Author's Notes: We start by peeking at what our military man Steven is up to. Spoilers, he isn't doing well! Though this time, in his normal haze of sleepless worry, he may find something interesting…
On the Cybertronian side of reality, Soundwave and Rhea's long-awaited walk-through Kaon may finally be here. This could be it! Will the Cyberformation test work this time without risk of killing her?
Share a comment to let me know what you think, and as always, enjoy!
Date: Present Day, September 22nd, 2021 early morning
Steven
He arrived at a nearly empty army base. Good. The longer he could stay alone the better.
Steven had paperwork to do and a strange changing letter to ignore. The phantom letter he wrote himself but didn't remember writing wanted him to find someone. An idiot, apparently. There were plenty of those around, but he was far too distressed to be amused by the concept.
He did usually have paperwork to fill the hours. There had been a secondary system failure in their most recently constructed drone the day before. He needed to file that update. That could be distracting.
But instead of being responsible, or locating this nameless idiot, he changed up his tasks. He sat in the dark remote pilots' room after switching on the long-range surveillance drone. He hooked into its channel and the screen came to life with the many camera angles the drone possessed. He made it take to the sky, and he tried to imagine flying away with it as it left the military base behind and headed for the town.
Nearly invisible in the dim light, he scanned the empty streets from the drone's perspective. Only one or two cars traversed the roads, headed into early jobs, or travelled home after very late ones. The drone flew over the military retirement home. Nothing was stirring there. Max would be sleeping in until about eleven, unlike his punctual friend Oliver. But not even the more responsible of the pair would be up now. Their combined odd behavior aside, he envied their ability to sleep through hard times. A perk that came with old age apparently. If he survived the next few weeks, he would know soon enough.
Among the few people he saw, Rhea was not among them. He intended for this to be his daily routine. He would scan the drone's flight radius every day in the guise of a flight test in search of her. He even checked odd worrying places fearfully. There was a chance he would spot a body in the surrounding woods. He was terrified of this scenario beyond reason, but he still had to look everywhere.
The door behind his chair opened, but he didn't look away from the screen. The invader's arrival introduced abrasive light from the outside hall into his once quiet and dark space. "Still look like shit I see," he heard General Bragg remark from next to his chair.
"Thanks sir," Steven sighed. He never took his focus off the screen.
"You remember I approved time off for you to take?" Bragg said.
Steven nodded. He couldn't take any time off. If he wasn't working constantly, the worry would crush him alive. "Just don't fall asleep and crash the damn drone. Old Uncle Sam will have your and my ass if you do." Bragg warned halfheartedly when he saw Steven wasn't giving him anything to work with conversation wise.
"Yes sir," Steven agreed before the door closed him in. In the silence that followed, he let out a frustrated sigh. He set the controls to hover so he could rub his eyes and sip at his third cup of cold black coffee. The drone was doing fine, so he took it out over the sea. There would be nothing to find here, but the rising sun over the waves could be comforting. It was one of the things that made Rhea happy. It was why she loved the small coastal town most out of all the places his military service had landed them. He liked it because she did. But now that she was gone, it was just some place. Like any other. Hollow.
Was this feeling just what grief was like? Would he never feel whole again? It had only been two days since her disappearance. But those forty-two hours felt like an eternity. Both days, he clawed himself out of bed after being tortured in his nightmares. He would slog through the day with the nagging feeling something was horrifically wrong with the world. Of course, there was. Rhea wasn't there with him. But, no, that wasn't it. It was some other subtle detail he was missing. He was to sleep deprived to notice it.
Another shadow flitted past his chair. He spun around, almost forgetting to put the drone to hover before he did so. He scanned the dark room, his heart pounding with fear he didn't understand. He felt eyes on him despite his isolation. Nothing was there. He was seeing shadows. Was that the lack of sleep? Or was it the same oddity in his brain that was making him imagine changing notes from himself.
He sat back down. Ignore it. He was just seeing things. Ignore it.
Is he awake yet?
He stumbled out of his chair, snatching the gun from the holster on his belt. His hands trembled, his long years of intense military training all that kept him from unloading his weapon into the darkness. He heard that. That wasn't just 'seeing things.' He heard a voice! And it wasn't just any voice. It was the same hissing, gravelly sounds made by his monstrous tormentors in his nightmares before they dug into him with metal tools or scorching electricity. The voice was as real as General Bragg, whispering behind his pilot's chair.
Nothing. He cleared the room, and there wasn't a damn thing. This was more then sleep deprivation. This was more then worry. He was losing his mind. What would Rhea find when she came back? A mad man spiraling into oblivion.
A good daily dose of lithium could fix him… But that wasn't an option. Reaching out to any medical professional wasn't. If he was deemed crazy, he would be discharged. He couldn't lose the military. Without Rhea, it was all he had. It was all he ever had. He would just ignore whatever was wrong with his brain until it fixed itself. He would be fine when Rhea came back. The world would be ok when she came back.
With a final wary glance around the room, he holstered his gun and sat back down. At least he had the presence of mind not to let the drone out of its hover mode while he scanned the room like a lunatic, or it would have plummeted into the waves, just as General Bragg had been half joking about. He took a deep breath, sipped his coffee, looked back to the screen, and then almost choked on his beverage.
A body bobbed in a small inflatable dinghy, totally at the mercy of the morning tide.
There was no way he was seeing this right. This was another hallucination. He quickly slapped his face before making the drone's camera zoom in. Nope. Unlike his slipping grasp on the real world, this was real. A young man was out cold or dead in the dinghy as it very slowly was filling with water over however long it had been adrift.
Steven jumped up and called in General Bragg and got the Coast Guard on the phone. He relayed the coordinates of the unfortunate soul, then could only watch through the lens of the drone as he hovered over them, waiting for their rescue. The guy was young, maybe around Rhea's age, or younger. Light black skin and wooly hair buzzed down in a familiar style popular around the military base… This was a soldier. As he flew the drone closer, he confirmed this fact. They wore remnants of the US Army uniform, or at least the green camo pants and the white undershirt. Dog tags tangled around his sunburnt neck. From what he could see, through the screen, the young soldier was breathing.
He bobbed faster in his little boat as the Coast Guard came up on him port side. Steven watched as they retrieved the soldier's limp form from the dinghy and brought him on board.
"Good work," General Braggs said through the radio. "Kid would have probably been dead if you hadn't found him… Good thing you were manic enough to be working this early."
Steven ignored that commentary and instead brought the drone back home alongside the speeding Coast Guard boat. He accompanied them right overhead until they arrived by small convoy to the hospital on base.
He brought the drone back into the garage then shut it down as fast as physically possible. He hurried out of the pilot's room and headed for the military hospital.
Date: April, 25 2020
Rhea
"Are you sure?" Soundwave asked her.
Before she could climb into the pod, she turned to kiss his outreached fingers, "I'm sure."
'No worries necessary!' Autoclave announced with a big smile, 'I am confident in these results! I dare say it will be an utter success.'
"Confidence is not a reliable factor," Shockwave added from his corner as he worked on his own portion of the experiment, "We now possess all previously missing equations. The chance of failure is mathematically insignificant."
