Kaleb Ark Ferdinaz was a man in his early sixties who was rather satisfied with his position in life. Yes, being the Commander and Manager of a morally questionable research station was something of a decline compared to being a General in the Galactic Federation army, but it suited his age and his ambitions, neither of which were very vigourous anymore. In his long and colorful life, he had seen and heard enough about the bounty hunter Samus Aran to both respect her and fear her. For the sake of his pride, he had planned to reveal neither when he finally came face-to-face with the legendary figure. It would not do to show any weakness in front of her. When the doors to his private office opened, Ferdinaz carefully composed his features and banished his nervousness.
But Aran was nothing like he expected her to be.
The woman's golden hair was no longer damp as he had last seen it, but dried and combed to tumble loosely over her shoulders with a few loose strands falling elegantly over one eye. She never wore makeup, never needed it, for she radiated youth and beauty when she wasn't busy radiating anger, indifference, or violence. Ferdinaz had been looking forward to seeing her in the skintight and revealing clothing which she tended to wear when outside her suit, but she had chosen a billowy black dress for the occasion. The material of the dress was tightly woven so that nothing could be seen underneath, and so dark that shadows had trouble forming over the contours of the surface.
None of that would have normally fazed Ferdinaz. With eyes as large a physical credits, he watched Samus enter the room. He noticed how she walked with an exaggerated slowness, as if she's carrying something heavy or was unused to the gravity level. She used the armrests to ease herself onto the chair across his desk and shuffled in it, unable to get comfortable. What really bewildered the Commander was the rather large and obvious bulge protruding from Aran's stomach. When did THAT get there? The swollen midsection was wrong and awkward; it had no place on the perfect body of the ruthless bounty hunter. But she seemed perfectly comfortable with her new girth. Her hands rested on her belly and her fingers moved absently to stroke the young life underneath. Ferdinaz shook off his disorientation with some difficulty and rose to greet her.
"Welcome, Samus Aran." Ferdinaz offered her a hand which she grasped firmly and shook. Despite his earlier resolve, the Commander was now tempted to treat her less like a bounty hunter and more like a woman when she came to him in such a state. She reminded him of when his grandson was born. He smiled at the memory. "I suppose I should first offer you my congratulations."
He didn't think she was capable of embarrassment, but her eyes shifted away and she put a hand to her lips as if hiding a grin. "Thank you." Was all she said.
After an awkward pause in which she didn't volunteer any information, Ferdinaz prompted, "So, can you tell me what exactly happened to your suit?" The faint grin lingered on Aran's face, as if she found something incredibly amusing. But there was a certain malice in her eyes that Ferdinaz recognized from her holographic projection, and he suddenly, belatedly, remembered that he was in the presence of the most powerful and successful mercenary in the civilized universe. She wouldn't hesitate to kill him if she deemed it necessary, or if the price was right.
"I've been having problems with my energy levels ever since I acquired the fusion suit." Samus admitted, her tone neutral. "That is, my own physical human energy, not the energy tanks of my suit or anything. After the B.S.L. incident, I was chronically tired in a way that seemed unnatural. This was what I went to see the Federation doctor about, approximately eleven months ago. After an examination, they said that nutrition deficiencies were the cause of my lethargic state, but what the hell did they know?" The bounty hunter leaned back into her chair. "It was the metroid vaccine. The side effects were much more numerous and invasive than anyone expected. Lethargy was only one of the factors. For a while, I was actually afraid to wear my suit. And then, when I dared put it on again, it...changed..." Her face darkened at the memory. "...Or evolved, if you fancy the term, evolved like a metroid evolves. I haven't had many opportunities to test my new suit's features afterwards, nor was I willing to. Besides, in my current situation, I couldn't wear the suit if I tried." She patted her belly, indicating that her pregnancy was the reason that she couldn't wear her suit.
"I see." Ferdinaz said, stroking his short beard. She had given him a rather sketchy overview of her last year. He was tempted to pry for more details, but he had the feeling that she would grow irritated if she had to repeat the same details to the researchers later. He turned the conversation to more administrative topics. "Approximately how long are you willing to let us experiment with your power suit?"
