Chapter 10: Revelations

Hidden deep within Sector One was the Bio-weapon Research Center, a Class 5 Restricted Zone accessible only by Bottle Ship personnel. On Samus' first trip through the Biosphere, the door leading to the Bio-weapon Research Center had been sealed. On her second visit to the area, however, Samus found that someone - or something - had managed to access the security clearance needed to open the restricted area.

Samus entered the elevator that would take her further into the research center and performed a quick weapons check and suit analysis. Going through diagnostics for her weapons and suit, she couldn't help but wonder - with some apprehension - what was waiting for her within the Bio-Weapon Research Center. Failed experiments kept in stasis tanks? Free-roaming and violent organisms with a thirst for blood? Or nothing but a bunch of data terminals and documents concerning the researcher's experiments? As the elevator stopped and the doors opened, Samus stepped lightly through the corridor and into the main room of the research center.

A large computer mainframe stood in the center of the dimly-lit room and was surrounded by smaller terminals on either side of the room. Large wall monitors displayed vital information regarding the facilities. On the left hand side of the main computer terminal was a bank of stairs and door leading further into the research center. On the right of it was another room used for storage. Stepping down the staircase, Samus quietly approached the main computer terminal and began to interact with it.

She was greeted to the splash screen of the Galactic Federation, and asked to verify her security clearance, of which she had none. No matter, she thought to herself. It was through the wonders of the advanced software within her suit that she was able to hack into nearly any data terminal she interfaced with, be it Space Pirate or Federation. So it came to be of no surprise to her when the information regarding the key code flashed on the HUD of her visor within a matter of seconds; her fingers danced across the letters E, K, and Y of the alpha-numeric keypad as her heart beat with anticipation. Suddenly, to her complete surprise, both the screen of the terminal and the ones on the walls flashed a red ERROR! Message.

What the? An error? Something isn't right…, she thought to herself and input the 10-digit key code once more. Another ERROR! message. Her emotions bordered on frustration now. Somebody had been through here already and hacked into the security system and changed the key code to open the left side door, as well access critical information regarding the facility and the station's Sectors. At this point in the mission, what with everything that happened to the other members of the 7th Squad, Samus had a clear understanding of who it could have been. "The Rat," James Pierce. Samus wondered if he was still in this very facility. With her back to the terminal, her Arm Cannon trained in front of her, Samus began a cautious sweep of the immediate area.

Her feet clicked gently against the polished metal floor as she moved throughout the area looking for any sign of Pierce.

The keen observer in her soon noticed a slight discoloring of the polished floor panels next to the staircase leading to the research center entryway. Bringing up her Scan Visor, analysis quickly indicated the faded substance as blood. Not from a creature, but from a human being... Realizing both she and Adam could now very well be in potential danger, Samus opened a channel to Adam's comm system, but quickly remembered he had no way of communicating. She cursed under her breath.

As she crouched against the staircase, Samus was about to stand when she thought she smelled something vile and putrid, like it had been festering for awhile. The smell seemed to be coming from underneath the staircase; Samus could make out the silhouette of something bulky underneath, and reached inside the darkness, well aware that it could be a creature in waiting. Instead, she grasped at what felt like a foot. Gently pulling the foot, and ultimately body, toward her, Samus soon discovered the rancid corpse of the Deleter himself, James Pierce. A large portion of his armor was missing, a large chunk of his neck and shoulder were missing, presumably eaten by a large, predatory beast. The orange visor of his helmet had been crushed, his face stained with blood.

His wounds suggest a cooperative assault. But for all I know, he merely could have killed himself, and was later processed by a wandering bio-form.

It was the smell that had told her something was amiss. After experiencing it so many times during her travels, Samus thought she would never be able to get that all-too-familiar smell from her nostrils.

Samus got to her feet when, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted the blond girl she met earlier within the Cryosphere, standing in the doorway leading to the storage room. Strangely, she appeared to be quite calm and collected, her eyes remaining focused on her unexpected visitor. Stepping from the doorway, the woman slowly approached Samus. Instincts called to Aran to raise her weapon, but the hunter restrained her suspicion and continued to watch the girl slowly approach her.

The girl stood in front of Samus, tilting her head to look up at the towering mercenary. Samus immediately noticed the red blotches on the woman's long white coat and became concerned. "Are you all right?"

The girl's eyes averted from Samus' imposing figure as her mind drifted back to that horrible moment in which she had gone into hiding and feared for her safety. She looked to be on the verge of tears. Her voice trembled. "...I was so scared. I-I had no choice."

