Shocking Transformation

Nova Cronum

The Institute. A secretive place of science, discovery, technological and intellectual advancements.... and a bit more. There's a dark side here, a seedy underbelly carefully hidden away... though to access the worst of the horrors here you have to dig a little. Some can work here, keeping blinders on... if you just ignore the occassional screams, the slightly haunted look of a test subject or some random passersby... then you might even work here for awhile before truly understanding how horrific it is. There's just enough \*shininess\* to keep the easily distracted- distracted and away from the dirt and grime tucked \*just\* out of sight.

And so it just so happens that eager young scientist Brainstorm is headed towards a subject he \*hopes\* will help him learn more about using electricity as a weapon... there's an Insecticon here, and Brainstorm can't wait to start poking around.... He strides eagerly down a corridor, and he's invited new worker Nautica to join him....

The Camien femme is one of those still a bit entranced by the shininess. From the makeshift lab she'd put together in the Camien embassy to /this/, where there's equipment and resources to tinker with things to her heart's content... it's a heady experience. And so she's following Brainstorm to the lab, thus far pleasantly oblivious to those darker edges to her new employer. "I'm glad everything worked out, the other night," Nautica remarks to Brainstorm, as they make their way down the hall. "What an intense first day! Being called out to disarm a bomb. Is it always like that around here?"

You want intense, wait till you meet the bug Brainstorm is taking you to see. Though at the moment Shrapnel seems more focused on the food thats been shoved into whatever kind of pen he's put in. The large bug doesn't even give it a second glance whether its scrap or not since he's been allowed to just lie round here instead of being prodded by handlers. Though that doesn't make him any less twitchy as proven by the occasional spark that flies off him.

Standing a short distance away from Shrapnel's enclosure is Pharma. At the moment he seems focused on watching the Insecticon devour his sustenance. He's been doing some work with these Insecticons. They've proven to be quite fascinating. But he sighs inwardly when he sees Brainstorm. Oh -no-. Not -him-.

Shaking his head, he's suddenly standing in the doorway to the room where the bug is being kept, barring Brainstorm's and Nautica's entry. "Brainstorm, I'm afraid I can't let you in here right now. I'm in the middle of an observation session." He glances at Nautica. "Who's this?"

Brainstorm glances over at Nautica and waves a hand dismissively, "Oh, that was nothing! Wait until something \*exciting\* actually happens!" He seems happy at the thought, waving his arms excitedly. "I mean this is where we make things happen! This is where science lives and breathes, and nobody's holding us down with too many rules and regulations!" He comes up to a door, swiping a card to gain access. It's one of the more secure levels... though there are levels here Brainstorm himself doesn't have access to. Yet. "Anyway, wait 'til you see this bug... he's special. Uses electricity like nobody's business. I think we can learn a lot from him..."

He begins to stride right through the door- and wait. Pharma is there, blocking access. The scientist blinks at the other mech. "What? Hey, I was promised access to this Insecticon, Pharma!" He sounds like he's sulking now, and waves the access card he just used. "See? Signed by Sparkscircuit himself!" Now he just sounds haughty. Glancing to Nautica, his tone cheers, "She's the new recruit! She's a whiz with engines, and bombs, and... well, anything cool, actually."

"Hello, sir," Nautica offers to Pharma from behind Brainstorm, perhaps a touch self-consciously. "I've heard a great deal about some of the miracles you've worked on patients; it's a great honor to meet you properly. I just started here the other day, so Brainstorm has been showing me around." And if she's trying to peer /past/ the both of them and see what's in the room, well, that's just natural curiosity at work.

Shrapnel looks up from his meal and watches Pharma as walks away. His mandibles twitch for a few moments, a stream of electricity passing through them. For the moment it almost looks like the bug wents to send it towards the cell walls once again.

Pharma glances at the access card, then shrugs reluctantly. "Ugh, fine. I'll have to finish later." He nods to Nautica's greetings. "Thank you, Nautica. You're not technically supposed to be granted access to this particular sector, but I guess I'll make an exception for you." He moves aside to let them in.

Brainstorm looks to Nautica, then Pharma, and nods... then sees she's trying to peek past Pharma and joins her in craning his neck. Then Pharma finally relents, and Brainstorm puffs up and strides past him, giving him a subtle \*I told ya so\* look as he does. "C'mon, Nautica, let's do some science!" He walks towards Shrapnel and stops, standing and peering in at the Insecticon. "Ooo... he doesn't look very friendly." The scientist studies the bug a little more, then begins pulling out some equipment.

