The Machine Girl Predator: A Course In Bionics

by Japan Boy

Picking up exactly where 'The Machine Girl' left off, Ami Hyuga faces her toughest challenge yet: an arriving Predator wishing to claim her skull. But an alien hunter isn't Ami's ONLY new enemy, & very soon she gets caught between a rock & a hard place with a very slim chance for survival. Rated M. Kindly review if read.

For Japanese Director Noboru Iguchi, whose 2008's 'The Machine Girl' has become a cult hit

with gorehounds everywhere (Noboru Iguchi also directed several other blood-soaked features which includes 'RoboGeisha' (2009), 'Mutant Girls Squad' (2010) & 'Zombie Ass' (2011)).

To the loving memory of actor Calvin Lockhart (born Bert Cooper), who portrayed drug lord

King Willie in 1990's 'Predator 2' (Calvin Lockhart passed away March 29, 2007. He was 72).

To the loving memory of the 26 victims (20 children, 6 adults) of the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut on December 14th, 2012. Our hearts & prayers go out to their families.

THE MACHINE GIRL/PREDATOR:

A COURSE IN BIONICS

2012 by Anthony Ogozalek

CHAPTER I

Just above the Earth:

The sleek alien ship was making its final approach over to the green, brown, white & blue planet right beneath it, having traveled through countless systems before reaching its destination. A medium to dark gray in color, the ship looked like a large flightless bird with no wings & a bow that somehow resembles its head, complete with pointed tip. Numerous small lights lit up its exterior, but none shone too brightly to bring attention to itself, were there another craft in the area to notice. It might even have believed it to begin an assault, as this ship is armed to the teeth with all sorts of weaponry that can no doubt level an entire space station with ease. But no, this ship came to Earth for one purpose only: to drop off one of its occupants below for it to start its hunt. Inside the craft, the lone hunter has just stocked up on its equipment needed to begin before getting into one of the pods which will jettison it towards the planet below.

Closing the pod's double doors, the pod - which looks like a missile with forward-slanting fins in the rear - gets shot out from the Mother Ship as it passes between Russia & Japan.

Rocketing to Earth, its pointed nose cone lights up during reentry as it heads for the latter country. Having done its job, the Mother Ship takes off, leaving its cargo to begin what it's been set out to do.

Fifteen minutes later, in the woods near Ichinooka Shrine, Japan:

Once the pod landed, its double doors opened up on opposite sides & allowed its passenger out. Standing a massive two meters tall, the Predator surveyed its surroundings in a climate that was all but perfect for it to start its hunt. It was attired in dark grayish-brown armor which covered its forearms, lower legs, shoulders & part of its chest. Its face was covered by a metal mask with rectangular visors over for eyes. Its head had long, jet black snakelike appendages with gold metal 'braids' embedded in them. Mounted onto its left shoulder was a cannon of some kind. On its back were twin metal cases full of equipment. Having already succeeded in its Rite of Passage only a month ago by killing a good number of acid-blooded Xenomorphs (Aliens, to some), this hunter was now ready to tackle & take on the Yautja's second-most favorite prey: human beings.

Letting out a soft but menacing cackling sound, its metal mask picks up signs of activity not far from its current position. Noises of clanging metal, people shouting & occasional gunfire were heard through the mask's systems. Tapping a few buttons on its left forearm cuff, the thing draws up a built-in 3D map to pinpoint the origin of the sounds it was hearing. The display was projecting images of several humans - Japanese males & females - in brutal, bloody conflict with each other at & near a lone shrine. Four of them were wearing wrist-mounted guns as three were wearing football gear, two with helmets. One was bare-chested, but like the other three, he had on a photo of a young person displayed on his chest, who was probably the man's son. These four & a fifth individual - a man in a battle robe with a small goatee & short spiky hair - were all engaged in a conflict against two young women, one a young teenager in a white school uniform, black mini skirt & hair. A metal appendage in the form of a heavy-duty machine gun was in place of her missing left arm. Her accomplice is an older redhead, dressed in a sleeveless army shirt & dark pants. In her hands is a chainsaw that she expertly wields like it was a samurai sword, the latter of which were equipped by their four foes. Engaged in bloody battle, the Predator turns off its 3D map & rushes off to join up in the fight, its mask giving directions.

Five minutes later:

Its cloak activated, the Predator arrives to catch a final fight between the last picture-chested brawler against the chainsaw-wielding redhead. Redhead, having disposed the other three of the group with assistance from her machine gun-armed partner, lost part of her right leg, but it didn't stop her from literally slicing her enemy in half from stomach to head with her chainsaw as he screams out the name 'Ryota!', blood spurting like crazy. Falling down to the ground, the redhead collapses on her back with her foe's blood all over her & shouts out, 'Ami! Don't let them beat you!'.

A few quick intakes of air, & Redhead expires, her eyes open & staring up into the sky.

The Predator catches up to another fight which also comes to a bloody conclusion: the robed male tosses his Executioner's Blade weapon - a metal urn of some kind with sharp teeth at the opening & attached to a chain - which grabs hold of Ami's machine gun arm instead of flesh & blood like it did to Redhead's right leg. Pulling away, he pulls off Ami's weapon, leaving a stub of an arm & destroys it. But there's a flaw in his plan: the flying parts all head straight for him & impales him into a nearby tree, the metal rods piercing his body. In a gurgled voice, the robed man says, 'Sho…I couldn't protect you…'.

Ami walks on up to the bloodied corpse of her foe & says in contempt, 'Take that, you brutal Yakuza'.

Sensing something's wrong with her partner, she races off to her & finds her gone. Being in a sentimental state, Ami briefly cuddles Redhead & gently closes her eyes with her hand & calls our her name - Miki - just before grabbing the chainsaw & places it on her left stub of an arm & heads off towards & inside the place's main hall.

Still cloaked, the Predator follows her.

When she enters, the creature had thought of entering & slaughtering everyone within, but it gave second thoughts. For one, it was rather fascinated by the aspect of seeing its prey turning on & battling one another in the bloodiest ways possible. Another factor is that this young female girl - Ami - looks like such a worthy opponent for one of her stamina, & would make such very good sport. Therefore, it decided to wait & see if it can square off against her one-on-one.

But just because it sits this one out, it didn't mean it couldn't pry inside. Reactivating its 3D map, the Predator finds Ami with a trio of young boys being held hostage by another young boy dressed in a fancy coat of some kind. He was hiding within the hostages, using them as living shields while his mother - wearing a kimono - gets her sword & swings it at Ami, missing her each time. Ami tosses it away & swings her revved-up chainsaw at her chest, only to have it deflected by a metal bra her foe wore. This bra was actually twin pointed drills that her enemy - Violet Kimura - was waiting to use. Getting them spinning, Violet grabs Ami & jams her deadly weapon into her chest, tearing right into her flesh & spraying her blood over her all the while she laughs maniacally before getting onto the floor, ready to finish the job. One of the three hostages was so scared, he literally wets himself & his urine causes a small puddle not far from the two combatants. Ami takes notice of this & grabs Violet's drill bra from behind, throwing her into the puddle of piss on her back as it shorts out Violet's drill bra & sparks fly. Sho calls out to & runs for his mom, leaving the both of them vulnerable to attack.

And attack is just what Ami does: with her chainsaw, she slices off Sho & Violet's heads horizontally from between the mouth & eyes, each top of which lands on either's opposite - the top of Violet's head lands on Sho, & vice versa.

"Your love turned out to be harmful…I hope you both rot in Hell!", Ami snapped angrily as both psychotic mother & son collapse on the floor in bloodied heaps.

The Predator turned its 3D map off as Ami & the three hostages exited the main hall of the shrine. Remaining hidden in a bush, the Predator watched them as a bloodied but smiling Ami addresses the hostage trio.

"Listen up. Go down the mountain & get some help. Find the police & tell them that lots of people have been killed, & that a girl named Ami Hyuga did it. Go on. Even if you get bullied, don't let them win. Promise?"

"Yeah, I'll be strong like you one day", said one of the boys with a smile just before they all took off & exit the shrine's grounds, leaving Ami alone.

"It's over, Yu", she says in a defeated tone. "I'm such a stupid sister. You probably have nothing but contempt for me now."

When she looks over to her right, she sees her younger brother's ghost standing not far away in his suit, & does something Ami never expected from him.

He actually smiles & claps his hands in approval.

This causes Ami to smile herself.

"Yu…", she says, walking up to a samurai sword embedded in the ground by one of her & Miki's opponents. Taking it by the hand & yanking it out, Ami puts the blade to her throat, ready to slit it & be reunited with her younger brother, her parents, Miki & Suguru Sugihara, & her best friend Yoshie.

Ami Hyuga was about to commit suicide.

Not if the Predator has anything to say about it.

It was time to make its presence known: making a slight shake in the bushes, Ami turns towards the sound & gets in a defensive position, her chainsaw arm & samurai sword at the ready as she awaits who would dare to assault her now. Even though she was about to kill herself in semi-pity & sorrow, Ami was still more than willing to fight.

Someone of Ryugi Kimura's clan I missed?, Ami thought. Another member of the Junior High Shuriken or Super Mourner gangs waiting at the last minute to come finish me off? Sorry fella…you'll need to do better than that to nail my ass!

She hears a soft cackling from where the intruder hid at.

"Who's there?", she demanded. "Whoever the hell you are, come out now & save yourself the trouble of a serious ass-whipping! If you force me to come after you, I won't be so lenient, so get your ass out here right now!"

Ami stared hard into the bush where her new enemy hid, but can find no trace of him/her. It puzzled her somewhat: how is it possible to not be seen within the bush? It wasn't too thick at all, & anyone could spot an intruder with ease. Plus, who the hell makes a noise like that cackling she heard seconds ago? Or maybe it isn't a person at all, but an animal of some kind that came in & stumbled into their bloody brawl?

The cackling occurs again, & Ami was just as stumped as before.

That doesn't sound like any kind of animal I'm familiar with!, she thought. What is it?

Then she does see something: a stream of red beams shines from the bush heading right for her. Ami follows the beams to their destination, & when she reaches the end of their path, she sees a trio of red dots aimed right onto her left shoulder. Ami takes a gasp of breath in surprise.

Shit! Snipers!, she thought, diving to her right just as a ball of blue-white energy emerges from the bush & soars past her, hitting the main hall & blowing a big chunk of it off. Ami had been mistaken: it wasn't a trio of snipers, but a single individual that shoots energy beams instead of bullets, turning this scenario even weirder as it was deadly.

That's when she sees a slight distortion in the air as it steps out from its hiding place. Ami strained to see it, but she could tell it stood about two meters tall & looked humanoid in shape.

She wondered who was trying to kill her now. Ultraman? Darth Vader?

Slowly rising & keeping her weapons ready, Ami kept her sights on the weird shimmer in the air as it now disappeared. In its place stood a giant of a 'person' who wore some kind of body armor unlike Ami's ever seen before, its face hidden behind a metal mask. Long, thick, jet black strands of hair - if it was hair - hung from its head on the sides & in the back with metal braids of gold in them. A shoulder mounted cannon on its left still smoked from the shot it fired, & its flesh looked to be reptilian in nature where visible. One look at this newcomer & Ami can tell it was neither Japan's ultimate hero or the iconic Dark Lord of the Sith from the 'Star Wars' saga.

But whoever, whatever, the newcomer is, it's just as cunning & ruthless as the latter, a fact already proven. Ami's new foe reaches behind its back & pulls out an eighteen-inch club that quickly extends to a seven-foot spear that was pointed at both ends. Ami barely gets fully to her feet when her foe suddenly charges her at full speed & swings its spear, just missing her head by a fraction of an inch as Ami ducks down & brings her sword in an upswing. The Predator blocks it with its spear, keeping the blade at bay. Ami retaliates by bringing her chainsaw down towards its right arm, intent on chopping it off. The creature puts an end to that notion by extending a pair of sharp jagged blades from its right forearm cuff. Both earthly & alien metal collide as they create sparks that fly everywhere. Ami pushes against her opponent with such incredible strength which both surprises & impresses the Predator on a high level. It praises itself on choosing to wait before attacking, & will praise itself further once it gathers her skull & spinal column for its collection.

First it has to kill her.

With a sudden burst of strength, the Predator shoves Ami away a good twelve feet before aiming its shoulder cannon, the three red dots being shone on her head.

Fuck!, she said to herself before leaping like a rabbit & narrowingly avoiding a duo of high intensity energy blasts that kick up plumes of dirt where they strike. Ami runs off as the Predator continues firing its shoulder cannon, striking things such as the main hall of Ichinooka Shrine & the beaten, bloodied body of Ryugi Kimura, blowing the former to smoldering bits & scorching the bodies of Sho & Violet Kimura inside & blasting the latter into a bloodied pulp as pieces of the late Yakuza boss fly everywhere. But Ami was moving too fast for it to get a solid bead on her, even with its expert skills.

New tactic: the Predator shoots at a place where it expects Ami to be, & it fires a shot only a foot from where she would step next. The blast knocks her off her feet & causes her to cry out in surprise & lose hold of her sword as it goes flying out of her grip & lands twenty feet away.

Her chainsaw, however, stayed on her stump of a left arm even as she hits the ground hard on her ass. Retracting its cannon, the Predator runs up to her with its spear raised high & brings it down swiftly to impale her where she lays. Stunned as she was, Ami caught her foe & dives to one side before the creature raises it & brings it down again, doing so several times with no luck of hitting her, even when it strikes with its wrist blades, & some of those swipes get blocked by Ami's chainsaw, causing sparks as before. So swift were the Predator's attacks that Ami knows she must take the offensive before her enemy gets in even a nick.

Revving her chainsaw, Ami swiftly rises off the ground & leaps at her enemy like an angry cat & thrusts her weapon forward, aiming it at the thing's shoulder cannon. Like a surgeon, she slices off the shoulder-mounted projectile with ease & it falls to the ground, inoperative. Wanting to press her advantage, Ami then begins slicing off several of the creature's strands of 'hair' on its left side. The Predator lets out a roar of pain as strand after strand gets chopped off & falls to the ground in bloodied heaps.

It was this revelation that causes Ami to relent her attack as she gasps in shock.

The blood that was coming from her foe wasn't red but…green. A lime green!

What the fuck…green blood?! What is this thing?!, she wondered.

Her hesitation gave the Predator time to react: from behind, its right hand grabs Ami by her neck & puts such a tight grip on it that Ami's air is actually cut off. The Predator peels her away & stares at her while Ami's vision begins to go dark, drawing its spear back to deliver the killing blow. She curses her stupidity for being distracted even for an instant, something she'll have to work hard to avoid in the future.

If she even has a future!

No. She won't go down so easily, & it's her fierce spirit that enables her to keep going. Bringing her right foot up, Ami kicks the Predator hard in its neck to try & cut off its air supply. Even if it didn't crush its neck like she hoped, Ami's kick was strong enough to distract & cause it to release its hold on her. Ami drops to the ground as the Predator roars in confusion & pain before becoming oriented again a few moments later. Ami gets back up, albeit groggily, to strike a killing blow to her new (& inhuman) enemy before it can counterstrike. Unfortunately for Ami, the Predator recovers fully first & strikes her with its spear. But instead of stabbing her like it wanted to before, the creature uses it like a club & smacks her with it in her chest. The blow was powerful enough to send her soaring through the air almost thirty feet before hitting the ground & skidding on her left side for a good ten feet more. During her rough flight, the Predator removes a round disc from its right leg pouch & throws it at Ami like one would do a Frisbee. The roughed-up teen catches it from the corner of her eye & raises her chainsaw, the object coming at her too fast to dive for cover from it.

CLANG!

Again, metal of earth & alien origin collide with a sound that rang like a bell, & the disc gets deflected & sent to a nearby tree, getting embedded within the thick bark nearly halfway in.

Were she about a split-second slower, that disc would've sliced through her head as a knife would through warm butter.

It was a double-edged sword: although the razor disc was deflected, it ruined the teeth of the chainsaw & cut the strand. Were she to use it now, the strand of teeth would fly right off & hit who-knew-where. Seeing the disc fail, the Predator then threw its spear at Ami with all of its strength. She had just enough time to rise to her feet & clear the way before the spear flew past her & gets stuck in another tree, being impaled completely halfway through, unlike the razor disc.

Back on her feet, Ami runs for her sword as the Predator comes at her with its wrist blades fully extended. When she gets close, it swipes at her in a move that would've taken her head clean off her shoulders had she not ducked in time. Not stopping or slowing down, Ami grabs the sword by the handle while still in motion & turns around with the blade held up. It was a wise choice on her part: immediately after she turned with her weapon, the Predator was right on top of her, bringing its double blades down. Ami fought to hold back her enemy's weapons, but try as she might, she found herself weakening against him. The fight between the Kimuras & their bloodthirsty henchmen was beginning to take its toll on her. Unless she does something to finish her foe, she's going to be joining Yu much sooner than she'd like.

No, goddamnit! I'll decide when my time is due, not this…thing!, she thought angrily.

Raising her chainsaw to the creature's face, Ami shoots the broken strand of teeth straight at it full force. Even if it did no noticeable damage, it did distract the Predator & drive it back some, giving Ami the perfect chance to do some real damage. With swift & precise accuracy, she swings her sword at the Predator's left leg & cuts it off at the knee, the cut limb falling like a tree after getting a similar treatment. The alien hunter roars out as it tumbles to the ground, glowing green fluid squirting out of its wound.

"What do you say now, asshole? You got any more tricks up your diabolical sleeve?", Ami says, standing with her sword still raised & taunting it. Down it may be, the Predator refuses to allow a female human beat it, much less a child. Raising its right arm, it shoots both its deadly wrist blades like missiles at Ami, who just misses getting impaled by either one as they sail past her, missing her by less than an inch & she could feel the blades whiz past.

The Predator grunts in surprise & anger.

Shit, that was too close for my tastes! I'd better be careful what I ask for from now on!, Ami thought, cheating instant death yet again. Since she has no idea as to what this…creature might try next, she's going to take her own advice to heart, especially now that she knows her new opponent isn't human.

Now devoid of all its weaponry, the Predator has one last maneuver to perform. Losing a leg & bleeding badly, it brings its right hand over to its left forearm cuff & starts tapping buttons on it. Ami watches with caution in case her foe shoots anything else from its armor, even taking a couple steps back with her sword in a defensive stance.

What the hell is this thing doing now?, she wondered. No sooner did she finish thinking it than when the lights on its left forearm cuff starting blinking & making a noise that begins to get louder & faster with each passing second. Even if this creature is new to her, Ami was familiar with the concept & a chill ran down her spine.

That noise…it's a countdown! A countdown to…a bomb! That thing has a fucking bomb on it!, she thought with dread. She had no idea on how much time it has before it goes off, but if the beeping that was now getting louder & in quicker intervals was any clue, then Ami knew she didn't have long.

"…even if you get bullied, don't let them win…", the Predator said in Ami's own voice, & the countdown was getting to its end. Thinking fast, Ami raises her sword & threw it expertly at the creature's left forearm. In no time, the pointed tip of the blade struck the Predator's forearm cuff & went halfway through. A spark later, & the thing detonates, creating an explosion of white light that was more than ten feet in diameter. Ami was knocked backwards from the force of the blast, even though she was quite a distance away. She flew over a dozen feet before landing on her ass & back again, feeling like a giant invisible hand suddenly bitch-slapped her.

Rough as it was, Ami was lucky she wasn't directly next to the Predator when it blew.

Ignoring the soreness in her body, Ami gets herself up & surveys the scene where her foe was last at. In its place was a smoking area in a mini crater that measured the same width as the blast that occurred.

But she saw no sign of the Predator anywhere.

What the hell happened to it? Did the thing get blown up by its own device?, she wondered with caution. If there was a chance her opponent was still alive even after all that, she wanted to stay on her guard at all times. Through the haze of smoke from the blast, Ami could see a large object laying on the ground two dozen feet away from where the explosion occurred. She began walking up towards it, her chainsaw raised even though it no longer worked properly. When she got closer, she could now clearly see her enemy lying down on its back & in the worst condition for it or anyone to be in. Along with the left leg Ami cut off, the creature's left arm got blown off right on up to the elbow, both wounds being cauterized from the blast's intense heat. What was really disturbing most of all to Ami was its face: it was a cross between a crab & insect's with mandibles that ended with a sharp tooth. The left side of its face was all but burned off from its mandibles to its eye & the hair that Ami had cut off before. A mark on the top of its head showed brown & black in a pattern resembling a snake's. Its burned side still smoked a little, as did the other appendages that got amputated. Even in places where the flesh was undamaged saw a stream of smoke rising upwards. Ami can see no rising in its chest anywhere, & she indicated that her new enemy - her new inhuman enemy - was dead.

Still, she couldn't believe what she was seeing despite the proof right in front of her.

Unbelieveable!, she thought. I just went toe-to-toe with a being from far beyond the stars! I fought with a fucking alien, for Christ's sakes!

Ami was about to deliver a final surefire killing blow to the thing with her chainsaw stub, but now the battle against the Kimuras, their henchmen and this creature from space has begun to really take its toll on her, & she started to get all light-headed, having fought fiercely. She'll just have to cut her losses & allow the creature to die on its own, considering its wounds.

But she wasn't going to leave empty-handed: Ami notices a pair of grayish-metal cases which have fallen off the thing's back after the misfire with its bomb. Ami grabs her backpack & stuffs them inside it. The spear & razor disc her enemy threw was a different story: they were stuck in the tree too much that Ami couldn't even budge them, even if she were at full strength.

Giving up on & leaving both them her alien foe behind, she exits the battlefield. But once she got out of the grounds of Ichinooka Shrine, her light-headedness got worse & it made her wobbly & unsteady on her feet, her vision going blurry. Unable to stand upon her own two feet, Ami falls on her knees before some people call out her name.

"Ami!"

Three pairs of hands were attending to her & helping her back up on her feet & Ami begins to revive a little. When her vision becomes better, she was astounded by who had come to her assistance.

It was the three boys that Sho Kimura held hostage & used as living shields.

"You three? I thought I told you all to go & bring the police here & explain to them what happened", Ami said weakly. "Why…why did you come back?"

The first boy spoke.

"We were on our way to do just that, Miss Hyuga, but then we heard explosions shortly after & then we decided to come back to see if we could help."

"You…came back? For me?", Ami asked.

"Yes", said the second boy. "You saved us from those heartless Yakuzas back there. We just had to return the favor to you. You understand, don't you?"

Ami couldn't surpress a smile.

"Yes, I understand perfectly", she said, getting grins from the three boys. "Well…since you boys came back for me, can I trouble you for some assistance back into town?"

"Of course, Miss Hyuga", said the third boy. "And…we know of a certain someone who can help in making you a brand new arm to replace the one you lost in battle."

That was a surprise to Ami.

"He can make a new arm for me?", she asks.

All three boys nodded with a smile.

"He can do that for you, & a whole lot more", said the first boy. "Interested?"

Ami had to laugh at that. It was a cheerful one.

"Of course", she joked. "Take me to him right away. And…thank you very much."

"Our pleasure, Miss Hyuga", said the second boy. "Let's get going, boys!"

"Yes!", his two companions say, & they all assist Ami in getting her down the mountain & away from Ichinooka Shrine & all the bad memories it brung to each one of them.

Miki…, Ami thought somberly, thinking of her rival-turned-friend & how she had perished after losing part of her right leg to Ryugi's Executioner's Blade. She hated leaving her & not give Miki a proper burial, but she knew she would've wanted Ami to go on living once she'd gotten her revenge on the Kimuras.

They continued down the mountain in silence.

A half-hour after the quartet had left, back to where the Predator lay on the ground minus its left leg, arm, & left side of its face, a group of a half-dozen shimmers in the air dissipate & said number of more Predators stand around at the fallen form of their comrade. The one slightly taller than the others utters a few clicking sounds, giving its companions orders. Three of them grabbed & lifted the body while the other two began clearing any traces of their appearance, from weaponry to missing limbs. Using blue liquid in capsules, they clear away any bodies in the area, including that of Miki Sugihara herself & all the enemies she & Ami had disposed of. It took several minutes to accomplish, & by the time it was all said & done, no trace of any activity, be it human or Predator, was left.

Should anyone arrive at Ichinooka Shrine now, they'll never guess that a brutal conflict had taken place at it.

Their chores done, the six Predators headed back towards their hidden ship, carrying their fallen warrior with them.

They were up in space & away from Earth only five minutes later.

CHAPTER II

Tokyo suburbs, one year later:

The three boys Ami had saved from the Kimuras never did contact the police after helping Ami get back to civilization. When she asked why, they explained that the Yakuza are like a bad disease that's infected their lives, making life impossible for decent citizens & that the police are all but powerless to help stem, let alone stop, the increasing threat. Ami couldn't argue with that: it's people like the twisted Kimuras - Ryugi, Violet & Sho - that hurt, pick on & torture those who are innocent & want nothing more than to live in peace. It was these kinds of people that took away her beloved younger brother Yu, his good friend Takeshi & her best friend Yoshie. It pleased her that she had avenged their deaths by the Yakuza's hands, but there are many others still out there who pick on, beat & even kill the innocent for nothing more than for the sheer fun of torturing another human being & making them suffer as much as humanly possible.

For too long, the Yakuza have made themselves feel like they're invincible.

No more: as Ami had proven, they're just as vulnerable to death as anyone else, & now it was time to take a firm stand against them, an action that was long overdue.

And that was why the three former hostages didn't inform the police about what occurred over at Ichinooka Shrine; whether anyone realizes it or not, Ami was needed to deal with these murderers, & deal with them she will.

But in order for her to do that, she first needed a brand new arm to replace the one she lost in her fight at Ichinooka Shrine.

It was where they took her over to a man by the name of Kazuya Yoshihara, who works as a doctor, of all people, with his wife Nanase. With their vast knowledge of machinery as well as medicine, they were able to construct a new machine gun arm that was more or less identical to the one that Miki's husband Suguru made for her just before losing his life to the Junior High Shuriken Ninja Clan when they had threw multiple Chinese stars at & literally chopped him into bloodied pieces.

Ami was very impressed when she got to wear her brand new appendage, it fitting like the proverbial glove. But she had to admit that she was sort of shocked as well: her new friends are both doctors, trained to help those in need of medical attention, & yet they made her a machine gun & entice her to kill. Not that she had any problem with that, but she still had to know.

When she asked them why, their reasons were simple: they loathe & despise the Yakuza as much as Ami herself does. Only one month before they welcomed Ami into their suburban home, Kazuya & Nanase had a young son named Jiro, who was diagnosed with Colon Cancer at the young age of eleven. It wasn't that serious when he first contracted it, & his parents were about to treat it before it got worse. But then, a man by the name of Tatsuro Yoshikazu came in with his wife Natsumi, the latter of whom was struck with Colon Cancer herself. These two were no ordinary patients: they were the leaders of the Yoshikazu clan, a branch of the Yakuza & one of the most powerful in all of Tokyo, & most of Japan. Tatsuro insisted on having his wife getting treatment over all their other patients, regardless of how serious their own pain/conditions were. Kazuya & Nanase tried to explain to the Yoshikazus that their young son was diagnosed with the same thing, & have asked to have both Jiro and Natsumi treated together instead of separately.

Tatsuro & Natsumi said 'no', & even threatened to kill their son as well as them if they did not concentrate solely on Natsumi herself. Knowing of their heartless & ruthless reputation, the Yoshiharas had no choice but to comply with their demand, even if it meant that their own flesh & blood had to suffer.

And suffer young Jiro did. In the days/weeks that followed, Jiro's health was deteriorating while Kazuya & Nanase worked on restoring Natsumi's vitality, thinking about & wishing they were doing so to their only son. But more than once they've been scolded by the Yoshikazus for it, demanding that they keep their minds focused on their work or suffer the dire consequences.

By near the end of the month, Natsumi was back to good health & relieved of her cancer. So amazed by their work that they paid the doctors in hard currency - 100,000 in yen - and told them they were allowed to now seek treatment for their son, but issued a warning that if they ever breathed a word about them, they'd send in people to kill them slowly & torturously. Keeping it in the back of their minds, Kazuya & Nanase gave their full attention to Jiro.

Unfortunately, by that time, it was far too late for them to do anything.

Jiro died only an hour before they can get started. The Yoshiharas cried for days, being all but denied to help their child.

When Ami was brought to them a week later by the three boys she helped save, they told Kazuya & Nanase of what she'd done to the Yakuza Kimuras & how she had brought them down almost singlehandedly. Ami had told them of her own tragedy involving her younger brother Yu & what the Kimuras did, & a new spark of hope rose within the Yoshiharas. Almost immediately Kazuya constructed Ami's new machine gun arm, & even gave her more training just as Miki herself had done. Intense as it was, it was still nothing Ami couldn't handle, & in no time she was a one-girl fighting machine, with & without her machine gun arm.

The one-time school girl was astonished by the Yoshihara's knowledge of machinery, medicine and fighting techniques. Kazuya said that was because his family were all war veterans, & that his & Nanase's grandparents all fought in World War II. It was a secondary hobby that helped keep them in shape. Their only regret was that it didn't help them against the Yoshikazus when Jiro was needed of their medicinal skills.

Both of them swore that, in one way or another, they'd make the ruthless Yakuza pay for denying them the chance to help their dying son.

And now, that help has arrived in the form of Ami Hyuga.

Heartbroken by their story, Ami wanted nothing more than to head right on out & do to the Yoshikazus the same way she did to the Kimuras. But one glance at the metal & equipment Ami had stashed in her backpack gave Kazuya reason to have Ami put it off for the time being. When she asked what for, Kazuya explained that with what she'd collected over at Ichinooka Shrine, he & Nanase can make her an actual new arm, one with a hand & fingers she can use to work like her regular arm before losing it to a katana blade when the Kimuras tortured her.

This bit of news was most promising to Ami. Even though she was overly anxious to make the Yoshikazus pay for taking Kazuya & Nanase's son away from them, it'd be worth waiting for if they can actually construct a new arm with working hand & fingers.

She would love that. A lot.

It didn't mean that Ami would just stay at their home & train all day though: she'd been out & about every now & then, keeping an eye out for any troublemakers in the area & making them pay. She'd stopped several activities of bullies tormenting the innocent, including a group of juvenile delinquents who were playing a deadly game of William Tell with a young boy their age by placing an apple on top of his head & having his tormentors throw knives at it. When Ami intervened, she held a photo of her younger brother Yu. The gang leader & his cronies were not impressed by her sob story, nor did they recognize him or give a shit. In that scenario, the group made two mistakes: one, they chose to pick on an innocent boy for the sake of torturing him. The other mistake they made is by turning their attention towards & picking a fight with her. Ami retaliated by cutting off the leader's hand, making it squirt blood everywhere & blowing away the rest of the gang of delinquents with her machine gun arm. After the juveniles were dealt with, Ami told their victim he was safe. But instead of thanking her for saving his life, he actually ran off in fear, being more afraid of her than of his tormentors & calling her a murderer as he did so.

Ami didn't seem to be too offended. Even if the boy didn't approve of her brutal methods, she was still grateful that she was at the right place at the right time, unlike for Yu.

Those thoughts were streaming through her head as Ami was now in the midst of a highly rigorous workout on a large punching bag, the kind one would find at a local gym. She worked out in the basement of the Yoshihara's suburban home, where the punching bag was hung from the ceiling by a set of chains. With her one good arm & powerful legs, Ami punched & kicked the bag numerous times her hardest, holding nothing back as she pictured the bag as all of her past enemies being scrunched up into one, sweat running down her face in torrents.

Giving the bag a serious pounding for the next five to ten minutes, Ami ceased her assault & grabbed a towel to wipe away her perspiration. Her machine gun arm rested next to a wall with various other sporting equipment such as dumbbells, medicine balls & wrist/ankle weights. No one could guess that this seemingly innocent female teenager - attired in her traditional school uniform - had become an engine of vengeance & a murderer, having both taken down & killed a number of Yakuza both young & old.

Then again, who wouldn't become what she now is if their loved ones were taken violently from them by a group of people whose organization began a few centuries ago?

A sound of double footsteps caught her ears, & Ami turns to see the door to the room open up to reveal a man in his mid-thirties wearing a dark gray suit & black shoes, short-style haircut & brown eyes. Accompanying him was a woman who seemed to be about the same age & just a bit shorter, wearing a white business shirt, black slacks & shoes. She had long black hair that was put in a bun in the back, & had the bluest eyes & pinkest lips ever found on a Japanese woman.

Seeing them made Ami smile, & them in return.

"Ah! Kazuya! Nanase!", Ami said happily, placing her towel onto her stool & walking up to them.

"Hello, Ami!", the doctor couple greeted her. Ami shook Kazuya's hand with her hand & gave Nanase a quick but warm hug.

"How did things go today?", Ami asked.

"About as well as can be expected", Kazuya said, giving a quick nod over at the large bag Ami was working on. "I see you've been keeping yourself busy again on that bag. I'll bet it feels good to hit it brutally, doesn't it?"

Ami felt a bit embarrassed by his remark.

"Kazuya", Nanase says, politely scolding him.

"It's okay. It gives me a thorough workout, & it helps me to put more power into my blows & kicks each time, even if I only have one good arm", Ami assures them.

"Well, pretty soon you're going to have two good arms again, Ami!", Kazuya tells her. His news gave her even more strength.

"You mean…?", Ami asks as Kazuya finishes.

"Yes! I'm nearly done with constructing your brand new arm with that metal you found last year!"

This made Ami dance around with glee briefly like she used to do at high school. Nanase & her husband smile.

"That's excellent! How soon do you think it'll be ready for me to wear?", Ami eagerly asks.

"Oh, I would say…in only a few day's time", Kazuya says, teasing her slightly. "You've waited a long time for this, Ami, & it's finally arrived! By the end of this week, you'll have a new arm to place on that stump, & you'll be able to use it like a regular arm!"

"Will it be permanently attached to me or a graft-on appendage?"

"Unlike your current machine gun arm, this will be a permanent attachment! Once we get it on, it's going to feel like a part of you - before the Kimuras had taken your original one! You probably won't even know the difference without looking at it!"

"Thank you so much, Kazuya! And you as well, Nanase! You both know that I'm really grateful for everything you've done for me ever since my arrival here, considering the fact that I am a murderer." Her tone goes softer, & her smile disappears. "I only wish I arrived here sooner so I could've helped young Jiro. Those filthy Yakuza wouldn't have dared to deny your son the medical treatment he desperately needed, were I had been here. If only…"

Nanase places gentle hands on Ami's shoulder & looks her in the eyes with deep caring.

"Ami, please listen to me. We've been through this", she tells her. "If Kazuya & I were in any way uncomfortable with being in the presence of a murderer, let alone aiding & abetting one here at our home, we would've called the police without a moment's hesitation. And there were countless times we could've done so behind your back, but we didn't."

"She's right, Ami", Kazuya fills in. "Nanase & I have as much reason to hate the Yakuza as you do. And even though neither Tatsuro nor Natsumi have shown up here since they forced us to treat her last year, we still dread the feeling that they'll do so on any given day. When next we face them, we wish to be ready & make them pay for what they did to us."

Nanase nodded.

"And it's you who've given us that chance, Ami", she says. "Once my husband grafts your new arm onto your left stump…"

"I'll be able to get young Jiro the justice he deserves", Ami finished, making a fist with her right hand. "There's nothing worse than when parents outlive their kids, especially when taken from them by violence."

"So is kids losing either or both of their parents, especially at a young age like yours were", Kazuya says.

Ami nodded. Her & Yu's mother & father had both committed suicide when they had been falsely accused of murder, leaving then as orphans having to fend for themselves. For the most part, they did okay under the circumstances. But unknown to Ami, Yu & his friend Takeshi were in cahoots with a group of young Yakuza gang members led by Sho Kimura, the son of Ryugi & Violet Kimura, parents who were just as fucked up & insane as their son was. After Yu's death, Ami discovered a small diary he made that featured a list of people he wished to kill. One of the names on there was Ryota, a member of Sho's gang. When Ami confronted Ryota's parents (the father being a cop), she was met with harsh resistance due to the fact that both her parents were killers in their opinions & decided to take their anger out on her. Ami refused to fight them at first, because her parents had always told her & Yu that violence never solved anything, & had made them promise to never go down that path for their sake.

But that, however, was before Yu got killed: in her second visit, Ami killed Ryota & put his head in a bowl of soup before stabbing his mother in the back of her head with a large knife & spilling some of her guts into it. As for his father, Ami squirted him with his son's blood while he bathed, all the while as he was screaming his name.

And the rest is history: losing her left arm & gaining a machine gun replacement, she got her revenge with Miki against the Kimuras, with the latter losing her life in the process. During her stay with the Yoshiharas, Ami relayed all the information to them once she had about her life up to then. Since then, she's trained by herself & with Kazuya & Nanase, & even got in some kills of Yakuza delinquents.

What Ami never told them about was her encounter with the large crab-faced alien which nearly killed her at Ichinooka Shrine. She didn't think they needed to know, & probably wouldn't have believed her if she had told them. Facing up against & conquering Yakuza was one thing. Squaring off against something from beyond the stars…now that is a bitter pill to swallow!

So she kept quiet about it, along with the metal & equipment she picked up from her alien nemesis - at least, its origin.

"True", Ami said. "But please don't worry. I got even with those who killed my younger brother Yu & our friends. I can guarantee that I'll help you do the same for Jiro. We've waited a whole year for this moment. A few more days surely won't hurt?"

Kazuya & Nanase smile.

"Not at all", said the latter. "Now go shower yourself - I'll be making tonight's dinner of shrimp tempura with fried salmon, & you've worked up quite an appetite like always."

"Yes, ma'am!", Ami says playfully with a grin & heads upstairs. The Yoshiharas watch her go, smiling as Nanase turns to her husband.

"Soon, Kazuya, very soon", she says.

