Samus stared up at the huge bulbous monstrosity before her and slowly levelled her arm cannon with its eye. It had all come down to this. The final shot. But something made her falter. Something she couldn't explain. It was that fraction of a second that allowed Mother to retaliate. Samus shrieked as the pain ripped through her arm, blood pouring down onto her once amber armour. Mother had fired her last beam of concentrated energy from her eye, in the hopes of stopping the Huntress.

And still, Samus managed to raise her arm again.

No. Not yet. I'm not finished with you.

It took something short of a miracle for Samus to fire her cannon at Mother, not a hint of mercy in her eyes. Just pure hatred. She remembered why she was doing this. Her colony. Her family. She was all that remained, carrying with her all the pain and suffering of her people. And that's what drove her.

The beast above let out a twisted howl as it melted away in its container, gore and flesh dripping down the sides of it.

All was silent.

Had she done it? Was the mission over?

And then the alarm sounded.

She knew inside that she wouldn't make it out alive. Not in the current state she was in. She looked down at her arm that was barely holding itself together, then down at her legs that were embedded with shrapnel.

How am I even standing?

That question was swiftly answered by her legs giving out. She crashed to the floor with a yelp from the pain, but managed to break some of the fall with her left arm. It didn't matter. She knew she was going to die.

WARNING. ONE MINUTE UNTIL DETONATION OF FACILITY. EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY.

She just lay there on the ground, limbs scattered in whatever position they fell in. She couldn't feel them anymore, so she didn't care.

''So this is it, huh?" she managed to let out a small chuckle. "Never thought it'd end like this".

WARNING. 30 SECONDS UNTIL DETONATION OF FACILITY. EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY.

She closed her eyes, forcing every other thought from her mind, wanting only to dream of her family. Her father. Her mother. She would be with them soon. And she knew she must have been dreaming when she felt a pair of strong arms pick up her broken and shattered body, carrying her away from the stench of flame and death. She was too far gone to know, or even care. It was too good to be true.

Was it?

A/N: Hey guys, this is my first fanfic in years so I'm probably a bit rusty. Read and review please! Let me know if you would like me to continue this fic (it was supposed to be a oneshot) but I will attempt to, even with school.

A3ON