DISCLAIMER: See previous chapters.

He was the only thing they talked about nowadays. I walked into the Guild Bar the other day because Snake's place is closed for remodeling. I swaggered in through the doorway of the 24/7 bar where Hunters wait for jobs for hours at a time. A few guys turn and nod at me, I'm known but not a regular. Well, after they see I'm not some young exotic dancer they go back to what they were talking to. A spiffy-looking HUcast with a new car smell about him started.

"…and I swear, when that field hit us his Slicer just shorted out."

I asked a regular what he meant. I soon got the whole story.

Moon somehow got down to Ragol. Another Ruins area has been opened, it's apparently a natural path that leads all the way from the Caves down to the Coffin Ship. Oddly enough this six-mile hike is populated by freaks from both the Caves and the Ruins. Delsabers and Dragons in the same place? Very scary and dangerous. So why are Hunters swarming down there like flies? If they could cut down the freak population by a margin, they could put a transporter in there and we'd have a safer drop off than the ones we have now. Those crossroads would be an extremely useful territory.

So, the Government pulls the safe road. They send in a bunch of Rangers to snipe them from a makeshift post, and a Force to keep them running. Then a Delsaber cuts down the supports for their little wooden tree house and they need help. The Principal finally gives in and lets the real Hunters go down, Sabers flaring, to go clean things up.

None of the guys in the bar who were there recall seeing Moon in the transporter. He just appeared out of thin air when things got heavy. The Dragon waves were really cutting into our guys, and the Delsabers as always are a handful. Oh yeah, a few dozen Sharks and Ruins lackies to even the score. What ever they had down there, when things really looked bad Moon jumped down from a hole in the ceiling and went to town. He's Moon, you can probably piece together the rest.

But here's why people are talking. Sure, he rode in and saved the day and disappeared before they could thank him. Actually, he just followed he retreating freaks deep into the passage before they could thank him. According to this android at the bar, Moon wasn't using his Stag. It was hard to see, but he swears Moon was wielding a Black King Bar. One of the greatest Hunter weapons of this era, and one of the hardest to find.

And when he took some damage to his armor and laid back a bit, he pulled out his old Slicer, the one he'd found next to a fallen comrade long ago. They didn't see what did it, but a weird energy wave went through the passage. Didn't kill anyone, but it shorted out a good deal of their weapons. Including Moon's Slicer in mid-slice.

Here's where things get fun. Moon curses, throws the thing over his shoulder where his MAGs catch it, and pulls out another Slicer. Identical to his old one from a distance. But it was completely red, from hilt to tip. A Red Slicer. He'd switched from a flimsy little thing that he considered special, to a powerhouse that truly was special. Let's be honest, that old slicer was very weak, it was the guy behind it. I'm sure you can imagine what happened when he flung a test shot and it made contact with a Shark. Nothing left. He smirked, nodded at his new partner and started a ballet of flying blades. I guess that stick covered in dirt had a purpose after all.

He later switched back to the Bar, which compared to his Stag was a sniper rifle to a straw with a spitball in one end. Needless to say, his reputation went up another notch behind his back. He'd get a few dozen free drink if he ever walked in here. He never does, never takes credit. If an old lady smiled at him after he picked up a piece of litter, he'd disappear into thin air like the ninja samurai thing he truly is. To tell the truth, I think he just hates people seeing him blush.

I had a quick drink before heading back out to look for something to do. Usually I'd spend a free day in Snake's bar. But today of all days, Snipe has a family function for a few days, Snake is down on Ragol, Moon is who knows where and my daughter is at school. Actually I've gone to Ragol three times this week with Snipe, I think he's just avoiding me. I'm a handful. And a mouthful, so they say.

But about the bar Snake does not own, but works there as a bouncer. People refer to it as his bar because the owner never shows up, and Snake is the droid everyone loves to talk to. Droids come to him for parts and fuel. His illegal stuff is much purer than the possibly addictive junk the Government sells, and for a quarter of the price. The White Market truly is run by an angel of an android. Humans and Newmans come to him for weapons, armors and other items he gets his gentle claws on. And also his stories, jokes and commentary he has for the world we live in.

