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OPEN |
Who: Shockwave and YOU, unfortunately
Where: Around
When: Oh man who cares.
What: Cracks knuckles despite only having one working hand - it's time for Science.
Warnings: Shockwave. Will update as needed.
( a ) city
The laboratory was stopgap; very much a work in progress with antiquated equipment identified after the sheets of dust and debris were pulled back revealing something, well, altogether underwhelming. Shockwave had worked in greater want for his nigh impossible standards met in the past, but he felt the simplicity that ruled his life now more challenge than before. All because he was presented with the rather disturbing mystery to be opened up and examined: What, in his absence, could have so thoroughly salted the earth. Reverse engineering the apocalypse certainly seemed like a task he could accomplish given time.
Shockwave needed to work - too many questions to be answered, and after Emma carved that much-needed stricture into his brow he was...spurred to begin anew with greater purpose. The bare bones of what he surmised to be a university research lab would have to suffice. For now.
Prodding the nerve endings of the network, now more noticed by the outside world than a ripple in a greater reservoir, he examined the footprints left behind by the minds behind it, amused with how rudimentary it was. Impressed that even existed at all. A Beowulf cluster suddenly superseded all other priorities; something closed and close to the chest away from prying eyes. In the matter of hours all useable hardware had been cannibalized with the stripped parts left out the front doors out into a narrow alleyway between the lab and desolate campus like bones spat out at the mouth of a monsters' cave. The afterthought of his mess a warning written loud and clear: Stay Away.
( b ) wildcard
( pick your own adventure; finding holo avatar Shockwave in somewhere too small for his regular old purplesaurus rex self or any other feasible random encounter )
Where: Around
When: Oh man who cares.
What: Cracks knuckles despite only having one working hand - it's time for Science.
Warnings: Shockwave. Will update as needed.
( a ) city
The laboratory was stopgap; very much a work in progress with antiquated equipment identified after the sheets of dust and debris were pulled back revealing something, well, altogether underwhelming. Shockwave had worked in greater want for his nigh impossible standards met in the past, but he felt the simplicity that ruled his life now more challenge than before. All because he was presented with the rather disturbing mystery to be opened up and examined: What, in his absence, could have so thoroughly salted the earth. Reverse engineering the apocalypse certainly seemed like a task he could accomplish given time.
Shockwave needed to work - too many questions to be answered, and after Emma carved that much-needed stricture into his brow he was...spurred to begin anew with greater purpose. The bare bones of what he surmised to be a university research lab would have to suffice. For now.
Prodding the nerve endings of the network, now more noticed by the outside world than a ripple in a greater reservoir, he examined the footprints left behind by the minds behind it, amused with how rudimentary it was. Impressed that even existed at all. A Beowulf cluster suddenly superseded all other priorities; something closed and close to the chest away from prying eyes. In the matter of hours all useable hardware had been cannibalized with the stripped parts left out the front doors out into a narrow alleyway between the lab and desolate campus like bones spat out at the mouth of a monsters' cave. The afterthought of his mess a warning written loud and clear: Stay Away.
( b ) wildcard
( pick your own adventure; finding holo avatar Shockwave in somewhere too small for his regular old purplesaurus rex self or any other feasible random encounter )
a) i'm sorry
You'd think being big as he is, he'd be a little more aware of where his feet were going. Then again, maybe he never really had to. What with feet like that. Like tank treads or something.
Regardless, in his routine Avoidance Of Dealing With Paximus And Guilt, the big bot ended up in that abandoned little quarter. Ended up literally tripping over that warning, saving himself from going face-first into the dirt by the barest margin, and the loudest possible crashing sound.
Sorry, Shockwave.
you say that but i think you're l y i n g
Guns blazing not being a figure of speech here, Shockwave was fully prepared to quash whatever he perceived as a thread. Until everything even his own thoughts all came to a screeching halt when he saw the massive figure picking themselves up off the ground.
Impossible.
"Roller?" Only Shockwave could make a simple questionable sound so flippant even as his thoughts and emotions were doing cartwheels.
maybe
"Sorry."
And he means it, too. He looks awkwardly around at all the junk, including the bit lodged under his foot. "I'll clean it up, just... relax."
Wow, that's a lot of purple. And one... oh. Uh. Ouch. Then he blinks -- whoever this is just called him by name. They know him. That doesn't bode particularly well.
"Do I know you?"
huuuurgh
Shockwave found the sounds and shape of his own name forming in the back of his head before it all fell away. As he found himself reticent - empathic almost, to wish to avoid the past. He holds out his only functioning hand.
