[FoF] Scars of Yesterday 1/???
Aug. 30th, 2021 07:11 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dracoqueen22Title: Scars of Yesterday
Universe: Flights of Fancy, Harpyformers
Characters: Soundwave, Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, Other(s)
Rating: M
Enticements: Harpyformers, Sexual Content, Twincest, Canon-Typical Violence, Others to Come
Description: Kaon’s Aerie has proven home and refuge to many lost and lonely harpies. Sideswipe and Sunstreaker, recently rescued from their human captors, are no exception.
Soundwave knew something was wrong.
He could taste it in the air.
His feathers twitched. His scars ached. His sore throat made swallowing difficult, his voice stuck behind the lump of pain. He shifted where he sat, small motions, but movement nonetheless. Unease grew and grew inside of him, despite having no visible origin.
"You fidget," Buzzsaw murmured against his ear, taloned feet pricking on Soundwave's shoulder. "Liege watches."
Soundwave immediately stilled, but the disquiet would not dissipate. He listened, only absently, to the meeting. It was hard to focus beyond the sense of impending darkness.
He'd sent Laserbeak and Ravage throughout the Aerie, to see if they could find something amiss, something to explain the coil of anxiety in his belly. It had only been a few minutes, so neither had returned with an answer. The wait was excruciating.
Soundwave worried. While Ratchet rattled off his supply needs for the month, Soundwave fretted. If asked, Soundwave would not be able to name a single item on the list.
"Peace, brother," Buzzsaw whispered.
Fear, not his own, slammed into the most distant edge of Soundwave's mental barriers. He swayed in his seat, a gasp torn from his lungs. The feathers on the back of his neck stood on end, like a startled feline.
Buzzsaw pricked his shoulder. "What? What is it?"
"Soundwave?" Liege Megatron's concern washed over him.
The tapestry door thwapped open and was accompanied by the bitter stench of spilled blood. A surge of fear and despair pounded against Soundwave's mental barriers.
Buzzsaw clutched at him, hard enough to draw blood. "It's Rumble!" he squawked, and a croon of sadness infected his tone. "Trailbreaker has him. He's hurt."
No.
Soundwave stood, head swiveling toward the commotion, reading the dark swirls of Trailbreaker's fear. He followed the sound of Rumble's quiet weeping, the soft warbles of a little one in pain.
"Orion's chair," Buzzsaw reminded him, and Soundwave stepped aside at the last moment, avoiding the curve of the rocking chair.
He swept Rumble from Trailbreaker's hold, the smell of spilled blood and fear nauseating for its thickness. Rumble tumbled into his arms, wan and trembling, his talons sinking into the feathers of Soundwave's chest as he tried to burrow into him.
"What happened?" Soundwave demanded. "Where is Frenzy?"
"Rumble bleeds. He is cut. Nothing serious," Buzzsaw murmured urgently. He shuffled back and forth on Soundwave's shoulder as if he couldn’t be still. "Trailbreaker is grim. Eyes down. Not guilty."
No, Trailbreaker did not feel guilty. He felt concerned and worried and angry. Protective for sure, which suited Trailbreaker. He was a protector down to his very core.
"Was Rodimus not with them as well?" Liege Megatron asked, and his voice sliced into the darkness with another peak of frantic concern. "Where is my consort?"
Soundwave felt the disturbance of air as everyone stood. Their emotions took a turn for the dour -- anger and confusion and worry and fear, all mingling together into a dark miasma. Soundwave cradled Rumble against his chest, trying to soothe with his touch as much as he was able, given the way Rumble's very core cried out for his twin, aching for Frenzy in a way no one could really understand.
"They took him," Rumble wailed, and tears soaked Soundwave's feathers. "I tried, but I couldn't stop 'em, and then Roddy told me to run. I swear I didn't want to, but he said I had to, and I'm supposed to listen to him even though it totally doesn't make any sense so I ran, and I got away but they took 'em!" Rumble's cry broke off into a pained gasp, a sharp intake of burbled air that betrayed his agony.
"Who?" Megatron demanded, and the growl in his voice would have terrified any harpy who was not accustomed to it. Anger swelled around him, rising in rippling waves that threatened to fill the small space of the meeting room.
Trailbreaker stood nearby, trembling in the face of their Liege's wrath, but he held himself well. He carried a mantle of determination on his shoulders, though he reeked of blood. Rumble's blood no doubt. "As near as we could tell from the area, it was the humans."
"He doesn't lie," Buzzsaw said.
"Go," Soundwave murmured, only loud enough for his brother to hear. "Find Ravage. Tell him he is needed."
"But--"
"I need his eyes, Buzzsaw."
"It wasn't the humans," Orion protested, his voice aching with worry. "From the university, to clarify. We have lived peacefully beside them for too long. They wouldn't break the treaty."
"Fine." Buzzsaw's voice spelled an oncoming sulk.
"Bring your sister also."
Buzzsaw nipped his ear, but took off, alighting from Soundwave's shoulder. He swooped over Trailbreaker's head and was out the door before anyone could comment.
Sunstorm's voice rose into the clamor, tremulous and hard. "It is always the humans." Soundwave could read the sneer in his tone. "They think us animals. They use us for money." Disgust and hatred slithered down his body in a foggy cling. "They are the monsters."
Orion's arguments otherwise fell on deaf ears. Soundwave ignored them for a moment, blocking out even the heavy blanket of Megatron's growing worry. He turned his attention to Rumble instead, gently cupping Rumble's head to encourage his little brother to look up at him and read the intent in his expression.
"Rumble," he murmured. "You must tell me what you know so I can retrieve Frenzy." And Rodimus by proxy, but Soundwave was certain Megatron would take care of that half of their missing duo.
