SEASON FIVE

EPISODE 8: END GAME
PART TWO

By: X_C

 SPACE: THE FINAL FRONTIER. THESE ARE THE VOYAGES OF THE WWF TITANPRIZE. IT'S MISSION: TO EXPLORE AND ENTERTAIN NEW SOCIETIES AND NEW CIVILIZATIONS.  TO BOLDLY GO WHERE NO WRESTLER HAS GONE BEFORE!

TITANPRIZE CREW:

Captain Vincent K. McMahon
First Officer, Commander Shane McMahon
Chief Engineer, Commander Stephanie McMahon
Chief of Chiefs, Commander Linda McMahon
Chief of Security, Commander Kane
Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Taker
Diagnostics Officer, Lieutenant Commander Jericho
Tactical Officer, Lieutenant Commander Austin
Transporter Chief, Lieutenant Commander Debra McMichael
Communications Officer, Lieutenant Rock
Counselor Al Snow (assisted by H.E.A.D.)

... And many more!
 

WWF TITANPRIZE-SICKBAY

    "I am not delusional!" Ensign Matt cried out, bristling against the restraints that held him to the bio-bed under Dr. Taker's skeptical eye. "Lita's been kidnapped by those degenerates in the Smackdown! They're going to take over the ship!"

    "Boy..." Dr. Taker drawled out the word, spitting on the floor beside him. Yuck, Matt thought. "I don't know what you've been inhaling down in Engineering, but I'd almost like to get high off it myself."

    "Give me a blood test dammit!"

    "Take it easy." Dr. Taker didn't favor being ordered around by some damn fool ensign, especially not one that had burst onto the bridge, ranting and raving about that arrogant s.o.b. Hunter leading some mutiny. Four degenerates against the whole TitanPrize? The dark-haired Aerialian was in a dreamworld, if not on drugs.

    "Lita-"

    "Lita answered her comm badge." Dr. Taker said blandly, as he scanned Matt's body for narcotics.

    "She's being coerced then!" Ensign Matt cursed under his breath. He'd made a fatal mistake and overreacted to his date being kidnapped. Of course, his perfect officer brother would have never panicked. He had to fix this. "Look, they were going to disarm every phaser on this ship. We won't be able to fight back!"

    The dead man whipped out his personal firearm and fired it into the floor. Smoke rose from the soft carpeting.

    "I swear on Ensign Angle's gold medals that Hunter is planning on making himself the captain of this ship!" Matt was getting tired of this uphill battle. It was a damned eerie calm that possessed the doctor. "He'll kill Stephanie if he has to!"

    "Computer." Dr. Taker frowned at his patient. "Who holds all the command codes to the TitanPrize? Request has security clearance 9, Taker 2-9-2-5."

    "The WWF TitanPrize is under the command of Lieutenant Rock. Command codes are also held by Commander Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley, Chief of Engineers."

    The computer's sugary voice made Matt want to throw up. He willed himself to relax. The doc couldn't think he was crazy - he'd never get out of here in time to help Lita.  "I'm sorry. I'm just so darn tired and stressed out...."

    "Counselor Snow is here if you want to speak to him." Taker didn't have much use for all that psychology garbage-it was his opinion that people shouldn't find out what's really making them tick. It was like the monster under your bed, you know it's there, it's just too damn scary to look in the eye.

    "Nah..." No time. "It's just this...thing with my brother. It's like Jeff is in another world sometimes."

    "He probably is." Dr. Taker nodded. A world where he had his head stuck so far up - well the stupid kid was missing out on life, had been for some time. The little Hardy had already lost his woman. "He went through a war, and war is hell son. I should know. I got scars from a million of them."

    Matt shivered. Looking up at those pale gray eyes, he believed Taker could be telling the cold hard truth. "Yeah I know, I know. Look...if I could just go back to my quarters, maybe sleep this off..."

    "Snow - what's your stank ass have to say?"

    Al Snow glanced at H.E.A.D, nodding and squinting every so often. "A little geeky, but not psychotic."

    "Two days away from Engineering, Hardy." Taker said gruffly, releasing the restraints. "That's an order."

    Ensign Matt straightened his uniform, calmly unholstered his weapon and drilled both doctors point blank in the chest with an energized beam of light. His phaser was programmed to fire one level above high stun.

