Metroid: Nightmares
Part 6: The Huntress becomes the Hunted
Samus ran, not stopping until she was a good distance from the Pirate base. She could still hear Ridley's cry of pain and rage ringing in her ears, keeping her going as she ran in the general direction of where here ship had crashed a few days ago.
Finally far enough, she stopped to catch her breath. The weariness from hunger and her mad adrenaline-fuelled sprint from the base was starting to take hold. If only she had her Chozo armour suit… Her attention snapped back to her surroundings. A strange scent had reached her, and drawn her attention. Sniffing the air peculiarly, Samus stood up, holding her stolen pirate sword and blaster at the ready. The bushes nearby rustled. Igniting the sword, Samus advanced on the bush cautiously. Suddenly, a humanoid figure leaped up, wielding a rifle and yelling:
"DIE, PIRATE!" With one sweeping motion of a jump and a lunge, she sliced the end off the figure's rifle and grabbed them by the throat. Backing up into the light of the planet's satellite, Samus could see that her "enemy" was a young human male. Struggling against Samus' iron grip, the human gasped. "Please! I mean you no harm! Let me go!" Samus raised her sword up to the human's face, somewhat shrouding her own.
"And why should I, when you yourself just yelled at me to die?" She growled, grip slightly tightening. The human coughed.
"I thought you were a pirate, and trust me, I can see you're no pirate." Samus thought this over for a moment, then let the young boy go. He fell gasping to the ground.
"What's your name, kid?" Samus asked.
"Mike." The teenager replied.
"Well, Mike. Don't you know that you were interfering with a raid of mine?" Samus demanded, her back to the boy.
"No. Who in their right mind would dare raid the base now?" Then something dawned on the kid. "Unless… Who are you?" Samus sighed, turning around. She was still in the shadows. She slowly stepped into the light.
"I'm Samus Aran. And you, Sam, are the first creature I've met on this cursed planet that isn't hostile." Mike just goggled, his mouth hanging open.
"But- what happened to you? Your suit, for that matter?"
"Long story short, I got caught during my raid and Ridley did something with a strange 'substance' to me. I just escaped earlier."
"So that's what that roar was…" Mike muttered to himself, but Samus heard him.
"Yeah. I cut Ridley's arm off just before getting away. Anyways, I have a purpose to be here, but why are you here?" Mike glared at Samus.
"I used to be part of the GFed. Some higher-ranking guy named Adam sent me here for recon a few years ago." Samus whirled around towards the kid.
"Who sent you?" She demanded.
"This guy named Adam. Adam Malkovitch, I think it was. What, you know him?" Mike asked.
"Knew him is more the word I was after. Pirates killed him a few years ago. His persona is now my ship's main computer." Samus replied bitterly.
"Oh. Sorry."
"Anyways, you said you used to be part of GFed. Why aren't you now?"
"Oh, I just quit. I just stopped sending them reports. They probably think me dead by now."
"Wait a minute… What's your last name?"
"Er, Stevens. Why do you ask?" Samus paled. She remembered seeing a few of the profiles on her bounty list.
"Michael Stevens. Wanted for abandoning the GF. Bring in ALIVE! Bounty: 10,000 GFC."
"Great. What do I do now? Do I tell him he's wanted on my bounty list? Or do I just let him help me, then bring him in? He certainly seems gullible enough." Samus thought frantically to herself. Mike had apparently lost interest in Samus and was examining a tree. "Yeah. That's what I'll do. Let him help me blow up that Pirate base and get my suit back, then bring him in to the nearest GFed station. Shouldn't be too hard." Samus turned back to the kid, formulating a plan in her mind.
Ridley swore explosively at the medic who was trying to attach a new arm onto Ridley's bloody stump.
"I'm going to kill Samus for this. Slowly and painfully, she is going to die for doing this to me." Ridley growled through gritted teeth.
"Sir?" A pirate addressed Ridley from the door.
"Yes?" Ridley replied, looking up at the pirate.
" We have a squadron of pirates ready to hunt for Samus. Shall I dispatch them?" he pirate replied.
