Crosshairs' optics stared deeply into Shockwave's scarlet eye, as if he was attempting to see Shockwave's busy brain. His broad hands were planted on his robust green waist, creating an abundance of unneeded tension.
Ratchet watched from about a meter away, Wheeljack fumbling around with some glittery rocks at his feet. "Crosshairs, let up."
Crosshairs rolled his eyes and glared over his armored shoulder at the stout Ratchet. "New guy on my turf. Gotta check him out." Crosshairs' tone was somewhat humorous, but him stalking about while Shockwave was trying to read about black hole physics was not helping. The green boy had finally approached Shockwave head on, his optics now angled down to the glossy pictures in the textbook.
Shockwave was unsure of how to react, so he lowered the book, making it easier for Crosshairs to observe.
"How come they ain't in color?"
"What?"
"How come the pictures ain't got pretty colors?"
"Oh, it's a textbook." Shockwave altered his grip on the book, picking it up to present it easier. "See? There's all sorts of numbers and factoids."
Crosshairs' optics flicked from left to right a handful of times as he scanned the page. "I don't understand none of this. What does it mean?"
"Here," Shockwave scooted over on the boulder he was settled upon, moving his mountain of books to the ground below; Crosshairs scuttled up beside him. "let me show you."
Soundwave ambled over to them, clambering up the rock to gaze over Shockwave's head and admire the grayscale pictures printed on the pages. Shockwave began to orderly blabber about what he was educating himself about, pointing at the various equations and diagrams. Crosshairs soon lost interest and scooted off the boulder, huffing as his feet hit the soft soil below.
"I'll leave it up to you to understand all that stuff. You're wicked smart, obviously."
Soundwave continued to silently read the passages Shockwave had been explaining, so Shockwave gingerly handed the cumbersome book to him. Shockwave pursued Crosshairs, joining up with the rest of the group.
Shockwave gently tapped Crosshairs' sturdy shoulder, and he gracefully turned toward the puny genius. "You can't just give up when you don't understand something."
"I know, but that stuff is just way out of what I can ever understand. You gotta big mind the rest of us don't have."
A slender orange Cybertronian rushed up to the group out of the depths of the domed park. The Academy students were released into a temperature regulated wonderland equipped with a small forest and field for games. Ratchet and the rest of the gang were settled at the edge of the shadowed woodlands.
"Is there any trouble? Is there any trouble?" The newcomer was flustered for no apparent reason, and then Shockwave recalled that the athletic youngling beside him regularly created disturbances.
"Rung, calm down." Wheeljack tossed a stone over to Rung, and the shimmery rock stuck to the lithe boy's leg. "Look, I found magnetic ones."
"Crosshairs? What do I need to sort out?"
"Nothing. He likes him." Ratchet extended his bulky arm and drew Shockwave in close, so close that Shockwave could feel the pulse of the future medic's spark.
Rung let out a sigh of relief; he was not up to the challenge of neutralizing conflict today.
"For wanting to be a therapist, you sure are stressed out." Soundwave approached the group, sliding the worn textbook back into Shockwave's frail arms.
"Oh, I'm working on it. I used to have full breakdowns." Rung lowered himself to the ground, positioning himself beside Wheeljack, who was continuing to affix rocks to his own body. He was fascinated by their unique property.
"So, how's the Institution?" Crosshairs inquired, nudging Wheeljack with his foot.
"I don't know yet," Wheeljack responded, extending his legs, making it more comfortable to sit on the ground. "They gave us access to the libraries."
"And the Iacon Database," Shockwave added, his spark rotating quicker in its casing, gaining energy from the prospect of learning even more.
"Oh, I want to go to the Database," Crosshairs said.
"Why would you want to go? What value does a database have to someone like you?" Ratchet snapped, wary of Crosshairs' intentions.
"Oh, I want to see the old guy there."
"Alpha Trion?" Wheeljack started to giggle, entertained by the ancient relic of a Cybertronain being referred to as the "old guy".
"Yeah, I've never seen someone that old."
"We can go tomorrow since there's no school," Shockwave inserted, desperately trying to include himself. It was one of his various insecurities, being left out. He was always granted too much attention or simply not enough.
"I'll have to ask my parents," Wheeljack muttered, and the rest of the gang quickly nodded their heads in agreement.
"Eh, just com me if you can come."
A horn sounded at the head of the dome, beckoning for everyone to return to their studies.
"Alright, see you later Shockwave." Crosshairs dashed away, his lanky legs quickly taking him across the field. The remaining pupils uttered their goodbyes before leaving Shockwave alone to return to the Institute.
. . .
