Author's Note

Geez, surprised myself with this one. Yeah, I've really been in the mood to write this lately. I'm so excited, I feel we're approaching the end. It's getting close now, I can feel it...

Uploaded

07/25/2023

LEGEND BELOW

"Chief, that's not a good idea..." = Normal speech.

''You're you, don't let it control you...'' = Normal thoughts/Receiving coms.

Chapter 27

Coming to a head

Rated-M

M rating for blood, and language.

Music of the day

Halo Combat Evolved - A walk in the Woods

A boom echoed out as she launched forward at blistering speeds, practically flying across the land at the speed she was running, her legs a blur of motion.

The particle cannons almost immediately took note of her, charging up their main weapons as they attempted to vaporize her on the spot. Unfortunately for the Forerunner weapons, they were made to hit large, slower moving targets. Something the size of a human moving at nearly super sonic speeds was going to be problematic to target, especially when she refused to run in a straight line.

The ground behind her was turned into a crater, telling her that she needed to pick up the pace and change direction.

Just as the second cannon was about to fire, she leaned the the right, tearing off at the speed of sound in a different direction. The spot where she would've been otherwise turned to ashes.

Her eyes narrowed as a thought crossed her mind, and she hung right suddenly, rushing straight for the nearest particle cannon.

As it began charging up to fire at her, two more began doing the same thing. Then, before it could attempt to wipe her out, she jumped. Her speed carried her forward at speeds over five hundred miles an hour, certainly fast, but not her max speed.

The laser passed right under her, skimming her legs as she soared up to land atop the massive anti aircraft gun.

She grinned as the gun tried and failed to find her, spinning around to track her movements. At the same time, two more cannons within the immediate vicinity took aim at her and fired. She leapt high into the air, the twin lasers slamming into the cannon, rendering it a smoldering pile of rubble.

As she kept herself afloat with her wings, she immediately took off to gain speed, thrusters propelling her forward. Almost immediately, the guns began firing at her once more. She laughed as the guns fired at her, the lasers blasting off into the artificial skies above, missing her entirely. In such moments of high stress and battle adrenaline, she couldn't help the Metroid inside her coming to life, a certain bloodlust for combat temporarily overtaking her thinking.

Not enough to make her get herself killed, but enough to make her find joy in the challenge of the scenario. Nevertheless, she continued her wild dance in the skies, avoiding the guns and forcing them to firing at nothing for as long as she could manage.

Even at subsonic speeds, she could use her Flash Shift to maneuver in such a way it made it seem like she could teleport out of the way of any attack, if only for a brief period. Nevertheless, she'd turned into a pest that the cannons couldn't swat out of the air no matter how hard they tried.

Unfortunately for the cannons, they had no idea that she was only acting as a distraction, allowing the others to escape the facility entirely while she pulled their attention.

''Samus, we've managed to get free from the kill zone. Get out of the air and meet us at the shorelines.'' The Master Chief's voice rang out from her coms.

"Right… I'll be right there." She grunted, jerking to the side as a massive laser skimmed her shoulder armor, singeing her suit.

She suddenly fell from the skies, landing on the ground as she took off at insane speeds once more. The guns continued to fire at her, but again, their accuracy was called into question when they continuously failed to hit her.

Chozo warrior technology at its finest was on display after all.

As a matter of fact, ancient Chozo warriors of legend were reportedly strong enough to take down starships with weapons they could hold in two hands. That level of destructive power could be present in the Hyper Beam she'd gained from Raven Beak.

But…

When she thought of using it, she'd instantly banished the thought, the weapon far, far too dangerous for every single living thing around her.

The time would surely come, but it wasn't now.

Not yet.

Eventually she out ran the range of the guns, quickly spotting the ships at the shorelines. As she slid to a stop, kicking up a mountain of snow, the green Spartan was there to lift her up onto the Tyr.

As she stepped onto the ship, she was congratulated by the other troopers. Not a moment later saw the ships all taking to the skies, all on a course to returning to the Infinity, their mission successful.

"Commander Palmer, do you copy?" The Chief didn't hesitate to call out to his commanding officer, informing her of the success. He was aware that she and the Infinity was likely already aware, but letting her know that they'd accomplished it without any casualties was important as well.