"You don't."
8D
He lowers his own hands, looking at the bot. There's some weird, nagging feeling. Like familiarity. But he can't place it. Not entirely.
"So you know my name. But I don't know you? How does that one work?"
>8(
"I'm old." A casual lie that was not entirely a lie but miles away from the actual truth. "Enjoying a long, eidetic memory."
Then, almost because he wanted to avoid to revelation at all costs.
"Orion spoke highly of you. The name must have stuck."
8DDDD
He still didn't sound terribly convinced. Partly because that sounded a lot like a dodge. And partly because that nagging familiarity still didn't go away.
The next words though, that says something.
"Oh." One big hand lifts, awkwardly rubbing at his neck. "He uh... he would, wouldn't he? Guess that means you know him pretty well, huh?"
no subject
Shockwave gave only the most unconcerned answer someone who more comfortable with admitting to spearheading some of the most brilliant redefinitions of war crimes than he was with relating his past with Optimus to one of his closest friends dragged back out from the depths of their old live.
"When...cross-faction collaboration were more tempered."
no subject
He makes a face, trying to work all this out. But it doesn't click. Names are vaguely familiar. But... factions. That's...
"Okay, hold on. I'm sorry. But according to Pax, I'm... missing about four million years," he says. And it sounds like an admittance of guilt more than anything. Like it's his fault. Which it might be, for all he knows.
"I've got... pretty much no idea what you're talking about."
no subject
Lying was awkwardly executed when you had no clear goal in mind and literally staring down your own past. All social graces fly out the window with the Shadowplay and where long winded diatribes failed to save him, Shockwave was falling back on rusted attempts to make simple conversation near impossible. Especially when angling to lessen the blow of a hard truth when for so long such a thing would have never occurred to him.
"I'm sorry this must be a lot to take in."
no subject
That was sort of nice. Maybe he really did need to quit avoiding Pax. And talk to him about... things. It'd be the smart thing to do. But it... was also the more difficult thing to do. Which meant avoiding him was the more pleasant-sounding option.
He shakes his head, running a hand over his face. "Way too much, some days, you know?"
Hey. Small talk. Maybe he can make a decent impression with this guy, if he can't with Shockwave.
Hah.
Hah hah.
no subject
"Shockwave, Sector-11AB7 successfully rewir-"
The automated voice fizzled and crackled out when it snapped, shattering underfoot when Shockwave hurriedly stomped on the machine in an aborted attempt to cover a lie already blown wide open. Everything went dead quiet except for the sparking broken droid twitching out from under Shockwave's foot.
"Roller-" Shockwave said the name but could get no further.
no subject
What.
This is what happened. This is what Shockwave went and had happen, because he couldn't stop it... Because being big wasn't enough, was it? And that's all he has, right?
It wasn't enough.
We don't blame you--
He doesn't realize he's been staring in mute horror for a moment or two too long. It's not until this str-- until Shockwave -- says his name he even blinks. His jaw works, and nothing really helpful or intelligible comes out.
"You..." More awful silence. "You're really him?"
-- but you should.
no subject
"Roller." The one that showed as much promise as the one whose shadow he willfully trailed after. Shockwave held his hand out; he knew only of a very small number of people who being caught on the wrong side of ill temper would give Shockwave pause. He was now in a room with one of them.
There is nothing really to be said. For either of them.
"It's been a long, long time."
no subject
He still remembers blearily staring after the departing senator, aware he should be doing something. Aware he's done something wrong. Aware he has to explain this to his friend, his partner... It's as clear as can be.
Like it was just yesterday he let them both down. Them, and all the little weirdos Shockwave was looking after.
For a second, remembering all that is overpowering. The relief he'd felt the last time Pax-Prime had all but beat the notion of we don't blame you into his head is gone. He's staring down the result of that fresh failure and it... it hurts. Though that's far too mild a term for the feeling clawing through his internal workings.
"I'm ..."
His voice falters. Flickers into static. Words fail.
"I guess it... it has."
I'm so sorry.
no subject
Shockwave asked evenly, not exactly equipped to handle a heavyweight on the verge of falling into the clutches of emotional turmoil. Optimus would be a more...stabilizing element. Four million years of total apathy made one ill-equipped for this sort of thing.
no subject
But it hadn't really helped. If anything, it just sort of emphasized everything that was different now. Everything he'd missed. The fact he'd dropped off the map -- abandoned his partner. For some reason he can't even imagine right now.
"Yeah we, talked. Sort of."