As Lee pulled into the lot he saw the usual assortment of Goons and thugs outside. Someone had a large truck today, most likly a weapons deal. It wasn't Lees job to interfere with small stuff so he didn't bother checking the plates. Lee parked and turned off his engine. He grabbed a small black bag and climbed out of his car. He pressed a button on the keys and activated its security device and then walked inside. When he entered he knew something weird had happened in his absense. Their were too many people here. Not so much as anyone else would find it odd, but Lee tended to notice things like this. One group didn't seem to fit in. Their cloathing was too nice, and their guns conceled around their bodies were too good. The Thugs that usually hung around here carried automatics and moddified armor peircing hand guns. Along with the occasional high explosive. This group was to neat, to clean. They looked like professionals.

Lee descerned all this with just a glance. He simply walked over to his usual seat and sat down. The waitress walked up to him and asked him for an order. She knew what he would order, he ordered the same thing every time. Her mind looked elsewhere today however. Which made sense to Lee sense she had gotten pregnent. She had probably just noticed herself. It was the slight shift in the way she was walking that gave her away. She had probably been sweet talked by some Moterhead that had been passing through. Oh well, not his problum. Lee ordered his usual combination of black and red. Which was his way of asking for a burger. She moved off right as he felt someone aproach him from behind.

The smell on his cloathing, and the fact he bothered aproaching Lee, gave him away as one of the new comers. Lee turned around and met his eyes with a dead sort of stare. The man hessitated for a moment before asking if he could sit down next to him. "Do what ever you want." Lee said in a sad voice. As he turned back to the counter. The man sat down next to him and began to study Lee closley.

(Meanwhile, in the hangar...)

Predator lay in repose on the angled support frame, its access plates opened so it looked as though it was a gutted shell. The room it lay in was fairly large, with power cables running from wall sockets into the frame. Beside it was a tall rack, about one and a half meters tall, with all sorts of power tools dangling from it, their leads going to the same power socket in the wall. A worktable was on the other side of Predator, its surface strewn with papers, tools, a pistol, and for some unfathomable reason, a dolphin plushie.

The door flew open with a boot from the figure in coveralls, whose face was obscured by the mountainous stack of fast food from the Family Feedbag down the street. The SUITS' "eyes" lit up, and the targeting laser shifted into the visible spectrum, resting lightly on the bags of food.

Ah, Miss Rebecca Chalmers. Would you care to take your mind off food for a moment and attend to me?

The figure set the bags on a nearby table, careless as to how it was already covered in tools, and turned to the SUITS. The face revealed was that of a young woman, shiny with a slight perspiration. She unzipped the front of her coveralls and slipped out of the sleeves, exposing a well-toned torso covered only by a black sports bra.

"You know, you're a real hangar queen, Predator."

I should be. However, you will relish your task today - I have not been significantly damaged.

Rebecca's eyes widened in disbelief as she digested what Predator had to say, then walked up to the SUITS. After a brief procedure, she looked up again.

"By God, you're right. No hull breaches, and most of this damage was done by low-caliber rounds and bashing through woodwork. What happened? Did Damien kill them all without alerting them? You've got to teach him how to do this more often..."

Actually, he did not participate much in battle. He dispatched several flunkies, but apparently it was the other SUITS which took a beating from their confrontation with some sort of... 'elite'.

"I'm surprised he didn't jump in and try to rip its head off, like he likes to do."

I was surprised myself. But I am only a coordination AI and it is not my place to instruct the pilot, only to enforce his decision-making.

"It certainly seems like an improvement." She giggled. "More off days for me!"


I do not think so. he seemed... distracted during the mission. Now he is indulging in the human emotion known as... 'depression', I take it?

"Him? Depressed? Why?"

You understand Damien is proud, vengeful, and eager to engage in CQC, do you not?

"Yes, I do..."

So you must understand that for him to have weathered the encounter with barely a scratch would be far worse than to have been terminated in the midst of a pitched battle. It is compounded when others did battle in his place, and even more so when he did not get the chance to demonstrate his unarmed combat techniques. It is irrational and foolish, but you humans do as you humans are.

Rebecca shuddered. What Damien did to people belonged on horror movies.

"So what are you trying to say?"

Refit me. The usefulness of the plasmacaster has come to an end. We are to expect higher-intensity combat in future and the weapon will not suffice. Something to attack multiple targets at once with a disabling effect is preferred.

"Don't know if I've got anything good... wait. You know those upgrade schematics I downlaoded and never used? I just thought of something perfect..."

Excellent. Do so, then.

"...but only after I finish my Ten-Pound Terror."

It was impossible for Predator to cluck in disapproval, yet somehow his mechanical voice carried a ringing note of derision.

Your appetite will be the death of you, woman...

(OOC: Very good, guys. New chapter up in a bit. This actually works very well with my plans... And also, the pilots and their SUITS are the equivalent of celebrities. They aren't a secret, and people know just how powerful they are.)

Thomas arrived at the apartment that he lived in. It wasn't much. But it was home. He never invited anyone from the SSF over. He never had a reason. He might have been a little embarassed, too. As he walked to his door, his key in hand, he noticed two little boys playing in the hall. They had little action figures, and seemed to be having a great time.

"Predator would win. Look at this weapon! And he can turn invisible. He woud definitally win."

"No! Beowulf would win! He's big, and he's got a big sword, and he's really smart! That's what my older brother said."

"Yeah, while my older sister says that Predator could kill anything. And his pilot is a cyborg! He's part machine!"

"Well, Beowulf's pilot lives here in this building!"

"No he doesn't!"

"Yes he does!"

Thomas decided to head into his apartment before he was dragged into their fight.

Before he went to bed, he stuck a holo-disk into a constant feed. He was downloading the A/V feed that Beowulf wanted. He then jumped into his anti-grav hover bed. He closed his eyes, and went to sleep.

OOC: I'm posting this here because it happens before the next morning and it isn't very important, just me having fun.

"Your Darryl Lee Banh correct?" The man asked him finally.

Lee looked at the man with his usual downtrodden expression. "Why would you want Darryl Banh?" Being careful not to let his voice fluctuate at hearing his full name.

The man studied him for a moment then muttered something about 'not being able to be him.' He then said "I have a letter for him. I was told you knew where to get ahold of him." Lee nodded to this so the man continued, handing over a small envelope. "This is from someone that want him dead. Thats all I can say." The man then got up and motioned for his Friends at their table to leave. As they got up and left the usual crowd looked very nervously at Lee.

Lee reached over and into his bag, causing a couple of people to shift. He pulled a small knife out and used it to open the letter. He pulled out a picture of the large mech he had battled. It looked a little better then when he had left it. On the back it had written one phrase. 'We will battle again.' Lee put the picture back into the envelope and placed both back inside his bag. He sat their and ate his food. Thinking over what this sort of thing would mean. For all he knew that man could have been the pilot. Yet how did they get his full name? It wasn't put on any merchandise. It wasn't even listed on most of the communications. Lee reached into his bag and pulled out one of the things hidden inside, a rather unique looking Uzi. He put the strap on the handle around his wrist and continued eating his food. He wasn't ready to die quite yet.