Nevermore

Disclaimer: According to mamabot, my previous little fic "The Visitor" wasn't going to be just a "one-shot". And she's exactly right. XD I wanted to wait until the next season of Prime known as Beast Hunters, but screw it, I can't. I can't wait until next year when they decide to air it. I have this one and another I planned on with this pairing. Most of my fics from the "Never" series tend to end on a sad note-with the exception of Neverland-but I'll be mulling it over if this one will or not. Perhaps anyone who feels it should can let me know in a review. Hehe.

"Let my heart be still a moment and this mystery explore..."

-Edgar Allan Poe

"For all sad words of tongue and pen, The saddest are these, 'It might have been'."

-John Greenleaf Whittier

By: VampireQueenAkasha

"Your reasoning is hardly... logical."

-Shockwave

The Watcher

It was another simple day.

Shockwave's sight had returned after a few orbital cycles of being without, all hastened properly by the offering from that peculiar Autobot who had risked her life to come to his laboratory uninvited, simply to help him in the end result. It wasn't her presence that caused confusion-a confusion that he wasn't proud to admit to himself-but her intentions. No Autobot was so foolish to offer aid unless it meant they desired something in return. However, the Autobot medic had not made a single appearance since then, so Shockwave could fairly assume that she was either dead or had somehow found the means to leave. Either way, after a long time had passed, his interest in the subject had dwindled.

Earlier that morning-or what a morning felt like on Cybertron-Shockwave ventured to the surface when he received word that the drones left in his command had retrieved a fresh specimen. Once he stepped out of his laboratory, he noticed that the drones were standing around a tightly sealed container where a snarling, screeching form was being housed.

"What is the condition of the specimen?" he asked.

One of the drones looked up at him. He had a scar on his faceplate that differed him from others, but Shockwave didn't care to try and differentiate them. "Sir, its condition is in impeccable shape and there were minimal damages."

"Any infected?" Shockwave questioned, running his claws over the container.

"No, sir."

"Good. Bring it to my lab with the others."

The drones seemed particularly cautious about it, but were in no position to offer any form of objection as they followed behind Shockwave with the carrying unit that housed the obviously dangerous thing within.

Once inside his laboratory, Shockwave passed several containment chambers filled with various creatures and chattering metal beasts before stopping at a heavily fortified cell surrounded by a dense containment field. The drones pushed the container's opening against the cell and one of the drones jumped onto the top, pressing several latches into place to hold the container steady. Finally, after a moment of cautious hesitation, a few glances to Shockwave and the others, the drone began to slowly lift the opening of the container.

A metallic rattling filled the air from inside the container and a glimpse of something resembling snakes seemed to move around from within. What followed was a collection of low, deadly hisses and growls that caused the drones to back away from the container for a brief second. Shockwave wasn't so intimidated however, or at least was a master at maintaining it.

"All right," Shockwave told them, "Give it an incentive to leave the container."

At that command, another drone moved forward and pressed a few buttons on a control pad beside the cell. A small door opened up inside the darkness and a tiny turbo fox appeared, sniffing about. After waiting a moment for some form of response, the drones and Shockwave watched under the dim light as tendrils slithered out from the container and a clawed hand reached out. There was a rattling chattering sound from within; the call of a hunter. Before the unfortunate animal had a chance to realize the doom soon upon it, a piercing roar filled the air. In a flash, the turbofox was abruptly seized with a pained screech and a spray of Energon splashed across the cell walls.

Shockwave observed the sight of a kneeling shape in the darkness of the cell as it fed on the turbofox, shredding its metal carcass to ribbons, hungry for the glowing lifeforce within. The sick, squelching sounds of its feeding made the drones shudder visibly, but Shockwave was genuinely fascinated with the behavioral patterns of such a creature.

A dangerously magnificent creature.

O

Shockwave was unfamiliar with the idea of boredom, but it seemed that it fleetingly passed his central processor when he discovered nothing of particular advancement in his work. Most of his test subjects perished from the intensity of his experiments, leaving him to order that more be collected. Lord Megatron had rarely contacted him at all, so he assumed that his work would have to press on regardless of the break in communication.

As he ventured to the surface for a brief nanoklick, he was certain that there was a new sensation of watchful optics on him. He turned halfway toward a spire in the distance, but could not make out any abnormalities that would be a cause for his sudden attention. Shockwave tilted his head and glanced down at a drone.

"Have you performed scans of the entire perimeter of Kaon as I asked of you?" he questioned.

The drone seemed a bit unsettled by the question. "Um...not yet, sir," he said. Then, he quickly corrected himself. "B-But I was busy finishing up with the Energon collection as you-"

"Perform your assigned duties and then tend to the task afterwards," Shockwave interrupted, turning to go without so much as a change in his vocals. "If there is so much as a single pillar left unchecked, you will find yourself on my table."

The drone was obviously frightened by the concept as he quickly made haste to do as Shockwave commanded.

Again, the sensation of being watched came to Shockwave later on, but only when he returned to the surface for the reports from the drones. It only made him realize that there was someone out there observing him foolishly. Shockwave was not one to approve of such games, so he sent out a few drones and even Insecticons to hunt for whatever it was that observed him.

While they went out on his commanded task, Shockwave spent some time in his laboratory, observing the details and schematics of his most recent project that consisted of several warriors he would soon reveal to Lord Megatron.

"Shockwave, sir?"

Shockwave lifted his head and glanced back at a drone standing there at the doorway. "What is it?" he asked.

"We've spotted Autobot movement outside of Kaon's walls," the drone told him.

Shockwave straightened and stood up from his chair. "And why are you here to tell me this?"

The drone seemed confused and wavered when Shockwave approached, his footsteps thudding loudly in the silence of the poorly lit room. "W-Well I thought that-" the drone stammered, "I-I mean that I was told you-"

Shockwave's single, gem-like optic seemed to narrow at the drone below him. "Find the Autobot."

The command carried no anger or increase in volume, but it certainly was capable of freezing circuits. The drone quickly rushed away after a respectful bow of his head and Shockwave returned to his chair, leaning against his hand in deep thought.

An idea-perhaps a foolish one at that-crossed his thoughts. Could it actually be that "good Samaritan" who had aided him before? The manner in which she had approached and spoken with him certainly spoke volumes of one so very naive, but she had managed to live as long as she had before that. Perhaps this little Autobot medic had more to her than he originally assumed.

Well, any Autobot still lingering about on Cybertron would not be permitted to live so long as he-and Lord Megatron-had his say. Although the prospect of an Autobot prisoner certainly would yield great benefits to his research.

It meant he could have a specimen who would scream this time.

One who would regret assuming to come to him.