“But it looks amazing.” Zepar said, “You got to admit that it’s nice to show off now and then.”
“Perhaps, if I was interested in such things,” Shatterpoint admits. “I took this form for a mission, and didn’t have time to discard it before I was assigned to Salvation.”
“It suits you,” He said, “sleek, regal and very stylish.”
“Seriously, I know Angelicons that would die for an alt mode like that…but you know how wings tend to cause some bulky kibble, just look at me.” He said.
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Shatterpoint considers the compliment. If there was one thing he could admit about humans, it would be that they knew how to style-up a vehicle. Still, he preferred the practicality of his original vehicle mode.
“Regalia is better suited to actual royalty,” he says. “I am only a soldier; one who happened to be in the spotlight at just the right time for Lord Megatron to nominate me as co-captain.”
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“Megatron made a good choice nominating you as co-captain.” He said, “You and Topside provide a very helpful perspective because of your vastly different philosophies.”
“After all, having multiple perspectives of a situation never hurts and can help find an otherwise unknowable solution or idea.” He added.
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“Thank you,” Shatterpoint says, genuine gratitude in his tone.
“Learning to work with my counterpa-… with Topside has been difficult, but it is necessary.”
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“Diametric philosophical opposition/differences can be difficult to overcome.” He said…then there was an awkward pause, “Sorry, but I do understand where your’re coming from, being from a technically neutral group.”
“Maybe for some individuals, yes,” Shatterpoint agrees.
Myself included, perhaps, he considers.
“…but most of the crew has shown a remarkable ability to cooperate, bar the odd scuffle between one planet and the next. It’s almost as if the last five hundred years never happened.”
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“Well, these are very unique circumstances.” Zepar said, “we do have the fate and future of all Cybertronian life at stake.”
“Yes, I suppose oblivion doesn’t care what badge you’re wearing,” Shatterpoint replies. He transforms to robot mode as the two of them near the lab, slowing down as feet replaced wheels.
“And… perhaps we shouldn’t either…” he muses, looking down at the floor as he holds a finger and thumb to his narrow chin.
“Agreed,” Zepar said as he transformed to robot mode, hefting the pod, “Cybertron and its people have suffered enough because of war, perhaps healing the Allspark with the Omega Lock will help all Cybertronian life find peace and not be consumed by war and hatred.”
He chuckles, “Sorry, I probably sounded like one of the Fathers there.”
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“I wouldn’t know,” Shatterpoint says. “I’ve never heard one of them speak.”
The Decepticon captain enters Shockwave’s lab, sparing a glance across the hall as something within Sprocket and Grommet’s workspace rumbled and hissed.
“What in the holy name of Primus is that?” Zepar asked the occupants of the room as he lugged in the stasis pod.
“I have seen this. Many times in fact. Though this does seem to be running a lot smoother than most my attempts.”
Sprocket turns and waves to Zepar and Shatterpoint.
“Hey cap’n! Zepar,” he shouts. “Breig got his cloning stuff working, come check it out!”
The hyperevolution chamber starts to shape the living metal inside it; the sphere expands into an amorphous blob from which cogs, transistors, and webs of circuitry start to form.
Breig watches with absolute focus. This very well could be the success he’d been searching for for so very long. He was so enamored that he didn’t even notice the captain come in.
SideStep nodded in agreement. “Can’t have two psychos running around the ship. The only one allowed is me.”
They waved back, Vigor and Thrust walking over. “Well, looks like we’ve got our assassin. Hopefully they can tell us about the spy.” Thrust said to Topside.
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Before long, the tank had shaped the sentio metallico into a near-complete endoskeleton, complete with a transformation cog, a brain module, and an empty sparkchamber. The spherical container nested within the clone’s chest splits open, and crackling bolts of energy surge around the body.
SPARK IGNITION IN 3...2...1.
A half-finished clone vanishes in a flash of blue light, and when it clears, a glowing cyan ember flickers within its sparkchamber. Lights on the clone’s other internal mechanisms start to activate, and one of its fingers twitches.
But then the ember fizzles out. The displays on the sides of the tank turn red.
IGNITION FAILURE. HALTING ASSEMBLY.
Spindly arms flip out of the floor and ceiling of the tank and grab the lifeless endoskeleton as the antigravity field is deactivated. Drops of unshaped living metal rain onto the bottom of the tank.
“Zepar and Shatterpoint took off to do just that,” Topside says to SideStep and the triplets. “If you don’t wanna miss out, head to the science wing.”
Brieg pressed his hands against the glass, looking extremely eager.
“Yes! That’s it! Just a little more. Hold on! You can make it!”
He pleaded.
His expression then shifted from desperate hope to shocked horror in a split instant.
“D@mmit!”
He shouted, pounding his fist on the glass of the tank.
“D@mmit all!”
“Maybe try making something smaller?” Zepar asked, “Also, where is Shockwave?”