Metroid: Do you see the sunsets?

by Ahvie Brightsinger

A crossover of Samus and Co. and some familiar AI mechs of Battletech / Mechwarrior. Please Read and Review, Comments are welcome!!!!!!

3. Chapter 5: Betrayal

Chapter 5: Betrayal

Timberwolf returned to the mech camp with high hopes and wished the best for his already endangered race. Alpha stepped forward, but not before Beta and Delta stepped in front of him and pointed their cannons at Timberwolf. It was Beta, who spoke first,

"HALT TIMBERWOLF. YOU HAVE ARRIVED 2 HOURS SHORT OF YOUR PATROL – EXPLAIN YOUR INTENTIONS AND OTHER INFORMATION TO US FIRST. WE WILL DECIDE IF IT IS WORTH TELLING TO ALPHA." Alpha, who had superior authority but a disliked rank, did not hear this, but connected straight to Timberwolf on his personal network signal he used to observe his fellow mechs in battle and check their morale; "TIMBERWOLF, DO NOT ANSWER THEM. I WILL DEAL WITH THEM WHEN THIS MATTER IS RESOLVED. TELL ME, WHAT BRINGS YOU HERE TWO HOURS SHORTER THAN YOUR PREDESIGNATED TIME? INTEL ON THE ENEMY, A PROBLEM IN THE TERRAIN – I'M READY FOR A QUICK EXPLANATION."

Alpha seemed to know that some mechs did not like his mercy towards humans, and helped Timberwolf out – who now had only taken a nanosecond to receive this and another to send his reply; "ALPHA, SIR, I HAVE HAD AN ENCOUNTER WITH ONE OF OUR ENEMY'S RETIRED SOLDIERS, AND THEY ARE STRIVING FOR A CEASE FIRE SO THAT WE MAY LIVE. THERE WAS NO HINT OF FALSE SPEAKING IN THEIR TONE OR EYES. I THINK WE SHOULD CONSIDER SUCH A BLOODLESS OPTION, SIR."

Alpha was a little taken aback by this and sent strict orders to Beta and Delta to move aside. Alpha had his visual receptors focused on Timberwolf, speaking to all the mechs, including Firemoth and Gamma, who had received his call to meet. Alpha spoke to all of them, calling for a new objective.

"TIMBERWOLF HAS VALUABLE INTEL FROM HIS RECENT PATROL, HE HAS MET THE ENEMY IN PERSON – THAT PERSON, OF WHOM MANY THINK ALIKE, WISH NOT TO SHED ANY MORE BLOOD OVER SELFISH DECISIONS. THOSE PEOPLE HAVE FORGED A VOULNTARY CEASE FIRE AND REQUESTED THAT THIS WAR MIGHT END. WE MUST END THIS BLOODSHED AND COME TO TERMS WITH HUMANITY. I WILL NOT COMMAND YOU, BUT ASK THAT YOU DECIDE ON YOUR OWN WHAT YOU DECIDE TO MAKE OF OUR EXISTENCE: WHETHER IT CAN COEXIST WITH HUMANS, OR WHETHER HUMANS CAN NEVER BE TRUSTED, NO MATTER WHAT THEY WISH TO DO FOR US.

"I ONLY COMMAND FOR YOU TO UNDERSTAND THAT WHAT I THINK IS THAT HUMANITY IS GIVING US A CHANCE TO PROVE OURSELVES TO BE ALLOWED INTO THEIR SOCIETY. AS THEIR RACE HAD REFUSED THE INTEGRATING OF BLACK CITIZENS INTO THEIR COUNTIRES, THEY GAVE THEM A CHANCE TO PROVE THEMSELVES AND THEY SUCCEEDED! NOW WE MUST FOOLOW IN THEIR FOOTSTEP, EITHER THE PRODUCT OR CREATOR OF MAN WE ARE, WE WILL GIVE OURSELVES A CHANCE. THIS I BELIEVE WILL COME TRUE."

All the mechs nodded except Beta and Delta who were very disturbed by this and they exchanged private messages hidden from the rest of the group. But they nodded in admiration and joined the celebration of sending their message of cease-fire.

* * * * *

Keaton was furious at Samus yet again; she had disobeyed his order to oppose all mechs in or out of battle, shared information of her and the Federation, and him too, and negotiated a cease-fire without his permission. He called her into his office alone and she had a cool, smug look on her face, wearing a judicial branch badge on her uniform.