Rumble sniffled and pressed harder into Soundwave's chest. "They weren't from the university." His tail hung limp and wan over Soundwave's arm. "They looked like soldiers. We were -- we was -- were just fishin'. We weren't doin' anything wrong!"
"Of course you weren't. The lake is in our territory."
Soundwave acknowledged Megatron's approach with a lift of his head. Anger swirled around his Liege in a growing maelstrom, but it gentled as he rested a hand on Rumble's head. "You were very brave, I'm sure, youngling. Thanks to you, we will be able to find our missing kin."
Rumble sniffled, and his talons pricked at Soundwave's chest. "You're going to rescue them, right, bro? You're going to get them back?"
"Of course we are," Megatron said.
Soundwave pressed his forehead to Rumble's. "Have I ever failed you?" he asked, so quiet he hoped no one else could hear.
Rumble threaded his talons through Soundwave's feathers. "Never."
"Then trust now that I will return your twin to you." Soundwave brushed the smooth metal of his mask over Rumble's forehead before lifting his head, directing his visor as best he could in his Liege's direction. "I want answers."
"We all do." Megatron turned away from him, the swish of his feathers the only indication Soundwave had of his movement, as determination and leadership swirled around him in a confident cloak. "The domestic meeting is suspended. I want Mirage up here now. Along with Drift, Perceptor, and Starscream."
"I think Perceptor is in the laboratory. Drift is probably with him. I'll fetch them," Orion said, and his tangled knot of worry left the room.
Another harpy moved into Soundwave's periphery, accompanied by the stark scent of antiseptic and salve.
"Would you like me to look at him?" Ratchet asked.
A flutter of wings announced one of the pygmy twins' arrival, and the soft coo identified it as Laserbeak who lit on his left shoulder. "Brother said you called," she said, and then she squeaked with alarm. "Oh, no. What happened?"
"Humans," Soundwave said. "Where are Ravage and Buzzsaw?"
"Right behind me." Laserbeak scuttled closer, her side pressing against his cheek. "Wait. Where is Frenzy?"
"They took 'im, Beak," Rumble croaked. He stifled a groan of pain as he shifted in Soundwave's arms, and Ratchet made a subtle coughing noise. "I couldn't save him."
Soundwave, reluctant to relinquish Rumble, clung a little tighter. The smell of blood was thickening, and Rumble's breathing sounded too raspy for his comfort.
"Let Ratchet look, brother," Laserbeak murmured. "Rumble needs care."
“I will give him the utmost care,” Ratchet said, and the promise in his voice was enough to convince Soundwave. That and the arrival of Ravage and Buzzsaw both, one of whom brushed against his left leg while the other landed on Soundwave’s other shoulder.
He let Ratchet take Rumble, despite the cry of pain and worry in his brother’s field. “I’ll return with Frenzy soon. I promise,” Soundwave said with a parting brush to Rumble’s cheek. “Buzzsaw, go with him.”
“But—”
“Please,” Soundwave said, tired and worried and unable to fathom arguing with any of his siblings. “Be my eyes.”
Buzzsaw huffed, but Soundwave felt the weight of him leave and and heard him land elsewhere, likely on Ratchet’s shoulder, the healer giving a small grunt of pretend annoyance.
“No clawing me,” he warned.
“I make no promises,” Buzzsaw said. “Take care of Rumble.”
“I don’t need you to tell me that,” Ratchet grumbled, but the two of them left, taking the pressing anxiety and fear of Rumble with them.
Soundwave sucked in a heavy breath, staggering a moment. Rumble’s pain had been so stark, it had a physical weight.
“I’ll go look for Frenzy now,” Ravage said as Soundwave rubbed his temples, an ache building at the base of his neck. It was too much emotion, too much aural input.
He shook his head. “No. You wait until Mirage arrives. I won’t have you go alone.”
Ravage chuffed, spitting a word in a language only he knew. He'd always been so good at picking up languages. "Then Mirage had best hurry."
"Mirage is already here."
Soundwave stiffened. There were many reasons he was uncomfortable around the nobility-raised smol, and Mirage's ability to walk silently was one of them. Soundwave relied heavily on his aural perception, and Mirage was trained in circumventing it.
"I hate it when he does that," Laserbeak chittered.
"I've also been briefed on the situation. We can leave at once," Mirage continued, his silky-smooth voice almost pleasant enough to make up for the fact he'd startled Soundwave, and did so on a weekly basis.
Not because he was cruel, but because some things, once learned, could not be forgotten. Mirage's ability to sneak around had been taught to him since birth.
"Yes, both of you go," Megatron ordered. "We'll follow along as soon as we can."
Mirage wavered in front of Soundwave, before he went flat and calm once more, like the surface of a pond. He bowed. "As you command, my liege."
"Don't slow me down," Ravage said.
"Just try and keep up."
"Ravage will be fine, brother," Laserbeak said, tucking in against the side of his neck. "Let me be your eyes. We will find our missing sibling."
"Orion assures me that Mirage is the best at what he does," Megatron said, as he closed the distance and placed a reassuring hand on Soundwave's unoccupied shoulder. The weight of it was warm and comforting, a reminder of what Megatron would do to protect. "Of course, he admits Jazz would be the best, but we haven't the time to petition Iacon for a loaner spy."
"We need no loaner. Ravage is more than capable," Soundwave rasped.
"I'm certain of that, but every extra pair of eyes means we find our missing loved ones sooner." Apology radiated from Megatron in waves, a hint of guilt tainting it.
He would never forgive himself for Soundwave's scars, no matter how often Soundwave tried to soothe otherwise.
"Understood," Soundwave said.
"I know you do. I appreciate your faith in me, Soundwave. No matter how undeserved it is." Megatron squeezed his shoulder before withdrawing, Soundwave tracking his movement and his voice to Orion's periphery. He would be seeking comfort, and there was no better place to find it.
