I felt like this could have been something longer but liked the shorter, sweet version more. This one starts focused on Megatron :)
Megatron was bored to put it lightly.
He had been stuck, frozen solid, by these humans since they'd yanked him from his previous icey prison those years ago. Pests.
Primus, he wished he had stayed in stasis instead of being awoken by these unknowing humans yet unable to do anything. It was better than listening to all his organics talk about him. Touching him and doing little tests. Disgusting.
Normally, Megatron wouldn't give a fuck about other sentient species, but these maggots in particular were going to face his wrath once he broke free. He was going to enjoy killing them.
It was so monotone, repetitive day in and day out.
He might hate it, but he only had to wait patiently before his loyal companions found him. He's already picked up intermittent broken-up messages and pings from Soundwave trying to isolate his position.
Bonus? The AllSpark was a room over.
It would be almost pathetically easy once he was free to grab the very reason he had come to this planet to begin with. They had built this…dam to hide the power the AllSpark radiated but jokes on them, you can't hide the AllSpark from a Cybertronian once they were within distance.
Any Decepticon or Autobot just had to get close enough to feel its power to know exactly where it was being held.
Feeling his systems demand a reboot was annoying but allowed himself to sink into the blankness of stasis while his systems attempted to recalibrate again. That damn gas they constantly sprayed at him messed with his systems.
Megatron is abruptly brought online, processor rushing and systems booting up in an instant when he hears it. Cries. Not just any cries. Sparkling cries.
How the frag—
There were few things that Megatron drew the line at. Sparkling and Youngling harm was at the very top.
With a surge of energon unlike anything since his gladiator days, Megatron forced his systems online. The cold ached but a clench of his servo broke the ice. The humans began screaming in panic as he freed himself, yanking the human railing off him, and throwing it at the fleeing humans.
"Maggots," he hissed, knees giving way as he attempted to move, he knelt for an astrosecond to draw in harsh vents, frame protesting after so long inactive. He swung his servo, scattering more humans.
The distressed crying continued. Megatron prayed to Primus whomever their parent was that they still functioned. He stood, making the conscious choice to move for the AllSpark first along the way. It collapsed in on itself and he fired his gun, the barrel smoking afterwards.
He…would need to get that checked out.
Megatron climbed through the now larger passageway, following the cries with AllSpark in servo.
He rumbled, engines purring as he sought their locations. There was a blip in the crying, the sparkling recognising the sound of comfort.
A chirp.
There!
Megatron destroyed another wall with his servo and what he saw was not what he expected.
LightChaser, whose leg below her knee was torn to shreds, whose arm was just barely hanging on.
But it didn't stop her from trying to curl around the tiny sparkling with everything she had.
A sparkling that looked strikingly familiar. A sparkling that shared features of LightChaser and Soundwave.
He supposed that explained why LightChaser was never a bot anyone spotted fighting. It made much more sense. Frag.
"Megatron," she wheezed, vents struggling.
"What happened?" he demanded, kneeling as she uncurled from around the sniffling sparkling.
"Stasis pod," she cracked a smile, "These organics cracked it open and attacked. Tried to subdue me. I wasn't going down without a fight."
"Is the little one unharmed?" he asked, ignoring the blaring alarm that started up. Pests, the lot of them.
"Yes, just frightened," LightChaser murmured, scooping the sparkling up.
Megatron, without shuddering an optic, took the sparkling, handing the AllSpark to the little one—the little one who whirled and crooned at the ancient life bringer—before he placed her into his sparkling hold. He lifted LightChaser up, helping her onto his back so he wasn't obscured in case he needed to fire his blaster.
Then, they were moving. He stomped through the hallways, humans that weren't quick enough were unapologetically squished beneath his pedes. Ew. He'd need a good clean later.
It wasn't long before the earth's sun hit their armour. God, that warmth felt amazing after all that time being frozen.
He fired up his jets with a splutter, but that first failed launch got him to the top of the dam. He ignored the screaming that began as he crushed some of the wall when landing. Slag it.
He forced more energon into his thrusters. He was rusty.
"Hold on," he grunted and LightChaser tightened her grip with her only working arm. He launched them again, this time successfully and it was easy to make their getaway.
He immediately sent rapid pings to Soundwave, demanding a location. He was low on energon and LightChaser needed immediate medical attention. They wouldn't be getting far.
Soundwave answered immediately, he gets a location. It wasn't even that far. Thank Primus.
=Get Flatline ready. I've got a bot that needs medical attention,= he ordered but reframed from informing who it was he had. Soundwave didn't need that worry until they arrived.
