[ INTRO LOG ]

[robotsatan]

You don't know how you got here. One minute you were walking, sleeping, maybe dead -- then you're here, your feet suddenly carrying you down an empty street. Where's here?

Any Cybertronian would recognize this as their home planet, Cybertron, but it's not a Cybertron they've ever known. It has all the familiar hallmarks, but none of the specifics -- the city isn't one anyone here could identify, and even at a glance it's obvious that no one's set foot on the planet's surface in hundreds of years. The city and its surrounding areas all bear the marks of devastating war, of dust and rust collected over centuries. With no one in sight -- right at first, anyway -- there's plenty to explore. In fact, if you start walking, you'll find that your feet may just carry you in one particular direction.

A) The crater.
On one edge of the city is a massive crater left by some wartime weapon that seems to have taken out a large chunk of the surrounding metropolitan area. At the center of the crater it's broken through the surface of the terrain to reveal what looks like it might be a promising energon deposit. There is some strange but native vegetation growing around the edges, too, that no Cybertronian would be able to identify -- small, metallic, brittle-looking sprouts that bear a curiously organic-looking fruit of some kind that doesn't look like it's intended for consumption by any natives of the planet. In one rocky nook of the crater, light catches on the surface of a pool of water, which seems strangely out of place on Cybertron. On closer inspection, it seems that somehow an underground water source has formed a spring in the crater.

B) The center of the city.
If you follow where your feet seem to want to carry you, you'll find yourself in the middle of the ruined city. It seems that the center of the city was once home to a massive forum, and some of the pillars and structures still stand. At the very center of the forum is a massive, elaborately constructed fountain, although it has now long since run dry of whatever used to fill it. One of the low, inner walls of the forum has a terminal embedded in its surface, although it looks curiously ancient, out of place with the rest of the city, and unlike the rest of the technology still left around, there doesn't seem to be any way to power it on or operate it. There are a few scattered pools of water and a few of the strange metallic plants in the city, too, but they're not quite as plentiful as in the crater.

The planet was obviously once home to a massive network of communication relays, but those have all been long since destroyed. However, with the bits and pieces left behind and a few determined minds, it wouldn't be too hard to build a working, if rudimentary, one...

Comments

[tomemyoutliers]

"Your son was on Cybertron?" Unfortunately for June, the finer details of things like 'NASA' are lost on him. But he takes her hand in his - dwarfing it - before shaking it as gently as he can. "Hm. I'll have to investigate it further."

He's just going to show up one day with tests for you to do, June. That's how knowing Shockwave works.

"Shockwave. Although I'm really only passingly familiar with the term Autobots - and I'm afraid you'll find that I've no wish to make myself more familiar with anyone who Sentinel uses to do his dirty work." If she looks, she's find that there's no faction symbol displayed on him, or anything that would give a hint to where his sympathies lie.

Although the red, white, and blue color scheme might do it.

[milkruns]

"Sent by Optimus Prime himself," June says matter-of-factly, a note of pride swelling in her voice, and she positively beams when he delicately shakes her hand. June just finds him so charming.

His response to the mention of the Autobots earns a quizzical look, though, and JUne purses her lips up at him. "I don't know any Sentinel, but I can tell you that the Autobots don't do dirty work. They've spent the last few years protecting my planet from the Decepticons!"

[tomemyoutliers]

There are several things he's going to have to sort through, but he starts with the last ones first. "Megatron's followers? They're just a political dissension group - hardly in any position to take over the Senate, let alone a planet other than Cybertron." Interesting indeed, and his expression mirrors her's for a second before shifting into a more hopeful and pleased one.

"Optimus Prime-- Orion Pax?" He grins. "Well that's one piece of good news I've heard today."

Which is more than enough to make for the bad day this one was shaping up to be.

[milkruns]

"That'd be the one," June says with an amused smile, patting Shockwave's extended hand. Her look turns quizzical, though -- she's talked to enough people by now to know that there's some kind of transdimensional time travel fuckery going on. "...You're from a little far back, aren't you? Time-wise, I mean. You knew Optimus -- Orion -- before he became Prime, right? You must not remember the whole...war." She gestures with her hands, although she fails spectacularly to convey the scope of the war. Her arms are only so big, okay.

[tomemyoutliers]

"I did, yes." He made sure he had the chance to become Prime, actually, so if Shockwave looks a little pleased with himself don't mind him. But then she mentions the war and his expression falls, becoming more serious. "No, I don't. It would be foolish to assume that one wasn't coming, however, but--"

A smaller smile then, as he drops his hand and vents the air from him in a sigh.

