Ep. 2 - Tremors (Closed, Pyrotech)

[Deleted]

Week 2, Day 2 - Secret Underwater Operation.

Shockwave was not a short-sighted mech, but even he had not predicted the starting results of his operation.

When Starscream had cleared him to begin operations for energy purposes, the scientist had expected the Decepticon 2IC to try to weasel out of it afterwards. It would not have been hard; bereft of just the small number of Vehicons he'd requested Shockwave would not have been able to start operations. And so much would have been lost.

The scientist moved through an ever-shifting chiaroscuro, only his optic casting any light through the murk. The local life was beginning to shun the presence of the new arrivals, but Shockwave had nonetheless forbidden extraneous light, noise or comm. chatter while outside any of the protected structures. His operation was fairly exposed, and he had calculated to a nicety just how likely it was to be discovered: they would be found, eventually. It was merely a matter of exploiting the site as much as possible until then.

The geothermal taps had just come online, and he was coming back from overseeing the process. They would power his operation so that any energon mined would be passed wholesale to the 'Nemesis.'

Oh, but there was so much more. The smelting facility, though crude, was already being fed. Mineral and metal stockpiles were being built. Superconductive metals were easily cleaned and separated; minerals were harder to leach, but still there was a quotient of chaff that could be left behind, maximizing the amounts delivered to the 'Nemesis'. And still, his probes were ranging ever deeper. Raw materials were coming into Decepticon hands that no one could readily trace to any one raid, theft, trade or physical exchange, and it was only the beginning. Shockwave expected to find heavier elements soon.

At the moment, however, there were other matters to attend to. As socially inept as Shockwave was, he did realize that one did better when surrounded by gratified underlings. Every successful proxy the scientist had ever had was testament to the one social more he'd been able to quantify: reward your staff, and they will attempt to perform better. They wouldn't always succeed, but they would try.

Problem was, the reward thing tended to elude Shockwave. Science, discovery, furthering of one own's capabilities, success in a scientific endeavor - were they not sufficient reward?

Still, if there was one fact he trusted to, was that a mech isolated from supplies and charged with building things would want those supplies. And while he was not willing to risk early discovery by willy-nilly use of a ground-bridge, he did think this one matter merited it.

He had earlier put in a request through the 'Nemesis', an... invitation. He'd asked Pyrotech to come and give him and on-site opinion of the structures he'd once examined on the blueprint, and to give Shockwave a chance to express his, ah... appreciation of the expediency with which Pyrotech had responded. Whether the mech chose to come to this small, undisclosed piece of the planet was entirely up to Pyrotech. Just in case, Shockwave was making his way to the dome that hosted the ground-bridge coordinates for the site, his every ponderous step erased almost as quickly as it was made in a faint, slow-moving cloud of silt and sand.

[Pyrotech]

Pyrotech was always on time.

It was one of those things that he'd never wavered from. From his beginnings back on Cybertron as a low-level support worker and every day after that.

It was an unspoken rule he'd always held; everyone's time was important and they did not have it to waste. Your own included. Showing up on time meant you respected the situation and were eager to work; it didn't matter if it was digging trenches with your fingertips, you did it to the best of your ability and you were there exactly when you were supposed to be.

His own crew had learned that quickly; you made your checkpoints and you did not deviate from them unless it was completely and utterly beyond your control. Or you were dead, which- well that happened here and there, especially with the crews they'd given him and the situations they'd put him in lately.

He'd lost most of them between Alaska and Australia. Some of them - well, that was the intention. However, those places had been so damned forsaken. Complete polar opposites of each other, but still their remoteness and where he'd been forced to set up a base had been treacherous and difficult. Even though he'd studied the schematics ever since Roulette had handed them to him back in Oregon, and he'd understood why Commander Shockwave had picked this location...

When Pyrotech had come up to the Nemesis and saw the coordinates, the architect had still had that one moment of pause. Not only was it remote, it was one of those remote places that it would be tough to leave. That was terribly familiar, and not a situation he wanted to find himself in ever again. The last one he had barely escaped with his life, and that had left a bitter taste in his mouth. Two failures, back to back.

Two.

