"Now zhis is most interesting," the Iron Maiden commented rhetorically.

The French Mastermind was currently occupying one of the numerous luxury boxes at the Great Western Forum. But on this occasion, Iron Maiden was not taking in a sporting event or any other type of regular show. She, along with her personal assistant and bodyguard Mentalla, was watching the graduation ceremonies for the current crop of the Thugmaster's elite.

The show had only been mildly interesting thus far. The Dark Knight had introduced the graduates and the rest of the Thugmaster's Elite. They even had a few captives as well. Among them was Blizzard who ran a local heroes for hire organization. The icy hero was known to the Iron Maiden only in passing. With him was someone called Impact.

Also held captive was the alluring Shadow Queen and the loony Foxbat. Iron Maiden had no idea just why those two were present nor did it matter to her in the slightest. They were utterly inconsequential in her mind.

Iron Maiden and her assistant were present to scout out potential operatives for her organization. The French villainess already had the services of a nearly half a dozen supervillains, but was always eager to add another to the fold. However, none of the current graduates really piqued her interest.

It was after three of the Thugmaster graduates were accepted into other organizations that things really became interesting. Local VIPER forces were present and the Nest Leader had acquired the services of Hammerhead. The VIPER leader was an incompetent fool whom Iron Maiden would occasionally use to unwittingly further her own plans.

The monstrous Dragonfly joined the ranks of Terror Incorporated. Iron Maiden was mildly surprised to find Professor Muerte present. Perhaps he was desperate to increase the membership of his own team. Since being abandoned by Scorpia, Muerte had seen Terror Incorporated become a trio. Someone as hideous as Dragonfly fit in nicely with Professor Muerte's unsightly crew.

The situation came to a head when it was announced that Terror Unlimited, the criminal organization now led by Scorpia, recruited the Black Hole! Both groups departed their luxury boxes, exchanged threats, and began to fight. While Muerte's group was hideous, Scorpia's forces were quite attractive. It was a clash of beauties and the beasts.

Secretly, Iron Maiden hoped Scorpia would finally put Professor Muerte out of her misery once and for all. All three served, directly or indirectly, Dr. Destroyer. The Iron Maiden was always closely tied to the Doctor due to their past intimate relationship. Scorpia was cold and calculating, while Muerte was often childish and somewhat insane.

But given their respective positions, Iron Maiden could not openly show favoritism. Secretly, she had aided Scorpia by arranging shipment of a Vibratory Bomb to the Irish terrorist. What Scorpia was going to do with the weapon was unknown to the Iron Maiden, but she was sure that it would make all the headlines.

"What should we do, mistress?", Mentalla asked. She eyed the conflict outside warily. First and foremost in her mind was the protection of the Iron Maiden.

"Ve shall do nothing but vatch and vait," Iron Maiden simply answered. "Zhis is not our affair to meddle in. Zhe results, however, may prove most interesting. But do be ready to take us avay on a moment's notice."

#22 "Showtime!"

The battle lines had been drawn. On one side of the arena stood the membership of Terror Unlimited. Scorpia stood confidently, almost arrogantly, before her charges: the erotic mentalist Mind Slayer and the muscle-bound Shamrock.

Some hundred feet away was Scorpia's former associations, the dreaded international terrorists known as Terror Incorporated. Insane criminal mastermind Professor Muerte led the group. The monstrosity known as Giganto accompanied the armored Professor.

Giganto had once been a normal man, but experimentation by Muerte had forever changed him. His dark brown skin was more rock-like in appearance with silvery patches in the cracks in between. Giganto was incredibly strong and was equally lacking in intelligence. He did as Professor Muerte commanded because it never occurred to Giganto to do otherwise.

The newest recruit to Terror Incorporated, the inhuman Dragonfly, hovered close by. Like Giganto, Dragonfly had once been a man but had been transformed into some half-man, half 'flying insect' creature. He had giant insect-like wings, a poisonous stinger, and huge multi-faceted eyes.

The last member of Terror Incorporated, the flaming Feur, was nowhere to be seen. Not surprising, as Feur's body was constantly a raging inferno of flames that he could not put out. It would have been impossible for the fiery villain to be indoors and not have set off any fire alarms.

At the commands of their respective leaders, the two supervillain teams moved to engage the enemy. Dragonfly flew towards Terror Unlimited, eager to prove his worthiness to his new employer. This action drew the attention of the purple-clad Mind Slayer.

"I'll take care of the flying freak," Mind Slayer arrogantly announced. As she spoke, Mind Slayer concentrated and launched a mental assault towards her foe. Dragonfly was unable to avoid the attack or resist it. The strength of Mind Slayer's will nearly overpowered him.

Somehow, Dragonfly managed to point his hands at Mind Slayer and fire off his own bio-electric blast. The discharge threw Mind Slayer back violently and into the rows of seats. Her personal force field saved her from serious harm, but Mind Slayer was feeling very woozy.