He did not see this fortunately, and continued to fume at her,

"How dare you negotiate with the enemy without my permission! You could have destroyed the Federation and given away precious information – and you gave them MY name, my name! I could be killed now! And what makes you think cease-fire will stop this all, they need to be destroyed! Have you anything to say in your defense? There will be no court martial, Samus, I will promise you that!"

Samus, who thought nothing of Keaton and his selfish ways, retorted coolly and slowly so the words sank into him for the last few moments of her job in the Federation.

"I didn't know that ending a war peacefully would be so offensive to the ruler of the Federation, who isn't human, probably wouldn't understand what matters can be possible when humans are involved."

Keaton had gone over the edge, and exploded at her;

"ENOUGH!!! YOU ARE FIRED SAMUS ARAN, YOU AND YOUR TREACHEROUS BROTHER! GET OUT BEFORE I CALL THE PSYCHOTIC WARDS!!! GET OUT NOW!" Samus was blown back a bit, surprised he would dare dismiss her of her post, and Houston too, who did nothing wrong. She didn't say anything, no soldier salutes or honors, just got up, stormed out of the room, and slammed the door so hard, the glass on it shattered – and she could be seen trampling any secretaries in her way down the hall, and out the door. Samus Aran and Armstrong Houston were gone.

* * * * *

The attack made on the mechs was large indeed, Keaton apparently scrapped together enough forces to make it seem like a force well worth conquering any other army, but nonetheless, Keaton's ignorance was ruining his plans as well as the hopes of many people who struggled to put the cease fire together.

Alpha had directed the attack from the moment it started, not expecting the Federation to still attack after an agreed cease fire, and allowed himself to set Beta and Delta loose in the countryside, who both exterminated every last atom of existence of the Federation ambush force. They returned with no scars or signs of damage, but their cannons ret hot and steaming from overuse. Alpha nodded and sent a message to all his comrades: "ATTENTION ALL MECHS, THE FEDERATION HAS BETRAYED US. AS FOR THE FEW THAT TRIED TO FORGE A CEASE FIRE FOR OUR SUVIVAL, THEY ARE AS GOOD AS DEAD OR MISSING BY THE FEDERATION'S ORDERS. WE WILL SET OUT NOW FOR THE NERGY POST, WHILE THE FEDERATION IS RECOVERING FROM THIS LOSS OF THEIR NOT COMPREHENDABLE TO THEIR RACE – THANK YOU, BETA, DELTA, YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE BATTLE WILL BE FOREVER HONORED. NOW WE MUST MOVE. ANY MECH, DECIDING HE SHOULD TRY TO TRUST THE FEDERATION, WILL BE NUKED BY THEM ON SITE; THE FEDERATION NO LONGER TRUSTS US."

Long after the mechs were gone, Timberwolf had stayed behind to observe the sun setting on the horizon, he wondered slowly about whether or not his existence was electrons moving through circuits, or whether he really did care and think about things he decided were worth think about. He was depressed about his existence, and it scared him – he had never felt such feelings before and was about to break when a sharp voice was heard behind him.

"Timberwolf, what are you doing here?! Why aren't you with the others? You must hurry up and go now! The Federation is coming…!" It was Samus, and before Timberwolf could turn around to see her again, she fell down unconscious before him, and a full troop of Federation soldiers lined up in front of him with what looked like EMP guns. He froze and showed signs of what was clearly shutting down his weapons.

Then a small, but also armored and armed being stepped forward, with a distinguishable brown hood popping around its neck made it look unusual, wearing heavy Federation armor for such a small being.

"You there! You are a mech of the banned order and have been ordered by me to he hunted down and destroyed. We will bring you into our interrogation facility to observe what you have to say for your race, and then we will decide what to do with you after that. Do you understand or do you need a pencil and paper?" The other troops laughed along with him and Timberwolf stirred a little – the being stepped back and the troops charged their weapons and ran forward, tightly packing around Timberwolf, pressing their intentions. "Do you understand?" The small being warned and Timberwolf simply nodded and replied, "YES, I UNDERSTAND." The being smirked and he turned and walked back through the brush, and the troops forced Timberwolf forward to follow without hostility. Several troops carried Samus off in the opposite direction – Timberwolf stopped and called out to the troops.

"WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WITH HER?" The small being steeped in front of him and inched up on his toes to the mech, trying to look like the boss of this regiment, as if Timberwolf did not yet understand this. "She is of no concern to you, she is responsible for collaborating with you and your kind. Now move it!"

