Chapter 2: Escaping Winter Schnee is Logical
Somewhere unknown to Shockwave…
As night took full effect, the sound of a screen beeping all around filled the otherwise serene atmosphere.
Shockwave, while trying to break through radio interference, kept monitoring the engine status. He would say that some twenty minutes of time was needed before the engines were ready for use, and that was if the cooling process was miraculously sped up, though the scientist could find no logical factor that would do that.
Despite being able to work on communications, he knew that Soundwave was a far more adept in this field than he was. His position as the spy and communications chief of the Decepticon forces was a position well-earned and vital to the cause. Without him, the Decepticons might've fallen apart centuries ago.
He could sure use that expertise, and he could sure stop thinking about what he wanted to have, but did not possess at this time.
The reality was that he was here, stranded, partially converted into a new life form, though how much he knew not, and with no idea where he really was. To simplify, a really unfavorable predicament.
Nevertheless, as he tried to work on communications and the ship, Shockwave devoted some of his energy into his own personal body too. Even in his limited physical form, his mental processes seemed unchanged more or less. He appreciated this immensely; if he was unable to multitask or interpret knowledge at a brisk pace, then his work progress would be cut by Primus knew how many cycles, and lost efficiency on his part, was simply something he could not accept.
The purple-clad Decepticon stared at the screen in front of him, watching it carefully for any signs of strange readings or activity. So far, he couldn't see any problems in the communications hardware itself, which meant that either the software in the ship was malfunctioning or some other source was actively interfering with signals.
The latter was slowly becoming the more plausible in the former bot's opinion. Despite the primitive nature of the software, it was operating at it's peak point, with no lag, bugs, or other problems that he could detect.
He had surfed through the channels and hailed each one to see if there was someone, anyone listening.
Nobody answered, either unable to answer or not hearing him at all.
"Scrap." Shockwave cursed under his breath. "This is a wasteful endeavor."
"Nothing at all?" Winter Schnee stood over his shoulder. She had just walked into the cockpit.
"No one is responding." Shockwave reported to her. "The engines will require another seventeen minutes before flight is possible."
"And with the Grimm closing in, that could be trouble." The woman rubbed her temples. "How well can you fight?"
"Well enough to take down the beasts." Shockwave stated. "Though I am a scientist firstly, I am more than capable in combat."
"If you've been out here alone, then I suppose I can take your words seriously." Winter glanced out the window, at the moon. "I believe that with the Grimm soon to be gathering in numbers, we'll need your help."
"Acknowledged." Shockwave affirmed, pushing himself from the seat. "Where do you require me?"
"Here, guarding the ship." Winter informed him. "Should any Grimm break through our lines, you are our last line of defense."
The sound of a collective roar caught both their attention. The battle was about to begin, whether they were ready or not.
"Is that not too much trust to place in a mere stranger?" Shockwave couldn't help but voice his question. "Would it not be logical to be here yourself?"
"Now that I've seen your work, your value to the mission has just increased." Winter now said her piece. "We've no reinforcements and it's too far to the nearest village by foot. If we lose you… the mission could be lost too… as well as us."
Shockwave couldn't possibly miss how much this woman spoke of how important he was, especially when some hours ago, she had spoken to him like a potential hostile. Either she was hiding her disliking of him or her desperation had reached a zenith. A third, albeit less likely possibility was that she had gotten past her initial reaction and had formed a different opinion about him.
She was calm and reserved, sure, but she wasn't emotionless, and thus, Shockwave concluded that she was merely putting on a display in order to survive, a choice that was both logical and illogical.
That was quite a switch from the usual choices that were either logical or illogical.
The former Cybertronian merely nodded his head, not intending to pry further, only accepting what she chose to give him. His compliance had earned him a place of influence, something he intended to use to its fullest.
"I… understand." A moment of hesitation followed as Shockwave came up with a response.
"If we survive this and return to Atlas, then we'll talk later." Winter offered to him with a gesture of her hand. "My superior, General Ironwood will want to speak with you."
A superior officer for him to talk to. That made the gears in Shockwave's mind turn a bit. Meeting someone like a leader within the military was not only an opportune time, but also a dangerous one.
If said leader was anything like Megatron, then getting on his or her good side would be anything but easy. That might be enough to dissuade any normal bot.
