Authors notes: So, folks, these chapters have broken me. This was supposed to be the last chapter before I went on my working month long hiatus. But then the next chapter decided to give me such a fuss (and still currently is) that I have been doing constant editing to try and fix it. Truly, this and the next chapter are my greatest adversaries. In order to fix the multitude of problems I have found, without splitting these bad boy chapters into more than two, is to just have them be unusually long. Though that is not my normal style, it was truly the only way I could figure out how to settle the problems I came across without it killing me. With that all being said, the month hiatus is pushed back yet again, and chapter 22 will be the last chapter until August. But anyhow… as always, please comment to let me know what you think, and of course enjoy.
Soundwave
The smaller entrance to the hanger opened. Soundwave, and the other occupants of the room watched the humans file in. In addition to the three children and Agent Fowler, a military base nurse wheeled in a sickly Reha. Soundwave's Spark jumped when she caught his gaze. She was alive, but her appearance was alarming.
"You're getting her way to close," Bulkhead protested to the human group. Soundwave grit his denta, irritated as the Autobots clung to the concept he was a threat to Reha.
He ignored the tension, and instead focused on his small ally. "Are you alright?" he asked gently.
"Thanks to you," she said. "But I'm more worried about you. You got hurt in the fight."
"I've survived much worse," he assured her. "You have seen me worse."
Reha strained with weak movements to look around the Hanger. "Where is Laserbeak?"
"He is fine. They have us separated to weaken me. Tactically, it was an intelligent move on the Autobot's part." He said and attempted a shrug.
Reha shrunk in her wheeled chair. Her eyes watered. "You should have just left me on the beach and escaped. I would have been fine, and you wouldn't be here."
"I do not abandon my allies." He told her sternly. "This is not your fault. I miscalculated."
One of the Autobots thawed, midsized steps coming towards the group of humans. Soundwave looked up and saw it was Wheeljack. The Wrecker appeared uncomfortable but knelt on one knee joint before Reha to address her. "Hey, uh… That bomb that hit ya was mine. I didn't know you were nearby, kid. Sorry."
Reha studied him for a prolonged moment. "I probably shouldn't have run in the middle of the fight, but thanks. No hard feelings." She looked between the Autobots, her eyes pleading. "But if you want to make it up to me, you will spare Soundwave. I know I don't understand the history between the Decepticons and Autobots, but please, please don't hurt Soundwave. He isn't a threat to me, or any human."
"That remains to be seen." Ultra Magnus vented; his servos crossed over his chest.
Reha attempted to stand from her chair, her sights set on Soundwave. She stumbled. Soundwave instinctively strained to catch her but met the restraints around every joint that stopped his attempts. Agent Fowler and the nurse caught Reha instead. "I want to get closer to him." She whimpered pitifully. Her hands shook and he recognized her body fought itself to remain from flailing. He couldn't tell if she was acting to pull at the Autobot's Spark strings, or if she was truly desperate to be near him. Either way, it was ripping his own Spark out to witness.
"Way to risky," Ratchet stated.
Reha let out a stifled huff of frustration. "I lived with him for months and he never hurt me! Please."
"He's restrained," Bumblebee spoke up. "We aren't getting anywhere with the interrogation. We need to try something different." He nodded to Agent Fowler, who in turn gave the ok to the Nurse. The Nurse pursed her lips, but unhooked Reha's IV line and helped her stand. Bumblebee lifted Reha ever so gently off the ground and laid her on Soundwave's chest.
Soundwave had what he wanted. Feeling her close, even if he couldn't move. It lessened his anxiety knowing she was safe.
Reha crawled up to his face, studying him with an intensity that only the small human could muster. She placed her hands on either side of his face plates and hugged her body close to his helm.
Soundwave closed his optics, savoring the feel of her soft skin against his own rigid plating. He said nothing, content to remain like this, ignoring the reality that was glaring at him in the form of suspicious Autobots that surrounded him from every angle.
"So, they only brought me here so I could convince you to give them the information they want." Reha suddenly said, still clung to his faceplates.
Soundwave smiled against her. "Oh really?"
"I don't really know what they want me to say. I guess I can point out they are going to kill you if you don't spill what you know? I assume you already came to a similar conclusion without my insight."
