Ugh. Who told him? It was Smokescreen, wasn’t it?
Soundwave sends a confirmation ping from the throwaway frequency he’s been using and thinks. He wasn’t going to allow any Megatrons to try, mostly because of those helpful things, but… he’s seen some pretty nasty stuff as well, and there’s that Void card he heard about. Imagine separating Megatron’s spark from his frame and getting it trapped in a bottle, or a box, or something like that. It’d solve an awful lot of problems, wouldn’t it?
…He’ll wait and see if Megatron has anything else to say.
Not knowing anything of the severity of these cards, Megatron figures that he’s been through and shrugged off enough magic in the past. Surely it can’t do any harm that couldn’t be reversed…
And as far as he knows, he’s on better terms with this Soundwave. Not good terms, not by a long shot. But better. He hasn’t forgotten their agreement.
::Alright then. Although, if I am to draw one for myself, I’m afraid you’ll have to come to me. My fuel “disagrees” with your atmosphere.::
[[Perhaps you shouldn’t be fueling on it, then.]]
He managed to cut the thought off before the word coward slipped out of his mind and into Megatron’s, but not before he had the thought at all. Damnation. Well, if Megatron knew it was him and still wanted to risk drawing, that was fine.
[[Very well. He will go to you… but you must provide a location as barren as this one, come alone, and leave all other tainted mechs and objects behind.]] If he catches one whiff of his alternate or that vile substance, all deals are off – and he might just try to finish the job Bumblebee didn’t. [[Has he made himself clear?]]
He wanted to snap back, to explain how wrong Soundwave was. Energon, dark energon, what he fueled with didn’t matter. The corruption was systematic, spreading to whatever new fuel he consumed. He could drink nothing but the purest mid-grade and it wouldn’t make a Pit-damned difference! But, arguing wouldn’t get him much farther, either. This version of Soundwave had no reason to believe a word he said, after all. Megatron wondered briefly why he didn’t feel the same.
The place he chooses is a spot deep underground, an abandoned mine that has yet to be re-excavated. As a result, energon crystals erupt from the ground and hang from the ceiling, massive chandeliers lighting the cavern with their blue glow. Apart from them, there is nothing above or below ground for miles. He’s given a message to his own spymaster to follow to his coordinates if he does not return in an hour. When the portal swirls open, Megatron opens his arms as if to greet an old friend.
“Welcome back, Soundwave. What a pleasure to see you again in person. I assume the feeling is not mutual.”