Chapter Text
“All hail, Starscream.”
Were the final rasping words of the death notice, delivered with all the smug self-satisfaction of a treacherous Lieutenant who had finally received his long sought dues. It followed eagerly after the dissipation of the last of the blinding cyan shock waves that emanated from the immense combustive blast that had destroyed their glorious leader… and their only path back to their long cherished homeworld of Cybertron.
Even from afar, the full force of the warship's vast surveillance technology was held in the palm of Soundwave's servo. So, it was for a fraction of a nano-klik, the ever unperturbed Spymaster and Communications Officer of the Decepticons felt his spark shudder for the first time in countless vorns before his emotional processors returned to its usual state of equilibrium. Attached to his chassis, Laserbeak twittered nervously in response. Accordingly, Soundwave extended the pervasive calm that ever made up his emotional field over their symbiotic bond to soothe his distress.
They were currently enroute towards the Nemesis, Soundwave stretching his wings alongside his loyal companion in his alt-mode—a pleasure rarely afforded due to his rather stationary duties. Having successfully utilised the humans’ array of satellite dishes in place of their damaged interstellar navigational system, the coordinates for Cybertron were on permanent lock for his Lord’s Spacebridge and the next stage of the plan should have commenced as Lord Megatron had intended.
The unexpected dynamic efficacy of the Autobots’ interference and the abrupt and unexpected loss of his Master had then rendered the plan moot, making it prudent to cut short his flight and ground bridge to the Nemesis post-haste to take stock of the situation.
Naturally, Starscream had wasted no time in his gloating and preparations to assert his authority at the main console of the ship's command bridge. Hearing the familiar steps of Soundwave's swift even strides, he turned his helm towards him expectantly. “Ah! Soundwave. Cue the audio-visual, I wish to address the troops.”
His unique telepathic talents were unneeded to detect the unseemly feelings of triumph and gratification radiating off of him.
After quick successive beeps, Soundwave projected Starscream's image across every monitor aboard the ship as he began his distasteful inaugural speech, as though Lord Megatron’s spark had not just been extinguished a mere half a breem ago.
As though Lord Megatron had never mattered at all.
But the continuation of Lord Megatron's legacy is the utmost imperative and expediency is key. He could remember his Lord’s words, spoken long ago back when the revolution was still burgeoning and attempts upon his Lord’s life were expected and planned for. “If I vanish, carry on my work. Soundwave, you and Shockwave will carry on. You are my trusted lieutenants.” And continue it he shall, albeit, with Starscream in place of the late Shockwave.
The quicker a new leader is instated, the less opportunity the Autobots have to take advantage of the Decepticons’ lack of central command and inflict further unconscionable setbacks. The faster that he can move promptly on to salvaging what he can of Lord Megatron and the Spacebridge with minimal impact to the cause.
Even if that leader is Starscream.
…
The speech is met with an objection, and Starscream's succeeding retort and self-declaration of his new status as the Decepticons’ very own “Emperor of Destruction!” was followed by a long collective silence.
…
Estimates of Starscream's leadership prospects are looking dire.
Which was how Soundwave found himself being dragged along by him to find some Decepticon warrior of ages past out here in this dusty wasteland biome with its malformed rock formations in a desperate bid to gain legitimacy in the eyes of the Vehicons.
The Vehicons… Perhaps he should feel the derision that Lord Megatron surely would, that Starscream could not earn the respect of their war's literal cannon fodder. Consequently, it can be surmised that it is improbable that he could affect any amount of loyalty from Skyquake, this legendary Decepticon, to himself to aid in cementing his legitimacy.
A most ill-advised plan.
Though Starscream is a cunning mech. He would surprise him, no doubt, between the two of them he had always proven to be the more creative. For better or worse.
Nevertheless, he must remain on task. All he must do, as ever, is to follow. He must ensure that his part in Starscream’s plan succeeds to the best of his ability for the good of the cause he had dedicated his meagre existence to, before seeing with his own optics that Lord Megatron truly was no more.
His sensors spun with a steady whirr as it scanned the area while an outline of the local geography lit up his visor. Its current range yielded no results. Cutting off Starscream’s useless ramblings about the vast amounts of Energon hidden on this rock, the grand warriors stationed there to guard it, and the many supposed opportunities Lord Megatron had missed, Soundwave drew Starscream’s attention to this fact with a few quick pings.
Starscream turned his helm towards him, the groundless conceit that had stretched across his face plate falling to a simmering glower. “What do you mean you can’t pinpoint his signal!?” the seeker snapped, his rapid rise in temper evident in the increasingly pronounced gesticulation of his arms and the tightening of his dominant servo into a fist, “—Boost the power to your sensors!”
The command was all Soundwave required as he immediately reorganised the current Energon distribution plan he had slated for the jour. Strangely, for a scant astro-klik, his emotional processor almost had him convinced that his spark had become more… weighted, while he was reallocating a portion of Lord Megatron’s former share. His logic circuits rationally dissuaded him of such an extraneous notion. There is nothing to feel over practical action.
The injection of power into his sensors was accompanied by an intensifying thrumming hum, and it was not long until Soundwave felt the range and efficacy of his sensors expand exponentially. Expanding so far as to even encompass the region in space where the scattered debris of the Spacebridge lay alongside what remained of his Lord and Master. Inevitably, not even Skyquake’s long dormant signal could escape his enhanced detection – only taking a meagre three micro-kliks for his position to be discovered, displayed upon Soundwave's visor screen while marked by a downward caret arrow.
“Yes,” Starscream said, drawing out the syllables as a rapt smile emerged. A silver clawed digit pointed at the arrow, “There.”
Starscream leapt into action, transforming into his alt-mode mid-air. Soundwave followed his lead. The two flew after the signal further down the canyon, only the dual trailing vortices generated from the lift of their wingtips left in their wake.
At the site, nothing had made Soundwave more acutely aware of the demerits of his current frame-type in contrast to his past gladiatorial frame than pulling out Skyquake’s solid metal stasis pod at Starscream’s similarly lightly-built side. His frame was customised for maximum efficiency towards the pursuits of espionage, communications, and information processing—not heavy labour. Within the Decepticon ranks, there were certain personnel tailored for such a task. Unfortunately, such personnel were not currently at their, or rather Starscream’s, disposal. More so due to the mech’s errant pride rather than any concrete reason.
Gaining the respect and obedience of the Vehicons should be a simple affair. For a Decepticon, strength is king. You must simply make a choice example of one and the rest will fall in line, as Lord Megatron had aptly demonstrated with both the Vehicons and his regular Cybertronian soldiers many times in the past. Starscream knows this, he was a prime example of such treatment after all.
Perhaps his abstinence of the method is due to an acquired distaste of it as a frequent victim. Or perhaps it just did not occur to him, as potent plans seldom do. Soundwave could read his processor to know for sure, but he would rather not know what goes on in Starscream’s helm.
Still, with the subject of the Vehicons yet lingering in his central processor, Soundwave found he did not much begrudge Starscream for this particular superfluous plan. His logic circuits fritzed at the inanity of the thought, a sharp but fleet sensation. Economical action was to him as logic was to the one he had called brother. What would Shockwave have thought, within the depths of the Well of AllSparks, of so gratuitous a notion?
Thus, he could only half-heartedly lament Starcream’s inefficient distribution of labour over the breem it took them to pull Skyquake out whilst diligently keeping up with his current work load; remotely surveilling all global transmissions, developing plans to salvage what remains of Lord Megatron and the Spacebridge—you must be alive, examining appropriate locations to assemble a new Spacebridge—they were not staying on this dirt plagued planet forever, searching for potential replacement parts for the Spacebridge, organising a team to construct said Spacebridge, tracking and optimising current Energon mine outputs—44% of current Energon stores had been funneled towards the lost Spacebridge and present stores are now below the optimal range, detecting potential new sources of Energon to bolster present Energon production and substitute destroyed mines, reorganising Energon distribution amongst the Decepticon ranks and assets, updating the Decepticon roster list to account for recent casualties—…rest, issuing the Vehicons their new orders, monitoring the Vehicons and their performance, creating and curating training material for the Vehicons, implementing new Energon mine protocols for Autobot attacks, monitoring the status of the Nemesis, plotting the Nemesis’ travel course, locating the Autobots’ base of operations… ad infinitum.
Not to mention the duties that required his personal physical attention. He ranked them in order of priority for when he returned.
One solar-cycle. One solar-cycle, he would find the time to take Laserbeak out on another flight—Laserbeak chirped happily through their telepathic bond as the thought crossed his processor.
