Title: Checkmate
Warnings: slash, mechpreg, character death
Summary: Revenge may be a dish best served cold, but it is indeed so very sweet no matter when it is achieved. Sequel to Chains.

It had been nearly a year since Megatron had given the order that most of the Decepticon army still talked about in hushed voices whenever their leader wasn't around, and in spite of how many of them viewed it as sacrilege, none could deny that it had had the desired effect on Starscream.

Any time it seemed that the second in command was going to take his questioning on a course of action one step too far, Soundwave always interrupted the increasingly-loud words with little more than a touch to an arm or wing. If it looked as if the seeker was about to start throwing punches or projectiles – on one memorable occasion he'd actually had a data pad in hand that seemed ready to go flying – a firmer hold and a word or two would erase the tension.

As horrific as the idea of a forced sparkbond may have been to even the most jaded Decepticon warrior, the connection seemed to have tamed the treasonous jet at last.

What none of them, not even Megatron himself, could reconcile in their processors was the behaviour of the Cassetticons after the sparkbond was in place. There had once been a time when Soundwave's cassettes would only interact with others either at their creator's behest or to aggravate the larger Decepticons, yet they seemed to accept Starscream as a reluctant fixture in their lives with little protest. It wasn't unusual to spot one or two with the air commander whenever the communications officer was absent, although it did take the rest of the seekers some time to get used to Laserbeak or Buzzsaw being close at hand when they were going through aerial maneuvers.

Even so, Thundercracker had his suspicions and doubts about what, exactly, went on behind closed doors between the two unwilling bondmates. He kept his own council and observed silently, waiting for the right moment to approach them.

Something wasn't quite right.

The tension had been building up all day, tightly coiled and ready to be released either through waspish words or physical blows. He knew that the others – always watching now, always wondering – could see the rage that had been gradually building throughout the day, but he wasn't about to take out his frustrations on them. The only outlet he wanted to vent his fury on was the one who had put him in such a state in the first place, and the timing still wasn't right.

Plus, it wasn't only his own rage Starscream was keeping in check.

The instant Megatron finally dismissed all of them from the strategy meeting – they were initiating a raid on one of the nearby oil refineries in a few days time and had been going over the attack plan – the seeker stalked out of the room at a fast clip and studiously ignored his trine mates' questions as to what was bothering him. Even if they sounded concerned, neither of them deserved the brunt of his aggravation at the moment. Starscream instinctively headed for one of the lesser-used decks, listening as all sounds faded away save for the second set of footsteps following him.

He entered his command override on the door to one of the empty supply rooms, stalked in, and waited until the mech following him had locked the door against any override code but one of theirs before inhaling sharply and screaming his fury to the barren walls. Starscream's vocalizer crackled in a worrisome manner, yet he didn't stop until his mate's arms wrapped around him.

The seeker sank into the bond, tilting his head back to rest on Soundwave's shoulder. "I hate him," he said quietly. His hands moved to rest over the other mech's and he shuttered his optics.

"I know," Soundwave replied, his voice just as quiet but filled with a fury that only Starscream and the Cassetticons ever heard. "It will not be too much longer before we strike, my star."

"Hopefully he won't get my seekers killed before then," Starscream couldn't help but remark dryly.

The tape deck heaved a sigh through his vents and pulled his mate a little closer, retracting his mask to press a soft kiss to the other's neck. "Megatron has been slipping for a long time. This was the final straw for me."

Starscream pulled away just enough to turn around without leaving Soundwave's embrace, bringing one hand up to rest against his bonded's cheek and unshuttering his optics. "Do you regret the bond?" he asked seriously.

The larger mech rested his forehead against his mate's, pulling him close once again. "The only thing I regret," Soundwave replied, "is how. We were not given the choice, but I am content to have you as my bondmate."

"You just can't give a plain yes or no answer, can you?" Starscream returned, his words exasperated but his obvious joy with the response clear through the bond. "I have no regrets save for being commanded to do it," he added, running one hand along Soundwave's back while dropping the other to rest on his shoulder.

When the seeker's touch changed from mildly affectionate to teasing, Soundwave smirked. "Do not start something you have no intentions of finishing, Starscream."

"Who said I wasn't planning on finishing?" came the immediate response, Starscream pulling back slightly to give his mate a devious smile. "I've still got excess anger to burn off, and you could use a little 'therapy' yourself."

