This is something I've been thinking about for awhile, but I only recently figured out the beginning. For the purpose of this story, the Robo-Smasher was a hoax. Also, I wanted to say that I don't hate Soundwave. He's actually one of my favorite Decepticons. But he does do some pretty bad things here, so feel free to hate him yourselves.

Warning: This story contains hacking, which is considered by some to be a form of transformer rape. If you are one of them, and don't like or can't handle rape, you may not want to read this story. If you do, proceed with caution.

The last thing any of the Decepticons wanted to hear after an energy raid gone wrong was Starscream and Megatron arguing again. Unfortunately, if predictably, they were doing just that.

Soundwave's unseen face was set in a dark frown as he watched his superiors hurl abuse at each other. He really wished Starscream would stop using the Command Center for these confrontations. He knew that wouldn't happen though, because the purpose of these verbal attacks was to reduce the Decepticons' respect for their leader. Thus, the need for an audience.

It was shameful how easily Starscream let his obsessions override his common sense. Past experience should have taught him that discrediting Megatron would only lead to infighting as other Decepticons tried to take command. Starscream was smart enough to know that, but he was so focused on dethroning Megatron that he seemed to ignore what effect it would have.

Not that words alone would ever bring down Megatron. His followers ranged from completely loyal to biding their time, while some didn't care who was leader. It helped that no one really listened to Starscream anyway, even when he was right. The only reason Soundwave reached for the red and silver Seeker's mind now was to make sure he didn't try anything stupid. He was more useful alive, and the telepath was tired of using suggestion to keep Megatron from killing him.

It had been a long time since Soundwave could dig freely through the flier's mind, but Starscream's emotional state seemed to be typical for the situation. He was almost always angry, and a mix of hatred and fear was normal when he was around Megatron. The nervous suspicion was more out of place, but even that was explainable. Lately Megatron had been looking into a new way to keep Starscream under control, and the Seeker was rather observant. He knew something was different, even if he didn't know what, and it was making him cautious. The odds of him doing something regrettable were almost non-existant.

Any other mech would have relaxed then, but Soundwave knew better. "Almost" wasn't good enough with Starscream; he was so emotional that he regularly defied logic, and so impulsive that even Soundwave didn't always know what he would do until he did it. That spontaneity made him dangerous, especially since no one, Autobot or Decepticon, took him seriously.

No one except Soundwave. There was more to Starscream than an abrasive personality and a thirst for power, though to be honest, it was in Soundwave's favor for others to think differently. Especially Megatron, who had been carefully led to believe that Starscream was delusional and unbalanced. It was an illusion that had saved the Seeker's life many times when his treachery could otherwise have been a death sentence.

Keeping Starscream alive would be a lot easier once Soundwave was allowed to... adjust his programming a bit. It was an extreme method of controlling the Seeker, but it was also the most likely to work. All he needed to do was convince Megatron, which wouldn't be hard after this confrontation.

Soundwave narrowed his optics behind his visor, watching in silence as the argument turned physical. One blow brought Starscream to the floor, and as usual, the Seeker was quick to back down. But his face twisted into a snarl after Megatron turned away, and for a moment it seemed like he would try to shoot his leader in the back again. Instead he climbed to his feet, directing his gaze to the Decepticons who had been watching the latest fight, then glaring after Megatron.

"I'm beginning to think you don't want this war to end," he snapped, jabbing a finger at the larger mech. "You've had plenty of chances to kill Prime just since we wound up on this planet, but you never do! If you're such a wonderful leader, Megatron, then why is Optimus Prime still alive?"

"As usual, you speak of things you don't understand," Megatron said coldly. "You're a greater fool than I thought if you truly believe killing Prime would end this war."

"Then why are you so obsessed with him?" Starscream demanded. "You're the leader! You should be defeating Autobots, not wasting time on some stupid rivalry!"

