Shadows Given Form

[air_n_darkness]

Month Four, Week 2, Day 6

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It is a very simple message. Essentially, it is a mere string of numbers, which would mean little to the average person. The numbers are sent when Hellbender is already planetside, conveniently enough, and there are actually two sets of numbers.

The first is a command override which only one person should know. Hellbender himself may not even know it, but he will certainly recognize it.

The second set of numbers are coordinates which, if followed, will bring Hellbender to a remote, mountainous area, and a ledge overlooking a lightning-burned forest, the landscape not unlike that which proved the backdrop for the worm and his master's first tete-a-tete.

Coincidence?

Comments

[headless-seeker.livejournal.com]

Hellbender's optics narrow, and his shoulder gun slews round to point at the human, the targeting reticule a third red eye gazing at the woman. His pattern-matching routines do indeed dredge up a match from his intelligence briefings; as Ground 2IC, he had to keep up on "targets of interest" as well as enemies and his own subordinates. Kaonic Technologies was definitely "of interest" to the Decepticons, and the name had raised more than a few red flags, just like Primatech on Pzz-Zazz.

For a moment he is silent, watching suspiciously, senses extended for this.. person's backup or possible ambush. What's out there, what stirs the rock and air? Finally, he speaks, and his voice is deep and grim. "Ah hope you got a higher estimate of my intelligence than to think Ah'm going to take your identification at face value. Where Ah'm standin', you look and sound an awful lot like a human that's cracked open Shockwave's memory banks, which means you better have a real good explanation as to why I shouldn't burn you down right here, right now. That includes the present location of Shockwave's body."

If Kaonic Tech is another Quintesson front, they very well could have captured Shockwave and dissected even his peerless brain module. If Kaonic is a front of Shockwave's, the Boss would have a way of proving his bona fides.

[air_n_darkness]

Hellbender can likely hear movement off in the distance, but there does not appear to be anyone or anything other than wildlife approaching the area.

One corner of the woman's lips quirk up in a slight smile. "Of course. I did not expect belief. This is a rather jarring change to accept. I assure you, it was even more so for me thirty years ago when I awoke in this body."

Appearances and the occasional emote aside, Hellbender might notice that the woman's carriage and mannerisms are striking similar to Shockwave's. She does not move about as she talks, keeping very still, almost unnaturally so, and she is obviously conscious- yet seemingly unafraid- of the danger inherit in the giant robot before her.

"It has been a mere handful of months for you since I vanished. For me, it has been vorns upon vorns. Much has happened."

"I cannot give you the location of my body, for it seems to have ceased to exist when I was transplanted into this one. And I have looked," she adds, a touch dryly, "But you will not destroy me, because while you may doubt, I remain the closest you have been to your commander in entirely too long. You are too much mine to destroy a possibly exploitable resource in a fit of pique."

Again that slight half-smile, "Scourge would try to kill me on sight regardless. Decepticon leaders do not easily let go their power."

Her gaze narrows suddenly, becomes calculating as she looks Hellbender over. "You are still unfinished," she says.

[headless-seeker.livejournal.com]

"Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence," Hellbender growls, optics still narrowed. Oh, he's noticed those behavioral quirks, but they can still be explained by the most depressing and plausible theory. "Simplest explanation is still that you viewed the contents of Shockwave's memory banks and are a very good actress. How can it have been 'vorns and vorns' if you turned up only 30 years ago?" What is her apparent age? Hellbender can't tell human ages all that well anyway; he's simply not familiar with the species.

"Ah would not casually throw away a lead toward my commander, no." Hellbender tilts his weapon away from the woman, but does not power it down. This could still be an ambush. "But we do have interrogators who know how to extract information from human brains. Convince me Ah should not turn you over to them."

A bluff--or is it? They have Cons who have worked on Earth before, gathering intelligence from humans. Quite a few of them, in fact.

Hellbender's optics widen very slightly. "Ah did not trust any other than Shockwave and Hook to do that kind of work on me. But you would know of the plans if you had studied Shockwave's memories."

[air_n_darkness]

The woman looks to be in her middle years, late thirties to mid-forties, perhaps.

"Come now Hellbender, you were built with more intelligence than that. I did not say that I merely turned up some thirty years ago; I said that I woke in this body thirty years ago."

"A space bridge is a tricky thing. It displaces in space, but also can displace in time, if properly- or improperly- adjusted. I came to Earth during its Jurassic period, though it was not the first planet I visited." Again that slight half-smile, "Why do you think you are finding energon now, in a universe that previously has not known it? I knew that eventually, my people would come here, and they would need sustenance."

She moves over to a large, flat rock which has broken off the mountain and sits, gracefully crossing one long over the other. "You argue that I could be merely a human- or representing one- who has somehow subverted Shockwave's security measures and cracked open his memories, his plans. You miss a key fact, however. A human cannot read Cybertronian, and with no key of reference, it would take much time to decipher."

"Nor can a human speak it," she says, switching as she does so to an ancient form of Cybertronian with a heavy Kaonic dialect, "Their vocal cords are ill-suited for the language." Indeed, the words sound strained coming from the woman, but her pronunciation and synatax are still spot on.

