It began as soon as the text flashed across Varis sight. The shrieking, screeching? An impossible sound it felt like, as he fell over clutching at his ear. Only barely able to read the text as he focused on it. If only to prevent his screams from adding to the noise.

M.I.U Reactivated. Warning! Detecting severe corruption in the Neural Matrix of M.I.U Kelxath! Attempting system lockdown: Error! Lockdown override activated. Deactivating Spearhead Seven armor lockdown. Reactivating armor nanite mobilization. Reactivating combat implants. Deactivating safeties in mechanical enhancements. Deactivating biological safeties. Reactivating Hearing Dampener Control. System now toggle-able. Error! No connection to Imperium Battlenet. Attempting reconnect. Failure. Attempting Reconnect. Failure. Bypassing Battlenet operation requirements.

The noise seemed to grow louder, as he could almost make out a hint of voices behind it. Dozens of them, then hundreds. Shrieking, screaming, spouting gibberish or speaking in nonsensical sentences. It was maddening. As he tried to pull himself to his feet it spiked again, driving him to the floor. Now he screamed, and he couldn't even hear it as he thrashed wildly. He had no idea how long he lay there before the noise had stopped entirely, and he managed to come to his senses. The first thing he could see was the text taking up his vision, as Varis opened his eyes.

Beginning diagnostic. Detecting severe memory gaps in Minad Varis. Severe damage to Spearhead Seven and Minad body. Detecting missing equipment: Plasma Blade Bracers and Hex Shield System. Searching through current memory banks. Error! Corruption in memory banks. Attempting to repair. Time until repair: Unknown. Error: Communication Routines corrupted. Causing harm to user. Deactivating communication systems.

He took that in as he lay there, taking in the relative silence as he looked around from his position on the floor of his room. He could hear his heartbeat, and boots pounding on metal as the door to his room suddenly slid open and revealed the Minad in the doorway, a short figure with a duster covering their armor, a helmet covering their head. After taking in the room the armor seemed to change, as the Duster and most of the helmet became almost liquid and flowed down towards the figures back. Most of the armor under the duster did as well, while small plates that remained solid slid over the body and flowed out of sight over the figures shoulders. All that was left under the armor was a sort of blue under suit that seemed made more for comfort than utility

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

It was a woman, clearly enough, with short black hair and snow white skin. She glared at him with those fierce yellow eyes, before shaking her head and letting out what sounded suspiciously like a curse. "Krizol! Ah, what thing had you screaming like a child?" Stomping over as she looked him over. "Life Suit ripped and torn on you too. What shit are you pulling?"

Varis grimaced, grabbing the cot with his arm as he started to pull himself to his feet while apologizing. "Apologies, My...M.I.U reactivated. It was...the screaming was too much." He looked at his arm once he'd pulled himself up. The Armor was gone from it. It was also missing from the rest of his body, he had a thin suit on as well, though where hers was blue, in good condition and clearly more for comfort, his was a bright white. Entire chunks of it were missing and he could see the edges that had been torn off were...buzzing, as they seemed to be slowly attempting to seal the myriad of holes in the suit. Wires spanned most of it as well as several thin metal plates that seemed embedded into the thorax of the suit. He felt relieved that the armor wasn't stuck to him for good, and naked without it.

With that last thought he felt an odd prickling sensation rapidly spreading from his back as thin plates of metal slid into place all over his body, sliding over his back and outwards from the spine. Each plate began dispersing the same substance that her armor had become and within a second it took form into the layers of metal that made up his armor, familiar as it was to him now. Nanites came to mind, as he stared at the armor covering him.

She tilted her head at him as he stood, Varis could see the wheels spinning in her head almost. He could also see the glow from her eyes brighten as she looked up at his face. "You're that one with the damaged M.I.U, was told you might have a bad reaction when it turned back on...hell did you do to it to make that happen? They grow and change with us as we do. Freaky." She snorted as she turned to leave, and he could see her back, where a solid slab of metal seemed embedded where her spine was, it only stuck out from her back slightly but he could tell almost immediately what it was after his own experience. It was the armor plate.

Before the door shut, she called back to him "I'm Vristae, by the by. Remember that if we ever get slapped together for a mission." And then Vristae stalked off, the door sliding itself shut.

He frowned at that, if they evolved with their user...what had he actually done to turn it into this?