Chapter 5
Rivals Meet Again
It was only a small matter of time until Samus found her hunter class gunship manuevering through asteroids lazily floating the sector that the planet Zebes had once orbited. With the massive area that the asteroids covered, it would take Samus forever to find Ridley. Samus passed by many suitable flying rocks that could house the dragon's facilities but Samus knew that Ridley wouldn't pick just any asteroid. Samus searched the field for hours but was unable to locate an asteroid that would satisfy Ridley's requirements. Maybe he's not even here. No, he would come back. I know he would. Samus thought to herself. A shimmering light caught Samus' eye and she pulled her ship around for a closer inspection. Amongst a tightly knit network of small asteroids, a humongous chunk of what appeared to be the interior of Zebes was slightly visible. Samus cautiously flew her ship into the field, fearing that one of the many smaller asteroids would cause damage to her ship. Luckily for her, she managed to force her way through the debris, making grimacing faces as small particles of the asteroids clunked off the side of her ship. Samus found the shimmering light coming from the surface of the huge asteroid. She brought the ship down on its surface and locked her helmet into place. Upon setting foot onto the monstorous rock, Samus immedietly noticed that the light was actually a reflection off of a door. I got you now Ridley! Hot pockets of steam shot up from various cracks and crevices in the ground. The door was lodged between two Chozo statues that Samus recognized as the Chozo god of creation, Enode. This meant that the chunk of rock that Samus was walking on had to be part of ex-Norfair. The blue door lay at a slight angle into the ground and oddly enough there was power running to the door. With a quick shot from her arm cannon, the door silently slid open.
Samus stepped inside the door and was instantly greeted by the corpses of Zebesian creatures. Samus could make out a few Zebs, side hoppers and her personal favorites, the kilhunters. I wonder how many of these are my handy work? She asked herself. The floor seemed to be very unstable and there were cracks running along the corridor. The walls appeared to be the same way as well as the ceiling with the exception that stalactites hung from them. A few stalactites managed to make there homes along the corridor as well, reaching for the ceiling as if they were trying to reconnect with where their home should be. She could smell acid in the air. Yep, I'm definetly in Norfair. Samus journeyed down the wide tunnel that made up the corridor and the farther down Samus went into the asteroid, the more it seemed to come alive. She could feel eyes upon her. The passage was lit by an eerie glow coming from the walls. Ahead of her she became aware of shadows moving along the passage toward her. Life? Here? That means that this has to be Ridley's facilities! The shadows became bigger and Samus took up hiding behind a huge stalactite growing up from the floor. As the shadows began growing on the wall, Samus was able to make out a muffled conversation in a language she couldn't understand but knew all to well. Soon three Space Pirates emerged from the dim glow walking slowly down the passageway, there Galvanic Accelerator Cannons fixated loosely to there sides. They seemed to be just a routine patrol group.
Samus allowed the pirates to walk by her as she slid around the stalactite to take up a position behind them. She quietly followed the pirates back up the path until she was within reach. Samus reached behind her and pulled out her sword. Grasping the handle, the sword activated with its metallic clang echoing off of the tunnels walls. The pirates turned to investigate only to find the bounty hunter holding the sword at striking distance.
"Well now fellows, I don't believe we've met. Samus Aran, bounty hunter for hire", Samus said carefully watching there movements. If she wasn't careful they would all fire upon her at once and then she would be in a slight bind. The pirates cocked their heads sideways eyeballing the armored being in front of them before making what Samus assumed to be quick comments to each other. With one swift motion, Samus brought the sword around and sliced the creatures into two. Their blood splattered to the floor, beating their falling bodies. "Guess they never heard of me." Samus sheathed the sword and continued down the passageway at a faster pace. Samus soon found herself facing a dead end. I must have overlooked a side passage or something, Samus thought to herself.
"Samus. It's good to see you are alive and well", Ridley's voice boomed through the tunnel causing Samus to slightly jump in surprise.
