run, rabbit, run
WHO; Jetfire, Nemesis Prime
WHAT; Mad evil dark SCIENCE.
WHERE; Nemesis's 'laboratory', Zone 6
WHEN; Night cycle.
WARNING; (non-PC)Death, (non-PC) mutilation. Nothing too graphic, hopefully, but please take note that this log has potential bad things. :)
( Dig that hole, forget the sun. )
WHAT; Mad evil dark SCIENCE.
WHERE; Nemesis's 'laboratory', Zone 6
WHEN; Night cycle.
WARNING; (non-PC)Death, (non-PC) mutilation. Nothing too graphic, hopefully, but please take note that this log has potential bad things. :)
( Dig that hole, forget the sun. )
And a new chance to consider exactly where his place in it was.
It was a subject he was beginning to worry about, especially with the way the Zones fit everyone into neat sets of easily accessed subjects for experimentation...and with the way mechs had been disappearing of late. In a way, that made him more and more eager to come down into the hovels, getting away from where he could be readily traced or observed and giving him an opportunity to learn without fearing observation himself.
And...what Nemesis showed him....
Well.
It was better to be out of the light for this.
It was better to learn of this, to know both how to combat it and how to use it...because it was one of the few things he suspected even the Transtechs did not know about.
"Nemesis?"
It was also dangerous.
He peered into the door, coming in off of the streets and closing it behind him. "I considered bringing you a cube of energon, today, but I reconsidered. Is there anything you can consume?"
Reply
Nemesis briefly looked up from his collection, red optics narrowing slightly as he considered the words. "...small portions of energon," he finally admitted. So small as to be considered trace amounts, mere drops were all he could process...or couldn't, rather, those systems being decayed. It was simply that anything more than a mouthful would inevitably cause damage or at least pain to the ill-used systems, as they tried to harvest energy in to that which no longer required it.
No, better to only taste it, if he had any of it at all.
He had discovered this only after arriving here in the Nexus. In the Dead Universe, the only energon to be had was that which they had brought with them - and once they realized they no longer needed it, Nemesis ordered it be used only for power purposes.
(This had resulted in a protest once they found a small cache of highgrade in one of the Ark's lockers. It was over quickly.)
"Nonetheless, a kind, if vain thought." He held up one of his tools, tilting it in the light. There was, in fact, quite a bit of it in here - one could hardly see what they were doing in the dark. The wire in the tool itself was honed to micro-width, as good for slicing as any true razor. "The only other one here capable of consuming it is in no condition to do so."
Reply
And then stopped, as he finally got a good look at the work-room they spent most of their time in, and Nemesis' words sank in.
It smelled oddly.
He didn't often sample from his olfactory senses often, but the way the light was glinting off of something oily on their current subject's berth...
Jetfire took a step back, when he saw a finger twitch.
"Nemesis. Where...did you find this one?" Immediately, he began running new scans, checking to see if the mech in question Nemesis was cutting into was, in fact, actually offline.
Reply
Nemesis trailed off, watching Jetfire. Ah. So he had noticed. Here, now, was the true test of Jetfire's character. Whether he was a scientist, or just an intelligent processor playing at one.
"I believe they call it 'The Heap'," he answered casually, setting down the tool and coming from around the body. "They also say it is where mechs go to die. Which would explain the condition I found this one in." He made a gesture towards the body.
"I am not a medic, but I know enough to repair a chassis - and to know when even an expert surgeon's work would be a waste. If you would care to look at his spark chamber."
It wasn't quite a request.
Reply
His own scans confirmed it, as he ventured closer to see the extent of the damage and knew that what Nemesis was saying was right. This mech, here...was done for. The amount of work required to sustain him would likely not be possible to do before his spark extinguished--though he'd seen Ratchet perform amazing feats in the past.
It was still unlikely, however, and if the mech had had the intention of dying he was doing a good job.
Granted, he'd probably not intended for Nemesis and his darkness to intercept, but...
Well, that was the issue, wasn't it.
"You...have not shown me a live one infected by your condition, before..." He glanced to Nemesis, uncertain.
The mech, however...did not seem to react beyond the occasional shudder. There...was no way to ask him what his intended death was, and if he was already dying...
Jetfire leaned forward, reaching to take further scans of the spark chamber as Nemesis had directed, and promptly losing himself in the data feed that resulted.