''Chief, good, you're alive. What's your status?'' Palmer's voice fazed in, tone stern.

"All clear. Green across the team. All soldiers accounted for." The man responded.

''Good. Return to Infinity immediately. We need you on deck now.'' She stated sharply. ''The moment that place went down, Lasky sent the warning back to Earth. Every god damn ship available in the fleet is on an intercept course with Earth as we speak. This bastard isn't getting off this planet alive, and if he does, he's sure as hell not going to touch one blade of grass on my home.'' She confidently claimed, voice proud.

Samus didn't interrupt, instead listening in on the conversation. When the Commander ended the call, she found the green Spartan's gaze drawn to her. He didn't say anything to her, but she could tell he was still upset over her stunt earlier…

Eventually they reached the UNSC's flagship once more, landing on board without a hitch…

"I know you just got back, but we don't have time to stand around. While you all were busy with the blackout, the Didact got tired of waiting. He's begun moving…" Almost immediately after disembarking from the Tyr, Lasky himself had come up to meet them upon their arrival. And from the sounds of it, the only breaks they'd been allowed was the rather short ride back to the ship.

It was already time to begin another mission, or so it seemed.

"Is he going after the gravity well?" The Chief asked lowly, glancing down to the brown haired man as he escorted them out of the landing bay.

"No… We don't think so." Lasky sighed after a moment. "Not yet at least." He added. "He appeared fifteen minutes ago. We are still unaware of where he'd been hiding, but he, alongside what remains of his Covenant fleet have fled to the opposite side of the planet. He's currently on his way to some sort of outpost in the sea of spires."

"Any i-idea what he wants from there?" Cortana chimed in curiously.

"No, but it can't be good." Lasky shook his head.

Although they continued poking for details, Samus had grown eerily quiet since Lasky's explanation. Something about what he'd said jogging some of her memories.

She wasn't sure just yet, but she was sure it would come to her soon enough.

Eventually they reached the bridge, the crew alight like worker ants who'd likely forgone sleep for the past few days at most. This mission was truly beginning to take its toll on the crew of the ship, that was certain.

"Does anyone have any goddamn idea what the hell this bastard is looking for?"

It was the irritated, almost enraged voice of the Captain that met them as they stepped onto the bridge.

"N-No sir…" A terrified young crewman uttered, thoroughly shaken.

Del Rio sighed as he sank into his seat, pinching the bridge of his nose as the stress began getting to him. However, upon noticing the return of his best soldiers, he felt a bit of relief wash over him. "Thank god, at least we didn't lose anyone this time. Did you make sure that place can't come back online?" The man sighed deeply, before barking out questions sharply.

He needed a break.

"Yes sir. Cortana has handled the situation." The Chief explained gruffly, voice terse. "What about the fleet?" He asked after a moment.

Del Rio seemed to sink into his chair. "We got the warning out, and if they listened, they'll have the whole fleet guarding the planet." He explained tiredly, black bags hanging heavily under his eyes. "The Didact is up to something, and I don't like it."

"You said he was searching for something?" It was Exeter who spoke up, butting his way into the conversation. "Is it this super weapon I've heard about?" He thought to ask.

The Captain shook his head. "No, can't be. If what the Librarian said is to be believed, the Composer isn't even on Requiem…"

This banter went on for some time, the Captain bouncing things off of the Spartan and Cortana. However, while they discussed the probability of the Didact having some sort of backup plan, Samus slowly came to a realization of her own.

And once she had, she knew she had to speak up.

"I believe I know where he's headed." Samus uttered suddenly, drawing the attention to her. Everyone turned to face her, but didn't speak up, telling her silently to continue. "When we first came crashing through the gate of the planet, me and the Master Chief had been temporarily separated. He had gone down with the Forward Unto Dawn, while I had been thrown to some place farther." She explained, before asking nonverbal permission to approach the main terminal.

The Captain stepped back, allowing her to approach the terminal. He knew just how much damage she could cause to the ship just with a touch, how tremendous the situation could become if she wasn't careful.

He'd thought to tell her off, but he relented, although very reluctantly if he might add.

