a couple of little tests

The injection was quick and painless, the spread of the nanites a little less so. Samus gritted her teeth as for a full minute the nanites spread to every corner of her body, and then it was over.

Samus: Okay, now how's this supposed to work?

Computer: Focus on what you want to change. Add or remove. Within seconds, the nanites, controlling your biological processes, will proceed to modify your body as desired.

Samus did so, focusing on her arms. She wanted to see them more muscular.

And so it happened. Her biceps increased in size. The only thing she felt was a kind of itch in her arms.

Reverse the process. Knowing she could make her body stronger at will would have been useful in some circumstances during her missions, but honestly, she was also interested in the non-operational benefits.

Samus had always felt alone. She was more or less human, but her enhanced body had made her unfit for mating... and not just for sterility reasons; her muscles and bones were too strong and dense to not accidentally hurt someone in the act, and she had long accepted her solitude, but no longer.

Samus imagined herself with two heads, both her own, absolutely in tune, their heads positioned so that both could turn toward each other and kiss.

The process was slower than with the arm and involved small changes she hadn't considered, but which the nanti had had to work out to make it all work.

Samus felt a heart form in the right side of her chest. Her lungs expanded along with the width of her chest and breasts. Her neck shifted to the left. Her shoulders widened to the right of her head. A mass began to form and shape into the outline of a head. Then the details of her face and ears took shape. Her blond hair grew flowing. In the space of three rather unsettling minutes, the new head took shape and took its first gasping breath.

Samus panted with her, their lungs connected, their breathing rhythms synchronizing. They looked at each other and spoke in unison.

Samus: It worked.

The two heads moved closer and kissed.

Samus knew this was just the beginning. If she wanted, she could create a body piece by piece for her second head and then split herself into two separate entities. By doing so, she could gain a companion, someone who knew everything she'd been through and understood her equally, someone who could know her deeply and support her through her emotional crises, and who could truly love her without the risk of getting hurt.

Technically, they could reabsorb each other when she left to hunt space pirates. After all, cloning was illegal in most of the known universe, so there could only be one bounty hunter Samus out there.

But from now on, she would never again be alone during the long nights while she rested between missions. Now she would have herself.