"I would prefer to...not study live subjects in the future. If they have not been consulted..."
Reply
He paused again, halting just off to the side of Jetfire. Not to prevent him from leaving - the other could certainly move about him, if he so wished, and Nemesis would certainly not stop him from leaving (though he would be rather disappointed) - but to simply watch.
"Consulted?" The Prime made a light noise of derision. "Surely you realize by now the damage to this one's vocalizer. Whoever did this to them wanted them dead, or at least in pain for quite a long time until they did die. The work performed here will be little, in comparison to such.
"Indeed, Jetfire...you almost sound as if you have never performed live experimentation before." He regarded the other thoughtfully. "Surely you know of the sheer amount of knowledge that can be obtained?"
Reply
He couldn't tell if he felt guilty because the mech was dying, or because he still found the situation fascinating despite the fact the mech was dying. There were readings he was getting now that differed, vastly, from the readings he'd taken before when Nemesis had shown him an already deceased individual, and likely these fluctuations could be accounted for by Nemesis's control over the darkness in another individual.
It was...incredible.
And it was also wrong, or should have been wrong.
The problem was, it was on a line. He'd experiment on mechs that were already dead, because that was logic. Especially in a war environment, it was difficult to obtain parts to build equipment, and he'd scavenged what he could. And this mech wasn't dead, but he was dying, and was beyond all hope for help, so was...there...really any difference?
He did not know. Shockwave would have said there wasn't. Starscream would have said there wasn't. Ratchet...
He didn't actually know what Ratchet would say. Right now, Ratchet probably could not have offered advice, even if he rung him on the comm. This was too complicated.
However--he was here. He was here, and the mech was almost dead, and if he hesitated the mech would still be almost dead and he'd have learned nothing, which was a considerably worse travesty. Better to make his death not in vain, then.
It was a decision, at least.
"I...have." He admitted, finally, allowing himself to relax enough to return to work, reaching for the over-rides to allow him to see into the spark chamber where the real action was occurring. "But it is a philosophy that aligns with Decepticon ideals, and as an Autobot it is my duty to uphold the sanctity of life..." His hands paused.
"When possible, at least."
And he returned to work.
Reply
To this state. Living death.
Guiding, working with Jetfire through the systematic procedure for some minutes, Nemesis thought back to something the jet had said. "In my time here," he mused, "I still do not understand why or how 'Autobot' and 'Decepticon' are so different. And why some actions are considered more...one or the other."
He tapped the dying mech's shoulder, where a Decepticon-like symbol could just barely be seen. "When all is said and done...at the end of every spark's life....all are one, in the pursuit of knowledge. I have little doubt that this one, were he able to speak of clear processor, would be pleased that even in his wretched state he is able to be of use - and, perhaps, who knows? With what is gained here, this may be preventable in the future. Those who prey upon others with no rhyme or reason...I myself would very much like to remove the sheer ignorance that makes this possible."
Reply
Which...all in all...made Nemesis' next question so provocative.
He considered it while he returned to work.
"...did...you know...that in some universes, Autobots and Decepticons are actually different species? They originate from the common provenance of Cybertron, but built themselves over time to be different enough that their software no longer correlated. Our cybertron was not like that." He shook his head.
"I...noticed some discrepancies in our originating code, however, when I compared them...and found some interesting commonalities. Decepticons...expand. They enjoy exploration, dominion, and are extremely aggressive in their outlook on obtaining self-importance and material wealth. Autobots, on the other hand...protect. They focus inward instead of outward, trying to make themselves better by introspective acts that do not negatively impact others. They wish for equality and fairness, where Decepticons value individuality and conquest. Of course, these are generalizations, and there are those who do not fit within either mold.."
He glanced down to his own hands, briefly, before looking back to Nemesis.
"However...I believe you can see why the distinction must be made. Two factions with such differing fundamental views cannot easily inhabit the same space, once they are separated heterogeneously."
Reply
"Perhaps that is so, in some universes." He accepted and dismissed the thought, one as quickly as the other. "But in ours - you may as well claim that it is as simple as being an introvert and extrovert. As you say, there are those who do not fit within either name - but are they not still called one or the other?
"The wars that have started will play out," he continued, allowing a trace of regret to creep into his voice. "Once started, the reactions that follow can only run through. But what will be left, when they are done? Optimistically, only half the species. Pessimistically..."
