Oc x Soundwave (Pre-war)

A/N - PLEASE READ THE END AUTHOR'S NOTE BELOW!

~Enjoy

Ch. 7 'Beac'

Six Vorns

She'd been stationed rather far from his current base of operations. Him being undoubtedly beside Megatron, and she being ranked as a skilled scientist. Therefore being was placed where she belonged; under the stiff command of Shockwave beneath the immobile iron of his servo that crushed everything and anything partaking in freedom and fun. Marvelous.

"Megatron wants us to invade Tarn?" She'd asked skeptically, although it hadn't mattered. Shockwave had the resources...and if done correctly (which it would be) overtaking Tarn would be nothing but an eventfully cycle. An expected success no matter what plan now that they were well equipped with a decent militia. And Shockwave would undoubtedly dictate such a city without question, without any vocalized concerns. She found it odd...how willingly they'd all obey.

"Affirmative." Soundwave nodded, their video comm focusing on business rather than the usually brief yet comforting checkup. He had called the main lab upon orders, and she'd coincidentally been the only one residing within the room. How odd, how often mere coincidences forced social interaction between them. It was almost unavoidable, and she often wondered if he called at specific times for a more personal reason. Hoped, rather than wondered.

"I'll alert Shockwave. He'll act immediately." She nearly groaned. "Tell Megatron to not worry. Tarn will undoubtedly fall under Decpticon control."

She offlined the communicator, fairly guilty that she was incapable of speaking more, of conversing with the only intelligent being willing to. Soundwave had no time, though. And after this neither will she.

"Have to find Shockwave..." She began walking, pace quick as she entered the main lab in search of her current commander, his communicator being shut down as it often was. The mech was more than likely submerged in his work, or perhaps rewiring a subject chassis. He was rather predictable, as surprising as it sounded. He had a set schedule, although most of the usual activities varied with each separate experiment. Still uncannily easy to find.

So it was less than shocking to hear listless cries of anguish and pain echo from one corridor to the next. Begging, pleading and the familiar sound of fear filtering through her audio receptors; the background nothing more than clanking and shifting and fighting. Her CPU focused on such things too often to be safe, the discomfort they caused should never be revealed because that is weakness and he will tolerate no such thing. This entire 'Decepticon' wage...the morbid ambiance and the ruthless absurdities that they, as voiceless scraplets, keenly accepted as their style of life out of spite and withheld rage. Now everything was sultry and everyone was a violent sociopath looking to spill energon only because they can. Due to the realistic mindset that freedom and stature is earned with might and power. And what were the Autobots? Mindless pacifists who saw freedom as something you were born with, nothing worth fighting or laboring for...you were just handed such opportunities on a silver platter. Fascinating.

They were no longer justified rebels, they were Decepticons, and she wondered just how many planets trusted them and accepted their faction with such a name. Deception..ha! She laughed at that.

Still it remained a mess, every oration and every revolt coiled into something much more dangerous than the last act of violence or the last act of valor. The little riots she'd complained about developing further into a thick poison of death and burnt sparks, as dense as the decaying energon split in little puddles across countless city-states. She'd walked outside once...off a drop ship in order to retrieve supplies from the wreckage of a fallen city-state. What a solemn mistake.

Another plea of agony wailed through the glass halls.

Prisma tuned out the violence of the lab, never oppressed or intimidated by it but never too accepting of such interfering sounds either. Her steps often distracted her, the taps of her pedes synchronized as she made her way towards the main lab. Vortex passed, wing struts shifting into something sly as his visor followed the femme's movements. He was the most...peculiar...of the Combaticons; a team she'd prefer away from her base of operations if she had any considered opinion whatsoever.

All they were was trouble. She found it ironic. All she was was trouble. Shockwave always made that apparent. She'd love to say their relationship of Chief and assistant was stellar...but that would be some awful lie conjured from the Pit*. Actually...in technical terms and comparison to the poor treatment of everyone else...it was a decent consociation. He rarely caused her inner conflict and almost never experimented on her chassis. The minor examinations of her satellite were understandable and overlooked, but he'd never wasted his time in removing necessary organs. She knew Soundwave would have a fit.

Upon entering she met the all too familiar appearance of his back, the small mechanical parts moving in synch with his stiff movements, datapad looking like a portable communication dock within the massive grasp that was his servo. His gun shifted, making her glance from the back of his helm and back.

"What is it you want?" Despite the polite wording he asked it blatantly...and for a moment she wondered just how his last assistant was 'accidentally obliterated'.

