"So. Here we are."

Everyone either maintained a stoic expression or raised an eyebrow at Isley's strange statement.

"Here we are," he said again as if any of them were hard of hearing. Awakened beings. Warrioresses. Enemies."

"Enemies," Riful of the west asked with a deceptively innocent grin. "I only see friends!"

She kept her cheeky grin despite the serious shade thrown her way.

"Indeed," Isley finally resumed. "We can only hope. We know why we're here. What we must do. The organization has never been stronger than it is now. Even with all our forces united, I doubt we can prevail as it stands. Hence, we venture into the depths of Zebes. Heart of Chozo society. Our creators. To learn more about our condition. Their weaponry. Something to prevent our destruction."

Whispers circulated around the group. Learn about their condition? What the hell did that mean?

"While we are traveling down there, the other abyssals and I have agreed to follow the lead of the former number 10 of the organization. Samus Aran. While all are responsible for their own… urges, our lead and direction will ultimately be decided by number 10. Anyone who acts as a burden to this mission will be dealt with as we deal with all such burdens."

His silence accompanied by the shuffling of monsters showed they understood full well.

"Good. I understand the strangeness of this- "Isley stopped and rubbed his forehead.

"What am I saying? Let's be clear. Our lives are on the line here. If we fail. We're all screwed. So, for your sake, don't fuck this up. Any questions?"

There were none.

"Yay," Riful shouted with glee and clapping hands. "Such fun! Come on! Let's see some smiles!

The only other one who smiled was Luciela sending a friendly one Samus' way. No one else bothered.

This was going to suck balls, Samus thought.

….

She felt the sword approaching due to the aura behind it and raised her own to meet it

"Hey! Nice to see you! got any more apples?"

"Oh, Helen right" Samus asked as she looked up from her equipment. "You're still alive. Good to see."

"Excuse me? Is that any way to greet a friend? Nice to see you too! Sheesh!"

"Sorry," the hunter said sighing and standing up fully. She couldn't hide a slight smirk as even all these years later, most warriors still were intimidated by her superior height.

"Hmm. Fine. I guess you did save me, so I'll forgive you. Just this once though! Next time, I expect payment!"

"Payment," Samus asked frowning. "You attacked me with a sword."

"I do that with everyone!"

"You really should reconsider. Especially around here. They'll take it as a challenge. Wouldn't your stoic friend have told you all this already?"

Helen's normally plucky and upbeat face dropped.

"Deneve isn't…. well right now."

"Not well? Pretty sure that's all of us right now in a nutshell."

"She's worse than not well, come to think of it. She's infected really."

"Infected? With what?"

"So, uh… You know how on that Dark Aether world…" She trailed off. "I mean I wasn't there but apparently you encountered shadow monsters or something?"

Samus shuddered.

"Indeed. They resembled spiders that could assume a gaseous form and fire beams of light."

Helen blinked a few times as if she didn't follow. From what Samus knew of her, that might not have been far off the mark.

" Right. Well apparently, they can possess people."

"Possess," Samus repeated. "What?"

"Yeah. I know. But a few escaped through the portal along with you and…" She took a minute.

"They latched onto people and… I don't know how to describe it. They just went inside them. They turned… Purple, I guess? And got violent."

"Violent? Is she…?"

Helen shook her head slowly.

"No. Though I sometimes wonder if she'd be better off that way. She and some others got infected by those motherfuckers. Flora. That Raki kid."

"Raki? We have a warrior named Raki?"

"Nah. Some federation rookie we met while fighting a Phantoon."

"You fought a Phantoon!?"

"Yep. I even got the killing blow! Whaddaya think of that?"

Samus stared at her.

"What? I'm being serious! I totally- ok, fine! I don't actually remember. There was a lot of activity and stuff."

"I'll bet. So where are they right now?

"In containment pods or something. We haven't found any way to get those things out. That's why I hope you find something good. These bird people had a lot of weird equipment, right? Maybe there's something that can help Denny. What do you think?"

Samus pursed her lips in contemplation.

"I don't know. I don't know anything about the Chozo anymore. What they were capable of. What they did. I'm honestly nervous about this little jaunt. Who knows what we'll find down there."

"Ah. You'll be fine. You've been through a lot. I mean, you saved me and Denny."

Samus smiled a little at that.

"Well, I have that at least. One less thing to stay awake at night worrying over."

"I find I can keep those all away with Denny. A friend like her can keep you going through anything. You should get someone like her."

"I have friends."

"Not like her you don't. I mean someone like… Your other half. Someone who you can trust with anything. Someone who you can't breathe without. Someone who knows you better than you know yourself."

Samus frowned.

"That… Sounds like a crutch. Someone you can't breathe without? In other words, can't live without?"

"There is a risk, I confess. But it feels so good to have someone willing to stay by you no matter what. When everyone else leaves you, you need someone like that. I need Deneve. A shoulder to cry on. Someone who understands me in every way."

Samus' mind immediately flashed to Priscilla. Though it was she who relied on her. Samus didn't know who she relied on above all else.

"I guess what I'm saying is, please help her. You've gotta succeed."

"I'll do my best kiddo. I always do."

"Great. And um… If by some chance you do not make it back, can I have the rest of those bars I always see you eating? I mean it's not like you'd be around to eat them."

Samus stared in silence,

"So… Is that a, yes?"

….

They hadn't been walking long but Samus already had serious trepidation about their mission. Not just because of what lay ahead of her. But what lay behind.

