“Munch munch munch” Doctor Omega said to herself as she Continued to clear the Magi-crete from the stairway. She had been at it for 30 minutes before finally found a door, she took another minute to clear away the Magi-crete from a door that looked to belong to an airlock of some kind.

She could vaguely see a chamber that could easily suck the air out and replace it with a controlled atmosphere. But based on what data she had on the lab AI the new controlled atmosphere could include knock out gas or acid.

So she made modifications to the door before opening it, partially because it was locked. However, she was also ensuring she could get back out if the AI was hostile.

----------------------------------------------------

The lab AI was noticing a sudden drop in the number of invading giant insects and calculating how long it would need to keep up the high acid production, it was eating though the AIs Biomatter and chemical reserves, but the cleanup bots could repurpose the half melted carcasses to resupply stock. What it needed to know was how much of an increased acid stockpile it would need to be ready for a hypothetical large wave of insects.

RED ALERT

Red? It had not had a red alert in centuries. It can’t be the insects causing it, they barely counted as invaders, more like subjects that needed further study via extermination and dissection.

The AI went to the Systems in its mind pinging the red alert. It was the basement stairwell access airlock.

Except the AI did not know it even had a basement, It was sure it was an underground science bunker, did underground bunkers even have basements?

But there the systems were, it checked the meta data for the systems and found that he was locked out of even perceiving he had that airlock unless something was trying to access the lab from there, even then that would have only been a yellow alert.

These extra options outside his perception of his own known systems were getting old, first that secondary blast, now this. Could the events be related? Another inquiry for his list.

The Red alert was just because nanites were destroying the airlock door systems.

Wait NANITES! That was bad, his systems started to simulate panic. Acid and liquid nitrogen were the recommended options and he did not have liquid nitrogen piped down that far anymore. Not since he created the ice cream factory testing dungeon. How was the AI supposed to know those were a critical defensive systems? All its knowledge of what was beneath him was locked until now.

Time to re-route all the acid it could to the airlock sprayers and get a few Liquid thrower Robots equipped with both acid and liquid nitrogen down there. Though the robots would take a few minutes.

----------------------------------------------------

Before cracking open this can of potential pain Omega decided to check her status.

“Full Status”

SYSTEM ERROR

Due to your recent fusion with another system entity and subsequent evolution to a unique B ranked system entity. The system has suspended your experience and skill notifications for a period of 1 week (6 days 18hours 5 minutes 34 seconds remaining) to determine the limits of your abilities and create system registered status data for any new powers, abilities, feats, etc you may possess.

If you wish to accelerate this process test your abilities to their limit, once limits are found system registered data will be added to your status screen.

The error and subsequent explanation slammed into her mind like a spike, causing more pain then she had experienced since waking up. Before she could scream the pain cut off and a status screen popped up before her, with some broken looking parts.

System Designation: Advanced Nanotech Golem Swarm "Omega" B(3?)

Racial Category -cyborg -fusion of sentient and machine

Race: Unique New Untitled (6 days 18hours 5 minutes 29 seconds remaining)

Base Stats:

** Physical (25 +** Swarm Phys)

25 Str (25)

** Dex (25 + ** Swarm Cooperative Movement)

** Con (25 + ** Swarm Toughness Bonus)

** Mental (25 + ** Swarm Mind)

** Int (25 + ** Swarm Distributed Consciousness)

25 Wis (25)

25 Cha (25)

Luck: -hidden-

Stat bonus (D ) each point over/under 5 adds 1 to the relevant calculation

Stat bonus (C ) every 2 points over/under 10 adds 1 to the relevant calculation

Stat bonus (B ) every 5 points over/under 20 adds 1 to the relevant calculation

Secondary stats:

Base Physical Attack(D ) 1** (100 base + **dex bonus(D))

Base Physical Defence(D ) 1** (100 base + ** dex bonus(D))

Base Physical Damage Save(D ) ************************

Base Special Attack(D ) 1** (150 base + ** Int bonus(D))

Base Special Defence(D ) 120 (100 base + 20 cha bonus(D))

Base Special Damage Save(D ) ************************

Health: 100%

Mental health: 68%

Stamina: 100% - error-

Energy: 80%

Mana: 50%

Rads: 12%

Weaknesses:

Amnesiax2 : Repeated mind wipes should have left you with no sense of self.

Skills:

Basic Information(Int) C(31): rare, broad knowledge skill, for the jack of all info.{soulbound}

Skill Achievement: Trojan mind.

Science!(Int) C(5): a broad range of science skills, contains all D Rank sciences, like physics, biology or alchemy.

Device schematics(Int) D(20): skill representing device schematic learned and ability to make new schematics.

Engineering(Int) C(4): advanced crafting skill, contains several D Rank engineering skills; like biological, mechanical, or architectural engineering.

Feats/Achievements/Traits:

Fast learner (D Rank Starting Feat): 20% faster skill acquisition and growth.

Trojan Mind(C Rank Achievement): Hid enough basic personality in the skill that it can either act as a backup in case of mind wipe, or to upload personality data to a mind and attack/influence said mind from within.

Perfected True Form(C Rank Shapeshifter Achievement): Maxed out all available mental and physical base stats while in the C Ranks. Makes it Easier to improve the base stats of other forms shifted into. Any perfected form also grants a slight bonus to Charisma related events. Max out B Rank base stats to improve achievement to B Rank.