"No. I will hunt her down myself and bring her back myself. Don't let them leave. I might bring them with me when I go out hunting, so keep them in reserve, but don't let them leave this base." Ridley commanded.
"Well, you won't be leaving anytime soon because I still have to cauterize this thing to your arm." The medic said. Ridley grinned, and breathed a jet of flame onto the cybernetic arm, fusing it to his flesh. Flexing his new arm, Ridley stood up and left the room.
Ridley stood in the armoury, examining the arsenal available. He grabbed an arm-mounted rifle, an energy sword, and a couple of grenades, which he attached to an artillery belt.
Moments later, he was standing in the main chamber, looking over his small squad of elite Hunter Pirates. The Hunter breed had been discovered when a few pirates who were used for tracking were exposed to the substance, creating a breed of pirates with advanced tracking and hunting skills.
"Alright. Follow me. If you find the Huntress, don't kill her. Notify me immediately. She's mine. You're free attack any organism that's with her, though. Move out!" Ridley ordered, and began marching out of the base with his squadron behind him.
Samus wandered along, with Mike at her heels like a lost puppy. Since she had destroyed his weapon, it was up to her to protect the human, especially since he was worth 10,000 GFC if she brought him in alive. That is, if she could keep herself from killing the boy herself.
"Where are we going, again?" Mike asked for about the fifth time.
"We're going to where my ship crash-landed. There should be an extra weapon available for you to use in there, and I'll need Adam to see how I can get rid of this "condition" of mine." Samus replied through gritted teeth. "Just remember. He's worth 10,000 GFC if you don't disintegrate him here and now. Self-control, Samus, self-control…"
"Do you even remember where the ship is?" Mike asked.
"Yes I do. Just look for a great big clearing of scorched earth. My ship is in the middle." Mike went quiet and the pair continued on. A few minutes later, the trees and grass cleared to reveal a large scorched area. Gleaming in the moonlight was Samus' gunship, still nose-down in the melted sand. "C'mon. Let's not waste time out here." Samus grumbled, jumping up onto her ship and opening the top hatch. She jumped down into the ship and headed up to the control area. A few minutes later, Mike jumped down through the hatch. Punching in the code, Samus turned around to face Mike.
"That was quite the jump you made there." Mike stated, for lack of something interesting to say.
"I usually don't jump as high as that was and I don't usually land so easily. I guess it's just a result from the genetic torture." Samus replied, and turned back to the control board, which had just lit up.
"Samus, is that you?" Adam's voice came through the speakers.
"Yes it is, but enough chit chat. Scan the area nearby. I want a full readout on all the life forms within a three-mile radius." Samus commanded.
"Done. And who is this other pathetic creature behind you? Shall I remove him?"
"No, Adam. Mike here is helping me. Open the armoury for him so he can get a weapon." Adam obliged, and Mike disappeared into the small room. After the kid had disappeared in the room, Adam addressed Samus in a quiet voice.
"Who is that kid? He seems familiar…"
"His name is Mike Stevens. He told me that you sent him here on a recon mission a few years ago, and he apparently abandoned the GFed. He's on my bounty list for 10,000 GFC if I bring him in alive." Samus replied, whispering.
"Oh, I remember that kid! Always messing things up. I sent him here to get out of the way. How is HE helping you?"
"He knows this area better than you or me. He's going to help me destroy the Pirate base that's located on this planet, and possibly help me find an antidote to this… condition…"
"Condition?" Adam asked.
"Turn your freakin' camera on, Adam, and have a look for yourself. Ridley and his men are doing experiments with a mutagenic substance that's even more volatile than Phazon. Scan me and see if you can figure out a way to get rid of this condition. And Adam, if there's nothing in your database, take a sample of my blood." Samus turned to the scanning arm, standing very still as the beam of light swept her vertically and horizontally.
"That's very strange. Yes, I do believe that I'll need a blood sample, for my databases have nothing on this problem." Samus held out her left arm to the machine holding the needle. The machine jabbed it in, took a sample, and drew it out. Mike walked back out of the armoury, holding Samus' favourite weapon; her biggest plasma cannon.
