(A/N yes, another chapter! it's a short one, but i'm trying to make it good.)

III: Computer Logic

Samus ranted and raved until her voice was cracked and hoarse, until she had nothing left in her. Then she collapsed in front of the computer, listless and drained, put her head down on her arms and sighed. She felt like a fire burnt out, a light suddenly turned off.

It wasn't right. She had to just sit here, waiting, useless and helpless, as HQ delved into matters they didn't know how to handle. Stupid federation officials and their damned lies.

No, that wasn't true. Now that her anger had cooled, Samus realized that the officials at HQ weren't lying. Their ideas might be wrong, but they didn't know any better. They were doing what they knew how to do. It was their job.

Like mine is to be out there, helping, Samus thought. Any empathy she might have felt for the officials was swallowed up by the rush of bitterness that welled up inside her at the unfairness. And she was back to the old standby—it wasn't right.

It was then that ADAM spoke.

"Lady, I've been processing the information from the reports and message sent to you by HQ. There may be a solution to your problems—or one of them at least."

Samus raised her head a fraction of an inch off the control panel, feeling that nothing would be able to lift her up right now. She nodded dully, then, remembering once again that the computer couldn't see her, mumbled, "Yeah?"

"According to my calculations, you aren't actually required to stay here."

"What?" Samus knew she shouldn't be tempted. It seemed that right now it was hope after false hope; she didn't think she could bear another letdown. Still...

"Legally, when you quit your job in the federation police and took the title bounty hunter, you severed all direct ties to the federation—except those of galactic law, of course. Galactic law does require all citizens to obey any COMMAND given by an HQ official. However, the galactic standard dictionary defines the word 'request' as 'to ask as a favor or privilege'. In your message from HQ, the word used was request."

"...You mean..."

"You weren't commanded to stay here, you were requested; although the command was implied. That means that it is up to you to choose whether to obey or not. Although," the computer added, "I doubt the federation would see it that way."

"To heck with the federation," Samus replied. Something was rising in her chest, a feeling that was impossible to describe—like soaring, like enlightenment, like finding something vital that you've overlooked. Free. She was free.

A new emotion had seized ahold of her and couldn't be shaken. Samus hadn't taken on metroids...Mother Brain ...space pirates ...the X parasites...she hadn't triumphed over them all by sheer physical strength. It was when she was like this that Samus was the most dangerous.

"ADAM, fire the engines. I'm not wasting any more time in this dump."

The look of raw determination on Samus's face would have made Arastrough from HQ break out in cold sweat. She sat up and gripped the controls as the console blinked into life around her and the protective paneling slid back from around the front view portal. She was going to find the truth—and anything that stood in her path would not be standing for long.

(to my reviewers— Rougue: heh heh...it probably wasn't hard to guess. In my opinion, Adam shouldn't have died! and that's what fanfics are for—to let you use those great characters the way you think they should be... J. Rolande: thanks! This chapter I tried to add more emotion, like you said. In the rough draft it wasn't as descriptive.