Casa di Tygra, outside Pariga {pah-ré-jah}, New Thunderius, Galaxy of Leos, Q-niverse.  Stardate 1 068 054.79; July 20, 3013.

Wilykit looked over the valley within which lay Pariga, the capital of New Thunderius and of the portion of the Thunderian Kingdom that lay in the Galaxy of Leos.  The sight was of great beauty.  The house on New Thundera did not have this view of the capital of that planet, which was on much flatter land and not in mountainous territory.  However, Wilykit's thoughts were not on the beautiful scene.

            Wilykat came out onto the porch.  "Still a nice view," he commented.

            "I'm not thinking about that," said Wilykit.  "Brother, would you have covered me up to protect me?  Would you have told no one about me?"

            "Wilykit, that's not a fair question."

            She turned to him.  "No?  Why do you think that?"

            "Our relationship is different."

            "From what Kevin has said, no, our relationship is not different enough from his and his brother's to make the question unfair.  Just answer me, brother."

            "Well, I don't know!  I haven't faced the circumstances that would make me think about trying to protect you that way.  How about you?"

            "-Sigh.-  Same answer as yours, Wilykat.  Darn it.  From my point of view, under ordinary circumstances, I wouldn't keep people ignorant of you, but I think I know what Kevin must have been feeling.  Such overprotective feelings seem to come naturally to twins and to other very close siblings."

            "Yes, they do, especially if you have the urge to protect them from nasty creeps like MotherBrain."

            "Oh, certainly.  Of course, Kevin failed to keep her from knowing about Michael because Dr. Wily had seen them together during that trial where Kevin was accused unjustly of murder."

            "MotherBrain must have known that Kevin would be the Game Master, or else she wouldn't have had Wily try to frame him.  If, indeed, she told him to.  If not, then Wily must have known, or he wouldn't have taken the initiative."

            "You're right, Wilykat.  Why would they bother unless they knew?"

            "Why would she need Michael now?  I don't get that at all."

            "We're going to figure that out, Wilykat.  Better yet:  since she's been paying nasty calls on us, I think we should return that favour, if you know what I mean."  They turned and walked back into the house and entered the living room.  The computer terminal was sitting on the coffee table in front of the sofa.  Wilykit and Wilykat sat down in front of it, and Wilykit said, "Computer, open a visual and audio channel to MotherBrain.  Force our image onto her viewscreen in her lair on Metroid."

            "Acknowledged," the computer replied.

            "Good evening, MotherBrain!"

            MotherBrain's image popped onto the screen.  She did not appear too pleased.  "Well, hello, Thunder Kitten!  Why did you call me?"

            "You seem a tad upset."

            "Oh, don't worry about that.  What's the purpose of this communication?"

            "I just called to discuss a certain Michael Keene with you."

            "Ah, him.  Have you already demoted Captain N for not telling you about him?"

            "You'd best know your ground before you tread upon it, MotherBrain.  I understand his motives, and I cannot blame him.  After all, any given person in this universe would be willing to keep people in the dark even about his worst enemy just to keep you from finding out about him and using him."

            "With Kevin, you know it was fruitless.  I played him like an obedient trumpet!  Ha, ha!  I make it my business, you know, to keep up with my enemies' activities and secrets."

            "You didn't even give Kevin any indication that you knew about Michael!" snapped Wilykat.

            "Why should I?  So he could go back to Earth and bring his brother out here and whomp me twice as powerfully?  Oh, no thank you!  Drat it, we're lucky we didn't decide to frame Kevin for the robbery of the Sacred Square three days earlier.  Otherwise, Michael would have come out here with Kevin's parents when Mason brought them out."

            "Why did you bring Michael out here?" Wilykit demanded.

            "He looks quite a lot like Kevin.  I was figuring Lana, when she got up, would mistake him for Kevin.  I made an error because I didn't know the kid was left-handed.  Thus, Lana knew his right hand felt just a little different from Kevin's."

            "If he has Kevin's morals, he won't make a move on her!"

            "Well, he didn't know about the morals of sex or even what lovemaking or sex was when I brought him here, but that cursèd Lana told him.  He did see his and Kevin's parents making love, and he knew it looked fun, but he didn't know that it was lovemaking or that it was something very special.  I was hoping that Lana would mistake him for Kevin, they would make love. . ."

            "There's another mistake you made right there!" interrupted Wilykat.  "The Triforce has bound Kevin and Lana."

            MotherBrain smiled.  "Just one little problem with that.  Larry promptly cancelled all the seals of that nature, my dear Wilykat, once he got his turn to wish on the Triforce of Power.  Thus, Captain N and Princess Lana are no longer thusly bound, nor is anyone else who has made love on Hyrule in the past three thousand years."

            "You're as bad as that sex-crazy stepson of yours for wanting Lana and Michael to do that!" Wilykat snapped.

            "Believe me, I don't give a hoot about the sex portion, but Kevin's reaction would be interesting to me."

            "You honestly think he'd get uncontrollably furious?" demanded Wilykit.

            "Don't act so incredulous!  He is not a Thunderian or a Vulcan!  Since he is human, he just might react with violent rage, even at his brother.  If Wilykat lost enough control to slap you a thousand years ago, Kevin might lose enough control to do a lot more damage to Michael."

            "How do you know about what I did?" Wilykat demanded.

            "I keep tabs on these things.  I've had a bit of time to study what's gone on in the past.  I'm pretty good at finding out things you don't want me to find out about you guys."

            "If you're so smart," Wilykat said, "you'll know about someone named Tygrana."

            "Ah, yes," MotherBrain said.  "Reincarnated as Jayna.  It seems you and she were quite fond of each other even then while she was Tygrana.  Let's see.  Wilykit, Ludwig and Larry told me something about you and Kevin."

            "Hang on!" Wilykat said, trying to spare his sister embarrassment.  "Back up.  Would you happen to know how Tygrana died?"

            "Sure do.  She was infected with the potassium cyanide virus, like all other Tygrans who had this certain genetic anomaly.  I happen to know it doesn't infect fully healthy Tygrans.  When Rataro rained certain toxins over the Jaguar-race's area and the Wilykat-race's area of Thundera, the KCN virus developed and spread to other regions of the planet, but by that time they were so weak they could only infect Tygrans with that genetic anomaly.  I'm still trying to find what that anomaly was and what caused it."

            "Did you know of the Thunderians back then?" Wilykit asked suspiciously.

            "Are you kidding?  Mumm-ra and I knew each other, and he'd known about you approximately a thousand years before we even met you.  I even helped to make the planet Romulus inaccessible to you as you were journeying here.  Without me sending those Plundarrians to smash your ship, you would have gone there very quickly and united the Romulans and the Federation very soon after their first encounter.  Of course, if it weren't for me, the Plundarrian spy satellites would have been caught before they sent a single byte of information to Plundarr.  So you see, with my Q-cubed powers, I had some effect even on you powerful Thunderians."

