Author Notes: Thank you to everyone who has commented and all the favorites. I am touched! I am really going to try and stay on top of this story and update often. Please comment and share your thoughts! And as always, please enjoy!


Location: Kaon Capital. Cybertron before the Great War.

Soundwave

Another riot shook the streets far below Soundwave's vantage point. He watched in silent contemplation. Hordes of lower Forged Cybertronians screamed at the line of elite guards that blocked them from leaving the capital. The loyal bots had wanted to march alongside Megatron as he went to speak before the Council and were denied that right.

Heavy ped steps he recognized instantly brought Soundwave about-face. His leader, Megatron, approached him. "What did the council say?" he asked.

His leader's digits clenched tight. Megatron's optics burned with a fury just boiling under the surface. "They would have none of what I said. As I had assumed, but I thought they may listen to reason."

Soundwave's Spark dropped. Just like Megatron, he had held out hope for the less likely outcome. Unsure what to say to assure Megatron, Soundwave watched in silence as his leader joined him by the railing overlooking Kaon.

"I already knew of the Council's corruption… but to behold it myself. How they scowled at my proposed ideas. They want nothing to change. If we do as they wish… nothing will."

It wasn't often Soundwave saw Megatron in such low spirits. It almost broke his own. If the Council did not allow Megatron an audience with Primus, then he could never be elevated to that of a Prime.

Megatron slammed a servo into the metal railing, smashing it down into a twisted heap. "It would have been better if they said nothing… but they did grant an audience with Primus to another." His faceplate twisted with pained betrayal.

"Who else would they choose?" Soundwave demanded.

"Orion Pax," Megatron hissed.

Soundwave was shocked. "The Archivist? What political knowledge does he have, other then what you taught him?"

"Very little," Megatron said with a shake of his helm. He shook, his optics beholding Kaon below him. "I don't know why I am surprised. Of course, an upper caste was chosen to become a Prime. No matter how little they have done to earn the title. I started the political change here on Cybertron. I fought for the equality for all Cybertronians, no matter the caste they had been forged for! When the conflict brought about civil unrest, I fought to suppress a war from ravaging our home. Yet the Council chose one like them… Just as always. Nothing is going to change, Soundwave. Those in the higher castes do not value us. They will never see us as anything but slaves."

"You are not a slave," Soundwave hissed. The outburst was uncharacteristic, and he knew it the moment Megatron glanced up with intrigue. "You are greater than the Council. You led the greatest minds of our generation to revolt against our oppressors. You sparked change that has not been seen since Cybertrons inception. Your words have changed things, Megatron. Not the words of Orion Pax! The council may not see your worth, but I do. So do your followers. So does Cybertron."

Megatron vented, his scowl shifting to a prideful grin. "I will need you by my side in the cycles to come, Soundwave. We must force change. The time for politics and eon long debates are done. What I propose is considered treason, and if we fail, our termination will be absolute."

"You know I am beyond fear for my own termination. I would give my Spark if it means seeing your vision for Cybertron realized." Soundwave assured his leader.

Jeers from below rose up to their level. Soundwave glanced at the massive crowd as they pushed forward against the elite guards. It would seem word of the Council's decision against Megatron had reached the masses, and chaos exploded because of it.

"I believe, it is time we stopped fighting to maintain this fragile and false peace," Megatron said somberly. "if peace means enslavement for the masses, then war may be our only true path to liberation."

"If there is to be a war, you are the bot who will lead us to victory," Soundwave said.

Megatron nodded. "You are right. I just need to reach out and take the responsibility by force. I can lead our kind to a true future, one without the bias Council and their jester Primes. If we face a war, I will meet it head on. We shall see if those who claim a want to fight with me now will remain by my side. I will see who are truly for my cause in our uncertain future."

Soundwave knelt low, his helm falling into a bow before Megatron. "You have my undying loyalty. Until the day of our victory over tyranny comes, I take a vow of silence before you. No matter how long it may take to reach our goal, may my first words after these be praising your victory."

Megatron placed his hand on Soundwave's shoulder. Soundwave looked up to see Megatron's grateful expression. "I am touched, my noble friend. Such a vow will bring great inspiration to others. But know, such loyalty from you was never a question in my mind."

The image of his leader warped. A sudden onslaught of pain was burning in Soundwave's chest. Kaon's sky, and Megatron's inspiring presence twisted into darkness as the memory fled him.


