Soundwave couldn't take it any longer. He didn't understand - he didn't want to understand.

His savior, Lord Megatron, was his true assailant? No, it was impossible. Such a staggering amount of what Soundwave originally percieved to be true had been drastically changed, to the point that everything just had to be a mere, twisted hallucination.

It had to be.

This excruciating, indescribable pain of a blazing heat slowly melting away his voice. The horrifying grief of having to live through his own worst nightmare a second time. And the constant, throbbing ache in his processor that only ever seemed to get worse as time went on.

Soundwave didn't know when the flame ultimately retreated from his cables, as the searing pain still persisted in the blow torch's absence. He only realized it when he was dropped carelessly to the ground, bringing further attention to his injuries when they stung substantially from the impact. Soundwave grimaced, barely concious - hardly able to exchange a single breath without pain striking his every nerve. He could hear a vague, muffled voice of someone or other speaking around him, but couldn't make out anything distinct. Soundwave focused his gaze and his mind to keep himself from an emergency shut down, ignoring the background voices for the time being.

Slowly, he tried raising himself up from the dirt, only for his arms to give out and collapse back down astroseconds later. A small bit of energon splattered onto Soundwave when he did, revealing a small puddle of the blue liquid underneath him. Sparking a hint of interest still left within him, he gathered the strength to shift himself enough to look down upon it. It wasn't very reflective, but it was just enough to make out a face.

Although Soundwave had seen his own appearance several, albeit rather unwelcome times before, it still sent a disgusting shiver through his frame at the wretched sight of seeing it once more. Dream Soundwave, however, was not nearly as prepared.

Soundwave released a cold shudder, melded with an unutterable horror striking his face. He faintly raised his trembling servo to meet his cables, met with a resurging pain and hot, disfigured metal. He choked out a single hysterical laugh. However, it had sounded more like a dampened, hoarse cough.

Is this my punishment for forsaking you? Soundwave tried to say outloud with a wry tone lacing his voice. However, nothing came from his voicebox. His optic ridges scrunched together in confusion, and tried to speak out once more before the dark realization finally dawned upon him.

I...I can't speak.

Megatron stared coldly down at his fellow gladiator and former subordinate, holding a tight grip on the body of the blowtorch. The bluish flame had been extinguished for some time now, with all that remained being the terrifying memory it left from its previous deed. He looked to be lost in his thoughts, considering the fact he was in a blank trance with a brooding aura about him. Soundwave was startled though when he spoke, still with a faraway look to his optics.

"Your injuries are not fatal for a seasoned gladiator and former Decepticon soldier like yourself, of whom is accustomed to such abuse," Megatron stated in a plain tone.

"You will survive."

Soundwave was partly shocked and also somewhat relieved that he at least still had his sense of audio reception. Though, he'd care not listen to another word from the one who mutilated his throat, watching from the corner of his optic whilst seething with enmity as the Decepticon leader vented silently into their next sentence.

"..However, it comes to reason that you will have an endless, resentful hunger for my spark if I leave without offlining you now." Megatron turned halfway and pulled his sword back out of the ground by the helve. Soundwave knew where this was going. He glanced to the energon tainting the blade, now dried a cerulean blue. Though it would soon have another fresh layer to quench its foul thirst.

Megatron had the blade pointed right to Soundwave's spark, whereas the Ex-Decepticon was helpless to halt him. Soundwave's gaze lowered, his energy to resist all but drained. He waited, and waited.

But death had not yet come for him.

Soundwave looked back up to Megatron again in confusion, his expression more rational looking for some reason than before. They were staring into Soundwave's optics from above with an almost conflicted appearance to their features. Megatron didnt go through with Soundwave's execution in the end. He crouched down instead, placing his sword to the ground whilst he kept his gaze on Soundwave's faceplate with an unblinking, crimson stare.

"Those optics of yours are quite...eye-catching." Megatron said calmly, lifting up Soundwave's chin with the edge of his digits to better inspect them.

"It seems as though the severe damage inflicted upon your cables has caused the tint of your optics to malfunction."

