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[Chapter: Brother]
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Salaxorius silently complimented himself for his brilliance. He left his place behind his desk to hover around the group standing in front of it. Macetail, the sharkticon, was ignored. The first small mech was regarded with curiosity for its reaction towards the situation that had been created here. The second small mech… the Quintesson halted behind it, encircling the shape with its tentacles. Salaxorius didn't touch the robot; the crude, inferior mechanism that it is. But the Quintesson does stare at Hextaida, the first small mech, in utter delight. "D-HEX-23675, meet…. D-HEX-23674! I have prepared a few exercises for you to do together today, and I am sure you will perform astonishingly."

The two mechanisms looked at one another. 74 was just a bit cruder and the leg design was different; 75's legs split into four parts when entering its alternate mode but those of 74 remained in two. This meant that the earlier version had more bulk on its backside to accommodate for more parts and was less streamlined. But their silhouette looked mostly the same. Their heads were absolutely identical; they both had optics of the brightest azure color, the same darker band of mesh material that ran across the upper part of their faces, and their helmets had no differences between one another. Even their coloration was the same. The two were watching each other with curious stares.

Salaxorius continued, "Now, I have been informed that D-HEX-23674 is code-named Hextaida Sunam, so when anyone addresses that unit, it will be either with '74', or 'Sunam.' Understood?" He looked down at the mech in question as if realizing something, "Oh, what am I saying… I don't even want you answering me. D-HEX-23675, your codename is Hextaida Mandar, so I expect you to listen to '75' or 'Mandar'. Acknowledge one another and we will be on our way to the testing tracks of the Anesis compound."
"Affirmative, Master Inquisitor Salaxorius Sir." Hextaida Mandar answered as he had been taught.
"Affirmative, Master" Was the answer Hextaida Sunam gave. Salaxorius looked displeased for just a moment before he dismissed the lack of discipline with a very slight smile. He observed how the two small prototypes finally approached one another. They reached out and pressed their handpalms against each other. In great contrast to the standard situation, they were interacting with a unit of equal size. Hextaida Mandar consulted his database for a moment on how he should speak to this new mech, "This one greets it, Brother D-HEX-23674."
Hextaida Sunam nodded, and answered, "Acknowledged, Brother D-HEX-23675. This one greets it likewise."
"Acknowledged, brother Sunam."
They had never been instructed on how to greet one another. Their databanks didn't hold records on how to greet a similar unit because it was something Emphisa and Fernicius hadn't intended to happen. But they knew how Allicons and Sharkticons greeted each other and had aptly translated that to their situation. Their adaption went completely over the head of the Quintesson observing them.
Salaxorius gave a sinister smile as the two mechs distanced themselves from each other. "That will do. Order: Follow me." The group left the office of the Master of Inquisition, on their way to the Anesis compound.

[Location: Khalanxis, Aphos wing, lab G-20.17]

After Macetail left with the prototype, the two remaining Quintesson scientists had continued their work in silence. One of them was too worried to talk. The other was too enraged at the breach of protocol forced by one who outranked him but otherwise had no appreciation for the project. Their frustration was almost perceivable in the atmosphere.
Suddenly, Emphisa shoved a piece of metal off the workbench he was working at. It went flying through the room and crashed into one of the tanks holding a component in suspension. The glass was reinforced so it didn't crack but the component inside convulsed in response. A monitor hooked up to the glass cylinder showed how the electric field of the device quickened in alarm. With a sigh, Emphisa hovered over and traced the point of impact with a tentacle. He focused, forcing himself to calm so his presence could manipulate the field to calm down as well. For years, every fragment of lifeforce that had developed itself in the Aphos wing had been his cultivation. He had searched out the appropriate sources and developed precise methods to split off ethereal elements. He spliced and grafted and fused electro-elemental traces into machines. He of course couldn't perceive these traces but he had gained the ability to predict how his actions influenced the polarities around him.

