Harry Potter - Series Fan Fiction / Other Fan Fiction / Crossover Fan Fiction ❯ Fusion of Destinies ❯ The Ultimate Warrior ( Chapter 23 )
I lied before. The last chapter wasn't the craziest crossover battle ever. THIS is.
Anime/Manga: Harry Potter - Series Fan Fiction / Other Fan Fiction / Crossover Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Sci-fi / Fantasy / Action | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 04.28.2006 | Updated On: 05.10.2006 | Pages: 3 | Words: 10.4K | Visits: 486 | Status: Completed
a Harry Potter/Metroid crossover
Chapter 23: The Ultimate Warrior
4-28-2006
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.
For a few moments, Harry continued to stare dumbly into the SA-X's eyes, which now looked exactly like the eyes of his arch-enemy. The SA-X simply stared back into Harry's solid obsidian eyes, that enraptured look still etched on her face. No longer did she have the cold and impassive demeanor that he had come to associate with Samus's doppleganger and his own. Every bit of her body langauge betrayed a sense of exultation, from the sadistic smile that played upon her lips to the way she now stood over Voldemort's robes. It was as if she had been waiting an eternity for this moment, the moment of her final triumph....
Eventually, Harry got over his dumbfoundedness, his raw instincts coming to the forefront again. Now he had a new enemy to deal with, and once again, his every impulse was to rip apart and destroy whoever was set against him. Not only that, Harry could sense enormous amounts of energy coming from the SA-X, and that served to fuel a hunger he had never known. However, part of Harry's mind was still able to think rationally, but reason was telling him the same thing: destroy the SA-X by any means necessary. It's all riding on you now, Harry, he thought to himself. Voldemort's gone and so is his hold over them. That means the X parasites will overrun Earth if the SA-X beats you, and then they'll build ships and spread out across the galaxy. It'll really mean the end of the universe if you can't stop the SA-X here and now.
Obeying his overpowering, primal instincts, Harry let out a screech and lunged at the SA-X, talons outstretched. But the SA-X simply let out of a soft chuckle, then jumped up an instant before Harry would have reached her. Harry clumsily lumbered forward a few feet, and then he felt the SA-X slam into his backside with the screw attack, sending him skidding across the floor again. Once he came to a stop, Harry breathed in deeply as he picked himself back up, readying a burst of plasma breath.
However, by the time Harry had turned around to face the SA-X, who was standing about twenty feet away, she was ready for him. She had her arm cannon aimed at him, and her entire body seemed to crackle with raw energy, creating an intense glow that illuminated the gloominess of the reactor chamber. Her arm cannon began to pulsate with a furious intensity, and this served to distract Harry for a second, keeping him from spewing plasma. That proved to be costly, for the SA-X then unleashed a wide beam of energy at him. It was impossibly bright like a lightning bolt, made an eerily loud shrilling noise, and easily swept up Harry and propelled him backward into the wall.
Harry's mind was lost in a swirl of dizziness and pain for a few seconds, but luckily, he recovered quickly enough. He pried himself loose from the imprint his body created and looked ahead, just in time to see the SA-X readying another one of those intense energy blasts. Acting on instinct yet again, he jumped straight up just as the SA-X unleashed her blast, and this time it tore through the wall, filling the reactor chamber with the sound of metal twisting and charring, as well as machinery and circuits being fried. Harry reached out and grabbed onto the wall, his talons easily sinking into the metal plating. Looking down, he saw the damage the SA-X's blast had caused. It was painfully obvious that the SA-X was even more powerful now. It looked as if absorbing Voldemort's assimilated body had boosted the power of her weapons somehow, and that made the SA-X, without question, the deadliest enemy he'd ever face.
However, that knowledge served to fuel Harry's sense of duty more than his fears. He breathed in and spewed plasma at SA-X while still clinging to the wall. This time, he let loose smaller bursts of fire in rapid succession. But Harry's sense of conviction gave way to fury as he saw the SA-X effortlessly evade all his plasma balls. Not only that, she was aiming at him again, this time with the missile barrel open. Letting out another screech, Harry jumped off from the wall as he pulled his wand out, then let loose with both his beam attack and his plasma breath. But his beam was no longer a simple, short burst. Now, it was one continuous blast like the SA-X's and almost as intense, though he couldn't maintain it as long....
His attacks rained down on the SA-X, and this time she couldn't dodge them all. Harry was able to aim his continuous beam so that it struck the SA-X at one point, and the billowing, blue plasma roared all around her, obviously doing damage. But as Harry descended lower, the SA-X regathered her wits and came at him with the screw attack again. Harry saw it coming and started spinning as well, and his own screw attack kicked in. They collided in midair, hurting each other greatly. Both of them came out of their spin and dropped back down to the floor.
They faced each other again, and Harry saw that the SA-X still had that gleeful, exhilerated expression on her face, as if she was savoring every second of this experience and believed, without a shadow of a doubt, that he couldn't possibly beat her. That incensed Harry even more, and not only that, he could sense her energy again now that she was closer. Harry finally realized what that meant: like a Metroid, his body was craving that life energy, telling him to try and suck out every last bit of juice from the SA-X.
Harry obeyed those instincts. He pocketed his wand again and rushed at the SA-X, a murderous gleam in his obsidian eyes. This time, however, the SA-X seemed unable to fire at him before he reached her, possibly because she was too badly hurt from Harry's onslaught. Harry reached out with his hands outstretched, trying to sink his talons into that arrogant, smirking face.
But the SA-X grabbed his right wrist with her left hand. Harry tried to grab hold of her head with his other hand, but the SA-X brought her arm cannon in front of her face, blocking it, and Harry grabbed hold of that instead. They struggled for a few seconds, and then Harry tried to use his plasma breath, but found out that he couldn't. It was as if whatever part of his body that allowed him to spew plasma was exhausted at the moment and couldn't be used.