Although, even though the Captain had given her permission, she still glanced to the Spartan in silent question. He nodded after a moment, motioning her forward. She approached the terminal, reaching out with her left hand. As she placed her claws against the system, she felt her body almost immediately demanding she absorb everything, but she ruthlessly and vehemently refused to give into her baser urges.

She transferred data her suit had been passively recording and collecting over the last many days on Requiem, bringing up images of a familiar ocean of massive floating Forerunner spires that stretched on for as far as the artificial horizon went. "When I came through the hole, I nearly crashed into one of these spires. I had not thought anything of it at the time and quickly moved to rejoin the Master Chief's side. However, upon crossing over the region, I noticed something odd." She explained lowly, bringing up a scan she'd made of the region as she passed over.

"I hadn't passed close enough to get a thorough scan, but I did manage to pull some relevant data…" She trailed off, bringing up the incomplete schematics of what appeared to be some sort of massive ship, buried underneath the artificial sea that was surrounded by spires.

"Captain, the data from Samus is concurrent with our mapping of the Didact's last known position." Aine appeared on the terminal, hands clasped behind her backside.

Del Rio's eyes widened.

"He's going after a ship…" He realized, a feeling of dread crawling down his spine. His eyes suddenly narrowed dangerously, standing up. "Helm, set a course for that bastard. We're ending this now." He ordered sharply.

"Captain, our shields are still down. Infinity's vulnerable…" An officer informed, gaze nervous underneath the stern look thrown his way.

"We aren't the only one." The Master Chief spoke up. "The Didact's Cryptum is not capable of withstanding the firepower of the Infinity's weapons. If we corner him, we can take him down."

"Agreed. It's a risk I'm willing to take…" The captain stated, turning away as he clasped his hands behind his back. "If we let this… Forerunner get to earth… I don't want to think of the consequences…" He trailed off with a tired sigh.

"Chief, I want you and the other Spartans ready for deployment in fifteen. I have a feeling things are going to get heated here soon, and I was everyone ready for it." Del Rio said tiredly, issuing orders.

"Yes sir…" The green Spartan responded, before turning on his heels as he made his way out of the room. Samus turned to watch him go, before turning her attention back to the captain.

Seeing as he had her attention alone, he cleared his throat as he went to address her. "Samus, I can't thank you enough for what you've done for us here. I'm going to warn you that things are probably going to get dicey from here on out, and if you've decided to go your separate way to protect your infants, I understand." The older man explained, knowing full well that she was the last of her species, her children the only others that remained. He also knew how murderously protective of said children she was, and how she'd stop at nothing to keep them same.

However.

"Thank you, Captain." Samus nodded, genuinely appreciative of the gesture. "However, I do not plan on leaving until the Didact is no longer a threat. He poses as much of a threat to humanity as he does my species continued survival." She clarified, hand clenched by her side. "I refuse to stand idly by while he galavants around the galaxy, sir." She added heatedly.

That got a grin out of the chiseled war veteran. "That's what I love to hear. Now then, you'll probably want to rejoin the Chief." He said, switching back to captain mode rather efficiently.

True.

She probably should do just that.

However…

"I will rejoin him momentarily. However, have you seen my children?" She asked.

"I believe the crew at your landing bay were keeping watch over them. Commander Palmer made sure to have them looked after." The man clarified.

Samus's eyes widened. "Please give her my thanks the next time you see her." She asked softly. "I'll take my leave now, Captain." She said, turning to leave.

"Samus…" Del Rio called out before she could manage to go too far. She stopped halfway out the door, glancing back at him. "Good luck. Don't get yourself killed." The man said, turning away.

Her eyes widened a bit, before she nodded as she left without saying another word…

She'd quickly returned to the loading bay, the Master Chief was already there. Thankfully, neither him nor many of the Spartans required any armor repairs due to the massive success of the previous mission.

While that was all well and good, she found that she wasn't eager to go and speak with him just yet, mind still weighing heavily on the conversation they'd had on the elevator.

No, she didn't want to focus on that right now…

Because if she did…

She'd realize just how right he'd been, and that's what upset her the most.

She shook her head, quickly tracking down her children. Of course, she didn't need to look far, as she found Anthony playing with her infant Metroids…

Only, they were no longer infants.

