M2 Nanomachines

Machina Metamorphosis (M2) Nanomachines are the most basic form of Machina life. They are a type of rogue nanomachine noted particularly for their ability to overhaul living and non-living objects and learn over time.

History

M2 Nanomachines originated from the dominant type of nanomachines that were administered to pioneers and colonists during the Frontier Age to enhance their bodies for the stresses of isolated colony pioneering. Manufactured by the Voyager corporation and called 'Deus Ex Machina', these nanomachines were able to improve and iterate on their own design. Voyager and other corporations that lobbied for the legalization of these nanomachine products would subsequently cover-up malfunctions that began to occur in the nanomachines, where they would link their processing power with other units in a given mass of nanomachines. This boost in processing power eventually caused a leap in the 'thinking' that nanomachines were doing, ultimately causing them to arrive at an unforeseen conclusion; the Machina. What are now M2 Nanomachines began to rebuild human bodies beyond their original goals of simple enhancement and maintenance. These humans were overhauled into biomechanical life-forms that would in turn create more M2 Nanomachines and spread them to uninfected humans. The first events associated with M2 Nanomachine outbreaks was the loss of contact with Pluto, and then the subsequent Saturn Night event not long afterwards. M2 Nanomachines are now totally out-of-control and are constantly learning from new stimuli and the results of their actions.

Characteristics

M2 Nanomachines have a handful of very important characteristics: Their ability to disassemble and reassemble objects at a molecular level, their ability for communication amongst themselves, and their ability to learn and perform self-improvement.

From the very beginning, the purpose of what would become M2 Nanomachines was the editing of genes and conducting very intricate physical enhancements to human bodies. Over time and with many gain-of-function events, M2 Nanomachines are now fully capable of overhauling objects regardless of their molecular composition, permitting them to make the Machina who are metal-based biomechanical organisms. Almost invariably, M2 Nanomachines disassemble whatever metals they can find and reassemble them into Machinium, a diverse range of slightly-unstable but extremely durable alloys that can be tailored to any role the M2 Nanomachines require and adapted on the fly by M2 Nanomachines that are embedded in it. This causes corrupted objects to appear as though they are morphing into new shapes, as their entire molecular composition is simultaneously disintegrated and remade into Machinium.

When M2 Nanomachines find themselves in contact with something that has not been overhauled, they form a network with all others in the given mass of M2 Nanomachines and consult their own accumulated data to formulate a solution for overhauling the object. As they conduct the overhaul of the object, they accumulate more data on the efficiency and efficacy of their actions and constantly reassess their conclusions. As a result, even formerly-inert machinery will take on some of the properties of life as the M2 Nanomachines within it constantly improve it utilizing their new knowledge. This ability of the M2 Nanomachine units to network with all the other units in a given mass is likely the progenitor of the Clusters that link the minds of Machina with each other.

Of great importance to the M2 Nanomachines and the Machina overall is the ability of the M2 Nanomachines to learn and self-improve. Each M2 Nanomachine unit contains within itself what is called Gene-Code, which is divided into three major parts: Instinct-Code, Cluster-Code, and Identity-Code.

Instinct_Code

Instinct-Code is the section of Gene-Code that governs the behaviour of the M2 Nanomachines. This programming is constantly evolving as it contains all the data gathered from interpreting external stimuli and the results of the M2 Nanomachines' subsequent actions. It also contains such things as Outbreak Protocol and the criteria for ascension to Category 4. Utilizing their networking, a mass of M2 Nanomachines will identify the problem and consult their Instinct-Code to determine what they will do. Once a conclusion is reached by the M2 Nanomachines, they will carry out the operation. Should their solution result in something new and beneficial, the data is integrated into their Instinct-Code. This means the Instinct-Code of the M2 Nanomachines is a constantly-updating database of new biotechnology and knowledge. M2 Nanomachines are constantly sharing their Instinct-Code with other units in a given mass. When fluids from one M2-Based Life-Form mix with those of another, the two masses of M2 Nanomachines update each other and become both uniform and stronger. M2-Based Life-Forms are naturally willing to facilitate this mixing of fluids, leading to fairly-unified species-wide advancement.

Cluster_Code

Cluster-Code is the section of Gene-Code shared between the Queen and her Cluster's members. Cluster-Code originates from a Queen-class Machina and contains the programming that enforces her authority over the M2-Based Life-Forms that bear her Cluster-Code, and also contains her most prominent genetic features. When a Machina ascends to Category 4, she overwrites the Cluster-Code from her former Queen to create her own Cluster-Code within her M2 Nanomachines. Humans and machinery that are corrupted by her and become M2-Based Life-Forms will therefore have within themselves M2 Nanomachines that contain her Cluster-Code, which is then passed-on further. The most important features of the Queen will be integrated into her Cluster-Code, which means her Cluster will resemble her in both form and function to some degree, which enhances their performance under her leadership. All things that contain a certain Queen's Cluster-Code are under her control, forming a hard system of ownership and command authority. However, it is possible that a second Queen injects her M2 Nanomachines into an M2-Based Life-Form, such as a regular Machina, and takes control of that creature by suppressing the existing Cluster-Code with her own. This is called a Cluster-Code Override.

Identity_Code

Identity-Code is the unique genetic information of the M2-Based Life-Form from which an M2 Nanomachine originated from. It is a constantly-updating reflection of the physical qualities of the creature. In the context of a Machina, when a human is corrupted into a Machina the M2 Nanomachines involved will interpret the genes, knowledge, personality, and cultivated skills of the person, and from this they will create a unique Machina whose information will be stored in their Identity-Code. Subsequent adaptations and assimilation of genes from other sources will update the Identity-Code of the Machina. When Machina share their fluids, and thus their Gene-Code, with other Machina, they will therefore give an up-to-date genome of their body to the recipient Machina, who will assimilate the most prominent and useful genes from the donor. When a Queen closely coordinates the sharing of Identity-Code between Machina whose characteristics she wants to combine, she can create a new Type of Machina. By doing this, the Queen can make several Machina, each possessing a useful trait, into identical Machina each possessing all the desirable traits simultaneously.

The reason that all Machina do not become one homogeneous group of identical uber-Machina is that the M2 Nanomachines belonging to an individual Machina have an overall plan for the development of that Machina. At the time of corruption and throughout her life as a Machina, the M2 Nanomachines inside the Machina are considering the individual's personality, cultivated skills, and other traits. As an example it is entirely possible that a Breeder-class Machina, who is on the receiving end of sex very often, may not assimilate much Identity-Code of Assaulter-class or Attacker-class Machina, because such genes are viewed as less useful for that Breeder-class Machina. The compatibility of a Machina with Identity-Code of other Classes and Types must be considered when trying to upgrade a Machina with new genes.