"Yes", he replied. "Soon, our Jiro will be able to really rest in peace."

An over-eagerness threatens to consume them, but Kazuya & Nanase do manage to keep it under control. A year has passed since losing their only child to a cold-blooded Yakuza husband & wife, & their urge to get even grew stronger with each passing day. It seemed forever to them, & with Ami's new arm on the verge of completion, Jiro's revenge is practically right around the corner.

It seemed like an eternity.

Keeping their composure, the Yoshiharas head upstairs to prepare for dinner.

In a forest on the outskirts of Tokyo, 12:00 a.m.:

Ogata was in a heap of trouble on this warm night.

He was given the simple task of handing over a bundle of money to the Yoshikazus in a laundering delivery from stateside allies. It was a box containing a huge sum of 10,000,000 yen in unmarked bills, making it next to impossible for authorities to trace it back to the source. The delivery was the easy part & went without a hitch.

It was after the money was counted that became the problem, a situation Ogata was now in deep shit for: when they finished adding the sum, they discover that about 200,000 yen was taken out, & all fingers went to Ogata.

Now, in a secluded section of forest beyond the city limits, Ogata - a middle-aged man in a white shirt, black pants & shoes - was getting the shit beaten out of him by a group of full-grown Yakuza henchmen led by a woman in a red kimono robe, short brown hair & a sword by her side. All the men - eight in all - wore black suits & shoes. Each was taking turns on giving Ogata the beating he had coming to him, his face showing bad bruises on his cheeks, lips & has an eye that was nearly swollen shut. One of the men punches him on the mouth, & a stream of blood began flowing down as he hit the ground with a grunt.

The lone woman - Anna - puts a hand up to keep the men back as she alone approaches Ogata & stares down at him in mock pity.

"Tsk, tsk. Poor Ogata", she says in that manner. "You've been one of our best delivery boys for so many years, always making your runs on time & never asking questions about what you deliver or where it's going. As far back as we can remember, you've been one of the very few we trust with our lives. But now, you've gone & broken that trust by taking 200,000 from it! Why?!"

Ogata pants in panic briefly before answering.

"Please forgive me! I had a very good reason for what I did!"

Anna looks at her men before turning back to Ogata.

"Oh really? Enlighten us!"

"It's my wife!", he explains. "She was in desperate need of an operation for surgery to fix a knot in her intestinal track, & it cost close to the amount I took! That's why I needed that money: we didn't have nearly enough before, & she would've died had I not supplied the doctors with it! I would never have done such a thing if it wasn't a matter of life & death! Surely the boss & even you can understand my predicament, considering his wife was in a bit of health trouble only last year! Yes? Just let me speak with Mr. Yoshikazu about this! Please?"

Anna seemed to be in thought for a moment.

"Tell me something…is your wife expected to recover soon?", she asked.

"The doctors told me that the operation was a complete success!", Ogata said with a weak smile. "She just needs a few weeks to heal! Surely the ends justify the means?"

Now it was Anna who smiles, but it was as evil as evil smiles get.

"You know what? Perhaps it does!" Ogata smiled brightly, but disappears when she goes on. "Tell you what, Ogata: once your wife is fully recovered, we'll put her to work in the boss' whorehouse so she can pay off what you owe him! If she's really good at fucking & sucking, the debt will be paid even sooner, & you'll be out of it! Who knows? Maybe some of my boys here will put in a couple yen in exchange for some fun with her! Yes?"

Anna's remark got a loud & hearty laugh from her & the boys.

"I'll take a piece of that action!", said one of the men. "I hear that she's got a nice pussy & a mighty fine rack too!"

That made the men & woman laugh even louder & harder. Aside from his predicament, Ogata was getting angrier by the second. The thought of having his wife becoming someone who fucks for bucks was more than he could handle, & even if it kills him, he's going to show his one-time employers how he feels about the notion. Gritting his teeth in contempt, Ogata rises up from the ground & rushes right into Anna, tacking her roughly & sending them both crashing down on the ground. Immediately two of the men rush to her & begin prying off Ogata with all their might. Even his souped-up strength in his anger was no match for their power, & the men show their disapproval by punching & kicking him hard until he almost blacks out. As they toss him to the ground, Anna rises from it & brushes off her kimono. She turns to Ogata with a look that can burn a hole where she stared at.

"That…was not smart, Ogata!", Anna spat. "I had thought about offering you leniency for what you've done, but that foolish act only offered you an instant death sentence! We'll still put your wife to work in the boss' whorehouse, & you can rot in your goddamn grave! Hanzo?"

Hanzo, the tallest of the men with a shaved head, smiles wickedly & draws a switchblade from his right pocket. The blade gleamed in the moonlight from above, & Hanzo chuckles as he brings it closer to his victim, who was now petrified with fear as all his bravado vanished.

"Goodbye, Ogata! Killing you's gonna be a real blast!", he teased as the other men & even Anna chuckled with him.

Ogata's eyes went wide, but it was from more than just his upcoming death. He saw a trio of red dots placed upon the top of Hanzo's bald head. Before he can even start to acknowledge what happened, a blast of blue energy erupted from somewhere in the forest & raced towards Hanzo's head, which exploded in a shower of flesh, bone & red. Anna & the men - even Ogata - were stunned by the sudden turn of events. The one moment Hanzo was about to deliver Ogata to his maker.

The next moment his head was…gone. Just like that.

Hanzo's headless body fell to the ground when a Y-shaped dart that was pointed on all ends soars through the air & strikes another man right in the eyes. He cries out as blood spurts out in gushes & he, too, falls to the ground as dead as Hanzo is. The guy was still gushing as Anna grabs Ogata with both hands & hauls him up to eye level.

"You filthy son of a bitch! Who did you send up here?! Who?!", she spat, gritting her teeth.

"I-I don't know! H-Honest!", Ogata said fearfully. It was all that he could do to keep from wetting himself. Furious, Anna threw him to the ground.

"You stay right where you are, Ogata! We'll finish our business in just a moment! Right now…", she says, turning to the rest of her men. "Whoever's hiding within those trees, blow his fucking BALLS off!"

"Yes, ma'am!", they all said, pulling out firearms & began shooting into the trees where the shots that killed two of their own originated from. Anna stepped to the side as round after deadly round from handguns, semi-automatics & even a shotgun were being sent into the unseen assassin. Ogata kept his head down throughout the entire bullet barrage, holding his hands over his ears to muffle the sound of gunfire, for all the good it did. He vows that if he does get out of this horrible ordeal alive, however slim that chance may be, he was going to make a fresh new start for him & his wife - one that has absolutely no Yakuza in it.

The shooting occurred for a full 15-20 seconds before it stopped. Ogata looked to see a section of forest obliterated, the ground littered with branches, bark & leaves where bullets hit.

Oddly enough, there were no bodies as far as anyone can tell.

Anna turns to a man.

"You…go see who was foolish enough to intrude on us!", she ordered.

"Yes, ma'am!", he said, heading off into the brush where their bullets struck. The man gets a couple steps when he's suddenly impaled through the chest & out his back by something that lifts him up into the air, crying out as he's struck & tossed several feet away & his body lands with a sick thud. Anna & everyone else gets a glimpse of…something.

A shimmer of a humanoid form that stood two meters tall was staring at the humans in the forest, a soft but menacing cackling like a large insect emerging from it. A pair of yellow 'eyes' shined briefly from where its face should be, sending a chill down the spines of Anna's men.

"What the hell is that?", one of the men said, clearly frightened.

"Whatever it is…kill it!", Anna ordered. The men all raise their guns again, but before a single shot can be fired, the large shimmer sprang forward at the nearest man & jams what looks like a long invisible blade through his chest, going all the way through & spurting blood out his back. The man had only a second to make even the slightest noise before he collapses to the ground once the blade was extracted. Next, it holds what seems to be an object the size & shape of a Frisbee which it throws like one. The thing goes straight for another man's neck & severs it horizontally right in the middle, his head falling off with his facial features in total surprise. Blood squirts like a geyser from the wound in the neck as his headless body falls down. The disc returns like a boomerang & cuts its next victim, only this one gets cut vertically as the disc enters his back & comes out of his chest, his rib cage burst outwards as blood sprays across the grass & dirt. The disc returns to its owner in its hand.

Now it was down to just Anna & two of her men, both of whom panic & start to cry out in horror before turning tail & run for the forest, hoping that the cover of the trees will be enough to elude whatever it is that's killing their fellow Yakuza.

"Come back & fight, you fucking cowards! Are you Yakuza, or what?!", Anna shouted.

Neither man made it to the forest: the first runner gets snagged by what appears to be a whip which wraps itself around his waist. The man feels it digging into his flesh like little teeth just before the thing yanks on it, cutting him in half as his top part collapses onto the ground. He has a brief moment or two of seeing his legs still standing & squirting blood before they, too, fall down & his vision goes dark. His comrade gets impaled in the back by a long pointed object that sends him slammed face first into the nearest tree before the weapon becomes visible: a double-pointed spear of some kind. The last man hung on the tree like a snagged bug, his feet dangling a foot from the ground & his blood running down the bark.

All of this happened in less than six seconds.

Now Anna was left all alone, & the shimmer turns towards her, flashing its yellow eyes in a menacing manner & sending a chill up her spine, her thoughts of Ogata & his punishment all but forgotten. Trembling in trepidation, Anna cries out in terror before she turns tail & runs off into the night as fast as her wobbly legs can carry her, not daring to look over her shoulder. She runs a good twenty yards into the forest before a shot of blue energy gets fired from behind which briefly lights up the area & strikes a few feet in front of Anna, causing her to halt her progress at a dead stop. Unsheathing her sword from her hilt, she stands in a defensive position & raises her weapon, ready to strike at the first sight of movement. She's Yakuza, & she'll be damned if she'll let a certain…something make a fool of her like it did to her men.

Keeping her fear in check, Anna listens for the first sign of danger from her invisible foe, her heart palpitating madly.

More of that hideous cackling erupted around her, keeping her fully alert. She turns to try & pinpoint the source of the sound, but finds the shimmer running in a circle around her at a fast velocity. The thing was moving so quickly, Anna had trouble of keeping it in her sight, even with her accurate skills.

Then she couldn't see it at all, & her heart was pounding harder than before, making her chest hurt.

Another flash of blue energy erupts in the darkness, but now instead of hitting at a distance from Anna, it strikes her dead-on, hitting both of her hands & blowing them as they & her sword get blasted into bloodied pieces that send them flying everywhere. Anna cries out in anguish as her wrists get cauterized by the searing heat, her stumps smoking from where her hands used to be & she hits the ground on her ass.

The cackling causes her to turn towards it, & that's when she sees the shimmer in the air which killed all her men. But now, it doesn't fire any more of its futuristic weapon, let alone toss anything at her or shine its yellow eyes. Instead, the shimmer starts disappearing to reveal a large figure in its place. Her eyes go wide when she now bears witness to a humanoid thing that wore body armor which covered its femurs, forearms, shoulders & part of its chest. It had four toes on each foot & a fifth at the rear, all ending in black claws as did all its five fingers on each hand. A large metal mask covered its face, & its hair - if that's what it was - were long, black snakelike threads & had gold metal braids embedded in them. On its left shoulder was a cannon of some kind, with its opening still smoking from the shots it fired before.

Retracting its shoulder cannon, the thing walked up towards Anna, who begins crawling away from it on her back, using her feet & elbows & looking somewhat like an awkward crab, no longer able to hide her fear.

"No! Stay the hell away from me!", she pleads, her voice & face in sheer horror. The thing catches up to her easily, & grans Anna by her kimono's lapels, bringing her to eye level.

"Please…please don't kill me! I beg of you!", she pleaded, her body convulsing like she's going into cardiac arrest & her breathing in panicked gasps.

"…are you Yakuza, or what…?", it said in a dead-on imitation of Anna's voice. It went on 'speaking' in her voice. "…I had thought about offering you leniency for what you've done, but that foolish act only offered you an instant death sentence…!"

Now it does so in Hanzo's voice.

"…killing you's gonna be a real blast…!"

Anna tried to scream, but her own vocal cords wouldn't work. They only did work when the thing rammed its right hand into her chest, & even then did her scream last a split-second before getting cut off by a sick wet crunch of flesh & bone as the creature ripped out her skull & spinal column in a splash of blood. Removing its prize, it dropped Anna's headless body onto the ground as it let out an animalistic victory growl that echoed for yards as it held it up into the moonlit sky like it was offering it as a gift to the gods. Satisfied with its haul, the creature places its newfound prize onto its belt & heads off into the woods, reactivating its cloak as it did.

Not bad for a warm-up.

Soon, it will come to collect its true trophy.

In the midst of it all, Ogata kept on running for his life, scared out of his mind.

CHAPTER III

Ami was in a dark room, with barely enough light to see in front of her.

Usually, it wouldn't bother her, for she was never afraid of the dark, even when she was a little girl. There was always a fierce & strong sense within her ever since she could walk, & had never been afraid to take a stand against things she knew to be wrong.

But this bit of darkness did bother her, & she couldn't even begin to figure out why that was.

It still didn't stop her from exiting the room, which she now saw was a schoolroom. As she headed for the door, she slid it open & went out into the hallway that was almost as dark as the room. Pressing on, Ami called out to see if anyone else was there instead of just her. She kept on calling out for several moments, & in all that time, she received no answer.

Ami Hyuga was all alone. Or was she?

Only a couple more steps down the hallway did Ami finally hear a pair of voices at a not-too-far distance from where she stood. She called out again in hopes to hear them some more & try to pinpoint their exact location. Almost immediately was the response, & Ami headed off to where they were originating from. As she got closer to the sound of their voices, Ami had the distinct feeling that they sounded awfully familiar to her.

In fact, they were very familiar!

No way! It can't be! Could it…?, she thought to herself as she turned the corner into a new large room that was total pitch black except for two bright areas that shone alongside each other. In the light were four faces Ami knew, & her eyes widen.

Yes, it is! Yu! Takeshi! Suguru! Miki!, she thought happily & ran up to them with a big smile on her face.

But when the rest of the lights were turned on & Ami saw who it was that accompanied the room with her, she stopped in her tracks, her smile vanished & her blood ran cold.

On both the left & right of where her four friends are were the cold-blooded & sinister Yakuza crime family the Kinuras - Ryugi, Violet & Sho - and their Junior High Shuriken & Super Mourner Gangs, which included Ryota & both his parents. And that wasn't even the worst of it: her younger brother Yu & three friends - Takeshi & the Sugiharas - were only a head & a spinal column, with Yu & Takeshi in one hand & the Sugiharas in the other. Fresh blood ran from their heads down their spinal columns & dripped onto the floor where they were held. The most disturbing sight of all was that the one holding their heads was the crab-faced alien that Ami fought at Ickinooka Shrine after disposing of the Kimuras, standing in between her one-time foes. Its scowled eyes shown with as much malice & hate as any of them.

"This can't be! This is fucking impossible! You…you're all dead! Miki & I put all you filthy Kimuras into the ground ourselves!", Ami started to say, refusing to accept that what she was now seeing is real. "We killed you, dammit!"

"Did you now, Ami Hyuga?", Ryugi Kimura said. "Haven't you realized it by now? We are the Kimuras…we can never be killed, especially not by the likes of you!"

"He's right, Ami!", said Sho. "We are like the Hydra serpent - cut off one head, & two more take its place! Speaking of heads…"

Sho turns to his mother Violet, who smiles wickedly.

"We have a special head who wants to say hello, Ami! She's just…dying to greet you!", Violet says, pulling a fifth head out from behind her. It was a young girl about Ami's age with long black hair, with a large knife stuck at the top of her head. Like the heads the Predator held, her spinal column dripped blood, & it was also familiar to Ami.

"Yoshie…!", she cried out as Violet laughed maniacally, as did the rest of the Kimuras & their associates.

Yoshie's head spoke.

"Ami…help me, Ami! Please help me!", she said, blood flowing from her mouth as she spoke. Ami had to take a few moments before she could say anything.

"I…I want to, Yoshie! But they killed you before I could! Please forgive me!", Ami cried.

"Why should she forgive you, Ami?", Yu's head now spoke. "If you couldn't even save me from getting killed, then what chance did you have in doing so for her?"

Yu's sudden sharp & angry tone had taken Ami aback.

"And what about me, Ami?", Takeshi's head talks. "What did I ever do to deserve to die alongside your brother? I can't believe my parents would ever join forces with someone like you, of all people!"

"Isn't that the truth, Takeshi!", Suguru's head says. "We assist you in getting our only son his deserved revenge, & look at what became of us! It's all because of you, you dirty little cunt!"

"Exactly!", Miki's head says. "What the hell were my husband & I thinking, joining with a girl whose own parents took their lives?! We were doing perfectly fine until you came into ours! I wonder: can she give back what she takes from decent folks like us? EH?!"

Ami wanted to say something, but couldn't think of what. Seeing her friends like this put her in a state of shock that froze her vocal cords. All she wanted to do was cry, but she can't even do that.

"Aw, what's the matter, Ami? Cat got your tongue?", Ryota mockingly asks, getting nasty chuckles & wicked grins from friend & foe alike. "You're a sick animal, Ami Hyuga! And like all sick animals, they need to be put down!"

From behind the Predator, several more of its kind suddenly start to appear as they turn off their cloaks. Soon, about two dozen of the alien hunters emerge, some with their face masks on & others showing their hideous crablike faces, each one wearing different styles of body armor. But be it masked or not, they all had their sights on Ami, who gets even more of a chill down her spine; no way can she even begin to fight this many foes at once, & definitely not by herself. Not since seeing the lifeless body of Yu has Ami felt so helpless, a feeling made more intense when she was suddenly struck by a multitude of red dots in a triangular pattern appearing all over her body from head to toe, one after the other.

Each of the Predator's shoulder cannons were aimed at her, including the one who held the quartet of heads in its hands.

When it spoke, it was in Ami's voice.

"…I hope you rot in Hell…!"

As one, all the Predator's cannons lit up, its shine brighter than the sun as Ami's vision turns blue first, then white.

That's when she's finally able to speak.

It came out in a scream.

9:00 a.m.:

The sun was shining through her bedroom window & overhead in a partly cloudy sky when Ami woke up with a gasp, her head soaking with sweat & her breath coming in pants. Dressed in a pair of baby pink pajamas Nanase had lent her, she looked at the clock radio to check the time of day once she settled down, along with finding a note laying right next to it.

With her right hand, she picked it up & began to read it aloud.

'Ami - Kazuya & I had to leave an hour early due to an emergency at the office. We made some breakfast for you before we left, & is being kept warm downstairs to eat at your earliest convenience. We'll see you later tonight. Nanase.'

Reading the part about breakfast made her tummy rumble slightly, giving Ami all of the motivation she needs to feed herself. Getting out of bed, she heads over to her closet & opens the sliding door, revealing a multitude of the traditional school outfits she keeps. She wonders from time to time as to why she keeps her wardrobe all the same: she sure as hell doesn't go to school anymore since her brother's death & becoming an engine of vengeance & a murderer. Maybe it's because she thinks she's going back to school, or perhaps she wants to & pretends that she is to help ease the pain of what happened.

Whatever her reasons, she grabs the nearest one & begins to slip into it before heading on downstairs.

Sure enough, her breakfast was kept warm by having it in plastic wrap that covered the entire plate, keeping the food fresh. Her breakfast consisted of pieces of cooked fish, a small bowl of soup, three hard-boiled eggs & a rice ball. A glass of orange juice that was poured & left in the fridge sat next to it, & Ami began eating by taking her fish using her chopsticks. As she ate, her thoughts reflected back in part to the horrible dream she had which rudely & abruptly got her up from her slumber. She had about a dozen or so regrets: she wished she'd find out who it was that framed her parents for murder before they committed suicide, leaving her & Yu alone. She'd wished she'd seen Yu's diary of people he wanted to kill before being so by Sho Kimura & his band of young Yakuza. She'd wished she acted on everything sooner, so that she & Yu could be a normal, happy family like most in Japan.

Instead, she loses everything that counts for 'normal' in her life: her parents, her younger brother, her left arm, her best friend Yoshie, & almost her sanity from it all. Instead of having to worry about acne & high school crushes like most girls her age, Ami gets plunged into a world of bloody violence & righteous revenge on those who think that they're God Almighty himself, & that society's laws don't apply to them. To top it all off, she goes toe-to-toe with a monster from another planet, barely surviving the assault.

If that's not something to push one's sanity close to the edge, then Ami couldn't tell what would.

It was no use dwelling on the past or imagining what might have been, & Ami knew it: her family & best friends are gone, & she'll never get to know what being married & having kids feels like, considering she's no doubt as much a fugitive from the law as those she goes after & deals with.

No, it was time to move on her own way; the best consolation about it all was that the no-good, cold-hearted Kimuras have all paid their debts by her & Miki's hands, & that Ami herself got to deliver the final blow, sending them to Hell for the devil himself to deal with.

And soon, it will be Tatsuro & Natsumi Yoshikazu's turn for causing Kazuya & Nanase to lose their only son at too young an age - even younger that Yu himself was when he died.

Ami continued eating her breakfast in complete silence.

Lake Oku-tama, 12:00 p.m.:

The Yoshikazu house rested right across the lake of the Kouchi peninsula/isthmus on the west side of the area. It was a perfect place for seclusion: seldom anyone ventures into the area for any reason, & those who are aware of the place & its location tend to stay away from it at all costs, not wanting to risk the occupant's wrath if it can be helped. The house was huge, massive with dozens of rooms for all who reside in it, from chefs & maids to the owners themselves. The diameter of the structure measured the length & width of a football field, & contained numerous yards for various activities from outdoor fencing to skeet shooting. It had no fence surrounding it, but multiple sentries armed with small automatic weapons, samurai swords & pocket knives were on guard at every square inch of the premises, ever alert & vigilant for any signs of a disturbance. No one even goes near the house unless it has the owner's approval, & those who don't get it were either ordered to turn & walk away immediately or, for the more persistent & arrogant ones, shot & killed just before being disposed of in the water, never to be seen again. A hidden dock with boats was placed at the edge of the land, only thirty yards from the house for anyone wanting or needing to head over to Kouchi or anywhere in the immediate area.

The place may look like something of a tourist's attraction, but in actuality was a fortress which was mostly hidden from view unless attacked by outside forces, being guarded from both inside and out.

On this warm day in the early summer, it was quite peaceful & serene.

In the inside, it was in an exact similar state: at the dinner table sat the owners themselves, Tatsuro & Natsumi Yoshikazu, who were both in their mid-30s as the former wore a gray business suit & black shoes while the latter was attired in a flower kimono robe. Tatsuro had a head of short brown hair with eyes to match & a very thin goatee surrounding his mouth. Natsumi had a head of long red hair that was done in a ponytail in the back & lips to match. They sat next to each other with a bowl of seafood soup that has just been left by their chef, an average man in his outfit with a tray in his hands that he used to serve his masters their lunch. Bowing in respect, the chef wished for them to enjoy their meals.

Neither Yoshikazu paid him any mind, nor did the lone strongman in black suit & shades who stood guard near the entrance in silence. The chef turned to leave in silence.

Only when Natsumi yelped suddenly did he stop to see what had caused her to do so.

Putting her spoon down, Natsumi used her tongue to move something to her lips & her fingers to take it out. Everyone now can see as to why she had made such a surprising noise as she holds it in the palm of her hand.

She'd bitten on a little piece of crab shell.

The chef gasps in shock & heads up to her.

"My apologies, Miss Yoshikazu", he says, removing the piece of shell with chopsticks with a sheepish smile. "It must've fallen into the soup under my notice. Again, I'm very sorry about that."

He bows again & starts to head out.

"Wait", Tatsuro says, causing the chef to stop. He gestured the chef to come over with his right hand. The chef places his tray down & calmly (yet nervously) approaches his boss, stopping within a foot from him.

"There was a piece of crab shell in my wife's soup?", Tatsuro calmly asks.

"I-It seems so", answered the chef, fighting to keep his composure. "Like I said, it must've fell in without me knowing it. My humble apologies if it may have caused your wife any harm."

"I see", Tatsuro said after a moment or two of silence. "Well then, can you do something for me?"

"Y-Yes, of course."

"Would you be so kind as to check my soup real quick to make sure I have no loose crab shells in it?", Tatsuro said with a slight smile.

"Y-Yes sir! Just give me a moment or two & I'll see to it that…", the chef replied with a grin of his own as he starts to do as instructed. Once his attention was turned towards his soup bowl, Tatsuro's smile vanished & he gritted his teeth in malice. He then grabbed the back of the chef's head & slams it with all his strength into the bowl, smashing both it and the chef's nose as ceramic, soup & blood splash all across the table. Even Natsumi & the lone guard was slightly stunned by this show of temper as the chef falls to the floor, crying out in anguish as he places a hand over his now-broken nose to try & staunch its bleeding.

"What the fuck kind of a chef are you, allowing a mishap like this to occur?!", Tatsuro bellows in rage. "We pay you to prepare our food right, so that stupid shit like this doesn't!"

"That's right!", Natsumi spat. "Don't you realize that I could've choked on that piece of shell & died just now?!" She leaned in closer to the bleeding chef & spoke a little softer but no less malevolent. "Or maybe that was your intention, to secretly slip something into my food, in hopes that I would croak? Was that your master plan all along? Eh?!"

"N-No, ma'am!", the chef said, sobbing & shaking his head. "I-It was purely an accident, I swear it! Please accept my sincerest apologies! I promise you, it'll never happen again! I beg you, please believe me!"

Tatsuro & Natsumi stare at each other for a moment before the latter speaks again.

Amazingly, she smiles cheerfully.

"Actually…we do believe you", she says.

The chef looked up at her in surprise.

"You…you do?", he said, hopeful.

"Yes we do, because you speak truly. It never will happen again."

Natsumi nods to the lone guard, who does the same & heads over, stopping in front of the chef.

"Take this asshole over to the kitchen & teach him some manners!", she instructs him. "Make it as a lesson to the others!"

"Yes, ma'am!", the guard said, grabbing the chef by the arm & dragging him away. The chef cried & begged for his life the whole trip, even after he was hauled out of the room. Once the whining was all but distant, Tatsuro pressed a button on the intercom/phone that lay on the table, getting an immediate response.

"Yes?", said a female on the line.

"Kindly have someone in here to clean up a small spill in the dining room, if you please", replied Tatsuro calmly.

"Yes sir. I'll send someone at once."

"Thank you."

Communication ceased as suddenly as it began.

The Yoshikazus waited patiently.

The kitchen:

The guard placed the chef with the broken nose in front of a refrigerator & ordered all the others in the room to watch closely as he took several large kitchen knives & began throwing them one at a time at the bloody-nosed chef, each one hitting their mark & going just a bit more than halfway in. Each strike cause the chef to cry out in pain, & the front of his chest was a bloody heap as the other chefs stared in terror at the horror show before them, whimpering in fear of it. So far eleven knives were thrown & jammed themselves in the chef, & the guard was now about to throw a twelfth & final one. The knife struck its victim in the Adam's Apple, & blood gushed out from the puncture as the chef fell to the kitchen floor upon his stomach, driving all twelve knives in even deeper.

The guard turns towards the other chefs, all terribly frightened.

"There! Do you understand now?!", he barks at them. "This is what happens to you when you don't properly prepare food for the master & his mistress! Let this be a lesson to all of you! Now…get back to work!"

Immediately the other chefs begin their chores in frightened whimpers, doing their best to pay no attention to the body lying on the floor in his own blood. The guard turns to two more of his group.

"Take the body out to the water & toss it in, then have a maid come clean up the blood", he instructs them. "I don't want to hear these pussies whimpering from it all day!"

"Yes sir!", they say before beginning their task as their leader heads out.

The dining room, a few minutes later:

In under a minute, a maid entered & started cleaning the spilled soup & spattered blood on the floor where the Yoshikazus were having their lunch. She worked hard & decisively, wanting to get the mess off the floor (& be out of their presence) as quickly as possible. Her work was finished in under three minutes.

The Yoshikazus had to admit that they were impressed.

Even more impressive is that Tatsuro & Natsumi actually bowed in appreciation of her hard work. Dismissing her, the maid returned the gesture & exited the room. Once she was gone, a new figure entered the room: he was a man about the same age as Tatsuro & wore a dark gray pair of slacks, black shoes & white long-sleeve dress shirt. His hair was jet black, & was combed in the back of his head. He had only a stubble of hair underneath his chin.

Seeing this man made Tatsuro smile, & the gesture was returned.

"Ah, Daigo!", Tatsuro says, approaching his comrade & shaking hands with him. "Good to see you again, old friend!"

"Same here, Tatsuro", Daigo said.

"So…how'd last night's operation on disposing of that traitor Ogata go? Any news?"

Daigo takes in a breath & lets it out in a sigh. Immediately the Yoshikazus sensed that something was amiss.

"What's the matter? Didn't the operation go as planned?", Tatsuro wondered.

"Well…we're not really sure, & that's what I came here to tell you about", Daigo said.

"What do you mean you're 'not really sure', Daigo?", Natsumi asked, a bit suspicious. "It was a simple task, was it not?"

"Indeed it was, but the thing is…we never got word from Anna, Hanzo or any of them to give us an update on it."

"Didn't you keep in touch with each other for that?", Tatsuro asked.

"That's the whole problem, Tatsuro", Daigo explained. "We've tried contacting Anna & her group all morning long, but they've never answered back. Not once. In fact, the last time we did hear from them was last night just before they headed out into the woods to deal with Ogata. You know that it's not like Anna or even Hanzo to not report back."

Tatsuro stares at his friend in disbelief for several moments. Daigo was right: it wasn't like Anna or Hanzo to not check in once a job was completed. Neither of them had reported back last night after disposing of Ogata, but that was probably because it was late & they were no doubt tired as hell from their ordeal. After all, they did go a rather long way to get rid of a traitor in his organization, & that's liable to tire anyone out.

That's when it hit him, & Tatsuro laughed out loud, temporarily confusing both his wife & Daigo.

"Tatsuro, what's so funny?", Daigo asked.

"Only this", he answers. "Anna & company probably spent the night over at our business partner Shinzo Norikawa once their work was done in Tokyo - not far from where her task took them."

Now Daigo & Natsumi get it, & they themselves laugh as well.

"Oh, now I see!", Daigo chuckles.

"Same here!", Natsumi adds with a grin. "Anna & Shinzo have more than just a business relation with each other, & she & him are probably too occupied with making happy time that they've forgotten to check in with us!"

The result from her answer was more chuckling.

"Well, much as I'd hate to interrupt their happy hour, I'm afraid that business must come before pleasure", Tatsuro says once he regains his composure & heads over to the speakerphone, pressing a few buttons. "I'll give our comrade & business partner a call to see if Anna's there. Please go pour yourself some wine, Daigo."

"Ah, thank you, Tatsuro", Daigo says, heading over to the cupboard over at the left wall.

On the speakerphone, a ring tone is audible for all three in the room to hear. After four-&-a-half rings without an answer, it goes directly to voice messaging.

Tatsuro begins recording his message.

"Hello, Shinzo? This is Tatsuro. Please pick up if you're there."

Shinjuku, Tokyo:

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building held the title as the tallest skyscraper in all of Japan's capital city from 1991 to late 2006 until the Midtown Tower in the Akasaka, Minata portion of the city. It was here that Yakuza kingpin Shinzo Norikawa made his base of operations at, his office in between the 33rd floor & observation deck in the left extension tower. For over a decade, the notorious crime figure has kept his true intentions confidential & concealed from all he did business with in Tokyo's City Hall, with only certain personnel knowing his secret. It was a perfect cover for his illegal operations, & for more than ten years, it has made him untouchable by any & all law authorities.

Until now.

What was a place of business, with its large table & multiple chairs surrounding it, became a showroom of horror as various bodies now litter the room: several men lay sprawled on the floor with one getting cut literally in half by a round sharp disc, another with his chest blown apart & a third with a strange Y-shaped dart stuck in his throat, the wound still spurting blood; a man in a chair gets the top part of his head shot off above his nose, the wound still smoking where his brain & cranium should be. The man next to him gets a cauterized hole in his chest as he holds his Uzi in his hand, never getting a shot off; another two men get their heads sliced off by an extremely sharp object which rest by their feet, the looks on them one of surprise & shock; a pair of men get impaled to the wall by a sharp weapon - one gets stuck by a long spear through his chest, while the other gets nailed by a round object similar to the disk but with six sharp, curved points. Both men dangle from the wall like horrific ornaments, their blood still running down & painting their spots; three more men stepped in to intervene, but two were taken down each by a long sharp weapon that pierced their hearts, giving them instantaneous deaths as they lay atop the table, facedown.

The third man - a muscular individual - put up more of a fight against a large shimmer in the air which smashed into the window at 40 stories from ground level, assaulting everyone in the room. The man gave the shimmer a decent fight, landing blows where its face should be. But despite his valiant efforts, he falls prey to the shimmering intruder by getting his arm torn off by an arm even more stronger than his own, crying out in pain & terror.

During their scuffle, Shinzo's speakerphone rings.

"Hello, Shinzo? This is Tatsuro. Please pick up if you're there", the line said after getting the answering machine. The shimmer now reveals itself as a humanoid figure two meters tall in body armor, rasta-style hair with gold braids embedded in them & metal mask concealing its face with a pair of eyes that light up briefly. With a hard, violent yank, both the man's head & spinal column was torn from his body in a wet, sickening crunch in a move that gave the man no time to even yelp, his headless body slumping to the table in a bloody heap.

Now there was only one left for the Predator known as Snake to attend.

Tatsuro's voice kept coming over the speakerphone.

"Shinzo? It's Tatsuro. Are you there? Pick up."

Shinzo was clearly in no condition to answer his call: when Snake entered through the window & shattered glass in every direction, the first thing he did was shoot at Shinzo as he tried to run for his life, aiming at & shooting off his left leg at the knee, the heat cauterizing the wound & dropping the Yakuza boss to his hands & good knee. He tried to call out for help as he crawled away from the horror that was now occurring in his office, but couldn't. Even if he could try, it would do no good: both his office & sleeping quarters were soundproofed to his specifications to keep out any business or pleasure transactions to keep most of his co-workers & law authorities in the dark about what really goes on with him on a daily basis.

He deeply regretted that now, because the figure now coming after him is no authority of law, giving Shinzo a stark reminder that even the untouchable are touchable.

Even when he was a little kid, Shinzo Norikawa was never afraid of anything or anyone, from the school bully to the police or even his own parents. It was he who made them afraid, & he knew how to strike fear into their very soul. Growing up, he hardly had the experience at being afraid.

But now, he gets that feeling in abundance as he crawls like a human turtle away from his alien attacker, whimpering with trepidation on his face & in his own soul. A cackling behind him urged Shinzo to crawl faster, but he doesn't get far: from his left forearm cuff, Snake extends a singular jagged blade that measured his arm's length & lams it into Shinzo's back at & out his left shoulder, pinning him on the spot. The Yakuza boss yelped in pain briefly before Snake took his right hand & grabbed Shinzo by the top of his spiky hair & began pulling at it, separating his head & spinal column in a wet crunch as he did to the man who got in a few licks. Shinzo's now-headless body lay on the floor as his blood creates a puddle underneath. Holding up the head in his hands & retracting his wrist blade, Snake examines it before letting out a slight, low roar of triumph & places his prize on his belt with his other catch.

All that time that was going on, Shinzo's speakerphone kept on transmitting Tatsuro's voice.

"Shinzo, if you're there, answer me! I need to know if Anna's there! She was supposed to report in to me over four hours ago! Shinzo?"

Snake walked up to the speakerphone & looks at it like he was discovering it for the first time. The voice on the line kept speaking.

"Shinzo! This isn't a social call! I need for you to pick up! Shinzo! What the hell is so important right now that you can't pick up…!"

Tatsuro's call gets abruptly cut off as Snake smashed the device with his left fist & a grunt, sending circuitry & wires everywhere.

"…Tatsuro…", Snake repeated in his voice.

Lake Oku-tama, the Yoshikazu house:

Even while he talked, Tatsuro knew he was suddenly cut off as the line on his end went dead, & his phone now picked up nothing but static, stunning him, Natsumi & Daigo, the latter of whom has just finished a glass of his friend's wine & placing it on the cupboard.

"What happened?", Daigo asked, walking towards his friend.

"I'm not sure", was Tatsuro's reply. "We got cut off somehow."

"'Cut off'? That's not like Shinzo to do that to you, not at all", Natsumi said. "He's a man who always makes time for us, regardless of what business he's currently involved in."

It puzzled them for a few moments until Daigo came up with a solution, one that didn't sound too pleasant.

"You don't think that Shinzo's…been assaulted, do you?", he says.

Tatsuro & Natsumi stare at him like he was an alien from outer space.

"Assaulted? Shinzo? That's absurd, Daigo!", Natsumi said. "Shinzo's an expert at hand-to-hand combat, & can master the sword like an extension of his own arm! There's no way he could be taken unawares, let alone brought down!"

"That's what he believed as well, Natsumi", Daigo said. "Don't forget: he was marked for death by several other Yakuza groups out there, & more than once. Not only that, but his rivals came awfully close to actually nailing him several times. Had it not been for the brave sacrifices of his men, they would've succeeded. That's why he resides inside the Metropolitan Government Building in Tokyo, going out only if & when absolutely necessary to give his rivals little to no chance at an assassination attempt on him."

"But he's untouchable! Sure, he's got rivals - what Yakuza clan doesn't? - but he's also got friends, some in very high places! Even the police can't touch him!"

"No, Daigo's right, Natsumi", Tatsuro says, putting his wife in further shock. "Don't you recall? The Kimuras also thought they were untouchable by any kind of outside forces, & yet they'd been violently taken down piece by piece, & it wasn't by local authorities either."

