Sup dawgz! This is set in the Animated universe, loosely between the episodes Five Servos of Doom, and Predacons Rising. This will eventually be Shockwave x Blurr (my otp, insert mindless squealing here), with splashes of... whatever else I decide to stuff in there. All will be explained in time! ...Well. Most, anyways. Despite being set in the Animated universe, I will, as you'll see, obviously be borrowing things/characters from other universes. Just imagine them Animated-ified. Questions? Message me, I'll be happy to talk! There will be no OC's in this. Anyone/thing you see can be looked up on the transformers wiki. I don't own anything. If you want to hear the song this fic is named after, youtube 'unfragment english subtitles' and hit up the first link. Good stuff. As of writing what you are reading now, I've written several chapters ahead. I have a plot set out already. Not looking for crit, just doing this for fun! Will be updating at least once a week. On to the fic!
Out on the Decepticon front of New Kaon, things were relatively quiet, as usual. There was the occasional skirmish, but among a group of such rough caliber, this was common. On this day however, the peace was disrupted by the appearance of an extremely large ship with a very decidedly Autobot energy signature.
"This is Megatron speaking! Hold your fire! I repeat, hold your fire! This vessel is under decepticon control!"
This voice was enough to send the entire fleet into a frenzy.
"There are multiple ships attempting to contact us, sir." Shockwave turned from the communications panel, looking to Megatron.
"I am not surprised. Open all channels, and broadcast what I am about to say on all known decepticon frequencies."
Shockwave switly tapped at the console, then turned back to Megatron, nodding.
"Fellow Decepticons, I believe it is time to regroup. It is now 1700. My generals will meet me at 2000, for further instructions. I realize that this is sudden, and I do not doubt that many questions have arisen, but have patience. All will be explained in due time. Megatron out."
The comm was turned off, and Megatron stood still for a moment, before cycling a deep intake of air.
"Starscream. Shockwave. Lugnut. Take an hour to recharge. I have some matters I must tend to personally. Afterwards, I want you at full attention and at your best peformance. You are dismissed."
Lugnut and Shockwave stood and gave a low bow before exiting. Starscream barely leaned over, earning a narrowing of the eyes from Megatron, and sauntered casually out of the room.
Shockwave was simultaneously relieved, and unsettled to be back near New Kaon. Relieved, because he didn't have to keep up his intel autobot ruse anymore. Unsettled, because here...it was a bleak reminder of why this war had been going on so long in the first place. Cybertron was a bustling, lively friendly place. They had it so very easy there. Energon was at least in supply enough to not require rationing, and there was far more order. Here, it was a daily fight just to survive. They'd been forced off to the side, banished, left to fend for themselves, to find their own sources of energon, and even then they had to fight the autobots for what they did find. The part he actually found disappointing was that there were so many young people fighting, that had been sparked right before the loss of the Allspark, and just after the war had started. They'd been fed so much autobot propaganda...
It was no use beating a dead spark plug. He'd been through these thoughts so many times already on Cybertron, and it was not something he wished to rehash at the moment. He wouldn't be on this ship much longer, so Shockwave had come to the conclusion that recharging in one place would be just the same as recharging in another, and he picked off a random quarters to rest in.
Back on earth, Soundwave was thoroughly exasperated. After his sound defeat at the hands of the Autobots, he'd been left beneath the catacombs of the city to rebuild himself. He had done so, making a few major modifications to himself. Being built on earth, he was made of far, far weaker materials than his fellow decepticons. This, however, he would not let turn into a disadvantage. Instead, he'd constructed smaller, faster, more agile decepticons to help him, all fashioned out of his ability to manipulate sound. His shoulders were perches for twin subwoofers, Rumble and Frenzy. The cab on his back transformed into a DJ turntable, Ravage. From compartments in his chest were hidden various instruments: Laserbeak, Buzzsaw, and Ratbat. They would not, obviously, be as intelligent as him, but all he really needed for them was to be able to follow orders. This was the exact cause of his exasperation.
"Rumble. Noise: Unneeded. Potential to attract unwanted attention: High."
Rumble whined, twisting his earpiece and switching it off. "It's so BORING down here! Whadda we supposed to do if we can't at least play music?"
"Suggestion: Assist in repairing of Frenzy."
In the corner, Frenzy was sulking.
