2Hey, it's SabaraOne back with another chapter!
Thanks to FourthWallBreaker for the review. Yes, that's how Composite met Hunter. I reviewed the sequence from Metroid 2 where Samus meets the Baby and sort of worked from there. But how could you know about him…? *heh*, it's not like we haven't been working on a previously announced crossover or anything, right? ;) (Wow, I actually just used an emoticon.) And yes, there's not much left. Just this chapter to go.
Chapter 11: Alpha and Omega
We step onto the operations deck. It's the large room near the first Data Room where Samus got her Missiles from. We start to climb up to a high ledge we couldn't get to before. As soon as we approach the door to the Ops room with the controls we need, we hear a loud crash. Samus spits out a curse as an SA-X resolves in the middle of the room. We think quickly, open a Navigation Room nearby and use telekinesis to throw Hunter in.
"What did you do that for mom?" Hunter asks, annoyed.
"Because the SA-X has an Ice Beam and we don't know what your cold resistance is," we respond, "And it's Bu'ir, not mom."
"Sorry Bu'ir."
"Alright SA-X, Let's do this," Samus hisses through clenched teeth. She charges up aWave Beam and fires it at full power. The SA-X gives a cry and attempts to hit Samus with a Screw Attack, but jumps too high. "Wonder if it'll do that again," Samus murmurs, charging a shot, jumping over the SA-X's Ice Beam shot, and counterattacking. The SA-X seems to be locked in a pattern. We quickly get bored and fire a volley of blaster bolts at it. Immediately releases and things get a lot more fun. We draw our blades and they Ignite with telekinetic energy. The SA-X starts to jump and dodge wildly, spraying Ice Beam shots in all directions. We leap down and stab our blades into the SA-X. It screeches and pulls away, the visible damage quickly repairs, but it still seems weakened. Samus charges a Diffusion Missile and freezes the SA-X in place for a moment, taking the opportunity to fire a Wave Beam charge into it. We sheath our blades and begin to fire a constant stream of blaster bolts at it, only stopping for two seconds every twenty seconds to reload.
After a few minutes, the SA-X collapses to the ground, unable to continue. It lets out an earsplitting scream and transforms into some sort of hybrid of Samus and a Hornoad.
"Not cool," Samus snarls, opening fire.
"Oy'an, up!" We deploy our digitizing laser and create a shaped detonator charge. We slap it onto the locked hatch Hunter is trapped behind and slam down the plunger. The hatch blows open, setting off even more alarms then are already blaring. An ecstatic Metroid flies out of the room and begins to happily feed on the SA-X. Within a minute, it's been destroyed and its Beam Core-X has been defeated. The unshielded Core-X escapes down a blocked-off shaft.
"Kandosii! Very good, Hunter!"
"But Bu'ir, I didn't destroy it!" Hunter says unhappily.
"But you defeated its final two forms much faster than we could have," we reassure him, "You couldn't have know it would do that. It's only a mistake if it could have been prevented."
Samus nods in agreement, "If Kandosii means what I think it does, than it's the proper word." She jumps back up to the operations room.
A moment later, we hear a voice announce "Destination: Planet SR388. Arrival In Three Minutes"
"Let's go!" Samus blazes out of the Ops Room like her rear's on fire. We follow her to the main deck and to the hanger bay. The area seems to be progressively more damaged and colder, though Hunter doesn't seem to notice. We feel a slight breeze flow past us. Samus recognizes it at the same time we do. "Hull breach!"
"We're vac-sealed, are you?"
"Yes, how about you Hunter?"
"I don't need air, but I don't get why you ask. What's a hull breach?"
"We'll explain later, he says yes."
We race onto the docking bay and find that Samus's ship is gone, replaced by a hole to space. So is ours, but we dismissed it earlier.
"Where did it go?" Samus asks over the helmet comms, "The ship can't auto launch!"
"Bad! Bad!" Hunter senses something coming. A second later, an Omega Metroid crashes through the wall. We both immediately open fire, but none of our weapons have any effect. It raises one clawed hand and—
Pain. Immeasurable pain. The static fades from our vision and we find that we're on the far side of the bay alongside Samus. Hunter has taken refuge behind a wall. We glance at our hands, and our visuals must still be out of whack because they seem to be flickering with orange static. Samus gasps and we look up in time to se a Core-X – no, the Core-X reforming the SA-X. It turns to us and we hear a click in our audio comms.
"Worthy prey… You defeat us… We have… nothing left… We fight… for you…" The SA-X's voice is similar to Samus's, but distorted with static and a collective resonating quality. It steps forward and opens fire on the chest of the Omega Metroid, causing a weak shriek of pain. We assume it''s meant to be stronger, but the dropping pressure doesn't make that easy. The Metroid swipes at the SA-X, forcing it to revert. Samus jumps up and absorbs it. A sort of wireframe hologram appears over her and a new suit forms in it, matching the SA-X's. She begins to fire on the Omega Metroid with a newly reclaimed Ice Beam. Our vision starts to fuzz out with static and our consciousness spirals away…
Identifier:Alpha's status transitions from Status:Standby to Status:Online. Alpha executes Action:Sensor:Look:Self. Alpha's base color has changed from Identifier:Composite's normal red to orange and circuits have faded to a much darker blue. Alpha executes Action:Sensor:Look:Area. Alpha quickly locates Identifier:Hunter performing Action:Defensive:Hide and Identifier:Samus performing Action:Offensive:Attack on Lifeform:Hostile:Metroid:Omega using Object:Weapon:Ranged:ArmCannon that fires projectiles combining Property:Weapon:Ice and Property:Weapon:Plasma. Alpha executes Action:Output:Speak:Comms to Samus, announcing "Identifier:Samus, execute Action:Defensive:Dodge!" Samus does as ordered, and Alpha activates an energy buffer that Composite was unaware of. It activates Ability:Chaos:Spear. "CHAOS… SPEAR!" A blast of energy that exploded on contact. Lifeform:Hostile:Metroid:Omega lost contact with the floor and was ejected from Object:SpaceStation:BSL and onto a collision course with Object:CellesuralBody:Planet:SR388. Alpha noticed that Alpha was near beginning to destabilize and triggered reversion to Identifier:Composite.