* * * * *

Samus woke up with a start, a sharp pain in the back of her neck. She felt around her neck before she thought about where she was and sighed out loudly. That ignoramus Keaton, he had tranqued her, and dumped her…where?

She looked around and immediately recognized her room, she had been returned to her home and was on her bed, lying in the nighttime clothing, of the many nightgowns and suits that she wore with her at outdoor camping occasions, and this time her shiny black leather night suit was all dirty and no longer shiny, probably from the troops dragging her to her house, or however they did it. She moaned a little bit and then remembered Timberwolf,

Had Keaton captured or destroyed Timberwolf? I gotta get some help now!

Samus reached for the phone to call for help, but when she picked up the phone, it began to ring and stopped as she picked it up.

"Hello, Samus? Are you there?"

"Huh, what? It this on? Who are you?"

"Hi Samus, it's Miss Gentes, you remember me from the last Pirate War and on Acuar? I calling to know if you're in trouble of some sort."

Samus frowned and wondered if the whole galaxy was looking into Earth's matters, and maybe…run that by me again!

"Uh…………yeah I remember now Leslie, what do you want, but yeah I'm in trouble, I guess. You probably know about the Mech situation on Earth here don't you?"

"Absolutely Samus, that's why I'm coming…"

Samus woke up and almost fell off the side of her bed.

"You're coming here?! Why?"

"Well, I heard that Keaton was making all the decisions about not trusting the mechs, who also now are known as the ones who kept their end of the deal, and my planet wants me to help you and the gang out again. You do what you need to keep your wits and group to mobilize and rescue that mech, and I'll take care of Keaton. Oops gotta go Samus, we're arriving at port now! I'll see you at Chicago's Woodfield Mall, everyone we know and all your friends are coming there too. Don't miss out! Bye!"

Miss Gentes hung up and left Samus with a funny look on her face.

Samus didn't want to get up and moaned again as she flopped back on her bed and went back to sleep.

* * * * *

Ten minutes later, the lights on Samus' room went on unnaturally with an orange glow and Samus sparked awake and pulled her personal laser gun from under he pillow at the intruder.

A biting cackle filled the room and Samus lowered it, feeling embarrassed.

"Really Ms. Aran, I would have thought you, being the world's most famous and skilled bounty hunter, would be better prepared to fight a dragon in her own bedroom – and being the second time I've done so, you should've learned by now!"

Ridley, being the former pirate he was, cackled again and laughed very hard making Samus quickly get into her bathroom and get on her suit. In a jiffy, she was suited up and ready for battle. Ridley, who didn't like the way she had grown so serious after all the years, reluctantly motioned her to climb onto his back and walked out of her house,

-locked the door- (unlike all the times Samus forgot to), and flew off towards Woodfield Mall with him laughing so hard he sounded like the wicked witch of the west soaring across the sky.

Chapter 6: Do You See the Sunsets?

Keaton marched into the interrogation room with several guards following behind him, and in his most brown robe he could (even though all his robes were brown). He didn't even show his ID, since none of the guards opposed him and his high rank. He was very pleased and very unhappy at the same time; Samus was negotiating with the enemy, and was responsible for his loss, and then again – he had captured a high-ranking mech.

Now for the interrogation, and to find the end of these mechs. Keaton thought, almost evilly as he burst through the double doors to the priority containment lab, and there, was Timberwolf, chained to a steel wall, his cannons and legs hooked to computers and were disabled. To this, the mech only struggled, and shocks of large amounts of energy flowed into him and suppressed him. Keaton smirked at this and stepped forward to address Timberwolf.

"So, before I ruin the contents of your memory, what shall I call you by? I wouldn't want to lose my respect for something that isn't alive…" Keaton was enjoying himself, and was looking for places to fume his rage, and he found it. Timberwolf on the other hand, did not like his sense of humor and struggled against the chain and quit, feeling the surges of electricity run through its circuits. "CALL ME TIMBERWOLF, IT IS THE LAST RESPECTFUL THING YOU CAN DO FOR ME. GO ON."

Keaton frowned and got straight to the point, starting the barrage of painful questions, though Timberwolf did not answer the ones about his race, or about Samus' help she had given him. He would sacrifice his life in vain…he would stand strong for his friends.

* * * * *

After Keaton left in respect for the visitors, he had to since Samus had developed a relationship with the prisoner, that he couldn't understand. So he walked out with his troops, only the heavily armed commandos remained to keep an eye on Samus.

