Authors Notes: Thank you everyone who is following! Every time my email pings with favorites and comments I get very excited and I am so happy everyone is enjoying the story so far. As always, please comment! I love hearing what everyone thinks.
Reha
Laserbeak jolted into the air so fast Reha almost fell backwards out of her chair. Laserbeak had been scanning for incoming transmissions for Soundwave and had been perched still until that moment. "What's wrong?" she asked.
"Urgent. Master Soundwave wants us ready to depart upon his return." Laserbeak said. He flew over to the tech they intended to take and secured it together.
Reha snapped the lid of her laptop closed and shoved it into her bag. She was packed already, but she hurried into the shack to grab the last few odds and ends. She hesitated, considering the small space that had been her home for two months. For a glorified tent, it served her well. Self-wired solar energy, a fridge, and a mattress. She didn't take any of that, there was no way she could. She left it all intact in case someone else wandering through life like her found it just as useful.
She heard Soundwave land outside. Reha smiled and secured her backpack straps tight on her shoulders. The departure wasn't sad. She was going home, her true home, and she was going with Soundwave. She left the shack for the last time and ran to Soundwave. She noted the subtle differences in his body. His arms were a bit thicker, his posture changed. Proof he had appropriated a new vehicle form. She was still amazed by the ability.
"We are pressed for time," Soundwave explained. "The Autobots intercepted my transmission and are aware of my presence on Earth. Are you ready?"
Reha nodded. "Everything's ready to go. Refractor, Energon and distiller, food and water. Laserbeak triple checked."
Soundwave took her items from her and added them to his own. His midsection shifted to reveal a small cargo compartment. He stored their things and his body shifted shut. Laserbeak affixed to his torso and chirped. Though Reha didn't know what the minicon had said, she assumed it was about her when Soundwave looked her way. She supposed, it was her turn to get in… into Soundwave. She hadn't considered this moment at all, until it had come to slap her in the face. They had been so busy, both on the run from their respective demons. She had never contemplated just how awkward this would be.
A strange trilling sound came from Laserbeak Reha had never heard him make before. In response, Soundwave made a hollow sound she had come to understand to be like a human's sigh. She wasn't privy to whatever they were saying in their collective mind.
"I will acknowledge," Soundwave said, the words coming through her transistor slow. "I do not have a sufficient amount of expertise, transporting organic lifeforms inside my alt form."
Reha's laugh came out before she could push it down. "I'm glad this isn't just awkward for me. I can also say I don't have a lot of experience in this territory either. You'll be the first alien vehicle I've ever been in."
Soundwave tilted his head, but then nodded in what she assumed was agreement. He knelt, a hand held out before her. She hopped into his palm.
The world around her spun with metal shifting pieces and noise. Her footing vanished, a seat suddenly at her back. The light of the outside dimmed. She was in Soundwave's cockpit, the glass dome clasping shut over her. Two crossing belts strapped around her chest; an oxygen mask affixed to her face. "T-thank you for the safety precautions." She said. She jumped in her seat when Soundwave's body rumbled around her. The landscape began to move. The shack and their home base left behind in the dust they created. Her stomach turned again as she felt the growing acceleration push her back into her seat. She purposely didn't eat anything that day, so she didn't risk vomiting while inside Soundwave.
The uneven rumble vanished, and they pointed skyward. They were airborne. Reha covered her eyes and ears. The influx of information assaulted her. She rubbed her hands together, clenched her teeth, and fought hard to keep her anxiety from getting the better of her.
"Status?" Soundwave's question came through the radio on her belt.
Reha's whole body jolted at the mechanical voice. "A-a-alive." She managed to spit out.
"Pulse rate elevated." He said.
"It's nothing," she insisted. She rubbed her seatbelt, using the smooth surface to calm her mind. Before she could clamp her mouth shut, she started to laugh. It started off as small giggles and built to uncontrollable roaring glee. "It's not nothing! This is amazing! I hate flying, but this is awesome!" she pressed a trembling hand to the cockpit window. The clouds flew past them in white blurs. The stars above had never been clearer. Reha studied them in wonder. She named the constellations as she saw them. "Which way to Cybertron?" she blurted.
