Chapter Nine
I Hate the Mines
"...lt ...olt... COLT!" My eyes open as my head rolls back and forth on my shoulders. I try and focus my eyes but can't due to the random shaking that some one is doing to me. "Stop with the shaking! I am awake!" The lurching of my body cease and my eyes begin to readjust as the world soon starts to slow in its frantic spin. Closing my eyes now and refocusing them in my skull I open them to see Sage standing with his hands on my shoulders a relived look fills his eyes. "... Why was it I just feel like I have been dragged by Sato for a couple of miles…?" Sage looks at me and laughs a little, "Well… You actually passed out on me at the mention of the Eclipse project, your body convulsed in painful ways and your eyes rolled back in your head." I look at him thinking, that sounds painful.
"Anyways it's late and my watch isn't over yet… Get some rest you could use it we have a long road ahead of us… All of us…" With that Sage turns looks out over the area surrounding our camp… I take my leave and find a spot some where on the ground that is littered with bodies. I see Marc and Alexis close by one another, I see Cranberry with Sato nuzzled against her cheek. Mewone is closer by the fire apparently seeking warmth from it but none are close to him.
Samus is settled up against a rock in Stand By, and Mint is off a little from everyone else… Alone almost it seems… I pick a spot close by her unsure why I do this, maybe the need for a friend? Or maybe I just don't know anymore… I pull out a sleeping bag and settle down to the right off her. I turn on to my back and stare up at the stars for a long while, trying to remember what I saw…
"AHHH!..." I scream as I come awake, sweating coming off my brow. I look around my breath coming in small short gasps as the images of my nightmare fade from my grasp. I try to cling to them wondering what they are of, pondering why they seem so real… As if memories… My body quivers slightly and I look around… No one has awakened from my scream…
Samus is up for watch now, it's almost dawn… I slip out of the sleeping bag and stand stretching trying to rid myself of the horrid dream… I decide to head to the stream I saw the day before; I need a wash badly… I walk there enjoying the quite sounds of the wildlife serenity around me… Even though Ragol is dangerous with all her trappings and monsters, she is truly beautiful…
I soon come to the stream. Well more like a small river really. I kneel down by the banks of the clear brook and dip my hand in to test the water. I pull it back quickly, the water is freezing! I don't deliberate on the matter though, I am need in a bath horridly, I strip out of my garb, and then slowly I begin the tedious task of washing my blood and mud soaked clothing in the stream. A brown and red line soon forms in the water from my clothes as I risen them over and over again. Soon my garments are as washed as they can be and I lay them on the bank to air dry with the coming light. Soon I enter the water laying down so I am submerged under the water. At first the water stings from my many wounds from the past couple days of non stop beatings I have received. Soon though, the temperature around me forces my skin to go numb.
I raise my head out of the water to catch my breath again. Once my lungs are full of air yet again I submerge once more and begin running my hands through my hair vigorously rinsing it clean of the blood, grime, and sweat that has been on me for a couple of days now due to my being beaten upon so often. I bring my head above the water level once more and just float there staring up at the lightening sky as the sun begins to rise.
Allowing the water to wash over me and cleanse my body of the filth that has gathered on it I close my eyes and relax listening to the sounds of the native birds on Ragol. The light shining on my face suddenly becomes obscured and I open my eyes to see what has decided to fly above me and all I see is a big mass of red. "ACK!" I am staring up into Sato once again. "Gahh… When huff are you ever not going to give me a heart attack Sato!" I say to the Mag annoyance creeping into my voice. Sato just stares at me twitching its ears back and forth as if what I said has nothing of importance to it. "Wait… If you're here then that means…. Oh crap…." I quickly rush to the side of the stream that has my clothes grab them and jump behind the nearest rock. Sure enough just as I dive behind the rock I hear a voice humming to her self softly… "…Damnit can't I ever catch a break?" I ask the tree to my right, sadly it doesn't respond at all…
"Hello?" I remain silent after that hoping Cranberry will think it just the wind. I quickly begin putting my clothes on yet again. I begin to lift my shirt over my head to put the upper part of my suit on followed by my armor. Only I get a head of full of cold, river water poured on to me, "GOD DAMNIT THAT'S COLD!" I scream realizing all too late I shouldn't have done that… Birds screech and leave their perches from the trees. "Who is there?" I hear Cranberry scream and she doesn't sound happy at all… "Sato! Find out who ever that was!" Only one thought enters my mind after hearing those words "Oh shit…" I quickly put on the rest of my garb. The soaking clothes sending shivers through my body as I wait for Sato to find me. Sure enough she dose and then grabs my arm gauntlet once more and drags me by it out into the open. There I see Cranberry thoroughly ticked off at me… "You want to tell me why you were hiding behind that rock Colt?"
