Chapter 1: Caged Animals

Plot: Autobots lose the war and are enslaved by the Decepticons. The Dinobots get broken up and pawned off to other 'Cons, and Grimlock, belonging to Megatron, fights in the gladiator ring to give his fellow Dinobots more freedom than the other slaves.

Ships (cuz I'm a sucker for luvs): Grimlock/Soundwave, Swoop/Thundercracker, Sludge/Scavenger, Slag/Breakdown, Snarl/Shockwave, Megatron/Optimus (kinda in a creepy way), one-sided Grimlock/First Aid, First Aid/Swindle, and whatever the hell else I feel like :| cuz I said so

Author's Note(s): So uh this was an old idea I had, and is strictly experimental. I thought of a crack ship with two of my characters of all time, and I wanted to put them in a plot where it could work. The characters might be slightly OOC but some things are just hard to edit out eheh… anyways, as usual, reviews and critiques would be greatly appreciated. I like being told my stories suck ;U; Also I'd like to let those of you that don't knowWRITING FOR SOUNDWAVE IS REALLY HARD okay done

Warnings/Disclaimer: I really hope I don't actually have to say anything in this bitch like you suckers better freakin know that I don't own anything

Life was cruel, the king had come to realize. He glared out of his cell at the pathetic lifeforms tossing various harmless objects at him and his only family he had left. He roared and stomped, trying to scare them off, but even the most fearsome monster looks like a miniscule petrorat behind bars. He tried to shield the cowering figures behind him, and every time one of the projectiles passed his own hulking frame the light yelp erupting from one of his brothers only fed his rage. He felt the flames boil in his chassis, and before a disaster could unfold, the doors to the chamber slid open.

A stoic blue and white mech stood in the doorway, his red visor fixed on the smaller culprits. Their optics grew wide and they frantically looked around before darting out of the room. The large dinobot narrowed his gaze but sat on his haunches, scrutinizing the tape deck. Two small mechs, one black and red, one blue and purple, taunted and yelled at the vandals as they ran away. The larger mech ignored them, heading towards the cage and moving inside.

The Decepticon's fingers lightly ran along the king's metal plating, checking for any injuries. The t-rex jerked away, motioning toward his comrades.

"Me Grimlock fine," he growled lowly. The Decepticon TIC seemed to hesitate before turning his attention to the others. Swoop shivered, hiding behind his wings, and was obviously frightened, though he sustained no damage. Sludge cowered behind the king, but seemed to perk up at the sight of the tape deck. He pressed his helm against the navy mech's chassis, and chirped as he received a light pat in return.

The 'Con turned his attention to Slag, who was silent and motionless in the back. Ever since the war ended, he had refused to say a word, and he had no drive to move on his own. It was worrisome, but he wasn't refusing his energon, so the TIC figured it could be worse. Snarl, as usual, was shielding the triceratops in an aggressive stance. He glared at their caretaker, suspicion and distrust apparent in his posture. The caretaker decided he was fine. At least, as fine as he would be.

"You Soundwave go away!" the stegosaurus snapped, his tail lashing from side to side. The targeted mech let out a heavy intake before his cassettes Rumble and Frenzy rushed inside.

"Man, Soundwave, you shoulda seen the way those bozos dashed off!" Frenzy cackled, not paying attention to his surroundings. He tripped over an empty cube of energon, plowing into Slag who barely twitched. Snarl reeled around roared in the small mech's face, earning a yelp as Frenzy ran away. Rumble laughed out loud, collapsing onto the floor while kicking his legs. The noise caused Swoop to whine and hide further behind his wings, and Grimlock growled at the purple and blue puddle on the floor. Rumble reduced the uproar he was causing, struggling to stand up while still awkwardly giggling. Grimlock huffed and turned to Soundwave, stepping forward intimidatingly.

"Annoying bugs come in again today! You Soundwave say they never bother us again!" he scolded with a stomp of his clawed pede. The comms officer didn't even flinch. He removed his face mask, biting the inside of his lip plate as he went over which facial expression would be the best to both express his feelings and comfort the touchy dinobot. He settled on an apologetic smile.

"Sorry," he mumbled quietly with a hint of discomfort, "It seems as if I have underestimated their resilience, as well as their need to disobey direct orders." He widened his grin, the expression looking awkward and misplaced on his white faceplate. He had forgotten how to be "casual", but the dinobots didn't respond well to his formality.

