Angst ahoy. (Happy ending don't worry)
This is me writing when I'm bitter about something.
Could be considered to have happened before my Post War Trials story arc.
-.-.-.t.i.m.e.-.c.h.a.n.g.e.-.-.-
"spoken aloud"
flashback
-.-.-.T.h.e.-.M.e.e.t.i.n.g.-.-.-
"Decepticon Soundwave, Third in Command of the Decepticon Armada, Chief Communications Officer, Commander of one of the most successful Special Operations teams in history…."
Soundwave sighs as the mech droned on, listening to the words with barely a quarter of his processing power. Ever since the war ended everyone had been playing painfully nice with each other, nobody wanted to be the one to end this truce, especially when it was looking like it could possibly be permanent. That was why Neutrals had been designated as the go-betweens for the factions. There would be representatives from each faction at any and all meetings and discussions of course, but in an attempt to keep the antagonizing to a minimum most of the talking had been relegated to Neutrals (neither faction were particularly fond of the mechs that had turned their backs on the fighting and refused to help, but it seemed both factions disliked Neutrals equally so the arrangement still worked fairly well.)
The officers of each faction were being reviewed, a long, boring process that was meant to prove they would be able to acclimatize to the new, peaceful age they were trying to build.
"Decepticon Soundwave."
Soundwave tilted his head in the mech's direction, the most he'd ever do to acknowledge a Neutral (even Autobots deserved more respect because at least they'd fought for their beliefs, but not Neutrals).
"We are taking time in this session to discuss the quality of life that your young creations have had, growing up as they did during The Great War, as well as whether or not they should be allowed to remain in your care."
Soundwave went still, every bit of his processing power immediately going into overdrive. Half was trying to eviscerate the mech in front of him (how dare he even think about taking away Soundwave's creations) and the other half was trying to shut down his battle-ready systems so he didn't eviscerate the mech.
Megatron got to his pedes with a snarl, and even Starscream looked furious. Shockwave had started stroking his arm canon (the one he refused to replace with a normal arm because he found a spark-deep sense of pleasure in terrifying Neutrals), Scrapper looked like he was figuring out the most efficient way to recycle the Neutral for parts, Onslaught had gotten to his pedes and was subtly checking his battle systems, and Motormaster was laughing uproariously with a dangerous glint in his optics. On the other side of the room the Autobots were looking worried and uneasy. Blaster was giving the Neutral that'd spoken a death glare.
One of the security mechs (as if a Neutral could ever hope to do anything against even a single Factioned mech, much less a room full of the most Elite of them all) slammed a fist against the wall with a loud clang.
"SILENCE."
Starscream sneered, "But we hadn't even started."
Soundwave was suddenly very grateful for his fellow Officers. Even if they were murderous, insubordinate glitches that had occasionally tried to offline him during the war, they were willing to risk the peace now to keep him and his creations together.
Soundwave was also grateful for the fact that he'd locked down all his bonds with his creations, otherwise they'd likely be here wreaking havoc and dismembering Neutrals (something that would likely just be proving the Neutral's point).
The Neutral that had spoken was looking at the Decepticons warily, but still he continued to speak. "Not only did Decepticon Soundwave raise multiple creations in a time of war, something that would have been acceptable had they been created prior to or just after the beginning of the war when it was suspected that the fighting would not escalate or would end soon, but he created several times after vorns of fighting had passed and many many more were known to come. Such blatant disregard for the purity of new life cannot go unpunished-"
Soundwave suddenly stood up, and everyone froze.
The Neutrals were oblivious to Soundwave's fury, having never had to face him when one of his creations were in danger, but were scared nonetheless.
The Autobots were grimly determined and terrified, ready to stop the Decepticons should any of them make a move.
The Decepticons were ready for Soundwave's signal, whatever it may be, that they should attack. His creations had been threatened, he had the most to lose, they would follow his lead on this.
Soundwave surprised them all.
Silently, steadily, he walked out and didn't look back.
-.-.-.T.e.m.p.o.r.a.r.y.-.D.e.c.e.p.t.i.c.o.n.-.H.Q.-.-.-
Deep under the hastily-erected Decepticon Headquarters was a maze of massive rooms. Each room housed a different kind of training simulator, and each room had been used dozens upon dozens of times since the truce began.
Whenever things got to be too much, whenever the peace and idleness settled on a mech's spark in a way that just felt wrong, they could come down and let it out.
There were simulators that were simple, just shooting or melee against mech after mech until you couldn't move and the sense of wrongness left because you were too exhausted to feel it anymore.
There were simulators of problems and puzzles, for when your processor couldn't find a way to continue without looping back to the solution that would have been acceptable (encouraged and celebrated, even) pre-truce, but most certainly wasn't now, that would have mechs commanding anything from sieges to special operations.
