Chapter Ten: The Sound and the Fury

Megatron and the seeker trio crashed to the ground like a bolt of lightning.

"Well... well... well. What do we have here?" Megatron's words surged though the air between him and his former soldier. Within a flash, Tracks bounced to his feet while Soundwave rolled over and stood up. Megatron and the seekers stood side by side, guns pointed at the matching duo.

"Megatron! What are you waiting for! Let's light these glitches up!" Starscream's shrill voice echoed through the uneasy silence. "Silence, fool. I wish to speak first." Megatron's face warped into a twisted grin as his optics burned a hole into Soundwave's visor. "You! Traitor! I've come to expect this from my... less capable minions, but you? You've been a very loyal servant, Soundwave. What happened? What would cause you to defect to those disgusting autobots?"

Soundwave coldly stared back at the tin-plated tyrant. "Love. I've spent eons feeling nothing at all... Nothing but misguided devotion. I've seen glimpses into a world you could never imagine, Megatron. A world where humans and cybertronians coexist. A world of peace. A world without pain."

Megatron's grin shifted into a snarl. "Love! I refuse to believe such nonsense! Oh, don't you worry, my dear Soundwave. I'll send you to a world of peace... a world without pain... Kneel, servant. Bow your ugly head and praise my glory. Do it now, and I might allow your little friends to survive!"

Soundwave slowly turned his head and glanced at his mate. Tracks' fabulous lips curled into a smile. The ex-con shifted his head back to his former boss. "Would you kindly blow it out of your sorry aft?"

Tracks blasted the decepticons with his black beam gun, grabbed Soundwave's hand, and charged into the forest behind them.

"Aaaagh! What the frag!" "Soundwaaaaaave!" "What the hell is that!" Thundercracker wiped his optics and silently charged after the autobots. The three remaining decepticons dusted themselves off and stood for a moment in silence. "Well... What are you waiting for! Go get them!" Skywarp and Starscream blasted off into the sky while Megatron bolted through the thick woods.

Thundercracker's heavy steps erased the foliage beneath him as he sprinted after the autobots. "You will not hide from me, traitor..." The blue jet fired a barrage of missiles that tore through the trees leaving a clear strip of land in front of him. Thundercracker charged through the strip, weapons primed as he frantically searched from side to side. "Where are you, scum!"

Thundercracker's attentions shifted to the primal shrieks that assaulted him from beyond the trees. "Laserbeak! You shall pay dearly for your treachery!" Thundercracker began firing wildly into the dense vegetation in front of him. "Had enough yet, tr-" SCREEEEECH! Buzzsaw's beak tore through Thundercracker's chest from behind. The seeker collapsed to his knees as he frantically tried to dislodge the birdbot from his back.

As Thundercracker futilely tried to save himself, Laserbeak blazed out of the woods and lit Thundercracker up like candles on a birthday cake, savagely burning a large number of holes in his chest. Buzzsaw withdrew himself from the seeker's body as shattered components spilled out of the many apertures in Thundercracker's body. The cassettes shrieked in victory, and flew off into the woods. Megatron caught up in time to see the birds fly off. "Thanks for the tip, useless. At least you managed to serve some kind of purpose!" The decepticon leader cruelly walked across Thundercracker's husk of a body and chased after Soundwave's minions.

Starscream and Skywarp coldly floated in the sky, silently watching their comrade's demise. "Uhhh... Sir, shouldn't we do something?" "What could we possibly do, Skywarp? He's dead. I'm a scientist, not a doctor!" "Then... why are we just floatin' here? Shouldn't we go after Soundwave?" Starscream's engines roared as he burst out in laughter. "Don't you see, fool? Now is my... No, now is our chance! That stupid Megatron is charging straight into his doom! That rage of his is going to kill him! ...and soon, I will rule the Decepticons! Follow me, and you shall be my second in command!"

"Wow! Really, boss? Do you really think so?" "I know so, stupid! Now let's get the frag out of here before Megaslag sees us!" Starscream shot off into the horizon, followed by his new second in command.

Megatron tore through the forest like an angry god, with only his insatiable bloodlust keeping him going. Suddenly, streams of laser fire blazed through the forest. Megatron nimbly dodged the assault and pressed forward, until he saw him... Soundwave.

"Soundwave! I've come to tear you apart!" Soundwave coldly stared into Megatron and continued firing at him. "Your leadership... inadequate. Your soldiers... inept. Your threats... feeble. Megatron... can you do anything right?" Megatron leaped into cover and began firing back at the ex-con, to no avail. The two mechs continued firing with no consequence, the only damage being done to the harmless vegetation that surrounded them.

"You speak rather large words for one who can't even aim a gun correctly! Where is your little autobuddy, Soundwave?" Soundwave silently tumbled behind a tree and continued firing. "Megatron! When will you learn? The key to survival is trust! Bonds! It is not the gun that ends wars, but the mechs who hold them!" Megatron laughed. "What if the mech happens to BE a gun!"

Megatron transformed and started blowing massive holes into Soundwave's cover. The silver sadist giggled with mad delight as he destroyed every bit of organic matter in sight. "Nice shots Megatron, but your aim is a little off... Would you care for some assistance?" As if on cue, Ravage leapt from the bushes behind Megatron and tore into the handgun with his sharp teeth.

Megatron fired wildly and used all of the force in his body to free himself from Ravage's grip and hastily transformed back into a robot. The gray mech grabbed Ravage by the head and tried to crush his snapping jaws. Before he could cause any damage, he was interrupted by a hot salvo of laser fire that tore through his legs like an axe through balsa wood.

The decepticon leader crashed to the ground beneath him, frantically trying to crawl through the dirt with his servos. "Starscream...! Sky... warp...! Help... me..." "Ravage! Return to me!" The cassette complied and flew into his commander's body. Soundwave cackled as he slowly walked over to Megatron's incapacitated shell. "You... bastard. What is it... you want? Leader... ship?" Soundwave crushed his former leader's servos beneath his heavy feet. "You don't understand, Megatron... and you never will. Your comrades have abandoned you, because there is no love. That is why I defected. The Decepticon army is a hopeless one."

Megatron wheezed and let out a light chuckle. "So be it, Soundwave. It appears... I have been beaten. Do what you want with me... but the fight is not over. The fight will never... end." Megatron dropped his face into the dirt and entered stasis lock.

"If you say so... Megatron."

"Congratulations, Autobots. Today will forever go down in history as the day we vanquished Megatron... but do not rest just yet. The Decepticons are still an ever-present threat. Nevertheless, the importance of our victory today cannot be stressed nearly enough. Soundwave! I'd like to commend you for your duty today. Truly, you are just as much of an Autobot as the rest of us. Thank you."

The assembly hall exploded with cheer as Optimus Prime finished his speech. Soundwave and Tracks sat alone in the center, holding each other's servos beneath their table. One by one, the autobots congratulated Soundwave and accepted him as an Autobot.

"Tracks... what is this feeling? It's... very strange."

"Love. That is what that feeling is. Love..."