Dangerous Decisions

"A groundbridge was opened somewhere near this location."

Arcee looked at Wheeljack with a frown accentuating her faceplates, the femme's helm tilting ever so slightly as she followed after the white, green and red wrecker in search of an explanation for his theory. "Ratchet didn't say that. He said-"

"That there was an energy surge. A surge of an exact power? Groundbridge." Half-turning to look over his shoulder to give his companion a little smile, "impressed?"

"Hardly." Arcee responded with a soft snort as she carefully placed her pedes in the snowy mountainside, testing for stability before risking her full weight. "Alright then, why would someone open a groundbridge out here? Ratchet read no autobot or decepticon activity, so how do you explain that?" The two-wheeler questioned, Wheeljack snorting.

Silence fell for a few moments as the larger mech seemingly thought of his response. "Perhaps they intended to use it, but then opted out at the last second." Wheeljack decided, Arcee rolling her optics. "That's a little hard to believe. Even if they have more than enough energon, Megatron wouldn't waste it like that."

Wheeljack looked over his shoulder again, though this time he didn't stop. "Maybe it wasn't ol' bucket head that used it." He retaliated, the smaller autobot not responding this time.

Travelling up the mountainside, Arcee almost missed the dark shape -half covered in snow from the night winds- nearby. Glancing at her temporary partner, the slim autobot transformed one servo into a blaster, the other directing the scanner at the dark heap.

A faint signal showed up, blinking so quietly the autobots could barely hear it, but it was Decepticon.

"Think it's a trick?" Arcee questioned softly, Wheeljack shrugging as he wandered closer. "Only one way to find out-" the larger autobot slid in the snow, landing hard on his side with a grunt, the overpowering scent of energon reaching them now as Arcee rushed over to ensure he hadn't been attacked.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, just slipped. I'll be good in a klik."

"Wheeljack?"

"What?" Wheeljack asked, turning towards Arcee now, still brushing snow from his shoulders. The wrecker tensed up when he noticed how wary the femme had become, immediately on high alert.

"It's Soundwave."


"And you just found him lying in the snow?"

"Yessir." Wheeljack responded, giving a shrug. "Maybe ol' bucket head got tired of his favourite toy." He added, ignoring the disapproving look he received from Ultra Magnus.

Optimus Prime's gaze was directed at the tall form laid out over the medbay berth, Ratchet hovering nearby as he set up monitors and grabbed different tools in an attempt to save Soundwave's life. Something none of them had ever dreamed of doing. What bothered him -and most likely every other autobot- was why Soundwave was so badly damaged. Was it Megatron? A mutiny? Or were there new autobots they didn't know about?

"Whatever happened, you've done the right thing in bringing Soundwave here. Until he comes online, we will not know what happened to him." The red and blue prime finally announced, turning aside to leave the medbay, that being everyone else's que to leave Ratchet to his work.

The medic was never one to mess with when a patient's life -regardless of what sigil they wore- was in the balance.


"He's stable for now, but I'm not sure it will last."

Optimus Prime was silent as he stood nearby the medical berth Soundwave lay on, Ratchet still working on some minor repairs. It was sickening, seeing such a powerful enemy laid out helpless and weak beneath the fingers of an enemy medic. He wasn't sure if that feeling came from the matrix, or from whatever part of Orion Pax still remained.

"His injuries are extensive, and that's without the possibility of rust infection." Ratchet was still talking, the red and blue mech listening silently as his old friend ranted on about the state Soundwave had been found in. "Not to mention the possibilities of processor damage!"

That caught Optimus' attention, the prime looking up with a deep frown. "You think he's damaged his processor?" He questioned, surprised. Soundwave had to have the strongest CPU of any other Cybertronian! How could he be damaged there…? Unless it wasn't from a failed hacking attempt.

Ratchet vented softly, looking up from his work. "From what I can tell, Soundwave took multiple blunt force injuries to his frame before the initial stab wound. After that, all I can tell is that he had an extensive fall." The medic shook his helm. "As well as how he's been talking throughout the entire procedure, and his movements have been rather erratic."

"What has he said?"

Looking up, Ratchet frowned in thought, trying to remember exactly what Soundwave had repeated over and over again during the extensive repairs he'd made. "Solis. Solis Arcana." He finally responded, shrugging.

Optimus Prime studied Soundwave's exposed faceplates. Much of it had been shattered and broken when he'd been brought in, but now it was covered in fresh welding marks amongst the array of scarring. "A prayer to his chosen Prime?" The autobot leader asked softly, immediately connecting the name "Solis" to that of one of the thirteen original primes named Solus.

This time Ratchet didn't look up, the old medic still bent over Soundwave as he studied his handiwork and ensured that he hadn't missed anything in his initial scans. "I don't believe so. I don't doubt that Solis Arcana is a name, but I don't believe Soundwave was ever a religious sort. Or he's started some strange ritualistic beliefs since we last saw him." The orange and white mech added with a shrug.

Watching the old medic, Optimus knew that Ratchet was keeping something to himself. "And what do you believe this Solis Arcana to be? Or why Soundwave seems so adamant on saying it?" Prime questioned softly, not missing the way the other mech paused in his examination of Soundwave's side plating.

