If the Decepticons' Communications Officer felt any emotion regarding this strange request – surprise, horror, revulsion, or amusement – no one present could detect any sign of it. It wasn't simply because his mask and visor hid any facial expressions – he betrayed no reaction whatsoever, not so much as a twitch of a finger or the slump of a shoulder. His fans didn't even speed up a notch, a sure sign of heightened emotion in most Cybertronians.

Somehow, the lack of reaction only unnerved Glory all the more. At least the other mechs assigned to this duty had been up front in their distaste for it, and after dealing with the likes of Galvatron she felt she could handle fits of temper. But with Soundwave, one never knew where they stood… which was probably the way he preferred it.

Shockwave, meanwhile, didn't seem perturbed in the slightest. But then, Shockwave had always been the sort who simply pushed forward with what he felt was the most logical course of action, figuring that they could face the consequences if and when they arose.

"Request denied," Soundwave said at last, voice as monotone as ever.

"This situation would only be temporary," Shockwave replied, going on with his explanation as if his officer hadn't even spoken. "We are in the process of finding permanent homes for all the sparklings recovered from the Autobots, but until then they require temporary placement. We determined you to be a suitable candidate."

"Request denied," Soundwave repeated, still in the same tone. "Duty to Decepticon cause paramount. Cannot take on care of a sparkling at this time."

"It's only for a few days," Glory countered. "A week tops. Please… the sparklings have been through so much already. All we ask is a safe place for this one to stay until we can find a home for him."

Soundwave regarded her a moment, and not for the first time she wondered if he was giving her the same look she'd received from so many Decepticons lately – the baffled look of one wondering just how someone as freshly upgraded as her could have the gall to give orders. But his words were addressed to both of them.

"Re-establishment of Academy: suggested."

"A suggestion I must overrule," Shockwave replied. "As Decepticon Commander I no longer have the time to maintain an organization such as the Academy. The sparklings need to be placed in permanent homes, but until we find suitable placement for them they still need to be placed under responsible guardianship. You were listed as a competent caretaker, and as such we ask you to take on the sparkling designated Echo."

Soundwave was silent at that, long enough for Glory to start to fidget where she stood. Well, at least he hadn't suggested the little ones be upgraded immediately like Hook had. Even Shockwave agreed with her that none of the sparklings were ready for an immediate upgrade – and in a time of relative peace, such a rushed upgrade was wholly unnecessary anyhow.

The blue mech's gaze finally dropped to the subject of their conversation – a bronze sparkling with touches of green on the edges of his armor, clinging to Shockwave's leg like a space barnacle. Echo was shorter and blockier than most of the other sparklings, with wide amber optics and a simple squared-off helm. He couldn't seem to muster the courage to look Soundwave in the optic, and kept his optics fixed on the floor at his feet.

"I would not ask this of you if there were alternatives," Shockwave explained, his tone cool and matter-of-fact even as his hand came down to rest on Echo's helm. "But the bulk of the Decepticon forces are still in the process of returning to Cybertron, and few have managed to settle properly. Until we find suitable candidates who have found stable homes on the planet, we must place the sparklings with those already situated."

"Officers," Soundwave responded. For the Decepticon officers and the few mechs remaining on Chaar had been the first to find permanent homes on Cybertron, that they might prepare the way for the rest of their kind who had fled to the far reaches of the galaxy after Unicron's attack had shattered their Empire. Glory didn't doubt that there were plenty of mechs among the returning Decepticons who would be perfectly happy to take in an orphaned sparkling… but none of those mechs were properly situated yet, and it would be unfair to dump a war orphan on them when they already had so much else to deal with.

So it was that the majority of the sparklings were being placed with officers, team leaders, and other mechs from the Chaar base. Glory had already adopted Swift as her own, of course, and Valiant had somehow managed to win over Stormrunner and Wavebreaker. The rest… she hated having to "make do" by placing them in temporary homes, but it was far better than forcing them to languish in limbo while waiting for a "forever home."

