This marks the start of a new arc. Life's about to be kind of unpredictable, so this might be the last chapter I get up for some time. So sorry.
Also a genuine question: Why do fanfiction sites and some fans refer to quicksword Ilena as Irene? As a major fan of Claymore, I should probably know. But I don't.
"God damn it! Blistering barnacles from hell!"
Clare rushed out from under the ship. She had been making some repairs but in response to her guardian's anger rushed to her aid.
"Samus! Samus! Are you all right?"
"All right? Of course I'm not all right! This stupid quicksword won't work!"
Clare stared then sighed.
"You're still mad about that?"
"Still mad? Of course I'm still mad! I've been trying for damn close to a year and well… Look at this!"
Samus moved her arm at speed almost impossible to see. Clare stared amazed. After about a minute, the hunter stopped and panted.
"What's wrong with that? It's incredible!"
"Incredible? That's shit! After a year's worth of training, I still can't keep it up for more than a minute! Nor can I go nearly as fast as Ilena or Irene, whatever her name is, could!"
"And that's what made you shout and curse just now? Seems the wrong thing to shout curses over."
"Why not? I've given it my all and I can't go anywhere with this damn thing!" Samus threw the sword in anger.
Clare rolled her eyes. She was finding it hard to remember who was the guardian and who was the child.
"With all due respect to your abilities, Ilena or Irene, whatever, has had decades of practice with her sword. You just really started about a year ago. Of course, you're not going to get it immediately!"
"I know that! I just-"
"Just what? You just lost it and decided to throw a tantrum? That's not like you. Not like the woman I love."
Samus rolled her eyes.
"Oh please. Last time you talked like that, you were just buttering me up for-"
"I assure you dear guardian I am doing no such thing." She wrapped her arms around her "dear guardian."
"Dear guardian. The last time you said that- "
"Yes. Yes. I know. I said I'm sorry. I got that down. You can get this sword thing down too. Just need a little more patience."
Samus sighed.
"Of course. I know that. It's just, well fuck! You should have seen them. What they could do."
"I did, remember? I saw them when they killed Rosemary. But all of them have had years with the organization, with- "
"Clare, if you're about to suggest I join them-"
"No, not at all! I only mean that well. They have access to different skills. They're always going to beat you there. Maybe it's best to focus on your guns."
"I would love to. But you never know when I might not be able to rely on them. It's always good to have a backup."
Clare squeezed harder. Samus sighed and rubbed her hair. She'd gotten slightly taller over the last year but was still outclassed several inches by the hunter. Samus smiled somewhat sadly.
She'd tried again to find the child a proper guardian. But she wouldn't have it. She said it was because she felt her pain. But Samus believed the girl mainly saw her as a savior. Which she was technically, but that was hardly a good reason to stick with someone who saw such frequent danger. Oh well. At least she could help with the ship and equipment.
"I can think of one such backup."
"Oh and what's that?"
Clare looked up into her hero's eyes.
"You could make me like you. Half yoma."
"No. Absolutely not. Do you have any idea what that would mean for you?"
"Um, great power? Improved endurance? A better chance to protect you?"
"How about endless pain? And the threat of awakening?"
"Well you haven't awakened yet after all these years. So the way I see it, with you as teacher-"
"No. Gods no Clare. We are not having that discussion. Do you hear me?"
"But Samus- "
"No. No. And no. Just… get back… To whatever you were doing."
Clare could see she wasn't going to get anywhere else on this issue and so she went back to fixing the ship. Behind her she heard her guardian failing at the quicksword again.
"Mother fucking god damn it!"
….
Samus opened her eyes. She had heard something moving. Even without her visor activated, she had honed her senses well enough that she could hear something as small as a mouse running through the grass.
"My, my. Sleeping outside with your back against a rock when you could be sleeping safe and sound in your ship? If I didn't know better, I would think you were trying to act more like one of us."
In truth, that had been her reason. Not that she'd ever admit it to this creep.
"Rubel. I thought our business was concluded."
