Invasion is a very interesting fanfic that came on the flyby as this was actually a dream I had... :laugh: Do keep in mind that this is but a dream that came from my first couple nights on Halo... XD

But trust me, it's a pretty good story for a dream... :amused: Oh yeah, there are a few swear words in here, which I think will be auto-sensored, if not, I'll sensor it myself. Enjoy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Invasion
By: Sephina

Chapter 1- The Attack

Ah… The glorious city of Vegas Palace… Such a place for everyone, save for the young generation…

The city of life…

The city of lights…

The city of mysteries…

The city of gambling…

The city of debauchery…

The city of death…

Jessie had been staying at one of the penthouse suites in Vegas Palace. She was here on an assignment, an assignment to find and kill her client’s former security guard. Ugh… The things she did… That was probably one mission she would keep in her private files for good, and not let her brother know the details. It was just plain… Eww… Posing as a stripper or whatever you called it…

She hated wearing the tight black leather sarong as it showed off her wings to her target, but at least he didn’t live to tell. Sure it felt like her harness to a certain extent, but to show off something that was supposed to stay hidden unless necessary was a bit beyond her. The target was even fondling her, which made her extremely uncomfortable. Just feeling the rough hands on her body and running through her feathers was just… Well, you get the idea…

She quickly slipped those strings off, put on her wing harness, and slipped into a silk robe. It felt so much better to have something covering her. She would change into her normal clothes later. Placing the skimpy garments into her bag, she pulled out her clothes and laid them out: a simple shirt and jeans. Yep, that was enough to blend in. She looked about the room, gathering her things while leaving the target’s scattered about. However, that was not the only thing that was strewn.

Feathers had been scattered about due to her molting time, something she was not too pleased about. Then again, the new feathers that came in were always stronger and lasted longer than the last set. She gathered the stems and placed them into her bag while she gathered the lighter ones and stashed them into a pillowcase before placing it into her case. Best that none of her feathers were left when she disappeared.

She turned her direction towards the bathroom. The body was still in the Jacuzzi, the smell of heavy alcohol wafting on the still surface. Vodka… Whiskey… Beer… Oh yeah… It was just too perfect… Heh… She made it seem like the man had drowned himself while he was drunk. It was almost impossible for anyone to trace that she was the assassin. However, she stood in the far end of the room as the smell of alcohol began to nauseate her. Sure her brother had a beer now and then after a grand prix victory or she even went into a bar with him to be the driver, but even then, the bars weren’t this strong…

She had just finished her talk with her client when she heard some commotion outside her window. An invasion was going on as a carrier dove on the city of lights and fired at anything that moved while armed troops of unknown origins were jumping out.

Jessie screamed as she ran from the window, the heat searing past her window. It was almost unbearable as she ran for the door, only to find a hidden entrance. Tearing through it, she found a suit of armor. It looked somewhat like Samus’, but it was also quite different. Unlike the huntress’, this one was made of black full-body polymer body armor with separate pieces of armor to cover the chest, shoulders, shin, arms, and outer thighs. Without thinking twice, she donned these on with some trouble, but ran out the room, one hand grabbing the helmet while the other was fumbling for the door, arms laden heavy with ammunition and weapons. The only thing she had with her was her jumpsuit, which had no protection at all save for the shoulders and more obvious areas of the body.

The streets were filled with slaughtered people; some running while stray lasers killed others as strange Pirate-like aliens were causing the havoc.

“Pirates…” the lieutenant growled as she ran into the fray, opening fire with the rifle she had found. “GET OUT OF THIS PLACE AND BURN IN HELL!!!”

The recoil was so great that it would’ve shattered her shoulder blade and scalpel if she did not have the armor on. Not even the one on her jumpsuit would be able to withstand it. These so-called Pirates came wave by wave, some of them with weapons she never knew they were able to create. Dodging here and there while letting loose bullet after bullet, she found herself in the heart of Vegas Palace, where the great golden lion of MGM stood, only now, the luster surface was now peppered with bullet holes. She could hear the local authorities bringing in the heavy artillery, firing their cannons at the incoming dropships. As she gazed about at the raging scene, she noticed something very familiar. Changing a new magazine into the rifle, she ran for the familiar sight.

“Samus!” she shouted, dodging some of the lasers with surprising speed and returning some of the fire at the source. “What’s going on?!”

The one clad in the gold and red armor turned, only to open fire.

“YOU!!!” the armored one shouted. “GAH!!! DIE YOU BASTARD!!!”

Jessie was really confused and ran after dodging the shots. She quickly grabbed the rifle she had pilfered and let loose a salvo of bullets on what she considered the enemy.

“Just what are you talking about?!” she replied, opening fire on some of the alien canine bipeds. “Samus, it’s me!!! Jessie!!!”

