Chris Jericho was walking down the main street of Des Moines, Iowa. He
didn't know the town and it was late at night, he knew he was taking a huge
risk, but he needed to take every chance he got to finally end this. End
this conflict between these strangers, end this struggle for his survival,
end the suffering of his friends, he had to end this anyhow anyway. Finally
he stopped and took a look around. It appeared that he was in the
entertainment district of the area, but this town wasn't like any other, he
couldn't tell what was what because it wasn't like a Chicago or Detroit or
Dallas. He sighed, lost and though he was fortunate that nobody recognized
him, the streets were empty and the stores were closed.
"Oh great." Chris swallowed hard but the stopped worrying himself. "Wait a second." He laughed slightly to himself. "I'm in Iowa for crying out freaking loud, what the hell could go on here? Oh, I can see tomorrow's headlines now: local man is liar, family angered by high bill. Nothing ever happens here, this is probably like the safest place to even be right now."
"I beg to differ."
Chris felt his hair bristle and stand on end as he slowly turned around to the voice. "Whose there?"
"Aw, don't be scared Chris." The voice laughed. Chris face changed from a startle to a scowl. "Nobody you don't know." Out stepped Keith.
"You." Chris whirled around angrily and growled deeply. "What are you doing here?"
"Don't worry, I'm not here to fight, I'm here to talk, so just calm down." Keith held up his arms. Chris hesitated but went along with it.
"Alright then, let's talk." Chris stood strait and stared at him. "Why are you after me?"
"Well, you see Chris." Keith began his story. "Lisa and I are a very elusive couple. We got engaged in 2001, just two years ago did we decide to get married. We are now but are in one hell of a rut. You see, my name is Keith Turner." Chris's eyes tensed at the name. "That's right, I see you remember me, the son of none other than Ted Turner." Keith smiled. "And as for Lisa, her maiden name was Heyman." Chris's jaw dropped at the other familiar name. "Yes. As a combine force, we would've been in charge of both WCW and ECW. But at that time, they were bought out by Shane and Stephanie."
"Then why go after me?" Chris asked.
"Oh Chris." Keith smiled. "You're Steph's boyfriend and Shane's best friend. You are the champion to the WWE, owned by Linda and Vince. Getting you is getting them all."
"Then get me and only me, leave the rest out of this." Chris warned.
"I'm afraid that's no longer possible. If you had just let Carlos and Dan do their job and kill you and manipulate Vince McMahon, then you would be dead and Vince would've been screwed out of the wrestling business leaving Lisa and myself in charge."
"So that's it then, that's why? You wanted to get to them through me."
"Read between the lines. Carlos hated you for what you did to him, you have a relationship with the McMahon, why not get you?"
"Well, what about Dan then?"
"Him? Well he was just a newcomer, a rookie lackey. Plus, he didn't like you that much either."
"Hmm." Chris smirked to himself, shaking his head. "So in the end, it all winds down to me."
"Yes, that's right. We all have a reason to get you. We know everything there is to know about you and your alliances."
"Then you know I wont go down without a fight, Dan and Carlos learned that the hard way."
"Very much so." Keith smirked and began to laugh, causing Chris to tense. "And our battle has just begun! So prepare yourself Chris, for we shall meet again, and next time you die." He turned around to go but stopped. "Oh, and by the way, how is, your arm?"
"Wha?" Chris looked at his left arm. "My arm?"
"You should start feeling the effects soon. I just wanted to inform you, so you could die with the knowledge of your own defeat. Your demise will be our victory, and your demise will be the end of the WWE." He laughed to himself.
"Not if I can stop it!" Chris yelled and went to lunge forward but stopped. His left arm froze, he felt it go numb like a dead weight as the tingling feeling shot up his neck.
"Well, better late than never." Keith walked out of sight. "Have fun Chris!"
"No...." Chris gurgled, he didn't feel right. His vision started blurring and his balance was thrown askew. "What, what's happening to me?" He groaned, he tried to move but his body had been zapped of all energy. "What did he do to me?" He growled as he felt to his knees, struggling to keep conscious. "I, I...." His eyes starting to fog, he was whiting out.
"Chris?" He could hear the muffled voice echoing off in the distance. "Chris!"
"Who? I...." Chris looked up but the pain shot through his body like a bullet and he blacked out.
"No!" Stephanie cried as she ran over and caught him right in time. She looked at Chris as his eyes rolled to the back of his head.