Adaptable Learner(D Rank Human Trait): 50% reduction to Xp penalty for learning abilities outsides ones race/class. Only applies to humanoid forms.

Powers:

3? (B) Chimeric Nanotech Golem Transmutational Swarm (Core Racial Power): Shapeshift + Chimeric Copycat + Movement + Range(touch) + Contagion + Golem Body - Flaws

25000 Xp per rank limit (75000 Xp of powers maximum)

Feats (can copy Xp limit in Feats/Achievements/Traits)

6 creature/technology upgrades per person/item shaped

5 flaws: - (C Flaw)Signature - (C Flaw)Understanding - (C Flaw)Design - (C Flaw)Materials - (C Flaw)Creation Skill.

**(C ) Swarm Mind(Core Racial Power):

**(C ) Swarm Distributed Consciousness

**(C ) Swarm Physiology(Core Racial Power):

**(C ) swarm cooperative movement

**(C ) swarm toughness bonus

**(C ) Material Refining(Core Racial Power):

There was actually a lot more to see than she expected. For example, she didn't have any B Rank abilities yet except for the new power that seemed to represent her shapeshifting and the nanites abilities to copy things merged together. Those new powers were what made her the new Immortal golem nanite person she was now, so that probably explained her evolution to B rank.

The base stats all being at 25 made sense, at rank C she had dumped 20k Xp into each stat to raise them by 10 and max them out at 20. At B rank however, 20 was her new base stat, but it cost double the Xp to increase it by a point so her 20k Xp in each stat was only enough to raise each by 5 points.

The Nanite swarm also seemed to give her Super Stats, which were powers that allowed a creature to surpass the normal caps on base stats at each rank. She had previously earned a C Rank Super Intelligence power more than once, but it was always lost at her next mind wipe, unlike her base stats which they did not seem to be able to alter. So while they could take most of her abilities, her core powers could only be weakened, never removed.

Now it seemed like a form of Super Intelligence was a side effect of growing the swarm, although how much these new Super Stats help seems to be one of the things the system is still figuring out. Same thing with the Damage Save Bonus from her new Golem Body addition to her power, it seems the system has completely crapped out and wont show her any relevant values for either; her physical or special damage saves.

She had spent double the Xp on her Basic Information skill to make it a Soulbound skill, It can not be weakened as long as her soul is connected to a body with a mind. Using that to help her eat the mind of the AI swarm seems to have gotten her a Skill Achievement, which she had never heard of. Power Feats, sure, they were as common as big swords with built in power attack, but even her Basic Information had nothing on any history of skill feats, or achievements. To be fair she had never heard of someone spending the Xp to make something other than a weapon or armor Soulbound. She guessed this was because; most people did not have problems with losing skills regularly.

She seems to have already picked up the C Rank versions of Science and Engineering skills. They are still low, that might be because even Omega does not know how much of that is extrapolation of basic knowledge in her Basic Information skill, and how much she and the swarm have learned so far. The device schematics skill clearly was the AIs, though she could picture perfect 3D schematics for every piece of technology the Swarm ate before her and everything of use she had eaten so far, including a few new ones, mixtures of scanning tech and a dragonfly that she could sense Omega Scout had made to speed up exploration of the nest.

While Doctor Omega was procrastinating opening the airlock.

She sighed and opened the door

All seemed well for the first 2 steps, then the door slammed shut and the air was replaced with an acidic mist in seconds.

She assumed her new form would hold up better than this. Her outer layer of nanites was already permanently destroyed by the time she overclocked her mind to slow down her perception of time and slowly began turning back to the door.

Congratulations! you have discovered that you have a new Major Weakness: Acid: Effects that reduce acid damage are only half as effective, defence values versus Acid Halved, 25% to 200% increased acid damage depending on individual nanite makeup. 6 hours removed from your partial system lockout, for finding a major weakness on your own.

‘Gee thanks system’ she thought sarcastically as she pushed the poorly timed notification out of her mind and opened the airlock door. A door she was quite glad to have spent the time altering, or it surely would not have let her out of this hellish cloud.

Once out of the cloud with the airlock door firmly closed behind her. she doused herself in dust from her inventory to douse the remaining acid and give herself material to make new smart matter skin to replace her destroyed skin nanites.

Congratulations! You lost sufficient main mass to lose bonus intelligence. This enabled the system to determine how much of a bonus you receive based on much dumber you are now. 18 hours removed from your partial system lockout.

What it was:

5(C ) Swarm Mind(Core Racial Power):

15(C ) Swarm Distributed Consciousness:

Now

4(C ) Swarm Mind(Core Racial Power):

12(C ) Swarm Distributed Consciousness

Ok so her main mass was her brain and losing some would either make her dumber or maybe make her lose memories again, neither option very good. Smart matter flesh and bone seemed pretty key, she needed to change the makeup of her bodies to be more like 80% smart matter shielding and 20% brain mass.

Omega Scouts dragonflies were only 10% brain mass, but making a lot of them was causing her to shrink as she explored. So she was on board with this new body configuration plan.

As she literally poured on mass. she grew until doctor Omega was full grown woman size again, then she made herself a little taller than she was before. Until she towered at 190 centimeters or about 6 foot 4, like a dark scientist amazon. Her new form had a few new outer layers of fat and muscle made of smart matter nanites, which when added to her new hight gave plenty of “meat shieling” for her more precious Mind Nanites that she had foolishly been making her whole main bodies out of.

Then she began mentally preparing herself for round 2, of talking to the AI in the Lab.