Nautica's first reaction to the bug, however, is to stop beside the cage, looking in rather curiously as the electricity dances from one mandible to the other. "Wow... that's quite the trick you've got there," she informs the bug. Glancing over to Brainstorm, she asks curiously, "If you were planning to study his electrical abilities, do you have something in that kit that can measure his internal electromagnetic fields very precisely? I can put something together, but if you already have one..." She glances back at Shrapnel curiously.

Shrapnel lets loose the electricity which is most likely absorbed into the cage. Emitting emf waves that seem close to a mutter about stupid cage or something. Tilting his head at Nautica he doesn't send another bolt out, instead turning back to munch on his food.

Pharma stands a good ways behind them, really not wanting to be implicated in whatever Brainstorm is planning on doing next. If he really cared, he'd be telling Nautica not to be anywhere near him any time he says something like 'let's do science', or really any time he says 'science' at all. But he doesn't, so he just stands there for the time being, looking annoyed.

Brainstorm looks to Nautica, "I've got some stuff, yeah... but if you have something to bring to the table, then let's see what ya got!" He pulls out some of the devices he brought with him, "See, this measures the joules, kilowatts, watts..." He pauses and looks over to the femme, "Wonder if he'd have so much that we can't even measure it in THOSE measurements?" Then he continues, "This baby measures power/time and calculates the energy, and this..." He looks up suddenly as Shrapnel lets loose some electricity. "Ooo! Did you see that? I wonder if he does that a lot- or does he have to conserve his energy?"

"Oh, I'm planning on much smaller measurements. See, I have reason to think insecticons can communicate wirelessly. But differently than we do," Nautica explains to Brainstorm, kneeling down beside the cell to examine the bug a little more closely. She doesn't touch the cell itself -- possibly considering it unwise, possibly considering it impolite -- but offers the bug a little smile. "Not wireless audio, but modulating their electromagnetic fields in patterns which can convey concepts. If that's accurate, I'd like to try to decipher those patterns more precisely; it might only be something as simple as 'food' or 'tired' or 'home' or 'danger', but maybe it's something more."

If Shrapnel was really paying attention he'd probably be annoyed with whatever Brainstorm is planning but maybe not Nautica. The only one he'd really hate to be too close right now is most likely Pharma. But for the moment he just stares at them after finishing his meal. Not even jumping at the cage as the femme gets close.

"That's right, Nautica. The Insecticons communicate with each other through a series of complex EMF fluctuations. I've been running them through wide-spectrum scanning equipment, and it's definitely much more than simple concepts. In fact, it's even possible to translate the field oscillations into written word." Pharma adds, clearly way ahead of either of them on this and eager to show it.

Brainstorm looks at Nautica and seems slightly... is it disappointed? "Oh. But that's so... so...small." Because small isn't as COOL as big and flashy and AWESOME. He shrugs and goes back to his work. "But okay, you work on that and I'll work on this..." The thing he brings out next probably isn't anything that's going to pick up moods or communication. No, it's almost ...gun shaped. With a large battery charger clamped to the side. Also, it's turquoise and white, like him.

He turns to look at Pharma and blinks. There's a moment where it might look like he's having to think about what all Pharma just \*said\*, but then he shakes his head. "Well, yes, that's all well and good ...maybe throw some scanning tunneling microscopy in there while you're at it... measure the electrostatic forces...." It's possible Brainstorm knows what he's talking about. It's also possible he's just throwing big words around so he doesn't seem so far behind Pharma.

Nautica glances over at Pharma, her expression a mixture of disappointment -- someone had beaten her to at the very least the implementation of this -- and pleasure that she had indeed apparently been on the correct path. "How complex are the concepts you've been able to decipher?" She turns to regard Shrapnel in the cage a little more thoughtfully now. Perhaps wondering whether or not the insecticon can understand her. "Enough to suggest full sentience?"

The Camien femme pauses, turning her attention towards Brainstorm. "Not /everything/ has to explode, invert time, or tear rifts in the fabric of the universe," she points out. "Sometimes the small things can be interesting, too. Those living liquid-metal creatures on the floor of the Mithril Sea, for instance, are fascinating, even if they don't explode." There's a pause, and then Nautica amends, "That I'm aware of, anyway."

