Chapter Text

Arrival 1.1

Returning to Earth after any mission was both something I looked forward to and something I dreaded. After the mission to ZDR, I was unsure whether it was wise to go back to the planet directly, but the Federation needed to be assured that the X Parasite was eradicated and the status of the EMMI.  There was also the substantial bounty that Adam once again reminded me was not really worth what I went through on ZDR.  Still, it would be enough to cover a retrofit of the ship and allow me to do some light shopping.  I didn’t need very much more clothing, but a few physical books would be a nice comfort on a long trip.

As I started to make the last jump to head toward Earth, a pulse went through my head, and my left arm started to glow.   No, I would not drain my ship of its energy.  I could keep control.  I would keep control.  For the safety of my ship and the Federation I would make sure that my control would not erode, at least in a populated area.  I did need to see a doctor I could trust though. What happened there at the end, what was going on with me…  I wasn’t entirely sure I could trust Federation Scientists to not try and repeat what Raven Beak wanted.  Fighting another clone of me was not something I wanted to do if I could avoid it.

Honestly, given the events of the past week, I could use a break.  Adam knew it too.  After we collected this bounty, we’d head somewhere that was unlikely to be attacked by any sort of Space Pirates, and I’d relax.  By a beach or something.  Maybe.  For a bit.

At least until I needed more funds, anyway.

“Approaching Earth now,” Adam’s mechanical voice rang out through the cabin.  There was a pause as he seemed to be processing something. “Anomaly detected.  Brace yourself for potential turbulence, Lady.”

I inserted my blaster into its holder and held tightly with my left arm as the ship started to rock.  I quickly tapped away on the buttons I had access to as the ship rocked, initializing the stabilizers, but it took longer than intended for them to activate, and I grit my teeth.  I restrained myself from just hitting the console.  Then, as soon as the vibrations started, they stopped and I quickly started the diagnostic routines on the ship.

“The ship seems to have survived the anomaly intact, Lady,” Adam said. “However, I would recommend having the stabilizers adjusted when we are at port.  They should have been able to compensate for the anomaly’s turbulence.”

I rolled my eyes at the AI.  I’d taken care of my ship long before Adam had been installed, and whenever the AI decided it was time to leave me, I’d continue to take care of my ship.  I knew what needed to be done.

“Exiting FTL.   Strange,” Adam said, and I brought up the sensors.  That didn’t really make any sort of sense.

I double-checked the coordinates once more.   The planet in front of us obviously was Earth, as it as supposed to be, but the Federation station that I’d planned on docking at was not in the planet’s orbit.  Actually, according to the sensors, there weren’t many satellites around the planet at all, just some bits of space debris, some transmission satellites, used for reflecting signals down on the planet.  I found an apparent telescope in orbit, and well… That was unusual.

“Lady, there appears to be a multi-winged humanoid being in orbit around this planet.” So, Adam noticed when I did.  As I expected.  I didn’t bother to answer him, as I knew he’d have more.  “Local transmissions call it the ‘Simurgh.’”

I pursed my lips under my helmet.  That name triggered a memory that I’d rather have left buried and gone.  Two more words associated with the Simurgh came to mind.  Ziz. Endbringer.  This particular one had a form of precognition and postcognition.  I didn’t know how she would react to our ship’s approach, nor was I certain whether what I was about to do would work, but I activated the in-built cloaking device that my ship had.   It was similar to the Phantom Cloak function of my armor, and once it activated completely, I made my way toward the planet below.

“Lady,” Adam said. “This is Earth.  Prior to the unification, before the Federation, but this does not appear to be the Earth that would eventually become the Federation Capital.”

Well, that ruled out time travel as a way for me to have returned here.  I guess that proved that the Earth I’d come to call home was an alternate to this one rather than in the future.

“I am plotting out a flight path that leads to what appears to be a safe haven to park the ship without issue.  It is near one of the larger settlements in the United States, called Brockton Bay.   Any objections, Lady?”

That specific city being chosen as what would house a safe haven? The odds of Adam picking that particular city were very small, but it was what he’d chosen.  I didn’t give any objections, as there were none worth voicing out loud.  What I remembered of Brockton Bay told me that the city was more important to me than others would be.  I could always go to another city if I wanted.

