Author's Notes: What's this? A random update has appeared! I've got no new excuses, so... there you go. But I really do intend on finishing this darn thing, so don't give up! Just be patient... please.

Hope you enjoy the chapter! And happy Thanksgiving! To those of you in the U.S.

The next morning, Ratchet was in his med-bay getting ready for the day ahead. He'd heard about the prank with the high-grade the other day, and wasn't looking forward to the repercussions that it would bring today. He had taken out some cubes of medical grade energon that would help a hangover… but he didn't anticipate using much of it.

Ratchet was almost done getting everything organized, when the med-bay doors slid open. The CMO turned to glare at today's first intruder into his domain, but then softened just a bit when he saw that is was First Aid. The small Protectobot hunched over and closed his optics in pain at the bright med-bay lights.

"Hey Ratchet," First Aid whispered. "Did you happen to hear what happened yesterday?"

Ratchet huffed, but grabbed a cube of medicine and marched over to his assistant. "Here," he said as he pushed the cube into the mech's hands.

First Aid muttered a thanks as he took the energon and drank it. He could immediately feel the relieving effects of the medicine, but his helm still throbbed when he walked further into the med-bay. "Have there been any patients yet?" First Aid asked as he began to clean and organize his own station.

"Only you so far," Ratchet responded.

The two worked in silence for about twenty more minutes before the first real patient showed up. The main doors slide open and Trailbreaker slumped in. "Hey Ratchet, do you have any of that hangover stuff around?"

First Aid immediately reached for one of the cubes, but stopped when Ratchet responded harshly to the other mech. "No, get out! I don't have time to deal with something so ridiculous as a hangover!"

"But Ratchet!" Trailbreaker whined even as the CMO marched menacingly toward him. "I didn't even want to get drunk!"

"Doesn't matter!" Ratchet retorted. "I've had enough of these infernal pranks and I will have nothing to do with them! Go back to the rec room and have some more of the energon."

"But what if it's still spiked?" Trailbreaker asked pathetically as he was shoved out the door.

"Either way, it'll take the edge off. Now get!" And Ratchet shut the doors in Trailbreaker's face.

Across the room, First Aid was looking confused. "Um sir, why did you take out some stocks of medical energon for hangovers if you don't intend to give any away?"

"I gave some to you, didn't I?" was all Ratchet said as he got back to work.

Half an hour and five more rejected hangover sufferers later, Ratchet was looking pretty peeved off. "This is absurd, I will not stand for this any longer! First Aid, watch the med-bay," he said before marching toward the door.

"Uh, sir, where are you going?" The Protectobot asked pensively.

"To talk to Optimus!" Ratchet proclaimed. He then pointed at First Aid. "Don't give out any of that medical energon!" And then he was gone.

"Oh," First Aid said as he glanced around the empty medical bay. Just then the med-bay doors opened and Blades entered.

"Bro," the other Protectobot said gruffly. "Give me some of that hangover stuff of Ratchet's."

"Um…" First Aid stuttered as he glanced at the stack of cubes nearby…

o~o~o

Ratchet stormed his way through The Ark, glaring daggers at any mech he passed, until he finally reached the Prime's office. He banged his fist on the door, and entered when he received permission to do so. Optimus glanced up from where he was sitting behind his desk.

"Ah, Ratchet," the Prime greeted. "What can I do for you?"

"Do you realize," Ratchet started abruptly as he sat down in the guest chair aggressively. "The full extent to which this army has fallen into disgrace?!"

Optimus slowly blinked at the harsh statement. "Please, clarify," he said.

Ratchet huffed, his frown deepening. "Have you not noticed the obscene amount of pranks that have been occurring recently? Just yesterday there were humans running all over The Ark while half the crew was drunk!"

"Yes that was… an unfortunate coincidence," Optimus said as he glanced away briefly.

Ratchet hardly noticed what Optimus had said. "And I'm starting to feel the repercussions in my med-bay! I refuse to treat injuries sustained from stupid meaningless pranks, it's not what I'm here for!"

Optimus leaned forward and stared at the CMO for a moment. "I just figured Sideswipe and Sunstreaker were getting a little more enthusiastic with their pranks lately," he then said.

Ratchet scoffed. "There's a lot more than that going on. Even Prowl's getting in on it, it's disgraceful."

"Really?" Optimus responded, sounding intrigued. "I would never have suspected this from Prowl."

