Mercenary:
Lupus' Contract

One - Introduction

	My name is Crash. Rather, that's what they call me. No, I will not 
tell you my real name. I've long since ditched it. It does me no justice. I 
am the commander of the mercenary unit Jade Wolf. You've probably heard of us 
from the raids on Elson 7 and Ardon Prime. Those were high payers too! What 
I earn I spend, not on myself, but on my assault 'mechs, my friends, and my 
girl.

	All of my friends are in the mercenary guild. That's probably 
obvious. Most of them reside in other merc units, like the Iron Tallon and 
Hell's Fury. But my crew, my best friends, are under my command. You will 
meet them all.

	This story starts a little after our last raid on a base on planet 
Halcion. The bastards we were up against had snuck streaker missiles into the 
battle, and we were lucky to get out with our hides in tact. We landed back 
home and headed for the nearest med bay. "God I hate this place," Byrder told 
me for the umpteenth time. "It's such a monument to my sluggishness."

	Byrder is the pilot of our little unit. Believe me, the job suits 
him. I mean, being a red tailed hawk breed DOES have advantages when 
piloting an aircraft. He's an expert assault jet pilot and a crack marksman. 
He's also been the one who's been with me the longest. We both started out 
mercenary lives as members of the same unit. Before that, we went to high 
school together. He's one of the few I want holdin' my back in any sort of 
fight.

	"C'mon," I told him. "Don't be too upset. We had no idea they'd pull 
that."
	"Yeah, I guess you're right."
	"Don't worry Byrd boy!" Mohammed added. "You're not slow!"

	You've probably heard about Mohammed. He's the great great grandkid 
of the legendary Mohandas Ghandi. Yes, it's true. Or at least that's what the 
blood tests tell us. And he has such a history on him. His parents were 
killed, so he's only out for blood. He's very reckless and cares little for 
his own life. But hey! He's a brother wolf, my second-in-command, and my best 
friend. I can't dismiss him because of that.

	"Ignore him," I told Byrder. "He means well." Byrder sighed as we 
entered.

	The med bay! To others, it's a pain in the butt (or any other place 
you've been shot for that matter). To Byrder, it proves how slow he is. Only 
Mohammed and I can see the true beauty to it. To us, it's paradise. "Whoa," I 
said, looking about. "Looks like the houses kicked ass and took names." The 
beds were all taken. Patients were being treated and released in under five 
minutes. At best, we'd get bandaged and told to come back next Tuesday. 
Unless, of course.....

	A lovely red fox stepped up to us. Let me put it this way, she is 
BEAUTIFUL!!!!! Her figure is perfect. She's an incredibly sweet person. She's 
sexy! Man, if Mohammed weren't dating her, I'd snatch her up in a second. 
"So," she said. "How are my big, bad mercenaries?" She had that girlish charm 
that'd numb your mind instantly.
	"We got beat up," I replied. "Can you help us, Roxanne?"
	She smiled. "Of course," she said. "You know the condition." She 
turned and winked playfully at Mohammed. 
	"Oh, come here, Roxy," he chuckled. He grabbed her and gave her a 
very passionate kiss.
	"Stop it, Roxanne," a lovely voice called out. "Don't grope the 
patients!" I instantly knew who it was. 
	"That's right," I added. "You wait until your shift's over. Right?" I 
turned around and saw the greatest sight anywhere. She's a wolf, like I am. 
But unlike my gray fur, she's pure white. Unlike Roxanne, she wore the 
standard, stale nurses uniform. But her deep, green eyes and brilliant smile 
seemed to make it all the sexier. She's honest, caring, loving, smart, 
beautiful......... I'm sorry, I got caught up in the moment.
	"Stephanie!!!" Roxanne whinned. "It's my boyfriend!!!"
	I smiled and turned to Stephanie. "How you doing, Angel?"
	She smiled and hugged me. "I'm fine. How are you, my White Knight?" I 
swear, I don't know why she calls me that! I'm more of a gray wolf than a 
white one.
	"I got my ass wiped," I said. How stupid of me! Steph doesn't like to 
hear me curse. She simply detests it! "I'm sorry," I said, catching myself in 
time. "I forgot. But I'm so happy to see you. I thought I'd never see you 
again."
	She smiled. "You forgiven. Now, come with us."
	Mohammed chuckled. "Mind outta da gutta," I said. Mohammed has a 
very...um... dirty mind. Anyway, we followed them into the back of the 
med-bay.

	Being the nice person I am, I let Stephanie take care of Byrder first. 
OK, I admit it! I figured I'd get more time with Steph if I let her finish up 
with Byrder first. Anyway, Byrder was taken care of. He said he'd wait for me 
to finish before we answered to our mechanic. I figured he'd split. I know 
how loyal Byrder is, but I don't want to deal with our mechanic after we've 
gotten our asses kicked. I wouldn't blame him if he bailed.

	"So," Stephanie started as I sat down on the examination table. "What 
happened out there?" 
	I chuckled nervously. "They snuck streaker missiles into the battle," 
I explained. "Didn't know it. Got wiped. Hurt my arm and got my head bashed 
on the control panel." 
	She held my muzzle. "Oh, you poor baby," she cooed. I love it when 
she cooes like that. "Let me take a look at the transplant."
	
	A few months back, my face got burned in a gunfight. They grafted the 
skin fine, but the fur wasn't growing back in this lifetime. I opted for an 
artificial fur transplant. Isn't science wonderful? They didn't have any gray 
to match my fur, however, so I chose a whitish color. The transplant was a 
few daysback. So my transplant wasn't settled yet. If it came loose, the 
sudden crimson tint would hint you off that it was.

	Steph pushed my muzzle to the side and looked below my eye, where the 
transplant was. "Looks fine," she said. She gave it a gentle tug and cringed. 
"Eww, It's loose." She applied a bandage and an ice pack. "This'll help put 
it all back in place," she said. I smiled my thanks. She took a look at my 
arm. "It's just bruised," she said. "It'll be fine." I nodded. She took a 
look at her watch. "Well," she said. "My shift is over. Wadda ya say I join 
you as you get torn apart by Harris?" 
	"Sure," I replied. "Afterwards, you can put me back together and we 
can go on that date I promised when I left." Stephanie squealed and gave me a 
hug. She absolutely adores it when I treat her to dinner.

	Surprisingly, Byrder was still there when I exited the exam room. 
"We're gonna wait for Steph," I told him. I banged on the nearby door. "Stop 
screwing around," I called out. 
	There was a muffled giggle. "How'd you guess?" Mohammed asked. 
	"Stop bluffing and get your can out here," I replied. The door 
instantly flew open. "We're gonna wait for Steph and Roxy, if she wants to 
join us when we talk to....him." 
	Mohammed lowered his head. "He's gonna kick our asses," he moaned. 
	"I know. That's why we're bringin' da nurses!" 
	"Ready," Steph and Roxy said as they joined us, dressed in their 
street gear. We headed to the repair bay.