Samus didn’t listen and continued to open fire. The lieutenant quickly leapt over an overturned truck and hid there for a bit as she looked over the weapons she had at her disposal. She pulled out a flash grenade from her utility belt and threw it over. The bomb exploded, blinding the whole area, but that wasn’t enough for the Metroid huntress. Jessie sprinted as fast as she could. She knew Samus had alternate ways of tracking someone down, like thermals and x-rays. She could hear the stomping of metal as Samus appeared.

“Samus!!! You have to believe me!!!” Jessie shouted, seeing how she was cornered against the Pharonic Guardian’s giant pyramid. “Will you snap out of it?! I didn’t do anything to you!!!”

Without thinking, she took off her helmet and stood in surrender, tossing her helmet off to the side and keeping her hands up. Samus quickly stopped her shooting and ran over, jumping into the air and shot one of those dogs that were about to attack Jessie from the side.

“Just what are you doing here?!” the huntress inquired, grabbing the helmet and dragging the young pilot away. “Last I heard from your brother, you were on a mission! And what’s with the suit?! You look like that Master Chief!!!”

“I was!” the young racer replied. “I just finished it and was about to head home when all this happened! And for your information, I found this suit in my target’s room!”

“Must’ve been a SPARTAN or something…” Samus muttered as the two now ran down the street, firing away while Samus threw a Power Bomb to take out those who were in hot pursuit. “C’mon!!! This is no place to stay!”

Confused, Jessie only followed until they reached the huntress’ starship, cloaked and hidden in a nearby garage.

It was rather amazing that something so large was able to hide itself on the roof of the parking structure, but the lieutenant knew that it wasn’t an ordinary starship. Samus held Jessie’s hand as they were transported into the cockpit of the ship. Shaking off the stars floating around her head, the girl looked around. It was a little familiar, save for the new systems that were running the ship. Of course, Jessie was careful when she entered Samus’ ship as there was that one time that she had accidentally shot a missile on accident, almost blowing up her brother’s Blue Falcon… Samus motioned for Jessie to sit down to take a break as she pulled up a map of the whole area.

“Samus, what’s going on?” Jessie panted as she unloaded the weapons that she had picked up so as to ease the burden. “Why were you yelling at me?”

“I thought you were that one guy… That Spartan whom everyone calls Master Chief,” Samus replied tartly. “That suit you’re wearing is very similar to his, but from the looks of it, it doesn’t seem like it’s on his level…”

“But what does he have to do with this?”

“Let’s just say that he was the one that met up with these critters, pushed them back into their own little part of the galaxy while destroying who-knows-how-many-of-them, and now, they want their revenge…”

“But why here?”

“I don’t know, but let’s just put it this way… The faster we can clear these buggers, the better…”

Jessie nodded as she looked over her arsenal completely. Of all weapons she hadn’t used, it was any Marine-based artillery. Army? Sure. Navy? Needs a little work. Air Force? Of course. Hayabusa Knight was equipped for dogfights and she was pretty good with it, along with Falcon Flyer and Night Kestrel. But Marine? Falcon did, but not her. These weapons were extremely powerful compared to what she used, and the recoil was just as painful.

“Adam, scan Jessie’s newfound suit and see if you can find anything on it…”

The computer hummed softly to life as a hologram appeared. Samus motioned for the girl to put on the helmet.

“Well, hasn’t it been a while since we met, Jessie?” it asked as a panel of light began to scan the object.

“Last we met, we were in a game, Adam…” she replied from behind the helmet. “And you were a frigging fire dragon that almost killed us…”

“It wasn’t my fault, you know? Besides, I rather fancy you without your wings… And talk about being an assassin… That was way too awesome, although I would prefer that you became a sword master. I remember seeing a taste of your display at a queen’s coronation, remember?”

“…”

Samus chuckled as she read the data. There was nothing special about this suit. It was just black polymer body armor with simple ceramic padding and a simple energy barrier. The huntress was expecting more, but that was all.

“Well, seems like you have a dud, but it’ll protect you, nonetheless,” Samus replied.

“But where did you get this?” Adam inquired as he paced, or more like floated, around the pilot.

“During my assignment?” she replied sheepishly.

Samus eyed her young friend suspiciously.

“Ok, so it wasn’t the most fun of assignments when it comes to having to play a stripper…”

Both were silent, Samus a bit disgusted.

“You had to pose as a stripper…?”

“We didn’t do anything though!” Jessie quickly replied. “All I did was seduce him into getting into the tub after having him down 3 bottles of vodka and then pushed him underwater for a ‘kiss’, which only resulted in him drowning since he was too disoriented from being drunk…”

“Well, I guess we all have different ways of assassinating people…”

“Tell me again what’s going on though… Why all these creatures?”

“There was something called the Elites that appeared in the news not too long ago… I’m sure you’ve heard of it?”

“Probably not,” Jessie shrugged as she removed her helmet and sat down. “Busy, remember?”

“Right…”

Jessie stared at the hologram and placed her helmet over it.

