5. Timelapse
Metroid Equis II: Duality
Section 5
Timelapse
The training chamber was dark and barren, abyssal in its emptiness save for its lone occupant. A younger, less physically mature form of Samus gazed around apprehensively at this new environment that she was standing in. Clad in nothing but a form-fitting, grey and white suit that would bear only a passing resemblance to the real Samus’ Zero Suit, she waited, as she was told, for her next instructions. Her body was still, but her mind raced, her newly-minted intelligence buzzing with questions at a million miles a second. What’s happening? chased Where am I? around her mind, but one question reigned supreme, presiding over all the others:
Who am I?
She gasped and jumped slightly as an unseen speaker high above her in the blackness squealed loudly. Light suddenly flooded her vision, forcing her to shield her eyes and squint so they could properly adjust. The new light source bathed the girl in a column of light: SA-2, her ‘faux-Zero Suit’ dark grey on her chest and abdomen, shoulders, hips, and thighs, while the rest was alabaster-white. Her flawless blonde hair fell to a length slightly shorter than Samus’, secured in a ponytail by a teal-blue hairband; the distinctive, face-framing locks of golden hair were absent, however. Her eyes held fear and curiosity in equal measure as she looked for the source of the light and sound.
A small burst of static chased the squeal into the echoing silence of the chamber, as the speaker’s unseen operator calibrated it.
“My apologies for keeping you waiting,” Admiral Conway’s voice broke across the silence, forcing SA-2 to look around for the source. “Can you understand me?”
She understood him perfectly, and nodded in response. She suspected she was being watched, and so the nod might have been enough, but for some reason she had the sudden, unquenchable desire to speak, to acknowledge the voice. Her lips moved, but her mouth was dry and refused to respond… but after what seemed like an eternity, she was able to force herself to talk.
“Y-Yes…” she spoke with a modicum of difficulty, uttering her first words. Hearing her speak, Conway did not know why he was surprised that she sounded exactly like Samus. SA-2 did not get to witness his mild shock; he, along with Eisen and a few technicians, were safely hidden in the control room. Dressed in their usual, ceremonial attire, the cleanly-shaven admiral and seemingly-fatigued commander watched with keen interest. The former had the microphone, and the latter had the necessary testing list.
“Good! It appears the advancements in cloning have done wonders for speech. You’re looking well-rested since we woke you up a week ago. How do you feel?” Conway asked, a paternal note entering his tone. SA-2 did not know why, but his voice seemed to calm her nerves. Her expression cleared, her subtle jitters went away, and she straightened.
“I...I feel well... very well. Thank you for asking,” she replied with some more confidence, speech seeming to come to her naturally, as if the capacity for speech was suddenly unlocked with her first words.
“I’m glad to hear that,” Conway said approvingly. “Now, I do apologize for getting straight to business,” he continued, the warmth receding slightly from his tone, “but you need a name. Right now, you’re designated ‘subject SA-2,’ but that feels...a bit impersonal, don’t you think? Yes. You need a name,” he mused, rubbing his chin with one hand. Standing next to him, Eisen pulled her attention away from the girl and fixed Conway with a cocked-eyebrow and overall quizzical glance. When Conway felt her gaze, he slid his eyes to the side and turned his head, meeting her eyes. An unspoken challenge passed between them, and Eisen returned her attention to the chamber below.
“...Huh? A name?” SA-2 called out once he went silent for a few moments.
Conway ignored her question. “The template from which you were cloned is the famous...albeit highly vexing, Samus Aran. We can’t have two Samuses running around...it would strain credulity. I think….Sam would be appropriate!”
“S-Sam?” the girl asked uncertainly, the name seeming to click in her mind in a way that she couldn’t quite place.
“Indeed. Do you like that name? ‘Sam?’” Conway asked, awaiting her response. SA-2 seemed to seriously consider this, muttering the name to herself a few times over, cocking her head and pondering its significance and meaning to her.
And she smiled weakly.
“Yes… I do.”
“Very well then. Your callsign shall be ‘SA-2,’ and your real name shall be ‘Sam,’” Conway replied with a half-smirk. Eisen bore a similar expression; partly out of pleasure at how well the clone was responding, and partly at seeing her stodgy commanding officer unbend himself, if only a little.
“O-Okay… I’d like that,” Sam responded positively, the same, weak smile adorning her blemishless face.
“Now, you’re probably wondering what you’re doing in this training chamber,” Conway said, turning his attention to the matter at hand. He righted his posture much more and crossed his arms over his chest.
“Yes…?”
“You will now undergo basic diagnostic training,” Conway began, the rest of the warmth draining from his tone, leaving behind cool professionalism. “This diagnostic is to ensure your basic physical functions are operating as expected... but we won’t be here for very long at all today, since we took measurements and other stats a mere few moments ago. Before we begin, though, despite you being awake for a week, I don’t believe I’ve even given you my name...since our first meeting was rather brief due to your body going into shock.” Conway slid his eyes to Eisen, a silent rebuke passing from one to the other.
“I am Admiral Fredrick Conway, leader of the Galactic Federation’s Sixth Fleet. However, you will refer to me as ‘Admiral,’ ‘Admiral Conway,’ or ‘sir.’ Understood?”
“Yes sir!” Sam responded affirmatively, showing that she understood everything that was told to her. She didn’t entirely understand what was happening, and she wasn’t cognizant of anything outside her immediate surroundings, but what she did know was that this man, this voice had given her a name, and had given her instructions. Moreover, his voice seemed to put her at ease even more, something deep in her mind telling her to listen with utmost obedience.
“That was… fast,” Conway replied, gratified that Sam had responded so quickly to his first instruction. It was a simple thing, to be sure, but such a response boded well for her future pliability. “But I’m glad things are getting through. Anyway, let us begin.”
On cue, a cross-like device descended from the ceiling, a floodlight at the end of each arm.
“Sam, I’d like you to look at the green light that comes on. Move your whole head, don’t merely glance at it,” Conway said, and, on cue, the top light lit up bright green. As instructed, Sam looked straight at it. “Alright, now look to the bottom one.”
Sam did just that, looking at the bottom light. In the observation room, Eisen looked to her technicians, busily crowding around a console. The senior tech looked back at Eisen after a moment and nodded. “Looks good, Commander.” Eisen nodded in kind.
“Go ahead and proceed, Admiral,” she added with a thumbs-up.
“Good. Now, look at the top light again. Move your eyes this time, please..”
Sam glanced at the top-most light.
“And the bottom one, once more…” Conway continued, to which their subject complied. In the observation room, Eisen’s techs pored over the ocular data, before nodding assent. “Alright, we’re finished, Sam. Thank you for your cooperation.”
“You’re welcome, sir,” Sam replied coolly and with a heightened air of confidence about her. The arcane contraption receded back into its lair in the ceiling.
“Putting that aside, let’s move on,” Conway began anew. “Sam, if you look about ten degrees to your left, down the room, you’ll see two upright poles. Can you locate them?”
Sam angled her head and looked down the room; indeed, two poles were fixed into the chamber floor, almost as a goal line.
“I see them, sir,” she responded affirmatively.
“Alright. We know you can walk; you’ve been walking for the past couple days. Right now, we’d like to test just how fast you can run,” Conway explained. “I’d like you to sprint as fast as you can between the two rods. They’re going to tell us all we need to know. Think you can do that for me?”
“Of course, Admiral,” Sam replied with a nod, getting herself ready, hunching down and prepared to perform what she was asked.