Shamrock advanced forward to intercept Giganto while Scorpia engaged Professor Muerte. The lovely Irish terrorist raised her arm and fired a dart from her forearm launcher. "You always were an egotistical fool, Muerte," Scorpia said as she fired. "I have no idea why I put up with your childishness for so long."

The missile unerringly struck Professor Muerte, but the force field generated by his armor blunted the effectiveness of the attack. The Professor remained unmoved and defiant.

"You were nothing without me, Fiona!" Professor Muerte retorted. "I made you what you are! You owe me everything!" Raising his gauntlet, Muerte fired back upon Scorpia. The assault unerringly struck Scorpia, and she was violently sent backwards, crashing through the glass separating the luxury box from the arena.

The sight was more than Shamrock could bear. "You'll pay for that, mate," he angrily declared. "After I've taken your guard dog apart, I'm going after you, Muerte!"

Reaching Giganto, Shamrock struck the creature hard and fast. However, his punch sent the brute stumbling backwards only a dozen feet or so. It felt like Shamrock had just punched a mountain!

"Giganto protect master," the rocky creature rumbled. "Giganto crush green man!"

The brute called Giganto came rushing back at Shamrock and landed a solid punch on the Irishman. Shamrock was sent flying backwards, traveling nearly fifty feet in the air before landing in an adjacent row of seats. Numerous bolted down chairs were crushed or uprooted from Shamrock's passage. Satisfied with his effort, Giganto rushed over to Shamrock to renew their conflict.

"What the hell have we gotten ourselves into?", Impact asked rhetorically. "This is crazy!"

"It is also a cunning diversion," Foxbat declared as he struck a dramatic pose. "One that I shall use to free myself and my beloved honey bun! For now, the Foxbat strikes back! Excelsior!"

"The fruitcake's got the right idea," Blizzard agreed. "Let's blow this pop stand and get out of here while no one is looking."

"You've got a plan? How are you going to get out of this cage?"

"Naw, I'm just making this up as I go along," Blizzard responded. "However, I do have a few ideas. Everyone get ready."

Rising to his feet, Blizzard stepped up to the bars of his cage. He could hear them humming slightly from the electrical current coursing through the bars. A pair of thick cables led away from the cage and disappeared down a walkway leading to underneath the seats.

While the bars prevented anyone from exiting the cage, the same could not be said for a small ice blast. Blizzard concentrated and began to create an icy wedge outside the cage and directly over the thick cables. Gravity took over a split second later, causing the ice formation to crash to the floor and neatly slice through the electric cables!

"Awright!", Impact cheered on. "I think I can punch a hole straight through these bars."

"Get on with it!", Foxbat urged. "I need to free my honey bun!"

Impact began to generate thrust, slowly at first but rapidly gaining in intensity. Suddenly he shot forward and slammed his shoulder into the bars of the cage. The metal bent and then broke under the assault. Impact went flying wildly out of control from the cage. Blizzard and Foxbat quickly moved through the opening and out of their prison.

The members of the Thugmaster's Elite stood wide-eyed and slack jawed as they witnessed the fighting taking place up in the stands. They were so engrossed that they had failed to notice their captives escape. The punches that Shamrock and Giganto were exchanging sounded like the crash of thunder. The building actually shook from the repeated pounding the two were dealing out.

One member of the Elite seemed particularly engrossed in what was going on. The woman known as Revenant stared at the combatants. In particular, Scorpia, Giganto, and Professor Muerte attracted her gaze. However, it was Scorpia that received the most attention.

"I know her," Revenant mumbled under her breath. There was a French accent to her speech, but not an overpowering one. The young woman struggled to remember where she had seen Scorpia before, but only drew a blank. "But from where?"

Puzzled by this and frustrated by not being able to remember, Revenant decided to find out for herself. Virtually unnoticed, the black and green-clad woman moved away from her Elite teammates and began to make her way up into the stands to where the answers to her questions were.

The sound of beating wings helped Mind Slayer regain her wits. With a groan the mentalist opened her eyes to find Dragonfly hovering over her outstretched form.

"You pretty," Dragonfly spoke, startling Mind Slayer. She didn't think the creature capable of human speech. "Dragonfly hazzz gift for you, pretty one."

Mind Slayer tried to crawl away from this repulsive creature, but was backed up against a row of seats. "Yeah, guys tell me that all the time," Mind Slayer nervously replied. "Occupational hazard. Although I doubt I want anything from you!"

Unexpectedly Dragonfly spun in mid air to reveal a long, sharp stinger emerging from the base of his spine! Mind Slayer couldn't help but gasp in astonishment! Before she could react, Dragonfly closed in and drove his stinger into her right shoulder.

