Transformers: Survival of Defective Products

Shockwave turned and led her toward the experimental area.

The vector followed, and as each isolation door opened, the ominous premonition became more concrete.

Shockwave eventually led her into an empty laboratory where all equipment was shut down and the network was disconnected from the main system of the Nemesis.

He had cleared other researchers' access permissions beforehand, so the privacy measures seem to be adequate.

Vector crossed his arms: "Speak."

Shockwave said without any preamble: "After learning that your consciousness once belonged to a human, I developed a desire to study it."

The laboratory was deathly silent. The optical mirror that guided the vector narrowed dangerously, struggling to suppress the twitching at the corner of its mouth.

"I'll give you a chance to rephrase your words."

"Research desire is not the same as research authority," Shockwave quickly added. "I will not conduct any consciousness testing or sampling on you without your permission."

"You still want to take samples?"

"think."

Vector reference: ...He doesn't even lie at all, or embellish it slightly!

"But it won't be carried out," Shockwave said.

He opened a separate screen, which displayed an extremely complex neural network structure. Two sets of brain module models were connected by a large number of wires, with load limiters, information extraction nodes, and consciousness stabilization devices sandwiched in between.

The vectoring force only glanced at it before its fins tensed: "What is this?"

"Cerebral cortical neural connections."

"Function?"

"By directly connecting two Cybertronian brain modules, we can read memories, extract information, and even enter the other's consciousness under certain conditions."

The magnetic field of the attracting vector exploded instantly, and the metal equipment on the experimental platform emitted a low sound at the same time.

Why was she forced to activate her Spinosaurus form twice so soon after arriving on Earth?!

Several metal robotic arms floated up around the shockwave, and the doors behind him automatically locked.

"Who have you tried it on?"

Shockwave offered no resistance: "Prisoners of war."

"voluntary?"

"no."

The vector's expression turned completely cold: "How many times?"

"Limited number of times."

"Limited does not equate to reasonable."

"Agreed." His answer was so calm that it made it difficult for her to vent her anger.

"You used this kind of thing to pry open other people's brain modules, and you're only telling me now?"

"Yes."

Why?

"Because you requested a full disclosure of all technologies that might involve the consciousness entity and the autonomy of the Spark," Shockwave explained without wavering. "This technology meets the requirements. Usage records, original design, modification parameters, and known side effects have been compiled."

Shockwave even provides data on side effects immediately.

[Brain module overload.]

Short-term memory impairment.

[The boundaries of consciousness are blurred.]

In extreme cases, this could lead to permanent cognitive impairment.

Yin Xiang's temples throbbed; although she no longer had temples, she still felt a dull ache in that area: "You knew the side effects were so severe, yet you still dared to use it?"

"During war, the value of intelligence was judged to outweigh individual risk. Today, that judgment no longer aligns with current standards for subject rights." Shockwave paused for a moment, "Therefore, I submitted it voluntarily."

The more he listened to the vector, the more he couldn't control himself from slapping it.

This machine did not shirk its responsibility; it simply admitted that it had developed and used the equipment, and now that it knew it violated the rules she established, it handed the equipment over.

The vector was still angry, but it just couldn't deal with him like it would a criminal who refused to admit his mistakes.

Shockwave continued to present additional data, showing that he had added load limiters, automatic disconnection procedures, and brain module voltage regulators to the technology. While these improvements could not completely eliminate the risks, they significantly reduced the probability of permanent damage.

"The above improvements provide technical support for other machines to perform connections, preventing the brain module of the connected device from collapsing," he explained "thoughtfully."

After a few seconds of silence, Yin Vector desperately suppressed the urge to punch him: "So you're creating danger while simultaneously figuring out how not to crash?"

"Accurate." Shockwave's tone remained flat, but Vector inexplicably detected a hint of seriousness in that single eye.

He truly believed that minimizing damage was more correct than letting the consequences unfold.

Vector has always felt that this machine is like a giant rabbit that is seriously oversized.

Humans often think that rabbits are quiet, docile, and easy to care for, but in reality they are incredibly stubborn, have quite a temper, and will gnaw on anything.

After causing trouble, they'll squat in the same spot, looking at you with a wise look that completely fails to understand why you're angry.

Ordinary rabbits might at most chew up electrical wires, but this damn rabbit, Shockwave, developed a technology to read memories.

The vector pulls back the drifting magnetic field: "Pack all the data and hand it over to the judicial center."

"Prepared, including historical usage records. The two existing sets of related equipment will be voluntarily handed over."

Shockwave placed a data core on the table. After confirming its location, she connected the data core to the judicial system and, having reviewed it, announced:

"I will freeze your rights to independently manufacture, possess, and use this technology, but your authorship will be retained. If you wish to improve the side effects in the future, you can apply, but it must be done under the supervision of the judicial authorities and medical personnel. Even if the technology is perfected, any future connections must be made voluntarily and with full informed consent."

"Accepted." Shockwave paused, then logically asked, "If there is an emergency or high-risk individual, and the necessary information cannot be obtained through other means, can this be activated?"

