Metroid Diffusion
Day Job
Fadley steered the rugged old ship into the middle of the galaxy. The Gasha region was very far, it would take them at least two sleep-cycles to get there. His co-pilot, Samus, was completely relaxed, feet up on the controls. He decided to let her drive, she moved her legs so that she could lean back and drive with her feet. Fadley prayed Samus was as good as her body language said. Samus, on the other hand, was so relaxed she could fall asleep meanwhile Sumas was enjoying the ride. Two sleep-cycles can pass very quickly and very soon Samus saw the GF HQ looming ahead of them, a great ring of cold metal drifting in the orbit of an unnamed planet. Its sensors would have picked them up already, the intercom crackled, "Who are you and what do you want?" an icy cold voice said, "Come on, I'm not waiting a sleep cycle!"
Samus glared at the speaker and said, "Here to finish business!"
"WHAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTT!" It is a strange thing to hear an icy cold voice scream, "It can't be! You're dead! How?"
Samus sighed, "Are you deaf? I'm here to finish business!"
The voice adopted a humble approach, "Yes, yes you are allowed!"
Samus smiled 'This couldn't be that bad'
Samus and Fadley came out of the ship and onto the runway lines of GF soldiers guided them to Commander Binus, he greeted them warmly, "How good to have you back Samus Aran and, of course Fadley, very good!"
Samus spoke as they walked towards the door, "Where's the commander?"
Binius smiled, "I am, now"
"But..."
"He was tragically killed in action…" Samus wasn't so sure, something about this was fishy and it wasn't dinner.
The small group was made up of the Commander, Fadley, Samus and an aide. They travelled down corridors until arriving at the Commander's office, the Commander walked around the desk and asked the rest of the group to sit down, he handed Samus some e-paper and said, "This is your next assignment, you need to go to Hun-Δ region and to planet GRD-788 and help a Space Pirate lab breakout. Are you all clear?"
"My ship?"
"Fadley towed it."
"I'd better be going…"
"Oh your suit…"
Samus smiled sincerely and for some reason it sent shivers down the Commander's spine, "I'll take care of that" and she walked out.
Samus was back at her day job, what she was born to do, this shouldn't be hard. Sumas reappeared in her mind, 'Much better, now I am rested. Hmm, there is something about this place that is strange…oh!'
'What?'
'Nothing…"
'Tell me'
'Ask someone the year'
And so Samus did, "What year is it?" she asked a techie, who answered,
"5 AF"
"AF?"
"After Fall, oh come on, I wouldn't like to have your memory, I'd forget to go to the toilet!" and he went away. Samus ignored the insult but she was still curious, 'after fall' the fall of what? Anyway she had a job to do and this was side tracking her, so she headed for the ship hangers.
Her ship had been polished up by the deck hands, and stood before her in all its shining glory. She jumped up and onto the teleport-pad on top of her ship. She was in control again, all the ship's steering was in exactly the same place, seeing this brought back memories of flying through space, nothing stopping her. Now was not the time to let her mind wander, she had work to do. What she forgot? A suit! 'Sumas, can I make things?'
'What you mean? Living things?'
'No, a suit'
'Dream it'
Samus concentrated, she needed a suit, and well she had a phazon entity in her why not a phazon suit? She thought of dark Samus she had met on planet Aether, her dark blue suit, her claws, her massive shoulder guards that glowed with an eerie light blue and the helmet with only slits for a visor and an arm-cannon. Her skin felt harder, her eyes closed and Sumas felt herself changing, shifting from one phase to another. She jumped and looked around her, at least her sight was good, and then the world went a dull grey with only some dials glowing red, her sight shifted again to X-Ray, Samus peered through the ship's hull and looked at the skeletons of people walking around. But something was strange some had extra bones….
'C'mon let's go!'
'Something's wrong'
'Your dream-sight'
'Yea, you're probably right'
Samus concentrated on normal 3-D vision but nothing happened, X-ray vision stuck but then she thought of visible spectrum and her vision was its original again. She looked at her body; it was as she imagined her arm-cannon, her fingers and everything. 'There will always be time to admire yourself, not now!'
'You're right I've got a job to do!'
And so Samus sat in the pilot's chair and pressed the start button, she blew the throttle wide open and blasted off into space to begin her day job.
End Chapter
Not really a cliffie but keeps you in some suspense.