Grimlock didn't understand half of the words that came out of the TIC's vocalizer, but he could assume what he meant. He huffed and laid back down, his jaw lightly bumping against Soundwave's legs, forcing him to fall over. The king placed his snout on the tape deck's lap, and the navy mech gently stroked his snout. This wasn't uncommon behavior, so it wasn't awkward as it used to be. The Autobots were apparently very affectionate with the large mechs, and ever since they had grown more accustomed to Soundwave's presence, they had begun to crave that same tenderness (aside from Slag). It was awkward, at first, because the stoic mech only really showed such affection to his cassettes. But after they had demanded his attention a few more times, he grew used to the closeness.

"Me Swoop not like tiny mechs," the timid dinobot grumbled, cuddling up to Sludge's flank.

"Man, those slagheads are always a pain in the aft," Rumble sighed, walking over to stroke the pterodactyl's wings. Swoop brushed his beak along the cassetticon's faceplate, earning a surprised giggle.

"Me Snarl bust their helms in next time!" he snapped, inching closer to the vacant Slag. He turned away from the others in favor of quietly whispering in Slag's audio receptors, trying to get him to respond. As he usually attempted.

Soundwave released a gust of air from his vents, finding it difficult to reveal the pity that had flared in his spark. He continued to stroke Grimlock's snout, turning his gaze from the large figures huddled in the corner to the t-rex's closing optics.

"Me Sludge want to take a walk," the mech whined, his vocalizer full of static and distorted. It was damaged during the war, and during the dinobot's inspection they had discovered it was irreparable. Frenzy squatted in front of the large mech, patting his shoulder in sympathy.

"It's a'ight, buddy, I'm gonna talk to Lord Megadope tomorrow, I promise!" he lied. Megatron had strict orders to keep the large slaves confined, fearing what exactly they'd do if they were allowed to roam the streets. Even though they had collars to prevent them from taking violent action, their hulking frames stomping around the unsound structures of a city under construction could prove to be disastrous. However, Soundwave didn't bother to correct him. It made him strangely uncomfortable to see his former formidable opponents in such a weary state. They were very proud and seemed to ooze strength, but after the war, they were behaving more like broken animals. Just a step before becoming pets.

Perhaps it was because they lacked a certain mental capability. With the others, he felt no remorse. They could comprehend the war and their actions, and they could handle the torments of slavery. They were fully aware of what they've done, and they consciously made the decision to fight against them. He didn't care about them. But the dinobots didn't seem to understand. They were designed to be mindless fighting machines, born with a mental handicap that would never be taken away. They didn't have a choice on which side to fight for, and they definitely didn't have the ability to handle the life of a slave. The TIC's red gaze drifted back to Slag, his blue optics hollow, his frame completely still. Snarl kept bumping his snout against the triceratops' shoulder, whispering for some sort of response.

They were shattered reflections of what they used to be, and they didn't have the right level of understanding to see it. Something about it simply broke his spark.

"Me Grimlock say you all be quiet!" the king rumbled, "Me Grimlock want to sleep!"

Soundwave decided to let out a chuckle and grin, letting his amusement show. The next few moments were silent, aside from Snarl's mumblings and the quiet snore emanating from Grimlock's hulking frame. The sound of the doors hissing open caused Swoop to yelp in shock, and all optics turned to the frame in the doorway. Soundwave quickly fumbled for his face mask, snapping it on in an embarrassed flurry.

"Well, this certainly isn't what I expected," the multi-colored seeker mused with a smirk, "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were being affectionate, Soundwave."

"Me Grimlock not like puny jet," the dinobot grumbled while rising to his pedes, "Why you Starscream here?" Soundwave awkwardly stood as well, and motioned for Rumble and Frenzy to join him at his sides.

"You're all needed in the throne room," the seeker sang while leaning against the doorway, "And I mean every single one of you."

"Does that mean me Sludge get to go for walk?!" the mech asked, his excitement causing his optics to shine. Soundwave's spark sank with dread, and he did his best to keep his posture stiff. Whatever business Lord Megatron could possibly have with the dinobots couldn't be good.

"Whoa whoa, Screamer, what in Primus' name could Megs want with the dinobots!?" Frenzy demanded.

"Yeah! They ain't done nothin' wrong!" Rumble interjected, supporting his brother.

"Who said they did anything wrong, you nitwits?" Starscream scowled at the cassetticons, "Lord Megatron wants to see them, so he will see them."

Soundwave turned to see the hulking frames behind him, their expressions of fear and outrage causing the utmost sympathy to well in his spark. His scarlet gaze wandered back to the seeker, his smirk returning full force as he smugly regarded the group behind bars.

"Request: state Megatron's reasoning?"

"That's for you to find out," the seeker purred as he left the chamber.