"So you didn't see me before I was able to get my clothes on… And also so I didn't walk in on you getting ready to bathe as well…" I wait my fate unsure of what is going to happen. She looks at me for a minute her eyes hard not believing what I said, until she peers at the top of my head still soaked from the water that poured out of my battle suit and on to me.
Her expression softens and soon a small smile breaks her face. "Hmm it appears your telling the truth after all tee hee." Relief washes through my body, "Sato let him go." I hear, I look towards Sato, she seems un-joyful to let go of my arm gauntlet for some reason… "Don't even think about eating it this time either." I caution the Mag. Sato release my arm gauntlet and bears' her white fangs in what I hope to be a grin of playfulness.
I turn and depart for the camp site once again now fully washed although soaked and cold… I enter the camp site and notice that everyone else has come awake. Alexis has gone and began talking with Mint under the tree that Sage and I had been under the night before, Mewone and Sage yet again are practicing their sword play. I look around for Samus and notice him staring off into the distance. At the tree line of our camp site. I turn my head to the right and notice Eriror, off looking down at his Zanba, I walk up to him and say hi "Oh… Hey, Colt." He replies not really paying much attention. Lost in his thoughts on some thing else, for once in my life I don't pry and walk away. Cranberry soon returns and then I call out to everyone. They all turn their heads towards me their eyes focusing on me as I begin. "As some of you know… I took a quest from the Hunter's Guild in hopes of finding information regarding my sister and what happened to her… It seems she may be tied to something… That will not be welcomed to many on board Pioneer 2 and may in fact…"
I stop and wait for their reactions each in turn. Samus ever calm looks towards me his visor glowing slightly as he processes the information and data that he already has on the situation. Mewone off in his own thoughts on the matter calm cool and collected. Sage, just staring at me waiting for me to continue already familiar with this part, Eriror, strapping his Zanba to his back and looking at me now with rapt attention that was devoid of his face moments ago. Alexis simply smiling in wonder at what could be going on. Cranberry in deep thought behind the clam collected brown eyes. And Mint, staring at me in puzzlement in trying to put the little pieces together that she has on the matter.
"I….Must find the truth to what she did… For this will prove something to me as well… What that is I can not say at the moment, for this I am sorry… I can not explain it to you until I am sure of something first…" I stop looking at them each in turn. All stare back, trust in their eyes… "What I ask of you now… Is to help me in this matter… To help me find out my sister's involvement in the Pioneer 1 project…. To help me uncover… My past…" I stop after that and walk past Samus out of the camp site to let them go over this and come to an answer…
I return soon and see them all gathered around the fire we once had going the night before. Small embers are all that remains of the once beautiful sight much like my hope for help from them has become small and barely burning. Sage is the first to stand. "We have each come to our own decision in the matter… Some of us have chosen to come along others… Were not as moved by your speech…" I wait to see what happens next… First Samus rises and stands by my left side staring off into the crowd. Next Sage and Cranberry rise as well and stand to the left as well. Then Mint rises and stands by my right and looks at me quickly smiles and stares back at the last three. Finally Mewone rises as well and joins Mint by my right side… Eriror and Alexis do not rise… Instead they stand and hold where they are… "…I am sorry Colt but… We feel what you said was not enough to move us to join you… Perhaps once this is over we can see it clearlier. Until then… Good Luck Hunters." Eriror says to me and then he and Alexis walk off into the distance, their figures soon gone from sight and their footsteps gone as well…
I lower my head to the ground and close my eyes, tears slightly forming from the trust I have gained from these people… My friends… "Thank you all… I promise to not betray your trust in me." My head rises and I stare off into the sky, Clouds moving slowly across it as if waiting to rain on us, "Heh, I told you people flock to you. Oh well it matters not how many come or how many go it will all be the same in the end… It will only be me and you. Heh." I cringe and whisper to myself, pure hatred in my voice, "No… It won't be." I return my head to a normal pose and look straight ahead of me, ahead towards my future and my past. I turn to my friends now, and look at them all individually. "Our next step is to get into the mines of Ragol. This may sound easy but the last time we were all up there…" I look towards Cran, Sage, Mew, And Samus, Mint stares at me and them confused. Mewone just chuckles lightly to himself. "Yeah… We kind destroyed the front door to the Hunter's Guild on our last visit."