“Stuff it, Adam…”

A muffled reply could be heard under it.

“Yes, Mistress Chief…”

“…”

“Anyway, the Pirates have gotten in touch with these said Elites and now, the two have joined forces to try and conquer the universe.”

“Fun… More Pirates to deal with…”

“Yeah, but these Elites are superior compared to the Pirates… Sure they look almost the same physically, but they are just as strong as an Elite Pirate on steroids, not to mention smarter.”

“Gives a whole new meaning to power and intellect, no?”

“I actually got one of these dead critters on to my ship and analyzed it. It is able to regenerate its energy shield and has an array of plasma weaponry.”

“You mean I analyzed it, Samus…”

“Fine… Adam analyzed it…”

“Much better…”

“Anyway… Like I said, the sooner we clear these guys, the better. Once they know that someone is here to fight them off, then we’re good to go. Think you can handle the weapons?”

“Possibly…” Jessie replied, but her voice had the tone of uncertainty. “Just that the weapons I use don’t recoil as much as these Marine weaponry… Not used to such powerful things, remember? I’m more of the hacker-on-comp or sword-wielding assailant… Now, F-Zero is a different story…”

“Ah… The quiet one…” Adam murmured as the hologram sat on the helmet, his right leg crossed over his left. “Just like your mother… Yes, I recall meeting her once when we were younger… Very beautiful… Perfect in almost every way… Just the atmosphere around her was-”

“Ahem…”

“Hmm…?”

Samus glared at Adam, a death glare that even made the AI shut up. He turned to look at Jessie, only to see that tears had begun to stream down her pale cheeks and disappearing on to the neck of the black bodysuit. He had forgotten that Jessie was also the reason Katrina had died. It was on the news when he was planning to visit the family and give them a warm congratulation, only to end up going to a cold funeral. Samus walked over and embraced Jessie gently. She did not know what happened fully, but from what Falcon had told her, it was a tragic loss after the other.

“Don’t mind Adam…” she whispered into the lieutenant’s ear, holding her closely as though she were a sister she never had. “Sometimes he just forgets… Careless, if you will…”

Adam huffed internally, but apologized for his actions. It was his error for not thinking before speaking as the thought of the young Katrina only brought back memories of their first meeting. Then again, the young Falcon did take after her mother not only physically, but also on a personality level. Yes, she was indeed her mother’s daughter…

However, perishing this thought for now, the AI continued check the situation outside.

“Samus, we have Pirate recons taking on some of the local authorities, and by the looks of it, it’s not a pretty sight.”

Samus looked at the screen, just in time to see one of the Elites take a plasma blade to an officer’s gut and slicing him cleanly in two. She began to check her weaponry while Jessie was very unsure of hers.

“Oh boy…” Jessie murmured. “I don’t know if I can use these or not… I know my bro can, but I’m not too sure about myself…”

“Try your best because it seems those are the most effective,” the older huntress reassured the younger with a light squeeze on her armored shoulder while still glaring at the now frightened AI. “What do you have, anyway?”

“An M6D Pistol that can hold 14 12.7 mm rounds, 4 M9 HE-DP Grenades, 4 Plasma Grenades, an MA5B Assault Rifle able to hold 60 7.62 mm rounds, and an S2 AM Sniper Rifle that holds 15 rounds…”

“Ok, you’ve told us that you’ve never used these, but you know their names and the type of ammunition it uses?” Adam questioned as he ran these names through the Federation database. “That is very interesting…”

“Well, why wouldn’t she?” Samus replied. “Her brother most certainly has these if she knows them just by sight.”

“True, but-”

“Uh… Guys?”

Samus and Adam turned to look at her and answered at the same time.

“What?”

Jessie was already in full gear, grenades on her belt, the pistol at her side, the sniper rifle strapped around her back, the assault rifle in hand while a pack of extra magazines for all her weapons was hanging from her lower back, also serving as extra protection for her vital organs.

“We don’t have all day!” the lieutenant shouted. “If we want these things out of this area, we’ve got to attack them!”

“Yeehaw!” Samus shouted, grabbing her helmet and heading out. “Now that’s the Falcon Sibling I know! Adam, take to the air and see if you can give us cover, will ya? I’m sure you’ll have so much fun with your HFI sitting in the cockpit and taking out the aerial fighters by surprise!”

Adam couldn’t help but smile as his HFI appeared in front of them, saluting.

“I’ll do what I can, Samus, but chances are that we’ll need to board their frigate if we want to take them out and teach them a good lesson.”
“Then find out where that frigate is hiding!”

The ship took off and both Samus and Jessie jumped out of the garage before the place exploded. The lieutenant screamed as she braced herself and felt the impact spread about her body. The vital statistic on her helmet suddenly appeared, a few bars that consisted of the suit’s energy shielding flickering slightly. Samus turned to her companion to check.

“Everything all right, Jessie?”

