Red woke up the next morning, exhausted, her back killing her. "Nngh... Typ'cal."
Soundwave was already there. "Observation: Why does Pet wake up in a bad mood?"
"Ya jest try wake'n up with a sore back fer four days straight 'an then git back 't meh." She grumbled.
"Fact: Soundwave does not get 'sore'. Inference: How do humans solve this problem?"
"Two words. Soft. Bed."
"Correction: That was four words."
She stood up and stretched out backwards, her back cracking loudly. She winced. Nobody her age should make that kind of cracking.
"Inference: Pet's frame should not sound like that. "
"Ya got THA' right! Nngh! Soonah or latah... ahm gonna have trouble stand'n up!"
Standing up himself, Soundwave silently prepared to leave for a little outing. As he left, Red ate whatever food was left and sat down, looking at her locket and remembering brighter days. About twenty minutes or so later, Soundwave returned. Red quickly clipped it shut and hid it, watching him return. "Solution: Bed for Pet." He said, sliding a giant-dog bed into the room, with a baby blanket and pillow added in.
Red stared at it. "... Tha's a dog bed. 'An ah don't care whut everay 'Con may refer meh tah, ah am NOT a pet!"
"Today's sale only, Beds of all Shapes and Sizes! Fifty-percent off comfortable beds for your pet!" Soundwave repeated a recording of the ad. "Also on sale, bed blankets and pillows for your little one!"
Red slapped her palm into her head. "Miracle ah 'aven't died yet!" She grumbled, then sat down in the bed, surprisingly the perfect size for her. It had been designed for a Great Dane, she supposed.
"Question: Will it do?" Soundwave asked her.
"Beggahs can't beh choosahs. So ah guess so!"
Nodding, Soundwave sat down, not sure of what to converse with the human about. Red shifted around so she was upside down, staring at Soundwave. "Inquiry: Why is Pet staring at Soundwave?" He asked, seeing her gaze on him.
"Ahm bored." Was her simple answer. Red then made a decision. She was stuck here for awhile, right? So why not to try and turn Soundwave's questions around to him!
"Bored: Meaning to have nothing to do." He recited, and looked at her.
"Why do ya hide yer face all 'a 'th tahme? What? Are ugly or someth'n?!" She chuckled.
Normally, Soundwave would've incinerated anybot who had said those words to him. But, not wanting to be beheaded by harming Megatron's pet... "Answer: Soundwave is not hiding face. Reason: Model is made to look like this." He said to her.
"... Seriouslay?!" She asked, disbelieving.
"Response: Yes. Explanation: Soundwave's model was one that was a mistake. The visor is to hide what's under it." He didn't know why he was opening up to her. Something about her made her feel calm and secure. An odd feeling he had not experienced for decacycles.
"Hm... ah'd lahke tah see whut's undah it!"
Soundwave thought for a moment. He swore to never show anyone his face... although with her... he took a small, deep breath in and lifted his visor up a tiny bit, not enough to see it all. Still covering his eyes.
Red saw only his mouth. "One-step-atta-time thang eh?" She sighed. "Ah can manage."
"Correction: Pet will not want to see the rest." He said quietly.
Red sighed, deciding to take a risk. "Look, uhm... If ya don't wanna tell meh then ah understand. But... Ya show meh, an ah'll tell ya mah 'lil secret." A risky gamble, she knew.
Looking at the girl up and down, he checked the perimeter, and lifted his visor up. "Inquiry: Happy now?"
Red's eyes widened. "G'night Gracay!" She gasped. "Ya... Well yer... Don't think ah sound stupid or anyth'n, but yer face... Yer handsome!"
And he was. His face was a darker gray metal, smooth and shiny, with glowing violet optics and a slim mouth. Shutting his visor fast, Soundwave looked down. "Correction: Soundwace's faceplate is mistake." He said quietly.
"Pffft! No it ain't! Whut idiot told ya tha'?!" She asked, a little shocked.
