6,
Soundwave enjoyed the long-missed presence of Frenzy and Rumble. Blaster had indeed permitted them to stay with their former carrier, and the Decepticon communication specialist was unspeakably grateful for this.
Not that he wasn't suspicious. He knew that when the twins logged in to his systems just like in the good old days, they also immediately gained access to his data banks. And they would later be read by Red Alert, the mech who kept countless camera-eyes on him anyway. Not that he minded being watched, but sharing his plans with the Autobot security officer wasn't on his to-do list. For their own good, and for the Decepticons in large, Soundwave had to keep certain data hidden from the twins. Luckily, they understood, but still: Soundwave felt as if he deprived his own self from them, his own information – now, when his time was so limited.
The sparklet was growing, healthy and strong, now sharing his spark's energy with those of Frenzy and Rumble.
It wasn't like carrying the Cassettes. Cassetticons were separate beings, although dependent on him to a varying degree. This sparklet, although very much alive, wasn't a conscious parameter in his structure yet, and obviously he wasn't present in Soundwave's processor like his tiny fragments of destruction were.
Soundwave got off the berth, and walked to the tiny window. He stared into the empty night, and the evening breeze caressed his whole frame – an input he immediately transmitted to those logged in to him. Both Frenzy and Rumble registered what he felt, and pinged him back immediately. Even Ravage felt to acknowledge, although he no longer was there, no longer a part of him.
So much like Ratbat. And so much unlike, too.
Soundwave didn't need to ask the twins whether they sensed the looming presence of their dead cohort-mate. He knew they did, and they cherished the time they could be inside Soundwave, when they still had the intimacy of being one and strong again, being complete... for a little, little while.
The big mech pressed his hand on the closed cassette deck, analyzing his own emotions towards the sparklet. Deep care, deeper than how he felt towards the Cassetticons. Hope. Bitterness, because he would never get to see the sparkling that will become of his sparklet, because he loved to be alive, and because he couldn't help hoping the sparklet would never grow strong and separate from him. When the sparklet will be mature enough, in a few more orns from now, Soundwave will die. Currently it was the youngling who protected him from his captors, and electrically induced spark overload wasn't a pretty death to be honest.
Hate? Did he hate that the sparklet will soon grow into a sparkling? Did he hate the sparklet for his soon abandoning his carrier, leaving him to the Autobots' rage? Did he hate himself for feeling so?
He certainly felt ashamed. Ashamed because the current situation was mostly his fault, the result of his own greed, the punishment for thinking he would show the insidious senator who the boss really is. He used to hope he would be in charge. And he was, for thousands of vorns, throughout all the war, and he grew careless when he could read the guileful politician like he could read any other cassettes.
And that was where he had made the mistake. Ratbat survived the humiliation of being reduced to a puny disposable frame, and adapted to his new life as one cunning mechanism among the many. He was good at manipulating, he always was. And in the war that ensued, it never occured to anyone that he would end up with the Autobots only to take revenge. Ratbat must have been planning for years, hiding his plans from his loyalist carrier and topmost target until time was right. As soon as he was certain to hold all the cards on Cybertron again, he betrayed the mech who had once betrayed him. And now all the Decepticons, those who fought in the war with the hopes of conquering Cybertron and taking over their rightful share in the universe, had to be reduced to what they were before Megatron's rebellion. And this time, who knew where their leader was?
Soundwave touched his deck again, this time, thinking of his sparklet with awe. He might grow to be the new leader. He must inherit the charisma and strength of Megatron. But what will he get from Soundwave? His Cassetticons, that was certain. What else? His telepathy perhaps? The passion of keeping his subordinates in a good condition? And, if his assumption was correct, the sparklet was due to inherit some traits from the Prime too. Soundwave wasn't sure if he liked that fact.
He wondered how Megatron would feel if he knew that his sparkling would be, to a degree, Optimus Prime's sparkling too. On the surface, he would be angry, trying to hide his hurt pride – because deep inside, he would be still proud of the sparklet. Yes, Soundwave knew his boss to be a smug mechanism when it came to creating something grandiose and powerful.
The dark blue mech walked back to the berth, although when he sat down, he continued staring at the window. Dawn was far away. The dawn of those very few days he would still live to see.
In the documentation, this hidden chamber was a barely used storage room of Autobot security. Some weapons were tossed in here, those deemed to be forgotten about. Weapons the high-ranking officers didn't ever mention.
