Note: this is set the Sunday after "Chapter 25: This is Getting Good," at Summerslam.

To recap: The Storm ignored Rain's request that he relax and stop obsessing with Hell in a Cell, while Rose and Rhino exchanged heated words, the former snapping that he's more than ready for the Cell. The Storm met with Undertaker to pick his brain about Hell in a Cell, and the Dead Man told him the Cell is a lot more evil than anyone thinks. The Storm then had a handicap "warmup" match against Kaientai, who didn't really stand a chance. After Rose defeated Viper in a one-on-one match, Triple H then attacked Rose and took back the stolen WWF title belt. Mick Foley then called everyone to his office and ran down the matches they had on Sunday: Austin v. Angle, Brick v. Kane, Zed & Zeta v. Edge & Christian in a Tag Team Championship Ladder Match, and finally the Hell in a Cell match between Rose and the Storm. The Storm told Rose that "it all has a system, and this Sunday, you'll learn just how deep the system runs."

Teaser: It is here, Summerslam. As the Storm and Rose prepare for their epic confrontation, their allies fight their own battles, and former comrades from CIW drop by as the Storm and Rose stand on the cusp of battle.

Rating: R - for violence and profanity

Disclaimer:  All things WWF are property of Titan Sports.  The characters of Matthew "the Storm" Skinner, Claire "Rain" Whittaker, Billy Rose, Brad "Brick" Dickerson, Roger "Zed" Ziger, and Mike "Zeta" Zahn are completely fictional.  I do incorporate a few traits from existing WWF wrestlers, but for the most part, they're my creations.  The lyrics to Brick's entrance theme and the Storm's were written by myself as well.  (For those who are curious, I title Brick's theme "Breaker" and the Storm's "Force of Nature.") Also, this chapter and the next feature more created characters, all from CIW. Any resemblances to existing wrestlers or personas is purely coincidental, or intentional but with no infrigement intended.

SUNDAY: Summerslam, 30 August

Matthew Skinner and Claire Whittaker stood in the baggage claim of LAX and waited for their bags to arrive. He looked quite pensive as he folded the sunglasses he usually wore on the neck of his black T-shirt. She looked over at him. "Penny for your thoughts," she remarked.

"Reminiscing," he said. "Just thinking of how far I've come since I last wrestled here." He glanced at her. "CIW, not that show back in July when I got hospitalized."

She nodded. "Full circle, huh?"

"Hmm?"

"Just thinking. It just occurred to me, your CIW career ended here, and now, if something goes wrong tonight, your WWF career could end here, too."

Skinner hmmmed a bit, then snatched his duffel off the belt. "C'mon," he said gruffly, "let's get to the arena." She picked up her own bag, then followed him as he headed for the street.

On the concourse, however, he stopped as he saw a lanky man in a dark uniform, holding a sign that said "Skinner, Whittaker, Ziger, Zahn." The limo driver looked at them behind dark sunglasses beneath his cap. "T' miss muss be Miz Whittaker," he said with an unplacable accent, "and which is t' sir?"

"Matthew Skinner."

The driver nodded. "Of course. If miss and sir wou' mind waitin' for t' others?"

"Not at all," Claire said. "Here come Roger and Mike now." Sure enough, the two Z-Men were approaching. They looked at the driver, then at Skinner and Claire.

"Sirs are Zahn and Ziger?" the driver asked. Both nodded. "Yes. Follow me, please, to t' limosuine."

The driver led them through the airport to the street, where a limo was parked on the curb. The driver took their bags, stowed them in the trunk, then opened the door to the backseat. Skinner helped Claire inside, then ducked in after her. Mike and Roger followed. The inside was dark, with tinted windows and unlit lights. Mike closed the door after them.

Suddenly, out of the darkened part of the cabin, a rough, gravelly voice shouted, "BANG!" The four all jumped, and the voice laughed. "Damn, that felt good." A light turned on, illuminating the speaker: a scruffy-looking man with dark red hair, a pointed goatee, and an unlit cigarette.

Skinner, Mike, and Roger all blinked. "Smoker?"

"Hey, wassap, guys?" Smoker inquired. Like his nickname implied, his voice was of the whispery, husky type typical of long-time smokers.

"The hell are you doin' here?" Mike asked.

"Sayin' hello," he replied. "Someone gonna introduce me to the lady?" Smoker turned a Zippo lighter over in his hands.

Skinner spoke. "Claire, meet Sean Johner, aka Smoker, one of the guys who used to be in CIW. Smoker, meet Claire Whittaker, aka Rain, my girlfriend."

