With a load of obscure medicines, fuel tanks, exercise equipment, worn
clothes, a culture vat and seeds for her new hydroponics system, Samus Aran
looked rather comical walking the streets, marching along on two seemingly
inadequate legs. But her power suit could easily handle such a burden, and
there wasn't even a wrinkle of strain on her face, although you couldn't
see it behind her visor.
Samus was walking quickly, eager for the comfort of her bed, when she noticed a section of the sidewalk closed off with yellow tape. It wasn't until she came closer that she realized this was the alley where the man had attacked her. Her face drained of color; she hurried past the taped-off area. Two officers were loitering nearby, and Samus couldn't help but catch snippets of their conversation.
"...poor bastard, found dead and alone in the alley..."
"...no blood loss, no poison, nothing seriously damaged..."
"...bite marks. Human teeth...."
It wasn't the possiblily of being caught by those officers that scared her so. It wasn't the memory of what happened there or the thought that some other man might try to rape her. She wasn't even daunted by the fact that she killed a person, having done so many times in her life. What frightened her the most was that she doesn't know HOW she managed to kill that man. Her memory failed her when she tried to recall exactly what had happened, remembering only her inability to control her own actions and the pleasure she got out of the murder. Confusion and doubt ate at her insides.
She banished those thoughts quickly, reverting back to her normally logical and unemotional set of mind. It doesn't matter anymore; her illness was gone and from now on, she'll make very, very sure that no one ever tries to jump her again.
The groceries wouldn't fit into the hatch of the ship, so Samus had to leave them outside, enter by herself, and beam her purchases in through the rear opening. The Etecoons and Dachoras were happy to see her, as usual, but were more interested in all the neat things their human friend just bought. One Etecoon took special interest in the culture vat, examining it, and the seeds, and turning to Samus with a questioning look.
"I'm starting a hydroponics unit." She explained. "You guys can try setting it up in that spare chamber near the engines, if you can manage it for yourselves. I'm going back to sleep. Don't wake me up this time." She glared at a particular Etecoon, who huffed self-righteously in response. "In any case, once I'm awake and refreshed, we'll be taking off. It's about time I found myself a new bounty to hunt."
************
The physiology of metroids never ceases to amaze me. I find it incredible how one infant larvae can give rise to so many different lifeforms. If left on their home world, metroids evolve into an almost hive-like community, where the queen rules over all her offspring, who in turn metamorphasize into more advanced creatures. If infused with phazon, they mutate into hunter and fission metroids. And if exposed to beta rays, they grow quickly and divide, producing two creatures where there once was one.
"What will you turn into, Hatchling?" I wondered aloud. Hatchling did not answer; in fact, it probably didn't even hear me. The little metroid was too distracted by all the interesting things in my ship. I was trying to surpress a giggle while watching the baby hover around haphazardly, unable to decide which object to play with first. It exhausted itself before it could make up its mind and abrubtly fell asleep, right on my head.
I combed the metroid out of my hair and held it delicately. "Silly baby. When will you learn not to sleep on my head?" I gently admonished. I poked Hatchling's mildly-yielding body with a finger, watching it squirm irritably at my attempts to rouse it. It finally let out one long squeal of protest and reluctantly, but obediently, flew back into its glass tube, which I have designated as its sleeping area. It made a nest in the tube using an old sock and resumed its interrupted nap, glowing softly. I didn't bother to screw on the tube lid.
It has been a deca-cycle since I rescued the baby metroid from SR388. Although I had planned to take it directly to the Federation research labs on Ceres, I kept on taking detours and pitstops whenever convenient. Truth to tell, I had grown rather fond of the infant. I named it Hatchling, after what Old Bird used to call me. And having hatched from an egg, the name seemed appropriate for a little metroid. I've figured out by now that Hatchling had imprinted upon me as its mother, which is why it refuses to hurt me. And I was beginning to think of the metroid as my child.