Starscream, who was now also seated in the corner gave a very characteristic scoff. His presence was due to his need to assure Shockwave did not attack Autoclave for old time's sake. "And if it doesn't work, just go pick one of the many billions of other humans. Not like there is a shortage of the vermin."
Arcee was leaned against the far opposite wall, and she appeared happy to antagonize Starscream over Soundwave for a change, "I'm sure most of the Con's in Kaon have the same thought about replacing you."
Wow, this once secret and personal project between Rhea and Soundwave was gaining quite the audience. She was already nervous. She didn't like adding self-consciousness to her stacking anxiety.
"We are ready," Shockwave intoned, and he looked to Soundwave expectantly.
Rhea took out her translator, and so was unable to hear Autoclave or Laserbeak anymore. She handed it gently to Soundwave, and then climbed into the pod. She helped the self-adhering wires find their correct positions on her skin and around her head by not fighting them on the journey. She caught Soundwave's assuring smile before the pod closed.
She shut her eyes, took a deep breath, and sighed, "It'll work. Just don't leave anything behind," she reasoned with herself.
And faster than any other attempt, she felt the shift. Electrical currents becoming her new normal. She opened her eyes, and the lab ceiling was overhead with no pod in the way.
'Transfer, complete!' She heard Autoclave exclaim despite her not having her translator.
She felt Soundwave's hand on her cheek, his own electricity crackling on her. Rhea could feel that strange magnetic field again, radiating from everyone in her vicinity. She missed it, though had no clue why.
"How are her body's vitals?" Soundwave asked by her side. He was addressing that comment towards Autoclave.
'Perfect. All is well, so far.' Autoclave assured.
"Should we not risk her moving like before?" Arcee asked, her anxiety clear to read both in her tone and her aura.
"That is an integral step in this testing phase," Shockwave informed her, "Otherwise, we will be unable to determine if the connection is stable at any distance."
"Worst case scenario," Rhea intoned with her odd electric voice. With a mental want from Soundwave, he helped her sit up on the lab table, "I can always carry my human body around in a big purse."
Laserbeak tutted at the mental image, and he deployed to hover by her side. 'That is assuming this did not work as they determined it would. I am confident. As you humans say, third time's a charm?'
Rhea snickered at the minicon, "Look at you, integrating human culture."
She stood, and maybe it was in her head, but it was easier than it ever had been the first two times. Like a weight on her brain was lifted.
And for the first time, Shockwave got to the portion of the test that allowed her Cybertronian body to be disconnected from its many assortments of wires and tubes. She was still ok. Autoclave retained a hawk's focus on her vitals, and this 'soul link' he had coined. So far, no alarms from the mechanisms or the mousy Seeker scientist.
But then came the part that everyone, maybe save for Shockwave and Starscream, had been dreading.
Rhea stared at her little human sized pod on the ground with a sinking feeling of dread. Arcee was radiating apprehension she wasn't hiding well.
"So, should I just, walk away from it?" Rhea asked. To test this invisible tether, they had to make sure. Wandering away from her human body with her metal one had caused both tests to fail, and the second time her heart almost stopped. But if Autoclave was right, her soul shouldn't still be in that pod. It should be somewhere on her now.
"The last time she collapsed," Arcee pointed out, "If her vitals start going, she'll need to get close again. But if she faints, she won't be able to."
Rhea gave a little hollow Cybertronian gasp as she was lifted from the ground. Soundwave cradled her in his servos, his expression serious, but determined. "I'll move her, and the moment her vitals drop, I'll have her back within range."
Rhea held onto him around the back of his neck. They were both razor focused on her little pod. But it was a better plan then any. Soundwave started backing away. She held onto him tighter, waiting for the other horrible shoe to drop. 'Please, invisible tether, don't snap. Don't snap,' she thought, already forgetting Soundwave would be able to sort of hear her mental panic. As they retreated, she felt his fingers caress her arm and leg soothingly. She leaned into him. That was helping.
They were far now. Farther than before, and there were no alarms. Autoclave hadn't blinked. But he wasn't panicked either. In fact, he was sporting a mad scientist's grin. He appeared confident enough to look away, and with one of his scanners, he waved it over Rhea while she sat in Soundwave's embrace. As an answer to the question everyone was too scared to ask, he turned the screen around. Rhea saw that strange flame like light Autoclave's tech usually spotted radiating around her human body. But this time it was in her Spark chamber, sort of orbiting Soundwave's donated Spark fragment. She had made it over. All of her.
But for good measure, Soundwave carried on, as was their plan. To make sure her mind and soul didn't intend to snap back like a slingshot if there was anything else standing between her metal body and her fleshy one. He stood with her in the doorway to the other chamber of the laboratory. Soundwave hesitated, all those optics staring at Rhea and waiting for the worst to happen. Even Starscream appeared mildly invested now.
The door closed, shutting her off from her human body and their audience.
She didn't drop dead. She still felt fine. But now, she was ecstatic.
Soundwave's own aura swelled, his excitement drowning his original apprehension. She yelped when he suddenly spun her around in his grasp. Soon she was laughing right along within moments and Laserbeak was squawking in delight as he flew circles around them.
It worked! They finally figured it out! She wrapped her own arms around his neck and nestled her forehead to his. Their energies had sort of merged in a blur of excitement and relief. It was rather overwhelming, but she didn't want it to stop. But he did stop spinning them, and she assumed it was her emotion that made him. But on an interesting note, she wasn't dizzy from their little victory dance. Another perk of not having fluid in your head, she supposed. Instead, he just held her to his chest. She pressed into him, closing her optics, and just experiencing his presence. She smiled against him and said, "So, you glad you decided to trust my gut feeling this time?"
"I am elated," He agreed. He appeared apprehensive to put her down, but he did finally do so. She was stable on her feet/peds, or at least, somewhat. Walking was still strange. Which made total sense. How many tons did she weigh now? It was one of two reasons she didn't protest Soundwave's grasp on the back of her waist area. The second reason was that it was just pleasant.
He led them back into the other room to their awaiting audience. She half expected fanfare but was happy when that didn't greet them. Arcee was solemn in the corner. But she was oddly quiet, her aura pulled to herself to keep her inner thoughts hidden.
Starscream was already at Autoclave's side. She assumed it was because Shockwave was closer in proximity. But he was grilling his meek scientist in his normal, passive aggressive fashion, "So, now that this ridiculous curiosity is satiated, I assume we are done with it?"
Autoclave gasped at him, 'Absolutely not! This is just the first step to seeing how the technology can be utilized!'
Starscream groaned as he rolled his optics while leaning heavy into a piece of machinery, he wasn't particularly worried about ruining. This was Shockwave's lab, after all.
Rhea crept towards the pod that contained her real body. She had the irrational urge to peek inside, just to see the mind melting reality within of staring through different eyes at herself. But that would be pointless, and possibly dangerous. The pod couldn't open while her brain, and soul, were in the avatar. When it was explained to her, the details went over her head. But she caught the 'sudden consciousness sever' part and decided it would be as bad as it sounded.