Ratchet vented softly as he looked up, supporting his weight against the berth as cyan blue optics locked with Optimus'. "From what I've observed of Soundwave during the repairs and what my scanners could pick up, I believe him to be sparkbonded. Recently enough that he can't fully mask the energy output, but old enough that it would be impossible to undo." The medic explained quietly, looking greatly disturbed.

Shock ran through Optimus Prime's frame, the massive semi-truck startled at the news. "How old do you believe the bond to be?" He immediately asked, Ratchet shrugging. "Anywhere from one to three megacycles."

Silence fell over the medbay as Optimus found himself almost unable to speak, the tall mech staring at Ratchet in disbelief as he struggled to find the words he needed for his next question. "No femmes have been on Earth besides Arcee and Airachnid. Neither of whom would bond with Soundwave. Do you believe there to be another?"

Ratchet looked up at his leader with a concerned gaze. "I believe there to be a new arrival, and this-" he motioned to Soundwave's nearly irreparable frame- "was an attempt to destroy the competition. An attempt at the only way to destroy a sparkbond."

The shock that filled the room was broken only by the shuffling of Smokescreen, Optimus turning around to face the group of autobots that had arrived in the medbay some time during his conversation with Ratchet. All of them looked horrified.

Who would attempt to kill off a mech in order to get to the then-helpless mate?

A monitor alarm sounded, Optimus turning around in time to watch Soundwave arch up off the medberth, the tall, lithe mech lashing out at the closest mech. Ratchet.


Soundwave couldn't see. He couldn't hear.

Everything hurt.

He was under water… drowning.

Someone was there… He could hear the whispers of voices.

Soundwave crashed online, voicebox clicking in a feeble attempt to engage, the decepticon swiping at his own faceplates in an attempt to clear his vision of the colored smudges.

A touch to the decepticon's shoulder had Soundwave spinning around to claw at his attacker, pain exploding through his frame, but he ignored it.

Solis! Where is Solis?

Soundwave made a pitiful noise of distress when powerful arms wrapped around him and slammed him back down onto whatever surface he was lying on, the thin mech thrashing in a desperate attempt to escape.

The voices were becoming a little more clearer now.

"...shouldn't be awake…"

"...dangerous…."

"He's too weak…."

"Don't….my repairs…."

Soundwave was confused as his audio receptors activated, his voicebox coming online as his optical feeds cleared, allowing him to scream as he attempted to squirm out from underneath whoever was pinning him. Someone heavier and larger than him. Dreadwing? Predaking? Where was he?

"Soundwave!"

That didn't sound like any Decepticon he'd met.

Something pinned his pedes down to keep them from kicking… Funny, he didn't remember kicking.

"SOUNDWAVE!"

Blinking, Soundwave flinched away from the bright lighting above him as he was finally able to make out the faces above him. Ratchet and Optimus Prime.

Just as quickly as his processor marked the two down as enemies, Soundwave's frame relaxed as if he'd just woken up in the company of good friends. "Solis…."

"Can you hear me, Soundwave?"

Overbright, lavender optics locked onto the speaker. Ratchet. Silently, Soundwave gave a brief nod. The fact that his faceplates were uncovered in the presence of his greatest enemies didn't bother the mech, and that fact seemed to bother the autobots even more.

He wasn't the Soundwave they remembered.

"What happened to you, Soundwave?"

Squinting, Soundwave identified the new asker as Optimus Prime. "Mega...Megatron." He choked out, voicebox rasping as if the delicate plates were grinding against one another. They probably were…

"Solis…" The dark colored decepticon repeated, the mechs above his helm exchanging glances. "Who is Solis Arcana, Soundwave?"

Venting tiredly, Soundwave attempted to shrug, but the effort was too great for him. "Mate… Megat...Megatron's intended...mate." He mumbled, lifting a servo to attempt to push Optimus' servos away from his shoulders, Ratchet quick to grab a hold of it and pin it back down to the medbay berth.

Optimus looked up at Ratchet, reading the same confusion and concern in the optics of the mech across from him as he leaned in closer to the nearly incoherent Soundwave. "Can you explain it to us, Soundwave?" He asked softly.

"Solis Ar… Solis intended as…. Megatron's mate… Soundwave, appointed guard…"

Why was it so hard to form the words? He knew what he wanted to say!

"Solis… I… We fell in love… Bonded, against Megatron's… wishes…" Soundwave's helm tilted slightly as he looked up at the prime above him. "Soundwave… betrayed… Megatron, angered…"

A brief shred of coherency came then, Soundwave jerking on the table as he ground his denta together. "Please! Please you must save her!" He pleaded, voice breaking as his spark was nearly rent in two with a sudden jolt of terror, pain, and fear. "Solis… My mate… Please…"

Consciousness left him then, the autobots stepping away from the lax form as the beeping of the monitors returned to a steady rhythm.

Optimus Prime was the first to speak. "Contact Megatron," he ordered, turning away from the unconscious Decepticon. "Tell him I'd like to speak with him."