	I've been through war. I've been ejected into the harsh wastelands of 
the desert, artic, and mountains. I've been rendered helpless in my mech. 
I've stuck by Stephanie's side during that time of month all men fear. I've 
walked through hell. I shouldn't fear anything. But when my mechs get trashed, 
I shit myself at the thought of how Harris will react. Harris is our mechanic. 
To repair the mechs, you gotta be a nimble person. Harris is a fox, and he's 
the most nimble mechanic in the station. He absolutely LOVES the mechs. 
Nobody trashes his "babies" and lives without hearing about it. We got our 
asses trashed in battle. Now, we had to answer to his all mighty howl.
	"What the fuck did you do to them?" he shouted at the top of his 
lungs. The entire bay froze in terror. Even Mohammed, Mr. Cool himself, 
started to sweat.
	I stepped up, visibly shaking. "They snuck streaker missile into the 
battle. We didn't have the defenses up in time."
	"Doesn't logic state you put the god damn defenses up when you're hit 
with the first fuckin' missile?!"
	"Not when the first misle has ten or twenty friends with it."
	Byrder stepped up to my side. "But we did manage to get the defenses 
up after the first burst.
	Harris nodded. "Fine. How do we pay for the repairs?"
	"House Leo didn't know about this." Or they just didn't tell us and 
made it to look like an accident. "They said they'd be paying for all system 
and armor repairs."
	"That's good. I'd better get to work."
	I called Mohammed over. "Listen guys. I'm sorry about all this. I 
didn't think we'd get that beat up. So, I was thinking of giving y'all a 
bonus and a few days off. Whadda ya think?"
	Harris chuckled. "It sounds nice, but it'll take a week or two to fix 
your Bulldog."
	I nodded. "Don't worry about the Bulldog. I've got two other mechs 
left. Fix it whenever you get the chance to. Take a break man!"
	"Thank you Crash." That was the Harris I liked; the one that wasn't 
tearing your balls off and parading them down Daemon Boulevard.

	I so rarely take time off for myself. The only times I do is if I'm 
asleep, I need to unwind, or if I'm out on a date. Tonight, I was on a date. 
I had reservations at the ritziest joint in the station. I had my dress 
clothes pressed and ready. I had the new cash in my account. I had my custom 
holo-suite program set up. There was only one very small problem. I was 
nervous as hell. Oh, do these dates make me fuckin' nervous!

	Dinner went off without a hitch. If the violinist had made it to us, 
it would have been a lot better. For some reason, catching Stephanie's gaze 
makes the meal a lot tastier. You know the feeling. Afterwards, we took a 
stroll through the local open air bazaar. We were presented with lovely shops, 
all quiet and caring of their customers. Almost makes you forget about the
war. Almost. Stephanie found this very lovely, very expensive necklace. All 
I'm saying is I was going to be stretching my cash until next mission. 
Finally, we came upon our entertainment for the night: Richard's Holo-suites. 
I told the clerk my name and he showed us to our suite.

	There are no fields on this planet. True, if you look on other 
planets, you can find them with their lush, green grasses and native flora 
and fauna. But on the mercenary planet, also known as HQ, you couldn't find 
one that wasn't paved or barren. The holo-suites are the closest we can come 
without going off planet. Stephanie's eyes lit up as she saw the field. She 
watched as a butterfly flew by her face. She raced over to the river and 
dipped her hands in. I chuckled. She has never been to a real live field. 
She's stuck in the infirmary most of her time. Her vacations are too short to 
go off planet. "One of these days," I told myself. "I will show her a field. 
A real field."

	I took a deep breath. The pure mountain air stung my lungs, which 
were used to the smog and pollution of an artificial planet. I tried for the 
most lifelike details in this program. "I did well," I choked as my lungs 
adjusted. I joined Stephanie and looked into the river. "Like it here?"
	Stephanie hugged me. "I love it," she replied. "I want to come here 
as often as possible."
	"I'd love to," I said. "But I'm working all week. I can join you on 
the weekends."
	She sighed and rested her head on my arm. Whoops! Brain went numb. 
"Wanna come here on Friday?" I asked. NO! Wait! I had to hit the weapon's 
depot on Friday.
	"No," she sighed. "I'm workin' overtime then. But Saturday would 
work."
	Did I have anything to do then? Nope. "Sure," I said. "We can make it 
a whole day affair. How does that sound?" She responded by tackling me and 
giving me a kiss. *PFF* Brain got fried. "I take it that's a yes," I said. 
"Now, let's go. We've got a half hour left and I want to show you this tree I 
programmed in."

	After walking Stephanie home, I returned to my bunker. Jade Wolf was 
given a small bunker to live in. God I hate it. It's nice to share it with 
Mohammed and Byrder, but it gets cramped sometimes. It's all I have to call 
home, however. Stephanie isn't up to the idea of me moving in. The mercenary 
guild doesn't approve of it anyhow. I went in, threw my coat onto a chair, 
and flung myself into my bunk. I kicked my shoes off and plunged my face into 
the pillow. Trust me, a miscalculated battle, nearly getting torn limb from 
limb by your MECHANIC, and a date with your girl can make you tired. Every 
cell in my body cried out 'SLEEP!!!!' But, as with all thing in life, sleep 
wasn't about to come easy.
	"Crash!" Mohammed's voice rang out from the intercom.
	I groaned and pushed a button on the wall of my bunk. "What is it?" I
mumbled.
	"Where the hell were you?"
	"I was on a date. Now I'd like to get some sleep." 
	"What about the Pub?"
	I sat straight up - and bashed my head. "I forgot!!!" I cried, 
ignoring the throbbing. "I'll be down in a sec."
	"No need to bro; They're paid in full."
	I sighed. "Thanks man. I owe ya big."
	"Don't mention it," he replied. "Get some sleep. We'll be home around 
11."

	I buried my face into the pillow once more. I had one less worry now. 
The assassins were paid. They'd never bother me again. It gave the hint that 
life could be complete. But we all know life can never be complete. I pushed 
a button that was just above my pillow. One of the greatest song of all time 
filled the room. Though you can never make life complete, you can come damn 
near to it.