At first, I was afraid of letting Hatchling loose in the ship, in case it suddenly decides to make a meal of me. But I had to let it out eventually, or it would starve to death. It's quite happy feeding on energy tanks from my suit and ship, but I think it would be healthier if it aquired some live food.
What exactly do the metroids eat in the wild? I know that they can suck energy out of any ol' living thing, but they seem to leave the natural fauna alone on their home planet. Hornoads and glow flys coexist with metroids just fine. Perhaps those species have evolved a way to make themselves inedible? Maybe metroids eat a rare or elusive species of creature that I haven't encountered before. That could be possible; it doesn't take a large number of prey animals to sustain the meager population of 40-something metroids on SR388.
A soft beeping from the ship's control panel interrupted my train of thought. The map which appeared on the computer moniter indicated that I was about one and half hours away from my destination. Good, I can have a quick shower before we arrive. There's not much else to do until then unless I feel like engaging myself in deep contemplation of the movement of the stars, pondering my own insignificant existance amongst the infinite heavenly bodies. Maybe I'll do that later.
I wish my ship had enough room for a bathtub. I heard that baths are more theraputic than showers, but I might as well wish for a decent thruster engine, a manicure, and an onboard cook while I'm at it. Too lazy to fold my clothes on the shelf, I just let them pool around my feet and closed the glass shower door behind me. I turned on the water and let it run down my body for a while, highlighting my grooves and contours, enjoying the warmth. The glass was fogging up a little too quickly and I adjusted the water temperature when suddenly a metroid flew at me!
"AAGH!! OH MY..." ...oh, it's just Hatchling. In my panic, I nearly slipped on the wet tile but grabbed onto the railing just in time. God, I'll never get used to that metroid's way of greeting me, not when others of its kind try to kill me when they lunge like that.
"Mii! Miiiiiiiii!!" Hatchling cried, heedless of the hot water drizzling down its dome body. In our short time together, I've learned that I can identify the metroid's feelings by the tone and pitch of its sounds. And this insistant keening means that it wants to be fed.
"Aww. Are you hungry?" I cooed gently to my metroid. It was latched onto me in the same way it did when I first found it, fresh from the egg. Only this time, there wasn't any armor between Hatchling and my bare chest. I quickly pulled the metroid off my skin. "Well, I'm not gonna feed you like THAT, you little pest!" I said, a little annoyed and absurdly embarrassed. I put Hatchling outside and closed the glass door, hoping that the metroid will not chew the upholstery at least until I'm finished my shower.
An hour later, Hatchling and I watched from the front viewscreen as the planet Yasher grew ever larger before our eyes. I was in my power suit and the metroid was hovering above me in lazy circles. Yasher was a newly colonized planet which was experiencing a problem with vermin. Very large vermin know as oluks, who also come with a dexterious tail, wicked lower tusks, and nasty attitude loping on three thrice-folding legs. The price for these creatures wasn't too impressive, but attracted enough starving bounty hunters to keep the oluk population down. Well, I'm not exactly starving, but my Hatchling could use some variety in its diet.
I chose a landing site far from any colonists. I wouldn't want Hatchling to make a meal of anyone. I stepped out onto the marshy Yasher lowlands and suddenly realized that I had no idea if metroids could tolerate this atmosphere! I whirled around, panicked, anxious for my metroid. My fears were quickly put to rest when Hatchling flew into my field of vision, utterly delighted with all the space it has to fly around in.
"SQUEEE!! CHEEE!! YEEEEE!! MIIIII!!" It squeaked, quickly using up all its extensive vocabulary. Like any newborn, it found the world such a new and amazing place, and its innocent wonder was contagious. I couldn't help but smile.
"Don't get too excited, Hatchling." I warned. "Stay close to me. Don't wander off." The infant responded by flashing rapidly, the metroid equivalent of a nod, and flew in tighter circles around my head. Such a clever child.
