A/N: This is yet another novel fanfiction I've written, cataloguing the mission played out in Metroid Fusion, the latest Metroid work by Nintendo for the Gameboy Advance. Pure artistic lisence was used. Metroid is owned by Nintendo and the creators of Metroid. So read and enjoy. And please, feel free to leave reviews.

Sector 2 (TRO)

Part III - "Manipulation"

"Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing."

-Helen Keller

The other shoe hadn't dropped yet, and I was starting to worry. The longer it took, the more likely it was that the other shoe would fall hard and be full of cosmic cement.

"I have learned the identity of our mystery saboteur…

"Samus, it's an X mimicking you."

Did I just hear a "thump" someplace?

"I have named it the SA-X. I believe the SA-X came from the capsule containing your infected suit parts. It used a power bomb to escape the Quarantine Bay. That explosion breached the capsules containing all the X that started this disaster. But the SA-X is definitely our biggest worry right now. The SA-X is mimicking you at full power." Of course it was. I could have sworn I just heard another thump. And I think this time it was my heart stopping. Apparently the roller coaster ride I'd unwittingly signed up for hadn't even sped up yet.

"You can't face it." Gee. Never would've guessed that. "If you see the SA-X, just run." I bristled. There was that word again. "Don't even think about fighting. You are still very vulnerable to cold, an unexpected side-effect of the Metroid vaccine." Even when they helped it didn't help. Little bastards. "Like the Metroid, you can be frozen by an Ice Beam. Of course, the SA-X is armed with the Ice Beam." Of course she was. I liked her less and less as the information came through. "Stay away. If you see it, just run. HQ says they have Bomb data ready in the Data room. Bombs will help you find a way out if the SA-X traps you."

Nope. There it was. I could feel the headache start when the other shoe dropped squarely on my head.

Squaring my shoulders, I marched off to find the Level 1 Security lock that had to be activated before I could get to the Data room. It didn't take much looking. Guess I got lucky.

It wasn't until after I'd activated Level 1 Security, backtracked, and come out of the Data room after gaining my Bomb ability once more that hell broke loose.

Something had followed me and now was trying to block me into a set path.

The SA-X was trying to manipulate me. She was in for a real trip.

I swore and worked my way down and around the wreckage to an alternate route to the Nav. room and my next assignment.

It was, however, not meant to be so easy. I found myself dropping through a trick floor to face off with another large, armored X parasite. But like the first, it had no beam-armed eye. It swirled in the air and became a sort of Cyclops creature atop a large, suction cup leg. It bounced high into the air, and, much to its surprise no doubt, found itself eating missile. It wasn't long before it was forced to revert to the translucent, spiked ball I'd become familiar with. A few missiles later and my Jump Ball and High Jump abilities were once more mine. I made my way back the way I'd come to find my exit blocked by an all too familiar pile of rubble.

The creatures that had been roaming were now either in cocoons or dead. I know who was to blame, too.

The SA-X was trying to herd me again. I sighed, bit back the desire to curse like a pirate, and blew my own exit.

Only trouble was, that wound up being exactly what the SA-X wanted of me. I dropped down into the upper chamber of the room beneath me and made my way to the first deck entry…

…and heard footsteps. Ooooo…hell.

I peered cautiously down over the edge and watched upside-down as the SA-X - my first real look at my clone - turned, obviously tired of waiting for me to fall into her trap, and left out the door.

Long, silent moments passed as I made dead sure the menace wasn't coming back, dropped down, and left through the same door.

The journey back to the Nav. room was a nerve-wracking one, one that had me looking over my shoulder and peering cautiously around corners.

I never peer cautiously around corners.

I knew I was in trouble when I had to be…cautious.

But I didn't meet that ungodly creation once on my way out of the sector, and soon had uplinked with Adam once more. "She tried to herd me!" I proclaimed irritably. "The bitch set a trap so she could blast me!"

"Fascinating…" Adam mused. "Does the SA-X possess the potential for cognitive reasoning?"

"She possesses the potential for me to kick her ass," I growled, glaring at the monitor. "Just wait until I'm back at full strength…"

"For now, Samus, I need you to go to Sector 4 (AQA). Now that the Level 1 sevurity locks are disabled, the X have infiltrated the water habitat."

"I can barely contain my glee," I muttered through clenched teeth.

"Get to Sector 4. I'll give you your orders when you get there."

And the screen blanked out. I barely remember treading from the small room and boarding the elevator. I was still seething over the trap that had been set for me.

The SA-X. An enemy with my strongest abilities. But did it have reason? Probably not. It was just a killing machine. In my current state, I couldn't face it head-on. The SA-X was me, only heartless. I had to stop it before it learned its' potential and threatened the universe…