Author's note: Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed last chapter! I'm glad people seem to be enjoying this story. I'm personally enjoying all of the awesome Metroid Fan Art and things people have been doing to celebrate the announcement of the new games. I'm so excited! Thank you all for being such a great fandom!

Chapter 25: The Last Metroid

"What do you mean she got away?" Calvin Renpo snapped as he looked at the Marine clad in the gray armor before him.

The young Marine frowned as he held his helmet with its red visor in one hand, the other forearm occupied by a long cannon built into the armor. "Just what I said, Dr. Renpo. We had Samus Aran in custody, deactivated the suit like you said, but she still managed to get away. Corporal Zeke's legs are all burned up from that acid she bleeds, but there were no other major injuries."

Renpo's look hid none of his disgust as he stared down at the young man and the other two similarly clad Marines standing behind him. "You're supposed to be the best the Federation has to offer. And you're here now telling me I have to go face Harper empty handed? When you literally had Aran powerless and in your grasp?"

The young man shifted uncomfortably. "Not completely, no."

From behind him, one of the other Marines stepped forward and extended a medical biohazard transport box toward the doctor. "Her blood samples," the yellow-visored Marine said as Renpo reached out and accepted the case.

The doctor raised an eyebrow but took the case without protest. "You rendered her powerless, captured her, drew her blood, and still managed to lose her." He shook his head.

Samus Aran was proving to be an even bigger thorn in his side that he had anticipated, but he supposed he shouldn't be surprised by that. Supposedly she was notoriously difficult to kill, but the only time he has ever seen her in person, she had been laid out on his operating table like a slab of meat, and even when she had woken up, she hadn't had the strength to so much as sit up unassisted. It was hard to believe that train wreck in the broken armor had outmaneuvered the soldiers of the elite Federation Force.

Renpo turned away from the soldiers without another word. Someone else could see them out. As Chief Science Officer of the G.F.S. Arcadia, he had more pressing matters to attend to. Secretary of Defense Harper had recently been transported here to his vessel, and while she would be expecting a living, breathing bounty hunter in his custody, he supposed the four little glass vials of blood would have to suffice. At least she could not accuse him of not sending the best of the best out to apprehend Aran.

The long metal corridors of the Arcadia were barren, but they were lined with windows through which one could see the starry depths of space that surrounded them. Calvin Renpo paid no mind to the beauty of the atmosphere, however, as he hurried off toward Harper's chambers, the little box in tow. When he reached the suite where she was staying, he simply flashed his badge to the heavily armed guards stationed outside her door, and they gave him passage.

He stepped into the sparsely decorated living area of the General's suite and was surprised to see that Secretary Harper was standing in the center of the room waiting for him.

"Calvin," she said by way of greeting as the scientist noted she now sported a fully operational robotic arm in place of the one that had been destroyed.

"Madam Secretary," Renpo replied with a polite nod. "It's good to see you back on your feet so soon."

Her eyes narrowed and seemed to scour every inch of the man before her, but rather than make any cutting remarks, she gestured over to the simple wooden dining table. "Have a seat."

Renpo did as he was told, not wanting to do anything that would put him even further out of Harper's good graces before he broke the news to her that Samus Aran was once more on the loose. As he sat, Harper took a seat across from him and crossed her arms on the table, their juxtaposition revealing an almost jarring difference in their size. The new arm was far larger, and though most of it was covered by the sleeve of her blue and white Federation General's coat, Renpo could tell it was tactically outfitted for battle.

"So," Harper began before Renpo could say anything, "how many of them did she manage to kill off?"

"I… beg your pardon?" the scientist asked, suddenly confused.

"Aran. How many of the Federation Force troopers that you sent after her did she kill off?"

Renpo was taken aback by her casual and dismissive attitude. "Why, none… They've all returned alive, although one appears to have sustained a few minor injuries to his legs."

"Huh." Harper seemed genuinely surprised. "Aran must be slipping."

"You were… expecting her to kill them off?"

Harper leaned back in her chair and shrugged. "You're carrying a biohazard box, which I can only assume means they were able to get the blood samples I requested. I figured that would have pissed Aran off bad enough to take out at least one of them before she ran off. In her prime, she would have taken out the lot of them before they were ever even able to get the samples. She's slipping. That's all. But I should have realized that when she chose to go after her woman before coming to take down Project Zero."

Renpo thought his mouth might fall open from shock. "You never expected the Force would be able to bring Aran in. Not even with the use of the Zero Beam."

"I was curious. If they had actually gotten her, we'd just be a little bit farther along in our plans now. But no, I never counted on that. I've learned better than to underestimate Samus Aran, armor or no armor."

"I don't know what to say about that…"

Harper glanced casually over to the metal box. "How many vials?"

"All four."

"Good. Take three to the lab and instruct your people to get to work immediately. Now that the B.S.L. project is gone, Aran's blood is our only source of Metroid DNA, and I want to get to work on breeding those as soon as possible."