That gave Natsumi second thoughts. While brash & reckless, the Yoshikazus respected the Kimuras like family. It was disturbing to hear of their downfall by a young girl in her teens & a garage mechanic. The latter died in the woods near Ichinooka Shrine, but the former survived & has eluded detection by the Yakuza for a year now. It angered her & her husband: how the hell hard can it be to go & find a teenage girl with a missing left arm & uses a machine gun as its replacement?

Nevertheless, that's what she did, & Natsumi longed to have the little bitch's head for their trophy wall.

But first things first.

"If what you say is indeed true, then maybe we should send someone there to confirm it", she said.

"Tatsuro, let me go to Tokyo & check", Daigo said, turning to him. "No one over there will think twice about it, since I've visited the place many times before."

Tatsuro thought about it, & nodded.

"All right, Daigo. Go to the Metropolitan Government Building & find out why Shinzo's not answering me", he says. "But before you do that, send a team of your best men into the area where Anna was supposed to have dealt with Ogata last night. If she isn't with Shinzo, then she might be camping out in the woods somewhere. She's been known to do that sometimes too, being a former girl scout."

Daigo nodded.

"I'll do it at once", he said , taking his leave.

"And tell them to keep in constant radio contact!", Tatsuro called to him as he exited the room.

"Yes sir!", Daigo called back, already at a distance down the hall. Tatsuro & Natsumi looked at one another, unsure of what to say. What they are sure of is that someone has dared to mess with the Yoshikazus & their allies. They're not positive as to who it was, be it that machine gun-arm girl or someone else, but they vow to find out & put them in the ground.

God help you, Ami Hyuga, if it is you!, Natsumi thought angrily.

Her scowl of contempt went deep.

The outskirts of Tokyo, 2:00 p.m.:

As instructed, Daigo sent out twelve of his best men to the area where Anna, Hanzo & the rest were ordered to bring the traitor Ogata & execute him for his treason to the Yoshikazu clan. The dozen men - dressed in light-colored pants, sandal-like shoes & short-sleeve shirts - went in a full group, keeping a close eye out for Anna & company. If she is camping out like Daigo said she might, they shouldn't have too much difficulty in locating their comrades. Armed with auto-firing rifles, handguns & blades both big & small, these men were led by a man taller than the rest, who has a rifle in his hands & a samurai sword strapped to his back. For almost an hour of searching for Anna & her party, the men find no trace.

That all changes after five minutes when one of the men spots something from the corner of his eye.

Calling his boss over with a wave of his hand, the men all group up & approach the caller.

What they see was something they never expected: it was a red kimono robe, shredded & stained with blood. The man who found it picks it up in his hands & shows it to everyone else.

"Boss! Doesn't this kimono belong to Anna?", he said.

"Yes, it certainly does", the boss says, just as stunned as the rest. Then he spots something he didn't before: it was a trail of blood that leads away from where Anna's kimono robe was found. The other men take notice of it seconds after their leader did.

"A blood trail!", one man said, taking a sample of it with his fingers & putting it to his nose, sniffing it. "Boss, this blood is 14 hours old!"

"That's about the same time she was scheduled to execute Ogata!", another man said & the others nod to that.

"Let's follow it! Stay together!", the boss says, & the men were already on the move. The blood trail took them about five to ten minutes into the forest. At this point, the blood stench was at its strongest, & it was all the men could do to not regurgitate where they stood.

Offensive as it was, it told them that they were getting close.

But they still spotted the source of the overpowering stench even before they fully got to it.

From a distance of thirteen feet away, the dozen men saw a sight far more disturbing than Anna's blood-stained kimono. All looked up to a height of twenty feet above the ground to see a slew of dead bodies - nine in all - hanging from branches by their ankles & skinned like rabbits. Some had their heads, others didn't. One was even cut in two & hung from both halves, & flies buzzed like miniature vultures around the carcasses. Several firearms & other weapons lay in a pile directly beneath them.

"Unreal! Is this really Anna & her group?", said one man.

"I don't think they could be anyone else!", the boss said grimly.

Mixed with the stench, the sight of seeing skinned humans was too much for three of the men, & they double over to lose their lunch.

"Hey! Get a grip, you three!", the boss barked to the trio of pukers.

"Y-Yes sir!", one of them said as they all nod, wiping their mouths.

"There's something amiss here, Boss", one man said. "Anna came with eight others. If she & her group are hanging here, then where's Ogata's body, & why isn't he skinned?"

"Maybe somebody came & aided Ogata in an escape attempt", the boss said.

"Or maybe Anna & her group first killed Ogata just before this happened to them", another man said.

"We'll know the truth soon enough. Let's do a sweep of the immediate area, men! If you see Ogata, alive or dead, give a signal! If he is still alive, you are to shoot him & kill him on sight in that order! Understood?"

"Yes sir!", most said. But one was too intent on something else to hear his boss, & he tells the others to listen closely.

"Do any of you hear that?", he asks.

"Hear what?", the boss asks.

The man put a hand up to silence him. Just to humor him, the others had also kept quiet & listened intently on whatever it is that's caught his attention besides their current task.

Then they do hear something: a growling of some kind from a distance of about twenty yards. For some reason, this noise gave the boss & his men a chill.

"What do you think it could be? A dog? A wolf?", asked one man.

"Not like any kind I've ever heard before", another man said, shaking his head in doubt.

The silence was killing them when it stayed that way for close to a minute. Each man, the boss included, kept their guns aimed & ready to shoot at the first sign of life they encounter, be it man or animal.

Hardly hearing anything, they were about to resume their search for Ogata, dead or alive.

And then it happened: the last two men in the rear were attacked by something fast & big, calling out briefly. It was all they needed to get the other's attention, & when they looked behind them, they saw a horrible sight: the men were violently eviscerated into bloodied body parts by a huge thing on four powerful legs, its feet ending in five sharp claws. It resembled some sort of a dog or wolf, but about two-three times larger & had no hair on its muscular & seemingly reptilian body. Large pointed spikes protruded from its back, with even larger ones sticking out in front of & past its carnivorous head, pointing forward almost like horns. A pair of tusks jutted from its sides of its sharp-toothed mouth, all of which slanted forward on visible gums. Its neck was a bit longer than an ordinary dog or wolf's, & it resembled more of a prehistoric reptile than any of man's best friend's.

Only, this sort of dog was no man's friend!

Its keen eyes were set on the ten other Yakuza, & it gives out a snarling growl of menace.

"W-What the fuck is that?!", a man asked nervously.

"Never mind! Shoot the damn thing & kill it!", the boss ordered.

His barking words went & snapped the men out of their state of shock of seeing the huge four-legged monstrosity now before them. Like a wave of bullets, the ten Yakuza opened fire at it just as the thing charged at the closest man & tore his head off with ease between its jaws before impaling two more on its front tusks, their bullets firing wildly as its tusks get driven through the chest & out the victim's backs. With a violent jerk of its head, the Yakuza stuck on its tusks were both ripped in bloodied halves as their lower & upper parts get thrown in opposite directions. A few rounds struck its thick hide, but they didn't even begin to slow it down.

And slow down it doesn't: it starts to run after two more Yakuza & deal with them like the last two unfortunate souls, but this time was different. Standing right next to one another, the two men await the thing's charge & when it gets too close they split up at the last second & begin to fire their guns on it. It worked a little too well: the thing leapt into the air between them, & when the men fired their guns, they miscalculated slightly & the beast passed right through them with ease without getting hit once.

The only thing the two men did hit were each other, as their bullets struck them in the face & shredded their heads like smashed melons before collapsing to the ground.

Like before, the creature continued its savage attack: while in mid-leap, it swiped another man in the stomach & gutted him as he tried to keep his insides from spilling out before landing on another Yakuza member, crushing his head underneath two massive clawed feet. The one who was gutted bled heavily from his mouth & stomach, collapsing only seconds later.

Nine of the ten Yakuza were wiped out by the beast in less than a minute, which seemed more like an eternity for the three left alive. Growling lowly, the creature eyes them with malice.

The three men stared back in uncontrollable fear.

"W-What now, boss?", asked one of the men.

"Ruuuuuunnn!", the boss screamed, with both his men already on their way before he even finishes with him joining them a second later. The four-legged monstrosity roared again & gave chase to the fleeing Yakuza, quickly gaining ground on them. It catches up to the closest one & shoves its front right clawed foot into his back & it exits out through his chest, spraying blood, flesh & bone outwards. The man had no time to scream as he collapses onto the ground on his face before the thing pulled its foot out & resume its chase against the last two fleeing Yakuza.

The boss' last underling dared to look over his shoulder to see how close the thing still chasing them was to them. His eyes went wider than before: it was nearly on top of them, & will be so in only seconds. With no other alternative (& all out of any other ideas), the man shoots his pistol at the oncoming horror, firing in rapid succession. The creature avoids most shots, but gets a hit or two in its leg & on the side, growling its protest. Incredibly, the thing stops only several feet from him & stares menacingly. The underling knew it was the end of the line for him, & if he was going to get killed by this unearthly thing, then he won't give it the satisfaction of crying out in terror or pain.

Placing the gun to the side of his head, he pulls the trigger.

CLICK.

His eyes go wide. His gun was empty.

He emptied his entire weapon without realizing it, & now he's left himself wide open.

Like any other wild animal, the beast charged the man & used its front tusks to swipe at his legs, ripping them right off at the knees. As the appendages flew away, the man cried out & fell down on his hands, trying to crawl away. The creature turns him over on his back & looks down on him, its face only a few feet from his. He can smell the thing's disgusting breath on his face, & if he wasn't so scared shitless, he'd puke where he lay.

Growling, the thing placed its front paws on the man's chest as he screamed aloud for two seconds before it caved his chest cavity & rib cage in with a sickening crunch, spewing blood from the wound & his mouth as he expires.

The man gave it the satisfaction after all.

Even at a distance, the boss heard the growling of the creature that wasted all of his men as he stops & listens intently for any sign of it, fighting his heavy breathing to get himself under control. It growled again, & he tried to pinpoint its exact location with his rifle. He wanted to cry out where it was, but thought better of it. Giving away your position to your enemy is a surefire way to get yourself killed sooner than you'd like.

Any smart hunter would know this, & that was why he is a leader.

Even if he no longer has a group to lead.

For fifteen agonizing seconds of hearing that godawful thing's growling, the boss started getting antsy as he kept his eyes glued to the forest, searching everywhere for his inhuman foe. A noise here & a noise there made him on edge but he fought it as best he could, though with great difficulty due to his heart beating faster & faster with every moment that passes.

Almost silently, the thing strikes as it emerges from the trees & rushes the Yakuza boss as fast as it did with his men. But he was a tad faster: his rifle aimed, he fires at close range at the beast & hits it with several rounds in the body. It still wasn't enough, because the beast came at full speed at him & swiped the Yakuza boss with a large left paw, slicing his rifle in half. As the man throws away the useless firearm, the beast turns around & comes at him again. From behind his back, the boss pulls out his samurai sword & brings it forth. But the creature knocks it out of his hands & it goes soaring through the air, landing twenty feet away. The Yakuza boss runs for it as the thing makes another 180 degree turn & rushes towards its last victim. The boss was now only a few feet from his weapon, but so was the beast.

He reaches out with his hands as he makes a dive for his sword.

The creature does the same with its paws.

The boss grabs his sword & pulls it out, ducking in time to avoid getting beheaded by a large left paw & swinging his blade with all his strength. He makes contact with the thing's thick neck & slices right through it with ease, severing its head from its massive body as the head gets flung several feet before the headless body joins it, landing only a yard or two away.

Both the head & body twitch a few times before staying immobile - for good.

Rising to his feet, the Yakuza boss starts to laugh, taunting his now-dead enemy.

"Ha! I got you! What the fuck do you say to that now, Snoopy?!", he says, bursting out in maniacal laughter even more. He continues doing so for close to a half-minute before he hears a new but familiar noise behind him, & his laughter slowly but surely dies down, along with his evil smile. More of that growling he's now accustomed to made him turn around slowly, & when he does, his smile became a frown of fright & it opens wide.

He was now faced with two more of the hideous dog-creatures!

Growling & drooling from their mouths, the creatures stared at the Yakuza boss with all but malice, no doubt quite unhappy with the death of their hunting partner. The man had tried to scream, but his vocal cords wouldn't function, & neither would his body despite being armed with his blade.

It wouldn't have mattered if he had a bazooka: in a split-second, one of the new beasts had swiped at the man & knocking his head off as clean as any blade. The man's head soars through the air & lands at the bottom of a tree, his face staring at & seeing his own body before it falls to the ground & his vision becomes totally dark.

From his safety spot up in the trees, Snake surveyed the carnage in his activated cloak as his two remaining hounds now fight over & feast on the headless body of the Yakuza boss, using their claws & teeth to tear it to shreds before consuming it.

He gave out a cackle of approval for his pets, & his eyes lit up briefly.

CHAPTER IV

Tokyo suburbs, 9:00 p.m.:

Ami was at it again.

With Nanase in patted armor protecting her arms, legs, head & chest, she urges Ami to go attack her as viciously as possible with a series of furious punches, kicks & occasional head-butts which made Nanase see stars briefly in her vision despite the padding. Armed with a wooden katana in her hands, Nanase swings it at Ami, who dodges each attack even as a few came close to nailing her in the face & chest. Even with the loss of her left arm, Ami was a pro at hand-to-hand combat, & her training with Nanase is just as brutal as when Miki gave her lessons.

In fact, training with Nanase is very much like doing so with Miki, & she relishes in the feeling of deja-vu as she…

No. She won't go weak now & reminisce about old times: that was a year ago, & she needs to get her head back in the game to the here & now.

Her momentary distraction gave Nanase an opening, & Ami gets struck in the face on the left by Nanase's wooden sword, driving her back a few steps & pausing their scuffle.

From the sidelines, Kazuya notices this & speaks up as he 'coaches' the brawl.

"Hey, Ami! Keep your head in the game! Whatever it is that's fogging your thoughts, clear it out & pay attention! Remember, your enemies want nothing better than to see you dead, & they will use any means of a distraction from your end to their advantage! Don't give it to them by showing any sign of weakness!"

"He's right, Ami!", Nanase says as any drill sergeant would to his soldiers. "Fixing your personal thoughts on something other than what's currently in front of you is a surefire way to get yourself killed! Like Kazuya said, your enemies will be brutal towards you & do whatever it takes to put you in the ground! You need to make sure you do it to them fast, & do it to them first! Understand?"

"I understand!", Ami said, getting in a defensive position. "Now…let's go again!"

"Here I come! Be ready!"

Her wooden blade in hand, Nanase charges Ami once more & swings her weapon at her at a more furious pace than before. Her mind better focused, Ami avoids getting clobbered & even retaliates with swings of her own with her right arm, nearly hitting Nanase. Another swing of her sword comes at Ami, but this time she catches it in her bare hand. Nanase tries to take it away, but Ami's grip was too strong even for her. She then changes tactics by swinging a bare fist of her own at Ami's temple, almost clobbering her with a powerful jab with her right. She tries a few more times but was no more successful at hitting her than her first.

Where her fists fail to make a connection, her footwork is a different story.

Leaving herself vulnerable on the left, Nanase sends a powerful right foot to Ami's side in a move that stuns her temporarily. It was all she needed: with her right hand, Nanase grabs Ami by her outfit's lapels & lifts her up with amazing strength just before slamming her to the floor on her back. Even with padded mats, it still stung.

Nanase places the wooden sword at Ami's throat, the blade only inches away.

"What did Kazuya tell you before?!", Nanase said sternly. "Don't show your enemies any sign of weakness! And leaving yourself wide open to an attack is also foolish! Along with being mindful of your thoughts & keeping them clear & focused, you should do the same to where you're most exposed so as not to give your foes an opening!"

Nanase raises her weapon in an attempt to bring it down on Ami's head & declare her as 'dead'. But Ami has a few more tricks up her sleeve: with a hard right foot, she rams Nanase's left leg in the shin with all her might. Despite the padding she had on, Nanase felt every inch of her blow, leaving her stunned.

It also left her wide open & exposed: pulling her legs back, Ami thrusts them both forward with all her might & strikes Nanase in the chest. The powerful blow thrusted her in the air & she went flying backwards ten feet before landing hard on her back.

Kazuya stared in surprise.

"Thanks for the advice!", Ami says as she rises to her feet, keeping an eye on Nanase, who does the same, albeit a little slower. She walks up towards Ami with a stern, firm look on her face, looking as if she might explode on her again. Ami keeps her defenses up just in case that is what she's planning, so as not to be caught off-guard like she taught her. Nanase pauses two feet from Ami & stands there as Kazuya witnesses the transaction in silence, unsure of which way it will go.

"Now…that's more like it!", Nanase says, smiling & holding her hands up. "It's over, Ami - I yield!"

Ami & Kazuya join her in smiling, with the latter clapping.

"Well done, Ami!", he says. "With everything we've been teaching you this past year, we just know you'll do fine once our battle begins! And you'll be able to fight even more efficiently once you get your new arm grafted onto your left stub, which will be ready for you by tomorrow at around early to mid-evening!"

"By tomorrow evening? That's music to my ears, Kazuya! Thank you!", Ami says. Kazuya grins bigger.

"That'll do it for tonight! Ami, you should hit the shower - you stink!", Nanase joked.

"Like you should talk! You go first, Nanase - it's your house! Besides…it's your turn to cook again!", Ami joked back, getting a laugh from both Yoshiharas.

"Touche, Ami! Two hours of workout is sure to give anyone an appetite! Okay - give me about 15 minutes in the shower, & I'll have dinner ready for us in no time!"

"Actually, let me handle dinner tonight, Nanase", Kazuya said. "You can take my place to cook tomorrow evening while I give Ami her new arm. Deal?"

"Deal!", Nanase says happily, & off to the shower she went.

Thirty minutes later:

Like she surmised, Nanase was out of the shower in almost fifteen minutes after she had stepped in. Once done, she told Ami that it was all hers after getting fresh towels from the closet. Unlike Nanase, Ami took longer than she did, letting her mind wander now that she wasn't in harsh, rigorous training. She could hardly believe that tomorrow night is the night she'll receive a new arm made of steel, one quite different from her machine gun arm Suguru constructed for her. It was a good arm, she couldn't deny that, as it helped her to deal with her enemies that had taken Yu away from her. There were only two problems with it: one, it gave her no fingers for her to grasp things with, and two, it fell apart too easily when Ryugi Kimura used his Executioner's Blade weapon on it. If all goes well, Kazuya's new arm will be a definite improvement on Suguru's original.

All she has to do is wait for tomorrow night.

Ami stood in the shower, savoring the warm water splattering down onto her nude body.

In their master bedroom, Nanase finished drying her hair with the blowdryer after putting on a clean nightgown & slippers. She was done brushing & combing it when Kazuya had come barging in, a look of worry on his face.

"Nanase! You'd better come down & see this!", Kazuya says, speaking in a hurried but hushed tone so as not to have Ami eavesdrop.

Placing her brush down, Nanase went downstairs to the kitchen with her husband.

In the kitchen, a flat-screen TV was showing a newscast of an incident.

They made it back just in time to hear the report over again.

"For those of you who have just tuned in, here's the day's top story", the announcer started saying. "At approximately noon today in the Shinjuku district of Tokyo, businessman Shinzo Norikawa & several of his staff were brutally killed in his office, located on the 40th floor of Tokyo's Metropolitan Government Building. Norikawa, who spent over ten years as one of the bulding's top conglomerates & politicians, was found hanging from the ceiling from his office & skinned like a rabbit, along with his business partners accompanying him. It is believed that an unknown assassin or assassins entered through the window & brutally struck everyone in the room swiftly & decisively, giving Norikawa & his staff no chance to strike back or even run for cover. Any & all further details by the police were not issued or released, & the identity of this killer or killers, let alone the motive behind this savage attack, is still unclear. We will have more details on this story as they develop. Please be warned: the images we are about to present to you are very disturbing."

The television now shows disturbing scenes of the carnage the killer or killers left behind, bodies strung up from the ceiling & stripped of their flesh, making it hard to determine who was who, with some missing their heads as police & photographers take notes & pictures of the crime scene from every angle.

Kazuya & Nanase watched the scene in stunned silence, not knowing what to say.

11:00 p.m.:

Both Yoshiharas ate with Ami mostly in silence, being careful not to bring up what they'd learned on the late evening news - news they didn't even hear about throughout the whole day due to their numerous house calls, being on the road & seeing to their patient's needs. When Ami offered to assist with the cleanup, Nanase calmly & kindly turned it down & suggested she get a good night's rest, spending two hours training with her before.

Disappointed but understanding, Ami did what was asked of her.

It turned out that she was tired from all her training with Nanase, & Ami quickly fell into a slumber which lasted for over an hour before waking up suddenly. Realizing how thirsty she is, Ami went to the kitchen & poured herself a glass of orange juice & gulped it down. Once she was satisfied that her thirst was quenched, Ami headed back upstairs to her room. As she did, she heard Kazuya & Nanase speaking to each other. From where she was, Ami couldn't make out what they were saying, so she stealthily got closer & placed her ear to their door, being careful not to make any noise doing so.

She caught what seemed like the end of it.

"…smashing through a window at a height of forty stories from the ground & killing a bunch of heavily armed men like that? Who else could it be, Kazuya?", Nanase was saying.

"I see your point, Nanase", Kazuya said. "Like you, I didn't want to believe it at first, but all the evidence seems to point towards the same solution. We'll look into it more tomorrow. For now, let's get some sleep."

Ami then heard them slipping under their covers before turning the light off.

Their conversation was over.

Making her way back to her room without either noticing, Ami pondered on what she'd heard, however brief it was. Nanase had a point: who the hell could crash through a window at a height of forty feet & murder a bunch of people without anyone knowing about it until later? And why skin them?

Ami didn't know all the details of their discussion, but she was fairly certain that they were Yakuza who were killed in that building, remembering Nanase mentioning they'd been armed. It would make sense: Yakuza like to hide their true intentions from everyone but their most trusted advisors, & what better place to do so that at a place of business in the city where they can go & conceal their illegal operations from authorities & the like?

Maybe there's someone out there who loathes the Yakuza as much as Ami does.

Suguru & Miki certainly did, as do Kazuya & Nanase themselves.

Whoever it was, he sure isn't shy about showing his feelings towards them. Aside from skinning them, Ami certainly would've done the same thing to them, only she'd do it with her machine gun arm, & she'd wait until nightfall before she attacks, not in broad daylight like this mystery killer did.

He had guts to perform such a daring feat, she had to give him that.

She also had to praise him for spotting a Yakuza boss from out of the blue like he did, it seemed. Were it her, Ami probably would've never guessed without a solid lead of some kind.

But there were too many unanswered questions to this whole thing. Who is he? How could he approach a Yakuza boss from high up & take out him & a bunch of his men as he did? What is his true objective? Did he also have a family that were violently taken away & yearned for revenge, or is he doing this simply for sick kicks?

That last statement Ami couldn't have an answer for, because not only does she deal with Yakuza, but she has to admit that she also enjoys doing away with them, & in the most horrible ways possible. But at least she has reason for what she does, one she carries out even long after her younger brother was avenged.

Any further thoughts & questions about this newcomer will have to wait.

Right now, Ami was really tired, & she fell asleep in no time.

Shiodome District, near Tokyo Bay, midnight:

Chujo Masada was a little jittery.

A well-built man with a trimmed goatee, he checked his computer for any leads on who had killed Shinzo Norikawa earlier in the afternoon. Another of the Yoshikazu's most trusted in their organization, Masada checked into the Park Hotel Tokyo only a day ago for a well-deserved vacation with his wife Rena. Upon hearing of Shinzo's death from Tatsuro, his vacation was cut short & turned into something of a business trip. For many years, Masada had made runs of the Yoshikazu's supplies, ranging from crystal methemphetamine to uncensored porn. He was more or less the man to go to for a delivery: whatever you wanted to get transported by his hands, it gets to its destination every time, no questions asked.

He was much more reliable than Ogata was at it.

Now he has to play detective & find out who butchered one of their best extensions of the Yoshikazu clan. Dressed in his blue bathrobe, he searches his laptop frantically but can find no trace of Shinzo's psychotic killer, despite having searching for hours.

Dressed in her pink robe, Rena seductively walks up from behind her husband & starts to caress his chest in the same way.

"Honey, you've been on that thing for most of the evening", she says in a sexy tone. "Why not take a rest & pick it up tomorrow, hon? You could sure use one."

"My apologies, baby, but Tatsuro's trusting me to find our associate's killer", Masada says. "You know how eager he is to get answers & results in the soonest. That's why he's assigned me to it, along with Daigo."

"Then let Daigo take over for you until tomorrow. Besides, don't you think you've earned some pleasure after a night of business?"

Her last statement was whispered in his ear as her hands worked their way on down to his groin. A little caressing there made Masada grin, as he could no longer resist.

"Ah well, I suppose business can wait until the morning", he says with a slight laugh. "Go get yourself ready for a night of good times. Be out of that bathroom door in five minutes."

His answer made Rena grin from ear to ear, & she heads to the bathroom but stops at the door, turning to him.

"I'll make it four minutes for you, baby! Be sure you keep it hard when I get out, yes?", she says seductively before closing the door with a soft click. Grinning himself, Masada closes his laptop & heads over to the bed in their large suite as he takes out his cell phone & pushes the speed dial.

"Ah, Daigo", he speaks into it. "I'm afraid I've drawn a blank so far on Shinzo's killer, & am about to turn in for the night. Would you mind picking up for me until morning? You'll do it? Excellent! I owe you one! Hope you have better luck that I did tonight! I'll talk to you again at 6 or 7 a.m.! Sure! Thanks again, Daigo!"

Masada flips his cell phone closed & places it on the table across the room from the bed. He then begins to close all the blinds to the room, beginning with the one at the bed. Not only will it keep out the lights of the city when they sleep, it will prevent any curious peeping toms from getting a ringside view of he & Rena making happy in the sack, one of the many reasons why he tied the knot with her: while she gets a bit too eager when it comes to sex, the time is always worth it.

And Rena? Oh, is she ever worth it!

Seconds after he closes the blinds, something smashes its way into the opposite window, spraying shards of glass everywhere. Masada shielded his eyes from any glass that came his way.

"What the hell….?", he started to say when Rena opened the door to see what happened. Both Yakuza husband & wife stared in disbelief when they saw a big distorted shimmer in the air which cackled like an insect before rising up to its full height of two meters tall. The shimmer dissipated to reveal a large muscular figure in body armor & rough-looking flesh, bare feet with pointed claws on each toe & finger.

Its sights were currently set on Masada.

"Rena, get out of here! Quick!", Masada said, digging into his robe to pull out twin sai blades in each hand. Along with his invaluable computer skills, Chujo was also adept at hand-to-hand combat like any Yakuza.

Unfortunately for Chujo, all his skills didn't help him for what occurred in the next several seconds: Snake extended his long jagged blade from his right forearm cuff & swiped at Chujo's hands, slicing them off at the wrists & sending his hands flying towards a petrified Rena, both still holding the sais. Masada cried out as his wrists spewed blood, spraying the room's walls with crimson.

It was the least of his worries: his eyes widen as Snake pulls his arm back briefly before he thrusts it & his blade forward into Chujo, pushing the weapon out through the man's back, who gave out a slight grunt of pain, bleeding from his newly inflicted wound & mouth. With Chujo bent over on his blade, Snake uses his free hand to rip his new prey's head & spinal column out of his back with ease as Rena calls out her husband's name. Fresh blood spills onto the walls & carpet as Snake places his new trophy onto his belt & withdraws his weapon, dropping the body onto the blood-stained carpet.

Getting his new prize, Snake heads over to the window & tears off the blinds. Aiming his shoulder cannon, he blows out the window with blue energy as glass shards spill down onto the street below. As he does this, Rena mustered up her courage with help from her rage of seeing her beloved husband killed by the alien monstrosity in her room. Picking up the sais with Chujo's hands still gripping them, she races over to Snake, enraged.

"You motherfucker!", she bellows, holding the sais out to her sides & ready to stab her foe with them. "I'll kill you! I'll kill you! I'll…!"

Her threat gets abruptly cut short when Snake reverses his shoulder cannon & aims it at Rena from behind him, firing a shot of blue energy which literally blows her entire upper half to bloody pieces as more gore splatters the room, her legs falling like a tree that's been cut.

Snake gave the female a quick shrug of his head & a noise that sounded like a horse when it grunts.

One might call it as the Predator's way of saying 'Bitch, shut the fuck up!'.

Giving the matter no further thought, Snake reactivated his cloak & went out the window, using his claws to climb up the Park Hotel Tokyo & into the night.

Lake Oku-tama, the Yoshikazu house:

Neither Tatsuro nor Natsumi got any decent sleep last night.

Not only were they restless from hearing upon the brutal killing of Shinzo Norikawa & his personal staff, but just last night before bed they'd been informed of the brutal deaths of Chujo Masada & his wife Rena at the Park Hotel Tokyo in the Shiodome District of the city, giving them even less sleep. Barely acknowledging their breakfast served to them, they sit at the dining table with three of their guards & their good friend Daigo, the latter of which enjoys a glass of fine wine with some cooked fish.

Taking a deep breath, Tatsuro forced himself to remain calm as he talks to Daigo.

"Now, Daigo. Please kindly tell me of what you learned from last night."

"Of course", Daigo started, finishing the last of his fish & washing it down with his wine. "It's like this: at approximately midnight, Chujo called me on his cell to ask me to take over on his investigation as to who might've killed our friend & business partner Shinzo Norikawa until morning. About fifteen minutes later into my search, I hear the news on the television of a brutal double-murder at the Park Hotel Tokyo in Shiodome. When I arrived at the scene, police inform me of Chujo & Rena's murders & even shared some photos with me."

"Photos?", Natsumi says as Daigo nodded, going into his briefcase & taking out full-color pictures & handing them to Tatsuro. He places them on the table for his wife to see as he displays them one at a time. The photos were scenes of grisly deaths of a hotel room splattered with blood on the walls, carpet & furniture. One showed a man hung from the ceiling by his ankles, skinned down to his muscle & missing both his head & spinal column, as well as his hands. Another was showing the lower legs of a female whose whole upper half was blown apart, leaving only her forearms & hands wrapped around a pair of sai daggers which already had a pair of amputated hands gripped on them.

Tatsuro & Natsumi looked up at Daigo with disbelieving faces.

"Look familiar?", Daigo asks.

"Just like Shinzo", Tatsuro said, though more to himself as he takes another quick look.

"The police don't know that Chujo & Rena were Yakuza, do they?", Natsumi asked.

"I doubt it", Daigo answered. "Chujo & Rena kept their Yakuza heritage incognito as much as Shinzo did. Hell, they even checked into the hotel under assumed names."

"And yet they still got their asses butchered by an unknown killer!", Tatsuro growled as he slammed the rest of the photos onto the table. He turned to Daigo. "Any word from your team who was supposed to find where Anna is?"

"Not a peep", Daigo said. "However, if I'm forced to make an immediate judgement of the situation, I'd say that whoever killed Shinzo, Chujo & Rena probably did the same to Anna & the rest. There's too much evidence for it to be mere coincidence!"

Tatsuro & Natsumi nodded. In a period of twenty-four hours, over two dozen of their own people have been butchered horribly by some killer who obviously had a grudge against them. It was quite a list, but in all this time, no one had dared to make a move on them without them even noticing it.

Until now; not only did more than twenty-four of their people had been killed, they somehow knew that they were Yakuza, despite keeping that part of themselves confidential from the people of their areas. And now, they lost three of their most trusted associates.

"You're right, Daigo - somebody's targeting us!", Natsumi said. "And we believe we know just who that somebody is! Ever hear of a girl named Ami Hyuga?"

That got a raise of eyebrows from their good friend.

"The same Ami Hyuga who took out the Kimuras a year ago?", he says.

"That's the one - the bitch is making a grand comeback!"

"She's hardly been slacking off since that day, Natsumi", Daigo says. "She's been dealing with younger hoodlums over the weeks & months, but she stays on the move so that none of us has been able to find her."

"Those younger kids & Yakuza wannabes are in no way associated with us in any way, Daigo", Tatsuro dismisses with a wave of his hand. "If Ami wanted to go wage a war on juvenile delinquents all across Tokyo or even the country itself, I could honestly care less. But now, she's making a major move on us by taking care of some of our top people, & this cannot & will not be tolerated!"

"Tatsuro, I have no love for this little cunt any more than you & Natsumi do, but are we really sure that it's her?"

The Yoshikazus stare at him, wondering.

"What are you talking about?", Natsumi asks. "Who else could it be?"

"Perhaps you should look at more of the crime scene photos", Daigo insisted. Tatsuro & Natsumi continue to rummage through the pictures. After sifting through each one, they were as confused as before.

"What exactly were we supposed to find, Daigo?", Tatsuro asked as Daigo looked through them himself until he came upon the one he was searching for.

"Right here", he says, pointing at it. "Take a good look at those blood stains on the carpet."

The Yoshikazus looked at the photo Daigo picked out from the others. It showed the room in a bloody mess like the rest, but upon closer inspection they find something they indeed have missed before. A trail of blood prints were leading from the bodies to the window in which the killer made good his escape. Using a magnifying glass Tatsuro had in his pocket, he & his wife can see that these stains were shaped in a very unique way.

"Footprints?", Natsumi says, getting a nod from her husband.

But these were no ordinary footprints: they were twice as large as any they'd seen before, & imprints of toes suggest that the killer was barefoot with no shoes on.

But barefoot with claws? That made no sense.

"More or less", Daigo confirmed. "Those feet are much too large for any girl, let alone any human, to have. Unless I missed my guess, Ami Hyuga must have a new partner that's helping her bring us down, one major player at a time."

"Then who the fuck did Ami join forces with to help her do this? Bigfoot?", Natsumi asks with only a pinch of sarcasm.

"That's bullshit!", Tatsuro said, getting up from his seat. "Last time I heard, the sasquatch didn't do things like climbing tall buildings & skinning people like rabbits, let alone taking their heads & spinal columns as mementos!"

"Whoever this new player is, he's very good!", Daigo stated. "He waits for the perfect time to strike, uses the right tools to get the job done - he's definitely no amateur! What's more, no one's ever even seen this killer either coming or going when he attacks, almost like he was no more than, dare I say, a ghost!"

The Yoshikazus stared at Daigo as if he grew antlers from his head.

"Are you trying to tell us that Ami Hyuga is teamed up with fucking Casper to help her bring us down piece by piece?!", Natsumi fumed. "You're not making any sense, Daigo! We pay you handsomely to bring us hard facts, not fantasy!"

"I simply report it as I see it, Natsumi!", Daigo says in defense. "How do you explain how he was able to sneak up on our three people & take them down in the way he did, with very little or no difficulty on his part? In order for you to do that to someone like Shinzo or Anna, you'd have to be invisible! If this were anyone else, Shinzo would take them down with ease! And yet, he was brought down like he was nothing more than a novice!"

"It still doesn't cut any ice with me, Daigo! You're going to have to do better, if you wish to remain in our organization! Got that?!"

Daigo stared hard at Natsumi, & she did the same.

"Natsumi", Tatsuro said calmly, putting her & even Daigo at ease. He turns to his friend. "Please forgive her, Daigo. She's just upset with what's been going on, that's all. She knows you give your all for us & is grateful for it, as am I."

"Of course", Daigo said softly & bows to Natsumi. She nods & does the same.

"There's still the problem of Ami Hyuga & her new partner", Natsumi reminds them. "We need to find them & make them pay for what they're doing to our organization! I don't want what happened to the Kimuras to befall upon us!"

"That I can certainly agree on, Natsumi!", Daigo said, a smile growing on his face. "And I know just how we can locate her! Instead of having to search the area for her, why don't we have Ami come to us?"

The Yoshikazus stared at each other a moment before turning back to Daigo, smiles of a malice nature forming from their mouths.

"Now you're talking, Daigo!", Natsumi said. "What did you have in mind?"

Daigo implements his plan to his bosses.

Tokyo suburbs, noon:

Ami decided to go out for a bit & stretch her legs, not wanting to stay inside the house all of the time for worry of going stir crazy like some folks are prone to by remaining in a secluded place for long periods of time. Dressed in her traditional school uniform, shoes & backpack, Ami wanders through town to enjoy at least some semblance of being normal like other teens her age.

For the rest of the morning, Ami got the chance to walk around as a regular person, albeit one minus her left arm. While some have noticed her missing appendage, hardly anyone asked how she managed to lose it. When one did ask - a curious & sympathetic female senior - Ami simply tells her it was caused by 'an accident with a sword', which was not entirely untrue. With her blessings, the woman had wished her well & wandered off.

Now it was noon, & Ami realized just how hungry she'd become, hence the rumbling of her tummy. Having some yen to spend thanks to Kazuya & Nanase lending her some, Ami went over to the food shop she was most familiar with since her arrival. Greeted by the elderly clerk & his young son, Ami got her favorite from the place - a fish sandwich with some apple juice - and began chowing down, enjoying the fresh taste as they wished her well but not before offering her a small bag of candies as a token of their esteem. With a warm smile, Ami accepted.

She wondered what they'd think of her if they knew she kills people who pick on the weak for the sheer fun of it, being their judge, jury and executioner?

Ami had no idea, & she didn't ponder on it. She'd just let it play out, as life does.

Whatever happens, happens.

She'd just finished her sandwich & guzzled her drink with her when she heard a coomotion at the store she just vacated. Hearing things being thrown violently & an elderly man & young boy yelling in protest, Ami's heart raced.

Horii! Yazumi!, Ami thought with dread, & started running back the way she came. The clashing & yelling were getting louder the closer Ami got to the place. When she re-entered the store, she saw a man in his late 30s harassing the elderly clerk & son, throwing merchandise all around & pushing the man - Horii - to the floor.

Yazumi runs to his grandpa & cuddles with him in fear.

