Blowing Up, Not Building Up

Residential Zone Beta

Residential Zone Beta serves the upper crust of New Polyhex's elite (namely, those who have paid Swindle enough to get rights to building lots here). The cacophony of New Polyhex gradually fades away, giving way to silence and the pleasant order of carefully paved walkways lined with colourful floodlights in a broad spectrum of light. A few Cybertronians stroll leisurely through the area, evidently feeling themselves secure.

The main roadway is paved with gleaming steel and lined with blowers that create an air cushion to reduce friction to an almost-negligible level... black tire treads streak the surface, revealing that at least some Decepticons appreciate the speed attainable on the road. The entire scene is one of utter peace and tranquility, a dramatically different world than the one visible in Residential Zone Alpha.

Shockwave steps along the street with the Decepticon Warlord. "Tarn's control is vital to Cybertron's control. That is all the motivation I require," he replies in his indifferent monotone voice. Suddenly, the one-eyed Decepticon stops and kneels, pressing his hand against the street's surface. A thin crack can be felt where an earlier quake struck. Shockwave has been trying to see whether Vector Sigma's changes have become stronger or weaker since Galvatron infected it with Dark Energon, but if the trend has changed he can't tell.

This sector of the Residential Zone had been cleared away manually for new construction and cordoned off by the police, but now it serves as the perfect spot to test Galvatron's powers. There's lots of Decepticons milling about and filling the skies as they go about their business. A few have found a reason to show up and watch the excitement from behind the police lines, though they stay a safe distance back in case the Warlord wants to shoot someone. There's a couple Constructicons hanging around as well, ready to build/demolish whatever the results of the experiment are.

"Do you think you can affect Vector Sigma's programming? Can you build this sector up?" Shockwave asks as he rises again.

Galvatron walks the streets, his head down in thought, one hand clasping the other wrist behind his back. The fingers of the open hand slowly clench and release. "Control of Tarn is a matter of pride for me, Shockwave. If you could feel pride, I would hope it would be a matter of pride for you as well. It is as much your home as mine. Or are you too far removed from such things?" His voice carries the combination of mockery and faint distaste that he often uses when speaking privately with Shockwave. It's not private, of course; Polyhex's police force have cordoned the street. Few come out to see them, all the same. Both are well-known in Polyhex, but neither are the glad-handing kind of celebrity.

Yes, there are plenty of Decepticons milling about, some eager to watch Galvatron demonstrate his mighty firepower and brute strength, while others are too scared to even be anywhere near the warlord unless they absolutely have to. But, those few who were brave enough to stand and watch from the perimeter were smart enough not to venture too near.



Plenty of Decepticons...and one Autobot. Blurr is perched on the outside of a nearby residential structure, a towering complex filled with thousands of hab suites. He'd sneaked into Polyhex via that handy dandy underground network that all intersect the Debris hub near the Highroad. It seems he's chosen the perfect time to spy on Galvatron. From what he's gathered, the Decepticon leader is about to perform some tests. The courier is ready to begin monitoring all comm frequencies as soon as the experiments start.

That was then, and this is now.

After a solid two mechano-hours of work, the sector has been twisted and malformed by the experiments. In some parts, the ground is frozen mid-upheaval, where the surface of the roadway had buckled upwards and refused to come down. Other sections are lined with huge cracks that spread out like a spiderweb. Other parts still have achieved something productive. Half built facilities, such as small war bunkers and missile turrets, now dot the sector. None of them quite work properly, and they're mixed in with the metal waves of the roadway. The scenery looks like something out of H.P. Lovecraft. Nevertheless, they are signs of Galvatron's power over Vector Sigma solidifying.

Destruction and production. Shockwave and a lime green Constructicon stroll down the street, climbing and descending as they follow it along. The cyclops wonders if Galvatron is finding the former so much easier than the latter due to who he is, or if it's just inherently easier. "I consider that a very successful experiment," Shockwave intones. Mixmaster laughs even though it wasn't meant as a joke.

