Ep. 1 How to Study Your Insecticon (Without Getting Eaten)

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Anyone who believed Shockwave was incapable of stealth had not spent any amount of time at all around the scientist.

Yes, it could be hard to find a spot to hide that much mech in a pinch, and Shockwave had no particular knack for disappearing from plain sight. But in the dim lighting of the 'Nemesis', and the even dimmer and fairly busy confines of the storage areas, something as darkly colored as him might as well have been part of the decor. Particularly if he held still and pulled in his field, and probably only one mech on board the warship could have played that game better than him.

Field tight, optic turned away and as motionless as any one of the crates around them, Shockwave had been watching Waspinator since the Insecticon had picked up his snack in a fit of pique.

Shockwave had done his share of research on Insecticons, of course. They lent themselves exceptionally well to complex research, there always being so many of them that plenty of variables could be added, followed, compared against control groups. He had rarely seen one that was both alone and... sensible. If there was a hive presence on board the 'Nemesis', several project that had gone filed under 'Unfinished/No Resources" might be discreetly inched back onto the table. But if there were a hive present, however small, the Insecticon was not giving the small clues one usually connected with such.

It was both good and bad, in a fashion. Bad, because Lord Megatron would most certainly miss a lone Insecticon warrior if there was no rank-and-file to hide the loss. Good, because a single Insecticon was always much easier to deal with than a host of them. A single Insecticon listened more often than not to one powerful, basic motivator: his tank.

Slow as molasses, well aware quick motion is far more noteworthy that slow progress, Shockwave backed away further into the spaces behind the crates and boxes. He needed a specific bit of containment, for all that it would probably remain so only for a few minutes. He needed one of the diamagnetic crates he'd just about emptied of its contents earlier. With the storage area at its lowest ebb of activity, he was fairly certain the crate would still be there... and there it was.

All he needed was some bait, and the means to set the trap without being overt about it.

Shockwave could be terrifyingly stealthy; he just rarely if ever tried to be.

There would be no obvious sign of anyone's presence there. Just a sudden release of steam, a low clatter, and a small box rolled down to the floor, bursting partially open and releasing a small fan of small, random pieces. They were not big and, in fact, Shockwave had acquired them for that very same reason - they were shards of rare metals, gleaming from their exposure to so many levels of energon radiance, dregs from his construction of a small refining mill in his lab.

Now it was a matter of watching, and waiting and wondering if such a box of bite-sized snacks held more appeal than a rusted pipe segment.

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The bait had worked perfectly.

Shockwave took a moment to examine the creature. His mind was already mapping out the tests and data, the questions he must ask of the creature, though hardly any of them were verbal. The impromptu encounter had, of course, robbed him of the use of the dedicated tools in his lab, leaving him only with what he had at hand: the way in which the Insecticon had demolished the pipe, and the dedicated, if casual manner in which its mouthparts were making short work of the bait, told him even the diamagnetic crate would not hold the creature for long if it truly dedicated itself to escape.

Had he been in his lab, he would have secured a paralyzing agent and removed the Insecticon to one of his containment units for protracted study, or at least for as long as Lord Megatron did not require the obvious fighting prowess of it. Still, surface study would have to do. One could learn a great deal by analyzing even a few quick samples of data; there would be a groundwork from which to prepare for further research.

There were two possibilities that would work in Shockwave's favor: one, the Insecticon chose to eat the small scraps where he stood, or two, he tried to pick them up so that he could remove them to a more private locale. Regardless, both meant he would remain where he was, and mostly focused on the shards. He could, of course, choose to see the trap for what it was, but in that case he would either leave, or confront the mech. Shockwave had long ago found that most mechs that found themselves surprised into a confrontation with him did not stay around for very long.

And so, he waited for just a few moments longer, giving the Insecticon a chance to shift more of his focus onto the bait of energon-washed shard. Only when he judged the moment was right, he released the manual winch he'd used to tilt the crate, and let it tumble down towards the Insecticon's position.