"Oh no, what happened?" Vince asked as he rushed to her side.
"I don't know for sure, but I think that the shot has finally taken its effect on Chris."
"Will the kid be ok?" Hogan asked, appearing at Vince's side.
"I dunno, let's just get him back to the hotel." Jeff panted.
"Good thing we decided to follow him and see where he was going." Rikishi replied.
"I have to agree with you there big man, let's go guys." And with that, they got into their suv and drove back to the hotel.
That night, Chris was lying on the sofa in the hotel room. Stephanie and Vince sat on one bed, Jeff and Rikishi on the other as Hogan leaned against the wall on the portable fold up bed. Chris was tossing and turning in his dreams, a cold sweat covering his face. He groaned and struggled in his sleep. Whatever toxin chemicals had poisoned him, they were really hitting him hard.
"We should wake him." Rikishi couldn't take much more.
"No, he needs to rest from this." Jeff held up his hand.
"What's wrong with him?" Hogan shook his head as he stared up at the ceiling.
"He's in pretty bad shape, whatever they got him with." Stephanie brushed the loose mangy bangs off of Chris's forehead and wiped his face with a damp washcloth. "I guess the poke hole was too small to see. The red mark was the reaction trying to warn us, but I we didn't realize it."
"Better or not, we have to take this out of Chris's hands." Vince stood up, everyone turned to him. "How many times as something like this happened to him? He gets hurt or nearly dies, and we do nothing. I say it's time that we take the action and protect Chris, how many times has he taken it into his hands to protect us? He deserves to have the favor returned. Don't you think?"
"I agree." Steph smiled. Chris cried out in his feverish nightmares, Stephanie turned to him. "Chris, what is it, are you ok?" He closed his mouth and his face tensed. Finally his eyes opened.
"Wha... Steph?" He blinked stupidly a few times to get his eyes back into focus and looked around. "Where am I, how did I get back here?"
"Don't talk Chris." Stephanie sighed with relief. He sat up but gasped. "Don't move Chris." She lay him back down.
"Stop treating me like a baby, Steph." Chris groaned, folding his arms. Stephanie couldn't help but smile, he still was a little kid, well to them at least. "I'm fine." He winced in pain.
"Oh no you're not." Stephanie shook her head at him. "You're worse for wears, you need to rest or else your condition will worsen."
"No, I have to stop Keith and Lisa." Chris jumped up quickly but cried out, freezing in his movement and slowly slumping down to the ground.
"Chris what is it, what's wrong?" Vince tried to help him up.
"I don't know." Chris opened his eyes a crack. "It feels like my whole body has been drained of its energy, it feels almost like my body temperature keeps flexing from hot to cold."
"Well that would explain the aches and the fever." Rikishi said to Jeff.
"You need to rest up until this blows over." Hogan replied.
"No, I'm fine." Chris assured and stood up. "Whoa." He began to feel extremely nauseous as the acid in his stomach rose and fell, it felt almost like he was drunk but also had a hangover.
"Chris, are you ok?" Jeff asked.
"What's going on?" His sighed turned black and the darkness was filled with green flashing dots. "I don't feel so good...." He began to feel dizzy again, his hearing suddenly went out. He panicked, not being able to hear and see, and fell to his knees. His jaw dropped in fear.
"Chris!" Stephanie looked at him, he seemed lost, zoned out in a daze. He looked up, trying desperately to recover from the attack. But right as his hearing and sight was starting to return, he passed out once again. "He's fainted." Steph sighed at the limp body against hers.
"Poor Chris, what did they do to him this time? Last time it was food poisoning." Vince said.
"I don't know, but getting sick, getting hurt, nearly dying, I've had enough of Chris taking all of this for us. It's time to strike back and take our own stand, for Chris." Stephanie stood up.
"Don't worry about Chris, he should be fine." Hogan replied as he lay him back down on the sofa.
"Tomorrow we'll have until Friday here in Iowa, that gives us plenty of time to not only find Lisa and Keith, but exact our revenge upon them." Jeff said.
"I'm with you." Rikishi cried. "Though vengeance is pretty nice." Jeff rolled his eyes at him.
