Author's notes: Haaaaappy weekend! I hope everyone is doing well. Nothing new or terrifying to report other then my latest chapter! So please leave a comment and enjoy!
Rhea
The echo of Ratchet's body impacting the ground rang off the metal walls of the hanger. The noise was unhindered by the stunned silence of those who were in witness.
Rhea didn't have time to process what happened. Through the still opened Space Bridge five more Elite Guard bots rushed through.
Ratchet grunted from the ground, grasping his bleeding wound. His dimming blue eyes found Rhea and the other teens. "Run!" he managed to choke out before he collapsed into stillness.
Someone grabbed Rhea by the wrist and yanked hard. Jack was the culprit. He pulled Rhea off the couch when her frozen body failed to move. Her single crutch and her laptop crashed to the floor. If not for Jack, Rhea would have face planted into the concrete. Miko and Raf helped her limp towards the smaller exit as the human military came storming in. Rifles and machine guns fired up at the looming Cybertronians.
Rhea's head buzzed, the ringing in her ears somehow louder than whatever Jack was yelling. She felt the explosion of alien blaster fire nearby reverberate in her chest, but she never heard it. The explosion's aftershock smashed into them hard. Rhea hit the ground, hard. The hanger was spinning, the bright hanging lights burning with rainbow auras. Rhea struggled to make sense of the chaos. Military men were strewn about the hanger, lying as still as Ratchet.
The Elite Guard was advancing outward. Something large like them but red pressed against the far wall. Knockout. One of the Elite Guard were closing in on him. Gun arm poised to shoot despite the fear in their target's red eyes.
More ringing in her ears. One more so then the other. She groped at her head, blood slicking her fingers. She brushed the device in her ear. Soundwave was talking to her. Like Jack, she couldn't hear him. "Soundwave, help." She thought she said, but wasn't sure. She couldn't hear herself talk. Her face felt numb.
Humans were tugging on her again. Jack was wobbly but on his feet, trying to pull her along. Miko was covered in dust, shoving the glasses back on Raf's face. The ringing in her ears were getting painful. Was Soundwave yelling, or was Jack?
They pushed through the door, and the crisp night air hit Rhea like a wrecking ball. It was what she needed to regain some clarity. 'Get it together.' Some inner speck of courage shouted from somewhere. Rhea heard that. She was sure it was her own voice demanding she put her self-preservation instincts to good use.
Rhea stopped being dead weight for Jack to drag and instead stumbled forward under her own power. She fell prone twice, but she had the larger teen boy to cling to. Noise from the outside world came through the din of monotone ringing. She did hear yelling. Continued gunfire and shouting commands. Armored military trucks raced by the four of them towards the hanger.
"They're leaving the hanger!" She managed to hear Jack say.
"Are they after us?" Raf almost wept, his voice even clearer.
Rhea looked over Jack's shoulder. Craters from Cybertronian blasts pocked the military base. Gun mounted trucks were roaring infernos. Despite the remaining droning ring, she could now hear the horror with stereo clarity. It allowed her to hear the heavy footsteps of an approaching Elite Guard. Cold mechanical blue eyes locked onto her.
A fleck of red burst out frum between the same Elite Guard's feet. Knockout's sleek car form raced away from the chaos. His speed more than likely contributing to his escape from his own pursuer.
"Ex-Con to the rescue!" Miko said with a hopeful laugh.
With roaring engine in its highest gear Knockout sped in their direction. He then passed right by them, red taillights carrying off into the desert.
"REALLY!" Miko shouted as loud as she could over the chaos behind them. "If you leave Rhea behind, Soundwave will hunt you down! They'll have to pick what's left of you off the asphalt!"
Despite the lingering ring in her head, Rhea heard the distinct sound of screeching tires as he hit the breaks in the distance. Knockout must have heard her. His headlights swirled around to face them, and he raced back towards the base. Breaks slammed again; his vehicle form turned to be horizontal to them when he slid to a stop. His front and back passenger doors flung open. "Get in, and don't scuff the interior!" Knockout snarled, the panic in his voice prominent despite the comment.
