Chapter Seven: What Should Not Be

The underground cavern that once hosted a plethora of aquatic life was now a barren internal desert of glass and sand. A second Norfair. Samus noted that there were no energy signals showing up on her HUD as she approached the pirate fortress within. She was careful to travel alongside a tall rocky cliff, using it to hide from the view of any mechanical sentries, but she was sure there were none. Not unless the pirates had learned how to cloak themselves from her radar, too.

The fortress, upon closer inspection, was made up of three main, square towers that jutted with spare metalwork, bridges, guard posts, and spires. Each were connected by low-level tube shaped hallways. Samus' mission, to simply observe and report, was no longer an option. As such, her tactics needn't be subtle. She scanned for the front door: a large open gateway, protected by an orange plasma shield. The pirates hadn't left the door unlocked, but Samus knew there would be ways to override the shielding. She operated her scan visor and swept the plasma portcullis and its surrounding area and found a linked computer terminal on the other side of the gate. Hacking it was rudimentary.

The plasma disappeared and Samus cautiously left her cliff-side. As she approached the gate, she scanned the area for any hostiles. Nothing. This fortress seemed as barren as Maridia itself. The fortress entryway was a bare, small space with a single set of controls and a blue hatch into the first main tower. No turrets and no defense drones. The pirates hadn't expected anyone to find this place. Perhaps they thought cloaking the planet was enough.

Samus shot the hatch and passed through into the tower, and once inside swept the parameters for hostiles and information. The tower was three stories high, containing several rooms that she presumed were living quarters. They were filled with empty stasis pods. Pirates didn't sleep the way humans did. They were kept in stasis for four hour periods, a dreamless state that only served as a period to heal wounds and perform experiments. There were several log stations, kept by the pirates. She perused them lightly, searching for relevant information.

"...rations are getting low. We've been feeding those mutts extra meals so they would grow, but now everyone is restless. Command better do something about this..."

"Two successful ambushes this week. The Federation has gone soft. We attack their civilians and they do nothing but scratch their heads. Pathetic creatures."

"Heard delta squadron was being used by the science committee to research our new pets. Serves them right. I saw them skipping out on their watch four cycles ago. Guess they won't be an issue anymore."

Several logs made reference to mutts and pets. The pirates had been prodigious pioneers in the arts of destroying the sanctity of natural life. Their own bodies were born of the twisted machinations of their biological weapons testing. Though Samus had destroyed the last of Zebes' Metroids, she pondered if they now had access to the same cloning technology as the Federation. If so, they would undoubtedly have cloned more Metroids. Their attempts at cloning the infant Metroid from SR388 had been largely unsuccessful, and without any living Metroids left on Zebes, she found it highly unlikely. But it not Metroids, she was unsure what they could be referencing. Certainly no native life to Maridia had survived the geothermal catastrophe.

Moving on from the living quarters, Samus found her way to the second tower. She opened the hatch of the tube connecting the towers and stepped through. With a quick glance, she realized she had either stepped into an experiment gone wrong, or a massacre.

Pirate bodies lay strewn upon the floor of the entryway and its adjacent halls. The walls were scorched with plasma, and wires hung exposed from the ceiling, electricity still flowing through them.

The bodies had no thermal signature, but that wasn't the remarkable part. It was the desiccated, dried husk they'd been turned into. It was a sure sign of Metroid predation. One question had been answered.

Samus knelt down by one of the bodies and examined it. Her scan visor confirmed what she'd already known. The body's life force had been absorbed. Curiously, she noted a puncture wound on the pirate's blood spattered chest plate. It was large, around two inches in diameter, and showed visibly torn flesh and dried blood. A Metroid's fangs didn't penetrate its target when it absorbed their life energy. This pirate had been stabbed.

It was possible this was related to an experiment, a new weapon, or simply squabbling between the pirates, but Samus' eyes stayed fixed on the wound for several seconds. She checked the other corpses for similar wounds, and each one was the same.

The bodies seemed concentrated on this small area, suggesting they had congregated around a specific target. For now, her HUD suggested the building was clear. It seemed they'd all died trying to contain something.

Moving on from the gruesome scene, Samus found a red hatched door by an access terminal. It was likely hackable, but everyone here was dead. No one would hear. She fired several missiles at the each, weakening the plasma shielding until it dissolved into nothingness. It would stay open for some time like this if Samus' experience with pirate technology was anything to go by.

