Mercenary: The Early Years
The Savior:
Shortie by Lone Wolf
Narrated by: Crash

	As you may know, I am a Disgraced sympathist. I will gladly come to 
the aid of anyone who wears the red band on their arm on HQ. But there are 
two members of the disgraced that I will watch over like a hawk if need be: 
Suzie and Amber. Everybody know that, but few people know why. Here is that 
story.

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	It was in my earlier days, long before I formed the Jade Wolf and got 
my reputation as the mercenary I am today. It was my fifth year in the 
Wrecking Crew. I had just returned from the Pub after a night of boozing 
after a failure of a mission. We had only lost our pride, thankfully. So I 
had drank maybe 4 or 5 beers. Not enough to declair me drunk, but enough to 
impare my common sense. I was walking home for a night's rest, when I saw a 
small group crowded around something. Curious, I approached them.

	It was a group of four. They were beating the crap out of two people. 
One of them was a panda, stocky build, easy D cup, and wearing a red arm 
band. She looked to be taking the brunt of everything. The other, who was 
being protected by the panda, was a skunk. She was your average skunkette, 
with the exception of a white spot around one of her eyes. She wore the same 
red band and was cowering from the kicks that were thown at her. My temper 
started to flare, but for some reason I remained still. What the hell was I 
waiting for?

	One of the assailants laughed and said something in a slurred tongue. 
He was drunk off his ass, that was for sure. He reached for his belt and 
pulled out what I feared what he would - a brutal looking survival knife. 
Thankfully, my common sense was impared. Without thinking, I flew into 
action. "Leave them alone!" I shouted as I charged them. They all looked at 
me like I was a maniac. Even the girls. But the four assailants knew I was 
serious when I clocked the guy with the knife. The others drew weapons and 
started towards me.

	I was more than ready. The alcohol that was coursing through my blood 
seemed to give me an unexplainable strength. I was ready to take on the 
knives without thought. And I would have to, because the guy I knocked down 
got up and shouted something at me. The three who were already up charged at 
me. My claws instinctively shot out of my hands and I raked them across the 
first guy's face. The second guy slipped by me and slashed me in the arm. 
The wound wasn't too bad; it could heal on it's own without problems. I 
quickly dispatched him. With my reflexes, I kicked the third guy's knife out 
of his hand and punched him in the throat. Those three took a few moments to 
recover and ran like the chickens they were. The fourth guy backed away 
slowly for a few moments before taking off in the opposite direction.

	I checked my wound. "Not too bad. I'll survive." I smiled to myself 
and approached the two women. The panda, ignoring her wounds, was tending to 
the skunk. They both looked at me when I approached. "You two okay?" The 
skunkette shrank at my words. She was apparently afraid of me.
	The panda, on the other hand, smiled. "You saved us from them," she 
said. "Thank you. But why put your neck on the line for a pair of 
Disgraced?"
	I smiled. "I'd do that for anyone." I extended my hand in friendship. 
"They call me Crash."
	She smiled and took the hand. "I'm Amber." She motioned to the 
skunkette. "And this scared little one is Suzie."
	I smiled and offered my hand to Suzie. "It's a pleasure." She didn't 
respond to my friendly acts. "Don't be afraid. I won't hurt you." She shook 
her head. I sighed and nodded. "I don't think I should leave you two here. 
I'll escort you back to your quarters. That sound okay?"
	"Thank you," Amber said. She helped Suzie to her feet. They took a few 
steps before Suzie cried out and fell. "Suzie!"
	"My leg," she moaned.
	I knew what I had to do. I knelt down with my back to her. "Hoist her 
onto my back. I'll carry her."
	Amber shook her head. "No, we couldn't."
	"Do it. I won't allow it any other way." She picked up on the 
seriousness of my words and helped the hesitant Suzie onto my back. She 
didn't weight that much, as luck would have it. "Hang on tightly Suzie." I 
stood up, a little wobbily at first, but I regained my balance. "Lead the 
way Amber."