"The others are arriving," Laserbeak murmured, straightening into a more professional stance on Soundwave's shoulder. "I suggest we stand by the window."
This time of day, the sun would be shining warm and glittering through the open window of the discussion room. Laserbeak wanted to sunbathe without saying so. It was enough to put a small smile on his face.
"I agree." Soundwave turned his head, caught the flare of brightness in his peripherals and followed it to the window, avoiding an upturned root from the floor at the last second. He'd taken the time to memorize most of the floorplans in the rooms in which he spent a significant amount of time.
The sun was warm against his back, and Laserbeak purred comfort. It was incongruous to the tension running through his veins and his bones. As much as he wanted to race out and find Frenzy, he knew it would get him nowhere. He needed information. He needed a direction.
He needed answers.
"There are many here," Laserbeak whispered. "Megatron sits as always, Orion to his right, your chair to his left, now taken by Perceptor and Drift on Perceptor's other side."
Soundwave nodded at each name in turn, making a mental note of the spatial representation of those gathered.
"Shockwave sits by Orion, and Trailbreaker on Shockwave's other side. Rung is at Trailbreaker's other hand."
"Are we waiting on any others?" Soundwave asked.
"Starscream isn't here," Laserbeak whispered, and there was a slight giggle. "He's probably at the university with his human."
Megatron's voice rumbled louder than the background chatter. "Where is Lockdown?" he demanded.
"He's out of the aerie. We're not sure where," Trailbreaker answered, and there was a touch of unease to his voice. It flickered out from him in waves.
Soundwave frowned.
Lockdown had not been with them for long. Perhaps a year or so. He’d arrived a few months before Starscream.
He was a quiet bara, kept to himself for the most part, though he and Whirl had scrapped a time or two. Then again, Whirl scrapped with everyone. Lockdown had become one of their suppliers, as he'd had a knack for acquiring needs no one else seemed to get access to. He also occasionally served as Gatherer guard.
"I want him found," Megatron said. "This is a correlation I don't like."
"It could mean nothing," Orion said, his soft tones a soothing contrast to the grating anger in Megatron's.
"Or there's a traitor in our midst. It wouldn't be the first time," Megatron growled, and he flickered with sadness around the anger.
"We will look for Lockdown," Perceptor conceded, and it was rare to hear the normally affable scientist so hard-edged. "But for now, we should concentrate on what we can do to retrieve our stolen family. Are we certain the perpetrators were human?"
Megatron's chair creaked. "Rumble brought us the information. We're certain."
"It can't have been the university. We've lived in harmony for too long," Perceptor said. "Starscream would attest to this, I'm sure, if he were here."
"Megatron looks pained," Laserbeak whispered, a hint of amusement in her voice. "I wonder if he's going to say anything about Starscream carrying on with a human."
"I'm sure he would," Megatron said.
Laserbeak giggled. "He's rubbing his forehead. He looks perturbed. It would be funny if the situation was different."
"There are plenty of other humans to blame," Shockwave said with a sigh. "Have we any way to contact Grimlock and his pack? Perhaps they've seen something or know of humans lurking in the area who might have been watching our aerie."
Orion's chair creaked as he shifted. "The sad truth is that we are known as a haven to harpies. Humans have learned this. It would not surprise me if they watch the paths to our aerie, in hopes of picking off lone harpies no one will miss."
Megatron rumbled, the deep bass of his anger vibrating through the room. "Something must be done about this."
"And something will be done, but it's a matter for tomorrow. Right now, we must focus on Rodimus and Frenzy," Shockwave said.
"We need a plan," Drift offered.
"He's looking at you, brother," Laserbeak whispered.
"I assume you have already set something in motion, Soundwave?" Drift asked.
Soundwave nodded. "Affirmative." He paused to clear his throat, an ache building behind his scars. "Mirage and Ravage tracking now."
"Then we can trust that they will find them, and all we need to do is arrange an assault force and reclaim our kin," Shockwave said.
Megatron stood, his chair crackling with stress. "I will ask for volunteers only, and I'd prefer to keep the retrieval party small. I don't want to leave our aerie without protection. I, of course, will be going to retrieve my consort."
"Frenzy is my responsibility," Soundwave rasped. Megatron, he knew, wouldn't argue, and no one else would stand against their liege.
"Megatron approves," Laserbeak murmured.
"I will accompany you," Drift offered. "I'm familiar with the area, and I've had my fair share of human encounters."
"I'll remain here. I want to contact the university and see what information they have to offer, as well as make the overtures to start building a defense for future issues," Perceptor said.
Megatron made an approving noise. "Very well. And for the time being, no one goes in or out of the aerie. We have enough stores that gathering is not necessary for a little while. I want a full count, I want to know everyone is here and safe, and I want the gatherers recalled as well as any exterior duties."
Megatron issued more orders, minor things to be handled in his absence and for the sake of the aerie's safety. Soundwave knew he should be paying more attention. It was his duty as Speaker to be Megatron's right hand of knowledge in all things, but focus was hard to grasp. He turned toward the window, face soaking in the sun, churning with worry.
He'd promised the twins he would always protect them. From the moment he rescued their tiny, newling selves from superstitious parents, he'd given them the vow from his core. They'd not been old enough to comprehend him, but he'd whispered it every night as he lay them down to sleep.
He'd reiterated the promise as they grew older, when they were mature enough to understand why other harpies glared at them, avoided them, ostracized them from playgroups and gatherings. They learned to rely on each other, on the little family Soundwave had built, and they'd learned to take the ill behavior of their fellow flock-mates in stride. It had hurt them. Adaptus knew it had hurt them, but it never showed on their faces or in the set of their shoulders.
Soundwave had shielded them as much as he was capable, but he was not enough, and foolish superstitions too deeply rooted. When Megatron made noises to leave Crystal City, Soundwave had not hesitated to accompany him and take his small family along. There had to be a better life out there for his twins.