Inside, Samus found what she assumed was some form of research lab. There were a multitude of tables, lined with various instruments, each designed to inflict some form of pain. Samus internally winced at the sight of a large needle. Her attention moved then to a black slab at the far end of the room. Upon it laid a dead Space Pirate. It lacked the armor of the pirates she'd found dead in the hall. It's body, unlike the others, was mangled. Limbs were twisted, flesh torn, innards spilled. Upon closer inspection, she found two puncture wounds on its chest. Instead of the standard Zebesian claw, it's left arm ended in what could be generously considered a facsimile of a hand. It firmly grasped a surgical tool in a defensive manner, as if it were to be used as a weapon.

Next to the slab was another terminal. Samus scanned it for any valuable information, and she found within it several research logs. They were lengthy articles, and judging by the mess left in the hall, she wouldn't have the time to read all of them now. Two file caught her eye, however. Each named, 'Project Dread.'

The research committee has spent countless resources fueling this project, and it is with utmost respect that I say it is garbage. I am not a coroner. If you keep sending me corpses, I'll fashion these bodies into a weapon and show you the true meaning of 'dread.' The last several subjects you've sent my way didn't even pass the first wave of tests. The only one that did was so badly damaged afterwards it collapsed. One of my men went to collect it, and it attacked him.

You said this project would take off in months, but we've been at this for two years, now. Every subject dies after the second stage. Send me a subject that can pass that stage within the next week, or I'm petitioning for this project to be ceased. If I have to go to the commander, I will.

...

You'll be pleased to hear that with our most recent subject, conditions have improved. Though I'm not sure it is the weapon we are looking for, it has so far passed its tests with ease. However, do not let this persuade you into idolatry for this specimen. It's temperament is erratic, and our sedation methods do not work for very long. It appears to still eat the way it did before the experiments, but if that changes we will no longer be able to use sedatives. I've yet to find a needle that can pierce its skin.

I have heard that B-27 is doing well with stage one of testing on your end. Its morphology seems to have taken the best of both its parents. It's a shame we're not using brethren for this, but budget constraints and population control are a necessary evil. We would have churned out an armada of soldiers by now!

When the next batch is ready to send my way, send the commander my regards.

Samus frowned as she read the log entries. They were performing bio-weapons research here. This pirate on the slab was likely the operator of this facility. Whatever they were working on killed him and the rest of the pirates. A deserved fate, but that meant Samus would have to be on the lookout for this biological weapon.

This brought her back to the figure she had been chasing earlier. Her stomach knotted at the realization that she might have been chasing one of these experiments. "The Aegir..." As it came to her, she slammed her arm cannon down onto the slab. It cracked from the strike, but did not break. She regained her composure, just enough to take a step back. Raising her arm, she fired her plasma beam into the dead carcass of the pirate operator on the slab. Dead wasn't enough, but soon she would find some living pirates, and she would kill them.

There was nothing left in the tower for Samus, even after she scoured the area. The other rooms were either built to house material, or were extra lab space. There was still one tower left to check, and Samus suspected that, like here, there wouldn't be any living pirates.

As she entered the tower, it was immediately different from the first two. Unlike the others, it was not a set of cramped hallways and clustered rooms. It was one large arena, with an overlooking observation deck at the far end and guard towers at each corner. Samus stood in a small antechamber, barred entry by a plasma gate. She couldn't find a terminal nearby to unlock the gate, which she surmised would be on the observation deck.

Just before she could attempt anything, the gate flickered and turned off. Without its orange hue, the room had a deep crimson tint as a blaring light shined from the ceiling. Instincts kicked in and Samus placed her left hand on her arm cannon. Her HUD still couldn't detect any lifeforms. If that had been turned off remotely, it had to have been very remote. She felt as if she was being watched.

She stepped into the room, eyeing every corner for signs of life. Nothing.

The gate flickered back on, and Samus spun around in surprise as she heard the initial buzzing of its activation. She was now certain she was being watched. Whoever was watching her seemed intent on caging her in this room. If Daiban couldn't do it, a dinky pirate fortress wouldn't stop her. The floor began shaking as she faced the center of the room once more. Several dozen metal pillars rose in succession around the room, each measuring about a meter wide and spaced two meters apart from each. Upon each pillar were variously sized targets. Most were simple concentric circles, but a few caught her eye for being shaped vaguely like her helmet. It was almost sweet.

Samus had to remain vigilant as she threaded the forest of metal columns. She kept her arm cannon in a battle-ready position and moved slowly, but focused her attention on her HUD. So far, she had found nothing. If she was being watched, they weren't close enough to attack. She picked up her pace, confident in her security. Then came a sudden smack from behind: a wet noise as something hit the floor behind her. Samus turned, ready to fire on whoever was behind her.

She froze as the thing landed on one knee before her. Her arm trembled, and she let out an uncontrolled yelp as she fired her ice beam. It was too fast and dodged behind a metal pillar, giving Samus just enough respite to analyze what she just saw.