"Then it's settled." Vince walked over to the window and looked out into the darkness of night outside. "Tomorrow there will be no more suffering, no more misery. We'll end this, we'll end this for Chris, just as he would've done for us." They looked back at Chris as he moaned and groaned, lying in discomfort on the sofa, crying out in pain and gasping for air in his nightmares, tossing and turning from the energy depriving fever. He had done enough for them and his life was taking the toll, they had to stop it now and end this silly feud, before it ended something even more precious, Chris's life. "Strike three, they're out."
"Oh great." Chris swallowed hard but the stopped worrying himself. "Wait a second." He laughed slightly to himself. "I'm in Iowa for crying out freaking loud, what the hell could go on here? Oh, I can see tomorrow's headlines now: local man is liar, family angered by high bill. Nothing ever happens here, this is probably like the safest place to even be right now."
"I beg to differ."
Chris felt his hair bristle and stand on end as he slowly turned around to the voice. "Whose there?"
"Aw, don't be scared Chris." The voice laughed. Chris face changed from a startle to a scowl. "Nobody you don't know." Out stepped Keith.
"You." Chris whirled around angrily and growled deeply. "What are you doing here?"
"Don't worry, I'm not here to fight, I'm here to talk, so just calm down." Keith held up his arms. Chris hesitated but went along with it.
"Alright then, let's talk." Chris stood strait and stared at him. "Why are you after me?"
"Well, you see Chris." Keith began his story. "Lisa and I are a very elusive couple. We got engaged in 2001, just two years ago did we decide to get married. We are now but are in one hell of a rut. You see, my name is Keith Turner." Chris's eyes tensed at the name. "That's right, I see you remember me, the son of none other than Ted Turner." Keith smiled. "And as for Lisa, her maiden name was Heyman." Chris's jaw dropped at the other familiar name. "Yes. As a combine force, we would've been in charge of both WCW and ECW. But at that time, they were bought out by Shane and Stephanie."
"Then why go after me?" Chris asked.
"Oh Chris." Keith smiled. "You're Steph's boyfriend and Shane's best friend. You are the champion to the WWE, owned by Linda and Vince. Getting you is getting them all."
"Then get me and only me, leave the rest out of this." Chris warned.
"I'm afraid that's no longer possible. If you had just let Carlos and Dan do their job and kill you and manipulate Vince McMahon, then you would be dead and Vince would've been screwed out of the wrestling business leaving Lisa and myself in charge."
"So that's it then, that's why? You wanted to get to them through me."
"Read between the lines. Carlos hated you for what you did to him, you have a relationship with the McMahon, why not get you?"
"Well, what about Dan then?"
"Him? Well he was just a newcomer, a rookie lackey. Plus, he didn't like you that much either."
"Hmm." Chris smirked to himself, shaking his head. "So in the end, it all winds down to me."
"Yes, that's right. We all have a reason to get you. We know everything there is to know about you and your alliances."
"Then you know I wont go down without a fight, Dan and Carlos learned that the hard way."
"Very much so." Keith smirked and began to laugh, causing Chris to tense. "And our battle has just begun! So prepare yourself Chris, for we shall meet again, and next time you die." He turned around to go but stopped. "Oh, and by the way, how is, your arm?"
"Wha?" Chris looked at his left arm. "My arm?"
"You should start feeling the effects soon. I just wanted to inform you, so you could die with the knowledge of your own defeat. Your demise will be our victory, and your demise will be the end of the WWE." He laughed to himself.
"Not if I can stop it!" Chris yelled and went to lunge forward but stopped. His left arm froze, he felt it go numb like a dead weight as the tingling feeling shot up his neck.
"Well, better late than never." Keith walked out of sight. "Have fun Chris!"
"No...." Chris gurgled, he didn't feel right. His vision started blurring and his balance was thrown askew. "What, what's happening to me?" He groaned, he tried to move but his body had been zapped of all energy. "What did he do to me?" He growled as he felt to his knees, struggling to keep conscious. "I, I...." His eyes starting to fog, he was whiting out.
"Chris?" He could hear the muffled voice echoing off in the distance. "Chris!"
"Who? I...." Chris looked up but the pain shot through his body like a bullet and he blacked out.
"No!" Stephanie cried as she ran over and caught him right in time. She looked at Chris as his eyes rolled to the back of his head.
"Oh no, what happened?" Vince asked as he rushed to her side.
"I don't know for sure, but I think that the shot has finally taken its effect on Chris."
"Will the kid be ok?" Hogan asked, appearing at Vince's side.
"I dunno, let's just get him back to the hotel." Jeff panted.
