By the time the next morning rolled around, all three of us were once again sitting in the middle of the common room and idly chatting while we waited for the Colonel to arrive.

Finally, after a short time, we heard the hiss of the airlock and the door opened to reveal the Colonel standing with two guards accompanying him and we all stood up as he spoke.

"All right you three, time to go. Orders came down from above and you're all authorized for combat deployment so let's get a move on."

After he finished speaking he turned around to face the entrance of the airlock and wave his hand for us to follow him.

We joined him in the airlock and the door closed behind us, cycling before the other door opened.

We all walked through the observation room and into the hallway before preceding through into the cafeteria as the Colonel spoke up again.

"Grab what you want for breakfast. We'll eat before we head to the surface and board your transports."

I didn't feel hungry at all. In fact, ever since our transfers into our new bodies, none of us felt the urge to eat, drink, sleep, or use the bathroom anymore.

"You should eat something anyways." The woman's voice spoke within in my head. "I think you'll be pleasantly surprised with the results.

Following her suggestion, we all nod and get in line to pick out something to eat.

I grabbed a tray and loaded it up with meat and eggs, while Mindal and Rathor chose a more vegetarian meal, placing various fruits on their own trays.

We head to join the Colonel and the guards at a table towards the back of the room and dig in to our meals while he sips on a cup of coffee.

As I shovel food into my mouth, it travels down the back of my throat until it suddenly dissipates into nothingness.

Curiously, with every bite that dissolves, I can feel more and more nanites coming under my control and joining the trillions that make up my body.

"When you consume material, I can convert the ingested matter into more nanites for you to control." The woman says. "Until you have the self control needed to consume matter with touch alone, make sure to eat as much as you can, as that will be the best way to reinforce your body."

After finishing my meal, I still don't feel any hunger, but I also feel like I could keep eating forever so I get back in line to pile more food on my tray.

I keep eating, going back for thirds, fourths, and even fifths, until eventually the Colonel cuts me off, telling me to save some for the other staff at The Lab.

I smile sheepishly, but secretly I'm happy with the results of my binge eating, feeling almost a quarter more dense and weighing 20 pounds more.

Once everyone finishes their meals, we all get up from the table and turn our trays into the cleaning station before heading down the hallway that leads to the elevators.

We all pile inside before the Colonel scans his wrist to the panel in the wall, and we start to ascend to the surface at a rapid pace.

Once the doors open, we exit and make our way through the city beneath the dome, idly admiring the scenery through the glass walls once more.

We continue through the network of twisting hallways until finally we arrive at a massive hangar filled with maintenance crews buzzing about.

Waiting for our arrival are two brand new, armored transport ships, sporting a wide variety of deadly weaponry that no doubt cost a fortune.

When we enter the hangar the Colonel suddenly stops before pulling out an LCD pad and addressing us.

"It looks like my initial guess about your assignments was correct. Mindal and Rathor, command has assigned both of you to work together and clear out an infested mine below the surface of Urtol's moon while the Lieutenant will be sent to find and retrieve a surveying team that we lost contact with a few days ago in the cave systems of the main planet."

"After combat testing, I'm more than confident you can handle yourselves, but I've assigned you 30 men in total, clad in full armor and armed to the teeth, just in case."

As he spoke, 30 soldiers, clad in full suits of plasteel armor and carrying various weaponry entered the hangar from what I could only assume were the barracks.

He gestured towards the men before continuing.

"20 men will be going on the extermination mission with Mindal and Rathor, while 10 of them will accompany the Lieutenant."

"As you know, the goal of this assignment is to test your combat prowess within an actual battlefield, but I want to stress the importance of minimal damage. We don't want any cave-ins or accidents resulting in unnecessary losses."

After he finishes, we all nod, before he calls the men over to join us.

"I'd now like to introduce you all to your squad captains."

He beckons to three men who are wearing notably more ornate armor than the rest and they step forward.

"These men are Sergeant Rem, Sergeant West, and Sergeant Slek." He said moving from right to left.

"Rem will be assigned to Mindal, West to Rathor, and Slek will be with you, Lieutenant."

"These men will be in charge of handling your communications with command, rooting out any enemies, and providing medical aid to any survivors you may encounter."

"They are not your babysitters. You are on a mission, and their purpose will be to help you accomplish that mission, not to bail you out for stupid mistakes."

"The Sergeants will all be relaying your combat data to command, so make sure they're with you at all times, or the Federation will assume the worst." He finished with a grim look on his face.

We all nod towards our respective Sergeants, and they return it before the Colonel continues.

"I've acquired two top of the line warships for you, so make sure to utilize them well. But they're not cheap, so don't trash them before you finish your mission."

