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those claws."
    Nessie's stomach churned as she saw the raw power of Cate. She began to doubt the bet she had placed. It's too late, just enjoy this . But it wasn't easy as the partly-digested Dagwood Dog threatened to emerge from her stomach.
    She placed her gloved hand to cover her mouth and made herself look at Sally who was turning around, baring the striking pose to the other side of the arena. The sight of the sexy spider eased her stomach. She could tell by the graceful movements Joy handled Sally well. Joy . Nessie glanced over at the crab scurrying across the arena. It was powerful. It would be a close fight.
    "Aaaand finally, for her second appearance, Beli Beetle."
    Again the crowd cheered and Nessie booed as the beetle scuttled out. It was much lower to the ground than the other two mechas, and she was sure that it wouldn't stand a chance.
    The three mechas moved around the arena, snapping at each other and posing for the audience. Sally stopped in front of Nessie, waved her front leg, and then moved on, leaving Nessie wondering if Joy had seen her or not. She hoped so.
    Slowly they left the arena, returning through the blackness of the doors they had entered. "Buuut first, we have some entertainment. Some oldies, but you love them."
    She plonked back down in the seat, almost exhausted from yelling while the old mechas paraded around.
    Sweat glistened on her skin and a fine layer of dust dampened the color of her dress, but Nessie felt more alive than ever. She was busting for the fight with Sally and Cate to start. Bring it on, ladies. Bring it on .
    *~*~*
    Joy exited from the arena feeling exhilarated. She went down back through the tunnel to wait in the garage until the call for the fight with Beli.
    Sally had moved well, but the front legs were a little slow, and Joy wanted to have a look at the electrics. She had the time; it would be a bit tricky now that Sally was fully started and couldn't be turned off and restarted without overheating the electronics.
    "Good work, ladies," said Jim, his voice cracking into her ear through the communicator system.
    "You nearly stepped on me, Joy," said Daisy, Beli's Operator.
    "Not my fault your mecha is so close to the ground," answered Joy.
    "Yeah well, you don't want to do any damage before the fight, so watch it," said Daisy.
    "Worried about losing?" Joy navigated Sally back into the garage and turned her around so she was ready to simply scurry out when it was time for the big fight.
    "Not as much as you should be."
    "Hey, I follow instructions, just like you do." The reminder didn't sit well with Joy. She had a fight with Daisy first; that one she could win, but it was the fight she had to lose against Kris that caused the bile to rise in her stomach. That was the main fight of the night. The fight everyone remembered.
    She wrenched the communicator from her ear, no longer wanting to hear their chatter. I will do as I'm told, but I won't like it . Joy moved the communicator over the electronics, right in the position that would send feedback through it and give them a brief earache. "Idiots."
    Joy got down from Sally. "Get the electrics testing unit. Quick."
    "Here, ma'am." Oren handed her a small electric device. "I thought Sally looked great out there."
    "Let's see if we can get her working a bit better for the fight. We've got a performance to put on." Great wasn't good enough. If she was going to lose, then she wanted Sally's impression on people to be better than great. Spectacular was what she wanted. Or amazing.
    The test didn't show anything. Even though Joy tried different options, the results were the same. Everything was optimal.
    "You're up soon, ma'am. Daisy is wanting your guts for garters and hasn't shut up about you nearly squashing her," said Oren.
    "Yeah well, that's what happens to beetles," answered Joy. She wriggled out from underneath the main body and stood up, her cream dress skirt now spotted with patches of grime.
    "She'll be alright. She's a