Authors Note: Thank you to everyone for all the comments and support. I like to find inspiration in your words and it moves me forward. As always, I hope everyone enjoys reading, and please comment to let me know what you think!


Soundwave


He landed on the beach not far from their camp. His low Energon alarm had been blaring for a while on his way back to Earth but he had too much on his mind to care.

"You made it!" Reha exclaimed and rushed over to him. Laserbeak was right by her side, chirping excitedly. "Did you meet Megatron? What did he say?"

Soundwave didn't answer her. Instead, he made his way back to their encampment and found processed Energon waiting for him. He removed his visor and drank greedily until his alarms were silent. Afraid what his face might divulge of his chaotic inner thoughts, he affixed the visor back in place.

Both human and Minicon staired at him expectantly. "Megatron, has relinquished command of the Decepticons to me." He said through Reha's device. He didn't know why he continued to use the Transistor to communicate. He no longer needed to. Perhaps he just wanted normalcy, if only for a little while longer.

Laserbeak made a surprised chirp at the news. "How long until our Lord resumes command?" he asked, both in their connected mind and through Reha's transistor.

"He will not." Soundwave said. "Megatron has given me the Decepticon mainframe, which I have hardwired into my processor. I am now the leader of the Decepticons indefinitely."

Laserbeak didn't respond. Soundwave assumed he was shocked into silence. He could relate to the feeling.

Reha, however, eagerly asked more. "What's our next step then, head honcho?"

"It is paramount I get back to Cybertron, now more than ever," he said. "There is someone on Cybertron that is using the Decepticon force for their own advances. I need to dismantle whatever damage they have done and take command."

Reha shook her hands together with excitement. "Then it's a good thing Laserbeak and I got a head's start! Come look." She said while motioning towards their base.

Soundwave took the opportunity to note just how much his minicon and human ally had accomplished in two weeks' time. It was impressive. The base now had a sturdy structure that shielded their equipment from the elements. New computers were online and busy with individual calculations. Going by the sophistication of the hardware, he assumed Laserbeak had harvested military tech as well and installed it into their grid.

"We are still working to break through the military firewall that defends the Autobots Space Bridge. Our progress is steady but slow." Laserbeak explained.

"But!" Reha added optimistically, "Our new communication's system is connected to the satellite and cloaked. We can broadcast all the way to Cybertron and not worry about the Autobots tracking it back here."

Soundwave knelt to examine everything they had accomplished. "This is perfect," he said. "I can send out a broadcast using the new knowledge I have acquired and reestablish control over the Decepticons from the usurping force."

He did exactly what he stated, connecting to the grid Reha and Laserbeak had created. He sent out a locator beacon for any Decepticon vessel to pick up. Encrypted in his SOS was Megatron's words, proof of him handing over command. Then he requested information from any Decepticon source what exactly was happening on Cybertron. To effectively lead, he needed to know what he was dealing with, regarding the interlopers.

Rhea was watching him close from the ground. "Good work, both of you. What you have done is admirable. The message is sent. Now all we have to do is wait for an answer."

Laserbeak chirped merrily and Rhea flashed the minicon a prideful grin. The pair seemed closer after Soundwave's two-week voyage into space. That was encouraging to see.

In fact, as Rhea busied herself with some other update she intended to present, Laserbeak flew over to perch on Soundwave's shoulder. His voice appeared in their collective mind. 'Master Soundwave. I have also taken the initiative to investigate deeper into the daily needs of humans, so we may be better equipped to relocate Rhea to Cybertron. And I will say it has been a most informative experience, with Rhea's own help. My new list includes specific dietary needs, required oxygen levels, and other non-essential biological notes.

The most interesting topic commenced with my own curiosity I have harbored about humanity for a while. It was regarding how there are so many humans able to populate in a small area in so little time, and without the help of a forging energy source like the All Spark. I assumed it would be similar to the cloning process when creating identical Vehicon troopers with protoforms. In fact, it is not even close. The truth is most horrific! Rhea informed me the needed components for human life require a human male to place a sample of DNA into a human female in a truly gruesome interfacing ritual. This unfortunate human female then becomes the gestational vessel for a new human to live parasitically off their body and nutrients for 9 Earth months. Thankfully, Rhea has informed me this ritual is not required for her personal survival. Our human ally has also expressed the logical standpoint of not being interested at all in the human reproductive process. However, to further assure her safety from this terrible biological fate I gained her permission to kill any human males that attempt said reproductive ritual with her. I have since kept a very close optic on her from the sky when she goes into the human town, just in case I had to terminate any male humans. Indeed, it has been a most productive and educational two Earth weeks!' He said before he gave his wings a prideful flap.

