Woooo... this one was a doozy to make. So far, this is my longest one. BTW, forgot to mention before that there is a SATWE Discussion forum called Adorios's Victim List, here on FanFic net. If you want to discuss this story more socially, please go there if you want.
Please read, for this one will blow your socks off.


Chapter Eight: The Man without Flesh.

Year 20X9 Cosmic Calendar: 2nd of June.

Location: Unknown Planet at the Rim of the Forrester System.

Samus's ship landed to the ground, keeping itself steady with propulsion boosters. Samus then regulated the ship's energy cells so that it wouldn't die while they were gone, and she put her helmet on. Adam pressed a few buttons on the control panel, and locked the ship's access, so if anything came into the ship, they couldn't leave the planet. Samus then drained the ship's oxygen back into the tanks, and opened the airlock.

As she stepped onto the planetoid's surface, her first impression was that it was unbearably dark outside. But then, she noticed that the planet wasn't pitch-black, but it was only covered in black plants. She switched on her X-ray Scope to give her a little definition of what was around her. Adam tapped a few small buttons on the side of his head, and his eyes turned green, blazing with night- vision light. Samus looked at the corner of her visor for any bio-scan alerts, and was surprised to see that there was an intense concentration of life to the north of her. Following her radar, she walked toward the life-signs.

"Adam, has this sector of the Forrester System ever been charted? It seems too dark for any life to thrive out here." Samus said.

"Even I have never seen the farthest depths of the universe, Milady. We must be cautious."

Samus neared closer to the objects on her radar, and as she was nearly right next to one, she bonked her head on something.

"Ow! What the hell was that?" She looked up and saw she ran into a tree.

"I believe you just ran into something that looks like a tree from Planet Earth, most likely a Baobab Tree."

"A what tree?"

"A Baobab tree, Milady. It is a very long-living tree, for it can live for 6000 years."

"But…this one is pitch-black."

Also, it was the source of her search for life-forms. She knocked on it a few times, and a moan was heard from the trunk.

"Adam, I think someone is in there!"

"No… I am the one you heard…" The tree said.

Samus jumped back quickly. "The tree just talked!!"

"I am not a…tree…I am a creature called a Nolss. All of us are Nolss, and we protect this planet, Planet Holdd. I have…seen you…in my dreams. We are…prophesiers…and we can change time if the god Chronos allows it."

"Wait…you say you can control time?"

"We have altered the timeline of the universe many times before. We do it to avert anything that may ruin the universe completely. But recently, we had done something awful…"

"What? What did you do?"

"The man behind you…he knows about the Galactic Federation, yes?"

"…Yes. What does it have to do with the Galactic Federation?" Adam replied.

"If you know of Galactic Federation knowledge, then you should know about Metalloid."

"I have never heard of it. What is 'Metalloid'?"

The Nolss paused. "He is a mistake. Around 120 years ago, the Galactic Federation was planning to create an organic supercomputer called the Aurora Unit. Originally, the plan was going to fail, and the sciences of the universe would wither and die soon after. We foresaw a different timeline, however, and saw a land of peace and wisdom if the supercomputer had been created successfully. So, we asked the god Chronos if we may alter the timeline. He approved of it, and we made it so that the computer would be a success.

The AU 001 then started to govern the universe into a land where all was equal and logical. But then, the AU did the unthinkable. It considered the Republic of the Joheran Galaxy not fit for the universe, and would not allow them to enter the Galactic Federation. This is where things were not happening the way they should have. The Joheran Republic was outraged, and they then became the Space Pirate Confederacy, and they sought to destroy the Galactic Federation since.

But, things became worse. A rip in the fabric of time and space opened, and an entity from a dark world came forth. This creature was the fabled Lord of the Dead, Necrolos. Because of the fluctuation of time and space, he was able to escape from his land of the dead to wreak havoc in our world. He caused many different problems for the universe, including the creation of the X-parasites, and the creation of Phazon. When he came through, he injured himself badly. A drop of blood landed on the planet SR-388, and created the X; while a piece of flesh broke away and evil power came forth to produce Phazon. When he came, he needed a new body. So, he possessed the malfunctioning AU, and turned it into Metalloid, a creature of living metal.