Blurr had watched the entire operation, sitting quietly at his perch above the area and monitoring everything carefully. When the experiment is over, he archives the all data he collected and uploads it to the Autobots' data networks.

That should give Operations something to chew on. The speedster muses to himself.

He chuckles slightly at the malformed structures that for the most part don't work right. It doesn't really surprise him. Someone like Galvatron, trying to build stuff? Heh. He doesn't make stuff, he wrecks it. Surely Shockwave understands this. Shockwave...

<p class="MsoNormal">Smirking to himself, he drops quietly down from his perch, right behind a hapless Constructicon gumby whom he quickly grabs and shoots in the back before the mech could even figure out what hit him.

<p class="MsoNormal">Now...for the other reason he was here. Ducking into a narrow alleyway about a few blocks away from where Shockwave is examining the results of the experiments and crouching behind a pile of scrapped factory parts, he sends a message to Shockwave's personal hailing frequency. <<Shockwave....ooooh Shockwave! I know you're there.>>

<p class="MsoNormal">Shockwave and Mixmaster look like they're heading southwards, likely towards the great spire of Darkmount that towers over all of Polyhex. It isn't possible for Blurr to hear what they're talking about from so far away, but from the way Mixmaster is grinning it probably ain't good. Suddenly, the cyclops stops in his tracks, looking around as if he heard something.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Commander?" Mixmaster asks.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Put the city on alert," Shockwave states simply. The Constructicon hesitates for only a moment before nodding and firing off a bunch of transmissions. Shockwave meanwhile calmly replies: <<What do you

<p class="MsoNormal"><<You want to know, you've got to come find me. Which I have no doubt you can. If you couldn't...well, that would just be pathetic, and you'd be a lot stupider than I thought you were.>> Blurr answers, goading him on. He moves into a large warehouse on the right side of the alley.

<p class="MsoNormal">Shockwave turns a slow 360, confirming that Blurr is definitely not within his line of sight. Mixmaster has run off to sound the alarm. Said alarm is a silent one, and there's nothing to warn Blurr that the city has been alerted to his presence. <<Goading me is impossible,>> Shockwave replies calmly. <<You know this already.>>

<p class="MsoNormal">Meanwhile, in the warehouse that a certain speedster has hidden himself, a construction bot looks up from his newspaper. He thought he heard a noise coming from the side entrance. Probably nothing, but the soft alert buzzing in his radio circuits convinces him to go check it out. There's a lot of boxes and crates in the warehouse, and he sighs as he begins moving through them in Blurr's direction.

<p class="MsoNormal">Blurr notices the construction bot getting up from his leisurely reading and starting toward him. He figures Shockwave must've alerted to the city to his presence. Eh, this guy is no big deal. He climbs to the top of a large shelf filled with crates, and leaps up into the piping and ventilation systems that crowd the ceiling. His electro-laser is suddenly in his hand, and he aims at the gumby below, intending to stun him.

<p class="MsoNormal"><<Aw, come on, Shockwave! Don't be like that. I just want to talk to you. Can't we have a civilized conversation? You're better than most of your kind about that. I talked to Contrail, you know. She's not a bad mech, either.>>

<p class="MsoNormal"><<By all means, Blurr. Talk,>> Shockwave replies. <<You have as much time as you can manage before you are spotted and captured.>>

<p class="MsoNormal">The mech in the warehouse heads over to the side entrance, hearing more noises as he goes. He doesn't draw his firearm yet, because frankly Polyhex is a gigantic city and what are the odds that this is anything. Getting to the spot just below Blurr, he glances down, seeing that a few items have been knocked off the shelves. He looks up to the top of the shelf, and then to the ventilation shaft itself, just in time to get zapped into unconsciousness.