Smoker grinned. His teeth were slightly yellow, but only slightly. "Pleasure. Lookin' forward to tonight, guys."

"Yeah? You gonna watch?" Roger asked.

"Watch? Hell, I got front row seats, with some of the other guys," Smoker said in his prematurely-aged voice. A Southern drawl colored some of his words. "Nate's here too, y'know."

"He is?" Mike asked.

"Yeah, you met him already." Smoker turned and tapped on the partition separating the cabin from the front seat. The window lowered, and the driver turned and removed his cap. He shook out his hair. The left side of his head was cut in a crew cut, the right side longer, with a forelock hanging in his face. His brown hair was highlighted pale blond. He grinned.

"Hey-lo," the man said with a wide grin.

The men all started laughing before Skinner did the introductions. "...and Claire, this is Nathan Starr, also from CIW."

Nate grinned. "Pleased t' meet'cha." He turned back to the wheel. "Take you to the arena?"

"Yeah," Skinner said. "Staples Center, `kay?"

"Sure, no prob," Nate drove the limo off toward the arena.

"We got a sweet deal with the WWF," Smoker told them as they drove along. "They're letting us mingle backstage in addition to sittin' front row."

"How many guys from CIW are gonna be here?" Mike asked.

"Most of us," Smoker said. "`cept for them that're in other leagues and can't get here. Plus, I don't think Allura or her crowd are gonna be here."

The smile which had been on Skinner's face up till now immediately faded at the mention of that name. Claire noticed his aspect darken quite a bit. She didn't know all that much about his career in CIW -- he hadn't been very forthcoming in their talks -- but she knew he came out of it a lot more angry inside. Judging from his reaction, this "Allura" woman was at the center of it, right next to Billy Rose.

The men all chatted about inanities until they arrived at the arena a little while later. Nate went to park the limo. Skinner had convinced Roger and Mike to forego commandeering a restroom for the night and led them to a locker room. The Brooklyn Brawler was ejected, and Smoker, Skinner, the Z-Men, and Claire stepped inside.

But the Brawler was not the only person inside. A slim, buxom brunette in baggy orange pants and a form-fitting off-white top grinned at them. "Hello, boys!" she said in greeting.

Roger and Mike charged forward, picking her up by the waist, yelling, "Dee! Dee!" Dee giggled and whooped until they set her down. "How the hell you been, boys?" she asked.

Skinner grinned. "Been pretty damn good, Dee, thanks." He saw Claire eyeing him, and said, "Claire, meet Deidre Menser, aka Dee Meaner, or Miss Dee Meaner as she goes by." He repeated the process in reverse for Dee. "Dee was a member of our little group back in CIW. She's a good friend."

Claire glanced at Dee, who smiled. "Hey, relax, girl. I'd never take advantage of Matty. He was quite clear in saying he wasn't interested, `cuz he had a girl back home." She gave Claire a once-over. "I can see why he was so loyal."

Claire smiled now. "Thanks. You took a load off."

Skinner and Claire chatted for a little while with Smoker and Dee, then with Nate when he came back from parking the limo. Then Skinner stood up. "I have to go take care of a few things. I'll be back later."

Skinner went out into the arena. The ring was still being set up, as was the Summerslam set and TitanTron. But his eyes travelled upward, gazing at the massive steel structure hanging overhead. Deep within his eyes, a fire smoldered as a terrifying anticipation began to form.

"You wear the face of aman on the brink of a chasm," spoke a grave voice behind him. Skinner turned around to see a golden-haired man in an outfit resembling a monk's robe. A silver cross dangled from his right hand, which was folded in his left. He sat in a chair, feet up on another, hands on his chin as he regarded Skinner. He spoke again: "...Cowed by the unfathomable depths, yet foolishly daring enough to want to find the bottom."

"Scion," Skinner said by way of greeting.

"You are a fool to attempt this, Matthew," Scion said bluntly. "I am certain that neither you nor Mr. Rose will come out quite alive."

"That's the general idea," Skinner told him.

Scion sighed and rose to his feet, walking over and placing his hand on his shoulder, holding the cross up. "You are on the verge of damnation, Matthew. I urge you to reconsider."

"You know I can't, Scion," Skinner said. "I've come to far to go back, and you were there when this all started. It has to end."

Scion heaved a great sigh again. "I feared you would say as much. I will not delude myself into thinking I can change either of your minds." He removed his hand, then made the sign of the cross with his right hand. "I shall pray for both of you." He turned away and began to walk off, then paused and glanced back. "...Though not, perhaps, as much for Mr. Rose." He started off again.