“Whenever you’re ready, Sam.”
Almost immediately, Sam crouched and broke into a sprint, tearing frighteningly from her initial position and barreling towards her target. Adrenaline flooded her system as her legs cycled madly, her body carrying her straight between the poles. As she passed between them, the poles lit orange, then green. She brought herself to a stop, and though her breathing was slightly heavy from the sudden exertion, she didn’t feel tired in the slightest.
It was a simple action, but she felt alive.
“My God…” Eisen said under her breath once she saw the data that was collected.
“What’s the verdict?” Conway asked, awaiting the official report on how she did. If the numbers matched up with what Conway just saw, he would be most pleased.
“Twenty-seven miles per hour… and that’s not even at her full potential.”
“Well, Sam…” Conway began into the mic in a pleased manner upon hearing the results. “It appears that you’ve performed well above expectations…I expected nothing less from you, to be honest,” he praised, eliciting a nice smile out of Sam.
“Thank you, sir!”
Before Conway could say anything else, Eisen sidestepped next to him and whispered something in his ear, the former listening intently before nodding in acknowledgement.
“Alright, well, it looks like you’ve given us quite a bit of data to go over today. Before I let you go today, I want to make something clear, Sam. You weren’t cloned to stroke an ego, or to prove a point. You’re a soldier, Sam, the finest we have,” he said, gesturing with his hands though she could not see him. “You have a purpose. A very important one, which you will come to further understand as your training progresses: you are to assist in the termination of the greatest threat in the galaxy, Samus Aran.”
Sam nodded in understanding, a few words, a phrase seeming to take root in her mind: Soldier. Finest soldier. Assist in termination of Samus Aran… my template.
“But, that’s enough for now, even if this was a very short session. I’ve lifted some restrictions on your ability to travel through the ship, and you can now go anywhere you please on this deck. Feel free to visit the gyms to practice distance running and other strength-training exercises as you see fit. Once we log this physical and medical data, we’ll begin with basic combat training. That should be in about a week’s time. Sound good?” Conway asked, elaborating on the future plans for the clone.
“Yes sir,” she replied in earnest, nodding in no particular direction, as she could not see the observation room.
“Very good. Get yourself something to eat. You’ll find an extra sweet ration for your troubles. You’re dismissed,” Conway ordered with finality.
“Thank you, Admiral,” Sam responded, immediately making for the door that suddenly opened as an exit. As for Conway, he adjusted his visor cap and moved to leave the observation room.
“So far so good?” he asked without turning his head.
“Most definitely,” Eisen replied as her eyes caressed her tablet, eager to sit down to analyze the wealth of information. “The data I’ve seen so far is incredibly promising. I’ll send word to you once I’m finished synthesizing my report..”
“Very well. We’ll speak then,” Conway replied curtly before taking his leave, heading straight for the bridge of the Oculus.
[Ponyville]
The week following her return had passed in a blur, and Samus quickly found herself falling into very nearly the routines she had years ago, picking up where she left off. Even so, it was no excuse for her to become indolent and since she felt safe in assuming that she would most likely not be called to duty by the Federation any time soon while they (hopefully) dealt with the politics of the BSL incident, Samus felt that it would be good to secure some measure of employment down the road, despite a hefty and comfortable savings.
The moment anypony who was anypony heard that the Samus Aran, Hero of Equestria, was even remotely considering a job suitable for her skills, the poor girl was absolutely swamped with offers.
To Samus’ surprise, the offers weren’t actually all that bad. Funny enough, however, was a discreet offer she received from Princess Luna, not on official Equestrian letterhead. Luna’s offer was for a position as drillmaster for the Equestrian Special Forces, as well as an honorary commission as captain, with the pay of an officer two ranks higher. She would also be paid for freelance bounty hunting on behalf of the crown.
Additionally, one offer that did make her cock her head was ‘Professor of Combat Theory, University of Canterlot.’
However, these were all problems for future Samus. For now, all she had to do was relax.
And that’s exactly what she did, with all of her friends. Today was an ‘outside’ day, as the girls and Spike had decided to head to the park to lounge around. Samus was more than happy to tag along, and knew that, in their company, there would not be a dull moment. Twilight opted to read while still chatting with everypony; Rarity was on her back and basking in the sunlight with sunglasses on with Spike doing the same at her side; Fluttershy was laying next to Twilight with Sapphire floating around her general area; Pinkie was off chasing various birds and other little critters in a faux game of tag, and Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Samus made up a large triangle, playing a rather intense game of frisbee¹.
The lone human had opted for more casual clothes today in place of her Zero Suit, clad in a light-blue t-shirt and some comfortably fitting cargo shorts. Her pistol also rode with her, holstered comfortably on her left hip in crossdraw. To top it all off, she let her hair completely down and let the gentle breeze flutter through it as it pleased. One thing that remained constant, however, was her wrist console which, if someone were to ask her, Samus would say she carried to keep up to date with the Federation and her ship.
In reality, she just gotten comfortable in having Adam with her wherever she went.
Applejack clutched the frisbee in her teeth and hurled it at Samus with all her might. It banked high and rose into the air but the blonde-haired Hunter was unphased. She merely hunched down and jumped straight up, clearing a good seven feet of vertical distance and snatching the toy out of the sky. She then tilted back and went heels over head, making contact with the ground and absorbing the impact with her legs.
“Jeez, Samus, way to make us look bad,” Rainbow commented on the Hunter’s choice of acrobatics. Samus then responded by tossing the frisbee towards the cyan pegasus, banking it sharply to the right. Rainbow had little issue zipping over with the use of her wings and catching it in her teeth.
“Hey, I’m an overachiever. You should know that by now,” Samus sarcastically replied. “Oh, by the way, Fluttershy,” Samus called out to the cream-colored mare as Rainbow was about to toss the frisbee back at Applejack.
“Hmm?” Fluttershy replied, tearing her attention away from Sapphire.
“I’m meeting with Luna this weekend and we need to go somewhere in the Everfree. Unfortunately, exactly where I’m going is classified, but, if you would let me take her, I could actually use Sapphire’s help,” Samus implicitly asked. Technically, she didn’t need Sapphire’s help, but since the X were involved, it would be interesting to introduce her to what would be her natural prey. It could possibly help in her development and, in reality, Samus was starting to grow fond of the ‘talking’ metroid. She still felt a bit uneasy around her but she was growing more accustomed to her presence over time.
The implicit question, nonetheless, drew everypony’s attention.
“Ohhh… ummm, would she be in any danger?” Fluttershy asked in response, Sapphire giving a questioning squeak at her mention in passing.
“Based on what Princess Luna has told me, and given that Sapphire’s a metroid, no. Not at all. Besides...you know me; I’d make sure absolutely nothing happens to her,” Samus answered. “It’s up to you, though.”
“Sounds like fun! I wanna go!”
“I don’t know, Sapphire…” Fluttershy replied instinctively, clearly mulling over it.
“Come on, Mama… let me do something fun!” Sapphire pleaded. The rest of their friends looked between Fluttershy and Sapphire, only understanding half of the conversation.
“We do a lot of fun things!” Fluttershy countered. “Besides, it’s the Everfree Forest…”
“Me not infant anymore, Mama…” Sapphire deadpanned.
“And you’re not an adult either,” Fluttershy fired back in an infuriatingly motherly tone of voice.
