Author's Notes: Just a quick heads up. This chapter, while not going into any explicit detail, does mention implied rape at one point. Reader discretion advised.
Chapter 9: Satan Laughing Spreads His Wings
After a furious battle with the gigantic lava-faring predator, Vorash within the Blast Furnace Observation room, Samus finally arrived to the room just outside of the rendezvous point, the Geothermal Power Plant. There, Samus made a frightening discovery. The shallow, gray husk of the Mystery Creature, plastered to the wall above the door and split down the middle. It looked as if the creature had molted. Again.
Samus stood, fixated at the creature's husk, as a nameless fear gripped her heart. "Adam, I'm right outside the Geothermal Power Plant. I've managed to locate that creature. It looks… like it molted."
Adam's pause showed that he too felt a tinge of unease. "...Molted? You mean it transformed?"
"It's possible. I'm heading into the Geothermal Power Plant right now. Maybe I'll find more information there."
"Understood. Stay alert."
As if she could do otherwise.
The Geothermal Power Plant was the heart of the Pyrosphere. An "arena" of sorts, it featured a large, circular platform suspended above a seemingly bottomless pit. Samus stepped about the dark room cautiously, her Arm Cannon moving in whatever direction she looked. There was no telling what she would find here. She knew she had to be ready for anything. Suddenly, her heart quickened with the appearance of a small laser sight on her shoulder. She quickly raised her Arm Cannon in the laser sight's direction, but was soon relieved when Anthony appeared from behind the steel pillar.
"Samus, take cover!" he advised.
The fact that he had used her name to convey the seriousness of the situation was reason enough for her to quickly join him behind the pillar. "Anthony, what's going on?"
"Something big is in here with us but I can't tell what - it's too damn dark in here! We have to get some light in here, so I can see that pretty face of yours!"
Even during a time like this, Anthony always knew how to lighten the mood.
Suddenly, Adam's voice filled her helmet. "Samus, you need to hurry and locate the magma-eruption port. A concussive blast should be enough to destroy it and get the magma flowing."
Peeking from behind the steel pillar, Samus quickly activated her Scan Visor and surveyed the walls on the far side of the room for the critical magma-eruption port. "There!" she said aloud, locating the port against the steel wall. Wasting no time, and still maintaining cover, she promptly fired a single Super Missile at the port. The covering exploded upon impact and immediately sent forth an explosive stream of searing-hot magma into the hollowed-out depths of the arena.
And with it, the awakening of the Devil himself, born anew from the fires of Samus Aran's tragic past.
It lingered amongst the shadows above the arena, the bright amber glow of the lava casting its most ominous features - large, dragon-like wings and a barbed serpentine tail, in a soft amber glow as the beast slowly descended from the top of the room, its bright amber eyes filled with malevolent cunning and power. The thunderous sound of its wings flapping echoed about the room. Samus and Anthony left their cover and headed for the middle of the arena in order to get a better view.
Landing before them with a great thud was the mighty space dragon, Ridley. His spiteful eyes narrowed as his mouth contorted into a tight, feral grin.
"What the hell is that?" Anthony gasped. He'd heard about dragons during bedtime stories as a child, but this one looked like it had been ripped straight out of a nightmare.
Samus felt her heart quicken; her stomach twisting on itself; her chest tightening; the breath catching in her throat.No... It... can't be...!
What began as apprehension quickly exploded into full-blown hysteria as Samus looked upon her nightmare with wide and fearful eyes. This couldn't be happening - Ridley was dead. She'd watched his body explode into a million pieces during her last mission to Planet Zebes. And because the planet itself exploded, any chances of the Space Pirates reviving their "General" were next to impossible. This was a concrete fact...and yet, Samus could only watch in horror and disbelief as the space dragon gazed upon her with calculating amber eyes and a sadistic expression on his face.
A scream, torn raw and bloody from her throat, filled the room. "This can't be! You're dead! Dead! I fucking killed you!"
"Samus!" Anthony screamed as he attempted to aid his paralyzed comrade. His attempt at shielding her crumpled form was cut off by the dragon and a quick swipe of his barbed tail, which sent him barreling into a nearby pillar.
