Trace

A Trace is the end result of the "Returned" process; a horrible fusion of Singulus and human reanimation deisgned to only destroy and murder as many humans as possible.

Cause
A Trace is formed after a human victim has fully succumbed to the Return Process, an infection of nanoprobes that force the subject to carry out acts of agreession against ISA targets. When the nanoprobes re-write a human brain, they also hyper-stimulate the soft tissues into self-atrophy, a process that breaks down the muscles and organs of a victim until only their skeleton remains. At that point, the nanoprobes assemble actuators and motors on the skeleton so it can still move and cause damage. The brain is reconfigured into a primitive synthetic processor, capable of carrying out simple commands such as kill or destroy. Traces harbor no memory remnants of the original host, have no pity or remorse, and are completely under the control of Singulus forces. They are unquestionally loyal and persistent to their objective to the point of absolute destruction.

In Battle
A trace attack is usually a precursor to full on invasion. Several Returned that are close to vital military targets or civilan installations are ordered to sabotage these targets and infect other hosts as to cause mass panic and confusion among the local populace. The traces then go on to create as much havoc as possible before regular Singulus forces arrive.

If a trace survives the first moments of battle, they will seek out means to improve their leathality. This includes harvesting metal plates for armor, storming stores for armament, and fashioning improvised weapons from the field. Given enough time, a trace can usually become quite large to the extent it can face down an ISA heavy tank with ease. ISA troops are instructed to destroy traces at first site as to ignore a trace will allow them to become more stronger and deadlier.