Shockwave was busy tinkering in her new lab. She was coming up with ways to try and increase their numbers quickly but was being interrupted a lot. An Egg-pawn came up. “Shockwave, Dr. Eggman wants to know…” it began.
“About his current numbers disadvantage?” snapped Shockwave. She then scooped up the Egg-pawn and held it close to her face. “Your master’s constant interruptions are setting whatever ideas I have back. He may need his own Transformers, but he can’t get them without my help. If there’s an update, I will be the one to inform him…personally. Now, get out!” She threw the Egg-pawn out and shut the door. She then sighed, chiding herself over letting her anger dictate what to say. As she was burying her emotions again, the comms channel beeped. Shockwave tensed up, about to snarl, then calmed down and took the call. “Yes?” she sighed. Eggman and Metal Sonic popped up.
“Metal, what is so important that you have to call us both at the same time?!” snarled Eggman.
“I just got through telling Eggman’s messenger that the interruptions I’m getting are setting us back and I would inform Eggman of any progress when it comes, not a moment sooner,” supplied Shockwave.
“Well, I think I may help in the way of progress,” replied Metal Sonic. “Our dig for Energon has uncovered a Decepticon ship.”
“Are you sure it’s a Decepticon ship?” inquired Shockwave.
“See for yourself,” answered Metal Sonic. He moved aside to reveal a giant version of the insignia on her shoulders, three times the size of the Ark. Shockwave stood up, amazed at the find.
“A D-Class Worldsweeper!” she breathed. “Judging by the point of the bow, I’d say it’s a P-6 Model! They were the most powerful warships of the Decepticon Empire! I think the reason why the grunts’ nickname for that kind of ship is ‘Symbol Ship’ should be obvious. I commanded one back in the war.”
“Think this is it?” asked Eggman.
“Maybe,” mused Shockwave. “But, I wouldn’t bet on it. While I was stationed here, the Autobots destroyed it.”
“How so?” quizzed Metal Sonic.
“Calling Dr. Eggman,” reported a robot’s voice. “This is Flunky 2297, reporting in from inside the ship.”
“Go ahead,” answered Eggman.
“We have entered the ship in two bot teams, per Metal Sonic’s instructions,” replied Flunky 2297. “Lackey 0234 and I are patrolling the starboard halls right now. I gotta tell you, I’ve always dreamed of captaining my own starship, going above all the other Navy style bots. I’d have called it something noble and majestic, like Mega Starpuncher or Mighty Spaceship!”
“This is Lackey 0234,” called another voice, sounding scared. “While I will admit Mighty Spaceship is the best name ever, I need my compatriot to shut up and look up. If he does so, he’ll see…well…it’s a little out there…look, I’m just gonna say it as I see it: the ceiling is covered in Cybertronian brains!”
“This is Goon 0487,” gulped another voice. “Is that more or less unnerving than the collection of congealed robots me and Minion 5579 found?”
“Did you just call us to play ‘Who Can Out-macabre Who’?!” bellowed Eggman.
“I’m looking at them right now, My Lord,” assured Goon 0487. “I’m looking at row after row of bodies, half-form. Cybertronians, I think, but not like Shockwave. It’s like their torsos have just…run out.”
“HOLY…!” screamed a fourth voice.
“Minion 5579? Is that you?” yelped Lackey 0234. “What is it?! Should I be running away?! Am I wasting precious running away time by talking to you?!”
“It’s some kind of wooden robot!” answered Minion 5579. “It’s made of some kind of fibrous tissue that’s been threaded with soft circuitry! And…and these micro-fibrils look like they’ve been designed to carry electrolytes and emulsifiers! The thing is, I think it has processing capacity! I think it’s alive! Or, at least, it WAS. Henchman 3796, are you and Mook 0089 getting any of this?”
“Mark my barely audible words, this is the LAST time I ever team up with Henchman 3796!” whispered a voice, evidently, Mook 0089. “He just attacked our light because it was glowing at him funny! I’m a bit scared!”
“You’re a SWATbot,” grunted Metal Sonic, “you don’t DO scared. Where are you?”
“We’re in a corridor with sticky walls,” replied Mook 0089, “and when are sticky walls EVER a good sign? Now, since I’m a military bot, I’m not an expert in organics. However, I think it’s some kind of epidermis. I’m detecting traces of hemoglobin and Energon.”