"No." Samus stated at the sight of her favourite weapon in the teenager's hands.
"Aw, why not?" Mike whined.
"Because that cannon holds more firepower than that peashooter you were using a few hours ago, and therefore one has to be actually trained in how to use it. You need a special license just to lift that sucker." Samus replied. Mike, with a sulky look, returned to the armoury. Just then a monitor on the dash lit up.
"Samus?" Adam began.
"What?"
"I analyzed your blood and the scans I took."
"And?" Adam almost sighed.
"Which news do you want first?"
"Gimme the bad." Adam almost sighed again.
"The bad news is, this substance is unknown. I've recorded the simple properties in the database, but there is still a need for an untainted sample to research its true nature."
"Untainted?"
"Meaning pure, not in your blood."
"Oh."
"Anyways, you need to go and find an untainted sample and bring it back here in order for me to find an antidote. And to do that, you have to-"
"Go back to the pirate base."
"Yeah."
"Oh well. I knew I'd have to go back there sooner or later to retrieve my suit. MIKE?" Mike came rushing out of the armoury, holding a more reasonably sized plasma rifle.
"Yes?" He asked.
"We have to go to the Pirate base to steal back my armour and collect a sample of whatever they're using in their experiments. In the back, there's a room for storage. In there you'll find a few canisters. Bring about four up here, along with a bag and a few clips of ammo." Samus ordered. Mike turned heel, and Samus turned back to the monitor. "So what's the good news, then?"
"If I get a proper sample, I might be able to reverse the changes that you've undergone, and your suit could be modified to do the treatment." Adam replied, briefly showing a few charts on the screen.
"Well that's a good thing, then." Samus turned away and started towards the storage area.
"Oh, no. Samus, wait!" Adam called back to her. Samus rushed back to the cockpit.
"What is it?"
"That substance is coursing through your bloodstream at the moment. It is causing mutations that are bringing out the best properties in your DNA. You'll be able to absorb energy just like a metroid, and you'll have heightened abilities like a Chozo and just might be able to fly."
"So? Your point?"
"When I took the blood sample, I found another strand of DNA in there. One that was neither Chozo, nor Metroid, nor human, for that matter."
"And?"
"I wasn't able to identify it. All I'm saying is that you had better be careful. The mutations just might advance further, so you have to be very careful around that kid. He may not be part of the GFed anymore, but who's to say it wont stop him from calling to an officer demanding your capture, or worse, termination?" Samus sighed.
"I'll be very careful. And if he tries anything on me, I will tear him apart with my bare hands." Just then, Mike walked back into the room, with a bulging bag slung over his shoulder.
"Well? Are we going now?" He asked.
"No. I could use a bit of shut-eye, and besides, Adam'll keep his sensors on full power while we're asleep. Adam, open the bunks." Samus replied. Two bunks extended out of the right-hand bulkhead, one above, one below. Samus leaped up onto the top bunk, detached her stolen energy sword, and placed the sword and the rifle into the compartment nearby her head. Her head had barely touched the pillow when she drifted off to sleep…
Ridley charged on through the underbrush, his squad of Hunters following close behind. He had been trudging through the planet's dense forests for a good part of the night, and he still hadn't found the huntress. Out of nowhere, a branch came into view. Ridley ran headlong into it. Cursing, Ridley sat down. His squad of Elites just looked at each other dumbly.
"What are you standing around for? Go scout for the Huntress!" he bellowed at his men, who scrambled off. Rubbing his snout, Ridley grabbed a few dried branches and lit them. "Where the hell could she be?" The dragon thought to himself. "She couldn't have gotten that far…" A small critter scurried by. Ridley speared it with his tail and roasted it over the bonfire. "I mean, how could she have the energy to even get this far, let alone hide from my troops?" Ridley popped the now charred creature in his mouth and chewed. "Geez, I thought we'd find her sleeping on the forest floor five metres away from the base!" Ridley coughed up a bone just as one of his men walked up.
"Sir?" The pirate asked. Ridley looked up at him.
"Yes?" He replied, spitting the bone at a nearby tree.
"There is something you need to see."
