Author Note: I hope all of you had a great 4th of July! I spent half of the day trolling the stores for a TFP Soundwave Robots in Disguise Deluxe Class figure…So I hope you guys had a good time at least!


Dreadwing snickered at the sight of Slipstream and Lazerbeak retreating before he closed the hatch. After a few seconds, he climbed back into the Nemesis, dragging Soundwave across a hallway inside the Decepticon warship. He stopped walking and looked back at the Spymaster. "What happened to you? Knockout said you were killed!" Dreadwing asked in confusion. He then shot Knockout a menacing stare.

Soundwave turned his head towards Knockout, and looked back at Dreadwing.

Dreadwing frowned at Knockout, and walked up to him in suspicion. "So, what's with all the lying to a high-ranked officer? To Megatron?" he hissed, clenching his fists.

"Haven't you thought of this before you accuse one of your comrades? If you don't know yet, Megatron would be absolutely frustrated that Soundwave was defeated by those stupid Autobots! What would calm Megatron down more than hearing the one who failed got what he deserved?" Knockout explained, a little shaky.

Soundwave of course knew he was lying, but Dreadwing nodded to Knockout in agreement. The Spymaster assumed that Dreadwing was desperate to keep Megatron happy because of the pathetic blunder he accomplished back on the day when Soundwave was abandoned by the Decepticons. It sounds like something he would do, Soundwave thought, tipping his head to the side.

Dreadwing turned his head away from Knockout, and easily picked up Soundwave by his neck, and glared into Soundwave's optics. "So, do you really think the Decepticons would welcome you back? You might be one of Megatron's first followers before the Great War, but I doubt he would let a weakling like you aboard the warship." he growled, gritting his teeth in anger.

"Should we tell Megatron?" Knockout asked, briefly interrupting Dreadwing.

"Did someone processor-wash you or something? Megatron is off looking for my dark energon! I have no idea why, but he is! He absolutely ordered every Decepticon not to call him over the com link!" Dreadwing growled in frustration. He smacked Knockout at the back of the head, and glared at Soundwave. "But for now, we're going to keep you under close survelliance. Don't think about escaping because if you do, we'll find you. And rip your spark out of its chamber, and feed it to the insecticons!" Dreadwing hissed, and slammed Soundwave against the wall easily.

Pain struck Soundwave in the back, but he chose not to react. It would only make him look weak to Knockout and Dreadwing. He would just have to bluff his way to his escape route.

Dreadwing dragged Soundwave by the neck, and walked towards the jail cells with Knockout quickly following behind them. As he got to an empty jail cell, he threw Soundwave into the cell, and cackled as Soundwave slowly tried to get off the ground. "Have a nice time looking at the Decepticons passing by, because it would probably be your last when Megatron returns from his search for dark energon." Dreadwing smirked, and locked Soundwave's jail cell. He then walked off out of Soundwave's line of sight.

Knockout glared at Soundwave through the jail bars with a menacing grin on his face. "This is your fate for stealing the spotlight from me! Everyone knows Megatron favors you over every single Decepticon on the Nemesis! Let this be your punishment." he crossed his arms, and then quickened his pace so he could keep following Dreadwing.

Soundwave stared through the jail bars in sadness. He was a great Decepticon and always loyal to Megatron; and this was his reward! He watched as many vehicons strode by, giving backward glances to him every now and then. He was able to hear a vehicon's conversation to another vehicon. He was saying something about how pathetic he was for abandoning the Decepticons in their time of need. Knockout has everyone in the palm of his servos, Soundwave thought, sitting down on the ground with his back against the wall. He then began thinking of Slipstream and Lazerbeak. He looked down at his chest, as if wondering if he actually didn't leave his precious drone behind. Unfortunately, he did leave the drone behind. He sighed to himself, and then began thinking of Slipstream. Maybe she's looking for me right now, Soundwave thought, and looked down at the ground.


Slipstream transformed back into her robot mode on top of a cliff. Lazerbeak followed her down to the ground and perched onto her starboard wing. "I can't believe he just left us here so he could rejoin the Decepticons. And to add insult to injury, I can't believe he left you behind! You are a superb drone, and I can't see Soundwave still online without you." she said softly.

Lazerbeak's wings drooped and dangled over Slipstream's wing.

"I'm sorry I said that, but I still can't believe he would leave us behind. Doesn't he like…?" Slipstream's voice trailed off as sadness consumed her.

Lazerbeak turned to look at Slipstream's face in curiosity. The drone was wondering what she was going to say before she broke into sadness.

Slipstream turned her head towards Lazerbeak and shrugged at him. "I…I was going to say, 'doesn't he like us to rejoin the Decepticons once again? He didn't keep his part of the deal." she lied, crossing her arms and closed her optics. She turned her head away from Lazerbeak, not wanting to show her sadness to him. It would probably make Lazerbeak even more suspicious. "Let's go find a good hiding spot. Soundwave would've told Megatron about us and made the Decepticons track us down." Slipstream explained and transformed into her alt mode as she leaped off the cliff. Lazerbeak quickly got off Slipstream's wing and followed her across Jasper, Nevada.

