Harry Potter - Series Fan Fiction / Other Fan Fiction / Crossover Fan Fiction ❯ Fusion of Destinies ❯ The Final Rush ( Chapter 20 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Fusion of Destinies
a Harry Potter/Metroid crossover
Chapter 20: The Final Rush
3-11-2006
by Grey

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series and all of its characters are the creation and property of J. K. Rowling. Samus Aran and the Metroid series are the creation and property of Nintendo, and was originally masterminded by Gunpei Yokoi (1941-1997) .

This fic is dedicated to Razor Knight and CubedCinder128, whose support gave me the confidence I needed to write this thing.

---

Slowly but surely, Harry Potter ascended the narrow corridor of the chamber he was in, the energy from the screw attack casting a pale glow on the walls. However, Harry was finding it difficult to keep on using the space jump; all the fighting he'd done over the last few hours was starting to get to him. Each successive bound took a lot of effort, and he found it hard to concentrate. When Harry finally neared the top, he found he'd underestimated how high his last bound had to be, forcing him to reach out and grab the edge.

For a moment, Harry just hung there, breathing heavily and feeling his heart thumping in his chest. How can Samus go hours on end doing this sort of thing? he thought. Is she really that much stronger than everyone else, or am I just weak?

Thinking about Samus reminded him that he wasn't sure about what to do next or where to go. Adam hadn't told them what they should do next. Harry was certain that she had already wiped out the X-Cores she was after, but where was she now? Should he try to rendezvous with her? Adam'll probably know where she is, and what I should do, thought Harry. And he must have some idea where the HP-X and the SA-X are by now. With that thought, he mustered his strength and began pulling himself up. But as he peered over the edge, he found himself face-to-face with a baby sheegoth.

"Gyaah!" cried Harry in surprise, letting go of the edge. For a second, panic overtook him as he was falling, but then he kicked off the wall he was facing, then kicked off the wall behind him. He soared out of the vertical corridor, and came down onto the baby sheegoth with the screw attack before it could move away. For a few seconds, he knelt were the arctic monster had been, still tired, but a marrow-slicing chill that had nothing to do with sector 5's environment snapped him to attention. Looking up, he saw two dementors barreling down a tunnel that stretched out before him.

Why am I not surprised to find more of them in here? Harry though acidly as he stood up and raised his wand. He pictured himself making a game-winning grab for the Snitch while Ron, Hermione and Samus cheered on, and yelled, "Expecto Patronum!" The shining stag ran down the tunnel and the dementors had no room to evade it. They both exploded, and Harry summoned the freed X.

Harry slowly walked down the corridor, not wanting to overexert himself. Got to take it easy whenever I can. I still have to fight HP-X.

And so, Harry kept trudging through the upper levels of sector 5, hoping to find the navigation room. Despite his weariness, however, he still felt a great sense of exhileration from all the new powers he had. Now he had almost all of Samus's strongest abilities, and like her, he could now go practically anywhere he wanted. He remembered the thrilling sense of freedom he felt when he first got his Nimbus 2000 and his Invisibility Cloak, but this went far beyond that. He could now run faster than any living thing on Earth, practically fly and tear through whatever his body touched, and blow apart anything that blocked his path. He had a strange urge to explore every square inch of the station and discover all its secrets; at the very least, he could find more batteries that way. But then he realized that the SA-X and HP-X wouldn't be hiding away, waiting for him to come. They would come to him.

So Harry continued looking for a navigation room. It took a while, but he eventually found it, though he had to magically repair the computers to restore them to working order. Harry promptly hit the 'Receive' button and waited for Adam's response.

"Harry Potter?" asked the computerized voice. For a few moments, silence lingered in the navigation room again. But then Adam said, "From this data, I see you've defeated the X-Cores in sectors 3 and 5. Well done, Harry. You've exceeded the expectations I had based upon my calculations."

"Is that so?" asked Harry.

"Indeed. My calculations did not predict you would be able to neutralize so many X-Cores with the amount of time that you did. You have proven to be truly exceptional."

"Yeah yeah, I get that a lot," snapped Harry in a strained voice. He wasn't in the mood to hear praise about how exceptionally capable he was. Ron and Hermione had said the same thing last week when they suggested he teach defense, and he didn't really buy into it. He didn't even believe it himself when arguing with Samus; he just argued because he didn't like being thought of as incapable either. He knew he had made plenty of mistakes and failures in his lifetime, and got through a lot of tough scrapes due to luck or help from others. The fact that he had wiped out so many parasites in the last few hours didn't improve his self-esteem much; he knew it was only because of the powers he absorbed from the X. Besides, he was more concerned with figuring out what he should do next. "Adam, can you tell me where Samus is, and do you know where the last two X-Cores are?" he asked eagerly.

For another few seconds, there was silence, making Harry fear the worst. However, Adam spoke once again in a flat, neutral tone. "I am uncertain about Samus's whereabouts. However, I do know that the X-Cores she was hunting have been neutralized, so I suspect she is merely having difficultly finding her way back to a navigation room."

Harry breathed a sigh of relief. "What about the last two X-Cores we need to beat?" he asked.