            "Oh, damn you!" Wilykit exclaimed softly.  "Wilykat, please pardon me."

            "Surprised?  I can tell you a few more things.  For instance, those Plundarrians did not, at that time, even have the technology to pursue you across the void between the two galaxies, across the void through which we are so easily communicating now, even though your engine power was severely compromised by their attack.  However, I helped them out."

            "Why, you evil brain," said Wilykit.

            MotherBrain grinned.  She was enjoying her gloating.  "Now, Wilykit, that brother of Kevin's is becoming a little pest.  He's smashing through Metroid quickly enough to be out by morning."  She smiled menacingly.  "That, however, will not happen.  The Luna-tacks and ProtoMan will smash your pals before they reach the surface, if they even get that far.  I plan to separate them and see how they fare on their own, and I plan to see how Lana and Michael react to being alone together."

            "Look, MotherBrain," said Wilykit.  "If I know Lana, she won't let anything happen."

            "Wilykit, I have been alive long enough to tell when a woman is in love.  I see a little spark behind the pupils of their eyes, an emotional flame, if you will, burning loudly in their minds.  I saw it in Zelda when she met Link.  Yes, I watched that.  I saw it in Tygrana and then in Jayna when each met Wilykat.  I saw it in you, Wilykit, when you met Kevin and then again when you met Wesley Crusher.  In the mirror, I saw it in myself when I first met Bowser in person.  I saw it in Dr. Crusher when she decided to accept Captain Picard's proposal of marriage.  I saw it in Peach Toadstool when she met Bowser's goody-good twin, Spike.  I saw it in Lana, first when she met Kevin, and now that she's met Michael.  I could name a list a book long, so do not think that I cannot tell when a girl is in love, Wilykit."

            "For your information, MotherBrain," Wilykat said, "I can sometimes tell these things, too.  I could tell what you saw about Michael and Lana; but I could also tell that they know not to do something that's wrong.  Maybe kissing, but nothing further."

            "You must be extremely naïve, Thunder Kitten.  Humans have a greater tendency to act emotionally than Thunderians and to succumb to physical urges.  Sure, intellectually, they know they shouldn't do it, and human intellect is almost on par with Thunderian intellect.  However, unlike you Thunderians, human intellect really has to work sometimes to control physical and emotional urges, and it fails sometimes.  Neither Lana nor Michael is noted for a superb ability to control physical and emotional desires.  Intellectually, morally, they know they shouldn't do a certain thing, but since they're only human, they might lose control.  Wilykit, you and Kevin both have reasonably strong control, and so you can resist physical and emotional desires, but imagine your desires in Lana.  Imagine you had those feelings but did not possess powerful Thunderian control.  Now can you say she would do nothing foolish?"

            "In VideoLand, as I recall, there are no laws against extramarital behaviour.  Here, in the Thunderian Kingdom, an intellectual intent must be shown for someone to be convicted of extramarital behaviour.  They face no legal repercussions."

            "Come on!  I'm not talking about legal consequences, Wilykit, but I am talking about consequences from the present ruler of VideoLand.  Kevin may have particularly powerful emotional control, but sometimes he cannot contain extreme fury that develops on the spur of the moment.  As ruler of VideoLand, if he gets furious and does something he shouldn't to Lana or to Michael, the 'or' being the logically inclusive one, there need be no legal retribution, since VideoLand's ruler is legislator, executor, and chief judge.  He's scot-free if he wants to be."

            Wilykat said, "MotherBrain, Kevin would never harm Lana, and I suspect he would never harm Michael, either."

            "Not with intellectual intent, but let's remember that he, too, is only human."

            "I've had enough of this," Wilykit said.  "I probably should never have called you.  Good-bye, MotherBrain."

            "Good night, Wilytwins.  Take my warning seriously.  If I were you, I'd watch Captain N.  Later!"

            Wilykit hit the key that cut the comm-link.  Only then did she show Wilykat how truly worried she was.  "Oh, Wilykat, what are we going to do about this?"

            Calmly, Wilykat said, "We've got to keep Kevin from doing anything rash.  I don't think MotherBrain was joking about this.  If Kevin does something to Michael or Lana, the same inclusive 'or,' and if he denies legal action, his reputation will be ruined.  We must make sure he does nothing to them, just in case they do lose it and make love."

            "But I just don't think that will happen."

            "I hope it doesn't, 'Kit.  But if it does, MotherBrain will tell Kevin for sure, and we'll have to keep him from losing control."

            "Drat.  I swear, that brain can make me so angry at times."  Wilykat hugged her warmly.  There was just something about his arms that made her feel so safe and calm when he hugged her.

            "Just don't get upset, Wilykit," he told her softly.  Wilykit put her arms around him.

            "I won't, brother.  It's guys like you who give men such a good reputation."

            He smiled.  "Thank you, sister."

            Tygra and Cheetara stepped to the door and stopped.  "Oh, I'm sorry," said Tygra.  "We'll come back."

            Wilykit and Wilykat slowly released each other.  Wilykit said, "It's all right, Tygra.  Come on in."

            "You usually only show this kind of affection when something's up," said Tygra, entering with Cheetara.

            "Well," Wilykat said, "something is happening, and it's MotherBrain's dirty deed."

            Wilykit said, "She's using someone whom Kevin knows, so Kevin will tell us about the person whom she's using.  Suffice it to say that he bears quite a lot of resemblance to Kevin.  Lana and Wesley are still alive, and that guy is helping to get them out, along with some other friends of ours who are in there, including those six who went after Wesley and Lana but never returned."

            Cheetara said, "I see.  What shall we do?"

            "Well, Kevin's planning to go to the surface of Metroid tomorrow morning after he tells the team about this person.  He said the person was as good at video games as he."

            "All right," said Tygra.  "I bet he asked you not to tell anyone who that person was, didn't he?"

            "Yes, Tygra," Wilykat said.  "He wants to be the one to tell everyone."

            "I see.  All right, then.  We won't prod it out of you.  How does MotherBrain intend to use him?"

            "You don't want to know.  We find it disgusting.  Suffice it to say that she wants Kevin to react explosively against him and ruin himself."

            "I, ah, see.  You don't actually think he'd do that, do you?"

            "Not unless his intellect loses control of his feelings," Wilykat said.  "That is possible.  However, Wilykit and I can help him keep control.  That person is one for whom he cares very much.  Still, it won't matter if that guy and Lana don't do what MotherBrain hopes.  MotherBrain is only interested in Kevin's response.  We know she doesn't care for what she wants Lana and this person to do.  Of course, it's something Larry would like very much.  Hopefully, the brain has no Cupids."

