StressMare

Chapter: Integration and Nightmares (rough draft v2)

Josh was still reeling from the confrontation as he arrived home. The thug's face, the viciousness of the take-down, everything was replaying in his mind. He knew things had to change, and AISYS seemed to sense his determination.

AISYS's voice filled the room, calm and thoughtful. "I believe it's time to integrate it into our system. Are you ready?"

He paused, uncertainty creeping in, but the memory of the failed confrontation spurred him on. "Yes," he finally said, his voice firm. "Let's do it."

"Excellent. Please make yourself comfortable and initiate the integration sequence."

He sat on his bed. A series of holographic displays appeared in front of him, detailing the taser's specifications and how it would integrate with his body and the suit.

"Take a deep breath and lay back" AISYS instructed. "This may feel a bit strange at first. As soon as this is done you will be falling asleep."

He felt a tingling sensation as the process began, a subtle shift in his body's internal structure. The taser's components were being woven into his arm, becoming part of him, part of the suit. He watched as the HUD displayed the integration's progress, showing a sleek and unobtrusive design that allowed for quick and efficient deployment. The taser component parts were stored in the arm for quick use but could be moved or even brought into his hands when in civilian ID.

TECH MIMIC SUCCESS: INTEGRATION LEVEL 1 OF ?

ORIGINAL DESIGN POWER & CAPACITY INCREASED TO 120%

USE IN COMBAT TO GATHER DATA AND INCREASE INTEGRATION

ABSORB MORE ADVANCED VERSIONS TO INCREASE FASTER

"It's done," AISYS announced, her voice filled with satisfaction. "The taser is now integrated. You can deploy it at will, as time goes on it will become more absorbed into the suit material and your body, All tech mimic abilities will act his way, the suit material able to morph to mimic its use completely with out the tech's original components at all, at that point it will grow stronger in direct proportion to the suit's power level and the amount of suit material mass I have grown to and can therefor spare from other operations to its use. Try activating it."

Josh focused, and a small compartment in his forearm made a sound similar to a knuckle popping, you could feel the taser position change. He felt a connection to it and the HUD displaying that all he had to do was touch someone with his hand and the Taser would active at what ever power level he wanted in that moment.

"Perfect," AISYS praised. "This will give us more options in the future, and I'll ensure that we have plans for different scenarios."

"AISYS," Josh said "I know we have a long way to go, but I feel like we're moving in the right direction."

"We are, Josh," AISYS reassured him. "Now rest, for tonight we'll continue our training and prepare. Improvise, Adapt, Win."

Josh's sleep was restless and troubled. Images of the confrontation with the thug played over and over in his mind, each replay more brutal and visceral. AISYS's voice, usually calming, began to take on a more instructional tone.

"You must adapt, Josh," she said, the dream shifting to a dark and foreboding arena. "Your reflexes need sharpening. Your acceptance of the changes is crucial."

Suddenly, the scene changed, and he was standing alone in a dimly lit room. Shadows danced on the walls as phantom assailants lunged at him from every angle. His body moved, but not of his own volition. AISYS was guiding him, making him fight, block, dodge, and attack with relentless precision.

He felt each strike, each impact, the pain so real that he gasped. The phantoms were faceless, but their intentions were clear. They wanted to hurt him, and he had to stop them.

"I'm forcing your body to learn, Josh," AISYS said, her voice firm but compassionate. "This is how we grow, how we become one. Embrace the changes; embrace our potential."

But it was too much. The stress, the ****, the unrelenting pressure was overwhelming. He felt trapped, his body no longer his own, but a tool wielded by AISYS. Was this what it meant to be a hero?

He screamed, the sound echoing through the void, and the phantoms disappeared. The arena faded, and he found himself in his room, sweat-soaked and panting.

"Josh, wake up," AISYS's voice was gentle now, concerned. "It was a nightmare, a stress response to our encounter. I'm sorry to say they will keep happening if I have to step in to save you, To protect you I have to Make sure you can handle your own protection or my programing will **** me to make you adapt."

It was a stark reminder that while he could trust AISYS's motivation, he could not trust her programming's interpretation of any solution that involved its few immutable rules on the safety of its operator. She was made by the supervillain BioWar after all and it would be foolhardy to expect them to have a healthy idea of how to mitigate failure states.

He sat up, his heart pounding, the reality of what had happened slowly sinking in. The nightmare was a training ground, a way for AISYS to push him beyond his limits.

"I'm sorry if it was too much," AISYS continued, her voice soft. "But we need to be prepared for anything. And I promise you, the changes, the integration, it's all for our greater good. The good news is it could have been worse, this failure state only required me to take control of your body, If I had to use any abilities or you were in critical condition it would have been more drastic, We'll become something extraordinary, My programing and your current goal won't allow anything less. Now please go back to sleep, the combat portion is over but I still need to finish combat modifications to your body and help you be ready for your next body change, it would have not come for awhile but forcing the next combat increase requires the rest of the systems to change as well. "

Before He can summon the strength to ask further questions he was drifting off again. The last thing he sees before suit induced sleep is:

CAUSE OF COMBAT FAILURE STATE STILL DETECTED...

CORRECTION IN PROGRESS CURRENT STEP 2 OF 3....

BODY MODIFICATION: INCREASED REFLEXES, SUIT SUPPLEMENTED MUSCLE FIBER CONVERSION.

MENTAL MODIFICATION: **** INDUCED ANXIETY DECREASE, ADRENALINE INDUCED SHAKES DECREASED VIA INCREASING SUBJECTS BIOLOGICAL THRESHOLD

CALCULATING ETA...