"Indeed. There is nothing that will convince me." He said to Reha, and the room.
"Not even to save your own life?" Reha whispered. Now she sounded worried, the joking tone long gone.
"I will not betray the Decepticon cause. Nothing I say will matter anyway. They know about the Renegade, but that ship is still in rout to intercept with my location. The Autobots can't stop that."
"This was pointless," snarled Ultra Magnus. Soundwave opened his optics, forced back into the present, his short reprieve from reality gone. He felt Reha cling to him tighter. "Soundwave is biding his time, he said so himself. We need to retrieve the access codes before the Renegade arrives. We need to determine what we are dealing with."
"So, we're Patching him now?" Knockout asked.
"What is 'Patching'?" Reha demanded.
"Something you don't have to see," Soundwave answered when no one else dared. "Go and rest. I'll handle the Autobot's continued interrogation."
"That is not comforting!" she hissed, narrowing her eyes at him. Soundwave had to fight a grin. Her ability to change from devastated sorrow to anger was still just as amusing as ever.
"Ever the manipulator," Ultra Magnus said. "Twisting a human into sympathizing with you. You live up to your Decepticon title."
Soundwave had a retort. It was simple and cold and carried the same defiance he intended to maintain as long as he was able. However, that response went unused as Reha whirled around on his chest and jabbed an accusing finger at Ultra Magnus. "How old are you bots? All of you! A near immortal, technologically evolved alien species and yet you are all name calling and fighting like a bunch of babies!"
Ultra Magnus was stunned, staring at the small creature that had snapped at him.
Reha sighed. "Really, you want information from Soundwave, then you need to change your strategy. Instead of threats, try offering something he may want. That goes for you too Soundwave! How about we use this opportunity to all get what we want. You know, negotiate, like civilized, intelligent lifeforms."
"Maybe it can work," came the voice of Jack from the ground. Soundwave strained to see the human who shared the same age as Reha. "Soundwave has info you all need to take down the insurgence, and he has the loyalty of the original Decepticons. You guys have the forces and control of upper Cybertron. If we could join that together, it'll be a force to be reckoned with."
"Like, an alliance?" Smokescreen asked skeptically.
"It doesn't have to be permanent," Reha said, continuing with Jack's train of thought. "Just something that will benefit all parties."
Soundwave was quick to respond. "I will not work with Autobots, especially Autobots who have reinstated the Old Council in the hopes of getting a different result. I refuse to work alongside any faction who is that reasonless." he stated flatly. He was rewarded with a glare from Reha on his upper chest. Despite her weakened state, he almost assumed she was about to smack him.
"How are you helping the Decepticons laying flat on your back?" she demanded of him. She didn't give him an opportunity to answer. "You all are just perfectly content to keep fighting like you have for who knows how long! And while you stand here bickering, refusing to see reason, Cybertron is once again drug down into chaos. And when the dust settles, and you've lost your world AGAIN, you can at least say you stuck to your so-called morals!"
Soundwave observed Reha's pointed face, weighing her words. He glanced up at the glaring Autobots, then tested the restraints that held him. She had a point.
"Very well," Soundwave said with a vent. He turned his full focus to Ultra Magnus. "To move forward, here are my demands. I need the ability to move around freely. I also require my Minicon back, and in addition, I need to open a communication channel with the Renegade."
Ultra Magnus gave a loud, sarcastic laugh. Going by the Autobot's shocked expressions, the phenomenon was rare from the commander. "You, are in no position to give demands."
"But this is progress," Bumblebee pointed out. He looked across the Hanger to Ratchet. "Is there a way to have him free to move around without threatening us?"
Ratchet rubbed his faceplates thoughtfully. "Stasis cuffs, I suppose. They can be activated by any of us."
"Are you actually indulging this madness?" Ultra Magnus asked in disbelief.
"We are just discussing our options," Bumblebee insisted. "Soundwave, do you know where the insurrection is likely hiding?"
Soundwave nodded, not giving to much away. He knew, like most Decepticon Officers. There were labyrinths and secret storage bunkers under Kaon. In the event Megatron was gone, and the Decepticons had lost the edge in the war, these tunnels would be the place to regroup. Soundwave just never assumed there would be a need for them.
