Chapter 1: Hard Luck Woman

The first thing that entered Samus Aran's head as she opened her eyes was that it was far too bright. This led her to rule out any number of conclusions. She was not on board her gunship, the Chozo; she would have never set its lights on this level power, no matter what she might have been under the influence of. Furthermore, she was not passed out down an alley or in a tavern. While not as frequent as it was in her younger days, that was still the source of most of her experiences waking up with short-term memory loss and a splitting headache. Those exhausted her regular options, and so she concluded that whatever had happened was decidedly irregular. Still, at least she was still alive. That was what was important, and so she relaxed before continuing to think.

Further examination led Samus to discover that she was currently located in a comfortable bed underneath the lamp she had first noticed. After fighting down the momentary surge of dismay, she realized that it was a hospital bed. While still not a good thing, it was at least preferable to her first thought if she couldn't remember the last few nights. Glancing around again, she finally noticed the room's other inhabitant, a Zebesian crustacean with a grey armored carapace and crab-claws instead of hands. In her muddled state, Samus almost sprang upon what she perceived to be an enemy before she recognized the ludicrous peg leg, eyepatch, false beard and black hat. Only one Zebesian in existence would allow himself to wear that without suffering terminally ruptured pride.

"About time you came to." Horzat growled, his single eye's golden glow seeming pale in comparison to the overhead. "I was beginning to think you were in a coma. That'd be a disaster for my sales over here."

"Horzat. What the hell did you do to me?" Samus growled. "Don't give me that sales-disaster crap, you'd just drink all the booze yourself. Why am I in the hospital?"

"Because you're hurt badly," Horzat said sarcastically. "No, just kidding. You went on a bender and entered med school. This is your bunk. You start classes in half an hour."

"Don't make me kick your ass without even getting up," Samus threatened. "I'll do it. I got that I was hurt, thanks so much. I know what a hangover feels like, and now that I've been up for more than a minute, I can tell this isn't it. My whole body aches like a trucker ran me down, and I can't remember the past couple days-maybe even weeks-for shit. So I'd appreciate a heads up, since I can only assume by your current presence that you were there."

"I wasn't, actually," Horzat snapped. "I heard about what happened and came in. Eventually had to bribe that bastard Todar to let me stay here. You're paying me back for that, by the way."

"So you're suddenly concerned for my health, are you? That's sweet," Samus said with a smirk. "Nice try. Why the hell would you do that?"

"Because somebody had to!" Horzat suddenly yelled, rising to his feet. "We both know there's nobody else still alive on either side of the universe who'd wait around here for your sorry ass!"

Neither of them spoke for a while following that outburst. Samus looked down, and Horzat away, both of them obviously uncomfortable. There was no other noise; the machines were absolutely silent, even as they ran. With the door closed, no other noise from the rest of the facility leaked through either.

"Didn't want you to wake up to this alone, s'all," Horzat muttered finally, sitting back down. "Not in a hospital. You don't deserve that. Nobody does. Maybe Kraid."

"Right." Samus coughed, then rolled her eyes. "God. The only guy in the galaxy who even gives a tenth of a damn about me is my bartender. When did my life become such a stereotype? This whole thing is straight out of a ten-credit holovid."

"Not quite." Horzat raised an eyebrow. "If this was a holovid I'd be human, a stud and half my age, and we'd be screwing after the hunk of the season died in your arms. And don't even get me started on Ridley."

"So we kill the first guy who approaches me with a contract offer. Good to have that clear," Samus bantered further, then dropped it. "It was that bad this time, huh?"

"Yeah. It was that bad this time." Horzat said, looking away again. "Take a look at yourself and you'll see how bad."

"What-" Samus objected, then fell silent as she saw what he meant. Under the hospital sheets, she was still wearing her Chozo power suit. Or at least, part of it. The organic component underneath the actual armor, that fused her flesh with the mechanical exoskeleton. She'd never actually seen the entire thing exposed before, but she recognized it from diagnostics and repairs. The only part that was intact was the grey beam cannon that covered her entire right arm. Before she could stop herself, she mentally commanded her helmet to pop on, and it settled over her head, growing from behind her neck. Immediately, she snapped it back again. The only conclusion was obvious. "Fuck the pope. My power suit's wrecked, isn't it."

