"You… are… so… cute!"

"Sophia, please stop."

"Oh come now, Ilena! Look at her! She is just the cutest thing ever! Aren't you? Yes you are! Yes you are!"

The girl seemed oblivious to Sophia. All her attention was focused on Samus.

"Stupid as ever Sophia. Like I said, her name is Irene. Also, that's not how you raise a kid. You're going to spoil her! Get over here, short stuff!" Noel literally pulled the girl from Sophia's arms and sat her down on another chair.

"Noel, what the hell!?"

"Now listen here kiddo, what's your name?"

The girl tried to speak, but with no luck. Samus raised her eyebrow.

"Geez. That kid's got some real issues."

"Oh, the poor dear! Noel, give her back!"

"Now listen here pipsqueak! On this ship, we all gotta pull our own weight. So if you think your cute little face is gonna make me fall for you… Think again!"

"Oh you are just the worst person ever! How can you say that to such a cute little munchkin!? Ilena, I would like to relieve this child endangerer of her number 3 ranking immediately! She is clearly-"

"Shut. Up."

The two did indeed shut up. Even the tiny bit of emotion on Ilena/Irene's face was apparently enough.

"We are on an incredibly important mission. Not daycare. This child should not be here. Case closed."

"Well, duh! That's totally what I thought Irene!"

"Ilena."

"Shut it bitch! I'm totally wondering myself why the rookie thought it was a good idea to store an extra passenger along for the ride!"

"I did not store anyone along. She came herself. Uh, excuse me?"

The girl had left her chair and placed her hands around Samus' waist. She buried her head into the hunter's chest while Samus stared straight ahead confounded.

"Wow. The kid's got a thing for you newbie. Maybe you should be a mom instead of a hunter."

"For once, Noel makes a good observation. The child seems quite smitten with you."

Samus turned to the leader to gauge her reaction. As usual, it was hard to read.

"This girl, she was Rosemary's… prisoner? Companion? What exactly, Samus?"

"Something like that. She acted as bait. Led me down below the city. I left her with someone to look after her before we left. I swear."

"But she chose you. Strange." Ilena/Irene bit her lip. This was somewhat outside her expertise.

"We are here for a mission. We cannot turn back now when we are so close to our destination." She rose from her seat.

"The child will stay on the ship. She will not touch anything. She will not do anything. Understand girl?"

"Is that a good idea Ilena? Who knows if we're even coming back from this mission? We might abandon her to her death."

"You might not. But I sure as hell am! They don't call me Stormwind Noel for nothing!"

"Can't we try somewhere else? What's the nearest town?"

"See! You totally want to be a mama! Good for you! I say we ditch the two of you elsewhere and deal with the brain chick ourselves."

"No. Samus comes with us. And there are no human settlements nearby where we can leave her. She stays on the ship."

"You're putting her in serious danger." Samus rose to her feet, an unusual maternal feeling flowing through her.

"And she put us in serious danger when she snuck on board this ship. She's in the same boat now. She'll have to deal with it." She moved away from the table.

"We'll be arriving in a few hours, and we haven't had any proper sleep. Go get some. The autopilot will let us know when we're in orbit. I suppose the girl can stay with you. She seems comfortable enough."

Indeed the girl hadn't let go, and still had her arms wrapped around Samus' waist and her head buried in her chest.

"Of course if you don't want her…" Sophia looked at the girl hopefully.

"Oh please. And let you spoil her further. Let the noobie take her. It's not like she's going to contribute all that much to this mission."

Samus resisted the urge to slap the arrogant bitch and instead made her way to her room. Eventually, she did manage to make the girl let her go, only for her to follow behind.

"You are a strange one, you know that? Why didn't you stay? Sure those people might have been a little weird, but it sure beats me."

The girl shook her head furiously. Samus' eyebrows raised.

"You disagree? You saw what I did, right? I kill those things for a living. If you stick with me, you're going to encounter more of them. More danger. That doesn't sound very fun, does it?"

The girl stared silently for a bit, but eventually shook her head again. Albeit, slower.

"Right. So naturally, following me is not a good idea. You'd be much happier with humans. Right?"

Once again, she shook her head. Samus continued to stare.

"Ok. Well you can clearly understand me. So I presume you understood Ilena. Or was it Irene? That woman with the long hair? You understand you have to stay on the ship, right?"

The girl finally nodded. Samus smirked to see her do something other than shake her head.

"God, you are bizarre. Then again, who am I to judge?"

Too tired to continue arguing, she scooted over on the bed to make room for the girl. The child climbed in and wrapped her arms around the hunter once more, lying her head on her chest.