"We are not learning anything new today," the professor began, the golden panels on his head rising like a fabulous mohawk. "Today, we are doing something to charge your minds. Each one of you will be assigned one of the multitude of unsolved equations. It is okay if you do not find a solution; generations of scientists before you couldn't either. This exercise is just to give you a unique challenge and apply what you have learned."
The professor flipped through a handful of bright screens on his own datapad before the auditorium burst with illumination. Student's tablets displayed the equations assigned to them, and Shockwave almost squealed with joy as a black hole related equation zipped onto his datapad.
The large classroom hushed, and silence watched over the busy students. The professor settled down on a discus, scribbling away on his datapad, attempting to solve something of his own.
Shockwave stared at his tablet. This was the strangest mathematical statement he had ever witnessed. He had heard about this equation before, the Singularity Reverse Principle, and it was a hypothetical force property to undo a black hole, turning it into a white hole. But Shockwave had never seen it before.
Shockwave remained still for about five minutes, just staring and staring at the challenge before him. Fear of failure was not a part of his personality; failure was a part of growing. Eventually, his trembling hand grasped his electronic pen, slowly drawing Cybertronian numerical symbols. His brain felt like sludge, but something unusual was stirring below the tar.
Shockwave attempted various solutions over the next hour, and the slow process began to disturb him. He was so accustomed to solving everything within a matter of minutes or even seconds, but this, this damn equation, stumped him. He would never be able to finish that textbook he showed Crosshairs because it would only remind him of the numbers that were now latched to his mind. Shockwave had to solve it for his own personal sanity.
Suddenly, a flurry of symbols cracked before his eyes, like the clap of thunder and lighting dancing chaotically in the humid night. Whatever that was looming in his subconscious rocketed forward, screaming numbers and order. Shockwave hastily scribbled what his mind yelped, trying not to forget the solution as it slithered back into the shadows.
He had it. He had the solution.
Shockwave placed his pen on the table a little too loudly, and the auditorium rumbled as students shifted in their seats to lock their gaze on him, aware that he had the potential to birth a result. Tension and dread boiled inside Shockwave, and he felt himself shift into his alternate mode. His secondary appearance was very, very useless, but to Shockwave, it was a deliverance away from scrutiny.
Shockwave trembled as he huddled in his chair as a magenta cube, his eye hidden away. The professor climbed the stairs to Shockwave's row, shouting, "Back to your equations! Turn back to the front! Come on, everyone!"
The pinkish teacher slipped past students, finally arriving back in front of Shockwave. He crouched down, lowering his mohawk, attempting not to frighten the youngling ahead of him. He gently turned the datapad towards him, carefully observing what Shockwave had written.
"Shockwave?" His lowered voice was soothing and soft.
Shockwave slowly popped his head halfway out of the box, staring dully.
"Shockwave, did you solve it?" the professor whispered.
"I think so."
"Can...can I take this?" The professor slipped his rectangular fingers underneath Shockwave's datapad.
Shockwave nodded before retreating back into his box, and the professor gathered up the tablet, leaving the classroom.
"Holy shit, did you really do it?" someone called from the front.
"Shut it! Can't you see he's scared?" the male next to Shockwave hollered back.
The students couldn't focus on their assignment, and the room started to become swarmed with urgent whispers. Headmaster burst into the room, fanning his wings out, hailing everyone's attention.
"Quiet!" he shrieked, his wing blades clanking together rapidly as he shivered with frustration, upset with the chaos that had broken out. "Shockwave, can you follow me?"
Shockwave's cube shrunk as he pulled himself in tighter, terrified of the idea of showing his minimalistic face. He listened to Headmaster's light footsteps approaching, and his caring hands wrapped around his box, picking him up.
"Continue working, students."
The blackened world surged up and down as Shockwave was carried away, and he heard the auditorium door shut. Headmaster placed him on the ground, and Shockwave morphed back into his primary mode, bawling loudly.
"Oh, Shockwave…." Headmaster's elegant, spindly hands extended forward, hanging in the air, unsure if he should embrace the sobbing child.
"I want Mother!" Shockwave cried, his voice shrill.
He was overwhelmed. There was too much attention towards him, he felt alienated, and he was unsure if his accomplishment was looked down upon. The professor had ushered his solution away as if it was cursed.
"We're going to go pick her up together. We need to go to the Iacon Council for a few solar-cycles to check your answer."
"Is it b-bad?" Shockwave stuttered, trying to dry his tears.
"Is what bad?"
"Solving it."
"No, no. You did a very good job. But," Headmaster picked him up, hugging him securely to his chest as he dashed down the hallway. "it could be used for bad."
