Stepping out from the relative safety of the crevice, Xen felt the familiar weight of the scrap heap's atmosphere settle over him, but this time, it was overlaid with the quiet confidence of full power and a clear objective. His HUD displayed the local map generated by his earlier scans, highlighting the path towards the massive Cybertronian frame slumped deeper within the wreckage. He noted the marked hazards – unstable overhangs, patches of difficult terrain – and plotted a course that skirted them carefully.
The journey wasn't long, perhaps twenty or thirty meters, but the sense of scale shifted dramatically as he approached. The giant wasn't just large; it was monumental, easily fifteen meters (around fifty feet) tall even slumped forward as it was. Its immense form was partially embedded in the scrap and compacted earth, not from the slow settling of ages, but from the obvious, brutal force of a very recent impact. This wasn't an ancient monument; it was a fresh casualty.
He activated his [Audio Dampener] briefly to cross a stretch littered with small, sharp metal fragments that crunched loudly underfoot (EN: 141.5/150), the silence returning as he moved into the shadow cast by the giant's bulk. Deactivating the dampener, he began a slow, cautious circle around the fallen titan.
The damage was breathtakingly severe, and shockingly new. Metal plates thicker than Xen was tall were torn open like wet paper, revealing scorched and mangled internal mechanisms. Blackened blast zones radiated heat Xen could feel even several meters away, the metal around them warped and discolored. Leaking fluids – coolant, hydraulic fluid, maybe even trace amounts of raw Energon – pooled darkly beneath rents in the armor, glistening wetly, not yet dried or fully absorbed by the grime. While the giant’s overall frame might have been old, bearing the patina of long use, the wounds themselves were raw, sharp-edged, lacking the deep rust or weathering that time would inevitably bring.
Visible faction insignias were obliterated, lost in the sheer destruction concentrated around the torso and head. Xen could only guess at its allegiance. He felt a profound sense of awe mixed with a chilling immediacy – this colossal warrior had met its end mere moments before his own consciousness had flared to life.
He began his analysis, needing data to anchor his reeling thoughts. Scan target: Overall Frame Structure.
[Scan Analysis: Massive Cybertronian Frame Detected] [Classification Estimate: Heavy Combat / Siege Frame (Based on Armor Thickness & Power Signatures)] [Faction Allegiance: Indeterminate (Insignia Missing/Destroyed)] [Status: Deactivated - Recent Catastrophic Core Breach / Multiple Critical System Failures] [Structural Integrity: Severely Compromised - High Risk of Further Collapse in Damaged Sections - Recent Trauma Evident]
The scan confirmed his visual assessment: Recent core breach, recent trauma. This giant hadn't been lying here for long at all. He focused on the gaping wound in its chest, the area Xen instinctively knew was the source.
Scan target: Chest Cavity / Spark Chamber.
[Scan Analysis: Primary Spark Chamber Detected] [Status: Forcibly Breached / Opened Recently. Core Energy Matrix Removed.] [Residual Energy Signature: Faint Spark Resonance Detected - Matches Host Core Signature (Confirmation: Origin Point)] [Damage Assessment: Extreme Internal Damage Surrounding Chamber - Consistent with Recent Core Extraction Trauma]
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Confirmation. The faint energy ghost lingering in that ravaged space matched his own Spark. This was undeniably where he came from. Looking at the size of the breached chamber – large enough for him to probably stand inside – Xen had a sudden realization about the scale difference. There was no way the giant's entire physical Spark housing could be inside him. It must have ripped out only the very essence, the core energy matrix – the Spark itself – a compact node of life force and consciousness pattern, and somehow transferred that into the waiting protoform body it had apparently constructed for him in its final moments. The violence implied by the scan – "Forcibly Breached," "Core Extraction Trauma" – was stark. Had it only just torn its own Spark out in a final act of creation? Or had something else been done before giving it to Xen's protoform? The question hung heavy, unanswered.
<+5 XP Gained! (Origin Point Confirmed)>
He continued his scans, meticulously documenting the state of the fallen giant. Destroyed weapon systems ([Heavy Plasma Repeater - Destroyed, Residual Heat Detected], [Siege Missile Pod - Empty/Crushed]). Damaged head ([Primary Logic Core - Offline / Kinetic Trauma Evident]). Compromised limbs ([Heavy Actuator Systems - Multiple Failures / Supports Buckling]). A powerful warrior, recently and definitively ended.
<+5 XP Gained! (Key System Analysis - Fallen Giant)>
Remembering the potential for dropped components, Xen carefully scanned the debris field immediately surrounding the giant's chest area, the zone most likely affected by the Spark extraction. Amidst the pulverized metal and rockcrete, his scanner highlighted a small object radiating faint residual heat.
Scan target: Small Object.
[Scan Analysis: Data Chip Fragment Detected] [Type: Cybertronian Memory Wafer (Standard Military Grade)] [Status: Severely Damaged (Heat/Impact Trauma - Recent)] [Heat Signature: Cooling - Consistent with recent high-energy event/explosion] [Data Integrity: Unknown - Likely Corrupted] [Recovery Potential: Low - Requires Specialized Equipment/Skills (e.g., [Data Recovery Lvl 3] or Higher)]
A data chip! And the heat signature confirmed it was damaged in the same event that destroyed the giant. Potential answers lay within, but locked away behind severe damage and skill requirements. Still, it was a tangible link. He carefully retrieved the small, dark fragment, feeling the faint warmth still clinging to it, and stored it safely in his inventory via mental command.
<[Data Chip Fragment (Damaged)] added to Inventory.> <+10 XP Gained! (Potential Data Source Located)> XP: 52/250.
Just as he secured the chip, a deep, groaning screech echoed from the giant's main structure.
GROOOOAN . . . .
Xen looked up sharply to see a massive armor plate on the giant's shoulder, meters above him, shift downwards by several centimeters, scraping loudly against the metal beneath before locking into a new, precarious position. Small pieces of debris rained down near where he stood. He leaped backwards instinctively, the System flashing the [High Risk of Further Collapse] warning his scan had identified earlier. This wreck was still settling, still dangerous. Lingering here was asking for trouble.
He had confirmed his origin. He had found a potential clue in the data chip. He had assessed the site. It was time to move on. Consulting his HUD map, he located the icon representing the [Degraded Circuit Boards - Minor Salvage Value] he'd spotted earlier. It was a less significant target, perhaps, but felt infinitely safer than staying near the unstable remains of his progenitor.
With a final, complex look at the fallen giant – a silent acknowledgement of the life given and the life lost – Xen turned and began navigating through the scrap, following the path on his map towards the potential salvage site.