"You sure are touchy feely aren't you? I guess Rosemary wasn't great company. Being a giant crab and all."

Seeing her asleep like that. So peaceful. So innocent. Against her best instinct, Samus brushed her hand through the girl's hair.

"Not that I'm much better."

"Home sweet home. How does it feel, rookie?"

"Noel, stop agitating her."

"And you stop sticking up for her! She's a big girl she can take it, right? Because if not, you're in the wrong line of business sweetheart."

Samus as usual blotted out the annoying number 3 and stared on the harsh planetoid. She hadn't set foot down there ever since… Well a long time. Not that she didn't have some pleasant memories living below the surface. It's just hard to focus on the good stuff when so much of one's life has been so rotten.

"Down below the surface somewhere, an abyssal one lurks. Luciela the mother brain. The greatest challenge any of us has faced to date." Ilena/Irene looked between her fellow fighters.

"I need you all to put your A game on. And to do that, I need complete coordination. In other words, Noel and Sophia: Put your petty rivalry on hold. And Noel: Lay off the hunter. The biggest killer in a team hunt is an ineffective team. I will not let you doom the biggest hunt of maybe any of our lifetimes."

"To be fair, Noel is the one with problems. Samus and I merely respond to her aggressions."

"Problems? Me? I'm number 3 and you're number 4, bitch! And you're talking smack about me? Maybe you're the one with problems!"

Ilena/ Irene pushed both of them apart. It was a simple gesture but sent the two practically flying into the walls. A reminder of her rank.

"See, this is exactly what's going to get us killed. If you can't put it aside, you might as well label yourself yoma food."

"But she started it!"

"Very mature Noel. I see your ranking does not take your maturity into account."

Ilena/Irene's face displayed genuine raw anger. Both of them shut their mouths at the sight of it.

"Enough. Now. If you're going to get me killed, I might as well remove that possibility right here and now. No one need know. I could easily say a yoma did it. Very few expect you to come back alive. So what's it going to be?"

Apparently, the opposite of that since not a word emerged from their mouths for a time.

"That's the spirit. Now get your swords and prepare for entry." She moved toward the cockpit, then stopped, seemingly having another thought.

"Samus. You don't have a sword, do you? Have you ever even used one?"

"No to the first and second. I have used a sword from time to time. Just… not proficiently."

"Not like me, you mean!" Noel's proud grin quickly faded under Ilena/Irene's stare.

"Fair enough. I was going to provide you with one. But for this mission, stick to what you're best at." As she walked away, Noel leaned in and whispered.

"What are you best at rookie? Hope it's staying alive." She winked and wandered off. Followed by Sophia who nodded Samus' way.

Samus herself didn't need to get anything. All the equipment she ever needed was always with her. A part of her. Her armor was a second skin that could come at will.

With a thought, the familiar cold metal formed over her body. Her right hand now a cannon once more. Looking through her visor, she saw the girl huddled in the corner. Looking at her with worried eyes.

Feeling that strange maternal instinct again, she walked over and placed her left hand on the child's head.

"It's ok. I've done this before. Many times. Nothing's going to happen. I'll be back. You'll see."

It was a good thing her visor made it hard for people to see her eyes. Because they did not show confidence.

The girl seemed to buy it however, and leaned in to hug her again. Samus rubbed her hair, trying to be gentle with her metallic hand.

"It'll be ok. I'll see you soon. Just wait here. I'm not leaving you. You'll see."

Maybe if she said it enough times, she would believe it herself.

Light shone around them. The light that would transport them to the surface. Or in this case underground. Samus didn't blink anymore from it. She was long used to it by this point. A brief flash and bam! On the surface. Or in this case, beneath the surface.

"Mama mia! I hate that shit! I feel like I just downed 20 bottles of rum!"

"Ah poor baby. Ship life too much for you?"

Noel opened her mouth to respond. But one look from Ilena/Irene shut her up.

"Good girl. Now let's move."

For such a dangerous mission, much of it passed in relative silence. The next hour was spent in relative silence, traversing the maze of Zebes' bowels. Trying to find a way further down.

"Oh my god! This is ridiculous! Where the hell do we go! I'm a fighter, not a cave explorer! This is beneath me1 I'm number 3, god damn it! This is beneath me!"

"Calm yourself, Noel. I would think you'd appreciate something else besides fighting." Sophia tried to defuse her comrade's anger.

"Fighting is why I live! I live to bring death to the monsters of this universe! I am the storm!"

