Chapter 8: Samus' Escape
This had been Ridley's worst nightmare. He didn't think that the human
body of himself would be resorted to. This was the last one that he had
made on this obscure base. It was his last chance on this plane of
existence. But, if the base was obscure, how come three of the Space
Pirates came into the door?
'This place...it's inhabited now. They found my secret base. Welcome,
my former allies. Welcome to Norfair Altri.'
------------------------
Samus was heading away from the Pork Roast and Excelsion on the course
that she chose to escape the Federation. Having absorbed the SA-X, she
gained what Adam thought impossible. She could use the Ice Beam again.
But, why did the SA-X help her? It was like it spoke to her own soul,
as though an exact twin of her in complete truth. It let her take it
and use its power. It acted as though it realized the full fallacy of
taking on a Metroid. It would let her, who could destroy Metroids, do
the honors.
But thinking about if the X were soulless or not was nothing. She was
worried that Hardy might actually be against her for once. Definitely
Keaton, he always trumpeted that bounty hunters shouldn't be trusted.
Yet, blowing up SR388, that was a very serious charge. She could have
been arrested by even the Chozo for it, as it was one of their worlds.
Who caught her, though, was the worst bunch to get caught by, especially
just after blowing up a planet. She didn't see them at first, because of
their black tops, but when she felt the ship come to a halt, she knew what
they were.
Three IcSaucer ships, each projecting a gravitic motion stopper. Not a
tractor beam, per se, but something similar. She saw the communication
screen light up and on it were two Icers. She knew Freiza. It was hard
to not be part of the Bounty Hunter's Guild and not know about Freiza.
The other was far larger than Freiza, sitting in a throne-like chair,
looking thoroughly bored. This one she didn't know of. 'Oh, well.
Soon find out,' Samus thought.
"Well...if it isn't Leah Aran. Blowing up planets to charge my daughter
Freiza, so she can be arrested by the guild." Samus looked at the big
one again, an expression of shock on her face. How did he know her
mother's name? This must be that 'Ol' King Cold' that her father had
a row about. He knew the whole family, it was common business for the
Arans to be in the planet trade once before.
But when her father was told to capture Freiza for the genocide of the
Saiya-jin and the destruction of Planet Vegeta, he did as told and Freiza
was casually let go. And he and Leah were blamed for the incident. Ever
since, he swore to not get involved in their activity again. He had cleared
worlds in Gamma Sector of the Space Pirates and Mother Brain and gave them
to the Chozo for a discout price. As vengeance, Mother Brain struck not only
the Chozo, but also the colony that the Arans lived in. That was how Houston
and Samus got separated...but was there other stuff? Were there other Arans
that this guy knew about?
She decided to find out. She was going to sneak in.
"First things first, I'm not Leah. I never dealt with you before, and I had
hoped not to. But here I am, caught by you, and for what? Blowing up
SR388, I presume?" King Cold nodded. "So, what is it going to be?"
"Oh. I'm afraid sentence and warrant have already been given. You are to
be executed in Artica three days after our arrival there. I suggest that
you come peaceably, as you might not want that sentence accelerated to now."
"You had no need to say that. I give up. I figure that there's no point
in resisting the planet trade when I'm fleeing the Federation." It was then
that Adam noticed who was in the background and cut the channel.
"Lady, Hardy and Houston were there."
"...WHAT?! How did they...?"
"Apparently, the havoc that they caused took a shine to Freiza. Freiza
appointed them as honorary agents, because who escaped in the ruckus of
that fight needed to get away from the station. Freiza even thought of
Houston the Ginyu as amusing." Samus couldn't help laughing at that.
"So, Hardy and Houston took the time to decoy Keaton with SR388. He
wanted to set all this up to..."
"Help me escape? You mean...he arranged for the Federation to get close,
and what?"
"Chase the planet trade. Keaton recieved a message about your execution,
and he's thrilled. You know what happens if they fail to deliver?"
Samus thought a moment. Hardy got in close to Freiza so he could bring
Freiza up to SR388 in time to see it explode. He didn't want Samus to get
caught by Keaton, because of the chaos she'd cause in the Federation, so
he had Keaton apporaching also. She'd go the other way, heading toward
the planet trade and...she could escape and have Keaton attack the planet
trade, shouting "YOU'RE INCOMPETENT!!!" the whole time. Oh, it was an
awful joke, and only she and Hardy knew it was a setup by Hardy.
-------------------------
Ridley had no idea that the Pirates would be so welcoming to him.
Some even asked directions pleasantly. It was like their old boss
before Mother Brain returned to them. Ridley wasn't an aggressive
pirate leader, but Mother Brain turned him into an inhumane, demonic
monster at one time. She was assured by the wily-ass dragon, however,
that his clones would be just as submissive to her as he was. Right,
and Mother Brain had an IQ of 32. He just knew that if he disobeyed,
that she would ruthlessly control him again. His second clone was far
more durable than the first, the first clone having been destroyed on Zebes,
with him defeated a second time. He then temporarily joined the Kihunters
and shifted between them and Samus. He ultimately chose Samus in the end.
Afterward, he was wrongfully accused of organizing the Pirates on Acuar,
when it was that flashy bastard Laguna Ater. Everything turned out almost
fine there, too. His second form finally failed him when infected by a
Core-X. This was his last chance. Now he had the ultimate disguise, one
that no one, not even Samus, would know he had. He went to the docking
bay and there stood those same two dragons and black Power Suit.
'Dammit, Schneider. How many of my comrades did you infect? How many
of them did you put here?' Ridley looked at the other two dragons,
thinking that he didn't stand much chance against them in this body.
"Now...I had you cornered like a rat even before you came out of the
hole. Ridley, I know it's you. You think you can hide, but I can see
your genes. I can see straight to the essence of you that can be copied.
You messed up, not giving yourself an even stronger dragon-form, though.
Now, you're useless to me."
"Useless to you, Schneider, but not to me!" His body seemed different as
a faint red radiance surrounded him and he leapt over Schneider and the
dragons, who tried to emblazon him. Schneider ducked under the flames and
watched as Ridley bullcharged him, sending him skidding across the floor.
Ridley then ran toward Schneider's ship, ready to steal it from him.
"Dammit......he's a lot more devious than I thought. He's not an ordinary
human...he's still a dragon. That body makes sure of it." Schneider
watches as his ship flies out of the docking bay. Certain that Ridley
will be confused for an enemy, he lets him go get blown up.
Ridley was smarter than that. He changed his name to Ryu Ookazi and had
registered the ship to his fake identity on the fly. They might -think-
that it's Schneider's, but it's not in his name anymore.
"Ha. That idiot. He had no idea. I'm not a dragon on the physical plane
without being beyond human or parasite clone!"
------------------------
Samus looked around the cell, wanting some kind of sign about Hardy or
Houston. She waited until Hardy came by, and then began to discuss
what she had in mind.
"In all actuality, Samus, I came across something funny also. I wanted
to get a closer look, but planet trade records on the geneaology of the
Arans are classified by the Emperor. This means that those records are
in Artica, and under security that only you can get in and out of."
"...So, you rigged this whole thing to be for me to get you information?"
Hardy nodded.
"I also want to do a few medical investigations while we're on the ship.
I want to see exactly what the vaccine did to you, and, well, what absorbing
the SA-X did to you, too." Hardy waits for Samus to stand. "Well, shall we?"
------------------------
Houston and Hardy looked at the panel. They had no idea what went on in
the station but what they saw was no less than astonishing.
Samus, due to the vaccine, was turned into a Metroid, more or less, and
couldn't remove any part of the Fusion Suit except her helmet. But the
other part of their investigation held a different revelation. The SA-X
was still alive. Samus and the SA-X were two separate gene sets in one
genome. She was an impossible duality. An X parasite and a Metroid in
a co-existence. How did something like this happen?
"Uh, Samus? Did the SA-X...fight you?"
"Yes. But when I fought an Omega Metroid in the docking bay, it tried
to assist me, and even complacently let me take it."
"It makes sense now. That's why you could use the Ice Beam with the Fusion
Suit. The SA-X fused its DNA to yours while being absorbed. You know what
this means?" Hardy looks around and then at Houston. "Uhm...where's that
'Wave Shifter'?"
"Wave Shifter? What does it look like?" Houston holds up a lightsaber-like
tube.
