Chapter 10: Bonding is Logical
Mountain Glenn
As with the rest of the Mountain Glenn settlement, the Government sector looked worn down, but unlike the civilian sector, the structures were complete and still intact despite the wear that was abundantly clear. Chances were that anything valuable in the entire settlement would be found here, and presumably in decent shape.
With Shockwave leading the way and Team CFVY trailing behind him cautiously, they all made their way through the streets, which had also suffered from lack of maintenance and use by the Grimm most likely. None of them were on-edge, merely alert, preparing for the Grimm to attack while beginning to search for what they came here to find.
When they rounded a cornered and moved onto what appeared to be a main street, the scientist held his hand up to indicate that they halt. His scanners were picking up traces of operating technology; it seemed like security measures were still fully functional. The evacuation of the settlement had to be done in quite the rush of they couldn't even bother to deal with leftover tech.
"Some turrets are still operating within the area." Shockwave told his students. "One moment while I bring them offline."
"You can remotely hack technological devices?" Velvet's face showed interest in this prospect.
"Yes, although I am using my own internal technologies to do so." The former Decepticon answered her question. "Alternatively, hacking is feasible with a scroll and the proper application."
"What are turrets still doing operating?" Coco checked her own minigun while listening. "Wouldn't it be better to pack this stuff up and send it back to Vale. This stuff isn't exactly cheap."
"Logically, that would make sense." Shockwave talked while performing his hacking maneuver. "But Mountain Glenn was evacuated quickly due to a sudden influx of Grimm during development, hence why so much was left unattended and left behind."
Another moment passed, which was followed by the hijacking of all turrets within their local vicinity of 250 meters.
"Still, retrieving valuable equipment should have been a priority." Velvet chimed in with her thoughts. "Why abandon it all?"
"With the influx of Grimm combined with recent public morale, returning would not be logical by any stretch of the imagination." Shockwave elaborated further as they walked along. "For now, as dated as the guns may be, they will be useful to us, but that will come later."
The disguised Cybertronian took out his scroll and began to observe their map all the while trying to pinpoint their location. First, he observed the streets and then quickly scanned the map. It took him the span of a few seconds to do all of this, and he highlighted their current position with a red blinking dot, which he then sent to the scrolls of Team CFVY.
"Your scrolls should be updated every time I update the map." Shockwave pointed out.
"Huh, fancy that." Coco pulled up the map on her scroll. "Guys, check the map, make sure you've got a bearing on our location."
While the teenagers became acquainted with their positioning, the scientist began doing a more thorough examination of the map. Although not having a way to precisely map out the area around them, his own internal equipment would constantly feed him new information regarding terrain, buildings, and other sites of worth. This place might be a ruin, but it was a valuable one all the same.
It reminded him of looking at Cybertron post-war. Such a barren and lifeless place was so illogical to him. Planets like Cybertron and Remnant were meant to be filled with some form of sentient life.
It was this thought that Shockwave recalled that despite Cybertron's lifelessness, he had many laboratories scattered throughout the planet. With the planet abandoned, he was free to salvage whatever other resources remained to serve the Decepticons. Even with a lack of energon being generated from the core, there was still more than enough leftover energon for a single bot to survive many cycles.
I should consider setting up offsite research laboratories. They could provide me a means to conduct my studies and experiments unimpeded.
Although Ozpin might condone his research to a high degree, there was no telling if a moralistic person stumbled upon his work and complicated matters. The logical thing to do in that event would be to ensure the silence of the witness, either by death or by buying their loyalty. In terms of the former, it was simple, but a person going missing raised questions whilst the latter was more flexible. All people could be bought. Either through force or by one's own will, everyone had something they valued.
Shockwave noted that the sky was beginning to darken. They would have to find a place to get some rest for the night. Although he did not feel any fatigue from this new body of his, he wanted to pace himself in order to learn what his logical limits were. Willpower was a very potent thing indeed, but in the end, all things had to follow the rules set by the properties and laws of the universe. He would rather not find out his limits during the course of an intense battle, but during periods of calm. Additionally, his four charges would probably agree a few hours of rest was called for.