"I said no such thing my dear. I simply let you go as a gesture of goodwill."
"And now you're back to fix that mistake. Is that it?"
"My superiors thought it was a mistake as well. They think it's too dangerous to let a warrior wander about without a leash. Even if they were the best we had. Which you are certainly not."
"I've thought about that for some time actually. Why did you let me go?"
He shrugged.
"More of a spur of the moment than anything. And number 2 vouched for you. So far, I'd say you've kept yourself in check, so we saw no need to reign you in."
"So you came all this way just to check up? Well as you can see I'm perfectly fine. So if you don't mind-"
"I'm glad you're fine. Because your friends certainly are not."
"My friends? The only person I even considered a friend was Anthony Higgins. And that was a big maybe!"
"Not whoever that is. I mean our numbers 2 through 4. Quicksword, Stormwind Noel, and Muscular Sophia."
She stared at him hard. Her lack of response encouraged him to continue.
"There's been another surge of awakened beings on another planet. We sent them to investigate once again. This time they have not returned."
"And so you want me to go in alone?"
"Oh no. Of course not. We wouldn't risk the lives of elite warriors to the inexperience of an inferior warrior."
She felt her cheeks flush red at that. He noticed.
"Another downside of your Chozo upbringing. Inferior emotional control."
At that, she actually felt her arm cannon forming around her arm.
"Oh please. Relax. We're not sending you in alone. We're sending our number one there as well. You'll meet her at these coordinates."
Samus looked over the coordinates. Tallon IV.
"I'm doing this for them. Not for you."
"Of course. Whatever motivates you. Good hunting dear."
She breathed in and exhaled. Back to work.
….
"Tallon IV approaching. Looks like a pretty desolate place." Clare frowned. "Apparently most of the planet is uninhabited."
"It was once. By my people. By the Chozo."
Clare looked at her guardian's face. She hid her sadness well, but it was still evident to someone who knew her.
"You know you really don't have to do this. You said yourself you didn't want to follow the organization's rules. So why are you?"
"It's for the women who I fought with. They deserve it. I don't have a choice. You certainly do however."
"I told you, I'm not leaving. Not while I can help you."
Samus sighed. "If you think you're going to do much good against awakened beings, let me tell you- "
"Wait. Ship on our scanner."
The ship was soon no longer on the scanner and instead in plain view. The thing looked almost dead. Like a graveyard of metal.
"Strange. Looks like it's not on. More like it's… Maybe it's abandoned?"
Samus shook her head.
"I've seen enough of these ships to tell when something is abandoned. Trust me. It isn't."
They set the ship down on an abandoned landing site on the larger ship's exterior. Upon exiting the ship, Samus performed a backflip and landed perfectly on her feet.
"Nice. Show off." Clare spoke in her ear through the com.
"I've worked hard to earn that. I'd say I've earned the right to show off."
Clare laughed. Then turned serious.
"Please… Please be careful."
"I've done this at least a hundred times with you. I'll be fine. Just wait in the ship."
She marched off across the exterior of the ship to the entrance door. The sword Ilena/Irene had given her was strapped to her back.
The instant she got inside, her yoma sensors went crazy. Even if she were still too inexperienced to detect with her natural senses, her hardware was more than sufficient.
She stepped into a room filled with test tubes. Most of them were smashed. Blood filled what remained. Heads of what she assumed were awakened beings lay scattered about the floor.
"What the hell happened here?" She scanned the room beyond. More of the same. More bodies of monsters and more signs of experimentation.
She found a nearby computer. Looking about for any living monsters, she pulled up the file. She paused when she found the name.
"Orpheon? Where have I heard that before? Where- "
She stopped. Her eyes widened. The memories came flooding back. She had to leave. Had to get Clare away. Far away. Before she could take another step, she heard shouting from the next room.
Rushing in, she found a young girl with one hand along the wall and the other hand waving out in front. She stopped when Samus approached.
"Stay away! Stay back! I know you're there!"
