Harry Potter - Series Fan Fiction / Other Fan Fiction / Crossover Fan Fiction ❯ Fusion of Destinies ❯ The Prime Villain ( Chapter 21 )

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

Fusion of Destinies
a Harry Potter/Metroid crossover
Chapter 21: The Prime Villain
3-28-2006
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.

---

"Harry Potter? HARRY POTTER!"

Harry's eyes slowly fluttered open, having finally been roused from his exhausted sleep by the sound of his name, which was still ringing in his ears, and the forceful nudging of something prodding his shoulder. For a few moments, his mind was totally blank, having forgotten where he was and what he was supposed to be doing. But eventually, it started to slowly come back to him: fighting the HP-X, being blown out into space, and then...then waiting for the lack of pressure and the cold emptiness of space to kill him.

I'm...alive? Harry thought dumbly. He willed himself to take a deep breath, then to flex his fingers, which was all he could really do since his body still ached all over. No, he wasn't dead. But where am I? he wondered. He then became aware of the fact that he was lying on his back, on something rigid and cold, and that bright light illuminated everything around him. His eyes slowly darted left and right, and he finally recognized where he was. He had been lying unconscious in the interior of Samus's ship.

"You've finally regained consciousness, and it looks like you're in decent shape, considering the circumstances," came Adam's computerized voice. "It's just fortunate that I was able to rescue you in time. Had you been exposed to the vacuum of space any longer, there'd be a risk of permanent damage."

"Thanks Adam," said Harry offhandedly as he tried to sit up, not wanting to be lying uselessly on the ship's floor. But his spine exploded with pain, and he simply laid on the floor again.

"Harry, do not overexert yourself," chided Adam. "You were on the verge of total exhaustion, and exposure to the vacuum of space didn't help matters any." Harry then saw one of the mechanical arms from the ceiling, the same type that Adam had used to hand him his gear hours before, hover over him. This time, though, it looked like a large syringe was attached to the end. "Harry, this drug is a derivative of morphine. It should help to ease the pain."

Like most boys at the age of fifteen, Harry didn't relish the thought of having a needle plunged into his skin. Plus, having Muggle drugs pumped into him didn't quite appeal to him, not when he knew anything Madam Pomfrey could provide would be infinitely better. But he figured it was better than laying lifelessly on the ship's floor, being in too much pain to get up, so he nodded and braced himself. The mechanical arm swooped down and plunged the syringe into his left shoulder. Harry winced in pain, but the needle was removed about a second later. "Give it a few minutes to take effect. After that, you should be able to move around."

"Good," said Harry, but even saying that one word took a lot of effort. So he laid motionless while the drug went through his bloodstream, feeling worthless and humiliated. He hated to admit it, but Adam had been correct; he should have waited for Samus. That last battle had shown, in his mind, that he truly couldn't fight on Samus's level. He had tried his best, and yes, he had beaten the HP-X in the end. But that still didn't change the fact that he had almost gotten himself killed by fighting the HP-X. Everything had gone fine until the HP-X accidently smashed that window, and Adam had barely saved him from certain death. He knew Samus would never have forgiven herself if he had died. He didn't want to think what it would be like for her, to go to a navigation room only to have Adam explain to her that he had perished in the depths of space.

His only consolation was that his noxious parasitic clone, the HP-X, was finally gone forever. At least if I had died, I would've taken him with me, Harry thought vindictively, smirking wickedly. At least the REAL Harry Potter came out on top and survived. As that thought went through his head, he couldn't help but wonder if, should there ever be another fight between Voldemort and himself anytime soon, he would still feel the same way about sacrificing his own life.

A few minutes passed by in agonizing silence, and Harry wondered what Adam was doing at the moment. Was he speaking with Samus, explaining to her how he had rushed into a battle without thinking straight? Was he making more sensor sweeps, trying to find the SA-X, the final X-Core they needed to wipe out? Harry wanted Adam to talk to him, just to distract him and keep his mind from wandering. He realized it was odd for him to want that, since the computer program that had once been Samus's only human friend always tended to rub him the wrong way. But he was still Samus's closest friend, and he had been an invaluable ally so far, and he now found himself respecting his wisdom.

At long last, Adam broke the silence. "Harry, the painkiller should definitely be having an effect by now. Try sitting up," he commanded. Harry grudgingly obeyed and slowly propped himself off the floor. His back still ached somewhat, but nowhere near as much as before. "That's good. Now try walking to the rear of the ship. As you may remember, there's a biobed along the left wall in the rear. I need you to lie down on it."

Yeah, I remember, thought Harry. He had noticed it when he had stowed away, but hadn't thought much of it at the time. His mind was filled with anxiety and apprensiveness at that time, wondering what sort of hellish dangers awaited, but also a conviction to help Samus in any way possible. And now, despite his near brush with death and his weakened state, he still silently wondered if he could be of any more use to her. Alone he was a liability, that was obvious now. But when working together, side-by-side and watching each other's backs, it would surely be a different story, right?

Harry made it to the biobed and sat down; the padded surface was most welcome after lying on the floor. But before he could lie down, Adam made another command. "Tahe off your sweater and shirt, and let me have the shield device. It obviously needs repairing, and I'm not even going to ask why you're not wearing your visor."