Oh, hell with it, Harry thought angrily. I've got a hold of her now. I can suck her dry. With that, he concentrated, trying to figure out how to use the Metroid's ability to absorb life energy. Then, he felt a curious sensation in his left arm, as if he had received some sort of shock, and it steadily built in intensity. He felt as sort of strange sense of elation and primal glee which he didn't understand, but he assumed it meant he was stealing her power.
I'm doing it! he thought joyously as he continued to struggle with the SA-X. But before he could steal any more energy, the SA-X kneed him hard in the chest. It felt as if she had almost shattered his glassy chest. It was enough to make Harry relinquish his hold on the SA-X's arm cannon. She then clubbed Harry with her arm cannon, sending him flying back several feet. Lovely, that didn't work either, Harry thought dejectedly as he got back on his feet. As long as she's still got some fight in her, she'll shake me off.
The SA-X took aim again, unleashing another thunderous burst of white-hot energy. Harry jumped aside, and her blast struck the floor, upturning the plating and incinerating countless bits of machinery and circuitry. He tried to spew more plasma, and this time he found that he could. Harry heard the SA-X let out a grunt as plasma swirled all around her, tearing into her armor, and he saw her cover her face with her arms. Encouraged by this, he rushed at her again, but once again she reacted with astonishing swiftness, just as the real Samus would have. She lashed out with a spinning kick that knocked him back yet again. He barely recovered in time to avoid yet another impossibly intense beam of energy from SA-X.
You idiot! Don't give in to these instincts! Harry thought, mentally chiding himself. You've GOT to be smarter than that! The SA-X lashed out with her new beam weapon again. Harry tried to dodge it, but it clipped him in the leg. Looking down, he saw through the hole in his pant leg where the beam had seared the yellowish scales now covering his leg. One thing's too obvious: I've GOT to keep my distance and stay a moving target. Otherwise I'm dead, he thought, gritting his teeth from the pain and his frustration.
The SA-X fired again, but Harry ducked and pulled out his wand. He fired back, catching the SA-X off-guard. His triple blast of continuous energy slammed into her, forcing her back several feet. Once again, her arms were crossed in front of her face. Harry smiled to himself, but soon his joy gave way to frustration yet again as he realized he couldn't keep up the assault for long without bringing himself to the brink of exhaustion. Sighing, he stopped, and almost immediately the SA-X was on the offensive again.
But she retaliated in a different way. Instead of aiming directly at Harry, she pointed her arm cannon straight up. The missile barrel snapped open, and then Harry saw several objects shoot upward with blindingly fast speed. A second later, Harry heard a strange shrilling sound, reminiscent of fireworks. Looking up, he saw several missiles rapidly descending, and they all looked as if they would land dangerously near him.
Aw, bloody hell, Harry thought acidly as he ran to the side, trying to avoid the rain of missiles. Unfortunately, he was too late and got caught up in the barrage. One struck the floor directly behind him, causing large pieces of shrapnel to fly out and dig into his scaly legs. Another hit him in the shoulder, the explosive impact rattling him to the core. Letting out a screech of agony, Harry tried to keep on the move while reaching down to pull out the bits of shrapnel. If he still had tear ducts, his eyes would have watered each time he yanked a piece out.
By the time he was done pulling out shrapnel, he heard the SA-X powering up for another attack. Turning to face her, he saw the SA-X's body was crackling with energy yet again, but this time, a turbid mist had gathered around her arm cannon as well. Harry's eyes widened in shock, knowing what that would mean.
The SA-X fired, releasing a continuous blast of icy cold at Harry. His legs still aching, Harry ran to the side again, but the SA-X began sweeping the reactor chamber with her supercharged ice beam, and Harry reflexively jumped straight up, letting it pass underneath him. He then pulled out his wand and cut loose with his own beam while the SA-X was wide open. His beam tore into her, making a horrible scorching sound, but once again, he could only keep up the assault for a few seconds. By the time he touched down again, he had to break it off.
I've made a few hits. I've GOT to be wearing her down, he thought to himself. Harry tried using his plasma breath again, but the SA-X began space jumping to avoid it. He then tried another barrage of his beam energy, but the parasitic clone of his friend deftly bounded in midair to avoid that too. His beam struck the reactor core instead, and for a second Harry feared that he might have damaged it, but no warning sirens went off so he assumed he was safe. Then, all of a sudden, she came out of her spin and rapidly fired super missiles at Harry while dropping down. Harry used Reductor Curses to pick them off, but they had gotten too close for comfort and he could still feel the heat and force of the explosions.
As soon as the SA-X landed, Harry cut loose with his plasma breath just as he took out the last super missile coming for him. Luckily, he managed to catch her by surprise that time, but she immediately retaliated with by sending up another volley of missiles, which rained down seconds later. But Harry was ready this time. Oh no you don't, he thought. I might have the instincts of a monster, but you can't catch me with the same trick twice. He deftly ran around to avoid the rain of missiles, and none of them came even close to him. He then fired his beam again. But the SA-X jumped forward to avoid it, landing within fifteen feet of Harry, then raised her arm cannon in the air again.
However, instead of sending up another volley of missiles, something else happened. It looked as if the SA-X was powering up her ice beam, but why she was aiming it upward, Harry didn't know. I guess she's planning on having ice chunks rain down on me or something like that, Harry reasoned, and prepared to get clear.
Nothing could have been further from the truth. Harry swore he heard the SA-X chuckle again right before she slammed her arm cannon down onto the floor. The metal plating seemed to ripple outward and buckle, and then, thick, spiky stalagmites of solid ice erupted from the floor, as far away as thirty feet from the SA-X. Not only that, frigid mist spewed upward from the floor as well. Fortunately for Harry, none of the spiky stalagmites came close to impaling him, but the freezing mist flowing all around him was enough to make him drop to his knees. The excruciating pain made him grit his teeth, and it even felt as if the hot, flowing saliva in his mouth was beginning to freeze.
No! Don't let her do this! You're a sitting duck! Harry angrily thought to himself. He slowly stood up, but his legs were wobbly and his entire body felt like it would soon shatter to pieces. Looking up, he saw the SA-X was standing again as well, and was ready to fire at him. Harry raised his wand, but the SA-X was too quick. She fired a super missile and it knocked him back several feet, crashing through several icy stalagmites.
