LOG-003.

  "Assuming your t-cog is fully operational, you should be able to shift to an alt mode at will. However, you'll need to acquire a template before you can do so."

  Zero nodded, standing at attention. We were outside the lab, hanging around one of the more open areas. Plenty of space to practice. Predaking was...somewhere. I could occasionally see an armored tail sticking out of various ruins.

  "I designed you with my own tank form in mind. Your armor, while slightly thinner than mine, should be enough to contribute towards the mass limit."

  The Zaku's lone optic gleamed.

  "Mass limit?"

  I nodded.

  "It is a common fact that certain alt modes prove to be larger in comparison to a cybertronian's root mode. This is due to the extra mass being shunted to one's subspace. The opposite is also true, as a smaller alt-mode will store mass in a sufficiently large subspace until a cybertronian returns to their standard form."

  I transformed, my turret facing the green mech.

  "Notice that my form is slightly larger than should be realistically possible if one were to account for my actual frame. This is due to extra material being drawn from my subspace. Now, begin a scanning protocol. Your t-cog should do the rest."

  With a nod, Zero's optic blinked once, before a green beam swept over my form. I noticed Predaking watching from atop a nearby rusted tower.

  The overgrown lizard had been flying more and more lately. An excellent sign in terms of growth and eventual maturity.

  My attention was drawn back to my manufactured companion as his frame began to shift, becoming slightly more angled, similar to my own aesthetic.

  A short, hesitant transformation sequence later, and a cybertronian tank rested in front of me.

  As expected, Zero's alt mode was near identical to my own. If a bit smaller, with an alternate paint job, obviously.

  "How do you feel?"

  His turret rotated for a moment, then he began to move forward.

  "It feels...correct."

  Returning to my root mode, I nodded, pulling out a handheld scanner.

  "It is natural. Begin with a short lap around the perimeter of this area. We'll ensure that you aren't suffering from any malfunctions."

  With a roar, Zero took off.

  I didn't blame him. Transformation really was great.

  ---

  I propped up the final corpse. These frames were either unusable or didn't possess the correct components required. Thus, they served a different purpose.

  Stepping back and raising a servo, I gestured to the trio of Autobots I'd repurposed for target practice.

  "Your inbuilt programming will serve as an excellent foundation, but to truly excel in the field, you must master the art of war. After this, we'll begin basic sparring matches. Now, begin."

  I felt a brief moment of deja vu as the Zaku stepped forward, raising his weapon and beginning to fire short bursts at the center of mass of each target.

  Making my latest project look like something from Gundam had been a fit of whimsy at best, but damn if it wasn't cool to watch a real life Zaku (or a variant of one) in action.

  "Remind me to work on getting you a heat axe."

  ---

  Zero lashed out with a quick punch, one that promptly bounced off my chest armor.

  Predaking lazily watched from outside the impromptu arena I'd set up, even as I grappled with the Zaku.

  "When fighting opponents of a higher armor class, one must aim for points of weakness. The joints, servos and optics are excellent examples."

  Following my own advice, I lashed out with a kick, catching the green mech in the helmet and sending him flying to the ground.

  Advancing, I gestured to Zero's stunned form.

  "You have the luck of being purpose built for battle. Unlike a regular cybertronian, I have ensured that you have little to no obvious weaknesses. Trust in your armor, and depend on your skill."

  I held out a servo, one which the mech took with a nod.

  "Thank you for teaching me, creator."

  Then I threw him over my shoulder.

  "Don't thank me yet. We haven't finished our spar."

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  Predaking chuffed in what I swore was amusement.

  ---

  The loose debris that littered the roads blew apart as the hover skiff soared through the air.

  I gave Zero a pat on the shoulder plate, gesturing forward.

  "Maintain course. I'll check the map and make sure we're still on the correct route."

  The Zaku nodded, idly glancing up at the circling form of Predaking, flying high above us

  "Yes, creator."

  Doing as I had said, I strode over and fiddled with the small navigational module I'd merged into the skiff's systems.

  "Let's see...yes. Keep on course Zero! We're on the right path!"

  The mech nodded, even as he raised a servo to block some of the dust that had begun to kick up at our passing.

  It seemed a storm was approaching. Irritating.

  "Creator! Why do we travel to this 'Polyhex'?! What value does it possess!?"

  I yelled back, even as the storm kicked up slightly. I ignored the muted thump of Predaking landing on the back of the skiff.

  "It's a satellite command hub! Controlled by the Decepticons during the Great war! I anticipate great salvage from it!"

  Reaching into a nearby storage compartment, I pulled out a pair of fibercloaks (nifty things, they could keep your paint from deteriorating if utilized correctly), wrapping one around my form and tossing the other to Zero.

  Predaking would have to tough it out. I didn't have dragon sized materials.

  The Zaku wrapped his own protective cloak around his frame, before jamming the steering apparatus into position. With the skiff's course set, he strode over to stand beneath the relative shelter of the small roof I'd welded atop the repurposed gantry.

  "Then to this command hub we shall go creator! These cloaks, where did you obtain them?"

  I sat down, leaning against Predaking's form even as I pulled out a pair of energon cubes, passing one to Zero.

  "Looted them off of what I believe to be dead Wreckers." At his confused silence, I elaborated.

  "An Autobot special task force. Quite the dangerous lot. Though the dead pose little threat. It is also how I obtained your weapon."

  The Zaku nodded in comprehension.

  "I understand. Once we reach this Polyhex, what then?"

  I take in some energon, letting Predaking take a short, disdainful sniff before continuing. The drama queen still refused to take in anything but midgrade energon. Cheap a pet dragon was not.

