Chapter 1: Abandoned
Knockout stood next to Starscream in the glass casing, separated by a wall as they watched the Decepticon TIC typing and turning on the humanizer, which would shift them into human forms so that they could go and complete a mission given to them by Megatron.
"I better look good." Knockout murmured to Starscream, who frowned at him and rolled his optics. "Honestly? You've been humanized before and quite proud of how you looked." The SIC answered in a slightly annoyed tone.
Looking at him Knockout raised an eyebrow. "And you haven't been humanized yet, now have you?" He smirked at him. "You'll probably look old."
"Why you!" Starscream cried, the wall stopping him from reaching the medic, and then the humanizer was turned on, stopping him from being able to do anything.
Soundwave turned and looked after a few minutes had passed, looking down at the two Cybertronians gone human as they stood within the glass casings.
Opening the door, Soundwave reached in and picked them up, looking them over. Knockout's hair was red like his paintjob had been, and he wore a red tank top with black leather jacket and baggy black jeans. Starscream was silver haired with a red streak in it, faded jeans and a gray tanktop.
Nodding, Soundwave carried them over to a counter, setting them down on it as he typed coordinates into the groundbridge and carried them through, setting them down nearby a city before turning and leaving, vanishing back through the groundbridge to return to the Nemesis.
Knockout looked at Starscream with a smirk. "Yep. You do look old." He said, pretending to look him over. "The only good feature is this." He said, flicking the longer lock of red hair.
Growling threateningly, Starscream glared at him. "Just shut up and let's get this done." He responded, heading off. Their mission was very important. Megatron had recently discovered that the Pentagon had vital information and launch codes for something called nuclear missiles. He had surmised that if he could get his servos on that and launch the missiles, then earth would be destroyed and he could do whatever he wanted with it.
Rolling his eyes, Knockout put on the mirrored sunglasses to make sure that no one would be able to see his red eyes. "So... What do you think Fowler would say seeing us like this?" He asked.
Starscream looked at the other human, shrugging. "Who said that he would be able to recognize us?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.
Knockout held in a laugh. He was thinking about saying 'because every time I come here as a human I always do something bad.' He smiled as he thought back to his street racing as a human driving a lamborghini and other vehicles with... He quickly pushed the thought away and looked at Starscream. "I was just asking... Because we look sort of similar to our Cybertronian forms." He said before looking around then at Starscream. "I need to go in here for a moment." He said, motioning to a store.
Looking up at the building, Starscream frowned and looked at him. "Why do you need to go in there?" He asked curiously.
Shrugging, the medic looked at him. "I need to go to the bathroom." He answered with a smirk before reaching over and flicking Starscream's arm. "Maybe you should find something to hide that." He laughed before disappearing into the store.
Starscream frowned and looked down at his arm before gasping in surprise. The Decepticon symbol was a tattoo on his right bicep. Smacking a hand over it, Starscream looked around to make sure that no one had seen, eyes wide as he looked around for anywhere before going into a clothing store.
Looking around for several minutes, Starscream found an armband with a strange mark on it, but ignored it, snatching it up and sneaking back out of the store, not putting it on until he was back at the one where Knockout had gone.
Putting on the armband, Starscream then relaxed and looked around for Knockout, whom he had thought would've been back by now.
Starscream sighed and rolled his eyes before going into the store and asking for the washroom, going into it when it was pointed out, calling for Knockout but using the name KO so as not to cause suspicion.
When no answer came, Starscream frowned. Knockout wasn't anywhere to be seen in the washroom. Growling to himself, the SIC hurried out of the bathroom in search of his partner.
-Nemesis-
"Soundwave." Megatron's voice growled from behind the TIC, who turned and looked at him through his visor. "Have Knockout and Starscream reported in yet?" The massive warlord demanded, servos clasped behind his back.
"Negative." Soundwave answered, looking at him while he waited for any sort of response he might receive from the gray mech.
