Part One
Chapter Seven: Samus
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"Snake?! What is it?" Samus asked him, watching as he was nearly leaning his entire body over the railing. He had just brought out his binoculars, and was busy studying something below them.
He wouldn't respond to her. Snake seemed fixated on whatever he was watching through the lens. She couldn't wait a second longer for his reply. Samus reached her arm out, but then Snake flinched back unexpectedly, before she could touch him.
He moved quickly, grabbing her, and spinning around, behind one of the two support columns that were on the balcony, that was holding another deck above it.
"Snake!" she whispered, quickly becoming irritated. While they hid behind the column, he resumed his watch on his binoculars. Samus was about to blow a fuse. She remembered what it was about him that irritated her: Snake was arrogant; Snake was a loner; Snake didn't seem to function like a normal human being. He did whatever he wanted to do, and didn't work well with others.
"Ocelot…? Mantis…?" he muttered under his breath, finally saying something.
"What?" she asked, but quickly realized it was pointless. She would just have to see for herself. And she did. Samus reached out and grabbed Snake's binoculars. It took him by surprise, but he didn't seem to mind her looking.
Through the binoculars she could see a group of five people. The one in the front was an old man, dressed in cowboy-like attire. Behind him was a woman, dressed in black with silver hair. In the middle, was a strange looking figure. He was wearing a strange black skin tight suit, with tight black gloves covering almost all of his arms. His head was covered in a gas mask…it was unusual to see someone walking around casually in a gas mask.
As Samus studied the man, she noticed his head turn in her direction. She felt like he was looking at her, even though such an obtrusive mask would make it hard to see that far. She continued to watch the man, until he stopped walking, and just stared at her. The others walked a bit further, and then stopped as well.
Samus decided to stop looking, as she thought the man was now clearly watching her. She moved in behind the column again, to hide.
"Who are they?" she asked Snake, handing back the binoculars. The expression on his face was troubled. He seemed deep in thought, as he looked at the ground.
"Well…uh…." he stammered. Then his eyes moved up and locked with hers.
"Mostly people I've killed…" he said in a tone that seemed forced and unnatural, for one would not expect to say such a thing.
Samus frowned, thinking perhaps he was joking. But the way in which Snake looked, and the way he spoke suggested otherwise.
"Well…" she said, thinking about how to respond, "Apparently not…"
But Snake didn't seem to appreciate the jest. This confirmed to Samus that Snake was not joking.
"Looks like I'll be here longer than I wanted," he sighed, putting away his binoculars.
His face seemed to turn into a haggard and exhausted look as he said those words. As if what he had saw through his binoculars were ghosts from his past, coming back to haunt him.
Samus put one hand on his shoulder; because she knew what is was like to carry such a burden. Snake looked up at her eyes, with a curious look on his face. Looking back at him, Samus began to reminisce of their past together. His momentarily innocent and troubled face flooded her with those memories.
But then it reminded her of why it was good of him to have left her. The pain…it was coming back again. This time she felt it physically in her gut. It slowly moved its way into her heart, as the organ began to beat faster.
The vision was reviving itself in her thoughts again. The sounds of someone painfully moaning…the sound of a young child crying…the blood that began to pool at the child's side…the hand that reached out from the blood, trying to touch the child…trying to touch Samus…
Every time she got close to someone…every time…the same pain, the same vision.
"Samus? Uh, Samus? Are you alright?" Snake was holding onto her arm that was attached to his shoulder. Unbeknownst to her, her grip was tightening on his shoulder.
She quickly snapped out of the vision, and released her hand.
"Yeah, I'm fine…sorry," she said turning her back to him and heading back inside. She could hear him following her. She stood inside, in front of the elevator. She didn't know what to do. Samus felt embarrassed for allowing herself to get carried away like that in front of someone, again.
"Good idea Samus. Let's head back to the Chozo quarters. I don't want to run into those people here. Not now, anyway," Snake said, entering the elevator.
"What? Oh, right," Samus responded, realizing a little too late that Snake had thought she was going to the elevator.
Once they entered the private Chozo quarters, Samus could see the Chozo leader sitting at the head of the main table. To his right was the Princess of Hylia, with her bodyguard, Sheik, behind her. To the left was Rauru, the Hylian advisor. In front of Samus and Snake, and standing before the Chozo, was an incredibly tall person, in bulky green armor. He seemed familiar to Samus. And then she realized…
It was none other than Spartan 117, also known as Master Chief. The famed soldier who helped eliminate the Covenant, destroy the Halo, and supposedly wipe out the Flood. He stood before the Hylian Princess and the Chozo Leader. Samus and Snake, not wanting to interrupt the meeting, walked off to the side, to sit on some sectionals.
