. After that, I'm going after the COTN!!!"
Pushing past Hellion and Christian, Hellion grabs my
arm. "What are we gonna do now? DA was one of them and we didn't even know it."
As everyone steps from the office, Kane hands me
Bran's statue. Nodding my thanks, I take a deep
breath. "Well, we still have the Dragon's and we still
have this team, but we need more." Looking at Hellion,
"You go get Takerbaker and Insane." Looking at Prince,
"And you go get NyteLord. Remember, we're going to
need all the help we can get now." Grinning wickedly,
"You might want to bring a few toys too."
Giving me a hug, Hellion asks, "What about you? What
are the rest of you going to do?"
Looking at Taker, Kane, and Christian, and watching
the terrified looks on the faces of Steph and Terri,
"We're going to finish this. So you two go and get the
others. By the time you get back, all this should be over with."
Nodding, Prince and Hellion rush down the hallway and race the stairs.
Chapter 18
Watching them leave, I link with Dragon, 'Where is Sheetan?'
Snarling, 'He is gone. He left with the others. They
disappeared before we could stop them.'
'It's all right. Prince and Hellion are going after
family, and I want a couple dragons to go with them.'
'What about you my Queen? What is the new plan?'
Looking at Taker, with Steph in his arms, "Will you
still help us?" Glancing at Kane and Christian, "That
is if you two are still willing to help me . . . "
Catching the silent nods from Kane and Christian,
Taker nods slowly. "I'll stay, but I want to make sure these two are safe."
Grinning at Steph and back at Taker, "I don't get it.
I thought the wedding was all just for show . . . "
Shaking his head, and smiling fondly at Steph, "It's a
long story but all you need to know right now is that
I care for this woman and I want to make sure she is safe."
Nodding, "All right. Then it's settled. So long as
they are safe, the attack continues, right?" Nods
around . . . "Fine. Please stay away from the end of the hallway . . . "
'All right Flame, do it . . . 'With a window shattering scream, Dragon rips his
talons through the wall and tears it away. Stepping to
the opened gap, I wave him closer.
"All right, we're heading to the top. Take care of the
roof, and I want these two taken care of." Looking
over my shoulder, "Steph, Terri, you'll be safe with
him. His name is . . . " dropping my voice,"FlameStrike."
Ushering Steph and Terri forward, Flame lowers his
head to the opening. Looking at Steph, "Ok, I'm going
to show you how to do this. You have to trust me and
Flame. He won't hurt you and he won't drop you."
Stepping to the edge of the gap, I reach out and grab
the spines on the back of Flame's neck. Swinging
myself out the gap, I pull myself up on his back.
Sitting just forward of his shoulder blades, I look
back inside. "Ok Steph, your turn. I'll stay out here
till both of you are on board."
Stepping past Steph, Terri stretches for Flame's neck
but can't quite reach it. Lifting Terri by the waist,
Kane stretches out the gap until she grabs onto
Flame's neck. Sliding down Flame's neck, I scoot back
to make room. Waving to Steph, "Come on."
Shaking her head, "I can't." Looking at Taker, he
nods. Wrapping his arms around Steph tighter, Taker
steps to the gap and places Steph on Flame's neck. As
Steph slides down to take her seat, I stand and
balance on Flame's back. Waving at a large Gold flying
close by, I tell Steph and Terri to just hang on andthat they would be safe.
Whipping his head around to look over his shoulder,
Flame watches me closely. Nodding to him, I step
around Steph and slide down his shoulder. Holding onto
the neck spikes, I drop in Flames awaiting claw.
Flying close to the Gold, Flame deposits me on his
back and flies to a safe distance away.
Pulling close to the ripped out wall, I yell in, "Ok,
you guys saw how it's done. Need any help, or you think you got it handled?"
Calling in three close dragons, I watch as Kane, Taker
and Christian board safely. Flying to the top of the
building, we hold back as the rest of the blood hungry
pack rips apart the roof. Circling above the building,I link with the guys . . .
DQM: 'Ok, fill me in on what to expect from the upper floors.'
Kane: 'Depends on who is here. It shouldn't be too bad.'
Breaking in on our thoughts, Flame confirms, 'There
are, it seems, eight people on the floor below the top
one. There is also a hand full of demons.'