In fact one day I saw him tending the bar as he does, and a group of Hunters brought their kids with them while their parents had non-alcoholic drinks and pretzels to wind down. One of the youngsters, maybe four or five, kept staring at Snake like he was afraid of him. Well, the android winked at the little guy and when nobody was looking, did a magic trick where he pulls a piece of candy from thin air, and tossed it to the kid. Needless to say he has a gold-plated heart tucked away somewhere.

And his new job has been good to him. He accepted the free body modification coupon. He went from a black and green standard model, to a custom. His entire body is now at first glance either odd green or black. If you look closely you'll see a hologram pattern of snake scales. His eyes, same old green but with pupils now. Of course, like a snake's. His shoulders are a bit wider, maybe a bit leaner but you an tell it's just him under all that.

And the wages are even better. His overtime work has got him a very high government salary, the Principal grossly overpays the civil service. Snake has added this to his stashed away savings, he has tracked down the wandering drunk that owns the bar, and he bought it. That's why it's being remodeled, Snake is going to be running a much cleaner, bigger, more sanitary business. It'll be called the Snake Pit judging by the stencil over the door, but it'll be friendlier than it sounds.

So he's down being a security guard as his bar is being remodeled. Moon, like I've said, I don't want to know where that guy goes all the time. Snipe, off at some family reunion. Probably in full armor with his helmet on to prevent cheek pinching. Shade is counting ceiling tiles in the Mines, which are close to being cleared, those robot numbers are massive but not infinite.

And Sarah is off at the bar supervising the young-looking male androids doing the construction work. I mean Hornet. Not Sarah, Sarah was never a sleezy sex machine. Well, she was but not as sleezy as she is in HUcaseal form. She loves the new body, she says so to people she's standing next to at the bus stop. She keeps freaking out strangers by asking '…aren't my thighs just so much better than a RAcaseals?' Now, when she says this to a RAcaseal it gets ugly. Especially when she asks about her ass or other regions. I don't care, because usually I got her beat.

Speaking of attractive females, Moon hasn't dated anyone in a long while. Snipe is too much of a stiff to get anyone. Snake lacks genitals. Or he did before the recent upgrade, I'll have to ask him when I see him next. But what's Moon's excuse? Is it his mysteriously busy schedule, his lack of self esteem, does he intimidate girls? He isn't hiding anything, I'm seen him naked enough times to pick him from a line up of guys wearing masks and nothing else.

I sat down at a park bench near an actual Astroturf park, watching the young kids play and their mothers (…or fathers, poor whipped bastards) sit on the other benches and supervise. I closed my eyes as I reclined on the bench, taking some time to finally let myself relax.

My eyes automatically popped open as some one plopped down next to me. I did a sideways glance and saw what appeared to be a tan, college age girl sitting cross legged on the bench next to where I was sitting, facing me and smiling at me. I noticed her ears were pointed and rather large, obviously a Newman. She was dressed in the skimpy but effective armor the HUnewearls wore, the dark colors accenting her rather unique green eyes.

"Long time no see. You just crashing here or you pop out another kid?"

I turned to face her as I snorted, rolling my eyes.

"…I am NOT doing all that again…so, how are things on the police front, Emma?"

Her green eyes sharpened at my nickname.

"…for your information I am now Commissioner Emerald Venture…"

I widened my eyes, she had gone up the entire rank ladder in a month? Who did she kill? Or sleep with, either or.

"Whoa. The little Newman girl from the South Side finally made it."

A tiny, but very visible smirk on her part. Her white hair was worn in a very strict ponytail down to her thin shoulders, her face though had a slight Asian influence. Her creator in the Newman Labs had been Japanese, she was a special project of his. Emerald here was on her own, fully independent from the start. Did the Hunter thing for a while, worked with her quite a bit in the Mines.

