Hello again social isolation buddies!
I hope everyone is doing well with the global situation. Please remember to take care of yourselves and reach out if you need support.
I have been tackling with this chapter for a while. I wanted to get it written but the recent quarantine makes it hard to commit to working on this fic for some reason. I have a few final exams next week then I will be in a summer break, with no return to my job until this pandemic calms down. I hope to crank out some more chapters in that free time, but please be patient with me... Creating in this time can be kind of tricky.
These characters are not mine, I am just playing around with them. Enjoy!
Soundwave's optics gazed out the window of his quarters. It was a beautiful day out, perfect for a family picnic with his cassettes. Soundwave heaved a sigh as he pictured it. He could pack up enough fuel for lunch, as well as some goodies. Blaster would bring the blankets, and the cassettes could bring whatever toys or activities they wanted. They would all set up a picnic at a park. They cassettes could run around and play games while the two host mechs relaxed and chatted. Later, the creators could join their creations and goof around with them. Soundwave smiled wistfully. It all sounded so nice. Maybe they could even go to a beach. The cassettes could swim and build sandcastles.
The smile immediately dropped from Soundwave's faceplates. Right… then Megatron could show up and start firing his cannon at the cassettes. Maybe the warlord could try to drag Soundwave back to the Nemesis again… He could even break Soundwave's wrist, for old times sake.
The telepath dropped his dorsa against the back-rest of his chair in defeat. His optics didn't leave the sky outside. It has been a week since Megatron revealed his collection of images to Soundwave during the attack. Soundwave shuddered in disgust as he remembered all of the pictures of himself. How had he not even noticed he was being watched?
With a defeated sigh, Soundwave dropped his helm down onto the table. He crossed his arms and rested his forehelm on them as a makeshift pillow. He hadn't been outside in a week. He hated to admit it, but he was just too frightened. Megatron had Reflector's optics on him, if he dared leave the base, it was likely that Megatron would know. It was just too risky anymore.
Soundwave would be lying if he said it wasn't bothering him. He hated feeling cooped up. He was a telepath living on a very large and bustling base. The only thing that kept him sane some days was the ability to leave and go somewhere far-far away from all of these thoughts, dreams, and feelings. Since knowing that Megatron had been watching him, Soundwave hadn't felt safe enough to leave the security of the Ark.
It wasn't just that… Soundwave could feel himself becoming paranoid. Reflector was trained on his every move. It was hard to forget that. That little piece of knowledge had been sticking to the back of Soundwave's processor like an itch he couldn't scratch. Each day it got worse.
He started leaving the windows closed and curtains drawn shut. Now, Soundwave would only keep a window open in his quarters if he was actively looking out of it. He was on edge, to say the least. Nightmares had been plaguing him more often that not. His dreams often placed him in a room full of watching optics, in aquarium-like jail cells, and dark placed with the occasional flash of a camera. He was always aware that he could be observed at any moment. The thought alone was itching under his plating more often than not.
As much as he tried to hide it, Soundwave could tell that his cassettes knew. If Soundwave left a window closed and locked, they wouldn't complain or try to open it. They had been especially gentle with him, and Soundwave felt an immense guilt for that. Soundwave's worry for his own personal safety extended beyond just himself. Often times, the host mech found himself checking and doublechecking on his cassettes across the bond. What if one of them snuck out and got captured? What would he ever do? On occasion, Soundwave found himself fretting over the idea of Blaster being hurt too. Every time Blaster went on outdoor patrol rounds with another mech, Soundwave kept his telepathy fixed to Blaster's processor, just in case.
Slowly but surely, Soundwave felt his resolve begin to crack at the seams. He was tired of being anxious. He dearly missed the sunlight, fresh air, and ability to distance himself from the busy Ark. As much as he tried to maintain his normal conduct around his family, Soundwave felt himself slipping away from happiness. Blaster's kind words and cheery attitude could hardly make him feel better. Some days, Soundwave even found it hard to smile when his cassettes joked around. Out of guilt, the telepath had occasionally faked a smile or laugh, just to keep his cassettes and Blaster from worrying, but it was becoming harder as the days passed.