Shockwave didn't deal in easy things, and he most certainly wasn't to be called a part of the norm.
Left alone once again, Shockwave decided to check the engine status once more to see how much more time was needed. He had done so already six times since his last update with Winter. His ability to read these systems quickly and adapt to the primitive technology left him with quite some time on his servos.
Sixteen more minutes were needed. Shockwave wasn't concerned about his odds against the Grimm, but the way Winter spoke of them had him wondering. Were the Grimm truly that much of a threat?
Just how widespread were the Grimm? Where did they come from? What other types existed? How did they come to be? How long did they exist? What was their purpose, and most important to Shockwave, who controlled them?
Those were all questions that would no doubt be answered all in good time, if he survived this little… detour.
Shockwave could hear the sounds of weapons discharging their dust rounds. Such a primitive form of firearm, using actual physical projectiles. Those sort of weapons had never really been deployed in mass numbers, as they were seen as nothing more than the weapon of a brute, with the exception of classified railgun plans, which never came to fruition.
Maybe that could be his next project, if he could gain access to resources.
The scientist decided to exit the ship and take a look around to make sure that there was nothing threatening the ship. He took one lap around the ship, finding no threats to put down. So he took his second lap, which took half a cycle once again. He soon fell into a rhythm of patrolling the ship, his guard up for the entire time. The only difference as he made each successive lap was the sounds of battle coming closer to him.
Shockwave saw a large rock come from the forest, and he shot it into fragments, the pieces falling at his feet. He didn't even look at his own handiwork as he readied his cannon to fire, but toning down its power so that only intended targets would actually be the victims of its power.
Watching Winter fight was something that had him in wonder. She fought with a thin blade, yet it was more than a simple blade. It projected dust energy, but not fire. It was ice, and in quite an effective way, freezing targets in place, making them easy targets for the drones.
However, interesting as that was, what his focus held onto most was the power that she displayed. It was a symbol of sorts, though he had no idea what it meant. What it did was provide her with a wide range of powers. It looked like she was summoning version of other creatures to fight the Grimm. Small birds, animals that he had never seen before, and one image of a Grimm itself, all of them white.
It was… impossible. What sort of power could do that? Certainly nothing in this world or Cybertron granted that sort of power.
Those thoughts lasted seconds and then he returned to his fighting mind, blasting any and all enemies that came too close to the ship.
He checked the status of the engines. Six more minutes remained.
He fired several shots in succession, each of them burning holes through the Grimm. Even before this, he had realized just how many surrounded them all. There had to be dozens, and quite possibly hundreds.
The engines wouldn't cool fast enough for them to escape.
Shockwave needed to force the engines to cool down, but he didn't have anything which to cool it down with.
Then he spotted Winter again, and as she unleashed another gush of ice dust, something came to mind.
"Miss Schnee." Shockwave called out to her. "I require your help with the ship."
She only hesitated a moment, looking between him and the Grimm horde. She then called upon multiple summoned creatures, then dashed over to him.
"Specialist Schnee would be better." She spoke to him. "But what do you need?"
"If we wait for the engines to cool down, we will not survive." Shockwave explained. "But I believe that if we apply ice dust carefully-"
"The engines will cool." Winter nodded her head in understanding. "What do I need to do?"
"Disperse the ice dust evenly throughout the ship systems." Shockwave made sure to make his words simple to understand. "Enough that the temperature is affected, but not the systems."
"Does that not risk the systems being non-operational?" Winter did bring up a good point. "A sudden drop in temperature could have the systems being physically damaged."
"Not if the systems are cooled a pace that can keep them intact while accelerating the cooling process." Shockwave attempted to explain further. "Even small changes in temperature can help us. Metal conducts heat quite well."
She seemed to accept this logic and nodded her head. "Very well. I will do my best, but because I'm not fighting outside, you will need to take my place."
"The system should notify you when the temperature is at an acceptable range." Shockwave informed her. "I will hold them off."
With a sense of urgency, but not panic, Shockwave returned to the outside world to see that Grimm numbers were swelling. It looked like for every fallen beast two more took its place. Most of the simple mechs remained standing as well as the Hunter human, but numbers were pushing them all back.
It was time to add his own metal to the mix.