Good, because that's too embarassing, thought Harry, remembering how his visor was rendered useless by a fireball striking him in the face. Letting out a sigh, Harry took off his sweater, which was still purple, and then his t-shirt. Adam then reached out with a mechanical appendage to pry the damaged shield device off his chest. Harry winced as it was pulled off, the underside of it having stuck to him like glue. "Any idea when it'll be fixed?" Harry asked hopefully.

"It's hard to say at the moment. I'll have to run a diagnostic, and don't forget, I'll need to construct a new visor as well," said Adam. "However, part of me wonders if I should even make the effort. I doubt it would be wise to send you back into the station, even after you've gotten some rest and recovered."

Harry could feel his usual frustration with Adam building up again. True, he was in no condition to fight now, but surely after he had gotten some rest he could rejoin Samus. Or did Adam believe that Samus would have everything under control well before then? Harry voiced his thoughts. "What do you mean? You saying I should just quit now and leave Samus to fight alone?"

"Even after nearing dying in the vacuum of space, you're still eager to fight? You truly are just like Samus," replied Adam, and Harry swore he could sense a hint of amusement in that computerized voice. Harry was about to fire back at Adam, but he spoke up again. "Harry, first of all, your body needs time to recover after being exposed to space. Luckily, you were only exposed for a total of 11.5 seconds and you merely lost consciousness. Full recovery is almost always possible when the time of exposure is that short. Furthermore, it's fortunate that you didn't foolishly try to hold your breath. Otherwise, you would have experienced 'explosive decompression', and the air in your lungs...."

"Alright alright! I get the point!" barked Harry irritably, guessing where the last part of that explanation would have led to. It was something that, understandably, he'd rather not mentally picture. "Damnit, are you always so morbidly...logical about everything? Alright, so I need to rest. Believe me, I'd like nothing better right now. But what about later? What couldn't I go back and rejoin Samus once I've gotten some rest?"

For a few moments, there was silence. *Why does he take so long to answer sometimes? If his brain's just a lightning-fast supercomputer....* he began to think, but then Adam spoke up again.

"Harry, there's something else you need to know about, something I've only become aware of once I retrieved you and was able to run a full bioscan on you," said Adam. Once again, Harry could detect faint traces of humanity in that computerized voice. This time, it was grave concern Harry noticed.

"What do you m-mean?" asked Harry hesitantly, but he feared Adam's answer.

About two more seconds of silence, and then Adam said, "Harry, it appears that your organs have been sustaining a lot of damage over a gradual period of time, and I believe it's resulting from the use of the powers you've acquired by absorbing the X-Cores you've fought. It does not appear that your body can safely channel the energies involved in using these abilities, especially those involving movement such as the speed booster, space jump and screw attack. This apparently results in a massive strain on your body that only gets worse; based on my bioscan, it appeared that you were on the verge of massive internal bleeding during your battle with the HP-X. Luckily, it doesn't look like you need surgery."

For a few moments, Harry just sat there on the biobed, nonplussed by what Adam had just revealed. All those exhilerating powers that he had been using, which let him go practically anywhere on the rebuilt B.S.L and lay waste to almost any X-host that crossed his path...were slowly killing him? "That...doesn't make any sense, Adam!" he exclaimed. "I mean, Samus never has problems like that, does she? And I have her DNA now, and...."

"However, your physicians only spliced her Metroid DNA into your genome," interrupted Adam. "She purposely had them leave out the genes she had gained from her infusion of Chozo blood, since you only needed the genes which would let your body's cells resist infection. It is those genes from the Chozo blood that grant her her superhuman stamina and endurance, not to mention these powers are derived from technological devices designed to be used only by the Chozo. In addition, she had undergone rigorous physical training ever since her childhood, and her suit harnesses those energies safely. No offense, Harry, but it appears that your body is not strong enough to handle those same energies safely."

Harry heard what Adam was saying, but he was only half-listening. He was thinking back to his fight with the HP-X and the brief moments beforehand, when at times his body was racked by some mysterious, all-consuming pain. Now he knew exactly what had caused that pain: his own body was being torn apart whenever he used his new powers. And because his body was so weak when compared to Samus's, he couldn't risk using them again. "T-Then, I really can't go back in," Harry said softly. "I'll need to blast things with beams, and...jump around and run...and, and...."

"I see you understand the severity of your condition," said Adam. "It's true that going back into the station would be risking getting into another compromising situation. You may be forced into a battle in which the use of those abilities is vital, but judging from my bioscan, further usage could result in permanent organ damage, or even outright failure."

Once again, Harry felt outright, all-consuming frustration well up inside him, making his fists ball up in anger. He had so many powers now and could still be of help to Samus...but doing so would mean risking having his own body shut down on him? "I don't believe it," he saif flatly. "After all, I've used magic for over four years, and now you're saying...."

"That the energies from these abilities can't be handled by your body the same way? Yes," Adam finished for him. "Harry, I understand how frustrating this must be. Do you think I enjoy being stuck as a computer program running this ship? I should be alongside Samus like I used to be, but instead I am relegated to this role."

Harry glanced over at the ship's cockpit. He found himself sympathizing with Adam. If any of his humanity had been preserved, which certainly seemed to be the case, then being forced to wait on the sidelines, relegated to only provided information while his old friend had to fight alone, must have indeed been agonizing beyond belief. *Maybe that's why he let me come,* thought Harry. *He didn't want Samus to be entirely alone, any more than I do.* Out loud, he said, "I...never thought of it that way."