"You're holding out on me, aren't you, old man?!", the man growled, throwing a rack of candy around. "Do you see what might happen if you don't pay your protection money on time?! It's very simple: you pay us, we keep you & your little boy safe! You're way behind on your last payment of 100,00 yen, & I don't see it anywhere!"

"P-Please, Masaki!", Horii pleaded. "Business has been a little slow as of late, & I need a little bit more time to come up with what I owe! Can't you do that for me?"

Masaki looks at Yazumi, who hides his head in his grandpa.

"That's a cute kid you have there, Horii!", Masaki said maliciously. "I'd hate to see him get involved in a horrible accident of some kind, & those can happen whenever you least expect them to! Now, why don't you be a good man & fork over what you owe? If you do that right now, I'll be on my way & no one'll get hurt! It's a simple request, yes?"

"Here's a much better one, asshole!", said Ami as she walks into the store with all eyes turning to her. "You get the fuck out of this store right now & never come back, & I won't beat the living shit out of you! And you get to keep all your teeth!"

Masaki laughs with a scoff.

"You get out, little missy! I have business with this old man, & it doesn't concern you!", he snaps.

"Wrong! When a man harasses & threatens an old man & his grandson for any reason, it does concern me!", Ami snaps back. "And that's bad news - for you!"

Masaki pulls out a pocket knife & flashes its gleaming blade.

"Oh yeah? What can a girl, who has only one good arm, do against someone like me?", he gloats. "Now, I'm only gonna say this one more time: get out!"

Ami shakes her head.

"Not going to happen!", she said defiantly.

"It's your funeral, bitch!", Masaki says, taking a step forward.

It was all he got: in the blink of an eye, Ami opened her backpack & tossed out its content.

It was a heavy duty machine gun!

The weapon went up in the air a few feet before coming back down to earth & landing onto the stump that was Ami's left arm. All three were astonished by this turn of events, & they froze at the display of seeing someone literally being armed for a shootout.

Ami points her weapon at Masaki.

"I beg to differ - it'll be your funeral if you're not out of here in three seconds!", she barks.

Cursing himself for bringing a knife to a gunfight, Masaki frantically searches for anything he can to help even the odds in his favor. He spots it immediately: like a striking cobra, he grabs Yazumi by the arm & pulls him to his chest as Horii calls out his name in fear. Lowering the blade to the boy's throat, he faces Ami & slowly makes his way to the door.

"Let him go!", Ami barked.

"Don't do anything rash, little girl!", he warns. "You wouldn't want a stray bullet to strike this kid if you shoot, would you? If you want him back alive & unharmed, you'll have to follow me! Bring anyone else other than yourself, & he dies! Understand?"

Ami keeps her weapon aimed at him, but she doesn't dare fire it: he's correct about a stray bullet hitting Yazumi anywhere, & she doesn't think that she can shoot a single round from her gatling gun. She's been only able to fire it regularly, shooting off multiple rounds at a time. It's one of the reasons why these types of guns are never used in hostage situations by authorities, but by those in the armed services when they go into combat.

Even so, Masaki takes off running with Yazumi in tow.

"Yazumi!", Horii cries out. "Ami, please get my grandson back, I beg of you!"

"Don't worry - I'll get him back! You stay here & lock the door! Don't let anybody else in until I return! Understand?", Ami says as Horii nods. She then take off running herself, exiting the store. She doesn't even bother to put her machine gun arm in her backpack as she pursues Masaki down the street, the man having a sizeable headstart on her.

Ami still stays in hot pursuit, never letting the man out of her sight. He chases him down for several blocks, eventually ending up in a rural & highly deserted part of town with very few structures & a large multi-level parking lot that seems to be condemned any day now. Ami sees Masaki enter the premises with Yazumi & runs after them, getting ready to fire her weapon first & ask questions later - as long as the hostage doesn't get hit, or killed.

She arrives at the parking lot & follows Masaki up one level, going up an access ramp.

But when she gets there, she finds that both Masaki & his young hostage are nowhere to be seen, anywhere.

What the hell…?, she thought. They couldn't have just disappeared! Where did they go?

A sound of clapping hands echoes the floor, & Ami quickly turns to see Masaki emerge from behind a large stone pillar, a wicked smile on his face.

She was so tempted to shoot him where he stood, but she had something to ask first.

"Where's Yazumi?! What have you done to him?! Talk!", she demanded.

"He's here, & safe - for the moment!", Masaki says, snapping his fingers. The loud snap echoed, & from other stone pillars & even diving down from the floor above at the edges came a barrage of guys both young & old dressed in suits & casual garb. Two young guys hold Yazumi by his arms, each keeping a knife to his throat & chest.

"Yazumi!", Ami says, raising her machine gun arm at his twin hostage-takers.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Ami!", Masaki said. "Those two boys there will slit his throat and stab him in the chest simultaneously before even one of your bullets can hit them! So, if you want that little shit spared, you'll drop your weapon & kick it away!"

"Don't do it, Ami!", Yazumi cried out. He gets a blade pressed a bit against his neck, & it silences him.

"Shut the hell up!", said the first hostage-taker.

"Say one more word, & we'll kill you on the spot! Understand?", said the second.

Yazumi said nothing else after that.

"Now…drop your weapon & kick it to me! I will not tell you again!", Masaki said.

Scowling with burning eyes, Ami removes her machine gun arm, places it on the floor & slides it towards Masaki, who picks it up & examines it. Several of the boys/men gather closer to Ami, & she stays on her guard despite the loss of her weapon, knowing just how dangerous she is. They keep their distance at six feet from her.

"Very nice, Ami!", Masaki says. "Whoever made you this thing sure knew his stuff! I'll have to see if my boss can get it duplicated for our needs!"

"So, this whole thing with kidnapping Yazumi was a trap just for me, wasn't it?", Ami said, ignoring his sarcasm.

"Yes, & you just fell for it Hook, Line, & Sinker! We know who you are, Ami Hyuga! You & another, now deceased, took down the Kimura Yakuza clan only one year ago! I guess I should warn you, my dear, that our employers, the Yoshikazus, are very unhappy with you right now! I mean, very unhappy! You see, even though they rivaled us at times, the Kimuras were our close friends & allies until you intervened in their affairs! Not only that, you decided to piss us off even more by killing some of our best people, namely Shinzo Norikawa & Chujo Masada over at the Metropolitan Government Building & the Park Hotel Tokyo respectively, with your brand new partner! Now tell us: where are you two currently holding up, & who's your new ally?"

Ami was stunned by the news: even though she'd heard Kazuya & Nanase speak a little about what happened, she had no inkling of it occurring twice in as many nights. She'd been in the dark about it, & now she's going to get punished by Yakuza for something she never did.

If they'd even believe her to begin with.

"Not that it exactly breaks my heart, but I had absolutely nothing to do with killing your two associates!", Ami said flatly. "As for your other question, I don't have a partner - I now work alone!"

Masaki walks up to her & gives her a hard slap in the face, getting chuckles from the others.

"Bitch, don't you dare lie to me!", he barked. "Who else in this fucking country has a deep loathing for our kind besides you to go around killing our associates, skinning them like rabbits & even taking their heads & spinal columns as souvenirs?! You better start telling me the truth, or it's going to cost your little friend over there! Now spill it!"

What can Ami say? She didn't want to see anything bad happening to Yazumi, especially since Horii's counting on her to bring him back safely, & she certainly didn't want to tell them of the Yoshiharas - at least not yet.

Not until they make their move, & if they do it with her.

"Even if I am responsible for what happened to those Yakuza fuckers, I sure as hell would not be skinning them & taking body parts as you've said!", Ami explained. "I'd simply kill them & be on my way, satisfied that there's one less menace to our society! So, for the last time, I did not kill those people you mentioned - not that I wouldn't have enjoyed the opportunity!"

Her remark earned her another hard slap in the face, one that drew some blood from her mouth. Ami knew they were going to make a move on her no matter what, so she gets herself in a position to be ready to go at a moment's notice.

She can only hope that Yazumi gets the message too.

"You're quite strong for a young girl!", Masaki says. "I doubt that no amount of torture on your person will make you tell us what we want to hear! But it's okay: our bosses have ways of making even the toughest spill their guts to them! But first, you're going to get to see your little friend here have his guts literally spilled before we bring you back to our bosses!"

Masaki turns to Yazumi's two handlers & nods slightly, who nod back. Before they can start their procedure, however, Yazumi gives a hard kick to the shin on each of his foes. The two boys cry out in pain & hop a bit, releasing their hold on him & he runs towards the ramp.

"Stop him!", yelled Masaki. At that same time, Ami charges him & grabs for her machine gun arm while urging Yazumi to run as fast & far away as he can. Several of the boys gang up on her to pry her off their leader, but her grip on her weapon & Masaki was strong & solid. Hard as they tried, they could not get her off even by punching & kicking her with all their might. They finally get her off, but she manages to rip her machine gun arm away from Masaki & they keep on pummeling her, even harder than before.

Yazumi's twin pursuers gain on him with two others assisting him. They grab him by the arm & keep him at bay, until they feel a whoosh of air fly by them. When one of them asks what's wrong, an unbelievable & horrific thing happens: a line of blood draws itself from across their faces from between their nose & mouth, the latter of which go agape. A few seconds later, their entire top halves fall off & onto the concrete, spewing blood from the cut as they collapse in bloody heaps. Yazumi runs for his life down the ramp as his one-time bullies scream in terror at what had befallen their comrades. This catches the attention of everyone else including Ami, as they all cease their struggle & bear witness to the scene unfolding before them.

No one had time to say anything: from out of nowhere, the two former knife-holders were jabbed by something long & pointed in their sides, giving them time only for a grunt before they as well collapse dead to the floor. Masaki, Ami & all the rest stare at the carnage unfolding in front of them, when someone catches a bit of movement where their now-dead comrades lay at.

Ami can see it as well, & her heart races.

It can't be!, she thought, her eyes wide as she rises off the floor.

But it was: a shimmer in the air stood a good two meters tall before dissolving into a large muscular figure - the Predator known as Snake - with a singular jagged blade emerging from both his forearm cuffs that measured the length of his arms. Masaki & his troops back away from Ami as Snake's cackling echoes the floor, watching his prey with vast interest.

"It's him! Ami Hyuga's partner!", one of the men said, pointing at Snake.

"…I don't have a partner…!", Snake repeated in Ami's voice. He shines a trio of red dots at Ami's chest before aiming his shoulder cannon & firing off a shot of blue energy. Ami dives to one side just in the nick of time, the shot going past her & striking four of the men from behind, blowing through their chests & leaving a gaping, cauterized hole in each.

The men fell to the floor on their faces.

Masaki & his group cry out in fear & they start running for the edge of the lot to escape the creature with unusual but deadly weaponry. Four of them make it first, but the moment they go over they get grabbed from above by something - two somethings - and shred their upper halves in bloody heaps. They hardly had time to scream as animalistic growling drown it out. Before long, four pairs of legs drop to the ground below with a thud. Everyone backs off as two large & powerful objects come crashing down from above on four legs with sharp claws on each foot & large nasty spikes on their backs & heads. Toothy mouths open to unleash a chorus of vicious & no doubt hungry snarls.

Snake's Predator Hounds have come to play!

Trapped between two rocks & a hard place, Masaki, Ami & the other Yakuza boys/men all draw whatever weapons they had in their possession, ranging from knives, swords & firearms of any kind. The Predator Hounds & Snake himself stand & stare at the humans for several tense moments before giving a grunt, signaling his pets to attack.

The next several minutes became pure bloody pandemonium: the Predator Hounds leaped at a group of Yakuza & tore them to shreds with their teeth & spikes, the humans screaming as they get eviscerated; Snake gets in more than his fair share of kills with his long wrist blades & shoulder cannon, cutting down his prey & blowing off limbs & holes in them; Ami finally gets the chance to use her machine gun arm after a time, & she wastes none in firing at her enemies, human or alien. She gets in quite a number of kills herself, most of which are Yakuza, filling them full of holes & spurting blood from their swiss-cheese bodies before falling dead.

One of the Predator Hounds were assaulted from both sides as the Yakuza relentlessly stab at the beast with their knives continuously, drawing blood from countless wounds. The creature growled in pain & shook itself, trying to get its attackers loose like any regular dog would do to get rid of irritating fleas. Even when it takes off running, they still keep a firm hold on it & stab for all their worth. But it had another idea of getting rid of its human attackers: the thing rammed itself into the side against one of the thick concrete pillars, crushing the ribs of two of its prey & causing cracks into it. The beast reverses the process on its other side & gets rid of its other prey, putting more cracks in the pillar. Those that fell to the floor were immediately trampled on by heavy powerful legs & feet, crushing skulls, limbs & chests with sickening crunches.

Then it turns & sets its sights on Ami.

The teenage vigilante stares down the beast as it roars its defiance & charges at her. Ami raises her machine gun arm at the creature & lets loose with a volley of deadly rounds, piercing its alien flesh & blowing its face & head off in a shower of crimson as bone, flesh & blood get spattered everywhere. With the momentum of its charge, the headless corpse falls & slides into the cement side as Ami dives to one side to avoid getting crushed by the carcass.

Masaki gets into a standoff with the second Predator Hound, his sword drawn while his underlings deal with Snake himself. As the alien hunter dwindles the number of Masaki's group, the man himself brandishes his weapon at the four-legged nightmare, daring it to make a move towards him. It takes that dare: when Masaki swings his weapon, the beast blocks it with one of its large tusks on its head, making a clanging sound. Swinging its head, it throws Masaki over the edge & he falls one story. The hound snarls in triumph, slightly disappointed that it didn't get the chance to kill this one in its jaws or its claws.

When it turns its head, it catches the end of its brother as Ami blows its head off with her weapon, the carcass sliding across the concrete & nearly crushing the female human. This angers the beast, & it growls its displeasure before running towards her. Ami had no time to fire at it: she leaps away & lands between it & the pillar its brother slammed into. Searching for an escape route, Ami notices the pillar in a rather weakened condition, looking as if it might fall over if it gets hit again.

It gives her an idea: if she times it right & her luck holds out, she might just nail this thing with literally one stone.

Here goes nothing!, she thought, backing up to the pillar before she shouts orally at it.

"Hey, you ugly fucker! Come get me if you can! I dare you!"

Ami further taunts the beast by tapping her machine gun arm on the floor & shouting at it in quick intervals. The Predator Hound growls & snaps at her, getting more angry by the minute as Ami keeps up her taunting. Finally, the taunts become too much, & the beast bellows in rage & charges towards her at full speed. Ami moves over to her right at the last possible second to give it no chance to stop in time. It works: with the thing's momentum, it smashes into the pillar with great force that was more than enough to bring it down on top of it. A portion of the ceiling also fell, burying the creature even more.

Dead or just unconscious, the alien hound was no longer a threat.

But Snake still was: he disposes another two Yakuza boys with his wrist blades & cannon, blowing him apart as he takes off running, leaving him only a pair of legs that still run, squirting blood as it takes several more steps before collapsing. Sensing his second mutt in trouble, Snake turns to see his pet get buried under rubble caused by Ami, who turns in his direction & aims her machine gun arm. But it was Snake who fires first: he shoots a multitude of rounds from out of his shoulder cannon, striking everything but his intended target as Ami keeps herself on the move to give Snake no time to aim or make a clear shot. Pieces of concrete go flying where they do hit, & Ami turns around after the last shot & launches a barrage of bullets from her weapon. Round after hot round go soaring at the alien hunter, but Ami had no more success at hitting Snake as he was at hitting her. Ami cries out in frustration as Snake maneuvers in rapid succession to avoid a single bullet from her grafted-on firearm.

But not one of her rounds connected no matter how hard she tried to nail him, & soon Ami runs out of ammunition.

Dammit! All those flying bullets, & I didn't hit him even once! And now I'm out!, she said to herself in dismay. It gave Snake his chance: he fires his shoulder cannon again, & this time it makes contact, striking Ami's machine gun arm & blowing the muzzle to pieces. The impact of the blast knocks her on her back as Snake readies to fire another shot. Thinking fast, Ami grabs a pair of switchblades from two of the dead Yakuza & throws them at her alien foe, her aim quite accurate. The knives hit & get stuck into Snake's chest & he growls in pain, giving Ami her chance to cut her losses & run: without her machine gun arm, she's just practically inviting a grave for herself.

And she's not ready to go there yet.

Jumping down to the ramp, Ami takes off running & heads back the way she came. She doesn't see Yazumi anywhere, so she prays he made it back to his grandfather at their store.

She doesn't get too far: Snake jumps off from the second level of the lot & lands in front of Ami with both his wrist blades extended, cackling angrily. His chest still bled from the two wounds she inflicted on him, the weapons removed. Raising his arms, Snake prepares to cut her down to size as he did to most of the unfortunate Yakuza he went against.

Without a major weapon to protect her & no time to go grab one, Ami might be sent to her grave sooner than she realizes whether she's ready to or not.

A loud shout from behind Ami & causes her to turn. Masaki, battered but still lively, raises his sword & charges at both combatants. Ami gets out of the way when Masaki swings his blade, but Masaki doesn't go after her once she dodges. He's more intent on Snake than on her at the moment, & she uses the distraction to put distance from the last two survivors. Like a raving madman/lunatic, Masaki swings his sword at Snake, who does the same with his own blades. A clashing of the metals both earthbound & interstellar make clanging sounds as each combatant fights fiercely, expertly brandishing their blades & getting no solid hit on the other.

For over two dozen swings, Masaki gets nothing until he slices his foe in the chest where his two puncture marks are. Snake growls in pain & surprise as green blood ooze from his freshly made cut as Masaki goes in for the kill. As he draws the tip of his blade like a large dagger with intent to stab, Snake deflects it with his left blade before jabbing Masaki through the chest with his right, going all the way & out the back. The man cries out for a couple of seconds until the next sound turns into a wet crunch as Snake tears out his head & spinal column, just like he did to Anna, Shinzo & Chujo.

The wet crunch & Snake's howl of approval can be heard from where Ami is as she keeps on running, not turning back & staying out of sight.

Snake can find no trace of his true quarry after placing Masaki's head onto his belt & scanning the immediate area. It didn't bother him too much: he found her once, & he can do so again.

He was more than patient enough.

CHAPTER V

The Yoshihara residence, 6:00 p.m.:

Before heading home, Ami went back to the store that Yazumi & his grandfather ran to see if he made it back okay. She was more than thrilled to see he was, & that Horii & his grandson were equally thrilled (& highly pleased) that Ami kept her word, saying she'd bring Yazumi back home unharmed, eternally grateful to her. She also told them that Masaki would never bother them in any way again, an extra piece of great news they cherish.

Satisfied with saving a family, Ami headed home & changed her blood-stained outfit for a clean pair after a good long shower to thoroughly get the blood & stench off her. Kazuya told her that today was the day she gets equipped with her new appendage once he & Nanase get home, & Ami wanted to be in top shape for it by looking & smelling good. After all, hardly anyone ever gets operated on by looking like they've been having a party with someone like Leatherface from the 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre' films or smelling like the classic cartoon skunk Pepe Le Pew.

When the Yoshiharas returned home, Kazuya announced it was time.

Ami could hardly contain her joy.

Lying down on a make shift operating table with equipment & tools laying on a smaller table next to it, Ami prepares for the moment Kazuya & Nanase have waited a full year for.

"Incredible!", Ami said with a smile. "It seems like it was only yesterday I met you folks with nothing but my vengeance fulfilled, & you with the promise of a new left arm for me. And now, that time has finally arrived. I can hardly believe it!"

"We know", Nanase said, grinning. "Last year, when those three boys you saved brought you to us, we suffered a family tragedy not all that dissimilar to your own. Knowing you dealt with those horrible Kimuras & put them deep into the ground to avenge your younger brother Yu, my husband & I knew your arrival here was a blessing to us. And once your new appendage is attached, we know you'll help us get those who've taken our only son away."

Ami nodded her answer.

"Speaking of which, it's now time, Ami", Kazuya said, holding a breathing apparatus with a tube attached in his hand. "We're going to put you out for quite a while, but when you wake up again, you'll be a whole new girl."

"I understand. Put me under, Doc", Ami said.

"See you in a few hours", Kazuya says, placing the apparatus over Ami's mouth & nose, using the rubber band to keep it in place. Ami took several deep breaths, & her vision started to go blurry, then eventually black.

Ami didn't even hear Kazuya & Nanase speak before beginning.

The Yoshikazu residence:

Tatsuro throws another piece of appliance - a glass vase - against the wall of his living room, shattering it, the flowers & water everywhere. He's been doing so since hearing the news of what occurred at the abandoned parking lot on the outskirts of town, being most unhappy with what was related to him from Daigo hours earlier. Not satisfied with smashing the vase, Tatsuro grabs hold of an ashtray & flings it at the wall. Even though it was marble, the thing still broke in a trio of pieces. Natsumi & two guards watch as he throws his fit.

"Hey, Tatsuro! If you keep this shit up, we won't have anything left in this house to make it look pleasant, so cut it out!", Natsumi said, lighting a cigarette & blowing smoke from it.

"Quit your whining!", Tatsuro said, puffing on his own smoke. "We'll just get more cheap shit if that'll make you happy!"

"It'll be coming from your yen, not mine!"

Tatsuro strolls up to his wife & looks her in the eye. Natsumi rises & does the same.

"My dear Natsumi", he says semi-calmly. "More of our best people got wasted by a little cunt & her mystery partner, so I'm sure you'll forgive me if I'm more than just a little high-strung at the moment!"

He strolls away before he does something to her he knows he'd regret later.

"Well, smashing our personal property is not going to help our situation any!", Natsumi says, taking another drag from her cigarette. "We need to reach a solution to our current problem, not throw childish tantrums like what you're doing!"

"Masaki & his men should have been the solution to our problem!", Tatsuro said, blowing more smoke. "It was two individuals against thirty-six! And in the end, who loses? Our people! Kindly tell me, my sweet: how the fuck does two people take care of & kill three dozen like they did? Care to explain that?!"

"It's not the first time enemies trampled over forces smaller than their own! Don't forget about the ancient Battle of Thermopylae in Ancient Greece! King Leonidas sent 300 of his best men up against Xerxes' Persian army, & they killed thousands before falling themselves!"

"Thank you for the history lesson, Natsumi, but that still doesn't help us any, does it? Masaki & his boys should have finished this little problem in one fell swoop, & now they're all dead with Masaki himself being skinned & having his head & spinal column ripped out just as all out other comrades were! So the big question is this: now what?"

Natsumi puffs on her cigarette again before speaking.

"Then let's all stop awhile & use our brains for once before we send out any more of our brawn!", she explains.

"And how do you intend to do that?", Tatsuro says, puffing on his own smoke. "We can't even find where either of them are holed up at!"

Natsumi smirks & strolls up seductively to her husband.

"Think about it for a moment, Tatsuro", she says in a soothing voice. "Even someone as crazed with vengeance like Ami Hyuga has to live somewhere & eat sometime. There's no way she could have lasted this long without someone taking care of & seeing to her needs. Someone's got her stashed somewhere, & I'm betting it's somewhere in the suburbs, not far from Tokyo."

Tatsuro absorbed every word, & nodded.

"I see your point & follow you so far, my dear", he says. "Only, who would be so brazen & foolish enough to hoard & aide a murderer like Ami Hyuga?"

"There's one possibility on that", Natsumi says, taking a good drag from her cigarette & blowing the smoke. "Aside from that little slut, who else loathes & despises our Yakuza clan that we know of? Someone who has actual reason to hate us?"

The answer came to Tatsuro before Natsumi even finished speaking, & a grin came to his face as he laughs a bit.

"Ah, now I see where you're coming from, my dear! We were fools not to have thought of it sooner!", he says, turning to the two guards in the room. "Gentlemen, get our car ready. We'll be taking a trip to Tokyo immediately. We have some…business there to attend."

"Yes sir!", they said before exiting the room in unison, & Tatsuro faces his wife.

"Now I see just why I married you, Natsumi!", he says.

"And it's for more than the fantastic pussy you get from me!", she says, grinning.

Tatsuro grins himself.

9:00 p.m.:

Images & faces flickered past her more swiftly than Ami could keep track of.

Events of both the past & present get basically shoved in her face, fading in & out before she can do or say anything about it. Pictures & short videos of her parents, Yu, Yoshie, Suguru, Miki, the Kimuras & even that alien beast & its pets were filling her head & hanging around her sights, taunting her. All Ami can do is watch & allow them to go by, not being able to reach out & grab them whether she felt either sorrow or rage.

Then everything went black. Again.

It stayed that way for a minute before a single image appeared before her.

Ami couldn't believe it - it was the same crab-faced creature that she fought after fighting the Kimuras!

As much as she wanted to reach out & strangle it to death, Ami couldn't move any more now than she could before. All she can do is watch as the thing starts moving in closer, slowly but surely. When it gets to about three feet from Ami's face, the thing speaks in a familiar voice.

"Ami?"

It was Nanase's.

Three seconds later, the creature's face rushed at her.

Ami awoke with a gasp. When she opened her eyes, she didn't see the crab-faced alien in front of her. It was Nanase & Kazuya, standing on opposite sides of her. She was still laying down on the table as they stare down at her with concern.

"Ami?", Nanase says again.

"Nanase…", Ami replied in a tired voice. "How…how long was I out for?"

"Three hours. You were really out like a light all that time."

Three hours? It feels more like three days to me!, Ami thought, her head still spinning a bit. She lifts herself up from the table, her left arm going to her head.

She stopped. She has…a left arm?

Ami gasped at the wonder that was now before her: from her elbow on down, where there used to be nothing after the Kimuras cut it off, Ami was now fitted with a metal arm, complete with a hand & all five fingers from the thumb to the pinky. And it wasn't a metal skeleton either: it was encased in the same metal that she arrived with, acting like her regular skin. Gazing at this miracle of miracles, Ami's mouth began to grow into a smile of happiness & satisfaction.

"Oh my god! You did it! You really did it!", Ami says with barely contained joy.

"Of course!", Kazuya said, grinning. "We told you we could fix you with a brand new arm, & here it is!"

"Complete with working hand & fingers!", Nanase says, also grinning. "Go ahead, Ami - move them!"

Ami concentrated on getting them to work, but she hardly had to do anything: her metal hand & fingers moved on their own accord like she would her regular right arm. It operated as it normally would, & her fingers flexed in the same manner.

Ami Hyuga has two full arms again!

"Incredible! All I have to do is think about it, & it acts regularly!", Ami says. "You were right, Kazuya: unless I look at it, I would never know the difference! It even feels like I never lost my arm in the first place!"

"It wasn't too difficult", Kazuya explains. "With Nanase's help, I grafted the arm to your bone, tissue, muscle & nerves which will enable it to obey you like your right arm would. That piece of appliance is now a permanent part of you!"

"Thank you both so very much!", Ami said. "Even if I still had my machine gun arm, I'd gladly trade it for this permanent addition!"

"I still wouldn't worry about that loss at all, Ami", Kazuya said, walking over to another small table with a cloth covering something from underneath. He pulls the sheet off to reveal a remarkable sight, & Ami's eyes widen in delight.

"Good lord! Is that thing…?", she started to say as Nanase took over.

"A miniature version of the classic Army Vulcan M134-A2, FPS-550 6 Gatling Gun!", she says. The weapon was about the same length as Ami's arm, flesh or metal. "Both Kazuya & I had custom made it to be fitted onto your arm with ease! Allow us to demonstrate!"

Kazuya nods & takes the weapon over to Ami & fits it on with a clamp on both ends to keep it in place. A handle near her hand was fitted into her palm, complete with a button. Even with the added weight attached, Ami swung her arm a few times with ease.

"It fits like the proverbial glove, Kazuya!", Ami said. "It's a definite improvement over my old machine gun!"

"Like your other weapon, we've customized it to take cartridges of ammunition instead of a belt for better maneuverability, & not restrict your movement", Kazuya explains. "Whenever you wish to fire it, just flip the handle over your palm & press the button using your thumb. It's about the same length as your other machine gun arm, so it will fit in your backpack along with a spare ammo clip or two."

"Yes, it seems to be the same size, so I can continue on! Amazing!", Ami said, smiling as the Yoshiharas do. The latter's slowly fade as Kazuya turns more serious. Noticing the change in attitude, Ami asks if there was anything wrong, & it was Kazuya who speaks.

"Ami, Nanase & I never asked you as to where you got the metal that we used to make your new arm because we figured you had your reasons, but we'd like to know something. Tell us: did the metal come from that of an alien hunter?"

This piece of revelation came as a big surprise to Ami, & it made her feel as if she'd been hit by a tazer. She'd been keeping her encounter with the crab-faced alien a secret from them for a whole year, & suddenly they deliver the ultimate bombshell.

They…they know about the creature I fought…?, Ami thought, unable to move or speak aloud.

"How…how did you…?", she started to say but couldn't go on.

"Ami, I think it's time to show you what you've been dealing with", Nanase said. "If you'll just follow us…"

Nanase offers Ami her hand, & when she takes it, she & Kazuya lead her into another room located in their basement. Ami wanted to be told what it was she dealt with last year at the Kimura's base at Ichinooka Shrine & just this afternoon, but why be just told when she can be both told & shown what kind of thing she's fought?

Ami followed them in silence.

Tokyo General:

Tatsuro & Natsumi traveled to the hospital in silence, wanting to save their energy for when they look the Yoshiharas in the eye. After a long & arduous ride mostly due to the terrain, the Yoshikazus arrive at their destination. They tell their driver to wait within the car & keep the engine running as they enter. Going right up to the Reception Desk, they spot a lone nurse sitting at her seat, going through a schedule for the evening's activities. When she looks up, she sees the new arrivals smiling pleasantly.

"Good evening. May I help you?", the nurse asks.

"Good evening to you as well", Tatsuro says pleasantly. "We'd like to know if there's a Kazuya & Nanase Yoshihara that work here."

"Yes, they're members of our staff here at Tokyo General. Are you friends of theirs?"

"Yes, that we are", Natsumi said as pleasantly as her husband. "We'd very much like to see them if they're not too busy at the moment."

"Ah, I'm sorry but that's not possible, I'm afraid", the nurse replied. The smiles from the Yoshikazu's faces disappeared & they briefly stare at each other.

"Why not, if I may ask?", Tatsuro asked calmly.

"Mr. & Mrs. Yoshihara left a few hours ago", the nurse said. "They told us they had some personal business to attend to, so they left earlier than normal. If you'd like, I can let them know you were looking for them & schedule you for an appointment."

"Oh no, that won't be necessary", Natsumi said with ease & a little smile. "We'll just try to reach them here another time. Thank you very much for your assistance."

Tatsuro & Natsumi take a slight bow to the nurse before turning around & heading off as casually as they did entering. When they knew they were out of earshot from everyone else, they begin to converge in low, firm voices.

"They're at home", Tatsuro said.

"Most likely", Natsumi said. "And I'll bet my engagement ring that filthy bitch Ami Hyuga is with them even as we speak with her partner! Better call the boys & have them meet us over there!"

"You bet! This time, nobody gets away!", Tatsuro says, digging into his pocket & fishing out his cell phone.

Yoshihara residence:

Kazuya & Nanase show Ami on the computer several classified files on the Predators from appearances to their list of known weaponry. Photos of the alien creatures, with & without their metal facemasks on, were plastered on the screen, followed by weapons ranging from nets to the razor discs & their shoulder cannons. Staring at the evidence on the screen made Ami wonder of she'd stepped into an episode of 'The Outer Limits' or even Japan's own 'Ultra-Q', two well-known black & white science-fiction television series from the mid-1960s.

But try as she might, Ami couldn't deny her clashes with the one from Ichinooka Shrine last year & the one only from this afternoon at the abandoned parking lot many blocks away.

So she told them about these incidents, with Kazuya & Nanase absorbing every little bit of detail like a sponge.

"Incredible, Ami!", Kazuya says. "One of these creatures you fought earlier had a pair of guard dog-like creatures with it?"

"That's right!", Ami replied. "Only they were much bigger than any kind of dog I've ever seen, complete with large tusks that stuck out from its back & head!"

"You killed them for sure, Ami?", Nanase asks.

"I blew the head off of one of those things, but with the other I made heavy concrete drop down onto it. I had no time to confirm whether or not it was actually dead, or if I merely knocked it out."

Kazuya & Nanase look at each other briefly.

"Kazuya, Nanase…just what the hell are these things? Do they even have a name?", Ami wondered.

"For a time, we didn't have one for them", Kazuya explains. "But considering that they use all sorts of weaponry similar & yet unlike anything we have here on Earth, the Government of the United States & around the world simply called them 'Predators'. That name more or less stuck."

"Predators", Ami repeated. "Have these creatures visited the Earth before?"

"Numerous times, according to these files. In fact, they've been coming to our planet for centuries."

That emitted a gasp of surprise from Ami.

"Then there must be hundreds, if not thousands, of files on these creatures, yes?", she asks.

"No, not many", Nanase said. "For the most part, any & all info regarding these creatures are kept confidential from the general public to avoid causing any panic. But there have been a few recorded incidents of their activity here on Earth." She looks hard but pleadingly at Ami. "Ami, Kazuya & I beg you to keep what we're about to tell you to yourself. Will you do that for us?"

"Yes", Ami said without hesitation. "After everything you both have done for me, there's practically nothing that I wouldn't do for you."

Kazuya & Nanase nod gratefully.

"Thank you, Ami", Kazuya says. "One of the first - if not the first - recorded incident that involved the Predators was back in 1987 in Guatemala, located in Central America. A team of Special Elite Forces - seven of the very best the U.S. Army ever produced - were sent on a rescue mission to free a cabinet minister & his men from a guerilla camp stationed there. On their way back, they encountered one of the creatures, & it hunted & killed each one of Major Alan 'Dutch' Schaefer's men - Rick Hawkins, Blain Cooper, Mac Eliot, George Dillon, Billy Sole & Jorge 'Poncho' Ramirez - until only Dutch and a former hostage named Anna were left. Anna fled for the chopper waiting while Dutch tackled the creature, using only his wits & the jungle itself to battle it. After a brutal one-on-one with the creature, Dutch was barely able to beat it by dropping a heavy log onto it. Beaten, the thing activated a self-destruct device on its left forearm cuff which resulted in an explosion that wiped out 200 acres of land. Miraculously, Dutch survived the blast & was taken back for recovery & questioning."

Kazuya types a few buttons on the keyboard before resuming.

"Another incident came ten years later in the city of Los Angeles. A blood feud between Colombian & Jamaican drug cartels, each one being led by Ramon Vega & King Willie, fought for territory & supremity. Detective Mike Harrigan & his band of officers - Danny Archuleta, Leona Cantrell & Jerry Lambert - stumbled what became a drug feud into a fight against another one of the creatures that took on both drug parties, killing King Willie & two of Mike Harrigan's officers, Archuleta & Lambert, in the process. During this incident, Harrigan ran into a team of specialists led by one Peter J. Keyes, who had arrived to try & subdue the creature to gain access to its technology. A bloody battle in a slaughterhouse ensued, killing Keyes & his team, leaving Harrigan to track it down to its lair - a ship that lay underneath the city. From within, Harrigan fought the thing & killed it with its own razor disc, jamming it into its stomach. Afterwards, more of the creatures surrounded it, but instead of killing him, one presented the detective with an old Flintlock pistol from the year 1715. He barely escaped the ship just before it took off for space again."

"One of the Predators gave Harrigan a present?", Ami wondered.

"More like a trophy. Harrigan had reported that the Predators operate under a strict code of honor like most hunters do. When the detective beat the creature with its own weapon, they gave him a trophy in commendation, respecting their prey should one triumph over them in battle."

"This is so incredible!", Ami says, unable to contain her curiosity despite being close to getting killed by two of them. "I take it that because of their code of honor the Predators don't go around killing indiscriminately or at random?"

It was Nanase who answers her question.

"No, Ami. Of what we discovered in the files, the Predators go after only the most worthy & challenging prey they can find. Anything that they deem weak, defenseless, injured or even sick they leave alone. These creatures thrive on the thrill of the hunt, going after things that are capable of hurting or even killing them. For them, the more intense & dangerous their prey is, the more they'll enjoy hunting it down & killing it. And that is something that Schaefer, Harrigan & a woman named Alexa Woods had learned of in each of their experiences with the creatures. Which brings us to our next two recorded files on the Predators."

Kazuya nods & types more on the keyboard as Nanase continues.

"Not too long ago in 2004, a group of expeditionists rounded up & funded by billionaire Charles Bishop Weyland headed to an area in Antarctica called Bouvetoya to investigate a heat bloom Mr. Weyland's satellites had picked up there. With Alexa Woods as their guide, she led Weyland's team down to an underground pyramid that was in reality a hunting ground for the Predators in a 'Rite of Passage' act. They discovered that they were being led into a trap to be used like cattle to breed an alien species that was deemed as 'the ultimate prey' - acid-blooded creatures that resembled a cross between reptile & insect. With the rest of her team killed, Alexa was forced to join forces with one of the Predators to ensure that they never leave the pyramid alive, for fear they could overrun the planet & kill every living soul on it. Destroying the pyramid with its self-destruct device, Alexa & the last of three Predators made it to the surface where the largest of the acid-blooded creatures - a queen, she called it - emerged & did battle with them both. Together, Alexa & the Predator fought the queen beast & drove it into the dark freezing waters of the Antarctic. The Predator she fought alongside with died from a fatal wound in its chest by the queen's pointed tail. A group of more Predators arrived to take the body of their comrade & award Alexa with a spear in honor of fighting with one of their own after seeing she had been marked with their symbol the Predator burned onto her cheek. The ship headed back out into space, their ordeal over."

Nanase takes a breath & sip of her drink of coffee before going on. Kazuya does the same before typing again.

