The fighters suddenly found themselves transported to a new arena. The ceiling was high, but about the arena were large pegs with flashing lights. It looked like an enormous pinball machine.

---

Yalala smiled as she saw her favorite arena. Her fans cheered and she saw that the spider creature was here. She'd have to be careful around her, her webbing would be problematic. She didn't know what the boy with the green skin did, but asked any way, "Orinian?" Just to make sure he wasn't one of her people. He didn't seem Orinian, but still, it's not easy being green.

"W-what? Ow... dammit..." Jeremy clutched his head, obviously in pain "Say that... say that again?" He wasn't used to being physically ripped out of someone else's body and slammed into is own. It wasn't a nice feeling. "God... some one turn off the lights..."

Eliza was here as well, but she had landed quickly and scurried into hiding. A giant pinball machine. Just... freaking... great. She really must remember to crush Mojo.

Maribel, had she her windpipes, would have screamed from the teleportation. She was royally screwed now. Her webbing wasn't planted here...but only in the previous arena. Frantic and half by instinct, she started webbing furiously across the two large pinball bells near her. She had no plan whatsoever.

"Are you Orinian?" Yalala asked him again. "Of the planet Orion. By your skin I would guess at least Zenthar, our smallest moon."

"Mutant. From earth... the skin is... decay." Jeremy explained, brushing his long hair away from his large red eyes and gazing at Yalala with a little sad smile "My power is dying. It's... not the best."

"Ahh." Yalala said. "You'll get to use that power soon." She looked at Maribel, knowing her abilities, but was not sure about Eliza's. "What does she do?"

She was right though. Jeremy had used his powers soon. His body just... lay there, limp, empty... dead. His hair was growing at a rapid rate, as were his nails. She got no answer.

Maribel found herself sitting in her new web, feeling it was the only safe place. She listened to Yalala and Jeremy and wanted to wimper.


A holographic image appeared over the arena. A segment of another fight was playing. Penelope freaking out as shadow leaches latched onto her skin and falling into something black and squirming. "There's always someone tougher on the playground isn't there?" Waya said over Penelope's body, then a moment later something lashed out and she fell, her legs severed at the upper thigh. A moment later the lights went out and the scene cut, back to Penelope pulling away from Waya, bloody as she flopped over into a pool of blood. "I did it..." And the crowd erupted in applause. "One down nine to go..." Mojo's voice said from the video. "How long can the X-Kiddies last without their voluptuous leader?" His laughing broke through in the end as the image faded above them.

"He doesn't know, does he?" Eliza said, shaking her head as she watched the view screen. Nothing seemed to be happening here, and she was fine with that. "Look, um... you," she pointed at the girl they were meant to be killing "Can we just work together to get out of here?"

Maribel gasped at the screen and started to cry, unable to be much use in a battle.

Jeremy lay there. Dead. It's not like the body had any emotional reaction. The projection of him, invisible and floating right behind Yalala, was horrified. Waya was hurt... cut down. But she had a healing factor right? Only it relied on shadows... He glanced at Eliza. Why wasn't she more... anything! Any reaction at all.

Yalala frowned at the awesome power of a boy falling over dead and watched the video as it played. That seemed... distasteful, even for Mojo. "This isn't right..." She said. "He would have kept your leader alive, if only to move her to channel 69..."

"Of course she's fine." Eliza snapped at Yalala "Mojo plays dirty. He could probably knock that up in five minutes with photoshop and camera angles." She glared at her "Now, are you certain you want to try to take on the X-men?"

Yalala shrugged. "It must be done... I don't exactly have a choice. If I don't fight you and win, I'll be canceled, or moved to channel 69... and that human, I cannot allow."

"Of course you have a damn choice." snapped Eliza "All we need is to get out there, knock Mojo and Spiral off their perch and reverse the polarisation of the transport beam. Should be able to get everyone back home in ten minutes... five if they haven't changed the encryptions since last time."

"I have heard many fighters claim such things." Yalala had been here longer than any of the dancers. She had fans, loyal fans, but age and younger members to the team were weighing on her. How long would it be before Mojo shipped her off to MILF Island? "But you are the first I believe who could do it."

"Well sure, all I'd need to do is crack open the control panel on the main computer and put the red wire to the yellow one, then a bit of programming and... done." Eliza said, shrugging slightly at what she'd said and knowing that, if Spiral was listening, and was trying to fix that issue, she'd just wind up shorting out half the station."

