Perched precariously atop the jagged peak of the scrap pile, Xen felt like a scout overlooking hostile territory. Below him, the landscape sloped down towards the skeletal remains of what looked like a large industrial processing facility.
Walls had collapsed inwards, roofs gaped open to the sky, and massive, rust-encrusted machinery lay exposed like the dissected organs of some colossal metal beast. The rhythmic CLANG... thrum... CLANG... thrum... echoed upwards, clearer now, emanating from the heart of the ruin.
His [Audio Dampener] remained active, a constant, worrying drain on his dwindling Energon reserves (EN: 23.3/150... 23.2...).
He zoomed his optical sensors, focusing on the source of the sound and the area around it where he'd seen those promising glints of reflected light. It took a few moments to filter out the visual noise of the surrounding wreckage, but then the scene resolved itself.
It was automated machinery.
A huge, brutally functional apparatus dominated the center of a partially cleared floor space within the ruined building. It consisted of a heavy, piston-driven hammer or press, suspended from a thick armature, positioned over a wide conveyor belt system littered with chunks of raw, unprocessed scrap metal.
The machine was locked in a relentless cycle: the hammer (CLANG!) would slam down onto a piece of scrap on the belt, crushing it with incredible force, then retract upwards with a low, resonant power hum (thrum...), while the belt jerked forward slightly, presenting the next piece. Sparks flew with each impact, showering the immediate area.
It was some kind of automated scrap processor or ore crusher, damaged but still functioning, mindlessly repeating its programmed task for potentially decades, maybe even centuries, after whatever civilization built it had vanished from this place.
Near the base of the machine, close to where the crushed scrap fell off the end of the conveyor belt, Xen spotted the source of the glinting lights and faint energy readings.
Several small,rough-looking crystals lay scattered amongst the pulverized debris. They pulsed with the familiar faint blue light of Energon, likely fragments jarred loose or concentrated by the crushing process.There were maybe half a dozen visible shards, varying in size, some no bigger than his thumb, others perhaps fist-sized.
It wasn't a huge stash, but compared to the single depleted shard and the leaky power cell he'd encountered so far, it looked like a feast.
Hope surged, quickly tempered by stark reality. The Energon crystals were right there, near the impact zone of the giant hammer. The ground likely vibrated with each strike. Debris and sparks showered the area constantly. And the machine itself radiated a sense of immense, indifferent power. Getting close would be incredibly dangerous.
He needed more information, but his Energon was rapidly approaching critical levels again. He'd been observing for perhaps five minutes already (EN: 20.8/150). Could he risk a scan? He had to. Flying blind was not an option.
Scan target: Automated Machinery.
The scan pulse shimmered outwards from his perch.
[Scan Analysis: Automated Ore Crusher/Scrap Processor - Cybertronian Origin (Ancient Model)] [Status: Active (Automated Cycle) - Heavily Damaged - Power Source Unstable] [Warning: High Kinetic Impact Zone - Proximity Hazardous] [Warning: Intermittent High-Energy Discharge Detected (Sparks)] [Power Signature: Significant - Internal Energon Convertor Operating at Reduced Capacity - Leaking Trace Ambient Energon]
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Ancient model. Damaged. Unstable power source. Leaking ambient Energon itself, besides the crystals nearby.
That leak might explain the faint passive energy readings he'd initially detected. But the warnings were stark: Hazardous Impact Zone. High-Energy Discharge.
Okay, what about the crystals themselves? Scan target: Energon Crystal Fragments near machine.
[Scan Analysis: Raw Energon Crystal Fragments (Qty: 7 Visible)] [Quality: Low-Grade / Impure] [Estimated Energon Yield: Approx. 5-15 EN per Fragment (Variable)] [Stability: Generally Stable (Minor fluctuations near machine impacts)] [Note: Proximity to active machinery poses significant retrieval risk.]
Seven fragments. Low grade, impure, yielding maybe 50-100 EN total if he could get them all, maybe less. But stable, unlike the power cell. The System confirmed the risk was primarily physical - getting crushed, hit by sparks or debris.
His Energon dipped again (EN: 18.3/150 after another minute of observation). He was burning through his reserves just watching. He couldn't afford to keep the [Audio Dampener] active much longer if he wasn't moving or actively hiding from a perceived threat. He flicked it off mentally.
<[Audio Dampener] Deactivated.>
The rhythmic CLANG... thrum... instantly became louder, more visceral, vibrating faintly through the scrap pile he was perched on. The relative silence provided by the dampener vanished, replaced by the full ambient noise of the scrap heap and the relentless pounding of the machine.
Okay. Options.
- Risk the Approach: Try to sneak down, get close during the hammer's upswing (thrum), grab one or two nearby crystals, and retreat. Extremely dangerous. High chance of damage or destruction if mistimed or unlucky. Potential reward: maybe 10-30 EN immediately.
- Find Another Way: Look for the source of the machine's own leaking ambient Energon mentioned in the scan. Could there be a damaged conduit or a less dangerous collection point away from the hammer? Requires more scanning (costing precious EN) and potentially more time.
- Retreat & Re-evaluate: This might be too dangerous right now. Turn back towards the shelter or explore in a completely different direction, hoping for a safer, easier energy source, even if it means running on fumes. The safest option, but risks running out of energy completely before finding anything.
His internal processors raced. EN: 18.3. That was barely enough for maybe 18 more basic scans, or about 36 minutes of the audio dampener, or some combination thereof – not accounting for movement costs or other potential skill uses.
If he retreated now, he might not have enough energy left to even get back to the shelter or find anything else before shutting down.
Option 3 felt like a slow death sentence.
Option 2, finding the machine's own leak, was tempting but uncertain. It required spending more energy on scanning, with no guarantee of finding an accessible source.
That left Option 1. The direct, dangerous approach. Grab the crystals near the hammer. It was reckless.
It went against the caution he'd desperately tried to maintain. But the potential reward, even just 10 or 20 points of immediate Energon, felt like the difference between continued operation and imminent shutdown.
He scanned the path down from his perch towards the machine, looking for the stealthiest route, analyzing the machine's cycle time – the pause during the thrum seemed to last maybe two full seconds.
Enough time to dart in and grab if he was close enough? Maybe.
The warning flashed insistently now, red and urgent. 12 percent. That decided it. Caution was a luxury he no longer possessed. He had to try. He identified the two closest, most accessible-looking Energon fragments near the edge of the debris field spat out by the crusher.
He plotted a course down the side of the scrap pile, aiming for a position behind a sturdy-looking metal beam near the impact zone. From there, he might be able to make the final dash.
His Spark pulsed with a mixture of fear and desperate resolve. He took one last look around, tensed his legs, and began his descent towards the crushing heartbeat of the ancient machine.