It didn't the comment was in response to the authors comments about Samus official height not Taylor Samus.
wingnut2292
<Verified Sugar Addict>
- Location
- Milwaukee Metro
Yeah, Samus is a tall drink of water.
And Samus is psychic due to the Chozo DNA infusion, but she's really bad at using it. Normally it just gives her a second or two of precognition - enough to dodge or lead a shot at a critical time.
As for PRT power ratings:
Brute 7 (Peak human strength; Armor - Advanced Environmental EVA Suit w/ Forcefield),
Blaster 7 (Exotic Beams, Bombs & Missiles, including: 'Wide Beam', "Plasma Beam', 'Wave Beam", 'Ice Beam', Ice Diffusion for missiles. Add in two types of missiles. Fast 'regular' missiles and 'super' missiles. 'Power' bombs.)
Mover 5+ (Peak human agility, 'Hi-Jump', Non-standard Flight called 'Space Jump', Enhanced strength used to climb and mount ledges without exhaustion. Speed Booster, Shinespark. Wall Jump. Graple Beam.)
Striker 7 '(Screw Attack & Speed Booster/Shinespark')
Breaker/Changer/Stranger 2-3 Morph Ball + Spring Ball (+ Spider Ball?)
Thinker 3+ (Various Visors)
And Samus is psychic due to the Chozo DNA infusion, but she's really bad at using it. Normally it just gives her a second or two of precognition - enough to dodge or lead a shot at a critical time.
As for PRT power ratings:
Brute 7 (Peak human strength; Armor - Advanced Environmental EVA Suit w/ Forcefield),
Blaster 7 (Exotic Beams, Bombs & Missiles, including: 'Wide Beam', "Plasma Beam', 'Wave Beam", 'Ice Beam', Ice Diffusion for missiles. Add in two types of missiles. Fast 'regular' missiles and 'super' missiles. 'Power' bombs.)
Mover 5+ (Peak human agility, 'Hi-Jump', Non-standard Flight called 'Space Jump', Enhanced strength used to climb and mount ledges without exhaustion. Speed Booster, Shinespark. Wall Jump. Graple Beam.)
Striker 7 '(Screw Attack & Speed Booster/Shinespark')
Breaker/Changer/Stranger 2-3 Morph Ball + Spring Ball (+ Spider Ball?)
Thinker 3+ (Various Visors)
Zap Rowsdower
Ex-cultist vagrant
- Location
- Bright lights, big city
- Pronouns
- He/Him
And that's without her Metroid abilities...
With her future tech knowledge, she'd also classify as a tinker.
Arrival 1.5
Ellf
Apprentice Wizard
- Location
- Virginia
Arrival 1.5
Giving a statement after any sort of combat incident was hardly anything new to me. I'd given plenty of debriefs during my time with the Federation Police and even some after becoming a Bounty Hunter. Of course, most of those were written reports which allowed me to say little at all. It was a new experience having my father be there as my statement was being taken, but, more or less, the mechanics were the same. I went over what led me to the area to begin with, mentioning that I had met with Emma Barnes, and her friends Sophia and Madison, the former of which mentioned that the fight was going on. I did not mention the altercation between Sophia and me since it wasn't relevant to the fight in question.
"What made you suspect that Ratcatcher was me?" Dad asked.
"Adam," I said. "Emma said you'd gotten a new job, and with Adam looking into the local Protectorate, we determined that, based upon timing and body shape, you were likely… you."
"Adam is the AI that Armsmaster spoke to?" Miss Militia asked.
I nodded, gesturing to my helmet on the table. "He's linked in at the moment, and my helmet does have speakers that he can use."
Dad nodded. It was a little strange, but the rat on his shoulder nodded with him. It must have been a part of how his power worked, given the control he'd demonstrated over the animals in the fight.
"I can provide combat footage from Samus's perspective," Adam said. "Assuming that she is all right with sharing the data. Would that be acceptable, Lady?"
"Transfer the footage," I said. "No objections, Adam."
"Even with the footage, and the explanation, for our reports, I'd like to get a full accounting of what you did," Miss Militia said.
I nodded, and between Adam and I, we gave a recounting of the fight, emphasizing that I kept to as nonlethal tactics as I could. While the Grapple Beam could be used in a lethal manner, the way that I had used it on Cricket was purely nonlethal, and then, combined with my use of the Stun Beam and lowered voltage on the Screw Attack, every weapon I'd used in the fight was carefully measured out to be something nonlethal. I only increased output on Hookwolf because he seemed to be resisting my nonlethal tactics. The Ice Missiles were meant to be a tactic to slow him down. They'd not performed quite as well as I'd expected, but it was possible that my desires to go nonlethal affected the explosive output of my missiles as well.
Miss Militia looked at my arm cannon after I'd finished my initial explanation. "That weapon there, is it tinkertech?"
I tilted my head slightly and looked down at the arm cannon of my Power Suit. It was Chozo technology, but that didn't mean that it was tinker technology. "Not… exactly. My Power Suit was not built by a tinker, and I am capable of maintaining it."
Miss Militia nodded, placing a knife on the table for a second and shifting her grip upon it. Then, in a flash of green, the knife was replaced by an exact duplicate of my arm cannon, only equipped on her arm. However, I could tell right away that the only capabilities of the version of the arm cannon she wore were the Stun Beam that I currently had equipped on my own. I knew that her power allowed her to copy weaponry, but I hadn't thought that it would allow her to just copy my weaponry. I was more than a little disturbed to see the arm cannon on her own arm, and I was nervous that if she could copy the Stun Beam, could she copy some of the stronger beams I had access to? Did she have access to the energies to use them? She aimed the arm cannon away from each of us, and then in the same flash of green, the cannon turned back into a knife. "You weren't lying."