"Then we want to know more about that in our alliance." Bumblebee said.
"And who is the prompt to leader and how many do they have under them," Arcee added. "Do you know that?"
"The Renegade crew may know." Soundwave said. He remained vague, though in truth, he still didn't know for sure. Not even Megatron knew. But, going by the brutal and well calculated nature of this new group, he was willing to bet shanix the leader wouldn't be Starscream.
"I'm putting a stop to this," Ultra Magnus snarled. "We do not negotiate with Decepticon demands. He will utilize any advantage we give him to use against us. This is Soundwave, the last of Megatron's regime. Are we really ready to work alongside that?"
The console Ratchet stood sentinel next to blared. The screens flashed red light around the Hanger, and Reha covered her ears, hiding her face in his neck. He leaned into her, wishing he could move his servos up to shield her from the assaulting stimuli.
"Report," Ultra Magnus demanded.
Ratchet typed urgently. Worry was prominent on his faceplates. "It's a proximity alarm. A massive vessel has appeared in Earth's orbit… It's Decepticon. They dropped their cloaking shield."
Soundwave assumed it was the Renegade. It appeared his ride had arrived.
"Why drop their cloak?" Raf asked.
"Because they want us to know they are here," Ratchet said back coldly. "They are hailing us." He directed the comment to Ultra Magnus.
The Autobot Commander strode over to the console and opened the commlink. "This is Ultra Magnus of Autobot Omega Outpost one. Identify yourselves."
There was a crackle of static that filled the empty air before manic laughter replaced it. "Well frag me, we got the right frequency on the first try! That never happens. I knew I had a good feeling about today." A female voice said in a chipper tone from the other line.
"Identify yourself," Ultra Magnus snarled.
"Greetings and hello, soon to be dead Autobots. I am Commander Thunderblast, from the humble Decepticon ship, the Renegade! Our scouts tell us you Bots have our leader, and he is sorely needed. Where can we pick him up from your little Autobot playdate?"
Ultra Magnus' face soured. "Your leader is our prisoner. We will only negotiate his release in exchange for your complete surrender."
"Allow me to speak with them," Soundwave insisted.
"Absolutely not," Ultra Magnus snapped back. "So, you can more directly command their attack on us?" he turned back to the console and addressed Thunderblast. "Surrender or face immediate retaliation from our arial forces."
"Hmmm, interesting offer." Thunderblast hummed. "Can I ask a follow up question? For context sake, we are hovering over a large human settlement and I was wondering its name. It seems a REAL nice place. Tall buildings, relative to the planet size. A scrap ton of vehicles, sits on the ocean, big statue in the water…"
"New York?" Jack gasped in realized horror.
"Oh no, it's new?" Thunderblast asked. "That's too bad, because we have our fusion cannon aimed for it. Here's my offer, Mr. Ultra Mags. Hand over our leader, or we obliterate the new city York. After that is smoldering, we will just start firing willy nilly until we get what we want or the cannon needs recharging, whatever happens first."
"Millions of people live there!" Raf exclaimed. "Guys, stop them!"
Ultra Magnus pressed a digit to his auditory. "air support, engage the Renegade!" he ordered to his own ships.
"We are one hundred and eighty nanokliks to intercept," came a reply from his commlink.
"How far is that?" Jack asked.
"About three minutes." Arcee said through gritted denta. "How long do we have?"
"Hellooo?" came Thunderblast's voice through the com. "Are we having a conversation, or what? Ok, new plan. We fire in twenty nanokliks. That's plenty of time to decide."
The Autobots panicked, all shouting at Ultra Magnus who in turn barked commands at his air support. All the while Thunderblast tallied through her countdown in an upbeat tempo that continued to crescendo, as if counting down to something festive.
Soundwave couldn't focus on any of it as he took in Reha's deteriorating condition. She was panicked, her anxiety having taken over her completely. Her hands shook by her ears, her body curled in by his neck.
"Let me speak with them, I'll call them off!" Soundwave shouted over the fray. The loud tone made his seldom used voice box shutter painfully.
The Hanger fell silent, save for Thunderblast's countdown, which she had begun to interweave with soprano sung notes. "They will listen to me."