            "Wilykat, that's not funny," snapped Wilykit.

            "I did not mean it to be humorous, Wilykit."

            "Oh.  Sorry."

            * * *

            Control Room, Tourian, Metroid, VideoLand, Milky Way Galaxy, Q-niverse.

            MotherBrain was predictably spying on the Wilytwins' conversation with Tygra and Cheetara.  "Aha!" she laughed.  "Cupid!  Why didn't I think of that?  My plot shall go forward!"  She flipped a switch.  "Metroid to Mount Icarus.  Medusa, can you read me?"

            Medusa's ugly visage with snakes for hair appeared on the screen.  "Medusa here, MotherBrain.  What do you desire, evil one?"

            "I'd like you to disguise yourself as Queen Palutena and go to Pernicus.  Get three love arrows from him and three antidote arrows.  Then, get Kid Icarus, hand them to him, and call me.  I'll open a warp to where he'll shoot the arrows for you, for he'll think you're Palutena.  Here, I'll summon help for you."  She flipped another switch.  "Eggplant!  Hippo!  To the control room, on the double!"  Eggplant Wizard and King Hippo entered the room seconds later.  "Ah, I appreciate your punctuality.  You are to help Lady Medusa with a task that I have assigned her.  Here's your warp to her palace."  MotherBrain pulled a lever, and a warp opened.  Then, she opened a compartment, extracted two pairs of glasses, and handed them to her dunces.  "Take these and wear 'em.  They'll protect you from Medusa's stone spell.  She has no intention to turn you to stone, but it strains her to keep the spell off when she's in her normal form."

            Eggplant Wizard and King Hippo put on the glasses.  "All right, MotherBrain," said Eggplant Wizard.  "We're ready."

            "Great."

            Medusa asked, "But, MotherBrain, why do you need love-arrows?"

            "Ha, ha!  Let's say I've two good guys whose friendliness could cause Captain N's downfall."

            "Very well, MotherBrain."

            "All right, guys.  Get going to Medusa's lair."  Eggplant Wizard and King Hippo entered the warp.  A warp opened in Medusa's throne room, and Eggplant and Hippo emerged.  "Speak to you later, Medusa."

            "Later, MotherBrain.  I'll call when I have Kid Icarus."

            MotherBrain flipped a switch, and Medusa disappeared from the screen.  "Oo, hoo, hoo!  Gotcha, Captain N!"

            * * *

            Kid Icarus's Room, Palace of Power, VideoLand.

            Kid Icarus could not sleep.  Kevin, one of his best friends, had told no one about this friend whom he had left behind.  Why?  Why would he hide this person?  This did not seem a random act.  This seemed deliberate somehow, as if Kevin felt he had a good reason to hide this person.

            He put his thoughts aside.  Maybe if he could not sleep, he could replenish his supply of special arrows at Pernicus's shop.  At least it was now in the village at the foot of Mount Icarus, not on a high point of that high mountain.  He took his quiver and magical bow, and he left for the warp to Mount Icarus.

            * * *

            Pernicus's Arrow Shop, Overworld Village, Mount Icarus, VideoLand.

            Kid Icarus entered the arrow shop.  Pernicus (for the record, a descendant of the one who first helped Kid Icarus in the late twentieth century) greeted, "Well, hello, Kid Icarus!  What can I do for you today?"

            "I need to replenish my arrow supply," Kid Icarus replied.

            "Well, I have plenty of quiver-stuffers this evening.  Get what you need."  Kid Icarus chose his arrows and then paid.

            A moment after Kid Icarus had put down his VideoLand pounds on the table, Medusa, magically disguised as Palutena, the beautiful queen of Mount Icarus, entered.  "Your Highness!" exclaimed Pernicus, who bowed.

            It's our beautiful queen! mentally exclaimed Kid Icarus.  He was in love with Palutena since he rescued her from Medusa, but he never expressed it.  He was still her head knight, and she was the unmarried queen of Mount Icarus.  She had magical apples that kept her eternally young. . . and eternally gorgeous.  Kid Icarus was one of the few Mount Icarans who did not have to bow to her.

            "Please stand, noble Pernicus," Medusa said in Palutena's purely melodic mezzo-soprano voice.  "Good Kid Icarus, I require your assistance.  I was going to call you at the Palace."

            "Well, what can I do for you, Queen?" asked Kid Icarus, his thoughts now on loyalty.

            "Pick up three love arrows and three antidote arrows, Kid.  You must fulfil Cupid's role this evening."

            Kid Icarus was slightly suspicious.  Yet, he would obey his queen. . . as long as he has no reason to believe it was an impostor.  "Yes, Your Highness."  He picked the six arrows, paid, and left with Medusa's Palutena.  "So, where are we going?"

            "You'll see.  Close your eyes and plug your ears until I touch your left shoulder, all right?"

            This only served to make Kid Icarus more suspicious.  Yet, he still did not have enough reason to believe she was an impostor, so he said, "Ah, all right, Your Majesty."  He shut his eyes and covered his ears.

            Medusa took her radio.  Quietly, she said, "MotherBrain, Medusa here.  I have the arrows and Kid Icarus.  We're ready to come to you."

            MotherBrain replied, "Good.  A warp to Metroid will open for you.  You walk until you find Lana and someone who appears to be Kevin walking in front of you.  Claim to Kid Icarus that they are distraught and that using love arrows will relieve their tension."

            "Yes, MotherBrain.  Medusa out."  She put her radio away, then tapped Kid Icarus's left shoulder.  He opened his eyes and took his hands from his ears.  "We're about ready.  Our warp will open in a moment."

            "All right," Kid Icarus.  A warp opened in front of them.

            "Our warp," said Medusa's Palutena.  "Let's go."  She and Kid Icarus stepped through the warp.

            Eggplant Wizard and King Hippo came from hiding to the warp.  "Well, let's follow 'em," Eggplant Wizard said.

            "Yup," said King Hippo.  The two stepped through the warp.

            * * *

            Lower Brinstar, Metroid, VideoLand.

            The group of good guys reached a many-way fork.  Michael whistled.  "Imposing," he said.  "So, MegaMan, have you any idea which way to go?"

            "My memory must be corrupted partly," MegaMan said.  "I don't remember this fork."

            X said, "Nor do I.  Yet, we took exactly the same route.  I'm certain of it.  I know my memory has not corrupted.  I don't know which way to go."

            Samus said, "It's just like MotherBrain to do some interior remodelling."

            Wright said, "According to the map, each path leads to the tunnel through which MegaMan, X, and the others came, the one where the door blocked their escape.  Now, that is the only tunnel that leads from this point to the surface.  Thus, each path leads to the tunnel that leads to the surface."