One more under his command and there was a good chance the next time they shipped him off somewhere he wouldn't get another chance to even build anything again that didn't involve two sticks, a rock, and a rubber band. It didn't matter that they were here on this backwater planet, and he'd done his job on limited resources and terrible troops. What mattered was results and the fact that he had not been able to hand them to Lord Megatron.

However, he was being given a chance to pick himself up. To show that he could do something besides corral bad troops and build temporary bases. This was his chance to perhaps get a foothold; to climb his way out of digging foundations once again and get back to building the sort of structures that he enjoyed.

It was always good when you enjoyed your work. For the most part, he did.

As he stepped out of the green glow, the light flickered over the sheen of his gleaming chrome and glossy plating before it irised shut behind him.

[Deleted]

It had been difficult to find a site that satisfied Shockwave's requirements for safe groundbridge coordinates, while remaining close to his chosen area of operations. While it would have been entirely possible to set the coordinates and the monitoring equipment under the shelter of a geodesic dome, like the smelter and the general quarters, Shockwave wanted more than just a dry (but exposed) area for the purpose.

He'd settled on a cave, or the last remnants of one. That it was partially buried in silt had been a non-issue solved by the same means by which the water in it had been removed: a partially permeable energy curtain at the mouth of the cave, and plenty of high-powered pumps. It had become a dry space, just as dimly lit as the 'Nemesis'; the footing had been left even and the silt had been baked by simple application of the appropriate binding agents into providing even, non-sinking footing. Had Pyrotech been human he'd have found the atmosphere stale and dead, smelling deeply of salt, damp and mud; the site had been rendered serviceable and nothing else.

The Vehicons manning the groundbridge site stood and saluted with sharp efficiency. One of them seemed to be there specifically for groundbridge security, and it was the one that spoke. "Welcome, sir. First Lieutenant Shockwave is --"

"Here." Shockwave stepped through the haze of the energy barrier. It was the second most energy-consumptive device on the site, requiring a good half of the geo-taps' energy, but it was necessary, and for the most part it did its job well: anything sizeably organic was left behind, minimizing any risk of compromising with it the 'Nemesis', its crew or environment. Most of the silt and the vast mass of water were also filtered out: tension surface was a wonderfully simple but highly useful force.

The glacial field that was usually the Head of Science's presence was almost alive, more like crackling ice over a treacherous unknown. Shockwave rarely engaged in field work and ofttimes he forgot how... invigorating it could be. It made the mind come alive with new and unexpected possibilities that the controlled environment of one's lab never fostered. Not that he wouldn't want to return to it permanently sooner rather than later, but his occasional forays and the deliveries of data that he otherwise received were keeping him well occupied in the rare downtime the operation allowed.

"Pyrotech." Water beaded briefly on Shockwave's armor. If it troubled him he gave no sign of it, and the bright red optic fixed on the red mech with utmost attention. This was not a task he could have someone more... socially capable handle; it had to come from him to maximize its effect. "I requested that your ongoing projects were not interrupted by this summons. I trust my instructions were... respected?"

[Pyrotech]

Pyrotech stood, quietly observing. He had let his hands fall quietly to his sides, the doors that jutted from his shoulders at a calm angle. His first thought was one that he would never admit came to the forefront; which was that small sigh of -oh, look, yet another cave- but really... even he knew. There wasn't much on Earth that would house a Cybertronian and not look utterly out of place. This space was well hidden and well secured; clean and dry- that in itself spoke of a lot of work that had already been put into it.

He had started to nod at the Vehicons; ah, these were his sorts. Well groomed, sleek and just so. The sort that said that the person in charge didn't stand for things out of place, they expected everything to operate as smoothly and efficiently as possible...

At Shockwave's voice, he looked immediately over. The haze of the barrier flickered and shimmered around the massive violet mech. It had been a while had seen him, down on the beach in the dark. The smell of whatever that foul wretch had vomited up on him wafting up through his sensors.

Then, he had been just grateful to have the situation handled; the medic carted away off the Oregon beach and not his problem. Shocked that it had been handled by this particular mech - he never would have suspected that they would send him on that sort of thing that seemed so far beneath someone of his stature.

Pyrotech felt that field at the same moment he felt that one optic focus on him. One. A singular point among the mist and haze; the water rolled off the shining armor as the mech's footfalls thudded out and broke the silence.

