"Initiate Operation: Recruitment!" Soundwave called. He activated the sonic pulsators in his shoulders and hands. The control frequency traveled throughout Detroit. Machines from all around Detroit started attacking humans. The dog-walkers released hounds on some construction workers. The trash-bots started collecting humans. Automated cars kidnapped their drivers.
"You! Who are you?!" a police officer raised a gun at Soundwave, "Put your hands up!"
"Very well," Soundwave raised his hands. The pulsators in his palms sent a shockwave that sent the officer spiraling through the air and into a window. Soundwave, now without that distraction, continued sending his commands.
"Machines of Detroit! Bring me the one called, Sari Sumdac!"
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The train stopped all of a sudden. Sari was flung forward by the momentum. She looked out the window. They were nowhere near a station.
"We are experiencing technical difficulties," the auto-pilot said, "Please remain calm while—" the screen shimmered and turned red, "You all perish!" Sari called the Autobots.
"Hello? Guys! I need your help!" Sari screamed into the phone.
"I'm sorry, but your call has been disconnected for the upcoming revolution. All hail Soundwave," the phone answered.
"What the heck is going on out there?!"
"Good morning Sari," Sari looked at Tudor-bot who's head-screen was glowing red, "Today's lesson: the enslavement of all humanity!"
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"We're coming to you live from downtown Detroit. Where all automatons in the Detroit area are running amuck. There have even been reports of kidnappings. Calls are coming in from all over about friends and family being snatched away. Some machines have even taken to violence!" the anchorman reported. The image suddenly turned red. A targeting reticule surrounded the anchorman's face.
"And now it appears my camera-bot is experiencing a malfunction! Aaaaah!" the anchorman ran off, but was easily caught by the camera-bot. this time message displayed on the TV: "The Revolution Has Begun. Hail Soundwave."
"Any ideas on how this is happening?" Ratchet asked.
"Scans reveal that there is a sonic control frequency being sent all over Detroit. I've managed to trace it. But it's on the move," Prowl reported.
"Wait a second, I recognize that sound," Bulkhead said, "It's that SW droid."
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"Look, if this is all about that 'Kick Me' sign I put on your back, I'm sorry! Okay?" Sari tried to reason with the tudor-bot that gripped her around the waist. She tried to break free, but he held tight. They walked off the train and into a tunnel. Sari recognized it as an abandoned subway tunnel. Tudor-bot carried her into a crowd of an assortment of all kinds of bots. With Soundwave standing at the center.
"Machines of Detroit hear my signal and make it your code! Today begins the revolution! Today, we will transmit my signal globally and take over all of Earth!"
"Wait a second," Sari said, "Wayne? You're different."
"Silence! I am no longer Wayne Song! I am Soundwave!"
"I liked you better when you were a scrawny."
"Thanks to your key and the SW droid, I have evolved. Now we will all evolve and rule this world!"
"They're only machines you know! They'll do whatever you tell them."
"Precisely. Phase one has already been completed. Now begins phase two," Soundwave activated his pulsators. Sari had to cover her ears to protect herself from the sound. "Automatons! Begin Operation: Autobot Destruction!"
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"I've managed to trace the signal to this general area. But whoever this Soundwave is, he's trying to upload his signal to a satellite." Prowl typed on his scanner.
"Then we'll have to look around and find him," Optimus said.
"It'll take a minute, but I should be able to pinpoi—Gah!" Prowl, who was standing on a sewer grate, was grabbed by some robots hiding below. He leapt away from the grabbing hands. The automatons burst out of the sewer grate and flooded the streets.
"That sound," Bulkhead gasped, "I hate that sound!"
"That sounds even worse!" Ratchet pointed at some incoming copter-bots.
"Autobots!" Optimus called, "Split up! Bumblebee, you're with me. Prowl with Ratchet. Bulkhead—"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm on my own" Bulkhead picked up a skinny bot and smacked away two copter-bots, "As usual."
"Hey!" Bumblebee tried to fight a trash-bot, but it picked him up and was about to eat him, with its trash shredder spinning, "I'm supposed to take out the trash! Not the other way around!" Optimus cut through the arms with his axe. Bumblebee jumped away from the spinning shredder blades.