She didn't need to read the auras to know her "companions" were all but ready to tear each other's throats out. No other meaning, she could take from the growls and hisses passed between them. Even the increased power of a common foe couldn't shake what they were at their core. Monsters.

The Chozo did their job well. She hoped they were proud watching from the afterlife.

"Remember coming here," Noel said. "How much we distrusted you? How much we disliked each other?"

"What are you talking about," Sophia asked. "I still dislike you."

Both their smiles suggested the exact opposite.

"I do recall you both to be even more frustrating to work with than you are now," Samus said.

"Oh, come now," Noel insisted. "It was a weird situation. We were forced to work with a deserter! Someone who never- "

"First of all, I wasn't a deserter. I never joined the organization before you forced me."

"We didn't force you! We just gave you very limited alternative options!" Noel paused.

"Huh. Now that I think about it, that sounds similar. Anyway, I didn't think you'd last the whole day."

"Truth be told, neither did I."

"Yeah, well. We've come a long way, haven't we?"

"I wouldn't say I have," Samus replied. "I only worked for the organization a few years. Now here I am again not working for them. If anything, I'm back to where I started."

"As am I."

Noel and Sophia let out a tiny eep and scurried away to put a little distance between them and Luciela who had seemingly scurried in out of nowhere. Only Ilena/Irene and Samus held their ground.

"Right," Noel stammered. "Uh, listen. We didn't beat you up."

"I know. Teresa did."

They blanched.

"Teresa? As in the number 1?"

"Yes. She was wandering lost. Aimless. Muttering something about… No idea actually. She almost sounded like she was asking for forgiveness. But from whom I couldn't tell."

"Where was this," Ilena/Irene asked somewhat skeptically. "Not here, surely."

"No. Lendin. My original hideaway. Until she showed up. All I did was ask her to talk! I sensed power in her. Fire. The things we could have done together…" She sighed.

"Instead, she freaked out. Lost control and… Well, let's just say I'm lucky to be alive."

"And…" Noel clarified. "What? You found your way somehow to this planet?"

"No. Ridley former number 2 found me."

Samus scoffed.

"Former Number 2? More like psycho killer dragon."

"Strangely enough, I don't see him that way. He can be surprisingly charming when given enough time."

Samus rolled her eyes.

"Are you serious? Again, he's a hideous pterodactyl monster!"

"There's more to him than that. A plan of sorts for the galaxy. A very interesting and compelling plan if I might add. And when he found me, he offered me a role in that plan. A place I could rest my wounds in relative safety. At the same time, I would provide security to his little established base of operations. A face to fear. One that would potentially keep the other abyssals at bay."

"Fat load of good it did," Noel smirked. She shut her mouth at Luciela's side glance.

"If I weren't still recovering, we would not be having this talk. I assure you little girl."

Noel didn't respond. For once, she knew when to choose her words carefully.

"And his plan was to use the metroids here?"

"He didn't at the time. It was a last resort. Had it been now under the conditions we currently have to deal with… who knows how he might have reacted."

"What would you have done," Samus asked.

Luciela smiled at her.

"How sweet of you! No one here has asked me that do you know? Not even the other abyssals! Though in truth, I didn't know myself. I was really just looking for a place to nurse my wounds. And get away from that ungrateful bitch."

A growl rose from her throat. Her eyes flashed red.

"I almost wish you hadn't trapped her in that other dimension. I'd hoped for a chance to repay her "kindness"

"Considering how easily she defeated us; I think it would be ill-advised to- "Ilena/Irene began.

"I know! Goddess! You warriors are no fun! Was I so humorless before I awoke?"

"So do you know what lies down here," Samus asked.

The abyssal stared back.

"Don't you know?"

"Um… No. I never came down this far."

"Really," Luciela asked amused. "The birds never took their shiny new toy on a tour?"

Samus paused.

"Don't call them birds. And don't call me a toy. Ever."

She continued walking while her compatriots watched after her.

"You think I touched a nerve?"

….

"So, this is the new toy? New pet?"

"Toy? More like new monster! What are they thinking? Allowing something like that in our midst?"

"I hear Raven Beak spoke for her."

"Raven Beak? We're taking in a human on his say? Has the universe gone mad? Are the end times upon us already?"

"It wasn't just him. Old Bird vouched for her too."

"Is anyone surprised about that? He'd welcome a Metroid into the fold if given a chance."

These were the whispers coming from the Chozo watching Samus taking her first steps through the depths of the planet Zebes. Whispers she might have understood had she learned the language at this point. She did however understand the general vibe and stared their way. They were examining the new oddity. A human and yoma in their midst? A freak in every sense of the word.

Most children would be hurt by such things. As it stood, she was too lost in her own thoughts to really care.

She simply pressed onward to her room. She wanted to forget her current reality. Dream like she used to. About other worlds full of life and adventure. Now her dreams were filled with death and screaming.

She made her way into the solo room they'd set aside for her. Most younglings were put into shared dorms to bond with other members of their age. For her they'd given her temporary personal quarters so as to… How did they put it?

"Adjust to her surroundings and learn to cope with her trauma."

She snorted. They just wanted the freak safely kept away from their children. Lest she corrupt them too.

She struggled deciding what to do. When all else failed, a book or sleep was the best option. But she couldn't read any of the scrolls here. And sleep carried no more appeal for her.

For whenever she closed her eyes, she returned to that day when her childhood innocence was ripped from her by a cold uncaring universe.