Raf jumped in first, Miko and Jack helping Rhea into the back. She ignored the pain in her still healing bones as she was half thrown into the back, Miko jumping in next to her. Jack flung himself into the passenger seat. The doors shut as Knockout accelerated. The sudden momentum forced Rhea back into the seat. She didn't have time to buckle herself in as Knockout went from zero to one hundred in less than ten seconds.
"T-thanks for coming back, Knockout." Jack finally said between heavy panting.
"Your Autobot keepers owe me big time for this!" Knockout's voice snapped from around them.
"Do you think Agent Fowler knows?" Raf asked Jack.
"He was at the hospital with my mom today, but he has to know…crud, I left my phone charging at base." Jack huffed.
"I can text him just in case." Miko volunteered while yanking her cellphone from her pocket. "Not like he can do anything…" she added after she pressed send. "Those Bots wiped the floor with those soldiers. Poor guys, they didn't even stand a chance."
Roaring jets sped across the sky, coming from the south. It appeared they were headed towards the base. "Human, or more from Cybertron?" Knockout wondered, very worried.
Rhea managed to turn in time to see the familiar colors of the jets caught in the moonlight. "It looks like Jetfire and his team." She said, thanking whatever God heard her that day when she decided to send Jetfire the message.
"Real Autobots!" Miko said with a grin. "Jetfire and the others will send those phonies packing!"
"What about Ratchet?" Raf whimpered. "We left him."
They all fell silent. As the adrenalin faded, the guilt was pumping in to replace it.
"He told us to run, Raf." Jack mumbled. "We couldn't have done anything to help him, other than get killed. He'll be fine. Jetfire and the others will get to him in time. He'll be fine." He repeated, more confident this time.
Knockout's rearview mirror readjusted so Rhea was in its reflection. "And is that one of Jetfire's Seekers coming to help us?" he asked, the mirror turned again to reflect the distant speck in the air behind them.
Rhea turned in her seat, the other's doing the same. She didn't recognize the approaching jet form belonging to any Autobot refugee. It sped closer. With the same moonlight she had used to identify Jetfire, she saw the Elite Guard emblem shine from the jet's left wing. Her throat went dry. "Speed up. They are after us!"
Rhea managed to brace this time as Knockout punched it. His speed gage peeked over 200, but the jet was still visible.
"W-What do they want with you fleshies?" Knockout whined.
"Not only us." Miko noted. "You're Ex-Con, so they probably want to kill you too."
"Very comforting!" Knockout snarled, the gear on his console shifting as he accelerated until he couldn't go any faster.
"They were after us too." Jack realized. He swallowed hard. "It may be the same thing you guys wanted, Knockout, when you and the other Cons abducted me, Miko, and Raf from Earth. They want to use us against our Bots."
Rhea's heart seemed hellbent on hammering out of her chest. It wasn't helping the continued buzz in her ears… Her communicator. She fumbled for the device and found it hanging disconnected around her earlobe. No wonder she hadn't heard Soundwave this whole time. He had seen her body's spikes in adrenaline, pain, fear and who knows what else. All he could do was shout uselessly into the device.
She reattached the earpiece, and the nonsensical buzzing became Soundwave's voice. 'Rhea, please respond! What is your condition? Rhea!"
"Soundwave." She murmured, and she couldn't help the tears of relief as she heard his voice.
'Thank the All Spark… What is wrong? Your vitals are as if you have been running for your life.'
"We have been." She whimpered. She didn't even care everyone was watching her break down. She wanted to live and see him again. "A bunch of Elite Guard Autobots came through the Space Bridge… They shot Ratchet, and now they're chasing us. We're with Knockout, but they're catching up."
'Give me a moment.' He whispered, gentle, trying to calm her.
"Is he going to open a Bridge?" Knockout demanded. His mirrors continued to adjust, tracking their fast-approaching stalker.
"He can't…" Raf whispered, hit with a sudden realization. "The Space Bridge interference around Earth… Ratchet was right all along. The New Council must be behind it. No one can Bridge in or out unless the New Council lets them."