Slipstream looked around the canyon walls for a safe hiding spot so she and Lazerbeak could take refuge. "Look over there, Lazerbeak. There's a little cave where we can hide." She called out to the drone, and dived towards the cave. As she neared the ground, she transformed back into her robot mode, and Lazerbeak perched back onto Slipstream's wing. She walked towards the cave, silently leaking from her optics as she kept on thinking of Soundwave.

As she got inside, a pair of purple optics glowed from the shadows of the cave. Slipstream quickly readied her null rays, assuming it was an enemy. The pair of optics came closer and closer to Slipstream.

"Show yourself! Quit using the darkness as your shield like a pathetic weakling and fight like a true bot!" Slipstream hissed, staring at the intense purple optics. Just looking at the optics was making her feel shaken up.

"Look who came to join the party." a voice beckoned from the darkness.

"Show yourself!" Slipstream ordered. She could hear Lazerbeak's soft cawing on her right wing.

"Very well." the voice replied, and something suddenly zipped past Slipstream's head. Slipstream knew something was moving around her. Then, a pincer of some sort grabbed her neck, and dragged her towards the sunlight. Slipstream quickly looked up to see who was dragging her out of the cave, and looked up at a spider-like femme above her. "Wh-What?" she gasped in astonishment.

"Are you that surprised about my appearance?" the spider-like femme asked, and then she chuckled as Slipstream immediately got up from the ground, "The name is Airachnid." She crouched down to Slipstream with a menacing smile on her face.

"Ai-Airachnid…?" Slipstream stuttered. She couldn't say anything else. She was wondering how a bot with an organic-like look could be so menacing. She just stood on the ground motionless and speechless.

Airachnid walked a few circles around Slipstream, and then placed a pincer around Slipstream's neck. "I've heard so much about you." she said, and turned her attention towards Lazerbeak. "What a lovely pet. But, it looks utterly familiar to me." Airachnid explained, observing the drone. After a minute or two, she gave the drone a smirk and nodded with her optics closed. "I remember now. This drone is Lazerbeak, one of Soundwave's cassettes. But what is this poor thing doing with a bot like you?" she asked with a smile on her face.

Slipstream said nothing to her. She gave Lazerbeak a few glances, gesturing to him not to do anything suspicious to make Airachnid attack them.

"I see what you're doing. You're going to play the quiet game with me. Fine, I'll play the game too. And I'm sure Lazerbeak would like to play as well." Airachnid smirked, and quickly grabbed Lazerbeak off Slipstream's wing with a pincer. With another pincer, she quickly jabbed into the center of Lazerbeak. The drone gave off a shaken screech as electricity was released from where Airachnid stabbed him. Then, the drone's slightly glowing symbol then lost its gleaming color.

"Lazerbeak!" Slipstream cried in shock. She watched as Airachnid took out her pincer out of her victim and dropped the drone onto the ground. Poor Lazerbeak lay motionless, as if he was offline. She was about to crouch down to grab Lazerbeak, but Airachnid pulled her up by the neck with her own servo.

"If you don't want to end up like Soundwave's little pal here, then I suggest you to do everything I say." Airachnid maniacally growled at Slipstream.

Slipstream groaned as she tried to squirm out of Airachnid's grip, but she was too weak compared to the spider-bot. She just let Airachnid do what she wanted.

"Good girl, Slipstream." Airachnid smiled, and looked back at the nearly destroyed Lazerbeak, "Lazerbeak is one of Soundwave's prized possessions, so I don't see why you would have the drone. So, why is it that you have it? Well, if I have observed Lazerbeak enough, I would say that Soundwave was captured by the Decepticons."

"Well, you're wrong there. Soundwave abandoned Lazerbeak and me." Slipstream had to blurt out. Sadness fumed from her circuits as she began thinking of Soundwave's betrayal to her.

Airachnid's eyes widened in curiosity. She then smiled at Slipstream. "What a surprising turn of events." she said, "I was once commander of the Nemesis, so I was able to know a lot about the Decepticons and their warship. I can help you get back to the Decepticons. And also get your precious Soundwave back."

Slipstream had no idea what to answer to Airachnid. Something suddenly came over her processors. Without even a second chance of rethinking her answer, she nodded to Airachnid in confidence.

Airachnid smiled at her and released Slipstream from her grip. "Thank you for thinking it over, Slipstream. Now, I am sure you know about dark energon."

Slipstream slowly nodded, uncertain what would happen after that.

Airachnid chuckled to herself, and took out a shard of dark energon. She walked closer to Slipstream with a maniacal grin. "This little thing would just sting." Airachnid explained, and stabbed Slipstream in the spark chamber with the dark energon.

Slipstream gasped loudly, and fell to the ground as the dark energon began flowing through her circuits. She screamed as the dark energon overpowered her control of her own body. As she opened her optics, her optics grew purple and as she screamed loudly once again, purple flames rose from her body. As the flames subsided, she got up to Airachnid and glared at the spider-bot.

Airachnid smiled as she crossed her arms, and put a hand onto one of Slipstream's shoulders. "Welcome your new power, Slipstream. With your strength, we'll overtake the Decepticons."

From behind a rock, Starscream was carefully listening to their conversation. He softly gasped as he poked his head around the rock to see Slipstream filled with dark energon. I…I can't believe this, he thought to himself.