"Either way we still need to get back on Pioneer 2. It's the more dangerous of the two options but it's also the quickest and I don't see another option at this point." They all look at me and nod in accordance. We decide to wait until once again the curfew is in effect. During this time we pack our gear and sort out weapons we are bring along. Mostly though we just wait, anxious unable to say much to the others as we check and re-check our gear. Mint, also heads to the river to bathe, Cranberry sends Sato along with her still not fully trusting of my answer from this morning. They return soon and Mewone and Sage go off next. Sage soon returns look refreshed and relaxed. Mew takes a little longer but soon comes back with something in his hand, he throws it to me and I catch it. "…Why did you throw me another Photon Drop?" I ask him utter confusion rising up in me. "Well It was the only thing those damned Rappies gave me after I fried them up.
I stare at him wondering if the Rappies actually tasted well… Either way I grin and put the Photon Drop in my catch for items on my battle suit. Night falls and we gather up what we have and wait just a little longer. Sage then activates a Telepipe and we head up to Pioneer 2. I arrive first out of the Telepipe, the city is dark, cold unmoving for a ship containing almost all of Coral's inhabitants, it seems dead and forgotten now. We begin to head for the teleporter that will bring us down to the mines of Ragol. "Halt! Who goes there! No Hunter is allowed teleportation uses after curfew!" I stare and turn at the man, a soldier, one of the few on Pioneer 2, most of Coral's army was sent with Pioneer 1 just incase of unfriendly, natives…. Apparently they weren't enough… "I will ask one more time! Who goes there! If you do not comply I will be forced to fire." I don't turn towards him I just keep walking ahead of everyone else my goal in sight, I hear his photon rifle power to release a photon shell at me I move down and to the right it sizzles past my left shoulder, the heat coming off it so much I feel it upon my face as if I have been burned. I look towards its direction; I see it melt right through the thick metal doors guarding the telepoter. I move to ready myself for another shot at me but it never comes. The lone guard is knocked out, to the ground by the massive metallic fist of Samus. I stare at him and then at the soldier, "You sure you didn't crack his skull or anything Samus?" I ask a little uneasy at the thought of this soldier dying just because I wasn't able to knock him unconscious instead.
"Bio-signs are all in green, no internal or external harm beyond natural human healing processes." I just shake my head as Mewone and Sage step ahead of me to look at the teleporter. "Damnit… Colt get over here, this isn't good." I hear Sage say, my face turns pale at that I quickly sprint over to them, my heart in my throat as too what could already be going wrong and then I see it… The photon bullet that the soldier fired earlier ripped right through the metal door as if it were a hot knife through butter and its trajectory lead it right into the control console for the teleporter. I cringe and turn away from the site; Cranberry and Mint soon join Sage around the destroyed console… "…. I think we can still make it function." I hear Cranberry say, Relief swells in me as I turn to Cranberry and Sage, and both nod their heads and begin to work. Samus takes a defensive pose outside the doors with his Guilty light locked and ready to fire its massive photon shell at the first person to present a hindrance to us.
"Halt! What's going on? Who is there! Backer? Where is Backer!" I hear another soldier's voice come into my hearing soon followed by many other voices as well. I turn and poke my head outside. "Who goes there! Answer or we will open fire!" I look back over my shoulder and ask Cran and Sage if it's ready "Men! Take aim!" "No… Well yes it is but I don't know where we will be dropped, we could end up in the mines or in the Caves of Ragol as well…" Sage replies to me…. "We don't have time let's do it! Samus lets go!" I scream to the RAcast. "FIRE!" I hear the general scream to his men, a hail of photon bullets slam into the wall section Samus was just at, and at least twenty holes pierce clean through the wall as if it were paper. Mint, Sage and Cranberry have already disappeared into the teleporter to who knows where, Mewone is the only one remaining providing cover fire for me and Samus as we rush in, a constant stream of fire hails from his H&S25 Justice. Samus jumps in the telepoter before he does though I have him set a trap right above the Console of the teleporter then Mewone and I follow suit and disappear into the teleporter.
