Metroid Invasion

Puzzle Zone - Labyrinth

Unless floating above the ground here, this entire zone is a maze of twisting passageways of every type. Solid walls of stone, wood, and other materials, energy barriers, tunnels, and tubes fill this seemingly infinite maze, and people have been lost for years in its depths. Nevertheless, these tunnels do lead to other places, natural warp zones existing in abundance here, leading on to numerous worlds where mazes are the rule of the day. The natives of this zone are mostly abstact beings, easily adapted to live in the twisting world of the Puzzle Zone, though the denizens of the Labyrinth seldom leave its confines for the rest of the zone.

In the twisting passageways of the mazes, there are chambers, some large, some small. In one of the larger chambers the locals have gathered to build a village, where every room leads to the next, and families are close with the forced proximity.

Today however, the normal harmony of this village has been broken, the people running in panic or franticly packing their things.

The metriods are comming in their direction, and they will let nothing get in their way. The Queen herself leads, flanked by a pair of Omega Metroids, crashing through the wooden and stone walls. Ahh, the power of being a plot device.

Link the Wind Waker arrives from Palace of Power - Warp Zone Room.
Link the Wind Waker has arrived.

Appearing out of a Warp Zone is a small hovor-cycle, being ridden on by a blonde male. Getting closer, though not so close as to draw unwanted attention from the Metroids just yet, Ziggy merely observes the Metroids for a moment. Then he turns his attention to the villagers fleeing from their invasion.

oO(Alien Life-Forms, known as Metroids, invading a region not native to them, to my knowledge. This could be a planned assault, or an unfortunate consequence due to their natural habits. Nevertheless I should try to stall their attack as to allow the villagers to make an escape.)

Finished thinking over a plan, the hovor-cycle revs up again, and he flies down into the center of the village proper, where he locates the largest swarm of the aliens.

Today however, the normal harmony of this village has been broken, the people running in panic or franticly packing their things.

These passageways were also home to many things other than villagers. Like puzzle blocks, glittering gemlike Columns, the brighter solid hues of Tetrads, dissapearing panels and more. Some of these denziens, normally content to remain inactive observers, tend to get really annoyed when their carefully made walls, artistic masterpieces by their standards, are shattered at some bug thing's whim. Which might be why, as metroids rampage through the village, they're being followed. A handful of Tetrads and one or two crystalline Columns follow quietly in the metroid wake, watching and marking their actions carefully..

As farther away in the labrynth, the main swarm of puzzle blocks builds in numbers. Their gathering is, thankfully, unseen by the cyborg that decides to join in the mayhem.

Queen Metroid keeps leading the charge of metroids... but it isn't really a charge, as it is taking some time to tear down each wall, but behind the pack there is only a wide path of rubble.

About two miles away, the villagers are panicing. Some are just fleeing into the tunnels, many winding up permently lost. Others frantly try to pack their goods. But no where is there any planing. If things continure as they do, when the metroids arive, most of the villagers will still be there to feel the brunt of the swarm.

Faust arrives from Puzzle Zone - Puzzle Tower.
Faust has arrived.

In the midst of the destruction of the village, a lone doctor stands, suddenly here by teleportation...and a phone call. He immediately shouts orders and organizes some of the villagers to get away safely, then muttering, "Queen Metroid...what are you doing?"

"Do not stray too far, but stay out of their range. Try to remain in groups and don't get separated." Ziggy calls out ot the villagers with his advice, though they may or may not listen to him, he's a stranger afterall. Ziggy turns to face one of the larger swarms of Metroids, and pulls an item out of his inventory. One advantage of being a cyborg is the ability to store information efficiently. The item he procures looks like a bomb of some sort, which he promptly tosses in the direction of the Metroids.

Though instead of exploding and damaging them, the bomb explodes into several dozen small spheres which remain suspended in mid-air, and also emit an energy signature, designed to mimic that of people. With his decoys laid out, Ziggy turns his attention to the other villagers, to make sure no one else needs his assistance.

This was the /second/ time the Metroid swarm had invaded the Puzzle Zone. They'd left one place.. and now intended to take up residency somewhere else? Quietly, with a sound similar to the rasp of scales on stone, the Tetrads swarm moves through the labrynth passages in a great shifting cloud of color, snaking tendrils through seperate paths and splitting themselves into seperate groups, all converging on the village in patient streams. Part appear from the labrynth behind and to the sides, flowing over the rubble and destroyed homes far more fluidly than one might imagine blocks could - but it will take a little longer for the groups in front to likewise reach the center.

