First to Fall

[onemorebounty]

*Samus slumped into the seat in her ship, letting slip a weary sigh before prodding the comm unit. She set the standard encryptions on the signal, then opened a comm line to the Olympus--and, just in case Ali was elsewhere at the moment, to her ship as well.*

This is Hunter Aran, reporting in. Rundas is dead, and I need a drink.

Comments

[vicioussweetie]

"--so shut it, Dane, before I shut things for you!" Ali may be first to the comm, but she's not done yelling at the Admiral. Not by a long shot. (They've been fighting since she found out about the tracking devices added to Samus' suit.)

"Samus? What happened?"

[onemorebounty]

*Dane bristles, finger poised to wag at Ali as he argues back with the vital importance of knowing where their last remaining Hunter is, and given her condition, how she's doing. But the question is one he wants answered, too.*

He was under Dark Samus' control. He avoided me, then attacked me. Hyper mode is great, by the way--everything else gets tougher and I bleed out. Excellent design.

*She pauses to sip at some of the nutrient gel carried in her suit.*

[vicioussweetie]

Ali shoots Dane a look that makes the consequences of wagging his finger at her clear: namely, she'll break it off and shove it up his ass.

"So I take it your BFF was there, too. How did hyper mode make things tougher? Maybe you should come back here to have the system looked at before continuing the mission."

[onemorebounty]

It pulls phazon from every other suit system--did I mention my suit runs on phazon now? Thank you, Admiral--including shields, life support, and my blood, to power the weapon.

*Dane interjects.*

Dark Samus was there, and you didn't engage? What happened?

*Samus' irritation is clear, even through her visor.*

Not in the flesh, no. It was more like... a ghost.