"You'll stop them? We have your word?" Bumblebee asked desperately.
Though visibly disgusted, Ultra Magnus didn't protest the question.
"You do." Soundwave said with a nod.
With no further argument, Bumblebee hurried over to Soundwave's side and typed the code into the restraints. The shackles vanished. If there was ever a chance to kill the Autobot scout and avenge Megatron, it would be now. He was still leaned over him, vitals exposed, gaps in his armor clear to see from Soundwave's vantage point. Before his time spent in the Flux Space, before he met Rhea, he never would have hesitated this long. He wouldn't have needed to think it over.
He let the opportunity pass.
Instead, he stood without a word or action taken towards Bumblebee. He cradled Rhea in his hands and made his way to the console. "This is Soundwave. Hold fire, Renegade," Soundwave ordered. "It'll be ok, I promise." He whispered to Reha.
Thunderblast's countdown halted with only a few seconds to spare. "Master Soundwave? That is your voice, isn't it?" she asked. Then she burst into a fit of laughter. "Slag, it's been forever! But I guess that does make sense. Hard to lead the Decepticons with a continued Vow of Silence. But four million years and I still recognize that voice! You ok? Haven't roughed up the Autobots to bad have ya?"
Soundwave ignored the banter. "What is your status? Can you lock onto my life signal?"
"Nope. You are cloaked under the Autobot clubhouses shielding. We'd have better luck throwing an empty Energon cube down and hitting you rather than finding you on radar. As for our status? Well, looks like Autobot air support is headed our direction. How should we engage? Pleeeease let me use the ship's fusion cannon I haven't gotten to try it out since we commandeered this vessel."
Soundwave turned to Ultra Magnus. "Call off the air attack."
Ultra Magnus stiffened, but with pleading optics around him, he finally conceded.
"Whatever you did worked!" Thunderblast informed him happily. "They're backing off. So, what are your orders for dealing with the remaining Autobots before we hit the cosmic road? Just a reminder, the fusion cannon is charged and ready."
Soundwave felt the weight of the room's focus. He glanced at the Autobots, humans, and Reha, the latter of whom remained paralyzed with fear in his servos. "There is no need," he said to Thunderblast at last. "The Autobots will be required for our mission to regain Cybertron from the insurgence." He explained.
The relief around him was palpable, vents of respite audible from multiple bots.
Thunderblast pouted. "FINE. We'll do it the boring way."
While they waited for the Renegade to arrive at their coordinates, the Autobots wasted no time clasping stasis cuffs around Soundwave's servos. He examined them, turning his limbs to study the devices. The Autobots then delivered Laserbeak to him with a similar shackle around the minicon's neck.
The Autobot medic activated the cuffs, "A keyword spoken from any Autobot will activate the cuffs and you will be forced into stasis lock. They also act as a tracker, so we will know where you are, and yes, they can be activated from a far distance." Ratchet explained, as if Soundwave didn't know how stasis cuffs worked.
Soundwave only nodded to imply he understood, or was listening at all. He wasn't concerned with the temporary handicap. He was already halfway through remotely hacking into them.
Speaking of remotely hacking… Laserbeak docked back into his systems, and everything he had discovered was downloaded into Soundwave's hard drives. Should their alliance crumble, which was only a matter of when and not if, Soundwave now had secret access to the Autobot Spacebridge and their other first and second tier files. He took a few nanokliks of suspicious silence to mentally scanned through them, playing off his vacant gaze by maintaining a watch on Rhea. The hanger's focus was already on her regardless. She sat in her wheelchair and pawed through some of her belongings Agent Fowler had brought from their coastal camp. The three other adolescents surrounded her, asking probing questions about everything she pulled from the box sat in her lap.
While snooping, Soundwave was momentarily distracted by an Autobot file that was hauntingly familiar. It was familiar because the downloaded codes were written in his own bio signature. The file in question was the once greatly sought after Iacon database, which Megatron once entrusted him to decode. But this wasn't just any copy of the Iacon database or a shortened list of it. This was Soundwave's own work. HOW had the Autobot's gotten this? He ground his denta and refrained from demanding an explanation, as that would only give away his treachery. He assumed their brand-new alliance would not last if the Autobots discovered he had hacked into their files not ten minutes after they let him up from the interrogation table.