I soon materialize out of the teleportation and land hard on my back side. "Oww…" I stand up wincing a little from the rough landing, "Heh well I did tell you I wasn't sure where we were going to land." Sage chuckles slightly to himself as I turn to him and see Samus, Cranberry, and Mint laugh slightly as well. I soon catch Mewone Materialize out of the corner of my eye and see him land on his feet gracefully as if it were a normal thing for him. "…Hmm I give him an eight for that landing." "…..Computing…. Seven point five…." "Sato what do you think?" Sato just grins and then proceeds to make a figure eight in the air. Mint simply laughs at this and then says. "I give Mew a five…. Simply because Colt falling on his ass was too funny!" Mint then bursts into an un-checked fit of laughter for a bit. While I just hang my head and laugh slightly to myself. "Hmmm Sato what do you give Colt?" Sato stares at me and then steals my arm gauntlet once again. "Hey! Give that ba-…ck" Too late she has already swallowed it once again. "…. Damn you…."
"Sage where are we anyways?" I ask the FOmar now unsure of exactly where we are. "…Well I believe we are in the caves I believe we are close to the teleporter to the mines though it shouldn't be a far walk ten, twenty minutes at most." We begin walking slow and quite at first. Nothing breaks the silence, just the random drip of water from the ceiling to the ground echoes throughout the cave's silence as we continue on our way. Samus' loud clank, clank of his metal boots add to the already sickening feeling in my stomach that we are not alone.
Suddenly I hear a mangled scream of sort and look to my right, where Cranberry was standing. She has jumped back and brought out her Windmill. In place of where she was stands a Pan-Arm, not appearing rather happy either that it was awoken from its sleep. "Crud we just had to meet something didn't we?" I go to grab for my Chain Sawd but remember that since Sato ate my arm gauntlet yet again I can't access it! Samus begins to fire at it with his Guilty Light yet it seems to do nothing but infuriate the beast even more. "Wait! Techs only hurt it let us deal with this." Sage, Mewone, and Cranberry step forth to deal with the atrocity, they each cast a powerful round of Grants at the beast. Arrows of light slam through the beast ripping and tearing flesh and blood from its body and yet it seems to do little good to kill or quell its anger and aggression instead it only seems to heighten it once again.
"Hit it again!" I hear Mewone scream this time he fires, a large purple orb… The death curse… Megid. It travels at a blistering pace approaching the Pan-Arm at a ferocious speed, just as it reaches the beast it splits in two! "Damn these fowl things!" Mewone screams in rage. Pan-Arm is not just one creature but two fused together to form one. These grotesque abominations can then fuse and de-fuse from it to form these two other living and highly capable fighting machines.
Hidoom and Migium there only difference being their colors. Hidoom being brown and Migium being purple, the twp howl in anger and charge. Samus hunkers down into a firing position and let's loose a flurry of photon shells at the advancing pair. One misses both while the last two connect one with the Migium and the other with the Hidoom. Mint then charges forward with her heart of Poumn, on her right hand. She slashes it across the Migium slice its chest too ribbons with her finely crafted blade. The Migium goes down, with a low heartfelt screech. Normally the Hidoom after losing its other half would normally not be able to go on…. But this one is different, instead of mourning for its lost comrade it charges towards me, rage showing in its manner and eyes as it screeches. Samus fires another round of photon shells from his Guilty light at the beast, but they do little to halt or even slow its advance on me.
The beast charges consumed with hate and rage for the death of its fellow. It's within striking distance of me; it lunges for me with its arm blade. I roll to the right evading the blade as it whips above me head, the Hidoom screeches in fury at me for evading its attack. It strikes again this time towards my legs. I jump backwards, landing on my feet and then crouching with my right hand on the ground ready to run at a moments notice for fear of it lunging at me again.