The two of us wandered around for quite a while without any sign of an oluk. Walking in marshy conditions sapped more of my strength than I imagined, although it wasn't a problem for the metroid. Still, it's been a few days since Hatchling's last feeding and its energy depleted quickly. So I eventually found myself carrying the infant on my head like some sort of odd hat.
I was just beginning to wonder where an oluk could hide in this unbroken marsh, when finally, one of the elusive monsters rose from the ground right beneath my feet. I scrambled out of the way and watched as the oluk emerged from what seemed like another extention of the swamp. It had a dirty yellow coat of limp hair that camouflaged perfectly with the surroundings of decaying plant matter. I might have walked right over one of these things without even knowing.
"Hellooo...handsome." I purred in an almost feral tone. I had my gun arm pointed at its head, but did not shoot, not until my visor finished scanning the oluk. It pulled itself out of the mud with a squelching sound, water filling up the space it had just occupied. It slowly, lazily, settled each of its webbed feet on the marsh surface, allowing it to walk bouyed on the water. It didn't even seem to notice me. Will it attack? Or will it run?
"Yasher Oluk," Those words appeard in my helmet, courtesy of my scan visor. "Semi-aquatic carnivore of planet Yasher. Oluks are perfectly suited for movement in their marshy habitat by walking or swimming on their webbed feet. They attack large prey animals or other oluks by charging with their tusks, while smaller creatures are subdued by their long, flexible tails."
The creature towered above me on its three stilt-like legs, motionless except for the wind and water dripping off its hair. Why won't it attack?!
It suddenly occured to me that I couldn't see the ending of the oluk's tail. And as I realized this, the ground beneath me exploded, blasting up a mess of weed and water. I was blinded for only a second, but in that time, I felt something wrap around my left leg and yank me into the air. It all happened so quickly, I had barely any time to gasp in shock. Held upside- down by what I finally realized was the tail of the oluk, I found myself staring downwards at the monster's purple, gaping mouth. I released the missile lock on my right arm and aimed it at the oluk. But before I could shoot, I caught a glimpse of a small, blue-green object falling back into the yellow marsh.
"HATCHLING!!" I screamed, instinctivly reaching out to the metriod although it was far beyond my reach. Hatchling woke as soon as it hit the water, squealing in surprise. It struggled to free itself from the mud it was stuck in.
The oluk held me over its open mouth, into which I conveniently fired a missile into. But the creature did not die, it didn't even let go of me. It gave a low moan and it simply lashed out with its skinny, hairless, but surprisingly muscular tail. With me still attached.
"AAGH!!" I hit the water like the end of a whip. And at that speed, the water was about as forgiving as a solid wall. That first blow knocked the breath out of me and bright lights flashed in my eyes upon impact. Little droplets of blood stained the inside of my visor. My left leg was almost ripped from its socket, and God, it hurt like hell! If not for my power suit, I would be dead by now.
The oluk held me in front of its face again, seemingly surprised to see me still alive. Barely able to breath, barely able to see, I could only hang there limply as my disoriented mind screamed at me to do something, anything! Then, out of the corner of my eye, a metriod, shrieking with rage, rose out of the marsh and charged, sinking its fangs into the oluk's neck.
The reaction was instantaneous. The oluk screamed at a pitch that almost matched Hatchling's and writhed with an agony that only metroids could cause. It threw me away in its desperation and I landed face down in the marsh. I didn't bother to move; it hurts so much. I just let my power suit heal my body, using up precious energy tanks in the process. Distant and distorted from the water, I could hear the cries of the oluk weakening as it struggled for its life in vain. I pulled myself out of the mud before I could be completely submerged. And at that moment, the oluk gave a dying gurgle and landed on its side, right on top of Hatchling.
"Oh my God...!!" I jumped up, disregarding my still-healing wounds, and ran over to my Hatchling's side. I tried to push the oluk away, but without firm footing, even my power suit's strength was no use. It took an inventive combination of the grapple beam and the thrusters on my back to pull the carcass off my baby.