I frowned, staring at Miss Militia for a second. Yes, I was grateful that she didn't try to shoot the cannon in the room with us here, but… just what were these powers that parahumans had? Armsmaster's tech was… beyond what should have been possible with what they had available here, Miss Militia could apparently copy my arm cannon, and my father controlled rats with his mind. It said something that my father's power was the one that fazed me the least among the Protectorate members here. I'd encountered people who could control small animals before, and while I'd faced enemies with better technology than I had available to me, their advancement at least made sense based upon the environment they were in or those they were able to steal it from.
Heck, the villainous capes made more sense to me than what I'd seen displayed by the Protectorate. They'd been just like some Space Pirate experiments, honestly.
"No."
"Where did you get your suit, then?" Armsmaster asked. "I know that you said it was a gift."
"It's a long story," I said. "But the short of it was that it was given to me to help me survive on another planet, and I trained in it."
"Wait, Taylor… another planet?" Dad asked. "And… why does your AI call you Samus?"
The confusion on my father's face made me feel sorry for what I was about to do. However, I did owe him this, at least. If he wanted to continue associating with me after the fact, I'd be happy to continue to do so, for as long as I was on Earth Bet. However, I really wasn't sure how long that would be. In this universe, it was possible that the Chozo were still alive, that Gray Voice and Old Bird were alive. Though, admittedly, Old Bird likely wasn't all that old yet. Assuming the time differential between the Earths applied, there may have still been a thriving Chozo civilization nearby. My name wouldn't mean much to them, though, but my genetics would. The fact that I spoke their language would.
"The name that I have had for the past twenty-six years has been Samus Aran, not Taylor Hebert," I said. "Named so by the couple who adopted me on K-2L, a Federation mining colony. Whatever took me away from here made me younger, Dad, and I grew up again."
"So, you grew up on another planet, this… K-2L… and you were given your suit?" Dad asked.
I waggled my hand.
"Lady's story is a long one," Adam said. "And biological father or not, until she decides to share it, it will remain classified."
Dad cocked an eyebrow, glancing at my helmet. "Protective of you, isn't it?"
"He," I said. "Adam is a he."
"Both your daughter and Adam have made clear that he is the mind upload of her former commanding officer," Armsmaster said. "According to the records that Adam sent me, Samus Aran, Taylor here, operated as a bounty hunter on behalf of the Galactic Federation government after leaving direct employ of their law enforcement. She operated as an equivalent of an independent cape after leaving the Protectorate."
Dad frowned. "That's… not something I wanted for you."
I shrugged and sighed, looking down at the helmet.
"Lady has done what she has felt was right on a number of occasions," said Adam. "And she has consistently proven that she has good judgement. Is she free to go?"
"Just a couple more questions, along with some possible paperwork," Miss Militia said. "What are your plans in Brockton Bay, Taylor… Samus… whichever you wish to be called…?"
"Refuel my ship, figure out why I'm here," I said. Then I looked at Dad. "Maybe get to know my father again, if he'll have me."
"Of course, I will," Dad said.
Miss Militia's eyes narrowed, glancing between him and me. I got the feeling that she was concerned, but she didn't want to outright voice it. I knew that feeling well enough. "Refuel your ship? How are you planning on doing that?"
I shrugged. I didn't want to try and explain the specific mechanics of how my ship worked to someone who didn't have the training on how to operate a Federation Gunship or do maintenance on one.
"We may be able to obtain fuel by skimming some of the local gas giants and running the atmosphere through a converter," Adam said. "Saturn and Uranus are especially viable sources and would not tax the ship's systems as much as Jupiter."
Dad just looked at me, then my helmet. Then he looked back at me again. "I'm not sure how you're going to be able to leave this planet, given the Simurgh, even assuming you do have a spaceship. Sphere tried, and now…"
Armsmaster cleared his throat. "I think we have enough for today. Hunter, it was a pleasure meeting you. If you'd like to leave with your father, you're welcome to do so, but… I would suggest meeting him somewhere outside of HQ so that you can meet up in civilian clothing rather than in costume."
"Oh, that's not an issue," I said, and I dismissed my armor completely, leaving me in the clothes I was wearing earlier over my Zero Suit. I lightly tapped the helmet on the table, and it, like the rest of my armor pieces, dissipated into motes of light, returning to the subspace pocket that my armor resided in when I wasn't using it. Immediately, I pulled the jacket tighter around me. It was chilly in the interview room, and I did not like dealing with the cold. I stood up so that I could stretch my legs.
Dad smiled, looking me over. "You look so much like your mother…"
I returned his smile and brushed some of my hair back. Lightly I started to pull my hair back into a ponytail, only to be reminded that my last hair tie had snapped on ZDR during the fight with Raven Beak. It wasn't entirely his fault, but I was willing to blame him anyway because so much of what had happened on that planet was his fault.
"Here," Miss Militia said, pulling a hair tie from a pouch on her vest. She offered it to me, and for the briefest of seconds, I touched her bare skin with my own. Her hands had familiar callouses on them, and I felt something beyond her skin, perhaps in her aura or something. Was that her power I felt? That my body wanted to…
I took the hair tie gratefully, and I tied my hair back. I didn't want it falling in my face as I traveled with my father.
"Come on," Dad said. "Tay—Samu—Tay—what should I call you?"
I placed my right hand on his shoulder, forcing down the Metroid urges. "Whatever you're comfortable with. I will attempt to answer to Taylor if that's what you want."
Dad smiled at me. "Let's get back to shore then." He looked over to Armsmaster and Miss Militia. "You two will handle things with…"
"I'll smooth things over with the Director, yes," Armsmaster said. "She may want to meet with Hunter, or she may want a representative to meet with her. However, since today's one of her dialysis days, I felt it was prudent to not mention Hunter quite yet."
Dad snorted. "She's going to kill you. Then Militia. Then me." He looked back to me. "Worth it, though."
"Who will?" I asked.
"I'll explain in the car," Dad said. "See you two. Maybe next time you can introduce yourselves properly to her."
Armsmaster nodded. "Maybe." He met my eyes. "Miss Aran. Remember what we spoke about."