"What isn't on you is in chunks, I'm afraid," Horzat admitted, finally meeting her eyes again. "Sorry, kid. It's gone. And before you ask, the reason they left that on you is damn complicated. And it's got to do with what happened to you."

"So fill me in," Samus urged him. "Come on, old crab. What the hell is this?"

"Let's take it slow." Horzat leaned back. "See if you can remember the last time I saw you."

"Well, if you weren't around when this happened..." Samus forced herself to think back. "That'd be when we checked in at the Wall..."

By far the most useless, ostentatious waste of resources the Galactic Federation had ever thought of, the Wall was not exactly what its name proclaimed-such a thing would have been impossible in deep space. Even the approximation, a massive field of space stations and patrol cruisers with enough sensors and armament to destroy an entire fleet at any point of entry, was considered ridiculous by Samus Aran. That was because it attempted to cover the entire extent of Federation space, enclosing it from all directions to mark the limits of how far their grasp could reach, and blocking hyperspeed travel from either side. It was still possible to go around-space was funny that way-but even in hyper, such a trip would take years. Beyond Federation space was referred to as simply "the Far Side," and travel either way was strictly regulated when it happened, which wasn't very often.

Such would go a long way to explain the bored, nearly emotionless look on the Federation officer's face at one such station when a pair of beings entered his office. "Samus Aran." He greeted the more recognizable of the two laconically. A heavyset human male in his mid-thirties with close-cropped brown hair, his standard grey power suit was exactly like every other minor officer across a hundred galaxies. "Leaving civilized space again, I see. Looks like there's nearly an entire fleet of freighters with your ship this time. That all yours?"

"No, it's his. Our accounts are separate." Samus Aran, legendary bounty hunter, indicated her companion. Clad from head to toe in her thick orange-and-yellow power suit, she had her helmet down at the moment, revealing her as an attractive blond human. "He's just riding in my ship so we've got somebody to talk to. It's a long haul even in hyper."

"Figures that it couldn't be simple." The officer rolled his eyes, then glanced at Horzat for the first time. "Well then, mister-" As he actually saw who accompanied Samus, his eyes widened for a moment before he jumped to his feet, scrambling for a blaster at his hip.

"Don't do anything stupid," Samus advised him. "Do you really think I'd be giving a Space Pirate a ride in my ship? Me?"

"I-well-" The officer stammered, although he did leave the weapon holstered. "But he is a Zebesian!"

"Can't argue that, I suppose." Horzat, who had been watching the affair with an amused look so far, finally spoke. He was the only one of the three not wearing a power suit; a Zebesian's carapace was all he needed, even in deep space. "Name's Horzat. The job sucked, so I quit. Bailed out right before the trannie's first visit and provided the Federation intel for her, so I got myself pardoned."

"For the last time, don't fucking call me that," Samus growled wearily. "It's not my fault the idiots who did all those reports on that first job decided I was male without actually checking."

"I, uh, see." The officer sat back down, clearly out of his depth. "Well, you do seem to be moving a large quantity of things over to the Far Side, Mister Horzat. I must warn you, all military armaments above Federation standard must be confiscated for proper processing."

"You hear that, Samus? I'm a Mister now. Told ya I'd move up in the world someday." Horzat leaned back in his chair. "Go ahead and have your boys search the ships, but if I find a single bottle missing I'm payin' Samus whatever she charges to kick it back out of them. It's all for the bar I'm setting up on the Far Side. Used to operate off of Magani, but the scene there lately's been too much even for me. I don't mind drunks and druggies, but when the new age retro hippies and the insane cultists set in, I ship out."

"Can't say I blame you." The officer chuckled weakly. "I'm afraid that goes for yourself as well, miss Aran. We'll have to ask you to leave all your armament with us, as well as allow us to search your ship."

"'Fraid not, chum," Samus said with a smile, showing him a pocket computer terminal. "I've got a special dispensation from Commander Todar over at Optimus. The job I'm heading over for is on the Federation's dime again, but this time they actually decided to make that apparent. You have no idea how sorry I am not to trust you boys with my gear. Especially since I still haven't seen any of the stuff I left with you the first time I crossed over. About five or six years ago. Don't suppose you happen to know where all that is?"