Skinner blinked. "If I didn't know you better, Scion, I'd almost swear you made a joke."

Scion gave a millimetric smirk. "I did." He left up through the empty rows of seats, disappearing into the dimly-lit arena.

* * *

Elsewhere, Rose, Brick, and Rhino were in their own locker room. The man-beast was still favoring his injured shoulder. Rose's forehead, which had been busted open last Thursday courtesy of a Triple H sledgehammer, had a small mark along his hairline where the blow had landed. Brick silently prepared himself for his own match that night against Kane.

There was a knock on their door. Rhino glanced up and went to answer it. Standing on the other side was a man about two inches shorter than Rhino, accompanied by a man about three inches taller than Rhino. The smaller man, who had slicked-back dark hair, smiled. His smile was missing a couple of teeth on the right side. The larger man had a straight-haired mop on top, the sides shaved clean. "Hey, Billy!" the smaller man said.

Rose looked up, and smiled back. "Tony! S'okay, Rhino, let `em in. Tony Smiles! How ya been?"

Gap-Tooth Tony shrugged. "S'been okay. My pal, Joey, and I, we've had to kick around the independents a few times since CIW went under, but we've been doin' okay for ourselves, ain't we, Joey?"

Pal Joey nodded. "Yeah, boss, real good."

"I'd heard McMahon had let you guys come visit," Rose said, slapping palms with Tony, then holding out his hand for Joey. Pal Joey slapped the proffered palm. Rose pulled his hand back and wrung it a bit. "Gonna see me kick Skinner's ass, huh?"

"Or him kick your ass," Pal Joey said, before Tony could smack him in the gut to shut him up. Tony rolled his eyes and looked up at him. "Sorry, boss."

"Skinner may get his licks in, but believe me, I'm gonna win in the Cell," Rose said. "Who else is here?"

"I saw Scion walkin' around somewhere," Tony said. "I hear that Smoker, Starr, and Dee Meaner are hanging out with Skinner and the Z's."

"Fuck them," Rose said. "Anyone else?"

"I think I saw Jenny and Victor around here somewhere."

Rose nodded and turned to Brick and Rhino. "I'll be stepping out for a bit. Feel free to talk to Tony and his pal, Joey, here."

The Californian headed down the halls and soon came across none other than Kurt Angle talking to a larger man, who had golden-brown hair down to his shoulders. Rose smiled and called, "Victor! My man!"

Victor E. looked up as his name was called, saw Rose, then turned back to Angle, said something, then turned to walk away. Rose blinked in puzzlement, then jogged up and put a hand on his shoulder. "Victor, what's up?"

Victor shook the hand off. "Get your fucking hands off me."

"What's this, now? You don't wanna be associated with me?" Rose asked. "The guy who made you a star?"

The former CIW Champion wheeled around, mouth twisting in the beard he wore. "You made me a star? Yeah, sure, but then you crossed me and turned your back on me!"

Rose looked stunned. "The hell you talking about?"

Victor tapped Rose in the side of the head with a knuckle, snapping his fingers in his face. "Hello! McFly! Hello! Think back, Billy, to about fifteen months ago. You sold CIW to that fucking committee, and that ruined us. We went belly-up six months later. But before you cut and run, you bring in that stupid son-of-a-bitch Sammy Best and put the fucking belt on him. And you did that by double-crossing me."

Rose scowled at him. "Hey, what I did, I did for the company."

"No you weren't! You did it because the fucking committee told you to," Victor countered. "And then, when I put out a challenge to you so I could get some kinda revenge, you up and leave CIW!"

"My contract had expired!"

"Bullshit! I heard all the talk from the committee. They wanted to sue your ass for breach of contract, they wanted that match between you and me, but you left CIW `cuz you were such a fucking coward you couldn't stand up and take your comeuppance like a man." He shook his head with a scoff. "And to think I used to be your friend. I hope Skinner fucking rips your balls off, `cuz you shouldn't have any, you fucking pussy."

Rose shoved him into the wall. "You take that back!"

"Hell no!" Victor said, shoving him back. "Nearly everyone in CIW hates your stinking guts. We all know you don't stand a chance against Skinner in the Cell. You may be the 'Mental Elite' and all that crap, but there's a reason why we called Skinner the 'Survivor.'"