I glanced at the Simurgh on the viewscreen as we passed her.  She had spun around so that she was facing the ship, staring directly at it.  She clearly saw us somehow, focused as she was.  However, she didn’t take any action.  I almost wanted to go out of my ship and give her a blast of my particle beam, but I focused on Adam’s path.

There was one major problem I could see with ending up here, in the orbit of Earth Bet rather than the Federation, of all places?  There was no way I was going to get that bounty now.

***************************************

Keeping the cloaking up, I descended on Earth Bet.  My ship’s stealth technology was likely far beyond anything that humanity of this time period had available to it, even with the advances provided by tinker technology.  Adam continued his deep dive into current events and local ordinances.  It probably didn’t take him a long time to obtain all of the data as he was only limited by how fast the connection was, but the sheer amount of data would take some time to sort through, even for someone that thinks as fast as an AI. 

The flight path that he had plotted took us over several cities that I had been to, at least in the time I had come from.  It was interesting looking down on them from above, seeing what buildings had stood the test of time on our Earth, and seeing what other differences had shown up between the two.  It kept me from worrying about what was coming, what I knew to be coming. 

Brockton Bay was located in the state of New Hampshire of what was currently called the United States of America.  While New Hampshire certainly existed on the Federation Earth, the city of Brockton Bay did not, to my knowledge.  I wasn’t entirely sure whether it had existed in the past, but I had never really had cause to look, given how little time I tended to spend on planet.

Brockton Bay here, had once been a shipping city with an oil rig out on the water.  But eventually, the oil well dried up, and thanks to a combination of shipping disruptions due to Endbringer and labor disgruntlement, so did the shipping industry here.  Now, the city’s primary draw was tourism and the volume of powered individuals known as Capes.  I glanced at the viewer that Adam typically displayed himself on, and I cocked an eyebrow.  All of this was familiar to me, but Adam didn’t know that.  This was a part of my past that my parents never even got to know.  Not that it was their fault or mine.

The real question I had was why Adam chose this city of all cities.  It couldn’t simply be because of the Boat Graveyard, where I was setting the ship down at the moment, still cloaked.   I was able to place the ship within one of the derelict ships in such a way that it would be accessible to me yet not visible by others unless they knew exactly what they were looking for. 

No, Adam had to have another reason for choosing Brockton Bay, when other cities almost certainly had just as many places to hide a spaceship without issue.  I cocked an eyebrow at the display unit.  Perhaps it was less effective while wearing a helmet, but I knew that the AI could see my facial expression.

“You are curious why this city, specifically?” Adam asked.  Then he continued without waiting for my nod.  He knew me well enough.  “The city has within it, one of these capes that will be able to safely get a look at your genetic profile.  I know you are worried after what happened on ZDR and what nearly happened, had Quiet Robe not been there.”

I frowned.  I supposed it was not impossible that a cape would have that sort of power.  They did seem to have many different abilities from what little I knew of them.  The question would be whether I would trust this cape to keep what they saw confidential or not.  I didn’t know who they were or what they were capable of.

“Panacea, a member of the cape group, New Wave,” Adam said, bringing a dossier up on screen.  The girl was fifteen years old, and she wore a costume that was reminiscent of a medic.  The dossier didn’t list a psychological profile, but she was a fifteen-year-old girl.  When I was fifteen… Old Bird had been training me for a bit, but that didn’t mean that was any sort of normal for a human.  As her power seemed to be used based upon touch, I would have to be careful if I ever encountered her.  I was unsure how her power would treat my power armor, given that it too was a living thing.

I brought up the rest of the dossiers linked to her.  New Wave, a family Cape Group, the Dallons and the Pelhams. Carol Dallon, Brandish, was related to Sarah Pelham, Lady Photon.  They were married to open capes as well, and each had cape children.  Laserdream and Shielder, Crystal and Eric Pelham, and Glory Girl and Panacea, Victoria and Amy Dallon.  Amy was the odd one out as she appeared to be adopted.

Perhaps that was why her power differed from the rest of her family in such a striking way.

