Chapter Text
The day that Sentinel Prime dies is one of the worst days of Megatron’s life. He’s in the Pits, as he always is now, in the medbay. It’s always in need of cleaning and reorganizing after years of misuse and abuse, not to mention the lack of training of its staff.
For once the medbay is quiet. Megatron is showing Knock Out a trick Ratchet showed him for getting clean welds. Thunderclash is cleaning a used berth. It’s quiet and peaceful and almost homey.
Then the Enforcers arrive.
The only warning they get is a startled yell from the hall before the doors to the medbay are thrown open and mechs with guns are swarming the room. Megatron sees Thunderclash’s rotors flare in panic; Knock Out drops the patch Megatron is having him work on. Megatron hardly has time to react before the Enforcers have them surrounded.
“State your designation and proper functions,” one Enforcer demands. Thunderclash and Knock Out both look to Megatron, who grits his teeth.
“Megatron. I’m a medic,” he says. The Enforcer laughs.
“I said proper function. No medic has that build. You’ve even still got your mining markings.”
Megatron looks away. “Fine. Mining.”
The Enforcer turns to Knock Out, who’s clearly terrified to Megatron’s eyes. Unfortunately, Knock Out doesn’t really display fear in the way that most mechs expect to see it.
“Now, there’s no need for all these guns, is there? I’m sure we can work something out, officers...” Knock Out takes a step forward and is greeted with a gun leveled at his spark. He freezes. Megatron reaches out to pull Knock Out back toward himself. He can hear yells from the hallway. Whatever is happening here is big. This isn’t something Knock Out is going to be able to talk them out of.
“Last time I’m going to ask. Designation and proper function.”
Knock Out swallows nervously. “Knock Out. Courier.”
The Enforcers turn to Thunderclash, whose rotors flare as all these eyes land on him. “Thunderclash. Medical transport.”
Megatron does his best to make himself look non-threatening, but none of the Enforcers move. He wonders if they have Soundwave similarly cornered. He knows Soundwave was supposed to be somewhere in the Pits preparing for a match later today. He can only hope that Soundwave and all of the cassettes are safe.
“Where were you this morning?” The Enforcer who has been speaking demands.
“Here. We were all here,” Megatron says instantly. It happens to be true, but he would have said it anyway. “Why?”
“No questions. All of you, go.” The Enforcer points to the door. “Out to the arena. Go.”
Megatron keeps a wary optic on the Enforcers as he leads both Knock Out and Thunderclash out of their medbay and into the hall. Clearly the Enforcers are rounding up everyone in the Pits. Megatron keeps the others close to himself as they head into the main arena.
“What are they doing?” Thunderclash asks, optics flicking from one Enforcer to the next.
“I have no idea,” Megatron replies.
“I should ping Breakdown,” Knock Out says, hardly louder than a whisper.
“Don’t ping him yet. The Enforcers are probably tracking communications.”
“So? We haven’t done anything!” Knock Out whispers back.
“Are they here about the pamphlets?” Thunderclash looks to Megatron.
“They can’t be. It’s not illegal. We haven’t done anything.” Megatron isn’t sure how much he believes it even as he says it.
“I don’t know if they care about what’s technically legal.” Knock Out glances around furtively.
“Hush,” Megatron says quickly. The last thing he needs is one of the Enforcers overhearing. “It was only a couple, and they were small...”
“Desist.”
Megatron turns, simultaneously relieved and dismayed to see Soundwave here. It’s good to have him here as a steady bulwark, but it does mean they’re all trapped here.
“Soundwave, do you know what’s going on?”
“Not yet. You are uninjured?” Soundwave looks Megatron over first, then the other medics.
“They didn’t hurt us,” Megatron replies. “Are you alright?”
“I cooperated and was unharmed.”
Megatron looks him over and sees several scuffs, but no injuries. He also recognizes from the way the light catches Soundwave’s dock that he still has at least one cassette docked, and likely more.
“Why are they keeping us here? What do they want?” Megatron whispers to Soundwave. Knock Out and Thunderclash move in closer as well.
“I need more time. They haven’t been speaking about why they’re here.” Soundwave reaches out and gently squeezes Megatron’s forearm.
“I want to ping Breakdown,” Knock Out says quietly, though all of the whispering is almost unnecessary with the sheer volume of every mech having been packed into the main arena.
