/!\ ALERT /!\
A rogue specimen has escaped from 3RR0R (Real name classified)'s lab. It was last seen escaping the Free Roam area.
An image of the specimen's last known form is provided below.
WARNING: This specimen is HIGHLY AGGRESSIVE AND DANGEROUS. Do not attempt to dispose of it yourself.
Notes left by 3RR0R on the specimen:
This particular Buginis specimen was rather intelligent as opposed to its usual counterparts, so I've decided to enhance it using the same method I used for the specimen with Grabber DNA, this time with the Sniper zooid. Along with its pre-inherited Pusher, Squirter and Chitin zooids, this creature had the essentials necessary for a long-range pusher-enhanced armament. What I didn't expect, however, was how scarily cunning this thing was...
Despite its large form being supported by only five movement zooids, rendering it terribly slow, it made up for it by being extremely heavily-armed. Mine-producing zooids line almost the whole of this creature, with the exception of the front and back sides, which are lined with Pushers instead. The creature used the all-too-familiar "weapons rack" structure (seen used by another Buginis specimen in my previous post), with one row being used to house movement zooids instead. By placing the Pushers at the front of the rack, not only do the poison mines get flung out, but the range of all its weapons can be boosted using the pushers, allowing for a ridiculous amount of firepower to be concentrated on its front. The rear-end Pushers help somewhat compensate for the enormous pushing power of the front end, and allow this creature to perform a unique maneuver: emitting mines while activating its pushers , the creature slowly rotates in circular manner, causing two streams of poison mines (which are flung out due to the Pushers) to seemingly emanate from the creature. As if the huge amount of Miner zooids weren't enough for area denial, this maneuver essentially makes the creature nigh-unapproachable, unless one intends to get heavily poisoned.
After laying waste to everything I could throw at it, it eventually managed to find a way to escape via a connection between the Free Roam area and the wild, which is usually a one-way route meant to allow me to see unsuspecting wild specimens (there is a proper exit, but it is usually sealed off when I'm around). This thing just blasted its way through the one-way flap like it was nothing! (Reminder to self: find a way to make a better one-way flap, because rubber ain't cutting it anymore)
My advice to all other fellow researchers: please do not let your creatures get anywhere near that thing. I will find a way to keep it contained once more, and I don't want it hurt, nor do I want it to hurt your specimens either. We all share a common goal after all: to create the most powerful specimen of all. However, as you can see, control over the specimens we make is still crucial, so that incidents like THIS won't happen(I don't want entire ecosystems destroyed just because something got loose)!
UPDATE: Alert is no longer in effect. Specimen retrieved.
After that near-disaster, I've managed to secure the specimen after having to breed a huge amount of small Cra'Thans (consisting of two Turbine zooids and a Sizzler) to incapacitate it. However, the one thing more shocked than the specimen has to be me, as it had rapidly adapted its form to solve some of its previous form's issues. Take a look at this:
As you can see, it has taken on circular form, evenly spreading its Miner and Pusher zooids, using the "instant mine field" tactic when it uses its rotational maneuver. The Sniper zooids now cover the four cardinal directions of the creature, with less zooids per direction, but more coverage overall. Furthermore, it seems to have done away with the Flak and Squirter zooids (perhaps it deemed them ineffective?).
To prevent this thing from breaking out again, and to study it better, I have placed it into a special isolation tank that simulates the Free Roam area (no linkages whatsoever this time!). That should keep it busy enough to study it!
In the meanwhile, I'll be looking for any other intriguing wild specimens, while patiently waiting for my new aquarium set to arrive...
...oh, the fun I'll have when it does...
...Oh, right, I forgot to give this one a nickname.
It shall be henceforth known as: