Chapter 17: If I Die Young

The hallways were dark and malicious as Soundwave walked toward his berthroom. Never had he felt this kind of atmosphere before, but he never did this kind of deed. He had never thought of disobeying Lord Megatron, and the thought terrified him. Soundwave had witnessed how brutal the warlord could be with traitors, Starscream being one.

The mech shuttered as a cruel realization came to his processor. If he did this, he would be no better than Starscream. 'But there is a good reason behind this,' Lazerbeak reminded him.

The double doors hissed open, revealing the traitor himself. Starscream, hunched over his console, was skimming over the text and video feeds displayed. A growl rose from the Seeker's throat, "What is it now, Knockout," he demanded, turning around toward the open doors. A fearful expression replaced his anger, his wings twitching nervously, "S-Soundwave, I uh I didn't hear you come in,"

Silently, Soundwave approached his terminal at a slow, agonizing pace. The Seeker backed up in a submissive manner, "I-I was only overlooking the base's progress," gaining some confidence, he asked, "And where were you? Lord Megatron has been requesting your presence,"

"I was- busy," Soundwave patched together, not sparing the mech a glance.

That statement seemed to cause a reaction for Starscream. A sly grin grew on his face, and his red optics brightening, "Very well then, I shall inform our leader of your return and... reason,"

The doors slid closed, leaving the silent mech alone in the darkroom. Soundwave was puzzled at Starscream's reply and became unsettled the more he thought about it. It almost sounded as if he knew something.

Before his processor could dwell on those conspiracies, Soundwave started to pull up the bases' blueprints and information. 'It's too late,' he thought to himself, seeing the location already embedded in the files. There's only one way to change what was in stone. Break the stone.

If he deleted and replaced the file with new instructions, there would be less suspicion. Some might think of it as a glitch or miscommunication.

Soundwave felt foreign to his body as his digits danced across the console. It wasn't him abusing his loyalty. It wasn't him being a traitor to a cause that, in the beginning, was seeking justice. It wasn't him who deleted an important file.

As the new data began to download, the third in command remembered why he was doing this. He smiled as a younger Firespark smiled at him, proudly showing him her artwork. Her "artwork' consisted of painting a dark wall that now dripped with vibrant colors. He remembered asking how she managed to get ahold of the materials. The femme's response was short, "Knockout,"

Soundwave sent the new file to the builders on the island and an order to return to the Nemesis. The tension left his frame as he vented, like a sigh of relief. Deep down, Soundwave knew that it wouldn't hold them off for long, but it would be enough time for Firespark. She was an intelligent femme and probably alerted the camp of their predicament.

'But will that be enough?' the mech asked himself. Soundwave could already see the small camp of untrained, inexperienced civilians fighting against the Vehicon armies with no success. No, it would not be enough.

The third in command's hacker skills honed in on a broad communication signal. With little details, he delivered a short message. Hopefully, the Autobots would be smart enough to understand it.

The door hissed open again, startling the silent mech. Starscream was leaning up against the doorframe with a bright smirk. "If you're finished with whatever it is your doing, Lord Megatron requests your presence."

Soundwave walked the familiar route numbly. Did he know, or was he asking for advice? Is this what guilt felt like?

The distance seemed shorter, and the command room had expanded in size. The grey warlord stood at the front, with his back turned to him. Quitely, Soundwave stopped a distance from him at his regular post.

Megatron had not yet spoken to him or acknowledge his presence until his voice rang out, "Is this how you repay me?" His red rageful optics stared straight ahead, watching the clouds whisp around the flying ship. "You were my most trusted advisor. You have stood by my side since our humble beginnings, and yet," the powerful mech turned to Soundwave, "it seems as though you've betrayed us." Without another word, a video of Soundwave and Firespark sitting in the tall grasses reflected on the large console.

The video, thankfully muted, was playing out their interactions. Soundwave watched stiffly as the dangerous warlord walked around him, like a lion testing its prey.

"Starscream has informed me with this footage and one other thing," Megatron explained, his voice lowered as a different image flashed to life. Much to Soundwave's despair, it was a copy of the new file. "Soundwave, I am giving you a chance to redeem yourself. So tell me, why would you do this to me?"

With trembling servos, Soundwave couldn't form a recording of the words he wanted; however, one word stuck to him, "Love,"

The word hung in the air before a peal of dark laughter resounded. "Of all things, I did not expect you to recite human literature," Megatron grinned before faltering into a frown, "However, I already knew that answer. That femmeling of yours, Firespark, has made you soft. Over these years, I've come to realize something."

Megatron scowled as he stalked closer to the silent mech, "I realized that bringing her back here was a mistake. If I'd had known what she would have done to my loyal third in command, I'd have offlined her with her creators." The grey mech towered over Soundwave, who shrank back, "There was a reason why I didn't want you to search for her. She meant nothing to us, just a waste of energon."

That seemed to strike something in Soundwave. His trembling servos balled into fists, and he stood up straighter. "You don't-know-her-like-I do. You're the reason why I-was miserable."

A loud warcry shouted as Soundwave felt himself flying backward.