Samus snapped to attention, her mind sharp and focused. The previous night's little episode had been brushed aside. Samus had more important things to think about, not some silly dream. She glanced at the clock. Late. Running into another room, Samus opened the closed door to reveal her space suit.

Rusty orange and gold plates of metal wrapped themselves around to form Samus' infamous armor. With more or less a loving glance, she slid into the torso piece with the large shoulders, upper and lower leg pieces, and tugged on the boots. Her left arm piece came on next, followed by her cannon on the right arm. She lifted her helmet atop her head in an almost ritualistic manner.

The slim form of the woman was gone, and in her place stood a giant that towered some seven feet. The long cylinder that was attached to her right arm was ribbed at the end where the vent was, and a large round button lay on the other end, one she would press to arm the dangerous weapon. Armor covered her entirely, large shoulders that enhanced the look of strength, and the hissing of breath through her helmet. The machine that took the place of the woman was large, intimidating, and completely precarious.

Samus glanced at the clock once more. Time for her date.

Suited up nicely, Samus made her way to the main hall of the space colony's hotel. A cheery clerk smiled at her.

"Did you have a pleasant stay, sir?"

Samus grinned sardonically from beneath her helmet, the mirrored blue visor blocking the clerk from seeing her eyes.

"Quite pleasant." Samus replied, her voice coming out mechanical and warped, and with a quick motion shot out her left hand, startling the clerk. She opened her fist to reveal the key to her room, dropping it on the counter. The clerk smiled hesitantly, and took the key.

"Your ship is in docking bay four."

Without a nod or a thank you, Samus turned on her heels and walked away.

"What a creepy guy" the clerk muttered to himself as he watched Samus' retreating back.

*

Samus entered the bay where her ship was currently waiting. A gritty goldish yellow color, the ship stayed with the motif of Samus' suit, and looked like a strange version of her helmet.

Leaping on top of her ship, Samus entered, sitting comfortably in the cockpit. Her appointment was in a bar, floating somewhere along the Aeris Galaxy. Pushing a button here and there, and pulling back on the control stick, the ship roared to life, and soon shot out into space.

*

Maxell Ballard sat patiently in a back booth of a place he wouldn't be caught dead in. However, he was quite alive, and waited for his appointment with the mysterious bounty hunter known only as Samus. The guy was supposedly the best in the known universe, and he didn't come cheap. But no one else would take up his offer, and Samus seemed like the only man for the job.

Maxell stared at the filthy mug full of god know what, and decided not to risk it. Hearing the door open, he glanced up, spotting a figure in a yellow and orange suit. The figure walked straight towards him, gesturing to the barman. Maxell stared as the man sat in front of him.

"Samus?"

"Maxell Ballard" Samus stated. "A corrupt congressman who's trying to claw his way to the top, not giving a shit about who he fucks up in the process. Husband to Jana, father of Eriva and Nothrthel," at this Samus paused and chuckled humorlessly, "Love the names. Currently cheating on his wife with a nineteen year old student, and frequents his trips to Wally the pimp. Everything wrong in this universe, crammed into a little shit who calls himself a person."

Maxell's absolute astonishment quickly turned to anger, but before he could voice his outrage, Samus interrupted him.

Leaning forward, Samus hissed, "You should be happy I don't judge people's character." Returning to her former position, she continued as if having a casual conversation. "What do you need me to do, and how much of your piss soaked money are you gonna give me?"

Maxell finally found his voice. "I don't need this! You can't talk to me like that!"

Samus chuckled again. "I can do whatever I want, and say whatever I want. You still want the job done? Last I heard, I'm the only one willing to do it. And I'm pretty sure, I'm the only one who can."

Maxell bit down any retort, and proceeded to map out the details.

"The pay is thirty thousand. What I need you to do is a bit of exterminating."

Samus made no sign of hearing, so Maxell continued. "Since you know everything about me, you also know I'm running for senate."

Once again, Samus had no reaction, infuriating Ballard further. Wringing his hands, he attempted to level his anger.

"Now, certain people know things about me, and are willing to use them to their benefit." Ballard shook his head at the irony in his statement, and behind her visor, Samus twisted her lips into a slight grin, "Well, you know what I mean. They need to be eliminated."

Samus leaned forward on her elbows. "This is when you tell me the catch."

Maxell fidgeted. "No catch. It's just that some of these people are hard to get to. That, and others have turned me down because of moral outrage." He looked up. "It's well known that you have no morals."

Samus barked in laughter, her voice filtering through her helmet, and sounding horribly twisted to Ballard. A normal person would have been offended, but Samus wasn't normal, and to some, not a person.

"I need specifics."

Maxell reached into his jacket, pulling out an envelope. "All you need to know is there, along with five thousand in advance."

"How cliché," Samus muttered, taking the envelope and removing the money, quickly counting it.

Maxell stood. "I expect this to be done in three weeks."

Samus tilted her head. "I'll contact you when I'm done." As an afterthought, she added, "Don't even try and find me."

Maxell didn't want to think about the fact that the bounty hunter could find him so easily, and quickly left.

Samus watched Maxell nervously push his way through all the tough looking men crowded in the tiny bar, towards the exit. She smiled to herself, and removed the contents of the envelope. Pictures, along with descriptions fell loose onto the table top, along with a typed sheet. She picked up the sheet, quickly scanning the words.

She was to, as the sheet put it, 'eliminate six life forms'. Conner Spencing: male, age 35. The picture showed a serious looking man with dark eyes, and a smile that didn't quite reach them. Conner seemed like another Ballard. She would enjoy getting rid of the shit.

Leslie Spencing: female, age 33. The all around housewife. Her face looked kind, but tired. Woman must have been through hell, getting mixed up in her husband's affairs. Too bad it would cost her.

Cien Spencing: male, age 6.

Samus paused. She was supposed to kill a kid? What did the kid have to do with anything? Samus looked at the photograph. He was a good-looking child, and had something his parents lacked. Innocence.

Innocence. Samus had begun to think that the universe had rid itself of it. Innocence was a disease, a plague. Innocence would be the death of the universe. It's best to lose all innocence, before you begin to feel. It's best to harden yourself against the worlds. That was what Samus had taught herself to believe, what she wanted to believe. Quickly, she shoved the child's picture beneath the pile of papers.

Ignoring her swirling thoughts and emotions, Samus continued to read over her targets. Jarred Manners: male, age 24. A very handsome young man, ambitious, and clueless about what he was getting himself into. The picture showed him with a million dollar smile, and a gleam of greed.

Krystal Cavallo: female, age 21. In all respects, a whore who knows too much.

Samus read over the targets once more. That was only five, where was the sixth?

"Fuck." Samus shook her head as a sick feeling crept up. Cavallo is pregnant.

Samus sat at the bar a long while, staring at the peeling green paint on the walls. She cleared her head of any thoughts, sort of in a deep meditation. To lose any sense of humanity she still had within her, and stood, gathering the information, and sliding them back into the envelope. Samus had to get to work.