The Metalloid then started to kill anything that got in its way, bringing more and more to his realm. But when a man offered himself to the Metalloid, he was considered by the creature. Removing his spirit from his body, Metalloid encased the ghost in a metallic armor, creating him invincible and immortal. The servant was named Adorios, and he now carries out the evil deeds of Metalloid."


Adorios was currently dragging Ridley's head across the desert to the Space Pirate encampment. When he got there, the Space Pirates blocked his way.

"You no need to see us. We are good enough to fight and win ourselves."

"Not anymore, soldier, because your leader is dead again. Samus Aran killed him brutally and cruelly, trying to make him feel the pain of his enemies. I have come to bring you his remains for cloning, and in his place, Ridley appointed me to lead you all to victory while the cloning process was in effect. Here is the proof of the deal." Adorios held up a holo-projector, which displayed a sort of will. The Space Pirate looked closely at the projector, and then nodded. He stood up, saluted at Adorios, and asked for orders.

"We are to go to the Planet Aerocitadel to destroy the capital. Samus and the other bounty hunters will be there as well. Also, we are then to split up afterwards, going to Planets Fravellius and Gorodan. There are items at each planet that will be necessary for our victory. We are to depart in a day, to meet up with the hunters and beat them. Is this clear to you all?"

Roars and shouts of approval filled the canyon. Adorios nodded, and waved them off. He entered a tent, and requested privacy for a moment. When he was certain he was alone, he placed his palm flat out in front of him, and six spheres rose from his hand, five smaller around one large. He tapped the largest sphere, and it flickered into life. The spheres started to speak.

"Adorios, have you activated the beams yet?"

"Yes, my powerful master. In fact, they should be passing the planet you are on. I have also gained the control of an expendable army, master. They should be useful in distracting the Galactic Federation. The only thing that worries me the slightest bit is that Samus Aran may have learned of our plan by now. She is truly a powerful being."

"Then destroy her if she bothers you so much. Fare well on your battles, Adorios."

"Same luck to you, Metalloid."


The Nolss continued on its story. "When the Galactic Federation realized that the AU was behaving incorrectly, they left on quarantine from planet Memphis and abandoned the Metalloid, leaving it helpless and weak. But after these 100 years, he has found a way to complete his plan.

Metalloid is not only fascinated with death, but he wishes to see and know everything there is to know in this universe. But, there is one thing he does not know. He does not have the knowledge of what happens to a universe when it is destroyed. So therefore, he will try to do this first-hand"

Samus was deep in thought. "How is he going to bring out his plan?"

"The Metalloid will try to destroy this planet, for the planet you stand on is the binding for the universe's stability. If this planet would be destroyed, the universe would collapse upon itself, and the edges of space would then be torn and all existence in all universes will die."

"Can we beat Metalloid?"

"No, you cannot."

"…Can we prevent this planet from dying?"

"Yes. Since the beginning of time, Chronos, Cosmos, and Eos all came together to find a way to hold the solid principles of life in 14 clear stones. If these stones were to be brought to this planet and placed on the shrine to the north, the stones would refract and reflect the beam back to its source. Then, Metalloid will have lost."

"Where are the stones?"

"One set is on a planet of pure sky, another is on a planet of pure foliage, and another on one of pure fire. That is all we know."

Samus nodded. "We will protect this planet with all we can. Believe in us, for we will be back before this planet reaches the laser. Goodbye."

"Farewell to you Samus Aran, for you are our last hope."


When Samus got back to the ship, she noticed she was sent a message. She activated the ship's dashboard, and started up the message. A little hologram of Nortel appeared on the projector, and he started to speak.

"Samus Aran and Adam Malkovich, there has been a change of plans. Instead of returning to Norion, you must go to Aerocitadel in the Rowan System. The Space Pirates have launched an attack upon Skyray City, and are being led by a new warrior. You are to come as soon as possible. End of transmission."

"Aerocitadel?" Samus began. "Why there? The only thing they are getting from there is a whole bunch of…sky…Adam! That's where the first set of stones were placed! We have to get there immediately!"

"Understood, Milady. But, didn't Nortel say something about a new warrior? Do you think that Adorios is leading the Space Pirates? Because if he is, then he must know about the stones as well. This situation is becoming direr as we move on. We must get them before he does, or we may not have a chance to defeat him. Shall we leave?"

"Yes. Set our course to Aerocitadel!"


Nortel was pacing across the room back and forth when Samus got to the G.F.S. Olympus's control room. He smiled to her, and saluted to Adam.

