Metroid

The Untold Story

Jadie Pearl

Dedicated to my loving godmother, Lorraine Mangiaracina.

All this world needs for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.

—Winston Churchill

It was but a mere generation ago that we were a thriving species. Our kind were prosperous, scientific, and peaceful. Our exploration missions came to the peaceful co-inhabitance of other planets, exchanging scientific research and advancements with the native population. Our Alliance was powerful.

A darkness however, sought to destroy all that we had become. The swarm of endless greed filled the hearts of a naïve people. Their insatiable thirst to have more wrought a bitter hatred for us and our comrades. Such darkness spread, and they made a strike against Human planet K-2L.

Regrettably, all life was eradicated but a lone hatchling. We took her under our care, and raised her as our own. To survive the harsh elements of our home planet Zebes, we injected her with our DNA. Although only a few years old, the hatchling showed much promise and melded easily with our society.

2003 Cosmic Calendar, our people made a motion to unite the coexisting species of the galaxy. The leaders of numerous planets we co-inhabited met together for the first time. Peaceful negotiations with the Elyisians, Humans, Luminoth, Reptilici and other species were formed in 2004 C.C. in a move to create a fair and safe universe for all cultures to prosper. So was the Galactic Federation established in hopes of pushing back the foreboding flood of the corrupt.

We were sage: knowledge and wisdom beyond that of any age in our collective races' histories. Our grasp brought about an age of prosperity and wealth, garrisoning hibernated soldiers to underdeveloped planets for their protection. These warriors were unmatched in strength and stamina, while genetic enhancements further increased their abilities. It was in our blood.

This new union brought about leaps in technology, like none other before. Studies of the hatchling's enhanced physical abilities established the grounds for a second test. Two young human scientists offered their unborn son to be subject for this experiment. As with the hatchling, this child was injected with our DNA. From inside the womb, his development progressed at an incredible pace.

The hatchling's abilities at this time rivaled and even surpassed even our finest soldiers, further accelerating at puberty. These enhancements were amplified by the exoskeleton we constructed for her. Our military took her and trained her specially to further our legacy as protectors of the galaxy. So was our first step in the creation of super-soldiers.

However…as the experiment progressed, both subjects did not develop similarly. The hatchling's blood received the innate power to quell our blood within her, using it to her own benefit; while the man-child seemed to have the dormant power to awaken the fire of our blood within him, rampaging uncontrollably. The older child, the ultimate keeper of peace, and the younger, the ultimate spark of war, we feared such weapons should be dealt with in the utmost care. The hatchling neared adulthood and joined the ranks of the Galactic Federation under Captain Malkovich. The prepubescent man-child however, was returned to his parents in hopes that he would not fall into the wrong hands.

Such power attracted the minds of the corrupt. Their greed and insatiable appetite for power demanded the hatchling and the man-child. We stood noble and strong of heart. They were our responsibility and shame to us should misfortune befall one of them.

Nevertheless, the darkness swept over us swiftly like a plague. We had hoped that the hatchling could repel them, but their preemptive strike against us was overwhelming. We ran out of time. Even her skill would not be able to stand up to them. This swarm was ruthless and cold-blooded, attacking us from deep within our own people under the guise of peace and science.

We few that remain rest our hopes in the hatchling; that she will restore order to the galaxy. For us, it is too late. Their hordes will overtake us soon, and our race will cease to exist. May our legacy live on.

CHAPTER 1

With a few taps of his console, a young 19-year-old accepted a broadcast distress signal from a nearby space station.

"Ceres station!" his voice boomed, a hint of surprise giving it a crackle. A bounty hunter guilty of numerous murders, accepting a distress signal was out of his character. The station however was quite a nostalgia for him. "Their new security system they've been boasting about should have taken care of it." Touching a few buttons, he responded to the call. "Ceres Station, this is bounty hunter, Drake Starlight, what's your status?" The cold deadness of space and the excitement of a bounty opportunity were the replies.

