The trouble with the last chapter was primarily the fact that I don't like David. It is no longer an issue with this and subsequent parts of the story.
I'm glad the last chapter was effective in terms of imagery (I've gotten that comment about the same scene before); I certainly envisioned it that way. As for the comment regard the chapter previous: thank you, I liked that line as well.
Chapter 26: Worthiness
Moaning slightly, David put a hand to his head. So dizzy, so confused... he must have been terribly drunk the previous night. And this bed was- no, wait, this was a floor. Sitting up slowly, he shook his head in an effort to restore his vision. Feeling something sticky on the back of his head, he felt it and discovered he was bleeding.
"Are you alright?"
Confusedly, David glanced toward the voice. For a moment everything was a blur, but then his eyes focused on the man crouching before him. Oh yeah; Tal, that weird new guy. Then apparently they weren't all dead from trying to attack those bounty hunters.
"What happened?" he finally had the presence of mind to mutter.
"You managed to kill most of the bounty hunters, but one of them finally got you over the head. The few remaining I was able to take out," Tal told him. Just let him believe it so they could move on. Just a bit further and then he didn't need this guy any more.
"Oh, I see. Let's go." David got to his feet unsteadily, and would have fallen had not Tal caught him by the shoulder. Apparently some of the bounty hunters had beaten on him a bit while he was on the ground, those cheap bastards. Severe injuries, but nothing he couldn't survive. These foolish bounty hunters were nothing to him. Only Samus was worth his time.
Glancing about the room, David discovered the bodies of the bounty hunters scattered across it. Wow. He hadn't known he was a good enough shot to sear entirely through bodies, rip metal apart or fire mere pinpoint blasts through helmets. If Samus could see this...
They reached the door, which Tal quickly discovered was locked. Considering it was a blast door, it could take a while to break through. That would most likely raise an alarm, too. Though a bit of acid would likely have done the job, that wasn't an option. He glanced toward David, who scoffed and moved forward, rummaging in a pocket.
"Let a pro handle this," David told him, pulling out a small computer chip. He inserted it into the slot meant to hold an identity card and let the program do its work. "In just a few minutes this door will open just like it's supposed to. It's like taking candy from a baby."
Folding his arms and leaning against a nearby wall, Tal waited. His eyes were closed to mere slits, but he could see David shuffling around and scuffing his shoes on the floor. This could be a somewhat long wait, if the door was well guarded. It was common knowledge that all systems could be hacked, but pre-packaged programs could take a long time to do so.
"So why exactly are you going after Samus?" David spoke up, gaze suspicious. Tal sighed. Please, not just making conversation...
"We were working together on something," Tal told him. True enough. But how much chance was there David would just shut up after hearing it? Precious little. "It isn't finished yet."
"Good. You aren't a potential rival, then?"
Well, what answer do you want to hear? "No."
"That's real good, for me and for you," the official smirked. "If you were I might have had to kick your ass. Not that I'd expect much competition from a stupid scientist. Just so we're clear on the fact that I'm the only one getting laid by Samus."
Remaining silent, Tal glanced down at David disdainfully. This guy wasn't even to the point of annoying Tal... he seemed that far beneath him. It was like having a child insult you, it wasn't worth the effort even to respond, nor did you really care. Briefly Tal considered the philosophical ramifications of considering yourself superior to your fellow man - in spirit, if not in body - but let the issue go.
"What's your full name, anyway?" David asked, not letting the conversation die away.
"I told you, my name is Tal."
"Yeah, yeah, I remember. Tell me everything."
"That is everything."
"Sure it is. Tell me the whole thing," the official pressed, now just antagonizing Tal for the fun of it. He really didn't care less what this fool's last name was. Perhaps it would be best to just off him when they reached the ship. "Everybody has a last name. Come on!"
"Tal Aran," he answered, a slight smirk sliding across his face, too subtle for David to catch it. Fine. If this guy was going to be obnoxious about it, he might as well retaliate. His words got the desired result, as David's jaw dropped and sort of just hung. There was a long, stretching moment of silence until eventually the door beeped and slid open. Pushing off the wall, Tal moved through it and David followed numbly.
"So, what are you?" he finally asked, shaking off his confusion. Tal mostly ignored him, instead glancing at the room. As he had hoped, it was the hanger itself and it was completely deserted. Not far from them, the floor abruptly dropped away to a lower level, where the sleek Fleeting-class ship sat, just before the airlock out of the station. "Are you, like, Samus' nephew? Brother? Cousin?"
