-Metroid Fusion
--Blackdie
---Chapter 10: Nightmare Hold
The Federation Police precinct was much quieter this time than when Samus had been there last. That was because most of the officers were standing around, watching her sit motionless in a lobby seat. By that time, all of them had heard the stories. Samus Aran had just been crushed by a truck and stood up after being stirred by medics.
"She's not human." One officer whispered.
"That's putting it lightly."
"No sense in whispering boys." A female officer spoke up. "She knows we're staring at her."
After the mention of that, everyone scattered to go about what they had originally intended. One of the morgue doctors began to approach the lobby with the captain of the precinct, a red haired man with a narrow face.
"So, what did those X-Rays reveal?"
"Well... her bones did show signs of being shattered in the last 24 hours... but they're completely whole. Some of the fracture lines are even beginning to disappear. Any medical attention from here on out would be unnecessary."
The captain stared at Edwards for a long time.
"I thought her suit only drained energy to keep its systems running."
"Look sir, to tell you the truth. I don't know where the suit begins and Samus's body ends. It seems to me that as long as she's wearing the suit, it's just another part of her. It's nothing like the tin cans we equip our officers with. It's so... alive."
The two of them had gradually begun to look over toward Samus and were now gaping at her like the other officers had been just a short while ago.
"You sure she's ok? A truck did crush her."
"Are you sure it wasn't a piece of paper?" Edwards shot back in a sarcastic manner.
"All right, all right, thanks doc."
The captain waved Edwards off and began to approach the bounty hunter. She moved her helmet slightly in his direction, but the movement was so relaxed that gave him the impression she was lost in thought. Her arm cannon hung loosely to the ground, while her other arm was limp in her lap.
"Graves has a transmission coming through. You'll have to take it in my office. It's the only secure line."
This caused her to stand up quickly enough, but as she moved away from the captain it was a slow and indifferent walk. No air of confidence, or sheer determination. It was a walk like someone had just woken up. Whatever was going on inside her head, it made her slow to pick up that the captain was not following her.
"Aren't you going to stand in?" She asked with her usual tone.
"Not a high enough clearance." He told her.
"Right." She sighed back.
Samus climbed a short set of stairs and made her way into the office of the captain. There were plenty of virtual plaques on the wall, and some personal pictures located near the desk. Sensitive reports and detailed case files on data discs were stacked in one corner, almost like the classic "in box, out box" routine. Then there was the desk in the center, with a screen propped up and flashing the incoming message icon. It had been on standby, and from the looks of it, a long time. Samus sat down in the chair and pressed the enter key to make Graves' image pop up on screen.
"Samus? Finally! Where have you been? What the hell is going on?"
"My ship was destroyed. Surely Adam told you that."
"Is that what happened? When Adam uploaded himself into the databanks, his consciousness was scrambled beyond recognition. Our best tech team is still sifting through the data. We didn't know what to think. Oh yes, and before you worry, Adam is salvageable. It's just going to take a long time."
It only took Samus a second to realize the Zonagen bomb was the cause for the damage. The radiation had almost erased him in the process of transfer.
"Victoria Maitlin has completely lost her mind. She's been hemorrhaging information for the last four days. We have been meaning to make contact for awhile now."
Graves could see Samus lean back in the chair.
"She's said a lot of things. But for the most part, she keeps screaming about being with Seb and wanting to meet him on the Beluga. Over and over again until her throat gives out. She waits a night or two, and starts it up again. We don't know what to do with her other than put her in a sanatorium."
We have a cruise to catch... Tanner's voice echoed throughout Samus's head. She balled her hand into a fist and took a deep breath.
"Sir, I need your authorization to terminate Sebester Tanner, and any other Sand Trap personnel." She asked strongly
Graves stood there stone-faced upon hearing Samus's request. He was silent and seemed to be looking her over.
"What happened? What did you find out during that time after your ship was destroyed?"
"Tanner has no intention of returning to the Galactic Federation. He's going to sell Zonagen to the Vespula or anyone else that wants it. I can no longer afford to treat him as a civilian."
Graves was silent for a long time.
"I'll be frank; making you judge, jury, and executioner won't look good at all. You understand?" He became silent again. "But if will stop him from giving Zonagen to the likes of the Vespula... Permission granted."
