June Darby [Being Human AU] (Transformers: Prime)

Prologue

I was genuinely shocked by the number of people who suggested/hypothesized that June would be turned into a Predacon after her capture. The scenario never really occurred to me while I was creating "Being Human", yet a surprising amount of you guys were chattering about how it could be a possibility. So I decided to write out a plot and see where it took me. And here we are.

For those of you who actually follow along with me when I post stuff on my messages board, this is not the mature story I was considering. That is still in the air right now as I think about whether or not I 1.) want to follow through with it and 2.) what kind of plot I would develop if I did. As of right now, this work is planned to have 17 parts, and each part is only about 1,00-1,500 words long; some are a bit longer, but it is necessary for the plot.

Thank you guys so much for your support, and I hope you enjoy this AU!

>>·<<

"Nothing is so painful to the human mind as a great and sudden change."

~ Mary W. Shelley, Frankenstein

>>·<<

"Shockwave."

The scientist paused in his work at his master's verbal appeal, tilting his helm to indicate he was listening. Shockwave rarely enjoyed being interrupted, and for something as important as documenting Project Predacon he found it rather annoying. Yet he would not disappoint his lord, nor protest his tendency to disrupt the scientist mid-thought.

"Yes, lord Megatron?"

The silver titan approached, initially remaining silent. His optics wandered over the screen, drinking in the information provided for him. His servos remained clasped behind his back, a nonverbal indication of his relaxation and trust toward the Decepticon scientist.

"As you are aware, I have acquired a fourth human; a matured female adult," he paused, optics flickering to his subordinate. "I understand it was not initially in your plans, as we anticipated the transition from human to Predacon would be too much for adolescent minds; yet what do you make of a fully functional, developed cognitive centerpiece?"

Shockwave tilted his helm, one eye gazing at Megatron whilst he thought. Maturation was not the only concern when they considered putting the littlest one into a Predacon frame - it was also the resilience of the mind which needed to be taken into account. A much more primitive, beastly processor would not be able to accommodate all of the higher functions a human brain had. Though it would make sense that a less-developed brain would be easiest to transfer, the scientist hypothesized quite the opposite. Immature cerebros tended to hold on to information more firmly; it was not willing to dump "unnecessary" material like an adult mind was. If the mind could cope with losing some otherwise necessary functions - such as speech, complex planning and strategizing - then the transition to a Predacon processor would be easy.

Though the revelation that was Predaking came as a surprise. It twisted his hypothesis on its head and perhaps rendered it null and void. Clearly, Predacons were capable of speech, but that was due to their evolution. Predaking had to evolve before he could speak, transform, and consciously make connections. Therefore, he assumed his initial hypothesis was correct, but only within a certain time period. If a human consciousness was transferred to a Predacon body, it may still do the necessary purging of cluttering files, and instead build from the ground up once more as the body evolved and the creature gained complex sentience.

"Should my hypothesis prove correct," the scientist finally spoke, choosing his words carefully and speaking slowly. "Then I believe the human's consciousness could survive the transplantation. But, to build another body would take time and resources we do not have at our disposal."

"What of the Predacons in your off-site laboratory?" Megatron questioned. "Surely there is one you are willing to . . . Let slip away quietly. Once the spark is extinguished the body will be vacated of all consciousness, and ready for a new spark - or mind - to be put into it."

"We would still run into the problem of the spark," Shockwave noted, though everything else his master had said was logical. "It would require another transplant, and the three you have entrusted to our experimentations have donated. Another could potentially kill the donor or experiments, or both."

Megatron tapped his claws together, an almost nervous habit. "And I would prefer Starscream did not have a beast from which he could potentially gain control of," he growled, thinking out loud. "Is it possible to generate a cataclysm within the spark chamber in order to, ah, 'jump start' it, to put ineloquently? Naturally, the spark requires some alterations, but with a large and already lab-grown specimen the process should be extraordinarily simplified, yes?"

Shockwave tilted his helm. "That would seem most logical," he agreed. He allowed for a moment of though, mentally sorting through his Predacons. Certainly there was one runt out of the lot. "Very well. I will select the best candidate for this operation. The human is femme, correct?"

"Correct," Megatron tilted his helm. "Will that affect our resident Autobot Hunter?"

"Clones are born sterile," Shockwave answered indirectly. "Therefore, any mating or courting instincts he may have had are repressed. She will be the same way."

"Excellent," Megatron touched his shoulder plating. "I expect only the finest of work from you, Shockwave. Send regular updates to Soundwave and report on your progress in a timely manner."

The order was unnecessary, as Shockwave did all of those things regardless, but it was done for formality's sake. "Yes, my liege." He turned back to his computers as Megatron exited the lab, digits slipping onto the keys and beginning to type. A plan was already formulating in his helm, and he generated a specific data file within his processor to store all of his thoughts and ideas. The femme would need to be tamed, but that, he felt, would be the least of his problems.

It was her humanity that was a cause for concern.