“Well, technically...” Samus began to interject, but when Fluttershy flashed her a sideways glare, she wisely decided discretion was the better course of action rather than drawing Fluttershy’s ire. “...nevermind.”
“You may be a metroid and all of these amazing things that Samus has detailed, but you can’t just go gallivanting wherever you wish, even when Samus is here!” Fluttershy pointed out.
“You let me fly to friends-who-are-not-foods’ houses when I want… nopony else with me! This time, Samus with me… Samus super strong! I no see problem!” Sapphire countered very tactfully. Samus had to give the little one credit: she certainly had a growing vocabulary, much like Fluttershy had said. Still, this conversation was at least a little funny, and Samus couldn’t help but chuckle lightly at the display.
“I’m aware of that, Sapphire, but…” Fluttershy shook her head and looked down to the grass. “I guess you’re right. You are old enough to make some decisions without the ‘Queen’s’ consent,” she acknowledged, using a word for herself that Sapphire was very familiar with and still called her by, though admittedly much less frequently as of lately.
Fluttershy nodded confidently.
“Alright, go ahead and have some fun,” she agreed finally with a small smile, much to the metroid’s glee. She then turned to Samus. “That’s fine, Samus, but please… please make sure she stays safe.”
“No one else but me will be handling her and she’ll be restricted to being by my side or at least in my sight at all times. The area I’m going, a structure in the Everfree, is already controlled by Special Forces. That, and Luna will be there as well. She’ll be just fine,” Samus assured. “We’d only be gone for a few hours at most, anyway.”
“Alright. Then I suppose all is well,” Fluttershy conceded fully.
“Hey everypony,” Twilight spoke up, putting her tablet aside. “It looks like the temperature up by Manehattan is gonna be really warm sometime next week. We should go to the beach,” she suggested. Everypony else seemed to brighten up at the mention of the place full of sand, cool water, and plentiful sunshine.
“Shoot, it’s been a good while since I’ve been,” Applejack thought aloud before receiving another toss of the frisbee from Rainbow Dash.
“I must admit, I wouldn’t mind getting some more sun lying on a beach,” Rarity readily agreed, but lit up when she thought of something else. “And Samus, that means I get to make you a swimsuit!”
“You can make me one, if you’re okay with me probably not wearing it,” Samus replied nonchalantly. Applejack hurled the plastic disk far to the left, clearly intending for Samus to miss it. She turned and leaped, springing into a long somersault before bounding into the air and grabbing the frisbee, rolling again when she hit the ground.
“Oh come, ON!” Rainbow complained.
“Really, darling, why not?” Rarity asked. It was always somewhat difficult to make clothes for the human.
“Because why do I need a swimsuit when I have my Zero Suit? It can be modularized like my Power Suit, so I can remove pieces of it as needed...plus, it’s waterproof and a lot more comfortable, in my opinion,” Samus answered.
“Oh, very well, Samus, if you simply must… but you best believe that I’ll be diligently crafting you a dress when it comes time for the Grand Galloping Gala...and I expect you to wear it!” the alabaster unicorn exclaimed, that spark of inspiration in her eyes flashing brightly in the afternoon sun.
“That’s not coming up for like, a long time, though,” Spike pointed out.
“Ummm, what?” Samus asked as she tossed the frisbee to Rainbow Dash, who had to go long in order to snatch it out of the air.
“You left Equestria before you had a chance to participate, but it’s essentially a ball that’s held once a year at the Castle. But as Spike said, it won’t be here for a while,” Twilight explained, orienting her tablet in front of her and resuming her reading. “Honestly, if I know the Princesses, I don’t think you’ll be given a choice whether to attend or not.” She giggled.
“Well, I guess I’m going then…” Samus conceded sarcastically at the prospect of dolling herself up in a fancy dress. “Fine. But, when the time comes, just don’t go apeshit on my dress, Rarity,” Samus requested.
“I shall hold back my creativity if only for you,” the alabaster mare agreed. “But rest assured, I intend for you to like it nonetheless.”
“We’ll see, when the time comes,” Samus replied, intercepting another throw her way. Sending the frisbee back to Rainbow Dash, the Hunter took the time to wipe her face of moisture using the bottom edge of her shirt. Such an action exposed Samus’ incredibly toned stomach, but this was nothing new to the ponies. What was new, were the additions of a seemingly new scar, as well as the much-more recognizable definition of a six-pack.
“You’ve definitely been working out,” Rainbow Dash commented, which Samus responded to with a knowing chuckle.
“You don’t know the half of it.”
[G.F.S. Oculus]
“Alright Sam,” Conway’s voice filtered throughout the new training room, one which had several target setups as well as weapon emplacements. Sam, standing at the west end of the massive chamber and garbed in the same attire as before, perked up immediately at the sound of the Admiral’s voice. “It looks like you’ve been making good progress since the last time we saw each other, so today we’re going to advance onto something incredibly important: combat training.”
“Yes, sir,” Sam responded, steeling herself and glancing around her for any sign of something different other than the aesthetics of the room.
“All you have to do is listen to your body. You have been...programmed, for lack of a better word, with all the abilities you will need. This training is to ensure that you learn to access your latent abilities in a controlled manner, and to further refine them. Do you have any questions for me at this time?” Conway asked, the seriousness in his voice no longer seeming to put Sam on edge, but rather served to help keep her focused.
“No, sir.”
“Very well, let’s begin,” the Admiral said, and right on cue, a door opened further down on the right side of the chamber. Two marines filed in, dressed in PT gear the same color as Sam’s suit. With calm expressions, the pair took vaguely threatening stances and began advancing towards her.
“We’ll start with the basics: hand-to-hand combat. You can use martial arts to dispatch enemies non lethally, or silently when a mission calls for it. These elite marines have been instructed to attempt to rough you up. It’s your job to fight them off,” Conway informed. Sam’s confidence suddenly waned as the marines got closer and closer, the two cracking their knuckles for added effect.
She took a few steps backward.
“The knowledge is within you, Sam… you have to bring it out,” the Admiral reminded as the marines were on her. The one on the right pushed her roughly, forcing her to recoil a few steps.
Within me… Sam thought to herself, but her musings were cut short when the right trooper’s fist lashed out and connected with her cheek.
“AHHH!” she cried out and backed up further, clutching her aching left cheek which was rather red from the impact. They hit her, and it hurt… it hurt a lot. But as she looked back to the ever-advancing duo of troops, a new feeling replaced the one of apprehension:
Anger.
In the observation room, Conway and Eisen were watching the display unfold with keen interest. Eisen was practically jittering, muttering “Hit him, hit him,” under her breath. She looked at Conway, and the microphone in his hand, but stayed where she was; her friend and superior already had very stern words with her.
It was Sam’s job to find the motivation within her.
She was, quite naturally, pissed that she had been hit… and that the strike hurt plenty. While she was focused on the built marine who hit her, she noticed in her peripheral vision that the other trooper was beginning to crowd her. A foreign instinct took hold of her, and she lashed out with a wild cry, planting her left fist harshly against his chest, forcing him to step back and clutch the impact point for a few moments. At that moment, breathing harshly and with her left arm outstretched, time slowed as inspiration flashed across her mind. It was as if she had suddenly awoken, and realized a truth to which she had been blind before:
...she could fight.
Baring her teeth and directing her ire at the marine who struck her first, Sam moved to counterattack. Her adversary attempted to hit her with a roundhouse kick, but she closed within his guard, slamming her left shoulder into the soldier’s diaphragm. He visibly recoiled and Sam followed up on her advantage by drawing her right knee to her chest and striking out with her heel, driving into the trooper’s chest with almost enough force to stave in his breastbone. As it was, the sheer energy drove the trooper back and to the ground.