"I don't know. As long as it takes to find something or as long as you're willing to put up with me. Whichever comes first." Aran suddenly put both arms around her stomach. Her eyes closed and she hummed a short tune.
Ferdinaz frowned in concern. It looked to him as if she was in pain and trying to distract herself from it. "How late are you in the pregnancy, Ms. Aran? Are you expecting the baby soon?"
"Oh, um, it's nothing like that." Samus said nonchalantly. A bead of sweat formed on her temple. "It's always given me trouble."
"Always?" The man's concern grew. "You know that deep space is not a good place to be when carrying a child." It was common knowledge that pregnant women who spend too much time in space often give birth to children with defects. The mother could be injured or crippled as well. Samus was especially at risk, since she also had Chozo and metroid blood in her veins. What kind of sad, mutated baby would she produce? And where was the father of the child? Ferdinaz suddenly felt a wave of pity for the bounty hunter and her lonely, suffering existence.
"I'll be fine. As soon as my business on Rebenada is finished, I'll be going planetside." Samus heaved herself onto her feet. Her features were lined with worry? Pain? The man couldn't tell. It seemed as if that face was made of a material tougher than skin, like it was difficult for her to show any but the most subtle of expressions. "Perhaps I should return to my ship now, Commander."
"No." Ferdinaz said and stood up, perhaps too abruptly. Samus turned and locked eyes with him. Her gaze was fierce and incredulous, as if she couldn't believe that he would dare contradict her. She looked like she might eat him. The man felt his lips go dry. "No," He repeated slowly, carefully. "It's too much trouble. We will prepare you a room on the Rebenada, if you like. There are several empty chambers and there are more resources here than on your ship. I'm sure you'll find it more comfortable here."
He walked around his desk and offered her a hand. Aran stared at it as if it was a snake, then up at him, those pale, blue eyes of hers narrowed in suspicion. Poor girl; she's seen so little kindness in her life that she didn't trust it when freely given. But Ferdinaz knew she accepted his offer when she forced the muscles of her face to pull her mouth into a thin smile. She took his hand.
"Thank you." She said, still smiling that forced, quirky smile which didn't quite reach her eyes.
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It's amazing how the years could flash by in an instant, like a vid on skip, pausing only to linger on certain memories as my eyes settled on certain shapes in the land. I would have liked to take off my helmet, let the wind blow through my hair and breathe deeply, seeing if any old memories could be conjured up by familiar scents. But the air was barely breathable, and it was raining acid. This was no time to reminisce.
When was the last time I came here? A year ago, two? I shot open the hatch beneath my feet. Everything was eerily similar, different, and older all at once. I was definitely going back in time as I retraced the steps I took during my mad scramble up to the surface, rushing to escape the planet. Oh, I escaped all right, but I was eventually shot back down. And here I was again.
Why had Ridley returned here? For irony? Nostalgia? I had long destroyed the Space Pirate's base on Zebes. The ruined, shattered remains of Mother Brain's former chamber were a testament to that. I walked past the broken jar that once held the Pirate leader, my boots squelching on what I fancied to be her decomposed innards but was probably just wet moss.
Small, shelled animals scurried into the darkness as soon as the light of my suit exposed them. It was good to know that they were there; good to know that I'm not the only living thing on this planet. Not that I was bothered by the emptiness, but Hatchling might be. It broke my heart to imagine my little metroid crying into the darkness, waiting for an answer and receiving none. I had to find it as soon as possible.
Down an elevator I went. Now, if I remembered correctly... Ah, there it was. The Morph Ball upgrade. The Chozo ghosts or statues usually rematerialize items a while after they have been taken. This made things easier for me. But as soon as I integrated the upgrade into my suit, a light appeared from nowhere, blinding me in the darkness.
"Ah!" I shot a beam at the light's source, but I didn't do any damage. My eyes adjusted and I saw that it was some sort of searchlight, or maybe even a surveillance camera. It was Pirate in origin, and I found it surprising how it was still functional. It was nothing of consequence. I continued exploring.