"I think I will miss it all, if I am to be truthful."

On account of that whole Shadowplay thing. He knows that if he does see it, it will not be as himself.

[milkruns]

June's face softens into something sad and sympathetic, and she reaches to put a hand on Shockwave's plating, whatever she can reach. (From her height, not much.) That could mean a lot of things -- that he's dead in the future, or something worse -- and June doesn't want to pry, but still... She wants to give so many god damn robots a hug today.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Shockwave," she says quietly.

[tomemyoutliers]

He smiles down at her - he does so like compassion in other beings when his species seems to lack it. It makes for a refreshing chance of pace.

"It's not your fault, unless the Senate has found it within itself to give organic species more than a passing glance." Because his coworkers are a bunch of dicks. "Regardless, I wouldn't change my mind or any of my actions."

So that's that. He doesn't regret it at all, just approaches it with a sadness that he cannot see his plans unfold, will never get to see Optimus rise to the rank he wanted for him.

[milkruns]

"Clearly you're a man of principles," June says admiringly, even if there's still a rueful tone to her voice. She likes Shockwave more the longer they talk -- what a delight, and he's got a good head on his shoulders, she can tell. "I respect that."

[tomemyoutliers]

"As it turns out, you'd be one of the few." It doesn't bother him in the slightest, however, still smiling. "My coworkers find it distasteful and unbecoming."

At least there's hope for the rest of the universe. And Cyberton, if Optimus is leading them. He's coming to like June a lot and offers her a hand - not to shake this time, but to step on.

"Shall we walk and talk at the same time?"

[milkruns]

God, Shockwave, stop being so charming. June positively beams and steps onto Shockwave's hand without much hesitation, although she takes care -- being around the Autobots back home (and, okay, getting kidnapped by Knock Out) had acclimated her well enough to this sort of thing. And the longer she's here on Cybertron, the easier it is to get used to it, mostly out of necessity. She takes a seat in Shockwave's hand, getting comfortable, and props her chin up on a hand while he walks.

"Sounds like you need a new job," June remarks, raising an eyebrow. "What do you do, anyway? I mean, I assume before the war you all had jobs that didn't involve shooting each other."

[tomemyoutliers]

He curls his fingers up around the palm to help prevent her from falling off, but otherwise is untroubled and at ease with her there. Her species is so much smaller than any other organic one he's run into in his off world adventures but he's sure they function more or less the same with regards to reactions from severe trauma achieved by falling off a great height.

"It's the jobs we had that drove us to shooting each other in the first place." Ahhh, functionists. But he moves on from that point with ease. "I am - and still am, for all I know - a Senator in the Grand Imperium on Cybertron. But I also run my own school and busy myself with science when not occupied with the other two."

So like. Everything. He does everything.

[milkruns]

"Well, you're quite the cosmopolitan, aren't you?" June says with an approving grin, patting his palm with her hand. "I'm an ER nurse myself, and that keeps me busy enough. I can't imagine having two more jobs on top of that. I mean, I'm a single mom, too, but I barely even have time for a social life."

[tomemyoutliers]

He grins back down at her with ease - yes, be impressed by him, June. He appreciates it. He understands some of what she says, but needs a slight clarification on the last part.

"Meaning you take care of your offspring until they reach the age of maturity, correct?" His interactions with other organic species actually exists, unlike most of his society, and Shockwave has the advantage of wanting to learn about them rather than just exploiting it for trade. "I wouldn't hesitate to consider that a job."

It sounds like work, at any rate. And he's familiar with the concept enough to understand it's a lot like being a teacher, only that one's students are completely helpless and non-functioning at the start. Ah, organics.

[milkruns]

"I guess, but it's a little more than that," June says with a wry smile. "Some peopel consider it an obligation, and it is, but that's not all there is to it... Family is one of the most important things to us. We care a lot for our children."

She smiles, her look a little faraway, but it's fond. It's been...weird being away from Jack so long, not to mention difficult. She knows the Autobots back home will take care of him, and that alleviates her worry some, but it's hard all the same.

"Of course, parenting's supposed to be a two-person job," she says with slightly pursed lips, but her tone is still light. "So it keeps me busy. But I can't imagine doing all of what you do."

[tomemyoutliers]

Shockwave's own look is fond - elective kinship is the most common relationship among Cybertronians, but there's nothing quite like organic children. He's very protective of the students he's taken under his wing; training them and making sure they can survive on their own is crucial to his relationship with them, but it's not the same.

"You must miss your offspring very much." He would, if he understands the bond correctly. "And you're doing the job of two people - I am impressed."