Authors Note: I'm really touched by the favorites and support. I had this chapter already done early and decided to post it before Saturday. No worries, I won't be skipping this coming Saturday either! Thanks again for all the comments, I love hearing what people think. Please enjoy!


Soundwave

In the quiet night of the Nevada desert, Soundwave remained unmoving under the human's solemn gaze. He felt Laserbeak's tension, but he did not respond to Reha's inquiry right away either. He wasn't sure how to.

Finally, Soundwave responded through her device. "You are correct. I am Decepticon."

Reha dropped her gaze, and the motion made Soundwave's Spark jump nervously, despite there not being a threat to his wellbeing. He felt… hollow, as the charade crumbled. He could only guess how much Reha had discovered about the Decepticon presence on Earth while combing through the classified files at her back all night. The near cyberforming of her planet, twice. Invasions, technology and resources stolen. Military forces wiped out. The near extinction of the human race by a force completely indifferent to the smaller organic residence below.

He braced for whatever reaction Reha would have. Fearful screams or pleading to not be harmed. Maybe betrayed cries. She may say nothing, and simply hurry into her vehicle and drive off, putting as much distance between the hostile alien force and herself.

What he didn't expect, was for her to expel her lungs of carbon dioxide and oxygen in a drawn-out sigh before giving a tired shrug. "If we're being honest, I kind of had a feeling." She admitted.

Soundwave was shocked. "You… knew?" he asked.

"I didn't find your name in the Autobot database when I looked a few weeks ago. Though they didn't have any archive for Decepticon names, I pieced it together from other clues."

"Why then?"

She gave him a quizzical look.

"If you knew I was Decepticon, why did you preform the delicate surgery to fix my Spark Chamber? More than that, you were faced with a means of destroying an enemy of Earth. You could have crushed my Spark in your hands, yet you didn't? Why?" he demanded, utterly confused.

She shrugged again. "I guess it's because I trust you."

He couldn't fathom the answer. The word 'trust' was not even used in past tense. She still trusted him. How was that possible? She shouldn't trust him. It was wrong of her to. It was naive. He was a threat to her safety, now so more than ever.

"I don't have enough information regarding the Autobot and Decepticon war to pass on judgment." She added, as if she was able to read his confusion even behind his cracked visor. "Even if I did, I wouldn't want that responsibility. I read about an alien war spanning millions of years, the complexities and context of which I couldn't begin to fathom, or even pretend to. I know what I heard, the resolve in Megatron's voice when he spoke was real…" she curled into herself, her knees resting under her chin and rocking in her chair. The movement made the fabric around her upper arms visible, and he saw dark red scratches. Self-inflicted, due to her discovering his deception, no doubt. Guilt. It was a strange and foreign feeling for him, but he recognized it instantly when it invaded his processor.

"Humans can be terrible too. We take over land less advanced, start wars. My foster parents also come to mind when categorizing horrid people. Fact of the matter is, with every war, each side is going to think they're the noble one. It's up to those who come later to decide. Not me."

He still didn't comprehend her response. How was she so calm? Why was she giving him the benefit of the doubt? The Decepticons were a threat to the human race, a threat to her.

She gave a lopsided smile from behind her curled-up body language. "But thanks for being honest when I asked. I know it's not my place, but I have a favor to ask. Once you get back to Cybertron and return to Megatron… if you ever come back to Earth to conquer it… please, remember us humans kindly."

He stood, taking in her humble plea in the name of her race. The race that had exploited and abused her. But she was still one of them, and she wanted them to be spared. It was a plea so pure and genuine it hinged on naiveté. His Spark ached in his chest as he studied her face, twisted with a betrayed sadness he had caused. "I will." He finally said.

Soundwave was unmoving long after Rhea retired to her small living space to power down. What remained of the night weighed heavy on him, mocking him. With the work of the satellite done, he had little time to tie up this final loose end. It was required, but he did not want to. He did not want to break her trust again.

Laserbeak released a meek whispered chirp. Almost inaudible to all but Soundwave. So it didn't wake Rhea.

"She, has known of our deception for some time, but she did not reveal us to the Autobots." Laserbeak offered in the long silence between them.

"But she knows of our presence, and when we leave, she can no longer be monitored." Soundwave retorted. They needed every advantage to get off Earth and back to Megatron. And leaving a human alive who knew his weaknesses and his plans was far too risky. She could change her mind regarding their alliance while he was gone and assist the Autobots in his capture. This was a basic Decepticon rule. Do not leave any compromising information or technology to be exploited by the enemy. Rhea was both.

He didn't feel like himself as he turned his focus to Rhea's dwelling. He decided that was a good thing. He wanted to put as much mental distance between himself and his actions as he could.

He transformed his left servo into his blaster.

Laserbeak chirped a whimper. He was perched behind Soundwave, making his remorseful sounds but not interfering. He knew what Soundwave knew. Rhea left alive was a liability. Soundwave felt the minicon's pain through their connection. It made his own irrational grief worse. "She's only human," he reminded them both as he aimed his blaster at Rhea's tent. One blast would be more than enough. It would be quick. She wouldn't feel anything. In less than a nanoklik she would merely cease to be.

His mind refused to make his blaster release the energy attack. For Primus' sake, she was only a human! This was for the good of the Decepticons, there was no debating the rules. He assisted in creating these same rules who knows how many megacycles ago. He had to do this. She was a liability, as Starscream was when he left the Harbinger undestroyed for the Autobots to find and exploit. That decision cost Megatron Darkmount, and possibly the war. Soundwave didn't make mistakes like that. Why was this so difficult?