Maribel had felt a bit of relief when the two were going back and forth in conversation, as if a sliver of hope for not fighting remained.

"Yalalalala...." Mojo's voice said as a hologram flickered to life above them. "What are you doing?"
"Lulling my victims into a false sense of security..." Yalala half lied.
"Well you're lulling your spectators into a sense of BOREDOM! Get to fighting or I'll ship you off to channel 69 with the rest of the hasbeens!"

"Go away Mojo, if there's anything putting people off this channel it's because you keep sticking your face on it." Eliza said with a little sniff before turning around and taking up a fighting pose directed at Yalala.

A pair of ghostly hands plunged into Yalala's head from behind, and Jeremy was soon to follow into her skull. He was going to see what he could mess around with in here to try and get them out.

Yalala surged forward onto her knees, gripping her head, her snippy retort to Mojo lost in the surge of pain that suddenly overtook her. However, Jeremy had never been in an Orininian mind and he would find it very different from a human mind. "GET OUT!" Yalala suddenly screamed and bounced her head off a nearby bumper, sending herself rocketing into another and another. Her body could take this kind of punishment, she only hoped this child inside her mind couldn't handle it.

"Now THAT is entertainment!" Mojo proclaimed, then he looked to Eliza. "I'd watch myself girly, of you might end up in the burn pile with your little friend... they should be incinerating her body right about now. Such a shame too... she had the assetts of a star." He flickered out then, hoping his little reminder of Waya's untimely death might goat Eliza into action rather than just standing there. However, he wasn't completely gone. To add insult to injury, the hologram suddenly appeared big, bright and loud in front of Maribel. "BOO!"

"Go away Mojo, your act is getting stale." Eliza said, rolling her eyes and trying to track the motions of Yalala. She had seen pinball machines, but not from this angle. It was more confusing like this.

Jeremy grunted as he found himself being thrown around. But he had her endurance, at least her body's endurance. He was trying to shake her head up a bit more, but it was like trying to solve a puzzle in the dark; he'd never been inside an alien's head before, it felt as if he was grinding his face down against an industrial sander. Not good.

Maribel jumped and pulled back. She would have screamed had she had a voice. She felt very insecure about active combat and felt a bit more confident in her ability to make traps.

Mojo cackled at Maribel. "You'd better find something to look useful." he told her. "... Though a cute little thing like you... I might just save you for pay per view..." There was greasy innuendo in his voice. She was young, nubile... exotic. "People will pay out the nose to watch your first time." He was trying to shock her, make her cry, get a rise, anything to make her stop sitting in her little web, doing nothing.

Yalala gained speed and momentum as she bounced from side to side, banging off bumpers, flippers and switches. She depressed a trigger and a large silver ball began to roll into the arena on a silver track, it seemed to be heading for Eliza's location.

Maribel's nose scrunched up at that comment. Already, her fangs were salivating with a lethal toxin, a personal brew, just for that fat fuck. It would do no sense attacking the hologram though. Surely there was SOME sort of breech in this arena she could find. Finally, Maribel left her webbing and started to run through the maze of bells and flippers. She really didn't know where she was going, but wanting to make some sort of progress.

Eliza looked around at the ball, then dove out of the way, becoming a bit top heavier as she threw herself sideways, just to make sure she went further. She rolled when she hit the floor, then came up. She needed to try and catch Yalala... but also look out for the ball. "I think you'd get more hits on pay per view Mojo. I mean, how many people have told you to fuck yourself? Give the public what they want."

Jeremy was practically thrown out of Yalala's mind, his spirit doing a cartwheel in the air as he exited her head. That approach didn't seem to be working... It didn't look good.

Mojo had gone, but he could still hear. He was watching after all. The crowd seemed to enjoy Eliza's taunts.

Yalala felt immediate relief being free of Jeremy and to ensure he didn't try again, she altered her course and scooped up his body. "Can you hear me green one?" She asked secretly into his body's ear, hoping he could. "I'll snap you neck in an instant!" She called loud enough for the crowd to hear.

The body lolled in her arms, flapping about, a mass of hair and skin and bones. It was as if she was holding a twig model of a person, not an actual one. There was silence from Jeremy. What exactly did she expect him to do in return to that threat?