Sam’s attention immediately turned to the second marine, who had by this point recovered from her first probing strike. She was on him in an instant, batting aside a hook meant for her face and slamming her right fist into his neck, causing his windpipe to instantly spasm and constrict. Before he even had a chance to clutch his neck at the sudden loss of breathing ability, Sam followed up by grasping her left fist in her right palm and slamming her elbow into the hapless marine’s face, breaking his nose and gashing open his lip.
That marine crumpled like an unstrung puppet, his broken nose and busted lip gushing blood as he cried out in excruciating pain. Turning on her heels, Sam was just in time to deflect a strong-side jab aimed at her face. She gripped the outstretched limb by the wrist and held it in, delivering a sidekick straight to the soldier’s crotch, demonstrating conclusively that Federation troopers certainly did not wear cups and forcing him to double over… but Sam wasn’t done with him yet. With the newfound height advantage, she immediately drove her knee into the elbow-joint of her adversary’s outstretched arm, snapping it free and bending it the other way. The crack of the joint was beaten in loudness only by the agonized wail of the poor Marine, but that was quickly cut short when Sam kicked him in the face, dropping him to the deck.
After twenty seconds, the entire engagement had ended. Both marines that had volunteered to try and beat up the new clone had failed miserably in their task, one completely knocked out, and the other attempting to gain some semblance of composure with blood flowing out of his broken nose. The bloodlust that Sam also experienced suddenly started to whittle away, replaced with curiosity, wonder, and dawning horror as to what just happened.
Up in the observation room, Eisen held a hand over her mouth in astonishment, while Conway had a look that betrayed his extraordinary pleasure at what he witnessed. His mouth was upturned in a massive grin.
“I’m sorry…” Sam suddenly muttered with complete remorse. “I’m sorry, sir! I didn’t mean to—!”
“Calm yourself, Sam, that was quite the impressive display,” Conway said soothingly. "Perhaps we all misjudged your initial ability to learn, as well as your strength.” Sam thought she could detect a note of pleasure running underneath his words. Another door opened, and two medics hurried inside and began tending to the wounded soldiers before dragging them out.
“It appears you’ve learned a good deal through that small engagement, but let’s see what we can get out of you in a much more challenging environment…”
From the same door the two original soldiers came from, six more filed in, standing abreast in front of Samus and adopting fighting postures.
“Dispatch all targets in the room. Match their aggression equally with your own. Ready?” Conway instructed, waiting to ensure Sam was ready to fight. For her part, Sam gazed upon the group of Federation troops in front of her, all volunteers to try their hand at kicking the hell out of the clone of Samus Aran. Naturally, she was apprehensive, but after a gulp, she steeled herself in a fighting stance of her own.
“Ready, sir.”
“Very well. Begin.”
Her resolve waned, if only slightly, when on the admiral’s signal, all six troops charged straight at her, sprinting. She retracted a few steps but right when the first two were to seemingly tackle her to the ground, Sam let her instincts take over completely and she bounded into the air, jumping over the line of troops and landing right behind a lone soldier who had lagged behind his fellows. She did not waste any time feeling surprised that she could perform impressive, acrobatic evasive maneuvers, instead opting to clasp her hand around the unfortunate soldier’s neck and sweep his legs, throwing him to the ground back- and head-first.
The others had quickly turned to address Sam and moved to assault her, but Sam was far quicker than they were. She deflected a one-two combination from a soldier on her left, then grabbed him and pulled him into what might have been a lover’s embrace were it not for the foot of the next soldier in line colliding with his jaw. She kicked the dazed soldier into her erstwhile attacker, downing them both in a tangle of limbs.
After shaking off a lucky punch to her jaw, Sam swung her head to glare at the enemy who dared land a successful attack on her: a woman who held a particularly aggressive stance. Sam juked backwards from a high kick meant for her upper chest and decided to not be fancy this time around, stepping forward and smashing her right fist into the female soldier’s face. Sam completely shattered her opponent’s nose in an explosion of blood and laid her out entirely.
Sam suddenly felt her head get jerked backward as she found herself flung to the floor, seeing stars as her head smashed against the decking. The assailant never had a chance to follow up, as Sam recovered immediately; she twirled her legs around her, forcing her enemy back lest they face the consequences, before bounding onto her feet once again.
She sensed movement to her immediate right and, after a quick turn, snapped her right elbow up in a rising arc, slicing her enemy’s lip right open and following up by driving her knee into his diaphragm with all the strength she could muster. The enemy soldier’s breath whooshed out of his lungs, and Sam threw his struggling body in the way of the remaining attackers to provide her some breathing room.
Sam, in her mind, did a quick mental tally: two enemies literally knocked out, and one withdrawn from combat. During this tally, something else stood out to her: the soldiers appeared to be moving in slow motion, as if sluggishly through molasses. She didn’t spare this observation much thought; after her tally, she drove towards the three remaining enemies in a lightning offensive with renewed vigor.
Sam easily parried three punches in quick succession, counterattacking with a hard chop to the neck. The soldier doubled over clutching their neck, and Sam fended off another attacker with a sidekick before downing her current target by stabbing her right elbow into his upper back.
She suddenly felt both of her arms bound behind her back (as well as seeing the second and last soldier approach from the front), but shock quickly morphed into action as her superior strength allowed her to easily break the hold. Sam scraped her heel upward and planted it into her enemy’s crotch before grasping the female soldier’s arm firmly, slamming her onto her back after utilizing her adversary’s own weight as an effective counterbalance.
Sam drove her right heel into her downed enemy’s abdomen before quickly turning her aggressive sights on the lone soldier that remained, dropping into her fighting stance and baring her teeth almost rabidly at him. What was different this time, was that the final soldier hesitated and quivered in place, before unceremoniously raising his hands in surrender. A wise decision after seeing the destruction that Sam wrought within the span of about a minute.
With that, she thought the fight was over. However, the break of the room’s speaker, heralding Conway’s voice, put and end to that idea.
“Finish him off,” he ordered bluntly. The soldier’s eyes flicked from the speaker to Sam’s face, eyes widening in horror, arms thrust forward as if to ward off a new assault. Sam’s eyes widened momentarily also, as she had a sudden, involuntary mental conflict, her stance faltering noticeably. Her enemy, who attacked her, learned the error of his ways and attempted to surrender; she wanted to leave it at that, to let him go.
But, he’s surrendering. NO! Admiral gave me a purpose… a life… an order…
An ORDER.
Her deliberation ended almost as quickly as it began, Sam charging at her last adversary, screaming ferally, and whipped her right leg forward, planting her heel firmly in his lower rib cage. She could feel the lowermost ribs cracking under the force of the impact, and the soldier was taken clean off his feet by the impact, landing spine-first, curling into a fetal ball and whimpering. Those that weren’t knocked out by Sam either lent their voices to the symphony of agony or did their best to simply suffer in silence.
Sam’s bloodlust receded into its lair and she stoot straight once more, gazing around at her handiwork with a mixed expression on her face.
“Destruction of all targets confirmed,” Conway acknowledged coolly, and before Sam could say anything, he quickly followed up. “You did pretty well, Sam; far-exceeded expectations, that’s for certain.”