“Yeah, just fine! Just a bit shaken from the fall.”

“Then let’s go!”

With a nod, the two female fatales rushed into battle, firing their weapons as they helped the local police force keep the Pirates and Elites at bay. Adam was having too much fun, flying about in a cloaked ship and taking out all sorts of ships that did not have the VPPD insignia or Federation tags. Bodies burned and writhed in the flames of overturned vehicles and exploding buildings. Corpses began to pile high as more dropships landed more fighters for the opposing force. It wasn’t until an hour into the battle did Adam finally found what he was supposed to find.

“Samus!” Adam’s voice chirped on the older huntress’ COM. “I found the frigate!”

“Tell me where it is, Adam!”

“For one, I’m going to need to pick you up. It’s several thousand kilometers in the air. You think you can just fly up there?”

“Maybe Jessie can, but not when she’s heavily laden with all that weaponry…”

“Be more sensible, Samus…”

“Fine, we’ll dust off in 15.”

“I’ll pick you up behind the pyramid.”

Samus motioned to Jessie and the two began to move out. Here and there, more Pirates and Elites were rushing. The Pirates were easy to take care of, but the Elites were more of a problem. The shields kept regenerating, but Samus had another idea. She turned to Jessie.

“I’ll take down their shields while you snipe them in the head. That way, you won’t have to lose so much ammunition.”

Jessie nodded and set up the rifle. With the weapon slung about her shoulder, the assault rifle was now put away while the sniper was up and running. Samus took one of the plasma grenades and threw it in to take out the Pirates while she opened fire at the stunned Elites. Jessie found her open shot and fired a nice fat round or two at these brutes. Instantly, the head wound had taken its toll and the creatures died one by one. They finally reached the other side when the ship just touched down.

“Had a fun time?” Adam asked as he pulled the ship into the air, the girls panting.

“Yeah, just peachy…” Jessie muttered as she took off her helmet to wipe the sweat off her face. “Why don’t you go down there in a suit and shoot up some of those things yourself?”

“I’d rather not…”

“Anyway, what’s the 10-4?”

A hologram of the frigate appeared before them, the schematics faint, but both huntresses could see where the main engine room was. Both looked at each other and grinned.

“Thinking what I’m thinking?” Samus asked as her helmet also came off.

“You mean blasting the station and sending it into the lake as a ball of fire?”

The older huntress grinned and began to set their plan into motion. Jessie went through the cargo boxes and managed to pull out two medium-sized backpacks filled with enough C-12 to do heavy damage to any frigate imaginable. Samus was prepping her suit by inserting the Plasma, Ice, and Wave Beam modifications.

“Adam, tell me when we’re 200 meters above the frigate, will ya?”

“Why’s that?”

“We’re going parachuting.”

“Chuting? There’s nothing but near-vacuum up there!”

“Um… Adam…? Forgetting that we have suits on?”

“Yeah, I know yours can, but Jessie’s suit can’t withstand near-vacuum environment, can it? We don’t know if that suit can do that! You’re risking her life!”

“Adam, just give it a rest,” Jessie replied, strapping on an oxygen tank to her back and slipping on the mask over her mouth. “I’ll be fine. Besides, as long as I have a small oxygen supply, it’ll be fine…”

The AI rolled his eyes as they hovered over the frigate. It was nothing like Samus had seen before. The body looked like a monstrous purple whale without the fins while the wings were like short tapered wings. The tail was strangely fanned out like a bird’s while the thrusters were hidden under both the wings and tail. There were also several turrets scattered across the surface and on the belly of the mechanical beast. To Jessie, it just looked like a fat pigeon waiting for a falcon to kill, and she was the falcon.

After checking their gear one more time, both had locked their helmets into place. The bay doors opened and the two leapt out, each holding the other’s hand so as not to lose each other during the drop. Adam just stared as he held on to the brace of the ship, watching the two females pull their cloaked chutes to slow their landing.

“And it makes me wonder if those two women will ever find a husband for each of them…”

Adam quickly dove back into the cockpit as the doors close, heading back into the city to take out the dropships before they landed.

Chapter 2- Infiltration…

Samus and Jessie had landed on the hard surface, taking out each turret as they ran for the emergency hatch. Lining the edge with C-12 she had pilfered, Jessie detonated the cap and they jumped in, each covering for the other as they ran down the hall. Samus had found the map station of the ship and downloaded the schematics of the place. They were two levels above the main deck while the engine room was in the back four levels below. Using the cloaked chutes as a means of hiding and sneaking, each went different directions, lacing the whole place with C-12 from their packs and the multiple bombs and grenades on hand. Jessie found herself on the main deck, the best place to hit them.