"Husband," Tal answered, mock absentmindedly. "Sort of, anyway; I'm making this up as I go."
"What the fuck?"
"We haven't actually discussed it," Tal continued, letting him squirm. "I figured that since I don't have a last name I could take hers."
He was about to take another step forward when David sped up and got in his way, spreading his arms out on either side of him. Abruptly Tal realized he might have made a mistake. Perhaps it would have been best to just lie to this idiot long enough to get to the station. But it was too late to go back now, and they were already in the hanger.
"No way," David nearly spat. "That just isn't possible. Samus would never marry some pansy scientist who can't even fire a gun! Why not me?"
"We're not really married," Tal said unhelpfully. If a thing was worth doing... "It's just kind of an assumed thing."
"Even I'm better than you! Why? I'm tougher than you, faster than you, hotter than you and Samus... you're lying! I'm not about to let you get to the Galactic Council!"
In response Tal leapt, exploding off the ground and landing on a nearby wall. He quickly ran sideways along it and then vanished down to the lower level, and the ship. Shocked, David stood stunned for a moment before recovering. Rushing to a nearby computer terminal, he tapped a few keys and then pulled down a large switch.
Everything in the room dimmed, and the lights flickered out. Laughing, David moved to the edge of the higher level and glanced useless about the dark room. The dim emergency lights allowed him to see nothing more than the faint silhouette of the ship on the level below.
"What now?" he asked the emptiness. "Can't get out of the docking bay doors unless you have power, can you? Stupid helpless fool!"
His voice was cut off by a loud sound. David paused, listening closer to the sound, which repeated and grew louder. It was as if massive quantities of air were being forced aside, pushed away. As if... wings.
The next moment Tal burst up from the lower level, broad black wings beating against the air. Regular strokes kept him hovering before David, looming over him. His body was covered by a silhouetted black exoskeleton, his hands could not be seen for the bone claws that surrounded them. Blue eyes glowed fiercely.
"Turn the power back on," Tal commanded, voice rumbling throughout the room. "Now."
They found David alone in the room five hours later. He was lying against a wall, curled against himself and shivering. His eyes were staring blankly off into space and his hands trembling almost violently. When they tried to speak to him about what had happened or why the ship was gone, he only babbled incessantly.
In the days that followed, his friends wondered about the change that had come over David. He was more or less his old self, except for a few peculiarities. They let them go without much thought. Though they always thought it was strange that at the name of Samus Aran he would shudder...
For once everything had gone as planned. Tal smiled slightly and shifted his head back, taking the moment to relax. In just a few more minutes it would be time to make his move. Until then, though, he probably needed to get ready for the intense fighting that was sure to come. At least everything up to this point had gone smoothly.
He'd arrived at the Galactic Council itself in the Fleeting-class ship and managed to dock without any major trouble. Once inside, he'd quietly gotten himself arrested by some corrupted security officers, who had bound him with some pathetic bonds, injected a worthless tranquilizer into his system and were now taking him to their boss. Which was exactly what he wanted them to do. The station was largely a peaceful and bureaucratic place, so anywhere they would hold him had to be close to Samus' location.
This stage of the plan would be the most difficult to pull off. Not without massive numbers of civilian deaths, anyway. Before entering the station, Tal had carefully found a few highly protected maps of the gigantic station and discerned the most important points. If he was correct about where the corruption had spread, it would be possible to be here only a short time and leave quickly with Samus and without causing any undue harm.
Of course, that was assuming that all continued to go well. Gunfire outside the door was not a sign of everything going well. Shifting slightly in the chair he was chained to, Tal glanced about the blank white containment room he had been placed in. There was only one door, and he was facing it.
Outside the door, shots continued to be fired, and Tal discerned what he could from them. Two parties involved, one with many weapons and the other composed of a single person. All the weapons involved appeared to be hand held energy pistols. The solitary side had a far higher caliber weapon, with a silencer. Interesting. In all probability, not Samus.
Plasma fire eventually ceased, and some time after the door began to slide open. Tal watched with mild interest, ready to move at a moment's notice or bring out his exoskeleton. The person who was soon framed in the doorway, however, did not immediately start shooting.
Based on the slick blue body suit she wore, Tal determined she were probably a bounty hunter, minus a bio suit. The real question was what her motivations were; his previous record with bounty hunters involved most of them trying to kill him, but this one had killed the soldiers guarding him. Curious.
