The Rescue
My suit was placed in green glowing liquid, which was sealed in a ceiling high glass container. I walked closer to the thick-glassed container and placed my hand on its ice-cold surface. I peered inside and noticed that the green liquid was solid ice.
I looked at my suit and noticed hardened orange ooze coming out from under the cracks of the power suit. My old power suit was infected with the X-parasite!
Suddenly, I heard a loud blast and glass shattering from above. I quickly went into the hole again and back up into the top room. I stood up and found that each glass container had been broken! I watched as the free-floating X-parasites flew around and out of the room.
"Nooooooooo!" I shouted. I knew that instant that the entire station was going to be infected within minutes!
* * *
I absorbed as much as the free-floating X-parasites as I could, but I knew I would never come to an avail. Every monster that I came across were already infected, but only at the first stage. I had to kill the creatures so that they wouldn't have to suffer such a devastating death.
I made my way through each habitat to try to stop the parasites from taking over. If the parasites were to get into the Science Facility and then eventually in the civilian area….
I couldn't allow such a thing to happen! Whatever set the X free was going to pay very very dearly.
I made it back to the main room with the elevator pad. I noticed that the elevator beam was in the ground and realized that someone had come down here. No doubt someone that knew combat and survival skills in order to have made it as far as I had in the fire habitat. No doubtably, someone from the Federation… Stellbak.
My anger grew even more! Stellbak is going to pay very dearly for involving me and Kyan in a breeding experiment and for releasing the threat that will endanger the entire universe!
Stellbak was mad! He's putting the very lives of this station in danger and he's risking his very own life!
I hurried to find Felicia to warn her.
I finally found her in the plant habitat. She flew up to me and exclaimed, "Sam! What is going on? My alert system has gone crazy!"
"Stellbak freed the X parasites! Soon Terra will be infested! Every plant and animal will also be affected!"
"Including the Mother Plant?!" Felicia asked worriedly.
"Yes." I replied sadly.
* * *
Felicia and me hurried to the very core of the plant habitat, where the Mother Plant was located.
I found myself in a long corridor filled with vast plant life. The great room represented a jungle; trees were everywhere and seemed endless as they reached toward the ceiling, vines hung everywhere like a giant spider web, and a raging river ran like a snake between the trees.
I looked up and saw large windows looking out into space.
Felicia floated ahead of me and looked around as I did. "The trees… they don't look the same." Felicia spoke sadly.
I looked at the trees and noticed orange ooze sliding out from under the bark. The trees had been already infected…
I gasped as I realized that this very area was Terra's only main source for oxygen! I concluded that the X-parasites would soon make their way through the venting system and into the Science Facilities and then the civilian quarters.
I came to realize the Mother Plant's condition and the thought of Kyan struck me!
I ran past Felicia and quickly hurried to find the area of the Mother Plant. I came into a clearing and found a thick trunk tree standing alone in the warmth of the sunlight that came down through the largest of all the solar windows from above.
This was the area I had seen on the massive monitor screen and I knew that Kyan was here!
My heart pounded and I breathed deeply! I slowly walked toward the giant tree. Suddenly, from surprise, vines from the trees came at me! I stepped back, but my movements seemed to have slowed.
The vines entangled me like a snake coiling around its food.
I struggled to try to escape, but the strength and quantity of the vines prevented my retreat.
I stopped struggling to watch as the trunk of the tree began to slowly uncoil its separate trunks. They uncurled in the same direction and pulled away from the middle. One thick trunk was revealed in the center.
Kyan!
He was in the same position when I had seen him on the computer's screen! His head was bent down to hide his face from me seeing it. Kyan looked weak and helpless as I stared at him. I tried to step forward, trying to go to him and get him out of here. The vines held me still.
"Felicia! Help me!" I called out.
Felicia came to the front of me and chuckled, "Foolish little human. You fell for my trap!"
My eyes became wide with surprise.
Felicia chuckled again, "Now I can absorb your powers as well! You won't be much of an appetite though, since you are only a human. Kyan is quite a feast indeed! With his kind of power, I'll live for a very long time!"
I gasped! It came to my realization that Felicia was not only a probe, but the Mother Plant as well?!
"Why are you doing this?!" I demanded.
Felicia giggled deviously and replied, "Because, Sam, my plants are to spread across the universe and take over planets! It is essential to my survival, you know."
I narrowed my eyes, "Why are you sucking up Kyan's blood though?"
Felicia turned her body toward Kyan and then back to me, "Kyan's blood is the very immunity to all parasites that could eat me alive. I had no other choice. But don't worry, I won't kill him.
I'm sharing my nutrients with him to keep him alive. His power is beyond comprehension. If I keep him alive, he'll keep me alive. It works both ways. And also, I want to keep him. I've grown quite attached to him."