Sam’s trepidation began to wane, being replaced with one of elation as a smile quickly formed at the close of his praise. She showed off her pearly whites while she reined her breathing in, adrenaline finally beginning to wear off.
“Thank you, sir!” she replied with great confidence, idly massaging her cheek and wincing slightly from other hits.
“I hear you like milk chocolate?” Conway asked randomly. The very mention of the word caused Sam to perk up. She rapidly found an affinity towards the sweet once she was allowed to try it for the first time.
“Very much so, sir.”
“Then there will be some extra chocolate ration for you after your dinner meal tonight. You’ve earned every bit of it,” Conway praised heartily, earning another giddy smile from the clone.
“Thank you very much, Admiral!”
Up in the observation room, Conway chuckled at her enthusiasm, as did Eisen.
“Take a two-minute break, Sam. We’ll be with you in a few moments,” he said as he cut the comm line, turning to his friend and subordinate.
“So, what do you think?” Conway asked, folding his arms and awaiting a detailed analysis from the architect of his masterplan. Eisen was absolutely ecstatic, hardly able to wait for the data to replay on her screen before she exulted.
“She’s advancing far beyond even our most optimistic projections every day!” she exclaimed. “She’s already gained 15% more muscle mass than models predicted, her cunning and tactical sense, though needing refinement, is nothing short of impressive… her ability to tolerate pain is in line with our models, and there’s something—oh my,” Eisen stopped enthusiastically reading off the results when she discovered something else.
“Commander?” Conway prompted her, taking his place next to her and glancing at the charts on her tablet.
“I thought it was just heightened brain activity, combined with the optical data and her naturally high dexterity… but it appears there was a beneficial side-effect we…my models did not account for. I’m sure you’re well aware of the phenomenon called tachypsychia, yes?” she began explaining.
“Of course,” Conway nodded. “Release of adrenaline in battle, things seem to move slower than they actually are. The mind speeds up.”
“Right,” she affirmed. “But, I had been getting some odd brain-patterns, matching up temporally with spikes in her adrenaline levels and the complexity of her attacks. I...can’t be sure right now,” she said cautiously, “I need to run more tests...but Sam might be able to consciously control her tachypsychic response.”
“Eisen… are you saying that Sam can control the passage of time relative to her in battle?” Conway asked slowly, almost uncertain himself.
“Yes! Well…no,” she replied after a moment. “What she controls is her perception of how time passes. We perceive time as flowing normally, but what looks like rapid-fire attacks to us is actually a natural reaction to her! She can willingly slow down how she perceives time, and react accordingly!”
“I’m not gonna even ask how you were able to discern that, but we must investigate further. Are we ready to continue testing?” He asked, to which he received an enthusiastic, affirmative nod from Eisen. With that, Conway fetched the mic and opened communication channels once more.
“Alright Sam, let’s continue on with something a little more fun: Weapon’s Training.”
[Everfree Forest | Research Facility Gamma]
Bright and early, a dropship and its fighter escort was sent to pick up Samus and Sapphire from Twilight’s place to take them to the location of the classified research facility in the Everfree—though the latter’s presence did generate a certain amount of shock to the pilot, and nearly caused a mission abort. Regardless, the trip went off without a hitch, the entire flight being about an hour and a half of comfortable cruising over the gargantuan forest. Samus and Sapphire were given instructions to enter the facility and meet up with Luna inside the proper laboratory; simple enough for the duo.
Equestrian engineers had installed an elevator on the upper floor of the research station to ease movement of personnel up and down. Samus, Luna and their attendants rode it down to the bottom, where two Equestrian Special Forces troops met them, stepping aside to grant them full access upon confirming their identities. Samus, fully armored-up, nodded in thanks as she passed into the main trapezoidal corridor, Sapphire spryly floating around the Hunter’s torso all the while.
The Equis Metroid still never failed to draw the attention of the overwatching soldiers, especially the lone human Federation trooper that greeted them, clad in full combat armor save for her helmet.
She nearly jumped at the sight.
“Jesus Christ! T-That’s a metroid…” Sydney shakily observed, taking a couple of steps back in response and almost reaching for her rifle out of reflex.
“So she is,” Samus noted wryly. “As unbelievable as it sounds, she’s friendly, and she’s with me. Either way, it’s nice to see you again, Lieutenant Exeter,” Samus replied, allaying the soldier’s concerns as much as she was able, while also addressing the clear promotion she received in her absence.
Sapphire let out a gentle skree at the mention of her presence.
“Okay then…” Sydney addressed Samus’ first statements. “And likewise, Samus,” she added with a smile, brushing some errant strands of her hair out of her face.
“I’m guessing you were sent to lead us to the Princess?” Samus inferred, Sydney nodding in response.
“Yup! It’ll be an easy walk,” she said, gesturing down the dimly-lit tunnel.
“Alright, we’ll follow your lead. Come on, Sapphire,” Samus beckoned the metroid who had floated up to the ceiling to check something out.
“Coming!” she called back, taking a position next to Samus’ arm cannon as Sydney began to lead them down the seemingly abyssal tunnel. Conversation slowed down when Sydney had to listen to and relay a few commands through her radio, and Samus took the time to gaze at the architecture of her surroundings. Definitely Chozo, if all the differently oriented statues were anything to go by. The place actually held a rather eerie and ominous atmosphere to it, which, in Samus’ own experiences, was wholly uncharacteristic of Chozo structures, where she would normally feel at home and at peace.
Samus was able to observe some of the writings that lined the walls, also happening upon the sectioned-off inscriptions that she had been shown on Luna’s ship. The other writings she was able to mostly understand (her visor passively translating the rest) were nothing more than basic directions and directories. Those that weren’t simply informational were jargon-dense to the point where Samus struggled to comprehend their meaning.
“I’m hungry.” Sapphire so bluntly let Samus know, floating over to the Hunter’s left side at eye-level.
“Didn’t you eat before we left?” Samus asked softly.
“No… Not hungry then.”
“Sounds like a personal problem. Wait a little bit longer and you can eat all you want,” Samus replied, rolling her eyes and inwardly chuckling at the metroid’s honesty.
“But I hungry now," Sapphire whined, orbiting Samus’ helmet.
“Well, you should’ve eaten when you were supposed to. You’re gonna have to wait,” Samus replied stoically, facing ahead and noticing that Sydney had glanced curiously over her shoulder.
“Can I feed from you?” Sapphire asked sweetly.
“No,” the Hunter delivered her answer with conviction.
“She’s talking to the metroid…” Sydney whispered humorously to Arianna through the short-range radio on her wrist. If one had been listening hard enough, they would’ve been able to pick up a shriek of laughter that Sydney quickly had to muffle.
“Why not?”
“Because I have enough metroid-based nightmares as it is,” Samus answered plainly. “You’ll eat in a little bit. I promise,” she alluded.
“Fiiine…”
Samus was able to pick up an extra pair of eyes on her, and found Sydney glancing over her shoulder and back at her with a curious expression.
“Long story. I’m not crazy, I swear,” she said in her own defense, not even bothering to try and detail the fact that she could understand Sapphire entirely. Sydney only chuckled and faced forward once again.
“I’m not saying anything,” she replied jokingly, still slightly wary of the metroid as they continued onward. There were two additional checkpoints that the group had to pass through, and each time, Samus had to make sure that no one shouldered their rifles at the sight of Sapphire. At this point, the metroid was not even scared of almost being shot at numerous times; she started to see this as a common occurrence and had, by this point, learned to simply let it go.
