Rated: M for adult themes: language, violence, mental rape, character death, mech erotica, torture, gore, and suicidal ideation. This varies from chapter to chapter, so read at your own risk.

Important Note: I started this series of fics before Revenge of the Fallen hit the theaters. This is an A.U. 2007 movie verse fic, NOT a ROTF/DOTM/AE/LK/BB or whatever follows fic.

Disclaimer: The only thing I own in this work of complete fiction is Velocity/Sira and Hardcore. They are mine. Everything else is copyrighted and owned by some really rich people. I make no money from this but wish I could.

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Full Velocity: Holding onto the Future

Chapter 58: Epilogue

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The survivors gathered and licked their wounds as the sun sank low in the sky. They assembled on a secluded beach, flanked by deep forests on three sides and the ocean on the fourth. The EMP field did not reach here, giving them refuge from the crippling pulse. Repairs were made, and those not expected to survive, quickly met the Matrix. The attack had been a disaster. Too many Decepticons lost their sparks to the Autobots. But he did not care; he stood out of the battleground and watched the Autobots, noting their strategies and tactics. The enemy had resorted to more guerrilla-like warfare than before. They did not defend one area but neutralized their opponents and moved on.

The Allspark pulsed, and the hit of euphoric energy warmed his circuits. The containment field still held most of the energy, but he still did not find a reason to repair the leak.

Overhead, the Autobot ship, Parhelion, darkened the sky. That did not bother him either. An unforeseen occurrence but not one he worried about. Honestly, who would have known that the Autobots had dispatched a battle cruiser to Earth?

Truthfully, he worried less and less. Being out of his ship and addressing the soldiers annoyed him. The Decepticons showed what they were made of today, which was unimpressive.

Thundercracker approached him; fury twisted his facial plates into a scowl. The other 'Cons watched him, their optics full of curiosity.

"Where the frag were you?" the Seeker seethed. "We needed a commanding officer, and you weren't there."

Soundwave turned his helm to observe the Seeker. "I had other concerns."

The Seeker pushed into his electrical field, almost a direct challenge. "What fragging concerns? You sent us in there, then left us to die. And what about that?" he gestured to the Parhelion hanging above them. "What are we supposed to do now that Autobot numbers have increased substantially?"

Refusing to give space or way to the Seeker, Soundwave held his position, but the high from the relic overcharged his system, and he swayed on his peds. "Not your concern."

"And what was the purpose of today?" Barricade asked. "To see how many of us could die?"

Soundwave balled his fist and swung. The shock trooper landed on his back several histers from where he originally stood. "The mission was to terminate the Prime however possible. The Prime's bondemate was present, and no one terminated her either." The buzz of euphoria sank into barely restrained violence. Soundwave knew he could fight them all, the Allspark told him so.

Thundercracker moved so fast, Soundwave could not block the blow. A blade slipped between his armor, and fire exploded in his side. "You are unfit to lead us."

Holding his injury, the former Senator watched energon leak from the wound. The haze of Allspark energy made it appear to be happening to someone else. "Are you challenging me?" he asked.

"No, but I am." Starscream walked out of the forest; branches snagged in the seams of his armor, a blaster raised. Two shots slammed into Soundwave's chest, toppling the would-be commander. With his hands in the surf, Soundwave heard the other's approach as the weapon recharged. Through the deluded haze, he knew they would kill him. Transforming into a Cybertronian Jet, he shot over the ocean.

Starscream followed. They raced high over the land, far above the reach of the Null Zone, the Seeker firing a shot whenever the opportunity presented itself, and most hit their target. Soundwave bled energon as he flew. Somehow he had forgotten Starscream earned his position as air commander through skill, not treachery.

Their chase disappeared in clouds and beneath the shadow of the Parhelion. They banked and dodged high above the vast prairie. They spiraled and arched over cities and towns. Theirs was a fight to the death, and only one would survive to lead the Decepticons. The Seeker slowly gained the upper hand. In a dogfight, Soundwave would lose to the Air Commander; only the Allspark's energy gave him a chance. But he knew he could not fly away forever.

Banking hard, the land fell away to the open ocean past the eastern edge of the Null Zone. Turning sharply, he angled downward, the water fast approaching. He did not slow and plunged into the Atlantic, knowing only one thing could save him.

Ignoring the pressures compressing his frame and threatening to collapse his vents he continued down. Down into the sunless depths, down to the Abyssal plain. Transforming before his peds landed into the soft muck, Soundwave scanned. He located his target, and then the Seeker several miles above, moving closer. Starscream would not stop until he led the Decepticons. Soundwave hurried forward.

Kneeling over the remains of Megatron, the former Senator opened his chest and extracted the Allspark shard. The power surge shattered his lights and screeched in his audios. Blindly he felt for the ragged wound in Megatron's chest and shoved the relic in it. Beneath his hands, he felt the energy course along the High Protectors frame as he spasmed.

A hand lovingly cupped his face, and red optics met his own. "You were always my most loyal" became the last thing Soundwave heard.

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FIN

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Authors Notes:

Thank you to everyone who read this fic. I apologize that it took over a decade to complete. All I can say is that in that time, I went back to school, started a new career, and raised my children. And a huge thank you to my past Betas, who taught me what I refused to learn in English class. Thank you to those who let me bounce ideas off of them.

The story is set to continue in Full Velocity: Apocalypse Code.