"Oh no, oh no..." I cried. I cradled Hatchling gently in my arms, stroking it with a hand that wouldn't hold steady. Instead of its usual semi-sphere shape, the metroid was flattened into a disk about an inch in height and twice its original diameter. Its colors were pale and its body was as still as death..
There must have been some damage to my lungs; I felt as if I could barely breathe. Every breath I took came in sudden gasps, painful and choking through my throat. I closed my eyes and held Hatchling closer to me.
"Squee."
My eyes suddenly flew open and I stared down at the metroid in my hands. Was it just the moisture in my eyes distorting my vision, or was Hatchling really growing bigger...? No, it was no illusion. I held the infant out at arm's length and watched, bewildered, as it pushed and contracted out of its pancake shape. Finally, once again ballooned in the proper form of a little metroid, Hatchling flew out of my hands and stretched its mandibles, yawning, acting as if nothing had happened.
"Hatchling!!" I squeezed my baby metroid in my arms until it oozed out of my grip like the protoplasmic blob it is. It did a funny little midair dance in front of me, to reassure me, and glowed brighter than ever with its newly aquired energy. I laughed for Hatchling, for myself, in joy and in relief.
The oluk carcass was beginning to sink into the swamp. I still had to cut off its tail as proof of my bounty. I took a step towards my prize when my legs suddenly buckled beneath me and I fell back into the marsh. Hatchling flew down to my eye level, flashing with concern.
"Ah, shit." I cursed, gritting my teeth. My left leg bone was not properly aligned with the pelvic socket. The power suit had depleted its energy tanks down to a dangerously low level, so much that it couldn't heal me and maintain life support at the same time. It's gonna be one painful hike back to my ship before I can access more energy.
I was looking around for something I could use as a crutch when an unearthly shriek came from Hatchling. My head snapped up, only to be punched back with the impact of metroid fangs hitting my helmet.
Oh my God! Is Hatchling going to kill me? Now that it has tasted live energy, does it crave more? In that moment of terror, those thoughts flashed through my mind, along with shock, panic, and the deepest, deepest sense of betrayal I have ever felt.
But that lasted only for a second. Because I felt no pain, even though Hatchling's mandibles pierced my suit deep enough to tap energy. Instead, I stared at the top of my visor in amazement, watching the infant's quivering fangs, and watching my energy meter scroll upwards, energy tanks filling up one by one.
Finally, Hatchling released me, looking a little paler than usual. I tried walking and found everything in smooth working order, including my hip joint. I stared at the metroid in awe. "So, you refilled my energy, Hatchling." I exclaimed. "Amazing. Can you do any other tricks?" The metroid didn't understand me of course, but twirled happily to see me no longer in pain.
The two of us scoured the surface of Yasher for a bit longer, taking out three more oluks in the process. I could easily avoid their deadly tails by now, but I don't know why I even bothered. Hatchling would race ahead as soon as it smelled out the oluk and have it drained by the time I caught up. With each kill, my metroid seemed to learn better tactics against those monsters and became better at avoiding another flattening.
I couldn't help thinking that Hatchling and I would make such a great team. I played with the idea of keeping the metroid as my hunting partner, together racing across the galaxy for new bounties. I wonder if I could train it to understand a few commands to keep it from attacking people. But that dream can wait until after the Federation finishes studying the metroid.
We made it back to the ship before planet nightfall. I lifted out of the atmosphere and set the ship on autopilot so I could get some work done. Disappointed with the yellow mud staining my suit, I spent the next hour or so scrubbing the marsh residue off my power suit. I tried my best to wash off Hatchling, but that turned out to be quite a challenge. Like all younglings, it hated baths and teeth brushing. Most of the water and soap used on Hatchling ended up on myself and the floor. But I got a good laugh out of it.
