Her back screamed in pain as she tried to move. Pieces of her now broken visor lay on her face, one bright blue eye exposed. Blood dribbled down her covered mouth as she coughed, her ribs cracking ever so softly as she did so. She tried hiding the fiery pain that blistered through her veins, it was simply impossible.

OooooooO

John shifted awkwardly in his seat after that thought. Maybe we can destroy the generator together...

She seemed occupied by some other foreign thoughts, twirling the dull steel fork between her delicate fingers, one hand propping her chin up as her elbow rested on the table. She dropped the fork on the food tray softly, as if sensing he was about to say something. Her eyes flitted up to meet his hidden ones, bright blue orbs searching discreetly.

"Are you going to tell me about that generator?" She said quietly. John widened his eyes in unseen shock. Could she read minds or something? She must have sensed his pondering, for she immediately answered.

"I overheard you talking about it with someone yesterday."

"I see." What was that? Such a simple response...

Samus jumped as Cortana appeared beside John on the holographic image projector.

"Chief, the Arbiter has scheduled for both of you to meet him in the board room in five minutes." With that, she disappeared.

"What was that?" Samus inquired.

"Cortana, she serves as my personal AI and the main computer in this base at the moment." He replied.

"Come." He said quietly. She nodded, and exited her seat.

OooooooO

The loud monotone sound of Chief's boots clanking against the steel floor lulled Samus's mind into a cocoon of thoughts. Perhaps they were being called to discuss the generator, and how to destroy it. This was a possibility. The soft blue lights of the hallway illuminated the behemoth's visor, making his identity even more shrouded. She looked quickly to the floor, hoping he didn't catch her staring. They rounded the next corner, and entered through a large metal door at the end o the hall. The Arbiter awaited them at the end of a strange looking table. Samus looked in complexion at the sight before her. A holographic topographical map was displayed on the table, different regions of the planet spread out across the sparkling surface like a shimmering sea. Her attention was averted from the sight as the Arbiter began to speak.

"I've called upon the both of you in regards to the generator." He said quietly. Chief only stood there, not moving a muscle.

"Have you located it?" Cortana cut in. The purple woman popped up above the shimmering map, one hand on her hip.

"Yes we have, but sadly it is located some few hundred miles away. We found the heat signature of the generator by chance, but getting to it will be no simple task." The Arbiter's raspy voice was soon quiet, leaving the two humans to think. The Arbiter walked over to the glowing map, and pointed to a flat region South West of where they were currently located.

"We have picked up strange seismic activity in this area; you will dispatched there in two hours. I suggest you prepare yourself, you are dismissed." Samus curtly nodded, leaving the room quickly. Chief walked out slowly, turned, and nodded as well. Samus turned her head slightly at the quickened sound of Chief's footsteps. She turned her body fully around, craning her neck up to look at him.

"You should get ready; I'll meet you out side of my quarters in two hours." His voice was quiet, almost a whisper. She nodded, turned on her heel, and left.

The cool night air rushed against her, as if it were greeting her. She briskly jogged to her ship, realizing it would take well over half an hour if she walked. The faint hum of her ship came into ear shot as she approached. As the soft orange glow came into view, she noticed Guilty Spark was no longer present. She pressed her hand against the scanner, watching as the platform descended to the ground with a hiss of air. The platform rose steadily, pushing her into her pilot's seat.

I don't need anything either than my Varia suit.

"Activate Varia suit." She said quietly.

"Activating Varia suit, all systems functioning at 100" The ship's monotone voice replied. The usual golden light enveloped around her body; this was what ready felt like. She exited her ship, and began the lengthy trek back to the base.

OooooooO

John slumped back onto his bed, a long winded sigh echoing from his helmet.

"You better get ready John." Cortana said. He lumbered from his bed, and opened the small metal closet beside the door. Ten gleaming guns sparkled before him, each begging him to use him in battle. He zapped his usual assault rifle to his back, along with the M7 and an abundance of M9 grenades were clipped onto his waist.

"You still have an hour left before you leave, you should rest." Cortana said quietly. John nodded; he could use a power nap.