"I may know of a way to achieve what you seek." Yalala whispered in the dead boys ears. "But you must unite your comrades... and vow to take my dancers and I with you." Then as if threatening him again, making a boast for the crowd said, "Show yourself green one!"

Yalala suddenly found herself flailing forward as her ankles had been knotted in a thread of webbing. From her left, Maribel was crouched atop of a metal bell where she had waited and lured in the unsuspecting dancer.

Jeremy's body hit the floor hard, jerking slightly as Jeremy entered it again while he and Yalala were dragged along. "We'll try. I promise." he mouthed without opening his eyes, before the body went still again. He was going to have to visit Maribel now.

Eliza moved forward at once, jumping at Yalala and trying to snatch hold of Jeremy's body to drag him away from the distracted girl. Surely she couldn't grip hold of the corpse and be pulled along at the same time.

Yalala felt herself flung up and her ankles snapped together. She didn't need her feet to gain momentum though. She struck the bell hard and again and again. Maribel felt the bell begin to vibrate, then ring. If Yalala could get it going fast enough, she might be able to use her abilities to break the webbing.

Maribel had trouble standing and fell at Yalala, tackling her. Immediately, her hands and feet went to work and Yalala would soon find herself in a cacoon of sticky material if she didn't act fast.

Had Yalala not experienced Maribel's strands already, she would not have reacted as violently as she did. The vibrating of the bell was violently disorienting, but Yalala moved at and in speeds and environments like that all the time. She grabbed Maribel's hands, preventing her from using her strands and told her, "I'm trying to help you you tawt. Release me, I must appear to defeat you."

Her toes curled in and the web around Yalala's legs tightened threateningly. It took a moment for Maribel to hear her words, but she had no reason to trust this green woman. Her fangs seeped out and clawed toward Yalala's face as she appeared to hiss.

Jeremy seemed to just... slide down into Maribel's mind. Not attacking, just gently entering so she would be able to hear him whispering "She seems to be telling the truth. She never harmed me when she could have broken my neck."

Maribel flinched when Jeremy spoke to her. She really didn't care for mental messages like this, even from her own team. Still, she trusted Jeremy and her fangs retracted, managing not to drop any venom on Yalala. Maribel pushed herself off and gave herself a distance.

Eliza looked around as she brought Jeremy a little way away, holding his body close and frowning at the sight of... Maribel backing off? Did the girl not have the nerve? Eliza couldn't blame her for not finishing it... Maribel wasn't a killer. not at heart.

They didn't seem the brightest bunch she had ever fought., but Yalala had to think of some way to make it look as if she had defeated them. She hoped her attack on Maribel would look good enough. She used the webbing holding her to the bell to her advantage and held on as it vibrated, absorbing the momentum. She then used the webbing to swing herself around and grabbed Maribel, using the momentum of her swing to throw her across the arena.

Eliza, who had no clue this was meant to look like it might hurt, and not actually shatter Maribel into a million pieces, dashed after Maribel at top speed. She was extending her legs to give her extra speed, and reaching out with a large and long arm to try and catch her before she hit anything.

Maribel hit her hand and held on for dear life.

Eliza winced, and tried not to jump at the new voice in her head. She nodded her head once, to show she understood, then slowly began to lower Maribel to the floor. Right... convicing.

It took all the effort of the momentum she had built u from the bell but Yalala managed to tear free of the webbing Maribel had trapped her with. Finally free and with the humans understanding their agreement, three more of those large silver balls fell from the chute.

"Not good..." Eliza muttered, bringing her hands back and extending both palms outwards, making them larger with every passing second so she could try to catch one of the balls. She was also strengthening her legs to make sure she didn't just get tossed backwards.

Maribel netted webbing from one side of the machine to the other, trying to make a shield to protect Jeremy's body in the corner of the arena. He was defenseless and it would do them no good if he got crushed.

Yalala sped by behind Eliza several times, speaking a word or two for each pass. "There-is a-trap-door-near-the-green-one." Considering she had no idea how to beat Eliza, perhaps she'd be a peach and take the green one and finish herself off herself.

Eliza nodded, making lame swatting attempts at Yalala but not actually hitting her. She was backing away towards Jeremy, her foot steps heavy as she tried to find where the trap door was.

Having not heard the plan, Maribel kept weaving. When one ball shot toward her, she leapt back and let the web take the hit. Like a rubber band, it stretched, then shot the ball back the way it came.