X Parasite



The X Parasite is a unique parasite witnessed only in Metroid Fusion.

Characteristics
The X were first encountered on SR388 as Samus Aran aided Biologic's Research team to capture native life forms when an X parasite came out of the carcass of a Hornoad. The appearance of an X is simple; a basketball sized, floating gelatinous life form. X are capable of infecting other organisms and mimicking their prey's DNA and memories. How they do this is they infect the organism and then start to reproduce at an exponential rate which kills the host creature in the process.The X encountered are actually colonies of microscopic cells as the X's first host can be microscopic.The also have the ability to split into smaller colonies. The X absorb the D.N.A of their host and use it to mimic their prey. At first, infection is not noticeable but the eventually infect the central nervous system causing black outs and other symptoms. After a while they consume every organ as food.

One notable example of the X is the SA-X. X parasites were in Samus's suit from her infection and was able to use the DNA in the suit to mimic Samus.

Samus and the X
The death of the Hornoad resulted in the release of an X parasite which promptly attached itself to Samus. The X infested Samus's central nervous system and rendered her unconscious in her starship, which nearly resulted in her death had it not been for the emergency system in Samus's starship that ejected her safely out of the ship before it crashed in an asteroid belt. Shortly after, Samus had to have various important parts of her Power Suit removed, some of them even surgically. The removed pieces of her suit were sent to the B.S.L station, where they would become the monstrous SA-X. After being infected, the X could not be removed from Samus's central nervous system safely: the X were too embedded in her system and removing them could kill her. Due to this obstacle, she was given a very small chance of survival. Then, in a turn of luck, the Galactic Federation found a cell culture from the last infant Metroid and quickly injected it into Samus. Luckily, the X were completely and quickly destroyed by the infant Metroid's cells. Samus's cellular makeup changed as a result, and now she had a genetic makeup similar to that of a Metroid. Samus then gained the ability to absorb the X into her system, just as a Metroid can.

History of the X
Prior to the events of any Metroid game, the X Parasites were native to SR388. The Chozo discovered them, and, recognizing their destructive potential, created the Metroids in order to keep them at bay. This is first explained in the manual for Metroid Fusion, and later explained further in Volume 4 of the official Metroid Zero Mission Manga. Here, the Chozo refrain from telling the Galactic Federation of the X Parasites' existence, fearing that someone would view the parasite's abilities as a 'splendid technology' and use it for themselves. This fear is later realized in the events of Metroid Fusion. They also were the ones who named the organism and also stated that they could "borrow forms from their companions." In Metroid II: Return of Samus, however, Samus wiped out all of the Metroids on SR388, allowing the X Parasites to make a recovery and return in Metroid Fusion.

Possible destruction
However, at the end of this adventure, Samus crashed the Biologic Space Laboratories research station into SR388 before evacuating, destroying both the space station and the planet and presumably wiping out the X. However, this is not totally confirmed. The X may have been able to survive the explosion.

Types of X

 * Yellow X
 * Green X
 * Red X
 * Blue X
 * Core-X
 * Hard Core-X

Trivia

 * It is interesting that the X didn't infest the Habitation Deck.
 * The X-Parasites are similar to the Ing in a few ways. First both can posess other beings but the Ing cannot replicate a creature they have posessed and the X cannot posess machines (or at least, they can't possess non-organic Machines, as they were able to infect the B.O.X. Droid as well as Nightmare.). Second they are both the menace of a higher race (the X to the Chozo, and the Ing to the Luminoth). And lastly, both have been associated with and/or copied some of Samus's abilities (the ability guardians for the Ing and the SA-X for the X-Parisites).
 * The X-Parasites often tend to make the creatures that they mimic more fearsome in appearance and often times add spikey projections such as Ridley-X's oversized talons.
 * It should be noted that the X-Parasites are very similar to the alien organism in John Carpenter's The Thing. Both organisms can mimic their hosts, and (in the case of the SA-X, at least), mutate into horrible monsters when under severe pressure.