            "Then," said Samus, "I say we split up so we can perform a more thorough exploration.  We may discover some items of interest."

            Wesley said, "I can use my powers to keep us in contact."

            "All right," Michael said.  "Lana, Duke, and I'll take this one.  MegaMan, Batgirl, and Dr. Wright, you take that one.  MegaMan X, Catwoman, and Dr. Cossack, you take that one.  Wesley, Jean-Léonard, and Rogue, you take that one.  Samus, Lieutenant Tragg, and Commissioner Gordon, you take the remaining passage."

            "Very well," said everyone else to him.  They took their respective paths.

            Michael, Lana, and Duke began following their passage.  "Why did you pair yourself with me, Michael?" Lana asked.

            "I'm perfectly capable of objectivity," he said.  "But if you don't get out safely, see, I'll rightfully have to be the one to explain to Kevin.  I don't want him mad at anyone else."

            "All right, Michael."

            "Besides, I'd like to talk with you one-on-one about him.  I have a feeling you'd tell me, his brother, almost anything about him."

            "Sure.  But. . . but about you for a moment.  I couldn't help observing that you have powerful lips."

            "Thank you.  I play brass and woodwind instruments, and powerful lips are essential to playing the former and very helpful to playing the latter.  But I have very precise, almost numerical, quantitative, calculated control over the tightness and shape of my lips, so I can control my buzz in ways almost no other human brass player can.  I don't need valves or, in the case of trombones, slides, because I can use my lips to alter the harmonic series for a better sound than valves, and I have a very large range on any brass instrument, especially the French horn.  I can play the tiny piccolo trumpet down to a note below what many tubists can get on tubas, and I can go up on the tuba to a note that's high for piccolo trumpets.  On the woodwinds, I can use my lips carefully to change the octave without, in the case of reeded instruments, damaging the reed, and I have very quick and accurate finger action.  Another thing that helps me is my belly.  I keep it so strong a truck could hit it, and I probably wouldn't be in pain.  That may be exaggerating, but I am fairly strong."

            "All right.  Now I know about that.  Strong belly-muscles and strong lips with careful control render a capable wind instrument player and a powerful singer.  How about controlling it all?"

            "I can really control my air-flow and embouchure so that the excessively low piccolo trumpet sound about which I told you can be very loud and the high tuba sound about which I told you can be very soft and precise."

            "I see.  What's your favourite brass instrument to play?"

            "It's either the natural French horn in F or the natural trumpet in C.  I can't tell which.  On the trumpet in C, I don't have to worry about transpositions.  Most music for trumpet, horn, and trombone is easy for me.  It's actually gotten so that very few classical pieces present a real challenge for me anymore, only a couple of passages from Wagner, Mahler, and Richard Strauss.  I can do the trombone solo parts from Mahler's third symphony on the high piccolo trumpet with all the force of a tenor trombone, without a disgusting sound on the really low notes, without valve-pushing, and without transposing the music upwards even a microtone."

            She smiled.  "You're boasting, Michael."

            He smiled back.  "But I can prove it.  Anyway, you did ask."

            "That I did.  And I have no doubt you can prove it.  Well, Michael, Kevin is now a string player, a guitarist, and a wonderful singer, as well as a great composer."

            "Good for him.  Which stringed instruments?"

            "He can play the violin, the viola, the 'cello, and the contrabass 'cello, which is a large, deep, five-stringed 'cello tuned an octave and a minor third below the ordinary 'cello.  So, the strings would be A, E, B, F-sharp, and C-sharp, I think.  It can also be tuned down or up a half-step reliably to make flat-keyed compositions easier.  The music is transposed up an octave and a minor third when the instrument is tuned normally, so it would be a 'cello in A to a normal 'cellist."

            "I see."

            "Kevin claims that his hands are a bit too small for that large contrabass 'cello.  By me, that's all right.  He can make very beautiful instrumental music on the guitar and on the other three instruments.  And, as I've said, his voice has a very large range.  He can easily tackle any of Wagner's heroic tenor roles or baritone roles.  In addition, he has a very solid falsetto voice, and he can thus do a marvellous job on early operas that require castrated males to do soprano or contralto parts.  I was surprised to hear such a pure very high C from his falsetto."

            "Castration does not seem very humane to me.  I can't imagine not being able to have children just because a bunch of people decided I had a good high soprano voice as a boy.  Of course, I'm speaking hypothetically."

            "It was outlawed in VideoLand for that reason.  Consciously performing an act that keeps children from being able to reproduce naturally is not viewed highly at all.  Your brother could probably do Brünnhilde or Fafner, respectively a soprano role or a bass role.  He can definitely do the tenors Heinrich Tannhäuser {hahyn-rihsh tahn-hóy-zehr}, Loge {ló-guh}, Siegmund, Siegfried, and Tristan and the baritones Wolfram von Eschenbach {vólf-rahm vawn eh-shehn-bahk}, Wotan {vó-tahn}, Alberich {ahl-beh-rihsh}, and Hans Sachs {hahnz zahks}, or any other tenor or baritone role from Wagner.  Italian and French opera and other German opera also come well to him.  I absolutely adored his portrayal of Hansel in Humperdinck's opera.  He also did a marvellous job as Florestan in Beethoven's Fidelio."

            "It seems he's done pretty well."

            "He's also broken a few records in education.  He did extremely well in the Thunderian Universities, and they're difficult.  Only two others, one Thunderian and his twin, succeeded Kevin as valedictorians:  Antonio and Guillaume.  But they and Kevin are good friends.  They went through at exactly the same time for the same duration.  Guillaume, the older, claims that without Antonio, he would not have done better than Kevin.  The Thunderians have a reputation for being very intelligent.  Kevin did very well, being one of us humans.  Really, of other species, we are the most on par intellectually with the Thunderians, but our emotions are more primitive and less controllable than many other humanoid species', especially Thunderians and Vulcans."

            "I see.  Are Thunderians actually logical and unemotional like Vulcans?"

            "They are the exact opposite of unemotional, Michael.  They are a warm and friendly people.  Yet, they can be just as logical as Vulcans.  They seem to have an innate sense of when to use their logic and when to use their emotions.  The first major Thunderian composers, Chatonne and Gatinha, Tygra's twin girls, embody that.  Their music can be very logical and formal at the right times and extremely subjective, sometimes very violently I might add, at the right times.  They know when to do what in their music, which helps a lot."

            "Yes.  Music should affect how one feels, especially program music, incidental music, and the accompaniment to singers.  Music can tell you how you should feel about a certain character, thing, or event."

