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Perhaps it was too much to ask for one day without any structural damage to the very, very expensive and even harder to procure academy that protected the outliers from the Functionists.
“You slag for brains idiot—“
“He started this whole thing—“
“I did not—“
Senator Shockwave slipped a hand down his faceplates as he watched his younger students throwing increasingly creative and borderline concerning threats at one another from the second floor.
A spiderweb of cracks line the wall of the atrium from one, if not both of his charges that specialize in sonic booms below. Thundercracker stands behind Skywarp abashedly, who has taken upon himself to defend his brother against a snarling Frenzy. Skywarps wings flared behind his back protectively, Frenzy puffing out his chest and raising his arms in anger, the only thing stopping him from bodily flinging himself at the purple seeker being Soundwave’s firm grip on his shoulder.
“Mechs, mechs,” Shockwave cleared his throat. “Please, just— is anybody hurt?”
“No—“
“Perfect!” He interrupted. “Now, will someone kindly tell me why one of my walls is going to collapse again?” Oh, this is far from the first time his building has been broken, shattered, or burned. It was still important to know who, but even more importantly to know why the damage occurred. Having a building full of a dozen or so mechs with elementary control over their powers makes sure of it.
“Oi! Frenzy fragged up the wall, not us!” Skywarp accused.
“Did. Not!”
“Who the hell could it have been then? You’re over there blaming TC but we both walked in here and saw you staring all wide eyed and jaw slacked at the wall over here. Perfect example of a mech that knows he fragged up big time,”
“Primus, it wasn’t me! Can’t— can’t a guy just be shocked that the one building on the whole planet that promised to keep us safe is crumbling apart?”
“Wasn’t me either,” Thundercracker snapped back, though more out of exasperation rather than the sting of being accused. “Those are concussive fractures. Made from a mech that possesses the sonic capabilities to do so. Seeing how we are the only two in this academy with said traits, and I was with ‘Warp the whole time, you are the only logical person left to blame!”
“I— I—“ Shockwave had made his way down the grand stairs and into the foyer below, surveying the way Frenzy turned his helm to look up at Soundwave, something fearful in his optics. He approached him gently with a sad smile, just like all the other times he’s had to assure that the academy was different compared to the outside world.
“Now Frenzy, it’s okay if it was you. Remember, here at the Academy the journeys we take to strengthen your Primus given abilities may sometimes be…” Shockwave suppressed a small grimace as a small chunk of decorative plaster fell onto the tile. “A bit rough. That’s why I started this program in the first place. To give mechs like you a chance to hone your skills without the fear of being punished for making a mistake.”
No one here was in danger of being stripped of everything they had and sent to the streets. No one was at risk of an enforcer's bullet to the helm. Worst of all, no one was going to treat them like a science experiment. Not ever again.
The small mech’s fear didn’t fade, though he did move closer to Soundwave. If he didn’t know any better, Shockwave would’ve thought he was trying to physically create a block between the two.
“What?!” Skywarp cried from across him. “He gets a slap on the wrist for mild structural damage but I get extra training for sticking data pads in the walls?”
“Yes, because this wasn’t a conscious effort to irk his sponsor— who might I add— who only shelters, feeds, and protects you from the Senate,” Shockwave said with a tired sigh. He would have to hunt Damus down in order to locate every single copy about quantum physics in the busy walls of the school, for the third or something time now.
Skywarp is undeterred from the reminder. Even if Shockwave would dream of kicking him out, Skywarp would be difficult to find. Shockwave had the suspicion he was only here for the free energon, and maybe his older brother on a good day.
“You’re gonna lecture me about conscious effort? Everytime we train he’s practically overjoyed whenever he can knock a wall or two down! Mech should’ve stayed in the mines if he was so happy to keep destroying things—“
“Enough.” Soundwave boomed, his EM field flaring with a protective anger and frustration usually not seen in the stoic mech. His spinal struts straightened out, his shoulders squaring and projecting a confidence that made the group tense.
“Skywarp, cool it,” Thundercracker added, sensing the shift in the boxy mech and tugging his brother a step back in warning. “No one’s in trouble. Keep sprouting your mouth and we will be,” he said, looking more intently at Soundwave rather than Shockwave, who had the authority to enact punishment whereas the former did not.
“Fine,” Skywarp spat. “Don’t be blaming my brother for your slag again, you got that?”
Before Frenzy had the chance to open his mouth, Soundwave responded, “Understood.”
Shockwave was growing ever grateful that the most rowdy of his students had someone that could placate them. Outliers were difficult enough to protect without having incidents spotlighted as proof of their own existence being a liability to their world.
Still attached to Thundercracker, Skywarp glared as he and his entourage vanished in a flashing purple vwomp. After a moment, Soundwave’s gaze was still fixated on the spot where the fliers stood, listening to where exactly the two had ended up.