A few more seconds of silence, then Adam said, "I believe I have isolated the signature of one of the remaining two. It is situated around the upper regions of the main deck, possibly the control room." A terrifying thought occured to Harry. Could the X be planning on using the station's propulsion system to move out of its orbit around the moon and head to Earth? Harry asked Adam, but he calmly said, "I doubt it, Harry. The signature has stayed in that area for several minutes. If that was the X's plan, the station would be en route by now."

"Well, that's good news," said Harry, relieved. "And now I can go and take out that X-Core while we wait for Samus to get back."

"Harry, I must voice my concerns, however," said Adam. "I am only picking up one signal, and that signal has been transmitting freely without any attempt to mask it. Almost as if it wants me to find it. It is my guess that our enemy merely wishes to lure you out. The other X-Core could be hidden, lying in wait."

Harry thought about it for a second. "So, you're saying that they're trying to lure me into an ambush?"

"There's a high probability that's the case," said Adam. "And there's a high probability you would not survive in a fight against both SA-X and HP-X. Given your current state, I calaculate your chances for victory against the HP-X are 46.17 percent, and your chances with the SA-X are 32.26 percent. However, if the two of them ambushed you, your chances for survival are less than 5 percent."

He can be more morbidly logical than Hermione, Harry thought dismally. Out loud, he said, "You're saying I should sit around and wait until Samus gets back, aren't you?"

"That would be the most prudent course of action," replied Adam. "Of course, there was considerable risk to you when you hunted the other X-Cores alone, but now that only SA-X and HP-X remain, there is little need for you and Samus to work independently."

"But Samus wouldn't sit around when she knew where the enemy was!" cried Harry. "And she wanted to beat the X as quickly as possible!"

"And she also wouldn't want you rushing foolishly into a possible trap, especially in your exhausted state," said Adam. "As I said, you've performed admirably against the other X-Cores, but these last two are undoubtedly the most powerful ones. Of course, ultimately, the decision is yours."

Harry thought about it. It was true that Samus wouldn't want him running to the main deck. But he wanted to follow her example of never backing down from any danger, having been inspired by her. However, even though he had all sorts of new abilities at his disposal now, but could he truly make the best use of them? He had defeated all the other X-Cores he came across, but not without some difficulty, and both HP-X and SA-X had eluded him.

Then he thought about what he had overheard about the Handu Mountain Preserve, and about how far worse things could happen if the X weren't wiped out as quickly as possible. He was here to fight alongside Samus, and in his mind, that meant following her example of never backing down, no matter what the risk. Had not Samus risked falling into a trap when going after the HP-X to rescue Crabbe and Parkinson? Was she not taking a risk by intending to fight the X alone?

"I'm going," Harry declared suddenly. "Once Samus contacts you, tell her to head for the main deck." And before Adam could object, he opened the hatch leading to the elevator room and ran in.

---

Harry looked across the wide chasm that strecthed across the huge chamber. Down below were a series of platforms that led up to the side he was standing on and the adjacent one, and the wall on the adjacent side would crumble away if something struck up with enough force and speed. Harry knew this thanks to his visor. He looked behind him; there was only about fifteen feet of running space on the edge he was standing on.

No problem, thought Harry smugly as he opened the hatch in the wall. He stepped back through, stepping out into a long hallway which had glass windows on one side, letting him glimpse the starry depths of space outside. He reopened the hatch he came through, slowly made his way to the other side of the hallway, then turned and ran at full speed. His speed booster power kicked in well before he reached the hatch again.

Here we go! thought Harry excitedly as he jumped forward, going into a spinning jump while still moving at over 200 miles per hour. His heart was thumping again, and Harry felt that same strange rush of exhileration and anticipation; when first arriving, he wasn't able to cover much ground on the main deck, but now it was a different story. Now he had the power to get past almost any obstacle and hunt down whichever X-Core was waiting for him. It was a very heady sense of power.

Harry's spinning body soared over the chasm within a second and sliced through the wall on the other side. He was breathing heavily as he looked around; he now found himself at the bottom of yet another vertical corridor. Looking up, he saw a series of metal platforms with a yellow-black striped pattern leading upward...and several dementors plunging downward at him.

Of course, they weren't much of a problem since Harry could just space jump up and effortlessly slice them all apart, which he did. He reached the hatch at the very top in no time at all. However, when he touched down in front of the hatch and stood up, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his heart and his stomach that made him sink to his knees. Not only that, the muscles in his arms and legs felt like they were on fire.

"Argh!" he screamed as he clutched his chest with one hand and his stomach with the other. What the hell is going on!? he thought angrily, trying to fight back the pain. This wasn't nearly as painful as being hit by a Cruciatus Curse from Voldemort, but it was enough to keep him rooted to the spot, unable to stand back up. It felt as if his heart was about to burst and his stomach was burning up from the inside. What's wrong with me? I know I'm getting tired, but where did this pain come from!?

Harry tried to make sense of it all as he knelt there, waiting for the pain to subside. He feared that X-hosts could come at any moment to take advantage of his moment of weakness, but thankfully none came. After a few minutes, Harry felt well enough to stand back up. His legs still ached and he realized his breathing was still erratic, but otherwise, he felt fine enough to move on. Sighing, he opened the hatch and ran through.

I don't get it. Why did my body practically implode after running and using the speed booster like that? Harry silently wondered as he stpped into the next room. He was so wrapped up in his thoughts that, for several moments, he didn't realize how different his surroundings were.