It was human enough. Two arms, two legs, a head, and a torso. That thing wasn't human, though. In just a few moments that face etched itself into her memory. Vaguely a person, but with few features. It had no eyes and no ears, and what could be considered its nose was simply two small holes. Its mouth hung open as if its jaw were completely detached. The creature's flesh was green and translucent, leaving its skull clearly visible. Behind its empty eye sockets, underneath the flesh and bone, Samus could see the red matter that made up this creature's brain. It wasn't like a human at all. It was like something out of a nightmare.

The creature swung around the metal pillar and kicked Samus in the abdomen. She reacted slowly and took the attack, flying back into another pillar. She fell to the ground with a pained thud, having been caught off guard by its appearance. But now that Samus could see all of it, her horror turned to ire. Standing, she watched as the creature stood there, arms bowed in an open stance, and aimed her arm cannon.

Samus fired her ice beam once more, but the creature's agility made it difficult to pin down. It jumped and weaved its way around her shots with an elasticity that could put even Samus to shame. Her attacks did put it on the defensive, however, as it appeared not to have any projectile capabilities. Samus chased after it, firing as soon as she rounded the pillar. It ducked beneath her attack, and Samus braced herself.

The creature sprung up, grasping at Samus' arm cannon with one of its hands as the other grabbed her helmet. Then it screamed as it grappled with Samus, and Samus found herself losing balance as it pulled on her. She attempted to punch the creature in its side, but it had no visible affect. She grabbed its hand from her face and pried it away, but with both her hands and its occupied, she had no way to stop it as it lurched into her, face-planting into her shoulder awkwardly.

She thought it was going to bite her, but no. It laid its head there. The grip on her arm cannon loosened, and the creature slumped down to its knees as if it had given up. Its alien face was inscrutable, but she was sure it was no longer hostile.

"What are you?" Samus asked, getting down to the creatures level and taking in its grotesque features. She activated her scan visor.

"Morphology: Unknown. Cursory DNA sampling suggests human origin. Metroid DNA detected. Keratin deposits along the forearm suggest it may grow external protrusions."

Samus pursed her lips. She wanted to scream. In the back of her mind, she knew the fate of those on board the Aegir would be bleak, but the worst she feared was death. Space Pirates didn't take prisoners.

"I'm sorry." Samus stood up. The creature, seemingly catatonic, stayed on its knees. It faced the ground and its only movement was the slight expansion of its chest as it breathed. Did the creature know what Samus was? The Metroid DNA inside of her gave her no sensation of kinship with this creature, but she had been attacked by a Metroid once before on Zebes that stopped before it dealt a killing blow. This thing may have enough sentience to stop itself.

Samus fired her ice beam, hitting the creature squarely in its chest. It didn't attempt to dodge, and Samus was unsure if it even realized she would attack. The creature froze in place, sitting in its hapless, tragic state.

Samus' arm cannon expanded as she readied a missile, when the room began to shake once more. The pillars began to descend back into the floor, and the plasma gate once again flickered off. On the far distant edge of the room, just below the observation deck, the wall shifted, parting away in the middle and revealing a hall. Space Pirates poured in from the hall, forming two single file lines along both sides of the arena. Samus changed target, aiming now for the line of pirates to her right. They hadn't started firing, yet. A bad move, but they wouldn't live to regret it. Samus fired.

And nothing happened.

Taken aback by this, she fired again. Her missile stock was full, and yet when she squeezed the internal trigger of her arm cannon, nothing happened. Her breathing became heavier as she switched to her plasma beam and found that, too, would not fire. Not only that, but her arm cannon began to feel heavy. She was having trouble keeping it in the air. Her arm trembled and fell as this sensation of weight traveled through her entire body. She felt like lead weight and could hardly stand.

"So, this is the huntress?"

A voice called out to Samus, coming from the depths of the hallway. The pirates each turned to face it, kneeling. Samus had never seen such reverence from Space Pirates before. Only obedience and fear. She turned her head to face this newcomer, and from the darkness came a vision that Samus swore was a dream.

Standing before her was a Chozo. He stood head and shoulders above the Space Pirates, with broad shoulders and a stout, long beak that shined a bright yellow. He wore simple, gray garbs, as if he were a lone monk in some hidden monastery.

The Chozo looked at Samus from the edge of the room. There was a brief moment where nothing was said, and the two simply studied each other. Samus couldn't discern what he thinking. His face was stoic and unmoving, and his eyes seemed to carry with them a dull, almost bored look.

"What wasted potential," the Chozo finally spoke. His voice was high pitched, almost a squawk, but the manner in which he spoke was authoritative. He pointed to one of the Space Pirates, then to the creature Samus had frozen. Without hesitation, the Space Pirate fired a shot of plasma from its clawed arm, shattering the monster.