After passing through one final checkpoint at the entrance of the laboratory (one which held a machine gun emplacement), Samus and Sapphire were officially in the ancient Chozo research facility. Luna was about ten feet away speaking with a couple of the scientists, and with the small amount of time that the Hunter allowed her eyes to wander, she could tell that her adoptive race had been doing some serious work here. More modern equipment had been moved in to supplement the already large supply of materiel the Chozo had on hand, and scientists were moving about the large laboratory with great precision and purpose. At the far end rested the stasis tank that Samus had heard so much about, and she did not need to be up close to confirm the occasional, small blob that flew about inside.
“Alright, we’re here,” Sydney pointed out the obvious, picking up her helmet which she left on a nearby table and holding it under her arm. “I’m gonna have to get back to my squad; they’re coming back from a small exercise and I gotta head back topside now.”
“Alright then, thanks for the lead,” Samus replied with a curt nod, the both of them slapping their armored hands together and giving firm shakes. “Say hi to the others for me, alright?”
“You got it!” Sydney answered back as she slipped her helmet back on her head. “See ya around!”
The elite trooper sauntered back down whence they all came from and Samus approached Luna, Sapphire in tow.
“Samus!” the armor-clad alicorn acknowledged with a pleasant smile, dismissing the two pony scientists she was discussing with before trotting up to the Hunter, giving the side of her helmet the gentlest of nuzzles. “...and the metroid...who, curiously, everypony forgot to mention,” she said good-naturedly.
“That’s me!”
“Pleasure to make your acquaintance,” Luna replied formally. Sapphire’s utterance drew the attention of the researchers in the room, but after a moment they returned to their duties. She then faced Samus once more. “My apologies I wasn’t able to meet you personally, but I had a few matters of science to attend to.”
“Not a problem,” Samus dismissed indifferently. “So, I’m guessing that they’re in there?” she asked, pointing towards the massive observation pane.
“Indeed. Come,” the Princess said, beckoning Samus with a tilt of her head, and Sapphire quickly caught up once she finished exploring the ceiling. “This is the facility we found a little over a year ago; abandoned and teeming with Chozo spirits,” she explained as she led on.
“Any further spectral attacks?” Samus asked, keenly observing the situation around the ancient laboratory. Samus could not adequately describe her surroundings, as much of the area was littered with machinery, piping, and ancient tech that even she had little knowledge of.
“Nary a single one, which is often uncharacteristic of those who have not passed into the spirit realm,” Luna replied, making her mild concerns known. "But, they have left us alone for a year, and when you finish with your work here, all the equipment is being removed and we shall convert this facility into a listening outpost,” she added pointedly, the two finally in front of the gargantuan stasis tank.
“Sounds like a plan to me.”
Conversation slipped slightly once Samus laid eyes fully on the organisms in front and below her. Within the dim, lethargy-inducing red-hued light, there lay dozens beyond dozens of the parasite that the Hunter had worked so tirelessly to rid the universe of. Even though this was seemingly an ancient sample, they looked little different than the ones she faced on BSL station, and she wondered how much they had evolved in such a timespan, if at all. Her Scan Visor revealed nothing dissimilar or worth noting, other than they being much less active than they should be due to aetheric exposure.
Samus nodded gently.
“Eeyup. Those are definitely X,” she commented nonchalantly. Luna looked on as well, but before she could weigh her own thoughts in, Sapphire suddenly nudged her way between them and took in the sight before her.
“What are thoooose?” she asked, demanding to know. She had no knowledge of the creatures before her, but for some reason, she began salivating. Her talons were quickly starting to become slick, as if she was anticipating a massive meal. Samus chuckled lightly, admitting to herself yet again that the Equis Metroid was beginning to grow on her.
“These, are X Parasites, and your natural prey,” Samus answered, drawing a curious glance from the lunar alicorn. Sapphire suddenly perked up with a quick, piercing screech, bringing herself level and ‘looking’ at Samus eagerly.
“Food???”
“Yes, Sapphire. Food,” the Hunter answered in her characteristically stoic manner.
“Pray tell, you can understand her?” Luna asked, affixing her gaze on Sapphire as she happily floated around, purring all the while.
“Remember when I told you about metroid DNA being infused to save my life?” Samus asked, causing Luna to recall the conversation they had two days prior. The alicorn nodded deeply.
“How could I forget?”
“Well, an apparent side effect of that was being recognizable by and, apparently, able to communicate with metroids. I just figured out the latter a week ago, myself,” Samus explained.
“I see…” she commented with a cocked eyebrow. In her long life, the display was far from the weirdest thing she had ever seen.
“Yup. Anyway, got everything you need from the X? Because it’s time to finish this,” Samus said, reminding Luna that she wasn’t here merely to pass the time.
“Our scientists have gotten all the data they can, and you’re free to do with the samples what you wish, Samus,” Luna replied professionally, gesturing to the tank and its contents. With the green light being given, the only real obstacle that was left was finding a way to safely enter the holding tank. It was more than large enough to walk into comfortably, but Samus did not fancy blowing open the tank for at least two reasons: firstly, no matter how lethargic the X were, she did not have even the slightest desire to potentially let one escape into the environment. Secondly, blowing open the tank would likely require missiles, and the only missiles she currently had equipped were Diffusion-type… something she did not wish to test in her current environment with Sapphire around her.
Fluttershy would most likely not appreciate Sapphire being returned frozen solid.
“Alright, then let’s get this over with,” Samus declared, but at that moment, she also knew of a rather simple solution to her conundrum. “Luna, would you be able to create a one-way portal into the tank?”
“Verily,” the Princess replied with a nod, charging her horn to proper power. “On your command.”
“Alright, Sapphire. Get ready to follow me inside, alright? Once we’re in there, you get to eat until you’re full,” Samus called out, earning the metroid’s attention immediately.
“Let’s go!” Sapphire replied, happily taking her place right next to Samus. The latter then looked to Luna and gave a single, curt nod. With that, Luna sent a bolt of magic straight at the tallest portion of the glass, a two-dimensional whirlpool of energy suddenly being created, teal blue magic coruscating clockwise. Samus was taken back to when Luna and a few of her troops boarded the Pirate Frigate to save Canterlot.
“Here we go,” Samus said to no one in particular as she sauntered towards the glass, Sapphire floating right behind her. As expected, both parties passed right through the harmless portal with relative ease and ended up on the other side of the glass. After the tingling sensation of portal transport wore off, both individuals immediately turned their attention to the massive congregation of dozens of X. As if sensing their presence, they suddenly seemed to stir to life and take flight, orbiting in what would be menacing patterns if they weren’t slowed by the ambient aetheric field.
“All yours, Sapphire!” Samus proclaimed, pointing harshly at the cluster of X with a half-smirk under her visor.
“FOOD!” Sapphire bellowed, charging straight into the cluster. The X attempted to attack her and infect her, driven by base hunger, but they passed harmlessly through her gelatinous layer and were absorbed as life force energy. Sapphire also chased and hunted down individual parasites, as if propelled by instinct, and brought them into her hungry maw with help of her fangs. All Samus really had to do was take an easy stroll and act as a target for any stragglers or those who would try to flee; if they fled certain death and tried to attack the other target, they quickly found she wasn’t as easy as she seemed, as they absorbed right into her in a green pulse of light. Samus felt a familiar warmth pass through her as each individual parasite was converted into the proper energy to top off her tanks.