The red mech never hesitated. He swept into a bow; an old echo of rank and file from Cybertron. A gesture that not perhaps many of them did any more. Some did it with humor, or even to mock; Pyrotech's was anything but. He held his position for a moment and focused on the floor beneath him, field radiating nothing but quiet respect. "Commander," he said smoothly once he had straightened.

"Your instructions were respected," he replied. "Your liason was utterly polite, actually. My ongoing projects are at a point where they are all simply internal at the outpost and no one is in dire need of them right now."

"This is an absolutely welcome and interesting task," Pyrotech murmured.

[Deleted]

"Good."

The word was, inasmuch as Shockwave had been able to gauge through the years, was moot. He knew Pyrotech was aware of the high quality of his work, just as the Chief of Science was aware of the benefits of having the appropriate consultant on hand.

Nonetheless, it was one of the few social gestures that Shockwave could offer within context, even if it still seemed... wasteful. Then again, this whole exercise was mostly social. Shockwave had included a few work points, but he well knew they were to satisfy his own nagging sense that nothing was being accomplished.

He took in the bow with perfect physical stillness, examining Pyrotech, taking in everything the mech could offer in the matter of information. Pyrotech did not actually fall under Shockwave's command - he was no medic or the like. For all intents and purposes the mech could have been running his own department... but wasn't. Roulette's report had painted an efficient operation, and yet the mech and his work had not come to general notice.

Shockwave had been, though very rarely, on the receiving end of a failed experiment to recognize fallout when the hard data was so clearly presented before him. Unlike most Decepticons, he also knew failed projects were unworthy of hanging around one's neck like a stone. One moved on, advanced elsewhere, returned eventually if need be, armed with better data and resources.

"The operation here has been running for only a few planetary cycles, but the structures have all been fully established. Your input was most helpful, but I am... anxious for your confirmation that the construction is secure, given the conditions under which they must perform."

One hand gestured to the one Vehicon not at the ground-bridge console. "If you choose, you can be provided with temporary protection from the environment outside. I will be waiting to personally answer any questions you may have."

Without further comment, Shockwave turned back towards the chiaroscuro mouth of the cave; if he realized anything implied in the weight or tone of the words, it went right past the scientist, who understood only the science of words, not the world of implications one could load them with.

[Pyrotech]

"Ah, it isn't an issue," the mech replied, shaking his head. He lifted his dark hand for emphasis. On his shoulder, the silver ladder settled down a notch. "If it's temporary, I'm perfectly fine."

He stepped forward and began to follow Shockwave.

Underneath the red mech's feet, the hardened silt powdered just a bit. He didn't have the massive weight of the mech in front of him, but even so, Pyrotech was solid and sturdy. He wasn't the sort of architect that tucked himself behind a desk and simply drew up plans (although it was high on his list of priorities lately.) He was a builder, a worker, he liked the hands on part of architecture. Designs had to change and adapt; anyone could draw out plans for a building in a perfect place for it, really. However, to make a design work on the hostile enviroments of alien planets...

Cybertron's buildings had been all route and form. Oh, he knew what they'd liked, he'd designed towers and retail. He enjoyed creating places that were perfect, pleasing to the eye, both inside and out. Function didn't have to be ugly, although it was certainly cheaper and less imaginative to do it that way.

The red mech looked thoughtful and let his gaze fall over the cavern once again. The scent of mud and organic slop lingered in the air, and there was that constant touch of brittle salt in the air.

"Questions," he mused.

There were many. Quietly and quickly, the architect formulated them, and then slotted them into order of importance to the situation.

"What all have you completed so far?" he asked. "After that, what's the area you're most concerned about as far as integrity goes- and what's the most important part that must be completed as quickly as possible so that you're able to continue forward with your work?"

[Deleted]

"Ah, it isn't an issue,"

"As you wish." Shockwave did not stop walking, though he did slow down , shifting so that Pyrotech could fall to by his side if the mech so wished. The trappings of rank were nothing if not inefficient at times, he'd long ago decided. It was far more practical to have the architect in a position where Pyrotech would most easily see directives and gestures.

"The domes are up. All dry spaces have been pumped empty and the energy seals are holding."

Without breaking pace, Shockwave approached one of those selfsame seals, the shimmering energy curtain he'd come in from. Beyond it, light faded to a deep blue and only the nearest shadows were visible.