"That's it." Hardy takes the tube from Houston. "Now. What a Wave Shifter
does is activates gene patterns that aren't normally touched by the energies
of certain emotions. So, effectively, it's like turning on all of your DNA
receptors. Wave Shifters are very illegal in most parts, because you feel
like a god when exposed to it. Yet, even if you feel it, you're not, and
that's what makes it dangerous." Hardy looks at Houston. "Prime example of
a 'drug machine'. I studied that field when I was still in training. Knew
these things like the back of my hand, because I had to use one for an
interrogation. Made the person it was used on so haughty on himself that he
blabbed everything without a single care. Know what else? He demanded that
we release him, and that he wouldn't harm another person. I made him take
his word for it after turning the machine off, and he hasn't done a thing
since." Hardy looked down at the Wave Shifter and saw that it was on and
ponting toward him. "Whoops!" He fumbles with the machine and turns it off.
"I had no idea that I would remember all of that. These things -do- work."
Houston looked at Hardy.
"Why not point that thing at Samus?"
"Uhm...now that's the trick. I don't know if both Samuses will try to
occupy the same body. To a degree they already do, but, I don't want an
extremity. I'll do it, but I hope nothing bad happens." Hardy turns the
device on, pointing it at Samus. The Fusion Suit shifted appearance into a
bulkier shape. It looked like Samus' original Power Suit.
"Samus?" She gets up and looks at Houston. He stares through the visor at
eyes that are completely white. "AAGH!"
"What?" Hardy looks at Houston. "Oh. Take your helmet off, please."
This other Samus removes the helmet and rubber band that held her hair in
a bun. Her eyes -were- white, but soon changed. They had became like
normal eyes...if yellow irises were normal. Houston still thought that
Samus looked freaky. "Houston, meet the other half of Samus: The SA-X."
--------------------------
Ryu got back to Alpha Centauri without a hitch. He was cleared, thinking
and knowing that Schneider's ship model was like some others. Now all he
had to do was search for Hardy, and tell him what was going on. He checked
every restaurant in every sector, and finally resigned to searching Hardy's
office, whereupon he found a note that said:
'Ridley, If you're still out there and come back alive, I've gone to spy on
the planet trade. I know I'm stupid and even foolish for it, but I can't
help but wonder about the records I put below this note. I want you to
confirm it for me. Please? I have to help Samus.' Ryu looked at the
records. He looked at the note again, poring over the last sentence.
'I have to help Samus...what trouble is she in this time?' Ryu glanced
again at the records. Lex Aran. Samus had a younger sister? If that
was the case...then Leah must still be alive also. Ryu decided. He
was going to leave the madness involving Samus up to Hardy. Now he had
a different Aran to pursue.
An older nemesis than Samus.
---------------------------
Houston couldn't believe it. He was looking at most of what Samus used to
be. She innocently stared at Houston, and then at Hardy. Then she looked
over at the door. Hardy sees her ears twitch slightly.
"Someone's coming. She can tell. Houston, we've got to hide her."
'Hide? I can hide.' The SA-X looks at an empty glass tube and jumps on top
of it. She turns into her Core-X state and fits into it, looking like an
ice blue gelatin inside of the glass. King Cold walks in.
"Oh, it's you two. Well, any research?"
"Oh, yes. We recieved the sample and had Houston send her back to the cell.
He just got back in time for the results."
"Which were?" King Cold looks at the screen. "N...no! This isn't possible!"
"Huh?"
"She can't do that! We've got a potential danger here, we can't have her on
Artica! If the Emperor finds that Samus can't be killed without a Metroid
nearby, what will I say, or do?!" King Cold in his obvious paralytic shock
didn't notice the blue gel that slid across the floor and back to the cell
that Samus was 'imprisoned' in.
The SA-X was smart. It, like Samus, knew Hardy's plan to infiltrate and
access otherwise forbidden information. It would wait until the time was
right.
-------------------------
Ryu felt like he was on a wild goose chase. Going to Artica, Icerra was
probably what he thought was the worst mistake ever. But, there was where
the information about the Arans was discovered...what little that there was.
Yet, he was not Ridley...at least, not to everyone who knew who Ridley was.
He watched as a group of three IcSaucer ships arrived just when he did.
Up high and visible in the atmosphere of the planet was the Excelsion,
Keaton's main vessel. That oaf didn't use Excalibur this time because he
felt it was too small for dealing with a capture as big as the SA-X.
Ryu had to chuckle at the folly of unwittingly letting Samus be so loosely
guarded. She had something up her sleeve if she was complacent. Waiting
things out for the right moment. But...why did she have her original Power
Suit? He saw her new one, and it looked nothing like that one. He then
noticed the yellow eyes and gaped.
Either that Samus was a fake...or the planet trade had the SA-X in their
hands. Keaton wouldn't believe that news. The biggest bunch of barbaric
ruffians ever caught the most dangerous alien in the universe: a parasite
clone of Samus Aran, destructible only by a Metroid.
------------------------
Gul'Gen felt a stir. It was a quiet stir, one that the most sensitive
mind could put a finger exactly on. He did see that Ridley made his last
transfer of his consciousness that he could do, and what perturbed him was
that Ridley seemed to have even more control of his powers, even the fact
that he had powers.
'The Eyes are opening. He is becoming aware...more aware of his astral
self and the abilities it can give his physical body. Bizarre, though...
why does his power only begin to awaken in a human body? Why not in his
old dragon form? Maybe...it was too crude.' The Old Bird looked around
the swirling emanances of that plane and saw that Ridley was gaining a
very odd-looking aura. It seemed like the astral energies around him were
being drawn to him like water in a sink drain. His aura was the color of
blood, and burned like fire.
'Oh...no. He is a Chaos Dragon. A very imbalanced one, too. This is bad,
but it is no wonder that he gravitated to me so much. He wanted redemption
and love so badly that he thought that being near me could give it. True,
I am not evil, but I cannot give him such. Samus-san...however...no. No.
If she found out or even knew he is Ridley, she will have my head and his.
I cannot force anything. I should not let him do that, either.'
-------------------------
Ryu was in front of an apartment door to a rather seedy building. He half
expected the planet trade to treat Leah with more graces than this. He
knocked on the door. Nothing. Nothing except shuffling noises.
"Excuse me. Does Leah Aran live here?" A shaky female voice sounded at the
other side of the door.
"Why do you ask...who are you?"
"I can't tell you my name. But...I'm sorry about the attack. Mother Brain
forced me to." The door whirls open and Ryu gets the business end of a
plasma pistol pointed at his face. A woman with purple, mousy hair and
dirty clothes stands in the doorway holding the gun with both hands.
"Y...you're not Ridley. You can't be." Ryu shook his head.
"First things first...I want you to hear me out before you even fire a shot,
or you get nothing out of me." The woman lowers the gun. "Now...I -am-
Ridley, I'm just on my last chance in life. Tut, lower it. As for your
children...well, they're safe. They're both bounty hunters. They're both
here right now, trying to find out anything on you and any other family."
"S-Samus isn't safe. She's going to be killed in a few days."
"Not true. I've played enough cat-and-mouse with her to know exactly how she
thinks. She's got herself a way out. She wouldn't have gone quietly other-
wise." Leah grins.
"She was always belligerent and in trouble, but for a reason of hers. Now,
it's like she shuts up for her own good. I can't believe that I'm talking
to you, an old enemy of my husband's, like this. I never thought that you'd
be human, or think of being human." Leah motions for Ryu to come inside.
(Aha...so here's the one. Yes...yes. She's already magnetized to him.)
The inside of the apartment looked run-down, but as well-cleaned as it
could be. There was a girl inside on the couch, with sharply pointed black
hair that stood straight up. She looked and was completely calm through the
whole incident, and looked as though in a trance.
(Please be eyes for me, sister. I must see if this is meant to be.)
"What is meant to be?" Ryu was startled at her voice. She was younger, but
sounded exactly like Samus. "Oh, sorry! I sometimes daydream about an old
bird-man. I'm Lex Aran. Mom tells me that I'm the youngest of three
children, but I don't know 'em. By the way...who was the lady in the orange
Power Suit? They said she was an Aran, too. Is she an aunt of mine?"
"No." Ryu snickered. "She's your older sister." Lex's face widened.
"I bet bounty hunters get in trouble all the time, huh?"
-------------------------- (Second Day)
Samus escaped the cell easily. Security lulled on the second day,
as predicted, and the reasons for that was that there was nothing
important involving her. She didn't have completely free roam of
the place, (it was still very full of guards, and she once got
stuck in a men's bathroom trying to dodge an alien look and sound
alike of Fat Bastard.) but she was able to sneak around to the archive
lab of the palace.