"Now, if there's nothing else, I wish you good luck and officially authorize your departure."

We all nod and head with our respective groups to board our ships.

The ships depart shortly after, with pilots expertly maneuvering them through the dense atmosphere, before we join the que to enter the warp gate.

As we wait for our turn, one of the men in my squad speaks, addressing me with a curious tone.

"No disrespect sir, but I was told that you were some kind of super soldier but you just look some normal guy!"

I laugh for a few seconds before responding to his question.

"If you're that curious then I might as well show you something to inspire a little confidence in you all."

I figured that will all these new nanites in my body, I might as well try something new, so I begin to mold them into a form that I believed would properly represent my power.

The men all stare in awe as my pale skin suddenly disappears, being replaced by swirling black fluid flowing through my body.

The nanites twist and turn as a tall, heavily armored figure materializes before their very eyes, before eventually, a 14 foot tall man, clad in a suit of black and red armor stands before them, causing many of the men to gasp in amazement.

I then revert back to my human form, and the Sergeant gives me a sharp nod, signifying his satisfaction with my abilities.

There were no more questions after that, as our ship journeyed through the warp gate and made its' way through the sickly green Urtolian atmosphere.

We continue our descent until we reach our destination and the ground opens up beneath us, revealing a large bunker hangar, allowing us to land.

After landing, the ships ramp lowers, and a small contingent of sharply dressed bunker staff await us on the hangar floor.

I depart first, leading the way, and the group walks forward to approach me. When we meet a man with the rank of a Second Lieutenant speaks up, addressing me directly.

"Welcome to bunker X1S Lieutenant. Allow us to escort you to the briefing room while your squad heads to the armory to stock up before your mission."

I nod in confirmation, before nodding at my Sergeant, which he returns, and follow the Lieutenant through the bunker and arriving at a small room with a large LCD screen embedded in the wall.

In the center of the room a large, rectangular table rests with five men seated around it. When we enter all of the men stand up and face us before the Lieutenant tells them to take their seats and sits at the head of the table.

I take the seat opposite of him, the chair groaning slightly under my weight, before the Lieutenant presses a button on the table and the LCD screen comes to life.

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"What you see in front of you is our current map of the area's expansive cave networks." He explains as a twisting network of tunnels and caves appears on the screen before us.

He presses a button and a red line appears on within the cave tunnels, twisting and turning before stopping abruptly at an unmapped section.

"This is the path our survey team took through the mapped caves before entering the unmapped zone."

"Their objective was to find new, untapped resources deep within the caves before the Federation would begin mining operations to exploit said resources."

"As you can see, their trail ends, right as they crossed the threshold into the unknown and we they missed their required check-in nearly three days ago."

"They were supposed to be setting up communication beacons as they went so we could reach them and track their movements, but our initial recovery team found absolutely no sign of them past their last known location."

"They searched for over two days before encountering a small horde of adult Kryssiks, causing them to retreat back to the bunker and halting any further expeditions, until the Federation graciously offered your squad to attempt a more thorough search effort."

"The goal of this mission will to find and recover any survivors of the survey team with any means necessary. We expect you will encounter large amounts of resistance from the native wildlife so we'll make sure your men are well supplied."

I nod before he continues.

"We'll supply you with a beacon tracker, allowing you to follow their path to the last know location and provide you with enough food, weapons, and ammo to last you for as long as it takes to find them."

"Do you have any questions."

I shake my head no.

"Very well, I'll let you get back to your men to prepare for the expedition."

As I stand and begin to leave the room he speaks up again.

"Oh and one more thing. Even if the entire survey team is found to be deceased, we ask that you locate their data pad and return with their mineral data."

I turn towards him and nod before leaving the room and following the hallway signs to the armory.

When I arrive, the armorer is standing outside the door, looking irritated until he spots me.

"Good, you're here!" He exclaims.

"Come collect your men before they take every single weapon and bullet we have!"

As he speaks, the door opens and out walks my Sergeant, followed by my squad.

They're all covered in bandoleers, strung over their armor haphazardly like some kind of action film.

Every single one of them are carrying a large bag chock full of weapons and ammo in each hand, with the last man holding a huge 60mm anti material rifle and large bag of ammo to match.

I chuckle internally as I would have done the same if I had to fight Kyrissiks again without my new body, and I nod at the Sergeant before we head to the cafeteria.

When we arrive, the head cook, beckons us into the kitchen and leads us to 16 large bags filled to the brim with preserved rations.

I sling 6 bags over my shoulder, carrying the weight easily, and each soldier grabs one as well before the cook points us in the direction of the cave entrance, and we head off to start our misson.