“I will let him know what’s happening,” Soundwave says. Knock Out looks slightly relieved.
“Thank you.”
Megatron can tell that Knock Out really wanted to ping his conjunx himself, but there’s no argument against the fact that Soundwave can send messages that won’t even be detected, much less intercepted.
“It looks like they’re getting ready to say something,” Thunderclash says suddenly.
Megatron looks up, taking in the Enforcers lining the upper edge of the arena. The gladiators and the support staff are all trapped here. It’s not a good position to be in. Soundwave reaches out to draw Megatron behind himself, as if Soundwave can shield Megatron with his smaller frame.
“Denizens of the Pits,” the head Enforcer begins, the disdain dripping out of his mouth. “One of your own has committed a heinous crime.” Megatron has to contain himself to not glance at Knock Out and Thunderclash to gauge their reactions. All this over a few pamphlets? “One of you has conspired to murder Sentinel Prime. Likely the same one who produced this drivel.” He holds up a datapad that Megatron can just sense holds one of his pamphlets.
But someone killed Sentinel Prime? His first concern is for Ratchet. He hopes his mentor wasn’t hurt in whatever happened.
“Whoever committed this crime, come forward now and accept your punishment.”
Soundwave’s entire frame is tensed like he’s prepared to attack. Megatron doesn’t know what to do. He certainly had nothing to do with Sentinel getting murdered, and if he steps forward and says he authored the pamphlets, they’re going to assume he did. Honestly, though, he can’t imagine that anyone in the Pits killed Sentinel Prime. Not because they didn’t way to, but because none of them have the resources to do so. If anyone murdered the Prime, it was a mech of means. He doubts the Enforcers are going to accept this line of logic.
“If no one will come forward, you will all stay here until the culprit can be determined.”
Megatron’s spark falls. They’re going to keep them in the arena until they find someone who might be guilty. They’re likely going to search the rest of the Pits and find the datapads Megatron has stashed under his berth. They’re going to find him.
Murmurs of discontent spread through the crowds. This could easily spill over into a riot.
Soundwave seems to having a similar thought process. He glances over at Megatron, just the slightest tilt of his head to indicate that his attention has shifted. Megatron shrugs a little. What is there for them to do? He’s terrified, but they’re trapped here.
Unfortunately, not all of the Pits’ occupants are as patient as Soundwave. As the hours begin to drag on, the frustration grows louder. Knock Out and Thunderclash, who hadn’t ventured very far anyway, hurriedly return to the small radius of Soundwave’s protection. Barricade has also come over to join them, though Megatron isn’t sure whether it’s to gain protection or provide it. He’s a vicious fighter, but a small mech.
“What are we going to do when they start rioting?” Knock Out asks quietly.
“We can’t let it get to that,” Megatron replies. “We have to do something.”
“You cannot speak up,” Soundwave says. “They will recognize your rhetoric.”
“We can’t just let them riot. Someone is going to be killed!”
“That’s a risk we’ll have to take,” Soundwave replies.
Soundwave isn’t wrong, which is infuriating. Megatron knows if he speaks up, they’ll arrest him. The Enforcers are too many. They’re watching too closely for any real organization to be done. Megatron knows better than to venture any closer to the main body of gladiators. He looks away, trying not to think about what’s going to happen if someone doesn’t calm the gladiators. An idea occurs to him and turns back to Soundwave.
“Can you ask your cassettes to disperse through the crows and try to calm them?”
Soundwave shifts uneasily, looking over at the agitated gladiators.
“What would you have them say?”
Megatron doesn’t hesitate. “Just tell them to be patient. We’ll figure something out.”
Soundwave still seems concerned, but he’s shifting like he might agree when a roar shakes the arena. Soundwave moves immediately to push Megatron behind himself. Megatron doesn’t say that Soundwave is too short to actually fully cover him because he knows that roar and wants to be nowhere near it. Judging by the ripple of plating from the mechs around him, they also recognize that sound. Even Barricade, who Megatron has seen face down mechs three times his size, steps in closer to Soundwave.
