Chapter 28
Mechstalker

The warm morning sunlight peaked through the blinds of Kim's bedroom window. She slowly came to and got out of bed, she was sore all over but otherwise she was fine. Upon searching the living room she found Davion, Weber, and Portia sleeping there where ever they could find a spot. Creeping towards Jared's room she looked in and found him shirtless and sitting at his workbench reassembling his rifle.

Jared: You ok Kim?

Kim nearly jumped out her clothes when he spoke.

Kim: How did you know I was there?

Jared: I heard you get out of bed earlier.

Kim: Oh.

She cautiously stepped into his room and over to the workbench.

Kim: ...Jared I want to get something off my chest.

Jared: Sure what do you want to say?

Kim: I want say I'm sorry I thought I understood what you went through but after this... after this I know I was wrong and I just want to apologize for getting caught...

Before she could go on Jared rose his hand up and stopped her.

Jared: I don't blame you at all in fact I would praise you for how far you made it to the door before getting KO'ed. Look at this you were up against people who were trained to fight against me that's why they got you barely might I add. If they had been average soldiers even with good leadership, you would have left them clueless to the fact someone was ever there. Now with the whole understanding thing... well one does not truly understand another without either fighting them or walking a mile in the others boots. For two nights you walked in my footsteps and now you understand more then anyone else here on Solaris. Cheer up Kim at least you can now safely say that you truly understand.

Kim: You're right I guess I do understand better now. How are your injuries?

Jared turned and faced Kim and showed the large scars left by the chain whip.

Jared: Most of these will scar but it doesn't really matter to me I got so many that you probably not even see them, otherwise I feel ok. Well it's 1000 and we have a match in 3 hours so let's make breakfast for everyone and head on down to the mechbay.

Kim nodded in agreement and turned to leave she looked back and said jokingly

Kim: Hey Jared you ready for another wave of boob flashing from your zealous female fans?

Jared cocked his eye brow and had to muffle his snickering otherwise he would woken up the whole neighborhood.

Jared: I don't think any amount of training can ready me for that again.

Kim: Just tiring to get you ready for the fans Jared.

Weber woke to the smell of eggs, bacon, and hash browns. Wondering what was going on he walked into the kitchen and found Jared loading up a plate with a mountain of bacon.

Weber: What in Sam hill is going on?

Jared: It's a thing called breakfast I saved you a plate on the counter.

Once loading his plate Weber walked into the small dining room he found everyone crammed around the small table.

Davion: So Jared today is the first heavy match of the season you think you're well enough to fight?

Jared: Sir I have felt far worse and have gone into combat I'll survive.

Kim: Well don't get your self killed the people who make it this far are probably on par with Steiner regulars in terms of skill but they use a lot more clan tech here, I don't think you'll see as many people using flamers this time but you will see more PPC's and gauss cannons.

Jared: Sounds like things are going to get interesting before the end.

Davion: Indeed it does but anyway I'm sorry to eat and run but I have to go down to the orphanage and see what Portia's people have dug up.

The mentioning of the orphanage made Jared remembered the Gnome suit.

Jared: Sir if you find a Gnome suit there let me know where their storing it because that's my salvage.

Davion let out a howling laugh at the same time tiring not to dump coffee over himself.

Davion: I see that the combat mechwarrior in you hasn't died while here on Solaris... I will ask about it but why would you want one?

Jared: Well if there are any more missions you want to send me out on once I modify the suit to my tastes I have a... in-between options more firepower then just me but more precise then the Atlas.

Davion: You have been thinking about this haven't you?

Jared: Ever since I first came to Dune.

Kim glanced at the clock on the wall and realized that they had to leave if they where to beat the traffic to the mechbay.

Kim: Jared we have to haul ass out of here.

Jared: Ok well wish me luck people.

In less then a minute they were out of the door on the way to the mechbay. Weber got on the phone to let the techs know that Jared was coming and to also prepare for a mob of fans.
The trip to the mechbay was done in silence both of them readying their minds for the upcoming fight.

The Mad Cat has a good ECM mounted that will make hit and run tactics effective and that with the BAP will make lock on time just a second or two. I will start behind a wall and run from spot to spot using the walls as cover and I will stalk a mech or two and take out their thin rear armor. It's crude but it should work.

I hope Jared goes into this match with some caution. The pilots are much better this time around and they have deep pockets to load their mechs with clan tech weapons.

Once inside the mechbay Jared caught a glimpse of Ricardo climbing into his Thor across the mechbay, he had a deep almost disfiguring scar on the right side of his face.

I haven't seen Ricardo since the Valhalla club fight... I never wondered.

Kim: HEY JARED! LOAD UP!

Jared leaped into the Mad Cat and looked back to Kim for his nerohelmet; she tossed it to him and gave him a smile and thumbs up. From there he led the mech out into the factory arena.
The Factory arena was a flat plane with a few man made lakes dotting the field, rusted machinery, wrecked buildings, and walls provided hiding places for all but the biggest mechs.

