Ep1 – “Attack, Attack” – Open

When the klaxons had gone off and a warning had been sent ship-wide indicating an Autobot invasion, Shockwave had genuinely been taken by surprise. He'd been working intently on studying the openly displayed neural circuitry of a Vehicon drone in the privacy of a subsectionary quarter of his lab. The Eradicons' evolution from drone to sentient was a fascinating subject he had been engrossed in since the Phantom debacle. He had intended to observe the drone's brain activity while administering the same tests he had given his sentient test subjects only recently. He expected to record at least a 17.8% difference in the manner and speed at which the drone solved the puzzles, its past experience with similar problems applying to the tests at a different rate than its 'smarter' brethren. Sentience was such a difficult concept to define and study, his tests on the processors of these mecha were limited to cognitive assessments and such things as the analyzation of their neural patterns. Without permission to test the spark development of the more evolved Vehicon population, he was restricted to these tests. Even so, he performed them regularly and with avid focus. The confirmation or negation of his hypothesis would be one more byte of information for his current archive to study further post-examination.

His current test, however, was to be put on hold. With the blaring alarms and the eruption of harried comms over the ship's battle net, it was obvious this attack was no small operation, but a full scale assault, and it was his responsibility to set aside his tool set and lend his skills to the battlefield.

He spent perhaps half a klik simply listening to the chatter, getting a feel for the situation and making estimations, while he closed up the room the drone sat in and prepared his labs for the worst. It didn't take long. He had safety catches on pretty much everything, software and hardware alike. There was a 15.6% chance an Autobot would get in here, and one that did was likely a specialist. The number was too high in his opinion but he had learned, over his long career, to never underestimate a determined rat of an Autobot. He could only trust that the Autobots had a plan that did not involve his research. He exited his labs, locked his door, and took stock of what his plan would be.

From the comms, he learned that the Autobots were spreading out over the ship, and Shockwave knew where they, should this be a well planned offensive maneuver and not a messily connived raid, would be heading. The Nemesis already had protocol in place for that. The most important areas of the ship would be targeted and the Autobots would seek to destroy or otherwise damage one of the Decepticons' most valuable advantages - the ship itself.

There was a 23.3% chance, assuming and estimating certain variables, that the Autobots' run had some other purpose, but to attempt to solve just what the truth was would be a waste of time.

There were two places on the ship Shockwave was uncertain had adequate guardianship at this time, on the current shift; the Energon storage bays and the Core. While the Nemesis was a veritable gold mine of resources the Autobots could steal or otherwise use against their enemies, damage to the Core and the loss of Energon could be potentially crippling. What with the massive size of some of the invaders, most troops would likely be heading towards those heavy hitters to stop them from dealing permanent damage - from some of the comms, the scientist could infer that one particular Autobot was so large he hardly fit in the ship. Said Autobot was most certainly a decoy. But Shockwave knew this game. There would not be decoys if there weren't spies and saboteurs crawling through the ship to run the real operation.

The Energon could be replaced, he knew. The Core would not be an easy fix. Between the two options, he chose the latter.

Calling on ten Vehicon drones to aid him (He made certain they were of the non-sentient variety. Plenty of those would be killed in this battle, but he intended to do at least his part in keeping them alive.) he jogged hurriedly towards the Core, taking whatever detours he needed to avoid the havoc already churning in the ship's halls. He reached the locked double doors in less than a klik and examined the quiet entryway for damage - there was none. The hall was empty, the loudest sounds of the attack fairly distant. It looked like the Core hadn't been hit.

He paused, then reached forward to unlock the doors. There was no way the Autobots would raid the ship and leave the Core intact.

He was right. As he usually was.

The room had looked empty at first, but the bright yellow paintjob (one of the most illogical choices of dermatological decor for a scout in the belly of a violet ship, in his most blunt opinion) caught his optic. The one called Bumblebee, a single door wing visible from where the mech crouched near the Core's main structure.

Not far from where Shockwave stood he could see the soft glow of strategically placed charges about the room. He counted four that he could see, and the scout was likely planting more.

A couple of the Vehicons hurried forward with cannons whining to a bright lilac, but Shockwave's right arm extended, halting them mid-step.

"Do. Not. Fire."