"Good thing we decided to follow him and see where he was going." Rikishi replied.
"I have to agree with you there big man, let's go guys." And with that, they got into their suv and drove back to the hotel.
That night, Chris was lying on the sofa in the hotel room. Stephanie and Vince sat on one bed, Jeff and Rikishi on the other as Hogan leaned against the wall on the portable fold up bed. Chris was tossing and turning in his dreams, a cold sweat covering his face. He groaned and struggled in his sleep. Whatever toxin chemicals had poisoned him, they were really hitting him hard.
"We should wake him." Rikishi couldn't take much more.
"No, he needs to rest from this." Jeff held up his hand.
"What's wrong with him?" Hogan shook his head as he stared up at the ceiling.
"He's in pretty bad shape, whatever they got him with." Stephanie brushed the loose mangy bangs off of Chris's forehead and wiped his face with a damp washcloth. "I guess the poke hole was too small to see. The red mark was the reaction trying to warn us, but I we didn't realize it."
"Better or not, we have to take this out of Chris's hands." Vince stood up, everyone turned to him. "How many times as something like this happened to him? He gets hurt or nearly dies, and we do nothing. I say it's time that we take the action and protect Chris, how many times has he taken it into his hands to protect us? He deserves to have the favor returned. Don't you think?"
"I agree." Steph smiled. Chris cried out in his feverish nightmares, Stephanie turned to him. "Chris, what is it, are you ok?" He closed his mouth and his face tensed. Finally his eyes opened.
"Wha... Steph?" He blinked stupidly a few times to get his eyes back into focus and looked around. "Where am I, how did I get back here?"
"Don't talk Chris." Stephanie sighed with relief. He sat up but gasped. "Don't move Chris." She lay him back down.
"Stop treating me like a baby, Steph." Chris groaned, folding his arms. Stephanie couldn't help but smile, he still was a little kid, well to them at least. "I'm fine." He winced in pain.
"Oh no you're not." Stephanie shook her head at him. "You're worse for wears, you need to rest or else your condition will worsen."
"No, I have to stop Keith and Lisa." Chris jumped up quickly but cried out, freezing in his movement and slowly slumping down to the ground.
"Chris what is it, what's wrong?" Vince tried to help him up.
"I don't know." Chris opened his eyes a crack. "It feels like my whole body has been drained of its energy, it feels almost like my body temperature keeps flexing from hot to cold."
"Well that would explain the aches and the fever." Rikishi said to Jeff.
"You need to rest up until this blows over." Hogan replied.
"No, I'm fine." Chris assured and stood up. "Whoa." He began to feel extremely nauseous as the acid in his stomach rose and fell, it felt almost like he was drunk but also had a hangover.
"Chris, are you ok?" Jeff asked.
"What's going on?" His sighed turned black and the darkness was filled with green flashing dots. "I don't feel so good...." He began to feel dizzy again, his hearing suddenly went out. He panicked, not being able to hear and see, and fell to his knees. His jaw dropped in fear.
"Chris!" Stephanie looked at him, he seemed lost, zoned out in a daze. He looked up, trying desperately to recover from the attack. But right as his hearing and sight was starting to return, he passed out once again. "He's fainted." Steph sighed at the limp body against hers.
"Poor Chris, what did they do to him this time? Last time it was food poisoning." Vince said.
"I don't know, but getting sick, getting hurt, nearly dying, I've had enough of Chris taking all of this for us. It's time to strike back and take our own stand, for Chris." Stephanie stood up.
"Don't worry about Chris, he should be fine." Hogan replied as he lay him back down on the sofa.
"Tomorrow we'll have until Friday here in Iowa, that gives us plenty of time to not only find Lisa and Keith, but exact our revenge upon them." Jeff said.
"I'm with you." Rikishi cried. "Though vengeance is pretty nice." Jeff rolled his eyes at him.
"Then it's settled." Vince walked over to the window and looked out into the darkness of night outside. "Tomorrow there will be no more suffering, no more misery. We'll end this, we'll end this for Chris, just as he would've done for us." They looked back at Chris as he moaned and groaned, lying in discomfort on the sofa, crying out in pain and gasping for air in his nightmares, tossing and turning from the energy depriving fever. He had done enough for them and his life was taking the toll, they had to stop it now and end this silly feud, before it ended something even more precious, Chris's life. "Strike three, they're out."