With Emphisa's calming presence, the fragment settled into a satisfied state of rest. "Brother Fernicius." The Quintesson called out, making a mental note that the symbiotic fluid in the tank was nearly due for replacement.
Fernicius looked up from his work at the monitor setup, momentarily detaching his mind from the code control system he was manipulating. Neuro-bridge connections were a boon for productivity: one simply attached their minds to the system and programmed directly. "Yes, Honorable Emphisa?" He had noticed the outburst, but had decided to ignore it.
It seemed the wisest thing to do right now considering they were both worried.
"How long have we been working on this project?" Emphisa asked him the rhetorical question.
"Years, my brother." Fernicius didn't need to think long about that. "You called me to your office to discuss an inspiration. I supported your vision. I still do." He hovered over to the tank as well, "Our first prototypes weren't even interactive at all since we focused on getting the foundation right."
Emphisa nodded, "Do you think we have succeeded in that?"
Fernicius switched his heads, a more speculative face focusing on his boss, "For the progress we have made thus far, I affirm it. It is of course too early to say on whether we have achieved all of our goals. The testing is not complete yet. We… have no decisive evidence."
"That is correct." Emphisa agreed, seemingly satisfied and put at ease by the answers of his science partner. He looked around the room, the brief hesitations that plagued him disappearing as he reminded himself, "we have employed the tightest of security protocols, and we have always kept the greater good of the Quintesson Empire in mind. It gives me great satisfaction to know that the Aphos department has always pursued science with great discipline."

Fernicius nodded in agreement, thought for a moment and spoke, "What about Salaxorius's order, Sir? And the Master Inquisitor's freedom to observe this project? We have worked to construct a solid foundation for the prototypes, but I worry that the Inquisitor might find some aspects objectionable." Now he was treading thin ice, his own worries bubbling under the surface to remind him of their situation. But they had to discuss this.
Emphisa let out a displeased hiss. He, too, was worried. It wasn't just the fact that the Overseer had given Salaxorius so much power over the project, but it was the tentative string of politics and the intricate web of diplomatic interactions that came with it. Salaxorius /hated/ Cybertronians. His fury for their existence was intense, and while some would be consumed by such hate the Master of Inquisition had taken command over it and used it to become one of Quintessa's finest inquisitors. His fury made him as sharp and cunning as a Folmoxian blade, and even his brethren feared him. He was a fantastic enforcer of the Empire, but he made certain areas of science difficult.
And he made certain topics downright inaccessible.

"The Master of Inquisition may inquire as he pleases. We will accommodate as the Overseer expects us to." Emphisa answered, "We serve the Empire, Fernicius, you know that. It just so happens that our servitude forces us to work in an area Salaxorius cannot evaluate objectively due to his opinion of the modern-day occupants of Cybertron. Therefore we exercise caution with disclosing information due to their sensitive topics… but we are not breaking any laws; we /have/ used the blueprints of ancient military hardware like we said."
Fernicius chuckled in amusement and gave Emphisa a knowing look. "Your ingenuity is, as always, an inspiration, Brother."
The door to the lab beeped and opened, effectively disrupting their conversation. Emphisa and Fernicius both turned their heads to see who entered the lab. It was Cindermaw.
… It was only Cindermaw.
"Allicon, I express my hope that you somehow managed to magically lose a prototype on your way back here and that we do not have to retrieve it from the halls of Justice." Fernicius deadpanned.
Emphisa glared.

[Location: Khalanxis, Anesis compound, testing track nr. 4]

The room was relatively large and rectangle shaped. Big, wide panels that appeared relatively soft lined the walls, their chamfered edges separated with bluish light. There was one automatic sliding door in the room, made from reinforced steel and with a small bulletproof window holding frosted glass. It was marked with the text [Anesis – 04], but from the inside the text was read from the backside and was thus mirrored. A small light was set into the wall above the door, but it was not lit. The room was not silent; there was a constant monotone buzz of electric particles that hummed in the air, alternated by the harmonics of underlying systems standing by. The room was pristine, like the rest of Khalanxis. The diffuse light made it look soft and calming.

