heavyweaponsbot | 3rd Transmission / Audio

[That's the only problem with someone else being in his body; stubborn soldier-processors make reading his own body language difficult.]

You have, likely, if you have warred as long as I have heard. But you have not 'taken on' me, Autobot.

Only 'might'? Here I thought you could not stand my mere presence on this ship.

[Same. And having only two default modes of expression makes things even harder.]

Longer, I am willing to bet. And now you sound overconfident.

Depends on several factors.

[Shockwave's just glad he's used to being in bodies that aren't formatted like his. It makes getting used to Ironhide's that much easier.]

Perhaps your personality subroutines did not completely transfer. They might be rubbing off on me.

Does it now?

[Then he gets to laugh at the awkward attempts to compensate balance for a lighter body.]

... They best have. Or the party responsible will pay. I will not take on any Decepticon traits!

Yeah.

[Oh, he's laughing on the inside. He only wishes he could record it. He could have spliced it with the other funny 'Hide video and set it to silly music.]

Unfortunate. You might have been more entertaining that way. Possibly more agreeable.

Mm. Well, we shall we then, yes?

[Oh, if he ever found out, he's going to kill something...]

I doubt that. I will never be a Decepticon. Ever. Nothing good comes from Megatron's troops.

Yeah. We will.

[Luckily, he keeps everything in his processor behind strong firewalls with heavy passcoding. His paranoia in action.]

You were one before you left, were you not? Certainly your allies would count that as 'something good that came from Megatron's troops'?

[He's not being intentionally flattering, he's just trying to make a logical point.]

[Logical or not, that point makes him go very still. The rage is back, and he looks like he'd very much enjoy tearing Shockwave some new holes--even if it is his body he'd be wrecking]

... Do not speak of that. Ever.

[He lets his poker face fall, just long enough for an 'I dare you' look to cross his borrowed faceplate. He'd like to see if Ironhide would really attack his own body for a fleeting bit of 'justice'.]

Too late.

[Don't test him, Shockwave. He knows exactly where he was shot--and thus where to shove an elbow. Which he does, taking advantage of this smaller, faster body--aiming to throw the joint into the nice hole in his body's chest.]

[He can see Ironhide moving, but he can't backtrack as fast as normal; he doesn't get a chest full of his body's elbow, but it still clips. Proximity alarms scream a klaxon in his processor - he ignores them in favor of the damage warnings and his borrowed, shorting pain receptors. He groans quietly, lashing out to try to grab Ironhide again.]

You are behaving irrationally.

[Ducks back, glaring.]

Am I? Feeling an opponent's weaknesses is irrational? And what better way to do this than while I wear his disgusting shell?

[He doesn't try again. A fight was the last outcome on his long list, but he's suddenly thankful that he capped his body's claws. He has no desire to die in a body that isn't even his.]

It is irrational that you would lash against your own form when it is already damaged. You are acting as those you revile.

[He straightens himself up.]

How is it the humans put it? You have gazed into the Abyss, and it is gazing back at you.

[He got what he wanted, really. Corks or no corks.]

Nothing that cannot be fixed. Done worse to myself while in training.

[Head tilts]

What?

Fixed by whom, if your medic isn't here? Field repairs will only go so far.

Nietzsche, I believe. Warnings about becoming what you fight against. I would have thought you would know; you have likely been on Earth longer than I was.

... [growls, fisting a hand as best he can with all the corks] I will do it myself.

The only reason I resemble my enemy is through some trick.

[He bites back the remark he wants to make - about Ironhide's attitude and stubbornness and apparent viciousness. It wouldn't do any good.]

Things should be back to relative normality in a few days. You can get back to barely restraining yourself from punching me with your own fists then.

[Well, he may be right. But he'll never admit it.]

Why should I restrain myself then?

[Shockwave's confident that he would be, but he figures that continuing that argument now would be extremely detrimental.]

Aside from the Captain, you mean? Mikaela. You may not like it, but we are friends and I doubt she would take it well if you insisted on harming me.

[And he's confident that if they did... he knows where his motion centers are--Ratchet's had to shut them off enough times.]

Not afraid of some "captain". Hmpf!

She is young, naive. Sooner or later, she will learn just what your kind are like.

[He would be entirely unappreciative of that. The stasis cuffs he arrived in were bad enough.]

Afraid? I wouldn't think you capable. But he can and will mete out punishment of the most embarrassing variety to those that break his rules.

She may be young, but she is willing to listen when someone says they would prefer peace under their current circumstances. And I have informed her of the things I have done already and she has yet to reject me.

[Except he's wearing corks. That would hamper the process.]

And embarrassment is supposed to ward me off? Had worse as a recruit.

She also does not fully understand what lies the likes of you are capable of.

[Boy, he's just finding all sorts of reasons to be glad he jammed those corks on his claws.]

Then perhaps the futility? After all, I would still be here once you returned from the brig, no matter what you do to me.

What use would there be in me lying? There is no key information to be had save why we are here, the goods are free for the taking, and there is certainly no point in getting into a position to stab anyone in the back. Point in fact, the Autobots seem perfectly fine with coexisting with me - barring you, of course.

[Yeah, seriously.]

Futility? What futility? I would have still gotten in at least three good hits on you. [Smug!]

[... but then he just growls.] Then perhaps they have less reason to hate you as much as I do.

[He raises one optic ridge.] And by the time you returned, I would be repaired - or resurrected, depending on how 'good' those hits were. Surely you cannot spend the entire trip injuring or murdering me over and over.

Or perhaps they realize that I am not the Decepticon they know, just as they are not the 'bots I am familar with.

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