"Be patient, Noel. You'll get you battle soon enough. We need merely get our bearings. Now, where are we?" Ilena/Irene walked forward and whipped out her light. She moved it over the wall and showed wall paintings of what looked like humanoid birds.

"What the hell is this? Birds? Fucking birds? How does this make any sense? Hey rookie? What are you doing?"

Samus wandered forward as if in a trance. She found herself tracing her hands over the paintings with a complete lack of emotion. She couldn't help it. The memories came flooding back. A little girl who had just been through hell. Now in a new home. What else could she do but watch?

"Hey rookie! What gives? Why are you looking like that?"

"She's remembering the past. Give her a minute."

"What? You mean she knows this?"

"Wasn't that obvious?"

"Watch your mouth-" Noel stopped herself when she saw the leader's face.

Samus stared at the mural for a minute or two, before she decided she'd had enough. She pulled away from the past and returned to the present.

"Thank you err… Ilena? Irene? I needed that."

Ilena/Irene nodded before moving on. Sophia followed but Noel held back.

"So this was like your home? Seriously? I mean… What was it like? Growing up here? Must have been hell."

However hard it was to identify Samus' expression through that visor, Noel could make out this one perfectly.

"I had already lived through hell. Compared to that, this was paradise."

"Yoma! Noel! Get your arrogant ass up here!"

"Oh, you hear that? It's game time! You ready, rookie?"

Samus cocked her gun in response.

"Bring it on."

The next hour was considerably more eventful than the proceeding. Yoma after yoma fell before their might. Or rather the might of the actual claymores. 2, 3, and 4 whatever else their problems were well deserving of their ranks. Samus certainly had a long-range advantage with her missiles and power shot. But once they closed the distance, she couldn't keep up. Nothing could stand before them. Nothing. Except a statue with two heads.

"What the fuck is this shit? What am I looking at? Where the hell do we go?"

"Down, I reckon."

"Well listen to the noobie here! Talking like she knows shit! What makes you say that novice?"

"My scanner is picking up a rather large yoki aura down far below. My guess is that's our queen of the abyss."

Ilena/Irena closed her eyes and concentrated. Samus thought she saw her shudder.

"Yes. I can sense her too. How strange that she not hide it. She must know of our presence."

"Maybe… She's not afraid to show it." Sophia couldn't keep the fear out of her voice.

"Oh really? Well that's her mistake! Let's get down there and smash her to bits! Move aside statues! I command you!"

"Shockingly" the statues did not obey Noel's command. They remained in place. So naturally, she turned to what she did best. Hitting stuff with her sword.

"Die! Damn you! Why won't you die for fuck's sake!"

"Because they're statues, genius. They're not even alive!"

"Let me try." Samus stepped forward and scanned the statues. She sorted through the information available.

"They both give off some sort of yoki aura. It's strange but it looks like I can… Hang on. Analyzing."

"Analyzing? Irene, are we really trusting the rookie?"

"Give her a chance Noel."

"Ok. This may sound crazy. But this visor has been designed to act like your yoki sensing. Or whatever you call it. I think I can follow the aura back to its source. These statues… It's like they have their own life force. It sounds crazy but-"

"In this line of work, nothing is too crazy." Ilena/Irene gave a rare smile. "So you would have us follow the statue's auras back to their source? Is that it?"

"Uh, yeah. I guess that's it?"

"Oh, real cunning plan there genius. Put a lot of thought into that one, didn't you?"

"Shut up, Noel. It's a good plan. I can also detect the two auras. Both are strong, but one is certainly… stronger than the other."

"Shall we split up then? Two could take one yoma down."

"We… could. But I think it best we stick together. We'll go for the weaker of the two auras."

"You know only an awakened being is strong enough to boast that kind of aura. You ready for another rookie? After you got your butt kicked so easily by the last one?"

Samus simply cocked her gun in response. Noel grinned.

"That's the spirit!"

The four set down one road, deeper into the bowels of the planet. They found themselves on another elevator. Sophia groaned.

"I hate these contraptions. So unnatural. So unclean. How does anyone stomach this?"

"Ah, little Sophia-"

"Shut up."

"Ah come on Irene! She's totally asking for it!"

"And you're asking for me to take your hands off if you say another word."

Samus admired Ilena/Irene's powers of persuasion. If only she herself had that kind of strength.

Getting off the elevator, the trio was immediately ambushed by another group of yoma. Before Samus could even point, they were dead. Killed by an unseen force.

"I… Did you… What just happened?"

"Ilena happened. They don't call her quicksword Ilena for nothing."

"You mean quicksword Irene."

"Stow it both of you."

"Wait, you did that? I mean… What did you do? I couldn't see."

