Overhead, in the blackness above, the only sky that most of the Underground inhabitants had ever known, heavy clouds were brewing, overflowing a drizzle of rain down to the earth below. It stung to the touch, burning with the poisons that so freely flowed through the Underground.
This had been home for so long; it was strange to see it in such a state – dead, forgotten. Soundwave could see why Megatron might want to destroy it. The place was horrible, a bad memory that deserved to be wiped from Cybertron’s history. The idea that bots had been forced to such a hellish landscape, simply because they had been born to the wrong caste, was the most despicable thing Soundwave could have imagined. It made him forget the ill-conceived super-weapons, the unfortunate love affairs, the drama and the suffering of his new life. This, this terrible land beneath the surface of Cybertron, was why they had started fighting in the first place.
Maybe Megatron needed to remind himself of that as well?
It didn’t take him long to find Megatron. All he had to do was follow the sound of shrieking metal, heavy fists plowing weakened paneling, one more building falling beneath the wrath of the former King of the Coliseum. Soundwave approached, observed from a distance for a long moment, listened to each twisting gear in Megatron’s arm as he swung his fist at the already decrepit structure. He heard the rush of energon, the frantic pulsing of a spark, the impact as each blow struck home. It was mesmerizing.
Of course, it also didn’t take Megatron long to notice him. He’d always been particularly adept at picking up on Soundwave’s presence, on his moods, his expressions, even without reading a tightly-controlled EM field or an empty face. It was one of the many miracles of Megatron.
Soundwave, however, was just as good at reading Megatron, and right now, those hard, fiery optics were not full of the affection and joy that were usually reserved for him. He would keep his distance; let Megatron make the first move.
Megatron managed to calm his ferocity within half a minute’s time, far longer than it usually took him. It was probably for the best that he was out here in isolation. Such a cooldown time while in the presence of other bots would end up with a lot of unwarranted beatings.
How had he gotten this bad? His temper had always been fierce, true, but he’d been so good at keeping it contained in public. Perhaps Soundwave had been wrong about Megatron’s reasons for coming out here. Maybe he was just looking for something he could take his anger out on, something that wouldn’t be missed? Maybe he felt trapped by the war of his making, and was looking for an escape – somewhere no one would come looking for him? Maybe . . .
The pulsing of his spark returned to normal, but still, his fists were clenched – he was on edge; apt to explode at any moment. And it was at this point, that he finally saw fit to speak.
“Leave me, Soundwave. I have no desire to hurt you.”
And wasn’t that just an unsettling thing to say? Megatron was losing himself to his temper, his once unyielding personality incapable of even keeping his most trusted friends safe. Was this why he’d been avoiding Soundwave? He had confirmation that Megatron was already growing excessively violent with Starscream. Was he afraid that he would bring harm to Soundwave? It was a little infuriating.
Megatron needed someone to stand up to him right now – to keep his temper from having its way with whomever. And who better for the job than the mech that had brought him in line time and again?
Soundwave didn’t budge, an inaction which sent Megatron’s spark flaring once more. The next thing Soundwave knew, the familiar image of Megatron charging him down at full-speed was filling his visual sensors.
Again, Soundwave didn’t budge. He wasn’t here to fight. Dodging would only escalate matters, as Megatron’s gladiator instincts took over. Besides, he was certain as ever that Megatron could never truly hurt him.
And indeed, his faith paid off. Inertia prevented Megatron from stopping himself before he’d tackled Soundwave to the ground, which quite honestly, hurt more than Soundwave had been expecting, but once there, he did not escalate the assault. All he could do was stare down at Soundwave with horrified optics, as his spark raced faster and faster, his claws gripping at the pliable ground on either side of Soundwave’s head in an expression of his horror.
He crawled to his feet the moment composure set in, and even offered Soundwave a hand up. That was the only kindness he spared, however. From there, he turned his optics straight ahead, and brushed by Soundwave, fleeing like the coward he’d become. It made Soundwave sick to witness.
“Megatron,” he protested. When that failed to get the warlord’s attention, a data cable around the arm did the trick. Megatron’s pulse spiked for half a second, before he regained composure, shooting Soundwave a wicked glare. It was an improvement.
“Let go Soundwave. I do not wish to speak with you right now.” Soundwave obliged, but kept his cable lingering close. He was not ready for Megatron to leave now that he finally had him.
“Megatron, stay,” he tried.
“I have no reason to stay.”
It took every ounce of willpower Soundwave had to compose the next sentence, as nerves and linguistic barriers tried their hardest to deprive him of what needed to be said.
Megatron’s optics widened, his spark flared once more, though it was not with anger, but fear. Why fear? Soundwave tried to extend his EM field, the calming influence that had always chased away the nightmares. Megatron had always hated it, but right now, he needed that peace of mind more than ever. He allowed his cable to touch down once more for good measure.
It was promptly shaken off, as Megatron’s optics narrowed. He stalked forward, a threat in his EM field, but Soundwave knew it to be empty, and held his ground, allowing Megatron to at last give his reply.
Soundwave hadn’t been expecting the insult. He hadn’t been expecting the self-deprecation. He had been expecting Megatron to flee again, but he found himself hard-pressed to do anything about it. Megatron had rejected him, abandoned him, given in to his weakness to go hide in some far-off hole like the coward he was fast-becoming. This wasn’t the mech that had inspired thousands to follow in his footsteps. What had happened to his Megatron? The Megatron that had given him life, desire, passion, a reason to wake up in the morning?
The Decepticons needed that Megatron back, or they would lose – not just the war, but themselves as well.
And Soundwave, abandoned in the acid rain and the toxic fog, left alone to manage the war effort while Megatron was busy holding himself a pity party, had finally had enough....
TEXT: ill follow you forever by Darksidekelz