"Calm down girl. Calm down. What's going on? We need to get you out."
"Get me out? Don't lie to me! I sense the aura! You want to lock me away again, don't you?"
"What are you talking about? No one's locking you away! Come on!"
"No! Stay back!"
"Girl, what's wrong?"
"She's where you once were. Going through the stages of grief. She's currently in the denial phase. Trying to pretend she's something she's not."
Before Samus could even turn, a claw went through her chest and emerged out the other side, covered in blood. Another appendage hit her on the head and knocked her out
….
The hunter woke up in a tube with her wound healed. Her hands were bound and strange rods were attached to parts of her head.
She tried to will her armor back on but proved unable. A shock went through her body whenever she tried.
"Shit. What's going on? Where am I? Oh right."
She looked around. The room didn't immediately stand out but slowly over time bits of it started to come back to her. As did her panic.
"No, no, no! This can't be happening! I've got…. I've got to get out! Damn it! Come on! Come on!"
"It's pointless. You know it is."
She stared forward with horrified eyes. The man before her…. It couldn't be…. But it was."
"Adam. You…. You!"
"Yes. I. We had some time to study how your armor works. We set this up for when you would return to us."
"I didn't return to you bastard! Now let me out!"
"Samus. It's for your own good."
"My own good? Turning me into a monster?"
"A monster of necessity. Monsters are strong. Monsters can survive what the galaxy has to throw our way."
"So you're doing it to save us? Save the galaxy?"
"Yes. Look at you. Look how strong you've become. Imagine-"
"Quit it! Just let me go! And that girl too!"
"That girl? Oh Galatea? She's just like you. Still in denial. Most of them are. That will change."
"Them? How many do you have?"
"More and more every day. Many children we saved from their humanity. Others are some of your fellow sisters in the organization. Sent here by their masters. They proved unprepared as claymores. But as awakened beings, I think that will be a different story."
"You…. You better let them go! Let them go now!"
The man smiled a little.
"Oh lady. Still having your objections. I was once like you. But you'll come around. I came so close last time. But you pulled back after you passed the brink. And all these years later, you still haven't. Remarkable."
"What are you talking about? You never make sense! Let me out!"
"Of course lady. Of course. Right after you and your new friend awaken. Fully this time."
"My new friend?"
"In the ship. Frankly I'm surprised you brought such a small child-"
"You evil motherfucker! Don't you dare hurt her! You hear!? Don't you dare!"
"Sorry lady. It's for her own good. And yours."
No matter how she struggled, she couldn't break free. She hung her head in shame. All those years of training and she couldn't save the closest she had to family.
….
"Samus! Samus! Help!"
No Samus. Only yoma walking about outside the cells. They leered in and smiled with razor teeth.
"Samus? Samus, where are you?"
"Stop yelling. It's making my head hurt."
She turned her head to the wall. It seemed her voice could reach inside the cell next to hers.
"What's going on? What are they doing?"
"What do you think, genius? They're making more monsters."
"More monsters? They're making more monsters?"
"Of course. That's what they do isn't it? Make monsters of us all?"
"Please help me. Please."
A dry laugh emanated from the other cage.
"What am I going to do? It's too late for me."
"Too late? What are you-"
"They made me one of them. The bastards. The evil bastards!"
"Hey. Are you ok?"
"Bastards! All of them! I'll kill them all!"
"Hey, listen to me! Please listen! Please!"
"Kill. Kill them all. Burn them all!"
"Please- "
"Time to go little one. You're about to be saved."
Clare looked at the grinning monsters. Her time was up.
….
"They're doing it now. Soon, she'll be one of us."
"No…"
"It's for her own good. She'll better be able to protect you. That is what she would want I imagine?"
"You son of a bitch. Leave her alone…"
"I'm sorry for your objections lady. But you have a role to play too. You need to awaken."
"I won't. I won't…"
"It's a new galaxy Samus. We need to be strong to survive in it. Down there on that planet. The start of it all. You'll see. It's going to be glorious."
