Soundwave's transmission cut through the static of Nathan's internal comms like a serrated pulse.
[ STATUS: Blackout has failed. The data-harvest was structurally interrupted. However, Frenzy has secured a critical lead. ]
[ DIRECTIVE: Rendezvous with Barricade and Frenzy. Ensure no further operational 'accidents' occur. ]
Assist Barricade and Frenzy? Nathan's processors whirred with strategic simulations. According to the established sequence, Barricade should currently be hunting the human designated 'LadiesMan217' across the global data-web.
"I wonder how far they've gotten," Nathan mused, his optics flickering. "Have they flagged the Sector 7 archives yet?"
He knew better than to question a Commander-class unit. For now, Soundwave was his primary benefactor, and in the Decepticon hierarchy, you didn't bite the hand that fed you Raw Energon.
[ QUERY: Lord Soundwave, provide localized coordinates for Lord Barricade. ]
[ RESPONSE: Coordinates: ****. He awaits you. But first, return to the Nevada stronghold. ]
[ QUERY: Have you established a link with the Air Commander? ]
[ RESPONSE: Affirmative. Starscream has 'consented' to your secondary deployment. Return and finalize your local status. ]
[ ADDENDUM: Starscream is operating under the influence of a high-tier Cybertronian entity. Identify this benefactor. ]
Nathan felt a spike of static in his sensors. The Fallen. Soundwave had been on Earth for less than seventy-two hours and was already closing in on the shadows of the Primes. It was a sobering reminder: having the Decepticon Spymaster watching you was a heavy burden to carry.
Nevada: The Connors Canyon Base.
When Nathan landed at the hidden entrance, he intercepted a flight squadron returning from a high-altitude patrol. The leader was a familiar signature: T-19.
"T-22?" T-19 stammered, his optics widening as he scanned the dense, reinforced frame of the Seeker standing before him. "How... your energy signature has reached Veteran-Tier. What happened?"
Nathan offered a thin, mechanical smile. He didn't explain the transmutation. Starscream wouldn't bother explaining high-level logistics to a group of Mid-tier grunts, and neither would he. Every Cybertronian frame emitted a specific frequency—a mechanical pheromone of rank—and T-19 knew he was looking at a superior.
"It has been a productive cycle, T-19," Nathan said, his voice now a resonant, textured baritone. "And my designation has been retired. From this point forward, in the official registry, I am Skygnaw."
Skygnaw. It was a name he had fashioned from his own identity—aggressive, predatory, and sentient. To the common ranks, he was Nathan; but to the Empire, he was a soul with a name.
Under Skygnaw's calm, crimson gaze, T-19 visibly faltered. The power gap was no longer a theory; it was a physical weight. Slowly, the squadron leader lowered his head-casing.
"Lord Skygnaw."
"Accepted," Nathan replied. He didn't linger. In the Decepticon pits, kindness was an Autobot defect. Respect was taken, never given.
As he walked past, the base doors hissed open. T-19 watched the closing plates with a sense of profound displacement. Only days ago, they had been equals. Now, a High-Tier warrior stood between them.
The base was quiet, the disappearance of T-24 having caused no ripples in the cold logic of the garrison. Nathan entered the primary incubation chamber, where Starscream was hunched over a cluster of pulsating organic pods.
"T-22? Ah, wait," Starscream turned, his voice dripping with theatrical mockery. "The grunts tell me I should address you as Skygnaw now? A bold move for a drone."
Nathan bowed, his sensors reading Starscream's erratic thermal output. "T-22 or Skygnaw, I remain an instrument of your will, Lord Starscream."
"Hmph. At least you haven't forgotten the origin of your core logic." Starscream kicked a screeching hatchling away from his pedes. "You are lucky. You happened to be in the extraction zone when Soundwave arrived today."
Nathan remained silent, noting the slip. 'Arrived today.' Starscream believed Soundwave had just breached the atmosphere. He had no idea the Spymaster had been observing him in secret for three days.
"Since Soundwave saw fit to waste Raw Energon on a Seeker and requested your assistance in the search for Megatron, I have granted his request," Starscream sneered, a jagged grin splitting his faceplates. "Let him do my work. He is refining my elite guard for free!"
"I understand, Lord Starscream," Nathan replied smoothly. "The moment the Spymaster secures a lead on NBE-1, you will be the first to receive the data-packet."
Lie to the liar. Spy on the spy.
"Excellent!" Starscream turned back to his pods.
Nathan exited the chamber and headed toward the far end of the corridor—Scalpel's laboratory. Starscream was too arrogant to offer gear; he saw his subordinates as disposable tools. Soundwave, however, knew that a sharp knife needed a handle.
"I'm here for the ordnance, Doctor," Nathan rumbled as he stepped into the lab.
He needed every advantage. He was heading into the field with Barricade, and eventually, they would cross paths with the yellow scout. Bumblebee wasn't just a messenger; he was a veteran killer who had been crushing Decepticon sparks since the Fall. If the stakes got high enough for the Skygnaw to show its teeth, Nathan wanted to make sure they were made of the strongest alloy possible.