Rose smirked now. "That a fact? Well, then..." He snapped his fingers in Victor's face, grinning. "News flash, Victor. They don't call me the Mental Elite for nothing. Skinner says it all has a system? Well, I knew about his challenge before he even made it." Victor looked at him. "Wanna know how? I'll tell you. A little billionaire told me." Seeing the surprised look on the former CIW Champion's face, Rose grinned and nodded. "S'right. Vince McMahon told me almost as soon as Skinner left his office. He even made me the offer to cancel the challenge if I didn't want to compete in Hell in a Cell, but I refused. The gears'd started turning, and I came up with a brilliant plan."

He stood back and grinned in that smugly confident way of his. "It was simple. I got the Alliance coming at me from one direction, I had Skinner and his crew coming from another, and I had the Hardys and their group on a third. And to keep track of what they were all doing, I had to prepare myself, mentally, for anything. And the constant attacks from one faction or another got me prepped physically. And meanwhile, I've been pushing things to break down trust in the various groups. My little faction with Team ECK broke up, or so it seems. The Alliance is already starting to crumble, that's thanks to my theft of the championship belt. Skinner's bunch of renegades are all busy trying to calm him the fuck down. And the Hardys now have to be extra careful, thanks to a well-placed chairshot from Rhino."

Victor stared at Rose, who smirked. "See, Victor? Skinner may have a system, but I've got one of my own. And just in case he does start to get ahead in the Cell, I've got a trump card." He grinned. "A seven-foot-one, three-hundred-and-fifty pound trump card." Then his grin faded as he glared at his former colleague. "And if I can't even count on one of my most loyal men to support me tonight, then fuck you, and I'll see you in hell." He turned and walked off.

* * *

Early in the show, Zed & Zeta had to put their Tag Team Championship on the line against Edge & Christian. Tipping the odds in the former champs' favor, however, was the fact that it was a ladder match. The Z-Men fought valiantly, doing rather well in the early going, using the ladders to beat on the Canadian duo, but soon Edge & Christian's experience shone through.

The match came to a climax as Zeta climbed a twenty-foot "super ladder" to grab for the belts. Edge and Christian climbed up two smaller ladders beside him, carrying chairs. Zeta tried to fight them off, but the brothers beat his head into the ladder, then wound up and delivered a vile Conchairto to the smaller Z-Man. Zeta flailed and fell to the mat. E&C celebrated, raising their chairs skyward. But Zed, who had recovered from a spear, stepped up and folded the super ladder shut. He lifted it, stepped behind the Toronto natives, then hurled the ladder up at their spines. Christian fell off and to the mat, where Zed quickly pounced, grabbing him and hurling him over the top rope to the floor.

Edge, meanwhile, was almost to the belts. Zed tried to climb after him, grabbing at his ankles, but Edge kicked him away and snagged the loop the belts hung from, just as Zed pulled the ladder away and set it up in the corner. Edge flailed his legs, trying to adjust his grip on the belts so he could pull them off if he fell, but his grip was too precarious. Zed climbed the ladder in the corner, gauged the distance, then leapt out at Edge, grabbing his legs and pulling him down and to the mat in a high impact spinebuster.

Zed rolled out of the ring to catch his breath, even as Zeta recovered from the Conchairto. He climbed the ladder in the corner now and stood near the top, looking down at Edge. He whipped his blue-streaked hair out of his eyes, grinned to the crowd, then flashed the Snuka hand-sign, yelling "Snoooooogans!" at the top of his lungs. He then sprang off the ladder, executing a flawless Shooting Star Press to the prone Edge. Clutching his bruised ribs, Zeta slid out of the ring and dragged Edge after him.

Christian slid back into the ring and grabbed the super ladder. He set it up under the belts and started climbing, but slowly, due to the pain racking his back. Zed looked up and saw him, then started to climb after him. Christian reached the top first, grabbing at the belts, but Zed swung a fist at him. Christian reeled, but struck back. The two traded blows until Christian managed to rake Zed's eyes. Zed fell back a bit, still holding on by his left hand, then abruptly swung his right fist up and into Christian's jaw. The force of the Jawbuster sent Christian flying to the mat. Zed shook his fist out, then climbed the last two rungs to grab first one belt, then the other. Zed dropped them to the mat, then fell after them, exhausted.

"Here are your winners, and still World Wrestling Federation Tag Team Champions... ZED & ZETA!" Zed rolled out of the ring and passed one belt to Zeta, who held it aloft, trying to hold his running buddy up as he threatened to collapse on top of him.

* * *

Rose was walking backstage to get an energy drink, in preparation for his match, when he ran into her. He smiled as he beheld her soft raven locks, and her shapely body beneath the dark and curve-hugging clothing she wore. He grinned and called out, "Jenny! There's my girl!"

Jennifer Black turned around and slapped Rose hard across the jaw.