"So are you going to put a stop to it or what?" Ratchet then asked.

Optimus rubbed his chin in thought. "I'll look into it," he finally said.

o~o~o

Sometime later, Prowl was stalking the hallways. He activated his comm and spoke into it. "Jazz, where are you?"

"Uh, one o' th' trainin' rooms. Why?" Came the reply.

"Meet me in conference room three, we need to talk," said Prowl.

"Okie dokie," the saboteur confirmed before the link was cut.

Prowl changed directions and swiftly made his way to the afore-mentioned conference room. The other black and white was already waiting for him when he arrived. "'Sup man," Jazz greeted.

Prowl made sure the door to the room was shut before starting. "Tomorrow the twins will be let out of the brig," he said without preamble. "I don't know what kind of pranks you're planning to do next, but I want you to put a stop to it before then."

Jazz looked slightly hurt at the sudden order. "Aw, what? Is this about puttin' an end to th' prank war?"

Prowl nodded. "Of course it is! This has to stop, don't you realize how unprofessional this all is?"

"But it's fun!" Jazz countered with a grin.

"It's unprofessional," Prowl repeated. "And it's dangerous. Because of it, we've almost been compromised in battle, done property damage, and endangered human lives! I'm ashamed that it's taken me this long to realize this, but this prank war is absolutely unbefitting of an army."

"Come on man, what happened to all that 'battle simulation' stuff?" Jazz returned.

"Excuses," Prowl retorted. "I was trying to pretend that there was a legitimate reason for this nonsense."

Jazz shook his head. "No, as much as it goes against your rules and regulations, this prank war is actually a good thing. In th' last several months, I've noticed a boost in morale among the 'Bots. Some of th' Minibots have been interactin' with th' others a li'l bit more, Blades and Slingshot have been acting more friendly… well, a li'l more tolerable at least, and heck even th' Dinobots have been coming out o' their hole more lately. And come on, Red Alert working with Sides n' Sunny? How can you say tha's not good for th' crew?"

"I don't care how much fun this game is, what matters is that it does not suit an army!" the tactician said.

"Well, of course we're an army, but y' can't expect them all t' be soldiers all th' time!" the saboteur shot back. "These pranks offer them a relief from the daily grind. Gives 'em somethin' t' look forward to!"

Prowl wasn't looking convinced, but before he could respond, he was hailed by Optimus Prime. Prowl held up a hand before accepting it. "Yes Prime?"

"Prowl, I'd like to talk with you. Can you come to my office?" The Prime requested.

"Of course, I'll be there in a moment," Prowl said, and the connection was dropped.

Jazz was looking at Prowl suspiciously. "You'd better not tell Optimus 'bout this."

Prowl's frown deepened. "You'd be lucky if I didn't."

"Okay, jus' listen for a moment," Jazz said a bit urgently. "Think of what it would do t' th' others if th' pranking suddenly ended! They'd be disappointed, and they'd hate ya!"

"Since when did that bother me?" Prowl responded.

Jazz scoffed. "Tha's not what matters. Sure, you started this b'cause you wanted to settle the score with Sideswipe once and for all. But everyone else does this b'cause it offers them a relief, and they're grateful to you for lettin' them do it! They trust you more b'cause they think you've loosened up! You can't take tha' away."

Prowl's frown didn't even twitch as he listened. When Jazz was done, Prowl turned away. "We'll see," was all he said before exiting the room, leaving behind a perturbed looking Jazz.

The tactician made a beeline for the Prime's office, thinking all the while. Sure, Jazz's argument had some merit to it. But was it really worth keeping up with these highly unprofessional shenanigans, just to make the troops a little happier? Prowl stopped in front of Optimus's office door to think about that question. Was it? Was it really worth it? Of course he cared about the morale of the crew, but he also cared about maintaining the integrity of the army. Because when it all came down to it, it was he and Optimus who were responsible for maintaining face, even when it was one of the troops or even one of the other officers who messed up. And when Optimus wasn't even aware of what was going on, he couldn't be expected to be responsible.

After a weary sigh through the vents, Prowl requested entrance to the Prime's office, and entered when it was given. Optimus was of course waiting behind his desk, and greeted the Praxian and motioned towards the guest chair.

"Hello sir," Prowl greeted in return before taking the seat.

"Prowl," Optimus rumbled once the tactician was settled. "I've called you here because I've received a… complaint, regarding the actions of some mechs."