He'd promised to keep them safe, to watch out for them, to guard them with his life if need be.
He'd failed them.
"Soundwave." Laserbeak butted her head against his. "Megatron approaches."
Soundwave turned away from the window, only then registering that the ambient noise in the room had dissipated. Most of the gathered group had gone, taking their spikes of anxiety and anger and shock with them, leaving only Megatron and his dark determination to approach.
"I will not ask if you're all right, because I know you're not," Megatron said, his steps measured and intentional, all the better for Soundwave to hear him. "I also know that trying to convince you to remain behind is pointless. But are you sure you wouldn't rather remain with Rumble?"
"Frenzy is my responsibility. A promise was made," Soundwave said. Laserbeak scuttled closer to him and wrapped an arm around his neck, tucking in against his head as much as she could. She cooed a soothing song into his nearest ear. "I am going."
"Very well." Megatron sighed, and for a moment, the driving anger softened into an exhausted grief and worry. "If I had not left Crystal City, we would never needed to worry about human dangers." He paused, and Soundwave did not have to see Megatron's face to know Megatron stared at the scars around Soundwave's neck. "You would not have been injured. Rodimus and Frenzy would not be missing."
Soundwave stroked Laserbeak's back. "And you would have never met Rodimus. Orion would not have mated Shockwave. I would not have rescued Laserbeak and Buzzsaw, and the dozens of harpies who call Kaon home would have never found a safe harbor. The good, my liege, far outweighs the bad." He coughed at the last, having overextended himself this afternoon, and swallowed to soothe his aching throat.
"So many of us have escaped a terrible fate, thanks to you," Laserbeak chirped, sweeping solemn and affectionate toward Megatron. "Do not doubt the choices you made, Megatron. We’re all grateful for them."
Megatron softened into relief. "Thank you, Laserbeak. I appreciate the support."
"When do we leave?" Soundwave asked. "I want to check on Rumble first."
"You have time. Preparations are being made. I told everyone who volunteered to meet at the front in fifteen minutes."
Soundwave nodded. "Understood."
"We'll get Rodimus back, Megatron. Don't worry. He's family, too," Laserbeak said.
Megatron further softened, and the flare of anxiety around him settled into a quiet simmer. "Yes, he is."
They parted, Megatron off to finish his preparations and Soundwave to Ratchet's domain. The walkways bustled with activity, and Soundwave hugged a wall to avoid being trampled by harpies who didn't understand he couldn't see them very well. Laserbeak murmured the occasional warning, and he arrived without issue, stepping into the quiet of the medical nest with his core a tight, anxious knot.
"He's back here," Ratchet called from beyond the front entry.
"Right hallway, second curtain," Laserbeak clarified.
Soundwave tried to smooth his feathers down as he followed Laserbeak's directions. The overwhelming miasma of anxiety and fear and worry now cloaking Kaon made his senses quiver and ache. He needed to find Frenzy because the lost twin was his brother, but also, for Soundwave's own mental health. He could not linger in the aerie with so much distress clouding the atmosphere.
He slipped into the small cubicle, sweeping aside the curtain as he did so.
"Brother!" Laserbeak immediately alit from his shoulder, soaring across the room to join what Soundwave assumed was Buzzsaw. They babbled to each other in greeting, in a special language only they understood. Frenzy and Rumble had a similar, private language.
"He's fine, Soundwave," Ratchet rumbled from a nearby chair.
Soundwave oriented toward his voice, reading the waves of exhaustion and relief around Ratchet. "Is he awake?"
"I've sedated him. He was distraught." Ratchet rose and touched Soundwave's elbow, subtly directing him to the chair. "Cuts and bruises mostly, plus mental anguish. He'll be better once you bring his brother home."
"Which I intend to do." Soundwave sank into Ratchet's empty chair and reached toward the hammock, his fingers finding Rumble's resting form. He laid his palm on Rumble's chest and measured the reassuring pulse of his core. "Did he say anything else?"
"No. He wasn't able to catch many details. They attacked too fast."
They had to have been lying in wait. Rodimus and Frenzy and Rumble had made a habit of fishing at the lake multiple times lately, and even on a trackable schedule. The lake was on their ceded territory. It was supposed to be safe.
They would not make that assumption again.
"I assume Megatron's assembled a rescue party?"
“And I will be going with him.” Soundwave swept his thumb over Rumble's chest, hoping to push as much comfort and reassurance toward his sibling as possible. "Will you look after Rumble for me?"
"Of course."
"Buzzsaw will assist."
"What?" Buzzsaw's squawk echoed in the room, and there was a fierce flap of wings before he settled on Soundwave's shoulder, opposite of Laserbeak's favorite perch. "Want to go," he said, tugging on Soundwave's ear. "Want to find Frenzy."
A quieter breeze of wings preceded Laserbeak's arrival on her preferred perch. "Brother, don't argue," she scolded.
"You stay, too," Buzzsaw snapped.
"No. Laserbeak needed to track Ravage," Soundwave said. "Buzzsaw to remain."
"Keep Rumble safe!" Laserbeak added with a sharp hiss of chastisement. "Family needs to be here, brother. Keep Rumble company. Tell him we love him."
Buzzsaw grumbled under his breath and shifted around on Soundwave's shoulder. "Not good at that part. Better at fighting."
Soundwave let them fuss, tuning out their bickering with practiced ease. They would argue, they would wheedle, they would grumble, but in the end, they would obey. They trusted Soundwave to know best, even with the circumstances before them.
A part of him felt unworthy of their faith.
"Do not worry, little one," Soundwave murmured as Ratchet bustled around in the background, offering the small family what privacy he could, "I will retrieve your twin. Our family will be whole again. I promise."
