As Dan looked around the restaurant for his table, he thought of how his life had changed over the last five years. He had gotten a huge break five years ago. He had taken a huge chance quitting USC after just one semester and trying out as an extra for a martial arts movie. He quickly caught the attention of the stunt coordinator, Rex Mason, and was moved into a very important non-speaking part. He had also caught the eye of the producer/director of the film, Marla Bloom.

Marla had given up her career as a director and focused on being a producer. She and Rex had both taken Dan under their wing, and created one of the most bankable actor/stuntmen in Hollywood.

Marla had gotten him some acting classes, and Rex had gotten him more as a stuntman, and honed his martial arts expertise by hiring the best trainers that he could find. Dan was a bonafide star after just two more movies. The public knew his name even if that didn't really know what his face looked like, as he was usually in prosthetics or some other kind of bizarre outfit. One television critic had made this comparison on his weekly show: "When I think of Dan Cassidy, I think of Jim Carrey mixing with Jackie Chan, and that's just the beginning."

Marla, Rex, and Dan had taken the time and assembled the best Hollywood stunt/effects crew ever seen. Most of them had been with them since day one. The crew was generally found hanging out at their office/warehouse on the studio lot, working on whatever project was coming up next.

He was in the middle of an operation of sorts. His patient was lying on the table in front of him. The patient was the Blue Devil suit that his best friend was going to be wearing, in his mind at least, all too soon. He was trying to put the finishing touches on the Devil Blast that would come from the gauntlets on the suit, but was having a problem holding all of the required parts in place.

Dan had met James at USC in an effects class, and a friendship was cemented. James did the most amazing prosthetic and mechanical work that anyone had ever seen for a 17-year-old college freshman.

When Dan tried out for his first job, he called James for a little something extra to dazzle the director, and James delivered. Dan had walked into the audition looking exactly like the Stunt coordinator, Rex Mason. James had been working with him ever since.

James looked up to see if anyone else was in the warehouse. He spotted Irwin Schwab, and called out, "Hey Irwin, can you help me over here?"

Across the open area, Irwin Schwab was sitting in a big chair watching a bank of television sets that were all showing the same news footage. Images of a super hero fight in New York were playing over and over again. The newscasters rambled on and on about whom all the players were. This was old footage that Irwin had watched over and over again. He knew every inch of this tape. He had studied it, memorized every camera angle, every movement.

Irwin was a cameraman that worked with Marla. He was a loner and an adrenaline junkie. The man was fearless, and would do anything to get a shot.

A voice broke his silence again. "Hey Bug, I said, can you help me over here?!" Jesse said, louder this time.

They had nicknamed him "Ambush Bug," partly because he had come up with some of the most amazing camera angles without using remote cameras. He had this amazing ability to shrink technology down to use in different ways, like they were literally bugs on the wall. His cameras made spy equipment look like clunky ‘90's camcorders. They added the "Ambush" part was because of his attitude towards life. He did aerial jumps to catch jets going by. And could seemingly crawl up walls. He moved faster than anyone really has a right to, and kept the camera steady without the use of a steady cam.

Irwin absolutely despised being called bug. But given the chances that he was on this job, he didn't protest the name vocally very much. "What do you need Jesse?" he asked, with more than a hint of annoyance in his voice.

"Another pair of hands to hold this thing still."

Irwin clicked off the television wall and stood up. "Alright. I'll be right there. Whoop!"

Marla had known Simon and his brother Eric for years, and had employed them since first meeting them. They were the agents and financial wizards. They were always on their wireless laptop computers, cell phones, or both at the same time. They kept the money flowing, and dealt with movie agents, merchandisers, directors, and even the IRS on almost an hourly basis.

Simon put down the phone and looked over at his brother and said, "That was Rex. He found the site you mentioned and said it would work for the movie even better than that photo suggested."

"That's good," Eric said, nodding.

"Are you sure about all of this other stuff though?" Simon asked.

Eric looked up from his laptop. "Yes, I'm sure, so stop worrying about it."

"Alright. I just don't want anyone getting hurt. And I don't like going behind Marla's back like this."

"Nobody is going to get hurt Simon. It's just a little way to get a bit, okay . . . a lot of extra cash in our pockets. Marla has nothing to complain about. It's not like we're embezzling money on this, we're just offering to get some pictures of some ruins for someone who is willing to pay quite handsomely for them. Besides, I'm the one that's going, and I'm the one that has to get what our client needs."

"Alright. I need to go out and get some air. I have to call that guy that wants Dan after Blue Devil wraps."

"Sure thing. Seeya bro," Eric said as he returned to typing away at the contract. He then added, under his breath, "But not for long."

He had gotten into the stunt coordinator/location scouting business as a side job. His real love was archeology, and working with Marla Bloom had afforded him the ability to combine the two pursuits. The Blue Devil movie was to be set in a lush locale that had ruins somewhere nearby. So while scouting the areas he could explore and loose himself in the jungle for days. Marla had asked Rex to go scout a few sites in the Caribbean for the Blue Devil movie and see if they were good for what the script required.

Rex pulled his canteen off of his belt, took a huge swig and smiled. He had found the ruins right where Eric had said they'd be . . . or at least close enough that it wasn't polite to mention. He still wanted to know where Eric had gotten the aerial photo of this place, but that could wait.

He pulled his backpack off of his back, and proceeded to set up camp. He'd call Dan soon, and then Marla.

Eddie sat in his aunt's office. He had always been around his Aunt Marla, and he had always been a fixture on the Verner Brothers studio lot. Aunt Marla had raised him since he was three years old. His parents had died in an accident shortly before his third birthday. It took a couple months, but Marla was able to convince the judge that she should have custody of Eddie.

