Soundwave watches, quietly, as Starscream finishes wiring the incendiary device next to the rift generator. The generator they’d put so much time, effort, and energon into building. The generator that had to be destroyed, because the Autobots could not be allowed to find it, to follow them into the multiverse.
He can feel Megatron trembling beside him, the anticipation in their Lord’s fields. The remains of their forces are crossing through, a paltry few dozen mechs, many walking wounded. And in Breakdown’s case, carried through, as the assistant medic is still too injured to walk or drive.
No one hesitates before crossing, knowing their Prime is waiting on the other side, that the other side is their new home, their refuge.
Megatron has insisted on being one of the last ones through, to stand guard over Starscream and ensure the rift stays open and protected, the large mech far more stable since reestablishing contact with his mate. Dreadwing had been sent through first, instructed to protect Prime, and the precious sparkling he carried. The communications officer was looking forward to seeing their Prime again himself, to hearing the happy news they’d been promised
When Megatron steps up to the rift, he pauses, optics flicking to Starscream in concern. There’d been no chatter on the usual bands, no indication the Autobots or their human allies were aware of this... yet it still did not sit right, to leave his second in command sitting here alone. But the scientist is waving him on, long claws pointed at the rift in a no nonsense manner.
And, feeling the tug at his spark, he can’t linger. Prime is anxious to see him again, as is he, after such a long separation. He longs to merge with his mate again, to hold him, to simply be with him... and the tugging intensifies, Prime pulsing that desire right back at him, and mercifully it’s only Starscream that sees him almost stumble forward a step, as if that tug had been physical...
Crossing is disorienting, a jumble of noise and light, for a moment, he can’t even feel his frame, and then the ground beneath his pedes is stable again.
And there’s his mate. His beloved Optimus. “Orion!” He whispers, distantly aware that his entire frame is trembling, and when Prime turns to him, he can see his other half is already in tears, and damn it, but he’s tearing up too. He rushes forward, Optimus matching his pace, and they collide, embracing tightly.
As Starscream steps through, he takes just a moment to look over his surroundings. Everyone has made through the rift in one piece, their leaders are enjoying an... embarrassingly emotional... reunion. Good. His attention is back on the rift, watching intently for signs of anything going wrong... only a few more moments before detonation, and he urges those still near the rift to move away.
...It is no surprise that Soundwave ends up needing to guide Megatron and Optimus a few paces back, the pair too deeply into their reunion to pay heed to his warning...
The timer alerts, and there it is, a flicker, a distortion in the rift that ripples outward several feet, before it abruptly disappears. He could, likely, build another device to break back into their home universe, but... with such depleted forces it really would be suicide to return.
So he turns away, flicking his wings at Soundwave, in time to see Megatron abruptly straightening up and giving Prime a bewildered look.
“What do you mean, FOUR??”