A change of course—his computer beeping in acknowledgment—sent his ship toward the signal's origination. Within moments, he was inside the asteroid belt surrounding Ceres station. Drake suited up in his hunter equipment. A suit of mechanical armor, giving him decent defense from attack, as well as atmospheric purification and a blaster mounted on the right arm. It was also equipped with surveillance equipment to give readings on potential threats, movement, and sounds.

A blip appeared on radar; small, but moving fast on the same trajectory.

"I don't think so, this bounty is mine." Drake muttered, knowing well this was another hunter like himself. Ignoring it for the time being, the young man flew at top speed to Ceres' docking bay. On arrival, he was barely able to get his ship down, debris and wreckage everywhere. Drake placed his helmet over his head, the onboard Com system activating immediately and synchronizing with the computer on-ship. On the inside of his visor flashed different bits of information concerning his environment. By just looking at the octagonal cockpit door, it whirled open with a hissing and humming sound.

Drake stepped through, confronted by a room that could only bring a cringe to his face. Scorch marks from blaster fire stained the sides of the bay, but other forms of markings (more to the likeness of scratches or slashes) he had never seen before. Neither eyes nor sensors detected any lifesigns in the room. Further, there were no dead bodies, just the debris of mechanisms, engineering, and a battered door that were once part of the normal operation of the station. A sense of eeriness chilled him to the bone. Inhaling deeply, he made his way through the clutter to the door. Wires and cables draped from slices and burns in the metal. Heat emanated from blaster scorches: they were fresh. Drake hit the open button of the door's control panel. The door screeched and struggled to open but after a few moments of sick mechanical whirring and sparks, it finally did so. Drake's mouth dropped in disbelief, his breath completely sucked from his lungs.

"D…dead! They're all… dead!" Even a hardened bounty hunter could not go undaunted by the view of the bodies before him. Security guards, scientists, civilians—all were strewn about the room, some even hung from equipment on the ceiling as if thrown like a ragdoll. A deep crimson stained the floor, blood smeared over equipment, clothing and even the ventilation ducts in the ceiling. Continuing through the room, one single question immerged from the back of his mind: Are there any survivors?

A dark pathway before him crackled and illuminated from severed electrical lines. A grotesque silhouetted figure, hunched, moved swiftly deeper into the station. Drake's eyes widened, the danger indicator on the left of his visor rising sharply. With a deep breath, the young man tried to shake the feeling of doom besetting him. Slowly, he pursued the figure at a distance, keeping a close eye on its shadow. The assailant began to move faster; Drake followed suit, trying to keep himself as unknown as possible. In a matter of moments, the figure stopped suddenly and looked back behind it. Drake dove for a patch of shadow, crouching there. Heartbeat quickening in anticipation, he tried to steady his breathing.

Is it on to me? He wondered, fixated on the bony body. However, as fast as it had stopped, the shadow was gone, giving off a shrill screeching, chirping as it left. No sign of movement or presence of the foe on radar. It was gone. Since the lab was not too far from his position, this attacker must be after the scientific information there, Drake assumed. Rising to his feet, the hunter proceeded further down the corridor, ever alert to an ambush.

It was quiet. Even the crackles of electricity had stopped and the gentle pattering of his footsteps seemed drowned in his breathlessness. A thin fog formed on the inside of his visor from the heated exhalation. Whirring, like the sound of a fan, echoed through the hallway, getting progressively louder. In minor paranoia, Drake glanced over his shoulder and then back to the direction in which he was walking.

"There! The shadow!" he exclaimed, watching it bounce from side to side, as if jumping off the walls. "I've got you this time…" Drake bolted after it, but yet the faster he pursued, the further the figure got. Once more however, the figure stopped. It chirped again, and this time it was far more hostile. Drake's danger meter rose higher and higher, the shadow turning completely around. No sooner had Drake readied himself for a confrontation, everything went black. Drake was enshrouded by complete darkness, all power from Ceres station gone and all background noise ceased. The danger meter even dropped to a null, radar blank.

