Metroid: The Last Aurealian *REWRITE*

The Federation Treasure Yards

I silently clung onto the cargo container, gripping the top railing with the full strength of my hands and the bottom with the arches of my feet. Sweat beads between my brows and I lick it off the tip of my nose. I should've taken my shoes off before climbing this thing, think as I try to keep balance. I can climb so much easier with my bare toes gripping whatever surface I was clinging to. It didn't matter in this scenario, if nobody saw or heard me, I would be fine.

My head is turned to the corner as I observe a massive container easily three times the size of mine. A Federation worker approaches the vast ivory white box, clad in a subdued blue uniform with the silver insignia glimmering on his chest. He steps in front of the scanner built into the container presenting his ID card before typing a code. With my free hand, I pull out my small binoculars and watch the numbers he types in. Okay, that's easy to remember, think to myself positively.

The massive hinges open, presenting me a full view of my objective. Vast bundles of nonperishable food shipped from all over the galaxy and stocked in the shipyard before going out to supply the countless denizens of the Galactic Federation's capital city. How nice would it be for someone to help lighten the load? I watched the Federation worker take notes of the provisions, typing something down on a panel he held before leaving the container. The hinges clanged shut and the container was closed again, but I didn't leave my spot until the man's steady heartbeat grew further away, and I was unable to hear it. I'm in the clear, here's the easy part.

I climbed nimbly down the container and ran towards my objective, keeping a sharp ear out for anyone approaching. I would be able to hear someone before I could see them, people, for some reason, had exceptionally loud heartbeats and their breathing even louder. Either that or I had that good of hearing, it wasn't the only thing that would have made me unique. With everything cleared and nobody nearby, I approached the cargo's scanner and presented an ID card I generously 'borrowed' from a sleeping worker. When it asks for the code, I punch it in. 7253, that's all there is to it! The treasure trove opens and I'm able to reap the rewards.

Mountains of stacked food surrounded me, all organized into groups. Fruit on one pile, meat on the other, it was easy pickings. I took off the worn brown bag from my shoulder and stuffed it up as much as I could from each pile, making sure I had all of the food groups with me. Even the veggies, which I wasn't overly fond of. To ensure nobody would notice something was missing, I moved adjacent packs to fill up the spaces left open, leaving things nearly the way I saw them while still reorganizing some of it. Once I was done, I zipped the bag closed and hauled it over my shoulders. This heavy load would last us weeks, and we needed as much as I could stuff down in my old brown bag of mine.

The hinges close with a loud bang swallowing me into darkness. My heart races and I run to the door trying to wrench it open. I scream, cursing foreign curses not even caring if somebody heard me. It was no use; they were jammed shut. I was stuck inside a storage container with pilfered contents and no way to get out.

Now what do I do!? I pace more frustrated than frightened. There was only so much oxygen I could breathe and eventually I would suffocate. How did people survive being trapped in places? One thing I knew was not panicking. I needed to calm down, so I wouldn't breathe so fast and waste air. I took a deep breath and tied to relax. Okay, I can't be the only one who's ever gotten stuck in these things. There must be an emergency exit, or a button that will open the container. It was pitch black, couldn't even see my hand in front of my face.

I felt around the edges of the storage, hoping to find a button of some sort. Nope, not a single bump. Great, now I'm screwed. My hand touched one of the packs, at least I would wouldn't starve to death. That is, until my wristband glowed in its eerie gold light, the mark of the Chozo shedding light onto the darkness. I raised my right hand where the wristband was now stuck tightly, I couldn't budge it like I normally do. Whenever I was stressed the thing would stick to my skin as though it wanted to be a part of me. It felt like a part of me, I never stopped wearing it since the moment it was given to me years ago, on a distant planet when I was no more than a toddler. With my personal flashlight, I saw at the hinges a card scanner glowing faintly. Why I didn't see it in the pitch darkness I have no idea. Relief jolted my nerves and I scramble to the scanner fumbling my card out. Presenting it to the scanner the hinges clicked opened and I was free. I muttered, walking joyfully out into the light and blundering face to face into a scowling Federation officer.