Ofttimes the simplest trap is the most effective.

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Shockwave ran through a long list of possibilities while he waited for the Insecticon to breach the crate. He knew the creature would; it was just a matter of how fast. He did not wish to begin his scans through the substance of the makeshift pen, not to mention it did not provide him with a plausible explanation.

When the Insecticon saw him, recognized him, Shockwave refocused on it more closely and remained unmoved for a scant few seconds. "If I had intervened, you may have thought of it as an attack. Perhaps an ambush. It is unnecessarily dangerous to approach an Insecticon, particularly when said Insecticon is working its way out of containment. Have you been harmed?" Simultaneous with the words and their apparent concern, Shockwave scanned the creature, as that is what a concerned, medically-capable mech does when there is the possibility of injury.

He just didn't stop the scan once he started it.

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Shockwave's glacial field never responded, or even seemed to notice, the physical threat as the Insecticon fell upon his usual, primitive display defenses.

The data his scans were gathering was stored, whole and untouched, to be referenced at a different point in time. At any one given moment there were more than a dozen compartmentalized bits of research going on in Shockwave's mind, and while his interests could sometimes be said to run side-by-side, such was rarely the rule. While he studied the Insecticon -Waspinator by name, apparently- he was also giving consideration to organic bio-weaponry, supply sources, manufacturing needs and three of the primary super-weapon projects he currently had had to shelve for lack of access to the next stage of them.

It detracted not a whit from his keen study of the creature. Insecticons were exceptional soldiers, and that particular field had long been a source of both interest and setbacks to the scientist. The behaviors Waspinator was exhibiting were filed away along with everything else; perhaps in some future date Shockwave would have the time and resources to consider the usefulness, or lack thereof, of such things.

At the moment it was merely helping him keep tabs on the thought progression of the creature. Before the haphazard threat could be fully delivered, Shockwave shut off the scans sharply. His head shifted minutely upwards, acknowledging the height of the Insecticon, and giving it absolutely no further thought.

He was, however, anything but blind to the obvious physical danger Waspinator could and did present. Shockwave did not, however, mean to allow the encounter to become physical to begin with. "I am ensuring your continuing ability to function. Surely I am not to be considered a threat at current."

His tone shifted, becoming slightly sharper. It was a mistake, one he had seen repeated all too often, to offer friendliness as a distraction from traps and treachery. It was, to him, a moot effort. One should always expect traps and treachery, especially so from anyone who offered such unlikely behavior as friendliness. What one did expect, and usually found, in any Decepticon, was asperity, which he could provide on the most subtle of notes. "Waspinator. Have you located a small box of energon-treated ore samples? I was assured by the supply manifestos that it would be near this position, but have not been able to locate it. I have become delayed in the research I have been commanded to pursue by my attempts to find it." He examined Waspinator with the detached intensity of a man trying to pin a butterfly just so on a board. "Do you perhaps know of its location?"

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Shockwave had decided, even as he laid out the simple trap, that the Insecticon's options were not just limited, but exceedingly well balanced. The creature may lie or tell the truth, and even the scientist would not have been able to call the outcome in advance. Such an inability did not bother him, as denial could have been, and would have been, steered inexorably to the same path as truth would take.

It was scientifically satisfying to see Waspinator's body language shift almost immediately. It was one of the most convenient facts of dealing with Insecticons: instinct and their frames would almost always betray the truth of their character. That Waspinator had offered truth rather than lie was, however, a convenient little kernel of personal data the scientist could add to the bug's growing file. The motives were unknown, but it was good to know that in a pinch the truth had come first, however unwilling.

The silence built, Shockwave as implacably still as a mountain. He allowed it to go on until the first uncertain twitch of an armor plate cued him to speak. "Waspinator. You consumed the enriched ore samples." It was not a question, merely a summation of the Insecticon's halting admission. "Suitable replacements will now have to be acquired and properly treated. Valuable research time will be lost. Projects will be delayed." All true, and yet not quite. That the facts were true did not actually intertwine them, after all.