Growling, Megatron was silent for a few moments before speaking. "Soundwave. Go and see what is going on... Retrieve them if there is anything wrong." He ordered, turning to leave before pausing and looking over his shoulder at Soundwave, who stood stock still as he watched his leader. "But return swiftly, Soundwave." He ordered softly. "I fear that I may have to leave this planet soon, but temporarily." He added before vanishing.
Soundwave turned silently and turned on the humanizer, walking into it and waiting for the humanizer to humanize him, his thoughts wandering slightly.
When the humanization of the Decepticon was completed, Soundwave looked down at himself. He already knew what he would look like, but he always liked to see himself whenever there was a change from Cybertronian to human. He had jet black hair, purple eyes, a black tanktop, black skinny jeans, the Decepticon symbol tattooed to the side of his neck, and scarring around his mouth which extended from the left corner of his mouth and up around his left temple and around his left eye.
Sighing softly, Soundwave pulled a remote out of his pocket, opening a groundbridge to the coordinates he had give Knockout and Starscream, walking through swiftly while grabbing a black hoodie he kept around, putting it on and pulling up the hood to conceal both his tattoo and his scarring.
Stepping out into the streets of Newton, Nevada, Soundwave felt the wind whip around him as he began to search for the two missing Cybertronians.
Soundwave began asking around at stores, one cashier nodding at a description of Starscream. "He came rushing in here and looked around for a few minutes before leaving again." He told the TIC.
Nodding, Soundwave looked at him. He hated speaking with his normal voice, but didn't have a choice in his human form. "Where did he go?" He asked.
The cashier pointed to a store across the street. "He went into there."
Soundwave sighed and took long strides across the street to the second building, looking around for the Decepticon SIC, nearly crashing into him when he came rushing out of a room.
Starscream looked up at him, wearing sunglasses to conceal his red eyes. "Soundwave!" He cried, the communications officer clapping a hand over his mouth to keep him from completing the name. "Where is Knockout?" He hissed in a near-whisper.
Pushing Soundwave's hand away, Starscream looked at him. "I don't know! He said he was going to the bathroom, but when I came in here, he wasn't here!" He answered.
Growling softly, Soundwave looked around before going to another cashier. "Is there any bars or clubs around?" He asked her.
"Yeah." The cashier responded. "There's a bar just down the street." She added, pointing in the direction.
Soundwave nodded his thanks, grabbing Starscream's arm and dragging him along with him towards the door and down the street. When he found Knockout he was going to-
A comm message came in from Megatron, and Soundwave opened it as he walked before freezing and standing still. It was a recording, but it's words rattled him to his very core. 'Soundwave. Something has occured and I have been forced to leave earth. The Autobots and human authorities are searching for you and the others. Find Knockout and Starscream and keep in touch with them... I will return once I am able.'
"Soundwave?" Starscream hissed at him, not getting his sudden change in demeanor. "Soundwave, what in the name of-"
Soundwave rounded on Starscream, seeing a police car over the SIC's shoulder and nonchalantly pulled him down an alley. "Run." He muttered before taking off before the officers in the patrol vehicle could see them... It was of little chance that the human authorities or the autobots would be able to identify their human forms, and they may even think that they were in their Cybertronian, so Soundwave knew they had time.
Pulling Starscream into an alley, Soundwave pulled out a knife, causing the Decepticon lieutenant's eyes to widen behind the sunglasses. "S-soundwave?!"
Soundwave pinned the other human against the wall before cutting off the lock of red hair, tossing it away.
The silver-haired human opened his eyes now, breathing hard as he looked at Soundwave, he had been expecting to be killed, but still didn't get why the TIC had done that. "Soundwave! What did you do that for?!"
"It was a giveaway." Soundwave answered simply, re-pocketing the knife before turning and hurrying down the alley, Starscream hurrying to catch up. "Soundwave! What is going on?!" He demanded.
Looking back at Soundwave, the communications officer voiced a sentence he had never even dreamed of having to say. "Megatron has abandoned us."