Soundwave didn't answer, and she worried she upset him. Her and her big mouth. She forgot he couldn't get home right away.
Their altitude changed suddenly. They climbed higher; Soundwave's nose pointed straight up. The clouds vanished, the stars becoming more vibrant. So entranced by the sight, Reha didn't question why they were leaving Earth behind. She glanced over her shoulder to glimpse the illuminated planet. Vibrant blue's and lush greens. Beautiful.
"Cybertron is straight from here," Soundwave explained, answering her previous question. She faced forward to investigate the void. "Without access to a Space Bridge, and at our current villosity, we would reach Cybertron in 400 Earth years."
Reha snorted a laugh. "Well, I'll stop being good company after the first 90, if I'm lucky. You can just eject my corpse into the nearest sun."
Soundwave turned back towards Earth, and Reha felt a pang of longing for the endless expanse of space. "If we had a Space Bridge, how long until Cybertron?"
"Twenty Earth seconds." Soundwave answered.
"That's amazing," she said. They soared over Earth; the outline of the continents illuminated with lights where human population was dense. "You guys are amazing. I'm really glad I got to meet you and Laserbeak."
Soundwave didn't answer, but she was to lost in the sights below to notice.
Soundwave
They reentered the atmosphere, and Soundwave's proximity sensors alerted him to movement in the high altitude with them. Human and Autobot. With him shielding his life signal, they were now sweeping for him by other means. Reha was none the wiser, and he did not share their predicament. She scared easily.
To avoid detection, he was forced to fly off course, far north of their southern trajectory. Reha didn't question him. She seemed lost in her mind. He also felt her touch often. He had observed her doing such repetitive actions before. Rubbing her hands against surfaces, sensing the world through touch. It seemed a healthier alternative to her other involuntary actions, like self-inflicted scratches.
Her fingers rubbed rhythmically against the cockpit seat, the inner walls around her, the grooves of his inner body. He… wasn't used to the sensation, to say the least. Touch was usually dangerous, the intentions of the one inflicting the sensation almost always hostile. A blade or blaster to the back in most cases. Because of this, he avoided it at all cost, save for Laserbeak. But this was different. Rhea couldn't hurt him; she was physically unable to. And he actually found himself, enjoying the contact. It was a rare thing in his world. Touch. Something he hadn't indulged in for… he couldn't recall the last time.
He allowed the rhythm of her tapping fingers to ease him into a trance, the wind under his wings, carrying him almost effortlessly. It was soothing, and he noticed almost instantly when her caressing slowed to a stop. He checked inward and saw she was slouched against her seat. She must have powered down.
She was so small. Soundwave noted the thought was rather self-explanatory. She was human, so of course she was small in stature. But this was the first time he had studied her in detail. Thin and so fragile. No type of armor to protect her, aside from his own body around her now. He acknowledged it was a wise decision to travel farther north to avoid detection. Despite adding to the overall trip, he couldn't fathom the danger for his organic passenger if he got in an ariel fire fight with her inside.
"Master Soundwave is more emotional with the human. It is a strange event to observe indeed." Laserbeak thought out loud.
"Such emotions are inefficient," Soundwave said but did not deny what Laserbeak observed.
"If not for the human, we would still be trapped in the Flux Space. That would be inefficient." Laserbeak pointed out. "Teamwork is efficient. Despite her being human, she would be an asset to the Decepticon cause. Especially now, in the darkest hour of the Decepticons."
"I can see similar benefits." It troubled Soundwave how fast he mentally agreed with Laserbeak. Then a thought rooted deep in his processor and once there, Soundwave couldn't unlodge it. "Once the Decepticons have retaken Cybertron, with enough preparations and terraforming of small areas, we could house Rhea on Cybertron. I can make Lord Megatron see the benefit of such an arrangement once I locate him."