The main deck consisted of the bridge and the main control room. The main commander would take position on the central platform, where it had the best vantage point of everything. Below this platform was where the controls were. Several Pirates and Elites were manning the stations below, each with their own priority as to how this ship and their soldiers were survive. Of course, their actions never went into effect unless the commander had last say. The front opened itself to a view of the battle environment while several screens were hanging off to the side and on the top. These monitors consisted of video images from the fight below. Jessie was disgusted as Pirates were pillaging the dead and the Elites continued their onslaught. Hiding her weaponry in a concealed corner on the catwalk, she rappelled herself down enough and began to crawl upside-down with her body pressed against the underside of the walkway, carefully placing Plasma Grenades every few meters while also sticking larger C-12 wads on to the supports of the structure. As soon as she returned to her place, she was shocked to see what was waiting for her.

An Elite was staring at the pile of ammunition, kicking it a bit to see if they were loaded or not. Jessie stealthily slid up on the left flank, using the shadows to her advantage. She sneaked up from behind and bashed the alien over the head with her pistol. The only problem was that as it fell, the alien fired a few shots into the air, filling the station with alarm. Those below armed their Plasma Rifles and ran towards the catwalk, flanking both sides. Not wanting to take the chance and hoping that the suit’s shields would hold up, she grabbed her belongings and dove, opening fire with the MA5B with her right hand and the M6D in her left. It felt awkward to be freefalling with her wings closed, but Jessie did what she could. The air blistered her face as it heated up, shots of plasma flying past her while others finding their mark, only to spread their energy about on her shields.

She landed with a heavy thud behind the commander’s position and opened fire at their leader. At least that would slow them down for a bit. As she got up to sprint for the doorway, the shock took its toll as her body went into shock. The lieutenant knelt behind the corpse, using it as a meat shield to save her suit’s shields and her own energy. The pain worsened, but she had to get off this ship before Samus pressed the button. It was a clear run from her position to the door. She made a mad rush for the door, only to be greeted with a line of Pirate Commandos. Surrounded, she had underestimated them. She threw a frag grenade into the crowd to divert their attention and opened fired, but they replied with rounds of their own. Her shields were flickering quickly until the last shot shattered it. Now she had no shielding and these energy shots were far different than metal shots. The suit would probably be able to pad the shot, but it wasn’t going to be enough to keep her from burning. She opened fire everywhere, on everything that moved. The Pirates and Elites ducked for cover as round after round was spent. It became quiet. Too quiet for the lieutenant’s liking. Had they all died, or were they waiting? She threw two Plasma Grenades into the open, only to see that no one fired back.

The pathway was now littered with Pirate and Elite corpses while her suit had taken multiple hit, the lustrous green surface now peppered with burns and dents. Jessie now had two options: either sit and play the waiting game and let them think that she was dead, or just blitz over the bodies and try to get out alive. The first choice was just wasting time while the second sounded more suicidal. She checked her weaponry. Only 60 more rounds for the MA5B and 12 more for the M6D while her sniper was down to 4 shots. She had 2 more of each grenade, which would be fine enough if she wasn’t a sitting duck. She stared about again. Yep, they were waiting for her to make the move. Shouldering what she had left, she got into sprinting position and darted into the open. She ran as fast as she could as plasma heated the air again, some hitting their own comrades while others missed and almost hit the control. Just as she was about to reach her exit, she found herself falling to her knees and tumbling; an Elite had caught her in the foot.

She opened fire, but there were just too many of them. The young pilot was about to throw a plasma grenade at the controls until a pirate was on her and hit her from behind, knocking her unconscious. An Elite picked her up by the neck, closing her airway slightly. She began to wheeze as they made their way to the holding chambers.

“So the Demon is here…” one of the Elites muttered. “But we have successfully captured him…”

The pirate in command stared at his comrade as the weapons were taken away and the captive thrown into a cell.

“Are you sure this is THE Master Chief, the very one that fought fiercely back on Reach?”

“It has to be…” it replied. “The armor itself is the trademark, and only he is the one that has been able to take down vast armies of our people on his own…”

“Seems that he does not live up to his reputation of killing your people as much as the Hunter killing my own if he is this easy to capture…”

“And why do you say that? Does not every hunter out there have an off day, where they believe that they will win, only to have defeat look them in the eye as death knocks on their door?”

“I suppose so… But not all hunters are how to imagine them… Human hunters may look weak, but their technology is improving.”

“However, it would be centuries before they reach where we are… By then, they will fall to our knees as we rule them with an iron fist…”

“I will have to agree with you, but what of rebel factions? Surely they will be of nuisance.”

“It does not matter now as we have him in our grasps. Make sure to strip off that armor when you can and kill whatever is in it…”

“Salvage the armor to study it?”

“More like to find weakness in it…” the Elite replied. “You see, it has been able to withstand the plasma weapons we have, only because the humans have somehow managed to reverse engineer our energy shields, making their own much more durable…”

“All one needs to do is make the plasmas stronger and make shield breakers using electromagnetism…”

“And here I thought all you Zebesians were idiots…”

The Pirate’s face hardened as a death glare was directed at the Elite for such an insult.