"Answer: Everyone before the war. Information: Soundwave was not suppose to look like this. Soundwave was to be like a normal Cybertronian, a new breed of Seeker, but upon seeing the mistake creators had produced, they covered Soundwave's face with this visor. To hide the mistake, and never redo it." He informed her, remembering how he was the only one of his model.
"Well, ah like it! It's unique! It's different! 'An ah know 'th feel'n. When ah was 'lil, kids made fun 'a mah height 'an red hair. Believe meh, 'Carrot-top', 'Hot Habronero Peppah' 'an 'Shorty' were 'th worse names evah. But ya know, ah thought ah was a mistake m'self, specially aftah ah found out ah was lahke this. But mah mothah always told meh, "there are many, many people in this world Red! But onlay one you! Be proud 'a who ya are!" 'An ah took 'er word 't 'eart." Red sighed a little. Talking about her parents still brought back that dull ache.
"Observation: Humans are nicer when bullying than Cybertronians."
"Don't tell meh they beat'chya up!" She could only guess.
"Correction: Disciplined Soundwave at first. Information: Then creators built a visor to cover it. Conclusion: Soundwave does not take it off anymore."
"Gosh... wait... you were built?! Ah didn't know ya could build Cybahtronians!"
"Negative: Soundwave was planned to be a new advanced life-form. Information: Because of his power, his creators became afraid. Addition: Plus, was stuck with this malfunction. Project Soundwave: Failure."
"Project...? Whoa... there's a lot more to ya than meets 'th eye."
Giving a shake of his helm, Soundwave stood up. "Wait! It's mah turn! You told meh, it's only fair!" She dug into her pocket and pulled out her locket. "This is mah familay-"
"Halt: Soundwave already has all the information on your family. Information: Died in car accident, brother being only one who survived."
"Wait... how'd ya find out?!"
"Answer: Soundwave was ordered to research Megatron's pet."
Her eyes widened. "Gah...! Look, ah'll do anythang! Just make sure Megatron doesn't know anyth'n 'bout mah brothah! He's 'th onlay familay ah got left! If he dies... ah dunno what ah'll do..."
"Regret: He already knows. Fact: Your government has hidden his housing information and location, since Decepticons tracked Bumblebee's human companion."
Red sighed a little, relieved. "Thank goodness fer that!" She clutched her locket protectively. "So ya alreaday know 'bout meh, 'bout how mah parents died... hmph... so much fer try'n tah stay even!"
"Fact: All except Pet's techno-organic origins." Soundwave admitted.
"... Ah guess ah can tell ya what ah know." She sighed. Turning towards Red, he leaned against the wall as she began. "Mah parents went out to a partay one night, took Mitch with 'em. They came home late, 'an saw someth'n on 'th doorstep. At first, they thought it was a package 'a some-kind. So dad and mom went tah get it. But when they got there... they found some kinda pod... 'an inside... was a 'lil body... a tiny robot. It opened up, 'an they touched it at 'th same tahme."
"Inference: So Pet is protoform, with organic DNA fused into her."
"Probablay." She sighed. "They gotta shock that made 'em black out... 'an when they woke up... yer's trulay was ly'n there..."
"Question: Has Pet ever upgraded?" He wondered aloud, thinking if she was a protoform that made her more Cybertronian than human.
"...Ah think ah did... b'fore ah met 'th bots."
"Confirmation: Pet has only had one?"
"Well... few months back... ah woke up 'an there was this terrible burn'n feel'n... mah boday was glow'n dark red... 'an ah let loose a couple 'a power surges that caused a blackout... plus, ah felt most 'a mah organs disintegrate 'an beh replaced... does that count?"
"Confirmation: Yes. Information: Changing is upgrading. Addition: Pet has only gone through one." He told her, trying to ponder if she would ever do another one.
"Soundwave... was anyboday evah nice 't ya on Cybahtron?"
"Answer: Only few, but that was before the War started."
"Whut were they lahke?"
"Description: Only one was truly Soundwave's friend. Information: Elita-1 was designation. Status: Died in the war."
"Was she a 'Con 't?"
