Haunted Shadows: Deception Darkness (XIII)

Chapter XIII: Confession Time

“A meeting, huh?” I finished reading over the encrypted message Gorea sent me. “I guess it couldn’t hurt going.” Closing the document, I spoke to Adam. “What do you think?”

“It appears that Gorea has taken precautions to be sure no one attacks,” my computer answered, “but it may be wise to confirm that other hunters have received the invite as well, just like it states.”

“Very well. Contact Armstrong Houston.”

“Yes, Lady. Contacting Armstrong Houston.”

An image of Armstrong appeared on my dashboard. “Hi, Samus,” he greeted cheerfully. “I guess you got the message as well. A meeting in two months?”

“Yeah,” I answered. “Just calling to confirm what it says.”

“So you’re coming?”

“Yeah, I-” A distress signal popped up on my dashboard. “Call you back later.”

“All right. See you in two months.” Apprehension tinged his voice.

I terminated the connection and turned to the signal- Baby’s Cry. It was a remote location on a nearby planet. A transport ship crash landed. It was a Federation transport. No other data was available. I hurriedly set off for the signal’s source.

Touching down nearby, I noticed the absence of soldiers. Brushing it aside, I pulled on my Varia suit and disembarked. Skidding down the grassy slope, I approached the rusted hull. Dead wires hung across the entrance, brittle and stiff. I easily pulled them down. The interior was completely deserted aside from some old crates. Not even a single weapon was left in sight. No suits of armor. Nothing.

I turned and exited to scout the surrounding area. But, I hardly took a single step.

Ice cold pain shot through my left arm. A harsh, pulsating purple began to cloud my eyes. What I still could see tilted at sickening angles. My head throbbed as the cold began to spread. Depressed soil rushed up to meet my visor. With what little strength I had left, I held myself up as my suit fazed in and out. The last I can remember was a pair of black and dark navy feet approaching.

*

My head... Ow... I tried moving my left arm to sit up, but an intense, icy pain stopped me. Gasping in pain, I attempted to readjust myself.

"Easy," a soft voice seemed to echo in my mind. "Your wound is still open."

Wah... I opened my eyes. Harsh purple still clung around the edges of my vision. A distant canopy of trees came in and out of focus. Something small and bright hovered into my line of sight. The pain in my shoulder slowly dulled to a heavy throb, and things became a little clearer.

"Well, that's all I can do... Frankly, it's a miracle you're alive."

I sat up, looking around for the source of the voice. No one was around. The small, bright ball hovered back in front of  my face.

"Take it easy," the voice called again. "You're still injured."

"Who said that...?" I asked no one in particular.

"Me. Right here. I'm right in front of you." The small, bright ball flared brightly.

"You... you said that?"

"Of course I did. Who else would say it?"

I looked around again. "But where...?"

"Hm?"

"There was someone else..." I tried to remember what had happened. "They attacked me... Where did they go?"

"Oh, them? They're long gone." The ball hovered closer to me. "You really don't have any idea what's happened, do you?"

I shook my head. At that, the ball flew beside my left shoulder. That's when I finally saw the damage that was done.

A jagged, dark purple crystal stuck half way through my shoulder, embedded into my bone. Sickly purple ooze dripped down my arm, smoking as it hit the dirt floor of the forest. Black wisps curled off the shard, dissipating in the breeze. The ball of light hovered a little closer and the crystal shimmered, the ooze diminishing and the black wisps thinning.

"My healing powers are limited, but it seems like you have your own. You're quite lucky. They're adapting well to your new circumstances."

"I have Chozo healing,"

"That does sort of make sense... even though you don't look the part." The sphere of light spun slowly around me. "You seem well enough to stand. It's up to you, though. If you want to take it slower, that's okay."

I was about to try standing when I noticed a large stick next to me. Setting it upright, I used it to get shakily to my feet. Finally, I got a closer look at my surroundings.

Several massive trees towered around the clearing, their roots creating a solid wall except for one path. Vines, moss, and other overgrowth hugged the roots. An old tree trunk lay across one side of the clearing, spanning over a small stream that entered one side of the clearing and exited on the other. Dead leaves coated the forest floor, rustling under my feet.

