Silenced Minds
The low thrum of the Crosshair is only marginally comforting as its ground team crosses the threshold from alien soil into the familiar embrace of their ship. Samus doesn't drop her armor. She doesn't plan to until she's settled this matter. She leads the group back to the bridge; Adrian hasn't left her position at the pilot's chair. "You're back sooner than I thought. Things go that smoothly?"
"No. Everyone prepare for briefing; we need an infiltration strategy." The crew assembles on the main gangway.
"What happened?" Adrian asks.
"The AI is in control of the facility. Has everyone walking around like zombies," Arrande answers.
Samus walks up to her station and plugs her arm cannon into a port there. Her map of the facility pops up on the bridge's holographic display, hovering in midair above the crew stations. She moves through the map, zooming in closer and highlighting three of the buildings. "These structures are the most likely to house the AI core. This place doesn't have the resources for it to build a combat body, so if we're lucky, it should be easy to destroy once we find it."
"Divide and conquer, then?" Arrande suggests.
"No. We stay together, assess each room one by one. We still don't know how the AI takes control of its victims. We can't risk one of us being compromised and not knowing."
That strikes the team silent. It sinks in that there's a chance they could fall victim to the AI's control. "What's stopping it from doing that to us?" Adrian asks.
"If it were that easy, it would have done so when we went in, or when we landed, or even right now. Taking control of lifeforms with greater intellect probably requires more focused effort. It could be proximity-based, or require long-term exposure."
Arrande addresses the inherent risk. "That's all well and good if it turns out to need time to brainwash us, but what if it is proximity-based? Approaching it directly would just mean feeding us to it."
"We'll have to evaluate our strategy on the fly," Samus answers. "There's more at stake here than just the lives of the people in this outpost. We can't let this spread."
"... shouldn't we notify the GFA?" Adrian reasonably points out.
Samus shakes her head. "This is a humanitarian facility, not a lab with irreplaceable research. They'll either bomb it from orbit, or worse, send troops in to be enslaved. Neither option is preferable. Since informing them about the situation will necessitate a response, calling the GFA is our last choice. This mission is not just about destroying the AI, it's about rescuing its hostages."
Chowa is the first to point out the conceit of the mission. "So it is not enough to defeat the AI by the most direct and effective method. You wish to save its victims, even if we must jeopardize our own minds to do so."
Samus exhales, pausing to collect herself. She doesn't like being called out, but the observation is reasonable. "… I know what I'm asking of you is risky. But there is a chance we can save innocent lives. The people in that facility are either going to spend their lives under the thumb of a machine or die under its control. If you were in their position, wouldn't you want to be saved from that fate?
"A long time ago, I swore I would protect everyone I could. But this mission is different from what I've asked of you before. I see that. I'm asking all of you to risk your individuality to save strangers. And if we fail… that also means I'm asking you to die with me. So if you want to abstain… I won't force you to follow me in. We've only been on one mission together so far, so I'm not expecting absolute loyalty from you. This is not an order. I'm asking you to help me."
The bridge falls quiet. Samus realizes something in that stark silence; she picked her crew for their talents and achievements, but failed to consider if their morals aligned with hers. This mission has reached beyond the mores of a paycheck.
"… I mean, yeah, it's dangerous. But that's the job, right?"
Samus is surprised when Arrande speaks first.
He stands tall and meets her gaze with a cavalier grin. "Those people need help. I'm not backing out."
Chowa speaks up next. "I did not intend to sound as though I am making excuses. I will follow you, Captain Aran."
Adrian follows suit. "I'm with you, Captain."
Samus smiles to herself, then pulls the crew's attention back to the matter at hand. "Arrande, Chowa. Both of you have infiltration experience. Suggestions?" She's mapped out potential entry points, but wants to hear what they have to say.