The others continue their attacks on the beast, flesh and blood flow from the beast in torrents and fountains as all the attacks connect but it hardly seems to stop the beast so lost in its blood lust over its dead partner. It charges again sweeping from the left, its attacks reckless and no coordination in battle, again I dodge the swipe easily, the beast advances and lunges at me again, I duck and roll to the left. Although the beast is not truly fighting more then swinging widely in a rage of revenge the task begins to wear on me… Still not fully recovered from my last fight and my wounds begin to bother me once again… My ribs suddenly ache and I fall to my knee my left leg propped up. I look the beast is advancing rapidly upon me; I look to the right and left.
Nothing, I am trapped now! How could I have been foolish enough to let it run me into a corner. "Here! Quickly Colt!" I turn towards Samus as he throws me a pair of Gatling mechguns. I grab them in my hands and fire at the beast as it advances aiming for its head. The shots fly through the beast but seem to do nothing to stop it. I continue firing, the Gatling's begin to emit smoke from their muzzles as I continue to fire at the beast, It reaches me rears back on its legs and swipes at me!
I close my eyes and brace for the impact of the blade against my shoulder blade… It never comes, I open my eyes to discover its charred and hole filled corpse oozing green blood as it slowly slips into the ground… I breathe a sigh of relief, and then notice something by my feet. A red box has appeared where the beast was slain. I pick up the box to examine its contents.
I open it and discover a pair of Yamatos inside. I grip the blades handles. The photons within activate and pulse to life, I feel the cool energy emitting from them and work their way too my hands. My hands grow cold from the photons energy as the power builds and the blades resonate with one another. I twirl them around in my hands testing their weight and the feel of them in my palms. My eyes grow with appreciation for the new weapon I have acquired in place of my old Demo Comet. I then strap the two photon blades to my back, my battle suit keeping the photons active even without my hands on them.
I look towards them all now with the handles of the blades rising above my shoulders on either side. "Well… Sage, how much further?" I ask my mind going back to the more prominent situation at hand. "Ahh, yes well actually right through that door should take us to the mines if I am correct." I nod my head and walk towards them falling behind Mewone and Cranberry. The doors slide open and reveal a teleporter to the mines. Mewone and Cran step in first followed by Samus. I step in with Sage and Mint.
I come out of the teleporter this time with my feet on the ground first not my ass… I see Mewone, Samus and Cranberry waiting for us by the door. I step forward and through the doors saying "Well… let's go…" I step through the doors and walk towards the middle of the room and notice we are on a platform with elevator shafts to the left and right of us. I turn back to them all as they enter the room, suddenly they stop and draw their weapons and aim at me! "What the hell?" I scream at them anger and confusion welling in me. "Colt…. Turn around very, very slowly…" Mewone says to me his eyes trained on something past me. I turn very slowly and suddenly notice something a noise, as if it was a type of machinery whining…. "Ahh crap…" I say as I recognize the sound instantly from my memory of being here before. A Baranz, suddenly I hear two more sounds, "You… Have… Got… To be kidding me!" I scream at the now three Baranz. I look on in disbelief one is hard enough on its own to handle with its layers upon layers of armor, its mere size alone is an issue for most so they don't get squashed as it moves about, then you have to worry about its heat seeking missiles…
All three of the goliaths suddenly shutter and place support legs in place on the ground with a groan. "…Why oh why is it always me?" I ask no one in particular as I suddenly blot to the right as I hear the three Baranz release their barrage of missiles simultaneously at me. I run to the right of the room and suddenly stop… I am looking down one of the elevator shafts… I see the missiles coming towards me. I duck to the left and continue running straight back to the behemoths as they prepare another volley at me. The others have started their assault on the beasts with a flurry of photon shots and blades at the machines. I run towards the beasts and then suddenly go around them and too the left. I hear the explosion ensue as their own missiles collide with themselves. You see the one problem with them is they can't turn on a dime at all.
"Colt! Look out!" I turn just in time to see one of the missiles collide with the floor twenty feet behind me; the explosion sends me backwards fifty feet. I land on my stomach and slide across the floor. I suddenly feel nothing under me and then I latch on to the ledge as I fall down the elevator shaft. My hand grips on to the ledge like iron. I hear foot steps and something more coming towards me. I look up in time to see the dust from the ensuing explosion land right in my face. I shield my eyes with my free hand and then shake my head a little not daring to move any more for fear of losing my already slipping grip. "Colt, grab on quickly!" I turn and look to see Mint hanging over the ledge offering me her hand. I go to grab it then stop…I am not latching on to the ledge at all, in fact I am below the ledge and she is hanging over it just to reach me, I still hear foot steps coming but they are far off and probably wont be of much help.