"We should settle down for the night." Shockwave pointed his cannon arm towards the largest building in the distance. "That's the main building in the sector. We will be able to stay there for the night."
"Oh, yeah. Would you look at that?" Coco squinted her eyes. "It is getting dark. Do we need additional defenses while we rest up?"
"We will repurpose two turrets to guard the main entrance and one person will stay on guard." Shockwave explained his thought process. "Grimm do roam these areas, but as long as we do not cause a stir, there's little reason to panic."
"You're the boss, teach." Coco turned to her team. "You all get that?"
"Yes." Velvet nodded.
"Roger that." Fox chimed in.
"Affirmative." Yatsuhashi confirmed.
Encounters with Grimm became less frequent as security began to tighten. As it turned out, there were a multitude of defenses that were in place to deal with intruders and Grimm. As expected a sector meant to house government workers, identification became something of a problem. At first, it was a simple matter of bypassing via a hack and then they all kept going forward. That worked until they reached the main building of the government sector. Then it was determined that hacking would take far too much time to be logical. Shockwave fashioned an ID for himself and for Team CFVY. It included a hand print, eye scanner, and full-body scan. Granted, it took a bit of time, but now they had access to all parts of this sector. They would be recognized as friendlies.
The top floor afforded a view of the streets below along with a few windows for a lookout. As they had planned out, two turrets had been brought back with the help of Yatsuhashi. Reprogramming was a cinch for the former Decepticon. A young Cybertronian could have easily done this job. Frankly, it was strange that weapons were this easy to get a hold of. It made him initially suspicious, but his systems showed nothing that would otherwise indicate that any of the weapons were bugged or rigged in any way.
Thankfully, because there was still power, albeit not much power, they were able to use a few leftover cooking necessities left behind in the kitchen. Prepping food was probably going to be the easiest thing on this mission.
Shockwave found Remnant's food to unique and varied. There were so many possibilities with the edible things on this world. Some preferred health, others taste. To his logical mind, he preferred simply taking in the nutritions that would give his body the greatest energy output and the least wasteful expenditures. As long as he ate a certain way and provided he could get the proper rest, he could maintain his ideal physique indefinitely.
The students had huddled into a little circle and begun to chat about small topics, nothing that he cared to listen to. They appeared so calm and collected despite being in the middle of a dangerous place. It was a hidden expectation that all huntsmen and huntresses in training needed to have a significant degree of control over their emotions. Like soldiers, they were going to be sent into battle zones, places that had no place for the weak-willed. Although having not seen a true image of their combat abilities, Team CFVY was at least mentally sound in this place. However, their mettle hadn't been tested in an especially grating and pressuring environment, so maybe his assessment was too hasty.
For now, he would consider them to be competent. They did handle the lesser Grimm species efficiently. Their methods of attack suggested a bit less dramatic flair and a bit more practicality, something that developed in all huntsmen and huntresses as they gained more experience and training, but it would be naive to say they had been purged of the desire to look good in battle. Coco's words earlier came back to his mind.
It's called being a badass.
No matter how much these children think they are in control, they have yet to experience the true nature of strife, the nature of war, the nature of plague of all sentient life. Shockwave's attention was solely on the teenagers. Whether they will be ready to face that reality is dependent upon many factors.
While he was no leader and he certainly wasn't meant to inspire like Lord Megatron did, the Faunus man had to concede that emotions were powerful things. While he still believed in science over all else, ignoring emotions was also precarious. He had seen the Autobots and Decepticons fight with fervent belief in their causes. He would never know what that felt like personally, but he did understand.
If I am to fight for Faunus and Humans, then perhaps I am better-served to condition them in a way that makes use of their emotions.
A plan began to be defined within the Ex-Con's mind. Ozpin and Beacon's staff were the main roadblock in his idea to shape the young up-and-coming defenders of the world.
RWBY - - - Transformers
"Hey, Shockwave, come join us." Coco called out to her teacher.
"Coco!" Velvet scolded her leader. "That's our professor you're addressing. Be a little respectful."
"If any of you wish to call me by that designation, then you may." The man moved from his position near the room exit. "I will not object. Whatever suits each of you better."