“We are not idiots, but more like a species that do not like to share their secrets too often…” the lead Pirate growled. “Apprehension of rivalry, you know…?”

“So I see… Well, then let this be the marking of the first time Elites and Pirates become allies…”

The two chortled as they left an unconscious ‘Master Chief’ sleeping away.

Meanwhile, Samus had made her way also to the main deck, only to see bullet shells littering the ground while a sack of half-spent C-12 stood in the corner.

“Oh no…” she thought to herself. “They have Jessie… I’ve got to find her before this place blows!”

She radioed Adam on a private encrypted channel.

“Adam, I need you to find Jessie…” she whispered, using the C-12 in her pack to mould around the weakest parts of the structure. “It seems that they caught her. There’s no blood that seems human, but there are lots of bullet casings. She didn’t leave without a fight…”

“I’m on it, Samus, but do hurry up. They keep sending more of their dropships and it’s becoming one giant bloodbath down here! Energy shields are down to 50%, and I don’t know how much longer I can last before they actually get me. Maybe two hours tops…”

“What of backup?”

“Only ship that is capable of fighting is one called the Hayabusa Knight docked in the Red Lion parking structure.”

“Hayabusa Knight…? Why does that sound familiar…? Whom is it registered to?”

“None other than the late Captain RJ Falcon. I’m positive that Jessie was the only one who piloted that thing, as the last check-in was herself only. It seems that her brother is busy with another assignment.”

“See if you can get into that system! I’m sure Jessie won’t mind us borrowing it at this time! I’m sure she would’ve used it herself to fight off these invaders!”

“On it, Samus!”

As it became quiet in the helmet for a little bit, Samus continued to lace certain points with C-12 that had micro-charges for remote detonation. It had taken her at least 20 minutes to do what she wanted. As soon as she had used up her stash, she managed to steal back Jessie’s pack and weaponry, and ran to an isolated niche in one of the storage areas. She radioed Adam again.

“Most of the C-12 has been affixed to the supporting beams and main structure, but Jessie’s was the one that was supposed to head into the main engine room,” she reported. “Have you found her yet?”

“I think I’ve found her…” the AI replied. “There’s someone that the Elites are saying is the Master Chief and that they have him locked away on Level 5, Quadrant 3, Section D, Block 5, Cell 7. It’s under high security as they think it’s Master Chief, but I have a really good feeling that it’s our feathered friend.”

“Good. Keep up the defenses down there. I’ll grab Jessie and head out before this place blows. How goes the fighting?”

“Hayabusa Knight may be a bit outdated for my tastes, but the weaponry and handling is superb! Give my regards to Jessie when you find her! This ship is absolutely awesome!”

“I will, but don’t let it get to your head!”

“Since when do I do that?”

“Since we first met! Samus out!”

The COM went dead as Samus pulled up the hologram and pinpointed the area where she needed to be. It was a good walk from where she was to where her friend was located, but she had a better idea. Accessing the data further, she found that the ventilation shafts webbed the whole station, making it very easy to get from one place to the other. The only problem was that alarms were set up in these tight quarters. Not wanting to take a chance, she fired an EMP straight down the shaft and waited for the muffled boom. It scrambled her own system a bit, but it was only temporary. It wasn’t like the Rezbits that she had encountered on Aether in Sanctuary Fortress, but it was similar to that. Rolling into a ball, she quickly dropped in, and moved towards her destination.

Meanwhile, Jessie woke up with a very sore neck. Her thickly gloved hand ran over the back of her neck. No visible damage to that particular section of the armor, but she knew there would be a nice fat bruise waiting for her when she discarded the suit. She looked around and touched the panel separating her little cell from the main room. Several of the Elites were standing guard, jeering at their ‘trophy.’

“If it isn’t the murderer…” one cackled. “What’s it like to be captured, oh great SPARTAN?”

“Let me out this instant!” Jessie shouted, her voice toned down to that of a male’s range.

“And let you slaughter us like you did on Reach?” another answered. “I think not…”

“Besides, we have orders to strip you of your precious suit…” yet another explained. “I bet you’re just as ugly as your shooting…”

“Why don’t you go look in a mirror…” she replied, grinning behind the reflective visor as one hand rested on her hip. “You’re not as good-looking as your aim either…”

Enraged, the Elite fired a warning shot at her gut. The lieutenant doubled over, coughing as the force had knocked the wind out of her. Pain spread through her chest and back as the wings were now functioning like a second layer of armor for her, slowing down any shots fired at her. She glared at the Elite and rushed at the forcefield, only to bounce off it and hit the wall. She growled lowly as the guards laughed.

“A fool to think that you can actually escape on your own, Spartan?” the one who seemed to be the leader teased.

“Who says ‘he’s’ on his own?” a voice replied as a pirate walked in, only to fall forward to reveal the Metroid huntress.