"You freakin' bastard!", Mind Slayer cursed as she felt venom being pumped into her body. Her entire shoulder began to burn from the coursing poison. "I'll kill you for that!"

Mind Slayer gestured directly at Dragonfly's back. At her mental command, razor sharp psychic knives emerged from Mind Slayer's hands. A burst of light and energy accompanied the blades. The psychic blades ripped through Dragonfly's back, creating a gapping hole in his torso with their passage. Guts, goo, and other sundry body parts and fluids exploded outwards in a shower of gore. Dragonfly himself was hurtled forward several dozen feet and crashed into a lower row of seats. His body was still as more of his life fluids drained out onto the floor.

Satisfied with her efforts, Mind Slayer turned her attention back to her wound. The skin around the sting was swollen and turning purple. It was getting harder and harder for Mind Slayer to concentrate. The mentalist was feeling flushed.

The next thing Mind Slayer knew, a man in an all black costume with white trim was in front of her. She had to think hard to realize that it was the Black Hole, the newest recruit to Terror Unlimited.

"Wow, you sure blew Dragonfly away," Black Hole commented. "Never did like that freaky bug anyway." The black-costumed man gently bent down and lifted Mind Slayer up into his arms.

"What-", Mind Slayer started to say, but was having trouble forming the words. "What are you doing?"

"Don't worry, babe. I'm not about to let anything happen to such a fine example of femininity. The bug's poison isn't fatal, but it will mess you up for a while. I'll get you to safety. In fact, I think that this is going to be the start of a beautiful friendship."

Weakly, Mind Slayer wrapped her arms around Black Hole's neck and lightly kissed him on his masked cheek. "Thanks."

"My pleasure." A moment later, the pair winked out of existence.

Close by, Scorpia emerged from the luxury box. The protective body armor woven into her costume prevented Professor Muerte's attack from doing any serious damage. "You won't be getting' rid of me that easily, boyo," the Irish terrorist vowed.

Scorpia moved quickly, but cautiously down the walkway in front of the luxury boxes. It was her most direct route to reach her desired target.

"I made you and I can destroy you," Professor Muerte raged. "You will regret the day you betrayed me!" Muerte fired on the advancing Scorpia, but this time she danced away from the blast, allowing it shatter the door to another luxury box behind her.

"My only regrets are waiting so long to break free and sharing your bed," Scorpia taunted. "I used you to further my goals and you were too wrapped up in your own delusions of grandeur to realize it. You're a very weak and petty man, Hernan Cortez. A coward who's afraid to get his nosy bloodied."

"Shut up! I will make you be quiet!" Professor Muerte continued to fire on the advancing Scorpia, but his own rage made his shots go wild and astray. "I am Professor Muerte! Destined master of the world! You'll see! You will all see! I will crush you all beneath my heel!"

"All I see is a pathetic little boy who created the tool of his own destruction." With a casual flick of her wrists, Scorpia's lethal claws emerged from their sheaths. Professor Muerte couldn't help but notice the gesture and he froze from it. He had always been deathly afraid of such lethal weapons from his childhood. "Oh yes, these claws are razor sharp and can rend even your armor, boyo." Even more chilling, Scorpia smiled as she continued to advance.

Back down on the arena floor, the members of the Thugmaster's Elite continued to watch what was transpiring further up in the stands. They watched in silent amazement as Dragonfly was brutally murdered. The winged criminal had never seemed so fragile before.

"What do we do now?", Lightwave said in a voice barely above a whisper. The villainess was standing beside the superfast Dash and the field leader of the Elite, the Dark Knight. Close by were the rest of the group: Brother Basilisk, Chaos, and the newest recruits, Rainbow, and Powerhouse. Revenant's absence had yet to be noticed.

"We simply get out of their way," the Dark Knight responded. "It would be bad for business for us to interfere or to show any favoritism. No doubt the authorities will be summoned from all this ruckus. I suggest that we not be here when they arrive."

"Whatabouttheprisonoers,boss?", the Dash quickly asked.

The Dark Knight glanced back towards where the captives were being held. They had been captured earlier in the afternoon on a mission led by Dash and Lightwave. The now deceased Dragonfly and Brother Basilisk had also been present.

The capture of Shadow Queen was very significant to the Dark Knight. The alluring woman had once been a member of the Elite, but had betrayed the team to the Champions. The authorities captured numerous members of the Elite that day. The Thugmaster himself had put a bounty on his former student's head.

But now Shadow Queen was their prisoner and subject to the Thugmaster's tender mercies. The Dark Knight couldn't help but wonder what sort of revenge Thugmaster would enact on the traitorous wench. The three men, while nice prizes, were not nearly as important as Shadow Queen.

"Shadow Queen comes with us," the Dark Knight declared. "The others can rot for all I care. Once we're-."