"But Harry, look at what you've helped accomplish. More than half of the X-Cores have been eradicated thanks to you; the SA-X is all that remains. You've ensured that Samus will get to the bottom of this mystery far quicker than if she went at it alone. Plus, I believe you given Samus something even more valuable, something she hasn't had in a long time," said Adam. "It is incredibly fortunate that you're still alive, and soon, Samus will most likely be in a position to end this once and for all. I think you should be satisfied with this and rest easy."

Harry gritted his teeth in frustration, because once again, that coldly logical voice was making a lot of sense. Despite still not having much confidence in himself, he still admitted he had managed to do a lot on the station. And Samus had pulled through in difficult situations alone, and he realized he should trust her to do so again. Still, he felt miserable for not being able to fight any longer in any meaningful way; he still felt obligated to fight on, whatever the risk to his life.

But then, Harry remembered the promise he made to Samus back on the main deck. Plus, there was the fact that his shield device needed to be repaired, and that he was still plagued by exhaustion. Also, his entire body still ached somewhat, despite the narcotics running through his system. He grudgingly accepted that in his current state, he was of no use to Samus or anyone else, and should be satisfied with what he managed to already do.

"Goddamnit," Harry muttered under his breath as he laid back on the biobed, the cushioned surface warmly welcoming his battered, worn-out body. "Come on Samus, time to do what you're famous for," he breathed as he tried to relax himself. He trusted Samus had the power to finish things by herself, but he resented how she once again HAD to.

---

Samus stared blankly at the large monitor in the main navigation room for the tropical sector. On it was a crystal clear image of Harry lying on her ship's biobed, looking as if he was barely conscious, being transmitted to the navigation room thanks to Adam. He still hadn't put his t-shirt and sweater back on, and his face betrayed a mixture of frustration and exhaustion. Also on the main screen, contained in a small inset in the bottom right corner, was data regarding such information as Harry's heart rate, blood pressure, brain wave patterns and other data, once again provided by Adam. Both that data and the image of Harry's battered body lying motionless was more than enough to drive the point home: Harry had had another narrow brush with death.

"Do you think it's alright if I talk to him?" Samus whispered, still staring at the screen.

"For now, I believe it's best to leave him alone and let him rest," replied Adam. "Especially considering how extensive the internal damage is."

"So, explain to me again what happened, Adam," demanded Samus, still staring unblinkingly at the monitor, feeling nothing but an all-consuming numbness. The sight of Harry Potter, her closest friend at Hogwarts and the boy she suddenly found herself responsible for, looking practically comatase was not a welcome one for her. She hadn't really bothered listening to Adam's explanation the first time around, her mind was in such a fog.

"Very well, Samus. After I informed him that I had discovered a signal from an X-Core somewhere near the control deck, he rushed off to hunt it down, despite my advice to wait for you. I feared that it was a set-up for an ambush, but he went, regardless of my advice. Now, according to him, it was only the HP-X, and somehow, during the fight the glass barrier was shattered. Harry was blown into space, but luckily I retrieved him before any permanent harm came to him."

A small twinge of fury toward Harry penetrated the cold numbness in her heart. Samus's left hand clenched into a fist. How could Harry have taken such a stupid risk!? she thought angrily. But after a few seconds, she forced herself to calm down. Just be glad he's still alive. In the end, that's what matters, she thought to herself. Out loud, she said, "So he's recuperating now. He deserves a good rest, after all he's been through these last few hours. You'll make sure he stays there, though, right?"

"Don't worry, Samus," came Adam's reassuring voice. "From what I can tell, he doesn't feel confident enough to go back into the station. He views his brush with death as evidence of weakness and ineptitude."

*Reminds me of when you gave your life for me. I kept thinking it the situation got out of hand because I was too weak. I still do,* Samus thought regretfully, but pushed back those feelings of remorse. Out loud, she said, "He shouldn't, though. It's amazing how much he was able to do these last few hours, considering he was never trained like I was. Oh, and while we're on the subject, what about the HP-X?"

"Completely destroyed," said Adam, the elation in his voice palpable. "Harry told me that he didn't even bother absorbing the HP-X. He merely incinerated him, and that was the last we'll ever see of him."

Samus's fury toward Harry was replaced with pride. She still hated how Harry had rushed into a possible ambush, but at the very least, he managed to face his double head-on and annihilate him once and for all. He's better than he gives himself credit for, she thought, before saying, "Hopefully, I can go wipe out my doppleganger soon, too. I finished off the X-Core here in the tropical sector some time ago, so she's the last one I need to wipe out."

"I know. I was wondering...what took you so long to make your way back? It's been nearly an hour since the signal from that X-Core was terminated."

Samus let out a sheepish laugh. "Oh, that. Well, there were no hatches leading out of that chamber. It took me a good, long while to find another narrow tunnel I could bomb open, and then I had to navigate this insanely complex maze of pipes and tunnels, with Mandrakes and zoomers crawling around everywhere." She continued to laugh uneasily, despite recalling the frustration and edginess she went through while impatiently rolling and bombing through all those tunnels in morph ball mode. For some odd reason, it seemed funny to her now. Here she was, ready to undergo the final stretch of her journey...and she couldn't even find her way back.

"I see," said Adam simply. "Well, it is of little consequence now. You're ready to finally track down and destroy the SA-X herself." That was music to Samus's ears. Ever since regaining her memory, the SA-X had haunted her nightmares, and seeing the SA-X's resurrection before her very eyes, literally pulled out of her body through necromancy...horrifying didn't even begin to describe it. She was extremely anxious to take her down for good, and found herself understanding why Harry chose to eliminate his double entirely. "Unfortunately, I can find no trace of any more signals from X-Cores, which is odd, considering she is the most powerful X-Core of all and it would be difficult to mask her signature. I can't even suggest a place to begin looking."