Her search for the Aran genealogical information was successful. Inside
of a massive library was a prominent section on the Aran family and their
influence on star systems local to the Federation HQ Station.
The Arans have been for 40 generations one of the nobler families of
the planet trade. Owning more than 50 planets, this family has had
more power and prestige than the Icers themselves, and continued to
do so until a highly organized group of space pirates systematically
destroyed all members of the family except for three. Planets of the
Lylatian ownership were seized by the Arans for those people. The
Lylatians do not show gratitude, even if they are the reason that the
Cornerians have a formidable base.
The three remaining Arans are: Samus Aran, Solomon Aran, and Leah Aran.
"?! Mother?! Is she still...?" Samus read until she found a record of
Leah.
Leah Aran, however, died during birth complications of her daughter,
Lex. No further information is given.
"...No. She was still alive after that. I was crying for her so much.
She told me and Houston to stay in a room of our living space. I had no idea
that she fled. Not even that she fled to here."
"Lady?" A familiar voice sounded. That same purple lens that was on the
Navigation Room displays of Chauda Station was in front of her, covering
the tragic revelations to her. "...I see. So you found everything that
we needed. I will begin transferring this to Keaton at once. Anyway...is
something wrong?"
"Mother stabbed us in the back. She survived because they let her escape.
They attacked us, not the pirates Mother Brain controlled! Those damn
Ginyus! This whole business of demolishing and trading planets is WRONG!!"
"Lady...were it not for the planet trade, whole civilizations, belligerent
or not, would be too much of a challenge to the Federation. To Lylat. Maybe
even to Elysium. Your own estate makes you one of the most powerful humans
in the galaxy. These records gave you 22 intact planets. And intact in the
terms of the trade means that they have not been attacked. Among the people
on those planets are 5 races. You own five races on these records. What
would you do with them? Destroy them? Raze the surface and use it for your
own bidding? Rule over them with your own Federation, or sell them to the
G-Fed? It's your choice."
"And I wish that it weren't, Adam. Where is Lex? Where can I find her?"
The lens whirred a moment.
"She is in the Ghet District, Sector 52. She lives currently with a nurse-
maid that Leah hired to take care of her...when Leah was still alive."
-------------------------
Leah knew that the stories that the Federation and planet trade told about
her being dead were untrue. She didn't want anyone to know, she was too
afraid of the consequences of being discovered by the Ginyus that didn't
respect the laws of the planet trade. The Elite 5 would uphold the law,
even if they were weird. They were owned and operated by Freiza, and Freiza
was part of the planet trade. If they disobeyed Freiza, they were breaking
the law.
But Leah could count on them. Captain Ginyu wasn't a total fool, and he was
chivalrous to a degree, too. She knew which of the planet trade to reach for
when she was in trouble. She knew which sectors she would be least noticed
in. She knew who would look for her and who wouldn't, and for what reasons,
too. Madly insane as she was, it was hard to forget. She felt as though a
constant trauma was applied to her life.
That changed when she had seen Ridley. But he didn't look savage, or demonic.
He looked soft and human. This she knew by feelings was the real nature of
him. He was young for his clan and race, also, maybe being in the ballpark
of 17, if not younger, as a human equivalent. He also had many dark memories
to share, but would shirk away from one.
A dragon of his clan that she knew, part of the Ginyus now, and the worst
behaved of them, strangling to death in his venom-thorned tail a small female
dragon. Mah'aren, the dragon that was part of the Ginyus now, looked almost
exactly like Ridley used to, but blue, and much, much larger. Even outside
the memory he looked absolutely intimidating, dwarfing any other, even King
Cold, by at least double that size. The little girl dragon, however...
Ridley never told her who that one was. He would always shake in rage, but
could only cry.
------------------------
Samus wasn't going to leave the planet too early. If anything, she wanted
to find Lex and tell her to leave Icerra. In the midst of the madness, she
could have been caught and executed on the spot by the more elite guards,
but one group actually escorted her to the location. She thought that
she wouldn't get much visiting time, considering that she was going to go
back to her cell at the palace soon afterward. She knocked on the door.
"That must be the Ginyu escort I was told about. I'm going to go into a
different room. Ridley...Lex..." Ryu nodded.
"We know. Pass whatever she says on to you." Leah dashed into her
bedroom and shut the door quickly, as Ryu opened the front door. Samus,
Recoome, and Captain Ginyu. They walked into the apartment. Captain
Ginyu looked around the apartment and nodded.
"We're clear. You should be lucky that Freiza thinks a little shaking up
needs to go on." Samus nodded.
"You're Lex...right?"
"Yeah. This is the person that...Leah hired. Ryu Ookazi. He's been my
caretaker since I can remember. Mother hired him for house errands that
she couldn't take care of, and..."
Leah couldn't stand hearing herself in the past tense; the third person,
but she had to wait. Samus was still in there. She couldn't risk a
difficult reunion. She waited with slowly drawn breath for it all to end...
"Ryu...you know what I'm asking you, don't you?" He knew. He and Lex had
to leave before Keaton began carpet-lasering the city. That was why. He
was smart to catch Hardy's plan and wait to spring the trap at the time
that was expected.
Leah didn't believe her ears. Keaton was going to destroy the city of Artica?
She couldn't stay, either, but given her options, she either had to go quiet,
or confront Samus...who probably without a doubt felt betrayed after finding
out about her survival.
"Oh God...now what...? I can't leave this place that way. I don't want to
face Samus." Her eyes quickly set onto the Scouter that was on her night
table. She picked it up and sent a message to anyone who would hear.
"Hello? I'm stuck inside my apartment, Samus Aran is here. I'm stuck inside
my apartment, Samus Aran is here."
Captain Ginyu was prepared for this. Wily as he was, he wasn't mean all the
time. He heard the message go out, and no doubt thought that Samus would be
killed on point if not caught by the more merciful. He put a hand on her
shoulder, the signal that it was time to leave and go back, and then she was
escorted out with Recoome and Ginyu. She gave Ryu and Lex one last glance.
It was goodbye, and she didn't know where they would go.
------------------------- (Third Day)
She was chided severly for everything that happened. Escaping her cell,
finding a protected citizen, and hacking and sending a copy of her genealo-
gical data. They moved her "execution" up to the morning, moments after
King Cold was wagging his tounge in a Keaton-like manner. She had to wait.
It was going to be painful...but seeing as she was still in the form of the
SA-X, she would still live.
Or so she thought. When she reached the point of the execution grounds,
she found a very classic method of death: a guillotine...but that was not
what horrified her. What horrified her was the Metroid that was at the
controls. She wasn't going to die by having her head cut off. She was
going to be eaten alive.
-------------------------
Ryu and the Arans took the time that they had after Samus left to make a
mad run for the spaceport. Ryu was inside his ship and waiting near the
Excelsion, having been cleared by Keaton over a non-video communication.
(He just -had- to thank Schneider for being so careful as to -not- have
video for the ship's comlinks.) They all awaited the signal.
-------------------------
"Fellows under the rule of the leading planet traders, we are gathered all
together for the witness of the execution of the infamous planet-killer,
Samus Aran!" There was cheering abound. They clearly didn't want Samus to
be the destroyer of their world. They also had the idea that everything to
Samus' name in the planet trade would belong to their glorious Emperor Artic.
22 new worlds to raze and sell, or enslave in a do-or-die-utterly business
deal. "Now...begin the activation sequence...and lower the field!"
The Metroid at the controls had done so...and the energy field that was
to burn off her head like a blade was slowly creeping toward her head.
Samus shifted her head and pleadingly looked at the Metroid (an Omega, by the
way), which seemed to wink at her with one of the eight eyes that it had.
"YOU CALL THIS AN EXECUTION?! WHAT, ARE YOU WAITING FOR HER TO BEG FOR
MERCY?!?!?! JUST END IT ALREADY!!!" The crowd looked around to see where
the bellowing sounds came from, but Samus looked up. It was Keaton's ruse,
and his part of the plan. Everyone in the city was protected inside the
shields of the palace, so Keaton could only attack the city itself. "IF
YOU DON'T END THIS ON THE COUNT OF 5, I BEGIN FIRING FULL FORCE!!! ONE!!!"
The crowds seemed to panic (TWO!!!) as the announcement was made, but Artic
calmed them with a notification that nothing was going to touch the palace.