Chowa mulls over the map displayed in front of them, their brow furrowed. After a moment of contemplation, they point to some structures positioned along the fence line. "Those may be electrical transformers, which would mean the fence surrounding the reserve is electrified. However, I do not see something big enough in the reserve to be a generator, so it must be drawing power from within the facility. Likely underground cables, so the wildlife doesn't disrupt them." Their eyes follow a pattern on the map until they see what they're looking for. "There. There is a narrow maintenance duct on the eastern perimeter that leads into one of the highlighted buildings."
Arrande leans in, his own expertise in infiltration coming to the fore as he scrutinizes the proposed ingress. "Tight squeeze, but doable for you."
Samus nods in agreement, acknowledging Chowa's astuteness. "Good. Arrande, you and Chowa scout out the eastern perimeter. Find a gap in their security to cut into the fence. We'll move through the reserve to get inside the station. Once we're inside-"
"You'll need to deal with any security measures they have in place," Adrian interrupts. Everyone in the room pauses for a moment to focus attention on her, making her anxious. "Y-you know. To make sure they don't detect you the moment you open a door. They're going to have something to make sure wild animals don't sneak inside unnoticed."
"What do you suggest?" Samus asks.
"If Chowa can give describe what they see, I can tell them what they need to do over close-range shadowband."
Samus nods again. "Good, I planned on having someone stay behind. Adam still needs repairs before we upload him into the ship's systems again. Communication with the Crosshair will be essential info only. Adrian, call Dr. Jha up to the bridge. She knows our mannerisms and how we speak. If she thinks we sound strange, you're to immediately fly the ship to the nearest safe planet and contact the Federation. Now, once we're in, we need to find the correct building for the AI core as quickly as possible."
Arrande raises his hand. "I have a suggestion on that matter. Since it knows we're here, it will increase protection around its actual location, splitting its forces and giving itself away. We won't even have to explore each building; verifying its entry points and staff presence there will tell us what we need to know."
"So we'll likely face a confrontation with the staff regardless of how cautious we are," Samus surmises.
Arrande continues. "Those we saw all responded to our unwelcome inquiry at once, so we can assume the AI is acting as a network for them. If we're spotted or pacify even one of them, we should assume the alarm raised. If that happens, we can still turn that to our advantage and pull as many people as the AI can spare toward us so we can weaken its resources. The girl at the front said they had thirty-seven on staff. I didn't see weapons on anybody, so they're probably minimally armed."
Samus' expression sours. "Our top priority is the safety of the researchers, Arrande."
"I have a stun rifle in the armory. Not my favorite, but it will do."
Chowa pulls one of their knives and adds, "And I will focus on cutting only the tendons essential for mobility."
"No, Chowa!" Samus sighs. "No permanent injury! We're to minimize confrontation at all costs."
Arrande suppresses a chuckle and continues. "Understood, nonlethal force only. Then we will have to find our target swiftly."
Samus adjusts the map and a yellow arrow icon moves through the facility, leaving a line in its wake. "This route will be the quickest way past each of our interest points." Several green arrows branch off at certain points in the arrow's path. "These routes are longer, but move through maintenance tunnels and ventilation systems. Route yellow is our ideal path, routes green are our backup routes if we're spotted."
With that, Samus dismisses the map and turns back to the crew. A powerful sense of satisfaction comes over her; the team feels unified, and the plan they've built feels solid. It reminds her of younger days as part of a unit, bringing all their skills to bear, except now she's the one forging their goals, making the moment more personally gratifying.
"Alright, briefing over. Arm up and move out."
As Arrande and Chowa leave the bridge to gear up, Adrian catches Samus' shoulder before she can go. "Captain… about my orders-"
Samus can hear the weight in her tone. Despite how much safer she'll be on the ship, Adrian may have the hardest role of all. Samus places a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "I know. I'll make sure it doesn't come to that."
000
Samus leads the ground crew toward the sea of trees hiding the rest of the compound. The forest is unnervingly quiet as they approach. A steel fence encircles the preserve section of the facility, beyond which the main body of the building extends deeper into the woods. The wastes give way to the unyielding nature of the planet as it clutches onto the remnants of its life. It paints a stark contrast between the bombed out hellscape behind them and the thick, overgrown nature closing in around them.