"That ship is just up that path and around the bend."

"Thanks." Using the branch, I made my way toward the path.

"Wait,” the sphere of light said.

"What is it?" I asked, turning toward it again.

"You're just gonna leave? Just like that?"

"I have to get going. That Federation transport-"

"Is long since dead," it interrupted.

"I still need to write a report on it so the Federation knows what happened."

"So, you're with the Federation?"

"No, but I help them out quite a bit. I'm a bounty hunter- they hire me."

"Bounty hunter... Chozo healing... Are you... Samus?"

"You've heard of me?"

"Of course I've heard of you! The Luminoth speak highly of you!"

I thought a moment. "You know who I am, but I don't know who you are."

"Oh, right- I'm a Luminoth Energy Sprite. I can communicate with anyone exposed to enough Light energy."

"Cheerful one, aren't you?" I paused. "Got anywhere else to be?"

"Not really, no."

I gestured to the path. "C'mon."

"You mean it?"

"Why not?" I lead the way toward the ship, the sprite following not far behind.

"Oh my gosh, this is gonna be so cool! I actually get to travel with Samus!"

"Dial it down a bit."

"O- Oh. Okay."

"And, while we're walking, you get to explain some of this to me."

"You got it!"

*

Admiral Yates set down his coffee. "So, after that, you went to the meeting."

"I trained first," Samus answered. "Learned how to control it and utilize it."

I leaned back. "What's next?"

"Whatever our next mission is."

Soncia and Lance exchanged puzzled looks.

"So, you're not going back to being a hunter?" Soncia asked.

Samus closed her eyes. "No. That life is past now."

Yates thought aloud. "Once a soldier, then a bounty hunter. And, not just any bounty hunter. Top of the charts, number one. A single freak accident, and you just vanished on a whim." He looked at her. "Now that you're back and more powerful than ever, you don't want to make your own rules. Instead, you go back to square one: soldier."

She shook her head. "This isn't moving backward."

Silence filled the room. Yates picked up his coffee again. As he took another sip of his luke-warm drink, thoughtful looks were passed around. A few more moments passed, and the door opened. The officer entered and stopped.

"Admiral Yates?" he inquired.

"Yes, Admiral Kellen?" Yates responded.

"I received notice that you had one last team ready for me." Admiral Kellen approached the table. "Would this be them?"

I turned to Yates.

"Yes, this is them," Yates answered. "Soncia O'Neil, Lance Ambrose, Dan Legend, Leah Emerson, Rune Zephyr, Anthony Higgs, and Samus Aran." He gestured to each in turn.

Kellen and I spoke in unison. "Come again?" We glanced at each other, then turned back to Yates.

"I didn't have time to tell you, Anthony, but after you came back from East Base- or rather what's left of it -I knew this team had everything it needed."

"Hold on," Kellen spoke. "You did say 'Samus', right?"

"Yes." Yates took another drink, set down his coffee, and folded his hands.

Kellen and Samus looked at each other. They both tried to read the other's expression.

"Sir," Lance interrupted, "does this mean we're in? SEs, I mean." He glanced at his other teammates. "All of us?"

Yates glanced at Kellen. "Even without being trained by the other commanders, it seems like all necessary skills are in order," Yates countered. "You're adaptable, trustworthy,  extraordinary, and highly advanced in physical capabilities. You've proven time and time again that you work well together. Though not completely seamless, your tactics are smoother than any other team I've seen. You all have a unique strength. And, to top it all off, you went above and beyond what was expected of you despite this being your first time training together as Super Elite recruits."

"And it seems like this is also your last time training together as Super Elite recruits," Kellen added. "You all come with me."

"Sir?" Rune spoke up.

"Yes?" Kellen responded.

"You're sure we're ready?"

Silence filled the room once more. Kellen looked him in the eyes. Certainty flooded the room, Kellen's unwavering gaze driving home the conclusion.

"No one else would be more ready than you are right now." He backed toward the door. "Welcome to the Super Elite, Varia Team."