Getting Back Into the Action
Yes, I've given up doing crap cold-based names.
Thought: 'Thought'
Speech: "Speech"
Change in scene: ………..
Disclaimer: Don't own 'em. Do I look like a multimillionaire? Fuck!
Has anyone seen Samus' MPC gunship? Awesome!!!! Mine looks like that from now on.
The fan whooped quietly over head, throwing shifting shadows across the area as light peaked between the shattered blades. Smog floated through the rusted steel corridors at waist height, and Samus was glad that she couldn't smell it.
'Okay, let's go.' She began advancing down the path at the end of the fan-room, keeping her heat visor on, searching for her target.
Unfortunately, the area was coated with heat vents, where gouts of flame periodically superheated large areas, and all the metal in the area made the x-ray just as useless.
The corridor ended on a small balcony which jutted into a gaping shaft, which was nearly two hundred metres in diameter, with both the top and bottom of the rough pipe hidden in the dank gloom. Obsolete mining equipment hung in tangles messes from collapsing gantries and ruined lifts, making a suspended arena, complete with death traps.
"C'mon, let's see what you can do!" John was here; her trained gut instinct told her so.
She leapt from her position into the air, jets firing. And not a moment to soon, since the gargantuan armoured figure of John had landed with a grinding thud on the position she had so recent vacated.
With a second boost Samus disappeared into the twisting mess of pipes and cables.
"Close, but no cigar, bitch!" She cackled into her com, giddy with adrenaline. John was just manually scouting for her, trying to get a glimpse of movement amongst the tangle. Whilst he didn't have any visors equipped to his, he did have a visual motion sensor, which highlighted any movement within his field of vision in neon red.
She'd give him plenty.
John was unprepared for the explosion which followed Sam's disappearance. When a large chunk of the floating mess erupted in a shower of flame and shrapnel it streaked his motion sensor with red, effectively blinding him.
Then she was firing. His tank stared dropping drastically as wave beams came streaking out of the black smoke, followed by a barrage of rockets which demolished the platform he was standing on. Finally getting clear vision, John leapt off the falling deck, using the gravity concussion emitters on the sole of his boots, to propel himself off one of the walls of the shaft and onto a half wrecked lift which clung to another wall.
The weapon casing on his back hissed and folded over his shoulder, revealing the tri barrelled cannon.
'Let's give this a try…'
Pointing with a closed fist, he flexed his fingers slightly, and the cannon roared to life. He was, however, unprepared for the recoil, and the shots were sent wide of the spot where he guessed Samus was hiding.
The shots themselves were very familiar. Although he did remember them being pink. The needles were roughly thirty centimetres in length, bright blue and sped through the air like the old bullets he remembered so fondly. Each needle buried itself deeply in whatever obstacle got in its way, sparked slightly, and then exploded in spheres of blue flame.
Two seconds, six rounds. The weapon hissed as it drew hydrogen from the atmosphere.
A smile spread across John's face.
………
Samus swore as another barrage of hydrogen needles peppered the area where she was hiding.
'Fuck!' A needle buried itself two inches from her foot. The bastard was using the ledges and equipment that dotted the walls of the shaft as firing platforms, assaulting her cover from every direction.
The needle exploded, and her shielding fizzed again, further dropping in strength.
She took a chance. Leaping directly out of the cluster, Samus frantically searched for John.
Unfortunately for Samus, the Spartan spotted her first.
"Shi-" She didn't have time to finish. Only visible as a blur, the Solenoid appeared in front of her, and gave her gut a vicious punch.
Being hammered by a heavy armoured fist, accelerated by enhanced muscles and advanced power servos is very noticeable.
The screech of draining power filled her ears as she flew nearly vertically into the air.
'If this wasn't a simulation…That would have hurt. And then I'd get to rip his balls off.'
With a clang her arcing flight ended. A quick glance around revealed that John hadn't followed her, or had yet to.
'He's gonna regret that…'
Wobbling to her feet Samus took stock of her situation.
Tank: 13 percent capacity
Ammunition: Rocket stores at 35 percent, other beams 24 percent
Not looking good.
'I need something, anything, to turn this around…' She was determined to win
………
John was following. He had taken the cautionary route, fully aware that Samus had developed the uncanny ability of pulling victories out of her ass.
A soft warble was audible over the com, interference from what was most likely a scan visor in activation.