<p class="MsoNormal">''Score. Heheh. ''Blurr chuckles to himself as he watches the gumby fall flat on his face. He stays in the ceiling, but moves toward a wall. <<Oh, you might be surprised at how long it could be!>>

<p class="MsoNormal">The courier grabs a cable that is hanging from the ceiling and slides down to the floor. Moving over to the gumby's stunned form, he searches him for any kind of security pass or anything else that might be useful. <<Hmmm. Ohhhh, fine. You don't want to see me, I get it, I guess. I mean, I've shot you before, on multiple occasions. Heh...well, anyway, I guess I'll just cut the auxiliary fuel lines, since you aren't the type for idle chatter anyway...Essentially, I've decided I like the way you think.

<p class="MsoNormal">...I want to be on your side.>> Hopefully, this will give the giant calculator pause.

<p class="MsoNormal">Shockwave is unfazed by Blurr's constant taunts, but this should go without saying. When Blurr finally /does/ cut the auxiliary fuel lines, it has the desires effect of giving Shockwave pause. <<Do you,>> Shockwave transmits in a half-question, half-statement. <<Go on.>>

<p class="MsoNormal">The city, meanwhile, mostly remains business as usual. There are a few high flying Seekers performing extensive sensor sweeps but there aren't any search parties out or anything. It's a big city and it takes more than one intruder in a non-secure area to cause everyone to flip out.

<p class="MsoNormal"><< I do!>> Blurr finishes searching that poor gumby, but doesn't find anything that would really be useful to him at the moment. He has a couple of datapads with lists of warehouse items and news archives, but, eh. He shoves the guy under some sorting machinery with his foot, and then sits on top of said machinery. <<Like I said earlier, I was talking to Contrail at a bar on Monacus. She's a decent mech, you know? She gets that I'm unique. She gets that people like me are designed to rise above the rest. The other 'Bots are getting increasingly lackadaisical these solar cycles, I've been finding. Letting in worthless empties who don't know how to fight, and don't know how to respect their superiors, blah blah. I guess I always thought that doing something like saving Zeta Prime would be a lot more glorious than blowing up civilians but lately I've been finding that we aren't all that different. Except 'Bots are sappier.>> He'd said a similar thing to Contrail at that bar. Of course, she hadn't thought he was serious--which he wasn't, but that might be difficult to tell over the comm...

<p class="MsoNormal">Shockwave, as it should go without saying, falls for absolutely zero of this, but he plays along. Glancing upwards, he can see several Seekers performing flybys, looking for that telltale Autobot transponder that will reveal Blurr's position and give Shockwave the chance to turn him into a silver and blue stain on the ground. << If you desire favour with the Empire, there are the means to do so. Security access codes to Metroplex, the location of the Autobot hidden base outside Crystal City, a timely shut-down of the Iacon defence grid during a strike. I am certain a clever bot like yourself could find the means to prove yourself.>>

<p class="MsoNormal">''Hah. Yeah, -right-. ''

<p class="MsoNormal">Blurr jumps down from the top of the machinery and leans casually against the wall. He notices the seekers flying by. He is tempted to give away his location on purpose, just so he can taunt them and dodge all their shots. Perhaps he will, soon. <<Clever? Wow, I'm flattered. As for the codes, we'll just have to see about that. See, before I give you all that stuff, there's just one thing I think needs to be fixed about you 'Cons...

<p class="MsoNormal">Galvatron.

<p class="MsoNormal">That guy with control of Cybertron's creation factories? Building stuff? Making stuff? Come on! He's a warlord, not a Constructicon! He does the blowing up, not the building up. You do the building, don't you? I mean, just look at the results of that little experiment you did just now--they speak for themselves. None of them work properly. If we let Galvatron control Vector Sigma, he'll rip the entire planet to shreds.

