Chapter Text
𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁
“That decepticon is here somewhere. Keep a look out!”
Three stellar-cycles, that is what Shockwave told himself. The long three stellar-cycles of eluding capture, hiding below the sublevel terrain and three long stellar-cycles since the decepticons were no more. To think, the once malevolent tyrannical faction who prided themselves on destruction and war, had turned into a catastrophic slagshow of soldiers who saw fit to flee, hide or turn themselves in.
It made Shockwave feel an ancient ire stir—an emotion dormant for a thousand lifetimes as he lurked behind the crates of empty energon caches from a squadron of low ranking autobots. There wasn’t a single commanding officer in sight, which he found odd, yet paid no mind too and huddled against the box, which only ended up making his cannon clunk against the metal.
A rough looking’ autobot approached closer, the jagged scar across their faceplates contorting as the autobot swiped their helm left to right, then beckoned the others to stay when they heard the sound of reverbed metal.
The autobot was marching to their doom, completely ignorant of the trap set for them. Step by step, the shadows consumed the path, and each pace forward was a step into deeper, suffocating murk. Then everything felt off. they smelt something. It was the vapour of rusty powder which would mean—
On spur, hidden in the shadows—Shockwave yanked the mech around by the shoulder, shoving their faceplates against the cannon’s muzzle.
"W-WAIT NO—" They wail in the mill but cease when Shockwave fired the cannon.
They going rigid and limp in his grasp. Shockwave bit back a growl, swiping the blue off his optic as it oozed profusely out of the large gaping hole, where the mechs faceplates would have been. He releases the body, leaving it to crumple on the metal surface and the wet thwack alerts the others.
It did not take long for one autobot to advance forward, grimacing. The mech’s disgust was plain obvious. No doubt, because he didn’t want to go first.
'Imbecile.' the bulky mech believed, as the former tripped over the puddle of energon.
Immediately, Shockwave hastened, tripped the wires of his trap, and crushing their helm with a heavy storage crate after. His claws clutched an EMP scrambler, tossing it freely and frying his assailants sensors.
“AGH! I c-can’t fraggin see-“ They clawed at their optics, unable to finish their sentence after their neck cables were sliced right through in a clean cut, damaging the intake and vocal nerves. They gurgled in wet coughs, swallowing liquids and crumbling to the ground.
Screams and shouts were the only thing that filled the lab. Gunfire and explosions went off with the static smoke clouded their vision. Shockwave took out four more, blasting their chest plates and ripping their helms off. He tossed the shredded helms aside, drenching his laboratory with each flicker of violet. The remains of those alive cried out in fear, swiping from left to right in a failsafe to stay alive, but for them, it only meant a quicker death. The decepticon was too fast for them to even calculate their next move.
What were they to do in fending off a mech like Shockwave yet let fate decide what was in store for them?
Shortly afterward, Two autobots storm the laboratory.
“See anything smokescreen?” A fembot questioned, gaze half-trained on a youngling taking readying his stance.
Smokescreen shook his helm. “Negative, cee’.”
The femme cursed under her intake. “Distress signals did go off. Scout the area. Recover any survivors, and be on the lookout, we have a rogue Decepticon loose.” Arcee uttered, narrowing her optics into slits.
Shockwave's form went unnoticed while he edged closer to the controls.
“Hey 'cee? think you might wanna check this out...” The blue and yellow bot called out to his partner.
A survivor was found with missing plating, charred marks and wires exposed.
“He needs medical attention asap.” Arcee said with a grimace.
Smokescreen crouched low. “Hey…Hey! Don’t move.” He yelled, as they fought to stay upright, only for them to let out a pained scream. Smokescreen winced; his tanks almost churning at the flaps of armor starting to peel off. “We are going to call for backup okay? Get you to our medic, he’ll fix you up nice and good. Swear on my spark.”
The low ranking autobot’s vocaliser spat static, shaking their helm frantically. “No! Go--, b--Omb BOMB!!--“ Unfortunately, they had failed to see the bomb strapped to his backplates.
Arcee’s optics bulged out her helm. She grabbed smokescreen quickly to fling him back with her. The mech exploded into pieces, caking the walls, floors. Alongside, the two autobots’ plating in a cascade of burnt-out internals and energon.
Shockwave went unnoticed as he pushed his weight to the controls, and slammed his servo against the keyboard. Glyphs of multiple planets pop up, and he is left to question where he would go. Where could he go? Cybertron was no longer safe.
Would it be wise for him to create another?
Absolutely not.
Materials and resources were scarce. It is an inefficient expenditure. Hardly a sane deed in his part. That, in itself went against his logical programming. Shockwave's course of actions would alert the autobots and expose the whereabouts of his location. His capture would be instantaneous. Yet, Illogical. He would not go down without a fight.
