Chapter Text
“No. I can’t let this happen.”
And he truly, truly can’t, he can see that now. His academy is burning, and his students are-... He can’t allow anyone else to come to harm for his sake. He can’t hurt Orion like this. He makes to step around him, but Orion’s optics flash, and suddenly he is in front of him, pressing something into his hands. “Orion? What-”
But Orion is already turning, facing the grinning enforcer holding the gun to Roller’s head. “You’re taking me instead.”
Both Shockwave and Kroma gape at him. “Sorry, what?” Kroma chuckles confusedly. “The assignment was to get him ,” he juts his chin towards Shockwave, “not some two-bit cop.”
Orion clenches his fists, and his blaster hums with heat. “Some two-bit cop? I remember you,” he bites out, “from the night at the station. You probably remember me from when I nearly extinguished your spark. Your boss probably knows how much trouble I’ve caused.” As he says this, his frame seems to loom larger, and Shockwave sees a hint of fear cross Kroma’s face.
“The Senator barely poses a danger to you or to him. His academy is gone. He has nothing left. He can’t do anything – but me? ” he growls out, and despite the far-off sirens the world seems silent. Shockwave cannot see beneath his mask, but he knows Orion is baring his teeth. “ -I am a threat .”
“So you will take me instead. Or I’ll have to make this very difficult.”
Kroma starts to nod- then catches himself, and scoffs, scrambling to keep the upper hand. “I- fine. It’ll be fun seeing what they do to you, anyways. Now,” he nervously eyes Orion’s blaster, “drop the gun and let’s make our way along here, alright?”
There is a moment of stillness. And then, slowly, without taking his optics off of Kroma, Orion sets down his blaster. He steps towards Kroma, who is grinning like he doesn’t believe it, and this is what snaps Shockwave out of his shock.
“Orion, no! You- you can’t!”
Orion turns back to him, and all the rage and intimidation in his optics is gone. There is only deep, deep sadness, and steely determination. It is then that Shockwave realizes he won’t be able to change his mind.
Orion leans in close to him- and he pushes Shockwave’s hands back and murmurs, “Hold onto this for me, alright?”
Then, his touch slips away and he raises his voice. “It’s okay, Senator. You saved me, once – I’m finally paying back the favor.”
Kroma’s goon snaps the cuffs around Orion’s wrists with a click and Shockwave’s spark sinks at the finality of the sound. He wants to think of something, make some sort of deal, use his political capital or his silver tongue or his looks or money or anything , but his throat is dry, and all he can croak out is a weak, “Orion…”
Orion casts one last gaze back at him, and his mask slides away for just a moment. He is smiling, and it hurts. “Keep going, Shockwave. Don’t let my actions go unseen.”
And- and he’s led away from Shockwave, who feels more powerless than he ever has in his life. “No- where are you taking him?”
Kroma sneers. “I think you probably already know, Senator . Don’t worry, you’ll see him again for sure!”
Shockwave boils with anger and despair, but his view of Orion’s retreating back is blocked suddenly by a huge figure.
“That is, if Anvil here doesn’t accidentally kill you!” Kroma snickers, and then Shockwave feels the air whistle around him before he hits the wall.
It nearly knocks him out right then, but through the static in his vision, he sees Anvil standing over him. “Wish I coulda killed th’other guy, but I’ll settle for breakin’ you.”
He raises his fists and Shockwave flinches, shutting his optics tight in anticipation of-
click.
Both of them pause.
Beep. Beep. Beep beep beep beep-
Shockwave looks down and finally notices what lies in his hands. It’s- the Matrix? The Matrix that Orion gave him, which he had stolen, which was…
Anvil seems to put it together before him, likely due to the increasingly fast beeping coming from the fake Matrix, and starts running.
Shockwave can only stare at it, thinking of Orion. The beeps reach a fever pitch, and in one smooth motion against the protestation of his frame he throws the bomb.
When he wakes up in the smoking rubble of the station, he doesn’t know how long it’s been and his spark seizes up in fear.
He digs through the concrete and metal but cannot find Roller – but he does unearth Chromedome, the other detective, and he shouts at the poor dazed bot, “They took him. The Institute you found, you have to take me there, please, we have to catch them-“ and they are off, Shockwave soaring through the narrow streets and nearly clipping his wings at every corner.
They arrive and it is empty. Shockwave’s flight engines are still roaring, and the sound echoes back at him through the barren hallways. There is not so much as a bloodstain on the floor.
And then… and then.
Shockwave just wants to go home. He wants to lie on his berth and sob and tear everything apart, but there is work to do.
He finds his students. He calls all of them, and many of them are okay but some answer with only white noise, and he feels another piece of his spark flake away. He finds them safehouses. He’ll have to get more permanent places later, and he doesn’t know how he’ll do that but he will. He makes sure Roller and Chromedome get to Ratchet’s clinic, but leaves before Ratchet has a moment away from tending to them to notice him – and notice Orion’s absence. He tries to gather what information he can from his networks, but no one seems to know anything and his frame is feeling heavier by the second.
He flies to the Academy to see if there is anything left for him to salvage. But he sees the flames from afar, and he turns around and finally, finally arrives at his apartment.
He doesn’t bother to check for cameras like he always does. So they will see him stagger to the dispenser and get a cube of energon. So they will see him stare into it for a long minute before setting it down. So they will see him bypass the wash racks despite the grime covering his normally pristine frame, limp to the edge of his berth, and collapse into it like a marionette with its strings cut.
So they will see him cry himself hoarse in the early hours of the morning.
He doesn’t care.
And a week later, Shockwave sees him again.