Author's Notes: After seeing the preview for 'Armada', this had to be written. I'm not planning on continuing this unless the episode really inspires me. Watch out for the G1/Movie shoutouts.

Universe: Prime

Characters: Megatron and Soundwave

Summary: Prime dark!fic. Megatron comes to terms with the fact that Soundwave is dying in his arms and there is nothing either of them can do about it.

The End of All Things

The water dripped to the floor in time to the pulse of Soundwave's dying spark, echoing throughout the cavern they were hiding in.

It was such a small injury, made by such a small weapon. It wasn't even meant for him.

Soundwave was propped up against Megatron, limp against the gladiator while in a sitting position. Both their hands tried to hold the wound closed, but their blood was so highly compressed in their bodies it had only slowed the flow.

With his free hand, Megatron absently traced the contours of Soundwave's faceplate and of his shoulders. It reminded him that Soundwave was real. When Soundwave had still been aware enough to move, mild protests had been in order. Now Soundwave existed in the border between life and death. He didn't care.

When the Nemesis had been brought down, Megatron had known it was going to be different. The crash had killed everyone who wasn't a flier – Knock Out had only escaped because he had been on patrol. Then the Insecticon horde took out their fliers.

The Decepticons went into hiding, biding their time until they could take out the Insecticons. Then the horde started going after the humans. They seemed to enjoy eating everything. Including humans. Rubble was left where cities once were.

In short, it was the apocalypse.

Megatron had expected the Autobots to emerge from their bunker, but it seemed the Insecticons had gotten to them too.

Dreadwing was the first to go. Arachnid found one of their bases and while they had evacuated, he wired the whole base to explode. But she had locked him in the base and blown the whole thing into the sky.

Megatron shifted his grip, feeling Energon pool from the wound. He gave it another look.

It was so small. Barely a human foot wide. Arachnid's leg had done the deed, slicing open Soundwave's body, right above his hip and ripping open one of two main Energon lines. Megatron was no scientist, but judging from the amount of Energon on their bodies and the ground, Soundwave had lost almost half the Energon in his body.

Then Knock Out had died. He hadn't been the same since Breakdown's death, and after Dreadwing's demise, Megatron had channeled every ounce of his will and charisma into forcing the medic to survive another day.

They wandered the North American continent aimlessly, refugees on a wasteland. Half a year after Dreadwing's death. Nine months since the horde had taken down the Nemesis.

Most of the humans regarded them as something out of their religious texts. It helped that he and Soundwave weren't cars and Knock Out refused to transform. Soundwave told him they were passing through a place that had once been called Chicago.

Knock Out had been dragging, Megatron had been pushing and Soundwave had been trying to figure out where to go from Chicago.

Megatron had been so preoccupied with reviving the medic's dead spirit, he'd barely noticed the fact that some of the humans had started following them around. Thankfully these humans understood who the enemy was and didn't try to kill them.

During their last night in Chicago, Arachnid found them and nearly trapped all three of them in the underground tunnels. The Insecticons had descended on the humans, consuming all but one.

Knock Out had snapped, and that breach of sanity had saved their lives. Megatron, Soundwave and the human had escaped the tunnels, and Arachnid was missing a few legs now.

Soundwave trembled. Megatron rested his free hand on the spymaster's shoulder in a show of comfort. Perhaps some vestiges of Soundwave's telepathy remained and he could sense what Megatron was thinking about. That was a path Soundwave did not want to travel down again.

Then they had gotten captured.

It was not the quick death Megatron had anticipated. Arachnid still lived for the hunt. And the synth-Energon she had discovered in the wreckage of the Nemesis only aggravated her sadistic tendencies.

She hadn't had the opportunity to do anything to Megatron before an unexpected rescue.

Thanks to Starscream.

The Seeker had managed to worm his way back into Megatron's good graces by getting them out alive, though both he and Starscream believed a part of Soundwave's mind was still in Arachnid's lair.

Arachnid, high on synth-Energon and still angered by her defeat at Soundwave's hands so long ago, had killed Laserbeak and dismembered the human as Soundwave was forced to watch.

Megatron hadn't been told the human's name. It hadn't seemed like something important. But Laserbeak had been a great asset to the cause.

But their deaths had broken something inside of Soundwave. Starscream had seen the whole thing. He had described how Laserbeak had remained silent, knowing what his death would do to Soundwave's mind if he gave it any sound to imprint on. But the human had cried out for Soundwave, screaming as Arachnid tore him apart mere inches from Soundwave.

For the next two months, it had just been the three of them. Megatron found himself relying more on Starscream than Soundwave, ironically. For Energon and security and stability.

But it had been Starscream's emerging from hiding that spelled his death. The Insecticons had gotten to him in the air while flying recon. There hadn't been anything left to fall to the Earth.

Who was it, keeping Soundwave alive? The spymaster's hand was there, certainly, but he had lost the strength (or will) to keep it there long ago. Megatron's hand had joined his when it slipped.

"Soundwave?"

Soundwave acknowledged as best he could, trying to incline his head toward Megatron. Just that little movement made Energon begin to gush from the wound.

"Do you wish to die?"

Soundwave was silent.

Once Starscream died, Megatron turned all his energy toward making sure Soundwave survived. Soundwave had never dealt with attention well, and he seemed to draw further into himself as Megatron pushed him to live.

Megatron would not have it. He would not have another solder – Soundwave – die on him.

For the longest time, the spymaster showed no signs of improvement. Months had gone by since their capture when Soundwave finally reawakened.

They had been scouting an abandoned Energon mine. This one.

He had turned his back for one second.

He heard the impact, Arachnid's surprised gasp and the Energon splatter on the floor.

The blow had been intended to sever his spinal struts. But Soundwave had jumped just so, and been hit in just the wrong place. He crumpled to the ground before Megatron turned around.

Megatron chased Arachnid off, to put it lightly. She wouldn't be coming back soon, synth-Energon or no.

Fluttering wings jolted Megatron out of his recollections.

They were coming for him.

Soundwave stiffened; he heard them as well. He struggled, trying to sit up completely.

"You can't." Megatron said simply. As Soundwave moved, Energon poured from the cut line, staining both their bodies a glowing blue.

Ever obedient, Soundwave stopped, but the Energon would not stop flowing. Megatron clamped his hand down harder, but released the pressure when Soundwave jerked away.

The Insecticons were getting closer.

Soundwave inclined his head to the opening of the mine. Megatron could transform and escape. Without even thinking, his blade ejected.

He wasn't going to be running any longer. He knelt at Soundwave's side. Even without physical contact, he could sense Soundwave's spark fading. The Energon flow was beginning to stop.

"Megatron-" his voice was quiet now. He hadn't spoken in nearly a year.

"Rest, warrior." He put his hand on Soundwave's arm and waited a moment before correcting himself. "Soundwave."

He sensed Soundwave's death as only someone who knew, really knew, Soundwave could. The eerie stillness…the silence.

Soundwave was quiet. This was silence.

Megatron's hand rested on Soundwave's arm for another moment. Then he stood, readying his blade.

"Let them come," he said to the empty air.