Chapter 2~"The Brothers Converse"

	Undertaker winced suddenly and squeezed his eyes shut,
nearly falling out of the throne he was sitting in.  "Master...?" a voice
spoke up, and he opened his eyes to see Mideon standing there, blinking
unsurely.  Mideon was the only one with him right now...the others
were out gathering forces.
	"It's Kane..." Undertaker said gruffly, shutting his eyes again.
"He wants me to open our mind link and talk to him."
	"Are you going to?"
	"I'd rather not."  Yet even as the Undertaker spoke, he
knew that he would give in before his little brother did...the fool had
more stubborness than an entire pack of mules sometimes.  "But I'm
going to see if perhaps I can coerce him..."  Undertaker smiled as a
plan took shape in his mind.  "I haven't had this sort of contact with
him in almost a year...he must be very desperate to know what I am
planning."
	"You're going to try for his mind?"
	Mideon sounded a little uncertain.  It disgusted the Undertaker
when he was this way...he was too much like Kane's toothpick pal
X-Pac when he made that face.  "Yes, I think that things would go
very well for us if my dear brother could be convinced to come back
to our side."  He closed his eyes again, trying to sense as much as
he could about his brother's position before actually opening his end
of the channel.  "He's with the toothpick...and a lot of others...the
goody-two shoes, all of them."  He then sighed, readying himself for
the leap into his brother's mind.  "If the others come, let them know
what I am doing."
	"Yes, sir...came the muted answer.

	Kane felt a sort of pop in his head, and gasped suddenly.
He instantly felt X-Pac's hands gripping his arm.  "Kane?  You all right,
man, what's going on?!"
	"F-fine..." Kane said slowly.  "Brother's o-opening the...
ch-channel..."
	"X-Pac, talk to him," Vince said, sitting on Kane's other side
while Mankind crouched in front of him, looking up at his friend un-
certainly.  "As long as he can hear your voice, he'll have a fixed point
to return to if the Undertaker should try to grab hold of his mind."
	"All right..." X-Pac said unsurely, looking at Kane, who had
his eyes shut and was weaving back and forth as though he would
fall on the floor.
	"I'll...be...right...back..." Kane said, sounding about half-
stoned, and then his body went rigid, and his breath went from deep,
fast gulps to slow, shallow inhalations.  The air in the room seemed
to grow cold, and the lights in their fixtures flickered briefly-a few of
them even winking out.
	"This really is c-creeping me out..." Linda McMahon said,
hugging her husband's arm and putting her other arm around her son's
shoulders.  Shane, she felt, was trembling just a bit, and she squeezed
his shoulders, trying to reassure him.  He looked at her gratefully and
smiled, and she winked, then looked back as X-Pac started to speak
to Kane, trying to give him a reference point as her husband had suggested.

	Kane was standing on nothing, surrounded almost entirely
by blackness.  He felt nothing under his feet, nothing around him...
there was nothing to feel.  He put his arms out to either side
and moved them, curious as usual about what was going on-but he
saw his brother starting to materialize in front of him, and put his hands
in front of him, as a sort of red shield formed in front of his face, blocking
off some of his view.  It was a pretty flimsy defense against his brother's
tricks, but it was the best he had been able to create...it would have
to do.  He watched warily as his brother finished appearing, and stood
there in his combat outfit, arms crossed impatiently.
	(What do you want, little brother?) his voice said, though
his mouth didn't move.  Here, in their mind channel, their communication
wasn't really speech as much as it was telepathy...both of them just
sending and receiving the other's thoughts as they came.  Even as
his brother's words came, Kane caught his other thoughts...his plans
and his reasoning...and his intention of trying to catch hold of his little
brother's mind.  Kane held up his shield even more warily.  Just
don't look at his eyes...he thought to himself.  Just keep your
gaze out of his eyes.
	(I want to know why you brought Sean's sister into this mess.)
Except that it was quite pointless...he already knew everything, and
Undertaker knew everything about why he was here.  Of course,
Kane merely wanted to hear his brother's own version of it...
although he should've just gotten up and left, he wanted to hear.
	(Because she has power.  I wanted her to join me and give
that power to me.)
	(Power...?)
	(Like us,) Undertaker said impatiently, waving one arm slightly.
(She has superhuman abilities.  Nothing too dramatic yet, but once
I've finished training her, then she will be as unstoppable as I am.)
He smiled.  (In fact, I'm a bit interested in getting hold of the toothpick
as well.  If she has such incredible power, I'm sure that he must have
something, too.)
	Kane falt a flicker of rage, but he kept his shield level, staring
at the back of it-anywhere but at his brother's hateful eyes!
	(I could just wait for him...I could get Show to follow him
a while.  You can protect him when you're with him, but you can't be
with him every second.)  He sensed rather than saw his brother's smile
this time...Kane no longer dared even look at his face.  (I know what
I could do to get him onto my side...)