"Oh?" Prowl questioned, while at the same time going on high alert.

"Yes," Optimus continued. "It seems that some mechs among us have decided to perform rather large amount of pranks lately. Are you aware of this?"

Prowl let the question hang for a moment before answering. "Yes, I am," he said. "It seems that Sideswipe has gotten… others to participate in his antics. And Sideswipe and his brother have been punished for their actions."

"Hm," Optimus mused for a moment. "Do you believe they are behind the energon spiking and human joggers the other day?"

"They were responsible for the spiking," Prowl confirmed. "But I do not know who is behind the joggers."

The Prime nodded. "And are you in any way involved with these pranks?" he then asked.

Another quiet moment passed while Prowl thought about the answer. Only a quick moment though before he answered. "No sir, I am not." It wasn't a complete lie, not if he decided to be uninvolved from this point onward.

Optimus sat back. "Very well," he said. "Please ensure that these pranks do not cause any problems in the future."

"Yes sir," Prowl affirmed.

"And Prowl," Optimus said, earning himself the tactician's full attention. "Take a break every once in a while, okay?"

"Uh, yes sir," Prowl repeated, thrown a bit off guard by the odd statement. Sensing the meeting was over, he stood up and gave the Prime a nod in farewell.

Once he was in the hallway, Prowl walked a few paces before activating his comm.

"Yo Prowl, how'd it go?" Jazz's voice filtered in.

"I will no longer be involved with the pranks," Prowl stated firmly. "Please keep things on the down low, I don't want to deal with it, and I'm sure Optimus doesn't either."

"Yes sir!" Jazz responded, the glee in his voice evident. "On th' down low is my thing!"

Prowl cut the connection and sighed through his vents. He wasn't sure whether he was making the right decision or not, but of one thing he was sure: he was going to enjoy some true peace and quiet for the first time in a while. That is… if Jazz keeps his promise.

o~o~o

Down in the depths of the brig, Sideswipe and Sunstreaker were bored out of their minds. It was the last day of their two day confinement period for theft, and they were itching to be out again. Their chronometers told them it was around eleven o'clock in the morning when they received a visitor. Prowl entered the brig and walked up to their cells.

"It's about time!" Sideswipe complained when he spotted the Praxian. "You gonna let us out or what?"

Prowl frowned. "Before I do, I am letting you know that the funds to repair the damages caused by your theft have been taken out of your bank accounts."

Sideswipe pouted slightly at that news, but since it wasn't a surprise to him he didn't outwardly complain.

"Also," Prowl continued. "You have been additionally fined for the attempt to scam mechs into sending you their money. The mechs who fell for your trick have been refunded with a bonus from your account."

Sideswipe sneered.

"I hope that in the future you two decide to make wiser decisions." Prowl finished.

"You know what Prowl?" Sideswipe said. "I hope that you do too. This is an abuse of power, you know!"

Prowl's optics narrowed. "How so?"

Sideswipe spread his arms out as if it were obvious. "First of all, sending us on that bogus patrol which you know the only purpose was to get us away from The Ark for the night. And then punishing us for something that wasn't even a rule yet!"

Prowl vented in frustration as he walked over to the cell's keypad. "As I've told you, theft is always a crime," he said as he entered the passcode.

"Psht, whatever," was Sideswipe's response. The bars to the two cells finally retracted and the two Lamborghinis stepped out.

"It would be wise that you use your wits more from now on," Prowl then said somewhat cryptically.

Sideswipe shot Prowl a curious sidelong glance before he and his brother left the brig.

Once they arrived back in the main area of The Ark, Sunstreaker broke away and headed down the hallway without a parting word. Sideswipe watched his brother go. "See ya," he said, a bit disgruntled, before going the opposite direction. He wandered around for a while, hoping to see all that had gone down while he was gone. But he was met by a strange and eerie calm around base. There weren't very many 'Bots around, and where he would expect there to be miscellaneous pranks set up around the halls, he encountered none.

His footsteps were strangely loud as he made his way down the hallway. Several minutes went by before he met up with a fellow 'Bot. Windcharger was walking in the opposite direction to him, and he kept looking around himself as he went, glancing from the ceiling to the walls to the floor and back. As they neared each other, the minibot gave a passing glance at Sideswipe.

"Hey," Windcharger gave a distracted greeting before moving on.