"No objections," I said in response, and with that, I followed Dad out of the interview room. He led me through a different route out of the bullpen, through a door marked "Employee Parking." The whole while, we didn't really speak to each other. I wasn't entirely sure whether this was a comfortable silence or an awkward one, but as we approached a black mid-sized combustion-based car, it became clearer.
"So… uh. This is my actual car," Dad said. "It's a bit bigger than the one you might remember."
I nodded. I supposed if I compared relative sizes, this one was smaller, but I was much taller than I had been when I had last been in the car my father had had. I gestured toward the passenger seat, and he used some sort of key fob to unlock the door. I got in, and immediately, I felt around to move the seat back. The car's interior wasn't in the worst shape, but there were some fast food wrappers and sodas on the floor in the passenger seat, and I noted that some of the napkins were torn up on the floor as well.
"Sorry about the mess, but… well, sometimes I transport some of my rats with me," Dad said. "It makes things easier when I can do that, and it's not like I usually have guests in my car."
I nodded in understanding. If he wanted, I'd be willing to help with cleaning things up in here. Or wherever he wanted or needed the cleanup. I would have offered then and there, but he started the car up and after verifying that I was strapped in, he started to drive.
"Twenty-six years, huh?" Dad asked as he turned a corner in the garage. He pushed a button on a fob, and a garage door opened. When I nodded, he let out a sigh. "I'm glad to hear that you didn't completely forget about me in that time. It's been about a year and a half since I dropped you off at that camp."
I shrugged. I didn't want to explain to him that my adoptive parents dismissed some of my dreams, that Gray Voice and Old Bird mentioned something about reincarnation, but they didn't believe necessarily that my dreams had been real. I'd long since stopped mentioning those dreams when I was under Adam's command, and instead, I just worked as a protector. I did my duty, and I would continue to do so. Even here, I would.
"So, where did you park your spaceship?" Dad asked. I suppose he still wasn't fully convinced that it existed.
"Boat Graveyard," I said. "It had the best places to hide the Gunship in the area. I can show you if you want."
"Maybe later," Dad said as we started driving through a tunnel. "It's been a long day. And… you said that you met with Emma, right?"
I nodded. "She recognized me."
Dad lightly tapped his fingers against the steering wheel. "Alan will probably call, asking about things if he thinks it's valid. Are you willing to meet him?"
I shrugged. I honestly didn't remember a whole lot about Emma's father other than the name and the word 'lawyer.' In the past, my dealings with people in that profession hadn't always been stellar, but there was a chance that this time would be different. This time there really wasn't anything for him to threaten a lawsuit over. Which was good enough for me.
"I'll see if I can put it off for a bit," Dad said. He then looked me over with a frown. "Do you have more clothing?"
"On my ship, yes," I said. "Nothing from Earth Bet though."
"Well, as long as you have something," Dad said. "I'm pretty sure nothing in storage will fit you From what I saw of Armsmaster's notes, you're much taller than me or you were."
I nodded. "So, why rats?" I asked as we came out of the tunnel on the mainland. "The costume, the control…"
Dad shrugged. "Controlling rats is the power I got from… you don't really want to hear about that."
I tilted my head.
"Maybe ask your AI friend to look up how people get powers," Dad said. "I'll be willing to talk more about it when we get to my apartment."
"Apartment?" I asked, frowning.
"Daniel Hebert sold a house approximately seven months ago, according to public record," Adam said in my ear.
"You sold our house?" I asked. That house was one of the places I remembered most from before I was adopted by the Arans. It was the place I grew up before I had to grow up again. There were things I'd miss about that house, once I remembered even more about it.
Dad sighed. "Yes. I had to."
"What do you mean?" I asked. I narrowed my eyes at my father. That defeatist tone in his voice had me a little worried. "What could make you have to sell it?"
"Memories," Dad said. "I couldn't take the memories. Your mother… you… Every day being in that house was a reminder of what I'd…"
I placed my left hand on his shoulder and squeezed.
"Losing you, that loss of control… Losing your mother…" Dad shook his head, choking up some. I felt some of it myself. Both of my mothers died in situations they probably wouldn't have been in if not for me. Virginia Aran had saved me from my own folly. Annette Hebert had… I'd called her. I was responsible, in some way or shape.
"I'm here now," I said softly. It wouldn't undo anything he'd gone through. I didn't know exactly how bad he'd had it, being without me after losing Mom. I'd had my own way of dealing with grief… that mostly involved explosions and lots of environmental destruction, but it worked well enough. It might not have been an appropriate method of relieving stress here on Earth Bet, however. Instead, I'd have to figure something out with my father.
We drove up to an apartment building located in one of the more affluent areas of the city. I think the area was called "The Towers," and it was where one of those high-class private schools was. Of course, with me having long since finished my schooling, I didn't have to worry about that.
"Turns out the Protectorate pays fairly well," Dad said as we pulled into his building's parking garage. "Especially when you know how to negotiate a contract."
I smiled, nodding. "I think I might still prefer freelancing."
"I have been evaluating the bounties that are set just on those that are within this city, Lady," Adam said. "Most have the "alive" clause set, and it looks like Hookwolf had a bounty associated with him. I will be negotiating the release of that bounty on your behalf. Any objections, Lady?"
"None," I said. "No objections."
"Hmm?" Dad asked, looking at me.
I tapped the comm bead in my ear. "Adam mentioned that there was a bounty on Hookwolf. He'll arrange for the delivery to an account for me."
"You trust it to do that much?" Dad asked. "I thought you said that it was an Artificial Intelligence."
"He is," I said. "And he's long since proven to be my friend, even in violation of what those in charge of him would have wanted."
"Sorry," Dad said, and he turned to me in the car. "It's just a little strange to me, is all. The whole situation, I mean. You're older, and you lived a whole life in that other world. You say you have a spaceship."
"Seriously, I can show it to you," I said.
Dad shook his head. "I believe you. Your costume is almost proof enough. Especially since you say you aren't a tinker. That you didn't build it."
I smiled.
"Let's get inside," Dad said. "I can show you around."