At least some of those mechs had been eager to play foster parent for a while, or at the very least willing to give it a shot. Swindle had been positively delighted to take Firebolt in, and Nightwatch, one of the former neutrals from Beta Geode, had actually volunteered to watch over Stardust. Motormaster, upon hearing that the other combiner teams had been ordered to take in sparklings, had stormed into an officer's meeting and practically demanded to be given the same. Any arguments that his team were too young – practically sparklings themselves – to take on the responsibility were met with the harsh yet accurate statement of "you let the KID be fraggin' AIR COMMANDER, why not let us do this?"

Glory just hoped the Stunticons would be gentle with Ricochet. She wouldn't forgive herself if the poor little mech came out of his time with Motormaster's team more traumatized than ever.

Onslaught and Hook had both balked at the order – the former argued that his team was already saddled with one sparkling and they really couldn't be bothered with another, while the latter insisted that he was busy enough organizing reconstruction projects without the added burden of "playing babysitter." Shockwave had been insistent, however, and so Hornet and Lancer had found begrudging homes for the time being.

Echo was the last… and Glory had hoped Soundwave would be a willing caretaker. She was disappointed at his reluctance, but at the same time she could understand his hesitation. It was a big responsibility, after all…

Soundwave's voice broke into her thoughts: "Request: accepted. Temporarily."

Shockwave nodded. "We will inform you as soon as we find a permanent caretaker for the sparkling." He drew a datapad out of subspace and handed it to the blue mech. "We will need these filled out for our records."

As Shockwave and Soundwave took care of the file-work that would decide Echo's fate for the time being, Glory knelt before the sparkling. He didn't release his vise-like grip on Shockwave's leg, but he lifted his gaze to look her in the optic.

"Be good for him, all right?" she said, trying to put on an encouraging smile.

Echo nodded, though his optics were nearly white with fear.

"I know, sweetie," she told him, softening her voice a touch. "This is a hard adjustment for all of us. I promise you this is only temporary. We'll find a good home for you, but in the meantime you'll be safe here."

Echo's gaze moved to Soundwave, then back to her, and she almost laughed at the look of utter disbelief on his face. She couldn't really blame him – her first impression of Soundwave as a young sparkling had been creepy and even frightening, though both those observations had given way to boring after several weeks growing used to his presence. The plan, however, was to avoid Echo having to spend those weeks in his company.

"He'll be good to you," she promised. "He might not be friendly, but he's not mean either. And his cassettes will like you. They'll be good company for you."

Echo still didn't look too sure about that, but he nodded and reached out to squeeze her finger in his hand. "Hurry. Please."

She knew what he meant by that, and she nodded. "We will. Be good until then, won't you?"

He nodded back. Glory took his hand in hers and gave it a friendly squeeze before straightening up.

"Thank you, Soundwave," she told him. "With any luck, we'll get this entire situation resolved shortly."

The blue cassette carrier didn't respond, and only gazed intently at her and Shockwave as they said their farewells and left. Echo watched them from the doorway with such an expression of anxious woe that it took all Glory's willpower not to turn around and snatch him back.

"Are you sure about this?" she asked Shockwave. "The poor thing looks like we just led him to his execution!"

"If I recall correctly," Shockwave informed her, "it was you who suggested Soundwave as a caretaker in the first place."

She had… but to be perfectly honest, she had mostly suggested Soundwave because Rumble and Frenzy had convinced her to. She was fully aware that they did it only because they missed having a sparkling around to rope into their schemes, but she had also assumed that Soundwave, while not the most interesting of mechs, would at least be a responsible caretaker.

"Echo will be fine," Shockwave went on. "His placement here is temporary – we will find another mech or conjux able and willing to adopt him permanently soon. In the meantime, he will learn to cope where he is."

Glory could only hope the Commander was right.

Ravage flicked his audial receptors back as he watched the sparkling curled up on the couch in the main room of Soundwave's apartment. It had been over two hours since Soundwave had left for the day, leaving Echo in the cassettes' charge until he returned, and in all that time the little mech hadn't budged a centimeter. Most sparklings were so full of energy it took a miracle or threat of deactivation to get them to hold still – was this one defective somehow?