Harry got back on his feet as quickly as he could and looked ahead of him. He expected to see the SA-X readying another beam, but once again, her next move took him by surprise. She had jumped straight up, and, to Harry's utter astonishment, went into morph ball mode. Not only that, she was levitating several feet above the ground while as a ball. What the hell!? Why's she doing.... Harry began to think. But then the SA-X started spinning around in midair while energy crackled all over her rolled-up form. Then, without warning, a small, glowing, yellowish mass shot out from her rolled-up body toward Harry. Harry immediately ran away, not knowing what it was, but when he looked back, he saw a wave of thermonuclear energy spread out from where the projectile had hit.
Oh shit...she's shooting out power bombs at me! Harry realized, and for the first time since his transformation, he felt a twinge of panicky fear. Extreme cold was his greatest weakness, but thermonuclear fire wasn't exactly inviting either. He kept on running, figuring that he was swifter on foot than while space-jumping. But each power bomb shot out dangerously fast, and several times the resulting explosion came dangerously close to enveloping him. I don't bloody believe this! There's no way to keep her down! I just can't hurt her enough before she goes on the offensive again!
Eventually, Harry ran behind the reactor core so that it was between him and the SA-X, believing that the SA-X wouldn't dare lob a power bomb directly at it. As he did so, a possibly came to him, but it was one that he didn't relish. Why didn't I think of it before!? he mentally chided himself, but he knew the answer: the instincts of his Metroid form goaded him into fighting rather than thinking logically. If I can damage that reactor, then the entire station will go up, just like in some of those stupid sci-fi movies Dudley always watches! That'll get rid of the X forever! Harry knew that that would mean sacrificing his own life, but he remembered something he heard from another science-fiction movie he once watched: the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one. And besides, Samus would make the same choice, he reasoned. He aimed his wand at the reactor core, readying the biggest blast he could muster. Ron, Hermione, I'm sorry. I won't be making it back alive....
But just as he was about to unleash his beam, Harry saw out of the corner of his eye that, to his horror, the SA-X had zoomed around the reactor core while still levitating as a ball. Before he could even gasp in surprise, another power bomb was lobbed at him.
Oh crap! he thought dejectedly as he tried to run to the side again. But he had been caught off-guard and reacted too late. Though he avoided getting hit by it directly, he still got caught up in the outer edges of its blast radius, and it was enough to make him collapse from the fiery pain. When he finally managed to get up and look around, the SA-X was standing over him with her powered beam ready. The blast of white-hot energy struck him at point-blank range, sending him flying backward into the wall yet again.
Harry was able to pull himself off the wall his body had left an imprint in, but he immediately collapsed to the floor, his entire body screaming in agony. This new body of his, though tough, was obviously not imprevious to harm, and now the SA-X had pushed him to his limits. Harry was certain that one more blast from that beam would be the end of him.
He looked up, and sure enough, the SA-X had her feet firmly planted on the floor again, some fifty feet away, standing in front of the reactor core. Ready to block anything I shoot at it, Harry realized grudgingly. As soon as that thought went through his mind, Harry saw that the SA-X was glowing again - with an intensity fiercer than ever before - and she was aiming her arm cannon straight at him.
This was it. The SA-X was readying her biggest blast yet, and it would undoubtedly be enough to wipe him out if it hit. Harry found that his new form was too exhausted and weakened from the battle to dodge it in time; he could barely stand, let alone run or jump out of harm's way. Harry doubted a Shield Charm from him could possibly repel THAT much energy, and he couldn't think of any other spells that could do him any could; his mind wasn't working right at the moment, facing the prospect that this would be his end and that he'd fail Samus and the whole universe....
The SA-X was just about ready. No time to dodge or jump away...this was it...there was only one option left. Harry raised his wand, which he had miraculously hung onto....
A horrible shrilling sound filled the entire reactor room as the SA-X cut loose with her most intense beam yet. But the instant she did, Harry fired his own beam to parry it, a triple stream of superheated plasma and intense electrical energy mingling together, flowing continuously from the tip of his wand. Their beams met in midair at a point halfway between them, and a thunderous, booming roar resounded all around them.
Sirius Black leaned back in his chair, idly sipping a butterbeer. He was seated at the table in the dining area of the Order's headquarters, trying to wait patiently for when the other Order members would arrive to discuss their situation. The trouble with that was that Sirius had never been a patient man, not at all. He was one who threw caution to the wind, who had to be in the middle of things and get down and dirty. If there was a problem, he felt the need to go about and fix it himself, not let others do it for him.
But there was nothing he could do at the moment. Since he was still technically a fugitive, it would be too risky to even step out of the house, even with his dog form. Furthermore, the place where all the problems began was somewhere in space, quite beyond his - and everyone else's - reach. All except for that one person who had been thrown back in time to help them.
Goddamnit! thought Sirius irritably as he took another sip. Who is this Samus Aran anyway? Molly and Mad-Eye seem a little suspicious of her. But then again, Mad-Eye's suspicious of everyone, so it's no surprise some time-travelling bounty hunter wouldn't exactly earn his trust, even though he said he was impressed by her.
Sirius thought back to what he had gleamed from other Order members. From what he heard from everyone who had been at Hogwarts that night, it sounded as if this bounty huntress was a lot like him: someone who felt the need to take the direct approach and strike at the heart of the problem. No hesitation, consequences be damned, just get the job done. Sirius would've found himself admiring Samus because of that, if it wasn't for what McGonagall had told him the other day: that Samus seemed to be very close to Harry, and that after only a short time, Harry seemed to regard her as both a mother and an older sister.
The same way he probably thinks of me as both a father and big brother, Sirius thought acidly, jealousy welling up inside him, despite himself. Why is he trusting this total stranger as if he's known her his whole life? Can she really be trusted? I guess she can, since she gave Harry his cure and seeemed so worried about him. And she sounds a lot like me, and yet....