“Maybe that’s why the ship crashed,” mused Eggman. “The blood leaked into the Energon being used for the ship’s fuel and contaminated it.”
“Are you telling me that this ship bled to death?!” protested Metal Sonic.
“All of those observations sound like my old experiments on my ship!” replied Shockwave. “Stay put. Eggman and I are on the way.” She activated a Ground Bridge and headed to the crash site. After her Ground Bridge closed, Eggman followed in his own, panting. His Egg-mobile wobbled before stopping to hover at Shockwave’s eye level.
“Couldn’t send one for me, could you?!” he griped. Shockwave paid no attention.
“Has anyone found the bridge or the computer core?” she asked Metal Sonic.
“No, but I believe we found Main Engineering,” answered Metal.
“Good enough,” remarked Shockwave. “We’ll proceed there. Eggman, with me.”
“I’m your partner, not your flunky!” snapped Eggman. He still followed her. They entered the ship and Shockwave looked around.
“Scans indicate the Rectifier Coil is still online,” she reported.
“Well, that should be a mercy for you,” sighed Metal. They proceeded down the corridor with the brain covered ceiling and found themselves in a large room with a blue tube in the center and control panels around the tube at Transformer height. Other controls and screens lined the walls.
“Main Engineering, as you thought,” confirmed Shockwave. “Let’s check the computer core from here.” She fiddled with the controls and some sort of shape came up. It was made of rods and had 8 equilateral triangles making a diamond shape with a triangular pyramid on each face. The interior diamond was orange and the pyramids were red. One of the pyramids was missing a rod. “I…don’t…believe it! It IS my ship!”
“How do you know?” asked Eggman.
“Because this is the main brain for my ship’s artificial intelligence!” revealed Shockwave.
“I thought you had Sigma,” recalled Eggman.
“Sigma is just a small portion of the a.i. here,” elaborated Shockwave. “She’s the main logic center. Speaking of which, Sigma, it’s time. Transfer yourself to the old rod you inhabited.”
“Transferring now,” droned Sigma. Soon, she was transferred to a red rod in Shockwave’s arm. She then took it out and placed it where it connected all three sides of that pyramid to the diamond. Shockwave then put it into a slot and shut it, restoring power.
“Alchemax: online,” reported a woman’s voice. “Full cognitive functions: restored. Awaiting commands.”
“Compile a damage report,” ordered Shockwave. She then looked around. “As if current conditions didn’t speak for themselves.”
“Compiling,” obliged Alchemax.
“Er, is this Alchemax person an a.i?” asked Eggman.
“She was constructed to be the Autobots’ opposite to their failed Teletraan 1,” replied Shockwave.
“Failed?” repeated Metal Sonic.
“Yes, failed,” confirmed Shockwave. “After it was connected to various Autobots, the a.i. went insane.”
“I thought it was working fine,” mused Metal. “That’s why I’ve been corrupting it over time.” All noise stopped.
“…What’s that supposed to mean?” asked Eggman.
“They have a working a.i,” explained Metal. “You knew that, right? How else could the Autobots beat us?”
“We didn’t know that!!!” yelled Shockwave. “Why didn’t you tell us?!”
“YOU SPARK SHOWERING, TIN PLATED, SORRY EXCUSE OF A BADNIK I’VE EVER HAD THE MISFORTUNE TO CREATE!” roared Eggman.
“Hey, easy!” protested Metal. “He’s only now starting to show symptoms of a virus, the Autobots won’t know what hit them!”
“Well, we would have preferred if you told us about your plans,” sighed Shockwave. “In the meantime, Alchemax’s presence proves that this IS my ship, the Enigma. The damage is less than it looks but is still quite severe. I would urge the selective use of Mobian technology. Retrofitting its operating systems would be more efficient than rebuilding from scratch.”
“Then do provide Metal Sonic with your wish-list,” directed Eggman.
“ME?!” shouted Metal Sonic.
“The stasis pods with the aborted protoforms will provide us with an army of Transformers,” answered Shockwave. “I must focus my attention to that while Eggman focuses his attention to detailing repair crews for the Enigma. That leaves you in charge of acquisitions.”
“I’m a Combat Mechanoid, not a grocery shopper!” protested Metal.
“I will have no arguments,” dismissed Shockwave. “Go.” She then gave her attention to the console in front of her. Metal snarled but complied.