"What are you saying… Make some damn sense…"
"I will make sense when your mind is ready for it. When it's let go of those silly human limits."
Staring straight ahead, Samus found it in her to give a thumbs down. Adam laughed.
"See you've still got your spunk. That's good. It'll serve you well."
"I never gave in… Not once… as a child… I won't give in now."
"You're right. You never did. That was my fault. I let you take your time. I knew you'd come around eventually. You showed all signs of giving in just before… those filthy birds…"
"Don't you…. Don't insult them…" She found it increasingly difficult to speak through the pain.
"They took you from a proper family. One that would have taught you the skills you needed. But that's all in the past now. The Chozo are a bitter memory. They won't keep your from your destiny this time. No one will."
Fate it seemed had a sense of irony. For at that exact moment, an alarm blared throughout the ship and a body was flung through a nearby wall into Samus' tube, breaking it.
"What the hell? Report!"
"Sir! We have an intruder! A silver-eyed witch!"
"Friend of yours lady?" He shook his head.
"I'll go take care of it. You two lock her away. I'm not done with her."
"Of course sir. Come on you bitch. Get up!"
Samus slowly looked up to see that Adam had gone. She breathed in through the pain. Nothing she hadn't felt before and slowly managed to recall the armor to her arms.
"Hey bitch. What are you doing? What are you doing!?"
She looked at the monster's face, eyes ablaze. Her cannon lit up. ….
"What the hell are those morons doing? We're trying to work here! Very delicate work! This girl is only a quarter yoma right now! Can't they handle one little silver-eyed witch?"
"Clearly not! Must be a single digit! We need to get out! Leave her be!"
"Ah hell! If I leave her now, the flesh will heal and she'll be stuck a quarter yoma! That's no good for the cause!"
"Who cares? We'll have plenty of soldiers! Is one brat worth our lives?"
"Fine. Fine. Let me just sew her up."
"Come on! Move it! There's a few humans in the cells who look especially tasty!"
"Sick glutton! I wanted a taste first!"
Clare was barely registering anything through the pain. Her stomach had been torn open and her innards removed. In their place were new organs. New feeling. New numbness.
Weakly, she reached her hand to her stomach where the awakened being had quite forcibly closed the wound up. She felt stitches.
Her pulse quickened. She knew about the stitches. She had seen accidentally seen Samus naked once. But for that to happen to her…
She couldn't move. Couldn't fight. Couldn't do anything. Some help she was.
"Samus, I'm sorry. You were right. I couldn't help. Damn it… Damn it all…" She wept at her helplessness.
"Who's there? I sense your aura. It's faint."
Turning her head to the side, Clare saw a blind girl gripping the walls and shuffling her way toward the bedside.
"Please… Help…"
"You're not one of them? Are you…?"
"They said they weren't done. That I was only a quarter done."
The blind girl stared for a bit then moved her way to the side of the bed.
"I can't see. Can you stand? We could help each other escape."
"No. I can't. Samus. I need Samus."
"Samus?"
"The woman in armor. Hand cannon?"
"Uh… Can't see."
"Right. Shoot! I don't know what to do." Tears began rolling down her face.
The blind girl placed her hand on her shoulder to try and calm her down.
"Don't panic. Something will come our way I'm sure."
The door burst open from a charge shot and indeed the way out stood there.
"Clare! Oh my god! What did they…?"
"It's ok. I'm ok."
"No, you're not. You're not ok. That stitch. Bastards." The armor shook with anger. She knelt down and clung her to her chest with her one hand.
"I'm sorry. I know it's not the most comfortable. Don't be scared."
"I'm not scared. I'm with you."
Samus looked at the blind girl. She stood there uncertain of what to do.
"I'm sorry about before. I didn't know if you were one of them."
"Don't worry about it." Samus willed her arm cannon away and grabbed the girl's arm with her own hand. "Hold on. We're leaving. Hope you haven't gotten too attached to this place."