His words were enunciated softly and with perfect clarity, and while his flat tone held no immediate threat, even the drones were wise enough to sheath their weapons. The room was built to handle weapons fire in case of these situations, of course, but it would be utter idiocy to run in and haplessly fire on the power conduit of the whole ship.

Shockwave stepped forward, his angled pedes near silent, and swiftly scanned a nearby charge. It was a tricky thing, definitely an Autobot build, meant to be difficult to disarm should a Con attempt to shut it down. But Shockwave was no inexperienced lab tech. Given a few nanos per charge, he could shut them down. He only had to decommission the Autobot before they were set off so he could disarm them. He took this time to reach out with one of his two tendrils and access the charge closest to him.

"Bumblebee," he called softly into the neon atmosphere of the chamber, almost as if conversing naturally and thoughtfully with a colleague. The way his words lilted ever so slightly patronizingly was arguably an interpretation of his tone, and not a factual observation."It would be unwise to continue your efforts outnumbered and -" There was a descending trilling sound as the charge went offline. " - outclassed."

((OOC: Okay! First Duramunned Shocky post. Let me know if I need to change anything. ))

Shockwave could no longer see the scout, but he knew the youngling would look for any exit that was not the door to avoid gunfire. He would only truly make a move towards the door if he had no other way out, which he probably did. It was imperative to find Bumblebee and neutralize him before he escaped through whatever hole he had crawled in from.

"I am afraid I cannot simply let you pass, Scout," answered Shockwave, his tone unchanged and unhurried despite the sounds of battle coming from the corridor. With a slight wave of a hand the double doors behind him were closed and locked again, sealing the room. "But if you surrender, you will significantly decrease the damage done to you. As it is, you are surrounded and your chances of escape are slimming by the second."

Four of the ten Vehicons walked forward around the Core to ensnare Bumblebee while the other six were split between keeping look out on the door and scanning the rest of the room for charges and more Autobots.

"It would be a needless waste for a strong spark like yours to go offline."

His point was genuine, as most of his points were. Bumblebee was tenacious and hardy, and those characteristics did not come from just programming. Those qualities were important ones for a Cybertronian to possess, especially during trying times, and a spark like that would be a prized subject for his studies. Therefore, the small Autobot would be much more useful alive than dead. Truthfully, Shockwave meant for no harm to come to the scout, and he had no intention of squandering this opportunity to collect. Battle was to be avoided, and a chase should result in minimal damage.

Shockwave continued to power down the charges, the four he had finished sitting blackened, completely dead. However, he had spotted more, each leading to another. Bumblebee had not been in here very long, but he had certainly been busy.

The scout's smack talk had no effect on Shockwave, who did not answer and continued coolly to diligently disarm the three explosives he had found at the base of the core's energon feed. Each powered down with the same trill, their innards picked apart and wires crossed to prevent reactivation should the small mech attempt to rearm them on his way out.

Speaking of which, Shockwave paused as he heard scrabbling sounds on metal, which he assumed to be an attempt to climb by the Autobot on the other side of the cylindrical battery. He was almost tempted to sigh, but managed to hold back - a useless gesture, that was, that put too much emotion to his expression. Still, the feeling of mild exasperation was there, even if it did not show. Shockwave was used to sounds like that. He was well experienced at dealing with a wide range of bots who decided they did not wish to succumb to an inevitable fate, and the scraping of desperate servos on uncompromising surfaces was a memorable one.

True, there was a chance that Bumblebee would escape, try as he might to acquire him. Considering the factors (the youngling's friends and family on board the ship, only a call away, for one; and the bot's undeniable skill for another) the scientist estimated that the striped scout had a 38.7% chance of escaping; quite high. And there was good reason for that that did not lend the Autobots credit. In fact, the Decepticons were partly to blame for such a high number. The four Vehicons currently circling to the other side of the Core, (indeed, all ten of them) were significantly inferior to a mech of Bumblebee's level. The Eradicon army was made up of bots too flimsy to present a true threat to any given Autobot on Team Prime. Shockwave, therefore, was not hopeful the ten he had brought with him would survive a direct encounter with even this youngling, and he would not trust them to catch and restrain Bumblebee as he required.

No, they were a decoy the Decepticon could afford to sacrifice. The four reached other side and spotted the scrambling Autobot. Arms turned into cannons and, while none of the Eradicons intended to fire unless ordered to, pointed them upward.