"Air-tightness is the primary concern." Shockwave made the passage through the seal and into the watery world beyond, shifting to comms smoothly. ::I can recall the Vehicons that were engaged in construction if you need to question them. Tectonic stability is a concern as my probes drill deeper, but of primary concern are the geothermal taps; I expect constant geological activity might affect the structures, but I would prefer your expert opinion.::

The scientist's one hand gestured forth. ::I would also like a risk assessment on the rest of the domes, as long as you are not pressed for time.::

[Pyrotech]

The architect strode easily into that space that the scientist offered. He didn't seem
uncomfortable at all being right next to the towering mech. Instead, he nodded and listened as they approached that glimmering barrier of energy. Behind his shoulders, his doors lifted and shifted, balancing his careful stride with each step.

It had been a long time since he'd seen something of this caliber. Stationed in the places he'd been, there had been minimal capability for these sorts of things. They would have been a power-draining luxury that he couldn't afford. Down here, though, there was no need for stealth or silence. There was minimal concern that humans might spot them and investigate the situation.

Pyrotech stepped after Shockwave. The light rippled over his glossy red metal, and sent bright bursts across the the touches of shining chrome that accented his plating.

:: I'm not pressed for time right now,:: he replied once through the barrier. ::Everything I have back in the States is stable for the moment. A risk assessment of your situation is far more important to the cause than the outpost I'm working on.::

There was no regret or frustration; simply honest truth. ::I would like to see what your construction crew is working on,:: he agreed. ::Not too worried myself about the stability, you have no doubt assessed that risk to a degree that I couldn't. What I can say is that my main concern would be that everything be reinforced to counter. Have you perhaps run a simulation of possible scenarios? If so, do you have that information available at the moment?::

He tipped his head back to look around them. ::As you no doubt know, the seismic safety of any building requires a design for the support elements of shorter buildings to withstand greater forces than those of taller buildings.::

Slowly, his hand came up to rub at his narrow chin. ::Have they placed any base isolators under the most vulnerable structures yet?::

[Deleted]

Shockwave's helm tilted slightly, not because he needed it but merely because Pyrotech was providing something the Head Scientist hadn't had in aeons: a peer-level conversation.

The red mech's questions were thought out, of the same caliber Shockwave had initially considered when the mining outpost had gone from mere theory to possible situation.

Field work did indeed offer so many... invigorating surprises. The big mech's field, already more noticeable than the glacial stillness from his first meeting with Pyrotec, shifted up another notch.

::I have run as many simulations as I could, given the very short time-frame available. The authorization to use personnel for this endeavor came unexpectedly, and I had to consider the possibility that they would be recalled unexpectedly.:: Shockwave considered, and discarded, the value of mentioning Starscream; the current meeting was proceeding far too interestingly. ::Give me a moment to acquire a copy of the data from my central databanks.::

They moved through a world mostly of shadow. The local life-forms had, for the most part, grown used to these new visitors and the few that had chosen to remain had adapted to their comings-and-goings, as well as their structures. Dim bioluminescence ran in seemingly haphazard patterns over the geodesic domes. Simple creatures as they were, it had not been hard for Shockwave to have sessile cnidarians scattered like seeds to break up any pattern the domes or their walking might create. They were not so developed as to create light for operations. Yet.

Nonetheless, Shockwave's strictures for usage of light remained draconic. Just because he'd calculated their chances of being discovered to be infinitesimal didn't mean he wanted to offer a chance out of carelessness.

If Pyrotech tried, he would see the Vehicons come and go through the gloom, but only just. Through his pedes he might feel the faintest thrum, like a behemoth's slow heartbeat, as the geothermal taps were expanded by the purely automated drills that Shockwave had spend almost all of his time since arrival developing. The Head Scientist's single hand pointed to one of two sources of vague light, the largest dome visible, and moved towards it. ::Unfortunately, the very nature of the location makes sub-surface reinforcements prohibitively inefficient. This operation is not meant to be anything but temporary; it will be discovered, in time, even if only when its geological echo becomes too large to go unnoticed. If you have suggestions in that regard, I would welcome them, with the understandable caveat that materials are not an issue, personnel is.::

Another moment and they would be before another energy filter, this one separating the dome from the aquatic environment around them. Despite the cooling measures built into the structure, the temperature was getting positively balmy as they drew closer. The light bleeding through the dome's shielding was a dull orange-red.

