I stood there a moment, processing the truth that had just issued from the Ghost's metaphorical lips. Then I freaked out, screaming as I shook my head violently then, when that didn't work, tilted it sideways and thumped the side facing the sky. I waited a few seconds, and when the Ghost said smugly, Still here., I screamed, "GET! OUT! OF! MY! HEAD!", and started whacking my forehead with my palm. The only thing you're doing is giving yourself a headache., the Ghost drawled, and I stopped the whacking to take a couple deep breaths and calm myself so I could figure everything out. "Okay, calm down Jason. Calm down. The Ghost can't do anything in your head, and if it wanted to hurt you it would have tried to already. In fact, if anything, the Ghost has been helping you.", I said to myself, pacing back and forth in the sand as I ranted, "Samus'll know what to do. Yeah, she lived with the Chozo, the most scientifically advanced race in the universe. She can probably take you to a machine that'll get Ghostie outta your head and into a body of his own.". I'm not amused with the nickname., the Ghost piped up in an annoyed voice, and I said flatly, "I'm not amused with having you in my head. Your argument is invalid.". Touchè., the Ghost grumbled reluctantly as, in slow motion it seemed, Samus' ship descended to the beach once again. At about two hundred feet in the air the ship sped up as it entered the dilation field, touching down on the sand smoothly. A second later the elevator platform lowered to let Samus, in her Zero Suit, disembark her ship and walk toward me. "Alright kid, I've got some questions for... you.", she said, stopping and pausing as she caught sight of my Zero Suit, arm cannon, and eye wear. "I can explain.", I said truthfully, feeling like I just got caught with my hand in the cookie jar as Samus crossed her arms and started tapping her foot. After a second she said, "Alright then. Explain.".
"Okay, uh...after you dropped me off, I got bored and started exploring the forest. Then a Chozo Ghost attacked me.", I started, watching her raise an eyebrow before continuing, "It flew into me, which knocked me backward a few yards, then seemed to just disappear. I got up and ran away from where I was, running and running 'til I almost tripped on a root. I slowed to a jog and looked around at all the plants to distract myself. I saw a banana tree and started to get suspicious, so I looked around and saw all these plants that shouldn't be able to grow together, shouldn't be able to grow in Canada, but were. Then I saw a cyrlic tree.". The other brow rose to meet the first, and I continued, "I knew that cyrlic trees were created by the Chozo, so I knew something was up. I also knew that this island wasn't here 'til recently, because people from Vancouver would have found it, found all the plants growing in the same place, found the cyrlic, and told the government, who would have had samples taken from the 'new species'.", making air quotes around 'new species'. "So I kept walking, thinking I'd find some answers further inland, and went left at a fork in the road. It was around this time I started hearing the Voice in my head.". Her surprised expression morphed into one I couldn't place, and I realized how insane that sounded. "It's okay, I'm not crazy. There's a rational explanation.", I said with a crazy-sounding laugh.
"So, left at the fork in the road took me to a Chozo Bio Lab building.", I said, pausing as she went back to surprised before I kept going, "Out front I checked my watch and saw it had only been ten minutes. Now, there was no way all that had happened happened in the span of ten minutes, so I figured time had to be messed up. Either way, I went inside the Labs. After turning on the lights with the Voice's help, I found these glasses, which are actually a self-contained Scan Visor, and this mini arm cannon, which was just a Power Beam when I got there. I found out that the Bio Labs weren't for studying Metroids, thank the Gods, but for studying Phazon, or 'the Great Poison' as they called it. They were trying to find a way to cure the Chozo Ghosts. I also found out that the Shinespark isn't just for running fast. If you use something the notes described as 'resembling a tuning fork' to change the frequency the Shinespark crystal resonates energy at, you can change the effect it has. One frequency slows time, one frequency stops time, one frequency brings the user to the future, and one frequency rewinds time.".
"That's where the Labs came from. To help cure the Chozo Ghosts and ultimately stop the poison, the Chozo needed more time. So they built this facility on Earth, where they wouldn't be disturbed, and sent it back in time to get the time they needed. Over and over, I imagine, they went back in time to study the poison and develop a cure. They, ah, failed, obviously. I still had some questions, so I opened a weapons cache with the Voice's assistance, took out a Power beam, and went deeper into the facility. I faced some enemies, nothing particularly hard. Shriekbat dove down, easily killed. Lesser Ithrak dove at me from an alcove in the ceiling, didn't kill it 'cuz it was a mother. Elevator down, and in a long hallway some warning holograms told me two things. There was a failure in the time dilation field and Specimen 241 escaped. So, I reasoned that the failure in the time dilation field was what caused the island to appear in the first place, the dilation itself was what caused time to be all wonky on the island, and Specimen 241 was the Chozo Ghost on the beach.", I listed, ticking them off on my fingers as Samus nodded. I nodded decisively and continued, "I went down the hallway and another Ithrak jumped down at me. This one I killed. Then, at the end of the hall, I sorta-kinda-maybe found the remains of a sixteenth century English village.". Samus merely stared, so I explained, "Voice-in-my-head told me that the Chozo weren't sure about all the effects of the Shinespark, so they 'inconspicuously acquired' the Roanoke Colony for testing.". Her eyes widened considerably and I said, "Inconspicuous indeed. So anyway, I disabled the hologenerator and continued. Three Chozo lore in the next room told me that one, Phazon sent forward in time to the point you destroy Phaaze becomes Anti-Phazon, an anti-mutagen that turns things back to it's natural state, and two, Anti-Phazon physically repels Chozo Ghosts.". She adopted a disappointed expression, and I said airily, "Didn't say the Anti-Phazon didn't do anything.". She brightened, and I continued with my story.
