Chapter Text
No one quite knows where the watery black substance called Void that resided at the center of Cybertron came from. Some guessed that it was the taint of Unicron left behind from the final confrontation between Primus and the Thirteen and the infamous god of entropy. Others say it is the pure essence of Primus Himself, after all even the brightest of beings contain a shred of darkness, even gods. Then there are those that speculate that it is some alien substance that landed on Cybertron eons before Primus even dreamed of the first Prime. There were many other theories and conspiracies about Void, but no one could come to a decisive conclusion about its origin.
There was one thing that all who encountered Void and studied knew about it: it was an unspeakably powerful substance.
It took life away to those foolish enough to touch the Void Lake or stayed too long in the cavernous pit where it rested. Mechs who succumbed to the Void described a stinging cold that wrapped around their spark. An oppressive cold that wound tighter and tighter around their spark until it finally smothered the light at the center of everyone Cybertronian. The unfortunate mech would die a slow and terrifying death as their biolights went dark as Void flowed through them slowly converting energon and biolight fluid into more Void. One knew when someone was to finally succumb to the Void when their optics turn as bleak and empty as the substance now fully flowing through them and they wept a gushing waterfall of Void that permanently stained their face in inky tracks.
But, perhaps what was most amazing about Void was its ability to grant life, or at least some close approximation of it. Shadow-like creatures stalked the places where the scientists’ light could not reach, watching the intruders of this dark domain with hidden eyes. Corpses not touched by Void during life would stand up and walk around the various tunnels like drones. The walking corpses were passive and it didn’t take long for some of the braver scientists to make use of them as silent servants and aids. It was the discovery of the walking corpses and their useful passivity that borne an idea that would change the fate of Cybertron.
If Void could reanimate a corpse and create life, could it make a mech?
Could it make a Perfect Prime, an obedient servant to the Senate and their whims?
The Senate in their greed were eager to find out.
It started out simple with mechanimals. Many were cast into the Void Lake and retrieved only to see they had all died of Void Infection. It wasn’t until a newborn turbofox was pulled from the Lake alive and well that hope began to well in the senate’s pet scientists. It seemed young sparks, sparks not yet given a chance to fully form and integrate with their frames would allow the subject to survive, or a close approximation considering what Void did to the spark.
Further tests showed and confirmed that Void Infection acted slightly differently on new formed sparks. Yes, the Void still dosed the spark of light, but instead of withering away the Void seemed to alter itself, congeal and pulse and spin until it fueled the subject and replaced the function of the spark. These new sparks of Void, or Black Sparks as they were soon named, were just as powerful as regular sparks and seemed to age the same way.
So, with the confirmation that creating a new life was plausible the scientists moved on to the next phase of testing. Mech testing.
Curious to see where the cut off for Black Spark Conversion the scientists did many many horrible tests. How much Void, exactly, did it take to convert? How young must a mech be in order to survive the Conversion? What types of frames could Convert? What frames Converted best? Hundreds, then, thousands, hundred thousands, well over a million mechs died in the scientists' putrid need to find out.
By the time the scientists had finally finished their testing and began their creations in full, unrest was growing above them. Whispers of disposable mechs vanishing without a trace, rumors of energon shortages, and the lower dredges of society murmuring of a need for change.