II: Zero Suit Samus Returns

Instead of moving onto the next street, I take a right and keep going down until I find the weapons store I went to when I first came back from Zebes.

"Samus Aran! How wonderful it is to have such a legend in our midst once again!"

The burly man that owns the shop crosses his arms with the same beaming smile he had when I first found him. This particular sector is richer than the one I was before, which is evident in this very clean and advanced weapons shop. All the latest weaponry is at the customer's fingertips, but so is the latest security technology. Nobody steals from this place, everyone gets what they ordered.

In my case, I wanted to get better suit-less weapons in the case I ever found myself in an emergency situation again. I did not like being powerless on that pirate ship. I ordered a Paralyzer with better charge and stun length with an added retractable Plasma Whip hidden within. Enemies are paralyzed much longer than before at full charge and I can use the whip to attack or disarm them as well as serving as another Grappling Beam. I also wanted more maneuverability, so I looked around until I found some Jet Boots that were small and light enough to conceal under my Power Suit. Unfortunately they happened to be heels, but it's not like it'll bother me much. The heels are retractable so they can fit in my Power Suit and I can run comfortably. In the case I need to jump, the Jet Boots do the jump for me and add to that the ability to glide in the air. I'd also imagine getting kicked in the face by flaming Jet Boots isn't very pleasant, so that's a plus.

"Your Paralyzer was done a few hours ago, but I just now finished the Jet Boots."

He places both items on the desk. The gun makes a satisfying clunk when it touches steel, but the Jet Boots make almost no sound at all.

"I trust they are...to your liking?"

I nod, fiddling with the Paralyzer's buttons until the whip emerges. Even when immobile, it makes a low humming sound and gives everything near it a warm orange light.

"Best not to keep it out in the open too long, eh?"

I nod without looking at him and retract it. Plasma Whips aren't very stable, so it's not safe to leave them motionless in the air. The inside of the Paralyzer stores the plasma in the same core that's used to stun enemies. When opened, the Paralyzer transfers the energy to four small vents that concentrate it into a whip. So much concentrated plasma is extremely dangerous by nature, so there's a risk of overloading the vents and causing the entire gun to explode in a large blast of plasma.

I safely put the Paralyzer in its holster and open the latches on my Jet Boots. They're surprisingly easy to put on, as all I need to do is put my foot through the opening and close the latch so it grasps my ankles. Another surprise is how light they are. When I try a fast kick forward, I don't feel a difference in speed and instead get the added bonus of having a quick burst of energy come out the bottom. Yes, this is my type of weapon.

"It can also be used to glide. Just give another push when you're in the air, as if you're jumping."

I nod, retract the heels and head out the front door. I made my payment when I made the order and he's no friend of mine, so there's no need for unnecessary babble.

"Hope to see you again!"

His voice gets quieter the farther I get from him. Now, if I recall correctly, the warehouse is on the corner of 49th…

It doesn't take me long to get there, seeing as it's only a few blocks away from the bar. Convenient I guess, for the brother.

The warehouse looks almost a century old, with a mix of old blue paint, brown rust and a dozen graffiti. Everything in this area has been abandoned for a few decades now. It was a mid-range residential sector until a Super Bomb exploded right in the middle of it, killing most of its inhabitants and injuring the rest. This was around the time that war started to take precedence over other subjects, so it was decided that instead of rebuilding the sector, they would use the money to fund the Galactic Federation's intergalactic operations. The survivors were forced to move to poorer areas and the 49th Sector became a sort ghost town. The first few years the place was home to many scavengers, so its resources were quickly depleted. After that, there was no reason to come here other than to escape others. There's no electricity here, meaning no lights during the night. Kreatz once told me he'd been dared to go there at midnight as a child. "Halloween", he called it. I wonder if I would've ventured here had I grown up on Earth…

The windows are too dirty to see through. Guess it's time for action.

I hold the Paralyzer with both hands and kick open the front doors with a loud CRASH, assessing the situation as fast as I can and beginning to charge my shot. There's five men inside, four armed with assault rifles and one with his handgun in its holster. They're all in front of a table with a bunch of different papers and devices. Looks like they were planning something.

"Stop right there or die!"