Samus placed her hand on the frightened woman's arm, her voice one of compassion. "Don't worry, you're safe now. It's all right. Can you tell me your name? My name is Samus Aran."

The woman's eyes met Samus once more, appearing to be contemplating her choice of responses. Her fear had vanished without a trace; in its place was the straight-faced, emotionless look of an android. "...My name is... Madeline Bergman."

Suddenly it all became clear to Samus: James had wanted to kill the person responsible for directing the project for fear that she may come forward and expose it, therefore putting a black mark on the Federation forever. Somehow, she had managed to defend herself and kill Pierce in the process. That would explain the blood on her coat, Samus concluded.

"So you're the one in charge of the Bio-Weapon Militarization Project?" Samus asked, her hand coming to rest at her side once more.

The woman simply nodded. Then, she walked over to the main computer terminal and activated the mainframe without so much as a single error message. "...Behind closed doors, the Galactic Federation was trying to create a Special Forces unit composed of bio-weapons. They were attempting to create an organization modeled after the Space Pirates, with the Cyborg Zebesians at the center. But, because of a certain... presence, the other life-forms became ferocious. We were no longer able to control them..."

By a certain presence, she must have meant Ridley..., Samus confirmed to herself. "So you're the one who sent the distress signal?" Samus asked aloud.

Madeline continued to type and access file upon file of confidential documents. "I had no choice. The lives of myself and everyone else were in real danger here. Who knows what would have happened if the situation were to be left as is..."

Suddenly, Madeline's fingers stopped and she glanced at Samus over her shoulder. "But that's not the worst of it. The Federation had an even more dangerous ambition..."

Her fingers danced across the keypad once more, moving with fevered urgency.

And with the sudden appearance of a splash screen, Samus felt her heart burst with palpable fear.

Metroid Militarization Project
[PMW: Project Metroid Warriors]
Concerning the feasibility of Metroids as military bioweapons.

Samus gripped the back of the chair and lunged her torso forward in an attempt to make sure her eyes weren't deceiving her. The words were as clear as day and as ominous as the blood red skies of the Pyrosphere. Samus retracted in anger and disbelief. Using far less dangerous creatures as potential bio-weapons was one thing, but trying to shamelessly turn Metroids into weapons was another thing altogether. It was hypocrisy in its truest form - it was the Federation that had originally contracted her to eliminate the species, and now they wanted to harness the creatures for the sake of military applications? The Federation had become no better than those wretched Space Pirates she had risked life and limb to exterminate!

Samus felt anger tear unbridled from her throat. "What?! But how? The Metroids were terminated along with Planet Zebes!"

And the last of their kind, the Hatchling, met its tragic end above my head.

Despite feeling Samus' palpating anger, Madeline stayed reserved. "...You're the one who destroyed the Space Pirates on Planet Zebes, right? According to this report taken shortly after you were found, Metroid DNA was discovered on parts of your suit and collected by Federation scientists while you were unconscious. The Metroids were reproduced from the sample found on your suit. What's more, they are being stored in this very facility..."

Samus could hold her anger back no longer. "Un-fucking believable. How many people must die for the sake of military power?! The Federation has become no better than the fucking Space Pirates! That must also be the same way Ridley was re-created..." The bitter taste of betrayal soon filled her mouth. It would be a cold day in hell before she would ever be able to dislodge the knife from her back. Her anger only surged further with the remembrance of the Science Officer and his snide comments. He had been the one to collect the DNA of Ridley and the Metroids on her suit. Samus clenched her hand into a trembling fist - what she wouldn't give right now to blow his fucking head off.

Madeline remained almost emotionless as she continued to access the databank. "At first no one thought that the creature was Ridley. They didn't think it had potential as a bio-weapon at all. They raised it like a pet, calling it "Little Birdie." Until one day... It attacked one of the researchers and got away. Ridley had played dead and lured the scientist into his cage. What was left... was a horrible sight."

That would explain why the creature had just stared at her with spite the first time they met. The creature affectionately named "Little Birdie" had been none other than Ridley, albeit in his most basic, infantile form. Little Birdie had then transformed into the Mystery Creature Samus was ambushed by within the Biosphere Test Area. It all made perfect sense to her now.

However, there was another issue that still needed clarification. Samus spoke with urgency. She had to know. "In order to control Metroids, the Federation would need the telepathy of Mother Brain... Please tell me you and your team didn't create a Mother Brain clone... Did you?"