Soundwave observed the minicon for a long moment. "…Good to know. Your diligence regarding what we need to take care of Rhea off Earth is invaluable. Well done." He said at last, though would have to look into the strange information dump he had been presented with later.

He walked over to Rhea, making his ped steps louder than usual as he tended to sneak up and startle her. She turned, just as he retrieved the rock he had recovered from Pluto. "You have presented an interest in extra planetary sciences. I came across this sample on Pluto. I thought, this may benefit your research." He stated before she could ask. Just as he calculated, the pebble to him was a large rock in her hands. She staired at the multi crystaled mineral, her small optics wide. "I already scanned it for potential hazards and have deemed it safe." He added.

"Thank you, so much," she whispered, looking up from the stone to meet his visor. Despite her words, he worried he had upset her.

"Did I conclude incorrectly?" He inquired.

She shook her head with an almost frantic energy. "Never! I love it. Really. It's just, I haven't gotten anything like this before, ever. I'm trying to figure out how I'll pay you back."

"Repayment is not necessary. I believe you humans refer to it as, a gift?"

She smirked, studying the stone in her hands as its multiple fissures caught the light, almost in tranced. He was happy she liked it.

'A most intelligent means of further gaining her favor, Master Soundwave. Is this an adequate time to inform Rhea about her relocation to Cybertron?' Laserbeak asked between them. Soundwave stiffened; thankful Rhea didn't notice as she continue to admire his gift.

'No,' he answered dryly. 'I have yet to determine how to inform her, without overwhelming her.'

'Do you, not intend to tell her at all, until we are ready to take her there? Would her not receiving ample time to prepare constitute "overwhelming"?' Laserbeak asked with a hint of worry in his tone.

'You would be correct… but I require more time to construct a convincing argument to sway her. We have until we receive word from any Decepticon vessels that receive our message.'

Only two days slipped by before Soundwave got a response from deep space, and he indeed did not have what he considered to be a convincing argument to present to Rhea. But his quandary regarding Rhea was forced from the forefront of his mind while he decoded the message.

The receiver of his distress signal was a Decepticon vessel named the Renegade. It sent a short, yet ominous message. "Message received, Megatron's intentions for leadership, acknowledged. Decepticon forces divided. Conspiracy among higher command. Stable leadership needed and urgent. Further communication risky. Moving into rendezvous and brief in person, Lord Soundwave."

Lord Soundwave? He already knew that would take some getting used to. More troubling than his new title, it seemed the airwaves were risky, as whoever had taken control was no doubt monitoring for plots to overthrow them from other Decepticons. Due to their secrecy, the Renegade did not specify when they would arrive to rendezvous. Soundwave had finally acquired a means of getting off Earth and back home. There was no more survival or hacks or trials to overcome. Sit and wait for the Renegade to come and collect him. That was all he had to do. He had succeeded, but he felt hollow.

The sun was setting, and Soundwave had little to do but wait. He stood just out of reach of the lapping waves, his gaze skyward. Not having anything to do was the worst form of torture. The silence gave his mind far too much freedom to speculate.

"With the Renegade coming to pick you up, I guess we don't need to hack into the Autobot Space Bridge to get you home." Reha said. She joined him by the shore, her bare feet testing the water.

"My thoughts exactly," Soundwave said with a nod. He meant to say more but found himself unable to articulate anything meaningful. Despite Laserbeak's constant pestering, he still hadn't told Reha about his want for her to come back with him to Cybertron. In truth, with such turmoil on his homeworld, it was probably best if she did not accompany him at the moment. Soon he would board the Renegade and leave her behind, at least until he had regained control of the Decepticons. He would need Laserbeak by his side to face the trials before them. This means she would be alone.

"I never really asked," Reha said as she took a seat in the sand. He could tell she was worried about him. She was easy to read, only because they were so much alike. "What is Cybertron like?"

The question caught him off guard despite it's seemingly innocent nature. Did Rhea somehow sense his want for her to go with him back to his home world? It wouldn't have been the first time she guessed something he was hiding from her, as she did when he had hidden the fact he was a Decepticon when they first met.

He pondered the question and considered giving simple answers. He could explain its creation and age, the chemical makeup and its atmosphere. He didn't say any of this. Though factual, it felt like a weak reply.