"Perhaps you should take your own advice, Starscream. You would be more useful." Ignoring his Second's indignant squawk he added, "Soundwave, come with me," and headed from the room. Soundwave followed without complaint, but he made a sweep of the assembled minds as he left. Finding nothing to suggest that Starscram's words had affected the other Decepticons in the slightest, he then put the incident from his own mind.

The pair walked in silence until they reached Megatron's office, which was large, but mostly empty. A single chair behind a steel desk was the extent of the furnishings, while a wide window in the far wall gave a view of the dark water outside. It was to the window that Megatron walked, and to the window he spoke, though it was his Third-in-Command he addressed.

"I've given your proposal much thought, Soundwave. But while I agree Starscream would be easier to deal with if he was reprogrammed, I have to question whether he would still be able to carry out his duties as my Second. He's effective when he wants to be, and I don't need another Skywarp."

There was a hard note in his voice that warned Soundwave to answer carefully if he wanted this to go in his favor. Venting a hidden sigh he said, "Starscream's effectiveness would not be compromised. Suggestion: program him to obey you. Lay down rules to limit his behavior, but give him permission to act freely within those perimeters."

Megatron frowned, his expression clearly reflected in the window. "Can't you just remove his rebelliousness entirely?"

"Negative. Rebellion is a spark trait."

From the look on his face Megatron had only a vague idea of what that meant, but he didn't question it. He merely turned to Soundwave and nodded. "Do it tonight then," he said. "But remember, I don't need a glorified drone."

Soundwave inclined his head as well, smiling under his mask. "Affirmative," he said.

Starscream growled in frustration as he slammed his hands down on his desk. What was wrong with the idiots in this base? He had just pointed out a massive flaw in Megatron's leadership, had gone on about it at length once the mech in question left, and still he had been laughed down fo suggesting that he could do better! When he left the Command Center, Scrapper and Astrotrain had been arguing their own cases as leaders!

It was infuriating. Starscream dragged his fingers over the desktop, ignoring the screech of metal on metal, then pushed himself away and started pacing. His optics swept his quarters, searching for something to take his anger out on, but there was nothing. The possessions he cared about were in his lab, and aside from the desk, a chair, and his berth, he'd long since destroyed everything else he'd owned. Snarling, he returned to the desk and hooked the chair with his foot, pulling it out and dropping into it.

What did he have to do to get some respect? Kill Optimus Prime himself? He'd tried that and it hadn't worked. He didn't think killing the Prime would end the war anyway, regardless of what Megatron thought. In fact, it was probably better for the Decepticons if Prime stayed leader, because he was the most soft-sparked Autobot of all. Prowl was more ruthless, Ironhide would rather shoot than talk, and Jazz was just dangerous. Killing any of the officers but Prime would improve the Decepticons' chances, really.

For a moment Starscream wondered if Megatron knew that, but he dismissed the notion with a huff. That would be giving him way too much credit.

The Seeker vented a sigh and leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. He was still angry, but being alone with his thoughts - and well away from the source of his ire - had calmed him somewhat. But because he was still angry, he spent the next half-hour thinking of ways he could kill Megatron. Few of them were simple enough to be practical, but they made him feel better.

He was in the middle of a fantasy involving a tar pit, a big rock, and a catapult, when his thoughts were scattered by a high-pitched beep. After a moment of confusion he realized someone was requesting entrance, and he stared intently at the door. Skywarp would just teleport in, Megatron would either shoot the door or use an override code, Thundercracker was in the med bay after the raid earlier, and no one else ever visited. So who was out there, and what did they want?

For several seconds Starscream sat frozen, debating whether or not to let his visitor in, then deciding firmly against it. This was too far out of the ordinary for his liking. Megatron's apparent preoccupation with an unknown project was bad enough without other strange things happening.

Another sharp beep cut through the silence, followed by the soft, whining hum of Starscream's weapons systems onlining. He rose from his chair and cautiously approached the door, staying to one side in case whoever it was tried to blast it down. About twenty feet away he stopped and raised his rifles, then waited until the next beep came before shouting, "Unless we're under attack or Megatron is dying, I don't care! Go away!"