Rumble and Frenzy wanted a new conspirator for their antics, Ravage mused, slinking out from the shadows of the doorway. They're going to be quite disappointed that their schemes to gain one aren't panning out.

When Ravage had learned that his brothers had somehow convinced High Command to drop a sparkling on Soundwave, his response had been one of resignation – slaggit, not this again. He knew full well what proximity to a child would mean, and he was not looking forward to being dragged around like a common house pet again. Air Commander Glory might put on a show of acting professionally around him, but Ravage would never be able to look at her without remembering the purple sparkling that had dubbed him "kitty" and insisted on picking him up whenever she saw him.

Soundwave hadn't seem thrilled at the prospect either, and Ravage had figured High Command wouldn't dare saddle him with a sparkling. Evidently he'd been wrong, and had braced himself for the inevitable.

But so far, Echo was proving to be far different than expected. True, he'd only been with them for less than a day so far. But in all that time he'd said less than a dozen words, and done little else besides sit or curl up in a chair and stare at the wall. Even Rumble and Frenzy's efforts to coax a reaction out of him hadn't elicited so much as a smile.

At first, Ravage had been secretly glad at how quiet and well-behaved the sparkling was. Now, though, some part of him – a part he would die before admitting existed – worried that something was seriously wrong with Echo. It just wasn't normal for a child to be this quiet, was it? Even going by his admittedly-limited experience with children.

As he watched, Echo tucked his head into his arms, curling up even tighter. Ravage padded closer, audials pricked forward as he scanned the sparkling. He seemed healthy and in good repair… what was wrong with him?

What do you THINK is wrong with him?

Ravage suppressed a sigh as he addressed Laserbeak over their radio connection. I don't recall asking your opinion on anything, let alone the condition of the sparkling.

Laserbeak cocked his head, regarding his cassette-sibling from his perch atop a shelf. You were staring at the sparkling like you were afraid he'd give up the spark any second. I know you too well for you to hide things from me.

Ravage conceded that point. If you're the genius, what do YOU think is wrong?

Isn't it obvious? He's stuck in a strange place with a mech he's terrified of with no way to entertain and distract himself. What kid wouldn't be upset about that?

He has no reason to be terrified of any of us.

Tell him that. You know full well that most Decepticons are terrified of Soundwave. The only reason Glory isn't intimidated by him is because she spent way too much time in Rumble and Frenzy's company as a sparkling. Laserbeak shuffled to the edge of the shelf and peered down at Echo. Poor kid… wonder what happened to his own creators?

Ravage had no idea on that front… but if Echo had been in Shockwave's academy, then whatever had happened to them couldn't be good. Where are Rumble and Frenzy anyhow? They arranged for him to be here in the first place; you'd think they would have recruited him into some scheme or another by now.

Soundwave took them with him. Something about keeping tabs on a meeting.

Ravage finally released the sigh he'd been holding in. Shame… it would have been so much easier to break him out of his funk with those two around…

His correspondence with Laserbeak trailed off as he realized Echo was staring at him. That sigh must have attracted his attention. Even as he watched the bronze sparkling pushed himself upright on the couch, his amber gaze never leaving the panther.

Ravage padded closer, and he opened a line to Echo's radio. Don't be afraid. I'm just here to check on you.

Echo's mouth dropped open. "You can talk?"

Ravage snorted. Of course I can talk. I'm not an animal, even if I'm shaped like one. He reached up and pawed at the empty space on the couch. May I?

Echo nodded, and Ravage leaped up to settle in beside him. He circled once before laying down, curling his limbs beneath him in as regal of a pose as he could manage.

Showoff, Laserbeak snickered.

Be quiet.

Echo cocked his head, his anxiety fading a little as he studied the cassette-cat. "How come you never talked before?"

Ravage shrugged. I didn't have anything to say.