(THREE!!!) The blade was three-quarters of the way down to Samus when the
Metroid pounded the controls (FOUR!!!), causing the lock on Samus' head to
open. (FIVE!!!) The most extreme light show of the reddest neon color was
erupting, splashing on the shields of the palace, even, and possibly weaken-
ing them.
"SET ALL SHIELDS AROUND THE PEOPLE, WE MUST COUNTERATTACK!"
"SAMUS IS LOOSE! SAMUS IS LOOSE!!" Some of the soldiers ducked as Diffusion
Missiles went sailing into the walls, freezing areas of the palace and closing
off entryways. She ran up the wall using the Speed Booster and jumped. With
her odd angle, she was apparently flying horizontally with her back facing
the ground. She sailed towards the spaceport, knowing that Adam was going to
be there, and it was the one spot that Keaton hadn't hit. With the shields
reconcentrated, it was time for the next phase of Keaton's assault. He was
going to cover for Samus and give her time. Even if he felt like he was in
her shadow of infamy, he was going to be the most important part of the plot.
It's was going down in history as "Samus' Escape".
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Samus had returned to Alpha Centauri to see that Gul'Gen and Houston
and Ryu Ookazi were standing in the docking bay, waiting for her.
She removed her helmet and began to walk to her apartment, not saying a
word.
'Stupid Ridley...stupid Ridley...stupid Ridley...it's no wonder he
always lost to me every encounter. He was always making the poorly
calculated rush forward. He should have known that I'd be back...'
Samus opens the apartment door and flops onto the couch, still wearing
her Power Suit, and covers her head with a pillow. Houston walks in,
but Gul'Gen didn't follow, he had something he wanted to say and a few
questions to ask to Royce. Houston moves to pull the pillow away from
Samus' head when he hears her muffled voice.
"Houston, don't you even dare." Houston moves to the kitchen and pours
a fresh coffee cup. He would usually put sugar into it if it was the
regular black, but it was some kind of fancy one this time.
'Oh, good. I can't stand black...it tastes moldy.' He sits at the
table and continues to think about a decent, even if screwed up, speech
for Ridley's funeral.
Samus was too upset to care that she had left the door wide open, when
she heard a funny voice echoing down the hallway. She sits up, making
the pillow fall onto her lap, and looks out the doorway.
"Kefka, Kefka, Kefka! I am The Kefka! Kefka, Kefka. Oh! Hello,
Samus! Where's Rid-" Samus leaps off the couch and grabs Kefka by
the throat.
"Don't even bother to say his name right now. Didn't hear about it
from the inner circle?" Kefka pries Samus' hands away easily.
"Inner..oh! That. Actually, he's still around. I know it."
Samus looks at Kefka.
"Uh...how? Ridley's dead." Houston peeks out the wet-bar.
"Maybe he's a ghost!" Samus whirls around and walks over to the
kitchen.
"HOUSTON! Two things that I have to say this about...HOW DARE YOU!!"
Houston cringes. "You open the wet-bar shutters, AND still find time
to wisecrack about Ridley being DEAD?!"
"Well, actually...Hardy opened the wet-bar, but I didn't tell him that
you didn't like it open."
"I won't yell at Hardy for it. He doesn't live here, so he didn't know
better." Houston shrugs. Neither noticed Hardy enter, but Kefka steps
aside.
"He said it was to keep an eye on Ridley before the dumb dragon went to
try and find you." Hardy piped up and startled Samus and Houston.
"Indeed he was. When I told Keaton about it, he just insulted Ridley.
He said 'Fine by me, if he wants to end his illustrious record of evil
there.' But after putting that announcement aside, the Federation is
going to a new planet soon! It's populated, but unaware of our
existence, so it's classified as under-developed by law. It's...also
on the fringes, too, which means that we have a long trip." Samus
looks at Hardy with partial exhaustion and sighs.
"I just got back from SR388 -and- a jaunt with the planet trade, can't I
have a break? Besides, I'm not in the mood, so why not just go with
Houston, Royce, and Kefka?" Hardy twiddles his thumbs and looks down.
"I would, but we can't find Royce anywhere."
------------------------
Gul'Gen walks down an alley seeing patches of some kind of organic
substance as he turns a corner to a warehouse that was ripped open
obviously by Royce's real form. The place was deserted, and had been,
since it was nearly impossible to reach. He peers inside the hole in
the wall and looks around. If Royce wasn't in here, then why did she
tear this building open? He takes two steps in and hears a thud.
Whirling around to stare face-to-face with a Zeta Metroid. It just
looked at him for a moment and then uttered something in a slurred
dialect of his native language. Gul'Gen stood aside from the Queen-
made entrance and looked around more. Two nests. Both had four eggs,
all hatched.
"Hmh...Samus-san...I wonder...why did you think that you killed the
Queen when she faked you out? It doesn't matter. The Metroids are
our people's brainchild. Whether they lived or died probably didn't
matter then, but it does now. Now that there lives a menace that only
they can fight." Gul'Gen hears a squeak and a roar and sees a Metroid
fly past him, stopping for a moment and then floating towards him. He
starts to tremble as it gets inches away from him.
"Stop. He is not our food." Gul'Gen turns around to find Royce
standing six feet away, with two Omega Metroids on each side.
"Miiieee...Skree! Hwee!" The Metroid bumps into Gul'Gen and flies
back into the tunnel, obviously agitated.
"We have nearly been without prey. The X started to appear on this
station moments before my children's rebirth, but their numbers have
declined. They have either found hosts, or gone into hiding, knowing
that we are here...in any case, they know we are here." Gul'Gen looks
behind for a moment.
"If they have found hosts, they could lead the Federation to you. I
don't want you to be chased away, but...can I ask you a few things?"
Royce sits on a crate, the two Omegas watching her.
"They're both silent. Trained like Buckingham Palace guards. What
did you want to ask?" Gul'Gen sits across from her.
"Well...I wanted to ask you why you came out so straight-forward to
us. Why you've been popping in and out at the times we least expect.
Why it feels to me like you can't tell a lie."
"To answer your first question, I came out of hiding because of the X.
To answer your second question, I've been nesting, as you can see.
To answer your last...I -can't- tell a lie. Is that all?" Gul'Gen
cringed slightly. No, that wasn't all. She could even tell that.
"It's written all over your face that you have many more questions."
"...I do...but some of them I didn't want to ask."
-------------------------
Keaton had gathered Hardy, Houston, Samus, Gul'Gen, and Royce into a
conference room. He wanted to hear the 'bad news' about Artic's Iron
Curtain between the planet trade and the Federation. His suspicions
told him that it wasn't over yet. His feelings were that of a
politician having to make a retirement speech. Things had gone so
awry since Ridley went to Chauda. The X started to appear on Alpha
Centauri, and so did Metroids. Everyone was aware of what was going
on. Something like a bad joke, yeah, that was it. Ever since Keaton
assigned Samus and company to retrieve Royce Felder of B.S.L. from
SR388, things just seemed to spiral into chaos quickly. Two days,
and already the public was in panic. It didn't even go down this fast
when Acuar was attacked...or Tsebnash. Keaton cleared his throat.
"I'll skip the speech for all our sakes and we'll cut to the chase.
Gul'Gen?" The old Chozo looked at the other five.
"As you will soon know, Artic proposed an Iron Curtain. This keeps us
protected from the planet trade, but they did this out of fear. Fear of
the X. Artic had reported that two X parasites had infected some of their
men and caused utter chaos until the clones of the parasites were detained
in cryo-stasis. Since Artic doesn't know how to fight the X without a Metroid,
he had proposed a quarantine order disguised as a treaty." Samus looks at
Gul'Gen.
"That must have been the SA-X. I don't remember it well."
Gul'Gen looks down.
"There are X parasites in Alpha Centauri, and possibly in other places as
well. We don't know where else they could be, either." Houston taps the table.
"Yeah. There were two dragon clones and a Core-X of Schneider."
Samus turns and stands up.
"WHAT?! How did Schneider get infected?" Houston rambles about the
things that the Core-X in Schneider's body had told them before fleeing
and Ridley taking off for Chauda. Two of Ridley's kind, and a clone of
Schneider to deal with? Samus wasn't mad, and wasn't furious, either.
She was so overcome with a seething hatred that she couldn't stay in
the room a moment longer.
Keaton watches Samus burst out of the chamber and run off. To where,
he didn't know. But he was still thinking good riddance for a moment,
and then he turned pea green. What if the people were afraid of an
angry Samus?