Master Chief stood seven feet tall in his armor. It was a light green tone, with black underneath, in between plating. His helmet's visor shone a rich golden, amber tone.
The two watched as he extended his arm out. Using his other arm, he pressed a button on the one extended. In his open palm appeared a hologram of a purple-bluish woman. She introduced herself as Cortana, delegate to the Solar System.
"I come before you two, the great Chozo leader and Princess Zelda of Hylia, to discuss the issue of the Flood. I have been sent under the orders of the United Nation's Space Command, of Planet Earth in the Solar System. Delegate Wolf presented some stunning evidence of the existence of the Flood on Hylia. I must ask you, Your Highness, if this alien force has in fact, invaded your planet," Cortana finished.
"Yes…well, we never saw the creatures themselves. It happened so fast…so terribly quick…" The Princess explained.
"Yes," Cortana began, "Such is the nature of the Flood. Can you confirm that those pictures truthfully represented your planet, your people?"
"Yes…I recognized the places…" The Princes solemnly said.
"The UNSC, in accordance to our past experiences and ability to destroy the Flood, have special privileges. Although the 46th Leader, Sir Magnus, King of Fynn has made a temporary resolution of putting off the issue until he has allotted enough time with his counsel, we have the ability to take any course of action against the Flood, as long as we have permission from Representatives in the specific jurisdiction," Cortana explained.
"What sort of 'course of action' are we talking about?" Rauru asked.
"We will completely wipe out the Flood, as immediately as we can, to contain this threat and prevent your neighboring planets from being intercepted by this force," Cortana answered back.
"Why are you offering to help us?" The Princess inquired. "Many have labeled us as criminals…"
"If you're referring to the statements made by Representative Wolf, I've paid them no attention. To be frank, that delegate is composed of no more than two things: fur and hot air. I am also not so convinced that the Hylian government, of all peoples, would make a deal with the Space Pirate Confederation…" Cortana paused. "And if you truly believe we are helping you…I wouldn't assume so suddenly. The course of action I was referring to would completely decimate your planet. But, it would be the safest and surest way to prevent a mass outbreak of the Flood, and to give your people the mercy they deserve."
Samus noticed Sheik flinch at such a proposal. Rauru and the Princess held troubled looks on their faces. After a few minutes of silence, Rauru spoke.
"Your Highness," the advisor began, "We must consider this offer…as morbid as it sounds. You must consider that Hylia may be completely overrun by the Flood by now. You witnessed the rapid destruction first-hand. By now, there may be no hope…those images we saw on the hologram-"
"No!" Sheik, who had never uttered a word before, spoke aggressively. "The Princess would never willingly kill her people, when she knows that survivors remain…she has felt their pleas for rescue…for justice."
Rauru gave a look of anger toward the bodyguard. "It is not in your place to speak!" he rebutted.
Sheik's eyes lit up in rage. The warrior had a look of incredulity, at the way Rauru spoke to him. For what reason, Samus did not know.
The Princess broke the escalating tension in the room: "What Rauru has said may be true…but what my loyal bodyguard has openly acknowledged is concise. However," the Princess turned her face toward Sheik. "This matter we are discussing, the Flood, is not just a localized Hylian problem. It deals with the entire galaxy as a whole. Remember this, my sheikah warrior. I must speak with the 46th Leader about our meeting here today. Thank you, Cortana…for offering a possible resolution to this grave subject matter."
"Your welcome, Your Highness. Contact us accordingly, as soon as you have reached a decision with the 46th Leader and amongst your own counsel. Please consider this though: to sacrifice your planet, to go to such lengths to protect the galaxy and your own future…would dissolve any suspicions representatives may have of the Hylians," Cortana said, as she turned to Master Chief and nodded her head. He nodded in return, and pressed the same button again. The hologram vanished.
The mysterious and enigmatic Spartan 117 walked out of the room.
The Chozo leader then turned to the Hylian Princess. "You must go speak with Magnus, and soon. Before he and his advisors have made a plan."
She nodded her head, looked to Rauru, and the two stood up. As they walked towards the door, Rauru stopped Sheik, who was ready to follow them out, and told him to stay behind. The old man said they would seem less aggressive if a bodyguard was not present. Sheik reluctantly stopped, and watched the two as they exited the room and shut the door.
The Chozo leader then stood up. "Samus," he said. She stood up as he spoke. "I must go speak with Fox McCloud. He is still investigating in the Chozon Prime. I will need to hear of an update on the mission's status."
"Should I come along?" Samus asked.
"No, there will be no need. I want you to remain here, waiting for the Princess to return." And with that, the Chozo Leader left.
Samus sat down at the table. She watched as Sheik remained at the door, for some strange reason.
Snake, who had been sitting on a sectional against the wall, got up, moved over to the table, and sat down at the opposite end.