Two Deca-Cycles*

Although the device had been with him for more than three vorns, it still had no name. Yes, he was the second opinion in any of Megatron's decisions, and yes, he was one of the best communication officers this side of the galaxy (so good communication wasn't even necessary)...but creativity was not his strong suite. Naming sparklings or creations was not on his priority list; although this was much more useful than a mere sparkling. Still he did not speak to it...and even then the silent creation made better company than anyone else would. It was simple, it was quiet...it was an advantage.

It lay against his chest now, transformed against him and currently unmoving. It was warm, a steady heat radiating from its little spark that was but a small fragment of Prisma's own pulsing life force. She'd had a center sphere removed from the middle? Such a dangerous procedure to be done...all in the name of science. All especially for him.

Prisma. He missed her, truthfully. He did not mind her absence, it didn't bother him...mainly because she would comm or video message him on her latest discoveries every rotor cycle or so. She had worked her way up the food chain...or as she'd put it 'survived as best as she could' while under the strict ranks of Shockwave. That purple monstrosity who's only ambition was to worship science in its deadliest, purest, and cruelest forms. The one who'd recently been commanded to overtake the city of Tarn. Soundwave had no judgment.

The doors slid open behind his place at the computer as he casually continued working to hack into Autobot systems. They'd found coordinates to a far planet, one rich with energy that was capable of sustaining their race further than their own home was.

Footsteps. The click of heels. He knew who it was.

"Ahh, Soundwave." Starscream brittled out his words as he gestured to the other with a fluid servo, finger components curling as he set the opposing extremity at the arch of his back. The voice grated on the Intelligence Officer's audio receptors, high-pitched and moody. It was little wonder how Starscream received his name, optics red with this list for power and stance flamboyant with pride. His wings perked, and his voice drew out as he attempted to gain the the other's attention. "A scientist sent a request to meet with you personally. She said there were several...pressing matters that she would like to introduce."

"..." He did not reply. He knew it was Prisma, he only awaited the bothering inquiries that the seeker in front of him was preparing to spew.

"Apparently she found it disrespectful to bother Megatron's second in command with such meager occurrences, and instead wanted the Communications officer to look further into that unit's recent discovery." A smile slickly spread itself over his lip components, ego growing with each sputtered word. Starscream puffed his chest out a bit, optics gleaming with self-glorification.

He nodded as his only response, slightly irked at the thought of Starscream picking and prodding around his personal station. He leaves the main controls for a joor, and suddenly the Second in Command, who had no business even near that particular post, was answering video comms and undoubtedly listening to private audio logs. Soundwave remained unfazed, and the seeker chuckled before striding away ostentatiously.

Flattering Starscream into carelessness? A very intelligent move on Prisma's part. Very intelligent indeed.

Megatron had allowed his leave without hesitation. Surly if he were needed Soundwave could easily be back within the joor. Shockwave was alerted of his upcoming 'inspection'; although it was more of a visit than anything. He transformed as soon as he entered the landing bay, several nameless drones scuffing by as actual troops kept their distance. He navigated himself throughout the base effortlessly, the main lab within view of the dimly lit corridor. Even Megatron's base of operations was illuminated with a livelier atmosphere. Everybot here...seemed afraid.

The doors slid open with a hiss as if to greet him. Her appearance reminded him that they'd been physically separated for some time, his own making her grin with bottled excitement and that upturn of lips he caused made his spark ache significantly. The sight of her creation latched onto his chest relieved her fear of his eventual disapproval. It had been several long and drawn out vorns since their last meeting, and both observed the other as
though focusing on any obvious abnormalities.

"It's good to see you." Her smile was still flawlessly shimmering. She appeared healthy. Plating was waxed, cables strung nicely and any blemishes or dents had been fixed or removed. She looked new, as if provided with another upgrade specifically for repairs. Shockwave didn't neglect her...that was all he would consider.

He nodded as a brief reply, expressing her sentiments of relief in the other's wellbeing as a single gesture.

"I assume that you received my message?"

"..." He nodded again.

"Good. I could have sworn that you were the Communications Officer, not our beloved Starscream. I see what happens the klik you leave your station." She turned and moved towards the examination berth, wings strut outwards in thought as the sarcasm bled from her vocalizer. She'd made her opinion of the other seeker obvious in the past.

"..."

"I called you here for a reason, obviously."

Yes, the assumed good news and bad news. Although the bad news was nothing short of unimportant, she still felt obliged to share it. She'd recently discovered that the duplication of her processor's satellite was impossible. Well, the installation was just too complex to integrate much less perform as a surgical transplant. A tragic loss that'd wasted her time and effort, but without the practice her progression wouldn't have skyrocketed like it did. Yet another optimistic view of failure she'd freely shared during one of their previous video comms. Soundwave didn't understand; he would have been more than frustrated to find a dead end.