The walls around him had a resplendent, silvery, metallic sheen coming from bright light fixtures embedded in the ceiling. Not only that, the area he was in now was like the inside of a giant tube, with curved walls. Harry looked to his right, and saw what was like a tunnel, extending for as far as he could see. He also noticed that the tunnel seemed to curve to the right. For a few moments, Harry just stared down that passageway until it finally came to him. It's like some giant ring, he reasoned. Must be for some way of moving stuff quickly through the main deck.

While he was pondering this, though, Harry suddenly heard a metallic pounding sound coming from in front of him, as if something had just fallen down onto the floor. Feeling a jolt of dread, he quickly turned to face whatever was in front of him.

It was the HP-X, standing less than ten feet away. His wings were already out, but they were folded against his back. He was just standing there, staring at him.

Harry reacted instinctively, raising his wand to attack. But the HP-X reacted just as swiftly, raising his right arm to point his finger at Harry. However, he didn't fire off any curses. He merely stood there, glaring at Harry hatefully, as if daring him to make the first move again.

For about a minute, they remained like that, staring each other down while remaining ready to attack at any moment. Harry watched HP-X carefully, aiming to catch any sign of him being ready to fire off a curse nonverbally, and he knew that his double was watching him cautiously as well. But Harry was also feeling nervous; he still felt tired and now, his body had recently been racked by some mysterious pain. What if it happened again? Would he be able to beat HP-X in this state?

Another strange sound interrupted his thoughts. Far off to his right, it sounded as if an explosion had gone off, and he could hear roaring flames in the distance. Harry chose to ignore it and stayed focused on the HP-X. But after a while, he noticed the sounds of flames was getting louder...and closer. Not only that, the ring-like tunnel was steadily getting warmer.

Harry risked a glance to his right while keeping his wand aimed at his doppleganger. He almost dropped his wand out of shock when he saw what looked like a giant, billowing ball of fiery plasma travelling down the tunnel, coming for the two of them. Panicking, he looked behind him, but saw that the hatch has locked and drained of power. He faced front again, and got another surprise. The HP-X seemed to be smirking at him, staring at him with eyes that betrayed smugness. If Harry wasn't so worried about the plasma ball, that would've shocked him as well; why was the HP-X suddenly showing human emotions like sadistic joy?

Harry forced himself to calm down and think. He doubted a Flame Freezing Charm would work in this case, he doubted his shields would last very long if caught up in that fire, and he didn't dare try the Glacius spell. He realized he had only one choice: run. Barrel down that tunnel, keep ahead of the plasma ball, and pray he could find some other way out.

Oh great, running like that might make that pain kick in again, he realized. But I haven't got a choice. Harry started sprinting to his left, keeping his wand trained on HP-X in case he tried something. But a few seconds later, the HP-X began sprinting forward as well, eventually coming side-by-side with Harry as he ran (thought they were still about ten feet apart) . Somehow, the HP-X was matching his speed perfectly.

What the bloody hell is this all about? thought Harry as he kept on running. Did he plan on this? What's the point? He can't withstand that plasma any more than I can! It's-It's like he's pulling some daredevil stunt! Harry looked over at HP-X again, who was still running while facing forward. He didn't seem to take any notice of Harry, but he was still smiling. A sadistic, gleeful smile. If I didn't know better, I'd say he's toying with me. As if he wants to challenge me to prove I'm better than him, or something like that. But that doesn't make any sense! The X just single-mindedly try to breed and conquer! They can't feel any real emotion. What's going on?

Harry's speed booster eventually kicked in, and he tore down the tunnel as fast as he could, forcing his legs to run harder and faster than he ever had before. He looked behind him, and saw, to his dismay, that the plasma ball had picked up speed, and he was barely staying ahead of it. Then he looked back to his right; the HP-X was still running side-by-side with him. Four dark, shadowy silhouettes trailed behind him, and was still leering and smirking evilly. No way. The HP-X itself can't possibly be enjoying this, Harry thought as he continued running. It's got to be whoever's controlling it. THAT'S who's enjoying having a go at me. But some instinct was telling him that that wasn't entirely the case.

But Harry pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind and concentrated on running. He felt the heat from the plasma searing his back, despite the protection of his shields. The knot of fear already gripping his stomach began to tighten even more. He tried to run faster, but he found his legs were starting to tire out from running so long; thankfully, those heart and stomach pains hadn't come back.

Harry looked over at HP-X again, still wondering why he hadn't bothered attacking directly. Then, all of a sudden, he jumped forward and flexed his wings. Now the HP-X was flying ahead of him, still moving at great speeds.

I have a chance... thought Harry as he aimed his wand up at HP-X. If he could hit him with a curse and cause him to lose speed, the plasma ball would swallow him up....

But the HP-X obviously had other plans. He reached out behind him iwth both hands, and suddenly large chunks of ice began to form, and they were hurled back at Harry. Harry had only a split-second to react, and he quickly swerved to the right to avoid the ice shards. But more were coming. "Reducto!" screamed Harry, vaporizing a hunk of ice coming right at him, and he swerved to the left to avoid another.

