CHAPTER 11
"Good to see you again, Samus," said Adam as he launched another Vilonium orb into the atmosphere.
"Good to see you again, too, sir," Samus saluted.
"Why bother with that? I'm not your superior anymore," Adam smirked.
"You were more than just my superior, sir…you were my mentor," she replied.
"Samus…why do you look up to me so much?" Adam shook again.
"You were like a father to me, and you were the best soldier the Galactic Federation could ever ask for…" Samus replied without wavering.
"Sometimes being great and a good soldier accomplishes nothing. You could earn all of the medals and awards possible in the G.F. military and it wouldn't mean squat out in the universe," Adam turned completely toward Samus.
"What do you mean?" she asked with semi-glazed eyes.
"As long as you have a commanding officer, you'll never realize your true potential," Adam said.
"What are you trying to say, sir?" Samus was nearly confused, and wished her instincts were wrong.
"You have the passion to become something great, just like I did when I was your age, but I made a mistake, I didn't make a name for myself. I became a military unit, government property. Don't become a puppet like I was Samus, another numerical unit under Federation mandate. You're much too talented for that, and you still have time to do something else, and now is probably the best time for it…" Adam explained.
"What would you suggest I do instead?" Samus probed, almost with tears forming in her eyes as her mentor told her to deny everything she had grown to respect in him.
"Become a freelancer, a bounty hunter. It's a respectable enough job, and the pay is pretty good. It'll give you the chance to make a difference on your own terms. It'll be an escape from all the bureaucratic st that you see every day. Isn't that what you want deep down inside? Listen to me, Samus," He said slowly. "There's a fire in you that can't be satisfied by police work. If you remain you'll burn yourself out to a hollow existence and I don't believe in letting talent go to waste. You have a future; you have the chance to better the galaxy, much more than I ever could have dreamed of doing."
Samus stared blankly back at Adam and then shot a look at Cade, who merely raised an eyebrow. She then looked at Lita.
Lita looked down at her own jacket and ripped the Galactic Federation patch off of her shoulder. She tossed it at Samus' feet.
Samus looked at the patch, then looked back at Lita just in time to catch a single tear streaking down her cheek.
"It's your time, Samus. Be who you were meant to be," Lita said.
"I guess I have to trust her on this one, sir. She's been right about everything so far," Samus sighed back to Adam as she ripped her own G.F. patch from her jacket.
"Now that you've taken care of that," he said, "you can call me Adam."
"Okay…Adam…" Samus said hesitantly, almost waiting to be disciplined.
"Now, Lita," Adam turned his attention.
"Yes?" she responded.
"You'd be curious to know that we stumbled upon some strange ruins toward the bottom of the village. They'd be really easy to spot once you got down there. I really think Samus ought to check them out," he suggested as he gave Lita a peculiar look.
She tilted her head slightly and squinted an eye.
"Okay…I guess we'll have to get right on that…" Lita returned.
"What is he talking about?" Samus asked Lita.
"I'm not completely sure if I want to believe him, but I do have an idea…" Lita said as she started walking toward the cave without turning her head.
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The trio descended through the tunnel and made their way into the opening that was the town. They took care in descending the carved out ladders and steps in the stone until they reached a rather large landing.
At the end of the landing stood a single guard in front of an ornately glyphed doorway.
"I trust that master Adam sent you," the guard said.
"Yes, but…how did you know," Lita asked.
"He's the only one that's been down here uncovering these ruins. He's taken great care in maintaining that and expressly told me that only people he sends will come here," the guard explained.
"May we enter?" Samus inquired.
"Yes. Just be careful and respectful of his work. Everything inside is delicate," warned the guard as he stepped aside.
The passages inside the ruin were extremely tall, but only wide enough for just more than a large human's width.
They proceeded through a maze of passageways until they finally reached a dead end.
"What is this?" Cade asked.
"It looks like a strange hole in the wall, almost like a keyhole…but what could the key be?" Samus observed.
"Your arm cannon, Samus. Stick it in there. My guess is that it'll fit perfectly," Lita commented.
Samus thrust her arm forward, and the wall took hold of her arm cannon.
Dust shook off of the surface as a circular stone uncovered itself around the hole. It twisted and caused the wall to recess and pull away. As it did, it released Samus' cannon.
Inside was a strangely illuminated room. A sphere stood at the back and projected small circles of yellow-orange light that lit the room similar to a torch.
"No way…" Samus uttered.
"What?" Cade asked.
"This is the place…the place they told me about long ago…" Samus said.
"That's right, Samus. These are Chozo ruins," Lita replied.
"iCltiu ylha ilthy rifin henh elfritifatij zho heedach nu phah fithif/i" Samus muttered.
"iSathc hiflfi shaflij hahrsy afilihu wiha/i" Lita responded.
Samus snapped her head around to look at Lita.
"You know the tongue?" Samus whispered.
"I learned it from you…" Lita spoke nearly inaudibly.
"What are you guys saying? You sound like a bunch of birds…" Cade interrupted.
"Nothing, nothing…" Samus turned back toward the orb.
She walked up to it and ran her hand across the outside.
The texture was that of an incredibly smooth metal. It retained its nearly oily contour despite its apparent age.
"Stand back," Samus said as she backed up herself.
She aimed carefully and fired a single shot at the orb.
A twinkling explosion followed as bits and pieces of the metal covering connected with the walls of the room.
When everyone stopped shielding their eyes, they beheld a smaller, but more luminous sphere surrounded by two crossing circles. The increased glow also revealed more about the chamber.
The sphere sat in the hands of a massive stone stature carved in the likeness of a humanoid bird.
"iCltiu ylha ilthy rifin henh elfritifatij zho heedach nu phah fithif/i," Samus muttered again, "Behold, the weapon against those who seek to do us harm."
"This is it, then?" Lita asked.
"Yes, it is," Samus answered.
LOG ENTRY 936
The transformation was incredible! As Samus touched her arm cannon to the sphere, a coat of what looked like liquid gold spread over her entire body and covered it. A flash of light then blinded Cade and I for a moment before we saw the final result.
Samus was encased in a magnificent suit of armor!
Maybe now we can finally put and end to "him".
Lita out…