However, as the Dark Knight turned back towards the prisoners he found that they were not quite as helpless as he originally thought. In fact, they were attempting to escape! Somehow the men had exited the cage and Foxbat was working on freeing Shadow Queen from her brightly lit glass cell.

"Stop them!"

At the Dark Knight's command, the Dash streaked forward towards Foxbat. By now, the loony villain had turned the bright lights off that had been neutralizing Shadow Queen's powers. The door to the cage was open and Foxbat was working on untying his honey bun.

"Getyourhandsoffofheryoubattyfox!", the Dash cried out. The orange and green-clad villain was a blur as he streaked across the floor.

The Dash was moving so fast that he failed to notice a patch of ice on the floor until it was too late. All of the sudden, the Dash's feet were moving a hundred miles an hour, but he was going anywhere. The superfast villain slipped and slid across the arena, crashing nearly full speed into the cage Foxbat had escaped from. Dazed from the impact, the Dash crumbled to the floor.

"That's what you get from sucker punching me before," Blizzard called out. An ice ram followed and the Dash was down for the count. "The cold shoulder!"

An orange blast of energy forced Blizzard to duck behind his cover once more. Looking back, he could see orangish energy fading around Rainbow's outstretched right hand. The other members of the Thugmaster's Elite were converging on the icy hero as well.

"That was very foolish thing to do," the Dark Knight chastised. "We were going to leave you behind, but now you've made an irritant of yourself. Show this would-be hero the error of his ways! Take them!"

"Is this a private party or can anyone just walk in off the street?"

The unexpected comments drew everyone's attention away from Blizzard, causing the Elite to cease their advance. Another collection of colorful costumed individuals was emerging onto the arena floor. Leading the way was Spectrum. He flew through the air with Mockingbird and the Empress on his flanks. Morning Star emerged next, quickly followed by Shockwave, Sabre, Satara, and Icicle. X-Factor had arrived on the scene!

"It's about time the cavalry arrived," Blizzard said upon seeing his teammates. "What kept you guys?"

"Hey, you know what LA traffic is like," Spectrum countered. "What the heck is going on here? It's like a bad guys' convention!" Spectrum sent a yellow energy blast towards Brother Basilisk. A second attack put the scaly skinned man down.

"Blizzie!", the Empress called out as she flew towards Blizzard. "I'd been so worried about you and Impact!"

"You're certainly a sight for sore eyes, babe." The Empress landed beside Blizzard and the two hugged. For the moment, Angie was simply happy to have found Blizzard.

Morning Star warily eyed what was going on inside the arena. Further up in the stands the members of Terror Incorporated and Terror Unlimited were going at each other. The Thugmaster's Elite was just a short distance away and VIPER forces were on hand as well.

"Where do you even begin?", Morning Star muttered in wonder.

Icicle sent an ice ram towards the Annihilator and Shockwave followed up with a teeth-rattling punch. Between the two attacks, the Annihilator was rendered unconscious and violently tossed across the court.

"Now this is my kind of party," Satara called out in excitement. "It's hammer time!" Drawing her weapon, the Blood battlemaiden rushed to engage the enemy. Chaos was her first target and Satara blasted the always size-changing man across the court. Behind her, the other members of X-Factor came forth to battle the Elite.

Higher up in the stands, Scorpia continued to advance upon the frozen Professor Muerte. His fear of sharp weapons locked him in place. Finally, he activated the jets in his armor, sending the megalomaniac up into the air. There he was safely beyond the reach of Scorpia and her lethal claws.

"You'll not rend my armor this day, Fiona!" Muerte fired yet another energy blast from his armor, but continued to miss his fast-moving target. Scorpia was indeed his finest creation. She was beautiful, fast, and deadly. It was a shame that she now had to die. Such was the fate of traitors.

"I should have expected as much from a coward like you," Scorpia taunted. "You never could stand getting your hands dirty. It was I who did all your killing!"

"You were the tool I created," Professor Muerte responded. "I needed someone with a killer instinct. A living weapon at my command."

"Not any more, you pathetic wretch!"

Unexpectedly, a black hole opened up behind Professor Muerte. A moment later, a beam of equally black energy erupted from the hole slamming into Muerte's back! The sneak attack caught the criminal mastermind by surprise and caused him to go hurtling forward out of control. Before Scorpia's startled eyes, the source of her hatred came crashing down into the arena seating.

A second later, Black Hole materialized beside Scorpia. The Irish terrorist sensed his presence and started to slash at him with her claws before realizing just who it was. She barely managed to hold back her claws and instead slashed threw a nearby concrete and steel support.

"Whoa, there boss lady," Black Hole called out holding his hands up in front him. "I thought you could use a hand on bringing that big mouth back down to the ground."

"Aye, that you did, lad," Scorpia commented with a cold smile and flashed her claws. "But never interfere in one of my fights again without my permission. Do so and I'll gut you like a fish. Understand me, boyo?"