When I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer, I decided it was time for a sleep shift. For once, I let Hatchling sleep with me, curled up in the golden strands of my hair instead of in its usual tube. I wanted to show it my appreciation for helping me with the hunt today. And this might be our last few hours together. The research lab Ceres was already a visible speck in the distance.
Samus was walking quickly, eager for the comfort of her bed, when she noticed a section of the sidewalk closed off with yellow tape. It wasn't until she came closer that she realized this was the alley where the man had attacked her. Her face drained of color; she hurried past the taped-off area. Two officers were loitering nearby, and Samus couldn't help but catch snippets of their conversation.
"...poor bastard, found dead and alone in the alley..."
"...no blood loss, no poison, nothing seriously damaged..."
"...bite marks. Human teeth...."
It wasn't the possiblily of being caught by those officers that scared her so. It wasn't the memory of what happened there or the thought that some other man might try to rape her. She wasn't even daunted by the fact that she killed a person, having done so many times in her life. What frightened her the most was that she doesn't know HOW she managed to kill that man. Her memory failed her when she tried to recall exactly what had happened, remembering only her inability to control her own actions and the pleasure she got out of the murder. Confusion and doubt ate at her insides.
She banished those thoughts quickly, reverting back to her normally logical and unemotional set of mind. It doesn't matter anymore; her illness was gone and from now on, she'll make very, very sure that no one ever tries to jump her again.
The groceries wouldn't fit into the hatch of the ship, so Samus had to leave them outside, enter by herself, and beam her purchases in through the rear opening. The Etecoons and Dachoras were happy to see her, as usual, but were more interested in all the neat things their human friend just bought. One Etecoon took special interest in the culture vat, examining it, and the seeds, and turning to Samus with a questioning look.
"I'm starting a hydroponics unit." She explained. "You guys can try setting it up in that spare chamber near the engines, if you can manage it for yourselves. I'm going back to sleep. Don't wake me up this time." She glared at a particular Etecoon, who huffed self-righteously in response. "In any case, once I'm awake and refreshed, we'll be taking off. It's about time I found myself a new bounty to hunt."
************
The physiology of metroids never ceases to amaze me. I find it incredible how one infant larvae can give rise to so many different lifeforms. If left on their home world, metroids evolve into an almost hive-like community, where the queen rules over all her offspring, who in turn metamorphasize into more advanced creatures. If infused with phazon, they mutate into hunter and fission metroids. And if exposed to beta rays, they grow quickly and divide, producing two creatures where there once was one.
"What will you turn into, Hatchling?" I wondered aloud. Hatchling did not answer; in fact, it probably didn't even hear me. The little metroid was too distracted by all the interesting things in my ship. I was trying to surpress a giggle while watching the baby hover around haphazardly, unable to decide which object to play with first. It exhausted itself before it could make up its mind and abrubtly fell asleep, right on my head.
I combed the metroid out of my hair and held it delicately. "Silly baby. When will you learn not to sleep on my head?" I gently admonished. I poked Hatchling's mildly-yielding body with a finger, watching it squirm irritably at my attempts to rouse it. It finally let out one long squeal of protest and reluctantly, but obediently, flew back into its glass tube, which I have designated as its sleeping area. It made a nest in the tube using an old sock and resumed its interrupted nap, glowing softly. I didn't bother to screw on the tube lid.
It has been a deca-cycle since I rescued the baby metroid from SR388. Although I had planned to take it directly to the Federation research labs on Ceres, I kept on taking detours and pitstops whenever convenient. Truth to tell, I had grown rather fond of the infant. I named it Hatchling, after what Old Bird used to call me. And having hatched from an egg, the name seemed appropriate for a little metroid. I've figured out by now that Hatchling had imprinted upon me as its mother, which is why it refuses to hurt me. And I was beginning to think of the metroid as my child.
At first, I was afraid of letting Hatchling loose in the ship, in case it suddenly decides to make a meal of me. But I had to let it out eventually, or it would starve to death. It's quite happy feeding on energy tanks from my suit and ship, but I think it would be healthier if it aquired some live food.