Samus awoke to a buzzing in her ears. It felt like she hadn't slept at all. It wasn't until Adam's voice rang in her ears that she got up.
"Samus!" He cried. "Hostile life forms closing in on the ship!" Samus was fully awake now. Attaching the energy scythe and cannon to her arms, she leaped down from the bunk.
"Ridley!" She grumbled, rushing to the helm. She opened the solar shields, revealing the outside. Sure enough, a squad of pirates she had never seen before had enveloped her ship, led by Ridley himself. "Adam, wake Mike up! Tell him to get the stuff ready!" Two minutes later, Mike was up, yawning and rubbing his eyes. "No time for rest, Sleeping Beauty!" Samus roared, running past him towards the armoury.
"What's going on?" He asked, confused.
"Get a gun and get ready to fight. Ridley's found us!" She shouted back, grabbing a few clips of ammo. Uttering a few curses, Mike rushed into the storage room.
"Adam! Charge the guns! The second those things get in range, open fire! Shoot to kill!" Samus shouted. She pulled her plasma cannon off the shelf in the armoury and rushed back into the main area. Mike rushed into the room.
"I have some food and ammo in the bag, as well as the sample canisters." He said, shouldering the bag.
"That's fine, just load your gun and follow me!" Samus shouted, opening the top hatch.
"WHAT? We're going out there?" Mike demanded, fear in his eyes.
"Stay behind me, kid, and you'll stay alive." Samus replied, and jumped up through the hatch. Through the gloom, she could see the pirates closing in on her ship. Luckily, they hadn't noticed her…yet. She helped Mike up through the hole, covering his mouth to keep him from speaking. She could see Ridley advancing, wings spread, tail lashing…yellow eyes gleaming. She could hear the Pirates conversing in their guttural native tongue, but, strangely, she could understand what they were saying.
"I can't see anything." One growled.
"I don't care. The Huntress is in there somewhere, and I am going to find her. Prepare your weapons!" Ridley rumbled.
"Mike, whatever you do, do not move from this spot. I am going to distract these things so Adam can get a good, clean shot. I don't want you in the crossfire." Samus whispered to the boy.
"But-" Mike began, but Samus cut him off.
"Stay here and don't make a sound." Samus replied. She leaped down off the ship, and landed soundlessly. Smirking, she ignited her energy sword and charged at the pirates.
Samus' sudden charge startled Ridley. He hadn't seen her coming, he just saw a pirate energy sword ignite, and Samus charged. Plasma bolts fired at his men, felling them like trees. He roared, and charged at the huntress.
Samus fired at the pirates with her pilfered gun, killing them instantly. She saw Ridley charge out of the corner of her eye, and raised her sword to meet the attack. The dragon bore down on her with brute strength, swiping at her with his claws. She slashed at him with the sword, cutting gashes in his chest. He drew back, holding a claw to his wounds. Samus seized the opportunity and armed her plasma cannon. Ridley staggered up, and didn't notice the gun in Samus' arms until it was too late. Samus opened fire with such force that it almost threw her backwards. Ridley fell to the ground, gashes sizzling, plasma acid eating away at his armour. Samus fired again, meeting its mark once more. It was strange. Ridley couldn't see a thing, but Samus was hitting her target every time. Then there was a strange sound. Silence. The silence was so absolute; it could have been thunder. The dragon lay on the ground, moaning in pain. He could see Samus step up to him, her sword glowing.
"I am going to die." He thought to himself, cold fear gripping him for the first time. Then, miraculously, Samus lowered her sword and knelt down beside him.
"Be thankful, Ridley, that I don't kill you here and now." Samus whispered in his ear. "I have an advantage here, but I want our final battle to be face-to-face. I want to be able to see the glow in your eyes fade as I kill you for the last time. So, until next time Ridley." Samus stood up, and with lightning speed, sliced the dragon's legs clean off. Ridley's howl of pain filled the night air, and Samus vanished into the night.
End of chapter six.
Hey, everybody. Sorry this chapter took so long to finish, but I've been pretty busy. Anyways, chapter seven shouldn't take as long as this one did.
See you next mission!
Enforced Evolution