Renpo shifted uncomfortably. "And the fourth bottle? Do you still want to proceed as planned with that one?"

"Absolutely," Harper replied with a vicious darkness coming over her eyes. "Aran will die by my hand, and mine alone."

Elisa was aware of her lover's soft breathing and warm arms before she even opened her eyes, and she fought the urge to wake up as she snuggled closer into Samus's bare chest. Their bodies were still closely entwined and swaddled in the cocoon of blankets as they lay together in bed, the first bed Elisa had slept in since being arrested. There were so many things running through her awakening mind, everything from their intense love making the night before to the feel of Samus's skin against hers once more. The one thing that struck her as strange, however, was that she could not recall having a single nightmare as she had every night she had been in custody.

Furthermore, she was amazed at how good she felt not only mentally but also physically. Though she had been sore and bruised from the rough treatment by her captors, she found that there was not so much as a scratch on her anymore, save for the few that Samus had left when things were hot and heavy. Elisa finally gave in and opened her eyes to gaze upon her partner. It was no secret that she loved the woman beside her, but as she remembered being rescued by the hunter and carried up the stairs in her strong arms, she would swear she could feel her heart melting.

She gently swept a loose blonde lock out of the other woman's face and gazed upon her sleeping form. Samus looked exhausted, the bluish-black scars as well as the wrinkles around her eyes more pronounced than ever. Elisa had noticed several injuries on her lover's body the night before, and it had worried her though it hadn't slowed their passion any.

There was a wide burn across the hunter's back that had clearly not been treated, and there were two deep puncture wounds on her abdomen and left shoulder that continued to the other side. Though they were half-healed at this point, it still bothered Elisa. She could only imagine what Samus had been through. Though she had treated many of the mercenary's injuries over the years, it never got any easier to see her lover hurt like that.

"Samus," she whispered gently as she stroked her lover's hair. "Samus, wake up. It's morning, dear."

The mercenary made a small noise but gave no other signs of waking, and Elisa decided to let her sleep. If she was that deeply asleep, she must have really needed the rest. Normally the hyper-vigilant hunter would snap awake at the slightest sound. Again, Elisa was struck by just how drained her lover appeared and wondered why she had not noticed it the night before.

Reluctantly disentangling herself from Samus arms, she stood slowly, but she quickly found the caution was unnecessary. Her movements were easy and fluid without any hint of the pain or stiffness she had been experiencing lately. It was as though when they had been making love and she felt Samus breathing life back into her, that was precisely what the hunter had been doing.

A curious thought hit her as she looked at Samus once more and wondered if that was why she seemed as exhausted as she did. There had certainly been some changes in Samus's appearance since she had last seen her in their home before the mission to SR-388. The fangs and claws were a new edition, and she noticed the powersuit was gone from around her neck, replaced with a softly glowing red mass in her chest. She wondered suddenly if that had anything to do with a new power, something that would allow Samus to cut her own life energy to heal another. It seemed farfetched, but Elisa could not think of any other explanation for what had happened the night before.

Without Elisa in her arms, Samus's body folded closer in on itself and her face contorted in an anxious manner. Elisa knew that usually meant that either a night terror was coming on or that she was cold, so she deftly pulled up all of the covers and tucked her lover in tight before planting a light kiss on her forehead. Somehow, this seemed to help, and Samus's expression relaxed once more as she settled back into a peaceful sleep.

Elisa pulled some clothes out of one of the dressers and put them on as quietly as she could before tiptoeing out the door and into the hall. She must have looked funny dressed in a pair of her own jeans with one of Samus's long flannel shirts. It fit like a dress over Elisa's much smaller form, but she had just grabbed the first things she saw without really bothering to dig through the intermingled spare clothes she and Samus had left in that room during their other stays at Morrigan's house.

Not really sure what time it was, Elisa made her way down to the cozy little kitchen hoping to find something to eat. She was surprised when she walked in to find Maggie, Morrigan's other granddaughter, standing in there with her young son. Upon seeing Elisa, the other woman grinned.

"Morning, Copper," she said in her heavy Martian accent. Maggie was technically Samus's biological cousin, but the two women could not have looked more different. The Martian was only a couple of inches taller than Elisa, and she had wild reddish-brown hair. She was in a ripped up band t-shirt, and her arms were covered in tattoos. She wore too much eyeliner and chipped black nail polish. "What're you up to today?"

Maggie picked up the little boy beside her and placed him on her hip. Bucephalus "Buck" Sinclaire was a semi-human, but unlike most, he was a full three-quarters human and only one quarter Centurian. Though he appeared mostly human, his semi-human status was apparent from the fact that his skin was a light blue color and his hair was a seaform green. He was about four and a half years old, having been born during Samus's first visit to Earth.

"Hi, Elisa!" the little boy said with a shy wave before bringing his hand up to his mouth.

Elisa smiled as she stepped forward and greeted the child. "Hello, Buck! You've gotten so big since the last time I saw you!"

