Mustang, Nepal – Now
The figure in the darkness moved silently and
with a desire for justice burning in his veins. It had been
years since the war that he had helped create. Now he was
determined to rebuild what he had destroyed in Mustang.
Determined to take back what he considered his.
So quietly he moved among the storefronts that
he had so freely raided in building his first attempt at
perfect society. But for some reason tonight seemed very
different. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but somehow he
didn’t quite feel whole.
As he dismissed the idea from his mind and set
about his task of taking what he needed from the open stores
the need to gloat overtook him. “If only they had listened
before. If only they had taken my warnings seriously. . .There
would be no doubt that I was right. But NO! Everyone had to
think they knew better than me. No one believed that my
Rattlesnake was out of control and overly egotistical. If they
only realized what they still provide a safe harbor to.”
The figure moved into the light and found he was
standing face to face with the one man who had been his worst
enemy during the great wars. Only then did Paul Levesque
understand that he was not going to be able to accomplish this
alone. Only when faced with the gruesome countenance of the
Undertaker did he truly comprehend that he was only a pawn in
something much greater. As the unwavering gaze of the
statuesque Rock looked down on the two of them in the
darkness, he smiled. Levesque knew that he would win the real
war. Not the meaningless battles that had been raged thus far.
****************
Washington, DC – The Following Morning
Barry Buchanan left the Senate floor feeling
better than he had in a very long time. For some reason he
felt that this time there was nothing that would stop the
legislation creating a federally funded version of the World
Hero Federation to be developed to help combat the evil in the
country. Barry had become a respected member of the speaking
assembly in recent months. Very few on the Senate floor would
oppose his views once he was given the opportunity to express
them openly. But this was the first time that he had need of
his allies in determining the outcome of a vote on a bill he
proposed.
As Barry walked through the halls towards the
front steps of the Capitol building where he had just
addressed a joint session of Congress, he suddenly felt
elated. For no reason, and though the vote was not until
tomorrow, he simply knew already that he had won and the World
Hero Federation would be rebuilt. How he knew, Barry Buchanan
would never know. He just knew. It was a bit disconcerting,
but not so much as when he walked through the doors and smack
dab into the most notorious criminal ever to have roamed
freely in the United States.
Steven Williams was a free man for one simple
reason. He was deemed innocent due to evidence of mind control
having been exerted over him. But for some odd reason, there
were still many who felt that he was just a weak mind to begin
with. Yet when he bumped into Barry Buchanan, he did not meet
with the normal hatred that seemed to follow him everywhere.
It was refreshing to Steve and he made a point of thanking
Barry before heading into the building to do what Barry had
just finished doing. As he approached the doors he heard Barry
say something to him.
“What?”
“I said, don’t let them get to you Steve. They
know all about my past,” Barry replied, “And they still have
accepted me completely.”
Not that it helped Steve’s mood much, but
Barry’s words were encouraging nonetheless. With a newfound
spring to his step, Steve entered the Capitol Building to
address the joint session of Congress and put on a smile.
****************
New York, New York – That Same Day
Lane Huffman found himself wandering around the
outside of the Madison Square Garden once again. He couldn’t
explain why, but ever since he came to the Big Apple, he had
found himself somehow drawn to the Garden as though it was a
part of him that was missing. Whenever he left the Garden he
felt empty, and when he returned there he felt full again.
But today was different. Today, Lane had managed
to get himself on a special tour of the arena with no one but
the janitors in the building. No special events or any of
those annoying distractions. Just himself and one of the
concessions workers to explore the building and look to find
the best shortcuts in the place. And Lane liked it that way.
Finally a chance to see what was drawing him here.
As he walked through the quiet anteway into the
area the made up what was the location of to what was the
basketball court, he felt an eerie draw to center court.
Making his way into the center court circle he was astonished
to find himself being transported down into the depths of the
building. Then Lane was alone with the remains of the World
Hero Federation central meeting chamber. Lane knew he had
arrived.
“Suuuuuuccccckkkkkkkkkaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!” He
shouted into the darkness and no one in general.
