Silverdust frowned as an alarm rang through the warship. She hurried towards the bridge, nearly making it when she ran straight into someone's back. She fell to the ground, and looked up. Her optics widened at the sight of a familiar red Autobot. His servo was transformed into a blaster, one she knew he didn't have before. She stared at him shock, before finally recognizing that his face that did not recognize hers, and that his blaster was pointed directly at her.

"Heatwave..." she murmured weakly, fighting back tears as she slowly stood up as to not set him off. "You... you're not dead...? But... the explosion... you were hurt... how..."

Heatwave's stoic face did not change and Silverdust heard another blaster charge up behind her. She turned to see a familiar blue mech. She smiled at him sadly. He did not recognize her either.

"State your name", Chase said firmly. She looked away and hugged her arms to herself.

"It matters not who I am."

She heard a faint gasp of shock and blaster powered down before transforming back into a servo.

"Silver...?" Heatwave murmured. "Is that really you?"

Silverdust smiled weakly as she looked up at the mech she fell in love with.

"Where have you been?" she whispered. "It's been five years since the Decepticons took over. So why are you only now showing up?"

Heatwave looked down at the ground, clenching his fists as he glared at the ground. "I would've come for you sooner, but Optimus wanted us to regain our strength."

"He's alive?!" Silverdust cried, staring at Heatwave in shock. Heatwave gave her a small smile.

"As Miko put it, Optimus is 'rad'", Heatwave explained. Silverdust smiled sadly, before hearing blaster fire down the hallway a bit. She whipped around, the metal skirt that now surrounded her legs, swirling out, brushing against Heatwave slightly.

She saw a familiar and yet unfamiliar red and blue mech, and she knew that it was her adoptive sire. She wished so badly to run to him, but she could not. She had to stay here on the ship.

Heatwave grabbed her servo, and tried to pull her along, but she didn't move. She stared at him sadly as he watched her, confusion flitting across his face.

"Silver, let's go", Heatwace said. Silverdust gently tugged her servo away, tears blinding her optics as she took a step back.

"I can't leave", she whispered. "He'll kill me if I do."

Heatwave scoffed. "He won't be able to get to you with me here."

Silverdust shook her head, and took a few more steps back. "You don't understand, Heatwave."

Heatwave frowned. "Then help me understand."

Silverdust shook her helm. "Go. Get out of here with Optimus, and go. I'll be fine."

Heatwave stared at her and she frowned softly. She wanted to go with him so badly but she couldn't. She was stuck here. She whispered to him one last thing before he turned and left.

"Go, my love. I'm sorry I can't be with you right now."

Heatwave turned and ran, casting one last glance behind him to look at the femme that had changed in the five years he hadn't seen her. He wanted to know why she couldn't go with, but she refused to tell him. And it frustrated him not knowing.

Silverdust watched as the red mech left with his friend and his leader, before turning away and walking back to her quarters. However, there was someone waiting for her there.

"The Autobots did not harm you, did they, my daughter?" Megatron asked. Silverdust shook her helm.

"No, Sire. I am unharmed", she murmured. Megatron smirked.

"That is good. I wouldn't want you to be harmed the day before your betrothed finally takes you to be his sparkmate", Megatron smiled maliciously, and Silverdust fought back the tears that threatened to fall.

"Yes, Sire. It is very good that I am unharmed. Soundwave would be disappointed if I did not look my best."

Megatron nodded and allowed his daughter to pass into her room. Before she could close the door, he stopped her.

"Do not disappoint me, my daughter."

Silverdust gave her sire a smile, or attempted to. "I will not fail you, Sire."

"Good", Megatron said and finally allowed Silverdust to be alone. She slid down to the floor, her skirt sliding soundlessly against the floor. She sobbed silently, fearing the wrath of her sire if he found her crying. He refused to allow her to show emotions unless they aligned with his. She managed to keep the bond between the closed, even with all of Megatron's poking and prodding and prying to let him in.

'Heatwave's alive', she thought to herself. 'He came for me...'

Silverdust curled in on herself, smiling softly. 'He's alive... how is he alive...? That doesn't matter. What matters is that he's still alive.'

Silverdust couldn't help but let out a happy giggle. The love of her life was alive! Her smile fell as she thought of what was to come tomorrow. She sighed and curled into herself softly. She was betrothed to Soundwave. She was going to have a sparkmate soon, and it wasn't the mech she wanted it to be. But she couldn't defy her sire's orders.

She shuddered at the thought of the first, and the last time she tried to defy him. She knew he would do much worse than what he had before if she defied him again.

'Oh, Heatwave... if only you could understand... but I would never be given enough time to explain it to you.'