Echo frowned, but seemed to accept that answer. He drew his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around his legs, huddling back into a ball even as he stared at Ravage. Now that the novelty of a talking beastformer had worn off, he seemed to be retreating back into his shell. That wouldn't do… it couldn't be healthy, and would only make it harder for him to relate to his permanent family when he was finally adopted for good.

You can relax, little one, Ravage assured him. You are safe. Soundwave is a good caretaker.

"He's scary," Echo protested. "How come he talks so weird anyhow? Like he has no feelings."

That's simply his vocal modulator. He used it at the beginning of the war as an intimidation tactic… and I suppose he's simply grown so used to it her rarely shuts it off. You'll grow accustomed. He didn't mention that there were times he would shut it off while interacting with his cassettes – he suspected Echo would never get a chance to hear his unmodulated voice.

"I wanna go home," Echo mumbled, starting to rock back and forth. "Even though I know it's gone, I wanna go back to the Academy. At least Shockwave wasn't so creepy."

Ravage pinned his ears back. This was going downhill fast. The child's stay here might be temporary, but that was hardly a reason for said stay to be utterly miserable on his part. He had to calm him down and ease his fears somehow…

I suppose I can unbend my pride a little, he thought, and wriggled closer to Echo, nudging his head beneath his arm.

"…huh?" Echo stared down at him in disbelief, but at least he'd stopped rocking.

Pet me, little one, Ravage ordered, nudging his head into his side.

"I thought you weren't an animal," Echo protested, but his hand found the back of Ravage's head anyhow, rubbing gently.

That doesn't mean I can't enjoy some creature comforts now and then. Ravage shuttered his optics as the sparkling's fingers found a particularly itchy spot behind his audial receptors. There… yes, that's the spot. Can't ever quite reach that area without looking totally undignified…

Echo jumped as a soft rumble rose from Ravage's chest, but relaxed when he realized it was just a feline purr. He uncurled from his huddled position and let the panther rest his head in his lap, scratching his audials and rubbing his hand down his neck and back. He didn't entirely relax – Ravage could still feel the tension in his joints – but he had calmed down significantly, and even smiled a little as he pet the cassette-cat.

Look at you, going all soft for the sparkling, Laserbeak quipped.

Oh hush. You're just jealous.

Laserbeak squawked at that, and soared down to light upon a table beside the couch. Echo gasped, his hand freezing on the back of Ravage's head for a moment.

That's just Laserbeak, Ravage told him. He's a birdbrain, but he's harmless.

Call me that one more time, pussycat, Laserbeak retorted. I dare you.

That got something entirely new out of Echo – a giggle. He kept petting Ravage with one hand but held the other out to Laserbeak, who edged forward and pecked lightly at his fingers.

"That tickles," Echo laughed. "Are you guys gonna help take care of me?"

For a short while, if you'll let us, Ravage replied. Soundwave won't be home until late, so if you need anything, inform one of us. We may not have hands, but we have our ways of getting anything you might need.

Echo thought on that. "A snack? I'm kinda hungry… and can I watch a movie or something?"

Ravage nodded and rose to his feet, stretching luxuriously. Laserbeak, go see if Rumble and Frenzy still have any of those energon treats left. I'll get the viewscreen cued up.

Under normal circumstances Laserbeak would have grumbled about being Ravage's errand-mech, but he simply sprang off the table and flew off. Ravage leaped down from the couch and trotted to the screen, activating it and scrolling through the broadcast channels for something sparkling-friendly. He never imagined his duties to the Decepticon cause would include babysitting… but he found he didn't entirely mind.

Soundwave entered the apartment much later than he would have preferred, tired and not a little cranky. Meetings with the rest of High Command and the Autobot leaders had dragged on for too long, and instead of coming straight home he had stopped to make some necessary purchases – extra energon rations, a few toys, and a thermal-regulation blanket. Even if Echo would be reassigned elsewhere within the next decacycle, Soundwave figured he should at least make the sparkling's stay comfortable.