****************
Montreal, Quebec, Canada – That Night
Rob Van Dam had been through so much since the
day that he had met Bret Hart, the legendary Hitman. But
nothing was anywhere near the turmoil Rob now felt inside. His
constant nonchalant attitude had continuously infuriated
Hitman. This was the one time that the Hitman would have been
proud though as Rob now showed the desire that the Hitman had
been trying for years to drill into him.
Rob scarcely paid any attention to what was
going on around him as he quietly headed back to his hotel
room. Although if he had, he might have been a little less
surprised when the enigmatic Dreamer appeared almost out of
thin air at the foot of his bed. But Rob had other things on
his mind. Dreamer stood over Rob for almost an hour until
finally he couldn’t take the wait anymore.
“Rob. . .”
“Dreamer? Where did you come from, dude?”
“I’ve been here for the past hour,” Dreamer
began. “But you must be really deep in thought if you didn’t
even see me here. Beside the point though. I have something
you might be interested in. Information mostly. Information
and a little bit of hearsay. Seems that there have been some
very questionable insurance claims in Mustang, Nepal recently.
The companies are finding it hard to believe that the same
type of equipment has been stolen from the same shops twice
within ten years. In fact, the last I heard, there was even a
sighting of Rock out that way.”
This definitely had Rob’s attention. Rock had
been the one who put Hitman into a coma, and Rob wanted
retribution. Rob wanted some sort of judgement day for the one
who put Hitman in his comatose state. And Rob left the hotel
room with Dreamer, not caring where they were headed so long
as he could get his hands on Rock.
****************
Minneapolis, MN – That Same Night
Brock had been told that the darkest part of the
night was right before the dawn. He knew better though. After
having watched over the town for several months, Brock knew
that the darkest part of the night was just after two in the
morning. Not because of the drunks leaving the bars, but
because the commotion that they caused hid what was going on
in the shadows.
Tonight was different somehow. Tonight BrockBerg
kept running into the same two hoodlums almost everywhere that
he went. No matter how often BrockBerg stayed behind and
watched as the police picked them up, within five minutes they
seemed to be back out on the street and up to mischief again.
But BrockBerg found that his patience with this evening was
wearing thin. And he knew that as soon as he was able to get
his hands on these two again, he would find out just how they
were managing to get out of trouble quicker than they could
get into it.
Sure enough, BrockBerg found himself at the door
of a prominent nightclub that was featuring some stuntmen
performing comic book adaptations of what could only be termed
‘wrestlers.’ BrockBerg found it funny and yet highly
intriguing that each of the performers seemed to try to
emulate one of the greatest heroes of the World Hero
Federation with their costumes. Then it happened.
BrockBerg spotted the two men he had come in
looking for over in a corner chatting quietly between
themselves. One looked up and saw BrockBerg and immediately
pointed him out to the other one. But surprisingly neither one
made a break for the door. BrockBerg slowly approached the
duo. That’s when it happened. The room seemed to shift just a
slight bit and then when his eyes refocused, BrockBerg found
himself atop the Skydome in Toronto.
****************
Madison Square Garden, New York, New York –
The Following Morning
Lane sat in the bowels of the great sporting
arena in silence. It was rare for Lane to feel reverent to the
point of speechlessness, but this was a rarer occasion. Lane
had found it. Lane had found the lost home of the World Hero
Federation. But in the darkness Lane began to sense that he
was not alone.
As Edge moved silently among the rubble, he
could feel that there was another person there with him.
Somewhere in the darkness someone else was here amongst the
rubble of the World Hero Federation headquarters. He wasn’t
sure who it was, or how they got there for that matter. But
one thing was for certain, Edge was not about to let this
desecration go unpunished. Edge had become a member of the
Federation during its darkest days and had stayed through its
end. Even as the building crumbled beneath his feet now, Edge
felt that this was just as much his home as Toronto had been
for the majority of his life.
Lane could almost make out the shape of the
other person who had come to this sacred spot. The long hair
had begun to come into view, as did the wide smile. “Now that
could only be one person,” Lane found himself saying into the
darkness. “One person who is definitely not a sucka.”
“Lane? Lane Huffman? What on earth are you doing
here? I thought that you were down in Texas taking over after
the loss of that redneck Bradshaw.”
“Well, Edge,” Lane began, “You see it’s like
this. . . I felt something drawing me here. I can’t explain
what it was, but something told me to come here and find the
remains of this place.”
