Author's Notes: Hey everyone… So I almost didn't publish today because yesterday and today were a special kind of crazy. My Grandmother up in Pennsylvania had to go into the hospital for some dizziness (she's ok by the way) and then my Preschooler niece whom I live with decided to one up that and swallowed a dime, so we all had to take a panicked trip to the local hospital. Truly my family is testing the East Coast medical system this weekend! But everything worked out ok, and I couldn't sleep to say the least, so I decided to work on this all night! It was worth it, as I am happy how it turned out. It is a bit rough around the edges, as I had to skip the many rounds of editing I usually put these chapters through, but I figured that wouldn't matter in exchange for publishing it. You guys are welcome to spot any mistakes and laugh at them for me. :P
So, with life calm again, or at least as calm as it normally is, I encourage you all to comment and tell me what you think, and as always enjoy!
Location: Bridge of the Renegade
Soundwave
The Autobots weren't the only ones visibly surprised by the save. Starscream was gawking at the side of Soundwave's helm with his mouth plate hanging wide open. "Master… W-why would you?" He failed to articulate his confusion.
"Thank you, for the save Soundwave." Bumblebee finally said, helping the members of his party to their peds.
Soundwave hesitated before he contemplated an adequate response of his own. "You may call this recompence for the distraction you provided during the execution that allowed my crew to escape." It gave his actions a monetary reasoning. Most of the Autobots, and his own crew surrounding them, seemed to accept the explanation. Only Bumblebee was unconvinced, and Soundwave himself.
"What happened back there?" Smokescreen said with a grimace, holding his bleeding side tenderly. "Why did the door close on us…ouch. That last one got me good." Wheeljack made the Elite Guard rookie sit while he pulled out a patch kit to stop the bleeding.
"You lost track of your shorter time limit." Soundwave explained away before Starscream could out himself with some asinine comment. The last thing Soundwave needed was a fight on his hands.
"Team Prime?"
The speaker was the Autobot Jetfire, who seemed to disbelieve his own optics when Bumblebee's team crashed through the ceiling.
"Commander Jetfire?" Bumblebee said, equally as confused. "What are you doing here?"
Jetfire gave a half-sparked smirk. "I am a consultant of sorts. Think willing prisoner who had to convince the Cons to make me a prisoner in the first place. I knew I could help, even if it was just providing intel to stop the New Council. Me and my men will be going to Earth soon with the other refugees."
Bumblebee blinked. "Earth?"
Soundwave inserted himself into the conversation. "Indeed. We did not have the resources on hand to keep the Autobot refugees here, so I transported them to Earth. They will be hidden from the New Council there." He explained away quickly, so he could turn his attention to Shockwave and the rest of his unit.
"Speaking of Earth and its residence." Jetfire added, just as Soundwave had turned from them. "Did your team authorize humans to pass back and forth onto the Renegade? Because there are some here aboard now."
Soundwave suppressed a vent. So much for avoiding a conflict.
"You snitch!" The gasping voice of Miko demanded from a high wall vent. "You do have some Con in ya!" She informed Jetfire with an added grumble.
The horrified expressions on the Autobot's faces would have been amusing in most other circumstances.
"Human vermin? Here?!" Starscream demanded with pure disgusted horror. "Will my torment never end?"
"M-Miko? What are you doing here?" Bulkhead exclaimed as he made his way to the vent. He held out both his hands for her to jump into.
"It was not my idea." Soundwave said in his own defense. "In fact, they invaded my ship. I have yet to find the time to send them back to Earth."
"Them?" Arcee echoed sharply.
"Hey Arcee…" Jack said, stepping out from his hiding spot behind one of Clobber's massive peds. Raf followed his example, looking extremely guilty. Soundwave spotted Rhea with Agent Fowler, leaned against the wall with Thunderblast and Rivet.
The Autobots didn't explode with anger as Soundwave had assumed they would. They only made their way to their respective human and retrieved them.
"Really guys, what is with your fascination with the Con ship?" Arcee demanded of Jack and the others.
"They followed after me." Rhea sighed. "It was from a place of worry. Don't blame them."
