Where Loyalties Lie (V) - Soundwave X Dreadwing

Dreadwing vented from his intakes, shaking his helm slightly. What had he been thinking? Talking to Soundwave was like trying to talk to Primus. Even if he could occasionally illicit a response, it wasn't always clear and could have multiple interpretations. Yes, he was concerned, but he obviously wasn't going to get any answers from the mech himself. He might as well go ask the medic directly, wave it off as keeping up to date on current events, which he had to do anyway being second-in-command. At least for now. With his recent failure, he wasn't sure if that would last for much longer. Trying to choke down his urgent need to ascertain that Soundwave was well, he instead turned his attention to other things.

There was work to do, and he might as well throw himself into it. Maybe he could find a way to make up for his mistakes and restore some of his lost face. "Has the Resonance Blaster been stored away in a secure location?"

Soundwave twitched one of his cables and a moment later security footage of the weapons vault appeared on the holographic screen in front of him. Dreadwing nodded in satisfaction when he saw that the Resonance Blaster was stored away safely, right next to the Forge of Solus Prime, guarded by a pair of bored looking vehicons. They couldn't lose that relic, not after failing to retrieve the other two.

"Any news on the mission to retrieve the relic from the fourth set of coordinates?" he asked, feeling his tank turn. If that mission was another failure, he wasn't sure what he would do. Lord Megatron would be furious, with good reason too.

Soundwave shook his helm no and Dreadwing twitched his wings slightly. He wasn't sure if that was good or bad. It didn't mean failure necessarily, but going too long without news was almost never a good thing. "Keep me updated on the situation," Dreadwing ordered Soundwave, feeling oddly out-of-place giving the spymaster instructions. He might be the second-in-command, but in more than one way Soundwave made him feel powerless, both because of his stoic silence, infamous strength, and mysterious nature. And how his fuel pump seemed to shudder with equal parts awe and fear in his prese- Focus.

"And the other coordinates?" Dreadwing asked, his voice tense as he forced himself back into the moment.

"Soundwave, if we are to maintain any advantage over the Autobots… decoding the remainder of the Iacon Database must remain your top priority," Soundwave played back to him in Megatron's voice. Dreadwing lifted a wing in curiosity, wondering if he'd been hallucinating when he heard a remote explosion in the playback. He shook his helm, writing it off as his own imagination playing tricks on him.

"How is it coming?" he asked Soundwave. The security footage of the weapons vault disappeared from the screen soon after he asked, replaced with a half-translated set of coordinates.  Dreadwing considered it thoughtfully and nodded. He had hoped for a little more headway, but progress was progress.

"Well done," he complimented Soudwave, wanting to reach out and pat him on the shoulder, only common sense restraining him.

He did, however, unconsciously step up to Soundwave's side as he continued to scrutinize the coordinates. His close proximity to the spymaster did not go unnoticed for long though. Within moments, he was only all too aware of the long, lithe frame of the mech standing next to him. His optics strayed from the screen to glance sidelong at Soundwave, first to his visor. The relief he felt was sudden and uplifting, noticing there was no longer a crack in his screen. Once he had confirmed that, his gaze slowly shifted downward, looking for any further signs of damage yet left unrepaired, lingering momentarily on his servos as the flashed across the keyboard in front of him. He'd always found those to be the most intriguing part of Soundwave. His fingers may be long, awkwardly so to some, but his every movement was so graceful and closely calculated that they appeared to be, in Dreadwing's estimation, beautifully choreographed tools. Not only that, but he was all too aware they hid a deadly kic-

Soundwave stiffened and Dreadwing immediately became concerned. "What is it?" he asked, startled by the sudden, unexpected movement. Was he in pain? Soundwave' s cables unhooked from the supercomputer's ports and he spun around to face the door all in one smooth movement. "All hail Megatronus," Soundwave played to him.

Dreadwing understood instantly, turning to face the door in the nick of time. Sliding open, they revealed the looming figure of Megatron, his faceplates twisted into a scowl. "There you are Dreadwing. It's time we finished that discussion," he said, his voice disturbingly calm.