"Not my fault he busted out his speakers," huffed Rumble, but he rooted around for a few tools anyways, and stopped at the exit, looking back at his twin. "Ya comin' or what? We ain't got all day! Laserbeak is probably gonna be back with grub any time now!"
Had he been able to speak, Frenzy probably would've had a few choice words for Rumble, but he got up and followed him out anyways.
At first, Soundwave had almost regretted making his creations. Rumble and Frenzy were both noisy and rambunctious, always eager to get out of the sewers and underground catacombs, and explore the city. The two had happily and willingly immersed themselves in earth's culture, and Soundwave had a difficult time convincing the two that humans were not to be trusted. At night though, he had time to reflect. It was quiet. And he found that having his creations around made his time more bearable. He had not been able to contact any other decepticons, and going to the autobots was an automatic no. His creations were company. And despite their personalities, they were his. Laserbeak and Buzzsaw took more after him, quiet and reflective. Ravage, curled up on his lap and recharging, had been that way too, but after an accident with a toaster... Well. The social networking system of earth was no longer safe.
All Soundwave could do now was lay in wait, and hope that someone, any decepticon out there, would hear him so he could finally return to Megatron.
"TC."
A wibbly, frightened voice wavered in the distance, and Thundercracker ignored it and grunted, poking through a pile of old musty boxes. He doubted he'd find anything remotely useful in this old abandoned garbage dump, but at the moment, fuel was scarce, and even his pride couldn't override his need to survive. After all, he was far too awesome to just fade away.
"TeeeeCeeeeee~~!"
The voice was getting closer, more panicked, and higher in pitch. Thundercracker sighed and dropped yet another useless box, and turned around, met by an armful of sobbing Skywarp.
"TC, I swear, this time it wasn't a shadow, it was big and grey and I think it had fangs, and it's out there, and it's going to come eat us and we're going to DIE!" He clung to Thundercracker's chest, and probably would've fallen, if the egomaniac wasn't supporting him - and he stopped doing just that, Skywarp falling to the ground as TC pushed him off and stepped back.
"According to you, everything's going to eat us. How many times have I told you? Nothing is here. I've been -watching-. Carefully. You think these eagle eyes would miss something, Skywarp? Besides, even if anything was here, they'd be no match for me anyways. Now quit your whining."
Thundercracker reached down, grabbed Skywarp's hand, and yanked him up. The cowardly decepticon hugged himself, and continued to look fearfully in the direction he'd come running from.
"I... ...I-I ...guess so... I'm sorry TC!"
"Yes, yes. Now, try to be at least half as useful as I am, and go look through that scrap metal heap."
Skywarp whimpered, and edged slowly over to the pile of scrap. It was a quiet pile... Nothing was moving in it. Nothing...smelled weird. ...Okay...maybe this was...safer than the other piles. He started sorting gingerly through the metal with his pointer and thumb fingers, picking up each piece as if it would explode on contact. Half an hour brought him about a third of the way through the pile without incident, and he was -almost- relaxed for Skywarp standards, when a slight glow under a metal panel caught his eye. He covered his mouth with his hands, stepping back quietly.
"TC," he whispered, "IT'S GLOWING!"
Thundercracker snorted, and wandered over. "Okay drama queen, what did you find this time?"
The pile was, indeed, glowing. But not with the familiar pink glow of the energon he'd been hoping for. This was a pale, faded blue, and he moved a few more panels aside, to reveal a large crumpled blue cube of metal. The glow was coming from the middle, emanating from what looked like...someone's spark? He picked the cube up, and peered into the crack. The spark was wedged between what looked like armor, and the remains of a spark casing.
"What is it, TC?"
"This is more of a.. Who is it. I don't know how it happened, but whoever this unlucky bot is, they got seriously compacted. ...They're still -alive-."
"A-alive?" Skywarp squeaked out. "It must have been whatever I saw! TC! Can we -please- leave? Please please?"
"Eh. Sure. There's nothing else here anyways. I went through the rest of the stuff while you did one pile, you slowpoke. We'd have had this done ages ago if you were as fast at this as I am, you know."
"I know...I'm really sorry! Really!"
TC huffed. "Shut up and come on." He stowed the cube, transformed, and shot off into space.
"Wah...wait, please wait!" Skywarp hurriedly transformed, and flew off after him.