"Where are you? We've got some unfinished business to take care of!" Samus yelled at the air.
"Oh, come now Samus. When have I ever told you where I was? You're a smart girl. I am pretty sure you will figure it out as you always do." There was a silence that followed and Samus figured Ridley was done talking. Samus punched a quick command into her suit and the suit responded by activating her X-Ray visor she had acquired during her last mission. Looking at the wall, Samus could make out a weak point. Samus curled into her morph ball and laid a bomb. The explosion only shook the dust off of the wall. Samus viewed the wall again. She had managed to weaken it more, but nowhere near crumbling status. I could use a power bomb, but I don't know exactly how stable this rock is. It could just blow us apart completely. Samus decided for the power bomb and quickly laid one. This time the wall crumbled against the massive explosion. Samus uncurled and advancing toward the hole in the wall, Samus became aware of a hot sensation at her feet. Looking down, her feet were standing in molten lava. The explosion had caused the magmic solution to rise to the floor. Samus walked through the hole in the wall to find herself in a laboratory. Glass tubes lay shattered on the floor. The lights in the ceiling flickered and sparked causing her visor to constantly try and focus the scene in front of her. There were tables covered in slime and test tubes. Along the walls were holding cells in which laid the corpses of Chozo and other native Zebesian creatures. Samus walked to the rear of the lab and entered another door.
Samus found herself in a makeshift office with a desk littered with papers and what seemed to be a computer system of some type lying on the floor in pieces. It was better lit then the previous room and steam rose from cracks in the floor creating a fog-like appearance. The walls were covered with bulletin boards full of memos and letters. Samus browsed through some of the memos before going through the papers on the desk. She scanned a few and threw others to the side until one caught her eye. Metroid Cloning Program! So that's how they cloned the Metroid. They stole the Ceres Scientists work! Samus looked behind the desk and found a grotesquely mutilated human body sprawled on the floor. They apparently stole a scientist too. Samus put the paper back and headed back to the previous room where she noticed a door in the wall beside the hole that she had recently blown. The entered the door and found herself in a brightly lit corridor. Wires ran along the walls tracing the path that the lights that lit the tunnel took. The air was heavy, musty and hot and Samus began to slightly sweat within the armored suit.
"Welcome to Norfair where you can suffocate in the humidity in complete uncomfortable anguish." The corridor twisted and turned inside the huge asteroid and eventually led into a humongous cavern the size of a football dome. The cavern was lit dimly by lights far up on the caverns ceiling. The floor was covered in cracks and the ever present steam created a misty cloud injected with a red glow from an unknown light source under her. The walls of the cavern was covered with cracks and magma oozed from some. They trailed down the walls and pooled into small rivers that ran three edges of the room before they dissappeared to who knew where.
"I'm so glad you could make it Samus. I had almost given up on you."
"Come on out Ridley. It's time we settled the score. No more games, just you and me, one last time."
"Very well Mrs. Aran", Ridley replied as he slowly emerged from a darkened corner of the cavern, "one last dance."
The two closed in cautiously on each other, waiting for the other to make the first move. Samus armed her cannon ready to be on the defensive or to take the offensive. Ridley glared into Samus' visor, his eyes twitching with an uncanny anticipation as his claws seemingly squeezed some invisible object. Ridley's tail swung patiently behind him as his forked tongue slid across the front of his gleaming but crooked teeth. Samus decided to make the first move. In a smooth, almost lightning fast movement, Samus rolled into a morph ball and laid a power bomb before rolling back, barely missing Ridley's deadly talons as he swiped at the attacking bounty hunter. This did two things for the huntress. The power bomb exploding blinded Ridley for a moment giving Samus, secondly, the chance to charge her Plasma Ice Beam. Samus fired the charged beam. Ridley seeing it to late was hit in the shoulder. He let out a scream of pain and returned a fire blast attack. Samus easily somersaulted it and turning in midair, fired a super missile at Ridley's head. Ridley flew up out of the way of the missile and it exploded in the wall, sending hot magma flying from the crater. Ridley flung his tail out in an attemptj to stab Samus but missed there too. The two exchanged attacks in an awesome example of eachs most powerful abilities. The too soon tired themselves out.
