Ghost Assassin Part 4
Disclaimer: Repetitive, huh? This story belongs to James Sate, Metroid belongs to Nintendo.
Another sleepless night
Samus's "room" was actually more of an apartment. It was large and very ornate, but still very business like. Kevin had his own room beside the kitchen and the wall screen was modest. Samus figured that Herin didn't want her staying too long. She took a quick shower and joined Kevin on the couch for a movie. All movie stars seemed to be created for their roles. The action oriented always starred bulking muscle men where as the dramas featured the good looking and clean-shaven type, and the women were always very graceful. Samus hated T.V. Kevin seemed to like it so she sat with him until he fell asleep. Samus turned off the screen and put Kevin in his room. When she went to bed herself, she was surprised that she didn't feel all that tired. Her mind was racing over events of the day, and plans for the upcoming week. She couldn't shake the thought of another suit. Hers had been the only one; at least she was told so. In here years with the Chozo, she was told all about the history of Varia and the legend behind her. She was apparently a very beautiful goddess who ruled over the Chozo. She won numerous wars for them, as the Chozo were a generally peaceful race. When attacked, Varia would fight them off with her band of soldiers whom were gods and divine beings themselves. When she became ill after a long life, she left her soul to the Chozo who in turn enshrined it in the blue jewel. Samus became very close to the Chozo in her time there, and was deeply saddened when she was told that it was time for her to leave. They were her parents, the only parents she had ever known. Samus was just about to shut her eyes, when she felt the building rumble slightly.
"Shit!" Samus said as she hopped out of bed and went for the jewel. She eyed it carefully, than but it on. She stormed out of her room and gunned it in the direction of the rumble. As she flew up the stairs, she sensed something unlike anything she had felt before. It was like her suit was pulling her towards something, and she was out of control. When she burst through the stairs outside of Herin's bedroom, she noticed a shadowy figure holding a guard by the collar of his shirt, than dropped his limp body to the ground. It turned around slowly as it felt Samus's presence in the room.
"Oh my God," Samus gasp as she saw what it was. As though looking in a mirror, she saw her suit. It was blue and orange, and was very tall. Like Meryl had said it had very broad shoulders, and appeared to not have the same large shoulder pads. Its helmet was black and had a blue visor and a very small spike in the centre. Lower down its legs, instead of narrowing like Samus's, turned into massive boots with black cords covering the joints. Its gun was on the left hand and was wider than Samus's. It too seemed stunned to see Samus, but had the sense to open fire on her. The gun whirred and an insanely massive barrage of orbs flew at Samus like a hailstorm. Samus back-hand sprung out of the way and also opened fire. The suit dodged and let the shots hammer into Herin's door.
"Who are you!?" it called between shots. The voice was noticeably masculine
"Who am I? Who the hell are you?!" Samus called back as she let down her chain and ran at it. It ran at Samus as well, but rather produced a short sword from its arm. They clashed and stared at each other, each puzzled by this new stranger. "Why do you have a suit like mine?"
"This suit is the only one in existence, yours must be a fake," he snarled back at her. The pushed each other away and simply stared at the other's suit.
"This is getting us no where, tell me where you got your suit," Samus demanded.
Suddenly Jenero burst through the door behind Samus along with about twenty guards and they opened fire on the "ghost".
Jenero was carrying a six-foot long rail gun that made the room light up as he rounded off shots on the assassin. He easily dodged the shots and jumped out onto the rooftops of the city below him. Jenero pushed past the dazed Samus and stuck the gun out the window. Without any regard for anyone below he once again opened fire on the assassin. A long trail of gunfire was sent screaming behind the assassin and missed every time.
"Fuck," Jenero said in a heavy South American accent. He pulled his gun back and point at Samus "Well hunter, go catch yourself a ghost!"
Samus shook off her daze and jumped out the window after him. She caught up to him, but he seemed to have let her, as he was metres ahead. They both ran and jumped across the rooftops and dodged the occasional air vent while still mesmerised by each other. It wasn't until Samus opened fire on him that he to began to fire back. Jenero saw their fire fight from inside the Herin Enterprise building.
"They look like fireflies for Christ sake," he mumbled as the light from their guns seemed to appear and reappear all over the place. When the ghost jumped down into the slums and Samus followed, they both fell through the air firing at each other, occasionally running down the wall and using their jets to quickly change positions. They hit the ground hard, but only stopped for a minute, than they were up again and Samus was chasing him again.
"Enough of this," Samus thought as she quickly jumped at him and landed on him hard. They both fell to the ground, and lay there breathing heavily. Samus swung her gun up to point at him, but noticed that he did also.
"Well, it would seem that we are in a bit of a quandary," he said flipping over and sitting on the ground cross legged, still pointing his gun at her. She followed in suit. So there they sat, unable to do much of anything.
"What say we lose the suits," Samus said in hopes of seeing the ghost.
"No, I don't think I'll be doing that," he said as he stretched his arm. "How about you, you take yours off?"
Samus thought that she might play it political and do so, when she realised that she hadn't put anything on before she put her suit on.
"And leave myself open? You must think I am insane," she said quickly.
"Well, we might look kinda funny just sitting here for the rest of eternity. Let me go, it'll make things easier for you."
"Take off the suit and I will."
"Hmmm.promise," he said jokingly. He reached for his jewel in his hand as Samus put down her cannon. When his suit liquefied and went back into the jewel, it became orange and hardened. "There."
Before Samus was a young man, not much older than twenty. He had blond hair and blue eyes, and a cherub face. He was powerfully built, and smiled despite the long fight they had just had.
This innocent looking worker was the cold-blooded killer than Herin wanted Samus to hunt.
"A little young to be a killer aren't you?" Samus asked as she stood up.
"Not really, besides I matched you didn't I," he said smiling.
"I suppose so, well you had better be on your way," Samus said shooing him away.
"Just going to let me go huh?" he said as he slowly walked away.
"Well, if your purpose is to kill Herin, than you will be back," Samus said walking away from him.
"I see, well than see you later," he said as he walked away whistling.
"Wait, what's your name?" Samus said quickly spinning around. He stopped whistling and tilted his head.
"Scott," he said as he began to walk way again and whistle. Samus arrived at the Herin Enterprise building and jumped up to the window she and the Scott fell from. Jenero was waiting there with Herin; Jenero was leaning on his gun and talking to Herin when he noticed Samus.
"Where is he?" Herin asked in a mock casualness.
"He managed to get into sewers, and he disappeared," Samus said crossing her arms.
"I told you, it's a ghost, a bloody fucking ghost," Jenero said waving his hands about wildly.
"Ms. Aran, I expect that you will make sure to stop him next time, I lost two guards, and had my entire hallway turned into one gigantic scrap heap," Herin said gesturing to the destroyed furniture and smouldering lighting. "Get him next time, or disappear yourself."
"Look Herin, I am taking this job out of sheer curiosity, I really don't need you bossing me around. I can just as easily hunt him on my own without protecting you," Samus played her hand, and Herin didn't call her bluff.
He huffed, yelled at Jenero and went back to his room. Samus looked at Jenero for a second, than went down to her own room. When she got the suit off and crawled into bed, she realised that she was no longer alone. She had met someone that might just teach her more about the Chozo, more than she knew. She had just dozed off to bed when Kevin came in.
"Mornin' Sam," Kevin said jumping on the bed.
"Wha.morning?" she said as she looked at the clock. It was indeed morning. Samus grumbled and pushed Kevin off the bed with her foot. "Go watch cartoons and let me sleep. Kevin looked at her, smiled and ran out to the living room and turned on the T.V.