***
a/n: And here I go again! With another fic I haven't finished writing yet, but I hope posting it will put a pep in my step to get it done. ^_^
Universe: Flights of Fancy, Harpyformers
Characters: Soundwave, Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, Other(s)
Rating: M
Enticements: Harpyformers, Sexual Content, Twincest, Canon-Typical Violence, Others to Come
Description: Kaon’s Aerie has proven home and refuge to many lost and lonely harpies. Sideswipe and Sunstreaker, recently rescued from their human captors, are no exception.
Soundwave knew something was wrong.
He could taste it in the air.
His feathers twitched. His scars ached. His sore throat made swallowing difficult, his voice stuck behind the lump of pain. He shifted where he sat, small motions, but movement nonetheless. Unease grew and grew inside of him, despite having no visible origin.
"You fidget," Buzzsaw murmured against his ear, taloned feet pricking on Soundwave's shoulder. "Liege watches."
Soundwave immediately stilled, but the disquiet would not dissipate. He listened, only absently, to the meeting. It was hard to focus beyond the sense of impending darkness.
He'd sent Laserbeak and Ravage throughout the Aerie, to see if they could find something amiss, something to explain the coil of anxiety in his belly. It had only been a few minutes, so neither had returned with an answer. The wait was excruciating.
Soundwave worried. While Ratchet rattled off his supply needs for the month, Soundwave fretted. If asked, Soundwave would not be able to name a single item on the list.
"Peace, brother," Buzzsaw whispered.
Fear, not his own, slammed into the most distant edge of Soundwave's mental barriers. He swayed in his seat, a gasp torn from his lungs. The feathers on the back of his neck stood on end, like a startled feline.
Buzzsaw pricked his shoulder. "What? What is it?"
"Soundwave?" Liege Megatron's concern washed over him.
The tapestry door thwapped open and was accompanied by the bitter stench of spilled blood. A surge of fear and despair pounded against Soundwave's mental barriers.
Buzzsaw clutched at him, hard enough to draw blood. "It's Rumble!" he squawked, and a croon of sadness infected his tone. "Trailbreaker has him. He's hurt."
No.
Soundwave stood, head swiveling toward the commotion, reading the dark swirls of Trailbreaker's fear. He followed the sound of Rumble's quiet weeping, the soft warbles of a little one in pain.
"Orion's chair," Buzzsaw reminded him, and Soundwave stepped aside at the last moment, avoiding the curve of the rocking chair.
He swept Rumble from Trailbreaker's hold, the smell of spilled blood and fear nauseating for its thickness. Rumble tumbled into his arms, wan and trembling, his talons sinking into the feathers of Soundwave's chest as he tried to burrow into him.
"What happened?" Soundwave demanded. "Where is Frenzy?"
"Rumble bleeds. He is cut. Nothing serious," Buzzsaw murmured urgently. He shuffled back and forth on Soundwave's shoulder as if he couldn’t be still. "Trailbreaker is grim. Eyes down. Not guilty."
No, Trailbreaker did not feel guilty. He felt concerned and worried and angry. Protective for sure, which suited Trailbreaker. He was a protector down to his very core.
"Was Rodimus not with them as well?" Liege Megatron asked, and his voice sliced into the darkness with another peak of frantic concern. "Where is my consort?"
Soundwave felt the disturbance of air as everyone stood. Their emotions took a turn for the dour -- anger and confusion and worry and fear, all mingling together into a dark miasma. Soundwave cradled Rumble against his chest, trying to soothe with his touch as much as he was able, given the way Rumble's very core cried out for his twin, aching for Frenzy in a way no one could really understand.
"They took him," Rumble wailed, and tears soaked Soundwave's feathers. "I tried, but I couldn't stop 'em, and then Roddy told me to run. I swear I didn't want to, but he said I had to, and I'm supposed to listen to him even though it totally doesn't make any sense so I ran, and I got away but they took 'em!" Rumble's cry broke off into a pained gasp, a sharp intake of burbled air that betrayed his agony.
"Who?" Megatron demanded, and the growl in his voice would have terrified any harpy who was not accustomed to it. Anger swelled around him, rising in rippling waves that threatened to fill the small space of the meeting room.
Trailbreaker stood nearby, trembling in the face of their Liege's wrath, but he held himself well. He carried a mantle of determination on his shoulders, though he reeked of blood. Rumble's blood no doubt. "As near as we could tell from the area, it was the humans."
"He doesn't lie," Buzzsaw said.
"Go," Soundwave murmured, only loud enough for his brother to hear. "Find Ravage. Tell him he is needed."
"But--"
"I need his eyes, Buzzsaw."
"It wasn't the humans," Orion protested, his voice aching with worry. "From the university, to clarify. We have lived peacefully beside them for too long. They wouldn't break the treaty."
"Fine." Buzzsaw's voice spelled an oncoming sulk.
"Bring your sister also."
Buzzsaw nipped his ear, but took off, alighting from Soundwave's shoulder. He swooped over Trailbreaker's head and was out the door before anyone could comment.
Sunstorm's voice rose into the clamor, tremulous and hard. "It is always the humans." Soundwave could read the sneer in his tone. "They think us animals. They use us for money." Disgust and hatred slithered down his body in a foggy cling. "They are the monsters."
Orion's arguments otherwise fell on deaf ears. Soundwave ignored them for a moment, blocking out even the heavy blanket of Megatron's growing worry. He turned his attention to Rumble instead, gently cupping Rumble's head to encourage his little brother to look up at him and read the intent in his expression.
"Rumble," he murmured. "You must tell me what you know so I can retrieve Frenzy." And Rodimus by proxy, but Soundwave was certain Megatron would take care of that half of their missing duo.
Rumble sniffled and pressed harder into Soundwave's chest. "They weren't from the university." His tail hung limp and wan over Soundwave's arm. "They looked like soldiers. We were -- we was -- were just fishin'. We weren't doin' anything wrong!"