So, she did all she could at the moment. She sat on her bed and stared at the wall. A specific part of the wall, where a tiny miniature crack lay upon an otherwise perfect rocky expanse. A crack so small in fact, that most wouldn't have even noticed it had they not been looking for it.

But Samus needed anything to keep her awake for as long as possible. And concentration on that little crack was her only option at this moment.

"So, this is where the monster resides."

She jumped out of her skin. In the doorway that she swore she'd closed stood a towering buzzard-like Chozo with white feathers covering his face and red eyes.

"That is your name, isn't it? That's what the others call you."

She didn't respond. She probably should have. After all, shouldn't she show some gratitude to her savior? The one who rescued her from Adam's clutches?

Honestly, she couldn't be bothered to try at the moment.

"Nothing to say," the huge bird said as he invited himself in. "Are you not going to defend yourself? Claim you are not a monster? That you are a mere human?" He said that last word with disgust.

She turned away from his eyes and back to the crack. Easier to look at. No need to question its motives. Easier to think.

"I don't know if I am."

She didn't hear him respond for a minute. She continued staring at the cracked wall until he stood in her line of vision. She sighed and raised her eyes to meet his.

"You are. Look inside yourself. Feel the hunger raging from within. Feel the strength in your limbs. Expand your senses. What you can see. What you can hear beyond these walls. The whispers of accusation. Of fear."

The enormous Chozo kneeled down and stared into her eyes. Seemingly her soul.

"Why do you stare at that imperfection on the wall? Are you desperate for any distraction from the truth?

Samus didn't respond. What was she supposed to say?

"Whatever your reason, it is fortunate you are preoccupied with such a blemish. It is a perfect metaphor for you."

Now she really just wanted him to go. Fly away big bird. Shoo. Shoo. Not that she would dare.

"Do you know how a crack spreads and grows over time? Or do humans not understand such a concept?"

He watched her face for signs of insult. She hid it well.

"A crack is an imperfection that grows on its own if left untreated. It starts off small but spreads over time. Eventually, it overwhelms and destroys from within. When I see you, I see a crack. A dam waiting to burst."

Her eyebrows raised in response. Did Chozo have dams?

"You are at war with yourself. With what you are. You are lost. Struggling to find new purpose when your life as you knew it has been ripped from you. Many have been in such a situation as you. Many continue to deny their reality and are torn apart. I see you headed for the same fate."

Samus shifted in her position on the bed. She didn't like this buzzard's closeness. The best way to get rid of him she figured was to play along.

"What are you saying? What should I do?"

"So, it does speak." He ran his tongue over his beak.

"I am telling you to accept what you are. A monster. Bred to be more than as you were born. You can deny that and the destiny chosen for you. Or you can embrace it and truly live."

Samus sat up a little bit more.

"Where would I start?"

"Do you know who I am?"

Samus bit her lip. She suddenly really didn't want to disappoint this bird. And not just because he frightened her.

"Leader of the Mawkin Tribe."

"A tribe of warriors. Fighters. Those with the sense to realize justice is not given but taken. And the courage to take it. I ask then. Do you have courage?"

"Raven Beak."

"Old Bird," the Mawkin said without looking the newcomer's way. "I thought you were above barging into other's rooms without their permission."

"As if you didn't break that rule yourself. Is such talk truly appropriate for a traumatized child?"

"I will leave the soft reassurances to you," Raven Beak said with annoyance. "I am simply telling our new acquisition her choices."

"Acquisition? She is a child! Not a tool! And certainly not a monster!"

"That is how they will view her. She can either cower from the truth or wear it like armor."

"I know exactly what you are asking of her. For I have witnessed it in those you train. And I am not letting you take advantage of her mental state. I ask you with all due respect for your long career to leave."

The bird rose back to full height and towered over the other Chozo. Apart from a subtle flinch, Old Bird showed no fear.

"He asks you to remain a naïve child. Samus Aran. I ask you to be more. To gain the power to avenge your parents and right what is wrong with- "

"I said. Leave."

The Mawkin's eyes flashed back to Samus one last time and he escorted himself out, looking pleased with himself.

Old Bird looked Samus' way with concern. He saw a familiar look in her eyes.

He could try to talk her out of it, but it was too late.

The bastard had sunk his talons into her mind.

….

"Hey! Sammy! Snap out of it! We need you!"

"Huh? What? Where- "

"Unauthorized access. Awakened Presence detected. Activate containment protocol."

She somehow tuned out while walking through the depths of her home and awoke to the sound of alarms and sirens painting the room red.

"Quick, Bird girl," Riful shouted. "How do we shut it off?"

"I uh… Shit. Good Question. Give me a second…."

A great door sealed shut before them, preventing their access deeper into the depths. Around them, Chozo-shaped statues rose to their feet and took fighting stances.

"An interesting challenge," Isley smirked. "I accept it."

"I'd rather not accept it," Riful said with a pout. "We're here to save the galaxy! We deserve a hero's welcome!"

Hmm. Hero? Samus didn't know if she agreed with that. Regardless, she still didn't desire death and had to find a way to shut down whatever alarm these monster idiots had triggered.

"Ok. Ok. Let me think. How does this work? How does this work? They must be responding to the presence of awakened beings. In which case, I just need to…."

"Need to…." Noel similarly trailed off. "What? Pause for long stretches of time?"

"She's just thinking," Sophie intervened while dodging statue claws. "A foreign concept for you, I know."

