The Dark Ages [Dark Data]

[Samus Aran]

Samus collapsed to the ground.

It was all she could do to maintain the suit in her current state. She’d foregone her own promise, used up every last bit of phazon in the suit – even risked her own sanity – just to kill that damned centaur.

How the hell was he so strong? This dark power … it was unbelievable. Maybe a bigger threat than phazon. If it had already corrupted eight of the verses, there was no telling how big of a risk it posed.

Okor and Hiro slumped in unison. The only one who didn’t was Madotsuki, who stood, staring out at the horizon. Samus watched her. The brown-haired woman threw her head back and made eye contact for a second. Her thought patterns were clear.

Samus barely had the energy to argue, but she forced it. With the only words she knew how. “Please.”

“Please what?” Madotsuki asked.

“We need … I need a minute. To rest.”

She said nothing, simply turning back to the horizon.

Luckily, the power suit wasn’t heavily damaged, but with most of its functions down, it was still little more than an augmentation to Samus’s natural human abilities right now. She could shoot, punch and kick …. that was about it. Whoever Nebula was, his power extended to the ability to rob her of most of her abilities.

For the first time, Samus considered that she may die in her attempt to take down this verse.

It was not something she hoped would happen. Not something she would let happen, if she could do anything to stop it. But a reality she was sober enough to face.

Well. It wouldn’t have been the first time.

Samus involuntarily shuddered and placed a hand next to her heart. It still gave her jumps, but …. she had it under control. But what of a second time? How many deaths could a human’s psyche take?

The Hunter allowed herself a moment’s vulnerability, in that time. Brought the walls down, for just a second, and huddled her legs.