"Absolutely," Black quickly answered.

Without another word, Scorpia ran off after Professor Muerte to continue their battle.

"Now that is one cold lady," Black Hole muttered under his breath. "Maybe the big green guy could use a hand." Black Hole teleported away a moment later.

Wearily, Titania picked herself up, tossing several destroyed arena seats aside. The scantily black and silver clad woman was sore and emotionally hurt. She had been violently expelled from the Thugmaster's Elite at the hands of Powerhouse. The giant had slammed her to the floor and then kicked her up into the stands like she was a football. Titania now found herself up in the cheap seats of the Great Western Forum.

For a brief moment, Titania had the urge to rush back down there and clean house. She'd show the Dark Knight that she wasn't incompetent! She'd show them all! No one would ever treat Titania like that ever again!

Just as quickly as it came, Titania's anger faded. Her own self-confidence had been waning as it was. This was just another blow to her already bruised ego. She would probably just fail in her attempt to extract revenge and land herself back in jail once more.

"God, I'm such a loser," Titania said dejectedly.

Quietly, Titania rose to her feet and turned away from all the combat going on around her. She headed for the exit and never looked back. She didn't know where she was going or what she was going to do next. No matter what, it was it had to be an improvement.

On the other side of the arena, the local VIPER Nest leader had been chatting with his newest operative, the armored Hammerhead. That was until his attention was diverted by the arrival of X-Factor! Even better, that treacherous Icicle was among them!

"Here's your first chance to show me your powers," the Nest Leader leered. "Destroy those heroes for me! Especially that bitch you betrayed me! Kill Icicle!"

Hammerhead shrugged in response. "Sure thing, boss. One melted Popsicle coming right up." Hammerhead raised his right arm and pointed his forearm cannon down towards the group of individuals below. A moment later he fired!

"Did you ever get the feeling that you were in over your head," Spectrum wondered aloud. He had been to numerous Laker games before, however this was the first time he had ever been on the court itself. His usual seats were always near the back row.

Spectrum couldn't really decide whom to attack next. There were numerous targets and many of them were already carrying a grudge against the colorful mutant. Scorpia had already tried to kill him once before back during the raid on VIPER's nest.

Out of the corner of his eye, Spectrum saw Hammerhead fire his cannon at Icicle. A shrill piercing sound filled the air. Having only a split second to act, Spectrum flung himself into the discharge's path and activated his force field. "Look out, Icy!"

Hammerhead's attack struck Spectrum solidly in the chest and flung him back across the court. Spectrum hit the polished floor and came to a sliding stop in the first row of seats.

"Spectrum!", Morning Star cried out in disbelief. A moment later she locked in on the source of the attack: Hammerhead and the VIPER operatives. "Someone take those snakes out!"

Icicle also cried out Spectrum's name in shock and surprise. The Icy mutant took several steps towards Spectrum before coming to a stop. She turned around and spotted the VIPER forces and a look of anger came over her young features. "You'll pay for that," Icicle vowed. Icicle generated a blast of ice towards Hammerhead, but the assault fell short of its target.

Mockingbird flew closer and locked in on the VIPER group. "I'll gladly take those snakes out for you Morning Star. You have no idea how much I'm looking forward to this!"

While continuing to hover, Mockingbird selected her target and screamed! Her shoulder carapace converted the scream into a powerful sonic assault. The scream struck Hammerhead and then exploded outwards in all directions. Hammerhead was hurtled backwards and all the VIPER Agents were thrown from their feet.

"Well done, comrade!", Sabre complemented. "I shall now take the battle to these dogs!" A moment later Sabre vanished, only to reappear amongst the VIPER Agents. Hand to hand combat immediately followed.

Oblivious to what was going on down on the Forum floor, Shamrock continued his personal struggle against Giganto. Summoning all his strength, Shamrock landed his most powerful punch on the monstrous foe. "Hope you've got your insurance paid up, boyo!" To Shamrock's immense surprise, not only was Giganto still conscious, he was also unmoved from the devastating strike!

"Giganto crush green man!"

The Terror Incorporated powerhouse landed his own punch and once more Shamrock was sent flying back from the incredibly powerful strike. Shamrock struck the outside wall of the arena and kept on going, disappearing out of sight! Giganto blasted Shamrock right out of the building!

Unnoticed by Giganto, the Black Hole materialized close by. "That gorilla doesn't know his own strength!", Black Hole thought to himself. "Let's see how he likes becoming part of the arena." At Black Hole's direction, a seat behind Giganto disappeared and then attempted to re-appear inside Giganto himself!

Much to Black Hole's surprise, the rocky behemoth only cried out in pain. He had expected the monstrosity to be writhing on the floor in agony by now. The attack, while painful, was nowhere powerful enough to stop Giganto. The creature's glowing green eyes locked onto the nearby Black Hole.