What exactly do the metroids eat in the wild? I know that they can suck energy out of any ol' living thing, but they seem to leave the natural fauna alone on their home planet. Hornoads and glow flys coexist with metroids just fine. Perhaps those species have evolved a way to make themselves inedible? Maybe metroids eat a rare or elusive species of creature that I haven't encountered before. That could be possible; it doesn't take a large number of prey animals to sustain the meager population of 40-something metroids on SR388.
A soft beeping from the ship's control panel interrupted my train of thought. The map which appeared on the computer moniter indicated that I was about one and half hours away from my destination. Good, I can have a quick shower before we arrive. There's not much else to do until then unless I feel like engaging myself in deep contemplation of the movement of the stars, pondering my own insignificant existance amongst the infinite heavenly bodies. Maybe I'll do that later.
I wish my ship had enough room for a bathtub. I heard that baths are more theraputic than showers, but I might as well wish for a decent thruster engine, a manicure, and an onboard cook while I'm at it. Too lazy to fold my clothes on the shelf, I just let them pool around my feet and closed the glass shower door behind me. I turned on the water and let it run down my body for a while, highlighting my grooves and contours, enjoying the warmth. The glass was fogging up a little too quickly and I adjusted the water temperature when suddenly a metroid flew at me!
"AAGH!! OH MY..." ...oh, it's just Hatchling. In my panic, I nearly slipped on the wet tile but grabbed onto the railing just in time. God, I'll never get used to that metroid's way of greeting me, not when others of its kind try to kill me when they lunge like that.
"Mii! Miiiiiiiii!!" Hatchling cried, heedless of the hot water drizzling down its dome body. In our short time together, I've learned that I can identify the metroid's feelings by the tone and pitch of its sounds. And this insistant keening means that it wants to be fed.
"Aww. Are you hungry?" I cooed gently to my metroid. It was latched onto me in the same way it did when I first found it, fresh from the egg. Only this time, there wasn't any armor between Hatchling and my bare chest. I quickly pulled the metroid off my skin. "Well, I'm not gonna feed you like THAT, you little pest!" I said, a little annoyed and absurdly embarrassed. I put Hatchling outside and closed the glass door, hoping that the metroid will not chew the upholstery at least until I'm finished my shower.
An hour later, Hatchling and I watched from the front viewscreen as the planet Yasher grew ever larger before our eyes. I was in my power suit and the metroid was hovering above me in lazy circles. Yasher was a newly colonized planet which was experiencing a problem with vermin. Very large vermin know as oluks, who also come with a dexterious tail, wicked lower tusks, and nasty attitude loping on three thrice-folding legs. The price for these creatures wasn't too impressive, but attracted enough starving bounty hunters to keep the oluk population down. Well, I'm not exactly starving, but my Hatchling could use some variety in its diet.
I chose a landing site far from any colonists. I wouldn't want Hatchling to make a meal of anyone. I stepped out onto the marshy Yasher lowlands and suddenly realized that I had no idea if metroids could tolerate this atmosphere! I whirled around, panicked, anxious for my metroid. My fears were quickly put to rest when Hatchling flew into my field of vision, utterly delighted with all the space it has to fly around in.
"SQUEEE!! CHEEE!! YEEEEE!! MIIIII!!" It squeaked, quickly using up all its extensive vocabulary. Like any newborn, it found the world such a new and amazing place, and its innocent wonder was contagious. I couldn't help but smile.
"Don't get too excited, Hatchling." I warned. "Stay close to me. Don't wander off." The infant responded by flashing rapidly, the metroid equivalent of a nod, and flew in tighter circles around my head. Such a clever child.
The two of us wandered around for quite a while without any sign of an oluk. Walking in marshy conditions sapped more of my strength than I imagined, although it wasn't a problem for the metroid. Still, it's been a few days since Hatchling's last feeding and its energy depleted quickly. So I eventually found myself carrying the infant on my head like some sort of odd hat.
