"Ahhh." Zack sighs as he downs another shot. "I'll tell ya, you are FAR weaker than I had expected."

"Thanks," I reply flatly, my own shot glass untouched. Zack taps the bar table for another shot, and I raise an eyebrow at the twelve other shot glasses in front of him.

"You have good technique, but that's about it."

I rub my arms, my entire body aching from the dozens of hits Zack rained down on me. Turns out that being a hundred times stronger cancels out any technical advantage I would have had. He's in a completely different dimension of strength.

Zack eyeballs my shot glass, "Not gonna drink?"

I shake my head, "Not one to get drunk." Not that I haven't tried. I guess that's another thing affected by my half-dead body.

"Come on now. At least drink one. It'll help dull the pain." I sigh and grab the glass, downing it in one swallow. The uncomfortable sensation of my throat burning causes me to cough, and I thump my chest to force the rest of the drink down.

Zack laughs loudly, almost falling out of his chair, "Man, for being so stoic and serious, you are a virgin at life. We're gonna need to party when we get back. I'll teach ya what it means to live, kid." My eyes roll instinctively. He likes to call me kid even though we're barely a year apart.

Zack downs his last shot and stands, not even a wobble in his step. "Welp, guess we should be heading home, Az will be pissed if I miss dinner again." Zack taps his glass against the table, and a beep is heard. The bartender nods, and we leave the pub, the holo TV displaying some sort of fighting sport.

Outside, dark clouds have gathered above, and different colored holograms cover every inch of the buildings, acting as artificial light in the waning sunlight. Hundreds of people walk past us, several noticing Zack and taking pictures. His floater glides down to our level, and we ascend into the sky. Several other floaters are parked just above the bar.

"What was up with those people? They were taking pictures of you."

He waves his hand dismissively, "That was relatively tame. Lots of divers sign contracts with popular companies. They participate in commercials and movies and things like that. Famous guys like me are celebrities to the civilian population. We tend to get swarmed with fans. You live long enough, and you'll understand. Or maybe you won't. Outsiders tend not to do well with civis."

Yet another side to divers that I never knew. The more I learn about this job, the more questions I have. A sigh escapes my lips, and we ride in silence to my apartment.

******************

"Is everything in order?" Azu walks beside me as we inspect the MULE. I nod. After the sparring lesson with Zack, I had to go meet Abe for a lesson on the MULE. My head is still spinning from the massive amount of information, but I have the jist of how this damn thing works.

In front of us, the forest stretches out, the wall to our back. Turns out the hanger is also an access point to the forest. On either side of us, two more MULEs stand at the ready, the respective crews double-checking their gear. Azu told me the two diver teams would follow us to Mushroom Valley and split off to their respective jobs. Whatever Mushroom Vally is, I have no idea...yet.

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Abe and Zack talk shit to each other as Hearon converses with the two leaders of the other teams. Azu nods and hops onto the MULE. It's three stories tall, and she did it so casually. I sigh. Man, I'm weak. I check my armor. I had to get a new arm bracer. Sucks my last one couldn't be repaired. The skin-tight suit Azu and Zack forced me to wear rubs against my skin.

"Azu, do I really have to wear this thing? It's uncomfortable as hell."

She says nothing. Unlike me, who has armor and clothes over this suit, Azu wears nothing but the suit and two metal shoulder guards. Not like that'll do anything.

Hearon walks up to me, decked out in a copper-colored heavy armor, a massive shield, and an axe on his back, "It might be uncomfortable, but bear with it. These suits are made up of an extremely durable fabric. It might just save your life."

A Seductive laugh echos behind me. Turning around, I'm faced with one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen. Raven-colored hair, dark green eyes, and curves for days assault my vision. I try to look respectively, and even I can tell I fail miserably. "Hearon, love. We both know those are useless. Miss Mi has you wrapped around her finger."

The woman walks over to Hearon, her hips swaying hypnotically. She must be in her mid-thirties. "But aren't you also wearing a skin-tight suit?" I ask, looking at her black leather gear.

She smiles seductively and leans a little too close, "Darling, I'm wearing this for fashion. She wears it for her experiments." her boobs bounce slightly. I clear my throat and look away.

"If it isn't the whore. Trying to seduce my new friend here?" Zack walks behind me and rests a forearm on my shoulder. Unlike the rest of us, he wears a casual white shirt and blue pants with brown boots. Under his shirt, I can see the same type of body suit I'm wearing peeking out. She clicks her tongue in annoyance.

" Did your parents never teach you manners, boy?"

He grins, his teeth almost shining in the sunlight, "Nope. Now run along. Wouldn't want you spreading any unwanted diseases now, would we?" I can tell she wants to murder him, but smooths her hair instead and turns to Hearon.

"I hope you can educate your lessers on how to treat a woman. Maybe if that tomboy acted like a dignified lady, we wouldn't have this problem."

Hearon holds his hands out with a warm smile, "Now, now, Julie. Let's not name-call. You are more mature than this." She hisses under her breath and stomps off, the alluring image in my head shattered into a million pieces.

"Why'd you have to call her that, Zack?" Hearon shakes his head like a disappointed father.

He shrugs, "It's true. We both know she's fucked damn near the entire fifth unit."

Hearon sighs, "Just because it's true does not mean you have to point it out every time you two meet." Wow. Even Hearon isn't denying it.

Zack shrugs, "Maybe if she didn't always bash Az we might not have this problem."

I chime in, "What did she mean by tomboy? I've never heard that phrase before."

Zack grins, "There's an old saying among divers. A woman expects to be treated with care. That's why they're bad luck. But a tomboy will be your wife and your best friend and actually gives a fuck."

I look at Hearon, expecting him to deny that or laugh, but he has a very serious expression and nods in agreement, "Words to live by, Silen. Words to live by."

Zack taps the MULE, "And Az just so happens to be the best one there is. A lot of girls give her flack because of her lack of female tact. Oh, that rhymes." He smiles like he won the lottery, "But I know her better than anyone. Besides, it was she who developed the insanely popular shower module for the MULE. And the kitchen one, too. She's super nerdy, even if she doesn't show it."

"Zack, shut up, or so help me; you will be the tester for my next project!" Azu yells from the top of the MULE.

He winches, "Anything but that," He whispers. "I'm off to do recon, bye my love," he yells. A wrench comes flying from the MULE and pegs Zach on the head as he runs to the forest.

I scratch the back of my neck. This is going to be a very long trip. Hearon chuckles behind me, "Time to go, Silen. It should take us two days to get to the separation point. Azu will guide you from the MULE."

"Why isn't Zack wearing armor like the rest of us?"

Hearon does a squat and then stretches his legs, "Stupidity." With a grunt, he jumps onto the top of the MULE. I guess it's just me on the ground. With a sigh, I start walking. Every few seconds, the ground shakes lightly as the MULE takes a step. The other two fall in line behind us, and silence envelopes everything as we enter the forest, the sounds of the MULEs filling said silence.