Sideswipe stopped and watched the minibot disappear around the corner, pondering the mech's queer behavior. "Huh," he said, before turning back and continuing on his own way. Nothing else out of the ordinary came to his attention before he finally reached the rec room. It was quiet in there too, and he was a little disconcerted as he took a seat near the back of the room with some energon.

As he sat and sipped his energon, he pulled out a data pad and began to peruse it. Several moments passed like this, before a message window popped up on his pad. Curious, Sideswipe opened and read the message:

"Look to your left," was all the message said.

For a moment Sideswipe frowned in confusion at the message. But then he just couldn't help it, and he looked to his left. At first he couldn't spot anything out of the ordinary, all he saw was the energon dispenser. But then he did see something, there was another data pad resting next to the dispenser, almost out of sight as it was lying just behind the machine. Sideswipe glanced around, the only other mech in the room was Hound. He turned back, and then his curiosity got the better of him, so he got up and walked over to the dispenser. He pulled out the data pad and turned it on, and discovered a second message on it waiting to be read:

"If you wish to solidify our contract, meet me near the engine room in one hour. This message will self-delete in 5 seconds…"

"What?" Sideswipe asked to himself in confusion after he read the message, and then a countdown started on the screen. Sideswipe watched in stupid fascination as the countdown reached 0, and then the message deleted itself. Sideswipe glanced around again… still only Hound in the room, whose back was to him and seemingly oblivious to the situation.

Sideswipe pondered the situation. He had an idea of what this was about, but he couldn't help but be just a little suspicious. But… he was very curious to pursue it, and so after only a moment of contemplation, he left the rec room. He had some things to prepare before the next hour.

o~o~o

When Sideswipe stepped into the engine room an hour later, he first noticed the main lights were turned off and it was impossible to see the back of the room. The door slid shut behind him, and for a moment Sideswipe was left alone in the dim light.

"You're three minutes late," a voice suddenly spoke from his right.

Sideswipe couldn't help but jump slightly at the sudden sound. He turned and saw Mirage leaning against the wall, partially hidden by the shadows. "What the Pit man?" Sideswipe protested angrily. "Don't sneak up on people like that!"

Mirage duly ignored that statement. "Do you have my payment?" he asked.

Sideswipe rolled his optics, but he had been expecting this. "Yeah, I transferred the money to your account," he said, and handed over a data pad that displayed the information. "And the energon's inside your room already."

Mirage took the data pad and coolly looked it over. When he was done he subspaced the device and looked back at Sideswipe. "Thank you very much. Now, I can help you counter the tricks that Jazz is going to pull. All I ask is that you follow my instructions…"

"Hang on," Sideswipe interrupted. "Why do you want to help me anyway? I thought you were above all this? Besides helping out with the pranks that Jazz makes you do."

Mirage stepped forward and slightly out of the shadows. "You're right, all of this… these pranks, are below me. But of course, Jazz dragged me into this, where normally I would have nothing to do with it. And I'm tired of it, and so I want to end it as soon as possible."

Sideswipe's expression was not so believing. "And… you think that I want to end it as soon as possible?"

"I know you want to win. I can help with that," Mirage responded.

The Lamborghini still didn't look convinced. "And why don't you just help Jazz and Prowl? Why side with me behind their backs?"

Mirage gave a half shrug. "I know how to recognize the winning side. Jazz and Prowl, they could win, but you and your brother have the advantage of experience. If I want this to end as quickly as possible, then my best bet is to help you."

Sideswipe screwed up his face in thought. "Sooo, did I really need to give you the credits and energon to get you to help me?"

The spy cocked a cool smile. "Perhaps not… but it certainly helped me make up my mind." Sideswipe frowned, but Mirage continued. "Now, I am aware you have been out of the action for a bit. Let me inform you about what has transpired here during that time. Jazz has taken over the pranks, and he's doing what all saboteurs do. The pranks are much more… sneaky. Here, I've created a map of The Ark that shows where all of his traps are hidden." Mirage then pulled out a data pad and handed it to the frontliner.

Sideswipe took the pad and turned it on, inspecting at it.

"Don't show that map to anyone, even those you trust. It's more secure that way," Mirage continued. A noise outside in the hallway, like a footstep, made Mirage pause and glance at the door. After a moment he spoke up again. "We're done for now. Look for my instructions in the future." He then turned and left before Sideswipe could say anything else.

