Ohhh man it's been a long time since I have written! So Sorry for vanishing! I plan on making this one a multi-chapter fic, so subscribe and stuff if you are wanting more! These characters are not mine, I'm just playing with them. Enjoy!
Warning: contains a near death experience and Soundwave being an introspective dork
New Light
Nothing in particular separated this battle from any other. It had begun like many before it, with gloating and spewed insults from Starscream and hot-headed responses from some of the Autobots. Optimus Prime and Megatron had, of course, taken some time to reiterate their monologs to one-another, insisting that the other step down. When neither stepped down, the two large mechs began their fighting. The rest of their troops fell in step behind them until the field was nothing more than a sea of flying dust and gun shots. There was nothing notable about this pattern, it had been done before and it would likely be done many more times after. The troops involved engaged in this fighting as they had every other, almost to a point of perfect rehearsal. To say that the Autobots and Decepticons had been fighting for a long time would be a gross understatement. If this fight were like the many fights before it, it would end with one faction retreating to safety as the other stayed to hand the land back to the humans, or alternatively, pillage the land for the resources it had and flee. If this battle was like the many before it, it would be a short-lived skirmish that left the mechs involved with wounds to repair and resources to restore. Very few battles on Earth resulted in mortality for either side. The civil war was dying out, Cybertronian populations were dissolving among the stars. If it where possible to win a battle with non-fatal tactics, both factions had an un-spoken agreement that this would be the case. Far too many mechs had been lost in the horrifically wasteful early days of the war, the remaining few were far too low in numbers to slay and slaughter without a thought. Besides, what would be the purpose of winning the war if it meant killing off most the remaining population? This unspoken agreement between the war-exhausted Autobots and Decepticons was honoured most days, and if this battle were like any other battle, this would be the way. However, this battle was not like any other battle.
Soundwave slid down the muddy hill, he braced himself with his servo as he dropped. The battle was progressing as he had estimated, Megatron and Optimus had come to blows already, the troops were engaged in their typical groups, yelling and fighting amongst each-other. With a quick scan across his bonds, Soundwave check on each of his cassette's status. Rumble and Frenzy were functioning well, perhaps even enjoying themselves as they taunted and chased the humans. Lazerbeak, Buzzsaw, and Ratbat were circling the field, watching their siblings and swooping in to claw at unexpecting Autobots. Ravage was slipping between the peds of fighting mechs, completely undetected. Soundwave double checked with Ratbat, his youngest creation, who was still relatively new to the battle scenes. Ratbat confirmed his status with a friendly ping and turned down Soundwave's offer to dock him for the rest of the battle. With all of his cassettes in good shape, Soundwave turned his attention to his Autobot counterpart. Blaster stood before him, servos resting on his hips and his typical playful grin spread across his faceplates. How Soundwave hated that slag-eating, friendly grin Blaster always gave him.
"Well look who decided to join the party", The red boombox joked, showing no signs of battle readiness.
"War: not a party", Soundwave reiterated blandly, much to the amusement of Blaster. With a scoff and a playful swipe at the air, Blaster responded with his usual taunts and jeers. Everything was perfectly normal. Finally, with the blue mech stepping forward, the boomboxes engaged in their typical fighting habits. Their movements were laced with verbal jeers from Blaster, telepathic lashes from Soundwave, and an oh-so-typical power balance that had always left both mechs and their cassettes able to walk away. Neither mech would wish to harm the other's cassettes… That would just be wrong. By an extent, killing the other would be harming their creations, and thus their sparring continued, both knowing full well that neither wanted to offline the other… No matter how much they made each-other's energon boil. Soundwave placed a solid kick to Blaster's knee, bringing the orange mech to the ground for a moment. Blaster pushed himself forward from his crouch and grabbed Soundwave's legs, toppling both mechs into the dirt. With a mutual distaste for prying stones from their armor later, both stumbled back to a stand and faced each-other again. "Is that all you've got, mech?" Blaster teased, he pretended that the other mech couldn't hear his fast-cycling intakes. "Negative", Soundwave grit back. For a moment, both mechs stared at one-another. Blaster grinned… Soundwave hated when he did that.