Soundwave sighed but kept his helm down on the table. He was home alone now, so he didn't have to put on a front. He let his frame relax a bit further, then pulled back his restraint on his telepathy and let his processor go lax. How could one week drag so much energy out of him? Primus, being constantly on guard like this was more exhausting than being in active, drawn-out warfare.
He almost didn't notice it the first time. There was a soft brush at the back of his processor, a very faint presence. Someone small… but not one of his cassettes. Soundwave's optics snapped open, but he didn't lift his helm from the desk. Turning all of his attention to the presence outside his window, Soundwave let his telepathy spread out further. Now that he was listening, he could tell that he was actually sensing three very interconnected minds. Reflector!
For a moment, Soundwave's spark span in a worried frenzy. The suffocating pressure of constantly being observed pressed down on him. Then, the blue mech's processor reminded him how much bigger he was than Reflector. Soundwave smiled to himself, what an interesting idea.
There was certainly a lot of focus coming from the little processors outside his window. They likely assumed that he had fallen asleep on his desk, the little snoops. He could almost taste the excitement they got as they took their pictures, this was the kind of content that would please Megatron. This was the content that would secure themselves as important to Megatron… and thus safe. Soundwave understood the importance of that, especially for smaller mechs. Ensuring that everyone knew his cassettes were under his protection was always of great importance to Soundwave. No one wanted to pick on the little guys if they knew they would have to answer to a serious threat later. None-the-less, he couldn't allow this to continue.
Soundwave waited until Reflector's presence was close. He could feel the little mech's nervousness as he leaned in close to the window to take images of the whole room. In a flash, Soundwave sprang up and snapped open the window next to him. Three unison cries of fear came from Reflector, who immediately started to scramble back. Before any real distance could be purchased, Soundwave seized one of the triplets by the scruff of his neck and yanked him in through the window. The telepath instantly slammed the window shut and bolted the lock.
The taste of Reflector's panicking mind was overpoweringly bitter. Soundwave had to resist wrinkling his nose as he held the tiny mech in-front of him by the neck scruff. Now that he was holding the mech, it was remarkable how similar in size Reflector was to Rumble and Frenzy.
The Reflector triplet in his grip held his little servos together in a plea. "I'm sorry!", he cried, "I'm sorry! I was just doing what was ordered, I'm sorry! Please don't hurt me! Please!". The other two parts of Reflector pressed their small faces to the window glass and cried for mercy. This felt wrong… they were just too similar to his cassettes.
Soundwave shook the guilt from his processor, now wasn't the time to get soft. He held up his servo to demand quiet. The three little mechs grew silent. The telepath turned his attention back to the trembling Reflector in his grip. The small mech still had his servos pressed together in a plea. "I'm sorry" he squeaked.
Soundwave let out a deep breath and held out his free servo. "Give me the pictures you took today and delete them from your internal memory banks" he ordered. Reflector nodded vigorously and immediately dropped a datapad in Soundwave's grip.
"Done, they're gone" the small mech held up his servos in a gesture of defeat. Soundwave scrutinized the small mech for a moment, but his telepathy didn't sense any lies. With a stout nod, Soundwave turned his attention down to the datapad. He quickly flipped through the images before giving Reflector a glare.
"I'm sorry" Reflector pleaded, "I really am!".
"You are sorry that you were caught, that is all" Soundwave stated before dropping the datapad and crushing it with his ped. Reflector whimpered as he watched his work for the day get demolished… So much for receiving Megatron's praise. He then flinched when Soundwave's red visor snapped back up to him.
"No more of this" Soundwave commanded, "no more following me, no more taking my picture".
"But Megatron ordered u-" Reflector began.
"No", Soundwave cut him off. He gave Reflector a tiny shake to get the point across.