	Kane sensed it all-a nightmarish form of the plot going through
his brother's mind.  He saw X-Pac, standing in the middle of the ring,
closely flanked by himself and the New Age Outlaws.  Suddenly, a
huge, gloved hand swept in and wiped Road Dogg and Billy Gunn
out of sight as though they were merely drawings.  Then, there was
a red glow, and Kane saw his mirror image's eyes grow hard and cold.
The girl Asdamia entered the ring, and attacked X-Pac with a flourish
of dark power and fire, and he began to cry out for help...but Kane
saw himself stepping backwards, leaving his friend alone at his sister's
hands...
	(NOOO!) Kane gasped out, thrusting the shield up again.
The scene had been a trick-the Undertaker had no such intentions
at all...but as Kane had watched the scene, his shield had begun to
slowly slip down, exposing his eyes to his brother's...he had almost
fallen for it.
	(Hmph.)  He sensed the Undertaker's annoyance, but that
was all-he wasn't through playing tricks yet.  Kane found himself powerless
to go...he couldn't leave before he disintegrated his shield, and if he
did that, his brother would capitalize.  Besides...he still was curious.
He wondered what his brother's limits were...if there was a place where
he could no longer try to take over his mind.  The knowledge would
be very helpful in the future...especially if he ever had to use his mind
channel again.
	But, now the Undertaker knew what he was doing.  Kane
sensed his brother easing up on his powers...he wasn't willing to reveal
his limits.  (You are wiser than your years, little brother,) his voice came
grudgingly.  (I never thought that you would actually develop a plan
to try and outsmart me.  Leaving yourself vulnerable to try and test
me is something that requires more brains than I thought you had.)
	Kane was aware that, in his own twisted fashion, the Undertaker
had just paid him a compliment.  He shrugged a little, though not lower-
ing his shield an inch.  Just because his brother was taking his foot
off the gas pedal didn't mean he wouldn't jam it right back on the second
that Kane's guard relaxed any.
	(I just want you to leave me and my friends alone,) Kane said.
	(I would, if you would rejoin me.)  Kane felt heat against
the front of his shield, and knew that his brother was already trying
to get at him again.  He must really be desperate to get me on his
side, Kane thought.  He's never been this quick or ruthless
before.
	(If I joined you, you wouldn't hurt my friends...I would!)
	He heard his brother's curse, and smiled inwardly.  Now
he's really mad.  He's not used to me standing up to him like this.  He's
used to baby brother just going along with him, without complaint-
	(YOU THINK THAT I GIVE A DAMN ABOUT YOU!?!?) the
Undertaker suddenly bellowed, his voice so enraged that Kane nearly
dropped his shield.  (YOU THINK THAT I CARE IF YOU STAY WITH
THOSE DAMNED HUMANS AND GET YOURSELF KILLED?!?!  I
DON'T, KANE, SO DON'T YOU THINK FOR A SECOND THAT I'M
GONNA GO EASY ON YOU!!!)
	Kane was trembling as his brother continued to vent.  Now
I've done it...he thought, squeezing his eyes shut.  The last time
that his brother had been this angry at him, he had tried to finish the
burning that he had started as a boy.  When that had failed, though,
he had gone on to the next target...X-Pac.
	He continued to hold up the shield, backing away a little
bit, but he didn't feel Undertaker coming after him.  In fact, he didn't
even feel his part of the channel anymore.  Had he left?  Kane lowered
his shield a little and looked out, wondering how he had left so quickly-
	-and his gaze was caught by a pair of glowing red orbs,
which bored holes through his retinas and straight into his being.  (Oh,
God!) he gasped, dropping his shield, which dissolved into nothing
as soon as it left his grip.
	(I don't think that He can help you...) came the Undertaker's
smug voice.  (Now you belong to me, little brother.  And don't think
for a second that I'm going to go easy on you this time.)
	Kane struggled to break his gaze from that of his brother's,
but it was like he was being sucked into the gaping maw of his sibling's
evil.  He felt his dark power starting to boil up, and struggled to squelch
it, to keep from being drawn back into it's grip.
	(Remember darkness...) his brother's voice began.  (Murder,
burning hatred, destruction...)
	(No!) he fought back.  (Love, healing, friendship, humanity!)
	~Kane!  Kane, what's wrong?!~
	Undertaker's head swiveled about at the unknown voice,
breaking the gaze, and Kane staggered backwards, one hand going
right over his eyes.  He turned away quickly, refusing to meet his brother's
sight again.
	Sean...he mentally sighed.  Thank the lord for
him...
	(Damnit!)  Kane no longer cared to test the mettle of his
brother's power, and was starting to pull his part of the channel shut.