Megatron snarled as he was shoved back. He stumbled for a moment, then regained his balance and hissed at the Prime. Optimus gave him hardly a moment before hauling back into the fight, using his immense frame to weight each strike. Megatron responded with the same desperate ferocity, doubled only by the biting hunger in his processing tanks. It had been so long since his troops had a decent re-fuel. They needed this victory so badly, their energon reserves were dwindling. "Step down, Megatron", Optimus rumbled in his usual calm tone. "Give up, Prime", Megatron hissed in response. The battle raged on.
Ratbat glided over the fighting mechs. Dirt and pebbles were kicked up into the air from the action below, so he took care to stay nice and high. Ravage nudged him through the bond, reassuring himself as much as his youngest brother that the battle would be over soon. Ratbat had only witnessed a few fights before this one, he had yet to be physically involved. His primary task was keeping check on his brother's positions and notifying Soundwave if any of them got hurt. He didn't mind this job. The fighting seemed so scary and loud, he didn't want to go anywhere near it. His carrier certainly didn't want him to engage in it yet either, he was far too small. The tiny cassette focused his optics on Megatron and Optimus as they continued their fighting. Those two mechs were among the scariest of all during the fights. They were so big and loud, their armor crashed and crunched with every hit, dust flew up from their peds until the air around them was blotted out. Ratbat didn't like that one bit, he chose to stay clear. He pinged Soundwave, watching as Megatron's knees began to shake from exhaustion. It looked like the battle would be over quite soon.
The ground sunk below his peds as he took another heavy blow from Prime. Megatron wrinkled his nasal ridge in a snarl, he tried to mask his increasing exhaustion with fury. Optimus Prime was also feeling the strain, he blocked another swing from Megatron then used as much force as he could to ram his fist into the other mech's abdomen. The warlord buckled under the hit, the air from his intakes rushed out in a wheeze. Starscream bombarded his intercom with requests to retreat, they were losing. The hunger in his tanks drove him on just a bit further. He needed to feed his troops, he needed to win this battle and the resulting crude oil with it. Perhaps processed energon from Earth oils was not the most appetizing fuel, but it was something. In a final act of desperation, he pulled a long dagger from his subspace. It was rare that he ever used the old thing. A ghost from his days in the gladiator pits, it was not much longer than his forearm, but the crooked old blade had been buried in many chestplates before and it was lethal. Optimus hesitated as his optics flickered to the cruel blade, many times he had been sent to the med-bay thanks to that thing. His hesitation lasted for but a moment as he stepped back towards Megatron with intent to end the battle. Megatron reared the blade at Optimus, his fingers spread on the handle in preparation to throw it. Optimus saw this stance, recognizing it from the few too many times the blade had been thrown and lodged into his side or shoulder. He blocked the throw by slamming his arm against Megatron's, sending the blade spinning to the side instead. The Prime almost had to smile at his fast response, glad to have that nasty dagger out of their exchange. Before anything else could be done, his energon turned to ice. He watched in dismay as Megatron's face also morphed into an expression of shock. Mechs around the field paused mid-fight to listen.
Six voices. No… Six screams. Energon curdling screams echoed around the field. Optimus Prime and Megatron locked optics for a moment before scanning their mechs for evidence. "Soundwave's cassettes", Megatron breathed. Rumble and Frenzy had frozen where they stood, both clutching their chestplates and screaming. Their optics flickered across the field in anguish as they searched for someone, something. Ravage had flattened his frame to the ground, his audios pinned to the back of his helm and his lips pulled back to bare a snarl. Buzzsaw and Lazerbeak had landed, they shook as they huddled to each-other, looking disorientated and crying out. Ratbat had landed next to Megatron. The small bat stared up at the two leaders with terrified, empty optics. His wings trembled and he looked back and forth between Optimus and Megatron. In a soft, shaky voice he whispered, "something feels wrong". Megatron whipped his held back up to the side, finally realizing where his blade had been thrown.
Soundwave stood shock still. Mud and dirt had been scrapped along his legs and back. Energon dripped down his frame, pooling in a fast-growing puddle at his peds. He stared down in bewilderment at his chestplates. Lodged in the center of his chest, perfectly dividing his docking station in half, was Megatron's dagger. The telepath's servos hovered midair on either side of the hilt, not quite sure what to do or how to do it; too shocked to do anything at all. Energon poured from his wound, his spark burned, his frame shook. He slowly looked up at Megatron, his mask and visor gave nothing away, but his trembling frame and overly bright visor displayed his horror. The only thought that crossed his processor was immense relief that Ratbat didn't wish to be docked earlier. After a long moment of wavering on his peds, his knees buckled and he collapsed onto his back. Blaster stood next to him, his servos covered his mouth in terror as he watched his counterpart drop like a stone. He stared up at the two leaders with bright blue optics. Nobody on the field moved. Six voices screamed and cried without pause.
