"So, Jem: Everyone's been dying to know what you've been up to lately, and what happened to the Holograms. Care to share with us?" Lindsey Pearce smiled at the pink-haired lady, who in turn smiled at the cameras.

"Sure." Reclining a little on the soft leather couch in Studio B on the stage of the Lin-Zee Show, Jem's expression was a little dreamy. "Hm... Where shall I start?"

"If it's not too great a leap for the very beginning of the interview, would you mind telling us what happened between you and then-manager, Rio Pacheco? And what about Riot of The Stingers?" Lindsey flipped through some notes on her desk. "After being questioned about your relationship in a recent review, it was reported that Riot grew quite emotional..."

"Yes, we can talk about that," Jem said agreeably. "The truth is, I never really cared much for Rio. He was Jerrica's boyfriend, but every time she had her back turned, he was pawing me. You know the type. He was a two-timing creep of a playboy if I've ever met one. But no big deal; immigration took him out of the picture long ago. As for Riot... Well, there was something interesting there, that's for sure. But in all honesty, he looked better with Pizzazz."

"...Pizzazz?"

"You know! From the Misfits!"

"Oh, right! I think I remember them..." Lindsey looked pensive. "Well, it has been ten years, Jem... Though you look as outrageous as ever! And you haven't aged a day."

Jem smirked. "I wish I could say the same for you."

Flustered, Lindsey cleared her throat, shuffling through her notes some more. "Um... Alright. So what ever happened to the Holograms?" she asked a little stiffly.

"As you know, Kimber married Jeff Wright, the stuntman. And I'm sure you also heard that he was killed in a motorcycle accident six months ago." The audience let out little sounds of pity, some people shaking their heads. "Aja is very happy working as a mechanic in a garage in LA, and Shana's working her fingers to the bone trying to design, sew, and sell fashions that are ten years out of style. But...at least she has her own shop, I suppose." Jem giggled.

"And...Raya?"

"Raya?" Jem let out a little laugh. "Well... Let's just say that Rio Pacheco wasn't the only baggage immigration picked up along the way."

The audience gasped.

Lindsey stared at Jem for a moment, thinking she really didn't want to hear any more, but had one thing left to ask, the thing that everyone was dying to know. "What happened to the band?"

Jem sighed dramatically. "Pizzazz just fell apart. She was too hung up on Riot. I can't blame her; if a guy like that showed the slightest interest in a girl like her, then... Well, you know how it is, I'm sure. She couldn't concentrate, never wanted to practice anymore. Before you knew it, the Misfits were minus their lead vocalist and dropping down the charts like they'd jumped from the Empire State Building."

Lindsey stared at her, utterly lost. "I meant...your band. Jem and the Holograms."

Jem looked at her sharply, almost barking, "I'm getting there! Anyway, after the break-up of our greatest rivals, there was no competition. There just wasn't anybody worthy of competing with Jem and the Holograms. So we all just sort of...lost interest. We just quit."

"That's what made you give up your career? Because you felt you had no competition?"

"That's it." Jem nodded solemnly. "It was the spirit of the competition that had always kept us going. Nobody wanted to get rich, please fans, or make names for themselves. It was all about competing, the excitement of the rivalry."

"Wow, that's an amazing story! And this wraps up our interview session. Thank you so much, Jem, for coming to share your incredible stories with us. This is Lindsey Pearce of the Lin-Zee Show saying ciao!"

....................................................................................................................

Jem kicked open the door that led from the Lin-Zee Show's backstage area to an alley, hissing, "Show's over, Synergy!"

Removing the Jemstar earrings from her lobes and placing them carefully into her pocket, Clash walked down the narrow street to hail a taxi, laughing until her sides hurt.