by The J Writer » Tue Apr 15, 2008 9:00 am
Kolkular - Command Center/Monitor Womb
With Scourge and the others dismissed to their tasks and his own agents arrived in Polyhex, Soundwave stood and turned to Megatron.
"By your leave, Emperor Megatron," he stated in his electronic monotone. "New assignment: intelligence synthesis."
He then exited the Command Center, departing to an adjoining area that served as an intelligence nerve center for the fortress. Known as the Monitor Womb, this chamber allowed a Transformer with the appropriate technical expertise to examine and analyze hundreds or even thousands of different datafeeds at one time. Only a few Decepticons possessed the processor capacity and configuration to utilize the Monitor Womb to its full potential; Reflector was one, Bugly was another. Soundwave was, of course, one of the Decepticons that could employ the Monitor Womb's equipment to full effect. After all, he had designed and constructed it.
Once fully ensconced within the cramped, dark, almost claustrophobic chamber, Soundwave settled into a large seat in its center and a pair of data cables snaked out of his left forearm to interface with the Womb. The doors clamshelled closed behind him, and the chamber was suddenly illuminated with the cold light of dozens of monitors surrounding Soundwave. He issued a single mechano-mental command: Begin.
Data flowed over him like water over a broken dam. His processors categorized, organized, and analyzed each bit and byte. Countless details, large and small, were entered into his memory banks for use and consideration at a later time. The process went smoothly until he encountered a confluence of survey data from the planets AC488 and BW778. Soundwave registered what, for him, passed as surprise, and slowed the data flow.
Similarities. He let the flow increase in tempo once more. Correlations: unusual. Life-form scans flooded his primary processors. Biological schematics for plants, animals, viruses, fungi - eventually the entire spectrum of carbon-based life - flashed through his mind. The connections became clearer and clearer.
Life forms: identical, save for temporal dissimilarity. There was something very strange about all this, something that made no sense from a biological standpoint. Exploration: necessary.