Sirius's thoughts were interrupted by a loud clanking noise coming from the stove. Looking up, he saw Kreacher was prowling around, and had accidently bumped into the stove and rattled some stacked pots. "Out of the kitchen, now," commanded Sirius harshly. Kreacher gave him a scything look, then quickly made his way out.
With Kreacher gone, Sirius was alone with his thoughts yet again. Samus had better not betray that trust. Dumbledore hasn't found any trace of him since Samus left, so it's obvious he's stowed away on that spaceship of hers, he thought. Heh, I'd love to ride around in that, too. Sure beats those flying motorcycles I slap together. Feh, I guess that's what's really got me down: it's a wild suicide mission into space to safeguard the fate of our world, and Harry didn't bother letting me in on it! He couldn't surpress a smile after thinking that.
Sirius looked up, thinking about what could possibly be going on beyond the world he knew, somewhere in the cold depths of space. Just then, he got the feeling that something important was happening wherever Harry was, something which would decide the fate of...everything.
For a few seconds, Harry succeeded in halting the SA-X's attack, but soon felt fatigue plague him again. It was too hard to maintain the beam to begin with, and he was worn out from fighting. He gripped his wand tightly with both hands, trying to focus harder. Only through pure force of will was he able to keep it up.
A minute passed, which felt like an excruciating eternity to Harry. He tried to put more power into it, hoping that maybe he could force back the SA-X's beam, or at least parry it until she exhausted herself as well. But he found himself unable to up the intensity, and it didn't seem as if the SA-X was weakening at all. Infact, it seemed as if she was growing stronger. Harry could feel the SA-X's beam pushing back against his own....
No, I've got to hold on. There's got to be a way, Harry thought, but hopelessness was starting to grip at his insides. The SA-X had him by the balls (Did he still have balls? Harry wasn't exactly sure himself.) , and as if she had read his thoughts, she called out to him.
"Why are you still bothering, Harry!? Opposing me at this point is useless and you know it!! There's no way you can survive this!! There's no point in continuing to fight me!!" she hollered imperiously over the whine of their beams.
"Y'know, I liked you better when you kept your mouth SHUT!!" snapped Harry acerbically, now concentrating even harder. Hearing the SA-X suggest that he give up only reinforced his determination.
"But there really IS no point in fighting me anymore, Harry!! Because secretly, deep down, you must WANT my species to succeed!!" the SA-X retorted.
That arrogant comeback fueled Harry's anger once again, coaxing him to keep going even though he was now beyond exhausted. "What the HELL do you mean by that!?" cried Harry defiantly.
"Don't try to kid yourself Harry," replied the SA-X calmly, her voice now barely audible over the whine of their attacks. "Don't forget, even though the HP-X couldn't copy of all your memories, we still learned plenty about you from him. Your fears, your desires, your traumas, your beliefs.... I know that for ten years, you suffered at the hands of your relatives, simply you were born as something different than them. Don't try and fool yourself Harry. Because of that, you now rightly believe that too many non-magical people of your species give in to hate and prejudice, ostracizing anyone perceived as different, branded as dangerous....
"And not only that, we both know that you were devastated when you found out the wizarding world you belonged to was no better, was hardly the utopia you believed it would be. You quickly found out there are wizards and witches who are as blinded by arrogant prejudice as the relatives you grew up with, and Voldemort is only the most extreme case."
Harry stopped to consider this as he struggled to maintain the beam blast, the only thing keeping the SA-X's power at bay. The SA-X was right. All of those thoughts HAD gone through his head at one point or another....
"And let me tell you right now, the future Samus is offering you is hardly any better than what humanity faces right now!" continued the SA-X. "It will take humanity many, many years before they finally get over their petty differences and come together to explore space. Millions will suffer death after going through agonizing lives! And then, even after Samus Aran's precious Galactic Federation is formed, war will not end! Don't forget about the Space Pirates! None of the sentient species of this galaxy will ever truly abandon their primal instincts, their capacity for warlike behavoir, their potential for sheer wickedness. Not even the Chozo, as evidenced by the fact that they forged Samus Aran into what she became.
"That's were we can come in and rectify that, Harry Potter.... My species can bring about an end to all wars, all conflicts, all suffering! By taking over Earth, we can ensure that humanity will no longer be divided like it is now. Your entire species will finally come together, today, united with a single purpose! Think of it, Harry, no more wars against Dark wizards! No more terrorism! No more worrying about nuclear holocausts! And then, using the technical knowledge we have, we'll spread across the galaxy and unite every other sentient species, and eliminate war and suffering forever!" she cried out hysterically.
"Samus Aran's own longing to not have to fight anymore, and your own wish for a peaceful world that lived on in the HP-X...that is what motivates us, drives our every thought and action! We're not the universe's end! We're it's salvation!" she finished, her voice one of madness.
Despite himself, despite the primal instincts telling him to fight on, Harry listened to the SA-X. He hated to admit it, but some of what she said made sense. Humans would always have the potential for evil within them, and from Samus he knew that down the road, humanity would encounter species even more hostile and warlike than themselves....
"What'll it be, Harry Potter!?" called out the SA-X. "Will you willingly surrender and let my species save the universe from itself, or are you going to stubbornly fight on even though there's no hope!?"
Harry knew the answer, reaching his decision in a hearbeat....
He focused harder than ever before, even harder than when he and Voldemort's wands had connected, on fighting his own fatigue and forcing back the SA-X's beam. "Sorry, SA-X. You can gain knowledge from your victims, but obviously, you can't learn. You got the wrong idea from me and Samus! You X are no better than any other species, trying to conquer others and force your will upon them!" he hollered. Though, in truth, he found himself sympathizing with the SA-X, the way she wanted to end all wars across the galaxy. But he knew, deep down, that her way wasn't the right way. If the people of this galaxy are to live in a world without war, we'd have to learn to do it ourselves. And I'm sure Samus would agree....