"Let's see. The presence of a Chozo should do the trick. Shut it down. There's a… Central controller or…. Statue. Need to… Uh… Well finding it is the first step."

She flipped through her visor systems. An ability she hadn't used for some time. But different options existed to her. Different ways to see the world. For instance, with thermal recognition, she could detect heat from living things. With x-ray scanning, she could see through walls. The one she intended to use today was for electrical systems. It detected sources of power and allowed her to follow it back to its source. Said source appeared to be originating below them a few stories.

"I need to go for a minute or two. Have fun in the meantime."

"What," Ilena/Irene asked while ducking to avoid another blow. "Wait. You can't leave us! We need you!"

"Nah. Not really," Noel said while engaging another stone Chozo. "We're all single digits here save her. Pretty sure she'd just get in the way. I say let her hide."

"I'm not hiding! I just- No. Actually, why do I care what you think? Goodbye."

Fortunately for them, time and erosion had made cracks and fissures in the walls. One just big enough for her to enter. In Morph ball mode that is.

Her fellow warriors stared google-eyed as she constricted herself into the small ball and entered the hole.

"I still have no idea how she does that," Noel stated the obvious.

On the other side of the room, Rafaela fought back-to-back with her sister. She didn't miss Luciela's amused grin at the hunter's ball trick.

"Amazing technology," the one-eyed woman said. "I understand why we're risking so much to retrieve it."

No," Luciela responded as she crushed a statue head in her hand. "Not the technology. Amazing woman."

….

Traveling in morph ball mode was always very disorienting. She didn't have much chance to use it these last three and a half years as she had tried to build up skill with her claymore abilities. An attempt to fit in and all that.

This current situation was particularly bad as she, was traversing down a dark hole at rapid speed and no way to stop.

And she had to do this all while trying to follow the wires down to the source of the chaos above.

She finally found an entrance where the cords converged. She came spilling out and rolled out to full height on her legs.

She took a deep breath. Removed her helmet. And immediately puked all over the floor.

She rose back to her feet steadily; glad Noel wasn't there to mock her.

She placed her helmet back over her head and looked around the room. Observing the electrical circuits running through the walls and ceiling, she walked through the dark corridor ahead.

With a pretty good idea of the source's direction, she switched back to her thermal visor to light up the darkness. To her relief, she saw no signs of body heat. So, she was alone at least.

Or so she was, until she made her way to a mural depicting a Chozo warrior holding a mirror in his hands. On either side were paintings of Chozo warriors. These ones holding spears. Above those were murals of Chozo in prayer.

Samus almost lost her breath at the sight of it. She knew this place. She had walked it before. But not alone.

"Who approaches?"

A powerful voice echoed around the chamber, shaking her bones. Glowing eyes appeared above the central warrior painting. Even without pupils, she could feel them looking at her.

"Thalmus Arlan," she responded in Chozo.

"You sound unsure. Hesitant. Are you sure that is who you are?"

Damn. Observant for a painting.

"It I what my fathers called me. My Chozo donors."

"Names are cheap, child. That name is meant for a Chozo. They may address you as one. But are you? Can you look yourself in the reflection of a body of water or this mirror in my hands and say you are a Chozo in body and SOUL?"

She paused again. Too long.

"Your silence says it all. You are not a Chozo. You have our people's blood. But not their spirit."

"Wait! My friends…" She trailed off. Those monsters were friends now?

"My allies are being attacked by Chozo defenses. Can you disable them?"

"Allies? You mean… The awakened presences above?"

Samus paused.

"Uh…. Yes. Maybe? You know. Maybe forget what I- "

"Then you not only not a Chozo. You are a traitor. An infestation in these holy grounds."

The room began to light up. The painting's eyes glowed red.

"YOU MUST BE PURGED."

She jumped out of the way as a bolt of electricity rained down from above. She couldn't see the source. Nor did she have the time to discover it.

The mirror in the painting's hands sone brightly and produced a sphere. A translucent one that bore her face.

A translucent reflection of this sphere then separated itself from the painting and floated around the room.

Something to shoot at least, she thought as she raised her arm cannon and fired upon the specter. It did nothing save make the face on the screen frown in annoyance.

"As I thought," the voice spoke. "You bear our weaponry. Our power. But you lack our resolve. Our inner balance. Only a true Chozo can command me. And you are not one of us."

As the voice spoke what she'd been telling herself all her life, another bolt hit her from above.

The sphere drew near. She saw her face. Judging her. Criticizing her. Asking her.

Who are you?

….

"Why do I sense disgust, my daughter?"

Samus wished he didn't call her that.

She understood why. She should have been relieved to have another parental figure.

But she had a father. His name was Rodney Aran. A father who would have been appalled at her current father's style of child-raising.

"I wouldn't call it disgust."

"I would. I can see your distaste for these paintings."

Said paintings portrayed Chozo warriors covered in the blood of their enemies. Her old parents would have never allowed such depictions to be painted where children could see.

"They're just so… Dark. So familiar."

"Do they remind you of your past?"

Her silence said everything.

"Good. Let it. The first thing a warrior needs is motivation."

"Am I to be a warrior then? My other father would have me be a historian."

He clenched at the word father. She smirked inside.

"Your "other father" has a very different idea of who the Chozo are. Who they are meant to be. He thinks we are builders. Scientists. Observers. Nothing more."

"Are we not those things? We have built many things across the galaxy."

"Is it we already?"

Samus froze. Did she say the wrong thing? She'd heard rumors of how he handled those who did.

