Corruption of Heart Ch 10
Revival of Insanity

(Samus' POV)

For next week I recovered from the injuries I had sustained during my trip to Bryyo. I slept for most of the first two days, unable to stay awake do to the combination of extreme exhaustion and the multiple drugs within my body. Many of my wounds healed while I slept, nearly all the lesser injuries had healed by the end of the second day; a recovery speed that was uncommon even for me. On the third day I was taken off the painkillers and other mediation, leaving me to heal on my own. And much to my surprised I experienced very little pain.
Ghor and Gandrayda returned from their mission that day; they must have caught wind of what had happened to me, because they both came to see me soon after they arrived. Gandrayda walked into the room, followed by Ghor, and immediately scolded me for putting myself in such a state. Even though her tone was serious I could tell that she was trying to hide her fear for me, the one she herself had named her greatest rival. After she was finished talking she encouraged me to "quit being lazy" and left, waving bye to me as she did.
Ghor soon sat down on the side of the bed next to me; I could hear the bed creaking from his weight.
"Of all the people to end up here you were the last one I expected" Ghor said
"What happened out there?"
"That's what I want to know" I answered "I got stabbed through the chest, and then nothing; I just blacked out... I woke up in the infirmary three days later"
I decided not to tell him about my dreams; after what happened when I told Rundas, I thought it was best to not speak of it.
"Odd... You don't recall anything?" He asked.
I shook my head. Ghor sat there for a moment, as if in deep thought.
"Samus... May I see your wound?" He asked hesitantly.
Although surprised he had asked such a thing, I nodded. He got up and walked beside me, and partially removed the bandages around my chest, being careful not to cause any farther harm. He studied the cut for a moment, using his tech to perform a scan. In no more than a minute he replaced the bandages; and although his face held no expression, he seemed confused.
"Any ideas?" I asked hopefully.
"I apologize, Samus" He said "I cannot think of a reason that would explain this..."
I was a little disappointed; I felt that if anyone could have found a reason it was Ghor. I didn't want to believe it but it was the only explanation; it really was him... My thoughts were interrupted when Ghor spoke again.
"I will look into this" Ghor stated as he walked to the door.
"Wait, you don't have to-"
"Samus" Ghor said cutting me off "When I find something that can't be explained, I see it as a challenge... And I'm not the kind of person who doesn't accept one presented to him"
I smiled, happy that Ghor was being this kind.
"Rest for now; the Olympus will be landing on Norion soon" He said as he opened the door "I will research this phenomenon to the pinnacle of my ability, and find a reason for it; you have my word"
He left the room, and I laid back against my bed; contently falling asleep, happy to have someone looking out for me. A day later Gandrayda was assigned to another mission; apparently Ghor turned down the offer; no doubt distracted by what he had promised me. Soon the Olympus landed on Norion, where I was transported to a hospital of a much higher echelon than the one onboard the ship. The room looked nearly the same; painted white, sterile, and boring... There were a hundred other place I would rather be...
Days and nights seemed to pass faster then they ever had in my life; healing my wounds as they leapt by. And after few more days elapsed, my injuries had completely healed; even the place where I had been stabbed healed without leaving a single scar. The meds were baffled; even with the chozo blood that was running through my veins, they predicted that it would've taken over 3 weeks just for me to even be able to walk. And yet I stood before them, in the same, or perhaps even better condition, then I was in when I arrived on Bryyo.
I was released from the hospital, and giving mission ready status once again; but I doubted that the federation would overlook the anomalies that were surrounding me. They probably wouldn't hire me again until this blew over. From what I had heard my ship and suit were successfully recovered. My suit, witch had sustained heavy damaged, was currently being repaired; and my ship couldn't be called or activated until my suit was fixed because the main command beacon was integrated within it.
It was nearly twilight and by the time I reached my apartment the sun had nearly completely set. The orange goldenrod that covered the sky was partially obscured by a wall of clouds shrouding the setting sun. But I paid little attention to it. I was happy that I would be able to sleep in my own bed tonight.
I opened my apartment door to see it was just as I had left it. I walked in and shut the door behind me. The meds had recommended that I get extra sleep, and I couldn't argue; I was still tired even after all the days of sleep I had. I decided to take a shower and then go to bed. I walked into the bathroom and removed my clothes. The water started and I stepped into the shower, letting the welcoming spray of the warm water hit my skin. I stood under the water for a long time, thinking about what had happened, and what I should do.
Soon I got out of the shower and dried off, deciding that it was best to forget about everything for now. I walked out of my bathroom and slipped under the blankets of my bed, blissfully lying on the soft sheets that covered it. Sleep came to me easily, my body still worn out from the ordeal I had been through. And as I began to fade into slumber one question ringed though my head; I spoke it as I drifted into sleep.
"What did happen at the base?" I asked.
"Really want to know?" Suddenly asked a deep voice.