"Uhm, hi!", Black Hole said with a nervous wave. The young man realized that he was in very far over his head when it came to Giganto. "Later alligator," the black clad criminal said before he vanished into thin air.

A frustrated Giganto continued to search for the annoying little man who had hurt him, but would not find him. The creature's frustrations were worked out on anything within arms reach.

Back down on the arena floor, Blizzard and the Empress continued their passionate reunion. "How about we continue this meeting later on in private?", Blizzard suggested to the Empress. The pair had been getting re-acquainted while fighting was going on all around them.

"Count on it, lover boy," the Empress answered with her wolfish grin. "Someone's going to pay for all of this!"

The Empress separated herself from Blizzard and looked for a target to take her frustrations out on. Her eyes widened and a pleased grin came to her features upon spotting Foxbat and Shadow Queen. Foxbat had freed Shadow Queen from her bonds and disabled the lights in her cage. They were too busy cuddling to realize the danger they were in.

"You two! This is all your fault and the Empress always gets payback!" Angie gestured dramatically towards the duo and a stream of earth shot from her hands.

"I'll save you, beloved!", Foxbat cried out as he placed himself in harms way. The earthen attack struck Foxbat in the back, slamming him into Shadow Queen, and hurtling both of them through the glass cage that had been Sque's prison. Both ended up on the floor covered by dirt with numerous cuts and scratches on their bodies.

"Hold on there, Empress," Blizzard interrupted by grabbing the Empress' arm. He forced her to look directly at him. "Those two nuts are the least of our worries! Just take a look around you!" To emphasize his point, Blizzard sent an ice ram towards the Dark Knight, but the field leader of the Thugmaster's Elite nimbly avoided the attack.

"So what? Those two ticked me off! Especially that cheap tart in black!" The Empress turned back towards Foxbat and Shadow Queen only to find a field of blackness now obscuring the two. "That won't protect you from me!"

Ignoring the Empress' tirade, Foxbat tried to locate Shadow Queen within the field of darkness. "Honey bun! Where are you?"

"Sorry, sugar, but this gal has places she'd rather be! There's no way they're gonna take me back to the Thugmaster!"

Following her voice, Foxbat attempted to reach for Shadow Queen. He felt something warm and solid for an instant and then it was gone. Frantically he felt around trying to locate his beloved honey bun, but she was nowhere to be found.

"Where's my honey bun?? Who took my honey bun!"

Suddenly, the darkness surrounding Foxbat vanished. To his immense surprise, he found himself alone. Shadow Queen was nowhere to be found.

"Say goodnight, you little twerp!" So fixated on locating Shadow Queen, Foxbat didn't notice the Empress' attack until it was too late. The earthen ram struck him in the back of the head, propelling Foxbat further along. He was unconscious before hitting the floor. An immensely satisfied look came to the Empress' face.

Cautiously, Scorpia advanced on the fallen Professor Muerte. The purple clad mastermind had yet to stir from Black Hole's surprise attack. After all the years she spent on Terror Incorporated, Scorpia was very familiar with each of her teammates' powers and abilities. She was also familiar with their weaknesses as well. It was knowledge that Scorpia would put to good use today.

The force fields built into Muerte's armor should have been powerful enough to protect him from Black Hole's attack. So it didn't come as a complete surprise when Professor Muerte suddenly moved and fired his gauntlet blasters once more. Scorpia deftly avoided the energy discharge.

"Blast you, woman!", Muerte raged. "Stand still!"

"Sorry to disappoint you, laddie," Scorpia taunted. "You'll never catch me unawares!"

"Perhaps now, I no longer have to." Professor Muerte looked up just in time to see Feur burn his way through the roof of the Great Western Forum. Summoned by Muerte's signal, the fiery villain had been held in reserve in case of trouble. "Now it's two against one!"

Spotting Professor Muerte, Feur surged closer. The young man was perpetually on fire making him a danger to anyone who got too close. As he closed in, Feur sent a blast of fire towards Scorpia, forcing the Irish villainess to scamper to safety.

"It's been a long time, Scorpia," Feur announced with a trace of a French accent in his voice. "How about a hug for your old teammate?"

Scorpia ignored Feur's taunts and continued to retreat. The fiery aura that surrounded Feur made him virtually immune to Scorpia's arsenal of darts. They'd simply burn up before even reaching his skin. Likewise, sinking her claws into Feur would be a very painful proposition. With blasts of fire dogging her, Scorpia dove behind a support pillar for protection.

Black Hole appeared out of nowhere close by. "I thought I'd ask this time first," Black Hole quipped. "Would you like some assistance?"

Gritting her teeth as another blast of fire blew away part of her cover, Scorpia replied, "Go to it, lad!"