"And keep it down!"
A Day out on the Town
Samus woke up later that morning to report to Herin on the night before. He was still in an uproar, and listened little to what she said. She explained his fighting tactics and mannerisms, but never mentioned his name or the fact that she sat down and talked with him. She was dismissed for the day and she took Kevin out to look around the city. She wore black formfitting pants and an orange sleeveless turtleneck. She wore a dull orange bomber jacket with a high collar.
"Hey Sam?" Kevin asked as they walked down the streets of C-421.
"Yeah," she asked as she stopped to grab something to drink from a vendor.
"Where were you last night?" Kevin asked looking at her puzzled.
"Oh, I was just looking around the building, staking things out for the area," Samus fibbed. She figured that Kevin ought to know as little as possible, in order to keep him safe.
"Okay, I just heard thunder coming from outside and was scared," Kevin said clutching her leg. Samus was shocked, she looked down at Kevin who just held on to her leg and she smiled. Despite the fact that she knew very little about him, she felt a pull towards him.
"Hey Kev, want to go to a toy store?" Samus asked shaking him free.
"Yeah!" Kevin squealed with delight. Samus led him towards a large orange and silver building. It was labelled "Galactoys" in large over, exaggerated letters. Samus walked in with Kevin in tow. They were greeted with the scent of candy and other child loved items. Kevin practically dragged Samus around as he looked at one toy to the next always followed with a, "Look at this Sam!" or "Wow, this is so cool!" Kevin stopped in front of a large stand with toy guns on it.
"Sam, can I get one?" he asked putting on the biggest puppy dog expression.
"I don't know Kevin." Samus started when she noticed someone familiar grab for one.
"Here you go bud," Scott said as he knelt down and handed Kevin a gun. He stood up and smiled at Samus. Kevin went wild.
"Hey, thanks mister. That was really nice huh Sam," Kevin said tugging at her shirt.
"Th..thank you," Samus stuttered. She obviously knew who it was, but she had left her suit on. Scott had no idea.
"Hey, no problem," Scott said as he handed her a credit.
"No it's ok I can afford it," Samus said as she pushed the card away.
"I insist," Scott said holding her hand and putting it in. Samus stared at the card than up at the smiling Scott. "May I ask why a grown man is in a toy store?"
"I really don't know," Scott said laughing. "It's the weirdest thing. I felt as though I was almost pulled in here. Nice place though, the laughter of kids certainly is something."
Scott and Samus looked around as kids ran around and stressed out parents ran after them. The three walked over to the register and paid for Kevin's gun, which he opened immediately and began playing with it. Scott laughed a little and walked Samus and Kevin outside.
"Again, thank you for that, although you really didn't need to," Samus said.
"No problem," Scott said as he mussed up Kevin's hair.
"Um, may I ask your name?" Samus wanted to see if the name he had told her was in fact his real name. This way he would have no reason to lie.
"Oh, terribly sorry, Scott," he said sticking out his hand for a handshake. Samus was reluctant, but shook his hand none the less. Instinctually they both used there non-cannon hand. When they touched finger tips, a small spark jumped from their hands.
"Wow, that was odd," Scott said looking at his hand. Samus looked at hers also. It was the same person she had met last night and she knew it now.
"Hey Sam?" Kevin asked. Samus looked down at Kevin. "Can we go home now; I wanna show Ms. Vista my new toy."
"Sure Kev," she said softly. She looked up to say goodbye to Scott, but he was gone. In fact, Samus didn't even hear him leave. Samus chuckled a little. "Ghost."
Samus looked around in the crowd for a second, than gave up and went back with Kevin to Herin Enterprise. When they arrived at the front foyer, the guards looked at Kevin's gun just to make sure it wasn't real.
"You're kidding right?' Samus asked with her arms crossed.
"Sorry Miss, but we have to be careful, Mr. Herin is extra paranoid after last night," the guard said handing back the gun to Kevin who snatched it out of his hands and held it close. He stuck his tongue out at the guard and went into the elevator with Samus. They stopped on the administrative floor and Kevin ran over to Meryl's desk.
"Hey Ms. Vista, look what a friend of Sam bought me," he said shaking the gun at Meryl.
"A friend?" Meryl said looking the gun over, than looked at Samus.
"Really more of a polite stranger," Samus corrected.
"Oh, I see," Meryl said as she handed the gun back and nodded at Kevin. "That was very nice of them."
"I suppose so," Samus shrugged.
"Oh, by the way, Mr. Guerrero wanted to talk to you," Meryl said holding up a note.
"Guerrero?" Samus asked. She had never heard the name before.
"Jenero, sorry, I should have told you earlier, only Mr. Herin calls him by his first name," Meryl rolled her eyes.
"I'll try to remember that," Samus said as she walked back to the elevator with Kevin. "What floor is he on?" Samus asked as she opened to door.
"Probably on the same one as Herin, he is always within a sprint's distance from him," Meryl said as she rubbed her temples. "Check Herin's office Ms. Aran."
Samus thanked Meryl and stepped into the elevator and pushed for the top floor. The doors closed with a hiss of pressure and the elevator began its fast ascent to the top.
The Gunman
The elevator slowed to a stop and the doors opened to reveal Jenero standing at the far end of the hall talking with Herin. They both looked over at her as she stepped out.
"Kevin, go to our room ok?" Samus said as she held the elevator open.
"Ok, I am gonna watch cartoons ok?" he said reaching for the button to their floor. Samus pushed it for him.
"Alright, see you in a bit," Samus said as the door closed. Samus felt uneasy around Jenero. He was a little too wild for her, and definitely a nut job. Kevin might have been frightened.
"Ah, Ms. Aran good morning," Jenero said in his thick South American accent. He was less armed than last night, but still had a handgun strapped to his ribs. He wore a black blazer and pretty much black everything else. He had short curly hair and a goatee.
"Actually it's afternoon, but whatever. What did you want to see me for?" she asked ready to defend her actions for last night.
"I figured that you might benefit from a tour of the building," he said walking towards her. "After all, one cannot defend a castle half as well unless they know every square inch of it."
"Quite right," Herin chimed in. "Which is why I suggest you take this little tour, learn the building, that way we can catch that assassin once and for all. Why, even learning of the secret passages alone will be like learning a shortcut from one end of Taurus to another."
"Ok, but how long do you expect this to take?" Samus asked. She hated long lectures.
"Don't worry, you will be back in time to join me for dinner," Herin said as he turned around and walked into his office. Samus raised an eyebrow at this, and started to say something when Jenero started talking.
"Well, for starters, you should first know that this room is capable of being completely air tight. If not for that break in the window last night, we would have trapped him in a vacuum," Jenero said as he held up a wrist panel that displayed a series of pressure sensitive buttons. "I can control any and all security systems from here. It is also connected to every video camera and motion sensor in the building."
"Than how could this "ghost" possibly be getting in?" Samus asked in mock amazement.
"That is a riddle I have yet to solve," Jenero scowled. "But be assured, I will. Now, if you will follow me to the security ward I can show you all of the equipment at your disposal as well as a complete floor plan of the building."
"Actually, that might just help me," Samus said as she walked towards the elevator.
"Ms. Aran!" Jenero stammered in anger. She turned around casually smiling.
"Would you be so kind as to give me my gun back," he demanded. Samus produced the gun from inside her jacket. She tossed it to him and he snatched it out of the air, spun it around and holstered it all with in a second.
