re_alignment_logs | THE SHOW MUST GO ON [open]

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THE SHOW MUST GO ON [open]

WHO: Soundwave & OPEN
WHERE: Medbay
WHEN Some hours after Barricade & Driller find him/repair him.
WHAT: Eventually, Soundwave wakes up from repairs in a very unfortunate location for him. Visitations, anyone?
WARNINGS: Trauma, mention of robotgore/robotdeath.

Dreaming is a difficult thing for him.

Usually, Soundwave is in the company of someone, and adopts their memories, their dreams into his own. It's sort of nice, because he feels as though in that way he can improve his techniques as the Decepticon Army's Morale Officer. He knows how to help his fellow soldiers, help his friends keep upbeat. Not just with sing-a-longs with Dead End or Bombshell's therapy sessions, but he himself needs to help the others find a will to carry on.

Here in the medbay, when he's resting, he gets flashes. Some dreams his own, some not. A mix of what he's taken, and what he trembles in the wake of.

There's a sharp smile, a cheerful giggle, and a laser scalpel digging into his face as it's removed, torn from his head You just look so much more interesting this way! and how his mind burns when he knows the truth that he failed one of his adopted kids he's dead he should have rescued him red eyes burning at him This doesn't concern you, Decepticon and he hears Rodimus screaming and he's too late and the black sucks him down and he's never been able to escape it and in his arms it's cold metal just so cold and
he remembers
something new to all of it
this isn't what I want stop stop stop stop and the tired sigh of it's not as if you will remember this, Soundwave, your struggling is getting tiresome and stop stop stop don't open that there's just no choice.

The dust kicks up under his feet, the expansive desert, and Soundwave stares in confusion. Twin stones twisting around each other, a fierce glow, and it screams in his head.
MAKE US WHOLE

Soundwave jerks awake from recharge, his intakes gasping to vent out hot, anxious air, trying to cool himself off. Looking around in a panic, he almost doesn't remember being here.

The medbay.

Frag, he hates being in medbays.

"Ugh, so bogus," he groans to himself, rubbing his helm. Glad he has hands to use again.

It's rare to dream something for himself. Not all of it his, but enough of it was, and that bothers him. Soundwave shudders to himself, shaking his head. No, no. He's okay, he just needs to roll it off his shoulders. He can deal with it.

It's okay. It's okay.

Soundwave folds his arms over his midsection, hugging himself.

Right. He'll be okay.

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"If there's anything I could do..." Or try. Though he's not accustomed to digging through the heads of others, and wouldn't want to at this point anyway.

But this is his friend. He's going to do what he must, or what he's asked to, regardless of his feelings on the matter.

Barricade twitches a slight smile again. "C'mon. Not gonna ditch my friends." Not anymore. "If I'd been able to I woulda carried you the whole way myself."

"Hey. Y'did plenty. Grabbed my sorry aft an' put me back together. More than I could ask for, 'Cade."

Barricade's been a good friend. He knows that he's changed since they first met, but he's never given Soundwave any reason to doubt or fear him. Not that it's an easy task to make him skittish, but Soundwave has trust in him. It's pretty much unwavering.

He gives a quiet laugh and nods once. "Yeah, I know. I feel bad how I reacted t'Driller. I'll have to make it up to 'im."

"I'm a medic, s'what I do. You hardly asked for anything I wouldn't've offered already."

He'd gotten old and tired and paranoid since he last saw Soundwave, but... Soundwave wasn't the sort if mech he'd try to provoke even on accident. He's the closest thing Barricade has to a friend here and he's going to try to keep it. Make sure he's worth that trust.

He chuckles briefly. "Think it'll understand; it gets the whole... missing limbs thing. Just that the only way it c'n respond verbally is connecting with the-" Barricade waggles his claws to indicate 'cables'.

"Doesn't mean I don't appreciate it any less. Y'know how I feel."

About, you know. Medical practices. Ha ha. Back in the day, he'd probably only let Starscream work on him, but times have had to change in order to adapt. So there's this, now. He has Barricade, at least.

But even that can't last. Soundwave has learned.

"Y-yeah. That... wouldn't usually bother me, but, uh. Right then wasn't so. So good."

"Yeah, I know."

At least in part, from what happened back in Axiom. But he's learned from that even if he wasn't directly involved. There are certain people he can't do certain things with. Adapt and change again. It's a lot easier to handle now.

Barricade has things under control, for now. Unless something happens.

"It's okay, believe me. I can't blame you f'r being bothered at all."

"Well. Thanks. Hope he understands, too."

He shakes his head a little, then looks up at Barricade, visor dimming.

"...D'you think what I did was wrong? I just wanted to go out an' help someone. Then they..." Prism did that. And. "What'd I do wrong?"

