⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪ters broke down. Trying to stabilize the "casualties," Mother Brain took her attention off the power supply for not even a billie all Zebesian Space Pirates know. The original Mother Brain was just a network, a web of supercomputers. They were inferior by today's standards, but a huge improvement in technology for the pirates. A problem-solving program was invented, but never perfected. It now lay dormant under all the other programs never completed.
Then the Metroids were discovered. The Space Pirates tested with them, trying to find out how they worked. The idea of merging one with circuitry was thought up. The Space Pirates, eager to test this new technology, went through many Metroids, each of them inferior and unable to handle the stress of technology.
A few Metroids remained, though. They were the strongest, and survived the rigorous testing. One of these was a Metroid to be called Mother Brain. She not only went perfectly with the computers, she could manage a lot more than the Space Pirates could ever have imagined. She handled networks, created simulations, and archived information instantaneously. A multi-tasking supercomputer, Mother Brain was the ultimate in Space Pirate technology. No other weapons improvements, interstellar travel, or storing unit could ever bypass Mother Brain. A combination of different technologies, she was the result of years of collecting parts and studying organisms and other species.
The Federation wanted their own version of this huge leap in science, so they created organic-based computers that could "think" on their own. These mimic computers were called Aurora Units. These Aurora Units could never beat Mother Brain alone, but a network… Mother Brain was getting old. Her technology was out of date, and parts were constantly being repaired and replaced. The Metroids were beginning to be eradicated, and the Space Pirates were beginning to wonde⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪n surging through her, absorbing all that was her. If she had her physical body, then it would be easier to fend off the Phazon.yday, she fought back and stood her ground. Other supercomputers, artificially built, were being developed. She would soon be found out and destroyed.
Over her cold, dead, circuit-ridden body.
Mother Brain was currently spying on tests with new technologies in the testing labs. Of course, she was also doing other things, but this was the primary task. She had several slave computers to do busy work, but they were not organic-based. For now.
Multiple Space Pirate scientists, each of them with specially modified skin and other unique abilities, were working on a Phazon-based fusion bomb nearby. If it worked, it would be an advancement in warfare technology. Of course, there would always be the testing. Usually, it was up to Mother Brain to decide whether it would work or not. The Pirates were piteously unaware of this. She could "tweak" a thing or two, and the whole experiment could go wrong. The testing of this fusion bomb was left to one of the new supercomputers, still undergoing testing. Two testings, one problem. Mother Brain would make sure the problem was in the computer that ran the operation.
The Phazon-based bomb was not the experiment Mother Brain was spying on, only a few asteroids away. Mother Brain was spread out throughout Space Pirate space, in different computers. Mother Brain was the entire network of computers that ran the Space Pirates. She could do things no-one thought possible. Focusing on the testing, she "watched," through security cameras and sensors, the progress that was being made. The Space Pirates were delicately constructing a machine, one that would improve mobility in space-based craft. Thrusters were added, and a cockpit. It was a one-person vehicle, one that was meant for space alone, never to touch a planet. The silent e⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪azon being, as Mother Brain was unable to do now. He stood his ground as the being advanced, and soldiers fled from its presenced one. "Accidents" like this happened every day, and no-one suspected it was Mother Brain. To them, she was dead. It was being tested, and anything could happen. With Mother Brain, anything did happen.
She didn't have a personal grudge or anything with any of the Pirates. It was just that even though they wanted new technology and advancements, they had to be kept in check. Technology had to rise a certain rate, or else they would start blowing themselves up. That also happened on a regular basis, but for Mother Brain, it was all planned.
Mother knows best, after all.
Now, no-one knew of her existence. Few remembered that super-computer that was once known as Mother Brain. But she lived. Yes, that pitiful Metroid had tried to destroy her, and had given its life for Samus Aran. Her physical body destroyed, Mother Brain had lost a lot. Her ability to think was crippled, and most of her programs had been erased, never to be used again. But they overlooked some programs. Old programs that had been hidden from the archive scans. These were the programs that had saved Mother Brain. She had used them to rise up from the ashes, and soon gained access to the entirety of the Space Pirate Network. She now created her own programs, and gave herself commands. She could order an immediate self-destruct of all the stations, or reveal herself and assume command. For now, she was secret. Her files and applications were hidden, covered up by clever titles and false information. She waited, and continued to mess with the newer computers.
"We are ready, General Weavel," one of the soldiers reported.
"Good. Make sure all things are ready, and hook 'er up on my order," General Weavel stood on a rise, watching the activity. A large machine dominated the room. Blue circuits flo⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪⨪ue where it had not too recently stood. The remaining Space Pirates looked around, confused. It had just, disappeared.