I was just beginning to wonder where an oluk could hide in this unbroken marsh, when finally, one of the elusive monsters rose from the ground right beneath my feet. I scrambled out of the way and watched as the oluk emerged from what seemed like another extention of the swamp. It had a dirty yellow coat of limp hair that camouflaged perfectly with the surroundings of decaying plant matter. I might have walked right over one of these things without even knowing.
"Hellooo...handsome." I purred in an almost feral tone. I had my gun arm pointed at its head, but did not shoot, not until my visor finished scanning the oluk. It pulled itself out of the mud with a squelching sound, water filling up the space it had just occupied. It slowly, lazily, settled each of its webbed feet on the marsh surface, allowing it to walk bouyed on the water. It didn't even seem to notice me. Will it attack? Or will it run?
"Yasher Oluk," Those words appeard in my helmet, courtesy of my scan visor. "Semi-aquatic carnivore of planet Yasher. Oluks are perfectly suited for movement in their marshy habitat by walking or swimming on their webbed feet. They attack large prey animals or other oluks by charging with their tusks, while smaller creatures are subdued by their long, flexible tails."
The creature towered above me on its three stilt-like legs, motionless except for the wind and water dripping off its hair. Why won't it attack?!
It suddenly occured to me that I couldn't see the ending of the oluk's tail. And as I realized this, the ground beneath me exploded, blasting up a mess of weed and water. I was blinded for only a second, but in that time, I felt something wrap around my left leg and yank me into the air. It all happened so quickly, I had barely any time to gasp in shock. Held upside- down by what I finally realized was the tail of the oluk, I found myself staring downwards at the monster's purple, gaping mouth. I released the missile lock on my right arm and aimed it at the oluk. But before I could shoot, I caught a glimpse of a small, blue-green object falling back into the yellow marsh.
"HATCHLING!!" I screamed, instinctivly reaching out to the metriod although it was far beyond my reach. Hatchling woke as soon as it hit the water, squealing in surprise. It struggled to free itself from the mud it was stuck in.
The oluk held me over its open mouth, into which I conveniently fired a missile into. But the creature did not die, it didn't even let go of me. It gave a low moan and it simply lashed out with its skinny, hairless, but surprisingly muscular tail. With me still attached.
"AAGH!!" I hit the water like the end of a whip. And at that speed, the water was about as forgiving as a solid wall. That first blow knocked the breath out of me and bright lights flashed in my eyes upon impact. Little droplets of blood stained the inside of my visor. My left leg was almost ripped from its socket, and God, it hurt like hell! If not for my power suit, I would be dead by now.
The oluk held me in front of its face again, seemingly surprised to see me still alive. Barely able to breath, barely able to see, I could only hang there limply as my disoriented mind screamed at me to do something, anything! Then, out of the corner of my eye, a metriod, shrieking with rage, rose out of the marsh and charged, sinking its fangs into the oluk's neck.
The reaction was instantaneous. The oluk screamed at a pitch that almost matched Hatchling's and writhed with an agony that only metroids could cause. It threw me away in its desperation and I landed face down in the marsh. I didn't bother to move; it hurts so much. I just let my power suit heal my body, using up precious energy tanks in the process. Distant and distorted from the water, I could hear the cries of the oluk weakening as it struggled for its life in vain. I pulled myself out of the mud before I could be completely submerged. And at that moment, the oluk gave a dying gurgle and landed on its side, right on top of Hatchling.
"Oh my God...!!" I jumped up, disregarding my still-healing wounds, and ran over to my Hatchling's side. I tried to push the oluk away, but without firm footing, even my power suit's strength was no use. It took an inventive combination of the grapple beam and the thrusters on my back to pull the carcass off my baby.