He supposes he could also… continue work on Project Iacon. A project he worked consistently upon, despite its relatively lower priority, and did not avoid.
Finally, the stasis pod had been successfully unearthed. Soundwave had but a scant moment to bask in a job well done before—
“Excellent, Soundwave,” before the familiar voice of Starscream poured itself like slick oil into his blissful quiet. Expectantly, he unfurled a clawed servo, “The cube.”
Soundwave took the prepared cube of Energon from his subspace, dark slender digits gently lifting the lid of its metallic container. The former Lieutenant took the cube and slotted it delicately into the square opening at the centre of the pod.
In less than a micro-klik, the signature blue glow of Energon stole their attention as it began to peek through the vertical seams of the stasis pod entrance. As the glow grew in luminousity, so too did the high pitched whine of the machine rise in volume.
Starscream staggered back.
“The Energon infusion, it’s working!” Was what Soundwave last heard from Starscream before he reflexively shifted the flat surface of his arm over his optics, shielding them from the flash of blinding light.
As soon as it came, it left. After the last of the light’s lumens faded away, the doors of the pod slowly retracted with a rumble to reveal Starcream’s highly anticipated prize—Skyquake. Already, Starscream made to approach him.
“Awaken, warrior,” he declared with a beckoning gesture before raising his helm and arms towards the heavens, “Rise. And serve your new Master!”
Soundwave could feel every acute vibration that resonated from the ground as it shook beneath Skyquake’s each lumbering step. With a flex of his limbs, the green thickly armoured mech smashed his fists together overhead before casting down his shadow upon Starscream’s form, looming over him.
“Skyquake serves only one Master.” Came the deep metallic boom of Skyquake’s voice, arms sweeping wide. Starscream's faceplate morphed into a deep smirk.
“Excellent,” Starscream crowed, moving his servos behind his back as he affected a front of dignity and composure, “Your loyalty will set a fine example for the troops.” The self-proclaimed Decepticon leader then flicked his optics towards Skyquake before fully turning to face him. “No need to be timid, Skyquake. You may bow.”
Skyquake’s brows set in a brief furrow, “You fail to grasp my meaning. I am here on a mission assigned to me by my one Master, Megatron.”
Soundwave soundlessly departed to watch the exchange continue on from afar—resembling a shuttle crash in slow motion each micro-klik it continued to progress—as Starscream, in increasing irritation, attempted to impress upon Skyquake his new leadership status, and Skyquake in turn continually rebuffed him.
Any klik, Starscream would turn the trajectory of this unfortunate conversation and find some clever means to obtain Skyquake’s loyalty. Any klik.
Soundwave began drafting alternative leadership outcomes for Skyquake as it looked as though he was likely to rend apart the metal of Starscream’s frame whilst simultaneously debating intervening in the dispute to preserve the complete utility of an occasionally useful Decepticon asset.
“—It has been a while, Skyquake.”
Soundwave stilled, imperceptible from his default frame language, but what mattered is that Soundwave knew.
Optimus Prime.
At the arrival of a hatefully familiar red, blue, and silver plated mech, Skyquake shoved Starscream aside to provide the Prime his full undivided attention.
“Optimus Prime. I haven’t seen you since the Battle of Technar,” Skyquake proclaimed, crimson optics widening in mild surprise before narrowing, “Megatron ordered me to annihilate you.”
“That was a long time ago,” the Prime stated as he strode towards his enemies, alone—the brazen fool.
“That may be, Prime,” Skyquake acknowledged, “But my orders still stand.”
The Prime directed a weight laden gaze towards Skyquake then Starscream, “Is this ancient war still worth fighting? When so many comrades have been lost, and worlds, destroyed.” He parted his arms in entreaty, “If you want to be a true leader, Starscream, then stray from Megatron’s path and lead the Decepticons toward peace.”
At the Prime’s words, the former Lieutenant regained his self-assured smirk.
“I would be willing to consider a truce,” the silver-plated mech remarked in teasing admittance, a servo on hip with the other gesturing towards himself before then moving to gesture towards the Autobot leader, “If you would be willing to bow before me, Optimus Prime.”
“—Again!?” Skyquake cursed in outrage and annoyance. He slammed Starscream in the chassis with the full force of his fist, launching him up against the crumbling stone of the desert’s mesa formations, “Bow to this!”