Soundwave didn't know how to answer her question. He still couldn't answer the question Megatron posed to him before they parted. 'What did he want?' Soundwave couldn't fathom what that even meant to him. He wanted what was best for the Decepticons. That was the obvious answer, and just like Reha's inquiry about Cybertron, he was sure Megatron's simple question hid a more complex meaning.

He suddenly wondered why he was working so hard for the Decepticon cause if Megatron did not want it anymore. Everything Soundwave did was for Megatron, to see his vision come to pass. Now, that vision had somehow become his own. It didn't feel right. Nothing felt right anymore. He staired out onto the sea, distracted by the cracks that still lined his visor.

He let the latches around his faceplate unlock, and he pulled off his visor. He beheld the dusk with his true optics. Then he dropped the visor into the water, letting it vanish into the sea.

Sorrow pulled at his faceplates. Slowly, he took a seat next to Reha in the sand. "Cybertron was beautiful, and I miss it." He said out loud.

He almost chuckled when he saw Reha do a triple take in his direction. "Y-you speak?" she whispered in utter disbelief.

"At the beginning of the war, I took a vow of silence before Megatron. It was a means of showing my undying loyalty to his cause. To show actions are more powerful than words. But it's void now. Plus, it's not efficient to continue speaking through your device if there is no need to." Soundwave let out a vent and gazed once more to the sea. "I can relate to your want to return to this place. When you spoke of your home, I saw the same longing I had for Cybertron. Everything I felt I hid away behind a mask. I have missed my home for eons. I miss friends that are long gone. Other minicons in my protection that have perished in the war. Even if Cybertron is restored, that life, everything I knew is all gone. Megatron gave me a key to the Decepticons, but now I don't know if that is what I want anymore…" he faltered, shaking his helm as shame washed over him. "I'm admitting to much. I'm not even sure why. I don't know what I want… but I know that I want to keep you close to me. That is my only certainty."

The tension between them felt hauntingly familiar. It was as if Primus was forcing him to pick up their intimate conversation right where they had left off two weeks prior.

Reha didn't speak, and instead stood in the silence of the moment. He watched unmoving and almost scared, as she climbed up one of his peds. What should he do? He was completely lost in this situation. Despite all of his collected memory files he usually referenced during times of uncertainty, none were reliable in this regard. Acting off instinct, something he was very uncomfortable with, he offered his open servos to her, so she didn't have to continue clinging to the armor of his torso, which seemed to be her end goal. She took up the offer and climbed into his awaiting servos.

Now close to his helm, Rhea reached out. With cautious movements, as if she feared she would hurt him, she touched a hand to his faceplates. He was held captive by her piercing gaze and the heat of her small hands. With no visor to protect him, he felt exposed. His inner thoughts and intentions left naked for her to witness.

"It's something about sunsets," she said softly. "that brings about a feeling of calm in humans. Maybe the same can be said about Cybertronians. I've been scared too, of you leaving me. I don't want you to go, but I feel selfish as well. You helped me get home, I should help you get home too. But I don't want it to be a home without you."

"Then perhaps, it doesn't have to be goodbye," he offered, and then finally gave in to the moment. Very carefully, he ran one of his digits across her cheek, savoring the soft texture of her flesh.

Though she leaned into his touch, her eyes were confused. "What do you mean?" she asked, rightfully so, he was being cryptic, another rare trait he thought he had purged from himself eons ago.

Laserbeak continued to remind him to be truthful. Megatron asked what he had genuinely wanted. It was now or never.

"Rhea," he mumbled, determined to close this final distance between them despite him still not having the words. She remained where she was, poised in his hands and waiting for him to finish. "I don't know, I don't understand what I'm feeling. I've shut it out for so long. It terrifies me. I'm scared of destroying your trust again. I… want to ask you something, but I fear it will damage my rapport with you beyond repair."

She only shook her head insistently against the accusation. He felt her small fingers curl tight around his own digits, silently encouraging him to continue.

"When I reclaim my faction, I want you with me. I want you to come back with me to Cybertron… I want to find a way to keep you forever." He had finally said it, but that truth did not alleviate his fear, especially when he saw the shock on Rhea's face, his scanners picking up her spiked pulse rate.

"I don't know what to say," she admitted truthfully. "I want to see your home. I want to be with you. But..."

"But you do not wish to leave Earth." Soundwave finished for her.

Rhea only nodded.

He racked his processor for an answer to this dilemma, determined to find a solution. "I'll recreate the space Bridge between Earth and Cybertron. You can come back whenever you wish."