After a mere five minutes of chasing down the X, a task which would have been monumentally more annoying if not for their lethargy, the tank was finally cleansed in entirety.
The Parasite was no more.
However, what should have been a knowing moment of absolute elation and peace… brought relatively nothing to Samus. In a moment of reflection, Samus might attribute her lack of good feeling to a Chozo sense that something was still wrong, still missing; more work yet remained.
“So good… No more food please…” Sapphire weakly groaned, dizzily floating around the tank after the massive meal she consumed. Samus led the both of them back out into the main laboratory, and Luna collapsed the portal behind them.
“All is well?” she asked with a great smile, but said smile wavered when she sensed the conflicting emotions in Samus’s mind. “What’s wrong?”
“Luna, are there any other structures similar to this in the area? Or in the forest?” Samus asked suddenly and pointedly, a question that Luna did not anticipate.
“Ummm, I have troops still looking, but... the Chozo inhabited a wide area, so I can’t say for certain.”
“Well, if I may make a suggestion, double their efforts. Something just… I don’t know how to explain it but, something’s telling me that this isn’t over,” Samus confessed, letting Luna in on her uncertain feelings as she glanced back at the now-empty stasis tank. “I just… wanna be sure, is all. Maybe all my years in the field are making me paranoid...or maybe it’s the Chozo in me, but if there are any more hidden structures, I don’t wanna take any chances.”
“Of course. I’ll have a few extra patrols sent out and I’ll requisition some air power to help in the search. If there are any more Chozo ruins, we shall find them,” Luna agreed fully, doing what she could to assuage the Hunter’s concerns. She would ensure such action was taken as soon as possible; she knew through extensive trial that she could trust Samus’ intuition a hundred percent.
Samus pursed her lips and nodded thoughtfully, acknowledging the connotation of Luna’s words but not entirely listening as her thoughts meandered elsewhere.
“Okay.”
“You simply must relax, Samus. Nopony is in danger. Shouldn’t you be exercising your freedom from duty with the Elements and Spike?” Luna asked knowingly, earning Samus’ attention back.
“Heh, I should, shouldn’t I? Well, we’re going to the beach next week… so there’s that.”
“Then, pray tell, why are you standing here? Go have fun! Shoo! Out of the armor and into some sun!” the Princess playfully demanded, nudging Samus out of the laboratory.
“Alright, alright!” Samus replied, lightly giggling, stumbling from the force of Luna’s shoves. With Sapphire in tow again, Samus and Luna parted ways for the day, and both left with their worries, if not entirely put to bed, at least taking a nap. With Luna’s word worth more than its weight in fuel gel, Samus was certain that she would confirm her suspicions as simple paranoia. Until then, she would be sure to have plenty of fun with her friends and to undo all the stress that she was barely free from about three weeks prior. A trip to the spa with Rarity for one of those rejuvenating massages would do well to help coax her relaxed side out.
True, it was her job to question the veracity of essentially everything, as her missions never had a track record of going as planned. Her inner voice told her that something wasn’t right, at a time when she should be jumping for joy that a nightmare was finally over… and Samus had to concede the fact that said inner voice was almost never wrong… and the Chozo, to their credit, were not always transparent with everything they did.
As Samus departed for Ponyville with Sapphire at her side, just once, she hoped that her intuition was indeed, wrong.
¹Tribute and shout-out to one of my favorite scenes in my friend Tatsurou’s own Metroid fic, Another Hatchling!
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Oh Samus. AS IF that's it.
In other news, Sam is looking like a fine candidate for a rainbow to the face.
Woohoo! It has updated and is awesome!
But, yeah, I get the feeling that the (not so)good Colonel is gonna get his idiotic hands on a parasite. Or something just as bad.
Aw, that tribute...
And Sapphire is absolutely adorable! You write her so well!
Odd question, but who would you cast as Sapphire's voice actor if this were made into an animation or game?
For some reason I couldn't help but picture Sapphire chasing X parasites around to the tune of Yakety Sax (Benny Hill), and one scene where the viewpoint was between several pillars and the gaps looking like doorways (the hallway gag).
6539021 Haha I'm glad you feel that way!
And that's a good question... I'm not really sure actually. Someone who can do a good high-pitched, youthful voice because that's how I imagine her
I just realized...Samus didn't fib when she said Sapphire was in no danger. Because It slipped my mind that the X literally can't do SHIT to Sapphire, being a metroid.
6539088
Is it weird your writing of her has me imagining her voice like Jade Chan's, but with a high pitched reverb effect?
6539100 Pretty much!
6539103 I could see that, honestly. The reverb would only be necessary because of the lack of actual spoken words
Fresh meat's lookin like it won't be too much of a roflstomp. This is my prediction for the end of the story: Sam is defeated non-lethally, Admiral Dicknuts gets exposed to his bosses and is given a summary trial for treason, Samus adopts Sam as a daughter/younger sister and trains her in the Chozo arts of war, and sends her off into the stars to make her name as a hunter (and possibly going on some co-op missions.
6539147 I'm liking the way you think! *nods in approval*
Alright! Let's see what happens!
6539130
Precisely.
Edit: Also, I love how those around Samus reacted to her talking to the Metroid.
6539074 I like the way you think!!! So lets hit it!!
You fuckin shittin me man? Hahahahaa
Wish I knew how to stoot, sounds interesting....
On one side, poor Sam is slowly but steady getting turned into a monster, and soon 'Frankenstein' is going to regret that decision. Like all the bad guys before him...
On another side, we got a few delightful scenes that is worthy of d'awwwws and enjoyments. Heh, it was definitely amusing with how Sapphire behaved around the X. And those poor X...once the most fear parasites in the universe, now reduced to being the mice in the ol' 'cat and mouse' game. Heh heh. Hopefully, with Samus's warning, that little fun game won't turn back into a nightmare...
...But, we know by now that everything is going to eventually get worse. I mean, it won't be a Metroid story if things don't get nightmarishly dangerous. At least Samus will get a nice break before that happen, though.
Sapphire is so adorable. Hopefully she doesn't hit a rebellious phase. Which I only mention because I've been itching for an excuse to link to this picture Sapphire keeps reminding me of: http://tran4of3.deviantart.com/art/SamusMother2-sml-560577198
6539356 That was entirely intentional, I just want you to know that
When it comes to names, the military sucks eggs.
Oh great, this douchebag has to compulsively authorize everything she does. At least Sam has an excuse for the daddy complex.
Sweet Celestia's beard, that "training session" went a bit Starship Troopers.
For all the Federation's bureaucracy, I'm pretty sure Conway broke a few sparring regulations in there regarding throat and spine strikes, concussions, reversing elbows, and denial of yielding. And he thinks Samus is the loose cannon?
6540295 Lol I have no expectation of people coming to like Conway... but I'd rather he be the person people 'love to hate' rather than 'just hate.'
The troopers were all volunteers, but yeah, regardless, I'm sure rules were most likely broken. The entire premise is based off of broken rules lmao
6540297
At least when the inevitable confrontation happens, Conway's rogue battalion is going to be pretty small. Half the reason you have sparring regulations is because you presumably want to deploy those people at some point, and that works best when they're not all quadriplegic after taking a fucking elbow drop to the spine.
I'm just imagining Samus running into Conway's troops during the last act, and they all look like the pirates from the Prime intro with like multiple organ failures and cerebral hemorrhages and stuff, and she's just like WELL THEN.