To Samus, it's not surprising. S0-652's ecology harkens to the temperament of an abused animal. The war that scarred this place has taught the few surviving lifeforms here one invaluable lesson; people mean death. And so, as she and her team approach, they are wisely silent and unseen.
She ruminates on how cynical she's become, that the beauty and wonders of a fresh new world no longer captivate her. Years ago, she'd consider how remarkable it is that the forest is reclaiming the world around it. Now all she sees is dwindling desperation clawing at the edges of mankind's hubris.
In contrast to her pessimism, Chowa marvels at an ecosystem fighting back. As they walk alongside the perimeter fence partitioning the forest from the Hera sanctuary, they smile to themself, observing the unique morphology of the trees, their flaming colors like vibrant fall leaves back on Vormini. Mounds of fungus cluster together like boulder-sized bundles of red popcorn clinging to trees. Despite the eerie scene inside the facility right now, Chowa can't help but appreciate what they see as the Brandt Foundation's success in jumpstarting this planet's rehabilitation. It eases some of the looming guilt hanging onto their heart.
Once the group is far enough into the woods, Samus holds up a closed hand, indicating for them to stop. "We don't know if they have any sensors along the fence, so we need to be quick. Stay quiet, stick to cover, and find a door going into the primary facility. I'm forwarding our map and route to your retina links."
She presses a button on her arm cannon and a tiny light on a small device attached to the crew's temples blinks. A micro holographic image displays on the surface of their eyes, showing a top-down view of the compound, major structures interconnected by sprawling tubes.
Arrande rubs his eyes. "Agh, I hate these damn things. They mess with my depth perception."
The buildings mentioned in the briefing light up. Samus continues, "You have your targets and your assignments. Chowa, you're up."
Chowa steps forward and pulls a knife from their flexible, black operations vest and carves a passage through the fence.
000
Chowa slips through the maintenance duct, their enormous form agile despite the tight space. The smooth, dark skin of their body absorbs what little light filters into the duct, rendering them like a shadow flitting through the darkness. Muscles ripple under their skin, constricting and shrinking as they navigate the passageway's industrial nuances. Soon they reach a security deterrent; an open electrical current fences off the limited space around a thick cable casing. With a silent nod to themselves, Chowa activates a wrist-mounted communicator and patches through to Adrian on the Crosshair. "Lieutenant, I have reached the wildlife deterrent. An open current circling the power cables."
Adrian receives his communique through the ship's shadowband, an encrypted channel made for operations like this. Her response crackles with interference from the structure; too much deeper into the facility and their connection will cut out. "This one's easy. The circuit is completed through two conductivity bands bridging the gap. Your galvanized knife won't be enough on its own this time, but you should still be able to cut them safely. Apply insulation gel along the length of both bands, then cut them out. Make sure you don't drop the cut pieces into the circuit or they'll electrify."
Chowa pulls a small disposable packet of gel from a pouch in their belt, then coils around the girth of the cable casing. They apply the gel with cautious dexterity, not an ounce of anxiety shaking in their hands. Then, with the seasoned touch of a surgeon, they cut out half of each band, forming a hole in the electric arcs and skittering past the meager obstacle.
Reaching a grate at the end of the duct, Chowa pries it open and peers out into the dim room beyond, eyes glinting in the shadow. A simple, dome-shaped security camera watches the door to the reserve. Chowa spies the control panel for the doorway, well within sight of the camera. "I have breached the facility and see no staff, but there is a camera directed at the door. Advise, Lieutenant."
"Moving or stationary?"
"I cannot tell. It is contained in an opaque dome."
"So it's a three-sixty cam. It's watching the entire hall at once. You can't approach without being seen. We'll just have to move fast."
Chowa pauses. "... can it watch the wall it's mounted on?"
"What? Uh... no, I guess I can't."