Footsteps tapped through the hallway, closer and closer. Drake's blood ran cold—the light amplification systems in his suit couldn't help him in no-light situations. Louder… He held his breath and his heart raced almost enough to pound out of his chest. Louder… A chill ran through his spine. Louder…

Silence. Everything stopped. No footsteps and no way to see what was in front of him. Drake felt sweat drip in rivers down his face, the tips of his fingers and toes cold. In a pitiful effort to calm himself, racked with expectation and dread, he closed his eyes and took a slow, deep breath. Upon opening his eyes, his danger meter skyrocketed.

There it was, right in front of him, two fiery eyes gleaming at his. Drake tried to reach for the weapon control panel on his right arm, but to no avail. The piercing gaze had him paralyzed; all he could do was stare right back. The two stood there, time seemingly stopped, eyes locked with the other's.

For some reason, the beast from which the eyes belonged did not attack. What felt like an eternity to Drake may have been just a score of seconds, but some time passed and the beast's eyes were averted. It gazed past him, back down the hallway from where the two had just been as if startled and like that, the eyes were gone. No footsteps or any sound of movement—just gone.

Drake exhaled deeply, feeling overwhelming relief. His respite was not long-lived, however. Chirping from that beast echoed down the path again, followed by numerous shrieks of horror.

"Survivors!" Ceres station's backup power came on, and a dim red glow illuminated the hallway. Drake gave chase once more, hearing screams of terrified people. As he neared the lab, Drake heard a familiar voice cry for help.

"No! Get away from me! Somebody help! Please!"

"Get away from her!" another voice called. Drake knew both voices well.

It can't be… rang through his head like a gong in a glass room. Drake slammed the button on the terminal to open the door, but there was no response. He pushed it again rapidly in desperation. The door remained inexorable. Shrieks continued from inside the room. Frustrated, Drake shoved himself forward, jamming his shoulder into the door and denting it. A few more tries caused it to crack, but it still would not open. He slammed his fist against the door, returned by cry of pain and two heavy thumps against it from the other side. From then, it was quiet once more.

"Please no…" Drake uttered, fearing the worst.

Taking a few steps back, he placed his hand on the gun controls of his right arm. Aiming at the door, yellow light shone from the barrel of the weapon. A meter on the gun slowly climbed, displaying the charge of the energy inside. The warmth of the weapon heated his hands slightly. Charged, the meter flashed, beeping rapidly. With just the touch of a button, a blast of yellow energy shot forward from Drake's arm, splashing against the door. As the light dissipated, so did the entrance—vaporized.

The hunter entered the laboratory. There he found two bodies, mangled and torn, and in the center of the room was a large containment tube, shattered through the middle and dripping red. Drake prayed his fear had not come true, but there seemed little hope now. Stooping near the carcasses, he could barely even tell the bodies were human. Bones shattered and skin torn beyond recognition, it was a sight that almost made him gag. Among the bloody mess were the identification cards of the two bodies, smeared crimson. Drake wiped down the cards and gazed at the facial profiles of the two. His last shred of hope was cast to the wind, tears welling up in his eyes: "Yvonne Starlight" and "Henry Starlight". Falling to his knees, the only words his voice could manage were "Mom… Dad…" Helplessness overcame him as he pulled his helmet from his head. All he could do was stare in disbelief, a tear glistening down his face.

Through the blur of the moisture in his eyes, images flashed before him of an argument he'd had with his parents just a month earlier.

"It's always about you and your stupid science projects, isn't it? You've always got to have it your way. Everything must be science! That's the way you see it, don't you!?" Drake yelled, angry and bitter.

"Drake, we only want what is best for you. If you keep exploring, we'll barely ever see you. You're our only child, come back home with us." Yvonne replied tenderly.

"Your mother is right, Drake. We barely see you and miss you dearly. You're getting in with the wrong crowd and going off doing who-knows-what. Can't you see? You're very special. Meant for so much more than that. You must not… no, you will not go!" Henry added authoritatively.

"Hah! Special?" Drake scoffed. "If you missed me so much, dad, you would have spent time with me while I was still here instead of working all the time."