"I'm incapable of mimicking my own satellite programming. There were too many components involving the personal structure of my spark to replicate anything that could read transmissions below the frequency of a radio or communication wave. I found it disappointingly ironic at the time, but...it made obvious room for improvement." She muttered the last part, a sigh tugging at her words as she set her servo over her optics for a moment of quick relief. He nodded in response to the sideways glance she gave him, her wings twitching as she studied his reaction. Disapproval was not something she often looked for, but the current fear of it made Prisma observe her companion too keenly. He stood thinner with that last physical upgrade, tall, quiet, and of course eerie in that familiar way that time had made unnoticed. She smiled, recalling the day his visor had nearly shattered upon impact with her datapad. A simple 'accident'...so she proclaimed, anyway.

"Fortunately that's not all that I wanted to show you. Starscream wouldn't bother with our work, he's too wary of Shockwave...which is exactly why I flattered him into asking you to come down." She smiled a bit, the expression of her faceplate assuring the mech that she was recalling past experiences and memories shared.

"I've finally found a way around the sub-creation of artificial sparks. With the correct equations, tools and composition any engineer could easily mimic what we've accomplished." Her hand outstretched to the chassis on the table, its finger components fidgeting every few moments. Soundwave inspected the figure briefly, its vital stats appearing on the inner screen of his visor.

"I call it a Vehicon, although Shockwave enjoys the term Eradicon. Built with a functional processor, sequencer, execution unit, transistors and FPU. But their logical optimization is limited, leaving them incapable of making their own decisions; also courtesy of Shockwave. It's impossible for a change of mind, or side, without direct command or rewiring. He's in the process of stabilizing it."

"Impressive." And indeed it was. Just as her first creation had been, and just as her private operations concerning database interference had also.

"Directing an energon fuel line to a pressure chamber will activate the proper functions needed in order to mimic the vitals of a spark. It will maintain proper composure unless removed from the chamber, and they will work accordingly." She traced each inner wire with a careful finger, optics dodging his visor as if attempting to avoid any contact or criticism.

He had none.

"With his expertise in both nero-networking along with his recent invention of the cortical psychic patch, Shockwave handled the processor and CPU manipulation, and I ensured the life force and designed the outer and inner structure." He nodded again, stiff as usual and observing her every added detail. Megatron would use this opportunity without any form of hesitation. Prisma had been right to request him; Starscream wouldn't have shuttered an optic.

"I had two of our three subjects partake in target practice. Unfortunately, they're equipped with poor marksmanship. Aim is average at best...and there's only so much we can do as far as functions. They learn, so instillation isn't worth the effort unless we're constructing a literal soldier or assassin. They're an army...and that's what Megatron had want-."

"-Fodder." A voice interrupted, one that Soundwave had been familiar of despite his placement in the war. The heavy footsteps made Prisma cringe warily, form stiffening with an air of conscientiousness at that naturally threatening tone. It was deep, muddled by how crass and deadly it sounded as it echoed against the metal of the room. Soundwave turned his helm in the mech's direction, already aware of Shockwave's presence as he slowly staggered into the lab. His lab.

"Fodder?" She asked with a faint hint of attitude creasing her tone. She wouldn't dare sharpen it though.

"Yes, they are fodder." He mellowed out a bit, the single optic narrowing towards the femme as if speaking to a sparkling who'd discussed a topic that they hadn't experienced. She huffed a quiet breath, defensive pride overwhelming her transistors in heat while her wings swiftly pulled against her back in negative emotions. A scowl etched itself onto her faceplate, and Soundwave set spindly fingers against her shoulder blade as if to calm her overheating circuits. The feel was foreign and rekindling. He usually did not touch, and hadn't in some time since their last meeting. Within the base of Kaon...he preferred to be left without much physical contact.

"These are our creations. Shouldn't we treat them with a little more respect?"

"Beacon..." Beacon? Who was Beacon? "...I advise that you refrain from speaking so freely. These are simple experiments...test subjects. Too meager to be considered a creation of any sort. Although your inept concept of these scrap piles having any sort of meaning to you is vaguely farcical...it is no less pathetic."

She was mad, her cooling units struggling to maintain a steady temperature in her frame as the younger's servos fisted and wings stiffened through rage. He was an unemotional aft, yes, but regrettably common logic had forced Prisma to realize that...in some shifty and inflated sense the mech was right. Shockwave was one of Cybertron's best known scientists aside from Perceptor, his CPU was a work of sheer brilliance in the field of methodical or biological studies and for countless vorns he used it accordingly. An exceptionally distinguished and illustrious work of ingenuity. She was mildly jealous, yet his pompous attitude and cruel outlook on sentient beings stifled her envy into nearly nothing. And although Perceptor was misled completely into the Autobot's side...her respect was still strictly in his favor.