Laserbeak suddenly stiffened against his torso. "Could they have gained access to our files, when I was momentarily restrained by the Autobot medic one Earth year ago?" he wondered between them.
Soundwave's optics narrowed as the memory stirred. When Soundwave had fought Wheeljack for the Resonance blaster, Laserbeak had sent out a distress call from the distance between them. Laserbeak had only been conscious long enough to see he was being manipulated by the old medic. He hadn't been witness to the Autobot's planting a grenade core in his small chassis. It was removed before it detonated, but Soundwave was still bitter about that incident. Now he was even more so as he realized Laserbeak was right. They must have used the bomb as a distraction to upload a virus into the Nemesis' mainframe and retrieved the Iacon database. A virus he never found.
He had given up his visor, but he wished he still had it for at least this moment to shield his desperately bruised ego.
"Oh no…" Rhea said with a hopeless whimper.
Soundwave's pride was forgotten. He looked to see what had upset his small ally. Their communication's device, the Transistor radio Rhea always clung to was crushed into pieces. It must have been broken in the blast that almost killed her.
"What is it?" Raf wondered from her side.
"What was it you mean?" Miko corrected.
"A Transistor radio. It was my dad's." Rhea whispered. She gained a far-off look Soundwave recognized. She was retreating deep into her subconscious, trying to escape the grief.
Laserbeak deployed and flew to her, smacking hard into Ratchet's shoulder on the way.
"Ouch! What in Primus' name was that for?" Ratchet grumbled while he rubbed his assaulted shoulder.
Laserbeak ignored him and landed next to Rhea's slouched form, putting himself firmly between her and Jack. The oldest male teen backed off when Laserbeak took a quick moment to stair warningly at him before he turned his focus to Rhea. Laserbeak then gave Rhea a quick chirp. It was all he could do to get her attention. The Transistor radio had been the minicon's only means of communication out loud.
Rhea sniffed, wrapping her arms around Laserbeak, or at least as much as she was able to. He allowed her to just hold him, occasionally making untranslated coos of comfort. The other three children seemed interested by the show of affection.
"Laserbeak's not just a drone?" Jack asked, not to be rude but sounding genuinely curious.
"No. He is a fully conscious Cybertronian." Soundwave answered quickly, more for the Autobots education then the humans. "Faced with harsh treatment and misunderstanding from other Cybertronians if left to his own devices, I have taken him on as a symbiot. It is a mutually beneficial relationship."
"We can repair the device for her," Laserbeak promised, though only Soundwave heard him. Laserbeak then extended a tentacle to retrieve the pieces of Rhea's transistor. She watched him store it away in his chassis before giving her a confirming chirp. She seemed to understand his intentions, and she finally smiled.
With Rhea's needs taken care of by Laserbeak's presence, Soundwave returned his focus to his grudging Autobot allies. "How close is the Renegade?"
"Just about to land outside the base," The human, Agent Fowler, said with obvious hostility. He arrived from the Hanger entrance; his face turned down in a frowned that was aimed Soundwave's way. "I'm happy for you Bots, putting aside differences and getting all lovey dovey. BUT, your Cons lifted their cloaking device while flying over New York City. A lot of people saw a massive dark hauled ship sailing over the Big Apple. It's caused a panic, to say the least. I've been running interference this whole time."
Soundwave noted Fowler wasn't the only one glaring at him. Every Autobot stared daggers at him, save for his old teammate Knockout, who looked to be holding back a snicker. "They did not attack," Soundwave said in defense of his would-be crew.
"They showed themselves to humanity," Arcee said coldly. "That's a problem."
"Inform every one of the Decepticon and Autobot alliance," Soundwave retorted. He did not see the problem the Autobots seemed to have.
"Humans don't know about us." Bumblebee vented. "Aside from the United States, Chinese, and Russian governments, and a small island community up in Main, humanity doesn't know Cybertronians exist. While on Earth, we have to maintain a cover."
Soundwave considered the explanation. "That is idiotic. What will get accomplished that way?"
"Don't bother," the small human Miko huffed. "They don't do things the fun way."
There was a ping from the console. The Renegade had arrived and was waiting.
