Chapter One: Memory

Infection.

The word was strange to her. She'd never experienced it before, either on K2-L or Zebes. In fact, she really didn't know what the word even meant until Old Bird and Grey Voice had explained it to her all those years ago. It wasn't until her second mission on SR-388 that she'd even experienced any form of infection. Though, technically, it couldn't be called an infection. More like an overtaking. However, the Metroid vaccine had saved her, eliminating the X inside of her. She'd then gone to fight the X on the BSL laboratories, the location they'd stored the infected pieces of her suit. Memories frequented her mind of that, her most recent mission.

Flashback

She looked at the being in front of her. She, or it to be more accurate, looked very similar to her, save the fact that their battle suits were different. Its looked like her previous suit, the one she'd worn before the invasion of the X into her body. Her current suit looked like it, but seemed more like it was amphibian in simple look at the texture. Both boasted their signature arm cannons, however, and both were definitely capable of dishing out some damage if they so desired.

"You're pretty good to make it here." It said, grinning behind its helmet. "But, you're gonna have to make it past me if you want to destroy that planet."

She was slightly offset by this. She'd expected a coldhearted killer type of personality. This one was almost excited by the challenge of her. It almost reminded her of that one bounty hunter…

"If you want a fight" She said, her face tense as she clenched her fist and felt a blast come into her blaster arm. She held it out, putting her hand on the firing button.

It seemed to grin behind its helmet again, holding out its own blaster arm.

They both charged up a Charge Beam, her beam color rainbow due to her Wave Beam and its beam color light blue due to its Ice Beam. She growled slightly at this, mostly since it had stolen the Ice Beam from her and she couldn't even use it due to her Metroid DNA. She'd been using Ice Diffusion Missiles, but even those paled in comparison to the Chozo Ice Beam. She'd make it pay, but she had to get to the control room, not focus on revenge. If she did, this "war" would be lost.

They fired their beams, both of them colliding. They rushed forward, throwing punches and kicks, mixing in some Beam blasts as well.

Both of them moved backwards, rushing forward to use their Screw Attack abilities. Its Screw Attack looked like electricity was surrounding it, a purple field encircling it. Hers looked like green spirals going around her form. The two Screw Attacks collided, both of them flying backwards, taking damage. They both stood up, it grinning and her growling.

"So that's what happens when you do that." It said, genuinely sounding like it was having fun. She was thrown off by this. She'd definitely not expected this. This supposedly emotionless, instinct driven killer was having fun. Well, at least insanity made for an expected emotion. But, it shouldn't have emotions. It should be emotionless, cold. Just like the other one (or ones, she couldn't tell) she'd encountered.

"Well then." It said, firing a small volley of missiles at her. "Dodge this."

She moved, dodging some, getting hit by others. She looked at her HUD, noting that she wasn't damaged critically, so she should be fine to take it on more without worry.

She launched her own missiles, the thing in front of her firing at them, only getting hit by one, which froze it. It broke out, rushing forward with Shinespark and colliding with her, knocking her hard into the door she'd entered from.

The wind was knocked out of her as she dropped to her knees, heaving for air.

As she recovered, it stood there, patiently waiting, almost as if it wanted an honorable fight.

When she stood, recovered, she hit it with her own Shinespark. She was very glad she'd managed to practice it to the point where it wouldn't hurt her when she used it.

It flew backwards, flipping over to right itself.

"You're definitely back up to full strength.' It said with a grin behind its helmet, spreading its arms out wide. "But, I wonder if you're strong enough to fight me in my full form."

It began to transform, becoming more massive and powerful. Its form was now in minor resemblance to a Hornoad (ironic since that's what she first encountered it in).

It jumped at her, stomping the ground where she was, however she'd already dodged it.

She began unleashing multiple blasts at its many eyes. It recoiled, taking considerable damage and being unable to recover before she'd decimated it.

"You're" it said, panting. "Real good. I knew you'd be the only one to stop us."

It then reverted into its base Core X form, floating away before she could reach it. Choosing to ignore it for now, she ran to the control room, activating the self-destruct. She ran, gunning for her ship.

As she ran to the docking bay, she noticed some shells of a creature, but chose to ignore it, getting the hell off of this place being a much more important task.

As she reached the docking bay, she noticed her ship was gone. She cursed to herself. She figured that it could only be started manually, but maybe not. Then again, maybe…

However, before she had time to think, a monster she'd only fought two other times crashed down in front of her, roaring. It was an Omega Metroid, the final stage of a Metroid's evolution before that of a Queen. This one was bigger than the other two, however, almost ten times such.

She took a step back, biting her lower lip. She knew she'd need an Ice Beam for this. Her Diffusion Missiles wouldn't be able to penetrate its shell around its weak point.

She tried however, firing two Missiles before it slashed at her, doing significant damage to her, almost lethal damage. She hit the wall hard, dropping to her knees, unable to move very much. The Omega Metroid stepped closer, roaring again.

However, an unlikely savior stepped in: the Core X from earlier. It materialized into its previous form, firing its Ice Beam at the Omega Metroid. The Omega Metroid roared, slashing at it, killing it and reverting it into its Core X form.

She looked at it, confused. Why would it try to save her? She'd literally killed it not twenty minutes earlier. But, then again, its entire personality was strange to her.

Something was telling her to absorb the Core X. She weakly stood up, doing so. She felt power rushing into her, re-energizing her and healing her.

She put her hand on her blaster arm, feeling a familiar power she hadn't had before: the Ice Beam. She charged up a powerful blast, rushing forward at the Omega Metroid, sliding under its slash and firing, causing significant damage to it. She continued firing, the beast eventually dying, falling over. Her ship came in through the bay door, docking and allowing her access.

She stepped in, taking off and leaving the detonating BSL Lab to explode, taking SR-388 with it. She reclined, needing to rest after such a mission. However, the computer wanted to talk first.

"You did it lady.' Adam, the name she'd given to the computer out of humor, said, congratulating her. "You saved the universe."

"How will they view it though?" she asked, crossing her arms, looking back.

"Don't worry." Adam said. "One of them will understand. One of them must."

"One thing bothers me though." She said. "This ship is only started manually. How'd you take off if not by me?"

"Think about it, lady.' Adam said. "They gave me a hand."

She looked back, noticing the creatures she'd found on Zebes and later on the BSL Labs: Etechoons and Dechoras. The primate and ostrich looking beings were sleeping, curled around each other.

She smiled a little. They looked so cute. It was ironically something she'd only felt once in the past ten years. The other time had been with a baby Metroid she'd adopted when it had become attached to her as its mother. But, she'd learned that happiness didn't last forever.

She pushed the thoughts out of her mind as she lay back and went to sleep, relaxing for some well needed rest.

Present time

She reclined on her bed in her room on her ship, which wasn't the same one she'd used before. That one she'd had to give back.

She closed her eyes, drifting off to sleep.

In her dreams

She was in a place of white. She looked around and saw nothing, it being a void.

However, she saw someone step out of the void, grinning at her.

"Hiya, Sammy." She said.

"That voice." She said, clenching a fist. "It's you. How are you still alive?'

So, Sammy's got someone in her head. Wonder who it could be. Find out soon.

a few things to note in this fic:

1) This timeline is altered. Meaning i don't necessarily stick to canonically established events. A major example of this is that certain Metroid Prime events take place after this, which technically takes place after Fusion.

2) I'm implementing my own rules to this one. I'll typically try to make it sound feasible for a Metroid game, but if I have to change the way something works, I will. It's mostly for my own convenience.

3) More will come as I think of them.