Hey Everyone! This is my NaNoWriMo story, written on my iPad and being added to everyday this month. It is totally unedited so if you find mistakes please point them out to me and I'll fix them after November. I have the most epic plan in my head for this story as I plan on linking it to "To the Academy and Beyond" and another history story which I shall write for Jazz. My OC Spark Soul is in this just like she is in To the Academy and Beyond. She doesn't show up for long so no worries there for those of you who don't like OC's.
The lights turned down dim in the laboratory. Only the skeleton crew was there, under strict orders from their funder. Machines whirred constantly, technicians checking their readings and ensuring everything was running smoothly. No one talked; the place was like a tomb of the offline.
The laboratory was located deep below Praxus, deep within the tunnel system which made up Cybertron's core. Electricity was fed through a series of wires, each wire coming down a different path to reach the room. There was only one way into the actual lab but there were two tunnels leading to the entrance. Traps were set along each tunnels length to deter intruders, should anyone think of exploring below the shiny exterior of Praxus and it's cheerful facade.
The person in charge, a commanding praxian mech stood watching over proceedings, his heavy gaze not missing a movement made in the lab. In the centre of the room were three frames, each identical in frame type and colouring. These frames were to be brought online, unknown to the Cybertronian frame was laid out upon the benches in the room. Red chevrons adorned the black helms, bodies a mixture of black and white. Helms held processors far too advanced for the younglings they would be when they would come online. Plans were already in place to ensure that at least one of the younglings would have a powerful battle computer installed, a battle computer that was only now being constructed, one that was very much illegal on the planet.
Machines continued to purr as the last checks were run, ensuring that nothing would go wrong in the upcoming procedure. Every reading was double and then triple checked,nothing could go wrong, they only had three tries at this.
Everyone present knew that it would be unlikely that all of the frames would survive although that was the desired outcome. In reality they would be lucky if one of the frames made it through. This was not the first time that they had tried the exact same experiment, not the first time that they had meticulously prepared for bringing younglings into the world through artificial spark creation.
A few of the laboratory workers had their doubts on whether the younglings brought online would ever truly live. The way the processor was designed it would be very difficult or the mech to socialize and even harder for him to feel or analyze emotions. These mechs said nothing, even though they internally cringed at the thought of what they were about to do. Nothing could be one to persuade the head praxian out of this, that much was proved by the off lining of several mechs after they opposed the last round of failed creations. Thoughts were pushed to the side as they focused on the task at hand, morals pushed to the side in favor of keeping their sparks functioning.
With machine readouts stable final checks were run on the youngling frames, ensuring they would be ready for the energy transfer. Energy sat waiting in their fuel lines, coolant ready to be pumped through the brand new systems. The preparation for this Luna cycle had been extensive, not a stone left untouched. Nothing could, or would go wrong, not another time.
Grey frames sat sparkless in the room connecting to the laboratory, a reminder of the previous failures. Lined up against the wall they sat, spark chambers open, looking for all the world like battle mechs killed on the battlefield. However on a closer inspection of the frames you would see that this isn't so, the frames too small, armor too weak to be that of a battle mech or any mech in his last frame. From that you would be able to tell they were just younglings, brought online for just astroseconds before their sparks extinguished. Just an experiment in a lab, an experiment outlawed across the planet because of the damage caused to younglings or mechs who were successfully brought online for the long term. These last three frames couldn't turn out to be like the frames gone before, one would have to survive, no matter the cost.
The frames were cleared for the procedure, each mech within the room hoping that one of these waiting frames would come online, and stay online.
The spark chamber cover was retracted, revealing a glasslike covering. The inside of the spark chambers sat empty, awaiting the generation of a spark. Specially made electricity and energon lines were hooked up to the spark chambers on each frame, thousands of wires and tubes ran around the room and connected to the frames.
A large hum filled the room, drowning out the much softer hum from earlier. Power surged through all of the electricity lines, slowly getting pumped into the spark chambers, filling them with the power. The voltage was slowly increased, creating a pressure in the spark chambers.
Each mech expelled air from their vents in relief, the spark chambers hadn't started to buckle like they had on the previous frames. Maybe one of these frames would make it, a spark nestled within the frame. The praxian mech in charge just watched with a blank gaze, awaiting the formation of the sparks and the on lining of the frames.
The voltage was increased even further, the power running through the crisscrossing electricity lines at an all time high. Within the spark chambers of each of the frames a small spark of light could be seen, increasing with each passing moment that the electricity continued to flow into it's small confinement chamber.
The light reached the size of a normal spark in each of the three frames. The voltage was brought to zero, energon starting to flow into the frames instead. Computer readouts showed that each of the frames was bringing it's processor online, power surging into the demanding systems.