    "Aye sir." And with that, the Aerilian disappeared behind a hatch and into a maze of Jeffries tubes....
 

*    *    *

ENGINEERING

    "I hope you won't find it rude when I don't invite you to me and Hunter's anniversary party in a couple weeks." Stephanie wrinkled her nose up at the handsome blonde android that stood next to her diagnostics console. "Actually maybe you could come. My hubby beating the living daylights out of you would be the best present ever."

    "Slutephanie darling." Jericho smirked at her. "First worry about your husband showing up, and then concentrate on the guest list!"

    "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Stephanie demanded. "It's our wedding anniversary! He's very excited about it."

   "As excited as a man facing a firing squad." Jericho said dryly. "Of course the interspecies STD's would kill him off far quicker-"

    "Stow it, you silicon-coated slimebag!" Stephanie was filled with fury, a helpless fury. Jericho wasn't right about Hunter! How could she make him believe that? "What the hell are you staring at Hardly? I hope you know you aren't getting any more of this."

    Jeff rolled his eyes. Would the torture never end?

    "More?" Jericho cocked an eyebrow. "God, there couldn't possibly be any more of you to give, honey."

    "I am not your hon-" Stephanie was startled by the musical hum of the transporter beam. Her jaw nearly hit the floor when her husband and Tori apperared in the curtain of dazzling blue light, phasers trained on the crew. "Hunter-what the-"

    Lt Commander Jericho lunged for the computer console but it was too late-they had all been locked down and his security clearance wasn't the right key. His phaser cleared the holster in less than a second, but his lightning fast android speed couldn't compensate for the hollow click the weapon made when Y2J depressed the trigger.

    "You might as well stick it, Jericho." Hunter's smile was so frigid even the android felt the chill in the air. "Cause that thing's about as useless as tying my wife's legs together to keep her out of trouble."

    Stephanie gasped.

    "I must confess, Ensign, that's the first entertaining thing I've ever heard you say." Jericho seemed too cocky, too self-assured. "But it's not quite as amusing as this pathetic attempt to steal the ship from Captain Crocky, which you will nevvveeer evvvveerrrrr do."

    "Consider it already done." Several crewmembers gasped as transparent electrical force fields zapped into place around them, giving them a mere foot or two of personal prison space. "Computer, who is Captain of the WWF TitanPrize?"

    "Hunter Hearst Helmsley."

    "So Y2Jack-Ass." Hunter locked eyes with the 'droid. If looks could kill, neither man would be breathing. "Who has the power now? Who has all the strength now? A pile of cheap circuits can't ever compete with a master game-player, with a puppetmaster like myself!"

    "This is about competing with Jericho?" Stephanie was still dazed. "God, Hunter, you could go to a Wrestlefleet prison forever and ever!"

    "Shut the hell up little girl!" Hunter's voice was so full of rage it made Stephanie shrink back against the Y2J Unit. "Who gives a damn about that smug bucket of bolts, that, that thing! You damn McMahons never get it do you? I am so sick and freaking tired of your father playing games with all our lives, with his crazy ass decisions! And I won't ever forgive the way he trashed my brilliant career!"

    "Baby." Stephanie had never seen Hunter like this, never had accepted that he was genuinely capable of things she'd heard in stories. "You rebelled against the TitanPrize! What did you expect? A cookie and a pat on the back?"

    "You're going to help us sweetie." Hunter was dead certain about that, everyone there could see it. "X-Pac, bring Steph her reward for being a good little soldier."

    X-Pac materialized in Engineering, the bright red hair of Ensign Lita twined through his fingers. She couldn't keep her eyes open, and every one of her steps was a clumsy struggle as the degenerate dragged her over to Stephanie.

    "Lita!" Lt Hardy looked horrified.

    Stephanie smiled as Lita collapsed to her knees. The commander licked her lips, savoring the power she held over the fragile, drugged up ensign, enjoying the satisfying crack of her hand across that lovely Aerialian face. Lita moaned, not sure where the pain was coming from.

    "She's been nothing but trouble." X-Pac complained. "It's taken twice the normal dose of Aerialian sedative to keep her on her back."

    "Hmmm, you don't even need sedatives for that, Stephie." Jericho commented.

