Chapter 19: Red and White are Logical
Beacon Academy
Ozpin's Office
September 15th, 80 AGW
2200 Hours
Shockwave, for the first time ever since he obtained his official status as a professor and lecturer at Beacon Academy, did a review on how all things were proceeding in the new life he led. This included his own personal well-being, the status of his projects, the position that he currently occupied professionally, and the people that he associated with.
Speaking for his physical condition, he was at nominal strength and over the course of his time in this humanoid body, he had learned a great deal about the biology of humans and faunus. He could now use his baseline physical capabilities to their fullest when forced into combat and in some cases, he could override them like overclocking a computer system.
In regards to his aura, he calculated that his levels were superior to virtually everyone he had ever encountered and that was no exaggeration. With his exceptional organic genetics and some of his Cybertronian physiology remaining, he could generate aura at levels far exceeding even the most potent huntsmen and huntresses alive.
As a side note, he had also acquired enough information regarding a humanoid body to be able to effectively interrogate and torture for information. On the off chance that a subject was resistant physically and mentally, there was always the cortical psychic patch that would allow him to extract information cleanly, but that method was not to be used until he could run some tests as to how effectively he could interact with another individual's brain. The patch wasn't a critical priority either, so it had been developed on the side with not much attention.
Next up, Shockwave made a note of the many projects that he was currently working on. With the ground bridge complete, Project Predacon was now his main focus. The DNA reconstruction was now complete and the synthesis of the actual specimen in question was now underway. This would take at least a month before the incubation period could begin, so his efforts could afford to be invested elsewhere in the meantime.
Weapons development shared priority with Project Predacon and Ruby Rose had her uses in this department. She was eager to learn and her basic knowledge was enough so that he did not have to slow his flow to elaborate on critical details.
As a side note, while the former Decepticon operated from a perspective of logic, he was well aware that such a way of working tended to be uninviting to virtually all people. The leader of Team RWBY was a means for him to gain a better understanding of how he could better pierce into the minds of people who were incapable of embracing logic at its most pure.
Dust theory and research was of import and Weiss Schnee had come to him of her own accord to learn from him on such matters. It was not a strictly one-sided relationship however; while the cybertronian-faunus hybrid could provide her with unorthodox and unusual methods of application, she was a wealth of knowledge into further reinforcing the foundation of his knowledge. He had deduced her understanding to be accurate after testing so he trusted her in these matters.
All in all, his overall research was all according to his predictions.
Moving on, Shockwave's official teaching position at Beacon Academy, while not glamorous, did open the door to numerous possibilities that would enhance his research. All the students that came and went through his laboratory was, in his eyes, a means of testing aura and how dust reacted to different sources of aura. As he had explained to his class, his first assignment was created with the express purpose to gauge the ability to think creatively.
What he omitted from that explanation was that he was also using that very same assignment to begin his own detailed analysis of their capabilities. Over the course of the semester, each of the students would be given new assignments to test out what they were competent at and what they were incompetent at. This was not just for steering them into a specialization; it would also serve a purpose for his next project.
The ignorance of these teenagers was both logical and illogical. Logically speaking, he could exploit their ignorance and fill in the gaps for them with the information he deemed most beneficial for his purposes. Illogically speaking, their shared ignorance was a complication that could not be taken lightly. They were the future generation of huntsmen and huntresses after all.
Still, it was not a surprise that these students were completely unaware of the true nature of the huntsman academies located throughout all the kingdoms. They were convinced by lies that they were merely being warriors for the sake of killing Grimm when their true purpose was to be used as simple sacrificial pawns for a never-ending cycle of pointless death.
Ozpin had addressed the students claiming them all to have wasted energy and potential. The implication was very clear: he believed that he was guiding the students in a way that would fully unlock their potential. That was clearly nothing more than a bold-faced lie and an illogical one at that. He did not intend to use any of these students for any noble or logical reason. In fact, it would be correct to say that the intended purpose of a huntsman was flawed. Killing Grimm solved nothing and it was ultimately a delaying tactic.