Tilting his head up at Nautica for a moment the bug seems silent before Shrapnel quickly turns his attention towards Brainstorm as he he pulls out what looks like a weapon. The insecticons body starts to twitch rapidly as electricity bursts off him. Mandibles opening wide as it stares in the mech scientists direction. His emf signals go crazy for a moment though anyone able to read most likely will catch, 'Gah, what that, that? Another thing that will hurt, hurt?"

Pharma smirks at Nautica's question about sentience. "Oh, very much so. At least for the mature ones. It's mostly emotional in nature, but it can be very articulate, in fact." He just gives Brainstorm an exasperated look. Oh, he knows that was just all bombast and no substance.

Brainstorm makes a small conciliatory gesture towards Nautica, "Weeeell, yeah, I suppose. It's just that those things are the ones people usually notice. And if you want \*funding\*... it's GOOD to be noticed!" He nods, "That's right... submarine... I bet you see lots of cool, weird little things few have seen before, right?" His optics brighten at the possibility that the creatures \*might\* explode. "That would be a very dramatic and effective way of defending itself!" Then his face turns a little more somber, "Though also probably really, really final and thus counterproductive. Hmm."

He shrugs. "Ok, scratch that. Though I wonder if it's possible to invent something that explodes- and then repairs itself... Just think! Explosions that never end!!!" He taps his chin thoughtfully a moment before going back to work.

Brainstorm doesn't understand Shrapnel's speech, so he simply goes on, snapping the battery pack into place and then looking around the enclosure. "Ok... now I just need to get this inside..."

"I think if you can master self-repair, it has more applications than just allowing you to detonate yourself and then rebuild!" Nautica points out, offering Brainstorm a smile. "Imagine triage packs, where you simply slap them onto a downed bot, and it allows them to self-reconstruct. Construction accidents, battlefields... endless applications. Very difficult problem, though, and if you get it wrong, well, that would be very bad."

The femme turns her attention back to her original discussion, glancing over to Pharma. "How much of a vocabulary have you put together? I'd be curious to combine work, if you're willing; I have a design for a small implant that would theoretically allow a bot to speak and hear that way as well, but I needed to test the theory and amass a dictionary." And then she glances over as Brainstorm starts trying to get into the cage, frowning at him slightly. He's not going to do anything that /hurts/ the insecticon, is he? Surely not.

Shrapnel watches Brainstorm, sparks wildly going off. He doesn't move to crash into any of the cage walls. Though he certainly isn't taking his optics off the mech thats trying to enter his pen.

"Well actually, they are capable of learning to communicate the way we do." Pharma informs her. Is Brainstorm going to hurt the Insecticon? Oh maybe, maybe not, but it probably wouldn't come as a surprise if he were, after all Kickback was vivisected just the other day, and Shrapnel's probably been through slag, as well. "Exactly -what- are you doing, Brainstorm?" the doctor asks, sounding irritated again.

Brainstorm blinks at Nautica again. "Oh. Yeah, that would work too." Sounds like he hadn't really considered its applications besides...\*Explosions are cool, thus \*multiple\* never-ending explosions are ever COOLer\*\*... "Oh. Interesting! Yes! That too! Of course!" He nods his head like oh yeah, OF COURSE he'd thought of that too.

Meanwhile, oblivious to the Insecticon's agitation, Brainstorm finds a food hatch and moves over to attempt to insert his odd device through there. Though he stops and turns to look at Pharma. "Don't tell me you haven't thought of Insecticons as a power source? Think if we could use them to charge electrical weapons? Or more? I want to see just how much electricity he can produce... and see if this might not only help provide charges, but could even help me in my work with X-rays, lasers, and other tools. Just think- maybe someday... no chargers, no batteries... we could study what makes this Insecticon tick and learn how to produce our own eleectrical currents! Possibly even INSIDE ourselves! Now... I just need to put this in there and get him to charge it..."

"Triage packs have been attempted, yes...but each and every mech is so different, it would be impossible to completely automate full repairs." Pharma comments on Nautica's idea. "Patch jobs, maybe. But even that is tricky, because everyone has different armor structures."