Samus's heart sank. Normally, she didn't mind being charged with hunting something down herself and without a clue of where to start looking, but the station's interior was very vast and time wasn't on their side. Then again, she always comes after me, not the other way around, she reminded herself uneasily, remembering all the times the SA-X had pursued her during the first fiasco involving the X. Before she could dwell on this any more, Adam spoke up again. "However, before you begin your hunting, there are some more things about Harry's condition I feel I should speak to you about."

"Umm, what exactly?" Samus asked uneasily. "I remember you saying something about how using abilities like mine did a number on his body."

"That is correct. Since his body isn't nearly as strong as yours and he had no power suit to channel the energies, his suffered internal damage which gradually grew worse and worse," replied Adam. Samus's heart sank again, fearing that Harry had done permanent harm to himself just because he wanted so badly to help her. "However, there is something else I've become aware of during the last few minutes, and only after thoroughly reviewing data from the bioscans further."

Samus's eyes widened in surprise, dread filling her heart once more. She didn't need any more bad new regarding Harry. "What do you mean, Adam? Is something worse happening to him?"

"I am not sure. This new phenomenon regarding Harry doesn't seem to be harmful, merely mystifying," was Adam's response. "His DNA has undergone a series of some sort of sporadic mutations, further altering his genome, and the mutations occuring within each of his cells is identical. And it's not because of the X-Cores he's absorbed, of that much I am certain. I am at a loss to explain the cause, or what the effects will be. This is unlike any phenomenon regarding mutations that is in my database, but so far, at least there seems to be no phenotypical change in Harry."

Samus wasn't sure what to make of this. "You...you really can't figure out what's going on? Even with your natural scientific genius and the speed and power of your CPU?" asked Samus disbelievingly. Both before and after their incredible reunion, Adam Malkovich always seemed like he knew everything when it came to science. Maybe that was why I was drawn to him. He reminded me of the Chozo, she thought.

"I am sorry to disappoint you, Samus, but I can't," said Adam, as if he had read her mind. "This is completely unlike anything scientists in the Galactic Federation have seen before. My only guess at this point is that this is some sort of phenomenon that has to do with the abilities of his own kind, which we don't fully understand. I recall you telling me that some witches and wizards are born with a minor shapeshifting ability, or can spontaneously morph into different forms of life. This must be something like that."

Samus thought for a minute. She knew about Metamorphmaguses; Harry explained how one member of the Order was born with that extremely rare trait. And she knew about Animagi as well. During her months as a handywoman at Hogwarts, she had seen McGonagall turn into a cat more than once, and she still had trouble comprehending how that was possible. But she knew that Harry couldn't possibly be an Animagus, and that the likelihood of him being a Metamorphmagus was extremely slim. "No Adam, I don't think that's the case," she said, shaking her head furiously. All thought of hunting the SA-X forgotten, she said, "Let me have a look at that data. I want to see this for myself."

"Samus, for now, I believe you must concentrate on your mission and get underway," said Adam reproachfully. "Please, I understand your concern for Harry, but rest assured I will continue to monitor him and...."

But Samus was cut off when the image of Harry lying on the biobed was suddenly replaced with crackling static. "Adam?" Samus breathed nervously, wondering what was interfering with the transmission and certain it wasn't good news.

A few seconds passed, but there was no response. Only static from the screen and the audio output. "Adam!?" she called out again. Still nothing. Icy dread clawed at her heart yet again. "Adam! What's going on over there!? Adam!? ADAM!?"

---

Harry continued to lie on the surprisingly comfortable biobed, desperately wishing he could fall asleep. However, his mind simply wouldn't let him. So many thoughts were running through his head, it was as if his brain simply couldn't shut down because of all the activity going on in there.

He kept thinking back to all the harrowing battles he had recently been through, fighting copies of dangerous, nightmarish magical creatures he had faced before in his life, along with copies of Samus's old enemies. He could recall the fear and apprehension he felt during each fight, and acknowledge it was incredible that he pushed back all that fear all those times, fought, and won. Harry also wondered what Samus had gone through. How many of her old enemies did she have to fight all over again? What about HIS old enemies? Did she ever run into a Hungarian Horntail, and did she blast it away into paste? What images went through her head whenever dementors got too close for comfort?

Harry also wondered what the rest of the Order of the Phoenix was up to. He doubted any of them besides Dumbledore trusted Samus completely, especially Mad-Eye Moody and Mrs. Weasley. Did they use Pomfrey's concoction to splice Metroid DNA into themselves, and were they still trying to find the X's whereabouts for themselves and getting ready to set up a Portkey? And just how did everyone react once it was obvious he had stowed away on Samus's ship? How were Ron and Hermione coping with knowing he had put himself in such danger?

Good thing they can't see me now, he thought glumly as she shifted slightly on the biobed. He looked up at the wall next to him; up above, there was a monitor displaying information that Harry couldn't understand, but he guessed was stuff like blood pressure and his heart rate. All that stuff, being monitored just by this biobed. No things stuck to my chest or anything, he thought, marvelling how advanced the ship's technology was. He knew it was far beyond the stuff Muggles had in this time.

