Soundwave's Vow

Memory Purges

(A/N: I apologize for the long wait, just like I have as I've updated each of my stories. I hope you guys enjoy this and please leave reviews on what you think about the chapter, and what you think will end up happening. :P)

Soundwave sat alone in the middle of his room, ignoring the inquiring pings coming to him from Laserbeak, who was disturbed at having been blocked from the bond of her creator.

The silence that filled the room wasn't unusual, but it was different than it usually was... Thick... Full of emotion and memory...

Soundwave could barely wrap his processor around the realization that he had seen his sparkling... That she was even online. He had been sure that little AirRush had offlined with her carrier.

Thinking back to directly before his departure from Cybertron, Soundwave remembered those agonizing joors of searching... Searching for a sign, a life signal... Anything in order to find his mate and sparkling... Then he had discovered OffRoad... Her graying frame twisted and broken in a pile of rubble that had been the place she had delivered her sparkling... Their sparkling... He remembered how happy he had been when he had heard the news... The memory of his time with her as SkyGale.

-Memory-

SkyGale stood stock still, feeling the lubricants in his optics as he stared across the room at OffRoad, who was grinning widely at him in happiness. "Are you serious?" He demanded, voice cracking with emotion as he looked back down at the test results in his servo, then back up at her again.

The cherry red femme laughed loudly as she nodded. "Yes Gale... You're gonna be a sire." She answered with a beautiful smile on her pale faceplates.

Moving back and forth, shocked and overwhelmed with excitement, SkyGale couldn't stop staring at his mate before he reached out to her. "Come here." He cried, wrapping his arms around her and holding her tightly against himself... His own sparkling! To raise and love and care for! The tears in his optics leaked down his faceplates as he was unable to hold in his happiness.

One thing was for sure... He would protect his sparkling. She would never have to wonder her worth because he would love her, make sure that she knew how much he valued her in his function. "Slag... I love you so much." SkyGale whispered, leaning in close and kissing his mate, who smiled against his lips.

-Skip-

SkyGale laughed at the irritated expression on his mate's faceplates, who was becoming more and more moody as her carrying gradually progressed.

"How about this?" The dark-armoured mech asked with a smile. "I swear to never speak another word again until I lay my optics on my sparkling?" He asked, making OffRoad roll her optics in amusement. "You couldn't stay quiet for one nanoklik if your function depended on it." She responded.

SkyGale smiled... And didn't respond.

-End Memory-

Soundwave jerked out of his memories, startling Laserbeak, who hopped back a few steps and chirped in confusion... Little had Soundwave known that he would never see his sparkmate again after that... But he had kept his vow. He hadn't uttered a word for millenial... And he had been prepared to never speak again in his entire function, due to the thought that his sparkling had offlined with her carrier, and he would never see her and therefore free himself from his vow.

"Laserbeak."

The cyberbird nearly jumped 3 feet when she heard the voice of her creator... His true voice... The voice of SkyGale. She squawked in surprise as she hopped backwards another few feet, staring up at him, her side of the bond filled with surprise.

Scarred lip plating curled into an amused smile before returning to their usual grim state. "We have to get her... I want my sparkling." He murmured softly, the cyberbird hopping close and nuzzling his leg, jumping up onto his servo when he held it out to her.

Reattaching Laserbeak to his chassis, Soundwave stood upright, reaching up and removing his visor. He stared at his reflection. Pearly white faceplates and clear, nearly white, optics stared back at him. Perfectly shaped lip plating set in a grim line. Scars that orginated from extreme burning spread up his neck cables and over his lower jaw, branching out around his left optic, which was clouded over and useless... This was the face of SkyGale... His true self.

Venting softly, Soundwave set aside the visor and looked out at the clouds. He remembered when he had first been sent to the Autobot HQ, with the mission to get into their good graces and learn their secrets... At first, Soundwave had been quiet content with his mission. He had settled in, become accepted as the young, naive SkyGale... But then he had met her.

A fiery, young scout with a glossa that could cut sparks in two. She was confident and sure of herself, something that greatly attracted SkyGale to her... Her designation was OffRoad. He remembered how they first met... They argued and had to be pulled apart by their separate groups of friends... But he had been interested in her after that, and he had gone out of his way to befriend her... She was the only person that he admitted to why he was truly there... Admitted that he was a traitor....

-Memory-

"OffRoad..." SkyGale tried, reaching out for the crimson femme, who shoved him away, angry tears streaming down her faceplates as she took a step back. "No! No I don't believe you!" She cried, upset by the revelation that her lover was a traitor... A Decepticon passing on the secrets of the Autobots.

SkyGale took a step backwards, holding his servos up in a non-threatening expression as he tried to explain to her. "OffRoad, it was just a job! But I swear that ever since I've met you, I haven't passed on anything vital! Just enough to not have me offlined." He stated honestly, the red femme crossing her arms and looking away from him.

Silence fell for several moments before she spoke, so quietly that he could barely hear her. "No... I can't do this SkyGale." She whispered before looking up at him with hurt optics. "Or is that even your designation?" She asked.

Opening his mouth to speak, SkyGale shut it as he watched her go, leaving him alone in his room as he turned away to the window, looking out over Cybertron, feeling loathing for himself as he tried to refrain from trying to convince her otherwise... Whatever she decided to believe, or do about his admittance, was hers and hers alone to decide.

-Memory Ends-

Soundwave broke out from another memory purge. They were becoming frequent as his wiped memories began to come back to him, unbidden and not welcome, his spark clenching at the memories that threatened to send him into an outrage of grief, self loathing and long put down pain.

She had eventually come back to him, even though he had been so sure that she would pass on the news of his betrayal, she hadn't because she had trusted him... And now he had his daughter back... But in the hands of the Autobots... Whom he had abandoned and blamed for the offlining of his mate. He needed to get her back.

Steeling himself, Soundwave looked down at the visor in his servo and clenched it tightly, first cracks appearing before it shattered under the extreme pressure.

Watching the pieces of glass clatter to the ground around his pedes, Soundwave turned away, heading out of the warship, heading off into the starlit sky, determination filling him.