As Edge pondered what Lane was saying, he
noticed something out of the corner of his eye. After a few
years of trying to understand what that meant, he knew now
that the two of them were being watched. Watched by a power
greater than either of them and that they would be safe for
the time being. Then Edge noticed something else. Something
that resembled an old friend, now long gone.
“Lane, help me with this. If it’s what I think
it is,” Edge called to Lane, “Then we have someplace else we
need to be.”
****************
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – That night
General Vincent K. McMahon had been one of the
best military minds in the world, but he was no where to be
found anymore. His protégé, AngleMan, had been killed during
the Great War. And the city of Pittsburgh was nothing like
what it had once been. But the people still held hope in their
hearts as the remains of AngleMan had never been found. So
hope was kept alive that someday AngleMan would return and all
would be well.
Hope sprang eternal in Pittsburgh. Until this
night.
As Edge entered the city he was greeted by
dozens of people who all held hope that he would bring news
that AngleMan was indeed alive. Every time someone asked, Edge
would wince in pain at the memory of how AngleMan had given
his life to help others escape WHF Headquarters to continue to
fight Levesque. Edge continued to hold his head up high as
AngleMan had taught him to once upon a time.
Then Edge and Lane laid AngleMan’s remains to
rest at the base of the only statue in the park near the
junction of the three rivers near the center of town. And the
entire city wept.
****************
Mustang, Nepal – That Same Night
In the darkness he moved very quietly. Keeping
watch over what was going on was not a daunting task, but
rather an interesting one.
But it was still a very difficult one for Rob
Van Dam to undertake without a very large amount of
self-control. Still he managed to do it, barely. As the
darkness wore on he found himself wishing that he had someone
with him to pass the time. Hitman usually followed along on
these types of operations, just to be some sort of company
during the long parts of the night. Now, Rob was alone. As he
looked on into the night, Rob could make out the shape of the
statue of Rock, frozen in time awaiting the return of the
spirit of Rock to awaken the stone body.
Below him, Rob could see the robed, hooded
figure roaming the streets. And he knew what the figure was in
search of. But Rob also knew something that the figure didn’t.
The item that the figure was looking for wasn’t there anymore.
As Rob looked at the orb in his hand, he wondered what had
possessed him to pick it up. Now, as he watched the figure
below running from building to building in disgust, he knew
that there was more to the orb he now held than he could ever
imagine.
As the figure below drew upon the last
storefront, Rob knew that it was time to move out before there
would be any sort of confrontation. But his curiosity still
had a hold on him and Rob decided it would be best to follow
the figure to wherever it was headed. If for nothing else, but
to get a feel for the landscape. Rob knew that it might come
in handy later on and wanted to be very familiar with what
might lay ahead of him.
“No more mistakes that could cause me to lose
another friend,” Rob muttered.
****************
Nagano, Japan – During the Past Few Days
In his field of view he began seeing a rundown
of the current status of the upgrade. Operating system online.
Diagnostic system running. Unknown file, view? Subconsciously
he thought yes and the memory began to flood back. . . .
Amy was there. He had been so proud that she
came out to see his progress. He was in the process of
building this house as part of their shared dream. Suddenly he
heard the cracking of the beam under the stress of the
structure he was currently working on. He had just enough time
to push Amy out from underneath it. As his memory showed a
black space, he noticed a thought he didn’t even realize was
there. ‘Why didn’t I brace that beam until I had the second
support on it? Was I that excited?”
System overload, file error. Blackness filled
his view.
Technicians worked feverishly for hours on end
to determine what caused the system failure when the memory
developed. While several designers marveled at the fact that
the memory became available as a normal file format for the
new operating system that they had designed. No one could have
expected the sudden system failure or the cause, but the
results were more than encouraging. In fact, the results were
downright amazing. Somehow the multi-functional chip set
managed to access Matthew Hardy’s memories and proceeded to
incorporate them into a file format that would allow him
faster access to them.
His view returned. Again, the operating system
online notice. Another system diagnostic running. Another
unrecognized file found. “View,” Matt said aloud to the
surprise of everyone in the room. Another memory began to fill
his view.