Just as he was beginning to wonder what would get him first - a chunk of ice or the giant plasma ball - Harry noticed a hole in the roof of the tunnel a few hundred feet ahead. As soon as he noticed it, the HP-X darted forward even faster, then curved his flight path to fly up into it. Harry didn't have time to wonder how the HP-X could change his direction so fast like that. He knew he had only one chance to evade the ball of plasma completely. He had to time it right....

Harry ducked down and skidded to a halt - to his utmost relief - right underneath the opening in the tunnel's roof. Here goes, thought Harry hopefully as he jumped up, his body shooting like a missile up into the hole a split-second before the ball of plasma rushed by and would have incinerated him. For several seconds his body kept shooting up, tearing through massive sheafs of rubber tubes housing wires and metal plating. He held his wand out above him; somehow, it radiated energy to clear a path for him...and eventually, absorbed the impact when he finally hit a ceiling solid enough.

Once he touched down after falling a few feet, he looked around. The area he was in was dimly lit; the only light came from a hatch a few feet away. There was another hatch on the adjacent wall, but it was smashed and impassable. It looked like he was in a storage room for spare parts and other equipment. Harry looked down into the hole his body had made. "Lumos," he whispered, and from the light his wand cast, he saw that he had rocketed up a considerable distance; he couldn't see the ring-like tunnel anymore. I must be near the top of the station, around the control deck, he thought.

And then, that vise-like pain gripped at his heart again, making Harry sag to the floor.

"AARRGGHHH!!!" he screamed, clutching his chest with one hand. And that was only the beginning. His stomach then felt like it was burning again, and not only that, but his legs now felt like they were on fire too. Harry had no idea how long the pain continued to plague his body like that, but eventually, it subsided. Breathing heavily and still feeling shaky, Harry forced himself to get back on his feet.

Adam was right, he admitted to himself. I should've waited for Samus. If both the HP-X and SA-X show up, I really am screwed. If this pain comes back every time I push myself....

Harry looked over at the working hatch. There was a good chance that the HP-X had gone this way. But should he follow him? I can't go back the way I came, in case there's another plasma ball, Harry realized, sighing. I have no choice but to go forward.

And so, Harry went through the hatch, out into an area were it was brightly lit. It took a few seconds for Harry's eyes to readjust to bright light, but when they did, he saw he was in a massive chamber, several stories high and nearly a hundred feet wide. Two small platforms with rail guards were situated in the center, and they had metal stairways leading up to them, and from the platforms, other stairs led up to different hallways on the wall across from Harry. But what really caught Harry's attention was a massive window on the wall to his right. Harry cautiously walked over to it, and through the glass, he saw the 'dark side' of Earth's moon.

For a moment, Harry stood there, captivated by the sight of seeing a heavenly body from space. Even before he learned he was a wizard, Harry hated history classes, but he gleamed enough from his days in Muggle schools to recall what it was like when humanity first saw the other side of the moon. It was completely different from the side that always faced Earth, far more mountainous, and was a huge shock to astronomers.

For some reason, it made him think of the HP-X and how it had seemed to show human emotions now. All this time, he had thought of his parasitic clone as just a copy of himself being used by whoever was behind all this. But was it possible HP-X also represented his own dark self, the yang to his yin?

Before Harry could think too deeply about it, a sudden rushing sound from above snapped him to attention. He swiveled around and looked up, and a green beam of light shot past his ear, barely missing him.

He's here! thought Harry as he aimed his wand upward. But he couldn't see his double anywhere. However, he could clearly hear the buzzing sound of his wings. Harry frantically looked around some more, trying to pinpoint where the sound was coming from. But it seemed to come from everywhere, surrounding him....

Another sudden rushing sound, and Harry reacted reflexively by jumping backward. A microsecond later, another Avada Kedavra curse struck the spot where Harry had been standing, making the metal plating there fragment and explode. Harry looked around again, aiming his wand in all directions, but he still couldn't find a target. His wand was trembling in his hands and Harry felt nervous sweat building up in his gloves and on his brow. Goddamnit, where is he!?

As if HP-X had read his mind, Harry heard the sound of another Killing Curse being fired off. Harry dived forward, and heard the curse strike the flooring somewhere behind him. What's going on!? he thought acidly. Why can't I see him!? Is he using an Invisibility Cloak or....

Harry forced himself to calm down, realizing that had to be it. Either the HP-X was using an Invisibility Cloak or he had Disillusioned himself. But if that was the case, how could he possibly fight back? His visor couldn't let him see stuff that was invisible.....

Wait a minute...yes it can! Harry realized. He hit a button on the side of his visor, activating a feature he had completely forgotten about: the x-ray mode. At once, everything in his vision changed completely. Ugh, now I know why Samus hates using this mode, Harry thought dryly, noticing just about everything had a ghastly, white pallor. Then he looked up around him while running, wanting to stay a moving target.

At last, Harry spotted him. Fluttering high up against the ceiling was the HP-X, ready to send out another Killing Curse. He could see right through the skinsheath, and saw his skeleton and some other organs. Somehow, it made him look eerily....more human.

But Harry didn't waste time dwelling on that. He fired off some beams after targeting HP-X, but Harry noticed they didn't track him as well as before. Whether it was because of the added plasma effect or some other charm HP-X put on himself, Harry didn't know. He realized he was in for a much tougher fight.