"So, what would happen, if my human body dies while the rest of me is in here?" Rhea asked any scientist in the mood for a round of questions and answers.
She wasn't surprised Autoclave was the first to contribute his thoughtful, not bothered opinion, 'Hm… I'm not entirely sure. Though if I had to guess, if your mind and core essence had no other compatible place to go, that would assure the change would be permanent.'
Then there was no other means of making the switch permanent. No easy switch flip to maybe undo later if she decided she needed more days as a human if her original transfer date was premature. She would croak, and that would be that. "Well, I guess when the time comes, we just take the pod out back and shoot it?" She was mostly joking, but Arcee wasn't the only one upset by the concept. The taste of Soundwave's whole aura turned icy. And then, oddly enough, she thought she felt guilt emanating from him. From Laserbeak too… She quickly changed the subject. "So, how long can this test last?"
"According to these feedback readings," Shockwave intoned, "It could be made to last until your human vessel naturally expires from lack of nourishment. If that is the course of action we have decided to take-"
"No," Soundwave snapped exactly as Arcee shouted the same thing simultaneously. Soundwave carried on talking when Arcee fell back into pouting silence, "You will need to eat and drink. Perhaps a day?" He poised that last question to her.
She nodded in agreement. A day away from her skin? That sounded fair. Or until her brain decided it was done being adventurous and needed to hide in the dark under her weighted blanket.
'A single cycle is too short,' Laserbeak pouted, 'I am not a scientist, but could it not be made for Rhea's body to be infused with liquid and nourishment to prolong the testing phase?' and he made sure to send that same question via a text comm to Autoclave and Shockwave.
'Very possible,' Autoclave agreed.
"I'd be up for it," Rhea said with a shrug, "Though we couldn't stretch that too far either. The human body starts to atrophy if it's left in the same place for long periods. Plus, I'd imagine I would have to use the bathroom after a while."
"Then we will stick with the original day plan," Soundwave insisted, and aimed a stern pulse Laserbeak's way. Rhea actually felt that too. So strange.
But she couldn't focus on any one aspect of her new, semi-permanent perspective. It was time for more tests, and this time she was more read up on what Shockwave was telling her to do. Something relatively simple. Or it was a simpler task than the first time. Shift the plating over her left arm. This was probably less to prove her avatar was a fully functional shapeshifting robot, but rather to see if her human consciousness could handle the concept.
Soundwave had given her endless reading material about the concept of Cybertronian transformation. The history of it, the mechanics, the works. It was something that came easy to the whole of the Cybertronian race. Like the act of stretching for humans. Her avatar had a T-cog, so she could do it too. Hypothetically. Easier said than done, no matter how much not so light reading she did on the subject.
This test so far consisted of her staring angerly at her arm. A not shifting arm. She clicked her odd fingers against each other in a poor stand in for the sound of a transformation.
And she thought Starscream rolled his optics before. He was almost beside himself with indignation as half the room's occupants tried to break down a simple concept, for them. Even Arcee started chiming in, "I explained it to Jack once… He cracks his knuckles a lot. It's kinda like that. Like a joint? You can bend your human joints a certain way. Well, we just have loads more options for how we can bend ours."
Rhea sat on the lab table, looking between their differing advice, "Stupid question, but it doesn't hurt, right? I mean, it sounds like it hurts."
Her question earned her a very loud scoff from Starscream.
"Only if you were injured," Soundwave assured, ignoring Starscream's nonverbal, yet somehow loud commentary, "otherwise, it is not."
She went back to glaring at her hand. Soundwave sat beside her, taking her hand in both of his. One of his fingers traced a section of bronze plating over the back of her hand and now it was hard to focus. "Break it down piece by piece," he suggested gently, "Focus here. This would move back to lock into this one."
How painfully slow would a Cybertronian transform it they shifted exactly one piece at a time? Well, by the way she was going she was probably well on her way to finding out. But she took his advice. Focusing on that one small plate, and enjoying the way his finger continued making even circles there…
The plate moved with a short few clicks, and a very distinct sensation she was utterly unready for. She fully screamed in surprise. Then she was stuttering with nervous laughter and embarrassment, "I did it! Not pain, but really freaking weird!" Arcee's comparison had been rather spot on. When Rhea was younger, she used to be able to pop her shoulder in an out of place, mostly from boredom or to gross out the few school friends she managed to obtain. It was reminiscent of that feeling.
"Congrats," Starscream groaned, "One plate down, roughly three thousand to go."
She was in too good a mood to let his crap attitude stunt her. She just basked in her small victory by watching her little hand plate click back and forth. So then, this would apply to all the different pieces that made up her new body? Did she do the same thing to make them all work?
In hindsight, she probably shouldn't have tried moving anything more than the one plate on the back of her hand. She could already feel her anxiety rising from all the new sensations. But she did, and the once sort of solid pieces making up her arm shifted. That same joint popping feeling was far more widespread, and for little reward. She didn't know what she was trying to do. That was probably an important component to transformation. Knowing what you were turning into. But she was left with a twisted and sad representation of what her once sleek metal arm once was. And no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get it to move back. And it was uncomfortable. Maybe it was pain, but she just didn't recognize it. Maybe like when she, as a kid, ignored her parents' advice and popped her double-jointed shoulder too many times and it got stuck. But now it was more than one sore shoulder blade. As Starscream alluded, it felt like at least a hundred different pieces stuck out of place.
She hadn't even noticed the panicked little sounds emanating from her until she had two sets of familiar metal hands on the suddenly disjoined arm that she couldn't get to look right again. Soundwave and Arcee.
"Stay calm," Soundwave encouraged in his gentle but firm tone. His feather light fingers came to hold her twisted limb.
"It's fixable," Arcee promised. Then as if to cheer her up, she added, "It still happens to the best of us, usually when high grade is involved." And it was a rare moment of feeling Arcee's magnetic field. It was calm, joking, and sympathetic. Not panicked like Rhea was. She knew what she was talking about… Then this wasn't so bad, right?
"One at a time, pull them back," Soundwave said.
Rhea could only shake her head as the ache of the twisted variant of her arm stayed disjointed. She didn't know where to start. She didn't remember how to even do the first step anymore.
"Focus on me," Soundwave whispered. One of his fingers was under her chin, or whatever the Cybertronian equivalent was. With the prompt, she yanked her focus from the twisted version of her arm and found his deep violet optics.
His essence reached out to surround her. Enveloping her gently like an ocean wave under the star painted NC sky. She surrendered to it immediately. When she did, she felt the deepest desire to be connected, to help… It wasn't her desire. She was feeling Laserbeak too. A vocal agreement wasn't necessary. Just her feeling the same thing was enough.
Her back tingled with the sound of mechanical clicks. She felt the addition of Laserbeak's presence in the back of her mind, there to help, just as promised. And Soundwave was there in her mind too, presence unwavering like a mountain. Both were calm, and it outweighed her panic. Made it seem unnecessary by comparison.
She could feel his touch inside her mind, and it was focused again on that arm. Like a puzzle that was above her head, but he knew where all the pieces went. She sat back and let him and Laserbeak do everything. Took every bit of tedious mental advice. And her twisted arm responded. One piece at a time it came back together. The odd ache went away with the relief of a tensed muscle finally allowed to rest.
