Behind Cold Metal
Chapter 18: Meta Ridley's Disgust
The following morning came, and Meta Ridley was sitting on his throne, looking down to the floor. He hadn't caught a wink of sleep since he became enraged. He had locked himself within his throne room and didn't even allow the guards to come in and give him his breakfast. He was still in his suit, but in his rage, he ripped at it, so whatever he was wearing was tattered.
The throne room had been completely trashed. Tables tipped over, food on the floor, the walls bent and broken, the ornaments scattered and one of the windows behind him was smashed.
"...I'm such a fool..." he thought. "Samus is right. I deserve to die for what I do...and this is my reaction? To have a tantrum and completely destroy my own room? I have to make it up to her somehow...even if she is my enemy...I can't let anyone think of me as some sort of cry baby...Guard!" he shouted. The door half opened and a worried guard came in.
"Sir, I'm so glad you're okay!" he said with relief.
"Shut up. Get me Samus" he said.
"For what reasons my lord?" the guard asked. His question was met with a heated shot of lava from Meta Ridley's mouth, one he managed to clumsily dodge.
"Don't be so ludicrous as to question me, your master!" he shouted. "Just get me Samus at once!!!" The guard, almost hysterical, ran out of the room, in a hurry to leave Meta Ridley's sight.
Five minutes later and Samus entered the room, fully clothed in the Varia Suit, fully armed as well. But she wasn't wearing her helmet as usual. She felt she would be hiding if she wore it. The door closed behind her, and the two were in the room, alone.
"...What do you want?" she said, rather bitterly.
"...Samus...I have something to say..." he said. "...It concerns last night..." Samus remained silent and Meta Ridley gave a sigh.
"Samus...you're completely right" he said. "I deserve to die" Samus face changed rather quickly.
"No..." she said.
"Please, don't deny your wishes" Meta Ridley said. "I thought a lot overnight and I have realized that my behaviour yesterday was completely childish, and by far unacceptable. My minions would think I have let myself down, and I have let myself down..." he said. Samus started to walk closer to Meta Ridley.
"You haven't let yourself down..." she said.
"I have Samus...I have..." Meta Ridley said. "You have every right to kill me. I killed your parents because I was a fool. I am a monster. To think that such death meant nothing to me back then...I...I...I'm horrible. If you want to kill me, then go ahead, I won't stop you..." he said. Samus was only a few metres away from Meta Ridley now.
"Meta Ridley, stop talking like this...it doesn't suit you..." she said.
"But...But I let myself down..."
"Listen, I barely knew my parents. I was a baby when they died. It's only the information that drove me to exact revenge against you and the Space Pirates, so it's not as bad..."
"What are you trying to say?"
"I'm trying to say that I accept your apology from last night" she said. Meta Ridley looked up sadly.
"...What?" he said. "...You forgive me?"
"I forgive you"
Meta Ridley still didn't seem satisfied.
"...I still feel that I haven't completely gotten last night off my chest..." he said. "...So to make it up to you, I will re-accommodate you to a better cell. In fact, you will no longer be in a cell, but in a room, with a proper bed and bathroom" he said.
"Meta Ridley, you don't have to do this..." Samus said.
"Nothing you say will change my decision. You can move in half an hour. It's on the seventh floor" he said.
"Are you sure?" Samus asked.
"I am. There will be another recon mission later on today, if you want to come along" Meta Ridley said.
"I'd be glad to" Samus said.
"Then you may go. Thank you for your time...and for forgiving me" he said.
"No...you don't have to thank me. I should be thanking you for not killing me while you have the chance..." she said. Then, Samus walked out of the room and left Meta Ridley by himself. Meta Ridley thought for a second.
"I can't believe I'm feeling a sort of affection for her..."