Dad led me out of the garage and into a fancy lobby. The building had shined mirrors lining the walls of the lobby, nice sconces with lights in them, and a blue and white tile pattern on the floor. The floor was so clean that I might even be comfortable eating off of it. We made it to a nice shiny brass elevator, one clearly run by a pulley system rather than a hover lift.
Ah. Right. Technological differences. Earth Bet didn't have the advanced technology of the Federation, despite the technology provided by various tinkers. Tinkertech required specialty maintenance, so they went with traditional elevator technology like those on some of the older buildings found in some cities on Federation Earth. While I hadn't spent too much time there, it always was interesting to visit.
We stepped onto the elevator when the doors opened, and Dad pushed the button for the top floor. Somehow, my father had managed to get a penthouse apartment. The doors started to close, but we were interrupted by the sharp yell of a young man.
"Hey, hold the door!"
I held out my hand so the door wouldn't shut completely, and a teenage boy around Emma's age, give or take a year, puffed in and out as he stepped into the elevator. He wore a thick winter coat and a poof hat that he removed once he was inside, revealing a shock of blond hair. He smiled at Dad and me.
"Thanks," he said. "Oh, you're home early today, Mister Hebert."
"Some family showed up, Theo," Dad said, gesturing to me. "My…" He looked at me for a second.
I knew he wanted to call me his daughter, but if this Theo kid knew how old I was supposed to be, questions would be asked, and things would be revealed. Perhaps he might even have his own identity revealed in the process. I didn't want that for him.
"Niece," I said, smiling at Dad. I didn't really want to talk too much, but in for a penny, in for a pound. "Uncle Danny, you know that…" I leaned toward Theo, tipping slightly toward him. "He's like a second dad for me. So sometimes he might call me his daughter. I'm Samus."
"Samus?" Theo laughed. "That's a strange name."
"You can call me Sammie, if you want," I said. It was hardly the first time that I'd been called that. "I'm visiting for a bit, and Uncle Danny's letting me stay with him for a little while."
"Ah… thanks, Sammie," Theo said. "I'm here visiting my step-mom and little sister."
"How are Kayden and Aster?" Dad asked. "Is Aster sleeping through the night?"
"They're good, and Aster is now…" Theo nodded. "I'm going to be watching her tonight while Kayden goes to work."
Dad nodded. "If you need anything, feel free to knock on my door, Theo. Just let me know."
"I will, Mister Hebert," Theo said. "If I'm not taking too much time away from your time with Sammie."
"I like kids," I said. Though I wasn't sure that I should hold one as I was now. The last baby I held… well, it wasn't human. It was cute, though. Its sacrifice… I still felt a bit guilty.
The elevator door closed and started its trek upward. Apparently, Theo's destination was on the same floor Dad lived on. The three of us stood in silence until we got to the top floor, and then when we exited the elevator, somehow we ended up walking the same direction.
Theo knocked on a door about halfway down the hall, and the door opened, revealing a somewhat mousy looking brown-haired woman. She looked a little older than me, and in one hand, she held an adorable little baby. She waved at Dad as we passed, letting Theo into the apartment. Dad offered her and the kid a smile, but he continued walking.
"Theo's a good kid," Dad said. "Pity about his father and stepmother."
"Hmm?" I cocked an eyebrow.
"Max Anders owns Medhall, and he's kind of one of those smarmy kinds of businessmen," Dad said. "Always rubbed me the wrong way even before I started my new job. He didn't really like to hire the Dockworkers for anything if he could avoid it. His second wife, Kayden… the woman back there… I'm reasonably certain she's at least a little racist."
"How do you mean?" I asked.
"I've had some coworkers over," Dad said. "You met them today. Kayden can't close the door fast enough when they come over."
As Dad opened the door to his apartment, I tapped my chin. "Empire?"
"Maybe," Dad said. "Or at least one of the supporters. There's too many of those in this city for my liking. For anybody's liking, really."
We stepped inside, and the light switched on as a small tower of rats flipped a light switch. The rats then made their way back to individual cages that Dad had on the shelves he had set up in the visible living room of the apartment. Oddly, the room didn't smell that bad. There was a slight musky scent, but it was no worse than the smell my butterfly friends had given off when I was a kid. Before Mother Brain decided to be the most horrible being in the world, anyway.
Dad gestured to a couch that was clean enough, and I took a seat.
"Want anything to drink?" he asked. "I've got water… beer… and I think I have a couple sodas."
"What kind of beer?"
Dad went into the kitchen, separated from the living room only by a breakfast bar, and he opened up his refrigerator. He looked inside and I could almost feel his frown. "Looks like it's some sort of craft beer that Shawn brought the last time he came over. Oh, and there's a Japanese beer in here that Robin brought."
"Coworkers?" I asked.
"Uh…" Dad shrugged. "I didn't say those names."
I snorted. "I'll take the craft beer." Normally, I didn't drink that often, but a beer was probably light enough on alcohol content that it wouldn't affect me too much. Plus, it would make it easier to talk with my father.
He brought over two beers, cracked them open, and gave me one of them. "The kid wasn't kidding. Samus is an unusual name."
"Rodney and Virginia Aran were unusual parents," I said, and I lightly touched my hair, pulling some of the blonde highlights into my view. "But good ones."
"What happened to them? Dad asked.
I sipped my beer. "Killed by a particularly vicious Space Pirate. He's long gone now, but…"
"It doesn't bring them back," Dad said, and he sipped his own beer. "I wasn't sure I was ever going to get you back, Taylor. I'd almost been resigned to the fact that I wouldn't."
"I'm here now," I repeated. Though how long I would be here… would depend. Maybe when I left, when I found a way back to the Earth that I came from, I'd be able to set something up so that Dad could come with me when I left. Assuming that I would leave. Assuming I could leave.
"You are," Dad said.
"I'm afraid to ask the question," I said. "But… how did the whole Protectorate thing happen? And why that costume?"