Rhea assumed Soundwave could hear what was being said around her. The flicker of hope she held began to dim as Soundwave's silence stretched. "It's not working, is it?" Rhea assumed.
'It is not.' Soundwave confirmed. She could tell he was maintaining an even, almost cold tone. She was sure he didn't want to scare her.
'How is there nothing we can do from our side?' Laserbeak's voice demanded of Soundwave.
'The interference will take hours to calculate around.' Soundwave answered calmly. 'We will not make it in time.'
Rhea rubbed her tears away, trembling hands making the simple action difficult. "It's ok. It's not your fault." She promised.
"What? No, tell him to get here now!" Knockout snapped.
Rhea ignored him. She turned around in her seat to watch the details of their pursuer become clearer by the second. "I should have agreed sooner… This is all my fault."
There was a pause from Soundwave's side. 'I am not sure I understand your meaning.'
"Me becoming Cybertronian. I was too scared, but I didn't want to disappoint you. But I was wrong. If I had agreed as soon as I found out, I may have been able to help now, or still be on the Renegade with you. But now I'm worthless like this to you, as a human. The New Council is going to use me against you as bait, or a bargaining chip. You need to promise me not to give in to anything they want! Don't throw everything away for me."
"What are you talking about?!" Knockout snarled, only privy to her side of the conversation. "If we get captured, they better come rescue me, they- GAH!"
They swerved in time to avoid the laser fire from the sky, blowing holes in the road ahead. More blasts shook the street, ripping apart asphalt. Knockout slammed to a stop before they were hit with another barrage. He switched his gears into reverse to turn about face, ready to speed back in the opposite direction.
A bright white light engulfed them, blinding even through the tinted windows. With the light an electric crackle pinched Rhea's skin. But otherwise, she felt fine. Whatever their pursuer had hit them with must not have affected humans… The seat at her back vanished and she landed on the road with a pained "Ohf!" The other humans hit the road in a similar fashion.
Knockout transformed out of his vehicle mode. But the transition was not smooth like in every other situation. Harsh internal grinding echoed from inside his shifting body. Rhea recognized the sound. Soundwave's damaged internal structures kept him from transforming in a similar way when they first met.
Knockout appeared in agony. He writhed on the road as his limbs buckled and forced him back into bot mode against his will. The jet that pursued them transformed, unaffected by whatever hit Knockout. He landed a few paces away, his expression an emotionless mask. A soldier following orders.
Miko was slapping at Knockout, who was staring up at the dark sky. He looked to be in shock. "Snap out of it! He's coming back! Come on, we can outrun him, you can do it!"
Knockout tried to sit up, his limbs attempted to shift, but seemed locked in place. He staired at his own body in confused disbelief. "I can't… W-what happened to me?" Knockout whimpered, no more bravado or false confidence to hide his fear.
Jack managed to snatch Miko away as the Elite Guard Bot approached. He didn't give Knockout time to react. He shot a small device into Knockout's chest, ravaging the red bot with electricity. Knockout fell into the dirt, motionless.
"Run!" Jack shouted.
Raf ran ahead as Jack and Miko helped Rhea limp as fast as they could into the desert.
"Leave me and go!" Rhea snapped at them both. She already saw the tunnel vision overtaking her. Her mind was about to go away, and her anxiety was going to take over. It wasn't worth killing the only friends she had ever had.
Jack grunted as he yanked Rhea onto his back, trying to run with her. Miko broke away, waving her arms and trying to draw the bot away. With shaky hands, Rhea pressed a finger to the communicator. "Knockout's down. We can't outrun them on foot…"
As always, Soundwave was calm, the only stable thing in her life. But he was light years away. 'It is unlikely they will harm you.' He tried to assure her. 'They need you alive to bargain with. I am unable to get to you at this moment. But keep this connection open and secret. With it, I can track you. I will find you, Rhea. I promise. You will be ok.'
Miko yelped. Rhea turned to see the Elite Guard had snatched her up. As Soundwave said, he did not crush her in his hands. The Bot instead placed her in a holding container secured around his midsection.
