I'm not part of your machine... | Transformers Prime | Soundwave Centric

10 - No One Keeps Score of How Hard We Tried

"My lord! I was just about to get Soundwave for a check-up on how their frame is healing." Knockout interrupted before Megatron could even speak. "I apologize, but for the good of the cause... I have to take Soundwave for a moment."

Megatron put his sharp glare onto Knockout, who stared back with only the confidence a doctor could have. "Not right now, Knockout. I have to speak with Soundwave." He gestured to Soundwave as if they were some type of terminal to make reports and do research on... which they weren't sure if they weren't such a thing.

"But– Megatron!" Starscream inserted himself into the conversation. "Knockout should be able to see Soundwave! After all, how are they supposed to finish their reports and missions when they're unwell?" Starscream scratchy and abrasive tone vouched for the car framed medic.

"I don't need your opinion, Starscream." Megatron shot back at his second in command.

Knockout gave a smirk to Soundwave, doing his best to assure the spy of their method to get Megatron off their back. Soundwave in turn, silently prayed that the SIC and medic's plan would work.

Starscream put on his best smirk, "I can help debrief you on the report, after all, I was the one you had supervise their work." Starscream began to talk about the report without being prompted. He also gave Knockout a disregarded servo gesture to tell him to get out of there with Soundwave.

Knockout then slyly grabbed Soundwave's servo and slinked both of them out of the main control room. Laserbeak then tailed after the two older bots, squawking quietly at her distressed parent. Soundwave simply let a few relived words slip from their mouth to Knockout's audials.

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"You're appearing to be fine on all my tests." Knockout pointed at some medical graphs. Soundwave though had no idea what they meant or had the words to ask about them. The medic continued talking about something or another.

What was happening here? What was happening to Megatron-- to them?! They used to be a gladiator, they've fought and beaten bots twice times Megatron's size! They can fight back-- easily at that too! Why weren't they? Why did they feel so helpless against this-- this-- this...

They don't want to harm him-- Megatronous... They know.]-- They know that old friend is still there... just unreachable to them-- He has to be! Because then--  then when had Megatronous become Megatron? When had that change taken root so deep within Megatronous that he was no longer quite himself to anyone? Not even with them or Orion? And when had that Megatron transitioned into whatever this-- this crazed tyrannical leader was?

Megatron had put his servos on them... and hurt them with them. He's kept doing it... slowly escalating back to the first outburst into more and more violent ones. To the point, Starscream has started to put himself in the line of danger to give Soundwave a break between the beatings. They both have been Knockout's sole patients for about a deca-cycle now-- When had one victim become two? When had one visit turned into 2, then 3, then 4, then 5? When had the neglect of the silent morphed into the abuse of them?

They didn't know... and they needed to get it to stop. Urgently. But how? How where they too leave? Of course, they could go the the Autobots. They knew that, Optimus invited them regardless. But they couldn't just fly out of the Nemesis, they'd been seen and followed-- they may be hunted for or bargained for or shot down or botnapped back-- 

No, no, no! Now is not the time for overthinking. A plan, they needed a plan of escape.  A plan that allowed for them to not be seen, have the time to get out, and get to the Autobot base. The problem wasn't the being seen, they could easily shut off all the cameras on base and then use all the back hallways to get out. They're the Decepitcion Spy, it was their nature. The time was the problem. They knew they could get out before somebot noticed the cameras, but getting to the Autobot base? Definitely not. It almost guaranteed they'd know what's up by the time they were halfway there... But it could be a good enough of a shot to--

"--ave? Officer Soundwave!" Knockout practically yelled in their face, making them jump. "You're good to go, Soundwave. You've checked all boxes to be let to get back to work."

They nodded and stood, waving as they left. Meeting a, surprisingly, not that beaten Starscream on their way out. They simply nodded at him and continued on. They had a 'party' to plan for after all.

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Ratchet blankly blinked at Optimus. He sighed heavily before rubbing his nose bridge. "Now, before I start pulling out my good wrenches... Explain."

Acree, Bulkhead, Bee, Jack, Miko, and Rafeal all intently watched the eldest bots present speak to each other. Arcee, Jack, and Miko making bets on whether or not Optimus will get slammed with a wrench.

Optimus sounded both pleased and sad at the question, "Well, when you sent Acree and I out to look into where Soundwave was spotted by humans, I talked to them." Optimus paused and glanced at the younger bots and children before switching to speaking in Kaon, for their sake. After all, they were still kids in his and Ratchet's optics. "The children shouldn't hear this...but... Soundwave--" The leader paused, doing his best to keep his composer with the expressive language he was now speaking with. "Sounds... looked like they had been beaten. Recently..."

Ratchet let a lot of Cybertron curses slip out as he pressed his hands into his faceplate. Taking the switch in language in stride and responding in it, "Oh dear All Spark... what is Unicron doing over there?!"

Arcee, Bulkhead, and Bumblebee all glanced at each other. They all recognized the curses and now knew enough to infer something wasn't well with Soundwave, whether positive or negative. The human children present all gave confused looks at their Cybertronian counterparts. Bee beeped out an explanation to Raf, who then went to relay it to the two other humans present.

Ratchet took a breath in and continued in the language they all had in common, "Did they agree to your offer? And do they know where to come?"

Optimus focused back on Ratchet, "They know where to come, yes. But I do not know for sure if they will ever come. They kept their responses vague."

The medic nodded, "That's Sounds for you--"

Miko ran up to the old friends before they could finish. Screaming in excitement at them, "Wait, wait, wait--! You both know Soundwave personally?!" The child looked at the bots with curiosity and excitement. Said bots glanced at each other, both sharing barely contained sighs and looks. The other Cybertorians and humans followed suit asking their own questions. They weren't getting out of this explanation, huh?

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