The HP-X swerved aside and retaliated by sending out seven Killing Curses at once. Harry easily dodged them all, and charged up a blast and unleashed it. The HP-X easily deflected it in an almost lazy manner, and kept up his assault with Avada Kedavra curses. Harry avoided the barrage by doube-jumping onto one of the two platforms, hoping to get a better shot at HP-X. He charged up another blast as he ran up a flight of stairs, and when he felt he was close enough, he let it loose. This time, the HP-X was too slow, and plasma ripped through his body. Harry could also hear electricity crackling and flesh burning. A few more shots should do it. He's not getting away again.

HP-X veered away and cautiously fluttered about. Harry could tell he was carefully thinking about his next move. All of a sudden, the area around the HP-X looked a little darker, and gradually became more so. At first, Harry was confused, but then he heard rushing air. It was then that he figured out what HP-X was planning.

Deciding to risk using his new abilities, Harry leaped off the platform as the HP-X unleashed a rush of frigid air at it. The HP-X then tried to aim his charm upwards to envelope Harry with the cold air, but he kept bounding up and forward. Out of desperation, the HP-X darted at Harry with his talons outstretched, but Harry made one more bound. Then, as the HP-X shot underneath him, he turned and slammed his spinning body downward onto his double. His body rebound of his hard skinsheath, but Harry swore he heard the HP-X let out a grunt. Harry followed up by aiming plasma blasts at his stunned foe as he dropped down. But he hit the ground hard, and the impact made his legs ache all over again. Then, to his horror, his heart suddenly felt tight, but luckily the pain died away quickly.

Harry looked up over his shoulder, and saw that the HP-X had already recovered and was making a diving lunge at him. He turned around to aim at him, but before he could unleash a blast, the HP-X slammed him to the ground, knocking his wand out of his hand. The pair slid across the floor for quite a distance, and then the HP-X clamped a hand around Harry's throat. His shields kicked in, preventing the HP-X from crushing his throat, but then the HP-X reached for his shield device with his other hand, as if to claw through the barrier to get to it.

The HP-X reached back to try and slice Harry apart again, but as his hand came down, Harry grabbed his wrist. They struggled for a moment, but then, Harry let go of his wrist and lashed out with a punch to the HP-X's face, striking as hard as he could. That stunned the HP-X for a moment and he relinquished his grip on his neck. With a great effort, Harry shoved his doppleganger off of him, then darted for his wand. But as he picked it up, he felt something strike his back, and then felt a cold numbness sweep over his body. He suddenly felt dizzy as well, but he could still see clearly, and noticed that over three batteries had been drained. There was no doubt that the HP-X had made a direct hit with Avada Kedavra.

I'm not going down THAT easily, Harry thought resolutely, willing his wand to power up. He jumped straight up and turned around in midair, just as the HP-X followed up with Glacius. The rush of frigid air passed under Harry, and he unleashed a charged blast. The HP-X couldn't deflect it in time, and plasma ripped through his armored sheath again.

The HP-X immediately came at Harry while he was in midair, talons outstretched. But Harry bounded upwards with the space jump, and as HP-X clumsily rushed past, he changed direction and bounded again, slamming into his double with the screw attack. Harry made an effort to slam him again, but before he could even try, he felt a tightness grip at his heart again. Panicking, he stopped spinning and made a twenty foot drop to the floor. He aimed up at HP-X, but he was sending out more blasts of freezing mist, far stronger than anything else he'd ever mustered, and Harry was forced to run to avoid them. He tried firing back as he ran, but the HP-X was darting around too swiftly.

But suddenly, the HP-X stopped using Glacius, and - to Harry's utter confusion - he curled up into a fetal position and folded his wings onto his back. He was still floating in midair, and - though he couldn't be sure with the x-ray visor - it seemed like he was gathering energy for something. Wh-What's it doing now? Harry wondered. Oh, who cares? Here's a chance to fry it. He charged a shot and let it fly, and it tore through HP-X. Harry readied another, but before he could release it, the HP-X curled-up body suddenly shot toward him like a cannonball.

"What the f-OWWW!!" Harry was instantly knocked to the ground as the HP-X's body rebounded off of him like a giant rubber ball. He also felt some strange energy surge through him when he got hit. He looked back up, and saw HP-X bounce off the wall across from him, then wildly ricochet back, smashing through one of the stairways. The metal stairs broke apart and noisily clattered to the floor, and the HP-X's body continued to bounce around the chamber like an out-of-control rubber ball. "You've got to be kidding," cried Harry exasperatedly as he dove aside when the HP-X's body came careening toward him.

"This has gone on long enough!" shouted Harry. The HP-X's body smashed through yet another stairway, bounced off the ceiling, then came barreling toward him. But Harry was ready. He aimed at a pile of wreckage from a stairway, did a Banishing Charm, and a long piece of metal flew toward HP-X. He had timed it perfectly, and it slammed into his parasitic clone, causing him to fall to the floor. For a while he didn't get up, and Harry used the opportunity to unload more charged blasts.

But the HP-X recovered quickly enough. He reached toward the piles of debris with an outstretched hand, and suddenly the wrecked stairs broke apart. Long strips of metal came flying toward Harry, now ablaze with a white-hot glow. Harry nearly panicked, but he managed to jump away and keep dodging the flaming metal debris the HP-X was sending at him. This was made harder, though, because of the Killing Curses and Glacius Charms the HP-X kept sending his way, and many of them missed Harry by mere inches. It was nearly impossible to fire back at the HP-X, and having to keep on the move like that was tiring him out even more. He felt as if he'd collapse any minute. He's pulling out all the stops, thought Harry. This won't end until one of us is dead, I just know it.

