Author's Notes: Another chapter. Another chapter. Updates will probably (maybe possibly) slow down after this; just started school.

Soundwave felt the uncomfortable sensation of coming online after being in stasis. Pain jolted through his circuitry – apparently he wasn't going to be in optimal condition for whatever the Quintesson had planned for him. Automatically scanning the thoughts of those around him, he noticed their processors were conflicted, fighting against each other. Soundwave had felt that before, usually dealing with mind control. Mind control he implemented.

So Unicron had reached Earth. The minds above him were probably those of the Decepticons that had fallen in Chicago.

"Soundwave…" Soundwave flinched as he recognized the voice, and the mind that controlled it. Against his will, his optics onlined to take in the sight.

Three figures stood above him. He was lying in what was probably the medical ward, judging from the various instruments on the tables around him. One of them was a Seeker, judging from the build, but lacked wings. The other one was smaller and seemed to be missing an arm. The last mech was at least twice Soundwave's size.

"Leave." The voice commanded. The two other figures walked away, leaving Soundwave alone with him.

The light switched on, and Soundwave could see the other Decepticon fully.

Shockwave.

Soundwave had known the science officer had gone offline during the battle, but hadn't actually seen his corpse. His reanimated body looked worse than what Soundwave had imagined.

"Soundwave." He said again, knowing fully that the other Decepticon could hear him.

Soundwave met Shockwave's optic, sensing the battle that was taking place inside his processor.

"Help me." Was all he said before dragging Soundwave off of the berth.

Fragments of thoughts and memories wound themselves about in Bumblebee's processor. Trying to get the thoughts to still, he focused on his injured side, which did not hurt at all. He onlined his optics, wanting to see if his lower body was gone – again.

It wasn't. Yet. His lower torso had a clumsily applied patch to stop the massive Energon loss, but Bumblebee could feel the Energon leaking out.

"You can speak now, Autobot." Bumblebee followed the voice to its speaker.

Alpha Quintesson stood in front of him, smiling. Bumblebee tried to step forward, but was tied to the wall with cords that looked thick enough to hold Megatron down.

The Quintesson advanced until he was only a few centimeters from Bumblebee. He bent to meet the Autobot optic to eye.

"What do you want?" Amazingly, the words came out with no pain at all. Was this some kind of sick dream? Why hadn't the rest of him been repaired, but his vocaliser (possibly the least useful part of him) had.

"Nothing from you." Bumblebee saw his spark chamber was still open. A tentacle gently touched his Spark, earning a pained gasp from the Autobot as his whole body burned from the contact. His circuitry jerked involuntarily. "But I do need something from your friend. And I do need you speaking."

A door to the right opened. The Decepticon Bumblebee recognized as Shockwave entered, dragging Soundwave along with him. The spymaster was in a similar state of disrepair.

"Thank you." Alpha Quintesson said. "The sooner we finish this, the sooner we can get to Cybertron and get on with rebuilding my world. It," he said, leaving Bumblebee's side "Needs much more help than yours."

The Quintesson smiled.

"Like him?" he asked, gesturing to Shockwave with one hand. "A bit mindless, but completely under my control as long as Unicron lives."

"What do you want?" Bumblebee repeated, words rolling smoothly from his vocaliser.

Shockwave held Soundwave against the wall as the Quintesson secured him. With growing horror, Bumblebee realized that Soundwave's spark chamber was open as well. Were they going to be tortured until one of them died – for information? Bumblebee was certain he didn't know anything, but Soundwave might.

"Is he online?" Alpha Quintesson asked.

"No. I put him into stasis."

"Good." The Quintesson leaned over Soundwave for a moment, and then abruptly turned to Bumblebee. Something was clutched in one tentacle. Bumblebee's optics strained for a better look.

It was a Spark, glimmering in the dim light. Did Soundwave have multiple sparks?

"Soundwave would never tell you anything to keep me alive." Bumblebee said quickly, wiggling in a futile attempt to get away from the Quintesson. "He hates me."

"He will. He won't."

A slight movement caught his optic. Dark blue armour, same size as himself…

Bumblebee's Spark sank as he recognized Wheeljack. How had Unicron and Alpha Quintesson gotten a hold of him? He had been on Xantium II with Optimus—

Not for the first time, Bumblebee hoped his leader had made it out okay.

"Put it in." Alpha Quintesson ordered Wheeljack. "Correctly."

"I'm so sorry." The blue Mercedes said.

"What are y-" Wheeljack placed the Spark next to Bumblebee's. The Scout could not contain a panicked shout as he felt the Spark begin to try and attach itself to his own. Almost as an afterthought, Alpha Quintesson came over and closed his spark chamber.

Words and imaged jumbled themselves together in his processor.

