Author's notes: Here we are again! First, we jump a little bit back and see the aftermath of a certain Autobot crew almost a decade ago, right after the Rescue Bots on Earth saved the day and sent all the escaped Decepticon prisoners of the Alchemor back to Cybertron… I wonder how they will connect into our main story once our timelines come together…
A bit of a warning for later in the chapter, there will be a discussion about sexuality. There is absolutely nothing graphic, but if you are a prude, maybe give Rhea and Soundwave's little convo a skip. It is nearer the end, so the majority of the chapter is safe.
So come along once again! Read, follow, like, drop a comment because reading what y'all think makes me smile, and as always, ENJOY!
Date: Ten years previous in deep space
Autobot exploration ship, The Lost Light
Rodimus
"It could be another dead end," he said, thinking and praying out loud as he strut down the gangway of his ship. His ship. That had a nice ring to it. With Cybertron back on the mend, and the Cons backing off as they should, it was a better time than any to really expand their world's influence. Like it was in the good old days… True, said 'good old days' were plagued with corruption, not so subtle class war and Rust Plagues… But hey, none of that stuff ever happened to him, so why not indulge in a little nostalgia?
He was shadowed by the far less optimistic member of his crew. Tall dark and terrifying Cyclonus, servos crossed so tight over his upper chassis Rodimus was surprised he didn't snap himself in half. "I would tend to believe that, if it weren't rumors related to Tarn."
Rodimus squashed his expression as his good mood soured. He saved faceplates with a winning grin, "Ok, so, maybe it is, maybe it's not. If Tarn is headed back to Cybertron, then that's the Con's problem, right? Meg's is gone awol, and they can just infight until they wipe themselves out."
"Or they will regroup and outnumber the Autobots who have managed to return."
"Damn Cyclonus, you're breaking my barings here. At least pretend like it will be ok," Rodimus grumbled.
Those crimson red optics came to give Rodimus a sarcastic glance, "You didn't bring me aboard to be the beacon of optimism. If you did, we will both be disappointed."
Rodimus burst into laughter and slapped the other bot on the shoulder. The friendly gesture made Cyclonus stiffen. "Very true! You're here for that Energon soaked history of yours to really shake coolant from our enemies! And apparently, to make me chuckle from time to time."
"That is far from my intention," Cyclonus grumbled.
A ping brought them both to a sudden stop. Rodimus rolled his optics at the interruption. He was already late getting to the command deck. They had to make a decision about going back to Cybertron. If Tarn really was headed there, Optimus and the gang would need all the help they could get… He thought it was Optimus Prime who was there to turn the planet back on, anyway. They were far out, so info traveled slow. He wondered who the Prime was doing? Probably better than ever, considering he won the war and found a way to revive Primus! Rodimus wondered how he had managed that?
"A Spacebridge request?" Rodimus demanded in his comm. "Who's requesting it… He's WHERE?" He broke out into a full sprint, just now recalling how odd it was he hadn't seen his most… Interesting, crew member in a few cycles. Hindsight and all wonderful nonsense. He could be annoyed later.
"What is it?" Cyclonus demanded, rushing right on his tracks.
"Whirl," Rodimus growled, and it was really all that needed to be said.
Cyclonus' field darkened. "Of course it is that lunatic."
They arrived at the ship's transportation hub in record time. And without even needing to transform! Rodimus came to stop before the bot, the little bot, manning the controls. He also pretended not to notice when Cyclonus placed a gentle hand onto the little bot's shoulder when he arrived.
"Report, Tailgate," Rodimus huffed, trying out his captain voice for this little venture. He was trying to insert the authoritative tone in more situations. He didn't think enough of his (remaining) crew took him seriously.
The minicon pointed at the screen with his free hand, the one that didn't reflexively rest on Cyclonus' in kind. "He must have hacked the logs, so we didn't notice the Bridge had been used. That first Bridge was activated maybe five, six average solar cycles ago? Now he's requesting a Bridge back. And he's REALLY far. Like, almost out of range far."
Rodimus vented, probably for too long, which made the range they were from their estranged crew member even farther.
"It is not unreasonable to leave him," Cyclonus offered with a shrug. "I shutter to imagine how much Energon we will have to utilize to get him back here in one piece from such a distance."
"A literal scrap ton," Tailgate commented with an invisible smile behind his mouth plate guard, "I believe that is the most accurate measurement. This also explains the missing Energon from a few star cycles ago… If was from his trip leaving the ship."
"I would agree, Cyclonus… If we weren't already down so many crew members," Rodimus grumbled, "Alright, Bridge him back. Or at least try to."
Tailgate winced at the undertaking but spun back around in his chair. With his peds unable to reach the floor, they swung absent mindedly as he typed in the distant coordinates.
Their Bridge activated, and Rodimus could almost hear its squealing protest as it struggled to lock onto the distant target. Guzzling their precious Energon in macro tons and sparking to life, a blue form spewed from the portal with a "GAH!" as he smashed helm first into the floor.
"Welcome back, Whirl," Rodimus snarled, servos crossed over his own chest plates now. "Care to share where the frag you have been?"
"He was gone?" Cyclonus quipped, "I hadn't noticed anything other than an odd peace that came over the ship."
Their most spirited fighter, yeah that was a nice way to describe it, twitched in his pile of limbs. The helmless, one opticed ex-Wrecker groaned into the floor. Rodimus noted the blaster marks and many new dents adorning the blue lunatic. Wherever he had been, there had been a fight. Shocking.
Whirl flung himself upright, almost startling Tailgate off his too large chair if it weren't for Cyclonus being there to catch him. "Frag that was a bumpy ride! HA! Thanks for catchin' my comm. Would have pissed off everybot on Earth if I couldn't leave! Way to cut the trip fragging close!"
As he dusted himself off, Rodimus deepened his silent glare and waited for Whirl to notice. He never did, so he spoke up again, "Earth? Where in the Pits is that and why were you there?"
"Helping a friend! Friends! Rung is always saying I need to do that kind of scrap more. And it was you who told me I needed to have mandatory sessions with Rung. Or is my fragged-up brain not recalling that right, Captain?" Despite him lacking an optic ridge to raise sarcastically, Rodimus could hear it in his tone alone.