"And yet, seemingly only hours after that incident in Antarctica, one rose up from the town of Gunnison, Colorado. A bunch of the acid-blooded creatures the Predators hunted in the underground pyramid somehow got there & started killing the unsuspecting residents. One of the four survivors from that encounter - ex-convict Dallas Howard, his younger brother Ricky, a female soldier from the military named Kelly & her young daughter Molly - explained that a hybrid creature, one that was a mix of the acid-blooded beasts & a Predator, had somehow been responsible for leading the attack, even though it was never fully proven. Reaching the town's hospital, they fought their way through the creatures before boarding a helicopter & leaving the town just as a military jet performed a tactical nuclear strike that leveled the entire town, killing every living thing."

"I recall that the U.S. military wiped out that town with a nuclear weapon!", Ami says. "No doubt it was to go cover up what truly happened, & they did so by stating a report of a biological breakout that left them no other alternative!"

"Correct, Ami", Kazuya says. "And if you think about it, it really isn't that much different from what had actually occurred there. So the plausible story that the Government handed to the public isn't all entirely untrue."

"Either of you would've said the same thing, I bet", Ami said, getting nods from both.

"That also explains as to why the Predator is here in Tokyo", Ami went on. '"Since they look for only the best prey, what better kind is there in this country than the Yakuza itself? That's why it went after those like Shinzo Norikawa & Chujo Masada: of what you told me, they're two of the biggest names in the crime organization, possibly second only to the Yoshikazus. Unless we miss our guess, this thing will go after them in due time, knowing what they are."

"If not for what the Yoshikazus have done to us, Nanase & I would be very tempted to let it go & kill them on its own", Kazuya said as his wife nods. "And that is why we ask you to hurry & pay back those sonsabitches before that creature can get to them."

"Kazuya's right, Ami", Nanase adds. "If we're to get any peace at all for what they did, it must be us & you to deliver the final blow to the Yoshikazus. Otherwise, poor Jiro will never be able to rest in peace, & that's something we can never live with. You understand, yes?"

"Perfectly, Nanase", Ami said immediately. "You kept & trained me here for a year for that one purpose, & I'll be damned if I let an alien do a job you're both trusting me to fulfil. The first lead we get on their hideout is when we'll strike. We'd better get ready for that."

"Yes", Kazuya said. "Nanase, you & Ami get our weapons. But first…" He turns to Ami & places his hands on her shoulders, looking her in the face. "Ami, you're the only one outside the service to know of the Predators, aside from those who have already encountered them. Please remember that."

"I shall, Kazuya", Ami said firmly. Kazuya nodded, hearing the veracity in her words. "I know how important it is to keep their existence confidential from the general public. Human beings are not much of a match against them, if at all, & only a very few have faced them & lived to tell about it. Hell, I barely lived through my encounter with it earlier today, & no doubt it will try & come after me again, since I did provide it with such sport, killing its dogs & all."

"All the more reason for you to be extra cautious, Ami", Nanase said. "Not only will you have the Yoshikazus after you once we make our move, but that creature will want your head as well as the Yakuza's."

"Yes."

A banging on the door grabs their attention, & they all go on the defense.

"Kazuya, Nanase…are either of you expecting any company this evening?", Ami asks.

The Yoshiharas shake their heads.

"I'll go & see who it is. You two hang back", Kazuya says, heading for & up the stairs.

When he gets to about four feet from the front door, it gets violently kicked open by a pair of powerful legs from equally powerful men, causing Kazuya to stagger back. As the men enter his house, he gets greeted by a most unwelcome surprise.

Tatsuro & Natsumi, dressed in casual attire, make their way inside as if expected. A smile of pure malice were plastered on their faces. From behind, several more men came in.

"Hello, Kazuya. It's been a year now", Natsumi said in a greeting tone.

"Even a hundred wouldn't be enough to suit us, Natsumi!", Kazuya replied in an icy tone. "You & your people have some nerve showing up here, after what you did!"

"Come now, Kazuya. I needed help to get rid of my Colon Cancer, & you & your wife were the ones who first came to mind. You both saved my life."

"At the cost of our son's! We could've easily have worked on both of you if you weren't so goddamn selfish! And yet, you blatantly allowed him to die while you forced us to nurse you back to full health! WHY?!"

"Come now, Kazuya", Tatsuro steps in. "What's past is past, & we all need to move on in our lives. Which brings us as to why we're here." Tatsuro gets closer to about thirteen inches from Kazuya. "You & your wife have something we want. We're on a timetable, & are not in the mood for any games. Just hand it over to us, & we'll leave peacefully. Simple as that."

"What can we possibly have that you would want here, Tatsuro?!"

"Just a girl by the name of Ami Hyuga. Where is she?"

"And who the hell is that?", Kazuya asks, trying to act suspiciously.

It gets him a hard slap in the face by Tatsuro, his vision going slightly white.

"I told you we aren't in the mood for any games, Kazuya!", he bellowed. "We know that you & your wife have been hoarding her here for some time! Now, I'm only going to ask you one more time! Give us another smartass answer or if you simply don't, & we'll torture you & your bitch for months before we kill you! Where is she?!"

Kazuya stares at Tatsuro in utter contempt with eyes that can burn.

"Go fuck yourself, Tatsuro!", he growls.

Tatsuro, Natsumi & their men looked at one another in surprise. When they turn back to him, their glare is just as malicious & hateful. Before they can do or say anything, a new voice grabs their attention.

"Hey! I hear you've been looking for me!"

Everyone turns to the basement door to see Nanase & a young girl in her teens, wearing a school outfit & a metal left arm from the elbow down to her fingers & wearing a backpack.

The Yoshikazus & their people gasp in surprise. It was their quarry, Ami Hyuga!

"Ami Hyuga!", Natsumi says in hatred & amazement. "The one who wiped out our rivals & friends the Kimuras only a year ago! We finally get to meet you! It's just a pity that it will be our one & only time we get to do so, & that your Yakuza-killing partner isn't here! No worries: we'll find & deal with him just as we're about to do with you!" She turns to her men. "Boys…kill these three & bring me Ami's head! I want it on our wall!"

"Yes ma'am!", said the one closest to Kazuya said. He gets a swift hard kick in his solar plexus & goes down. Kazuya regroups with Nanase & Ami as the Yoshikazu's men spring into action. They begin by throwing sharp ninja stars at the trio in rapid succession. Kazuya & Nanase dodge these with moves they'd learn while being in the Japanese Self-Defense Force. Ami also dodges the deadly projectiles, but she also deflects some of them with her new arm as they cling off the metal without a scratch.

Amazing!, she thought, deflecting two more stars. This alien metal I now wear is even more resilient than I first thought! These ninja stars are bouncing off it like they were nothing more than popcorn!

All the ninja stars suddenly ceased to fly all over as quickly as they'd started, but it didn't mean the men were done: taking out knives & mini katanas, they charge the trio as both Kazuya & Nanase do the same, having grabbed their own weapons before coming topside. Swift, violent swinging & clashing of blades erupted in the house as furniture get sacrificed, cut & smashed into pieces. Ami again uses her new arm to block the blades & even breaks some in the process. It gives her the chance to deliver karate & jujitsu moves on her advancing foes, some of which break bones & cause men to cry out. Seeing their numbers dwindling, Tatsuro & Natsumi order more men in the house in droves.

It meant more trouble for the Yoshiharas & Ami herself.

But, ironically, it also meant for Ami to give her new toy a good workout.

Giving her back a quick heave upwards, the weapon placed in her backpack - her brand new machine gun - flies up a few feet into the air & comes down on Ami's new arm, the weapon clicking into place. Tatsuro, Natsumi & their men gaze at Ami's newest addition as the firing mechanism falls into Ami's metal palm, & she aims it at her enemies.

"You miss the Kimuras so much?! Allow me to send you to them…in Hell!", Ami shouts, firing her weapon on her last two words. Round after hot round fire off from her weapon as men get torn apart by high velocity bullets, blowing away arms, legs, heads & even torsos in bloody pieces as body parts, inner organs & blood go splashing everywhere, turning a once-beautiful home into a slaughterhouse. Men cry out in agony before being silenced forever, being cut down like living trees. Tatsuro & Natsumi, clearly outmatched, retreat from the house, ordering three surviving men to get them away in their car which was waiting for them only one house away.

The man closest to it gets in the driver's seat.

Once he closes the door, a shot of blue energy hits & blows up their ride & its driver into a smoldering ruin, the blast throwing the Yoshikazus & their last two men back twelve feet. Debris fell down around them, barely missing.

"Shit!", Tatsuro cursed, getting to his feet & helping his wife do the same.

"This way - hurry!", he says, & the four head up the street, leaving a charred car & body behind.

From inside the Yoshihara home, the explosion was heard & felt by all. The firing stopped as friend & foe alike wondered momentarily what happened. One of the men took advantage of the distraction to throw a hidden star at Kazuya, which buries itself deep within his chest. Kazuya cries out as Nanase calls his name. Ami blows away the lowlife & the rest of Tatsuro's men still standing before running out the door, telling Nanase to take care of her wounded husband.

Exiting the house, Ami sees the wrecked & charred ruins of a vehicle - no doubt belonging to the Yoshikazus - laying on the pavement with the burned skeleton of a man in the driver's seat as his jaw hangs loosely open. She hears shots from a distance as flashes of blue lights brighten an area only a block or two away.

It meant only one thing.

The Predator's after the Yoshikazus!, she thought with dread. Loathe & despise them as she does, Ami promised the Yoshiharas that she'd be the one to go & deliver the killing blow to the Yakuza, & not that alien hunter. With her body on a full adrenaline rush, Ami runs off & follows the sounds of carnage to its source.

More energy shots rain down on the Yoshikazus & their two remaining bodyaguards like an angry god from the Heavens come sent down to Earth to punish those who dare defy them. As each shot came closer & closer, shattering nearby cars to pieces & creating cauterized craters in both cement & dirt, Tatsuro's two men turn around & aim their handguns.

"Go, Mr. & Mrs. Yoshikazu! Leave this to us! Go now!", the first man said. No sooner that he ordered them to take off than when his head exploded in a shower of red & he collapsed to the concrete. A second later, a large double-pointed spear comes flying down & stabs the second man in the chest, pinning him on his feet as the weapon goes through his back & into the street.

Tatsuro & Natsumi stare at the dead bodies when a large shimmer in the air suddenly shows up & removes the spear from the body as it collapses like a marionette with its strings all cut off. A menacing cackling echoes the street as the shimmer looks in their direction, a pair of yellow eyes flash briefly, sending a chill down both Yakuza husband & wife's spines. They grab onto each other & shiver in utter trepidation as the shimmer takes steps towards them, cackling in its anticipation of doing to them what it did to their associates.

So Daigo wasn't off his rocker when he mentioned a 'ghost'!, Natsumi thought as the big shimmer extended what appeared to be a long blade from its right arm, which it raises to deliver a killing blow.

Frozen in fear, neither Tatsuro nor Natsumi could move as the shimmer was now only one foot away.

From behind & seemingly out of nowhere, a black SUV with tinted windows races down the street & rushes at the shimmer, which dives at the last possible second to avoid getting hit. It pulls up to the Yoshikazus on its left side as its driver's side window opens to reveal a familiar face - Daigo.

"Get in! Quickly!", he says. Tatsuro & Natsumi waste no time: within seconds, they open up the left rear door & basically throw themselves into the vehicle. Even before they shut the rear door, Daigo floors the gas pedal & they take off into the night just as the shimmer disappears to reveal Snake, who watches them drive off as he retracts his blade & spear. The alien hunter made no move to stop the vehicle, & he lets his quarry go.

For now.

At the end of the block far behind Snake, Ami watched the transaction take place from the two men getting killed to when the SUV came zooming in to pick up the Yakuza & get them far away from being massacred like their associates were.

The Machine Girl can't decide whether to feel angry or relieved that they escaped.

She supposed she should feel the latter more, remembering what she's promising Kazuya & Nanase.

Kazuya!

His name re-enters her mind, & Ami rushes off back towards the house.

Unfortunately for her, Ami's departure did not go unnoticed by Snake, who turns on the sound of her taking off & reactivating his cloak. He leaps onto the nearest rooftop & follows her stealthily across several houses before reaches her destination. With her back to the alien hunter, Ami doesn't realize that three red dots have been placed onto her, giving Snake an easy target & a grand opportunity to drop her where she was.

All it would take is one quick burst of blue energy, and…

No. Snake wouldn't do it that way. This girl with the arm based upon his alien metal has proved to be very good sport, having disposed of his pets & eluding him when the time was right.

She also handles herself rather well, & to literally stab or shoot her in the back would deny him of a challenging fight, one of the reasons as to why Snake has marked her for his own.

No, he would wait for a better opportunity, one that he very much believes will come soon.

Very soon.

Deactivating his targeting systems, the red dots disappear from Ami's back as Snake takes off into the night as the Machine Girl enters the house. She finds Kazuya still on the floor with the star still stuck in his chest as it bleeds heavily, with Kazuya coughing up blood despite the best efforts by Nanase to staunch it.

"Kazuya!", Ami cried, dropping her machine gun off her arm & rushing towards him. "Oh my god! Nanase, how is he?"

"It's buried deep in his heart, I'm afraid!", she tells her. "If I attempt to remove it, he might bleed uncontrollably, & that will kill him!"

"I'll die either way", Kazuya said weakly. "It's too late for me anyhow."

"No! Kazuya, we need you on this! Don't leave us yet!"

"Nanase's right!", Ami said, taking his hand in hers. "Kazuya, we do need you! We can't go & avenge Jiro without you! You must be by our side to bring his killers to their grave, or he'll never rest peacefully! Don't you recall what you told me before?"

Kazuya smiles warmly.

"Of course I do, Ami", he replies. "I'm just in no condition to assist you on it."

"I'm sorry! It's my fault!", Ami says, a tear running down her face. "If only I hadn't been distracted by that explosion, you wouldn't be in this dire predicament! Forgive me, Kazuya!"

"I already have, Ami", Kazuya says, his tone going softer. "And it's nowhere near your fault for what's happened to me, so please don't blame yourself. I know you & my wife will get the Yoshikazus for me & avenge Jiro. Remember that I will be with you both on this journey, just in spirit. Ami?"

"Yes, Kazuya?"

"I'm happy to have had you in our house & our lives. You were like a daughter to us, & it felt really good.", Kazuya turns to his wife. "Nanase, help Ami get our revenge for Jiro. Make the Yakuza pay for our son. And most importantly…please know that I will always love you."

Kazuya exhales & closes his eyes, his head falling to the floor.

Nanase calls her husband's name a few times, but she gets no response. Taking a look at his chest, she & Ami can see no sign of movement of any kind.

Kazuya Yoshihara has expired.

"Kazuya", Nanase sobbed, placing her head into Ami's shoulder & letting her tears flow & making her sorrow known as she cries out, the noise being muffled. For Ami, it reminded her of when Miki's husband Suguru was literally chopped up by sharp-bladed stars just after making & giving her the first machine gun arm he made to help her get vengeance on the Kimuras.

It was deja-vu all over again.

The Yoshikazus now have two deaths to pay for, & Ami & Nanase will make sure they get what's coming to them.

But for right now, they both need a moment.

Holding each other close, Ami & Nanase let it all out as they cry out their grief.

The next evening, 6:00 p.m.:

Ami & Nanase spent the most of last night getting rid of bodies/body parts & disposing of them in an isolated area where hardly anyone ventures out into. The next thing they did is gather whatever weaponry & equipment they could before torching the house to leave no evidence of what occurred or transpired there. When authorities did investigate the raging fire, they suspect it was either arson or an accident, leaving no solid trace of whichever it might have been.

It would be another of life's little mysteries that could never get solved.

Which was fine with Ami & Nanase: as far as the world was concerned, they were dead.

As was Kazuya, who got a decent burial unlike the other dead bodies, his grave unmarked.

Letting the authorities deal with the blaze, Ami & Nanase loaded up the vehicle with their supplies & headed into town. Driving around a bit, they came across a familiar place which had owners that would offer them temporary refuge.

It was the convenience store of Horii & his grandson Yazumi.

Even though abruptly awoken from a peaceful sleep at twenty minutes past midnight, the two storeowners did offer then refuge into their home as a way of paying back Ami for rescuing Yazumi from Masaki's clutches only hours earlier. When asked what happened, Ami & Nanase explained most of the situation in record time, leaving out the involvement of the Predator, albeit a very brief involvement on its part. Taking them to a spare bedroom, Ami & Nanase spent the night on comfortable mats, sleeping mostly soundly considering the carnage they were part of.

For the rest of the night & most of the daytime, they were out like lights.

At 3:00 in the afternoon, the girls woke up fully refreshed with the help of some fine fish & well-cooked shrimp for an early dinner, compensation for missing out on both breakfast and lunch. The ladies even had about an hour or two to practice some fighting techniques, & with the new arm Ami has, her fighting prowess has improved vastly since before Kazuya & Nanase had permanently grafted it onto her stub of a left arm.

Giving themselves extra time for a quick shower, Ami & Nanase were both now ready to go over their plans for a raid on the Yoshikazu's home. Laid out on a table were a printout of the house's layout from all levels, from the roof to the lowest subbasements.

"Incredible!", Horii exclaimed. "You got a whole readout of the Yakuza home right here, including its exact location!"

"Yes. Everything we need to know about their stronghold is right here!", Ami said, turning to Nanase. "How long have you & Kazuya had these blueprints of their house, Nanase?"

"Shortly after you arrived to us, Ami", Nanase said. "We wanted to get everything ready for this moment, & one of the first things we did was to get the Yoshikazu's address. During our attempt, we came across this & made a printout of it."

"Was it hard to obtain these blueprints?"

"Not at all, actually", Nanase says, facing Ami with a partly confused look. "As a matter of fact, they were presented to us almost immediately!"

"Just like that?", Ami asks, surprised.

"Just like that. In fact, it was too easy to get them. It felt as if somebody wanted us to get our hands on these readouts of the Yoshikazu home. For almost a year, Kazuya & I pondered on it. No one would do such a thing without good reason."

"Maybe someone has their own personal grudge against the Yoshikazus, & they wanted to present you with as much info on them as possible", Yazumi says. "Someone who hates them more that you both do, perhaps?"

Horii, Ami & Nanase ponder on that for a few moments.

"It wouldn't surprise me, Yazumi", Horii said. "Our community have absolutely no love for the Yakuza. But…what if the one who sent you these blueprints is Yakuza? By following it, he might be leading you both into a trap!"

"Yes. Grandpa has a point", Yazumi adds. "Nanase, did you ever discover who it was that sent you these blueprints of the Yoshikazu house?"

Nanase shook her head.

"No, Yazumi", she said. "Hard as Kazuya & I had tried to find the source as to where they originated from, we had no luck. The message we received was highly encrypted, & we had no way to get past its firewall. Whoever sent us these was very good at covering their tracks."

"It doesn't matter", Ami said. "Friend or foe, it's all the more reason to be more careful as Nanase & I make our raid on the place. These blueprints are all we have going for us right now, & we should make full use of them, accurate or not."

"Ami's correct", Nanase adds. "She & I have a promise to fulfil, & whether or not these plans are on the level or if we get lead astray, we intend to follow them & see where they lead us. We have two people who are counting on us to deliver what is long overdue to the Yoshikazus, & we'll follow even the devil himself to do it."

Horii & his grandson both stayed silent as they faced each other. Ami & Nanase's situation would be no different if it were one or the other who got killed by the Yakuza, a scenario that might have happened just yesterday were it not for Ami's intervention on her behalf. And they felt for the ladies too: Ami Hyuga lost her younger brother to these ruthless people, & Nanase had lost both her young son and her husband to those who think the rules don't apply to them. As it is in America, there will always be those who want more freedom than the law allows, & a lot of times the law isn't even close to being enough to stem their illegal activities.

Ami Hyuga & Nanase Yoshihara are the best weapons against the Yakuza, & they knew it for a number of reasons: aside from their personal tragedies, both ladies are strong for their sex & are well-trained in fighting skills, they're fearless, & they'll break whatever rules to get the job done & make their enemies pay in full.

If anyone outside the law can deal with Yakuza efficiently, it's them.

"We understand, Nanase", Horii says, nodding his approval followed by Yazumi. "But before you girls take off on your quest, permit me to present you both with something that shall be useful."

Horii reaches into his pocket & takes out two objects: twin pieces of wood with Japanese symbols & designs carved into them, each with a loop of string attached at the semi-pointed tops of each one.

"Omamori charms?", Ami & Nanase say in unison.

"Yes", Horii says, placing one in each of their hands. "These charms will provide you with protection from the evil you'll encounter when facing the Yoshikazus on their home turf."

Ami & Nanase stare at the Omamori charms for several seconds. While they did believe in charms such as these, they never took the time to actually get, let alone wear them. Even before they became engines of vengeance, neither girl believed in luck with whatever they did in life.

But if they do now, it certainly can't hurt to have some supplied.

Smiling & nodding in gratitude, Ami & Nanase place them around their necks & tuck them inside their shirts.

"Thank you", Nanase said. "For a mission like this, it might be nice to have some luck on our side."

"So…when do you leave for the Yoshikazu house?", Yazumi asked.

Ami & Nanase look at each other with a little smile before turning to him.

"Now", they answered simultaneously.

Several blocks away:

Making it his hideout once he touched down, Snake uses this abandoned warehouse as his base of operations for him & his Predator Hounds, the last one of which got its wounds treated by special medicine in his arsenal. It seems that Ami hadn't killed his last guard dog in the parking lot after getting that large stone pillar dropped on it. The creature had merely been down for the count, but not out of commission like its two brothers, one killed by the Machine Girl herself. It waited patiently as Snake checks his stash of weaponry that he brought for his hunt. Weapons from shoulder cannons to razor discs, with & without six sharp curved blades, were being placed on his person, checking each one for stability & performance. He takes a pair of spears (one being a double-bladed glaive) & makes them collapse into themselves before placing them on his back, behind & underneath his twin shoulder cannons, both of which are in upright positions that will spring forth when needed. His next weapon of choice is his barbed whip, which he gives a rapid crack that makes the Predator Hound to roar on protest, obviously not its favorite piece of equipment.

Snake gives his pet a cackling of assurance which calms the creature down as he folds it up with one swift move of his wrist before placing it at his side with his discs.

Now all it needs to do is place his face mask back on, but instead of the one he came to Earth in, Snake uses a different one, wanting to use his new & improved face mask for this most essential of hunts: the heads of a highly known & feared Yakuza clan, & a young teenage girl who hunts & hates them. That's why Snake didn't kill Ami the other night: he knew that she's bound to go after the Yakuza heads in due time, & why bother getting one or the other when one can get two birds with one stone?

If Snake's hunch is correct, that should be occurring soon, if not this evening.

And if it is this evening, then Snake wishes to be there for the festivities.

Putting on his spare mask, Snake checks his twin wrist blades by extending & swinging each one in rapid succession. Satisfied with the feeling & their performance, he extracts them & activates his cloak, giving his pet the signal that it was time to go.

The Predator Hound roars its eagerness & follows its master out the doors.

On the wall next to where his weapons lay hung the skulls of Snake's kills, all stripped & cleaned of flesh, blood & bile.

With no working eyes, they all stare at their killer taking off into the night.

CHAPTER VI

Between Tokyo & Lake Oku-tama, 8:00 p.m.:

With Nanase behind the wheel of their four-drive gray SUV, she & Ami wasted no time in departing for the Yoshikazu home on the outskirts of civilization. For the most part of their ride, the ladies traveled alongside a clear dirt/grass road that took them a great deal of the way. But the further they got, the thicker the brush became, making it nearly impossible to go get their vehicle through. Finally, their ride can go no further as it gets caught in brush so thick they'll need to use a machete to get through, something their SUV is sadly lacking in.

"Sorry, Ami. We go on foot from here on in", Nanase said. "There's no way we'll get the SUV through this mess without getting it caught on something."

"Looks that way", Ami says as her friend checks the vehicle's GPS. "But…are we close to our destination?"

"Fortunately, we are", Nanase says, looking at Ami. "Even though we're in for a hike from here, it's only about an hour or so away. All we need to do is keep heading in the direction we were driving in, & we'll make it there before we know it. And Ami?"

"Yes?"

"We'd best split up & head there solo."

"What? Why not go together?"

"It's just in case either of us should get caught by the Yoshikazu's guards that are no doubt patrolling this area even now. Should that actually happen, at least one of us will make it up there & mete out our vengeance on those bastards."

"And what about the Predator? Kazuya & you also mentioned that they see us by sensing our body heat, making us visible to it. We can't hide that, nor did we come up with anything to hide our heat signatures. Plus, you know it's bound to come after not just the Yoshikazus, but me as well. Possibly even you, too."

Nanase took a deep breath & exhaled it, knowing she was right.

"We'll just have to do our best to not get caught, either by human Yakuza or alien hunter", she said. "It's the best answer I have right now. Ready?"

Ami nodded.

"Yes. Let's do what we're promising your husband & son", Ami said with a smile.

Nanase returned the gesture.

"Good girl!", she replied. "Let's get our gear from out of the back! Then…let's see who between us gets to kick major ass first, eh?"

Ami & Nanase share a giggle with each other before exiting the vehicle.

Once they were fully loaded with their gear, they wished each other luck & took off in two different directions.

30-35 minutes later:

Literally arming herself with her brand new custom gatling gun & her backpack, Ami makes her way up & deeper into the brush in the direction their GPS gave before being forced to exit their vehicle. Moving with swiftness but stealthily with as little noise as possible, she gets closer to her main targets with every step. She takes a pause just long enough to peer through the binoculars to view how much farther off she is to her destination. A grove of trees was blocking her view, but Ami can still catch a large house through the haze at a distance from where she was standing. She can also see a group of men standing guard around the premises, armed with high-powered rifles & other combat gear, most of which Ami knew was hidden underneath their black suits.

She'll deal with them once she gets there.

But, so far so good: not once has she encountered a single guard sentry since going on foot, & she assumed that Nanase was doing just as fortunate in that department as her.

Not even a cackle from the Predator did she hear, but Ami couldn't decide whether or not that was a good thing. She knew it would come along to strike; the only thing she can't deduce on is to when it will.

Biding its time, perhaps?

It made sense: any good hunter would know when the right time to strike is. It's one way you survive when hunting for big game: pick the right moment to bring your prey down & make sure it stays down. Doing so too soon or just not in the right way will turn the tables & make the hunter the prey.

That's no doubt what the Predator is doing at this time, she bets.

Hell, that's what Ami herself would do.

It ain't no novice. Ami had to give it that, alien or not.

But neither is she, & Ami continues trekking her way towards the Yoshikazu house in as much silence as she can manage to make.

Unfortunately, noise is what she hears, coming from something or someone else.

A snap of a twig causes Ami to swivel in its direction, her gatling gun aimed at the sound's source & her finger on the trigger. She says not a word so as not to give away her position & she catches movement in the bushes only eleven feet from her. With baited breath, Ami stares down at the shaking of the brush, ready to let loose a volley of fire at the first intruder she sees.

The intruder comes out of the brush. It was only a rabbit.

Ami exhales softly & smiles, lowering her weapon.

How queer that would've been: big, bad Yakuza-killer Ami Hyuga had nearly blown away Bugs Bunny!, she thought jokingly, shaking her head slightly. The rabbit gets up on its hind legs & turns its head from left to right & twitching its whiskers, almost as if it senses something. Ami was wondering what was on the mind of Bugs' relative as it kept sniffing the air for a moment or two before darting off into the woods again, disappearing from sight in a second.

Once the bunny was gone, Ami feels something stick her in the side & she cries out as a jolt of 10,000 volts of electricity shocks her from head to toe. From seemingly out of nowhere, a group of men rush in & grab Ami by her arms & legs, removing her weapon from her metal arm & tossing it to the ground. The one who shocks her with a handheld tazer ceases the electric flow to her body, but leaves Ami too stunned to fight back no matter how hard she tries.

From her vantage point, Nanase hears Ami's cries even at a distance.

"Ami!", she says, turning towards her cries of pain & rushing to her aide, ditching their promise to continue if one of the fell before they reach the house.

She gets a couple of steps when she gets hit by a hard fist to her gut, which came from a man hiding behind a thick tree who went after her in equal silence, keeping her unawares of his presence. Nanase cursed herself through the pain for not even thinking of looking behind her or at her sides. As she goes down, she tries to reach for a weapon, but her attacker puts an end to that notion by clobbering her in the back of her head which knocks her out & causes her to land on the ground face first, her vision black.

One down & one to go.

Even with a man on her arms & legs, four in all holding her down, Ami still struggled to break free, fighting through the electric shock that coursed her body. Amazingly, the one who had tazed her doesn't continue. But Ami can no more break free of the men that hold her in a firm grip, even with her new metal arm augmenting her strength. One of the men, holding a rifle in his hands - preferably the leader of the group - steps in front of Ami with a sinister sneer on his face. Ami looks up at him in contempt, sneering herself at him.

"Hello, Ami Hyuga! You were expected!", he said, taking the butt end of his rifle & rams it in her face on the side. The blow sends her vision a brief white before going dark completely, & she falls on her back.

Ami doesn't even recall being picked up & carried off.

From forty feet above, an object soars around close to where Ami & Nanase were, keeping a close tab on each. It watches & observes as both ladies get clobbered & knocked out before being tied up & carried off by strong men in black suits & sunglasses. The flying object, which resembles a condor of some kind but made of metal, soars off & heads for Fujiwara, not far from where the girls had been abducted. The metal 'bird' comes lower to an altitude of twenty feet & keeps descending until it reaches Snake & his Predator Hound standing in an open stretch of land who await its return. Like a little toy, the metal bird folds in on itself & re-attaches onto Snake's back, becoming a second 'case' of equipment there. His facemask was slightly different from his other one, being somewhat slimmer in width & longer in length, with small sharp spikes placed on the edges on top instead of the sides. Having 'seen' what his metal bird had, Snake soaks up all info & lets out a cackle of approval as his hound roars in eagerness, signaling that their hunt is on.

Reactivating his cloak, Snake begins heading towards the Yoshikazu house with his hound following right behind.

Unknown time passes:

Ami didn't know for how long she'd been out when she was rudely awakened by water being splashed onto her face, which now sports a black-&-blue mark on her left side from where she got hit by one of the gunmen. That she recalls, & she curses herself for not being more alert for danger like that rabbit had been: when animals sense the air around them, they can somehow tell when danger is near. It's how they survive out in the wild, & how they stay one step ahead of those who think of having them as their dinner.

If only Ami had done the same thing before, she wouldn't be in the dire predicament she's in right now: chained to a chair by her arms & legs in what appears to be a dining room, with its table pushed to one side & leaving a whole clear area. Multiple men were surrounding her on all sides, armed with blades big & small. Standing right in front of her from only six feet away were none other than Tatsuro & Natsumo Yoshikazu themselves, with Daigo holding the pail of water used to wake her up from slumber. As he places the now-empty pail on the table, Tatsuro starts speaking to his 'guest'.

"Hello again, Ami Hyuga", he says with surprising kindness. "We didn't expect to see you again so soon, considering that last night should have been the one & only time we planned to. But then again, plans don't always go the way we want them to, do they?"

"You & Nanase can relate to that, can't you?", Natsumi teased, getting brief grins from the both of them as they walk up to her to only a foot from her face. Their faces were now stone cold. "You both really are stupid cunts! Did you honestly think you girls could try & get to our home without us knowing about it? Everything that goes on in this whole area, from the grass & leaves growing to rabbits fucking each other's brains out, does not go unnoticed by us! Face it - your plan was doomed to fail from the start!"

"Where is Nanase, bitch?! What have you done with her?!", Ami demanded.

She gets a hard slap in the face for her answer, one that makes her teeth rattle.

"You don't get to ask us any questions, whore! We'll be doing that!", Natsumi shot back. "And right now, there's only one question we're most interested in getting an answer from, & it's this: not counting Nanase, who's your partner that's been killing our most essential associates the last few days?"

"Forget it, bitch - you'd never believe me if I did tell you! It's too outrageous, even for youYakuza!", Ami says.

"Oh, really? Go on…humor us!", Tatsuro says.

What can she tell them? That something from another world has been killing their ratbag friends, turning invisible at will & using weapons that make Earth's dull by comparison? Ami had promised to keep what she learned of the Predators to herself, & not to reveal it to another living soul. But in her current predicament, she figured it wouldn't make any difference: they are going to kill her regardless of what she says, so oddly she might as well humor them.

"Very well! You want my answer? Here it is!", Ami begins. "This killer, my 'partner' as you claim him to be…"

"Yes…?", Natsumi presses her.

"He's not human! He's an alien from another planet!"

Tatsuro, Natsumi & everyone else in the room were taken aback by Ami's remark: that is certainly not an answer they were expecting to get from her!

But their reaction from it is what Ami had expected.

They laughed. Hard.

Even Daigo laughed a little bit, & he isn't much of a humorous man to begin with.

Through it all, Ami kept her facial features hard.

Having their laugh for the day, they all go back to becoming serious.

"Thank you for that bit of amusement, my dear Ami, but now we need to know the truth from you!", Natsumi said.

"Yes! Do you really expect us to even begin to swallow that tripe about your partner - the one who's killed a good number of our people - is an actual spaceman?! A fucking little green man from Mars?! Is that what you want us to believe?!", Tatsuro adds furiously.

"I don't expect you motherfuckers & bitches to believe me at all! It still doesn't change the fact that it is the goddamn truth!", Ami barked. "Think about it for a moment, if you fuckers even can: how do you think he could take down a whole bunch of fully-armed people with ease? And how do you account for that shimmer in the air that stood in front of you after wasting your men? Can any one of you explain that?!"

Tatsuro & Natsumi stood there in silence. Both were shocked that she had witnessed that little display back in the suburbs the other night; she could've killed them on the spot, & yet she spared them? So could the shimmer they saw, but they were spared.

Why?, the Yoshikazus thought.

"Don't be absurd!", Tatsuro says, keeping his features strong. "That's just some dumb shit with new technology at his disposal who's been wiping us out! He's just a man, & nothing else!"

"Really, Ami!", Natsumi adds. "There's no such thing as little green martians that hunt & kill people by skinning them & taking their heads for trophies!"

"You keep telling yourselves that, bitch!", Ami spat. "And for your information, he's not a 'little green man from Mars' as you've said! This motherfucker is bigger than that, with blades that make razors seem dull! And don't forget those blasts of blue energy either! What weapons do you know of that can shoot that kind of ammunition?!"

"Enough of this fantasy bullshit!", Tatsuro barked. "Let's get back to reality: you wasted a good number of our people on our payroll, not to mention our good friends the Kimuras! Do you have any idea on how much that hurt us, when you blew them away last year?!"

"It was people like them that ruined my life when they took away my younger brother Yu from me!", Ami spat. "You Yakuza are like a fucking disease to the good folks of Japan! And like all diseases, you need to be wiped out & eradicated!"

"You're an even bigger fool than I first thought!", Natsumi said. "The Yakuza have been in existence since the goddamn 17th Century! What, you thought that by wasting a major Yakuza clan like the Kimuras would cease the organization as a whole & collapse in on itself?! Japan is not the only country where the Yakuza have ties to, my dear! There are those in Russia, France, Germany, & even in the free world of America! By bringing down the Kimuras, you believed it would all come down burning like the fucking Hindenburg?! WROOOOOONNNG!" Natsumi lowers her voice in a taunting tone. "And as for your younger brother…cry me a river, honey!"

Natsumi & her husband laugh out loud again, followed by the other men in the room. It was more than Ami could take: even though bound by her arms & legs, she delivers a blow none of them expected.

Ami spat on Natsumi's face, the wet loogie landing on her right cheek as the room fell into silence once again. The Yakuza wife wipes it off with her hand.

"Even if I had to travel the whole goddamn world, I'll bring down every fucking one of you filthy Yakuza if it's last thing that I ever do!", Ami barked.

"Fucking whore!", Tatsuro bellowed, slapping Ami in the face several times with his hand. His dozen blows drew blood from Ami's mouth on the sides as they roll down her cheeks. She faces her tormentor with a menacing stare.

"Is that all you got, pussy? My younger brother could hit a lot harder!", she taunted.

Tatsuro was about to go ballistic on her again, but was stopped by Natsumi who pulls him aside & whispers in his ear low enough so only he could hear. Listening to what she was saying, Tatsuro smiled & nodded.

Yakuza husband & wife face her again.

"That'll only happen in your dreams, Ami Hyuga!", Tatsuro says, more calmly & with a sinister grin. "But you are right about one thing: this is going to be the last thing you ever do! But just before you get sent to Hell to join your younger brother, my men are going to give you a little taste of Heaven first! Call it our parting gift to you! Goodbye, Ami Hyuga!"

Natsumi nods quickly to the men, who nod back & begin unraveling the chains that bind her to the chair but keep a firm grip on her arms & legs. They carry Ami out on a horizontal level & keep her arms & legs spread out to prevent her from getting any leverage, even if she does start to struggle against her binds. The Yakuza wife offers one more piece of information just before she disappears from sight.

"And don't you worry none about Nanase, Ami! She'll make for quite a fine addition in our whorehouse!", she teases, chuckling with her husband.

Ami scowled & gritted her teeth, struggling all the way.

The men still held her firm.

Near the entranceway of the house:

The two sentries on duty keep watch over the place with their wits & senses on full alert as everything stays quiet in the house for the most part, sans the racket going on in the dining room where their masters were dealing with business. The first man on the left of the hallway they were stationed at was bald with a thin mustache above his lips. His partner had black hair done in a ponytail in the back like a samurai, with a thick goatee surrounding his mouth. Both of them had a sword on their backs which they can take out at a moment's notice, & a sidearm on their belts should things get a little too hairy.

Hearing the commotion in the dining room, the men smile a bit to each other & resume in their duty with a nod.

All seemed normal in the house for these two until Baldie felt a slight gush of wind go by his head, giving a slight grunt in confusion.