Another illogicality against the headmaster and that was beginning to matter more as time went on.
And finally, Shockwave's network of associates, allies, and partners had grown handsomely. One of the many perks of being employed as a teacher at this academy was that it granted him certain perks on this world. Because he worked for such a prestigious institution, he was given the status of a huntsman and all the privileges and responsibilities involved. Basically, where he was stationed allowed him freedoms and respect that were hard to come by.
Part of his ability to acquire all the resources that he had was due in no small part to Ozpin putting in a good word for him. The staff at Beacon were also experts in their field, so he could reliably use whatever knowledge they possessed to his advantage. Also, the ability to mold future huntsmen and huntresses was starting to become more relevant when accounting for the shortcomings of the headmaster.
And speaking of important people, there was also Amber. While technically still able to roam free within the City of Vale, she was "encouraged" to remain within Beacon Academy grounds as much as possible. With the Fall Maiden and the vault to the Relic of Choice in such close proximity, the ball was now in the enemy's court. It was a waiting game and sooner or later, someone would grow impatient and make a move.
In order to further hamper the progress of these would-be attackers, Shockwave had provided images for the attackers and all the headmasters of the huntsman academies were on alert and were taking steps to ensure that the enemy's chances of successful infiltration into their ranks was reduced. Unless a traitor was in their midst, it would be highly unlikely that those three would show their faces.
The only feasible option left for their foes was to launch an all-out assault on the city and to the former Decepticon's full understanding, there wasn't a single organization with the manpower and technology to directly contest against any of the institutions meant to train elite Grimm killers except the kingdoms or the academies themselves, but turning them against each other would not be a simple endeavor.
Regardless, when he eliminated all of the illogical choices, the only course of action, however improbable, was to turn allies into enemies.
In spite of how much Shockwave deliberated on the matter of when battle would come, he was not the least bit concerned about its outcome. By his own calculations, when the conflict began, he would already be prepared to deal with it. Contingencies and emergency plans had been placed and he was equipped to contend with a variety of scenarios for the future, all of them a reaction to any moves that the enemy would make, but he had plenty of other arrangements that had himself being the initiator as well.
Given that he knew about the people involved in Amber's attempted assassination, the scientist had began drafting a plan that would see them all eradicated as potential threats to the side which he had chosen. He had considered luring them out and then killing them, but then another idea came to mind, one that would be more time-consuming and undoubtedly entail more steps and effort, but one that might give him just the information that he required to confirm some conjectures and hypotheses that he had produced.
This world had a very clear policy in regards to experimentation on live subjects. Only certain animal species could be subjects and certainly it was long past the days of doctors and scientists dissecting human and faunus bodies to study them. Advances in medical technology were more than sufficient in scanning and simulating a body's reaction to assorted outside influences.
However, there was a certain merit to performing direct experiments on live subjects and Shockwave personally felt that these sorts of procedures were useful in confirming what a simulation could predict. In his mind, as long as he was able to clear away any doubts regarding information that he was working with, anything was permissible. After all, his work included methods based on achieving results heedless of morality or consequences.
And in the end, no matter how much society could condemn him, nobody would shed any tears over the pain and suffering of criminals.
What did it matter if he did use them as lab rats?
RWBY - - - Transformers
Science Laboratory
September 16th, 80 AGW
1800 Hours
Ruby sat cross-legged on a table that wasn't meant to have a person on top, but that wasn't her concern in this moment.
Right now, she was staring at her professor dead in the eyes, or rather his one good eye with the other being an optic. It was cool and she couldn't help but stare and the fact that he didn't appear to be the least bit put off by her fascination was awesome.
"A staring contest with me is illogical." Professor Watson noted to her, not breaking her gaze. "It is a waste of time and even if it were not, I would win every time."
"We're having a staring contest?" Ruby was snapped out of her observation of him. "I was just thinking that your tech is cool."
"My optic, you mean." Shockwave pointed to the item in question. "Many seem unsure as to how to approach the subject and many appear to have questions regarding it alongside my prosthetics."