Samus walked into the chamber, with Ridley, who had some difficulty getting through the guards, but they eventually fell back and let him through. He didn't laugh or smirk, just angry that a mech who did nothing wrong would be kept here…one who only wanted to help. Just like him a year ago, when he joined Samus, or tried to. Keaton was just as stubborn back then, and it would take a lot for Timberwolf to get in, with such a reputation on himself. Nonetheless, he had great respect for a prisoner of the Federation. Samus, on the other hand, was not angry, but sympathizing for Timberwolf, and felt it was all her fault. "Ridley…um…could you leave both of us for a minute? I have some things between us I'd like to resolve." Ridley did not hesitate, almost expecting him to be sent away again. So he nodded quickly and walked back out of the room and Samus and Timberwolf were alone except for the mindless commandos watching over them.

"Timberwolf, are you okay? They've been torturing you for over…"

"…OVER 3 HOURS, I KNOW. I'M FINE. BUT WHAT ABOUT YOU? HAVE THEY HURT YOU? I WORRIED ABOUT HOW ALL THIS WILL COME OUT…I'M AFRAID."

Samus was slightly afraid too, if Timberwolf had a reason to be afraid, something was really wrong, and she had to find out. "Well, I'm fine. Me and the rest of our friends are regrouping…" She lowered her voice to a whisper, "…we're thinking of ways to peacefully resolve this and save the mechs. We just want things to be the way they used to…" Timberwolf interrupted, "INCLUDING A WORLD WITHOUT US MECHS, WE ARE THE PROBLEM HERE, WE DO NEED TO BE DESTROYED, OUR LIVES ARE ARTIFICIAL AND WE HAVE NO REASON TO FIGHT FOR OUR EXISTENCE…" Samus was becoming overwhelmed, "NO! You mean a lot to those mechs, and to US! All those that want and need another being to live our lives with…!"

Keaton burst through the door and reluctantly spoke to them. "You may go outside for a final moment together. I have orders from the council to show some humanity…if that's what you're looking for Ms. Aran, go on, get out now!"

Samus and Timberwolf ran out the open bay door and to a cliff overlooking the bay, a great golden sunset shining as it made its way down the horizon. Samus sat on the edge as Timberwolf shifted his torso to her, looking to her.

"YOU KNOW, WHY ARE WE WORTH SAVING? WE ARE CREATIONS OF MAN, MACHINES – AND YET WE THINK LIKE HUMANS. I DON'T KNOW WHY WE, WHY I AM HERE. I AM AFRAID OF LIFE, WHAT DOES OUR EXISTENCE MEAN, HOW CAN IT BE CALLED REAL AT ALL?"

"You don't feel anything when you save a person's life, or when you admire the way a person stands up for something? Please Timberwolf, I know the feelings you must have. You are created with human genes, you must know of these feelings."

"I FEEL ONLY CERTAIN PULSES OF ENERGY, CREATED TO MAKE ME FEEL…DO I FEEL ANYTHING AT ALL? WHAT AM I? A COMPUTER WITH A BODY CONNECTED BY ELECTRONS? IS MY BEHAVIOR DECIDED BY PHYSICS? I DON'T KNOW…ANYTHING ABOUT THIS WORLD…I'M AFRAID…"

Samus had difficulty finding a response to this, and walked up to it and rubbed the underside of its torso slowly, and the mech stirred slightly.

"WHAT IS THAT? I DON'T KNOW WHAT THIS FEELING MEANS…"

Samus had found what he was looking for, and was about to hold his hand (or limb) all the way to it. She smiled and stepped in front of him and spoke lightly,

"You are right, Timberwolf, you felt affection. Don't be afraid of it, you are beginning to understand what it feels like to be human. And you should keep thinking clearly, not what you know you were programmed for…reach out with your human mind…and grab that feeling and pull it into your body."

Timberwolf understood this, and some strain was seen on its metallic body, sparks and pops emitting from its cockpit head, and it finally let out a cry of pain.

"I CAN'T THINK ABOUT ANYTHING HUMAN, OR ANYTHING TRYING TO BE HUMAN…I…" Timberwolf burst into a fit of pops and sizzling noises as its metallic torso had what could be spasm had it not restrained itself so much.

"AAAARGH! I CAN FEEL TOO MUCH PAST WHAT I KNOW! WHAT IS THIS FEELING? I THINK I FEEL EMOTION…BUT WHY DO I FEEL IT? WHEN AM I SUPPOSED TO FEEL EMOTION?