After Falz fell she used her record to apply for the police business, a walk in the park compared to her old trade. And thanks to her enhanced leadership qualities and intelligence, she now apparently ran a police station. Dang Newmans. Just because they can die at any time they think they have to be perfectionists. And now she was dressed in regular Hunting garb, sitting next to me on a bench while most women, both mothers and cops, should be out working.

"…so, do all Commissioners dress like strippers or did you change the rules?"

She winked and tapped a high-heeled boot on the bench under her knee.

"Undercover work. With this outfit I busted that bar with no license down the block, owner got dragged off for domestic abuse and drug sales."

…so THAT'S why Snake got the bar so cheap…

"…you know Snake bought the place, right?"

She nodded happily, I tried not to imagine her as an Asian schoolgirl as she did so. It's could be the face, the legs, or the way she moves.

"Actually I got my department reservations for the grand opening. Who doesn't know Snake, anyhow?"

We shared a slight chuckle. Kind of ironic really. We have a lot of common except we went different paths, I stayed a Hunter, she went cop and became very successful. Either way my legs are still nicer. Any Asian pair of legs versus a Swedish Russian blonde? No contest.

Eventually the two of us ended up walking side by side down the block and soon enough we were at Moon's door, chatting idly as I picked the new lock with my pinkie nail. When the last spring clicked I pushed in the door and gave her a tour of his living room. He wasn't home so I couldn't give a lecture about samurais wearing towels.

We helped ourselves to his kitchen and sampled his cable channels, all while shooting the breeze about Ragol and the Principal. After a while Hornet let herself in, her new body comes with a lock pick in the left ring finger, and it became a group discussion about how Moon needs to get a security system. We talked about his haircuts of the past as we went through his drawers in the master bedroom. He reads magazines about bonsai gardening? No wonder he's single.

(Author's Note: …this is just trivia, I know, but when a friend of mine read this chapter in development he thought I was going to write this into a porno. Stupidest suggestion I've ever received.)

When he did finally drag himself in full armor through the doorway and collapsed onto the couch, we were right there talking about it. Three women who free load off him and criticize him on top of it. We must be his vision of Heaven.

5 days Later

I held Sonnet by the hand was we were shown to a table by a very friendly RAcast, handed menus and given drinks. It was opening night of the Snake Pit. And it was a full house, thanks to word of mouth and the renovations. Snake had turned a medium sized second-class bar into a full fledged restaurant, with a bar on the side. Somehow he had enough connections to double the size of this place, add a kitchen and other fixtures, obtain a license and hire the staff in a few days. Well, how ever he did it, it's working.

It was a good sized restaurant with green walls that were covered in items mounted on racks with plaques next to each one. Every little display he'd pinned up was from Ragol. Pottery from the Ruins, crystals from the Caves, potted plants from the Forest, a down and out prostitute they found in the Mines, the whole deal. Overall, a good looking place with stuff all over the walls.

The staff I was impressed with. He'd hired both retired Hunters and androids. He really went with the Hunter gimmick here. The Ranger droid that showed us to a table held a record for most Boomas killed in one shot, he was an old student of mine. The greeter at the door? She was on the team that took down Vol Opt. I don't know why, but this was like a shrine to the Hunters that cleared Ragol. Snake must be a Hunting buff, too.

The food was decent, considering it was the first night. The kitchen staff was mostly droids and Newmans, they just cook better than clumsy apes like humans. And behind the bar, along with a few young bar tenders that he hired, was Snake. Serving the customers of the bar that had been there for years, and still was here. He was mixing drinks, shooting the breeze with stories and jokes, and occasionally flipping over the bar to the pool table for a quick rack. Just like he used to. Like he owned the place.

Except now he walked through the place every hour, checking everything out and asking everyone if they needed anything. And once in a while a child hid behind their parents at the sight of the rather fearsome android. He was ready with a magic trick and a smile every time.

Author's Notes

Well, aother delayed update. It seems since I published this story every other new fanfic copied my summary. you know, the main issues and characters stated plainly with periods or commas in between? Well, imitaton is the highest form of flattery.