"Not at all. But my friends. Other girls. They need help"
Samus nodded and led the girls in the direction of the cells. Fortunately she didn't encounter any resistance. The whole ship was preoccupied with… whatever was apparently attacking this ship.
At the cells, scores of bodies lay about. All the cells were open. No sign of the children.
"They're… gone? Where could they…?"
"Clare. Don't speak. Save your strength." She checked her scanner. "I'm detecting faint yoki readings making for the outside of the ship. Maybe they escaped?" She found that hard to believe herself.
"What's Yoki?"
Samus smiled.
"Oh right. You just became one of us didn't you? I'll explain later. You know you should be glad you can't see this. Something tore these monsters totally to shreds."
"I don't feel glad."
"I know."
She led the two down another few corridors. They had to duck in the shadows at a few points while awakened beings ran from… something. They finally came to an elevator.
"If I recall this should get us to the flight pad. I'll call it."
Immediately after that, an explosion occurred from the ceiling. It spread and hit Samus square in the chest.
She went flying against the wall of the elevator. Clare went flying from her grip and into the blind girl.
"God! Do you not like me anymore?"
"Samus? Samus, are you ok?"
The hunter lay on the floor. Electricity ran through her armor. Slowly, the armor faded away, revealing the silver-eyed woman underneath.
"Samus? Samus, help me. Please."
The blind girl hit the elevator button just as a group of awakened beings came rushing forward. When the elevator reached the top, the hunter finally managed to pull herself to her feet.
"Clare! Your wound! The organs are coming out!"
"Samus! You're… you're hurt too!"
"My armor. I can't call it… Why won't it obey?"
"Come on! Please hurry!
The blind girl accidentally stuck her hand in the hole of Clare's chest. She shouted in shock and pulled her hand out.
"Ugh! What's happening? Is this blood?"
Samus clenched her fists. She was in no shape for this.
"Hey! Are you the hunter?"
Looking up, she saw a warrior of the organization leading a group of children toward the outside of the ship. She kneeled down next to Clare and began putting the organs back in.
"Here, put this one in here. How are you with healing?"
"Uh… Pretty shitty."
"Don't worry. I've got more stitches. I'll sew them up. There we go. This child. She's only a quarter done."
"I don't care! Just… please help me get them out. Can you take her?"
"Of course. You take the blind one."
"Galatea."
"Right of course. Come on. We're getting the kids out."
Samus took Galatea's hand while the woman carried Clare to the door leading outside.
"We don't have any more helmets. Wait here. I'll get more from the ship. Take her."
"Thanks," Samus said taking back Clare. "I uh.. Who are you again?"
"Elda. Number 6. Nice to meet you. Hold here."
That left the hunter and the two children alone. One blind, one on the verge of death, and another without her armor.
"What a group we make, huh?"
Clare merely grunted.
"How would I know? I can't see anything."
"Oh right. Well it's pretty wild."
At that instant, claws punched their way up through the floor and pulled the trio down.
Samus held the girls to her chest and let herself take the fall. She groaned and checked the children. They were shaken up. But fine. They weren't about to be though.
A giant parasitic monster hung from the ceiling. It's mouth leaked green acid.
"I don't appreciate you running off like that Samus. I try to give you and these children the ultimate gift. And you reject me. Typical women. No matter how much you offer them, they still turn on you."
"This isn't a gift you bastard. It's a curse."
"A curse that makes you ageless, and indestructible. Isn't that worth the pain? All the things those insects say about us?"
Samus tried to rise to her feet. But no use. She was injured from the fall and the electric shock.
"Pain too much? Don't worry. When you awaken that won't be a problem anymore."
"Yah!"
Adam reached one of his claws out and grabbed the little braided girl who had come rushing at her with a sword.
"Let go you ugly bastard! Let go and die!"
Clare opened her eyes a little. She recognized that voice. The voice from the other cell.
"Ah that's the spirit! Such ferocity! You'll make a fine soldier yet!"
"I'll never be a soldier for you! I'm gonna kill you! You hear me? Die!"