'That was it.' Taking cover in an access tunnel he prepared. 'She hasn't got much energy left. I can afford to wait.'
A whir began echoing down the hall. Slightly started, John nevertheless continued to watch for the red suited hunter.
'Didn't think there was any power here…' Surprisingly, out of the gloom, now highlighted in red, was a large cylindrical platform. It descended on four metal cables until it was almost level with him.
"She's up to something."
Talking to himself always seemed to calm him, why he didn't know. It was probably because he was used to someone answering back.
Sam's head was whipping around; it looked like she was looking for him.
John then realised what the bounty hunter was standing on. What had initially looked like a long cylinder was actually a large borer. A rocket powered borer. Samus' head turned, and John could almost see her smile through her helmet. Then the jets ignited, driving it forward towards him.
………
Samus watched with satisfaction as the large drilling device disappeared down the tunnel, hot on the heels of a fleeing John.
There was a thud.
Then a huge ball of blue and red fire billowed out of the entrance the drill had so recently entered.
………
John was running flat out down the corridor, the whirring maw of steel and death on his heels. But he didn't yell, shout or swear. Such things were beneath him in the heat of the moment.
He glanced over his shoulder.
'Still there…'
Bringing up his HUD he selected power output and set the legs servos to the max. Immediately red lights began going off, with warnings appearing in red across his vision.
Ten seconds until meltdown…
Immediately he picked up speed, pulling away from the spinning blades.
Nine seconds until meltdown…
Up ahead there was a slight widening of the passage, but only by about half a metre. Not enough to dodge in.
Eight seconds until meltdown…
He pulled away further.
Seven seconds until meltdown…
Further.
Six seconds until meltdown…
Further.
Five seconds until meltdown…
With a leap, John surged forward, whilst beginning to turn.
Four seconds until meltdown…
Secondary firing mode: activated
Three seconds until meltdown…
The gun changed. What used to be a tri-barrelled cannon changed shape until it was just a single triangle. With a hiss three blue filled fuel rods rose on the left side of the base of the cannon.
Two seconds until meltdown…
He fired.
One second until meltdown…
A blue beam of what looked like liquid flame billowed out of the muzzle into the waiting maw. As the beam struck the spinning blades it crystallised, coating the whirring metal with turquoise glass. Which was instantly sucked onto the belly of the machine.
Which then exploded.
………
A quick peak down the tunnel revealed nothing but black smoke and rubble.
Samus advanced cautiously down the tunnel following the trail of destruction wrought by the runaway drill.
"Ouch… You're in a bad way."
At the very end of the corridor, John was pinned up amongst the shredded walls by a large metal plate that had pierced his shoulder, and by extension crushed the entire left side of his body. Simulated blood was pooling on the floor around his mangled left leg.
"Hurry up an' die already." She approached him.
Not the best decision she'd ever made.
John's right foot slammed down, knocking a chunk of concrete into the air. He then sent it soaring at Samus' head with a gravity enhanced kick.
And that was it.
She dodged, and John rammed one of his tentacles through her skull…
GAME OVER
………
"I think swearing at me over something like this is a little bit harsh." The victorious Spartan whimsically followed Samus out of the door.
"Shut. The. Fuck. Up!"
"Just because I won the final contest-"
"You cheap bastard! I had that in the bag! IN THE BAG! And you just stab me in the face at the last moment! Your bleed-out countdown only had three seconds remaining!"
"Excuse me?"
The two quarrelling marksmen looked up.
"Yes, C'Laar?" Samus asked with a sigh, glad for an interruption. Her fights with John had been getting to comfortable for her tastes.
"K'Tarr is back. He is looking for you."
A few things…
The Chief's emitters act like he has a gravity hammer on each foot. He can jump further and faster than Samus can, but he can't double jump.
Personally, I'm better at writing close combat fight scenes, so that's why my ranged fights may be lacking.
The secondary firing mode is pretty much like a Hunter's fuel rod cannon.
I'm starting to get a little sick of people complaining about John's arm…
He's missing an arm, deal with it!
I reckon this is better.
If I'd wanted to give him his arm back I would have.
His DNA is damaged by Flood and Radiation exposure so any kind of cloning, cellular reconstruction, whatever, is out of the question.
Jerks…
(Rant not directed at anyone in particular. For confirmation please take 200 of your most expensive sleeping pills. Not responsible for death, serious injury, increase in stupidity or any other symptoms of taking the author's advice. Terms and conditions apply.)