	I hit my office first thing the next morning. God, I hate paper work! 
But I'm thankful we're in the new tech age. I went over to the computer 
terminal sitting on my desk. "Good morning Crash," the computer's AI said in 
it's feminine voice. "How are you this morning?"
	"I'm fine Claire. What about you?"
	"I'm still processing. How'd your encounter with Harris go?"
	I looked out the window. It had a nice view of the mech bay, and my 
damaged Bulldog. "I suspect you heard."
	"Yeah. His first comment made me panic. Almost reset myself."
	I chuckled. "That's....a new one. What's on the hit list today?"
	"You've got a bunch of new contracts to review. Harris sent up his 
list of repairs. And you have two messages."
	"Let's deal with the messages. Who they from?"
	"The first one is from the assassins. They-"
	"Don't bother. I paid them, and that's the end of it. Destroy the 
message."
	"Done. Your second message is from Stephanie. She was thanking you 
for a wonderful night." She chuckled. "Did ya screw her?"
	"Claire! Don't make me control-alt-delete you!" Artificial intel has 
it's disadvantages, like an uncontrolable urge to butt into your personal 
life.
	"Sorry Crash."
	"You're forgiven. Now, display the repair report for me." The screen 
lit up with the different repairs necessary and if House Leo covered it. The 
armor plating on both my mech and Mohammed's were torched. Leo was covering 
that. The laser arrays, as well as the flamethrowers, on Mohammed's Pyro mech 
were destroyed. Leo was being generous with it. My Bulldog's missile packs 
were nothing more than rubble. Leo paid for the replacement launchers, but 
stuck me with the ammo bill. And they also stuck me with the 950 thousand 
credit bill for the new particle accelerator cannon I had installed on it.
	"What's the status of my cannon?"
	"Salvageable. You can get some 350 grand for it."
	"Good. Otherwise, I'd have to repair it and go trudging on Leo, now 
wouldn't I?"
	She laughed. "So what should I do?"
	"Put in all the orders and send Leo the bill for what they're 
covering." Claire spent a few minutes putting in the orders. I'd like to 
personally thank the guy who invented solitaire.

	"Shall I display the new contracts?" Claire asked as soon as the 
orders were put in. "Yeah," I said. "Classify by house and by when we leave." 
Instantly, the screen displayed five categories: the five houses. My five 
paychecks. My five retirement plans. House Leo, House Lupus, House Wing, 
House Fin, House Rain. Most are respectable. All are rich. All are at war 
with each other. All don't want to waste their supplies. All hire. Life is 
good.

	House Leo consists entirely of felinoids, hence the name. Lions, who 
are the commanders, run the show. You can usually find tigers, panthers, 
jaguars, and lynxes in high places. All other kinds of cats, big or small, 
end up doing the grunt work. Leo is, for all purposes, the super-ego of the 
five houses. Since they have the biggest guns, about 40% of all working mechs, 
and the most troops, over 50% total foot soldiers, they feel they have right 
of rule. Come on, my unit could cripple them. They are quite reluctant to 
hire mercenaries, but when they do, they treat them like royalty. I've yet to 
figure out their purposes, but it's fun being pampered!

	House Lupus is 'THE' most honorable of the five houses, as well as 
most liked by the public. They consists mainly of wolves, foxes, and their 
evolutionary relatives. They are the most tactiful, stealthy, respectable 
group. Whatever they don't have in the means of mechs, they make up with the 
fact they own the remaining portion of all land based troops and over 90% of 
all fighting tanks. They believe House Leo is a bunch of arrogant fools. 
Lupus only wants to bring peace to our people. They are the top reason why 
Leo is still in check. Guess where I get most of my jobs......

	House Wing and House Fin, though they work seperately, are actually 
one in the same. Consisting of the birds of prey and ocean critters, they ARE 
the air and sea forces of this whole conflict. Wing hold dominence in the 
skies while Fin keeps it's ground in the seas. They help Lupus when they can, 
but are locked in a words-only conflict between each other. If the big babies 
only learned to work things out, Lupus could easily crush Leo. But their 
constant verbal assaults, as well as the fact both mech forces consist of 
only merenaries, keep them seperated.

	House Rain is a strange group. They don't do much in the means of 
battle. I suspect they're holding back for when one super power falls. They 
consist of anything that doesn't fall into one of the above houses. That 
includes rodents, marsupials, deer, bovines, and other tasty morsels. Among 
this mercenary unit, and many others, they've earned the nickname "The 
Mechanized Deli Counter." They currently aid House Leo, but have had a 
history of switching sides. It's doubtful they can side with Lupus. Not after 
that mutiny they pulled in their last battle with Lupus as their allies.

	"Now," I said. "Classify the missions in each category by ones that I 
can handle by myself and that won't take too long."
	Claire started to process the information. "Maximum travel time?" she 
asked.
	"Two days," I replied. "One way. Margin of 5 hours." The categories 
went from hundreds of missions in each to about a handful per. I always skip 
House Rain contracts. What usually happens is my wolf side takes over and I 
blast some poor rodent or deer. The up side is that I get a free meal. The 
down side is that I'm usually chased out of town after I finish. House Leo 
had nothing to offer. House Lupus did have a mission, the travel time was 
best. But the campaign lasted for too long. I found a contract House Wing 
offered to be quite appealing. It was offering a large sum for a simple recon 
job. "Claire," I said. "Send word to House Wing. I accept contract A01427BR. 
Tell dropship command to load up Dark Wolf. I'm leaving in 5 minutes for 
Artic Planet X01." Claire quickly sent both messages. You just have to love 
these digital secretaries. They're quick, efficient, and you don't have to 
worry about getting caught by your girlfriend or wife when you're doing the 
horizontal disco with them!

	The Dark Wolf was my custom assassin mech. It was the perfect mech 
for recon, guerilla tactics, and, of course, mech and personel assassinations. 
It is equipped with a high concentration laser for picking off personel and 
mech cockpits. Both cases are instant death. It's also equipped with a low 
concentration, wide beam plasma cannon, perfect for maiming approaching 
infantry and mechs. It's laser arrays were good for combat, though I miss the 
missile opportunities of my Chaos and Bulldog mechs. It also has jump jets, 
for that aireal escape, and top of the line scanners. The most important 
piece of equipment on this mech is the Mark VII stealth generator. It allows 
for quick heat loss when standing still and keeps heat from moving under the 
cloak to a minimum. However, the god damn scientists cannot figure out a way 
to keep heat build up to a minimum when you fire from under the cloak. Never 
the less, if I could find some way to attach my particle cannon to it, I'd 
have no use for my other mechs other than backup.

	It's frame is truly unique. Most mechs are stiff. Their arms locked 
in one position, their torsos only allowing for minimal turning, and their 
legs are the only true jointed parts. Not Dark Wolf. Dark Wolf is the first 
mech of it's kind. It is based entirely on the anatomy of a real person. It's 
arms are totally flexable. Perfect for tearing through two collumns of 
artillery on either side. It's torso moves just like the average person. It 
can kneel, hang from trees without the assist of cables, and if you're 
dexterious enough, even give a good old fashioned Italian salute. I've yet to 
accomplish that. It was designed for assassinations and recon, not giving the 
finger.