Madeline stayed silent for a moment. A moment too long as far as Samus was concerned. Madeline's silence had simply confirmed what Samus dreaded most.

Madeline drew a sigh. "...I'm sorry. I know you're angry, but please listen. I have a lot more to tell you. We developed an AI program that would reproduce Mother Brain's thought processes. We called it 'MB.' MB evolved as it communicated with the Metroids. It appears as though it began to become self-aware... much like the original Mother Brain. It's really quite remarkable..."

Samus turned her back to Madeline and headed for the door. She was much too angry to listen to any more of this nightmare turned reality.

Madeline rose, her hand reaching out to the seething bounty hunter. "Please wait! Please!" she begged.

Samus stopped just shy of the door. Her voice was one of cold intent. "...I could kill you if I wanted to - and I probably should. You're no better than the Space Pirates. And that makes you my enemy. You've got five seconds to tell me where the Metroids and Mother Brain are before I blow that head of yours clean off. Do you understand?"

Madeline was taken aback by the hunter's icy tone and threat of termination. Her voice trembled. "P-please... don't kill me. If I tell you, will you spare my life?"

"Just tell me before I change my mind..."

"They are in an area called Sector Zero. It's a unit that doesn't appear in any of our map data. It's a near perfect replica of Tourian where we raise and propagate Metroids. The entrance to Sector Zero is located within the Cryosphere."

"...Fine. The Federation Army CO in charge of this mission will be here shortly to secure your safety. Consider yourself lucky…"

Madeline took a breath as Samus continued to leave. Something, however, told the enraged Hunter to stay.

"...Does the Commander happen to be... General Adam Malkovich?"

Samus glanced over her shoulder. "What do you know about General Malkovich?"

Samus couldn't see it, but Madeline's eyes soon filled with a calculating glare. "...He is the leader of this operation."

Aran's vision burned red, her every nerve exploding with unrestrained anger as she spun around. The very room itself seemed to tremble before her wrath. "You... liar!" she screamed before firing consecutive power beam shots in Madeline's direction. To her frustration, Samus merely destroyed the main computer terminal in the room; Madeline had sealed herself inside the storage room of the facility.

Amidst a shroud of smoking electrical components, Samus silently left the room. In the corridor, she approached the elevator on the far side and promptly entered.

Back in Sector One, the elevator doors opened and Samus stepped out into the cold, metal corridor. As luck would have it, she encountered Adam mere moments after stepping from the elevator. Samus tried to compose herself in an attempt to hide the anger and betrayal that burned in her heart. "...I found Madeline Bergman and James inside the research center. James is dead. I found him decomposing underneath the staircase in the center's entryway." Samus confirmed. Despite her best efforts, she could hear traces of anger surfacing in her voice. "What's more, Madeline told me the Federation is attempting to militarize Metroids for use in their Zebesian-inspired special forces unit, which all the creatures here are to be apart of. The idiots also created a clone of Mother Brain." Then, as her voice returned to calm, Samus uttered the question her heart yearned to ask, "Adam... what I'm about to ask you, I want the truth. Are you the leader of the Federation's twisted PMW project?"

Adam stood there clutching his assault rifle. His expression remained rather stoic before his eyebrows furrowed together and his gray eyes grew dark underneath the dim lights of the corridor. "What are you talking about?" he asked calmly.

There was an almost frightening finality within her voice as she shook her head. "I don't have time for games, Adam. I'm on my way to Sector Zero to destroy the Metroids and MB. Just tell me - yes or no?"

Adam's eyes remained clear and focused on her. "No, Samus. The answer is no," he began and took a small step towards her; the grip on his weapon relaxed just a bit. His voice was calm and hinted at nothing. "I received a request from Supreme Chairman Keaton to write a detailed report outlining the potential dangers of implementing such a program into defense forces. In that report, I explained categorically why it should not be attempted. The most important of which was the fact that other systems might take the implementation of such a program to mean the Federation was attempting to attain galaxy-wide omnipotence; the other being the belief that living things should not be used as a weapon. It is a belief held not only by myself, but many others within the Federation. The Chairman listened. But it was soon discovered after the fact that a rogue group within the Federation co-opted my report for its own purposes. That led to the Senate approving the program. In a way, you could say this whole thing was my fault."

Samus unconsciously reached out to him, but resisted at the last moment. "No, Adam. Don't say that. None of this was your fault."

Samus thought she heard him chuckle briefly deep in his throat.

