MESH Part 2

[Samus Aran]

It was dusk in the training yard, and most of the soldiers had already filtered away to their rooms or left the grounds to mingle. Samus was busy kicking the straw out of a training dummy when she felt someone’s presence approaching. Angel. The warrior-woman turned to regard her dormitory-mate expectantly.

“Hey Samus,” Angel said with a small wave of her hand, part of the polite preamble that she would always go through before saying what she meant. “How’s the training going?”

Samus shrugged. “You’re here for a reason?”

The curly-haired blonde mock-sighed in resignation. “Yeah, well … you might not be able to.” A pregnant pause. “That’s if you even want to.” She looked at Samus with a pair of huge eyes that seemed to swim like waterfalls.

“Ugh.” Samus broke her gaze, looking down and away. “Out with it.”

Angel put her hands together and sighed, for real this time. “I want to know … if you can bring a person back to life.”

Samus turned her head back upwards very slowly, her eyes scanning those of her squadmate. She opened her mouth. Then shut it, turned away and was silent.

Angel waited.

After nearly a minute, Samus responded. “I don’t think that would be possible, if you’re asking what I think you are.” She turned to continue. “Someone you knew, if you were a prime … maybe. I don’t think there’s any limit to what we can summon. But we have to know it.”

“B-but can’t I just tell you about my mom?” Angel took a step closer to Samus, prompting the bounty hunter to shift backwards. “Look, I have pictures, and …” She had a bag, and she was fumbling with it now, producing all kinds of trivial effects; a brush, a mirror, makeup, and letters. “I could show you her. Show you what she looks like. You don’t have to know her exactly, right?”

Samus shook her head, overwhelmed. “I … don’t know. This Prime stuff didn’t come with an instruction manual. It’s changed over time, too. There’s more that I can summon now that I couldn’t before.”

“So try!” Angel looked like she was about to burst into tears. “Please!”

Samus closed her eyes and looked down at her feet. Then she spoke. “Okay.”

Angel let out a tiny, high-pitched noise. Then she leapt upon Samus with a hug, pressing her face into the bounty hunter’s chest.

“Easy!” exclaimed Samus, trying half-heartedly to back away from what was clearly a wholehearted hug. After a few seconds with her arms awkwardly raised, she patted them down on Angel’s back. “I can’t … I can’t guarantee it’ll work.” She wore a look of concern.

“I know you can do it, Samus.” Angel was bright-eyed and as sincere as Samus had ever seen her. “You have to try.”

Samus did not look reassured.