A/N: Yay! I really enjoyed writing this chapter. Let's hope you enjoy reading it, too!

tikitikirevenge- What? Romance? Not at all… At least, not between Url-Krym and Samus. That would just be weird.

Thanks to all who have reviewed this story so far! Keep the reviews coming:)

Plans

When Samus finally returned to her apartment late that night, she shuddered. She threw her coat in the closet next to her power suit, the closet's only other occupant. She slumped down in her chair and went over the day's events in her head.

Url-Krym had a long conversation with her, telling her what she could and could not do. He told her to quit her current job, and that she had to always be able to answer her phone, and be available at all times. She must be careful at all times to prevent detection. He warned her that if he found out that she had leaked information to anyone, she would be dead the next morning. His next words still sent shivers down her spine.

"And if there's a bounty hunter that comes knocking on my door," He had said to her in a hushed voice, "You'll be the first one I suspect, because you're the new kid. You had better watch your back, and stay in line, because I just don't trust you yet."

Samus sat in her chair in silence for a long time. What had she gotten herself into? She now seemed to have two choices: She could continue with her plan to capture Url-Krym for the reward money, or she could just stay where she was, living the life of crime. It could prove to be very profitable.

Samus pondered her options for a while, but in the end she decided that she could not bring herself to maintain a life as a criminal. She had to do the right thing. And now, there was no turning back.

Shoving aside all doubts, Samus began to form a plan in her mind. Was she going to go marching into the base now? Or was she going to wait for some time and try to gain the respect of Url-Krym? Both options had their share of dangers. If she decided to march in soon and failed, she would have to be on the run from Url-Krym forever. If she bided her time, she could get caught by the Galactic Federation Police and sent to jail as a thief. Not to mention that Url-Krym seemed very volatile, and it didn't seem like it would take much for him to have her killed. Either way, one wrong move could be death.

What had she done? She could have spent the rest of her life like most citizens did, working hard at an honest job for honest money. Now she had thrown all of that away for the fleeting possibility at a large sum of money, and high chances of death.

The stress suddenly came barreling down on her, and she started weeping. It was the first time she had cried in two cycles, and she simply couldn't bottle her emotions inside anymore.

Eventually, alone in her apartment and the world, Samus cried herself to sleep.

-X-

Samus woke with a start the next morning. She found that she was sweating, and she couldn't shake the uneasy feeling in her chest. She knew what she had to do, but it scared her to death. She wanted to stay where she was, in the safety of her own apartment, but she knew that she couldn't hide there forever. She had to face Url-Krym sooner or later, and why not catch him off guard now than allow him some time to learn to distrust her?

Samus was freaking out. She had even considered running away again, heading off to some remote planet to make a living all on her own, but she knew that she couldn't do that. She couldn't keep running from her problems. It was time for her to face them.

She was quaking like a leaf the whole time that she was taking her shower, eating breakfast, and suiting up in her power suit. She had it all planned out, and she had gone over her plan time and time again. There were numerous things that could go wrong, but she could see no better way. It was only by sheer will that she managed to force herself to walk out the door and try to make her way, silently, out of the apartment building and out of sight.

Thankfully, nobody saw her, and she managed to make her way into a dark alley unnoticed. She was glad, too, because she wouldn't have known what to say to anybody who inquired about her unusual attire.

Samus maneuvered her way down the many winding passageways and back allies that led to the abandoned shoe factory. When she arrived, she had to spend a few minutes quieting her ever-worrying mind. Before she could talk herself out of it, Samus walked toward the back door leading to Url-Krym's hideout.

Luckily, Samus thought to use her scan visor to check for any hidden traps or things that she might have missed on her way in. Her visor identified an object in a crack in the wall as notable. She scanned it.

"Hidden inside this crack is a small camera," the readout explained, "that is hooked up to a room inside. Anyone who approaches the door will be seen long before they enter the building." Samus stood back and slowly pondered a way to gain entry without detection. If she destroyed the camera, it would make it obvious that an intruder was coming. She narrowed her eyes and looked around for another entrance.

