Humanity's Greatest Mecha Warrior System

Max had the androids spread out the bodies on the field outside the entrance to the shuttle and then get to work stripping off the armour and analyzing it for signs of uniform corruption that might be linked to the other layer.

They hadn't spent any serious time there yet, so there was a definite chance that they hadn't noticed a corrupting influence on their own equipment that would need to be counteracted to avoid ending up like these mindless berserkers.

The findings were amazing, even if they were largely inconclusive. It looked like these fighters came from a half dozen different species at the start, but they had all been evolving in the same direction as they were corrupted.

All of the mutations led them toward the path of a mindless close combat warrior, increasing their strength, agility, and the density of their bones.

"You know, it's like a basic version of your System. Only the mutations seem random and not optimized by the artificial intelligence.

See here where the bone structure has changed? This happens in over two-thirds of the species, but it is only the optimal path for under half of the specimens.

Instead of being individually optimized, they are all changing into the same thing." Lilith noted.

"Could it be a parasitic infestation?" Max asked.

"We can't rule it out, but we haven't managed to find any sort of pathogen."

Nico shook her head as Lilith spoke, then brought up a three-dimensional diagram of energy flows through the armour that had been removed from the enemy.

"I think that it is deliberate but not viral or organic in nature. This level of radiation would certainly cause mutation, but it isn't anything that we've seen before.

I didn't record it in the other layer, but it is similar to the life signs the demonic creatures we first encountered there gave off.

I think someone or something is trying to turn all these species into more of those creatures but hasn't been successful yet. Or perhaps it's just that these are the failed experiments.

The other ones were an energy-based species, so they might have tried to replicate the energy signal with this radiation in order to evolve their fighters, or perhaps they worship the beings of the other layer.

If they were coherent, we could have taken prisoners, but for now, we will have to live with speculation." Nico noted.

Khan checked the data that Nico had gathered and then sighed. "I think she is right. No matter how you look at it, this is a very specifically tailored radiation. Prolonged exposure would mutate the host, and it is possible that they would all begin to converge at a similar biology.

But genetically, that is insanity. The chances that such an experiment would be survivable and stable are incredibly low."

Max moved over and analyzed the armour pieces himself. The radiation seemed to flow through them, and it was directed inward, not outward. He could even find the circuitry that focused the energy, shaped like strange runes that nagged at the mind like a half-forgotten dream.

"It is deliberate. I think that these armour suits weren't designed for the wearers, though. See how the various base species vary in physique? Some seem to have mutated heavily, while others are close to their original form.

They had all adapted to the armour that they were wearing. When it was first put on, most of these suits would have fitted very poorly, but they kept wearing them as their body adapted.

I don't see any signs that the armour has been modified. All of the joints and fittings are well worn, so if they were altered, it wasn't recent, despite the fact that these fighters would have been mutating at a steady rate."

The data that the Androids had gathered supported that as well. They had noted that many of the fighters seemed to have grown into their armour plates, and some of them had even grown around them, merging the plating into their bodies like an augmentic addition.

That wouldn't have happened if it was ever removed or adjusted. Once this armour was put on, it never came off again until the day that they died.

That sounded suspiciously like a cult to Max, which made him think of the greater beings that he had sensed in the other layer.

If these fighters worshipped one of them, this might be a form of imitation or ritual worship. Dealing with Zealots was always a pain, but zealots who devoted their lives to mindless slaughter would be especially annoying.

He made a note of all of his suspicions and added them to the compiled data, along with all the specific references to surgical and medical data that he had compiled to support the thesis.

They would forward this to the deep thinkers, specifically the male Hunters and the Alliance so that they could spend the next few years trying to determine what the actual cause of the strange evolution was.

They loved it when he sent them new things. It kept hundreds of people busy for years trying to verify the theories that had been developed in combat and support the evidence that had been gathered with real science.

Well, love might have been an overstatement, but it did keep them busy and out of his hair.

Nico smiled at the increasing file size as they worked.

"I think we need a bit more data, don't you? These ones are mindless, but the ones that are currently in combat seem to have organized units, tactics and ranged weapons.

If we only send back data on the defective ones, we will skew the research, don't you think?" She asked.

"It looks like you win again. We are definitely going to need more data on this species, and it doesn't look like they're going to give it up without a fight." Khan agreed.

Lilith gave her a questioning look. "Can we even call this a species, though? Faction might be the better word. From what I can tell, there are a lot of species involved in this fight, and most of them are on one side.

It doesn't seem that they are attempting to assimilate the other side, so either it only works on some species, or they don't believe in forced conversions."