"What's wrong?", asked Ponytail, noticing his partner's worry. Baldie looks at him in an unsure manner, as Ponytail's eyes start widening slowly, staring at his partner's head. Before Baldie can ask him what's wrong, he feels something slick & wet run down his head. He then feels literally light-headed like he'd been blowing up a huge balloon non-stop, feeling like he's missing something. Reaching for his cranium, Ponytail's eyes & mouth widen in disbelief as his partner was actually lifting the top part of his head off & placing it right in front of him as blood continued running down his face & head. His cranium was cut with precision in a horizontal manner, cutting as cleanly as any razor all the way through muscle, flesh & bone. Looking at his own cranuim hald, Baldie was staring at the upper half of his brain in it, still pulsing blood.

His eyes go wide & he tried to scream, but Baldie's mouth was quickly filling with blood to cut off any sound he wished to make.

The only sound Baldie does make is when he hits the floor flat on his face, the rest of his head's contents spilling out in a gruesome puddle.

Ponytail stares in utter shock as his partner goes down in a bloody mess, his mouth hung open. A cackling sound comes from behind him, & he turns slowly around to catch a shimmer in the air transform into a massive figure in body armor & metal facemask with twin long jagged blades extended from each of his forearm cuffs staring at him with every intent to do to him what he'd done to Baldie.

Acting on pure adrenaline, Ponytail reaches for his sidearm & gets it out of its holster, but that's as far as he gets: with a swift uppercut, Snake jams his right wrist blade into Ponytail's jaw from beneath & shoves his weapon all the way through his skull, the blade coming out of the top of his head as blood spurts from the wound. It also spurts from out of his mouth & gets some on his facemask, but not on his eye slits. Ponytail gives off a slight grunt before going silent forever.

Retracting his blades, Snake reactivates his cloak & heads off into the stronghold.

A minute later, two more guards armed with rifles race down the corridor.

"You sure you heard something?", one of the asked.

"Yes, it sounded like something big & heavy hit!", said the other one. "It sounded like…"

When they turned the corner, they saw two of their guys laying on the floor in puddles of blood. One had the top of his head sliced off & his brains spilled, while the other had a hole in his top like someone jammed a large dagger or even sword through it.

Staring at each other & back at the bodies in shock, the new arrivals don't notice or even hear a large shimmer come swooping down from above & landing soundlessly behind them. The only thing that gave it away was a cackling noise that snapped the men out of their trance. But it still didn't help them: a second after a cloaked Snake landed, he shoves his extended wrist blades into the backs of the new arrivals & come out of their chests where their hearts are, giving them both an instantaneous death. Only a grunt of pain came from their mouths as Snake withdrew his weapons, causing the now-dead men to collapse onto the floor to join their comrades.

Without bothering to take their skulls or even a backwards glance, Snake takes off in the house to search for his true quarry.

The house's subbasement:

Ami fought with every fiber of her being to get loose from the Yakuza gorillas that held her fast & firm. It did no good: their strength was more than a match for her's, despite the use of her new metal appendage. They take her to a room with a large cot in the middle & no windows on the walls, or hardly anything else in it except for a bathroom with a sink & toilet but not for showering. Ami figured that this was like a dungeon's prison cell, where the inhabitants all get executed at one point or another after getting a taste of misery first.

It's precisely what these thugs have in mind with her.

The men close the door & slam her down hard on the cot, rattling it & fight to get Ami's arms & legs pinned onto it at the end & on the sides. One of the men stands in front of her at the end of the cot with a sickening grin.

"Hope you're ready for a big dick, baby!", he says slyly. "I hear you got a tight pussy!"

Ami grits her teeth in disgust & contempt as the man places his hand on his crotch, just as the door to the room violently swings open, startling everyone.

It's here!, Ami thought. No sooner did she think that than when two of her captors go & lose their heads by a shimmering blade that literally appears out of nowhere. The headless bodies squirt blood from the necks as they fall to the floor, putting less pressure upon Ami than before. Using the distraction, Ami swings her robotic arm & clobbers one of the thugs in the jaw, thus breaking it & hits the floor, crying out in pain. The other guy tries to lend his assistance, but gets snagged on by a barbed whip around his midsection. As Ami heads for the door, the barbed whip gets tugged hard & slices the thug in two, his top half falling down like he was a skyscraper being pushed by Godzilla. Ami paused just long enough to see Snake deactivate his cloak & stare her in the eye, cackling eagerly.

Snake cracks his whip to silence the man on the floor & slices his head open, silencing him forever before turning his shoulder cannons on Ami, who closes the door & bolts, running in the same direction she was taken down in. Without her machine gun, her assault on the Yoshikazus and the Predator will end sooner than she'd want it to.

Ami needs her weapons. She also needs Nanase by her side.

Where are you, Nanase?, she thought.

The door behind her was blown off its hinges as Snake stepped out & threw his whip at Ami, missing her head by a hair. Grunting angrily, he withdraws his whip & aims his shoulder cannons at her, a pair of triangular red dots on her back. Both go off in unison just as Ami turns a corner & disappears to the right, the blasts of blue energy hitting the wall & blowing a chunk off it.

Letting out a blaring roar of disapproval, Snake ups the ante before resuming his hunt.

The blast from Snake's shoulder cannons stirs up the ladies in the room where girls from all over Tokyo are being hoarded & placed in here so that they can either work for the master's whorehouse, or get killed if they refuse.

Nanase is in this room, with twelve others & two armed guards with Uzis.

They, too, were stirred up by the sudden blast.

"W-What was that?", the first guard said.

"I'll go check it out! You stay here & guard these bitches until I get back!", said the second one, exiting the room before his partner could protest.

"Oh no", Nanase said softly. It still didn't stop the guard from hearing her.

"What? What do you mean by 'oh no'?!", he snaps, aiming his Uzi at her. "Do you know what that was, bitch?! You'd better speak up right now, or else I'll go & give you a third nostril!"

The next couple of sounds came & answered for him: seconds after the blasts were made came those of a blaring howl from within the house, followed by sounds of a wall crashing from outside & men screaming in fear mixed with bullets firing. But the most disturbing sound of all was that of an animalistic growl, unlike anything ever heard by human ears before. The sounds of utter carnage & chaos made the lone guard in the room take his attention off Nanase & the other girls, which gave her the chance to act. Sprinting from her spot like a cat, Nanase charges the guard & grabs his Uzi just as he turned back to his captives. He was too late to shoot her, as she pushes his weapon down to the floor & it fires a few rounds, hitting no people. Struggling with the man & his weapon, Nanase gives him a hard kick in his groin with her knee. As he grunts in pain, she follows it up with a swift jab to his Adam's Apple, cutting off his air with a sick crunch as he tries to take in life-giving oxygen, to no avail. His eyes bulging, he reaches out in a last-ditch attempt to mete out his vengeance but collapses onto the floor instead.

Grabbing his Uzi, Nanase searches the body for any other weapons & comes across a pair of hand grenades in his pocket & some spare magazines for his Uzi along with a hunting knife.

Arming herself with her newfound toys, Nanase turns to the other girls.

"It's okay. He's dead now, & I'm going to help get you all out of here", she assures them. The girls smile & nod in gratitude.

"Thank you very much!", said one girl. "But…what was that animalistic noise just now? A dog?"

"Not like any I've ever heard!", said another girl. "Sounds more like a monster to me!"

None of them can argue with that.

"We've got trouble brewing to this place!", Nanase tells them without revealing anything too vital. "It's already started, & we need to get you girls out of here before the shit really hits the fan! Follow me!"

The girls nod as Nanase opens the door & checks to see if they were alone in the corridor. She sees no one there, & signals the others to move. Exiting the room, they head down the area for a few minutes until they finally see a stairwell which leads up as the sounds of screaming, gunfire & death continue, being heard even at great distances. Her Uzi in front, Nanase starts going up the stairwell to a door. Testing to see if it's locked, Nanase shoots at the knob with her weapon & kicks it open hard. When their path to freedom was blocked by two guards, Nanase opens fire upon & brings them down before they can fire back or call for help.

Unfortunately, help is exactly what comes for the two late guards.

Guards erupt from seemingly everywhere as Nanase & the girls take a couple of steps, each aiming their guns at them. The closest guard orders Nanase to drop her weapon, lest she & all the other girls get dropped by hot lead where they stood.

"So…you girls thought you were going to escape from here?", the closest guard asked, & shakes his head. "No one escapes this place! You're all servants for our bosses until the day you die! For your insubordination, you will all be severely punished & beaten! Maybe that will teach you to be more obedient like the dogs you are!"

"Get with the program, asshole!", Nanase barks. "You hear all that?! That'll be you unless you pack your shit & take off from this place! If you want to keep seeing tomorrow, you'll do as I suggest! I'm offering you this one chance to leave the Yakuza for good! What's it gonna be?"

"Abandon the Yoshikazus? You're utterly mad - Tatsuro & Natsumi will have our heads & skin us alive if we dare do that!"

"That's just what will happen if you foolishly decide to stay here! I'm trying to be nice about this, but if that's how you dumbasses wish to go, then it's your own funerals!"

"Wrong, bitch - it's yours!", the guard said, aiming his rifle at her head as the others follow suit. "We can always get more, fresh bitches to work in the whorehouse! Say goodbye, whores!"

"Goodbye, whores!"

The new voice - a female's - caught the guard's attention, which was followed by a volley of bullets that strike them in rapid succession as Nanase & her band all hit the floor just as they started flying across the room. Guards were torn apart by hot rounds, blowing off bloodied stumps of limbs as the men cried out in anguish before falling down in red heaps of flesh, blood & bone. The shooting stopped as suddenly as it began, & Nanase & her group looked up to see a pile of dead Yakuza, their blood splattered everywhere.

When Nanase saw who it was, she smiled in delight & relief.

"Ami!", she said, rising up with her band.

"Nanase!", Ami said, running up to her friend. "I'm glad to see you're all right!"

"Same here! I see you've retrieved your new toy & backpack from those bastards!"

"Yes! I did so shortly after I escaped from my would-be rapists!", Ami says, getting closer to Nanase & lowering her voice. "You know it's here, don't you?"

"Yes", Nanase says in the same manner. "Let's get these girls out of here first."

Ami nodded as Nanase faces them.

"This way! Hurry!", she says, taking point as Ami & the girls follow her to an open patch of wall which was no doubt caused by the creature that was slaughtering people on the premises. Ignoring the dead shredded bodies laying at the entrance of the hole, Nanase & Ami face the once-captive girls as the former addresses them.

"All right, listen up!", she says. "Tokyo is due east from here! Just keep on going in that direction without stopping for anything, & you'll make it! All you need to do is stay together & don't separate for any reason until you reach the city! Understand?"

"We understand, but…what about you two? Aren't you coming with us?", asked one girl.

"Not yet", Ami said. "We're going to make sure these filthy Yakuza never bother anyone else again! On a more personal note, they've killed someone very close to us, & we've sworn to make them pay for it!" Ami flashes a smile. "Trust me - they won't be a problem after tonight!"

The captives look at each other & smile themselves, nodding.

"Thank you so much, Ami!", one of them said. "We'll be stronger in body & mind like you & your friend here!"

Nanase joins Ami in smiling. It's the second time someone has said that to Ami since she freed those three young boys from the Kimuras a year ago. She prides herself on inspiring others to stand up for themselves against people like the Yakuza, & it makes what she does all the more worthwhile.

"Good luck to you both in bringing these bastards down!", one of the girls says, turning to her companions. "Let's go!"

Nodding, they take off in the direction Nanase instructed.

"You're quite the inspirationist, Ami", Nanase says, watching them go.

"Good to know, Nanase", Ami said. "If I can inspire people to be strong like us, then no one else will suffer the same terrible fates we both endured, if they can help it."

"With you influencing them, I'd say they can."

Ami & Nanase face each other with big grins.

They disappear when they hear a low but powerful growling stirring up from behind.

Slowly turning around, Ami & Nanase suddenly catch sight of the dreaded Predator Hound with its maw & spikes dripping with fresh blood. Both ladies were stunned to see the creature in their own way: Ami, because she thought she'd killed it the other day, & Nanase, because she's seeing the thing for the first time ever, being just as Ami had described it.

"This is one of the Predator's 'dog' you mentioned before, isn't it?", Nanase asks lowly.

"Yes. It seems I didn't kill it from the day before!", Ami replied the same way.

"Time to rectify that. Get ready to move when I say!"

"Tell me when, Nanase!"

During their low volume conversation, the Predator Hound stepped forward towards the ladies like any dog of war would, taking slow & cautious steps. Its growls were getting more vicious with every second, recalling the girl with the metal arm that knocked it out clearly & wants nothing better than to tear her asunder like it's done to so many others.

It stopped at only fifteen feet from the girls & snarled.

Ami & Nanase knew it was any second now that it'd make its move.

They just needed to time it at the right possible moment.

It comes.

"NOW!", Nanase shouted only a split-second after the thing leaped at them. The girls take off in opposite directions, confusing it temporarily as it hit nothing but empty space. As they run off, Ami turns slightly & fires her grafted-on weapon at the creature to blow its head off like she did with one of its brethren. Too bad for Ami that the thing learned to avoid the deadly barrage & it leapt to one side, not getting hit once.

Not wanting to waste her ammo needlessly, Ami concentrated on running as the beast kept hot on their heels, smashing through bodies, furniture & even walls. Its growl echoed the area.

"We need to deal with this thing first & fast, Nanase! Any ideas?", Ami says.

"There is a way to do it efficiently! Follow me!", Nanase said, never breaking stride in her run. She leads them into the house to a rather large kitchen, where startled & scared chefs were all cowering underneath & behind tables & other appliances once the chaos started. Before they can even start to tell them to evacuate, those hiding come out of it &, armed with large butcher knives & cleavers, began swinging their blades at Ami & Nanase, who barely dodge to avoid getting sliced. Even though they're just lowly servants, the chefs are still part of the Yoshikazu's clan, & will defend it from any intruders.

But from this next intruder that suddenly crashes through the wall, that's another story.

Once it roughly enters the kitchen, the Predator Hound started bashing the place & tearing its chefs to pieces like it's done to others in the house. Tables, sinks & other heavy appliances get crushed & knocked over like they were tin foil or toys as bodies & limbs fly everywhere, their handheld weapons offering no protection against the four-legged alien horror.

Ami & Nanase dodge both body parts & appliances that gets thrown their way, including a heavy-duty refrigerator that gets knocked to its side with a clang & all of its contents spill out onto the floor. They watch in horror & listen to the ear-splitting screams at the carnage now being displayed in front of them. Even as lowly servants to the Yoshikazus, these people still do not deserve such a terrible fate from an alien pet.

But there wasn't anything they could do about it, as the Predator Hound cuts down the last chef, a female, in half after biting off part of her arm & consuming it whole.

Now only Ami & Nanase were left as the creature roars & steps forward, slowly but surely.

"Ami, let me handle this thing! You go on & find the Yoshikazus & this beast's master!", Nanase instructs. "Get them both!"

"I'll need your help to do that, Nanase!", Ami said. "I can't do this without you!"

"I'll always be with you, Ami!", Nanase says, giving her a brief look & grin. "Trust me!"

Ami nodded.

"This thing's blocking my way! I need clearance to make a break for it!", she says.

"Leave that to me!"

Nanase started calling out to & yelling at the creature, waving her arms in order to get its attention & make it forget about Ami, who slowly starts to move towards the entrance. The beast wasn't buying it: it keeps its sights on Ami & unleashes a growl that makes them cover their ears in order to muffle the noise. This thing was angry with Ami Hyuga, having seen her murder its brother the other day & wanting some serious payback.

Unless Nanase does something, its wish will be fulfilled.

She fires a few rounds from her Uzi which strike the beast in the side, puncturing its flesh but doing no significant damage. Her tactic works: it turns to face Nanase & advances for her, as it now ignores Ami who takes the chance & heads for the kitchen entrance.

"Hey, monster! Never mind her! Come after me instead!", Nanase shouted at it, firing off a random shot from her firearm or two, being careful not to hit Ami. Pausing momentarily when she gets to the entranceway, Ami sees Nanase drop her Uzi & dig into her pockets really quick to pull out a pair of hand grenades. Nanase stared back at her & gives a wink.

"Come & get it, Fido!", Nanase said to the Predator Hound, pulling the pins on both of the grenades & tossing them at it. As soon as the pins were pulled, Ami ran for her life as the beast ran for Nanase, roaring.

She gives it an evil grin.

Seconds later, both grenades went off.

The blast shook the house as debris was shattered from the roofs & kitchen. Ami caught a glimpse of something big getting thrown out of the room & hits the wall with such force that it creates a crater in it before falling to the floor. Upon closer inspection, Ami can see that it was the dreaded Predator Hound.

Or what was left of it.

All that remained of the alien dog was a charred corpse with all of its legs blown off at the knees, a bloodied hole through its chest which exposed its inner organs & bones, & its head was gone along with its large sharp spikes. Ami stares for several moments at the spot where the blast occurred.

"Nanase", she whispers, bowing her head. It was just like when she lost Miki last year as they battled the Kimuras, having her leg ripped off & dying from blood loss a while later. It was deja-vu for her again, & now Ami Hyuga will face her enemies - human and alien - on her own once more.

Get a grip, Ami!, she told herself. It hurts to lose Nanase, yes, but don't forget that there are still foes to deal with! Remember what you had promised her & Kazuya!

Yes, she needed to put her grief aside for now & focus on the problem at hand. Those who had taken their young son away are still walking the earth & breathing air. Not to mention that there's an alien hunter who wishes to collect her head as a memento like it did to many Yakuza.

If wishes were fishes…!, she thought angrily.

There are two opposing forces that want her dead: one from beyond the stars, & another right here on Earth which are rapidly closing in on her with hardly any breathing space.

It was time to widen that gap.

And to make the hunters become the prey!

With her machine gun & backpack, Ami Hyuga set off to do just that.

Here I come, assholes…ready or not!, she thought.

CHAPTER VII

Men were screaming everywhere, their pleas & cries for help abruptly cut short by a sound of blades & blasts of energy. Even a whip cracking contributed to their ends, snapping loudly & hitting flesh & bone with ease as bodies fell.

All this was happening before Tatsuro & Natsumi raced to the room where the massacre was currently taking place. Armed with Beretta handguns, the Yakuza husband & wife hurried to meet with Ami Hyuga and/or her partner & quickly finish them off by placing well-placed rounds deep into their skulls.

But when they approach the room, what they saw literally took their breath away & they stood in stunned silence. About twenty feet from where they stood, Tatsuro & Natsumi witness a large shimmer in the air - the same exact one from the other night in the Tokyo suburbs - killing & blowing away their hired muscle & guns. The shimmer suddenly disappears & in its place was Snake in all his two-meter-tall glory, visible to whatever eyes were left, a large barbed whip in one hand, twin shoulder cannons on his back & a pair of long jagged blades protruding from each one of his forearm cuffs. Fully grown & trained men in all sorts of combat were all getting shot at, blown apart & sliced in half like amateurs by this creature the Yoshikazus refused to believe in before.

Tatsuro & Natsumi continued to stare in disbelief, & their hearts were palpitating madly.

"Unbelievable, Tatsuro!", Natsumi says in a low tone, briefly staring at her husband. "That filthy cunt Ami…she hadn't been lying to us before, hasn't she?"

"No, my dear…I suppose she wasn't!", Tatsuro replied the same way. She shook himself out of his stunned state. "But it still doesn't matter! Be it human beings or space aliens…nobody fucks with either our clan or associates & lives to talk about it! Partner to Ami or not, we're going to bring this thing down fast & hard!"

"How do you suppose we do that, darling?"

Tatsuro whispers in his wife's ear, & she grins maliciously.

"Of course! If anyone can deal with this creature, they can!", Natsumi says as her husband nods in agreement.

Snake was finishing up on the underlings when his real targets called out to him.

"Hey, asshole!", Natsumi shouted, waving her arms with her husband. "How about coming after us now?! We're the ones you really want, aren't we?!"

"That's right! We're the heads of this organization, Tatsuro & Natsumi Yoshikazu!", the former announces. "We're the top Yakuza in this house! You want to skin us & take our heads?! Come & get them!"

Snake stares at his new prey, cackling with anticipation.

"…Tatsuro & Natsumi…", he says in his voice. Retracting his whip & placing it back onto his belt, he aims his shoulder cannons at the Yakuza pair & fires twin blasts of blue energy that streaks right for them. Tatsuro & Natsumi barely have time to dodge the oncoming projectiles before taking off in the opposite directions, knowing for sure that their alien quarry would take the bait.

He does: missing his primary targets, Snake reactivates his cloak & gives chase after the fleeing Yakuza, racing down the hallway & turning a corner into another. But Tatsuro & Natsumi disappear into a room when they get halfway down. They enter into a huge room that's made for entertainment purposes, measuring a little larger than a high school's gymnasium. Already in the room occupying it are a trio of Geishas in kimono robes, painted faces & handheld fans. A large skylight hangs overhead, showing a clear view of the moon above. The Geishas were at the far end of the room, huddling from the chaos ensuing.

"Master, Mistress…what's going on out there?", one Geisha asks. "It sounds like we're at war!"

"I'm afraid we are, my dears!", Tatsuro says. "We've got ourselves a pair of hostile visitors on the premises!"

The Geishas gasp in terror.

"Not to worry! We've got just the ones who can take care of them!", Natsumi assures the ladies. "In fact, one of them should be approaching here right about…"

A portion of the wall gets knocked out by a pair of powerful fists that were covered by metal gloves before retreating into the forearm cuffs Snake wore. He was now fully visible, & his appearance gets a gasp of shock & awe by the Geishas. Snake pays them no mind as his attention turns to the Yoshikazus, his wrist blades fully extended & his shoulder cannons aimed.

"Now!", Natsumi finished with a wicked grin. "Hello, creature! Welcome to what we like to sometimes call our 'Auditorium of Death'! Meaning, this will be the last place you'll ever be seeing in your lifetime!"

"And now you get to meet those who'll bring you your gruesome death!", Tatsuro says as a pair of double doors over at the left end of the wall, opposite the Geishas. Out from these doors steps a quartet of individuals, two different groups in two different attire. The first group were a pair of large Rikishi (strong men) dressed in black suits, shoes & sunglasses. Thin mustaches adorned their upper lips, & these men were very sternly built & resemble the evil twins of super spy James Bond. Their partners are a pair of sumo wrestlers in equal size & extra muscle, dressed in white mawashis with their hair done in a small bun in the back. What's different about them from other sumo wrestlers is that where their hands should be are a pair of large machetes which were permanently welded onto their wrists, acting like swords.

Snake stood there as Tatsuro introduced his groups.

"Impressive, are they not?", he says, gesturing with his hand. "Meet our prize sumos, the Chop Shop Twins Sato & Juno, & their partners the Rikishi Brothers, Pebbles & Bam-Bam! I'm sure they'll provide you with grand entertainment…if they don't killyou too soon, that is!"

The Yoshikazus, Chop Shop Twins & Rikishi Brothers all laugh maniacally at once.

"Once they've dealt with you, it'll be your skull that we collect & hang on our wall!", said Natsumi. She faces the two groups. "He's all yours, gentlemen! Do have fun!"

"Yes, ma'am!", the two groups say in unison as Tatsuro & Natsumi retreat the way both killer groups came in, closing the doors & keeping them, the Geishas & Snake alone in the room.

The Chop Shop Twins step forward first, grinning widely.

"Hey, big guy!", Sato says. "Why don't you put away the guns & make this interesting? Or are you too afraid to see if you can try to take us out before you die, eh?"

His answer was immediate: Snake withdrew his shoulder cannons & placed them behind his back, his wrist blades left extended as he spreads out his arms & welcoming the challenge.

"Now that's more like it!", said Juno. "Here's something you should know first: nobody who's ever faced us has lived to talk about it! Nobody! Now…let's mambo!"

Snake growls his acceptance as the Chop Shop Twins charge him with their blades raised & slice at Snake when he's within range. The alien hunter blocks their weapons with his own in a clanging of sharp metals. Both sumos continued swinging & slashing at Snake, only to get each attempt at bringing him down thwarted & blocked at every turn. Both bring down their blades at the same time like they were about to split logs, which were easily blocked by Snake. The three combatants hold their positions & stare at one another for several moments before Snake breaks it up by swinging his arms out & throwing his attackers to the floor, surprising them both. With no effort, the Chop Shop Twins get back up & charge Snake again, only to miss him when he makes a mighty leap airborne, avoiding their blades. He lands seven feet away & gestures with one hand & a little cackling to come at him.

Angered at being made fools of, Sato & Juno rush Snake again, determined to cut him down to size & feast upon his flesh.

With more malice than before, Sato & Juno swing their blades angrily but skillfully. They come closer to hitting their opponent than before, but still miss as Snake dodges & blocks each strike. He had to admit that they were providing him with great sport, having coming quite close to doing him some damage.

And they finally do: with one swing of their blades, Sato & Juno make a single cut across Snake's chest, creating an 'X' which slightly bleeds a light flourescent green. The alien hunter grunts in pain & surprise as the Chop Shop Twins back off to either side of him, laughing.

"So…you are vulnerable after all, aren't you?", Sato says. "You bleed like anybody else!"

"Yes! And if you can bleed, you can also die!", Juno said.

"And die you shall!", the twins cry in unison as they charge at Snake from both sides with their blades raised high. They close the gap in five seconds & bring their weapons down just as Snake makes another leap, avoiding getting cut again. He hits the floor in between the Geishas & Chop Shop Twins, turning to the latter. Unfettered with missing their quarry, the twins raise their blades to strike again.

But when they raise their weapons, they find them covered in blood.

And it wasn't green like Snake's was. The blood was red.

Snake made a grunt that made his foes look in his direction. The Predator pointed at his own chest before pointing to the twins at their chests. When Sato & Juno looked down, they saw a red diagonal mark that formed an 'X', mimicking Snake's chest wound. The three Geishas see it themselves as do the Rikishi Brothers, as the same wounds were visible on the backs of the Chop Shop Twins. Both groups gasp in surprise.

But no one was more surprised than the two sumos, & they turn to each other in shock.

"Juno?", Sato said.

"Sato?", Juno said just before both sumo wrestlers fall apart in pieces as blood spews in all directions. The Chop Shop Twins have literally chopped themselves!

Now the Rikishi Brothers were up at bat.

Snake retracts his wrist blades into his forearm cuffs, his hands into fists.

"So you wish to do this mano-a-mano, eh?", Pebbles says, placing a fist in his palm. "We can go with that!"

"And besides, that's the way we prefer to bring you down anyhow!", Bam-Bam said as he does the same. "Come, Rocky Balboa…show us what you're really made of!"

Kicking the remains of Sato & Juno aside, Snake approaches the men like he was meeting at a restaurant to greet them. He does do so, but with a well-placed & hard left foot to Pebbles' solar plexus which knocks & sends him skidding down onto the floor several yards, following it up with a quick powerful right cross to Bam-Bam's face in a blow that staggers him but doesn't knock him down like his partner was.

This actually surprises Snake.

"Not bad!", Bam-Bam said, rubbing his face like it's no big deal. "I don't think either of us can recall the last time we were ever hit that hard!"

Bam-Bam delivers a blow to Snake's chest that actually knocks him off his feet & sends him sliding across the floor even longer than he made Pebbles, the latter of which is now back on his feet. Rushing over to their alien quarry, the Rikishi Brothers put a pounding on Snake as Pebbles grabs his left arm & Bam-Bam grabs his right, each using a free hand & foot to deliver hard, unrelenting blows & kicks to the downed alien in both his facemask & chest, drawing some more green blood from his wound. Both brothers laugh with glee at delivering the enemy great pain like they'd done so many times in the past to unlucky patrons who've dared to go against their masters.

Aside from the beating he's taking, Snake has respect for his attackers: they can take harsh punishment as well as dish it out.

Now he wants to find out just how much they can take: bringing his arms together, Snake makes Pebbles & Bam-Bam collide with each other & force their release on him. Rising to his feet, the alien hunter metes out a barrage of fists to the faces, chests & midsections. Each hit was like a rock to their persons, causing numerous bruises & drawing blood from their mouths. With the one exception of the acid-blooded Xenomorphs, Snake has never met prey as resilient as the pair he's giving a serious beating to.

It makes him enjoy the experience even more.

Even as they take a nasty pounding from their alien enemy, Pebbles & Bam-Bam are far from down & out & at the next opening they deliver a hard chop to Snake's midsection where his wounds intersect. This makes him growl in pain & stunned as the Rikishi Brothers get behind & in front of Snake & put him in a tight bear hug with his arms pinned at his sides.

Caught between a rock & a hard place, Snake grunts as Pebbles & Bam-Bam begin their squeeze play, laughing maniacally.

"You put up a good fight, friend!", Pebbles says. "That was the best workout we've had in a long time, & we thank you for it!"

"And to show our apprecation, we'll try to make your death as quickly & painlessly as possible for you!", Bam-Bam says.

Snake really felt the pressure on him from the humans doing their squeeze play. His vision started going dark due to the pain from it & his chest. Thinking fast, he checks his surroundings on his helmet's display & comes up with a ploy to get him out. Lifting his left foot, he protrudes a jagged dagger the length of his leg which comes out from his heel & drives it through his foe in front - Bam-Bam - as the blade goes into his lower leg & ankle, causing him to cry out as Snake cuts it like a piece of chicken. Blood pours out from the wound as Bam-Bam backs off, easing on the pressure & allowing the Yautja warrior to jab his foot blade into Bam-Bam's chest & raising his weapon, slicing him from chest to head. His bleeding halves flailing like a banana in the wind before falling to the floor; one half of the Rikishi Brothers was done.

Now for Pebbles.

Snake's left hand goes back with his palm facing up & his fingers extending out into sharp blades twice their original length. Then they start spinning like helicopter blades, turning his hand into a spinning guillotine of sorts. Giving Pebbles a hard elbow to his side, he jams his new weapon into his foe's stomach & cuts him in a vertical way, slicing him in a similar fashion like he'd done to Bam-Bam. Pebbles cries out as the blades slice into him as Snake carves him open like he was a Thanksgiving turkey, blood splashing like a burst dam.

Returning his left hand to normal, Snake grabs Pebbles' sliced & bleeding body & throws it over to his partner, landing right next to him. Not bothering even a look at the three Geishas behind him, Snake checks his readings on his left forearm cuff before resuming his search for both the Yoshikazus and Ami Hyuga.

He grunts in pain as something sharp cuts him from behind, & he turns to see the Geisha trio holding their handheld fans in each of theirs, one of them with a spec of his blood dripping on it. A look of hurt & anger was displayed on their faces.

These helpless ladies aren't so helpless after all, seeing that their fans are razor-sharp.

"You dirty bastard!", one of them barked. "You think you can wipe out our best people & walk away?! You disgrace our master & mistress with your presence!"

"And now we're going to wipe you out for insulting our clan!", said another.

"You do well against men!", said the third. "Now let's see how you fare against the female sex! Say hello to…" All three ladies call out at once. "The Geishas Three!"

Snake extends his arms & wrist blades from his forearm cuffs.

"…let's mambo!", he says in Juno's voice.

Gritting their teeth in rage, the Geishas Three charge Snake with their razor fans.

Elsewhere in the complex:

Ami was plowing through Yakuza left & right with her machine gun, her ammunition well spent. The room she was having her shootout in - a large two-story living room with luxurious furniture & a patio with a grand view of the lake - became showered with blood & body parts as her powerful newfangled weapon tears Yakuza apart like tissue paper. Even when they shoot back at her from both ground level & high above on the second floor balcony with their automatic guns & rifles, Ami strikes each piece of Yakuza scum, taking them down permanently.

Once, dozens of fully-armed Yakuza were converging in on her to bring her down.

Now there were only three left, ones Ami blows away with her weapon, spending the last of her ammo clip which forces her to change it. Removing her weapon from off her arm, she also does the same with her backpack to get out the spare clip after removing the old, spent one.

It was the perfect moment for a lone man to strike.

Having dodged her gunfire, this lone Yakuza silently sneaked up on Ami & shoves her away from behind, separating her from her weapon.

"She's lost her machine gun! Get her, quick!", he calls out. No sooner did he than when a half-dozen new faces emerge from hiding, armed with knives & bats come charging at & begin swinging their weapons at her. Having lost her gun, Ami has no choice but to engage her newest foes in hand-to-hand combat, dodging their swings & stabs while delivering precised kicks & punches that send them staggering.

She thanked the Heavens as well as the Yoshiharas for all of that rigorous training from the past year.

A couple of the guys got in a hit or two, but it wasn't enough to bring Ami to her knees. In fact, they seemingly made her even stronger, & she retaliates by grabbing one of the men's bats & jamming her foot into his groin, forcing him to release it. As he drops with his hands between his legs, another man with a knife swung at her with his blade. Using her metal arm, Ami blocks it & swings the bat at his wrist. The blow makes him drop it as another man with his own blade comes at & stabs her, but Ami thinks fast & places her last attacker in his path & making him get stabbed right in his heart. The stunned man cried out in surprise, & Ami swings her bat onto the head of her would-be killer, bashing his skull in before he falls dead to the floor along with his comrade.

For good measure, Ami also bashes the head of the one she kicked in the groin, splattering her bat with more blood & brains with one swing.

She won't get that lucky with the last three: one of them grabs the bat from her hands & throws it away, far beyond her reach & swings his own. Ami immediately raises her metal arm to block it & succeeds not only in that, but in breaking the bat in half, leaving a splintered stump. The man was flabbergasted by the result which left him exposed first to a kick in his kneecap & was followed up by a blow to his nose, sending the cartilage of it into his brain & killing him.

Grabbing the pointed stump of the broken bat, Ami throws it into the face of one of her other attackers, driving the sharp splinters deep into his flesh before Ami kicks it in further with the points coming out in the back of his head. He falls dead one second later.

For her last attacker, Ami simply grabs his head after a failed attempt at a fist in her face & uses her metal arm to snap his neck with ease, the sound echoing the room. Dropping the body, she rises to face their ring leader only to be struck in the side by her weapon which he now has onto his own arm, the trigger in his hand. Ami gets thrown five feet across the floor.

"Almost forgot about me, didn't you?", he says, the gun aiming at a rising Ami. He checks out the new attire on his arm & nods his approval. "Nice toy you have, Ami - a customed Vulcan M134-A2, FPS-550 6 Gatling Gun! Not bad! I'll have to have my bosses replicate this thing for our own needs! I'm sure we'll make a killing in sales once they do! A shame that you won't be around to witness that, as you're about to be done in by your own weapon! So long, bitch!"

The weapon aimed at Ami dead-on, the man presses the button on the firing mechanism.

Instead of the thing firing hot lead into its one-time master, he receives a shock of 50,000 volts coursing through him from head to toe. He cries out as his muscles lock up & his internal temperature gets shot up to dangerous levels, his eyes going into his head & showing white.

After what seemed like a lifetime of agony, the man topples to the floor backwards, his eyes, mouth & ears bleeding as his body smokes in various places. Ami walks up to the dead man & retrieves her weapon with her metal arm, checking her ammo before placing it back on her arm. While she does, she recalls what Nanase told her on their way up.

Nanase: There's something we forgot to tell you about your new toy, Ami.

Ami: What's that, Nanase?

Nanase: Kazuya & I have taken the liberty of customizing the firing mechanism to react only to your grip, & only to your new arm.

Ami: In short, only I can fire it, no one else. Like a fail-safe.

Nanase (smiling): Exactly! Anyone else who even tries to fire it besides you gets a lethal shock to their system! That gun is as much a part of you as an arm or a leg!

Ami (smiling back): That's very clever of you two! Thank you, Nanase!

Sharing that thought, Ami smiles.

Thank you indeed, Kazuya, Nanase!, she said to herself before her smile vanishes as she hears a parade of footsteps heading her way - lots of them!

Much as she wanted to, Ami couldn't shoot wildly like she did before. She had to conserve her ammunition mostly for the Yoshikazus themselves, not to mention the alien Predator that's hunting both her and the Yakuza.

She has to wipe her enemies out but do so sparingly with her bullets. Looking around, Ami searches for anything that will give her an edge. So far she's found nothing but dead bodies in a mess of bloodied pieces.

Then she looks out at the patio. And she grins.

Perfect!, she thought, getting right to work.

The Auditorium of Death:

The Geishas Three trio were definitely giving Snake a grand workout.

Since beginning their dance, the ladies leaped, kicked & even on occasion punched their alien adversary continuously. Moving like a group of large Mexican jumping beans, the trio had given the Yautja hunter several cuts on his person from their razor fans on his chest, back & his limbs. Even a warrior of his caliber has trouble trying to get a fix on his new prey, despite having his blades fully extended & swinging with timed precision. He couldn't even strike them with his bionics, no matter how skilled he was at using them. With each new cut they make upon him or every miss he makes, Snake growls in frustration.

Playtime was officially over. Time to get serious.

Taking a pair of his own razors, Snake tosses his discs like Frisbees at the ladies at great speeds. But even that proved to be futile: two of them dodge the oncoming projectiles by ducking & sprawling to one side, missing them by a fraction of an inch. The razor discs return to Snake's hands & throws them again. His second effort fared no better than his first: when the discs came close enough, the girls use their razor fans to alter their trajectory & send them flying upwards, heading for the skylight in the room. The discs crash through the glass & disappear from sight as glass shards plummet below as everyone avoids the sharp pieces.

Unharmed in every way, the Geishas Three stare down their alien foe, with Snake doing the same as he retracts his wrist blades, a move that stuns the girls.

"Lowering your defenses? Not a smart ploy!", said one Geisha.

"Indeed!", said another. "You couldn't beat us with your blades! What makes you think you can do any harm to us without them?"