Some tunnels had collapsed since my last visit on this planet and some new ones had opened up. But my search for a passage onwards resulted in nothing but dead ends, although I did find a few missile tanks. Perhaps there were more passages upon the surface of Zebes that I could reach with my reaquired morph ball and missiles.
It was when I stumbled across another searchlight that a spike of suspicion and dread made itself known within me. Pirate technology was not good enough to survive the explosion that I triggered after destroying Mother Brain. The first searchlight I thought to be a fluke, but now, with the second, I thought it might not be as serendipitous as simple coincidence.
Back up the elevator I went. The room at the apex of the ascent was now brightly lit, unlike the smothering darkness it was before. "Oh shit." I sneered to no one in particular. Perhaps I didn't do a thorough enough job of Pirate elimination as I had thought.
I opened the hatch to Mother Brain's former chamber with my gun arm ready. A Space Pirate was waiting for me on the other side, all claw and teeth and laser. Its eyes burned for a taste of my blood and it screeched a cry that I had heard often enough in my childhood nightmares.
"Why hello," I whispered in my lowest, most sinister voice. Oh yes, this party couldn't start without me.
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As soon as Ferdinaz left her alone, Samus took the time to walk the perimeter of her new room, slowly, with one hand against the wall. As a part of her metroid traits, she discovered that if she concentrated hard enough, she would be able to faintly sense all sorts of energy, including things that powered hidden cameras. Once she was satisfied that no spies or voyeurs were looking in on her, the bounty hunter flopped onto the bed, curled into a ball and giggled like a schoolgirl.
"Oh my GOD! I can't believe it worked!" Samus gasped, wiping away tears. She rolled onto her back and pushed down on her protruding 'belly'. "Warrior, yekzu."
"Bwrrrr!" The metroid exclaimed as it flew out of its mother's dress, shaking and stretching its stiff mandibles.
The mother laughed. "Come here, my 'baby'." Always eager for physical contact, Warrior flew into her arms, trying embrace her fully with its stubby fangs. "You were good today. Very good." The infant squeaked at the word 'good', which it recognized. "You think you can keep this up for a while?" It couldn't understand, of course, but its body language seemed to say, "I'm eager to please, mother, eager to please."
Samus's hysterical grin was difficult to erase, considering how she had been surpressing it for so long. Oh, the clever ploy of pretending to be pregnant worked much better than she had anticipated. She thought Ferdinaz might have been competent enough to see through the farce, but hers was such an unorthodox strategy that he was completely thrown off. He was a kind man, and the same aptitude made him gullible. It was so sweet of him to be so concerned over the lost, unloved girl and her unborn child. She laughed again. Sickening sweet. She almost felt guilty for using the old man's presumptions against him.
The best part about the whole scam was that she didn't actually lie about anything. She merely omitted a number of truths and spoke in ways that would draw false conclusions. It certainly wasn't her fault if her implications were assumed to be facts. It's true that she's 'with child', and the child was related to her because they shared the same blood. And it was true that her suit had undergone a sudden metamorphosis when she wore it after a period of inactivity. But she didn't say that her child was an already-hatched metroid or that the suit's change had been engineered by the Chozo.
Was Ferdinaz suspicious? Probably. He wasn't a complete fool, only something of a sentimental one. But his insistence for her to stay aboard the research station bothered her. Was he truly that generous? Or was he afraid that Samus might take off if left alone on her ship, breezing past the Rebenada before it could to react? It's not as if she would abandon her power suit. Or did he think that it would be easier to keep an eye on her within his own territory?
At the very least, Samus's true intention was to get past the Rebenada in order to deliver Warrior safely to SR388. She would also like to disable the station or send it away, for any Federation activity close to the planet was a threat to her and her child. The Federation would love to continue metroid experimentation after being robbed of the opportunity by a certain bounty hunter gone rogue. That bounty hunter was also determined to destroy any X experiments onboard the Rebenada. But it would require a bit more espionage and deception on her part.