"I only jest hatchling. Fear not. Yes. We are builders. But we are more than that. For instance, how do you think we first came to exist on so many worlds? How do you think we earned the right to build temples on foreign lands to begin with?"

Samus pondered.

"Um… I assumed we asked politely."

He laughed. Something she never thought he was capable of.

"We did not ask. We took. With blood."

"We… We killed them?"

"It is the history of all traveling species. Your other half: The human half, is no different. Before one can improve upon the foundations of a world. One must first take the land. Settle upon it. And sometimes someone else is already there. They will not relinquish their home. And why would they. They were there first. They might have already taken it from another. In their mind, they have earned the right to that land. So…" He paused as if relishing what he was to say next.

"We proved them wrong. Before we were builders, we were conquerors. Most know us for the former. Including most amongst our kind. And people wonder why our expansion has stagnated. We have lost the stomach for bloodshed. These murals are the closest most hatchlings these days come to our true history."

He placed a clawed glove on her shoulder. She willed herself not to shudder. He was always looking for signs of weakness.

"Not in my tribe. Not the Mawkin tribe. We teach from birth our true nature. Not a sugar-coated fantasy for the weak-willed. We are warriors. As long as I lead the Mawkin Tribe, that truth will never die. We do tasks other tribes will not. Brave horrors they cannot. Cowards like Old Bird will not admit it, but without us, there would be no Chozo."

He squeezed her shoulder. Whether to intimidate or get her attention, she couldn't tell.

"As my daughter, you are too a member of our tribe. You are permitted to learn the skills your other father and their tribes can teach you. They have their uses. But you are also a Mawkin. And you will learn our ways too. Unless… You think you lack the strength?"

"I do not."

"We will see. I must leave for some time on a mission you are not ready for. That will give you some time to learn other skills. I suggest you take this time to harden yourself. You will need inner strength as well as outer."

He rose back to his feet.

"Remember this little bird. They will teach you to look for another way to solve a problem. To avoid confrontation. That is not the way of Mawkin. A true Chozo confronts their problems head on. We are warriors. Builders and monsters both. Pacifists and killers both. Do not let anyone tell you that yoma blood or violence makes you any less."

….

Her eyes flashed open. She found herself in the present once more. The sphere staring at her still. She rose steadily back to her feet.

"I am a Chozo," she said with more certainty. "A member of the Mawkin Tribe. And I demand you shut down and let us pass."

"You think I will obey you? You have already proven you are not one of us. Nothing you say will prove that."

"Then let me prove it with my will."

She curled into a morph ball and sped out of the way of another attack. She took a deep breath, preparing herself for what she had to do.

And released a power bomb.

….

Up above, darkness fell on the room. The statues had ceased their assault. And the great door now opened for them to proceed.

"Uh…" Noel started while looking about. "Did somebody hit the off switch?"

"I think it more likely this is the work of our dear hunter," Ilena/Irene said casually. Like she hadn't just been fighting for her life. "In any case, I believe we can go on now. See what awaits us below."

"My bet," Noel said. "Big ugly monsters."

"Please don't tempt fate like that," Sophia pleaded.

"I'm just stating the truth. We found her here, didn't we?"

Luciela shockingly didn't seem bothered by Noel's insult at her. She actually seemed pleased with current conditions.

"Ironic," she whispered to herself. "She overthrew me last time I called this planet my kingdom. Now here she is, helping me take it back. Perhaps there is reason to let her live. At least for now."

"Sister? Are you all, right?"

"Perfect dear. Say, everyone's heading this way. Why don't we take a different path?"

"What? Why do that?"

"I find myself concerned about our dear Chozo expert. She saved our lives just now I suspect. It would be rude to leave her down there all by herself."

Rafaela raised her one good eyebrow. Unsurprisingly, she didn't buy it in the slightest.

"I will accompany you."

"No need quicksword," Luciela assured her. "My sister and I were once the strongest warriors of our generation. We can handle ourselves."

"Number 10 could use a familiar face when we find her. Neither of you provide that benefit of the doubt."

"Oh, come now. What do you think we're going to do? Eat her? What benefit would we gain from that?"

"I will never pretend to understand your mind mother brain. But I don't think you would attempt to kill Samus Aran. Merely get her alone so you could pick her mind for your own interests."

"Oh, I get it. Because my awakened form is known as mother brain, you think I'm going to harm her brain. Is intellect no longer a consideration in the ranking of single digits?"

"I say you should take her," Isley Silver King spoke up from the edge of the encroaching darkness.

"No one asked You Isy dear," Luciela called back. We can handle it ourselves."

"We are trying to start over with our claymore allies are we not? Allies we need if we hope to advance throughout the galaxy. If you could success with strength alone, don't you think you would have by now?"

She scowled at his smug grin.

"Fine. Come along then number 4. Or whatever you're supposed to be. Just don't slow us down."

"Make sure she doesn't do anything terrible to our dear hunter. She might hope to get her alone to sway her loyalties. Remind her where she stands."

"To be honest Silver king," Ilena/Irene replied. "I don't know where any of us stand anymore."

….

So now she was a Chozo.

Was that it? The answer to the question she'd been asking herself for so long?

She'd confronted a hostile work of art and said it with death staring her in the face. Did that mean she passed the test?

Then why did she still have doubts?

Hell, she wasn't sure what she felt bad about exactly. She clearly had Chozo blood, so she was technically half Chozo at least.