"May I suggest that you pay better attention to what is going, next time your lack of attention might get you killed," Samus said. Jenero lost his scowl and smiled. He pulled out Samus's ID card from his pocket and waved it at her.
"And you Ms. Aran would not step a foot outside this building alive without this," he said tossing it back. Samus grabbed it and looked at the card. Jenero was only close enough to grab the card once, and it was in her inside jacket pocket. He must have grabbed it when she grabbed his gun. Perhaps there was more to this gun happy guard then she had first suspected.
The two toured the building, Jenero occasionally pointing out any hidden passages or "room specialities". When they got down to the main security office, Samus noticed that it seemed very heavily sealed, more so than even Herin's office.
"Welcome to the nerve centre of Herin Enterprise," Jenero said as he opened the doors after a lengthy pass sequence. The door's massive locking system spun in the middle and released a dense steam as it unlocked and opened to reveal Herin Enterprise's security centre. An entire legion of people scurried about as they updated reports and monitored events inside the building. Samus walked around in awe as she soaked in the technological marvels. Three-dimensional holograms were displayed in a centre of the room as they whirred about examining all possible openings in the building. In an arena off to the right, new guns were being tested as well as future weapon possibilities.
"It's so big," Samus said still marvelling the fact that such a massive sector actually was unable to catch one person.
"Yes, we have been working round the clock in order to catch this ghost. He seems to have avoided all of our other methods of detection and prevention. We are currently working on a new wall unit gun that will shoot and kill anyone without these," Jenero said proudly as he held up a small chip. "These will be implanted into the employees by me personally. If anyone fails to have one of these, they will be shot immediately."
"Isn't that a little--."
"Brilliant? Yes, I thought it up myself."
"I was going to say insane. What if one is malfunctioning, or if the guns go haywire, you would kill hundreds," Samus pointed out. Jenero threw the chip back in his pocket and stomped off towards the armoury. Samus followed, grinning a little. Jenero turned around a corner and when Samus caught up he popped out again holding his massive rail gun right in front of Samus.
"Shit!" Samus said as she instinctually back flipped and knocked the gun away causing Jenero to fall flat on his back. Samus landed and looked at the infuriated Jenero, who was like a turtle on his shell, unable to flip over.
"Ms. Aran! Would you be so kind as to pick me up?" Jenero said thrusting an arm out in her direction. She grabbed it and hauled him up. When he was on his feet he cleared his throat. "That is the second time your "reflexes" have caused me an inconvenience."
"Sorry, what is this thing anyway?" Samus said looking the gun over.
"This is the LRA anti-tank rail gun. It is capable of levelling a house in under 30-seconds and is yet as accurate as to.actually a demonstration might say it all. Jenkins, hold up your pen!" Jenero yelled at an assistant at the other end of the room. Even Samus had to squint slightly to see him. While still focusing on what he was working on, a thin balding man at the other end of the room held up a small digital pen. Jenero pulled the gun up slightly and fired a single shot the echoed through the room. Samus saw the pen simply vaporised and a small amount of smoke wafted up at the end of the room. Jenkins took his hand down, grabbed another pen and kept working.
"Impressive but how exactly than how did you miss our guest last night?" Samus asked casually.
"Because Ms. Aran, he is not a still target. Our "guest" is still a little too fast for this gun, but we're working on it. Besides, once we get these made for all members of the security force, we will bring him down very quickly," Jenero said putting the huge gun down. Samus reached over and grabbed a small pistol from the wall. "That is an old SiG, it only fires twentieth century bullets. We keep it around as a reminder of once great guns. That was truly an age of warfare brilliance. Care to test it out we have a shooting range you could use."
Samus grabbed a clip from the wall, loaded it in with a click and cocked it. She raised the gun, sighted it and fired a single shot a Jenkins. The loud bang had everyone duck, and numerous guards draw their weapons. Jenkins sat in his chair looking at the pen shattered on his desk.
"Seems fine to me," Samus said innocently as she put the gun back, crossing in front of a stunned Jenero. The guards eased up and within seconds everyone was working again. She left Jenero aghast as she walked over to another large section of the sector. Jenero quickly caught up to Samus. She was watching guards learning unarmed combat in a dojo style gym.
"A soldier must be as deadly without a gun as he is with one," Jenero philosophised.
"May I," Samus said as she walked in to the gym before receiving and answer. She took off her jacket and cracked her knuckles.
"Ah, Samus Aran I presume, a pleasure to meet you," said a short elderly man of Chinese decent.
"This is our trainer Master Quan," Jenero said bowing. Samus bowed also out of respect.
"Would Ms. Aran like a demonstration?" Quan asked.
"Actually, a test," Samus said. "First one to lay a hit on me takes me out to dinner."
The guards looked Samus over in her black form fitting pants and rather tight shirt and everyone raised their hand.
"For this match, you will fight Scott," Quan said as a smiling young man stepped forward. His smile was warm, not greedy like the rest and he bowed as he lined himself up with Samus.
"Samus Aran huh, an honour I assure you," he said as he took his stance. Samus was floored.
"How could this be, he is acting like he doesn't even know me. This is the same guy from last night and from the toy store, but he never seems to put two and two together," Samus pondered over this furiously. "He must know full well who I am, Samus Aran, the legendary bounty hunter."
Scott cocked his head when he noticed Samus just standing there.
"Is there a problem Ms. Aran?" Scott asked slowly.
"What, oh, no sorry about that," Samus went into a stance and Quan stepped in between.
"Scott, make the Herin Security Guard name proud and Samus, try not to kill him," Quan laughed as he raised his hand and the two went at it. Samus threw the first punch, she went straight for Scott's head, but he quickly dodged and performed a flying roundhouse, which Samus dropped under and hand sprung back all the way to the edge of the mat. The rest of the guards were totally mesmerised by the fight. Even Jenero seemed a little stunned. Samus stood up straight, flexed her arms and charged at Scott, but veered slightly off to the right and ran up along the side of the wall. She bounced off and tried to slam Scott in the head with her heel, but he caught it and flipped her back around. She was slightly disoriented for a second, but still managed to flip around his fury of kicks. The two duelled until Samus jumped up, gracing the ceiling. It was a massive gym, almost five generous stories high. She hung there for a second and than dove at Scott like a diver off a diving board. She blurred through the air but, was stopped dead in her tracks as Scott had jumped up to meet her. They were frozen in the air hands clenched together, Scott's smile fading a little. They hit the ground, hands still clenched when Quan stepped in.
"That'll be enough Scott," Quan said prying the two apart. When they finally let go it was like all tension was released from the room.
"Whew, that was quite a struggle, thank you Samus," Scott said bowing.
"Yeah, no problem," Samus said wiping a bead of sweat from her brow. "But you still never hit me."
"Actually," Jenero said as he walked over to Samus. He cleaned a dribbled of blood off of her cheek and held his finger up to her and showed her the blood. She ran her own hand along her jaw line where a thin gash had been made.
"Sorry about that, you let your guard down for second," Scott said wiping himself off with a towel. Samus was shocked, no one had ever beaten her in a hand to hand fight. Samus grabbed a towel and cleaned off the blood.
"No, that's alright," Samus stuttered out, still a little confused. "Well, dinner is going to have to wait. I am having dinner with Mr. Herin tonight apparently, so another time perhaps?" Samus asked as she put her jacket back on.
"It will be my pleasure," Scott said laughing a little than sitting down. The rest of the guards circled around him and cheered him and asked all kinds of questions about the fight. Samus and Jenero left the arena and made their way towards a dome in the centre of the room.