"Processing is done at Optimus due to Federation standards," The officer replied sourly, inspecting the screen she had handed him and checking up on it with his own Uninet connection. "This all seems to be in order. Very well. I'll have my men begin checking Mister Horzat's cargo immediately. We'll also have to give him a physical to ensure that you're not carrying anything on your person. Not that we don't trust him, but protocol is protocol. I'm sure you understand."

"Of course." Samus stood. "I'll head back to the ship, then. See you when your cavity search is through, crab."

"Oh boy. Party time," Horzat muttered as she walked out.

Returning to her Hunter-class Gunship, the Chozo, Samus idly sat in the cockpit and paged through the latest news until her bartender returned. Nothing really caught her eye, so she focused on him as soon as he sat down in the seldom-used copilot's seat. "For your sake, I hope you did remember to take out all of it before we went in there."

"Of course. Eye, leg, claw, the lot of it. Left it all in the sink." Horzat scratched at the stump of his right claw, clearly missing the cybernetic replacement that usually plugged in there. "I'll put everything back in once we're clear. Good thing you had that dispensation from Todar, or we'd have a hell of a time bringing all the heavy stuff over here."

"It was a pain in the ass to get it from that bastard. Had to agree to forget the bounty on Brain to get him to do it, in the end." Samus shook her head in disgust. "It was worth it, but still. Piece of shit Fed."

"Hey, whatever works." Horzat shrugged philosophically. "He'll probably be suspicious, though."

"Whatever works, my ass. You weren't the one giving up six million." Samus continued to mutter. "And he's always suspicious. Granted, this time he might be right, but that's only from his standpoint. We're not going to fire the first shot."

"But with how they were acting over Matrix, it's just gotten too suspicious. If we're just paranoid, all well and good, but if we're not, we'll be ready," Horzat repeated for the thousandth time. "Somebody's got to be, after all. Heh... I still can't get over that. All this time you've been saying the people who call you a hero are idiots, and you've just been doing it for the money. And now you're planning something like this."

"It's still self-interest," Samus replied automatically. "The only thing more important than money is my freedom. If the friendly Federation turns imperial, it doesn't take a genius to see it's not long before independent agents like me get the 'join up and/or die' job offer. Nuts to that. Besides, even without Brain's bounty I still made enough out of that second Zebes job to keep even me happy for a while."

"Yeah, I noticed when you actually paid off your tab," Horzat cracked. "Kept looking around for flying pigs when you did that. Well, if you've got cash to blow, this is a good way to do it. Once we get a base established out of their control, we'll have a fighting chance."

"And that's worth a million shitheads like Todar and shit jobs for the Feds," Samus reluctantly agreed. "I know, I know. It still sucks."

"Life sucks, and then we die," Horzat reminded her. "Just get the job over with, even if they're making you head back to SR-388. I'll stay in contact with the Firkgon and all the rest of the guys back in Federation Space, so we'll cover anything that happens. Then when you're done there, we'll move on. It'll be fine, kid. You always come out of things in one piece."

"SR-388." Samus snapped her fingers. "Now I remember. The Feds wanted me to take a job from one of their corporations. Biologic Space Laboratories. I always thought 'BSL' sounded like a sandwich."

"If you can stop thinking with your stomach, and focus?" Horzat tapped his claw against his leg. "Humans. All right, you've got that much."

"Yeah. I dropped you off on planet Krager to get set up, then headed off with a hangover," Samus recalled. "Docked with a BSL cruiser, met the bigwigs there, and slept it off before heading down to SR-388 the next morning."

"That syncs with what I heard from those twerps, yeah," Horzat said. "Keep thinking. What happened after you actually got down on SR-388?"

"So, you boys are having problems with the wildlife?" Samus asked conversationally as she made her way across the rocky surface of SR-388. Three BSL scientists in silver power suits were following her, all of them looking for a cavern entrance. SR-388's surface was uninhabitable; the native life had developed in a massive network of subterranean catacombs.

"Yes, ma'am," One of them, a middle-aged male named Dunn, said. "Our theory is that your extinction of the Metroids several years ago threw the ecosystem out of whack."

"Hey, for the record, that wasn't my idea," Samus pointed out. "The Feds were the ones who wanted it done. Maybe I should have thought it over a bit more, but I was way past sick of Metroids by that time, so the prospect of stopping that permanently was very attractive at the moment. I don't get why wiping out the Metroids would be such a big deal, though. I mean, nothing really went after them, and they were pretty unselective-if it lived on SR-388, it was prey. Removing them from the food chart shouldn't have thrown it off much."