Her eyes widened when she approached, taking in the sight of the flying creatures. They'd shed their infant forms, and had since dawned their second forms, evolving into Alpha Metroids. They were still flying, swarming the big man she held so dear to her. But when they sensed the return of their mother, they'd immediately swarmed her, nuzzling her with their large bodies, now covered with a tough durable carapace.

She couldn't help the amusement that filled her as they all cooed around her, bumping her, talking to her, sharing their thoughts psychically.

They were thrilled that she'd returned, that she was safe, and they were excited to show her their new forms. Apparently, alongside this physical evolution was a mental one, because their vocabulary had evolved from simple base feelings, and into something more coherent. It was akin to a baby going from babbling nonsense, to speaking in small short sentences with some semblance of clarity.

She wasn't sure if Metroid's were always this smart, or if it was related to them being her offspring that made them so special in comparison to their original species of murder monsters. Either way, if things kept going as they were, she had a feeling they were going to continue evolving at a rapid pace.

The thought made her heart skip a beat for reasons she didn't quite understand just yet.

"Yo Princess, you've got some special kids there, let me tell you." Anthony spoke up, approaching the four of them. They all stopped flying around her, before doing the same to him. He laughed, raising his hand up for them to bump against. "I've seen some stuff in my day, but I never thought I'd see the day where Metroid's of all things were… Well, you know." He trailed off, but his meaning was pretty clear.

The man never thought he'd see the day where Metroids weren't, A, trying to immediately kill everyone, and B, were actually smart enough to communicate with their parent.

He truly was looking at the beginning of a newly evolved species, and it was definitely something special.

He only wished so many back in their galaxy would see it the same way…

Because he knew damn well what would happen if their universe learned of this…

It didn't make him comfortable, that's for sure. But he wouldn't put that out there, knowing that such things would only add undue stress to an already extremely stressful situation.

He was content to be there for her and support her by his actions and his presence, not so much his words.

And he knew that she appreciated that.

"Samus? Are you ready?" The Master Chief spoke up from across the way, standing beside a Pelican drop ship. "Our orders will be dropping soon, be prepared for anything." The man said, stepping up into the ship. She thought he'd say more, but he didn't.

She glanced at him, before moving after him.

By now, the Infinity was already well on its way to the Didact. The battle could happen any minute now, and they needed to be prepared for anything.

She stepped inside the ship, finding the super soldier sitting beside the wall nearest the bay door of the Pelican. He either didn't notice her presence, which was statistically impossible, or he wasn't willing to communicate to her about what was on his mind. Either way, it made the silence rather…

Uncomfortable…

She decided after a long moment that she'd sit across from him, give her tired legs some much needed rest.

Not like she'd really gotten any rest since she'd come falling from atmosphere through the planet all that time ago.

At times she felt ready to keel over, and others, rejuvenated from her supply of energy. That being said, she'd appreciate the moment of physical rest for as long as she could manage, knowing everything was likely to go to hell within the next few minutes.

It always did…

She simply expected these things to happen now, it was almost a daily occurrence at this point.

She shook her head, deactivating her helmet to let her hair down, get some fresh air. Her three eyes blinked, looking at the world un-inhibited by her helmet, taking a moment to sit in silence.

But, this moment of silence may give her time to mull over the multitude of questions she had swirling around in her mind.

She'd thought that she was a companion to him, a fellow soldier so to speak, dragged down into his war in a world that she didn't belong. He belonged to this world, this people and these wars. The UNSC was his home, his people, his everything. It's what he fought and bled for, what he put his life on the line for every day.

It, however, was not what she put her life on the line for.

She was a Bounty Hunter, someone who was only looking out for themselves. She was someone who had abandoned the ideology of relying on someone else to protect her, to care for her, to do anything at all for her. If she wanted to become strong, if she wanted to become safe, if she wanted anything, she was going to have to get it herself. Relying on others…

Depending on others for anything at all had never worked for her…

Not when she was a child, nor when she was a battle hardened intergalactic warrior who'd destroyed planets of space faring terrorists by herself. The only time she'd ever worked for others after she'd become a Bounty Hunter, was to help someone else achieve their goals. If it came down to it, she never allowed herself to get into a position where she needed to depend on someone else to save her, if she could help it.

