SAMUS ARAN

Chapter One

She feels one with the Rhythm... Perfect. Divine. This intense movement is excellence experienced through striving... Samus feels nothing as her body moves mindlessly through its own, personally defined trail circuit. Her body takes turns down shrubbery lined worn patches of dirt and the diversions barely scratch at her occasional conscious thoughts. Her soul knows the trail now over her mind. The air is crisp with the scent of autumn's unique flavour this early morning. The streets, lanes, and open parkways she crosses will remain under the cover of darkness, void of much life for the next hour or so. She's lived in Portland Oregon for the better part of her life now. Maybe she should think about laying down roots here, she thinks.

   Samus breathes it in again, feeling the sweat on her brow drying cold against the skin as she joins herself with the early morning. The breeze that surrounds her is transporting morning dew droplets that collect over her brow and cheeks. Instinctive decisions are coupled with her unconscious bodily responses that seem to occur effortlessly as her arms and torso jeer and jive from side to side when needed to avoid incoming obstacles that crowd the shadowy trail. Low hanging and fallen branches attempt to trip her. She hops, leaps even, to avoid the obstacles on the cluttered trail. There were some good wind gusts last night, she recalls as her mind continues to rest during this – her favourite time – the time where she's alone, and too absorbed in the simple task at hand to allow anything else to dampen her spirits. She's happy. She knows she's doing the right thing with her life in this moment, and the best part is she doesn't have to question it. She's fully awake, and dreaming all at once as her legs seem to carry away her mind.

    Haphazardly breaking out of her lucid daydreaming, she imagines the city park crews tidying up her pathway shortly after daybreak. They likely won't get to the secluded park areas for weeks, she thinks; then, breaking from her serenity even further, entering the no-no zone that she promises herself she wouldn't go to during her run, she wonders if she should apply to the parks department, forget about her career in piloting with the air force, and just command herself to focus on what matters: being a mother, and tidying up the running paths around town. That life could be so easy, she thinks while momentarily picturing herself as just "one of the guys" on the Portland, Oregon parks maintenance crew.

   Shaking her head for clarity's sake, she attempts once again to find her running rhythm. For Samus, it's that place she can get to on occasion, where when you're there, you don't know that you're there, until you leave, and get bogged down by incoming thoughts again. She struggles while batting away her recurring mini nightmares about everything from the world ending, to how she was going to pay for Maya's private school enrollment fees next year, and everything in between. Noticing her form slouching, she lets out a huge exhale and looks straight ahead, acting as her own drill sergeant, she demands better performance from her mind, body, and spirit. A hop, skip, and a jump over the litter left behind from the seasonally transforming Mega Bonsai's and Grand Oaks that line much of her pathway, Samus wants to change her focus now, trying to appreciate the natural beauty found in her colourful surroundings. The dim natural lighting still can't hush the landscape's brilliance completely. A motion sensing Ped-i-Lamp shines a cone of light down on her from overhead. Her body is cast in a moonlight, blueish-white shade spot light that follows every twist and turn that she takes, making for a uniquely man-made glow that defines her perspective. Totally worth the tax payer investment, she thinks of her mobilized, silent running partner meant to keep runners safe in the dark hours. The Ped-i-Lamp's were the only thing she heard the mayoral candidate's say in the last city election. Mayor Chao's main campaign promise was to spend on these new, smart security lamps throughout the city, starting in the down town. Samus couldn't imagine running without them now. She couldn't say if crime was down because of them, but she certainly felt safer running in the dark with her quiet, floating body guard overhead. Ped-i-Lamps recorded any crimes in progress and alerted the local police detachment with a live feed of events. These specialized drones work as a team and would call their own reinforcements to give chase to the suspect. Samus thought that the suspects would need a military grade Varia Suit to outrun a Ped-i-Lamp. She'd given up trying to lose one herself after reading they can hit sixty-miles-per-hour at top speed.