Megatron watched as his most loyal mech fell, his own weapon embedded in his chestplates. A sudden rage filled his spark and he roared at the Prime, leaping back into their fight with more ferocity and benevolence than before. The two leaders continued their fight, none of the other troops did. Hook sprinted from across the field to where Soundwave had fallen, he ripped out tools and supplies as he did. He reached Soundwave first, then let out a relieved sound to find the mech still breathing. Hook would hesitate to call the rasping gasps coming from the telepath 'breathing', but hell, it was something, certainly much more than he had expected. He desperately began his work; his servos flew over Soundwave's frame as he fought to stop the bleeding. With much care he removed the blade from Soundwave's frame, before he could do it himself, two red servos put immediate pressure on the wound. Hook looked up at Ratchet, they made optic contact. Hook opened his mouth to shoo the opposing medic away but he was interrupted as Ratchet interjected. "He's a father", Ratchet hissed, "You need my help, don't be vain". Hook swallowed his pride and gave a curt nod, both medics worked together on Soundwave.
Blaster hadn't moved. His servos remained clutching his face, his frame shook. He felt a gentle servo squeeze his arm and glanced down at Jazz. "You good, mech?" the TIC asked gently. Blaster gasped and his vocolizer suddenly snapped back online with a spurt of static. "Primus Jazz, oh God it came out of no where", he sobbed, "we were just fightin' and he just- there was just- like it just appeared in his- oh primus". His voice shook and he glanced back down to the blue mech. Soundwave was hardly visible with a team of medics and their aids crouched around his frame. "His babies!" Blaster interrupted his own thoughts, he desperately looked around the field for the cassettes. Jazz directed his gaze to Soundwave's creations. They were huddled together in a pile, peering out at their father from just down the field. None of them moved in the slightest, most of them clutched their chestplates as they huddled and cried. Blaster's spark ached watching them, Primus knows that this was his worst fear for his little ones. "He'll be ok", Jazz reassured his friend as he squeezed Blaster's arm, "Old Sounders' is a stubborn thing, he wouldn't leave his cassettes". If only Jazz's voice was reassuring as his words.
Megatron was thrown onto his back again, he let out a winded snarl as he hit the ground for the umpteenth time. He looked up at Optimus Prime, who loomed over him. He then glanced at the pile of medics surrounding what he hoped was an alive communications officer. With a groan and a heave, he pushed himself back to his peds and glared at Optimus for a long moment. Finally, after a long pause he howled "Decepticons, retreat!". The seekers were the first to go, they stormed into the sky at his command. The other Decepticons glanced again towards Soundwave before taking off after the seekers. Soundwave's cassettes didn't move, Megatron made no move to bring them. The warlord whipped to look at Optimus Prime. "You will regret this", he hissed, "If he offlines I will-". Optimus interjected in a cool tone, "I wasn't the one that threw the dagger". Megatron felt his cannon power back up at the insult, but with a growl and a glimpse towards Soundwave, he took off into the darkening sky. Optimus watched the Decepticons fly away, all but Soundwave, Hook, and his cassettes. His gaze flicked to the medics and then to the pile of shivering younglings, his spark sunk as he considered his role in creating this. Guilt clawed its way into his gut. Optimus knew full well that Megatron had thrown the dagger, he also knew that he was the one to knock it in an unfortunate direction. This was never the intention.
Soundwave's spark flickered. Ratchet cursed, he hated when sparks did that. Hook's servos trembled as he tried to steady the repairs. Primus, there was so much energon, too much energon. The spark in Soundwave's chestplates flickered again, dimming to a smaller and smaller size with each passing moment. "Primus, don't do this" Ratchet whispered to Soundwave. He knew the telepath was unconscious but he urged him on anyways. "You have creations, you can't leave them here on this dirt planet during this primus forsaken war!Primus mech have some gall!", he watched as Soundwave's spark flickered, the light shrunk with each rattled breath.