Shockwave fired in rapid succession, each shot never missing. He chose his targets based on their danger levels. Those who appeared to be flanking either the ship, himself, or his allies, all of them were killed quickly. Most of these creatures seemed to know only to launch themselves into battle with reckless abandon, which made countering them all the more easier.
The scientist grabbed one by the throat and crushed it, then threw it at another before firing his cannon, burning a hole through both. His next move was to use the weight of his cannon to knock another to the side, then bringing the barrel down hard.
Shockwave wasn't using his most sophisticated battle moves, not that it was necessary given the sort of enemy that he was facing. He had faced down Autobot foot soldiers that employed far more superior battle tactics.
A moment passed, and Shockwave was able to get a reading on the battlefield. No, it wasn't looking good for any of them. Even if the possessed the more skill on their side, it ultimately would be for naught as number would eventually sap them of the energy to fight.
Perhaps now would be a good time to pray to Primus for salvation.
Not that the Cybertronian God would be able to help him.
"Winter." Shockwave keyed into his com channel. "What is the status of the engines?"
"The temperatures are in acceptable range." Winter's voice was mixed with static. "Powering up main turbines."
The sound of engines powering up was quite satisfactory to Shockwave's audio receptors. In truth, he had made a gamble when using Winter and her ability to control dust. He didn't have an in-depth knowledge of these systems, and he didn't really know the full properties of dust itself. It was risky, but one didn't achieve much when one wasn't willing to take risks, even risks that could result in the loss of life.
"Hunter." He called out to the man. "Retreat to the ship. We are preparing to take off."
"Got it!" The man shot his rifle a few more times before slowly making his way back, the drones following his lead. "And stay down!"
Shockwave heard something different, something that sounded akin to a loud screech, like something that a creature that flew. It didn't concern him more because he couldn't see anything. The threat, whatever it was, hadn't presented itself.
Shockwave continued to cover his fellow organic and his robotic guards as they fired away. The roar of the engines grew louder with each passing moment.
"Everyone aboard." Shockwave reported.
"Acknowledged." Winter took control of the ship. "Make sure no stragglers are latching onto us."
Shockwave stood at the lowered ramp, even as it began to closer. Grimm tried to get through, but with such a narrow pathway, destroying them was a simple task. The black dust blew away as the aircraft lifted off the ground
The moment the ramp fully closed, the purple-haired man took a moment to revel in the quiet moment. Solitude was, more often than not, one of his best friends if not his very best, even the the smallest slivers of it. The moment had him leaning his back against a nearby wall. He felt strangely exhausted, sapped of energy.
Had all of this taken so much out of him? Surely, even with his limitation, he would not be this hampered.
With so many questions and wonders about this new world he had found himself on, his list of things he needed to do was growing longer by the second.
His optic and organic eye gazed at his prosthetic hand. This part of him was the only physical reminder that he could see without a mirror that told himself not to forget that he had once been a different sort of lifeform.
He felt strangely nostalgic, something that unsettled him to a degree. He thought himself in greater control of his emotions than this. He had repeated to himself so many times how dwelling on the past was dangerous, leaving one blind to present and future going-ons.
It was time to put an end to this… unnecessary perpetual nonsense thinking.
"Are you… alright?" Hunter's voice came to Shockwave's attention, though it was not surprising. "You looked really intense there for a second."
"Apologies." Shockwave stood straight, removing any trace of his previous mood from every part of himself. "I was merely contemplating some things."
"I… understand." Hunter intoned, and looked at the ground. "Your aim is impeccable. I haven't seen someone that accurate in years."
"It comes with practice." Shockwave didn't feel the need to explain further. "You combative skills are… effective enough."
"I appreciate the praise, but I'm no huntsman." Hunter scoffed lightly. "They're the real warriors on Remnant."
"Right." Shockwave simply agreed, though he had no idea what he was agreeing to. "You both are military, yet this seems… atypical for a military mission."
"I'm not supposed to say anything about our mission." Hunter's immediate response. "It's classified, but you seem to be acquainted with military types."
"My work has had me working with their type." Shockwave tried to remain vague. "I would be very remiss in my observation if I could not recognize military personnel."
"And those others you worked with-" Hunter began.