"You've...imporoved since...I last...met up...with you...Samus", Ridley said gasping for air.
"And.......you're still as.....predictable as....before Ridley", Samus replied between breaths.
"Is that...so?" Ridley mused.
"How's that...shoulder?" She asked nodding to where she had hit him with the Plasma Ice Beam.
"Stings quite a bit", he replied looking at the wounded shoulder. He rubbed his shoulder before turning back to Samus, "It is your move pawn", he gestured back to her with his hand.
"In that case", she screamed, catching her second breath as she released a horde of super missile toward the red dragon. Ridley countered with his fire blast, blowing the missiles up in midair. Samus flung herself at the wall in an attempt towalljump but Ridley was a step ahead of her this time. Ridley shot a fireball at her, which caused her to jump the opposite way. Ridley anticipated this and shot an energy blast in the place she was about to land. Samus didn't expect this new attack from the so called predictable dragon and was thrown to the floor by the blast. The blast had drained the suit of most of its energy and Samus lay on the floor unable to move with the dead unenergized suit on her.
"Who's the predictable one now?" Ridley chuckled evilly to the downed bounty hunter. Without energy the suit would soon lose its coherency and Samus would be vulnerable to Ridley's attacks. Ridley walked over Samus and picked her up in his cratered claws. "You see, I can improve too my dear Samus", he said, his hot breath fogging up her visor. "I've waited for this moment when I could have you in my grasps", he continued while he gave a slight squeeze to the bound hunter. She screamed in pain as the pressure caused her visor to crack and the glass fell to the floor. He loosened his gripped and stared into Samus' blue eyes. She glared hatefully at him. She tried to squirm her way free but was not able to. She tried reaching her hand behind back for the sword laying in wait. She was able to bring her hand around the edge of the handle.
"I'm not done yet!" Samus activated the sword. It withdrew from its sheath and the metal slided through the dragons hand. Samus found herself falling to the floor as Ridley brought his cut claw to his mouth.
"You little bitch!" He screamed bringing his tail around and swiping at Samus. Samus brought the sword up and blocked the incoming tail and countered with her own thrust. Ridley used his tail as a makeshift sword, swinging in rage at the agile hunter. The weight of the suit was too much for Samus and she was slow in blocking Ridley's attacks. She found herself wrapped in Ridley's tail. "You will pay for that Samus!" He yelled at her squeezing the bounty hunter to the point where she couldn't breath. She dropped the sword and it disappeared into the mist covered floor. Samus gasped for breath. "I'm going to hate to see you go. You were a challenge for me Samus Aran and you have earned a high respect from me." Samus could do nothing but groan in anguish. Her suit began to crack under the stress. Samus flung her to the floor like a ragdoll. Her helmet cracked and fell to the floor, her blonde hair falling down along her suit. Samus rolled into a ball, wrapping her arms around her legs as the tears began flowing from her eyes. Ridley eyed her half-heartedly until Samus turned over and stood up. The suit couldn't take anymore and fell to the floor in pieces, leaving the bruised bounty hunter standing in her black underwear. Her white complexion standing out in the dimly lit room, her only blemish being the almost healed mysterious incisions.
