Solis was certain that she was dreaming, strange mechs appearing above her, talking amongst themselves as she was carried through the halls. Why wasn't she in Megatron's rooms? She never left the warlord's berthrooms, even for medical care. The medics always came to her.
She had thought she had heard Soundwave's voice earlier, but that was just her dreams… He was dead. Run through with the sword of the mech he'd served for millennial.
Who were these mechs again?
Solis stared up at them through half-shut optics, focused mainly on the red and blue mech nearby. Who was that? She'd never seen him before…
Closing her optics again, Solis didn't respond to all the voices calling to her. She was so tired…
When Solis opened her optics again, it was too bright lighting and a room she wasn't at all familiar with. Where was she? This most certainly wasn't Lord Megatron's quarters.
"Hello?" It was weak, almost a whisper, but someone heard it. Pedesteps sounded and an orange and white mech appeared at her side, a ragged look on his faceplates. He looked exhausted.
Solis opened her mouth to ask where she was, but the mech held a digit up to his lips. "Shhh." He whispered softly, a pained smile spreading over his lip components. "It's alright. You've been through a lot. I want you to rest, alright?"
Managing a weak nod, Solis fell silent as the medic worked on her, but she so desperately hated it. Every touch, no matter how light and gentle, had her wanting to scream as memories of cold, clawed servos clawed their way into her mind. Memories of the torture and abuse she'd faced over the weeks that she had been imprisoned on the Nemesis.
"Soundwave…? I thought I… Heard him…" Solis whispered, turning her helm towards the medic.
The medic paused in his work, casting the crimson femme a quick glance. "Soundwave was… Captured when he went to rescue you… We're working on it." He responded, moving to slip an arm under the femme's head, helping her sit as he held a cube of energon to her lips. "Drink this."
Solis tried to drink, but choked, the medic pulling the cube away as the femme began to cough. "I thought you'd be ready." The white and orange mech stated, adding a mumbled apology. There was something in his voice, something that Solis didn't like.
Before Solis had onlined, the autobots had received a comm from an unknown individual. The mech on the other end -unseen in the shadows- had used something to conceal his voice. He'd made an offer to the autobots. He would help them infiltrate the Nemesis and rescue Soundwave. On one condition: they brought him back with them.
The team hadn't been sure what to do about the mysterious caller, but Optimus had ultimately decided that they wouldn't get a better chance at rescuing Soundwave. So they had taken the chance. Now they had concealed themselves within the cargo hold of the Nemesis to await the arrival of their unknown ally.
"Why are we doing this?" Arcee whispered sharply from where she crouched behind crates of energon, obviously on edge.
Optimus Prime glanced towards the two-wheeler, the mech remaining silent for several moments before speaking again. "Soundwave has made mistakes, but loving someone isn't one of them." The blue and red mech added softly. "He came to us for aid. Now we can give it."
"What if it's a trap?" Bulkhead barely finished the question before the bay doors slid open, setting the autobots on alert, blasters whirring in preparation as they waited.
A small, purple mech appeared, faceplates concealed with the mask of a Vehicon Miner. He moved to stand directly in front of the towering crates. "I'm your contact."
Frowning deeply, Optimus Prime stood to his full height, moving around the crates to study the tiny mech, the others following in his wake.
"A vehicon? How do we know that this guy isn't a monitored drone?" Bulkhead questioned, the vehicon turning his helm towards the wrecker, silent for several moments before reaching up to unclasp his facemask. "Maybe because we're not all drones like you believe us to be. We think like you. We have names, past lives."
The autobots stared in surprise as the mask came off to reveal a real faceplate. There were two sets of red optics, smooth faceplates, chiseled features, and a raised welding scar under one optic. "I am St3v3. Better known as Steve amongst my companions."
"Steve? What kind of a name is that?" Bulkhead questioned, Bumblebee beeping a soft response.
Looking up at the group, Steve frowned deeply. "Do you want my help to get Soundwave off this ship or not?" He questioned, helm tilting slightly.
"We do," Optimus spoke up now, voice firm. "Where can we find Soundwave?"