Upon a high plateau, Soundwave’s optics briefly trailed after Starscream’s sliding frame before redirecting his attention towards the dialogue below. A feeling of deja vu came over him as he witnessed the same old song and dance, where Optimus Prime made his worthless recreant appeals to righteous steadfast Decepticons, the inevitable breakdown of that conversation, and the consequent altercation.
The rumbling of a jet engine behind him indicated Starscream’s imminent arrival at his location. Soundwave turned his head slightly in Starscream’s direction, acknowledging, before resuming his remote work and recording of the battle below.
“Brrr…” Starscream shook, attempting to shake off the impact of Skyquake’s unexpected assault on his person, “What need have I for peace, when I have Skyquake?”
A rhetorical question, considering who he was speaking at.
Fastidiously attempting to retain the fading illusion of his imagined dignity, the former Lieutenant straightened himself, servos placed at his back, “With some discipline, he will learn to respect his new Master. And once it becomes known that Skyquake destroyed Optimus Prime under my command, all Decepticons will gratefully bow to me.”
A campaign of misinformation… Though Starscream’s lack of actionable leverage over Skyquake renders the solution short-term at best.
Beneath, the fight rages on with the two mechs blasting at each other with their respective weapons. The smell of smoke and ozone thickened in the air from burning laser shots fired. Skyquake, with his gatling gun’s higher shot per klik, had the Prime on the back foot, managing to force him back with the consecutive weight of each one. From the shadows, witnessing the distress of his leader, the counterintuitively coloured Autobot Scout—Designation: Bumblebee—emerged, blasts shot out from an arm-cannon at Skyquake's back. At Soundwave’s side, Starscream was redundantly ordering him to record the battle.
The fight soon moved out of optic view as the Autobots made for a strategic retreat with Skyquake following behind like a rabid cyberhound in the dust of their alt-modes. Issued a telepathic command, Laserbeak detached himself from Soundwave’s chassis in pursuit, surveilling them from a distance.
“We’ve lost sight of them!” Starscream seethed, arms splayed in exasperation as he swivelled on to the Decepticons’ Communications Officer, “Soundwave! Why aren’t you—”
Projected upon the silent mech’s visor, footage of the Autobots continued retreat played.
“Err… Carry on,” the former Second-in-Command hurriedly turned away, servos returning to their place behind his back. It then occurred to him why he turned to Soundwave in the first place. “A good subordinate always stands ready to anticipate the needs of their Master, and you Soundwave, have passed muster,” Starscream prevaricated with a solemn nod before turning, in excess surplus, towards the dark mech and the ensuing battle projected upon his visor.
The chase continued, though it seems that the Earth's dominant species had noticed something amiss. According to the chatter Soundwave picked up on from his surveillance of global transmissions, a single human pilot had dispatched himself to their area.
He replayed the humans’ communications for Starscream, who hummed in thought, bringing a servo to his chin, “Hmm, so the humans have caught a hint of our presence. No matter, what can the interference of a human do against the unmatched power of Skyquake?”
Noticing the high pitched whir of a jet play in the background of the transmission, a low chuckle emerged, “Indeed, this is nothing but a boon for my wayward student. The perfect opportunity for him to acquire an alt-mode, one of aerial superiority. Now I’d like to see how the Autobots escape that.”
And soon enough, Skyquake had done just that. With the adaptation of an alt-mode, progression of the battle veered in a more promising direction as Optimus and the Autobot Scout desperately employed evasive manoeuvres to avoid being gunned down by the rattling fire of Skyquake’s autocannons. So desperate that the garish Autobot, who had scaled a canyon wall, leapt suicidally from a sheer height to grab a hold of his high soaring adversary—tearing into his plating.
Just as a battle may flow in your direction, so too does it ebb. The frame of Skyquake’s alt-mode was now beginning to smoulder. If neither Soundwave nor Starscream intervened, it was perhaps likely that the warrior would perish in a fiery conflagration.
“Gaah! Skyquake, you complete and utter fool! Some legendary Decepticon you turned out to be.” Cried the acting Decepticon leader from gritted denta, “You were supposed to destroy Optimus Prime, not offline yourself at the servos of his Autobot lackey!”
…
Skyquake’s demise at the servos of an Autobot Scout would be naught but a consequence of his own weakness. Lord Megatron had no use for weak Decepticons.