"That's why we call it quicksword. The swing is so fast, you can't comprehend it."

"Yeah! Bet the bird men didn't teach you that, huh rookie?"

Samus didn't respond. No they did not. What else didn't they teach her?

Through another few doors, Samus raised her hand to signal stop.

"The aura ends here. Whatever we're looking for, I think we found it."

"Way ahead of you girl. It found us."

Samus turned and to her horror discovered a great green behemoth rising out of the acidic magma. The beast turned its great horned head down to face the claymores and appeared to laugh… Until its horn came off.

The beast screamed and thrashed its claws about in a vain attempt to catch the faster than sight soldiers. But what the beast had in size, it did not in speed.

Not wanting to feel completely useless, Samus fired a missile at the creature's eyes, making it practically powerless against the women's assault. And indeed, without landing a single blow, the head came loose from the massive body.

"Huh. You know I kind of thought that would be a little more… uh…"

"Epic? For you perhaps rookie. For us though?" Noel simply spread her arms and gestured to the three single digits. Not a sign of sweat or fatigue on them.

"I myself expected more of a challenge. That was a bit of a letdown. And all this blood on me for nothing!" Sophia wiped the creature's blood off her with a grimacing face.

"Enjoy these easy moments. As single digit ranks, you deserve it."

"Yeah, we sure do. You know if all the monsters down here are as easy as this big oaf, I think we're good."

"Do not get cocky."

"Oh don't worry Irene. I won't. I just worry about our new friend here. Seems like you're not needed here after all."

Samus hid her emotions well behind her face. But inside, her heat was a maelstrom of confusion and anguish.

If she couldn't do anything here, what chance did she have for revenge?

"This is where the trail ends. At least according to my visor."

The aura led them to a room filled with lava in another section of the underground complex.

"Not just your visor. I detect the aura source is very close. I must say hunter, that is one impressive tool you carry."

"Don't give her unnecessary compliments Sophia. It's just a substitute for a really important skill all warriors should have. If she spent less time with those toys, she might become a competent fighter."

Samus turned about to face number 3. She usually didn't care what people thought of her. So why did she now?

"Oh ho! Getting a little feisty are we? Can't handle the truth?"

"Noel, enough."

"I'm sorry Irene, but seriously! What was the organization thinking? Sending along someone like her with us? It defies logic! It-"

Whatever it was, Noel herself never got to say. On account of the sudden removal of her arms. Followed by a swift fall over the edge.

"Noel!" Sophia seeming to fly, launched herself and stopped her comrade's fiery death.

"Noel! Talk to me! You ok?"

"Damn. It's time like this I wish I were a defense type. Move!"

Sophia backflipped out of the way of… something. It moved too fast for the eyes to comprehend.

"Nice try yo- Uugghh!"

Despite moving out of the way, Sophia was still sliced across the chest by what appeared to be a large hook connected to… was that a tail?

"Damn! Sophia! Get her out of there!"

Samus meanwhile scanned the air for the attacker. She could sense the presence in the air above them.

"It's moving too fast! I can't keep up! Oh shit!"

She felt the presence coming at her. Without thinking, she activated her morph ball and managed to avoid the monster. Quickly rolling out of her shell, she turned around and fired a missile at the beast, causing an annoyed roar from the enemy.

She prepared to fire another volley but stopped as her eyes met her opponent's.

"No. No it can't be. No way."

This awakened being was considerably smaller than the previous. And certainly, didn't look anywhere near as formidable. A walking pterodactyl with purple skin and razor-sharp teeth wouldn't seem to signify an outstanding threat. But to Samus…

"You!"

"Me?" The creature gave an innocent semi shrug. "What about me?"

"You… You attacked K-2L. You…"

"K-2L? Hmm?" The creature put its finger to its chin as if in mocking contemplation. "Sorry honey. Doesn't ring a bell. I've attacked a lot of places."

"Don't lie! You killed everyone! Now I get to return the favor!"

"Samus, wait!"

Samus was not in the mood for orders right now though. The images of the dead spurred her on to fire with almost reckless abandon. The creature was quick though. Too quick for even her trigger arm.

"Such ferocity! Such passion! I love it! However."

The creature in the blink of an eye appeared behind Samus. But before he could attack, Irene launched herself at him, forcing him to move.

"Watch it hunter! You're going to get yourself killed!"

"Back away! He's mine!"

"Hunter? That's a new word for a warrior. Is that what they're calling you now? Poor job so far." The creature grinned before flashing out of sight.

"From above!"

Samus heeded the master's advice and rolled aside from the creature. However, she wasn't fast enough to dodge the tail and had her leg pulled off.