Up in the air above Feur, a small black hole opened in mid air and a blast of dark energy followed. Feur was struck in the head and shoulders and propelled straight down into the Forum seating.

"Far be it for me to offer advice," Black Hole said to Scorpia, "but it might be wise to get out of here. The chick in purple and the guy in green are down for the count and that muscle bound rock is heading this way! Just say the word and we are outta here!"

Looking around, Scorpia couldn't see either Mind Slayer or Shamrock. What had happened to the two of them? However, she could see Giganto heading this way along with Professor Muerte. Feur would be recovering in mere moments. Not the best of odds. Scorpia's revenge was going to have to wait a while longer. "Do it!", Scorpia commanded.

Black Hole momentarily vanished and then reappeared beside Scorpia. He placed his hand on her left forearm and then they both disappeared.

The advancing forces of Terror Incorporated watched and waited for Scorpia and Black Hole to reappear. They did not.

"You can run, Fiona, but you cannot hide," Professor Muerte raged. "This matter is far from over, that I do promise you! By the time I'm am finished with you, you'll beg for death!"

At Muerte's direction, Feur flew upwards and blasted another hole in the roof to the Forum. Professor Muerte picked up Giganto, rose into the air, and then followed Feur out in to the Los Angeles night. The next encounter with that treacherous wench would turn out far, far differently!

Hammerhead groaned as he sat back up. For some reason Mockingbird's sonic screams were particularly painful to him. It was as though his armor actually amplified the attack. The man inside the suit could still hear ringing in his ears. "I'm gonna enjoy blasting that bird-broad!"

Rising to his feet, Hammerhead scanned the immediate area. One of those annoying heroes was close by fighting the regular VIPER agents. They were losing rather badly. Raising his forearm cannon, Hammerhead was preparing to remove that annoyance when the Nest Leader interrupted.

"Hammerhead!", the Nest Leader called out. Like most, the cowardly man had been sent flying from Mockingbird's attack. "It's time to cut our loses and withdraw!"

"Sure thing, boss. Just let me skrag this hero first." Once more Hammerhead began to take aim on Sabre.

"No! No time for that," the Nest Leader cried out. "Carry me out of here right now! I can't pay you if I'm in prison! My revenge for Icicle and her friends can wait. My personal freedom is all that matters!"

Now that made a world of sense to Hammerhead. Kind of hard to draw a hefty paycheck if your boss is behind bars! Ignoring Sabre, Hammerhead strode up the Nest Leader and picked the man up. Activating the flight jets in his armor, Hammerhead took off. He and the Nest Leader flew out one of the holes Feur had made and were gone into the night.

The woman known as Revenant emerged from a shadow near where Scorpia, Feur, and Professor Muerte had just been fighting. The path the mysterious black and green clad woman had chosen allowed her to get this close undetected, but at the same time caused her to arrive too late. Revenant muttered a curse in French under her breath.

There was something familiar about Scorpia. Just what that was completely eluded Revenant. There was a flash of some forgotten memory, a burnt out ember of thought. But that thought was now gone. Likewise, Professor Muerte and Feur were somewhat familiar, but again could not be placed.

Not being able to remember something that should be important frustrated Revenant. What did it all mean? More confused than ever, Revenant made her way towards the nearest exit. There was nothing further to gain by staying here. The answer to her questions were now gone and the Elite were all but forgotten.

Seeing that the forces of VIPER had been dealt with, Morning Star turned and started to make her way across the basketball court. Spectrum was still down from being blasted by Hammerhead. She hoped that he hadn't been seriously injured from the attack. She didn't know what she would do if he had been badly hurt.

So preoccupied with her concern for Spectrum, Morning Star failed to hear the loud footsteps approaching her. It was only when a giant shadow fell over her that 'Star took notice. Turning she found a giant man in red wrestling tights towering over her.

"Here's where Powerhouse makes a name for himself by taking down the world famous Morning Star!" Moving far faster than his bulk would seem to indicate that he could, Powerhouse reached down and picked up Morning Star with both hands. Holding 'Star tight, Powerhouse began to crush her!

"I wish I had a dime for every time I've heard that line," Morning Star countered. 'Star struggled to free herself from Powerhouse's vice-like grip. He was strong and powerful and in spite of her best efforts, Morning Star remained held fast.

"As soon as I pop you like a zit I'll be in the big leagues," Powerhouse gloated malevolently. Sweat began to run down the giant man's face.

Powerhouse's attack had not gone unnoticed by the other members of X-Factor and the Elite. Both stopped their respective battles. Using this pause to his advantage, the Dark Knight launched one of his unique flying disks. The device flew forward and then suddenly turned ninety degrees, emulating the move of the knight chess piece. The disk exploded, filling part of the court with thick gas.

"Retreat, my Elite!", the Dark Knight called out. "There is no profit to be had in continuing this battle."