"What about the Autobot's here on Earth?"

To this question he gave her a confident smile, a very strange thing to indulge in without his mask to hide it. "Just one more reason for the Decepticons to win this war. I'll tear down whatever barriers are in our way. I'll drag both planets closer if I have to."

He was rewarded with her sweet laughter. Gentle music to his auditory. "Ok." She finally agreed, her hands rubbing together fast to expel her excitement. Then they came back to rest on his plating, where they stayed, keeping them connected. "You get back the Decepticons, bridge our worlds closer, and I'll be packed and ready to go when you come back to pick me up." She promised.

His Spark jolted pleasantly in his chest, excitement and relief overtaking him. It was a ludicrous plan, but it was the truth, and it was what he wanted, so he would see it done no matter what it cost.

Rhea's smile faded. Something about the plan was troubling her. "What would the Decepticons think of all this? Don't they still want to destroy humanity and use Earth?" she asked him.

"I don't know what the future holds. However, ready or not, I am the leader of the Decepticons. And as leader, I promise you, Earth and humanity is no longer in danger from us."

Reha's eyes welled with tears. "Thank you," she whispered. She leaned close, lifting herself up from her perch in his servos and pressed her lips to the side of his face plates. This was a human custom he had yet to witness from her. He assumed it meant something intimate. He allowed the closeness, taking it in for the first time in a very long time.

She pressed into his faceplates with a meaningful embrace, her fingers tracing the lines and seams of his helm. Against every instinct he had cultivated over the war, he surrendered to the intimacy, allowed it to heal the scars that riddled his mind and Spark.

How had this human captured his loyalty so quickly? Maybe it was because he had been closed off for so long. Sworn into silence and then hidden behind a mask that served only to make him a more efficient drone. He had worked so hard by Megatron's side to break free from their chains of inequality, and he ended up enslaving himself in his own mind.

Soundwave recognized the irony, that of all the creatures that could break down his walls, it was a human. Staring into her small face, he saw what he had been missing all this time. Companionship. She was someone who did not wish to use him for his abilities or her own personal goals. She wanted him to be happy, and he wanted to protect her. He intended to cherish her company, as long as fate would allow.

The proximity alarm blared.

Cold reality crashed back down with the weight of a dying star. With Reha still cradled in his hands, Soundwave stumbled to his peds. He was wired into the grid Reha and Laserbeak had created, so he saw in his mind the source of the alarm. A large ship was approaching, fast. It wasn't the Decepticon ship the Renegade, it wasn't coming from deep space. It flew from the western sky.

"Who are they?" Reha asked, her voice fearful.

"Autobot," Soundwave hissed. He hurried over to their camp's tree cover and placed her down. "Stay hidden and pack what you can. We will need the main beacon and it's connectors so the Renegade can triangulate my signal. I'll lead them away and buy us time."

"But how did they find us?" her body shook with fear. She scanned the sky through the trees, her hands locked together to fight her tremble. "We cloaked our base; we were so careful!"

He placed a gentle digit under her chin to get her focus. "Their sole effort has been to hunt me down. No matter how many shields we erected, it was only a matter of time before they found me. Now pack up what I've said and wait for my signal to escape. I will disable the ship so it can not pursue us, and then be back to collect you and our tech."

"No, just leave without me!" she insisted before he could rush away. "I'll hide the beacon and our equipment so you can come back for it. I'll be fine. They may not even notice me if they are chasing you. You can come back when they have cleared out…" her resolve wavered with fearful uncertainty.

Soundwave was aware leaving without Rhea would be the easiest option. In fact, such actions would almost assure his successful escape. But Rhea was wrong. She may be able to hide their equipment for him to return to and utilize, but the Autobots would find her. He would be leaving Rhea to the mercy of the Autobot's own twisted judgment. They would deliver her right back into the hands of those she was running from. He would never see her again. It wasn't an option, not even in exchange for his own self-preservation. "No more arguing. I will not leave you. Now pack up and be ready when I return to retrieve you."

He hurried back onto the beach before Reha could protest the plan. He spotted the ship in the darkened sky. It was the same one that had attacked him outside the military base. It belonged to the Autobot Ultra Magnus. Soundwave had created a high frequency disruptor pulse near their base, it's purpose to interfere with incoming Groundbridges and keep the Autobots from bridging right into their camp. Its radius was only a meager mile, but it was enough space to keep them away from Reha.

