Soundwave did not immediately confirm Nathan's request for reformatting. Instead, he tilted his head-casing, his crimson visor reflecting Nathan's scorched titanium chest-plates.
"Query: Internal power source?"
Nathan went rigid. "Energy Core, Lord Soundwave. Standard synthetic grade."
"Conclusion: A Mid-tier Core is calibrated for a Mid-tier spark-frequency," Soundwave droned, his voice vibrating through the sand. "It lacks the thermal overhead to sustain a High-tier combat chassis. Structural collapse: inevitable."
Nathan lowered his head. He understood the physics. In the Cybertronian hierarchy, the body followed the soul. You couldn't force a high-output military frame to function on a civilian-grade battery without the servos seizing under the power draw.
"Evolution requires a dual-track synchronization," Soundwave continued. "The Spark must expand before the Frame can be cast. The Core within your chest is a Starscream-design—a mass-produced shortcut. It cannot be upgraded through standard field-calibration."
Nathan felt a surge of calculated disappointment. Was his mission for the Space Bridge all for nothing? Had he killed T-24 only to remain a drone?
"Do not miscalculate the variable, Seeker," Soundwave added, noting the dip in Nathan's optical brightness. "There is an alternative to the AllSpark."
Nathan looked up, his sensors recalibrating. "An alternative? But the AllSpark is the only source of Primal Induction."
"The AllSpark is lost to the void," Soundwave confirmed. "But the Well of All Sparks on Cybertron still contains trace amounts of Raw Energon—the primordial liquid fire that birthed our race before the Great War."
He gestured to the history of their people. In the ancient eras, Cybertronians were Primal-Induced, birthed naturally from the Well by the artifacts of the Primes, such as Solus Prime's Forge or the Emberstone. But after the Fallen's betrayal and the Well's depletion, the race turned to Synthetic Frame-Casting—artificial manufacturing where a memory core was simply slotted into a pre-built body.
Synthetic casting was efficient, but it lacked the "soul" of a true Spark. It created grunts, not leaders.
"I cannot grant you a Spark from the AllSpark itself," Soundwave said, reaching into his chest-compartment. "But I can provide the catalyst."
He withdrew a translucent cubic container. Inside, a viscous, fiery red liquid swirled with a life of its own, radiating a thermal signature so intense that the sand around Soundwave's feet began to glassify.
[ DATA ANALYSIS: RAW ENERGON CONCENTRATE ]
[ SOURCE: THE WELL OF ALL SPARKS ]
Nathan's intake vents cycled rapidly. He felt the pull of the energy—a primal, magnetic attraction that every Cybertronian felt for the source of their life. This wasn't a standard Energon cube; this was the raw, unrefined essence of their planet.
"Is this... my allocation?" Nathan asked, his voice barely a whisper.
"Consider it a down-payment on your continued discretion," Soundwave replied, tossing the cube toward Nathan.
Nathan caught it with both hands, his micro-manipulators trembling as he secured the relic. This was more than a promotion; it was a path to becoming a true Cybertronian, a being of Spark rather than just a being of Code.
"This concentrate is sufficient to trigger a systemic evolution to a High-tier veteran state," Soundwave commanded. "Consume it only once I have departed this sector. Your frame will undergo a violent reconfiguration. You must be isolated."
"Thank you, Lord Soundwave," Nathan said, bowing low. "I will not fail the cause."
Soundwave's optics narrowed. "The Air Commander. What are his current local coordinates? What data have you gathered on his unauthorized excavations?"
Nathan's processors whirred. He knew about the search for the Matrix in Egypt, but he also knew Soundwave likely already had that data from Scalpel. He had to provide something valuable but safe.
"Lord Starscream has been absent from the Nevada stronghold for forty-eight hours," Nathan reported. "He has delegated the search for NBE-1 to the Seeker Vanguard, but he has provided us with zero tactical support. He is hoarding Energon reserves for a private project. I calculate a 94% probability that he is searching for a Primal Artifact outside of the North American theater."
Soundwave processed the information. "Starscream's transparency remains zero. As expected."
He looked at Nathan one last time. "You will maintain your position within the Vanguard. Remain as Starscream's shadow. Do not return to the Nevada base for three solar cycles. By then, my presence will be established, and the Air Commander will be... re-evaluated."
"Understood, Lord Soundwave."
Nathan watched as the Spymaster transformed into a sleek, unbranded satellite-scout and lanced into the upper atmosphere.
The beach was silent again, save for the headless body of T-24 buried in the dunes. Nathan looked down at the glowing red cube in his hands.
The drone is dead, he thought, his optics flaring with a new, dangerous light. Now, it's time to see what I can become.
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