Another Elite Guard transformed and landed from the sky. A Space Bridge portal opened behind him, probably at the Elite Guard's request. They were the reason behind the interference, so they were the only ones unaffected, unlike Soundwave and the Autobots. He yanked Knockout's limp body through the open portal.
The other pursuer was closing in on them, eclipsing the moonlight. His outstretched hand cast an ominous shadow over Jack and Rhea.
Rhea took a deep breath and closed her eyes, holding onto Jack as he still tried to run them both to safety. "Soundwave, I trust you." She promised.
A massive hand, hard and unyielding, snatched them both from the ground and into the air.
Location: The Renegade, deep space
Soundwave
It had been a very long time, many millennia in fact, since Soundwave felt such overwhelming rage. He could feel it overtaking his logistical side. Blazing over his calm disposition until there was only a burning inferno. Rhea took his advice and kept the connection open. Because of this, he was able to hear the panic of the other humans. See in real time Rhea's racing heart.
Somewhere far out of his realm of caring, he almost heard the Autobots panic. They knew what was going on. He had told them before he spoke to Rhea. Then he spoke with her and heard her cry, felt her pain when they both realized there was nothing, he could do to help her. The Autobot's individual voices melted away into static in the back of his processor.
The only thing that snapped him back to reality was the frightened pulse from Laserbeak. At first, he assumed Laserbeak was worrying over Rhea, as he did. That clearly was part of it. But Soundwave caught his reflection in the panel of a deactivated viewscreen. He was the embodiment of murderous intent. He was on the war path, the number of Bots he intended to eviscerate growing each time he felt Rhea's fear. Killing for vengeance was not who he was. But his want for a sadistic end for Decimus was all that brought him any comfort at the moment. Those feelings were swirling through their symbiotic connection and scaring his lifetime partner.
Soundwave forced his stone limbs to thaw, and he placed a gentle pat on Laserbeak. 'We will retrieve our ally.' He said, quiet, and calm. He did not extinguish the blaze in his mind. He did try to at least shield Laserbeak from getting burned by it.
Rhea was quiet, unlike her counterparts. He could hear the echoed shouting of Miko in the background, demanding they let them go. Thinking she somehow stood a chance against their Cybertronian captors. Soundwave assumed Rhea had long since checked out. Gone to the safe vault within her mind to protect herself from the trauma. Even his voice could not elicit a response from her.
'What did she mean?' Laserbeak inquired meekly as they waited for her to respond. 'When she said she feared she would disappoint us?'
'I did not consider, how taxing my offer to become Cybertronian would be on Rhea.' He assumed. He felt the guilt muscle in alongside the sustained rage. Arcee's assumption had been more factual than Soundwave had realized. Thanks to his lack luster communication skills, his offer came off as an ultimatum.
He had given the impression Rhea's humanity was cheap. A commodity that could be traded in or upgraded for something better. Maybe it was how he felt. But those were his demons, and they now had become Rhea's. She had weighed the consequences of not becoming Cybertronian as bringing about his dissatisfaction in her. Seeing her less than. He wondered if she thought their continued partnership would end if she did not agree.
He felt lower than the smallest, single celled lifeform. She had been burdened by all that, and now she was at the mercy of his enemies. She was in that situation with the assumption he thought less of her. The only way to rectify his error was to retrieve her, safe from harm. So he could tell her how wrong he had been. Of course, he wanted her to become Cybertronian, but that did not mean he would hate her if she did not.
"Hey!" Came the sharp voice of Wheeljack of all Autobots. It snapped his comrades focus onto him. It even made Soundwave glance his way. "The short pikes will be fine. They can hold their own until we track em down. Miko will see them all through fine, I'm sure. We need to stop screaming in circles and start concocting a plan."
Soundwave read the faces of the other Autobots, blue optics drowning in worry. He had something in common with them at last.
"Earth will be a good place to start." Soundwave inserted himself. He connected to the ship's mainframe remotely. He ordered Thunderblast to report to the Bridge and Rivet to reboot their Space Bridge systems. He had a feeling now that the humans were taken, the Space Bridge frequency problem would fix itself. "Though it is a secret between myself and Rhea, now has become a dire enough circumstance to share this information. I am currently connected to Rhea."