"So, I activated another elevator and it brought me down one floor, to a carved door. It said something about danger and power beyond, and I debated with myself a bit before pressing my hand to the scanner. My entire body was turned to pure energy and sucked to the other side, and I had to fight a Torizo. Easy once I figured out how to beat it. In the final room I found two things. One, this.", I said, gesturing to my attire, then said, "And two, a tube that infused me with Chozo DNA.". She reverted to the confused expression, and I paused before continuing, "I made my way back to the lobby and combined the Power Beam and a Missile Launcher before going back outside. I asked the Voice how it knew everything about the island, and I was able to walk back here before it answered. Apparently, just being near Anti-Phazon allows the hold on the Chozo's consciousness' to be weakened enough for them to influence the Ghosts. And, if the Ghosts ever occupy the same space as another being, the Chozo can transfer themselves into the brain of that being. So, I uh...kinda have a Chozo in my head. Yaaaay...".
I fell silent and waited, Samus simply staring at me vacantly as she processed everything I just told her. Then she broke down laughing. Fell to her knees and clutched her stomach, laughing her head off and her heart out. I let a deadpan expression slip onto my face as I watched the bounty hunter hardened by years of training, isolation, and danger laugh harder than she ever had before. "Are you quite finished?", I asked after a bit, and she suppressed her laughs long enough to hold up a finger and say, "H-Hold on.", before dissolving into another fit of giggles. "Behold, Voice. The great Hatchling destined to purge evil from the universe.", I deadpanned, crossing my arms and raising a brow at the woman in front of me. She was eventually able to compose herself, standing up in a dignified manner as she crossed her arms at me and asked, "Do you honestly expect me to believe you have a Chozo in your head?". "Well, why not? The Chozo were able to transcend their physical bodies and exist on a higher dimensional plain until the Leviathan impacted. Why couldn't one implant itself into my head?", I argued, and Samus protested, "The science isn't sound.". "Neither is the science behind transcending your physical body.", I countered, and Samus faltered before admitting, "Well, no, but the human brain doesn't have enough room for two consciousness'. Ten percent is used for our thoughts, and the other ninety is used for our automatic bodily functions, like breathing and having our heart beat.". I paused at this, then asked, "Voice? Explanation?". Ah...,it started, trying to find the right words before saying, Maybe 'transfer' was the wrong word, uhm... Well, I'm not sure about all the technicalities, but it seems that coming into contact with you has freed me from the Ghost and allowed me to transcend to the higher dimensional plain again. However, I'm still linked to the Ghost, and have to keep a strand of myself in contact with you or I'll be pulled back. It's uh... sort of like a boat anchored to the bottom of a rushing river. I have to keep myself tied to you, my anchor to sanity, or the current of Phazon will reclaim me. I nodded in understanding, then relayed to Samus, "Voice says it's actually not in my head,it's more like being in a river. Voice is floating up in that higher dimensional plain, but has to anchor itself to me so the Ghost doesn't pull it back. So I guess that's why it can talk to me. And, Voice? Are you a man or a woman?". It thought for a moment before saying, Biology would designate me as a male. I nodded and asked, "And your name?", and he replied, I...can't seem to remember...hold on...oh, it's Morn'ka! "Okay. Chozo male named Morn'ka is anchored to me so Phazon doesn't make him insane again. That's a conversation starter.", I appraised, and no matter how much she would deny it later I swear the corners of Samus' mouth twitched upward.