"Answer: No. Information: When the time came, she chose the Autobot faction."
"Oh... musta been hard 't fight 'er." Red strangely was warming up to Soundwave, finding it easy to talk to him.
"Correction: Soundwave does not fight."
"Are ya kidd'n meh?! Ah've seen ya in action! Ya can fight lahke 'th best 'a 'em!"
"Answer: No. Reason: Soundwave was not built to be a warrior-class Cybertronian. Information: In the war, Soundwave did not fight at all. Now Soundwave fights since Decepticon numbers are decreased."
"Wow, that's interest'n. Who taught ya then?"
"Answer: Soundwave did, downloading information from databases."
"WOW!" Red was stunned. "Ah 'eard 'bout do-it-yerself kinds 'a thangs, but that jest takes 'th cake!" Shrugging, Soundwave turned to go and get some more food, noticing her supply was low. He also needed to clear his processor. "Soundwave! Wait!" Red called after him. She stopped for a moment. What was she doing? Still... she felt like she had to. "Sound... ah wanna 'pologize fer be'n so hard on ya. It's weird ah know, but still... inna way, yer just lahke meh."
Giving a slight nod to signal it was all right, he turned to leave again, hoping to get to the video recorders before Megatron heard their conversation, and remembering his dear friend the first day they'd met...
Flashback
Standing on his own, little Soundwave made sure his visor was over his face, and watched the other sparklings play several feet away from him. One of them stood out from the rest. A pink-and-purple Cybertronian femme whooped and hollered, kicking a crafted Cybertronian ball to the group. One of them accidentally kicked the ball, and it went flying and rolled over to him. Soundwave stared at the ball, then looked up at the other sparklings, unsure of what to do. Many of them made fun of him. The pink-and-purple femme, brand new to Cybertron's capital, wasn't fazed however.
"KICK IT OVER! C'MON!" She hollered, waving her arms. Standing up, he hesitated, and he slightly pushed the ball with the tip of his pede towards them, quickly sitting back down. The femme walked over, grabbing it. "Why aren't you playing?" She asked him, cocking her slightly scuffed faceplate. Shrugging, he looked down. He didn't liked the way his voice sounded. She looked over her shoulderplate at the group. "WHY ISN'T HE PLAYING?!" She hollered, being quite loud in her youth.
"He doesn't do anything!" A young 'Bot said.
"They say he's a malfunction, but his creators couldn't destroy him!" Another called back.
"Well then!" She said, looking at him. "Is that true?" Giving a slight nod, he waited for the sound of her making fun of him. It was what always happened with new sparklings. "I've only got one thing to say!" She told him, placing a servo on her side and dropped the ball. She looked like she was about to make fun of him. Looking down, he waited for it to come. He knew it was. "I'm Elita-1! But everyone calls me 'Elita' for short!" She stuck out her servo. "What's your name?!"
Looking up at the girl, confusion filled his hidden optics behind his visor. "Designation: Soundwave." He muttered, not sure if he could trust the girl. Many had pretended to be his friend just to backstab him.
"Soundwave?! That's a cool name! Sure is better than, 'Elita-1'. And you're purple too! I love that color!" She babbled excitedly. Soundwave cautiously watched the femme, listening to her ramble. "So hey you wanna come and play? I'll vouch for you!" She invited him.
Seeing the other's scowls, he shook his helm and stood up, preparing to leave. "No? Then I'll come with you!" She tossed them the ball. "YOU CAN PLAY WITHOUT ME!" She hollered. Eyeing the femme, he began to walk towards a cliff nearby. Elita followed him. "Soo, how old are you?" She asked, blue optics curious.
"Answer: 10,369."
"Cool! I'm 10,365! Why are you heading to a cliff?"
"Answer: It is the only place Soundwave likes."
"Can you fly?!" She asked, looking for anything to talk about.
"Answer: Affirmative."
"Wish I could fly! But I'm a ground-mode..." She sighed. "What's it like to fly?!"