"Classified." Shockwave shut down the topic. He would not be talking about top-secret Decepticon projects. "As you can understand."
"Yes." Hunter didn't seem disappointed. "But regardless, your help was most appreciated."
"And I thank you and Winter Schnee for allowing me on this ship." Shockwave acknowledged. "I lacked a map, and that could have had me wandering for days on end."
"Speaking of which, why were you in the wilds?" Hunter questioned. "I don't mean to sound suspicious, but our unintentional crash-landing wasn't too far off from your first communications with us."
Shockwave only took a microsecond to process these words, and the only idea that came to mind that was logical was that perhaps his insertion into this world had maybe caused some energy to run wild in the atmosphere. Space bridges required immense amounts of energon to power, and if not assembled and tested correctly, they could cause severe damage to anything and anyone in close proximity.
Trying to explain where he came from and what he truly and also trying to find someone who believed him would be next to impossible, and frankly, Shockwave wasn't going to give much thought to his chances.
If nobody believed him, then Cybertron would face no further dangers. He didn't know this world, and that unpredictable factor alone was more than ample reason to not reveal all that he knew about.
"I… honestly could not tell you why I am out within these wilds." Shockwave shrugged, a rarity with him, but he needed something to say. "One moment, I was doing research, the next, I black out."
"You mean someone kidnapped you?" Hunter puzzled over this. "For what reason?"
"To destroy my research." Shockwave could at least honestly answer that question. "And to make sure that it couldn't be replicated. They left me for dead just for extra measures."
"Could you describe who they are?" Hunter probed further. "Or is this something classified as well?"
"It is not important." Shockwave dismissed with a wave of his hands. "If I am believed dead, then I have less things to worry about."
The former bot decided that he was finished with talking. He was never good at it on Cybertron and he doubted he would be good at it now. He did, however, wish to disrespect one of the two who had assisted him in a time of need.
"I will be in the cockpit." His footsteps echoed against the walls. "If the ship experiences further complications, call to me swiftly."
Hopefully, that served well enough as words of assurance.
Shockwave made his way to the head of the ship, expecting Winter to be there seeing as at least one pilot needed to be front and center, unless she the ship was on auto-pilot mode.
The door to the cockpit opened, and as he predicted, the woman was there, her eyes concentrating on their pathway.
"Are we expecting any airborne Grimm?" Shockwave wondered, knowing that look on her face, one that was searching for a threat.
"Grimm could be anywhere." Winter spared only a sideways glance as she talked. "But none so far."
"I see."
"Now that you are here, there is another matter to discuss, one relating to your interference in our mission."
That subject was to be expected sooner or later.
"Are you going to arrest me and bring me before your superiors?" Shockwave knew military protocol well.
"As I have orders to follows and rules and regulations to uphold, yes." Winter stated firmly. "However, you may have saved our lives. For that, I won't be restraining you in any way."
So there was some modicum of trust.
"And when will this happen?" Shockwave asked.
"When we reach Atlas." Winter said as if he should know where they were going. "Which will be at least another fifteen hours assuming we experience no further delays."
"Understood." His robotic tone carried.
Shockwave crossed his arms and closed his eyes slightly, feeling like he needed to enter into recharge, or sleep, as these humans would call it. Thankfully, he had enough information to at least appear not quite as alien as his outer appearance would have him seem, but he was still woefully unprepared should he engage in an in-depth conversation.
It wasn't in his interest to engage and have many people to call friend, but like it or not, he needed to be culturally aware.
His survival might hinge on him blending in with his surroundings.
Add that to the list too.
For now though, some rest would clear his mind and allow him more mental productivity. If anyone were to talk to him now, he would simply tune them out.
Nap times were quite logical given his energy levels. Leaving himself exposed was illogical.
(X)(X)(X)(X)
Shockwave awoke when someone tapped him lightly on the shoulder. A white glove momentarily came within his sight.
"Where are we?" Shockwave muttered lightly.
"We'vc arrived in the Kingdom of Mistral." Winter turned to leave the cockpit. "The ship will repaired by a crew. Meanwhile, Hunter and I will be seeking supplies."
"And what am I to do?" He ventured.
"Remain here." She ordered lightly. "Until we return. The journey from here will taken an additional three hours."