Meanwhile, the large Decepticon's tone was still conversational, and quite calm, "No collection, not really. But even you, especially you, must know how rare a bright and healthy spark is these days, scattered across the stars as our species is."

Shockwave disarmed yet another bomb, then accessed the Core's fueling system from a panel. Swiftly he commanded the spindly arm to swing around, intending to knock or otherwise catch the little bee from where he was hiding on the other side.

The clawed arm above was motionless, and hung stiffly like the curled claws of a dead monster until it was needed, but as soon as it received the commands, it sprang to life, the base spinning to the other side. Its modified servo reached around like a snake poised to strike.

"And I am in need of a control variable for my current research," he remarked, watching the upper catwalks for any activity. "I assure you, Bumblebee. I have no intention of killing you."

There was some commotion and then Shockwave spotted it, the black and yellow form flipping around midair to get to the catwalk, tricking drone and arm clamp alike to get to safety. But there was an error, and in a flash the youngling was hanging precariously from the edge of the walkway. Had his maneuver been executed flawlessly, it was possible that whatever came after that would have led to Bumblebee's escape.

Shockwave did not hesitate.

He transformed and blasted his way vertically to land, with a heavy clang, on the catwalk just to the right of the muscle car. His silver tipped claws grasped the railing lightly, and his shadow loomed in the dark of the upper level. His piping, normally a dull yellow, gleamed a bright gold, same as his optic, in sharp contrast with the deep violet and black of his frame.

He stared down at Bumblebee, then glanced around the catwalk looking for - There. Just up and to the side of the walk, a ventilation shaft was exposed, the smallish opening an unnatural sight in a room normally sealed tight.

"Ah. The ventilation shafts," he commented thoughtfully. "An oversight on Soundwave's part, or perhaps not enough eyes and ears to keep them properly devoid of your kind."

Shockwave paused only for a millisecond to weigh his options. He could pick the little bot up and attempt to render him unconscious, or he could keep his distance in case of retaliation. Retaliation was certainly likely with this one. The 'bug' was as clever as he was small and taught by the Prime and the Prime's best. Shockwave knew better than to simply reach out and grab him while the mech was still loaded with explosives. Cornered mechs were unpredictable, and while the Decepticon would have taken the risk and reached out already on the field, he was surrounded by the ship's very pulse. He would not risk the ship for a reckless underestimation of another's abilities.

Bumblebee wanted to get up onto the catwalk? He would come to Shockwave himself. That or jump down, risk damage, and find himself surrounded by ten Vehicons long enough for the violet research specialist to capture him anyway. Either way, the scout's chances of escape had slimmed further. So, Shockwave stayed where he was, allowing his opponent to make the next move.

"I am sure you are not the only mech tunneling into the ship using them," his cannon arm indicated the vent. "Am I right?"

He did not expect an honest answer, if he earned one at all, but he had found that Autobots, like many Cons, liked to banter during battle, and, frequently, veiled threats and frenzied one liners gave away much more information than intended. Shockwave himself had given some information during his encounter, and, he being a terrible liar, it had all been true. He was doing research, he did need an actual sentient bot to compare the drones to, and he indeed did not plan for Bumblebee to be deactivated.

A bot like him would most likely be best used as a long term subject, a known variable to use as a measure, never to be found under the knife unless absolutely necessary. He would be put into a room with basic necessities and anything to make him happier and more cooperative. He would only be let out with permission and under supervision, and mostly only during testing. Shockwave had had many a bot become rather used to their confined space, and during the war, some prisoners had actually taken comfort following a known routine and given healthful rations on a regular basis. They contentedly lent their minds to a battery of questions testing their mental aptitude under various conditions and plenty even volunteered for the more 'involved' experiments in exchange for frivolous niceties and souvenirs. With time and conditioning Bumblebee could even eventually make a good addition to the Nemesis.

Then again, Shockwave did not have the time, resources, space, or privacy he would need for keeping subjects like that, and this was Bumblebee he was thinking about. The scout was perhaps too spirited to be broken thus, especially no time soon, not to mention that a passionate Team Prime would likely stage a rescue operation that could cause further, deadlier, damage to the ship or the Decepticons within..

His line of thought suddenly irked his logic circuits.