"Don't blame any of them. This is on me." Fowler said as he made his way to the Autobots. "I should have posted security at the door when I noticed the open Spacebridge. I didn't. And they wanted to make sure you bots made it back from your mission in one piece."
"And I assumed you kicked tailpipe!" Miko exclaimed from Bulkhead's hands. "We were more worried about you. Seriously, we had Thunderblast and Clobber to watch us. No harm done."
"She's really good on the firing range." Thunderblast informed Bulkhead with a sinister grin. "Ya should be proud. And quit holding back her potential, I see a warrior in this one!"
Miko smiled proudly at Bulkhead. "She showed me how to fire the ship's Fusion Cannon just in case!"
"Master, if you please." Starscream began to gripe to Soundwave. "What is the point of keeping these Autobots and their human pests aboard our mighty ship? They will only take the next opportunity-"
"Sharpshot, Demolisher, Blitzwing." Soundwave said without giving the Seeker a chance to finish the thought. All three bots straightened to attention. "Escort Shockwave, and Starscream to the Med Bay to assess any possible damage."
Shockwave limped along with Blitzwing towards the Med Bay without a fuss. Starscream remained behind, stammering. "B-but I'm not damaged."
"You were in the custody of a hoard of Predacons." Soundwave reminded him. "Who knows what injuries you sustained." Indeed, Starscream seemed fine, but Soundwave wanted him off the Bridge and out of the way.
"We'll escort you Commander." Sharpshot said, offering a servo to help the stunned Starscream.
Starscream slapped their servo away with a growl. "I don't need help walking, Vehicon!"
"Then let's get a move on." Demolisher grumbled. His own patience for Starscream's antics seemed tapped out. He used his massive form to herd Starscream off the Bridge and along the gangway.
"Oh, is the Autobot still hurt?" Clobber realized with a gasping intake. "He isn't going to die, is he?"
Soundwave gave Smokescreen a glance. He looked far from joining the All Spark. "You are of course welcome to utilize our medical facility for your wound." He offered. It seemed something an ally would do.
Smokescreen shrugged. "No offence Chief, but I'll wait till I get back home. Wheeljack's patch is holding, and I'd be a little worried trusting a Con doctor… once again, no offence."
Soundwave shrugged, far from offended. They wouldn't have to waste resources they didn't have.
Smokescreen did look to Clobber though. "Thanks for the concern. Good to know you have my back. You have mine in the future too. And instead of Autobot, you can just call me Smokescreen, or Smokes, or anything along those lines."
Clobber managed the awkward smile of someone not familiar with making new friends. "Clobber's what they call me. You're the first Elite Guard I've ever talked to before. You're nicer than they said an Elite Guard would be…"
With the Bridge somewhat quiet again, Soundwave made his way to Rhea. She smiled up at him as he knelt, and Laserbeak deployed to buzz around her. "Are you both ok? You look beat up." She noted.
"The mission was challenging, but we were successful." Soundwave assured her. They both took a moment to investigate the sudden noise from the Autobots. Thunderblast was trying to snatch Miko from Bulkhead, while he dodged her attempts. Clobber managed to get between them, pacifying the situation before a fight could break out.
"Just a heads up." Rhea said. Soundwave turned back to see she was looking at him with an eyebrow arched. "That Starscream is like an actively waving red flag, on fire. The rest of your crew are good bots, even if they are rough around the edges, but that one's trouble."
"I am aware." Soundwave assured her. "But he is a useful military tactician. He was Megatron's Second in Command for a reason. However, I will admit Megatron had a rather… complicated, if not borderline unhealthy relationship with him. I do not intend to give him the same free reign to scheme behind my back. In fact, I was aware of every scheme he had concocted while on the Nemesis and reported them accordingly. He will be very disappointed when he fails to get away with similar shenanigans on my ship."
Laserbeak trilled a laugh. 'I think our previous Lord found it funny to watch him fail over and over to overthrow him.'
"I don't share the same sense of humor." Soundwave pointed out. He ran a gentle finger along Rhea's arm before he stood. Silently, he said between them, 'I need to check on Shockwave's condition as he is imperative to us moving forward with our mission to retake Kaon. Laserbeak, stay with Rhea. In my absence, can I trust you two to keep an optic on the Autobots to make sure they do not attempt to download any confidential information from the surrounding technology?'
