08-22-2014, 03:35 AM
The turtle jerked his head towards a nearby building, raising a claw. “He’s holed up somewhere in that building over there. Jimmy here saw him. Ain’t that right Jimmy?”
“Sure did.”
Samus took off.
“That was easy,” said Adam.
“Having a reputation has its advantages,” replied Samus.
The building was a featureless block of grey. Indistinguishable from any other in the neighbourhood. Samus noted that there were three entrances. A front entrance, a small back entrance, and a fire escape on the side. Besides the windows, of course. Not knowing the mark’s abilities, she assumed that anywhere was a potential escape route. Never hurt to know your exits, though.
Samus took the stairs. Her X-Ray visor showed her anything within about twenty metres. Each floor was about one hundred metres long, and the broken elevator buttons had told her that there were four floors total. Most of the rooms were empty, but some had disquieting signs of life. A room of obvious drug users, its inhabitants either crashed out or shooting up. A boarded up room with what she assumed was a family unit sheltering inside. A room with one person and several thin animals that barked as she passed. She felt disgusted that the Empire could allow such poverty, even as she felt the sinking weight of what little she’d done to help these people.
But she put those thoughts out of her mind. One thing at a time. Nobody was safe with a killer on the loose, and that was her job. She continued to ascend, walking just short of running. For all she knew, the mark was no longer here, but she was closing in.
She reached the third floor and walked down it. Empty. Empty. Empty. But at the far end of the room, she looked up and saw one figure. Manlike, but with no skeleton. Her heart rate went up. That’s our android.
She turned back to the stairs, moving as quietly as possible, and ascended to the fourth floor. Slowly she walked down the long corridor, her light footsteps deafening in the silence. She drew within X-Ray range of the figure. Still there, at his window. The hunter closed in.
In front of the door, she stopped. There was nothing on her indicator besides the android.
She listened.
The shot hit her in the middle of the back, smashing her against the doorframe. She drew breath, but as she did another slammed into her helmet. She saw stars. Her heads-up-display flashed red before vanishing completely. A moment later it was back, errors riddling the screen.
Half-slumped against the door, she managed to roll and dodge just as another shot smashed through the doorway. She got to her feet and ran. She looked behind her as she did, and saw a figure emerging into the corridor from the opposite flat doorway.
It looked like a cross between a space pirate and … herself. All she saw in the brief glimpse was a red visor, silver-grey armor and a claw. It opened up and fired another shot at her.
She ducked to the ground as it sailed above her head. “What …” she mumbled as she hit the ground, eyes wide.
“Just run, Samus!” It was the voice of Adam. For once, she didn’t argue.
She turned into a doorway and kicked it down. Another shot sailed past as she did. She ran to the window, and now she could hear the thing’s footsteps. It was running after her. She wasted no time, running to the window and ramming into it with her shoulder. She smashed through and out.
Falling four storeys, even with power armor, was not something you did unless you had to. She went head-over-heels and somehow managed to place her feet first. She hit the ground hard and tumbled forward onto her right side, spinning across the ground and into a wide alleyway. Two surprised smokers yelled and managed to position themselves out of the way.
She didn’t need to scream. The pain felt like it was doing all the screaming for her. She pushed against the ground and her right arm went numb. The left complied, though, and somehow she pushed herself to the ground. Her right ankle felt like it might be broken, but she stumbled forward anyway, crying “Get away!” as she did so.
More shots came down from the window and she could do nothing but keep running as the bystanders were run through by energy bullets. She got to the end of the alleyway and checked her location. Why did she have to be so far from the main streets?
Easy, answered her brain. They set you up.
Her mind processed the revelation but put it aside for now. “Keep running,” confirmed Adam. “There’s an elevator once you reach the main street.”
She ran, and her screaming body confirmed that she’d broken several bones in the fall. She felt half-concussed from the shot to the head, and her back felt no better. But still she ran until her body seemed to give up on complaining and just accept that this had to happen.
The elevator was in sight. She limped towards it as fast as she could.
Then it stepped out. Between her and the elevator. It spotted her and raised its claw-cannon, revealing an arm cannon much like hers which immediately began to glow with energy. Samus grit her teeth in anger, frustration, confusion. Who was this stalker and where had they come from? Her X-ray visor hadn’t indicated anything, even now the figure before her didn’t register on her sensors. And now they stood before her, completely unaided but completely able to kill her. It didn’t look good.