"Mint listen get back up on the ledge now. You can't pull me up on your own and I won't risk sending you or anyone else down here with me if I fall. So get back!" She looks at me and then yells at me in response. "No! Don't tell me what I can and can not do! Now grab on to my hand before we loose you!" I don't and I just dangle my grip slowly loosening on the ledge. I pear down towards the bottom of the shaft hoping that I at least will land on something semi soft when I fall. I look back towards Mint, I see a tear welling in her eye, "Colt just grab on… Please?" I shake my head side to side and then my hand slips… I begin to fall then suddenly Mints hand shoots out and grabs my wrist. "What are you doing! I told you to get back!" I scream at her concern now rising in me as my fear begins to take over as well. I stop falling but then slowly she begins to slide across the floor…. "Ah… Damnit!" I hear some one above us say as I hear a body slam against the floor. Suddenly we stop sliding again for a little while, "Hold on I got you…" I think we have finally stopped and breathe a sigh of relief once again. Then we begin to slide once more…. "Ummm… Maybe I don't… Oh, crud…" We begin sliding again and this time nothing else stops us as well fall off the edge. I fall through the darkness and then land on something… Soon enough though a body lands on me and I black out…
I soon awaken again to constricted breathing and a groaning and movement on me. "I suggest you don't wake her she seems quite comfortable there Colt, Heh personally I think she likes you…" I groan to the lousy humor that Sage has thrown forth from my current situation. "I would… but one prob…lem… I can't breathe!" Sage looks at me and then laughs again. I just roll my eyes and gently shake Mint. "Uh… Oww… Where am I and why am I on something soft?" I look at her and roll my eyes yet again… "That's because you're on me." She turns and is suddenly looking at me square in the eyes "Why hello Mint, would mind getting off me now? You're crushing my lungs." She looks at me confused then shocked, stands up right on my chest, which knocks what little air I head left in me out and then hops off.
"Thank you!" I say breathlessly and soon begin to inhale air at an enormous rate trying to regain my breathing to a normal pace. My breathing slowly returns to normal as Sage's fits of laughter die down, I finally have a chance to look at our surroundings, The room is darkened but is lit by small neon lights scattered around the floor and wall, I stare back up at were we fell and see we have fallen a good thirty feet. I wonder why I have not broken anything and soon discover I landed on a box and that's what cushioned my fall but left me in pain.
"Helloooo! Anyone alive down there!" I hear Cranberry scream into the hole I look up, seeing her huge red ribbon bobbing back and forth on her head as she scans what little of the bottom she can make out from her height. "….Scanning for bio signs…. All three are alive and well at the bottom although Colt's skin heat seems to be rising and he seems flushed about something…." I curse Samus for being an android and having night vision, heat sensors and bio monitors all installed in his visor. "Well they could at least answer back." I hear Cran say a little pouting in her voice, "Yeah I am sure they want to do that and risk another mauling by Sato Cran…" I hear Mewone say, a small laugh coming from him after he says this.
"…Why would Sato maul us this time…?" I ask concern and fear rising in my voice at the thought of Sato suddenly appearing behind us bearing its fangs in an un-playful manner… "…No reason…" Cranberry says in a sing-song voice that instead of calming my nerves just makes them grow and multiply. "Hey since everyone is alive and well you three sit tight we are going to try and find another way down to you guys all right?" "Sure that would be great, just as long as we don't get attacked by something that is…" I reply to Mewone a small smile curling upon my lips.
