There was no such thing as a fast work day. It all just blended together. The same thing over and over: Monitor any Autobot activity, look for energy spikes, and have Lazerbeak scout for surveillance. It was not so bad, as long as it kept him busy. The only bad thing about it was the control monitor was located in the main deck where Starscream loved to bicker. It would be about anything ranging from a drone's mistake to a flaw in Megatron's plan. There was always something to complain about, just so he could get his attention quota filled for the day. Soundwave dialed down his audio receptors so he would not hear him, but would hear Megatron in case he needed his assistance.

Today was a rare case. The synchronic link between him and Lazerbeak had a twinge in it. The bird was thinking about something and needed to get it off his mind, begging his master to talk to him. Soundwave said to keep it to himself until the work period was over, which was hours from this moment. But the scout was persistent, so Soundwave allowed communication as long as he was not distracted in his duties.

Lazerbeak had said, through their deepest link, far more intimate than mental: I miss them.

And that was it. It was all he needed to say that made Soundwave freeze up and stop his fingers from working. Even his tentacles that plugged into the mainframe stopped uploading data. He noticed it and went back to typing, to get back into the rhythm so Lord Megatron would not notice the change in his posture. Of course, Megatron was busy hearing Starscream's raspy voice protest against Shockwave having full power over Predaking. Shockwave was the only mech suited to train the Predacon, and him alone, and Starscream understood that. What irked him was Shockwave was the only one who could boss him around and if Starscream ever tried to get the dragon to do anything it would snort fire down his thrusters.

In the midst of all of the Seeker's screeching, Soundwave detected a weak signal. Three Decepticons close by. Soundwave was puzzled by the signals. Most within a small range as this were strong. Were these three on the brink of having their sparks snuffed?

Lazerbeak jittered on his chest. Something had him excited. The clatter of metals broke the sound of Starscream's yelling and Soundwave could tell both him and his master were looking at him.

"Get that thing to stay still!" the Seeker hissed.

"Is there something wrong, Soundwave?" Megatron asked in an agitated tone. It was not directed toward Soundwave but merely residual from hearing his second in command continually shout.

Soundwave asked his spy what got him so wound up but Lazerbeak would not answer. He simply told him to go to the Decepticons that were on the screen. The slender mech took a second look at the signals and opened up the wavelength. His spark had either stopped or skipped a few beats because he recognized those signals. Without any warning of what he was doing or where he was headed, Soundwave opened a bridge in the middle of the main deck and ran through. The last he heard was Megatron shouting his name.

On the other side of the bridge lay a forest somewhere in Germany. Lazerbeak sprung from his chest and hovered in front of his master, scanning the surrounding area. Soundwave surveyed each tree, each leaf, and each patch of ground for what he was looking for. His spy buzzed and flew ahead, beating him to it. Soundwave took long strides after his excited symbiote to find the three Decepticons. He lost sight of him but still held on to the alerted signal.

They stopped at a small clearing. The sun made the grass seem like it was glowing. In this middle of this clearing were three black mounds, close together to keep watch over the other. Lazerbeak went ahead and pecked against the mounds. One by one they bloomed. Their limbs stretched and their different colored power conduits onlined. Two were humanoid and one feline. They yawned and looked up at the one who ruined their sleep.

"Lazerbeak…" one said tiredly. The bird chirped and whirred in happiness, tackling the little Decepticon to the ground. The other grabbed Lazerbeak's wing and tugged while the feline was still adjusting to the waking world.

"Where ya been, buddy? You seen the boss anywhere?"

Lazerbeak squawked. Their links had been severed so long ago that they were no longer able to read each other's thoughts. The bird turned to face Soundwave at the edge of the clearing.