Samus gazed out to the sunset, beautiful and glowing, she turned her head away to keep herself from blinding herself. She thought for an instant, and asked him, inquiringly.

"Timberwolf, why do you doubt that human emotions can do so much more for you? What do you think humans do when they feel emotion, what do you think we feel when we are touched or harmed? We speak of it or do something about it, and live our lives. Even we humans do not know why we are here, or why so many emotions feel different to us. We just hope we know that we can help others who need it.

"When I look at the sunset, I see beauty, I see the value and how lucky we all are to live in a world so beautiful as this. It is Earth that is so unique in the whole universe that we humans defend it so well. Now I ask you: Do you see the sunsets? Do you see them as I do?"

"SAMUS, I FEEL EMOTION, AND SEE THINGS THE WAY YOU HUMANS DO, BUT DO YOU BELIVE THAT WHEN WE ARE DESTROYED, THAT WE MACHINES, THAT AIs HAVE SOULS?"

"I have come to believe from personal experience, that anything that can love, has a soul. Maybe that's why the scientists gave you and the others emotion, so your life wouldn't be for nothing, so there could be so much more to it. Let me help you find your reason for being in this world, Timberwolf…"

Before Timberwolf could answer, Keaton stormed in and barked at them, "YOU TWO, GET BACK INSIDE! THE VISIT IS OVER! SAMUS?! GET BACK TO YOUR HOME AND SLEEP THIS ALL OFF, AND MAYBE I'LL REINSTATE YOU AS A BOUNTY HUNTER AGAIN." Keaton and his troops pulled Timberwolf apart from Samus, and all she could hear was "SAMUS! GOODBYE SAMUS! I LOVE YOU!"

Samus, also in a mood not to let go, screamed back at him in the distance, being tackled by many troopers trying to stop her from reaching the mech.

"I WILL FIND A WAY TO GET YOU OUT, TIMBERWOLF, I WILL SEE YOU AGAIN!" And Samus was dragged off in the other direction, and was drugged again when she passed out.

* * * * *

Houston's old office was empty, yet he would not pack up; he would not leave. He had continued to reside in the same office of which he ordered Samus to destroy the Mother Brain so many years ago. He did not miss the old days, things were normal now –well, almost normal – Keaton was not normal, let alone human.

A knock on the door.

"YES?" Houston grumbled.

"Sir, you called to hire me?"

Houston leapt off his chair and ran to the door to open it and knocked over the bowl of popcorn on his desk, spilling kernels all over the floor. He was about to the door when it opened and bumped him on the head – he backed off and groped his forehead for a moment and grumbled again aloud. "Hey! Watch it next time Rick!"

Rick, in full Federation uniform, shrugged smugly and responded,

"Well, most commanding officers usually let the invited let themselves in at his word, not exactly the way you did it, sir."

"Humbug, lets get down to the subject then – and oh – I'm not your commanding officer anymore, but I do own you." Houston dropped that subject and sat down at his chair at his desk. He took a boot off of his right foot, and then put his socked foot up on the desk.

"Now, Rick, I command you to take off your boot and place your foot up on my desk. We need to have a talk."

Rick, who was getting very confused in his manners, paused for a moment, and then slowly slipped off his boot and put that foot on Houston's desk. He had an unhappy look on his face. Houston, who was very relaxed, started off coolly.

"What's wrong Rick?"

"I came here to object to your hiring me."

"Oh? And why is that so?"

"Because…I…Can I put my foot down?"

"You may not, keep it there. Answer my question."

"I…um…thought that your orders were illegal."

"Now you're thinking, you thought you could bore me with a speech you spent all night memorizing and expect me to just let you go? I think not, now why do you think my orders are illegal?"

"Because…you're ordering me to infiltrate the Federation Outpost and rescue the captured mech held there. It's illegal, and I could be killed!"

"Absolutely, but did you become a mercenary to do job that weren't worth playing the risk to get a bigger pay? Come now Rick, what was all that action you risked your life for the Federation for?"

"………It was……nothing. Forget it, now about Samus."

"NO. It matters to me. Tell me why you can't do this job."

"…This isn't right…why is my foot here?"

"Because you find it harder to recite your speech with such a casual pose. This way, you can tell me what you're thinking, not what you thought the hour when you memorized your speech. Now keep your foot up on the desk, I need to talk man-to-man."

Rick was very uncomfortable with this, and stuttered rapidly then relaxed, or at least tried to. He was shifting positions constantly, and finally got up and stood up straight. He spoke to Houston with reluctance.

