Metroid: Mission Alpha
Episode 3: Lavolca Infiltration
Having been sent to Lavolca to search for any signs of an evil plot, Samus and Alpha rode toward the planet in the Gunship. Alpha gulped down his Snacanid food while Samus controlled the Gunship. The armored bounty hunter glanced at her new ally, realizing that he was indeed a good friend. Already she felt a strong bond with him, just as he felt toward her. She may not have been able to save her family and many of her past friends from tragedy, but she could make sure that didn't happen to Alpha. So she vowed to herself that she would protect him with all her power.
Michael's voice spoke up from the CM. "Samus, we've discovered some unusual volcanic activity on Lavolca-we think it should be investigated."
"All right, we'll check it out when we get there," Samus replied. Then, looking at Alpha, she said, "Are you ready for our first mission together, Alpha?" The Snacanid, who had just finished drinking his water, yipped in agreement.
Before long, the Gunship landed on Lavolca. Samus and Alpha came out of it and went into the cave. Right away they noticed that lava was flowing and spouting in pools that had previously been dry. "Michael was right. These volcanoes were supposed to stay dormant, but now they're suddenly active. I don't think this is natural. We'd better investigate, but first I'm going to need my Gravity Suit," Samus said. She pushed a button on her arm cannon. Then, her Power Suit changed into the Gravity Suit with a white light. It looked the same as before except it was pink instead of orange.
Samus and Alpha started to move through the cave. They saw nothing out of the ordinary at first, but eventually they came to a wall of lava. "This is definitely suspicious," Samus said, "Someone is trying to keep us out, but with my Gravity Suit and your Fire ability, they won't succeed." Alpha's eyes turned orange and an orange glow surrounded his body, and then Samus and he walked through the lava wall unharmed.
Meanwhile, in his hideout, Master Greblai spoke with a few of his workers, the Greblai race. "Master Greblai, our sensors picked up a reading of two life forms that got past our wall of lava! One is some kind of armored being and the other has been identified as a Snacanid," one Greblai reported.
"I figured they would be coming back," Master Greblai said seriously, "Don't worry, I already know what to do about this."
"Understood, Master. Do you know who the armored being might be?"
"Yes…that is, in fact, the woman you recently encountered, only now in armor that gives her much more power. She is Samus, the so-called great bounty hunter. She's a tough one and must not be underestimated. Now, this is my plan…"
Not far away, Samus and Alpha had traveled beyond the point where they had met only days before. When they came to an area that appeared to be a settlement, they knew enemies may be nearby. "I think we're almost there," Samus told Michael through her speaker, "We have discovered a settlement."
"Indeed, there are life forms all around you. Be careful," Michael replied.
"Understood," Samus said. That was one thing she liked about Michael compared to some other HQ leaders she'd had before-he didn't talk too much on missions and always got right to the point.
Soon, Samus and Alpha came to a large room. They looked inside and saw Master Greblai and his workers, which frightened Alpha somewhat. "It's those aliens!" Samus said softly, "Stay here where it's safer. I'll take care of them." Though Alpha was concerned about Samus's safety, he obeyed and watched her enter the room.
Little did Samus know that the Greblai were already expecting her arrival. When she came into the room, Master Greblai stood from his throne and spoke English. "Ah, Samus…we have been expecting you," he said slyly.
"How do you know my name?" Samus asked, pointing her arm cannon forward.
"Why, I have heard about you, of course. I am Master Greblai, leader of the Greblai race. Where is your Snacanid friend?"
"That's none of your business! If you have any plans to hurt him, you can just forget about it!"
"Catching onto us, are you? Well, we can't have that. Workers, attack!" The Greblai workers followed Master Greblai's command and ran at Samus, swarming around her. Samus had no trouble knocking them away with shots from her arm cannon. However, while she was distracted, one Greblai leapt forward and hit her visor with so much force that it shattered. After another series of shots, the Greblai retreated.
The scales on Master Greblai's body quivered, and an unusual scent filled the air. Samus was unsure what it was, but without her visor, she couldn't avoid breathing it in. As she sent a few more shots at the evil Greblai, she suddenly felt drowsy. She tried to fight it off and continue the battle, but the drowsiness was too great, and everything went blank.
The next thing Samus noticed was warm fur brushing against her cheek. Slowly opening her eyes, she saw Alpha's friendly face looking down at her. She stood up carefully as her balance steadied-fortunately, the drowsiness had mostly subsided. Samus could tell when she looked around that her Gravity Suit was gone, as well as her Paralyzer, and Alpha and she were in a kind of cell. "Alpha, what happened? Where is my suit?" she asked, but since Alpha couldn't speak, she continued, "The Greblai must have it. I thought they wanted to capture you-how did you get us away from them?"
Alpha picked up a weapon lying on the floor with his teeth and showed it to Samus. It was the Paralyzer! "You used my Paralyzer to stop them? You're a smart boy," Samus petted Alpha's head and took the Paralyzer, and Alpha wagged his tail. "Now we have to find a way out of this cell so we can get my suit back," Samus said.
"Samus, is everything all right? Your location hasn't changed in almost an hour," Michael's voice said just then.
Samus was relieved that the Greblai hadn't found her speaker. "We're fine. There was an unexpected event and my Power Suit was taken, and we're locked in a cell."
"Got it. Before you try to escape, there's a life form coming." Everyone was silent as a Greblai guard walked by, watching Samus and Alpha as he passed them. A few minutes later, Michael said, "Okay, the coast is clear."
"Thanks, Michael. We're going now," Samus said. Immediately after, Alpha had an idea. His eyes turned green and a green glow surrounded his body. Then, vines sprouted through the floor just in front of the cell's bars. They twisted and turned their way to the lock and went into the keyhole like a key, unlocking the door before disappearing back into the dirt. "Good job, Alpha. Now that we're free we can start searching," Samus said.
Samus and Alpha left the cell and went in the direction opposite of where the Greblai guard had gone. Though Samus had much less firepower and fewer abilities without her Power Suit, there were some advantages. This way, she was more agile and could move more quickly and quietly, making it easier to remain unnoticed at times like these. Still, though, she had little defense without the protective suit, making missions more dangerous. Even now, Alpha was there to protect her, but since his abilities were useless against the Greblai, there was not much improvement. Continuing on was the only option; it was dangerous but necessary.
Soon the two of them came to a room that was blocked by another wall of lava. They stopped. "I can't go through that lava without my Gravity Suit," Samus said, worried, "Now what will we do?" Alpha knew the answer to that. He used his Fire ability and his eyes flashed. Then the lava wall parted and flowed out of the way.
Samus was impressed. "I didn't know you could control the elements, along with being able to wield them," she told Alpha, "Your abilities truly are useful!" The two of them started to go into the room, which appeared to be a long hallway, but right then they heard a loud crashing sound from behind them. They gasped and looked back, seeing a large shadow approaching in the distance. Instinctively they started to run, not daring to look back and see just what they were running from…
What is chasing Samus and Alpha? Will Samus find her Power Suit and escape? Find out in episode 4!
(Original story from July-August 2016)