The technicians and designers all watched in awe
as his memory filled the view screen. This memory was that of
the last sight Matthew had of Amy before he became comatose at
the scene of the accident. One of the technicians commented
that this might have been what caused him to go into the
comatose state prior to his contacting the doctors to set up
this implantation process.
Matthew watched in horror, pinned beneath the
support beam that had fallen on him he could not move to even
try to save Amy from the twist of fate that awaited her. He
watched as she took off running towards her car in an attempt
to get to her cell phone and call for help. A split second
after she stepped out into the street, Amy was hit by a BMW A
series car moving at nearly double the speed limit. Matthew
screamed out in pain as he watched the car speed off, leaving
his beloved Amy lying in a pool of her own blood.
The system failed again. This time the designers
and technicians decided that the memories that were causing
the failures should be locked off from the operating system
and not be made available to Matthew in that manner. They
would make certain that he would still have access to the
memories that seemed to be so powerful that they were the
first ones found by the system. So back to work on a new
operating system design went the designers.
****************
Philadelphia, PA – Currently
He sat in the darkness of what once was the
headquarters of a small band of heroes who fought for justice
in the city. He sat in silence and stared at the emptiness of
the building. Extreme Justice had been disbanded when Dreamer
left and Rob Van Dam lost his edge. After that, the team just
fell apart. Yet for some reason, the entity that was only
known as Raven still found himself sitting in the darkness of
the Extreme Justice headquarters.
“What about me?” He said into the darkness. And
although he knew there would be no reply, he continued to talk
to no one. “What about Raven? What will I do now that there is
no more Extreme Justice? Where do I belong?”
As he pondered what he could do, his mind began
to wander back to an easier time. A time when he was known as
Scott Levy. A simple man who had been working as a comic book
artist and writer for the HHH label and brand. He had created
the character of Raven. In the darkness he laughed at the
irony. At the time he thought that having a wrestler named
Raven headline a comic was the greatest thing he had ever
accomplished. Then he was invited to meet Paul Levesque
himself. Meeting the owner of the company you worked for made
it worth more to continue the comic.
But the meeting had left him a changed man
forever. Several days after having met with Mr. Levesque,
Scott found himself making things simply disappear. At first
he was amazed, but then when he hugged his sister and she
disappeared, he broke down. Asking for a meeting with Levesque
to ask if there was anything that could be done to stop it, he
found that Levesque was very evasive about what might have
caused it. But the truth would come out later that the genetic
material to do this was in him all along, Levesque just helped
to bring it out through a mutagenic that he gave to Scott Levy
at that fateful meeting.
Scott Levy was no more though. Only Raven
remained. And he knew that it was time to move on. So he left
the headquarters of Extreme Justice and went out into the
night. Now if he only knew where he was going.
****************
Calgary, Alberta, Canada – Now
Lance Evers knew that his time was long since
gone. He had fought alongside some of the greatest heroes of
all time and yet he found himself completely without
direction. But the man who had called himself Storm was alone
and had no clue of what to do.
As his mind wandered, and his feet led him
aimlessly, he found himself thinking back to a time when he
had partnered with Edge all too briefly. Those had been good
days indeed. But it was the grief that Edge bore over the
death of his former partner that kept holding him back. Edge
was just never able to complete what he had to do in order to
stop the evils they both faced together. When it became
apparent that Edge had, ironically enough, lost his edge,
Lance left to pursue a life as the main hero of all greater
Canada. But that was never to be as he never could seem to get
any respect. Or anyone to take things just a slight bit more
seriously for even just a moment.
Lance looked up at the building in front of him.
How he had come to be in this place he would never know, but
it was amazing that he’d found himself there. It was a place
known as the last bastion of Canadian style hockey once upon a
time. Now it was nothing more than a broken down ice arena.
The Pengrowth Saddledome had definitely fallen into major
disrepair, but in these times when there was more of a threat
from the evil men who had pushed the world into the Great War
than ever before. So it only stood to reason that the
Saddledome was not in the best of shape.
Something inside Lance started to burn. It
burned with a fire that was hotter than anything that Lance
had ever felt before. Once he felt the full heat of the fire
he found himself standing in the middle of where the ice once
was in this great arena. Storm had returned. Storm was ready
to take on the world and make it safe for anyone and everyone.
