T. Samus crept to the facility, sidling along under an overhanging ledge. She peered in a small skylight, swiftly withdrawing as she saw a guard standing nearby.

I hope their idea of beauty is the same as the humans’ back home, she thought, as a rather interesting idea for a distraction popped into her head. She walked back to the edge and dropped in, landing lightly on her feet. The guard turned around, his eyes widening as he saw her. She was apparently beautiful by Space Pirate standards. Good.

She sauntered up to him, swaying her hips provocatively, and while his attention was on her figure, her right hand was reaching around to the back of his neck, executing a Chozo Neck Pinch. He dropped to the floor without making a noise.

T. Samus triggered the communicator, saying “Hey Samus, all’s well. I’m in.”

“What? How did you get in without going through a door? All entry points are guarded.”

“Well, this one was, but he was eliminated by a, you might say –” T. Samus stifled a chuckle – “A ‘drop-dead’ gorgeous Terran.”

…

T. Samus worked her way into the further into the facility, avoiding guards when she could, and occasionally making use of the Chozo Neck Pinch when one cornered her. Unfortunately, she had no idea how to read the script that the Pirates used, and she did not have her scan visor to aid her. Neither did she have any clear idea of what exactly she was supposed to be doing now. She really hadn’t planned for what happened after she broke in.

In a flash, the answer came to her. It seemed obvious now. She needed to disable the security system! But how…

T. Samus hid herself in a supply closet, and locked it from the inside. She would now be guaranteed privacy while she meditated. She wanted to find locations that drained a lot of power, as these would surely be the laser turrets. Then, she would track the control signals back to a common source, as this would allow her to head there and – Hold on! I can just shut them down from here, if it’s close…

(scifigeek) (you can skip this bit, it just explains some of the workings of the Metroid universe -- it will become important in later fics, so you may want to read it)

I should probably explain what this means. When T. Samus – and probably Z. Samus as well – was rescued by the Chozo, she was injected with bone marrow and hormones from Old Bird, the Chozo who had taken Samus “under his wing”, so to speak, and became her adoptive father. This treatment toughened up her body, allowing her to survive on the harsh surface of Zebes (or Terra, in the parallel world). It had a few unintended side effects, though: her nervous system was now several times as dense as a normal human. This gave her improved senses and motor control, as well as an expanded memory. It also gave the ability to sense currents and nerve impulses, as she was basically a walking receiver for electromagnetic radiation. Of course, this worked both ways: for example, when she activated the nerves in her hand near someone’s neck, say, with a pinching motion, it would induce a signal in their spinal cord that knocked them out. It was this, and not any mechanical pressure to the victim's neck, that constitutes a Chozo Neck Pinch.

(/scifigeek)

T. Samus breathed in…counted to two…breathed out…counted to three…breathed in…counted to four…breathed out…counted to four… She felt the tingling of power cables, and they traced themselves into a sort of web in her mind’s eye. They glowed according to power consumption, and showed the flow of power. In the direct center, there was a glowing nexus, probably the power plant. Thin little lines traced outwards, to pinpricks of light, probably workstations. T. Samus decided to test her ability to influence the equipment on these. Five Pirates working on computers experienced a sudden loss of power at their workstations and never found out why.

Other, much thicker lines traced to points on the edge of the circle formed by the power grid. These must be the turrets. Thin lines snaked from each dot to a point, signifying the control room. T. Samus grinned inwardly, and neatly shut down power to said room, taking the turrets offline.

She came out of her trance to the sound of alarms. The Pirates were running helter-skelter, trying to find the saboteur. T. Samus keyed her comlink to her twin.

“Samus, get in here! I’ve got those turrets offline, you can make it! And grab my suit if you can!”

Z. Samus jumped from her seat and pulled her power suit from its hook, and T. Samus’ as well. With a fwazamm and a flash of light, the suit attached itself to her body, fitting over her like a second exoskeleton. “Okay Samus, I’m coming.”