In answering her question, Snake slowly reaches behind his back & keeps them there for a good ten to twelve seconds. The Geishas Three eye him suspiciously, wondering what it is he's planning & stay alert & ready for anything he's going to try.

And try he does: like a pair of striking cobras, Snake whips his hands forward from behind his back & toss another pair of discs, smaller than his other two. Only this time, these discs each protrude six sharp curved blades that make them extend to twice the size of his first two. Even if the blades didn't extend, there was no way the girls could avoid the deadly weapons as two of the Geishas Three - the one on the left & right - strike in their midsection & send them soaring right across the room to the wall, pinning them like hideous ornaments. A look of surprise was left on their faces as they hang six feet off the floor, blood dripping from their wounds & mouths.

The lone Geisha stared in disbelief at the demise of her teammates.

"Sisters?", she softly says before turning back to Snake with rage burning in her eyes.

"Motherfucker!", she bellows at the top of her lungs, charging at him with her razor fans at both ends as she wants nothing more than to slice the shit out of him. But 'wanting' & 'getting' are two entirely different things, as this last Geisha girl is about to discover.

When she gets within his range, Snake brings forth his twin shoulder cannons & fire from each, sending a blast of blue energy that blows apart the final psychotic Geisha girl into several pieces as body parts & blood fly everywhere.

And all of this happens in the blink of an eye.

"…lowering your defenses? Not a smart ploy…!", he said in one of the Geisha's voice.

Before he can retract his cannons, the room fills up again with male & female Yakuza left & right, armed with automatic rifles which were all aimed at Snake from all directions as the area fills almost to maximum capacity, leaving him only a small area of space to move in. Even if he got a good number of them, Snake knew there was no way for him to take down everyone in the room by weapons or hand-to-hand combat. And these folks didn't seem interested in going one-on-one with him either, only in filling him full of holes.

He'll have to take them down in an unconventional way, & he knows just how to do that.

Looking up, Snake can see he's directly beneath the skylight with its broken glass, hence the shards at his feet. Staring back down at his multitude of armed enemies, he taps a few buttons on his left forearm cuff. A moment later, the small sharp spikes on the top of his facemask shoot off in every direction like he was making popcorn. The Yakuza were only slightly startled from being showered by the little projectiles, hardly lowering their defenses or their rifles. At that time, Snake detaches a strand of his 'hair' from his left side & presses a hidden switch. A small grappling hook is formed at the pointed tip before Snake presses a second button & launches the hook on a thin but strong piece of line which pulls him skywards once he has a firm snag.

Like a living rocket, Snake headed up his line & disappeared before a single shot can be fired from his would-be killers, activated his cloak & was gone.

"Dammit! He got away!", barked one man.

"He's still bound to be here on the premises somewhere!", said another, presumably their leader. "Spread out & find him! Shoot on sight!"

"Hey! What the hell are these things he dropped?", asked a woman, holding one of Snake's helmet spikes in her fingers. Several others were also examining them, picking them up shortly after being shot off his facemask. Nobody moved, as they were puzzled about the little points some were taking a closer look at after picking them up where they landed, which were spread out a good deal across the room.

Hearing a slight sound emitting from them, those holding the spikes placed them to their ear to get better audio.

Five seconds later, a massive explosion occurred from each spike they held which totally destroys the auditorium & blows it & all the people inside it to bits. It happens at the same time when another explosion at a different portion of the house goes off, causing the same amount of damage & death toll.

Twin fireballs erupt & head skywards as Snake dives for cover.

10:00 p.m.:

Another wave of armed Yakuza entered the living room to survey the carnage that went on earlier & searching for any sign of Ami Hyuga. So far, all they see are the disemboweled bodies of their comrades & co-workers scattered everywhere. The men stare in horror of what was left of them, & a gorge in their stomachs threatens to rise. Fighting the urge to regurgitate, they keep their eyes open for the one who caused this catastrophe.

"I still can't believe a fucking teenage girl did all of this!", said one man.

"She took down the Kimuras with almost no difficulty, so do not underestimate her!", said another.

"All the more reason for any of you to kill her the instant you see her!", their leader stated firmly. "She's wasted enough of our people, so now we're to return the favor! We fail, the bosses will have our asses! Find this cunt & kill her!"

"Yes sir!", they shouted.

"Hey boss!", one of them said, getting everyone to turn in his direction.

"What is it?", their boss asked.

"What are these doing in here?", the man said, pointing to a pair of tanks full of propane in the center of the room. They're the same propane tanks that are used for using on the outside grill which was located on the patio. The boss pondered on two things: why are they inside the house when they should be on the outside, hooked up to the grills? And second, they seem to be intact when everything else in the area is shot to shit, so what are they doing in here?

Unless…

The answer hit him like a punch in the gut, & his heart raced.

"Shit! Everybody, get out of this room! Get out of here right fucking…!", their leader had started to shout. While he was wondering what the propane tanks were doing inside, Ami, having placed the tanks there herself, was at a distance of ten yards from the house with a grand view of the room & the tanks placed in the center. As the leader was shouting to his men to vacate, Ami aimed her machine gun & fired off several hot, high velocity rounds from her weapon that struck both tanks dead-on. A powerful explosion ensued, & the entire room with all of the Yakuza in it were blown sky-high as Ami dove into the ground, covering her head as debris & scorched body parts came raining down around her. A piece or two may have struck her in the back, but did no damage to her whatsoever. When she looked up, Ami saw that not only was the room obliterated into a desolate waste, but also a large fireball erupt & rising skywards at another part of the house not far from where she is.

Ironically, she was looking at a second explosion that went off simultaneously with the one she caused.

Ami had to guess just one time to know who had been responsible for it.

That goddamn Predator!, she fumed silently, getting to her feet.

If she doesn't hurry, that vicious space hunter will get to the Yoshikazus first & deny her & her friends what she promised them.

She can't let that happen.

Not if young Jiro is to finally rest in peace.

Checking the ammo count of her machine gun, Ami sets off back into the house, never giving even the slightest glimpse of dead Yakuza as she passes them by.

10:15 p.m.:

Bullets fly as more of Yoshikazu's people fire upon Snake after he stumbled into a horde of them, dodging round after round while working his spinning left blade hand & cutting them in the throat & chest. He even got in a few licks with his hidden dagger which emerged from his left heel, piercing the jagged blade into heads & stomachs, splitting them open & letting the ichor fall out.

Snake's fancy fight wasn't entirely free of avoiding bullets, though: a few lucky shots hit his left shoulder cannon & disabled it completely, rendering it useless. Another few hit the other as well, but this one was still operational.

Just not on his shoulder.

Dodging flying lead, Snake detached his cannon & fixed it to work in his hand as the thing charged up & he let loose with a blast that blew away its first victim apart, hitting him square in the chest. Snake added to the mayhem by taking out his barbed whip & swinging it at several of the Yakuza, slicing them every which way: in the chest, head, limbs, wherever they were unlucky enough to get snagged at. It was an effective way to deal with his enemies, but it was also to buy him some time. In his hand, his cannon fires only one shot at a time, needing time to recharge itself before it can fire again.

But when it does fire, it packs one hell of a punch!

In less than two minutes, Snake wipes out all the Yakuza save for one, in which he does a double dose on. He first uses his whip to snag him at the waist, but he doesn't pull. He merely keeps him there for his cannon-turned-gun to finish the job, blowing away his head & a portion of his chest before retracting his whip.

Once he was done with those he'd been dealing with, a pair of shots from the side strike his blaster gun & whip with such force that they get knocked out of Snake's hands. The Predator turns right to see a brand new enemy staring him down.

It was Natsumi Yoshikazu.

The Yakuza wife was attired in a sleek body armor suit that could almost be deemed as a bathing suit. It was an ivory white in color, with red stripes in spots along the arms, legs & some on the chest & back. The forearms were a tad thicker, as they sported hidden gun ports on the sides, both of which were smoking from the shots fired only seconds ago that damaged Snake's blaster gun & knocked his whip out of his grip. Her hair was done in a bun in the back, her lips were blood red, eyelashes were black as night, & she had a pair of earrings of human skulls that hung from her lobes.

In Snake's eyes, Natsumi Yoshikazu was truly a huntress in appearance.

He wondered if she can also fight like one.

"Very impressive, monster!", Natsumi gloats. "You've gone & wiped out some of our best people with hardly that much effort on your part! But now you face a real opponent, & I won'tgo down as easily as they did! On your guard, alien!"

Natsumi gets in a defensive pose, as Snake does the same with an eager cackle. Both of the combatants stare the other down for several tense seconds before charging one another like deer during mating season. But these two figures were here to make war, not love, & it was Natsumi who delivers the first hit by ducking Snake's right hook & giving him one of her own to the chest in a blow more than powerful enough to send him sprawling backwards a good dozen feet before landing onto his back.

"Ha! How do you like that, space monster?", Natsumi scoffs. "You're not the only one who can use technology to his advantage: this suit I wear augments my strength, speed & stamina tenfold! I can match you in hand-to-hand combat as good as any Ronin or Samurai warrior! Now come, creature! Let's see what you're really made of!"

Snake was back on his feet just as she finished her invitation. He charges her again, but now he was more cautious & aware. When he was in range, Natsumi swung her leg to his side but Snake blocks it with his arm & following it up with an uppercut which Natsumi barely had time to avoid by flipping back a few feet. Snake doesn't give Natsumi time to catch her breath: he immediately follows his attack with a series of fists that get swung full force & adding some brutal kicks that would've surely broken more than a few bones had any of them connected. But being in her suit of armor, Natsumi parries each swing made at her & delivers some herself. Like with his to her, Snake parries these blows for the most part as she gets in just a few on his person.

A lucky punch to the stomach from Snake stuns his opponent, & he grabs her by the arm & lifts her up over his head before throwing her across the room into a wall, putting a hole into it. It gave Snake the time he needed to grab his whip & cracked it once to see if it still was of any use to him. Satisfied that it was intact despite the hit it received before, Snake swung it at Natsumi, who barely got out of its path in time, the tip missing her head by a hair.

Had it made contact, her head would've split open & this fight would be over already.

But it wasn't over, & Natsumi didn't want this bout to be finished anytime soon. She wants to make her alien foe pay dearly for screwing with her husband & their organization, killing too many of their personell & associates. No, she wants him to suffer immensely first before she puts him in the ground.

Snake flings his whip again repeatedly at Natsumi, who dodges it at every turn but in each strike they become quite close. To even the odds a bit, Natsumi fires a volley of rounds from her forearm guns. A few rounds strike Snake in his facemask & chest, but each one bounced off the alien metal with ease, doing no vital damage to his person. Natsumi fires off more rounds from her guns, but none of them hit anything that looked like flesh on her enemy, instead bounced off on metal with a spark. Snake snaps his whip again, & in this move he hits & knocks out the left gun on Natsumi's forearm, shattering it to pieces. He quickly follows that maneuver up by doing the same to her weapon on the right, ending it by wrapping his whip onto her forearm like a boa.

It proved to be a mistake: with her armored gloved hand, Natsumi grabs the barbed weapon & tugs hard on it, prying the whip from Snake's hand in a move that oddly surprises him, getting thrown far out of his reach.

"That makes us even, monster!", Natsumi said. "Now we're back to using our fists & feet! Care for another go-round?"

"…on your guard, alien…!", Snake said in Natsumi's voice. The Yakuza wife rushes at her alien foe, throwing punches & kicks in a fury once she got close enough. This time, however, it became different: after the first few misses, Natsumi actually made contact with her blows & hit Snake hard in his chest, stomach, sides & even a few in his facemask. The Predator grunted with every hit that landed onto him, & Natsumi had poured it on by delivering various kicks of equal power & speed. Snake got in a couple of his own, but due to Natsumi's relentless assault, his had not been too effective, & he was even starting to see stars in his vision from the beating he was now receiving, & his bleeding wounds from before weren't making things any easier either.

Natsumi gave her interstellar enemy a couple more hits for good measure before picking him up over her head & slamming him hard on the floor on his back. The blow caused a crater in the floor, & Snake was a little slow to get up. Barely able to stand, Snake faced Natsumi as the latter delivered a powerful double-fisted blow to Snake's chest with all her might. The Predator grunted as he flew backwards into a wall not far from where he'd done the same to Natsumi. His weight & momentum made an even larger hole when he hit, & fell onto his ass.

Shaking the cobwebs from his mind, Snake struggles to get up as Natsumi stares down at him from the opposite side of the room, boisterously laughing maniacally.

"Not bad, monster! Not bad at all!", Natsumi says, grinning widely. "You're the first foe who's lasted more than ten seconds with me in combat! You've given me a workout like no other before, & I suppose I should be in debt to you! As your reward, I'll hang your head right above our bed as a reminder of when I defeated you! What's more, I'll put your head right next to Ami Hyuga's, once my husband claims her skull!"

From the opposite side of Natsumi's left forearm, her armor opens up to reveal another hidden gun port, one that was slightly larger than her other ones. She had thought of keeping him alive for torture, but she considered him far too dangerous to have even as a prisoner.

"Too bad you didn't completely destroy my left cuff like you did the right one!", Natsumi said, aiming her new weapon at Snake. "There's no telling what kind of hidden surprises that a person might have up their sleeve! Here's something for you to go take to the afterlife, monster: never start a fight you can't finish! Goodbye, creature!"

The mention of Ami Hyuga gave Snake an extra booth of strength, especially when his enemy mentioned her being killed by her husband. No way was Snake going to allow that - Ami Hyuga is his to kill, & his alone.

While she ranted, Snake lifted his left arm & kept it level at Natsumi's chest. The Yakuza wife laughed maniacally as she leveled her hidden weapon at Snake, but it was the Predator who acted first. With a 'paff' sound, Snake's entire left hand - attached to a thin but strong cable line - shot out from his wrist & streaked across the room & rammed right into Natsumi's chest, going through both her armor and flesh & bone. Natsumi's eyes & mouth widen in surprise as Snake's artificial hand enters her chest & comes out of her back, his hand grasping Natsumi's spinal column as she coughs up a glob of blood from her mouth. With his prize now in his possession, Snake withdraws his hand by the cable as it reels itself back in, Natsumi's skull & spinal column out front as her face splits open to allow safe passage for it while her lifeless body falls to the floor like a rag doll, face first.

His hand back on his wrist, Snake rises groggily but still gets to his feet regardless.

"…never start a fight you can't finish! There's no telling what kind of hidden surprises that a person might have up their sleeve…!", Snake said in Natsumi's voice, holding her skull to his face & examining it. He lets out a victory roar in triumph against a very worthy foe - one of the best he's ever had.

One of the main bosses were down.

Now it was time to go after the other two he desperately seeks.

But first, Snake needs to attend to his wounds in order to function properly.

Then it shall be time to collect what he came for.

Activating his cloak, Snake rushed off to find someplace secure to heal up.

CHAPTER VIII

10:30 p.m.:

Ami had to hold herself up in a bathroom for a few minutes, as the blast she caused using the propane tanks & the one she knows the Predator caused had messed up her hearing a bit. So she hid in the bathroom & kept as quiet as possible, checking her ammo & even taking time to pop an aspirin into her mouth to handle her hearing some & the headache which had threatened to cloud her head up like a fog. Ami couldn't have that: for her to perform her task properly, she needs to be in top physical shape. While she sustained some black & blue marks on her person, it wasn't anywhere to being serious injuries that would deter or slow her down. Only her slightly muffled hearing & headache were the major obstacles, & those can be dealt with just as easily as applying a bandage to a small cut. Kazuya & Nanase had taught her not just to fight, but also to be as resilient to pain as possible & throw it off as best she could.

A little medicine doesn't hurt either.

Resting for nearly half an hour, Ami's condition had improved: her headache was gone, & her hearing was up to par. Feeling herself at full strength again, Ami carefully headed out of the bathroom, armed & ready to resume her crusade.

And resume it she does: in under three minutes, she was back in force & already kicking major league Yakuza ass, firing upon them with her machine gun & bringing most of them down like living bowling pins after being made into bloody swiss cheese. One Yakuza member gets in a hit by swinging his samurai sword at Ami, but instead of hitting her, he swings it at her weapon by slicing off the ammo clip which flies off far away. Ami swung her gun arm around to clobber her attacker, but he was fast enough to duck & swing his sword again, this time slicing the gun itself at the tip. Ami gasped in surprise as her foe laughs in triumph.

"There! You've done enough shooting at us for tonight!", he scoffs. "Now let's see how tough you are without that little toy of yours!"

Scowling over the loss of her weapon, Ami drops it off her metal arm & gestures with her hand the man & his group - three others - to come get her.

"Come & find out for yourselves, assholes!", Ami growled.

The first man comes at her with a switchblade & thrusts it at her. Ami grabbed his blade hand with her right & threw a punch with her metal arm that broke his neck with a loud snap. He fell to the floor as the second & third came at her with a large hunting knife in their hands. They were more cautious of her, not wanting to meet the fate of their comrade. Like Indians, both men brandish their blades professionally & swing/stab them at her when they see an opening. Nearly making contact with the blades, Ami steps back to put distance between her & them. But these two were relentless: they follow & get her in a squeeze play, being at both sides. They taunt her by jabbing their blades repeatedly, threatening to give her a prelude of what's to come. Furiously, Ami keeps a close watch on both men, moving her head back & forth, waiting for just when she knows they'll try & charge her.

And they do: pointing their blades forward, the two men rush for her in an attempt to do a simultaneous stab. Once they get close enough, Ami grabs both of their blade hands with her own & uses her strength to force-jab them straight into their chins, sending the knives all the way in. Both men squirt blood from their mouths before falling backwards, becoming dead just before hitting the floor. No sooner did she waste those two than when the last man with his sword came in swinging his katana at Ami, who just manages to avoid getting her head sliced off by stepping backward out of its reach. The man swings his blade repeatedly at Ami, only to miss hitting her each time. Getting more infuriated, the man's swings become more erratic & wild like he's doing so at random & hoping he gets lucky.

Strangely, he does: bringing his sword down on her, the man strikes Ami in the arm with his weapon. Unfortunately, the arm he struck was Ami's left metal arm, & the blade breaks off its handle upon contact.

"I-Impossible!", the man said, his eyes wide in disbelief. "I cut your gun with my sword! Why wasn't I able to do so with your arm?"

Ami catches the broken-off blade with her metal hand.

"Because this metal that I wear…is alien!", Ami says, ramming the blade into the man's throat. Blood from the man's throat & mouth spurts in a gush of crimson as he futily tries to take it out. Seconds after he hits the floor along with his comrades, he lies still but the blood keeps on flowing from his wound & mouth.

"Take that…you no-good Yakuza!", Ami scoffs.

"And you take this…!", said a new voice. Ami barely had time to turn before she gets hit in the chest by a well-placed foot, the blow knocking her to the floor & skidding across a dozen feet before stopping. Gasping for air, Ami can now see her attacker clearly, & she grits her teeth in pure hatred.

It was Tatsuro Yoshikazu.

"You dirty little slut!", he finished, staring at her in the same manner. Ami gets up as the Yakuza boss goes on. "I just found my wife…dead on the floor, her skull & spinal column torn out by that fucking monster that's been hounding my men! And then there's you…a whiny little whore who doesn't know when the hell to quit even after she had wasted the true killers of her younger brother! Not that I give a shit, but don't you realize than no amount of killing Yakuza can ever bring his sorry ass back?!"

"I do realize that, asshole!", Ami spat. "But before you ask as to why I continue my crusade against Yakuza scum like you, it's because it deeply satisfies me to make you people suffer in the same way you made my younger brother Yu & others like him suffer! And I will keep on putting Yakuza scum into the ground until the day I die!"

"You mean people like poor little Jiro?", Tatsuro teased as he burst out laughing.

"Don't you fucking dare tease him like that!", Ami shouted, running towards him in a rage as his taunt was more than she can bear. Her hands into hard fists, Ami swings her metal one first at Tatsuro's face, but he dodges it & counters it with a jujitsu chop in the back, followed up by a knee to her chest. From behind, he grabs her in a firm grip as he wraps his arms around her own, pinning her with great strength.

"And don't you underestimate me, little girl!", Tatsuro growls next to her ear. "You're not dealing with just some filthy street punk - you're dealing with Tatsuro Yoshikazu, Yakuza boss extraordinaire! I'm not as soft as my good friend Ryugi Kimura was, bitch! I eat troublesome cunts like you for breakfast! I've faced & even beaten several rivals in this organization! Do you really think that a dirty little slut like yourself has any chance of defeating someone as powerful as me?!"

"As a matter of fact…yes!", Ami said, slamming her foot into his shin with all her might. Tatsuro cries out as Ami gets free & follows it up by ramming her metal forearm into his chest, knocking him off his feet.

"That's for what you did to Jiro! And this…", Ami stated, raising her right fist & bringing it down hard on his face. "…is for Kazuya!"

"And that's all you're getting!", Tatsuro barked, grabbing Ami's leg as she attempted to kick him in the ribs. Pulling her down with him, Tatsuro & Ami get into a vicious brawl like two cats, violently scratching & biting each other as they roll across the floor. Tatsuro gives several blows with his fists to get her off, while Ami does the same mostly with her metal arm. Tatsuro, amazingly, shrugs these off like they're nothing more than love taps. What Ami doesn't know is that Tatsuro is very resilient to pain, having trained his body to be a weapon & take punishment in order to shrug it off. It was why he is a Yakuza boss extraordinaire, & even other Yakuza fear him because he's most ruthless, sans the late Kimuras.

And anyone who opposes him gets taught that lesson the hard way, as Ami is about to.

Tatsuro grabs her by the throat & slams her against the wall after getting to his feet. Then he lets loose on her with a series of punches & kicks. Ami's vision was being filled with white flashes as Tatsuro knocks her every which way before sending her sprawling to the floor, her face & portions of her body covered with bruises. Tatsuro pins her down by pressing his right foot to her chin, putting enough pressure to keep her disoriented.

"It's easy to see as to why Ryugi admired you somewhat, Ami Hyuga!", he says, staring down on her. "You're quite strong for a girl your age! Even I can admire that! But you are clearly outmatched by me, Ami - you always were! You just never knew it until you found that out the hard way! You said before that you'd continue to hunt down & kill Yakuza up until the day you died, did you? Well, Ami Hyuga - permit me to send you to an early retirement! Goodbye!"

Tatsuro kept his foot on Ami's chin as he goes into his suit to pull out a Glock handgun he had within, wanting to save it for the right time. With it just arrived, he grins big & points his weapon at Ami's face when her eyes go wide.

And it wasn't because she has a gun aimed at her face either.

Cackling came from behind Tatsuro, followed by a large shimmer. Tatsuro then felt a very sharp pain from below, & he grunted before staring down at what appeared to be a long jagged blade sticking out from his groin, blood spurting from the area. In the next instant, that very same blade traveled up to & past his head in the blink of an eye in a blurred movement. Both Tatsuro & Ami stopped & stared at the whole occurrence, acting like they'd both seen a ghost.

In a way, they were.

A few seconds later, a vertical line of red formed on Tatsuro from his groin area up to his head, & the Yakuza boss' eyes widen when he realizes he's been sliced in half as blood splatters from both his front & back before being ripped apart by a pair of shimmering hands that reveals Snake as he deactivates his cloak & stares down at Ami.

Despite having been saved, Ami was no more happy to see the Predator than she was of Tatsuro. She also wasn't at all happy to be denied killing him herself, & she's about to make that notion very clear.

"Alien bastard! He was MY kill!", Ami shouted.

"…never start a fight you can't finish…!", Snake repeated in Natsumi's voice, raising his wrist blade & swinging it at Ami. The Machine Girl barely gets out of its path in time, scraping only the tiled floor with a slight spark. Getting up, Ami dodges several more lethal swings of the Predator's jagged blade, who misses her each time even as he extends his other blade. Thinking fast, Ami scoops up the gun Tatsuro was going to kill her with & fires off the entire clip at her alien adversary. The bullets all strike Snake, but most hit his metal with only a few striking alien flesh & causing almost no damage, sans for a few bleeding wounds that don't even begin to slow him down.

It didn't mean that Ami's shots were all wasted for nothing: though her shots hit mostly metal, they still did damage to Snake, & one or two of her shots struck his left forearm cuff. As the bullets hit home, Snake's cloak began shorting out & the Predator was fading in & out of his invisibility trick, some parts of his person becoming translucent & his device sparking like loose wires that were cut or ripped out by force. Assessing the damage, Snake can tell that it was pretty extensive despite being done with only a bullet or two. Snake still has a trick to perform from his left forearm, & he aims it at Ami.

Pressing a button, he launches his left wrist blade at her which soars through the air like a missile. It was aimed right for Ami's heart: the Machine Girl only had a tenth of a second to get out of its trajectory, making only the smallest nick in her side. The blade hit the wall behind her, going all the way through & stopping in the next room. Snake growls at both the ineffectiveness of hitting his quarry & of his left forearm cuff being inert, his howl echoing the room & beyond.

With most of his weaponry gone, Snake will have to do a more hands-on approach to his enemy.

Funny. Ami Hyuga had the very same thought in mind.

Grabbing a chair, she rushes towards Snake & steers clear of his remaining wrist blade by ducking under its swing & doing so with her chair to his face. The blow smashes into splinters on contact, leaving Snake momentarily distracted. It was all Ami needed: with her left metal arm, she swings her fist into his facemask with such a blow that it actually knocks it off with a loud clang as alien metals met. The metal facemask flew across the room as Ami backed off to avoid getting sliced & diced by Snake's remaining wrist blade. As the Predator slowly turned to face his enemy again, Ami gasped with eyes that go agape as she sees a shocking revelation.

The entire left side of Snake's crablike face was metallic!

From his left mandibles, eye & several of his strands of 'hair', Snake has been transformed into a half-bionic Predator.

It can't be!, she thought, recalling the memory in her mind of seeing this same Predator at Ichinooka Shrine after beating it by cutting off its left leg & blowing off half its left arm & same side of its face. But it was the mark on the top of his head that Ami recognized this Predator, it being a patch of color that resembled a snake's, in brown, black & flesh.

It can't be, but it is!, Ami thought. This Predator is the one I fought at Ichinooka Shrine just last year after Miki & I dealt with the Kimuras! Shit…I should've made sure it was dead then when I had the chance by slicing his head off!

"…Amiiiiiiiii…!", the bionic Snake said in Miki's voice.

Ami wasn't fooled, nor was she distracted by the attempt: she grabbed the knives that she killed two Yakuza with & held them in a defensive position.

"Nice try, asshole, but you can't deceive me with that trick! You want me? Come & GET me, you ugly motherfucker!", Ami bellowed & bolted for the exit, knowing for sure that her alien enemy would follow her. She wasn't disappointed: Snake ran hot on her heels after her, itching to make her head as his grand prize of all his adversaries & collecting all her kills. It's said that when you kill a killer, all his/her kills belong to you.

And that's what Snake intends to do with Ami like he's been doing with all of the Yakuza he sent to their makers in his second visit to Japan.

Ami heads for the outdoors to take on her alien foe, having better fighting maneuverability & stripping him a good portion of his weaponry, most of which were caused by the Yoshikazu's people. But Ami knew better than to label him as defenseless or even easier to handle: from what she'd learned of the Predators by Kazuya & Nanase, they could have tricks up their sleeves that haven't been discovered yet, & that they enjoy going one-on-one with their prey, just as they'd done with players like Major Alan 'Dutch' Schaefer when he took on the creature in Guatemala in Central America back in 1987.

That alone makes the Predators most dangerous.

Reaching a wide hallway with windows on one side, Ami almost reaches the end of it when a trio of Yakuza suddenly appear, halting in her tracks. Seeing her set their blood boiling.

"There's the filthy cunt that's been killing us! Get her!", one of the shouted.

Before any of them can make a move, a sound from behind Ami causes her to turn & find Snake detaching one of his hair braids on his left & throwing it point-first. Ami ducks to avoid getting hit, but the Yakuza in the middle wasn't so lucky: the braid dart landed square in his chest right next to his heart. The thing then makes a beeping sound that rises in pitch, giving them all a sense of dread. Anything that makes a noise like that is bound to be explosive, & the three men stare in shock, being unable to do anything about what will come in the next few seconds.

"Oh, fu…!", the one who was hit said just before he & his two companions were blown to bloody bits in a blast that rained down everywhere. That included Ami, who covered her ears & head with her arms as body parts & ichor came down where she was, getting some of the latter on her uniform. When it ceased, she looked up to find two bare clawed feet only inches from her face. Before she could do anything, Ami was grabbed at the scruff of her neck by a powerful left hand & lifted to her feet until she was face to hideous face with Snake, his right wrist blade still extended. He can easily stab her & take her head for his trophy right now if he wished to, & his quarry is helpless in his grip.

Or so he thought.

With more than enough fight still left in her, Ami jams her right foot into what passed as his groin with all her might. Her reward was hitting a mesh of metal, & it gave a slight clang when she made contact. Ami winced in pain.

"…nice try…but you can't deceive me with that trick…!", Snake said in Ami's voice just before tossing her at one of the windows. Ami crashes through it & lands outside on the lawn on her shoulders, flipping onto her side. Snake jumps through the opening & lands gracefully on his feet, landing right next to his quarry. Stabbing with his right wrist blade, Snake drives it in the ground, missing Ami by an inch. She gets back up & does a backflip to avoid another deadly swing of his weapon, barely missing getting sliced in half. Landing on all fours, Ami rises up & stares down her half-bionic alien foe, as Snake does the same.

Snake retracts his blade & removes a volley of his hair braids on his left in one grasp & throws them in Ami's direction like the darts they are. The Machine Girl dodges these as they all strike the ground, going halfway in. Their beeping is more rapid than before, & Ami takes off to get distance before the explosion. All hair darts explode in unison, blasting up grass & dirt. The blast knocks her forward some, making her lose balance & hitting the dirt herself. With a mighty leap, Snake propels himself in the air & jumps on over the blast he created, extending the dagger from beneath his left foot to drive it into Ami while she was down.

But Ami was more resilient than Snake gave her credit for, & she rolls over to one side & avoids getting impaled from above. Snake's foot dagger gets buried in the ground & pulls it out, but gets cut off by Ami when she kicks at it, severing the blade between the robotic foot & the weapon's handle. Ami had no time to grab it though: Snake was already turning his left hand into a spinning blade & thrusts it right at her, intent on giving her the ultimate haircut - by severing her scalp in a horizontal manner.

Ami moves over to one side & misses getting her skull sliced open in alien surgery, but she did feel the 'whoosh' of it going by in a rush of air, the noise sending a chill up her spine. Snake swings his spinning hand blade at Ami a dozen times, succeeding only in cutting her skirt a few times. Tired of his failure, Snake turns his hand back to normal & grabs a spear from behind his back. With the press of a button, the spear extends to twice, three times its original length, which becomes a double-bladed glaive, & the fierce Yautja rushes Ami & swipes at her in an attempt to take her head off.

No dice: Ami ducks beneath the swing, & she then comes up with her hands into hard fists & starts letting loose on Snake in his stomach, arms, chest & face, hitting the latter only with her own metal appendage to avoid breaking the bones in her right. She holds nothing back as she unleashes her fury on this alien hunter not only for trying to claim her skull like he'd done to the Yakuza, but also for denying her the chance to deliver the killing blow to both the Yoshikazus in order to avenge Kazuya & Nanase's only child.

Since she can't bring them back from the dead so she can kill them herself, she'll gladly settle on taking it out on her alien enemy, having more than enough reason to kill him too.

For a young human girl, Ami Hyuga had great strength coursing through her, & Snake can highly appreciate that in her, giving him a rough pounding that even he can feel. He can recall the last time a single prey ever gave him this much trouble, especially giving him a fierce hand-to-hand beating like she is.

However, like the rest of his race, Snake was also very resilient, & had even much greater strength: grabbing her left hand, he uses his foot to push Ami away, sending her sprawling back a good sixteen feet. As she rises, Snake points his left hand with it still holding his glaive & shoots it straight for his prey like firing an arrow. The hand/glaive projectile launches itself towards Ami, & the Machine Girl moves to one side & actually catches it at both the hand and glaive, a move which stunned Snake. Ami pulls hard on it in an attempt to throw her foe off-balanced, but Snake was not fooled. Standing firm, he pulls back on it & making the cable on his hand taut as both rivals were now engaged in a weird game of tug-of-war. Despite her best strenuous efforts on her part, Ami was still being dragged across the lawn slowly but surely, her feet making marks in the grass by the heels.

But Snake wasn't going to wait to drag her to his end: extending his wrist blade from his right forearm cuff, he slices at & cuts the cable at his wrist. The sudden snap forced Ami to fall backwards as the robotic alien hand spasmed & opened up, releasing its hold on the glaive Ami held in her hands.

Even with the loss of his robotic left hand, Snake was far from out & he runs at Ami, who does the same with his glaive. Snake gets in the first strike with his wrist blade, hitting the glaive which Ami holds like a Bo Staff. She does this several times, blocking each strike at her person from Snake's blade & acting as her only shield against certain death.

Snake decides to take that shield away: striking his blade on the glaive, he holds it there as Ami fights to keep his weapon at bay. Snake can easily stab at her by shifting his blade some, but he sticks to his idea & uses his weapon to fling it out of Ami's hands, leaving her weaponless sans her metal arm. The glaive lands yards away, right where she kicked off his foot dagger that still sticks out of the dirt.

Then Snake does something Ami never expected.

With a swift & precise move of his arm, he slices off Ami's metal arm near the area where metal & flesh met, the stump sparking. Ami cried out in pain in a scene reminiscent of losing her original arm to the Kimuras after her first failed attempt to kill their only son Sho. And since the arm had been attached to her nerve tissue, having her robotic appendage felt just as bad as that first time. Ami never knew that only another Predator weapon can cut through its own substance, much like only a diamond, the hardest substance on Earth, can cut another.

For the second time in just over a year, Ami Hyuga loses her left arm.

Filthy alien son of a BITCH!, Ami thought, fighting to stay conscious as darkness dares to consume her. No, Ami! Don't you dare lose it now! You fade into the dark, you'll never find your way out of it! Stay conscious, goddamnit!

In an attempt of fair play, Snake slices off his own left arm near the elbow as what's left of it falls to the ground, the end sparking like Ami's.

Retracting his wrist blade & letting out an animalistic roar, Snake advances towards Ami & lands a right hook to her chest just as she gets to her feet. The blow staggers her but she still stays on her feet & tries to fight back despite the loss of her arm. Unfortunately, Snake was better at it & he continues his brutal assault on Ami by punching & kicking her hard in the chest & face like a prize street fighter. Blow after blow of pure muscle strikes Ami, & it's all she can do to stay conscious as the darkness became even stronger & threatened to pull her into it.

Grabbing her by the lapels of her shirt, Snake roars in Ami's face with fury right before he throws her like a rag doll across the air. Ami lands hard on her face, & she hobbles across the grass on her hands & knees for anything to help her turn the tables on her foe. For all her training she did with Miki & then with Kazuya & Nanase, Ami was still outclassed by a warrior from beyond the stars with tons more training than what she's received. After all, if one Predator can take down dozens of highly trained Yakuza without too much trouble, then a teenage girl with an anger issue & vengeance in her blood is small potatoes to an alien who has faced acid-blooded creatures also from beyond Earth & lived to tell about it.

Hunting & killing is what the Predators live for, nothing else.

That's why in the end, they usually triumph.

And triumph is what Snake will do, unless Ami can do something to gain the upper hand.

She traveled across the lawn for a good distance before collapsing on her stomach. Snake extends his wrist blade & clenches his hand in a fist with a sound that resembles bones cracking. Standing over her, Snake raises his blade to take off Ami's head with one swipe, & the Yakuza hunter & killer looked to be in no shape to put up any resistance.

Jiro…I'm so sorry, Ami thought as Snake grunts in what sounded like a gloat.

That name gave Ami a sudden surge: before Snake can deliver the killing blow, Ami turns to her side on the ground & uses her right hand to grab his glaive & throw it right into her foe's chest. It caught Snake unawares, forgetting he'd thrown his foe near where his glaive lay at. The alien hunter cried out in anguish from the wound, & it got louder when Ami got to her feet & she drove it in further with her one good arm. Lime green flourescent blood spewed from the wound in both front & back as Ami drove it through his chest & out the other end.

Then she went back & grabbed Snake's foot dagger, which lay right next to the glaive.

Knowing he was about to die, Snake tries to take Ami with her but she anticipated this: she dodged his blade when he swung it at her, & in turn she stabbed him in the arm where his bicep was, driving it in deep & killing his arm. Snake grunted in pain & anger, cursing her for killing his limb & rendering it inoperable. Ami then approaches Snake & stares him square in the face, her own in a look of contempt.

"Never start a fight you can't finish, asshole!", she growled, reciting his words back at him even though he got them from Natsumi first.

Then she drove the dagger home deep into his cranium.

Snake gave out only a few weak growls of pain as Ami repeatedly stabbed him in the skull, which was possibly his only vulnerable spot. His flourescent blood splashed onto her face, arm & chest as the alien hunter began twitching in spasms. Ami kept stabbing him relentlessly for what seemed to be a full minute, when in reality it had only been fifteen seconds.

With one final thrust, Ami drove the dagger all the way into Snake's skull, leaving only the handle sticking out.

A small twitch or two was all Snake made in his final moments before lying over to his side & remained still, expiring with his glaive staying through him.

Against all odds, Ami Hyuga had fought a veteran alien hunter…and lived.

Never has Ami wanted to lie down & rest, being drained of her stamina from the fighting & having her new arm sliced off, but she wasn't given much choice in the matter. A chorus of cackling brought her awake, & suddenly Ami was faced with six Predators as they all deactivate their cloaks. They stand only ten feet from her & their fallen comrade, four of whom wear their facemasks in different patterns & styles: one had tusks sticking out from the bottom, another had a jawbone covering the bottom. All of them had shoulder cannons, & they were currently aimed at Ami Hyuga's head & chest.