Clipping his facemask back on, Steve turned his faceplates upwards. "For now, he's in Megatron's throne room. He will be moved in a few kliks to the medbay. We will intercept them." With that, the vehicon turned away and headed back towards the bay doors, the autobots following after him.
Heading out into the hall, the autobots followed after their small informant, Steve moving rapidly as he checked each corner before passing. Distant voices reached them, sounded first like whispers in the wind, but they got louder the further they went.
Finally, Steve pressed his backstrut against the wall, motioning for the others to do the same.
The group remained as still as possible as the voices gradually got louder, accompanied by the sound of metal scraping against metal.
Optimus' brow furrowed as he listened, unsure of exactly what the sound meant until vehicons appeared, dragging a familiar form behind them.
Soundwave…
Moving quickly, Steve motioned for the others to follow him out. "We've got it now." He announced, the two vehicons looking towards him before slowing their pace and dropping Soundwave's legs to the ground.
The autobots had been prepared to fight, the sudden lack of one sending them off balance.
"We need to get him off the ship," Steve was saying, motioning down the hall. "Make sure no one finds out their on board." He ordered, the other two vehicons nodding before they headed back off down the hall.
Bulkhead moved around Optimus to pick up Soundwave, the battered mech fitting almost perfectly in the wrecker's arms.
"How much time do we have?" Arcee spoke up as they headed back down the hall, though not back the way they'd come.
Steve glanced over his shoulder at the group, silent for a few moments. "We have as much time as it would usually take them to reach the medbay. We don't have much time."
Arcee stopped in the middle of the hall now, watching the mech with suspicion. "Why are you helping us? How do we not know that you're going to lead us into a trap?" She questioned, the others stopping now as they all looked at the smallest mech for his response.
"I'm not doing this for you," Steve responded calmly, still moving down the hall at a steady pace. "I'm doing this for Solis Arcana."
There were so many unanswered questions, but before anyone could attempt to question the vehicon any further, the alarms went off, lights flashing in every hall as the group took off towards the room with the spacebridge.
Optimus and Bumblbee pushed the doors shut, Arcee shooting out the console as Steve headed over to the spacebridge controls, typing in a set of coordinates. "We'll have a klik before re-inforcements get here, and not all of them are friends of mine." The vehicon announced as the spacebridge powered up.
"Wait, where does this go?" Arcee demanded, jerking her helm towards the spacebridge.
"It will take you to your base in Nevada." Steve answered calmly. "Not to worry, once this closes, it will be untraceable." He added, heading off into the swirl of colours, vanishing in a matter of moments.
Stunned, the autobots followed after him, the bridge closing behind them as they stepped out into the medbay.
"How did you know where are base was?" Arcee demanded now, recovering first as she confronted the purple mech.
Venting softly, Steve turned towards the femme, not even flinching as she got up in his faceplates. "Myself and my group of close companions know exactly where to find your base. Have for eons, but it was never within our interests to inform the Decepticons." He answered softly, jerking his helm towards Soundwave. "Now, if you're done questioning me, why don't you take care of him?"
Arcee stared at him for several moments before slowly backing off, Bulkhead moving to set Soundwave down on a nearby berth, Ratchet moving to care for him now.
As the medic began to work, Optimus Prime turned his attention onto Solis. The crimson femme seemed to be recharging, and she'd been cleaned up. Moving up beside Ratchet, Optimus glanced down at the badly damaged Soundwave. So much had changed the past few weeks.
"How is Solis?"
Ratchet didn't pause in his work, but there was a flicker in his optics when he glanced up at his leader. "Fine. Although there's some complications that I wasn't able to find until recently…" He responded, moving to remove armor from Soundwave's chassis.
"What sort of complications?" Optimus asked softly, a bit of concern leaking into his voice, blue optics watching as Steve moved over to stand at the crimson femme's side, taking her servo in his own.
Venting softly, Ratchet leaned against the medical berth, staring down at Soundwave for several moments before looking up at his leader again. "Optimus, she's carrying.