He trailed off to allow a breem for thought. No doubt Jetfire had entertained his own thoughts of Cybertron destroying itself.
"If these wars could be stopped from happening in the first place," he mused finally, "If a wise, strong leader is capable of keeping his people from dissolving into petty squabbling, to welcome the differences of every mech and to discover the strength in each...these Transtechs are but one example, and a poor one at that. They forget that we, too, are Cybertronian."
Nemesis paused in his work as a low whine came from the mech secured to the table, regarding it calmly before touching its check in an almost soothing manner.
"What would this place be like if they remembered?"
Reply
The question was out before Jetfire could stop it, but...he did not regret the asking. So far, the darkness he had studied seemed entirely at the whim of Nemesis, who looked unperturbed by it--but also looked effected by it. The red optics, the strange scans, all of it led to a conclusion that Nemesis, now, must be distinctly different from the Prime he was, before.
And with the words he uttered, now, it was not so difficult to see that Nemesis remained a Prime, still.
His own hands stilled as he listened, considered, and weighed the merits of what was said, finding them strangely sound. Briefly, his own thoughts flickered back to a room, deep beneath the surface of Cybertron, and the inscription written in the plates there:
"Till all are one." He murmured, quietly, looking to the spark that lay open and dying and mentally scanning his own spark that was pristine and whole. The differences, as Nemesis had suggested, were inconsequential.
"If there were an outside force capable of uniting both Autobots and Decepticons, peace could be achieved. It could not be Optimus...nor could it be Megatron, nor could it be any of their high-ranking individuals who spout the same tenants that they do. It would have to be someone who walked the line..." He looked up, at Nemesis, considering, watching as the act he performed towards the dying mech seemed almost...tender.
"But it would also, much like the Transtechs, have to be someone capable of defeating both. I do not think even our hosts here could necessarily stop the wars of other universes. They...do not understand them well enough."
Reply
They were not useful in their state. But as time continued, Nemesis had wondered if he hadn't been too hasty - they could have been entertainment, if nothing else.
"Our 'hosts' have so far shown them to be nothing but oversighted fools. For all their power, their evolution, their processors are no greater than ours. Perhaps less - they have grown soft, rather than great." A sound of derision. "And this leads me to a hypothesis..."
He looked up.
"...that their sparks, too, are no different than ours. And as you can see..."
Resting a hand upon the subject's shoulder, Nemesis released some of his hold upon the Darkness. In response, it manifested in a thin line, drawing sustenance from the very life-force of the dying mech.
"...the Darkness targets a specific portion of the system, in Cybertronians."
Not enough to kill them - it would only take so much, and Nemesis was careful only to allow the barest of feedings - but enough to demonstrate.
Reply
"The Darkness targets the spark?"
He could see it working, see the visible manifestation of that which defied his logic circuits. It still did not make sense, but that was why he was here and studying it.
But there was more to what Nemesis had just said than simple science.
"You can hurt the Transtechs."
And that...was dangerous. It was immensely dangerous, and sort of thrilling, and led him into thoughts as equally dangerous. If it was not an Autobot nor a Decepticon to lead them...
...then what, and who, would it be?
Reply
Mind you, it was Nemesis's hypothesis since it immediately targeted the spark, such was why; as the Darkness showed little true interest in other life forms, at least in terms of habitation...
He pulled his hand back. "Barring a field test, I believe I can. They seem not to have many threats; I have no doubt that when I have prepared myself, I can win conversation with their Prime. All I need is time...and the assistance of those others who would seek change."
Reply
That had great worth, and Jetfire knew Nemesis was extremely good with words. It was one of the few reasons he was here, now.
"I am more than willing to help assist you with that."
He watched, again, noting how the darkness was reacting and recording internally the signals that it gave...or...really, rather, the lack of signals. Cybertronians were beings of energy inhabiting metal forms--meaning it was the energy that Darkness was most interested in interacting with.
Could...that be it, then?
Another type of living energy? A being composed entirely of absent frequencies, living through the channels that previous life had formed?
"...how much can the Dark possess, before it consumes?"
Reply
There was more than one way to destroy someone, after all. Sometimes in name, sometimes in mind...
"That will be shown through experimentation," he intoned solemnly. "Within the Dead Universe, there was only so much matter to research. Here..."
He shrugged slightly.
"...our understanding can become complete."
Reply
Leave a comment