            "Indeed.  Kevin also captures that quite well in the music drama music he writes.  He is a superb melody-writer and quite a good writer for each instrument and voice he uses.  So are Chatonne and Gatinha, who have put their stamp on several stupendous compositions.  Each of those girls has written some insanely difficult but very beautiful chamber music, and together, they've written some wonderful orchestral music, much of it piano concerti and violin concerti.  They are acquainted and rather friendly with Antonio and Guillaume, the Cerebra-twins."

            Michael heard something very quiet.  "Sh," he said almost imperceptibly as he took his Zapper.  He cautiously and slowly approached the corner that they were nearing.

            Behind the two humans and the dog a ways, Medusa and Kid Icarus emerged silently from a warp.  "Hey!" Kid Icarus exclaimed quietly.  "This is Metroid!"

            "Don't worry," Medusa said, still disguised as Palutena.  "We'll be out before we know it."  They went in the direction of Michael and Lana.

            Moments later, King Hippo and Eggplant Wizard emerged, and the warp closed.  "Let's follow quietly," whispered King Hippo.  Eggplant Wizard nodded.  Quietly, they followed Medusa's Palutena and Kid Icarus.

            Kid Icarus and Medusa's Palutena came close enough to Lana, Michael, and Duke to see them.  "Quiet," warned Medusa.

            "Kevin and Princess Lana. . . and Duke!" exclaimed Kid Icarus quietly.  "What are Kevin-icus and Duke doing here?  Kevin was at the Palace, and Duke. . . Duke is dead!"

            "I'll explain.  First, you must shoot Captain N and Princess Lana with the love arrows.  What MotherBrain has done has distressed them, and the pure love from the arrows will help your friends alleviate their stress."

            "All right, Your Majesty."  He took his bow and the two love arrows.  He positioned them in his bow so they would hit Lana and the one whom he thought to be Kevin at the same time.  He aimed well and shot.  The arrows stuck in both of them at the same time in their rears.

            "Hey!" snapped Michael, dropping the Zapper from his left hand.  Kid Icarus saw this.  Michael and Lana looked at each other. . . and kept looking.

            "Hey!" Kid Icarus quietly exclaimed.  "Kevin isn't left-handed!"

            "Ha, ha!" laughed King Hippo and Eggplant Wizard approaching.

            King Hippo said, "You've been duped, Kid Wimpicus!"

            "Yeah!" said Eggplant Wizard.

            Kid Icarus paid no attention to their glasses.  Instead, he said, "Uh, oh!  Queen Palutena, we'd better leave!"

            Back in her normal voice, Medusa said, "We aren't going anywhere, Kid Icarus!"  She transformed back to normal, but not before Kid Icarus had his eyes guarded.

            "Oh, no!  It was a trick-icus!"

            Michael said to Lana, "Ah. . . gee, Lana, I hadn't noticed how very pretty you are."

            Lana said, "I find you very attractive, also, Michael."

            "Princess Lana-cus!!" cried Kid Icarus at the top of his own heldentenor voice.

            Lana turned.  "I. . . what?  Kid Icarus!  Medusa!"

            Medusa quickly snatched the antidote arrows from Kid Icarus's quiver.  "Ha!  Now, whatever MotherBrain wants to happen will happen.  Later, losers!  Eggplant Wizard, get us to MotherBrain's control room."

            "With pleasure, Thy Snakiness," Eggplant Wizard said.  He dropped a squash, which expanded into a warp beneath Eggplant Wizard, King Hippo, and Medusa.  The three disappeared.

            Lana, Michael, and Duke ran to Kid Icarus.  Lana said, "You can look now, Kid Icarus."

            "How do I know you're not Medusa?" demanded Kid Icarus.

            "I happen to know you keep a golden arrow in your room above your door."

            Kid Icarus cautiously opened his eyes and saw the princess.  "Oh, Princess Lana!  I thought MotherBrain had, well. . . but I was wrong to the maximus.  But who's this guy?"

            "I'm Michael Keene, Kevin's brother," Michael said.  "I. . . I felt something overpower my senses when I looked at Lana after that arrow hit me."

            "I'm afraid it's my fault," moaned Kid Icarus.  "I went to the arrow-shop on Mount Icarus to get arrows.  After I'd paid, who I thought was Queen Palutena came in and told me to get three love arrows and three antidote arrows.  She then brought me here and had me shoot you two.  I thought Michael, here, was Kevin, and. . . hey!  I think he alluded to you, Michael, previously this evening.  I was a bit down because MegaMan came out here after Lana and Wesley and never returned-icus.  MegaMan's my best friend."

            "Well, Kid Icarus, we're all relatively safe," Lana said.  "Oh, gosh.  You shot Michael and me with love arrows.  Do you have those antidote arrows?"

            Kid Icarus checked his quiver.  "Oh, no, Princess.  -Sigh.-  Medusa must have taken all three of 'em."

            "Then the feelings between Michael and me will only grow more powerful.  Oh, God, Kevin's going to kill us!"

            "Kevin-icus will not kill you," Kid Icarus stated simply.  "He'll just get mad, that's all."

            "You say he alluded to me?" Michael asked.

            "This evening, yes.  Oh, why did I let Medusa trick me?  I should have known.  Something was different about Pal-. . . about Queen Palutena, but I didn't know what.  Medusa managed to copy every feature of her beauti-. . . ah, her regal face."

            "If I didn't know any better," Lana said, "I'd say you have feelings for the queen of Mount Icarus."

            "Yes, Princess, I do.  Anyway, any feelings between you and Michael are just artificial, induced by the arrows."

            "No, they aren't, Kid Icarus," Lana said.  "We fell in love before you shot us."

            "Oh, my goodness!  Then the love arrows will. . . -gulp!-  Damn that Medusa-cus!"

            "Michael and I can control ourselves, Kid Icarus."

            He flew up and stopped five centimetres from her face.  "Princess Lana, listen to me!  You and he were already crazy about each other when I shot you, right?  Your feelings increase powerfully with those love arrows' juice in your systems as time goes on.  Soon, you won't be able to resist the cascading emotions unless I can find an antidote!"

            "Well, hopefully, we'll all be out before it gets that bad," Michael said.  "Let's go."  They continued along their path.

            "Once, I was captured and held here," Kid Icarus said.  "I was held by an idiotic Waver at a cell in Norfair."

            Lana remarked, "MotherBrain seems to like keeping people in Norfair.  That seems logical.  It's the deepest, hottest portion of Metroid."

            "So, Kid Icarus," asked Michael, "how's Kevin?"

            "I think he's all right.  I don't think he wanted to cover you up, Michael."

            "Oh, he's always been overprotective of me.  It's really unwarranted.  But was there any reason he couldn't have brought me out here with him?"

            "No, seeing how well you've done," Lana said.  "If you and he had been around, VideoLand might be much safer."

            Kid Icarus said, "I thought initially that you were Kevin."