The three of them glanced up again and saw Thunderblast had turned her sights to Arcee. She snuck a servo around the two wheeler's waist. Her boldness was rewarded with a hard left hook into her faceplates. Though Thunderblast was smiling, not deterred in the slightest, Clobber hurried to her side to check if she was ok.
'I am confident in our abilities to thwart any attempts.' Laserbeak assured him.
"They wouldn't try anything." Rhea promised him quietly. Then she smirked. "So, you still don't trust them? What do you think they will do? Hack into the Renegade's secret files and hijack your Space Bridge, right after an established alliance, like someone else once did?"
Soundwave tried not to mirror her grin. "Touché." He offered simply, and then left the Bridge to speak with Shockwave in the Med Bay.
Arcee
Arcee saw Soundwave leave the Bridge, his minicon still stationed next to Rhea. That instantly spiked her paranoia. Soundwave didn't leave Laserbeak behind unless there was a reason, seldom an innocent one.
"Glare any harder at the door and it is going to burn a hole into it." Bumblebee snickered.
Arcee jumped. It seemed her glaring habit was showing. "The only reason Soundwave would have the minicon remain behind, was to keep an eye on us." She told Bumblebee quietly.
Bumblebee pondered the statement, then shrugged. "Well, we slapped stasis cuffs on him when he was in our base. This could be considered an upgrade from that. Alliance or not, trust is something we're all still working on."
Bumblebee did have a point. And Arcee acknowledged she was the first one who could really work on the whole, 'trust' thing. But in her experience, it was better to be safe rather than sorry, or dead.
"Hey, Rhea." Arcee called across the room. It grabbed her focus from the Minicon. "Where's his Lordship off to?"
Rhea hesitated for a moment, but soon shrugged and used her crutches to limp over to their group. The silent minicon spy hovered over her, barely a human's arm reach away. Though unreadable, Laserbeak seemed to harbor suspicion for them all. In that regard, the feeling was mutual, at least for Arcee.
"He's checking on Shockwave." Rhea explained casually. "He'll be back in a bit."
"Shockwave… he was the one eyed one, right?" Miko inquired from Bulkhead's shoulder. It was where he had placed her so Thunderblast couldn't reach. "Why did you all need him again? We already have one monotone bot with Soundwave."
"He can cure the virus Arachnid is spreading." Bumblebee explained. "And as an added bonus, without him the Council won't be able to make more Predacons."
"Oh!" Miko exclaimed, and made the entire party, and even a few Vehicon troopers working at their stations jump in alarm. "Speaking of all that! What are you going to do about the New Council now that we know their true colors?"
"You mean how they accidently dragged Arachnid back to Cybertron?" Arcee grumbled. Alarmingly, the kids only stared, expectant for her to continue. Was there more to that story?
"They may not know the rest." Rhea pointed out, proving Arcee's previous fears.
"Know what?" Arcee asked.
"Thunderblast told us what Arachnid said, when we were waiting for you guys to get Shockwave." Jack was the first to volunteer. "Arachnid took out a bunch of Soundwave's ships, and said she wants to go to Earth."
"But that isn't the worst part!" Miko bellowed again. She seemed ready to burst with whatever info she was sitting on. "The New Council told Arachnid they would Bridge her to Earth if she killed Soundwave AND you guys."
"Wow. What?" Smokescreen demanded.
"You heard right!" Thunderblast said, rubbing the place Arcee had just punched her. "They want us, and your little gang of good doers out of the way. And if you don't believe me, then you can confirm it with good guy traitor over there." She motioned towards Jetfire, who remained stiff against the wall.
When Arcee and the others staired dumbfounded at him, he did nod in confirmation. "That is what Arachnid reported. When she connected to the Renegade, she tried to convince Soundwave to Space Bridge her to Earth in exchange for him taking back Kaon. He didn't take the deal. To be honest, I still haven't figured out why he didn't. He had everything to gain from the trade."
"It was something about Dark Energon she wanted." Clobber added. Her stature shrank a bit when everyone's focus landed on her. She clearly didn't like being the center of attention. She pressed on despite her obvious apprehension. "She wanted to harvest it for some reason. Probably nothing good. But she can't go, or she'll hurt all the humans there."