"Even if they can be taught to speak like we do, the technique could be an interesting method of communication overall," Nautica points out to Pharma, with growing enthusiasm. "Imagine situations where you need to remain silent, but could use EMF discussion. Or if you're in vacuum, so audio won't work, and local stellar phenomena have caused radio to be jammed or unreliable; short-distance EMF could still work to communicate with others on EVA." She pauses, considering his second statement. "As for the triage packs, if Brainstorm could solve the problem of how to reconstruct something in the general case of 'it exploded', I would think it could be applied as general triage packs. I admit, I don't think that problem's easily solvable; you'd need a computer the size of a starship to perform generalized calculations quickly enough, which is /hardly/ suitable for triage. Still, it /might/ be possible to create one to /stabilize/ someone until help could arrive."

She pauses now as Brainstorm continues his advancement into the cage, and glances between the two others. "It's a perfectly reasonable experiment, Brainstorm, but your subject seems very agitated." To Pharma, she queries, "Could we use your existing communication equipment to tell him /what/ Brainstorm is trying to do? Ask him to hit the charger with as much power as he can, and measure how much he can put out? Then he might not panic, and it lets two experiments be performed at once: talking to him, /and/ the charge test." Because efficiency. And also a non-panicked insecticon.

Shrapnels mandibles snap together several times as he looks around. The sparks round his body seem to lessen a bit as he just peers at the food hatch. He doesn't immediately jump at the device yet even if part of it has been pushed in.

Nautica watches Shrapnel's apparent lessening of panic, clearly now wondering if he /already/ understands. Maybe he can understand what they say without translation, even if he doesn't speak in return.

Brainstorm glances over to Nautica and points out, "Well, yeah... EMFs are already used in certain healing applications, radio networks and feedback routines... and we're electrical beings so.... yeah, the possiblities are endless, really." He is just about to insert the device when he looks to Nautica. "He is?" The scientist turns to gaze upon the Insecticon and.... well, yeah.... guess he doesn't look all that happy. Those mandibles look fierce.

"Hey there big guy," He says to Shrapnel, "Don't worry! I just need a charge outta ya, that's all!" He tries to give the bug a thumbs-up, then looks back to Nautica. "Communicate with him? Yeah, sure, if you can... Maybe I could get him to do some controlled charges... amp it up each time?"

"I think he already knows." Pharma shrugs, and doesn't say anything else. He is kind of half-hoping Shrapnel will hit Brainstorm with a high voltage blast.

Looks like Pharma gets his wish as Shrapnel makes to grab the device and lets loose with a large burst of high voltage. Also at the same time he tries to pull it in possibly yanking the poor mech down. Electricity surges across his body as he does this.

"Oh, good, then hopefully he won't be so upset..." Nautica trails off as the bug /grabs/ at Brainstorm's device and starts pouring out the volts. Maybe Pharma was wrong, and the bug didn't understand? Either way, the femme gets to her feet quickly, rushing over to Brainstorm's side. Evidently, she intends to help brace the other bot and make sure he isn't pulled in too far; perhaps she doesn't think it would go well for anyone involved -- bot or bug -- if Shrapnel /actually/ managed to pull Brainstorm inside the cell.

Brainstorm is standing there, device half inside/half outside, when Shrapnel makes his move. The startled scientist gets jerked forward, slamming up against the doorway, then falls backwards towards Nautica. The device, meanwhile, absolutely sizzles with electrical energy, blue energy coursing and arcing all across its surface, channeling into the attached battery pack. Brainstorm falls to his knees with a loud "AAAIIGH!", jerking and flailing melodramatically... face down, seeming horrendously hurt.... and then he stops. All is still for a moment.

Suddenly he's standing upright, hands on hips. "OK. You guys didn't REALLY think I'd be doing this without some \*protection\*, right?" He lifts his feet, showing up the rubber soles underneath, then points into the seams around his chest and other vital places... also featuring some sort of rubber gel. Apparently he DOES hold self-preservation in high regard. Nonetheless, he hasn't emerged unscathed... and in fact it appears a few places weren't quite insolated enough- from those places some thin wisps of smoke- and an acrid smell- now emenate. He winces and pats them down. "Ow. Next time... I'm wearing the rubber suit." He limps about a bit, "Ow. Er. Ee, "wincing with each footfall.

The device goes into the cell with Shrapnel... though the Insecticon will discover it has a small forcefield that activates should he try biting down on it. Outright physical attack won't destroy it- easily, at least.

Pharma chuckles at the spectacle Brainstorm is making. "Good to know you have at least -some- measure of common sense.

Nautica glances over at Pharma, perhaps in silent agreement; sometimes, genius and common sense don't always go hand-in-hand. Even Nautica's fallen prey to that once or twice, when too engrossed in a project. "Well, I'm glad you're alright. And as for you..." She kneels back down to examine the insecticon, making certain nothing's wrong. She seems genuinely concerned for the bug. But, hey, maybe it's just that no one wants to lose an experimental subject.

