Samus cautiously raised her arm cannon. Some mutated bug creatures were flying throughout the room. She fired her power beam, with each shot, a bug vaporized. She walked forward and turned a corner and opened a door. The new room was circular, and large enough for 5 of her gunships. The room was deserted, except for a door at the end. As she approached this door, a laser turret dropped from the ceiling and opened fire. Samus rolled into morph ball to dodge the shots, and fired back with a missile. The turret exploded and the door slid open. Samus hurried into the new corridor and saw another forcefield deactivator switch.
Too easy? Samus didn't trust the switch and scanned it carefully. 'Self-destruct mechanism'. Samus gasped. A decoy switch that could kill the intruder, causing the key to be lost forever. A cruel and yet brilliant plan. Nervous now, she proceeded through the next chamber to reach a pedestal with the second key. It didn't have the security the first one did. Clearly, the people who hid the second key had expected...at that moment the pedestal slid down into the floor and a mechanical creature dropped down. Samus scanned it. 'Station Behemoth- a mechanical defense unit that guards the Nebula.'
Samus examined the beast. It was similiar to the Slench B in the Tetra galaxy except the eye wasn't closed and it had two claw arms on its 'head'. Samus dodged the first claw attack and fired her power beam, which bounced uselessly away. The behemoth roared in glee, and lashed out with both claws. Samus fired missiles, which also were useless, aside from the behemoth would be knocked backwards an inch. Samus scowled under the helmet, and fired at the arms, trying to drive them back. It worked, the arms flailed and the behemoth staggered. Samus carefully aimed another missile at the base of the behemoth arm, and when it exploded, the arm shattered. Samus dodged another attack, firing with precision, destroying the second arm.
The behemoth roared in pain, but Samus had no way of damaging it...except for the Omega Cannon. The Ultimate Power...an abomination of the Alimbics. It was perhaps the most powerful and valuable weapon she had. She wondered more then than ever whether it was wise to destroy the Ultimate Power. A weapon of this power must remain for the purposes of destroying all in her path. NO! She had to fight that new instinct. She had used the Omega Cannon too often already. To escape Kanden and Weavel. How insignificant it was to blast them aside for being there. Were those firings justified. Kanden's no, but Weavel's had been a matter of life and death. How would she have reacted if she didn't have the cannon.
The sense of invincibility was overpowering. She struggled to stay focused and aimed her arm cannon at the behemoth and fired the Omega Cannon. At the moment the cannon was fired she felt the familiar thrill of power. Stop it! She commanded herself. The blast easily destroyed the behemoth and the second key appeared again. Samus fell to her knees. The blast had barely harmed her, but the mental struggle had been draining. She vowed from then on that the cannon's power had to be regulated. She couldn't succumb to the urge to fire it indiscriminately. She took the second key and left the room, thinking about how she'd have to go about the mission from then on. Just as she returned to the large circular room, a beam of intense red light struck her shoulder. She yelled in shock and pain. She knew her assailant.
"Trace!" she whispered as the red Kriken appeared.
"Beat me to this one, eh Scam-us?" Trace sneered.
"Is that the best you can do?" Samus retorted.
Trace smirked. "Why, yes. You scammed me out of a key!" Trace held his up and Samus groaned. "It was you!"
"Who else could of possibly get past your vision to seize the key? Fact is...I got there first and disabled the security...you came and reactivated it. In return, I get the key when you deactivate it! So tell you what...we'll duel for the key. The winner escapes alive with 2 keys! The loser will die!"
Trace fired his Imperialist again, and Samus ducked last second. Trace nodded as if approving her dodge. It was just a game to the Kriken. Trace fired again, and Samus morphed into morph ball to dodge, then unrolled and fired 2 missiles. Trace fired again, slicing the missiles and striking Samus in the chest. She gasped and fell back, which saved her, as Trace's next shot would've struck her head. Trace was panting excitedly, ready to kill the hunter who had taken his glory. 'Self-Destruct in 2:00!' a loud automated voice called. Trace jerked his Imperialist in surprise, the beam missing Samus by an inch.
"What the hell? Who activated the self-destruct?" Trace yelled. Samus groaned. She had bumped the switch on her way back from the Key Chamber.
"2 minutes is all I need to end this duel and escape!" Trace hissed, firing his Imperialist, but Samus was ready, she rolled to the left and fired a missile. The red beam struck her arm, and her aim went off course, barely missing Trace. Trace let out a frustrated hiss and fired again. Samus dove forwards, the beam passing overhead, her missile cannon firing. One struck Trace directly, knocking him into the wall, his key tumbling from his grip onto the floor.
"1:00 to self-destruct!" the voice called. Trace hesitated.
"I'll be back Scam-us...it's a draw for now...keep the key for all I care...it won't bring you what you seek. I hope you survive this round...so I can finish the fight the way I intended. I rather both live than neither!" Trace exitted, mock saluting Samus with his Imperialist.
"45 seconds to self-destruct!" the voice called. Samus stood, grabbed Trace's dropped key and hightailed it back to the docking bay. She saw Trace's ship, the Kriken Sniper. fly off as she entered her ship and flew back to the Gem Ruins. The Nebula exploded into flames, with her escaping with mere seconds to spare.