Suddenly, the normal overhead lights stuttered and faded. The blue light strips intensified, visualizing hexagon patterns. An electrical field washed over the room, changing its appearance and forming a pristine staircase leading up to a door. After the room was done with its visualizations, the light above the entry door came on and the door itself slid open. The prototype unit known as D-HEX-23674, Hextaida Sunam, walked into the room. It was followed by Hextaida Mandar. The two micromaster-sized transformers paused, looking around this new place with curious faces. A screen suddenly visualized in front of them, broadcasting the appearance of Salaxorius. The Quintesson looked at them with expectation. "Welcome, both of you. This is one of the Anesis equipment testing tracks, which we will borrow for a few exercises. This room is a 'hard light simulation chamber', meaning that it can simulate geometry and physics of any specification. Everything appearing in the room will be reality, remember that. When entering an exercise, this screen will provide you with your objective. I will not be guiding you; this is something you will do together. I do expect you to manage that much. Now, Sunam, you precede Mandar, so you will be the superior unit and will have command during these exercises. Mandar, you must follow Sunam's directions. Get to it."
Without awaiting their reply, Salaxorius disappeared and the screen switches to an objective screen. Both mechs inch forward to read what it says.
"Reach the door." Sunam whispers, looking at the stairway filling up the entire room, and the door at the top of it, "Oh, that's simple!"
"Is it?" Mandar tilts its head, also looking at the stairway. It was still interpreting the concept of a room that manags to fabricate tangible structures and natural forces; It seemed quite unfathomable.
"Yes, of course it is! This unit has done this before, just follow me!" Sunam ordered, grabbed one of the other mech's hands and led him back towards the door through which they first entered. He demonstratively placed a hand on the structure and gave the other prototype a bright smile, "See? We reached the door!"
"…" D-HEX-23675 tilted his head. Actually… D-HEX-23674's logic wasn't wrong: the objective didn't specify which door they had to reach.
"Incorrect!" the voice of Salaxorius suddenly echoed through the room, accompanied by an electric shock going through the door. Since Sunam was touching it and holding Mandar's hand, the jolt went through the both of them. Both cried out in surprise and pain, letting go of each other and stumbling away from the door.
"7-74!" Hextaida Mandar cried out indignantly, glaring at its counterpart while cradling his singed hand. The sensors were numb from the surge that had passed through them.
"Eek! My apologies, 75! This one thinks it made a mistake!" D-HEX-23674 rubbed his neck sheepishly and gave Mandar a stupid grin, "The objective probably didn't mean this door after all…"
"…" Mandar frowns, "Didn't it say it did this before, Brother?"
Sunam gave an apologetic shrug before approaching the staircase. Mandar followed, frown deepening.

They made it halfway, finding each step to become higher than the previous one. Eventually, they had to mantle to make it up. Not before long, they were staring up at a wall. The two mechs blinked, scurrying along the step to see if there was a spot that was lower. There was none. After a moment, Sunam growled in annoyance, crossed his arms and gave Mandar an indignant scowling glance. "D-HEX-23675, find a way to go up." He ordered and nodded towards the wall.
Mandar looked back at him, tilting his head, "Why won't you help me, brother?" He questioned.
"Because I'm in charge, that's why. I'm the superior unit, and I'm telling you to find a way up."
There was a moment of silence as Mandar thought about that, before replying with a hesitating, "Yes Sir."
The more recent prototype scurried along the step a bit more, looking up and down. He passed Sunam a few times, who had resorted to leaning against the wall, arms still crossed. Eventually, Mandar halted in front of Sunam, face not betraying what he thought. "Brother D-HEX-23674, this one believes to have found an appropriate solution to our problem."
"Took you long enough, Brother D-HEX-23675. What is the solution?" Sunam uncrossed his arms.
Mandar spread his legs to a solid stance, and cupped his hands in front of him, interlocking his fingers and having the palms face upwards, "It is this, Brother D-HEX-23674."
Sunam frowned, "It is- that makes no sense! What does /this/ have to do with getting up to the next step?" He mimics the stance, frowning in dismay.
Mandar quickly leapt towards Sunam. He landed one foot in the other mech's open hands, exerting enough force to launch himself upwards. Within moments, he was standing on the next step, looking down upon a baffled D-HEX-23674, "Didn't you say you did this exercise before?"
"What- Hey!" Hextaida Sunam stared, mouth agape. Hextaida Mandar reached down with a hand, waving it around to indicate that the other mech should grab it so he could be pulled up. Once also on the next ledge, Mandar was given a sullen look, "You should've warned me, Brother D-HEX-23675…"
"…" D-HEX-23675 shrugged, "You told me you did this exercise before, Brother D-HEX-23674."

Using the technique and improving it to give better boosts to one another, the two made it all the way to the top of the staircase. When they reached the door a speaker crackled to live and Salaxorius commented, "Well enough. Keep in mind that I do not appreciate any more trickery like before. Do not reinterpret the goals of an exercise without my permission. Failure to comply will be seen as defiance and will result in your termination."
The door swung open, and the two mechs stepped into the next room...

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[End of chapter: Brother]
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