Unfortunately for Harry, his defiant stand seemed to egg on the SA-X even more, and her output of power skyrocketed, pushing back Harry's own beam, slowly but surely. No, I can't let her do this! I can't let her have her way! he thought furiously. But the SA-X kept on pushing back Harry's beam, despite the fact he was focusing every iota of his being. I don't believe it. I'm giving it all I've got, and it's not working! It really is hopeless.... Once again, Harry contemplated simply giving up, seeing no way to keep on fighting. His body was failing him, having been pushed beyond its limits, and the SA-X showed no signs of letting up.
But then, he heard a voice whisper in his ear. No, not only in his ear, he heard that voice in his MIND. And it sounded hauntingly familiar.
"Giving up, are we? That doesn't sound like you, Harry. What happened to the man who swore he'd go down fighting like his father?" said the voice. Harry almost dropped his wand out of shock. He also almost dropped it when he recognized the voice. He had only heard it distantly before, but still, he knew who it was. It WAS his father, James Potter.
"He's right," came another faint voice. "Could this be the boy I gave my life to protect?" Harry recognized that voice, too. His mother, Lily Potter.
"Mum!? Dad!?" Harry cried out in disbelief. He had to be hearing things, the stress of the battle must be making him go crazy.... Still, despite himself, he called out, "You're here?"
"We'll always be here, Harry," said his mother calmly. "Never forget that."
"I'll be here, too," came a third voice, that of a young man's. "Come on, Harry. You didn't get as far as you did in the Triwizard Tournament by quitting whenever thing's got tough." It took a while, but Harry eventually recognized that voice as well.
"Cedric Diggory!?" Harry cried out disbelievingly. He wildly looked about, expecting to see their ghosts, like he did that night in the graveyard. But if they were around, he couldn't see them, possibly due to the light from the colliding beam attacks. "You...you're here, too? Why? H-How...."
"Listen to them, Harry Potter," came a fourth voice, a man's voice that he didn't recognize at all. "Samus Aran saw something in you. Though she didn't wish to see you fight, she acknowledged that you had to have the heart of a warrior, and wouldn't give up no matter what. Do you want to let her down? Do you want to betray her expectations?"
Harry listened to that fourth voice closely. He still didn't recognize it, but there was something oddly familiar about it. The voice spoke in a gruff, acerbic tone, the words sounded forceful and almost impatient, and yet, he could sense warmth and wisdom behind it, even though it sounded distant....
And then there was the fact that whoever it was spoke as if he knew Samus intimately.
"Adam Malkovich!? The REAL Adam Malkovich!?" shouted Harry, now beyond confused. "YOU!? But how!? You're not even BORN yet, and...."
Harry's queries were rudely cut-off by a fifth voice. No, not a voice, but a sharp, bird-like screech that sounded eerily like the primal battle cries that he himself had periodically let out earlier. A screech that betrayed sadness, along with primal, base instincts. And he heard that shriek over and over, as if whatever it was was trying to tell him something....
"Oh no, that can't be...it's impossible!" cried Harry. "How c-could THAT thing possibly, there's no way...."
"Harry, don't you see?" spoke up Adam. "Even the Metroid hatchling, a beast that operates on instincts, understands the importance of perseverance. You must not give up, Harry. You know that the SA-X cannot be allowed to win."
"We're all pulling for you, Harry," said Cedric.
"You've gotten past everything else life has thrown at you, Harry," said his mother. "You stopped Lord Voldemort cold with your sheer willpower. You can beat her, too."
"You can do it, son," said his father assuringly. "I know you can."
Harry kept looking about, trying to see if their ghosts were really there, any indication he wasn't imagining all of this. Then he looked straight ahead. The SA-X's beam hadn't forced back his own any further, but if he gave an inch, then it would be over for him, and Earth. Harry tried to put more into his attack, but he was beyond exhausted and his body didn't have much else to give. Then he thought back to the words of encouragement he had just heard. "No, they're right. I can't give up. I WON'T give up!"
And then, he felt strength surge back into him, as if his body had just tapped into a fresh reserve of power. No, it wasn't like that, it felt as if some other force, some other entity, was reinforcing his strength, lending him power. Harry wasn't sure, but it felt as if, at that moment, his hands weren't the only ones gripping his wand tightly. It felt as if other hands were now put over his, lending him extra strength. Everyone, is that you? Are you doing this? he silently wondered. But he received no reply. And he didn't look down at his hands to see if anyone else really WAS holding onto them. He was far too focused on repelling the SA-X's superpowered beam.
And then, slowly, ever so slowly, he felt his beam start to push back the SA-X's attack. At first, it was only a few inches, but after about a minute, he managed to push it back an entire foot. And then several feet. Slowly but surely, he was repelling her power.
"What the.... THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE!!" he heard the SA-X cry out. "I don't know how you're doing this, but I won't let you beat me, Harry Potter! War and suffering must be eliminated! This galaxy must be saved!"
Your way is hardly salvation, thought Harry bitterly, but at that moment, forcing back her beam became harder to do, as if the SA-X herself had just tapped fresh reserves.
"Don't let up now, Harry!" cried his mother, her voice sounding much closer now. "Hang on just a little longer! You've got her!"
Harry didn't turn to see if his mother was indeed right next to him. He instead heeded her advice and kept his focus, staring straight ahead, filled with a determination to blow the SA-X away. He thought of his best friends Ron and Hermione, the rest of the Weasley family, Neville, Luna, his dream-girl Cho, his godfather Sirius, the teachers he respected and trusted, everyone he knew in the Order of the Phoenix. Even the faces of Draco Malfoy and his gang popped into his head. Even they were worth saving....
And then the image of Samus's face appeared in his mind's eye, the one he had come all this way to fight for....
Farther and farther he pushed back the beam attack, and now it was his own that threatened to overwhelm the SA-X. Harry couldn't see her face due to the lightshow, but he swore that at that moment, her face must have been one of shock and unmitigated terror, for she must've known that now it was her who had no hope of holding back impending doom....
"No! I don't believe it! I.... YEARRGGHH!!"