"Of course you weren't. The lake is in our territory."
Soundwave acknowledged Megatron's approach with a lift of his head. Anger swirled around his Liege in a growing maelstrom, but it gentled as he rested a hand on Rumble's head. "You were very brave, I'm sure, youngling. Thanks to you, we will be able to find our missing kin."
Rumble sniffled, and his talons pricked at Soundwave's chest. "You're going to rescue them, right, bro? You're going to get them back?"
"Of course we are," Megatron said.
Soundwave pressed his forehead to Rumble's. "Have I ever failed you?" he asked, so quiet he hoped no one else could hear.
Rumble threaded his talons through Soundwave's feathers. "Never."
"Then trust now that I will return your twin to you." Soundwave brushed the smooth metal of his mask over Rumble's forehead before lifting his head, directing his visor as best he could in his Liege's direction. "I want answers."
"We all do." Megatron turned away from him, the swish of his feathers the only indication Soundwave had of his movement, as determination and leadership swirled around him in a confident cloak. "The domestic meeting is suspended. I want Mirage up here now. Along with Drift, Perceptor, and Starscream."
"I think Perceptor is in the laboratory. Drift is probably with him. I'll fetch them," Orion said, and his tangled knot of worry left the room.
Another harpy moved into Soundwave's periphery, accompanied by the stark scent of antiseptic and salve.
"Would you like me to look at him?" Ratchet asked.
A flutter of wings announced one of the pygmy twins' arrival, and the soft coo identified it as Laserbeak who lit on his left shoulder. "Brother said you called," she said, and then she squeaked with alarm. "Oh, no. What happened?"
"Humans," Soundwave said. "Where are Ravage and Buzzsaw?"
"Right behind me." Laserbeak scuttled closer, her side pressing against his cheek. "Wait. Where is Frenzy?"
"They took 'im, Beak," Rumble croaked. He stifled a groan of pain as he shifted in Soundwave's arms, and Ratchet made a subtle coughing noise. "I couldn't save him."
Soundwave, reluctant to relinquish Rumble, clung a little tighter. The smell of blood was thickening, and Rumble's breathing sounded too raspy for his comfort.
"Let Ratchet look, brother," Laserbeak murmured. "Rumble needs care."
“I will give him the utmost care,” Ratchet said, and the promise in his voice was enough to convince Soundwave. That and the arrival of Ravage and Buzzsaw both, one of whom brushed against his left leg while the other landed on Soundwave’s other shoulder.
He let Ratchet take Rumble, despite the cry of pain and worry in his brother’s field. “I’ll return with Frenzy soon. I promise,” Soundwave said with a parting brush to Rumble’s cheek. “Buzzsaw, go with him.”
“But—”
“Please,” Soundwave said, tired and worried and unable to fathom arguing with any of his siblings. “Be my eyes.”
Buzzsaw huffed, but Soundwave felt the weight of him leave and and heard him land elsewhere, likely on Ratchet’s shoulder, the healer giving a small grunt of pretend annoyance.
“No clawing me,” he warned.
“I make no promises,” Buzzsaw said. “Take care of Rumble.”
“I don’t need you to tell me that,” Ratchet grumbled, but the two of them left, taking the pressing anxiety and fear of Rumble with them.
Soundwave sucked in a heavy breath, staggering a moment. Rumble’s pain had been so stark, it had a physical weight.
“I’ll go look for Frenzy now,” Ravage said as Soundwave rubbed his temples, an ache building at the base of his neck. It was too much emotion, too much aural input.
He shook his head. “No. You wait until Mirage arrives. I won’t have you go alone.”
Ravage chuffed, spitting a word in a language only he knew. He'd always been so good at picking up languages. "Then Mirage had best hurry."
"Mirage is already here."
Soundwave stiffened. There were many reasons he was uncomfortable around the nobility-raised smol, and Mirage's ability to walk silently was one of them. Soundwave relied heavily on his aural perception, and Mirage was trained in circumventing it.
"I hate it when he does that," Laserbeak chittered.
"I've also been briefed on the situation. We can leave at once," Mirage continued, his silky-smooth voice almost pleasant enough to make up for the fact he'd startled Soundwave, and did so on a weekly basis.
Not because he was cruel, but because some things, once learned, could not be forgotten. Mirage's ability to sneak around had been taught to him since birth.
"Yes, both of you go," Megatron ordered. "We'll follow along as soon as we can."
Mirage wavered in front of Soundwave, before he went flat and calm once more, like the surface of a pond. He bowed. "As you command, my liege."
"Don't slow me down," Ravage said.
"Just try and keep up."
"Ravage will be fine, brother," Laserbeak said, tucking in against the side of his neck. "Let me be your eyes. We will find our missing sibling."
"Orion assures me that Mirage is the best at what he does," Megatron said, as he closed the distance and placed a reassuring hand on Soundwave's unoccupied shoulder. The weight of it was warm and comforting, a reminder of what Megatron would do to protect. "Of course, he admits Jazz would be the best, but we haven't the time to petition Iacon for a loaner spy."
"We need no loaner. Ravage is more than capable," Soundwave rasped.
"I'm certain of that, but every extra pair of eyes means we find our missing loved ones sooner." Apology radiated from Megatron in waves, a hint of guilt tainting it.
He would never forgive himself for Soundwave's scars, no matter how often Soundwave tried to soothe otherwise.
"Understood," Soundwave said.
"I know you do. I appreciate your faith in me, Soundwave. No matter how undeserved it is." Megatron squeezed his shoulder before withdrawing, Soundwave tracking his movement and his voice to Orion's periphery. He would be seeking comfort, and there was no better place to find it.
"The others are arriving," Laserbeak murmured, straightening into a more professional stance on Soundwave's shoulder. "I suggest we stand by the window."