"True, but I'm sure Rung meant for you to help and support your friends here. Not on alien worlds so far out you guzzle half our supply of Energon for a one-way trip." Rodimus growled.
Cyclonus then volunteered, "In my opinion, Rung made the suggestion because this one cannot go one night without trying to stab me during recharge."
Whirl, well, whirled on him with a glaring optic. With a clawed servo stabbing at Cyclonus he started to snarl, "First of all! If I wanted you stabbed dead I would put forth some actual fragging effort! Those late night wrestling matches are just-" He stopped himself, took a deep, thoughtful vent, then started over in a calmer tone. Rather un-Whirl like, "I have been told, both by Rung, and now others, I may come off to strong."
Rodimus wondered if trying to kill Cyclonus was Whirl's idea of 'coming off strong.' But he didn't voice that out loud, because he was curious where this crazy conversation was going.
"That being said, I am…" Whirl sort of heaved. Rodimus watched Cyclonus raise a sharp optic ridge as Whirl struggled. He was soon bent over, appearing to be trying hard not to purge Energon. "I'm so-aaaahh," Still facing the floor he rose a claw, silently asking for a moment. More dramatic gurgling of inner tanks as he fought to keep a hold onto half processed Energon. He snapped upright then forced out, "Sorry! Yeah. That. Oh Primus I need to sit down." He did just that. He flopped down onto the floor with an exhausted vent.
"Why?" Cyclonus asked.
Whirl glared up at him. "I don't feel like that is any of your business, horns."
"Whirl," Rodimus grumbled.
"Ug! Fine." He sat back up, if only to pout, "Because, I promised someone I care about back on Earth that I would stop trying to kill you. It's the-" he made air quotes with his claws, "-RIGHT thing to do apparently. And I don't want to let her down."
"I do not accept anything from you," Cyclonus clarified.
Now it was Tailgate who turned up to glare at his taller friend, "Cyclonus!"
"A truce of no violence between us moving forward is substantial," Cyclonus said to justify his position. "Anything else, is unnecessary."
Whirl shrugged, helping himself up off the floor, "Then that's my good guy homework done. I'll send a comm to the Rescue Bots to let em know- OH FRAG!"
Rodimus had to jump back from the outburst, and he wasn't the only one. Cyclonus apparently took little comfort from Whirl's promise of no more violence because he fully shielded Tailgate from the lunatic with his own chassis. But it wasn't an outburst aimed at any of them. "Speaking of Earth! Captain! Something majorly CrAzY happened there! It was why they called me to help! It made a Con prison ship crash, and that freak Grimlock was there, and there was this one Con with these stupid claws-"
"Please slow down," Rodimus demanded. "Start from the beginning… What even is Earth? And why were you there. You have still yet to explain that."
"It's an organic world one of my small friends lives on right now," Whirl explained with a huff of irritation. "I had the honor of meeting her when she was still a little baby Spark on the outer Colonies right before Cybertron came back online. She joined a group of good doers that set up stakes on Earth. Nice place, really. You'd like it Tailgate. Locals are basically your same size. Anyway, A Con Prison ship crashed, and I was called to help clean up! But that wasn't even the craziest part! It was, I don't know, big energy thing that crashed the ship in the first place!"
"A big, energy, thing?" Rodimus clarified.
"Whirl sort of snapped his claws at him, "You got it! Anyway, the bots on Earth couldn't figure out why it happened, and then they managed to make out a message from the big energy thing. Real ominous… It said-"
He stopped short. Optic squinting off into the middle distance for an uncomfortably long time.
Rodimus glanced Cyclonus and Tailgate. The smaller of the two just shrugged. The taller rolled his optics in annoyance. "Um, You ok Whirl?"
"Hu?" Whirl seemed to come back to reality. "Ya know, I am totally blanking now. I forgot what the message said. Seemed important at the time."
"Well then it most certainly wasn't if you have already forgotten," Cyclonus noted.
"You are like, history's worst scrap heap, you know that Cyclonus?" Whirl grumbled.
"Well," Rodimus hummed, trying to sound assured, "I am sure whatever it was, the Earthlings can handle it. We need to focus on more Cybertronian matters. There are rumors Tarn may be returning to Cybertron, which is still recovering… We need to determine if we are needed. We are out of communication range, so it is up to us."
Whirl snorted a laugh, "Tarn? Pits yeah, threaten me with a good time!" He was ready to run out of the room, more than likely headed for the armory.
Cyclonus snapped after him, "Stop you fool! Even if we stood any chance of helping, we are too far to even Bridge back to Cybertron to assist!"
Whirl stopped short with one ped still in the air. He was already disappointed.
Roduimus turned to Cyclonus, "But we could attempt a hyper jump to get closer?"
"Works for me!" Whirl started forward again.
Now Tailgate was the one to speak, shaking his helm, "Not likely Captain… With that last use of the Bridge to bring Whirl back… We don't have even half of what we need to get back in one piece."
Whirl again tripped to a stop. Now he glared irritated over his shoulder, waiting for the group to come to some sort of conclusion. Considering this was basically all his fault, Rodimus felt he didn't have a right to be annoyed.
Rodimus thought long and hard. He was the leader after all… This was his decision, no matter whose fault it was. "We may not make the fight… But we can still head back. If not to help, but to assist in re building. Tarn going back, it may just be another rumor. Even if it isn't… I'm sure Optimus can handle it just fine. We'll be there to swoop in as back up. If they need it."
"Well, we are known for being fashionably late," Tailgate offered with a shrug.
"So… Guns, or no guns?" Whirl asked.
"No guns!" Rodimus snapped right along with Cyclonus and Tailgate all at once.
"Ug, you all suck," Whirl whined before falling in line behind Rodimus and Cyclonus on their way back to the bridge. He intended to make his decision known to the rest of the crew. True, they wouldn't make it to bask in any battle glory… But seeing Cybertron with the lights on again would be nice. Plus, Tarn as a threat was always a rumor that turned out to be false… Prime would be fine. Everything was probably fine.
Really, how much could have happened since they left?
Date: March 10th, 2020
Soundwave
'This meeting is laughably unproductive,' Laserbeak's inner commentary was a welcome change from the shouting being flung back and forth across the table. And Soundwave could hardly call what he sat at a 'table.' Or a meeting room.