Present time

Location: Earth, Nevada Desert

Reha

"Just a little farther," Reha huffed to herself, her gloved hands elbow deep in the side of the still Cybertronian. The government files had said despite being living machines, the Cybertronians could feel pain. She supposed it was a good thing this one was unconscious so it couldn't feel her digging into its body to reach for another Energon line to tie off and weld.

Her fingers brushed the hot pipe she was looking for, and she pulled it out through the wound. It was leaking, but not completely severed like some of the other lines she had mended. She sealed the line then pulled down her welding mask to close the outer wound.

She was dizzy and nauseous, her hands burning despite the gloves. Reading more about Energon in the military files confirmed what she feared. It was toxic to humans. Before she started repairing the Cybertronian, she had intended to be careful and not get any on her skin.

She quickly threw out that rule when it got in the way of productivity. If she had any hope of saving the Autobot, she had to work swiftly. She rinsed off the blue substance every chance she got and only hoped it didn't kill her.

Chasing away the exhaustion with another sip of energy drink, Reha observed the sun creeping over the horizon. Ignoring the dread that came with a sleepless night, she would be able to see better in daylight.

She looked at her would be patient, who was still lying limp. They were alive. While soldering the lines in their open chest wound, Reha felt a strange electricity somewhere deep within. It was a weak pulse, like a heartbeat. Faint, but present.

'If you really want to help this being, you will call the military,' she thought to herself. It hadn't been the first time she had that mental dialogue. She sipped at her drink, fighting back a guilty frowned. The Military would do better than she could to help their Autobot friend... but if she called, she would be delivered back into the hands of her abusers. It was selfish, but she couldn't bring herself to call. She just had to fix the Cybertronian herself. She was a master machinist. She could handle anything.

She paused her work to run a hand across the reflective screen that made up the Cybertronian's face. Stroking the creature's smooth body brought her anxiety down, and she had plenty of anxiety to contend with. If the Autobot lived, then what? Would they thank her and then hit the road? Exchange pleasantries and then part ways as unlikely friends? Doubtful, but as long as her massive patient didn't accidentally turn over and crush her, she considered any outcome where it survived a victory. The military documents said the Autobots were friendly, having never hurt a human. She hoped that rule was still in effect.

A metal clank reverberated on the Cybertronian body. Reha looked up. The metal bird that had flew off the night before had returned and was perched on its larger ally. It observed her for the first time, taking note of the Energon line she held in her hand.

Feeling uncomfortable under the bird's scrutinizing stair, she spoke. "I've almost stopped the bleeding. After that, I'll start working on fixing structural damage." It didn't respond. It only continued to monitor her repair efforts. she finally noticed the bird had something gripped in its tentacles. A blue rock the size of her head gleaned in the early morning sun. "That's Energon, right? That's good, considering how much this one has lost. The military files say it must be processed first. How do we do that?"

The bird didn't answer, but it did finally move. It fluttered down on broken wings and placed the Energon rock on her worktable. The bird flapped to a pile of scrap pieces Reha had yet to organize near the shack. "What are you looking for?" she was left unanswered again.

The bird pulled out canisters, broken pumps, and metal sheets it bent into shape, or at least was trying to. The bird shook with occasional tremors and it had to reorient itself so it didn't fall over. Standing so close, Reha saw it too was damaged badly. Despite its own injuries, it was creating a basic distillery. that was how they would process Energon. She watched the bird work, scooping the dirt sullied Energon from under it's larger ally into a vessel. It pushed the container into place under the distiller and hopped back.

Reha jumped when a red laser blast came from the bird. It ignited the Energon like gasoline. It produced a weak blue flame, crackling out very quickly. The Energon may be volatile, but the stuff on the ground was deluded in dirt and had gassed off, losing much of it's flammability.

She welded the open wound she was working on shut before getting up to help the bird. "Why not burn something else if you need heat?"

The bird stared up at her, silent.

Reha snapped her fingers a few times when she thought of a solution. "Wait here," she rushed inside the shack and threw off her gloves and Energon stained clothes and changed quickly. Now that she was less likely to ignite around the combustible substance, she snatched the pile of missing posters and returned to the distiller. She fed the small flame with paper, and then scraps of wood from her broken bed's wooden box spring. She could make do with just a mattress.