“Frenzy and Thundercracker were both correct. Neither were responsible,”
“Soundwave—“ the minicon hissed. The taller mech put a palm on top of his helm placatingly, but all it did was add to Frenzy’s desperation as he clinged onto Soundwave’s hands. Something unspoken went between them, the smaller bot seemingly merging into Soundwave even further. His concerned gaze shifted into something angry, a small rumble in his frame.
“I take it you know who?”
Soundwave nodded mutely and Shockwave sighed. “I’m going to assume I’m gonna hear an audial full from Prowl about his soon to be roommate, aren’t I?” Shockwave doesn’t know why he was surprised. Soundwave brought in new mechs all the time to add to his little cohort, though most of them weren’t even outliers. Unfortunately, you can only shack a bunch of mechs in one chest compartment before it just gets ridiculous.
Soundwave shook his head. He fiddled with his digits a bit, the reels in his chest spinning in thought.
He took a step forward, just a few inches away from Shockwave as the senator raised an optic ridge. Soundwave took a hold of his hands with little hesitancy, holding them in his palms in a way that reminded him of Drift meditating. Soundwave still had yet to explain himself, his eyes drawn to their pedes below them. Shockwave noted with alarm that Soundwave’s hands had started to shake. He returned a firm grip, hoping that the younger mech wasn’t losing control over his mind reading abilities again.
It wasn’t uncommon. Some days he didn’t speak at all, overwhelmed with the thoughts of those around him. Most days he stood rigid in place, fists tight and trying to filter out the noise in his head.
The shaking turned into a fine vibration. With wide optics Shockwave watched as a low thrum filled his audials, tiny blue circles pulsing rhythmically from their fingertips, appearing and dissipating in the blink of an optic. The display was abruptly shut off when Soundwave ripped his servos away, almost as if the contact burned him. He retreated a step back, Frenzy automatically clamping his own hand in his charges.
“Wh— have you always been able to do that?” Shockwave asked dumbstruck. Outliers were already extremely rare in their society, the implications of one possessing two completely different abilities unrelated to their function was practically a double ‘frag you’ to the Senate. Shockwave understood Frenzy’s fear— in a society this oppressive, it is easy to imagine what could happen to a mech with such extraordinary skills. He had to appreciate the loyalty these mechs had to take their own blames for one another.
Soundwave shook his head once more. Shockwave’s spark clenched a little in disappointment, afraid that this discovery will have to wait some time until Soundwave found his voice again.
“Nah,” Frenzy replied in his place. “Never. Was sudden, s’all I know. ‘Notha march downtown freaked boss bot out real bad this time and suddenly our walls are bout to tumble down,”
“I must say I’m surprised. Lately you’ve had a pretty tight control here in the academy,” Shockwave noted. In fact, the telepath hadn't had any outbursts in a few months.
“Bright,” Soundwave croaked. “Pain. Hatred. It felt like acid down my throat, in my spark,” Soundwave held Frenzy even tighter. “It was infectious. I thought it was going to…”
“There is nothing to be afraid of here, Soundwave. You’re protected,” Shockwave amended. Soundwave did not ease at his words, despite the genuineness radiating from his field.
“Wasn’t just us. The others are freaking out bout it too, you know,” Frenzy supplied with crossed arms.
“Others?”
“Rumble, Drift, Hound, all of them. Even… Sunstorm was getting antsy,” Soundwave admitted, knowing the mech to love indulging in chaos. “It overwhelmed me. I was… afraid, this time.”
Shockwave noted how many of his students' abilities had awoken through intense stress related events, and bit his glossa. It was chilling to think of the implications, of what it could mean for mechs like Soundwave if they fell into the hands of someone who was more personally interested in seeing their sparks reach their limits.
“All the more to keep trying hard with your studies,” Shockwave assured with his hands clasped. “I will help you, of course I will! For now, I recommend that we keep this on the down low. I’ll make some time after the other group to focus more on your…”
“Soundwaves,” The owner of its namesake said, a small grin audible even from behind his mask.
“Quite fitting,” The senator replied.
“Indeed.”
“Fascinating, truly remarkable..!” the senator exclaimed, his anticipation about the discovery really setting in. Through the racing emotions, Soundwave saw the hopeful ambition. Unlike the Senate, his interest in outliers was fueled by compassion, not fear.
“Oh, we have to update your program! You won’t progress any if we completely ignore your new abilities. Imagine the possibilities, Soundwave! We’ll need to schedule another assessment day—“
Frenzy winced sympathetically as Soundwave squirmed a bit in dread. Assessment days were basically a short way of saying you were going to spend the whole day working your struts into the ground, no breaks allowed unless Shockwave was convinced any one of them would drop dead on the spot from overextension. Unless under special circumstances, they were only performed upon enrollment.
“Eugh… good luck boss bot.”