"Apply for emergency judicial clearance. If there is indeed no time, submit the complete record immediately afterward for review."

"Reasonable."

The final confirmation step is to complete the vector input.

[Original holder's individual usage rights: Frozen.]

Existing equipment: Pending handover.

[Technical information: Judicially sealed.]

Looking at the shockwave that showed no emotional fluctuation, she was truly puzzled: "Aren't you even a little bit dissatisfied?"

"Your restrictions are logical," Shockwave said, looking at the screen. "And the technology can continue to be improved under legal conditions."

Vector closed the interface, not wanting to listen to his illogical but infuriating ramblings any longer, so he changed the subject: "Anything else?"

"have."

Sure enough, she knew it wouldn't end so easily!

Shockwave looked at her, his single eye slightly contracting: "I want to use the cortical neural connections to understand your past."

The tools on the lab table vibrated slightly again, prompting Yin Vector to take a deep breath: "Are you deaf?"

"This application is based on your own willingness." "I don't want to."

"Reason?" "My brain module isn't a data storage container!"

Shockwave paused briefly to think, presumably carefully analyzing the reason. Before he could utter another outrageous statement, Vector quickly said, "You can ask me anything you want to know."

"Language descriptions are subject to subjective omissions, memory biases, and information loss."

"That's still better than you threading a wire into my brain."

"The risk can be further reduced."

"no."

"It can make a two-way connection."

I paused for a moment, unsure if I understood it correctly.

Shockwave continued, "In exchange, you can read all my memories."

She was completely stunned, because the shockwave did not hesitate at all, as if it were just ordinary experimental data.

But those memories include all his research findings, war records, mistakes, choices, and emotional activities that he never showed to other machines.

This is completely opening up the brain module, which is even more dangerous than disassembling the spark chamber.

"...Are you serious?!"

"Yes."

"...Do you think I'm refusing because the exchange is unfair?"

"This is one of the main problems."

Vector held his head in his hands, almost shouting, "This is so unfair!!! The problem is, why do we even need to activate the brain module?!"

Shockwave reconsidered, and in his logic, if both parties are willing, the information exchange is equal, and the risks are controlled, then the solution is worth discussing.

The vector finally understood completely: this guy's thought process was entirely different from everyone else's! Their underlying logic was completely different!!

"In short, no way!!!"

"Understood." He answered readily, but it felt like punching cotton.

"However," she sighed, "I can say it verbally."

The brightness of the single eye of the shockwave changed slightly: "There is an information error in the oral account."

"So, are you going to listen or not?"

"Listen." The response was even faster than when the technology was frozen.

Yin Xiang looked at him for a while, and finally started talking about his past life. He didn't talk about many family details, but he frankly admitted his initial fear.

Shockwave quickly drew a related conclusion: "The early unstable survival environment led you to attach great importance to system redundancy, risk isolation, and the ability of an organization to operate independently of individuals."

Yin Xiang said expressionlessly, "This isn't about writing a research report."

The shockwave stopped, as if it were seriously considering something. After organizing its thoughts, it spoke: "That pressure of survival should not be borne by a single life."

This statement, which was quite out of character for him, made Vector pause for a moment before he continued, "If I had known your coordinates and status at the time, I would have prioritized repairing your machine and preventing the recycling process."

Even if we didn't know each other back then?

"You are an existing entity and meet the eligibility criteria for assistance."

Shockwave couldn't go back in time, and he didn't know how to directly express his heartache, so he could only tell her what he would have done if he had been there.

"Thank you," she said.

Shockwave lowered his head slightly: "Do you still experience identity conflict due to your human experiences?"

"No, after all, it's not a matter of one covering the other."

The shockwave recorded the sentence, then quickly stopped, and immediately followed up with a question: "Can it be recorded?"

The vector was somewhat surprised: "Okay."

Only then did he officially save it.

-

"I would also like to know about your family, education, and experiences in human society."

"Ask later." "Accept."

Seeing how smoothly he agreed, Yin Vector felt he'd overlooked something: "Could you bypass these conditions and use a different technique?"

There is currently no alternative.

"Even if you have one in the future, you're not allowed to!"

The shockwave paused for two seconds: "Accept."

This time it was finally blocked, and the vector control finally breathed a sigh of relief.

She originally came to the Retribution ship to discuss her human identity, but the judicial center ended up with another highly invasive consciousness technology. Fortunately, Shockwave handed it over voluntarily.

His willingness to open up all his memories... this frankness is both sincere and terrifying.

-

After leaving the laboratory, she walked along the corridor, but before she even left the experimental area, she saw two machines standing in front of her.

Red Spider leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, his wings twitching impatiently. Knockout stood on the other side, looking down at the sharpness of the edge of his fingertips.

Seeing her come out, Red Spider immediately stood up straight: "Finally finished talking?"

Knocked down, he raised his head and smiled lazily: "We were almost ready to knock on the door."

//It seems everyone misunderstood my GB (ghost name). Many people assume women are subservient and subject to the gaze, hence the change. [In this story, Cybertronians do not have X-ray organs; they only have data connections and Spore fusion. The female protagonist is completely dominant.]