Chapter 13
"QUOTHOS!" Samus cried, but he only grinned.
"Sorry, but I don't kiss on a first date. At least not without a breath mint first." He said, hurling a power-bomb into her open maw. Her stomach exploded outward and the brain's bio-body collapsed. The brain rolled off the body, and looked up at Samus and Quothos. Both were smiling as Samus loaded a Super Missile.
"Any last words?" Samus asked smirking.
"As a matter of fact I do. Operation Beta-niner-six-zero." She called out. Suddenly alarms started going off everywhere.
"Self-destruct sequence initiated. Five minutes until core overload. All experimental beings released. See you in hell Samus." Came a calm, monotone computer voice from all around them. Samus and Quothos looked at each other. He nodded and threw his last power-bomb at the wall. It exploded and the two proceeded to make their escape. Quothos followed as Samus speed booster made short work of any space pirates who got in her way. A nearly clear path had been opened when a familiar cry came from behind him. The hatchling was stuck beneath some rubble and couldn't break free. It was tired from the rapid recharging of Samus. Quothos ran over to it and started lifting rocks off of the metroid, but he too was tired. The metroid would be able to break free if only it had a source of energy.
"Use me." He muttered. The hatchling let out a soft wail, as if to decline. "Drain me, damn it. I won't see Samus or you hurt anymore. It's your only hope." He cried, thrusting his arm at the metroid. It hesitated only a moment longer, when it's hunger got the better of it and it latched a single mandible onto him. A pain that could not be described ripped through Quothos' body. He felt suddenly weak, and his legs giving out. He felt the cold touch of death, but just before it grasped him, the pain stopped. The metroid was floating above him, and yet something was supporting him.
"You're about as stupid as they come you know." Samus growled into his ear. He gave her a soft grin of reassurance and then he felt himself being lifted into her arms. He wasn't sure how she could carry him and remain so agile. She jumped and leaped the platforms when Quothos started to sweat profusely. A quick check on his internal temperature showed the air around him to be climbing rapidly. Already at 32 degrees Celsius and climbing quickly. Samus picked up her pace, and soon he could see the lush vegetation of the landing site.
"Go back." He muttered. He wasn't sure when or how, but she heard him.
"Are you crazy? This place is about to go nova." She muttered, the strain of her actions starting to show.
"You don't understand. It's the eticons that helped you earlier. They're back there along with that bird creature. Back where you got the bomb upgrade. You still have enough time. Go rescue them." He gasped. He felt so tired. He felt her place him on the ground, and disappear back inside the caves. He saw the metroid hover above him, and then lower itself near him. He felt some of his strength return and nodded to the hatchling.
"Thanks. Now we're even. Ship voice-recognition activation. Evacuation protocol priority one. Engage primary engines and prepare for departure." He barked into his comm. system. The ship responded and the powerful engines started to hum. "Secondary function, prepare high bursts of zeta-type radiation and flood exterior of ship in 10 second bursts." The ship fazed green a few times and he knew the ship was charging the specific radiation type. He leaped up and into the ship, strapping himself into a seat.
"Come on Samus, move it." He urged. Soon enough, he saw her purple suit blazing towards him. He felt the engines fire up and the ship started to lift off.
"No, not yet you blasted ship, she isn't here yet!" He growled. But the ship continued to move up with increasing speed. He saw a yellow blur shoot by the front window, then a thump above him. Her speed-boost jump had gotten her there in time. She jumped in the hatch, and sealed it before taking her position at the controls.
"Hang on. This is going to be close." She muttered. She hit a few switches and grabbed her armrests. "Here it comes." There was a huge crack beneath them and a blast of fire and smoke shot up towards them. She managed to dodge it, and a few others that followed when they broke Zebes atmosphere. Her hyper-drive kicked in and shot them out into deep space. They both heaved a sigh of relief. Then Samus started going frantic.
"The hatchling! We forgot about it. It'll be killed." She said, preparing to turn the ship around.
"Samus, calm down. The hatchling is fine!" He said, grabbing her arm. She looked up at him with a quizzical glance. A small green being was perched on his shoulder.
"It's back to normal?!" She gasped. He nodded.
"I remember that Mother Brain had pumped it full of gamma radiation to increase its size, so I used zeta radiation to reverse the process. Though I have no idea why or how I knew that would work." He explained. She ran towards him and pulled him into a huge bear hug. He gasped as he felt himself being crushed, but reveled in the moment.
"Quothos, thank you so much. You've done so much for me on this mission, without asking a single thing in return. How can I possibly repay you?" She asked. He shook his head.
"You've saved me a couple of times from Ridley, not to mention never… well almost never, questioned my ideas." He said, thinking about when they first met. "You took me on a journey through Zebes, and that means more than any reward. At least to me it does." She flashed him a smile.
"So what are you're plans now?" She asked. Quothos thought for a moment. He wasn't sure how long he would be here. He heard a soft squeak from his arm. He giggled as the hatchling started hovering above him.
"Looks like I've made a new friend." He said with a chuckle. Samus grinned.
"You know, I don't really have any place to be going anytime soon. If you don't mind the company, I think I'd just like to tag along." He replied. She nodded slowly.
"It's alright with me, but we'll have to get you registered with HQ. They won't like me fighting off pirates with a stranger." She said. He nodded and sat back in his chair. The hatchling landed softly on his shoulder again and seemed to make soft, child like sounds. Quothos grinned as he settled in for a nap.
AN: The end…. NOT! Yes this is the end of the game, and yes I altered the ending. But seriously, who out there wanted the hatchling to die? I'd like to think of it as surviving the battle, which is where this whole fic came to life. There are going to be more chapters, or I might just make an entire new story out of it. We'll just have to wait and see. And I must thank EVERYONE who's sent in reviews. They've helped me a lot and it does a writer good to know his stuff is appreciated.