Dad sipped his beer. "Well, as for the costume, I wanted to spit in the face of the whole PR thing. I'm not going to go to PR events and be their dancing rat monkey for people's amusement. I'm a hero to do a job, and that job is to stop villains and save people. I wanted to pick the hardest thing for them to do merchandise of."
"There appears to be at least two hundred different kinds of Ratcatcher merchandise on a cursory search," Adam said on my comm, and I cocked an eyebrow.
Dad snorted. "It's not something that worked out that well. They even assigned me a specific car, and I think people on the internet ship me with Mouse Protector. She's a nice enough woman, but she's… much too committed to her gimmick."
"Okay…" I gestured for him to go on.
"Protectorate was simple. I went in when I knew I had powers, and I met with their people. We arranged a contract, and well, here we are."
"How did you develop your powers?" I asked.
Dad downed the rest of his beer, placing it on the coffee table. Two rats climbed up the table's legs, grabbed the empty bottle off the table and dragged it to the kitchen, putting it in some sort of bin. He met my eyes for a second. "You don't know about trigger events, do you?"
"I… don't think that my definition would match yours," I said.
"They're how powers develop," Dad said. "The worst day of a person's life. You'd think that would have been when I lost your mother."
Dad shook his head.
"It wasn't even the day I found out you were missing," he said. "You'd disappeared from your camp one night, and they didn't know where you were. It was the day that I felt hopeless. Trapped in an endless cycle of searching that I'd never break out of. I'd never find you, but I'd never be able to stop looking."
Dad closed his eyes and a tear dripped down. "And then I did. I got powers, and I stopped looking for you, Taylor. I'm sorry…"
I placed my beer down on the table, and I knelt near my father, reaching out to clasp his hands into my own. "Dad. You wouldn't have found me, and like I said before, I'm here now."
I was here for him, as long as I needed to be. Any objections, Adam?
Ganurath
Literal Enthusiast
- Location
- A Valid Location
- Pronouns
- He/Him
There are days that aren't dialysis days?
- Location
- Home
THE BABY memes aside, this was pure perfection. you even got me to smile, I love fics like this.
one thing that I'd like to see is your take on the whole Adam/Raven Beak schtick. malignant narcissism aside, RB was still able to intercept any communications Adam might have had with Samus to try to twist her her into accepting his logic. it's worth at least a nightmare or two, considering that by my understanding, less than 24 hours have passed since Samus pwned RB and escaped ZDR's destruction, at least by her relative time.
I dunno. I live for plot points like that, it's up to you. keep up the good work, this is a great story
one thing that I'd like to see is your take on the whole Adam/Raven Beak schtick. malignant narcissism aside, RB was still able to intercept any communications Adam might have had with Samus to try to twist her her into accepting his logic. it's worth at least a nightmare or two, considering that by my understanding, less than 24 hours have passed since Samus pwned RB and escaped ZDR's destruction, at least by her relative time.
I dunno. I live for plot points like that, it's up to you. keep up the good work, this is a great story
I love this fic so much. Seeing a new update made my night. Thank you.
The Sandman
So Zetta Slowpoke
- Location
- Wherever I am, which isn't where I'm not
As far as the whole "Raven Beak pretending to be Adam" thing, it's not just Samus that would have nightmares. Imagine Adam's perspective as a monster used his skin to deceive his closest companion while he was helpless to prevent it.
Mandabar
Waifu of choice is Rem. Give that girl some hugs!
- Location
- Florida, USA [Yes. Florida *FacePalm*]
Gosh it's been forever since I had nintendo power, but isn't it part of the lore that Samus built her own custom ship? Looking thru the wiki I see nothing on that, just that she has had multiple, some that she designed. I seem to remember it was a big part of who she was building her own chozo derived ship as she grew up with her chozo parents Old Bird and Grey Voice. Perhaps it was the Manga I got it from? Hmm. I also expect she had more than just training on the armor but Chozo Technology and science but she never went full on science head about it. Just enough to maintain her tech and ship I thought.
Ah well I'm very likely to be incorrect with how sparse the lore is in the games as is.
Something else, are we going to have Metroid be an actual franchise known in this universe? I know a lot of stories try to remove the source material, and others do the opposite. Was wondering how it would go here when Leet and Uber get involved if anyone would recognize the suit. Maybe Victoria? I like thinking of her as a bit of a closeted gamer/geek culture. A reminder, Scion didn't appear until May 20th, 1982. Nintendo would've existed already, originally releasing the games in 1986, 1991 and 1994 for Metroid, Metroid II: Return of Samus and Super Metroid respectively. There is the whole cape culture that might have altered the settings though, especially after the first one that would possibly been under development already. And then there is always Aleph. And then Levi sinks Kyushu Nov 2nd 1999 ending any further possibilities of future games.
Gets lost reading the origin Metroid Manga again and oh gosh, 3 year old Samus is so cute!
I love the chapters, I gotta say to please keep them coming. It's real interesting seeing
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- Location
- Auckland, New Zealand
That could be the reason for Adam using Lady when talking to and about Samus. As Raven Beak didn't use it.
Tisaku
Head Chief Thinkomancer
zaiaku
The Ignorant Guru
- Location
- Alamo, Texas
Despite the necessity of dialysis, you still have to let the body recover. It's not a pretty procedure. I saw my dad who was a 5'9 250lb bear of man whittled down to a 170lb wreck. All his left over muscle, which he still had plenty of in his late 60s shrank to nothing in a year and a half by going to a three a week routine.
Liquid Ink
Contains Sleep Deprived Rambling
It is a procedure that is devastatingly taxing on the body, as zaiaku says. There are also different types of dialysis. Haeomodialysis filters blood, while Peritoneal Dialysis
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Ellf
Apprentice Wizard
- Location
- Virginia
I actually need to go back and edit the first couple chapters.
Ellf
Apprentice Wizard
- Location
- Virginia
Her current ship is one she didn't build or modify much. The one you're thinking of got exploded in Fusion.
- Location
- Somewhere in the Ashes
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Cue Ridley showing up for, what is it, round seven at this point? She's killed him half a dozen times at this point and he shows no signs of staying down.