"Oh, so you bleed? Strange. I can't decide what you are. I sense your aura. So why the getup?"

"It's for you! I wear it to find you. I live to kill you!"

The beast appeared to raise its eyebrows. Or what would appear to be eyebrows.

"Kill me? Why me? I wouldn't hurt a fly. Unless it had a big sword and reeked of humanity."

The creature raised a hand to further strike down the immobilized hunter but found himself stopped by the number 2's sword.

"Oh, such vigor in this one! You must be a high rank."

"Number 2. And I earned it through the blood of monsters like you."

"Number 2? You don't say."

While distracted by Ilena/Irene, Sophia snuck up behind to nab the creature in the gut. The tail however, fully expected such a move and jabbed at her, nicking her in the shoulder.

"From one number 2 to another: You need better tricks than that!"

Samus had a better one. Distracted by both number 4 and 2, the creature never saw her charge shot.

"Gah! Pesky, little bitch!"

The creature jumped back but Ilena/Irene got him in the shoulder. Flying high into the sky, the beast glowered down at the warriors.

"So a little spunk in this crowd. Makes sense I guess. The organization wouldn't send rookies to a place like this."

"Ha! Think again bud! This one here is a rookie!"

Noel had managed to heal her legs and stand next to the hunter. A feat Samus still struggled with. The whole room seemed to stare at her.

"You are odd, I admit. None of these other dames carry that getup. You some new experiment of the organization?"

"I am a survivor of K-2L. A colony that had good people! Innocent people! And you murdered them all!"

The creature didn't seem fazed in the slightest.

"Oh, is that it? Sorry I don't remember hun. I've done that to a lot of villages. It's an ironic life. I would have once defended a place like that from yoma. And now look at me. All those years, holding back my true nature! What a waste!"

"Fighting yoma? You are a yoma!"

The creature looked at Noel.

"Nice observation genius."

The creature lunged again. This time, Noel dodged. Samus moved to help, but then remembered her legs.

"Let me help you." Sophia kneeled down next to her and placed her hands on the hunter's legs. "It's tricky to do in a fight."

"Yeah. I figured that a long time ago. Usually, I tried to fight them off before reattaching them."

Sophia laughed.

"Wonder what that's like."

Samus couldn't return the laugh. Merely stare at the battle.

"I have to kill him."

"We'll do it together. Just hang in there. You're actually doing better than we thought. Though to be fair, that wasn't a high expectation."

"He killed them. He killed them all."

"We've all been there sweetie. We've all had that same feeling. Just work as a team and we'll pull through."

Before she could fully heal the legs, the creature knocked Sophia aside, taking her own legs out. Putting her in the same situation Noel had just left and Samus was currently in.

"Sorry love. But this metallic beauty wanted me all to herself. Well honey. Now you have me."

The creature grabbed Samus by the throat and flew into the sky with her.

"Confused, aren't you? By a male warrior?"

"No. I know all about you. You're from the first generation, aren't you?"

The warriors below stopped. This was probably the first time they had heard of male warriors.

"Clever one, aren't you? Yes. I was there at the beginning of your little club. Almost at the top. You should feel honored honey. You as a little girl survived number 2 Ridley. The cunning god of death!"

The beast let out a horrendous laugh, while ripping Samus' right arm off. While she screamed, Noel jumped up and managed to cut the tail off.

"Ha! No wonder they got rid of males! You're easy to hit!"

Ridley as he called himself kicked number 3 back to the ground. Once again near the edge to the lava pit. Fortunately, Samus managed to squirm her way free with the distraction.

"Oh that's not why they stopped making us darling. We were just too strong to be their little pets!"

Ilena/Irene caught him while he was monologuing.

"Pride can be a fatal flaw. Easily exploited."

"I've killed hundreds of your kind toots. That's pride well earned."

"Not me bastard. Not me."

Samus kept repeating that line to herself as she pulled herself towards her arm cannon.

"Cunning god of death? Is that your nickname?"

"That's right number 2. A well deserved one I'd say. What about you?"

"Quicksword." She grinned and with her invisible sword, cut multiple cuts across the enemy's face.

"Heh. Nice trick. I'll try and replicate it to honor your memory."

Samus grabbed her cannon and reattached it to her arm. She grimaced from the pain but held on to consciousness as she worked to reattach it.

"Need a hand?"

Sophia moved in and placed her hand on the stump. Their combined strength quickly got it reattached. Samus looked up at her enemy. Dueling with number 2 and 3 at the same time. Despite her hate, she had to admire his skill.