This had been Ridley's worst nightmare. He didn't think that the human
body of himself would be resorted to. This was the last one that he had
made on this obscure base. It was his last chance on this plane of
existence. But, if the base was obscure, how come three of the Space
Pirates came into the door?
'This place...it's inhabited now. They found my secret base. Welcome,
my former allies. Welcome to Norfair Altri.'
------------------------
Samus was heading away from the Pork Roast and Excelsion on the course
that she chose to escape the Federation. Having absorbed the SA-X, she
gained what Adam thought impossible. She could use the Ice Beam again.
But, why did the SA-X help her? It was like it spoke to her own soul,
as though an exact twin of her in complete truth. It let her take it
and use its power. It acted as though it realized the full fallacy of
taking on a Metroid. It would let her, who could destroy Metroids, do
the honors.
But thinking about if the X were soulless or not was nothing. She was
worried that Hardy might actually be against her for once. Definitely
Keaton, he always trumpeted that bounty hunters shouldn't be trusted.
Yet, blowing up SR388, that was a very serious charge. She could have
been arrested by even the Chozo for it, as it was one of their worlds.
Who caught her, though, was the worst bunch to get caught by, especially
just after blowing up a planet. She didn't see them at first, because of
their black tops, but when she felt the ship come to a halt, she knew what
they were.
Three IcSaucer ships, each projecting a gravitic motion stopper. Not a
tractor beam, per se, but something similar. She saw the communication
screen light up and on it were two Icers. She knew Freiza. It was hard
to not be part of the Bounty Hunter's Guild and not know about Freiza.
The other was far larger than Freiza, sitting in a throne-like chair,
looking thoroughly bored. This one she didn't know of. 'Oh, well.
Soon find out,' Samus thought.
"Well...if it isn't Leah Aran. Blowing up planets to charge my daughter
Freiza, so she can be arrested by the guild." Samus looked at the big
one again, an expression of shock on her face. How did he know her
mother's name? This must be that 'Ol' King Cold' that her father had
a row about. He knew the whole family, it was common business for the
Arans to be in the planet trade once before.
But when her father was told to capture Freiza for the genocide of the
Saiya-jin and the destruction of Planet Vegeta, he did as told and Freiza
was casually let go. And he and Leah were blamed for the incident. Ever
since, he swore to not get involved in their activity again. He had cleared
worlds in Gamma Sector of the Space Pirates and Mother Brain and gave them
to the Chozo for a discout price. As vengeance, Mother Brain struck not only
the Chozo, but also the colony that the Arans lived in. That was how Houston
and Samus got separated...but was there other stuff? Were there other Arans
that this guy knew about?
She decided to find out. She was going to sneak in.
"First things first, I'm not Leah. I never dealt with you before, and I had
hoped not to. But here I am, caught by you, and for what? Blowing up
SR388, I presume?" King Cold nodded. "So, what is it going to be?"
"Oh. I'm afraid sentence and warrant have already been given. You are to
be executed in Artica three days after our arrival there. I suggest that
you come peaceably, as you might not want that sentence accelerated to now."
"You had no need to say that. I give up. I figure that there's no point
in resisting the planet trade when I'm fleeing the Federation." It was then
that Adam noticed who was in the background and cut the channel.
"Lady, Hardy and Houston were there."
"...WHAT?! How did they...?"
"Apparently, the havoc that they caused took a shine to Freiza. Freiza
appointed them as honorary agents, because who escaped in the ruckus of
that fight needed to get away from the station. Freiza even thought of
Houston the Ginyu as amusing." Samus couldn't help laughing at that.
"So, Hardy and Houston took the time to decoy Keaton with SR388. He
wanted to set all this up to..."
"Help me escape? You mean...he arranged for the Federation to get close,
and what?"
"Chase the planet trade. Keaton recieved a message about your execution,
and he's thrilled. You know what happens if they fail to deliver?"
Samus thought a moment. Hardy got in close to Freiza so he could bring
Freiza up to SR388 in time to see it explode. He didn't want Samus to get
caught by Keaton, because of the chaos she'd cause in the Federation, so
he had Keaton apporaching also. She'd go the other way, heading toward
the planet trade and...she could escape and have Keaton attack the planet
trade, shouting "YOU'RE INCOMPETENT!!!" the whole time. Oh, it was an
awful joke, and only she and Hardy knew it was a setup by Hardy.
-------------------------
Ridley had no idea that the Pirates would be so welcoming to him.
Some even asked directions pleasantly. It was like their old boss
before Mother Brain returned to them. Ridley wasn't an aggressive
pirate leader, but Mother Brain turned him into an inhumane, demonic
monster at one time. She was assured by the wily-ass dragon, however,
that his clones would be just as submissive to her as he was. Right,
and Mother Brain had an IQ of 32. He just knew that if he disobeyed,
that she would ruthlessly control him again. His second clone was far
more durable than the first, the first clone having been destroyed on Zebes,
with him defeated a second time. He then temporarily joined the Kihunters
and shifted between them and Samus. He ultimately chose Samus in the end.
Afterward, he was wrongfully accused of organizing the Pirates on Acuar,
when it was that flashy bastard Laguna Ater. Everything turned out almost
fine there, too. His second form finally failed him when infected by a
Core-X. This was his last chance. Now he had the ultimate disguise, one
that no one, not even Samus, would know he had. He went to the docking
bay and there stood those same two dragons and black Power Suit.
'Dammit, Schneider. How many of my comrades did you infect? How many
of them did you put here?' Ridley looked at the other two dragons,
thinking that he didn't stand much chance against them in this body.
"Now...I had you cornered like a rat even before you came out of the
hole. Ridley, I know it's you. You think you can hide, but I can see
your genes. I can see straight to the essence of you that can be copied.
You messed up, not giving yourself an even stronger dragon-form, though.
Now, you're useless to me."
"Useless to you, Schneider, but not to me!" His body seemed different as
a faint red radiance surrounded him and he leapt over Schneider and the
dragons, who tried to emblazon him. Schneider ducked under the flames and
watched as Ridley bullcharged him, sending him skidding across the floor.
Ridley then ran toward Schneider's ship, ready to steal it from him.
"Dammit......he's a lot more devious than I thought. He's not an ordinary
human...he's still a dragon. That body makes sure of it." Schneider
watches as his ship flies out of the docking bay. Certain that Ridley
will be confused for an enemy, he lets him go get blown up.
Ridley was smarter than that. He changed his name to Ryu Ookazi and had
registered the ship to his fake identity on the fly. They might -think-
that it's Schneider's, but it's not in his name anymore.
"Ha. That idiot. He had no idea. I'm not a dragon on the physical plane
without being beyond human or parasite clone!"
------------------------
Samus looked around the cell, wanting some kind of sign about Hardy or
Houston. She waited until Hardy came by, and then began to discuss
what she had in mind.
"In all actuality, Samus, I came across something funny also. I wanted
to get a closer look, but planet trade records on the geneaology of the
Arans are classified by the Emperor. This means that those records are
in Artica, and under security that only you can get in and out of."
"...So, you rigged this whole thing to be for me to get you information?"
Hardy nodded.
"I also want to do a few medical investigations while we're on the ship.
I want to see exactly what the vaccine did to you, and, well, what absorbing
the SA-X did to you, too." Hardy waits for Samus to stand. "Well, shall we?"
------------------------
Houston and Hardy looked at the panel. They had no idea what went on in
the station but what they saw was no less than astonishing.
Samus, due to the vaccine, was turned into a Metroid, more or less, and
couldn't remove any part of the Fusion Suit except her helmet. But the
other part of their investigation held a different revelation. The SA-X
was still alive. Samus and the SA-X were two separate gene sets in one
genome. She was an impossible duality. An X parasite and a Metroid in
a co-existence. How did something like this happen?
"Uh, Samus? Did the SA-X...fight you?"
"Yes. But when I fought an Omega Metroid in the docking bay, it tried
to assist me, and even complacently let me take it."
"It makes sense now. That's why you could use the Ice Beam with the Fusion
Suit. The SA-X fused its DNA to yours while being absorbed. You know what
this means?" Hardy looks around and then at Houston. "Uhm...where's that
'Wave Shifter'?"
"Wave Shifter? What does it look like?" Houston holds up a lightsaber-like
tube.