Rather than reply, Soundwave slid his mask back into place and dragged his bonded back to the door. ::Then let us take this to our quarters,:: he fairly purred through their bond. ::Although this supply room is rarely used, it would be difficult to explain should someone walk in on us.::

So focused on one another as they were, neither noticed when the door slipped open again a moment later before closing once more.

The Autobots were neither blind nor stupid in spite of what many amongst the Decepticon army might believe.

It hadn't gone unnoticed that Starscream, who could almost always be relied on to strike out against his leader in battles, had not made any attempts to overthrow Megatron in nearly a year. Nor had it been overlooked that at least one of the flying Cassetticons remained close to the air commander any time the two factions met in combat and actually seemed to take it as a personal offense if someone tried to directly attack him.

It had been at least a good nine months since anyone had managed to tag the seeker in battle; the last time the twins had tried to perform their Jet Judo on him, Laserbeak had emptied everything he had into both their hides, and Ratbat had added insult to injury by dropping cluster bombs on top of them after they'd hit the ground. Sunstreaker was still bemoaning his paint job while Sideswipe had taken to trying other means of indirectly taking down Starscream. So far the closest he'd come was forcing Ramjet to crash into the air commander, but even then he'd taken heavy artillery damage from Buzzsaw.

Optimus Prime knew that something was amiss, and had dispatched Mirage to try to discover just what it was.

So, when the spy returned to the Ark requesting to speak with all commanding officers post haste, the Autobot leader knew that he wasn't going to be happy with the intel. Mirage's pacing didn't help to dispel that feeling any.

"So, you found out what the deal is with the new and not-so-disloyal Screamer?" Jazz asked, trying to lighten the heavy mood that descended over the room.

"Yes, but I don't think you're going to like it."

"They're Decepticons. Of course we're not going to like it," Ratchet grumbled almost to himself, drawing a frown from Prowl. It may have been the truth, but the spy still seemed hesitant to share his findings.

"Don't say I didn't warn you," Mirage said as he finally stopped pacing the length of the room and dropped into a chair. "Apparently after Starscream's last assassination attempt, Megatron decided to make sure that it wouldn't happen again. By what I gathered from Decepticon chatter – behind Megatron's back and quickly silenced whenever he was nearby – Starscream was forced into a sparkbond."

"And Starscream hasn't killed him for that yet?" When everyone turned to look at him, even Prowl seemed surprised by the words that had come out of his vocalizer.

"According to rumour and my own observations, the intended goal was for the other party – selected by Megatron – to keep Starscream's temper in check and stop him from trying anything. So far as they can see, it's working." Mirage paused before adding, "It also goes towards explaining why the Cassetticons have been covering Starscream in battle."

Optimus was almost positive he would be nursing one pit of a headache later. "Soundwave?" he asked, already knowing the answer. Mirage's nod confirmed his suspicions as to the identity of the mech Starscream had been bonded to.

"I also found out something more," the spy added. "Unless I'm completely off-base, from all appearances when not in view of the other Decepticons, they've not only accepted that they're permanently bonded but have embraced the idea... and I think they're plotting to overthrow Megatron together."

"There's no way," Jazz argued. "Soundwave is as loyal to the Decepticon cause as it gets. There's no way he'd ever turn on Megatron!"

"I believe it," Prowl cut in. "I'll admit, I'm just as loyal to our cause as Soundwave is to his, but – with all due respect, sir – if Prime were to force me into a sparkbond with someone, even if I cared for that mech, I'd be the first to shoot him in the back at the first good opportunity."

"From what I could tell, Soundwave hasn't been fully pleased with Megatron's actions in quite some time. I believe the human phrase the straw that broke the camel's back would apply spectacularly well," Mirage commented.

"And you're positive that they didn't notice your presence?" Prowl had to ask. "Soundwave is a noted telepath, after all."

Mirage gave the second in command a dry look. "I doubt they would have spoken so freely or been touching quite as much as they were if they'd known I was there. When I left they were heading back to their room to work out their frustrations in a more enjoyable manner than screaming at the walls, although that may have wound up being included anyway."

Ratchet was the only one who didn't look stunned or embarrassed. "I would say things are going to get very interesting very soon," the medic remarked.

"Why do you say that?"