Taker: 'You just stay where you are and protect those
women. We can handle whoever the hell is down there.'
Signaling the dragons to land, we dismount and head
inside. Dropping a hand on my shoulder,
Christian asks, "What about you tiger?"
Shaking my head sadly, "He won't be able to help us.
He was seriously hurt by Santana and he needs to heal.
He'll heal quickly on the Spectral Plane, but I won't
be able to call him back until much later."
Walking down the hall behind Taker and Kane, Christian
and I speak quietly. "If they are fans of Undertaker,
why would they do what they did?"
Staring at Taker's broad back, I can feel the tears
welling up. "I don't know. I thought they cared, but I
was wrong. I was wrong even about my own sister."
Draping an arm around my shoulder, "I'm sorry about
that. She seemed like a good person."
Growling under my breath, "Yeah, they all seemed good.
That's where I made my mistake. I believed what was
placed before my eyes." Fists clenched at my sides,
"But I swear that they will pay for this. They will
pay dearly." Reaching the stairs, Taker and Kane pause
as they wait for us to join them.
Walking right past Taker, I'm brought to a sudden halt
as a heavy hand grips the back of my shirt. Glancing
over my shoulder, Taker holds my shirt twisted in his
fist. His burning with fury, 'You will stay near the
back. You will let us go down first since we don't
know who we're dealing with.' Releasing my shirt as I
nod, Taker steps around me and walks down the stairs
disappearing in the awaiting darkness.
A sudden idea running through my mind, 'Taker, wait.
What about Stephanie? Would she know who we're after?'
Stopping, I can just make out the shadow of Taker as
he makes contact with Steph. After several tense
moments of silence, Taker walks back up the stairs and
stands before us with arms crossed over his chest.
Frowning severely, "It seems as if we are after her
brother." At the look of surprise, Taker nods, "Yes, I
said Shane. And it seems we may know who is waiting
for us . . . " Growling deep in his chest, "DX is
below and apparently so are some idiots called the Dudleys."
Groaning, I roll me eyes. "Oh great. Just what we need
. . . The damn Dudleys . . . "
Pointing at me, Taker makes it clear, "You WILL stay
in the back. I may have been out for a while, but I've
kept up to date with what has been going on. I know
that those guys are trouble . . . "
Shaking my head, I cut him short, "All right, I'm not
arguing with you. I'll stay out of the way, but I'm
going to try and find Shane. Maybe I can get to him
and find out what the hell is going on without hurting
him." Nodding to the stairs, "Shall we get this over with?"
Stalking down the stairs, Taker leads with Kane,
Christian and I following close behind. Stepping from
the stairwell, we're set upon by HHH and XPac. As
Taker and Kane open the attack, I slip to the side and
try to make my way down the hall. Watching my back,
Christian yells out warning as I pass a door and it
bursts open to reveal the Dudleys. Grabbed from
behind, I yank out Bran's statue and call his name.
Tossing it down the hallway, I watch in dismay as the
fog envelopes the statue and quickly dissipates.'My Queen!!!!'
'Flame!!!!' Struggling against Bubba, I try to break
free. 'Flame, you are under orders! You will obey them!!'
Feeling an arm wrap around my neck, I can feel myself
slip away as the blood flowing to my brain is cut off.
Slipping into the welcoming darkness, the yells and
curses fade to nothingness . . .
'...QUUUUUUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEENNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!'
Shaking my head, I open my eyes and find myself
looking into the dark green eyes of Taker. Taking his
outstretched hand, I climb to my feet slowly. Passing
a hand over my eyes, I lean against the wall.
"What happened?"
Looking down the hall at the still forms lying on the
floor, it slowly comes in focus. Glancing at the faces
around me, I smile at the new additions.
Grinning weakly, "You need more green."
Laughing softly, "You think so?" Looking over his
shoulder, "Ya hear that Matty, I need more green."
Shaking his head, "Sure Jeff, whatever."
'MY QUEEN!!!'
Stepping forward,
Christian smiles, "DQ, let me
introduce you to Matt and Jeff Hardy. They showed up
just about the time we lost you. Matter of fact, you
can thank them for getting Bubba off you."
Pushing away from the wall, I walk over to Matt and
Jeff. Giving each a quick hug, "Thank you, both ofyou."