"That's it." Hardy takes the tube from Houston. "Now. What a Wave Shifter
does is activates gene patterns that aren't normally touched by the energies
of certain emotions. So, effectively, it's like turning on all of your DNA
receptors. Wave Shifters are very illegal in most parts, because you feel
like a god when exposed to it. Yet, even if you feel it, you're not, and
that's what makes it dangerous." Hardy looks at Houston. "Prime example of
a 'drug machine'. I studied that field when I was still in training. Knew
these things like the back of my hand, because I had to use one for an
interrogation. Made the person it was used on so haughty on himself that he
blabbed everything without a single care. Know what else? He demanded that
we release him, and that he wouldn't harm another person. I made him take
his word for it after turning the machine off, and he hasn't done a thing
since." Hardy looked down at the Wave Shifter and saw that it was on and
ponting toward him. "Whoops!" He fumbles with the machine and turns it off.
"I had no idea that I would remember all of that. These things -do- work."
Houston looked at Hardy.
"Why not point that thing at Samus?"
"Uhm...now that's the trick. I don't know if both Samuses will try to
occupy the same body. To a degree they already do, but, I don't want an
extremity. I'll do it, but I hope nothing bad happens." Hardy turns the
device on, pointing it at Samus. The Fusion Suit shifted appearance into a
bulkier shape. It looked like Samus' original Power Suit.
"Samus?" She gets up and looks at Houston. He stares through the visor at
eyes that are completely white. "AAGH!"
"What?" Hardy looks at Houston. "Oh. Take your helmet off, please."
This other Samus removes the helmet and rubber band that held her hair in
a bun. Her eyes -were- white, but soon changed. They had became like
normal eyes...if yellow irises were normal. Houston still thought that
Samus looked freaky. "Houston, meet the other half of Samus: The SA-X."
--------------------------
Ryu got back to Alpha Centauri without a hitch. He was cleared, thinking
and knowing that Schneider's ship model was like some others. Now all he
had to do was search for Hardy, and tell him what was going on. He checked
every restaurant in every sector, and finally resigned to searching Hardy's
office, whereupon he found a note that said:
'Ridley, If you're still out there and come back alive, I've gone to spy on
the planet trade. I know I'm stupid and even foolish for it, but I can't
help but wonder about the records I put below this note. I want you to
confirm it for me. Please? I have to help Samus.' Ryu looked at the
records. He looked at the note again, poring over the last sentence.
'I have to help Samus...what trouble is she in this time?' Ryu glanced
again at the records. Lex Aran. Samus had a younger sister? If that
was the case...then Leah must still be alive also. Ryu decided. He
was going to leave the madness involving Samus up to Hardy. Now he had
a different Aran to pursue.
An older nemesis than Samus.
---------------------------
Houston couldn't believe it. He was looking at most of what Samus used to
be. She innocently stared at Houston, and then at Hardy. Then she looked
over at the door. Hardy sees her ears twitch slightly.
"Someone's coming. She can tell. Houston, we've got to hide her."
'Hide? I can hide.' The SA-X looks at an empty glass tube and jumps on top
of it. She turns into her Core-X state and fits into it, looking like an
ice blue gelatin inside of the glass. King Cold walks in.
"Oh, it's you two. Well, any research?"
"Oh, yes. We recieved the sample and had Houston send her back to the cell.
He just got back in time for the results."
"Which were?" King Cold looks at the screen. "N...no! This isn't possible!"
"Huh?"
"She can't do that! We've got a potential danger here, we can't have her on
Artica! If the Emperor finds that Samus can't be killed without a Metroid
nearby, what will I say, or do?!" King Cold in his obvious paralytic shock
didn't notice the blue gel that slid across the floor and back to the cell
that Samus was 'imprisoned' in.
The SA-X was smart. It, like Samus, knew Hardy's plan to infiltrate and
access otherwise forbidden information. It would wait until the time was
right.
-------------------------
Ryu felt like he was on a wild goose chase. Going to Artica, Icerra was
probably what he thought was the worst mistake ever. But, there was where
the information about the Arans was discovered...what little that there was.
Yet, he was not Ridley...at least, not to everyone who knew who Ridley was.
He watched as a group of three IcSaucer ships arrived just when he did.
Up high and visible in the atmosphere of the planet was the Excelsion,
Keaton's main vessel. That oaf didn't use Excalibur this time because he
felt it was too small for dealing with a capture as big as the SA-X.
Ryu had to chuckle at the folly of unwittingly letting Samus be so loosely
guarded. She had something up her sleeve if she was complacent. Waiting
things out for the right moment. But...why did she have her original Power
Suit? He saw her new one, and it looked nothing like that one. He then
noticed the yellow eyes and gaped.
Either that Samus was a fake...or the planet trade had the SA-X in their
hands. Keaton wouldn't believe that news. The biggest bunch of barbaric
ruffians ever caught the most dangerous alien in the universe: a parasite
clone of Samus Aran, destructible only by a Metroid.
------------------------
Gul'Gen felt a stir. It was a quiet stir, one that the most sensitive
mind could put a finger exactly on. He did see that Ridley made his last
transfer of his consciousness that he could do, and what perturbed him was
that Ridley seemed to have even more control of his powers, even the fact
that he had powers.
'The Eyes are opening. He is becoming aware...more aware of his astral
self and the abilities it can give his physical body. Bizarre, though...
why does his power only begin to awaken in a human body? Why not in his
old dragon form? Maybe...it was too crude.' The Old Bird looked around
the swirling emanances of that plane and saw that Ridley was gaining a
very odd-looking aura. It seemed like the astral energies around him were
being drawn to him like water in a sink drain. His aura was the color of
blood, and burned like fire.
'Oh...no. He is a Chaos Dragon. A very imbalanced one, too. This is bad,
but it is no wonder that he gravitated to me so much. He wanted redemption
and love so badly that he thought that being near me could give it. True,
I am not evil, but I cannot give him such. Samus-san...however...no. No.
If she found out or even knew he is Ridley, she will have my head and his.
I cannot force anything. I should not let him do that, either.'
-------------------------
Ryu was in front of an apartment door to a rather seedy building. He half
expected the planet trade to treat Leah with more graces than this. He
knocked on the door. Nothing. Nothing except shuffling noises.
"Excuse me. Does Leah Aran live here?" A shaky female voice sounded at the
other side of the door.
"Why do you ask...who are you?"
"I can't tell you my name. But...I'm sorry about the attack. Mother Brain
forced me to." The door whirls open and Ryu gets the business end of a
plasma pistol pointed at his face. A woman with purple, mousy hair and
dirty clothes stands in the doorway holding the gun with both hands.
"Y...you're not Ridley. You can't be." Ryu shook his head.
"First things first...I want you to hear me out before you even fire a shot,
or you get nothing out of me." The woman lowers the gun. "Now...I -am-
Ridley, I'm just on my last chance in life. Tut, lower it. As for your
children...well, they're safe. They're both bounty hunters. They're both
here right now, trying to find out anything on you and any other family."
"S-Samus isn't safe. She's going to be killed in a few days."
"Not true. I've played enough cat-and-mouse with her to know exactly how she
thinks. She's got herself a way out. She wouldn't have gone quietly other-
wise." Leah grins.
"She was always belligerent and in trouble, but for a reason of hers. Now,
it's like she shuts up for her own good. I can't believe that I'm talking
to you, an old enemy of my husband's, like this. I never thought that you'd
be human, or think of being human." Leah motions for Ryu to come inside.
(Aha...so here's the one. Yes...yes. She's already magnetized to him.)
The inside of the apartment looked run-down, but as well-cleaned as it
could be. There was a girl inside on the couch, with sharply pointed black
hair that stood straight up. She looked and was completely calm through the
whole incident, and looked as though in a trance.
(Please be eyes for me, sister. I must see if this is meant to be.)
"What is meant to be?" Ryu was startled at her voice. She was younger, but
sounded exactly like Samus. "Oh, sorry! I sometimes daydream about an old
bird-man. I'm Lex Aran. Mom tells me that I'm the youngest of three
children, but I don't know 'em. By the way...who was the lady in the orange
Power Suit? They said she was an Aran, too. Is she an aunt of mine?"
"No." Ryu snickered. "She's your older sister." Lex's face widened.
"I bet bounty hunters get in trouble all the time, huh?"
-------------------------- (Second Day)
Samus escaped the cell easily. Security lulled on the second day,
as predicted, and the reasons for that was that there was nothing
important involving her. She didn't have completely free roam of
the place, (it was still very full of guards, and she once got
stuck in a men's bathroom trying to dodge an alien look and sound
alike of Fat Bastard.) but she was able to sneak around to the archive
lab of the palace.
