Gemini lies sleeping in the Grove, under a blanket of insects.
The halls of Zebes echo with a haunting silence, broken only by the faint hum of my power suit.
I am Samus Aran, the last hope of the Galactic Federation, fighting to rid the universe of the Space Pirates’ terror.
I am Gemini, fighting against Jasper Redgrave and his twisted Uprising.
Each step I take reverberates with purpose, a march toward inevitable confrontation.
My scanners alert me to movement ahead.
It’s Ridley, the dragon-like enforcer of the Space Pirates, his purple and yellow scales shimmering with menace.
He is the embodiment of Jasper, the artist of death, his every motion dripping with cruelty.
“So, you’ve come, Samus,” Ridley snarls, his voice a guttural growl. “I’ll paint the halls of Norfair with your blood!”
I narrow my eyes, focusing on the task at hand.
Jasper’s delusions have no place here.
“Not today, Ridley,” I mutter, my cannon charging with energy.
Our battle is a whirlwind of motion and destruction. Ridley’s claws swipe at me, but I dodge, my suit’s thrusters propelling me out of harm’s way. I counter with a charged shot, the beam striking his chest and forcing him back.
His roar of pain is satisfying, a small victory in a larger war.
He lunges again, his tail a lethal whip slicing through the air. I leap, my boots activating the space jump, and I soar above him. Time seems to slow as I aim, firing a missile that explodes against his back. He crashes into the wall, but he’s far from finished.
Ridley’s resilience mirrors Jasper’s madness; relentless, unyielding.
But I am Samus Aran.
I am Gemini.
I cannot fail.
With a final, focused effort, I charge my cannon to its maximum. The beam is a blinding light as it strikes Ridley, tearing through him and reducing him to nothing but ashes.
I allow myself a moment of triumph, but it is short-lived.
From the shadows, Mother Brain emerges, a grotesque mass of pulsating evil.
She is the Pestilence, the corruption that has overtaken me.
Her tendrils reach out, seeking to ensnare me, to finish what Ridley could not.
“You’ve fought well, Samus,” Mother Brain’s voice is a cold whisper, seeping into my mind. “But you cannot withstand me.”
My cannon fires, but her shield deflects my shots. She is stronger than Ridley, more insidious.
The tendrils wrap around me, sapping my strength.
My suit’s alarms blare, warning of critical damage. I fight to remain conscious, to keep fighting.
Her grip tightens, and I can feel the corruption seeping into my suit.
Into me.
The systems are failing, and my vision blurs.
I fall to my knees, my suit sparking and failing.
Mother Brain looms over me, a symbol of the corruption that has taken hold.
“Your efforts are futile, Samus,” she whispers.
“You cannot escape the Pestilence.”
Even as my strength fades, I raise my cannon one last time.
“I may fall, but I am not defeated,” I say. “This is not the end.”
Gemini opens her eyes, conflict in them.
At least I beat Jasper.
Then it’s gone.