Which would leave him, one last option. The planet designated: Earth, inhabited by homo-sapiens.
Truthfully, Shockwave had no idea if that was even reliable in his survival, when all of Cybertron was in the servos of the autobots. But he was down to his last lab, while all others had been decommissioned, ransacked and confiscated, alongside millennia’s of work.
The memory made him livid, and he slammed his servo on the workbench. Ping! An unknown place of terrain showed up onto the computer. Given little to no choice with his findings, he stepped forward, only to be stopped short.
“Shockwave! Stop right there.” The femme stepped front of him. “Step any closer and I will shout, mark my words.” She seethed, denta bared.
Shockwave stood unfazed. After enduring his current adversity, he chose to persist in, he wasn’t at all fazed by the femme’s little game of intimidation, affecting him when he was barely on the thread of control.
“It would be illogical of you to waste my time, Arcee.” He spat. His heavy pedes thundered, causing the ground to shake and that same menacing optic glowed brighter than ever.
“Fine. Have it your way, con.”
Arcee lunged and Shockwave followed—his hydraulics ground together as his frame squeaked with protest. The months of grime and rust caked between crevices which made it all the more painful to move.
A shot grazed his chestplates, grazed the glass ever so slightly. They clashed, and Shockwave dodged in time to send her reeling just as she rushed toward him. Clicking her glossa, she lunged once more, engaging her arm blades, and managed to slice into his side and chest.
Shockwave grunted pulling back, the space bridge drowned it out, as it swirled in the distance and bathed both opponents.
[ Energon levels: 46%]
Shockwave's chest rumbled, kliks had gone by since their "scrimmage".
By that time, the youngling had gotten into the scuffle and pounced onto Shockwave. The pair advanced, slicing through sensitive plating, blasting him with useless weaponry, exchanging blows, and much to his everlasting annoyance, it was going nowhere.
His arm cannon itched to be fired if it weren't impossible to do so with the two currently tackling him left and right. sure they was strong, but not strong enough and with the knowledge of fighting Arcee on multiple occasions, he was well aware of her fighting pattern.
Shockwave suddenly seized Smokescreen by the throat, catching the youngling off guard. “You are in my way.” He growled. Smokescreen thrashed in his grasp, clawing at the plating of his arm with blunt digits.
“Let him go!” Arcee yelled, her optics flashing.
Shockwave ignored her, and slammed the youngling's faceplates into the ground. “Incompetent little autobot.“ He hissed. Smokescreen went limp as the decepticon threw his frame towards Arcee roughly, pinning those puny arms to the ground.
Arcee struggled to remove the unconscious mech off herself. “We need backup!” She screamed into the comm links that crackled with garbled static. “Anybody, Bulkhead?! Ultra magnus?!! Does anyone read me!?”
Shockwave mentally scoffed at the fembot's panic. It was impossible to gather a signal here so why is she trying? No matter, much time was being wasted that he did not have, and it wouldn't be too long until the rest of the autobots realised something was wrong.
The cyclops didn't look back as he stepping forward and disappeared into a portal of blue.
𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁
A rabbit tried to scurry for safety, as a grey wolf gave chase. It growled; hissed and roared as it duck behind tree trunks, rocks and bushes. The colour of its amber eyes illuminated in the moonlight and its gaping maw was ready to clamp onto its prey— when a swirling pool of dizzying colours came into view.
The spacebridge fizzled behind the large purple mass that came out from the other end, it's hulking figure almost towering the trees and the large optic for a head scanned the area.
A growl of something small could be heard below. Shockwave cast his gaze downward to a furry little thing. It’s eyes glowed and Shockwave tilted his helm. Native wildlife, The human's called this a wolf?
How interesting. Shockwave observed, the 'wolf' as it continued to growl at him.
For something so small it was clearly not afraid or was it not aware?
The snarl was imitated back and the predator cowered and fled, Shockwave did not understand such illogical behaviour, not until he began to move.
Ah.
The sticky remains of its prey were splattered on the bottom of his pede.
"Disgusting." Shockwave muttered out loud, and lifted his helm to examine the area to a forest located just outside of Washington.
At least it wasn't a city surrounded with fleshies. That would be a huge problem on his end and would only cause more trouble. Nevertheless, Shockwave had implanted a cloaking device into his systems many millennia's ago that could hide him from such trouble, but he wouldn't get very far. It was impossible with what limited technology he brought with him.
Logic fuelled him, yes. However that logic began to slip and so did his already unstable emotions and the cause? the butchered shadowplay or a cause of being stranded on Cybertron, alone; helpless and left to starve because of that traitorous Starscream and hence when he had returned, took the built-up anger out on the mech.
