"Man, Samus. Looks like you banged the thing up pretty bad this time 'round," the man remarked, his country accent as thick as ever. The big-bellied mechanic gazed down on the crippled suit of metal with a bewildered look of dismay. He was round and of average height with a small patch of brown hair barely clinging to his head and thick glasses that magnified his eyes, and no one had ever seen him without one of his grease-stained work shirts, some worn overalls, and workman's boots. He seemed to be the proudest man on the planet to be wearing it all.
"Yeah, yeah, I know. It always ends up like this somehow," Samus replied. She sighed and scratched the back of her head with one hand, leaving the other to rest lazily on her hip. It wasn't often she sported her zero suit around town, but after the trip she just had, she couldn't be blamed for not bothering to change out of it.
They were in the back room of Marty's Mechanics, the "best mechanics shop in town" according to the billboard outside. It was musty and dimly lit with a stale air that smelled of grease and heated metal. Samus allowed her eyes to linger throughout the all too familiar room, finding their way to the industrial tools, spare parts and incomplete projects set up on worn tables placed uniformly across the floor. Her eyes drifted over to the walls lined with just the same materials on old, yet sturdy wooden shelves.
A boy that looked to be in his late teens walked in through the door in the center of the front wall that led to the main shopping area and read "EMPLOYEES ONLY" on the side normal customers would see. Samus, however, was not a normal customer, and thus was allowed in the back to see over all the specifics of her power suit repairs. The boy fumbled around, grabbed an average-looking arm cannon, and headed back through the door where a customer was waiting impatiently. That guy is going to need quite a bit of training, she thought idly.
The man spoke up again. "I hate to say it, but this is gonna run ya a good Ð30,000 for body repair alone. The shielding mechanisms are shot, and a lot of the circuitry in your helmet's gonna need a good bit o' work too."
A confused expression appeared on her face. "But the helmet looks like it's barely scratched to me."
A smile crept onto the man's face, making Samus feel a little uneasy. "Heh, that may be, but that bruise on your forehead says otherwise." Samus stopped herself before shock could overtake her. She quickly covered her surprise as well as the wound just an inch above her left eye. "You should know by now that you need to repair about twice as much as you see on first glance, Sam."
"How many times have I told you not to call me that?" she asked, irritation clearly visible on her face. "Now come on, Marty. Can you fix it up or what?"
Marty let out his usual loud cackle that Samus had quickly grown an immunity to when she first met him. He wiped a tear of laughter from his eye and responded, still chuckling and smiling from the good joke he had just heard. "Girl, from all the times you done come in here for me to fix the thing, you still need to ask me that?" More laughter burst from his mouth, though less than before. "I've used up most o' my tools tryin' to weld all this suit's metal back together, and you know I have a whole stock pile of the latest circuits and dual-layer force resistant sheets for all your smashed up helmets n' visors!"
"You're sounding like your commercials again, and you should know by now that if suit damage is what my job calls for, then that armor is going to get as scraped up, dented, and crushed as it needs to to get the job done. It's as simple as that."
"Yeah, I know that a little too well." He brought his head back down to pore over the suit once more. "I also know that the only real question I need to ask you when you come in here is what version of software to install. So what'll it be this time?" He smiled again, never letting his eyes off the battered Chozo suit.
Samus hated when he started having too much fun with this. She said, "Just give me the usual package and whatever the latest malware protection is," and turned to head out the door.
Marty jerked his head up quickly. "Wait just a minute, Sam!" She turned around half way, her golden blonde pony tail whipping back around. Marty didn't react to the look Samus shot his way, but she knew he had seen those eyes more than enough times to recognize their impatience. "The GF's got a new requirement for your suit. They want me to make a radio device compatible with it. I can do it, but it's gonna take some time, so it'll be a while before you can go on another mission."
Samus threw her head back in relief. "Oh, that's great!" She brought herself back to eye level with Marty. "Thanks for the heads up. I was planning to go to HQ before I went home, but now I can skip it all and get straight to my shower."
"Here's some even better news: It's all on the GF's dime!" He let out another awkward cackle.
"Great to hear. So how long do you think it will take for you to finish, radio and all?"
Marty thought on the question for a moment before responding. "A few years ago I probably would have said about a month, but I'm gittin' more and more familiar with thi-"
"Marty?"
"Always gotta cut me short, don'tcha?
"I'm not exactly excited about coming straight here after that last one, so yes."
Marty looked down and let out a quick sigh, wiping one of his tools with greasy rag. "If I give it top priority, about a week."
"Don't keep it too long. It's going to be a hassle, whatever it is they want me to do with it-probably radio in regular reports and status updates-but money's been tight lately. I've barely been getting by with these last few little jobs." She pointed at him sternly. "Make it quick, Marty." She turned around and began walking towards the door again, not stopping when she said, "I don't think a shower would be such a bad idea for you, either."
Marty's wide, joking smile appeared again. "Oh, come on now, Sam! That one was just uncalled for!" He watched Samus raise her hand in farewell as she opened the door and walked out.
By the time Samus entered into the main shopping area again, the customer she had seen earlier had left, and the boy was reading a book. He was tall and far too lean. His short brown hair and clean shaven face made him look only about 15 or so years old, but Samus knew Marty would never hire someone that young. As corny and joking as he was, he never hired someone without extensive experience. The inquisitive eyes behind his glasses gave him a glimmer of intelligence to anyone without that knowledge though. Remembering his clumsiness earlier would have made her think twice if she was paying him more attention, but she didn't think much of him and simply continued towards the front door.
"Have a nice day, Ms. Aran, and come again!" The boy had spoken up in a fairly enthusiastic voice, though slightly choked. Samus paused and looked over her shoulder. He had a goofy smile plastered on his face and was still hunched over the counter, looking up from his book so he could make eye contact. At least he was eager to do his job well, Samus thought.
She let the door close itself behind her as she started down the parking lot. It was bright outside, but the clouds seemed as if they were practically promising a downpour. I wish he would hurry with that suit so I could just have my ship come to me, she thought, irritated with the fact that she had to find her way through the maze of airships. Samus loved puzzles, sure, but not when she couldn't find her ship.
Once she finally found it, she mumbled, "Thank God," to herself and picked up her pace. A platform descended from the bottom of the gunship, and Samus stepped in. At least my ship still has remote DNA sensors on it, she thought, grateful that she didn't have to get in manually. The ship itself was a bit beaten, but her power suit was her top priority right now. The platform brought her up and inside. She sat down and set the coordinates for her Galactic Federation barracks. She may not have been required to file any reports or attend any meetings immediately after getting back, but since she was employed by them for her last hunt, she was required to have complete body sterilization upon her return. She knew their cautiousness was justified though. They did not need another unknown disease breakout like the one three years ago.
Samus activated the thrusters and turned the auto-pilot on, using the last of its battery and remembering she needed to get it wired to the main power when the ship was serviced. As tired as she was, she would have used it before had it not been for her worry for her power suit. Samus wasn't one for sentiment, and she did all she could to keep it that way, but this was her one and only exception, the most prized of material gifts received from her Chozo guardians. She could, however, always rest easy in knowing the hands it's in are more than trustworthy. She lied back to rest. God knows she needed it after what she had been through. She drifted off into sleep peacefully.