Chapter 4: Ambushed
Samus skidded to a halt at the edge of the forest, her boots throwing up small chunks of earth and plant matter as they dug into the soft ground. Under her helmet, a smirk spread across her face. The ship's sensors were spot on, she thought to herself.
Stretching out for miles in either direction was the massive outer wall of a Pirate facility. Most of the wall was covered in ivy and other plants from the forest, and she was quite certain that several small animals had taken up residence in the shelter provided by the vegetation.
"Hey, why'y you- Oh," Maxis said, coming to a hlt next to the Hunter. "They don't do anything subtly, do they?" he remarked.
"They rarely do. Come on," Samus said, motioning for him to follow. She ran alongside the wall, using it as a guide to find exactly what she was looking for. Standing before them was a massive entry door, which was suspiciously unguarded. Something that bothered Samus, but she didn't dwell on it. The guards were probably further inside the base, guarding something important. They probably figured that no one would actually be able to get inside, and even if they did, the Pirates never kept the really important things in the open.
Sliding aside an dirt-encrusted panel revealed the security console that would allow those with proper authorisation access. Thanks to the technology of her suit, Samus ALWAYS had proper authorization, at least for the low-level security. Within a few seconds of interfacing with the machine, she had unlocked the door. There was a soft click, followed by a grinding sound as the door slid aside to grant access to the two. "That was easier than expected," Samus remarked. She shivered slightly as she felt a chill creep down her spine. Something was still bugging her about this, but she still couldn't figure out what it was. She walked a bit deeper into the facility, examining the lettering on several of the buildings.
"Let's hope it stays this easy," Maxis said, following the Hunter through the entryway. He cast a cautious glance at their surroundings. Nothing but empty space and storage warehouse, save a large tower peeking over the tops of the small buildings around it. "Where're the guards?" Maxis asked, as he finished surveying the area.
It was at this moment that everything seemed to fall into place. The lack of security, both inside the base, and on the entry software. The fact that they had not been swarmed by pirates the moment they set foot inside. That feeling that had been gnawing at her conciousness since they had set out. Everything had been all too easy up until this point, and Samus had finally realized why.
"Shit."
She whirled around to warn Maxis, only to find him fending off half a dozen assailants. "Sonuva-!" Just as she raised her arm cannon, she was struck from behind with enough force to knock her helmet clean off. It skidded across the ground, and out of reach. Samus lurched forward, feeling a hand to the back of her head. A trickle of warm liquid ran down her fingers. Her vision was blurred, and her body didn't seem to want to respond. She stumbled to the side, slamming her shoulder into the side of one of the warehouses, before tumbling to the ground. She fought to maintain conciousness, but couldn't shake away the fog creeping into her mind. As the world fell out from under her, she caught a glimpse of a cruel, jagged grin, and everything went black.
Yeah, it was short, but again, I tend to use short chapters to set up for longer ones. Anyways, keep reviewing, people!
Until next time, you know what to do.
Stay Snazzy!