"Everyone here has a connection to a kid there chief, you ain't special." Smokescreen snapped in defense of his team members.
Soundwave refrained from rolling his optics. Instead, he pointed a digit at one of his auditorys. "I was not being hypothetical; I literally have a two-way communicative link to Rhea. Through it, I can track her movements."
The Autobots staired at him with a mix of disbelief and hope. Wheeljack then cracked a grim smile. "Creepy, but helpful in this instance."
"Where are the kids now?" Arcee demanded.
"They were Space Bridged away from Earth a few moments ago." Soundwave explained, mentally mapping the new coordinates. His suspicions were correct, but he still frowned. "They are now on Cybertron, in the first laboratory under Iacon. That is her location. But they have a high frequency disrupter shield around the perimeter of the facility preventing Space Bridging there. As we already know."
"Then why even waste time going to Earth?" Bulkhead snapped, smashing one fist into his other. "The New Council overstepped BIG time! We-"
"Rhea informed me your medic on Earth is in dire need of assistance." Soundwave explained further, and the group startled at the news. "He was attacked and could possibly be offline. Rhea insist we assist him, and I assume you will not disagree with her recommendation."
The Bridge doors opened and Thunderblast skipped in. Her chipper attitude soured when she saw the grim faceplates around her. "Oh, dear, who's dead?"
"The New Council took the humans." Soundwave informed her coldly. "After we assess the damage left on Earth, we will begin preparations to retrieve them."
Thunderblast gawked at him, her optic's taking on a dark glare. "They took Firecracker? Who do we kill and when?"
"Iacon's glorious new leaders." Soundwave informed her. "Set a course for us to Space Bridge the entirety of the Renegade into Cybertronian space."
"Good call Master." Thunderblast hissed. She barked orders to the drones currently on deck to start the tedious process. "We get in range, grab the humans, then let the Fusion Cannon file a formal complaint at the government building."
"We will remain shielded and invisible until we absolutely have to engage." Soundwave said, though gave her a sideways glance to add, "But have the Fusion Cannon charged, just in case."
Thunderblast flashed him a wicked smile and hurried to her station.
"You were right, Master." Rivet reported over the commlink. "The Frequency interference around Earth is gone. In fact, it lifted not long after you gave the order. We are free to Bridge there."
Starscream entered the Bridge in a hurry after long restless cycles of planning tactical attacks. Going by his expression, Soundwave assumed he had been listening in to the commlink chatter. He stammered after Soundwave. "M-my Lord? Is this all really necessary? Why waste time with organic pests, unless they have some sort of vital function, I am not privy to?"
Soundwave ignored him and opened a portal before him and the Autobots back to Earth. "Have the ship ready to Bridge when I return." Soundwave ordered Thunderblast before he followed the Autobots through.
"What am I missing?" he heard Starscream mumble.
"A hell of a lot of context." Thunderblast explained. "How about you catch a quick power down and we'll wake you when it gets interesting?"
The portal closed and he stepped out onto the once familiar human military base. It was only a shell of its former self. Military men rushed to put out fires and pull others from the wreckage. Soundwave caught the massive forms of other Cybertronians, and almost attacked. He stopped his advance when he noted they were not members of the New Council's army, but the Autobot refugees.
Jetfire and his seekers were assisting the humans. A Cybertronian refugee medic was tending to a limp Ratchet laying on the ground. The Autobots noticed their teammate when Soundwave did, and they ran to him.
"Ratchet! Are you ok?" Bumblebee asked, laying a hand on Ratchet's shoulder.
The older bot was still online. Soundwave saw he must have lost a significant amount of Energon, because he was teetering on unconsciousness.
"I…I didn't have time to, I didn't see it coming." Ratchet whispered.
"They jumped ya Doc," Wheeljack pointed out. "That's not your fault."
"It is." Ratchet moaned. "I was supposed to protect them…I told them to run."
"No one blames you Ratchet." Bumblebee promised. "No one would have saw it coming…our own team turned on us."