*****************************************************************************

	The entire missoins was supposed to take a total of 11 hours: 5 hours 
to the planet, 2 hours to get briefed, take care of it, and get debriefed, 
and 5 more hours on the return trip. "Yeah," I said. "This should give me a 
little extra pocket cash." 
	There was a chuckle from my speaker. "Don't forget," the dropship 
pilot said. "You've got to pay me for this trip."
	"I'd never forget you guys. You're the backbone of this operation."
	There were more laughs. "We've got contact from House Wing command. 
Pathing you through now. My radar screen clicked on, displaying the words 
"Audio Only."
	"Mercenary," a voice said. "Change of plans to your mission."
	I flipped a switch. "What the heck are you talking about?"
	"Scouts have identified a top Leo field commander in the area you're 
heading to. He's currently resting up at the target. We suspect his mech is 
there as well."
	"Yeah, so?"
	The voice grew less pleased. "We're adding two more objectives. We've 
been told you're bringing one of those super fancy Dark Wolf mechs. We want 
you to assassinate the captain and, if you can find his mech, take that out 
as well."
	I chuckled. "It'll cost extra. A lot extra."
	The voice sighed. "What's you're price?"
	"I'm ETA 4 hours. Let's negotiate." In the two hours that passed, I 
managed to milk these guys out of an extra 120 thousand credits and a set of 
heavy lasers. So add that to the initial 60 thousand pay, I was sitting 
pretty. House military commanders suck at negotiation.

	"ETA 5 minutes to drop point," the dropship pilot said, waking me 
from my nap.
	"Beginning initial systems check," I mumbled. I flipped a few 
switches and pushed a number of buttons.
	"Weapons at optimal efficiency," the computer said. "Scanners 
functional. Stealth generator at 99% capability. Activating reactor." The 
mech's "eyes" lit up with it's high-beam lights. "Reactor on-line at 95% 
efficiency."
	"Fine."
	"ETA 45 seconds to drop point," the pilot warned.
	"Computer, Activate gyros." I could hear the mech's innards suddenly 
buzz and come to life. "Prepare the interface," I said. My seat suddenly rose 
up. It was soon encased in a set of hard, metal bars. I was in a body 
synchronis sphere. It was my interface and, god forbid, my escape capsule. 
"All systems check out. Radar on. Let's kick some ass." My radar screen came 
on. I wasn't on planet, so there was nothing to report.
	"Drop in ten seconds," the pilot said. "See you at pick up."
	I flipped a switch on my chair. The two control sticks I use to 
control this walking death machine popped out of the arms. I grabbed them. 
"Give me thruster control to my left foot," I said. A pedal, one you'd most 
likely find in a car, popped out of the floor. I strapped myself into the 
chair.
	"Drop!" the pilot shouted. The floor beneath my mech gave way and I 
dropped like a giant, metal stone.

	I hit the thrusters. My mech slowed down and finally came to rest on 
the packed snow. "No damage taken on drop," the computer said.
	"Disable thruster control," I said. A chill ran through my body. "And 
turn on the heat," I added. The cockpit warmed up real fast. "I hate night 
missions on this planet," I muttered. I was on planet X01, an artic planet. 
Eternal winter. Most inhaitants freeze their balls off. It was no different 
for me. And I'm here in a hunk of metal. "I'm not getting paid enough for 
this," I mumbled as flipped a switch. A small eyepiece came from the head of 
my seat and positioned itself in front of my right eye. "Open cockpit armor." 
The wall in front of my controls went from a dull, grayish metal to a nice, 
clear glass. It was pitch black. "I really hate night missions," I muttered. 
"Activate heat scanners." The window suddenly lit up with the bright oranges, 
yellows, reds, and other colors associated with heat sensors. "Identify 
target." The eyepiece lit up. An orange arrow pointed to the lower part of my 
lens. "It's right behind me." I turned the mech around. The target suddenly 
1came into view.
	"Target Identified," the computer beeped. "Estimated distance: 500 
kilometers." I chuckled. Suddenly, two red dots popped onto the lens. 
"Warning," the computer said. "Aircraft approaching."
	"Well," I growled. "Turn on the damn cloak!" The stealth generator 
down in the bowls of my mech started up. 
	"Cloak active," the computer said. I had to assume it was on, I didn't 
have my buddies to check. But, just in case, I said a little prayer. The 
planes passed over me without a second thought. 
	I sighed and slumped a bit in my chair. "Set speed to three," I said. 
The mech slowly started to move. It got faster. Soon, I was doing at least 40 
KPH.

	House Leo has a nasty habit of running security at 200% optimal output 
when they've got a commander in town. This artic base was no exception. The 
guard towers posted in front of the gates were full lit. Guards were patroling 
the walls with their anti-mech and anti-tank weapons. Massive artillery 
pieces were stationed in front of the walls. Dune buggies, probably designed 
for the desert worlds, buzzed across the white fields. "Man," I told myself. 
"This must be a super important dude!" I looked at the towers. "Target the 
top of one of those towers," I told the computer. A red targeting reticule 
appeared at the desired location. I pushed a combination of buttons. My 
eyepiece gave me a readout. "Good. No unmaskers." I inched the mech to the 
gate. The dune buggies that were out on patrol drove right through my mech's 
legs. "Let us in," I could hear one of the drivers scream. "I'm freezing them 
off!" The gate opened. I followed the buggies in.

	This wasn't an low tech base. These people had the full monty: 
weapons depots, mech bays, hangers, and something I've never seen before: A 
mulit-leveled barracks. "Must be the rich kids' base," I chuckled. "Computer, 
start scans of all buildings." The computer started targeting and scanning all 
the different buildings.
	"Targets scanned," it finally said.
	"Identify personel target." A building that was in my view lit up. 
The Commander's silhouette was shaded in red. "Identify Mech target." The 
area around the silhoette lit up in red as well. "Oh shit. He's IN the mech?!" 
My answer was the bay doors opening and a mech walking out. "Target the 
cockpit," I said. A targeting reticule centered onto the cockpit. I played 
with the controls and raised my mech's arm up. I pulled the trigger. The mech 
fell over backwards. "Air support go!" I cried into my intercom. I got the 
mech onto it's knees to avoid the anti-mech fire heading my way. I waited 
patiently for the Wing air support to come. It soon arrived and started to 
mow down the infantry. I got the mech to it's feet and ran out of the gate. I 
looked down at my damage report. "They scratched my paint!" I cried, seeing 
damage at .001%. I turned the mech around, aimed at one of the towers, and 
fired my plasma cannon. The beam hit, shattering the glass and, hopefully, 
the personel and laser weapon arrays. The other tower returned fire. It 
missed. I quickly thanked stealth technology and took the other tower out.