"Good, your creepy mind trick comes in handy at least sometimes," Arcee said to Soundwave. No actual malice in her voice. It was to lighten the mood. And Rhea was glad. She couldn't handle any more tension.
Maybe Rhea was still panicky, and it was obvious, because Soundwave lifted her up again and they were leaving the others to traverse to a different room in the lab. Rhea didn't doubt he knew, he was basically in her brain. But thanks to the Cybertronian ability to adjust both sight and hearing she had learned about from the last test, she cranked everything basically down to zero. It made her perception of the world almost nothing, but she still felt him, and that was all that mattered.
The world stopped moving, something was wrapped around her. Soundwave was still there and Laserbeak was still hugging her back. It was probably ok to tune back in, at least to see what was going on.
She was glad she did. She was cradled in Soundwave's firm embrace and greeted with his serene smile. She wrapped her arms behind his neck and pulled herself closer. She held fast until every ounce of panic wafted away, leaving her feeling embarrassed. "Ok. I'm fine. But that was dumb," she said into the crook between his neck and chest.
She felt him rumble when he chuckled, "It was adventurous though."
"Hence why me and 'adventurous,' do not pair well together," she countered.
"Would you like to stop?"
"No," she insisted, "And I still want to see Kaon. But you need to make sure I don't do anything else stupid."
Though he was hesitant, he didn't argue her decision. And though she rather liked being in his arms, she decided she would return to their company on her own two feet, if only to maintain at least a little bit of dignity.
Thankfully, no one was chatting about her antics. Arcee was actively annoying Starscream with a round of questions Rhea hadn't caught the beginning of, "It was always your favorite relic, so all I'm saying, is it would make sense if you took it."
Starscream snarled at her, "And I continue to remind you, Autobot! As an esteemed Lord of the Decepticons, I no longer have any need for the Apex Armor. I would be seen as weak if I relied on it! It is due to your side's negligence it was stolen from the vaults! Do not blame me for your side's own shortcomings."
Arcee shrugged off his venomous tone, "Just asking… Because it would make sense."
Rhea decided it was best to not mention Thunderblast's suspicious, not so secretive reactions when the topic of the Apex Armor came up, assuring she no doubt was the one behind the theft. That would probably work itself out, eventually.
Arcee dropped the topic herself when she noticed Rhea walking back in, "You ok?"
Rhea just nodded, "Yeah. Thanks for being here with me, and not, um..."
"Flipping out?" Arcee finished the thought, "No problem. Plus, the day is still young, so don't have too much faith in me. You were planning to leave the lab, you sure you're ready? It's safe, right?"
Autoclave added merrily, 'Totally safe! The range for her new tether is projected to be like our holoforms. So, a very large reach! Strolling around Kaon will be no worry.'
"But if that is compromised," Soundwave intoned seriously, "You will inform me, and I will Bridge us back to this location."
"But what about you," Arcee interrupted the others with a pointed look, "Are you ok to do it?"
This time, Rhea's nod was more confident, "I am. This walk is like, years in the making."
Arcee vented before she pushed away from the wall she was leaning on, "Then I'll trail behind. You won't even know I'm there."
'Ug,' Laserbeak moaned, and through the bond and from her back, she could taste his disappointment.
'It'll be fine,' Rhea thought, reasoning with herself.
'We shall see,' Laserbeak grumbled back.
Rhea sort of started. Right, her thoughts were linked to them… This would take some getting used to. Or she would really have to train herself not to think about anything embarrassing while in this body. Easier said than done, because on cue her brain was already working on compiling a list of embarrassing thoughts against her will.
Soundwave's hand came to drape over her shoulders in a comforting way. "The mental link can be dampened, if you would like?" He offered.
"No, don't bother," She huffed, and she sort of felt a strange heat in her chest she assumed was a byproduct of her embarrassment, "Just distract me so my brain has something else to focus on."
'Kaon will be plenty distracting!' Laserbeak said with a very eager pull on their connection for the door, 'And we can discuss your alt mode! I have taken the liberty of giving your options much thought. I have consolidated the list down to fifty two possible options that account for your chassis size and-' Rhea was grateful to just let Laserbeak rant, as he was being plenty distracting for all of them.
Starscream waved them off with little legitimate enthusiasm as he lingered about Autoclave, "Have fun masquerading as a higher life form."
Just as Arcee promised, as they left the lab, she was with them, tagging along like a miserable third and a half wheel. Rhea almost wanted to suggest she stay behind, if only for her own benefit. She would probably be happier poking fun of Starscream and Shockwave. But Arcee's presence was soon left to drift into the background in favor of the world outside.
There was no need for the airlock or suiting up or jumping into one of Thunderblast's air bubbles. They just, walked outside. With no lungs to worry about exploding, Rhea was able to take in Kaon beyond Soundwave's stronghold. She had made it outside, in the open air, and was not dying. It really was years in the making, being able to do this.
She stood no longer at gutter level. It was remarkable what a taller perspective did for the sights of a seemingly familiar city. She was amazed all over again, like she was every time she saw the city grow over a decade.
But the lights were brighter. There were colors she was having to ask Soundwave about, because she knew for a fact, they didn't have a human word for the shades she was seeing. There was also so much noise. A ridiculous amount. She could actually pinpoint where the sources of sound were coming from, and how far. Music from down the far-left tunnels into the underground, a pitch she didn't recognize… It became too much very quickly. She realized she would be using her ability to adjust her sight and hearing a lot from this point forward.
Laserbeak disengaged from her back, and he flew higher above them. And then came a new sensation that took her brain a moment to register. Almost like a bird's eye view from feeling alone. The city's hustle and bustle from around them. Oh, it was Laserbeak's perspective she was sharing. That was, amazing? She wasn't sure how much more she could be impressed before her mind just melted.
Whenever she felt like it was too much, she leaned into Soundwave. He had yet to let go of her since they left the tower, but this worked out. Her senses were turned so low she assumed without him she would have tripped over her odd feet. She decided she felt brave, especially with Soundwave there and Laserbeak overhead. Brave enough to test herself and push her boundaries. She let more light in. The spectrums danced, refracting on surfaces and small dots in the air she never noticed before. Were they molecules? That couldn't be right…
What was obvious, was how much attention they were attracting. No Cybertronian stopped them, but Rhea could see plane enough they were garnering looks. Those that didn't bow or get out of the way just stared. Soundwave was a Lord, so that wasn't odd. But they were looking at Rhea too. She was no Lord. In fact, her Cybertronian face would be a stranger to everyone. And she knew she was the oddity, because she felt it in the swirling current that was the many passing fields of every bot they got close to. She had a whole new sense she had to learn… and that wasn't easy when that sense was shouting at her from every direction that a whole city block was gawking at her.
It wasn't a secret Soundwave had a human Conjunx, but Rhea had heard over comm frequencies most thought it a fleeting fascination on the quiet Lord's part. Many saw Rhea as little more than a pampered pet. A tamer variant of the four-legged Earthborn monstrosity that rolled around the city alongside Thunderblast, current designation being D. Her Cyberformation was no secret either, and that had been met with amusement and the assumption it would be a dead end. Now she was walking down the street on the arm of Soundwave, probably giving off a very alien frequency. Everyone was stunned.