"Thanks, teach." Coco gestured to an empty spot in their circle. "So, do you want to join us?"
The professor took the invitation with not a moment of thought or hesitation. He seated himself on one of the chairs. "Was there something I was needed for?"
"O-oh, nothing serious." Velvet fidgeted a bit, trying to string together words. "It's just that we were… curious?"
"About?" Professor Watson metal ears twitched ever-so slightly.
"We were curious if you had any stories to speak of." Yatsuhashi became the brave soul to ask what they were all wondering about. "We're always curious about stories from others."
It was true that the four of them were all interested in hearing a story from their overseer, but it wasn't necessarily true that they were interested in listening to everyone's stories. One certain professor came to mind when it came to stories that were like nails against a chalkboard. Even Velvet had to admit that those were overinflated to insane degrees. Their new science professor, on the hand, just was brimming was possibility. That conversation in the bullhead had only further reinforced that notion.
"I suppose I could tell a tale or two." Their elder's answer was plainly stated, "Although if you are looking for entertainment value, I cannot guarantee that."
"I think we'll like it." Coco wasn't phased by the warning. "I've just got a good feeling."
"...very well then." Professor Shockwave almost sounded like he wanted to remark about something else. "This tale is very obscure tale, one that is exclusive to where I came from."
Everyone huddled closer. If this was a novel tale, it was exciting. Like anything that was rare, it was precious in some manner.
"Before time began, there was the being known as the One. The One was alone in the vast expanses of the universe, so in order to explore it's depths, the One created the being known as Unicron. Unicron embodied three basic concepts reality, that of chaos, destruction, and death. The One then subdivided Unicron and created his twin brother, designated Primus. Primus also embodied three basic concepts of reality: order, creation, and life.
"So they were polar opposites." Coco summed up the tale in one short go. "If they're that opposite, they couldn't have been friendly for long, even if they were twins."
"Correct, Miss Adel. Because Primus and Unicron represented different aspects of reality, they naturally came to clash with each other, and being that the two of them were deities, their power struggle lasted for eons. While Unicron was smaller than Primus, he was Primus's superior in combat. Meanwhile, Primus was Unicron's superior in cunning. Having advantages and disadvantages against each other, they constantly shifted from the physical to the non-physical world at will in order to determine who would control the universe and beyond. Primus eventually trapped Unicron within a metallic planet, hoping that his brother would remain trapped."
"But if they're both gods, then surely it wouldn't have been an end to the fight." Fox pointed out. "It's just too convenient."
"No, it would not last. Unicron eventually learned to shape his own metal prison, thus he learned how to shape his own physical form, becoming the planet that had once been his prison. Primus followed suit, giving himself a metallic planet form. Their war escalated when Unicron shaped his planet form into a massive robot and Primus imitated."
"Planets transforming into giant robots?" Velvet's imagination couldn't even begin to fathom that concept. "It sounds like something out of science fiction."
"Quite, but moving on, Primus adapted the idea of sentient robotic organism by creating what he called The Thirteen, also known as the Primes. These were his first original creations of life, born in response to the escilating conflict between himself and Unicron.
"The first was Prima, the leader of the Thirteen, who was the first created by Primus. He was said to have wielded the Star Saber, the most powerful sword in existence. It was him that led the Thirteen to victory against Unicron. He was aptly named the warrior of light.
"Vector Prime was the appointed keeper of time and space. As long as he existed, time and space would exist. He could travel through many dimensions and universes at will, wielded the Sword of Time. His existence was necessary for the future of the universe.
"Solus Prime was the only female of The Thirteen as well as the sole weapons-smith. It was she who crafted the weapons of her fellow Primes. She held The Forge, an artifact said to be able to create anything from raw material.
"Micronus Prime was the smallest of the Thirteen, called a Minicon, but he wielded the Chimera Stone, which enhanced the abilities of The Thirteen. He was considered more as a tactical individual rather than a strategic one.
"Alchemist Prime was known as The Elemental, and his role was to establish the line between the supernatural powers and practical sciences. He possessed the Eye, an artifact which allowed him to see all the components of anything in the universe.
