Chương 13: LOG-013.

I'd managed to buy myself time by convincing Megatron that successfully keeping the kids captive for a day or two would emphasize the Autobot's helplessness, hopefully breaking any will they had left. Utter bullshit of course, those stubborn fucks would never give up, but the big guy believed it, so whatever.

"Hey! Heyyy! One eye! Over here!" I ignored the young girl's incessant yelling from her containment tube, moving across my lab space to examine my latest project.

"Stop ignoring us!" The unique bio-culture had excellent potential as a poison of sorts. It was no Tox-En, but it would still severely debilitate a Cybertronian. Especially mid-combat.

"Lalalala! Heeeeey! HEY! Heyheyhey-!" I whirled around, focusing on Miko. The two boys to either side of her container shrunk back, with Jack quietly mumbling something about a bad idea.

"What do you require?" Her eyes narrowed as she tapped her foot impatiently.

"What's the big idea keeping us locked up, huh!? You know the Autobots are gonna get here, and when they do, they'll lay the smackdown! Bulkhead will pound you to scrap!" She punctuated the statement by punching a fist into an open palm. Staring at her for a moment, I shook my helm and went to resume my work.

"I need to pee!" Oh my fucking God. Miko all but squeaked as I held up the container.

"Stop. Talking. You've been at this for three hours." The irritating little shit crossed her arms, huffing. Then I realized something. Irritating? Irritation. I was feeling irritation. And more than usual. Placing the tube back down, I ran a quick diagnostic. Now that... was interesting. It seemed my processor was slowly adapting to the changes my human element had introduced. Given enough time, I may even be able to feel proper emotions. Hm. Neat.

For now however, I'd have to content myself with being able to experience a slightly dulled irritation, alongside my other, more muted emotions. Lovely. Moving back to the desk holding the containers, I took the opportunity to sit down, resting for a moment. I could still hear the three children talking of course. Hushed tones or not, I did have an enhanced sensor suite.

"What are we gonna do guys?" Miko asked. Jack sighed across from her, crossing his arms.

"Not much we can do but wait. Looks like the Cons are gonna trade us for the Omega Keys. Which is... yeah." Rafael remained silent, still resting in that slightly curled up sitting position he'd taken up the moment I'd dropped him in his tube.... Ugh. The trio collectively panicked as I grabbed hold of their containers, dragging them in front of me.

"Hey! What do you think you-" The girl shut up as I tilted her prison, forcing her to lean against one side in order to avoid smashing her face against the glass.

"Quiet. I need to think." Setting her back down, I rested my helm against a fist, even as Jack and Miko glared at me. Rafael looked up for a moment, eyes widening, then curled back up.

"... I have a dilemma here." Jack stepped back slightly, raising a brow.

"Oh yeah? What's that, not sure how to... what, dissect us?" I shook my helm, cycling some air.

"Already tore apart Silas. Don't really need you for that." That shut the boy up right quick. They'd all been glancing at Breakdown's dessicated corpse, strapped to a berth in the corner of my lab. Funnily enough, none of them had mentioned it. After a while, they'd seemed to settle on ignoring the body. I sighed once again, leaning forward.

"If you... were doing something that would likely hurt lots of people, but didn't quite know how to get out of doing it without making things worse, what would you do?" Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author's preferred platform and support their work! That threw them for a loop. Even Miko took on a somewhat contemplative expression. Ironically, it was Raf that spoke up first.

"I'd... I don't know. Get help somehow? Look at the problem from a different angle. Uh... view it as a series of objectives I guess. Figure out what's forcing you to do that thing, then figure out how to stop it?" I tapped a digit against the surface of the desk as I considered the child's words. A vague answer, but...

"A series of objectives..." How could I achieve the best possible outcome here? No. Before that. What was the best possible outcome? Megatron taken out of the picture. Preferably with minimal casualties. The preservation of the Omega Lock. The restoration of Cybertron and the end of the war. My own survival as a matter of course. The warlord's body would need to be dealt with too. In order to avoid the whole Unicron possession situation. What could I do to make that happen? I had Predaking. I had four Zakus.

I had myself. Nowhere near enough. Logically.

"Why are you doing this?" Jack's question brought me out of my brooding. I let my optic 'blink' as I looked at the teenager.

"Why am I doing what?" The boy shrugged, gesturing to my lab.

"This. Working with the Decepticons. Holding us here. You don't want to hurt people, right? That's a problem for you. So why work for Megatron of all Cons?" Shaking my helm, I leaned back.

"It's... not that simple. The situation is far more complex than you can imagine." Miko slapped a hand against the glass, shouting.

"Seems pretty simple to me Cyclops! Ditch Buckethead and the Cons!" She tried what I assumed was meant to be a devious expression.

"I bet Optimus would reward you if you helped us out..." Precocious little thing.

"First, my name is Shockwave. Second, again, it's not that simple. I can't just... defect. Even if I wanted to, it's not a guarantee I wouldn't be gunned down by either side." The girl scowled, letting herself fall on her ass.

"So what, you're just gonna keep doing something you don't want to do? Sounds pretty stupid if you ask me." Standing up, I turned to access an internal comm line.

"No. I'm going to stack the deck in my favour."

"Shockwave, I have arrived. Why did you call for me?" Dreadwing had answered my summons relatively quickly. Aside from prepping for the inevitable confrontation with the Autobots, there wasn't much for the Seeker to do. I gestured to the inside of my lab, letting the mech pass me by. I glanced outside the hall for a moment, before closing and locking the door. Couldn't be too careful, the inside of my lab was secure, I was certain of it. The hallway outside?