"This is our main holograph centre. Here we can render anything with more than two dimensions," Jenero said walking over to a control console. He punched in something and the dome split open and an image of the Herin Enterprise building buzzed into view. It was the entire building, inside and out all in wire frame 3-D. Samus walked around the image eyeing it over as Jenero leaned against the console.
"Would it be possible for me to get a copy of this?" Samus shouted over to Jenero on the other side of the dome.
"It would be rather small, and somewhat useless," Jenero said shrugging. "But I suppose so."
"Thanks," Samus yelled back to him. She pulled the jewel out of her pocket and held it up to the holograph.
"What are you doing Ms. Aran?" Jenero asked, slightly puzzled.
"Getting a copy of the map," she said as the jewel burst into a brilliant blue light that bathed the entire security sector. When the light faded Samus put the jewel in her pocket and walked over the Jenero. "Thanks."
"Wha--," Jenero started.
"Well, that is all I really wanted, and we mustn't keep Mr. Herin waiting," Samus said as she walked back to the entrance.
"Yes I agree," Jenero said dismissing what had just happened.
Dinner With The Devil
They left the area and the halls seemed somewhat smaller after the grandeur of the security centre. Samus went down to her room and Jenero said to be in the main dining room by seven.
It was five and Samus had more than enough time to get ready. When she went into her room, Meryl was sitting down on the couch watching T.V. with Kevin.
"Hello, Ms. Aran," Meryl said cheerful as ever.
"Hi Sam," Kevin half waved as he watched T.V.
"Please Meryl, call me Samus. So, what are you doing here?" Samus asked hanging up her jacket.
"Well, you do have a dinner appointment with Mr. Herin do you not?" Meryl asked standing up and walking over to Samus.
"Yeah," Samus said still not understanding fully.
"I would guess that you didn't bring a dress, correct?" Meryl asked crossing her arms.
"Well, no," Samus said a little embarrassed. She rarely wore dresses and didn't actually own one.
"Well, I have one that might be perfect for you," Meryl said walking into Samus's bedroom and coming out with a black, back-less dress with a very long slit running along the side. "It is a little revealing, but you can pull it off."
Samus eyed the dress, looked at Meryl than sighed. She grabbed the dress and took it into her room. She was in there for about ten minutes and than she came out.
"Very nice," Meryl said clapping. Kevin spun around and looked at Samus.
"You look pretty Sam," Kevin said standing up on the couch.
"Thank you Kevin," Samus said demurely. The dress fit perfectly. The slit ran up the side of her leg practically to her hip. Her powerful form was accented by the dress and made her look very graceful.
"Now, I'll do your hair and make up and you'll be already," Meryl said ushering Samus back into her room. They were in there for a very long time when Meryl came out with Samus in tow. She had her hair braided and had her bangs left to sparsely cover her forehead. Any hair not braided was left down. She didn't have much makeup on save for a little lipstick. She had on two black earrings on that shone with a brilliant abyssal sparkle.
"There, very presentable," Meryl said as she showed Samus off.
"Thank you Meryl, but isn't this a little much," Samus asked.
"Trust me, you look nothing short of perfect," Meryl said looking at her watch. "Oh my, we seem to have taken longer than I had expected, you had best hurry, Mr. Herin is waiting for you," Meryl said as she grabbed Samus a hand bag. Samus put her jewel as well as her card in it. She left the room leaving Kevin with Meryl and took the elevator up to Mr. Herin's floor. She opened the door and found the hall empty.
She walked over to a door on her right and opened it to reveal an oddly Victorian stylised dining room. It had large paintings strewn about the room and a warm fire burned to one side. The scent of lavender and scotch wafted through the air. It made Samus almost melt with relaxation. Mr. Herin sat on the opposite side of Samus at a cosy table. Not much more than seven feet from end to end. He and Jenero were talking when he noticed Samus come in.
"Ah Samus, good evening, please sit down," Herin said gesturing towards a chair in front of her. She slid it out and sat herself down. Jenero walked over to her and leaned close.
"Now Ms. Aran, Mr. Herin has planned everything himself. Should something go wrong, or our "ghost" should make an appearance, you will dispatch of him before he even draws his weapon," Jenero whispered. Samus leaned close to him also.
"If you tell me how to do my job again, I may just find a permanent holster for that gun of yours," she whispered also. Jenero cleared his throat and stepped briskly out of the room. Samus smiled to herself.
"Now Ms. Aran, due to numerous events in the past day, I have had very little time to talk to you. It would seem that you are trying your best to take care of our problem, but if I may ask of you, why has he been such an issue?" Herin asked as the first course came in.
"Well Mr. Herin, your "would be" assassin seems to be very similar to me in both style and speed. Although he is a little more chaotic than me, hey is very skilled," Samus said as she thanked the waiter.
"Well, is it within your grasps to catch him? Are you able to bring him to justice?" Herin asked, taking a bite of his large, steak like meal.
"Do you doubt my abilities?" Samus leaned forward.
"Not at all, I believe that you will catch him, I simply wish you would be quick about it so that things can resume as usual. If word of these attacks got out, stocks in my company would plummet. The company itself would cease to exist should I die," Herin said coldly.
"Are you only worried about money?" Samus asked a little coldly herself.
"I'm sure you've heard the saying 'Money makes the world go round'. You yourself are one driven by money, you are after all, a bounty hunter," Herin said cutting his steak, occasionally looking up at Samus
"Not anymore, I gave that up after my last mission," Samus said looking down at the table thoughtfully
"But still, you can understand how important money is!" Herin said pointing a fork at Samus
"Important, yes, but it's not worth risking the lives of those I work with. I would never put so many people in danger, simply to keep high sales!" Samus said pressing her fist hard against the table.
"I am not so shallow, Samus, I am worrying about the thousands of people I employ in my companies. If something should happen to me, they will all be out of business as well. I'm not being capitalist, I'm being reasonable," Herin said in an almost bored manner. It was if this wasn't the first time he had to explain himself to someone.
"Call it what you will, but as far as I'm concerned you need to get your priorities straight before you start making snap decisions. Did you ever stop to think that maybe your employees aren't even happy?" Samus asked guzzling down her wine.
"They would have no reason to be anything but happy, what are you getting at?" Herin asked, peering at Samus.
"Nothing.I guess, it would seem futile to try and change your mindset," Samus asked picking away at her dinner.
"Mind yourself Samus! You have no idea how much of my blood and sweat I have put into making this a leader in the business world--" Herin said sternly.
"And what of the blood and sweat of others, how many have you used to achieve your zenith, your seat at the Aerospace Guild? Frankly if you died, things might be better off for those people out there," Samus said waving towards the window.
"Are you saying that you're a sympathiser with these murderers?" Herin asked cautiously.
"Not yet," Samus said jamming her fork into the table. "Now if you'll excuse me I have rounds to make."
Samus stormed out of the dining room and left Herin fuming away.
"Jenero!" Herin called out.
"Yes Mr. Herin?" Jenero appeared out of the door beside Herin.
"We had best keep our eye on Ms. Aran. She seems to have developed a misguided sense of duty somewhere. Make sure she fixes her attitude and does her job, understand?" Herin said taking another bite than patting his lips clean with a napkin.
"Entirely sir," Jenero said casually looking out of the door to see Samus mashing the elevator key with her fist. "And if she becomes an issue?"
"I think you know what to do," Herin said finishing off his scotch.
Jenero grinned and slid his hand against the cold alloy of his gun.