This time of day, the sun would be shining warm and glittering through the open window of the discussion room. Laserbeak wanted to sunbathe without saying so. It was enough to put a small smile on his face.
"I agree." Soundwave turned his head, caught the flare of brightness in his peripherals and followed it to the window, avoiding an upturned root from the floor at the last second. He'd taken the time to memorize most of the floorplans in the rooms in which he spent a significant amount of time.
The sun was warm against his back, and Laserbeak purred comfort. It was incongruous to the tension running through his veins and his bones. As much as he wanted to race out and find Frenzy, he knew it would get him nowhere. He needed information. He needed a direction.
He needed answers.
"There are many here," Laserbeak whispered. "Megatron sits as always, Orion to his right, your chair to his left, now taken by Perceptor and Drift on Perceptor's other side."
Soundwave nodded at each name in turn, making a mental note of the spatial representation of those gathered.
"Shockwave sits by Orion, and Trailbreaker on Shockwave's other side. Rung is at Trailbreaker's other hand."
"Are we waiting on any others?" Soundwave asked.
"Starscream isn't here," Laserbeak whispered, and there was a slight giggle. "He's probably at the university with his human."
Megatron's voice rumbled louder than the background chatter. "Where is Lockdown?" he demanded.
"He's out of the aerie. We're not sure where," Trailbreaker answered, and there was a touch of unease to his voice. It flickered out from him in waves.
Soundwave frowned.
Lockdown had not been with them for long. Perhaps a year or so. He’d arrived a few months before Starscream.
He was a quiet bara, kept to himself for the most part, though he and Whirl had scrapped a time or two. Then again, Whirl scrapped with everyone. Lockdown had become one of their suppliers, as he'd had a knack for acquiring needs no one else seemed to get access to. He also occasionally served as Gatherer guard.
"I want him found," Megatron said. "This is a correlation I don't like."
"It could mean nothing," Orion said, his soft tones a soothing contrast to the grating anger in Megatron's.
"Or there's a traitor in our midst. It wouldn't be the first time," Megatron growled, and he flickered with sadness around the anger.
"We will look for Lockdown," Perceptor conceded, and it was rare to hear the normally affable scientist so hard-edged. "But for now, we should concentrate on what we can do to retrieve our stolen family. Are we certain the perpetrators were human?"
Megatron's chair creaked. "Rumble brought us the information. We're certain."
"It can't have been the university. We've lived in harmony for too long," Perceptor said. "Starscream would attest to this, I'm sure, if he were here."
"Megatron looks pained," Laserbeak whispered, a hint of amusement in her voice. "I wonder if he's going to say anything about Starscream carrying on with a human."
"I'm sure he would," Megatron said.
Laserbeak giggled. "He's rubbing his forehead. He looks perturbed. It would be funny if the situation was different."
"There are plenty of other humans to blame," Shockwave said with a sigh. "Have we any way to contact Grimlock and his pack? Perhaps they've seen something or know of humans lurking in the area who might have been watching our aerie."
Orion's chair creaked as he shifted. "The sad truth is that we are known as a haven to harpies. Humans have learned this. It would not surprise me if they watch the paths to our aerie, in hopes of picking off lone harpies no one will miss."
Megatron rumbled, the deep bass of his anger vibrating through the room. "Something must be done about this."
"And something will be done, but it's a matter for tomorrow. Right now, we must focus on Rodimus and Frenzy," Shockwave said.
"We need a plan," Drift offered.
"He's looking at you, brother," Laserbeak whispered.
"I assume you have already set something in motion, Soundwave?" Drift asked.
Soundwave nodded. "Affirmative." He paused to clear his throat, an ache building behind his scars. "Mirage and Ravage tracking now."
"Then we can trust that they will find them, and all we need to do is arrange an assault force and reclaim our kin," Shockwave said.
Megatron stood, his chair crackling with stress. "I will ask for volunteers only, and I'd prefer to keep the retrieval party small. I don't want to leave our aerie without protection. I, of course, will be going to retrieve my consort."
"Frenzy is my responsibility," Soundwave rasped. Megatron, he knew, wouldn't argue, and no one else would stand against their liege.
"Megatron approves," Laserbeak murmured.
"I will accompany you," Drift offered. "I'm familiar with the area, and I've had my fair share of human encounters."
"I'll remain here. I want to contact the university and see what information they have to offer, as well as make the overtures to start building a defense for future issues," Perceptor said.
Megatron made an approving noise. "Very well. And for the time being, no one goes in or out of the aerie. We have enough stores that gathering is not necessary for a little while. I want a full count, I want to know everyone is here and safe, and I want the gatherers recalled as well as any exterior duties."
Megatron issued more orders, minor things to be handled in his absence and for the sake of the aerie's safety. Soundwave knew he should be paying more attention. It was his duty as Speaker to be Megatron's right hand of knowledge in all things, but focus was hard to grasp. He turned toward the window, face soaking in the sun, churning with worry.
He'd promised the twins he would always protect them. From the moment he rescued their tiny, newling selves from superstitious parents, he'd given them the vow from his core. They'd not been old enough to comprehend him, but he'd whispered it every night as he lay them down to sleep.
He'd reiterated the promise as they grew older, when they were mature enough to understand why other harpies glared at them, avoided them, ostracized them from playgroups and gatherings. They learned to rely on each other, on the little family Soundwave had built, and they'd learned to take the ill behavior of their fellow flock-mates in stride. It had hurt them. Adaptus knew it had hurt them, but it never showed on their faces or in the set of their shoulders.
Soundwave had shielded them as much as he was capable, but he was not enough, and foolish superstitions too deeply rooted. When Megatron made noises to leave Crystal City, Soundwave had not hesitated to accompany him and take his small family along. There had to be a better life out there for his twins.
