A-044 The Metal Plague

CACG Item File
Item A-044 is a sentient swarm of nanites capable of infecting organic hosts and self-replication. After infection, a host for A-044 will begin experiencing delirium, fevers, and ██████████████. Three days after infection, A-044 will start subconsciously manipulating the host's psyche, exerting the hive mind's control over the infected. After a week, A-044 will begin to convert the host's organic tissues into synthetic analogues. Upon this stage of infection, hosts are considered to be highly infectious. All staff interacting with patients of A-044 in this stage are to wear respirators rated for nanotechnological threats.

A-044 was first identified after a bioterrorist attack on Camelotian soil by Group of Interest "Iron Front," and subsequently contained alongside all hosts. Since initial containment, devices have been devised to expel A-044 from the body, as well as distinguish A-044 hosts from the general population. A-044 is generally thought to be curable until the tissue replacement phase, after which care shifts from expelling the nanites to disabling their connection to the hive mind. As of writing, only █ subjects infected with A-044 have received this post-replacement treatment.

A-044's progression invariably ends in the host becoming a fully synthetic lifeform if no action is taken. While the prognosis isn't so grim on the surface, A-044's hive mind has a stronger hold on fully transformed patients. There is currently no approved way to revert the transformation initiated by A-044 once it has run its course. Only ██ cases of A-044 have ever ended with a full transformation.