Samus had gotten what she wanted and began to look around the room. She still lost Tanner, and an instinct in her body made her feel like it was too late to wander around aimlessly. Then she saw a picture on the desk. It was of the Police captain and his wife. Serpent Reef Cruise Lines could be seen at the bottom of the digital picture, and the boat they were standing in front of had a name in cursive...
"General Graves, what did you say Victoria kept yelling out?" Samus asked suddenly.
"Hold on,"
He took a moment to double check as Samus stood up and got a closer look at the picture.
"Reports stated she keeps wanting to meet Tanner on the Beluga. But since she's insane, it's hard to tell what that means."
By the time Graves had finished his sentence, Samus was already out of the room.
The sun was setting by the time a white speeding blur came rocketing into the South Blue Docks. All the dockworkers moving about did a double take as a gust of wind suddenly came roaring by. Some could see the blur weave in and out of the cargo crates and any cars and head right for the Vacation section of the harbor. Even security didn't know what to make of it, but it wasn't like they were going to do anything. Very special Black Hole VIPs had just arrived, and due to interplanetary courtesy, they were to stay the hell out of the way if they valued their jobs.
Samus came to a sliding stop when the Beluga came into view. It was sitting directly in the setting sun, and appeared to be on fire from her angle. She moved closer, only to see a swarm of black vehicles creating a perimeter around the boarding ramp. The strange soldiers in the black spacesuits also patrolled the area, with their hands on their gun arms. None of the vehicles they walked around looked like any sort of Federation design she had seen. Most of them had no windows and some were even equipped with a turret that swiveled around like the head of an owl. It was a perfect position to take up, because the parking lot provided little areas to sneak around.
She was trying to decide how to go about getting to the ship when a black limo under escort pulled in from the visitor entrance and began to head toward the heavy blockade. Samus took up position behind a parked car and used her Morph Ball function. When the escort rolled by, she moved out and under it, now out of sight due to the lack of light and large shadow generated by the limo. In no time she was at the center of the mass of black vehicles and her sensors could pick up everything. It was a perfect position to detect the ramp. It was an even better position to register two enormous figures as they stepped out of a limo and made their way toward the Beluga.
"Look alive worms! Pay your respects to Lord Sturm and Drang!" One squad leader coughed out.
Sturm and Drang were both giants, twelve feet tall easy. And while their bodies were hidden by long flowing capes, it was hard to tell what exactly they were. They could have either been machines, or creatures wearing masks. Sturm could be identified as the one with a snout shaped like the grill of a truck with two bronze pipes jutting out of each side. These pipes wound around to his back somewhere and disappeared under the cape. The hat shaped like an officer's cap would have hidden his eyes if they didn't glow an eerie teal color.
Drang was a head shorter than Sturm, but still much taller than any human. He, like his brother, wore a cape to conceal every part of his body. But that's where the similarities ended. For one, his snout was capped off and there was no opening at the end. Instead, countless tubes branched off the sides and hung down like a metallic moustache. These tubes emitted some sort of smoke at a steady rate and served as the exhaust ports. His eyes, hidden under the same type of cap, were red.
Any soldier that was remotely near them straightened up like a bullet and put their arms parallel to their body. They dared not move until their rulers had gotten a sizable distance and then went back to their usual routine. They did this until Sturm and Drang met with the silver striped squad leader that had announced their arrival.
"My lords! We have not yet made any progress on our search..."
"You had better, and soon. All of this aggravation of coming out here should be worth every second. I need not remind you I am already busy elsewhere." Sturm said.
"Don't be so impatient brother." Drang began. "You've seen the locals of this galaxy reaction to this... It will be worth our while considering there are so many parties already involved. That brings me to my next observation. If we take any hostile action before declaring war... the other lords with exile us."
"Who will be around to tell them after we have conquered this galaxy? Once we acquire his weapon, this human will be the first to burn."
A large plume of smoke burst out of Drang's tubes before disappearing into the wind.
"Yes yes... I remember your high opinion of humans. Must I remind you, dear brother, that arrogance is your primary weakness?"