I dismissed the dossiers and brought up the fuel records.  I’d been intending on doing a retrofit of the ship, using some of ZDR’s bounty, but that was a pipe dream now.  Instead, I needed to figure out how we were going to refuel.  There was enough fuel to get us out to Saturn, at least, but beyond that would require more than we had available.

“It is possible that we could generate a converter to help with the refueling, Lady,” Adam said.  “But the bounties here seem to be confined to individuals located on planet.  There are people with things known as “kill orders” that have bounties on the successful proof of destruction.  The funds would allow us to purchase necessary components or to manufacture components that are necessary.”

I nodded and glanced out the viewscreen.  There were no lifeforms in the immediate vicinity, and I was starting to get a little hungry.   While I had rations here on the ship, it would be an excuse to explore a little and stretch my legs, breathe in some non-generated oxygen.

“If you are planning on leaving the ship, I would suggest not wearing the Gravity Suit,” Adam said.  “You would attract attention in power armor.  Wear casual clothing, if you can.”

I nodded, and with a simple thought, I dismissed my armor.  My hair fell loosely on my shoulders, and I grabbed my sidearm and went to get some casual clothing.   Leaving the modified Zero Suit on, I slipped on some blue denim jeans and a white T-Shirt and red bomber jacket.  I frowned as I pulled one of my bangs down.  It had been a while since I’d dyed my hair, but it looked good this way.  I placed a radio bud in my ear and nodded to Adam.

“There does not appear to be anything blocking radio transmissions on this Earth,” Adam said.  “I should be able to remain in contact with you at all times.”

I smiled.  That was one thing about ZDR that frustrated me.  Additionally, Raven Beak posing as Adam had angered me.  One more thing to lay at the dead Chozo’s feet, beyond what he had tried to use me for.

“You do not currently have any local funds.  Federation Credits are unlikely to be accepted in 2011 CE America.  The weather outside is barely above freezing, but with your current outfit, you should be able to handle it without issue.    Local ordinances do not frown on vigilantism, and there appears to be gang activity in town.   However, nonlethal tactics are recommended when dealing with normal humans.”

I could do nonlethal.  That wasn’t an issue.

“If you must fight a cape, measure your response based upon what they can handle.  I will attempt to inform you before that happens.  Now, please explore Brockton Bay at your leisure.  Any objections, Lady?”

I shook my head, and I exited the ship.   It was trivial to jump from wreckage to wreckage, ending with me on the shore.  I may have touched the surface of the water once, but my sidearm’s whip grapnel managed to help me stay dry.  Which was good because I did not want to try going into freezing water here.  More derelict ships and warehouses to go with them were located nearby on the shore.  It was sad, looking at this.  It reminded me of some of the ruins on planets I’d been on before, except here it was by choice.  People abandoned these areas.

I doubted I would find any Chozo statues here or direct upgrades for my suit.

“The Boardwalk has restaurants and is only four kilometers south of your location,” Adam said over the radio.  “There is a market in between, but local network reviews don’t have many restaurants listed there.”

I tapped my microphone in acknowledgement, and I started on my way.  Being here in Brockton Bay was nostalgic in a way that I hadn’t really expected.  That it was 2011 was worrisome, as that would indicate… certain implications that I wasn’t sure I wanted to think about at the moment.   Instead, I focused on the travel.  There was no need to run, as despite the cold, I was handling it okay with just the casual clothing I had on and the insulation that my Zero Suit provided.

It took me maybe half an hour to get near the Boardwalk, when I heard a scream for help.  Instincts long-honed by my bounty hunting kicked into gear.  I ran toward the scream, down into an alleyway.  The alley was between two businesses and had a blue item that I assumed was a large trash receptacle, a dumpster.  Next to the dumpster, a dark-skinned woman dressed in an admittedly nice blue winter blouse and black skirt combination cowered away from a man brandishing a knife.   The man had a shaved head with a tilted manji tattoo just above his ear, taking up half the side of his head.   

That he was menacing the woman was good enough for me, and before he could act with that knife, I stepped up behind him, grabbing his arm and lifting.  The man was a good six inches shorter than me, and I’m sure I looked even taller as I lifted him off the ground.

“What the fuck?” asked the man.