Rose rocked back on his heels. "Oww! Shit, what the hell'd you do that for?"

"Oh, like you don't know!" Jenny snapped. "Do the words 'I'll mail you a bus ticket' ring a bell?"

Rose made a face. "Come on, Jenny, you know my paycheck took a major hit when I left CIW--"

"Yeah?" Jenny sneered, prodding him in the chest with a manicured nail. "Then why was I seeing all those articles in the rags about how you were the big rising star in the indy circuits? How come I read about you signing this big contract with the WWF, and I still don't even get so much as the time of day from you when I try to call?"

"Hey, I'm a busy man--"

"Bullshit." She shook her head. "You're a selfish prick, and a bastard besides. I hope Skinner kicks your ass tonight."

Rose snarled. "You fucking bitch--" But he stopped as another man came around the corner and smiled at him, flicking ash off his cigarette.

"Hello, Billy, how's tricks?" Smoker asked before taking a drag. He draped an arm on Jenny's shoulder, then flicked his cigarette away. Jenny shrugged out of Smoker's arm, prompting the man to just shrug and take out his Zippo, which he flicked open and shut in his hands.

"Smoker," Rose said simply. "How've you been?"

"Not dead yet," the North Carolinian said. "Fixin' to stay that way too. Can't say the same for you, what with what you're goin' into tonight."

"I think you have it reversed," Rose corrected. "I'm not the one who's gonna die, it's Skinner."

"Yeah, right," Jenny scoffed before leaving.

Rose watched her go, then glanced at Smoker with a leer. "You carrying a torch for her now, is that it?"

Smoker smiled at him again as he flicked his lighter. It didn't ignite quite properly, but he didn't seem concerned with that. "Oh, you know me, Billy. I always carry a torch." He snapped his fingers next to the lighter, and the flame puffed into being. "One way or another," he chuckled. He flicked the lighter shut, then pocketed it. "See you in Hell, Billy. Don't rush on my account."

* * *

Not too much later in the evening, former RTC "diva" Ivory put her Women's Championship on the line in a Triple Threat Match against Lita and Rain. Commissioner Foley had booked the three-way dance after Rhino forced a no contest by attacking both women. Ivory and Rain teamed up early on to work on Lita, but soon that temporary alliance broke down as Ivory hit Rain from behind when she went to pick up Lita for a suplex.

Ivory dumped Rain outside and went to work on Lita, giving her a snap suplex before going for a pin. The Texan woman, however, dragged her out of the ring and decked her with a right hand. She continued to beat on Ivory outside the ring, but then Lita jumped off the top rope in a plancha to both women. Lita focused on Rain until Ivory clipped one of Lita's knees with a stiff kick.

The former RTCer took the "extreme" diva back into the ring, where she gave her a snap suplex, then her X-Factor facebuster variant, which J.R. dubbed the "Poison Ivory." Ivory got a near-fall, however, as Lita kicked out. She fought back to her feet, slugging it out with Ivory, but then Rain reintroduced herself into the match with a diving Windfall to both of them.

Finally, after more back-and-forth fighting between all three, Lita and Rain decided to get Ivory out of their hair and took her out with a tandem manuever, first a Windfall from Rain, then a moonsault from Lita. Ivory was rolled out of the ring, and then the other two women went back at it.

The finish came as Lita set Rain up for a Twist of Fate. She hooked the head, and did the traditional Hardy Boyz' "gun" pose to the side, but when she pivoted to go for the neckbreaker, Rain suddenly hooked Lita's arms in a full nelson and dropped her in the Downdraft. Rain lay atop Lita for the 1-2-3, and won the Women's Championship!

After the match, Rain quickly vacated the ring as an incensed Ivory made it back in the ring, furious about losing her title without being pinned. She started to beat on Lita, lacking any other source of release, until Rain ran back out, kicked Ivory in the gut and gave her a Poison Ivory facebuster of her own.

* * *

Two matches before the Hell in a Cell match, Brick took on Kane. The two big men were out to settle the burgeoning feud between the two, which had started when Brick had defeated Kane in his first singles match. After that, Kane gave Brick his first defeat when he helped the Undertaker chokeslam the Philadelphia native. Things had escalated from there, as one of them would attack the other while they were at ringside.

The pace of the match was quite deliberate, as the two towering men tried to wear the other one down. Soon, however, it actually got a bit more strategic. Brick was focusing many of his attacks on Kane's ribs, crushing them with gutbusters, rib-breakers, and avalanches in the corner. Kane, on the other hand, was putting his focus on the vertical base of the behemoth, attacking the knee.