Laserbeak chirped excitedly at the concept. "Excellent idea, Master Soundwave! That would be a very wise use of her potential. I can assist her studies of the Cybertronian language, and anything else she may need to learn." Soundwave could feel Laserbeak's excitement through their connection. It had been an exceptionally long time since the minicon shared such hopeful thoughts or spoke beyond necessity at all. Not since he became the last of Soundwave's symbiotes… Rhea was smaller than Laserbeak, but not by much. Soundwave could see how Laserbeak could grow close to the human so quickly.
The mood suddenly darkened between them. At first, Soundwave assumed the reason was due to his thoughts turning to his other Minicons, claimed by the war and gone to the Allspark.
The true reason caught Soundwave off guard.
"Rhea's lodging on Cybertron will be short… Her human life is so limited." Laserbeak said with a sad tone of sudden realization. At first, Soundwave didn't know how to respond, and his prolonged inner silence made Laserbeak's mood darken further.
"That, is a factual and unfortunate side effect of humanity indeed." Soundwave agreed. The unexpected ache of his own Spark startled him, and he found himself peering inward again to behold Rhea's sleeping form. Would it be wise for Laserbeak, or himself for that matter, to get anymore attached to the organic then they already had allowed themselves to?
Another idea sparked, and with it came hope. "Unless, there was a way to change this short time limit hanging over our human's helm," Soundwave offered. Laserbeak chirped in confusion. "With Shockwave's scientific exploits, I am sure Rhea's life can be extended. Shockwave has done more preposterously impossible things before."
Laserbeak's aura flipped positive in an instant. He chirped, excited yet again for the plan. Though this new objective lowered his anxiety regarding their organic ally, these thoughts involving the human alone worried Soundwave. Why was he so determined to keep the human as his company? Without Megatron around, had he just clung to the next creature he respected? He had to find Megatron. Once he found his master, order would return to his life, and he could plan for the future of the Decepticons, and Reha.
Soundwave landed in a forested region outside of a northern human settlement. The sun had begun to dawn through the trees, awakening the local organic wildlife. A decent sized river ran through this location and continued downhill. Humans needed water; Soundwave recalled. Before they could carry on, they both needed to refuel. He transformed to let Reha down on the ground.
She stretched her arms over her head and yawned. "How are you're Energon levels?"
"Low. I will have to locate a new supply soon." Soundwave said. "Your own fuel levels are low?"
"How'd ya know?" she snickered.
He pointed a digit at her midsection. "Your inner organs have been rumbling with low alarms. I concluded it had something to do with your nourishment."
Reha patted her small stomach. "yeah… I haven't eaten really anything in two days. I guess I can see what I can scavenge out here. I don't have any more money to buy food." She huffed a sigh, her posture slumped. "I hear dandelions are edible."
One of Soundwave's tentacles deployed and retrieved Reha's small wallet from her back pocket. She watched him in silence and didn't protest. He pulled out a flat piece of plastic from the wallet. "It's a cash gift card. Long since emptied." She explained.
He turned the card to examine it. The tentacle's smaller tendrils wrapped around the card and then he handed it back. "I hacked into the card's programming and filled it to its limit."
Reha blinked at him, then staired down at the card. "I… thank you." She muttered. Soon she was smiling. "Really, this is amazing! I'll run to town and be back as soon as I can. I promise." She grabbed her backpack and rushed down from their small, forested hill towards the town. Soundwave watched her scamper away into the tree line until she was out of sight.
"Will we be gaining Reha's permission regarding her relocation to Cybertron?" Laserbeak asked.
"That is, yet to be determined." He said back. They certainly wouldn't need her permission to proceed with their plans, but he wanted Reha to join the Decepticon cause willingly, like he had. "We can decide once we locate our Master."
