Arlington Nuclear Power Plant, Virginia; Present...
'Energy adjusted: pro- Incoming: four unknown energy signals from multiple directions.' As soon as the scarab reported this, laser fire rained down on the battlefield. While it seemed to be concentrated on the golem; several stray shots hit Superboy in quick succession, rendering him unconscious. Fire from behind Jaime joined the onslaught. In a matter of minutes, the golem was reduced to rubble. Apparently, the source of the energy signals had arrived. Dimly, Jaime noticed that they were robots. One of them had wings, while another greatly resembled a panther. The final two would have been identical, were it not for their different color paint jobs.
The four robots turned to Jaime, their weapons raised. Jaime quickly raised his arm, expecting the trigger happy AI to transform it into a weapon. When no transformation came, he panicked, saying "You know, a plasma cannon would be really nice right now!"
Said AI's completely uncharacteristic response certainly didn't help: 'Negative. Weapon systems: deactivating. Hostile intent: not detected.' The fact that they had him surrounded, weapons still raised didn't help either.
"They look pretty damn hostile to me!"
'Energy signals: register as friendly.' the scarab replied stubbornly.
"And you know this... how exactly?"
'Additional data: unavailable.' the normally violent AI's tone may as well have been a shrug.
The attack Jaime expected never came. Their weapons folded away into their bodies, the motion oddly familiar. Suddenly, all four lunged at him, clicking and beeping. The look-alikes grabbed him around the middle from both sides, pinning his arms. The huge paws of the cat landed on his stomach, knocking him over. The one with wings latched onto his chest. Never had Jaime been so certain that he was about to die.
Although Jaime didn't know it, none of the Cassettes had any intention of harming him. They were arguing, in fact.
/Source of anomaly: directly ahead/ Laserbeak reported.
Frenzy radiated horrified shock /That squishy shows up on the scanner as the Boss?/
/HA! Something's wrong with your sensors, Beaky-boy/ Rumble added, trying to hide his own disappointment.
/Rumble: will desist usage of incorrect designation immediately. Behavior: annoying and immature/
/Who are you, his Carrier?/ Frenzy sneered.
/Threat: if Rumble and Frenzy do not mute vocalizers-/
/Settle down, you three. Before I have to make you. And put your weapons away, you're scaring him/ Ravage, the eldest of the four interjected, her patience wearing thin.
The link was quiet for a few nano-kliks before /Hey, Ravage. Dog pile on the Boss?/
Ravage paused to hide her own excitement before she answered /... If you must/
No sooner had she said this than Rumble and Frenzy launched themselves their Creator and hugged him for all they were worth, chattering excitedly in Cybertronian. "BOSS!" "Where have you been?" "What happened?" "The scary femme has been so worried that she doesn't even bother to yell at us when we prank the Vehicons anymore!" "Why are you a squishy?" "Can we have some high-grade?"
Ravage was only slightly more composed as she tackled her Creator, purring like the organic she had been modeled after.
Laserbeak merely glided to his customary perch on his master's chest. Latching on so he wouldn't fall off if Soundwave stood up, the Cassette made himself comfortable.
Jaime slowly realized that they didn't seem to want to kill him. An idea that was somewhat at odds with their ownage of the golem earlier. He was trying to figure out what the look-alikes were saying when he heard something. Looking at the cat, he realized that it was purring.
Then, a strange feeling filled his mind, almost as if he were sharing it with someone. He was bombarded by emotions that weren't his. Nope, definitely not his. 'Cause he sure as Pit wasn't happy or relieved - wait, 'Pit'? Where had that come from? Stranger still, he began to understand what the twins – how did he know they were twins? – were saying. He only caught the tail end of their tirade, however: "...a squishy?" "Can we have some high-grade?"
Jaime's only response to this before he fainted was an ever so intelligent "Wha...?"
Ravage was the first to notice that her Creator had gone into stasis. She also saw that the Kryptonian was coming back online. Loathe as she was to leave Soundwave so soon after they had found him, she knew it was for the best.
/Let's get back to the Nemesis/ Ravage ordered. /Laserbeak, do a facial recognition scan. Rumble, Frenzy, keep the Krytonian in stasis while Laserbeak does the scan/
/What-we're leaving him here?/ Frenzy squawked.
/Do you really think Starscream is going to hesitate to offline Soundwave if he finds out he's a squishy...?/ she snapped.
Rumble joined his twin in protest /But what about-/
/Now/ she repeated firmly. She turned and began to leave. Then added soothingly /We will come back for him, but now isn't the time/
/Sounwave's current form: may not survive transit from surface to Nemesis. Informing sparkmate: also necessary/ Laserbeak added. He was the voice of logic, as always.
/S'long as you're the one who tells her...Beaky/
/Frenzy...!/
Airachnid paced the length of their – her quarters. She vented air slowly with a rueful smile; five thousand years, and she still couldn't get him out of her processer. Lately, even Lord Megatron himself had begun to feel it detrimental. And that mech didn't give a frag what his officers did in their spare time. Suddenly, she heard the familiar whoosh of an opening door. Only a select few 'Cons had the access code to that door, and all four of them were painful reminders of what she had lost back then, why she was the way she was now.
"What do you want now...? she drawled in a bored fashion, not turning around.
"We found him!" one of the twins – she never could tell which was which – announced proudly.
"I haven't time for your games. Found who?" she snarled, turning to face them. If this was another Primus-forsaken prank... In response, Laserbeak glided to the console on the far wall, and brought up the image of a human boy. She shot Ravage a questioning look.
"Good news is we found Soundwave."
"And the bad news...?" Airachnid raised an optic ridge.
"...He got turned into a squishy." Ravage admitted hesitantly.
"Oh." Airachnid turned to the console with renewed interest, and gestured to the image, "So I take it that's him? Run a facial recognition scan."
"Laserbeak already did. His name's Jaime Reyes, age 15 Earth-years, lives in El Paso, Texas in America and he attends an educational facility called Rio Grande High School. He's also what the natives call a super hero."
"'Super hero'...?"
"This planet's version of an Autobot."
"I want him out of there. Now."
Ravage thanked Primus that Airachnid hadn't blasted them with webbing when they told her the news-
"Wait a klik- WHY DID YOU LEAVE HIM THERE?" Airachnid webbed all four of them to the ceiling.
Apparently, she had spoken too soon.