He marched away to compose himself. He vented deeply and paced. More than once he aimed for the tent and could not fire. Why?

"Because she trusts us." Laserbeak answered. "And she is like how Master Soundwave used to be, before the war changed you. You care for her." The observation was like a current through Soundwave's chassis.

Soundwave's blaster shifted away. His servo dropped back to his side and his posture slumped. It hurt because it was true. He and Rhea were both the strangest in a room, ignored yet still looked down on. Not understood and still exploited for talents considered abnormal but useful. Rhea said she was an oddity among her own human race. Soundwave wasn't considered 'normal' by Cybertronian standards either. But unlike himself, Rhea was so fragile, so innocent.

Despite the risk, the liability to the future of the Decepticons, he couldn't kill this one human. Once he came to this conclusion, he was relieved, despite the disappointment in himself for failing this one simple task. What would Lord Megatron think of this?

"Lord Megatron does not need to ever know," Laserbeak offered quickly. Soundwave could hear similar relief in the Minicon's mind.

Soundwave had never hidden anything from Megatron. He had never disobeyed a rule or command. This was a major betrayal of the Decepticons and his Lord. It troubled him when he failed to care.


Reha

Waking up in the shack on her floor mattress, Reha acknowledged she should be more scared than what she was. Her suspicions about Soundwave and Laserbeak had been confirmed. Everything she read about the Decepticons now stood at the forefront of her mind. Even still, she couldn't bring herself to be fearful of them.

Soundwave was so intelligent, driven, and loyal to his cause. How could the 'bad' team have an individual with those attributes? Also, he had never hurt her. If the Decepticons thought so little of humanity, why hadn't he just squished her the moment he could walk?

She glanced at her watch, and her heart skipped a beat. She had slept way longer than she had wanted to. Had she missed Soundwave's departure?

Reha hurried out of the shack. Relief flooded her when she saw the massive metal alien was still there. He was getting his radio equipment ready for transport, which included her communication and energy refractor. He turned when she approached him. Her transistor remained silent, so she spoke first. "I wasn't able to hack into the Autobot Groundbridge last night. They must have gotten a half decent firewall since the last time we used it." She explained.

Soundwave studied her. He wore his cracked visor, which made it hard for Reha to guess what he was thinking.

"Unneeded. Once my communications are received, I will be bridged back from their side." He explained.

Soundwave carried on with his work consolidating what he needed. Reha followed his example. She began breaking down the Energon Distiller into a more portable shape that wouldn't hinder him while flying.

"What are you doing?" came Soundwave's question through the radio. She paused to see he had stopped his work to instead stair at her.

"Helping?" she offered.

"Why?" She was taken aback. The question was almost a demand. "You have discovered my deception. Why are you continuing to assist?"

Reha pursed her lips. She caught her reflection in one of the Energon distiller's panels, and it made her laugh. "I couldn't tell you why. We humans are strange," she said with an overdramatic shrug. She rolled the distiller to him, attaching it to the rest of his packed technology they had built together. "Well, maybe that's not the only reason. My whole life I promised myself I would talk to an alien. I never specified they had to fit some arbitrary 'good or bad' label. Plus, it was nice to have someone around who was smarter than me. Being the most intelligent person in the room can be taxing."

Soundwave didn't move, studying her in stretching silence. "I can, commiserate with that opinion." He said simply.

Reha chuckled. She then stood out of his way when she ran out of things to do. Soundwave took his collection of tech onto his back, hooking it in place. His gaze was to the northern sky. Reha swallowed the growing lump in her throat. She hurried over to Soundwave when he failed to transform right away. "I, um," she fumbled with her words. Her skin itched and she fought the urge to scratch at herself until she was red. She looked up at his face, forcing away her anxiety for a few more moments. "Safe travels home, Soundwave. You'll make it there fine, I'm sure."

Soundwave didn't look at her, or at least if he was, she wasn't able to tell due to his visor. "Likewise," he said simply, and walked away, so not to damage the shack when he took off, she was sure.

Reha felt the panic in her chest. The feeling that overwhelmed her when to many things changed to fast. She fought it back, grinding her teeth until she heard her jaw clicking in her ears. "You and Laserbeak take care of each other! Be safe!"

Soundwave paused, though didn't turn. His body shifted in a flash and he was airborne. Soundwave's wings were silent on the wind. His silhouette vanished into the expansive blue Nevada sky.

No longer held to any standard but her own, Reha sat down in the dirt and cried. She let her wild emotions ravage her mind, knowing fighting them would only bring about more panic. She did what she knew helped. She closed her eyes, covered her ears, and screamed. Her tears wetted her face uncomfortably and she angerly wiped them off as they appeared. Eventually, she whimpered herself into stillness.

When she opened her eyes, she saw the world unchanged, just as she left it. The base picked clean of the massive tech she had grown accustom to. The shack that had been her home for little over two months was still at her back. Soundwave and Laserbeak were gone, like they had never been there.

She pushed herself off the ground. She felt hollow, empty of all emotion. It was normal after one of her outbursts. But despite the lag on her brain, she still had a purpose. She began packing up her things, finally ready to continue east. Soundwave was gone, but now she could go home.