Following the Dark Knight's orders, Lightwave flew towards the unconscious Dash. Having shrunken down to her smallest size and turned invisible, Lightwave was almost impossible to track. Reaching the Dash, she picked up the man by the nape of his neck and flew off.

"I'll stop 'em," Impact cried out as he gave pursuit. But as the young man was nearing the Dash, Lightwave unexpectedly turned, causing Impact to sail harmlessly past. "I hate it when that happens!" A few seconds later Impact crashed head first into the Forum seating.

Likewise, Rainbow fled the scene as well. She ran directly towards the seats and as she approached her body shimmered and turned indigo in color. Rainbow ran through the seats like a ghost and was gone from sight.

"Hey, come back here", Shockwave called out in exasperation. However Rainbow paid her no heed and was lost from Shockwave's sensors. Turning back to the others, 'Wave realized that Morning Star needed help. "Hang on, Morning Star! I'm coming!"

Activating her jet skates, Shockwave raced across the court. The armored heroine plowed into Powerhouse, knocking him off of his feet. The impact caused Shockwave to careen wildly off of Powerhouse, sending her flying into the front row of seats.

Using that development to her advantage, Morning Star burst free of Powerhouse's grip. The lavender-clad heroine took several steps to catch her breath before renewing her battle with Powerhouse.

"Ho, giant!", Satara called out. The Blood battle maiden rushed in and smashed Powerhouse in the chest with the hammer part of her weapon. "My forefathers ate your kind for lunch!"

The powerful strike sent Powerhouse sprawling to the wooden court. He landed with a gigantic thud and caused the immediate area to shake momentarily. Spots playing before his eyes, Powerhouse tried to gather his wits. He blinked once and saw Morning Star standing before him. Powerhouse blinked once more and Morning Star suddenly had a purplish glow surrounded her fist. Powerhouse's eyes would not reopen for a long time.

Morning Star sighed in relief, as Powerhouse was finally knocked unconscious. Looking around, the lavender clad heroine could see that the fighting was all over now. The members of Terror Incorporated and Terror Unlimited had fled, along with many of the Thugmaster's Elite. However, there had been many captures so it wasn't a complete loss.

"The honor of the Norse deities has been upheld once more!", Satara declared. The Blood battle maiden had stepped up on Powerhouse's chest and posed dramatically with her weapon high in the air. "Another giant has been brought down to his knees! Too bad no one has a camera to take a picture of this. This pose has got to be cool as hell!"

"Just hold that pose, Satara, and my armor will record the images," Shockwave announced as she joined her teammates around the fallen giant. "You'll have this moment recorded for all posterity."

"Major cool!" Satara posed dramatically once more and flashed a huge smile.

"Looking good!", Mockingbird cheered as she flew overhead.

"My little sister, Giant Slayer," Sabre added with a hearty chuckle as he joined the others. "Now there'll be no living with her."

Nearby, Icicle was helping Spectrum back to his feet. "Jim? Are you okay? Can you hear me?"

"Yeah, Icy. I think I'll live," Spectrum wearily responded. "Now I know what it feels like to be kicked by Grond!"

"You saved my life," Icicle said gratefully. She wrapped her arms around Spectrum and gave him a big hug. "Thank you! Thank you so much!"

"Hey, you would have done the same for me."

Morning Star joined the two mutants a moment later. "I'm glad you're all right, Spectrum. That was a very noble thing you did."

"Just part of being a superhero," Spectrum quipped modestly. "So did we win?"

"I don't know if this would qualify as a win," Morning Star stated, "but we didn't lose."

"Works for me."

Epilogue:

Half an hour later, the local branch of PRIMUS was taking the captured criminals into custody. Silver Avenger Joseph Gray was chatting with Morning Star and Spectrum. Sabre, Icicle, Shockwave, Mockingbird, and Satara were chatting amongst themselves and appeared to be having a good time. Blizzard, Impact, and the Empress had long since departed.

"What was this all about?", the Silver Avenger asked.

"We're not quite sure ourselves," Spectrum tried to explain.

"Spinnerette and I were looking into the Thugmaster Elite situation," Morning Star added, "but we kept coming up blank on where their graduation ceremonies were being held. We sort of just fell into this. Had we been aware of just how many criminals were going to be here, we would have played this very differently."

"Regardless, you managed to get several hardened criminals off the streets," the Silver Avenger stated. "That counts for something."

Powerhouse, Brother Basilisk, Chaos, and Annihilator of the Thugmaster's Elite had all been taken into custody along with Foxbat. The body of Dragonfly was found up in the seats. The damage to the Great Western Forum had been extensive from the conflict.

"What worries me is this war between Terror Incorporated and Terror Unlimited," Morning Star grimly said. "They don't care about the damage that they are causing. Where are they going to strike next and how many innocent people are going to get hurt?

On that question, no one had an answer.