Her search for the Aran genealogical information was successful. Inside
of a massive library was a prominent section on the Aran family and their
influence on star systems local to the Federation HQ Station.
The Arans have been for 40 generations one of the nobler families of
the planet trade. Owning more than 50 planets, this family has had
more power and prestige than the Icers themselves, and continued to
do so until a highly organized group of space pirates systematically
destroyed all members of the family except for three. Planets of the
Lylatian ownership were seized by the Arans for those people. The
Lylatians do not show gratitude, even if they are the reason that the
Cornerians have a formidable base.
The three remaining Arans are: Samus Aran, Solomon Aran, and Leah Aran.
"?! Mother?! Is she still...?" Samus read until she found a record of
Leah.
Leah Aran, however, died during birth complications of her daughter,
Lex. No further information is given.
"...No. She was still alive after that. I was crying for her so much.
She told me and Houston to stay in a room of our living space. I had no idea
that she fled. Not even that she fled to here."
"Lady?" A familiar voice sounded. That same purple lens that was on the
Navigation Room displays of Chauda Station was in front of her, covering
the tragic revelations to her. "...I see. So you found everything that
we needed. I will begin transferring this to Keaton at once. Anyway...is
something wrong?"
"Mother stabbed us in the back. She survived because they let her escape.
They attacked us, not the pirates Mother Brain controlled! Those damn
Ginyus! This whole business of demolishing and trading planets is WRONG!!"
"Lady...were it not for the planet trade, whole civilizations, belligerent
or not, would be too much of a challenge to the Federation. To Lylat. Maybe
even to Elysium. Your own estate makes you one of the most powerful humans
in the galaxy. These records gave you 22 intact planets. And intact in the
terms of the trade means that they have not been attacked. Among the people
on those planets are 5 races. You own five races on these records. What
would you do with them? Destroy them? Raze the surface and use it for your
own bidding? Rule over them with your own Federation, or sell them to the
G-Fed? It's your choice."
"And I wish that it weren't, Adam. Where is Lex? Where can I find her?"
The lens whirred a moment.
"She is in the Ghet District, Sector 52. She lives currently with a nurse-
maid that Leah hired to take care of her...when Leah was still alive."
-------------------------
Leah knew that the stories that the Federation and planet trade told about
her being dead were untrue. She didn't want anyone to know, she was too
afraid of the consequences of being discovered by the Ginyus that didn't
respect the laws of the planet trade. The Elite 5 would uphold the law,
even if they were weird. They were owned and operated by Freiza, and Freiza
was part of the planet trade. If they disobeyed Freiza, they were breaking
the law.
But Leah could count on them. Captain Ginyu wasn't a total fool, and he was
chivalrous to a degree, too. She knew which of the planet trade to reach for
when she was in trouble. She knew which sectors she would be least noticed
in. She knew who would look for her and who wouldn't, and for what reasons,
too. Madly insane as she was, it was hard to forget. She felt as though a
constant trauma was applied to her life.
That changed when she had seen Ridley. But he didn't look savage, or demonic.
He looked soft and human. This she knew by feelings was the real nature of
him. He was young for his clan and race, also, maybe being in the ballpark
of 17, if not younger, as a human equivalent. He also had many dark memories
to share, but would shirk away from one.
A dragon of his clan that she knew, part of the Ginyus now, and the worst
behaved of them, strangling to death in his venom-thorned tail a small female
dragon. Mah'aren, the dragon that was part of the Ginyus now, looked almost
exactly like Ridley used to, but blue, and much, much larger. Even outside
the memory he looked absolutely intimidating, dwarfing any other, even King
Cold, by at least double that size. The little girl dragon, however...
Ridley never told her who that one was. He would always shake in rage, but
could only cry.
------------------------
Samus wasn't going to leave the planet too early. If anything, she wanted
to find Lex and tell her to leave Icerra. In the midst of the madness, she
could have been caught and executed on the spot by the more elite guards,
but one group actually escorted her to the location. She thought that
she wouldn't get much visiting time, considering that she was going to go
back to her cell at the palace soon afterward. She knocked on the door.
"That must be the Ginyu escort I was told about. I'm going to go into a
different room. Ridley...Lex..." Ryu nodded.
"We know. Pass whatever she says on to you." Leah dashed into her
bedroom and shut the door quickly, as Ryu opened the front door. Samus,
Recoome, and Captain Ginyu. They walked into the apartment. Captain
Ginyu looked around the apartment and nodded.
"We're clear. You should be lucky that Freiza thinks a little shaking up
needs to go on." Samus nodded.
"You're Lex...right?"
"Yeah. This is the person that...Leah hired. Ryu Ookazi. He's been my
caretaker since I can remember. Mother hired him for house errands that
she couldn't take care of, and..."
Leah couldn't stand hearing herself in the past tense; the third person,
but she had to wait. Samus was still in there. She couldn't risk a
difficult reunion. She waited with slowly drawn breath for it all to end...
"Ryu...you know what I'm asking you, don't you?" He knew. He and Lex had
to leave before Keaton began carpet-lasering the city. That was why. He
was smart to catch Hardy's plan and wait to spring the trap at the time
that was expected.
Leah didn't believe her ears. Keaton was going to destroy the city of Artica?
She couldn't stay, either, but given her options, she either had to go quiet,
or confront Samus...who probably without a doubt felt betrayed after finding
out about her survival.
"Oh God...now what...? I can't leave this place that way. I don't want to
face Samus." Her eyes quickly set onto the Scouter that was on her night
table. She picked it up and sent a message to anyone who would hear.
"Hello? I'm stuck inside my apartment, Samus Aran is here. I'm stuck inside
my apartment, Samus Aran is here."
Captain Ginyu was prepared for this. Wily as he was, he wasn't mean all the
time. He heard the message go out, and no doubt thought that Samus would be
killed on point if not caught by the more merciful. He put a hand on her
shoulder, the signal that it was time to leave and go back, and then she was
escorted out with Recoome and Ginyu. She gave Ryu and Lex one last glance.
It was goodbye, and she didn't know where they would go.
------------------------- (Third Day)
She was chided severly for everything that happened. Escaping her cell,
finding a protected citizen, and hacking and sending a copy of her genealo-
gical data. They moved her "execution" up to the morning, moments after
King Cold was wagging his tounge in a Keaton-like manner. She had to wait.
It was going to be painful...but seeing as she was still in the form of the
SA-X, she would still live.
Or so she thought. When she reached the point of the execution grounds,
she found a very classic method of death: a guillotine...but that was not
what horrified her. What horrified her was the Metroid that was at the
controls. She wasn't going to die by having her head cut off. She was
going to be eaten alive.
-------------------------
Ryu and the Arans took the time that they had after Samus left to make a
mad run for the spaceport. Ryu was inside his ship and waiting near the
Excelsion, having been cleared by Keaton over a non-video communication.
(He just -had- to thank Schneider for being so careful as to -not- have
video for the ship's comlinks.) They all awaited the signal.
-------------------------
"Fellows under the rule of the leading planet traders, we are gathered all
together for the witness of the execution of the infamous planet-killer,
Samus Aran!" There was cheering abound. They clearly didn't want Samus to
be the destroyer of their world. They also had the idea that everything to
Samus' name in the planet trade would belong to their glorious Emperor Artic.
22 new worlds to raze and sell, or enslave in a do-or-die-utterly business
deal. "Now...begin the activation sequence...and lower the field!"
The Metroid at the controls had done so...and the energy field that was
to burn off her head like a blade was slowly creeping toward her head.
Samus shifted her head and pleadingly looked at the Metroid (an Omega, by the
way), which seemed to wink at her with one of the eight eyes that it had.
"YOU CALL THIS AN EXECUTION?! WHAT, ARE YOU WAITING FOR HER TO BEG FOR
MERCY?!?!?! JUST END IT ALREADY!!!" The crowd looked around to see where
the bellowing sounds came from, but Samus looked up. It was Keaton's ruse,
and his part of the plan. Everyone in the city was protected inside the
shields of the palace, so Keaton could only attack the city itself. "IF
YOU DON'T END THIS ON THE COUNT OF 5, I BEGIN FIRING FULL FORCE!!! ONE!!!"
The crowds seemed to panic (TWO!!!) as the announcement was made, but Artic
calmed them with a notification that nothing was going to touch the palace.