Dreadwing vented from his intakes once before standing as tall as he could, optics bright with a myriad of emotions: shame, concern, and fear to name just a few. Megatron walked towards him slowly, the crashing of his pedes on the floor ringing in Dreadwing's audios like a gunshot. He stopped only feet from him, leaning down and staring him straight in the optics. He couldn't look away, not now. Pulling on all his strength, he stared right back: not obstinately, only with the utmost respect and the deepest sorrow. "As you will, Lord Megatron," Dreadwing said.

"I will tolerate no more failure, not from anyone," Megatron replied.

"I will not fail you again, on my honor Lord Megatron."

"No, you won't!" Megatron's optics brightened with fury and Dreadwing shuddered. This wasn't anger at his failure specifically; there was too much bubbling out of Megatron at once for one mistake. No, he was facing an anger that had built over a long period of time, seething inside of his Lord, the results of months and months of stupid moves on the part of every single Decepticon. Such anger had to be released upon occasion, but it was never good to be the outlet for that release, to put it lightly. Before Dreadwing could react, Megatron reached out and swatted him with a servo like a fly.

Knocked off his pedes, Dreadwing flew back, the wall shaking with the force of the impact. Pain raced through his frame, but he ignored it, scrambling off the floor moments after the sudden assault. Even after his multiple failures, he refused to lay on the floor at Megatron's pedes. It was just as dishonorable to give up as it was to fail repeatedly. However, instead of standing up, he kneeled before his Lord and remained silent, waiting for whatever more was to come, whether it be punishment or harsh words. All of it was deserved.

Nothing happened. Several tense seconds ticked by in silence, the uncertainty of what came next almost worse than not getting backhanded into the wall once more. Unable to contain his anxiety, Dreadwing optics darted up, only to widen in surprise. Megatron's servo was once again uplifted, as if to strike him again but…. Soundwave's servo was wrapped around Megatron's wrist, restraining the mech from striking him again.

"Soundwave," Dreadwing choked out in horror. His fuel pump instantly sped up, terrified by what he was observing. Would Megatron turn on Soundwave instead? How could the mech interfere with their Lord and Master's actions? It wasn't Soundwave's place, or his. Although he felt guilty admitting it, he also felt a brief flicker of relief and thankfulness to Soundwave for standing up for him. And there was also a small bubble of hope. What if this meant the spymaster really did care for him more than he let on? Focus! Back in the moment; Megatron deserved his utmost attention.

"Soundwave, what is the meaning of this?" Megatron demanded, optics brightening even more.

Soundwave played back a clip in Megatron's voice in reply, "Remind me of her trustworthiness?" He quickly followed it up with, "All hail Megatronus," in Dreadwing's voice.

Megatron scowled, tearing his servo from Soundwave's grasp. Dreadwing felt a wave of horror rush through him, as it had when he felt his twin's spark be extinguished. Glancing over at Soundwave, he waited for Megatron to turn his fury on him instead.... Nothing. Megatron turned his back on the pair, oddly silent. Shivering with suspense and relief, Dreadwing watched him closely, waiting for whatever came next.

"Soundwave, since you seem to be the only one capable of doing anything right around here, I will respect your judgment in this matter," Megatron said. But Dreadwing knew there was more to come; he could tell from the dangerous edge in Megatron's tone. "Don't do it again."

Soundwave nodded to Megatron. Dreadwing wondered how he could seem so calm in the face of Megatron's wrath when even he was struggling with it, and he wasn't known to have a weak, quavering spark like the traitor Starscream. "Dreadwing, I've come to a decision." Tense, Dreadwing's optics darted to the ground again. What was the final judgment going to be?

"Soundwave has made me aware that Optimus made you an… offer. Take it. I want you to infiltrate the Autobots and retrieve what you have lost," Megatron ordered. Dreadwing's optics snapped up to look at Megatron, startled by this revelation. Was he asking him to betray his faction, even if only as a façade? If he did as asked, everyone would see him as a traitor, no matter the truth of the matter. Yes, he saw what he was doing, punishing him in one of the worst ways possible: asking him to sacrifice his honor for the good of the Decepticon cause.

"Lo-" he began to protest.

A soft alarm began to sound from the supercomputer. All three of them turned to face the screen at once, Soundwave plugging his cable into the supercomputer's port. The words VIRUS DETECTED flashed on the screen.

"HOW?!" Megatron roared. "… Knock Out."