	"There's an enemy mech laying on it's back," someone told me. "What 
do we do with it?"
	I chuckled. "That would be the enemy commander's mech. Take it out 
and you'll most likely get the glory." Suddenly, the snow behind me flew 
upward. They were firing the artillery at me. The splash caused no damage, but 
I doubted the second shot would miss. "I'm gone. Y'all can handle the rest. 
Tell your commander to ship the bounty I'm getting to the address I'm 
transmitting. Good luck to ya."
	I turned my mech around and ran to the pick up site. "Warning," the 
computer suddenly said. "Heat approaching critical levels. Emergency shut 
down and cool off in T-45 seconds." 
	I cursed under my breath. "Deactivate cloak." The cloak turned off 
and the heat meter started to fall. As soon as the cloak went down, however, 
the ground to my right blew up. "What the hell was that?"
	"Enemy mech detected."
	I forced my mech to the ground. "Target and ID."
	The target lit up. "Enemy identified as Pounder mech," the computer 
informed me.
	I raised the plasma cannon and fired. "Yeah, go on."
	"Weapons include Long Range missiles, burst 5, Medium range missiles, 
burst 5, and short range Flamer missiles, burst 10. Lasers are all small and 
light damage."
	I ducked the mech's head as missiles flew over. I returned fire. 
"Target the cockpit." The ever familiar targeting reticule appeared. "Lock on 
laser and fire." The auto-targeting system kicked in and fired. There was a 
blast of light and a small fire.
	"Enemy mech destroyed," the computer informed me. 
	I got the mech to it's feet. "Auto-pilot to the pick up site," I 
said. "Top speed plus. I don't want to meet this guys friends." I looked down 
at the damage controls. It read .003% total damage. "Just needs a new coat of 
paint," I told myself.

	I returned early to a truly pissed group. "Why do you insist on going 
out without us?" Mohammed demanded.
	I grabbed him by his collar. "I'm leader of this unit," I said. "I 
call the shots."
	Byrder put his hand on my shoulder. "Mohammed has a point," he said. 
"You're paint's scratched. Looks like a pitched battle. You could have used 
my air support."
	I shook my head. "Contract said it was providing that. Besides, I 
don't want to take your time off from ya."
	At this point, a small boy ran up to us. "Mr. Crash," he said. "You 
have a package waiting in Mech Bay 2." I thanked the small boy with a tip and 
he ran off.
	"By the way," I said. "I've got you two a present."

	There was a long crate waiting for us in the mech bay. "Go ahead," I 
told Mohammed. "Open it." His eyes lit up with a glint only possible by small 
children when they see all the presents under the tree on Christmas day. He 
raced over to the crate and pried the top off.
	"DUDE!!!!" he cried out. "These are the heavy laser I've always 
wanted. Aw... thanks bro!"
	Byrder looked one of the lasers over. "Does no good on my planes," he 
said. "But it'll be used on my retirement mech."
	I nodded. "Seal it up. I've already told the crew to put it into 
storage." They closed the crate up. "Now, let's hit the Pub. I've got some 
extra cash. The drinks are on me tonight."

	There is an old saying: "They only come out at night." If this was 
taken literally, the Pub would be eternal night. This is the hang out for 
everybody: mercenaries, thieves, assassins....well, now that I think of it, 
they're all the same people. This is also where some of us get those missions 
for private companies. Those are as fun as the ones on contracts. The Pub is 
a hang out for a lot of people. I'm always taking a risk when I come here. 
Bar fights are common, these private companies sometimes send you on suicide 
missions, and your rivals are always just around the corner. Not that I can't 
handle it, but it does leave me with a bruise or two. Besides, I like a 
little action when not on a mission!

	It isn't all fun like that at the Pub, however. Some of it's 
customers are shunned by even the most fucked-up freaks. These shunned 
members, the Disgraced, of our civilization are different. No, they don't 
have any form of super freaky mutations. If that weren't the case, I wouldn't 
have anything to do with them. No, I sympathize with them. There is nothing 
wrong with them in my eyes. I mean, it's just a choice!

	Byrder, Mohammed, and I took our usual booth. A lovely deer came up 
to our table. "Howdy," she said. "What can I do fer y'all?"
	I chuckled. "Nice to see you too Mary," I said. "I'll have my usual. 
Whadda you want Mohammed?"
	Mohammed pondered the question, a rarity for mister trigger happy. 
"I'd like a Bloody Mary," he said.
	She chuckled. "Well hun, two problems. One, it ain't that time of th' 
month yet. And two, I ain't in no mood to get into a fight."
	Mohammed chuckled. "You know what I mean," he said. I shook my head. 
Mary's sense of humor was as warped as Mohammed's.
	She looked at Byrder. "Light ale," he told her.
	She nodded. "I'll be back. Y'all make youselves comfy." She 
disappeared to the bar.
	"What is wrong with her?" I asked.
	Byrder chuckled. "I think it's because she's from the south." Mary's 
ancestoral path trails back to the old state of South Carolina back on Earth. 
Or that's what she tells me at least.
	"It can't be that," I replied. "Not all of the southerners are drunk 
hicks."

	Suddenly, the crowd that was out on the floor divided. They cleared a 
path. "Oh great!" Mohammed complained. "Some Disgraced motha fucka."
	I cast a sharp glance at Mohammed. "Back off. They don't deserve that 
kinda cruelty."
	"Easy man! Sorry!" He knew how much I sympathized with them.
	"It's cool. Just don't say anything like that again." I turned my 
attention to the path, which had just finished clearing. Standing there was a 
slim skunk. She wore a pair of jeans, a long sleeve shirt, and a red band 
around her arm. The red band was HQ's way of "preventing violence against the 
Disgraced." It did no such thing, making them all easy targets. I couldn't 
recognize her from that distance. But as she got closer, I could make her 
face out. It was Suzie, one of the few people I watch over like a hawk. 
"Suzie!" I called over to her. She looked up at me. Her face was worn with 
tears. 'Oh fuck,' I thought. 'What happened now?' I motioned for her to join 
us. Mohammed and Byrder sighed. They were with everyone else on the subject, 
but had no objections when I invited my friends over.
	"How are you doing?" Suzie asked as she took a seat. She sounded hurt.
	"Doing all right," I said. "How are you?" Suzie nodded. There was 
something troubling her. "What's wrong?"
	She burst into tears and fell into my arms. "I broke up with Amber," 
she cried. Amber is her....significant other, so to speak.
	I patted her back. "It's all right," I said, trying to comfort her. 
"It's all right." Mohammed shot me a dirty look. I flipped him off. "Now, 
calm down and tell me what happened."
	Suzie cleared a tear from her eyes and sat back down. "We had just 
finished giving it rizz..." Mohammed and Byrder shuddered. They didn't like 
to hear about such subjects, such as two women "givin' it rizz." That still 
doesn't explain why they had that large stack of disks devoted to just that 
subject. "What's their problem?"
	"I went on a mission alone without their permission."
	"Anyway," she continued. "We were lying in bed and I paid her a 
compliment. She took it the wrong way and took off, saying the relationship 
was over."
	I shook my head. "You mean a two year relationship was busted up 
because of one little comment?" She nodded. Her tears started to flood.	"Oh, 
Don't cry. It'll be all right. Listen, I've got some advice to this whole 
thing." She looked at me. "You really love Amber, right?" She nodded. "Well, 
have you tried talking to her?"
	"She refuses to talk to me," she moaned. "I don't know what to do 
Crash. She was the world to me." I sighed. It's a little difficult to be 
friends with her. It's awfully taxing to play make shift psychiatrist and 
guide to her. 
	"Tell you what I'll do. If I see her, I'll try and talk to her. I can 
probably get her to take you back. Until then, don't do anything drastic." 
I'm still trying to shake off the memories of her last suicide attempt.
	"Thank you Crash," she said, giving me a hug. "You're the only 
straight who cares about me."
	I stroked her head. "I know," I said. "It's probably true."
	She calmed herself down. "Would you mind if I join you all for a 
drink?" she asked.
	"No," Mohammed said. "Not at all."