"Thank you for getting here so quickly, Samus. You know how much I hate long waits. And Chief-Admiral Malkovich, I believe that it is time for you to return to your place in command."

"I…think that it would be fine if you commanded this fleet for a bit longer. I still have some business to take care of on Skyray City." He looked at Samus, and winked at her.

"I honor your choices, Adam. Anyway, there have been reports of a new commander in the Space Pirate legions. According to reports of him, he is a man in silver armor that seems to withstand any weapon shot at him. Also, he has destroyed six of our cannons so far, and is headed for the capitol building. You, Samus, are to try to destroy him like you would Ridley. If this does not end up well, then we may have slim chances in the war. Adam, you are to accompany Samus in her campaign."

Adam and Samus nodded, and they left the room to the docking bay. But as they walked down one of the halls, an explosion ripped through the entire ship, knocking Samus and Adam down to the floor.

"What was that!?"

"I don't know, but I have a feeling that we should leave to Skyray immediately!"

"I have no objections!"

They sped down the halls to the landing platform, only to see an enormous Space Pirate Lord Vessel destroying the Olympus, which was so small in comparison to the SPLV. Samus got underneath her ship, grabbing Adam before he was left behind. Samus started up the controls, and shot out of the ship before anything worse happened. Samus then piloted her way to Skyray City, a city that suspended itself upon the pillow of air that made up the planet Aerocitadel.


Aerocitadel is one of the most unique planets of its kind, for it is simply a ball of gas that managed to compose itself into a self-sustaining gravity field. Many other cities were floating upon this sea of air, but Skyray was the largest one of them. Samus landed her ship upon the closest war zone she could find, avoiding fire from above. Samus shut off the ship, and rushed out to meet up with a very tired looking Phrygian. Harquar waved to her, and then he collapsed to the ground. Samus, who was already worried about Harquar, ran forward to help him up.

"Harquar, are you ok? Are you injured? Please, tell me you are ok!"

"Don't…go…after…the man in…armor…"Harquar groaned.

And then, Harquar lost consciousness. Samus, whose quick thinking was always a good tool, carried him to her ship, and placed him under the recovery apparatus. Then, she got outside, only to be knocked over by a dying GF soldier. Adam noticed this, and hefted the dead man off of her back. He pulled her up, and helped her stabilize herself.

"Samus, didn't Nortel say that Adorios was headed to the capitol building?"

"Yeah…why is he headed there anyway?"

Adam pressed a few buttons on his head again, and a hologram of a datafile appeared above his face. He read it for a few moments while they smashed their way through the opposition. He finally spoke.

"According to this, the capitol building is not only the center of all diplomatic interactions on Skyray, but it is also the historical museum as well. Knowing what Adorios is after, he is probably looking for the principle stones there. We have to get there now!"

"Okay Adam, lets go get him!"

But if only this was as easy said as done. There were still a wall of Space Pirates blocking their way, and Samus really didn't have the time. So, she started to fiddle with a panel at the base of her thigh. Adam was curious about what she was doing.

"Milady, what is wrong with your leg?"

"Adam, I want you to melt the ground around us right now, and make sure the Space Pirates get most of the damage."

Adam was curious about her plans, but he did as she told, melting the ground into a pool of molten steel. Then, Samus stopped fiddling with her leg, and she pulled out a fistful of power bombs. With all of her strength, she threw them far away into the molten lake, and they exploded. The force of the blast was powerful enough to cause a wave of molten steel to crash on top of the Space Pirates, encasing them in metal. Finally, she shot a diffusion missile at the steel, and the metal froze immediately, leaving a parade of Space Pirate statues on the street.

Samus smiled at her success, and the two of them rushed to the capitol building.


Adorios was making his way to the top of the capitol building's stairs when Samus found him. At first, Samus was trying to slash though a Space Pirate, but she saw a glimpse of silver that told her where he was. She pushed her way through the crowd to reach him.

"Adorios!!" Samus yelled angrily. She shot a missile at him, but he spun around and dodged the missile in time. She shot two more at him, but he avoided the second, and as the third sped past his face, Samus could have sworn that his fingers stretched when he grabbed it. Holding onto the missile, he spun around and threw the missile back at her. Startled, she jumped out of the missile's way, only to allow him to escape. Cursing, she chased him into the capitol building, tailed by a frantic Adam.