Lord Megatron who had torn out the voicebox of that very Scout for his insolence, who had fought Optimus Prime—the so called Chosen of Primus—to a standstill countless times, who had vanquished all manner of foes within the pits of Kaon and lead the Decepticons to impossible victories through sheer force of will alone—roaring in defiance for all to hear that, “I yet function!”
Lord Megatron who… who no longer functioned.
Soundwave cast his obscured optics to Starscream clutching at his helm with frantic servos, then to the ground. Between the two of them, their combined force of will was not something he enjoyed contemplating in that it was an idea of a concept.
Who now would face off against the Prime when he thoughtlessly interposed himself between the Decepticons and their noble objectives? Starscream?
Himself?
He directed his attention back to Laserbeak’s video feed. The shutter of his optics lowering as they lingered upon Optimus Prime.
Yes. He could contend with the Prime. Just as he could contend with Lord Megatron, or rather Megatronus, that fateful meeting in an arena deep within the subterranean levels of smoke choked Kaon. Where the clamour of the audience crescendoed into a cacophonous thunder as he choked the spark out of Megatronus with pitch cables tightening around his intake, all whilst Megatronus’ vibro-blade pierced just a microhic left of his spark-chamber.
When Megatronus almost made Soundwave flinch as he threw his head back—amongst still loosening cables—in raucous laughter at the declaration of a draw for the first time in either of their unblemished gladiatorial careers where previously, he had been all blazing fury.
“Hah! Others, they think you passionless, a drone purpose-built to skewer the sparks of gladiators who dare rise beyond their ken. But I know you, Soundwave.” Megatronus guffawed through wheezing coughs, “Your every incisive strike, your every cunning trick—all of it reveals purpose. Hatred.”
And, in one jagged movement, he tore his sword from Soundwave’s chassis—forcing the dark gladiator into a backward stagger, releasing his hold on him as he clutched at the wound rent into his plating where Energon fell freely.
“And now, you know me.”
The towering form of Megatronus lurched forward toward him, all tarnished silver and now ramshackle plating. This was meant to be the moment where Megatron stood victorious over the slagged pile that was his opponent, where he made his grandstand for the audience and exalted upon them his infeasible notions of unity and equality.
“For I hate, too.”
…But instead, the full intensity of his attention now fell upon him.
“My words, I know you think them paltry. But you should know also, Soundwave, that they are true. The destruction of the caste system is not just a pretty ideal conjured by some naive mech, but a necessity. Because beneath it, I have no future. You have no future. No one in the lower castes, forced there through no fault of their own, has a future!”
Megatronus’ snarling faceplate was now mere centihics away from the glossy obsidian of his visor. Soundwave could see too closely, too personally, how wildly his blue optics flared, how tightly sharpened denta were gritted. Megatronus then took a step back, throwing out his arms as if in welcome of Soundwave’s scrutiny and trepidation.
“We work, we toil, we suffer in squalor for endless milli-vorns—all for the indolent pleasures of those who consider themselves above us! I hate them, and I know you do too. There is no recourse for the cold banality of our existence and the depravity of theirs, except what we dare seize. You will fight and then you will die, never able to leave these pits and so will I. Unless we strive. Strive for change, strive for freedom, strive for the very stars!”
The Golden Age… To soar among the stars as many mechs had so long ago.
Megatronus held aloft a clawed servo, one stained with Soundwave’s own Energon, towards him.
…But there are no stars here. Not in the smog-ridden skies of Kaon.
“Through unity, we are made whole. You will complete me. See what I cannot, be what I am not. I need you Soundwave, for you fight and act in ways alien to me but are nevertheless my equal. Take my servo, and together we will become more than just another frame littering the arena, we will force Cybertron into a new era of glory!”
And he did. He could feel the scarred textures of Megatronus’ servo as it tightened over his, and its warmth as Megatronus turned to the audience and thrust their held servos into the air in shared triumph.
Yes.
He would face off against the Prime, but first… He turned towards the seeker nervously wringing grey servos together, replacing the video feed on his visor with a glowing map. Short pings played, centring on Skyquake’s location, attracting Starscream’s attention away from his panicked mutterings and towards the situation at hand.
“W-what is it!? Soundwave, what are you looking at me for—Skyquake’s failure was a result of his own actions, not mine!” Starscream exclaimed, shielding his faceplate from Soundwave’s ambiguous gaze with his arms.
With a short static crackle, a very familiar voice to the silver and red mech played from Soundwave’s speakers.