"Well, yeah!" Ruby felt that was obvious. "I mean, it's cool! Plus, it's not everyday you see someone with that sort of stuff, but… you're kinda scary, you know?"
"Are you frightened of me?" Professor Watson moved closer so that he was only half a meter away.
"U-um, well…" Ruby grasped now that he was kind of close. "Y-yes?"
"Logical." Shockwave retreated and increased the distance between them. "Regardless, you are here to assist me with a weapon that I have been meaning to field test."
"Awesome!" Ruby squeaked. "Do I get to do the testing?!"
"Yes, but before we do so, I have one condition." Professor Watson warned her. "What goes on between us two remains between us two. You will reveal nothing about what happens here no matter what. If you knowingly or unknowingly divulge information to anyone, I will know and I will mete out the appropriate punishment. Are we clear?"
"C-crystal, sir!" Ruby salted him with excitement and fear etched on her features. "So what's the weapon?"
"One moment." Shockwave blinked. "Secure the laboratory from eavesdroppers."
The moment that he issued the voice command, the windows closed completely and the door gained an additional layer. Some mechanical noises sounded throughout the entire room. It was like this entire place was surrounded by moving machinery. To the reaper girl, it was like a haunted house of technology, cool but also intimidating seeing as she couldn't fully grasp how this entire thing worked.
"U-um, what if I have to use the bathroom?" Ruby suddenly had that question pop into her mind.
Mister Watson stared at her. "If you wish to spend as much time here as possible at any given time, then you will remain here. If you leave this room, I will end the current session and we will resume our work at my discretion."
"W-what?!" Ruby didn't like these rules. "But that's kind of not fair, professor!"
"These are my rules." Shockwave wasn't moved by her whining. "If you cannot comply with them, then you will not be permitted to work with me."
It felt like she was being boxed into a situation completely out of her control and the red-clad girl didn't like that feeling, but this was a once in a lifetime opportunity to learn about novel weapons that she had never seen before. If she couldn't put up with a problem or two, she would lose this chance possibly forever.
That wasn't going to happen.
"Okay." Ruby squared herself away. "I'll do what you say."
"Your choice is logical." Professor Watson nodded his head once. "We begin with something you are not familiar with, something built for a more large-scale conflict."
The faunus teacher activated the laboratory's central holographic projector, dimming the lights in the process. The leader of Team RWBY rotates herself around, still maintaining her cross-legged sitting position, and takes a gander at what they're about to work on today.
"Missiles?" Ruby tilted her head. "There's got to be more than that."
"There is." Shockwave didn't look at her, but he began speaking. "What is the most important aspect in battle?"
"Well, firepower!" Ruby was confident in her answer. "If you've got the biggest guns ever, then you can blow away the enemy faster!"
"Firepower is important, but bear this in mind." Professor Watson followed her reasoning with his own. "When a firearm is depleted of ammunition, it becomes nothing more than dead weight."
"That's why we have hybrid weapons." Ruby grinned. "That way, we've got plenty of options when we fight."
"You misunderstand." Shockwave turned his head, but she could only see half of his face. "All weapons depend on resources to maintain their killing efficiency. A firearm requires dust bullets to be used. A scythe must be properly cleaned and sharpened to maintain effective cutting power. No matter the method of combat, all weapons require resources to always retain deadliness."
"Right, I see your point." Ruby could get behind that line of thinking. "So what do resources and stuff have to do with missiles?"
"Consider this." Shockwave enhanced the image to reveal more details. "In order to win a battle or a war, preparations must be made in advance. To that end, it is logical to store valuable supplies and materials all across the world in order to prepare for battle in all places."
"Okay…" Ruby was getting it and not getting it at the same time. "So what, we use missiles to transport all of this stuff or something?"
"Affirmative." Professor Watson pointed to a specific part of the diagram on display. "Missiles are traditionally used for long-range strikes against valuable targets. With some adjustments and fine-tuning, they can be repurposed for different uses such as the seeding of new resources."