*WHOOO~SH!* What's that sound? Sounds like a fierce wind...but in the Puzzle Zone of all places? Well, maybe because it's not a natural wind. Maybe it's because a certain little boy made said windstorm in order to get here quickly, with said little boy being Link, the Wind Waker. And he's here to do some mad heroics!!

"Ooohhh...I always hate using this spell without King of Red Lions!" That is, once he gets over his dizziness. That doesn't take all that long, however, the psuedo-Hyrulian hero recovering and looking about. An odd place, like a maze. He's been in a good few mazes before...just not like this one. "Wow...where is everyone?" he asks, before he hears screams and other sounds. That's answer enough for Link, the boy running toward the mayhem. And if he needs to cheat and rise above the Labyrinth, the Deku Leaf is easily pulled out.

All will be made clear in time, my good Doctor Baldhead, all in due time. Ziggy, your acts are making a difference. Now that they have someone to listen too, the villagers loose some of their panic, keeping together when they flee. None the less, many are focused on perserving their material goods, staying in the danger zone. As for the decoys, the metroids ignore them, beyond a quick glance at them. Likewise, the Tetrads are given little notice.

The metroids, still in one group, move ever closer to the village.

Faust decides to try and get the villagers out before confronting the Queen and giving her a time out. He pulls out a mega-phone and shouts, "PUT DOWN YOUR VALUABLES AND RUN TO SAFETY! FOR YOUR LIVES ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN THEY! GO! GO!"

Noticing that some villagers take heed to his advice, Ziggy continues to guide them "Leave your valuables behind! The Metroids consume life-force, not heirlooms." He spreads a few more clumps of energy-decoys in various parts of the village to lead the Metroids from the people present. The numbers are too many to just fight out, unless he can find the source, their leader. But while Ziggy has much of the Palace's data on Metroids, he has little first-hand experience.

Link the Wind Waker meanwhile continues to run toward the scene, still trying to find the right way toward it. Of course, the clump of people streaming away from a certain area helps to narrow the paths down. "Yikes. Looks like it's bad!" the seafarer says to himself, pulling out his sword and keeping it at the ready should he need to fight some monster baddie or something once he gets to the end.

The Tetrads were dealing with what amounted to intellegent animals. So they'd treat the invaders /as/ such, and drive them out of territory already occupied, like bees returning to an agitated nest. They stand out shockingly well against bare earth and rubble, but the longer they're ignored by everyone, the better ... for the moment. The split-off swarms continue their relentless stalking of the Metroids, the rasping sound that accompanies their movements somewhat similar to the warning buzz of a rattlesnake. The villagers and few heros that have popped up are ignored, the split swarms flowing around people quietly in their intention to converge on the Metroid swarm. Enough of this invading their homes.

Shocked by the voice of the Doctor, many villagers look up, realising anew the danger they are in. A second large group leaves, bearing what goods they have. But not all can move out on their own. A old man, confined to a bed near a window, can only watch, and call out, "Help me!" More leave, encouraged by Ziggy's reasurances. As Link enters the main square of the Village, he will notice two things: there are only a few people left here, and the badies aren't here yet.

The Metroids continue bashing through walls, seeming very calm for killing machines, still ignoring all around them, including the tetrads.

It might be noticed that the path of desctuction formed by the metroids is a straight line, from their entry into this zone through the town allready smashed.

Faust whistles. Suddenly, a small swarm of mini-fausts go to each of the stragglers, picking them up with occult-powered strength and getting them to safety. Once the village is empty, Faust calls to Link, running "Hold on a moment! I know this beast!"

What's a cyborg merc to do, with a helpless bed-ridden old man, left defensless against an onslaughted of energy-sucking space-parasites? Well some cyborg mercs may just leave the old man to be sucked dry like a juice-pack is by a child. But, Ziggy isn't so heartless... bad time to say that, but it's true all the same. Ziggy darts over to the window, he don't need no stinking door afterall, and climbs in, lending a hand to the old one, and swatting away any hungry Metroids that draw near.