'QUEEN!!'
Shaking my head, 'Calm down! I'm all right. Just got
knocked out is all. Is there anything new? Where the hell do I find Shane?'
'The floor below you, and be careful. There are demons
and one other human with him.''All right, I'm heading down there now.' Looking
around, "We're going down one floor. Shane is down
there and so is one other person and some demons."
Catching a look from Kane, "Yeah, they might be from DA."
Walking down the hallway, I bend to pick up Bran's
statue. Slipping it in my pocket, "Well, are you guys
coming or not? And remember, I want Shane myself."
Grabbing my arm as I enter the stairwell, Taker pulls
me to a stop. Spinning around, I jerk my arm free.
Snarling, "You told me to stay behind before, and that
was fine. But this time I'm doing this my way! What
happened earlier, they were family." Tears clouding my
eyes, I choke out, "No, they WERE family. NO MORE!!!!"
Stepping back, Taker just watches silently. Pointing
down the stairs, "If they have hurt Shane the way they
were going to hurt Steph and Terri, then I swear I
will not rest until they pay!" Spinning on my heel, I storm down the stairs.
'All right now where is he?''A couple doors down and he's not alone.'
Snarling, 'Yeah I got that part.' Closing my eyes I
walk down the hall. The presence of the demons is
overwhelming. As I stop by the door, the others circle
around me. Whispering quietly, "He's in there. He's
not alone. There is a handful of demons, but don't
worry. They can be taken care of quickly, just stay
behind me and don't crowd me when I open the door.
There's also someone else with him. I can feel his
hatred and anger. He will be trouble, but remember . .
. stay behind me until the demons are gone!"
Resting my hand on the door, I link with Flame. 'I
need your strength. I can't abolish the demons alone.
I'm still not back up to speed after that little incident upstairs.'
'Of course my Queen.'As the power races through my body, I can sense the
demons inside. Running a plan in my mind, get in, drop
low, strike wide, one burst full strength . . .
Stepping back from the door, the air around me
crackles with raw power. Growling low, "Stay behind me
. . . " Feeling a hand drop on my shoulder, I growl
without looking, "Kane, just stay behind me and wait.
You'll know when to come in . . . but Shane is mine!"
Shrugging off Kane's hand, I grab the doorknob and
shove it open. Diving inside the room, I'm set upon
but dozens of hungry demons. Shoving them off, I kneel
near the door and unleash the full unbridled power of
the Dragon . . . Screaming in unnatural pain, the
demons vanish. Snapping my head up, I see Big Show
ambling around the desk toward me. Rolling toward the
desk, I yell out, "NOW YOU GUYS CAN PLAY! BUT SHANE IS MINE!"
Watching as Show goes down under a pile of bodies, I
stand and face the desk. Sitting motionless at the
desk with a demented grin on his face is Shane
McMahon. Reaching across the desk, I grab him by the
collar, and drag him forward. Smashing my mind against
his, I force the rest of Flame's power down upon himand render him unconscious.
Looking over my shoulder as the office door shuts, I
motion for Kane to come closer. "Help me get him on
the desk. They were controlling him, but I don't know
how extensive their control was. I need to do a
serious mind search." Stepping away as Kane lays Shane
out, I look at the others. "You can all wait outside
the room please." Looking at Taker, "That means youtoo."
Looking at Shane on the desk, then at me, "No. I'm
staying." Looking at Kane, "You can wait outside with
the others. Don't worry. She'll be fine."
Touching Kane lightly on the arm, "It's all right. Go
on, and let me do what I have to. It won't take long."
Watching Kane walk from the office, I wait till the
door shuts firmly behind him. Walking around the desk
to sit down, I study Shane carefully. Looking up as
Taker stands beside me, "He looks physically sound,
but his mind is a mess. It's going to take a few
minutes to sort out what they did to him."
Probing Shane's mind, I'm vaguely aware of Taker's
movements as he leans against the wall behind the
desk. Working slowly so as to not hurt Shane, I remove
several barriers that the COTN had obviously erected
in his mind. Sitting back to take a quick breather, I
hear a soft Texas drawl in my ear. Startled, I lookover at Taker.