There were even simulations of interrogations, so frustrations could be worked out on mechs that weren't actually real, while the real mechs continued on oblivious and untouched.
It was to these rooms that Soundwave came, and it was in these rooms that Soundwave stayed for two orns while he steadily worked through every simulation that required his finely honed combat skills and ended in a massacre.
He stayed, and he fought and raged and refused to believe that the Neutral had a point. He refused to even consider that he had done wrong by his creations, that they would have been better off not being created in the first place (that Soundwave was selfish and cruel and had created them despite knowing what was coming and what they would face).
Soundwave fought and destroyed and nobody disturbed him, though many of the lower ranking Decepticons stopped to watch for a click before hurriedly leaving (terrified because nobody but Megatron had ever survived seeing Soundwave like this before) and the Officers came by to make sure he was still functional and bring his creations heavily censored updates on how he was doing.
(Soundwave fought against his very spark, the part of it that was saying the Neutral was right and his creations deserved so much better than Soundwave could ever hope to be.)
-.-.-.3.-.O.r.n.s.-.A.f.t.e.r.-.T.h.e.-.M.e.e.t.i.n.g.-.-.-
Ravage had never been so relieved to see her creator before. Missions had gone by during the war and Ravage hadn't worried half as much as she had for the last three orns.
She hung back as her siblings all swarmed Soundwave, Frenzy and Rumble pestering him with questions of where on Cybertron he'd been, Laserbeak and Buzzsaw sitting worriedly on his shoulders, Ratbat flying in circles around all of them. She watched as their worries and concerns made Soundwave slump, the tiniest hint of guilt and self-loathing coming down his bond with her (she was the oldest, she knew him best, her bond with him would always be the strongest) and suddenly Ravage was furious.
-.-.-.T.e.m.p.o.r.a.r.y.-.A.u.t.o.b.o.t.-.H.Q.-.-.-
Blaster had expected this right after The Meeting, not three orns after.
But then, his counterpart's creations had always delighted in being contrary and difficult.
Ravage was sitting on his desk.
His desk, in his office, in the most secured part of the temporary HQ that had been set up.
Blaster knew he should report this, but after what had happened three orns ago he also knew that nothing on Cybertron would get him to report Ravage if this surprise meeting was about what he thought it was.
"Ravage," he said evenly.
She dipped her helm, "Blaster."
He sat down in the chair normally reserved for visitors, the feeling of reporting to Ravage for misbehavior (while in his own office) creeping up on him the longer she silently sat on his desk. "What do you want to know?"
-.-.-.1.-.O.r.n.-.L.a.t.e.r.-.D.e.c.e.p.t.i.c.o.n.-.H.Q.-.-.-
Soundwave would like to say he was surprised when his creations ambushed him, herding him to the side room that housed their overly-large large berth (large enough for all of them to fit comfortably).
Soundwave would also like to say that he was surprised when his creations knew exactly what had transpired during The Meeting, but he wasn't (couldn't be, he'd trained them all himself) and that made him less resistant to their pushing and prodding than he normally would have pretended to be.
They curled around and on top of him and broke down the blockers he'd left in place on their bonds, flooding him with their worry and their love, and Soundwave couldn't help but remember what the Neutral had said, about how he was an unfit creator, and his creations (his wonderful, amazing, too-good-for-him creations) all ripped that thought to shreds and overwhelmed him with thoughts and memories and feelings that showed Soundwave why that Neutral was wrong and why he did, in fact, deserve to be a creator, and that no, actually, he wasn't cruel and selfish and terrible.
-.-.-.F.l.a.s.h.b.a.c.k.-.-.-
The war was just starting, and Soundwave was still getting used to his position as Third in Command. Most of the mechs that joined the Decepticon Cause knew of him, of course, but few knew what he could do. Soundwave hadn't yet built the reputation that would follow him throughout the war and strike fear into the sparks of all who would oppose him.
So when Soundwave felt a spike of fear from his only creation, he ran, shoving clueless mechs out of the way. Megatron followed behind him (they'd been in a meeting, something important but not as important as this) knowing that whatever had caused Soundwave to run had to be important.
A flash of pain echoed down the bond as Soundwave rounded a corner and saw what was happening to Ravage.
Four mechs, large, shuttleformers, very beneficial to The Cause, were standing in a loose circle. One of them was holding Ravage in the air, his servo big enough that it encased her entire body and left only her helm visible.
Soundwave growled and his systems went into overdrive and when he had calmed down he was cradling Ravage and checking her for damage, energon splattered the damaged walls and bits and pieces of the four mechs were scattered everywhere. Megatron was standing off to the side, looking impressed despite the loss of four mechs that would have greatly benefited The Cause.