'Let me go!' someone shouted in his mind. It sounded like Soundwave, in the way Laserbeak and Ravage reminded him of Soundwave, albeit in a very squeaky and young way. 'Please please please!'

"What did you do to me?" Bumblebee shouted at the Quintesson, fighting the alien Spark's invasion of his mind.

"You'll see." He turned to Shockwave. "Wake him up."

Bumblebee felt a panic that was not his own as the reanimated Decepticon began to wake Soundwave.

'Soundwave!' his processor began to ache at the insistent voice. 'Soundwave Soundwave – SOUNDWAVE!'

'Who are you?' Bumblebee asked, desperate to get the voice to quiet down.

'Ratbat! Who are you and why aren't you Soundwave?'

Bumblebee flailed against his bonds. 'We're captured. I'm Bumblebee.'

'You killed Ravage!' Self-hate flooded his processor. Bumblebee cringed.

"Stop." Bumblebee said aloud.

"Can you feel him?" the Quintesson asked. "Because I don't think Soundwave can – yet."

Bumblebee chose to ignore his enemy and focus on Ratbat.

'I said I was sorry. Why were you inside Soundwave?'

'He created me before the war but I nearly died trying to stop Nefarious. He's been keeping me alive until we can get another protoform for me.'

Then it was probably some kind of hostage thing. Even now, he could feel Ratbat's emotions invading his own, warping his vision. If Soundwave could read their minds, he certainly wasn't going to like the fact that one of his creations was sharing a body with—

Suddenly Soundwave was the center of his universe, his protection his—Bumblebee shook his helm furiously, trying to dispel the feelings Ratbat was giving off.

'Stop it.' Bumblebee ordered mentally. 'That's what he wants you to do.'

"Done." Shockwave said, standing back.

Bumblebee watched as Soundwave onlined, limbs jerking as they fought against their bonds. Ratbat whimpered in his processor.

"Soundwave." Alpha Quintesson said coolly. "How nice of you to join us."

"Let him go." The Decepticon snarled, letting more emotion into his voice than Bumblebee had ever heard.

'Ratbat.' Soundwave spoke into Bumblebee's mind. Reassurance flooded into his processor.

'Stop. Please.' Bumblebee was beginning to panic. Ratbat needed to get out. Soon.

"Sorry. Can't. See, I need some help, and you're the only one who can help."

Ratbat twitched in his mind, causing Bumblebee to twitch his head. 'What are you going to do?'

Bumblebee thought for a moment, closing his optics in order to focus. 'No idea. What would you do?'

'I don't know!'

"—control my new minions." A tentacle lazily touched Shockwave's shoulder. The one optic'd Decepticon visibly flinched away. "They simply don't like me. But don't worry. They won't listen to a word you say."

"Never."

Abruptly, Alpha Quintesson turned; blaster in one hand. He pulled the trigger, shooting Bumblebee in the chassis.

Bumblebee jerked away automatically as the bolt streaked toward him. It hit him in the chassis, burning away circuitry and wires. His processor felt like it was splitting apart as the Decepticons screamed in his head. That hurt more than the actual shot itself, which was Bumblebee was betting Alpha Quintesson had intended.

'Language! I can do the rest.' Soundwave shouted at him, before fading from his mind. That probably wasn't a good thing. But language?

'Ratbat!' Soundwave didn't seem to be doing much better, acting as if he had been shot with a high-power blaster. Bumblebee wasn't sure of Ratbat's intelligence. 'We have to think of a plan. Now.'

"Help me." Alpha Quintesson was saying to Soundwave. "Or else I will kill him."

"No."

This time, the shot hurt a lot more. Bumblebee's body seized up as the energy bolt hit him at close range. Ratbat screamed in his head for Soundwave to come back.

The Quintesson paused, probably letting his prisoners recover before beginning another round. He leaned over Soundwave, snarling something indecipherable.

Bumblebee looked away from Soundwave, Shockwave and Alpha Quintesson, to the shadows. A mech stood swathed in darkness, but his distinctive black and white paintjob was painfully visible.

Barricade. Bumblebee thanked Primus the Interceptor was under some kind of mind control. His processor whirled, trying to piece together the plan that would get them out of here.

Focus, he silently commanded himself. His scanners couldn't detect any of the revived Cybertronians, which meant they were equipped with either extremely advanced shielding, or were not really online.

Ratbat screamed in his mind again as Alpha Quintesson began speaking quietly to Soundwave again. The silver mech shook his helm firmly, apparently at a loss for words.

So it was some kind of processor-control. Maybe—

Words. Language…

Bumblebee's processor nearly blew out at his revelation. If he only could be sure that this would work, otherwise he knew he was going to go offline.

Alpha Quintesson was walking toward him, stopping only when he bent to unlatch Bumblebee's spark chamber, revealing two dimming Sparks.

