The Monster of Kaon (Transformers Si): Chapter 46

“….I hate you. Maximus. I have hated you for as long as I can remember.”

“Hm. I can tell that much.”

Fortress and I moved through the virtual space as I worked on integrating his-My body parts into my current form.

Given how fast our brain modules tend to work, not to mention how much I am pushing myself right now, it might have only been a few seconds in reality since I began the process. However, here, in this virtual space, it felt like hours had gone by already.

“Do you not care that I hate you so much?”

“Not really. I can already guess why.”

I simply glanced at Fortress from the side of my optics before getting back to work.

“……I was supposed to be better than you. Shockwave gave me the greatest weapons known to Cybertron. Made me from your old body and upgraded it. Gave me the same kind of power you have. He even gave me a copy of your memories from before the fall of the Ascenticons. So why? Why did I lose to you?”

This time, I could not help but face the raging and hurting sparkling thrust into my shoes by my old friend.

“You lost, Fortress, because you lack my experience. And more importantly, you lack love.”

The clone laughed satirically at my words, much to my amusement.

Children, no matter the race, are always the same. They think they know everything there is to know and that they are the only ones who are right and everyone else is wrong.

If things were different, if circumstances allowed, would I have taken this youngling under my wing? Like I did with Megatronus? Like I did with Windblade?

…..Perhaps, I will never know the answer to such questions.

“Love? You say I lost because of a nebulous emotion that cannot be quantified?”

“Isn’t hatred the same? Or are you saying you can quantify the hatred that you feel for me?”

“…Continue. I wish to know more before I fade.”

I could not help but give him a sympathetic look as he resigned himself to his fate.

There is no doubt that Fortress is a monster. The acts that he has committed, the lives he has ruined, the way he treated Shockwave, the planets that he destroyed with the help of his followers, there is no forgiving all those acts.

He deserves nothing less than what is awaiting him now.

However, I cannot help but feel sad, knowing that he was but a broken sparkling thrust into a position and responsibility that were not his to bear, power and emotions not his to feel, expectations unfairly leveled at him.

He was never allowed to truly live, just like the bots of my time who lived under the suppression of the Primes.

That is why I will give him this small mercy and allow him to die with the knowledge that he seeks.

“On some level, you are a mirror of me. That stubbornness, that emotional instability, your cunning and ruthlessness, your long-term planning and the patience to see it through, your fighting ability and strategic thinking, they are all a mirror of my own. The only things you lack are trusted companions by your side to share your burden and ambition, and the capacity to love others.”

“That makes no sense. Why do I need others when I am strong enough to do what I want?”

This time, I gave him an amused look before playing the recording of our battle from my perspective.

“Tell me, Fortress, what do you see here?”

“…You kicking my aft across the Rust Sea?”

“That so? Well, I see a fight between equals. Two bots who mirror each other’s movements to such an extent that such a fight would have continued for eternity and beyond, should they have been left to it.”

“So, tell me, Fortress. When we are so equal, when it is nearly impossible to gain an advantage against each other, what was the deciding factor in our fight?”

Fortress watched the video, denying the truth as much as possible before finally relenting.

“…The Femme.”

“Correct. Windblade was the deciding factor in our fight. Because she was my ally, my loved one, my child, fighting to the limit of her ability to protect and support me.”

“What do you think would have happened should you have had people like that by your side? What would you have become if you had chosen not to shut off your spark behind that Ununtrium cage around it? Who would you have been then?”

Fortress fell silent at those words, allowing me to get back to work.

I really did feel bad for the young bot who was never given the chance to live his life as he wanted, which led to his hatred for me and everyone who ever associated with me.

Unfortunately, I cannot do anything to help him as he is right now.

Whatever happened to him has left his body heavily damaged, even going as far as to bend his Spark chamber into a mess, which should have been impossible given that Shockwave laced Fortress’s inner frame with Ununtrium, a material that the Ancients discovered within the cores of Neutron Stars and has since become a scarce resource as no one alive today knows how to get more of it.

Normally, such damage can be reversed with enough Cybermatter.

However, no amount of Cybermatter can reverse the fading energy of a spark, especially when said spark no longer has the desire to live.

I do not know what happened to make him despair in such a way, but I can tell that it has taken a toll on his spark. He no longer wishes to live on. He no longer has a purpose.

That is why I did not feel as bad as I would have for doing what I am doing right now.

“…Tell me, Maximus. What will you do once you reach Megatron? What will you say to him? You see him as your sparkling. Does that mean you will forgive him for all the monstrous acts he did in your name? Will you simply forgive and forget? Will all those lost lives mean anything to you when weighed against that of your loved ones?”

“…..I do not know, Fortress. I have thought about it countless times, but I still cannot reach a conclusion on what to do with him. My love for him clashes with my rage at the atrocities he has committed. Will I forgive him? No. Just like with Shockwave, I don’t think I will ever forgive him for what he has done. But will I punish him for it? I don’t know.”

I gave him a humorless grin.

“I guess I, we, will have to wait until we meet him to know for sure.”

“….I see. So that is your plan.”

He gave me a tired grin as his form began to fade from the virtual space, indicating that the process was nearly done.

I stood tall and gave him a serious look.

“Fortress. You have committed a lot of sins, both out of rage and ignorance. However, I do not think it is wise to hold a sparkler responsible for the negligence and stupidity of his sires. That is why I give you this penance.”

“You shall now become a part of me. From now on, you and I will be one. I hope that your spark can find solace in the knowledge that you will never be forgotten. Your sins, I will bear, and my accomplishments from now on, will belong to you as well.”

“From this day on, I will no longer be just Maximus. We shall be, Fortress Maximus.”

“This is the only pardon I can give you, my child. Forgive me.”

“…….Honorable yet practical to the end, huh? I guess that is another difference between us. I guess I’ll get my answer, one way or another.”

“Do not disappoint me, Fortress Maximus. I will be watching our actions from within you, and if I find them to be foolish, I will step in.”

I could not help but laugh in amusement at those words, knowing that it was just bravado since he would cease to exist the moment the merger was complete.

But I will not deprive this from him.

“Very well, Fortress Maximus. I will make sure to act as a vile monster that lives up to your reputation.”

With a wry smile, he faded completely, indicating that his spark had merged with my own, becoming one with me.

With the final step complete, I lost consciousness as well.

It is time for the old Monster of Kaon to return in full.

No. I think it is time for that monster to die, and a new one to take his place. A monster that will do anything to protect his loved ones.

I am Armorbite, the veteran of the Quintesson war and leader of the Programming Cast.

I am Maximus, the leader of the Ascenticons. Philosopher, Scholar, Explorer, and warrior.

And now, I am Fortress Maximus.