"Sparkbonded couples have a higher chance of procreation than couples in other forms of bonds due to the need for sparkmerging more often. And I very much doubt either of those two mechs wants to involve an innocent in this war."

When Starscream collapsed during a practice drill, Thundercracker swore silently at himself for keeping quiet about his suspicions. A preliminary scan of his trine mate's systems revealed a marked decrease in his superfluous metals but no decrease in his total mass. As the oldest of the six seekers – as well as the only one old enough to remember the other five as younglings or (in Skywarp and Thrust's cases) sparklings – he knew full well what could cause such a 'problem' with mass displacement.

"I'm going to kill him," he grumbled under his breath as he hauled the half-conscious but still-protesting air commander to the repair bay. Thundercracker settled the younger seeker onto one of the berths and went to drag Hook away from whatever project he was currently working on. When he returned a few minutes later he was surprised and annoyed to see Soundwave hovering by Starscream's side.

The only thing keeping him from following through on his threat to deactivate the mech was the fact that the telepath appeared to be genuinely concerned over his bondmate's health.

Hook took one glance at the second in command and frowned, pulling up files that weren't accessed frequently to better figure out what he was dealing with. "Any theories?" he asked Thundercracker, trusting that a seeker would be more familiar with his own kind's physiology than a ground-based mech could ever hope to.

"Only one," the blue seeker drawled, shooting a vicious glare at Soundwave. "And if that's the case, then someone needs to start explaining fast."

The telepath's visor darkened into a glare of his own, yet any remark he may have been planning was silenced as Starscream rested a hand lightly on his arm. ::Ignore him for the moment,:: the seeker whispered, even his mental voice sounding exhausted. ::Ignore him, and let Hook do his job.::

The Constructicon quirked a brow ridge as the third in command relaxed almost as quickly as he'd seen the seeker do on occasion but didn't say a word. Instead, he began a full diagnostic scan on Starscream's systems and logged any inconsistencies since his last visit to the repair bay. Thundercracker, for his part, was now watching Soundwave more closely, optics narrowed in thought as he rechecked his theory and wondered what would happen to his wing mate now.

"Your systems are showing a heavy drain on your energon stores," Hook finally said after rechecking the data and still not quite understanding what he was looking at. "You've also lost quite a bit of the cosmetic metals from your alt mode although they still register as being part of your total mass. From what I can tell, they're reshaping into another form but I'll be slagged if I can figure out what, exactly, it is."

"It's a protoform shell," Thundercracker cut in, crossing his arms and giving his air commander a questioning look. "On the whole, seekers don't talk about it and we try to keep non-seekers out of the loop whenever possible. I don't have more than primary medical training, so there wasn't any other choice but to bring him here." He glanced back at Hook to add, "If you run a scan on just the protoform shell you'll probably locate a new spark in it."

Hook wasn't pleased with being told how to do his job but followed the advice anyway. When the scan came back confirming Thundercracker's theory, he frowned. "How is this possible? Protoforms are built specifically for a new spark to be implanted in..."

"Not with seekers. We're not even sure why, but our protoforms are created from excess metals found in our spark carrier. Once the outer shell is fully-formed, it begins to develop the characteristics unique to all seeker-builds. But it isn't a pleasant process, which is why," the blue seeker said with a sharp look at Starscream, who had pushed himself up from the berth and was now leaning against his mate, "sparkbonds are generally avoided and sparkmerging isn't practiced unless we intend to have sparklings."

"And you couldn't mention any of that last part sooner?" Starscream asked sarcastically, glaring at his wing mate for a moment before shuttering his optics and resting his head against Soundwave's arm. Ignoring the fact that they weren't alone, he added, "We're going to need to do it soon, Wave."

"Affirmative. It is bad enough that the younglings are at risk," the telepath agreed, also ignoring the looks they were getting from Thundercracker and Hook.

The older seeker seemed to recover from his shock first. "I take it you both plan on disposing of Megatron." He paused a moment, allowing their silent glances to answer his question before adding, "In that case, what do you need us to do?"

Starscream stared at his wing mate for a moment before a sly smile crossed his features. "Loyalty first to family."

"Then to the trine," Thundercracker replied with an answering smirk.

The second in command turned back to his mate. "Megatron no longer has the seekers. The code will guarantee that once TC tells them why I wound up in the repair bay."