But she hadn't been upset about her status, had she? She'd been upset about the perceived morality of her people being shattered. The race that had taken her in and raised her to be a pacifist had proven to cause more harm to the galaxy than she could ever imagine.

But was that truly a surprise? Isn't that what her "father" had not so subtly been saying the whole time she trained under him? He told her how the Chozo had been killers and conquerors before they could even think of pacifism. She knew they made the metroids. Was it so hard to make the leap that they could also have made the monsters whose flesh she bore?

So it wasn't that surprising in hindsight. Why did that hit so deep then? She'd been telling herself that they were hypocrites who didn't practice what they preached.

But if violence was part of their nature, then that wasn't technically true, was it? They had been loyal to their true nature.

But then they'd realized their error and given up on the process so technically that wasn't their nature anymore. Or was it?

Damn it all! She didn't know what to think! Did she accept it and move on? Or did she rebel against this travesty?

She had no idea what to tell herself. Just like she had no idea where she was going when she found herself entering a large lab.

A lab bearing live metroids in tubes.

She gasped. She thought the organization had cleared them all out when they took Luciela. Two things came to mind.

One: She now knew the organization was composed of liars who for all she knew took the metroids alive for their own use.

Two: They probably never made it this far down. This laboratory was buried in an off-limits area where most hatchlings (hell most Chozo) were not permitted to tread.

Why keep them alive though? On the off chance they needed them as a last resort?

Or in case they decided to be conquerors again?

She realized she'd never had a good look at the little buggers. Three-eyed jellyfish she'd heard Noel address them. It seemed a fitting comparison at the time.

She leaned in until only glass separated them. The Metroid didn't react to her closeness. She assumed it was kept under some kind of sedative to kept it calm.

No. Not a sedative. She could feel the chill even outside the glass. Cold temperature. Their Achilles heel. Probably put in by their Chozo engineer in case they got out of hand.

Shame they couldn't do that for yoma.

Now that she had a chance to examine them without immediate fear of being drained dry, she began to view them a little differently.

She almost felt a little pity seeing it trapped. Stuck in a jar. No idea why. Why it had been punished so.

They weren't monsters. They were animals. Driven by instinct. Doing what they were made for. And for that they were locked to freeze. Like the Chozo once were. Conquerors. A superior-

She froze. What was she saying? These things would eat her if given the chance.

She was clearly not in her right mind to be thinking this way. She had to find the others. She had to-

Her thinking was interrupted when she accidentally placed her hand on a button.

DEFROSTING PROCESS UNDERWAY. PLEASE HAVE ALLSECURITY STAFF ON STANDBY.

A great door on the other side of the lab opened up. At first, she could only see darkness.

Then she heard a roar.

….

"We've met before, you know."

Rafaela looked at Ilena/Irene with surprise.

"We have? When?"

"I was young. A very recent claymore. But even then, I had potential. So, they sent me to clear out a fuel gel deposit on Bryyo."

Rafaela stopped.

"Was it on the fire side?"

Ilena/Irene smiled. A tiny thing you would not have noticed if you didn't know her.

"You remember."

"I remember a little entitled brat demanding I come with her or… how did she put it? She'd have my head."

Luciela stopped walking and flashed a violent look at quicksword.

"I was young. Passionate. Foolhardy. Eager to make a name for myself. Especially with Teresa as competition."

"Probably why I didn't recognize you. I never would have acquainted you with that foolhardy girl. Though I do admit I was impressed she knew who I was."

I may have been more… Peppy back then."

She curled her nose at the use of such a ridiculous word.

"But I did my homework even then. About the abyssals. Their falls. How to avoid their mistakes."

Luciela smirked.

"I'm not sure I'd call what happened a fall or a mistake. It's more or less the same path you both ended up taking."

"Oh, really," Ilena/Irene asked with a smirk. "I don't see any monster here but you."

"Not yet," Luciela smirked back. "But you did turn your back on what you had been bred for since you gained those adorable silver eyes. I at least didn't have a choice. You did. And you chose something I never considered before awakening."

"You know, given how casual you've been about your monstrous state and crimes, I find myself a little concerned about working with you."

"Are you having regrets? Rather go back to work with the monsters who made us in the first place?"

"Funny. I thought the Chozo made us."

"Goddess. So specific! They worked together to make us! Now one of them's dead and the other's making monsters for… Something."

"Yes. They are evil. No question. But are they the lesser evil?"

The sisters looked her way.

"As opposed to who?"

Ilena/Irene suddenly regretted her life choices up until that point. Clearly Noel had rubbed off on her. Damn her.

"What do you mean dear Ilena," asked the abyssal creature. "Or Irene. Or whatever you're called."

Panic flitted across quicksword's face. A rare emotion for her to feel. Even rarer for her to show it.

"I... Uh…"

A roar sounded from down in the darkness. The promise of battle.

Quicksword closed her eyes and inwardly prayed.

"We will continue this later," Luciela growled. "Count on it."

….

The giant…. reptile extended its neck and tried to bite Samus' head off again. A normal human would not have been nearly fast enough. Fortunate then she was no normal human.

She'd learned the creature's skin was too thick for her shots or even sword. Where to hit then? Dare she use a power bomb?

A quick look around dissuaded her from that idea. She might release the metroids from their pods.

She was in the process of scanning it. Hoping for info on its weak point. The challenge from that was one couldn't get a good reading on a target while moving. And the projectiles it kept vomiting at her made standing still a death sentence.