Link the Wind Waker scratches his head a bit as he enters the area. It looks like things are fairly in hand as far as evacuating the area. Ziggy's already getting the infirmed old man, and Faust is helping the rest to leave. Not much left for this guy to do than wait, it seems. Faust's warning causes him to freeze a bit, turning to the giant doctor confusedly, both at his strange stature and his assurance. "Whaaa? What are you? And what do you mean you know this beast?"

Time for an attempt at herding. One thing the Tetrads was good at is building walls - ones that were damned hard to just break through. Whatever held /their/ links together, it wasn't anything normal. Swiftly, in a blurr of color and shapes, the entire swarm works on constructing just that, a wall, between the approaching alien swarm and the village, in an oblique line, starting from a position somewhere rather near the Metroids to a space halfway around the village; a wall that would move and shift to adapt to any metroids attempting to climb over it or break through, and cause just enough trouble so that getting -through- would be far less energy efficient than simply .. going around, through areas not being *lived* in. Dealing with a wall that adapts very quickly to attempts to get through will hopefully be troublesome enough to convince the Metroid Queen to take a different route.

"Thank you sir, thank you," call the rescued invalids, as they are moved to safety. The ones that were still packing swear a blue streak. It looks like the village is evacuated.

As for the Metroids, the Queen and the Omegas look at the wall, and after a few experimental strikes against it, turn to follow along it, not even bothering trying to get over it. The rest of the heard follows in line behind the vanguard.

It doesn't take Ziggy long to find a villager to help lead the old man to safety. Even if the Metroids don't come this way, he'd be better off with someone helping him be mobile, than stick in a single room defenseless. With that out of the way, Ziggy heads in the direction of Windy Link and Faust, just nodding in greeting, and observing for the moment.

Before Faust speaks, he notices....a bunch of blocks, forming a wall. Hmm. "I am Faust. I'm a doctor. Not too long ago I treated the Queen with a broken leg...now you could say that we know each other. The villagers are out; why don't we try and find a way to divert the path so that the metroids will continue without going through the village? Saves lives, unecessary violence, and property damage?"

Link the Wind Waker scratches his head a bit, mulling over Faust's words. "Uh...huh. A Queen is doing this?" he asks a bit confusedly. Queens usually don't make THIS much of a mess. "And how would we divert the path of a maze? Wouldn't that be kinda hard?"

The metroids demolish any wall in their way, as they follow the wall of tetrads. It is a huge amount of destruction, but by the very nature of this place, those walls will rebuild themselves. But the Queen hears Faust, and lets out a single call... To bad no one here understands metroids well enough to get the meaning. The village shakes with the force of the metroid march, puncituated by the fall of walls.

Tetrads walls. Useful things. The first strike is rebuffed with patient skill, the wall dissassembling itself in its farthest parts as the swarm passes, adding to the stretch around the village instead once the wall behind was no longer needed. Their efforts weren't meant entirely to save the village, but the angle of the wall shifts only slowly, to edge the Metroids out of the homes and such only slowly. It's not /fast/ progress, keeping pace with the invading energysuckers instead of the fleeing villagers or with much regard to what the people might want. They didn't care much about the village or the people, honestly. They just wanted the Metroids out. This happened to be the fastest way.

Faust says to Link, "I think those blocks are semi-intelligent...already they are in a wall formation...hold on a second..." he says. He leaps to the normal wall the metroids are attacking, and calls to the Queen, "listen! I know you are trying to...migrate? But at least consider moving /around/ the village..." he says. Hey, it might go over their heads, but it's worth a shot.

Queen Metroid is going around the village, by the guiding the metroids where they want to actually go.

For hidden no more than twenty miles away is a warp that will lead them to SR-388. The reason they went through that village before was that they didn't even think to. Even now, word of survivors turns up, as the metroids march on.

Ziggy looks to Faust, then to Link, then to the Queen Metroid. "Does it typically understand verbal speech?" He asks, the answer to that not in his knowledge. He looks around at the destruction the Metroids have caused, concluding that it was his second hypothesis. The Metroids natural habit gone astray into the path of an innocent village. "Will that be all, if they move away from the village? Can the villagers return in safety?"

Faust breathes, and puts a hand to his forehead. "...that is it, then." he calls out to Link and Ziggy, "Start moving the villagers back in! I think they are going around!"

