"Herr Engineer?" "Ugh... Doc? What happened? An' what's this thing you got strapped to my head?" "You fell unconscious right in the middle of the mess hall, Heavy carried you to the infirmary. This machine is an electroencephalogram, a device that measures brain activity. It just arrived yesterday on the supply truck." Medic scowled at the machine. "You seem to have burned it out somehow." "Ah, sorry doc... How long have I been out?" "Approximately... Six hours." "How's the teleporter?" "Ah, I have captured one of the creatures. I have been studying it while you were unconscious. It appears to be around the intelligence level of a dog. It also seems to be omnivorous. It likes watermelons, I shall have to request a crate of them. I zink I shall name it Mendel." Engineer sat up and got off of the steel slab. "Careful, Herr Engineer..." "I'm alright doc. Say... You didn't see anything weird on that brain monitor while I was out, did you?" "Ehh...," the doctor squinted. "High activity in the secondary visual cortex, low activity in the primary... Similar to REM sleep. I did not pay much attention to it, otherwise I would have noticed ze smoking..." "Yeah, I guess that makes sense. Bye doc." Engie picked up the troublesome gizmo and left the doctor to his examination of the ailen.

Engie wandered back to his workshop. "Universal constructor..." he muttered to himself. He knew the respawn system worked by scanning molecular patterns and rearranging atoms to match, fusing the required atoms from compressed hydrogen stored in massive tanks under the complex. It used some sort of Australium catalyst, a rare and powerful mineral that had amazing transmutive properties. Engie pulled a strongbox out from under his cot and pressed his thumb to a dark glass plate on the lid. The box clicked open to reveal several bars of the shining yellow metal and his grandfather's plans for various contraptions, the live-preserving machine, the original Spy disguise kit, an early version of the Australium healing-accelerator device that eventually evolved into the Medigun and the dispenser, and other assorted machines; most importantly the Respawn system.

Engie took the plans over to his workbench and stared at them. He didn't know what he was looking for, if anything. Just looking over the old papers, thinking. The matter transmogrification system could in theory be used to create any sort of object you wished, the problem was finding the right codes to actually form the object you wanted. Engie's grandfather, Radigan Conhager, had spent the last ten years of his life trying to perfect the system that broke down the atomic structure of a person's body at the exact moment of death and then analyzed and repaired any and all damage. Engineer's father, James Conhager, finally finished the design and implemented it at all Builder's League United facilities. Not long afterward, Reliable Excavation and Demolition operatives had built their own duplicates. That was the way it always was, as soon as one side gained any kind of advantage the other side always gained an equal one. An endless war of attrition between the two rival heirs of Zephaniah Mann, Blutarch and Redmond. Each company leader kept alive indefinitely by Radigan Conhager's life-extending machine.

Engie re-hid the documents and went over to the other side of his workshop. The teleporter's sparking had grown in intensity, the sparks were now arcing to almost two feet away.

*KRRRRRZZZRRRRRKKKKK*

A massive, rabbit-like creature suddenly appeared in a shower of green sparks and long electrical arcs. Engie looked on in horror as the beast picked up the level two sentry in one paw and smashed it against the wall. Engineer grabbed his Frontier Justice and unloaded three cartridges of buckshot right into the beast's hairy face. It simply roared and knocked Engie across the room, his ribs and spine cracking against the concrete. It stomped up to Engie as he lie bleeding on the floor, ready to crush him with its mighty paws. He thought he heard a familiar muffled voice, then everything went black...