Ding!
[Congratulations, Host. Your name now echoes through the depths of Hell. The Cybertron Overlord System is undergoing an upgrade.]
[Upgrade complete! Cybertron Overlord System 2.0 is now online!]
[Host now has access to three universal draws per week!]
Martin paused mid-step, genuinely caught off guard by the unexpected reward.
"Three universal draws per week? Not bad at all. I wonder if there's a 3.0 version in the works."
Nodding with satisfaction, he stepped forward into the Steel Base, the Earth solid beneath his feet.
"Proceed with the three universal draws!"
[Congratulations, Host. You've obtained 1,000 units of Energon Crystals!]
[Congratulations, Host. You've obtained 10,000 tons of Transformium!]
[Congratulations, Host. You've summoned: Shockwave of the Decepticons!]
A cascade of system alerts followed one after another.
The Energon Crystals, of course, needed no explanation. With the Transformers' daily energy needs now entirely dependent on Martin, even a thousand units was a valuable haul.
As for the Transformium...
"Transformium, if memory serves, that's the raw material used to forge Cybertronian bodies. Ten thousand tons... definitely a stockpile worth saving. I'll store it for Megatron and the others, if their frames are ever damaged, we'll have plenty to patch them up."
But the real jackpot was Shockwave.
Shockwave.
Chief Scientist of the Decepticon ranks. A mind so sharp, it was borderline terrifying, and exactly the kind of asset Martin had been missing.
...
[Shockwave]
Faction: Decepticon
Personality: Mechanized Logic (Strategic Efficiency +40%)
Height: 10 meters
Energon Output: 7,000,000 units
Status: Optimal
Combat Rating: Tier 3
Signature Quote: "Your conclusion is logically sound."
Evaluation: The Decepticons' lead scientist and Megatron's most trusted lieutenant, more enigmatic even than Soundwave. Shockwave lacks a traditional "faceplate," his head instead resembling a hexagonal surveillance monitor. His systems are capable of detecting cosmic radiation such as X-rays, electromagnetic spectra, and infrared signatures, though this advanced scanning comes at the cost of constant, massive energy consumption, requiring a portable reactor at all times.
...
A towering silhouette materialized, no smaller than Megatron himself, with a fusion reactor affixed to his back and a glowing crimson eye embedded in his camera-like head.
This was Shockwave, second only to Megatron in the Decepticon hierarchy. Even the scheming Starscream generally avoided clashing with him.
In the comics, he was among the rare few who could go toe-to-toe with Megatron and walk away intact. When Megatron vanished, it was Shockwave who ruled Cybertron for nine million years, maintaining the Decepticons' iron grip on the planet.
His scientific brilliance was matched only by his strategic genius.
"Shockwave," Martin greeted coolly, "Welcome. I need you to collaborate with Ratchet on a new research project."
"I am at your service," Shockwave replied without hesitation. "However, collaboration will be unnecessary. Ratchet is better suited to battlefield medicine, not laboratory innovation. His presence in my workspace would be... counterproductive."
His head rotated with mechanical precision, eerie red optics flickering like a targeting sensor.
This wasn't disrespect. That's just how Shockwave was, pure logic, no emotion, no hesitation. Every thought, every action was filtered through cold, calculated analysis. He always chose the most efficient path with the highest return.
"Your conclusion is logically sound." That was his signature phrase. As long as an idea made sense within a rational framework, no matter how far-fetched, Shockwave would suspend disbelief and investigate further on his own.
That's what made him so dangerous to Starscream; he had no exploitable ego, no irrational habits. You couldn't bluff or manipulate a mind that functioned like a machine.
Martin's first directive for Shockwave was to reforge Mjolnir, not as a hammer, but as a massive Cybertronian sword.
Optimus Prime needed a weapon worthy of his stature.
As for Ratchet, though undeniably gifted in biology and healing sciences, his grasp of mystic or cosmic-level tech was limited. He was brilliant by human standards, but Shockwave operated on a completely different level.
Martin stood with hands clasped behind his back, watching the Decepticon scientist disappear into the depths of the lab.
"It's probably time I checked in on poor Thor," he mused aloud. "I've kept him imprisoned for so long... he's either gone mad, or gone numb."
He strolled casually toward the prison block.
Thor's condition was even worse than expected.
His golden hair was caked in dust and filth, and his once-godly bearing had completely eroded. The thunderous arrogance that once defined him had vanished without a trace.
"Thor," Martin said evenly, "If your father could see you now, he'd be sorely disappointed."
Thor slowly lifted his head. His eyes were dull and lifeless, until they met Martin's. Then came a flicker of pure hatred.
"It's you... You destroyed Mjolnir. You defeated my father, Odin..."
"Correction," Martin said, waving a hand dismissively. "Mjolnir was never truly yours. You couldn't even lift it anymore. What right do you have to call yourself the God of Thunder?"
"As for Odin's defeat, well, that's between me and him. You were already cast out, stripped of your power, made mortal. What happens between gods no longer concerns you."
"Oh, and one more thing." Martin's voice darkened with a cruel grin. "Asgard... is just about finished."
Then he laughed. Maliciously.
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