Oneshot: White Wilderness

[silberstreif]

Title: White Wilderness

Continuity: G1
Characters: Soundwave, Frenzy, Rumble, OC (human)
Rating: PG
Prompt: "White Wilderness" (7th December Advent Challenge tf_speedwriting)
Warnings&Beta: none
Note: Part of the Soundwave's campaign verse, but can be read as a standalone too.

Summary: There is too much snow. And Rumble and Frenzy. Soundwave really doesn't like this mission, but he marches on.

White Wildness

"I hate it here," muttered Frenzy.

Next to him Rumble nodded vigoroulsy. "Worse than Rahlas here, really."

Which was really something, considering that Rahlas had been a lava planet with sentient very hot beings that hated Cybertronians. Rahlas had been black and read and dirty. It still was called on both sides of the Cybertronian was "the pit" for very good reasons.

"Slag!"

"Rumble!"

Soundwave didn't want to turn around. He really didn't, but then they were his symbionts and they were made out of metal and the snow was over two metres thick, which resulted occasionally in this: One of them getting stuck in the snow up to their breast plates with a very unhappy scowl on their face.

Frenzy next to him was meanwhile laughing his face off, when he realised that his twin was safe.

The scowl deepened.

"Rumble: Can free himself?" asked Soundwave, but was already walking back to them.

"Obliviously not, boss." The little cassette crossed his arms. "It's sticky and ruining my finish!"

Soundwave grapped him by his shoulders and hauled him out of the white trap. "Snow: Frozen water," he said.

"That makes it just worse!" Rumble frantically tried to get the snow of. "We're living metal, that means I will rust!"

"Rust: Extremely low risk."

"But it's possible!" And by now Frenzy had stopped laughing and looked uneasily around.

Not that there was much to see in Sibiria. There was a few trees, sky and endless plains full of white, cold snow. Not that Cybertronians felt the cold, they could survive in space after all, but all the frozen water made them instinctively uneasy. Soundwave looked back to his cassettes. They were small, but being on this planet where everything was tiny he had forgotten that they were fragiler. Now he remembered old tales of mechs being frozen in ice for millenia; strong, big mechs that were so much stronger than his twins.

Soundwave suddenly just wanted to finish his mission and return to their quarters inside the Nemesis.

"Rumble, Frenzy: Follow," he said and began to walk on. His bulk did move most of the snow aside, creating a path of the cassettes.

For a moment, Soundwave regretted, that he couldn't take the inside himself, where they would be safe, but his breast plate had frozen shut a few miles ago, locking his other cassettes in and them out.

Just why humans lived here permanently, was outside of Soundwave's understanding. This environment was been deadly for them, and as far as he was informed they did feel the cold – which should be big enough of a warning to not settle here. But they had. Worse, their subject had had felt compelled to do his research here, at the very edge of nothing but ice. Again, as so often in the last decaorns, Soundwave found himself wondering if humanity had a not so well hidden wish to extinguish itself.

Finally, a small hut appeared at the horizon. It was entirely made out of wood,with a slanting roof, and only one, tiny window. The snow was covering the house and the area, nearly hiding it competely. Really, it was a sad excuse for a home, Soundwave thought and couldn't help but wonder if the human really lived here by his own free will. But then, he had heard that humans had lived in flimsy things made of skin or in holes in the ground – for centuries.

"Is that it?" grumbled Frenzy behind him. "Expected more."

"Yeah, he doesn't even have a car!" added Rumble.

"Or like anything! I mean, is there even a street? This is fragging barbaric, no technology at all."

Rumble snorted. "He's one of those environmentalists, maybe he went green or retro or whatever it's called."

"Stupid, that's it's called."

Soundwave couldn't really disagree with them. It was as if humans just didn't want to believ their own fragility, that yes coldness and snow and ice can kill them just as fast as giant alien roboter could. But they had even trouble to understand the later, so Soundwave didn't expect much when he knelt down, and knocked on the door. No doubt the human had noticed their approach already – a giant like Soundwave wasn't silent by any measure and Frenzy and Rumble, well, were Frenzy and Rumble and that meant loud.