"Besides," she continues, still in Cybertronian, "If my goal was merely to ambush you, I could simply utilize the overrides which would negate your free will and render you but a drone under my command. Every weapon has failsafe, Hellbender."

[headless-seeker.livejournal.com]

Hellbender inclines his head slightly in acknowledgment. "Ah know what intelligence Ah was built with. Just seein' if the inconsistency had an explanation. So you're sayin' you've been here in your proper form until just 30 years ago, and then you poofed into a human for no particular reason?"

Something about the lady-Shockwave's account of herself sounds familiar... "When you were out planting energon.. you didn't run into the Dynobots this time around, did you?"

Hellbender again nods every so slightly. "If it were just humans Ah'm considering, might be pretty persuasive. Trouble is, we got Quintessons in this here universe, and if they're workin' with humans... worrisome notion. Makes it pretty hard to trust what Ah'm hearing without considerin' the angles--and their technology. Dead End had some pretty interestin' information on them in his original security briefing. They would have no problem deciphering Cybertronian."

He fell silent for a long moment, staring out at the mountains, before speaking again. "On the other hand, pretty good Kaon accent you've got there. From all Ah've heard, the Quints don't think enough of us to bother noticin' that we've got cultures and regional dialects and such like."

He turns his head back to look straight at the mysterious woman. "'Course you know those overrides will only work if mah backup CPUs agree that you're the authorized user of those overrides--a function not under mah direct control."¹

He continues to look down at her. "Where do you propose we go from here?"

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¹It's a voting function of the four redundant CPUs, in case the one in control goes rogue and tries to block or disavow the override, or treasonably yield control to an unauthorized override. Majority has to agree that the issuer of the override is in fact Shockwave, and that it is an actual override command.

[air_n_darkness]

"I believe I have deduced the reason," she says, at the question about her current status, but does not elaborate. They aren't yet at such a point, that she would give him that.

"I simply have not yet discovered the cure."

"No, I did not encounter the Dynobots. I did spend a short time on Titan. And the Quintessons of this reality would have more trouble than you would think. Recall that we have found none of our race in this universe, no indications of kindred. They perhaps could reverse engineer the language, as formal Cybertronian does share much with their language, regardless of reality set. Perhaps."

She tilts her head slightly to one side, considering Hellbender's final question. "You choose. Always, you have been my most loyal here, largely because of your make and programming. Now you must choose me or not for yourself. Stay with me until I am better prepared to reassert my position. I will finish your rebuild, and answer what questions for you that I can. Or deny me and return to Scourge's rule, and always wonder if you lost the chance to aide your master when he needed."

This, perhaps, is the most Shockwave of everything the woman has said and done until now. For it is like Shockwave to not force anyone to come to him. Not initially, at least.

[headless-seeker.livejournal.com]

Hellbender nods in acknowledgment again. If Shockwave wishes to tell him--and with a start, Hellbender realizes he has started thinking of this woman as Shockwave--he will tell Hellbender in his own good time. The former testbed-turned-mining worm learned long ago not to badger his master with unnecessary questions. It reflected poorly on both of them.

"Scourge... is more like Megatron than yourself." Hellbender observes. "And they are not overly anxious to find you, though there was a signal that caught their attention." An overt concession of identity.

"If my Lord Shockwave requires me to stay, I shall," is his oblique reply.

[air_n_darkness]

She nods at the comment regarding Scourge. "He is certainly Megatron's get, yes, but Scourge is more. He has yet to make his mark upon the world, yet to live up to his lineage. This makes him more dangerous, harder to control. He will not give over control easily."

"And after him, there is Starscream."

The woman slips off the rock and walks over to Hellbender, reaching up and tracing a panel on the worm's leg, if the touch is allowed. "I do bid you stay. I look forward to finishing your rebuild without interruption."

"The signal was a risk, but the timing... it could not wait. Come. I've transportation down the mountain." She turns away, but pauses and speaks over her shoulder.

"In the company of humans, you are to address me as Victoria. Victoria Raines. My true nature is unknown, even to my second. Most will consider you yet another experimental weapon of my company, an attempt to capitalize off the 'alien visitors'."

Which isn't far off the mark.

[headless-seeker.livejournal.com]

"As you command... Lady Raines." Hellbender nods his head in acknowledgment. Carefully, he follows her down the mountain, one massive metal foot set down gently after the other. "What is my cover story among your fleshling minions, then?"

[air_n_darkness]

Victoria pauses on the path and looks back at Hellbender. "You have just heard it. However, you will interact with very few of the humans, and there will be few if any public appearances. I do not wish to call Scourge and Starscream's attention to myself until I am ready."


She continues down the path, "I hope it will not be too difficult or you, being cut off from the others for a time."

Eventually, the duo will come to a clearing at the base of the mountain. In that clearing is a stone circle large enough for both of them to stand in. Victoria heads to its center.

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OOC: Yes, I'm riffing the Rings from Stargate and combining it w/ some spacebridge tech. They will likely never appear again in game.