"One last chance, Soundwave. You tell me or on Unicron's Spark I will kill them."

'What're you gonna do?' Ratbat asked halfheartedly. The Autobot could sense the other's Spark was fading quickly. He had to act quickly or Soundwave would kill him. Somehow.

"Shockwave. Barricade. Wheeljack." Bumblebee said. In Cybertronian.

They turned to look at him. Alpha Quintesson and Soundwave stared at them, then at him.

"Listen to me," Bumblebee said quickly. "Release Soundwave and myself. Then apprehend Alpha Quintesson."

The Quintesson snarled as he realized what Bumblebee had done.

Even if their Sparks were gone, their processors still recognized their native tongue. And if Soundwave was making them listen…this just might work.

Barricade, the Autobot had never been happy to see the Interceptor, but certainly was now; quickly cut the bonds that restrained Bumblebee, dropping the Camaro onto the floor. Ratbat whimpered pathetically as Bumblebee tried to stand.

'Just hold on for a little longer.' Bumblebee tried to reassure the smaller Decepticon, finally standing and making his way to Soundwave. 'I'll get you back. Somehow.'

Soundwave had been released by Shockwave, who was aiming a blaster at one of Alpha Quintesson's faces. The Decepticon spymaster had not gotten up.

Bumblebee felt the other Cybertronian begin to try and attach itself to his Spark, perhaps sensing that his creator was going to go offline very soon.

'Stop! I'll get you out of here.' Bumblebee wasn't sure if their Sparks could be separated if they fused together completely.

'I can't help it!' Bumblebee was losing control as the younger Spark fought for control over his body.

"Soundwave!" Bumblebee knelt beside the fallen Decepticon, shouting into his audio receptor. "Please please – make him stop!"

He must have gone into stasis for a cycle or two because when his optics onlined, Shockwave was looking down at him.

"We must move in order to avoid termination."

Barricade hauled up the Scout with one arm. Bumblebee noticed Ratbat was gone – but where? Was his Spark gone, or was he waiting for a better opportunity to take over? Though the other Cybertronian had sounded young, he was still a Decepticon spy, and probably knew it was in his interests to wait for another opportunity.

"One day I'll kill you, Autobot. But for this joor…truce?"

Bumblebee nodded shortly, taking note to remain cautious of the Interceptor anyway. "Why do we have to leave?"

"Unicron is becoming sentient once again. Alpha Quintesson is in no condition to control his creation."

"Who-"

Soundwave stood above the broken body of the Quintesson. Though Bumblebee could not see an immediate cause of death, the spymaster looked far too smug for his own good.

"What did you do?" Bumblebee asked as they exited the room.

"Termination." Soundwave replied shortly.

"I can see that. But why?"

Soundwave gave him a look, and Bumblebee knew it was a stupid question.

"Okay. How is…he?"

"Recovering." Shockwave had led them to the computer room.

"You need to access Unicron's CPU," Shockwave was saying to Soundwave. "Divert his course from Cybertron if you can. There is a higher possibility of success if you can slow him down. Disable the security."

"Understood." Soundwave sat at one of the consoles and began to work, leaving the rest of the Cybertronians to stand guard.

Wheeljack stood beside Bumblebee.

"What has happened?" the blue Mercedes asked.

"We were supposed to be going back to Cybertron, but Unicron came here to reanimate the bodies from Chicago." Bumblebee was unsure how much of the scientist's personality actually remained in his processor. He spoke like Wheeljack, but his movements were completely different. As the humans would say, he moved like a robot.

"And the war?"

"It's over. For now." something moved in the far right side of his vision.

"The defenses are warming up." Shockwave said.

The silver wall to Bumblebee's right seemed to melt, revealing a dark faceless mech stepping out, followed by three other, smaller, beings.

"Unicron's guard." Wheeljack said. "Ready your weapons, Bumblebee."

The Scout primed his cannons, ready to fire at the black figures. He noticed Barricade and Shockwave had done the same.

"Course diverted." Soundwave said. "Unicron is heading for Saturn to refuel."

"You mean he's going to eat it."

"Affirmative. It is a slow process and should take approximately thirty stellar cycles."

Bumblebee's Spark sank. If Unicron was completely refueled, Cybertron was good as dead.

"Is there anything else we can do?" Bumblebee shot one of the smaller mechs in the shoulder. It seemed unfazed and continued forward, even as Shockwave blasted him in half. "Like disable the guards?"

"Impossible." Soundwave intoned. "I have disabled security in certain areas. Suggestion: retreat to these areas and recover."

Bumblebee looked to Shockwave and Wheeljack for confirmation that this was a Good Idea. They simply stared at him.

"Let's go."

Reviews, please?