Chapter III
"So, how'd the fight go?" Sam asked as Optimus and Bumblebee rolled up.
"We came, we saw, we kicked it's ass!" Bumblebee replied. Sam looked to Optimus for a real answer. The Autobot sighed.
"We couldn't get the fragments fast enough, and Charm was frozen when she saw Soundwave."
"What, he scare her or something?"
"More like she knows him," Ironhide said behind Sam, making him jump. "I've seen her around the academy back in the days before the war. They spent most of their time together, I was starting to wonder if they already merged."
"If they what?"
"Don't bother," Bumblebee answered for him. Sam had to think about it for a bit and finally understood what Ironhide really meant. He scratched his head and tried to change the subject a bit.
"Where is Charm anyway?" he said.
"She might be cooling off," Optimus said. "Let's just give her some time to be alone."
Charm sat over the cliff edge and all of her cassettes were out playing behind her. She looked up at the blue sky. You couldn't find that view on Cybertron. It hurt that Soundwave didn't remember, otherwise he'd be here by her side again and look at the clouds with her. A thought entered her mind that what if every Decepticon undergone the same transformation? First they were fun, warm, peaceful. Then they change and become dark, homicidal, uncaring maniacs. How many other broken sparks were out there besides hers?
"Charm, quit being so bummed out!" Sky Light said. "When you're down, we're down!"
"Get over here and do something!" Shocker said. He looked over at Techno. The green 'bot searched his system for a song and landed on Fire Burning. The Cassetteicons jumped around and used the news dance moves they learned. Sky Light tugged on Charm's antennas.
"Come on, Charm!" she whined. "Do something fun!"
Charm turned around and flashed her vampire-like teeth and hissed. Sly Light backed away and the music stopped. The silver seeker turned back around and slumped some more.
"I can't stop thinking about him," she said. "Today he didn't even seem like the Soundwave I knew. I wonder what got into him to make him so…so…"
"Destructive?" Star's guess.
"Violent?" Techno's guess.
"Vindictive?" Shocker's guess.
"Yeah, that," Charm said, letting their choice fill in the blank.
Soundwave stood still near the edge of the wall at the Decepticon base, outside of Earth's moon. Skywarp and Thundercracker were having a drinking contest to see who would pass out or binge first. Rumble and Frenzy were cheering on different sides; Frenzy to Thundercracker, Rumble to Skywarp. Once you heard them, they sounded like coaches in training.
"Come on, you call that a swallow?" Rumble said, standing on Skywarp's shoulder. "Keep drinking!"
"He's fadin' out. I can see it!" Frenzy said to Thundercracker. The blue jet didn't want to admit it, but he was feeling a little nauseous himself. He looked at Skywarp through tripled vision.
"Ready to knock out?" he groaned.
"Nah, nah…" Skywarp burped. "I'm 'onna prove you ain't the only one who can…(belch)…win a contest…Aw, slag!" Skywarp held a hand to his mouth. Thundercracker chuckled deeply.
"Remember that slime monster we faced in Sector Fifteen," he teased.
"Stop…urk!"
"How long did it take to get every piece of that nasty goop out again?"
"Stop it! You're doin' it on purpose…Oh…no!" Skywarp held his mouth tightly.
"No!" Rumble yelled. "Don't let him get to you! He's trying to make you--"
Too late. Skywarp turned towards the side and whatever he had consumed in the last few hours came out onto the floor.
"--throw up…" Rumble finished. Skywarp put his head on the table.
"Clean up in aisle seven…" Skywarp trailed off and fell asleep on the table.
"Thank Primus," Thundercracker moaned. He got up as Frenzy jumped off his shoulder and walked to his room. On his way, he grabbed a bucket, just in case.
Soundwave shook his head. Such an immature way to prove one's strength. It was a tough challenge, true, but it was still childish. Frenzy and Rumble started a verbal fight about the contest and Soundwave knew he would never hear the end.
He looked in anther direction, out to the stars and out to Earth. The blue Decepticon kept thinking about the femme he encountered outside the town the Autobots resided. She looked almost like him, but was made from someone who created seekers. Not to mention the strange behavior from Rumble and Frenzy when they were up against her own Cassetteicons. They would usually act crazy and do anything for a fight. Instead, they stood side by side with the green and blue cassettes. And not only that, there was something about the femme that made him feel something that was lost in his body for a long time. His spark had skipped a few beats and warmth grew inside. He tried to remind himself over again where his allegiance lied and continue to laugh at how weak the girl was. Somehow her looks kept bringing back that strange feeling. But she was an Autobot! A do-gooder, so weak, so frail, so…so damn hot.
"Thundercracker egged him! If he hadn't, Skywarp would've totally won!" Rumble shouted.
"You're just jealous because you can't win anything," Frenzy said.
"Slag-head!"
"Mud flap!"
"That's it!" Rumble lunged across the table at his brother and tackled him down to the floor. The two rolled around, trying to hurt the other.
"Watch it!" Frenzy said. "We're too close to-- (squish)--Skywarp's mess…Ugh!"
"I won't eat for a week!" Rumble stood up, shaking off the chunky purple barf. Frenzy shivered and stood up.