- Location
- California
I'm having a strange visual Taymus going full Metroid Suit vs Crawler after trying to drain him dry.
Also Shaper is going to be drooling over her [DATA] when Panacea gets a look at her.
Also Shaper is going to be drooling over her [DATA] when Panacea gets a look at her.
… yes Taylor, let's not hold little Aster… especially if this is the first thought that pops into your head.
I'm seeing Ratatouille cooking montages in our future! Rats producing a fine dining experience, complete with a slight squick factor.
- Location
- Auckland, New Zealand
The use of lady for Samus is only really needed when off the ship if it is a reaction to Raven Beak
Mandabar
Waifu of choice is Rem. Give that girl some hugs!
- Location
- Florida, USA [Yes. Florida *FacePalm*]
Is this because Adam prefers to use Lady instead of her given name? I see Ellf is going to do some edits so I suppose that is. The post from Metroidhanar clued me into what you might have meant hah.
Taymus... I'm going to have to steal that name! Perfect one too! And yes, Metroid Samus is a bit insanely OP just from what she has thought, pondered or worried about in this fic so far. Beyond her own worries of what she might become, and having to resist her strengthen Metroid instincts as well to drain and consume. So far signs of possible draining/copying? the power of parahumans, if not just draining the shard thru the host (and probably killing the host as well), as well just general ability to absorb most of the power on the planet in one slurp.
I'll be honest, this is one of Taymus's goals to see Panacea and I'm intensely worried about it. Sure I would bet hard against anyone else being able to extract the right DNA (or equivalent material) from Taymus's kaleidoscope of a genome. Human (Not future human, because Taylor... then again she got deaged... and possibility basic gene therapies of future federation tech. Hmm), Chozo (Of two tribes at the least), Metroids AND the X. But Panacea and Shaper are one of the few that I can say will probably be able to do it. It might take more than a simple touch, but she will be able to unravel it in time and effort. And then Shaper will be 100x more insistent on Amy to DO SOMETHING with these new and interesting biological info.
If we thought Amy had it before, I hesitate to see how long till she cracks afterwards. And then the new Metroid X will be unleashed...
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- Location
- California
…if the rest of the Nintendo catalog is the same…Uber and Leet Smash Bro's omake when?
Arrival 1.S (Sophia)
Ellf
Apprentice Wizard
- Location
- Virginia
Arrival 1.S (Sophia)
There was a difference between playing nice for the Wards and deciding to guard her friends in case trouble came their way, but sometimes the two desires ended up overlapping. The brawl between Protectorate members and the two major gangs of the city was just over half a mile north of their location, and there was every chance that the capes not directly involved in the brawl could make their way further south toward the Boardwalk. Yes, her tranquilizing crossbow bolts would be useful, but they would be equally useful keeping Emma and Madison safe as the three of them took to the Boardwalk to go shopping, as they'd originally planned.
The problem primarily was Madison's focus on Hunter and the reveal that she'd done in front of all four of them. Of course, the woman, Millie, likely already suspected something of the like from the cape's reaction times out of costume as she had bid them farewell, letting them go on their way. Emma knew the right moves when a cape was revealed, especially the way Hunter had been, but Madison… she did not.
"Mads, you really shouldn't talk about that," Emma said as they made their way down the boardwalk, heading toward one of those shops that Emma liked, and Sophia barely tolerated. It wasn't that Sophia disliked fashion, but there was such a thing as too much of it sometimes. There were much more important things to worry about than fashion, namely the villains that infested the city and the criminal scum that assisted them. "There are rules regarding cape identities. You're really not supposed to do any sort of revealing of who they are."
"But she revealed it herself," Madison asked as they got ever closer to the fashion boutique. "Doesn't that mean that Hunter's identity is fair game? What rules, anyway?"
"Unwritten ones," Emma said. "Haven't you ever heard about the reason to keep those identities separate?"
"Hunter's your friend," Madison said quietly with a frown. "So, if her identity gets out to the general public—"
"You could be putting Ems in danger, Mads," Sophia said. "You could put all of us in danger if that identity gets out."
"Not will, though," Madison said. "How often do people get to see what we did? She's the genuine article! I hadn't heard of her before today, but she was so cool."
Sophia looked around. Nobody was watching them or listening in as they walked. As animated as the three of them had been, they looked like a more or less normal trio of teenage girls. Dealing with Mads was easy enough normally, but redirecting the conversation from the obvious woman-shaped elephant in the room was not going to be easy in the least. Add that she knew Emma had to be chomping at the bit to talk more about her childhood friend, even though Taylor wasn't there, and Sophia had the recipe for a potential headache.
It helped that her friends were survivors though. Emma with what had happened in the alley prior to her rescue, and Madison with how she handled and adapted to the school environment of Winslow. She'd stepped up and joined the two of them as they took over every single social engagement that needed to be done. People were put in their appropriate places, and Madison made sure that hers was at Emma and Sophia's side. Sophia could respect that.
After Emma proved that she was a survivor, however, her obsessive side came out to play. It might not have been as much of an issue had Taylor been there. From what little she'd learned of Taylor Hebert, the girl might have been some kind of survivor, but there was a good chance that she'd just be some sort of chatterbox.
Kind of the opposite of the Taylor Hebert that they'd met, better known as Samus Aran. Samus only spoke when she had something important to say. There was no inane chatter there, no idle prattle, just calm, calculated speech. Her movements were similar. Near as she could tell, Samus wasted no energy in how she moved. It was like watching a predator sitting there at the table with them, albeit one that was content to just look. Someone like that knowing who Emma was… messed with her.
Samus wasn't like the previous girls that Emma had mistaken for Taylor. The first hadn't even pretended to know who she was, and kind of waved off what she perceived as the crazy. Sophia had been tempted to beat that girl black and blue for the insult, but she was more focused on consoling her friend at the time. The loss of her former best friend had been a devastating blow to an already fragile mental state. Emma had gone through Hell because of this, but Sophia was confident that she'd come out stronger in the end, even if she didn't trigger.
