Author's Note: Just a collection of one-shots and drabbles set in the same universe as my Human Series (Human, Spawn, Xenophobia, and Zero Host.) These are just little scenes that happened between the main event. I'm sure some will be more developed one shots. Some will be the writing equivalent of sketches.

Some of these stories might be turned into longer works, particularly if any of them get a lot of interest.

If anyone else wants to suggest prompts or drabbles I'm open to it. You can inbox me here or on Tumblr. Tumblr has the added feature of letting you submit asks anonymously, and yes, I answer all of them. So if there's any time period or scene from the AU you're curious about, just let me know and I can sketch something out.

First up is "Reflection," a little Samus story I wrote for Plintoon's Metroid drawing and drabble exchange on Tumblr.

Reflection- a little Samus story

Samus didn't have much on her mind that morning as she wandered through the Tourian. It was hot outside, and though she was not particularly fond of the Sector that housed their Artificial Intelligence unit, Mother Brain, the metallic floors were cool against her bare feet, and the ceiling and walls protected her from the harsh sun.

Normally on days like this she was more interested in heading down to the underground lakes of Maridia and going for a swim, but Grey Voice had specifically requested she stay close by. Apparently he and Old Bird had something they wanted to discuss with her once the Council of Elders finished their meeting.

The girl wondered what the old Chozo could be discussing, but only vaguely. Their affairs rarely interested her. At roughly ten years old, she did not understand much about what went on amongst the elders, and she did not bother trying to figure it out.

When they were all cloistered in meeting, she would take the opportunity to go out and explore Zebes on her own. While she did not normally mind the long hours of physical training and conditioning they put her through, she savored her freedom much more. She supposed it was lonely to be the only child and the only human in their society, but she did not have anything to compare it to. Instead of dwelling on her solitary state, she much preferred to befriend the other animal species native to the planet.

But as her small, bare feet padded through the halls of Tourian, she could not help but think that there was one creature on this planet she had never managed to befriend. Mother Brain, the Chozo's trusted AI, had never seemed particularly fond of her, nor she of it.

She paused by the hatch that led to where Mother Brain was. A shiver always went up her spine when she came anywhere near the artificial bioform, and she thought of turning around and leaving. It might have been better to brave the heat on the surface than to be anywhere near here.

Samus was about to turn and leave the Tourian when she heard the sound of footsteps in the distance. Old Bird and Grey Voice's clawed talons had a unique sound on the metal floors, and the child was relieved to hear them coming. It was easier to bare being near Mother Brain when the old Chozo were around. As they came into view, she ran up to them and grinned.

Grey Voice was a tall, thin creature that resembled an anthropomorphic bird, and Old Bird was obviously of the same species although shorter and quite a bit wider. The two seemed almost opposites between their physical structures and the way Grey's sharp eyes always seemed to be analyzing everything while Old Bird's seemed softer and more welcoming. While she loved both of the Chozo dearly, Samus secretly preferred Old Bird and his gentle nature.

"Back from your meeting so soon?" Samus asked in a language that sounded unnatural coming from the mouth of a human child. It more closely resembled the squawking of a bird than human speech.

"Not exactly," the taller of the two Chozo began as his sharp eyes scrutinized Samus's slight form. "We're still working on the same project, but we've come to an important decision, and we need you, Samus."

The little girl's eyes widened as she stared up at the Chozo. "Me?"

Old Bird nodded as he looked down at her. His soft eyes were gentle and helped to ease Samus's sudden apprehension. "Yes, Hatchling, we need you now."

Samus fidgeted where she stood, looking down as she slid her foot around on the metal ground. "Are we going to train today? Because you promised me I wouldn't have to train today…"

"Not training in the traditional sense," Grey Voice replied, his feathers slightly ruffled with annoyance, "but it's related to your training, yes. Though I would think you would understand the importance of your training and not be so reluctant to do it, day off or not. Hatchling, you've made great gains since we took you in all of those years ago, seven years ago by how your species measures time. And in that time we've enhanced you with our own blood, trained you as a fighter, and brought you to a level of physical conditioning I had not even thought possible. Still, I have my reservations about what the Council has decided today..."

Samus tilted her head curiously as she looked at Grey Voice before turning her attention toward Old Bird. He recognized the questioning look she was giving him.

"What Grey Voice is trying to say, Hatchling," Old Bird began, "is that the Council has come to a decision today. We believe that you are ready to begin the next portion of your training."

"Physically," Grey Voice cut in. "Mentally, you still lack the executive functioning of a mature human. But physically, you've exceeded what we had believed to be the limits of your species."

Samus blinked a couple of times as she looked up at him. She was really getting the itch to run off and go swimming in Maridia before either of the two Chozo tried making her train more.

She was expecting Grey Voice to list a set of new activities she would be forced to do day in and day out to make her even stronger than she was now, but instead, she was surprised to see Old Bird offering her his outstretched hand.

"Come with us, Hatchling."

With a deep breath, Samus took hold of his claw with her small hand and allowed the two elders to lead her deeper into the Tourian, well past Mother Brain's room and toward what appeared to be a dead end. A holoscreen appeared on the wall beside him, and he pressed his other hand up against it.

As soon as he did so, the wall in front of them began to rise up and revealed a secret passage Samus had never seen before. She perked up at the sight of the dark hall on the other side of the door. Unlike the metal floors of the Tourian, the ground here was natural and earthen. As they walked down the secret hall, the air was cooler and more humid.

Samus bounced along with a lot more spring in her step as she took in the sights. Chozo paintings and writings adorned the stone walls, and she did not have time to study them all as they walked deeper into the ancient tunnel. There was something familiar about this place, but she could not remember exactly when she had been here before.

Eventually, they reached a large antechamber where Samus discovered the rest of the Chozo Council standing around, awaiting her arrival. Like Old Bird and Grey Voice, they were all wearing traditional long brown robes.

"So you finally brought the Hatchling," one of the ancient bird creatures spoke as a dozen pairs of eyes all focused on Samus. "Very well then. Let her approach."

The members of the Chozo Council stepped aside, and even Old Bird and Grey Voice backed away as Samus looked at the far wall to discover that the Chozo had been standing around to conceal a large circular mirror. Samus stared at her reflection for a long time before tentatively taking a step forward.

She had seen something like this once before, a long time ago in a Chozo temple. She suddenly realized why all of this seemed so familiar to her. When she had been a small child, when she had first come to Zebes, she had been here. At least, she had been in an area like this.

The mirror before her now was similar to the one she had seen in the Chozo temple, but it was smaller. As she approached it, her reflection stared back at her, but it did not last long. When at last she was close enough to touch it, her image disappeared from the mirror and was suddenly replaced with the image of a golden suit of Chozo armor with a red helmet and green visor. Below the elbow, a large green cannon replaced the right arm.

Samus gasped as she studied the armored suit. It was almost exactly like the armor ancient Chozo warriors wore in the paintings she had seen, but it looked like it was made for a human form. A human form about her size.

Realizing the significance of the image before her, Samus looked over her shoulder to where Old Bird was standing, and he nodded as though he knew exactly what she wanted to ask him.

With a new resolve, Samus turned back to the image of the golden armor. Gone was her reluctance to train or her desire to run off and play. This was the moment all that training had been leading up to.

She was not sure she was ready, but she understood the gravity of the Council's decision. They thought she was ready. Closing her eyes, Samus reached out toward the mirror with both hands.

As she made contact, a blinding light filled the antechamber, and when it grew dim once more, Samus finally opened her eyes.

The mirror still showed the reflection of the armored suit, and as Samus looked down to observe the armored suit that now covered her body, she was pleased to see that reflection was her own.