Chapter 1 - Reverie

He paced aimlessly through the dimly-light, cavernous halls of his current laboratory. Shockwave was, above all, a creature of reverie. His reminiscences were in his youthful days, as a member of the Patterner order. In their terms, he was a junior partner, of the Servant degree. In those days, he served as an assistant to a couple - Azimuth and Ephemeris.

The Rijk was unconventional. To those who would split the religio-scientific order asunder in the coming days, he was all but a heretic - playing fast and loose with the laws of Arrius. But to Shockwave, he was his mentor - an older brother of sorts.

”They don’t understand us, Shockwave. They can only see what’s there - not what there could be. An is-ought statement.” Ephemeris told him as they ate their lunch deep beneath Kolkular, a kindly voice. His firm hand was on the young mech's shoulder. “The Oracle project promises us all knowledge undreamed of. That’s what we’re doing here - filling in the gaps of our history, and unlocking our future.”

A noble pursuit. Even blinded by rage at what their order had done to him, Shockwave could see that. They had tried to reason with the burgeoning council, and tried to make it better. But how had it disintegrated in spite of their efforts? How had that one night led to slaughter undreamt of? To a cold war, always on the verge of going hot?

“I have often dreamt of a night - endless and black. A void-night, a night of no stars!” Ephemeris cried from his place at the control podium. “My mother dreamt it, too!” The Functionists surrounded him with weapons in hand, half in rage, half in horror. “But tonight, I will defy that night! Tonight, we claim our birthright””

“Stop him!” One-of-Twelve cried. “Was this all for nothing!?”

“In all ages, we have always lived with such dangers around us! We lived in fear of the dark! But now, the light of glory is ours! Yes, the time has come to conquer our fears! Now it will be different; the night will be ours - a beautiful night of stars! I have lived by this, and I might die by it as well! But very well - let there be light!”

Ephemeris, son of Septimus, flipped the lever holding back the generative energies of the Oracle.

All the Pit broke loose.

The last thing he remembered from that night was the newly-cast Council stampeding over each other to escape, and a light. Blinding light raying outwards from the Oracle receptacle, physical yet not. Paradoxical light, of palpable limitation and limitless potential. Ohr Ein Sof. The Ore of Life.

Shockwave awoke to see Ephemeris, alone. The Oracle receptacle was inactive, its icosahedral structure dim. His face was scarred and covered in soot, bitter - broken. There was something wrapped tight in his strong arms, something small and gray…

He’d left in the coming days. He could no longer bear to see his teacher, his kind eyes angry, his fists balled. Had he known the gravity of the decision he’d made, he would’ve stayed in Kolkular- but what was there for Shockwave, then? He’d no idea what was brewing.

He had heard of her from his network of spies. Fragments and pieces of what that small something -the golem - had gone on to become. Adrestia di Kolkular, formerly “Nemesis” of the Decepticons. She’d vanquished the Hytherion, which he had been studying in secret for some time. She’d defeated a Balmarian excursion. Her travails ranged as far as the Co-Prosperity Sphere to Earth. Clearly, a femme of some import.

Now the past reared its ugly head in Kolkular, and strange things were afoot. He looked to his left. There, in the tanks, incubated the latest batch of Autosoldiers - his own take on the Autotrooper. Loyal. Determined. Sparkless. They would suffice for a probing attack.

— — —

Rijk Ephemeris sat in the Oracle Tank and watched as the Circle workmen began assembling the Timaeus Loop. The receptacle sat there, waiting for fresh power to enter it. A familiar sense of dread crept in. We are meddling with things we don’t wholly understand here, once more, he thought. He had heard terms such as “Reconfiguration Matrix” and “Vector Sigma uplink” bandied about by the Circle Knights, who seemed to have no idea of the power they were wielding now.

And it was necessary to wield that power. He knew that better than anyone. But memories of the night his world came crashing down kept intruding in on this surety.

“You’ve gone too far,” Azimuth had told him. “You’ve done too much.” Shockwave stood, seemingly unshaken. “You broke Arrius’s laws, Ephemeris.” But Ephemeris was on the verge of tears, a rare show of emotion on his part. Arrius had taught him better. But he was crying like a sparkling.

“We have a daughter now. And you’re leaving.”

“Two.” Azimuth turned her back on him. “But you didn’t know that, did you?”

