Tim's Adventures:

010: Brains Vs. The Brain, Part 2

Tim rematerialized inside the dark caverns of Metroid, lit only slightly by something in the walls. He looked at the data that appeared on a transparent display that covered part of the visor of the helmet that he was wearing. The suit had 95 energy units, 84 missiles, and the ice beam. Samus had also collected the screw attack, varia, and maru mari.

"What, no high jump, no long beam?" Tim smiled and said to himself. "Well, Samus, I just don't know about you."

He looked around himself and soon saw the door that he had been told to enter. Walking toward it, he noted that the area was strangely devoid of creatures. He shot the suit's weapon at the door, it opening and allowing him passage. He entered the tall vertical chamber and began to climb it slowly, jumping from platform to platform. As he did so the lack of enemies disturbed him, making him quite cautious of what might lie ahead. He reached the top of the chamber and fired a shot at the door. As it opened his caution was fulfilled in reason as he jumped back from the door and back part way down the chamber, firing shots at the creatures as he did so.

As the dozens of creatures flew towards him he thought that he might have finally lost when he heard a weapon being fired. A huge plasma ball intercepted the creatures in front of him right before they would have hit him.

He looked at who his savior was, quickly taking aim at her.

"Don't worry, I'm a friend."

"I can hardly think of you as that after our last encounter."

"Tim!?" she shouted, surprised to hear that voice inside from the armor of Samus.

Tim nodded, the helmet moving slightly. "Samus was injured. She wanted me to take care of the Metroids for her."

Karen frowned and put her gun away. "Tim, I have orders to kill you on sight."

"I'm not surprised. I attacked Jenkins, after all."

Karen nodded. "I won't do that, though, if you'll promise to talk to me about some things when this is done."

Tim nodded again. "I'll agree to that."

"Promise?"

"Yes, I promise."

She smiled and leapt up to where he was. "By the way: You look nice in the suit."

"Thanks. He leapt up back to the door, Karen following close behind, and fired at it. It opened again, this time only a few enemies behind it. They fired each of their weapons at the creatures, quickly taking them out. The next few minutes passed this way, the two slowly making their way through the passage that led to Tourian and Mother Brain.

They looked at each other as they stepped onto the elevator.

Karen sighed, slightly worried of where they were about to go.

"This is it," Tim said, smiling wide from inside the helmet. "To Tourian and Mother Brain we now go. We will be victorious."

"I hope so," said Karen, not as confident as Tim was.

The elevator started to go down and they soon found themselves in Tourian. It's strange plants and gray, almost metallic walls made it seem even more alien than the rest of Zebes. It was lit much brighter than the other areas, making it almost half as bright as a normal day.

"Strange place."

Karen nodded. "Sure is."

The two began to descend corridors and follow the path that would ultimately lead them to Mother Brain. They looked around cautiously for creatures but did not find any. Tim fired a missile at a red door and, as if almost to reenact the event of the past, a half-dozen Metroids flew out from behind it, trying to attach themselves to himself and Karen.

He fired an ice shot, freezing one, which fell to the ground, shattering.

Karen hurled herself to the side to dodge one that was going after her and fired a shot of the gun she had used earlier. A smaller plasma shot hit the Metroid, creating a hole through it, cytoplasm falling onto her jeans.

Tim fired a few more shots of ice and defeated the other Metroids. He helped Karen to her feet and looked into the door that he had opened. Inside it was the final run before Mother Brain. "Prepare for rinkas."

Karen nodded and the two began to run, firing at the small fireball-like creatures that appeared from seemingly nowhere. After only a few seconds they reached their destination.

Karen gasped and Tim readied his weapon at what they saw.

"Who are you?" screamed Tim.

"We are Havoc and Nemesis," they said proudly in unison.

"So you're the two that went rouge." He laughed. "I expected more than one scrawny geek and what appears to be a brain dead bodybuilder.

Havoc roared. "I am not brain dead!" He pulled out a silver Zapper and pointed it at Tim. "Never call me that!"

He fired his weapon quickly, changing his aim slightly before he did so. The shot hit Karen in the chest and she fell to the ground.

"Not smart." Tim fired his Zapper and Havoc, the muscled assailant dodging by less than an inch.

The two looked at what Tim had nearly done. Tim took advantage of this time and ran to Karen, taking her gun. He turned back to the duo and fired both gun simultaneously at the ceiling near them, causing it to cave in on them.

Tim grabbed Karen as the cloud of dust and debris began to overcome him. He looked at his teleporter and slowly was able to find Darius's hideout. He pressed a button and the two of them teleported away and to where he hoped he would be able to save her.

Darius frowned as he looked at Karen's vital stats. "Firstly, you shouldn't have brought her here at all. Secondly, I am very disappointed in Havoc and Nemesis. They left my wing a very long time ago and I greatly dislike what they've done with themselves. Thirdly, her right lung has suffered irreplicable damage and I must remove it immediately.

Tim nodded. "I understand, but I couldn't just leave her there to die."

"I agree completely."

The two turned around to see Gamemaster Jenkins standing tall, pointing a gun at them.

"I am afraid that I can not let you two do anything to Miss Kultz."

Darius nodded. "Firstly, I understand completely. Secondly, I assumed that she had a tracer on her. Thirdly, always prepare yourself for attack. He pressed a button on a console that he hand had slowly been reaching for and a green sphere of energy appeared around Jenkins.

"I dislike intruders, Mr. Jenkins," began Darius, "and I dislike those that interrupt me even more. Now I am afraid I will have to redirect all teleports to this game to another one. That requires a lot of effort on my part and it decreases your injured Gamemaster's here chances of survival."

He began to start typing at a keyboard quickly. The screen flashed with data being shown. Eventually he stopped and turned back to Tim. "Shall we begin?"

Tim nodded. "I see no better idea."

Darius nodded back. "Then let us."

Karen lay on a bed, Samus in another one nearby. Both were unconscious.

Tim walked into the room slowly and sat down in a chair next to Karen. He shook her shoulder lightly, her face beginning to show signs of waking.

She opened her eyes and blinked a few times as she looked at Tim. "What happened? Where am I?" she asked.

"You were shot by Havoc. Don't worry about it. And you're in Gamer, the place that Jenkins wanted to get to."

She nodded slightly.

"Actually, he is here too. He came soon after we got you on the operating table." Tim frowned. "He put a tracer on you so he could figure out where Darius was, as he assumed you would eventually get here, one way or another."

She tried to take a deep breath, having trouble getting what she felt was enough. "It's hard to breath..."

Tim nodded. "We had to take out one of your lungs. It was damaged beyond repair. Darius might be able to create an artificial one eventually, but he can't for now."

"Oh," she said with a weak smile, "is that all that's wrong? I'm one lung short."

Tim smiled and hugged Karen softly.

"Tim?" she asked softly.

"Yeah?"

"I think now would be a good time for that talk."

He nodded. "Sure. Just tell me where you want me to begin."