Chương 25: LOG-024.

The Nemesis was well underway, having begun heading towards the groundbridge even as a garrison force was left behind to keep an eye on the Lock. The Iron Will alongside the Jackhammer had been left in one of the larger hangars. I, meanwhile, had made my way to the medbay at Knockout's behest. Apparently a situation had come up regarding our burn victim. The room was fairly quiet considering the occupants. I also knew Megatron had been sent to a separate area for safety reasons, so for now it was just us.

The warlord would quietly recover from the absolutely ludicrous amount of dark energon running through his system in an isolated chamber. Funnily enough, his now detached limbs had been stored in the cybertronian equivalent of a broom closet, one that only Soundwave had access to. But that was besides the point. Upon entering the medbay I was greeted with the sight of a perplexed Knockout and concerned Ratchet leaning over the offline form of a vehicon.

"I have arrived. What is the issue?" Ratchet turned, staring at me for a moment before gesturing to the Seeker's opened up chest piece.

"I would suggest you look for yourself." Nodding, I shuffled past the two, accepting Knockout's former position as the red racer moved aside. Leaning forward, I took a look.... What the fuck? Activating my onboard diagnostic suite, I took a brief scan of the incredibly large spark. For a vehicon at least. Hell, this looked like something that Megatron would be packing. Or perhaps Grimlock. Even then, they'd need some serious mass added to their frames to handle the influx of energy."

Extremely high energy fluctuation... minor radiation emanating from parts of the spark chamber. A large increase in overall volume..." I tilted my helm, glancing at the two.

"His spark has expanded. Drastically. How?" Knockout took the opportunity to pipe up, waving around a scan-node.

"Well at the moment we're thinking it was a fluke of a radiation burst." He pointed at Ratchet with the device.

"If you would clarify, good doctor?" The Autobot cleared his vocaliser with a quiet "ahem", gesturing to the comatose mech before us.

"Yes well, our current working hypothesis is that the combined energy emitted from the radiation wave, alongside minor superficial leakage of the Allspark's ambient energy... fused, so to speak." He waved a servo over the abnormal spark.

"As you can see, the vehicon's own spark served as an absorbent of sorts, allowing the energy to catalyse within it. The fact that his spark grew rather than detonate within his spark chamber..." I nodded, staring down at the vehicon.

"A literal one in a million chance. An extremely beneficial outcome compared to other potential circumstances." It sort of reminded me of a few experiments I'd attempted in the earlier days of the war. Infusing sparks with an enriched energon formula directly rather than merely bathing them with it. Those almost never ended well, and even when they did... well. The Dinobots were considered exceptionally deadly for very good reason. I panned my helm around, glancing at the two.

"One not without consequences, I presume?" Ratchet nodded with a sigh, moving over to a nearby workbench.

"He won't survive. Not like this. His spark is simply too large. Too energetic for his economic frame. The sheer amount of power being supplied to his systems will quite literally burn him from the inside out." Knockout frowned, staring at the offline trooper with crossed arms.

"Nasty." This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Hm. Well that certainly wouldn't do. We had a bit of time before we reached earth... perhaps, yes. That could work. I grabbed their attention as I began to make my way out of the medbay.

"I will return shortly with the tools necessary to ensure his survival." Ratchet began to walk after me, waving his arms.

"We aren't equipped to perform a frame transfer, if that's what you're thinking. Placing him in another vehicon chassis will only be prolonging the inevitable!" I paused at the door, turning to look the Autobot medic in the optics.

"We will not be moving the spark. We will merely be upgrading the container." After all, I just couldn't pass up such a ripe opportunity to experiment with the Forge's capabilities. It could even be considered a benevolent act, too!

I was planning even as I entered my lab, making my way towards the second generation fibber I'd left to hang in the anti-grav projector. Keeping the vehicon alive would require a complete overhaul of his frame. This wouldn't be a simple Zaku conversion, like I'd done with some of the troopers I'd promoted to secondary officers. No. We'd need to rebuild him. From the inside out. Thankfully, I had just the tool for the job.

"Activate link procedure." Snatching the fibber out of it's containment field, I began the complicated process of opening up my frontal armour. I inspected my newest jailbreaking device as I did so. It was... relatively similar to the prototype I'd left to Knockout, in shape at least. It was a fair bit larger though, with longer, more segmented 'legs.' It was also purple. A small cosmetic change, but one that I enjoyed. I preferred matching parts after all.