"Well if you would get yourself a real job, maybe you would understand!"

"You science fanatics are cooped up all day! You call that a job!? Get a life."

"Honey, we do have lives. We're safe here and the sentient security system they're installing will give us more freedom than ever. You may like it here." persuaded Yvonne.

"Tch, the moment I move in, you're going to try to get me into science again. It's not the life for me."

"Son, you're barely nineteen, how could you know what life is or isn't for you?" Henry spoke, increasing sharpness in his tone.

"Well, that's not your decision to make, Henry!" Drake returned, raising his voice further.

"I am your father. You will address me as such!"

"And I am a man. You will treat me as one!"

"Then act like one, Drake!" Henry yelled, aiming a sharp finger at his son, face twisted with rage. Drake took a deep breath and spoke low and demeaning.

"Where do you find the gall to accuse me of not being a man, just because I don't wish to follow in your misguided footsteps? I hate this place, I hate science, I hate research, and most of all, I hate you."

Mr. and Mrs. Starlight were both completely taken aback but at the same time deeply hurt. The contortion of Henry's face turned from anger to a vulnerable expression. All the tension and anger fell apart, leaving a cold, rejecting silence in their midst.

Drake saw the pain in his parents' eyes, knowing well the damage he'd done. He turned away, unable to face up to the hurtful things he'd just said, and left his parents without another word. His mind was made up and such a confrontation as this only served as another excuse to leave.

Drake had lived on Ceres for quite some time before he left for space. His parents were transferred there by the Galactic Federation when they were assigned to be the head scientists of the "Metroid" project. The project dealt with the research and study of a mysterious being named Metroid, the first specimen of which was encountered on planet Zebes. Ancient records and folklore spoke of these jellyfish-like creatures having an awesome power. If there were a way to tap into that power, many of mankind's problems could be solved. However, Drake found such ideas to be farfetched and idealistic. He was unlike his parents, despising anything to do with science or research and the like. He wanted more. Drake wanted to explore the vastness of space. But now, not even space could mend the sorrow and remorse tearing him to the depths of his heart.

"They're gone… I never got to say goodbye. If I had stayed… I could have saved them. I could have prevented this, but that beast… that monster… it took them from me." Drake rose from his feet, his hurt turning to anger, and his anger to hatred. "I vow… I will kill the one who did this!"

In a futile attempt to grasp what was left of a hand of the maimed corpse, Drake lifted some of the mess before him. In the blood, flesh and bone, were the last tattered papers of his parents' work. Looking at it, "Project C" stood out, but little of the content was discernable. It felt familiar, and so did the whole station. His heart ached for this place to return to normal. To go back to the way things once were.

Replacing his helmet on his head, the danger sensor on his visor was climbing and a blip moved fast on his motion detector. Sounds of blaster fire shot through the hallway. Putting his emotions aside for the time-being, Drake ran for the sound. Halfway down came screeching and chirping from that wretched animal then more blaster fire.

"More survivors!" He spoke, eyes lighting up. The further he went down the hallway, the longer the confrontation lasted. No screams for help? He wondered, finding it puzzling that a civilian could hold its own against the fiend.

Nearing his old dorm room, the noise grew louder. They were in there, who or whatever they were. He clenched his teeth, determined. That beast's blood would be spilt, or he would die trying. His heart began to race again, the sounds of the battle inside making his adrenaline rush. Taking a deep breath, he touched his fingers against the open button, not depressing it yet. A moment of apprehension passed and then another sound shrieked through the hallway. Emergency lights reading "Self-Destruct" flashed in warning.

"What the hell!? The self-destruct sequence?"

The alarm blared loudly. Drake didn't have the time to confront the beast now. Frustrated, he sped off for the docking bay. The passing sight of the dead bodies and blood in the main atrium made his skin scrawl, but nothing could be done for them now. Making it to his ship in good time, he fired up his engines and blazed out of there. It wasn't long before the station he knew so well was an exploding, smoldering ball of fire and debris.