Soundwave thought he had finally joined the All Spark. Here were his symbiotes, together at last, after such a long time… Rumble, Frenzy, Ravage, Lazerbeak… Ravage was his oldest. He found her snarling in a back alley, cold and starving and willing to kill anything that looked at her the wrong way. Rumble and Frenzy were found together in the crystalline forests back on Cybertron, when the war had destroyed the Minicon homelands. He offered both of them a home, which they had refused at first until Ravage convinced them Soundwave was a good host model. Lazerbeak was the youngest, stuck in a hole with a broken wing. He was easier to persuade to join their misfit family. He took them all in as a father and they paid him back by proving to be useful and stealthy spies under the Decepticon cause. Of course, they loved getting into trouble. Time and time again they played pranks on the other Decepticon officers. If it had not been for their skillful traits of sabotage and surveillance, Megatron would have ordered them offline a long time ago.

When Soundwave had lost them, it was during a surprise attack from the Autobots. One powerful blast of a mortar separated them. Soundwave and Lazerbeak became unconscious. Rumble, Frenzy, and Ravage surrounded them to protect them, ready and willing to fight until their sparks gave out. The Autobots overwhelmed them, simply kicking them off to the side, scattering them among the battlefield. By the end of it all, Soundwave and Lazerbeak were taken in to a medical bay, leaving the other three confused as to where their master and brother had gone. The continued time away from their host made their links weaker and weaker until, at last, they were alone. They could not hear the warm tone of their master or the soothing sound of his breathing as they slept. No master to protect them. No master to care for them.

Soundwave had gone into a state of depression, struggling to continue his usefulness without his symbiotes. Lazerbeak helped in any way he could. They could never forget their "siblings" and "offsprings." They were a broken family. They tried to find each other but in vain. Soundwave's skills were more needed than ever, leaving him no time to find his lost children. When the time came that they had to leave Cybertron, Soundwave and Lazerbeak gave up. They convinced themselves the others were dead and would have to live on without them. Soundwave, devoted too deeply to them, vowed to stay in silence until he was joined with them in the Well of All Sparks. No one was allowed to hear his voice again, not even Lazerbeak.

And here they were; sitting in a green field on an alien planet, sleeping peacefully by one another. Their red visors and optics looking at him lovingly and with relief. Soundwave crouched to one knee with both arms open to them. The Minicons and panther scrambled to their feet and ran, tripping over each other.

"Boss! You're back! I can't believe we found you!"

The link that was lost suddenly burst open, filling Soundwave with the joyful cries of his little symbiotes. He felt the pain they endured while on Cybertron, searching forever and through each square inch of the planet to get back to him. He felt the sadness and the doubt that they could never return to him. He felt the hope rising as they saw a space bridge suddenly come online, took the risk, and ran through in the blind optimism of finding their master. He felt the happiness as they saw him after these long years and in of all places an alien forest.

Soundwave bent lower, his face almost touching the ground, to let his lost children touch him again, to let them nuzzle and hug him as much as they pleased. Rumble and Frenzy cooed their affections and how much they missed him, how far they traveled to find him, and how close they were to giving up. Ravage purred and rubbed herself against Soundwave with her tail raised high in welcome. Lazerbeak fluttered by them, hoping to find an empty spot to join in on the group hug.

They pulled back, wide smiles on their faces (or lack thereof). Soundwave, for the first time in thousands of years, spoke.

"Prepare for synchronization."

The symbiotes beamed. "Yes, boss!" Rawr! All four transformed, finding their old spots on their master's hide. Rumble and Frenzy to opposite shoulders, Ravage along the back, and Lazerbeak in his ever-present chest. The link buzzed to get itself aligned. Getting four links to harmonize together, especially three of them being so broken through the years, took time. Once it was completed, the twins spoke in their alt. forms. Something Soundwave had not heard in a long time.

"I think I'll stay right here. I don't feel like getting up anymore," Rumble said.

"I hear ya. It's comfy and warm right here. I ain't going anywhere," Frenzy agreed.

Ravage mewed in response.

Through his mask, Soundwave smiled. It was almost too good to seem real. His family had become whole again.

xXx

I totally should've started with this a long time ago. If you guys want more I've already got a story in progress, but in the other one Soundwave built the three Minicons and it starts somewhere after Airachnid joined the boy band and Starscream was still a part of the picture. Go on! Find it! It's called In Hopes to Win.