"Sophia. How's your throwing arm?"

Number 4 grinned.

"They call me Muscular Sophia. What do you think?"

Ridley pinned Noel and Ilena/Irene to the wall and licked his lips.

"Not bad. I admit. I'm sort of surprised you aren't number 1. I'd be kind of curious how you fare as a monster." The monster racked a claw against number 2's cheek.

"What do you say, lovely? Want to taste true power?"

"Taste this, you bastard!"

Samus having just been thrown into the air in front of the enemy's jaw grabbed the upper jaw to hold it open and jammed her arm cannon into the mouth.

"This is for mother!"

Tapping into the depths of her soul, she felt previously unknown energy flowing through her. That energy flowed through to her arm and burst from her cannon in a blast of light.

There was a scream of pain and rage. And then it ended.

When she came to, she smelled smoke and burning flesh. Her 3 comrades knelt down around her.

"Well. Shit. To think I had you pegged for a rookie."

"I am a rookie. With a big gun."

Noel chuckled.

"Yeah. That you are. Not bad. Gotta say."

"Indeed. I must agree." Sophia placed her hand on the arm cannon again. Looking it up and down to check for any further injuries. "I think I see now why our leaders have such an interest in you. You are… unique."

"That's one word. Where is he?"

"Fell into the magma pit. Can't sense the aura either. I think we can consider our way forward open."

"Not bad rookie! Your first awakened being kill! And against the object of your revenge!"

"One object of my revenge. I have another. Another awakened being."

"Oh really?" Noel took on a sneakier look. "All the more reason to join up with the organization then! We can help-"

"Enough. We still have a job to do." Ilena/Irene stood up. "There's still an abyssal one down there. If you thought that was tough, you haven't seen anything yet."

Samus looked at the magma pit. Her visor couldn't detect anything. She had to assume her nemesis was dead. Her parents avenged. No way something could survive that. Right? Right.

"Just you wait Adam," she thought to herself. "I'm coming for you next."

Returning to the scene of the statues, they found the statues had parted way for yet another elevator. After a long ride down and lot more complaining from Sophia, they reached the bottom. The first thing they noticed was the heat. Even for a claymore, it was significant.

"Gah! For the love of the goddess! This is not what I need after such a dismal elevator ride!" Sophia gripped her hair and shook her head.

"How the hell did you make it to number 4 rank?" Noel shook her head then looked around.

"We must be pretty far down below the surface now. Looks a lot more… mechanical down here."

"And we're not alone." Samus scanned the surroundings.

"I detect life. But it's not yoma. No yoki."

"On your guard." Ilena/Irene drew her sword. "Lead the way Samus. You can detect something we can't."

Soon enough, they found the source of the scan. Floating in jars. Samus read the scanner logs

"Metroids."

Noel and Sophia looked at each other in shock.

"These are… metroids.? Goddess! They're uglier than I could ever imagine!" Get them away! Ew!"

"Sophia I swear you are not cut out for this job."

"Not cut out? Look at them! What are they?"

"It's not totally clear." Samus poured through the logs. "It's believed they were created artificially. Not naturally. No agreement on who. Their purpose however is clear. To drain life. To feed on life. Genocide."

"Geez. There's so many." Noel looked all around in awe. "How did Luciela get so many?"

"I'm sure she'd love to tell you herself. Let's move."

Moving further down through the laboratory proved an unnerving experience. Though the metroids remained confined. Meanwhile another larger aura was growing in proximity.

Another glass vial lay at the end of a large room. Within it lay the great mother brain. Or at least what remained of her. She was hooked up to tubes, great parts of her still regenerating.

"Woah. She's got uglier than before. What happened to her?"

"She's injured. How? What could have hurt her?"

"More… More of you? Go away…"

The brain appeared to be in some kind of trance. She was clearly injured and not responding well.

"I don't understand. It all happened… So great. Everything… Why'd that bitch refuse…

The warriors continued to stare for a time longer before turning to each other.

"So… Mission complete. I guess?"

"Well well. The bounty hunter proved her worth. I knew you had the potential in you."

"Somehow, I don't think you're pride is genuine Rubel."

The man smiled. He always wore the same hat and glasses. Every time he had come by to offer her a job. Didn't he have a wardrobe?

"Oh no. It is. Truly. I mean sure. Luciela may have already been defeated by the time of your arrival. But according to number 2 here, you helped land a crushing blow to Ridley the cunning god of death. Twice now you've survived that savage monster. Not something many can claim."

"Not something anyone can claim again. He fell into the magma pit. He's not coming back from that."

Rubel's smile did not abate.