Harry stared straight up again, his thoughts returning to his friends and peers back on Earth. Oh crap, if any of them saw me now.... Hermione would give me one of her lectures, Ginny and Mrs. Weasley would be crying their eyes out, McGonagall would bite my head clean off. And I don't even want to think about what Snape would say, he finished thinking, shuddering at how the Potions Master would never let him live down such a humiliating near-death experience if he ever found out.

At least I helped Samus wipe out some of those X-Cores, Harry reassured himself, his mind still refusing to stop dwelling on their struggle. With all of those out of the way, she should have everything wrapped up soon enough. I still wish I could help somehow, but in this state I'm no good to anyone. I'd probably just get in the way, anyway. Oh well, Samus will just vaporize whoever's started this whole mess, then everything'll be back to normal, and I can go home to....

To what? What awaited him back on Earth? Back at Hogwarts, Dolores Umbridge was still trying to make the school her private sphere of influence, most of the wizarding world still thought he was an attention-seeking liar, Voldemort was on the loose...and those were just HIS problems. For some reason, his thoughts shifted to that fountain's statue and Hermione's obsession with house-elves. The humans of the wizarding world...they always tended to arrogate themselves above everyone else, and Umbridge only represented the most extreme example. In a way, that sort of thinking is no better than the creed of Voldemort's lot, Harry couldn't help but thinking. Thinking you and people like you are superior to everyone else...they're like that Muggle dictator Adolf Hitler and his Nazis.

His thoughts drifted back to his worst enemy, Voldemort, and all he stood for. The assertion that witches and wizards descended from magic-only families were superior, and deserved to be on top. Ever since that concept was drilled into his head in his second year, it still filled him with rage whenever he seriously thought about it. The so-called purity of blood didn't mean a damn thing! One of his best friends was proof. Hermione was Muggle-born, and she was probably way smarter than even Voldemort.

Suppose the Order does end up killing Voldemort. So what? Will that notion really die with him? It's endured since Salazar Slytherin's time, he silently wondered, a sickening feeling creeping into his heart. And the wizarding world...we like to think we're superior to Muggles, but we've produced our own fair share of tyrants and murderers. I've gathered that much from Binns. And Muggles...they also still kill each other for reasons like religion and race.... He craned his neck up to look through the windows of the cockpit. He could once again see the moon's dark side. And beyond it was Earth. We're fighting to save all life on Earth, but now that I think about it, maybe humanity's worst enemy is itself. Samus and I have the power to save everyone from an alien virus, but as hard as people try, we can't save them from themselves, and....

Harry's thoughts were rudely interrupted by a familiar, yet completely unexpected, sound: the deafening cracking sound of someone Apparating right next to him.

His pessimistic thoughts vanishing in an instant, Harry reached into his pocket for his wand. But he had let surprise slow him down for a split-second, and he was still groggy and achy. Before he could even pull his wand out, he heard someone yell, "Crucio!" It happened so fast, the sound of the voice didn't have time to register in his head, and all he felt afterwards was that all-consuming, white-hot pain searing his skin. And given his weakened state, one Cruciatus Curse was enough to render him completely unconscious. Harry hadn't even had time to scream.

---

Samus rose from a kneeling position after examining the computer's inner workings, still not having found anything wrong with the systems. That only confirmed her earlier suspicions: some outside force was jamming the communications. It was probably whoever had started the whole fiasco. And her instincts were also telling her that something terrible was happening, something that she was powerless to stop.

"Adam!? Come in!! ANSWER ME!!" she screamed frantically, still feverishly pushing buttons on the control panel. She was a second away from slamming her fist onto the control panel out of rage. Something's going on. Something's happening to Harry, I know it, she thought worriedly as she stared helplessly at the monitor, unable to think of a thing she could do.

But all of a sudden, the nerve-grating sound of static ceased altogether, and Adam's voice rang through the navigation room as clearly as ever. "Lady, we've got a big problem. Harry has just been abducted."

Her worst fears had just been confirmed, and the sinking feeling in her heart got infinitely worse. "Wha-what? Abducted? Wha.... How...."

"For a brief instant, all of my systems went haywire; I wasn't able to maintain our communications link or monitor the ship's interior," Adam quickly filled her in. "This only lasted for a few seconds, but when all my systems were fully functional again, Harry was no longer on board." He spoke plainly and his voice didn't falter, but Samus swore she could pick up a faint hint of emotion in that synthesized voice: a faint hint of a sense of failure, something the two now deeply shared. However, at the moment, Samus was too deep in despair to appreciate how Adam empathized with her. Only the sound of his computerized voice speaking up again snapped her back to attention. "Lady, I started running sensor sweeps again, and something new has just appeared: a signal from an X-Core, and an extremely powerful one, one that is clearly detectable despite all the electromagnetic interference."

It took a few seconds for Samus to find her voice. "The SA-X?" she asked. It wasn't really a question.

"I have no doubt that it is," said Adam.

"But...why did it suddenly appear?" asked Samus, though she knew Adam probably had no clue.

"I don't know," said Adam simply.

Silence lingered for a few moments as Samus tried desperately to get a hold of herself, get over her concern for Harry, and think. But it was easier said than done. She was once again gripped with a sickening sense of dread; the same sort of dread she experienced when she saw Ridley fly off with the infant Metroid. Not only that, she simultaneously felt a sense of seething rage when she thought about how whoever was responsible had waited until Harry was weak, vulnerable and unable to offer any resistance. It was the act of a coward. Her left fist clenched in anger, and her right hand gripped against the inner workings of her arm cannon so tightly, it was amazing that she didn't crush the metal. "Forget about the SA-X," she finally said, her voice soft, yet dangerously sharp. "Scan the station for Harry. Find out where he's been taken."