<p class="MsoNormal">You, on the other hand. I think you'd be a much better mech for the job. You have the experience and the technical knowledge to do it, and you're not insane. It's only logical, Shockwave, that you be the one in control of the creation factories, not Galvatron.>>

<p class="MsoNormal">All of this has, of course, crossed Shockwave's mind before. Galvatron in control of Cybertron is not necessarily a good thing, but Shockwave doesn't have any choice about it... yet. Regardless, he isn't the sort to openly admit any of this, least of all to a damn dirty Autobot. << It stands to reason that all Autobots should be concerned,>> Shockwave replies. << It may be the end of the Autobot cause. Whatever my personal considerations for Galvatron may or may not be, he is now fully capable of annihilating entire armies and turning cities to dust. For all intents and purposes, Blurr, Vector Sigma is now a Decepticon.>>

<p class="MsoNormal"><<Of course we should be concerned. We should all be concerned.>> Blurr smirks. There was that pause, wasn't there? It was true, Shockwave didn't like that idea in the slightest. << It could be the end of all of us. That is, all of us except Galvatron. Not that he cares, of course.>>

<p class="MsoNormal">He pauses himself, watching the seekers fly by overhead from a window. The speedster picks a piece of piping off of the floor, fiddling idly with it. << Is that what you want, Shockwave? You want Cybertron's armies decimated, and its cities turned to dust? Do you think Galvatron has the ability to exert that kind of control over it to be able to destroy only Autobot forces? Primus, he can hardly control his own body, not to mention the whole of Cybertron! It's got to be a lot to manage. Even if he can sort of pull it off at first, all that mental strain is eventually going to get to him. You know it, I know you do. You just won't admit it to me, because I haven't 'proven' myself to you. Well. If you'd just let me prove it...I can help you seize control of the planet from Galvatron. Don't underestimate yourself. I know you're as brilliant as Perceptor, if not more so. And you no doubt know what I'm capable of. On top of that--I'm sure there are quite a few Decepticons who'd agree with us on this. Hah, why am I telling you this? I'm sure you already know it as well as I do.>>

<p class="MsoNormal">The courier scans the area outside, scoping out escape routes. It was almost time to go. Will Shockwave at least consider this? Hopefully...

<p class="MsoNormal"><<Oh wait, and even if Galvatron does manage to control it without destroying everything--what if he decides that with the kind of power he has, he doesn't need you anymore? You know how he is. Anyone he doesn't need is just an excuse for him to enjoy pulverizing someone. If he could turn Cybertron into a giant warship with a few thoughts, why would he need you? Why ould he need a huge army? He'd just blow you up because he enjoys blowing people up. He could just use Vector Sigma to make another you, just for kicks!>>

<p class="MsoNormal"><<You will prove yourself to me by defeating Galvatron, hmm?>> Shockwave asks. <<A flawed strategy, as that goal is shared with most of the galaxy, including your fellow Autobots. I am well aware of the risks involved in giving *any* Cybertronian this power.>> But Blurr keeps talking, and talking, and talking. Near the end he brings up something that Shockwave has always known: that a Galvatron who doesn't *need* anyone is a Galvatron willing to *kill* anyone. As he stands alone in the mangled streets of the Residential sector, Shockwave goes silent.

<p class="MsoNormal"><<Hey, I didn't say defeat, did I?>> Blurr counters. << I just said seize control of the planet from him. Admit it, Shockwave. You want it. You do. I can help you get it. And once you get it, Galvatron won't be a problem anymore, yeah? Heh. Think about it.>>

<p class="MsoNormal">And then he's up and out of the warehouse, dashing down into the tunnels below Polyhex to make his way back to the Debris. <<You know how to contact me, should you end up making the right decision. Which I'm sure you will. You almost always do. It's part of what makes you who you are.>>

<p class="MsoNormal">Shockwave ultimately does not reply to Blurr. What he eventually does or doesn't decide will likely not include the Autobots in any way, least of all the speedster. He has, however, heard rumours that another Decepticon is returning home. Someone who might be open for discussions about what to do should all the power in Galvatron's head need dealing with.