She charged her arm cannon.
The distance was a few metres. Samus could see her opponent more clearly now. The derivative design was obvious. The Stalker, whoever they were, was nothing but a copycat. Nobody could truly emulate the original Chozo designs. Not even the federation had managed it. The ambush had been impressive. Their weaponry was formidable, perhaps even stronger than her own. But I … Samus reminded herself.
I’m Samus Aran.
She whipped her left arm out, unleashing her grapple beam towards the wall above the elevator. The Stalker’s shot flew out, just missing her feet. Samus sailed forward up and over the Stalker’s head, and kicked back with her broken heel. The shock was immense. All the kinetic energy from her charge beam raced out through the boot, into the Stalker’s helmet. The Stalker careened forwards, face hitting the dirt, and Samus let go of the grapple beam just in time to fly forward into the elevator.
Another painful fall, this time not so much because of the impact itself but because of her already-broken bones. She lurched up and hammered the elevator keys. Miraculously, it only took a few seconds before the doors closed. She felt the Stalker scream a few seconds later as she disappeared from sight. Even as she rose, she felt shots crash into the wall around the lift. But the grav-boosters kicked in, and she was away.
Samus took deep, ragged breaths. She looked down at her right arm through her X-Ray visor. Broken hand. Broken wrist. She looked at her legs. Fractured tibia. Her swollen foot was far too big for the suit. But she dared not remove it just yet. She grit her teeth and endured the pain for now.
“What the hell,” she panted, “Was that?”
“It looked pirate in design.”
“Right. So the space pirates are here?”
“Maybe. Maybe it was a Prime.”
Samus cursed. “That bounty is still out there. They’ll have run by now.”
Adam didn’t contradict her.
A minute later, the elevator opened onto Tier Four, and Samus stumbled out. The crowds parted at her battle-torn appearance, giving her space to summon a vehicle. It took longer than usual, her focus distracted by thoughts of the other hunter who could be somewhere around. But somehow despite the pain and the fear, she managed to summon a vehicle she could control with only her left arm and leg, and rode it towards the upward-bound elevator.
It was only at Tier One that she relaxed fully. Back at her flat, she removed her suit and struggled to her bed. She lay there in her drying blood and let the pain engulf her.
“Sure did.”
Samus took off.
“That was easy,” said Adam.
“Having a reputation has its advantages,” replied Samus.
The building was a featureless block of grey. Indistinguishable from any other in the neighbourhood. Samus noted that there were three entrances. A front entrance, a small back entrance, and a fire escape on the side. Besides the windows, of course. Not knowing the mark’s abilities, she assumed that anywhere was a potential escape route. Never hurt to know your exits, though.
Samus took the stairs. Her X-Ray visor showed her anything within about twenty metres. Each floor was about one hundred metres long, and the broken elevator buttons had told her that there were four floors total. Most of the rooms were empty, but some had disquieting signs of life. A room of obvious drug users, its inhabitants either crashed out or shooting up. A boarded up room with what she assumed was a family unit sheltering inside. A room with one person and several thin animals that barked as she passed. She felt disgusted that the Empire could allow such poverty, even as she felt the sinking weight of what little she’d done to help these people.
But she put those thoughts out of her mind. One thing at a time. Nobody was safe with a killer on the loose, and that was her job. She continued to ascend, walking just short of running. For all she knew, the mark was no longer here, but she was closing in.
She reached the third floor and walked down it. Empty. Empty. Empty. But at the far end of the room, she looked up and saw one figure. Manlike, but with no skeleton. Her heart rate went up. That’s our android.
She turned back to the stairs, moving as quietly as possible, and ascended to the fourth floor. Slowly she walked down the long corridor, her light footsteps deafening in the silence. She drew within X-Ray range of the figure. Still there, at his window. The hunter closed in.
In front of the door, she stopped. There was nothing on her indicator besides the android.
She listened.
The shot hit her in the middle of the back, smashing her against the doorframe. She drew breath, but as she did another slammed into her helmet. She saw stars. Her heads-up-display flashed red before vanishing completely. A moment later it was back, errors riddling the screen.
Half-slumped against the door, she managed to roll and dodge just as another shot smashed through the doorway. She got to her feet and ran. She looked behind her as she did, and saw a figure emerging into the corridor from the opposite flat doorway.
