At the Tenebrae Headquarters the group watching the battle were floored, all of them dumbstruck with their mouths agape. They couldn't believe what they had just seen. The entire regiment was wiped out in a matter of minutes. The loss of resources was one thing, but to learn that they were so outgunned by Adrian's known capabilities. They had no follow up to that. Magnus was the first to pipe up, "How…how can this be? We weren't told that his level of capabilities were even possible, why don't we have anyone like that?"
Silence followed, there were no words that could describe the one sided battle they just witnessed, not to mention they had now poked the bear and he wasn't happy. "What do we do now?" asked Selene Veyra. Dr. Elias Voss said, "We could try and push the feral population into his area, he's all but cleared it out, but what other option do we have?" They all thought for a bit, was that their only option now? If they let the higher ups know of their failure, their heads could be on the chopping block, and they knew it.
Magnus pounded the table with his fist and roared, "I refuse to give up on taking him out. Proceed with the infiltration of their base, we need to know more about their situation and capabilities." Thalia Korrin piped up with, "Well the last message we got was that our spy made it in and hadn't been discovered yet. We are waiting for updates which should be coming in shortly." The group nodded along, the nano infused human that was working with them had joined with a larger group to make it easier to be accepted into their base without causing suspicion.
"This is our best course of action currently, we can't fight an unknown enemy with that level of strength. We must know if there are weaknesses to his power. Prepare to drive the ferals into the industrial district but don't initiate the plan until we have more information. We can't go in blind again like last time, we can't afford the losses." Magnus declared, Dr. Voss nodded and took some notes as they spoke. They would set it up to be ready the second they had more intel on Adrian.
******
The follower count increase confused Adrian, there were ten people in front of him kneeling offering their loyalty, but the count only went up by nine. Odd, that means one of them was lying. Somebody wasn't actually planning on joining up with them. He told them to stand and come inside so he could introduce them to everyone and find useful places on the different teams. Just like he had done with all of the other survivors that had joined with him. He wasn't going to let on that he was suspicious.
The security detail had finally finished the guard towers at the four corners of the foundry. He went to each of them and upgraded them with his Bastion System, Echo, "Initiate Base Watch Post upgrade" he said, allowing the nanobots to flow into the towers and create a sensor system of sorts for the guards. After he pulled up his nanocore panel to see about the next upgrades.
Nanobot Core – Status
Free Nanobots: 277,423
Core Level: 3
Available Upgrades
Core Upgrade Lvl: 4 Locked [Description: Expands nanobot core to semi-autonomous AI processing. Allows real-time tactical predictions, adaptive combat responses, and multi-threaded task execution (up to 3 simultaneous operations). System stability reinforced. Cost: 1,000,000 nanobots]
Strength Lvl: 3 Available [Description: Increases muscle density and neural-muscle conduction by 40%. Enables short-term overdrive bursts of +50% strength for 30 seconds (cooldown 10 minutes). Cost: 125,000 nanobots]
Speed Lvl: 3 Available [Description: Enhances movement speed, balance, and agility by 40%. Grants "reflex sync," slowing perception of incoming attacks by 40%. Cost: 125,000 nanobots]
Intelligence Lvl: 3 Available [Description: Improves neural plasticity and problem-solving by 30%. Unlocks eidetic recall (perfect memory storage). Increases data absorption rates (learn technical skills twice as fast). Cost: 125,000 nanobots]
HealingLvl: 3 Available [Description: Regenerates 40% faster. Can regrow severed body parts (skin, muscle, tendons). Critical wounds stabilized automatically (bleeding suppressed, shock resistance). Cost: 125,000 nanobots
Senses Lvl: 3 Available [Description: Boosts sensory range by 50%. Unlocks thermal overlay (detect body heat), extended low-light vision, and vibration detection through surfaces. Cost: 125,000 nanobots]
Replication Lvl: 3 Locked [Description: Produces 100,000 nanobots per day given sufficient organic & metallic input. Unlocks "Harvest Protocol," directing nanobots to strip usable matter from the environment at higher rates (scrap metal, bio-waste). Cost: 600,000 nanobots
Looking at his options, Adrian asked Echo, "Echo, what do you think would be the best course of action for the next upgrades?"