"I've been trying, Lady, but so far I've had no luck. There's still too much electromagnetic interference," Adam said apologetically.

Samus let out a sigh of frustration. "I was afraid of that," she murmured. There was no hope of finding out where Harry had been taken. At least, that was what Samus was starting to think, but Adam cut in again.

"Lady, the only explanation that I can think of is that Harry has been taken to whatever's beyond that locked barrier. This is probably the case because the SA-X's energy signature is coming from that general area. There's no doubt this is a tactic to lure you into a confrontation with her. Whoever's responsible knows that you'll try to rescue him," he said.

Another trap, she thought morbidly. But there's no choice. I have to fight my way past her and get into that area. I don't believe this. Harry barely survives after being blown into space, and whoever's doing all this just teleports onto the ship and snatches him up. As she dwelled on the tragic turn of events, though, she realized something else. Something that should have registered earlier, but she had been too stricken with grief to realize. "Adam, if Harry's kidnapper can teleport onto the ship, he might be able to come back and sabotage it. Get to a safe distance...go to the other side of the moon. I don't care if anyone sees you."

A few seconds of silence, and then, "I understand, Samus. The ship is already underway." Adam obviously understood the logic behind her order, but Samus still detected a hint of reluctance. "I'll keep monitoring the situation the best I...."

Adam's computerized voice was replaced with the maddening sound of static yet again, and crackling static filled the viewscreen once more. *Oh no, what now!?* Samus thought panickingly. She had probably just lost Harry. She couldn't bear the thought of losing what was left of Adam.

But after a few agonizing seconds of torturous confusion, a message suddenly flashed on the monitor, displayed in white letters against a black screen:

I now have Harry Potter in my clutches, and I can Apparate back onto your ship any time I choose. If you care anything for your friends, come to where the SA-X is. Should you survive the fight against her, you will then find me ready.

Samus read and reread the ominous message again and again, and each time she read it, the icy fear in her heart grew more and more profound and paralyzing. Eventually, the message vanished, leaving only a screen filled with static.

"So it's come down to this," Samus softly muttered to herself. "I just have to fight my way past her, then I can confront whoever's behind all this." Paralyzing fear still clawed at her insides, but now, a new emotion was building within her, which was steadily growing stronger. A burning, passionate rage, and a conviction to mow down anything and everything that dared get in her path. It was the same feeling that had welled up within her as she fled Ceres and chased Ridley back to Zebes.

And this time, I won't fail, she swore to herself as she opened the hatch and went through. I won't lose again. I lost Adam Malkovich. I lost the Metroid Hatchling. But I swear.... I...WILL...NOT...LOSE...HARRY!!

---

After heading back out into the tropical sector, Samus began her frantic search for the elevator room that would lead back to the main deck; it would take too long to backtrack through the aquatic sector. And the X-hosts that tried to put up resistance...to say they didn't have a baby sheegoth's chance in Norfair was a gross understatement. Samus mercilessly blasted, bombed, screw attacked, whipped, slashed and just flat-out pounded into submission any and every enemy that was dumb enough to get in her way. Space Pirates, trolls, dementors, side-hoppers...it didn't matter. If it was in her way, it was toast, thanks to the fact that Samus was running on pure rage and adrenaline, and turned every weapon and ability in her arsenal against her enemies in the most frighteningly efficient ways possible.

But despite how she was mowing down all opposition, and despite her determination to rescue Harry, a lingering doubt still gnawed at her soul. She had failed to protect those she cared about twice before, and now, she was in that frightful position again. It didn't matter if her suit's power and arsenal was greater than ever before, she still had doubts about her own abilities as a fighter. Could she really succeed this time? Could she really rescue Harry, or would he end up being another casualty in her never-ending fight?

No, don't think about that! Samus mentally screamed at herself as she blasted away three more dementors coming right at her. Just press on! Keep fighting! You're the only hope Harry's got! she told herself as she whirled around and brought down her extended fins so they slashed apart a side-hopper.

The coast was clear, and Samus barreled down a narrow hallway that she hoped would lead to the elevator room. As she did, another thought came into her head. This is the reason why I always fight alone. Fighting alone is easy when you've got a suit that can acquire power like mine can, and you don't have to worry about watching anyone else's back. It's a lonely existence, but it beats going through worrying about protecting those you're close to, or hating yourself because you failed to.

As last, she found the series of rooms she was looking for. She quickly refilled her suit's weapons and energy, then headed through the series of room for the elevator. Along the way, she stopped to see if she could contact Adam via the navigation room, but she had no luck. Please, Adam, come back from this too, she thought worriedly as she stepped on the elevator platform. She didn't want to think about the possibility that her ship might now be dead in space, the preserved mind of Adam Malkovich irretrievable, lost forever....

At last, the elevator took her back to the main deck, to the area with the series of elevator rooms that led to the other breeding sectors. She wasted no time getting onto the elevator that would lead her to her destination, back in the heart of the main deck....

She stepped off the elevator platform and opened the hatch. A long hallway stretched out before her, and in the miidle of the hallway, there was another hatch along the right wall. The hatch that led to her goal....