"That's not strictly accurate, I'm afraid," Jin, the only female scientist, corrected her. "While you're right about the Metroids not having any predators, they did tend to feed on some species more than others. In particular, we have now discovered that their main diet was an energy-based lifeform we've named the 'X.' Their hunger for draining life-force from other animals was actually a secondary method of feeding. At the time of your previous visit, Metroids still kept the X population low enough that you probably never even saw one."

"Can't say that classification rings a bell," Samus agreed after a moment. "Energy-based, huh? That's a new one on me. I see what you're talking about now, though. Without Metroids around, the X must be breeding out of control. Do they even have any other natural predators?"

"None." Gori, the eldest scientist, shook his head. "Metroids were the only ones who could eat them. Now they prey on everything else on the planet, just like the Metroids used to. But the X don't limit their breeding, like Metroids did. It's already a few years, and they're already threatening to overrun the entire planet."

"So that's why you guys are doing this scientific expedition now." Samus snapped her fingers. "Your time for getting live samples of the wildlife is running out. If the X keep it up, they'll drive everything else on this planet extinct too. They're not smart enough to figure out that with nothing else to eat they'd be toast as well."

"Well, that's not-hey, there's a cavern over there!" Jin pointed.

"Right, let me check it out first," Samus instructed, then headed in. Looking into its depths, she saw an eight-foot drop onto a cluster of flourishing vegetation. "There's stuff growing in here. It's good. Come on in, boys; I don't see anything mean just yet." Dropping onto the plant life, she experienced a brief feeling of nostalgia as she looked around. Around her, a subterranean world spread out for miles. Rocks and earth in a million shades of grey, brown, black, and red with splashes of other colors spread out for miles, tunnels and caverns networking them in a complex pattern that would put any intelligent maze designer to shame. Strange plant life that could never have grown above land flourished over it all, and from far below, a rumble warned of the possibility of an acid flood. The surface was nothing; only now was she back in the real Sr-388.

The feeling was only reinforced as an angry Hornoad burst out in front of her. Purple and warty, the fanged amphibian lunged for her only to be blown away by a few shots from the beam cannon covering her right arm. As the scientists landed, carefully avoiding the smoking remnants, Samus searched the rest of the area for hostile wildlife and eliminated it with a few more easy blasts.

"Very professional, Miss Aran," Gori said approvingly when she returned.

"I'm getting paid to guard you boys, right?" Samus shrugged. "S'what I do. What were you saying up there?"

"About the X? Well, it's not strictly true that they'd go extinct," Jin explained as they continued down a tunnel, Samus listening even as she cleared the way of critters. "You see, they don't just feed on other life. They actually absorb it. Not the bodies themselves, but everything that's contained within them."

"You mean like DNA?" Samus frowned. "Don't really get all that Popular Science shit myself, but I know a little."

"Exactly. And then, using what they absorb, they're able to take a physical form identical to what they've consumed." Dunn glanced around nervously. "Anything that looks like another lifeform down here could really be an X."

"You know, somehow, I never get told about these little details ahead of time." Samus' eyes narrowed as she scanned the wildlife with much more paranoia. "There's no way to tell at all, huh? Not giveaways?"

"None. That's the really scary thing," Gori continued grimly. "It's not just physical data. The X have been shown to actually replicate the instincts, and even knowledge, of their victims. If they absorb a mother animal, and then replicate her, the copy will know where her babies are hidden, and lead their fellow X to them. We've seen it happen dozens of times."

"Okay. That's just fucked up." Samus shook her head. "Even Metroids only drained life energy. Copying something's brain? What happens if they eat humans?"

"We... worry a great deal about that," Jin admitted. "Several of our colleagues have been lost on this planet to the X already, but we have yet to see any replicants of them from the X. In a way, that's more frightening than finding them would be."

"Got that right." Samus crushed the surge of worry that was building in her. You've seen worse than this. A lot worse. Chill. Handle the mission and get out. "Well, much as this is looking like a shit job from a personal standpoint, I gotta admit, you probably made the right call bringing me in from your guys' perspective. This is gonna take the best to pull off. Let's just get what we came for and get out as soon as possible."