(THREE!!!) The blade was three-quarters of the way down to Samus when the
Metroid pounded the controls (FOUR!!!), causing the lock on Samus' head to
open. (FIVE!!!) The most extreme light show of the reddest neon color was
erupting, splashing on the shields of the palace, even, and possibly weaken-
ing them.
"SET ALL SHIELDS AROUND THE PEOPLE, WE MUST COUNTERATTACK!"
"SAMUS IS LOOSE! SAMUS IS LOOSE!!" Some of the soldiers ducked as Diffusion
Missiles went sailing into the walls, freezing areas of the palace and closing
off entryways. She ran up the wall using the Speed Booster and jumped. With
her odd angle, she was apparently flying horizontally with her back facing
the ground. She sailed towards the spaceport, knowing that Adam was going to
be there, and it was the one spot that Keaton hadn't hit. With the shields
reconcentrated, it was time for the next phase of Keaton's assault. He was
going to cover for Samus and give her time. Even if he felt like he was in
her shadow of infamy, he was going to be the most important part of the plot.
It's was going down in history as "Samus' Escape".
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Samus had returned to Alpha Centauri to see that Gul'Gen and Houston
and Ryu Ookazi were standing in the docking bay, waiting for her.
She removed her helmet and began to walk to her apartment, not saying a
word.
'Stupid Ridley...stupid Ridley...stupid Ridley...it's no wonder he
always lost to me every encounter. He was always making the poorly
calculated rush forward. He should have known that I'd be back...'
Samus opens the apartment door and flops onto the couch, still wearing
her Power Suit, and covers her head with a pillow. Houston walks in,
but Gul'Gen didn't follow, he had something he wanted to say and a few
questions to ask to Royce. Houston moves to pull the pillow away from
Samus' head when he hears her muffled voice.
"Houston, don't you even dare." Houston moves to the kitchen and pours
a fresh coffee cup. He would usually put sugar into it if it was the
regular black, but it was some kind of fancy one this time.
'Oh, good. I can't stand black...it tastes moldy.' He sits at the
table and continues to think about a decent, even if screwed up, speech
for Ridley's funeral.
Samus was too upset to care that she had left the door wide open, when
she heard a funny voice echoing down the hallway. She sits up, making
the pillow fall onto her lap, and looks out the doorway.
"Kefka, Kefka, Kefka! I am The Kefka! Kefka, Kefka. Oh! Hello,
Samus! Where's Rid-" Samus leaps off the couch and grabs Kefka by
the throat.
"Don't even bother to say his name right now. Didn't hear about it
from the inner circle?" Kefka pries Samus' hands away easily.
"Inner..oh! That. Actually, he's still around. I know it."
Samus looks at Kefka.
"Uh...how? Ridley's dead." Houston peeks out the wet-bar.
"Maybe he's a ghost!" Samus whirls around and walks over to the
kitchen.
"HOUSTON! Two things that I have to say this about...HOW DARE YOU!!"
Houston cringes. "You open the wet-bar shutters, AND still find time
to wisecrack about Ridley being DEAD?!"
"Well, actually...Hardy opened the wet-bar, but I didn't tell him that
you didn't like it open."
"I won't yell at Hardy for it. He doesn't live here, so he didn't know
better." Houston shrugs. Neither noticed Hardy enter, but Kefka steps
aside.
"He said it was to keep an eye on Ridley before the dumb dragon went to
try and find you." Hardy piped up and startled Samus and Houston.
"Indeed he was. When I told Keaton about it, he just insulted Ridley.
He said 'Fine by me, if he wants to end his illustrious record of evil
there.' But after putting that announcement aside, the Federation is
going to a new planet soon! It's populated, but unaware of our
existence, so it's classified as under-developed by law. It's...also
on the fringes, too, which means that we have a long trip." Samus
looks at Hardy with partial exhaustion and sighs.
"I just got back from SR388 -and- a jaunt with the planet trade, can't I
have a break? Besides, I'm not in the mood, so why not just go with
Houston, Royce, and Kefka?" Hardy twiddles his thumbs and looks down.
"I would, but we can't find Royce anywhere."
------------------------
Gul'Gen walks down an alley seeing patches of some kind of organic
substance as he turns a corner to a warehouse that was ripped open
obviously by Royce's real form. The place was deserted, and had been,
since it was nearly impossible to reach. He peers inside the hole in
the wall and looks around. If Royce wasn't in here, then why did she
tear this building open? He takes two steps in and hears a thud.
Whirling around to stare face-to-face with a Zeta Metroid. It just
looked at him for a moment and then uttered something in a slurred
dialect of his native language. Gul'Gen stood aside from the Queen-
made entrance and looked around more. Two nests. Both had four eggs,
all hatched.
"Hmh...Samus-san...I wonder...why did you think that you killed the
Queen when she faked you out? It doesn't matter. The Metroids are
our people's brainchild. Whether they lived or died probably didn't
matter then, but it does now. Now that there lives a menace that only
they can fight." Gul'Gen hears a squeak and a roar and sees a Metroid
fly past him, stopping for a moment and then floating towards him. He
starts to tremble as it gets inches away from him.
"Stop. He is not our food." Gul'Gen turns around to find Royce
standing six feet away, with two Omega Metroids on each side.
"Miiieee...Skree! Hwee!" The Metroid bumps into Gul'Gen and flies
back into the tunnel, obviously agitated.
"We have nearly been without prey. The X started to appear on this
station moments before my children's rebirth, but their numbers have
declined. They have either found hosts, or gone into hiding, knowing
that we are here...in any case, they know we are here." Gul'Gen looks
behind for a moment.
"If they have found hosts, they could lead the Federation to you. I
don't want you to be chased away, but...can I ask you a few things?"
Royce sits on a crate, the two Omegas watching her.
"They're both silent. Trained like Buckingham Palace guards. What
did you want to ask?" Gul'Gen sits across from her.
"Well...I wanted to ask you why you came out so straight-forward to
us. Why you've been popping in and out at the times we least expect.
Why it feels to me like you can't tell a lie."
"To answer your first question, I came out of hiding because of the X.
To answer your second question, I've been nesting, as you can see.
To answer your last...I -can't- tell a lie. Is that all?" Gul'Gen
cringed slightly. No, that wasn't all. She could even tell that.
"It's written all over your face that you have many more questions."
"...I do...but some of them I didn't want to ask."
-------------------------
Keaton had gathered Hardy, Houston, Samus, Gul'Gen, and Royce into a
conference room. He wanted to hear the 'bad news' about Artic's Iron
Curtain between the planet trade and the Federation. His suspicions
told him that it wasn't over yet. His feelings were that of a
politician having to make a retirement speech. Things had gone so
awry since Ridley went to Chauda. The X started to appear on Alpha
Centauri, and so did Metroids. Everyone was aware of what was going
on. Something like a bad joke, yeah, that was it. Ever since Keaton
assigned Samus and company to retrieve Royce Felder of B.S.L. from
SR388, things just seemed to spiral into chaos quickly. Two days,
and already the public was in panic. It didn't even go down this fast
when Acuar was attacked...or Tsebnash. Keaton cleared his throat.
"I'll skip the speech for all our sakes and we'll cut to the chase.
Gul'Gen?" The old Chozo looked at the other five.
"As you will soon know, Artic proposed an Iron Curtain. This keeps us
protected from the planet trade, but they did this out of fear. Fear of
the X. Artic had reported that two X parasites had infected some of their
men and caused utter chaos until the clones of the parasites were detained
in cryo-stasis. Since Artic doesn't know how to fight the X without a Metroid,
he had proposed a quarantine order disguised as a treaty." Samus looks at
Gul'Gen.
"That must have been the SA-X. I don't remember it well."
Gul'Gen looks down.
"There are X parasites in Alpha Centauri, and possibly in other places as
well. We don't know where else they could be, either." Houston taps the table.
"Yeah. There were two dragon clones and a Core-X of Schneider."
Samus turns and stands up.
"WHAT?! How did Schneider get infected?" Houston rambles about the
things that the Core-X in Schneider's body had told them before fleeing
and Ridley taking off for Chauda. Two of Ridley's kind, and a clone of
Schneider to deal with? Samus wasn't mad, and wasn't furious, either.
She was so overcome with a seething hatred that she couldn't stay in
the room a moment longer.
Keaton watches Samus burst out of the chamber and run off. To where,
he didn't know. But he was still thinking good riddance for a moment,
and then he turned pea green. What if the people were afraid of an
angry Samus?