"With most I would believe that. But this Ridley… He's been around a while. He's a survivor who's managed to survive the worst we've thrown at him. Way I see it, unless you get the head off you'd best look over your shoulder."

Samus was about to ask what the hell that meant, but the old bastard had already turned his attention to number 2.

"From the looks of it, Luciela had been engaged in a prior fight. Judging by the room you found her in, it wasn't there. No signs of battle/ She must have gotten roughed up elsewhere. The wounds she suffered were significant. Consider it fortunate it happened in time for your mission."

"So she got her ass owned by… something. Pulled her way back to her vial and was still so beat up from it that she couldn't fight back against us?"

"A mystery Noel. Though that does appear the most likely case at the moment. We're still not sure what caused her that amount of damage. Regardless, we can see why she might have been moving again. She certainly hit the jackpot with that stash of metroids down there. Thousands of them. Enough to potentially take over the whole galaxy. You did good work finding it for us."

"For you? Is that who it's for? Seems to me the kind of thing the galactic federation should have a say in."

Rubel's smirk did not fade as he turned to the hunter. It only seemed to get even bigger.

"A loyal rat I see. They couldn't keep track of a single ship. You think we're going to trust something this big with them?"

"They're going to know sooner or later. And they'll be really pissed if they find out you're hording an entire army of these little monsters."

"And what are you going to do about it exactly? Are you sure you trust them with these things anymore than us? You did leave their employment after all. And they don't have such capable warriors to guard the specimens if they got out."

"Something that seems to happen quite a bit with you guys, wouldn't you say?"

Her comrades looked at Samus worriedly. She was really testing the limits. Even if Rubel didn't seem annoyed.

"Our soldiers do have a tendency to awaken that is true. But it's a risk worth taking for the safety of humanity. And we have soldiers able to handle the problem. Can your federation soldiers say the same?"

Samus didn't respond.

"I thought not. Don't worry. We're not letting these things out to wander. We're keeping them to find their weakness. We're here to protect humanity Samus. Never forget that."

"Forgive me if I find it hard to trust someone like you has humanity's safety at heart. My advice? Wear something a little less scary."

"Samus…
"Oh it's quite all right Sophia. Let her have her say. Judging by your answer, I presume you still don't wish to become a true sister and help protect the galaxy."

"I'll protect the galaxy my own way. Without the orders of creepy slave drivers like you."

He didn't blink. Damn it. Did nothing get this guy angry?

"A shame. You could be a force for good. And we could be good for you too. We could teach you all the things the Chozo didn't teach you about learning. We could even help with revenge."

Samus went silent at that. Rubel leaned in closer.

"Even if Ridley really is gone, that's only half of your revenge, isn't it? You've still got another to contend with, don't you? Perhaps we can help with that."

Samus actually seemed to consider that for a bit. The organization did have many resources she could only imagine. And these warriors she traveled with had skills she couldn't reach without proper training. Still…

"I don't think so."

His smirk finally faded. She got nervous for a second then. She was currently on a ship orbiting the planet, surrounded by organization warriors. If they really wanted to, they could take her without much effort. Fortunately, that didn't seem to be the case today.

"A pity. You could do really good. Now if you'll excuse me." He turned about to leave.

"You should go. Now. Before he changes his mind."

"Wait, Irene. We're just going to let her go?"

"What's wrong Noel? Don't want your rookie to leave?" Samus to her surprise saw sadness on number 3's face.

"Well, I don't know if I can call you rookie anymore. You know? Hard to say that anymore. I guess… I don't know…"

"Yes?" Samus leaned in closer.

"I guess I'm saying… Nice job. You would've made a good claymore. Not as good as me though!" She pushed her away. "Don't ever think otherwise!"

"I think otherwise." Sophia placed her arm around the hunter's shoulder. "I think with skills like yours, you could be better than any of us. I'd love to have you as a shield sister."

Samus smiled at that. Not something she did often.

"Enough. Time to see our hunter to her ship."

Ilena/Irene escorted her to her gunship. Within, she could see the girl. The instant she looked up and saw her beloved hunter outside, her eyes lit up.

"I'll leave her fate to you. Children as you've no doubt noticed are not my specialty."

"Not me either."

"Too bad. If you'd stuck with us, the organization would have taken care of it."

"How? Made her like us?"

Ilena/Irene didn't respond immediately confirming Samus' suspicion. When she did finally respond it was about another subject.

"This isn't the last time I suspect we'll see each other. I sense… something big it about to happen. You need to keep your guard up."

"Yeah. Seems like it."

Number 2 extended her arm out.

