Chapter 10: The Welcome Party Arrives

Secrets are a fun little things life throw at you. No matter how much you are barred from not knowing, it leads you in to be more curious. Mysteries like that usually start the predicaments I end up being in. Surprises don't scare me. It's the things that are right in front of me that scare me. Things that stare my right in the face, gazing right into my very soul. That's what scares me. I'd rather die at the hands of a Space Pirate cloaked in invisibility than one that I can see. I'd rather die to something I won't see coming. The less I know it's there, the less I am afraid of death.

The ground shattered as my boots stamped down on it. The stairs were a poor measure of keeping me up, but it was the only way to get down into whatever it was that was shrouded in that utter darkness. I'd be in fits if I attempted rolling down there. My throat was still burning from vomiting earlier. Plus, I was in no hurry to keep my helmet on. I needed to get as much fresh air as possible. I couldn't take being in that helmet as long as usual. I'm not claustrophobic, just human. Too much of a good thing, I suppose.

Still, even against the best of my efforts, I shoved my helmet back on. The small light above my visor would be the only thing that would get me to see anything down here. The last thing I wanted was to step on anything or fall into something. Meh, I've done it before. Nothing really bad happened...to me, anyways. Regardless, my light popped on, lighting up the dismal room I was entering. I looked back and saw the bright light of the outside world slowly die out. The stairs seemed to be endless. Maybe the Chozo were hoping intruders would give up after the first hundred steps.

A lonely lamp swung in the presence of my decent. I tapped at my arm cannon and it glowed red. Well, I am pretty dumb. Let's use the dinky flashlight when I have a gun that glows like the sun. Damn. My gun lit up the room much better, allowing me to notice the bit of power laying in the bell of the lamp. I flared up my cannon and touched the sprinkles with the flame, instantly lighting up the lamp. It glowed with an intensity a little weaker than my cannon, but I didn't have the focus to keep my gun idling for light.

I hadn't seen anything like these since Zebes. Writings from the ancient race littered the large wall before me. That's all it there was in the tiny room save the lamp, a lamp that I was afraid it was going to explode at any minute. Figures of the bird-like creatures were the main focal point of the wall, each holding a circle with different shapes inside. One bore the insignia I found on my first mission to Zebes when I regained my Power Suit.

Thanks to that exhausting "test" I took with the floating ghost of the Chozo image, I was fully recharged with an advanced version of my armor. Without it, I would have never escaped the mothership of the pirates and defeat the robotic Ridley. God, remembering is time-consuming.

I wiped the wall with my palm, but nothing happened to my surprise. Usually there would be some sort of button to press or icon to uncover. Nothing special here. Except for the corner of my eye. More of the writing became clear when I turned my head in that direction. I quickly clicked on my Scan Visor. Blank outlines of the figures didn't get me anything until I looked at the bold writing on the corner of the wall. It flashed red and, in and instant, extreme amounts of data streamed before my eyes. It was more than the writing I was seeing on the wall. This hid much more than it was letting me on.

Lore Found

Categorized In SubSection Tallon IV

Lore 54.B Retrieved

Inserted Into Lore Database

Static buzzed throughout the internal speakers of my armor. All of a sudden, it clicked a few times before a voice rang in my eyes. Adam?

"Samus...is this working? Samus?

"Adam? Can you hear me?"

"Thank god I reached you. I've been dabbling with this for hours. Are you hurt?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. A little dazed, but I'll be okay."

"Samus, you must have been out for hours. Take it easy, alright? I don't need you passing out. I can't treat you all the way out in...where ever you are. The ruins, right?"

"Yes, Adam, the ruins. The explosion opened up a secret chamber and it had the lore in it!"

"Well, looks like your hunch was more than just a random guess. Have you read it yet?"

"No, I just scanned it. I'm still getting data from it."

"Odd. Well, let it download, then we'll discuss it. Hopefully it had some clue for us."

"Yeah, I hope-"

Thrusters boomed across the jungles. The sound reverberated off the thick trunks of the forest, amplifying the already enormous noise. A large shadow, one I couldn't see from the room, enveloped the rubble of the fallen tower as it crossed the skies. It then soared off into the distance, stretching over the canopy.

"Hold it Adam, I've got company."

"Yeah, I've noticed. Incoming vessel approaching the ship. Cruising speed 45 kilometers an hour."

"Alright, hold tight Adam. I'll be there shortly."

I pushed off quickly towards the stairs, but stumbled over myself. I had to fight through it. No matter how sick I still felt, I needed to get back to my ship. No one could know I was here. I could lose my ship. Lose my cover. Lose my life...Lose Adam. No. I couldn't let that happen. It is so early, yet we have come so far. This could be our way out. I will not let it end this way.

"Looks like someone already took our landing spot, Cam."

"Thanks. I didn't notice. So glad you are here."

The cruiser slowly hovered above my ship, as if it was challenging it for its spot. Without getting a response, it settled down only a few dozen feet next to it. Air billowed from the landing. Grass whipped around, plants swayed rapidly, flowers jumped from their roots. Fire spurted from the boosters as the ship steadied itself onto the ground.

"Doesn't look like a pirate ship."

"Must be one of ours. Looks like a Hunter Class."

"I hate when they do this. Always giving up our jobs to bounty hunters before we even hear about it."

"Don't worry about it Steve. If it's one of ours, we'll pitch in. If not, that's what the guns are for."