Metroid: Mission Alpha
Episode 44: For a Friend
Last time, Samus and Alpha had just landed on HQ's planet when Master Silhouite appeared in the Gunship. Samus battled him fiercely, but with a new power the villain managed to succeed and escaped with Alpha. Now, it's up to Samus to rescue Alpha…
As soon as the Gunship landed on Lavolca, Samus felt the ground shake from beneath the ship. She saw spouts of lava rising from the surface. "The volcanic activity has become very strong," she said to herself, "I bet it's connected with Master Silhouite's increase in power somehow. Better use my Gravity Suit for this mission." So Samus switched to the more protective suit and hastily began her search for Alpha.
The armored hunter raced through the rooms of the Lavolcian cave without looking back. Nothing will stop me from getting to Alpha! she thought with determination. However, it was clear that the Lavolcian security was going to try to stop her. Lasers from the walls of one room fired about at the intruder; she jumped, moved to the side, and flipped to evade them. She was able to make it to a ledge where she was safely out of range.
At the moment she came to the next room, Samus became aware that she was not alone. Then she spotted a group of Silhouites moving after her in pursuit. She may have been found, but Samus wasn't going to let herself be caught. She had to get away-Alpha's life depended on it! So, when the Silhouites began to charge at her, Samus activated her Lightning Armor; a green light surrounded her body that protected her from damage. When the Silhouites attacked, their attacks were absorbed by the barrier.
With her counter strengthened by the ability, Samus countered the Silhouites, knocking them back. They persisted, so Samus knew she had to try another ability. She activated the Phase Drift, filling the room with purple light and slowing down everything in the room except her. The Silhouites, the lava spouts-all moved very slowly, allowing the adventurer to escape with ease. She waited until she was a good distance away before deactivating the ability.
Several rooms later, Samus saw a crevice in the wall near the floor. Knowing it would be a good way to move ahead while remaining unseen, she morphed into a ball and rolled inside. The tunnel soon ended at a wall, but there was another leading upward. Samus used the Spider Ball, allowing her to latch onto the terrain and roll up the wall. The wall led to a platform that ended the tunnel.
When Samus reached the next room she came out of ball form, but she was still not safe. From the walls of this room came more lasers from every side. Samus again hopped over the offenses, making her way quickly across the room. She moved forward until she saw a ledge not too high above. Launching herself up to it, she gripped onto it. The lasers seemed to stop firing, so she pulled herself up onto the ledge and looked down. The lasers had detected her movement out of range and were no longer a threat.
In the next room, the lone adventurer found lava spouting viciously from the ground. The lava covered the floor like water in a flood and was rising fast. Thankfully Samus's Gravity Suit fully protected her from the scalding liquid, so she continued ahead in spite of it. As she ran she knew she was still injured from her recent battle with Master Silhouite. However, she was not going to let that stop her, and Alpha's peril invigorated her.
By the time Samus entered the next room, the sea of lava was up to her waist. She still had not seen or heard any signs of Alpha or Master Silhouite, but she knew she must be getting closer. It had been a long travel, an urgent mission that was in dire need of success.
With the magma up to her neck Samus came to yet another room. This one contained some large rocks, which she was able to roll over using the Spider Ball. There was also a hook-shaped rock on the ceiling which she grappled onto. From this spot she was able to see the upcoming room, which she remembered seeing before. She swung onto the ledge leading to it.
Samus was now out of the lava, yet the ground still shook from the volcanic activity at times. When the ground stilled, the traveler recognized the coming room in the distance as the lab. However, a wall of rock had been set in front of it; someone was trying to keep intruders out! Samus knew what to do. She stepped back, dashed toward the wall using the Speed Booster, and stopped to store the power. Then, she charged with a burst of speed, breaking the wall into pieces in the impact.
With the entrance cleared, Samus was able to go into the lab. The lights were on but no one else was there, and nothing was different from before. But when Samus came near the exit, she heard a horrible sound from the next room that sent a chill of dread down her spine. It was a howl, clearly from Alpha, but unlike anything she had ever heard from him. It was a howl of sheer horror and despair.
Samus rushed into the next room, and what she found there made her heart skip a beat. Master Silhouite stood by the case-like machine, watching Alpha inside it. The claw-like mechanism inside was latched onto Alpha's head as he howled in pain and tried desperately to free himself. The entire machine was surrounded in an eerie purple glow.
Alpha's pleading eyes met with Samus's for a moment, filling her with zeal. She sprang into action and struck Master Silhouite with a Plasma Beam before he could even notice her arrival. The villain looked angrily at his opponent and charged at her, but she leapt out of the way and shot a Super Missile at him. He charged again, but Samus moved aside and sent a barrage of missiles at him with great speed. Unable to attack back from the constant blows, Master Silhouite found himself outmatched this time. He teleported himself elsewhere.
With the enemy out of the way Samus carried on with the rescue. Without any hesitation she pushed the machine's button, turning it off. The glow faded and the claw-like mechanism released Alpha, who collapsed on the floor. Samus thrust her arm cannon into the case-like machine with full force, shattering the glass. Then she took Alpha in her arms, who did not move. Alpha isn't responding…but thankfully he's still breathing, she thought, He's unconscious.
On her way out Samus fired at the thick wire connecting machine's two parts, ruining it. Then she hurried back through the cave, taking a path that led to another exit. As the ground shook another time, Samus made it out of the massive cave and dashed across the landscape to her ship.
Once inside the Gunship, Samus gently set Alpha on his bed and spoke with Michael. "I've successfully rescued Alpha, but he's unconscious now. He was inside a machine of some kind, and there's no telling what it could have done to him. I believe he's in urgent need of medical attention, so I'll take him back to HQ."
"Bring him here quickly. I'll let Carol know she needs to take a look at him," Michael replied.
"Right." Before the Gunship lifted off Lavolca, Samus looked back at Alpha lying in his bed. Hang in there, Alpha, she thought with concern. Then her ship blasted off for HQ.
(Original story from June 2018)