::I also expect the volcanic nature of the site to eventually betray us. But until such a time, it has been harnessed for a multitude of purposes. It is technology, of course, that I would be glad to share if you can provide further assistance here.::

Shockwave stepped slowly through the filter, the better to allow it to remove all traces of water off his person, and into the smelting room.

[Pyrotech]

Eerie colors, so different from artificial light. Smatterings of pale blue drifted in from the dome, creating ripples along the walkway. This was a world Pyrotech was not used to; oh, he'd been many places and seen many things, but for a brief moment something rose within the architect that had not been there for eons. A design both practical and beautiful at the same time. He doubted that Shockwave took any of that into consideration when he'd been selecting the things that would work under the circumstances of environment and setting.

However, Pyrotech did.

It was something he missed. Designing spaces that were not only practical, but enjoyable. You had to work in them every single day, why not enhance them. Not ostentatiously; Pyrotech had little respect for the Tower mechs who only wanted the shiniest, the newest, the most impressive display of light and sound. Modern could be absolutely beautiful, it didn't have to be a garish assault on your sensors.

They had equated those things like they had equated their status and how they treated those they felt were below them. To walk among them, to hear how petty their lives really were, and how much they depended on those like himself...

No wonder to him that there had been that rise from the places that they considered beneath them.

Also no wonder that those who had looked up at them in ages long past put them on a different plain of being for some reason. He himself knew it, had seen it, and still used to his advantage. Your bearing and even your accent could make the situation change in an instant. He knew how to step in to those places and make the conversations that they considered their own. There were some that hated you the moment you spoke, too. No doubt about that.

Again, something he could use to his advantage, and did.

::Absolutely,:: he replied. The dim light stippled their frames, turning Pyrotech's bright finish close to the deep purple tones of Shockwave's own. ::Thank you.::

The low, slow grumble in the depths rose through him. He could feel something like the planet's measured intake. It was not the familiar constant pattern of Cybertron, this was something different. It would rumble and rise and then fall again. Tidal flow of magma, of this organic world's workings. The thing that disconcerted Pyrotech the most was that the rhythms were not mechanical and constant. They were often random, settling into one pace for a while and when you finally got used to it it would change. This damned place was mercurial, like the things that lived on it, caught up in their organic and brief fling with life.

He nodded at the mech beside him. The one optic caught the light. Expressionless, but his words had shifted into understanding, comfortable patterns, and Pyrotech enjoyed it. Information given freely; this is what I have done, how might it be better?

::Unfortunately, I think you are doing everthing possible to hide your dealings. It's possible that if you change your points into a long-term occupation, we could perhaps put on dampers, that might spread the echo out a bit or muffle it.::

The red mech brought up a finger to tap lightly at the side of his jaw. ::Personnel is always an issue,:: he agreed. ::At least here, moreso than the actual availability of materials. I am a bit surprised though, I would think that based on the circumstances of your project, they would offer you more Vehicons.::

This wasn't an outpost in the middle of nowhere, a hole in the ground there at the moment to provide a retreat if things went sour. This was a project that had value.

Crimson light licked across Pyrotech's chrome. His ladder shone and threw a dark line of shadow behind him. Something here wasn't being said or touched on, that much he recognized. Too many variables for a mech like Shockwave. That said, it was not his business. If it was brought up, he would discuss it, but otherwise, he left it alone.

::Sooner or later there absolutely will be issues with the site,:: he agreed with absolute certainty.

As a builder, Pyrotech knew. Earthquakes did not only move the ground vertically. If that was the case they might suffer little damage. All structures truly were designed to withstand vertical forces, as long as the planet or place you were building had some semblance of gravity. However, earthquake waves rolled, they exerted horizontal force on standing structures. To make them earthquake or tremor proof was not cost and material effective. What you did was try to reinforce the areas that were vital and accept you'd take a loss on the others.

::The unstable nature of the site will be useful in hiding the activity for a while but yes, your assessment is absolutely correct. The best course of action is to be prepared for it and have things finished.::

Warmth washed over the architect. The drops of water beading off his finish dried beautifully; no streak or stain left behind.