My eyes flickered open, responding to the voice. A familiar sight met me; I was lying in a huge room with doors covering the walls. Multiple red lights shown from the ceiling; reflecting a steely scarlet glow from the metal that covered the room. It was the room where the pirates ambushed me in the base on Bryyo. I got to my feet to see pirates fighting all around me. Each one clad in the same scarlet armor; the only different color in the entire room was the one from the zero suit that covered my body.
I walked up to the one nearest to me, but it did not notice me; it was oblivious to my presence. To confirm what I was thinking, I raise my fist and punched with all my strength; only to have it pass through him like an illusion. I removed my hand, and sighed; this was another dream...
"Why don't you show yourself already?" I asked.
"Getting use to it then, are we, woman?" Returned a familiar voice.
I nonchalantly turned around to see Dark Samus walking through the crowd of pirates, passing through them just as I had.
"This is the first time you haven't cowered before me" He said stopping in front of me "Are you not afraid?"
"No" I said simply "Not this time"
He uttered a low chuckle, and then he burst into laughter.
"We'll see..." He said.
I suddenly heard a sickening noise, it was grotesque; like a blade cleaving through flesh. I whirled around to see the same haunting picture that had remained in my head since it occurred. There stood an image of myself on Bryyo, a cold blade running through the metal of my armor, and piecing my chest. It seemed even more horrifying watching it occur outside of my body. The blade was drawn out, blood dripping from it, and my duplicate fell to the ground. The entire hoard erupted into a victorious laughter. One suddenly ran up and kicked the other me, sending her flying into the wall. Her helmet flew off, landing beside her body collided with the metal coating the room. She lay still; blood collecting below her mangled body.
"Pathetic" Dark Samus said joining me at my side.
"Shut up..." I said trying to avoid eye contact.
The pirate that had pieced my armor walked up to my duplicate and thrust the blade into the ground before her beaten body. He turned around and addressed the group, raising its hands into the air, and speaking in a dialect I couldn't understand. No doubt proclaiming that they were victorious. The group erupted in an uproarious battle cry, throwing their fists into the air, proud that I had fell by their hands.
Then, suddenly, the cheering was silenced; every pirate in the room grew silent. A look of shear horror appeared on nearly every face. The pirate that had killed me suddenly fell to the ground, dead; run threw by the same blade he had used to fight me.
I looked beyond his body and took a step back in shock, the other me was standing up, blood dripping from the armor that surrounded her. As she got up she grabbed its helmet from the ground next to her. I looked into her eyes as she got to her feet; they had become cold, unforgiving, and merciless... I no longer recognized this being; whatever was in that armor was no longer me.
"What is this?" I asked beginning to feel frightened.
"The answer to your question..." Dark Samus answered "This is what happened at the base..."
My eyes widened; I quickly turned to where Dark Samus had been, but he was no longer there. All the pirates around me suddenly took a few steps back. I looked back at my double to see the helmet had been reattached to the suit, a bright blue glow emanated from its visor. Suddenly a powerful aurora burst from her entire body; it looked like the aura achieved when in hypermode, but it was different. This aura was fierce and uncontrolled, beast-like in nature. It was like the aura itself wanted to attack... To kill.
The aura suddenly magnified in power; expelling so much energy it felt like hurricane force winds were pushing against me. Many pirates struggled to maintain there footing, several were thrown through the air. I shielded my eyes because of the powerful light. The gusts of energy soon ceased, and when I could see again I looked back at where my double was. But what stood there was not my suit; nor was it me. I gazed upon what stood there, my eyes full of fear; my double had become Dark Samus.
It raise its gun and showing no mercy it charged and fired a beam of phazon that could easily have leveled a building; taking out over a 1/3 of the pirates in one shot. The rest began to flee, dropping their weapons and running away as fast as they could. My double pursued them, grabbing and killing them one by one; almost like it was for enjoyment. Soon almost all the pirates that hadn't been killed had escaped, and the doors were locked. The few pirates that didn't escape scratched and banded on the doors, begging for them to open.
It was horrifying, bodies littered the ground, and blood covered the walls. I was scared, not of this vision, but of myself. My double continued to show no mercy; even the ones that threw their weapons aside and begged for their lives were brutally slaughtered. And any pirate brave enough, or foolish enough, to fire even one shot was instantly killed in a blaze of blue energy. Soon there were none left alive, only still, unrecognizable corpses inhabited the room.
Apparently my double soon understood nothing was alive, and began to walk to a door. Then suddenly it stopped, collapsing onto one knee and placing its arm on the wound in its chest. Blood had begun to seep from it once again. Slowly it got back on it feet. Its visor glowed so intensely that is color fade from a pale blue to a blinding white. Energy surged around it; lifting it into the air.
The energy took the form of a sphere, encasing my double in a fluctuating transparent shield of phazonic energy. It continued to build in power; the room itself began to shake. Suddenly the roof was torn from its foundation, being tossed through the air like a sheet of paper caught in a tornado. My double quickly rose farther into the air, reaching a height of over 1000 feet before stopping.