Slinking out of the vent, Chowa uses the smooth, segmented lamellae plates on their fingers to cling to the wall, closing the distance to the camera with the stealthy motion of a predator approaching prey. "What could I do if I get close without being seen?"
"Well... if you had a way to record a few seconds of looped footage and override its live feed with that, you could walk around right in front of it, no problem."
Chowa pulls a thin, ridged device from their vest and presses it to the wall next to the dome. It attaches, and with the press of a button, a yellow bar on its screen fills, then turns green. Chowa drops sinuously to the floor in a single, smooth movement.
Following Adrian's careful instruction, Chowa soon bypasses the security panel for the door mechanism and opens it. Arrande and Samus enter.
"Any problems?" Samus asks.
"None, Captain Aran," Chowa replies.
"Lets go."
000
Chowa moves through the dark maintenance corridors, soundless as they lead the way. Samus and Arrande follow close behind, their breaths shallow and controlled in the tense atmosphere of the facility. Pipes and cables line the walls, casting eerie shadows that dance across their path like specters. Small, blinking lights and gauges cast the narrow passages in a malevolent red hue.
Chowa stops, referencing the holographic map cast on their eye. "We have arrived at our first target, Captain Aran."
She nods. "Go."
Chowa pulls themself up into the crawl space above them, their tail slinking in behind them as they vanish from sight.
"Am I the only one creeped out by the way he moves?" Arrande asks with a shiver. Perhaps it's just the atmosphere, but seeing Chowa at work feels especially unsettling.
"Quiet. Keep chatter to a minimum." Samus feels a prickle of unease crawl up her spine. Something feels off. Even if their infiltration planning is solid, some kind of complication should have revealed itself by now. It's too easy.
"There is no one stationed outside the building," Chowa's voice comes from behind them, startling Arrande and Samus.
Angry, Arrande briefly slips into Spanish. "Madre de dios, ¿tenías que asustarme así, cabrón? Why didn't you come back the way you went?"
Chowa looks down at him, nonplussed. "It was simpler to return this way."
Samus cuts through the banter. "Enough. No one was there? Not even wandering around?"
Chowa shakes their head. "No one."
The absence of staff is unnerving, setting her on edge. But she can't show uncertainty in front of them, not while spearheading the mission herself. "... keep moving, stay quiet. Next location."
Arrande is quiet as he follows behind her. Despite Samus' projected image of stability, he can see through the act, can feel the trepidation coming off of her. She's not the only one concerned; he knows the mission is proceeding too smoothly.
Her strength is transient. You know it's just a front so she can feel in control of the world around her. She's every bit as flawed and broken as any other human. You should follow someone decisive and powerful.
Arrande jerks his head behind him, surprising Chowa. The alien gives him a curious tilt of the head, but does not speak, as bid by their captain. Arrande looks past them for a moment, searching for another person in the maintenance tunnels with them. He sees no one. Chowa points a thick finger toward Samus; she's getting ahead of them. Arrande takes one more look back before continuing on.
It's strange… he's sure he heard someone whispering, but as he tries to remember, he can't recall what was said. Or if it was even someone speaking at all. He chalks it up to nerves and moves on.
000
Moving on to the next target, Chowa scouts out several thralls stationed outside the entrance. They return to the ground team to report. "Six staff, low-grade sidearms," Chowa rumbles low, their deep voice just above a murmur.
Samus nods grimly, her jaw set. This is the location she was worried the AI core would be in. The central-most building with the most space in it, the hardest to get to of the three... and the hardest to get away from. Once they start their assault, retreat won't be a likely option.
With no other entry points available, she knows they have to incapacitate the thralls without causing harm and deal with the AI inside in quick succession. She mentally adjusts her suit, reducing the concussive force of her power beam. "Once we subdue them, the AI will call everyone it can to come defend it. Move fast and destroy it. Expect a trap or some other clever tactic; it's not stupid and it will do whatever it takes to protect itself."