"No!" I screamed in rage and felt painful tears run from my eyes. I looked at Kyan and watched as some of the vines wrap around the tree trunk that Kyan was grown into.
The vines held Kyan's head up and raised his face to show me his soft and pale face as it has always been. His eyes were closed and his lips were slightly parted.
I noticed thin roots engraved in each of his soft cheeks.
"Kyan!" I shouted. My eyes ached with streams of tears.
Felicia flew toward Kyan and stopped beside his head. "He is so handsome, so gentle, and loving. It's a real shame you will be spending your last moment with him…. This will be the last of your days, Samus Aran!" Felicia turned her probe body toward me and her lens lit up fiery red! "I will be the only one having the offspring! My children will be strong and continue to spread the seeds!"
Suddenly, a spark hit Felicia in the side and sent her tumbling through the air. I turned my head and saw a black power suit come up to the side of me. It came toward me and aimed its right arm up to the vines to shoot at them.
The vines fell from me and I turned to the black power suit.
"Are you alright?" A muffled voice asked.
"Yeah, thanks." I replied. "Who are you?"
"Not now! We've got to get Kyan out of here!"
We both ran to Kyan and the black power suit lit up its blue glowing beam saber then hacked at the trunk of the tree. The black power suit avoided contact with Kyan with the saber.
"Grab him!" The voice commanded.
I quickly knelt down as Kyan fell into my arms. I looked up at the black suit and shouted, "Wait! The roots are inside of him and attached to his organs!"
"We'll have to take care of that when we get back to the safety of the Science labs! We must hurry! I set loose the Metroids!" The black suit helped me to lift Kyan onto my back and wrap his legs around my helm and his legs under my arms.
The black suit stood before me, "I'll fend off the monsters as we go!"
"But doesn't Kyan need oxygen to breath? What if he gets hurt?" I asked with concern.
"Never mind that now! You're the only one with the immunity against the parasites and the Metroids won't take a liking to me!"
We ran toward the other end of the room in hopes of finding a way out.
As we ran, a thought came into my mind. Was this the person that unleashed the X-parasites from their containers? This person has been the only other with a power suit that I've seen in the monster habitat.
We reached the other end of the room and found an elevator leading up. It was big enough for the both of us to fit in. The black suit and I got in and the doors sealed shut.
The elevator automatically came to life and went up. I turned to the black suit. "Alright, Stellbak, the jig is up!"
The black suit turned to face me, "I'm sorry, but I do not know what you are talking about. I'm not Stellbak."
"Then who are you?!" I demanded.
"Consider me as a friend, Samus. I'm a bounty hunter just like you."
I raised my eyebrows as my eyes widened, "A bounty hunter?! What are you doing here?"
"I have the very same question for you. What are you doing on Terra? Shouldn't you be out hunting down Space Pirates or something?"
I lowered my head, "The Federation gave me a break, which turned out to be a permanent vacation."
The black power suit stepped back, "What? Those jackasses! You're the best bounty hunter there is! Why in the hell are they firing you?!"
I replied slowly, "Maybe because I was suitable for the breeding project."
"The breeding what?"
"The breeding experiment. It involved Kyan and me. The Federation planned that we were going to come together and… have a baby."
"Then what? Did it happen?"
I nodded slowly, "Yes."
The elevator came to a standstill and the hatches unsealed and opened.
We stepped out and found that we were in the grass habitat with a room attached to the ceiling.
The black power suit ran ahead of me and shouted back to me, "Hurry onto the elevator!"
I ran behind the black suit and came to the elevator pad. "It can't be activated from down here! It's only accessible from the ceiling room!"
I heard the black power suit mutter, "Shit!"
I looked up into the room and saw a dark figure peering out of the glass. I watched as the elevator beam quickly came down. I looked back to the room and saw that the dark figure was gone.
* * *
I hurried to the Science Labs with the black power suit following behind. I ran into a lab that was filled with a group of scientists.
I ran to a table and took Kyan off my back and gently lay him on the table.
"Help! Someone help Kyan!"
The group of scientists ran toward me and surrounded the table.
"What's wrong with him?!" One of the scientists demanded.
"He was grown into the Mother Plant and there are some roots in-" I was pulled back and I felt a prick go through my suit into my arm. I turned my head to see who gave me the injection, but everything went to black. I heard the black suit's voice shout, but it was becoming faint, "No! You bastar-"
* * *
I slowly blinked my eyes open and found myself kneeling down in pitch-blackness. I slowly stood and looked down at myself to see that my power suit was gone. I looked up and saw the full-grown Metroid hatchling.
I saw images of words go through my mind, Get out. Save yourself. The image of the Metroid vanished.