(Kane!  You can't escape forever!  One of these days, Kane, I swear
that you'll belong to me again!)
	(Not very damn likely,) Kane shot back.  While he wouldn't
turn himself back to face his brother, he did something he had seen
Stone Cold do a million times and had always wanted to try-he put
both of his hands behind his back and raised both middle fingers, laughing
at his brother's rage as he vanished from the bond.
	That wasn't a very smart thing to do, one part of his
mind said.
	No, another part agreed, but it sure did feel good.

	X-Pac looked at Kane nervously, hardly registering that the
others in the room were sitting as still as he was.  He didn't care about
any of them right now, though...his attention was focused purely on
his friend.  He thought that something was wrong...he had been calling
Kane's name for nearly five minutes, and yet he was still not answering.
He was just sitting there, in the same position that he had been in for
the past 15 minutes.
	"Does it-?" Stephanie started to speak, and the sudden
sound made everyone jump about 10 feet straight up.  They all glared
at her, and, blushing, she finished her question.  "Does it normally
take him this long, Dad?"
	Vince shrugged, sighing.  "I'm not sure what would be normal.
When he did it for me, it was over in a matter of seconds, but that
was because his mind had already been taken by his brother.  If it's
taking this long, at least we know that he's still in control of himself."
	Edge and Christian were looking at each other uncertainly,
and then, both did the traditional paper-scissors-rock motion.  Edge
brought up paper, and Christian had scissors.  Sighing, Edge looked
up at them.  "There's a bad feeling coming up," he said.  "We're not
sure exactly if it's the Undertaker...but it's starting to radiate from Kane."
	X-Pac blinked at them, mouth hanging open.  The others
were also open-mouthed, staring at the two brothers on the floor.  "You
guys have powers, too?!"
	Edge was about to answer, but he and Christian suddenly
jerked as though bitten, a horrified look crossing their faces at the
same time-and Kane started to moan weakly, his body twitching spora-
dically.  Vince gasped and backed up a little.  "It's like before!" he
yelled.
	X-Pac looked up at his friend's face, and reached out, touching
his arm.  "Kane!  Kane, what's wrong?!" he cried, shaking him a bit.
Almost instantly, Kane was silent again, and Edge and Christian relaxed
as well.
	"It's all right," Christian said softly.  "He's okay now."
	X-Pac sighed, and sat on the bench next to Kane again.  He
started to say something, but then Kane stirred somewhat and opened
his eyes, looking a little disoriented.
	"Kane?" X-Pac asked, putting a tenative hand on his friend's
shoulder.  "Are you okay, big guy?"
	Kane tilted his head, looking at X-Pac as though to decide
who he was, then his eyes seemed to clear out, and he nodded.  He
then looked up, and saw the others all staring at him.
	"Well?  Did you discover his purpose?" Vince asked, as
anxious as any of the rest.
	"Yes..." Kane said, bowing his head.  "He wants...your spot..."
	"My spot...oh, I get it.  Another one of his takeover bids.
Well, he's not getting it!" Vince said firmly, shaking his fist.
	"He will...if he can...convert...enough people..."
	"What do you mean by that?" Stevie asked, looking at Al
Snow uncertainly as the other man seemed to be...listening...
intently to Head.
	Kane held out a hand, pointing at the list, and Road Dogg
got it and brought it to him.  Kane's throat was beginning to get a bit
sore from all the talking, so he held the paper and pointed out names
to X-Pac.
	"The Acolytes...Gangrel... the Hollies..." X-Pac read, as
Kane pointed to each name.  "Boss Man...the Hardy boys..."  X-Pac
was suddenly jolted, and looked up at Kane.  "Are you saying that
these are people that Taker's already gotten to work with him?!"
	Kane nodded, and handed the list back to Road Dogg,
who took it-but his hand was shaking so badly that the paper was
rattling.  He held it out to Kane as he pointed at the names on the
list, silently counting along, and when Kane signaled that he had shown
them all, Road Dogg's eyes were almost out of his head.  "T-that's...
that's 13 people!!  In one night, he's gained eight allies!!!"
	"Who is it?" Shane asked, saying the first thing since he
and his family arrived in the locker room.  "Who all is on his side now?"
	Road Dogg held the paper out to Kane to show him the
names again.  "Undertaker, Big Show, Asdamia, Viscera, Mideon,
the Acolytes, Gangrel and the Hardy boys, the Hollies, and the Big
Boss Man," he said, brushing at his dreadlocks distractedly.
	Vince looked absolutely stunned at the whole mess.  "All
of them...Kane, are you sure?"
	Kane swallowed and tried to talk, but his throat was dry,
and he couldn't speak well.  He also felt a little shaky and weak...he
supposed it was just a delayed reaction to what had just transpired
in the mind channel.  He leaned against the wall behind the bench
and put a hand over his eyes, sighing deeply.