It extended its neck again to hit her. She curled into a morph ball and let it sail overhead. It went right through the wall. A highly dense steel wall, she might add.

Just a little more she thought as the scan neared completion. There!

She blanched. A Metroid queen!? How was that possible!? That looked nothing like the little-

She paused too long. The mouth opened wide and gulped her down.

At that moment, three very powerful warriors walked in. Or rather ran in. Two stared with wide-eyed fear. The other with savage glee.

"New toys," Luciela shouted as she grew and changed shape.

The monster reared its head and growled at its new competition.

"Take a look, my pretty! Mother Brain has returned to her castle! Please resist."

The creature did not immediately obey. Instead, it lowered itself down to the ground. A hole opened on its back. From said back emerged dozens of metroids.

There they stood. Three warriors against a mother and her children. With no way to kill them.

"Hmm," Rafaela pondered. "I almost wish you had killed me on Bryyo.
"Was that a joke little sister? While I am glad you're trying, I think you should work on timing."

"Somehow, I don't think I'll live long enough to heed those words of wisdom."

"We all go that way sooner or later," her elder sister said grinning and readying herself. "Might as well have fun while doing it. Now, let's get them!

….

Within the queen's stomach, the disgraced Half-Chozo Samus Aran lay in a pool of acid feeling her life essence draining away.

She could fight back. It was her standard reaction in such a situation. But should she?

After all, what was waiting for her if she got out of this? More fights? More misery?

She knew what didn't await her. Peace. Rest. Ease of mind. Some idea of who she was. Of wat she was meant to be.

It was why she'd left originally wasn't it? Not revenge against Ridley or a belief that she could do better good on her own. But because she had no idea what to do with life.

She once had a sad fantasy that she would return one day. A new woman. A better woman. One who knew herself. One who could look at her fathers. All of them so strong and so accomplished. She would return with answers to the questions she'd asked them for years. She would make them proud.

But she hadn't, had she? Her family was all dead. She'd learned all about them. Their lies. Their crimes. But she still didn't know herself. Who she was. She'd left home a failure and returned a failure.

Why not let it end then? She had nothing to fight for. No one counting on-

"Get away from there!"

Clare stared at her from the edge of the cliff. Her guilt-stricken face tore at Samus' heart. But she couldn't let it deter her.

"Don't even think about jumping! I'll never forgive you if you do!"

Clare hesitantly took a step back. Without pause, Samus ran forward and scooped her up in her arms, pulling her away from the edge before she could rethink it.

"Why in the galaxy would you even consider something so stupid?"

… Because I'm a burden."

"I'm sorry what?

"I'm a burden! I slow you down! I can't do anything for you!"

"You give me a reason to live! You make me happy! You make me human! Don't you dare speak such nonsense again, you hear!?"

Clare's eyes filled with tears.

"Anyone can do that. You don't need me for that. You can have someone stronger. Better."

"But I don't want someone else. I want you and you know that. What I this really about?"

Clare bit her lip.

"In my dreams… I see Rosemary."

Rosemary. The awakened being who'd held Clare captive on Samus' birth planet.

"I see her kill my parents. I see her kill everyone I bring down to her. I see her taunting. Threatening to eat me too. I can't stand it I…"

She fell to the ground.

"I killed them all! So many people I led down there! So many dead because of me… I… I tried to kill you! I tricked you! If the claymores hadn't come down, you would have died!"

She pulled away from Samus and looked up at her face.

"So why are you so nice to me!?"

"Because you dd it for survival. She would have killed you. If I were in your shoes, I would have done the same."

"But they're all dead… So many dead…."

"And killing yourself won't bring them back or improve anything. Live a good life, Clare. Make the galaxy a better place. Ensure that their sacrifices weren't in vain. It's not your fault."

The little girl buried her face back in Samus' chest. The tears continued, but not the sobbing.

Samus' eyes shot open.

Clare. She'd made her life better, hadn't she? If not for her, she might have died. So that was one person.

But if she died here and now, she would have no one. Nothing to live for.

"Are you injured?"

Ilena/Irene looked up from her sitting position on the rock. Though she hid it well, Samus could see the discomfort on her face as she tried to reattach her leg to the stump.

"I can handle it. You forget my rank."

"I know you can. Doesn't mean you have to."

"It's quit unbecoming of a single digit to ask for help, you know."

"I know that too. Doesn't mean it should be."

The hilariously stoic woman actually curled her lip like a child.

"Come on," Samus insisted. "No one can see you. I promise I won't think of you less."

"I do!"

"And so do I!"

Samus and quicksword nearly jumped out of their skin. So distracted were they that they hadn't sensed the foreign yoki of Noel and Sophia.

"I do think less of you for denying yourself medical care," Sophia elaborated as she approached. "And for what? Stubborn pride? Are you truly willing to suffer for something so insignificant? Do they not consider intellect when naming single digits?"

"I also think less of you," Noel snickered. "But only because you made such a stupid mistake and wound up like this to begin with."

The number two warrior of the time (Before Alicia and Beth earned their ranks) sighed and Samus held her leg while the other two worked to seal the wound.

It's just not… something we're trained to do," Ilena/Irene confessed after a moment of awkward silence. "We're not taught to accept aid."

"We're taught to accept a lot of weird things," Sophia said as she took the leg from the hunter and reattached it to its owner. "Doesn't mean we should do all of them."

"Hmm. Strange. I might see another warrior now and then. But it's rarely the same one. And never do we exchange words. But you three… It's different."

