Never Again

3

~ Enjoy ❤️
-  -  -  -  -  -  -

Starscream disappeared.

Two earth weeks passed since Megatron first ordered Soundwave to spy on the seeker, and now it seemed he had disappeared off of the face of the planet. Soundwave wondered if it had been the result of the fierce beating Megatron had given the mech the week before as punishment for his failure in a recent mission, or if the seeker had another plan in mind.

He knew better than to ask his master. Megatron wouldn't feign worry over his second in command. Arachnid still walked throughout the Nemesis, never once mentioning her partners whereabouts. The vehicons claim Starscream went for a flight, and simply never returned.

Soundwave felt like his disappearance was off, especially after all of the gloating and planning he had commenced in. Declaring leadership over the Decepticons and then simply disappearing? He wouldn't buy it.

With Lazerbeak searching the skies and Soundwave recent video footage, they were bound to find something. Perhaps simply finding Starscreams energon signature would be suffice. It would definitely make the search easier- and then the communications officer could question him. There would be consequences for the seekers actions.

He watched all footage from every level of the ship- all of them were the same. No Starscream. Missing all that day. The footage from the day prior was also of no use.

Tilting his healm to one side, Soundwave stood in silence as other vehicons in the room simply stared and watched him. Wondering what he was up to. But they kept their distance, knowing it was best to let the communications officer do his job- whatever it was.

Soundwave didn't notice the soldiers and simply kept at his work. Searching the videos in his healm from three days earlier. Starscream was nowhere to be found on the first level, where energon was stored and preserved.

The second level was where the control and throne room sat, and the third level was filled with berth rooms and Megatrons main quarters.

Three days earlier, Starscream had seemingly spent most of the day out searching for Energon with the vehicons, then returning and leaving again without any company. Later again, he came back empty handed and with a cruel smile on his face as landed on the upper deck.

Arachnid never once spoke with him, but Soundwave still had his suspicions on the femme. She was one to make mischief and cause strife for the fun of it- never really having any other overall plan but to watch her enemies squirm and cry out as she eliminated their spark.

From beneath his visor, Soundwave watched as Starscream made his way to medbay, and then travelled down to third level. He watched the video footage for a few minutes before stepping back in surprise.

The seeker enters the storage level and then never returns. Strutting in with a smirk and then the door closes behind him. For several minutes, that door stays closed. Then it shifts open, as if some invisible force walked out. But still no sign of Starscream. Soundwave wondered where the mech had disappeared to.

Meanwhile, sitting in his private quarters, Megatron stared at the faint glowing screen of his data pad. Optimus prime had raided yet another of his mines, and had taken nearly half of his resources. And now, with the Auotbots having three of the four Omega keys, he had no choice but to make more drastic measures.

The Primes care for the humans sickened him to the spark. Only creatures that were soft and weak needed protection and care- and if they were weak, they were not worthy of protection. Megatron only served himself, and no cybertronian would stand in his way when he finally obliterated the spark of Optimus Prime.

So perhaps the pets were what he needed to ensure the trade of the Omega keys...

"Lord Megatron." Knockout spoke over the comm link.

"What is it?"  Megatron snapped. He clenched and unclenched his servos and set his data pad down, his initial plan on retrieving the keys still in his healm.

"It appears we have picked up on a strange energon signature."

"How is your progress on the synthetic energon?"

"Slow and steady, my Liege. Quite a hassle, since the remainder of the formula was lost."

"Then you shall continue working on the formula, and Breakdown will accompany you."

"Then who will-"

"Soundwave will analyze the situation- if he needs backup, I will send Breakdown. Continue your work, Doctor, and do not fail me."

"Of course, my Liege."

Soundwave was still standing at the monitors, his servos against what a human would consider a keyboard, when Knockout spoke over his comm link.

"Lord Megatron wishes for you to investigate an energon signal at these coordinates." Soundwave watched the screen while storing the coordinates Knockout spoke into a small section of his processor.

Starscream never left the storage room, but suddenly appeared on the upper deck of the Nemesis only three minutes after his disappearance. A few vehicons stood on the landing with him, watching the seeker take off towards the sky before going back to work.

How did he get to the other end of the ship so quickly while avoiding security? Something wasn't right. For a short moment, Soundwave checked on Lazerbeak. The two held a strong communication at all times, as they were one and the same. Built specifically for each other, and hardly ever separated.

The silent mech was disappointed to find out that his drone hadn't picked up on any energon signal but the one Knockout had ordered him to investigate. Behind the visor, Soundwaves optics blinked a few times before turning away from the monitors and opening a ground bridge.

Perhaps Megatron would want to know that his second in command slipped past security and disappeared without a trace. Strange, indeed.

Lazerbeak found Soundwave within a few minutes after the groundbridge closed. After the drone attached to his chestplatings, Soundwave glanced at his surroundings.

The sky was dark, with millions of stars and a moon in the center of the sky. He stood in an open meadow that was lined with towering oak trees and bushes. Everything was quiet, with the exception of a few earth animals chirping at one another in the darkness.

Pulling a map onto his visor, Soundwave started towards the energon signal. A mine was most likely near by, filled with energon veins. Megatron would want the vehicons to come and dig out every last drop before the Autobots arrived.

The earth shook with every step he took. Then, after a few minutes of walking, the ground shifted and sloped, and the meadow was no longer flat but the top of a rolling hill, dangerously covered in mud from an earlier night's rain.

His optics scanned his surroundings. There- down below behind a vast majority of even more trees. Carved into the mountain side.

Soundwave made his way towards the cave, the energon signal getting stronger and stronger with each step he took.