| “ | Samus, you shouldn't have done that. You ignored your orders. You may have to pay a price for that quite soon... | „ |
—Adam | ||
Metroids kept in stasis during various stages of development.
The Restricted Laboratory was located in the Restricted Zone of the Biologic Space Laboratories research station. It is found in a separate area at the bottom of the Main Deck and is connected to Sector 1 (SRX) and Sector 6 (NOC); the lab was designed to be detached in case of an emergency or a security breach. The Galactic Federation built it to house the captive-bred Metroids that they created from the DNA of the last Metroid.
Some or all Metroids in the lab have been tampered with so they can quickly develop into their advanced stages. According to Adam, a young larva could become an Omega Metroid in a matter of days, however this assessment would prove to be incorrect as one specimen managed to reach said form in mere hours or less.
Description[]
When Samus Aran discovered the entrance to the Restricted Lab in Sector 6, she triggered an alarm that repeated the phrase "Warning: No entry without authorization". Unable to enter, Samus retraced her steps and promptly ran into the Security Robot B.O.X. that she had encountered in Sector 3 (PYR). After defeating it, Samus absorbed the Core-X left behind and regained the Wave Beam ability. With the Wave Beam, she was able to break into the Restricted Lab by opening a shutter from the opposite side of its opening mechanism.
Inside the lab was a massive tube filled with several Infant Metroids floating about; in the next room, a mature Metroid larva, an Alpha Metroid, a Gamma Metroid, and a Zeta Metroid were being kept in large green tubes that resembled the last Infant Metroid's container on Ceres Space Colony. Upon the discovery of these specimens, Samus realized the Galactic Federation had lied to her about its intentions with the Metroids; instead of exterminating them, they were researching and breeding these creatures. By destroying the Space Pirate organization and rendering the Metroids extinct on SR388, Samus had unintentionally assured that only the Federation would be in possession of these dangerous creatures.
| “ | Fire alert. This sector will soon be locked down. | „ |
—PA, | ||
| “ | Sixty seconds to isolation lockdown. | „ |
—PA, | ||
Samus encounters the SA-X assaulting the laboratory, the latter soon being swarmed by the now released Metroids previously in containment.
As Samus continued to explore the laboratory, an SA-X that had been tracking her entered the Restricted Laboratory and severely damaged it. Her mimic seemingly managed to kill some of the Infant Metroids before they overwhelmed her, but it nevertheless accomplished its goal: the lab's security had been breached, and emergency fail-safes immediately took effect. A 1-minute Countdown to the detachment of the entire Restricted Lab began. Samus was able to escape before the lab detached from the B.S.L. research station and self-destructed, killing the SA-X and what were apparently the last living Metroids in existence. However, at least one Metroid escaped the destruction and, as a result of the scientists' unknown tampering, it quickly advanced to the Omega Metroid stage but was later killed by Samus when she was escaping the BSL station.
Incidentally, the only actual Metroids in Metroid Fusion (aside from the escapee and Samus herself) are found in the Restricted Lab, and they do not actually damage Samus; they do fly around in a frenzy as Samus attempts to escape, and they can interfere with her attempts to Space Jump up the escape shaft. The most likely reason that the Metroids do not attack Samus is because they see her as one of them due to the Metroid DNA in her body, though no explanation is given to the Omega Metroid's hostility towards her.
Unlike the BOTTLE SHIP's Project Metroid Warriors, which was designed to use the creatures as bioweapons, the breeding program in the BSL Station was for peaceful purposes only, according to the computerized Adam. Samus was scolded by the computer for being partly responsible for the Restricted Laboratory's destruction.
Enemies[]
With the exception of Infant Metroids, all Metroids are only seen in stasis. None of these enemies can notice or attack Samus.
Trivia[]
- Parts of Fusion are inspired by the film Alien Resurrection; an example being the female protagonist being reborn as a hybrid of herself and both series' alien species. In Resurrection, Ellen Ripley, the protagonist of the Alien series, mourns when she kills her preceding seven clones by incinerating the lab, and at the end of the film when she flushes the Newborn out into the vacuum of space through a broken window pane. Unlike Ripley, Samus is never seen to have mourned the destruction of the Metroids in the Restricted Lab or her killing the Omega Metroid, even though she possessed Metroid DNA at the time.
- The Restricted Laboratory contains several parallels to the prequel's Sector Zero; Metroids were bred, both sections detach via fail-safe protocols if they take enough damage, both were detached by someone other than Samus, and both stations were successfully destroyed.
- It is possible that a Queen Metroid could have been bred in the Restricted Laboratory, as Samus encountered one in another station during the events of Metroid: Other M. However, it was also said that the Federation had never expected a Metroid to grow to such lengths in so little time, and the methods used by MB to grow a Queen outside of the environment of SR388 were never revealed to anyone. Also, when Adam opens up and reveals everything to Samus after the destruction of the Restricted Laboratory, he fails to mention any Queen onboard the BSL.
- The sequence where the Laboratory was undergoing the isolation lockdown and jettisoned into space is technically the only time where the frantic version of the musical theme SA-X Appears plays without the SA-X actually pursuing or even noticing Samus.
- In the second room of the Restricted Laboratory, there are a total of 8 stands for the capsules that the Metroids were suspended in, with 4 in the background and foreground. However, there are only 7 capsules as one of them in the background appears to be missing.
- This could relate to a possible foreshadowing of the Omega Metroid Samus faces just before escaping the BSL station, or it could merely be a coincidence.
- The top portion of the main room before the SA-X attacks can only be reached via debug menu. Even if reached, the camera would normally always scroll down to the second floor of the room. Interestingly the top-right door where Samus would normally escape the lab from cannot be opened.
- Via debug, the Speed Booster and the Screw Attack allow Samus to phase through the escaped Infant Metroids without being stunned.
- The number of Infant Metroids present in the first room of the lab is greatly diminished by the time Samus returns to it and stumbles upon the SA-X attacking the creatures. This implies her mimic successfully killed several Metroids off-screen; although it was never seen using the Ice Beam against the remaining infants, the fact that the later Omega Metroid was vulnerable to the weapon suggests that it was also used in the laboratory to kill the missing specimens.
- The SA-X choosing to erratically shoot the room instead of killing the remaining Metroids may have been intentional, as it possibly wanted to sufficiently damage the lab to trigger its detachment and subsequent explosion. Sacrificing itself and taking out all Metroids in the process would insure the safety of X Parasites elsewhere; a similar plan was attempted by the X that mimicked a Scientist.
- Since the Metroids as a species have been confirmed to be completely extinct by the time of Metroid Dread, it can be purported that all existing Metroid samples were contained in the Restricted Laboratory, save for the Omega Metroid encountered later.
Gallery[]
Video[]
Metroid Fusion - Restricted Laboratory