From the Control Room, Adam could only watch in helpless disbelief as the dragon drew closer to its arch-nemesis. He armor-gloved hand pressed against the small terminal screen. He wished with every fiber of his being that he could reach out and protect her from the devil that threatened to consumer her before his very eyes. But he could do nothing of the sort, not from here anyway. All he could do was offer support. "Samus? Samus, it's Adam. Can you hear me? Respond!"
When she didn't respond, for only the second time in his life Adam felt real, agonizing fear. The hairs on the back of his neck pricked with trepidation. He'd seen this condition before, a past trauma which causes paralyzing fear in an individual upon the activation of a trigger. It was quite common within the ranks of the Federation Military. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Samus herself had been diagnosed with it by Army doctors during her brief service. More disturbing to Adam, however, was the very obvious fact that she hadn't sought any treatment for it since leaving the Army. And Adam knew if he didn't act fast, he would soon lose the last person closest to him. "Samus, It's Adam. I'm right there with you, all right? Focus on my voice. I need you to take a deep breath and activate your Plasma Beam. Focus - you need to focus, Samus!"
With baited breath, the seconds ticked by as Adam watched and waited for signs that he had successfully brought her back from the brink.
"...A-Adam?" She was struggling to breathe. "I'm… in real… trouble here."
He could breathe now, if only for a moment. He provided calm instruction over Ridley's high pitched, angry, screams. "Yes, Samus. It's me. You need to try and focus, understand? You need to push past this and fight!"
Her voice shook uncontrollably as her throat grew tight. "I-I can't... breathe! Ad-"
Suddenly, Adam could do nothing but watch in anger as the vile dragon grasped its arch-rival in its clawed grip and ascended, only to mercilessly scrape her against the walls of the room.
"Samus!" Adam screamed. Anger welled up within him as he pounded his fist into the terminal. He quickly gathered his modified assault rifle, holstered his freeze gun on his hip and prepared to leave the Control Room, when a gun shot suddenly rang out behind him, breaking his ear piece. When he turned to confront his attacker, however, Adam saw nobody. He cursed under his breath. He would no longer be able to communicate with Samus or Anthony. What's more, he wondered who the hell could be brash enough to shoot at him. But that could wait, with Samus being his one and only concern at the moment. Undaunted, Adam continued out of the Control room in haste, en route to the Geothermal Power Plant.
He could only hope that he wasn't too late.
As the Sector Three elevator descended into the Pyrosphere, Adam couldn't relax even for a minute, knowing he was still so far way from the Geothermal Power Plant. The computerized voice overhead only served to increase his anxiety:
"Emergency has been detected within the Geothermal Power Plant. All personnel are to evacuate the area immediately."
Adam quickly checked his meager arsenal. Assault rifle retrofitted with grenade launcher, standard-issue machine gun, and a standard-issue freeze gun. Several clips of ammunition. A few pulse grenades. He was about as ready as he could, or would ever, be given the solitary situation aboard the station. His only hope now was that it would be enough to save Samus from Ridley.
If it wasn't, he sure as hell would die trying...
Samus had yet to snap out of her trauma. Due to the severe mental trauma she was undergoing, coupled with Ridley's barbaric attacks, Samus had lost the ability to generate her Varia Suit and was growing weaker by the minute, the thin armor of the Zero Suit no match for the dragon's tremendous strength and the oppressive heat of the area.
On the ground, Anthony struggled to bring the agile predator into his Plasma Cannon's targeting reticule. The damn thing was just too agile in the air, and the weapon too slow to charge. What's more, the beast was having its way with its hated arch-rival. He had to hurry and get a shot in before it was too late.
Hurry up you damn thing. Hurry up! Hang in there, Princess..., he said to himself while keeping sight of the demented beast.
Finally, after agonizing moments of struggling, Higgs managed to obtain a lock on Ridley, his Plasma Gun now fully charged. "Eat this, asshole!" he screamed before pulling the trigger; a wide blast of pure power shot forth from the cannon and managed to barely clip one of Ridley's wings and dislodge Samus from his talons.
Though the drop was large, Samus managed to land, albeit shakily, on her feet. But she immediately collapsed to her knees in exhaustion. "A-Anthony...get out... of here! Ridley is too powerful for you!"
Anthony remained resolute as he drew Ridley's attention away from Samus by waving his hands in the air. "To hell with that! We do this together, Princess! Now snap out of it and let's tear this bitch up! Hey! Hey, over here, Ridley!"