“Samus!” Jessie shouted.

“GET HIM!” the leader shouted, the Elites now opening fire with their Needlers and Plasma Shotguns. “DON’T LET HIM GET AWAY!!!”

Samus threw a Power Bomb at the pack and blitzed past them to the control panel with her Speed Booster. Before anyone knew what was going on, the place was filled with smoke as fragments of Pirates and Elites scattered the whole area, drenching the place in green and purple blood. The system had been damaged in the blast, opening all the cells. Jessie stepped out and strapped on her weaponry as they ran for the main engine room.

“How did you find me?” the lieutenant asked, shooting down several more Elites, some now equipped with Sonic Blades.

“I had Adam check the computer, and he found ya!” she replied, covering her friend’s back. “He also sends his regards on how well Hayabusa Knight handles and fights.”

“Hayabusa Knight? He actually found out that I was piloting Hayabusa Knight instead of Night Kestrel?”

“Let’s just say that he scanned the place for more usable ships and found yours under cloaking.”

“I’ll be sure to tell bro that! He’s the one that helped me get that ship into the air again!”

They finally reached the destination, only to find Elites and Elite Pirates guarding the place. Samus wrinkled her nose a bit and played guard as Jessie set up the sniper, also adding a silencer for precaution. She didn’t want to give away their position; especially with what little ammunition she had left. Four guards… Four bullets… None of these could miss, and they had to be one-shot kills. Taking aim, she aligned herself with the first target. The head was what she wanted, and the head was what she got. One by one, the sentinels went down, blood forming pools under their fallen bodies.

Samus went ahead to check as Jessie abandoned the now-useless rifle. Better to leave behind an empty gun than to have it slow one down. The door was sealed tightly, but after a quick pat down, Samus found a security card and slid it into the slot. The barrier slid from view, only to reveal a vast room, where the fusion reactor hummed quietly, sending energy to every part of the frigate.

Chapter 3- Fireworks

The two girls stepped into the room, finding that no security was inside. Without hesitation, Samus went to work to trap the whole place while Jessie worked on a remote detonation system and her suit’s shields. She had managed to repair the shield’s regenerator after picking up a dead jackal’s. She had taken out the main piece needed and augmented it to her suit, which fit nicely and was very good, as she did not know what to expect next. Once the Pirates and Elites saw that the most secure of cells was broken into, they would be swarming the place, and she had little to nothing left to fire.

The older huntress returned, her sack still half-full. Jessie looked into it, only to find that there were Plasma Pistols and Needlers waiting for her.

“Thought I’d grab some for you,” Samus replied with a smile. “Saw all those shells you left on the main deck. Need to work on your aim, you know?”

“More like I need to learn to keep my cool…” Jessie admitted. “Samus?”

“Yes?”

“Thanks for helping me out back there…”

“And why wouldn’t I? After all, we are friends despite our rivalry in hunting.”

Jessie giggled, but turned back to her work.

“There, the system is ready to go, but we need to get out of here if we want to enjoy the fireworks display. This place is set to blow in 10 minutes, so let’s make tracks!”

Samus nodded and opened the door. Standing in front of them, at least 50 units of Pirates and Elites were blocking their way. Just as Jessie and Samus were about to open fire, an explosion forced the entire group into the room. Bodies flew as guns scattered. Shrapnel pinged off the surface of the two suits that stood 50 meters from the entrance, only to have a figure emerge from the clouds of smoke.

“Yo, who started the party without inviting me?” a familiar voice shouted through the thick air. “That’s not nice, isn’t it?”

Jessie instantly recognized that tone, and jumped up and down happily. There he was, posed in a modified Federation power suit, a rocket launcher resting on the right shoulder. However, where the Federation insignia was supposed to be was a yellow bird with its wings spread out.

“FALCON!!!” Jessie squealed, running over. “What are you doing here?”

“I tracked Hayabusa’s signal as soon as an alarm went rampant on Falcon Flyer, saying that the ship had been hijacked,” he explained, turning around just in time to fire another rocket at another wave of aliens. “I came to investigate myself after turning in my bounty, but I see someone decided to have some fun without asking me to join.”

“It was last minute?” Samus teased as she opened fire on a few of the surviving Elites. “C’mon! We have to get off this thing! Jessie has the timer running to deaden this place!”

Falcon nodded and led them back to the blast hole they had made on the top level. Along the way, Falcon had handed Jessie her blades, which made her really happy. She could now easily deflect the beams when needed and deliver a devastating blow that could pierce the shields. The three fought fiercely, troop after troop falling, writhing and screaming in their own blood as their compatriots had already passed to the next life. They could hear soft thudding echoing throughout the frigate. Jessie looked out the nearest window.

“Looks like they’re fleeing,” she reported. “We better do the same.”

“We’ll be fleeing, but they won’t…” Falcon replied, helping Samus out the hole. “C’mon!”