He was on Prion, again. Speaking with the two Minicon leaders of their respective factions. Again. With ships continuing to vanish in deep space, upcoming events to plan, and of course, Rhea's near constant time spent with Autoclave and Shockwave, Soundwave felt less then present at this little get together so far away from Cybertron.
He would rather be at home with Rhea, but Decepticon Lord duty called…
"It's really nothing we can not handle, Representatives," assured the tiny but firm voice of the Autobot Minicon leader Sparkplug. "As I am sure we are aware, the attack did not come from our side." He wasn't talking to Soundwave's side of the small table, which was thrown together for this prompt meeting. His focus was on his fellow Autobots, which only broke to occasionally throw a hateful glare the Con's way.
Bumblebee was there with his team, save for Arcee. But thanks to the recent incident, Ultra Magnus graced the meeting alongside the others, looking anything but happy about his position.
The "Building" they currently sat in was thrown together to provide cover from the very bright day of the desert world. Autobots on one side, Decepticons on the other. Starscream wasn't here. Only Sharpshot had accompanied Soundwave along with some of their generals. As their fellow Seeker Lord had explained, "If I see that rusting dirt world one more time, I will blow it up!"
Soundwave was starting to understand the temptation.
Ultra Magnus vented a deep sigh as he caught the smoldering little Con in his seat, propped up on multiple stacks of scrap to be able to see over the table. "We are not here to assign blame. We are here to avoid a tragedy."
"Well frag you, because I'm here to assign blame!" The little spitfire of a Con shouted, now standing on his scrap pile. "You weren't there to see the bomb go off! No more back and forth with this peace nonsense! These fraggers tried blowing us off this planet!"
Soundwave gave a side glance to the still smoldering little shack, or what was left of it. He had a clear view, considering their little meeting spot didn't have any walls.
It was the Decepticon side's oil showers, and before the Con Minicon leader himself could walk in after a long day of digging for Prime Relics or cursing Sparkplug, a seemingly impressive incendiary device went off. Thankfully, it went off to soon, and the little Con was no worse for wear.
But in all seriousness, it was the closest the factions had gotten to an attack with real, fatal consequences, and that was a big deal. It was why they were all here, enduring the back and forth.
Sparkplug stood from his own elevated seat with a snarl, "We don't even have the fire power for that kind of bomb! I say it was you trying to frame us!"
Doomitron was leaned so far forward he was moments away from climbing onto the table, "What, you got rust in your brain pan?! Why the frag would I try to blow myself up!"
"Because you are an egotistical nutcase who longs for the attention of his three replacement Lords when you never got the chance to impress Megatron before he threw himself into the Pits!" Sparkplug hissed right back.
It was a good thing Starscream wasn't here after all, because he would have taken great offence to that. Soundwave did catch Bumblebee's open grimace. He probably assumed it would offend the Cons present. Perhaps a few of their generals were now bristled, but Soundwave had thicker plating then Bumblebee gave him credit for. And Sharpshot was impossible to offend. They were good natured, sometimes too much so for their own good.
Who was offended, was the small Decepticon the insult was intended for. Doomitron took a moment to stare across the table, clearly wounded and now boiling with fury. When he had his wits back, he slammed the table with both hands, "I could say things about your own fallen leader that would sour the Sparks of everybot here, you two-faced plated-"
"And that's why it's a good thing we are leaving it all in the past," Sharpshot said after grabbing Doomitron out of the air when he attempted to lunge across the table to get his claws around Sparkplug's intakes.
"Well said," Ultra Magnus said, gratefully jumping in on that course correction, "This is a test of our combined resolve. There have been many over these past ten Solar Cycles. And each we have withstood. I intend to make this peace last, even if we must grit our denta and force ourselves to get through it."
From Sharpshot's clutches, Doomitron huffed, "I nearly got incinerated!"
"And thank the All Spark you are alright," Ultra Magnus said seriously, "But now, we must focus on moving forward, together, and completing the mission on this world, without further incident."
Soundwave got an incoming ping from his High General in attendance, Thunderblast. She had been trying not to laugh through the majority of the Minicon's mudslinging. /Remind me why we can't just order the little tikes off world? Then we could leave Con's who don't try to blow each other up with glorified fireworks./
Soundwave gave her a tired look behind his visor, /It is the newest information we have gleaned from the mining crew trying to recover the ancient Prime Relic. It is less reactive to smaller forms. A minicon may be what it takes to recover it. And both parties are not willing to pull their own group from that responsibility. It would risk a very powerful artifact falling into the opposing faction's hands./
She groaned out loud but closed their commlink with a defeated shrug.
He understood her frustration, truly he did. But in a way, this most recent attempt was proof that both factions were not ready to trust the other completely. Soundwave was not comfortable leaving the Autobots to mine for the relic alone. And taking in the gathered Autobots glaring on the opposite side of the table, he was sure he was in good company.
The distant Bridge activated. The meeting paused for the latest newcomers. Would they bring new suggestions, or more insults? Really, it was hard to say.
Then Soundwave noted Laserbeak's aura fall, 'Scrap.'
Arcee sat to Bumblebee's left as the other stragglers arrived. At least she was ignoring him. If they could keep that up for the next million cycles or so he would be content.
"So then, nothing will be done to the weaklings for this outrage!" Doomitron snarled at the Autobots.
"We could investigate," Ultra Magnus offered. "But with the continued unrest in the outer Colonies and the disappearances in deep space-"
Sharpshot wasn't fast enough to stop Doomitron from jumping onto the table this time. "The time for talk has passed! I will lay down my life to bring low the Autobot scum!" A small subspace on the Minicon leader's chest popped open. With maniacal laughter, he yanked out a grenade that must have been a quarter of his size. It was also very similar to the bomb used in the most recent attack. Well, that settled who had been behind the bombing. The bombing of Doomitron's own building.
With both hands needed to raise it over his helm, he pulled back, still laughing, ready to hurl it into Sparkplug's faceplates.
It was Soundwave's turn to groan. He already felt the processor ache coming on. One data cable shot out to snatch the grenade and the other busyed itself subduing Doomitron. He flung the grenade out from under their covered meeting room and over his shoulder a good few kliks before it blew a small hole in the ground.