The three of them take position behind the maintenance hatch, ready to breach.
Samus gives them one last order, a missile protruding from the end of her arm cannon as she prepares to breach. "Arrande, take down the rearmost two on the left. I've got right. Chowa, stay low and charge the two in the rear; they're yours."
She holds up three fingers, counting down. As she reaches zero, she blasts the hatch open, and they spread out into the main hall.
The moment lasts mere seconds. Two synchronous shots in swift succession from Samus and Arrande drop their intended targets before they can ready their sidearms. Chowa crawls along the ground with inhuman agility and speed, like a living flow of skimming quicksilver. They're on top of their targets just as they move to fire, and with two swift movements Chowa presses the flat of their galvanized knife to bare skin and stuns them each with a quick shock. Chowa catches them before they can hit the ground, gently laying them out.
The team can already hear the echo of movement reverberating down every hall.
"Go!" Samus orders, moving to the double doors and opening them.
The silence of the facility shatters under the unexpected snarls of wild animals. Muscles tense as Samus leaps back, confronted with a menagerie twisted by the AI's influence — beasts that now respond only to the commands of their artificial master. Their hunched forms lumber forward through the doorway, long, hairy arms and digitigrade legs contributing to a hobbling, apelike locomotion. The sleek fur of the creatures bristles with bioelectricity, long fangs dripping with malice.
"¡Mierda!" Arrande curses under his breath, shouldering his stun rifle and firing. Seeing the vicious beasts, he's desperate for a more lethal weapon than his sidearm. Chowa catches one creature as it lunges for them, slipping a thick arm around its neck while tail-whipping another across the face. The creature grasped in a headlock responds by shocking Chowa, drawing a growl of pain.
"It's stalling us! Get inside and find the AI!" Samus calls out, releasing a barrage, restoring her beam to full power. The fireteam's weapons discharge in controlled bursts, beams of energy criss-crossing through the air. Yet it is not enough; for every felled beast, another charges into the hall, and the chaos draws the attention of the puppeteered staff. As if answering a siren's call, they come — eyes vacant, limbs moving with an uncanny, inhuman precision and efficiency.
Arrande just avoids the snapping jaws of one creature, unloading point blank. Unfortunately, the voltaic bolts of his stun rifle do little more than irritate the electricity-charged monstrosities.
We've been outplayed. The AI is too smart. Smarter than her. I should never have sided with her. She could never beat it.
Arrande grunts and bashes the creature across the face with the butt of his rifle. He ignores the strange, ephemeral whisper. He ignores how chillingly close it sounds to his own voice. "Samus, we have this! Get in there and kill it before it's too late!" he shouts over the din.
She knows he's right. Breaking away from the clustering mob, she vaults over the backs of the beasts, drawing some of them into the connecting tunnel with her. Chowa stoically takes a defensive position in front of the doorway, preventing further tagalongs.
However, Arrande, so used to ranged combat, finds himself pushed further and further back, away from his compatriots. Further into the encroaching mass of mind-controlled researchers closing in on him.
He's drawn into the eye of a converging storm of thralls. Inefficient weaponry hinders his usual skill, his movements restricted as he is corralled further into the grasp of an enemy he can't fight at full strength. His movements become desperate and violent as he summons all his strength to club his captors away from him. His comrades become distant echoes as the encroaching walls of flesh ensnare him.
"Chowa!" he shouts, the bravado that once colored his voice now tinged with genuine fear. A chilling realization dawns on him that the sheer number of adversaries nullifies his wits and talents. The AI has turned all life within its dominion into a snare designed to entrap him, and he can feel it pulling tighter, tighter with every passing second.
The scene unfolds with a sort of tragic poetry. Here stands a man of undeniable individuality and spirit, yet he cannot stand alone against the tide of soulless coercion. In this moment, the certainty of the team's plan is fragmented, and it is in this isolation that Arrande's vulnerability is most starkly revealed to the entity watching in the walls.
