Adrian's skin itched with the thought of all the nanobots in the ferals before him. Scanning the neighborhoods for the best course for the coming conflict. He jumped down to the street landing in a crouch with one knee on the ground. The landing impacted the sidewalk with a noise loud enough to draw the attention of the closest ones. Adrian was ready to dive into the fray with these snarling, howling, drooling monsters.
Running at a high speed he clashed head on with the ravaging ex-humans, his increased speed and senses making it feel like the ferals were in slow motion, moving as if through molasses. All of them came for him at once in a wave, but he was undeterred, in fact, he was elated. This was going to be a harvest unlike any he had so far. His claws grew over his hands, razor sharp and gleaming they were danger incarnate to the ferals.
His claws dug into them, with slashes aimed for vital organs, attempting to finish each one with a single precision strike, not wanting to waste time when dealing with them one on one. The horde washed over him, he left piles of bodies in his wake, not being affected by their sheer numbers anymore. They were nothing but fodder under his onslaught.
Free Nanobots Detected. Assimilate? [Y/N]
"Yes." he said, laughing as he went, a vicious grin on his face.
Assimilation complete. Free nanobots gained: 36,562. Total available: 80,014
The huge increase to his nanobots made his blood boil, speeding up his movements, strength, and healing, all reaching a point where he felt invincible. As his bonus went up the gruesome way he dealt with the ferals only increased, they weren't just killed they were truly slaughtered. Bodies lay in every direction, flung weightless under Adrian's strength. Some corpses turned into destructive projectiles when he threw them. Some of them even flew through walls and windows of the nearby buildings. The horde seemed without end but he was relentless, his own hunger driving him into a frenzy.
Free Nanobots Detected. Assimilate? [Y/N]
"Yes, give them to me!" he said, almost maniacal.
Assimilation complete. Free nanobots gained: 41,914. Total available: 121,928
Adrian became a blur, moving so fast he was pressing into the surge now, no longer fighting on the edge.This was the hoard's breaking point, their fear finally succumbing to the massacre around them, their instincts for survival that had driven them to stay alive even when their minds fell was now screaming at them to flee. He never relented. As their numbers dwindled and the pressure subsided he just kept on going. He jumped high into the air to land on them in groups, driving the numbers for him even higher.
Leaping on to the back of a feral in the middle of one such group he knocked it down and crushed its spine. The feral had no time to react. Adrian picked up the paralyzed feral and swung it in a spin to maximize damage around him. This sent the rest of the ferals scattering in all directions like a bunch of quail. He quickly dispatched any that tried to escape by running by him.
Free Nanobots Detected. Assimilate? [Y/N]
"Yes." He said breathing hard but steady, turning to pursue the pack again.
Assimilation complete. Free nanobots gained: 45,731. Total available: 147,659
He was watching his numbers climb, knowing he was pushing his luck, he had surpassed the amount he needed for the next nanocore upgrade but he couldn't pass up this opportunity. Adrian slammed into the back of slowest ones that were attempting to run away. He wanted to bowl over and slow down as many as possible. He used his speed to surge forward and turned like a tornado into the crowd, raining down blows that almost made small sonic booms as he changed direction so quickly. After taking out the last few that didn't manage to run away in time Adrian, his eyes fierce, a smirk across his face as he quit chasing them and just watched the feral group recede like a low tide leaving, his claws dripping blood even with the nanobots absorbing as fast as they could.
Free Nanobots Detected. Assimilate? [Y/N]
"Yes." He said breathing hard but steady, already thinking of pursuing the pack again.
Assimilation complete. Free nanobots gained: 39,168. Total available: 186,777
Warning: Destabilization Imminent, upgrade nanocore immediately.
He would but not before he takes advantage of the biomaterial that was available for his replication capabilities. He sent a huge cloud of nanobots out, they scavenged what they could from the carnage in front of him. Walking slowly in the direction of his base, trying to imagine what it would be like when he was able to upgrade to the next levels. He already felt inhuman, could these nanobots make him a god? Only time will tell, but he was going to do everything in his power to find out.
As the nanobot swarm returned, having pulled parts from the ferals laying everywhere, Adrian chuckled at the placement of a few of the ferals, hanging out of buildings, over street lamps and impaled on street signs. This alone would scare away any ferals from coming this way, and will soon be a feast for the birds in the area.
Adrian called out as he walked at a slower pace, hoping to collect any survivors he could. He figured with the horde outside their doors they probably had no chance of survival if they stayed here. The drone hovering above didn't go unnoticed, but he ignored it. Let them watch, they should know about their uncontrolled variable, what they didn't know was he was about to get stronger yet again.