Of course, seeing the enigmatic Decepticon Communications Officer buy sparkling's toys, of all things, drew a great deal of attention from curious mechs and employees… attention he disdained but couldn't escape. Well, let them wonder why he'd make such a purchase. It would be a one-time affair…

He paused in the act of sorting through his recent purchases, head cocked toward the living room. Someone had left the viewscreen on. Odd… Ravage and Laserbeak were normally responsible enough to not make such an error…

Echo was curled up on the couch when he entered the living room to investigate. That alone didn't surprise him – he had planned for the sparkling to sleep there until he could arrange a proper bed for him. What gave him pause was the sleek black form curled up around him, muzzle tucked in the crook of his neck and one forelimb draped protectively over his body. Perched on the back of the couch was Laserbeak, optics glinting as he stood silent vigil.

Soundwave regarded the tableau quietly for a moment. Then he retreated to the other room, returned with the blanket, and tucked it around the sleeping sparkling and cassette. Echo stirred softly but didn't awaken, simply cuddling closer to Ravage.

"Alert me when Echo awakens," he told Laserbeak quietly. "Do not let anyone disturb them until then. Especially Rumble and Frenzy."

The condor bobbed his head obediently, and Soundwave shut off the viewscreen before retreating to his room.

Aw frag, spoil our fun why don't ya, Frenzy grumbled from inside Soundwave's chest compartment. We were hopin' for an early-morning prank run.

"Sparklings require undisturbed recharge," Soundwave informed him as he returned to putting away his purchases. "Dire consequences for both of you if he's onlined prematurely."

Spoilsport, Frenzy retorted.

Gotta admit, he's kinda cute when he's in recharge, Rumble pointed out. Who'da thought Ravage would warm up to him so fast, though…

We didn't bring him here for Ravage's benefit, dude, Frenzy retorted. Seriously, how's a mech to get to know the kid if we keep getting dragged off every day before we can properly be introduced? Hint hint, boss…

Shut up, you're gonna blow our secret plans for the kid.

They're not exactly secret plans when you work for a fraggin' telepath, bro…

Soundwave let the two of them bicker. He knew full well that those two had heavily influenced Shockwave and Glory's decision to assign Echo to his care… and frankly, he didn't care. They could hatch grand schemes to make the sparkling into a hench-mech for their shenanigans, however briefly, but he was going to stay out of it. The sparkling would be leaving soon enough – best not to get attached.

For the first couple of days, Echo was perfectly content to keep to himself, watching movies and cartoons on the viewscreen and letting Ravage and Laserbeak bring him his energon and tell him when it was time to go to bed. He understood that Soundwave didn't really know what to do with him and was content to leave him to his own devices, and in return he didn't get in the blue mech's way or even remind him that he still existed. Soundwave unnerved him, between his masked face and his aloof manner and his flat computerized voice, and the less attention he drew from him, the better.

But on the third day of his stay, boredom finally ate away most of his fear, and not long after Soundwave had departed with Rumble and Frenzy in tow (he wasn't sure why Soundwave insisted on keeping those two away from him, but he didn't have the courage to ask), he set about exploring the apartment.

Echo didn't have many clear memories of his creator's home – Feedback had been killed during an Autobot insurgent attack when he was barely half a vorn old – but he recalled it being a small two-room affair in the heart of Spiralis. Soundwave's home was huge in comparison, with what seemed to be an endless succession of rooms. He knew it really couldn't be endless or even that big, but compared to Feedback's flat or the shared barracks of the Academy, it might as well have been a mansion.

Ravage had provided some commentary as Echo moved from room to room, pointing out each room's function and whether or not it was off-limits. Oddly, he didn't see fit to prevent Echo from entering Soundwave's quarters or the workshop despite declaring them forbidden. Perhaps he figured he could step in should he get himself in trouble, or perhaps the "off-limits" rule only applied when Soundwave was home. Echo decided not to ask.

"Why's this place so big?" Echo asked as he poked at a small welder laying on the workbench. "It's just Soundwave living here, right?"