"…Oh fine. I'll do the job…although this is illegal; I want bounty for the guards I kill. Don't turn me down on that."

"You may not kill them, but then again, we're both outlaws, and now have the same rank: nothing. So get prepared now, and get going before I wrestle you where you stand, Rick."

Rick saluted, feeling clumsy, and stopped it short and walked out like a civilian or some farmer boy. Houston nodded and noticed that Rick forgot his boot here on the table.

Rick came back in about the time Houston picked up the PA clicker to notify him of it, where it would tell all those in the office floor, that Rick forgot his right boot in his office – and that it's a little cool out tonight.

* * * * *

Rick was standing before the perimeter fence of the Federation Outpost, in full battle armor, from head to toe. He wore the heavily armored flight suit he wore onto his shuttle, and carried two laser rifles on his back, a belt full of cartridges and grenades, and a backpack full of virus disks, door hackers, another belt lined with various streamlined laser pistols, and other lighter weapons.

There stood with him another being, not recognizable to the human eye, unless of some far-wandering traveler. It was definitely humanoid, but enclosed in an armor so sealed off, that you could not puncture the body of this being. The white armor covered his black body glove in padded plates, heavy metalloid pieces that covered his torso, back, legs, arms, and head. His helmet was white too, but a visor pitch black, and could not be seen through to the person wearing the armor.

The visor covered all of the front side of the helmet only, and was quite vertical, that made the helmet look taller. Two energy tanks hung at the person's back, if they were energy tanks at all, slung around his shoulder, and he also hung a tek sword on his back, and only a single laser rifle at his side. The armor he was wearing could only be made by one ancient civilization, and it was constructed by the Kry. And then a computerized voice emitted from the helmet, cold by modification of the voice panel in the being's helmet.

"Rick, what are we waiting for? The defenses are at their lowest now, we should strike at the base now or never. You DO want this mission to go smoothly don't you?"

"I don't want any bloodshed, whoever you are – you know I never got to know your name, even though we've fought together for several years now. We have orders from Houston not to kill anyone we don't have to. But he did mention some sort of bounty, I don't think he made himself clear when he asked for us not to hurt anyone, eh?"

"Acknowledged, we will infiltrate the facility without a big bang, and then we will fight our way to the mech. No questions Rick, we're doing it that way…and now!"

The being in armor ran forward and busted the fence down with the butt of his rifle and it fell without any alarms going off. He ran off towards a nearby small hill in the base area, and fell behind it – motioning Rick to follow. Rick, who was wearing armor completely white, and was bulky for him to wear, would stick out like a sore thumb if anyone turned the corner in his direction. Rick ran as quietly as he could, and reached his partner without difficulty. Then they ran to the open hangar door, the surface hangars mind you, and snuck in as the doors slowly closed on the world. They stealthily made their way through the blackened hangar with their infrared visuals active on their helmets.

They turned around the many shuttles and came across Rick's old personal fighter – he ran his finger across the body of the aircraft and the other tugged at Rick, indicating they had no time to fool around, the mech would be dismantled in 5 minutes!

They jogged lightly enough not to make any noise, and ran into a window overlooking a small hallway, well lit, apparently, the hallway to the other labs and hangars in the underground portion of the base. They emerge through the locked door with one of their decoders in hand, and slip the door shut. They stood in a very empty hallway – Keaton must be having a meeting of some sort…or maybe…

The other's sensors picked up something Rick's did not, and they ducked through a nearby door across the hall as a soldier, in full armor, ran down the hall and to the door to the hangar they just came from. He must've seen the door lock being hacked, and pulled his hand back to his belt, and pulled up a communications talker. He was about to speak more than just, "Perimeter Alert! There has been a breach with highly dangerous spies! I repeat, be on the lookout for these infiltrators!" And that was when he turned around to face the other, staring back at him with his black visor, his reflection on the other's visor, and he gasped out loud as the other jabbed him the gut, knocking the guard down, but not in time.

The alarm on the guard's communication system went off and alarms blared all over the hallways and rooms, the guards and other troops would be coming soon. Rick muffed the other and failed, the other ducked deftly and ran down the hall to the left of where they entered the hallway. Rick only could follow and cover his back.

They heard shouting behind them, Rick turned around to see what could've been the whole regiment in the base, and they had their rifles aimed and did not shout for them to stop – they were shouting of orders to fire at will.