I've got to take him out or else I won't be alive too much longer. Samus scanned the mist-covered floor desperately seeking her sword, the only means of defense or offense she had. Ridley took flight into the air just as Samus caught a glimpse of the now retracted cylindrical stick. Samus made a run for the stick and Ridley swooped down to grab her. Damn! No suit, no space jump, not even a morph ball! Things can't get much worse. She thought to herself as she ran for the sword. Samus made a suicide dive for the sword. She rolled to the floor, disappearing into the mist for an instant, barely missing Ridley's deadly talons. By the time Ridley turned around for a second lunge, Samus had the stick in hand. She somersaulted toward Ridley as he descend down toward her, and gripping the sword to activate it. The next moment seemed like an eternity to Samus as she was sure it did to Ridley. The sword glimmered in the dim light as the sword penetrated the dragon's scaly chest. A look of surprise appeared on his face as Samus brought her face to his and for an instant there eyes met. She buried the sword deeper into his chest and as there eyes broke contact, Samus barely noticed a sadness in his eyes. Ridley fell out of the air with a scream of surprise, the bounty hunter close behind them as they both hit the floor with a thud. Samus brought herself to her feet and cautiously walked over to her downed rival. His chest was rising up and down slowly as blood ran from his body to the floor, pooling just beside him.
"Thank you Samus", Ridley spoke barely audible, "for giving me the chance to match wits one last time." Samus realized that she had just defeated her long time rival and she kneeled down beside him. Death wasn't something she wished to bestow upon anybody or anything, but it was part of her job. No matter how much she tried to shake the feeling, she couldn't help but think that she was about to lose a challenge. "You have kept me going this whole time Samus....my only wish ....was to find someone who would....give me a challenge."
"Ridley.........I want you to know that I have a respect for you as well. Not for what you do.....but for your strategic prowess", Samus said lowering her eyes to the floor. She felt she needed to comfort Ridley somehow but even then, Ridley was still a danger to her. A long time rivarly created from "good vs. evil" was about to be destroyed by the great force of death.
"Samus, I must let...you know that there is....one higher then me....and as always....I was her pawn. She...is....one...in...the.......", Ridley spoke, trying to finsish his sentence. His eyes began to gloss over as they slowly rolled to the back of his head. His body fell limp on the floor, one last breath escaping from his body and then a single tear forming in his eye.
"Checkmate old friend", Samus siad brushing her own tears away.
It was only a small matter of time until Samus found her hunter class gunship manuevering through asteroids lazily floating the sector that the planet Zebes had once orbited. With the massive area that the asteroids covered, it would take Samus forever to find Ridley. Samus passed by many suitable flying rocks that could house the dragon's facilities but Samus knew that Ridley wouldn't pick just any asteroid. Samus searched the field for hours but was unable to locate an asteroid that would satisfy Ridley's requirements. Maybe he's not even here. No, he would come back. I know he would. Samus thought to herself. A shimmering light caught Samus' eye and she pulled her ship around for a closer inspection. Amongst a tightly knit network of small asteroids, a humongous chunk of what appeared to be the interior of Zebes was slightly visible. Samus cautiously flew her ship into the field, fearing that one of the many smaller asteroids would cause damage to her ship. Luckily for her, she managed to force her way through the debris, making grimacing faces as small particles of the asteroids clunked off the side of her ship. Samus found the shimmering light coming from the surface of the huge asteroid. She brought the ship down on its surface and locked her helmet into place. Upon setting foot onto the monstorous rock, Samus immedietly noticed that the light was actually a reflection off of a door. I got you now Ridley! Hot pockets of steam shot up from various cracks and crevices in the ground. The door was lodged between two Chozo statues that Samus recognized as the Chozo god of creation, Enode. This meant that the chunk of rock that Samus was walking on had to be part of ex-Norfair. The blue door lay at a slight angle into the ground and oddly enough there was power running to the door. With a quick shot from her arm cannon, the door silently slid open.
