Mechanical Minds

Life's a Beach

It was safe to say that Susie was not enjoying her time among the flora and fauna of Popstar. More specifically, her slow trudge along the shore of what her database had deemed 'Orange Ocean'. That was before her beloved Mech had finally run out of power of course. She stared wistfully behind her for a moment, towards the now distant alcove she had hidden the powerless machine within. It had held out for weeks, but without the charging station aboard the now obliterated Access Ark, there was nothing she could do.

The soft pale sand had been pleasant on her bare feet at first, but now it had begun to abrade at her skin. Susie shielded her eyes with one hand, gazing ahead through the glare of the sun. A large, foreboding building rose up in the distance, shimmering in the heat. It was the only sign of civilization for miles. She huffed and strode over to the slight shade of a palm tree. Susie laid her helmet and shoes on the sand before sitting heavily. The cool sea breeze ruffled her disheveled hair.

"What a mess" she sighed, leaning against the trunk of the tree. She allowed her eyes to slide closed, giving them a rest from the harsh sunlight. A sudden flush of cool shade brought a slight smile. The wind must have shifted the palm fronds. Her moment of peace did not last, however.

"GAH!" an errant coconut smacked into her shoulder before landing softly in the sand. Susie rubbed her shoulder before smacking the offending object in a fit of rage. She hissed in pain and gripped her now throbbing hand. A deep chuckle carried slightly over the whistling breeze, and Susie froze. She threw her head back, staring up the tree at the source of the sound. There was nothing there save for palm fronds gently waving in the wind. A soft thud and the sound of rustling fabric interrupted her sigh of relief.

"What do we have here?" the voice was smooth and... familiar. She froze, and glanced at the man standing before her. A midnight blue cape fluttered in the breeze, and his piercing eyes gazed out from behind an angular visor. She resisted the urge to flee, and instead steeled her expression.

"Meta Knight" she hissed. The man only tilted his head. Susie couldn't stop the shudder that ran down her spine. The man had the means and the motive to make her day go very badly.

"I find it strange that you would remember my name, seeing as you tried so hard to make me forget it" he said. His words dripped with more venom than a Miasmoros.

"Just hurry up and kill me already" she groaned. A flash of irritation crossed Meta's eyes, and he shook his head.

"I don't slaughter unarmed enemies. And I'm inclined to believe that you could prove useful to me" he replied.

"So what, you followed me?" she snapped.

"I kept tabs until your bothersome machine fell out of commission" Meta deadpanned. Susie was pretty sure the implications of a heavily armed man following a woman until her method of transportation broke down escaped him.

"Look, either take your revenge or leave me be. I've a lot of work to do" she griped.

"Work?" Meta let his voice trail off, making a show of surveying the idyllic beach. Susie bristled.

"I've been hiking along this Nova-forsaken beach for hours-"

"To arrive at that compound in the distance, yes?" he interrupted. Susie glanced at the aforementioned structure.

"I suppose" she said haughtily. She could swear a spark of green crossed Meta's eyes as he looked at her thoughtfully.

"I have a proposal-"

"No"

"-In return for your knowledge, I could provide you shelter and materials" he finished, ignoring the interjection. Meta shot her a sudden withering glare. "Or... I could kidnap you and use some of those lovely techniques you inflicted upon me to extract the information." There it was. The cold defiance and ruthlessness that had so impressed her. Susie narrowed her eyes, before sighing.

"Fine. It's a deal" she said, holding out her hand. The handshake was entirely too rough on the Knight's part, but Susie didn't falter. Perhaps there was information she could gleam as well. Meta stepped back.

"I will meet you there then" he said, nodding toward the distant compound.

"Wait, can't you-?!" she was cut off by the flapping of two large bat-like wings as Meta took off, shooting skyward before arcing gracefully towards what she now presumed was his property. Susie held back a scream of rage as she snatched her belongings from the sand and trudged onward.

The sun had long set by the time Susie arrived at the massive front door of the Knight's base. He was perched atop the structure, gazing into the distance. Before she could say anything, Meta unfurled his wings and glided down to meet her. She mentally noted his affinity for high places.

"You know, not everyone has wings" she chirped, in a voice as falsely cheery as she was angry.

"I refuse to carry you" he said simply. His wings melded back into his cape in one swift, fluid motion. It was hypnotizing to watch, and Susie had to wrench her gaze away. Meta turned on his heel without another word. The doors swung upon as if on cue.

"Sir!" a young woman with orange hair approached Meta. Susie recognized her cheek markings as being those of a Waddle Dee. She quickly noticed Susie. "You-"

"Sailor Dee, I believe we've already discussed this" Meta intoned. The woman huffed quietly but fell silent.

"Oh my. I'm not exactly getting a warm welcome, am I?" Susie drawled. Dee shot her a surprisingly withering look.

"I'll speak with you later, Sir" she said stiffly, before stalking off.

"The others declined to even meet you" Meta quipped. "I don't blame them. You are an exceedingly unpleasant person."

"Ever the gentleman, aren't you?" she shot back. Meta seemed satisfied with getting a rise out of her.

"Enough chatter. Come." He abruptly turned and began a swift stride deeper into the base. Susie trailed after, easily keeping pace. Meta only came up to around her shoulder, and swift steps cannot entirely make up for short legs. They twisted and turned through cold metal corridors until they came upon one that was distinctly homier. The metal floor was covered with a short velvety carpet, and each door was adorned with differing décor. He walked to one of several undecorated doors, and swung it open.

It was bare, but serviceable. The bed looked comfortable enough, and several other basic furnishings were scattered about as well. The desk especially caught her eye. It was large and bare, with many different drawers and cubby holes. Meta promptly set a very familiar piece of equipment on it. A hologram screen with a large 'H' logo.

"Can you de-encrypt this?" he asked. Susie narrowed her eyes.

"Of course, who do you take me f-"

"Then do so" he snapped. Meta turned and exited the room, pausing to look back at her. "Promptly" he added, before slamming the door shut. A click emanated from the door, indicating it had been locked. Susie resisted the urge to go bang on the door. It would be an exercise in futility anyway. The screen glowed softly, instilling many memories within her. Not all of them were pleasant, but it was familiar. So she set to work.