Soundwave didn't seem to mind, not even secretly in his head. She felt him radiating pride, his servo draped around her possessively. His mood improved hers. This bond sharing was kind of contagious. It was hard to feel self-conscious when two others also sharing your mind were radiating such confidence.
Focus on the city. That's what she told herself when she caught more optics on her.
It wasn't working, so Soundwave took them off the path. A monument to a battle won long ago and memorialized in a shimmering black metal. Or was it rock? The Cybertronian text she usually had to walk through in English in the back of her brain when reading it, was immediately legible now. That amazing ability they had to read and hear languages as their own was shining through.
There were lots of names of departed Decepticons inscribed. The characters of their names gave an illuminating glow, and she could swear there was something even smaller written in the spaces between characters. She blinked, and her optics zoomed in. There was indeed more information. Whatever was known about the passed soldier, their rank, background, final words or the way they died in battle was recorded. And when she focused hard on one name and all the extra info it contained, the words shifted into a profile picture of a tank build Cybertronian with red optics. She tried it with a different name to make sure she wasn't imagining things. The name shifted again into another picture, just like before. That was incredible.
Rhea had a hard time shifting her focus back to normal, but when she did, she could look at Soundwave again without having a very microscopic perspective of the transformation lines in his armor. "Were you in this battle?"
He nodded. "This was when we took the Southern territory of Iacon. Strategically, it was very beneficial. But we lost many. On both sides." When he added that last bit, she glanced past his arm to see Arcee similarly gazing at the monument, her expression an unreadable mask.
It was easy to forget how raw this war still was for many. Rhea had to remind herself not to ask many questions, at least out loud.
'Indeed, it was an easy victory, and the Autobots were on the downward slide from here on out,' Laserbeak was very pleased to explain. And thankfully, it was only between the three of them, 'Ravage, Rumble, and Frenzy were also present during this time. We were a force to behold…' He had started out the story so happily, but it quickly delve downward. Rhea's chest felt weighted down, her mind taking on a melancholy of grief she couldn't quite place.
Soundwave's sudden burst of cheer brought them all back up, "The energy rail is complete. We can take that over the city to the center. It will expedite the trip."
"Right, I'm probably slowing us down with my flightless self," Rhea assumed.
He pulled her closer, "That can come later. We can take our time."
'We do have endless time, now!' Laserbeak reminded them, and he reconnected to Rhea's back with resounding clicks. Mentally, she could now sort of lean against the Minicon too. He was already doing the same in kind. Rhea glanced back as they carried on. Arcee lingered at the monument before silently going back to stalking their path.
The crowds of so many different forms would have been overwhelming if she didn't have Soundwave and Laserbeak to lean into. She found a good setting for her sight and hearing that allowed everything to sort of blur together in a symphony of color and sensation. The energy rail Soundwave mentioned, and Rhea had read about was much like a massive train. Reminiscent of public transport in Miko's home city of Tokyo, but about ten times larger and running along a rail of blue light. Not all Cybertronians were equipped for fast travel naturally, so the public transport appeared well needed.
Her peds didn't hurt as they would have if she were human. She assumed they had been walking for hours, but really, she hadn't bothered checking. Now she was content to stand with Soundwave at her back, watching the city speed by through the window of their sky train. Buildings of spiraling metal and so tall it was mind boggling. She zoomed into the streets below, picking out individual faceplates or shop signs until her brain needed a break and she pulled back. Whenever she needed a reprieve from the impossible, she just found her own and Soundwave's reflection in the window. He was busying himself with looking at her.
And she felt something odd in their shared field. Something she figured was the same equivalent to when she was drooling over how handsome he was the first time, and he had no clue what those human feelings were. Something Cybertronian, but intimate. The closest thing her brain managed to compare it to, was a very hungry desire. A desire for her.
She felt her chest blushing again. Her borrowed Spark kind of twisting about in its small chamber. She should ask, definitely in her brain so no other commuters or the pouting Arcee could hear. Was he thinking about that aura swapping thing he disclosed he wanted to do with her? Was that why her brain was struggling to put it to words, considering humans didn't broadcast their innermost feelings?
His grip tightened on her from behind, his chin resting on the top of her helm. 'Yes,' came his very simple reply to her silent question.
Oh boy, so she could get dizzy in this body. Good to know, and at least she didn't discover that while she was walking. The intimate alien bonding experience she just sort of assumed would be like sex but strictly using their magnetic field. No clue if that was the case, but she supposed she would soon find out.
'Unless you aren't ready,' he assured.
She just watched his optics in their reflection. She wrapped her hands around his servos that embraced her. 'How about, after the tour, you show me back to the tower… and we can, talk more in your apartment?'
She clearly felt his excitement. She mirrored it through her sudden nervousness. Odd alien intimacy rituals aside, she wanted to experience it with him.
'And of course, we will have to lose the Autobot attachment in the meantime,' Laserbeak intoned thoughtfully.
It was amazing how quickly Rhea forgot Laserbeak was always listening. Soundwave was clearly more amused than embarrassed, which was what Rhea was.
'That will be your assignment. You can assure she is escorted back to Iacon,' Soundwave told his Minicon with a grin.
'She will be vacated from the premises the moment you give the word, Master,' Laserbeak promised, like the ultimate wingman, in more meaning than one. Well, it would be one hell of an experience to look forward to at the end of this incredible and strange day.
They arrived on an elevated platform high above the city. Soundwave helped her down like the gentleman he was, and Rhea tried to keep her mental blushing to herself. Maybe they should cut the walk short… So, they could get home faster.
Home. What an odd concept. But the more she thought about it, the more she liked how it settled in her brain. The tower with its impressive view of Kaon and a mad scientist in the basement. She felt Soundwave's smile without even having to glance up. He liked the idea too.
Somewhere behind them, Arcee was getting off the train by herself. Laserbeak was already plotting an elaborate scheme to ditch her. That plan was put on hold when Rhea caught a familiar voice gasping her name in the crowd. And that voice was accompanied with the sound of a barking dog. D the dog, now appearing so small from this perspective, came rolling up to her in his air bubble right before Thunderblast caught up to them. It really was odd being at optic level with the familiar Cybertronian. Clobber was stunned by her partner's side all while Thunderblast just screamed in excitement. Even with heightened alien senses, Rhea wasn't ready for Thunderblast pulling her into a full hug while D barked at their peds.
"What mode you packing? Is this permanent?" Thunderblast squealed, still holding Rhea by her shoulders as she took her in.
"We haven't gotten that far yet," Rhea admitted, "And um, it will be permanent when we decide when to make it, I guess."
"Your field is so strange," Clobber admitted, but yelped in embarrassment the moment she realized what she said, "In a good way! Sorry…"
"No big deal," Rhea promised, "I'm an alien in a Cybertronian body, technically. It would be strange if I were totally passing as one of you."