There it was, the unspoken truth of their relationship. He might've earned some form of trust, but like it or not, he was still an unknown to her, and thus, he couldn't be left to go free.
Shockwave waited for another few minutes. From his view at the cockpit, he could see that he was within a docking bay, and various crew as well as other personnel worked, no doubt assessing the damage.
Then he realized something. If they were in the heart of civilization, he could find more information, assuming that this planet possessed a digital network of some kind that he could directly interface with.
To his luck and relief, there was one. He was initially blocked and required a password to enter into the system, but all it took was a few hacking tricks and he was inside.
The information he was taking in, it was massive.
This planet, it was called Remnant. Currently, he was on the Continent called Anima, and as Winter had stated, he was within the Kingdom of Mistral, one of the four major kingdoms on this world. The others were Atlas, Vacuo, and Vale. He didn't require access to classified data and secret files in order to download and study a detailed map of Remnant.
The next thing he researched were the intelligent lifeforms. There were two species that dominated this world: Humans and Faunus. The former was quite racist towards the latter for a multitude of reasons, none of the logical in any sense. If anything, the Faunus should be the ones looking down on the Humans. The Faunus possessed traits that virtually no Humans had, and they displayed much diversity.
Shockwave took an interest in Humans and Faunus was because he wanted to know which one he was. Although it stated that Faunus had an animal trait, some were hidden while others were obvious. Blood tests could also confirm which species he was as well. He couldn't test himself due to the fact that his information database had no way to differentiate, not until he had analyzed a strain of Deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA.
This world, it had a basis for life that didn't sound too unlike Cyber Nucleic Acid. Again, it was another similar thing that only further made the former bot wonder. Coincidences existed, he did believe so, but if there were too many similar things in this world compared to Cybertron, he might have to reevaluate his stance.
In any event, Shockwave research Atlas, the kingdom where Winter Schnee hailed, and immediately, some of the most popular searches that came to his attention were Atlas Academy, Atlas Military, and The Schnee Dust Company.
The Kingdom of Atlas hailed on the continent of Solitus, the northern-most continent on this world. It was known for harsh weather conditions for Humans and Faunus alike. Thus, it made logical sense that due to such an environment, Atlas possessed the greatest technological advances as well as the strongest military.
Then the term huntsman came up in his search, and that prompted an investigation by the Decepticon. What he found confounded him.
Huntsmen and huntresses were trained warriors meant to fight the Creatures of Grimm, and they were trained at four academies, one in each kingdom. Vale had Beacon Academy, Atlas had dubbed their school Atlas Academy, Mistral housed Haven Academy, and Vacuo was where Shade Academy was located.
Shockwave decided to specify his search parameters to see just what kind of power and skills that these warriors had.
What he saw evoked different reactions.
Huntsman and huntresses possessed weapons, both melee and ranged. From simple swords to the absurd and impractical scythes, simple pistol firearms to mini-guns. Spears to great swords.
Swords? Logical.
Scythe? Highly illogical and frankly, idiotic.
Spears? Difficult to wield, but still usable.
Great swords? Only practical to those who could use it.
Firearms? Mostly logical.
Those only scratched the surface.
Most of the videos that he found these displays came from what was called the Vytal Festival, a tournament that was hosted every two years.
Shockwave reigned in the information, and returned to his current situation. As important as this information was, the bottom was was this: from what he had read alone, Atlas was a nation that was strict and disciplined, which meant predictable. If he was detained in Atlas, there was a chance he wouldn't be allowed to leave.
His previous logic said that he was more than capable of talking his way out of his situation, but why talk out of it when he could cut out the problem entirely by taking control of his own fate?
He would not be detained like a common thug.
He needed to leave now, but he needed to know where he would go.
Also, he would need a source of income, lien, he believed it was called. A handheld scroll would also be integral.
He could get those things easily, but he first needed to look at the other kingdoms.
Atlas was already an absolute no-go.
Vacuo, to his displeasure, wasn't what he sought. It was a desert environment, not known for anything other than tough living and its people, who were hardy, stubborn, and sometimes a bit boneheaded. It wasn't an innovative place.
Mistral was known for culture, art, architecture, more civilian things. It's darker side features an underground black market, full of things ranging from illegal goods and services to hired guns. It was tempting at first, but Shockwave dismissed Mistral too. It was just the kind of place where someone gained fame, and he preferred to remain quiet, illusive.