"You'll just have to explain it to Driller, that's all."

Barricade looks almost startled by that question, walking over closer.

"You didn't do anything wrong, darlin'. Prism's just... Prism was made eons ago and he was probably a monster then and it hasn't improved since then." He moves to sit neck to Soundwave and cautiously puts an arm around his shoulders. "It ain't your fault, what happened. You were just trying t'help, and you couldn't've known Prism was... what he is."

"Wouldn't mind. He's kind of a cute fellah."

The assurance, both on a physical and verbal level, is assuring. Soundwave leans against Barricade, then looks at him in confusion. "...You know Prism?"

"My thoughts exactly. I don't hear that reaction to him often enough."

Barricade dips his head slightly, pinching his nasal ridge between two claws. Hindsight being 20/20, and all... "We were both on Sacrosanct. Only spoke twice; I had to go through Link transmissions here and what few files I had on him t'confirm. He'd been absent f'r a long while before I got here, as I recall."

There's no look of anger from Soundwave. His visor just dims and he nods slowly in acknowledgement.

"Right," he murmurs softly. "No, it's ... I hear ya. You might wanna tell Blurr more than what I could give 'im then."

"If I'd figured it out, before... I would've warned you. I swear." Not that it does much now, of course. He'd hardly feed his friends to some organically-created construct.

"There's not much more that I could tell Blurr than that Prism is dangerous and mentally unstable. But I'll let him know what I've got." And point him in a better direction for information, maybe. There is another here, he thinks, that might know more.

"I know, 'Cade. I know. I wouldn't ever think that of ya, dude." Gently, he leans on the other Decepticon, as if that's somehow going to ooze his reassurance from himself to Barricade.

"Heh. Pro'ly more than I got to share 'sides the whole... uh, thing. That. That happened."

Barricade leans a little against him in return, tilting his head enough to rest his forehead on Soundwave's helm. He's just been second-guessing himself lately, really. More since getting here.

"Yeah. You don't gotta share it, if you don't want to. Shouldn't feel pressured to. Especially something like that."

"...M'gonna have to. Just so Blurr's got an idea of what to expect. What to say to people if they ask about him. I can't... give away everything, but--"

Soundwave places his hand over his own chest, wincing to himself as he remembers tendrils shoving their way into his chassis. Prism's hands, a tentacle around his ember chamber--

He tries to not lose himself in that.

"Just a little."

"Fella probably still has a few tricks up his metaphorical sleeves." Unfortunately.

Barricade's engine kicks out an automatic rumble. He doesn't know where you're going but he's not going to let you get stuck there. Not if he's got anything to say about it, anyway.

Frag, if he could, he'd pull Prism into his base parts and leave him that way.

"You do what you gotta, mech."

"Probably." Can't argue that.

The engine does catch his attention. He gives a low rumble of appreciation. Right, yeah, didn't mean to get lost in those thoughts. It's hard not to right now.

"It's what's right. Just focusin' on that right now."

His engine lets out a short purr to say 'welcome'. He's gotten a little more well-versed at pulling mechs from dark places than he had been before. If only he'd had an opportunity to thank the one he'd learned from...

But that's neither here nor there, sadly.

"It's not a bad thing t'focus on. And it might keep a lot of folks out of trouble, too."

"Thanks. ... An', I mean it. For all that you've done, 'Cade. I dunno where I'd be here without you."

When he first arrived, it was without the friends he had from before in both Axiom Nexus and his own universe. Sure, that's expanded now, but Barricade had been the first he knew was his friend.

And who else would have repaired him? He supposes he could have... dealt with having Ratchet, but it wouldn't have been comfortable.

"C'mon. You're stronger than you might realize. Sure you'd've been all right, Soundwave."

He'd made his way through Axiom without Barricade, after all. Though he's pretty glad to be here, if only for the opportunity to reconnect with one of his old friends.

He can't exactly see it as a bad thing that he was here in time to repair Soundwave after what had happened, either. Or explain the situation to Ratchet as much as he could to keep things from getting... hairy.

"Yeah, maybe. But it would have been totally way tougher without you on the way, dude."

True, perhaps he would have managed in some way, but he's always found strength in numbers. It's easier, with the hand of friends on the way.

What would he have done without Barricade? He isn't sure. It would have been harder, that much he knows.

"Mm, now you're just flattering me, mech."

Not that having Soundwave here hasn't calmed him more than throwing himself into work ever did. He needs others whether he admits it aloud or not.

And he's grateful for this. He'd made it through Sacrosanct, but he isn't sure he'd have been able to handle starting completely fresh again.

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THE SHOW MUST GO ON [open]

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