He made his way through the forest. it was big enough to conceal him and not much human civilisation could be spotted for miles and miles.
The mech was pulled from his thoughts when the sound of a wet dripping hit the earth below.
'What?'
Right.
His wounds.
Shockwave stumbled, losing his balance instantly, and while he fought to remain upright, he could only straighten with a pained groan while the injuries leaked profusely. Without a second thought, the con scanned a vehicle and shifted the metal plating. His unoiled dry joints squeaked in objection as he transformed into a much sleeker alt-mode before he carelessly drove down a lane, with no thought to his destination.
Popup windows on his HUD threatening emergency statis for the next 30 kliks, until he transformed gracelessly and stumbled onto a lush open field.
[ EMERGENCY PROTOCOL: STASIS LOCK ]
….
Slag.
Shockwave's vision went dark.
𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁
Bark! Bark! Bark!
The dog’s frantic barking jolted the farmhouse owner awake.
“W-what the!?” The woman hollered, massaging her temples, and stumbled out of bed where she almost fell down the stairs as she skipped each step and dropped down in a heavy thud, with her fists bawled high to her chest; one foot was behind the other as she waited on whoever dared disturb her beauty sleep.
‘Doesn’t anyone realise just how important sleep is nowadays?!’
Bark! Bark!
Fuzzy jade orbs blinked at the dog, clawing at the front door to try pry it open, obviously in distress and on guard.
Danger?
Where?
Wait a minute….They both lived out of the middle of nowhere. Nobody would venture here often and not by foot either—Butttt, there was always someone trying to steal anything off her land.
'Goddang, country bumpkins and their thieving habits.’ She seethed in thought, feeling a headache coming.
Bark! bark! bark!
"Ay. Monty, quit it!" Bonnie yelled. Jade orbs squinted to her companion as her hands uncurled and she rubbed the remaining sleep away.
The dog whined with his ears folding back as Bonnie grabbed her shotgun that sat in a secret compartment by the stairs.
She grabbed a flashlight too before opening the door. Her companion continued to claw his way through the small gap as she placed a leg in front of him.
"This better be worth it, waking me up so early this morning..." The woman huffed. The door creaked slowly before Monty burst right through it with no remorse and scampered away like he’d found some buried treasure.
"H-Hey!! C'mere boy!!" She whistled and gave chase.
‘He is so not getting any treats for a week after this.' She thought in outrage, sweat dampening her forehead; neck, chest, and the cargo pants whilst she struggled to keep up with a 70-pound Doberman on 2 hours of sleep.
‘Seriously Monty! I’m way to unfit to be chasing you like this!! ”’ She huffed, clutching the shotgun in her hand and ran even faster until Monty's growls and barks grew louder by the second.
The woman stopped, hunched over before her head snapped up at a mechanical whine, and her eyes caught the sight of something huge. She didn’t know what the hell it was, but she cautiously approached, all while Monty continued to growl.
Hearing that familiar noise again, she staggered back in alarm and dropped her shotgun. “Holy shit!” Bonnie’s heart dropped, and goosebumps wracked her skin. She made haste to turn on the flashlight that sat on the belt of her cargo pants.
In due time, Bonnie turned it on and she gasped, hard. “Woah….”
It was a massive metal robot, that lay before her. It was unconscious but nevertheless, real and alive, and the—….this truth made her nauseous.
“What...are you.." She whispered before she was driven by a nameless urge to touch the cold, jagged metal. Her palm pressed; rubbed and glided between the armoured plating of what could be guessed its leg. The metal was so warm. It was weird. Too weird, she thought. She lifted the flashlight up, exposing the texture of dusty dulled paint, which she could make out to be-
“Purple?” Bonnie breathlessly chuckled. Maybe she was going crazy. “…gotta give it to you big guy, you’ve got great taste.”
As her flashlight beam landed on the metal of the robot’s arm, she realized it was a cannon; her throat went dry, and she immediately looked away to instead focus on her dog before grimacing at the smell of sizzling ozone flooding her nostrils. It was strong and almost made her stumble back. The flashlight almost tipped from her hold as she clutched her nostrils, but she grabbed it in time.
‘Jesus Christ’ Bonnie edged nearer with her gut twisting in knots bit by bit. She bent low at the strange luminous blue substances surrounding the unknown robot’s waist and chest in puddles—which she could only assume was blood.
Reaching the head, a jolt of horror struck her when she saw that the face was just one massive, eye that is pitch-black. Her hand waved, and she swore she caught the faintest glimpse of red. It unnerved her and made her realise this thing was in HER backyard and there was a chance it could wake up. What if she helped it? Would it want help? Yes, of course it would, who wouldn’t?
"Monty, stay." She snapped a command to her dog, snatched up the dropped shotgun, and bolted for her pickup.