Soundwave didn't care about that, any of it.
Ravage was safe.
He started her Special Ops Training the next orn.
-.-.-.F.l.a.s.h.b.a.c.k.-.-.-
Frenzy and Rumble were infinitely more trouble than Ravage had been, but they weren't loved any less.
By that time Soundwave had started the foundation of his reputation and most mechs left him alone, Ravage too had a few stories and whispered comments follow her that made her puff up with pride and kept her fairly safe.
Rumble and Frenzy, however, were two small, loud minicons in a base full of large, quick-to-anger war mechs.
The first time a group of mechs decided to kick them back and forth down a hallway would also be the last time.
They started pranking the next orn, giving complete reports to Soundwave on their activities and receiving new challenging pranks and tasks to pull off without being noticed, and when Megatron complained to Soundwave the duo used their newly learned techniques to leave a note on the gunformer's berth.
Spark snuffed.*
-.-.-.F.l.a.s.h.b.a.c.k.-.-.-
Laserbeak had grown up in a family with a reputation, something she took for granted most orns. It was normal for her to have mechs tremble in fear when her creator or sister walked down the hall, and for mechs to curse Rumble and Frenzy's very sparks in hushed tones before looking around warily as if they would pop out of nowhere and spring some terrible prank (trap) on them for daring to say such a thing.
That's why she was unprepared for her first meeting with the Autobots.
She'd been mapping the vents and trying to find all of the traps set up by Ravage, Frenzy, and Rumble without triggering them when she saw a mech she didn't recognize.
Normally this wouldn't be a concern, and for a sparkbeat Laserbeak thought the mech was a Decepticon, but the mech turned around just as Laserbeak saw the red symbol on his shoulder, and the last thing Laserbeak remembers is a pair of strange blue optics (she'd never seen blue optics in person before).
The next time Laserbeak is aware of anything she notices the steady thrumming of her creator's spark underneath her, and can feel the warmth of her siblings on either side of her.
What she will not learn until later is that the med bay now has some desperately needed parts, found in a messy pile in front of the doors.
-.-.-.F.l.a.s.h.b.a.c.k.-.-.-
With the war in full swing Buzzsaw gets very few moments to act like a sparkling, but he finds he quite enjoys his existence. He likes following Laserbeak around the vents, setting traps with Rumble and Frenzy, learning the shadows with Ravage, and hacking literally everything with Soundwave.
When another mech with minicons is stationed on their base, Buzzsaw follows them around. He knows Soundwave hopes he's found someone his own age to play with, but in truth he's more suspicious of them than anything.
He approaches one of the minicons, another flyer, and can feel something is off. Nevertheless, he sticks it out, pretending to be the naïve sparkling he's proud he's not and drawing the mech in, getting him to underestimate him time and time again.
He plans, drawing on all of his training and skills, and when the mechs turn out to be Autobot operatives Buzzsaw is the one that gets credit for discovering them.
-.-.-.F.l.a.s.h.b.a.c.k.-.-.-
Ratbat was disappointed when he found out that he wouldn't be learning how to sneak around and spy on mechs and set traps like his siblings, but he knew his job was equally important. Finding energon sources was a vital task, and if he used the skills he picked up during his time on-base a little more often than he should then it could only ever benefit his reputation.
Around the time a mech was first found with puncture wounds in his carotid energon line was also around the time Ratbat was kept cooped up on-base because Autobots had been sighted nearby and Soundwave was worried it was too dangerous for his youngest creation.
The next quartex was spent hanging from the ceiling in dark hallways trying to get the drop on as many mechs as he could (he always made sure at least one security camera caught the footage so his family could laugh about it later).
-.-.-.6.-.O.r.n.s.-.A.f.t.e.r.-.T.h.e-.M.e.e.t.i.n.g.-.-.-
Soundwave was once again sitting and listening to a Neutral drone on through his many titles, but this time things were slightly different.
On the surface this meeting was nearly identical to the last one, with only 6 small differences.
The Autobots hadn't even protested the additions to the Decepticon side, though they all (except for Blaster) eyed them warily from time to time.
Even though they weren't allowed to sit with him, Soundwave basked the presence of his creations, and when the Neutral once again questioned his right to keep his creations he didn't so much as twitch.
He just smiled beneath his mask.
Regardless of the decision made today, no force existed that could separate him from his family.
Thoughts?
Don't worry, this angst will not be a continuing trend.
Feel free to complain about grammatical errors.
*Was originally "Bang, you're dead." But since Cybertronians don't "die" they're "offlined" or their sparks are "snuffed" (which, yes, is an actual canonical term) I changed it, even though I don't think it sounds quite as awesome.
