"An X...mimicking you?" Celestia asked, her voice shaking. "H...how is that possible?"

Luna's eyes widened. "The infected portions of your suit," she whispered. "They were half biological, weren't they?"

"Not exactly," Samus replied softly. "But yes, they did contain enough of my genetic material and tech for the X to create an incomplete copy of me...and a complete copy of my suit. It had all of my abilities, and...we don't know how much of my mentality. We later learned that the X could process data biologically, but...we never did figure out how the X worked beyond that..."

"Learning there was, in essence, an evil clone of Mom running around drastically changed our priorities," Spike added.

"I dubbed the creature SA-X," Adam explained. "And a large part of my efforts after that were dedicated to trying to analyze its movements and goals. As for Samus herself..."

---

"We've analyzed the explosion from the Quarantine Bay," Adam continued. "The SA-X apparently came from your infected suit parts, and used a Power Bomb to escape, so we know it has that capability at least."

"Like it needs any others?" Samus asked worriedly, glancing back and forth in terror.

"Don't worry, Samus," Adam continued. "The Navigation Rooms on the BSL are specially hardened. Even the blast of a Power Bomb won't penetrate the walls of that chamber, or others like it, and with the doors locked down, it can't get in. If you need to rest, you can do so safely in the Navigation Rooms."

"That's a relief," Spike proclaimed as he released the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "So...the SA-X has Power Bombs and Super Missiles bare minimum..."

"And its original escape explosion released the X that started this disaster," Adam continued. "But for now, we need to focus on the SA-X. It's mimicking you at full power, Samus. You can't face it. Based on our projections, the only thing that can even damage it is your Plasma Beam function...but we aren't having much luck creating it for your new suit. In the meantime, if you see it, just run. Spike's Ice Breath should slow it down for a little while, but a direct confrontation is out of the question. Its Plasma Beam and Screw Attack would tear through Spike's armor and scales like tissue paper, and its Ice Beam would freeze you solid, Samus. Unfortunately, the Metroid Vaccine gave you the Metroid vulnerability to cold. We're working on Varia Suit data to account for that in the meantime."

"I know you're all doing everything you can," Samus replied, struggling to get the shaking out of her voice. "But I can't just sit here and wait and hope you get what I need. The SA-X might go after our ship. If it gets off station..."

"I've got remote access to your ship's controls," Melissa responded. "While I can't make it take off on its own, I can lock it down. And..." She hesitated, not wanting to go on.

"If it looks like the SA-X is going to get into the ship, activate its self destruct," Samus instructed firmly. "We can't let the X leave the station, especially not the SA-X."

"Okay, Samus," Melissa replied worriedly. "If...if it comes to that-"

"If it comes to that, we'll set the station to self destruct," Spike replied. "Do not try to board the station for us. Assuming Mom's suit is still functional, I'll take us out into space with a wormhole jump, and you can pick us up there."

"Understood," Adam replied readily, cutting off Melissa's worried reply. "In the meantime, Ghor did finish reconstructing Bomb data for you, which should be helpful in evading the SA-X. We can't get you back to the Main Deck Data Room, so we'll have to use the one here in Sector 2." The map on the display shifted to highlight it. "Unfortunately, it's sealed behind a Level 1 Hatch, which can't be unlocked remotely. Instead, you'll have to find the Security Room to release the locks on Blue Hatches."

"Despite my best efforts, I can't locate the Security Rooms," Melissa added sadly. "That data is completely locked down, and can't be accessed unless the hatches it controls are unlocked."

"So you can't show us the Security Rooms until after we find them," Samus murmured. "It's alright, Melissa. We'll find our own way."

Adam nodded firmly. "Get to the Security Room, get the Bomb Data, and get out. Move quickly but carefully."

"Understood Adam," Samus confirmed before cutting the communications. The security door into Sector 2 opened.

---

"After that, even the simple part of exploring Sector 2 became terrifying," Samus admitted. "Every sound I mistook for the SA-X coming after us. Every sudden movement made me spin." She chuckled ruefully. "I nearly shot Spike 12 times before we even made it to the Security Room."

"Thankfully, the only X hosts we encountered on the way to the Security Room were some familiar looking giant larva," Spike explained. "A bit of logic while looking at the map allowed us to figure out where the Security Room was right away and head right there. Oddly, it was a tall room with a Blue Hatch at the bottom by the Security Terminal and a White one at the top...both on the same side."

"...odd choice in architecture," Shining murmured. "Not sure of the logic of it."

"Especially since there wasn't a stairwell down," Samus added. "We just had to drop. Thankfully, there weren't any new forms of X hosts until we nearly reached the Data Room, and the dragonfly-like creature was relatively easy to evade-"

"And was quite tasty," Spike interrupted.

Samus rolled her eyes as several listeners giggled. "Considering I was 'eating' the X this trip, too, I can't really call you on that." Her face turned serious. "I managed to download the Bomb data with no problems, but...when we tried to leave, we found the pathway severely damaged, sealed against our getting through. And..." She swallowed. "We could hear footfalls, like the sound of my suit, walking away. We learned to fear that sound."

"We wound up taking a detour," Spike continued once he got his shivers under control, "through a few paths the bombs opened for us. Thankfully, we didn't encounter the SA-X on our way out."

"The SA-X wasn't attacking us at that point, we don't think," Samus concluded.

"Then what was it's-" Twilight began, only to freeze. "The path it blocked off...it was the only way into the Data Room, wasn't it?"

"Yup," Samus confirmed. "Once it had done that, we couldn't get back in..."

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