Machine Army

The  are a swarm of self-replicating, self-enhancing AI machines, which originated from the products of an unknown tinker. The Machine Army took over the Town of Eagleton, Tennessee where they originated. As such it is designated as Site Q3.

Modus operandi
Multiple approaches are known but all are inexplicably hostile to humans. However, they only have a limited number of tricks in their arsenal.

Their 'breeding' cycle involves infecting metallic objects or ores to spawn new machines. They can infect a building and slowly, but steadily, replace the entire structure with murderous facsimiles. The same buildings later can be armed and put on tracks, turning them into massive siege weapons.

Machine Army collects and recycles organic matters, and it sometimes uses its victims as parts of mechanisms.

Trap Buildings
The Machine Army lays traps for people by becoming buildings, or more accurately, becoming facsimiles of buildings, in attempt to lure people inside. Until a target enters, the machines remain dormant, but when individuals wander into the trap they will activate and kill the intruders.

In one known example, they replaced a functioning supermarket left devastated by Gold Morning. Repairs were made to the inside, such that it would be more attractive to scavengers and other people who might happen upon it.

Inter-dimensional Tech
A big part of why the Machine Army is so difficult to deal with is because they have developed inter-dimensional technology. The Machine Army compresses itself into interdimensional pockets, that will pop open and continue to spread if they are attacked.

Structure
Multitudinous decentralized cell structure, all marching to a common purpose while still independent.

Authorities Response
The PRT had locked down Eagleton and patrols regularly, putting some of their more difficult members there. They preferred putting capes there who would blast anything at the first sign of trouble. The organization explored several options on how to deal with the threat, such as nuclear weapons, much like they did with Nilbog.

With Gold Morning heroic response has shifted, due to the mass exodus of refugees from Earth Bet.

Dragon was reluctant to engage Machine Army at all, due to its ability to integrate foreign tech, which could provide it with more firepower or compromise her network, and potentially subsume it.

Background
The machine's emergence in Eagleton necessitated their containment.

Post-Gold Morning
With the evacuation from the event, The Machine Army was able to escape containment.

Roughly two years later, they had expanded past the Raleigh Chasm.

Dealing with Machine Army was stated as one of the main priorities of The Wardens.

Post-Time Bubble Pop
It continued being one of the major resource drains to the Wardens.

Post-Attack on Teacher
The Machine Army arrived in Boston and started experimenting with inter-dimensional tech.

The threat of the Machine Army was used as a pretense for a display of power by Earth Shin who sent the Gibborim Knight to fight them, rousing The Kronos Titan in the process. Once this issue was resolved, the Machine Army was attacked by Amy-modified minions of The Mother of Mothers.

The Ice Breaks
One of the newly created Titans, Auger, was left fighting the Machine Army. He successfully re-purposed the Machine Army into the spare parts for his tinkering.

Valkyrie's Flock and Grue's involvement threatened Auger enough, that he allowed the Machine Army to enter The City to occupy them instead.

Machine Army invasion continues to be threatening enough to distract heroes from fighting Fortuna's Titans.

Machine Army's front was visited by The Simurgh, she donated pieces of her body, subsuming the Army. She used the Army as a distraction for the main forces of The Wardens, with Dragon's Bakunawa Zero being seemingly compromised by the drones.

The Machine Army containment was decidedly broken. Prompting Dragon to seek assistance from Saint and attempt to secure abandoned tinkertech that was left inside The City.

Ward Epilogue
Saint's efforts had a temporarily effect, disrupting the Army's cohesion, but Machine Army's clusters remained a persistent threat on Gimel and Bet for years to come.