'What do you think is up there?' The girl beside him asked.

'I don't know, but it sure is pretty...' John replied. The stars glittered peacefully, as it they were winking to him. John watched in horror as the girl beside slowly faded away to a dead corpse, leaving him all alone.

John shot out of his bed, panting as he rested his arm above his head, pushing his body into the wall as he did so. He gritted his teeth at that dream, that dream that haunted his sleeping mind almost every night. He remembered that child hood memory; it was one of his memories that didn't involve pain or fear. He crashed to the floor, placing his hand on his cheek, wincing at the coldness of his touch. He placed his helmet back onto his head, feeling secure once more.

Two loud knocks on his door interrupted his train of thought.

"That must be Samus." He thought to himself as he opened the door. John almost jumped back at the sight before him. A large golden figure stood at eye level in front of him, two large spheres on their shoulders. A long green gun swayed at their thigh...

Long and green...those spheres look familiar too...

John looked at their tinted green visor, and was surprised to see two, human eyes.

"Samus, is that you?" He asked. The figure let out a slow nod. John was surprised to see text scrawled across the inside of his visor.

"My suit is incapable of transmitting speech."

"Cortana, can you fix this problem?" John said.

"Her suit is of ancient design, but I'm sure I can this. I will need to access her suit though." Cortana replied. John nodded, and turned back to Samus.

"Cortana will be able to fix the problem, but she will need access to your suits programming." Samus nodded. John watched as Cortana entered the suit with a bright flash of purple. A few minutes later, the purple woman emerged from the suit, and was gone with another flash. Cortana appeared once more on the holographic image displayer.

"Problem fixed." She said in a triumphant tone.

"Can you hear me?" Samus said. Her voice sounded horribly machine like and warped coming from her helmet, but this would have to do.

"Yes." As the s hissed from his helmet, the Arbiter approached from the shadows of the dimly lighted hallway. He was clad in his battle armour, weapons loaded to the brink.

"I see you two are ready, please follow me." He said. John looked over her suit with amazement; he had never seen anything like its design in his life. The three walked out into the night once more, and boarded the small pelican waiting outside. John noticed Samus's head bobbing down every five minutes or so, she was tired. He turned to the Arbiter.

"How long will it take to get to the generator's location?" He whispered.

"Three hours." John nodded. He walked over to Samus and shook her large shoulder guard softly. She instantly perked up, and looked up to his visor.

"You can go to sleep if you wish; we'll be landing in three hours." She nodded slowly. John watched as she pressed the glowing left green button on her red breast plate, making her suit disappear with a flash of gold. He perched himself a few feet away from her, keeping an eye on her. She slowly nodded into sleep, slumping down onto his lap. John was unsure of what to do, he felt extremely uncomfortable with the current situation.

She's not doing anything suggestive...She's just sleeping. He told himself. He relaxed his muscles, slowly leaning back to rest against the steel wall. She moved slightly, let out a small whimper, and sighed in her sleep. John rested a hand softly on her arm.

Is she supposed to be this cold? Her body suit was cold to the touch.

"Where are the damn blankets...?" He whispered. Reaching up, he opened the small compartment above his head, and found what he was looking for. He got up, placing the sleeping woman down gently on the steel bench. He carefully wrapped the blanket around her, until she was wrapped around inside the blanket. He sat down once more, placing her head back on his lap. John felt himself nodding into sleep as well, and soon he was in dream land.

"Well, would you look at that." The Arbiter said quietly, emerging from the cockpit. Johnson chuckled; looking over to John's sleeping form. Cortana let out a small huff. The Arbiter sat down across from the pair, as did Johnson. The two occupied their time by talking quietly to one another, looking over at the two sleeping forms once in a while.

"We're here." Cortana called out.

OooooooO

Samus awoke with a start. What was this warmth she was feeling? She looked down, only to meet soft woollen fabric.

I was sleeping on his lap...

She realized with embarrassment.

He must have put this blanket on me.

She rose to a sitting position, pulling the blanket off of her as she did so. Chief stirred, but remained asleep.

"I see you're awake." The Arbiter said. Samus looked over to see him sitting across from her.

"Wake up Chief!" Cortana yelled. The green behemoth lumbered up from his sitting position, and stood. Samus watched as he stretched his arms up over his head, twisting his back. He felt around his waist, as if making sure everything was there. Samus noticed the weight change in her body.

My Varia suit...

The familiar golden light encased her body, leaving behind the large armoured Chozo battle suit. She could see the Arbiter looking at her with hidden amazement. She smiled softly; making sure no one saw it.

"Chief and Samus, you'll be heading out towards those mountains. Cortana will come with you, serving as your communication with us. You should find an entrance leading to generator." Johnson said. The two nodded, and exited the small craft. Samus watched as Chief slipped a small looking chip into the back of his helmet.

"That's probably Cortana." She whispered to herself.

They began their trek, the rain clouds blocking out the guiding light of the stars. The clouds rumbled, and soon the rain began to dump buckets on them. Samus could barely see in front of her. She switched her visor to thermal, following the heat trail of Chief. It felt like hours as they walked along the grassy fields. Soon the fields turned into rock, and soon the rock turned into a hill. The large hill led up to a steep path, twisting and winding around strange rock formations, slick with water and ice. Samus noticed the change in temperature. It was cooling down; rapidly. The rocky slope opened up in a large field of dead trees, a small mountain stream gurgling through the twisted, dead tree roots.

They continued onward, sometimes stopping to admire the breathtaking view.

"We are nearing the heat signature." Cortana's voice sounded in her ear.

"I think we found our entrance." Chief replied. Samus looked to where he was pointing. A small opening of brittle rock poked out from the large cliff side.

"It's too small for either of you to fit." Cortana said. Samus watched with intent as Chief tried breaking the rock away, it was no use.

"Stand back." Samus said. Chief briskly walked out of the way, standing a few feet away from her. She charged up her arm cannon, and twisted the firing nozzle inside to its usual super missile position. She let go of the trigger, watching as the missile burst from her arm cannon in a trail of bright yellow and orange. It made contact with the rock, a large explosion shaking the earth.

"Looks like you did it Samus." Cortana said. Samus let out a small nod, and began to climb inside the newly formed hole. Chief followed, wriggling his body through with great difficulty. The passage way before them was dark, and caked with ice and dirty snow. Cortana let out a small sigh, and began talking once more.

"This passage goes on for about four hundred meters, and stops at a small grove of ice and rock. There is another passage that leads down to a large ice cliff, and that goes down to the generator." Cortana said, letting out a long winded sigh.

"Is something the matter?" Chief asked.

"No. Let's get going." She hastily replied. Samus began walking, her arm cannon swaying idly at her hip. Her visor casting eerie shadows on the cavern walls as she walked along, making the passage way ahead of her even more dark and menacing. Samus tilted her head to the side ever so slightly, listening as Chief quickly caught up with her.

"Will there be enemies guarding the generator?" She asked.

"Most likely, but I highly doubt there will be a large number." He replied.

"I Hope they are nothing like Space Pirates..." She muttered. They continued for quite some time, until they arrived at the small grove Cortana had described earlier. Samus removed her helmet, letting the cool wind brush against her cheeks. She removed a small canteen of water from her hip, and poured it into her mouth.

"Do you want any?" She offered. He shook his head.

"No, I'm fine." She attached the canteen back on her hip. Samus scanned the area with her thermal visor. She was picking up small heat signatures from a small crack running down the side of rock.

"That is the passage way leading down to the generator." Cortana cut in.

Samus wedged her body in through the small space; this would not do with her large shoulder guards. She quickly morphed into her smaller, more compact morph ball. She easily slipped into the entrance way, zipping and bouncing along the terrain with relative ease.

OooooooO

John watched as Samus bent down, her suit changing shape in a split-second.

How the hell did she do that? He thought. Realizing there wasn't enough room for him to stand; he crawled onto his stomach, and began pulling himself along the ground. He crawled along until the cavern opened up. He stood, dusting off his armour quickly. He could see the large metallic sphere ahead, glowing enough to cast a sufficient amount of light. John watched as she unrolled, standing tall once more. They walked out onto the slick ice, the tight passage way now opening into a large room. John could hear the slow steady hum of the generator down below.