//Skyquake—Will be student to my Master—Learn to respect his new Master—All Decepticons will gratefully bow to—Starcream.//
Starscream sputtered, staring up at the falling Skyquake with some trepidation before turning back to Soundwave with a shaky smile. The Communications Officer remained motionless and inscrutable. He turned aside and gulped before straightening and holding up a servo with a raised digit, “Erm… Do you mea—”
Another emphatic ping sounded from Soundwave’s visor.
“But of course! As Leader of the Decepticons, naturally, I would not allow a loyal servant, let alone one I call student, to perish at the hands of the Autobots.” Starscream’s servo tightened to a fist as he held the other behind his back, “Watch, Soundwave, as a true Master demonstrates how a real Decepticon is meant to handle things. Make sure to keep it on record, so that Skyquake knows just who it was that saved his sorry Spark, and to whom he now owes his allegiance to.”
The seeker then dove off the plateau, changing into his alt-mode mere moments before a collision with the ground in an unnecessary display of theatrics, before finally swooping around towards Skyquake.
Ideologically, Soundwave was aware that saving Skyquake ran contrary to Lord Megatron’s usual modus operandi. But he was tasked to do what was necessary and be what his Lord was not; long-sighted, analytical, pragmatic. With his Master’s absence, their ranks lost not only their guiding light, but also a heavy combatant. One in a similar weight class to the Prime with the tactical acumen to match. Between the two, only one had a readily available solution.
Logistically, operations would slow to a snail’s crawl if he was to be dispatched each time Optimus Prime materialised. Especially now that the Autobots were actively aware of and seeking their presence on Earth. The processing power required in such a scenario was untenable, combat diverting too sizable a portion from critical tasks relating to the maintenance of the Nemesis and the accomplishment of their objectives. His duties were just too numerous and vital.
Which leaves Skyquake. The foremost candidate.
Prior to the Scout’s audacity, Soundwave had judged Skyquake’s performance against the Prime to be adequate. Thus, he believed it a cogent investment to preserve his Spark to fulfil a similar role in the future. Though, it would best behoove them to warn him away from flying too closely to high structures.
Skyrocketing through the air, Starscream took a couple shots at the gaudy Autobot Scout which the human pilot flying adjacent to the bot returned in kind. Soundwave took flight to intercept the Prime, just catching the glint of light reflecting off of the silver of Optimus’ ion cannons. The Prime had kept Starscream’s flight path in his line of fire. His cannons lit up, several shots nailing the seeker’s side as he dodged into them whilst avoiding the human’s gunfire.
There were now two rapidly plummeting, smoke trailing, half-offline Decepticons falling out of the sky.
Leadership consolidation, disrupted. Alternative strategy: Pending.
Soundwave adjusted the parameters he set for Starscream’s expected evasive ability then revised his present plan of action. Veering off-course silently to a tall ledge, the dark mech began immediate calculations on the trajectory of their fall path, intercepting them with simultaneous groundbridges set to the coordinates of the hallway just beyond the Nemesis’ medbay.
[Command: Move injured to medbay, life support.]
Sent Soundwave to the two Vehicon guards assigned to the medbay. Confirmations returned of the injured members’ online status—Mission: Success. Though Skyquake’s physical condition was suboptimal, they had succeeded in his acquisition. Unfortunately, Starscream’s spontaneous side-objectives of offlining Optimus Prime and thus establishing his leadership superiority was unsuccessful, but this failure was not outside of expectations as the Decepticons had tried and failed at it for four milli-vorns.
Laserbeak returned from his surveillance and reattached himself to Soundwave’s chassis.
It was time for them to leave.
At the flash of another familiar green light, Optimus Prime’s gaze trended upwards. There he was met with his reflection, of widening optics over a steel battlemask, reflected upon the visor of a dark distant figure silhouetted in the groundbridge’s light.
“Soundwave.”
The name of the figure came unbidden. Blue optics narrowed.
Soundwave lingered at the sound of his name. But the usual entreaty the Prime would unfailingly render to Decepticons of peace and resolution never came. Only the solemn incongruent scrutiny of optics too familiar, from a mech he had not seen directly, in many, many vorns.
…
After a period of silence, Soundwave turned away. He departed in steps smooth and uniform, the Prime watching with furrowed brows as the back of Megatron's ever fervent shadow disappeared into the churning maelstrom of a groundbridge.
“...What will become of you, now?”