"Who are you?" Samus managed to muster as she looked on at the avian being. "You can't be a Chozo. They all left after the Space Pirate attack six years ago. Are you Jovian? An illusion? Answer me!" Despite how heavy her body felt, her voice and temperature rose significantly as she spoke, until she was nearly screaming. "You can't be a Chozo! You're all gone!"

The bird tilted its head to the side, as if curious, then raised its arm to point at her with its claw. "You are Samus Aran, correct?"

He ignored her outburst, which cut through Samus' anger. It lingered as confusion, but something inside of her was pushing the anger away. It was as if she was being anesthetized.

"I... yes. I'm Samus Aran."

She felt compelled to speak. This wasn't her doing.

"I have heard much about you. You are the galaxy's most powerful warrior. So they say." He spoke with derision, but never lingered on it. "You must have questions. I can sense them within you. You wonder how Zebes still stands, after what you saw. You wonder what that creature was that attacked you. And you wonder how I am here." The Chozo walked towards Samus, and as he did so the world melted away. Everything began to turn black except for the Chozo and herself, with the pirate facility slowly replaced by a green hill. Samus felt herself recovering from that sensational weight and looked around, unable to process what was happening.

The green hill overlooked a town surrounded by lush forests. It was familiar. The Chozo stood at the edge of a cliff, facing Samus. He seemed to beckon her forward, but never motioned nor spoke. She neared him, wanting to say something, to ask where they were, but she knew where she was and what was about to happen.

She closed her eyes as the horrific screech that signaled the beginning of her second life pierced her ears. His screech. Followed by the sound of her mother leaping forward to protect her only daughter. I love you, Samus! Her last words before being mercilessly slain.

Samus had trained for years to deal with these emotions, and yet she found her defenses relaxed. She knew better than to give in, but something was pressing on the back of her mind. It was as if an old wound's scab was being pried off. It hurt. It hurt so bad. She wanted to cry, or scream, or run into her mother's arms.

"So, the galaxy's greatest warrior is a repressed, wounded child?"

Her eyes snapped open, and she was back inside the arena. What happened? She was dazed, and once again her body felt heavy. Had that been a dream? She tried to open her mouth to speak, but she couldn't. Her muscles were too stiff to move. The Chozo walked up to Samus so that the two were mere feet away. He was taller than her, and though his demeanor was not outwardly hostile, Samus felt a threatening presence from him.

"I am disappointed," he began. "My brothers chose a poor successor." The bird shook his head slowly and turned to the pirates. "Bring me a sedative. She'll need treatment." He then looked back at Samus. "I know what you are feeling. Resentment. Confusion. Now that I have seen inside you, you are ready to see inside me." He stared into Samus' eyes. His were large and round and amber colored. It was almost hypnotic. Once more, the world seemed to go black. But this time, Samus did not feel herself removed from this place. Instead, she felt attacked, mentally and emotionally, by images she could not understand. Violent battles, dead Chozo, and Metroids.

All Samus could do was mouth a weak, "What?" and nothing more. The world returned and her eyes darted around the room as a Space Pirate neared the two, carrying with it a syringe. Barely able to speak, she was completely unable to resist as the Chozo held her arm out.

"My child," he began, "Look what they have done to you." He seemed to eye her power suit. "Proud craftsmanship, sullied by human hands. They took a piece of your soul." The Chozo took the syringe from the pirate. His hand squeezed Samus' and without her command the suit began to dissipate around her around as the mental connection between Samus and her suit weakened.

"Why?" she barely managed to whisper.

The Chozo's answer sounded puzzled. "You are injured. I cannot face a fellow warrior at a disadvantage. Pitiful as you might be, you are deserving of that right." He motioned to her shoulder. Her power suit had further dissipated, showing the bare zero suit underneath. In it were several small puncture wounds. Samus hadn't felt them until this point, but now they burned like hot irons. "Understand, I have calmed your senses until this point, just as I hid our presence. Yours is a technology I am familiar with, Samus Aran. The power suit you wear is of our design."

The weight grew on Samus, and she could hardly stand. Her eyelids grew heavy and she fell to her knees as the Chozo brought the syringe to her arm. She tried to fight the coming effects. She had been trained for over a decade by Old Bird how to fortify her mind, but it was useless. This Chozo's effect was a torrential downpour that drowned away her being. Her feelings became mollified and her will subdued. Her eyes shut, and before losing consciousness, she could hear the Chozo speak to her, inside her mind.

I am Ful-Tahn. Golden Beak. The Chozo warrior. You will know me.

2-2-19: Made several minor edits throughout the story until this point. Nothing major, mostly spelling and grammar issues.