Chapter 35

Samus's footsteps echoed gently throughout the long hallway as she made her way through the enormous ship, searching for any sign of the elusive captain. She had been searching for well over an hour and was beginning to lose patience. Was the massiveness of the vessel really all that necessary? What was the point? The containment chambers made up no more than forty percent of the ship's size, the job could just as easily be done with half the mass. And why was Kelly the only one aboard? Why didn't he have a crew? The young man did have a tendency to be a bit of a loner…maybe he requested it? Samus snapped herself back into focus. She continued to scan her surroundings, hoping for a sign of the young man.

She struggled to understand his motive, why he was doing all of this. Dark Samus poisoned him, corrupting him from the inside out, how could he be defending her like this? It was like watching a beaten slave stand up for their oppressor, bloody whip still in hand. Having already ruled out the possibility of mind control only worsened the puzzle's complexity. If the dark hunter was not controlling him…then what? Could it be possible that…? No, there was no way. She was evil, and evil does not change…

Samus's attention was diverted to the distant sound of a door opening. She quickly spun around, scanning the long hall for the source of the noise. Her eyes were greeted with nothing but emptiness.

Where are you, Kel?

Was the ship getting to her? She had been to lonelier places than this, but there was something about this vessel that just felt…off. It was far too large for a one-man crew, too immaculate for a gas freighter. It just didn't seem right, nothing added up. The whole situation was so strange. Again, the hunter's mind drifted. Why would Kelly stand up for the one that ruined him? What right-minded angel would defend the devil?

"Samus."

The hunter's head snapped back, setting her sights on the lone captain, standing near the hall's curve.

"I've been looking for you." She said, her crystal blue eyes fixated on his slender frame as he approached.

"I know."

The hunter found it difficult to work up what to say.

"Where's Dark Samus? Where are you keeping her, Kel?"

The young man's eyes were cold and emotionless, "You want to hurt her."

"Do you really think that to be unreasonable?"

"Objectively, no. Personally, yes."

"Why?"

"When a druggie makes an attempt to tear themselves from addiction, do you flog them for what they may have done in the past? Or do you help them here and now, in the present?"

The hunter remained silent.

"She's changed, Samus, I've seen it. I've felt it. She's not who she once was."

"And so you're giving her a second chance?"

"Precisely. Do you know how many second chances God has given me in life? Far too many to count, far more than I deserve. It would be insulting not to do the same for others. Do you see? I give as I have been given. It is only right."

"Then do so with me, Kel, please. I've been open with you before…be open with me."

The young man stared down at the floor, looking almost ashamed.

"I…I just don't know how to tell you…"

His voice was shaky.

The hunter placed her hands on his shoulders, locking her gaze with his, "Please."

"I can't. I'd never be able to look you in the eye again."

Samus peered longingly into the young man's sad, regretful visage, "This is about more than just doing the right thing, isn't it, Kel?"

"I care for her."

"Deeply?"

Silence.

The air became thick.

"I don't want to, but I do." The captain sighed, unable to look the hunter in the face, "I can't help what I feel."

"You really believe that she's changed?" Samus asked, lifting his chin.

"I do."

"Can you prove it?"

Kelly tore himself from the painful eye contact as he turned away, "No. All I have are words…and they simply are not enough."

"Bring me to her, Kel."

The captain turned back to the hunter, a mixture of confusion and concern spread across his face.

Samus took a step forward, "Bring me to my sister."

The seconds felt like minutes as silence dominated their surroundings.

"I fear what you will do…"

"I will not hurt her. You have my word."

The young man nodded reluctantly, "Follow me."

…

The door to the captain's quarters slid gracefully into the wall, light spilling into the darkened room as Kelly stepped inside, Samus following closely behind. From the room's center, a dim turquoise glow began emanating from a dark, silhouetted figure.

"What is the she doing here?" came the dark hunter's voice from the neon radiance.

"It's alright…" the young man explained, "She won't hurt you."

Blue flames flailed from the negative's slender frame as Samus approached, "Away from me, hunter. You and I have nothing to discuss."

The bounty hunter pulled her energy sidearm from its holster, and proceeded to throw it to the side. She eyed the dark angel curiously, "You look…different; different from when we last met."

Dark Samus bore a look of perplexed uneasiness.

"You see," Samus continued, "I had always remembered you as the twisted and distorted reflection of my inner self; the part of me I didn't want to see. Between your selfish, cold-hearted ways and your destructive tendencies, you, to me, were the physical embodiment of evil. Your very existence both frightened and enraged me."

The phazon glow slowly snuffed itself out, the dark hunter shrinking down slightly with the demeanor of a scared and cornered animal.

"Now, I have no idea how you could have possibly returned to life…but, in any case, you don't seem the same. In the place of a sinister grin is a look of fear and anguish, in the place of maniacal laughter is silence. This is not the dark twin I once knew. Your aura has completely changed. Either you are a tremendous actress, or…maybe, just maybe…you really are different."

"I'd prefer for you to take the latter over the former, hunter." The negative responded.

"I'm sure you understand that I still do not trust you…but, what I do trust is Kel's judgement. If he's so sure that you've changed, I believe it is only reasonable to hear him out. Perhaps he is right about you. Maybe a second chance is in order."

Dark Samus's eyes shone with a glimmer of hope, "You…you're giving me a second chance?"

The hunter sighed, "Against my better judgement, yes. I am giving you a chance to prove to me that you're not what you used to be. If you truly have changed, then we can go our separate ways and never speak again."

The dark angel appeared at a loss for words, "I…I don't know what to say…"

Samus glanced back over her shoulder as she made her way towards the door, "You can thank me later."