Woo-hoo! Look at this, I'm updating!
Disclaimer: Yeah, yeah. You know the drill. The blonde, blue-eyed, arm-cannon wielding heroine who is held dear in true gamers' hearts doesn't belong to me…And neither does anything else that is copyrighted to Nintendo.
The Grey Fox: Thanks very much! I'm glad you think that this story is worth keeping your eye on! Yes, you're correct. Well, partly. It's actually somewhere before Prime, or maybe even possibly after. I'm not really clear on that myself…and, that's funny, because I was under the impression that she did train to be a G.F. Trooper at one point…hmm…maybe I read something wrong? I should clarify that.
Thanks so much to the two other reviewers! And, without further ado…dum dum dummm…
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Kerlan held open the door for me, and I walked into the bar. Instantly, I stopped, and eyed the bodies that lay scattered everywhere.
"Samus, what's the matter? Why'd you -" He stopped mid-sentence as he, too, realized that dead bodies littered the floor of the bar. "By the moons of Zebes…what happened here?" He breathed. I snorted.
"You know. Why are you playing this game with me? You know perfectly well what happened here." I snapped, sharply twisting around and looking at him accusingly from behind my visor. Kerlan looked sheepish for a moment.
"Yes. You are correct. I do know perfectly well what transpired here, but that doesn't mean you have passed the test yet." His face was now stern, almost apprehensive. He pointed back outside, and I followed his gaze.
"Out there you will find It waiting for you." He sat down on a barstool, calmly taking the glass of alcohol that was sitting there and sipping it.
It? I thought. That sounded familiar. It awoke memories, ones filled with dread. I searched further into my mind, probing the areas of my childhood. Then it dawned on me. It.
It was inevitable. I had known that this day would come; my Chozo father had even warned me of it. He had shown me the numerous ancient Chozo scriptures that declared that the Hatchling, once found and raised, must be pitted against It, a creature so hideous and dangerous that it had no name.
Hatchling, the Chozo called me. And yet, it was unofficial, until I could defeat It, and pass the test devised by the ancient ancestors of the Chozo. I recoiled from this thought, wincing inwardly.
Kerlan must have sensed my apprehension.
"Samus, if you truly are the Hatchling, you will battle It, and defeat It. If you are not the Hatchling…" He shrugged, simply trailing off.
"Thanks." I snapped, sarcasm literally dripping off of my words. Kerlan shrugged again. I knew he was trying to reassure me, but I didn't need reassurance. After all: I was Samus Aran, the bounty huntress who had defeated enemies that most had not even dared to dream of! Had I not defeated Ridley? Kraid? Mother Brain herself?
No. None of that mattered when fighting It. Even if I had been some worm-infested fool who had thrown away her life and murdered thousands of people, it would not matter to It. What mattered is that I was supposedly the Hatchling. My skill would not be taken into consideration; the worm-infested fool could easily defeat it if she was truly the Hatchling. However, something else worried me. Even if I was the Hatchling – as the Chozo probably had no doubt I was – I had also read in the ancient scriptures that they who defeat It must also pay a price that it requests upon its death.
Nothing else had been said about the price to be paid, only that it was great and terrible.
Even when I had battled Kraid, even right before I knew that I would come across Ridley, even when I had fought the furious battle against the Mother Brain, I had not felt this type of fear. A sense of impending doom. I would be tested beyond my limits, and, if I was worthy, I would be proved as the Hatchling. I took a deep breath and calmed my mind, as my Chozo instructors had taught me to do long ago.
Breathe in, breathe out… A simple exercise, but an effective one. Breath in, breath out… Prepare yourself for the battle to come… Breathe in, breathe out…
"No hurry, Samus. It will wait for you if it has to wait thousands of decacycles." Kerlan's voice shattered what little inner calm I had managed to amass. Instead of making the effort to threaten him about what would happen to his body parts should he speak to me again, I resisted the urge, knowing that I would need my strength when the time came. Unnecessary movements were a waste of energy.
"I truly believe in you, Samus. And so do the Chozo." Kerlan's voice had softened, as though he had sensed my innermost thoughts and feelings, "Otherwise, you would not be who you are today."
These words somehow reassured me.
Taking a deep breath, I took a step toward the door, feeling in my heart a glimmer of hope. And, however dim it was, I was glad for it.
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Meh. Not that great a chapter, I know. Not that long, either. It's mostly just Samus, and how she feels about the battle to come. If you're confused about what just happened, please feel free to ask me about it. :
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