Author's Notes: Once again, I thought I would never come back to this story, and yet I did. Maybe I should just mark this fic forever incomplete, because every time I come up with an idea I have to write about it. It's been over a year, yet it only took one encouraging comment on AO3 to give me another idea. It's funny how life works sometimes. Anyway, this is yet another introspective chapter from our logical Vehicon-turned-Shockwave. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and please review since apparently that actually helps :)

Above The Rest

Part III

The End? Apparently Not.

As the vorns passed Shockwave was given greater scientific assignments to work on and larger laboratories to work in. Mixmaster had been fatally shot by an Autobot when Shockwave was still his assistant, and it was a logical choice for Shockwave to replace him as chief interrogator and medic for his unit.

The new job wasn't too difficult for Shockwave, though he had to note to himself that the lab sounded empty with only one mech working. He felt a strange sensation about that, but it took several orns before he could diagnose the problem. Oddly enough it was an Autobot of all people that helped Shockwave figure out what was wrong with his new lab.

The prisoner was restrained and was struggling to free himself. Shockwave gave no indication he heard the mech as he began attaching the cortical psychic patch cables to the back of his helm.

"Let me go, fraggit!" The Autobot practically spat at him as he uselessly squirmed, "I won't tell you anything. You can't make me."

Shockwave saw no reason to dignify that with a response. After all, it really didn't matter if the Autobot was feeling talkative or not. The patch would do its job and reveal the information Lord Megatron wanted to know.

"Say something, fraggit!" The Autobot demanded, but still Shockwave said nothing, "Come on, you fragging 'Con! Face me! Look at me when I'm talking to you!"

Shockwave, finished with the connections, decided to humor his captive and look at him. It wasn't logical, but at least it kept the volume down on his prisoner's vocalizer.

"How do even stand it in here?" The Autobot randomly asked, "The only noise in this room is the hum of your console. I'd go crazy if I was forced to work all alone in a quiet room like this. I know 'Cons are evil, but you're still Cybertronian. Don't you get lonely in this place?"

Lonely. So that was the problem. Shockwave might have been an artificial Cybertronian, and his spark might be manufactured, but he was built with the same requirements for life as every other mech. He required energon, he required recharge, he required a purpose in life, and apparently now he could add companionship to that growing list of needs.

Shockwave allowed that to stew in the back of his processor as he flipped the switch and watched the monitor of the patch for his victim to give away all his secrets. It didn't take long. This Autobot had a weak will, despite how tough he'd acted. The codes in this mech's processor would please Lord Megatron greatly.

The next few deca-orns were spent in contemplation. Lord Megatron had given Shockwave this state of the art lab and told him to build a new weapon for the Decepticon cause. Shockwave of course was working on many weapons for his master, but his processor was still puzzled over what to do about the silence. He needed company, and he needed noise. So how was he going to get it?

His first thought had been requesting Autobot prisoners to experiment on. That would take care of two problems; Shockwave's need for test subjects and Shockwave's need for noise. At first this solution worked well as Shockwave got to discover all sorts of secrets about Cybertronian anatomy while at the same time listening to the curses and pleas of his test subjects. It was just what he needed.

There was just one problem though. Shockwave's test subjects would die when he went too far with them. He would experiment on their bodies and sparks until they finally gave out, which meant he could no longer use them and their voices no longer filled the void.

Shockwave's solution to this obstacle was to be more careful with his prisoners. He was willing to inflict pain, but he knew how far to go without killing his subjects. He also knew basic first aid to heal his victims when they needed it. Eventually they would beg for death, but Shockwave wouldn't oblige. It wasn't logical to kill his only source of companionship, even if they didn't want to be with him.

Of course Shockwave's hand was played for him when Lord Megatron became annoyed that prisoners were surviving in Shockwave's lab and draining Decepticon resources. Shockwave wasn't supposed to feed them or give them medical attention. They were supposed to be used and then die. Shockwave always obeyed his master, and this time was no different. It was times like these he missed living in communal barracks with other Vehicons. Then at least there would be chatter.

So Shockwave went back to his old lethal methods of experimentation. Lord Megatron's decision had been the logical one, but Shockwave still felt like he needed a connection; something to call his own that would keep him from this poorly defined loneliness he found was beginning to plague him.

The answer had come to him quite suddenly as he was skimming through some pillaged archives that had been recently downloaded into the Decepticon's main database. It was a dissertation all about prehistoric times prior to the great cataclysm. There were pictures of giant ferocious Predacons; all beasts of noble bearing and brutal savagery. Shockwave couldn't help but notice how powerful they were, and how rigid their hierarchy was. Apparently they lived in large packs...

That was when Shockwave realized their potential to the Decepticon cause. They would be bigger, more powerful, and more obedient than any Insecticon hive. All they had to do was imprint on Lord Megatron after birth, and the warlord would have an army of monsters at his command!