"Oh my God Clobber, you are so freaking sweet." Miko pointed out. "You would make a better Council member then the dorks on the New Council right now. Why did you ever even join the Cons anyway?"
Despite the innocence of the question, the massive Decepticon visibly stiffened. Her single optic flicked to the floor. "I…I really don't like talking about it."
"Why?" Miko pushed despite Clobber's discomfort. "Did old Megatron force ya?"
"Miko!" Jack snapped. "She just said she didn't want to talk about it!"
Clobber startled. "Oh, no no no! It's my past I don't like talking about. My previous Lord Megatron was the one to help me realize I was a slave. I didn't even know what the caste system really was, until he explained it."
The harshness Jack had for Miko's poor judgment went forgotten as he and the other children turned instead to Clobber in surprise.
"You were a slave?" Raf whispered in disbelief. "Why didn't you ask the Autobots for help?"
Clobber looked unsure how to answer. But she seemed to want to press on and appease the children's curiosity. "Oh no… I never would have said anything to the Autobots. I would have gotten in huge trouble. I didn't even like reporting when I got injured. I was afraid they would kill me, use me for parts, ya know? I didn't want to die, or get hit anymore then I usually did…" She trailed off, the fear of some long-ago memory still lingering in her gaze.
The Bridge had suddenly fallen into an awkward silence. Jack, Miko, and Raf staired at Clobber in shock. Agent Fowler was more composed, but still serious as he absorbed what Clobber had said. The only one who didn't seem surprised from the revelation was Rhea. Arcee assumed Soundwave had given her a crash course in Decepticon propaganda. Rhea only looked to Clobber with a gaze of knowing sympathy.
Then Arcee caught Thunderblast's smug mug smiling at her and the rest of her team. "OH REALLY? You Bots never told your human friends how the war started?"
"Guys, it's…complicated." Bumblebee vented while collecting his thoughts.
A toolbox across the room slammed shut. Soundwave's old engine specialist Rivet had been adjusting something in a wall panel, but he had since abandoned the task. Instead, he turned his unhindered focus onto their conversation. "Yeah, do enlighten this ex-slave why it was wrong for me to fight for my freedom. I'd love to hear what you come up with."
Bumblebee grimaced, but he pressed on. "Before the war, our society was really screwed up. Things got even worse after a rust plague ravaged most of our colonized worlds… strict regulations had to be put into place to protect everyone left on Cybertron. That caused social and work classes to become even more rigid. Primus was getting weaker, He couldn't name each individual Bot He created anymore… certain people in high places interpreted this to mean these nameless Bots were, less equal."
Thunderblast suppressed a snicker. "That's a simplified way to put it."
"I mostly worked in the ditches." Clobber said randomly. Arcee saw she wasn't looking at the kids, or anyone. She was checked out, gazing out the front viewing screens of the ship. She was focused on the stars as they rushed by. She was almost catatonic. "When the trash and chemicals from Iacon or the other Northern cities piled in the streets of Kaon, we Ditchers had to bury it. Sometimes it was even bits of a chemical they later made into Tox-En… It made me and the others sick. It's why my frame is sort of, piece meal and slapped together. I had to have a lot replaced when the toxins melted pieces…"
Clobber suddenly startled out of the memory, and her massive, hinged jaw turned upward in a smile. "But even in such a polluted place, Megatron came and visited us Ditchers! He was even forged in a similar Caste to me, but he had a name! He talked really good, I wondered where he got all that education. He even told me I could have a name of my own. No one had ever told me that before." Still smiling, she gazed off into the distance of space yet again. Painful memories overpowered by the fond ones. "He told me I could be anything. I didn't want to be anything fancy, like a Energon miner or construction worker. I just wanted to be free. Maybe see the stars every few hundred cycles. Where I lived it was too smoggy to see much of the sky.
