Disclaimer: Transformers belongs to Hasbro. Justice League belongs to DC Comics.
To avoid confusion. The protagonist comes from a universe where Transformers and DC Comics don't exist.
Human or machine
Prologue
Luna 1/Hecate – Con Facility
MS-004 POV
When I opened my eyes, I felt strange, like it was the first time I ever did it, I found myself at what appeared to be some sort of operation table, with many pieces of equipment that looked like they belonged to an assembly line rather than a hospital.
The word hospital clicks something in my head, before I'd go to sleep everything was fine so why would I find myself in this predicament?
"It is finished," I hear someone says.
"Good, instruct him the basics and deploy him to the field," Another voice speaks.
"Yes sir!" The first voice responds.
I tried to move my body, but I could only blink, and even that feels weird because despite blinking with both my eyes I only felt one closing, despite doing it with both.
Before I could think more about the matter a shadow is cast over me and what I see leaves me speechless. The person wasn't a person, it was a robot, his face appeared human, but I could see it was made of metal, and no human could have pure blue eyes that shone like stars.
"Welcome to the world of the living filthy cold construct". He says with a smile that emanates malicious intents from here to the other side of the country. "You are MS-004, created for the sole purpose of serving Cybertron and then discarded once your usefulness ends".
His words scared me, Cybertron, MS-004? Created? Too many questions and I wasn't sure if I wanted an answer to any of them. I try to look better at this robot, he has a green chassis and a red insignia on his chest, his face looks like a jet fighter pilot's helmet and there is some kind of plate where his mouth and nose were supposed to be.
"Now get on your feet soldier, you are going to war". He says and presses a button, making the table where I am, spin forward as if I was Darth Vader in Revenge of the Sith.
I wish he didn't do that, the moment the table lets me see the double side mirror, which I assumed the two voices that talked before came from behind it while observing me, I can see my face, or better, the lack of it, the only thing there is a single blue headlight thing that I assume is my eye.
I was panicking, soon after seeing that I no longer had a face I noticed that my body was also completely different, no longer was I made of flesh and blood, but of metal and electricity.
"What have you done to me?" I asked, incapable of feeling mid-despair or being on the verge of tears as I should've been, wanting to cover my face that wasn't there anymore.
"It's called Empurata". The robot says as if it should mean something to me. "Of course, you don't know, you were just born. Empurata is an old tradition on Cybertron. A tradition of removing the damn heads and hands of criminals and installing new faceless, fingerless replacements so everyone knows to shun them".
"You just said I was recently born, why was I subverted to such a horrible thing?" I asked in disbelief, no longer able to cry, show facial expressions, or even have sentiments in my voice which now only sounds vague, monotonous, and indifferent.
"You are a cold construct". The robot says with arrogance. "We don't care if you are innocent or guilty. It is our right as Autobots to do whatever we want with scum like you who was created for only one objective; be a disposable soldier whom we expected to die on the battlefield soon".
His words were harsh and cruel and despite having a robotic body now it didn't stop me from feeling my heart shatter. I've experienced people being rude to me before, and many people on the internet used to offend me because I disagree with them or because I have my own opinions, but to be hated because of circumstances out of my control and just because of what I am and how I was born? It is horrible, and experiencing it makes me wonder how come humanity could ever do such a thing in the past and still do it in the present.
I have no response to the robot, instead, I just look at my new 'face' and new arm, on singular, my other arm was replaced by some cannon, yet I can still fill the fingers I had there, I can still feel them moving when I think of it. As my whole body shakes in fear and sadness about what I became, the only consolation I have is that my new body is now orange and blue, my favorite colors, I guess in desperate times, small mercies are a blessing.
"Now follow me, soldier, I waste enough time with you already," The robot says, and I followed him, afraid of what would happen since they did that Empurata thing to me despite my innocence, fearing what they would do if I was guilty.