Soundwave left Laserbeak to wait for Reha. He traveled by air into the west, dropping off three small communication beacons. They weren't for the Decepticons on Cybertron, but they still were encoded to protect the message from prying Autobot auditorys. The intended receiver of the beacon was his master. Wherever Megatron was, if he was still alive, he would know Soundwave sent it, and was trying to find him. He needed to know what had happened while separated from the Decepticons. He couldn't help if he was ignorant to their current predicament.
But this wasn't the first message he had sent out for Megatron since he escaped the Flux Space. Only radio silence answered. Soundwave adjusted the frequency, broadening the beacon despite the heightened chance of the Autobot's picking it up. It was risky, but he continued the broadcast against his better judgment. Megatron was out there somewhere. Soundwave refused to acknowledge the alternative. The Decepticons needed their leader. In his rapidly deteriorating emotional state, Soundwave needed him more.
He gazed skyward. The cracks in his visor distorted the view of the stars. His equipment gleaned nothing. 'Where are you, Megatron?' he thought with growing frustration. 'I know you're alive. You have to come back and set things right.'
Soundwave convinced himself it was only a matter of time. He and Megatron would take back Cybertron alone if they had to. Even agonizing over Megatron's current fate, Soundwave had a hard time conceiving of a restored Cybertron. Would it be different then how they had left it? The image of his world, rusted and dark was firmly imbedded in his memory files. It was a corrupt and unjust place, but it was his homeworld. If its restoration was true, the Decepticons would have to fight even more fiercely to reclaim the right to it. This Cybertron, restored and unified, under the watchful and righteous optics of Megatron would be a world he would want Rhea to see.
He returned with more Energon he scavenged from an abandoned Decepticon mine the Autobots hadn't picked clean. Reha had long since returned and was seated next to Laserbeak. She was talking while she consumed her nourishment, but Soundwave noted something different.
"That is not your normal sustenance," Soundwave said. She looked down at the box in her hands, obviously confused by his statement. He clarified. "You usually consume a single daily portion in a premeasured vessel you have activated with boiled water."
"Ramen?" she asked, gazing back down at the much larger serving before her. Then she smiled up at him. "Yeah, because I didn't have money. Humans are supposed to eat way more than that, three times a day. But thanks to you, I got way more than I could ever afford." She took another large bite of plant matter and cooked animal protein and made a sound of pleasure. "I forgot what real food tasted like…"
Behind his visor, Soundwave frowned at her. "You should have informed me you were malnourished much earlier. I would have assisted."
She shrugged. "No big deal, I didn't bring it up." She finished, then stood up with an energetic bounce. "I forgot to mention, I got something for you two. I hope it will be enough…" She said, digging through her bag. Laserbeak landed next to her, almost poking his beak into the bag to behold what she was searching for. Soundwave remained stationary, though he was equally curious as to what Rhea could have gotten from a human settlement that would benefit Laserbeak and himself.
Rhea pulled out a clear vessel, large in her hands. It contained a thick, viscus liquid with a dark brown color. Laserbeak examined the clear bottle as she unveiled nine more. "Laserbeak mentioned you both had rust damage from rain and Energon corrosion," she explained at last. "It's lubricating oil. We humans use it on our cars and machinery, but it should work well enough for you, at least as a temporary solution."
Soundwave was silent in the face of the gift. Rhea didn't notice his solum air as Laserbeak flapped his wings enthusiastically, fluttering around her. "Most excellent," Laserbeak said. Despite the monotone voice that came through her Transistor it was clear he was excited to indulge in the luxury.
Rhea's gift was well timed. Soundwave had been trying to ignore the rust starting to creep into his and Laserbeak's chassis's and into their joints. It wasn't like they had the Nemesis' oil showers to fix the problem. Despite the small vessels size, Rhea had bought so much that if they were frugal, it would be enough to split between himself and Laserbeak. The amount she had brought back left little room for her food, which he had noticed she had to carry separately and not in her normal pack. She had been thinking about their wellbeing, once again prioritizing them over herself. Soundwave didn't know how to feel about this.
Laserbeak wasted little time. He pecked at the sealed container and popped open the top, dipping his beak into the oil to spread over himself. "Can I help?" Rhea offered and produced a large cloth from her bag along with her buffer.
