Chapter 9
The Worm Unleashed
Samus looked out upon the Phazon core. It was a massive room with a huge pillar in the center. Samus saw and scanned a Phazon Metroid,* the second and final Phazon variant of a Metroid.** After refilling at the nearby missile station, Samus entered a tunnel leading to the door to a large room. The source of all that was ill with Tallon IV was on the other side of that door, and it was about to unleash a fury never before seen by Samus or anyone else. On any planet.
In the room there was what appeared to be a giant head hanging from the ceiling. However, what looked like a mouth and eyes turned out to be just markings. As Samus watched, several legs uncurled. Red eyes opened. And a huge black spider landed on the floor and burrowed a hole thru the far wall. Samus knew it was the Worm. The Metroid Prime.
Samus jumped down into a small chamber. The spider changed the color of its markings from white to yellow. Drawing upon knowledge gained by reading the Pirate entries, Samus fired a Super Missile right between the eyes. The thing lifted up and fired a yellow laser from an opening on its underbelly. After getting hit by another super missile, Prime lunged forward and swung a leg at Samus, changing its color to purple while doing so. Samus charged up the Wave Beam and gave it a taste of the Wavebuster charge combo that she had gotten in the Tower of Light.
After getting several hundred gigajewels of electricity pumped into him, Prime burrowed thru the floor into another chamber. This time, after Samus dished out damage, Prime charged to try to bowl Samus over with his heft. Samus simply rolled into morph ball form. After repeating this process thru two subsequent rooms, Prime broke thru the wall and slumped over, rolling into a big hole.
Samus jumped down thru the hole and found herself in a large dark room. The lifeless corpse of the Metroid Prime lay there in a pool of Phazon. Then it happened.
From the crumpled body rose a specter unlike anything Samus had ever seen. In the very bottom of the impact crater, the Metroid Prime showed its true form. A glowing blue octopus with six tentacles and two red eyes that glowed brighter still.
2nd form concept art
Anthropomorphic tendencies be damned, Samus thought. Those eyes were irrefutably malevolent.
Samus scanned the thing and learned it was invincible. Samus could not harm it with any of her weapons. The Worm raised its tentacles and slammed them on the ground, creating a shockwave. Samus jumped over it, then watched as the vile creature excreted a pool of pure Vertigo Phazon. When it floated to one side, Samus stepped into the pool. Immediately her arm cannon changed shape, becoming larger and rocky with blue cracks in it. Samus had unlocked the Phazon Beam.
The bounty hunter poured raw Phazon onto the Metroid Prime, a constant stream as the Worm spasmed as if shocked by electricity. The Metroid Prime again squirted out a Phazon pool, but this time also spawned two Metroids!
Samus jumped into the pool and poured raw Phazon onto the Metroids, destroying them instantly. She then turned her gun upon Prime and poured the contents of the pool into it, watching in satisfaction as the creatures spasmed in pain.
Again the Worm made a Phazon pool, but this time spawned two hunter Metroids. Samus killed them with the Phazon Beam, then blasted Prime until the pool was no more. One last time the creature squirted out a pool, with two Phazon Metroids as little guards. Samus shot the annoying critters, then poured the contents of the last pool into the Metroid Prime. When the pool was no more, Samus stopped.
The Metroid Prime shudder. It shuddered and shook and trembled violently. Finally it changed from an octopus into a round blob with short appendages. Two of these shot out, one latching onto Samus, the other onto her arm cannon. A tug of war ensued, resulting in the Worm letting go. When it did, Samus saw that her Phazon Suit was gone, leaving only the Gravity Suit.
The Metroid Prime swelled. It grew bigger and bigger, stretching tighter and tighter. It was like a big balloon being inflated. Samus knew it would explode and turned and ran. As the Worm died behind her, Samus rode the explosion up and out of the room.
Crater collapse imminent. Evacuate immediately.
Samus used the portal to the artifact temple. The temple floor burst into flame. Samus signaled her ship and jumped over the edge. The ship picked her up and Samus stared at the burning temple.
Samus took off her helmet and looked out upon burning Cradle. Great joy filled her heart. "I did it!" she said. "I slew the Metroid Prime! Tallon IV is saved!" Looking at the Chozo heads, she said, "Chozo, I have avenged you."
Samus got in her ship and said farewell to the Hive Mecha. As it wished her well, she thought of Adam, and how much she missed him. Ignoring the ache in her chest, Samus left Tallon IV and blasted into hyperspace. Mission Accomplished.