Feminine Troubles Ch. 16
Disclaimer: I own nada, except a couple of minor characters on Cybertron, and am merely doing this for laughs. This story is not for young'uns.
Well, I've stumbled back from vacation in a haze of jet lag, and found a new place to live. Hopefully I'll manage to do some writing in between rounds of packing. Here, have a much belated update!
Check out fan art for this fic from Merrypaws and Nagging Fishwife! They're fabuuuu.
"Greetings, Autobot Prowl." He said, gesturing to the table he had prepared, two cubes of good midgrade waiting on it. The high, curving windows of the old brick warehouse let in plenty of afternoon light, making the place seem bright and cozy. It was empty, but clean, mostly due to the efforts of Rumble and Frenzy, who had been on punishment detail after gluing a "frag me" sign onto Starscream's aft.
"Soundwave: very glad you have come."
The tactician tilted her head at him, her gaze cool and assessing. "You indicated that you wished to discuss a possible end to hostilities between our factions."
"Affirmative. Peace Desired. Autobot change a sign from Primus. Also, tired of conflict. Other ways, now a possibility." He gestured towards his little peace offering, giving a mental command to a nearby machine, which started playing soft music, a simple, ancient piece from long before the so-called Golden Age of Cybertron.
He knew it was one of her favorites.
The black and white tactician nodded, almost to herself. "You think that now there is a chance for an end to the war? Why? Because of our change? The Decepticons were the aggressors in the first place.
"Situation: not so simple."
"True. Many of your grievances were valid. But your oppressors are all dead now. We were civilians once, innocents. But we became warriors. Long before our current change there was that transformation, and unlike our alt forms, it is not so easily altered."
"Understood. Autobots changed to survive, to fight. Decepticons, also capable of change."
Prowl tilted her graceful head, the crimson chevron adorning her helm catching the golden light. Her cool blue optics were intense. A less self-assured mech might have squirmed under that gaze, but Soundwave was used to being glared at by seekers, and he could handle it. "We would require assurances. The Decepticons were well named. You are skilled in deceit, treachery. For all we know, this could be another of Megatron's plans." She said.
"Megatron's plan: currently involves causing Optimus Prime to overload many, many times. Harm, no longer intended"
The black and white femme's lip components quirked in an adorable, skeptical little smile. "And am I to believe that the leader of the Decepticons plans an honorable courtship and an equal partnership with the leader of the Autobots? Conquest and domination have always been Megatron's goal."
"Megatron's aim, still conquest." Soundwave said, then hesitated slightly. He preferred to not criticize his leader most of the time, but in this case he was willing to make an exception.
"Autobot whiles effective on Decepticons. Seekers, willing to be lead by femmes. Prime will naturally dominate in any spark bond. Inevitable." He explained, trying to get his point across. Megatron might think that he would be dominant in a relationship with the Prime, but the reality would be far different.
Optimus Prime was the chosen bearer of the Matrix, and all of Soundwave's research indicated that any Cybertronian, mech or femme, who was even slightly susceptible would fall under such a being's sway. And now that Megatron had realized that he wanted to frag the Prime and have sparklings with her rather than kill her in single combat, he had joined the ranks of those who would fall under the Matrix Bearer's spell.
Optimus was a far better Prime than Sentinel had been, forged over eons of battle but still capable of gentleness and compassion. If it had been Sentinel in this position, Soundwave would have assassinated her before she was able to take control of Megatron's spark.
Prowl's expression was cool and calculating. "And you, Soundwave? What is it that you wish to gain from ending the war and forging an alliance?
"Soundwave, desires family unit. Lovers, offspring. Restoration of homeworld."
Blue optics narrowed. "You want Jazz."
"Jazz and Prowl, integrated unit. Circumstance understood. Soundwave will not attempt to damage relationship." He certainly had not intention of coming between the two femmes, except in the most literal and physical way possible. He suppressed a shiver of longing.
"Autobot Prowl, honored and formidable opponent. Greatly respected. Also, lovely."
The femme's expression was bemused. "Are you saying you wish to court us both?" She asked, her optical guard ridges raised.
"Affirmative." Soundwave answered. He was more than a little nervous at making such a bald admission, and he would not have said such a thing to Jazz, but Prowl was more likely to weigh all the factors before doing something rash. Like rejecting him. Or sliding a laser blade through a gap in his armor and into his processor or spark.
"Interesting." Prowl said. "I see why you wished to speak to me alone. Jazz tends to be…highly skeptical of Decepticon motives."
Well, the TIC of the Autobots wasn't trying to shoot him or frantically calling for rescue at least. Soundwave considered that a positive sign. "Decepticon motives: highly situational." He explained. "Example, Starscream. Prior highest priority, dominance struggle with Megatron."