A flaming metal stair came slamming down next to Harry, barely missing him. Then he noticed the HP-X was readying two more Killing Curses. Without even thinking, with just letting instinct take over, Harry pointed at the flaming piece of metal and performed another Banishing Charm. It shot toward HP-X like a javelin. He was a split-second away from lashing out with two Avada Kedavra curses, and during that split-second, he was wide-open. And he was impaled by the metal debris, and was propelled backward along with it until it got embedded into a wall, trapping the HP-X against it.

Harry shut off the x-ray visor and just stared dumbly at the HP-X for a moment, who was desperately trying to pull out the metal strip that had run him through. Harry couldn't believe that it had worked. He hadn't planned on doing that. It was pure luck that that made it work like that. Yet again I win by blundering through it all, thought Harry as he got over his shock, pelting the HP-X with plasma beams while he was helpless.

But then, searing pain engulfed his arm and his chest again. Harry dropped his wand as he let out a howl, clutching his chest. It happened again! What's causing it!? Harry wondered fearfully, his heart thumping and his breathing ragged. Luckily, the pain went away after a few seconds. He bent down to pick up his wand, then looked back over at HP-X....

His double had finally pulled out the metal strip impaling him. He threw it aside, then eyed Harry hatefully. Blood was oozing through the gaping wound, but the HP-X was still on his feet, although he looked wobbly. One look into his snarling face told Harry that it wasn't over yet. Harry aimed his wand at his double again but didn't attack; some instinct was telling him something strange was about to happen.

The HP-X clenched his fists, his muscles could be seen tensing up underneath his skinsheath, and he spread his wings wide. Harry caught another glimpse of the snarling, hateful expression on his face, and an instant later, his body began to glow brightly, magical energy crackling all around him. At first Harry thought he was reverting to an X-Core, but he took a closer look, and saw the HP-X's entire body was slowly starting to change. His dragonfly-like wings were reforming into a different shape, his limbs began to slowly lengthen, and it looked as if his neck was growing.

Oh my God, what's it doing now!? Harry thought nervously as HP-X's metamorphosis went on. The wings now looked like those of a dragon, and the blueish-black covering was slowly changing to a reddish-purple. The HP-X's body was expanding and growing, and Harry noticed something else growing out from behind him. Something that looked like...a tail? No, a really long, harpoon-like tail. Oh wait, no, it can't be turning into....

But his fears were confirmed when the skin on the HP-X's face turned into rocky scales and the shape of his hand became oblong, with a pointed top and long snout, resembling a pterodactyl. And the rest of its gigantic body...long, thin, powerful limbs with razor-sharp claws, a hide of reddish-purple scales, a long tail used to whip prey. There was no doubt about it.

So...THIS is Ridley, Harry thought morbidly, frozen from shock. Now he had to fight a version of Samus's oldest, most hated enemy. He quickly noted he had only five full batteries.

The HP-X, now in the guise of Ridley, shrieked at Harry hatefully, then flung his head to unleash a volley of fireballs at him. Harry ran to the side while charging a blast, then unleashed it. But the HP-X spread its wings, swooped upward to avoid it, then darted toward Harry. Harry jumped up with the screw attack, but his body rebounded off his chest without doing any damage. He hit the floor hard, and then saw HP-X spinning around. A second later, his tail slammed into him, sending him flying across the chamber. He stopped only when he crashed into the window.

He heard the HP-X shriek again as he struggled to get up. Once he was back on his feet, though, he saw more fireballs coming at him. He tried to jump away, but his legs ached too much and they wouldn't respond. Some of the fireballs missed and struck the glass behind him, but several found their mark. And one hit him squarely in the face.

"YEOW!" screamed Harry, feeling the intense heat through the force shields. He forced himself to not shut his eyes and glanced at the data on his HUD...or at least tried to. Nothing was showing on his HUD but some light static that blurred his view, and Harry noticed a large crack running down the center.

Great. Useless, thought Harry irritably as he pulled off his visor and threw it aside. He didn't have time to dwell on it, though, because the HP-X was dashing across the floor, talons outstretched. Harry jumped over him, his body still aching, and fired a charged shot downward into HP-X's hunched back. When he touched down, HP-X again tried to slam him with his tail, but Harry merely jumped up and unleashed another charged blast.

Even though it looked like he was gaining the upper hand, Harry still felt fearful. There was no telling how much punishment HP-X could really take, and now, one of his vital tools was wrecked. Without the visor, his blasts wouldn't track the HP-X at all and he couldn't see how much power his shields had. Well, I'll have to make sure I don't get hit again, thought Harry as HP-X rushed at him again. Like I'd even be tempted too, he added silently as HP-X dashed by.

HP-X shrieked and made another swipe with his tail, but Harry deftly avoided it again and let loose another blast. Things now actually seemed to be going well for once: HP-X was now so big, it didn't matter if Harry's shots didn't track anything, and though as Ridley he was still fast, he was also clumsy. This let Harry stay one step ahead of him and keep unloading blast after blast; however, it still took a lot of effort. But just as his hopes began to rise, HP-X spread his wings and took off, flying close to the ceiling. Then fireballs rained down on Harry from high above.