Disclaimer: Repetitive, huh? This story belongs to James Sate, Metroid belongs to Nintendo.
Another sleepless night
Samus's "room" was actually more of an apartment. It was large and very ornate, but still very business like. Kevin had his own room beside the kitchen and the wall screen was modest. Samus figured that Herin didn't want her staying too long. She took a quick shower and joined Kevin on the couch for a movie. All movie stars seemed to be created for their roles. The action oriented always starred bulking muscle men where as the dramas featured the good looking and clean-shaven type, and the women were always very graceful. Samus hated T.V. Kevin seemed to like it so she sat with him until he fell asleep. Samus turned off the screen and put Kevin in his room. When she went to bed herself, she was surprised that she didn't feel all that tired. Her mind was racing over events of the day, and plans for the upcoming week. She couldn't shake the thought of another suit. Hers had been the only one; at least she was told so. In here years with the Chozo, she was told all about the history of Varia and the legend behind her. She was apparently a very beautiful goddess who ruled over the Chozo. She won numerous wars for them, as the Chozo were a generally peaceful race. When attacked, Varia would fight them off with her band of soldiers whom were gods and divine beings themselves. When she became ill after a long life, she left her soul to the Chozo who in turn enshrined it in the blue jewel. Samus became very close to the Chozo in her time there, and was deeply saddened when she was told that it was time for her to leave. They were her parents, the only parents she had ever known. Samus was just about to shut her eyes, when she felt the building rumble slightly.
"Shit!" Samus said as she hopped out of bed and went for the jewel. She eyed it carefully, than but it on. She stormed out of her room and gunned it in the direction of the rumble. As she flew up the stairs, she sensed something unlike anything she had felt before. It was like her suit was pulling her towards something, and she was out of control. When she burst through the stairs outside of Herin's bedroom, she noticed a shadowy figure holding a guard by the collar of his shirt, than dropped his limp body to the ground. It turned around slowly as it felt Samus's presence in the room.
"Oh my God," Samus gasp as she saw what it was. As though looking in a mirror, she saw her suit. It was blue and orange, and was very tall. Like Meryl had said it had very broad shoulders, and appeared to not have the same large shoulder pads. Its helmet was black and had a blue visor and a very small spike in the centre. Lower down its legs, instead of narrowing like Samus's, turned into massive boots with black cords covering the joints. Its gun was on the left hand and was wider than Samus's. It too seemed stunned to see Samus, but had the sense to open fire on her. The gun whirred and an insanely massive barrage of orbs flew at Samus like a hailstorm. Samus back-hand sprung out of the way and also opened fire. The suit dodged and let the shots hammer into Herin's door.
"Who are you!?" it called between shots. The voice was noticeably masculine
"Who am I? Who the hell are you?!" Samus called back as she let down her chain and ran at it. It ran at Samus as well, but rather produced a short sword from its arm. They clashed and stared at each other, each puzzled by this new stranger. "Why do you have a suit like mine?"
"This suit is the only one in existence, yours must be a fake," he snarled back at her. The pushed each other away and simply stared at the other's suit.
"This is getting us no where, tell me where you got your suit," Samus demanded.
Suddenly Jenero burst through the door behind Samus along with about twenty guards and they opened fire on the "ghost".
Jenero was carrying a six-foot long rail gun that made the room light up as he rounded off shots on the assassin. He easily dodged the shots and jumped out onto the rooftops of the city below him. Jenero pushed past the dazed Samus and stuck the gun out the window. Without any regard for anyone below he once again opened fire on the assassin. A long trail of gunfire was sent screaming behind the assassin and missed every time.
"Fuck," Jenero said in a heavy South American accent. He pulled his gun back and point at Samus "Well hunter, go catch yourself a ghost!"
Samus shook off her daze and jumped out the window after him. She caught up to him, but he seemed to have let her, as he was metres ahead. They both ran and jumped across the rooftops and dodged the occasional air vent while still mesmerised by each other. It wasn't until Samus opened fire on him that he to began to fire back. Jenero saw their fire fight from inside the Herin Enterprise building.
"They look like fireflies for Christ sake," he mumbled as the light from their guns seemed to appear and reappear all over the place. When the ghost jumped down into the slums and Samus followed, they both fell through the air firing at each other, occasionally running down the wall and using their jets to quickly change positions. They hit the ground hard, but only stopped for a minute, than they were up again and Samus was chasing him again.
"Enough of this," Samus thought as she quickly jumped at him and landed on him hard. They both fell to the ground, and lay there breathing heavily. Samus swung her gun up to point at him, but noticed that he did also.
"Well, it would seem that we are in a bit of a quandary," he said flipping over and sitting on the ground cross legged, still pointing his gun at her. She followed in suit. So there they sat, unable to do much of anything.
"What say we lose the suits," Samus said in hopes of seeing the ghost.
"No, I don't think I'll be doing that," he said as he stretched his arm. "How about you, you take yours off?"
Samus thought that she might play it political and do so, when she realised that she hadn't put anything on before she put her suit on.
"And leave myself open? You must think I am insane," she said quickly.
"Well, we might look kinda funny just sitting here for the rest of eternity. Let me go, it'll make things easier for you."
"Take off the suit and I will."
"Hmmm.promise," he said jokingly. He reached for his jewel in his hand as Samus put down her cannon. When his suit liquefied and went back into the jewel, it became orange and hardened. "There."
Before Samus was a young man, not much older than twenty. He had blond hair and blue eyes, and a cherub face. He was powerfully built, and smiled despite the long fight they had just had.
This innocent looking worker was the cold-blooded killer than Herin wanted Samus to hunt.
"A little young to be a killer aren't you?" Samus asked as she stood up.
"Not really, besides I matched you didn't I," he said smiling.
"I suppose so, well you had better be on your way," Samus said shooing him away.
"Just going to let me go huh?" he said as he slowly walked away.
"Well, if your purpose is to kill Herin, than you will be back," Samus said walking away from him.
"I see, well than see you later," he said as he walked away whistling.
"Wait, what's your name?" Samus said quickly spinning around. He stopped whistling and tilted his head.
"Scott," he said as he began to walk way again and whistle. Samus arrived at the Herin Enterprise building and jumped up to the window she and the Scott fell from. Jenero was waiting there with Herin; Jenero was leaning on his gun and talking to Herin when he noticed Samus.
"Where is he?" Herin asked in a mock casualness.
"He managed to get into sewers, and he disappeared," Samus said crossing her arms.
"I told you, it's a ghost, a bloody fucking ghost," Jenero said waving his hands about wildly.
"Ms. Aran, I expect that you will make sure to stop him next time, I lost two guards, and had my entire hallway turned into one gigantic scrap heap," Herin said gesturing to the destroyed furniture and smouldering lighting. "Get him next time, or disappear yourself."
"Look Herin, I am taking this job out of sheer curiosity, I really don't need you bossing me around. I can just as easily hunt him on my own without protecting you," Samus played her hand, and Herin didn't call her bluff.
He huffed, yelled at Jenero and went back to his room. Samus looked at Jenero for a second, than went down to her own room. When she got the suit off and crawled into bed, she realised that she was no longer alone. She had met someone that might just teach her more about the Chozo, more than she knew. She had just dozed off to bed when Kevin came in.
"Mornin' Sam," Kevin said jumping on the bed.
"Wha.morning?" she said as she looked at the clock. It was indeed morning. Samus grumbled and pushed Kevin off the bed with her foot. "Go watch cartoons and let me sleep. Kevin looked at her, smiled and ran out to the living room and turned on the T.V.
