Chapter Twenty:
"Blood tests reveal higher than normal levels of metals in her system," Ratchet began. "This may be due to her body's natural attempts to eliminate the foreign bodies of the implants and associated chips. It appears that her blood is corrosive to the kind of circuitry implanted in a majority of her technology.
"She is anemic, which I expected, given her recent history.
"There also appears to be a great number of lesions around the brain implants, which is another reason for her constant headaches.
"The information Livewire shared with us about the scarring was also accurate. Fortunately, whoever did it knew what they were doing and I don't foresee any future hormonal problems.
"There appears to be no tenderness or other signs of rejection of the skull plates. In fact, it would appear the protoform armor actually bonded with her natural bone and continued to grow as if it were the skull.
"The optic and audial implants do function properly, although I did find evidence of a remote viewing and listening sub routine imbedded within the normal circuitry as well as a receiving device. The main problem with them is that they are not properly protected; the circuitry of her audial implant, as I've already told you, is exposed to external elements, and her optic has no protection from excessive light, which has also been adding to her headaches. I'm afraid they will have to be replaced.
"She also has a spinal port that was used to repair a severed spinal column. It has been overgrown with human skin and is intact. The only real problem with it is the discomfort it causes when she tries to lie on her back. I don't think it is necessary to replace it at this time.
"Finally, her cybernetic limbs are much too small for her. The arm is quite frankly a piece of slag; poor design, worse programming and outright wrong seating at the shoulder. Fortunately, the arm will be the only limb surgery that will have to be repeated."
"Why will you have to operate on her shoulder?" Optimus wanted to know.
"Because the morons who initially placed the seating joint put it in backwards."
"How can you put a joint in backwards?" Livewire asked.
"It's only easy if you're an idiot," Ratchet sighed through his vents. He raised his hand upright and generated his holograph to illustrate what happened. "You see the standard seat has three different arms, one over the top and two on either side. They got the one on top and the one in front correct, but they messed up on the back. What confused them is that they designed them according to what ours look like, with a small hook on the very ends that point outward, and a larger hook about an inch further down that point in and actually hold the joint to the body. The one on the back is oriented so the larger hook is outward and is being held by the smaller hook.
"That is why she was always breaking her shoulder when she would try to use the arm. It would simply unseat itself, and then catch on the two correct arms which would put excessive stress on the bone."
"So I'm broken," Ellie said sadly.
"No child. You are not broken, your implants are just malfunctioning," Ratchet said again as his attention was caught by a flash from the matrix collector.
Seeing his attention diverted, Ellie followed his gaze and saw the essence matrix coming to rest on the padding beneath the device.
"Well Livewire, looks like we got another customer.
"Would you like to help?" she asked of the medic.
"Yes. I would like to see how you do this."
"May I observe Ellie?" Optimus asked her.
"Me too!" Hound added from the entrance.
"Sure. Just ask whatever questions you need to as we go along," she answered as she was already jumping off the table and picking up a clean white cloth.
"The first question I have," Optimus started, "is how did you get that spark here?"
"Oh, that's Webster's idea," she stated. "I don't know the exact technology, but the gist is developing something called a teleportation channel from the millimites that have been seeded throughout the planet to this matrix collector."
"Millimites? Seeded throughout the planet? How is this possible?" the prime was curious.
"Ok. Webster miniaturized some technology to the milliscopic level. He calls them millimites. They act as monitoring devices for every Cybertronian that has ever spent any length of time on this planet over the last five years. They are programmed to adhere to the energy signature of the matrix, then if any fatal injury happens to the 'bot, the millimites are programmed to activate their end of the teleportation channel which then brings the essence matrix here.
"Now, as to how we seeded the planet; first we spread the millimites along the major highways. Then, it's a basic pollination equation; the 'bot picks them up, as he transforms, it migrates the 'mites toward the matrix, any extras are then either transferred to any other 'bots he comes in contact with, either through combat or familiar contact, or just drops off along the road where another 'bot can pick them up.
"Is that what you wanted to know?"
"Yes. It is.
"How do you know who the spark belongs to?"
"That I can explain after we get him into the holo-preserver. Any other questions about the teleporter?"
"Just one, how can you tell if these millimites have infested you?"
"That's easy, just scan your chest innards with a standard debris scan set at the milliscopic and microscopic levels.
"Anything else?"
"Not about the teleportation technology," Optimus finished.
"Please, continue with your new patient," Ratchet encouraged.
"First thing we do is get it out of the collector bin in case more are coming. I found out the hard way that you should use a cloth when I accidentally touched a connection that had acid on it.
"So, we set this fella up here, and Livewire is going to get a sample from the dust that seems to naturally occur in between the crystals," she continued as she pulled her stool up to her work bench and he gently rubbed a cotton swab between two crystals.
"What is he studying the dust for?" Ratchet wanted to know.
"I told you that you guys have DNA. He's mapping it," she said distractedly.
Curious, Optimus walked over to stand by Livewire's shoulder. "Will I bother you if I stand here?" he asked.
"Not at all," he answered as he became engrossed in his work.
"Now, this fella's about sixteen inches in diameter," Ellie continued as she eyed up her latest patient.
"That means he's about the same size as Ironhide. So, I'm going to need to make a standard base.
"First thing I need is a medium piece," she said and began pointing her two new helpers around the worktable.
". . . a piece of the spidrobots' special gold-leaf cloth to help keep the connection points in contact on the bottom . . . now the green drawer, I'll need one from each section . . ." she directed.
"Okay, so now that the base is all done, let's find out which way he's oriented. For that, I developed this base that is connected to a computer monitor, all we need is the gold sack to go over the matrix," she pulled out a gold colored cloth the same weave as the one on the bottom with wires coming from it, "and then connect it to the interfaces and hit the power button."