Finally, my chestplate shifted to my sides, exposing my spark. Slowly, I lowered the scarab inside, letting it form it's connection. It was... weird. Like having a hand gently grasping your heart, though the feeling faded as my systems began to acclimate to the additional draw of energon. [FIBBER: ONLINE.] Closing up my chest, I rolled my shoulders and strode over to grab the Forge. Time to see just how far 'Colonel' status could take me.

I'd admit, the look on Ratchet's face when I strode back into the medbay with the Forge of Solus Prime resting over my shoulder would wind up being one of my more cherished memories. Knockout's shit eating grin as the baffled Autobot turned to him for answers only exacerbated my muted amusement.

"H-how? That isn't..." I idly gave the hammer a twirl as I made my way past the medic.

"Possible? Incorrect. It is most definitely possible. See?" Lifting my tool of choice for emphasis, I allowed the ornate head to rest against the vehicon's chassis, allowing my processor to enter overdrive as I fully linked to the Forge's nanolathe system. I ignored Knockout and Ratchet's bickering behind me.

"No! You don't get to just-just do that! How!?" [FABRICATION SYSTEM: ONLINE.] [COLONEL-AUTHORISATION: ACCEPTED.] [ACCESSING USER-PROCESSOR.] The two medical bots continued to argue as I considered a few stray ideas. I ultimately focused on the main goal, however. Big stompy robot.

"What can I say Ratchet? We have the technology." The Forge was incredible, really. That subconscious ability to create what one wished? It was in fact a design program. One that drew from the user's own processor for schematics and blueprints.

"Don't quote human media at me you glitch ridden-give me an answer!" Of course when the likes of Megatron or Optimus used the device, they were unaware of what they were actually doing. It was all semi-instinctual, with the Forge's own systems patching in the missing parts. Taking what it's wielder desired and turning it into a functional item.

"Ha! No." [NEW BLUEPRINT DETECTED.] [DESIGNATING DESIGN: CRUSADER CHASSIS.] [FOLLOWING DESIGN PARAMETERS.] [DESIGNATING ALT-DESIGN: LUCKNER CHASSIS.]"Knockout!" What I had done was take that automated program and given it a bit more to work with. My own processor functioned as an auxillary unit that assisted in the design and programming, sending the Forge more specific parameters to work under.

Kind of like making a basic blueprint and sending it off for refinement into a complete product, now that I thought about it.

"Oh come off it. Shockwave cracked the code, obviously. Decepticon research and development, at it's finest!" Hell, I'd already made Zakus. Why not take a page out of Battletech as well? After all, no one said I couldn't have a bit of fun every now and then.

"He cracked the code of an ancient relic of the Primes?" My memories served as a basis of sorts. My processor came up with the initial design, which was then forwarded to the development systems within the Forge.

"Well... yes?" [DESIGN COMPLETED. 0573 VARIATIONS TESTED. FINAL RESULT CONFIRMED.] [ACTIVATING NANOLATHE.] [ACTIVATING MASKING PROGRAM.] [ADDING 'CRUSADER CHASSIS' AND 'LUCKNER CHASSIS' TO DESIGN LIBRARY.]"But-!" Ratchet's half strangled protest was cut short as I heaved with one arm, the barrel of my cannon used to steady the Forge. Then? I brought down the hammer. And I could see the process thanks to my manipulation of the Forge's systems.

The green strands of creation beginning to cover the battered vehicon's frame. To an ordinary observer, it would merely seem as if the mech's frame began to warp and shift with each hammerblow delivered to it. I saw it all however. The way the tide of nanomachines infiltrated his systems, even as they continued to cover the exterior shell. There was only so much I could do with minimal resources, however.

"Knockout. I require additional material to continue the upgrade." The red medic startled, then placed a servo on his hip. Ratchet still seemed transfixed by the shifting of the vehicon's armor.

"What am I? A gopher?" I nodded even as I continued to beat the everloving fuck out of the mech resting on the berth before me. Hopefully he wouldn't miss his wings too much. Reformatting him into a Grounder was really the only thing I could do considering just how much mass he was gonna be lugging around. Maybe I could solve that later. Mm, thoughts to consider.

"For the moment, yes. Now go." Knockout grumbled, but did step outside the medbay to wave down a pair of patrolling troopers. I simply continued to direct the nanolathe spray, carefully beginning to modify the vehicon's fuel systems. They would need to be expanded and overhauled in order to accommodate the sheer amount of energon that would be travelling throughout his super-heavy frame. Hmph. He'd certainly be in for a surprise once he woke up.

The strange irony of using the design of a manned platform for inspiration didn't escape me. It was the same story with the Zakus after all. From a mech to a mech. Ha.