"War is no place for a sparkling," Hook added. "I'll make sure the Constructicons stand down when the time comes."

Soundwave allowed a thrum of contentment to slip through the bond and smiled behind his mask when Starscream's own joy answered it. "Soon," he said quietly. "Very soon."

Megatron never saw it coming.

The raid had gone as planned, although he noted that the seekers were regarding him with an unexpected coldness and seemed to be sticking closer to Starscream than they normally did. He wrote it off as some form of seeker paranoia and opted to ignore it until it affected their performance on the mission.

When the Autobots arrived – and they always arrived, no matter where in the world Megatron attacked – his army performed their tasks as efficiently as ever. He watched the battle with a faint smirk, waiting for the opportunity when Prime would show up and he could face the other leader in direct combat. When the two trines abruptly broke off from combat and landed, the supreme commander scowled and opened his mouth to order them back into the sky.

Which is why the shot from behind took him off-guard.

It wasn't a killing blow, just powerful enough to knock him to the ground. The gunformer growled under his breath and pushed himself to his feet, wondering which of his minions had had the audacity to miss their target so completely. He didn't notice that all fighting had stopped until he was standing once more. The seekers were all standing together in a group, Ramjet and Skywarp flanking their commander in a protective manner while the other three were keeping a close optic on the rest of the Decepticons; for whatever reason they weren't viewing the Autobots as any form of threat. Devastator had stopped in his attack, apparently having an argument within his collective mind that ended with the gestalt breaking apart back into the Constructicons so Hook and Scrapper could continue said argument face-to-face with the rest of them looking on.

Megatron turned with a growl, intending to order them back into action, only to be shot a second time and knocked to the ground once more. This time, however, he had a clear view of who had fired on him.

"What is the meaning of this?!" the tyrant snarled, sending a disbelieving glare at what he had until this moment believed was his loyal third in command. Soundwave simply returned the gaze, visor a deep red as he lined up his next shot.

"Enough," the telepath said, a faint note of finality in his voice. "There are lines that are not meant to be crossed. Your actions: unacceptable. Solution: immediate termination."

Megatron sneered. "It seems I miscalculated. Starscream has twisted your loyalties."

"Negative. My loyalties lie in the cause. Megatron: following his own agenda. I can only think of one thing you have done that benefitted anyone aside from yourself since our arrival on this planet." Soundwave retracted his mask and smirked down at his former leader. "It would most probably taken me another thirty vorns to realize how fitting a mate Starscream is. Thank you for that. Good-bye."

The silver mech had no time to react. The final shot of the battle pierced his laser core, and Megatron was dead before he hit the ground.

"Decepticons: retreat."

There was only a brief moment of hesitation in the Decepticon forces before they complied with Soundwave's command. The new leader was Starscream by right, after all, and Soundwave was his bondmate. And having witnessed how easily the new second had killed Megatron, no one wanted to defy him.

That battle marked the beginning of the end to the war. Elita-1 contacted the Ark shortly after that to inform her colleagues that Shockwave and the rest of the Decepticon army on Cybertron had retreated to Kaon, the only indication of why an encoded message that had been sent only hours before. Not more than a week passed before Soundwave sent a message requesting a meeting on neutral ground to discuss the possibility of a permanent ceasefire.

The reason why it was Soundwave, and not Starscream, currently making leadership decisions was made clear when the Constructicons contacted Ratchet directly and requested that he do a full diagnostic on the new Decepticon leader. The CMO agreed, taking First Aid and Swoop along to observe. When the three returned later that day, it was with confirmation that Starscream was not only still functional, but was in stasis to allow his sparkling's protoform shell to finish developing.

Given how long the war had been going, it took quite some time to come to a compromise that both the Autobot and Decepticon factions could agree on. By that point the seekers had resumed living under their honour code which was observed and quickly adopted by the Aerialbots, and it wasn't unusual to see both groups interacting with one another. Once Starscream was out of stasis and had a sparkling to tend to, the flyers began frequenting the Decepticon base more often. While all this was occurring, other Autobots and Decepticons began interacting as well, discovering on occasion that they had views in common with their former enemies. By the time a compromise was reached, there was no longer an obvious divide between what specified an Autobot and what specified a Decepticon.

It was really for the best. After all, war was no place for a sparkling, and Checkmate deserved to grow up in peace.

end