Phase VIII

Log 4,424

The tower was the Chozo's last stand, but it also stood as a final perimeter for another facility. Its purpose is difficult to determine in the structure's ruined state. The remains of wallfires and autraks are scattered across the perimeter. Investigating.

Log 4,425

Significant temperature drop detected. There must be still functioning environmental controls somewhere. That they are even somewhat effective in the facility's current state suggests they were powerful and that whatever they were doing here required very low temperatures.

Metroids do not like the cold, yet scanner readings show they are here. Conclusive evidence they are fleeing in advance of my arrival. They are definitely communicating over distances.

Temperature continues to fall. Ice formations now present.

Log 4,426

Found a gamma Metroid stuck in a drift of artificial snow. It cried out in alarm upon seeing me, possibly attempting to warn others. It attempted to flee, but the cold significantly hampers the Metroid nervous system, and it collapsed back into the snow, trembling.

7.

Log 4,427

I understand now.

This place . . . it is a Chozo laboratory. Their records are fragmented, simple murals crafted in haste, many incomplete. And yet, their message is clear. A statue offers the Ice Beam, and around it the largest set of murals, tell the story of what happened here. The Chozo, they . . . found something down here. Even at the end they did not completely understand what they faced, but it must be designation X. Whatever it was, it corrupted the animals, turning them against the Chozo. For a time, they held it at bay by driving away the animals. At some point, it began to spread to the Chozo perimeter guards, turning them against the others. The Chozo implemented their more advanced defenses, and the uninfected Chozo fled before the mounting tide, but struggled to stop what remained of their former sisters. At last they retreated to their fortress to spend their lives to buy time for the work they did here.

They needed a weapon to destroy whatever had infected their fellows, one impervious to normal Chozo weaponry.

And so, they . . . they created one. The metroids are not native to SR-388. They're not native anywhere—they were created by the Chozo. Created by the Chozo… just like me.

Whatever the threat was, the Metroid counter-attack was devastating, totally destroying threat X. And then, suddenly, the metroids turned on the Chozo. Their carefully built-in weakness to the cold was an insufficient failsafe, and their creations utterly destroyed them.

I don't care who created them or why. My mission is to destroy them, so I will destroy them. They killed the Chozo, so I will destroy them.

Log 4,428

Located two more zeta metroids, frozen to death. Five metroids remain. Their signal emanates from behind a large vault, its door torn open from the inside.

Holding pens.

Pursuing.

Log 4,429

Though the holding pens' integrity has been compromised, exposing them to the surrounding environment, virtually no animal life is present. This suggests an active, even coordinated effort to drive off encroaching life forms. Such behavior indicates an instinctive need to guard an area.

Territorial instincts have been previously noted, but nothing to this extent. The only reason to drive off prey is defensive, not territorial. This type of specialized role and behavior is only beneficial to a community, not individual organisms. The implications are . . . troubling.

[warning: blunt force trauma detected.]

[warning: Power Suit energy low]

[warning: missile reserves low]

[WARNING: puncture wounds detected. Power Suit energy very low]

[warning: missile reserves critical]

Log 4,430

I'm back in the tower restoring power and missile components. New threat analysis added: designation—omega Metroid. The omega is enormous, easily three meters in height. It appears to be the fully matured, adult stage of a metroid's life cycle. The vulnerable core has been completely covered in tough, chitinous plates. Large, fully articulable claws with two digits serve to spear prey and direct it into an oversized, circular mouth ringed by tusks that shrink into teeth deeper into the extendable jaws. The omega stands mostly upright, utilizing a fully developed tail for additional stability, though it can drop to all fours and utilize the spiked tip of the tail like a whip.

It is extremely aggressive, and varies attacks from a fully developed arsenal unpredictably, charging aggressively, attacking with claws, teeth, tail, and spitting both acid and a volatile, flammable substance from deeper in its throat. The exact method remains unclear, but somehow the Metroid ignites this fluid upon excreting it, turning into an effective biological flamethrower.