The one farthest to the left yells with his gun already up and aimed at my forehead. The unarmed one in the middle turns around and releases a cloud of vapor from his mouth, his electronic cigarette close by. He smiles and takes a few slow steps forward, taking his time.

"Now what in the world do you think you're doing?"

He chuckles, like the question was a joke.

"I'm looking for someone. I'm sure you know where he is."

He shakes his head, taking another deliberately slow sip from his e-cig.

"And I'm sure I have no idea what you're talking about. Now how about you walk right outta here before my friend here renovates the walls with your brai-"

FZEEOM!

Before anyone can react, I fire a fully-charged shot from my Paralyzer into the chest of the man who had his gun aimed at me. I then extend my Plasma Whip and make it wrap around the next enemy's weapon before pulling hard on it. The rifle flies across the room and crashes so hard against the back wall I'm pretty sure it's damaged beyond repair.

While the man in the middle struggles to get his gun out of its holster, the other two start shooting at me. Aided by my new Jet Boots, I jump high in the air and over the blasts. I then slam my foot down on the nearest enemy's head. He goes straight down and breaks his nose upon impact with the ground, incapacitated and probably knocked out cold. Next, I land and kick the last one in the face with the Jet Boots, burning him. Unfortunately, the previously-stunned man with the assault rifle is now able to move again and the man in the middle managed to get his gun out and point it at me.

With no hesitation, they start another stream of blasts aimed directly at me. I avoid them, jump between the two men and do a handstand to scissor-kick, hitting them both at the same time. I can't waste a single second. I follow it up by punching the man with the handgun hard in the stomach. He immediately bends over and clutches his belly, vomiting blood onto the floor. Only one left. I want to try something.

The last one's about to fire again when I knock the gun out of his hands with a single swing. Here goes…

I start by kicking him upwards with my left foot, right under the chin. I then lift us both up by igniting the power in my right Jet Boot. As we're rising, the energy bursting from my left Jet Boot adds more damage. Finally, we stop rising and I turn around quickly to deliver a final kick blazing kick with my right. He's propulsed forward with so much speed he breaks through one of the windows and lands on the ground outside.

Satisfied, I come down with relative ease and land next to the only man still standing. I then grab him by the collar and throw his gun to the other side of the warehouse. He groggily looks up at me, still hurting from the blow to his stomach.

"I don't like wasting time, so I'll make a clear question and get a clear answer: where are your workers?"

His cocky smile became a fearful whimper.

"T-the m-moon of Naishii! We normally just do manual work, but we never expected to get hired by the Space Pirates…"

Of course. Wherever there's trouble, there has to be Space Pirates.

"We flew them there, but we never got our payment or our workers back!"

He seems genuinely distressed. Then again, I did punch him in the gut.

I let him go and holster my Paralyzer.

"Your number."

I mutter in my usual monotone voice.

"W-what?"

"The number on that phone. I'll send a signal when the Pirates are dealt with. You can come by to pick up your workers."

"Uh...right…"

He writes his number nervously and confusedly. I take it and start walking away, but he doesn't seem too sure about it.

"You think you can take down those Pirates by yourself!?"

He yells, incredulous.

However, my back is already turned to him and I'm walking out the door. Outside, I temporarily put on my Power Suit to call my gunship. In a matter of seconds, the familiar yellow ship descends from the clouds and lands in front of me. I jump on its roof and it opens up, bringing me to the inside. I absentmindedly put the ship on auto-pilot towards the Neogatta nebula and put down both my Paralyzer and my Jet Boots.

I'm going to be using my armor against the Pirates, so I'll have to wear something more comfortable underneath. By now I've come to know the Zero Suit as the best option. The Power Suit was made to fit my bare body and the Zero Suit is so thin it barely feels like I'm wearing anything. It's the most comfortable attire under my armor, which is the most important factor when it comes to battle. I guess others would worry about it being too revealing, but I really don't care at all about it. Like I said, sex is of very little importance to me and so are the thoughts of perverted men.

In any case, my objective is clear: eliminate all Space Pirates on the moon of Naishii, liberate the workers and find the little girl's brother. After bringing him back, I can go on with the rest of my day.


Next mission: Fully-powered armored Samus vs Space Pirates!