"Um, can we call for a recess?" Sharpshot asked Ultra Magnus.
The Autobot commander just pursed his lipplates, but did eventually agree.
Soundwave took in the mining operation from the Decepticon camp's edge while Sharpshot knelt before Doomitron, trying to explain why what just happened was not at all acceptable. The small yet fierce Con was cross servoed, optics downcast as he was scolded like a new forged. The little Con should consider himself lucky Soundwave wasn't the one having this talk with him. He was much less tolerant.
He took the time to survey the area and tuned up his audios to do a quick scan of both camps. The mining teams hadn't made much progress since the last time he was here. Sparkplug's shouting was audible even from the neighboring base. "But sir! That was an attempt on my life! And right after he tried to frame our side by blowing up his own building! I told you he has a wire loose! I submit, once we get the relic out of the ground, we bury him in the same hole!"
"The Decepticon command are dealing with him," Soundwave heard a very tired Ultra Magnus explain.
Their back-and-forth bickering faded into the background as Soundwave's audios instead caught Arcee's comment, most likely made to Bumblebee. "So now, Rhea is almost always with Autoclave when she isn't with Soundwave. I don't think she has been back to Earth all this month. And we are still sure the testing is done?"
"I, don't know what to say, Cee." Bumblebee huffed.
"You could start with, 'Arcee, you were right. I promise to stop blowing you off.' That would be nice." She suggested. "If you're as sick of this topic as I am, then you can help convince the Ethic's Committee to save me and get me off this project."
"I can try, again… But, who would take your place without it being obvious?"
Sharpshot's approach made Soundwave refocus on his immediate surroundings. His fellow Lord radiated weary confidence. "So, Doomitron has assured me he will not use anymore lethal weaponry against Sparkplug. Ultra Magnus has also agreed we do not have to file the usual paperwork for such an incident if he merely gives a formal apology. And right now, I'm confident!"
Soundwave rose a brow ridge, watching as Doomitron transformed into his circular form and started careening out of the camp. And Soundwave highly doubted he was rushing to apologize to Sparkplug. No, the Minicon was tearing a warpath towards the mining operation. About halfway there, his evil laughter commenced again. Sharpshot didn't have to turn around to take in the betrayal. They just hung their helm in disappointment.
'Really, you gotta admire his tenacity.' Laserbeak said with a chuckle.
"Autobot fools! With the power of this ancient relic, I will eradicate every last one of you!" the doom ball shouted victoriously.
"NO!" Sparkplug's own wheeled form screamed after him, and none of the representatives seemed in any mood to stop him.
'I could probably catch up to them, Master.' Laserbeak offered.
'Don't waste the effort,' Soundwave said. He was in no mood to further deal with the shenanigans.
He watched from a distance as Sparkplug flung out of his transformation to tackle Doomitron. They tussled and pulled at each other all the way to the edge of the mining operation. Both excavation teams sort of just stepped out of the way of the two little scrapping dust devils. Seated on the wall between camps, Thunderblast was laughing and cheering on the Pit raiser. She, like everybot else, wasn't doing anything to stop the brawl.
Even weighed down with a bot his own size dragging behind, Doomitron continued to bellow, "Bear witness! On this cycle the shield falls! I do not need a Prime's power to retrieve the weapon! My devotion to Lord Megatron's legacy will break through this pitiful barrier!"
With Sparkplug still attached to his torso, Doomitron flung himself into the pit and out of sight. A quick ZAP sound cut off Doomitron's manic laughter. Then both tiny forms were tossed back upward by the force of the Relic's shielding. They were left face down in the dirt, both twitching.
Sharpshot vented a sigh before jogging over. "You start filing the official paperwork for this incident, and the previous one. I'll make sure their alive."
After mentally throwing the report together and transferring it to a data pad, Soundwave headed over past the chest high wall to the Autobot camp. He also made sure to glare at his general as she sat on the wall, laughing so hard she had almost fallen off. She caught the look, then jumped off the wall with a grumble. "FINE. I'll go check on them."
He again ignored Arcee's chatter and instead offered the data pad to Ultra Magnus to look over without a word. The Autobot commander accepted it with a single nod.
/Bad news, Sovereign,/ Thunderblast reported from her place next to Sharpshot checking on the minicon leaders, /They both survived. We'll have to continue dealing with this… You know, Firecracker suggested we chain these two little guys together until they are forced to get along. I'm starting to come around to the idea./
With his visor in place, Soundwave indulged in an optic roll. That would be a waste of a perfectly good chain, considering if they did that no 'getting along' would take place. It would only expedite the killing process.
"How goes the collection of off world ships on your side, Sovereign?" Ultra Magnus inquired. What was this? Talk of something important? At least they would glean something productive from this trip.
"More than we first anticipated," Soundwave said. "Though they are very far from Bridging capability. It will take at least half a full orbital cycle before they are within range to intercept."
"That is still on target," Ultra Magnus offered. "In the meantime, we still have our own scouts continuing the search."
They reverted into a silent standoff until Ultra Magnus finished reading over the document, signed it, and left with a simple goodbye. Straight and to the point. Soundwave appreciated that, especially after the events of the day.
"So, we all good?" Bumblebee asked before Soundwave could escape to the safety of the Decepticon camp. How had he missed the bright yellow bot sneaking up on him?
"All is well," Soundwave said quickly, and tried again to hurry back. Bumblebee was matching his pace though, so he was stuck with the yellow and cheery attachment.
"Good. I would hate for this to be the thing that re starts the war. I mean, I guess it could be considered more light Sparked then the last time. Ultra Magnus asked about the ships, right? No more SOS's in a while too. That's probably a good sign."
The wall was in sight, and Soundwave was grateful. He could only nod along to the incessant chatter for so long. The Autobot had been oddly more chatty than normal. Especially with him. Rhea had pointed out many times it was a friendship he was aiming for. Something more than just a civil relationship between two opposing faction members. Soundwave cringed at the idea. Putting aside their differing world views, they had about as much in common as a scraplet and a Spark Eater. Why the Autobots as a whole insisted on friendly pleasantries was beyond him.