POV: 3rd
Samus's ship begins to land in the now open docking bay with one minute to spare on the collision countdown. Composite's armor fades to its usual color scheme as they collapse.
Hunter floats out from behind the wall he'd taken refuge behind and latches onto their head, repeatedly squealing what is barely recognizable as the word "Bu'ir! Bu'ir! Bu'ir!" in concern. He begins to drag them towards the ship's boarding ramp with difficulty.
"Here little guy, let me help," Samus deftly scoops Composite up into a rescuer's carry and hauls them onto the ship, "Never leave a comrade behind! Let's go!" She unceremoniously dumps her in front of the Etecoons and Dachoras, barely stopping long enough to shout "Hold them still!" And running up to the front. She presses a few buttons and pushes the throttle to maximum, firing the ship's forward weapons to blast the opposite side of the bay open. The shop's engines flash brighter and the ship's afterburners come online with a roar. The ship gets clear just in time.
The BSL station collides with planet SR388 and explodes. A second later, an even larger explosion vaporizes the planet.
"At last… it's over," Samus sighs. She checks her scanners for a moment before deactivating her Power Suit, revealing a form-fitting one piece blue jumpsuit under it. She doesn't turn away from her piloting, but directs her words to Hunter, "One time I deactivated my power Suit early and was shot down by Space Pirates shortly afterward. I'm not going through that again." She turns to the Etecoons and Dachoras, who have been diligently keeping Composite from flying around the cockpit. "Take them to the medbay and make sure they're secure. I don't want to risk them having another outburst like they did back with the Omega Metroid."
The Etecoons and Dachoras make affirmative noises and carry Composite back to the medbay and strap them into a bed. Samus locks the ship into a slightly unstable orbit that'll have her crashing into the sun in a few months, but does have the advantage of being irregular and harder to trace before heading back herself.
POV: Composite
We wake up in a starship. We can feel the slight thrumming of the drives and hear the sounds of medical equipment. We try to move our arms and legs but restraints block us. We angle our head up and see a woman in a blue jumpsuit with long blonde hair checking a readout. "Who are you?"
"You're awake Composite," Samus says, turning around.
"Bu'ir!" Hunter cries telepathically in relief.
"Hey Samus, Hey Oy'an," we respond. "What happened?" Samus exchanges a look with someone, presumably Hunter as best she can. "Oh… Oh… now it's coming back…" We review our memories of the recent past for a moment, "Well. Hopefully that won't happen too often."
Samus taps a control on the bed and the restraints pop open, "Yes, though that was a powerful attack."
"We didn't know we could do that. How long were we out?"
"Just over an hour," Samus says.
"Bu'ir, you're okay?" Hunter asks.
"Yes, we're fine. Did we complete the mission?"
"Yes," Samus nods, voice assuming an almost clinical flat tone, "The BSL Space Station and the planet SR388 were both completely destroyed. All known X parasites were obliterated in the blast."
"Good," we nod and start to stand, "Then our work here is done. Maybe we'll meet again, Samus."
"Yes, maybe we will," Samus agrees. She holds out her hand and we clasp each other's arms, wrist-to-elbow in a Mandalorian tradition that needs no explaining to someone who's fallen off as many ledges – and been dropped off by physically weak comrades - as Samus. We give Samus a slightly questioning look and Samus nods. We copy her form with a cry of "Download!"
Copy Form
Name: Samus Aran
Type: Wetware/Hardware Hybrid Sentient
Abilities: Modular Power Suit. Absorb X Parasites.
Strengths: Strong Armor, High Agility, Physically Strong
Weaknesses: Cold and Heat outside of Varia Suit
Known Morph Restrictions: Metroid
Copy Complete
Verification Complete
We nod in thanks and say, "Now… where is our ship?" We activate our Ki andget into contact with the Cobra, relaying our position. Three minutes later, the twho ships have docked and Hunter follows us on board.
"Goodbye Composite. I'll see you around," Samus calls. The airlocks close and the ships detach.
"I'll miss her," Hunter says.
"Yes, we will too,"we say as Hunter floats to the copilot's seat. We strap him in awkwardly and sit in the pilot's seat. "Let's go home, shall we?"
"Let's go!" Hunter squeals happily. We enter some coordinates and a swirling vortex of blue-purple energy appears in front of the Cobra before pulling back. When it pulls past us, the world outside the cockpit seems to be out of phase. We hear the sound of the hyperdrive roaring and the universe disappears in a flash of blue-white light as the portal closes behind us.
Finish… and… Clear! This story is done! Next up will be a crossover with FourthWallBreaker's Maria's Adventure series, so keep an eye to the sky and an ear to the ground.
Alpha… Hopefully it won't be showing up soon. Just to make this clear, that Alpha segment was in first person, Alpha just isn't capable of Alpha's self using pronouns. Alpha shouldn't appear all that often, so don't worry. Though I am surprised that FF didn't barf on Alpha's thought pattern.
Until then, this is SabaraOne, logging out!