I try to be fast at my pace, but the shock hasn't passed yet, I look at my body and touch my chest and 'face' with my only hand, but I don't feel anything, actually, I feel, I just don't believe what I feel is real but rather, the electricity in my brain is telling me how I should feel should my body still be organic.
I wanted to ask so many questions to the robot, but fear stopped me, and it only increases when I remember he said I was created to be an infantry soldier and deployed to war, I didn't want to go, war is horrible, those video games and movies are pure lies, I knew war is bloody, cruel and no soldier is expected to come back alive, in war you don't go all Rambo and kill a hundred soldiers at every reload, you stay is a trench starving and waiting to die either by dehydration, famine or sickness due to the lack of bath.
I wanted to weep but once more I failed, whatever they did to me it stopped me from feeling emotions, the only reason I still know how and what I am supposed to feel is because of these ghost feelings I'm having due to my former life experiences, and something tells me that these will also fade with time.
After a short walk, we arrived at a room, once we enter a see nine other Cybertronians that looked exactly like me, then I see something of a sudden, like cattle each one of them had a mark on the chest of their chassis, out of reflex I look at my own chest and see I have the same mark as them saying; MS-004, explaining why the Autobot called me that. I assume it is our serial numbers and I'm the fourth made but the last one activated. It was then that I realized that this Autobot wasn't acting all high and might because of his position and social status, it's because, in Cybertron's society, me and the other MSs are disposable beings.
The Autobot signs for me to take my place between MS-003 and MS-005 and I knew that once I did what he said is when the nightmare would really start.
As I take my place beside my… brothers? Comrades? I don't know our relationship although I do feel like I'm among family close to the other MSs.
"Very well scum listen up". The Autobot says and I focus on him. "You are Cold Constructs, for those who still don't know what that is, it means you were all born from sparks that were frozen in photonic crystals which were put on pre-constructed bodies.
"Now I won't answer all your questions because you will all probably die on the battlefield, so I'll be direct.
"You are the MS series, MS means Moot Soldiers, you are created with one purpose only, to be the infantry of the Cybertronian army and fight on the frontlines, you are not expected to survive, and the only reason your alt forms are made out to be the most durable vehicle mode is that it is the firepower we need on the front and the shield we need to protect the other lines".
"NO!" One of the MS, 007 from what I could see screams before I could. "I don't want to, I don't want to go to any war or be a soldier".
MS-007 makes a run for it but out of a sudden his head explodes and we all stared with our 'eyes' doing the closest they could to emulate an open-mouthed expression.
"Anyone else who wants to quit?" The Autobot asks and I see he has some type of device on this hand, presumably what he used to make 007 explode. "We didn't make you all go through Empurata just because you lowlifes deserve it, we did it so we could put explosives on your heads in case you try to desert Cybertron's army instead of fighting and die for its glory, a fate more than you Cold Constructs deserve frankly.
"Now, unfortunately for you, your squad is a Bot less, and unfortunately, I'll be forced to send you to the battlefield nonetheless, not that I care but it might cost us victory.
"Now, if you survive this war, which I doubt and hope you won't, you will be sent to Cybertron or one of our colonies where you will work the rest of your miserable lives in the job our leaders will choose for you, the good news is that your bombs will be deactivated when it happens, the bad news is that it won't matter since you will be forced to work until you are rust and dust".
He smiles and despite wanting to feel anger the fear I think I'm feeling immediately reminds me of the control he has in his hand and the explosive I have in my head.
Those words spoken were the last spoken, and despite not having a single answer to the million questions I still have on my mind I realize something, me and my brothers aren't supposed to think or understand anything, only to know the basic of why we are created and how to do our work until we die. It saddens me that of all the benevolent alien races there might be in the universe I awaken in the body of one whose society is so divided that they treat their own race as lesser beings because of the way they are born, and yet I somehow feel more human because of it.
Author's note: Chapters will be longer, since this is just the prologue I decide to make it short.
MS-004 appearance is the cover image.
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English is not my first language