"Right. So, I still have some questions for you.", Samus said, then asked, "How do you know about Phazon and Metroids.". It was more a phrase than a question, but I answered it anyway, "Well, I've no idea how, but it seems humans of this time have precognitive abilities rivaling those of the Chozo. They've predicted your adventures and recorded them in the form of video games. Every planet you've been to, every enemy you've faced, every Ridley battle, all the way up to Phaaze.". Her eyebrow raised again, and she said, "I highly doubt that they predicted everything.". I shrugged and admitted, "Probably not. Wanna check?". She crossed her arms and challenged, "Alright then. Zebes, Tallon IV, the Alimbic homeworld, Dark Aether, Norion, Bryyo, and Elysea.". I put a hand on my chin to think, and a moment later said, "Okay. So far, Zebes you ran through to rid the galaxy of Mother Brain and the Metroids, Tallon IV you ridded of the Space Pirate infestation along with Metroid Prime, and the Alimbic homeworld you ran through to collect the eight octolithes needed to power the Alimbic Cannon to the Oubliette and defeat Gorea. The entire dimension of Dark Aether collapsed when you returned Aether's planetary energy. Norion you ran through to power up the Planetary Defense Cannon which was needed to destroy its potential Leviathan, Bryyo you ran through to destroy it's Leviathan, and Elysea you never visited because of its volatile atmosphere. You actually visited SkyTown, a Chozo research facility in the upper atmosphere fitted with an AU which you ran through to gather the components for a thermonuclear bomb to destroy Elysea's Leviathan.", counting each off on my fingers. Samus blinked a couple of times and said, "Okay, they predicted everything.". I let out a 'heh', then glanced skyward as something occurred to me.
"Hey Samus, what'd ya do with the Leviathan?", I asked, and she shrugged and said, "I crashed it on the moon, why?". I felt the rotation of the Earth stop as everything in the universe simultaneously exploded violently, reformed, exploded again, and reformed a final time. My eye twitched a second before I said, "Lemme rephrase that. Hey Samus, what'd ya do with the only thing we have that can get you back to your own time?". My eye was able to twitch three more times before she said sheepishly, "Oh.". "Oh. That's all she has to say. Oh.", I said with fake mirth, "She destroys the only thing able to return her to her own time, and the only thing she has to say is 'oh'.". She waved her had at me dismissively and said, "It's fine. The Galactic Federation can help me find another Leviathan and - ", but I cut her off with, "The Galactic Federation isn't formed until 2023, ten years from now, and Phaaze doesn't send out any more Leviathans until 2026, to Tallon IV.". Her brow furrows in thought, then clears as she says, "Maybe the Luminoth can help! Or the Reptilicus!", and I admitted, "Maybe, but what would our visit do to the time stream? We might accidentally let something slip that lets the Lords of Science win Bryyo's civil war, or lets the Luminoth stop the Leviathan. Who knows what we might do to the universe? No, we have to think of something that won't result in a paradox.", pacing back and forth as I thought. "We could dig up one of those Shinespark clusters the Chozo's notes spoke of, but we don't have one of those tuning fork things. Besides, I don't even know how to worka regular tuning fork, let alone an advanced alien one, and I don't know the right frequency for instantaneous time travel. Uhm... ", I trailed off, my brow furrowing it thought before I exclaimed, "Hey, Morn'ka! If the wormhole generator from the Leviathan is still intact, would it be possible to integrate it into Samus' ship?". Well...I suppose it is possible, but something like that would require an immense amount of power, power that's constantly being replenished., he said as if it was ludicrous to find such an energy source. "Morn'ka?", I asked in a deadpan, and he answered hopelessly,Yeah?. "Look a little to my left.", I said, looking over to Samus who was, you guessed it, standing to my left. Oh., the Chozo said sheepishly.
I rolled my eyes and walked toward Samus' ship, stopping as a flash of light behind me signified Samus had donned her Power Suit. "Oh yeah.", I said, turning around to face the bounty hunter and laying a hand on her shoulder, "Almost forgot.". The lines on my suit flashed brightly, lines of code running down them as freely as water, and the material rippled as the individual particles reconfigured themselves to accept the suit's molecular bonding agent. A small ding sounded, from where I had no idea as there were no speakers on the Zero Suit, and I resumed my walk to the ship. "Ah...what was that?", Samus asked, her longer strides catching her up to me, and I replied, "Comprehensive adaption. This Zero Suit copies the data of any Power Suit it comes into contact with.". "So...you have a Power Suit now?", she asked, and I nodded as we stepped onto the elevator. It rose into the ship and I crossed to the instrument panel, flipping the switch to open the Communication Channel. "Hello Samus and Jason. What can I do for you?", 242 asked, and I replied in a clerical tone, "Would it be possible for you to instruct us on how to remove the wormhole generator from the Leviathan and attach it to Samus' ship?". 242's head tilted to the side in thought, and after a minute she answered, "It might be possible, yes.". I smiled and said, "Great. Activate the heading override the Galactic Federation built into the ship to take us to the moon, would you?", but 242 did no such thing, instead gazing at me in annoyance and saying, "You said that aloud on purpose, didn't you?". "Oh...did I?", I asked innocently, and 242 glared at me as the ship took off.