Chapter Text
It was his last battle, they taunted. If he lived, he’d get his freedom. If he lost, the crowd would no doubt chant for his death.
Not that it changed anything for Soundwave. He’d been dead in the processor for vorns, the guards would say. A mute bot, one that never removed his mask in company. They’d crowd around his cell during feeding joor, and they’d stare at him like he was an animal. And he’d refuse to eat until they left.
Soundwave grabbed the dish of slop, slop that was once considered energon, and crawled further into his cage. He lived with the rest of the beasts, in those dirty, unsanitary stalls ridden with disease and scraplets. Soundwave pushed himself against the left wall, bringing his bowl of gruel to his faceplate. He covered himself as he drank, unwilling to let anyone get a real look at him.
“Megatronus.” A voice suddenly spoke, “You’re due to battle Megatronus.” Soundwave swallowed hard, letting that cold slop pour down his intake. In the stall to his left was the reason he was alive to begin with, the beast they called Ravage.
She’d rescued him in his first battle, nursed him back to health and treated him like her own kit. Though she never was able to fix his vocalizer, he was still eternally grateful to the catbot.
Soundwave tapped the side of his cell once, the gesture letting Ravage know he understood. It’s all anyone’s been telling him. Megatronus, the biggest bot in the Gladiatorial Ring. He never lost fights, especially not to lanky, malnourished cassette carriers with no cassettes to speak of.
Ravage pushed her nose under the gap between their stalls. She was a big, dark creature with tall audio receptors and a long tail. Her face was long and thin, which allowed them to touch between stalls. Soundwave slowly placed a servo on her muzzle, petting her softly in the way he knew she liked.
“Come back to me, Soundwave.” Her low voice growled, “Come back to me when you get your freedom, and give me a goodbye. I will not live past this orn, but I must live to see you go.”
Soundwave took another drink of his chunky energon slurry, petting her with his free servo. He silently listened to her talk, hoping something would change. Ravage would live, and he could take her with him. There would be no slaughterhouse, no arena for them to fight for their lives, and no disgusting slurry. Just Ravage and Soundwave, laying in the sunshine. That sweet, warm sunshine.
Soundwave opened his intake to speak to her, but his vocalizer could only grind and squeal. It was a less than pleasant noise, but Ravage moved to press her muzzle into his hip, showing her affection. “I am old, Soundwave. Old beasts go to the slaughterhouse. I am no gladiator, nor can I fight to survive. But… I will be free from this place. With Primus, in the Well with all of the other ill and old beasts.”
Silence settled between them, and Soundwave let his dish clatter to the cold ground. Not like it would taste any different. He laid on his belly, pressing his bare face against Ravage’s. He drank in her scent, her presence, and her love. Indeed, she loved him. She loved him in the way she loved her kits, which were torn from her after the moment of emergence.
And Soundwave loved her like a carrier. She was his security blanket, a servo to hold when he was scared. He’d never known love until Ravage. He didn’t know the circumstances of his emergence, other than the fact that his carrier sold him. He’d been working for as long as he’d been online.
“I hope you live in inner Iacon. I hope they send you there.” Ravage hummed softly. Soundwave pressed himself further against her, trying to memorize the pattern of her soft rumbles. “I hope that you live a wonderful life. A life full of comfort and warm sunshine. I hope you meet someone, and you fall in love. I hope you have kits of your own one day.”
He pushed his nose against hers, closing his optics as coolant began to pour down his faceplate. She lapped up his tears, purring at him. “I hope you leave this old beast behind. I hope you can move on with your helm up high.”
It was the last words she’d spoken to him all cycle. Soundwave curled up against the gap between their stalls and cried, while she let him hold her paw.
Joors came and went, and the artificial light of Kaon burned him awake. Soundwave raised his helm. He was still gripping Ravage’s paw. Today was the day. He’d fight for his freedom, or he’d die.
He wasn’t sure what he wanted more in that moment. To be free of his chains, to go out into the sun of Iacon, and to bask in its heat. To live as all were to live, free and on his own terms. Or would he rather die? Ravage would join him at the end of the orn. They’d live happily under the watchful optics of Primus, in a place with no pain, no sadness.
But Ravage wanted him to live. So he’d do his best to live.
A cold piece of metal was nudged under the gap of their stalls, dark metal. “I tore it from my paw late last cycle. If you do desire to remember me, at least for a while, hold it close.” Soundwave slowly lifted the piece. It was a good size chunk, not like they hadn’t lost any worse. He pressed the cold chunk to his cheek, closing his optics. He slowly closed his mask, trapping the piece against his faceplate.
When the guards arrived to take Soundwave away to fight, he didn’t protest. He didn’t squirm or screech, merely lowering his helm and letting them walk him away. “I love you, Soundwave. I will always be with you.”