"There will be no more of this stupidity. You will stop following me, you will not take pictures of me and my cassettes. Next time that I catch you watching any of us, I will not be so kind". Soundwave drew the small mech in closer, his voice softened into something terribly frightening as he asked, "have I made myself clear?".
The Reflector in his grip nodded in silent terror. Soundwave turned his gaze to the two outside his window. Both Reflectors nodded in unison.
"Good" Soundwave pulled Reflector back away from himself, "I am glad we have that sorted". With a second thought, Soundwave stated, "You will not be telling Megatron about this".
Reflector gave a soft cry of fright at the order. "But what about when he wants more pictures?!"
"Lie" Soundwave said simply, "Tell him that you didn't see me".
"But-!"
"No buts," Soundwave dismissed the protest. "You are creative, I am sure you can make something up. Isn't that correct?"
Reflector nodded woefully, "I won't tell Megatron" he said in a near whisper.
Soundwave nodded with satisfaction. "Good" he said, then opened the window and gently tossed Reflector back out. The minicon landed with a grunt in the sand before being pulled back up by his team. Reflector, whole once more, looked up at Soundwave, who casually leaned out of the window by resting his arms on the windowsill.
"The Autobots are not like you think they are" Soundwave hummed.
"…what?" Reflector paused as he brushed sand out of this joints.
Soundwave huffed, "Megatron has said many things about the Autobots for eons… Most of it is not true. They are not trying to restore Functionalism; they want what we have long been searching for".
Reflector blinked up at him silently for a moment. Soundwave pulled himself back out of the windowsill and slammed the window shut for good. He closed the blinds, then paused and re-opened them. Reflector was already gone.
Slowly, the telepath returned to his seat. He smiled to himself.
That felt good.
Blaster and the cassettes slowly began to trickle home from their shifts and duties. Soundwave greeted them as usual as they came home and settled in for the evening.
Blaster casually made his way over to his roommate and dropped himself into the chair beside Soundwave. The telepath smiled at his friend as Blaster draped an arm around the back of Soundwave's chair.
"How was your day?" Soundwave asked.
"Aw, pretty good, 'Wave" Blaster said in his usual cheery tone, "How about you?".
Soundwave shrugged absently, "it was fairly uneventful, but good". He smiled at Blaster, who chuckled and leaned back in his seat to watch their hoard of cassettes play across the room.
Soundwave found himself silently watching blaster. The orange mech turned back and raised his optic-brows to meet Soundwave's gaze. He grinned and Soundwave smiled back.
"You look good" Blaster observed, then scrambled for a moment, "I mean good as in… happier, or more relaxed or something". He paused and then continued earnestly, "not that you don't always look good, because you do. I mean it's not that I'm physically attracted to you or anything! Er- or I should say I'm not unattracted to you. You're an attractive mech! So I don't want you thinking that I think you're unattractive, because you're not!"
Soundwave cracked into a soft laugh and Blaster broke from his nervous tangent to chuckle and rub at the back of his neck. "I just noticed that you looked happier… is all", he finished in a more calm voice.
Soundwave let out a breath and relaxed his frame a bit more. "I do feel happier. You're very observant, Blaster".
Blaster smiled at his roommate as Soundwave turned back to watch their cassettes.
"Maybe tomorrow we should go for a walk outside with all of the younglings" Soundwave suggested.
Blaster raised his optic ridges in surprise, but he didn't protest the idea. As far as he was concerned, Soundwave wanting to get outside was a positive change. So long as they were in a safe distance to the Ark, it shouldn't be a safety issue. "That sounds like a great idea, mech" He assured his friend.
Soundwave didn't reply, he just smiled and leaned over to gently rest his helm on Blaster's shoulder.
The orange mech's spark fluttered with excitement at the intimate moment they were having. Trying not to let his excitement seep from his frame, he wrapped his arm over Soundwave's shoulders.
Soundwave watched his creations play in the living room with Blaster's cassettes. It was a peaceful evening, and the events of the day left him feeling just a bit safer. He had no idea what the future was to bring… but for now, things were okay.
Better than ever, really.