Authors Notes: Short hiatus over! I got most of my work done, so I am back to updating every week until further notice. In fact, I actually have another chapter almost done early so depending on how well this chapter is received I may update again early this week before next weekend. As always, I love comments to hear what everyone thinks. Please enjoy!


Soundwave

He tested the internal transformation of his limbs, taking it slow. The results were promising. Nothing hurt, and everything shifted as it should. He had given his body enough time to heal. Once he tested a full transformation, he would be ready to fly the communication's satellite into orbit.

Laserbeak's contented chirps could be heard. The minicon was with Reha, the human using a small buffer to erase the scratches and chips in his wings. Soundwave noted the significance of the act. Laserbeak never let anyone but Soundwave repair him, and if he did, it would be by a Decepticon medic under Soundwave's scrutinizing watch. He assumed it was due to Soundwave's own procedure. If the human was trustworthy enough to fix his Spark Chamber, then she could be relied upon to remove scratches.

"It is unfortunate," Laserbeak noted silently after his plating was clean. "her mind is Cybertronian in nature, yet it is wasted in a human vessel."

Soundwave nodded, acknowledging the unfortunate circumstance. He had been pondering this very thought often, catching himself watching the human from behind his visor so she wouldn't notice.

While he recovered over the past few days, there was little work left to be done. Normally, that would have been torturous for Soundwave. But Rhea's curious nature had helped pass the time. She asked about Cybertronian culture, details about the war and how he played a part in it alongside Megatron. Without revealing anything that could hint towards their deception, Soundwave answered her questions as they came. He even showed her other speeches made by Megatron to roaring applause, some he had censored more than others.

She would hang on every word that came through her Transistor device. He wondered, why now? What had changed in Rhea to suddenly become so curious about him and his past? He concluded that she had harbored this curiosity about him from the moment they had met, but she refrained from asking much more then what was necessary. But the energy around them was different now. Their rapport was more relaxed. Casual. He could not say the same even about most of his Decepticon teammates.

Laserbeak gave more detail while explaining past events she inquired about. The Minicon was always excited to answer, and Soundwave watched his symbiote further bond with their human ally without interfering. It was a side of Laserbeak Soundwave hadn't seen in ages. Not since the other symbiots in his care were lost, one by one, in the chaos of war.

Soundwave continued to do system checks on himself, pretending not to listen while Laserbeak bragged to his human audience about some remarkable time in the past.

"Lord Megatron was the only gladiator in the Pits of Kaon to beat Master Soundwave in combat, but otherwise, my Master was undefeated." Laserbeak gloated. "Master Soundwave and Lord Megatron were inseparable after that fight. Master Soundwave had been trying to talk the Council into change for Megacycles before he left them to their endless debates and pointless politics. Change had to come from somewhere other than the high Castes, otherwise it was hollow and two faced. Master Soundwave knew Megatron, a low caste slave turned Bot of the people, was the one to spark true change."

"Even despite the Council, mostly everyone agreed with Megatron, right?" Rhea asked hopefully.

Laserbeak chirped merrily. "Everyone who had any sense. The corruption was plain to see."

"And yet the war started anyway," Rhea muttered, wistful and melancholy. It was enough for Soundwave to raise his helm slightly to behold her changing face. "It sucks. Even with you guys fighting for what was right. The other side couldn't except it."

Laserbeak hesitated, and Soundwave took the opportunity to link into her device and respond. "There will unfortunately always be those who are not brave enough to bring about change. They will always fight it. That is why we fight harder. We know our side is the righteous one. That is what Lord Megatron would say."

Rhea nodded, her full focus again on Soundwave. Her bright eyes locked onto him, even despite his visor, was making him feel exposed. He reminded himself what he conveyed was the truth, all but the title of the warring party he claimed to represent. The complexities of war, the sacrifices it required to be victorious, she wouldn't understand. He wouldn't want her to. She wouldn't be so innocent then.

He stood, silently summoning Laserbeak back to him. "Remain at a distance. I'm going to preform a quick flight test to assure all my systems are functioning optimally." He said to Rhea before she could ask any more in-depth questions regarding the war.

"Flight test?" Rhea asked after him, his back to her as he put some distance between himself and their camp. "Of the satellite?"

Laserbeak connected to him, and he willed his whole body to transform. There was no pain or worrying noises as his wings locked into place. He tested his boosters and left the ground behind. He maintained a low altitude, in the event of something going wrong and requiring a less then graceful landing.

The close proximity to camp was what allowed him to hear Reha's amazed laughter. "You can change shape and fly? That's amazing!" she cheered, her hands shaking as they did when she bubbled with too much excess energy.

Soundwave was amused she was impressed by such a simple thing. It did occur to him this would be the first time she witnessed him transform. It would be considered impressive in the gaze of a human. He pushed his boosters and rose higher, testing his endurance. After weeks of inactivity, the rushing wind felt good.

He took a sharp turn, spinning a few times and looping backwards. He checked to see if Reha was still watching him. She was. He pushed himself faster, never going to far from the sight of the base. It didn't occur to him until his fifth go around that the flight test had been over for a while, and he was now just showing off. That troubled him. He wasn't the type of bot to 'show off' for any reason. What about this situation brought about the uncharacteristic showboating?

Soundwave returned to the ground and transformed, landing on his struts without falling. He heard Reha running up to him. "I was wondering how you would get the satellite into orbit." She snickered. "Makes sense now."

"It is the most efficient course of action." Soundwave explained through her communicator. He walked slow, so the smaller girl could keep up with his longer strides. He collected the satellite but hesitated to take off. Instead, he watched Reha hurry over to her computation device and tapped away with verve.