Even if she happened to be at full stamina, there was no way Ami could even begin to fight all six & walk out of it alive.

She stared down her new enemies & waited for the inevitable blasts to come, not wishing to cower or show any fear in front of them.

A blast of blue energy was suddenly fired.

However, it didn't come from any of the newcomers: it came from elsewhere & blew apart the head of one of the six Predators in a gooey mess, helmet & all. It then fell to the ground as the other five got in a defensive position. It did no good: one by one, these new Predators were being killed by blasts of blue energy, blowing away at their chests & limbs. One of them even got a six-bladed razor disc thrown at it, going deep into its chest.

It fell to the ground on its back, dead before it even got there.

Only one Predator was still left alive, & at that moment Ami was staring at a sight that was far too outrageous for even the sanest person to comprehend.

About two dozen Predators deactivated their cloaks & began approaching the last fallen creature, its facemask off to reveal a Predator with red patches on its flesh.

Oh, hell no! You've got to be fucking shitting me!, Ami thought, hard-pressed to believe what she was now witnessing even with the hard proof before her. They converge on the last of the 'rogues' & stare down on him with malice in their crablike faces. Most of the two dozen new Predators wore facemasks, with only a selected few without. One of them looked to be somewhat older than the others, its flesh in a tone of light gray along with its hair. On its lower mandible on the left, a pair of gold rings hung, & its bandolier & belt was adorned with skulls. A large sword hung on its right, resting in its sheath. Ami surmised that this particular Predator is a veteran of countless hunts during its life, & shows no signs of hanging up its hunting gear anytime soon.

Little does Ami know that this old geezer of a Predator was the same one that presented LAPD Detective Mike Harrigan with a Flintlock pistol from 1715 back in 1997 after defeating one of them in the 'City of Angels', as people from America call it.

This Elder Predator stepped forward on this last creature which was clearly not of his clan as the rest stood back, but kept their weapons trained on him when several red dot patterns shone on this rogue. The Elder grabbed hold of his sword & unsheathed it, examining it like he's seeing it for the first time in his life. The hunter with red on its head shook his head as if pleading for his life, begging to be spared.

It didn't cut any ice with the Elder: bringing his weapon back, the red-spotted Predator's eyes go wide as the Elder swung his sword at him, slicing him right through the neck & staining his weapon with lime green blood. The rogue's head fell off like a tree cut at the top, followed by its body & they rest together on the ground.

Needless to say, his pleas were too little, too late.

Now they turn their attention to Ami as the Elder wipes his sword clean of green blood with a cloth & placing it back in its sheath.

Just as before, Ami refused to show any trepidation as she pulled out the dagger she killed Snake with from his skull. Several red dots in triangular patterns began shining on her person in various spots.

"What's the matter, huh?! You couldn't stand to have your pack of mad dogs to kill me, so you're saving that pleasure all for yourselves, is that it?!", Ami shouted, fighting the pain of the loss of her robotic arm to stay conscious.

She places the blood-stained dagger to the right side of her neck & holds it there.

"Fuck you all! I'm not gonna give any of you alien shits the satisfaction!", Ami firmly said, closing her eyes & getting ready to plunge the dagger into her neck in a move similar to when she placed a samurai sword to her own throat after avenging Yu at Ichinooka Shrine.

One of the Predators threw a razor disc at Ami & makes contact.

The sound of its approach & hitting her made Ami open her eyes.

What the hell…?, she thought, as she felt the disc hit…something. Those sneaky bastards! Did they actually hit me? Am I about to die by their hand? Damn them…damn all of them to Hell!

But miraculously, Ami wasn't hit at all by the disc that sailed past her.

The dagger she held was another story: from between the blade & its handle, the weapon got sliced in half & the blade fell away. The Predator that threw it did so with precision, striking the dagger without hitting Ami in the slightest. All she held was a dagger with no blade on it.

The Elder Predator walked towards her.

Fighting unconsciousness, Ami dropped the bladeless handle & rushed the Elder with her right hand into a fist. Frustrated at being denied death by her own hand, Ami was going to go down fighting & take their leader with her.

She swung her fist forward with all her might at the Elder.

The veteran hunter caught it with ease by her wrist with his own right hand, & Ami's eyes go wide.

Now at the Predator's mercy, there wasn't anything she could do.

Except die.

With his left arm, the Elder places his fist at Ami's face but doesn't touch her. Instead, a little portion of his forearm cuff slides up & unleashes a small cloud of gas. Breathing in the vapor, Ami senses it to be something similar to ether in a compound used by surgeons & dentists to put patients to sleep as they operate.

Ushering a slight & soft moan, Ami fell into unconsciousness & fell backwards onto the grass, never feeling the impact or the hands of the Elder as he picks her up & delivers her to his hunting pack.

They begin working on her immediately.

EPILOGUE #1

Some time later:

What Ami will never know is that those six Predators the Elder & his clan killed were all a group of rogues who've been performing illegal experimentation on their own kind, grafting onto them mechanical/bionical features without approval from any of their superiors. And Snake was seldom their first target: they'd been doing so for quite a number of years until a couple of their spies were caught & questioned before executed for treason against both their race and ethics.

If Ami were awake, she'd call that poetic justice.

But she was still cloaked in darkness, & has stayed that way for a good while.

Until a voice - female - calls her name, & it starts to stir her awake.

"Ami! Ami!"

Ami recognized the voice calling to her, & her eyes widened.

It can't be!, Ami thought. This is a dream, isn't it? I can't really be hearing who I think is calling out to me!

But it was: from out of nowhere, a female was standing over Ami as she was resting in the grass on her back, with the light of the full moon shining overhead.

"Nanase?!", Ami cried out, rising from her position & staring in amazement at her friend who was supposed to have died in that explosion she caused in order to take care of the Predator Hound in the kitchen.

It wasn't the only thing she found unbelievable: looking down, Ami found her metal left arm fully restored & repaired, functioning in the proper manner, fingers & all.

"Yes, the Predators fixed your arm", Nanase said. "I watched them do it after finding my way out of the house. I followed them to this area when they finished, & spent the last hour-&-a-half looking for you."

"But…how is it you can still be here, Nanase?", Ami asked. "When you used the grenade in the kitchen to kill that Predator Hound, I assumed it got you too."

"And it would have, had I not hid in that refrigerator that got knocked over to shield me from the blast", Nanase explained. "But even though it spared my life, the blast concussed me & knocked me out for quite some time. When I revived, just about everyone in the house was dead, killed by that Predator and by you."

"Nanase", Ami sobbed as tears started coming out of her eyes. Unable to contain her joy, she went to her friend & wrapped her arms around her as Nanase did the same. After losing Miki when they battled the Kimuras, it felt heavenly to Ami knowing that Nanase was still alive. They held each other for several minutes, embracing the moment.

"It's good to see you alive as well, Ami. However…", Nanase started saying as she pulled Ami back a bit to look at her, smiling. "I saw your machine gun sliced at the mouth. You really ought to try to not keep on losing them like that. They don't grow on trees, you know."

Ami smiled big.

"Touche. It's a bad habit I should learn to break", Ami joked, sharing a laugh with Nanase.

When they were done, Ami's smile vanished & her voice took a somber tone.

"I do have another scrap of bad news for you, Nanase", she said. "I hadn't been able to kill either Tatsuro or Natsumi for you & Kazuya. That filthy Predator beat me to it, unfortunately. I fear now that neither Jiro nor your husband may ever rest peacefully. I'm sorry."

Ami bows her head shamefully until Nanase gently lifts it up & stares at her, smiling.

"Try not to worry too much about it, Ami", she tells her sincerely. "You gave it your all to avenge them, & that's what matters most. Even though you were beaten to it, you never gave in & fought with the same kind of ferocity we expected you to. I'm sure that Jiro & Kazuya would say the same, were they here."

Nanase's words touched Ami, & she smiled. Then she saw something from behind her, & when Nanase turned to see what Ami was looking at, she was just as astonished as her.

They were looking at ghostly images of Yu, Yoshie, Suguru, Miki, Kazuya, and Jiro, all in smiles & clapping their hands in approval. Ami & Nanase face each other with big smiles. They dig out their Omomori charms from underneath their shirts.

"I guess these charms really do give the wearer good luck!", Ami says.

"Yes! Remind me to thank Horii for them once we get back!", Nanase said.

Ami looks around the area, then back to her.

"It's quite a long hike back to the suburbs! Think you can manage?", she jokes.

"Ami, Kazuya & I have been in the Self-Defense Forces long before we met you! Hikes like this one are just a mere walk in the park for me!", she jokes in return.

They share a laugh.

"Fair enough! Lead the way! I'll follow!", Ami says.

Nanase nodded, & they start to stroll through the woods back home.

EPILOGUE #2

Somewhere in Tokyo, 9:00 a.m., the next morning:

The woman stared out the window of her private office with her hands behind her back. She was attired in a dark blue business dress, with her hair done in a bun. Staring at the city from the 90th floor of the building, she stayed silent while her associate was standing at a table behind her, giving her all the details of what had occurred only the night before.

When he finished, she gave a quick recap.

"So…one of the creatures attacked the Yoshikazu Yakuza branch & slaughtered them all, as did a young girl named Ami Hyuga, who now wears a bionic arm based on their technology & metal."

"That's correct", said the man, dressed in a gray business suit. "She did have it sliced off in her scuffle with the creature, but others of its kind gassed her unconscious & repaired it shortly after Ami had killed it."

"I see. And were you by chance fortunate enough to have gathered some of their tech while you were there?"

"Indeed I was, ma'am", he says, opening up one of two metal cases he placed on the table. The first one was the smaller one, being only an 8 x 18 inch case. Inside was a long barbed whip in which Snake used in his assault at the Yoshikazu house. The man then opened up the second, larger case to reveal a metal facemask - the same one Ami punched off Snake's face.

The woman turned & approached the table to look at the cases' contents. She looked to be in her late 30s or early 40s with the most luscious walnut eyes any Japanese woman could hope to have, & her lips didn't seem so bad either. With a compelling curiosity, she studied both the whip & facemask that seemed to hypnotize her as she stared at them both for several tense moments.

Her associate stayed silent the whole time while she did.

Finally, she looked up at him & smiled slightly.

"A fine catch you made, if I do say so myself", she said. "It would seem that our patience & persistence has finally paid off. You have done well…Daigo."

Daigo took a bow in respect to the woman.

"Thank you, ma'am", he said. "It's been quite a stretch having to wait all this time, but we both knew it was only a matter of it until the creatures decided to go after the Yakuza here in our country. That's why I posed as a trusted adviser to the Yoshikazus for all those years, watching & waiting until they finally struck. It was also I who had supplied the exact location of their house to the Yoshiharas, knowing that the creature would follow them & Miss Hyuga all into that secluded place in one neat package. And as you can see, it was well worth the effort."

"Indeed", the woman said. "Thank you, Daigo. I will see to it that you receive a bonus for your services. That will be all for today."

"As you wish…Miss Yutani", Daigo said, bowing to his boss as she did the same.

Turning, Daigo left the office, leaving Yutani alone.

Once he was gone, Miss Yutani stared at the new arrivals on the table. Ever since she had learned about the Predators upon hearing the incident in Guatemala in 1987, Miss Yutani began a personal quest to seize whatever she could of the alien's technology to use for her own purposes. For a good many years, she was unsuccessful…until a few years ago when Colonel Stevens of the U.S. Army had gotten hold of a gun belonging to one of the alien hunters after taking it from a quartet of survivors from Gunnison, Colorado who encountered one of them & a bunch of acid-blooded creatures, making it out just before Stevens had the area literally wiped off the map with a thermo-nuclear air strike.

Miss Yutani can still envision the scene when she was first given that weapon in her mind.

Miss Yutani: The world is not ready for this technology.

Colonel Stevens: But this isn't for our world…is it, Miss Yutani?

No, Colonel…it isn't, Miss Yutani thought, closing the cases & locking them tight before heading over to her desk & laptop. Sitting in her chair, she starts tapping on the keys & draws up a collage of photos - nine in all - that appear on her window.

The pictures were of faces with names appearing underneath. They were as follows:

Major Alan 'Dutch' Schaefer.

Anna

Mike Harrigan

Leona Cantrell

Alexa Woods

Dallas Howard

Ricky Howard

Kelly O'Brien

Molly O'Brien

They were all the faces & names who have each faced/encountered the Predators & lived to talk about it.

Miss Yutani types on the keyboard more, ringing up two more pictures & names.

Ami Hyuga

Nanase Yoshihara

She stared at the new additions, studying their faces very carefully. When she was satisfied as well as convinced that she had their faces burned in her brain, Miss Yutani closed her laptop & stood. She resumed staring out her window again at the city below her.

So…two more people added to the list, she thought. I'll have to keep a close eye on them as I do the others. Especially on you…Ami Hyuga.

With technology from a race of alien hunters in their possession, along with the discovery of the acid-blooded creatures they discovered both in Antarctica & Gunnison, Colorado, Yutani has quite a lot to look forward to for both her company & that of Weyland Industries, of whom she is currently in the midst of negotiating a merger with, despite the loss of its founder & owner Charles Bishop Weyland, who died during the creature's appearance in the Antarctic as told of by expedition leader Alexa Woods.

The sun shone brightly in the sky.

Miss Yutani allowed herself a smile.

MEMORIALS:

Hal David, Legendary Songwriter Partnered With Burt Bacharach, 91 (1921-2012)

Rev. Sun Myung Moon, Religious Leader Founded Unification Church, 92 (1920-2012)

Alexander Alexandrovich, Engineer & World War II Veteran, 88 (1924-2012)

Smarck Michel, One-Time Premier of Haiti, 75 (1937-2012)

Mark Abrahamian, Lead Guitarist for Rock Group Starship, 46 (1966-2012)

Michael Clarke Duncan, Oscar-Nominated Actor, 54 (1957-2012)

Art Modell, One of Most Influential Owners In NFL History, 87 (1925-2012)

Joe South, Singer-Songwriter Penned Hits in the 1960s & 1970s, 72 (1940-2012)

Rev. Herman D. 'Preacher' Dennis, Mississippi Folk Artist, 96 (1916-2012)

Ted Scala, Ex-IBM Employee & World War II Veteran, 95 (1917-2012)

Jake Eberts, Producer of Top Hollywood Films, 71 (1941-2012)

Dorothy McGuire Williamson, Sang with Famed McGuire Sisters, 84 (1928-2012)

Bill Moggridge, Designed Early Version of Laptop Computer, 69 (1943-2012)

Verghese Kurien, Helped to Revolutionize India's Dairy Industry, 90 (1921-2012)

Joe Mooshil, Former AP Chicago Sports Editor, 85 (1926-2012)

Louis Stout, Amateur Athletic Union President, 73 (1939-2012)

Ron Taylor, Australian Marine Conservationist Helped Film 1975's 'Jaws', 78 (1934-2012)

Mario Zamparelli, Artist Best Known for Collaborating with Howard Hughes, 91 (1921-2012)

Tadahiro Matsushita, Japanese Financial Services Minister, 73 (1939-2012)

J. Christopher Stevens, United States Ambassador to Libya, 42 (1960-2012)

Sid Watkins, Longtime Formula One Medical Chief, 84 (1928-2012)

Norman J. Goldstone, Ex-Aerospace Engineer who Saved Watts Towers, 86 (1926-2012)

Bob Lambert, Former Executive at Disney & Digital Pioneer, 55 (1957-2012)

Geoff Ammer, Veteran Hollywood Marketing Executive, 62 (1950-2012)

Pedro Guerrero, Arts Photographer & World War II Veteran, 95 (1917-2012)

Jack Boucher, National Parks Service Photographer, 80 (1931-2012)

Nevin Spence, Irish Rugby Player, 22 (1990-2012)

Princess Ragnhild, Sister of King Harald of Norway, 82 (1930-2012)

Russell Train, Former Environmental Protection Agency Administrator, 92 (1920-2012)

Jaylee Mead, Astronomer & Philanthropist, 83 (1929-2012)

Stanley Long, British Filmmaker & Producer, 78 (1933-2012)

John Ingle, Actor, Best Known as Edward Quatermaine on 'General Hospital', 84 (1928-2012)

Steve Sabol, President of NFL Films, 69 (1942-2012)

Louis Simpson, Poet & World War II Veteran, 89 (1923-2012)

Larry Gibson, Helped to Preserve West Virginia Landscapes, 66 (1946-2012)

Ashbel Green, Influential Book Editor, 84 (1928-2012)

Donald M. Rothberg, Veteran Political Reporter for Associated Press, 79 (1933-2012)

Mary Foster, Veteran Associated Press Reporter, 68 (1944-2012)

Jean Taittinger, Heir to Taittinger Champagne Company, 89 (1923-2012)

Herbert Lom, Played Inspector Clouseau's Boss in 'Pink Panther' Films, 95 (1917-2012)

John Silber, Former Boston University President, 86 (1926-2012)

Robert Newton, Founder of Racing Tire Company, 85 (1927-2012)

Chris Economaki, Regarded as Authoritative Voice in Motorsports, 91 (1920-2012)

Arthur Ochs Sulzberger, Former NY Times Publisher, 86 (1926-2012)

Barbara Ann Scott, Canadian Olympic Women's Figure Skating Winner, 84 (1928-2012)

Eric Hobsbawm, One of Britain's Most Distinguished Historians, 95 (1917-2012)

James E. Burke, Former CEO of Johnson & Johnson Company, 87 (1925-2012)

Dr. Barry Commoner, Pioneering Scientist of Environmental Movement, 95 (1917-2012)

Jim Sullivan, Acclaimed Session Guitarist of the '60s & '70s, 71 (1941-2012)

Eric Lomax, Ex-POW who Famously Forgave his Captor, 93 (1919-2012)

Sammi Kane Kraft, Played in 2005's 'Bad News Bears', 20 (1992-2012)

Beano Cook, ESPN College Football Commentator, 81 (1931-2012)

Helmut Haller, Scored 1st Goal of 1966 World Cup Final, 73 (1939-2012)

Kyle Bennett, Olympic BMX Cyclist, 33 (1979-2012)

Norodom Sihanouk, Cambodia's Former King & Independence Hero, 89 (1922-2012)

Jerome Horwitz, HIV Treatment Creator, 93 (1919-2012)

Edwin Wilson, Former CIA Agent, 84 (1928-2012)

John Cashman, Father of Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman, 72 (1940-2012)

Jose Curbelo, Latin Jazz Pioneer, 95 (1917-2012)

Nancy Tufts, Founded D.C. Bell-Ringers, 102 (1910-2012)

Pavel Grachev, Russian General, 64 (1948-2012)

Rebecca Devereux Dorsey, Singer & Actress (age not provided)

Henry Champ, Broadcast Journalist, 75 (1937-2012)

John Lane, Communications Lawyer, 90 (1921-2012)

Jason Winrow, Ex-Ohio State Football Player, 41 (1971-2012)

Andy Williams, Emmy-Winning Crooner & TV Variety Show Host, 84 (1927-2012)

Avalanna Routh, Massachusetts Girl who Befriended Justin Bieber, 6 (2006-2012)

Alexander Benisatto, World War II Veteran, 90 (1921-2012)

John F. Ramsey, Veteran Air Force Pilot, 95 (1917-2012)

Fred Begun, Noted Timpanist, 84 (1928-2012)

Billy Barnes, Composer & TV Lyricist, 85 (1927-2012)

Stephen Frankfurt, Advertising Executive, 80 (1931-2012)

Jennifer Jaff, Advocate for the Ill, 55 (1957-2012)

Wendy Weil, Beloved Literary Agent, 72 (1940-2012)

Michael Henry Heim, Literary Translator, 69 (1943-2012)

Antoine Ashley, Drag Entrant & Reality TV Personality, 27 (1984-2012)

Yvonne Mounsey, NYC Ballet Dancer, 93 (1919-2012)

Irving Adler, Teacher & Author, 99 (1913-2012)

Eugene Genovese, Historian who Wrote About Slavery, 82 (1930-2012)

R.B. Greaves, Singer, Sang 'Take A Letter, Maria' in 1969, 68 (1943-2012)

Robert Christy, A-Bomb Physicist, 96 (1916-2012)

J.L. Parker, Navy Doctor on Omaha Beach, 95 (1917-2012)

Nguyen Chi Thien, Vietnamese Dissident Poet, 73 (1939-2012)

Chadli Bendjedid, Former President of Algeria, 83 (1929-2012)

Stan Mudenge, Diplomat, 70 (1941-2012)

Thomas J. Sullivan, World War II Veteran, 95 (1917-2012)

Mark Kravitz, District Federal Judge from Connecticut, 62 (1950-2012)

Mervyn Dymally, California Lawmaker, 86 (1926-2012)

Jay Levy, Published Economic Newsletter, 90 (1922-2012)

John Tchicai, Jazz Musician, 76 (1936-2012)

Budd Lynch, Voice of Detroit Red Wings, 95 (1917-2012)

Turhan Bey, Actor Nicknamed 'Turkish Delight', 90 (1922-2012)

Alex Karras, Detroit Football Great & Sitcom Dad, 77 (1935-2012)

Andrew Brimmer, First Black Man on Federal Reserve Board, 86 (1926-2012)

Harris Savides, Acclaimed Cinematographer, 55 (1957-2012)

Keith Campbell, Cloned Famed Sheep Dolly in 1996, 58 (1954-2012)

Gary Collins, Actor & TV Host, 74 (1938-2012)

Shlomo Venezia, Survivor of Auschwitz Atrocities from WW II, 88 (1923-2012)

Catharine Ryan, U.S. Coast Guard Rescue Pilot, 31 (1981-2012)

Paddy Roy Bates, 'Prince' of Sealand, 91 (1921-2012)

Jackie Guthrie, Wife of Folk Singer Arlo Guthrie, 68 (1944-2012)

Eddie Yost, Baseball's 'Walking Man', 86 (1926-2012)

Larry Sloan, Founder of 'Mad Libs', 89 (1922-2012)

Gart Westerhout, Helped Chart Milky Way Galaxy, 85 (1927-2012)

John Durkin, Ex-U.S. Senator from New Hampshire, 76 (1936-2012)

Sylvia Kristel, Starred in Hit 1970s Erotic Film 'Emmanuelle', 60 (1952-2012)

Vincent Anthony, U.S. Coast Guard Veteran, 90 (1922-2012)

Stan Ovshinsky, Created Battery for Hybrid Vehicles, 89 (1922-2012)

John G. Nicholas, Noted Humanitarian & Queens Attorney, 79 (1933-2012)

Koji Wakamatsu, Provocative Japanese Film Director, 76 (1936-2012)

Slater Martin, Hall of Fame NBA Guard, 86 (1925-2012)

Lane Goodwin, 13-Year-Old Social Media Sensation from Kentucky

Mary Campbell, Legendary Music Writer for Associated Press, 78 (1934-2012)

Yash Chopra, Bollywood Movie Mogul, 80 (1932-2012)

Wilson Whineray, Former Captain of All Blacks Rugby Team, 77 (1935-2012)

George McGovern, American Liberal Icon, 90 (1922-2012)

E. Donnall Thomas, Leukemia Pioneer, 92 (1920-2012)

Ronald Durham, Vietnam Vet who Won Army's Silver Star, 68 (1944-2012)

Antoni Dobrowolski, Auschwitz Survivor, 108 (1904-2012)

Russell Means, Indian Advocate & Actor, 72 (1939-2012)

Paul Kurtz, Philosopher, 86 (1925-2012)

Michael Farrell, CEO of Annaly Capital Management, 61 (1951-2012)

Wilhelm Brasse, Polish Auschwitz Photographer, 95 (1917-2012)

Jacques Barzun, Cultural Historian & Author, 104 (1907-2012)

Hans Werner Henze, German Composer, 86 (1926-2012)

Anthony P. Browne, Interior Designer to Celebrities, 70 (1941-2012)

Natina Reed, Singer from R&B Group Blaque, 32 (1979-2012)

Luigi Vellucci, NYC Opera Tenor, 99 (1913-2012)

Donald Takayama, Surfing Legend who Crafted Longboards, 68 (1944-2012)

Cordelia Edvardson, Holocaust Survivor, 83 (1929-2012)

Betty Anne Ward McCaskill, Mother of Senator Claire McCaskill (age not provided)

Alfred Kumalo, S. African Photographer who Depicted Apartheid (age unknown)

Jeff Blatnick, Olympic Gold Medal Wrestler, 55 (1957-2012)

Frank Tanabe, World War II Veteran, 93 (1919-2012)

Emanuel Steward, Famed Boxing Trainer Owned Kronk Gym, 68 (1944-2012)

Margaret duPond, Won Over 30 Grand Slam Tennis Titles, 94 (1918-2012)

Eloy Gutierrez-Menoyo, Cuban Dissident, 77 (1934-2012)

Letitia Baldrige, Noted Jacqueline Kennedy Adviser, 86 (1926-2012)

William Sword Jr., Investment Bank Chief, 61 (1951-2012)

Pasculal Perez, Former Major League Pitcher, 55 (1957-2012)

Edwin Q. White, Vietnam War Journalist, 90 (1922-2012)

Ernie Hays, Longtime Organist for St. Louis Cardinals, 77 (1935-2012)

Richard Current, Lincoln Scholar, 100 (1912-2012)

Arthur Jensen, Psychologist, 89 (1923-2012)

Millie C. Parsons, Worked 62 Years at FBI, 99 (1913-2012)

Mitchell Lucker, Frontman for Death-Metal Band Suicide Silence, 28 (1984-2012)

Roger Wood, Editor who Helped Shape the New York Post, 87 (1925-2012)

John Fitch, Racing Star & Auto-Safety innovator, 95 (1917-2012)

Han Suyin, Author of 'A Many Splendored Thing', 95 (1917-2012)

Mohammed Rafeh, Syrian-Born Actor, 30 (1982-2012)

Milt Campbell, Decathlon Gold Medalist, 78 (1933-2012)

Leandro Favio, Argentine Actor, 74 (1938-2012)

Elliott Carter, Acclaimed Composer, 103 (1908-2012)

Jim Durham, ESPN Radio Announcer, 65 (1947-2012)

Patriarch Maxim, Led Bulgaria's Christian Church for Over 40 Years, 98 (1914-2012)

Darrell K. Royal, Former University of Texas Football Coach, 88 (1924-2012)

Bill Tarmey, Actor, Starred in British Soap Opera 'Coronation Street', 71 (1941-2012)

Henry Colman, TV Producer Helped Develop 'The Love Boat', 89 (1923-2012)

Alex Alves, Brazilian Soccer Player With Hertha Berlin, 37 (1974-2012)

Helen Milliken, Former First Lady of Michigan & Women's Rights Advocate, 89 (1923-2012)

Warren B. Rudman, Former U.S. Senator from New Hampshire, 82 (1930-2012)

Zenaida Silva, Filipino Journalist Covered 1986 'People Power' Revolt, 80 (1932-2012)

Dave Sexton, English Football Manager & Player, 82 (1930-2012)

Dr. Joseph E. Murray, Performed World's 1st Successful Kidney Transplant, 93 (1919-2012)

Marvin Miller, Union Leader Created Free Agency for Baseball Players, 95 (1917-2012)

Jakes Gerwel, Trusted Aide to Nelson Mandela, 66 (1946-2012)

Erik Izraebewicz, Top Editor at France's Leading Daily Newspaper, 58 (1954-2012)

Zig Ziglar, Motivational Speaker & Author, 86 (1926-2012)

Hartford Black Eagle Jr., Tribal Leader who Adopted Barrack Obama, 78 (1934-2012)

David Courtney, Public Address Announcer for L.A. Kings, 56 (1956-2012)

Theodore Jones Jr., Judge in New York's Top Court, 68 (1944-2012)

Teri Shields, Mother of Actress Brooke Shields, 79 (1933-2012)

Ellen Douglas, Author, Wrote 'Apostles of Light', 91 (1921-2012)

Carmen Basilio, 1950s Boxing Champion, 85 (1927-2012)

Herbert Carter, Tuskegee Airman, 95 (1917-2012)

Lee MacPhail, Ex-Yankees Exec & Hall of Famer, 95 (1917-2012)

Major Harris, 'Philly Sound' Singer, 65 (1947-2012)

Valerie Eliot, Widow of Poet T.S. Eliot, 86 (1926-2012)

Rex Hunt, Former Falklands Governor, 86 (1926-2012)

Frances Hashimoto, Business & Civic Leader, 69 (1943-2012)

Walt Zeboski, Associated Press Photographer, 83 (1929-2012)

James Stone, Korean War Veteran, 89 (1922-2012)

David Durk, Exposed Corruption Within NYPD Ranks in Early 1970s, 77 (1935-2012)

Jack Gilbert, Unconventional Poet, 87 (1925-2012)

Lawrence Pidgeon, Investing Wizard, 49 (1963-2012)

Bernard Lansky, Clothier to Elvis Presley, 85 (1927-2012)

Lucille Bliss, Voice of Smurfette & Crusader Rabbit, 96 (1916-2012)

Will Barnet, Acclaimed Influential Artist, 101 (1911-2012)

Bertram Wyatt-Brown, Historian, 80 (1932-2012)

Mary Alice Wren, Writer, 79 (1933-2012)

Cleve Duncan, Sang 'Earth Angel' with the Penguins, 77 (1935-2012)

Richard Robbins, Acclaimed Composer, 71 (1940-2012)

Kenny Morgans, Soccer Player, 73 (1939-2012)

Billy Scott, North Carolina 'Beach Music' Singer, 70 (1942-2012)

Seth P. Tillman, Key Fulbright Aide, 82 (1930-2012)

Bonnie Elder, Former Mouseketeer, 68 (1944-2012)

Art Ginsburg, TV's 'Mr. Food' Chef, 81 (1931-2012)

Deborah Raffin, Audiobook Pioneer, 59 (1953-2012)

Reis Leming, Hero of England's 1953 Floods, 81 (1930-2012)

Jeff Kaye, Voice of NFL Films, 75 (1936-2012)

Bryce Courtenay, Best-Selling Australian Author, 79 (1933-2012)

Connie Wald, Hollywood Socialite, 96 (1916-2012)

Emily Squires, 'Sesame Street' Director & Producer, 71 (1941-2012)

Larry Hagman, Actor, Best Known as J.R. on 'Dallas', 81 (1931-2012)

Earl 'Speedoo' Carroll, Lead Singer of 1950s Group the Cadillacs, 75 (1937-2012)

Gail Harris, Hit Final Home Run for Baseball's NY Giants, 81 (1931-2012)

Vladka Meed, Resistance Courier, 90 (1921-2012)

Bryce Bayer, Invented Filter for Digital Cameras, 83 (1929-2012)

Lawrence Guyot, Civil Rights Leader, 73 (1939-2012)

Hector Camacho, Former Three-Division Boxing Champion, 50 (1962-2012)

Ernie 'Hands' Warlick, Former Star of Buffalo Bills, 80 (1932-2012)

Dann Cahn, Editor on 'I Love Lucy', 89 (1923-2012)

Gary Haynes, Noted Photographer, 76 (1936-2012)

Wendell D. Garrett, Arts Historian, 83 (1929-2012)

Martin Richards, Broadway & Film Producer, 80 (1932-2012)

Mel Shaw, Artist & Designer for Disney, 97 (1914-2012)

Mickey Baker, Blues Guitarist & One Half of Mickey & Sylvia, 87 (1925-2012)

Jovan Belcher, NFL Linebacker for Kansas City Chiefs, 25 (1987-2012)

Evelyn Ackerman, California Artist & Designer, 88 (1924-2012)

Jonathan Auerbach, Broker at Investing Frontiers, 70 (1942-2012)

David Oliver Relin, Author, Co-Wrote 'Three Cups of Tea', 49 (1962-2012)

Elisabeth Murdoch, Philanthropist & Mother of Rupert Murdoch, 103 (1909-2012)

Besse Cooper, Listed as the World's Oldest Person, 116 (1896-2012)

Susan Luckey, Actress, 74 (1938-2012)

Jon Kest, Activist in NYC, 57 (1955-2012)

Oscar Niemeyer, World-Renowned Architect, 104 (1907-2012)

Jack Brooks, Served 42 Years in U.S. House of Representatives, 89 (1922-2012)

James R. Whelan, Washington Times Chief, 79 (1933-2012)

John Silva, Pioneer of the News Helicopter, 92 (1920-2012)

Saul Steinberg, Insurance Executive, 73 (1939-2012)

Reinhold Weege, Emmy-Winning Creator of Sitcom 'Night Court', 62 (1949-2012)

Jenni Rivera, Mexican-American Singing Superstar, 43 (1969-2012)

Lars Hormander, Swedish Mathematical Theorist, 81 (1931-2012)

Patrick Moore, Astronomer & Broadcaster, 89 (1923-2012)

Jeff Millar, Author of 'Tank McNamara' Strip, 70 (1942-2012)

Stephanie Moses, NYPD Sergeant, 40 (1972-2012)

Matthews Mar Barnabas, Led Indian Orthodox Church, 88 (1924-2012)

Mary Ann Fischer, Mother of U.S.'s First Quintuplets, 79 (1933-2012)

Ravi Shankar, Iconic Musician who Linked India to the West, 92 (1920-2012)

Norman J. Woodland, Co-Inventor of the Bar Code, 91 (1921-2012)

Maurice Herzog, Mountaineering Legend, 93 (1919-2012)

Ray Briem, Conservative Talk-Radio Pioneer, 82 (1930-2012)

Joseph Allbritton, Media Executive, 87 (1924-2012)

Dr. William F. House, Developed Cochlear Implants, 89 (1923-2012)

Albert Hirschman, Noted Social Scientist, 97 (1915-2012)

Dina Manfredini, World's Oldest, 115 (1897-2012)

Daniel Inouye, Longtime Hawaii Senator, 88 (1924-2012)

Frank Macchiarola, Ex-NYC Schools Chief, 71 (1941-2012)

Arnaldo Mesa, Olympic Silver Medalist Cuban Boxer, 46 (1966-2012)

James F. Kearns III, Led FDNY Battalion, 66 (1946-2012)

Robert Bork, Famous Unsuccessful Court Nominee, 85 (1927-2012)

Frank Pizzitola, Finance Executive & World War II Veteran, 89 (1923-2012)

Elwood Jensen, Award-Winning Cancer Researcher, 92 (1920-2012)

Lee Dorman, Bass Guitarist for 1960s Band Iron Butterfly, 70 (1942-2012)

Richard Baum, China Scholar, 72 (1940-2012)

Richard Adams, Gay Marriage Pioneer, 65 (1947-2012)

Yves Niare, Held French record in Shot Put Event, 35 (1977-2012)

Vasily Belov, Famed Russian Writer, 80 (1932-2012)

Galina Vishnevskaya, Russian Opera Diva, 86 (1926-2012)

Lisa Della Casa, Famed Opera Diva, 93 (1919-2012)

Paul Rauch, Producer of 'Another World' & Many Other TV Soaps, 78 (1934-2012)

Colleen Walker, 9-Time LPGA Tournament Winner, 56 (1956-2012)

Jack Hanlon, Child Actor, Starred in 'Our Gang' Comedies, 96 (1916-2012)

Jesse Hill Jr., Atlanta Civil Rights Leader & Businessman, 86 (1926-2012)

Amnon Lipkin-Shahak, Ex-Israeli Military Chief Turned Cabinet Minister, 68 (1944-2012)

Frank Pastore, MLB Pitcher Turned Christian Radio Show Host, 55 (1957-2012)

Ryan Freel, Former Major League Baseball Player, 36 (1976-2012)

Bill McBride, Former Florida Governor Candidate, 67 (1945-2012)

Joe Krivak, Ex-Maryland Football Coach, 77 (1935-2012)

Houston McCoy, Austin Cop Stopped Charles Whitman's 1966 Rampage, 72 (1940-2012)

Terry Glover, Managing Editor of Ebony Magazine, 57 (1955-2012)

Richard Rodney Bennett, British Composer, Pianist & Arranger, 76 (1936-2012)

Tony Greig, S. African-Born Cricketer & Australian Commentator, 66 (1946-2012)

Jim Davenport, South Carolina AP Reporter Known for his Tenacity, 54 (1958-2012)

John Sheardown, Ex-Diplomat Hid Fugitive U.S. Embassy Staffers, 88 (1924-2012)

Klemens Wilhelm von Klemper, Historian, 96 (1916-2012)

Charles Durning, Oscar-Nominated Actor, 89 (1923-2012)

Jack Klugman, Actor, Best Known for TV's 'The Odd Couple', 90 (1922-2012)

H. Norman Schwarzkopf, General who Lead Operation Desert Storm, 78 (1934-2012)

Gerry Anderson, Creator of Sci-Fi TV Show 'Thunderbirds', 83 (1929-2012)

Fontella Bass, R&B Soul Singer, Sang 'Rescue Me' in 1965, 72 (1940-2012)

Jane H. Dixon, Key Episcopal Bishop, 75 (1937-2012)

Harry Carey Jr., Character Actor Whose Career Spanned Over 50 Years, 91 (1921-2012)

Rita Levi-Montalcini, Nobel Prize-Winning Italian Biologist, 103 (1909-2012)

Midge Turk Richardson, Former Nun & Editor of Seventeen Magazine, 82 (1930-2012)

Claude-Anne Lopez, Expert on Benjamin Franklin, 92 (1920-2012)

Reuben Pannor, Open Adoptions Advocate, 90 (1922-2012)

Mike Hopkins, Oscar-Winning Sound Editor, 53 (1959-2012)

Jayne Cortez, Poet & Performance Artist, 78 (1934-2012)

Gloria Pall, Played Sultry Too-Hot-For-TV Hostess Voluptua, 85 (1927-2012)

Keiji Nakazawa, Creator of 'Barefoot Gen' Manga, 73 (1939-2012)