"I was never a chance taker, but I took a chance and joined the Decepticons. I got me a name, and what can be called honest work scavenging scrap pieces for ship parts. I started getting some spending allowance for my work, and that was really cool I definitely never had that before. I was able to pay to get the toxin damage to my optic fixed… I'm really sorry the war started, but Megatron said I would still be a slave if it hadn't happened. I sometimes feel selfish for all that. Maybe if me and folks like me had just stayed where the Senate told us we belonged, all them innocent bots would be alive still."
Clobber was forlorn, but after a moment she came out of her musing. Seeming to remember she had an audience; she found the children gawking at her. "Hey, are you all ok? Your jaw hinge is hanging a bit low."
Miko's jaw shut with an audible click. "I'm… so sorry that happened to you Clobber." Miko said, not a hint of her usual sarcasm present.
Clobber shrugged weakly. "It's ok. It happened a long time ago… It, I'm ok. We all are! There's no need for all this sadness anyway! Even though the New Council wants us all to be slaves again, Lord Soundwave will make sure that doesn't happen ever again! Just like Megatron did."
Thunderblast stood from her place slouched against the wall. To Arcee's surprise, Thunderblast placed a reassuring hand on Clobber's mid servo. She couldn't quite reach her shoulder. It was a rare show of sincerity she hadn't thought the flirtatious bot was capable of. "Don't you dare feel guilty for the war or what it cost. None of that is at your peds." She then pointed at the Autobots. "Blame them."
"So that's how it's gonna be?" Wheeljack grumbled.
"Things change." Arcee pointed out. "The way things had been were wrong. No one's arguing that with you. But that didn't give Megatron permission to start blowing up cities whenever he felt like it!"
"He had every right to!" Rivet snapped. "Violence was the only thing to get through to those Senate bastards! Megatron tried for eons to appeal to them peacefully. Our protesters were mowed down in the streets! Political talks and assembled groups were raided!"
"Optimus would have seen it all changed for the better." Smokescreen snapped back. "If Megatron hadn't lost his fragging mind!"
Clobber jumped when the raised voices turned to full blown shouts. She brought her two massive hands up between the parties. "Hey, I didn't mean for this to start anything. Master Soundwave doesn't want us fighting."
"Where was Optimus when we were dying?" Rivet snarled as he jumped to his peds, an oil-stained digit jabbed at the Autobots, and Clobber's plea ignored. "He didn't exist until Megatron started the revolution! Megatron was the rightful Prime! He had the favor of Cybertron! HE knew what needed to be done to bring about change! The Senate chose your Optimus because he was one of them, an upper crust elite! That was all there was to it. They couldn't have a lower caste nobody become a Prime!"
"You don't know what you're talking about!" Smokescreen shouted back.
That simple statement made one of Rivet's optics twitch, his mouth plates pursed line thin as he glared at Smokescreen.
Thunderblast held up a hand towards him. "Cool your intakes, Rivet. It looks like your about to blow a fuse." She then offered another glare towards the Autobots. "They don't get what the word 'sacrifice' even means. All the Autobots that died in the war don't even compare to what we went through."
That did it. Arcee thought she was about to blow a fuse of her own. With barely contained rage she turned to Bumblebee. "If I don't remove myself from this conversation, I will shoot her." She informed him before heading for the door.
Bumblebee didn't attempt to stop her. "Take a walk. I'll get this back under control." He said. At least someone had confidence they could flip the conversation in a somewhat productive direction, and not the scrap slinging fight it had devolved into. She hated leaving Jack, but she also didn't want to snap and have him witness her killing Thunderblast. That would not help their position as the 'morally right' side.
As Arcee left the Bridge she heard Clobber whimper, "I'm sorry… I never should have said anything." Then the door slid closed. She was left basking in merciful silence. She indulged a deep intake, then walked down the dimly lit hallway.
She had been on a few Con ships, and this was similar to almost every one of them. Though the major difference from those other ships was when she passed a trooper, she only glared at them as opposed to shooting them. Aside from Thunderblast's presence on board, it was definitely an improvement over the other Con ships.
Thunderblast's smug grin and scrap filled words continued to clank around the inside of her processor like a virus had her stuck in a loop. Thunderblast had no idea what she was talking about. She had no idea the meaning of loss… Arcee vented. She had to remind herself things were different. They were on a Decepticon ship, not shackled, and having a heated argument about the war. In any other instance, that would have just been a fire fight. No talking, no questions. Everyone in that room not wearing a Con emblem would be marked for her blaster. The Con's in turn would be gunning for the Autobots. Arcee didn't want that anymore.