"It was an honor hunter Samus. I'm glad I was wrong about you."

"And I'm glad I was wrong about you. About all of you."

"Well not all of us. But certainly some. Certainly the men in black."

"Yeah. Fuck them."

Ilena/Irene's eyes lit up but she grinned.

"Yes. Fuck them."

"Excuse me? Are you the hunter?"

They turned to a man with half his face… burnt off? Was that the right word? Impossible to say.

"Yes. I'm the hunter. What of it?"

"Interesting. Very interesting. I've met many strange warriors. But you…"

He reached out to touch her hand cannon. She pulled it away. He didn't seem bothered at all.

"Quite a sight for sore eyes you are. Yes indeed. I would be very interested to see how it works. Maybe even see if we could give it other warriors-"

"Sorry. This is for me and me alone."

That didn't seem to faze him. It actually made him more excited if anything.

"For now perhaps my dear. For now."

He waggled his finger and slunk off. His eyes never left her.

"Now you see why I don't join?"

Ilena/Irene rubbed her head.

"At least you have a choice. I never did."

"Right. Sorry."

"However, since you at least do have a choice, I'm giving you this."

"A claymore sword?"

"I believe it belonged to Luciela herself. Since she's currently being experimented upon by that creep you just spoke to for god knows what, she doesn't really have a use for it."

"And so you're giving it to me? I'm no expert."

"Then become one. Train hard. If you could master both the sword and your weaponry, you could become a valuable guardian of the universe. Whether or not you join the organization. We need more like you out there. You have the potential to be something great. I just know it."

Samus pursed her lips but eventually nodded and took the sword.

"When I use it, I'll think of you."

Ilena/Irene raised her eyebrows.

"I mean I'll… I'll…" She just shrugged.

"See you around number 2. Stay alive"

"Likewise bounty hunter. I hope to fight alongside you again. Godspeed."

"So you really don't want to leave huh?"

Samus patted the girl's head as she buried herself in the hunter's chest. They were now a safe distance from the organization fleet. Or at least she hoped they were. She had removed her armor and now was trying to steer while holding this little child. No easy task.

"Even after you know what I am you still want to stick around. You're a weird little girl you know that?" She shook her head. "What am I going to do with you?"

The girl looked up. Her eyes lined with tears.

"Oh please stop. You're going to make me cry too."

"Don't…Please."

"What?" Samus nearly leaped out of her seat. "You can talk?"

"Yes…I." She coughed as if trying to get something out of her throat.

"Thank you. That's what I wanted to say." She buried herself further in.

"Without you, I…" She shuddered. "I have… nothing else. Please. Don't send me away."

Samus stared for some time. How could she want this? What kind of hell must she have lived to consider life with her a blessing?

"It's not safe. I'll just… I'll probably get you killed. I can't give you stability. It's not what you need."

"Not for me!"

"What?"

"It's not about me! It's not what I need! It's what you need!"

Samus didn't respond.

"You look so hurt. So angry. Like you were dying inside. When you looked on that planet… You looked like you could barely stand. I… I've never seen someone look so miserable." She looked deep into Samus' eyes. Something Samus was now having trouble reciprocating.

"I'm here for you. So you don't have to be alone. Not anymore."

Samus could feel the tears coming on. Something she hadn't felt in years. Somehow she was powerless against this small crying girl. The mighty hunter who had just recently stared her parent's murderer in the face wrapped her arms around the child and succumbed to her embrace. She lost track of time. It could have been hours for all she knew.

"All right kid all right. You can stay. For now."

"Clare."

"Clare? Like the goddess? Huh. Interesting."

"I'll be good. I promise. Just don't die on me. Don't leave me alone."

Samus smirked. Her eyes still filled with tears.

"After what I just went through? Bring it on. I don't care what's out there. I'll keep you safe."

"You promise?"

"I promise Clare. I won't let anything hurt you. No matter how strong."

A woman in white walked. She didn't really know where. She just walked.

She just needed to let off steam. That was a pretty intense fight she just went through. Who would have thought a massive brain could make her sweat. And who would have thought that same brain could flee so fast for her life? What a strange galaxy.

She looked at the blood on her sword. She knew it was wrong, but the sight of it made her feel alive. Excited. Powerful.

"Guess you were right mother. I am a monster. You knew that didn't you? Is that why you sold me?"

She looked at the necklace in her hand. It seemed strange to keep hold of it. But it was all she had left of her old life. Her human life. The life of an insect.

"The thing about monsters mother, is that they survive. And I happen to be the best."

She knew it. Everyone knew it. She was the queen of monsters.