"Where's Sammy?" the little boy asked.

Elisa laughed. "Cousin Sammy is sleeping. She's been working really hard lately so we should be really quiet and not wake her."

Buck smiled. "In school we are quiet in the library. Should I use my library voice?"

"That's perfect, Buck. Yes, we're all going to use our library voices so Sammy can sleep."

"Oy," Maggie said, rolling her eyes. "Must've'ad a heck of a night if that one is still sleeping. An' what's all this about you two being on the lamb? Feds forget what Sam did for 'em during the war?"

Elisa shook her head. "It's a bit much to get into before I've had my coffee."

"Have your coffee then. It's a quarter to three. All the rest of your group is in the parlor if you're lookin' for 'em."

"Thanks, Maggie." Elisa smiled politely as the other woman carried her son out of the room, and she was thankful once she was alone. It was not that she didn't like Maggie, but the woman sometimes grated on her nerves and she preferred her in small doses.

She was also grateful that no one else came in to bother her while she was making breakfast. There were a few different choices in Morrigan's refrigerator and pantry, but ultimately Elisa decided to take some pre-made croissant dough and bake about a dozen buttery croissants for her and Samus to split. She knew flaky pastries were not the best thing to eat in bed, but she also knew Samus had a fondness for them. The hunter has a tendency to go about her business and forget to eat, but Elisa knew she needed to regain her strength if she was thinking of going back into battle anytime soon, and the best way to get her to eat was to tempt her with something delicious while she was waking up.

She was just pulling the croissants out of the oven when she turned to see Hector walking into the kitchen.

"Where's Mom?" he asked, looking annoyed.

"Good morning to you too, Hector," Elisa snapped back, not sure why the young man's attitude was irritating her as much as it was.

"Sorry," he said, shaking his head as he walked over and sat down at the kitchen table. "Good morning, Elisa. Hope you and Mom slept well. Is she up yet?"

Elisa shook her head as she put half of the croissants on a plate and sat down across from Hector. "She's still out cold. I tried waking her up, but she's down for the count. I'm going to try again in a little bit, see if I can get her to eat something."

Hector nodded, but he looked distracted. "I found the burner phone you gave me in that backpack. I guess I should have looked in it before now since it's got some helpful stuff."

Elisa had to think back and remember what he was referring to. The day of her arrest was a blur her mind did not want to go back to, and she could feel her hands shaking even as she just vaguely recalled giving him the emergency bag.

"Anyway," Hector continued, "Abby and I got up pretty early this morning. We've been thinking and we want to try to use the phone and get in contact with Admiral Dane. Maybe if there are enough people in the Federation who are on our side we can stage some kind of a coup and take back control from whoever did this you Mom and you."

Elisa grunted. Her head was spinning and it was too soon after waking up for her to be dealing with one of Hector's crazy schemes. "Go make me a cup of coffee if you're going to insist on having this conversation now."

To her surprise, the young man actually got up and made her a cup of coffee, adding milk and sugar just the way she liked it and bringing it to her without protest.

"This good?"

Elisa took a sip and nodded. "Perfect. Thank you."

"I know I'm over-simplifying things thinking that we can just call up Admiral Dane and take the Federation back. It's not like we're fighting a bunch of bad guys who look like walking lobsters. It's hard to tell who's going to be on which side and where the lines are. A lot of people think Mom is guilty just because they trust the Federation. And I don't know what our target would be or how to go about doing it, but Calline was telling me about this thing called the Zero Host and how it's a big nasty bioweapon, and maybe if Mom destroys it and we can expose the Federation's bioweapon experiments and other unethical—"

"Hector," Elisa said, holding up her hand. "Stop. I can't do this right now. I jut woke up. Your mom's exhausted. She doesn't need you going off with reckless ideas about barging in and blowing up anymore bioweapon experiments. If we're going to do anything from here, we need to sit down and plan something out. We can't hide forever, and I know Samus is going to insist on going back into battle. And if she hears you talking like that, it's going to throw her right back into hunter mode, and she doesn't need that right now. She needs to heal from the last few battles."

Hector looked annoyed, but he backed down. "Abby and I are still going to get in touch with Admiral Dane though. He might have some ideas about what we can do."

"Fine, whatever." Elisa rested her head on her hand and tiredly sipped her coffee. "I always said the fucking Federation was going to put her into an early grave, but I wasn't expecting it to go quite like this."

Hector's face softened, and Elisa thought she could see a bit of fear in his eyes. "How is Mom doing? I didn't get to talk to her much after she saved us."

Elisa shrugged. "I don't know, Hector. She's different. I mean, she's acting the same, but she looks different. I don't know what's happened since the B.S.L. or what those Federation goons did to her, but she's different."

"Her suit looked different."

Elisa nodded. "Yeah. I don't know what's up with that either."

"I don't know what's going on or where to go from here, and it scares me."

"I know," Elisa replied. "It scares me too, Hector."