"Nexus Prime was a combiner, a being whose consciousness was split across five other individual robots. Each of his parts could also operate as separate entities, allowing him flexibility in ways the other Primes could not act.
"Onyx Prime was the one who embraced a more animalistic side by having a beast form as his alternate mode. He was also to see into the more supernatural aspects of the universe with the Triptych Mask, things that the Primes could not see.
"Liege Maximo, the Manipulator, was the counterbalance to his brother Prima. He was considered the ultimate form of evil. It was he who tried to overthrow his brothers and sister, but he ultimately failed as was cast out for his betrayal."
The story paused for a moment as they all took in what they had heard. While this was just a tale to them, their teacher spoke of it like it was something that was real and tangible. In that sense, it made the story more interesting to listen to. Compared to some other stories of Remnant's past, this one contained at least some form of logic and sense while also be very hard to believe. It sounded cool all the same.
"You said there were thirteen Primes." Yatsuhashi spoke up after a minute. "What about the other five?"
A pause, then a continuation.
"Megatronus Prime was called the warrior of darkness. He attained that title after accidentally murdering Solus Prime, his beloved. It was this act that made him decide to become a servant to Unicron."
"He became a servant to Unicron because he murdered his love?" Coco felt really confused and somewhat annoyed at that. "Isn't that a bit selfish?"
"It is not really known why Megatronus chose the way he did, but he was a traitor to the Primes, like Liege Maximo."
"Okay then." Coco just couldn't accept that logic for some reason. "Sorry, please go on."
"Alpha Trion was the recorder of history and ancient knowledge. Using the Quill, he recorded the battle between Primus and Unicron as well as the Thirteen's involvement. All of the knowledge was contained within the Covenant of Primus.
"Amalgamous Prime was a shapeshifter, able to transform into anything and anyone flawlessly. It was he who learned to transform himself into an alternate, which the Primes then adopted into their own makeup.
"Quintus Prime was a scientist whose duty was to create new life that would evolve. Unfortunately, his many creations surpassed him, which eventually culminate into their betrayal and his death."
There was another moment of quiet, but this time, they were all listening intently. The story's abrupt halt felt strange for some reason, like there was a hesitation.
"That was twelve right?" Fox brokered.
"Yes, I counted twelve." Velvet acknowledged. "What about the final Prime?"
"...the final of the Thirteen was Optimus Prime. He was known as the Visionary, and it was him who inspired his fellow Primes to rise up together against Unicron despite their differences under the words 'Till all are one.'"
"We could use a person like that right now." Fox now sounded sad. "Humans and Faunus working together would be the best way to fight the Grimm."
"That would be nice." Velvet nodded in agreement.
"So did the Primes win?" Coco asked the question, but she had a feeling what was going to happen.
"They did, and they cast Unicron and Megatronus Prime into a black hole. Then came the civil war between the Primes. The Thirteen were created to be perfect, but Unicron had implanted the negative aspects of himself into their being, this creating imperfect beings who now fought each other.
"The civil war came to end, which resulted in some deaths and the remaining survivors scattering. With the battle over, Primus entered a state of sleep so that Unicron would not be able to detect him. That is the tale."
"Wait, what?" Coco wasn't satisfied. "What happened after that? Who survived? What did the Primes do? Surely they didn't just retire. What about Primus?"
"That is a story saved for another time." Shockwave concluded with a wave of his hands. "What came after is bit more complicated. The story I was trying to tell was that of the birth of the universe?"
"But didn't you say it was a story?" Yatsuhashi questioned. "You sound like you believe the story."
"All stories originate from somewhere. Therefore, all stories have some grain of truth." Professor Watson answered. "Do I believe all the details? No, I do not."
The sky had darkened, and amazingly enough, there were still street lights operational. They were very faint, but they did give off enough light so that the Humans within the group could see outside.
"I will take first watch." The Faunus man got up from his seat. "I will need two volunteers to take a second and third shift."
"I can take second shift." Velvet volunteered almost instantly.
"I'll go third." Coco said next.