	Mary soon returned with our drinks. We drank up and started chatting. 
Mohammed was apparently doing well with Roxanne. "Hell guys," he said. "If it 
weren't for Crash back in the med bay, I could say I've laid her."
	I rolled my eyes. "Is that all you think of?"
	"Fortunately, yes it is."
	"It must be great to have someone to love," Byrder said. He was still 
single. Hell, he's been that way since we graduated. His reason why? He still 
hasn't found "the one." You know what I mean by that. The perfect mate, a god 
reincarnate. Byrder was no exception.
	"Don't worry," Suzie told him. "It isn't as cracked up as it's 
supposed to be."
	I chuckled. "Suzie, that's not true."
	"Is it?"
	"Yes. Amber'll come around. You know that."
	"Yeah...you're probably right." She sighed and leaned back in her 
seat. "Oh, by the way. I took your advice Crash."
	"Which advice?"
	"I got that job at the weapons depot. I'm a full fledged arms dealer!"
	I laughed. "That's great! Now I can talk to you instead of that 
sleezebag I see every so often. Think you can cut me a few deals?"
	"I'll try!"
	"Hey, everyone!" the bartender shouted. "Quiet down! News report." We 
all turned our attention to one of the screens. We all saw a buff looking 
tiger on the screen. "Scientists have just uncovered another human artifact 
site on Earth," he said.
	Byrder's eyes lit up. "Wow," he said. "Another site?" I hushed him up.
	"Sources are not confirming what was found, but rumors are floating 
around that they have found one of the earliest assault mechs on record."
	Wow, I thought. An early battle mech. I looked at Byrder. "Maybe after 
the next super big mission," I said. "Maybe then you can go to one of these 
sites."
	He smiled. "Thank you, Crash." Byrder is an archiologist buff. He's 
always keeping tabs on our discovery of humans. It's not really an obsession, 
although with him, you couldn't tell.

	Humans, as you probably know, are an extinct culture and species. 
They had it coming to them anyway. Their own records show that they were 
destroying Earth's fragile ecosystem for hundreds of years. The final nail in 
their coffin was when they broke the genetic code. A lone scientist supposedly 
worked for days on end coming up with a serum that allowed for a human to be 
transformed into what we know today as our society. He tried it on himself 
and was successful. His colleagues soon started manufacturing all sorts of 
different DNA strands. Soon, they had a male and female of every type of 
animal on Earth. However, there was a problem. More life forms with two 
different types of genes running in them leades to food shortages. And no 
human could put up a fight with an anthropomorphic lion or tiger. The race 
soon died out. We were left the Earth. We repaired it and soon flourished 
into the culture we are today. There have always been rumors that a few 
humans escaped into space in stasis to escape the fate of their families, but 
there was never any evidence.

	The room became alive after the report. Everybody in the station had 
some sort of facination in humans. But as quickly as the room started back up, 
it divided again to let another Disgraced pass through. I instantly recognized 
this one. She (boy, there are a lot of female Disgraced around here) stood 
about 5' 7". Her black and white fur indicated she was a panda. She wore 
something similar to what Suzie had on - tee shirt, jeans, and that horrible 
red arm band. Amber, Suzie's lover, approached us. "Heya Crash!" she said. 
"What's happenin'?" She saw Suzie and frowned. "Suzie." Suzie shrank at these 
words. 
	"Nothing much," I said. "How you doin'?" She nodded. "Please, have a 
seat." She sat down next to Mohammed. "Amber, Suzie tells me you two had a 
small tiff."
	"Yeah. So what's it to you?"
	"She explained everything. She tells me she meant no harm."
	She nodded. "Fine."
	"Then all is forgiven." She shook her head.
	"Well why not?" Suzie blurted out, her voice cracking.
	"It hurt me. I don't like to be hurt like that. I don't think I want 
you back."
	"No." She burst into tears and fell into my arms (what a magnet I am!). 
"I'm sorry Amber. I'm very sorry."
	Amber looked at me. I raised an eyebrow. "Two years," I said. "And it's 
all blown over a stupid comment. Believe me, if that were the case in every 
relationship, Steph and I, or Mohammed and Roxy wouldn't be together."
	She was shocked. "You...you're right." She got up and sat down next 
to Suzie. "I'm sorry for getting mad at you."
	Suzie looked up at Amber. "Wh-wha-?"
	"You're fogiven Suzie. I overreacted." Suzie smiled and kissed Amber. 
The one, itsy-bitsy piece of society that was wedged in me flared up. I 
backed away, a little uncomfortable about the situation.

	"How touching," a vile voice said. 
	I shook my head. "Tony, what do you want?" Tony was a fellow 
mercenary, a member of the Iron Paw. He stood no chance against me or my unit, 
being a jaguar with a royally fucked up mind. He's more built up than I am, 
but scored many points less than on the IQ test.
	"And if it isn't their number one fan," he mocked.
	I leapt over the table and landed infront of him. "What gives you the 
right to torture these people? You let them be."
	"Or you'll do what? I could easily tear your ass apart."
	"Ignore him," Byrder told me. "Don't forget, he's only an asshole."
	Tony spit at him. "Shut up you third rate piece of shit pilot."
	I grabbed him by the shirt collar and hoisted him into the air. "Don't 
you fuckin' DARE call my men third rate. We could tear your mechanized asses 
apart and scatter them to the four fuckin' winds."
	He wiggled from my grasp and landed on his feet. "Fine. We'll leave 
your loser men and faggy friends alone. C'mon boys, let's go." He turned his 
back on me. That was a mistake.
	"Hey Tony." He turned to look at me. The next thing he knew, he had 
tasted my fist and was lying on his back. Mohammed and Byrder got up, ready to 
brawl. "Ready?" I asked them. Mohammed chuckled and cracked his knuckles. 
Suzie and Amber scooted over to get away from the soon-to-be fight. 
	Tony got up and growled. "You'll pay for that slug." He charged me - 
and fell on his ass again.
	"Now," I taunted. "Why do you supposed he ran into my fist?" Those 
who were in earshot started to chuckle. 
	Tony got up. "This ends here fucka." He pointed at us and his two 
cronnies charged.
	"Jade Wolf," I retorted. "To battle!"