Part of the wall breaks off, reorganizing itself into a small swarm and following after the Metroids. They'll dog the alien beings until the warp is reached, and make sure none of the creatures remain. A single volleyball sized red cube Tetrad rolls idly towards Ziggurat 8 and parks itself directly infront of him on end, waiting patiently. What it's waiting for remains to be seen.

Link the Wind Waker eyes Faust. As if the 9ft, bag-headed doctor wasn't strange enough, now he speaks of sentient blocks? Geez, crazy place. "You sure?" He then notices something. The banging, the slamming, and the crying seems to filter off into the distance. Guess that whatever was coming, it's moving away. "...so I guess there's no more trouble now? No monster to fight off to protect the village?"

Ziggy nods at Faust, taking a brief moment to take an item out of his inventory to recall all the scattered energy-decoys he deployed earlier. Waste not want not, afterall. He then turns back to begin to signal the villagers who were still in earshot to begin to return, when he notices the little red cube. It has the cyborg's attention for a few moments, as it seems a bit out of place in the middle of the village, and he is certain he had not seen it there a moment earlier. But, he is aware of the nature of the Puzzle Zone, so he doesn't pay it too much heed, and looks back up to signal to the townspeople.

Faust jumps down, and starts walking.....when he trips over the cube. "umph..." he says, getting up. The cube strikes him funny...and he finds himself saying, "Um...excuse me...we'll take care of this in just a moment..." he says, not really knowing why he just talked to a block...

The metroids don't start trouble today, but if it had been started, their number would have ensured that they would have finised it. They are as egmatic as ever in their actions. Why are they so violent on SR-388? Why do they leave SR-388? Why, when they were in Dug Zone, were they relatively peaceful?

And why did they fight the Heartless?

Most of these answers have been lost with the ancient Chozo.

When tripped over, the lone Tetrad tumbles a bit, eventually righting itself back up onto one sharp point. "Excused," it responds blandly, if quietly, in a tone that might, if it were human, be considered baritone. The rest of the wall, once the Metroids are past, begins dissassembling itself.

A battle of metroid versus puzzle block would have been disasterous for the area. It's a good thing the metroids /were/ so intent on leaving instead of killing everything they came across. The Tetrads were content enough with that fact, though they were curious as to why the metroids were there in the first place.

Faust nods at the block, not bothered that it speaks in the slightest. He suddenly runs up to a high building, watching the moving metroids...he raises his hand, and using a bit of occult powers, sends a small pulse with which he tries to get the queen's attention..he also calls out "Wait"

Queen Metroid pauses, as the swarm advances.

Faust continues to...'project' his voice using a small, secret power, so that the Queen will hear. "When you go home...can I still visit? You, and not the nests, at least?"

Queen Metroid shakes her head, and speaks something medical related, oddly enough. "Chirri. "

Ziggy pauses for a moment, as he thought he heard the little cube speak. Though again, he reminds himself that the Puzzle Zone natives operates under an almost entirely different set of physics than his own world. He has still not quite gotten used to the ... variety in Videoland.

The metroids continue towards the warp, crashing walls as they do so.

Faust, still not actually hearing the words, seems to know. He nods his head, and bows....but he also tosses a small memento: his business card. It flies in the wind. Faust vanishes, and is gone, having teleported.

The Tetrads are a veariety in of themselves. There's a distinct disgruntled sigh from a good part of the swarm as Faust delays the Metroids and speaks to them, a few heading quietly in -his- direction with every intention of stifling him if they had to.. but the concern goes away when Faust does. The lone cube spins lazily in place, humming quietly, before skittering to rejoin its swarm, which quietly begins constructing itself into a fair imitation of a palm tree. Now that the Metroids were away from the village, most of the Tetrads seem to have vanished, melting back into the walls and passageways to regain /their/ normal places since the threat was past. Hum.

Link the Wind Waker just...shrugs. THat as sort of odd, and he didn't really get to do anything. "Well...if there's nothing else, I guess I should go then, huh?" he says to the doctor and the cyborg, before he starts walking off, hopefully to a nearby warp. The tetrads...well, he doesn't quite realize what they're doing, or that the lone red block is one such tetrad, so they're generally left to themselves.

Ziggy idly presses some buttons on his cybernetic arm, and the hovor bike he rode in on, which he abandoned a ways back, quickly flies over to his vicinity "Can I offer you a ride to the Palace of Power?" He says to the young Wind Waker.

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