It looked like a cross between a space pirate and … herself. All she saw in the brief glimpse was a red visor, silver-grey armor and a claw. It opened up and fired another shot at her.
She ducked to the ground as it sailed above her head. “What …” she mumbled as she hit the ground, eyes wide.
“Just run, Samus!” It was the voice of Adam. For once, she didn’t argue.
She turned into a doorway and kicked it down. Another shot sailed past as she did. She ran to the window, and now she could hear the thing’s footsteps. It was running after her. She wasted no time, running to the window and ramming into it with her shoulder. She smashed through and out.
Falling four storeys, even with power armor, was not something you did unless you had to. She went head-over-heels and somehow managed to place her feet first. She hit the ground hard and tumbled forward onto her right side, spinning across the ground and into a wide alleyway. Two surprised smokers yelled and managed to position themselves out of the way.
She didn’t need to scream. The pain felt like it was doing all the screaming for her. She pushed against the ground and her right arm went numb. The left complied, though, and somehow she pushed herself to the ground. Her right ankle felt like it might be broken, but she stumbled forward anyway, crying “Get away!” as she did so.
More shots came down from the window and she could do nothing but keep running as the bystanders were run through by energy bullets. She got to the end of the alleyway and checked her location. Why did she have to be so far from the main streets?
Easy, answered her brain. They set you up.
Her mind processed the revelation but put it aside for now. “Keep running,” confirmed Adam. “There’s an elevator once you reach the main street.”
She ran, and her screaming body confirmed that she’d broken several bones in the fall. She felt half-concussed from the shot to the head, and her back felt no better. But still she ran until her body seemed to give up on complaining and just accept that this had to happen.
The elevator was in sight. She limped towards it as fast as she could.
Then it stepped out. Between her and the elevator. It spotted her and raised its claw-cannon, revealing an arm cannon much like hers which immediately began to glow with energy. Samus grit her teeth in anger, frustration, confusion. Who was this stalker and where had they come from? Her X-ray visor hadn’t indicated anything, even now the figure before her didn’t register on her sensors. And now they stood before her, completely unaided but completely able to kill her. It didn’t look good.
She charged her arm cannon.
The distance was a few metres. Samus could see her opponent more clearly now. The derivative design was obvious. The Stalker, whoever they were, was nothing but a copycat. Nobody could truly emulate the original Chozo designs. Not even the federation had managed it. The ambush had been impressive. Their weaponry was formidable, perhaps even stronger than her own. But I … Samus reminded herself.
I’m Samus Aran.
She whipped her left arm out, unleashing her grapple beam towards the wall above the elevator. The Stalker’s shot flew out, just missing her feet. Samus sailed forward up and over the Stalker’s head, and kicked back with her broken heel. The shock was immense. All the kinetic energy from her charge beam raced out through the boot, into the Stalker’s helmet. The Stalker careened forwards, face hitting the dirt, and Samus let go of the grapple beam just in time to fly forward into the elevator.
Another painful fall, this time not so much because of the impact itself but because of her already-broken bones. She lurched up and hammered the elevator keys. Miraculously, it only took a few seconds before the doors closed. She felt the Stalker scream a few seconds later as she disappeared from sight. Even as she rose, she felt shots crash into the wall around the lift. But the grav-boosters kicked in, and she was away.
Samus took deep, ragged breaths. She looked down at her right arm through her X-Ray visor. Broken hand. Broken wrist. She looked at her legs. Fractured tibia. Her swollen foot was far too big for the suit. But she dared not remove it just yet. She grit her teeth and endured the pain for now.
“What the hell,” she panted, “Was that?”
“It looked pirate in design.”
“Right. So the space pirates are here?”
“Maybe. Maybe it was a Prime.”
Samus cursed. “That bounty is still out there. They’ll have run by now.”
Adam didn’t contradict her.
A minute later, the elevator opened onto Tier Four, and Samus stumbled out. The crowds parted at her battle-torn appearance, giving her space to summon a vehicle. It took longer than usual, her focus distracted by thoughts of the other hunter who could be somewhere around. But somehow despite the pain and the fear, she managed to summon a vehicle she could control with only her left arm and leg, and rode it towards the upward-bound elevator.
It was only at Tier One that she relaxed fully. Back at her flat, she removed her suit and struggled to her bed. She lay there in her drying blood and let the pain engulf her.
![[Image: 0bwAI3j.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/0bwAI3j.jpg)