A knock sounded at the door. She wiped away any remaining residue of tears, and stood. Aligning the metal that formed her skirt, she hesitantly opened the door to see her betrothed standing there. She smiled weakly at him.

"Soundwave", she greeted. "How may I help you?"

Her voice was calm and polite, but inside she just wanted to punch that visor into small bits. Soundwave remained silent for a moment, before replaying an audio recording of Megatron's voice.

"Keep an optic on my daughter", Megatron said. "I fear she is afraid of what is to come tomorrow."

Silverdust sighed and allowed the lithe Decepticon into her room. She sat on the berth, and fiddled with the bits of armor that lined her wrists.

"You do not wish to be my sparkmate", an unfamiliar voice spoke softly. Silverdust looked up and saw Soundwave had taken his visor off. His optics shone a light purple. Silverdust gave him a weak smile.

"Of course I want to be your sparkmate. What gives you the impression that I do not?" Silverdust winced at the words that came out of her mouth, but forced them to come out. She knew this had to be some test set up by Megatron.

Soundwave sighed softly and sat next to her, staring at the visor that he held in his servos.

"Megatron will never hear this conversation. That is why I took my visor off. It is my connection to the rest of the ship and what collects the most information", he said softly.

"How can I be sure you aren't lying?" Silverdust asked softly. Soundwave smiled softly.

"You can't. You will have to take my word for it. I understand if you do not trust me. I am your sire's communications officer, after all."

"He trusts you the most", Silverdust whispered. "So I do not understand why you are speaking to me now about what is going to inevitably happen tomorrow."

Soundwave smiled softly. "I do not wish to force you to be my sparkmate. While you are pleasing to the optic, it is not right, especially when your spark already belongs to another."

Silverdust turned to face Soundwave, shock written all over her face. "How do you know about that?!"

Soundwave chuckled softly. "I was there when you confessed how you felt to him. And he came to rescue you today, did he not?"

Silverdust smiled softly as her mind goes back to the red mech she loved. "He did. I only wish I could've gone with him."

Her servo raised to gently touch the circlet that surrounded her helm. She felt the heat that came from the small energon shard in the center and let her servo fall into her lap, a sad sigh escaping her mouth. Soundwave gently took her servo, causing her to look at him.

"I promise I will get you back to him. Even at the cost of my own spark", Soundwave murmured. Silverdust's optics widened.

"Why are you doing this? If my sire found out, he will kill both you and me."

Soundwave smiled at her and gently cupped her cheek in his servo.

"No one deserves to be away from their loved ones. I know that better than anyone." Soundwave let his servo drop, and he looked to the ground.

"What do you mean?"

Soundwave tried to smile, but it was a weak attempt and it disappeared quickly. "Megatron killed all of my symbiotes. All except for Laserbeak, who was not killed because of her usefulness."

Silverdust frowned. "What were the others like?"

"Frenzy and Rumble were constantly arguing but they did their job well, even if they didn't get along. They were twins.  Ratbat was quiet, like Laserbeak, and liked to be alone. He was hard to find most of the time since he could fit into places others couldn't. And then Ravage... Ravage was the one who kept them all on task. He was their leader, I suppose you could say. He was the only one the other listened to aside from me."

Silverdust smiled as he spoke. "They sound nice. Why did Megatron kill them?"

Soundwave grimaced. "He was worried I would use them to overthrow him."

Silverdust frowned. "Would you have?"

"Then? No. Now? Yes. He does not deserve to be a leader. He is destructive, and is killing off innocent life."

Silverdust smiled softly and gently rested her servo on his shoulder. "We will stop him one day. I promise."

Soundwave smiled and got up to leave. Silverdust followed him to the door before stopping in shock.

"Wait... did you say one of your symbiotes name was Ravage?"

Soundwave paused, and looked back at her. He nodded once.

"Does he look like a cat? Similar to an Earth lion?"

Soundwave nodded again, and Silverdust beamed at him. "He's not dead! I... I ran into him when I was still on Griffin Rock... but... he works for Megatron. I don't know if he remembers you..."

Soundwave froze, and didn't move for a while. Silverdust watched, unsure of what he was doing. When he relaxed, a peaceful smile was on his face.

"He's alive. He remembers me. He's going to meet me at my quarters."

Silverdust smiled and gently showed him to the door. "Better get going then. You have a reunion with someone important to you."

Soundwave nodded and put on his visor, before disappearing out of her room and down the hallway. Silverdust smiled and went back to her berth.

The love of her life was alive, and she finally had someone who could become a good friend. Someone who would help her get off this ship. Someone who would help her be with Heatwave again.

A large smile fell across her face, and she fell backwards, closing her optics. For the first time in five years, Silverdust slept without nightmares of her family dying at the hands of her sire.