Red Alert paced along the hallway, fear rising inexplicably in his throat. He was being watched. He knew it. He turned quickly, vainly hoping for a glance of his pursuer. There was nothing.
With a slightly rattled look, Red Alerts optics went back to before him, on the camera destroyed within the Ark. For a moment one of his hallucinations threatened to rise, but at the last moment he beat it down, trembling. I hate this; it's too narrow, much, much too narrow. I need to get out of something so small, anyone can spot me.
The sound of a glitch-mouse scuttling nearby nearly made his spark fall right out of its casing from surprise. He turned, optics searching into the brightly lit corridors. He turned with a slight shiver. For a single moment he had the eerie sensation of somebody placing a hand upon his back, before he hurriedly brushed it off.
The sensation refused to leave however.
0o0o0o0o0o0
"Red Alert, you are to go on an enforced vacation to the Rocky Mountains-"
"WHAT?" Red Alert was tempted to scream; all it got out was a strangled squeak.
"Ratchet says your stress levels are much too high, and your work performance has been slipping lately. What you need is a short rest with no worries, and with the Aerialbots currently on strike, the Rocky Mountains are the best area."
Optimus Prime paused for a moment, as Red Alert was about to refuse. "Ratchet insists. Prowl will search you to make sure that your datapads are completely literature in nature, before you can go out on your own."
"But- But-" Red Alert spluttered for a moment before gathering all of his thoughts together, "Who's going to watch?"
"Inferno."
Red Alert slumped inwardly. There was no way he could smear Infernos name. None. The only way out was to convince Prowl, which was highly unlikely. The only good thing about this was the fact he could work on his plans in peace.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Apparently, no one had bothered to remind Ratchet that it was winter, a time when the mountains happened to be covered in the abominable stuff organics called 'snow'. Red Alert had listened to Perceptors long, long lecture on it. It had started somewhere with dust motes and ended in what electrons were.
Red Alert growled miserably to himself. Prowl had done a very good job of cleaning out his subspace. He only had eight 'illegal' datapads. Out of fifty. Eight is better then none, but Prowl didn't have to be so efficient about it however. Red Alert thought, shivering as a particularly cold blast of wind washed over him.
Silently he checked his coordinates, and adjusted minutely. He was nearly to the valley where apparently an Autobot friend had offered his 'summer home' to the Autobots use. It was only just being tested out now.
They had better have energon there. Otherwise I swear I will kill Prime. I don't care if I'll be tried for treason. They have to catch me first. And other such grim thoughts flew through Red Alerts CPU as he attempted to keep to the ice-slicked road.
A warm light appeared before him. Red Alert sighed in relief, and was about to rush forward when he paused, scanning the house with his sensors.
There was nothing inside. So who had turned the lights on?
Now fully wary, Red Alert circled around the house towards the garage, searching for danger around him and in the house. He wasn't quiet expecting a hand to shoot from the snow, and a monotone voice saying desperately, "Help…Required."
"Soundwave?" Red Alert squeaked. Out of all nightmares, this had to be the worst come true. The true second-in-command whom could read minds. Just what he needed.
For a single moment, all Red Alert could think was – What happened to my vacation? – before reality came back with a thump, making him wish that it hadn't.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
Soundwave watched his 'captor' with bemused optics beneath the visor. Oh yes, a little planning could go a long way. It had only taken him a moment to make the decision since Laserbeak had come back with the information that the security director would be 'vacationing' here.
It had taken little convincing for Hook to give him a vacation, and sent him off. Soundwave had moved fast to reach the area and to dispose of the organics before Red Alert reached the home. Then he simply settled down to wait. And his patience was well rewarded. Red Alert had finally come.
Red Alerts optics was constantly tracking him, no matter where the security director stood. Soundwave shifted into a slightly more comfortable position, making the security director freeze up for a moment, the low thrumming of his engine reaching Soundwaves auditory receptors.
It was an almost relaxing sound. Soundwave relaxed, knowing that the Autobot wouldn't kill him, not even torture him, until he could receive permission. Permission he was not going to get until the blizzard blew over.
Mother Nature seemed to be smiling at him today.
Red Alert jumped as a particularly loud gust of wind slammed into the metal walls. The garage was comfortably heated, but Red Alert took a half step back, closer to Soundwave before remembering himself and taking a full step away. Soundwave was perfectly content to wait.
He was still struggling to figure out why he had gone after the security director. He had jumped on the chance, but why? Why would he go after the paranoid security director? Soundwave allowed a secret smirk to pass under his mouth guard.
He had been telepathically sending Red Alert false messages, wearing him down for just this meeting. But why? Wailed his internal logic computer. Megatron would be pleased if he got the information, but even more pleased if he got the actual mech to torture.