Her words echoed in his processor long after he’d been taken to the gates. Mechs in cages whispered behind him, soft prayers and rumors. Soundwave just closed his optics and breathed in Ravage’s scent. It wasn’t anything to write home about. She was grimy and stank like the rest of them, but the sheer fact that it was Ravage he was smelling made it better. She was with him, this tiny piece of her would come with him to freedom.
Freedom, what would that be like? Would they set him loose somewhere outside of Kaon? Or was freedom just another set of chains? Freedom: Definition: to be able to act, speak, or think as one wants without hinderance or restraint. It was a lot to think about.
Soundwave decided then. He’d go to Inner Iacon, wherever that was. He’d find an open, warm patch of sunshine, and as his first act of freedom… he’d lay in it. He’d bask in the warmth of the sun, in the way that Ravage loved.
The gates squealed as they came open, and Soundwave was nudged in the back. He walked slowly onto the arena sand, and didn’t even look up at the spectators. Instead, he looked around at the scenery. Large rock formations were added to the arena today, alongside a water fixture. Though Soundwave was far smaller than his opponent, he was fast. He could stay up high and fire on Megatronus from above.
The other bot took the other side of the arena, strolling out with a somber look on his faceplate. Yellow optics were downturned, maybe in regret, or a prayer to Primus. Soundwave knew little of Megatronus, other than that he was a miner before he came here. The cautionary yellow symbols all over his frame gave that away, though.
Soundwave gave his own prayer in the moments before the battle. For Primus to take good care of Ravage, and to let him live another cycle.
It began.
Soundwave darted towards the formations on the right side of the arena, using his sharp claws and the boosters in his heels to catapult him up to the top. It was flimsy ground, but any high ground was an advantage.
In turn, Megatronus began firing at the base of every other formation in the arena, not willing to give Soundwave the satisfaction. But the moment his back was turned, he lunged.
Summoning any strength he had, Soundwave leaped down from the rocks, colliding hard with Megatronus and sending them both to the ground. He jammed a heel into the mech’s backstruts, lighting his engines and forcing a cry of pain out of him. In turn, Soundwave felt his arm being forced above the other mech, and he was slammed into the ground.
The world spun. Soundwave blinked, dazed until he felt the hot light of a fusion cannon in his faceplate. He dove away, tumbling into the sand. He must’ve hit his helm on the way down. Everything was blurry, and he could feel himself moving much slower than he should.
Megatronus was on him before he could blink. The sand was warm beneath him, his chassis pressed into the material. Huge fists pummeled his back, but there was nothing left, no strength to move. He breathed in Ravage’s scent once more, snuggling his cheek into the sheet of metal.
He went flying across the field, floating gently on the air until he landed in something cool. Water. It blanketed his frame like the embrace of winter, but that was enough to wake him up. Soundwave crawled out of the basin, shaking himself dry just in time to see Megatronus charging for him again. He dove into the space between his legs, making it through to the other side.
He kept running, down on all fours where he was the fastest. The back of his helm ached with pain, but he couldn’t give in. He needed his life. He needed to live, not only for himself, but for every casualty in this ring. For Ravage, for the other beasts.
He could feel the heat of fusion cannon blasts just behind him as he ran rings around Megatronus. Then an idea came to him.
Soundwave lunged once more, clambering onto the larger mech’s back. He pressed his intake over his audial as Megatronus thrashed madly, and released the worst sound he could make.
An agonizing scream left Megatronus, and he collapsed to his knees, immobilized. Soundwave’s vocalizer continued to screech and grind, amplified by his built in speakers. No advantage was unfair in the Pits, he knew that when they pitted him against Megatronus.
Let the audience boo. He was getting his freedom.
Grabbing a servoful of Megatron’s neck wiring, Soundwave slammed him into the sand, practically forcing him to eat it.
Two words. Two words decided his fate. I yield. Soundwave stumbled to his pedes, looking up at the stands. They were calling for Megatronus’ death, but Soundwave found himself unable to do so.
Looking down at that mech, he saw himself in those optics. A sad, lonely bot. He too had never known the sun. He put a servo out for Megatronus, who warily took it. The audience booed and cried with displeasure, but Soundwave didn’t kill. He bowed his helm with respect to Megatronus, and began his slow walk back to the gates.
“Change of plans.” One of the guards told him, “You’ve got an interested buyer, and he’s willing to give a pretty penny for you.”
Soundwave’s spark sank. He was promised his freedom, promised that if he won, he’d be free. Instead, he lowered his helm with indignation, feeling his servos tightening into fists. But he’d never fight a guard. He knew what happened when they tried.
So he let it happen. He crawled into that small, cramped cage and let them lock him in. “Have fun in Iacon, Soundwave.” They teased, but that’s all he needed to hear.