    "I'd hate for you to be soo inconvenienced X-pac." Stephanie was in the process of opening the medkit she kept in engineering. She withdrew a hypospray, keeping her back to Hunter and the other degenerates as she filled it. Billy had taught her this trick before he'd disappeared into thin air-it was quick, dirty, and potentially dangerous to Lita's health. But there was no other way.

    "Good night, wench." The hypospray hissed like a venomous snake as Stephanie plunged it into the ensign's spinal column. Lita slumped over, her eyes wide and lifeless, her breathing trailing off like a whisper.

    Stephanie braced herself, knowing how Lt Hardy might react. He didn't understand, didn't have a clue. Jeff lunged alright, but he didn't get far with most of his fiery red and purple hair wrapped around Hunter's fist.

    "You." Helmsley nearly spit on the young lieutenant. "How does a mutant piece of Aerialian garbage like you get a higher rank than me anyways? You ain't nothing but a squeaky little freak with no guts whatsoever!"

    "And I'm still you're superior officer."

    "Maybe you do have guts, boy." Hunter lifted his knee up into Jeff's ribcage, cracking three or four of them in half upon impact. Lt Hardy wondered if he'd ever get his breath back. "I mean, you did liplock the Game's property plenty of times and we all know it takes brass ones to commit suicide like that."

    "Geez Hunter, all the handsome young ensigns are gonna have to take a number to get their punishment then." Jericho cracked. "You might need to clear your schedule for a couple weeks."

    "I wish your mouth would just rust shut!" Stephanie snapped at him.

    "The hell you do." Jericho shot her a sly smile. She scowled even harder.

    "You're lucky Rainbow Bright." Hunter sneered at Jeff. "I don't have time to beat the living heck out of you right now. You like to fly? Let's see how your unprotected skin enjoys zero gravity and extreme temperatures outside a TitanPrize airlock. X-Pac-stick him in Airlock 8 with Matt. Prepare to beam them outside the ship in twenty minutes."

    "Aye Captain."

    Jericho gagged loudly.

    "After they've suffocated to death, vaporize their bodies." Hunter added, looking pleased with himself.

    Stephanie blinked. Her husband was directing the methodical termination of her crew, her officers, with a smile on his face! What kind of man had shared her bed for so long? Her heart wanted to cry with joy that he was finally displaying a jealous streak, that he was so powerful, so commanding...  but this....

*    *    *

    "Was it really necessary to tie the crew up?" Stephanie whined, as she finished tying a knot that cut into Ensign Crash's skin. The poor little Houdianian had wandered in, looking for Jericho. "We have the force fields."

    "It's for their own good." Hunter snapped. He was being so mean and insensitive to her! "No need for any of them to try and play hero, get themselves killed."

    "Mercy is a rather ugly quality in a so-called rebel." Jericho kept getting his digs in, but he would pay through the nose, the Game would bet his life on it.

    Triple H initiated a shipwide hail, so that the entire crew could hear his words. "Officers of the TitanPrize, this is your Captain, Hunter Hearst Helmsley, speaking. The mood is about to change - your lives are about to change. Fighting this shift in command is like signing your death warrant, and you know you don't want to do that. We control the transporters. Bridge functions have been re-routed to Engineering. All personal firearms have been disabled. All non-degenerates will find themselves sealed inside force fields. Once we explain to Wrestlefleet the nature of our actions and Captain's McMahon's failure to lead us, you will be set free."

    "Do tell them how you're plotting to execute two young crewmembers to satisfy some personal grudge." Jericho encouraged him.

    Hunter hastily shut down the comm. "You know, Jericho, instinct tells me you're too damn arrogant to step off. I can't trust you as long as you're functional."

    "Fully functional." Jericho winked at Stephanie.

    "Kill it, Steph."

    "What?" Stephanie's eyes widened.

    "Destroy the Y2J Unit." Hunter barked. "It's just a second hand heap of wires and data chips for god's sake! Melt it down."

    "But, but my phaser doesn't work." Stephanie protested. She realized her hand was shaking. Hatred was too kind a word for the powerful emotions that surged through her when Jericho was around, the way she felt almost feverish when she heard his voice, how her skin got those little goosebumps when his hand accidentally brushed against her uniform...and then there was that sickening feeling of butterflies fluttering around in her stomach when the light caught his synthetic blue eyes just so-

    No! What was her mind doing? She couldn't handle the stress of this situation!