Gone was the harshness in his eyes, as was the anger
and fury. Confused, I looked up into those deep green
eyes. Kneeling beside the chair, with his hand resting
on my arm, "I know you're not like them. That's whyI'm saying this . . . "
Understanding seeping into my mind, I stare at this
man in wonderment. "My god . . . ok this is getting alittle weird here . . . "
Nodding slowly, "So you understand?"
My jaw hanging open in shock, I manage to gasp out,
"Yeah I think I understand, but it was a hell of a lot
easier dealing with the character." Staring at the man
before me, I hold up a hand to silence him, "I know.
You don't need to say anything else. Let me ask a few
things, you just nod yes or no, ok?"
Catching his nod, "Ok, first, you and Steph?
There's something there right?" Nod.
"You know who those people downstairs were?" Nod.
"After I finish with Shane here, and we walk back out
that door, are you going back to the character?"Pause, and a firm nod.
My hand shaking, I reach out and brush the hair from
his eyes. Nodding, "Don't worry. The others won't
know." Biting my lip, I turn back to Shane lying on
the desk. Closing my eyes to calm my mind, I hear that
same soft Texas drawl in my mind . . .
'Yes I knew about the dream you had. And yes, I've known about the others too.'
Looking over my shoulder briefly, "It's all right. I
sort of sensed the difference in you since you showed
up. One moment you're in control, and the next Taker
has control. I figured you knew." Looking back at
Shane, "But that doesn't matter now. I have to finish
this with him before the barriers and bonds are completely set."
Totally linking my mind with Shane's I probe to find
the remaining bonds set by the COTN. Working quickly,
I take out the bonds and tear down the barriers that
keep him in contact with the COTN. Sitting back in the
chair, I search his mind once more for any lasting
damage. Finding no permanent damage, I sigh. "Let's
get him in the chair, and I'll revive him." Stepping
out of the way, I watch as the man I knew as Taker
carefully moves Shane to the chair.
Walking to stand by the door, Taker waits quietly.
Pushing everything off the desk, I hop up and sit down
facing Shane. Reaching out to mentally slap him, I sitback and wait . . .
Minutes slowly pass as Shane regains consciousness.
Looking around in confusion, "What the hell is going
on and who are you?" Looking past me at Taker standing
near the door, Shane starts to his feet. "What the
hell do you think you're doing here?"
Leaning over to grab Shane by his collar, I shove him
back in the chair. "We're here to save your ass.
You're damn lucky we showed up." Sliding off the desk,
I stand before Shane and lean down on the arms of the
chair. "If we hadn't shown up, you would still be
under their control." Seeing the question in his eyes,
"Do you have any idea what has been going here?"
Staring in Shane's eyes, I see the emptiness. 'Ummmm .. . Mark?'
Shock in the voice, 'What?''I need you to wait outside. I need to help him
remember what has happened.' Continuing so that there
is no attempt at a reply, 'Just ask Kane to stay
outside the door if you want. You can take the others
back upstairs and get them on Dragon back.' Looking
over my shoulder to emphasize my point, 'I figure you
would rather be with Steph while I do this. I'll be there soon.'
Nodding slowly, Taker reaches for the doorknob and I
watch as the harsh light returns to his eyes . . .
Gone was the man, the character had returned. Waiting
for the door to shut, I turn back to Shane.
"All right now you are going to listen to me and I
don't want any trouble from you. Understood?" Watching
the confusion settle in his eyes, "Ok Shane. I'm going
to ask you to remember back to the last thing you can
remember clearly. Can you do that?"Nodding uncertainly, "Yeah, I think so."
"Good. Now just sit back and relax and let your mind
drift back to the last clear memory you have." Waiting
for Shane to get comfortable, "You all right now?"
Nod. "Ok tell me what you can remember . . . "
Sitting back and closing his eyes, Shane remembers . .
. "There were two women that came here in hopes of
getting a job . . . They wanted ring jobs . . . not
valets, but as wrestlers . . . the one may have had
the potential, but the other . . . "
Softly interjecting my voice, "What did they look like
Shane and did they say what their names were?"
"...One was taller, long dark hair, slender, said her
name was Angel . . . thought she was too small to be
in the ring . . . the other was shorter but said she
was wrestling in an indy fed somewhere . . . can'tremember her name . . . "
Catching my breath in my throat, "Was is Black Widow?"