In that horrible moment, the worst his life had been in a long time, Ephemeris felt like a dead ‘mech. He wanted more than anything to stop her, to talk to her, and try to reason her out of this. But what could a dead ‘mech do?

“Work continues apace, milord.” Battle Unicorn, newly appointed Thane of the Tor Kolkular Guard sat down next to him. He was young, a mustang - straight from the Hunter-Seekers of the Black Watch to Thane. Pellinoir’s death had left the Rijk needing a replacement. “So far, so good.”

“Why does she have to shoulder this burden?” He asked, to nobody in particular. Battle Unicorn followed his gaze, to Adrestia standing at the control podium. “Why not me?” It seemed that every time something happened, his daughter had to fight - not him. “Well, Thane?”

“I suppose some of us are set apart…” Battle Unicorn answered. Vector Sigma itself, he thought, the life-giving computer. He wasn’t quite sure what the Circle was doing here, but he and his men would assist as ordered.

“And because of her birth…that’s it?” He could still hear that awful laughter from his dreams - or nightmares. He wondered if this was all part of that great, awesomely evil intellect’s plan. “That’s the hand she’s dealt? The one we’re dealt?”

“I don’t know.” Battle Unicorn replied. “First test is in ten microcycles, sir. You best head to the observation deck.”

 

Chapter 2 - Reunion

Adrestia stood in the middle of the thrumming Timaeus Loop, waiting for the great machine to fully energize. From atop the observation deck, Ephemeris, Arcrunner, Wing, and Battle Unicorn watched with rapt attention. “So,” Arc asked with no small amount of trepidation. Her love had volunteered for this, but she felt ill at ease. “What does the Timaeus Loop actually do?

“It taps into the Oracle’s powers to reconfigure one’s body,” Wing shortly explained. Of course, they were playing with causality and higher-dimensional space here. In truth, he wasn’t quite sure what would happen, only theoretically sure. “Di Kolkular’s been chosen for a reason - she has a connection to the Oracle that no-one else living does.”

“I can understand the Polyhexian’s concern, Wing.” Ephemeris calmly stated. A kind glance fell upon Arc. “The Ohr Ein Sof is not exactly something one can quantify and control. Blasphemous to my order as that might be, that is and was the truth. I was a fool to think it could be harnessed by us at our then-current level.”

Arc expressed her hesitation through a short “hmm”. Battle Unicorn merely stood besides Ephemeris, arms folded. If the Thane of the Tor Kolkular Guard had any opinion on this, he was silent. He was a classic Kaoner mountaineer - stoic, unflappable.

“Ignition!” One of the Circle technicians said, as Adrestia pulled the lever on her end. A segmented metal shield went over the observation deck’s window. The tech turned to Battle Unicorn. “Thane, sir, there’s been a disturbance up top. Armed ‘mechs - Decepticons - are heading down the fortress. It seems they mean to attack us down here.”

“Of all the times…” Battle Unicorn muttered to himself. Whoever did this had a poor sense of timing. “Very well. Arcrunner, Wing, you’re with me. We need to beat these ‘Cons back before they can reach the Oracle Tank.” Lifting his lance-cannons, he smiled widely. “Been a while since I was in the field. I missed it…”

“I’ll be coming as well.” Ephemeris said hastily. He balled his fists.

“Sir! I cannot allo - ”

“There was only one other living person who knew of this place.” He explained with rare rage in his voice. “Shockwave. You might’ve heard of him.” Channeling Firespace energies into his hands, the Rijk looked down at the flickering flames in his now-open palms. “He and I have unfinished business - business I intend to settle.”

Put a stop to this, the Rijk thought. How twisted Shockwave had become over the years! So many cruel experiments, so much blasphemy. It would be a mercy. End him.

— — —

Adrestia was floating on her back, gray flotsam on a sea of stars. She wasn’t quite sure where she was, in the final calculation. Her systems were no help for gaining her bearings; they were sending back junk data - random strings of letters and numbers in her heads-up display. For a brief, terrifying second, she wondered if the experiment had been successful or not.

Then, she was right-side-up. Standing amidst a metallic city of white towers, she felt an eerie familiarity. “This place was chosen for your benefit,” A voice told her calmly. She whipped about, to see a lone figure in black plating standing before her. He looked similar to pictures she’d seen of Battle Convoy. “Lower-dimensional beings have trouble adjusting to the Alternity information stream. So an intermediary is necessary. I chose somewhere from the Arnval District for your projection - not your territory, but close.”

