Cunning God of Cuddles 8 - Or 'This Little Birdie is truly a Cuddly Bio-Weapon!' (RidleyClone!SI Xover)
MB-276 was a bit 'baffled' by the data she yielded from putting Little Bird against Crocomire. In a rare unusual understanding through biological patterns, Crocomire had recognized Ridley, yet her behavior was peculiar due to an unexpected reasons: Crocomire had been Ridley's mate?
The idea was a bit perplexing to say the least, yet it explained some classified documents regarding unusual 'visits' that Ridley pushed through to check on Crocomire. Further analysis through Samus' report highlighted a rather interesting assumption: Crocomire had picked quite the peculiar spot to 'hang around'. The lava in that area was clearly too dangerous for her to linger, yet she persisted and waited there.
The heat produced by the magma was still acceptable enough... for the preservation of eggs.
The chances of Crocomire having hidden her eggs in that area was quite intriguing, even more if Ridley had indeed been the father of that kind of species. Compatibility within their natures could theoretically allow for hybridized children to be conceived, mostly due to their similar attitude towards heat, their biology akin to lizards between scales and reproduction through eggs, but also because... they both seemed to come from the same planet.
A fascinating discovery, and one that was quite distracting as she 'allowed' Little Bird to pursue a path out of the Cryosphere. Pseudo-Ridley had vanished from known areas within the sector, and Samus was not giving it chase and seemingly rushing for the Cryosphere herself.
It was frustrating to end this interaction like this, but the last thing MB-276 needed was to push her currently favorite specimen. Little Bird was clearly going through some biological alterations. The improvements have reinforced his 'shell', but the current circumstances were forcing his evolutionary steps to grow more insistent. It may yield a totally different result due to the various upgrades he experienced, but the end result should remain, within its core value, the same.
Ridley was soon to return. And that data was going to be some of the sweetest possible~.
The Cryosphere was somewhat easier to move through.
With the Nova Beam providing me with the proper tools to burn my ice-related foes, I could clear out the mobs with ease as I moved through the glacial environment without much of a worry. The cautious attitude I developed in the Pyrosphere was firmly entrenched in my mind nonetheless, leaving no space for mistakes as I dodged attacks before retaliating.
I cleared two bugs' nests, destroyed a few more insects, some horned bastards and... I was now traversing a divided platform that stood over an aquatic arena. Up to that point, I had not considered facing water-kind monsters, and I had good reasons to not try now since my body was not accustomed to swimming with the kind of limbs I got.
Plus, having seen that some of the 'unexpected bosses' I could face were from other games... yeah, I had a feeling I knew which one was currently lurking in the water. The validating sight was that I noticed something with a serpentine body rushing around within the body of water, its scales glowing with a mix of colors familiar with Speedbooster.
Yeah, fuck this shit. I am not fighting Serris.
The doors weren't even closed or blocked, so I picked up my speed, channeled the kinetic energy I needed to speedboost right before jumping to the first platform and... I proceeded to do a shinespark through the entire area. I knew my body was glowing and thus attracting attention from the sea monster, but as it tried to catch me twice during the blitz and failed due to me being smaller and faster, I managed to make it through without much of a sweat.
As I crossed the doors, I paused as I heard Serris roaring in a upset as it realized it wasn't getting fried chicken for dinner. Meanwhile, I took a moment to rest and recuperate. The Briefing Room I entered was devoid of issues, so I took this chance to sit on the floor and... frown.
For some odd reason, I had been feeling like shit. Not just because of the damage I got, but also as if something within me was trying to get out. Using the clear texture of one of the walls, I looked around for any 'cracks'. Anything that would suggest I was 'shedding' into becoming a ugly motherfucker myself.
Turns out that I was devoid of any of that and... I was utterly baffled on what was going on with me. Maybe it was fatigue- I had been at this for hours now and while the headpats gave me strength, I didn't get much of a chance to sit down and think what to do next.
...
I stood up after fifteen minutes, stretching a little and walking up to the main terminal. It was active and the buttons were easy to access. I looked into trying to find Samus but, out of all 'surviving Federation personnel' within the Sector in that moment, only one stood out.
Melissa Bergman.
My lips twitched and my head tilted to the side as I knew who this individual was. The cause of the whole accident, the one that had the Metroids modified to endure the cold and... and definitely not mini-Samus. Like, I was looking at what looked to be a littler version of Samus, short hair and all of that.
A small description opened.
Melissa 'MB' Bergman. Biological Clone of Samus Aran donned with Mother Brain's cloned brain to obtain full control of Metroids. 'Adopted' by Researcher Madeline Bergman in an effort to control her. Currently classified as: Hostile.
This made no sense. I may not remember much from the game, but I know that Melissa was meant to be an android looking like Samus. Similar, and yet not. But this... this is different. This changes this considerably. As if answering to my thoughts, the terminal then showed some of the footage behind the attack that triggered this situation.
Little Mel reacted as harshly as her original counterpart did when they tried to 'reprogram' her, but instead of smiling at 'justice being delivered' as the Metroid attacked guards and researchers, Mel was sobbing loudly while holding the hand of a very deceased Madeline.
That... That changed things a fucking lot.
I paused some more as I read the monitor having one last line for me to know.
Killing her would warrant a pardon from the Federation.
My eyes narrowed at the line just as I finished reading it and... I turned away from it. Marching through the two rooms that separated me from the girl. It would be useful to get the Federation off my back, it would make my life easier. It would definitely make my odds to ruin their eixstence even better.
...
But as I finally faced the little girl, currently sitting by the wall, hugging her legs and sobbing against her knees... I didn't feel any ill intent towards her. I calmly stepped closer to her until I stood over her. Mel opened her eyes as she realized someone was now in front of her and she was soon frowning at me.
"Wh-Who are you?"
I blinked, merely leaning my head closer and, still perplexed, the child reached out to pat my head. I 'purred', surprising the girl as she soon started to shed away her unease towards me and, quite boldly, yanked me close for a big hug.
"Y-You're so fluffy," She muttered, her tone lightening as she was assaulted by my wonderful fur. "So, so fluffy~."
Nuzzling against me, I could feel tears drying up on my body, the poor dear still having some of the pain running into her mind. Her upset slowly vanished as she smiled a bit, and I felt my heart melting at the sight. This one was not a baddie. And nothing in this world will stop me from getting her out of this station.
New Objective: Protect that Smile.
AN
Little Bird may be a deadly machine, but this new circumstance change things massively. Especially when little Mel's survival could be put in jeopardy due to the Federation's corrupt faction!