Her heart was still pounding, adrenaline was still flowing within her, but still, she approached the hatch slowly and with trepidation. This is what it had all come down to. The safety of Earth, the future of the galaxy, the life of a close friend...it was all riding on her. Even more damning was that, after she beat the SA-X, there was no telling what awaited her. She suddenly found herself wishing that Dumbledore, McGonagall, or any other Order member was there with her. Having someone alongside her who could use magic and was skilled with it could be crucial. Only the nagging fear of letting anyone else down made her regret thinking about that.

No point wishing someone else is here. I'm all alone, Samus thought to herself resolutely. Besides, I had no idea what was waiting in that impact crater underneath the Cipher, or what was in the Sky Temple.... Samus took a deep breath, steeled herself for a final showdown with her nightmarish doppleganger, then opened the hatch. She waited a couple seconds to charge a blast, then rushed in.

She frantically looked all around, hoping to spot the SA-X before her double could start bombarding her with ice beam blasts. As she glanced around, she took note that all of the glassy, spiked spheres atop the pillars no longer pulsated with a violent, red light...except for the pillar closest to the door, which she was next to. That's the one the SA-X is keeping locked. Where is she!?

All of a sudden, as if in response to her silent query, a faint chuckle echoed throughout the room, a nerve-chilling, mocking sound.... But what jarred Samus was that it sounded like her own voice....

At last, Samus spotted her evil doppleganger. She was leaning against the wall directly opposite of the hatch she came in through, quite a distance away. Samus was about to unleash her changed blast at her, but then her mind registered something odd: the way she was leaning against the wall. Her arms were folded, and she was leaning back against it, looking as if she was bored silly from waiting. And even though she couldn't see her face very clearly from so far away, Samus swore that the SA-X was...smirking at her. It was enough to make the cold dread gripping her nerves a thousand times worse.

Samus continued to cautiously watch the SA-X, and she stared right back, unblinking, with those menacing, glowing, yellow-green eyes. Samus was confused, wondering why the SA-X wasn't attacking yet and why she was behaving so strangely. But after what seemed an eternity, the SA-X propped herself up from the wall and slowly raised her arm cannon. The tip of her barrel snapped open....

Samus reflexively fired her shot right before strafing to the side to avoid any incoming fire. The SA-X fired a super missile, then leaped upward and began space jumping right before she would have been hit, and the charged blast couldn't track her. An instant later, the super missile hit something....

The locking pillar that the SA-X's energy signature was keeping active.

The pillar exploded, twisted shrapnel and glass shards from the sphere flew everywhere, and acrid smoke and flames rose from what remained of the device. Samus stared at it dumbly, briefly wondering why the SA-X's super missiles were so much more powerful than anything she had. Then she heard a faint metallic click, as if something underneath the floor plating had slid out of place. A humming sound reverberated throughout the circular room, and it was soon accompanied by a hideous scraping noise. It sounded like metal scraping against metal. Samus looked at the floor, and saw that the large doorway was slowly opening like an iris. (AN: Anyone here watch Stargate SG1? Think the iris that's used to block the Stargate.)

Samus continued to stare at the opening passageway. The path to her final goal was slowly being opened. She was so wrapped up in her thoughts, so confused by this turn of events, she didn't realize that the sounds of SA-X's screw attack were getting closer, until it was too late. The SA-X touched down directly beside Samus. She immediately righted herself just as Samus turned to attack her. But once again, she was stopped cold when she saw the look on the SA-X's face. She flashed a smile - a wicked, conniving, bone-chilling smile - then fired her ice beam at the hatch leading back to the hallway. She ran through and didn't look back.

Samus watched her go, then turned back to look at the opened doorway in the floor. The way was clear, but Samus was still much too confused. Why...wha-what was all that about? She didn't bother trying to finish me off!? That doesn't make any sense!! Another thought occured to her. Wait a minute, did she...shoot that pillar on purpose!? Why would she do that!? From that message, it sounded like whoever's behind this WANTED me to fight SA-X first. Or did he change his mind, and wants the SA-X to jump into the fight later!?

More theories formed in her head as she tried to make sense of it all. But eventually, Samus realized that just standing there and hypothesizing wasn't doing her or Harry any good. The path was open, and both Harry and Adam were counting on her to act. The showdown with the SA-X could wait. She had to put an end to everything, here and now.

Samus peered over into the depths below, and saw that a circular, vertical shaft extended below the opened doorway. A stairway lined the walls of the shaft, leading up to the room with the locking pillars. But what struck Samus as most peculiar was that the shaft was unlike anything she had seen on the station. The walls were composed of some sort of greyish stone block, with masonry work that was not unlike what she had seen in Hogwarts. The stairs were also made of stone, not metal plating. In addition, wall-mounted torches provided faint light along the stairs, not mechanical light fixtures.

Well, I'm on the right track, Samus thought dryly. She decided not to just drop down, but cautiously walk down the stairs instead, arm cannon at the ready to fire upon any threat that presented itself.

The shaft went deeper than she had expected. For several minutes she carefully walked down the stairs. A few times, she thought she detected movement out of the corner of her eye, but it always turned out to be the flames of the torches, the light from them dancing along the walls. The light from the room above got fainter the further she descended, and she eventually switched on her x-ray visor, just to make sure she'd spot any traps hidden in the darkness. However, she didn't notice anything peculiar, and continued her trek down the stairway.