"Cute. But none of you have the strength to best me. I was number 4 in my time! The first number 4 ever! You ladies don't stand a-"
The arm holding the girl came off in the blink of an eye. Adam didn't even blink as he turned to the stump with purple blood.
"How… How…?"
Another slice came faster than the eye could process and the beast fell from the ceiling. Adam looked back with widened eyes in fear. One look and he quickly scuttled away.
"Get back here you bastard! You here me!? Get ba- Hey let me go!"
Another silver-eyed witch grabbed the girl by the shoulder. She turned to Samus, still lying on her back.
"The hunter, I take it?"
"Uh, Yeah. You're not Elda? Or are you? did your face change?"
"No. She had to take off with the other children. This ship is going down. Guess I'm your only way out, huh?"
Samus raised her eyebrows at the women's casual disrespect. But then looking at Clare with stitches, Galatea with blindness, and the angry braided girl in the woman's grip, she sighed and nodded.
"You got a ship?"
….
"Come on hunter! Move it!"
Samus pulled her way out of the wreckage of the escape ship they had crash landed onto the surface of the planet. She placed Clare over one shoulder and Galatea over the other. One good thing about being out of her armor was the use of another arm.
The proper claymore slung the braided girl who had tried to attack Adam over her shoulder and began to run. The girl did not enjoy this.
"Hey, put me down you bitch! I could've taken him!"
"I'm sorry. Really sorry. But this is for your own good! Please forgive me!"
Samus raised her eyebrows at the sudden respect shown to the girl but ran as fast as she could after the other warrior.
Turned out she didn't stand a chance. The claymore was way faster than her. Faster than she had even seen Ilena/Irene run. She literally left her in the dust within the first ten seconds. And all poor Samus could do was run her fastest towards the nearby ruins as they had agreed.
She had barely been going at it for three minutes before the claymore ran back and stopped in front of her.
"Are you always this slow? For the children's sake, can you at least try to give it your all?"
"Uh, excuse me?"
"Never mind! Guess that's what desertion does to you. Give me the girl with the stitches. I'll get her there faster."
"Clare stays with me."
The woman stared at her clearly annoyed. But before she could open her mouth, the sound of ships overhead reached their ears.
"You want that poor child to die? Are you really willing to put another human life at risk from your arrogance?"
Samus opened her mouth to respond to the strange woman but was beat to the punch by Galatea.
"Uh miss Samus? I think you should do what she says."
Samus looked at her, then Clare's ragged breathing and sighed.
"Please be gentle with her."
The woman nodded and took off leaving Samus in the dirt once again.
"Wow that woman has a really big aura. It makes yours look tiny in comparison."
"Hey! Mine is not small!"
"I didn't mean it as an insult! Just that next to her, everyone's is small!"
Eventually, Samus reached the edge of the Chozo ruins. She ignored their decrepit state and followed the massive yoki aura. Even without her visor, she could still sense its enormity.
She found the woman leaning over Clare with great concern. The braided girl was sitting nearby and sulking.
"Oh please don't die on me girl. Please don't die little girl. Please, please, please." The woman looked up at Samus and immediately her concern vanished.
"Took your time, didn't you? I expected as much from a deserter."
"Excuse me? What are you talking about? How's Clare?"
Her expression softened as she looked back down at the girl.
"She'll live. But her fate is sealed. She will become one of us. Well… A quarter of us."
"What does that mean?"
"It means she will be significantly weaker than the average warrior. She's in for a difficult life."
Samus clenched her fist, shaking with rage. She promised she'd keep her safe. Give her a better life than she had. And now…
"Excuse me maam, but your aura is massive. Huge!"
The woman looked at Galatea with surprise then embarrassment.
"Oh, I'm sorry! I kept it up so you could find me! Here, let me deal with that."
Instantly the aura dissipated. Galatea's eyes widened.
"Wow! How did you do that? I can't sense you anywhere!"
"I hid my aura. Do you like it? Pretty cool right?" Her giddy smile faded when she turned back to Samus, and her tone turned more professional.