"You need to power down to save your strength." The medic told him.
Ratchet shook his helm, optics closing in pain. "Did…did the children get away in time?"
None of the Autobots answered right away.
"He's asked that a few times," the medic told them. "His Energon loss is making him delirious. I am almost done patching his wound, so he will stop losing it faster than I am able to transfuse it."
"They're gone, aren't they?" Ratchet almost wept. He moaned again, holding onto Bumblebee as tightly as he could manage in his state. "They left with Knockout… But they were fliers. They would have been faster. Please tell me the kids are not dead?"
"They're still alive, Ratchet." Bumblebee assured him. "And we are going to get them back. You only need to recover so you can be here to welcome them home."
Jetfire approached as Ratchet began to slip into stasis. "We were able to get here in time to chase out the few left here and assist the soldiers. We managed to get Ratchet out of the building and save the Space Bridge generator. We didn't know two of the Elite Guard had broken off to pursue the humans and the Ex Decepticon doctor until Ratchet came to and informed us. We already flew to the last location they fled. They were long gone."
Bumblebee shook his helm. He patted the now peaceful Ratchet before he stood to address Jetfire. "No, you guys helped us out big time. Ratchet and this whole military base would be gone if you hadn't shown up."
"We can take Ratchet to the Autobot Rescue Academy up north. They have very good medical supplies there." Jetfire said. "You also should try to find Commander Ultra Magnus. Those who came through the Space Bridge to attack used his key code. He may need help."
This being of Autobot concern, Soundwave wandered from their group. His destination was the military hanger. Inside, beyond the still raining ash, he spotted something familiar on the floor. Rhea's computation device and one of her crutches. Laserbeak deployed and rushed to retrieve her things.
'The damage to your device is not severe.' Laserbeak assured Rhea through their connection. Though she did not respond, he continued, rambling. Soundwave knew he was talking because he was nervous. 'I can have it fixed for you before you return to the Renegade.'
'She may be resting.' Soundwave told Laserbeak gently. He saw she was still alive, her vitals even. She was either sleeping or she had completely shut down. He heard one of the other humans spoke near her, so he assumed it was the first. He hoped it was. He wanted her to be as comfortable as she could be.
'I must assure her when she wakes up then.' Laserbeak continued. 'I am just as responsible for her predicament. I must make it up to her.'
'How have you come to the conclusion you are responsible for her capture?'
'Not that." Laserbeak corrected. 'Her Cyberforming procedure… I added unnecessary stress to her deliberation. I did not know it weighed so heavy on her Spark, or whatever is her equivalent.'
'No. I can take full responsibility for that.' Soundwave said with a vent.
He glanced the Autobot's way. Their moods were downtrodden but determined. Their gaze promised justice, and confirmation they would regain their lost allies. It was not the first time they had experienced such a situation. He had participated in said event personally, though not on this side of the situation.
It was the same event Miko had recently mentioned. When Megatron was still in charge, and he traded the captured Raphael for an Omega Key. He had told Miko regarding the matter that was a tactical decision. A simple strategy in a long spanning war to gain an advantage over the enemy. He remembered back on that time. Bumblebee glared at him during the exchange, but did not hesitate to surrender the Omega Key for Raphael. At the time he had thought, how could the Autobot be so foolish? To trade a relic that could tip the scale in their favor, for a single human?
He was now in the Autobot's same situation. It hardly felt 'tactical' or 'simple' now. He felt cold. Relics were lost, destroyed, or traded away all the time. Weapons and advantages made.
Rhea was irreplaceable. Underneath the murderous rage he harbored for the New Council, he also had an endless supply of fear. He could not fathom a universe without her. A universe he would have to suffer without her.
'You guys have one heck of a pity party going on over there. Mind if I join in?' Both Soundwave and Laserbeak jolted when Rhea spoke. 'Sorry, I checked out for a while. The others have been a whole lot more proactive than I have been.' she admitted.
'I have your computation device!' Laserbeak insisted again. 'I can fix it for you before you return to Earth.'
