Can't sleep
The overhead lights shone like light bulbs, and the energy pipes embedded in the walls flowed with liquid energy, which also glowed.
The Cybertronian charging beds are, of course, made of metal—Cybertronians are all made of metal, so lying on the metal surface of the charging bed to charge doesn't feel uncomfortable or hard. There are two charging beds placed side-by-side in the room. Not far from the beds, against the wall, is a table used to store miscellaneous items and data boards. Next to the table is the control panel, which can be used to store and calculate data, or to connect to the internet to play games, watch movies, and so on.
There were no chairs in the room. Cybertronians don't need to sit to recover their strength. Chairs are for patients with physical disabilities. There were no patients in this room, or at least no one with mobility issues, so it was only natural that there were no chairs.
It's almost time for a recharging cycle, and everyone needs to rest, except me. Unicron's apostles don't need recharging. Shockwave is a normal Cybertronian; he needs recharging, but he went to the lab first.
I sat on my charging bed, the wing scraping against its metal surface as it slid low. I was waiting for Shockwave to charge, and then I'd either watch it charge or go out for a spin. Aside from the mission Unicron gave me, I had nothing else to do.
I felt bored with nothing to do... and absurdly embarrassed. The Decepticons were exceptionally efficient at decorating and furnishing; they completed all the modifications within the same period that Shockwave and I had chosen our plans.
Why are these Decepticon soldiers taking so long to repair the bridge? Are they all just busy gossiping? Why are they repairing the room so quickly?
I don't want to share a room with Shockwave. He's far too arrogant for a subordinate, but since he hasn't interfered with my plans to reach Cybertron, I don't want to care too much. He's even the chief architect of the space bridge.
His plans and actions seriously threaten my authority. I can be somewhat lenient because of my affection for him, but—
I warned the incoming shockwave: "Male machine, my tolerance for you has its limits."
I saw the large red dot on the Shockwave head sculpture dim for a moment. After a brief pause, its antennae twitched slightly. It walked closer to the table and placed the tray it had been carrying on the tabletop. The tray contained energy blocks of different colors.
Does his voice sound softer?
"These are special energy blocks, which are purer than regular energy blocks. I've also added specific elements to give them different flavors. You can try them."
This definitely piqued my curiosity. I had no memory of the energy cube's taste. With Unicron's supplies, I didn't actually need to ingest super-energy; I didn't have any urgent need for energy—but the tank still signaled that it wanted to receive energy, and I wanted to taste it.
"You didn't poison it, did you?" I asked suspiciously.
“No,” he replied immediately.
"Hmph, I'll believe you this once. I'm telling you, poison can't harm me."
Actually, I'm not entirely sure. Will Unicron protect me from the poison? Can the Dark Super-Energy Entity absorb poison? I don't know, since I haven't tried it yet. I only said that because I didn't want Shockwave to look down on me.
I picked up an energy cube from the tray, about the size of a finger joint. Its high purity made it crystal clear, and the added elements gave it an orange hue unlike any other blue. A piece of crystal, or like the pudding or jelly I'd seen in movies—the shockwave-powered one looked a lot like those fruit candies humans use, only square-shaped. I couldn't help but chuckle at my own association, then a wave of embarrassment washed over me. Wasn't this just him treating me like a child?
You should know that larvae don't eat these things either. In my records, Cybertronian larvae are supposed to stay in culture tanks until they are fully developed. Only human larvae, who are always chattering, immature, and weak, eat sugar. My body is undoubtedly a fully developed adult; I am not a child.
Yes, I'm not a child anymore. I kept telling myself this, and then popped another energy into my mouth. This time it was purple, the same color as the dark super-energy being.
The energy from the shockwave was quite novel to me. It wasn't until I ate several pieces that the database in my meningeal block matched the corresponding data. I realized that it was "sweet," "fragrant," and "sour"... The orange one was sweet and sour with a slight sourness, the purple one was sweeter, the pink one was purely sweet but the sweetness was mild and not cloying, the red one was very sweet, and the white one had a very unique taste...
I instinctively reached for the empty plate; there were no more energy cubes. I pressed the plate down to cover my mouth, then wiped the crumbs from my lips with my other hand and said:
"I don't like it."
I won't give him the chance to poison me.
I then noticed that the shockwave had been staring at me the whole time, and the red light bulb hadn't turned around. Hearing my words, he looked down and grabbed the edge of the plate—which I held down with one hand.
“I need to consume energy, and most of these energy bars were brought back to the lounge as my supplies. Now that I’m out of supplies, I need to get some more—that makes sense.”
The energy fluid was starting to accumulate in his head again, so I immediately let go and stood aside, watching him leave the rest area. I finished off all his supplies, and he didn't say a word—he definitely did it on purpose!
...
Shockwave brought over another tray of energy blocks and placed it on the charging bed. This time, nearly half of the energy blocks emitted a normal blue fluorescence. He picked one up, inserted it into the feeding port located above the breastplate, and then pushed the tray towards me.
“I won’t take your supplies anymore,” I said immediately.
“I think I took a little too much, sir.” His voice was low and flat as he stated the facts.
I repeated, "You took too much."
"Yes, sir."
He seemed to be saying: Come on, eat them, come on. He's just an ordinary Cybertronian, I think. He doesn't have any special abilities; he can't change my mind, right? If I want these energy cubes, why should I put up with this?
"Avoiding waste is logical."
I still reached for the energy block.
...
This cycle is coming to an end. Except for a few Decepticons on duty, everyone else needs to go offline to recharge. Living beings need rest, and Cybertronians are no exception. Objectively speaking, Cybertronians need to go offline to recharge, release excess static electricity, clear cache to ensure smooth operation, and allow their hardware to rest and be maintained.
But I don't need that. Before he went into hibernation, Unicron said that with his power and the dark super-energy body within him as support, I don't need to rest or take in any more energy. I am a being more advanced than the Cybertronians.
That's why, even after the lights in the lounge were dimmed, the optical mirror in the center of Shockwave's head sculpt turned a dark red, and his body remained still like a statue, I still felt full of energy.
I stayed in the lounge, reluctant to leave. I had never seen him offline before. The fluorescent bands on his arm armor and hand cannons flickered with the frequency of his fire fluctuations. His back wings spread out to increase the surface area to prevent them from being crushed. The chain connecting the hand cannons to the machine was curled up and squeezed into the space next to the machine.
A peaceful magnetic field enveloped the entire lounge. The cable connected to the back of his head sculpture—used to help discharge static electricity—had a constantly lit indicator light embedded in its base, a small red dot in a dark background.
I moved closer to his body and pressed down on the antenna on one side of his head sculpt. The thin, silver-gray metal strip rotated half a turn around the bearing as my finger pressed down. I removed my finger, and the metal strip immediately returned to its original position, then trembled twice, looking very elastic.
I played with this antenna, then that antenna, having a great time. But soon, I got bored again.
If I were to go out for a stroll, where would I go? To the North Pole? Or the South Pole? I haven't decided yet, hmm... I'll stay in the lounge and think about it slowly.
I stretched out the wings, lay down, and yawned. The quiet environment made my thoughts drift away; many ideas popped up like stars, each one so small and indistinct.
The patrolling soldiers outside left a trail of soft footsteps as they passed by, their flames pulsating steadily and powerfully. The Decepticon ship's soundproofing was actually quite good, but my senses were just too acute!
But soon, the sounds and noises grew fainter and fainter, melting into the darkness of the room.
The fluorescent strips embedded in the room were flashing at a certain frequency, but it wasn't noticeable when the lights were on. I quietly counted the number of flashes.
one,
two,
three,
...
...
...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