Except for his body twitching a lot Shrapnel looks alright, though his EMF readings would show him frustated. The source being obvious as he tries to bite the gun several times before using his mandibles to throw it aside. Optics look to outside the enclosure at the three standing there.

Brainstorm says to Pharma, "Hey, I'll have you know that I'm VERY safe!" There's a pause and he mutters, "Those... twenty-three safety violations I got saddled with notwithstanding..." He brushes himself off and turns to look at Nautica. "Thanks!" Then he looks at the bug, too... or more specifically the device the Insecticon just tossed aside. Pulling out a remote control, Brainstorm begins fiddling with commands. Soon the device in the chamber with Shrapnel begins to hum again. The electricity starts racing and arcing once more, and the humming noise just gets louder and louder.

At the noise Shrapnel quickly turns towards the device, sparks arcing off his body. Walking over he looks down at it but doesn't immediately strike. Its obvious he figured he can't take a bit out of the thing and as its also sparking with electricity taht shocking it won't work. Yet the noise is really starting to get him irritated. This proven as he picks it up with his mandibles again starts shaking it.

Nautica remains crouched next to the cage, as if inspecting the bug within and watching to see what comes of all this. The femme's expression is almost certainly near-impossible to see for the other two bots, but the insecticon could well have a better look from his angle. And what's visible on the Camien's face, albeit only briefly, is a slowly growing confusion, a sense that her shiny new employer has a tarnish on it after all, just like so much of the rest of the planet she finds herself on. Then she schools her expression back to curiosity, watching the bug and the device.

Brainstorm continues fiddling with his controls, looking at some readings... and then his optics widen in alarm. "Ooops." He then just stands there, staring. Shrapnel will discover that the humming only gets worse the more he shakes it... and the blue currents only become faster, harder and more heated now as well. Something appears to be going wrong.... The scientist begins frantically pushing buttons again, "This... is bad. Yes, bad. Very bad..." He mumbles to himself nervously as he keeps trying to find something that works.

He glances towards Nautica and Pharma. "That bug is \*powerful\*! It charged my electrocharger \*more\* than I expected... and now I can't \*stop\* it... Hold on, maybe I can. Wait, no. Never mind. Wait, yes. Wait... I got this, DON'T WORRY." He still sounds quite panicy himself and mashes buttons even more, but the humming is getting even more insistant... if Shrapnel doesn't throw it aside, he could get quite a nasty surprise soon.....

For a moment the bug keeps shaking the device before finally dropping it. Shrapnel turns to looks towards the others nearby though doesn't move away from the humming device. Optics scanning those that are watching it.

Nautica makes a soft noise of relief when Shrapnel /doesn't/ detonate the device and blow them all away. Good insecticon! She offers him another smile. Glancing back at Pharma, she adds, "Does he have a name? I feel like I shouldn't just keep calling him 'the bug'." It's a reasonable question; plenty of experimental subjects have designations, after all.

Brainstorm breathes a visible sigh of relief (despite not actually breathing) as Shrapnel drops the device... though at the impact, the noise it makes just changes and starts to become a high-pitched whine. The scientist winces at that, still fiddling with the romote before finally BAHing and throwing it aside to grab something else. He glances to Nautica and pauses just long enough to look at the card that gained them entry here. "Ummmm... says here Chamber Number 23-INS16. Maybe that's his name? Dunno..."

He looks at Nautica. "Uh.... I don't suppose you could try communicating with him, could you? Use that EMF you were atlking about? Maybe at least ask him to put that device back through the door? Hmmm?" He keeps fiddling with the new remote.

Whatever they do, they should do soon... the device in the cel is starting to glow.....

"That is /not/ a name," Nautica insists, gazing at Shrapnel in the cage. "I don't have the vocabulary to talk to him that way. To understand him. But I wonder if he doesn't understand us..." She kneels back down, examining the insecticon. "/Do/ you understand me without a translator? Can you understand any of what I'm saying?"

Glancing over at Brainstorm, Nautica adds, "How long /do/ we have before that thing does something really unpleasant to the area?"

Shrapnel ignores the glowing device as he looks between the mech and the femme that are watching him. His mandibles twitch at the whine and he skitters away from the device. Looking to Nautica he tilts his head. Taking several steps closer to where Nautica is standing.