Soon, Kane hit a scoop slam on Brick, then ascended to the top rope for his flying clothesline. As he crouched however, Brick shoved the referee into the ropes, crotching Kane. Brick worked his way to his feet, favoring his right knee, and went over to Kane's corner. Then, to everyone's surprise, Brick climbed to the second rope, hooked Kane, and dragged him off the top for a superplex. The two men hit the mat with a loud crash, and it first appeared that Brick had it all but won, as he got to his feet and adjusted his elbow pads, getting ready for the finish.

Kane, however, had other plans. The Big Red Machine did his "zombie sit-up" and avoided the falling elbow drop that Brick had been aiming at his chest. The snarling former CIWer grimaced as he clutched at his knee, and Kane quickly grabbed that leg and wrenched it hard, further injuring it. Brick retaliated with a well-placed low-blow that went undetected by the referee, then got to his feet, raising his hand in the air. When Kane turned around, Brick grabbed him by the throat and hoisted him overhead in a gorilla press, ready to execute the Breaker Chokeslam.

Then his knee buckled underneath him, and with a cry of pain, Brick sank to one knee, slackening his grip on Kane enough for the masked monster to land on his feet and boot Brick in the face. He stood up and drew his gloved thumb across his throat, holding his hand back and in the air, signaling for the chokeslam. Brick got back to his feet, still favoring that knee, and Kane grabbed him by the throat, lifted him off the mat, then dropped him down in a ferocious chokeslam. Kane fell atop him and hooked a leg to secure the 1-2-3!

Brick lay on the mat, growling as he clutched his injured knee, while Kane stood over him. The Big Red Machine raised his arms overhead, then snapped them down, red pyros exploding at the corners of the ring.

* * *

Rhino helped Brick back to their locker room, the much larger Philadelphian still limping on that knee. When they arrived, they found Billy Rose in a most foul mood.

"What the hell am I paying you for?!" Rose roared as Brick threw himself in a chair to ice his knee. Brick looked at him with sullen eyes, and the Californian actually slapped the icepack out of his hands. "Pay attention to me when I'm talkin' to you, you fucking retard! You're supposed to be a fucking monster, a bigger man-beast than that man!" Rose flung a finger at Rhino, who flinched a bit. "Well?!" he snapped. "Don't you have anything to say for yourself? Huh?"

Brick started to grunt something, but Rose smacked him in the head. Both Brick and Rhino flinched at that, and the behemoth stared at Rose in shock. "What?" Rose sneered. "You surprised? Get used to it, Brick. I brought you here to the WWF so you could be my bodyguard, my hired gun, my fucking mercenary. But if I can't even rely on you to beat an extra-crispy burned freak like Kane, then what good are you, huh? You pathetic, worthless waste of flesh."

The 7'1", 350-pound mammoth had nothing to say. He lowered his eyes and stared at his hands. Rose scoffed. "Exactly what I thought. I hope I can at least still trust you to do what you were told to do in my match, right?" Brick simply nodded his head. "Good." He rolled his eyes a bit and ran his hands through his dyed-blond hair. "Fuck this. I have to get out of here." He stormed out of the room and headed for the gorilla position, not seeing the smoldering look in Brick's eyes as he left.

* * *

Anticipation ran high in the arena. Gathered in the front rows at ringside was a considerable portion of the roster of the defunct CIW. Victor E. and Smoker had seats in the very front along with Jennifer Black. Nate Starr and Dee Meaner were seated with two identical twins, one of whom had tattoos on his arms to distinguish himself from the other. A couple of the CIWers had even brought signs, some of which hyped CIW, but all of which urged on the Storm, although some of the signs referred to him as "The Survivor" Matthew Skinner. "Gap-Tooth" Tony Smiles and his pal, Joey, were seated several seats over from this contingent of the CIWers, sensing their pro-Rose tendencies would not be very popular.

In the upper tier of seats, a robed man leaned against the wall, hands folded in thought (or perhaps prayer), a silver cross held between them. Scion looked up and gazed across the arena. His eyes narrowed imperctibly as he noticed a quartet of people exactly opposite from him in the upper tier. A svelte woman with ebony hair and eyes like glittering obsidian curled her ruby red lips in a smirk. Her expression, although almost bored-looking, conveyed some sense of evil. Most people would look away after several moments, but Scion just stared right back at him. She folded her hands, with their black nail polish, in mockery of him, then folded her arms again. Her dark, Goth-ish attire made her almost indistinguishable from the shadows around her.