Based on your current situation and how things are progressing, I think healing would be the best choice in the short term. Being able to survive any attack that could come would be very helpful in the future. As a secondary priority, I would suggest increasing intelligence, it will increase your nanobot storage capability and could prove invaluable in solving any problems that arise, as well as help with utilizing the Bastion system the best way possible.
Adrian nodded and decided, "Echo, upgrade my intelligence, please."
Acknowledged, upgrading intelligence now.
A few seconds passed before he could feel it, while it was no longer painful, he could sense a dull pressure in his skull. The nanobots rebuilt how his neurons worked fundamentally, connecting them like a web across his mind. The nanobots even integrated themselves into his neural network so his mind essentially functioned like a biomechanical computer. He enjoyed the increase in faculties as the upgrade kept going. Finally he noticed the process of making changes coming to an end, and he checked his new capabilities. He re-ran info he already had through his upgraded mind. Data combining in ways inaccessible to him before. New concepts clicked easily into place, and he could calculate probabilities to a much higher degree, close enough to seem like he was seeing the future.
New Nanobot holding capacity: 1,000,000
Available Free Nanobots: 152,423
That was good for now, he would hold onto them for the stat increase. And with the increase in his storage capability his strength could grow to unfathomable abilities. Now he just had to find a good supply of nanobots. He thought back to some of the places Subject 23 mentioned, he would have to take advantage of that knowledge soon. The next thing he had to deal with was the probable infiltrator he had just taken in. Embedding an agent in his ranks was a highly probable next move from his enemies. He strode over to the newest group and nonchalantly observed them all.
When they spoke he listened to their inflection, tone and speech pattern. He clocked their heart rates, breathing patterns, posture and stance. He noted anything useful to give him a baseline reading from them before he made his next move. They all appeared to be authentic, acting like they wanted to be here, and he knew nine of them did. Then one caught his eye. One seemed more interested in the base and its operations than the others.
Adrian waited until they had all been assigned roles. Some were to go to security and some to the scavenging group. Then he singled the suspicious one out. "What's your designation?" the woman jumped slightly at the sound of his voice. "S-s-subject 107, sir." Adrian nodded before he sent a ball of nanobots flying at her to secure her body in place. Everyone gasped as he did it, not sure what was going on.
Adrian walked up to Subject 107 slowly eying her up and down as she struggled against his nanobot restraints. He patted her down and removed a communication device from one of her pockets. Holding it up to the group, they were surprised then immediately angry, all eyes on her now. She shook visibly as she spoke, "I had no choice, I was forced to do it." Adrian patted her cheek before resting his hand on her shoulder and sent nanobots into her body, pulling out her nanobots and turning her into a regular human again. She shuddered, it was like a part of her was being removed but Adrian had no choice. As the last of her nanobots were pulled out, Adrian recalled the nanobots that had made up her restraints and he backed away.
The woman dropped to her knees, sobbing while looking at her hands. She had grown so accustomed to the feeling of the nanobots in her system, she couldn't imagine not having them. As she wept, Adrian asked the group, "What should we do with her now? She's not a threat to us any longer and can't communicate with the Tenebrae anymore either." She was visibly shocked, how did he know about them? No one knew about them besides their immediate subordinates.
Adrian took a moment to explain it to the group, they deserved to know who did this and who their real enemies were. "Does she deserve to be kept here? If we exile her now she has no chance to make it back to them on her own without the nanobots she once had." He gazed at his team's faces to gauge their reactions. This was a decision that would alter how they dealt with people in the future, they were setting a precedent.
It took a while for them to ponder the situation, then they knew, their anger didn't overcome their humanity. Adrian nodded as he saw the resolve on their faces. He turned to the woman and said, "You are welcome to stay with us, but you'll be continually watched. We don't exactly trust you. That being said, we need all available hands and any information you can provide about our enemies. That would be immensely useful to our cause…What do you say?"
