Chapter 16
Is this Good-bye Forever?
Kyan followed after me as we ventured through the habitats to reach the Mother Plant area.
He carried a long blue glowing sword in his left hand. I had asked him why he's using a sword instead of a gun. He told me that he is specialized in close combat.
I didn't argue further, but I wondered how he was going to kill anything before I shoot it with my cannon first.
My thoughts about Kyan killing anything with his sword soon changed.
Kyan leapt into the air, flipping over my head and slashed with the glowing sword from an angle, cutting into a monster and slicing it in half.
Time slowed as I watched the sword sweep in a hazy blue arc as it slashed into the monster.
Kyan turned to me, but I could no see his expression because of the black round helmet over his head.
"Wow! That caught me by complete surprise!" I exclaimed.
Kyan chuckled pleasantly, "I'm full of surprises, my love." He came to me and placed his hand on my shoulder, "You take the lead and I'll watch the rear."
"I hope you don't mean my rear." I joked.
Kyan laughed and replied, "You should know me better than that.. We better hurry and find out what is causing the air supply to drain."
I nodded and ran ahead. I heard Kyan's soft footsteps behind me as he followed.
* * *
I killed off many monsters on the way, but unfortunately they all had been affected by the X-parasites. This was to be expected…
The parasites tried to float toward Kyan, but I stepped in their way and absorbed them.
I didn't understand… Why were the X trying to get to Kyan? There couldn't have been a connection.
We made it back into the plant habitat, just a room before the Mother Plant area.
I stopped before the doorway into the next room.
I felt Kyan's hand be placed upon my shoulder, "Samus, wait."
I turned around to face him, "What is it?" I asked.
Kyan lowered his hand and replied worriedly, "Something does not feel right. We made it this far, too easily. There should have been something to stop us.. And I'm getting an odd feeling that something bad is going to happen."
I placed my hand on my hip, "Yeah.. It was too easy getting here… I'll go on ahead and make sure things are safe." I spun around and ran into the next room just as I heard Kyan shout, "No! Samus! It's a tra-"
I spun back around to see the door shut and seal. I ran to it and slammed on it with my fist. "Kyan! Kyan!" I shouted. "Damn it!" I muttered as I slowly turned back around.
Suddenly, my eyes grew wide in shock and I gasped.
The room was covered with orange dripping ooze.
I slowly walked forward, looking around. The vines and branches that hung from the trees were covered with the same orange goo.
"No.. Everything has been infected…" I whispered sorrowfully. I noticed the vines twitching and slowly beginning to move.
I blinked and in that blink the vines shot out toward me as quick as lightning! I stepped back, but the vines were to swift! I let out a yelp as the ooze covered vines wrapped tightly around me!
I struggled against the vines to try and break free, but they seemed too strong and I felt limp against their tight grip.
The vines slid me across the ground, dragging me deeper into the plant habitat. Then the vines lifted me up and faced me toward the giant ooze covered tree.
The Mother Plant seemed to pulse like a vein and large amounts of the ooze slid out from the bark.
"No… this must be the cause of the air supply to drain…"
I saw a little green probe slowly fly out from behind the tree and recognized it as Felicia!
The little probe dripped with the orange goo as well and I realized that she had been affected by the X-parasite too.
But how could she have been affected? The X couldn't absorb mechanical things, only biological.
"Felicia?" I asked softly.
The little probe only stared at me with its large black lens.
I looked up to see a long sharp point of a vine slowly lower down beside the little probe. The needle like point aimed at me.
I gasped! The sharp point suddenly shot out and cut through my power suit's shoulder and pegged into my right arm!
I screamed from the sudden pain! I shook my head and struggled against the vines wrapped around me to try and get to my throbbing arm!
"Felicia! Stop! Please!" I screamed! The pain in my arm was overwhelming! I clenched my teeth and peeled my watering eyes open and turned my head to look at my arm. I saw the vine pulsing and saw orange goo coming out of the hole in my suit.
I was being injected with X!
Suddenly, a blue of blue light slashed the vine. Then I saw a black-gloved silver knuckled hand reach up and yank the sharp point from my shoulder.
I lowered my head to see how was to save me, but my sight became blurred.
"W-who's there?" I asked tiredly.
"Hang on, Samus!" Kyan's voice echoed.
I felt the tight grip of the vines that were wrapped around me suddenly come loose. I fell to my knees and placed my hand on the wound of my right shoulder.
Kyan knelt down in front of me and threw my hand off my wound and stuck his finger into the hole in my power suit to gently touch my puncture in my skin.
I felt as though I was lying on a soft blanket of clouds as the pain in my arm was replaced with a gentle coldness that was rejuvenating.
I opened my eyes and found that the blur in my sight was gone.
Kyan removed his finger and quickly stood to turn to face the giant tree.
"Samus, get out of here! The X want to kill you. You are their greatest threat and the only one to stop them.. they only want me for their control.. they will try with all their might to try and absorb me for their control."
I slowly stood up an asked softly, "Kyan? What are you saying? How do you know that?"
"I can understand them.. and they can understand me." Kyan slowly turned toward me and took his helmet off. He smiled lovingly and stared at me with his glowing green sad-looking eyes, "You must go, Samus. I will take care of these parasites.
There is not enough time left to hold my control over them. You must get back into the civilian sector and seal it. Use the security emergency break off hatch to sperate the Science Facilities and Monster Habitat from the civilian colony.
I will use my power to destroy these parasites and give the Terran colony a boost to reach a nearby planet in time before the air supply runs out."
I stepped forward and shook my head, "But what about you?! Won't you be killed in the process?! I cannot allow you to do this, Kyan!"
Kyan closed his eyes and lowered his head, "I won't die. I'll be perfectly fine." He reopened his eyes and raised his head back up. He approached me and threw his arms around my waist to embrace me. "Take care until we meet again, my dearest Samus." He pressed his lips to mine to kiss me deeply.
I closed my eyes and wrapped my arms tightly around Kyan's head. I didn't want to let him go!
I pulled my lips away from Kyan's to whisper sadly, "Please don't do this."
We both opened our eyes.
Kyan made a sorrowful look, "It's the only way to save everyone."
My eyes burned and I felt tears sliding down my cheeks. I closed my eyes and pressed my head into Kyan's shoulder.
Kyan gently took up my chin with his hand and raised my head up to place a kiss on my lips.
I opened my eyes…
Kyan was gone.
I found myself in the main lab in the Science Facilities. I looked down into my hand to see my fingers gripped around my helmet.
Suddenly, I stumbled forward as the room unexpectedly tilted.
The room lit up with flashing red light and an automatic emergency recording came over the speakers, "Warning, a disturbance has been inflicted in the Monster Habitat. The Science Facility will detach from the rest of the station. Evacuation time sequence has been activated. Five minutes remaining. Evacuate the Science Facilities immediately." The voice repeated the sentence.
I shoved on my helm and headed for the location of the transport train.