Ch. 68

Soundwave watched silently. It was all he ever did. Watch. Wait. Report. Unless the information was incredibly pertinent. Then it was watch, report, then wait. And the waiting involved more watching. Usually some poor mech getting torn into by the mighty Megatron. But as pertinent as this information was, it was not for the silent mech to divulge to anyone.

Soundwave had been keeping track of the days much like he assumed Starscream would. He knew this was the day the seeker would clone himself to try to usurp Megatron. It was also the day Bulkhead was accidentally collected from an energon pick up. The silent mech had actually been waiting for the latter when he saw Starscream AND his clones arrive on deck from the security monitors. It was a quaint surprise. It could mean a couple of things, one of which Soundwave knew was the rescue of the green mech currently running about on the lower levels.

The silent mech watched from his screens as he quietly took out multiple data drives and began downloading masses of pertinent and beautiful information, codes and files flowing from terminal to drive effortlessly. He wanted everything he held dear to come with him. If Starscream was here alongside his clones, Soundwave wanted to take the opportunity to leave with him. It was time.

Soundwave gently took a full drive out from a terminal port and set it within a protective case, watching as a Starscream clone ran beside Bulkhead in the lower levels. At least that had been handled. The mech paused in his work when he saw the clone get shot down by Dreadwing. Soundwave watched Bulkhead's reaction and a vent hiss angrily when it was shot upon. The silent mech worked quickly and activated a blast door to separate Dreadwing from Bulkhead. At least the act could be blamed upon the damaged vent and not himself. Soundwave continued to work quietly.

Two drives full. Three more to go.

The silent mech was downloading his favorite files. Energon mine locations. Important. Abandoned and lost Decepticon installation and ship locations. Nostalgic. The theory of Starscream's pre-knowledge or precognition. Something to work on when he had time. He knew Knockout was working on something similar. He knew because he had taken peeks at it. Soundwave also knew he didn't have to worry; his formulas were far more airtight and sound. The red mech didn't stand a chance at proving the possibility.

Soundwave pulled a third drive free from the terminal port and set it beside its companions in the protective case. Two more to go.

Multiple screens, multiple occurrences, each more suspenseful and disturbing than the last. It seemed the second clone down on the bottom floor had just missed Bulkhead. And another seeker, perhaps the original Starscream himself, was not looking too well in Knockout's med bay. Perfect place for him, really. A second clone in the bay was downloading data as well, how smart. While the doctor scrambled to pick one polishing buffer over another. How droll.

Soundwave typed quickly into his computer terminal. As quickly as he was downloading information he was, at the same time, deleting it. More importantly, the security videos. This event was to remain a mystery, or so he hoped. He wanted all of this to look like a kidnapping, a sabotage, and what better way than to have the 'enemy' steal and replace data?

Another data drive full, one left. This last one was most important. It was the Iacon database. It was the file Soundwave had begun downloading first and yet it was the one taking the longest. Not much of a surprise, but it was still a bit irksome. And at seventy-nine percent, it was starting to infuriate him. The silent mech was beginning to wonder if he really needed it, since Starscream had most likely recovered all the relics and knew where a couple were if he couldn't retrieve them himself. But perhaps nostalgia was fueling this download as well. The treasures may have already been collected but the challenge of decoding the information made his chassis shudder with delight. And to be able to do so quietly, with little interruption in the Autobot base made the tips of Soundwave's digits tingle in anticipation.

Eighty-four percent. What a terrible percent. Soundwave watched as Bulkhead lugged himself over to the lower deck's communication terminal. He was unsure the green mech knew how to handle Decepticon tech and shut down the terminal from his console, nodding at his intelligent forethought when he saw Bulkhead mash in a 'sound-amplify-send-sound-volume-send-frequency-frequency-frequency-send' command. It would have made quite the noise over the loud speaker. Soundwave didn't like that.

Ninety-one percent. Finally, a number he could find himself excited about. The silent mech picked up his protective case and set it on top of the terminal, getting ready to pull the data drive as soon as it was ready. His faceless mask looked up at a screen and he froze, watching as Megatron grabbed hold of a Starscream clone. There was another just behind him. And video from the center lift said a third was on its way.

Soundwave glanced at the data drive for only a second. Ninety-five percent. Five percent more and it was beyond frustrating. He looked back at the monitor, wincing when Megatron killed the clone and tossed it aside. The warlord activated his COMM, growling into it after he killed the second and the third escaped.

"To all Decepticon personnel: Starscream is aboard the Nemesis with clone replicas of himself. Catch them all and bring them to me! ALIVE!"

Soundwave nodded. Ninety-eight percent. Two more. Just that little bit of data. That delicious little bit. Ninety-nine percent. His digits ghosted around the form of the data drive and he looked up again at the monitors. The clone in the lift was going to the floor with the med bay. Bulkhead was currently entering a lift on the far side, mashing his digits into the control panel. Destination: med bay. Perfect.

Soundwave saw the lifts closest to him were unoccupied. He would be going to the med bay as well.

One hundred percent.

The silent mech tugged the data drive free, setting it into its protective case along with all the information, the precious, delicious information, he had rescued and closed the case, carrying it at his side as he shut the terminal down. The time for stealth was gone. He ran smoothly, silently, out of the room and to the lifts, taking transport down. They would all meet and they would all escape; the doctor, the brute, the spy and the future seer.