"Oh no, oh no..." I cried. I cradled Hatchling gently in my arms, stroking it with a hand that wouldn't hold steady. Instead of its usual semi-sphere shape, the metroid was flattened into a disk about an inch in height and twice its original diameter. Its colors were pale and its body was as still as death..
There must have been some damage to my lungs; I felt as if I could barely breathe. Every breath I took came in sudden gasps, painful and choking through my throat. I closed my eyes and held Hatchling closer to me.
"Squee."
My eyes suddenly flew open and I stared down at the metroid in my hands. Was it just the moisture in my eyes distorting my vision, or was Hatchling really growing bigger...? No, it was no illusion. I held the infant out at arm's length and watched, bewildered, as it pushed and contracted out of its pancake shape. Finally, once again ballooned in the proper form of a little metroid, Hatchling flew out of my hands and stretched its mandibles, yawning, acting as if nothing had happened.
"Hatchling!!" I squeezed my baby metroid in my arms until it oozed out of my grip like the protoplasmic blob it is. It did a funny little midair dance in front of me, to reassure me, and glowed brighter than ever with its newly aquired energy. I laughed for Hatchling, for myself, in joy and in relief.
The oluk carcass was beginning to sink into the swamp. I still had to cut off its tail as proof of my bounty. I took a step towards my prize when my legs suddenly buckled beneath me and I fell back into the marsh. Hatchling flew down to my eye level, flashing with concern.
"Ah, shit." I cursed, gritting my teeth. My left leg bone was not properly aligned with the pelvic socket. The power suit had depleted its energy tanks down to a dangerously low level, so much that it couldn't heal me and maintain life support at the same time. It's gonna be one painful hike back to my ship before I can access more energy.
I was looking around for something I could use as a crutch when an unearthly shriek came from Hatchling. My head snapped up, only to be punched back with the impact of metroid fangs hitting my helmet.
Oh my God! Is Hatchling going to kill me? Now that it has tasted live energy, does it crave more? In that moment of terror, those thoughts flashed through my mind, along with shock, panic, and the deepest, deepest sense of betrayal I have ever felt.
But that lasted only for a second. Because I felt no pain, even though Hatchling's mandibles pierced my suit deep enough to tap energy. Instead, I stared at the top of my visor in amazement, watching the infant's quivering fangs, and watching my energy meter scroll upwards, energy tanks filling up one by one.
Finally, Hatchling released me, looking a little paler than usual. I tried walking and found everything in smooth working order, including my hip joint. I stared at the metroid in awe. "So, you refilled my energy, Hatchling." I exclaimed. "Amazing. Can you do any other tricks?" The metroid didn't understand me of course, but twirled happily to see me no longer in pain.
The two of us scoured the surface of Yasher for a bit longer, taking out three more oluks in the process. I could easily avoid their deadly tails by now, but I don't know why I even bothered. Hatchling would race ahead as soon as it smelled out the oluk and have it drained by the time I caught up. With each kill, my metroid seemed to learn better tactics against those monsters and became better at avoiding another flattening.
I couldn't help thinking that Hatchling and I would make such a great team. I played with the idea of keeping the metroid as my hunting partner, together racing across the galaxy for new bounties. I wonder if I could train it to understand a few commands to keep it from attacking people. But that dream can wait until after the Federation finishes studying the metroid.
We made it back to the ship before planet nightfall. I lifted out of the atmosphere and set the ship on autopilot so I could get some work done. Disappointed with the yellow mud staining my suit, I spent the next hour or so scrubbing the marsh residue off my power suit. I tried my best to wash off Hatchling, but that turned out to be quite a challenge. Like all younglings, it hated baths and teeth brushing. Most of the water and soap used on Hatchling ended up on myself and the floor. But I got a good laugh out of it.
When I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer, I decided it was time for a sleep shift. For once, I let Hatchling sleep with me, curled up in the golden strands of my hair instead of in its usual tube. I wanted to show it my appreciation for helping me with the hunt today. And this might be our last few hours together. The research lab Ceres was already a visible speck in the distance.