"That is indeed the plan." Dunn chuckled nervously. "Good to see we're all on the same page, I suppose."

"Oh, absolutely fucking wonderful." Samus snickered as well. "All right, last question. How do I kill these things? I mean, I assume the fakes will die just like the real things, but they're "energy-based," whatever the hell that means, right? So I'm still gonna have to kill the actual X after that. What do I do?"

"Ah." Gori paused, and all three of them took a careful step back. "That... would be the actual reason the Federation contracted you, Miss Aran. Your Chozo Power Suit has access to varieties of weaponry that the rest of our society has not yet developed. The Federation hoped that at least one of them would prove effective."

"I see." Samus froze as well, devoting all of her energy to not wringing their pencil necks. Breathe. Calm. You're a professional, not a berserker. "What you're saying is, standard weaponry doesn't do shit to them. You can't kill them, and you're just hoping I can. Without any actual evidence to back that up."

"That... seems to be the case," Jin agreed weakly.

"And the three of you risked your lives on this?" Samus demanded of them incredulously. "I'd be more pissed at you, but there's no way you guys actually made this call. Whoever did was one sneaky sonofabitch, and you three just proved you're about as sharp as a bowling ball. Hope you've got your life insurance filled out-I mean, I'll try, but right now I'm wishing I hadn't willed so much to my bartender. And I've had to escape from planets set to self-destruct." She shook her head. "If we make it out of this alive, I'm gonna give some serious thought to a mid-life crisis a couple decades early."

"Well, if you wish-" Jin began to say, then choked as a Hornoad she had shot dissolved into a blur of light instead of expiring. "Look out! An X!"

"Damn!" Samus immediately changed her beam's settings, turning on the Ice Beam and firing. The beam passed through the yellow, slightly glowing blob of goo that was now floating in the air without effect. The Plasma Beam and Wave Beam were just as useless, as was the Spazer. Desperate, she started to prep a Power Bomb and yell for the scientists to run, but before she could, the X was on her, lunging through the air and colliding with her chest. There was a hideous stabbing sensation from something that felt alive as it pierced her, and then it was gone. Shaking slightly, Samus stared down at her armor. The X was gone, and there was no sign that it had ever been there. Running a diagnostic, she discovered that her suit was completely fine, with no traces of the enemy lifeform.

"Miss... Aran? Are you all right?" Dunn asked hesitantly.

"I'm fine. Suit says nothing's wrong at all." She shook her head. "Guess it didn't work on Chozo technology. Anybody see where it went?"

"I'm afraid not. We all, well... cowered, to put it bluntly," Jin admitted. "We are not accustomed to violence."

"Ha! Well, at least you're honest about it." Samus chuckled. "Guess it ran off once it saw it couldn't get through. Must have spooked it."

"This is unprecedented," Gori told her quietly. "We've never seen a lifeform resist X possession before. Everything else they touched has immediately gone into a coma, and died soon after."

"Well, you boys called me in because I was something else, right?" Samus shrugged, spotting a chute leech gliding down and wasting it before it got close enough to drool acid. "Might not be quite the way you counted on, but if it works, it's cool. Let's get the job done with and get out, huh?"

"You're sure you don't want to call this off?" Dunn asked again. "If you want, we can get out of here and rush you to a hospital."

"Screw that. I'm getting paid good for this one." Samus laughed. "Plus the Feds'd be on my ass for it. Don't need that, thanks. If you're that concerned for my health, let's pick up the speed. I'll see a doc once we're done and I've collected my credits, okay?"

"It is your decision, Miss Aran." Gori shrugged. "Let us press onward, then."

"Attention, universe. I am a fucking dumbass," Samus announced, burying her head in her hand.

"I was wondering when you'd figure that out." Horzat raised a nonexistent eyebrow, slouching forward. "I take it you remember how you decided not to seek immediate medical attention after that thing hit you."

"Don't belabor it, crab," Samus growled, not removing her hands. "How'd you find out about that, anyways?"

"The science boys explained it all." Horzat shook his head. "Only up until you left the planet, though. You remember what happened after you got back to your ship?"

"Not much to say." Samus finally put her hand down, face grim. "I got back to the cockpit, and was in the middle of setting the Chozo to fly towards a street doc I'd heard good things about. That's it-blacked out right there, and woke up here. Now it's your turn. What happened afterwards?"