Rick swore quietly and swung out his largest laser rifle, and pulled the trigger – letting out a spray of high impact energy blasts to the troops, on the first few fell, and the ones behind them fired, like the old-style armies in old-earth's history. Every laser burst hit Rick, but square on the chest, where his armor was the thickest. He only stumbled back and was hit with many more blasts coming from the quickly advancing troops. All this happened in moments, and the other pulled Rick around the corner, and pulled himself back out to face the troops, and pulled his only laser rifle out and aimed momentarily at each soldier and shot out short spurts of energy, well-aimed, and hit every trooper except the leader and he ran through a room nearest him. Rick called out in the midst of the klaxons, "Thanks!" The other simply nodded and dragged Rick up and ran to a fork in the hallway, he chose left again without thinking, and Rick followed.

But the path they chose may have been the shortest to the lab, but right through the barracks of the base, and troopers were already getting out of their rooms, slightly prepared with a single rifle or armor plate. The other put away his rifle instantaneously and drew his tek sword and advanced on the soldiers slashing through them like any samurai before him. They slid to the floor and did not move, Rick hastily but accurately firing back at the armored regiment of troops following them around the corner.

The other was done with his work and continued down the hall, not looking back for Rick. While running backwards, Rick tripped on a soldier's body on the ground and lost his footing as he fell on his back, letting the troops get a good shot at him, they seized him by the side, his armor too heavy for him to lift himself up. Once on his feet, he struggled until he had his rifle in his hands, and butted all the troops swiftly and he kicked them out of his way, and continued to follow his partner.

Rick runs into another fork, one hallway filled with dead bodies and a figure running away, the other hallway filled with troops running towards him with drawn weapons, and he quickly chose the left path, with the other running deftly down the hall, with his tek blade in his hand, ready for anything in his way…they he turned and disappeared from his sight.

Rick dashed to where his partner once stood and looked around – a dead end.

He heard the troops yelling after him, and the blaster bolts hitting the rear plating of his armor, but quickly diminishing his armor. Just then, an arm grabbed him from his left…and into a large hangar bay. Before he could look around for who it was, the doors to the hangar from the hallway closed with heavy, armored blast barriers and he saw the walls lower, but more wall was coming down…and elevated hangar? Where was he?

As Rick looked around, he saw that the entire hangar was a sort of gigantic open elevator for moving large amounts of equipment. And large there was, the mech was standing before him and his partner leaning on one hand on the mech's side, waiting for a surprised remark from the armored outlaw.

"Hello again, Rick, glad you could join us…you're welcome again for saving your butt, as I always do…"

Rick was unhappy at his partner's ignorance, and was about to protest when the mech spoke aloud to the both of them.

"NO TIME FOR PLEASANTRIES MEN, WE MUST ESCAPE NOW! BY THE TIME WE GET THIS ELEVATOR TO THE SURFACE, THE FEDERATION WILL BE WAITING FOR US OUTSIDE. FOR YOUR PROTECTION, CLIMB INTO MY COCKPIT, THERE IS ROOM FOR TWO – I WAS MODELED AFTER A MANUAL PROTOTYPE. GET IN AND YOU TWO WILL BE SAFE. HURRY, THE DOORS ARE BEGINNING TO OPEN NOW!"

Rick and the other could not argue with this, surely the Federation tanks would be overwhelming for armored infantry like themselves. They quickly climbed up the mech's torso, and onto its cockpit / head. It opened a sealed hatch to lead down inside.

Rick went first and stared in awe around at all the magnificent machinery genius involved in the construction of the mech. He was awoken with a kick at his head from above, his partner was coming down, and in great haste. They did not argue, and sat down in the uncomfortable pilot chairs and saw through the eyes of the mech itself.

"NOW I'M TRUSTING THAT YOU TWO WONT TRY ANYTHING ON ME, I AM DOING THIS OUT OF RESPECT FOR BOTH YOUR LIVES; YOU SHOULD RETURN THE FAVOR." The mech argued as they decided not to mess with its security systems. And so they were off, and the hangar doors opened completely when the hatch to Timberwolf's cockpit sealed shut, and a hissing noise confirmed their safety.

And they saw what could've been the entire rebuilt armored forced of the Federation, tanks, heavy attack choppers, APCs, everything was against them and their escape. Or maybe they didn't care about taking prisoners, that's probably why they were already opening fire on the mech when the doors opened.

Timberwolf shot off with a jolt of speed, sending him past the first line of tanks that already had difficulty knowing where the target went. They turned around and found their target speeding past them, torso twisting enough to fire at the nearest target standing still. The mech had amazing accuracy, and every shot hit home, destroying the vehicle it hit. There were explosions and cannons exploding everywhere on the battlefield.