"And keep it down!"
A Day out on the Town
Samus woke up later that morning to report to Herin on the night before. He was still in an uproar, and listened little to what she said. She explained his fighting tactics and mannerisms, but never mentioned his name or the fact that she sat down and talked with him. She was dismissed for the day and she took Kevin out to look around the city. She wore black formfitting pants and an orange sleeveless turtleneck. She wore a dull orange bomber jacket with a high collar.
"Hey Sam?" Kevin asked as they walked down the streets of C-421.
"Yeah," she asked as she stopped to grab something to drink from a vendor.
"Where were you last night?" Kevin asked looking at her puzzled.
"Oh, I was just looking around the building, staking things out for the area," Samus fibbed. She figured that Kevin ought to know as little as possible, in order to keep him safe.
"Okay, I just heard thunder coming from outside and was scared," Kevin said clutching her leg. Samus was shocked, she looked down at Kevin who just held on to her leg and she smiled. Despite the fact that she knew very little about him, she felt a pull towards him.
"Hey Kev, want to go to a toy store?" Samus asked shaking him free.
"Yeah!" Kevin squealed with delight. Samus led him towards a large orange and silver building. It was labelled "Galactoys" in large over, exaggerated letters. Samus walked in with Kevin in tow. They were greeted with the scent of candy and other child loved items. Kevin practically dragged Samus around as he looked at one toy to the next always followed with a, "Look at this Sam!" or "Wow, this is so cool!" Kevin stopped in front of a large stand with toy guns on it.
"Sam, can I get one?" he asked putting on the biggest puppy dog expression.
"I don't know Kevin." Samus started when she noticed someone familiar grab for one.
"Here you go bud," Scott said as he knelt down and handed Kevin a gun. He stood up and smiled at Samus. Kevin went wild.
"Hey, thanks mister. That was really nice huh Sam," Kevin said tugging at her shirt.
"Th..thank you," Samus stuttered. She obviously knew who it was, but she had left her suit on. Scott had no idea.
"Hey, no problem," Scott said as he handed her a credit.
"No it's ok I can afford it," Samus said as she pushed the card away.
"I insist," Scott said holding her hand and putting it in. Samus stared at the card than up at the smiling Scott. "May I ask why a grown man is in a toy store?"
"I really don't know," Scott said laughing. "It's the weirdest thing. I felt as though I was almost pulled in here. Nice place though, the laughter of kids certainly is something."
Scott and Samus looked around as kids ran around and stressed out parents ran after them. The three walked over to the register and paid for Kevin's gun, which he opened immediately and began playing with it. Scott laughed a little and walked Samus and Kevin outside.
"Again, thank you for that, although you really didn't need to," Samus said.
"No problem," Scott said as he mussed up Kevin's hair.
"Um, may I ask your name?" Samus wanted to see if the name he had told her was in fact his real name. This way he would have no reason to lie.
"Oh, terribly sorry, Scott," he said sticking out his hand for a handshake. Samus was reluctant, but shook his hand none the less. Instinctually they both used there non-cannon hand. When they touched finger tips, a small spark jumped from their hands.
"Wow, that was odd," Scott said looking at his hand. Samus looked at hers also. It was the same person she had met last night and she knew it now.
"Hey Sam?" Kevin asked. Samus looked down at Kevin. "Can we go home now; I wanna show Ms. Vista my new toy."
"Sure Kev," she said softly. She looked up to say goodbye to Scott, but he was gone. In fact, Samus didn't even hear him leave. Samus chuckled a little. "Ghost."
Samus looked around in the crowd for a second, than gave up and went back with Kevin to Herin Enterprise. When they arrived at the front foyer, the guards looked at Kevin's gun just to make sure it wasn't real.
"You're kidding right?' Samus asked with her arms crossed.
"Sorry Miss, but we have to be careful, Mr. Herin is extra paranoid after last night," the guard said handing back the gun to Kevin who snatched it out of his hands and held it close. He stuck his tongue out at the guard and went into the elevator with Samus. They stopped on the administrative floor and Kevin ran over to Meryl's desk.
"Hey Ms. Vista, look what a friend of Sam bought me," he said shaking the gun at Meryl.
"A friend?" Meryl said looking the gun over, than looked at Samus.
"Really more of a polite stranger," Samus corrected.
"Oh, I see," Meryl said as she handed the gun back and nodded at Kevin. "That was very nice of them."
"I suppose so," Samus shrugged.
"Oh, by the way, Mr. Guerrero wanted to talk to you," Meryl said holding up a note.
"Guerrero?" Samus asked. She had never heard the name before.
"Jenero, sorry, I should have told you earlier, only Mr. Herin calls him by his first name," Meryl rolled her eyes.
"I'll try to remember that," Samus said as she walked back to the elevator with Kevin. "What floor is he on?" Samus asked as she opened to door.
"Probably on the same one as Herin, he is always within a sprint's distance from him," Meryl said as she rubbed her temples. "Check Herin's office Ms. Aran."
Samus thanked Meryl and stepped into the elevator and pushed for the top floor. The doors closed with a hiss of pressure and the elevator began its fast ascent to the top.
The Gunman
The elevator slowed to a stop and the doors opened to reveal Jenero standing at the far end of the hall talking with Herin. They both looked over at her as she stepped out.
"Kevin, go to our room ok?" Samus said as she held the elevator open.
"Ok, I am gonna watch cartoons ok?" he said reaching for the button to their floor. Samus pushed it for him.
"Alright, see you in a bit," Samus said as the door closed. Samus felt uneasy around Jenero. He was a little too wild for her, and definitely a nut job. Kevin might have been frightened.
"Ah, Ms. Aran good morning," Jenero said in his thick South American accent. He was less armed than last night, but still had a handgun strapped to his ribs. He wore a black blazer and pretty much black everything else. He had short curly hair and a goatee.
"Actually it's afternoon, but whatever. What did you want to see me for?" she asked ready to defend her actions for last night.
"I figured that you might benefit from a tour of the building," he said walking towards her. "After all, one cannot defend a castle half as well unless they know every square inch of it."
"Quite right," Herin chimed in. "Which is why I suggest you take this little tour, learn the building, that way we can catch that assassin once and for all. Why, even learning of the secret passages alone will be like learning a shortcut from one end of Taurus to another."
"Ok, but how long do you expect this to take?" Samus asked. She hated long lectures.
"Don't worry, you will be back in time to join me for dinner," Herin said as he turned around and walked into his office. Samus raised an eyebrow at this, and started to say something when Jenero started talking.
"Well, for starters, you should first know that this room is capable of being completely air tight. If not for that break in the window last night, we would have trapped him in a vacuum," Jenero said as he held up a wrist panel that displayed a series of pressure sensitive buttons. "I can control any and all security systems from here. It is also connected to every video camera and motion sensor in the building."
"Than how could this "ghost" possibly be getting in?" Samus asked in mock amazement.
"That is a riddle I have yet to solve," Jenero scowled. "But be assured, I will. Now, if you will follow me to the security ward I can show you all of the equipment at your disposal as well as a complete floor plan of the building."
"Actually, that might just help me," Samus said as she walked towards the elevator.
"Ms. Aran!" Jenero stammered in anger. She turned around casually smiling.
"Would you be so kind as to give me my gun back," he demanded. Samus produced the gun from inside her jacket. She tossed it to him and he snatched it out of the air, spun it around and holstered it all with in a second.