"Very much appreciated," Laserbeak agreed eagerly. He laid on the grass, content as Rhea rid him of rust and applied the oil. Laserbeak almost purred, leaning into her work. Soundwave watched his minicon's enjoyment. He imagined the physical contact felt good…. And with that intrusive, unwanted thought Soundwave turned from his smaller company and went to process the Energon he had collected.
The processing was painfully slow, as usual, but this time it was more excruciating. He had far too much to think about and no work to distract him. To many conflicting topics burdened him. Thoughts of his Master, somewhere out in the cosmos and needing help. The Autobots closing in. The new and unstable Decepticon leadership back home. His want to relocate Rhea to Cybertron. Telling Rhea she was relocating to Cybertron. Keeping her away from other Decepticons and out of danger. How had he not noticed she was malnourished this whole time… He frowned. His thoughts had once again turned to the human. Why had that happened?
'Master?' Laserbeak's voice appeared in his mind. Startled from his musing he spun around. Both Laserbeak and Rhea stared at him expectantly. 'You did not hear her question?' Laserbeak specified.
Rhea had asked him something, and he was so far in his own head he hadn't heard her. He could not fathom how he allowed that to happen. He heard everything… That was his job.
"Repeat the query?" he asked, horrifically embarrassed.
Laserbeak was gaping at him for the uncharacteristic error, but Rhea seemed unfazed. "I said, did you need me to help with you next?" She repeated and held up the oiled cloth. She was offering to attend to him.
"No," Soundwave answered, probably too quickly. He was disturbed how much he wanted her to. "I can do maintenance myself." He clarified.
Rhea shrugged off his comment, which had been harsher than he intended. He retrieved the oil Rhea left out for him and got to work removing the rust from his armor while he waited for the Energon to finish. His optics hidden behind his visor, he was able to covertly study Rhea and Laserbeak as they continued talking. His minicon was indeed more talkative then normal. He asked their organic ally questions unrelated to their mission. They were about Rhea herself. In fact, they were questions Soundwave had harbored but had no intention of asking. They were mundane things, mostly regarding her humanity. Soundwave wondered if Laserbeak was inquiring this information to compile a list of Rhea's needs so she could survive on Cybertron.
"And why can't the oil we use stay on your plating?" Laserbeak inquired as Rhea worked to remove the remnants of oil from herself.
"Not the right kind of oil for me," Rhea explained. "Humans make their own oils, but we have our own plant-based stuff we can apply. My skin, or plating, needs to stay hydrated or I dry out and crack. It's annoying, but essential."
"Water encourages rust in us," Laserbeak noted. "It's to be avoided if one can help it."
"It's the opposite for humans," Rhea said. She smiled, her gaze turning to the river. "In fact, water is very important for us." She kicked off the casings she wore on her feet and pulled the thin fabric layers Soundwave heard her once call clothes from her torso and lower body, plopping them in the shallows of the small river. Startlingly, she then jumped into the water herself.
Laserbeak hovered worried over the water until she emerged with a gasp. "What does this ritual do?"
Rhea pulled both her hands along her helm. "It gets rid of dirt and other crap that will mess up my skin. Plus, if my hair isn't wet, I don't even try brushing it. Which I desperately need to. This is the first opportunity I have had in a while. My poor hair hasn't seen a comb or conditioner in months."
Laserbeak continued to inquire more, and Soundwave had long since dropped his attempts to remain uninterested and began to observe more obviously. He wasn't used to seeing Rhea without clothes and couldn't imagine her not feeling vulnerable in this state. His armor never came off unless something was very wrong.
What he observed was, interesting. Rhea spent a long time in the water, running her own types of bottled liquids through her hair and rinsing it away. She parted her hair it into sections in preparation of pulling a multi toothed item through the individual strands. She repeated the motion until her fingers could run through without catching.