Samus stepped inside the door and was instantly greeted by the corpses of Zebesian creatures. Samus could make out a few Zebs, side hoppers and her personal favorites, the kilhunters. I wonder how many of these are my handy work? She asked herself. The floor seemed to be very unstable and there were cracks running along the corridor. The walls appeared to be the same way as well as the ceiling with the exception that stalactites hung from them. A few stalactites managed to make there homes along the corridor as well, reaching for the ceiling as if they were trying to reconnect with where their home should be. She could smell acid in the air. Yep, I'm definetly in Norfair. Samus journeyed down the wide tunnel that made up the corridor and the farther down Samus went into the asteroid, the more it seemed to come alive. She could feel eyes upon her. The passage was lit by an eerie glow coming from the walls. Ahead of her she became aware of shadows moving along the passage toward her. Life? Here? That means that this has to be Ridley's facilities! The shadows became bigger and Samus took up hiding behind a huge stalactite growing up from the floor. As the shadows began growing on the wall, Samus was able to make out a muffled conversation in a language she couldn't understand but knew all to well. Soon three Space Pirates emerged from the dim glow walking slowly down the passageway, there Galvanic Accelerator Cannons fixated loosely to there sides. They seemed to be just a routine patrol group.
Samus allowed the pirates to walk by her as she slid around the stalactite to take up a position behind them. She quietly followed the pirates back up the path until she was within reach. Samus reached behind her and pulled out her sword. Grasping the handle, the sword activated with its metallic clang echoing off of the tunnels walls. The pirates turned to investigate only to find the bounty hunter holding the sword at striking distance.
"Well now fellows, I don't believe we've met. Samus Aran, bounty hunter for hire", Samus said carefully watching there movements. If she wasn't careful they would all fire upon her at once and then she would be in a slight bind. The pirates cocked their heads sideways eyeballing the armored being in front of them before making what Samus assumed to be quick comments to each other. With one swift motion, Samus brought the sword around and sliced the creatures into two. Their blood splattered to the floor, beating their falling bodies. "Guess they never heard of me." Samus sheathed the sword and continued down the passageway at a faster pace. Samus soon found herself facing a dead end. I must have overlooked a side passage or something, Samus thought to herself.
"Samus. It's good to see you are alive and well", Ridley's voice boomed through the tunnel causing Samus to slightly jump in surprise.
"Where are you? We've got some unfinished business to take care of!" Samus yelled at the air.
"Oh, come now Samus. When have I ever told you where I was? You're a smart girl. I am pretty sure you will figure it out as you always do." There was a silence that followed and Samus figured Ridley was done talking. Samus punched a quick command into her suit and the suit responded by activating her X-Ray visor she had acquired during her last mission. Looking at the wall, Samus could make out a weak point. Samus curled into her morph ball and laid a bomb. The explosion only shook the dust off of the wall. Samus viewed the wall again. She had managed to weaken it more, but nowhere near crumbling status. I could use a power bomb, but I don't know exactly how stable this rock is. It could just blow us apart completely. Samus decided for the power bomb and quickly laid one. This time the wall crumbled against the massive explosion. Samus uncurled and advancing toward the hole in the wall, Samus became aware of a hot sensation at her feet. Looking down, her feet were standing in molten lava. The explosion had caused the magmic solution to rise to the floor. Samus walked through the hole in the wall to find herself in a laboratory. Glass tubes lay shattered on the floor. The lights in the ceiling flickered and sparked causing her visor to constantly try and focus the scene in front of her. There were tables covered in slime and test tubes. Along the walls were holding cells in which laid the corpses of Chozo and other native Zebesian creatures. Samus walked to the rear of the lab and entered another door.
Samus found herself in a makeshift office with a desk littered with papers and what seemed to be a computer system of some type lying on the floor in pieces. It was better lit then the previous room and steam rose from cracks in the floor creating a fog-like appearance. The walls were covered with bulletin boards full of memos and letters. Samus browsed through some of the memos before going through the papers on the desk. She scanned a few and threw others to the side until one caught her eye. Metroid Cloning Program! So that's how they cloned the Metroid. They stole the Ceres Scientists work! Samus looked behind the desk and found a grotesquely mutilated human body sprawled on the floor. They apparently stole a scientist too. Samus put the paper back and headed back to the previous room where she noticed a door in the wall beside the hole that she had recently blown. The entered the door and found herself in a brightly lit corridor. Wires ran along the walls tracing the path that the lights that lit the tunnel took. The air was heavy, musty and hot and Samus began to slightly sweat within the armored suit.