Claws, teeth, and tail spikes are sharp enough, and wielded with enough force, to penetrate Power Armor. This doesn't seem possible without a deliberate effort made to sharpen them, which suggests an even higher level of intelligence than previously speculated. Primitive tool usage?

Beam weapons are almost completely ineffective, even the ice beam, which may explain how the metroids initially broke containment. Only a heavy missile bombardment can penetrate and harm them.

Fortunately, for all its raw power, the omega is slow, approaching clumsy. After its initial ambush attack, it is possible to keep the omega at arm's length, continually falling back and targeting the chest area until the core is exposed and vulnerable.

Four . . . there are four more of them left. If their movement patterns remain consistent, they will all be omegas.

Log 4,431

3. Another omega destroyed. The area remains cleared of all other life forms. The only way two omegas could possibly survive in such close proximity, much less without readily available prey, is if food is being provided to them, brought in by lower forms of metroids. This suggests a very high level of cooperation, if not intelligence, as well as higher communication skills, than lower metroids have exhibited thus far. No mammalian communal groups to raise larva. The other possibility is that the coordination is done on a subconscious level. An insect-type pheromone system is unlikely, given the limited number of metroids and the range at which they operate. Purely inborn instinct is even less likely, given their rapidly adapting tactics.

The most likely conclusion is a central intelligence, a sort of limited hive mind. This also explains the retention of the species' most resource-intensive strains away from hunting activities and coopting lower strains to support them. They're guarding what must be their queen.

This remains speculation. More data required.

[warning: minor damage detected]

[warning: major damage detected. Power resources low]

[WARNING: major leg fracture detected]

[WARNING: power reserves critical]

Log 4,432

2. Two more.

I encountered another omega moving through a passageway and moved to engage. Once committed, another omega launched itself from deeper down the passage. I finished off the first, but the second closed the distance and clamp0ed its jaw on my right leg, breaking it in at least two places.

Holding me that close left its chest vulnerable, and after four missiles it dropped me instinctively, more surprised than hurt. I started to fall back, slow on my hands dragging a leg behind me, and . . .

The omega, it . . it just sat there. An apex predator, angered by a wound, with severely weakened prey in front of it, resisted every instinct, every biological imperative to defeat dangers and to feed, stood there and watched.

After a minute watching my slow retreat, it moved back and resumed its spot blocking the single remaining path at the back of the Chozo's holding pens.

It didn't follow me, didn't try to finish me . . .

The leg was no longer broken after entering and exiting morph ball. Evidence is conclusive that the Chozo's power armor is literally breaking down and rebuilding my body. It's clearly not doing so in the precise form it held before entering morph ball, both because it is rebuilding bones as whole and because I retain memories, which suggests it's reconstructing me based on a template, but what template is that? Which . . . which version of me? Until this point, I've suspected the lack of evident aging in my body was due to the Chozo DNA mixed into mine, and it was simply delayed. The Chozo were very long-lived. But this . . . if the template is not being updated, the power armor might be rebuilding me to the same form, the same ag, over and over again.

I don't know which thought disturbs me more—the metroid's restraint overcoming all instinctive prerogatives, showing me that the queen is not interested in fighting me, or the thought that I might be potentially immortal.

I currently find the fact that I am contemplating these thoughts while deep underground in a hostile environment while on a mission equally disturbing. This is not the mumbo's venom. This mission, this place… I will need to take some time later to think through this, to find whatever vulnerability this is and eliminate it. But for now, I will continue the mission.

I have to.

Log 4,433

One. The omega, already wounded, refused to retreat or leave its position blocking the last corridor. It simply stood there while—

[untranslatable sound detected. 64% probability source is a wary cry of predator species.]

The queen. It must be, sensing the last of its children's deaths… fluctuation on sensors. More Metroid life signs detected? Many, and moving quickly. Larva. They must be. The queen is giving birth to new metroids. Need to move fast.