    "Computer, release the safeties on Commander McMahon-Helmsley's phaser. Maximum kill setting only."

    How could Hunter ask her to do this? No husband in his right mind asked his delicate precious wife to kill! The Y2J Unit was just a big goofy looking computer-it didn't know enough to be scared of dying in the line of duty, and Triple H would never buy her loyalty if she didn't strip Jericho down to his bare circuits with a ray of plasma. So why, why did her hand tremble so much when she turned the phaser on Chris? Why were her fingers too paralyzed to punch the trigger?

    "He is programmed to be a dedicated Wrestlefleet officer." Hunter reminded her. Stephanie was having a hard time blasting the man she claimed to loathe, and he really didn't care what the reason was. "He will stand in our way."

    "Is this a joke, Hunter?" The Y2J Unit was laughing. "Slutephanie wasn't faithful before, why would she start now?"

    Everyone was staring at her. Oh god, why couldn't a wormhole open up in  Engineering and pull her out of here?

    "Actually Skankanie." Jericho said thoughtfully. "The best thing you could do for everyone on the TitanPrize is to turn that phaser on yourself and hit the trigger! Not like we couldn't get another filthy, dirty, nasty, skanky, brutal, bottom-feeding trash bag ho to replace you, and one that charges less than two credits!"

    He ignored the look of horror on Steph's face while his eyes subtly scanned Hunter's weapon. It was an illegally modified disruptor, a scary little piece that turned its victim inside out with unstable, super-charged plasma. The Game had it locked on a target, a target that was beating rapidly inside Stephanie's chest.

    "Go ahead, Steph... put that damn thing against your head and put us all out of our misery!" Jericho sneered at her. "You've already murdered Lita and earned yourself twenty years in the brig. Not a single officer in this department thinks you're worth a damn as an Engineer! That husband of yours would rather plan silly little mutinies with his peasant waiter buddies than spend a single hour in bed with you. And you must be one hell of a disappointment to Vinnie Mac, cause he's trying to make a better baby with mommy dearest back on Earth!"

    Stephanie was so blinded by tears she didn't care that Y2J had grabbed her by the hair and pulled her face close to his. How could he say such awful things....

    "Do it, Steph! Shoot me... before Hunter shoots YOU!!"  he thought.  She still seemed hesitant, "Just think of how you could finally make me the happiest android in the universe if you just do it!" His smile was borderline insane. "I've been tormented long enough by your pitiful, nasty crush,  your physical desire for me, and the thing is Stephie baby, the feelings are NOT mutual. Blow yourself away sweetheart, so I can get on with the business of dancing on your grave!" he finished, "Please, Steph... shoot me already! He's losing patience!"

    "I'd rather be dancing on yours." Stephanie jabbed the phaser into his chest and fired, angry tears flowing like a river as lethal voltage spread through the stupid android's positronic net.

    "Finally!" Hunter said, exasperated. "X-Pac-find Road Dogg and raid the weapons locker. Stephie, you and I are going to take the bridge from the Crock. When we arrive at Wrestlefleet, I want to be in the Captain's chair. Tori-stay here and re-route control to the bridge on my command."

    "Aye sir."

    "Wait." Stephanie was hastily wiping tears away from her eyes. Her husband didn't even notice he was hurting her feelings! Why couldn't he at least reward her with some praise for the two murders she had carried out? "I'd like to personally throw the Hardly sisters out of the airlock."

    Hunter's face twisted into a grin. Maybe Stephanie did have a spot of that neon green blood in her after all...."Fine. Meet you on the bridge in five minutes, darling."

*    *    *

AIRLOCK-8, ENGINEERING

    "Well, hotshot?" Matt would have glared at his younger brother, had they not been tied back to back with a shipping wire. "Doesn't the great Wrestlefleet lieutenant have some heroic plan cooking underneath his freaky rainbow hair?"

    "Are you gonna start in on the hair again?" Jeff wasn't in such a fine mood either. "You know it's not my fault I was born like this. Aerialian genetics say that only 2 out of 3 kids will have hair that changes color."