Soundwave and all of us cassettes, Ravage reminded him. He needs room for all of us. Even if he didn't have us, however, officers are often granted larger living quarters than the rank-and-file. I'm assuming your creator wasn't an officer?

"Dad was a computer tech," Echo replied softly, leaving the welder alone and climbing down from the bench. "We didn't have a lot."

Ravage was silent a moment, then saw fit to change the subject. This is the last room in the house. Shall we go back to the living room? Buzzsaw acquired a new film from Earth you might be interested in – something called Castle in the Sky if I remember correctly…

Echo frowned. "What about that one locked room? The one right by Soundwave's room?"

Ravage pinned his audials back. What about it?

"What's in there?"

Nothing important. Let's go watch that film. He moved behind Echo and nudged him along, like a mother electro-panther herding her cub away from danger.

Echo dug his heels in, pushing back against Ravage. "I wanna see."

That's Soundwave's private room. He only goes in there when he wishes to be alone. Even us cassettes are rarely allowed in.

"I just wanna look! Just once. Please?" If Soundwave was trusted to take care of a sparkling, surely it couldn't be anything dangerous, right? It wasn't like he'd be keeping a dangerous creature or a pile of dead chassis in there… right?

Ravage growled softly. This isn't a good idea, and you should forget about it right away-

Echo put both hands behind the cassette-panther's audials and gave him a vigorous scratching. "Pleeeeeeeeeease?"

Ravage's growl melted into a purr, and he leaned into Echo's hands. You fight dirty, little one… very well. One look, but only if you scratch REALLY well. Soundwave's hands are too big to get just the right spots…

It took a few minutes before Ravage was satisfied with Echo's scratching, and then ten minutes more for him to hack the lock to Soundwave's domain. He hung back in the doorway as Echo crept inside.

Don't be too long. Soundwave should be home soon.

"'Kay." Echo reached up to activate the lights, then turned around to regard the contents of the room.

He hadn't been sure what to expect… but in an odd way he was sort of disappointed at how mundane the room turned out to be. It was slightly bigger than Soundwave's bedroom, but almost entirely bare of furniture save a comfortable-looking chair in one corner and a shelf that took up one entire wall. Said shelf was packed with datachips and datadisks, all carefully labeled with titles that made no sense to him. The wall opposite the shelf bore a curious computer terminal, one that didn't look like any Feedback had ever worked with, and several large rectangular panels covered in a sort of mesh material.

Speakers, Echo realized as he crept closer and touched one of the panels. It's a sound system. But he turns into a music player – why does he need a sound system? Maybe listening to music sounds better when it's not coming from your own body.

He crossed the room to investigate the shelf, tracing the neat rows of disks and chips with a finger as he read the labels. Straxus' Fourteenth Symphony. Double Moon Sonata. Darksteel's Canon in C Minor. 1812 Overture. Pirates of the Caribbean Original Motion Picture Soundtrack. David Bowie's Greatest Hits. Few of the labels made any sense to him, but there was a curious sort of poetry to them that captivated him.

He was so absorbed in reading and investigating that he didn't realize he was no longer alone in the room until the newcomer spoke.

"Find anything you like?"

He yelped and made to bolt, but a firm blue hand on his shoulder held him in place. He twisted around to stare up at Soundwave, guilt at invading the mech's private domain warring with confusion at the sound of his voice. It was no longer that heavily modulated monotone, but deep and rich.

"I'm sorry," he whimpered. "I just wanted to look…"

Soundwave squeezed his shoulder lightly, cutting him off. Then he reached out and took the disk Echo had been studying before he'd been so startled – Evening with the Iacon Symphony Orchestra.

"I never had a chance to hear this orchestra in person before it was disbanded," he said softly. "But I enjoy this performance. I can offline my optics and imagine I'm there, hearing it in the concert hall in all its glory."

Echo stared. Soundwave was never this talkative. Nor did he speak with such obvious warmth and fondness in his voice. Ravage had mentioned that he didn't alter his voice so much when in private with his cassettes, but he didn't realize he could sound so… so friendly.