A second set of peds came up fast and Bumblebee stopped talking suddenly. His Spark fell as he recognized the familiar light gait. Well, maybe not all Autobots were aiming to remain civil.
"Heard both little mini's made it through getting zapped by a force repellent powerful enough to fry most larger bots," Arcee snickered. "I'm sure the Con's are just as relieved as we are."
Bumblebee's forced laughter cut the already mounting tension when Soundwave didn't respond. "Welp! I mean, at least thanks to Doomitron we know how powerful the shield around the Relic is! Silver lining, right?"
"Ultra Magnus already ask about the Con ships?" Arcee asked.
He just nodded. The wall splitting up the camps was almost in sight.
Bumblebee started chatting for him, "Yeah, all filled in! shouldn't take long. Then the larger search can start-"
"Good, Good," Arcee interrupted. She was now walking lock step at Soundwave's side, "So, how's the testing going?"
Soundwave stopped short of the wall and spun on her, "There is no more testing."
"Really?" Arcee scoffed, "Then why is she always hanging around Team Nerd in either your or Starscream's laboratories? Is Starscream's house just that cozy?"
Soundwave disengaged his visor. He wanted to make sure she had no doubt he was glaring at her, "It is good to know you have access to such sensitive intelligence despite not living in Kaon. I assume you have spies stationed in my city, which if I recall correctly, is in violation of the treaty."
Arcee gave him a smug smile as she crossed her servos, "Oh please. Like you don't have your own spies crawling all over Iacon."
She was totally correct, but he didn't acknowledge that fact so he could maintain the perceived high ground. He hadn't noticed how close he had gotten to facing off against the smaller Autobot until her sharp aura was clashing into his own.
Bumblebee had to physically push between them to break up the fight before it started. "Guys, please let's not do this."
"I suggest you give that advice to your fellow representative," Soundwave growled at Bumblebee, but was still too busy glaring at Arcee. "I assume threatening a Decepticon Lord is also in violation of the treaty."
Arcee's smoldering gaze softened somewhat, and Soundwave had a hard time believing it was from what he said. "I heard somewhat of what Autoclave has been researching," she admitted sharply. "In fact, I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. How much do you know about his research?"
This was an interesting turn. If he cared at all what she was insinuating, he would be curious. "I am aware of all topics that may pertain to Decepticon research." He said. It was vague enough to not disclose much. He wouldn't yield to her any ground in this.
"Even the crazy concept he pitched last time? Which basically entailed a reverse Cyberformation?" Arcee asked.
Soundwave paused for a moment. In passing, he knew what she was referring to. Autoclave's answer to a less invasive colonization process on organic worlds. A Cybertronian mind in an organic vessel. Arcee's description was accurate. A reverse Cyberformation. "What about the concept is relevant to this?"
Arcee looked at him like he was stupid, "I already know you're going to go back to the testing to change Rhea. So, I figured, if it were possible, why not change for her too? Really, it's the least you can do. I may even respect this whole process more if you tried."
Soundwave concealed his startled reaction with a sneering huff, "I am not desperate for your approval."
"But you are all set to bring Rhea into our culture?" She hummed, totally unconvinced. "Do you even have time for that, LORD? You going to fall back on your bustling social skills to really bring her into our ways?"
"That would be our problem to face, if the testing were to recommence. Which it will not." Soundwave snapped, trying very hard to pull the flare of his wounded ego from his readable aura. "Concern yourself with your own affairs."
Arcee scoffed at that, "Unfortunately, and I'm sure you already know, but this IS my problem."
"Arcee-" Bumblebee attempted to stop her.
She gave him a pointed look, "Bee, it's already established we are spying on each other. Let's move right along from that," she turned back on Soundwave, "The Autobot Ethic's Committee determined I was the closest to you and Rhea on a more personable front, so there for I was the best choice to maintain a watch over her Cyberformation. I made it perfectly clear how much I hated the idea, but as usual, I was promptly outvoted. So, I'm as much stuck with you as you are stuck with me. That being said, it's more then you just seeing things from Rhea's perspective. I want to see if her Cyberformation doesn't have to be permanent just in case she changed her mind after it was done."
He stared at her, and actually allowed himself to process her point. She took the opportunity to add with a glower, "At least consider all options for when you inevitably change your mind and approve the testing to start back up again."
Rhea
"Peaceful Tyranny, please respond." She waited for even a ping back in her ear, hand pressed to her translator. Silence. She sighed and tried another frequency. "Communication's Officer Kaon of the Peaceful Tyranny, are you receiving me?" Apparently, he wasn't. If he was, he would not answer. True, the majority of their crew hated organics, and Rhea was well known. But she was calling from Soundwave's personal frequency. They had to answer that. Unless they couldn't.
With a frustrated groan she leaned back in her chair and gazed out the window overlooking Kaon. She allowed herself to be mesmerized by the slowly shifting lights. She also absent-mindedly held up the crystal enclosed black hole Soundwave had gifted to her, letting it warp the lights behind it. It was better than any lava lamp. The sight of the city also made her long for the end result of the testing. Hopefully soon, she will be able to walk Kaon. No embarrassing human sized hamster balls. No airlocks. Just her and Soundwave.
Speaking of her busy bee of an overlord husband, she wondered how the meeting was going. Soundwave had been failing to conceal how upset he still was. Even with all the new information they had gleaned from Autoclave, he was being stubbornly iron willed about the whole process.
Would Arcee be at the meeting? She hoped there hadn't been any… Unruly behavior so far. Soundwave insisted she stay in the apartment until his return. She wasn't keen on that idea. She had been to loads of Autobot and Decepticon meetings before. And at this point the Prion fiasco was so infamous she felt like she was the only one who hadn't beheld the cosmic dumpster fire with her own eyes. It just usually required her to stand in a less than dignified air box, much like Thunderblast's dog utilized. But this time he didn't want her there. Didn't want her or didn't want to risk anything else happening to her. Meetings could get intense. Arcee was probably there. And there had been an assassination at one a while back. Not like she would be a target. He was being overly cautious. He even took Laserbeak. Probably so she and the minicon couldn't plot something again behind his back. Even with all that in the mix, she was surprised Soundwave trusted her alone after all the shenanigans she had been getting herself into.