"I'm gonna need therapy after this…"
Soundwave was laughing inside, really. He watched as the two walked off to the cleaning room. Ravage was sitting across the room with Laserbeak, giving a coughing snarl that was supposed to be a laugh. Laserbeak's laugh sounded like a broken squawk.
"Such children," Soundwave groaned. "Why did I even bother in the first place?"
"Charm, for the love of Primus, get up!" Star shouted.
"I'm still depressed…" the seeker whined. Star looked over to her mistress' face. She couldn't tell with the face mask and visor how sad she really was.
"Well, can you be depressed some other time? We gotta get back to Tranquility and find you a disguise, at least."
"No."
"What if I told you they were Prime's orders?"
"Fine." Charm stood up and called in her cassettes. She transformed and flew off to the nearest sir base. People had scattered to places to make room for her as she landed. Sky Light and Techno popped out without an invitation and looked around at the fighter planes.
"I like that one," Sky Light said, pointing to an F-22 Raptor.
"No way! Look at that one over there!" Techno moved his arm out towards a B-2 Spirit. "Now that's a trend!"
"I don't think so," Charm said, already searching the Internet inside her CPU. "That thing costs way too much money and it'd be weird to see it in the sky. I'll stick to the Raptor." She walked over to it and started scanning. Techno crossed his arms.
"Still a cool look," he grumbled. Charm finished her scan and shifted into her new form to try it out. She took off to the sky and tested it out. She took a few sharp turns to try out its agility and tried out the speed. And for show, some twists and flips. She landed back down on the base and received a few applauds from the humans. She bowed down to amuse them and smiled back at her two cassettes.
"Brilliant, milady," Techno said.
"That was so cool!" Sky Light cheered. Charm giggled and brought them back into her chest. She took off again and flied as fast she could. A static sound came into her antennas and she turned them on.
"Hello?"
"Hello, my dear."
"Soundwave?" she choked.
"Don't listen to him!" Star shouted.
"What--What do you want?" Charm continued.
"I was hoping to meet you a few miles outside of Tranquility. What do you say?"
"I…Yes!" Charm said with hope in her voice. "Leave your signal open, I'm coming!"
Soundwave laughed at how gullible this girl was. By the sound in her voice, she was coming alone, just as he planned. What kind of Autobot would fall for such an easy Decepticon trap? He looked at Rumble and Frenzy, trembling beside him.
"Sir? I don't know why, but…I don't think we should fight them," Rumble said shyly. Soundwave growled and the little blue 'bot took a step back. "There's something about that girl and her cassettes. Can't you sense it?"
"All I know is she is just an Autobot who'll get in my way," Soundwave answered. "I plan to eliminate her before she does anything more to me."
"Anything more?" Frenzy repeated. "What did she do?"
"That is none of your concern."
"Of course not…"
The intelligence officer heard the sound of jet turbines and looked to the sky. A silver and lavender Raptor fighter plane was on its way. It lowered a few meters before him and transformed into the Autobot. Her face mask was off and only her wide, white smile was shown.
"Hey, big guy," she said, a flirtatious tone in her voice. Soundwave felt a shiver go up his spine, but shook his head to ignore it.
"IT'S A TRAP!" Rumble shouted. Soundwave kicked the 'bot aside and ran at Charm. The seeker lifted into the air and let Soundwave fall into the ground once again. He stood up and looked at the hovering Autobot.
"Get back here!"
"Not until you remember who I am!" Charm said, purple tears in her eyes.
"You are the Autobot I faced earlier, now land!"
"Say my name!"
"What?"
"What is my name?!"
"I do not know it!"
Charm yelled in both fury and depression. Soundwave had been brainwashed by the blackness of the Decepticon side. He was her enemy, no longer a friend. She dove down towards him in rage.
"Now we are getting somewhere!" Soundwave laughed. He put his legs apart and waited for the attack. She pushed him down so his back was to the ground and tried to figure out what to do. Knowing the femme wasn't going to do anything, he rolled her over so he was on top and pinned her arms to the dirt. Charm choked and looked at Soundwave's red visor. She remembered back when those eyes were filled with love whenever he gazed at her. Now there was hate.
"I am glad you did not end up on the Decepticon side," he said.
Ditto, Charm cried in her thoughts.
"You would have died in your first battle," he continued. Charm thought for a second of what her next move would be. She had gotten out of situations like this whenever she fought, but with Soundwave it was…Wait. That's it!
Charm gave a wicked smile and noticed the change behind that red visor. She pushed him back with her legs and jumped on him. She pounded on his chest a few times, making it harder for him breathe and move. She turned him over so his back was towards her and held him down by the arms. Soundwave struggled like a fish and gave up when he accepted the fact she was stronger than him.
"A change, my dear?" he said, trying to get her off-guard.
Charm leaned towards his audio receiver. "Just sparring," she chuckled.
"You are such a child," he growled.
"I'm the child that kicked your aft! I would suffocate you right now, but like I said, I'm only sparring with you." She jumped off of him and took off to the air. Soundwave groaned as he stood up and watched the seeker fly back to Tranquility. The girl was sparring? Was there ever a time when he had sparred? It seemed familiar when she said it…and even did it.
xXx
Author's Note: Hmm! Little suspicious there, big guy?
