( A/N: well, i'm back. once again, thanks for all the reviews! I'll try to remember what you people said; some of it is pretty good advice. In answer to the questions—my idea was that Samus was taking a break on that planet, probably only a little bit after Fusion. I guess i didn't make that clear enough. Anyway, Night Genie, I just put the '( )' things around a/n's because I want to. Sooo...on with the fic! Oh yeah, if anyone is a TV reporter, please don't be offended by some of this stuff...)

II : The Line Crossed

Samus glanced at the wall clock. 4:38. She grunted and threw the covers off her bunk, rolling out unceremoniously and landing lightly on the floor. She felt coiled, tense, like a spring; there was no way she could force herself to get any more rest.

She wandered to the bathroom-unit, washed her face and dragged a comb through her hair, tying it into a ponytail without a second thought. It had become automatic; no style choices for a bounty hunter.

Grumbling over an energy bar at breakfast, Samus sat in front of her computer console and stared at the screen. ADAM greeted her with as near a concerned frown as a voice module could get. "Perhaps you should go outside and get some of the tension out of your muscles," it suggested.

Samus shrugged, headed out the hatch and ran in swift circles around her ship as the suns slowly rose above the horizon. She felt like a bird, flying the perimeter of its cage. Trapped. Pointless.

She came inside after an hour, not even sweating, her lips pressed into a painful grimace. Turning to her computer, she told it, "Get me to HQ's website. I'm going to try and hack into their database." ADAM's silence testified to the personality's dislike of breaking galactic law; but Samus knew it wouldn't stop her since she controlled the system, it couldn't disobey her, although it could try to dissuade her from a course of action.

She wracked her brain over the next few hours, determined not to give up without a fight. The morning news had appeared in a corner of her screen and wasn't going away. The heads of the reporters, blabbing on about stocks, pirate raids, and murderers annoyed Samus to no end, but she worked doggedly on, her eyes glued to the screen. ADAM gave up trying to stop her and began looking for program glitches, which helped.

Scowling, Samus entered another sequence and, while it was loading, transferred her attention to the news long enough to find out how to turn it off. Here was one problem she could solve... after a moment of scrutiny, she located the off setting and told the computer to activate it.

The news had just turned to an old HQ clip, and the voice of the reporter was saying, "...the late federation CO, Ad—" The screen shut off. Samus's head snapped back to the place where it had been.

"ADAM," she said, "turn that back on!"

The image reappeared, the reporter's face once more in the spotlight. "—ich, presumed dead, may still be alive. Here's Laura for the details."

Samus stared at the tiny panel, computer forgotten. Her mind was reeling.

"A transmission from one space pirate ship to another was intercepted by one of HQ's satellites last night," Laura explained, wearing a serious expression that could only be described as bad acting. "This contained images of a man very like the last photoscan of Adam Malkovich. Here on the left is a photoscan of Malkovich taken during his supposed last year, at age 25. On the right is the clearest of the images from the space pirate ship. Studies have shown that the man on the right is 29, the same age that Malkovich would be now."

Samus's hand on the edge of the control panel was turning white at the knuckles from her grip. She only noticed when she had to unclamp it to turn up the volume and found it slimy with sweat.

It was the original reporter speaking now. "What will HQ do about this situation? Find out next on KBC 6!" The picture reverted to commercials. Samus sprinted to the kitchen, poured herself a cup of water, and drained it in one gulp.

Adam Malkovich. Alive. Samus's one, most trusted friend. But the initial elation was being replaced by something far less welcome.

If Adam were still alive, why hadn't he tried to contact anyone? Did it have to do with the space pirate ship? Was this what HQ was trying to keep her from? If so, why?

Samus didn't dare take her eyes off the screen.

"Next," the reporter said after finally finishing the commercials, "Laura is at federation HQ to interview a top official in the case. Laura?" The view switched to the government buildings, where a brown-haired woman in shorts and spaghetti-strap shirt was standing next to an official wearing HQ grey.

"This is Matthew Arastrough from galactic headquarters," Laura announced. "Sir, what does your department plan to do about this situation?"

Arastrough's voice sounded a touch familiar to Samus as he answered. "Adam Malkovich was a valuable asset to the federation. If something has simply happened to him, we will, of course, try at all means to bring him back to HQ."

Samus, hunched over the control panel like a hungry vulture, growled, "Tell us something we don't already know."

The man continued, his voice a clipped monotone. The voice message. That was where she had seen him before. "However, we have reason to doubt that Malkovich is still working for the federation.

Samus sat, frozen in place. A muscle was twitching in her forearm.

"The fact that the message was sent from space pirate ship is in itself evidence. This leads one's mind to the logical conclusion that our CO was captured by pirates and kept in isolation. However, deeper investigation has had slightly different results. This is Josina Baker, head of our foresenics crew."