"Negative," came the slightly muffled reply. "This is important."

Soundwave. Megatron's most loyal pet, probably here to scold him for disrupting the oh-so-important hierarchy of the Decepticons. It had happened before, mostly during his early days as Air Commander, but apparently he'd caused enough trouble lately to earn another lecture. Starscream almost told him to save it till morning, but he stopped himself. Soundwave was patient enough to wait out there all night, and the last thing the Seeker wanted was the creepiest mech in the Nemesis standing outside while he was trying to recharge.

"I've already told you what I consider important," he said instead. "If it's not on the list, leave me alone."

"Soundwave: acting on Megatron's orders."

In other words, if Starscream didn't hear Soundwave out, Megatron would get involved. Scowling, he lowered his weapons and silently sent the command to open the door, which slid aside to reveal the Communications Officer. Soundwave was as inscrutable as ever stepping into the room, but Starscream felt strangely uneasy. Was that red visor glowing a bit more brightly than usual? Was that even stride a little more purposeful?

They were small differences, small enough to be his imagination. So why did he feel like he was being hunted? Why did everything in him want to get the frag out of there?

"So what does our glorious leader want?" he asked, trying to still the nervous twitching of his wings. Soundwave hadn't stopped moving, hadn't even slowed down, and Starscream took an involuntary step back.

"Megatron wishes you reprogrammed."

Starscream stared at the slightly taller mech, unable to believe his audios. Then he was scrambling backward, raising weapons that had never been powered down and aiming them at Soundwave's chest. "That's insane! He can't reprogram anyone he wants just because it worked on the Combaticons! It's too risky, and I'm too valuable!"

"Resistance is useless. Suggestion: don't fight me."

"Forget that! I'm not going to let you do this to me. Now get out of my way!"

Soundwave didn't move, which was no surprise, but at least he'd stopped advancing when the Seeker's weapons came up. Starscream circled around the telepath until he was about a wing's length from the door, which had closed automatically after Soundwave entered. Not once did the flier drop his gaze or his rifles from the silent mech, who did nothing more than turn in place to keep him in sight.

"I don't know where Megatron got the idea to reprogram me, but it isn't going to happen," Starscream snapped, pinging the door with a command to open and backing toward it. "He'll never consider this again once I've explained the risks you clearly didn't!"

He was just about to fire on Soundwave when he felt metal against his back. Distracted, he craned his neck in an effort to look past his air intakes, barely identifying the dark mass on the edge of his vision as the door.

The door hadn't opened.

Alarmed, Starscream jerked his gaze back to the front just as Soundwave slammed into him, knocking his arms out to the sides. The Seeker twisted violently as he was pinned against the door, but the grounder had a significant weight advantage over him.

"It will happen," Soundwave said, a hard edge to his monotonous voice. Starscream snarled in reply and brought his foot down on Soundwave's, sending power to his thruster. The dark mech recoiled as he was burned, giving the other a chance to hurl himself forward. They crashed to the floor in a heap, Starscream on top. His fist collided with the masked face even as Soundwave lurched upward, using the Seeker's own momentum to throw him off. Starscream hit the foot of his berth hard before dropping back to the floor.

The Air Commander was dazed from the impact, but he enough presence of mind left to roll over and sit up. The fog cleared immediately when he found Soundwave looming over him, however, and his back clanged against the berth as he recoiled. He barely got his weapons up before firing, but Soundwave moved at the same time he did, twisting to one side and avoiding the lasers by a scant inch. Then an arm swept across, knocking both of Starscream's away. In the same movement Soundwave grabbed the tip of the Seeker's near wing with his other hand, yanking it forward and pivoting so that it passed between the struggling mechs. Starscream shrieked, forced to turn as well to keep it from being torn off. Soundwave threw his full weight against the wide surface, off-balancing his opponent and sending them back to the floor. The Seeker screamed again as his other wing hit first, giving away under their combined weight with a sharp crack and a sensation like fire.