The silver-eyed girl took a moment to assimilate their dialogue thus far. She assumed that they were going to be talking purely about individual weapons and how they were to be used most effectively in single combat. Large-scale weaponry used exclusively by the military wasn't her forte per say, but she did know a thing or two.
Furthermore, this thinking outside the box seemed to be leading to somewhere, but she couldn't see the endgame and she didn't have a clue where to go from here.
"I don't get it." Ruby scratched her head. "So, we use something that's supposed to cause lots of damage for making new resources? How does that work?"
"I will ask you a question in response." Shockwave zoomed out to reveal the general information of the missile system. "What does all technology on Remnant use as its power source?"
"Well, dust." Ruby knew this already. "But I don't see what that has to…"
That's when several things clicked into her mind.
While dust had been the main source of power for Mankind over the course of hundreds and thousands of years, one of the primary drawbacks of dust was that it was a finite resource. There was a lot of it to be sure and people had found inventive ways to make the out of even the smallest amounts of dust, but in recent years, it was becoming more and more apparent that new mines and reserves were becoming increasingly harder to find. With that future on the horizon, either a dust substitute had to be made or they would need to find another means of power.
The latter option didn't seem to apply to what they were talking about, so the former had to be the most rational choice.
"Dust is an incredibly versatile resource, but with such a finite amount of it, there needs to be a way to replenish it." Professor Watson predicted what she was thinking and finished her thought for her. "This theoretical plan entails using conventional missile weapon systems and infusing them with all known dust classifications and then seeding them in places where they would be able to grow and cultivate with time and ideal weather conditions."
"Weather conditions?" Ruby perked her head up at that. "Can we actually control something like that."
"Dust gives us control of nature on a smaller scale." Shockwave regarded his student. "It stands to reason that with a proper quantity of dust and the proper catalyst, altering the weather conditions within certain regions of the world is feasible."
"Wow." Ruby tried to picture such a thing. "That would be beyond unreal!"
Thinking about weapons beyond what they were obviously made to do was never something that the fifteen-year-old girl had ever thought of, but now that those ideas had been implanted into her head, she couldn't help but let her imagination go wild with regards to how she could apply this to Crescent Rose or to any weapon that she laid eyes on.
Being able to harness that ability to look past the surface and connect concepts that didn't appear to have anything in common seemed like something she ought to do more of.
If she could apply this to weapons, then what else could it do?
Transformers - - - RWBY
September 17th, 80 AGW
1530 Hours
Weiss had come to a realization with regards to her science professor: she had misjudged him.
Professor Watson was different from any faunus that she had ever seen or interacted with. Actually, it would be more precise to say that he was unlike any individual she had seen or interacted with. He possessed a great many qualities and traits that she couldn't help but notice and admire.
Firstly, his knowledge base was simply beyond what she had anticipated. Not only was he masterful at dust and all theoretic and practical applications, but he was also very skilled at unconventional and unorthodox uses of it as well. Countless times, he had proven that he was a man who experimented constantly with all the ways that he could show his students how to use dust.
But dust wasn't all that he knew. He possessed expertise in many fields of science according to his official credentials. The man had failed to mention that he had two Ph.D.'s, but it was all there in his records, one for biology and another for engineering, all of this accomplished with top honors at the age of seventeen no less and his numerous research papers and his doctoral theses lended themselves to proving his brilliance.
Also impressive was that he was a self-taught huntsman. He had never attended a combat school or one of the four huntsman academies. He was one of the rare few that had obtained his huntsman license through the almost-impossible route known as huntsman candidate school, a training program meant to turn anyone, civilian, military, or otherwise, into an officially licensed huntsman or huntress. Basically, HCS was four years worth of physical and mental training at a huntsman academy condensed into twelve weeks.
The success rate was very low to say the least. If one hundred people were to start at the same time, only five to ten of them would graduate, but those that did survive, they were on par with that of Grimm killers who went through the academies. It could even be argued that they were greater than their fellow hunters who took the more traditional route. In essence, that meant there was no doubting Professor Watson's abilities in combat.