Samus held herself up with her arms. Sweat and blood beaded on her face and dripped down her forehead. Her arms, peppered with lacerations and bruises, trembled. Her heart, thunderous in her chest, felt like it would burst from fear. Her usually lithe body felt heavy and sluggish. Her breathing came fast and labored. She was absolutely terrified. In a brief moment of clarity, however, she reminded herself of something her adoptive "father" Old Bird used to tell her during her daily training sessions:
"You must always strive to move forward, never backward. Heed these words, my child, and there shall be nothing you cannot accomplish in this life."
His words echoed throughout her shaken consciousness until they became a mantra of healing and rejuvenation. As she looked up from the steel platform, watching Anthony tangle with her sworn enemy, it reawakened the warrior within her. With a trembling hand, she wiped the sweat and blood from her face and gritted her teeth. From the deepest point of her soul, Samus summoned every ounce of will within and rose to her feet. Breathing deep, the hunter pushed beyond her terror and summoned her Varia Suit once more.
Wasting no time in showing Ridley the power of her reawakened wrath, Samus shot a barrage of missiles in Ridley's direction while he swiped and clawed at Anthony. The missiles had targeted the dragon's head, torso, and wings respectively and, once connected, tore into the beast' tough outer carapace. Ridley screeched in pain before spinning around to confront his rival with a vengeance.
Samus stood firm with her Arm Cannon fixed on his head. Remembering the Mystery Creature, Samus maneuvered her hand to activate her Plasma Beam and fired a few quick, piercing shots in Ridley's direction. Ridley growled in pain once more as the shots tore bits and pieces of his purple flesh from his body. But it would take a lot more than a few quick shots to fell the resilient beast, however. From behind the green tint of her Combat Visor, Aran's eyes smoldered with the intensity of a thousand thunderstorms once again. Her eyebrows furrowed together in anger. Her cannon hand clenched the trigger with heavy anticipation. And though she was exhausted and terrified, Samus pushed beyond her terror, swallowed her pain and dashed headlong towards the cunning space dragon, only to pounce on his pterodactyl-like beak and fill his gaping mouth with a blistering shot of charged plasma. The searing pain sent him reeling back on the arena platform. Samus jumped from his beak, her Arm Cannon preparing another Plasma Beam shot.
Samus narrowed her eyes as her body turned cold despite the oppressive heat in the room. There was ice water in her veins. She would show him no mercy, just as he had shown her parents no mercy. Her voice tore feral from the depths of her soul. "Your fight is with me, Ridley! We finish this NOW!"
Anthony joined Samus at her side. "You okay Princess?"
Samus shot him an icy glare. Her voice was one of calm authority. "No. I need you to stay out of this. This is my fight, understand? Stay behind the pillars where it's safe until I say so. You got that?"
Anthony had known Samus for years, and never had he seen her this angry and intense. Her anger raw and her wrath palpable. She had a look in her eyes that Anthony had never seen before, feral and vengeful in its existence. He watched as Samus clenched her hand into a tight fist as her eyes narrowed and eyebrows furrowed together.
A simple nod was all Anthony could muster before retreating towards safety.
Saying nothing, Samus charged towards the beast once more, her Arm Cannon charged to capacity, only to slide underneath his legs as he attempted to grab her and fired another charged Plasma Beam shot into his belly. But the hunter wasn't finished - Samus sent a barrage of Super Missiles into his back, knowing he would be unable to evade them due to the still lingering effects of the Plasma Beam shot. The Super Missiles made contact with his body, blowing large, gaping wounds through his wings.
Ridley screeched in malevolent rage as he swiped at Samus with his tail before spinning around to face her. His head began to undulate back and forth as he glared at Samus with burning spite and intelligence. The mercenary strafed slowly around the arena, around her cunning adversary, trying to feel out his next move. He always had been a cunning sort. She watched him intensely, angrily, as his clawed and spindly talons clenched and relaxed in a heated rhythm. His barbed tail bobbed from side to side like a snake, waiting… waiting with the patience and deadly accuracy of a sniper.
"That was quite the vulgar display of power, Hunter." sneered Ridley. "But I will show you true power." The space dragon made a sound that almost sounded like laughing. "...Just like I showed your mother before I killed her!"
Samus gritted her teeth; a roar, raw and bloody and torn from the very depths of her soul threatening to tear from her throat.
