Amidst the muted conversations and the fading light of the bar, a shift in the atmosphere caught Adi's attention. Two new figures entered the scene, and everyone knew their intentions before they spoke. Adi's Threat Assessment program immediately measured and evaluated these two newcomers.

The shirtless, nearly anorexic-appearing Black man stood at 205 cm (measured by Adi's TA program) and exuded an air of grime and danger. His ankle-length red and black striped leather duster, which was heavily coated with gray ash from stim sticks, featured chrome spikes and studs generously, which created a striking contrast with his wiry frame. Skin tight, black leather pants emphasized a ridiculously sized dick.

A lit stim stick dangled from the corner of his mouth, his crooked, sharpened shark-like teeth a vivid yellow against the backdrop of his dark skin. Adi's enhanced senses picked up the distinct scent of stim stick ashes mingling with the acrid stench of burning. The stim stick smoke is reminiscent of burning several-day-old, soiled infant sanitary nappies—a smell from her time on Old Earth that Adi will never forget.

Adi's heightened instincts kicked in as the tense standoff reached its climax. The heavies' intentions were unmistakable, and she had no desire to get caught up in their sinister plans. In the blink of an eye, she launched into a series of precise movements, altering the course of the confrontation.

Adi's shoulder hit the tabletop with a powerful surge, ripping it from its floor post. The polycrys table top became a makeshift battering ram as she swung it with all of her strength, slamming it into the OG's towering form. The impact reverberated as the thick, heavy table connected with flesh and bone. Despite Adi's considerable strength, the OG merely grunted, rocked back slightly, and remained on his feet.

Simultaneously, with hyper-lethal efficiency and speed, her augmented reflexes enabled her to shoot her ArcSpiker less-than-lethal pistol, shooting a barbed round carrying 150,000 volts of incapacitating neuro-muscular incapacitation shock reminiscent of the ancient Taser. As the round found its target, striking him directly in the groin, Ademola's confident smirk evaporated, replaced with a horrid grimace of shocked agony.

His lit stim stick flew from his mouth, the lit end flashing like a bright red LED as it flew through the air and bounced on the floor. The harsh jolt of electricity ripped through Ademola, his bravado replaced by twitching agony as he dropped to the floor, vomiting, writhing and gasping for a few excruciating seconds before finally passing out.

Adi's focus shifted in the moment's chaos while Ademola twitched on the floor. She knew that shooting the OG with a less-than-lethal round, including an ND round, would be pointless. Changing weapons with speed only a heavily augmented human can, she switched from her ArcSpiker to her Valkyrie pistol, which she wields with deadly precision.

From experience and Corps training, Adi knew the OG's vulnerabilities. The OGs have dense, hard bones required to support their massive frame and handle the stress imposed by their incredible strength. She is thankful that she has collapsed-tantalum hypervelocity armor-piercing 15mm rounds loaded in her Valkyrie. Adi watched old vids during her Corps training. OGs once served as heavy infantry during previous conflicts. OGs shrugged off lighter ordnance, most of it failing to penetrate their thick skin.

Guided by her net, which doesn't require her to use her pistol's sights, Adi shoots through the polychrys tabletop with calculated pinpoint accuracy, shooting four rounds of HVAP, pulverizing each of the OG's kneecaps. An agonized, window-rattling bellow echoed through the bar as the first shot hit. Undeterred, Adi continues her assault, putting two HVAP rounds into each of the OG's ankles. Adi's pistol shots were so fast that they almost sounded like a single shot.

I remember Sergeant Major Dafyd saying that no matter how big and bad you are, eventually someone bigger and badder will come along. Or a smaller person shoots you in the knees and really fuck your world up.

The earsplitting cacophony of rapid gunfire mingled with the sound of shattering bone. Bellowing, the OG collapses in a near continuous window-rattling, bellowing crescendo torrent of pain. The OG slammed to the ground on his back through three other tables, scattering patrons, prostitutes of both sexes, food, beverages, and drugs. The floor trembled beneath his fallen form, the aftermath of Adi's calculated destruction.

Adi kept her pistol aimed at the pain-filled writhing OG, ensuring she remained out of his considerable reach. Ensuring that Ademola was still alive, Adi rolled him over into the recovery position without taking her pistol off the OG. A glance at the OG verified he was curled away from her in the fetal position with his arms wrapped around his knees. The OG was rocking slightly while moaning, blood seeping through his large hands and arms, shielding his battered legs.

Adi briefly considered shooting the OG in the base of his spine. Adi learned a valuable lesson from her time in the Corps: Unless you have irrefutable evidence to the contrary, always assume that your adversary is still operational. A swift inspection determines the OG's knees and ankles are ruined, necessitating significant medical intervention.

For Adi, killing is always a last resort. Shaped by her upbringing and moral code, she knows that committing murder can attract unwanted attention from the thoroughly corrupt and easily bribed Blues. Unlike the wealthy, who can (and do) buy their way out of such situations, Adi's poverty leaves her with no such option. The presence of the Blues, whether human or robotic, serves as a constant reminder of the grim reality of the city.