            "Many people around here seem to have that problem.  Of course, Kevin's right-handed, and I'm left-handed, so one can distinguish between us in that manner.  I guess it was easier to tell which of us was which when the difference between our age was more pronounced.  Lt. Tragg could tell right away that I was Michael, though.  He and the others on the Mason-Team know of me."

            "I see," said Kid Icarus.  "So, where are the others?"

            "They're in other pathways leading to the same place."  He looked at Lana in a way only Kevin had looked at her before, and Lana looked at him in a way she had only looked at Kevin before.

            "Oh, no, you don't," Kid Icarus said.  "No advances.  They'll only augment the arrows' energy."

            Lana said, "I can't help it."

            "You don't want to!  You can at least fight the love arrows because the drive they produce is artificial, but you have to try hard enough.  Princess, you are married to Kevin.  Not even totally voluntary sexual relations would be against the law, but it could make Kevin utterly furious!  That's probably what MotherBrain wants.  If he gets mad and does something bad to you and denies legal action, which is his privilege, his reputation will be utterly ruined!  Neither of you wants his ruin, do you?"

            "Kevin can control himself," Michael said, gazing into Lana's eyes.

            "Michael!  Why are you willing to hurt him, your own brother?"

            "I don't want to, but I can't resist the strong feelings inside me.  That love arrow, along with what I really feel for her, increases my feelings exponentially."

            "Please don't do this, you two!"

            Lana said, "I'm sorry, Kid Icarus.  These urges are almost impossible to fight."

            "But not utterly impossible.  No emotion is too powerful for the intellect to rein in.  Princess, use your morals!  You can fight this."

            "I wish I could, Kid Icarus, but your persistence is pointless.  You're only making it more stressful on yourself.  Now, leave, or I'll have to ask Michael to stun you.  We'd like our privacy."

            Kid Icarus shook his head.  The effects were already too powerful for him to talk them out of this.  "If you insist on this, I know a secret room a little way back.  Let's. . ."  He heard something.  "Something's coming!"

            This snapped Michael out of it.  He drew his Zapper and quickly turned.  He cautiously went forward in the passageway to a corner.  He peeked around the corner and saw several beasts moving about. . . and some toward them.  Lana, Kid Icarus, and Duke quietly moved to him.  "Kid Icarus, get your bow," Michael said.  "We have some enemies to pounce."

            "How about a good luck kiss?" asked Lana, still entranced.

            "Sorry, Lana.  No time right now."  Kid Icarus now had his bow ready in his left hand, an arrow in his right hand.  "Let's do it, Kid Icarus."  Kid Icarus nodded.  He and Michael quickly went around the corner and began shooting the enemies.  Together, they quickly obliterated all the creatures.  "Come on!  Let's get moving before that blasted arrow-juice kicks in again."  The four moved along quickly now at a fast walking pace.  Lana was snapped out of her love-trance, too.

            "I get it," said Kid Icarus.  "I think adrenaline counteracts the effect of the arrows."

            "All right," said Lana courageously.  "I've never wanted this before, but. . . MotherBrain, bring on the monsters!"  She drew a phaser that was concealed in her boot.

            "Hey, hey!  Now, you're appealing to my true feelings," Michael said with a devilish grin.  "I like ladies who have the courage to fight back."

            "I'm not going to let that stupid arrow take control of me again.  We just acted like total idiots.  I'm sorry if we offended you, Kid Icarus."

            "That's all right.  You're making up for it all right now," Kid Icarus replied.

            They neared a blue door.  Duke barked and then growled.  "Something must be waiting for us," Michael said.  "Weapons on the lowest high settings."  He and Lana adjusted their weapons, and Kid Icarus increased the tension slightly in his bow.  "Everyone ready?"  Kid Icarus and Lana nodded.  Michael shot the door to open it.  Michael, Lana, Kid Icarus, and Duke quickly ran through.  They arrived in Kraid's lair.  The monster was not yet present.

            "Kraid isn't yet here," Lana said.

            MotherBrain appeared in a hologram.  "He won't bug you guys today, but he'll sure bug Samus, Tragg, and Gordon!  Hee, hee!"

            "MotherBrain," snapped Michael with rage, "that was rotten!  You do not go around using innocent angels to shoot people with love arrows!  Lana and I almost made total fools out of ourselves.  I wouldn't have blamed Kevin for killing us!"

            "Why don't you calm down, darling?"

            "Oh, I bet you'd like me to cool off. . . so that that blasted arrow can take effect again!  Well, I'd rather stay agitated than have my feelings corrupted by that darned thing."

            "Oh, well.  Since you feel that way about this.  Ridley, tell Kraid to go down and greet Princess Lana, Michael, and Kid Icarus."

            "Yes, MotherBrain," replied Ridley's powerful baritone voice.

            "So," Michael said, "Samus was right about the cloning."

            "She sure was.  Well, I must go.  See you, guys!"  MotherBrain's hologram disappeared.

            Lana said, "Maybe we can go before. . ."  The floor began to shake.  Out of the floor emerged Kraid's large head and upper body.  "Yike!"

            "Not quite, Lana," Michael said.  "Three eyes."

            "We have to shoot him in the mouth," Kid Icarus said.

            "All right."  The monster spat rocks at the four, who dodged the rocks.  Then, Michael used his Power Pad's up button to jump almost to the ceiling  He angled his Zapper during the rise and again during the fall so he could fire one continuous shot into Kraid's mouth.  After this, the ceiling rose so that the room was twice its original height, and Kraid fully emerged from the ground.  He was about seven and a half metres (about twenty-five feet) tall, about three and a half times Michael's or Lana's height.  The giant monster was only a little shorter than the height of the room.

            "Wow!" exclaimed Michael.  "This guy's about three and a half times the size of the one in the Nintendo game Metroid!"  From one point on Kraid's belly and from another on his chest, box-shaped pieces of skin with nasty claws on the end shot out.  In the room, only a little above where the ceiling had been, at about the height of the monster's fat neck were two platforms.  Michael told himself, "I hope this works."  Watching for the shot-out claws, Michael put his Zapper in his right hand and positioned his left index finger over the up button of his Power Pad.  At the proper moment, he pressed the button and exclaimed, "Jump!"  He was propelled upwards and landed surely on the first of the two platforms.  Kid Icarus flew up to him.

            "Way to go, Michael.  -Gasp!-  Watch it!"  He shot a large claw that was flying towards Michael.

            "Thank you, Kid Icarus.  Let's smash this fat, ugly critter."  With the A button on the Power Pad, he leapt to the platform that was in front of Kraid.  "Yo, Kraid!  Can you talk?"  The creature shouted a noise in response.

            "Sorry," said Kid Icarus wryly.  "We don't understand Neanderthal-icus!"  He shot a Wave Beam Arrow into the beast's mouth.  Michael jumped and added a Zapper blast.  The creature roared in agony.