Looking down, Soundwave tried to come up with how flying felt. "Definition: Is hard to explain. It is like you are free almost, but not truly. It is strange, but in a good way." He awkwardly began.
"Wow... it MUST be cool!" She whispered. Skipping along, she decided to ask some more questions. "Do you have any siblings?! Parents?! Friends?!"
"Answer: No. Just creators, and no."
"Oh..." She mumbled. "Soundwave? C-can I be you friend? I'm new and I don't have any. Everybot thinks I'm weird too." She admitted softly.
"Answer: Elita does not want to be Soundwave's friend."
"What?! Of course I do! You're so cool! I like you!" She blurted out. "... and not in the kissy-kissy kind of way."
"Statement: Of course not!"
"Why not?!" Elita argued.
"Redo: S-Soundwave was saying that he knew Elita didn't mean she liked Soundwave that way..." Soundwave stammered.
Elita giggled. "Messing with you!" She chirped, gently punching his shoulderplating.
"Kidding: Definition?"
"Yep!" She chirped again, kicking a small scrap of metal.
"Statement: It was a question..." He said miserably. No one ever understood what he meant.
"Oh... sorry... ugh I'm so stupid! Everyone back home was right; I just... jump into stuff."
"Negative: It is Soundwave's fault. Reason: Soundwave does not talk properly."
"Hey, I think your talking is cool!" She said, smiling.
"Observation: Elita cannot understand it."
"I know... but I'm willing to learn and try."
"Fact: No one has ever tried to do that."
"Then let me be the first." Elita said, her optics shining. She was true to her word, and stuck to it no matter what.
"Fact: Most friendships turn out to be them wanting to backstab Soundwave." He admitted. "Question: Elita is not going to do that, is she?"
"I promise I won't. Cross my spark, hope to fly, choke onna bolt 'till I die!" She swore, crossing her spark.
Nodding in agreement, he looked out to the cliff, in which they had arrived at. "Question: Does Elita trust Soundwave?" He asked, getting an idea in his processor, hoping that it would work.
"Of course I do! Why do you ask?" The tomboyish femme asked, cocking her helm curiously.
Standing up, he hooked his arms under hers, and moved her closer to the edge of the cliff. "Request: Do not be angry." He whispered into her audio-receptor, and tipped them over the edge!
"WHOOOOAAAA!" Elita yelled as they fell. Soundwave fell head-first, then got his boosters into place, and pulled them up, forcing them to fly into the Cybertronian air.
Elita gasped, a smile spreading across her flaceplate. "WOOOOHOOOO!" She cheered.
"Question: Where is Elita's housing unit?" He asked, still flying higher, the other ground-bots becoming smaller and smaller.
"THAT WAY!" She yelled, pointing to the far edge of Kaon.
He banked left to where she was pointing. Elita's optics were wide, and she cheered, loving the feel of flight. "Question: Where to now?"
"Just keep going this way!"
Nodding, he kept flying towards the direction she wanted, making sure to keep a tight grip on her. Elita also made sure her arms were securely wrapped around him, cheering and whooping. Deciding to let her have even more excitement, he went into a short, free-fall all of the sudden.
"WHOA!" She gripping his plating, then laughed. "Hahaha! Nice one!"
Pulling up, he did three backflips to get himself back up in the air, then added in a spiral for fun. "Question: How much longer?"
"About now." Elita sighed.
Trying to hide his saddness, Soundwave took the femme way up into the air, so that the Cybertronian city was almost a spec. "Request: Hold on!" He told her, and went into a spiraling free-fall, pulling up at the last minute, and placed Elita on her pedes before landing himself.
Elita plopped on the ground, laughing. "That was fun! Let's do some more tomorrow!" She stood up, smiling. "Thanks Soundwave!"
"Answer: Okay." He said, holding out his servo and waving a little. "Promise: See you tomorrow."
"You betchya!" She said. "Bye Sound!" She ran off, cheering and laughing. Soundwave sighed. Perhaps he had found himself a true friend at last...
Flashback End
Soundwave blinked. Why was it that for some odd reason, Red was exactly like Elita-1?