Soundwave wasn't sure where he was. Was he dreaming? He couldn't remember much… although he could certainly feel an agonizing burning in his chestplates. He gripped at his cassette docks, trying to source the pain. Everything looked in order and his docks were empty… Strange. A soft pool of light opened in front of him. The white light washed over his frame, it was warm, somehow soft and familiar. His optics reset and he stared into the warmth with a sigh. It smelled of summer, of warm days from his childhood so long ago, and something else. He took a step towards it, enticed by the warmth. It looked so soothing, so comfortable, it called to his aching spark to come and rest. He wanted nothing more than to follow it, to bask in the warmth and sleep. He was oh-so tired, and oh-so cold. Wouldn't it just be lovely to rest? He took another step. "You have creations, you can't leave them here on this dirt planet during this primus forsaken war!", the voice echoed from behind him. Soundwave stopped, his peds planted where they where. Did he know that voice? It sounded so familiar, yet so distant, almost from a lifetime ago. The telepath turned around for the first time to see what lay behind him. His optics re-adjusted but were met only with an inky darkness. He felt his shame shiver, the pain in his chestplates kindled back to life as he stared into the void. This path was different, it was so cold, so lonely, and so, so long. He stared into the darkness for a moment, then turned back to face the light. He felt the warm wash of summer bathe his faceplates, his shoulders relaxed and his aching spark was soothed. He wasn't quite sure where he was, but he knew which path he liked more. He smiled, perhaps it was time to go home, after all, he was in such need for rest. Perhaps this light could warm his cold, war-torn spark. Soundwave made his decision. He took a step towards the light, the summer, the warmth, the rest, but then he stopped. Something pulled at his spark. Unconsciously, he had placed his servos over his glass docking station. He stared down at his chest with a frown, his fingers stroking over the glass. He glanced back towards the dark… towards his cassettes, then sighed. He shuffled his peds back, knowing quite well that he couldn't bear to go into this warm lovely place while his creations were stuck back in the dark. He sighed, his optics flickered back to the light, before offlining. He let the warmth brush by his face, he breathed in the summer air once more. Perhaps if he stood long enough he could warm his cold bones. After all, he had a long, long journey ahead, and he was oh-so very tired and oh-so very cold. Soundwave turned his back to the light and walked away.
Ratchet hissed again as the spark faded and flickered. He glanced up for half a moment, taking in Blaster's unmoving horror, the cassettes huddled together, Optimus Prime's deep frown, and the other loitering troubled Autobots. "Come on," breathed Hook, his servos desperately working to patch Soundwave back together, "come on, please". As if called back to reality by Hook's words, Soundwave's spark roared back to life with a flash of light. The medics jolted back in shock, their work paused for a moment before leaping back to their duty. Primus frag it, this slagger really was as stubborn as his reputation. With a sudden flair in his field, Soundwave jolted up with a gasp. The telepath hardly made it up before a hoard of medic's servos pushed him back down, a group of voices demanded that he lay still. Soundwave choked and gasped for air, then turned his helm to the ground and coughed up more energon than could ever be considered well. The medics continued their work, they had a new speed and frenzy in their servos, and a new hope in their minds. Soundwave stared up from the ground, his vision was fuzzy and distorted, although he could recognize the red and whites of medics. His vocolizer spat static as he tried to ask questions. The medics around him patted his shoulders and squeezed his servos as they worked, their voices could be heard through a wall of foam and distortion. There was an Earth-shaking pain in his chestplates, he felt dizzy, warnings flashed in his HUD so bright that it was almost all he could see at times. It was cold, it was painful, but Primus damn it, he was alive. He felt his cassettes reach out tentatively through their bond. With a rush of relief, Soundwave sent his love and soothing thoughts through to his creations. They responded with a flood of love, worry, and hope for him. 'ah', Soundwave through to himself, 'there is my light'. He glanced once more at the medics before his optics shut down and he dropped into a deep stasis.
*dodges rotten tomatoes* Hear me out! It will get cuter and more focused on Soundwave, his babies, and Blaster later. I just needed to set the stage for these boys first!
I hope ya'll enjoyed this! Like I said before, I plan on making this a multi-chapter story, so keep your eyes peeled for more if you're interested! Feel free to leave a like, follow, and comment! I love to hear your feedback. If you have any requests or are interested in an art trade message me and we can sort something out. For more info on art trades and requests take a peak in my profile description.