Samus could only listen to the clear and cutthroat tones of the two brothers. It was a feeling similar to when she had come in contact with Mother Brain. As if the brothers themselves were bottomless pits, ready to swallow up anything that got in their way. Their speech was not hindered by any sort of filter or breathing apparatus, and it only enhanced their dark tone even more.
"Forget your prejudices Drang. Even a sample the size of a teardrop will be enough, and we can duplicate all that we require." The two moved closer to the entrance of the cruise liner. "If we add this galaxy to our growing list of conquered territories... the other nobles will treat us as gods! Nothing else will matter."
Drang had no rebuttal for this statement and simply huffed a larger smoke cloud than before. Sturm soon turned to the squad leader after observing his brother's disapproval.
"Find where the human is keeping this 'Zonagen' material. My brother and I will play the part of the guests to keep him distracted. For what this human has put us through, you would think all he ever wanted was our presence."
"Humph, the miserable cur... he will live to regret it." Drang added.
The emperor brothers stood in silence for awhile and then moved on into the ship. Soldiers, in two groups of five, began to gather around the squad leader.
"We're going to do a complete search of the holds. You're all looking for a radiation count off the scales. Now don't come back empty handed!"
The soldiers entered the ship as the vehicles that had blocked the area began to take off in different directions. Soon enough it was deserted, with Samus sitting right in front of the boarding ramp in Morph Ball form. She came out of it and took a quick look around before boarding the ship. It was her luck that the men checking tickets had become too wrapped up in Sturm and Drang's arrival to notice her, and she slipped by. There was no time to explain her mission assigned by the Federation, nor did she even want to in the first place. She had to find Zonagen and contain it before Black Hole retreated a sample large enough to turn the whole galaxy upside down.
The group of soldiers split up, with one group going deeper into the ship, and the other heading toward the lifts. Due to the number of people, and the ruckus caused by the Black Hole leaders' arrival, it was easy for Samus to move without everyone crying out her name. After all, the Black Hole soldiers shared a similar look with a gun arm and full body suit. They were merely wider and in a darker color scheme than Samus, and to be frank, the entrance lobby of the cruiser was confusing all in itself with too much going on, and not enough space to contain it.
She soon followed the group around the corner to a set of lifts. The five squeezed into one, and began to head down. Samus ran forward and caught the secondary doors before they closed. The lift itself was modeled after an old elevator system and there was a roof to the car that could support someone on its way up or down. That's just what Samus did. The shaft was pitch black, but she could hear the soldiers in the car talking amongst themselves.
"The Beluga's hold is close quarters, so I want every last one of you using the shotgun function. Understand?"
Choruses of "yes sir" followed. Then the sounds of guns whirring and clicking followed. It sounded as if they had just helped themselves to an armory. And they were just as noisy when clearing the lift and moving out into the holds. Samus waited a couple seconds before prying open an emergency hatch and dropped down into the car. What loomed ahead of her was an expansive, two level area full of cargo containers. The lower level housed the containers, while the second level was a catwalk system. The holds of the Beluga were poorly lit, and Samus could already make out the light of someone searching the area. But before she could make a move, an announcement came on.
"Attention crewmembers, this is the captain speaking. We are ready for departure; please make all routine security checks before we clear the harbor zone. We are submerging once we reach the Ziggurat Reef, so all hatches must be checked and cleared by then. That is all."
The room shuttered slightly as the Beluga's engines started up and began to pull the cruise liner away from the docks. This is when Samus readied her arm cannon and began to creep slowly across the catwalk. The holds were silent, and the only activity she could make out was the light off in the distance. It swung from container to container and was heading right toward her. It wasn't long before she could see the light belonged to a human crewmember, going about his usual security routines. His boredom was very noticeable as he dragged his feet and sighed after checking each container.
That's when Samus noticed something creeping up behind him. When an awful crack had occurred and the crewmember was on the ground unconscious, she could see it was a Black Hole soldier. The soldier was now pointing his gun arm at the crewmember's head and right before he was about to pull the trigger, something caught his attention. He jumped as if a very loud sound had just broken his concentration. The next thing he did was look around the hold in a perplexed manner. He put his hand to the side of his helmet and soon turned completely around. Something was happening elsewhere.