    "And of course, as usual, I'm the one that comes up short!" Matt retorted. "Tell me Jeffrey, is there something in your D.N.A. that causes you to be in the right place at the right time, cause that's the only reason you've gotten as far as you have!"

    "What are you saying?" Jeff demanded, as he struggled to free his wrists from the razor-sharp wire. It was pointless really; if he fought it too hard he'd cut clean through his skin and bleed to death. So would Matt, though it was starting to get tempting. "You telling me I haven't earned my push?"

    "Did I say that?" Ensign Matt spat the words out. "But let's face it little brother-you just happened to be in a Jeffries tube when Steph was getting attacked by that mutant crab, and you just happened to be the officer selected to go into the parallel universe to save Commander Kane!"

    "Oh well, I would have gladly switched places with you!" Lt Hardy was well on his way to being furious. "I would've loved to be safe and cozy aboard the TitanPrize instead of on that mission!"

    "Man, you're the same crybaby you always were!" Matt said scornfully. "If you can't cut it, get the hell out of Wrestlefleet!"

    "You got no idea how hard that was!" Jeff's voice trembled with rage. "There was a horrible war. I had to kill my commanding officer, I had to see things-I had to watch you...forget it! You're being such a stubborn jerk it's not worth it!"

    "Keep your little secrets!" Matt snapped. "I don't care! Have your little mood swings! Heck, your nutty behavior is probably the only reason Lita is even bothering with me! Ol' Matt Hardy makes a great consolation prize!"

    "You shut up about Lita!"

    "The hell I will!" Matt felt like he was ten years old again. "You shut up!"

    "Why don't you both shut up?" Stephanie rolled her eyes as she ripped the comm badges off their chests. "I'd think being on the brink of death would make you two saps all warm and fuzzy."

    "Look at this Jeff." Matt said snidely. "Your little girlfriend has come to kiss you good-bye."

    "Shut up!" Lt Hardy and Commander McMahon-Helmsley yelled at him.

    "Hold still." Stephanie carefully sliced through the wiring with a laser scalpel. That medkit in engineering  was certainly coming in handy all of a sudden. "I'm guessing Hunter is too busy securing the bridge to care whether you're actually beamed outside or not."

    The brothers exchanged wary glances.

    "As long as it appears you've been shoved out the airlock..." Stephanie tapped her own comm badge. "McMichaels, I think you know what the score is. In five seconds, you will lock onto the Hardyz' signals and transport them outside of Airlock-8. Commander Kane, you will target photon torpedos and turn those freaks into space debris!"

    "Yes, ma'am." Debra's voice was shaking.

    "Now if we can count on that french fried weirdo to keep his mouth shut about having non-human targets..." Stephanie snapped the two badges onto empty cargo suits, suits that would normally be used to protect their wearer from zero-gravity conditions. "Now, McMichaels!"

    "All the Jeffries tubes have been sealed off." Matt felt a little queasy, watching his comm badge disappear, knowing it could've been him.

    "You give up too easy." Stephanie used her still active phaser to carve a hole in the ceiling. "There you go-right smack in the middle of the Jeffries tube. You can use this scalpel to disable the force fields manually from the inside. "

    "Lita-"

    "You don't worry about Lita, Jeffrey." Stephanie scowled at him. "You worry about repairing the Y2J Unit, cause if you don't, being thrown out an airlock will seem like heaven compared to what I do to you."

    "You're gonna kiss me again?"

    Steph ignored him, though she filed that little crack away. "Once your buddy Jericho is alright, all three of you report to the bridge. Don't keep me waiting."

    "Aye sir."

    "Oh, and Matt?" Stephanie wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately on the lips. "Your brother may have the higher rank but you are the better kisser. Stop feeling so inferior!"

    "Oh no." Matt stared at her. "You're going to tell Lita, aren't you?"

    Stephanie winked and exited the airlock. My how she did enjoy her little Hardy toys....

*    *    *

WEAPONS LOCKER-DECK 9

    "Plasma rifles." Road Dogg grinned as he tore open the best stocked weapons locker on the ship. "Photon grenades, confiscated disruptors." He whistled. "We're gonna take this ship doggy-style."

    X-Pac laughed. "I hope by that you mean it's gonna be a hardcore takeover."