Craaaaap, thought Harry as he ran to avoid them, but at this point his legs felt like lead. He used charged blasts, Stunners and Aguamenti to strike back, but the HP-X was too high up and easily dodged. Have to get closer, but when I'm space jumping I'm a sitting duck, he thought. Then he noticed the two platforms again. The stairways connected to them were now junk, strewn all over the place, but they were still supported by pillars. They were over twenty feet above the floor, more than high enough....

Harry double-jumped onto one while charging another shot, then fired once his feet were planted. He was close enough now and his attack hit home, but HP-X immediately let loose more fireballs. Harry dashed aside, but nearly fell off the platform's edge. Oh great, don't have as much room to move, Harry realized. He looked up again, and saw HP-X was flying down to the platform. Once he got close enough, he started using his tail like a whip while in midair.

Harry double-jumped just in time to avoid getting skewered, but HP-X lashed out again when he reached the apex of his jump. He swerved his body just in time, and fired back with a charged shot as he touched down. HP-X shrieked again, then lashed out with his tail yet again. Harry noticed that his movements seemed to be getting more wild and erratic, and his scaly skin was changing to a bright red. Could that mean he was wearing him down?

Harry unleashed another triple blast of plasma that hit home, but then, HP-X soared above the platform, then plummeted with his tail pointed down. Harry caught on right away, and leaped over to the other platform. He charged a shot while he was at it, and while the HP-X had his tail momentarily embedded in the platform, Harry let it fly.

This final blast was enough to finally do him in, or so it seemed. HP-X yellow, ghastly eyes bulged out as his mouth hung open, shrieking in pain as fire and small explosions engulfed his scaly body. HP-X perched himself on the platform as flames consumed him, apparently having no more fight left in him. I'll be ready this time, thought Harry as he watched HP-X's Ridley form continue to burn. He was waiting for him to revert to an X-Core and try to flee. This time, I'll get you for sure.

HP-X slipped off the platform and crashed onto the deck. But somehow, he found the strength to sit back up, then stand on his hind legs, reached up into the air with his arms and shrieking again. Harry aimed down at him, not knowing what to expect. What's it doing now? he thought nervously. It can't be changing forms again. There's no way it has enough energy left to....

And then, he felt a chill run down his spine as cold as the depths of space. His skin prickled, making him feel itchy. He knew this feeling. He had gotten used to it after being around X parasites for so long, but this felt so overwhelming...as if hundreds of free-floating X were around. "OH NO!" Harry cried fearfully. "Don't tell me that...."

And then, it happened. From the wall behind him, near the ceiling, the metal plating bulged outward. Then, in an explosive shower of sparks, a gaping hole was punched through and hundreds of X parasites poured through. "Incendio!" Harry cried, trying to kill as many as he could. But he could only wipe out a few at a time, and more just kept coming. They all flew to the HP-X's burned body, merging with him and revitalizing him. He turned into some amorphous blob that steadily expanded; it looked like it would eventually fill the entire control deck. Harry looked on in terror, completely nonplussed. And then, it began to take a shape....

Now, in front of the large window facing the moon's dark side, stood a gigantic fat lizard, whose head almost touched the ceiling. Three blood-red eyes stared down at Harry from above a bulging belly lined with three sharp spikes, that looked like they could be fired as missiles.

"Samus...wasn't kidding...." Harry muttered as he stared up the HP-X, now taking the form of the bounty hunter's OTHER old nemesis, Kraid. Harry shivered in fear, knowing that he was in for an ever tougher fight...one he could very well lose.

HP-X let out a sonorous, booming howl that sounded like a giant trumpet sounding off, making Harry cover his ears. Then HP-X reached back with one arm, and Harry knew he was about to swipe at him. Harry quickly jumped down just as his hand came down, causing the platform's pillar to be torn off at its base. HP-X took a step forward, trying to stomp on Harry. Harry ran away just in time, but the shockwave froom his footfall almost made him trip.

Harry's mind was almost numb with fear. How was he supposed to fight the HP-X now? Out of desperation, he unleashed his beam combo at his bulging belly, but they didn't leave so much as a burn mark. Ack! What do I do!? How did Samus ever beat this thing!?

HP-X stepped closer, causing the deck to quake again. He leered down at Harry again with his three eyes, and Harry swore he saw a sadistic, mischievous glint in them. Then it came to him.

The eyes! That's right, Samus had compared it to the Horntail because the eyes were its weak point! A bright glimmer of hope began to swell in Harry, and he aimed up at the HP-X face. But he blocked his beams with his hands, and at the same time, Harry heard strange spinning sounds that were gradually coming closer. Harry looked around nervously, and saw large, curved horns coming at him in all directions. NEVER can catch a break! Harry thought irritably, but he felt more annoying than fearful now. He now knew he still had a chance of winning.

He swerved, strafed, and dodged the spinning horns as best he could, but there were too many, and they were coming in from all around him. The HP-X let out another booming howl, as if to taunt him. Then, one of the horns came flying in from straight in front of him, and its tip smashed right into the spot where his shield device was stuck to his chest.