Ridley's face contorted into one of spiteful relish. "Though I do enjoy seeing you squirm - and believe me…I do, " his eyes narrowed with sadistic delight. "it's time to end this feeble game and destroy you once and for all!"
Samus watched as Ridley rocketed into the air despite his injuries and summoned a large, all encompassing fireball from his mouth, and spit it into the center of the platform below.
Samus sprung into the air, narrowly avoiding the super-heated blast as it spread outward, engulfing the arena.
Samus landed gracefully despite her injuries. "It's about time you took this seriously, coward. Let's finish this!"
As the battle between sworn enemies raged, Anthony kept a tight surveillance over the arena from behind his hiding spot, knowing the space dragon would take advantage of even a second of distraction. Watching the bounty hunter and the dragon clash, it was hard for the seasoned warrior to not be swept up in the mysticism that was Samus Aran. The way she moved, so full of graceful urgency, the way she was relentless in her pursuit, the way she could be downright brutal to those who triggered her unbridled wrath... She was almost god-like in her existence.
To his surprise, Samus had grappled onto Ridley's head again and was hanging on for dear life as she waited for an opportunity to fill the dragon's insides with plasma once more. After clawing tooth and nail to hang on to his beak long enough for an opening, Samus spotted her only chance and fired a kill shot of plasma and Super Missiles directly between Ridley's blazing citrus-colored eyes. "I'll see you in hell, Ridley!" she screamed before the beast began to stumble over itself before finally crumbling to the platform floor.
Ridley lay there, unmoving, his purple body ravaged and torn by the fury of his arch enemy.
Sensing victory, Anthony ran towards his best friend to congratulate her on a job well done, when Ridley suddenly sprang to his feet and swung his barbed tail at both Samus and Anthony in a last-ditch attempt to exact his revenge on the vile hunter and her friend and send them both plummeting to the lava bed below. Samus was able to dodge Ridley's attack, but was horrified as she watched the whip-like tail connect with the body of Higgs and send him over the platform to the lava below.
"Anthony!" Samus screamed, her blood boiling like the very lava itself. She watched behind vengeful eyes as the cunning beast craned his neck and blew a stream of white-hot fire from his mouth. Again, Samus evaded his attack with ease. She had grown exhausted, both in body, mind and battling the devil incarnate. But just as she was about to deliver the final blow, Ridley used the opportunity to flee the chamber. He would live to fight another day. Exhausted, Samus collapsed to her knees and fell into a state of unconsciousness.
Adam Malkovich arrived soon after to find Samus unconscious and reverted into her Zero Suit, which appeared damaged and drenched with blood. Despite the searing heat, Adam's immediate thought was one of trepidation and anger - he was too late and because of him, he had lost yet another person close to him on account of a directive. But how was he to know that Ridley would be there waiting for her? He attempted to rationalize as he looked over her body as she lie there face down. He immediately became curious at the sight of the pink symbols on her back. They were slowly pulsing. A glimmer of hope filled him. Maybe he hadn't been too late after all… But he had to make sure. He gently pressed his index and middle finger against the jugular vein in her neck and began checking for a pulse. Relief soon washed over him. There was, in fact, a pulse. Considering the area, Adam knew he had to get Samus, and himself for that matter, somewhere safe; flipping her over onto her back, Adam gently cradled her body in his arms and made haste towards the nearby Navigation room.
Once inside, away from the searing heat, he placed her body gently against the wall. All he could do now was wait...
The seconds turned into minutes. In reality, however, what felt like an eternity to him had only been ten minutes. Samus was still unconscious, but her slow and steady breathing suggested she was merely resting. The various lacerations and contusion scattered throughout her body had already begun to scab over, but Adam decided to clean what wounds he could get to on her just to be safe. He pulled from one of the compartments on his utility belt a simple First-Aid kit, popped it open and pulled from it a small roll of gauze, medical tape and some anti-bacterial ointment. He was careful in applying the clear gel to a particularly big laceration on the hunter's bicep that had yet to start healing before covering the wound with the gauze and taping it off. As Adam addressed what visible injuries he could, he thought he saw one of her eyes twitch, consciousness slowly returning. Adam took a knee in front of her, his hand on her shoulder.
"Samus... can you hear my voice?" he asked gently. "It's Adam, Lady."
Samus elicited a few garbled sounds as she slowly awakened.