That…

That loss of control, loss of power over herself was what scared her. She always needed up finding a way to accomplish her goals, always found a way to do what needed to be done, without relying on others.

When asked to give up that control, and rely on someone else to get the job done, to defend her, to…

To support her when she needed support…

She…

Well, suffice it to say that she'd didn't know how to do that.

She'd been alone for so long, relying on herself for everything, never turning to anyone for anything if she could help it.

When she'd arrived on the Bottle Ship and was forced to bend and listen to Adam, it messed with her. Things would be so much easier if everyone let her do what she did best, if she was allowed to do things her way. Giving up that control to Adam was a difficult pill to swallow, and she couldn't help but feel that her subservience to him in the Bottle Ship is what had led to his entire squad's demise, and his as well.

In the end, if she'd only stuck to her guts and did things her way…

Maybe he'd still be alive. Maybe they'd all still be alive.

She shook her head, trying to focus.

She looked across the drop ship, eyeing the Spartan that had asked her to do just that. He'd asked her to allow him to stand by her side, to support her in battle, to stand, perhaps not as an equal in terms of power, but an equal in terms of position. He'd requested that she learn to lean on him in this world that she knew far too little about, to face challenges as a team.

And she'd, for some reason she didn't know, was compelled to give in and do just that. She told him that she'd handle things together with his help, and he'd do the same to help her.

And, when the time came to do just that, what did she do?

She immediately fell back into her habit of handing everything on her own, and sent him away. She banished him, prevented him from helping her, and faced her challenges head on.

But, not only did she do that, she'd nearly died because of it, coming so close to death that she should've died. And then, she immediately did it again when another situation, very similar to the first occurred once more.

And the worst part, in that moment, she hadn't even thought twice about throwing him and the rest of the squad out of the way if it meant handling everything on her own. And it worked, like it always did.

But he wasn't happy…

He was angry with her, because she'd not only gone against his wishes, something that she promised not to do. But she'd willingly done so twice in a row.

Thinking about it now, she realized something.

She didn't know how to rely on others, even when she needed to. Her base instincts told her that she needed to do everything to survive, that only she could make sure that she survived.

And now, she'd continued to do things that went against what he wanted.

"John…" She spoke up after a moment, turning her attention to him. The Spartan pulled his head off the wall of the ship, his golden visor glinting in the low light levels.

"What?" He intoned, not necessarily upset, but not in the same way that he usually spoke.

"…" She tried, but found the words catching in her throat. Like some sort of adolescent girl, she couldn't say what she wanted to say, and the thought alone infuriated her to no end. "…I'm sorry." She finally managed, turning away, as if afraid to see his reaction, despite the fact that he was wearing his helmet.

He was quiet for a long, long moment, simply staring blankly at her. His chest rose slightly as he took in a deep breath, head tilting to the side just slightly as he spoke. "You're sorry?" He said in such a way that made it apparent that he wasn't questioning her why she was sorry, but almost questioning the words themselves. He dropped his head back against the wall of the ship, the dull thud it made echoing out. "I'll be sure to tell the others that you're sorry the next time you go and try to get yourself killed." He responded sharply, voice more harsh than she'd ever heard it before.

She recoiled physically, as if struck by his words. She turned back to him sharply, feeling her anger rising beneath her chest. "What do you want me to say? I'm sorry that I keep handling everything on my own?" She bit back, black lips parting angrily, sharp teeth glinting in the dim lights.

"No." He responded almost as quickly, cutting her off.

Now far too irritated to sit any longer, she stood back up to her feet. "Then what? What do you want me to do? This is how I am, how I was created, how I was made. I can't just change because you asked me to!" She bit back sharply, tone rising as she found in increasingly difficult to control her anger.

"I'm not asking you to change." He explained, standing to his feet as well, seeing how irritable she'd become.

Yet, something about what he said struck a nerve with her. She couldn't stop herself as she walked up to him, getting right up in his face, forcing him to look down to her. "Then what? What are you asking?" She snapped, shaking in her armor.

He was silent for a long moment, letting her dwell on her emotions while he struggled to find the words to properly express his own. Finally, he seemed to find what he wanted to say as he instead reached up to take off his helmet, something he'd not done since she first took it off of him to save his life. He set in on the ground with a thunk of noise, staring at her three surprised red eyes with his dull blue ones.