"I'm getting a head start on hacking back into the Government's server. This way, you can stay one step ahead of the military when the beacon activates and they come sniffing around for you." She reported with a smile.

"And you will relocate before I activate the beacon?" he made sure to ask again.

She waved off his concern. "I will, don't worry. I'll start heading east long before anyone can catch onto our trail."

Soundwave gazed skyward, the setting sun touching the top of the closest mesa. "I will not return until early morning," he told her. She was already engulfed in her work. She hummed to acknowledge she heard him. "Power down for the night when you require it. I will resume your work wherever you stop." He promised.

She turned in her chair and beamed a smile. "All-nighters are my thing, but I'm sure I'll be done in less than an hour."

He nodded again. He began to trek away from the camp, giving himself some room to transform and activate his boosters without disrupting any of their equipment, or Reha. "Be safe you two!" Reha called after him.

Soundwave transformed and blasted into the red and orange sky. The expanse before him lost it's color as he accelerated. The air thinned, and he felt the resistance of the atmosphere release as stars and black void greeted him. He utilized Earth's orbit for a gravity assist and cruised to preserve Energon.

He arrived at his calculated destination and transformed back. He pulled the satellite from his back and examined it for damage from the trip. It had done better than he had predicted. Laserbeak deployed to assist him.

"Estimated transmission time to reach Cybertron, two days." Soundwave thought between them.

Laserbeak trilled. It snatched Soundwave's attention. He didn't make the sound often. In fact, it had been decades since Soundwave heard the minicon's laugh. "You disagree with my calculation?" he asked indignantly.

"No, Master Soundwave. You estimated transmission time in 'two days.' Earth time?" He explained.

'Oh.' Soundwave realized. That's why he was laughing.

"Correction. Two solar cycles." Soundwave snapped back. He was used to working calculations with Reha, so he just made it easier and started using Earth time.

"You don't make mistakes often, Master Soundwave." Laserbeak said and trilled a laugh again.

Soundwave glared past the satellite momentarily before pushing through the embarrassment and rewiring a broken connection. "Due to a sustained processor injury in the Flux Space no doubt. I am glad you are able to find humor in my deteriorating mental faculties."

"I do not conclude it is from processor injury. In fact, Master Soundwave's current emotional state is reminiscent of our earlier time together. When I and the other symbiots were given to you by the Council. Master Soundwave is acting younger."

"Younger?" Soundwave echoed skeptically.

"Observation. Master Soundwave did not flaunt arial abilities while on the Nemesis, but that action was demonstrated for the human to impress her. I conclude, Master Soundwave relates to the human Reha. She is very similar to how Master Soundwave was in youth. I can confirm the similarities."

Soundwave said nothing to prove or deny the accusation. He hoped Laserbeak would drop the subject and focus on the task at hand if he refused to answer. No such luck.

"Opinion. It is a good thing the cyberforming of Earth was unsuccessful. Otherwise, Reha would have perished with all other indigenous life." Laserbeak pointed out.

"I should reprimand you for wishing Lord Megatron's plans to end in failure." Soundwave said; though didn't follow through with the threat. He secretly was chastising himself for agreeing with Laserbeak.

The satellite unfurled it's panels and reoriented itself to face Cybertron. It was operational. "Once back on Earth, we will activate the beacon and wait to be received," Soundwave hesitated as he used one of his thrusters to turn back towards the blue organic world. "I have also decided against activating the beacon from our current base camp. We will travel 300 hics north first, so not to compromise Reha's current location."

"Is this in an attempt to balance our debt to the human?" Laserbeak guessed.

"In a matter of speaking."

"Observation. If Master Soundwave wants to repay the human for her services, why not terminate those that currently pursue her?"

That was an idea. It would take little effort to snuff out the humans Reha said were attempting to recapture her. It would allow her to continue her travels east in relative leisure. Tempting as it was however… "Such action would give away our deception. Autobots do not hunt humans, no matter the justified cause. Reha is smart enough to stay hidden for the remainder of her short human life. I am not concerned for her safety."

Laserbeak chirped in protest, attaching to Soundwave's torso for the return trip back to Earth. "But, if we happen to intercept the humans pursuing our small ally, after we have broken away from her, there for no longer need to maintain our deception?"

Soundwave rose an optic ridge at the minicon. He felt his mouth plate twist into a small smirk. "Then yes. Under those circumstances, we will terminate all parties that hunt her while we await Decepticon recovery." He promised.

He transformed and blasted back down to the planet's surface. The placement and activation of the satellite had taken almost all night, just as he predicted. The desert was pitch black, the moon's current phase making it invisible and the stars vibrant.

Soundwave came out of his transformation and was surprised to see Reha still awake. She was where he had left her, seated at her computation device.

He connected to her transistor radio to communicate his new plan. "The satellite has been positioned and is fully operational. I have also decided to activate the beacon from a different location, so not to endanger your encampment."

Strangely, she didn't celebrate as he assumed she would. In fact, she didn't respond at all. She was tense. She scanned through text files; her hands rubbed nervously together and shook. No matter how many times her extremities flailed to express her anxiousness, she could not calm them.

He approached to inquire the reasoning behind her tense state, and in doing so got a clear view of the information she was scanning on the screen. She had finally successfully hacked back into the Government data files regarding Cybertronian kind. But the document she read currently was not about the Autobots. He recognized right away the purple insignia shown on the screen. The exact symbol was branded on both his shoulders.

She spun slowly in her chair, her normally vibrant eyes now sorrowful as she looked up at him. "Soundwave… you aren't with the Autobots, are you?"