But then there had been the second girl. And the third. And the fourth. Each time, it hadn't been Taylor. Each time, Sophia had to pick up the pieces with her friend, and each time, Emma seemed just a little more desperate. There were plenty of times where Sophia had considered just cutting her off, but Emma had been so helpful, a real friend. She couldn't bring herself to drop Emma as a friend, not when she was like that.
Sophia had seen Emma's strength and her weakness, and she needed to help bring the former out of her. Survivors worked better when they survived together. When they could hunt down those who were threats to survival together and help each other out.
So, she'd paid some attention when Ratcatcher worked with her. Emma knew the guy, and he had a pretty weird as hell power that was strangely effective. Sue her.
"Sophia, you paying attention?" Madison asked. "We can talk about Hunter, right? What do you think her powers are? She looks like a tinker."
"If she made that suit, sure," Sophia said. "Armsmaster has power armor too, and so do a couple of the Wards."
"I liked the colors," Emma said. "Purple and green just work well together, and you saw how fast she moved…"
Sophia nodded. Some of that might be a power that she had out of the armor, but she wasn't going to talk about the brief… altercation that she'd had with Samus outside of Fugly's. Samus's speed outside the armor was faster than she'd thought any human could move. And yes, she'd call the woman Samus, even if she was Taylor Hebert.
"You think she's really up helping out the Protectorate?" Madison asked.
"Don't see why not," Sophia said. "If she got there in time, she could. She doesn't have any of the gang colors on her either, so she probably won't get mistaken as a villain."
"Especially if she knows who to target," Emma said. She smiled widely. "I bet she's pretty strong. We saw how fast she could get."
Strong, yes. Based on what little she saw, she'd probably class Hunter as a brute/mover/tinker hybrid. If that cannon was anything to go by, blaster probably could get added to the mix. This was assuming that Sophia was getting the classifications right. She'd only been a Ward for about seven months now, after all.
"I don't know," Sophia said, and she glanced at her phone. While she was technically off-duty right now, she needed to pay attention to what was going on. If the fight got closer to the Boardwalk, she'd have to direct both Emma and Madison to somewhere safe. She had a crossbow and some tranquilizing bolts in her bag, and she even had her spare costume with her. However, unless they were in danger or she was given specific orders to mobilize, the costume would stay off and crossbow in her bag.
It looked like the fighting was staying confined to the Docks, and the Console text updates were reporting about a new purple-armored cape joining the fray, noting her to be friendly. Well, Console used the singular they, but Sophia knew Samus was a woman. Ultimately, Sophia was curious to see the combat footage to see what exactly Hunter could do, but that would have to wait.
Instead, Emma led the way into one of the many Boardwalk boutiques. She walked in like she owned the place, or at the very least, she would own the place eventually. She'd done some modeling for the store in question, and as such, she had a perpetual discount that she took advantage of at every possible opportunity. Combined with the platinum card her father gave her with an allotted authorization each week, the three of them were able to get some good shopping in.
Emma made her way over to a section reserved for taller than average women, and a salesperson quickly stepped up to her.
"Oh, pardon me miss, I believe your size is over in that direction," said the dark-haired person that, even by their voice, Sophia couldn't make out a gender. They were too androgynous a white person. Either they were a somewhat masculine woman or they were a somewhat feminine man, but it was also possible that they were something in between or both at once. Sophia didn't really get that sort of shit, but with Legend being the walking example of tasting the rainbow, it was easy enough to accept.
"Sorry, I'm not here only for me today," Emma said. "My friend Taylor's back in town, and I want to surprise her with something nice for her to wear."
"Do you know her measurements?"
Emma shook her head. "They've changed a bit since she left town. She's taller than before, but I know her old ones."
"She's a bit over six feet tall," Sophia said. "How much, I couldn't tell you but at least a couple inches."
The salesperson nodded, and when Emma gave Taylor's old measurements, Sophia suggested adding to them in some ways and adjusting the fits, but without Samus there, there was the strong chance that they wouldn't be able to guess her exact size.
"Maybe if we get a little larger, she can take it back for adjustment if it doesn't fit right," Madison said. "What do you want to get her though, Ems?"
"Something Taylor rarely wore," Emma said. "I'm getting her a nice dress. She's got some long legs now, and other stuff, but I don't know if she has any nice dresses."
Sophia shrugged. "She'll probably like it regardless. You've got a good eye for dresses, Ems."
Emma smiled. "I know." She started thumbing through the rack, clearly looking for something that'd work well on a woman as tall as Samus was.
Meanwhile, Sophia glanced down at the console updates. Hookwolf, Cricket, and Stormtiger captured, Alabaster and Oni Lee escaped. Well, escaped might be the technically wrong term, given they were never put into custody in the first place. Instead, they simply got away. Frankly, given that setup of capes, Sophia wasn't entirely sure that she would have wanted to get involved in that fight. There wasn't much she could do against Alabaster or Oni Lee due to their powers, but she might have been able to put Cricket down.
Good to see that the combination of the Protectorate and Hunter were capable of pulling it off themselves. The lack of capture of Oni Lee and Alabaster was disappointing, but it occurred to Sophia that it was possible that Samus just didn't know who to prioritize in a fight like that. Millie had said that she seemed a little confused about the swastika on the gangbanger that she'd apparently thrown into a dumpster. She'd just stopped the guy from… doing something with Millie.
Sophia snickered a little at the thought of a Nazi dumpster. Specifically, a dumpster in which Nazis were to be thrown, rather than a dumpster somehow raising its handles in a freaky fasci—facs—what was that word? Facsimile. That was the word. Some sort of dumpster raising its handle in a freaky facsimile of the Nazi salute. While that was a… strange mental image to think about, Sophia decided to focus on the now.
"Sophia, what do you think?" Emma asked, holding up a long blue dress that looked like it was of a mermaid cut.
"Too tight on the skirt," Sophia said. "Go wider at the hips and leave her some room to flare out. Remember that she typically wears some pants and longer sleeves. So… maybe something warmer but still allows freedom of movement?"