"Not commanding the Decepticons?" Prowl couldn't help but ask.
"Negative" Soundwave assured her. "Struggle and plotting, enjoyable to both Megatron and Starscream. Integral to personality matrixes. Also, non-standard type of foreplay."
"I…see." Said Prowl. "And what is Starscream's current aim? In your opinion?"
"Suggestion: sit. Partake of energon. Discuss current political situation." Soundwave suggested. It seemed to take eons before Powl nodded thoughtfully, and seated herself at the table he had prepared. Soundwave relaxed. She was going to give him a chance, at least to prove himself a reasonable being. That could lead to him also being granted a chance to demonstrate why he was the most sought-after lover in the Earth-based Decepticon ranks.
The two commanders talked, and verbally sparred, for hours, and when they parted, Prowl had a distinctly thoughtful look on her face plates.
Soundwave didn't know if she had appreciated the music, but he felt that progress had been made.
Dirge knew it was pathetic, and possibly pointless, but he was staking out a side rout away from the Autobot base anyway. It lead up into the surrounding hills, and was frequented by the smaller and more maneuverable ground-based Autobots.
He had bribed Laserbeak to tell him what Cliffjumper's favorite recreational driving road was, and was now hanging around in an ambush ready spot along it, hoping to have the good luck to spot the little red femme. The granite and quartz boulders that he was crouched behind would provide good camouflage from a driver coming from the Ark.
He heard the distant sound of engines, and tensed, training every sensor he had on the road beneath his vantage point.
He was therefore taken by surprise when the barrel of an oversized weapon was pressed to his helm and a husky feminine voice said: "Well, look what I found. A Seeker, caught off his guard."
There was a positively wicked little smile on Cliffjumper's face-plates as she purred up at him "were you planning something nefarious, Decepticon?"
"If I say yes, will the fearsome Autobot warrior who captured me be willing to punish me again?" He asked hopefully. "I brought appropriately-sized manacles for you to use."
The smile widened. "That's all right." Cliffjumper said. "I have my own."
Perceptor, Wheeljack, Hoist and Grapple were all in one of the larger labs, along with a scaled-down version of a Decepticon Space Bridge. Skyfire was uncharacteristically napping. After the third time the shuttle had dropped something or hit a wing on a bot or object in the room, Hoist had told her to go recharge before she tripped on something and caused major havoc. After all, having Wheeljack in the room was dangerous enough without adding risk factors.
Perceptor was halfway inside the device to recalibrate some of the navigational matrices when one of those risk factors showed herself.
Namely, Grimlock came in looking for the more convivial of her parental figures. "Mama Wheeljack!" She declared, gigantic fanged jaws parting in a happy grin. Me Grimlock learned new sparring move from her Ironhide! Him Daniel say it cool. Want to see?"
The engineer, showing unusually good self- preservation programming and excellent parenting skills, immediately came to pet her creation's muzzle and praise the young Dinobot.
"Excellent, Grimlock!" Wheeljack said, her vocal indicators flashing brightly. "I am very glad to hear that you and Ironhide are getting along. I have to work now, but maybe you could show me what you learned after duty shift?"
"Yes Mama Wheeljack!" The gigantic Dinosaur boomed. "Me Grimlock happy to show her Wheeljack. Would show her Ratchet, too, but not allowed into med bay when patients are there unless injured." A look of affront crossed that massive face. "Me didn't mean to bash little flying bot with tail that time."
"I know, Grim." Wheeljack said soothingly. "Windcharger wasn't mad after you explained that it was an accident, but Ratchet is right, we shouldn't bother her when she's working. That could result in a mech, I mean femme, being seriously hurt by accident. Now, I'll meet you in the rec room after my shift?"
"Okay, me see you then, Mama." Answered the metallic Tyrannosaur. She turned to leave (to the relief of all present in the equipment filled room) and unfortunately, accident struck. Grimlock's heavy tail jostled a shelving unit, which caused a haphazardly- placed storage container to tumble onto a roll of polymer sheeting, which flipped out of the box it had been stood up in, and crashed onto an outlying piece of the almost- complete machinery, which Perceptor was still half inside of.
Somehow, it activated the bridge.
There was a long-yet instantaneous tank churning moment of weightlessness followed by a sudden tumble from a several meter height out into nothingness, and a sudden slam into unforgiving ground.
Perceptor looked up at the burnt-out, acid rotted ruins surrounding her, and reached down to trail her fingers in the ash beneath her knees. Cybertron's nighttime sky stretched endlessly above her, no city lights to block out sight of the stars above. Directly ahead was a structure she recognized as Shockwave's main headquarters.
"Oh, frag me." She said feelingly.