"Friends?"

Sophia looked at Noel surprised.

"My dear, for once you and I agree on something."

Ilena/Irene titled her head.

"Friends. Huh. I mean…. Yes. That is something I've never had. Not even before I changed. I never thought I needed them."

"And now," Samus asked with genuine curiosity.

"I… I'm glad to have you here. Glad you joined us."

Samus pursed her lips.

"I'm not glad I joined. But I'm glad I met you too."

Friends. She had friends. She made their lives better too, hadn't she? And they weren't her only friends.

"Easy," Samus said softly as she hugged and soothed the crying woman.

"I… I'm so sorry. I lost control again."

"You almost lost it. But you pulled yourself back."

"I could have hurt you…"

"It's ok. You didn't."

The woman pulled away from Samus and looked up at her, still sniffling.

"I didn't. Because of you."

"Well, not just because of me."

"No. All because of you. Without you, I think I would have lost it long ago. But having you near me is enough to make me hold on."

Her breathing went back to normal levels. Her eyes lost their yellow color. Her aura sank.

"It's silly. I'm number one. I should be able to handle my own. Alone without any hand-holding. But here you are. Forced to babysit me. You deserve better. You shouldn't have to do this for me."

Samus rubbed her hand through Priscilla's hair, pondering how to respond.

"Truth be told, I sometimes feel you deserve better. Someone who can fight better. Someone who can keep up with you."

"I don't want that," Priscilla said as she placed a hand on Samus' cheek. "I want someone who can… talk. Listen. Empathize. Most warriors I'm sorry to say can't do that. I wish they taught more who could do that."

She began rubbing Samus' cheek.

"I'm just so… So glad you're with us. With me."

Both woman's cheeks reddened.

"Please don't leave me."

"Never."

She didn't know if she'd be able to keep that promise.

Now she knew she had to.

Maybe she wasn't a proper Chozo. But she'd made her own path. Made her own friends. And she'd be damned if she lost it.

Still in her morph ball mode, she readied a power bomb. On the outside, the skin was too thick. But form within?

A sphere of light tore through the flesh surrounding her. A scream of agony was drowned out as the Metroid was blown apart from head to toe.

In the center of the bloody mass, the hunter shakily rose to her feet. Still combating the lingering effects of the stomach acid

Fortunately, the creature's bulk had lessened the blast a little, preventing it from opening the Metroid tanks in the other room.

Though that didn't explain the baby Metroid corpses lining the room. Nor…

Her eyes blinked. The bodies of one of her friends. One former friend. And one former friend's sister

Her heart sank. She fell back to the ground.

So here she was. She'd left home a failure and returned a failure.

….

"So close," Riful kept repeating. "I can feel it."

"You've said that for some time, my dear," Isley said. "A little honesty and humility helps in the long run."

"Ha! You're joking, right? What are you talking about?"

"I'm saying it's better to be open with your subordinates. They will be more useful in the long run if they are aware of the reality of the situation."

"Aren't they?"

"Mostly. But it helps if they know you aren't sure if we're close. You shouldn't get their hopes up."

"You are a strange one, Silver King Isley. You don't sow the pride and dominance befitting a former number one. The first number one!"

"I have no shortage of pride, my dear. I promise you that. But I know there are more important things for survival. Temperance. Respect. Acknowledgement of one's limitations. These things are crucial yet often overlooked."

Riful looked at him like he told her to kill herself. Even Noel and Sophia looked his way with confusion.

"I'm sorry. Are you a warrior or a poet?"

"I like to think of myself as both to some extent. What good is immortality if you can't expand your skill set? Experience new… Experiences?"

"Oh," the little yet ancient girl asked. "Is that type of skill set going to win us this war? Are you going to have a philosophical debate with the men in black? Convince them to see the error of their ways?"

"No. But I think once our deed is done and the enemy vanquished, that we must find other ways to pass our time. To live. To remind ourselves what it means to be…"

He stopped himself as monsters began reacting to his statement. Riful looked shocked.

"Go on. Say it."

"Say what?"

"You know exactly what. You were going to say human, weren't you?"

"Was I? I didn't say that. You did."

"You were about to. Don't deny it."

"Say what you will. You have no way to prove it."

"I don't have to. Everyone here already knows."

Isley sighed.

"Wording is irrelevant. What I'm trying to say is that…"

"That we should act like humans? Be weak like humans? Deny our warrior instincts? Grow fat and die of heart failure?"

"Not exactly. I'm saying we should find more tings to do with our time than bloodshed and carnage."

"Sure! Maybe we can trade in our swords for reading glasses!"

"It will take more than combat to heal this galaxy from the ills that plague it. The Chozo understood this lesson. Why do you think they forfeit their imperialistic past?"

"Where are you going with this? First you tell me to be humble, then you tell me to do things besides fighting? Make up your mind?"

"I'm trying to say- and perhaps failing a bit I admit- that the Chozo's hidden secret on this planet might not be a weapon of war. It might be something else. Be prepared for that."

"Lady Riful! King Isley! We've found something extraordinary! Just up ahead!"

The Abyssal creatures and their claymore "allies" readied themselves and followed the scout forward through the dark passageway.

What they found made Isley frown with disappointment and Riful grin manically.

"Take a good look lads and lasses! Here it is! Our salvation! An entire army of metroids! All snug and cozy in their little tubes just waiting for someone to give them command! With this, the galaxy is ours! Everything is ours!"