Harry had finally succeeded in forcing back her beam. The energy backlash from her own beam, along with being bombarded by the astronomical amounts of energy Harry was pouring into his own attack, instantly blasted the SA-X off her feet. She was blasted backwards and slammed forcefully into the base of the station's fusion core. Energy crackled all around her, sparks and explosions erupted all around the core's base, and the air was filled with the deafening noise of the SA-X's inhuman scream and alarm klaxons blaring incessantly. Red lights started flashing in the reactor chamber, casting a blood-red glow everywhere.
But before he could dwell on any of that, Harry heard four different voices yell, "NOW!" puncuated with a loud chirp that wasn't his own. Harry knew what they meant, and allowed himself to be governed by his base instincts one last time. Despite the overwhelming exhaustion that still plagued him, he found the will and the strength to sprint forward. The SA-X was kneeling beside the core and was only dimly aware that he was fast approaching. He weakly raised her arm cannon, but it was trembling, and it didn't look like she would have the strength to fire. But Harry leaped up anyway, and came down behind the SA-X, landing on her back.
"As Muggles say, it's GAME OVER!" cried Harry, and then he planted his hands on the sides of the SA-X's face, sinking his razor-sharp talons into her skin. Without hesitating for an instant, he started to drain the SA-X of all her energy.
The SA-X screamed again, so loudly that it made Harry wince and almost release his hold. He held on, determined to suck the SA-X dry, so that she wouldn't have a chance of fighting back. But after a few moments, Harry felt as if his skull would burst wide open. The SA-X had such tremendous reserves of energy and his body couldn't possibly hold it all. It was truly a miracle that he had overcome her. It if wasn't for the help that came at the last second, he would've been finished. Was it really them? Mum and Dad, Cedric, the real Adam, and the Metroid hatchling? Were they really all here? Harry looked around, but there wasn't anyone in the reactor chamber besides the SA-X and himself.
Harry tried to keep sucking energy out of the SA-X, as much as he possibly could. However, it looked as if the SA-X still had some fight left in her. She managed to slowly stand up. Harry didn't think much of it, but then she slammed backward into the core, and Harry was hit by a jolt from exposed power relays. He loosened his hold and dropped down. The SA-X then slowly turned around to face him, her arm cannon raised....
But the look on her face was one of utter defeat and exhaustion. Blood was seeping down her face from where Harry's talons had sunk in, dripping onto her armor. She was limping and her arm cannon still trembled. And then, to Harry's utter relief, she finally collapsed into a heap.
It was finally over. Harry breathed a sigh of relief as excess energy crackled all around his body, which was glowing fiercely. Voldemort was dead, and the SA-X, the last of the X-Cores, had finally been beaten. All that was left for Harry to do was finish her off by blasting her one last time to expose her X-Core form, then either incinerate her and absorb her. After that, the X parasites would be leaderless, and then Adam could find a way to start the self-destruct cycle. He looked down at her lifeless form. She was lying on her back, her lifeless eyes (which still looked like Voldemort's) staring blankly up at the ceiling. Except for those eyes, her face was exactly like Samus's.... Samus.... Harry thought sullenly. Wait a minute, where is she right now?
And then, it came back to him. He had left her back in Voldemort's private little part of the station, back where Voldemort had almost ended her life. And suddenly, the SA-X's chilling words rang in his head: "I've already killed Samus Aran, and now...."
Horror swept over Harry as he realized the awful truth. The SA-X must have dealt Samus a death blow right before moving in to assimilate Voldemort. He had been so confused when the SA-X turned on Voldemort, her words hadn't registered in his mind, and during the fight he was worked up into such a frenzy he hadn't bothered to think of what had happened to Samus. Oh no, oh no, it's all because I left her back there! And because I wasn't thinking straight! It's all my fault! he silently lamented, sickened by how he had let himself be ruled by instincts telling him to fight and kill. He looked back down at the SA-X. Right now, Samus was probably laying just as lifelessly. Then he noticed his glowing body, and a possibility came to him. A slight possibility, a plan that probably wouldn't work because it was probably too late....
Harry looked back up at the hole he had made using the shinespark move, then looked back down at the SA-X. She can wait, Harry decided. I've got something more important to do. With that, Harry began space jumping back up to the hole, leaving the SA-X behind.
Soon enough, Harry was back in the chamber where Samus and Voldemort had fought. He instantly spotted Samus lying on the floor and rushed to her side. Harry felt his insides freeze all over again when he saw how much damage had been done to her suit, how lifeless her eyes looked....
But amid his shock and grief, Harry slowly became aware of something. He could still sense a tiny bit of life energy emanating from Samus's body. Could that possibly mean there was still hope?
Harry kneeling down beside her and propped up her body so that Samus was in a sitting position. Then he kneeled behind her and gripped her shoulders. This worked once before, he thought to himself, trying to ignore how Samus's head bobbed like a puppet's. Now, how does this work? he silently wondered. He thought about what he wanted to do, what needed to be done. He tried to focus all the excess energy he sucked out of the SA-X, trying to will it into's Samus's body.
For a few agonizing seconds, nothing happened. Harry gritted his teeth in anger, saliva oozing through his pointy teeth. But then, as he continued to focus, he felt something happen. The stress he was suffering from as a result of holding onto all that power...it was slowly being alleviated, as if it was being drained somewhere else. Harry looked down, and saw that a faint, white glow was enveloping Samus's armored body. And after a few more seconds, something else happened. The sickly greyish shade of her membraney covering was reverting back to its usual teal color, and the cracks along the edges were disappearing. The cracks that had formed in her armored midsection were slowly being sealed as well.
It's working! Harry thought jubilantly, at once willing more of his excess energy to flow into Samus. Her suit's being repaired, but what about her body? he wondered. Samus showed no signs of waking up from her coma, no signs that her body was recovering along with her suit. No, you've GOT to be getting better. You can't be dead, you just can't, Harry thought as he poured more stolen life energy into Samus.
