Metroid: Mission Alpha

Episode 28: A Friend in Need

After fighting the robot M-01 in the Desert region of the planet Mysteke, Samus and Alpha had been alerted of its presence in the Rainfall region. Led by the same glowing creature they had encountered before, they returned to the Central region using a teleporter. "That teleporter will take you to the Rainfall region," the creature pointed to a machine nearby. So Samus and Alpha went inside the machine.

A moment later, the two of them were in a dreary area. Clouds filled the sky, and raindrops fell steadily, gently hitting the wet ground. "It seems you're now in the Rainfall region," Michael said, "The water there is constantly in a state of precipitation and evaporation. It appears that rain is always falling, yet the area never floods."

"Speaking of water, if M-01 comes here, it must be waterproof," Samus replied, "That's not good for us."

"Not good? So you encountered M-01?" Michael asked.

"Yes, and it threatened to destroy all life in its path. I think something is wrong."

"…Well, I agree. If M-01 has gone rogue somehow, it needs to be stopped before it hurts someone!"

Samus looked up upon hearing a bark from Alpha. She saw that he was running and seemed to have found something. "I'll fill you in later. Alpha has found something," she told Michael, and she followed Alpha, stopping where he stood looking down at something. "Alpha, what-" she cut off when she saw what had been found. There, lying on the ground, was a small rabbit-like creature. It looked just like the floating, glowing creature but was not glowing or transparent.

Dropping to her knees, Samus took a closer look at the creature, noticing that it was injured. "Oh no…what happened here? Are we too late?" she said worriedly, but then was relieved to see slight movement of the creature's side. "Wait, it's still breathing," she carefully scooped up the limp creature, "but it looks hurt. We need to get it to safety."

Suddenly, the glowing creature appeared, looking down at the injured creature with concern and sadness. "That is Harmony. I am her sister, Melody. Harmony is an orphan. Just a few days ago, M-01 began its destruction and attacked our family. Our parents and I did not survive, but Harmony escaped. She has been struggling to survive as she is not quite old enough to eat solid foods. Now M-01 has attacked her…she is tired, injured, hungry, and lonely. Please, help my sister." Then Melody vanished.

"So that creature-or Melody-had already died? Does that mean she's…?" Samus wondered. Alpha and she looked at each other in surprise. Then, at that moment, Harmony slowly opened her eyes. Remembering the situation she was in, she began to cry. Samus cradled the little creature in her arms. "Shh. It's okay. You're safe now," she soothed. Harmony stopped crying and looked up at her. Realizing that Samus had found her and wanted to help her, she relaxed and leaned into her embrace.

Samus gazed down at the little weakened creature she held, a warmth filling her heart. Harmony had lost her family in an attack at a young age, just as the bounty hunter had, and had been left alone but rescued. Samus felt a caring connection toward this little one, something she had not experienced since finding the Metroid hatchling. She knew it was her job to care for Harmony like an adoptive mother for now. Don't worry, Harmony, she thought, You'll be safe as long as you're with us. I'll make sure of it.

Suddenly, a blur zipped across the landscape and stopped in front of them, showing that it was M-01. Harmony screeched and clung to Samus in fear. M-01 pointed its arm cannon forward and fired a laser. Samus jumped out of its way, but since her arms were full, she could not fight back. So she gently placed Harmony on Alpha's back and directed him, "Run and get Harmony to a safe place. I'll take care of M-01." Alpha nodded and set off. M-01 chased after him, but Samus leapt into the path of its lasers, taking the hits. Noticing that Alpha had stopped with concern for her, she called out, "Don't worry about me! Keep going!" Reluctantly, the Snacanid moved on.

Seeing that the evil robot was only focused on her, Samus quickly regained her composure and leapt away from the lasers. Then she fired an Ice Beam, which M-01 dodged. It rushed at her in an attempt at a charging attack, but she caught it. The two of them tried to overcome one another but neither side backed down, so they both jumped back at once. "Fighting me is futile. You will be destroyed," came the robotic voice from M-01.

"I don't think so!" Samus charged at the machine using a Screw Attack. It moved aside and stuck the spinning Samus with a few laser beams. She fell back, but while her suit had taken some damage, it still had plenty of energy left. So, the battle continued.

Meanwhile, Alpha arrived at a tree with a large hole in the trunk. He carefully let Harmony crawl to the ground inside the tree. He shook the water from his fur and rested inside the trunk. Harmony stayed beside him, clinging to his drenched fur. The Snacanid curled up around her, doing his best to keep her warm in the cool weather. As he lay there, he noticed the mysterious scarf had appeared faintly around his neck again. Staring at it, he pondered what its purpose might be, as it had not been revealed.

Samus and M-01 refused to give up. The robot continuously shot lasers, and Samus continued to use her multitude of weapons. Finally, as the robot was changing its aim to match its opponent's movements, the bounty hunter managed to land a direct hit from her released Grappling Beam. M-01 sparked upon the blow and then fell. "I won't let you win," Samus remarked, "as long as you have destructive intentions. Don't you remember? You were built to protect Mysteke!"

"I remember no such thing," M-01 muttered. Then, despite the damage done to it, it was able to fly away at a blinding speed.

Samus looked up, watching the swift metallic blur vanish into the rainy sky. There really is something wrong with that robot, she thought to herself.

Melody appeared beside Samus at that moment. "M-01 seems to be leaving this region. I'll lead you back to Alpha and Harmony." She led Samus across the remainder of the field and to the tree where Alpha and Harmony were staying. Both of the creatures looked up and made a joyful sound.

Samus had a good feeling when she saw how happy the two were to see her. She lifted and hugged Harmony, who, despite her weakness, gave a hug back. The bounty hunter patted Alpha's head as he ran to her. "I'm glad to see you two safe," she told them.

"M-01 has moved to the Dark region now," Melody spoke up, "There's a teleporter nearby, as before. The Dark region is a dangerous place, so please be careful." Then she took Harmony's front paws in hers and looked into her eyes. "I love you, sister. I will always be with you. Please hang in there." Then she was gone.

Samus, Alpha, and Harmony saw the teleporter a short distance away, so they went inside and then returned to the Central region. Melody was already awaiting them there. "Bad news," she said, "Somehow, M-0 and M-01 have created a barrier blocking your way off the planet. They have also trapped the rest of our kind that is in hiding."

"That is bad," Samus responded, "I don't want Harmony to get hurt again, so I'll take her to my ship where it's safer. But I don't have anything to feed her there…will she be all right?"

Melody looked sorrowful yet hopeful. "I hope so…our only choice is to hurry and stop these evil machines. I'll keep watch over Harmony when I can."

So Samus and Alpha went into the Gunship. Samus set Harmony on a soft cushion and placed a bowl of water beside her. "We'll be back before you know it, Harmony," she reassured her, "Just rest and try to hang in there." Then Alpha and she set off for the Dark region.

(Original story from September 2017)