Duncan: Well fans today is the first match of the heavy mechs and the fans are going nuts as the mechwarriors come back from their 2 week vacation. So let's cut the chatter now because it's Solaris time!

The horn blew and the mechs jump into action, Jared switched to passive radar and managed to find cover undetected. Looking at the base of the wall he saw something that wasn't suppose to be there.

MINES!

He didn't know why the mines were there but he had another problem to deal with at the moment. A striped down Argus with jump jets was perched on the top of a nearby wall, the mech had been striped of all of its weapons expect for a single Long Tom. Jared knew that it wasn't the best of situations he was stuck between a minefield, a mech with a big gun, and the wall that was his cover.

Jared: Well this is just funky...

He moved the sights over the right weapon hard point and prayed that the guy had skimped on the armor as well fired a burst from his auto cannons, the rounds it their mark taking the whole right side clean off. The Argus' pilot now weaponless desperately charged at the Mad Cat, Jared throttled up and began to charge at the mech thorough a narrow opening in the minefield only to hit his jump jets right before impact. The Argus ran into the legs of the flying mech and fell backwards and continued to slide into the minefield. Though the mech it self only hit one mine the explosion set off two mines and they set off more mines soon there was a wave of explosions running across the field.

Jared: HOLY SHIT!

Recovering from failing on the landing. He switched on his active sensors and found 5 mechs on the other side of the field duking it out. Killing the active sensors he charged into the smoke, fire, and mist nearly blind.

If this smoke screen lasts long enough I have visual cover until I get right in front of five of the seven remaining mechs... that just leaves the sixth mech up in the air.

The when the smoke had cleared Jared avoided a wall that had been hidden in the smoke and rushed out blasting off the legs on the nearest mech a Vulture, disarmed a Loki, and put a headshot in to a another Mad Cat in the space of two minutes. The two surviving mechs turned to run but got cut down by Ricardo's Thor as it rounded a hill.

Jared: I was wondering where you where hiding you pussy.

Ricardo: Trust me Carlson even if I lose I will get back at you from what your slut did to me and while I'm at it I'll get her too.

Jared: The hell you will motherfucker!

Ricardo's Thor had minimal armor and the smallest engine possible to save enough weight for mounting twin heavy gauss rifles along with an ERPPC and a Clan medium pulse laser, in other words the mech had enough ammo to take out most of Solaris but had less armor then a snow blower. Ricardo's first gauss salvo took a large bite out of left and right torso, Jared was pinballed around the cockpit banging his head against the windshield repeatedly and could hardly keep the crosshairs on the Thor but the moment the long steady lock-on tone ringed he launched all of his missiles in one massive wave of fiery death into the Thor's lower torso and waist. The impact of missiles broke through armor, myomer muscles, and even the titanium bones of the Thor, Ricardo punched out and looked down in time to see his mech to the ground in two pieces.

That's the third mech I lost to him!

A wave of relief came over Jared, the match it self wasn't hard but the environment had certainly became more hostile.
He moved the mech through the tunnels and into the mechbay, He saw Kim standing by his bay with a concerned look on her face.

Jared: It's probably the mines...

He parked and shut down the mech.

Kim: Jared what the hell did you do out there?

He sighed heavily and explained about the hidden mine field and how Ricardo acted.

Kim: Sounds like he is getting desperate to save his title.

Jared: That would be the case but where is he getting the mines only organized military's and...

Jared, Kim: The terrorists.

Kim: Do you think we should tell Davion about this or wait until we have more evidence?

Jared: If we go without Davion's approval we risk being caught and having our faces on the 9 o'clock news and basically destroying all of our work in the public relations section not to mention I would be kicked out of the league more likely forever banded. So we must tell Davion and have him send out a few Section 9 guys to get the truth.

Kim: Agreed by the way what are going to call the mech?

Jared: I was thinking about Mechstalker because while I was sneaking around until I hit the mines no one knew I was there until they got a visual on me.

Kim: Sounds good...what's that noise?

They turned to face the source of the noise and found a massive mob of fans charging towards them, leading the pack where the same ten girls that flashed him at the hospital.

Jared: KIM RUN!

Kim: NO SHIT!

They ran past several empty bays belong to different mechwarriors and into the storage section. Jared and Kim ducked into an ammo room filled with gauss shells and machine gun rounds. The crowd came even closer until Jared shut the heavy armored door.

Kim: That should keep them at bay for now.

Jared: ...Tell me how is it that they know where I am almost before I do?

Kim laughed so hard that her sides started to hurt.

Kim: Maybe they somehow got you bugged or maybe your mech.

Jared: Well that might be a pos...

A series of loud metallic bangs came from the door echoing through out the room.

Jared: Oh shit I think it locked its self.

Kim: I had heard that the ammo rooms had time locks for security but I never heard when they lock only that they open up again after 12 hours.

Jared glanced at his watch, it read 1800 that meant that at six in the morning they could get out until then they where stuck in here.

Jared: This is going to be a long night.

Next Chapter
A Secret No More