            Michael took his phaser and set it to maximum power.  "Just position yourself at the right height, Kid Icarus, and fire a continuous blast into Kraid's mouth with this phaser that Wesley Crusher lent me."

            "All right, Michael."  He did as Michael had said.  Michael jumped and fired another Zapper blast into Kraid's mouth.  The beast screamed again and sank into the ground.  As this happened, the platforms disintegrated, so Michael leapt down to the door, where Lana and Duke were waiting.  Kid Icarus flew down to them.  When the beast was gone, a grey door across the room began blinking.

            "Nice work, guys," Lana told Michael and Kid Icarus.  Kid Icarus returned the phaser to Michael, who put it away.  Michael spun his Zapper and blasted the new door, which opened.  The small group left through the door.

            "Well," Michael said, "I don't think our friends will have problems from tall, green, and ugly in there."

            "Agreed," said Lana.  "Now, let's get to the surface.  The less time we spend here, the better I'll like it."  They started moving.

            * * *

            Kevin's Room, Palace of Power, VideoLand.

            Kevin was playing Super Metroid in his room.  He could not sleep.  He had his brother too much on his mind.

            He had just reached the door to Ridley's lair in the game when someone knocked on his door.  (In Super Metroid, the encounter with Ridley comes soon before the journey into New Tourian, which leads to MotherBrain.)  He hit the Start button on the controller to pause.  "Come in!" he called.

            The door opened, admitting Steelheart.  "Good evening, Kevin."

            "Hello, Steelheart," replied Kevin.  "What's up?"

            "I came to see Kid Icarus.  I knocked at his door, but he didn't answer.  When I used my empathic sense, I could not detect his consciousness anywhere nearby.  Do you know where he is?"

            "Well. . . I thought he was sleeping in his room."  He hit his communicator.  "Kid Icarus, this is Kevin.  Where are you?"  Only static sounded from his communicator.  "Hm.  I've a bad feeling about this.  Well, luckily for my game, I saved at the last save point."  He turned off the Super NES unit, then the TV set.  He took his Power Pad and Zapper belt and put it on.  "Let's go check his room, Steelheart."

            "Sure, Kevin."  The two leaders left Kevin's room and went down the hall to Kid Icarus's room.

            Kevin knocked on the door.  "Kid Icarus!" he called loudly in the powerful middle register of his tenor voice.  "Are you in there?"

            The door next door opened.  In his bedclothes, Simon popped his head out.  "Captain N," he said sleepily, "must you shout?"

            "Sorry, Simon.  Do you know where Kid Icarus is?"

            "No.  If he were in his room, he would've answered by now.  Your voice is loud enough to wake Dracula on a warm summer's day.  -Yawn!-"

            "Okay, Simon.  I apologise for disturbing you.  Good night."

            "Good night, Kevin, and please don't yell at night again where others are trying to sleep."  Simon returned into his room and shut the door.

            Kevin keyed a code into the pad next to the door to Kid Icarus's room.  The door opened, letting him and Steelheart enter.  In the room, they looked and saw no Kid Icarus.  "His good quiver is gone," said Kevin.  "That means he left deliberately.  But it was almost empty last time I saw it.  Maybe he paid a visit to Pernicus, the arrow-maker."

            "It's worth a try going to check," Steelheart said.

            "Yes.  Let's go, Steelheart."  They left Kid Icarus's room and went to the elevator.  The door opened immediately, letting the two enter.  "Warp hall."  The elevator began going up.

            "Kevin, something's wrong.  I can detect it."

            "I'd rather not tell you about it now, Steelheart.  I'd prefer to tell everyone at once tomorrow morning."

            "All right, Kevin.  It makes you uneasy, so I'll spare you the difficulty of telling me now."

            "It's just the only secret I've ever kept that I should never have kept.  Oh, man, that's why I couldn't get to sleep tonight.  The only reason I kept that secret is to keep it safe from MotherBrain, and that conniving tentacle-brain knew it all along."

            "I'm sorry, Kevin."

            "Well. . . I've told you that much, so I might as well tell you the secret, as I've already told the older Wilytwins, the younger Wilytwins, my kids, and Link and Zelda's kids.  It's. . . I have a little brother, Steelheart, and MotherBrain brought him here to this time to try to use him against me."

            "You have a younger brother?"

            "Yes.  His name is Michael.  I care for him as much as you care for Steelwill or Wilykit cares for Wilykat.  -Sigh.-  Curse my overprotective instinct.  I could have brought him out here.  He was as good at video games as I was, and he and I could really have smacked MotherBrain.  But he's helping our friends, including Wesley, Lana, and the group that went to save those two, out of Metroid."

            "Don't be too hard on yourself about your overprotective instinct, Kevin.  Even though he wouldn't like it in the least, I'd probably cover up Will if I thought it would keep him safe."  The elevator car stopped, and the doors opened.  Steelheart and Kevin exited and walked directly to the warp hall, where they took the warp to Mount Icarus.

            * * *

            Overworld Village, Mount Icarus, VideoLand.

            Kevin and Steelheart emerged from the warp and entered the village.  They proceeded directly to Pernicus's shop, where they went in.  "Good evening, Pernicus," Kevin said.

            "Well, hello, Captain N and Commander Steelheart," greeted Pernicus.  "How are you?"

            "We are well, thank you," Steelheart said.  "Have you seen Kid Icarus?"

            "Yes, I have.  He came here and bought several arrows.  Then, Her Majesty, Queen Palutena, came here and told him she had a task for him.  She asked him to get love arrows and antidote arrows."

            Kevin's eyes widened.  "Love arrows?  Oh, God!"

            "Is, ah, something wrong, Captain N?"

            "Maybe, but you need not be concerned, Pernicus."  He picked up three antidote arrows, then took ten pounds from his pocket and handed it to Pernicus.  "I'll take these antidote arrows.  Keep the change."

            "Well, thanks very much!" exclaimed Pernicus, delighted.

            "Come on Steelheart," said Kevin.  "We're going to see Queen Palutena.  I have a feeling that it wasn't she who came around earlier."

            "What?" Steelheart demanded.

            "Good evening, Pernicus."  Kevin left.  Steelheart stood astounded for a moment, then ran out after Kevin.

            "Kevin!  Talk to me.  What about the love arrows?"

            "Lana and Michael called me from Metroid.  When I looked at them, I could tell they were in love with each other but that they knew they should do nothing.  If MotherBrain had someone disguise himself or herself as Queen Palutena, that person could trick Kid Icarus into getting love arrows and shooting Michael and Lana, making Kid Icarus think it was me rather than my brother.  Then, if the love arrows caused the two to do something they shouldn't, MotherBrain might figure that I'd get furious at Lana and Michael and do something I shouldn't to them.  Since I am the ruler of VideoLand, no legal action has to come to me.  In the eyes of the people, I would be ruined."

