EDITED 8/24/2015 Retitled to "War Stories"
TRANSFORMERS REGENERATED
Interlude: War Stories
ILL LOGIC
Interlude: War Stories
ILL LOGIC
Timeline: Cycle 8815 (999 Years Ago; 1 year after Volume III)
-
Anyone on New Kaon could tell that the Second Great War was well underway. Seeker squadrons blasted off from launch pads outside the base while Combaticon troops matched through its corridors. Such sounds had become daily routine for those who remained huddled in the capitol fortress.
Shockwave was one such person. Having been made chief scientist by Megatron, the former Autobot High Councilor spent endless hours devising experiments for the so-called Emperor of Destruction. In one corner laid blueprints for the Trypticon beast project, in the other a discarded model of a prototype War World.
However, there was one item that stood out from the rest: a tall, cylindrical chamber placed on the far right. Many had questioned its purposed, but Shockwave had always avoided answering them, mainly because their feeble minds would not be able to comprehend the logic behind it.
Some days, however, Shockwave wondered if there truly was any logic to it at all.
* * *
"Can you believe how hard it is to acquire a Hyperflux Cannon from the market?" Fistfight said as he rolled into Shockwave's lab. "Even Swindle didn't have one up for sale, and yet he's got a blasted anti-gravity cannon. Can you believe it?"
Shockwave affixed his cold gaze on the stout, boxy droid. "Did you nonetheless manage to procure a Hyperflux Cannon?"
"Yeah, yeah, hang on." Fistfight rolled out of the room and then returned dragging a large, green-colored cannon the length and size of an arm.
Shockwave frowned. "It was only available in green?"
"What, you wanted black instead?" Fistfight said flippantly. "Besides, can't you just repaint it? You used to change your color scheme everyday back on Cybertron."
Shockwave sighed as he surveyed his red, blue, and white armor plating, a color scheme that stood apart from the dark-colored Decepticons he was associated with. "Used to, Fistfight. I'm not exactly on Cybertron anymore, where you could visit such places to get repainted."
Though he lacked an emotive face, Fistfight managed to frown through his optics. "Er, right. Sorry if I hit a nerve-"
"It matters not," Shockwave said hastily. He then took the Hyperflux Cannon from his partner's clamp-like hands. "Let us return to work."
* * *
It had taken days, even weeks of labor, but it was finally finished. At Shockwave's signal, Fistfight pulled the lever and energy pulsed from the cylindrical chamber into the figure inside it. When a scream suddenly emitted from it, Fistfight quickly brought the lever back up and the chamber opened, allowing the figure to stumble out.
It had the bulky build of a Combaticon, wearing a color scheme of purple and gray, though the green Hyperflux Cannon serving as its left arm contrasted it in a negative way. Its head lacked the facial structure of an average Cybertronian, instead containing only a single emerald optic on its narrow, otherwise featureless "face."
It stared at Shockwave with an emotionless gaze and when it spoke, its voice was equally cold and unemotive. "Where... am I?"
"You are in my lab," Shockwave said calmly. "You are home."
The green optic rotated and blinked slightly. "Who... are you?"
"I am Shockwave. I am your creator."
Its head turned, taking in its surroundings, before returning its gaze to Shockwave. "What am I?"
"You are... an experiment," Shockwave said carefully, hoping this revelation did not touch a nerve circuit. "An experiment to manufacture powerful Cybertronians and bolster the Decepticon army."
"Cybertronians? Decepticons?"
Shockwave sighed. "I'll upload all you need to know into your databanks soon. But first, can you tell me your name?"
It was silent and stock-still for a long moment until it finally spoke. "I... I am Shockblast."
Shockwave couldn't help but smile. Success.
* * *
How quickly can a success turn into a failure?
Too quickly for Shockwave's liking.
He ran down the corridors of the fortress, following the sound of blaring alarms... and agonized screams. He finally reached a hangar from which Decepticon warships took off and found just what he had feared.
Deactivated corpses littered the floor; energon and oil were spilt everywhere; pierces of ships and machinery were scattered; and standing in the center of it all was Shockblast, his right hand dripping with energon.
Shockwave stared at his creation in utter shock. "Shockblast... what have you done?"
"I've killed them," was the nonchalant response.
"But... but why?"
"I don't know. I just felt like it."
Shockwave clutched his head. What had gone wrong? He had created Shockblast to think like him, to think logically and calculative... where had it all gone to the Pit?
"Look," he said carefully. "Just... stop. Don't do anything unless I tell you to. Understand?"
Shockblast did not respond, his single eye unmoving.
"Megatron is not going to like this," Shockwave murmured to himself. "If I don't come up with an alibi soon, he'll-"
"Oh, it's much too late for that."
Before his very eyes, a blast of energy hit Shockblast square in the chest, sending him sprawling to the ground. Shockwave whirled around to see Megatron standing before him, his fusion cannon now trained on him as well.
"Much too late."
* * *
A single optic whirled to life, emitting a scarlet glow. Sitting up, Shockwave took in his surroundings, finding himself in the medbay. Looking down at himself, he found that his color scheme had been changed to purple and gray... and his left hand was replaced by a cannon barrel.
No...
"Enjoying your punishment so far?" Megatron said as he stepped into view. "You must admit, it's an improvement over what you had conceived."
"What is the meaning of this?" Shockwave asked coldly.
"Thanks to your little experiment, we have lost a dozen Combaticons and a warship. Normally I would have you executed, but your scientific mind is far too valuable to simply waste."
"So you sought to humiliate me by place me in the body of my greatest failure...."
Megatron smirked. "With a few modifications to make it more feasible, yes. Let this be a lesson, Shockwave. You would do well not to upset me again."
With that, the Decepticon leader turned and strode out of the room. Not long after, Fistfight came rolling in, screeching to a halt upon seeing Shockwave's new appearance.
"Ah. Hi, boss," he said weakly. "I, er... yeah."
"Spare me your senseless prattle," Shockwave said bitterly as he got off the recharge slab. "Let us return to the lab."
"Right," Fistfight said, nervously following his master. "The ever-wonderful lab...."
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