I didn't doubt that Soundwave had at least a few bugs placed there.

"Shockwave." I shook myself, turning to face my guest. I'd moved the kids slightly deeper into the room, and in no small terms told them that they'd need to shut the fuck up for the next few minutes.

"Dreadwing. There was a matter I wished to discuss with you." The officer's optics narrowed slightly, before he crossed his arms and nodded.

"Very well. Let us speak. What is the matter?" I stepped forward, spreading my arms to my sides.

"Dark energon, and it's consequences." Dreadwing tilted his helm, a curious expression taking over his faceplate.

"Explain." I paced back and forth as I spoke, hoping to emphasize my point.

"Do you know what happened to your twin during your absence?" His frown spoke volumes.

"He was offlined by the Autobot scum. Why do you speak of thi-" I cut off his angered retort with an upraised servo.

"You're wrong." The mech seemed taken aback for a moment, before he finally ground out a response.

"Very well. If that is what you believe, explain just why you think I'm wrong." I was silent for a moment, just staring at him. Then I let the cat out of the proverbial bag.

"It was Starscream. Starscream terminated your sibling while under the influence of dark energon. But that's not all. He then resurrected Skyquake's corpse. He reanimated him, Dreadwing. Turned him into a monster." I paused as the warrior's clawed servos clenched.

"Despite Starscream's treacherous nature... that is a serious accusation. You have proof of this?" I raised a servo, planting it against the mech's chest plate. A move that clearly surprised him.

"A cortical psychic patch will prove his guilt, but I urge you to listen to the rest of what I have to say. There is a larger point to this." He obviously didn't like it, but he begrudgingly nodded. Thank fuck. I'd been worried he'd storm off as soon as I had told him. Guess he was more level-headed than I took him for. Pointing a digit at the wall next to us, I continued.

"I will assume you also read the report of what happened to the Nemesis? After dark energon was pumped into it's core?" He nodded, bringing a clawed servo up to cup his chin.

"The vessel... took on a mind of it's own. It turned against both Autobot and Decepticon, from what I understand?" I nodded rapidly.

"Precisely. It all links together. Before my... accident, I spent time studying the substance. Back on Cybertron. In all instances, it's presence has caused destruction and chaos. First with your brother's death. Then with the Nemesis." Dreadwing growled at the mention of his brother, shaking his helm.

"Get to the point, Shockwave." He stumbled as I grabbed his shoulder, leaning forward. I needed to make my point clear. I needed him to understand.

"Dark energon corrupts. It violates. It destroys. What has our leader been mainlining for cycles, Dreadwing?" He shoved me, stepping back.

"You question Lord Megatron's judgement?" The anger in his voice made it clear of his opinion on the matter. Yet I persisted.

"I question his state of mind, Dreadwing. Think. Why are we even here? The Decepticons have won. We took Cybertron. Yet we pursued the Autobots after they left of their own accord! We're still fighting, even though the war should be over!" My words had... at least some effect on the Seeker.

"Megatron wished to ensure that the Autobots could not retaliate. That they could not return to-" I held up a servo.

"We outnumber the Autobots a hundred to one. Prime himself announced that if let go, his forces would accept exile. Surely you remember the broadcast?" He nodded, his frown severe.

"Yes. It was presumed that... that the war would be over by the end of the cycle. That we would begin rebuilding. But then..." I tilted my helm.

"But then Megatron ordered the pursuit and destruction of all non-Decepticon vessels. Autobot and Neutral." Stepping to the side, I scrounged around one of my work tables, looking for the correct-ah.

"It is said that dark energon is the blood of the destroyer. Of Unicron. A bringer of chaos and entropy. The mortal foe of Primus. This blood now runs through Megatron's veins." I turned to stare at the Seeker, holding up the cube of dark energon. It certainly made for a glowy paperweight, that was for sure. Even my dulled emotions reeled at the thing. It was wrong. How the original Shockwave had worked with the stuff without going utterly mad, I could only theorise.

"Surely you can see it? It explains everything. The rampant aggression. The divergence from his original ideals. The almost outlandish tactical and strategic blunders. How have we not secured a decisive victory despite our overwhelming advantage?" Dreadwing remained silent for a moment. If he was surprised at my new behaviour, he didn't show it.

"You believe Lord Megatron to be... ill. Mentally compromised by the blood of Unicron? You understand this to be legend, Shockwave? Of all Cybertronians, I thought you would care least for such things. Yet you do this-" He flinched as I slammed the cube back down on the table.

"For just a little while, Megatron and Optimus Prime worked together to stop the destroyer. He is real. Locked in stasis beneath the Earth's crust. The living core of the very planet. By all means, that should have been it. They should have stopped fighting." I shrugged.

"Yet after that small bout of lucidity, Megatron returned to his maddened state. Falling back under the destroyer's sway. He swore to refuse the temptation of dark energon, outright stating that Unicron used it to exert control over him." My digit tapped the cube twice.

"And then he went right back to mainlining it. Don't you think that's odd, Dreadwing?" The Seeker remained silent. Sighing, I gestured to the door.

"... I will arrange an interrogation session. Utilize the cortical psychic patch on Starscream. We will justify it as depriving the traitor of any potential secrets he might use against us." Turning to look at him, I continued.

"I will let you make your judgement once you see what it did to him. And to your brother."