  "I know of an insecticon that was stationed somewhere on cybertron during the war. A sentry, to await in stasis until an enemy might expose itself. It would do us good to bring him back into the fold."

  I actually knew of Shrapnel due to the human side of my memories, funnily enough. My past self had never known of this particular sentry.

  More importantly, I knew that upon awakening, Shrapnel's stasis pod would release a high frequency pulse, one that would eventually make it back to earth.

  I'd originally planned to just sit around and wait for Knock Out to show up, but having some backup had given me a much needed confidence boost.

  Really, the old Shockwave must have been ridiculously hyperfocused on whatever mad science he was up to, considering how much I was getting done just going out and about in between projects.

  I took another deep pull of the cube, then resumed.

  "Unfortunately, I lack his exact coordinates. It is my hope to reactivate some of the low orbit communication satellites, assuming they've survived. With them, I could broadcast a general activation signal."

  My companion leaned forward, optic flashing briefly.

  "These insecticons, they too are your creations?"

  I waved a servo.

  "Of a sort, though not to your standard. I merely modified them for warfare. I never created them wholesale. In fact, it was actually Megatron who secured their allegiance, something about a combat trial. I wasn't actually present at the time."

  We both paused as the skiff rose upwards for a moment. The hover units ostensibly drawing more power to float over an obstacle of some sort. It almost felt like a ship on water rising over a wave.

  The dragon I'd been using as a cushion let loose a grumble as I stood up.

  "I'll keep watch for now. Get what recharge you can. We'll swap after we get a bit closer."

  Zero nodded, shuffling closer to the nonplussed predacon.

  "Affirmative. I will recharge."

  ---

  "Sweep the perimeter, I'll scan for a way inside."

  Polyhex was a fortress. An impromptu one. Once, during the 'Golden' age, it had managed cybertron's many, many satellites.

  This important task continued into the Great war. Even as the command hub swapped servos from the Autobots to the Decepticons.

  I opened up my omni-scanner, slowly advancing. Behind me, I could hear Zero climbing over rubble, presumably making his way to a higher vantage point.

  Predaking lounged next to the parked skiff. Looking majestic or something, I guess. Dragon things.

  The control dome we'd stopped outside of was one of the more intact structures we'd been able to spot. A good a start as any.

  Removing a jackcord from a small socket I'd installed on my wrist plate, I connected to the door's systems, anti-malware protocols engaged and ready to fight off any number of possible viruses.

  "Time to get to work."

  ---

  In the end, we'd made it inside the dome. I could say that it was a labyrinthine maze of sorts, but really it was all quite straight forward. This was originally a government building after all.

  Predaking was guarding the skiff outside. Mostly because he hadn't been able to fit through the small door without entirely too much squeezing. To his presumed annoyance.

  Zero and I both froze as we heard a clang, with the Zaku raising his neutron rifle, my own cannon charging as I raised a servo to gesture the mech forward.

  Slowly, we crept down the short hallway. Then in a sudden burst of movement, we leapt around the corner, weapons drawn.

  The glitch-mouse took one look at us, squeaked and skittered off into the darkness.

  I let loose a vaguely electronic snort.

  "Keep watch. The command center should be ahead."

  I strode forward as Zero shouldered his rifle with a silent nod.

  Increasing my optic's latent brightness, I panned my vision around the room.

  Plenty of consoles and monitors. All deactivated.

  They'd need a jump-start.

  With a sigh, I got to work, pulling a small energon pack from my subspace.

  ---

  With an audible thrum, the lights turned on, a few dozen computers activating at once.

  Zero marched into the room just as I settled myself down into one of the seats, tapping away at the holographic keyboard with a servo.

  "We're in, and thanks to my credentials..."

  The console pinged an affirmative as it connected to six...no...seven satellites. All reading as functional. Impressive if one ignored that this one station had likely managed thousands of them.

  "Dispatching awakening signal. It's a little risky, but I'll patch in a set of coordinates too. That way our lone insecticon can make his way to us."

  Zero nodded, holstering his weapon.

  "Then our primary objective is complete. What now?"

  I pointed behind me with a single digit.

  "We salvage whatever we can carry back with us, and quickly. I'd rather not risk something tracing the broadcast back to this location and encountering us. Let's go."

  ---

  "SHOOT THEM! SHOOT THEM!"

  Zero yelled back, barely louder than the full auto fire erupting from his weapon.

  "I AM!"

  Predaking let loose another roar, blasting at the ravenous swarm with a solid stream of molten hot flame.

  "FRAGGING SCRAPLETS!"

  ---

  By the time we made it back to the lab, the skiff had a few new scars on it's hull, but overall we'd all largely made it home intact.

  Fragging scraplets.

  I paused as I noticed a bulky figure waiting for us. Hopping off the gantry, I took a step toward the large mech, optic illuminating the insectoid Decepticon just as he took a knee.

  "Commander Shockwave. I am Shrapnel. I await your command."

  I pointed back at the skiff with a huff.

  "Help us carry this stuff inside."

  To the bug's credit, he didn't wait. The big lug got straight to work, pausing only for a moment to glance at Zero and stare at Predaking.

  The dragon let loose a snort, looming over the insecticon.

  "Jealousy doesn't suit you, friend."

  Hopping off the skiff with a chuff, the apex predator of our little group wandered off with a terminal held in his maw.

  We'd ended up spending the next few hours setting up the new equipment in a nearby building we'd managed to shore up. I also took the time to get Shrapnel an actual place to recharge, even if the bug had been asleep for literal centuries already.