"...hmmmm . . . may have been . . . "
Closing my eyes, I try to control the rage building
inside. Snarling, I grab the glass paper weight on the
desk and hurl it across the room and watch as it
shatters in millions of pieces all over the floor.
Sensing Kane outside, 'STAY THERE!'
With the shattering of the glass, Shane snaps awake
and stares at me in a mixture of horror and confusion.
"You know who they are then?"
Looking away, "Yes. I know them. I even called one of
them a sister at one time. Apparently they got to her without us knowing."
Still sitting in his chair, "Well? Who are they?"
Snarling at the memory of the earlier fight, "They're
COTN. Or at least that's what they considerthemselves."
Shaking his head, "They're who?"
"Creatures of the Night. They're supposed to be fans
of Taker. That's why they did this. They wanted to
control WWF themselves." Closing my eyes, "But we
found out about that. Now a new battle will take place. . . "
Hearing the screams of the dragon's outside, I grab
Shane's hand and drag him to the door. "No more time
for explanations. We need to get going." Jerking the
door open, I shove Shane through. Looking at Kane, "Ok
let's get going. The Dragons scream for blood. As do
I." Running down the hall dragging Shane behind, we make the top floor.
Noticing that FlameStrike is no riderless, I wave him
down. Easily carrying the three of us to the sky, I
look over and see the others circling on their own
Dragons. Glancing down to the parking lot, we watch as
cars start pulling in . . .
Waving to the others we land in the parking and I face my family . . .
Climbing from the hearse are my dear brothers . . .
Walking over I hug them both, "Welcome back Prince. Hi
Nyte, Glad you could make it."
Turning to the black truck pulling in, it's not too
hard to guess the occupants. Nodding to my brothers I
walk over to the truck as the passengers get out.
"Hellion, I'm glad you found them. Insane, TB, I'm
glad you two could come." Hugging my sisters, I look
at Hellion and Prince, "You brought the toys?" Nods from both.
Nodding and grinning wickedly, "You guys know what
happened right?" Nods. "Good, now we take the fight to
the Inner Circle. Come on and I'll introduce you guys
to the rest of our happy party."Returning to the Dragon's I introduce everyone.
Looking at Taker and the others, "I want to thank you
for your help, but now it seems our paths must part.
We have a battle brewing with our family, and it doesn't concern you guys."
Snarling, Taker holds Steph tighter, "We're in this to
the end. We've already decided on that while you were
saying hello over there." Glaring at me to silence my
protest, "Kane, Shane and I will stay with you. We're
also taking Steph with us to protect her. Matt, Jeff,
Christian and Terri are going to leave but will beavailable if we need them."
Whispering to Hellion, TB asks, "Oh my god, is he really going to stay with us?"
Putting a finger to her lips, Hellion nods, "Yeah and remember . . . no thuds."
Looking from my family to Taker in front of us, "How can I say no? Thank you."
Stepping forward, Christian offers a ride to Matt,
Jeff and Terri. Hugging them each, I thank them as
they cross the parking lot to Christian's car.
Turning to my family and new friends, "All right what
are we waiting for, mount up and let's get going.
Prince, Hellion, grab the toys." Climbing astride
FlameStrike, I hold out a hand to Shane. "Come on. I
don't bite." Grabbing his hand I pull him up behind me
and instruct him to hold on.Pulling the Dragon's around in a circle, we face one
another. With a few last words of advice, "Ok, we're
going after the Inner Circle. The Dragon's can follow
their magic trail from earlier. From here on out,
while we're airborne, we will communicate with
telepathy. That will hold us all together. The Dragon
you are riding can help with the telepathy and will
not let you fall, so sit back and try to enjoy the ride."
Patting Flame on the neck, I spur him to the air. "We finish this NOW!...'
'Damn straight sis!...''They've gone too damn far this time!...'
Circling the building while the others reach the sky,
I link with Flame. 'This is going to be a long flight
my friend. Are you sure you can take both of us?'
Swinging his neck around to eyes us both, 'Of course my Queen.'
Nodding, I watch the others. Letting them circle for a
few minutes to let their passengers get used to the
movement, I wave them on. Flying from the building,
the Dragons stretch out behind us. Muttering against
the wind, "Watch your asses because they now belong to
me . . . No one fucks with family, NO ONE!!!"
THE END