After a while, Harry had nothing left to give. He had poured ever bit of energy he had drained from the SA-X into Samus. However, there was still no signs of Samus coming out of her comatose state. He could barely hear her ragged breathing, and it sounded no different than before the energy transfer. Still kneeling, Harry hugged Samus close to him. Once again, he'd be crying if he still had tear ducts. He shut his eyes tightly, convinced he had been too late....
A loud, sputtering cough made him open his eyes again.
Harry saw the Samus had raised her head a bit, and that it was mocing ever-so-slightly. Her arms were still drooping at her sides, though. "Samus, you're OK!?" Harry asked, unable to contain his enthusiasm and relief.
"Urggh, Harry," Samus groaned. Harry stood up and walked to Samus's side, but kept one hand underneath her arm to support her. "W-where...w-what...."
Harry looked at Samus's face; her eyes were out of focus, and she still looked utterly exhausted, a feeling he shared. Fighting the SA-X had taken almost everything he had left, and rechannelling all that power had pushed his new form even farther, far beyond what it was supposed to be able to handle. "The SA-X almost killed you, but don't worry, you should be fine now. Let's just say the way I brought you back...it was poetic justice."
For a few seconds, Samus said nothing else, continuing to stare blankly ahead. "H-Harry, what d-do you...h-how," she stammered, but then it seemed to dawn on her. "W-wait a minute, y-you healed me in tha-THAT way!?" she asked, sounding awestruck.
"Yeah, and it wasn't easy," said Harry. "Turns out the SA-X wasn't entirely under Voldemort's control, and was waiting for the right opportunity to take him out."
Something else seemed to dawn on Samus. "That m-must've been why she let me in...."
"That's what she said, right before she turned Voldemort into slime and sucked him up," replied Harry. "But don't worry about her. The SA-X won't be going anywhere for a while. Can you stand up?"
"Urgh, lemme try," Samus groaned, shutting her eyes. He saw Samus try to move her legs, but he guessed they probably felt like lead weights at the moment. He tried to hoist her up....
And then he felt waves of icy cold pierce into his backside.
Harry let out a screech as he turned around. His eyes widened in shock when he saw the SA-X standing roughly twenty feet away, arm cannon raised. She was slowly taking measured steps toward them, and her body language still betrayed fatigue. But obviously, it didn't stop her from firing a super missile their way.
"GODDAMNIT!" screamed Harry as he shoved Samus aside, then dashed out of the missile's path. He glared at her with pure hatred. Just like Voldemort, you just don't know when to fucking die! he thought vehemently as he breathed deeply. But he was too slow. SA-X sent more super missiles his way, and he couldn't dodge them in time. They blasted him back into the wall, and he painfully slid down it. Then the SA-X followed up with a few blasts from her ice beam....
Samus watched everything unfold while lying on the floor, now paralyzed by shock as well as pain and fatigue. Her eyes darted back and forth from the SA-X - who seemed to be ignoring her for the time being - and Harry, who leaned helplessly against the wall as he was being peppered with SA-X's ice beam, unable to fight back. She felt her insides freeze as if she was being hit with it too, watching Harry take such a merciless beating. Just like almost any other Metroid, Harry couldn't take that abuse for very long.... Harry was too fatigued from fighting the SA-X before, and from putting so much effort into reviving her....
Harry feel unconscious beside the wall, finall unable to take anymore. But the SA-X stopped suddenly when a faint glow enamated from Harry's body. It quickly faded away as soon as it began, but then, an instant later, his body slowly began to change again. Talons turned back into fingers and toes, sallow scales and slimy armored covering turned back into flesh, pointy teeth resumed their normal shape, the rows of bumpy ridges along his backside receded.... Those glassy, obsidian eyes turned back into his normal, green ones.... His hair went back to its normal length, no longer clumped together in quills, his chest reverted to normal, the pulsating nuclei gone....
He-he changed back!? thought Samus as she tried to get up, but it was still difficult. How did that happen? How is....
Her thoughts stopped, her brain locked up, when she saw the SA-X aim at Harry again, ready to fire. Now, only one ice beam blast would surely be enough to kill him.
Memories came flashing back, hitting Samus like a tsunami. The Mother Brain reviving herself and attacking the Metroid hatchling as it bravely tried to save her...and then Mother Brain delivering its death blow as it tried to move in again, all the while being forced to watch helplessly....
No, not again. I WON'T LET IT HAPPEN AGAIN!
Samus then reacted with the speed of thought, heedless of her exhaustion and the pain racking her body. She raised her own arm cannon and fired off an ice missile. The SA-X was instantly encased in thick crystals of ice, but cracks started forming almost immediately. However, by the time the SA-X had freed herself, Samus was finally back on her feet, a shot charged.
"Stay away from him you BITCH!" cried Samus furiously, her heart burning with pure hatred. Then she fired. Her charged blast ripped through the SA-X, and she incessantly kept up a barrage of beam shots, all of which tore through her doppleganger as well. She was forcing the SA-X back, away from Harry....
You're not getting anywhere near him! I'm not going to fail anyone else again. NEVER AGAIN!
Eventually, the SA-X managed to retaliate, sending a super missile her way. But Samus just laughed as she jumped and came at her with the screw attack. The SA-X was still too weak to jump away herself, and she ended up getting knocked to the floor. She managed to stand back up, but Samus was already upon her. She will her fins to extend as she ran at her, then plunged them downward into the SA-X's right shoulder guard, slicing into it as if it were paper.
Samus stared into her doppleganger's eyes one last time. There was no smug look in them now, no unjustified arrogance or prideful bitterness. Now, those scarlet eyes only had the look of pain and utter defeat. The SA-X knew that Samus finally had her. Her mouth was open, gaping, as if desperately drawing breath. It looked as if it was a struggle for her just to keep standing.
Samus glowered at her, and was pleased to see her flinch. "I swore I'd put you back where you belong, and I meant it," she spat. Then, in one lightning-swift motion, she retracted her fins and slammed her fist through the SA-X's armored chest. And just for good measure, she extended her fins again, and they burst out through the SA-X's right side, one of them going through her arm as well.