Adi's senses remained acutely attuned to the surroundings as the scene unfolded, her combat-trained mind analyzing every detail. Her sudden, rapid-fire movements had not only incapacitated her adversaries but also sent a message—an explicit declaration that she was not to be underestimated.

Adrenaline still surged through her veins as she dropped the shot-up table, focusing her attention on a stunned Rat, who had not been caught in the chaotic crossfire. Without hesitation, Adi seized Rat by the collar, her grip unyielding as she dragged him from the bar. Frozen in shock at the swift and brutal turn of events, the bar's patrons watched the duo disappear into the shadows.

Leaving the unconscious man and twitching and moaning injured OG behind, Adi's pulse raced with the adrenaline of the confrontation. Forcefully dragging Rat out of the bar, the entrance's dim light casting long shadows on the gritty street, Adi’s augmented senses remained attuned to the environment.

Unbeknownst to her, while Adi was meeting with Rat at Nile's bar, Kane moved the homemade snacks from Adi's helmet compartment—where Nyomi had hidden them—to her boom bag. Adi's older model, Ozymandias 6000 Twin Fusion Turbine Superbike, is still a formidable motorcycle. Using a combination of his Defense Securities Initiative access and illicit black market programs, Kane bypasses the motorcycle's formidable antitheft deterrents.

While there, Kane dropped several fully loaded, disposable, single-use 15mm Valkyrie pistol magazines in Adi's boom bag. Kane acted with caution and foresight, anticipating that Adi would need food later, given the murky events of the job. The wetware upgrades and hardwired viral-based improvements Kane has planned for her will significantly boost Adi's caloric needs as the nanites work.

In the Corps, Adi spent over a standard year and a half completing body, cybernetic, and wetware installation and learning how to use them. Kane doesn't have that much time. He was grateful that Adi got to keep most of the military hardware and wetware the Corps had installed in her body. It is easier for the Corps to leave most of the augmentations in the former Marine and shut them off rather than spend several thousand more credits surgically removing them. Kane hopes Adi will adjust quickly to the new enhancements, since she has already undergone the most significant changes.

When the nanites start upgrading Adi's body, Kane knows her caloric needs will soar, but he doesn't know by how much, so he is perhaps being overly generous with supplies for Adi's use. Of course, Adi is under no obligation to take advantage of the upgrades Kane will offer. He hopes she doesn't decline the upgrades, as Kane believes that with his hardware, wetware, and bioware upgrades for Adi, her chances of succeeding in this mission increase significantly.

After the upgrades, Adi's muscles and bone density will increase but add much less bulk than her previous augments. Kane knows Adi is sensitive about her size and doesn't want to get bigger. Kane regrets the upgrades planned for Adi will add to her bulk but again isn't sure by how much. Until he gets Adi in his lab, he is going by his best guess. He also knows most men don't find a woman so heavily muscled attractive, but he has always found Adi attractive.

Because of Adi's enhanced metabolism, she is always on the ragged edge of starvation. Adi requires approximately 10,000 to 15,000 calories daily because of her enhanced muscle and bone density and the sheer amount of enhanced cloned muscle tissue she carries. When hurt, in combat, or under stress, Adi's daily calorie needs might increase to 20,000–25,000 calories or higher. By the best estimates, the planned upgrade may increase her caloric demand by as much as a third.

Adi's nanites respond to her physical and mental state. Although it's gross to think about, the nanites consume Adi's body's waste, converting it into fuel for themselves and using it to repair Adi's injuries. A daily intake of less than what Adi requires may cause her nanites to consume her muscles. Given that Adi's body fat is approximately 5% or lower, the nanites wouldn't find much to consume.

Kane used his secretive, off-the-books DSI clearance to access Adi's Colonial Marine service jacket. He discovered Adi first served as a heavy machine gunner in a weapons platoon before she volunteered and the Fleet Marine Myrmidon regiment accepted her.

Back on Old Earth, Adi completed her Myrmidon augmentation, training, and qualifications. Adi's primary MOS at her discharge was E10AE, heavily enhanced, heavy mechanized infantry, Myrmidon, enlisted. Adi's secondary enlisted MOS was E077C, unexploded munitions demolition, field expedient. 

Parris Island's School of Infantry, Old Earth, teaches both MOSs; Adi completed her recruit training there after basic augmentation. Parris Island, the Corps' traditional home for centuries, is one of only a few places on Old Earth that the Green Council does not privately own. The Corps considers Adi's service sufficient, though not exemplary. Adi received an honorable discharge after serving six standard years, not counting augmentation time. She left the Corps as a sergeant and team leader.

Although uncertain of the job's outcome or whether Adi would still take the job, Kane ensured Adi had access to more food. Finding sufficient high-quality food is always a challenge during Adi's missions. He leveraged his illicit access and stashed several more universally despised chocolate-flavored Sean Cawley bars. Kane carefully places several of the super-concentrated emergency food ration bars in Adi's boom bag and her motorcycle's dedicated food locker. At least Adi wouldn't starve, even if she doesn't accept the job. Kane added several filtered drinking water bulbs to her bike's food locker as an afterthought.