His own way if he needed to.
****************
Toronto, Ontario, Canada – Twilight
As they sat waiting for what seemed like an
eternity, Hurricane and Rey began to think about their role in
everything. Not much came out of the brainstorm as it became
apparent that neither one wanted to admit that they were out
of their league. Undertaker, Dreamer, and all the others were
better suited to handle the events at hand. But if Dreamer was
serious they would play an integral part in what was to come.
Or at least that’s what he claimed he was told.
Somehow, Rey didn’t believe everything Dreamer
had said to this point. Rey kept thinking that there was
something that wasn’t quite right there yet. Granted, they did
go and get the massive BrockBerg. Rey just couldn’t see what
that would accomplish.
That’s when it happened.
Edge arrived back home.
Then the world started to make sense to Rey as
he watched Edge, Lane, and BrockBerg start making plans for
what moves they would need to make once everyone who would be
involved was together in Nepal.
“You see Rey,” Dreamer’s voice faded into Rey’s
ear, “You’re part was to get them together. Now you are just
along for the ride. You and Hurricane will be needed again
later for something even more important. You won’t realize how
important until it happens though. And then, you will see him
again.”
“Taker?”
Dreamer never answered. Not that Rey would have
heard him. The bickering about who should take charge of
delegating the responsibilities amongst everyone on the roof
of the Skydome got out of hand and too loud for Rey to hear
himself think.
****************
Meanwhile – Somewhere in the Himalayas
The monster stood in silence watching the events
unfolding below. It had been just a little more than six years
since he’d been liberated from the consciousness of the weaker
part of his being. But that had just been the start.
During the years he had found himself revered by
the quaint village he had been exiled to. As he healed, he
began to assert his own vile, destructive nature on the
villagers. Whereas he had once been nothing more than an
extension of one man’s darker side, he had now become his own
dark man. And the villagers knew it. Yet they still would
follow him into the pits of Hell if he were to ask it of them.
But it was during his first days after having
been removed from the man known as Levesque that Kane had
found what his new life would have to consist of. Kane had
every intent to control not only the people of the immediate
area, but the whole world. And in order to do that, Kane knew
that he would have to rid the world of its heroes and Levesque
with them. But he wasn’t sure how he would handle it to begin
with.
Then it hit him. He was still the controlling
force over most of the mutated beings that Levesque had
created so many years ago. He called upon them to create their
own society. The New World Order had been born in his mind on
that fateful night.
Over the next few months he had run the New
World Order in secret. But it was the decision to target the
magnanimous Rock as the first to be destroyed that was his
first fault. Rock systematically destroyed the New World
Order. But something changed in Rock after that. It wasn’t
noticeable at first. But over time it became more and more
pronounced.
That’s when it finally happened. Kane revealed
that he did indeed still exist to the world. Rock turned his
back on Undertaker. Then Rock left with Kane to learn
everything he could about the new powers of darkness that had
begun to course through his veins.
But that had been years ago. Now Rock was
working with Kane’s most dangerous adversary, Levesque. And
they had taken in Levesque’s two most prized creations. The
two that Kane had never been able to control in any manner,
the Lionheart and the Wolverine. And the four of them had
declared themselves to be the Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Now,
years later, Kane began to realize that he would need help to
destroy them and the heroes that existed still. But he would
never count on anything that had been touched by Levesque
again.
The seeds had been planted long ago. During the
Great War itself. And soon, the ones he had chosen would be
seeking him out. Patience was one thing that Kane had plenty
of.
****************
Mustang, Nepal – A Few Days Later
“Rob, do you even realize what you beat Levesque
to?” Dreamer had been sitting on the side of the wall
surrounding the small monastery that Rob Van Dam had gone to.
It was the perfect hiding place as Rob was nothing more than
the ultimate product of the eastern philosophy that had
dominated his training.
“No clue,” Rob began, “Don’t even know why it
seemed to be so important at the time. But I do know that it
has been something very odd to look at. It seems to glow a
strange shade of green every time I am anywhere near that
freak Levesque though.”
The orb sat beside Dreamer on the wall. Over the
past few days, Rob had found himself using the orb to
determine when Leves que was coming near and would then take
it and go deep into hiding in the monastery. But it was still
a mystery why it would glow green when Levesque was anywhere
near.