"May I suggest that you pay better attention to what is going, next time your lack of attention might get you killed," Samus said. Jenero lost his scowl and smiled. He pulled out Samus's ID card from his pocket and waved it at her.
"And you Ms. Aran would not step a foot outside this building alive without this," he said tossing it back. Samus grabbed it and looked at the card. Jenero was only close enough to grab the card once, and it was in her inside jacket pocket. He must have grabbed it when she grabbed his gun. Perhaps there was more to this gun happy guard then she had first suspected.
The two toured the building, Jenero occasionally pointing out any hidden passages or "room specialities". When they got down to the main security office, Samus noticed that it seemed very heavily sealed, more so than even Herin's office.
"Welcome to the nerve centre of Herin Enterprise," Jenero said as he opened the doors after a lengthy pass sequence. The door's massive locking system spun in the middle and released a dense steam as it unlocked and opened to reveal Herin Enterprise's security centre. An entire legion of people scurried about as they updated reports and monitored events inside the building. Samus walked around in awe as she soaked in the technological marvels. Three-dimensional holograms were displayed in a centre of the room as they whirred about examining all possible openings in the building. In an arena off to the right, new guns were being tested as well as future weapon possibilities.
"It's so big," Samus said still marvelling the fact that such a massive sector actually was unable to catch one person.
"Yes, we have been working round the clock in order to catch this ghost. He seems to have avoided all of our other methods of detection and prevention. We are currently working on a new wall unit gun that will shoot and kill anyone without these," Jenero said proudly as he held up a small chip. "These will be implanted into the employees by me personally. If anyone fails to have one of these, they will be shot immediately."
"Isn't that a little--."
"Brilliant? Yes, I thought it up myself."
"I was going to say insane. What if one is malfunctioning, or if the guns go haywire, you would kill hundreds," Samus pointed out. Jenero threw the chip back in his pocket and stomped off towards the armoury. Samus followed, grinning a little. Jenero turned around a corner and when Samus caught up he popped out again holding his massive rail gun right in front of Samus.
"Shit!" Samus said as she instinctually back flipped and knocked the gun away causing Jenero to fall flat on his back. Samus landed and looked at the infuriated Jenero, who was like a turtle on his shell, unable to flip over.
"Ms. Aran! Would you be so kind as to pick me up?" Jenero said thrusting an arm out in her direction. She grabbed it and hauled him up. When he was on his feet he cleared his throat. "That is the second time your "reflexes" have caused me an inconvenience."
"Sorry, what is this thing anyway?" Samus said looking the gun over.
"This is the LRA anti-tank rail gun. It is capable of levelling a house in under 30-seconds and is yet as accurate as to.actually a demonstration might say it all. Jenkins, hold up your pen!" Jenero yelled at an assistant at the other end of the room. Even Samus had to squint slightly to see him. While still focusing on what he was working on, a thin balding man at the other end of the room held up a small digital pen. Jenero pulled the gun up slightly and fired a single shot the echoed through the room. Samus saw the pen simply vaporised and a small amount of smoke wafted up at the end of the room. Jenkins took his hand down, grabbed another pen and kept working.
"Impressive but how exactly than how did you miss our guest last night?" Samus asked casually.
"Because Ms. Aran, he is not a still target. Our "guest" is still a little too fast for this gun, but we're working on it. Besides, once we get these made for all members of the security force, we will bring him down very quickly," Jenero said putting the huge gun down. Samus reached over and grabbed a small pistol from the wall. "That is an old SiG, it only fires twentieth century bullets. We keep it around as a reminder of once great guns. That was truly an age of warfare brilliance. Care to test it out we have a shooting range you could use."
Samus grabbed a clip from the wall, loaded it in with a click and cocked it. She raised the gun, sighted it and fired a single shot a Jenkins. The loud bang had everyone duck, and numerous guards draw their weapons. Jenkins sat in his chair looking at the pen shattered on his desk.
"Seems fine to me," Samus said innocently as she put the gun back, crossing in front of a stunned Jenero. The guards eased up and within seconds everyone was working again. She left Jenero aghast as she walked over to another large section of the sector. Jenero quickly caught up to Samus. She was watching guards learning unarmed combat in a dojo style gym.
"A soldier must be as deadly without a gun as he is with one," Jenero philosophised.
"May I," Samus said as she walked in to the gym before receiving and answer. She took off her jacket and cracked her knuckles.
"Ah, Samus Aran I presume, a pleasure to meet you," said a short elderly man of Chinese decent.
"This is our trainer Master Quan," Jenero said bowing. Samus bowed also out of respect.
"Would Ms. Aran like a demonstration?" Quan asked.
"Actually, a test," Samus said. "First one to lay a hit on me takes me out to dinner."
The guards looked Samus over in her black form fitting pants and rather tight shirt and everyone raised their hand.
"For this match, you will fight Scott," Quan said as a smiling young man stepped forward. His smile was warm, not greedy like the rest and he bowed as he lined himself up with Samus.
"Samus Aran huh, an honour I assure you," he said as he took his stance. Samus was floored.
"How could this be, he is acting like he doesn't even know me. This is the same guy from last night and from the toy store, but he never seems to put two and two together," Samus pondered over this furiously. "He must know full well who I am, Samus Aran, the legendary bounty hunter."
Scott cocked his head when he noticed Samus just standing there.
"Is there a problem Ms. Aran?" Scott asked slowly.
"What, oh, no sorry about that," Samus went into a stance and Quan stepped in between.
"Scott, make the Herin Security Guard name proud and Samus, try not to kill him," Quan laughed as he raised his hand and the two went at it. Samus threw the first punch, she went straight for Scott's head, but he quickly dodged and performed a flying roundhouse, which Samus dropped under and hand sprung back all the way to the edge of the mat. The rest of the guards were totally mesmerised by the fight. Even Jenero seemed a little stunned. Samus stood up straight, flexed her arms and charged at Scott, but veered slightly off to the right and ran up along the side of the wall. She bounced off and tried to slam Scott in the head with her heel, but he caught it and flipped her back around. She was slightly disoriented for a second, but still managed to flip around his fury of kicks. The two duelled until Samus jumped up, gracing the ceiling. It was a massive gym, almost five generous stories high. She hung there for a second and than dove at Scott like a diver off a diving board. She blurred through the air but, was stopped dead in her tracks as Scott had jumped up to meet her. They were frozen in the air hands clenched together, Scott's smile fading a little. They hit the ground, hands still clenched when Quan stepped in.
"That'll be enough Scott," Quan said prying the two apart. When they finally let go it was like all tension was released from the room.
"Whew, that was quite a struggle, thank you Samus," Scott said bowing.
"Yeah, no problem," Samus said wiping a bead of sweat from her brow. "But you still never hit me."
"Actually," Jenero said as he walked over to Samus. He cleaned a dribbled of blood off of her cheek and held his finger up to her and showed her the blood. She ran her own hand along her jaw line where a thin gash had been made.
"Sorry about that, you let your guard down for second," Scott said wiping himself off with a towel. Samus was shocked, no one had ever beaten her in a hand to hand fight. Samus grabbed a towel and cleaned off the blood.
"No, that's alright," Samus stuttered out, still a little confused. "Well, dinner is going to have to wait. I am having dinner with Mr. Herin tonight apparently, so another time perhaps?" Samus asked as she put her jacket back on.
"It will be my pleasure," Scott said laughing a little than sitting down. The rest of the guards circled around him and cheered him and asked all kinds of questions about the fight. Samus and Jenero left the arena and made their way towards a dome in the centre of the room.