	"Get some water," he heard X-Pac saying, and Kane opened
his eyes to look at his friend.  X-Pac was looking at him in concern,
and Kane felt his hands gripping his arm still.  "Are you all right, dude?
Edge and Christian were getting a little freaked, and then you started
groaning like you were hurting...did your bro try something?"
	Kane merely nodded once, as he felt something in his hand,
and looked up to see Debra putting a plastic cup of water in his hand.
He smiled gratefully behind his mask, but shook his head no.  X-Pac
understood why-he had to take off his mask to drink, and with the
exceptions of Mankind, Steve Austin, and himself, none of the others
had ever seen his face...and he wasn't about to show it off now.
	"Well," Vince was saying, assuming the role of leader as
best he could under the circumstances, "-I think this is going to be
something bigger than all of us...there are forces at work here-," he
looked at Edge and Christian, but only for an instant, "-that I don't
understand at all, and we all know that the Undertaker is a very dangerous
foe...as are almost all of these others.  I can't suspend them...it wouldn't
do any good anyway.  The Undertaker actually is still sus-
pended, but there's nothing we can do.  He can't be removed that
way."
	"Are you saying that the only way to beat him is to fight?"
Billy Gunn demanded.  "We have to do exactly what he wants
us to do?!?"
	"I'm afraid that he's got a point," Steve said, grimacing.  "Much
as I hate to agree with this s.o.b. about anything, I have to admit it
when he's right, and, boys, he's right."
	"That's it, we're dead..." Al Snow said.  He held Head up
in the air, looking into the thing's eyes, and he started humming Dude
Love's theme, swinging the head around.
	"Stop that, you raving psychopath!" Rocky said, bonking
Al in the head.  "You're making the Rock sick to his stomach!"
	Al looked at Rocky, wide-eyed, but settled Head back into
the crook of his arm and was quiet.  The others had barely even noticed
the distraction, but all were worried and quiet.
	"Well..." X-Pac said finally, standing up.  "This is almost
over, and I'm not sure about the rest of you, but I could really use a
good night's sleep right now.  Let's all get out of this place and get
to the hotel...we can strategize some more tomorrow."
	"No one-," Vince said loudly, as the others started to shift
about, "No one go anywhere alone tonight!  If the Undertaker is on
the prowl, he'll be looking for ways to take out some of our numbers.
If you've got a single room, at least lock your doors up good and tight!"
	With that, he took his wife's hand, put an arm around his
son's shoulders, and led them, followed closely by Test and Stephanie,
out of the dressing room.  The others all broke into little sub-
groups as well-Debra walked out with Steve, Edge and Christian crept
out together, and Al Snow and Stevie Richards followed the Rock
and Mankind out.  This left the Outlaws, Kane, and X-Pac behind
in the dressing room, and the four of them were completely silent.
	"I guess bar-hopping is out of the question tonight," Road
Dogg finally said.

	The Undertaker emerged from his trance-like state, and
Mideon was about to ask how it had gone, but froze when he saw
his master's face.  It was twisted with rage, and Mideon sensed that
the last thing he wanted to do right now was speak.
	"That little WRETCH!!!" Undertaker bellowed, leaping
out of his chair and smashing his foot into some trash cans by the wall.
He then picked one up and chunked it blindly, and Mideon barely
avoided being slammed in the head.  "That damned little urchin
X-Pac!!  I swear by all that is unholy, I am going to drown him in his
own blood!!"
	So, things didn't go so well, eh? Mideon mused, but
he didn't dare give that question voice.  Even thinking it was going
too far when the Undertaker's powers were heightened-Mideon could
see his gaze swivel about as soon as he had thought it.  He cringed,
expecting punishment, but the Undertaker simply turned away from
him, pressing one fist into the wall.
	"All of those others would join me..." he said, his low, calm
voice scaring Mideon even more than his enraged shouting had.  "All
of them, with no reason to help me, complete strangers to me, would
agree to work with me for just a chance at revenge...but because
of a single scrawny human, my brother, my own flesh and blood,
will not join me.  Well, we know what to do about that, don't we, my
pupil?"
	Mideon fought to keep the tremor out of his voice as he
answered-and failed.  "S-sir...?"
	"Get Viscera and Asdamia...and the Acolytes.  He'll be with
his friends.  I don't care how you do it, Mideon, but I want that little
brat dead, and I want him dead tonight."
	Dead?! Mideon thought, but he said nothing, he
merely nodded and left, going to do as he was ordered.  Kill X-Pac?
I don't know about that...I've beaten him up plenty of times before,
but beating up and killing somebody are two totally different things!
Mideon threw those thoughts out of his head at once...he couldn't
afford to have a conscience now!  He had to do what his master wanted,
and that was it.
	But to kill...!