Considering this...is it worth taking him prisoner at the moment? Am I ready to invest in a long term project with the Decepticons in disarray and Megatron in his current state? he asked himself, and his servo tightened slightly on the rail...

Shockwave was prepared, although the little bot was so much faster than he was. It was understandable, therefore, that he missed when he went to grab Bumblebee and instead used his forearms to protect his face and midsection, the lesser armored parts of him. The scout was a fool to fire in this enclosed space, the vast amount of energy around them just waiting for an excuse to explode. Not all the charges had been removed or powered down either. But it was obvious the youngling was not thinking straight. Unfortunately, fear did that to a bot, and a cornered bot was a force to be reckoned with, particularly because they became unpredictable. The drones would handle this. He had other matters to attend to.

As Bumblebee dashed down the catwalk ahead of him, Shockwave silently ordered the drones to give chase and cut him off.

"Do not fire!" he repeated aloud and clearly as several of the drones automatically took to the air with obvious intent to shoot. The mech was loaded with those charges somewhere in his chassis, it would not do to shoot him.

While the Vehicons handled the miniature spy, Shockwave turned and vaulted over the railing to the ground below, double jointed pedes absorbing the impact with ease, and he tuned up his best sensor equipment to find and tag the leftover charges. If Bumblebee managed to escape, he might detonate. These charges needed to be put to rest as soon as possible.

But there was more planning to his current tactic than that.

Bumblebee, he realized, would be put to waste whether Shockwave killed him or captured him. The scientist was naturally a very patient mech. He could wait for a better time to capture the muscle car; a time with lower stakes and more resources. And, more importantly, better intel on just what was happening and what had happened on this ship prior to his arrival to Earth. When Team Prime's favorite scout let his guard down, that was when Shockwave would strike - quick, effective, and energy efficient. In the meantime...

There was no way to know how much damage the Autobots would do as long as they were on the ship, and everyone was doing their part in fighting them off. It was also impossible at this point to estimate the time it would take to get the Nemesis back into working order once unknown damage was dealt. To make matters worse, it was also impossible to tell how much Shockwave could minimize that damage or repair time on his own.

Something around here needed to change. There should not be this much chaos. The ship's location should have never made it into enemy hands - that alone called for action in unifying and empowering the Decepticons into a much more cohesive fighting force. But it was becoming apparent that Megatron might not be in the state of mind to listen to Shockwave suggestions for improvement.

The Autobots and the Decepticons had been at a stalemate for too long, and now the Autobots had enough of an advantage to stage such an elaborate raid like this? The game was getting dangerous and there was no referee. If Optimus Prime had a way to find the Decepticon warship whenever he pleased (a small possibility, but a possibility nonetheless), it was possible he had more information and there was no telling what that information could be. The tables could turn in the Prime's favor, and the Nemesis, and possibly its inhabitants, would fall.

In the time it took to defuse a single charge, Shockwave had decided it was time for some subterfuge. Knowledge was power, and if anyone knew more about Megatron's wired state and the Dark Energon the Decepticon leader had let slip between his fingers, it would likely be the ship's only Medical officer. This was important information. The scientist was, at this point, expecting only further incriminating evidence against the current Decepticon Command's ability to lead, and Shockwave refused to act without knowing all the facts. If his expectations prove correct, the scientist would have to start put into motion some plans for a new leadership.

Bumblebee's escape would likely prove itself unwise to some extent in the near future, he knew, but he intended to change this game from the inside out to set the Decepticons back on track. And his first step was Medbay once this fight blew over. The scout's chances of escape had increased to 84.6%, as he had no faith in the drones.It was very likely the Autobots would pull out any moment now, and considering the bug's mission, it was also very likely that other parts of the ship would detonate once the the enemy abandoned ship. Even so, the 'Con scientist still made his plans. Should Knock Out be found alive and intact after the proverbial dust cleared, he was at the top of Shockwave's list.

He continued hurriedly, but surely, deactivating the bombs one by one.

((OOC: Sorry for somewhat sloppy tag, I'm really quite sleepy.
This isn't really a closing post, although this thread may end soon. If Bee does something nuts, ShW will of course go after him, but if you feel like getting him out of here asap, that works too! Also, drones can be puppeted. As of this post, all ten are scuttling after lil Bee!))