"Aside from your fruitless bickering, I came to inform you that Subject 0154 has offlined permanently due to your negligence." Of course it was her fault. The femme's lip components pursed for a moment, concern evident in her countenance as she gridded her dentals.

"0154, subject had been undergoing several tests concerning his abnormal circulation fluid and transistors. Vitals were always unstable due to constant experiments." She turned to a monitor, looking up the current vital stats and uploading the last subject examination upon death. "Self-inflicted puncture to the initial cortex energon line…"

Located within the main extremities, Soundwave noted...hinting at suicide. Of course torture would ensure a self-wrought demise. He would never question that, yet Prisma still seemed unsure; still stale in the optics as she stared at the floor panels with a curled index component against her chin.

Shockwave focused on the smaller mech for a moment; his single optic looking over much of the detail on the unique frame. So this was Soundwave...Megatron's personal and most trusted Chief of Communications. A legend in his own, a 'Con with a serious reputation. And he was here...with Beacon. A shanty scientist that could barely hold her own as his assistant. Barely.

He spent no more time concerning himself over such pointless and illogical matters, the room again shaking as he made a slow exit to the fifth branch of the labs. The thinner mech watched him leave, this awkward yet dangerous aura surrounding him as the scientist departed as if unconcerned. Well, of course he was unconcerned. There were larger matters to be dealt with.

It was a few more kliks before Soundwave spoke.

"~Beacon,~" The recording rang in her ear finial, audio receptors listening clearly as her own name surprised the femme; she turned with an oversized grin.

"I-...almost forgot to tell you." She held back a laugh, forgetting her concerns with a tone that'd obviously wanted to escalate in volume due to her excitement. For a moment she sounded like a child, blissfully ignorant in the most irreproachable of ways. "During a planned movement a group of seekers was shot down before they could fly over Tarn. They were supposed to be the signals that allowed the rest of the fleet to infiltrate the city. I was located on the East side, their takeoff point, and flew in their place. I sent out a laser beacon to ensure that Shockwave had seen me and would lead his ranks forward. As you can see, Tarn fell under Decepticon control." She seemed giddy, and although he was quite pleased with her efforts and success...the thought of such a small femme taking the place of several troops made him uneasy. She was a scientist, not an infiltrator...not even a scout. Combat was not her strong suit; too many exposed wires and thin extremities proved that the battlefield was not her territory.

He stayed silent, watching her grow uneasy with his obvious lack of acclamation.

"I-…I finally earned a name...and it's better than Prisma."

"Beacon?" He asked as if to confirm, helm tilting to the side as they began walking towards the door. He was now unsure of what to call her, what to say to her and who to assume she would be. A title changed bots…it made them who they were, it perfected them and it defined them...or rather, they allowed it to define them.

"Actually...that's shortened." She shrugged, and now he seemed eager to know, too eager. She acted as if it were a secret, as if he would judge her. He wouldn't, as long as she was pleased with the outcome. And even then his disapproval wouldn't be capable of verbal expression.

"..." His silence was filled with curiosity, fingers nimble as they entered the correct code into the keypad. His visor never left her direction, and for a moment she wondered how he knew the entree code into the main lab facility. Purple optics glanced up, metal brows furrowed and servos set firmly at her sides as more inquiries and concerns rolled through her CPU. How did he know that? What exactly DID he know? The silly and absurd and irrelevant inquiries would have to be left for later...she had an explanation to give; her name. Her finally, well-earned, title that came with great reason and decent sound. For some reason she wasn't as keen on telling him as she had been the klik before.

"It started as Laserbeacon, but-"

"Physical checkup next cycle, Laserbeac." The medic passed by, datapad in hand, his smile exorbitant in its own expression as he gave her an almost taunting wave. "Commander Soundwave~." A nod, fluid with excessive mirth that seemed almost too casual to call it pretentiously inordinate.

Knockout continued down the hall, and she gave a sheepishly unappeased smirk at the mech's flaunted departure.

"Anyway…now it's Laserbeac."

~End Chapter Seven

*Deca-Cycle - Cybertronain unit of time equal to three Earth weeks.

*Pit - Cybertronain equivalent for 'Hell'.

So yes...her name is now Laserbeac. And I know Laserbeak is originally spelt with an ending 'k', but not as the separate Laserbeac, due to it being a shortened nickname for 'Laserbeacon'; having to do with the laser beacon she put out during the invasion of Tarn. (We all know where this is going by now...)

And yes, Tarn was invaded by Shockwave and was actually ruled by the scientist until its destruction towards the destruction of Cybertron. That is indeed Canon.

Why do I have a feeling that I'm going to get a ton of shit for this? Lol.

Reviews, please!

I would like to know how many of you are still following the story!~