For a long moment, nothing happened, then there was a very quiet shuffle and the door opened a bit: "Yes?" asked a male human with greying hair and grey eyes, that were wide with fear. He was careful to hide most of his body behind the door, not that it would've mattered, but it was a good sign of survival instinct. And that meant common sense. Soundwave was pleased that their subject was already proving surperior to most other humans he had met.

"Designation: Doctor Schwarz?" asked Soundwave politely, when the human nodded, he continued: "Designation: Soundwave." He pointed to the cassettes. "Designations: Rumble, Frenzy."

Introduction meant conversation, which meant no outright killing. Predictably, the human relaxed a bit: "Nice to meet you..."

"Reason for visit: Question about cetacea."

The doctor blinked once, twice. "About my whales? Oh, yes, of course... but why?"

"Humans: Complicated. Missing the obvious."

Now, the good doctor looked intrigued and his fear was replaced with curiosity. "I see, yes. Can I just fetch something warm? And then we can talk..." He stopped, remembering something important: "You will not kill me after this talk?"

"No," answered Soundwave truthfully. Not that it would've mattered what he had planned, he would've said "no" every single time. A perfect example of common sense in Soundwave's book.

But the human smiled in relief and went inside to get his jacket. So he was just a bit more intelligent that the other humans. Pity.

The Decepticons used the waiting time to clean a small area in front of the house from the snow. After a few more complaints about the snow, the water and the planet, Dr. Schwarz joined them. Soundwave notived with approval that their was metal beneath his jacket – a weapon. Useless, yes, but common sense. Dr. Schwarz's rating improved again.

"Thanks for the help with the snow." He looked around in real appreciation. "I thought I wouldn't be able to leave my home soon..."

"Snow: disliked," said Soundwave and Frenzy added a "pit, disliked doesn't cover it at all!"

Dr. Schwarz just nodded. "I see. This white Wilderness as they call it here, isn't for everyone. You said you wanted to ask about whales?"

"Affirmative." Soundwave frowned. "Living here: Unadvisable."

The human stared for a moment, then nearly laughed. "Yes, I guess it is." He pointed to the white expanse behind the house. "But the sea is near and I can do one of a kind research here."

Soundwave followed the hand and only saw more snow – until he checked with his maps and realised that this was indeed the Atlantic ocean. Just frozen and covered in even more snow.

Beside him Frenzy looked sick and Rumble cursed very colourfully.

"Understood now," said Soundwave only. "Question: Why do humans believe whales to be non-sentient?"

Dr. Schwarz shrugged. "Well, there is no proof yet of real intelligence..."

"Dr. Schwarz: published otherwise."

The human looked on the ground, then he sighed. "Yes, I did, but... I guess I just read to much into it." He looked up, uncertainy in every line of his body. "But why are you asking?"

Before Soundwave could answer, Rumble beat him to it: "'cause the boss' new friends are all whales, and he really doesn't like what they told him about their treatment by the humans."

"Yeah," added Frenzy with a nasty grin. "You humans really pissed him off."

Dr. Schwarz gaped at them, then he slowly looked at Soundwave. "Are you saying you're talking to them? Really talking?"

"Soundwave: Sings. Whales: Sing back."

"But-but you understand them?!" Dr. Schwarz looked as if he was seconds away from a heartattack.

"Affirmative."

"... and you're an alien." He glanced at the purple sign, caution obvious. "A Decepticon. And you care." The human breathed. Once. Twice. Then: "Tell me all about it." A sharp klick from Frenzy let him add a "Please."

That sounded promising. "Soundwave: Wants information as well."

Dr. Schwarz laughed, and the utter joy was even apparent to the aliens. "Soundwave, if you have proof for the on theory I was called a pariah for for over a decade, I tell you everything you want to know."