I opened my eyes and blinked in the blinding light. I awoke. I slowly sat up and found myself in a jail cell that was surrounded by lasers of red light, which prevented my escape.
I slid off the bed and got to my feet. I quickly glanced down at myself and found that my power suit was still on. I turned my head to glance around.
I didn't see any other prisoners across from my cell.
I walked up to the lasers and called out, "Hello! Is anyone here?!" My voice rang out and echoed down the long corridor.
I waited, but no reply came back.
"Damn it!" I made my hand into a fist and turned to punch the brick wall that separated the neighboring cell and mine.
"They couldn't have left me alone down here! There should at least be a guard!" I pressed into the wall and groaned as I felt a sick feeling come over me. I placed my hand on my stomach and slowly slid down to my knees.
I began to sweat and felt the urge to puke. I quickly took off my helm and tossed it aside. I turned my head and gagged as whatever contents were in my stomach came up and splattered all over the floor. I coughed and spat out the nasty taste from my mouth.
I slid away from the wall and pressed my hand against the floor to try and steady myself. I felt queasy and my head spun. My body shivered from an unknown cold.
My hair fell into my face and I reached up to brush it back. I again placed my hand on my stomach and tried to rub the ache away.
I don't understand… Why am I getting sick? Nothing could have gotten through my suit!
I lowered my head and tightly closed my eyes. I heard running footsteps. They gradually grew louder as they approached.
The running stopped. "Samus! There you are!" A familiar voice spoke.
I raised my head up and saw the black power suit. "Let's get you out of here!" The voice paused and asked, "Are you alright? You look pale."
I slowly got to my feet and picked up my helm and placed it on my head. "I'm fine." I replied softly.
The black power suit's head lowered.
I turned to follow the black suit's gaze. I stared at my puke. I turned back to the other suit and its head raised back up.
"You're not well. It's caused from the pregnancy." The black power suit's voice spoke softly.
"The what?" I squinted my eyes and felt my mind spinning.
The black suit shook its head, "Never mind. I'll get you out of here!" The suit stepped to the brick wall.
I didn't see what it was doing, and then the red laser lights dimmed and disappeared. The black suit came to my side and pulled my arm over its shoulders.
"Put your weight onto me."
"No, I can walk." I replied.
"Don't argue! We must get out of here!" The black suit hurried me down the corridor. I raised my gaze up to the dark visor of the black power suit.
"Where's Kyan?" I asked softly.
"He's still alive… but I don't know what's happening to him… After you were injected, my only choice was to run… I'm sorry." The suit's voice spoke apologetically. "He was being taken away when I turned to run." The black suit lowered its head.
We got onto an elevator and it took us out of the jail chambers. The black suit let me rest against the elevator's thick glass.
I closed my eyes and breathed heavily.
"So, how long were you down there? If you've been in the Monster Habitat for at least a month, it's no wonder you're getting sick." The black suit folded its arms and pressed its back into the opposite side of the elevator.
I breathed slowly and replied, "I was down there for a few hours."
"Huh?" That's weird. You must have been in a hurry."
I nodded.
The elevator came to a stop. I watched as the black power suit stepped away from the glass and raised its helm up to look at the level indicator.
"What the fuck?! I didn't push the button to go to the very top floor! Something's wrong here!"
The elevator's doors slid open and I looked to see a squad of armored soldiers pointing their guns at us.
I saw the symbol of eagle wings on the uniforms and recognized them as Federation soldiers.
* * *
The soldiers surrounded the black power suit and me and led us down the long mirrored corridor. We came into a large room with large windows looking out into space.
A figure stood with its back turned, looking out one of the windows. The figure slowly turned.
"Stellbak!" I exclaimed.
Stellbak smiled pleasantly.
I raised my right arm up to aim my gun at him. "Give me one damn good reason why I shouldn't kill you for involving me and Kyan in a breeding experiment and for unleashing the X parasites!"
Stellbak's smile vanished and was replaced with a puzzled look. "Involve you and Kyan in a breeding experiment? Unleash the X parasites? What on Earth are you talking about? I wasn't involved with those.
I gripped my gun with my hand, "You're fibbing! You liar! How dare you! Where is Kyan?!"
Stellbak raised an eyebrow, "I assure you, Samus, that-"
I jumped over the group of soldiers, flipping through the air, and landed in front of the Federation Officer.
I shoved my gun into Stellbak's neck, "I'll ask you again, where is Kyan?!"
"If I knew, I would tell you." Stellbak replied, without a hint of fright.
I heard footsteps come up from behind me. "Put the gun down." A soft voice spoke.
I slowly lowered my right arm.
The tone of the person's voice became ironic, "You know, you shouldn't point your weapon at your Commanding Officers."
I spun around, "Adam!"