AUTON

"Any plastic artefact, any plastic at all, can, in the Nestene sense of the word, be alive."


Autons attack An Auton facsimile An Auton dummy

Description:

Created by the Nestenes by altering the molecular structure of plastic, energising it to create quasi-organic matter. The Autons were used by the Nestenes in the colonisation of other worlds. Autons commonly came in the form of dummies, basic humanoid footsoldiers designed to provide a single offensive capability.

These Autons were armed with weapons hidden inside their hands, which would hinge open when ready to fire. Their fingers were also sharp enough to cut through tent canvas. Impervious to gunfire, Auton dummies made deadly and unstoppable foes, succeptable only to machines similar to electro-convulsive therapy devices.

Higher in the Auton command chain, giving orders to the dummies and interracting with other species, were the facsimiles. These Autons were perfect copies of individuals from the planet targeted for colonisation and ideal for infiltration. Possessing brain cells and memory traces they were able to pose as influential figures, such as military and political leaders. These Autons also had the ability to excercise a mental hold on others, forcing them to do their will.

A disguised Auton hands out deadly daffodils A troll doll An Auton fires

The Nestenes did not restrict their infiltration to humanoid Autons but were capable of using anything plastic to further their aims, such as plastic troll dolls, chairs, telephone cords, and even plastic daffodils. Activated by heat, sound, radio or even pattern recognition, these Auton devices added a new and terrifying aspect to Nestene tactics, turning the most innocuous object into a killer.

The Nestene Conciousness twice used these forces in it's attempts to conquer the Earth and, although in a different form itself, used similar Autons in a third attempt. This time it's dummy Autons were controlled through a giant signal transmitter and relay units.

This control allowed seperate Auton parts, such as arms, to function independently of the main body. Other plastic items, such as wheelie bins, were also animated for the Nestene's cause. Auton facsimiles were also employed once again, though they were much more malleable than their predecessors. Capable of changing shape, these Auton facsimiles could mould their hands into devastating paddle-shaped hammers.

An headless facsimile on the attack. Auton dummies attack An Auton wheelie bin snares a victim.

In order to maintain the copy of these facsimiles, the original person was kept alive. Like their dummy cousins these plastic creatures could also survive the removal of some of their parts; one such facsimile continued to wreak havoc after it's head had been removed and continued to do so until both parts, though separated, melted at the same time.


See Also:

Nestene Conciousness

Appearances:

Spearhead From Space
Terror of The Autons
Rose
Love & Monsters