She, whoever she was, sauntered closer to him, gaze examining him skeptically. The way she carried herself led Tal to believe she was dangerous. Tossing aside a lustrous black lock with her hand holding a military class gun, she walked around his chair. He did not want her behind him, and kept a careful eye on her. Subconsciously the exoskeleton within his feet formed claws that began sliding out through small slits in his boots...
"So you're the TA1 that everyone keeps talking about," his visitor finally said speculatively, having apparently looked him over to her satisfaction. "Called Tal by some."
"Ever so pleased to make your acquaintance," Tal answered flatly.
"I've heard quite a bit about you," she went on, still moving behind him. "You aren't really anything like the rest of the TA series. Even TA8 was just a bit mad. I guess that they never could really duplicate the original."
"I'm in somewhat of a hurry. Would you care to get to the point?"
"Certainly," she shifted around to face him and dropped to his level beside the chair to look at him in the eyes. "My name is Veronica. I was working for Mr. Divel, but mainly for myself. At this point I think I am better off on my own."
"Hence the dead guards." That answered his questions, anyway.
"Precisely. Mr. Divel's plans are all going to fall, though he himself will probably escape. As soon as I can get off this station, I fully intend to. It would be in my interest to see that he does not get his super army, and under that logic I should shoot you. However, I see no reason that both of us cannot benefit from this entire business."
"Didn't I ask you to get to the point a while ago?" Tal asked. Behind the chair he patiently flexed his hands. Thin blades slid out of his fingers with the motion and quickly resheathed themselves.
A slight smile appeared on Veronica's face. "I like your attitude. And your abilities. Which is why I have a proposition for you: both of us leave this station now, and you become my personal weapon." She drew closer, sliding her arms around him and whispering in his ear. "I could make it quite advantageous for you to do so."
The next instant she coughed up blood. In shock she glanced down at Tal's fingers, out of which had extended blades that were now piercing her chest. Tightening her muscles around his blades, she trapped them there. If she was going to die, he was going down with her. Her other hand swept up, ready to fire a shot through his head-
Tal's other hand clamped around her wrist. It tightened considerably the next moment, making Veronica gasp slightly and drop her gun. She couldn't believe it, couldn't understand. In her entire life, the only person who had been physically stronger than her had been Samus. This TA model wasn't just stronger than her, he had stopped her movement effortlessly. Now as his eyes narrowed her wrist began making slight cracking noises.
Like lightning Tal struck with his other hand as well, ending the bounty hunter's life immediately. Once her muscles loosened, Tal pulled his blades back out of her heart and drew them back into his fingers. Easily ripping through his remaining bonds, he pushed the dying female off him and got to his feet. They had finally arrived.
Coming to a complete stop floating above its magnetic rails, the large shuttle sat hovering in midair, humming slightly. Nothing emerged from it, making the guards as the receiving section glance at each other in confusion. Something had obviously happened on the trip here. Arming their weapons, they began to advance toward the shuttle.
Before they got close to it, the door was abruptly ripped off its hinges and tossed aside. Tal stepped from the shuttle, clad completely in his exoskeleton and looking like a monster stepping from a fairy tale. The next instant he rushed forward, his claws gleaming darkly.
None of them had a chance to fire before he was among them. Slicing through a guard on one side with his right hand, Tal immediately ducked as he ran to avoid plasma fire. Digging the claws on his feet into the floor, he changed direction abruptly, cleaving through another guard. As he continued his spinning motion he dropped into a crouch, both hands whirling in a deadly circle.
Within a matter of seconds the guards were dead. Not pausing even slightly, Tal raced away down the corridor. He knew he was close, but how much time did he have? Where was Samus now?
Everything slowly came into focus. Instantly she became aware that the effects of the drugs had worn off, though she was just now completely recovering. The last thing Samus remembered was Veronica taunting her on her own ship, and now she was here. It had thrown her internal clock out of whack, but she was pretty certain a long time had passed.
Opening her eyes, prepared for anything, Samus discovered she was in a large white room, clad only in her body suit. The ceiling and the floor were identical, and the room was a large rectangle. Two walls were merely blank white, but the other two appeared unusual. The short side at the opposite end had a massive door, and one long side appeared to be covered by layers of grey. Before she could get to her feet, Samus froze at the sound of gears grinding.
The layers of grey began to slowly shift up, revealing that they had merely been parts of an opaque screen. Beyond it was further space, which appeared to be likewise white and blank. She watched edgily as it continued to rise. Beyond it sat a number of men in business suits, calmly sitting in a variety of comfortable chairs. Watching her.
She didn't even bother moving toward them. There would almost certainly be something in her way. An energy barrier or an electric field or something to that effect. Noticing a bit of distortion, Samus looked more closely and realized that there was a plate of glass several feet thick between her and the people.
Glancing at them scornfully, Samus moved to the wall opposite the door and leaned against it, folding her arms and almost closing her eyes. There was nothing she could do against what they might try to do to her, so she might as well rob them of any satisfaction. Through the slits of her vision she examined them further. Many of them were members of the Galactic Council, she noted. Mr. Divel and quite a few other important business people were there as well. She could guess where this was going.
"Gentlemen," a voice said, wafting softly through a speaker near the top of the glass. She recognized it as Mr. Divel's but didn't react. "All of us are here today to witness the end of that which has brought our plans so close to ruin."
Rising from his seat, Mr. Divel strolled before the others, pacing in a measured walk designed to show the proper balance of thoughtfulness and excitement. He felt like grinning but suppressed the urge. Even in his moment of triumph it would not due to show unnecessary emotions. Such would be seen as weakness.
"The name of this threat is Samus Aran," he continued calmly, gesturing to her with a masterful flick of his hand. "One of the most dangerous bounty hunters in the galaxy, as you can see, stripped down to only a human woman. We defeated and captured her, and once she dies there will be no more threats to our plan." Small lies. But they would keep the others feeling secure until it was too late to stop him. "But I determined that this being our moment of triumph, and you being men of good taste, it would be too simple to merely shoot her. Indeed, such methods have proven extremely ineffective in the past. In this situation especially, questions would be asked, and it could shed dangerous light on our operations.
"However, I have a rather simple solution. One that will completely free us of responsibility and clean up the situation. One that will be devious yet also completely effective. To that end, I give you... The Death of Samus Aran."
Sitting down calmly, Mr. Divel steepled his fingers and watched through the glass screen. His timing had been perfect, and it would begin in mere seconds. Though he kept his face a complete mask, he knew he was going to enjoy this. Enjoy this very much indeed.
Opening her eyes, Samus glanced carefully at the massive door opening. Beyond it was nothing but darkness. It opened completely with a slight click, and there was a long silence that followed.
A monstrous roar echoed through the room as a gigantic beast burst from the door, which slammed shut behind it. Leaping off the ground, Samus managed to evade its mad rush, soaring over the attack. She hit the ground hard and rolled to her feet already running. Almost immediately she was on the opposite side of the room and the alien was turning to face her.
"As you can see," Mr. Divel was saying, still infuriatingly calm, "the monster will consume her completely and can always be blamed if questions arise. Alien attacks can be... arranged."
"Is it safe to have one of these beasts within the station?" one of the Galactic Council members asked. Samus mentally cursed at him, barely ducking beneath a massive claw. No, no, it was completely safe. All it really wanted to do was be friends with her. Jumping over a sweeping barbed tail, Samus saw the claw coming for her in midair. Twisting as best she could, she jumped off the hand before the claw struck and landed some distance from the alien, which was already turning to her.
It was a huge beast, mostly red in color. Two eyes gleamed almost intelligently; its hide was covered in tough red scales, its mouth was filled with long razor teeth, spikes covered most of its body. Two wings were folded on its back. With her bio suit, it might have caused her a bit of trouble, but without it...
"Do not fear in the slightest," Mr. Divel was answering the concern. "When the beast was captured we carefully tested the limits of its strength. It cannot possibly break free from its confines."
How reassuring, Samus told him. They probably had a system set up so they could hear her, but there was no point in saying anything. She needed her breath for escaping this thing anyway. Though she knew somewhere back in her mind that she was just delaying the inevitable... but since when had that ever stopped her?
Its claws barely missed her, and slashed some distance through the floor, though it was already pulling its arm away. Grimly Samus realized that Mr. Divel was probably wrong about how safe they were. If even on a indirect attack it was breaking the floor, it could break the glass. Which meant that it had a lot more strength then they thought it did.
Somehow this thought was not exactly comforting. Taking a deep breath, Samus dropped into a ready stance as the alien monstrosity rushed at her with a titanic roar.