/Rhea!/
With a gasp she almost fell back in her chair, fumbling hands sort of juggling the sphere before getting a good grip on it again. Collecting herself, she pressed a finger to the translator, "Yeah, Autoclave. What's up?"
It really was night and day working with Shockwave one day and Autoclave the next. The small and elderly Cybertronian was like this breath of exhilarated fresh air, right after Shockwave had sucked all the happiness from whatever room he was in.
And this was no exception as Autoclave gave a little excited sound, /I ran the final numbers in Shockwave's algorithm, and we have it! We isolated the frequency of your mind and soul connection and it all fits into place into our simulations! In fact, it's remarkably similar to a Spark extraction and transfer…/ He mused.
/As I theorized it would be./ Came Shockwave's own flat input.
"So, is that good?" Rhea asked, because she wasn't sure if she was supposed to be matching Autoclave's excitement or not.
/It is extraordinary!/ Autoclave confirmed. /Everything worked! Every simulation and calculation! I have total confidence a true test would be a success with almost a zero percent chance for catastrophe!/
/According to my calculations, it is a 3.7 percent failure rate,/ Shockwave corrected. /That is a significant improvement when compared to the first tests, which were calculated at almost 30.6./
Wow, even Shockwave was being optimistic in his own way. And now Rhea was able to get excited. "So, then we could start up again, and it wouldn't kill me?"
/More then that,/ Autoclave snickered, /The transfer could be made to last as long as we wanted!/
This was it. Everything was falling into place and the chances of her dying were almost completely gone! She had a hard time not getting up and jumping up and down while hugging her little black hole.
/All that is required, is authorization to continue the testing,/ Shockwave reminded everyone. And like almost every time Shockwave talked, it brought the mood down to the floor. Soundwave hadn't agreed to let it continue. True, he let her map her soul and brain with the two scientists over the past month, but anything beyond that…
"I'll figure out some way to convince Soundwave. I'll get back to you both."
She sighed after hanging up. It was not an easy task to convince Soundwave to do anything. But she was smart and tricky. Plus, she knew he found her dorky charm adorable. She would just have to turn that up…
Her translator beeped. No one was calling her. It was just an odd little sound she didn't recall it ever making before. If it were Earth tech, she would think it was just a glitch. But this was Soundwave's creation, and nothing he made glitched.
She tuned up the sensitivity, the excitement from Autoclave's news turning into a different sort of excitement. She had almost forgotten about the strange frequency she received back on Earth two and a half months ago. It wasn't screaming at her like before, but she had a feeling this was the same thing.
She spoke too soon. The moment she started tuning up the device, it screeched, forcing her to yank it out of her ear. But she was ready this time. She plugged the device into her computer and brought up the audio splice files she and Raf had worked on together.
Painstakingly, she pulled apart the offensive sound until it changed frequencies. From a loud and obnoxious whine, it became a pulsing, unearthly echo. Creepy didn't even cover it. Like she was listening to the serenade of a deep-sea primordial leviathan.
Pulse, pulse, pulse. Up in pitch, then back down. She squinted at the screen, watching the waves from the tone shift. This was familiar. But what…
The epiphany hit her like a truck. She quickly pulled up another file. This one was a translation set she had to utilize sometimes in her work being a Communication's Officer. When ships were too far for direct communication, they relied on the most basic form of the Decepticon frequency. She was sure the Autobots did something similar. In fact, Nasa did it too. It just made sense when you were dealing with distances too far to talk.
The pulses of sound took on meaning. Though still jumbled, words were buried in the white noise… Cybertronian she didn't recognize right away. It took yet another of her documents regarding the older Cybertronian dialect to make sense of it. Once she had that down, English came last.
CAN. ANYONE. HEAR. ME?
She squealed out loud. She had to send this to Raf, and then Soundwave. Then Autoclave and Shockwave too. But one thing at a time… How to respond.
It took some finagling, but she did have an idea. She used recorded snippets of the noise itself. She managed to run it back through every translator file until it matched the same odd dialect, then it's same frequency. Then she sent what was essentially a simple YES back through the translator to hopefully arrive to whoever was broadcasting it.
She waited, leg bobbing up and down. She was in a staring contest with the blank screen until her eyes started to get heavy. How long had she been waiting?
The translator beeped, and her head jolted back up.
TRAPPED. NEED. EXIT.
Wow, this really was familiar. Thankfully, she had practice fishing Cybertronians out of odd pocket dimensions. Though this appeared farther than the Shadow Zone.
More message came through, and her excitement snagged in her throat.
IMMINENT. DANGER. EARTH. CYBERTRON. NEED. STAFF.
Earth and Cybertron were in the path of certain doom? Well, what else was new? Also, how much time did she have before she and this entity lost the connection? She asked the only part of the previous statement she didn't understand.
"What Staff?"
Again she waited, but this time, she didn't risk falling asleep. The transmission time was ridiculous, leading her to assume their original theory correct and this entity was trapped on Earth. That made sense, considering when the message came through and she was on Earth at the time, the sound had almost blown her ear drum out. But now the sender of the message had to pull whatever trick they had concocted to get the message through the dimensional barrier and send it across space to reach her on Cybertron.
The waves on the screen pulsed. Fading despite her best attempts to keep it active from her side.
FIND. STEEL-
The signal broke apart. Rhea slapped her desk in frustration. Well, it was more than she had before. She hoped the mystery Cybertronian's Energon levels would hold until the next time it managed to send another message.
She quickly compiled everything and sent it to Raf and Shawn back on Earth. It didn't take long before she received a series of shocked and excited emoji faces from Shawn. She snorted a little chuckle before putting her phone away.
Her translator was safe to return to her ear, and it was just in time to note the proximity tone. Soundwave was almost home. "I got another message from the SOS," she reported and jumped up from her desk. She couldn't wait for Soundwave to get through the door before telling him. "And I managed to sort of translate it." She waited on the edge of the ledge, eyes on the door.
The key code in the door activated. Soundwave trekked inside, looking absolutely spent, and that was even before he retracted his visor. Her excitement for the moment sort of wavered.
"Did it not go great?" She asked.
