The Black Vipers

VI.

The normally grey, overcast sky in Bristol is instead enshrouded with a thick cloud of black, toxic smoke, as a joint operation by the Crimson Hunters and the Black Vipers inflict devastation among the city. Samus could hear the blood-chilling screams from the city as civilians were slaughtered like disgusting animals; the ear-piercing explosions from bombs dropped by Terror-class bombers, and could smell the choking stench of burnt fuel and debris. Trying to clear her head, she navigates the irrigation system. Almost immediately after emerging from the circular-shaped well, she encountered multiple Black Vipers mercenaries, along with Autoads, robotic machines that jump up and down like toads in a pond. Samus recognizes them from her past mission to SR388. Almost immediately, the Autoads begin beeping erratically, alerting the Black Vipers mercenaries standing guard. With the element of stealth lost, Samus shoots and destroys the lone Autoad, exploding in a fiery heap into the river, polluted with debris and fuel from the city. The Black Vipers mercenaries begin firing at Samus, but as anticipated, the guards’ aiming is laughably bad to Samus. Samus dodges the first guard’s fire and seizes him, using him as a human shield. The other guard, panicking, tries to kill Samus, but the inefficient and inaccurate Gamma Carbines assigned to the Black Vipers are abysmal, even at mid-range with the target in view. The mercenary accidentally shoots his comrade, and Samus throws the body into the murky water. Samus opens her arm cannon at the front and quickly discharges a missile, impacting just meters away from the mercenary. Hit by the concussion, the mercenary falls forwards and into the toxic river to his death.

Knowing t...

... middle of paper ...

... in the pollution-filled river. Furious, Samus continues on through the city, killing where necessary. She arrives at the marketplace to witness a slaughter ground turned-battleground, as civilians’ rebel against the Black Vipers. Samus swiftly bombards the Black Vipers with a barrage of Battlehammer shells, killing the mercenaries, but her efforts are too late; the civilians have all been killed. Furthermore, a Terror-class bomber releases a carpet bomb attack on the marketplace, flattening a large portion of the area. Enraged, Samus uses her morphball to reach a hidden door on the floor above the marketplace, and enters an unwelcoming area. She climbs over a platform and lands on a rocky path. A series of low-pitched beeps are heard, as an unidentified robot detects Samus.

Is that a Gunzoo I hear? Samus thinks, before being shot at seconds later by the former.