Hey guys! I've got a ton of school work and a camping trip ahead of me, so there probably won't be another chapter for a while. Just wanted to get this one out there though, give you guys something to read on Veteran's Day.

Anyways, review/pm me with any new ideas or opinion (hate mail inbox only please!), and, as always, enjoy! ^_^

Chapter 21 The Arena

Emily was cornered, her three best friends holding her at her own spear-point. Despite this, she was surprisingly calm in the face of death.

"Of all people, Jeremy, I never thought it would be you," she said sadly, making the possessed Jeremy pause.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, arrows sprouted from the possessed Jeremy's hand, and he dropped the spear with a scream.

Emily looked up from where the arrows had come from, and saw two hooded figures standing in a dark entryway. Even as she watched, one turned invisible and the other formed wings that glistened pure white. Emily's captors turned towards the new threat and threw their hands up. Shadows formed on the ground and transformed into; and lots of them.

The fight was on.

Emily grabbed her spear from the floor to try to help fight, but there was no need.

Aelita, the hooded figure with the wings, flew into the sky and started engaging Xana's air force, the Mantas and Hornets. She ducked and weaved, firing fireballs with deadly accuracy. After her task was over, she landed and started advancing on her possessed friends. She didn't exactly enjoy this work, killing things, but she knew it had to be done.

Odd on the other hand, was in his prime, appearing one place and wreaking havoc and silently going to another location after that. It was a common sight for the monsters that day to see his grinning face pop out of nowhere and stab them. After this was done, he joined Aelita in advancing on their friends. Then they attacked.

To put it simply, it was a beat down.

Aelita and Odd rushed at their friends and attacked them, fighting back to back. Odd defended them both while Aelita tried to turn them back. She kept missing at first, but her continuous attempts pushed Ulrich, Yumi, and Jeremy back towards the wall.

"I'm tired of this," Odd said, throwing his knives and catching Ulrich and Yumi on the collar, pinning them to the wall. They struggled and tried to pull the knives out, but they were stuck in too far.

Meanwhile, Aelita dodged a blow from Jeremy's mace, another weapon he had created, and pushed her two forefingers against his forehead, releasing power. Jeremy was blown backwards, and he lay there, stunned, as the ghost came out of his body. Aelita then did this for Ulrich and Yumi, and Odd pulled his knives out, freeing them.

When William saw they were no longer possessed, he just shook his head and walked off. This mission had failed, but there were always other ways, other plans Xana had in mind.

"Ugh…What happened…" Ulrich said, sheathing his sabers and holding his head.

"You were possessed," Aelita said, crossing her arms. "Nice job."

Jeremy stood up suddenly, an idea just coming to him. "We need to get to a way tower."

"Why?" Odd said, suspicious of his intent, especially after being under Xana's control for so long.

"I just realized that I could send two people to Earth to fix everything, but only two. It would be like your missions on the replicas, except you would have all the time in the world."

"I assume you're talking about us," Aelita said, and Jeremy nodded. "But why us? I mean, any one of you guys could go."

Jeremy blushed at this. "Well, you two are the strongest, and we've all tried already. I had given up on this idea until I realized you two haven't tried yet. This could just about work."

Aelita sighed, convinced. "Ok, but how are we going to get to this way tower? I mean, it's not like we can just teleport there…Right?"

Jeremy grinned. "Actually, during Emily's time here, she has developed some…Interesting talents. Emily, if you please…"

Emily, who had just joined the group, nodded and put her hand in the middle of the circle they had formed unconsiously. "Everyone hold on."

A couple seconds later, they were standing inside of a way tower.

"Whoa," Odd said, impressed. "Nice. OK Jeremy. The sooner we get done with this the better. I can already taste Rosa's spaghetti and meatballs…"

Everyone laughed, and Jeremy typed something on his arm pad. To Odd and Aelita, it seemed that they were standing in the way tower laughing with everyone else, and then their friends faces faded away to be replaced by the familiar surroundings of Jeremy's room.

"Why are we in Jeremy's room?" asked Odd, surprised.

"I don't know…" Aelita said, walking over to the window. "But things sure have changed since we were last here. Take a look at this."

Odd moved over to the window and looked out. Below, instead of the usual bustle of school life, there was no one around. It was dark, and snow was falling silently. The school seemed abandoned.

"I don't like it. But let's get to the factory and end this."

"Agreed."

Sorry it's so short, but I hope it was ok. I just want to thank everyone for over 1000 views this month - it means a lot to me, really. :)

Dedication. This chapter is dedicated to all those soldiers who have given their lives in war. We owe them a lot.

Song of the day. Today's song is The Star Spangled banner, tying into Veteran's Day.

Quote of the day. 'Fight for what is in front of you, but for what you leave behind you.' - King Leones encouraging the 300 at the Battle of Thermopylae.