	Everything blanked after the fight started. All I could see was a 
flurry of fists, feet, fur, claws, and teeth, both in and out of the head. 
When I regained my sanity, I was somewhere, lying on a couch. "What happened?" 
I asked. 
	"Lay back down," Stephanie cooed. "You'll be fine."
	I complied. "All I can remember were fists, pain, and Tony. Where am 
I?"
	She smiled. "You're in my quarters. Your friends Suzie and Amber 
brought you here."
	I looked. Suzie, Amber, and Roxanne were happily chatting away. 
"Where's Mohammed and Byrder?" I asked.
	"They went back to the bunker. They didn't leave any messages." She 
looked at Suzie and Amber. "Are they who I think they are?" she whispered to 
me.
	"What do you think they are?"
	She took a deep breath. "Are they members of the Disgraced?"
	"What gives you that idea?" I didn't have the heart to tell her 
directly. She wasn't really comfortable around any member of the Disgraced.
	"Oh come on Crash! They're far too close to each other." Suddenly, 
Suzie and Amber kissed. The good news was that they were back together. The 
bad news was that roxy and Steph had suddenly crawled over me onto the back of 
the couch.
	"Stephanie, they are. But you don't need to worry about it."
	"I can't believe it!" Roxanne moaned. Stephanie said nothing; she was 
in shock or something.
	"Did we do anything wrong?" Suzie asked.
	I nodded. "They're one of them."
	Stephanie glared at me. "THEM?!"
	"Don't worry Angel. I'm still yours. Them refers to those who would 
go as far as to kill any Disgraced member. They can do anything from totally 
avoid them, like you're doing, to beating them, to worse."
	Amber nodded. "I think it's best we leave." She took Suzie's hand and 
started to the door.
	"No, wait!" Steph said. The two stopped. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have 
reacted that way. My apologies." 
	Amber nodded. "If you say so." Stephanie gave a weak smile and forced 
my head onto her lap.

	"Crash," she said as soon as the two were out of earshot. "Can I ask 
you something?"
	"Ya didn't really give me a choice there, did ya?" I joked.
	She wasn't in the mood for jokes. "How....what....how do you know 
those two?"
	"Eh...it's a long story for another time. They're friends from the 
Pub. I act as a psychiatrist for Suzie and a councelor for the both of them. 
They're nice once you get to know them."
	"Are there any more Disgraced friends I should know about?"
	I looked up at her (she still had my head on her lap). "You've got a 
major problem about these sorts of people, don't you?"
	She sighed. "Unfortunately."
	"Why?"
	"Why what?"
	"Why do you have a problem with these people? They're just people!"
	"I know. I keep reminding myself. But..." She shook her head. "Too 
many bad memories."
	"Bad memories?"
	"I had a very, very bad encounter with one of them. I never want to 
go through it again."
	I realized what she was saying and looked over to Suzie and Amber. 
"Listen, girls. I hate to be shutting you out like this, but Stephanie isn't 
comfortable with you being around just now."
	"We understand," Amber said, getting up. "We'll be seeing you then." 
She and Suzie started for the door. But not before Suzie stopped and offered 
a friendly hand to Stephanie. Steph looked it over cautiously.
	"Don't worry," I said. "She won't bite. You won't become diseased. 
She just wants to be friendly." Stephanie looked at me with one of those 'What 
the hell did you just say?' looks. "You know, Tea and Crumpet friendly. Chat 
friendly. Definitely not 'I want to roll over in bed with you' friendly."
	"C'mon," Suzie added. "All I have for friends is Amber and Crash. I'd 
appreciate at least one more."
	Stephanie pondered the thought. "All right." She took and shook the 
hand. "It was a pleasure meeting you."
	"Same here. Hope to see you around."
	"And remember Suzie," I said. "Take the path I showed you two the 
other day. You'll get a lot less nasty looks."

	Stephanie suggested I stay the night until she was sure I felt better. 
On the one hand, I longed to go back to the bunker and get some rest. On the 
other, slightly bigger hand, I was thanking my lucky stars Stephanie wanted 
me to stay the night. Not because I really hurt, mind you. Roxanne is a 
marvelous cook. It was her night to cook. I'm not saying Stephanie's a bad 
cook, but Roxanne is a better at it than she is. And if you're reading this 
and tell Steph, I'll find you and string you up to a live electrical wire by 
whatever causes the most pain. Anyway, we had just finished dinner when I had 
the sudden urge to ask a question that was nagging me all night. "I'd like to 
know," I asked Stephanie. "What happened between you and that Disgraced 
member that you mentioned?"
	Steph dropped whatever she had in her hands on the floor. That god 
they were paper plates. "I...I don't want to talk about it."
	I looked at Roxanne. She nodded. "I gotta run to the store," she said. 
"I'll be back." She took her coat and left. 
	"Stephanie, She's gone. You can tell me and she won't know."
	Stephanie shook her head. "It's too painful." I started to sit up. 
"Crash, stop. Don't strain yourself."
	"Why should I?" I responded, pain shooting through my body. 
	She sat down next to me. "Because you're hurt."
	"Just like you."
	She blinked. "Wha-?"
	"My pain is physical. Everytime I move my back, I ache. But yours is 
more painful. It's a fear. That's more painful than having a plasma cannon 
riddle your body full of holes."
	"What are you trying to say?"
	I sighed. "If I can handle the pain of sitting up, I'm sure you can 
handle the pain of the past."
	She smiled. "If you lay back down, I'll tell you my story." I nodded 
and layed down, giving a small groan from the pain.

	"Way before the house wars started," she started. "Back when I was in 
high school, I had a friend. I cannot forget her face, though I've forgotten 
the name. She was, for all purposes, my best friend. She was very caring. It 
was like she was in love with me or something." She shuddered. "It turned out 
she was. She made an advance on me. I saw through it and broke off all 
communications with her. I locked myself in my room. At the end of three days, 
they had to bust the door down to save my life. But the damage was already 
done." She shrank at the thought. "The experience disturbed me. I never 
wanted to go through it again. So, I ended up hating them all."
	I nodded. "I understand." I scooted over into the couch and patted 
next to me. She layed down. However, she kept her back to me. "I know it's 
disturbing."
	"You....you do?"
	"Because I hang out with Suzie and Amber, I've had several guys 
approach me."
	"Then how do you put up with it? How do you handle it?"
	"I know something that most others don't." I put a hand around her 
waist and pulled her closer. "They listen when you say no."
	"It works?"
	"I'm still straight, aren't I?" She must have smiled. For the next 
thing I know, her tongue was down my throat. "Feel better?" I said as soon as 
she pulled away?
	"You are the sweetest person that has ever existed." He hugged me. 
"Thank you for being my White Knight."
	"You're welcome, Angel."
	She got up. "I'll finish cleaning up. Then we can, I dunno, talk some 
more?"
	"That sounds good. Although I was gonna go and find the bum that gave 
me a shot to the ribs." I grabbed my chest and faked a moan. She giggled.