When we arrive, the first thing I notice is the massive plasteel door in front of us.

It must have been nearly 6 feet thick, but had enormous dents pressing inwards from the caves outside.

When we arrive at the door, the Lieutenant is waiting for us. He wishes us good luck before scanning his wrist to a panel, forcing the door to open with a loud creaking sound, and revealing an empty, winding tunnel, filled with bioluminescent plant life.

As I give the Lieutenant a nod, my squad steps into the tunnel and the door shuts behind us, until we're left alone in the dimly lit cave.

I look towards my Sergeant as he pulls out the beacon tracker and we begin our trek through the dark, eerie tunnel.

We walk in silence for a long time, with the slightest skittering from small creatures or the clatter of stones under foot being the only noise permeating the darkness.

Eventually, after a few hours we arrive at the survey team's last know location and gather around a small, flashing beacon hammered into the stone walls to plan out our next steps.

"What do you think Lieutenant?" Says the Sergeant at he gestures towards a split in the tunnel in front of us.

"Give me a second to think" I say. "If we get lost within these caves, we might never find our way out."

I stand in front of the split for a while, pondering the situation, until the woman speaks.

"The nanites are picking up traces of past human activity leading down the tunnel to the left."

"What do you mean traces of activity?" I say. "I don't see anything."

"The nanites can detect traces of chemicals in the air like sweat and pheromones. By using these traces, I can approximate a direction of travel to follow the path of the humans that were here before us."

Using this information I tell my squad that we'll be taking the left path first and my Sergeant responds with a nod before we start walking again.

We travel through the caves for another couple of hours, coming across two more splits, which my nanites guide us through, until we arrive at a massive cavern filled with glowing vegetation.

The ceiling of the room must have been nearly 50 feet tall with large pillars of crystalized minerals bridging the distance between the ceiling and the floor.

As we stare in amazement at the sight before us, we're suddenly brought back to reality when the sound of hundreds of skittering legs reaches our ears from deep in the cavern.

We slowly make our way towards the noise, until we're right next to them.

I slowly peek around a pillar to get a look at what's making the noise and stare in amazement a the sight before me.

In front of me are over a thousand small Kryssiks, only about the size of a small dog. Their mineralized exoskeletons sparkly beneath the glowing lights in the cavern as they feast on the crystalline pillars supporting the ceiling of the cave.

Despite the beautiful sight, I soon spot the real danger. Two large Kryssiks, standing 6 feet tall, with transparent crystalline exoskeletons.

I slowly retreat back behind the pillar and gingerly make my way back to my squad.

"We've got a problem." I say quietly when I return. "There's over a thousand Kryssiks on the other side of that pillar, with two large adults watching over them.

My Sergeant nods before responding with a whisper.

"Not a problem sir, we can handle them."

"Handle them?!" I whisper incredulously. "They out number us a hundred to one!"

The Sergeant just smiles and points at the man holding the anti-material rifle before responding.

"What do you think we brought that thing for?"

Accepting this, I talk quietly with my group, creating a battle plan, before a few minutes later, I step out from behind the pillar in front of an army of Kryssiks and shout as loud as I can.

After I shout the entire cave goes silent, as over a thousands adolescent Kryssiks, along with two angry adult all turn to look at the cause of the commotion.

Then suddenly, without warning, a wave of legs and teeth surge forwards towards me, and I take off running towards my squad.

The Kryssiks follow me around around the pillar, intent on an easy meal, and are not expecting the carnage that awaits them on the other side.

As soon as the tidal wave of legs turn the corner, I turn around to face them while my squad opens fire.

Bullets punch through their crystal armor like paper, tearing limbs from bodies and showering the cave in a gore with a glorious display of Human ingenuity.

As dozens of adolescent Kryssiks are turned into wall decorations, the front of the wave slows down, attempting to flee back into the horde, but with the rear of the swarm still charging around the pillar, they're crushed beneath the weight of hundreds of their brothers and sisters as the wave continues forward.

The carnage continues for a short while, as Kryssiks begins to slip and slide across the now wet floor without a single one making it through, until finally the adults arrive.

Charging through the wave, the adults crush dozens of their children under foot as they advance through the swarm, trying to keep their footing atop the scores of crushed bodies beneath them.

As they approach, I change into my armored form, morphing into to the massive armored figure I had shown the squad on the ship.

I charge into the fray, smashing and ripping at the swarm, and sending Kryssiks flying into the walls and ceiling.

When I finally work my way to the adults, I smash my feet into the ground through the pile of bugs below and send spikes into the floor to anchor myself soundly.