The rest of his history wasn't as easy to find. The only thing that the rest of his profile displayed was that he had spent nearly a decade since graduating from HCS doing secretive and classified research for the Council of Vale. That was information that could only be obtained by knowing certain people, something that she needed to work on.
Weiss had taken the time to read up on her science lecturer after she had spoken with him one-on-one. That short but impactful conversation had jumpstarted a curiosity within herself. Before coming to Beacon Academy, she had taken the time to learn about all the professors and their accomplishments, but not his as she had dismissed him on account of his faunus heritage and his status as a new teacher.
Now here she was, in the science lab as the night sky reigned outside, listening to him as he gave her a specialized lesson on aura.
"Define aura in the simplest of terms." Professor Watts said. "Spare no details."
"Aura is the manifestation of the soul." Weiss instinctively answered with everything she had. "It allows us to enhance our personal physical abilities, gives us access to individual semblances, and it can act as a conduit of power."
"Yes, aura can do all of that." Shockwave affirmed. "And in the case of huntsmen and huntresses, it affords a variety of uses in combat. That being said, its applications are not merely limited to what it is traditionally used for. For instance, aura can be utilized in tandem with dust in order to make minute changes to overall physical performance."
He was currently displaying some images on the LCD monitors behind him, all of them revolving around a single body on display. It looked like a live feed based on how changes were being constantly made by each passing second.
"Is this… a live feed of your body?" Weiss's eyes tracked the stats on each screen, her eyes widening in realization. "You don't mean to do a live test on yourself?"
"That is exactly what I will do." Professor Watson remained even. "If you are concerned about any potential physical complications, then your worries are unnecessary. I have performed these tests on myself several times to no negative effects."
"But-" Weiss began.
"If I am to harm myself in any way, you are not to blame." Professor Watson shut down further protest. "Your only concern is to learn."
"Well… if you're certain, sir." Weiss realized that she had stood up and carefully sat herself down, doing her best to not display her worries outwardly. "I apologize for my outburst. Please continue."
The heiress had seen what could befall a human body when it was exposed to dust under dangerous conditions. While dust refinery methods were made with the idea of safety in mind, there were still dangers present because at the end of the day, dust was the primary combative means that Mankind had against the Grimm. If dust were to be completely safe, then it would no longer be useful for fighting, which was where it was needed most. Anyone without proper understanding or experience with dust could severely injure themselves, cripple themselves, or even kill themselves in a worst-case scenario.
Be that as it may, she couldn't help but wonder just what sort of experiments he would be showing her. Her intellectual side was always looking for interesting and stimulating challenges and she had a feeling that whatever was going to happen here, it would be worth her while.
Additionally, it helped that no matter what he said, her elder had a way of being able to be convincing with everything he said.
"Directly injecting dust into the body introduces many risks, the most dangerous being alterations to the structure of the body." Professor Watson held a vial of what looked like fire and lightning dust mixed together while explaining. "For example, when a body without aura is shocked with anywhere from 30 to 75 milliamperes, respiratory paralysis can occur. Aura can help dampen the negative effects of electricity while also allowing a wielder to reap the benefits of it as well."
Weiss could only nod her head while furiously writing down notes. Her pen was whipping around her notebook page with grace and speed as she listened to his words.
"I will reveal a small secret that I have discovered while performing some research on dust effects in relation to the body." Professor Watson fearlessly injected his simple dust mixture into his arm. "Common knowledge states that prolonged exposure to dust will gradually weaken the body to the point where injuries will render a person incapable of even the most simple of movements."
"The only exceptions that I know about are semblances that specifically utilize a certain element as a fuel." Weiss chimed in. "I believe that Nora Valkyrie's semblance grants her the capability to channel electricity into her muscles to increase her strength."
"Correct." Professor Watson appeared unaffected as he spoke. "And while semblances are more problematic to study, they are living proof that the natural limits of our bodies can be surpassed."
The white-clad girl's eyes flickered from monitor to teacher. She could see a slight glow emitting from him, but he didn't react to it visibly. Either his endurance levels were very high or he had ways of ignoring the pain that he was no doubt feeling.
Or both.