Soundwave stood and crossed the room, popping the disk out of its casing and sliding it into the terminal. He tapped a few controls, then sat down in the chair as music began pouring from the speakers.

Echo felt his fans go still as he listened, the urge to bolt for the door while Soundwave was distracted dissipating like mist on a hot day. He was no stranger to music – Feedback had listened to heavy music while digging through his terminals, and the sparklings at the Academy liked to sing whatever snippets of pop songs they could hear and make up their own lyrics to accompany them. But this music was different, a rush of what seemed to be thousands of different sounds that nonetheless wove together in seamless harmony, almost a tangible energy that flowed through his chassis and made every sensory node tingle. It rose and fell in waves, dying down to a gentle murmur, then swelling again to a thunderous roar that thrilled his spark.

When the song finally finished in a triumphant flourish, Echo felt a stab of disappointment that it was over. It had never before occurred to him that music could be more than just background noise or a silly way to pass the time with friends… it could be something to experience all on its own.

Soundwave stirred, and Echo realized he had moved to stand beside the chair, leaning his head against the arm rest. The blue mech cocked his head curiously as he gazed down at Echo.

"You liked that?"

Echo nodded. "You come in here and just listen to music?" Mentally he kicked himself for that statement – it made it sound so trivial.

Soundwave didn't seem upset, however. "I listen, I enjoy the solitude, I reflect on the day. In music, I find peace." He leaned back in the chair, and despite the mask Echo thought he looked serene. "The cassettes do not enjoy music the same way I do… so I am accustomed to listening alone."

Echo opened his mouth to say something, but shut it as the music began again – a different song this time, this one slower and sweeter, less like thunder and more like a gentle wind.

"Can… can I stay in here and listen with you?"

Soundwave pondered that a moment, then nodded. "You may."

Echo grabbed the arm of the chair and hauled himself up into Soundwave's lap. The blue mech looked down sharply, and Echo wondered if he'd done something forbidden… but he relaxed and leaned back, and Echo settled in and made himself comfortable. The wind-like song faded, replaced by another, more bombastic tune, one that he found a little discordant but not in an unpleasant way. He hadn't realized just how many types of music there were, or how songs without words could still convey emotions and ideas so well.

For a time they simply sat together, not speaking, song after song washing over them. Echo felt an odd contentment as he nestled in against Soundwave, resting his head on his chest. Perhaps this mech wasn't as frightening as he'd first supposed. The thought comforted him.

He had nearly dozed off – not from boredom, but simply from being so relaxed – when the soothing sounds of the orchestra gave way to a metallic clatter. He sat up quickly, fearing that the sound system had malfunctioned, but electronic notes soon accompanied the clattering, then vocals…

"What's this?" he asked, frowning.

Soundwave gave a deep sigh. "Rumble and Frenzy left their disk in the player. It simply came up next." He nudged Echo off his lap and stood. "I'll remove it."

"No, don't!" Echo protested. Despite the noisy nature of the song, it was oddly catchy… and it seemed to pump energy into his systems, making him want to move in time to its beat. Granted, the lyrics were a little weird, but that didn't necessarily spoil the song.

"You spin me right 'round, baby, right 'round, like a record, baby…"

"What's it talking about?"

Soundwave sighed and shook his head. "Rumble and Frenzy have developed a taste for human music," he replied, as if that explained everything. "Still… they have some talented musicians. And their songs can be guilty pleasures." He gazed down at Echo, and the most shocking sound of all spilled out of his vocalizer – a laugh. "It seems you have a liking for it too."

Echo realized he'd been bobbing his head to the beat, and he tried to hold still. But it was so hard – something about the music made him want to move along with it, to tap his feet and lose himself to the rhythm. In the end, he gave in, a huge grin splitting his faceplate.

Soundwave chuckled again, and he bent down and took Echo's hands in his. "Hold on tight."

Echo squealed in delight as Soundwave spun him around, his feet nearly leaving the floor. "Faster!"

"Not too fast. I'm your caretaker, but I draw the line at cleaning up after a tank purge."