Overlord enters the arena, flanked by a not-insignificant number of Enforcers. By the looks of it, he didn’t come quietly. There’s no sign of Clench. Somehow Megatron isn’t surprised. He doesn’t seem the type to get caught up in an Enforcer raid. Overlord looks around at the clustered gladiators. Megatron can practically see his processor working. He can also see the moment that Overlord comes to a decision. Soundwave shudders and grabs Megatron’s arm as he starts to step forward.
“It’s too late.”
Megatron opens his mouth to object just as Overlord smiles. Megatron’s spark quivers.
Oh.
Oh no.
Barricade’s engine screams, the only outward sign of his terror. He’s still containing it better than Knock Out and Thunderclash, who are visibly shaking. Overlord’s smile only widens as he reaches out and snatches up one of the Enforcers.
Before anyone can so much as twitch, Overlord has ripped the unfortunate mech in two. Megatron stares in horror. He’s seen more than his share of violence just watching Soundwave fight and treating gladiators’ injuries, but this is unprompted and excessive and unnecessary and it’s...
“We’re doomed,” Thunderclash breathes. “They’re going to kill us.”
“Stay back,” Soundwave orders.
Megatron looks up at the Enforcers, who seem shocked, but shock is rapidly turning to rage. The gladiators fall silent as well, but Megatron can feel the fury simmering through them. He should have stepped up sooner. He should have said something. Now he’s watching a riot about to break out, a riot that’s going to end in a massacre.
“I have to do something!” Megatron objects. Soundwave braces himself so Megatron can’t brush by him. “Soundwave--!”
“No.” Soundwave holds his ground.
Megatron is preparing to object again when the first shot rings out. He freezes for just long enough for Soundwave to shove him down to the ground.
“No, I need to--”
“Barricade, get them down!” Soundwave orders. His entire weight is pinning Megatron down hard enough that he can’t even lift his head. He hears a clatter that must be Knock Out and Thunderclash hitting the ground and a snarl from Barricade’s engine. For such a small mech, Barricade has an extremely loud engine. It’s almost loud enough to drown out the sounds of gunfire and angry shouting.
Megatron buries his face against the ground and hopes no one can tell that tears are trickling down his face.
After an eternity, the noise moves away and Megatron is allowed to lift his head. The riot seems to have moved out of the arena and into the tunnels under the Pits. Broken frames are scattered across the ground. Most are already greying. Megatron pushes Soundwave off of himself and this time Soundwave moves without argument. The Enforcers are gone. They must be off trying to contain the mess they created, but they can’t be Megatron’s first priority. He’s a medic. He has to save who he can.
They came here because of his pamphlets.
“Knock Out, Thunderclash. There are wounded.” He pulls himself to his feet and staggers over to the nearest frame with even a hint of color to it.
“Coming!” Thunderclash calls over the sound of Knock Out grumbling about his scuffed finish. Megatron knows better than to say anything. Knock Out’s grumbling is covering a very real fear.
But that’s not what matters right now. What matters is the battered frame and delicate spark under his hands. He doesn’t have tool built in like Ratchet and his kit was left in the medbay when the Enforcers grabbed them. He doesn’t have any way to stop the mech under his hands from dying.
“Soundwave, I need my tools!” Megatron says without looking up.
“I can’t get them in time. The riots have moved into the halls between here and the medbay.” Soundwave’s voice is steady, calm. Too calm.
“But--” Megatron looks up helplessly. He takes a slow breath. No tools. Knock Out and Thunderclash aren’t going to have anything on them that wasn’t already in their subspaces. None of them are Forged medics.
He can work without tools. He can do it. Ratchet trained him. Megatron plunges his hands into the wounded mech’s chest. Good thing he’s already in stasis. First steps first, stop the bleeding. He doesn’t have clamps. He’ll have to tie off the lines. It’s better than nothing. Megatron’s hands are bigger than would be ideal, but he can do this. Tie off the lines. He can give the mech fuel from his own lines. Ratchet showed him how. He fumbles at the plating of his side, trying to get to the sturdy line running underneath. A familiar hand covers his.
“Stop. Use me,” Soundwave says. “You need to remain alert.”
“You have your cassettes docked. They need you,” Megatron objects.
“I know how much fuel I can lose and continue supporting them. Trust me.”
Megatron wants to object again, but Soundwave isn’t wrong. He needs to remain fully alert and capable to try and make this work, especially since he should be checking in on Knock Out and Thunderclash. He can’t be tied to just one patient.
