Chapter Twenty Five: Echoes Part Fourteen: New Mission

"Umos." Sammy said, talking to the Luminoth. "I think we need to rethink the mission."

"What do you mean?" U-Mos asked. "Surely you don't mean to tell me you believe that Ing, do you?"

"I don't know what to believe here." Sammy said. "I was convinced they were the villain of this. But, it seems they're the victims. But, that Ing said that I needed to destroy the Phazon meteor."

"That is a true statement." U-Mos said. "Whether or not he is being truthful, the Phazon meteor is a threat to the stability of this planet. You must destroy it at all costs."

"Right." Sammy said, nodding. "But, we can't take any more energy from the Temples."

"I don't want to comply" U-Mos said. "But, there may be a shred of truth in that statement."

"Okay." Sammy said. "So, how do I get to the Phazon meteor?"

"You need to enter the Sky Temple." U-Mos said. "But, you will need twelve Keys. They're scattered all over the planet near our deceased Luminoth warriors. You need to find them, but to obtain the Keys, you'll need a special Visor."

"Where is the Visor located?" Sammy asked.

"It is unknown." U-Mos said. "It was taken from us by an Ing."

"The Visor you seek" the voice of the Ing from earlier spoke in Sammy's mind. "Is in this area. We took the Visor because we were in need of its capabilities to find their Keys. You must obtain this Visor because you are the most capable of using this tool to your true advantage. I have marked its position on your map."

A dot lit up on Sammy's map, indicating the position of the Visor. She compared it to her present location, running towards it.

"We're trusting this Ing?" Dark asked.

"I have no idea." Sammy said. "But, I'd rather not destroy them if I don't have to. At first, I thought they were just remorseless killers. But, now, they may be something more."

"I see your point." Dark said. "Plus, it's not like we have a real choice."

"Right." Sammy said, nodding.

They continued running, the hallways clear.

"I'm guessing they're being somewhat genuine." Sammy said, observing the area.

"You have somewhat of a point." Kira said. "I haven't seen a single one since that one."

They continued running, entering the room that held the Visor that Sammy required to complete her mission.

"what is that?" Sammy asked, looking into the room as she walked in. The room was full of water, which was a dark purple color.

"Don't get near the water." Dark said. "IT's poisonous and your current suit can't block it out."

"Right.' Sammy said, nodding and walking into the room. "But, where's the Visor? I don't see it."

"Maybe it's in that cocoon over there." Kira said, pointing at a strange looking cocoon like object on the other side of the room. Sammy activated her Scan Visor to try and determine a viable course of action to deal with the cocoon.

"Chykka Cocoon.' The Scan Visor said. "Bears a Chykka. Use caution when dealing with cocoons."

"Blast it with Missiles?" Dark suggested.

"That could work.' Sammy said. She shot five Missiles into the Cocoon, breaking it. The contents of the cocoon spilled out. It was a larva looking creature, large and grey with blue sections in between. It opened its mouth to reveal sharp teeth as it dove into the Dark Water.

"Chykka" the Scan Visor read. "A creature born in Dark Aether. Use extreme caution, even when dealing with larvae. Chykka can swim and will not hesitate to use a repertoire of attacks to obtain its prey as well as defeat enemies."

"This thing looks tough." Sammy said, biting her bottom lip.

"This is your test.' The Ing said, Sammy looking confused.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Chykka is your test." The Ing said. "If you are able to defeat it and claim your prize, you will have proven yourself worthy of saving this planet."

"Okay then." Sammy said. "Then, let's do this."

Sammy fired a Charge Beam at Chykka as it surfaced, the creature shrieking.

"Looks like I found a weak spot.' Sammy said.

"See if you can stun it." Dark said.

"Yeah.' Kira said. "And, then unleash a few Super Missiles on it."

"Sounds like a plan." Sammy said, shooting another Charge Beam at Chykka as it emerged once again.

Chykka shrieked, stunned and not submerging. Sammy charged up a Super Missile, taking aim at Chykka. She fired the Super Missile, hitting Chykka square in its joint area in between the grey armor like plating.

Chykka shrieked, thrashing around and smacking itself on the platforms. It eventually sank into the Dark Water, disappearing from view.

Sammy breathed a sigh of relief.

"That wasn't so hard." Sammy said, surprised. "I actually thought I would have to fight for my life."

"That did seem like it could have been harder." Dark said. "But, we should be able to get the Visor now."

"Yeah." Sammy said, nodding. "But, where is it?"

At that moment, the Dark Water bubbled, sounding like something was happening under the Water.

Sammy charged up a Charge Beam, preparing for another round against Chykka. But, what came out of the Water looked nothing like the enemy they'd just fought. In fact, it looked far more intimidating.

Elsewhere

"Are you sure this plan is foolproof?" Ridley asked the Pirates. "Because if it's not…"

"It is foolproof, Commander Ridley." The Pirates reassured the monster, sweating a little.

"It better be." The human body of Mother Brain (also known as Melissa Bergman) said, crossing her arms and fixing them all with a gaze that unnerved even Ridley. "Or else, I'll have quite a few less Zebesians on this crew."

Every single Zebesian in the room bit their bottom lips (except for the cyborg Zebesians, who were unable to). They knew Mother Brain, even in this form, was powerful enough to take them all on without breaking a sweat. And, that was nothing compared to what she was capable of in her fully powered form. They began to go over the plan in detail once again.

What is Sammy fighting in there? And will she be able to defeat it and retrieve the Visor? And what're the Pirates planning? Find out soon.