Somehow, Soundwave felt a little uncomfortable at the thought of Red Alert in Megatrons cold, cruel hands. Silently he attempted to puzzle out the reason why he had been driven to meet Red Alert, until Red Alerts optics switched away from him, fixed on some point out in the storm. "Slag." He whispered. "Someone's comming."
Soundwave sat up, switching his own scanners on. Sure enough, the idiot Starscream had apparently followed him out here. Within a nanoclick of telepathic power he had the seeker quiet literally seeing stars. The resulting smash against the mountain was very satisfying along with the seekers cursing as he headed for the base to report, but that still left the one missile Starscream had managed to fire screeching towards them.
Red Alert burst through the garage door, and fired his own missile from his shoulder rocket, scanners holding true despite the howling wind.
Both missiles exploded close to the house in a terrifying boom. Red Alert stood, watching the skies for another attack, and not realizing that the next attack would come from behind.
Soundwave had only needed half a click to throw off the ropes that had bound him, and then he had followed Red Alert out into the storm. So as Red Alert looked for the attack in front, Soundwave slammed a fist onto the back of his neck.
0o0o0o0o0o0
Red Alerts onlined to a fuzzy room that lowly grew refocused as his optics focused. That missile… I forgot to look away, and something hit me…
A face loomed into his view. Red Alert didn't focus on it, instead curling into a miserable ball as the energon he had earlier threatened to come up. My CPU circuits must have been scrambled. He thought, somewhere deep within his CPU. The face didn't go away, and Red Alert could've sworn he felt the slightest brush of mind across mind.
The energon in his processor slowly settled, as he finally recognized who was before him. With a inward squeak he stiffened.
From Captor to captured. Soundwave has me effectively blocked off, unless I were to fire at him, but at this short range I'll be caught-
Soundwave nodded to a pile beside him. Red Alert recognized his weapons with a sinking spark. Then he noticed something. Soundwaves own weapons, unless built into him, were also within the pile. It gave Red Alert just the slightest hope for getting out in one piece.
"Inquiry acceptable?" Soundwave intoned, staring hard. Or at least Red Alert thought it was hard, he couldn't see beyond the visor. He realized with a start Soundwave had taken off his mouth guard.
"What do you want to know?" He asked, some slight curiosity tugging at him.
"Cassettes… undamaged. Inquiry…Why?"
Red Alert blinked. Oh, they got to him undamaged? I suppose that's good. Wait, what am I thinking? They're Decepticons! It seemed unimportant right now however as Red Alert scrambled through what he could say. At last he settled on, "We're Autobots. We… We don't torture prisoners unless they really get on our bad side."
"Data corresponds. Starscream tortured. Hook not tortured."
Red Alert sat up shakily, one hand pressed against the side of his head. Soundwave listened to the wind slowly beginning to drop down, and to the small, crazy urge deep within him. He didn't know why, but once, when he was very young he had been told such feelings didn't have any reason. It had been a very long time since he had felt such emotions, but the knowledge of his cassettes coming back to the Decepticons safely, sometimes with their data wiped sometimes not, had put him in a good mood.
So as Red Alerts optics shuttered for a split moment he leaned forward, one large arm easily pining the other mech against the wall as lips crushed together.
A muffled squeak came out of Red Alert, before he practically melted in Soundwaves strong grip. Soundwave was quick to press his advantage, fingers lightly skating over the trapped body beneath him. Red Alert moaned and whimpered, twisting himself into small knots, but not actually attempting to get away.
I can't believe how good this feels was the last thought shared by both.
Red Alert hesitated for a moment before walking into Autobot base. When he had woken up… after the whole interface, he had to decide he had made a very stupid mistake. Maybe the most wonderful mistake, but Soundwave was a Decepticon, and Red Alert was an Autobot.
Still he hesitated before entering to become part of Arks mainstream of life. It was not Ratchet he feared, but more of the fact that someone would find out. And, now came the haunting fear of the idea that one of Soundwaves cassettes dieing from a careless shot.
With a slight shake of his head, he entered into the Ark, ignoring the odd stares to report directly to Prime.
The one night was all he had, all he probably ever would have.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Soundwave effortlessly found Red Alert among the Autobots getting ready to battle. He had not been surprised at all when Red Alert had left silently. He would've done the same. Their positions were too much to be wasted. He had been a bit surprised when he saw the Autobot among the troops, but it was quickly replaced with amusement.
Within moments Soundwave had worked his way through the troops to Red Alert, and was reaching for the security director when Red Alert softly murmured something in his auditory receptors. Then, Blaster came out of nowhere, glaring fiercely. Soundwave decided to retreat until he was no longer quiet so surrounded by the enemy.
In his CPU he did carefully file away the coordinates and date Red Alert had told him.
A/n: I can't believe I actually did this, and I also do believe I got Soundwaves speech wrong. Totally wrong.