"AUGGHH!" screamed Harry as he felt white-hot pain sear at his skin. Then there was a peculiar sound like a fuse being blown, and suddenly it felt even hotter around where his shield device was. Harry looked down, and saw smoke rising from his chest. Oh no, does this mean.... He didn't finish the thought because instinctively he knew what had happened. Not only were his shields drained, but the device itself was destroyed altogether.

For a second, Harry stood there, frozen with shock and feeling more weak and vulnerable than he ever had in his entire life. That hopeful feeling from moments before was gone. Only the sound of more spinning horns snapped him out of it. In desperation, he began space jumping up to avoid the horns. At least I can still do this, Harry thought. But if I get hit again by ANYTHING, I'm dead.

As he kept space jumping up, Harry heard HP-X take another step closer, as well as more spinning horns. He was about to panic again, but then he glimpsed the spot where the X parasites had emerged from: a large portion of the wall now jutted out like a platform, the perfect place to stand on and....

Harry grabbed onto the mutilated metal plate, pulled himself up, turned around and used the Conjuctivitus Curse. it immediately took effect and HP-X opened its mouth wide, screaming in agony. The sight of the inside of his mouth reminded Harry of something else Samus had mentioned about Kraid. That's how to beat it, he thought triumphantly as he charged a blast, then unleashed it. He let loose with shot after shot, and within a minute, HP-X green scales turned sallow, with blood-red coloration around the edges of the scales.

HP-X flailed backward iuncontrollably, in too much pain to think or act coherently. He stumbled backward near the big window, and his flailing arm smashed through the center of the window, creating a gaping hole.

The effects were immediate, predictable, and lethal.

The air of the control deck suddenly started rushing out into the vaccum of space and Harry was almost pulled off the platform. He barely flattened himself against it to grab onto its edges in time; he held on as hard as he could, but the jagged metal dug into his palms. He could feel blood seeping onto his palms, and it felt like it was being frozen solid.

Harry ignored it and looked over at the HP-X. It looked like he had done enough damage; his body was starting to revert into separate, free-floating X parasites, but almost all of them turned a strange grey color and crumbled away into ashes before being blown out into space. However, dozens more seemed to be fine. "Accio X!" bellowed Harry, aiming at all of the surviving X. He decided he'd need all the energy he could get just to hang on.

Then, down below, something caught his eye. On the other platform, a large, gelatenous mass was clinging to the rail guards, seemingly trying to hold on and resist the pull of the air being blown out. It glowed a vibrant white, and it also looked as if it was trying to assume a form. At one instant, it almost seemed to have a human shape.

"There you are!" cried out Harry, aiming at the HP-X. Harry knew there was a chance he was going to die here, but at the very least, he could get rid of his doppleganger for good. He could finally wipe out that twisted mockery of himself with his own hand, avenge the people who had died at the Handu Mountain Preserve, prevent him from causing any more carnage....

But as he stared at the HP-X desperately clinging to the rail guard, he realized something. If the HP-X truly represented his own dark instincts, a part of himself that was prone to do evil things, then he didn't want to absorb him. He realized he didn't want whatever power he had to offer. And he didn't want there to be even a chance of him coming back to life like the SA-X did. If that was his dark self, then better to exorcise it forever. Harry made his choice. He pointed his wand at the HP-X, still desperately holding on. He had to do it now, while there was still enough air. He hesitated for a moment, then....

"Incendio!"

Small flames licked at the amorphous, glowing mass clutching the rail guard. For a moment, it looked like they would immediately be put out by the rush of air blowing out of the control deck, but then, the HP-X's energetic glow dimmed. The blob began to harden and shrivel, then it broke apart into ashes, which were then blown out into space. But as the ashes were blown out, Harry swore he could hear a faint, sorrowful cry of agony in the back of his mind....

"It's done," said Harry with a tone of finality. "Now to get out of here." He looked behind him into the hole the X parasites made. Maybe he could use it. Since he couldn't safely reach any of the other hatches, it was his only choice. He noticed a sheaf of wires fluttering close to him like long hair caught in a breeze. He pocketed his wand, then carefully reached out to grab it. Hopefully, he could pull himself to safety.

But the rush of air pulling at him was too strong, and the wires slipped through his hands. A cold sense of dread gripped at Harry's insides, knowing that there was nothing that could possibly save him now. He was blown out through the gaping hole in the glass. This is it, he thought sorrowfully as he felt a chill more intense than anything he'd ever felt before seize him. I'm sorry, Samus. I'm not making it back alive. Please...forgive me.... A few seconds later, his body began to convulse, and it felt as if his skin was bulging out right before consciousness started to slip away. The areas around his mouth and nose felt like ice, he felt his heartbeat was getting slower.... He knew death was only seconds away....

But he was dimly aware of a faint pulling sensation. Light flooded back into his field of vision. Somewhere, he could hear a voice calling to him. It sounded desperate and worried. Harry realized he was lying on a cold, metal floor right before he blacked out completely, utterly exhausted.

---

Well, there you have it. The final defeat of the HP-X. I'm so sorry that this chapter took so damn long to write, but since this was the final stand of the best original villain I ever came up with, I wanted to get it right.

As for the next chapter...it's finally time. No more evasions or deceptions or any crap like that. Next chapter, the mastermind behind this plot will finally be revealed!

So long,
Grey