    "Boys, there be a reason you're in me and Lt Farooq's personal artillery stash?" Bradshaw's voice echoed in the  shadows.  "Or are you just looking to find yourselves on the receivin' end of Wrestlefleet's most infamous ass-kicking?"

    Road Dogg cussed under his breath. How could he have missed the card table that had been set up near the locker? Where there were guns, there was Farooq and Bradshaw, complete with beer and poker chips. "Yeah well, the game is over Lieutenants-the degenerates now control the TitanPrize."

    Farooq laughed. "Son, what the hell did I tell you about bringing pot on this ship? Makes your punk ass crazy!"

    "We couldn't be any more sober." X-Pac smirked. "Hunter is now the Captain of this vessel, and your phasers are shooting blanks."

    "You just insult my manhood?" Bradshaw stood up. "If you ain't old enough to shave, you ain't old enough to tangle with me!"

    Farooq threw his weapon on the floor and crushed it with his heel. "I'll just have to beat your asses the old-fashioned way I guess."

    "Try us." Road Dogg fired his phaser between the two security officers, scattering cards and beer bottles everywhere.

    "You just spilled our beer." Farooq's eyes darkened like ominous stormclouds.

    "What are you going to do about it?" X-Pac wasn't grinning for long. He fell to his knees, writhing in pain.

    "Ey Mamacita-that is one heck of a move you got there." Ensign Guerrero looked adoringly at Chyna after clubbing Road Dogg on the back of the head with a lead pipe.

    Chyna blushed. "A low blow hurts more than a phaser burn. Learned that from these two jack-asses."

    "Damn girl, and you're just a waitress?" Farooq shook his head. No wonder Commander Kane was eyeing Mamacita so closely!

    "Dummies turned the safeties off just a little too early." Bradshaw chuckled as he loaded a long, black rifle with plasma capsules. "Grab some ammo boys and girls! We're gonna take back the TitanPrize!"

    Chyna armed herself with a disruptor, looking back at the fallen rebels with sad eyes. She had taken an oath to them, knew the neon green still burned inside her from time to time. She could never be one of them again-Chyna had stepped out of their dangerous world and was now trying to destroy it....

    "Mamacita?"

    Chyna met Eddie's warm, compassionate stare.

    There was no question in her mind now. She'd made the right choice.

*    *    *

THE BRIDGE

    "The Rock says this-when he gets untied, he’s gonna kick your back-stabbing, degenerate candy-ass all over god's green universe." Acting Captain Rock was so furious he could've spit nails, but he had to spit catchphrases instead. "You think all these jabronis will follow you? Hah! We're talking about the thousands and thousands of the Rock's crew members!"

    "Crocky, Crocky, Crocky...." Hunter sighed dramatically, as he sat with one leg thrown over the arm of the Captain's chair. "You know, when all is said and done, I think I'm going to have one of your lungs removed."

    "Why is that jabroni?"

    "So you only have half the hot air to blow at the crew." Hunter smiled at him. "See ladies and gentlemen? I am nothing if not fair."

    "Ugh." Ensign Christian grimaced at the helm. "The scar from that operation would be sooo totally gross. I could never pose topless for Galaxy Beat again!"

    "Did you hear the reviews of that spread on Kanata?" Ensign Edge asked his brother. "Teenage girls thought you were so totally ripped!"

    "Er, one thing is troubling me though, good captain." Christian frowned, making sure to not frown too hard, lest lines appear around his boyish, pouty lips. "This whole...mutiny thing...I mean it seems radical and all, but yet there's something unethical and morally wrong about it."

    "So?" Hunter rolled his eyes. He would have thrown those two blonde nimrods out the airlock too, had they not been such talented pilots. And of course, they were easily manipulated through flattery.

    "Er well, your honor, it's just that my brother and I don't want to spend fifteen years at a Wrestlefleet Prison Camp." Edge explained. "Considering our stunning movie star beauty, we might be the targets of some..er..unflattering attention by prisoners who haven't seen women in some time."

    "Shut up you whining brats!" Stephanie glared down at them from the bridge's Engineering station. "Don't you know how good you look in the glow of the viewscreen?"

    "Good sweet lord brother!" Edge had whipped out his handheld mirror. "It's as if a god has taken over my perfect body!"

    "My hair is shining with the intensity of a thousand white hot suns!" Christian tossed his silky golden locks.