Hope shown in her eyes, were they really going to let her stay? She was dead otherwise. She nodded vigorously, tears welling up in her eyes. "What is your actual name?" Adrian demanded. She stood up brushing the dirt from her knees and said softly, "Nancy." Adrian said, "Ok, Nancy, you can work with the farming group or the medical group, it's up to you." After a brief moment she said, "Farming." more enthusiastically than anyone would have expected.
"Good choice, many hands are needed in the garden. We will also utilize you as a double agent, when I want you too, you will tell your handlers exactly what I want them to hear. Understood?" Adrian said it like there was no choice of disagreeing. Nancy just nodded her head, happy that she wasn't just being put down. She was taken away by Mary to show her where she'll be needed most. With that concluded everyone went off to work on what they needed to do.
Followers: 45
Seeing the pop up made Adrian breathe a sigh of relief. Nancy's situation dictated that she must join, it was her only viable option. With that taken care of, he opened his bastion system to see if there was anything necessary in the short term:
Makeshift Clinic (Nursing)
Base Clinic (Acquired):
Wards laced with healing mist. Followers heal 10% faster.
Minor infections purged automatically.
Upgrades: (Available)
Infusion Beds (25,000 nanobots): Beds emit nanite fields that accelerate tissue knitting. Followers heal 25% faster and stabilize from critical injuries.
Nanite Surgeons (75,000 nanobots): Semi-autonomous swarms can perform crude surgeries, removing bullets/shrapnel with 80% survival rate.
Regeneration Pods (200,000 nanobots): Enclosed chambers flood hosts with nanobots. Major wounds regenerate overnight. Risk of side-effects (organ misgrowth, nanite addiction).
Immortality Protocol (500,000 nanobots): Fallen followers can be revived within 1 hour of death, but return dependent on nanite assimilation. They may not remain entirely human.
Workshop (Engineer)
Base Workshop (Acquired):
Repairs weapons and tools 20% faster, prevents decay.
Upgrades: (Available)
Adaptive Tools (30,000 nanobots): Nanobots reshape tools for any task (e.g., wrench → scalpel). Followers gain +25% efficiency in repairs.
Living Armor (90,000 nanobots): Nanobots embed in armor plating. Gear becomes self-repairing, regenerating minor damage daily.
Hybrid Forge (250,000 nanobots): Weapons/armor can be fused with nanobots, granting adaptive effects (heat blades, shock rounds, shifting armor density).
Nanoforge Core (400,000 nanobots): Workshop becomes a sentient factory. Can craft entirely new technology blueprints never seen before. Requires a dedicated engineer bonded to the system.
Garden Plot (Gardener)
Base Garden (Acquired):
Nanobots enrich soil. Crops grow 30% faster, immune to blight.
Upgrades: (Available)
Growth Accelerators (40,000 nanobots): Plants mature in days instead of weeks. Yields doubled.
Nanosplice Agriculture (100,000 nanobots): Crops are fused with nanites — fruits heal minor wounds or provide temporary stat buffs.
Living Vines (250,000 nanobots): Perimeter vines become semi-sentient, ensnaring intruders or shielding crops.
Nanite Orchards (450,000 nanobots): Plants produce nanobot-rich fruits that replenish the base's stores and allow followers to upgrade themselves biologically.
Watch Post (Military)
Base Watch Post (Acquired):
Enhances patrol efficiency. Followers spot threats 30% faster.
Upgrades: (Available)
Sentinel Net (60,000 nanobots): Nanobots embedded in the watchtowers heighten guard reflexes, lowering fatigue and increasing reaction speed.
Silent Relay (120,000 nanobots): Nanite comms allow silent coordination over miles. Followers gain +20% combat efficiency.
Combat Swarm (300,000 nanobots): On alert, the post deploys nanite constructs (turrets, drones, sentry clouds). Can autonomously fight intruders.
Hive Command Node (500,000 nanobots): Followers linked through the node become a shared swarmmind, executing perfect squad maneuvers at inhuman speed. Risks individuality bleed.
Nothing jumped out at him, he knew everything was useful, but he couldn't afford to weaken himself right now. He knew he was going to have to head out to hunt once again.