"I need this tech next, now that it's done," Thunderblast said to Soundwave, only a little pleading before she smiled down at her dog, "What ya think bud, you up for it next?"
"Why not?" Arcee scoffed. The first thing she had said in a while, "Let's Cyberform the whole damn Earth while we're at it… Not like that is problematic at all."
Rhea appeared the only one listening to her concerns as Thunderblast carried on chatting away to Soundwave. Arcee dropped her optics, finding the crowd beyond them more interesting.
"What about weapons?" Thunderblast asked.
"What?" Rhea said, jolting back into the conversation when she was suddenly hit with the oddest sensation. Like a burning inquiry beyond what was spoken and slamming right into her metal head. Thunderblast's field, basically shaking her back and forth with curiosity.
"Weapons!" Thunderblast repeated, "What blasters you packing!"
"None-"
"The basics for now," Soundwave intoned. Rhea looked up at him in utter confusion. He just gave her a coy smile, "That will come later too. But technically yes, you are armed."
Rhea gave her bronze limbs a suspicious look. Ok… Good to know. She just needed to not think explody thoughts, just in case.
She found herself peeking at Arcee again as Thunderblast continued to ramble on. But this time it was not just out of curiosity. There had been a loud popping somewhere in the crowd, making Rhea jump. Arcee had reacted in a similar fashion, startled and now on edge. Nobot else reacted, not even pausing to glance, so it appeared a normal affair for downtown Kaon. Loud noises, the occasional jovial laughter or some other merriment that involved explosives in the streets. Rhea knew why she jumped, but Arcee was bothered for some far deeper reason. Her blue focus shifted about, but she was forcing herself to calm back down.
Rhea wanted to talk to her. Somehow assure her it was ok… But she actually found herself in a similar state of growing panic. She tried to focus on Soundwave's fingers rubbing up and down her arm in a soothing fashion. He must have felt her rising emotion. She tuned her senses back down. She just needed a bit of a mental break.
Confusion, and suspicion. That was what jolted from Soundwave's aura. In contrast, the relief from seeing a familiar face came from Arcee.
Rhea tuned back in, coming to with yet another bot having entered their group. But this one she was less personally familiar with. A large round frame like Bulkhead's and colored a mixture of faded gray and brown. He also had a big goofy smile and had even larger round blue optics. As if he wore big nerdy spectacles.
"Right on time," he said to Rhea in a cheery, almost grandfatherly way, "I knew you could do it."
"Macadam," Rhea acknowledged when his name finally came back to her. The odd bot who had helped the team defeat Arachnid and her infected swarm ten years back. This was also the guy who was some sort of psychic, apparently. There was probably more to it than that, but it was the best way Rhea could wrap her head around his talent to see the future.
Soundwave's suspiciousness aside, Thunderblast and Clobber appeared happy to see him. And he was quick to pick up D's air bubble and say hello to the dog on a more face to face level, something Thunderblast amazingly didn't bulk at.
And Arcee was clearly very happy to see him. Or maybe it was relief to not be the only Autobot in a massive radius, surrounded on all sides in what was technically an enemy city.
"I'm honored you remembered me!" Macadam bellowed a laugh and let D back down, "I tend to be forgettable on my better days."
Rhea was having a hard time finding words. She had to tune her ears back up to hear him, so she was getting overwhelmed again. She was also still coming to terms with the fact she had weaponry built into her body, just… Hanging out in there.
But of course, she remembered him. He had turned into a massive spinning wheel of twisted gears and tore through an Insecticon/Predacon army basically by himself. That was a hard thing to forget.
Macadam placed a hand on Soundwave's suddenly stiff shoulder, nodding him on, "Take a load off in my bar… No charge for the local Lord, and his special lady of course."
His meaning was obvious, and appreciated. He was offering them somewhere quiet to sit. Rhea was relieved when Soundwave gave him a single curt nod. Macadam took Arcee by the arm and then led them all off the main road. "And you're doing great by the way, Arcee!" He praised her while patting her arm.
Arcee just rolled her optics at him, though didn't shake him off.
And the small dive was indeed quiet. Rhea could even turn her senses back up and take in the odd colors again. She sat down the moment Soundwave offered her a place to sit. Pulses washed over her. Wave after wave of soothing, like Soundwave was caressing her with assurance.
"I'm ok," she promised, both to him and herself. Though she hoped he wouldn't stop with those pulses. They felt good. He heard her, so he didn't stop.
"Here, to take the edge off!" Macadam placed a strange crystal cup in front of all of them, including Arcee. The Energon within was glowing a more vibrant sort of green. He then gave Thunderblast a smile and a wink, "And I filled the Sovereign's up a little extra, for your poison check."
She had just been reaching for Soundwave's glass as he explained that, "You know me well, my man. You can never be too careful!" she took a generous gulp of Soundwave's cup before putting it down with an ex-vent of approval, "It's clear!" though she took a second smaller sip for good measure.
Rhea eyed the green beverage wearily. Robot alien alcohol. She didn't even drink much on Earth. Would it be rude if she just sort of pushed it to Soundwave, or maybe Thunderblast, who appeared more into it.
"Yours doesn't have the same kick," Macadam assured her. As if he could read her worried thoughts without access to the Bond.
Well, she liked normal Energon, and Soundwave wasn't concerned beyond an apparent annoyance for the jovial bot. And Arcee was already sucking her own beverage down. She looked like hers needed a 'kick.'
She tried it and didn't regret it. A sort of warmth washed over her anxious mind within moments. She could clear her cluttered thoughts. She hoped Arcee's drink had a similar effect.
Macadam was waving off Soundwave's insistence on payment. He didn't like owing anything to anyone, so the charity was clearly rubbing him the wrong way. The round happy bot gave Rhea a softer smile as he ignored the irritation from Soundwave's side, "And how about you? You holding up ok?"
Rhea lowered her glass to the table, "I'm told you should know already."
Macadam laughed at that, "Well, yes… But I hear from a few friends my abilities are off putting. I try to tone it down with knew folks."
"They are," Arcee said between sips, "And I was one of those friends who said something."
Macadam shrugged, "I was never going to name names. But Grimlock never does miss an opportunity to remind me. He was in here last night. He's here most nights as a matter of fact. Likes to drink any Con under the table who's willing to take him on. I don't know where he keeps getting volunteers."
"You mean victims," Thunderblast grumbled as she continued to nurse Soundwave's beverage, "I made the mistake once, and didn't wake up for three cycles. I was stuck with the tab, just like every other loser."
"At least he carried you home?" Clobber offered, "You were too stubborn to call me…"
Thunderblast groaned, "Yeah, and he knocked my limp chassis against every lamp pole and bench he could find on the walk back. And that was after he robbed me to pay the tab."
"I did warn you about your inevitable defeat before you agreed," Macadam reminded her, "I tend to warn everyone he challenges. No one listens to a poor old bot." His focus landed back onto Rhea. "Though I didn't need my abilities to see you are doing good. I never had any doubt. He didn't either," he nodded to Soundwave.
