Stocking stuffer for @midnightraid! Thank you for stepping in as an emergency filler!
Cybertron is dead, and he is not.
These are the simple facts of the matter that Shockwave awakes to in the depths of his destroyed lab, to a shattered optic and a stiff frame.
There are other facts to process, ones that he must examine in addition to this information before he can begin to run through the potential implications of those facts. Such as Starscream’s rather inexplicable actions, and the infiltration of the Autobots into his stronghold.
The Autobots are easiest to explain, he concludes, as he begins testing his limbs. Nothing else seems especially damaged. It is simply his optic which is flickering and giving him some trouble. It is the difficulty of having a single source of optical concentration, and one so large. He has prepared for this eventuality, by storing extra optical lenses and other related equipment in his lab. He knows where it is, but the state of his lab may make finding it somewhat more difficult. Nevertheless, his haptic sensors still seem to be calibrated enough to serve him. He can feel the fine grit of the dust coating his chassis, and the particular cracks in the floor beneath him. He can also hear the sparking sputters of what was once his space bridge.
That brings him back around to the other facts that he must now resolve. Starscream is not a being of logic, so Shockwave can only evaluate every possible scenario and prepare for the eventuality of each, from Starscream trying to kill him to Starscream acting upon Megatron’s order’s to do so.
None of them he can act on without repairing himself first.
Levering himself upright is a difficult task, but Shockwave manages it without further damaging or denting himself, even though he has to lean on his gun arm for a moment. Then he begins to make his shuffling way through the remains of his lab. It is tricky work, matching the layout in his processor to the one formed by collapsed walls and buckled roofing, but it is not enough to keep him from processing other, more important facts.
He is left here on Cybertron, without the other Decepticons.
They will return, he knows as much. It is only logical, when Cybertron is their ultimate goal. There are many factors that might influence their timing, but Megatron will push for it, and when he does, he will want his loyal scientist and lieutenant by his side. Therefore, all Shockwave has to do is make sure he lasts to that time.
He has energon—much of it was set aside for the operation of the space bridge, but considering its destruction, it may not be prudent to reconstruct it, or even possible. Once he has completed repairs, he will have to evaluate the potential. Even if it is not, he will have to ration his energon, to prepare for a wait of unknown length. His lab is well-stocked. He could last for eons in this environment, barring any Autobot incursions.
Once again, it is only logical to begin with repairing himself, and continue from there. He is Shockwave—he will do no less.
