09-26-2017, 05:51 PM
This, thought Samus, Is the single most obvious trap I have ever seen.
Surely the inhuman marine could see that. Yet he seemed quite happy to eat the food – not that Samus could really verify for herself that he had, as from the moment he started feeding, she’d averted her eyes. Morbid curiosity was one thing, but she had enough to keep her up at night without adding that to the list.
After what she’d witnessed of Okor, though, Samus highly doubted that poisoned food would be what killed him.
As Okor dug in with an animalistic fervor, a number of small children, dressed in basic-but-clean-and-tidy skirts and tunics, pressed themselves towards her. She stepped back instinctively, preparing for the assault. But it didn’t come.
“Pies, sir?” squeaked one of the round-faced little girls, a saccharine smile plastered upon her features.
“No … thanks,” responded the mostly-human hunter. She saw through their smiles. It was so obvious … and yet …
What if it wasn’t a trap? In the bounty hunter’s opinion, the odds were astronomically low, and yet she wasn’t about to start murdering civilians on the off chance.
There was something she could do, though. With a casual drag of her finger across the side of her helmet, Samus activated her X-ray visor. The world flickered into black and white. Predictably enough, it was faulty. Anything beyond the hunting party’s immediate vicinity was pure blackness. But it was close enough to inspect the children.
Their bone structure appeared normal. Nothing too untoward … but that meant little. Humans could be possessed with little outward changes to their physical appearance.
“What are you looking at, mister metal man?” asked one of the braver boys. “Hope you’re not gonna eat us!” he giggled.
In any other situation, Samus might have felt obliged to make a chummy remark back, but she bit her tongue. “Just checking your health,” she muttered. She kept one eye on the crowd as she closed on Hiro with a conspiratorial whisper: “Do you have any scanners or gadgets that might let you check these guys out?”
The ronin frowned. “I would’a asked you about that. You’re the one with the alien suit. I’m just a hacker, doesn’t tell me much about biology.”
Samus grunted. “Well, they look normal, but I don’t need to tell you to be ready for a fight.”
Neither Hiro nor Madotsuki – who had been listening in – breathed a word, but their faces sighed.
The white-bearded man approached Samus, and she was quick to check his step before he was an arm’s breadth away. He appeared to balk before her frosty countenance. “Is something wrong, heroes? You appear to be a little reluctant to join in the ceremonies!”
Samus wondered if it was even worth talking to this avatar of Nebula. She decided to play coy. “Yes, well. We’re all very eager to finish our mission. I’m afraid we have no time for parties … sir.”
Surely the inhuman marine could see that. Yet he seemed quite happy to eat the food – not that Samus could really verify for herself that he had, as from the moment he started feeding, she’d averted her eyes. Morbid curiosity was one thing, but she had enough to keep her up at night without adding that to the list.
After what she’d witnessed of Okor, though, Samus highly doubted that poisoned food would be what killed him.
As Okor dug in with an animalistic fervor, a number of small children, dressed in basic-but-clean-and-tidy skirts and tunics, pressed themselves towards her. She stepped back instinctively, preparing for the assault. But it didn’t come.
“Pies, sir?” squeaked one of the round-faced little girls, a saccharine smile plastered upon her features.
“No … thanks,” responded the mostly-human hunter. She saw through their smiles. It was so obvious … and yet …
What if it wasn’t a trap? In the bounty hunter’s opinion, the odds were astronomically low, and yet she wasn’t about to start murdering civilians on the off chance.
There was something she could do, though. With a casual drag of her finger across the side of her helmet, Samus activated her X-ray visor. The world flickered into black and white. Predictably enough, it was faulty. Anything beyond the hunting party’s immediate vicinity was pure blackness. But it was close enough to inspect the children.
Their bone structure appeared normal. Nothing too untoward … but that meant little. Humans could be possessed with little outward changes to their physical appearance.
“What are you looking at, mister metal man?” asked one of the braver boys. “Hope you’re not gonna eat us!” he giggled.
In any other situation, Samus might have felt obliged to make a chummy remark back, but she bit her tongue. “Just checking your health,” she muttered. She kept one eye on the crowd as she closed on Hiro with a conspiratorial whisper: “Do you have any scanners or gadgets that might let you check these guys out?”
The ronin frowned. “I would’a asked you about that. You’re the one with the alien suit. I’m just a hacker, doesn’t tell me much about biology.”
Samus grunted. “Well, they look normal, but I don’t need to tell you to be ready for a fight.”
Neither Hiro nor Madotsuki – who had been listening in – breathed a word, but their faces sighed.
The white-bearded man approached Samus, and she was quick to check his step before he was an arm’s breadth away. He appeared to balk before her frosty countenance. “Is something wrong, heroes? You appear to be a little reluctant to join in the ceremonies!”
Samus wondered if it was even worth talking to this avatar of Nebula. She decided to play coy. “Yes, well. We’re all very eager to finish our mission. I’m afraid we have no time for parties … sir.”
![[Image: 0bwAI3j.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/0bwAI3j.jpg)