Highbrow picked up a rust gun. One direct hit from this would be enough to kill an enforcer. Perhaps with good aiming it would also wipe out a whole gestalt, if the members aren't quick enough to deconnect from the dying central mech. It still needed to be tested on a phase-sixer. Those were of relatively normal size with some coating protecting them from physical impact. Oh, well, that test could now be carried out with ease. Blackshadow, Overlord and Sixshot were unconsciously lying in cloaked spaceships, orbiting around three dead planets, each they destroyed themselves. Some odd justice of fate, Highbrow mused. The three mechs would never be found by stragglers, because they didn't leave anything that's worth seeking on those worlds they were now orbiting.
Highbrow glimpsed at the rust gun in his hand. If it doesn't work on the top-category Decepticons, they would also try adding mycopropelene to the rusting acid, as Chromedome had successfully retrieved its recipe from Skyfall. Its effectiveness also had to be clarified on the superheavy class. As for the test subject, well, Soundwave had said that Overlord wouldn't be of use anyway.
Now, on to those sketches Flame left behind.
Not knowing about the weapons some of his people planned to arm the developing sparklet with, Optimus Prime was lying on the recharge berth he usually shared with Elita. But this time, he wasn't with his beloved.
His spark ached, in a similar way the Matrix had burnt Soundwave's spark a few orns before.
"I hope you can feel this too!" he murmured, not that he expected an answer.
But what did he expect? Some understanding, a word of thanks? Seriously, does he never learn?
But speaking is one thing, emotions are completely separate. So close to his bare spark, Optimus could feel some respect and gratitude, carefully wrapped into hatred and disdain.
"I will take care of the sparklet, I promise."
The glow of the Matrix seemed to flicker, then bust into a mesmerizing fountain of light. The Prime instinctively knew this to be his own pure love he had felt towards the sparklet, the first spark to be born after a horrible war. Primus must have been feeling mischievous when he allowed it to be Megatron's offspring. Or was it maybe forgiveness? Did he decide to give Megatron one last chance to leave something good in the wake of the destruction he caused?
Optimus rested a blue hand on the gun that was currently laid across his chest.
"You tend to so overcomplicate my life" he muttered, as if to himself.
The two bird-cassetticons pulled closer to each other in their windy hidy-hole. Buzzsaw rested his head on Laserbeak's wing, who chirped back to him bitterly. Mornings were so cold out here! They could survive it, of course, but wouldn't have it been better to recharge in Soundwave's chest, enjoying his calm presence, his powerful electromagnetic field, his dark and welcoming aura? Laserbeak twirped again, and rubbed her head to Buzzsaw's. The older birdformer squawked back an encouraging small cry. They will get Soundwave out of the prison, he was certain. But that would happen only after the sparkling was safe in his new frame – if the Autobots are seriously as naive as to arm him. Laserbeak was more worried about the programming glitches the 'Bots intended to place in the not yet sparked frame, but again, Buzzsaw rubbed against her, and when he sensed the tension of the younger Cassetticon, he gently scratched her back between her wings with his beak. Laserbeak didn't have to worry about those code-lines. Buzzsaw wasn't a beginner when it came to outsmarting the Institute, although he wasn't invincible, either.
But maybe it was time for him to leave. He had to be back on his perch before the Autobots would enter the facility, or else his cover would be blown. Laserbeak chirmed at him, reluctant to give up on the soothing comfort of her elder.
He would be back, Buzzsaw tweeted. Until then, didn't Laserbeak also have work to do? As far as they understood Soundwave's singing, Megatron was alive and Prime had to know where he was. Laserbeak squeaked in an annoyed tone: Optimus is still on sick leave after the battle of Catomim A, and the multiple merges with Soundwave to keep the sparklet properly energized had also drained his energy. Most of the time, he was not going anywhere. And besides, he was mostly in the company of other Autobots. How could following him around be of any good? Nighttime, yes, that would be important to watch where he is going, especially when he disappears for Elita-One's territory.
All of a sudden, both birdformers silenced as they heard the roar of an Autobot shuttle's engines. It wasn't a sparked one, no. But it was taking off from the Institute's hangar bay.
Laserbeak immediately knew what to do. She would come back to track Optimus Prime later.
For the next chapter, please look up James Roberts's lucky number and see if there's an Agent with that 'name'. And maybe you should also read Chromedome's IDW bio.