“What do you mean? Not the district part, the other stuff.” She asked, guarded. This was not what she had expected. “And who are you?”

“Me? I am simply called Convoy-704. I am a Protector of this world, just like you.” That said, he walked up to her, hand extended. Addy shook - half-worried it was a trap. It proved not to be. “Yours is a unique situation. Two personalities in one. One living, one long dead. Not dissimilar to the Aggregate, though the scale is different.”

“So you know about Septimus, I guess. What else do you know?”

“I also know that your world - or rather, certain individuals in it - did something to the Origin Law. Things that should’ve happened simply didn’t.” Origin Law. There was that term again. Euzeth Gozzo had used it. Convoy-704 knew more than he let on. “Things are not where they should be.”

“And what do you suggest I do about it? I hate cryptic conversations like this; just say what you mean.”

“Listen carefully to me.” Convoy-704 replied. He talked as if to a child. Given his true nature, that wasn’t far from the truth. “There was one set way things were supposed to go in this world. That has been changed. It is beyond our collective intelligences’ powers to predict your current course, so we used this intermediary - the Oracle - to communicate with you. Grave dangers awaits you. And so…we grant you a portion of our power.”

Adrestia’s form was consumed in light, the same light that had created her. When it faded, not much had changed. Only her outward appearance was noticeably different, metallic silver over dull gray. “What’d you do? Give me a new paintjob?”

“This is a lesser version of my own hyperframe. You will discover the full extent of modification in time.” Convoy-704 answered sharply. “Now, something demands your attention in your world. No matter what, Shockwave must survive...”

 

Chapter 3- Recompense

Ephemeris strode alone out as of old. It seemed as if his rage bestowed upon him a measure of the vitality and vigor he once had. He was in the lead. The sparkless drones came to meet him, ready to do battle. Being that they were disposable tools, and Ephemeris one of the most powerful Technomancers ever known, he made short work of the Autosoldiers that got in his way. Fire and the smell of brimstone followed in the Rijk’s wake.

“I know he’s here.” He muttered to himself. “Special Technique: Fire Blaster!” Roaring, Ephemeris melted an Autosoldier to white-hot slag, with a burning lance of Firespace’s phlogiston energies. “These drones cannot - will not - stop me, Shockwave. I built you. You’re mine to destroy!”

Arcrunner and the rest followed close behind. Around them lay melted drones, charred and blackened corpses. “Damn,” The vigilante noted.“He doesn’t screw around.”

“I fear the Rijk means to put the Shockwave problem to a permanent end.” Wing told them. He gripped his Greatsword tight, swinging it into a nearby Autosoldier. Ruthless he might be, but outright murder? “That doesn’t sit well with me. Let’s…stay out of this.”

--- --- ---

Adrestia raced through Kolkular’s labyrinthine depths. She followed the trail of destroyed Autosoldiers, until she reached a great rotunda, where a battle was underway. Shockwave must survive. Convoy-704’s words echoed through her head. Around her was chaos - pure and utter mayhem.

Shockwave fought at the head of a massed host of drones, roughly similar to the mass-produced Autotrooper bodytype. On the other end of the room, stood her father. He was utterly and truly wroth. Firespace portals opened up on either side of Ephemeris, spewing massive jets of flame.

“...” Adrestia paused. Ephemeris was virtually neck-and-neck with Shockwave now. Shockwave was a deadly combatant, nevertheless, magnetic impulse defuser striking hard. In close combat, however, Ephemeris had centuries of experience and training from one of Cybertron’s most skilled swordsmen, evening the odds.

“You not only betrayed our order! You betrayed yourself, Shockwave!” Ephemeris cried as he swung his fist into the Decepticon scientist’s blank face. “You were one of us, a Patterner! You knew better than to sink to logic without limits!” Raising up glowing force screens to withstand incoming Autosoldier attempts to save their master from the onslaught, the Technomancer growled. “Insects, as to me as gnats are to wanton boys! No matter - I am going to kill you, Shockwave.”

“Guh…illogical. Such rage…unfitting for the crime. The crimes…” Shockwave reeled back, firing a blast from his defuser. Ephemeris countered with a sudden gout of flame, advancing on him still. “The crimes I have committed.” Genuine emotion crept into his voice. Faltering, foundering, the Decepticon was knocked off balance by a sudden fireball. Ephemeris loomed over the fallen ‘mech, his hands blazing.