Plus, Arcee now knew Clobber. A Con who was so innocent she almost acted like she had tumbled out of the Well of All Sparks yesterday. Even if the alliance they formed to take on Arachnid and the New Council crumbled, Arcee didn't thing she had it in her to kill Clobber. How could she ever face Jack again if she did that?
She heard the familiar low rumble of Soundwave's voice down the hall. Old habits tending to die hard, she slowed her pace to lessen the sounds her peds made so she could hear what was said. It sounded like he was talking to Shockwave. It sounded like the mad scientist was on the road to recovery, already talking about projects he had brought along from the Iacon labs he needed to finish.
Just as promised, Soundwave was discussing Arachnid's virus and a need for a cure. Not once did Arcee overhear the words "betray" or "Autobot" or even "you can use them as lab rats when this is done." Bumblebee was right. Soundwave really was taking this alliance of their seriously.
Optimus would be proud to see Soundwave straying from Megatron's path, even if the ex- Communication's chief didn't want to admit that was what he was doing. She was almost proud of him too. Whatever Rhea had done had softened the new Con Lord to say the least. It seemed old Megatron had made the only good decision in his life by handing the Con cause to Soundwave.
Feeling in the mood to insert herself in their monotone conversation Arcee walked towards the next hall. At least she knew the conversation would be quiet and argument free.
Inexplicably, Arcee heard Soundwave mentioned Rhea to Shockwave. She stopped short of the final hallway. What did the girl have to do with their upcoming plans? Curious, and now on alert, Arcee listened in.
Soundwave
They did need Shockwave for their plans, but Soundwave admitted to himself it was nice to see a familiar faceplate. Soundwave never clashed with the scientist, as he tended to do with, others on the Nemesis. Much like himself, Shockwave seldom had time for nonsense.
He arrived in the Med Bay to observe one of Sharpshot's trooper's trying to scan Starscream and getting berated by the Seeker for his efforts. Their doctor was attending to Shockwave, who had not a single complaint to file. He was hooked up to an Energon infusion, and the doctor was almost done reconnecting his servo cannon to its main connection chain on his back.
"What's his condition?" Soundwave inquired as he walked in.
"Stable, my Lord." The doctor assured him. "Aside from a sustained low Energon level and the deactivation of his weapons and T-cog, he was kept functional. All of this was easily reversable." She finished up the final connections and stood up straight. "I recommend rest for at least two cycles."
"I will limit physical activity, but I am still mentally functional and can resume my work." Shockwave said to them both.
The doctor rolled her optics, but then turned to glare at Starscream as he continued to make a racket. "And that one is fine. He's free to go."
"As I've been saying this whole time!" Starscream snarled. He smacked the Vehicon's servo away when they attempted to help him off the medical berth.
"Starscream." Soundwave said. Starscream smiled at him in a rather pandering way. "I require you to begin strategizing for an arial assault on Arachnid's logged location. Commander Thunderblast is otherwise engaged at the moment, but Blitzwing and Sharpshot are my two other Seekers. You may consult with them."
Starscream bowed low, his grin still present. "Ah, finally. Putting my skills to good use! I will not let you down, Master." He left the Med Bay with his helm held high, barking orders into his commlink for Blitzwing and Sharpshot to join him in the Common's Room.
"I need a moment alone." Soundwave then told the doctor and the assisting Vehicon. Both nodded and excused themselves from the Med Bay. Shockwave sat up and expertly unhooked himself from the wires in preparation to stand. When he was done, Soundwave offered him a servo to help him up. Shockwave's optic gazed at his offering for a moment, as if calculating a deeper meaning behind it. He eventually accepted the help and stood.
"During my captivity, I managed to ascertain many rumors regarding Lord Megatron's resignation. I see now they were not rumors, but facts." Shockwave noted.
"He has left much for me to deal with, but I suppose we both knew I would accept the position, no matter the condition of the Decepticon cause." Soundwave said thoughtfully.