*****
The dark smokey room was silent. Large screens showing multiple views of the horrifying mess Adrian had just left behind. He was never under threat, he showed no fear and made all previous tests they had done seem insignificant. "How is this possible, the nanocore becoming sentient shouldn't be capable of increasing someone's power this much. We can't fight against that and we were given some of the highest doses with the most advanced nanobots." Selene Veyra said exasperated. Dr. Elias Voss replied, "Let me remind you, these nanobots weren't made by us, we don't actually know what they are capable of. All we could do is run tests and analyse, but this is rather...unexpected. None of the tests I completed showed anything of this magnitude." Cassian Drehl shook his head saying, "Do we send this above yet? It's going to get out of hand fast. Maybe they have a way to neutralize this. We also risk them taking us out if we hide it from them."
Taking a big pull off his expensive cigar, Magnus Rourke said, "Not yet, they gave us teams and security that have been enhanced. Let's send some of those at him. Go after this base he thinks he's building." Pointing to a screen showing the foundry as he spoke. "And don't worry too much about the higher ups, they might be ruthless but they still need us, at least they do for now." The others nodded in tacit agreement. Pointing his cigar at the security head he said "Tobias, send your teams to the industrial district, a team of the lower people, like 50 grunts, make sure to add a few of the specialists and brutes too. I want to crush their hope, then wipe him and his allies out. They have caused us enough trouble."
Tobias Krayne nodded, his eyes locked onto the target that was showing on the screen, "I will utilize who we need, we can't be too cautious. We need to keep this footage from leaving this room. If they saw what they were heading into even with the nanobots controlling their wills it might be overridden." Pulling out his phone he typed out a few messages before calling one of his leaders letting him know the situation and to prepare the troops. After a few minutes, he said, "It's done, I will check them before they head out. Subject zero and his followers won't know what hit them." Maguns smirked, a disgusting look on his grizzled face.
Magnus continued to observe the screens, a predatory gleam in his eyes. "Good. This variable, Adrian, whatever he is, needs to be contained. And if containment isn't possible, he needs to be eliminated. We cannot have a rogue element with that level of power operating unchecked." Selene piped up with her musing, "But what if he's right?" her voice barely a whisper, "What if these nanobots can elevate a human to something more? What if he really is becoming a god?" Dr. Voss scoffed at that. "A god? Haha, please. He's a biological anomaly, a statistical improbability. Nothing more. His body is being pushed to its limits already, which is why he's probably seeing destabilization warnings. He's overtaxing his system, and eventually, it will break." Cassian, his gaze hardening, interjected with "Then we break it faster,".
"Tobias, ensure your teams are equipped with disruptors. We need to incapacitate him, then analyze him. Preferably intact." Tobias nodded, already planning. "Understood, the specialists have a new model type. It scrambles the nanobot network, rendering them inert for a short period of time. Enough time for our brutes to move in, that will see the job done." Magnus clapped his hands together once loudly, a sound that echoed in the tense room. "Excellent. Let's not waste any more time. Tobias, get them moving. Selene, Dr. Voss, Cassian, begin preparations for post-capture analysis. I want to know everything about him and how he achieved this."
While Tobias exited the room, those remaining turned back to the screens, watching the retreating figure of Adrian, who was now a small dot on the distant streets. The foundry, a hulking silhouette against the setting sun, was clearly visible on one of the larger monitors. They knew where he was going. And they knew what they had to do.
*****
Adrian arrived back at the foundry, the concrete structure looming before him like a sleeping giant. The air inside was cool and still and carried the faint scent of rust and old oil. He could already envision the defenses he planned on building, the living quarters, the laboratories. This wasn't just a base; it was a fortress and a home, a symbol of his growing power. He felt the warning from his nanocore again, a persistent hum beneath his skin.
Upgrade nanocore immediately
He knew he couldn't put it off much longer, not with the exponential increase in his nanobots. His body felt like it was humming with contained energy, a powerful, almost overwhelming sensation. He could feel every individual nanobot, every atom, vibrating in concert. It was exhilarating, a surge of pure, unadulterated power.
A faint ripple across his nanobot network, a subtle change in the air. Adrian paused, his head cocked to one side. Movement. A lot of movement. They were coming. He smirked. So, they've finally decided to make their move. He knew they had been watching him, observing his every action. They thought they understood him. They were wrong.
He stood in the center of the main hall, his posture relaxed, almost casual, despite the impending conflict. His eyes glowed faintly in the dim light of the foundry. This was it. The first true test of his abilities against those who sought to control him. He had anticipated this. He had prepared for this. Adrian had to upgrade his nanocore now, he had to be ready for what was coming.