A slight smile formed on Adam's lips when he saw her open her eyes. "Looks like you're coming around."
Her voice was weak and disoriented. "...Adam...? Where... am I?"
"You're inside the Navigation Booth closest to the Geothermal Power Plant - I brought you here after finding you unconscious there. I addressed what injuries I could while waiting for you to wake up." Adam's facial expression turned into concern. "What happened to Captain Higgs?"
Samus covered her face with her right hand, the mere mention of Anthony's name causing her to feel uncontrollable sadness and anger, as tears welled in her eyes. "Stupid Anthony… why didn't you listen to me?! You fucking idiot!"
"Samus, what happened?" Adam repeated calmly.
Samus tried to conceal her tears. "I told Anthony to stay behind the pillars until I took care of Ridley. I didn't want him to risk his life. I didn't tell him to leave his post after I defeated Ridley - I wanted to be absolutely sure he was dead. But Anthony left his post anyway to congratulate me. And that's when that son of a bitch suddenly lashed out at us with his tail. I evaded the attack, but Anthony wasn't so lucky. If he had listened to me earlier, he'd still be here!"
Adam could only squeeze Samus' shoulder in hopes that the simple gesture provided some comfort to the exhausted and distraught mercenary. He knew just how much Anthony meant to her, to him. And though she was initially frosty towards then 1st Lieutenant Higgs the first time they met, they ultimately became close - like Adam, Higgs grew protective over her, similar to a big brother watching out for his little sister. Next to Adam, Anthony was the only other person to have shared a close relationship with Samus.
With Anthony now gone, all but one of Malkovich's men had been wiped out within the solitary confines of the Bottle Ship in one way or another. And the whereabouts of the only known survivor of the Bottle Ship were still unknown. The fulfillment of the mission now rested on the shoulders of Commander Malkovich and Samus Aran. What's more, the tyrannical beast Ridley, though heavily wounded, was running loose within the ship and most likely plotting his next plan of attack. At this point, he was as much of a threat as the Deleter, who Adam now had a clearer understanding of. It had to be none other than Intelligence Officer, James Pierce. Adam felt the bitter taste of betrayal in his mouth. For the Federation, the only "family" he'd ever known, to implement an assassin into his unit who took the lives of his brothers-in-arms, was downright atrocious. He'd given the Federation everything he had. It was the only life he'd ever known. And now, they wanted to take it all way in order to keep their shady practices a secret.
Regardless of his personal feelings of betrayal, however, Adam knew he still had a mission to complete. And he would complete it, one way or another. As Commander, he issued his next directive. "It's all up to us now, Samus. It's risky, and I say that because I have no way of staying in contact with you, but I think we should split up. I want you to locate the female survivor you encountered earlier. Pierce is more than likely actively targeting her now. It is imperative that you find her and secure her safety. Head to the Bio-Weapon Research Center located within Sector One. That was her last known location. I'll take care of the Rat."
The word he had so vehemently chosen. Rat. In her understanding of Malkovich, Samus knew how he operated. He was a firm believer in trust, and to put his trust into someone meant he respected them. It was not something he just blindly handed out to anyone, however. So to receive Adam Malkovich's trust (and ultimately respect,) was a momentous event for the person determined enough to want it. Should the person break that trust, however, and they were considered dead to him. And James Pierce had committed the ultimate crime as far as Malkovich was concerned. He had betrayed him and killed his men - the penalty for such a crime could be nothing less than death.
"Understood, Adam." her eyes found his as he stood, towering over her.
He courteously extended his hand. "Can you stand?"
Samus brushed his hand away slowly, "Yes."
Now on her feet, Samus could see him better. His gray eyes were calm, his expression stoic, as usual. "...Adam, thank you. I owe you my life."
True to his nature, Adam remained modest. "If you owe anyone, it's the Chozo. I cannot accept such a debt."
Samus scoffed at him. "Damn it, there you go with that modesty again. You know I hate it when you do that."
Adam managed a grin. "Why do you think I do it?"
Samus shook her head and sighed as she drew her arms out in front of her and focused on summoning her Varia Suit. Within seconds, the Chozo armor materialized on her body and bonded to her both inside and out. With her suit now online, Samus stepped on the Navigation platform and refilled her empty Energy Tanks and ammunition before heading for the door.
Adam approached her from behind, assault rifle in hand. "Let's go, Lady."