The ship came screaming out of the sky, sights locked on Soundwave. He jumped and transformed. He deployed Laserbeak and they both split in opposite directions. The ship followed Soundwave, and Laserbeak turned around to start unleashing laser fire.

Soundwave flew up, spinning to evade their attacks. He just had to distract the ship long enough for Laserbeak to get a clear shot at their engines. He couldn't risk having Rhea inside him while they fled, gun fire trailing them and him unable to preform fast ariel maneuvers that would put her body at risk. When the ship was disabled, they could escape.

Pain bit at his left wing when a blast grazed him. He fought to stay in the air. His movements were hindered, the gunfire continuing to rain around him. "Maintain pursuit. I need to land." Soundwave said to Laserbeak and turned for the beach. He transformed and smashed into the sand. With Laserbeak continuing his own assault, the ship couldn't land on the beach, and switched it's focus to the minicon. Soundwave was not as far from base, but he knew he was out of his interference device's range.

As if on cue, a Groundbridge opened before him. He stumbled back, grasping his damaged servo. From the portal, multiple Autobots jumped out. Wheeljack, Arcee, Bumblebee, Bulkhead, and Smokescreen all pointed their weapons at him. He sized up the small force, the sting of his servo reminding him of his slim chances.

"Now would be a good time to surrender, Soundwave." Arcee offered dryly. He didn't have time to retort before Laserbeak's fire assaulted the Autobots from the sky. Their focus shifted, blasting up at the evasive minicon. Soundwave took the opportunity to rush forward and attack. It caught the closest Autobot to him off guard, which was Smokescreen. The young bot just barely dodged his first blow with a surprised yelp but caught Soundwaves second strike in his midsection. It sent him into the sand with a grunt.

"Heads up," offered Wheeljack with a smirk.

Soundwave's auditory picked up the beeping behind him. He jumped back, servos up to shield his face and helm from the hidden explosive's blast. The force blasted him back and smashed him into a pile of rocks. His vision blurred, but he fought his deteriorating sight and stood. He had lost ground. The Autobots had created a perimeter, trapping him with the rocks at his back.

Laserbeak's laser fire came to his aid again and caused enough of a distraction for him to strike. He deployed both tentacles towards his stalkers. One missed, but the other hit it's mark, latching onto Bulkhead and shocking him with a jolt of electricity. He stepped over the fallen Autobot to escape. A blast caught his shoulder, then his inverted knee joint.

The ship trailing Laserbeak finally found it's mark and his minicon smashed into the sand down the beach, still alive but rendered unconscious. Ultra Magnus' ship turned it's sights on him, the other Autobots in pursuit from behind. Despite his damage Soundwave transformed to take flight and grab Laserbeak… He was far to outnumbered. He needed to retreat even if Rhea wasn't done packing their equipment and Ultra Magnus' ship was still able to pursue them. They would have to leave almost everything they had created behind. Things could be rebuilt. They would signal the Renegade some other way. Now he just had to get back to Rhea and Laserbeak and flee…

Another explosion from a hidden grenade sent him flying backwards. He tumbled out of his transformation and crashed into the shallow water. The world spun, but he struggled back to his struts. His optics fought to give him a clear picture, but he heard another explosive nearby, it's beeping charging into a fast rhythm, ready to explode. He was prone and fell to his knee joints.

"Stop!"

Fear iced into Soundwave's Spark. Even through the fog of pain, he recognized Reha's frantic cry. The attack did come to a stop, blasters stalled. His vision cleared, and to his horror, he saw his small human appear from the chaos. She was running to reach him, as if she intended to throw herself in the line of fire to protect him.

"Please don't kill him!" Reha begged of the stunned Autobots.

Though his focus was on Rhea, Soundwave saw Wheeljack thaw from the shock and rush forward. Desperate to close the distance between himself and Rhea, the Wrecker reached out at her and yelled, "Kid, no! There's a bomb-"

The beeping stopped, and the ground exploded. Reha's small body was flung backwards.

Soundwave didn't think. He transformed, caught her midair in his cockpit and closed around her to protect her. The blast hit him a second later, and he was slammed into the large rocks on the beach. He felt the pain, but it was secondary to the sensation of the small form bounced around inside him.

The world became silent. No more bombs or attacks came to assault him. In the stillness, he became aware something was leaking in his cockpit. Was he hemorrhaging Energon? He looked within to assess Reha, not wanting her to be exposed to his toxic fluids. There was no Energon leak. But Reha wasn't moving. She was slumped over, red liquid pouring from her mouth and nose and pooling at her feet.