The Lamborghini frowned for a second and then turned his attention back to the pad. "Huh," he said, before leaving the room as well.

o~o~o

The next morning, Sideswipe woke up from recharge flat on his back. His optics protested when he tried to open them; he did not feel like getting up at the moment. For a moment he just lied there, listening to the slow venting of his still-recharging brother below him on the bottom bunk, and rubbing his optics as he tried to shake off the last of the recharge heaviness. But then he noticed something out of place… there was a weight on his chest plate. Without opening his optics, he felt for what was resting on top of him. It felt like a data pad, which confused him because he didn't remember going into recharge with a pad last night. So he painfully pried open his optics to take a look. It was definitely a data pad.

Now curious and a little bit more awake, he turned on the data pad. The first image to appear was a message addressed to him. Sideswipe raised an optic ridge and read on.

At eleven am go to the storage closet in sector 5b. You will find supplies and instructions in the closet. Follow the instructions, and you will be rewarded.

"Huh," said Sideswipe before checking his chronometer. It was 7:23, and he knew he had a shift today from 7:45 to 10:45. Well, today just got a little bit more interesting.

A few hours later, at 10:57, Sideswipe showed up in one of the hallways in sector 5b. He walked slowly down the hall, glancing around as he went. It was completely empty. He finally stopped in front of the storage closet, which was normally locked and the only one who had the access keycard was the one who was currently on janitor duty thanks to Red Alert's anal rules. Sideswipe didn't have the keycard, but he suspected he didn't need it, and tried the door anyway. Just as he thought, it opened easily. Inside he found the usual janitorial supplies… plus a few extra things. He found some rope, a few hooks, some wire, and another data pad. Turning it on, Sideswipe discovered the afore-mentioned instructions he was supposed to follow. After reading through them, he looked back at the supplies. "Alright then…" he said.

o~o~o

About half an hour later, the hallway in sector 5b was empty again. That is, it was, until a yellow minibot turned the corner and began to head down the hall. He seemed pretty happy and content as he strolled along, even whistling a tune to himself. All was well for Bumblebee, that is, until his foot was jerked out from under him, he was violently yanked into the air, and a few seconds later he found himself hanging upside down from the ceiling.

"Ugh, ow," Bumblebee whined as he gently swung from side to side. He looked up to see that his foot had been caught in some kind of snare. He sighed and flopped back so that his arms hung below him. The moment didn't last long when it was interrupted by a cackling coming from below. Bumblebee looked and saw an upside down Sideswipe standing in the hallway and laughing at him.

"Ha, you should see your face!" the red frontliner exclaimed.

Bumblebee frowned.

"I can't believe you fell for that, I mean, look at you! Haha!" Sideswipe continued.

"You got me," the minibot grumbled unhappily.

Sideswipe merely chuckled and snapped a picture of the scene. "How does it feel to get played by your own game?" he then asked before turning and leaving.

Bumblebee sighed again, and simply let himself hang for the next few moments. He could feel the energon starting to rush towards his head, when he was visited by another mech. Coming from the other end of the hallway, Jazz approached the ensnared minibot with a grin on his face. "Hey, lookin' good, Bee!" he said cheerily.

Bumblebee turned a sour look to the saboteur. "I hate you," he growled.

Jazz didn't seem phased by the harsh words as he stopped underneath the hanging 'Bot. "I'm guessing he fell for it then?"

"Yup," was all Bumblebee said.

"Aw, come on man, don't be like that," Jazz said to Bumblebee's short response as he moved towards the wall. "We're gettin' Sides good with this!"

"Oh, I'm sure we are," Bumblebee returned, looking slightly unconvinced.

Jazz found the rope that was hidden behind some of the wall's paneling, and undid the knot. Bumblebee suddenly fell from the ceiling like a ton of bricks, landing with a hard thud on the floor.

"Ow, gosh Jazz, a warning would be nice!" the minibot grumbled as he rubbed his head.

Jazz helped his fellow spy up. "It'll all be worth it, you'll see!" he reassured.

"I hope you're right," the minibot replied.

o~o~o

Miles away and deep under the waves of the Pacific Ocean, the Decepticon horde was biding away their time. On the main bridge, Megatron was pacing back and forth while Starscream leaned against a wall in the shadows.

"Well Lord Megatron," Starscream said from the back of the room. "If your brilliant plan is working, then after months without us as a distraction, those Autoscums must have descended into anarchy by now. I'm sure they've ripped each other to pieces!"

Megatron growled lowly at the obvious sarcasm in the seeker's voice as he paced.

