ughm... I have slightly rewritten the end of chapter 3, cause I got aware that Shockwave being sparked slave, would not have a name back then. More memories... like happy sparks in darkness. Italic means memories within memories.

Please comment :)

Shockwave needed to power down. He really needed that. Already he felt his reaction slowing, his focus slipping away, his emotional level rising. He'd been working on an alternate navigation system for Soundwave for two cycles without a pause and it took him one more to perform the surgery. Now his partner's vitals were stable but it still remained to be seen if his solution worked.

Partway through the operation, Megatron showed up. The gladiator was exhausted and had several small energon leaks, apparent by the stains on his armor. Most logical assumption was, he had suffered the consequences for his disobedience and was now sent in for repair. At the sight of Shockwave performing fine operation on the flyer's head and neck area, the gladiator chose not to make his request and stayed in the corner watching for as long as it took the tech to finish. His presence inspired irrational fury spin through Shockwave's systems, but he assigned it zero priority and ignored the untimely feeling together with the one that caused it.

As Soundwave's reconstructed face mask – now a multifunctional visor, - clicked into place and got connected to the complex machinery underneath, Shockwave studied his patient's vitals intently before straightening up and turning to Megatron. There was nothing he could to for Soundwave now. The rest was up to her self-repair Nanos.

For a few clicks the mechs regarded each other. "I require repair" – finally Megatron was the one to break the silence. Emotions swirled in Shockwave's circuits and he let them swirl. The steely mech was the one to break his mate, yet the steely mech was also the one to save her spark. Soundwave issued the challenge herself. And yet he seemed to blame the gladiator for not losing the fight. Most illogical.

"Help me put.. him… on the recharge berth" he said, once again deprioritizing emotions. Carefully they moved the immobile violet chassis onto Shockwave's recharge area and the later activated the field that would hopefully provide a boost to the healing speed.

As the tech then worked on patching up Megatron's energon circulation, the gladiator suddenly spoke up: "I'm not the one you should hate for this".

Shockwave paused and gave him a glance "Hate is illogical"

For a while there was only silence. Shockwave was patching up a leak right under the right side of Megatron's chest plates, the later twisting his head so he could see the tech's hands. "You are not med class" – he stated "yet your skill is amazing. You are wasted here"

Shockwave chose to ignore it, he was never in for social chatting.

"What did you do before?"

This one also fell on deaf audial.

"Maybe you should let your mate go to scrap" - the tone slightly changed and Shockwave looked up to find Megatron looking at Soundwave. The statement was implying and his initial reflex was to correct the mech, but he recognized the provocation and turned back to his work hoping that ignoring Megatron would make him finally stop talking.

Hoping was illogical.

"With fights for scrap there are no chances to reach buyout. Letting him go with the hope might be mercy" – said the gladiator, his optics still fixed on the recharge area.

This time Shockwave answered "The chances were always too low to consider or put faith in."

He finished with the side and turned to the last wound – on Megatron's leg. His patient seemed to finally quiet down, but the silence illogically unnerved the tired tech. So this time he was the one to speak: "What did you tell Soundwave on the arena?"

"The truth"

Shockwave finished and rose to meet Megatron's gaze "And the truth is…"

"Freedom cannot be bought, it can be taken by force only" – the words reverberated through Shockwave's core, resonating with something he couldn't really put a name to. He found himself transfixed, but the next words broke the spell "And I'm not the one who holds the key to his freedom. Or yours. Or mine"

Shockwave really needed to power down. His thoughts were rolling in unpleasant circles between memories and assumptions. Megatron had gone long ago, escorted away by a guard. Shockwave's berth was occupied by Soundwave, and though they fit there together, the tech didn't want to harm his unconscious mate with a careless movement.

He could go off to Soundwave's berth in the commons, but that would mean leaving her side and she might online any moment. Shockwave had to be there to explain her predicament. Whether the operation was a success or failure, he had redefined her very existence. Just like she had his.

The cheer was deafening. Shockwave felt dark anticipation flowing through his energon circuits. He had never thought they would climb this far up the tournament table. His partner eased tension in her wings, moving them slightly and said "Hate the noise".

"Part of trade" – he answered instantly. This small dialogue repeating at the beginning of their every fight was quickly becoming a signature.

He felt her smiling before they both turned 100% of their attention to their opponents. Two red-and-yellow mechs, almost too bright on the optics, entered the arena. A miner and a jet, no less. The vehicon rolled smoothly in his alt form, his slow movements clearly belying his agility. The jet made a circle above and transformed above his assigned position. The public cheered even louder, impossible as it first might seem. Current pit champion duo sure had a lot of fans.

"You take the jet, I get the grounder" – Soundwave said, studying their opponents. "How am I supposed to take the jet?" – Shockwave let his surprise on the proposed tactics show. For a flyer-and-vehicon duos, it was a custom to fight correspondingly. Switching the tactics was logical as it could achieve give them the element of surprise. But how was he supposed to take down someone able to stay out of reach forever?

"I'll toss him down" – the flyer said just as the arena boss waved one of his tentacles and a siren sounded.

Both flyers immediately surged upwards. The vehicon started with screeching wheels toward Shockwave's unmoving figure.

Shockwave waited for him to close the distance and leapt up at the very last moment, transforming on the fly and landing on top of the wrecker, his crawlers denting the roof. The mech rushed from under him and transformed, turning to swing his mallet at the crawler. Shockwave put some distance between them before transforming back and bracing to meet his heavier opponent. They were about same height, but the tech' contact scrambler was no match to the chassis-breaking mallet his opponent was swinging with a practiced ease. Even if he managed to scramble the appendage, it still would be crushing into him with the same force.

Evade and tease was the tactics. Shockwave ducked under the swing and kicked the miner's leading knee pad, causing him to grunt. Falling back to evade the back swipe of the mallet, Shockwave swung to the left, using the bigger mech's inertia against him and aiming to scramble his shoulder. The plates held a blow.

This time the back swing caught him. Falling left, he transformed and sprinted away.

"BOOO" the public didn't like that much.

A high pitched whistle that usually accompanied Sounwave's speed flight was the only clue he got. Soundwave transformed on the fly and landed in the center of the arena, her feelers clasping the struggling jet. With a mighty swing, the violet gladiator turned and tossed the jet into the ground.

Shockwave's alt form rushed to the fallen flyer, jumping and landing on top of the mech before he could get up. Soundwave stepped in between the two fighting in dust and the advancing miner.

Shockwave scrambled the wings, then got a kick at his midsection and released the jet. He was no flyer for the next couple of minutes and that should suffice. Confused by his now numb wings, the jet was no challenge.

At some time, the red –and-yellow met a smart decision and stopped getting up, thus yielding.

Shockwave turned to help his mate only to find that no help was required – the miner was a heap of spare parts leaking energon and spitting curses from under her foot on his chest plates.

The siren sounded, drowned out by the excruciatingly loud cheering from the mob. Soundwave raised her head and arm up in a victory gesture.

For once, she didn't seem to mind the noise.