The Scramble [Complete]

[Samus Aran]

Samus had barely been thinking for a few moments when, out of nowhere, an alien had materialised. Green skin, black hair. Wearing armor that looked like it was made with leather and buckled together with metal bolts and bracers. Samus questioned its protective qualities. The being seemed no more aware than she did. That reassured the bounty hunter while simultaneously putting her guard up. While there was no ruling out the possibility of deception, it seemed this being was in the same situation she was. Another captive?

“Who are you?” Samus asked.

The being stopped, turned. Samus could now see the muscles etched into her – it appeared to be a female – body, tensed and ready to fight. “Who are you?” it shot back in a low growl. Its eyes darted up and down Samus’s body. “What are you?” it added.

Fair enough, the hunter supposed. Samus tapped a non-existent button on the side of her helmet (the controls were all virtual) and her visor lost its external opacity, revealing her eyes. “My name is Samus Aran. I’m a bounty hunter from the Galactic Federation. You don’t look like you’re from a Federation planet.”

“Federation?” The alien’s eyes narrowed. “What is this place?” she demanded, jerking her head towards the blank landscape.

“Your guess is as good as mine,” replied the bounty hunter. “Did you see the thing? The white thing in the darkness?”

“The white thing, yeah. What is it?”

“I don’t know.” Samus frowned. This was starting to become frustrating. “I don’t know any more than you do. I just arrived here.” She breathed out, letting her chest sink. If this alien was a simulation, it was trying damn hard to make itself convincing. “I guess we have to play the game,” she said, more to herself than anything else.