Rhea watched the larger bot pull the smallest saucer he balanced between his fingers from behind his bar. He placed it onto D's air bubble, and it was absorbed into the sphere without popping it. The saucer unfolded to reveal its container of clear water the dog merrily lapped up. A very novel element on Cybertron he appeared to keep for only this reason. She never really had a chance to meet this bot beyond glancing him in the crowd or nodding in approval behind Autobots at meetings. But she decided to ignore Soundwave's sour mood because she rather liked him. Her opinion must have been strong, because Soundwave toned down his physical and radiant frowned.
"I'm delightful," Macadam agreed from her mental approval, "This is great timing though! You'll be able to be more present at the upcoming memorial service! You've wanted to do that ever since it started."
Again, he was right, but Rhea didn't let that surprise show, at least not on her face. Faceplates. Instead, she just nodded. "It's been hard to help, being on the shorter side."
"Of course, size ain't everything," Macadam offered. "You don't need much else then what you already got… A sharp mind is all ya need. It's the same reason, when the time comes, you'll shoot straight."
Rhea quickly shook her head, "Nope. No future stuff please. I don't want to know, or I'll just obsessively panic over it until it happens."
Macadam bellowed a laugh, "Hence why I left it cryptic! Though I will say, the Cyberformation mind transfers are not a threat to your life, the headaches will still be a problem. I recommend taking double your dose of human meds before you jump into the pod. It will take the edge off when you wake up."
She appreciated the advice and felt Soundwave's repressed shutter. The details of her Cyberformation were probably not common knowledge, so any secrets Soundwave wanted to keep but Macadam knew would be unnerving to him. But he held back his comments in favor of her comfort, because she liked Macadam's place. It was quiet at the moment. She was sure it would become rowdy later in the night. But for now, she was happy to stay a little longer.
She leaned into Soundwave's chest as Macadam turned to start chatting up Arcee, his mission to cheer her up next starting right away. Soundwave's grip on her squeezed in a sign of assurance. Her new Spark pulsed a little faster. She liked Macadam's… But, she was suddenly up for carrying on. Maybe it was even whatever was in her drink, but she felt more confident. And despite her insistence against the word, adventurous.
She wanted to head back to the tower, but not to change back. She was suddenly very curious about sharing in what Soundwave wanted them to do. And she tried not to wince when it was clear enough across their Bond.
Through their connection, and against his chest, she could feel his own Spark quicken and his grip tighten around her. She peeked up at him. His optics were excited, but still reserved.
'Are you sure?'
She nodded, and she felt his Spark pulse again.
Trying to keep her human expectations of lust aside, she soon found it a losing battle. Instead, she just changed her focus to maintaining it between the two of them. Her aura was already alien enough. She didn't need everyone in Macadam's bar to know how badly she wanted Soundwave.
Something pulsed back to her from him. More of that strange feeling. A taste of what was to come. Well, at least they were swapping odd alien feelings with each other, and she wasn't the only one. This would be one heck of a learning experience for them both.
Soundwave stood and helped her up in silence. He left money on the table stubbornly and nodded to Macadam before they headed for the door.
"Arcee, you can stay!" Macadam insisted as Arcee made a move to get up. It appeared he, like Laserbeak, would be working to buy the two their privacy.
She snorted, downing her drink before getting up, "I would love to. Really. But you should know why I can't. I'm on the clock."
Not exactly sure what that meant, Rhea decided it probably didn't matter. She was to focused on Soundwave's embrace, and his touch, and everything else about him at the moment. Plus, it looked like Thunderblast and Clobber were also in on the plot to stall Arcee at the bar.
Macadam snuck away from the ensuing squabble between Thunderblast and Arcee so he could open the front door for Rhea and Soundwave, "And as a small warning, before you go home… You're Translator will buzz again, maybe an hour after you're back on Earth. It won't help the headache."
Rhea paused in the doorway to give him a thankful look, "Can you tell me who it is trying to contact me?"
To this, Macadam's usually merry expression pursed. "You know, I have my suspicions, but in this regard, even my visions are limited. But if it's what I think it is, I would be dying to know what they are trying to say, especially after all this time…" Soundwave pulsed impatience, and Rhea sort of smiled. She squeezed his hand to calm him. "I'll try and look into it. If we're lucky, it's nothing," Macadam said with a wink.
Rhea had wanted to thank him, for everything. She didn't get the chance.
The world shifted so fast she couldn't recognize what had happened until she was on the ground. Pain bit her shoulder, but only for a second before it faded to nothing. The explosion rung her mind like a bell. Time became sluggish. She was disoriented as she reached for her shoulder. The metal threw her a little. Right, no skin right now… But it looked fine. Why had she felt pain?
Then recent memory returned. Soundwave had shoved her from him and away from the entrance back into the bar right before the explosion and the glass of the door shattered. Now, there was blaster fire from every direction. D was barking like mad somewhere.
Soundwave was pressed behind the wall of the entrance, occasionally whirling around his cover to fire into the street. Arcee was right behind him, animosity between them momentarily forgotten as she was crouched at the door and providing cover to shoot alongside him. Clobber and Thunderblast jumped from their booth and into the action. The larger of the two rushed outside and transformed to provide a large, armored cover for them all.
Rhea tried to stand up, to get her bearings. She was too focused on Soundwave's bleeding shoulder. The place her head had been resting against just a moment ago, before he shoved her to safety and took the hit instead. It was the reason she felt pain too, but only for a second before he must have shut her and Laserbeak out of the Bond to protect them from it. She felt a small taste of what he was feeling. He was shot. Soundwave was hurt. She had to help.
Rhea was being dragged away. Laserbeak's data cables and Macadam's hands working in tandem to pull her further away to cover. There was a massive pushback against her want to help, almost overwhelming. Soundwave was wordlessly demanding she get back, telling Laserbeak to drag her to safety.
That was when the Groundbridge burst open in front of her. Soundwave's escape route for her. Laserbeak was already trying to drag her to it. But Macadam's grip was stronger, and they were both ground to a halt before they could touch the first swirls of the portal. Laserbeak squawked at him, ready to attack so he could comply with Soundwave's demands.
"Her mind will rebound in the portal!" Macadam snapped quickly. "Your consciousness won't keep up with the instantaneous transport."
Laserbeak stalled in his resolve, and the portal all but collapsed a second later. Soundwave must have heard that even over the firefight.
Instead, she was drug behind the bar against her will by both bots. She lost sight of Soundwave. She was left crouched out of sight, her core pounding and her mind reeling, Macadam utilizing his much larger body to shield her from above. Laserbeak was already overhead, providing a watch, his own guns blazing. D was still barking. Macadam had grabbed him too before he could roll into the action. Rhea had somehow ended up holding the dog's protective case. All she could do was shield the frantic animal in kind, pressing the bubble to her chest.
Then it all stopped.
She popped up the second Macadam's body moved. Soundwave and Arcee were cautious, leaving outside on fast peds. Soundwave had left a trail of Energon. Even lacking a stomach, Rhea felt sick.
She was again held against her will by Macadam, keeping her in the bar. But at least through the shattered front window, she saw the group of warriors converge on their target. A bot that had fallen from the roof of the building across the street when one of them finally tagged him. His cover had been good, but not good enough against two sharp shooters, one jet and an armored truck. Now he was limp, being dragged out of the open to be searched by Arcee in the doorway of the bar.