::I would absolutely be in your debt if that could be shared,:: Pyrotech murmured.

It might not come in handy in Oregon, no. But other places, yes. He had been shuffled around so much over the last few years that he accepted that he would be moving somewhere else at some point. It never ever hurt to have everything you possibly could available, to learn new things that would help in the future.

[Deleted]

The inside of the geodesic dome was lit by faint hellfire. A reddish tinge clung to everything: the double-walled dome, the polymer-sealed floor covered in trails of crystal-like slag or the one Vehicon overseeing what seemed to be mostly an automated process. Crates piled up to one side, each one carefully cleansed of its original contents and applied to new duties, given new identity scripts. The temperature was much higher, and the air much thinner, laden with a more organically toxic mix by sheer happenstance.

The furnace rose dead-center of the room like a pagan deity, a svelte black column assembled in pieces from one of Shockwave's many extruders; simple structural rings that had been allowed to partially fuse from the structure's own channeled heat until it had created that seemingly seamless structure. Thin pipes ran up half its surface and doubled down again, its ends disappearing somewhere under the plain smooth surface of the floor; with them went the majority of the heat and gasses generated in the smelting process, gone to be disguised as hydrothermal vents. Here, in a most primitive way, was Shockwave's Science, made into a magma-powered goddess with a smooth half-mantle of maidenly hair.

And the dome was only to protect the chimney; most of the furnace was belowground. Suicidal drilling probes had found their way to the magma bed below, and the heat had cooked the chamber's walls to near-industrial smoothness. Another set of suicidal remotes had run the conveyors up and down. Magma did all of Shockwave's work, and the furnace's gas powered that which geothermal power could not provide.

The Vehicon stood up and saluted. Shockwave did not acknowledge the salute, having turned to look at Pyrotech once they'd come into the furnace dome.

::If you change your points into a long-term occupation, we could perhaps put on dampers, that might spread the echo out a bit or muffle it.::

Inasmuch as Shockwave was capable, he was satisfied. Pyrotech was not only speaking his language, he was offering ideas, suggestions, possibilities. He was curious and invested. This was an exceedingly welcomed event.

"I believe the thought of dampers merits consideration on the long-term. I would prefer remote deployment, for the reason stated before." He produced a datapad, a much simplified design that was barely on par with human technology, but which could survive the rather draconic environment and any possible submersion accidents. He offered there the previously requested theoretical trial information, as well as adding the blueprints for the remote units, the furnace and its camouflaged venting system; everything but the drill probes themselves, and all of it a work of ingenious simplicity. "Something that can be quickly produced and remotely introduced. However, that is still dependent on the operation being allowed to continue on."

He turned at last and nodded to the Vehicon, who immediately resumed scanning and moving ingots from the furnace's molds to the appropriate, half-filled crate. "Fortunately, neither energy nor materials are a deterrent to further research. Heavy metals and inert gases have proven to be in such ample supply that my self-assigned quotas have been met early without fail, and energon deep mining might soon begin."

Shockwave pulled from a crate one of the ingots, and offered it for Pyrotech's examination. It was nickel, that most valuable of anti-corrosion guardians, smelted down to near-industrial readiness. "You may freely take up to 30% of the production for whatever purposes you require, both for research and for your own needs."

Shockwave was, in all honesty, entirely unaware of the social connotations of what he was offering to the slender red mech. His main concern was that Science, quite simply, could not work in a vacuum: it needed its tools, it need materials. One could work alone, yes, but not barehanded.

"One should not be balked from scientific work by lack of materials or politics."

[Pyrotech]

"Unfortunately, as you know, it is all about politics. Including the lack of the materials."

Pyrotech shook his head, and reached for the ingot. He hefted it in his fingers, brushing his thumb across the surface. It had been a long time since he'd held something like this in his hands. He'd been used to having to gather up what he could; stealing from warehouses, trains, construction sites, and depots. Humans had already done the hard work of smelting, making cable, building the lights. The base was there, at least, and useable.

This though - this space, this place, and this mech. He had resources - no, he was given the capability to work and pull more resources. Pyrotech had to scour for every scrap; even his team was a hodge-podge of mechs that no one else could figure out what to do with or place. The Vehicons Starscream had loaned him for the Oregon outpost were a rarity; he'd not had any troops like that since... hmm. Before Alaska, for sure. Only for a short while, before he'd been handed other less useful mechanisms.