Though she should have felt a sense of closure on this matter, her heart still felt a sense of unease. Of… agony? Yes, agony. As if it were being crushed in a vice. Gazing at Adam she suddenly had an ominous feeling that this would be the last time they would ever be this close again. A knot formed in the depths of her stomach as she started past him. "I have to get going, Adam…"

Adam felt a tinge of concern as his eyebrows furrowed with perturbation again. "The mission isn't over yet, Samus. Where the hell do you think you're going?" He reached out to her. That brash military part of him wanted her to stay to simply be able to fulfill their mission. The other part, that part he had been fighting with for years, wanted her to stay because the thought of her not around scared the shit out of him. She was all he had left and to lose her… he figured he may as well be dead.

Samus spun around on her heal. Her voice suddenly rose in frustration, "Damn it, Adam. I'm going into Sector Zero to put an end to this shit, and there's a good chance I won't be coming out alive! And don't try to stop me!" Samus fixed her Arm Cannon on her former CO.

Adam remained indifferent to her show of force. Instead, he began to walk towards her. "I learned a long time ago that trying to stop you is useless, Lady." He continued to step towards her, and she stepped back, cannon still poised at his head. "I also learned something else." He casually brushed the Arm Cannon aside.

"Damn you…!" In a moment of mental lapse, Samus was unable to maintain her Varia Suit and reverted back to her Zero Suit. Samus found herself against Adam's form in an embrace forged from the fires of fear and long repressed love. And for Adam, it suddenly felt like he was reliving that one, crystallizing moment in his life that had truly made him feel alive and with purpose. Adam drew his arms around her form, his hands coming to rest against the small of her back.

His voice was unusually soft and deep as their eyes found one another. Adam gazed deep into those burning blue-green eyes. "The Chozo were right in selecting you as the guardian of the galaxy - clearly they sensed something within you from the very beginning. It's this power that allows you to defy doubt and reign supreme. So, don't tell me you won't be coming back. And when you do... I'll be waiting, my Lady."

Something followed Adam's speech that Samus had never expected in a centi-cycle - Adam's lips, suddenly brushing against hers, and lingering there for a few, breathless seconds. Samus closed her eyes, unsure of what to make of Adam's still lingering lips as they played across hers in an almost shy manner.

Samus attempted to regain her bearings, the unexpected kiss having left her focus shaken. She could still taste him in her mouth as she cleared her throat. She tried to remain indifferent to what had just happened, but inside, she felt as if her mind would explode. She couldn't let him see how much that kiss had affected her; she wasted no time in activating her Varia Suit, forgetting that she was still in Adam's arms. Luckily, he was quick enough to let go just as the suit began to materialize over her body. As the visor on her suit turned from clear to green, Adam heard her voice filtered through her helmet. "...I wouldn't get too close to me, Adam. Unless you have a death wish..."

Like Samus, it was time for Adam to greet reality once more. "We'll see about that. At any rate, it's imperative that you listen to what I have to tell you. It could be the very thing separating life from death."

"Go on, I'm listening."

Adam had returned to full-on Commander Mode, his stance and voice full of calm authority. "Bergman failed to mention a couple of key pieces of information to you, Samus. The Metroids contained within Sector Zero most likely cannot be frozen. This is understandable - to manufacture defective weapons would be suicide, and the Federation was keenly aware of this. Which is why they aggressively began research on ways to eliminate this mortal weakness to cold. Over time, they managed to eliminate this weakness through genetic manipulation..."

"What?! Why would she leave that out?" Samus cursed under her breath. "That bitch. And how do you know this?"

Adam crossed his arms. "Shortly after the program was implemented, I received a copy of my report. The scientists who co-opted it discussed the feasibility of unfreezable Metroids as military weapons. That's when I brought it to the attention of Chairman Keaton that something was amiss. By that time, however, it was too late. As to why Bergman would leave that out, your guess is as good as mine. Perhaps she anticipated that you would end up trying to destroy them on your own, thereby luring you into a trap. But, who can say?"

Adam gripped his assault rifle tightly. "Samus, I have one last mission for you. While I secure the survivors here, you need to engage the self destruct protocol within Sector Zero - if the sector accumulates too much damage, the self-destruct protocol is automatically activated. You have approximately 60 seconds to escape before the sector detaches from the station and explodes. Any objections, Lady?"

Out of respect and understanding, Samus promptly gave Adam a thumbs down and a snicker before making haste down the long corridor, en route to the Cryosphere and Sector Zero, where her mettle, determination and will to survive would soon be put to the ultimate test.