"Soundwave's scans of the human broadcast system haven't picked up any word of the Autobots' plunge into madness," Starscream continued.

"They've probably cut their ties with the humans," Megatron speculated. "That fool of a Prime wouldn't want their organic friends to see how his army is falling apart."

"How about we go see how they are faring for ourselves!" Starscream suggested, standing up straight and taking a few steps forward. "They wouldn't stand a chance against an attack now!"

Megatron growled again as he rubbed his chin in thought. "We cannot be so direct, the Autobots seem to rally when they fight against us. We must force them to sink further into the darkness of their mutiny." He then activated his comm-link. "Soundwave!"

o~o~o

Down in the monitor room of The Nemesis, Soundwave was trying to get some work done at his station. He sat at a monitor and stared at the screen, typing, and overall enjoying the peace and quiet. The quiet stretched on for another several moments, until the doors suddenly burst open with a bang! Soundwave hardly flinched when two small mechs barged into the room, flinging small projectiles all around the room.

"You can't run from me, slagger!" Frenzy yelled as he threw one of the objects at his twin cassette. The round projectile hit Rumble in the shoulder-plate and burst into a ball of water that splashed all over Rumble and the floor.

"Ha, shoulder. That's only 1 point!" Rumble yelled and threw a water balloon back.

For the next minute, the two cassettes ran around the room and peppered each other and the room itself with the balloons. Finally, Soundwave had had enough. "Rumble, Frenzy, cease." He ordered.

"Aw, you're no fun Sounders," Frenzy protested, and threw a water balloon at the larger mech. It hit his leg and splashed all over the chair and his lap.

"Soundwave is not amused."

Suddenly Rumble and Frenzy received a comm from Ratbat, who was currently inside Soundwave's chest compartment. "The boss is thinking in third person again, you two had better leave."

"Aw man, but we've got all these water balloons!" Rumble protested. He then chucked three more balloons at Frenzy, who dodged them by ducking behind Soundwave's monitor station.

"Yeah, you know, if those squishies have done anything right, it's inventing these!" Frenzy replied.

"And with a whole ocean outside…" Rumble said.

"…Infinite ammo!" Frenzy finished, and threw several balloons at Rumble from behind the station.

"Salt water will rust… cease." Soundwave commanded again.

"Hey it's alright, we'll just get the coneheads to clean it up!" Rumble snickered.

"Soundwave… irritated."

"Really you guys, cut it out," Ratbat commed the cassettes.

Frenzy sighed in frustration. "Fine!" he said. "Well, any minute now and somebody's going to fall for our little surprise that we left out in the hallway, heh!"

The two cassettes shared a nasty grin, when all of a sudden from the hallway came a loud BANG! and a rapid succession of pops and cracks. "AAAARRRGGH!" Came an angry shout from the same direction. "FRAGGERS!"

Rumble and Frenzy snickered, when all of a sudden the door burst open to reveal a furious looking Blitzwing, who was covered in soot and scorch marks. "You two!" he growled dangerously before diving into the room. The cassettes scrambled to get out of the way, ducking behind Soundwave's desk, and Blitzwing tore around the corner to get at them. The trio ran several circles around Soundwave; slipping on the wet floors with the triple-changer flinging chairs and other objects out of his way and the cassettes snickering and weaving around corners. All the while, Soundwave just sat and stared at his monitor with his hands hovering over his keyboard. Eventually, the cassettes led their attacker out the door and down the hallway, and once the doors closed, silence descended upon the room once again.

Soundwave released a sigh through his vents. "Soundwave content."

"Glad to know boss," Ratbat replied. "Now, you really need to quit it with the third person thing, it's kinda weird"

Soundwave ignored the quip from his cassette as he got to work again. This time the silence only lasted several minutes, when suddenly his comm-link crackled to life. "Soundwave!" Megatron's voice burst into existence.

Soundwave merely paused his typing when the shout hit his audios. "Yes?" he question in reply.

"It's time to implement operation blackmail," Megatron ordered.

"Yes, Megatron," Soundwave confirmed. The connection was cut, and Soundwave immediately pulled up a file of data in his processor. He downloaded it onto his computer and began to work again.

Outside in the hallway, several more bangs could be heard, followed by the swift patter of two small mechs running by, and then the pounding sound of a single larger mech barreling after them.

"Soundwave… not amused."

A sigh came from his chest compartment. "Ratbat agrees."