But redundant and carefully tailored in delivery as the facts were, it was necessary to administer them, all the better to bait the real trap. "If you are so lacking in fuel availability that you must consume such important resources, it may be in your best interests to aid me in further manufacture of energon-enriched ore samples." Shockwave paused, knowing the Insecticon would need time to digest what he was saying, both in meaning and in fact.

He did not, however, want to give him enough time for too vast a mental exercise; there were risks to that. "I require some form of efficient, quick replacement of the ores that does not take me away from my lab." As if it were an afterthought, and not part and parcel of the plan, he added, "You would be welcome to keep any enriched ore remains that I find no use for."

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The interplay of thoughts and emotions the Insecticon was running through was as fascinating, in its own idle fashion, as one may watch the rippling passage of an asteroid through the quiet calm of a nebula. The mathematical calculations were both predictable and elegant in one's mind's optic.

Confusion, Shockwave calculated as a large measure. Fear, of course - it seemed very few mechs were capable of dealing with him without at least a subconscious frisson of the same. Curiosity, perhaps; Waspinator did seem to have a large measure of it, and it did not seem overly tempered by self-preservation even though it was not quite as blind as that of most Insecticon drones.

Calculation was a pleasant surprise. A proxy, after all, is all the more valuable the more capable, skilled and cunning they are. And while Waspinator was obviously hesitant, he was still interested in the bait.

Shockwave's answer was as to the point as one could make it; swift understanding was important on this one juncture. "You fly."

He allowed the Insecticon a slight moment to digest that. "Such an asset would allow research and sample collection to continue unimpeded, even if the groundbridge were to become unavailable. You have a higher degree of resilience than a Vehicon, and so have less to fear from Autobot or human violence. While it is... unfortunate that the samples have been consumed, the loss can be corrected, and improved upon, to our mutual benefit." There was just enough emphasis on the word to let Waspinator know that Shockwave had not forgotten the loss, or whose responsibility said loss fell upon.

"It is, of course, not necessary to maintain such an agreement. It can be terminated whenever you choose, once the replacement samples have been acquired." At which point the Insecticon would know there was one ready source of energon-enriched metal on board the 'Nemesis'. Shockwave thought the possibility of Waspinator staying away for very long was small indeed. Nonetheless, one cannot force a good proxy; it must come to you. He gave Waspinator his full and silent attention once more.

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The Insecticon's hesitation was unsurprising. Every creature, even the lowest within an Insecticon hive, would show some sense of self-preservation: to assume a trap was hidden within any words a Decepticon spoke was only... logical.

All the more so because Shockwave had, of course, laid a trap for Waspinator. But the trap was long sprung; all they were doing at current was discussing the terms of Waspinator's release, and in truth Shockwave would have accepted having to let the Insecticon go without any concessions, simply because all he had been after was information.

He would not let go those concessions, obviously, if they fell into his proverbial lap. Waspinator's capitulation, however hesitant and wary, was just that: a concession. His immediate warning to avoid "funny stuff" was as belated as his attempt to deny his consumption of the enriched ore samples. The funny stuff was over and done with.

"I have no interest in "funny stuff". Your cooperation is appreciated, as are your physical capabilities." Shockwave turned to examine the crate. "Only a fool would doubt the value of either."

The true value of a proxy would always be on their will. If Waspinator did this one task for him, it was entirely possible that he would refuse to come anywhere near Shockwave once again. It all hinged on that great motivator of the lone Insecticon, and how powerfully it did, indeed, motivate this one. If Waspinator did come back, well, then the possibilities were endless. Granted that the returns would be more generous on Shockwave's side, but if there's one thing he'd learned, and learned swiftly, was that you had to give your proxies a return measure of that same generosity.

"You must also speak to me if there is anything you require for the successful acquisition of the samples." His position shifted, not because he needed but because such physical communication was as much as part of the Insecticon language as spoken word; he could also afford to let Waspinator onto a less... fearful footing, if he would take it. "Anything."