The bird retrieved the crystallized Energon and dropped it into the container over the fire. Reha waited next to the Cybertronian animal, watching as the crystal melted into liquid, and then stayed in that state even when it was removed from the flame.

"So now what?" Reha asked with growing uncertainty. What she had read about Energon, it could either be drunk or injected. The Cybertronian that needed the Energon lacked a face, and Reha didn't have any comically oversized needles laying around.

The bird already had a solution. It connected the Energon container to a long bit of hose and thrown together pump system. It was struggling, so Reha helped carry the rig closer to the unconscious Cybertronian. The bird opened a small hole in one of the larger bot's Energon veins with a sharp tool that emerged from one of its tentacles. Reha saw it was trying to connect the pipe into the larger Cybertronian's Energon vein, but with its own trembling to contend with, it couldn't quite make a perfect seal. Reha took hold of the pipe to stabilize the bird's grasp and together they pushed the hose into the vein.

The pump activated, and the small amount of Energon siphoned into the larger Cybertronian. Before the last drop of Energon was absorbed, the bird was off again. It flapped in the same direction it had the night before. More than likely going to get more Energon.

"One rock at a time is going to take forever, isn't it?" Reha called after it. Despite this truth the bird was driven, not stopping to give her one of its blank looks. Reha winced when the bird hit the ground. It was damaged too, but still it fought to carry on. "The car," she realized with a gasp. She rushed to the dumping ground and yanked off the tarp that concealed her Foster parents stolen vehicle.

She jumped into the driver's seat and brought the engine to life. She easily caught up to the bird as it struggled across the desert. It stopped to observe her drive up and roll down the window. "Lead the way. We can bring more Energon back using this."

For the first time, the bird let out a mechanical chirping sound in response to her. It flapped over to the car and landed on the roof, where it stayed. The Transistor on her belt beeped with a new set of coordinates, she assumed courtesy of her new passenger. She typed them into the car's old GPS and sped towards the location.

A small crater concealed under a ridge was their destination. Reha got out of the car and saw the crater was lined with shimmering blue crystals of Energon. The bird wasted no time. It jumped off the roof of the vehicle to retrieve some. Reha popped the trunk and opened the back doors, ready to load up as much as the car could carry. Wearing her gloves and protective goggles, Reha helped yank the manageable chunks of Energon from the ground and pile it into the car. She caught the bird watching her, even as it toiled fast in its own task. She risked an awkward smile at the Cybertronian that was a little closer to her size. "Teamwork makes it faster, right?"

They had the car loaded, and Reha and the bird were headed back with their spoils. She parked the car next to the distiller and they both work swiftly to process, and then infuse the Energon into the hurt Cybertronian.

When the task was done, the bird fluttered to the ground. Its focus remained fixed on the larger being. Reha wasn't sure, but she almost sensed worry in the bird's red eyes. "Do you, need Energon too?" she asked.

The bird glanced her way, and then at the canister of Energon. It pointed back at its larger ally with its beak and continued its careful watch.

"You must be good friends," Reha guessed. The silence between them stretched on, the hum of the Energon pump filling the tension. "I'm Reha, by the way. Do you have a name? I promise to try not to butcher any alien pronunciations." She added with a shrug.

The bird looked her way again, this time lingering its gaze. She hoped she hadn't somehow offended it. Was it unreasonable to assume aliens would have names like humans did?

The Transistor on her belt buzzed to life. Instead of numbers, or beeping coordinates, a mechanical voice came through.

Laserbeak.

Reha nodded, grateful for the answer. "Nice to meet you, Laserbeak," She motioned towards the larger of the two Cybertronians. "And their name?"

The Transistor buzzed again.

Soundwave.

"Laserbeak and Soundwave," Destiney mused. She cracked a smile. "Those are kick ass names."

A shrill alarm yanked Reha back to her laptop. Fear rose in her throat when she saw the curser moving on its own and the government files shutting down. An administrator on their side had discovered her presence in their system. Reha worked fast, curses on her lips as she masked her tracks and yanked out of the system to hopefully avoid compromising her location.

The screen went blank, and she stood shaking. There was no way of knowing how long they knew she had been there. Either way, the Military now knew there had been a rat in their most top-secret files, and had even used their Groundbridge, their borrowed alien technology. If she had been sloppy, made even one miss step, they may be able to track her. "Crap."