Soundwave's faceplate contorted to that of angered disbelief at Megatron's words. Soundwave didn't make a note to check his optics of all things when he looked at his reflection, too busy being overly mortified of his charred appearance to spot any of the subtler changes. Soundwave roughly moved his helm away from Megatron's grasp and glanced back to the small, stagnant pool of energon, still doubtful. Though, the feeling didn't last long. His once vibrantly colored optics were now but a glowing grey, the inner lining accented with bright white.

Soundwave's gaze dulled. Yet another thing taken away from him. What had he done against Primus to deserve such suffering, including those around him? Shiner never deserved such a sorry death. He paid the ultimate price for Soundwave's sins, and for what? What was there to live for anymore...

Revenge?

But - would it even make a difference?

Megatron held a stoic expression to Soundwave's grief, pulling his servo back and resting it over his knee joint.

"Although I know you shall never obey my will again as of now, I believe I can change that. We shall see. As I would most appreciate a loyal and formidable warrior such as yourself back in our Decepticon ranks..." Megatron took a moment to glance over to the seekers Skywarp and Thundercracker, both of them previously paralyzed and visibly disturbed from the morbid torture placed upon the Decepticon deserter, but had eventually turned into silent perturbment.

Soundwave coughed out a muddled, painful scoff, showcasing his obvious distrust at the Decepticon leader's wishes. Megatron's gaze narrowed at Soundwave's mocking gesture.

"Although you may not have been more than brief aquaintaces, I'm sure that you had at least met and conversed with the Decepticon's most distinguised scientist, Shockwave, have you not?" He questioned smoothly, not hesitating to boast of his subordinate's achievements under his rule. Soundwave's expression twisted into a mix of deep contemplation and regret at the mention of the one-eyed Decepticon.

The once bright and enthusiastic scientist, who then traded his emotions for logic to further his scientific endeavors. A wretched price to pay that could never be undone, but with no doubt cast free the limits of moral limitations that were set upon most. Shockwave's lack of emotion negated any sort of sympathy for his experiments, only rationale.

Megatron curved a guileful smirk when the realization struck Soundwave's faceplate, angling his silver helm slightly to the side.

"To be honest, I was quite distressed about killing you then. It was no stretch to say I considered you a friend. I'm glad that my quick-thinking has reaped a great solution for your execution. As of recent, our brilliant resident scientist has coincidentally created just the device to garner back your undivided loyalty, willingly or nay."

Soundwave's argentate colored optics widened before he suddenly felt himself grow numb and weak. He couldn't even hold up his helm. All he could discern was Megatron's towering figure out of his steadily blurring vision, and his incapacitated body slowly being lifted up out of the dirt. Soundwave's glowing gaze gently dimmed as the light from his optics faded, before he was wordlessly enveloped into a thick forest of ebony.

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Soundwave's constant thoughts were the only thing filling the deafening silence that had been going on for what felt like months. He was trapped in an endless darkness, not a sliver of light to be seen. Soundwave's host, Dream Soundwave, had been knocked unconcious, so there was no telling when there would be any kind of visual display again. But, that wasn't the main problem Soundwave was grappling with. Now, without any presence of distractions, Soundwave could not escape from his own terrifying conjectures.

Why was he shown this?

Was it true? And...

What would happen if it was?

All these false memories of Dream Soundwave, what purpose was there for them to serve, unless, they weren't false in the first place...

Suddenly, a bright light shone over Soundwave, and his sore cables gurgled a groan, his visual sensors slowly reverting back to their normal, concious state.

"An interesting optical coloration."

A voice said evenly, spooking Soundwave out of his dream-like trance. Soundwave was staring straight into the renowned cyclops Shockwave; shocked, no less. Soundwave's breath hitched, and instinctively tried to break away and escape, only to be jerked back by energon cuffs that were linked to a vertical berth. Soundwave quickly assessed his own situation, and came to a prompt conclusion.

He was slagged.

"It is illogical to struggle. Nothing you attempt will significantly delay your inescapable fate." Shockwave responded monotonously to Soundwave's continuous trials and failures at escaping his restraints.

Soundwave sent him a dirty look, of which Shockwave was unfazed, returning his singular bright red optic to the data pad lingering in his servo without a second glance to his subject. Soundwave pushed his helm back against the back of the berth with a disgruntled huff, staring up at the glaring white-lit ceiling. After giving it a long look, he found nothing worth noting, and flicked his optics down and around to the rest of the lab. Shockwave's assets were definitely better off than when Soundwave had last saw him, with many more resources at his direct disposal. Which, in Soundwave's case, was anything but good.