The image on the monitor depicted a generic stick figure looking like it was in the middle of doing a cartwheel.
"Poor thing's on his head. So, let's adjust him a little bit, and there. He's on his feet, but let's see what direction he's facing."
This time the image depicted a generic head in profile. She adjusted the matrix again and was satisfied with the results.
"Now, we just put a little carbon on the bottom connection points so we know how he would go into his body, sit him in his new holo-preserver and connect the wires to the points inside of the cube. Now we put the cube on and we're done. He just needs to sit on the recharge table for twenty-four hours before we can turn him on and introduce ourselves," she finished with obvious pride.
VVVVVBREAKVVVVV
"So who found what they believe to be DNA inside of one of our sparks?" Optimus was asking Livewire.
"Ellie. Despite everything, her uncle did teach her a few things about proper scientific research. The first thing was always know exactly what you are dealing with.
"And it is DNA. I've run the analysis myself over six hundred times. Every matrix, or spark, as you call them, that comes from a Cybertronian has DNA wrapped within an odd metallic molecule. They each have two specific nucleotides in common, one is HDL 1, or the human gene, and the other is the one I call the Cybertronian gene."
"What? How is this possible? What do you mean by a Cybertronian has DNA? What about those 'bots created on this planet like yourself?"
"I don't know. Exactly what I said, and no. Those of us created here appear to not have DNA. Ellie believes it may just be that we are so young ours is still firmly within our frames and simply has not had the time to slough off."
"Just for curiosity's sake," Ratchet asked as he joined them after finishing up with Ellie. "Have you mapped Ellie's DNA?"
Livewire smirked and glanced to make sure she had left for the moment. Wordlessly, he accessed a port in his chest and displayed it on the monitor in front of him. "And this is the map of Jazz's DNA," he said as a second read out appeared below the first. "This is HDL 1, and this is the Cybertronian nucleotide." She had it too.
VVVVVBREAKVVVVV
"It's about time you guys got here," Major Ellison said as the dark SUV pulled into the warehouse.
Wordlessly, the rear passenger door opened and he got in. The door was closed and locked before he realized what had happened.
"Hey! Who are you? Release me right now! Let me go!"
The holograph in the front seat dissolved and a disembodied voice said from the speakers, "Silence insect!"
In desperation, he began to kick at the seats and doors with his cybernetic leg. He was doing some damage to the interior, but the alien remained silent. Finally, he was able to kick out the rear passenger window and started to clamber out when it transformed, crushing his lower half in the process. Major Ellison screamed in pain as he felt his bones twist and shatter from the hips down.
Through the haze of pain, he saw the black and white police car pull in behind the alien. "Help!" he yelled at the officer. The car complied willingly when he also transformed and walked up to the SUV.
"Release him Lugnut," the newcomer said.
Wordlessly, Lugnut reassumed his alt form and the black and white plucked the semi-conscious human from his rear window.
"You are Major Andrew Ellison, member of the United States Marine Corps and spy to Dr. Alistair Carlisle. You were sent with two others to infiltrate N.E.S.T. and determine the movements of the Autobots," he was informed. "I know all about you and your cohorts. By the time either side gets here, you will be beyond saving. I am only here to address you personally to leave a message for Dr. Carlisle: Ellie is beyond your control, but you are not beyond mine."
Manifesting a razor sharp blade, he slit the skin behind the human's right ear and pulled out the audial implant. Easily, he cloned the signal of the remotely controlled recording device, and downloaded the saved files, making sure to send his specific message on before he crushed the implant in his fingers.
Dropping the human as if he were nothing more than trash, Barricade walked over to the apparently dying biologic's vehicle and reactivated the GPS device.
"Let's go Lugnut," he said as he transformed. "We did what we came here for."
Following his best friend and leader, Lugnut rolled back out into the abandoned alleyways before he spoke. "Barricade? Why didn't you just kill the insect?"
"Because this will be far more efficient for our purposes."
"How?"
"He will survive at least long enough to tell whoever finds him that he was attacked by alien robots. If it is the Autobot forces that find him, he will inadvertently lead them to Dr. Carlisle's base, which will finally release me from my debt to the human child. If it is Dr. Carlisle's forces that find him, they will have another reason to hate the Autobots and cause even more trouble for them. This way, I don't have to deploy my own forces prematurely."
"Oh.
"So, can I get a new form now? This one has that last insect's lubricants all over the interior and he dented it up pretty bad."
"Of course you may have a new form. You did very well," Barricade answered as they made a detour toward the military base. "I think you would look very good in camouflage."
VVVVVBREAKVVVVV
Mudflap and Skidz were the first to arrive at the location of the major's car. They found him still alive, but unconscious and badly damaged.
"Skidz to base; found Major Ellison and he ain't none too good. Request medical types here pronto," he sent via his internal com.
"Roger Skidz. Dispatching Dr. Zadak with Dino," the human on the other end responded.
A few minutes later, Dr. Brenda Zadak was kneeling over the still form of Major Ellison. "The audial implant is trashed. I doubt we'll be able to get anything out of it now. Here, let me remove his cybernetic leg and see if that relieves some of the pressure on his pelvis. I think he may end up losing his other leg though. It's badly damaged.
"I am still getting a rather strong pulse behind his knee and in his ankle, so the major blood vessels seem to be intact.
"Start an IV," she ordered the medic. "Get him stable and try to keep him sedated. The pain from his injuries might cause cardiac distress."
Skidz and Mudflap looked at each other. They both thought it was kind of odd that the human doctor knew he had a cybernetic leg without examining it first. Mudflap sent his suspicion to Dino as Skidz sent his to General Lennox.
Scans of the doctor did not reveal any cybernetic implants.