"So tell me again, what did you see yesterday?" Marla said as she put down her glasses on her desk, and began to rub her temples.

"I was hangin' around the office last night, and I saw that big bodyguard guy for that actress that's gonna be in the BD movie with Dan."

"You mean Java, Mr. Simon Stagg's bodyguard and right hand flunky?" Marla asked.

"Yeah, that was who it was. Not really too many other guys that look like that ape."

"Hmmm. I guess not. And what did you see Mr. Ape-man doing?"

"He was comin' outta the Williams brothers' office. Laughing, and saying something about how Mr. Stagg said that you better deliver."

"Really?" Marla asked, as her curiosity was genuinely peaked. "Were both brothers there?"

"Not sure. I think only Eric was. At least, it was only his car here last night."

"No problem, Danny," Sharon said as she smiled and rolled her eyes in mock frustration.

Dan looked at her with a hurt look on his face as he answered the phone. "Rex, what's going on? Tell me something good!"

Sharon could not hear what Rex was saying to Dan, but she could tell that it was good news. Danny was smiling that Cheshire grin of his. He always looked like a kid that had just gotten away with something when he was really happy.

"That's great Rex. Marla should be quite pleased with that. Where did you say you were?" Dan motioned for a pen, and once she handed him one, started writing on an unused napkin. "Alright, say it again . . . slower . . . you're on the Caribbean island of Ile Du Diable. How do you spell that?"

Sharon could hear Rex say something and then Danny hung up the phone. "What did he say?" she asked after Danny finished scribbling a few notes on the napkin.

"He said that you're going to love it there," he said as he looked up at her. "It's got great sunbathing weather."

She looked at him, got a little grin on her face and laughed.

"That . . . and I need to get in touch with some guy named Dane Whitman for him. Supposedly the guy is one of the best swordsmen in the world, or at least in California, and with the fighting I have to do in the movie, he thinks this Dane guy can help. Besides, he's gonna be checking out the ruins for the next few days, so he can't get in touch with him."

"Sounds like fun."

"Loads. Shall we order?"

"Simon Williams here, what's happening?"

"Simon, this is Marla. There's a problem. I need you in the office as soon as possible."

"Will do, Marla. It'll have to be tomorrow though. I'm up the coast on some business right now, and can't get back," Simon said as a stressed look formed on his face.

"Alright then. But make it as early as possible. It involves your brother."

Simon put the phone down and shook his head. Now what was his brother getting him into?

Dan looked over at the deceivingly small looking man sitting in the big chair in front of the large wall of televisions. "You're obsessed," he said. "You know that don't you? You are not a healthy man."

Irwin looked up from the screen that he had been staring at for over an hour. "There are worse things in life," he snapped, "like having to listen to Jesse rant on about his latest invention."

Jesse looked up from the suits right wrist gauntlet, where he was finishing the installation of Dan's newest idea and shook his head and went back to work.

"True . . . but Jesse helps us make our money, and you just obsess about these heroes in the news. It can't be healthy for one person to watch the sheer amount of television that you do."

"And I don't help make money?" Irwin ranted, almost shouting. "I get the best shots of anyone in the business! Did you know that I got three more calls yesterday? Three, and those were just the ones the Williams brothers told me about!"

"Irwin, calm down. I'm just messin with ya . . . jeez," Dan said, starting to laugh. "No more caffeine for you. You're just gonna pop, or go poof one day."

"Oh . . . "

Dan walked over to where Jesse was working and motioned Irwin to follow. "Alright, here's the deal. Jesse, this thing has to be up for the climate of a Caribbean island and a desert."

Jesse looked at him and nodded. "Shouldn't be too much of an issue. I already figured for the wetter climate, in fact, you could probably go swimming in this thing for a short period. So the desert wind and sand shouldn't be much more than sealing a one or two more systems. Oh, and I've gotten the strength output up to about 20x plus with an acceptable amount of strain on the mechanics. The eyes have the glow thing Marla talked about. I know it wasn't officially decided whether the suit should do it or if CGI was going to be used, but I figured that if I added some protective lenses, the flash effect won't harm your eyes at all. I also have an idea to put in the Trident . . . it'll save the CGI boys a ton of work. You're going to be a flying tank in this thing Dan"

Dan smiled and looked over at Irwin. "Irwin, my little bug, I need you to get in touch with Norm and get the latest digital cameras and see if you can do your thing with them."

Irwin grinned a toothy grin. "Whoop. Sure thing, but will Norm just give me the camera?"

Irwin knew that Norm Paxton, the senior cinematographer that Marla used for her movies, was very protective about is equipment. He knew that Irwin could mimic just about any technology that he was given at an almost microscopic level, and he was amazed at man's abilities. The thing was, he was still protective of his regular sized cameras.

"He's going to have to have him go out to the Airwalker Compound and buy one. Actually, have him buy two of them, one for you to mess with and one for him to use. That should settle his nerves a little. Oh, and go with him this time to see if you can pick up anything else they're doing, and try not to upset the big G this time . . . "

"I swear to God that wasn't my fault . . . whoop."

He pushed open the front door, and made his way towards Marla's office. He figured that he might as well get this out of the way first thing. He wondered if she had found out what Eric was planning on doing during the movie shoot. There was only one way to find out.

"Marla," he said as he entered her office, "how are you doing this beautiful morning?"

Marla looked up from her desk where she had looking at a ledger printout. "You're right Simon, it is a beautiful day. Let's see if we can't keep it that way . . . hmmmm."

"What do you mean?"

"I want you to answer something for me, Simon," she said as she got up from her chair. "What's going on between your brother and Mr. Stagg?"

Simon swallowed hard involuntarily.