“Sit down and be still. This is going to sting and I’m sorry.” Megatron risks a glance up at Soundwave’s masked face. He’s as calm and steady as ever as he takes a seat on the ground.
Megatron has to take a deep breath before he can lift Soundwave’s arm to examine his heavily armored chassis. This requires focus. Soundwave has a fair amount of extra wiring and tubing tied into his dock and Megatron doesn’t want to accidentally disconnected any of them. Once he’s confident that he has the right line he can carefully splice together one of the wounded mech’s torn lines and Soundwave’s. It’s a rough job, with lines carefully punctured by Megatron’s fingers and held together only by his careful grip. It’s inefficient and messy, but it’s all he can do. Soundwave remains completely silent, with only the slightest hitch of his vents to indicate that he’s in pain. Megatron glances up at his face.
“Is this alright? I know it hurts.”
“I’ve had much worse. I’m fine.” Soundwave looks down at the connections that Megatron is carefully holding together. “Let me hold this. Go check on the others.” He reaches across himself to take hold of the connections himself. Megatron sighs and makes sure that Soundwave’s grip is secure before he stands.
“Call me if you feel even slightly off. I don’t want you to lose too much fuel.”
“I will,” Soundwave assures him. Megatron wavers for another moment before he goes over to Knock Out and Thunderclash. Knock Out seems to be dealing with a mech who took a shot to the upper leg that put him on the ground, but he’s not in imminent danger. Even without his tools, Knock Out seems to have the situation well in hand.
Thunderclash is looking over someone else nearby. The frame is already greyed.
“Have you...” Megatron isn’t sure what he’s trying to ask and just falls quiet. Thunderclash doesn’t look up.
“He was offline before I got to him, but I thought...”
Megatron looks down at the body, actually taking in the destroyed frame. It’s the Enforcer that Overlord grabbed. There was no way that there was anything to be done.
“Let’s make sure no one else needs our help and if they don’t you can help me with Soundwave,” Megatron suggest gently. Thunderclash nods and lets Megatron help him to his feet.
“His gun is gone,” Barricade comments. “Someone must have grabbed it.”
“Great,” Megatron says flatly. Barricade shrugs and goes to sit with Soundwave, speaking to him quietly. Megatron drapes a protective arm around Thunderclash’s shoulders. He looks around at the other frames on the ground. All greyed out. All gone. He leans Thunderclash over to the mech he’s helping instead.
Soundwave looks up as they approach, humming a low sound that Megatron recognizes as the sound Soundwave uses to comfort his cassettes. It’s enough to pull a slight smile out of Megatron as he crouches down to check on Soundwave.
“How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine. I told you, I’ve taken much worse. You’ve repaired much worse.” His voice lowers, a soft rumble that even Barricade and Thunderclash shouldn’t be able to hear. “I am more concerned about you. You’ve been distressed since I refused to let you intervene the first time.”
“I hate feeling helpless,” Megatron murmurs back. “I became a doctor to help people, and I could accept being patient about getting out of the Pits. At least I’m still working as a doctor. But I can’t just sit back while Enforcers hold mechs captive for things they couldn’t have done. For things that I’ve done. And Overlord...” He shakes his head.
“Sentinel Prime is dead. This is an opportunity.” The way that Soundwave is speaking and the glint of his visor make Megatron uneasy, like he’s seeing a part of Soundwave that normally stays hidden. “If there’s a time to agitate for change, it’s now.”
Megatron holds Soundwave’s gaze for a long moment. He’ll have to ask eventually how someone with Soundwave’s processor and skills became a gladiator, but it’s not time, not yet. He leans in the examine the connection that Soundwave is still holding together.
“We haven’t been able to get me out of the Pits yet. The pamphlets I wrote just got mechs killed. I’m not sure we’re ready to start widespread societal change,” Megatron laughs weakly.
“The pamphlets didn’t kill these mechs. Enforcers did, and I don’t think you need to be out of the Pits to disagree with what happened today.”
Megatron lifts his head to meet Soundwave’s stare again.
“Just let me get through today. Just today. Let me worry about planetwide revolution tomorrow,” Megatron pleads. Soundwave nods and falls quiet.
Megatron turns his attention to disconnecting Soundwave and his other patient.
And thinking about the contents of his next pamphlet.