"I'm assuming that you at least have an idea on how that works, professor?" Weiss deduced. "We haven't known each other for very long, but you don't strike me as someone who does anything without a good reason."
"Everything I do is with a purpose, and I have a working theory." Professor Watson confirmed her words. "In the most concise words possible, it operates as follows: in order for dust to be directly injected into the body for more direct results to combat potential without causing physical damage of any sort, dust itself needs to be modified in a way that the body can accept it."
"You mean to say that dust should act as part of the body." Weiss reworded. "It shouldn't be treated as an alien substance."
"Yes, but this sort of process is not something that can be engineered easily." Professor Watson held the empty syringe and needle up. "What I have injected into myself is a mixture of fire and lighting dust programmed to work adjacent to my aura. In this way, I am now able to harness the full capabilities of dust and not suffer the setbacks that are normally experienced."
He was being completely truthful because according to the monitors recording his current status, none of them appeared to show anything abnormal. The only significant change that the heiress could see was that his aura was absorbing the dust and whatever excess was being released if the sparks dancing across his form were anything to go by.
Weiss wrote down some more notes.
No more underestimating this man.
RWBY - - - Transformers
September 18th, 80 AGW
2100 Hours
Amber had come to a realization in the past few weeks: she was a free spirit. More specifically, she felt at her best when she wasn't tied down to a singular place for long periods of time. While her situation could be much more restrictive, being confined to the City of Vale wasn't what she preferred.
In more recent news, Ozpin's words were designed to keep her at Beacon as well. She was allowed to walk on campus and go anywhere she pleased, but if anyone asked who she was, she would have to say that she was Mister Watson's assistant in his research unrelated to matters of the academy.
Ever since meeting that man, the Fall Maiden couldn't help but feel a bag of good and bad thoughts. The pessimistic side of her had begun seeing things about him that warned her that he was almost certainly not a morally righteous person. He seemed only concerned with his own goals and how others could serve those goals. She didn't even know why he dedicated so much of himself to his scientific research.
Yet the optimistic side of her also told her that he was working for the right side and in the end, no matter how questionable he might be, what mattered was who he fought for. After all, as a wielder of a sacred source of magic, she had a duty to protect her identity and her powers by any means necessary and that included killing, something that never suited her personally, but she had rules to follow.
There was also the fact that Mister Watson had saved her life when he was under no obligation to do so. Again, his reasons were unknown to her, at least in full, but if not for him, she would not be here to have conflicting thoughts on him, so she had no legitimate reason to complain at this time.
Amber wasn't sure why she was agonizing over this so much. Maybe if the man was a much more simple person, there wouldn't be a need to think about him so much, but he was immensely good at bringing out her curiosity and he wasn't even doing it with any knowing intent.
Well, she was spending a lot more time with him helping him in small ways to accelerate his research and while she wasn't incapable of understanding complex matters of science, what he was doing was going over her head. That only augmented the headache that was his mysterious side.
Strangely enough, she didn't find herself bored or otherwise unable to focus when around him. He possessed a work ethic that she had seen from very few people. That had to explain why he was such an intellectual. He did mention before that he had spent most of his time in laboratories and clearly, he hadn't been fooling around.
The young woman snapped herself back to reality when she saw Mister Watson once again using a blowtorch to perform some welding. From his explanation, he was in the early stages of constructing a very large tank and that's all she knew.
Amber's life was different, but not necessarily poor.
It's kind of hard to state just how competent that Shockwave is at a lot of different subjects. He's kind of like Cybertron's equivalent of Tony Stark except without the same morals code. I would argue that Shockwave is probably even smarter than Tony Stark.
And as many of you have noted, Shockwave is very powerful, but as for how powerful he will be in the story, well let's just say that I have some really cool stuff planned and I think more than a few of you will be satisfied.
On a side note, I have some news that could potentially put a serious dent in my ability to write further chapters down the line. I have no concrete details to speak of, but when I do, you'll all know ASAP.
Thoughts? Reviews and feedback are always appreciated.
Thanks for reading.
"Nothing will work unless you do."
Maya Angelou