I hear their foot steps slowly fade away as they begin the search to find another route to us. "Well we better get comfortable its going to be a long wait you two." Sage says to us as he takes a seat from where he was standing. Mint sits as well, I am the only one to remain standing and walk around trying to get a better perspective of where we are. I soon come to a door at one end of the room and look back with the limited light in the room… I notice the room is not very big, maybe 50 by 40 at most. The door ahead of me is also the only way in or out of the room and it is locked from the other side of the hall as well…
I turn back and head towards the other two who are engaged in conversation. As I approach I lean against a wall behind Mint and to the right of her over hearing their conversation. "So Mint why did you become a hunter?" Sage asks her, curiosity shows in his eyes. "Oh, that easy, I just felt like it, and besides I love adventure. How about you Sage?" He looks at her and smiles, "Well to tell you honestly I don't really know why… It just seemed like my calling I guess… How about you Colt? Why did you become a Hunter?"
I stare at them wondering if I should tell them what I could really be… Or what these supposed fake memories of mine tell me… I am unsure of how to answer this… I stare off into space for a moment hoping they will move on with the conversation after I decide not to answer… I look back and see it didn't work… They stare at me intent on getting an answer from me… I decide to go with the memories I hold locked away that could be fake…
"Heh go on Hunter. Tell them for now I am interested as well in what you hold for memories that even I can't access…" "Where to begin…" I say looking towards the light of the opening that we fell through… "I guess it started back on Coral before Pioneer 2 left… This was about two months before it left. My family, my mother, father and younger sister." "Wait… You have a younger sister as well?" Mint asks sounding shocked Sage also turns his head in slight curiosity as well at this development. "Yes I do… Serene is not my full sister, but a half sister, the younger one, Jordan is my full sister… Anyways, my family life is not one of glamour or love… My mother was always there for me or my younger sister always supporting us and telling us we can do what we set our minds too… My father… On the other hand was a lousy drunk… Who never cared about anything except where his next booze rush came from... My little sister although I loved her never made my life any easier either… She was constantly nagging at me, bitching at me to have things done her way all the time never giving me a moment's peace when I needed to be alone at times…" I stop and look at their faces seeing what they have absorbed so far… Both a silent and intent and listening to the rest of the story I have to tell. I begin again…
"My father is a small reason I decide to be a Hunter… I wanted to be away from him and not have anything to do with him, he made my life a living hell always pushing my buttons hoping for me to explode or just trying to get a rise out of me just because he could… So I left… Never looking back upon my decision. I hope that he is dead now, I haven't heard a word from my family yet so I don't know…"
"The main factor in me deciding to become a Hunter was to set forth on this new world among the first, to get away from it all and see my older sister, and hopefully make new friends. Sadly though we did not leave for another two months on Pioneer 2. Those days… Were nightmares as the day of leave for me approached…
"Well I eventually left on Pioneer 2 and began living on my own learning the trades of being a Hunter, passing the exams and such… We then came to Ragol and that fateful day…" I stop as I hear the door open slowly I see Cranberry, Mewone and Samus come running in, Sweat gleaming off of Cran and Mew having apparently fought long hard and fast to reach us in a timely manner. Samus appears normal holding his Guilty light as if it were a feather to him…
Sage and Mint remain silent as the others enter and walk towards us slowly; finally glad they found us… I look towards the light once again and say to Mint and Sage… "That is why I hate the mines… They are so dark and cold… Just like my life.." I turn and look at my feet… I hear them both rise and walk towards me.
I feel two arms envelope me I look up and see the face of Mint hugging me as she comes just below my chin, "Colt… You're not alone anymore… You… Have us… Your new family…" She then rests her head against my chest as I hold her there, with my right arm around her waist, Sage then walks up to me and puts his hand on my right shoulder. I look into his half moon spectacles as his eyes shine; he simply nods his head in agreement with Mint a small tender smile upon his face, "she is right you know… You are not alone… You have us now." I place my left arm on his left shoulder and say "Thank you…. Thank you both…" With that a tear of happiness escapes my eye as I close them and the other three soon join beside us wondering exactly what happened here… "…Did we miss something?" I hear Mewone whisper to Samus… "Error…Does not compute, does not compute… What are you blind Mewone?" I laugh as Samus replies to him. Cranberry looks at Mewone and says, "Hmmm I wonder how Sato would like the taste of Mewone?" I hear nothing from Mewone but turn my head and see him shaking his, "Don't even try it Cran… Don't even try it…" I soon release both Mint and Sage and turn to the others… "Well did you guys find anything useful on your fight this way…?" Sadly none of them respond.
I simply smile and shake my head. "Well then? What are we waiting for lets go!"