Such language. I glanced at the open trash receptacle.  While it would be far too easy to just drain the man of his energy, Adam had indicated that lethal tactics were less likely to be seen as acceptable here.  There were laws, after all.   I breathed out a sigh, and in a fluid motion, snagged the man’s wallet from his pants and tossed him in the dumpster.   Head first.   I didn’t toss too hard, and perhaps a little bit of head trauma would teach him to respect women.  I doubted it, but since I didn’t hear any bones snap, just him sagging into the dumpster, I nodded.

I turned to the woman and offered her a hand up.  She took it, and after I pulled her to her feet, she smiled at me.  “Thank you, miss.”

I returned the smile, nodding.

“Are you a cape?”  she asked.

Well, in the most technical sense, I really wasn’t.  I was a bounty hunter.  Sure, I’d worn capes before.  Certain dares should never be repeated.  But I’d never been referred to as one.

“You should probably be wearing a mask if you are.  Not everyone needs to be like New Wave.”

Well, I supposed if I was planning on acting in capacity as one, my armor could count as a costume or mask.  It did conceal my identity to those who didn’t know who I was.  I mean, I’d been mistaken for a man before by people who didn’t know.

I shook my head, and I tapped the wallet, looking at the woman.

“No, he didn’t take anything of mine,” she said.  “Not that I’d have anything to give that racist fuck, anyway.  I’m a college student.”

I opened the wallet, and I pulled out the cash.  It really was strange holding paper money again after dealing with credits for so long.  My stomach chose that moment to growl.  It had been some time since I’d had a proper meal.

“Oh, jeeze… are you new in town?” she asked, and at my nod, she continued, “then let me show you  one of the best places to eat around here on a budget, Fugly Bob’s.  It’s over on the Boardwalk, a couple blocks away.  It’s the least I can do after what you did.”

I smiled and gestured to her.

“Are you able to talk at all?  What’s your name?”

“Samus,” I said.  “And I can talk.”

“You just choose not to?”

I nodded.  If there wasn’t anything worth saying, there wasn’t anything to say. 

“Well, I’m Millie, and thanks again.  I don’t want to think what that asshole was going to try,” she said, and together we headed out of the alleyway.  I quickly found out that Millie was a student at Brockton’s local university, a graduate student in English, at that.  She mentioned that she had actually considered changing majors at one point in undergrad after one of her best teachers passed on, but she persevered to honor the teacher.  I could respect that.  I did much the same for Old Bird.

Fugly Bob’s didn’t really match up to the first part of its name.  It really wasn’t technically on the Boardwalk, but it bordered it enough that Millie claimed it was.  It was half fast-food restaurant, half shack, and this time of year, the outdoor seating didn’t really seem available.  This time of day, the dining room wasn’t overly full, and I got the bright idea to order the Challenger.  Apparently if you could finish it, you didn’t have to pay.

“I’m not sure how you’re going to finish that Samus,” said Millie.  “I mean, I get that you’re a tall woman, but there’s no way…”

I grinned.  She’d see.   Then the door to the restaurant opened, and in walked a red-haired girl around fifteen years old.  She was accompanied by a similarly aged black girl and another, smaller girl that might have been a tad younger than they were.  All three girls were dressed in fashionable clothing appropriate for the weather.  They were animatedly talking with one another, about this or that.  It really didn’t matter.  The issue was the redhead looked familiar to me.  She didn’t really seem like anyone I knew from the Federation Earth.  I just couldn’t place where I knew her from.

She caught a glimpse at me too, noticing how I was looking at her.  She nudged her friends, and before going to order her food, she came over to me.  “Is there a problem?”

I shook my head.

“There a reason you’re staring at my friend?” asked the black girl. She clearly was being a little protective.  Which, honestly, was probably a good thing.

“Familiarity,” I said softly.

“Wait…” she looked closely at me, and she held up her fingers, making circles with her index finger and thumbs.  “… no way.   Taylor?  Taylor Hebert?”

 “I thought you said your name was Samus…” Millie said, but I held up a hand.

I did know this girl.  “Hello, Emma.”

After twenty-six years, I was back, and less than two years had passed.  My parents had tried to convince me I was dreaming.  Maybe I had been, but Emma being here proved there was more to it than that.  Maybe… Maybe I did have one living parent.

Maybe I’d get to see a father I hadn’t killed.