Transformers - - - RWBY
With some isolation at his disposal. Shockwave now had the time to watch the video sent to him by Ozpin. It didn't take him long to process what he was hearing, but the implications behind what he heard were… suspicious.
Two gods that mirrored Primus and Unicron? That could not have been sheer coincidence. The only problem he could find was the difference between the older and younger brother. According to Ozpin, the god of light was the older one while the god of dark was the younger. That was the opposite in the case of Unicron and Primus, in which the latter was older than the former.
Still, does that detail really matter in the grand scheme? Shockwave did a light pace back and forth. Two gods representing opposite concepts of reality.
Was it entirely possible that Primus and Unicron had come together, even for the briefest of times, to create Mankind? And what of the Faunus? Where did they come into the equation if they were not created alongside Man? Could he even trust this information to be accurate? He might be a part of Ozpin's inner circle, but that did not mean everyone was on affable terms. The more likely case was that this was a leap of faith and a test.
If this information is true, then Ozpin is taking a leap of faith in trusting me, hoping that I will deliver. The Ex-Con took a breath. It is a desperate move, but one that could yield successful results.
When he had delivered the tale of Primus and Unicron, it was a story that could have been told by any Cybertronian. All inhabitants of Cybertron knew their creator to be Primus as well as known that Unicron was bad news. There was physical evidence to show that they had a creator. The Allspark was the proof, and so was the very core of Cybertron itself. Meanwhile, he had to take Ozpin's word that these god brothers were real without any tangible proof.
One saving grace was the nature of Ozpin's message. The way the entire story was phrase indicated that this story was very obscure, or if it was popular it was considered nothing more than a legend, a tale. This in no way verified the validity of the story itself, but because it did not seem to be a highly-recognized story. That would leave less risks in terms of potential eavesdropper.
Then again, I have seen magic, something that should not exist at all. Thoughts of Amber and her powers came back. If magic can exist, it might be possible for these gods to exist, however infinitesimal the chances.
No matter how he thought about it, his opinion was neither here nor there. He had more pressing things to think about. While he was indeed on lookout for Grimm, he was compiling all of his scans of their path to structure a map. The data he had originally collected had given a rough map, but now he could see all the alleys, smaller routes, and other lesser-known pathways in the government sector. It would take too much time to try and search every single street, so for the remainder of the mission, they would stick to the main roads.
While he was at it, Shockwave took the liberty of collecting the technology from city hall. All of it was stamped with a seal from Merlot Industries. It was well-designed and built to last years and even decades into the future. The minimal wear and tear was to be expected from equipment having not been properly attended to for some time, but all of it it was in remarkable shape internally and externally, and it was unlikely that anyone had come through these parts in recent memory. It was doubtful that Vale even intended to come back to one of its greatest failings if the kingdom could help it. It was safe to think that there were no bugs, viruses, or malware that would cause harm to him, not that any software could harm his systems. He could tear apart this world's malicious software in his recharge cycle.
Deciding that it would be okay to leave his students unattended for a few minutes, he slipped out as silently as a phantom, his coat tails making only the faintest of sounds. With a clear destination in-mind, he made a beeline for the center of the building, the most secure location in this place. He had noticed a metal door while he and Team CFVY had made their way upstairs. If this was where he thought it was, then he would find a server room containing data.
Navigating the halls while keeping engaging his night vision, he paced himself carefully so that any trace of himself would be minimal, only visible to an extremely trained sense or senses. There was no reason for him to go the extra mile and move like an infiltrator within enemy territory, not really, but he still did it.
"Any traps that may have been placed are moot at this point." Shockwave murmured some words to himself. "They cannot compare to Cybertronian traps."
The average Cybertronian was vastly superior to the average Human or Faunus both physically and mentally. The fact that they the people of Remnant were unable to escape their own planet told him exactly where they were in the stage of evolution. They were still in a primitive state, fighting each other rather than uniting under a single banner or symbol. Discrimination, prejudices, conflict, all of them were so petty. On Cybertron, an individual was judged based on character, skills, and abilities. Well, at least if one existed within the upper castes. Shockwave recalled his time within the scientific caste. His life had always been about science. Anything and everything that could advance science was something he would always be a part of.
