The computer built by the scientist who became Vortex.

A flashback in "Out of the Vortex" #11 reveals that the Vortex Man attributes his own power and that of many of the world's superbeings to the effects of an ancient, alien source that he stole from the Septenarius and that he calls "The Motor".

We learn in Out of the Vortex #6 that a computer that calls him "creator", presumably powered by The Motor, was contacted independently by Art Thomason (Mecha), David MacRae (Hero Zero), and Frank Fletcher (Motorhead). Later stories reveal or at least imply that it may also be what Frank Lamb of Division 13 calls "Betty".

Each person who communicated with The Motor called it by a different name and interacted in different ways with it:

• David MacRae (Hero Zero) calls it Zero (#6) and holds a fairly conversational rapport with it.
• Art Thomason (Mecha) does not necessarily have a name for it. It has however been revealed that his armor communicates with the computer (#6-#7).
• Frank Fletcher (Motorhead) calls it The Motor (#6-#9) and holds a remarkably tempestuous communication with it, perhaps due to mental issues of his own.
• Frank Lamb calls it Betty.
• Law calls it Shamus, after an associate of his that helped him in communicating with the computer ("Revelations", Agents of Law #5).

It is called "The Machine" in the flashback page of Comics' Greatest World: Arcadia #3 - Ghost.

While all manifestations of The Motor seem to share much the same access to information, the available evidence of their goals and degree of sentience is inconclusive, arguably contradictory even. It may well be that there are in fact several distinct implementations of The Motor with little or no volition of their own and no ability to attempt to convince each other of changing or joining goals.