Beside her, an equally svelte woman, with straight blond hair, mocking blue eyes, and a gray outfit very similar to the other woman's, leaned against a pillar, looking around with thinly-disguised amusement at all the people cheering in anticipation for the Storm. Lurking nearby the two women were two large men. One of them was packed with muscle, as big as Albert, but with a shock of red-brown hair and a snarl that could curdle milk. He was ugly as sin as well. The other man was a blob of a man, fat like a whale, reminiscent of Viscera. His skin was so black as to almost be blue, and he was as bald as a cueball.

Scion looked across the arena at Allura and her disciples, Desire, Ogre, and Orca, and shook his head. Allura tilted her head slightly, then smiled a bit. She nudged Desire with an elbow, nodded her head toward Scion. The blond smiled as well, then produced a pair of promotional photographs. One featured Billy Rose, giving his smug little smirk to the camera, hands on his waist. The other featured the Storm, eyes glaring over his sunglasses, one fist clenched in the other. The almost demonic-looking woman nodded, and Desire sat in the seat in front of Allura, holding the pictures up to either side. The ebony-haired temptress held her hands above the pictures, thumbs to the sides. She held a thumb up over Rose, inclined her head as though considering it. She shook her head. Then she held a thumb up over the Storm. She shook her head again. She then plucked the two pictures from Desire's grasp, put them together, then tore the pictures in two. She held her hands up and let the halves fall to the floor, smiling.

It should have been impossible for Scion to see any of this, but he saw it quite clearly. The man in the monk-like robes shook his head gravely, finally breaking his eye contact with Allura and looking down at the ring as the TitanTron lit up with the history package detailing the feud between the Storm and Billy Rose.

* * *

Fade in on a dim view of the infamous structure, red flames flickering over the shot. Ominous music plays. Intercut flashes of the Cell from various angles, plus a few brief shots of the Cell's past combatants.

J.R. Jim Ross (VO): It is a perverse -- perverse, (echo) -- vile -- vile... (echo)
Jerry "The King" Lawler (VO): Satanic!
J.R. (VO): ...structure.

Cut to a shot of the Cell being constructed, flashes of the survivors -- Shawn Michaels, Undertaker, Mick Foley, Triple H -- in the crimson mask.

J.R. (VO): Custom-built for injury.

Flash of Stone Cold raking Triple H's face across the mesh. (Armageddon 2000)

J.R. (VO): (echo) Injury.

Flash of Shawn Michaels being hurled like a dart into the mesh by Undertaker. (Badd Blood 1997)

J.R. (VO): (echo) Injury.

Flash of Mankind, bloodied and unmasked, smiling that sick toothless grin as he demonstrates he's sticking his tongue through a hole in his lip, the piece of a tooth sticking out of his nose. (King of the Ring 1998)

Cut to a shot of Undertaker standing atop the Cell, looking down at one of the people he's just made famous.

Michael Cole (VO): It's over twenty feet high...

Back to a variant of the first sequence, with the flickering flames and flashes of the Cell and its survivors.

J.R. (VO): The most ominous structure ever erected.

Flash of all the various combatants in the crimson mask, grimacing in pain, then back to the Cell shot.

J.R. (VO): The pain that these two men are about to endure is inhuman.
Lawler (VO): This truly is Hell in a Cell!
Cole (VO): Hell in a Cell.

The music swells as we play a montage of clips from the Cell matches, featuring the downright brutality of them, with people being thrown into the mesh and brutalized:

Michaels v. Undertaker - Badd Blood `97
Mankind v. Undertaker - King of the Ring `99
Cactus Jack v. Triple H - No Way Out `00
Triple H v. Stone Cold v. The Rock v. Rikishi v. Undertaker v. Kurt Angle - Armageddon `00

Among the highlights are Taker torpedoing HBK into the mesh, HBK falling off the side through the announce table, all of Mick Foley's big bumps (off the top, the infamous chokeslam through the cage, the backdrop through the cage and through the mat), Rikishi's bump off the top, gradually building to a sort of climax as Cactus Jack holds aloft a flaming 2x4 wrapped in barbed wire. Shift to the ominous shot of the Cell again as the music crescendos.

Cut to a shot in the ring on Smackdown, as The Storm speaks. Intercut shots of what he speaks of, as well as shots of Billy Rose, who stands on the ramp as The Storm speaks.