“Rob, this is the Orb of Hurricane. It’s what
gives the Hurricane his powers. How it came to be here in
Nepal is beyond me. All I know is that it’s more than just a
coincidence. Something larger than what I first thought,”
Dreamer mused, “is going on here. But I’m not sure what.”
With that, Rob and Dreamer went into the
monastery bowels. Heading to the place where Rob had placed
the main communications module he had been given during the
days of the original World Hero Federation. It was time. Rob
activated the communications console and began searching the
index to find the right person.
The face of Edge filled the screen in front of
them. Rob was shocked to see that behind Edge was Mysterio and
Hurricane. But Rob had no clue who the new face was that he
saw with Edge. He ignored this new face while he handled the
matters that were at hand.
“Edge, it’s time,” Rob began. “You are needed
here in Nepal once again. Bring everyone you can find. The
time is drawing at hand for us to make the assault on the
Himalaya Project. It is imperative that we destroy it and
force Levesque out into the open. It won’t be easy though.
Rock is with him. He also retains the services of the
Lionheart and the Wolverine.”
“I’m on my way. And I’ve got some new friends
that you need to meet, Rob. This time,” Edge replied, “we’ll
have a big surprise for them. Something very big indeed.”
****************
The Himalaya Project – The Next Day
Rock paced back and forth. Patience was not a
virtue of his. He was beginning to get very upset with
Levesque’s constant failure at finding the Orb of Hurricane.
It was starting be a thorn in his side. For Rock knew that
without the Orb, there would be no way that he could stop the
remaining heroes from getting in his way. Rock could feel it
in his soul that he was meant to rule the world. Now with the
help of Levesque’s creations and Levesque’s unique mind, he
could do it.
But, he needed the Orb of Hurricane to ensure
his victory.
That’s when it happened.
Rock heard the thundering sound of pounding
echoing throughout the entire facility. It was so loud that
the reverberation threatened to tear apart the window behind
which he watched over the training of the Lionheart. But to
his credit, the Lionheart kept at his training.
That is until they burst in. Edge, Rob Van Dam,
and two new faces had burst into the room. The Lionheart and
the Wolverine fought hard to try to keep them at bay, but it
wasn’t until Levesque and Rock entered the room that things
began to settle down. Soon they found themselves on one side
of the room with the heroes on the other.
“New friends, Edge? Good to see that you
haven’t,” Rock chimed in his most powerful voice, “given up
fighting the good fight. Too bad that you don’t have half a
chance. It’s only a matter of time now. And my patience has
worn thin. Soon I will have the Orb of Hurricane and I will
possess his powers in addition to mine. Then I will be
invincible and you will have no choice but to bow down to me.”
As Rock laughed heartily, it was Edge who
supplied the retort. “Too bad you didn’t take any time to do
your homework, Rock! As even Levesque could tell you, it’s
always important to have a little patience. After all, I have
found the best heroes that the world has to offer. And Rob
here has an old score to settle with you specifically. As for
my new friends. . . Rock, I’d like for you to meet Booker T
and BrockBerg. Believe me, they are both more than meets the
eye.”
“Maybe Edge. Maybe. But I don’t have any desire
to fight you at this time,” Rock returned fire in the verbal
war. “As I said, I am not a patient man. But if there is one
thing I have learned, it’s this. Know your role. I know mine.
And I know that it will require more patience than I am used
to having. But, nevertheless, I will wait. And I will win.”
The four stared at each other a long time before
Rock, Levesque, the Lionheart, and the Wolverine turned and
left the training area. Edge, Rob, Booker, and BrockBerg began
to dismantle the facility. Within just a few hours, the
Himalaya Project was nothing more than a pile of rubble and
the skyline was one less mountain peak. Hurricane and Mysterio
watched on from the village below.
“And so begins the second war,” said a voice on
the wind. And Mysterio swore that he saw Undertaker walking
into the side of one of the mountains.
World Hero Fedration 4: Armageddon
will be posted here soon. There will be three parts to this
the final chapter in the story of a few wrestlers gone
superhero. CLICK
HERE to return to the World Hero Federation
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