He crashes into the earth, stumbling but Flatline and Soundwave are at their sides. Starscream lingered back, ready to intervene if necessary.
Soundwave staggered, "Chaser?"
"Wave?" was mumbled back.
"She needs medical attention," he looked to Flatline who eased LightChaser from his back, "Those organics are trigger happy."
Starscream assisted Flatline and the trio vanished from sight.
Soundwave moved to follow but Megatron grabbed his arm, "Wait."
"Light—"
"Soundwave," he emphasised when his friend tried to fight his grip, "We need to talk."
He lay a servo over his sparkling hold. Soundwave's helm followed the movement. He let the hatch slide back and an inquisitive whirl escaped as the little one peaked out hugging the AllSpark close.
Soundwave fell to his knees and Megatron let the little one roll into Soundwave's waiting servo. She chirped and whirled, the servo not clutching the AllSpark made grabby gestures. Soundwave complied, raising her closer to his faceplate, and retracting his mouthguard.
"Soundwave's sparkling: adorable," he crooned and the little one bursts into a whirlwind of happy chirps and whirls and whistles, beaming.
"LightChaser said they were in a stasis pod, she didn't say how long but you would have picked up anything entering this atmosphere," Megatron said when Soundwave lifted his gaze from her, "They've probably been here for a while."
Soundwave vented, standing once more as he held his sparkling close.
"Sparkling's designation: Resonate," Soundwave informed and Resonate chirped at her name.
"Lovely name."
She beamed again, hugging the AllSpark again. Neither made a move to take it from her. If anyone was pure enough to stay in constant contact for long periods of time, it was sparklings. Megatron wouldn't be surprised if humans were vaporised in their constant attempts to harness its energy. He'd have Soundwave hack into their files later.
Mostly to laugh at their pathetic attempts to figure out the AllSpark.
He had heard more than enough to know the humans were given trouble by the sacred artefact. The AllSpark had not been pleased with the organics' attempts to use it.
Even now, within Resonate's servos, the AllSpark softly cracked with energy, zapping along her frame and making her bioluminescence markings illuminate brighter, its happy hums flittering in the air at being free from its confines.
"May I go to LightChaser's side now?" Soundwave asked.
"You're dismissed," Megatron couldn't help the playful wave of his servo. He also made a mental note to book his own appointment with Flatline.
Soundwave stood back as Flatline worked, his attention on his tiny sparkling as she played with the Cube, giggling when it sparked with power and zapped her. He stroked a digit up and down her backstruts as she gnawed on a corner.
"Are you hungry?" he asked and Resonate blinked up at him before shaking her helm; she waved the Cube.
Ah, yes, how could he forget? The AllSpark was more than a suitable supplement in place of energon. Better even. It was raw energy, the purest kind. It out beat energon any day.
His sparkling chirped, optics turning to her carrier. LightChaser had gone into a medically induced recharge so that Flatline could fix her frame easier. She needed the rest; she's just been yanked from an unknown length of time pod stasis and straight into danger. It was surprising seeing Resonate so calm, but she had burrowed herself into Soundwave's affection and extruded her own, the continued echoes filtering back and forth likely had a large effect.
He wonders how much danger she's seen to be calm. He hopes not a lot. No bot would willingly bring a sparkling or youngling into a battle.
He wonders how his beloved and sparkling came to end up in the stasis pod.
He's sat beside the berth when LightChaser rouses. He grazes his servo across her helm as she onlines her optics, shuddering them before they fall to him. Coolant wells up.
"Soundwave," her voice was wobbly.
"LightChaser," he returns, brushing his thumb across her cheek, "How are you feeling?"
She snorted, "Better than I have in a while."
LightChaser sits up, servo falling across her chassis as she groans.
"Flatline repaired what he could with the equipment he has," Soundwave explained. Her arm and leg armour had been replaced, leaving the new dull silver waiting to be coloured.
She nodded, optics softening as they fall onto Resonate who lay recharging against his chassis.
"I, didn't know how to tell you," she admitted, "That first stellar cycle was so hectic that…"
"I understand," Soundwave dipped his helm. While he was angry, it wasn't necessarily aimed at his sparkmate, "Will you open your side?"
She startles, bowing her helm and for the first time since this war began, he felt his beloved. He shuddered, sinking into it the love, returning his own. LightChaser wrapped her arm around him, slumping against his frame, a servo cupping his that held their sparkling.
He rumbled, engines purring and LightChaser nuzzled into the sound, her own purr joining in.
Between them Resonate stirred, whirling inquisitively as she yawned. She cooed sleepily, relishing in the two bonds and the unconditional love.