The Phaas if it were a giant heart beating, beating.
Workers gathered around the monolith machine, staying their distance. Others went up close to it and checked various panels. Then they too backed off. A red light flashed overhead, and a low beep emanated from surrounding speakers. Two soldiers simultaneously turned twin keys and a thick, clear wall lowered itself over the entire structure. Weavel then keyed a command, and projectors established a high-security field around the wall.
"Do it."
At that order, the soldiers with the twin keys added other keys to their panels. Typing a single command, the soldiers backed away from the console. Pulsing faster, the blue liquid speed increased. The room was washed in the flashing purple light from the combined light rays of the tube and the alarm light.
The Phazon-powered supercomputer was up and running.
Mother Brain felt a presence. It was unlike any other she had felt before. Discontinuing the spying on the labs, she checked all security monitors for any foreign computer. It detected none. Strange. She had been expecting a new hacker, or a misuse of military computers. There it was again. It swam inside her, studied her, became her. And as soon as it had appeared, it vanished. She tried to track it, but as far as anything went, it had never happened. If it thought it could mess with Mother Brain, and get away with it, they were wrong.
"We will leave it here overnight. All of you get some rest. You'll need it for tomorrow," one of the commanding officers ordered the Pirate crew. Soon, the lab with the pulsing machine was nearly empty, and eerily quiet.
"When will we use it with the other computers?" asked the officer.
"Soon. We will have to run several tests to make sure it can handle it. It will be hooked up to the network in a week, two tops. I won't be here then. I have," Weavel paused, "business, to take care of."
"We will await your return, General."
"As always. Keep things running 'till I get back."
The Space Pirate General, in his mobile life-support system, limped off the platform and out the doors. Only his brain and nerve cord had survived the attack. He had been a harsh commanding officer, but now, he was different. Slightly, confused. The officer shook his head. He wasn't about to miss the old Weavel. Walking away, he paused at the door. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw movement. Turning towards the huge glowing tower, he studied the shadows for a minute. Walking out of the lab, he figured his eyes were playing tricks on him. Stopping short, he whisked around. As the double doors closed, the purple light flickered off. Opening the doors again, he peered into the dim lab. The tube was empty. Then new blue fluid poured into the container, and the purple hue returned.
Sighing, the officer backed away from the lab. He had stepped inside the lab, and the double doors were shut. He stood in front of them, expecting them to slide open. They did not. Frowning, he went to a nearby panel and manually ordered the doors to open. A low whoosh satisfied him as the doors opened. Just as he reached them, they slammed shut. A little concerned, but far from panicking, he walked to a console. There, he opened a link to the communications station.
The screen turned blue for a second, which was unusual. The words LINK MADE appeared, and disappeared. All the other console monitors then went blank. No light but the glow of the tube showed. Now the officer was beginning to panic. Taking a deep breath, he searched the room for a weapons closet. He would have to blow the door down. Finding one, he opened it and selected a heavy duty energy rifle. It would have to do. The large weapon weighed him down as he walked over to the door.
Suddenly, the blue light disappeared. He was in pitch blackness, save for the flashing red light. A high-pitched scream came from the location of the machine. The officer told himself that he was in no danger: there was a thick wall and a field protecting him. Advancing footsteps caused him to believe otherwise.
General Weavel stood up from his bed. He was in the ward for the injured. He always slept in the soft cots for the injured. He was an injured warrior, so he was forced to remain in the care of the ward's attendees. He was often given leave off the orbiting station, and he usually took longer than usual to return.
Glancing at the solitary computer in the corner of his private bedroom, he saw a message blinking. Walking closer, he saw the words EMERGENCY: FAILURE IN LAB 23C. ASSISTANCE RQUIRED IMMEDIATELY. 23C was the lab he was in last night, with that commanding officer. Now, what was his name? Oh, he forgot. He wasn't good at remembering things, anyway.
Walking casually down the hall, he saw emergency lights blinking and soldiers rushing past him, not even bothering to salute. Weavel frowned at this. No matter what the crisis was, order should always be maintained. One soldier ran up to Weavel.
"Come with me, General Weavel. There's been a breach in security," the soldier told him.
Slightly confused, Weavel followed the obviously disturbed soldier to the lab. A large, gaping hole occupied the place where the double doors used to stand. A tunnel of see-through plastic had been erected inside the lab. It was quarantined. Not having to don a protective suit because of his mobile life-support system, Weavel walked inside. Pirates made a path for him. The machine was destroyed, rubble was everywhere. Console screens had imploded, and clean-up crews in dark yellow hazard suits were picking up circuitry and machine parts. The field and wall were gone, and weapon-fire marks were everywhere on the walls. There had been a fight.
"General Weavel, the Phazon is gone."
Still looking at the mess, General Weavel disregarded the officer's remark.
"Where's that officer, that really nice one…" Weavel trailed off, trying to think.
"You mean Uni, General Weavel?"
"Yes, that sounds right. Where'd he go? I left him here last night…"
"Then that's what happened. Maybe Uni opened a link to the communications station in the lab, giving the Phazon a way out into the network! We'll have every computer examined thoroughly."
Saluting, the Space Pirate officer hurried to command his troops. General Weavel looked up at the ceiling, at the holes where the Phazon-carrying tubes had been. A low, blue glow came from one of them. Grabbing a nearby security officer's weapon, Weavel pointed it at the glow from the ceiling. Firing off a shot, he reloaded the gun. A blood-chilling scream stopped all activity. A blue figure dropped to the ground. General Weavel didn't have the best memory, and he had been changed by the battle that had restricted him to his suit, but he was still the best fighter among the Space Pirates. His suit had many enhancements that allowed for combat, including one that allowed him to split in two. He had a battle with Phazon to take care of.
Mother Brain sensed it yet again. That strange presence, unlike any other. It was intelligent, not stupid. It would have to be eradicated. Stretching out, she felt for it. She felt it, in her grasp, and then suddenly it was there, with Mother Brain. Two presences, one system. Mother Brain was determined to take care of the other presence, for the original was her. She engaged in combat as only computers can, and the two fought. The strange presence was young and strong, but Mother Brain had experience. She would fight to the bitter end for her adopted children, the Space Pirates.
The two equally powerful entities fought for control of the Pirate network, exchanging blows that would easily cripple a flesh-and-blood creature. The new entity, whose identity was now known as Phazon, reached for power supply controls. Mother Brain defended it, fighting off the hungry tentacles of the ravenous Phazon. She alone kept the network of computers from failing utterly. The Phazon became enraged, unable to win the battle. Then it did something strange. Circuits began exploding, consoles crackled, and computers broke down. Trying to stabilize the "casualties," Mother Brain took her attention off the power supply for not even a billionth of a second. And yet that was enough. The Phazon slipped in and cut off all power. Mother Brain was helpless with the Phazon surging through her, absorbing all that was her. If she had her physical body, then it would be easier to fend off the Phazon. But since that pesky Metroid had destroyed it, Mother Brain could not raise a single finger.
General Weavel fought off the Phazon being, as Mother Brain was unable to do now. He stood his ground as the being advanced, and soldiers fled from its presence. It reached the general, and reached out. Tendrils of pulsing energy, oozing power, found its way to Weavel's neck. Weavel dropped to the floor, and the blue entity screamed in victory. Turning to the other Pirates, it shot out tentacles and killed many of the insect-like Pirates. Suddenly, to its surprise, it collapsed into a puddle of liquid, and evaporated, leaving a blob of blue where it had not too recently stood. The remaining Space Pirates looked around, confused. It had just, disappeared.
The Phazon began to dissolve Mother Brain. She was helpless without power. No backup systems were online, no quick escapes. Mother Brain, survivor of all and head of the Space Pirates, died under the infestation that was Phazon. Completely in control, the new entity began destroying systems and eliminated programs. It needed no programs to operate, and no power supply. It was unstoppable.
Feeling a wave of energy pass over, the Phazon felt a cold blanket envelope it, suffocating it. Reaching out, the Phazon received no help, no support. Then it, too, melted and vanished from the Space Pirate network.
Computers that had crashed, most inoperable and beyond repair, were everywhere. Officers rushed to maintain fires that had broken out. Soldiers worked at the remaining computers, trying to figure out what had happened. A main screen, unbelievably intact, fuzzed and cleared to show an incoming transmission. It was a text message, quickly typed. It was dated hours ago, since spatial explosions sometimes distorted messages.
-Reinforcements needed. Samus Aran has breached security.-Samus has disrupted mining activity on planet Phaaze. Dark Samus has been dispatched to fix the problem.
-Samus has reached core of planet. Battle between her and Dark Samus has occurred. Samus is losing.
-Samus destroyed Dark Samus! Planet set to self-destruct. Orders to e93cute hiec beeeee ggeinv- syeeeetm fail-opie immi38fn.dsfjsfsf329hfdlkj .ewlkdv'sf—
-Manijed ta iscapa enshootl plent boot toeexplod mist ootrin blast weeve—
-shuttle systems nonfunctional. Using last power reserves to contact base. Element Phazon has been rendered inert from Samus's destruction of the planet Phaaze. Life support failing, not too much time left…