When Samus got into the building, she was immediately lost. The main lobby was decorated with an Ancient Earth-Roman style, with columns placed periodically on each wall. Unfortunately, the columns and corridors worked together to make the place more confusing. She turned to Adam, who was busy reading a floor-plan of the building. Before she could say anything, he pointed a finger to the hallway to the left. Samus nodded, and she crept warily to the museum hall.


Nortel was busy fighting off the Space Pirate fleet in his H-55 Viceblade. Many of his ships were being shot down, only to land in the poof of air that was Aerocitadel. He was mostly worried about the people onboard the Olympus currently, who couldn't escape the ship due to lack of escape pods.

Nortel shot a few missiles at the Space Pirate Lord Vessel, only to see that they were absorbed by the ship's energy field. The ship's cannons shot more lasers into the Olympus, which was in shield lock mode to negate enemy attacks. Slicing through several space pirate ships at once with his laser blade wings, he decided to try something more difficult.

Currently, the Space Pirate Lord Vessel was trying to tear through the G.F.S. Olympus's powerful shields. So, he decided to disarm the SPLV. Speeding toward the front of the ship, he tilted near the ship's cannons. Then, he sliced through the cannons' barrels and disabled each one consecutively. Smiling, he watched as the damaged ship started to retreat from the Olympus, preparing to shoot into hyperspace.

Suddenly, a typed transmission from Samus's ship came through, saying how she needed help immediately. Concerned about the hunter's safety, he locked on to her suit's tracking device, and shot toward the planet.


Samus crept into the museum hall, and noticed that Adorios was nowhere to be seen. Still being wary, she started to look for anything that might be a small clear stone. Sliding through the hall, she looked in every glass case for it.

"History is interesting, if I can comment on the situation. Would you agree, Samus Aran?"

Samus spun around to see Adorios standing close to her. Startled, she jumped back to keep a reasonable distance away from him. She snarled at him like a feral beast, and prepared to strike.

"Now, now…there is no need to be uncivilized in battle…" Adorios started.

Samus snapped at him.

"Very well…If you insist…" Adorios said.

Then, Adorios screamed a roar so loud that it shattered the glass cases and cracked the windows. Deafened by the noise, Samus lunged clumsily at him, but he dodged her attack. Slashing at him with her machete, she missed twice, and he blocked the third with his arm. Pushing her blade aside, he shoved her away, and started to get near a belt that had 7 clear stones embedded in it. Samus saw what he was after, and shot forth toward him. Sliding to get in his way, she stopped in front of him, and kicked him, shattering him into tiny pieces. Adorios's pieces flew every which way around the room, getting mixed in with the shards of glass that lay on the floor. Surprised by this reaction to her kick, Samus calmed down to view her surroundings.

"Did I beat him?"

"Seriously, Milady, I mean no harm when I say this, but do you really think he was defeated by a simple kick and not a machete blade?"

"Yeah…that is weird."

Samus walked over to the belt that was sitting in the center of a large podium, most likely the main exhibit. Seven stones were scattered in the belt, six light blue ones with a slightly cloudy look, and a central bronze one, which looked like it held the soul of the earth inside. She was about to reach for it when suddenly…

"Look out Milady!!"

Samus turned around to see little shards of silver lift up from the ground and piece themselves together to create Adorios body. Samus, who had never seen anything like this before, got over her surprise and crouched down into a defensive position. Adorios, who was still assembling himself, started to approach Samus.

"Seriously, Milady, I mean no harm when I say this, but did you really think I was defeated by a simple kick and not a machete blade?" Adorios mimicked.

Samus, who was already crouching, rolled into her morph ball and boosted right underneath his legs. She laid a power bomb, and it tore Adorios apart. But, the pieces still made their way back to their original position, and they gleamed just as bright as before. Samus didn't give up yet though. She then froze him with her ice beam, weakening his solidity, and shot a plasma beam blast at him, melting him into a pool of silver. Once again, however the pool slid upwards into the standing figure of Adorios. Adorios then cracked his neck, and stretched a bit.

"Lets see if you can do what I can do, Samus." Adorios said evilly.