"I call shot gun on the Decepticon ship!" Miko proclaimed. She jumped away from the others and made a break for the door.
Bulkhead stopped her with a hand blocking her path. "Absolutely not, Miko. You guys are hanging back." Miko let out a moan of frustration and proceeded to pout.
Soundwave knelt to be closer to Reha. "Remain a distance with the others, until I can deescalate any potential problems."
Though she still looked worried, she didn't protest. "Be careful." She mumbled.
He nodded, then followed the Autobots out of the Hanger when the large bay doors opened, leaving Laserbeak to remain with her. With the humans remaining within the gated Military base, Soundwave focused on the lowering Decepticon ship. It came to land before them, Ultra Magnus' own ships hovering overhead, just in case.
Some of the Autobot's blasters shifted out behind Soundwave. He held up a servo. "I was under the impression we were temporary allies. Stand down."
"You will not give my soldiers orders," Ultra Magnus clarified coldly.
"But, he does have a point," Bumblebee said, and his guns shifted away. "If we're hostile, they will be too."
"More hostile than them trying to blow up New York?" Arcee said dryly.
The ramp on the Renegade lowered, and the banter behind Soundwave ceased. Among the group of Vehicons that stepped from the platform were two Bots holding higher rank. The shorter of the two had purple and yellow plating with silver accents, her chassis dwarfed by her boxy purple wings. Despite her smaller stature among her group, her smile was what set her apart, just by how unsettlingly over the top it was. The other bot was her exact opposite. A monstrous bot with crossed servos and a frowned to match his looming aura. Green and gray plating, two horned helm and bulging limbs. He shook the ground with every step as he followed his smaller companion forward.
Soundwave maintained his neutral air as he walked up to meet them. The smaller Decepticon's smile somehow grew wider, and she clapped her hands with a strange playful innocence that did not match the situation.
"So good to see you are well, Master." She said before she bowed to him. The Vehicons followed her example and did the same.
Even after speaking to Megatron, and accepting the responsibility of the Decepticons, this was the first time the reality of what Soundwave had taken on truly hit him. 'It's not in me to be a leader,' he thought. He was no good in the forefront of any situation. He worked best in the shadows, maintaining order and solving problems in solitude. Now, as these bots bowed before him, he realized just how out of his comfort zone he was. But it was for the good of the Decepticons, so he would suffer it.
Still on her knee joint, the smiling bot addressed him. "I am Thunderblast, the prompt to leader of this ragtag team of misfits. The stiff with me is Demolisher, my Second in Command, and yes he is as boring as he looks."
Soundwave turned his focus to the only bot not bowing. Demolisher remained unmoved. His sharp yellow focus had not departed from Soundwave since they left the ship's platform.
Without any warning, Demolisher attacked.
Soundwave sidestepped the massive bot's charge. Demolisher threw an arched punch towards Soundwave's helm, which he was able to dodge. His opponent was much bigger, but his bulk worked against his speed. Soundwave remained just out of reach, scanning for a weak point.
"Soundwave, stand back, we'll blast him!" Bumblebee's voice shouted from behind. A glance showed the Autobot's were indeed aimed and prepared to fire at Demolisher. They hesitated only because Soundwave was so close. Soundwave was surprised. They had just created this alliance, and they were already giving him backup.
"Hold fire," Soundwave said back. Memories of the arena flashed behind his vision. The Energon thirsty crowd loved when a massive bot loomed over a much smaller opponent. It was almost always an easy and brutal kill. Soundwave had learned how to tip that statistic upside down and silence the suddenly amazed crowd.
Demolisher unleashed a powerful punch, enough to make the air around his fist warp. Soundwave used the momentum against his attacker. He weaved into Demolisher's blind spot and struck hard into an unarmored portion of his midsection. He lashed out again before Demolisher had time to gasp. He hit the back of Demolisher's knee joint, and then again into the back of his helm.
The massive bot crashed down into the dirt. He didn't get up, as Soundwave expected. Instead, he staired at Soundwave with a pondering look. Then he smiled. "You're the first to ever get me down so fast… You're everything Thunderblast had promised." He shifted onto his knee joint and bowed like the others. "I follow the strongest. I'm at your service."