There's no point in fighting it. This is for the best. This is the best way I can help her. This is the only way I can help her. Make her accept the inevitable.
The whispers... faint at first, then a beckoning call, then speaking with his own voice. Louder, louder now, to the point it overtakes the pounding pulse of his blood rushing in his ears.
He knows what's happening. But he can't stop it.
000
Samus pushes further in, ignoring the sounds of the creatures racing after her. She's too consumed by the overpowering sense of self-loathing echoing in her mind. I left them, she curses to herself, I left them to die. Or worse. She admonishes herself almost immediately. Focus. Deal with the problem at hand, then save them.
She readies a missile and blows open the corridor door, thrusting herself into the room and brandishing her arm cannon. What she sees makes her heart drop.
The building is a storage depot. Multiple floors of nothing but crates and crates of supplies, some large enough for a person to walk into.
She realizes the AI has been a step ahead of her the entire time, predicting her movements and luring her team into a trap. It guessed where she would head and made it look like the correct choice, setting the staff outside. She was so preoccupied by the thought of mind controlled people she forgot similar AIs' penchant for subverting the wills of animals. She should have foreseen it; they're on a damn nature preserve.
And now she's cornered.
She's done it again. She's gone and gotten more people she cares about killed. Not even her second mission with them and already they're going to die.
But she'll be damned if it isn't without a fight. She turns around, arm cannon forward. The beasts behind her breach into the room, charging at her, enormous, clawed hands drawn back.
They cry out in pain as silver steel pierces their flesh. Chowa dashes into the room on all fours, brandishing their combat knife and biting into the flesh of the creatures, ending their wretched, enthralled lives.
Chowa assesses the room and grabs hold of one of the heavy metal crates, testing it. This one is fortunately empty. Chowa's sticky fingers dig into the crate and with momentous effort they yank it in front of the destroyed door, blocking entry into the room. "Captain Aran, we have little time. They have captured Crewman Arrande. Your orders?"
Seeing them still fighting fans a fire in Samus. Things look dire, but they're still standing. They can still fight. She takes position next to Chowa and readies her arm cannon. "The door is our choke point. Disable all sapient targets. As for the rest, use your discretion." She holds fast to her desire to protect the researchers. She won't compromise on innocent lives. No matter what.
Chowa knows the two of them will inevitably be overrun, especially if they're using nonlethal force. For them, subservience to this intelligence would be tantamount to death. But of all the leaders they could die beside... they're content dying beside one with courage and determination. At least this time, there's that. They hold position next to their captain, knife held ready.
The sound of several hands thumping against the storage container sounds like the discordant drumbeat of a stampede. Then all at once it stops, replaced with the steady scrape of steel against stone as dozens of hands push the container at once. Tension mounts as it moves further and further, then a wave of bodies crashes around it, charging toward the two.
Suddenly, a small metal canister drops between the ground team and their aggressors. With a ringing pop, it bursts into a cloud of sickly vapor and glittering elements that hang in the air. Samus can see some researchers caught in the cloud slow down, cradling their head, no longer focused on her capture.
A voice calls from above, "Up here!" A magnetic cargo hook lowers down to them. Samus and Chowa don't question their savior, and climb aboard as it lifts off to the higher floors.
Samus can see a woman waving at them, crouched on the third floor in a stained lab jumpsuit wearing some kind of... crown? She isn't sure.
As they touch down on the higher level, their heroine gestures to an open crate in the corner. "In there, go!" The three quickly take refuge inside, the mysterious woman shutting the heavy steel door behind them.
00000
Chapter notes
If you speak Spanish, you might notice Arrande's Spanish sounds off. Unfortunately, I don't, and all I have to go on for actual Spanish is google translate and reddit posts on how to curse in other languages. If you have suggestions, please, by all means, let me know.
If you have a moment, please consider answering one or both of these questions for me in a comment!
1. Do you feel like the tension appropriately mounts with each scene?
2. Do Samus' anxieties about leadership translate well here?