Vale, the kingdom that seemed to have the least unique qualities out of all the kingdoms. It's survival was due to natural barriers protecting it. Other than the city of Vale itself along with a few other coastal cities, there was nothing special about it.
That was probably his best bet for now. He need to acquire more information before he made a serious power play. Vale would provide him the reticent he needed.
Now there was only one two things he had to worry about.
The crew outside and the cameras…
(X)(X)(X)(X)
"Remind me why we're working on an Atlas military ship." Dwayne asked. "I mean, not to hate on Atlas, but isn't this something they should be doing themselves?"
"Ah, you know how it is." Gemma grunted, placing the crate in her hands on top of another. "Keep the peace with the guys who've got the badass military."
"Yeah, that's the official story." Dwayne nagged, shaking his head in the process. "Only an idiot believes that."
"You're really paranoid, you know that?" Gemma declared, wiping some sweat off of her forehead. "C'mon, there are better enemies to fight."
"Yeah, yeah, like the Grimm." Dwayne complained with a wave of his hands. "Tell it to someone who cares, like a huntsman."
"Or huntress." Gemma scolded her friend. "Don't make me remind you of that time you tried your luck."
"Of course you'd bring that up." The darker-skinned man grumbled. "How was I supposed to know that she was a huntress?"
"Have you ever seen a normal person carry a weapon like that?" Gemma drawled.
"I thought it was a… can we just drop it?" Dwayne didn't want to talk about the day that his pride was hurt. "We've got work to do."
"C'mon, if you're gonna flirt with a woman, at least try for one that won't kick your ass upon hearing a pickup attempt."
"Like who?" Dwayne murmured, walking away. "I've got no one."
"Are you really that dense?" Gemma seethed under her breath. "I'm right here!"
In spite of her best friend's behavior, she went to tail him when her scroll buzzed to life. She grabbed the small device and opened it to see who had messaged her.
She had gotten twenty messages in the past few minutes.
Wierd. She didn't recall getting these messages anytime a few minutes ago. Was it a bug? A glitch? Someone sending to the wrong person?
Someone passed her by, a flash of purple, but she paid no mind to them as she tried to see what the messages contained.
There were… symbols she had never seen in her life. They looked quiet tasteful and kind of exotic, but nothing struck a chord of familiarity.
She deleted the messages after only seconds of glancing. Whoever had sent them to her had the wrong number.
She was going to get back to work when she looked around and the lights began to dim all around, as if the power was being siphoned. Everyone seemed to take notice.
"What on Remnant-" She began to wonder.
"Hey, Gemma, what's with these glyphs you sent me?" The sound of Dwayne's voice came to her ears. "Are you trying to screw with me? It's working."
Sometimes, I wish that were the case. Gemma wanted to smack whatever perverted voce said that.
Whoever had sent those symbols to her had ruined her day.
Screw them.
(X)(X)(X)(X)
Shockwave made sure that he could mask his presence using a software program. Because of his his highly advanced inner technologies, he wasn't willing to chance any sort of equipment that could track him.
He had initially come upon some guard drones, placed obviously at the head of the landing ramp to deter him from leaving. The easiest thing to do was hack them and play a loop within their cameras so that they saw only workers at the bottom of their vision.
His escape also hinged on everyone working on the ship not seeing him. In the momentary disorientation, he slipped out, his footsteps reduced to whispers. Now using his recently-downloaded map of the Kingdom of Mistral, he was now on his way to find an alternate transport to Vale.
Escaping Winter Schnee was logical.
But risky.
Then again, creating the Dinobots and the Combaticons was too.
I consider this chapter to be necessary, though boring. In order to actually get to the summary which the story describes, a few more things will need to happen.
The response from the previous chapter was surprising to say the least, so for now, until I'm given a reason or that I run out of time, I will continue with this story.
As I go along, don't hesitate to give me ideas and feedback. I'll try to get back as soon as I am able.
Apologies for potential grammar issues. I will fix them as I see them.
I hope you all had fun with this chapter, and remember:
"Education must not simply teach work - it must teach life."
W. E. B. Du Bois
Long live Primus!