    "I wouldn't get too comfortable if I were you, jerky!" Hunter's head whipped around as Lt Commander Jericho and his two Aerialian stooges stepped off the turbolift. "You see, the Y2J Virus is no longer dormant!"

    "Jericho!"

    "Very good Einstein." The Y2J Unit looked insufferably smug as Matt and Jeff dragged the prone, tied up bodies of X-Pac and Road Dogg onto the bridge. "Let's pretend this is a game, Hunter. I believe right now I should say...checkmate."

    "I'd rather see this ship explode than let you have the last laugh." Hunter face was bright red and taut with rage. "Computer, initiate TitanPrize Self-Destruct Sequence Helmsley 6-9 Alpha."

    "Cannot comply.  Ensign Helmsley does not have the necessary security clearance."

    "WHAT?" Hunter was on his feet. "Explain dammit!"

    "All command codes rest with Ensign Lita."

    "Computer." Speak of the devil....."This is Ensign Lita. Please transfer command of the TitanPrize to Commander McMahon-Helmsley."

    Hunter felt himself being consumed by an amazing, white-hot fury, watching the "dead" Lita step free of the turbolift, a beaten, bruised Tori in her custody, but he was powerless to cool the heat in his blood. Stephanie! That rotten, evil little witch! He had blindly trusted that she would die if that's what it took to get his attention!

    Lt Commander Jericho had not received a fatal blast to his electronic heart. Instead, the damned walking, talking pile of scrap metal was pointing a live plasma rifle at his head.

    Stephanie didn't even have the guts to shove hotlips Hardy and his worthless big brother out an airlock. They were taking helm and navigation from Edge and Christian.

    "Put him behind a force field you tramp!" Jericho hissed, disbelief on his face as Stephanie actually hesitated to secure her violent, unpredictable husband.

    "You may be able to play the Game, Stephie dear, but you will never, ever survive it." Hunter's eyes betrayed nothing as he levelled the modified disruptor at his bride's chest....

    ...and fired.

*    *    *

    "Commander!" Lita caught Stephanie as the ship lurched violently, the impact of Hunter's disruptor fire on the computers sending shockwaves through the floor. Steph would've struck her head against the console hard enough to permanently knock her lights out....

    "What the hell was that?" Stephanie asked breathlessly, trying to get her bearings as the ship was rocked again.

    "Ion lightning." Jericho reported grimly. "We're caught inside a storm. Another couple of strikes and our shields are toast."

    "See I told you!" Hunter glared at the officers who'd just taken him down. "If that idiot McMahon hadn't sent us into this damn nebula-"

    "Helm control is gone!" Lt Hardy called out. "Switiching to manual pilot!"

    "Get out of the way!" Ensign Helmsley grabbed Jeff by his collar and tossed him aside. "You don't send a boy to do a man's job, and I'm the only one who's flown this nebula before."

    "This is Ensign Guerrero in Engineering! We're secure here, but the ionization outside is making the warp core unstable!" Latino Heat sounded cool under the circumstances.

    "Everyone just shut up!" Hunter shouted, silencing the bridge crew. "You don't wanna trust me? Fine! You wanna turn me in like the bunch of pure-hearted Wrestlefleet zombies you are? Fine! But you wanna live to make that happen? Then stop flapping your jaws and let me fly!"

    "Please." Jericho spat. "I'm a perfectly precise robot. I could pilot this sucker out of here."

    "Chris." Chyna's voice came over the comm. "If our friendship means anything at all, listen to me. Hunter is acting like scum, that much is true. But I've seen him fly through worse than this-he's a daredevil, he's got the guts to fly through stuff that would make other pilot's toss their lunch." She sighed. "I'm not saying you wouldn't be good, Chris, but....god I hate to say this, sometimes human instincts can do things that machines can't."

    Jericho's expression didn't change. "Get us out of here Helmsley. Screw up, and I will kill you before the lightning has a chance to tear the ship apart. "

    "Aye you son of a bi-" Hunter muttered the words under his breath. There would be no mistakes. Being a hero right now would be the only thing to save him from a charge of treason.....

*    *    *

THE SMACKDOWN

    "I thought I was a dead woman." Lita swirled a straw through the Aerialian cocktail in front of her, watching the beautiful liquid change colors. "I guess I could've died anyways....Stephanie took such a huge chance."

