Soundwave found his prey.
His body hunched over the output screen, a blinking dot reflecting in his visor. His tentacles whirred in excitement as he stared intently at the signature. With the Prime disconnected would his team members think to protect the Autobot from Soundwave's threat? Hardly, the fools.
Soundwave trembled at the thought; the Autobot was his for the taking. The one Optimus fought so hard to protect lay at his fingertips. Soundwave straightened and hailed his leader.
"What is it Soundwave?" Megatron's grating voice broke through the images on screen, his glowing optics seemingly looking through Soundwave's plan. With a quick keystroke, Soundwave pushed his inquiry across.
Request: Attain prisoner for recreational purpose.
The request was not new perhaps Megatron would assume the same as usual; Soundwave had found a new toy to torture to death. Perhaps not, Megatron squinted at him through the screen his narrow red eyes trying to push past the shielding visor. Under scrutiny Soundwave relaxed his shoulders, pushed his frame into a nonchalant want. Any opportunity the Decepticon leader could find would only lead to Soundwave being watched. He didn't want to appear too eager to the ever-watchful master.
"Very well Soundwave. If you return with a blemish I might have to question your strength." Megatron turned away and the connection flickered away. That was the closest thing to a kind farewell Megatron offered but Soundwave had a feeling that would not be the last of it. His lighted tendrils brightened as they flashed back into him, he was excited for the first time in a long time. He was a hunter in this foreign night, and he would bring back his prey no matter the cost.
Ratchet's systems engaged, a hard reboot and a jumble of error messages electrified his circuitry, making his awaking a painful one. His optics onlined, just for a moment, then adjusted aperture to adapt to the dim light, focusing on the ceiling of an underground bunker. They flickered brighter, lighting up to see in his dank, dripping prison. Ratchet couldn't help the groaning emitting from his orifice, his joints squeaked, another sign of his outdated performance. He arched a little to stretch out his back and felt the pull of servo-cuffs. Everything lagged in his mind, his circuitry had trouble updating exactly what happened. But his audio sensors alerted him to a presence in the room, he turned, his mind buzzing with static which blasted away as soon as he saw the visor of his captor.
"S-soundwave."
Ratchet remembered with clarity the last encounter with the Decepticon's eyes and ears, and he had quivered by a rock in fear then too. Or the time Soundwave had taken the humans and witnessed the fall of their world. Behind the visor, the Decepticon remembered a different sort of feeling; one tainted by years of betrayal and deception, yet still remaining in the glowing spark of the intelligence officer. Ratchet kicked out to try and straighten, glaring at him with those intriguing optics, "Well, if you're going to take me apart you better start. I'm not getting any younger and in this mess of a place I'll rust if you keep standing there."
Soundwave didn't remark on the misconception, it was his purple counterpart Shockwave that liked taking Autobot's apart. Soundwave liked playing with them until they begged for death. This wasn't exactly the Nemesis, it was a dark underground bunker from all Ratchet could make of it, this was a secret torture chamber with no weapons of torture. Except the servo cuffs, which sent a small shock through his frame as he twisted his servos to flex the delicate joints. Soundwave trembled in what Ratchet could only assume was rage, but he was sorely mistaken.
Soundwave began pacing, he was trying to figure something out. Just as Ratchet watched him he knew that Soundwave was taking stock of him, looking at his figure, trying to figure something out. Soundwave had always remained curious, but what exactly made him curious about Ratchet would probably make his processor hang.
A snake-like tendril wrapped itself around the red and white Autobot's pede, pulling the mech closer to Soundwaves flat, delicate frame. Ratchet didn't struggle, he knew this would be a mental battle, one of waiting and opportunities, struggling would only amuse his captor. He only watched the Decepticon, maintaining a rigid position on the ground. Soundwave released him and stalked around to where his servos cramped in their tight bonds. The tendrils released his pedes, slithering down his frame causing an involuntary shiver on Ratchet's part; this was starting to get a little weird.
Soundwave reached down carefully, with his slender fingers he deactivated the servo clamps. When Ratchet pulled away he gently forced his servos back to him with his feelers and crouched down to inspect the Autobot's servos. Ratchet tilted his helm, his main harddrives kicking in to let a memory from deep down in his memory.
"W-what are you doing?" Ratchet struggled now, he didn't want to remember the time before the war when they were friends, and he didn't think Soundwave was wanting to travel to that time either. Not Decepticon, not this Decepticon and not now, not after…
Ratchet sagged a little, too many functions running at once in his processor and this last thought defeated him more than the shadowy figure crouched inspecting his servos. What was the use in fighting this Decepticon? This wasn't Megatron, harming Soundwave wouldn't bring back the chance to restore their world and it wouldn't halt the Decepticon cause. There was no point in fighting.
Soundwave stroked his digits, he remained curious of them, the way they were different, not even Knockout could rival the form of the Autobot medic. Why was Ratchet so different from others? All Decepticons had razor or blocky hands, meant for cutting and mangling, not at all like the fine delicately aligned seams on this medics servos. Soundwave put a little pressure on one, causing another groan from the medic.
Why did it hurt so damn much for Soundwave's pointy little claws to touch his servos? Ratchet writhed with pain, his memory flashing a reminder this had happened before, Orion Pax had been insistent on Ratchet staying away from the then-gladiator after he had found Ratchet pinned writhing in pain beneath the behemoth the first time. Ratchet was more than happy to oblige. Now however, this memory returned and he blurted out, "W-why are you doing this?"
Soundwave made no thought to answer, merely forced Ratchet to straighten the delicate digits of his servos for him to peer at. Ratchet felt his mental programs shutting down one by one and he closed his optics. Why was he here? What did this monster want with him? Couldn't he just be left alone?
Soundwave made a strange noise, causing Ratchet to jerk upwards, it was a soft whirr like a cooling fan kicking in. Ratchet gave a strange look to the Decepticon who looked perfectly contented to merely grasp at his servos in delight. Another pinch caused him to cry out, although it was painful, it activated an unused string of code deep within his spark, making him writhe away in fear of what could happen. Yet the Decepticon hung on, delighted with the reaction he received from the medical officer. He stroked another digit open and massaged its first joint, making a soft high pitched noise in delight. Ratchet yanked viciously against his captor, fear threatening to overrun his logical centers. Surprisingly enough, Soundwave responded by loosening his tendrils making Ratchet roll away and face him. He held his servos close to him, any notion to escape masked by his wariness of the deadly enemy.
But Soundwave sat down and reached out for Ratchet, cutting a soundbyte from who knows where of a pleading whisper, "Please."
Ratchet shut down the medical processes that demanded he help the pleading wasn't Soundwave's voice, that was probably the desperate plea of one of his victims, but Soundwave inched closer and Ratchet realized once again that for now he remained a prisoner away from the Nemesis. He was Soundwave's secret and at his mercy. If the Decepticon merely wanted play, Ratchet couldn't help but oblidge.