Author's Note: Yeah, got some good reviews! Thanks to all those who reviewed, I now have the energy to keep going! As per usual: I don't own Samus, or anything else that was originally part of the Metroid universe. They all belong to Nintendo. Quite a quiet chapter this, it's designed as a bit of a plot advancer (unlike the previous one). Anyway, enough chatting, behold...
Chapter 3: Colony NH211
Samus stood before the towering gates to the colony. They had obviously been in a poor, run-down state of repair before, as there were huge gaps in the metal plating which had hastily been patched over with odd bits of sheet metal. However, she was hardly surprised to see the walls and gates were further devastated, with huge slashes and huge chunks missing all along the length of the wall (which expanded as far as the eye could see in either direction), and the front gates, which were as thick as bank vaults, crumpled like tin foil, and hanging by one hinge each. Samus pondered what could have wrought such damage.
Was it the Stompers? No… the colony could never been established in the first place unless the settlers had found a way to control them. She would have to ask one… if there were any left alive. And judging by the dismembered and decaying corpses littered about the place, it was looking less and less likely every minute.
One thing that puzzled Samus was that even though there were more than enough corpses littered around, there was no sign of anything that could have done such an act. Peering along the main road of the colony, Samus could see all the way to the other end of the colony, far off in the distance. She searched the horizon carefully, but could see no activity.
Feeling deeply uneasy, Samus advanced cautiously inside. She wished intensely that she hadn't become so paranoid over the years; it had advanced to the point where her mind frequently played tricks on her. Hearing a rustling to her right, Samus spun round, ready to unleash a deadly volley of plasma upon… a greasy newspaper tumbling in the wind?
"Damnit, calm down you stupid fool!" said Samus under her breath.
Still... the quiet was playing games with her mind. Had the threat already left, leaving only a decimated colony in their wake? Or were they still here, lurking just out of reach? But... it wouldn't be the first time that she had face enemies invisible to the naked eye. Samus flicked on her thermal visor, then the x-ray visor. Still nothing.
Samus had barely been paying attention to the surrounding buildings. There were all kinds, small, huge, tall, wide, and for all purposes, there were banks, hospitals, business centres, and (Samus frowned) more than an average number of erotic establishments. But, no matter what the size and purpose, they all had two things in common. They were all run-down, many of the metal buildings were lousy with rust, and looked one stage away from collapse. It was obvious that this colony was little more than a squalid dump used to extract minerals. Being habitable was obviously second priority. Secondly, all of the buildings were damaged somehow, many critically, with large chunks of masonry missing, and smoke rising in huge towers out of the windows.
It was at this point that the suit displayed its sensor readings on the visor display. "Seismic activity in the North." This was usually bad news. However, Samus needed to find a data centre to gather a more detailed map than the one she had, as her map was currently only flashing up the building the activity was in, rather than the exact room of the source. Almost in response the visor display flashed up. "Multiple electronic signals matching Colony Electronic ID located to the East." Multiple electronic signals...? That could be any number of things... in a civilised community. In a dump like this, Samus decided that the only thing it could really be was either the colony data centre, or a large number of surviving colonists, all triggering their distress beacons. Either one would be a positive find. Samus was caught in a dilemma. Should she investigate the probable large object to the North? Or check the possibility of information or, even better, survivors to the East? Samus decided it was better to get any possible survivors to safety first.
Samus was walking west. If she ever intended to reach her goal, she needed a change of course. She turned around, and almost fell down in surprise at what she saw.
Author's Note: Yeah, I know, I'm evil :P Don't worry, I'll try not to keep you hanging too long. But I have to hurry, school is coming. dun dun duuuuun!
Chapter 3: Colony NH211
Samus stood before the towering gates to the colony. They had obviously been in a poor, run-down state of repair before, as there were huge gaps in the metal plating which had hastily been patched over with odd bits of sheet metal. However, she was hardly surprised to see the walls and gates were further devastated, with huge slashes and huge chunks missing all along the length of the wall (which expanded as far as the eye could see in either direction), and the front gates, which were as thick as bank vaults, crumpled like tin foil, and hanging by one hinge each. Samus pondered what could have wrought such damage.
Was it the Stompers? No… the colony could never been established in the first place unless the settlers had found a way to control them. She would have to ask one… if there were any left alive. And judging by the dismembered and decaying corpses littered about the place, it was looking less and less likely every minute.
One thing that puzzled Samus was that even though there were more than enough corpses littered around, there was no sign of anything that could have done such an act. Peering along the main road of the colony, Samus could see all the way to the other end of the colony, far off in the distance. She searched the horizon carefully, but could see no activity.
Feeling deeply uneasy, Samus advanced cautiously inside. She wished intensely that she hadn't become so paranoid over the years; it had advanced to the point where her mind frequently played tricks on her. Hearing a rustling to her right, Samus spun round, ready to unleash a deadly volley of plasma upon… a greasy newspaper tumbling in the wind?
"Damnit, calm down you stupid fool!" said Samus under her breath.
Still... the quiet was playing games with her mind. Had the threat already left, leaving only a decimated colony in their wake? Or were they still here, lurking just out of reach? But... it wouldn't be the first time that she had face enemies invisible to the naked eye. Samus flicked on her thermal visor, then the x-ray visor. Still nothing.
Samus had barely been paying attention to the surrounding buildings. There were all kinds, small, huge, tall, wide, and for all purposes, there were banks, hospitals, business centres, and (Samus frowned) more than an average number of erotic establishments. But, no matter what the size and purpose, they all had two things in common. They were all run-down, many of the metal buildings were lousy with rust, and looked one stage away from collapse. It was obvious that this colony was little more than a squalid dump used to extract minerals. Being habitable was obviously second priority. Secondly, all of the buildings were damaged somehow, many critically, with large chunks of masonry missing, and smoke rising in huge towers out of the windows.
It was at this point that the suit displayed its sensor readings on the visor display. "Seismic activity in the North." This was usually bad news. However, Samus needed to find a data centre to gather a more detailed map than the one she had, as her map was currently only flashing up the building the activity was in, rather than the exact room of the source. Almost in response the visor display flashed up. "Multiple electronic signals matching Colony Electronic ID located to the East." Multiple electronic signals...? That could be any number of things... in a civilised community. In a dump like this, Samus decided that the only thing it could really be was either the colony data centre, or a large number of surviving colonists, all triggering their distress beacons. Either one would be a positive find. Samus was caught in a dilemma. Should she investigate the probable large object to the North? Or check the possibility of information or, even better, survivors to the East? Samus decided it was better to get any possible survivors to safety first.
Samus was walking west. If she ever intended to reach her goal, she needed a change of course. She turned around, and almost fell down in surprise at what she saw.
Author's Note: Yeah, I know, I'm evil :P Don't worry, I'll try not to keep you hanging too long. But I have to hurry, school is coming. dun dun duuuuun!