"Welcome to Norfair where you can suffocate in the humidity in complete uncomfortable anguish." The corridor twisted and turned inside the huge asteroid and eventually led into a humongous cavern the size of a football dome. The cavern was lit dimly by lights far up on the caverns ceiling. The floor was covered in cracks and the ever present steam created a misty cloud injected with a red glow from an unknown light source under her. The walls of the cavern was covered with cracks and magma oozed from some. They trailed down the walls and pooled into small rivers that ran three edges of the room before they dissappeared to who knew where.
"I'm so glad you could make it Samus. I had almost given up on you."
"Come on out Ridley. It's time we settled the score. No more games, just you and me, one last time."
"Very well Mrs. Aran", Ridley replied as he slowly emerged from a darkened corner of the cavern, "one last dance."
The two closed in cautiously on each other, waiting for the other to make the first move. Samus armed her cannon ready to be on the defensive or to take the offensive. Ridley glared into Samus' visor, his eyes twitching with an uncanny anticipation as his claws seemingly squeezed some invisible object. Ridley's tail swung patiently behind him as his forked tongue slid across the front of his gleaming but crooked teeth. Samus decided to make the first move. In a smooth, almost lightning fast movement, Samus rolled into a morph ball and laid a power bomb before rolling back, barely missing Ridley's deadly talons as he swiped at the attacking bounty hunter. This did two things for the huntress. The power bomb exploding blinded Ridley for a moment giving Samus, secondly, the chance to charge her Plasma Ice Beam. Samus fired the charged beam. Ridley seeing it to late was hit in the shoulder. He let out a scream of pain and returned a fire blast attack. Samus easily somersaulted it and turning in midair, fired a super missile at Ridley's head. Ridley flew up out of the way of the missile and it exploded in the wall, sending hot magma flying from the crater. Ridley flung his tail out in an attemptj to stab Samus but missed there too. The two exchanged attacks in an awesome example of eachs most powerful abilities. The too soon tired themselves out.
"You've...imporoved since...I last...met up...with you...Samus", Ridley said gasping for air.
"And.......you're still as.....predictable as....before Ridley", Samus replied between breaths.
"Is that...so?" Ridley mused.
"How's that...shoulder?" She asked nodding to where she had hit him with the Plasma Ice Beam.
"Stings quite a bit", he replied looking at the wounded shoulder. He rubbed his shoulder before turning back to Samus, "It is your move pawn", he gestured back to her with his hand.
"In that case", she screamed, catching her second breath as she released a horde of super missile toward the red dragon. Ridley countered with his fire blast, blowing the missiles up in midair. Samus flung herself at the wall in an attempt towalljump but Ridley was a step ahead of her this time. Ridley shot a fireball at her, which caused her to jump the opposite way. Ridley anticipated this and shot an energy blast in the place she was about to land. Samus didn't expect this new attack from the so called predictable dragon and was thrown to the floor by the blast. The blast had drained the suit of most of its energy and Samus lay on the floor unable to move with the dead unenergized suit on her.
"Who's the predictable one now?" Ridley chuckled evilly to the downed bounty hunter. Without energy the suit would soon lose its coherency and Samus would be vulnerable to Ridley's attacks. Ridley walked over Samus and picked her up in his cratered claws. "You see, I can improve too my dear Samus", he said, his hot breath fogging up her visor. "I've waited for this moment when I could have you in my grasps", he continued while he gave a slight squeeze to the bound hunter. She screamed in pain as the pressure caused her visor to crack and the glass fell to the floor. He loosened his gripped and stared into Samus' blue eyes. She glared hatefully at him. She tried to squirm her way free but was not able to. She tried reaching her hand behind back for the sword laying in wait. She was able to bring her hand around the edge of the handle.