Just when she thought she couldn't take it any longer, Samus glanced downward and saw that the bottom of the shaft was visible, about forty feet down. She quickly surveyed the bottom to make sure no nasty, hidden surprises were there, then switched off her x-ray visor and promptly hopped down. After gracefully touching down onto the floor, she righted herself to find a large, wooden, double-door a few feet away from her, wall-mounted torches at either side. Then, as if to welcome her, it swung upon on its own accord to reveal a dark, foreboding hallway, dimly lit by torches. For some reason, Samus expected some mysterious, haughty voice to beckon her forward, but silence still lingered in the gloomy, shadowy darkness around her, which the torches did little to alleviate.

Samus raised her arm cannon and pointed it down the exposed hallway, half-expecting a small army of X-hosts to come pouring through. She couldn't help but recall her struggles against the Ing and how their soldiers crept along in the darkness, waiting to strike. But nothing rushed out to greet her. The hallway remained vacant, waiting for her to step through.

No point in waiting any longer, Samus thought to herself as she slowly walked down the hallway, arm cannon still raised and her heart still pounding. The hallway stretched on for quite a while - Samus guessed about fifty meters - but eventually it curved to the right and ended with a simple wooden door. Samus wasted no time and blasted it off its hinges, then quickly stepped though.

She found herself in a rather small room, where the walls were lined with bookshelfs composed of metal rods. Some had extremely old-looking books stacked onto them, otheres had rows of rolled-up parchment arranged on them. There were several desks in the room as well, most of which had small cauldrons set up on them, and most of those had fires raging underneath them, heating their contents and making them bubble and froth. Other desks had strange-looking statues or sculptures made out of some sort of crystal. All in all, from the looks of things, it was like the workplace of any ordinary witch or wizard.

Samus couldn't help but feel a little out of place. She was used to delving into all sorts of harsh environments, ranging from underground caves with hellish lakes of fire to expanses of frozen wasteland. But when she wasn't hunting bounties in areas like that, she ventured through research bases and space stations and alien ships. But going through an area that looked like something out of a human fantasy story made her feel a little uneasy and out of place, especially after trekking through the rest of the station. Even though she had a little knowledge about magic and potions, and even though she had spent several months at Hogwarts, she couldn't help but feel like she was in a little over her head.

Stop it, Samus, she thought, mentally chiding herself. Harry and Adam, and the whole galaxy, are counting on you. Pull yourself together. Samus looked around some more, and noticed another door directly across from her. But once again, it swung open as if welcoming her, daring her to step through. Oh, enough already, thought Samus bitterly as she stepped through, arm cannon raised. She stepped out into an extremely large, circular chamber that, for some reason, reminded her of that huge area back on Aether's dark twin where she had battled Quadraxis. It was that expansive. However, above her, instead of seeing gloomy, purple clouds that were reminiscent of nebulae and raging magnetic storms, there was only a stony ceiling shaped like a dome, over a hundred feet above her head. Also, the ceiling seemed to radiate some sort of pale light, which filtered down below, providing a sharp contrast to the gloomy rooms from before. The walls were made up of that same stone masonry that the previous rooms had, and the floor was composed of masonry work as well.

Samus took in all of that in a second and continued to look around. But then, she heard the door behind her slam shut. She whirled around, only to see that the door was no longer there; only a flat, stone wall was in its place. OK, fine, there was no point in going back anyway, she thought irritably. Turning back around to survey the room some more, she noticed something was now lying in the middle that hadn't been there before. It was a body, and Samus could tell that whoever it was wasn't wearing a shirt, and had short, untidy black hair.

"Harry!" shouted Samus, running toward Harry and abandoning all caution. But hope gave way to icy fear again once Samus got within ten feet of him. All of a sudden, Harry's unconscious body was levitated upwards at a rapid velocity, and in no time at all, he was flattened up against the center of the domed ceiling. Samus swore she saw Harry's eyes open the instant his body hit the ceiling. She was about to space jump upwards in the hopes of reaching him, but before she could even kneel down and ready herself, a sort of clear crystal began forming around the ceiling's center. In no time at all, the growing crystals engulfed Harry's body, trapping him within.

Samus's insides froze again as she watched the expanding crystal swallow up Harry's body. And even after the crystals stopped growing over him, she could still see his body through them, and clearly saw the horrified look on his face.

"Oh no...HARRY!" she screamed, obeying her first instinct and aiming her arm cannon upwards, intending to shatter the crystal with a missile. But before she could even arm her missile launcher, a threatening, mocking voice rang out which made her simultaneously fearful and enraged.

"I don't think that would be a good idea," came a high, cold voice. "Oh, I'm certain that one of your missiles could easily shatter that crystal, but oh, don't you think the freezing effect would be a bit too much for your little friend?" continued the voice in a mocking tone, then Samus heard the voice laugh.

Samus turned in the direction of the voice. There was now someone else standing in the room with her, no less than ten feet away. Samus had never seen this man before, had never seen any photographs of him or sketches depicting him, but she recognized him instantly....

It was someone who was at least as tall as she was, draped in long, flowing black robes, with a hood that covered his head. Underneath that hood, Samus could see the pallid color of skin as icily white as the snow of Phendrana, along with two glowering, red eyes that had vertical slits for pupils and a nose that was no more than two narrow slits....

"I guess that somehow, I shouldn't be surprised," said Samus as she whirled around to face him, bringing up her arm cannon. "It really was you all along...Voldemort."

---

Next chapter: Samus Aran vs. Voldemort

'Nuff said,
Grey