She noticed a window along the wall that was broken. She found it odd that there would be a window facing the alley, so she scanned it. The computer in her helmet calculated this for a moment and then offered the explanation that this factory was built long before any of the other buildings were here.

Samus carefully approached the window after she was sure that there were no more hidden cameras. The glass was broken out of the window most of the way around. Samus checked again for traps, and then, finding none, dove through the window, doing a few somersaults on the floor inside the factory to prevent herself from crashing to the ground.

When she had righted herself again, she immediately switched her scan visor on. It gave her information on the various uses for some of the broken-down machines in the room, but it detected no traps or cameras.

Samus carefully made her way to the stairs that led into the basement. This was the moment that she was waiting for: The part where it started to get tough.

Cautiously, Samus charged her arm cannon. The soft hum it made worried her; she was afraid that her opponents would hear it, but she had to be safe, just in case she was attacked.

Slowly, Samus made her way down the steps, trying her best to keep her feet silent. She listened for the sound of people below. She heard nothing. As she approached the bottom of the steps, the last step creaked.

"Hey!" Someone shouted. He walked over to the steps to see who was coming. He was shocked to see the orange metallic figure that was standing at the bottom of the steps. "Who the –" The man began, but Samus quickly dispatched him with her cannon. He was now lying unconscious on the floor with severe, possibly fatal burns on his chest. Samus felt no pity. She had learned that pity gets you nowhere, and that showing mercy to those who did not deserve it just ended up coming back to haunt you later.

Samus swung her cannon around, checking for anybody else, or to see if anybody had heard her fire her power beam. Nobody had, and there was nobody else around, so she silently made her way toward Url-Krym's office. The door to his office was at the end of a long hallway, and it seemed that every step Samus took actually brought her further away from the door.

After what felt like hours, but was in actuality less than a minute, Samus arrived at his door. She looked around her, to be sure that nobody else could see her, took a deep breath, and then dealt the door a powerful kick, sending it flying open.

"Don't move!" Samus shouted, but was shocked to find the room empty. She quickly whirled around, well aware that her presence was no secret anymore. There was a single thug standing in the hallway with a bewildered look on his face. When he saw Samus, he quickly pulled a laser pistol and started firing at her.

Samus ducked back into Url-Krym's office, charging her arm cannon. It wasn't long before the thug appeared in the doorway, brandishing his laser pistol cautiously. Samus quickly fired her cannon at the man, sending him flying into the hallway.

Thinking fast, Samus realized that she had to find Url-Krym before he escaped. This may be her only chance to capture him. She dashed out into the hallway and towards the stairs, the only way out of the basement. If Url-Krym wanted to get out, he would have to come through her first.

It didn't take her long to realize the flaw in her plan: A criminal mastermind such as Url-Krym must have a secret back door that he can take for a situation like this. Samus swore under her breath and tried to figure out what to do.

As if on cue, Samus heard the sound of a door slamming somewhere off to the left. She sprinted down the left hallway and noticed that one of the doors was open ajar. Flinging it open and brandishing her arm cannon menacingly, Samus charged into the room. Just as she had expected, Samus found a door in this room leading to a flight of stairs. Samus quickly followed the stairs up to a set of doors above her that opened out onto the side alley, not far from the main street. Samus quickly pulled herself through the doors to catch a few fleeting glimpses of Url-Krym getting into a brown, nondescript vehicle and driving away. Samus would be unable to catch him.

Samus cursed again and clenched her fist in defeat. She had been so close. Url-Krym had just barely slipped through her fingers.

Shots rang out from behind her. The display on her helmet's visor showed that her energy tank's power was going down. She spun around to face her assailant. Interestingly enough, it was Url-Krym's second-in-command that she had met the day before. Samus fired a few minor shots at him, but did not fire to kill. She ran at him, full speed, and knocked him to the ground. She brought her boot down heavily on his wrist to prevent him from reaching his gun, which had now slid across the pavement. Samus then brought her other knee down on his chest, effectively pinning him to the ground. She placed her arm cannon dangerously close to his nose.

Her voice dripped venom. "I'm going to give you ten seconds to tell me where Url-Krym is going."