An Author Avatar Association Special:The prelude to the AAA semi-finals.Written, conceived, and instigated by Alicia Ashby... aka LYNXARA!Starring the cast of Mystery Wrestling Theater 3000, Ranma 1/2's Dr. Tofu, Mike Tenay, Wolf, and AAA Chief of Security Doug Dillenger!Guest starring Kasumi Tendo, Nav, and the Powers That Be!And introducing... well, you'll just have to read and find out!______________________________________________________GRAVITON MEMORIAL HOSPITALEMERGENCY ROOM1:32 AM     Bret Hart sat outside the painfully white hospital room, muttering bitterly to himself. 	"I'll rip his ears out by the roots!  No, I'll break his legs and THEN I'll rip his ears out by the roots!"  Bret's dire threats were directed towards the anthropomorphic rabbit that had consumed his thoughts ever since the ending of the AAA tournament: Pippkin.  	The not-accidentally-Jokeresque rabbit had taken over Bret's mind, had one of his cronies injure Steve, shattered Eric Bischoff's shoulder into about a million pieces, and generally made a fool out of all of WCW's representatives.  The most embarrassing thing about all this was that Bret couldn't even remember where or when Pippkin had taken over his mind.  If Page's explanation of the evening's events were correct, Bret was personally responsible for distracting Steve so Agent Q could shoot him and picking a dangerous fight with Bisch.  Bret knew, deep down inside, that all of their problems were his fault.  If only he could've talked Steve out of going after Team Foxfire, or not gotten so worked up over David Kronos doing the Sharpshooter, or even if he had managed to stay with Steve through the end!  Bret had screwed up badly, resulting in his employer being in surgery at the moment to piece his shoulder back together, and Steve Borden being treated in the room he was jealously standing guard outside of right now.  He and Steve had their arguments, but all that time on the Satellite had made them into legitimate friends.  If there was any lasting damage done to Steve...  Bret thought of some more painful ways that he could dismember Pippkin.       Inside the room, the greatest doctor in the multiverse, Dr. Tofu, and a team of medical technicians were working on Steve Borden, aka Sting.  Steve had taken a pretty bad energy shot in the side of his abdomen, and lost a lot of blood to boot.  However, once they had calmed Steve down enough that they could work on him, things had progressed pretty well.  His broken ribs had been set, and now they were working on stitching up his nasty gash.  Soon, he'd be in good enough shape to send to the Healers in Neo-Tokyo, who could use their mystic powers to have him as good as new in a few days.  It would be especially easy with a subject as strong as this one.     Outside the room, Bret watched idly as Bane helped a bandaged-up Nav out of the hospital.  Nav would probably be in the healer's complex tomorrow, and back in homicidal top shape for his semi-final match.  Bane had actually managed to be an *asset* to Nav, Bret thought bitterly.       A pretty brown-haired woman in her early twenties approached Bret.  "Is there where Tofu-sensei is practicing?" she asked.       "Yeah," Bret replied.     "Oh, good.  I saw what happened at the tournament today.  What that rabbit did was simply awful!  May I go in and see how Tofu-sensei and the patient are holding up?" she asked sweetly.     It seemed like an odd request, but Bret couldn't think of a reason to say no.  "Okay," he said.  "Just don't bother him too much."     Right after the woman went in, he heard Tofu's voice tremulously cry out, "K-k-kasumi!"  That noise was followed by something of a sickening snapping noise and a cry of pain from the semi-conscious Steve.  Bret jumped out of his seat and dashed into the room.  He couldn't believe that an otaku like himself had managed to miss Kasumi Tendo!     A few minutes later, Kasumi emerged out of the room, being pushed along as gently as possible by Bret.  He had even taken his jacket off and held it over Kasumi's retreating form so Dr. Tofu could get back to his senses faster.       "Why were you even trying to go in there?!" Bret shouted at her in exasperation.  However, there was no point in trying to explain *why* she shouldn't go in there, as she was a Takahashi character and completely incapable of understanding.       "A very nice bunny that I met after the show suggested that it would be a nice thing to do..." she said as she began walking away.     "DAMN YOU, PIPPKIN!" Bret screamed.  Inventive ways of ripping the rabbit's toes off began springing into his mind.  Meanwhile, Kasumi and the hospital's residents were staring at the large Gaijin with the odd accent.  Bret stalked back to his post and sat down again, thinkingof nothing but injuring Pippkin.       A while later, Bret broke out of an uneasy doze as he heard Page Faulkenberg and his new best friend Wolf coming down the hall.  They were engaged in a heated argument with Doug Dillinger.       "You can't blame us for that!  Who let that psycho-bunny in the arena in the first place?" Page was exclaiming in disgust.     "All I'm saying is that you and the others were *spectators*.  You shouldn't have gotten involved, and everything that happened to you tonight is *your* fault."     "That's a crock of shi --" Wolf began angrily.     Dillinger cut him off effortlessly.  "I'll spell things out plain and simple for you right now.  If I see *anyone* who is not an active participant in any way attack a tournament participant OR attempt to enter any restricted area, then he or she will be *removed*.  Do I makemyself clear?"     Page and Wolf had very similar resentful looks on their faces as they mumbled, "Yes sir."  Then Dillenger left the hospital.       "I'd like to see him try and stop me," Wolf said darkly as soon as Dillinger was out of earshot.         "Trust me, Dillinger's not too good at stopping anyone or anything," Page replied.       Page noticed Bret and headed over to him right as Mike Tenay and an AAA cameraperson burst into the hospital.  Tenay made a beeline for Bret's self-declared 'position' as well.         Mike dashed up,doing his best to be sternly journalistic and succeding only in being a businesslike weenie.  "Finally!" he exclaimed.  "I've checked every hospital in Graviton city for you guys!"       Page inserted himself squarely in the camera's vision field and answered Tenay' squestion before he asked it.  	"Bischoff just got outta surgery, and I think Steve in there is pretty much patched up. We'll be in Neo-Tokyo in a couple days, get em both Healed up, and *then*..."  Page inadvertently switched into hisinterview mode for the finish.  "... we *will* be at the Semi-finals.  And Pippkin, you will have *hell* to pay."     "That goes for you too, Agent Q," Wolf added.  He popped his claws out with a deadly *snikt*.  "When I'm done with you, you'll wish you stayed dead."     "Wow, sound bites and everything!" Tenay said happily.  He gestured to his cameraperson as they headed back out of the hospital.  "We can finally call it a night!"     "Dillinger said we couldn't even get near the ring..." Bret said with an arch look at Page. "You've got something planned, don't you?"       Page grinned as he pulled out a cigar and then realized that he was in a no smoking area, which dulled his joy somewhat.  Still, Page managed to smile as he replied, "Oh, yeah.  Me and Wolf-a-rine worked it all out.  You see --"     Page was cut off by an enormous flash of light accompanied by a massive boom of thunder that suddenly came from the hospital's entrance.  Crowds of people ran away screaming as the hospital's new visitor surveyed her new territory.  "A premetive medikal facilitie.  Hmph,a ten-year-old kuld run thes place beter.  But thenn agin, is their annytheng a ten-year-old can't do beter?"     Bret blanched as he looked in her direction.  Blonde hair, Starfleet uniform, black cape (denoting evil), and a total contempt for all other life-forms... it had to be Marrissa Picard!      Her royal highness Grand Admiral Marrissa Amber Flores Picard strode across the room to them (as they were the only ones left).  "Greetings, stuped addults!  I am Her royal highness Grand Admiral Marrissa Amber Flores Picard, sol rewler of the starshepp Enterprize.  I amluking for the Powers That Be."       Wolf stared blankly at Page, who stared blankly right back at him.  Bret's mind raced as he tried to think of a way to get rid of Marrissa.  He had to do it fast, or they'd end up like Ratliff adults!     "Um... you might wanna check Neo-Tokyo, if you haven't already."     "I had nott cuncederred that, stuped Coneidean addult!  Her Royal Highness Grand Admiral Marrissa Amber Flores Picard thenks yu!"  With that, the demon-bitch disappeared in a flash of light.        "That was weird," Wolf announced.       Page shook his head and tried to pretend like that never happened.  "Yeah.  Well, anyway, we've got this great plan worked up --"     Page was interrupted again by the sound of breaking glass.  Although his characeteristic theme music didn't follow, Page clearly recognized the large angry bald man that was stomping through the hospital.      "Where the *hell* are all the bars in this goddamn town?!" Steve Austin swore.     Page's face lit up as he saw his old friend.  "AUSTIN?!  What the hell are you doing here?"  Page shouted back at him.       Stone Cold stomped over to Page and replied, "I heard a lil' Nancy-boy mouse by the name of Brisby declared that he was gonna *3:16* somebody!  Well, I beat the sh*t out of his author, and I'm gonna do the same to him!"       "But at the moment, I'd just settle for a good Steveweiser," Austin finished.     "There's a good bar at the corner of Hirano and Sonoda," Wolf said happily.  "By the way, I love your work!"     "Aw *hell* yeah!" Austin replied as he exited the hospital.       As they watched him leave, Page, Bret and Wolf all grinned at each other as they imagined what would happen when Stone Cold caught up to Brisby and Co.       "I guess we don't have to worry about Team Foxfire anymore," Bret said with a trademark smirk on his face.      "You settled your score with those punks anyway," Wolf added, recalling how thoroughly Sting dominated and embarrassed Team Foxfire at the show.  "We've got bigger things to worry about now."     "Yeah. So anyway, about the plan --" Page grimaced as he was interrupted yet again.  This time it was Dr. Tofu, bursting out of the room to announce that the procedure was finished and that Steve was resting comfortably.  "You can visit him now if you want," Tofu added as he left.  Page sighed heavily and decided that the Powers That Be just didn't want him to reveal his brilliant plan tonight.  "--I'll tell you about it later," he finished.  Then Page and Wolf walkedinto the room.      Bret got up to follow them, but stopped just befor ehe entered the room.  He was making himself a promise.   He was sure that Page's plan was good, whatever it was, but Bret decided that he had no intention of following it.  Page, Eric, and their new ally Wolf had all put theirlives on the line already.  They had  done their part by saving Steve from the psycho-rabbit's wrath.       It was Bret's failure that forced them into this in the first place.  Well, Bret was going to repay his debt, both to them and his own ego, by taking out Pippkin himself.  He'd leave Agent Q to Wolf and his friends, as Wolf obviously had a personal grudge against the otherparamilitary rodent.  Bret could understand that all too well.     But Pippkin's ass was now the sole property of the Hitman.                                *  *     *THE SHADOWY NETHERWORLD7:35 AM     The Powers That Be sat in their elevated seats, listening to the newcomer's request.  They were taking their time with this one, as their next appointment was with Marrissa Picard. Naturally, they weren't looking forward to it.       "You *have* to let me do this!" the newcomer said emphatically.  He was an average-sized human, wearing pretty average street clothes.  "I'm going to see Adam Chris Leigh go down before this thing is over, and if Samantha needs my help, then so be it!"      The two Powers That Be looked at each other as they considered the newcomer's request.  The male one said skeptically, " And this would have NOTHING to do with your grudge Gonterman and his characters?"       "Well... maybe a little bit," the human admitted.      "I don't know about this," the PTB continued.  "We have enough Gonterman-hating characters running around as it is.       The female PTB then chimed in, "Oh, come on, S-man!  Is there any reaction to Gonterman and his characters others then unbridled hatred?"     "Well, yeah, but the people that have them are usually pretty scary," he  relented. "Still, we've got a lot of powerful non-tournament characters with axes to grind running around too."     His partner was clearly unconcerned.  "You know as well as I do that you can never have too much chaos in wrestling, and the AAA tournament is pretty close to wrestling."     "Please?" the newcomer added in his most persuasive voice.       "Well... oh, alright," the male PTB said.  "But I'm cutting down your power base.  You won't have access to your full Author powers.  You'll be no different from the other Avatars."      "A little bit weaker, acutally," the female chimed in.  "Your ego has bounds, for one thing, and you have many of the vulnerabilities of a human being.  You won't be anywhere near as indestructible as the animated characters."     "Fine," the newcomer accepted.        The PTB's stood up and pointed their fingers, opening up a space/time vortex.  "In that case, Jolt, I hereby give you entry into the Author Avatar dimension," proclaimed the male.       "If you enter, you won't be able to leave until the tournament's over," the female reminded him one last time.  "But good luck and godspeed, Jamie."     "And make sure you come back to us.  The Vault just wouldn't be the same without you," the male added.     "Listen, I've already hacked my way through these guys' stories... *nothing* could be worse than that!  Just consider this the next stage in the evolution of MiSTing," Jolt replied. Then he waved good-bye as he dived through the portal.  As it closed, the PTBs sat down and looked at their schedule.     "Great.  It's Marrissa's turn," the girl said.     "What does she want?"     "Her note says something about doing commentary, but I doubt it's as simple as that."     "Well, you said that you liked chaos..."       "Yeah, but trying to do all of those misspellings!  It would be like having Torgo there!"WILL STONE COLD KILL JOHNATHAN BRISBY?  WHAT DOES MARRISSA PICARDREALLY WANT?  CAN JOLT SURVIVE THE POWERS OF THE AUTHOR AVATARS?WHAT ABOUT PIPPKIN AND Q, AND BRET HART'S VOW OF VENGEANCE?FOR THE ANSWERS, TUNE INTO ROUND THREE OF OF THE AAA TOURNAMENT!_____________________________________________________BORING STUFF: Trying to go through all of the copyrights I violated in making this storywould make my head explode.  Suffice to say that pretty much everything here is owned bysomeone who's not me.  I don't claim to own any character I used here. Anything not explicitlyowned by another author, company, or person can be considered public domain.