	She led me to the Gamma building in Residential Sector B. I carried 
Suzie up to the fourth floor, to apartment 4C. "Here we are," Amber told me. 
"Thank you for the escort."
	"No problem," I said, a little out of breath. "I'll just carry Suzie 
in and I'll be off." Amber nodded and opened the door. I walked in and 
gently sat Suzie down on their bed. I staggered a bit and sat down in a 
chair. "I just need to take a breather. It shouldn't take more than five 
minutes."
	"It's okay," Suzie said in a soft voice. I smiled and nodded my thank 
you. However, it was then I discovered that someone had slipped a slow 
acting tranquilizer into one of my drinks. I took my five minute breather. 
Afterwards, the tranquilizer kicked in and I had an unexpected sleep over.

	I woke up the next morning, knowing fully where I was and wondering 
how badly I was going to get yelled at by my boss. But when I sat up, I 
discovered a blanket had been draped over me. "What happened?" I asked.
	Suzie approached me. "Somebody must have slipped some drug into your 
last drink," she told me, her voice still as soft as the previous night. "It 
was a classic case. We didn't want to be rude, so we let you sleep here?"
	I nodded. "Where's Amber?"
	"She went down to get some treatment for her bruises."
	"That's right. I'm gonna have to seek some treatment for my wound. I 
shant be a bother to you any longer." I started to get up, but I caught 
sight of her mournful blue eyes. "Eh...would you like me to stay?"
	"It would be nice. But if you must go..." She turned her head away.
	My sixth sense kicked in. "What's the matter, Suzie?" She shook her 
head. "It's okay, you can tell me."
	"You came to protect us. Are you a sympathiser?"
	I processed the thougth through my head. I hated the way the Disgraced 
were treated and would have loved to make a difference then. "Yes, I am."
	"Not many sympathisers on HQ, is there?" She had a sad tone to her 
voice.
	I reached for her hand. "You're lonely, aren't you?"
	"I...I don't understand." She pulled her hand away.
	"I get the feeling your only friend is Amber. Am I correct?" She 
nodded, tears welling up in her eyes. "Oh, please don't cry." A tear 
streamed down her cheek. I put my finger up to it, allowing it to fall onto 
my flesh. I wiped it away. "Don't worry. I'm here for you now. I will be 
your friend."
	"But what will your friends and co-workers think?"
	"What will they think? I don't care. They give me problems about it, 
I'll just return it to them. Besides, the Wrecking Crew is compassionate 
like that."
	She smiled. "Thank you, Crash." I held my arms out, offering her a 
hug which I knew she needed. She hesitated a little before accepting it.
	"I'm here for you. I'll make sure you are never friendless again. I'll 
make sure you never have to endure another beating like that again."
	"You promise?"
	I smiled. "Yeah."

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	I was sitting in my office one day when Suzie walked in. I smiled, 
happy to see her bright, shiny face. "Heya Suzie," I said. "How are you 
today?"
	"Oh, just fine," she said. "How are you doing today?"
	"Heh, I'm a little swamped right now. Paperwork up to here, you know?" 
I held my hand to my muzzle for added emphasis. "Almost done with it 
though."
	She smiled and sat down on my desk. "Do you remember what happened 
today about, oh, I'd say four years ago?"
	I looked at my calender. "April fourth. Why does that ring a-?!" I 
looked at her. "Four years ago today, I saved you from a certain grave."
	She smiled, leaned over, and hugged me. "That's right! Amber and I 
were planning on hitting the holo-suites to celebrate. But we can't do that 
without you."
	I laughed. "Claire, I'm going to finish all my work later. Save it 
all." I got up and grabbed my Jade Wolf Aviator Jacket. "After four years, 
I'm still your friend, Suzie. Do you still doubt my words and fear me?"
	She laughed. "Of course not! I know you would never abandon me." She 
walked to the door. "And the only thing I fear about you is the slim chance 
you would stop being so kind hearted. She winked playfully at me.

	Suzie and Amber are special to me. They represent my cause. I am 
trying to make a difference in the world. That's my purpose, my destiny. I 
haven't been able to make that splash in the world yet. Well, not the big 
picture yet. Because of my actions, past and present, two members of the 
Disgraced can live happier lives, free of fear from being beaten because of 
what they were. I haven't been able to change the big picture, but I have 
altered the smallest parts of the tapestry. I am proud of that.

End
Crash, Suzie, Amber, and the rest of the Mercenary characters © Lone Wolf 
and <([ Lone Wolf Studios ])>