Chapter 123 What Did You Say About My Mother?!

I was pulled back into my body, but this was not my body. I felt a sharp pain in my head, and I groaned as my mind tried to comprehend what was happening.

I still couldn't move any body part, but I knew I was no longer human. I was now a machine incorporated into a tree, for lack of a better description at the moment.

[Systeminium level is at 23%]

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[Syncing with Host 45%]

[Uploading New functions, WARNING, will cause mental pain from sensory overload.]

Suddenly my head felt like a slot machine, but instead of the same rotating symbols, my mind was filled with new information, but it wasn't even information I could use or understand.

This was like being forced to read an instruction manual in another language I didn't know. At first, it wasn't that bad, but it didn't stop, and I had to read every word that ran by each eye.

Soon, I felt like my mind was being separated into two different things. It was like being inside a dream, and not at the same time, but the farther they stretched, the more stress it put on me.

[Upload complete!]

[Micro-Consciousness separation complete!]

It was like I had lost part of my mind, but it was a part that I never used. It was still within me, but now it was spread out over my body, independently controlling the highly complicated parts of my body.

[Syncing with Host 70%]

So many moving parts and things were crawling around inside of me, but it wasn't like bugs, just constant movement. I was aware of everything around me, and I could tell something was coming like a swarm of locusts.

[System Level 3 activated!]

[Syncing with Host complete!]

"Oh, that feels different," I said as I flexed my hands that were covered in black and silver circuit-like bark.

[Warning, Nanobots approaching.]

[Micro-Consciousness set to Chaos]

[Chaos Weapons systems engaged. Constant change to weapon and damage type. Auto Active Scan activated. Auto Adaptation activated.]

The trees in the massive room lit up as I slowly walked off of the pool and tree. My body was still undergoing adjustments, but they were happening in the background without my help.

I reached out to the side, and a sword instantly crystalized from my palm. I closed my hand around it, and the fingers on my other hand grew and became blades that crackled with electricity.

Then a black swarm came at me but then split into four. Each became a solid form of humanoids that had six arms and three legs.

"Can you talk?" I asked, but the one I was looking at just tipped its head at me, and they all attacked at once.

I dropped to my back, slammed the sword down to the ground, pierced easily, and slashed a rent in it. The four smashed together but then combined and shot down into me, pounding me through the slash in the ground as a rifle crystalized in my hand.

My claw hand smashed into the blackness, the electricity chained through, making it pull back. My hand became red and grew into a burning cannon that I fired into the black mass.

I was flung up into the air by my body through the hole I had just created, spinning in the air. My arm shifted back to a hand, and a kite shield crystalized in my hand to block the converging Nanobots.

I was pushed up in the air, but vines were crystalizing out from me, trying to create a massive dome. The Nanobots all forced their way inside, and I fired a shot off before my hand became a cannon that fired a green seed.

The Nanobots attacked the seed, momentarily distracted, but there were still more outside. They were small clumps that were constantly moving and staying out of my range while I was in the sphere.

Suddenly the seed burst and started to rapidly proliferate with black vines that started to absorb the Nanobot as my body scanned it up close. I started to learn what they were made from and how they worked, but then everything blew up in my face, to my surprise.

The clumps pulled back, and then I was left in silence, unsure what had just happened.

Did I just win?

"What does this mean?" I asked out loud, and Octavia replied in the same manner of the sounds coming from everywhere at once.

"That was the Nanobots testing you with one-fifth of the main body. They will be back to resume briefly."

"Really? Are you sure that you don't just want to fight me to get this over with?" I asked, but I got no response, but I could feel a greater number of Nanobots than before, and four times as much sounds about right.

Still, I had learned a great deal about them and would like to try something funny. I stuck my hand up and put my finger up, and the tip of it split open, emitting a high-pitched frequency that made all the Nanobots freeze but one very small one behind me.

Before I could turn it on, the Head Nanobot altered the frequency somehow, but within a second, they froze again. I was able to figure out what frequency it was using and alter it to work for myself.

"We can keep doing this, or I can blow this one up, and I don't think you can regrow it, right?" I asked as the Head Nanobot, fighting for control of the millions of microscopic Nanobots.

I had a full scan of the Head Nanobot now, so there was no way for it to hide anymore. No matter what trick it tried, I could instantly tell where it was.

The Nanobots suddenly all went offline, including the leader, falling to the ground. They were absorbed, but I scooped up some of them for myself, and they absorbed into my hand.

"Your new form completely exceeds my expectations. Your body's control barely gave the Nanobots any chance, and your ability to stop them was impressive. I think that if you had had any more time, you could have taken control of them," Octavia said, her voice hitting me from all angles.

"Yes, that is exactly what I was going to do, but that is fine; I can make my own now. So, what is next? You said you would take me into your world, right? the whole big fight thing? I dont really have a lot of time, remember?" I asked, but there was silence.

I waited, but nothing happened.

I walked back to the tree, heading back into the sparkling regeneration pool that was glowing green. There was still no sign of Octavia or anything else.

I would say she probably ran away if I didn't know that she was the ship. Unfortunately, I could never be so lucky, even if it was possible.

"Octavia! What are you doing!" I called from the pool, but still no answer.

This was starting to become strange, but the time spent in the rejuvenation pool increased my Systeminium levels. I wasn't sure if it was good for me to become one hundred percent, but I was only up to thirty-six percent.

I pulled up the screen for the Nanobots I had found, putting my thumb and index up to make a box around the screen. I stretched it out and started to get a better look at the living metal that was the Nanobot.

I could copy the Head Nanobot's frequencies, but I couldn't change them. I needed to get a hold of the Head Nanobot in order to figure that out, but I was being ignored.

I have been on the ship for two hours so far, but this was like back in the start. There were no signs of anything, but my body was slowly absorbing the ship into me.

"I don't think I can face you without guaranteeing that I will lose. You can probably almost take the ship from me at this point, so I am not sure there is much point in fighting. What do you want to do?"

"Go home! We have ass to kick in on the home world. We still have lots of time to prepare, but I think that you should still fight me. I need more power to get to the next level, so I need more new experience. I promise I won't take over the ship or go too wild!" I suggested, and I was almost positive I heard the AI sigh.

"If that is what you wish, then I will oblige you. Give me a moment to change the ship's course," Octavia explained, but I frowned.

"How far are we away from Earth?" I asked.

"Eight-five thousand kilometers," Octavia said, and I blinked.

"What did you just say about my mother?" I asked in a rage-filled shock.

"I said nothing about your mother."

"Not what I meant! How did you get any damn far away?!" I asked in just rage this time.

"I was supposed to do what I could to prevent you from returning. Now I don't have to," Octavia said in her same plain voice.

"Fine! Scratch the fight and what I said about not taking your body over!" I declared, and I could almost feel the AI flitch.