He took a moment to sit down next to her little work shelf attached to the window. He released a venting sigh, and finally answered, "It was, explosive. There will be more peace talks after today. It is most certainly required." He pinched the bridge between his shut optics and vented again. Aside from him appearing dead tired he was trying to be cold. A tell tail sign he was hiding something. Not like he had to hide anything. She already knew what was wrong.
"What did the message say?" he huffed finally, not answering her other question.
"So far, it's what you would expect. Some sort of crazy danger in store for both your world and mine. She forwarded it to him, but added very quickly, "I already sent it to Raf and Shawn. We'll figure it out, no worry. You have enough to deal with."
He gave her the ghost of a smile, "Do I look that pitiful?"
"Absolutely," she said.
He shrugged, appearing too tired to care. He focused on her again, "Have you eaten?"
"I could ask you the same thing," she said crossing her arms, "And what about recharge? You look ready to drop."
"It has been some time," he admitted with a shrug. Though he didn't specify what he was neglecting, Energon or recharge. She assumed both.
Laserbeak decided that was a better time than any to jump into the conversation, 'Well, if everything else is settled, we could take this opportunity to address-'
"No." Soundwave shut him down. Not harshly, but stern just the same.
Laserbeak groaned and fidgeted against Soundwave's chest. Without further comment he got back up. Rhea just watched him go to the other side of the room and retrieve a cube of Energon from the dispensary.
"We could address it," She agreed in defiance of the silence.
"I would rather we didn't," Soundwave said before taking a sip of his Energon.
"Well then how about an update?" Rhea walked down the small metal steps and followed him like a skittering mouse to his berth. "Like I said, I finally managed to get at least some info from the mysterious noise from the void. There is still no word from the Peaceful Tyranny," she hurried up the second set of steps to his berth as he finished the Energon, "And Shockwave ran Autoclave's numbers in his algorithm. It fit. It basically fixed the problem completely."
Laserbeak chirped excitedly at the news. Soundwave didn't reflect the same enthusiasm. "That was what we assumed the first and then second attempts." He reminded them.
"I want to give it another try," she told him sternly.
"I gathered that from the trajectory of this conversation that has been forced on me," he said.
As he laid down on his back, she sat on the edge of the berth and hummed a sigh, kicking her feet back and forth, "But golly gosh… The Con Lord who started the project just denied Shockwave's request to continue testing with the new algorithm."
"Truly a shame," Soundwave said, staring at the ceiling, "This Lord sound's unreasonable and Sparkless."
"Nah," She leaned back against his arm, "I think he's just scared it'll mess up again. Which is strange considering the new numbers Shockwave and Autoclave ran about a million times and didn't run into any problems. This Lord usually puts a good deal of credence into good odds."
"Could it be this Lord is weighing even good odds against something that is too important to gamble on?" He countered.
"Sure. I just wish he would trust his wife's instincts." she admitted.
That successfully got him to pause.
"And what are her instincts telling her?" He asked finally.
She turned to look at him seriously. "That it feels right this time. We overlooked something major and obvious. And now that it's accounted for, I know it will work without hurting me."
More silence. She couldn't see his optics. Maybe he had ignored her and already fallen into recharge. Then one of his data cables deployed to retrieve her gently and deposit her onto his chest. The appendage retreated, then returned with one of her blankets to drape over her shoulders. She wrapped the soft blanket around herself and settled down between him and Laserbeak, still focused on his stone-faced expression. "Thoughts? Comments?"
"Concerns," He added. She had left that option out on purpose. "It did more than 'hurt you.' Rhea, you almost died. I held your convulsing body. Please, don't make me risk that happening again."
It was the first time he had shown even a glint of emotion. And that hint of emotion was dripping with pain. She rested her head against his chest. She ran a ghostly gentle hand over the faded scar over his spark. It was very subtle, but she felt him shutter beneath her. One of his hands came to rest over her and Laserbeak without further comment concerning the Cyberformation.
"May I inquire something personal and rather off topic?" He asked.
"Sure." Not like they were making any progress on topic to begin with.
"What are things on Earth you find you cannot indulge in, due to your connection with me?"
She rose her head, if only to make sure he saw her inquisitive brow, "What do you mean?"
"Human things. What are you missing?"
"I thought we weren't testing anymore. Why bother cramming human stuff in now if I'm staying human?"
"We are not cramming anything," He specified with a pointed look, "But, I acknowledge some select points the Autobot Arcee has brought to my attention. That being, our relationship may unintentionally force you to abstain from taking part in human related activities."
"I hate most 'human' activities," she promised him, "And Arcee isn't part of our relationship, so with all due respect, it's none of her business."
"I would still like to know," He asked.
She huffed, but indulging his attempts at derailing the Cyberformation topic, she considered the new question. What was she missing? Well, there were the obvious things, but those were fine to linger in her imagination. Plus, talking about human sexuality always made him uneasy, especially in recent years. She just assumed that was why he was asking this.
But even she surprised herself when she actually came up with an answer, "The State Fair. I used to go as a kid a lot. Haven't been to it in years. I would like to."
He hadn't been at all ready for that answer, just going by his perplexed glance. He may have even needed to quickly look it up in the back of his mind to figure out exactly what she was talking about, "Really?"
She gave him a wry smile and was unable to resist, "What did you think I was going to say? Other than humanity's grossest reproduction ritual?"
And yep, she made him uncomfortable, though she had sort of been aiming for it this time. And Laserbeak was just collateral damage, giving a shutter of horror under her. "I have to admit, it was what I was bracing for," he clarified.
"Why? Just to make yourself feel bad?" she hummed as she laid down on his chest. She paused to listen very hard. She could almost hear the pulse of his Spark. She could definitely feel the warmth of it on her cheek. "And of course, that just comes with the territory of you and me being vastly different species. I'm not losing sleep over it. That's for my gross human brain to fantasize about when you are at meetings. So, with that topic covered, the fair. I would want to do that. But, if you hadn't asked, I wouldn't have shared it."
"Why not?"
"Well, aside from me unsure how to sneak you into the State Fair," she snickered, "You would absolutely hate it. Crowds, way too much stimuli, and that's coming from me. So don't worry about it."
Silence found its way between them. In the depths of that quiet, he was thinking something she couldn't hope to even guess. She closed her eyes, making a pillow with her hands to sort of cradle her skull against his unyielding chest.