"This is our main holograph centre. Here we can render anything with more than two dimensions," Jenero said walking over to a control console. He punched in something and the dome split open and an image of the Herin Enterprise building buzzed into view. It was the entire building, inside and out all in wire frame 3-D. Samus walked around the image eyeing it over as Jenero leaned against the console.
"Would it be possible for me to get a copy of this?" Samus shouted over to Jenero on the other side of the dome.
"It would be rather small, and somewhat useless," Jenero said shrugging. "But I suppose so."
"Thanks," Samus yelled back to him. She pulled the jewel out of her pocket and held it up to the holograph.
"What are you doing Ms. Aran?" Jenero asked, slightly puzzled.
"Getting a copy of the map," she said as the jewel burst into a brilliant blue light that bathed the entire security sector. When the light faded Samus put the jewel in her pocket and walked over the Jenero. "Thanks."
"Wha--," Jenero started.
"Well, that is all I really wanted, and we mustn't keep Mr. Herin waiting," Samus said as she walked back to the entrance.
"Yes I agree," Jenero said dismissing what had just happened.
Dinner With The Devil
They left the area and the halls seemed somewhat smaller after the grandeur of the security centre. Samus went down to her room and Jenero said to be in the main dining room by seven.
It was five and Samus had more than enough time to get ready. When she went into her room, Meryl was sitting down on the couch watching T.V. with Kevin.
"Hello, Ms. Aran," Meryl said cheerful as ever.
"Hi Sam," Kevin half waved as he watched T.V.
"Please Meryl, call me Samus. So, what are you doing here?" Samus asked hanging up her jacket.
"Well, you do have a dinner appointment with Mr. Herin do you not?" Meryl asked standing up and walking over to Samus.
"Yeah," Samus said still not understanding fully.
"I would guess that you didn't bring a dress, correct?" Meryl asked crossing her arms.
"Well, no," Samus said a little embarrassed. She rarely wore dresses and didn't actually own one.
"Well, I have one that might be perfect for you," Meryl said walking into Samus's bedroom and coming out with a black, back-less dress with a very long slit running along the side. "It is a little revealing, but you can pull it off."
Samus eyed the dress, looked at Meryl than sighed. She grabbed the dress and took it into her room. She was in there for about ten minutes and than she came out.
"Very nice," Meryl said clapping. Kevin spun around and looked at Samus.
"You look pretty Sam," Kevin said standing up on the couch.
"Thank you Kevin," Samus said demurely. The dress fit perfectly. The slit ran up the side of her leg practically to her hip. Her powerful form was accented by the dress and made her look very graceful.
"Now, I'll do your hair and make up and you'll be already," Meryl said ushering Samus back into her room. They were in there for a very long time when Meryl came out with Samus in tow. She had her hair braided and had her bangs left to sparsely cover her forehead. Any hair not braided was left down. She didn't have much makeup on save for a little lipstick. She had on two black earrings on that shone with a brilliant abyssal sparkle.
"There, very presentable," Meryl said as she showed Samus off.
"Thank you Meryl, but isn't this a little much," Samus asked.
"Trust me, you look nothing short of perfect," Meryl said looking at her watch. "Oh my, we seem to have taken longer than I had expected, you had best hurry, Mr. Herin is waiting for you," Meryl said as she grabbed Samus a hand bag. Samus put her jewel as well as her card in it. She left the room leaving Kevin with Meryl and took the elevator up to Mr. Herin's floor. She opened the door and found the hall empty.
She walked over to a door on her right and opened it to reveal an oddly Victorian stylised dining room. It had large paintings strewn about the room and a warm fire burned to one side. The scent of lavender and scotch wafted through the air. It made Samus almost melt with relaxation. Mr. Herin sat on the opposite side of Samus at a cosy table. Not much more than seven feet from end to end. He and Jenero were talking when he noticed Samus come in.
"Ah Samus, good evening, please sit down," Herin said gesturing towards a chair in front of her. She slid it out and sat herself down. Jenero walked over to her and leaned close.
"Now Ms. Aran, Mr. Herin has planned everything himself. Should something go wrong, or our "ghost" should make an appearance, you will dispatch of him before he even draws his weapon," Jenero whispered. Samus leaned close to him also.
"If you tell me how to do my job again, I may just find a permanent holster for that gun of yours," she whispered also. Jenero cleared his throat and stepped briskly out of the room. Samus smiled to herself.
"Now Ms. Aran, due to numerous events in the past day, I have had very little time to talk to you. It would seem that you are trying your best to take care of our problem, but if I may ask of you, why has he been such an issue?" Herin asked as the first course came in.
"Well Mr. Herin, your "would be" assassin seems to be very similar to me in both style and speed. Although he is a little more chaotic than me, hey is very skilled," Samus said as she thanked the waiter.
"Well, is it within your grasps to catch him? Are you able to bring him to justice?" Herin asked, taking a bite of his large, steak like meal.
"Do you doubt my abilities?" Samus leaned forward.
"Not at all, I believe that you will catch him, I simply wish you would be quick about it so that things can resume as usual. If word of these attacks got out, stocks in my company would plummet. The company itself would cease to exist should I die," Herin said coldly.
"Are you only worried about money?" Samus asked a little coldly herself.
"I'm sure you've heard the saying 'Money makes the world go round'. You yourself are one driven by money, you are after all, a bounty hunter," Herin said cutting his steak, occasionally looking up at Samus
"Not anymore, I gave that up after my last mission," Samus said looking down at the table thoughtfully
"But still, you can understand how important money is!" Herin said pointing a fork at Samus
"Important, yes, but it's not worth risking the lives of those I work with. I would never put so many people in danger, simply to keep high sales!" Samus said pressing her fist hard against the table.
"I am not so shallow, Samus, I am worrying about the thousands of people I employ in my companies. If something should happen to me, they will all be out of business as well. I'm not being capitalist, I'm being reasonable," Herin said in an almost bored manner. It was if this wasn't the first time he had to explain himself to someone.
"Call it what you will, but as far as I'm concerned you need to get your priorities straight before you start making snap decisions. Did you ever stop to think that maybe your employees aren't even happy?" Samus asked guzzling down her wine.
"They would have no reason to be anything but happy, what are you getting at?" Herin asked, peering at Samus.
"Nothing.I guess, it would seem futile to try and change your mindset," Samus asked picking away at her dinner.
"Mind yourself Samus! You have no idea how much of my blood and sweat I have put into making this a leader in the business world--" Herin said sternly.
"And what of the blood and sweat of others, how many have you used to achieve your zenith, your seat at the Aerospace Guild? Frankly if you died, things might be better off for those people out there," Samus said waving towards the window.
"Are you saying that you're a sympathiser with these murderers?" Herin asked cautiously.
"Not yet," Samus said jamming her fork into the table. "Now if you'll excuse me I have rounds to make."
Samus stormed out of the dining room and left Herin fuming away.
"Jenero!" Herin called out.
"Yes Mr. Herin?" Jenero appeared out of the door beside Herin.
"We had best keep our eye on Ms. Aran. She seems to have developed a misguided sense of duty somewhere. Make sure she fixes her attitude and does her job, understand?" Herin said taking another bite than patting his lips clean with a napkin.
"Entirely sir," Jenero said casually looking out of the door to see Samus mashing the elevator key with her fist. "And if she becomes an issue?"
"I think you know what to do," Herin said finishing off his scotch.
Jenero grinned and slid his hand against the cold alloy of his gun.