"I presume you can't hide your own aura of course. We'll have to move deeper then before those monsters track us."
Samus moved to pick up Clare but was once again beaten by the woman who carried her in her arms before turning to the sulking girl with the braids.
"Please come too, little girl, ok? We need to get you somewhere safe."
The girl seemed like she was going to refuse for a second but then got up and followed. Samus looked at Galatea and followed her.
Deeper in the ruins, the woman finally stopped and set Clare down.
"This should be deep enough. Those monsters have bigger priorities than us. We'll let this poor little child rest."
Samus ran over and checked Clare. She checked her pulse. She was alive.
"Galatea, can you stand near her? Maybe keep a check on her aura?"
"Sure thing miss Samus. Thanks for coming to save us."
The hunter nodded and looked at the claymore.
"Thank you. She wouldn't be here without you."
"Indeed, she would not. She would be dead or an awakened being. What were you thinking bringing her along?"
"She insisted on it. I kept her on the ship and-"
"Oh so you couldn't argue with a child? Such- Oh, hello little girl! How can I help you?"
The girl with the braid looked up at her annoyed.
"You're weird."
The woman looked stunned as the girl walked away.
"Oh no! I'm sorry! So sorry! I didn't mean to make you mad! I'm sorry! So sorry! What? What are you looking at?"
Samus tilted her head.
"What were you just saying about arguing with children?"
"It's- It's not the same! Anyway, it doesn't matter! Why the organization would send someone like you to such a dangerous place is beyond me." She sighed and shook her head.
"Yeah what's going on here anyway? Why are so many awakened beings assembling on this planet? Why is fucking Adam here?"
She shrugged.
"There's some kind of activity going on. Some sort of… discovery they claim. I don't know anything beyond that." She turned about.
"I'm going to explore for any threats. Stay here and try to do something useful all right? Like guarding the children?"
"Wait! What's your name and rank?"
She turned; her face expressionless.
"What do you care about rank? You're not a member."
"But at the moment, I'm your ally. So please. Your name?"
She paused. She did not look happy about this, but seemed to accept the logic.
"Priscilla. Number 1."
Number 1? Samus gulped. This girl was more than she seemed.
"Thanks for the assist, number 1." She reached her hand out. Priscilla merely stared. Then turned again.
"I'll shake your hand when you remember where you belong, traitor." She walked away, leaving Samus standing there blinking a few times.
"What the fuck?"
….
"Hey, you ok?"
"I… I think so. Where are we?"
"The Chozo ruins on the planet Tallon IV. And you well…"
"I'm… one of them. A claymore."
The blind girl tilted her head.
"I don't really know what that is but you are part yoma yes. Just like all of us."
"Heh. Becoming the thing I hate."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be. What's your name?"
"Galatea. Clare was it?"
"Uh huh. Sorry about your eyes."
"Don't be. It's not your fault. I'll just have to use my other senses now."
They gripped each other's hands when they head footsteps.
"So you're awake huh?"
"Your voice… You were in the cell next to mine."
"Yeah. That's right. Truthfully from your own voice, I didn't think you'd survive the procedure."
"Well I only got a quarter way there. So maybe I got lucky?"
The braided girl smirked.
"Bet you did. Wonder how long that luck will hold."
"I'm Clare and this is Galatea. What's your name?"
The girl raised her eyebrows.
"Trying to get on a first name basis already? Is that wise? Who knows how long we're going to be alive?"
"I'd like to know it anyway if you don't mind."
The braided girl stared and shrugged.
"Ophelia. Name's Ophelia runt."
"Hey! I am not a runt!"
Ophelia giggled. "We're all runts here, runt."
"You both look the same to me." Galatea snarked.
Clare flushed red and looked at her chest. A reminder of who she was.
"Now I can protect you Samus," she thought to herself. "Just watch."
Sorry if Priscilla seemed OC. I was trying to strike a balance between the serious knight templar and the shy naïve girl.