Iacon. That’s where he wanted to be. Where the sun graced the sky, and he could see stars at night. Where rain fell freely, where bots lived happily. He may not be free, but he was going to a better place. He was still going to get his wish.
Even as he was loaded into the train and snapped into place, there was hope. Maybe his new owner would be kind? Bots in Iacon were rich, and why would a rich man be mean? If he had all he could ever want, there was no need for cruelty.
He didn’t say goodbye to Ravage, but he prayed for her. Let the slaughterhouse be warm, warm like the sun. Let her death be swift and painless. Let Primus be kind to her.
Soundwave nuzzled the piece of her plating, curling up in his little cage. No more Pits. No more suffering. Soon, Iacon.
Soundwave awoke abruptly to the sound of the lock being undone. He’d slept through the delivery process, and appeared to be in a… home? A bot with white plating opened the door to his cage, but didn’t move to pull him out of it. “Easy, I see that you’re nervous.” His voice was smooth, with a subtle accent Soundwave couldn’t place. “I won’t harm you.”
The bot stepped out of the way, slowly placing a dish in front of the cage. Instead of petrified energon gruel, it was packed in clean, elegant cubes. Soundwave felt his intake fill with tasting fluid, the first time that happened in orns. Carefully, he reached out of his cage, taking one in his servo.
“There you go. It’s good.” The bot assured, but Soundwave didn’t take it immediately. Instead, he turned away from the bot, shielding his face as he pushed the cube down his intake. It was clean, fresh, and settled nicely in his tanks. This was what he was supposed to be refueling on all along. This energon, which flowed powerfully through his veins.
Slowly, he moved to stick his helm out of the cage, looking up at the mech that had bought him. He had a kind faceplate, clean and stark white. Yellow optics looked upon him kindly, and that gentle smile soothed him slightly. “My designation is Shockwave. I am a senator here in Iacon. And you are Soundwave, the wordless gladiator.” Soundwave nodded in recognition, and the bot grinned at him. “Lovely.”
Soundwave slowly crawled free of his cage, looking around. He was in a nice room. A recharge slab sat in the corner, covered in soft looking padding. There was a station to prepare energon, and a small table to eat it at. Looking up curiously at Shockwave, Soundwave cocked his helm to the side.
“Ah, this is your room, Soundwave.” Shockwave stood, gesturing around. “Make yourself comfortable, I’ll get this nasty thing out of here.” Soundwave watched him take the cage and toss it in the corner, returning to him.
Shockwave was… big. A life of being well fed with clean, smooth energon had certainly had an effect on him. He was tall, clean, and bulky. It was a stark difference to Soundwave’s disgusting frame.
Why was he here? Soundwave bowed his helm to the senator out of respect, but his demeanor showed his anxiety. Why would he want Soundwave? Some bots had other bots to carry their things or shop for them, others put them to work in the mines. But why would Shockwave just… feed him clean energon and give him a room?
“You’re confused.” Shockwave clarified, taking a seat at the table. “So, Soundwave… things in Iacon have been difficult lately. My job requires that I do quite a bit of public work, which puts me in quite a bit of danger at times. So, my friend Sentinel Prime gave me a wonderful idea. You are a well known gladiator, and if you were to escort me on my public talks, it would keep me safer from, say, a bot that didn’t like me.”
Soundwave blinked behind his visor. “So… you’ll be my bodyguard.” It was an unfamiliar term, but Soundwave nodded anyways. He supposed it made sense. If bots wanted to hurt the senator, a well-known gladiator at his side would certainly deter any attackers.
Shockwave talked at him for a while longer before finally deciding that Soundwave had enough. He bowed politely and left the room, leaving Soundwave to think.
He slowly unclipped his mask, holding his piece of Ravage to his chassis. I’m in Iacon now, he wanted to tell her. I’m where you wanted me to be.
He laid the piece of her on the recharge slab, moving quietly to the window beside it. The curtains pulled back easily, and Soundwave had quite the view. He squinted at the light that struck his faceplate, but then he realized. This wasn’t the artificial sun of Kaon. This was the light he was meant to live in.
The city below buzzed with life, bots moving here and there, in and out of different shops and stores. Flight alt modes zoomed past, and Soundwave felt his optics widen. He was meant to fly too. The boosters in his heels told him such. Someday soon, he’d take to the skies with the rest of them. But that wasn’t today.
Soundwave quietly walked back to the recharge slab, laying down on the smooth surface. It was far more comfortable than the cold floor of his stall. Pulling the bit of Ravage’s plating close, Soundwave curled up in the warmth of the sun. He closed his optics, letting himself fall into sleep.
He dreamt of warmth, and Ravage curled around him.