'Oh yeah... I sort of dropped it when I ran. My fault.' Rhea said.
'Not at all. I once knocked over one of Ravage's shelves that housed his collection of data sticks. He never did accept my apology, even when I offered help... But my meaning is, mistakes happen.'
'What is your condition?' Soundwave inquired.
'I'm in a box.' Rhea explained. Soundwave pictured the shrug he was almost sure accompanied the comment. 'The others are with me. We're in a room on some sort of raised surface. They have Knockout here too. He doesn't look good…"
"Soundwave, are you talking to Rhea now?" Bumblebee asked. Soundwave glanced over as the Autobots hurried to his location. Ratchet was transported through a Ground Bridge to some other Autobot base on Earth. With that off their minds, they looked ready to reengage.
He nodded to Bumblebee to answer his previous query. 'Rhea, I am opening this channel so the Autobots can engage as well.' He said. He connected himself to the still functional console on the wall with a data cable. This was his, Laserbeak, and Rhea's private line. But he felt the Autobots had at least a right to overhear in this instance. He was sure his feeling came from the newfound empathy he felt for them.
'Is the air adequate? Are you lightheaded?' Soundwave quizzed. His once silent question echoed through the damaged hanger for the others to hear.
'No, we humans are fine for the time being. There is some sort of device attached to the glass box we are in? It's either an oxygen tank, or more likely an oxygen exchanger.' She explained.
'Tell him the walls are thicker than normal glass!' Said the voice of Miko over the feed. It was followed by the sound of a few kicks into a hard surface.
The expression on Bulkhead's faceplates was that of pure relief. "That's my girl…"
"Can't keep a Wrecker down." Wheeljack offered with a shrug.
'It is best not to breach the container you are in.' Soundwave insisted hurriedly. He was sure the humans would not be able to, but Miko was never a normal factor in any equation. Best not to risk it. 'Because of the device connected to the box, your air is breathable, but we do not know that is the case for the rest of the room. Can you describe that?'
'White room, Elite Guard coming in and out.' Rhea reported. 'There's a screen on the wall by the door. The door looks like the same glass our box is made of. That leads into another white hall. We're on some sort of table? Other than that, the room is barren. Well, other than Knockout. He's chained out of reach of us, but he hasn't moved much since he woke up.'
"It sounds like one of Iacon's higher alert prisons." Arcee thought out loud.
Soundwave nodded in agreement. So, the New Council wasted little time getting the prisons functioning again. To make sure, he triangulated Rhea's location and attempted to Space Bridge inside. He hit instant interference and couldn't open a portal. He was disappointed despite knowing better.
"And Knockout can't get to them?" Bumblebee asked.
'He's hurt.' Rhea said in the doctor's defense. 'But he's also chained to the wall. They hit him with something that made him unable to access his weapons or transform.'
Soundwave stiffened. They still had the Transformation-cog scrambling weapon to deal with.
"They haven't killed him yet?" Arcee wondered, legitimately surprised.
"I am sure they intend to make another spectacle out of any Decepticons they capture." Soundwave assumed.
'There are words on the screen…' Raf was heard saying.
'There are!' Rhea realized with a gasp.
"Can you guys describe what the letters look like?" Bumblebee asked.
'It says: Prison, block…4, Row 32… Damn what's the next one?' Rhea huffed.
'I think it's 'security priority Alpha' or looks like it…' Raf mumbled.
The Autobots stood speechless. Soundwave had to keep his prideful smile to himself. 'Good job, that will be vital in your rescue. Tell me if new information appears on the screen.' Soundwave said.
"When did the kids learn Cybertronian?" Arcee finally wondered.
'I have been teaching Rhea.' Laserbeak took the rare opportunity to say over the console, bragging to someone other than Soundwave and Rhea. "Your Raphael mentioned Ratchet was teaching him the basics as well.'
The confusion on Soundwave's Autobot allies' faceplates was amusing. "Who was that?" Smokescreen asked.
Laserbeak squawked from Soundwave's torso, and the Autobots jumped in surprise.
"He can talk?" Wheeljack demanded.