There was just one problem with this plan. Predacons were extinct. Shockwave was never one to allow trivialities to dissuade him from his goals though. He had defied his own programming to become a scientist, after all. If he wanted to make a Predacon army for Megatron, then he would make a Predacon army for Megatron. If Shockwave had a face he would've smiled. If he had fingers on both hands he would've steepled them in glee. As it was however, he could only settle for nodding his large optic to himself in resolution. He would reanimate the CNA of a Predacon.

Shockwave went to Lord Megatron with his idea to revive an army of Predacons. He made certain that he was alone with his master so that no outside force could dissuade Megatron from choosing the logical course of action. Soundwave was probably listening, but he wasn't a mech to meddle in Lord Megatron's business. Shockwave respected Soundwave for that very reason.

"A Predacon army, you say?" Megatron mused as he touched his chin with his claws, "How long do you think it will take to complete this project, Shockwave?"

"I have calculated the likelihood of success at 94.8 percent. I have yet to tabulate a time table," Shockwave replied unflinchingly.

"And they will obey me?" Megatron asked to make sure, "We are talking about ancient beasts, Shockwave. What if they rebel? What defense would we have against them?"

"I have studied Predacon hierarchy as well as their physiology," Shockwave replied, "As long as you are perceived as the dominant member of the Decepticon 'pack', then they will fight and die for you, just as I would."

Megatron assumed what Shockwave had said was flattery to get what he wanted, much like Starscream would do. Megatron merely snorted and shook his head at the toadying cyclops, unaware of how true Shockwave's statement was. He was a Vehicon, programmed from birth to serve his master. While Shockwave had developed ambitions beyond this base programming, he still could not ignore it. In a way he understood Predacons, because their processors would force them to devote themselves to their master, just as Shockwave's did.

"I will send an envoy with fossils for your experiments, and move you to a larger facility in Darkmount to conduct your research," Megatron told him, "Don't fail me, Shockwave. I'm certain you can imagine how I deal with failure in my ranks."

"I do not need to imagine it, Lord Megatron. I have seen it for myself," Shockwave replied, showing neither intimidation nor disrespect, "You will have your Predacon warriors, Lord Megatron."

It had taken 41 vorns of diligent effort before the first successful Predacon clone was brought to birth. In that time Shockwave had appeased Lord Megatron with many weapons of mass destruction and many prisoners' sparks snuffed out. Shockwave had even developed the spark extractor to avoid the grisly task of ripping out plating and wires by hand. Unlike most Decepticon officers, Shockwave did not enjoy the act of taking a life. To be fair he didn't hate it like an Autobot would, but he wasn't capable of relishing it either. Only a processor like his could create shortcut weapons like the spark extractor, because only a time saver like Shockwave would want one. The device made battle far easier and allowed him more time for study on his 'pet project'.

Once the first beast was finished Shockwave cloned several more. He had enough materials to make 70 Predacons, each one unique in its own way. Shockwave was always the first thing they saw, and Megatron's sword was always the first thing they smelled. Shockwave made certain of this. He needed the Predacons to see him as a maternal figure while viewing Megatron as the pack leader. This tactic was met with success, however the real problem became how to keep these beasts a secret from the other Decepticons. For some reason tampering with nature was frowned upon among the standard rank and file. Fortunately Megatron had a solution...

"Shockwave, I have a most important mission for the Predacons," Megatron commanded, "I am sending them to a distant planet to destroy key Autobot forces in that area. There is a large cache of energon, and a force of Autobots 5,000 strong. Can the beasts handle this task?"

"Easily, Lord Megatron," Shockwave replied, and had it been anyone else speaking it would've sounded like bragging.

"Good. I am sending them to a planet called earth," Megatron informed Shockwave, "Have them ready to go by this evening."

"As you wish, Lord Megatron," Shockwave replied before turning to leave.

Within the next few joors the Predacons had gone from crawling all over Shockwave's facility and living quarters to going through a space bridge to some unknown world filled with Autobots. Shockwave was confident that his beasts would survive, and he had microchipped each and every one to make sure his creations could be located again when the time was right. Those Autobots would stand no chance against the mighty army that Shockwave had made for his master.

As the space bridge's light died down Shockwave turned away and went back to the table in his ill-lit laboratory. He picked up a wrench and started tightening a few nuts on an invention he had been working on. All he could hear was the turning of the wrench his his own intakes softly inhaling and exhaling. After all the time he spent on Project: Predacon, Shockwave was alone again.

/Shockwave,/ Starscream abruptly interrupted with a comm signal, /My squadron has brought more prisoners than we cannot contain alone. I am bringing you three Autobots to interrogate and exterminate./

/Understood, Commander Starscream. I will expect you,/ Shockwave replied without inflection.

Shockwave then put down his wrench and picked up a cleaning cloth. He wiped away the dried energon from the operating slabs where he would interrogate the Autobots. It was illogical to clean the berths for prisoners, but they were going to be staying here for the rest of their lives, and Shockwave wanted to make everything look presentable for his guests. He just hoped they made enough noise...