    "She's not the wicked witch we thought she was." Matt squeezed her arm affectionately, not forgetting how close he came to-well he didn't want to think about that now. "And I suppose we could say she's one hell of a fine officer."

    "Almost makes you wanna gag." Chyna grinned. "Kind of ironic that she used an old Degenerate trick against the best damn degenerate of them all. Injecting people with coded messages is a time-honored rebel  method for sharing illegal information. It is dangerous though-the brain has to almost completely shut down for it to work." She frowned. "Not everyone wakes up."

    "Lita's too stubborn to die when the ship's in danger." Matt said with a smile, as Lita blushed.

    "Ey Mamacita, here is another one of my love potions, mixed especially for you." Eddie set a sparkeling glass of god knows what in front of Chyna, who beamed at him. "I'm so proud of this girl here-Commander Kane is seriously considering making her an ensign soon."

    "I don't know about that, Eddie." Oh man, was her face as red as it felt? "And you don't need to give me a love potion. You've already completed that mission."

    "Mamacita-you're so much sweeter than I thought!"

    "Tell that to Jericho." Matt teased her. "I think he's still reeling from those arm wrestling matches you guys had in his room the other day. Caught him rubbing his arm in engineering."

    Chyna laughed. "It's not like I won...yet."

*    *    *

    "What's your hurry?" Lt Commander Jericho asked, as Stephanie abruptly slid off her barstool, her synthehol half-finished. "We still haven't completed the duty roster for this week, and seeing as how we're short-staffed thanks to that twit you're married to...."

    "I have a date with said twit." Stephanie said coldly, not looking the android in his magnetic blue eyes. "Very romantic location too-our bedroom."

    "Really?" Jericho raised an eyebrow. It was taking a surprising amount of positronic control to keep calm. Bad enough that Hunter saving the TitanPrize from a massive and deadly storm had made him come out a hero, now Stephanie was going to be alone with the inhuman piece of human trash. "Now Hunter can see for himself what all those ensigns are talking about."

    "You're just so jealous." Stephanie wagged her tongue at him. "You want him to fail so desperately and now he's like...the man on this ship!"

    "Still an ensign, and still on probation with Vinnie Mac."

    "Hunter's waiting for me." Stephanie turned her back on Jericho.

    "Wait a damn minute." The Y2J Unit had her arm in a vice-like grip, refusing to let her leave. "I know you're not the naive, gullible little brat you'd like us all to think. Hunter is dangerous, Stephie. He was going to murder you in cold blood on the bridge! He would've done it sooner had you not blasted me away in Engineering."

    "Liar." Stephanie blinked. Yes, of course he was a liar. He was Jericho after all. "Hunter's weapon was set on stun, and he was aiming at LITA because she ruined his plans!"

    Jericho laughed. How else could he react to this? "Lita?! God, Stephanie... you are a McMahon! Wake up!"

    "Let go."

    "Fine you silly..." Jericho sucked his anger down as he watched Stephanie blaze out of the bar. "Just don't blame me when he DOES decide you're more trouble than you're worth."

    "Chris?"

    "Another synthehol, Terri." He smiled charmingly at the sexy bartender. "Make it a double."

    "Sure thing tiger." Terri wasn't sure whether to smile back or just shake her head. Talk about someone who knew how to waste a good chemically induced emotion, she thought.

    "You're letting her just walk away?" Lt Hardy was now warming Stephanie's empty seat. "She's going to be alone with that power-hungry nut Hunter, and you're just gonna let it happen?"

    Jericho shrugged.

    "Helmsley's a killer." Jeff persisted. "To him Stephanie is as expendable as the plasma disruptor he almost shot her with. You know..." The Aerialian was beginning to find the android's lack of human feelings frustrating. "If you were going to say anything about...well...you know...now would be the time."

    "Why don't you save it for someone who gives a damn, Hardy?" Jericho threw a handful of credits on the bar and walked away. He didn't need to hear this.

    "I thought I was, sir." Jeff said quietly. He looked around the Smackdown, saw his brother with his arm around Lita, obviously on some cutesy double date with Eddie and Chyna.

    And his brother thought Jeff was the lucky one?