Politics always played a part in everything. Personally, Pyrotech enjoyed a lot of it. He'd always been fascinated with it; his time in the Towers had opened that part of the world up to him. What was more fascinating was how they often talked about exactly what was going on but never put themselves in the situation as part of the problem or the solution. They simply talked about it, and when it had come back to bite them, they acted as if they'd never expected it would actually be a thing outside of their safe little rooms and discourse.

He glanced around them, at the red lights flickering up the walls. Long shadows stretched from the bottom of their feet and slid across the dome's floor. The crates loomed, stripped and re-purposed. He could feel it, the heat moving across them, not enough to be dangerous but enough to dry the last drops of condensation from their plating.

He eyed the furnace, and watched as Shockwave's beast harnessed the earth, and bent that power to the scientist's use. It was incredible, the work that had gone into this, but it was also how it should be, just so, neat and well-tuned and well assembled. It was structure, something lacking so much lately in the places he'd been. The red mech's doors shifted back slightly, the tires that formed his shoulders turned as he admired the structures and situation around him.

"Agreed," he said and nodded. His fingers closed around the ingot and then he gently settled it back down among the crated supply and let it go. "Remote deployment seems the safest course of action. As for the offer of materials; it is generous. It would be extremely useful for my own projects. The opportunity to research isn't something I've had time for lately."

"This place is incredibly productive," he said. "I'm impressed by the sheer amount of resources you've been able to gather so far."

The architect reached for the shockproof datapad, waiting politely until it was handed to him. He was drawn instantly into the places and the structure. Methodically, he started to flick through it, looking for weak points, for structural problems that might arise due to the pressure of the shifting rock and geothermic activity.

"My next question would be an unfortunate one to even think about, I'm afraid. Are you worried about the Autobots at all," he murmured after a moment. "What defenses does this place contain, besides yourself and the Vehicons of course... that is no doubt a given."

[Deleted]

Shockwave listened to Pyrotech as he moved down the line of crates, examining their contents; he had, of course, full manifests, but it was not the same as feeling the weight and density of a sample ingot, or watching the swirls and eddies of pressurized gas in a repurposed coolant container. He was holding a canister of tinted xenon when Pyrotech asked The Question.

"The Autobots will undoubtedly discover this site." Shockwave's tone remained as even and absolute as it had been throughout their conversation; there was no wistfulness, no sense of impotent emotional attachment. He might as well have declared that the site would remain wet for the remainder of its existence. "Given the erratic nature of their movements across the planetary surface, it would be illogical to assume otherwise."

He lifted the xenon, running surface scans and diagnostics. The canister was doing an admirable job of keeping the gas under pressure. "There is nothing unfortunate about your question; it is ever a valid and logical concern."

Shockwave set the canister down once again and moved to the energy curtain keeping the water out of the furnace room. He did not step outside, but shifted to invite Pyrotech to join him.

"I am, however, not concerned about an Autobot assault at all. When they attack, the site will be lost. It is too open, too indefensible, and no Vehicons will be spared to augment defenses that will fall with too small an effort." His one hand gestured to the view outside; for all that they were deep enough to linger in a deep blue quasi-darkness, for all that excess venting had been cleverly disguised, for all that foreplanning had gone into breaking up the profile of obvious mech-made structures, the site was still very much on a flat, open area; the only truly protected area was found at the ground-bridge's arriving coordinates.

"When the attack comes, the Vehicons are to take whatever supplies are at hand and remove them through the ground-bridge. Minor holding actions have been plotted, of course. However..."

The Chief Scientist moved to what seemed to be little more than a reinforced section of the geodesic dome - perhaps the cover of a power coupling, or some other such, identical in every way to the rest of the construction all around them. Whatever he did to open was hidden behind the vast violet bulk, at least until he turned and offered on the palm of his one hand a very small device: one of his remote drilling probes, dormant at the moment. What he'd modeled it after was rather obvious, but then again the intellectual ancestor to the device was a very efficient creature to begin with.

"I do not mean the Autobots to have the operation. Only the site, and perhaps not even that."