Unwelcome News
Tikka-tappa, tikka-tappa, tikka-tappa...
Frenzy ran down the hallway, his clawed feet clicking against the floor. Scores of mech-sized doors passed by him, but they weren't the ones he waneted. Finally, near the end of the hallway, he reached one door that was slightly different than the others; it had more locks. Stopping in front of it, the miniscule 'bot raised himself up on his tip-toes and squeaked,
"Intercom." A green light flashed high above his head. "Starsabre! Hey, Starsabre!"
"Frenzy, do you know what time it is?" She didn't sound happy, and Frenzy was grateful for the door between the two of them.
"Uh, yeah. But I-"
"And can you tell me what most 'bots are doing at this time?"
"Er, recharging. But really-"
"Exactly. So you had better hope that I find what you have to say as important as you do."
Frenzy gulped. "M-Megatron wants you to come to the control room now."
"Slag." The green light went off, and Frenzy scuttled back down the hallway as fast as his tiny legs could carry him.
Starsabre's door opened and she emerged from within her quarters, rubbing her optics. Noticing that Frenzy was already long gone, she chuckled and walked down to the control room.
* * *
Soundwave sat at his usual spot in the control room, his fingers flying over the old-fashioned keyboard he liked to use. Frenzy jumped onto the desk next to the keyboard and looked from the wallscreen to Soundwave. The screen was blank. This could only mean one thing: for the first time in over 25 stellar cycles, Soundwave was nervous.
Behind Soundwave, on the bridge, Megatron was pacing. Starsabre was taking her sweet time getting to the control room, most likely it was payback for waking her up so early.
"If that femme doesn't get here in about two seconds..." Megatron growled. Soundwave twitched slightly at the sound of his voice, but continued typing nothing. Frenzy was wondering if Soundwave had knocked a wire loose when the door flew open.
"You called, Daddy?" She grinned toothily.
Soundwave stopped typing and seemed to stiffen considerably. "Frenzy, out."
"What?"
"Out."
"...Fine." The tiny 'bot jumped down from the desk and disappeared out the door.
Megatron scowled at his daughter. "I hope for your sake that you fell into a black hole by accident."
"This is a large compound, father. Especially when one's legs aren't as long as yours." She frowned, then grinned again. "So why did you want to talk to me?"
Soundwave stood up and turned to face Starsabre. He was moving even less than usual, and she got the feeling she wasn't going to like Megatron's answer. She took an impulsive step back. Megatron's smile grew as her's shrank, adding to her growing sense of horror.
"I called you here to tell you that you are to be wed to Soundwave."
"You're - you're...kidding, right?!"
Megatron simply stared at him, his expression spoke for itself. In desperation, Starsabre looked around the near-empty room, her optics coming to rest on Soundwave. The sight of him standing there, emotionless, filled her with rage.
"No!" Megatron's optic narrowed.
"You'll do as I say, girl."
"No! There's no way in the PIT that I would ever marry your... your... YOUR FRAGGING PET!" She stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her.
"Starsabre, get back here!" Megatron followed her, grumbling as he went.
The room was silent, except for the clacking of Soundwave's keyboard.
* * *
"Starsabre!" Megatron caught hold of Starsabre's wrist and she whirled aroud, teeth bared.
"Let go of me!" She tried to pull her arm away from him, but his grip was too strong. "Leave me alone! I HATE YOU!" On either side of the hallway, mechs poked their heads out of their rooms, then, seeing who it was, quietly retreated back into their rooms and closed the doors.
"Listen." Megatron gave Starsabre's arm a jerk to emphasize how important it was that she listen to him. "Listen. I know you don't 'love him,' and you've never had a conversation with him in your life, but it's not like I just woke up this morning and said to myself, 'hey, I think I'll make my daughter marry Soundwave.' No. This has been planned since your protoforming."
"Primus, that makes him, what, sixty-five stellar cycles old now? And how come you never told me about this before?!"
"He's not as old as you think, only twenty-five stellar cycles old. And I chose to tell you today, because, as of today, you are eighteen stellar cycles old."
"Oh... Oh yeah. Well, thanks for ruining my birthday!" She pulled away from her father and took off down the hallway.
"Hmph." Megatron turned around and walked back to the control room.
Entering the room, he was greeted by the sight of his least favorite son, Starscream.
"Megatron, there you are. Soundwave told me to tell you this: he says the Autobots are on the move near the base."
"What? Soundwave told you this?"
It was common knowledge among the Decepticons that Soundwave trusted and liked Starscream even less than Megatron himself, if that was even possible. The fact that he had told Starscream sensitive information was very strange. Of course, it could have been a plot to get Starscream in trouble, but if it was, it was a sloppy attempt, and sloppiness was not something usually attributed to Soundwave.
"Alright. We'll keep an eye on them."