John scanned the ground. No enemies so far.

"This place is deserted." Cortana said quietly.

"You might want to take that back." Samus said. John watched as two large, bipedal creatures lumbered towards them, appearing from nowhere. They shook the snow from their large spike backs, roaring and growling ferociously as they did so. The things were huge, at least twice as tall as him.

"Adult Sheegoths...but what are they doing on this planet? The pirates must have transported them here..." Samus hissed through her visor.

"You encountered them before?" John said, removing his assault rifle from his back.

"Yes I have, and they don't go down easily." John began firing, running towards the beasts. They began firing powerful energy blasts at the two, one hitting him square in the chest. He stumbled back, but continued forward.

"Fire at their mouth when they start panting!" Samus yelled. John watched the creatures, avoiding their devastating ice breath. As Samus implied, they began panting. He open fired, the creature letting out a pain filled screech. It did something, but not enough to kill it. He ducked quickly as a pair of large jaws snapped down near his head. He rolled out of the way, shooting at the creature as it walked towards him, thrashing its head around widely. John watched from the corner of his eye as Samus battled the other, she was obviously experienced in fighting these things. He watched intently, avoiding the beast as he did so. She jumped in the air with great agility and grace, as if her suit weighed nothing. She slammed her arm cannon down on its head with a loud 'crack' rendering the beast immobile for a few seconds.

John quickly pulled his assault rifle from his back, and began firing at the creatures back. Slowly, the large ice structures on its back began to deteriorate over time, until the fleshy under side was exposed. He open fired, until the creature lay dead. He let out a sharp exhale, catching his breath with significant speed.

"Dammit!" He heard Samus yell. The other creature had scratched her arm cannon, leaving it quite damaged. She swung the large gun at its head, trying to make contact. The creature was backing her up against the edge of the ice cliff.

"She can't jump over it, her suit is incapable of scaling over the creature." Cortana half whispered. John watched in horror as she stumbled backwards, her foot slipping on the icy surface of the cliff. She fell to her stomach, her legs dangling over the side. John quickly grabbed his rifle, shooting at the creature. It reared back, falling on its side. It was dead; she must have been on the brink of killing it. Samus was clawing at the ground with her free hand; he could see the look of despair on her face, her eyes wide with terror. He dropped to the ground, grabbing her other hand roughly.

"She's too heavy John!" Cortana yelled out.

"Not heavy enough..." John grunted. He grabbed onto her arm cannon as well, pulling her slowly up. John had paid no attention to the incapacitated creature. It slowly arose once more, a deep rumble vibrating in its chest. It ran towards him, slamming into his back with such great force, his hands slipped, dropping Samus.

"NO!" He yelled. John collapsed to the ground, watching in horror as she plummeted down into the darkness.

OooooooO

This can't be happening...

She told herself.

I will surely die, there's no way I can survive this fall...unless...

She swallowed down her fear, quickly putting her suit in full life support. She closed her eyes, awaiting her arrival with the ground.

OooooooO

John slammed his fist to the ground. The creature was dead now, long gone.

"Chief, you have to go down..." Cortana said quietly, her voice wavering. John said nothing. He cringed as he heard the sickening 'crunch' of her suit making contact with the ground. The sound echoed up the icy canyon, entering his ears in what seemed like an eternity. He slowly crawled over to the edge of the cliff, looking down the chasm with great doubt. He squinted, straining his eyes against the snowy darkness. He listened carefully for any sounds, hoping to hear her voice once more.

And then he saw it, the faint green glow of her suits markings; and the subtle glow of her visor.

"If her suit is still working..."Cortana whispered.

"She must be alive..."John cut Cortana off as he stared down into the darkness, a little murmur of hope trembling in his heart.

OoooooooO

Ooooo cliff hanger! Don't worry kiddies, chapter 3 is already half written. I'll have it up in a few days! R & R please!