I ready myself to collide with an adult charging at me but it never makes it far enough.

With a resounding BOOM, the anti-material rifle discharges, sending a 60mm shell hurtling towards the adult.

It flies through the air faster than the speed of sound, and collides with the body of the adult before ripping through its' armor and detonating in a massive explosion that sends shockwaves through the air as body parts fly in every direction.

I turn to see a spent casing fly out of the gun, as the loader rams another round into the breech, and the gunner pulls the trigger dispense the same fate to the other adult.

With another BOOM, the last adult is turned into minced meat, leaving only a few hundred of adolescent Kryssiks for us to finish off.

I stomp and sweep my arms through the writhing mass of legs and teeth surrounding me as my men help me whittle down their numbers with their own weapons. until finally, after the last Kryssick is killed, the cave returns to near silence, only broken by the smoldering of pieces of adult Kryssik littering the room.

As the men take stock of their remaining ammo, I pick through the pile of bodies, looking for any survivors.

Suddenly the woman speaks.

"Would you like to consume the Kryssik biomass?"

"What?!" I say. "I can do that!?"

"Of course you can, you've got good enough control now, and it'd be a shame for all of it to go to waste." She responds.

I accept, and stick my arm deep into the pile of bodies, allowing her to work her magic.

I watch as trillions of nanites spread out through the bodies, covering their exoskeletons in a viscous, black fluid.

Slowly, over the next few minutes I can feel the density of my body increasing tenfold as the pile of bodies slowly begins to shrink.

When the pile finally disappears, and the nanites return to my arm, I feel much heavier, but also stronger, as bundles of nanites ripple throughout my body.

"Absorption successful. I estimate a 2000% increase in nanite density overall."

"What exactly does that mean? Is the amount of nanites I have important?" I ask.

"The higher the density of nanites your body contains, the more processing power they'll have, allowing you to perform more complex task and increase your efficiency during combat." She responds.

"So what you're basically saying is if I consume more material, I'll increase my mass and that will allow me to kill stuff better?" I ask.

"Mostly correct. However, as you gain more mass, you'll be able to use new abilities, such as creating your own weapons and even construct complex structures."

After she finishes explaining this, I turn away from the blood stained floor where the pile of bodies had previously stood and walked back towards my men, who were now waiting patiently for me after finishing their ammo count.

As I walk, I notice how much heavier I am now. My footsteps which had previously been silent, now echoed throughout the cavern with a loud THUMP with ever step I made.

When I returned for my men, they stood facing me, their faces wearing expressions of awe after witnessing me absorb the giant pile of bodies, and a soldier speaks up.

"I don't mean to pry sir, but what the fuck was that? You just made a pile of over a thousand bodies disappear in a few minutes!"

"Just a perk of my body." I reply with a laugh. "I'm able to absorb material and convert it into more useful things. Speaking of useful things, how's our ammo count looking Sergeant?"

Seemingly unbothered, the Sergeant replies, informing me that we burned through over half our ammo during that battle.

"Would you like to use your mass to create more ammo? You just need to absorb a single cartridge and I can produce copied for you." The woman spoke in my mind.

I mentally accepted, and after coaxing one of the men with much reluctance to hand me a cartridge, it dissolved into my hand before I felt an odd sensation like something being forced through my skin.

To everyone's astonishment, thousands of cartridges began to flow out of my hand and on to the ground, before one of the men rushed to place an ammo bag below it.

They continued to fall and I felt my mass slowly decrease until the bag was completely full, and the men began reloading magazines with the bullets.

"Now that's a neat trick sir." Said the Sergeant as he reloaded his own mags. "I'm suddenly feeling a lot better about the outcome of this mission."

Once the men had finished, we all took a seat beneath the glowing vegetation, peppering the ceiling of the cavern to have a meal before we continued deeper into the cave system.

The Sergeant offered me a ration, to which I refused, informing them that I didn't need to eat, drink, or sleep.

"Well I guess we know who's on guard duty!" One of the men said with a laugh before continuing.

"But in all seriousness, what the heck are you? You don't need food or water, you don't need to sleep, you were tearing through those bugs like nothing, and then you absorbed all of their bodies like some kind of monster!"

"To be honest I'm not really sure." I said. "The Federation didn't exactly share the blueprints for this body with me. I'm still trying to figure out my capabilities in this body but so far I'm impressed."

"Just impressed!?" The man said. "Being able to create ammo from dead Kryssiks seems more than just impressive!"

"I guess you're right." I said with mirth in my voice. "It is pretty cool."

We continued our idle chatter until they finished their meals and we gathered our supplies once again before continuing our journey through the cave.