"Deal." answered Soundwave,

The doctor's smile became a bit sadder. "This is the best Christmas present in years."

Which caused his cassettes sing into a ridiculous human song that began with "Jingle Bells," something. He loved them, but gifted singers they were not. Ravage would bite them for this performance. Thankfully, the human didn't seem to mind as he hummed along.

Soundwave slowly relaxed. Maybe, the trip wasn't as bad an idea as he had tought. And maybe some humans weren't utterly self-destructive.

He looked over the white expanse around them, that glittered in the sunlight, with it's blue shadows and decided that Rumble had been wrong. This wasn't "the pit" by a long shot.

Comments

[rose0mary.livejournal.com]

*snickers*

I was wondering when you'd get back to Soundwave's campaign.

Yep. Humans defy understanding - and I'm glad Soundwave has gotten out of the Nemesis, even if he does need to take his cassettes with him.
Rumble and Frenzy locked out? The others stuck inside? It does make it easier to keep an optic on everyone.

Smart human - even if he is fragile and short-lived.
This is one man Soundwave can respect (and might be willing to be used as a puppet so long as the voice of the whales gets heard by humans round the world - but only if his actions are going to help the whales).

...?...

I think I just confused myself with the above sentence.

I liked this - Dr. Schwarz isn't afraid of what Soundwave might do to him, (yet still takes sensible precautions) but is more concerned about 'his' whales and really enjoys hearing confirmation of something he's always expected.

The banter between Rumble, Frenzy and Soundwave is cute - there's no other word that fits.

[silberstreif.livejournal.com]

Soundwave's campaign in still on the "work on it when you've got time" roster. ^^ I love the idea too much to let go.

Soundwave is sneaky here. He's got a plan. ^^

Definitely made things easier - but I also think in a way more annoying for poor Soundwave. Ravage would be so much easier to handle than his twins.

Puppet is a good idea... ;) I would say that the human will go enthusastically along with Soundwave's plans.

As much as I love TFs, I can't make *all* of humanity suicidal... no matter how much it sometimes seems to be the truth. Watching the news really is sometimes a test of faith. ;)

Thanks! I just love those three.

[neverminetohold.livejournal.com]

Soundwave doesn't seem to realize that we humans have this craving - and need to proof that we can do it - to subdue the Earth. If there is a place we can go and something that can be done, it will be done. That's man's nature. - And, to be fair, at least in the TF movies, we humans do quite alright dealing with overpowering Decepticons ^.^

I love the 'fun in the snow' - parts (even though the cassette's are anything but amused XD), and how Soundwave goes out of his way in the first place to gather information about the whales.

I spotted some small mistakes - no wonder, what with speedwriting pressure:

It still was called on both sides of the Cybertronian was "the pit" for very good reasons. - I think it should be "It was still called, by both factions of Cybertronians, "the pit" and for a very good reason." - Sorry, that messes quite a bit with the original structure of the sentence ^_^"

Soundwave regretted, that he couldn't take the/THEM inside himself...

forgotten that they were fragiler - I'm pretty sure "fragiler" doesn't exist. Rather "more fragile"...? Or prone to?

This environment was been deadly for them - This environment was deadly for them.

Hope that helps! I would love to read more in this 'verse! :)

[silberstreif.livejournal.com]

Holy, warum habe ich hier noch nicht geantwortet?!!

Erstmal, DANKE. :D

Yeah, Soundwave really doesn't understand several things here. But the poor mech is an alien and he just see humans as illogial at best.

About humans overpowering TFs... I don't think that if we keep the technological standard shown in the TFs that humanity has the slightest of chances. (I've really thought about this XD. Sooner or later I will write a fanfic about it... )
Mmh. Or rather: Humanity's changes would depend on what the TFs want to do with earth.

^^ I wanted to keep this light.

Thanks for spotting the mistakes. I'll correct them. :)

There will probably more in 2014... When I've got more time. <.