"Well." Horzat looked away. "Promise you won't hurt me first."

"Why would you-" Samus started to growl, then stopped. A few moments of thought later, she slumped back. "I promise. Oh, damn. It's not just my suit, is it. Is there anything left at all?"

"None," Horzat said quietly. "Left half-programmed like that, your ship headed straight for an asteroid belt. The onboard computer launched you out in an escape pod and signalled the Feds, but I guess you had it programmed not to actually override your instructions. The Chozo's gone, Samus. I'm sorry."

"Eight years, that ship was mine," Samus muttered. "Eight years, I keep it functional through Pirate attacks and emergency landings and meteor showers and everything else the universe throws at me. And all it takes is one act of bare-assed stupidity to make it all go poof. Figures." She closed her eyes. "Don't leave me hanging, crab. What happened after the Feds picked me up?"

"Well, they left me hanging a good few days before calling me up. Suppose I should be glad they bothered at all." Horzat sighed. "When I heard the news, I locked everything up and headed back to Optimus. That's where we are now, by the way. Shipped you all the way back here. The assholes weren't being any too specific, so I wanted to find out if I'd be buying you a drink, a wheelchair or a coffin. When I actually got here, well..." He looked her straight in the eyes. "That's the tricky part."

"Lay it on me." Samus stared back firmly. "I've lost my suit. I've lost my ship. It can't be worse than those."

"If you insist." Horzat shrugged. "Well then. Pulled in about two days ago, about 1900 Standard..."

"All right, what the hell's going on here?" Horzat stormed into the hospital's lobby, startling a dozing clerk. "You, desk jockey. What room's Samus Aran in? Oh, don't do that." He remarked in disgust as he saw the clerk's hand straying towards an alarm. "I'm not a Pirate. Name's Horzat. I bailed out of the organization. I'm a friend, you idiot. You need ID?"

"That would be appreciated, yes," The clerk admitted. "But I'm afraid we're only authorized to allow family members visitation rights."

"Bull," Horzat snapped. "Hold on a moment." Grabbing a pocket communicator, he dialed up a certain number, then blinked as a ringing came from a side room. "Wait a second-"

"You made better time than I expected, Mister Horzat." A middle-aged human male walked out, giving him a flat smile. Average and nondescript in every detail, Commander Todar of the Galactic Federation was wearing the same plain black suit as always, his fading brown hair neatly cut and styled. "We detected your ship landing on Prime, and I guessed it would be best for me to be on hand to greet you."

"You don't say. Suppose I should be flattered," Horzat grunted. He and Todar had met before, and it hadn't been on good terms. "For once I guess I'm actually glad to see your ugly mug, though. At least if you can get me past this clown to see Samus. I didn't come all the way here from the Far Side to get turned down by Minimum Wage Dan."

"Charming as always." Todar murmured. "Let's take a walk, shall we? Miss Aran is this way." He began strolling down a side hall, and after a moment, Horzat joined him. "I must caution you, she is not doing well. At the moment, she is actually undergoing treatment."

"Under the knife, huh? Well, I've seen worse." Horzat shrugged. "Details, Todar. The stooges who called me told me what happened to her, but only up until they shipped her back here. What's happened since?"

"Yes, I suppose you would have. Unfortunately, her progress has not been for the better." Todar shook his head. "The X Parasite was unable to infect her central nervous system instantly, as they could for other lifeforms, but in time it managed to penetrate, sending her into a coma. During her transfer to Prime, it continued to multiply within her body. The progression remains much slower than a normal human's, but it continues regardless, and we have minimal hopes for success."

"She's gonna bite it?" Horzat narrowed his eye. "Not without your boys doing everything and anything they can, she's not."

"Believe me, we are doing our best. Miss Aran is quite an asset to the Federation. We would regret losing her." Todar said as they walked into the overlook of the operating room. "I'm sure you can see that for yourself."

"What the fuck..." Horzat whispered as he looked down at what was left of the only person left in the galaxy he would, under extreme duress, call a friend. The Chozo Power Suit that had been Samus' method of survival through all of her adventures had been vivisected, the outer shell cut open and peeled away to reveal the soft, biological inner workings that fused with her skin. About half the shell still remained, in bits and pieces, but it was obvious those would be removed soon as well. Beneath was a rubbery blue and pink surface, a harsh contrast to the armored orange and yellow he was used to. The only familiar part was the heavy gray cannon on her right arm.