Shockwave set down the data pad and stepped around Soundwave, his tank treads swaying lightly from his arm as he walked. Before the scientist reached him, he picked up a dimly lit, servo-sized cube off a crowded work station. Soundwave's optics opened wide in astonishment, instantly recognizing the object from Knockout's collection. Shockwave hesitated forward when locking optics with the bluntly curious Soundwave, clenching the hexahedron tighter in his servo when he glanced to their burns before averting his gaze.

"I'm not sure if you can recall, but I was once a surgeon for gladiators such as yourself, before the war." Shockwave stated, almost to himself.

"It was a dirty job that often stretched into the nightly hours, but I remember that you always tried to give the surgeon less work by mending your wounds yourself..." Shockwave's helm dipped slightly, followed by a short vent.

"-Greatly illogical, by all means. You only gave them more work in the end." Shockwave added abrubtly in a somewhat scolding tone as he realized he was trailing away from his usual, professional stature.

"Your reckless indepedence failed to improve over the course of the war, as well. Always attempting to repair yourself with little to no avail, or worse, brush it off as but a scratch, and hide your pain behind your witty remarks."

Soundwave lowered his gaze, looking to his scarred appearance. Shockwave had done a thorough job at fixing Soundwave's external wounds, except for his voicebox, he could tell. Shockwave noticed their downcast expression, and turned away.

"..It was irrepairable. I regret to inform that not even my advanced skills are suited for such a task." Shockwave admitted, much to his own disgrace. Soundwave made no reaction. What was there to expect, being a captor?

Shockwave looked up briefly to them with an indescribable look, but quickly glanced back down as if questioning himself. He stayed silent for the lesser half of a klik before finally raising his helm again, certain to not back down another time.

"There was something I wanted t--no, it is illogical to reminisce of such events...if you are to forget them in the end." Shockwave interrupted his own thoughts, shaking his helm once. Soundwave could hear him quietly exhale to himself again.

"...I do not wish to erase those memories. However, it is a consequence that must be taken into account. With this newly created and relatively untested psycube, errors are bound to occur. I personally would have postponed your memory subsitution for further testing, to then allow myself to become aquainted with my device's idiosyncracies. Yet, Lord Megatron insisted on you being set back onto the field as quickly as time would allow."

W-what? Psycube? Memory subsitut-

Soundwave cut himself off, unable to complete his thoughts as his helm was practically pounding within itself. He still wasn't able to determine the source of the terrible migraine, and it was only getting worse. Everything Shockwave was describing: being a gladiator, their meeting before the Great War--even other past events in Dream Soundwave's mind was starting to materialize into Soundwave's. They were starting to feel like real memories.

And Soundwave was terrifed.

Soundwave didn't look surprised from his current predicament. He already expected the worst, but was quietly surprised at Shockwave's somewhat round-a-bout talk. Soundwave felt that they were always somewhat estranged with one another, but even with Shockwave's lack of emotions, they still somehow manage to make him question if they perhaps still have a small, paltry speck of feeling left remaining.

Unfortunately, Soundwave wasn't able to dig any further into his suspicions, being abrubtly startled out of his thoughts when Shockwave forcibly plugged a long, winding cord into the back of his neck. Shockwave walked back into Soundwave's view, emotionless, once the patch was secure.

"The Cortic Psychic Patch. Designed to reveal secrets and hidden truths that were originally locked behind that of the taciturn mind. Now, with the empowering addition of the psycube as a mediator, it should render myself with the ability to wipe and rebuild your processor's memories to whatever state I like. In theory." Shockwave explained nonchalantly, hooking up the cube into a formulated section of the conntected psychic patch. Soundwave was rightly dumbfounded. No bot had ever even considered such a feat, yet Shockwave had a working prototype in place?

A device that can manipulate memories...

'As of recent, our brilliant resident scientist has coincidentally created just the device to garner back your undivided loyalty, willingly or nay.'

Soundwave looked to Shockwave mortified. He couldn't possibly. Shockwave stared at him blankly, holding the cortic psychic patch to his neck.

"It is the only logical way, Soundwave."
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