The soldier soon broke into a dead run and abandoned the crewmember on the ground. Samus jumped down to the lower section of the holds, and gave chase. It seemed like the soldier was almost going in random directions as he weaved left and right through the mass of containers. Whatever was going on, it had his full attention, as he didn't bother to check over his shoulders once. They must have traversed the ship fore to aft. But eventually they came to a wall where the containers and catwalks stopped. The soldier located a hatch and head right in, but Samus came to a stop to see where they had ended up.
It was a restricted area, blocked off from the rest of the hold and the hatch had been blown open with explosives. The discharge of weaponry could be heard inside, along with the agonizing screams of someone in pain. She was about to run in when it abruptly stopped. Now there was silence and it didn't feel like there were any soldiers still moving around up ahead. Something was happening, something very bad was happening. A chill worked its way up and down Samus's spine. It was then she realized just how cold the hold had become.
Moving into the restricted area didn't help a bit. If anything, it was now colder than ever. Her suit no longer suffered the serious side effect when ice was used against her, but the feeling was still uncomfortable none the less. This area was different, in there was only a perimeter catwalk above and that it only seemed to house one type of container. They had several stacked in groups of four. Every single one of them was identical, with something burned off the top by a laser cutter. Her heart skipped a beat. Could this be Zonagen?
Any thought reserved for that feeling were overridden with a new one. She finally noticed the Black Hole soldiers strung up behind her. There were six of them, hung with some type of organic webbing. Scanning it would reveal it was webbing from a very large spider. And when she gave a closer look towards the soldiers themselves... the only word to describe them would be, "mutilated". An unnecessary mutilation judging by their wounds.
"Let go of me!" A frantic cry came out from somewhere behind Samus.
She spun around and looked about the area. The cry had come from the corner, and she slowly made her way towards the source. When she turned the corner of one of the containers, she could see a Black Hole soldier up against the wall with a multitude of tentacles wrapped around where his neck would be.
"Phantoon..." Samus gasped.
But the ghost didn't seem to notice Samus and kept toying with his present victim.
"You don't breathe oxygen too well... do you?" Phantoon laughed. "You're one of the more interesting species. The only thing I can compare your blood to... is something like motor oil, or hydraulic fluid. But you're far from machine aren't you?"
The soldiers red eyes were wide with terror. It was obvious that fear was one of his lesser felt emotions.
"Let's see how long you last... without that suit of yours."
Phantoon then popped the soldier's helmet like a cork off a wine bottle. Almost immediately, the soldier began to gag and claw futilely at Phantoon's tentacles. His snout swung around and sucked away at the air as if desperately trying to find some source that was breathable. A long hideous cry signaled his death as he went limp in Phantoon's grasp. The ghost took a moment to observe the dead body longingly before casting it aside like trash. Samus soon opened fire with Plasma and hit Phantoon a couple of times. It had no effect, just like in Sand Trap.
"Hello to you too, Samus. Are you looking for death? Like the strange beings I just met?"
"I'm looking forward to yours."
"What?" Phantoon laughed. "You say it like death is something to fear! On the contrary, death is a very good friend of mine. I'd love to introduce you."
"Oh, there is still a lot left to fear on your end, Phantoon."
The ghost floated toward the center of the room and began to laugh again.
"I wish I could talk to you forever... but... I would say that I enjoy making Mother Brain happy. Her brain waves... her thoughts... so delicious... I could never exist without them. That is why... I would do anything for her. Anything."
"What did you say?"
"I said... it's time for the big farewell. You've served your purpose. You tracked down Tanner for us, and flushed him out of hiding. There is no reason to spare you like the time on Sand Trap."
In a smooth effortless movement, Samus launched a missile. Phantoon snatched up in mid air, grasping it tightly as the thrust tried to free itself from his grasp. He began to shake it at the hunter in a condescending way.
"For shame Samus! You should realize a stray missile... might cause a Zonagen leak. As much as I would like to see you melt away into nothing... I have to keep every crate in prime condition. Ridley has to have something to move them in."
Phantoon soon disappeared in the blink of an eye. His insane laugher filled the holds.
"I'm over here Samus!" He called from outside the restricted area. "Let's make this a parting to remember!"
Samus took a moment to focus her thoughts and soon ran after him with her arm cannon ready to go.
-To be continued...
--Next Chapter: Slaughterhouse