            "I see."

            "She miscalculated, though.  I would never consciously harm any good person, and my consciousness has a good hold on my feelings."

            "But you could still get that furious?"

            "Possibly, of course, but that's not likely.  Michael once told me about some event he watched.  He didn't know it was wrong to watch, and I controlled my anger, or tried to.  I felt enough anger to throw him across the room, but I just kept him away from the NES for a week."

            "Did your parents ever find out?"

            "No.  I wish, though, that I had explained my actions to him.  I knew a bit more about certain matters than he did.  Do you understand what. . . certain matters I'm talking about."

            "Yes."

            "It was expressly my responsibility, according to my parents, since he looked up to me as well as being my best friend, to tell him, but I felt too uncomfortable to do it.  They talked to me about it very, very directly and very explicitly, but it was not terribly comfortable for them, and I guess they thought it would be more comfortable for me.  They were wrong.  I guess Lana's told him about it, at least enough to know lovemaking is not something to be done just with anyone.  If he felt like I did when I first saw her, he wouldn't hesitate to express his feelings, and she would have to explain before he innocently began to come on to her too strongly.  I know they kissed or something, but I don't mind that.  But I hope that they can resist the love-arrows.  I can't blame either them or Kid Icarus, but I will blame MotherBrain and whomever else is in on this dirty scheme with her."

            "I hope you remember that, Kevin.  I hope your logic will continue to rule your emotions as well as it does.  I don't mean to the point of becoming a Vulcan, of course, but you get the idea."

            "Yes, Steelheart."  They left the village.  Kevin led the way to a point at the base of the mountain.  "Could you move this rock, please?"  Steelheart grabbed the rock and easily moved it aside.  A warp had been hidden there.  "Thank you.  That's the warp to Queen Palutena's palace."  He and Steelheart stepped through the warp and emerged at the highest part of the mountain.

            "Ooh!  Are you too, cold, Kevin?" asked Steelheart.  "It seems a bit chilly up here tonight."

            "I'm all right, Steelheart."  He led the way to the door of the palace.  He used the knocking device to knock on the door.

            The door opened, and a guard stepped out.  "Ah, Captain N, Commander Steelheart!  Good evening."

            "Good evening, guard," replied Kevin.  "May we see Queen Palutena?  There is a matter concerning MotherBrain that we must discuss with her."

            "Certainly, Captain N.  Please come this way, both of you."  The two stepped in, and the guard closed the door.  He led them through the maze-like hallway to the throne room, where Palutena was reading a report.  "Your Majesty, Captain N and Commander Steelheart wish to speak with you."

            "Thank you, Lieutenant," Palutena replied.  "Let them in."  The guard moved so that Kevin and Steelheart could enter and go over to her.  They did not have to bow in her presence.  Kevin was ruler over all VideoLand, and Steelheart was neither Mount Icaran nor VideoLandian.  Besides, the good rulers were presently doing away with the formality of bowing, and Kevin and Palutena were two of them.  "Your visit is an honour to me, Captain N and Commander Steelheart."

            "I wish it were under better circumstances that we could come to meet you, Queen Palutena," said Kevin.  "I fear that, for the record, I must pose certain questions.  My intuition tells me that you weren't involved, and I've never had reason to doubt my intuition before, but I absolutely must ask, anyway.  Did you go down to the village, meet Kid Icarus in the arrow shop, and have him purchase certain arrows?"

            "I haven't been off the mountain since a week ago," Palutena replied.  "Why?"

            "I believe that someone masquerading as you tricked Kid Icarus into shooting two people with love arrows."

            "The only person on Mount Icarus capable of that would be Medusa."

            MotherBrain's hologram appeared.  "You good guys are right on the money!" she said.  "Good for you!  I assigned Medusa to disguise herself as Palutena and hit you-know-whom and you-know-whom with love arrows.  I wouldn't worry, though.  They seem to have found a way to counteract the love arrows' effects.  My two fools left Kid Icarus with Mi-. . . oops!  With those two friends of yours, I mean.  I will have to punish Eggplant Wizard and King Hippo for not grabbing him.  I ought to fix Medusa, but I won't, since she does good bad work for me."

            "Your admission, MotherBrain," said Kevin.

            "MotherBrain," Palutena said, "turn over Medusa to my authorities at once."

            "Ha, ha, ha!  Too late, fool!  She's already left to her secret hideout."

            "MotherBrain," Kevin said, "I advise you to release those people before you-know-who busts 'em out."

            "Well, well!  Aren't we bossy tonight!"

            "No, in fact, we are not, MotherBrain.  I'm just warning you before that guy causes you extreme brain-pains."  He smiled deviously.  "In fact, I'd almost enjoy seeing him cause you pain."

            "How sweet.  Look, Captain N, that kid is an annoyance and nothing more.  In fact, unless you come to Metroid and stop me, that guy and the other person may be pushing up daisies."

            "Oh, I was planning to be there, MotherBrain.  You've done enough to him already."

            Steelheart said, "I advise you heed what he tells you, MotherBrain."

            "Are you daft, Commander?" MotherBrain demanded Steelheart.  "I don't back away from challenges.  Come, Captain N, but you may be shocked at some things you may hear."

            "I am shocked at little, MotherBrain," said Kevin quite logically and yet quite heroically.

            "We'll see about that.  See you later, friends!  Ha, ha, ha!"  While laughing, MotherBrain disappeared.

            Palutena asked, "Captain N, whom was MotherBrain talking about, or may I even ask the question?"

            "You may ask anything you wish," replied Kevin.  "One is Princess Lana.  The other is someone else about whom I care very much.  He was my best friend.  My little brother, Michael.  MotherBrain brought him here from 1992 in an attempt to use him against me."

            "I see."

            "Since he was as good at video games as I, I tried to cover him up so MotherBrain couldn't find out about him.  Actually, she knew about him all along."  His communicator beeped, and he tapped it.  "Captain N here."

            "Kevin," Wilykit's voice responded, "this is Wilykit.  MotherBrain has told Wilykat and me some things.  I'd like to discuss them with you immediately if possible."

            "Certainly.  Where?"

            "The Palace of Power Throne Room will do."

            "All right, Wilykit.  I'll meet you there."

            "Very well, Kevin.  See you."  The communicator beeped.

            "Good evening, Captain N, Commander Steelheart," said Palutena.

            "Good evening, Queen Palutena," Kevin said.  "Would you like me to call when I find out more about Kid Icarus?"

            "Yes, please."

            "Very well."

            "The guard will show you the way out."  The guard led Steelheart and Kevin out of the palace.