Hicorp: It's something where you make up your own character and put them in the story. Kind of like a group-fic.

Nikolai Burnside: Sorry about them being so short. I copied them to paper first, and these are the lengths they originally were. I'll try and make the later chapters longer when I am copying them.

sych77: chuckles Just wait and see what happens...

Chapter III: Unexpected Help

The two of them opened fire on the dogs, trying to get off accurate shots. Danielle kept firing, hitting the dogs in numerous places, but not killing them. Of course, it looked and smelled like they were already dead… That was when her pistol clicked empty. "Oh no…" she muttered softly.

Rebecca continued to fire in her place, hitting two of the dogs in the head. They went down and stayed there, but there was still one more coming at them. And to make matters worse, the medic's clip was dry. Suddenly, the door to the right of them opened, and a man stepped out. He took one look at them before firing a single round, taking down the dog.

Danielle quickly fumbled for a clip from her pack, looking at the guy who just saved them. He seemed familiar… Maybe from around the police station? She mentally shrugged. "Thanks. We owe you. Who are you, anyways?"

"I'm Malkon Redagarian of the S.T.A.R.S. Alpha Team." They breathed a sigh of relief. Immediately, Rebecca began to ask questions about how he got here and if anyone else was here to help.

Danielle suppressed a grin as she listened to her. It was obvious the questions were overwhelming the Alpha. She rubbed the back of her neck, scowling a bit at the bite there, while listening to the two of them. Rebecca finally decided to stop and give Malkon some time to explain himself, which was a bit of a relief to Danielle. Those questions were starting to get annoying.

Calmly, he explained. "When your team's helicopter crashed, we came after you. I was separated from my group and ended up here." Rebecca seemed a bit disappointed at this, but he didn't say anything. That was when the train started up.

"Wait, who started up the train?" Danielle asked, looking around quickly. She didn't think anyone else was alive onboard. That was when pounding footsteps came from the way they came, and Billy ran up to them. His face was pale as he told them someone was watching them. She was about to ask what he meant when the weirdest thing happened. A body nearby on the floor peeled away, revealing a bunch of little worm-like things that flung themselves at Rebecca.

Danielle's eyes widened as she instinctively shoved her out of the way. Immediately, she brought up her pistol and fired at the leech creatures. Billy fired alongside her, killing them one by one. Soon, they began to retreat, leaving a trail of slime in their wake. She lowered her pistol, looking over at the convict. "Thanks. I owe you."

He smirked at her, glanced at Malkon, and walked past them, motioning for them to follow as he made his way to the dining car's second floor. Danielle followed silently beside Rebecca, wondering where he was leading them. There was something suspicious about him, but she ignored it. He had saved her life, and the least she could do was try to trust him.

They soon arrived in the room, surprised that some of the tablecloths were on fire. It seemed like some lamps or something had fallen to the ground and smashed, setting them ablaze. There was an open window to the back with a ladder leading up the roof of the train. "Anyone brave enough to go up and refuse the train? We need the power back to get to some of the rooms around here." Billy asked the three of them.

Danielle stepped forward. "I'll go do it. Shouldn't be too hard." She holstered her pistol and looked up at the ladder outside of the window. She gripped the bottom rung with both hands and slowly began to climb to the top. The rushed at her, and the freezing cold rain bit into her skin. She held one hand up to try and cover her eyes as she started forward. Further along the roof were a large hole that dropped down and a set of wires that had been disconnected. But it seemed so far away…

Someone grabbed her hand, and she looked over her shoulder to see Rebecca there, giving her a reassuring smile. Together, they slowly made their way towards the front of the car. When she was close enough to the wires, Danielle pulled away and made her way over to them. "Glad I wore these gloves…" she muttered, but the words were lost to the clatter of the train.

Taking a deep breath, she grabbed the wires and put them together. Before she knew it, electricity surged through her body, and she felt herself being pulled backwards. She landed hard on her back, and found herself staring up at the hole in the roof. A bunch of leech things from before sealed it off, leaving them trapped in the room.

((A/N: Sorry it took so long, but I had family over, along with a bunch of games to play. Now that Metroid Prime 2: Echoes has been beaten, I have more time. Hope you liked this chapter, despite its length.))