As soon as the processors were up and running optics flickered online for two of the frames. The third frame still couldn't bring it's processor online, the strain started to show on the newly formed spark as it buttered and extinguished, the frame fading to grey. The first loss of the experiment.
The other two younglings, for that is what they were, started to look around the room, their optics darting every which way to capture the data their processors undoubtedly craved. Readouts spiked as the two younglings started to panic. Data flowed through their processors at an extreme rate, a rate which would cause full framed mechs' processor to crash. The second frame's spark started to feel the strain, the advanced processor draining power from every source within the frame, leaving nothing untouched. In a similar fashion the the first frame the spark started to extinguish. The light flickered within its chamber as it was drained, decreasing in size until it could barely be seen. Just astroseconds later the second frame faded to grey, another frame lost to the experiment.
The last frame was still layed out along it's bench, processor working overtime. The frame was under immense stress, energon was being pumped through energon lines at an elevated rate. Optics became shuttered as the frame tried to decrease the amount of sensory information. The usual praxian wings were splayed against the bench surface, a constant source of data input for the reeling processor.
The data became too much and a scream punctuated the air, the humming of the equipment lost, drowned within the desperate sound. The scream became louder as nothing was done to relieve the pressure the youngling was under. Technicians scrambled as they tried to reduce sensory input to the frame, working desperately to eliminate the possibility of the last frame off lining.
Within the processor of the last frame data packets were whizzing backwards and forwards throughout the many connecting neural pathways. So many data packets crammed within the pathways, everything crammed together so close to one another. This was the cause of the pain, too much too close together in such a new processor.
The thought processes, those of younglings who could actually think for themselves were not yet established. Until those processes could be established the only thing that the frame would feel would be base emotions and senses, until a battle computer could be installed. The frame was not designed to function without a battle computer, designed only to run with it installed. Everything was set up within the frame to accommodate the warrior grade equipment, everything about the frame had been set up to make the future mech a warrior, one who would always be ahead of the game.
The screaming started to subside as the technicians dulled sensory information and prepared a vial of sensory duller. Two mechs entered the room as it became silent, walking straight to the last frame. Optics still shuttered and wings pinned to the berth. The syrum was injected straight into the neck cable of the prone mech, dulling all sensory input and giving the overworked processor a break.
Soon after the frame was pulled into stasis using the machines in the room adjacent to the laboratory. Technicians and other lab workers flooded the room, checking over the frame and removing the ones that had off lined. They had finally gotten an experiment to work, one out of hundreds they had attempted.
The expression upon the Praxian mech's face had never changed throughout the whole ordeal, his own battle computer controlling any emotions he may have felt. His expression not even changing when the screams punctured the air or when the two frames fell offline. The process completed so many times, finally one of the many frames coming online, not even their success never managed to bring expression to such blank faceplates.
The head technician stopped next to the upper class praxian, ready to inform him of the developments with the youngling, and the time period for the battle computer installation.
"Sir, the youngling is now in induced stasis and we are going to keep him under for the next two solar cycles. We will then be able to integrate the battle computer into his systems without any issues. From there it should only be deca-Orn before he can be put into the youngling centers, " the technician was met with silence. "We will contact you when he is ready to be sent to the Orn care. Do you have any questions?"
The praxian levelled the technician with a cool look. "I have no questions; this was my project after all. Ensure that nothing goes wrong with the frame, we don't have time to retry the experiment."
"Of course sir."
With that the praxian mech turned and strode from the complex, returning to the unmarred city above, one which gave all pretence of a perfect city. The technician returned to within the lab, taking control of the situation.
The laboratory worked on, never stopping over the next few days. The battle computer system was soon installed, allowing the youngling to control his thoughts, order them into words. Data packets were soon handled easily, whirling around his processor at high speeds, sorted by the tactical asset, a way in which the frame could cope with everything. The emotions which had once been barely there, now suppressed by the rampant programming. Everything that needed to have been learnt in the time between sparkling hood and youngling hood was given to the youngling in data packets. His knowledge grew and his balance was gain din the short amount of time spent in the lab. He still lacked his social skills but they were considered unimportant to the praxian in charge. Everything that was essential to his frame was learnt before they started to prime his battle computer, the tactical asset much more important than the actual mech.
A full deca-Orn passed before the youngling was ready to go to the Orn care and join those his age as if he were a legitimate creation. Background information has been forged and a designation created. The youngling which had been brought online in the lab had the designation Prowl, and this is his story.
Thanks for reading guys! Please review and tell me what you thought of it!