She rung the water from her clothes and sat to dry on the riverbank, applying her own oils to her skin. It changed her texture to appear smoother, as if she bore proper metal plating the color of rich dark copper. Everything she displayed had been the first Soundwave had seen from her. While they were in the much dryer climate, he occasionally witnessed her simply dumping a container of water onto herself every once and a while. Had she been forced to skip regular maintenance like this the whole time? Even though this delay had cost them time, Soundwave was glad they had stopped.
Observing her dressed again and noticeably more comfortable following her cleanse, Soundwave realized just how little he knew about human needs. This was problematic regarding his plan to take her back to Cybertron.
Instead of nesting in a pile of her items for the night, Rhea packed up and approached Soundwave with a notable bounce in her step. "Ready to go?"
"You do not require rest?" Soundwave asked.
"I can sleep while we fly. Plus, we are so close, and have lots of work to do when we get there."
He didn't protest further. They were packed up and airborne in a reasonable amount of time. There was no Autobot activity in the area and they were able to reach the coast without interference. Soundwave observed Reha, pressed to the cockpit window to take in the land below. She was trembling as she did often, laughing, and happy. They had reached her goal.
Soundwave landed where Reha suggested. An uninhabited beach shielded from human civilization by a dense forest at their backs. The scenery was different from what they had left farther west. As was the climate. The temperature had dropped, and he worried Reha's current clothes would be inefficient.
Despite it all, Reha didn't seem to care. He watched in silence as she walked away from him towards the shifting waters. She kicked off her feet coverings he once heard her call sneakers and stood ankle deep in the water. She was unmoving as she stood in the lapping waves, her gaze on the star painted horizon.
Worried by her stillness, Soundwave approached her. "Reha? We must unpack." he stated through her device.
She answered with a look. Despite her calm expression, her eyes shed tears.
Soundwave was startled into stillness. Something had upset her, and he didn't know how to remedy the problem. Was he meant to… state something? Remind her they had reached her desired destination? He was lost.
Laserbeak deployed from his chassis and landed in the sand at her side. He chirped softly, and Rhea leaned into his wing without a word, as if she were unstable and needed support. Laserbeak expressed his concern through their connection, demanding Soundwave remedy their ally somehow. Soundwave mirrored uncertainty back at his symbiote. He had no idea what to do for her, but the physical action Laserbeak had done for Rhea seemed to elicit something other then tears.
Despite his discomfort, Soundwave approached the two at the shore. His strut steps were muted as they sank into the uneven surface of the sand. He stopped just behind Rhea and stood frozen. Laserbeak staired at him expectantly. "Rhea?" he inquired again with a low volume on the Transistor. He pushed himself further into territory he was terribly unfamiliar with.
Something previously unthinkable for him came to the forefront of his mind. He brought a single digit to her face and wiped the tears from her cheeks. "What is wrong?"
She thawed from her stillness and placed her whole hand on his offering finger, keeping them connected. "Nothing at all. You got me home. Soundwave, thank you."
He had no inkling how to respond to her statement. Shut off from others in any intimate way before Cybertron's fall, he was out of practice with basic tasks, such as empathy. He wasn't sure what he was experiencing as he studied Reha's face. He wasn't with Megatron or fighting for the greater good. He had relocated an insignificant organic from one side of Earth's many landmasses to the other. But for her, it was world changing. He was, happy to have helped her.
He had no inkling as to how to express these feelings to her out loud, so instead he remained silent. He broke away from her and unpacked, setting up their permanent location in the tree cover. This would make it harder for the Autobots to locate him utilizing human satellite imagery. It also allowed him to continue to observe Reha without her noticing. She walked the shoreline, talking to herself and the memory of some departed human she called 'dad.'
Despite her tears, it was clear to see she was contented. Reunited with the place she loved. He could relate, longing to gaze upon a restored Cybertron, even if it was currently under Autobot control. He was closer to this goal than ever before, but he didn't feel like celebrating. A sudden guilt he hadn't considered began to rear its presence. To bring Reha back to Cybertron as he wanted, would be to sever her from her home forever.