Jessie leapt as high as she could, and caught on to her brother’s arms. He dragged her out, the hunters now standing on the surface. More Pirates were standing in their way, but instead, they ran for the edge and jumped off as Samus covered for them and leapt off last. The Pirates and Elites thought it was suicidal, but they had no idea what was awaiting them.

Within a few minutes, the armor of the ship began to glow red. The bombs were exploding, a chain reaction that last for a good minute before the ship began to careen out of control and fire erupted from the hole on top. It was like a mechanical whale, diving into the lake to find solace from the destruction. Escape pods had been ejected, but Hayabusa Knight and Falcon Flyer – both on autopilot – along with the Federation Air Force, were taking down the ships one by one; only one or two managed to get away this time.

Alarms rapidly blared as section by section, the frigate began to fall apart, large sheets of metal crashing to the city while the main mass was heading towards the large lake. As soon as they were within the gravity well of the planet, the three held hands, making a loop as they were diving faster. Hayabusa Knight and Falcon Flyer flared their engines and began to drop like stooping birds of prey.

Jessie quickly let go and fanned herself out, carefully aiming for the older jet while Falcon still held on to Samus and pulled her towards the top of the Falcon Flyer. The hatches on both ships opened up as they began to pull up, the gees straining their bodies. Falcon and Jessie were very much used to this due to racing, but Samus wasn’t too sure if she could withstand this sort of thing every month, or even a 3-day period. Falcon pushed Samus in and jumped into the cockpit right away.

“Switch controls to manual, and get those thrusters in reverse to slow the bird down!” he ordered the ship’s navigation system. “Jessie, come in! Do you read me?”

The audio system crackled a bit with interference for a few minutes, only to hear the chirp of the younger sibling.

“I’m here, Falcon,” her voice cracked. “Shields seem to be slightly battered, along with the software, but all seems to be in good shape. Fuselage had quite a few dents, but those can be easily fixed when we head back to base. Laser turrets are damaged, but the MAC turrets are still good to go. Cooling them down and I’m pulling out. Gonna make sure that the far end of the city is ok.”

“Rendezvous with us as soon as you’re finished,” Falcon replied, now circling the city and landing in an open space.

A few minutes later, Hayabusa Knight landed next to the Falcon Flyer, and the three got out, watching the ship burn and explode as it crashed in the distance. Indeed, a fireworks display did happen, just as they wanted. The base exploded, sending a shockwave into the city. Jessie hopped out and stared at the burning horizon, the suit now hanging on her waist and the shockwave just breezing past through her feathers. Samus took off her helmet and climbed on to the top of Falcon Flyer. Sure enough, the craft was in flames, burning as it should in hell. Falcon climbed up and stood behind her.

“Mission accomplished, I suppose?” he asked in a very teasing tone.

“To an extent, yes, but that doesn’t make it complete…”

“Oh?”

“If the Pirates and Elites do manage to rebuild again, then we’ll have more trouble.”

“But, Samus, haven’t you done enough?” Jessie asked. “You’re only human, and need a break.”

“Yes, and you’re right,” the huntress replied. “Why don’t we just spend a week here and have fun, huh?”

“Sounds like a plan to me!” Falcon replied. “I need to crash for a bit before that race begins, which is here, by the way…”

“All race and no play for the legendary Captain Falcon?” Samus taunted, jumping off the ship. “Listen to your sister and just take a break, will you?”

“Now that you put it that way, since when have I listened to her?”

“Falcon!!!”

Samus only grinned as the two ran around each other. She looked at her ship.

“Adam, get your ship, Hayabusa Knight and Falcon Flyer to a garage,” she commanded. “Then meet us inside the Red Lion Casino. I’m sure you’ll enjoy yourself there at video poker.”

Adam actually beamed and nodded as he launched the three ships into the air and took them to safety, and then used his HFI to head into the casino. The hunters had all changed out of their hunting attire, all dressed for a night out. Samus had on a bright orange dress, heavily decorated with sequins while Jessie had on a sliver and black dress, also heavily decorated with sequins. Falcon was in a very sharp black suit, a yellow carnation tucked neatly in his pocket while Adam was also in a crisply pressed suit, a lily protruding from his breast pocket.

Falcon held out his arm and escorted Samus while Adam was watching over Jessie. It was one big party tonight in their honor for saving the city of glitz.

All was good, that is until the Pirates or the Elites decide to attack again…

End

I tell you, Sephina, you've got to play more Halo and Metroid before you head to bed! :laugh: I mean, c'mon... This one had me laughing really and I mean really hard.

I know that you don't have Metroid with you but maybe you can borrow someone's copy? :bigsmile: I mean, isn't that what friends are for? What? It's not? :lost:

Haha But honestly, this is a very funny and well written story. :amused:

This is really great! I love Metriod and so this is only natural that I love this! very well written and so creative! Keep this up!