"The X spread through her suit, as well as her body." Todar explained as Horzat continued to stare. "By removing the most concentrated portions, we were able to slow the spread of the parasites further. This gave us further time to attempt to locate a cure."

"She's gonna be pissed if she wakes up, all the same... but it'll be waking up, at least." Horzat finally turned back to Todar. "I hope. Any ideas? At all?"

"One. A desperate measure. As the designated next of kin, Federation law requires we obtain your authorization." Todar glanced at Horzat, something almost like humor twitching his eye. "An interesting fact, considering that you are not only fifty years her senior, but of entirely different species. One of these days, you'll have to tell me how you two managed to make that legally binding."

"Buy me a drink and we'll talk," Horzat said with a forced chuckle. "Lay it on me. What's the idea?"

"I'm sure you remember the last Metroid in existence." Todar walked over to a computer terminal. "An infant, brought back from SR-388 by Miss Aran and turned over to the Federation for a brief time before its abduction by the Space Pirates."

"Matrix. Of course I remember him," Horzat grunted as he clumped over to the terminal. "Never met the little bio-blip myself. He's dead, though. Ma Brain killed him."

"Indeed." Todar nodded. "But before its abduction-"

"His." Horzat corrected.

"As you wish. Before his abduction..." Todar smiled again, just as flat as before. "Dr. Olvarey of Space Station Ceres took a cell sample, which we still have on hand. It has been proposed that we use this to create an experimental serum, and inject it into Miss Aran."

"Wait. Hold on. You want to put Metroid cells into Samus?" Horzat said, his voice rising. "Cut the bullshit. What exactly would that do to her?"

"We are uncertain, hence the risk," Todar explained smoothly. "I am not a scientist myself, and even those who are claim a massive amount of unpredictability over the treatment's results. However, I believe it is safe to say that her biological nature would be permanently altered."

"So, what? She'd be some sort of human-Metroid fusion?" Horzat demanded. "I don't like the sound of that one bit."

"We are not particularly pleased with the idea ourselves, but we are running out of time." Todar crossed back over to look down at Samus again. "The last of the exterior of her Power Suit will be removed today. The interior systems are too closely melded with her own body for us to continue with those. Only her own conscious directive can cause those to detach."

"So if we use this Metroid shit on her, it'll be on both her own body and what's left of the suit, right?" Horzat guessed shrewdly, clomping back over as well. "What'll that mean? Don't try and tell me it won't have an effect."

"Possibly." Todar shrugged. "The scientists told me there's a fifty percent probability that the suit will become permanently bonded to her skin. The helmet would still be retractable, at least... however, the rest of her body would be permanently encased. That's only a possibility, however. We still don't know nearly as much about Chozo technology as we wish. Miss Aran may be able to remove it through some other method we have been unable to guess at, or the suit may not be permanently bonded at all, if we're lucky."

"Still more bad news, all the same," Horzat groused. Below, doctors began slicing off remaining bits of the exterior shell. Looking closely, Horzat could see tiny traces of bright yellow goo as they made the incisions. "That shit the X?"

"Yes. Fortunately, while incubating in a new lifeform, it does not spread to another until its current host is consumed, so the doctors are safe," Todar rattled off mechanically. "Miss Aran, on the other hand, is in critical condition."

Horzat remained silent for some time, watching them work. By his side, Todar continued to stand as well. Finally, the Zebesian sighed. "How long does she have?"

"We estimate seventy-two hours once this operation is complete," Todar answered.

"Do it." Horzat turned away, towards the exit. "Give her the Metroid cells. Do whatever you can, that'll give her any chance of survival. Even if it turns her into a half-Metroid freak. She'll probably never forgive me, but it's better than her being dead."

"The Galactic Federation appreciates your cooperation in this matter," Todar said with one more chill smile. "We will keep you informed on the details as matters progress. Have a nice day, Mister Horzat."

Horzat didn't answer, or turn around to see Samus again, but continued on heading towards the door, his one remaining eye tightly shut.

"I'm a fucking Metroid?" Samus whispered, holding up her left hand to stare at it. It still looked human-shaped, under the slick blue surface. Examining her entire body again, she saw that even that had some holes and gaps in it, revealing the final layer of pale yellow beneath.