Brainstorm looks like he's torn between trying to mash some more buttons and flinging the remote like it's some sort of hot potato. "I...uh... At least a breem, maybe two!" Suddenly a loud beeping adds itself to the cacophony mix. His expression falls and shoulders slump. "Okay, more like a micro-breem." He looks at the femme sadly. "Not long." There's a brief glance towards the door-and an exit.

The Insecticon's movements are noted, however. "Ok! Ok! He responded! This is good! Yes! I think!" He hops around excitedly, "Now just try to get him to shove that thing through and I'll stand here by the slot with one of my mini-forcefields..." And he does just that, bringing out what looks like a container and beginning to punch buttons on THAT contraption, as well. Seems Brainstorm has an endless upply of doohickies at least.

Nautica offers Shrapnel a smile, and points to the device. "That thing, there. The bad thing." Sorry, Brainstorm; it's pretty clear to the Camien femme that the insecticon doesn't like your (explosive, what a shock) battery system. "Can you bring it to me, over there? Otherwise, it's going to hurt us. And you, too." She points to the food slot. Then the device, then the food slot.

She pauses, looking at Brainstorm. "Couldn't you have sent something /in/ to fetch it? Wait, no, I suppose you've made our little friend here upset enough he'd probably any remote out, wouldn't he." She glances at the insecticon as she asks this. It's probably rhetorical.

Shrapnel looks to Nautica, the device, and finally the food slot. Walking back to it he doesn't pick it up yet with his mandibles though does slightly nudge it a bit. Turning towards the slot where Brainstorm is he seems to emit a slight wave of irritation thats growing. He doesn't seem to be doing anything for a moment.

But what he does next is certainly going to be a surprise to everyone as his form shifts and he transforms into robot mode. The Insecticon just stands there for a moment looking at his hands before finally picking up the device. Walking over to the hatch he tries not to slam it back outside, though by his face he still is a bit angry but also confused.

Brainstorm is in mid-finger mash when he looks up...and Shrapnel \*transforms\*. Everything else is forgotten for a moment. He simply stands there, gawking. Finally the silence is broken with, "He...he... he transformed." He stares a bit longer, then slowly looks to Nautica. "He \*transformed\*, Nautica." Yes, it's nice to know he has such a firm grasp of the obvious.

He continues staring until Shrapnel thrusts the device through the slot- and Brainstorm does finally remember he's got a job to do. He has to hurry, but he manages to catch the contraption in time, quickly enveloping it in the container... and immediately activating the forcefield. The dangerous noise and energy dissapates, and all is normal once more.

Except... well, for the Insecticon standing there in front of them.... in root mode.

It's clear Nautica is somewhat surprised by this, but... still, perhaps somewhat /less/ surprised than she maybe should be. "He did," she agrees, watching Shrapnel for a long moment. "Pharma said he had evidence of sentience; I'm not sure we should be surprised that could include transformation." It definitely makes her less comfortable having the insecticon in the cage, though.

Then the Camien femme strides over towards the food slot, takes a serving, and holds it through the slot. As she does so, she watches the insecticon in the cell, and -- meeting his optics with her own -- says politely, "Thank you."

Yeah brainiac a insecticon transformed, course he's still silent as before though he still sends emf signals. Shrapnel glares at Brainstorm behind his visor but doesn't make any hostile moves. Infact he's looking around almost like expecting someone to try to come inside the enclosure. Turning his attention to Nautica as she holds out the food, he takes it and nods before taking a bite with his new mouth.

Right now all things seem strange to him once again, but least for the moment he seems to have fully calmed down. Though now he's gonna need a new place to stay. Whether its with any other Insecticons will be another question for the future.

Brainstorm watches Nautica thank the Insecticon, and he adds a mumbled, "Yeah... what-what she said!" He's still just \*very\* surprised by this all. His sense return, though, and he's soon on his radio announcing this to everyone in his department, and being sure to emphasize it happened \*because\* of his brilliance. Near-meltdown of the entire facility? Ehhh, details, details!

He turns to Nautica and says, "Now see what I meant? THIS is the kind of excitement you can expect! Bombs? Nothing compared to THIS kind of stuff!" He waves his hand, then sets to work retrieving his device... he'll have a lot of data to garner from it. And soon- other scientists will begin coming in to see this new development. Indeed, Shrapnel's life has changed... but for the better or for worse? Only time will tell.