Shockwave nodded. "If Megatron's intention was for the continuation of the Decepticon cause, then his decision to instate you as Decepticon leader was an intelligent one." He said matter-of-factly.
Soundwave found himself flattered. Unlike Starscream, Shockwave didn't say anything with any ulterior motive. He meant what he said, down to the last carefully considered syllable. "I do not wish to undermine our doctor's orders for you to rest, but we are on somewhat of a tight schedule. I am sure you are also aware of the Dark Energon Virus we encountered on the Nemesis that is now spreading on Cybertron? I am here to inquire if there is any way to cure it, rather than terminate those afflicted with the condition."
Shockwave walked over to the console on the wall and plugged a drive into it. The same drive he had retrieved from the Labs under Iacon. "Indeed." Shockwave said as he opened the files before Soundwave. "The New Council had me start work on a cure when they decerned how devastating Arachnid's virus was. It was a preventative measure, for if the members of the Council caught the virus. It is very fortunate I was able to retrieve this information from the Laboratory despite the Autobot's insistence I leave it behind. Without it, I would have been forced to star from scratch, and lacking the same plentiful resources in the Iacon Laboratories."
Soundwave read over the work Shockwave had done while in the New Council's clutches, gleaning everything he could. Shockwave was right. It was very fortunate he ignored Bumblebee's haste to grab Shockwave and rush out without this information. It was vital to continue forward.
"If I may?" Shockwave intoned. Soundwave turned from the console to instead focus on his old comrade. "Is there a pressing need to cure the virus, rather than simply eradicating all those plagued with it's effects?"
Soundwave nodded. "If we can cure the virus and destroy Arachnid, we will gain much needed favor in political and public opinion. This will leave the New Council with no sway. It is the first vital step in rebuilding our cause."
"That is logical." Shockwave agreed. "In such a turbulent political climate, such action will win almost every bot to the Decepticon side."
"If we move swiftly enough and unseat the New Council, I believe normalcy can be returned without having to resort to another civil war. That is also why I have aligned our cause with the new fringed Autobot side. I can use this alliance to win Autobot favor as well." Soundwave explained. He hesitated, noting Shockwave had started to organize his hastily saved files into more easily readable ones. "Forgive the drastically changing topic, but I wish to ask you where you intend to reside once this conflict comes to a close."
Shockwave didn't pause at all before responding. "That is dependent on many factors. Will your rule over the Decepticons be like Megatron's, whereas I will be allowed to continue my personal research with no limitations such as Autobot ethical boundaries?"
"You would have free reign." Soundwave assured him.
"Then I am comfortable remaining on the Decepticon side for the foreseeable future." Shockwave said confidently.
Soundwave nodded. Now with all of that out of the way…
"I actually have a concept for you to consider, relating to a personal matter of my own. I was hoping you could lend me your scientific expertise after this business with Arachnid is finished." Soundwave explained thoughtfully.
Shockwave only nodded but did not look away from his work on the screen. "I did not take you for the type to indulge in personal hobbies."
"It is a concept I have been contemplating for a while. I was wondering if it was possible to extend organic life beyond its natural limitations?" Soundwave asked.
That gave Shockwave pause. He finally looked away from his work to instead study Soundwave. As Soundwave had hoped, the concept peeked his scientific interest. "Is this related to the humans on the Bridge?" he assumed.
Soundwave nodded in confirmation. "Rhea is her name. And, off the record, I have become very fond of her. But her limited humanity will become a problem in less than one hundred stellar cycles." He had a hard time keeping his tone purely academic. Even the thought of Rhea perishing was hard to conceive.
Shockwave hummed thoughtfully. It was an outward expression of emotion Soundwave seldom witnessed in the scientist, unless he was very interested in a concept laid out before him.
"No matter the form, organic life will always be fragile. Even with scientific intervention, any changes made would still be temporary." Shockwave explained.
Soundwave's Spark sank. He tried desperately to hide it. But his hopelessness didn't last long as Shockwave continued. "However, even organic in nature, the human would have electrical brainwave activity that can be downloaded. Hypothetically, that same energy can be transferred into a Cybertronian proto form."