More bowing. Soundwave preferred the unsolicited fight. "At ease," he said quickly to put an end to it.
Thunderblast bounced up. "For the record, I told him not to do that, but I can't say I'm surprised it happened… but can I just say I am a really big fan of Megatron and yourself. I loved your work before the war, politically, and in the Pits of Kaon."
"You said the airwaves weren't safe to communicate freely," Soundwave said before she could bluster anymore. "What is going on?"
"Of course! You see, after the Autobot's took over Cybertron, the Decepticons who didn't surrender began an underground resistance to…to…." Thunderblast trailed off when her focus flitted to some point behind him. Her optics widened, and she pointed a digit with an expression of wonder. "WHAT are those?" she demanded.
Soundwave turned. She wasn't pointing at the Autobots, as he assumed she was, but rather Reha and the other humans who watched the standoff behind the Military fence.
Demolisher vented. "Indigenous lifeforms called humans. You know this, Commander." He said with obvious irritation.
Thunderblast exclaimed again. "Those are humans? They're so tiny though! Why are they so tiny? Oh my Primus, look at their tiny helms, they have little fiber tufts on them!" she let out a high-pitched squeal that seemed involuntary. "I NEEEEEEED one!"
Demolisher groaned. "Why waste any more time with organics? You already have way too many organic pets, and they are always escaping your quarters and getting into mine."
"But that one has wheels!" Thunderblast pointed out. As Soundwave feared, she pointed longingly at Reha. "How cute is that!"
Soundwave stood in the way of Reha to regain the flitty bot's focus. "Report, Thunderblast. What happened with the group that was founded on Cybertron?" He demanded.
Thunderblast seemed to recover, her train of thought returning. "Right, right! Well, we, as in, the remaining Cons on Cybertron, banded together. We needed to regroup and recover our numbers and come up with a plan. We intended to go out and find Megatron, or anyone from the old regime for that matter. It was hard though, since Autobots were crawling all over the surface of Cybertron like rabid scraplets," she leaned on one ped to address the Autobot's behind him, "No offence of course. But then we got word Megatron disbanded the Decepticons. We were sort of just left twisting in the cosmic wind. It was the end for many. Some surrendered or turned to the other side or just left. Cybertron was recovering, so there didn't seem to be much use to keep fighting… But THEN!" She leaned again on her other ped and gave the Autobot's a sour glare over his shoulder. "These slag helmed morons reinstated the Council as if they forgot why the fragging war started! So that's when we kicked the Decepticons back into action! Yes sir, why have a four-million-year war when we can make it eight million!"
"We did not reinstate the old Council," Smokescreen interrupted with an irritated growl. Thunderblast rose an optic ridge at him and did not bother hiding her distain. "It's a task force to help regulate and maintain order. We have a thousand refugees returning home almost every solar cycle, and you Cons have been attacking everything we managed to rebuild to house these new bots! We were completely overwhelmed, we needed help!"
Then Bumblebee was quick to add, "And those two members from the original Council are going to retire once they have trained the others. We don't want the old ways back. We want to move forward. But like Smoke said, we are soldiers, not politicians. We needed help in that regard. Things were falling apart without a political body to take care of the bureaucratic paperwork."
Thunderblast laughed at them both, a digit pointed between them in a juvenile fashion. "Riiiiight. Because if history has taught us anything, it's that everything will all work out just fine with no trouble. I'm a Decepticon, sweetie, you have to lie harder than that to pull one over on me." She gave Soundwave a smile and went back to ignoring the Autobots. "But getting back on topic. We had a plan; our ranks were good to go…. And then they showed up, and everything went to the Pits. The Decepticons on Cybertron were completely overtaken. The few leaders we had established where thoroughly scrapped, and anyone who posed questions or even mentioned the old regime by name were dismantled in much the same fashion. So, I and others loyal to Megatron played along long enough to steal a carrier ship. We fled, and have been searching for Megatron, or, in this case, you!"
"Who is the individual behind the insurgence?" Soundwave questioned. He needed to know what exactly he would be up against.
Demolisher scoffed, as if he had tasted fowl Energon and was fighting the urge to purge his tanks. "Unfortunately, it is that Decepticon traitor, Arachnid."