He'd promised to keep them safe, to watch out for them, to guard them with his life if need be.
He'd failed them.
"Soundwave." Laserbeak butted her head against his. "Megatron approaches."
Soundwave turned away from the window, only then registering that the ambient noise in the room had dissipated. Most of the gathered group had gone, taking their spikes of anxiety and anger and shock with them, leaving only Megatron and his dark determination to approach.
"I will not ask if you're all right, because I know you're not," Megatron said, his steps measured and intentional, all the better for Soundwave to hear him. "I also know that trying to convince you to remain behind is pointless. But are you sure you wouldn't rather remain with Rumble?"
"Frenzy is my responsibility. A promise was made," Soundwave said. Laserbeak scuttled closer to him and wrapped an arm around his neck, tucking in against his head as much as she could. She cooed a soothing song into his nearest ear. "I am going."
"Very well." Megatron sighed, and for a moment, the driving anger softened into an exhausted grief and worry. "If I had not left Crystal City, we would never needed to worry about human dangers." He paused, and Soundwave did not have to see Megatron's face to know Megatron stared at the scars around Soundwave's neck. "You would not have been injured. Rodimus and Frenzy would not be missing."
Soundwave stroked Laserbeak's back. "And you would have never met Rodimus. Orion would not have mated Shockwave. I would not have rescued Laserbeak and Buzzsaw, and the dozens of harpies who call Kaon home would have never found a safe harbor. The good, my liege, far outweighs the bad." He coughed at the last, having overextended himself this afternoon, and swallowed to soothe his aching throat.
"So many of us have escaped a terrible fate, thanks to you," Laserbeak chirped, sweeping solemn and affectionate toward Megatron. "Do not doubt the choices you made, Megatron. We’re all grateful for them."
Megatron softened into relief. "Thank you, Laserbeak. I appreciate the support."
"When do we leave?" Soundwave asked. "I want to check on Rumble first."
"You have time. Preparations are being made. I told everyone who volunteered to meet at the front in fifteen minutes."
Soundwave nodded. "Understood."
"We'll get Rodimus back, Megatron. Don't worry. He's family, too," Laserbeak said.
Megatron further softened, and the flare of anxiety around him settled into a quiet simmer. "Yes, he is."
They parted, Megatron off to finish his preparations and Soundwave to Ratchet's domain. The walkways bustled with activity, and Soundwave hugged a wall to avoid being trampled by harpies who didn't understand he couldn't see them very well. Laserbeak murmured the occasional warning, and he arrived without issue, stepping into the quiet of the medical nest with his core a tight, anxious knot.
"He's back here," Ratchet called from beyond the front entry.
"Right hallway, second curtain," Laserbeak clarified.
Soundwave tried to smooth his feathers down as he followed Laserbeak's directions. The overwhelming miasma of anxiety and fear and worry now cloaking Kaon made his senses quiver and ache. He needed to find Frenzy because the lost twin was his brother, but also, for Soundwave's own mental health. He could not linger in the aerie with so much distress clouding the atmosphere.
He slipped into the small cubicle, sweeping aside the curtain as he did so.
"Brother!" Laserbeak immediately alit from his shoulder, soaring across the room to join what Soundwave assumed was Buzzsaw. They babbled to each other in greeting, in a special language only they understood. Frenzy and Rumble had a similar, private language.
"He's fine, Soundwave," Ratchet rumbled from a nearby chair.
Soundwave oriented toward his voice, reading the waves of exhaustion and relief around Ratchet. "Is he awake?"
"I've sedated him. He was distraught." Ratchet rose and touched Soundwave's elbow, subtly directing him to the chair. "Cuts and bruises mostly, plus mental anguish. He'll be better once you bring his brother home."
"Which I intend to do." Soundwave sank into Ratchet's empty chair and reached toward the hammock, his fingers finding Rumble's resting form. He laid his palm on Rumble's chest and measured the reassuring pulse of his core. "Did he say anything else?"
"No. He wasn't able to catch many details. They attacked too fast."
They had to have been lying in wait. Rodimus and Frenzy and Rumble had made a habit of fishing at the lake multiple times lately, and even on a trackable schedule. The lake was on their ceded territory. It was supposed to be safe.
They would not make that assumption again.
"I assume Megatron's assembled a rescue party?"
“And I will be going with him.” Soundwave swept his thumb over Rumble's chest, hoping to push as much comfort and reassurance toward his sibling as possible. "Will you look after Rumble for me?"
"Of course."
"Buzzsaw will assist."
"What?" Buzzsaw's squawk echoed in the room, and there was a fierce flap of wings before he settled on Soundwave's shoulder, opposite of Laserbeak's favorite perch. "Want to go," he said, tugging on Soundwave's ear. "Want to find Frenzy."
A quieter breeze of wings preceded Laserbeak's arrival on her preferred perch. "Brother, don't argue," she scolded.
"You stay, too," Buzzsaw snapped.
"No. Laserbeak needed to track Ravage," Soundwave said. "Buzzsaw to remain."
"Keep Rumble safe!" Laserbeak added with a sharp hiss of chastisement. "Family needs to be here, brother. Keep Rumble company. Tell him we love him."
Buzzsaw grumbled under his breath and shifted around on Soundwave's shoulder. "Not good at that part. Better at fighting."
Soundwave let them fuss, tuning out their bickering with practiced ease. They would argue, they would wheedle, they would grumble, but in the end, they would obey. They trusted Soundwave to know best, even with the circumstances before them.
A part of him felt unworthy of their faith.
"Do not worry, little one," Soundwave murmured as Ratchet bustled around in the background, offering the small family what privacy he could, "I will retrieve your twin. Our family will be whole again. I promise."
a/n: And here I go again! With another fic I haven't finished writing yet, but I hope posting it will put a pep in my step to get it done. ^_^