Adorios lifted his arm upward, and after a second, it shattered apart. The pieces of silver metal then spun around in a little cloud of shards, and they collided back into the arm. This time, though, they were formed together to shape an arm-cannon. Adorios laughed, and he shot a purple beam at Samus's head. She ducked quickly, avoiding the deadly beam. The beam then collided with the wall behind her, and it erased a huge portion of the stone wall. Samus got up to see Adorios laughing his head off. He calmed down after a bit.

"I call it the Decomposition Beam. It decomposes anything it touches. But the best part is its counterpart." Adorios said. Then, he shot another beam at her, but this time it was white. She was too slow to avoid it again, and it hit her, encasing her in the stone wall portion that was just erased. Stuck up to her neck, she struggled to break free.

"That one is called the Composition Beam. Using what I just erased as ammo, it will fill in any gap or encase whatever it touches." He re-formed his arm into an arm, and made his way to the belt. Samus started to charge up her ice beam inside the rock, expanding the rock's cracks. Then, she shot a plasma blast, and the rock exploded. She turned around to face Adorios, but it was too late. Adorios was holding the belt in his hand, and electricity was spraying from each stone in it.

Adorios laughed. "Behold the power of the earth stones!!" he screamed, and the walls around them started to crumble and shake. Suddenly, the walls cracked apart, and they flew into the air, spinning around in an earthen cyclone. Samus, who hoped there was any way to beat him, tried to shoot Adorios, but his body seemed to take no damage.

"You are a silly fool, Samus. The universe will die no matter what you do!" Adorios yelled over the deafening grinding of the cyclone. But then, a faint whining could be heard. Trying to hear better, Samus leaned forward. The whining became louder, and Nortel's Viceblade suddenly shot through the cyclone's walls and sliced Adorios in half. The cyclone fell, and Adorios let go of the belt. Seizing the opportunity, she jumped over and grabbed the belt. The belt started to release electricity again, and the rocks around her started to float. Adorios put himself together again, only to have his face smashed in by a rock. Fixing himself, he realized that Samus now had the belt. With no other choice, he dissipated into dust, and flew away with the wind. Samus sat down, and dropped the floating rocks.

Adam walked over to her. "Are you ok, Milady? I have a feeling that he is after the next set of stones. What is your opinion?"

"My opinion is that you need to contribute more to the battle next time. By the way, did you call for Nortel then? Because that was some good thinking you made."

"No…it wasn't me…"

The Viceblade landed from the little stunt Nortel maneuvered. Nortel climbed out of it, and immediately came over to Samus. He helped her to her feet, and brushed some dirt off of her suit.

"Are you okay Samus? I got your distress signal, and it looks like I got her just in time."

"Distress signal? I didn't send a distress signal…oh no! Harquar! I forgot about him! He must have sent a DisS to you from my ship! I have to get to him immediately!"

Samus broke out into a run to her ship.


Harquar was lying on another hospital bed, breathing shallowly. His body had a huge slash on it that Samus didn't notice before. She put her hand on his shoulder, and he coughed harshly. She quickly backed up, and turned to Adam.

"Will he be ok? I mean, I left him there for who knows how long, and he was bleeding the entire time. I feel so guilty…"

Adam placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "He will be fine. Phrygians have the ability to freeze their blood to reduce blood loss. He is certainly good at surviving, that's for sure." Samus nodded at this. She looked back at Harquar one more time before she left, and followed Adam into the briefing room.

When they got there, Listal and Xorexus were waiting for them. Adam activated a hologram of the belt, and started to talk.

"After yesterday, we were able to protect this belt, which has seven stones embedded inside of its material." Adam pressed a button, and the stones removed themselves from the rest of the picture. The belt then disappeared. Adam continued. "We learned that when these stones are placed correctly on the planet at the edge of the universe, they will redirect the beam when it hits and negate a catastrophic disaster. The next set of stones will be harder to find, however, because the Space Pirate fleet has not made a move yet. So, we will have to somehow infiltrate their databases to see their battle plans. This means that we will all have to go to the Space Pirate Homeworld to do this next mission. Luckily, Samus has brought to us in the past a sample of the hazard suit tech, which will help us in the effort. Any questions?"

No-one answered.

"Good. Then we shall now make our way to the Space Pirate Homeworld!"


Finally, Adorios is revealed to Team Hunters! (Sorry, couldnt think of a better name...) And, Team Hunters has got the first of the Three sets of stones! But, it won't be as easy next time.

Next time: Return to Espionage!

Please review!