Shockwave's position was compromised. The blastdoors to his lab were being pounded to scrap, and Shockwave stood at his terminal, trying to contact Megatron for the fifth time. The Autobots had surrounded his lab, and he had lost any remaining communication with Decepticon troops. Shockwave was trapped like a petrofox in its own den.

::Lord Megatron, this is Shockwave. My position has been compromised. The Autobots have located my lab and are working their way inside. I await your orders::

There was no answer, just like there had been no answer from the other four frequencies, and Shockwave quickly switched to the next. Before he could start a transmission, a repeated message burst from his speakers instead of static.

::-SELVES! …... TO ALL DECEPTICONS. MEGATRON HAS FALLEN. SURRENDER YOURSELVES! ... TO ALL-::

Shockwave switched the frequency before the message could repeat, and he broadcasted his own message for Megatron once again. The Autobots had hacked one of the Decepticon frequencies in order to throw the army into disarray. Again his chosen frequency answered only in static. Shockwave switched frequecies-
There was a loud bang, and the screen of his terminal flickered out. They had broken through the first blastdoors. Shockwave pulled away from the terminal.

He knew in perfect detail what kind of legal punishment would be thrown on him. Humane in their reasoning, sure, but surrendering after doing so much for the Decepticons was simply illogical. It would not help his standing. With only the light of his red optic, he wrenched open the door to one of his experiment-bays. The harsh pounding and crashing against the blastdoors sounded closer, his time was running out. An explosion rocked the lab, and a cascade of brittle experiments were broke on impact with the floor, spilling meticulously measured fluids and oils everywhere.

Shockwave barged through the mess as quickly as he could. There was no salvaging them unless he survived, and though Shockwave swore by the cold embrace of logic, his survival would have to depend on chaos this one time. Shockwave pushed a fallen contain unit out of his way and sent an unseen tool skittering over the floor. At the very end of his lab lied his only chance at escape.
The sparkling pods were half crushed, and the little forms inside were squirming soundlessly from inside the experimental shells. Shockwave yanked apart one of the pods, and pulled out its contained sparkling. Broken wires and dented protoplating was what greeted him. It was too damaged. Shockwave dropped it carelessly at his feet, and rooted through the other pods. The sound of screeching sparklings was almost enough to drown out the Autobots banging on his blastdoors.

There was no time for a perfect selection- not anymore. It had, perhaps, been illogical to continue his attempts at contacting Megatron with the Autobots at his door. Shockwave grabbed a mostly undamaged sparkling from one of the pods, and pressed his claws in the seams of its tiny chestplates. The sparkling screeched and fought as its chestplates were wrenched apart and the pristine glow of a spark lit the darkness from behind the folded metal. Shockwave had seen many sparks in his life, and he had snuffed nearly all of them shortly after seeing them. It wouldn't be like that today. Shockwave shifted the thrashing sparkling in his grip, and opened his chestplates, exposing his own spark to the stifling laboratory air.

The Autobots had reached the last door, they were fully audible even over the howling of the dying sparklings at Shockwave's pedes. Shockwave looked over his shoulder, and pressed the infantile spark against his own. The sparkling's small helm snapped back, and its screaming cut off into choking static.
The tiny spark was a whirling ball of panic and fear. Shockwave's kneejoints trembled momentairly at the icy terror that gripped his spark, before he forced his own energies into the tiny spark. Need. Loyalty. Logic.
The sparkling was nearly drowning in Shockwave's energies, but Shockwave had no time for its worries. He flared the energies in his spark, and they latched onto the tiny spark held forcefully against his chest.
The tiny spark was nothing but pain and fear, and in pure desperation Shockwave could feel wispy tendrils of its own trying to hold onto Shockwave's spark. The touch of those fragile newsparked energies sent a violent shock through his systems, and Shockwave threw back his helm as he let out an involuntary sound of pleasure.

The sounds from his impeding doom were fading as the forced sparkbond demanded all his processor power. He was melting into the tiny little spark, for a moment infusing with the uncompleted little being. He could see all the short moments of awareness that the sparkling had been through and feel the faintest structure of an unfinished personality. It was a sultry caress compared to the lashes of memory his own spark was whipping at the sparkling, and Shockwave distantly heard himself moaning in the dark of his lab.
The sparkling was screaming, its tiny optics rolling without pattern, and its limbs twitching erratically. Shockwave could feel the tiny spark almost threatening to dissolve with his force, but the untouched wisp of life did not fade. The connection was steeling, like the weld keeping them sealed together was cooling. The sparking was convulsing, and half-processed blobs of lubricant leaked from its un-upgraded interface port.

It was done. Shockwave pulled the sparkling away from his spark, and snapped his chestplates closed. The sparkling trembled in his hold, its frame completely slack and its chestplates still pried open.
The Autobots broke through the blastdoor, and Shockwave stumbled to hide behind one of the fallen operation tables.

"Shockwave! You have one last chance! Surrender now or you will be shot!" Optimus Prime. So it was his little band that had broken in. It was a fortunate turn of events. Shockwave's systems were straining from the forced sparkbonding, but he was more than satisfied. He pushed away the frantic fear and panic emanating from his newly bonded and spoke loud and clear to the Autobots invading his lab.
"Before you shoot, I must warn you. If you harm me, a young innocent sparkling will suffer." He laid emphasis on the words that he knew would trigger the Autobot leader, and took satisfaction in the apprehensive tone that had crept into the Prime's voice.

"You have a hostage?"
Shockwave had something better than a hostage. He stood and held the sparkling in plain sight, its spark still painfully visible to the world and Shockwave's fans whirring from the pleasure of the merge. "No." He lifted the sparkling higher. "I have a bondmate."

The Autobots reared back, and Optimus Prime's face seemed to turn into ice. After several long moments of shock, a fuming Autobot femme stepped forward her face was twisted in pained rage while her weapon charged. "... You-!" Shockwave held the shocked sparkling closer to his spark and it let out a terrified tone of pain and horror. As Shockwave had predicted, the weak sparkling was enough of an incentive to keep their guns inactive. It didn't matter that their wish to tear him limb from limb was radiating off them. All that mattered was that he now had a permanent hostage, and for as long as the Autobots wanted to keep the sparkling safe- he would be safe as well.

Shockwave felt pleased, even as a roiling sick feeling was emanating from his bondmate. Logic revealed that his opportunity for escape had increased significantly.