"Good idea, Sophia," Madison said. "We don't want to have her freeze her butt off in the brand new clothes."
Sophia smirked, and then she glanced down at her phone again.
There was a text message sitting there, from Miss Militia, asking about Ward whereabouts. Sophia quickly responded that she was out with friends, and it was her day off.
Miss Militia's response to that ultimately was to question further. "What friends are you with?"
Sophia answered honestly. Miss Militia had met Emma once before, and Sophia was pretty sure that Madison had at least taken the tour of the PRT building when it was available. She might have met Miss Militia, even if she didn't remember it. If she did, Miss Militia almost certainly did remember it. Part of her powers was to make it very hard to forget things, and the other, of course, was to make non-tinkertech weapons.
"God, you're spending so much time on your phone, Sophia," Madison said. "Couldn't you just focus on now?"
"Sorry, the brawl's almost over," Sophia said. "Looks like it's just in cleanup phase now."
"Will you…?" Emma asked.
Sophia wrapped an arm around her friend's back. "You're not getting rid of me that easily, Ems. Just because Taylor's back doesn't erase what we've got. We're still good friends—"
"The best," Emma said, echoed seconds later by Madison. Poor girl just wanted to be included.
"And your friend being back won't change that," Sophia said. She leaned in closer to Emma. "Plus, she's… older than us."
"I know that," Emma said. "I know that things won't ever be the same between me and her. She went through whatever she did, and we… well, you know what I went through, Sophia. The point is, though… she's back. From wherever she went, and she's strong."
Sophia nodded. "You are too."
"What do you think about hers and Millie's suggestion?" Madison asked. "The therapist?"
Emma shrugged. "She says it helped her. I don't know."
"It might help," Sophia said. "If you believe in all that psycho mumbo jumbo. I'm not sure who it helps and who it doesn't, but the one thing I do know is that unless you know you can trust them, fuck 'em."
"How do you know if you can trust them?" Madison asked.
Sophia shrugged. There were a few therapists on a rotational shift with the Wards, and as a part of her contract, she was mandated one day a week with them. Plural. Honestly, they might have succeeded at earning her trust if they'd kept the same therapist for more than a month. A month just wasn't enough to get to know the therapist well enough to see if they could be trusted. Sure, there were some in there that seemed okay. Yamada was one of them. Pilsner was another, but she didn't know. For all she knew, they could be looking for weakness in her, and she intended to keep that from them.
There was one person she got vulnerable in front of, and it was only when the two of them were not near others.
"So, maybe I shouldn't go," Emma said. "I'm not sure that I'd be willing to trust anyone in specific. Plus, it might interfere with my modeling."
Sophia shrugged again. "It's up to you and your dad, Ems. All I can say is Samus suggested it. She seemed to have a good head on her shoulders."
"Told you," Emma said. "You thought she'd be weak, but she's strong. Just like I knew she would be."
Sophia just nodded. They spent some more time discussing minor things as they browsed clothing, like what classes were going to be like on Monday, and which idiot wore what terribly. Emma did pick out something that looked like it would fit Taylor, and then she proceeded to pick out something for herself, Sophia, and Madison as well. Sophia suspected that Alan Barnes was going to be a little surprised by the credit card bill this month, but given what she'd seen of the man since she'd met him, Alan was the kind of person who thought throwing money at something solved a problem. Maybe he wouldn't complain.
As they stepped out of the boutique with their purchases in hand, Sophia's phone rang. Her Wards phone rang. Luckily it looked a lot like her personal phone, and she'd been looking at the phone, keeping an eye on things ever since the brawl started. She answered it with the deft hands of someone skilled at hiding the extra phone, making it look like it was her personal phone.
"Hello, this is Sophia Hess," Sophia said, emphasizing that she was in her civilian identity, around other civilians. After all, she was at the Boardwalk, even if they were outside.
"Sophia, we're going to need you to come into work early today," Miss Militia said. "How far are you from the PRTHQ?"
"Not super far," Sophia said, and she stepped away from the group, mouthing an apology to Emma and Madison about her "boss." "Why do you need me in?"
"We need you for an assessment on a new cape," Miss Militia said.
"Why me?" Sophia asked. "Don't you have others who are better at that?"
"You've met this cape before," Miss Militia said.
"Which one?" Sophia asked.
"She calls herself Hunter," Miss Militia said. "She appears to be related to Ratcatcher. I'm not fully convinced about this fact, and I'd like to get a DNA sample. However, Armsmaster seems to be convinced enough to let her go home with Ratcatcher."
Sophia nodded. She wasn't going to ask all of her questions over the phone because of the lack of secrecy in a public place. "I've met her, yes. She seemed decent enough, for the most part."
"That tracks with what she said earlier," Miss Militia said. "You met with her, alerted her to the multi-gang fight in the Docks area?"
"Yes, that's correct," Sophia said.
"And saw her put her costume on?" Miss Militia asked.
"It'll be hard to forget that," Sophia said. "What's with the third degree before I even get there?"
"You'll find out more when you get in," Miss Militia said. "One last question before you go though."
"All right?" Sophia asked, glancing over to her friends again.
"What was your impression of her? Do you think she's trustworthy?" Miss Militia asked.
"Maybe," Sophia said. "Don't know her well enough one way or the other. I'll see you at work."
"See you soon, Sophia," Miss Militia said.
She hung up and put her phone in her pocket. She made a simple excuse to Madison and Emma though the latter knew where she was really going for work. Emma called her father to come pick up the two of them, and Sophia made her way to the PRT HQ building in downtown, slipping off to change into her costume on the way. She moved faster on the rooftops, after all.
So, they wanted her impression of Hunter, did they? She'd let them know exactly how dangerous she thought the woman was.
They were going to want Samus Aran on their side, even if she didn't join the Protectorate.
In Sophia's case… she just wanted to be sure the woman was who Emma thought she was. Samus Aran needed to be Taylor Hebert.
For Emma's sake.