For several seconds Starscream squirmed and bucked, unable to think of anything except getting off of his broken wing. But Soundwave kept him pinned, lying on the smaller mech to hold him still. The thought that he should stop fighting drifted through his mind, but he knew it wasn't his, and he struggled all the harder.

"Desist," Soundwave ordered. "You will only hurt yourself more."

Starscream's only reply was a static-laced curse before he switched his comm unit on, hoping to call Skywarp to help him. An icy feeling gripped his spark when all he heard was more static. If Soundwave was jamming his communications somehow, which was highly likely, then he was in major trouble.

A hand came down on the side of his head, pushing it to the floor, and all vestiges of rational thought fled. He writhed under his attacker, threatening and pleading in equal measure, terrified by the knowledge of what was coming. But Soundwave was unmoved by either words or struggles, and within moments fingers were brushing over the back of the Seeker's head, opening an access panel. Then Soundwave plugged into him, and he knew it was over.

The presence at the edge of his mind was barely tangible at first, but it was through his primary firewalls almost immediately, and he couldn't help but shrink back from its touch. Soundwave was sharp and focused, calm in the manner of the frozen tundra, and with just as little mercy. It was so alien, so utterly not-Starscream, that his first instinct was to avoid it. Then, as it started breaking down his secondary firewalls, he attacked instead.

If it had been a simple battle of wills, or if Soundwave had been less experienced, Starscream might have won through sheer intensity. As it was, the telepath had been hacking minds since the war began, while the Seeker seldom touched any mind for any reason.

It only took a few minutes for Starscream to exhaust himself mentally, and his physical efforts faded soon after. Victory won, Soundwave's presence began probing at his mind while he offlined his optics, trembling.

-Relax,- Soundwave said in a thought-voice that lacked the flat, hollow tone of his real one. -You will not be harmed.-

-Define 'harmed',- Starscream hissed, his own thought-voice weak. -You already broke my wing, and now you're going to reprogram me. I call that harmed!-

Soundwave didn't reply, but the weight pinning the Seeker under his own wing lifted. The slightly crushed appendage shifted to a more normal position as Starscream reactivated his optics, fixing a wary gaze on the blue mech. Soundwave was still far too close for comfort, but the short cable stretched out between their heads warned him not to attack. He'd kept the telepath at bay this long by training himself to think in images and sensations rather than words, but that wouldn't help with Soundwave plugged into him.

Something that felt distinctly like approval touched him through the connection, and for a moment he was torn between shock and a burning desire for more. Then Soundwave reached for him and his terror returned.

"Get away from me!" Starscream lashed out even as he jerked back, jarring his damaged wing and slamming into the side of the berth again. Soundwave caught his fist at the same time, using it to pull him from the floor. Somehow Starscream found himself trapped against the other mech's chest, fighting for all he was worth. It was only after the burst of frantic energy faded that he realized his wing hurt less with his weight off of it. Not only that, but he was being restrained in a way that didn't cause further damage.

"Be still," Soundwave ordered quietly as the Seeker's desperate struggles lessened. "You will be fine. There is no reason to be frightened."

"That's slag," Starscream rasped, straining against Soundwave's arms a final time before slumping back and going limp. "Stop playing nice and just do it if you're going to. Just... get it over with..." His voice died and he offlined his optics again, trying hard to ignore the barely-felt pulsing of Soundwave's spark. The steady rhythem was comforting on a level that went beyond programming, and it sickened him to even acknowledge the fact.

"Upload: thirty-seven percent complete," Soundwave stated. A small shudder went through Starscream's frame, but he didn't start fighting again. He didn't know what the other mech was uploading, but he did know it was too late to stop it.

He was already being changed...

Soundwave studied Starscream's coding carefully while he waited for the programs he'd written to upload. The obedience program would have to be tied in with the rest of the Seeker's social programs, and he needed to figure out how to do it. New coding had to be integrated carefully to minimize problems, especially since Starscream already had trouble with his social center. Any mistake and the best that could happen was for his anti-virus software to delete the foreign code.