Suddenly, energy from the base itself began to collect and gather around my double. Lightning-like bolts of phazon energy discharged from the ever-growing sphere, randomly striking down building and anything that got in their way. Pitch-black clouds began to gather in the sky, as if a sign of what was about to happen.
Suddenly the sphere began to collapse, becoming unstable and volatile. Then, with no warning, it shot down to the planet with incredible speed, hitting the ground and exploding into a wonderfully horrifying display of power. It grew from the place it hit, engulfing the entire base. Soon it reached me.
I was scared; even if this was just a vision I didn't want to see it. I fell to my knees and closed my eyes, tears flooding from them. The explosion was mere feet from me, and I screamed as hard as I could.
"MAKE IT STOP!"
And at once the terrifying noise of the explosion ceased; all became quiet once more. I soon felt a hand being put on my shoulder. I jolted up, my face stained with tears; there, kneeling in front of me, was Dark Samus. I was no longer in the pirate base, I had returned to the room in my previous dream; the orb held by the Chozo statue reflected a gentle glow upon the room.
"Still unafraid, woman?" He asked in a slightly friendlier tone.
He removed his hand from my shoulder and placed them on my sides, gently lifting me to my feet. I quickly wrenched his hands away and wiped the tears from my face; irritated that he would dare try to act "kind" after showing me a vision like that.
"I really do have nerve don't I?" He asked jokingly.
"You soulless demon" I said.
"Thank you for the compliment" He responded.
I was sickened; no mater how many times I tried to act brave, he would always bring me to tears. And nothing I said or did seemed to affect him in any way.
"Why?" I asked wiping the last of my tears away "Why did you do that?"
"Because you let me" He said deceitfully "When you 'died' I offered you a choice; I simply asked you if you wished to live on and fight, or if you wanted to die there, and you chose life. You basically gave me control of your body"
"That isn't what I meant" I said "Why are you so cruel, I would never have-"
"And that is what makes you weak" He said interrupting me.
"What?" I asked.
"You lack the most basic of skill" He said "Allow me to ask you a question: what allows the predator to overcome its prey; what does the predator have that the pray does not?"
I could only think of one answer.
"Power" I answered.
"You are so naive..." He said "Even the greatest of beings can be brought down by the weakest of things; and I should know, I speak from experience"
"Then what?"
"The is only one answer: instinct!" He said "Every prey has the instinct to run and hide from danger in order to live another day, while every predator has the instinct to find the prey and consume it so it may live on. Within every being that holds power there is a honed instinct to kill; to slaughter!"
I was almost disturbed by what he said; and yet I wanted to hear more.
"But you don't have that... You have none of those base instincts!" He said "You attempt to defeat your enemies with logic, and never use your power to the extent that it was meant to"
Then a great realization dawned upon me.
"Corruption..."
"Excellent, you're beginning to learn..." He said in a pleased, yet evil tone "Corruption is simply a way to bring out ones instinct and use it to its greatest potential"
"In exchange for loosing who you are!" I said angrily.
He looked at me for a moment, a displeased since about him.
"And here I thought I was finally making an impression..." He said sounding disappointed "My offer still stands woman... You will soon understand that you need my power much more then you realize. Good bye"
He held up his hand and snapped his fingers. Then just as I heard the snap my eyes flew open; I had returned to reality. I sat up, cold sweat running down my entire body. My heart was racing, and my breaths were short; my entire body was shaking from head to toe. I held my hand against my forehead, trying to calm myself down.
I was suddenly startled by a loud booming noise; and quickly looked out my window. Rain was pouring from the sky, thrown onto my window by a cold, powerful wind; accompanied by the forceful clap of thunder and lightning. I looked at the clock; it read 11:15. For a moment I sat there, debating on what to do. Images from my dream passed into my conscious, and I made my decision; I had to see Ghor.
I threw the covers from my bed and quickly grabbed some clothes and a jacket. I had to tell Ghor about this; I didn't care how late it was or how hard it was raining, I needed help. I left my apartment and started toward Ghor dwelling. The rain struck me, it icy cold spike chilling me to the bone; but I did not care.
After 10 or so minutes of running I reached the place were Ghor took residence. His "home" was a large laboratory located on the lowest floor of a complex separate from the main Norion base. It was a perfect place for him to live; I just wished it wasn't as far away as it was. I reached the complex and flashed my I.D. opening the door. I tool off my coat and shook it off, drying in a matter of moments. The rest of me had remained mostly dry; my face still chilled by the cold of the rain.
I walked to an elevator and activated it, telling it to go to the lowest floor. It plummeted downward, floor after floor, until I finally reached Ghor's level. As I arrived Ghor's voice came through a two way speaker integrated into the elevator wall.
"Who are you, and what is your business for coming here?" He asked in his normal metallic voice.
"Ghor, its me..." I answered.
There was a moment's pause and then the elevator doors opened, Ghor was standing at the entrance.
"Samus, what are you doing here this at this hour?" He asked "You should be resting"
"Ghor... There's something I didn't tell you..."


To Be Continued...