In any case, she couldn't keep up the 'pregnant' act indefinately. People would start to get suspicious if she didn't give birth in the next month or so, as she appeared to be late in the third trimester. Warrior had almost blown their cover once, but Samus settled it down by holding it and singing a command. Thankfully, Ferdinaz probably thought that she was merely experiencing a contraction or something similar.
The huntress buried her head in a pillow. This was embarrassing beyond description. Hell, two hours ago, she didn't know she was even capable of experiencing emotions like that. What would people think if they heard that she, Samus Aran, the infamous bounty hunter, was biologically capable of being a mother? Not that she cared about rumors, she firmly reminded herself. Really.
Samus stood up and schooled her features into something more neutral, more acceptable to herself. She paced around the room, shedding the slow, waddling walk she had adopted as a part of her performance. The room was a homey one, with smooth vernolium floors and comfortable furniture, like a hotel suite. She had expected something more spartan for a hastily prepared guestroom on a research laboratory that didn't often receive guests. There were clothes left for her on a chair, no doubt as a courtesy. Most of them were useless for concealing Warrior, but there was a long scientist's robe which might be suitable. She picked it up and sniffed it deeply. Then she tried the scent of another article of clothing. They smelled clean, but, like the pillow, they shared the scent of someone. Someone who was no longer here and had left his or her personal effects behind.
Further investigation of her new chamber revealed the door to the washroom. Samus stepped inside, blinked, shook her head, and blinked again. There was a bath in here! Sweet luxury in a fiberglass tub! It's been several years at least since her last bath. Yes, this more than made up for her interrupted shower earlier.
Humming with pleasure, she filled the tub with hot water and tossed off her dress. Warrior, attracted by the sound of splashing and music, wandered in and found its mother liberally smearing soap along her arms. "Just in time, Warrior. Come."
The metroid obeyed and hovered daintily above the water, its fangs just breaking the surface. All at once, it dropped into the liquid like a stone, making a big splash that drew a yelp out of the bounty hunter. She grabbed the child and proceeded to give it a scrubbing while it purred and blew bubbles, content with the smooth, rhythmic motions over its body. It soon discovered that a combination of air, water, and soap made optimal bubbles, and started creating foam from the mouth-like orifice between its four mandibles.
Samus sighed, drawing soap circles on protoplasmic flesh. Hatchling had always despised being washed. Just how different were her two metroid children? Despite having the same DNA makeup, they had very different personalities. She wondered if, in an alternate reality, she could have both Hatchling and Warrior at the same time. She imagined how they would interact with one another, how they would squabble over a choice piece of energy, and how they would conspire to confound their harried mother. The daydream made her smile, although it looked more like a grimace.
With the bath finished, Samus dried her hair and parted it down the middle of her head, braiding one half and letting Warrior attempt to braid the other. It knew how to do it, but its mandibles were simply not dexterious enough to do it neatly. When it was smaller, Samus could give Warrior a third of her hair, hold the other two with her hands, and let the metroid weave around her arms while the hair she held rhythmically switched hands. The result would be one tightly knit, effective braid.
But now the child was too big to do anything of the sort. It was hopeless. Warrior shrieked and gave the hair a frustrated yank, then started circling its mother's head.
"Ow!" Samus used one hand to nurse her sore head and the other to swat uselessly at the parasite in its erratic orbit. "You need better manners."
Warrior saw that it wasn't going to get any attention from its mother when she was busy ignoring it. The metroid eventually found a playmate in a discarded sock, which it started wrestling with, eventually disappearing under the bed in its exuberance. Samus sighed in exasperation when her child reemerged all dusty; she'd only just washed the kid. It eventually formed a truce with its opponent, curling down on the floor with the sock and falling into a weary sleep. The bounty hunter thought she could sponge Warrior off while it was sleeping, but its dim glow induced a yawn in her and she realized that she could use some sleep herself. She fell heavily onto the bed, making air hiss out at her weight. It's not as if anyone would be seeing the dirty metroid any time soon. But when they finally do, Warrior's state of cleanness would certainly be the last thing on their minds.