A woman wearing (as always) a grey labcoat was now in view. Her glossy black hair looked like it hadn't seen a puff of wind in weeks.

"We had noticed," Josina said to Laura, "that the photoscan did not seem to be of a man held captive for years. He looks relatively healthy and alert, which is not usually to be said about the conditions of a space pirate prisoner. In fact, the fact that Malkovich is still alive is a strong pointer in the other direction. As no ransom or threats were ever received, there is no clear evidence as to the purpose of Malkovich's 'capture.'"

Arastrough was talking again. "Thus speaking, we must assume that Malkovich, for an unknown reason, is a willing participant in this...situation."

There was a buzzing in Samus's head. Her face, pale from the shelter of her power suit, was drained of any color it had once held. Each piece of evidence was like a slap in the face, leaving the recipient stunned. For now.

"Of course, this conclusion is always open to new evidence. This is soon to be procured. The means by which HQ does so will remain classified for the time being."

The buzzing in Samus's head was being replaced by a soundless, mindless roar. Her jaw was set so hard her teeth ached.

The first reporter's head reappeared on the screen and opened its mouth to speak, but before it could utter a word Samus's hand had shot out and pressed the off switch. In the sudden silence, she slammed her hand down on the control panel, making the screen rattle violently.

"Lies," Samus whispered, in a voice that dripped venom, "And the idiots who believe them."

A message appeared on the now-blank computer screen, as if in answer to her statement. Access to primary database granted. Samus punched the continue icon and scrolled down the panels of documents and labels.

There it was. A document from Matthew Arastrough to another official. Samus's hand was twitching as she clicked the icon.

...public opinion is now that acclaimed bounty hunter Samus Aran is no longer on the federation's side...evidence suggests Adam Malkovich's death was simply a cover-up for his joining the space pirates...with her destruction of, among numerous others, BSL and SR388, we can count Aran as another potential foe, perhaps even the one who lured Malkovich, once a dedicated official, to join the enemy side...we did suspect an 'unusual ' relationship between Aran and her CO, but hadn't expected it would go so far...

Samus bit her lip to keep from screaming. Lies. Trash. Scum.

...to investigate further possibilities, we are sending a single spy into the space pirate base where Malkovich allegedly is. Several candidates had been selected, but one stands out. This being was once a space pirate ally, but was rescued from the brink of death at the hands of—who else?—Samus Aran.

Originally, the rescue was attempted for research only; however, we were quickly impressed with his intelligence, discovering not a creature but a sentient being. He says that his experience has changed his ways, and he is a stoic supporter of the federation. I believe now that this Yeldir is the answer to our problems, including that of Aran...

No.

It couldn't be.

Yeldir. y-e-l-d-i-R.

Something snapped.

A red haze was building in Samus's vision. All her barely held control melted away to leave a seething mass of emotions, the principal of which erupted with a force that shook the walls.

"Those idiots!" Samus roared. "They've got it all wrong! I thought we had a government! I thought there was SOMEONE out there who wasn't a filthy, lying moron! This is what I get for thinking?!" The sound reverberated against the walls of the command room, making Samus's skull pound with the noise. "How can those—those—people believe HE is on our side when they can't even believe I am? Is it so hard to see? Are they all blind? Adam...Adam wouldn't do something like that! I don't care what they say—it's all lies! All of it!"

The bounty hunter's whole powerful frame was consumed by rage, every muscle, nerve and fiber flung into her madness. Every ounce of her conscious mind was seething, boiling, scalding.

Almost.

Deep down inside her, in the lowest layer of her subconscious, there was a place untouched by her anger. It was coldly emotionless, as bleak as a place of dull grey nothingness. And in that place resided a little voice, scarcely more than a whisper, a voice that put into words everything she would never admit, everything she tried to hide from herself.

They could be right, it said flatly, the unbiased voice of reason. Unemotional, and yet so cruel... You don't know other people's minds. You aren't the perfect judge of character. He was your first CO—you were young. Less experienced. Sheltered. And people change...

"Lies," Samus cried, "all of them!"

Somehow, that little voice seemed to hold more power than all her screams of rage.

(Well, once again, tell me what you think. I hope it has fewer problems than last time; personally i like this chapter and its descriptions. By the way, Night Genie, youre in luck—the romance shouldn't start until close to chapter 12. Yes, i do have it all planned out... And just to tell you, I may not have time to update for a while, as i've got a research paper to work on for school...

As to the question, i'm sorry but you will have to be disappointed. I hope that, if you read this whole story, you will see my reasoning—about who, i will leave a mystery...heh heh, i'm evil aren't i? In any case, i can say that it is NOT some sappy OC...happy guessing!

well, i think that's about all. and I will borrow J.Rolande's phrase, because it seems appropriate—See you next mission! )