"Snake?" Samus turned to him and asked, "What were you going to tell me back there…before the assembly meeting, when Rauru interrupted us in the hall?"
"Hmmm…?" he said, as if she had woken him up from a daydream. "Oh, I, well…it doesn't matter now that I'm sticking around. I was just trying to make up an excuse for not spying on Wolf and Ganondorf for you."
"Right," Samus said, smiling. "I almost forgot I was speaking to Snake back there."
"Hey…" he responded, pretending to be hurt. After their subtle flirtation, Samus noticed Sheik was no longer in the room.
"Where did Sheik go?" she asked Snake.
"Oh…probably out the door," he replied.
Samus rolled her eyes at his answer. "There's something strange about that guy. He gives off weird vibes," she said.
"Yeah, I've felt that too. Never mind his freakish jumping abilities I discovered while rescuing him and the Princess." Snake told Samus.
"Should we go follow him?" Samus asked. She got up towards the door, and opened it. Snake walked up to her and looked out the door. He moved his head to the right, then to the left.
"There!" he softly spoke, pointing to Sheik, who was walking down the hall.
As they followed Sheik, still in their cloaks and robes, they kept a distance between themselves and the bodyguard. They wanted to know what he was up to.
Further down the hall, beyond Sheik and headed toward their direction was the same group Samus and Snake had watched through the binoculars out on the balcony.
"Dammit!" Snake muttered. He grabbed Samus and pulled her to the outer wall. He pressed a button on the wall, and a hidden window revealed itself. The two pretended to be looking out it.
Samus watched from the corner of her eyes, as the group approached Sheik. All four of the people, save for the man in the gas mask, passed the bodyguard. The dark figure in the gas mask stopped in front of Sheik, preventing him from passing. Sheik tried to move around him, but the man held his arm out. The sheikah warrior bumped into it and stopped, giving the stranger a hostile stare.
"What's going on?" Snake whispered to Samus, as he had been watching the situation as well.
She shrugged as the encounter between Sheik and the gas mask man played out. The other four people, who had been accompanying the man, stopped and turned around.
"What is it, Mantis?" one of them asked. Samus could barely hear what was going on, but learned that the man in the gas mask was named Mantis.
Mantis's high, shrill voice spoke under the mask, "This one…hmmm…I feel it…something strange…possibly what we are…" he stopped. An intense stare down played out. "Never mind," he finally spoke. "…maybe later…"
Mantis walked forward, catching up with the rest of his entourage.
The group continued onwards, walking towards Snake and Samus. As the group passed, Snake seemed to sigh, as if he had held his breath.
"What was that all about?" Samus asked Snake.
Snake seemed to ignore her question. "That was definitely strange. I'm surprised we weren't snuffed out," he said.
"Huh?" Samus questioned.
"Mantis, the man in the gas mask. He's a psychic, a telepathic. Something about Sheik must've severely distracted him, or he would have sensed me," Snake explained.
"What is it about Sheik?" she thought aloud.
As she said that, Snake began walking towards Sheik. She followed him.
"Sheik!" Snake cried out.
The red-eyed man turned around, facing the two.
"Do you know those people? Have you ever met them before?" Snake began interrogating.
Sheik frowned at the questions Snake seemed to force upon him. He nodded his head slightly, and said, "No." His voice was very feminine…boyish even.
After that strange encounter, Samus began to feel like being out in the hall was a bad idea.
"We should go back to the room…I don't feel it is safe out here. Sheik, the Princess and your advisor, Rauru, will wonder where you are." Samus said to him.
But it seemed like Sheik had ignored her. The bodyguard turned around and began walking down the hall again.
"Hey!" Snake said, catching up to Sheik and turning him around.
"NO!" Sheik cried out, eyes wide. Snake let go of him, in surprise.
"We have to leave…now," the red-eyed enigma said.
"We can't…yet," Samus replied, walking up to him. As she looked at Sheik's eyes, the shape of them reminded her of Link. The blonde hair that hung over the warrior's face also did.
"…Link…" Samus said aloud quietly, not meaning to.
Sheik's eyes locked on Samus's as she mentioned his name. It was an intense gaze, but underneath it, Samus could feel the same sadness and uncertainty of Link's fate, that the two seemed to share in that moment.
"Sheik! Samus! Snake!"
Samus heard Rauru's voice calling out to them.
"We've talked with Magnus, and he is going to call in the assembly now. It seems that we might have finally reached a resolution!" the old man said, walking towards them.
Samus could only hope that whatever decision they had made, it would bring her one step closer to helping Link. The controversy of his disappearance seemed clouded by the issue of the Flood.
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Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed this story! I'm very happy that many of you are enjoying this. The next update should be this upcoming Friday.