	The couch was comfortable. I told Stephanie that. Several times, in 
fact. She knew I could get comfortable anywhere. She knew I had the 
experience from sleeping in my bunk for six years. She's seen me in a deep 
sleep with a string of unwaxed dental floss tied around my big toes hanging 
off of the ceiling. But she still insisted, no, demanded that she fold out 
the bed. When she insists, no, demands, there is nothing you can do to stop 
her. I was stuck sleeping in the sofa bed. I just layed there, staring at the 
ceiling. After three plus years of sleeping in a bunk, a bed just seemed, 
well, un-natural. I thought about several things staring at the ceiling. I 
thought about what Stephanie told me, and what I told Stephanie. My friends, 
who still didn't contact me, were worrying me. And I also wondered why 
Stephanie insisted, no, demanded she take the bed out. Around midnight, I 
found the answer to that one. "You're still up," I said as Stephanie stumbled 
out of her bedroom. I kept my eyes glued to the ceiling, otherwise I'd have a 
tent.
	"Yeah," she said. "I can't sleep. You mind if I crashed with you for 
tonight."
	"Sure," I said. "What harm can it do?" I foolishly looked her way. 
She was draped in a dusty sky blue nightie with a fine lace trim (Of course 
I'm gonna remember these details! After all, wouldn't you?).
	She shuffled over and climbed in with me. "I was thinking about what 
you told me," she said. I tensed up. Had what I said actually sunk in? Did 
she still see me as her white night? Did she see me as a freak? "You're 
absolutely right," she continued. "I shouldn't judge people by one bad 
experience. Besides, Suzie and Amber seem like nice people. I'll probably be 
having them over more." She kissed my cheek. "Thank you."
	She rested her head on my arm, which I used to pull her closer. I 
peered down. "Down boy," I said as low as I could.
	Stephanie heard this and looked. "I'm glad to be with you to," she 
giggled. I'm now going take this opportunity to advocate that all guys should 
wear something more than just a pair of boxers when sleeping.

	The nurses gave me the OK to leave the next morning. They said just 
to avoid the Pub. I always take their advice. I strolled home. I wasn't 
feeling too hot, so I thought I'd just hit the sack when I returned. Fate, 
however, is a son of a bitch. The minute I entered the bunk, Mohammed and 
Byrder grabbed me under the arms and dragged me to the mech bay. "We're 
keeping up to what you told them," Mohammed he explained once we arrived. His 
eyes were lit up with the blood lust he was famous for. "Tony and his boys 
challenged us to a three-on-three today. If we don't show up, we're 
dishonored."
	I moaned. "I don't feel well," I said. "But I'll try my best." I 
looked over my mechs. I couldn't use Bulldog, it was still in repairs. Chaos? 
No, that'd cause too much damage to the enemy mechs, as well as throw my now 
sensititve stomach into an uproar. "I'm using Dark Wolf," I said. "What about 
you?"
	Mohammed chuckled. "Slasher," he said. "Of course."
	I looked to Byrder. "I'm wanna use your Chaos mech," he said.
	"Are you sure?" I asked. He nodded. "Gentlemen, our battle plan is 
this. Blast one leg off. That way we can rub this in their faces forever." We 
did our traditional before battle thing then climbed into our vehicles.

	"All systems go," I said into my intercom. "How's it goin' Death?" 
Death was Mohammed's callsign.
	"Weapons at optimal," he replied. "Phase shield only at 75%. That 
might be a problem."
	"No it won't. I want these mechs taken out as fast as possible. 
Remember, we want to rub this into their faces later. Don't kill them. You 
can nail a leg with one of those arm blades."
	He laughed manically. "Sure thing Cap!"
	I flipped a switch. "How's it going Hawk-eye?" Hawk-eye was, of 
course, Byrder's callsign.
	"All systems clear," he said. "How are the ribs doing?" I moaned. "I 
see.... I'll hold your back."
	"No need. I'm ending it as quickly as possible. You hold your own. 
Are you sure you can handle that mech?"
	"I'm sure."
	I turned my com link to the designated channel and flipped the switch. 
"Jade Wolf," I said. "Let's go kick some Iron Paw ass." The mech bay doors 
opened and we walked out onto the field.

	There was a cheer from the crowd that was watching. Before us were 
three mechs. A Chaos mech, a Pyro mech, and a Banister mech. The Banister was 
similar to the Slasher, but instead of blades that can hold position, the 
arms are equipped with rapid fire battering rams. Perfect for breaking walls, 
gates, and knocking an enemy mech's head into the next county. "ID 
yourselves," Tony's voice called out.
	"I'm in the Dark Wolf," I said. "Death's in the Slasher, and 
Hawk-eye's in the Chaos."
	"I'm in the Banister, Andre's in the Pyro and Carlo's in the Chaos."
	"Let's lay down some ground rules. No dirty tricks."
	"I'll agree to that. No cloaking."
	"Tony, that falls under dirty tricks."
	"Oh. Okay. Then that about covers it. Oh, you wusses can call the 
match whenever you want."
	"Who said we'll need to?" I flipped a switch. "Computer," I said. 
"Target the weakest part of the left leg." A small reticule centered just 
above the joint of the knee. "Whenever you're ready, we'll begin."
	"We're ready."
	"Then on my mark." I waited a few seconds. "MARK!" I wasted to time 
in pulling the trigger. The Banister's leg blew off and it fell on it's face. 
It started to pound the ground. "Stop throwing a temper tantrum, you big 
baby," I mocked. I looked out at Mohammed. He had his blades drawn and was 
tearing through the Pyro's leg. Pyro couldn't take it and fell. "Fuck!" I 
could hear the pilot say over the intercom. I looked over to Byrder. He was 
handling the Chaos well, but was getting his ass kicked. "Need help?" I asked 
him.
	"Please!" Byrder responded.
	I aimed my plasma cannon and fired. The enemy Chaos stopped firing 
and started to aim at me. "Take his leg out," I said. Byrder aimed and fired 
the missiles off. The enemy Chaos fell over. "You lost Tony," I said. "Accept 
it. This match is over. We don't want to kill you." I turned my mech around 
and walked it back into the mech bay.
	"Fuck you Crash!" Tony cried. "I'll get you for this." I turned the 
intercom off.

	"Don't disturb me," I told Mohammed and Byrder. "Didn't get much 
sleep last night." 
	Mohammed chuckled. "Explain," he said. "Stephanie insisted on pulling 
out the sofabed." 
	Mohammed and Byrder dropped their jaws. "You got to sleep in a bed?" 
Byrder asked. "Man, I've forgotten what it's like!" 
	I yawned. "It felt too un-natural," I said. "Now, I'd like to get 
some rest." I climbed into my bunk and pulled the covers up over my head. 
	"Man," Byrder said. "He's totally wiped." 
	I could hear Mohammed yawn. "I'm wiped too," he said. "Don't forget, 
we were up all night yelling at Tony. I'm getting some rest too." He climbed 
into the bunk above mine. 
	"G'night," Byrder said. I could hear him climb into his bunk. This 
was my home. This was my life. My friends. My slice of heaven and hell. Call 
me insane, call me bizzare, call me whatever the hell you want me to. But 
this is my life. As far as I'm concerned, it's perfect. Just give me good 
friends, chaos and destruction, and all the booze my bladder can handle.