It took just a few more minutes of travel to reach the logical place of a server room or data center. Predictably, it was sealed off by a heavy door. Amazingly, identification systems were still in-place. If anyone that wasn't authorized tried to enter, alarms would sound according to his systems. It was fortunate that he had entered his own personal data into the entire network, so he followed the instructions to the letter, and with an affirmative green light, he was granted access.
The first sound he heard were fans and whirling all around him. It looked like this was some sort of supercomputer, probably something on a lesser scale than that within the kingdoms. Such highly-advanced pieces of equipment were costly to build and tacking on the costs of maintenance and the brainpower needed to operate such a machine made operations tricky. If it was not fulfilling a very important purpose, then there would not be one to begin with. That reasoning led to a problem.
"Why leave this equipment here?" Shockwave's suspicion began to rise. "Has someone… been here before?"
Needing to confirm this fact, the scientist quickly scanned his surroundings until he found what he needed: a central terminal. Inputting his login information, he began to search through the history of the entire system. He was disappointed to find that there was no evidence to suggest that a person had come into this place, or to be more accurate, there was no evidence to indicate that a person was using this place physically. His eye and optic turned up to see a camera looking at him, and it was actively recording him. If someone was watching on the other hand, they would have to be dispatched.
But assuming someone is using this place, who could it be? Shockwave ran a number of variables through his brain. All the contractors involved with construction have no reason to come back. The risks versus reward is just not worth it. Merlot Industries has been dead since the Grimm invaded. Huntsmen only come here to do occasional surveillance. Pirates and bandits stand to gain little.
The more he thought about it, the less it made sense. Out of all possible groups and people that could possibly have an inkling of incentive to come here and use this place, none of them made place with the exception being Merlot Industries.
"Merlot Industries." Shockwave reconsidered the company. "Doctor Merlot was presumed dead along with his work, but as the evacuation of Mountain Glenn was the more pressing issue, there was no confirmation of his death."
The dead had ways of resurfacing in the most unusual ways. It wasn't unusual for a person to be dead only to be returned to life. It was not a literal rebirth from death, but rather a cover-up that was the classical method. It was the only logical course of action, yet it was illogical at the same time. There was no reason for Merlot to fake his death unless he was in need of privacy to perform something. In this case, that would mean that he would have been performing experiments that were unethical to society's standards. That, or he was merely a disliked person. Both were also likely.
Shockwave began to search through any and all files related to Merlot Industries. The results from the search proved to be quite the bounty. Files of all types were listed under the company's name. Video logs, documents, blueprints, notes, studies, dissertations, hypotheses, theories, anything and everything that a scientist had in his possession that related to his work.
The discrepancies began when the main goal shifted from technological advances to Grimm studies. All the documented research about the Grimm was so extensive that it was borderline obsessive. It was like Merlot had become entranced by the Grimm. There were mentions of the unnatural beasts being the superior species to Faunus and Humans, an idea which caused a rare bout of emotion in the Decepticon.
"Calling the Grimm superior to Humans and Faunus is illogical." Shockwave shook his head in sheer amazement. "No, illogical is much too generous of a word to describe this hypothesis. Stupid is more fitting."
It's been a while and I apologize. A flurry of things just came my way combined with my wavering consistency and discipline just made getting this out kind of tough, but I did it and I'm happy with the chapter.
So Shockwave discovers another scientist who possibly could be something of a nuisance for the mission. As I wrote for Shockwave, I was drawing some inspiration from the IDW characterization; the comic does a masterful job of making you truly terrified of him. In my mind, I took the chilling voice of David Sobolov's Shockwave combined with the IDW characterization to frame what sort of Decepticon mad scientist I want to portray.
In other news, I released a new story, the Bringer of Hope, which features Primus in a staring role. If you're interested in that sort of thing, please check it out. It's a real prototype and I'd appreciate any feedback that I can get.
So what do you guys think? Leave a review and let me know how you think things are going and where things will go. Any feedback or ideas are appreciated.
I hope you all enjoyed reading this chapter.
"However difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at."
Stephen Hawking
(Jan 08, 1942 - Mar 14, 2018)
'Till all are one!