(warning this will be gorey )
Lincoln sat between Lisa and Ben as they ate the meal provided by Ozone the lights began to flicker before a massive crash.
It was chaotic for the next few minutes when the fire alarm went off.
"the nanites," Lip yelled, pointing to the doors leading to the stairs.
The door fell apart consumed by the nanites as more seeped in through other doors electrical sockets and even the lights.
"What the hell," Ben yelled in shock. Jumping away from his phone which he was charging in a moment the phone was consumed.
"Everyone gets in the middle of the room to drop any metal and electronic devices," Lisa yelled.
They followed her instructions and fathers around.
"This can't be happening, I'm too young to die," Chole screamed, hiding behind Pedro.
"This is impossible because nanites have a very basic AI. There's no way they could go rogue," Chuck explained.
"Wait, you know About their AI," Lincoln asked.
"yeah I uh helped Kris with it he had a problem with them eating each other so I took a look over it," Chuck explained.
"Safety settings, how are they controlled," Lincoln asked.
"uh safety features they need to be specifically told to consume organic material they are controlled by a single unit Kris calls Sol to prevent hacking instead of connecting through wireless signals it goes by a relay you disconnect them they just kinda stop," Chuck explains.
"Ok well if they don't eat organic material then we can just walk through them," Ben asked.
"Are you going to test that theory dweeb," Gwen asks just as a piece of the roof fell next to them.
Ben gulped but Lincoln didn't; he ran right into the nanites. They completely ignored him.
"Come on, let's go," Lincoln said, ushering them on.
As they ran down Lincoln realized something there was no doubt more people unaware that the nanites wouldn't eat them and with the building coming apart.
"Come on Lincoln," Lisa said looking up to her brother who was still ushering them on.
"There are more people who would need help upstairs that could be trapped," Lincoln explained, "I'll go upstairs call people out get as many as possible out you guys call out as you go down,"
Lisa just nodded as they continued running down the stairs except for Ben who just smiled and joined him once the others were out of view and transformed into wild Mut.
"Perfect," Lincoln said as they ran up the stairs.
"Ringo scans for people how many are in the building," Lincoln asked.
"37 but thair is shielding preventing my scans from telling if there are people inside in the labs," Ringo explained.
"Ben I'll check the labs you handle the others,"
Lincoln made his way to the first set of labs and found them empty; it was the same till he made his way to the top floor and found the door to Kris's lab sealed tight unlike the others. It took Lincoln throwing his full strength to pry the door open and the first thing he noticed was the smell it was a pungent sulfuric smell the room was dark with a few lights Nick Ozone lay on the floor bleeding a chunk of stone a few inches from his head Lincoln quickly got to his side that is when he saw Kris or what was left.
Kris was covered in nanites their lower body was completely gone they lay in a pool made from a mix of their blood and stomach bile, Lincoln could see their exposed ribs spine longs and still beating heart, thair arms were coated in nanites that made it up to their head where the nanites ate into their skull.
"Please… please… stop… this…," Kris gasped, raising an arm causing nanites to fall as they pointed with their exposed muscle hands to a computer that was being consumed by the nanites.
Lincoln took the computer and had Ringo connect to it.
" I can't cancel the order," Ringo explained.
" Why," Lincoln asked.
"The nanites are the only thing keeping Kris alive. If I cancel the order they will die," Ringo explained.
"Are you hiding me that… that's not life," Lincoln said, his face growing dark.
"I understand but I can't harm life," Ringo explained.
" then… then how don't stop it," Lincoln asked.
Ringo explains how and when it came to the last step Lincoln looked to Kris and by this point, the nanites had eaten further into them Lincoln finally ended it and watched as what remained of Kris collapsed. Lincoln took Nick outside, laying him with the few who had been injured, and walked out of sight before collapsing and throwing up.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Hours later xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX
The Ozone staff was sending the campers home tomorrow but for tonight they were being put up in a hotel as Nick and the few others injured were rushed to a nearby hospital. Lincoln was off on his own when Lisa found him.
"hello male sibling," she said, causing Lincoln to jump.
"Oh hey Lisa," Lincoln said, putting on a fake smile.
"I was hoping to give you this on better conditions but I don't think that will be any time soon," Lisa said, handing him a box.
Opening it was a set of armbands slipping them on he noticed a button on one pressing it the bands expanded to cover his entire body.
"I fingered out you and Ben are behind the "heroes" appearing around the country. I'm not sure how but I think this will help, it is made if my smart metal is lightweight and durable. It also allows for colour alteration here is the manual," Lisa explains handing Lincoln a small thumb drive.
"Thanks, Lisa… would you mind keeping this between us," Lincoln asked.
"Of course brother but I must ask how you are capable of these tests and bens transformations," she asked.
"Well I'm not sure how to best explain it, oh I know, put this on," Lincoln said, taking off and handing her ringo.
Lisa curious puts it on and blanks out for a moment before taking a deep breath.
"Amazing aliens exist and the potential of the ring that built them is a revelation," Lisa rambled as she listed off more and more that she had learned from those few seconds.
"What did you show her," Lincoln asked.
"Just what has happened to us since we met," Ringo explained.
Lincoln looked confused for a second before he realized he had just given Lisa a glimpse of tech she never could have imagined before.
"Uh Lisa couldn't get Ringo back," Lincoln asked.
"what oh yeah just to think of what could be done with the antigrav tech alone could change so much and oh OH wow uh…," Lisa stopped removing ringo.
"Uh, what's wrong," Lincoln asked.
"I may have given her the schematics for the anti-gravity boots and she no longer wishes to hand me over," Ringo explains.
"Well just think of all the good I could do with Ringo," Lisa argued.
"Look Lisa I get it but all the trouble ringo brings but look ringo can connect to the internet im sure he can help you even if he's not on your finger," Lincoln pointed out.
"That is logical and I do suppose the anti-gravity will take me a few weeks or months to figure out," Lisa said handing ringo over.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx In the Ozone Lab ruins xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX
Inside what remains of Kris was a group of nanites they were created by an error caused by the conflicting programming telling them not to consume organic matter and the order to consume all that Nick Ozone had created these nanites were made from both organic and inorganic material they had a basic rudimentary intelligence and we're slowly consuming what they could as the AI took on a personality based off the data they had gained from Kriss's laptop.