Log 4,434

The larva metroids, newborns, attacked relentlessly despite being helpless before the ice beam. And yet, their attacks were uncoordinated, desperate—they were not being ordered or controlled. They fought to protect… to protect their mother. She… it howled its pain and rage as each one fell. It will be enraged and dangerous, but overaggressive.

I will be cautious.

Log 4,435

Queen located. She lies in the deepest chamber. I did not risk exposure by getting close, but some details were immediately clear. It is extremely large, over six meters high and between ten and twelve meters long. It lies on its stomach, largely covering its already well-protected core. Four double-articulated legs allow it at least moderate mobility. Armored plates protect its head, neck, back, and tail, while tough hide protects its underside. The long, spiked tail is wrapped protectively around what looks like eggs.

Moving to engage.

[warning: missile reserves lowering]

[warning: temperature ranges outside tolerable limits]

[warning: blunt force trauma detected to right side.]

[warning: heavy impact with environment detected. Minor bone fractures detected]

[warning: power armor energy low]

[warning: missile reserves low]

[warning: temperature ranges outside tolerable limits]

[warning: major blunt force trauma detected]

[WARNING: puncture wounds detected. Suit integrity compromised]

[warning: major environmental impact detected. Concussion detected]

[WARNING: operator non-responsive]

[attempting to revive—no response]

[attempting to revive—no response]

[automatic override activated. Moving operator away from detected threat]

[attempting to revive—no response]

[attempt— response detected. Relinquishing automatic override]

[verbal activity detected. No listener detected. Automatic log begins]

Log 4,436

You… why are you… just standing there? Come . . . come get me. Chase me! Come . . . come on, do it, hate me. I'm . . . I've killed them all! Can't . . . can't you understand? I murdered your children! Hate me! HATE ME!

[operator movement detected towards critical threat. Unusual voice inflections detected. Risk of psychological compromise: high. Recommend retre—manual override engaged]

[warning: power armor energy very low]

[warning: missile reserves critical]

[warning: power suit subject to pressure well beyond tolerance limits. Several cracks detected. Multiple puncture wounds detected, consistent with teeth. Major internal damage detected. Recommend immediate morph ball activation]

[warning: acid detected. Unable to disengage morph ball due to confined space. Impediments a 79% match for Metroid internal bone structure]

[manual override engaged—activation of all remaining bombs in three seconds]

[warning: detonation will exceed power suit tolerance levels. Scavenging reserve energy from all non-critical systems]

[warning: brace for impact in three, two, o—

[Power Armor 3729146: system reset complete]

[warning: catastrophic power loss detected. Commencing system scan]

[warning: power level critical

[warning: temporary memory corrupted. Access to backup memory temporarily disabled]

[warning: missiles depleted]

[warning: morph ball capability disabled]

[warning: operator non-responsive]

[attempting to revive—no response]

[attempting to revive—no response]

[attempting to revive—no response]

[attempting to revive—no response]

[warning: one Metroid life sign detected. Class: larva. Distance: point blank range]

[status: processing… processing… processing… Metroid life form designated: non-hostile]

[warning: operator response detected]

[verbal activity detected. No subject detected. Automatic log begins]

Log 0001

Come… come on. Finish it… finish… me. Please… attack me. Make me do it. Don't… don't you understand? I killed… killed her, killed them all… Don't look at me… like that… I'm not your mother! Don't make me… me do that… to you…

I… I just… can't.

No… no more.

Not like this.

[manual override enacted]

[Metroid life signs reset to: 0 metroids]

[internal program trigger met. Playing message]

Congratulations, Ms. Aran. You have eliminated a dangerous, aggressive threat to the entire galaxy. The promised funds are being transferred to your account now. Mission accomplished.

[message ends]

[rerouting all remaining weapon power to navigation systems]

[plotting course to surface. Plotting… plotting… plotting… Course set]

[operator movement detected]

[revising estimates to conform with demonstrated mobility limitations]

[estimated arrival at surface: 3 days, 17 hours]

[manual override enacted: suspending all system logs to conserve power]

[log ends]