The Storm: Billy, we've been beating the hell out of each other from the moment we met in CIW! (Medium-quality (CIW) clip of Matthew Skinner and Billy Rose brawling) We've beaten the hell out of each other in the ring! (Clips of their KOTR match, their Fully Loaded match, and more CIW clips) We've beaten the hell out of each other in the back! (Clip of The Storm ambushing Rose in the VIP room) We've beaten the hell out of each other in the street -- (CIW clip of Skinner and Rose brawling on top of a car hood) -- in the hotels -- (CIW clip of Skinner and Rose doing that, as well as a shot of The Storm and Rose brawling in a hotel hallway) -- even in the goddamn hospital! (Clip of nurses and orderlies holding The Storm and Rose apart) Well, it's time to end this, Billy. I'm gonna send you to Hell!

Close-up of The Storm's face.

The Storm: -- in a Cell!

Reaction shot of Rose.

Billy Rose: You're outta your f{mute}in' mind!
The Storm: What's-a matter, Billy, you scared?
Rose: You got yourself a match. I'm gonna break you down and send you to your grave!

Music begins to play, a heavily amped-up metal remix of AC\DC's "Highway to Hell." Clip of one of those famous "epic staredowns" between the two, then of the two brawling in the middle of the ring.

J.R. (VO): The animosity between these two men outshadows anything seen.
Lawler (VO): This is full-out hatred!

Shot of Rose directing Brick to "break" the Storm. Repeated shots of both WWF and CIW footage, of Rose causing disqualifications, interfering, cheating, and periodic shots of Rose hitting his smug smirk pose.

The Storm (VO): I hate the bastard. He's had this coming for seven damn years.

Clip from CIW of Rose clobbering Victor E. with the CIW Championship belt, then assisting Sammy Best in winning.

The Storm (VO) (con't): I'm not just doing this for me, but for every single person he's screwed over in his career.

Clip of Rose attacking Kane with the WWF title belt, then leaving through the crowd.

The Storm (VO) (con't): Someone's gotta take him down a peg.

Clip of the Storm returning after the Street Fight, standing on the stage while his pyros go off around him.

The Storm (VO) (con't): And that someone's gonna be me.

Clip of Rhino attacking Triple H and kidnapping Stephanie and stealing the WWF title. Clip of Rose with the belt around his waist while walking to the ring, smirking.

Billy Rose (VO): I do what I want, when I want.

Clip of Rose delivering Brain Damage to various people, repeated shots of the Deathride from the TitanTron, of the Storm getting Brain Damage onto a chair, of Viper getting Brain Damage twice.

Billy Rose (VO) (con't): You try to screw me, and I'll kill what few brain cells you've got left.

Clip of Rose deftly turning and clobbering the Storm with a steel chair as he runs in.

Billy Rose (VO) (con't): I'm smarter than you.

Clip of Rose smirking at Mick Foley. Clip of Rose menacing Kevin Kelly, directing Brick to attack someone.

Billy Rose (VO): Triple H claims to be the king of mind games, heh, not anymore.

Clip of Rose standing over a semi-conscious Rain, attacking Undertaker with a steel chair, menacing Stephanie.

Billy Rose (VO): I'm not a prick bastard…I just don't care.

Now the "Highway to Hell" remix reaches a climax, with clips of Rose, hitting his pose in the ring and smirking at the audience, clashing with clips of the Storm, staring at the construction of the Cell.

Billy Rose (VO): You're gonna f{mute}in' die, Storm. I'm not just gonna give you Brain Damage, I'll break your freakin' skull in!

The Storm (VO): Billy, I'm giving you notice, because when you face me at Hell in a Cell--

Clip from CIW of Matthew Skinner delivering the Unsurvivable Driver.

The Storm (VO) (con't): --you won't be dealing with just a survivor--

Clip from CIW of Skinner, clad as "the Storm" and standing with Allura, attacking Rose from behind.

The Storm (VO) (con't): --you won't be dealing with Matthew Skinner--

Clip of the Storm whaling on Rhino, then of the Storm poised to deliver the Deathride to Billy from the top rope.

The Storm (VO) (con't): --you'll be dealing with one unstoppable Force of Nature!

Side-by-side facial shots of the Storm and Rose, with the Cell mesh superimposed over their faces.

The Storm (VO) (con't): And that.. is your Storm Warning!

Music Vox: (singing, approaching end) ... on the hi-i-i-ighway to Hell.

-to be concluded-

Next: Now is the time. An epic confrontation seven years coming. Egos will collide, vengeance will be had, and blood will be spilled. All this and more when the Storm and Billy Rose "Unleash Hell... in the Cell."

Afterword: If you have any ideas for who you think the Storm, Rain, Zed & Zeta, Brick or Billy Rose should team up with or go up against, drop me a line at jay_winger_2k@hotmail.com.