Another assassination attempt on Soundwave? It hadn't happened in so long though… She was looking at his shoulder again, noticing it was dangling at his side as he barked orders to Thunderblast while Arcee continued to paw at the smoldering body. Maybe looking for explosives, any sign of a continued fight. Or ID to determine who they had just shot down, and why they in kind, fired first.
"Interesting twist," Arcee reported. Rhea blinked to zoom her focus. Arcee was showing them the emblem on the dead bot's body. He wore a Decepticon symbol. That was new. Every assassin over the decade was always apart of the opposite team, or in one instance, unaffiliated. What had this Decepticon to gain by attacking their own team?
Arcee didn't linger long on the oddity before she spun around to snarl at Macadam, "Some sort of helms up would have been nice, Macadam!"
For the first time, Rhea could feel Macadam's jovial and tame aura faulter. She looked up, still trembling, and saw his big, odd optics totally confused. "I… Didn't see this coming," He admitted out loud. He blinked as he digested that, "Not even a glimpse."
Soundwave turned from the panicked streets to hurry to Rhea. She didn't realize how bad she was shaking until his one good hand came to rest on her cheek. "Are you alright?"
He was worried about her, almost to the point of losing focus on the trouble behind them. She blinked at him. "I'm not shot," she countered. And she touched a hesitant hand to his shoulder. "Soundwave, you're hurt."
He was beyond unconcerned for himself. He cradled her with one arm, taking her from Macadam's grasp. "I'm so sorry. I should have considered the potential consequences of the Groundbridge… I almost…" guilt and self-hate were radiating off him.
"Soundwave, you're shot! Who cares about me!"
'Master Soundwave has been shot far worse,' Laserbeak tried to assure her.
That bubbling feeling of flooding was coming over her again. The odd sensation of Cybertronian crying, "I could have helped!"
Soundwave looked horrified by the very notion, "No! Rhea, you don't know how to yet. And I don't want you to put yourself in harms way! I will protect you."
"Helms up!" Thunderblast managed to shout. Rhea turned in time to see out of the stunned crowd formed on the street, a single bot bolting towards them. Decked out in armor Arcee's and Thunderblast's blasters couldn't dent. They had some sort of beeping device risen over their helm, ready to throw over Clobber's guarding body and into the open bar entrance.
Soundwave's form was in front of her, shielding her from the view and explosion to come.
But it didn't come. All she heard was the swift cutting of air and the startled yelp of the charging bot in question. Rhea pushed under Soundwave's good arm to see the attacking bot was just gone. Everyone sticking around in the street was now looking skyward. Many winced as something exploded far above them.
Then the body slammed into the ground. The attacker had not exploded, but he was soon flattened by a massive beastly form. Silverwing. She transformed from her winged form; the gasping bot trapped under her monstrous ped as she stood. She gazed into the bar with her yellow optics, "Ya ok?"
"We are now," Clobber's vehicle form snickered, "Good catch."
"All clear!" Thunderblast informed everyone as she landed, transforming back herself. Arcee's gun shifted away, but she maintained a visual on the rooftops.
Soundwave gave Rhea a very serious look, "Please, stay here."
She tried to protest, but she felt Laserbeak's pull. Even D rolled out of cover and into the open, leaving her behind.
Thunderblast scoffed down at the struggling assassin, "Sorry bud, I know. You wanted a piece of him. Next time." She promised her dog. Though she added, "This would have been boring for you anyway. No challenge, and not worth losing your cover over."
Rhea's anxiety rose into her odd throat as Soundwave stomped over to the assassin. Unlike his still smoldering partner, this one was in a position to explain himself. That probably wasn't good for him.
"Who are you?" Soundwave demanded, his tone so icy it even scared Rhea.
Though he was being crushed under a Predacon's ped, the bot hissed in defiance, "A real Decepticon. Unlike you bunch of metal worms…"
Thunderblast rolled her optics. "Oh please. I bet you were nowhere to be found during the war. But now all of a sudden, you're desperate for glory?"
The bot on the ground cracked a fanged smile. Something about him, even powerless, unsettled Rhea. His chassis' odd angles, his dull, gray form. His empty red optics, struggling to focus on any one of those looming over him. "You spares, know nothing of glory… You don't know what a true war of worlds would look like. Or what a true leader my Lord Megatron would do to you, if he saw this disgrace."
Again, Thunderblast snorted, "As my fond human associate Firecracker would say, hey dipshit! You just shot the guy who Lord Megatron MADE Lord! You miss the last ten orbital cycles?"
He cackled, or at least tried to. Silverwing was stepping onto him harder, "Not, my Lord Megatron," he spit. Those around him paused, and he continued, "Not my Cybertron… Not my people! Let it all be twisted with the rest of the fakes…"
Soundwave reacted first. Something within the bot started beeping. Everybot jumped back, save for Silverwing. She considered the laughing bot for a little longer than she should have. Then it clicked in her. She removed her ped, snatched him in her clutches, and hurled him like a football into the sky and out of sight.
His laughter was cut short with the sound of the explosion.
Clobber transformed to hold a large servo over Thunderblast so she wasn't hit with the raining debris, "Well, he was just unpleasant… Did anybot recognize who that was? I didn't."
"What was he talking about?" Arcee asked out loud.
"Who cares?" Thunderblast huffed, "He was nuts. And now exists strictly in the past tense. I won't be losing recharge over it."
Rhea didn't feel Laserbeak's pull any longer. So that must mean the danger was gone. She stumbled out, but was met with Soundwave's resistance. "I will get you back home. First to the lab to switch back, and then back to Earth," he promised.
"No, your wound comes first," She pleaded, "You wouldn't have been shot if you weren't protecting me… Please, let me help next time."
Arcee kicked a stray piece of the still raining assassin into a nearby gutter, "Ya know, this could be a sign she does need to learn to shoot. Probably faster than you intended, lover boy. You may not always be there to shove her out of the way of blaster fire."
He was very apprehensive but wasn't totally shutting down the concept. She whirled back to him, wishing desperately she had her clothes, just so she could use them to hold against his wound and stop the bleeding. "I want it! Please, Soundwave!"
"Next time," He finally agreed, "After this is settled, and it is safe again…"
She clung to him, trying to ignore the fact he was still shielding her from any more potential danger with his whole body. He was passing along orders to his general, thanking Silverwing, saying something else sharp to Arcee. She was far too gone into her mind to really focus on any one thing he said. She was also trying to maintain her worry for him, and her disappointment for their lost evening together. That could come later. She reminded herself. She just needed to convince him to leave so he could get his arm patched.
Laserbeak was at least assuring her in their mind, having attached himself to her back and soothing her with the Bond. Soundwave was fine, he continued to promise. All will be fine.
She watched Macadam wander from his shattered bar entrance. The once jovial bot looked lost as he picked up a piece of debris from the fallen assassin. His round optics turned to the sky with utter bewilderment. "Why hadn't I seen this?" He whispered to himself. Only Rhea had heard him, but she didn't have the answer.