"I'm not done yet!" Samus activated the sword. It withdrew from its sheath and the metal slided through the dragons hand. Samus found herself falling to the floor as Ridley brought his cut claw to his mouth.
"You little bitch!" He screamed bringing his tail around and swiping at Samus. Samus brought the sword up and blocked the incoming tail and countered with her own thrust. Ridley used his tail as a makeshift sword, swinging in rage at the agile hunter. The weight of the suit was too much for Samus and she was slow in blocking Ridley's attacks. She found herself wrapped in Ridley's tail. "You will pay for that Samus!" He yelled at her squeezing the bounty hunter to the point where she couldn't breath. She dropped the sword and it disappeared into the mist covered floor. Samus gasped for breath. "I'm going to hate to see you go. You were a challenge for me Samus Aran and you have earned a high respect from me." Samus could do nothing but groan in anguish. Her suit began to crack under the stress. Samus flung her to the floor like a ragdoll. Her helmet cracked and fell to the floor, her blonde hair falling down along her suit. Samus rolled into a ball, wrapping her arms around her legs as the tears began flowing from her eyes. Ridley eyed her half-heartedly until Samus turned over and stood up. The suit couldn't take anymore and fell to the floor in pieces, leaving the bruised bounty hunter standing in her black underwear. Her white complexion standing out in the dimly lit room, her only blemish being the almost healed mysterious incisions.
I've got to take him out or else I won't be alive too much longer. Samus scanned the mist-covered floor desperately seeking her sword, the only means of defense or offense she had. Ridley took flight into the air just as Samus caught a glimpse of the now retracted cylindrical stick. Samus made a run for the stick and Ridley swooped down to grab her. Damn! No suit, no space jump, not even a morph ball! Things can't get much worse. She thought to herself as she ran for the sword. Samus made a suicide dive for the sword. She rolled to the floor, disappearing into the mist for an instant, barely missing Ridley's deadly talons. By the time Ridley turned around for a second lunge, Samus had the stick in hand. She somersaulted toward Ridley as he descend down toward her, and gripping the sword to activate it. The next moment seemed like an eternity to Samus as she was sure it did to Ridley. The sword glimmered in the dim light as the sword penetrated the dragon's scaly chest. A look of surprise appeared on his face as Samus brought her face to his and for an instant there eyes met. She buried the sword deeper into his chest and as there eyes broke contact, Samus barely noticed a sadness in his eyes. Ridley fell out of the air with a scream of surprise, the bounty hunter close behind them as they both hit the floor with a thud. Samus brought herself to her feet and cautiously walked over to her downed rival. His chest was rising up and down slowly as blood ran from his body to the floor, pooling just beside him.
"Thank you Samus", Ridley spoke barely audible, "for giving me the chance to match wits one last time." Samus realized that she had just defeated her long time rival and she kneeled down beside him. Death wasn't something she wished to bestow upon anybody or anything, but it was part of her job. No matter how much she tried to shake the feeling, she couldn't help but think that she was about to lose a challenge. "You have kept me going this whole time Samus....my only wish ....was to find someone who would....give me a challenge."
"Ridley.........I want you to know that I have a respect for you as well. Not for what you do.....but for your strategic prowess", Samus said lowering her eyes to the floor. She felt she needed to comfort Ridley somehow but even then, Ridley was still a danger to her. A long time rivarly created from "good vs. evil" was about to be destroyed by the great force of death.
"Samus, I must let...you know that there is....one higher then me....and as always....I was her pawn. She...is....one...in...the.......", Ridley spoke, trying to finsish his sentence. His eyes began to gloss over as they slowly rolled to the back of his head. His body fell limp on the floor, one last breath escaping from his body and then a single tear forming in his eye.
"Checkmate old friend", Samus siad brushing her own tears away.