She found it so much more difficult to be upset at him when he didn't have a helmet on to obscure his face from her wandering eyes. She found most of her anger vanishing in the wind as he reached out and grabbed her by her green armored biceps, but this time far more gentle then before.

"I want you to worry about yourself, and stop acting as if you're the only one who cares." He replied lowly, his voice that deep gravelly echo. Hearing it not obstructed by his helmet gave her pause, her eyes widening to the point that he could see the black sclera of her eyes that was usually hidden behind the glow of her red irises.

"…" Her puffy black lips parted to say something in response, but nothing came out.

"You act as if no one cares about you, about your wellbeing. You treat the idea of someone else caring about you as impossible, so you refuse to see it for what it is." He spoke lowly, grim firm on her arms. "You're a Bounty Hunter, a woman that shouldn't be approached by anyone. That's what you see in yourself." He said, blue eyes softening just the slightest. "Why?" He asked.

She looked up at him, suddenly feeling insignificant underneath his gaze. She felt as if he'd suddenly torn her open and revealed all her character flaws at once, and she didn't know how to respond, so she froze.

But he didn't push her, not yet. He knew she was fighting an inner battle in that moment, and he didn't want to push her away, not again.

Then finally she seemed to gain the confidence to speak her mind, looking away from him. "…Because anyone I've ever cared for has died. And anyone who's ever cared for me has died for me…" She muttered lowly, voice quiet, vulnerable.

She thought he'd finally get it, that he'd finally understand her plight and leave her alone.

After all, what she said was true.

Adam had sacrificed himself for her.

Rundus had killed himself so that he didn't lose himself to the Phazon madness and kill her.

Gandrayda had been someone that she'd cared for too, perhaps on a different level. But she too had allowed herself to fall victim to the temptation of power, and she'd been forced to put her down herself.

Her parents had died protecting her, slaughtered by Ridley or by sacrificing themselves to try and protect her.

Even Old Bird was gone.

Then, what he said next shook her hard enough that she found herself rooted to the spot. "But I'm still here, aren't I?" He asked, raising an eyebrow in question.

His words echoed out in her mind like a gunshot, rattling around in her brain on repeat.

I'm still here.

Still here.

I'm still here.

He hadn't gone anywhere.

He was still there with her, because he cared for her, despite her seemingly desperate attempts at continuously shutting him out. Instead of giving up, he was still there with her.

She'd finally found some just as headstrong as her to avoid death at seemingly every turn.

She found her eyes walking the lines on his aged face, trailing each scar, each burn mark, his short brown hair, tough chiseled features. When she finally found herself turning to his deep blue eyes, she knew that he wasn't lying to her.

He was telling her the truth…

"And, I don't plan on-" He went to say further, but she stopped him as she grasped the collar of his chest plate and pulled him down to her level, pressing her puffy black lips to his own.

The blue eyed Spartan's face displayed his surprise, blinking multiple times as he tried to grasp the concept of what was happening. The moment lasted for a long while, before she eventually pulled away, a trail of saliva connecting the duo's lips.

The lightly green skinned woman's cheeks heated up a tad as she breathed in a breath, black puffy lips parted in a way that drew his attention. "I'm… Going to hold you to your word…" She hummed quietly, almost shocked at what she'd just done.

Before he could say anything in response, she stepped back, helmet reappearing over her head in a flash of light. Her visor polarized instantly, hiding her expression behind that baleful red visor of hers.

Almost immediately after, a voice chimed in from his currently abandoned helmet on the ground. Snapping to attention, he bent down, picking up the hefty metal object before slipping it on over his head.

''Chief?! Do you copy?'' Palmer's irritated voice came through his helmet speakers.

"Go ahead, Commander." He cleared his throat before responding.

''Finally!'' The Spartan Commander exclaimed, clearly agitated. ''We've got a situation here. The Didact's posted up a forcefield around the ship, he's trying to keep us out while he gains access to it.'' She explained quickly. ''I'll explain on the way, but you and Samus need to get out there now. Take the Stiletto Fighter, they're faster then a Pelican…''