Timberwolf didn't was any time spotting the force of shuttles that once belonged to Rick, and – like a machine – did not hesitate to fire. He shot all his homing streak missiles at the force, taking out all the aircraft except the lead, which was bugging out and going far, far away. Timberwolf then turned his attention to the Federation Battlecruiser soaring overhead, already firing down on the mech with its laser batteries, missile cannons, and plasma arrays. The hit knocked the mech back slightly, and it returned fire with not a volley of missiles, but with a single large and sleek missile from its missile rack above its cockpit, between the other two missile racks on its shoulders.

The missile tore through the ships' defenses, and it exploded in mid-air the debris falling to the ground ahead of Timberwolf, and he simply ran right through the flaming mass of metal and fuel, emerging unharmed or unscathed. He continued to run off into the horizon, smashing the metal fence and detonating every mine in the east fields, and did not stop for a moment of being damaged at all, for it was not.

And so the Federation lost contact with its mech prisoner, two outlaws, and their once-famous, now-fired bounty hunters. Keaton wasn't interested in the details, he wanted to destroy the mechs and their spies; Rick, Samus, and her friends – they were pests to him, and he still had nuclear missiles to threaten the mechs with…

* * * * *

Samus was laughing so hard with Miss Gentes at the mall,

"What?! And you told him that he was losing his touch?! Oooh, you've got some nerve there lady! The nerve to tell off that opera tenor that he was losing it! Oh…that…is one heck of a story…" Ridley and Houston, who were not laughing, with no idea why it was so funny, munched on a cinna-bun. So they laughed and Samus calmed down and was interrupted by a call from her cell phone. She answered it and turned on its power and talked to the caller,

"Hello?"

"…Samus…It's Rick…having difficulty reaching you……are you there?"

"Yeah Rick, I'm here. Did you find Timberwolf? How is he?"

"…fine…ok. We're coming to…outpost…hurry…we are going silent…later…"

And he hung up on her, with nothing but static hissing in her ear.

Houston walked smoothly to her, with an interested look on his face.

"So, how's Rick? Did he get him alright?"

"Yeah, but they're moving quickly to the outpost, I think, for some hasty reason. I think we oughtta hurry. Miss Gentes, I'm sorry to interrupt you, but is your limo ready? We need to go now." Miss Gentes woke up and had a startled look on her face.

"Is something wrong with Timberwolf? I was just getting to know you guys."

"We have some reason to believe Timberwolf and Rick are rushing to the Federation outpost for a reason, and they need our help. Can you get us to the Federation HQ? Keaton isn't there anymore, he left for the outpost an hour ago, with his fleet too."

Samus explained this as if she knew nothing of its meaning, and Miss Gentes gasped, and got up and ushered the boys with her and Samus to the exit.

"Oh no! Keaton's planning on using nuclear weapons on the mechs! It'll wipe out the mechs and everything in the vincity!" she quickly let it out and as she was running to the exit doors, she pulled out her own cell phone and dialed a single button with a smiley face on it. She started talking almost instantly.

"Honey? I need you to pick us up at the west side entrance, we need a lift to the Federation outpost." She quickly hung up and ushered them out the mall and onto the sidewalk of the mall, overlooking the whole parking lot. Before them, was a futuristic limousine with rockets on its back and a door opened wide by a man in a performance tuxedo, inviting them in.

"Who is he? Do you know him Miss Gentes?" Samus asked.

"Of course I do! He's my husband, and also diplomatic partner too."

Miss Gentes winked at him and he pulled back his jacket to reveal a super missile rifle, easily concealed in his tuxedo. He winked at them and they hopped into the limousine and he followed suit. Samus asked as he started the engine,

"How are supposed we to get to Washington D.C. without a shuttle? It's miles and miles away. And it's Saturday – there will be so much traffic on the roads."

Mr. Gentes turned around smiled at her words, almost expecting and hoping that she would say this. He had black hair, and a black beard that reached lightly and slightly shaved around his face. He had a kind and intelligent smile that invited you to "join in the party", and he spoke with much anticipation and quoth a line he heard so much,

"Roads? Where we're going, we don't need roads."

And so the limousine took off with hover ability, raising it thirty feet off the ground, and it flew off with its rocket engines to the east, to the Federation HQ. Off in the distance, a shuttlecraft escorted them from the south, and everyone was ready to retake the Federation and its treacherous leader.