'Of course.' Laserbeak said over the feed. 'Aside from Master Soundwave and Rhea, there is seldom anyone around me intelligent enough to talk to.' Laserbeak said with a wistful vent. 'Example: I was speaking through Raphael's computation device when we first established our alliance. Clearly none of you bothered to pay attention.'
Soundwave received a ping from the Renegade. "We have finally received a message from the New Council." Soundwave explained darkly. "We all are being warned to stay out of future Iacon business, and the humans will not be harmed."
"Since they see us as traitors anyway…" Arcee said while crossing her servos. "Let's stop wasting time and go get the kids. And Knockout too if we don't have to go out of our way."
'Maintain vigilance and be patient a while longer.' Soundwave said to Rhea. 'We are coming to retrieve you.'
He opened a portal back to his ship, the Autobots close on his heel struts. His crew had prepared the Space Bridge tech to open a portal wide enough for the Renegade to make its way through. Not having a stable portal structure, the maneuver would be very dangerous. But Starscream aside, he found himself trusting the Bots around him. He trusted them more than his old self would have ever allowed.
Soundwave took his place on the Bridge, overlooking his crew buzz about.
"All systems are ready my Lord." Rivet said through the commlink. "Checked and then double checked my math to be sure I didn't frag anything up."
"The ship's shield is at maximum power." Thunderblast added. "If we get flung off course and end up Primus knows where, it won't tear us to shreds and rain down Decepticon confetti on the nearest unsuspecting star system!"
"The crew is prepped." Sharpshot said from their station. They hesitated a moment before adding. "And I have logged Commander Starscream's complaint about the risky maneuver accordingly. We assured him we would not go through the Portal until he was awake from power down, which is where he is currently."
"So we don't need to hear his complaints until after!" Thunderblast laughed.
"Excellent work. Prepare to enter the portal once it activates. Rivet, you may activate the larger portal at the bow of the ship." Soundwave said.
Through the front viewing screen, the swirling green energy manifest in their path. It would take a moment to build up adequate charge to open a large enough portal for the ship to travers. As they waited, Soundwave's mind raced. He knew Rhea was ok for the time being. They had a viable rescue plan. He still felt guilty for the feelings she no doubt harbored regarding his offer. Their short chat before with an Autobot audience was far from the correct time to talk to her about it. When she was safe with him, he could apologize.
"My Lord." Shockwave said as he entered the Bridge.
It was still odd hearing the title coming from his old teammate who once outranked him. Even so, Soundwave turned to address his Science Officer.
"The head of your Vehicon troopers informed me you needed shielding to deflect the effects of my Transformation-cog override weapon. I have not had time to produce more than ten. But the energy field they produce will withstand at least three blasts from the weapon. After three sustained blasts they must be replaced." He handed one hexagonal device to Soundwave no bigger than his hand. It had clamps to affix to armor, and a simple button to activate.
"Ten will be more than enough for the moment." Soundwave assured.
Shockwave lingered, retrieving in silence one more device. This one Soundwave failed to recognize as anything he or Sharpshot had studied from Shockwave's notes. "I have not had adequate time to test it, but if you are going into Iacon again, it would be foolish not to equipped it."
Soundwave took the small remote looking device. "What does this weapon do?" Soundwave asked.
"It is not a weapon in the traditional sense." Shockwave explained. Soundwave rose an optic ridge at the scientist, who then elaborated. "The New Council took great pains to assure I was unable to escape them. But they did not monitor my work as they should have. Because of this, they have made a great error to assume I did not place back door contingency protocols into my creations. For example, I made it so the Transformation-cog override weapon does not affect Predacons or Minicons. This device I present you now, will make controlling the Predacon clones most problematic for the New Council."
Soundwave used a data cable to interface with the device and read over its code. His optics widened at Shockwave when he understood.
Shockwave only nodded affirmingly. "If all works according to design, it should be of significant help." He explained before excusing himself.
Soundwave clutched the device. New confidence drove him as he gave the order to enter the Portal set for Cybertronian space. He would make Decimus and the other Council members regret their decision to put Rhea in harm's way.
