Soundwave's Echo

Chapter 16

Starscream stumbled to the ground for the seventh time. His joints still hadn't fully recovered from the electrocution graciously given to him by MECH. Not to mention pain flared through his systems at even the slightest movement. Those cursed humans, they only saw him as a machine...some artificial intelligence with a congenital insensitivity to pain. Starscream had even tried to explain the biology to them. But no, his words fell on deaf audio receptors. Thus they tore into him with tools like a straved insecticon. Just cutting away anything stopping them from reaching his precious bio-mechanism, his T-Cog, and oh had they found it. Hoisted out of his side and held up like some sick prize. Then they left.
They left him defenseless.
Defenseless and flightless.
Perhaps that was the worst combination since...since...well there had been several combinations over the years. Too many to keep track of. No doubt Soundwave had them all tucked away in some neat little file.

Starscream froze as a dreadful realization struck him.

Soundwave watched Echo like a hawktron. One had to only look to know the protectiveness he had for the human whelp. "He'll come for her..." Starscream whispered propping himself up. Normally he would have avoided the silent mech with his expert aerial tactics until a moment to strike appeared. Normally he would have been able to escape if things went sour. Normally no longer applied.
His T-Cog was gone.
Starscream couldn't activate his weapons, couldn't activate his alt mode.
Starscream scrambled to his pedes and tried to hold his balance. This time he had a small amount of success. He gasped as his body screamed at him to be still. Starscream ignored the internal protests and continued to move. He despised every second of the pain. He despised the weakness.
His digits curled into a fist. Starscream's anger boiled beneath his armor. This pathetic-ness did not suit his nature nor his pride. Starscream clenched his jaw. In a fit of rage he snapped a branch from a tree and hurled it towards the base wall. It clanged against the metal wall and fell to the ground. "Frag it all...I hope I never see that slagging mute mech!!" Starscream shouted.

His voice rang out and silence followed. A kind of silence that makes your soul shiver. Starscream shook the feeling off. There was no one out here. MECH had cleared out of the area and left him behind hours ago. Only the empty base remained. Yet his spark beat nervously. He held the sneeking suspicion of being watched.
Starscream turned his optics to look in the direction of the entrance. The two doors were still damaged from the Scout's rampage. Unfortunately one thing had changed. A shadow had slipped through and spilled out onto the ground.
Starscream felt his vents circulate a tight breath. His spark quivered. No, this was impossible. There was not any logical way Soundwave could have already found him. Starscream had been sure to remove his tracking device after leaving the Decepticons. Starscream stiffened as a realization struck him. All Decepticons had trackers...which ment Echo had a tracker. If Soundwave had been closely watching then he would have known to come here.
Exactly the area where Starscream now stood barely able to support himself.

He watched as the sleek mech stepped through the damaged doors. There seemed to be a terrible aura of danger following his movements. More than usual anyway. Starscream felt his spark clench up when Soundwave turned to look in his direction. The two remained still for a moment like predator and prey before the chase. Oh and how the urge to run, to start the chase, filled him. However Starscream fought those primal instincts and remained where he stood. He had intelligence, running was pointless, especially with Soundwave's impressive mach speeds.
However Soundwave didn't rush at him. He moved forward in an intimidating yet patient way. Soundwave could see the injury on Starscream's side. There would be no chase.

Starscream did his best to stand up straight. "Soundwave? What are you doing out here?" Starscream said in an uncertain tone trying to feign ignorance. Soundwave said nothing in reply. He kept coming towards him. "Alright I know she's missing-"
Starscream was cut off as Soundwave clutched his neck and lifted him up off the ground. The ex-seeker grasped at his slender digits trying to allow his vents proper space to function. Starscream saw his own terrified face reflected in Soundwave's visor. "Soundwave...ack...listen to me...you're good at that, listening, right?" Starscream choked out. Soundwave held him a little higher. "Echo. Location." Soundwave demanded his voice monotone. "As much as I would love to help you I don't know where she could possibly be." Starscream lied. Soundwave slammed him into a tree. The branches and bark snapped and scrapped against his recovering body. "Ok ok maybe I know something about where she could be, but it isn't all that useful." Starscream said carefully. "Her location." Soundwave said tightening his grip. Starscream pulled at his digits and took a trembling breath. "Alright! I saw that scout, Bumblebee, take her away." Starscream said purposely leaving out the part about him attacking Echo. Starscream watched him praying the mech bought it. If he could just give enough information to satisfy him then he could keep his spark. Apparently he had done just that. Soundwave released his hold and Starscream tumbled to the ground. He gingerly placed a servo over the tender metal and pushed himself away from Soundwave. The communications officer didn't look down at him or even move for that matter. Calculations were running through his processor. Ones far more important than the handicapped mech groveling before him. He had a new mission now: finding the base.
Soundwave downloaded the information into his drive and turned away. He had learned everything that he could from this area. There no longer remained a reason to stay.
Starscream propped himself up and scrowled at Soundwave's back. To have allowed that silent creature control over his life...Starscream wanted to gag. "So you're...just going to leave me here." Starscream said.
Soundwave ignored him as he was prone to doing, especially now. He simply saw no reason to respond. Starscream, however, saw it as mockery. Thus he let his anger speak, "Nothing to say? Funny how that is your response since that was exactly how you reacted to losing your other cassettes!!"
Soundwave stopped. His digits curled into fists.  Starscream smirked. "Have you forgotten?" Starscream said climbing to his pedes, "surely you remember Rumble, Frenzy, and Ravage?"