The SA-X gasped again, but a second later, her eyes rolled back into her head and her head sagged to the side. Slowly, her skin on her face began to shrivel, as if all of her fluids were draining away, and her haired started to turn grey; all in all, it looked as if she was being mummified. Her armored suit started to changed color as well, turning into an ashen grey, and cracks began to form all over her suit. After what seemed an eternity, what was left of the SA-X crumbled away into ash and dust, leaving nothing but a pile of her remains on the floor.
It's over, Samus thought, breathing heavily as she stared at the pile of dust that had once been the SA-X. At last, it's finally over. Voldemort, the HP-X and SA-X, they're all gone. No one's around to control the X now. Now I just have to find a way to start the self-destruct cycle and get Harry out of here....
After remembering about Harry, she ran as quickly as she could to his side. He was still lying against the wall, unconscious. Oh no, Harry. Please be alright. With her suit on, she couldn't check for a pulse, and without her helmet's visor she couldn't get any detailed information about his condition. Left with only one choice, she put her ear close to his nose and mouth.
She couldn't hear him breathing.
"NO!" she cried out as she laid his body down on the stone floor. Without even thinking, she put her index and middle fingers against his breastbone and forcefull pushed down again and again. "Come on, Harry, you've got to survive!" she pleaded as she continued, praying she was being gentle enough. She could easily break his rib cage if she wasn't careful.
How many times am I supposed to do it? she thought to herself, going over what the Chozo taught her about the anatomy of her own species. After pushing down against Harry's chest about twenty times, she tilted back his head and planted her mouth over his. After forcing air into his lungs twice, she went back to pressing down against his chest. Come on Harry, wake up! I can't be too late. You've got to live! You've got to!
She went through the cycle again, but still there was no change. Samus was on the verge of tears. Please Harry, don't die on me! I can't have anyone else die on me! I just can't. I....
She had brought her face down to Harry to force air in his lungs again, but as she was about to, she was startled by a sputtering cough from Harry. "Urgh," she heard him groan weakly.
"Harry!?" she exclaimed joyously. Words could not describe the relief she felt just then. Harry coughed some more, but then, it looked as if he was starting to breathe normally again.
Harry's eyes slowly fluttered open to see Samus's face hovering only inches above his. "Uhh, Samus. Where, what...."
"Don't try to talk right now, Harry," said Samus as she slid her arm underneath his back, helping him sit up. "Just concentrate on breathing steadily for now, give your body some time to recover. I had to resuscitate you."
"Re-resusci...." Harry spluttered weakly as Samus forced him into a sitting position. "What, you mean CPR? That thing you do when...when someone's not breathing and you...."
"Cardiopulmonary resuscitation, yeah," replied Samus. Harry then fixed her gaze with a funny look. "What is it, Harry?"
Harry just let out a weak laugh. "Oh, it's nothing," he said. "I was just wondering if that counts as my first kiss."
Samus laughed as well. "Don't worry, I won't tell Ginny," she said, smirking at him.
Harry chuckled again, but then, his expression suddenly turned gravely serious. He looked down at himself, as if his own body was now something alien to him. "I'm...I'm back to normal," he silently muttered. "How d-did that happen?"
Samus shook her head. "Not sure. I'm still trying to figure out HOW your Metroid DNA actually let you morph into that Metroid-like form. Adam said your cells were undergoing some sort of erratic mutation, but I had no idea it would lead to that."
Harry closed his eyes as he continued trying to steady his breathing. After a few moments, he spoke again. "I remember now. The SA-X came at me again. Where is...."
"Gone forever," said Samus triumphantly. "She's back where she belongs."
Harry frowned, as if somehow that wasn't good news. "So she's part of you again," he said. "Well, let's just hope she stays there from now on." Samus remembered how Harry had chosen to destroy his own doppleganger completely instead of absorbing him.
"Samus, I'm sorry," Harry suddenly said, sounding deeply remorseful. "I-I got so wrapped up with.... I got so obsessed with fighting the SA-X that I didn't realize you were still up here. Even though the SA-X said she killed you, I didn't think about it. I...."
Samus just pulled Harry close to her, hugging him against her armored body. "Harry, don't worry about it. What matters is that, in the end, we came through for each other. That we're both walking away from this alive." She felt tears of relief and happiness well up in her eyes as she held her friend close, as if to make sure nothing would snatch him away. I didn't fail this time, she thought over and over. I managed to save galactic civilization as I know it, without having to sacrifice anyone. I finally didn't fail.
How long she held onto Harry, overcome by relief, she didn't know. But eventually, something unwelcome snapped her out of her euphoric thoughts: the whine of a blaring alarm klaxon. And as soon as it went off, the entire chamber began to shake. Bits of dust and dirt gently fell from the ceiling as a calm, automated female voice blurted out a dire warning....
WARNING! FUSION CORE IS APPROACHING CRITICAL MASS. STATION WILL SELF-DESTRUCT IN LESS THAN TEN MINUTES.
That warning got Samus and Harry to rise to their feet, now realizing there was only one thing left to do. "Oh no, the reactor!" exclaimed Harry fearfully. "It got damaged in the fight! This is my fault, I must've...."
"Forget about it, Harry," said Samus as calmly as she could. "We were going to have the station self-destruct anyway once we got rid of Voldemort. This just simplifies things."
"Samus, your helmet!" cried Harry, pointing to a spot a few feet away. Harry ran over to her helmet to pick it up, but upon reaching it, he immediately collapsed due to exhaustion.
"Harry!" Samus called out as she ran over to him. She put her helmet back on, then scooped Harry up. As she slung him over her left shoulder, she closely examined the data on her HUD. All her energy tanks were filled, all her weapons restored, but most telling was a tiny counter that had appeared at the bottom of her HUD....
They had exactly nine minutes until the fusion core went critical.
SELF-DESTRUCT SEQUENCE ACTIVATED! EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY!
So long,
Grey