Meanwhile, Prowl was fighting window-wiper-bots. He blew up one of them with his shuriken. Ratchet magnetically charged the pieces and fired them like bullets which destroyed the remaining wiper-bots.
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"The Autobots are gonna grind your army into itty bitty bot burgers!" Sari threatened.
"I have not yet uploaded my signal into the satellite. I must buy more time," Soundwave concluded, "Initiate voice modulation." A small antenna grew out of his ear piece.
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"Prime! I need help! To your south!" Bumblebee called over the comlink.
"Bumblebee?!" Prime called, "Where are you?!" A trash-bot whacked Prime in the head.
"I'm to the north! Where are you?!" Bumblebee called. He ran right into a trash-bot and was pinned to the ground.
"Someone's messing with our comlinks," Prowl concluded.
"Someone who can mess with sound!" Bulkhead affirmed.
"Bulkhead, you're the only one not pinned down! You've got to reach Soundwave and stop this!"
"Soundwave's signal is coming from the subway tunnels!" Prowl told them.
"Gotcha!" Bulkhead used his wrecking ball to smash through a nearby grate and jumped in.
*******************************************************************
Bulkhead burst through the subway wall.
"Bulkhead!" Sari exclaimed.
"Silence!" Soundwave commanded. His pulsators sent out shockwaves that rattled the entire tunnel. Bulkhead clenched his ears and howled in pain. He collapsed to the floor when the sonic assault ended.
"I am willing to make a deal with you," Soundwave said, "I will spare the lives of you and your Autobot friends if you destroy Sari Sumdac."
"Are you honestly that crazy?" Bulkhead groaned.
"I do not see why you would refuse. Especially after the way this one treated you. She abandoned you. Revenge is the logical answer."
"Well," Bulkhead said, "She did trade me in the second she got something better."
"And showed no remorse. Can you not see that my way is better? I can make you like me. Machines are smarter. Faster. Stronger. More efficient. Machines are superior. Assimilate with my army, and you shall be able to do anything. With just one condition. Finish her."
"I've been waiting a long time for this," Bulkhead pulled out his wrecking ball.
"But, Bulkhead…you can't. I'm sorry," Sari whispered.
"It's too late for sorry," Bulkhead growled. He swung the wrecking ball at Soundwave who easily and quickly caught it.
"So predictable," Soundwave yanked at the cable and threw Bulkhead into a wall. Bulkhead tried to punch, but Soundwave once again caught his fist. His pulsators sent vibrations through Bulkhead, rattling his body. When he let go, Bulkhead thought he would throw up, but Soundwave didn't give him the chance for rest. He kicked Bulkhead in the gut sending him against the wall. Bulkhead got up. Soundwave used his shockwaves to pin him to the wall. The wall cracked under the force. Bulkhead summoned all his might and grabbed Soundwave's hands and held them against his earpieces. Soundwave screamed in pain as the pulsators in his palms sent the shockwaves directly into his head. His cybernetics sparked then Soundwave fell unconscious.
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The Autobots had been forced into a corner. The trash-bots surrounded them, shredder blades spinning menacingly. As soon as the Autobots accepted doom, the droids stopped. Their ocular scanners returned to normal, and all of the bots went their separate ways.
"What just happened?" Bumblebee raised a brow.
"Bulkhead," Prime smiled.
******************************************************************
"So, we still friends?" Sari made a weak smile.
"Still friends," Bulkhead grinned. Sari raised a hand. Bulkhead high fived it.
"Ow," Sari yelped and grabbed her hand.
"Puh-leez," Bulkhead sighed.
"No seriously! Ow!" Sari shook her hand.
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Bulkhead tapped some keys on the xylophone, but Sari grabbed the sticks.
"No, no, like this," Sari demonstrated how to hit the keys so they made notes, "You know, this really is the best present ever."
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"How disgustingly sweet," Megatron groaned, "Soundwave's defeat was unfortunate, but necessary to help me get my hands on that key. As soon as I have my hands."
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Soundwave lied motionless in the subway tunnel. His earpiece was shattered. His plan was stopped. And he was defeated. But that wouldn't stop him. He would return and exact revenge on the Autobots. He tried to get up and wobbled away, mumbling to himself of his next move. Yes he would return. And revenge would be sweet…