It looked like that was a possibility anyway though, considering the state of his coding. Most of it was alright, but there were a few holes, as though some lines of code had broken down. Most likely it was the result of a virus, but if it had ever been repaired, it had been done badly enough that his anti-virus software had cleared it out again.

Soundwave briefly considered repairing some of it himself, but decided against it. This was old damage, and Starscream could clearly function without the extra code. Replacing it now could actually impare his ability to function, especially in social situations. Besides, the new programs would place enough strain on his processor, even if they integrated smoothly. If they didn't... well, Soundwave wanted to keep processor crashes to a minimum.

When the upload finished, Soundwave linked everything together and entered the required data to activate the obedience program, placing Starscream under Megatron's control. Then he set the activation requirement for the sleeper program that would turn control over to Soundwave when the time came. With any luck he would have Starscream won over by then.

The Seeker finally seemed to be calming down some. He was still shaking, but the terror was being replaced by a numb emptiness. It was a normal response to trauma, and a small part of Soundwave was sorry for causing it. But Starscream would benefit from this in the long run, so it was hard to feel truly guilty.

Soundwave unplugged his data cable and let it coil back into his head before closing both mechs' access panels. Then he stood up, keeping his arms firmly around Starscream as he lifted him on to the berth. The Seeker made no effort to withdraw, so Soundwave sat down next to him and studied his broken wing. The pale surface was marred by a long crack that ran straight down the middle, neatly bisecting the purple symbol there. The main spar had also snapped, but there was no energon, and nothing had twisted. There must have been a pre-existing fracture for it to have broken so cleanly. It would be easy enough to fix, even for a non-medic, and Soundwave hadn't meant to actually hurt Starscream. He could fix this if he was given the chance.

He laid a careful hand on the quivering appendage, and was unsurprised when it jerked at his touch. He glanced up to find Starscream watching him through pale, frightened optics. Soundwave had never seen the Seeker look at anyone in quite the same way, but it didn't really bother him. He'd actually expected a much worse reaction, though maybe Starscream was just too tired right now. Mental exhaustion went far deeper than the physical kind, after all.

It wasn't until Soundwave pulled a roll of tools from his subspace that Starscream seemed to rouse himself. He made a strangled sound and smacked the hand from his wing, then shoved himself backward until he fell off the far edge of the berth. Soundwave circled around, mildly concerned, but Starscream drew back again.

"Get out," he whispered harshly, fear, anger, and dispair warring for dominance in the shaking rasp. "You've already ruined me... isn't that enough?"

For a moment Soundwave merely considered him in silence. Then he stepped back, knowing Starscream couldn't take any more right now. "Rest then," he said, shutting off his short-range comm jammer. He was a little disappointed that his help had been rejected, but he wasn't surprised. He would just have to handle the Seeker carefully, and make sure Megatron took the blame for deciding to reprogram him. This would never work if Soundwave's involvement came out.

There were still a few things Soundwave needed to do before the night was through, so he decided to take his leave. He felt no remorse for what had happened, and why should he? Starscream would be fine once he calmed down and started thinking logically again, and he had the ability to fix his own wing if he didn't want to visit the med bay. Besides, Soundwave firmly believed that the ends justified the means. Sometimes things had to get worse before they got better, that was how life worked.

So he left, not sparing a backward glance for the Seeker he had hurt. Once he was gone Starscream pressed himself into a corner, shaking so badly that his wings tapped out a rapid beat on the walls. Each small impact was painful, but not nearly so much as knowing what had been done to him. A soft keen escaped his vocalizer, and he buried his face in his arms to muffle any further noises.

It would be a long time before he moved again.

I haven't seen many stories like this one, so feedback is appreciated. Also, I'm not sure Soundwave has a communications jammer, but given his roll as Communications Officer, he should. So he does.