The post Chapter 6: “Nano No-No” appeared first on The Misfire Comics.
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Maxx Mercer’s keycard never worked on the first try. Or the second.
Or, in today’s case, the first twelve.
He waved it across the security scanner outside Lab 42B, which buzzed red with the same smugness as a bouncer at a velvet rope.
“Come on,” Maxx muttered, swiping again. “This is literally my job, I work here. I have the badge, the boots—one of which still squeaks—but this is me!”
The scanner blinked green.
Maxx smiled.
Then the door exploded open, launching him into a wall of foam packing peanuts.
“WELCOME TO THE FUTURE OF MICROENGINEERING!” bellowed a voice through the lab’s intercom.
Maxx staggered to his feet, spitting out foam. “I think I landed in a packing slip.”
Inside, dozens of microdrones hovered around a central console. Scientists scurried behind glass observation decks, clearly not expecting company. In the center of the chaos was a sleek black orb the size of a baseball, humming softly on a pedestal.
A nameplate read:
Project SWARM: Autonomous Self-Learning Nanobots
DO NOT TOUCH (Underlined three times)
Maxx, still off-balance, stumbled forward. His squeaky boot caught on a slick patch of floor polish and he fell—grabbing for anything to stop himself.
His hand hit the pedestal.
Beep.
The orb cracked open.
“…Oops.”
A stream of shimmering gray mist burst out, sweeping across the room like spilled mercury. The nanobots spread, then froze mid-air—before blinking red and scanning Maxx.
“USER IDENTIFIED,” they said in perfect unison. “NEW BEHAVIOR PROTOCOL: INITIATING PERSONALITY SYNC.”
“Oh no.”
Suddenly, every nanobot in the room began to mimic Maxx’s every move. His awkward shuffle. His nose scratch. His jazz-hands reflex when panicking.
A thousand tiny robots now jazz-handed in terrifying unison.
The scientists behind the glass stared in horror.
“THEY’RE… LEARNING FROM HIM?!”
Maxx tried to run, but the bots followed, mimicking every trip, every tumble, every accidental pratfall like they were building a clumsy hive mind.
He slipped on a peanut, flailed backwards, smacked into the wall—and in doing so, crushed the emergency shutdown panel.
SHWOMP.
All bots dropped like metallic confetti.
The lab fell silent.
A stunned technician cracked the intercom. “That… that might’ve actually worked.”
Maxx stood up, face covered in marker ink and nanobot soot. “Totally part of the plan. Yep. That plan.”
“Mercer,” a voice growled from behind him.
It was Agent Ortega. Holding a clipboard. Always a clipboard.
“Why were you in Lab 42B? That’s top clearance.”
Maxx held up his bent badge. “Just trying to get into the breakroom, sir.”
Ortega glared.
“Also,” Maxx added, “I might have accidentally taught a military nanobot swarm how to moonwalk.”
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The post Chapter 6: “Nano No-No” appeared first on The Misfire Comics.
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