There isn't any actual evidence to support the theory that Samus needs the Zero Suit to use her Power Suit. That's just speculation created by Wikitroid.
6540602
Other M's portrayal lends weight to it. The Chozo runic symbols on the suit glow brightly when she summons it.
6540699
Yes, I know. If you want my head canon, I always thought that while the Power Suit could be equipped without the Zero Suit, the Zero Suit allowed for maximum movement and was able to work with Samus's armor.(i.e. the glow) After all, it was most likely created by the Chozo for a similar purpose.
6540602 She probably doesn't need the Zero Suit to actually USE her Power Suit. Its modular nature implies that she could probably just strap her arm canon to her arm and ride into battle without anything else. Hell, she could probably put it on her piece by piece with appropriate underlayer. However to call it up all at once, the Zero Suit would need some devices (e.g. matter generators) that have a mental link to her.
It works in the end.
6540297
Given that I'd like to use this thing on him:
img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/Parno2/Parno2_Butt_Out.jpg
I'd say you did a good job.
6540699
Actually, the comics directly contradict the idea that Samus requires her Zero Suit to materialize her Power Suit. In chapter 3, pages 15-17 of the first volume of the Metroid Manga, Samus goes from wearing a form-fitting GF Scout uniform to her Power Suit. Even as close fitting as Samus' Zero Suit is, it would still be uncomfortable to wear it under the scout uniform, and she certainly didn't have time to change her clothes. Maybe others would disagree, but for me, whenever Other M conflicts with any other Metroid canon, the other material takes priority.
6541692 Indeed. In my opinion, as long as she has matter generators or some other device that she can have a neural/mental link to to call it up immediately, she can wear a goddamn microkini for all I care.
6541516
I can't but imagine Samus riding into a battlefield on Applejack, with nothing securing her Arm Cannon but a rubber band.
6541692 Ah, that's a fair point. I've never read the comics, so good detective work.
6541716
I'm not so sure about her suit needing an energy/matter converter to materialize. If that were the case, getting her suit would be as easy as flipping a switch. Unfortunately, there's no canon or Word of God saying how she summons her suit. All that we know is that, during an interview with Yoshio Sakamoto, it was revealed that Samus needs "intense concentration*" to summon and use her suit.
On top of that, we know that she can maintain some suit abilities while she doesn't have it equipped (according to Zero Mission), and that it's made at least partially out of organic components (implied in the Primes and Fusion, where her suit behaved like an organism rather than a machine in response to both sources' plot devices). From what I can gather, her suit is either a part of her and stored in her body in an energetic form that is released and formed with focus, or a cloud of microscopic, organic robots with a sympathetic mental link to her that lock together into suit form with concentration.
*The exact words he used don't translate directly into English. Basically, it's something along the lines of "focus," "concentration," "discipline," or "warrior spirit."
6543778 Right. In other words, much too complex to portray simply in a fic where different interpretations can often arise. We'll keep things status quo from now on.
6543972
I forgot to mention that there's actually nothing definitive on it, so it's open to interpretation. I wasn't trying to discredit your theory, I was just giving mine and the reasons behind it.
6544124 Oh yeah, of course. I never got that impression anyway, so no worries
. You and I have had plenty of discussions like this, and I for one look forward to them. Different ways of interpreting what's not definitive is always cool.
So, did this admiral not get the memo about how Samus has saved the entire fucking galaxy several times now? And that she was raised by a race that could have easily "oopsed" an entire galaxy-wide zenocide. Seriously, he's calling Samus the biggest threat to the galaxy. To be honest, that's probably fairly accurate, but still, you don't go after someone who has made several species extinct unless you yourself wish to be added to that list.
6540227 If your intention was to have me giggling like alucard from hellsing abridged, you succeeded.
6546480
He's basically Lex Luthor, a villian who thinks he's actually the hero, by "biggest threat to the galaxy" he means "biggest threat to my illeagal work, that if discovered would have me executed for treason".
I'm also laughing at his methodology;
/Clone the biggest badass in the federation
/Upgrade her with an evil that scared a race with god-like power
/Use mind control to enslave her
/Have her act against her morals/ethics
/Use her in an attempt to kill one of the most respected heros of the time
Because non of those things ever back fire in any way right?
6552255
What evil are you talking about?
Also, I dunno if I'd use "mind control" to describe Sam. "Indoctrination" strikes closer at the truth; Conway is all Sam knows, so of course she's going to fall in line.
6552351
His experiments are illeagal and he's been doing them in secret.
His work is so dangerous that Samus has destroyed some of them at the Federations behest.
He considers Samus a threat to him because she's working for the Federation and that sets her against his work.
If the Federation represents the good guys and Samus the Hero, then 6th fleet are the bad guys and the Admiral is the villain.
In this chapter we have:
Here he is implicitly stating that either while they made her or while she sleeps they can put advanced knowledge/muscle memory directly into her brain.
This sentence reminds me alot of how post hypnotic suggestion as used in fiction and makes me assume that one of the things they "programmed" into her was "You will obey my voice, all that I tell you is truth."
On it's own this passage could be nothing more than Sam following orders, but adding "programming" into it...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MoMpau_B2Io
Tam didn't want to fight them either, but instruction given so beserker mode activated.
6552396 this was a direct result of advanced cloning techniques. There is no mind control going on here, it is pure, if heavy, indoctrination. The 'programming' was merely an analogy, as by parameters of he cloning, all what she knows is locked away, but she needs to bring it out
6552396 As for Conway, there's no denying, from a spectators POV, that he's evil. However, he himself, despite him hating Samus for fucking up his illegal plans, already saw her as a grave threat to Federation domination. What he thinks he's doing is genuinely right. The ends justify the means, kinda thing.
6552396
Actually, the Federation never instructed Samus to destroy the BSL station or the Bottle Ship. Her orders were investigative only, and the Federation got quite upset when Samus began acting against the BSL station.
On the Bottle Ship, the Federation only marked the station for destruction after the events of the game.
You didn't specify what you meant by:
6553152
The X parasite was used to make SA-2, in this story (I havent played metroid since the game cube) they discovered that the chozo beleived the X parasite would destroy the galaxy and then made the metroid to counter the threat. Ergo evil creature that scared god-like beings :)
I may enjoy up-playing the achievements/qualities of the antagonists in storys, cause they tend to go down like wile coyote
6553169 the X was NOT used to make SA-2 where did you get that?
6553169
Eh? No; SA-2 was cloned based on samples taken during her recuperation at the very beginning of Metroid Fusion. The X parasite had nothing to do with her cloning.
You are correct, however, in asserting that the Metroids were created by the Chozo to prey on the X; Flammen didn't invent that part out of whole cloth.
6553188 as well as after Super Metroid. Duality project was in the works for a while
6552255 and the fact that he is training this clone to kill someone who is equipped with the tech and knowledge given to her by a race that, like I said, could have easily wiped out every living thing in the galaxy by sheer accident. No amount of military training and funding, legal or otherwise, is going to compare to the xenocidal badassery that is Samus Aran.
6553185
Must have been a brain fart, I had skimmed the fusion wiki while reading your metroid stories.
I guess by brain decided that since the medical data was gathered during the X infection and recovery they must have gone for X inspired upgrades.
6554914 Ahhhh, I see.
No, I detailed in secion 3 that said samples were, yes, collected from leftover DNA from the X incident, as well as her being incapacitated at the end of Super Metroid. The project had been planned well in advance. So yeah, no X-inspired enemies nor projects.