"Something like that. I never did get a really straight answer out of them," Horzat growled. "But as soon as they put that shit in you, the X started dying. Whatever happened to you, it melted them down like that." He snapped his claw. "They didn't just go poof, either. They had you on an IV before that, but as soon as that happened, you didn't need it any more. Seems the X got the tables turned on them-they tried eating you, but you ended up snacking on them. Once they were all gone, the docs said you'd need the IV again, but it looks like you woke up before they actually put it in. I'm not gonna draw any conclusions as to what that means. You should be able to manage that all by yourself."

"Thanks awfully, crab," Samus muttered, closing her eyes. Something was different, all right. Not noticeable right off the bat, but underneath the surface, there was something new. Or maybe something old, that she hadn't felt in a long time. Fear. I'm afraid of what I've become. What they turned me into. "You got a mirror?" She asked suddenly.

"You don't look any different." Horzat shook his head.

"Okay, but. Can you get me a mirror, or something?" She pleaded. "Come on, crab. I'm an invalid, here. Cut me a break."

"Yeah. All right." Horzat sighed, standing up. "Just a moment." He left the room, and Samus immediately regretted asking him for that.

"Shit." Alone, she stared down at her hand again. Slowly, she turned it over, palm up. "What am I even looking for?" She shook her head; there was no physical change. It was all mental. Fear, something she'd thought she'd put aside forever. It hadn't bothered her for years. Now, though... now, she looked down at her own hand, and shivered.

"Cut it out," Samus admonished herself. "Think about something else, dammit." Anything was better than fear. Pain, that was something she was used to, and it was certainly present. Everything ached. Irritation, that was another good one. She was far from a saint, and she felt pretty rightly pissed off at the Feds for sending her in without all the details. Confusion, that worked, although it wasn't as constant as the others had been. No matter which way this turned out, her life wasn't going to be the same as before, that was obvious. Hunger. As Horzat said, the IV had been out, and...

As her stomach growled, three tiny fangs popped out of her palm.

"Fuck!" Whitening, Samus heaved, glad after all that there was nothing to bring up. Nausea swept over her, and the palm-fangs vanished. Shivering, she shoved her hand under the blankets, then looked up as Horzat reentered.

"This do?" The Zebesian grunted, lugging a huge, square mirror twice his size across the floor slowly.

"You didn't." Despite her freak-out just moments before, Samus couldn't help but smile. "You did not wreck the public bathroom."

"I sure as hell did." Horzat pulled it up against the wall. "You want a mirror, you get a mirror. Like there's any place else in here I'd get one. There you go, Barbie. You can put on your makeup now."

"Go to hell. Do not pass Go, do not collect two hundred credits." Samus stared into the mirror. Attractive human features, long blonde hair, all the same as before. Nothing had been altered on that score. Slowly, she opened her mouth, and was relieved to see a lack of fangs. "Well." She forced herself to sound jovial. "At least I didn't sprout fangs or turn translucent. That's one thing off of my mind."

"Told ya." Horzat grunted. "I'm not hauling that back, by the way. You get to explain it to Todar when he comes in. Or the nurses. I saw one big guy who's just your type."

"Not in the mood right now, for some reason." Samus rolled her eyes. "So. I'm healthy now, at least?"

"Docs said if you woke up, you'd be A-OK. You'll probably want to get a couple more days of rest, at least." The Zebesian shrugged. "Anything else you need?"

"Yeah." Samus narrowed her eyes. "I need you to stop me from killing the first idiot who tries forcing me to eat hospital food."

"One Mick Burger, fries and a soda it is." Horzat nodded. "Don't think a beer would be a good idea. I need to get out of this joint for a while anyways. I'm starting to smell like antiseptic. I'll be back in an hour. Or maybe two. Three, at the latest. Probably."

"I'll still be here when you get back." Samus closed her eyes. Meditate. That's what I'll do. Won't think about anything until somebody else comes back in. Haven't done it in a long time, but Chozo lessons tend to stick with a girl. "Not like I got anywhere else to go."

"Didn't figure you would." Horzat opened the door, then grinned at her over his shoulder. "Sleep well. Trannie."

The barrage of curses that followed him out kept the smile on his face all the way to the hospital's front door.