"Good to know," he said with a certain amount of self-assurance. Whatever conclusion he had come to, she only hoped he didn't make himself to uncomfortable seeing it through. No point in trying to talk him out of it. He was as stubborn as she was. "May I ask, what fantasies you indulge in while I am not around?"
Hurried clicking from under her, and Laserbeak disconnected from Soundwave, 'I'm going to utilize this time to scout the tower's radius, Master!' he flew out of the room like the devil was chasing him, much to Rhea and Soundwave's amusement. If there was a bot who was made even more uncomfortable when talking about human reproduction, it was Laserbeak.
Rhea settled back in with a lingering snicker, and now, a bit of a blush, "Um, it's kind of hard to describe to…" She struggled to find the right words.
"Hard to describe to someone who would have no context to understand?"
"Maybe put in a nicer way, but yeah, I guess," she agreed.
He resumed petting her hair with the tip of his finger, "I will attempt to keep up."
She bit the inside of her cheek. Well, this was kind of her fault. She had made a jab before to make him uncomfortable. It looks like he was just returning the favor. "Why do you want to know?" she settled on stalling more.
"Though I may not understand it, if something is within my abilities, I would like to attempt it. For you. I assume something could be figured out between us, without the possibility of, hurting you," He paused longer, but then added seriously, "Unless you don't want to share, and I will drop it."
Her heart sort of skipped a beat, but it wasn't from the embarrassment anymore. Something that was utterly out of his comfort zone, hell, out of his whole species' concept, he was contemplating for her. Beyond being extremely flattering, she was now trying her best to keep those aforementioned fantasies in check.
Unfortunately. He must have misread her sudden pulse spike because his whole demeanor changed, "I'm sorry. I'll-"
"No! No, it's not that," she insisted and patted his chest quickly to reassure him, "I don't have a problem with talking about it. And it's nothing too outlandish. We are already close, like, right now. So, I guess like this, but…" Wow were words failing her at the worst time. She stroked the black mesh in the seams of his armor in time with his own pets. "More so? You would touch me more intimately? I assume I would have less clothes on…" She trailed off, because she wasn't sure how much more graphic she could get before she totally lost him. He wouldn't be totally in the dark. He had access to the internet, after all. She kind of felt bad for him for that. "Anything beyond that, I don't know, we get creative, as my opinionated friend Miko once suggested."
He paused petting her, and she peeked at him. He was staring at the ceiling, lip plates pursed in silent contemplation. "'Anything, beyond that.' I would worry I would hurt you."
She shrugged, understanding that perspective. "Hence why it's not a big deal. And not something you should worry about. But, if it's any consolation, I would trust you not to hurt me."
Something about what she said made him feel guilty, she could tell. Oh sure, he was trying hard to hide it, but she knew that face. Changing the subject was definitely in both their best interests, "What about me?" She asked and popped up to sit cross-legged on his chest. "I spilled my dark and deprived inner thoughts for your amusement. What do you wish you could do with me but can't because I'm human?"
"There is nothing you lack," he said quickly.
She snorted at him, "Ok, liar. But seriously. Say the Cyberformation thing was no longer a problem, and I was Cybertronian tomorrow. What would we do?"
Good, the guilt had seeped from his features in place of contemplation. He had also resumed stroking her.
"I would want to teach you how to fly," he finally divulged. "In my own internal imaginations, I have often indulged in that thought."
"I would like that," she agreed, though added with a nervous snicker, "Beyond how terrifying that whole concept is. Unless I'm in your cockpit, I don't like being miles above the ground. But, hey, if we're being adventurous, I wouldn't mind taking a crack at it… Anything else?"
Now he was unreadable, and that could only mean he was actively considering not voicing out loud whatever just popped into his head. Well, now she was very curious.
"A field meld," he said simply.
"Ok. Now, imagine I have no idea what that is, and you had to explain it?"
He rumbled with a chuckle, "You understand the Cybertronian means of reading each other's electromagnetic fields to gage emotion, intention, etcetera. I know you have had limited experience with it. But, do you recall how you could manipulate your field's range? And when your field meets another, you can read mid to surface level emotions?"
Rhea just nodded along, because so far, she did get it.
"Well, what I am describing is deeper. It is considered intimate, because all the boundaries one would usually build to hide deeper emotions are removed. Feelings, even memories are no longer a debatable concept. I would be able to experience all of you, and you would do the same for me. It is an exercise in absolute trust, because there are no secrets with this ritual."
"Have you ever done this with anyone else?" she asked.
He shook his helm, "I've never trusted another being with my inner most thoughts and feelings. Not even through the Bond."
"And, you would trust me?"
"Without hesitation," he said.
She was blushing again. She crawled up to his face, taking her blanket with her. He opened his once closed optics to watch her, eventually settling in the crook of his neck. "I would want to do that with you too. I want to try everything. Strange, dubious, or otherwise considered impossible. Human stuff, Cybertronian stuff too."
"I would feel less than adequate to share even my own Cybertronian experiences with you," he admitted. Crap, she thought they were making progress.
"Why do you say that?" She demanded, "Last I checked, you lived here on Cybertron."
True, but over the course of this experience, I have come to the quiet realization I am lacking in even my own culture. Not accounting for Cybertron still being rebuilt, even if it wasn't, I have always been an observer. I didn't indulge in recreational activities before the war, during, or after. Unless you count fighting for my life in the Pits of Kaon." He gave her a halfhearted smile, "I didn't have fun. That was Frenzy and Rumble's job when they graced my life. Even if I brought you into my culture, I would be fully unequipped to immerse you in all that my world has to offer."
"Then let's challenge ourselves to learn," She offered. Returning her head to his chest. "I'll force myself to do more Earth stuff, and you grit your denta and learn more about Cybertron's fun side. Then we can share it with each other."
"Deal." He agreed, gently tapping his fingers along her back.
"I'm also not quitting," She said. It wasn't said in a mean way, but she was serious. "I'm going to continue the Cyberformation testing, because it's what I want. I hope you'll be there with me."
His rhythmic tapping stopped, and she fought the urge to gage his reaction. She was trying to remain steadfast though and seeing him may hinder her resolve.
"I will," He agreed.