Soundwave was too surprised to hide his reaction. There was a possible chance for Rhea to be turned into a Cybertronian, or at the very least a biological hybrid. It was the best-case scenario and more then he could have hoped for.
"Of course, the human in question would still need a Spark to share. I would be hesitant to use a Spark from the Well. Whatever Cybertronian life the Spark would have been may override the human's own. We would need an existing Spark for the human to share."
"It would be my own Spark." Soundwave volunteered without a second thought. He was already a symbiote carrier and had shared his Spark before. And Rhea knew his Spark. This fact would make the transfer easy. "How long would such a procedure take?"
"That is dependent on many factors." Shockwave said. "Is this single human you mentioned the intended subject, or is she just the first test subject for a hypothetical future candidate?"
"No. It has to be this human." Soundwave specified sternly. "In addition, I want to make sure this project does not bring about any discomfort for her… I want her loyalty to remain. You understand."
"These parameters will make the over all project take longer." Shockwave informed him. "But, it will not be impossible. Though I will only be able to provide an approximate time limit for the project's completion after I have begun. But even with my current limited understanding, I am confident the deadline will be long before the one hundred Steller cycle time limit you mentioned earlier."
"Would you be interested in taking on this project?" Soundwave asked and tried to hide his worry for the possibility of Shockwave's outright refusal. Talking hypothetical was one thing. Committing long hours of research was something else entirely.
"Admittedly, I have harbored similar curiosities regarding organic lifeforms of higher cognitive function, such as humans. Of course, it was not due to a personal fixation on a particular organic, as it is with your case. After the war destroyed our home world, and the continuation of our species was in jeopardy, I considered similar concepts as a means of carrying on our people. To satiate my own curiosity, and of course challenge our currently known limitations on the subject, I am eager to accept."
It was better than Soundwave could have hoped for. There was more then just hopeful ideas and daydreams for him to hang onto. He wouldn't have to face the concept of letting Rhea go. "After we regain Kaon and all it's resources from Arachnid, and cure the virus, I am giving you full access to anything you may need to complete this project, and any other of your scientific interests that are unrelated." Soundwave promised him.
Everything was falling into place. Once they planned a full-fledged assault, they could stop with these piece meal attacks and instead Spacebridge the Renegade to Cybertron. This would gain them a permanent claim on the southern hemisphere and a create a formidable stance against the New Council. They had his army, the Autobot's forces, and Predaking's hoard, and possibly a single member in the form of Prowl inside the New Council as an ally. And as a worst-case scenario, they did have the untested fusion cannon mounted on the ship Thunderblast loved so much. That of course would risk damaging Kaon itself, and any surrounding it in a massive radius. It was a worst-case scenario for a reason.
He left Shockwave to his work and had to put serious effort into not smiling as he left the Med Bay. He was actually giddy for the first time in… probably his whole life. He could feel Laserbeak's emotions that reflected his own, but the Minicon was obviously confused. Soundwave wasn't sharing much. Rhea would hear anything he openly said on their three-way frequency. Laserbeak was dying to know. He gave his symbiote a reassuring pulse that promised answers soon. He would tell Rhea and Laserbeak in person when the time was right. He intended to take his time with this and explain everything. He was sure Rhea would have questions. He could gauge her reactions and answer any question she had. Reassure her where he could.
The door to the Bridge slid open, and he saw Rhea with Laserbeak, right where he left them. The other humans were with her too, laughing about something Miko said. The Autobots were standing stiff in the corner, mumbling something he was less than interested in. They must have sent the humans away to discuss in private whatever it was they were so engaged in.
The Two-wheeler Arcee caught his gaze. She gave him a hateful glare. He ignored her.
Thunderblast and Rivet were pouting on the other side of the room too. He had vaguely heard through the security feed they all had some sort of political disagreement and assumed this was just the aftermath of that. He had little time for any of it.
He instead focused on Rhea. Her welcoming smile warmed his Spark. He felt the initial excitement of what he had learned all over again. The sour attitudes around him forgotten, he made his way to Rhea. He had to refrain from rushing over to scoop her up in his grasp.
So excited, he hadn't noticed Arcee break away from her group until she was right at his side. He turned just in time for her to collide her fist into his faceplates.
