Avengers Arena (2013 series) #11

As the cover suggests this issue is based around Hazmat and Reptil. While the other teen heroes abducted into Arcade's Murder World island have been killing each other this pair have apparently been recuperating on an island safe zone in Quadrant 3 since #6.

Humberto Lopez is swimming near the island and he's being chased by a couple of sharks. But he's so unworried that he's taking time to remember his real problems:- His parents went missing on an archeological dig, and his girlfriend in Avengers Academy, Jeanne Foucault/Finesse, rejected him. Now he turns on the sharks as Reptil and they don't stand a chance against the dinosaur he turns into.

Back on shore he calls out to fellow Academy student Hazmat/Jennifer Takeda who's sunbathing on the beach. She quickly redons her Hazmat suit which stops her radiation/toxicity from killing him if he comes too close. She upbraids him for peeking at her bod which he initially denies but then admits to. She says it's OK 'cos it's normal but he's got to remember she's poison. Then she discovers that he's caught and cooked a shark (he apologises that the other 1 got away) and she insists that they have an impromptu shark steak dance party.

Later while they're gorging themselves on shark and coconuts he points out that their plan was to stay here until he recovered from his major burns (courtesy of a fireball in #4). Now his victory over the shark proves that he's all rested up so they should get a new plan. Jenny says she plans to stay here where no-one's trying to kill them. 'Berto says it can't last and she replies that she *knows* they're in Murder World and they're going to die, but until that happens she's going to just enjoy being alive. Then reality breaks the bubble as 5 more teens drop out of the sky to land on their beach.

Spacegirl Cammi says they're not here to cause trouble but Atlantean Nara is up for a fight. Cullen Bloodstone tells her to shut up, and Anachronism (Aiden Gillespie) is holding unconscious X-23 (Laura Kinney). Cammi summaries the last 3 issues by saying that Apex turned out to be not a good person and she's now controlling 3 'robots' (Death Locket, Chase Stein in the Darkhawk armour and Juston Seyfert's Sentinel). Nico Minoru spell-created a portal to safety (here) but stayed behind to hold the foes off. Reptil is just astonished that they were all fighting *together*!

Aiden now tells them that X-23 is waking up. The junior Wolverine sniffs the air and Humberto and Jenny are worried that she'll smell the trigger scent that was sprayed on them (in #6) making her attack them uncontrollably. But Laura assures them it must have worn off. Jenny says that deserves a hug and does so. and then invites them all to have a nap under palm tree and a swim and some shark and coconuts. The Atlantean is all for seafood and drags Aiden (who's been 'promoted' to her boyfriend since he killed the previous 1 (Kid Briton in #6)) with her to follow Hazmat.

Even Cammi and Cullen, who don't know her, find Jenny's cheerfulness odd and Laura who does asks 'Berto what's wrong with her. He tells them how he became a flying dino (#6 again) to get himself and Jenny away from X-23 even though he was still badly-burned. He made it to this island then collapsed. Jenny stayed with him, safely suited up, for 13 days as he slowly mended. He would occasionally briefly regain consciousness. At 1st she would blame him for being weak (she was still suffering greatly over the death of her love Mettle/Ken Mack (in #1)). Later he'd find her just holding his hand and staring into space. When he did wake up properly he found her eating a coconut on the beach without her Hazmat suit. He figures she went into denial about Arcade, Murder World, him ever recovering and other 'contestants' turning up to kill her. She won't listen to him or do anything but smile, dance and sunbathe.

Cammi and Cullen are not impressed. While Reptil was molly-coddling Hazmat the others were fighting for their lives and in some cases dying. Maybe these 2 could have made a difference. Maybe he should use tough love and remind her that they're 25 days in to a 30-day deadline. But staying here was cowardly. At this point they realise that the other 3 have returned with shark meat on sticks, and Hazmat has heard what they said. Jenny defends herself by saying she *knows* she's going to die here. But until that time she's not going to give Arcade the satisfaction of playing his game. She's going to enjoy what little is left of her life. And she walks off. Cammi apologises and 'Berto follows after her.

Cammi watches the other 4 eat but can't stomach it herself. She reminds them that Nico saved her life twice (last issue and #5) and she intends to go out and repay the favour. Cullen and Laura agree but Nara asks if she thinks Nico's still alive. Cammi answers maybe not but she's earned the right to be rescued if possible. And she *chose* to leave a boring normal life behind (when she hooked up with Drax in his mini-series) for excitement and danger, and she's not going to back down now. Besides she doesn't like beaches.

Humberto catches up with Jenny when she's stripping off her Hazmat suit to go for a swim. She tells him to go off with the others if he wants, she'll be OK. But instead he dives on her and holds her down on the sand. She protests that her radiation is burning him but he won't let go until she listens to him. He says she's *not* a laid-back fun-loving girl, she's a complainer, an arguer and someone who fights to the end. She replies that she tried that in Murder World and it didn't work so she's become someone else. Reptil gets up and reminds her that her boyfriend Mettle died to save *her* (in #1), but now she's not the girl he loved. Jen's anger blazes out, but at last she weeps for Ken.

20 minutes later Reptil is eating shark with the others when Hazmat, suited up, joins them and asks what they're waiting for - she thought she'd have to run to catch them up. She finishes with "Let's go die trying".