“Father, no!” Adrestia lunged at Ephemeris. She had no real plan - save accomplishing her mission. She needed a weapon…

So, one appeared. A long, flat and curved blade spontaneously emerged into her hands, slicing through Ephemeris’s shoulder plating. The Rijk groaned, with a dazed “what are you doing?” escaping his mouth. Adrestia kicked outwards, as the drills he himself put her through demanded. “That’s…new.” She said to herself.

“You’re…” Ephemeris was on the backfoot. Still, he tried to make a run for Shockwave. “Why?”

“I’ll tell you later.” She told her parent. Tensing up, she assumed a fighting stance, putting herself between Shockwave and Ephemeris. “I need to stop you.”

“This is…unexpected.” Shockwave groaned.

“You’ll have to go through me, Adrestia.” Ephemeris said coldly, teleporting through Firespace, cutting distance and time - behind her. Kicking her from there, Adrestia doubled over - but quickly recovered. “Why save him?” The Rijk summoned up a sword of his own from the energies he was master of, clashing blades with his daughter. “Why him? What about his doings exculpates him? He deserves to die!”

“Is that your conscience talking,” Adrestia gritted her teeth, calling on the strength granted by the Lon Laith, shoving against Ephemeris. “Or is your rage overpowering your better instincts? Face it - we do it differently in Kaon, but that doesn’t mean we kill defenseless people!”

“I…” Ephemeris hesitated.

That was all Adrestia needed for a Lon Laith enhanced punch against his midsection to get through. “Special Technique: Atomic Guts Punch!”

Her father collapsed, beaten. “Get out of here.” She turned to Shockwave. “Don’t make me say it twice.” He didn’t need a lot of encouragement - the ‘Con beat his retreat, the remaining Autosoldiers covering it.

— — —

Shockwave threw himself into the throne within his lair. He was breathing ragged breaths. Clearly, he had just had his closest brush with death in recent memory. But the data he’d gathered left no room for mistakes. Adrestia. The metal her frame was now composed of. It was the same as the Matrix of Light’s.

“This metal…what shall I name it?”

Alternium sprang to mind.

--- --- ---

"It's all as I said, sir." Convoy-704 sat, legs folded, opposite his "supervisor". The office he sat in was not really an office, but it served as a convenient visual shorthand. "In the future, we might have to take more drastic action, but for now, crisis is averted..."

FOR NOW?

"Yes, well...nobody's perfect, Chronarchitect, sir." The body of Beta Maxx shrugged and nodded. "Vigilance is the price we pay."

INDEED. CONTINUE YOUR OBSERVATION. WE WILL BE WATCHING YOUR CAREER WITH GREAT INTEREST, NEMESIS PRIME.

 

Epilogue - Repentance

Shockwave sat on his throne, alone, deep in thought. "Logic dictates that I return, redouble my efforts to seize the Oracle - and try to kill Ephemeris for his slight against me." He wasn't too convinced, saying it aloud. Decacycles of memories came back to him, some bad, some good. "Yet..." He thought of the Dion he'd found on Sabarooth, the broken shell of a 'mech rusted with age. Then he thought of Umbra Convoy, a madman driven by rage. A monster of his own creation.

How alike the two of them were, he thought to himself. Both had been driven by rage against those who had betrayed them. It was as Dion had been recast, recast as if he was Shockwave's very superstructure and Energon. Yet one was on Garrus, and the other was not - not a wholly logical conclusion. If not for the golem he had helped create, he would be dead at Ephemeris's hands, more than likely. A worse outcome than Dion's.

The scientist inhaled and then roughly exhaled.

"Computer...play personal datatrax extract. Filename: Brother.dtx."

A holographic projection appeared before him, Ephemeris, Azimuth and himself standing together. "Why did you choose to become a Patterner? Our order's strictures doubtlessly chafe against a bright, burgeoning mind as yours. Why not the Iacon Academy or the Institute for Higher Programming? You're already on the fast-track for the Senate. Why more achievement?" His younger self listened to Ephemeris question him, nodding. The Rijk - already a 'mech of advanced age then - waited for his answer, blue arms folded.

"Because if our spiritual power is outpaced by our scientific power," The hologram of the young prodigy answered his master. "The results are calamitous. We might command the very powers of space and time, walk as giants, but if we are ethical infants...what's the point? We'll have guided missiles and misguided 'mechs..."

He sat and thought.

There was much to think about.