Echo giggled. Soundwave had just cracked a joke. Just wait until he told the other sparklings how wrong they'd been about him all along.

They continued to dance to Dead Or Alive's "You Spin Me Round," Soundwave keeping ahold of Echo's hands the whole time and spinning him around the room at each chorus. Echo was dizzy by the time the song gave way to another – something about ninety-nine balloons, whatever that meant – but he was too exhilarated to be miserable about it. That had been fun!

"Are you done?" Soundwave asked.

Echo shook his head. "I'd like to listen to more… if that's okay."

"That is perfectly fine," Soundwave replied… and Echo imagined he could see a smile through the mask.

Little did Soundwave and Echo know that their impromptu dance party was being watched from a ventilation grill above… and silently commented on the whole time.

"What. The. Slag."Frenzy had said that five times so far, and seemed incapable of saying anything BUT that at the moment.

"I know, I thought he hated your 'best of the '80s' mixtapes," Rumble noted.

You know full well that's not what he meant, Ravage huffed.

"Hey, I'm just as blown away as he is," Rumble replied, keeping his voice low so as not to give away their hiding place. "I didn't think he'd warm up to the kid at all, let alone THIS much."

I like it, said Buzzsaw, bobbing his head energetically. I haven't seen Soundwave this happy in a long time! Anything that improves his mood this much is good, right?

"What. The. Slag."

"We heard ya the first six times, dude."

"Shut up." Frenzy elbowed his brother before returning his attention to the duo below.

Echo finally collapsed from exhaustion mid-song, still giggling, and Soundwave knelt beside him, gathering him up in his arms. The sparkling curled up against him, resting his head on his chest compartment, and Soundwave gazed down at him quietly for a few moments before walking out of the room with him.

That settles it, Ravage announced. Echo is staying.

"Dude, how do you know that?" demanded Frenzy. "The boss said he wasn't interested in raising a kid. This whole arrangement ends when Shocks and Glory find new parents for the kid, remember?"

The funny thing about plans is that they rarely work out as intended, Ravage replied. You'll see. I'll wager that when our commanders come by again, Soundwave won't let Echo go without a fight…

Shockwave's gaze moved up and down the Communications Officer's body before he spoke. "Do I want to know how you managed to get yourself in this state?"

Soundwave's answer was his usual flat monotone, devoid of emotion or explanation. "Negative."

Glory, for her part, strove valiantly to keep from laughing. She'd helped Rumble and Frenzy prepare many pranks in the past, and she could imagine quite a few ways Soundwave could have acquired that fine patina of colorful glitter all over his chassis. But if the other two were content to drop the subject and pretend it never happened, she wouldn't pry right now. She'd just track those two down later and wrangle the full story out of them.

Shockwave, as usual, wasted no time in getting right to the point of their visit. "We're here to retrieve the child, as we promised."

Soundwave was silent at that.

"We're sorry it took longer than we thought," said Glory. "These past two weeks-"

"Decacycles," Shockwave corrected. "Use the appropriate terminology."

She resisted the urge to roll her optics at him. "This past little while has been far busier than we've anticipated. But we've contacted Decepticons who are ready and willing to start families, and lined up a wonderful couple to take Echo on."

"Torque and Switchback have proven to be ideal candidates for raising the sparkling," Shockwave added. "They are a stable conjux endura with no offspring of their own, and have been deemed suitable to take him in."

Soundwave remained silent, and Glory was about to say more when he finally spoke: "No."

Glory rebooted her optics in surprise. "No?"

"Echo does not leave." His visor flashed, and despite the vocal modulation Glory detected a good deal of steel in his voice. "This is his home."

"Be reasonable," Shockwave retorted. "As I recall, you had to be coerced into fostering the child in the first place. To reverse your position now-"

High-pitched giggles cut off the rest of his sentence, and all three adults turned to see Echo, Rumble, and Frenzy burst out of the living room. Glory felt her spark constrict in horror when she saw all three of them carrying guns – and worse, firing them at each other! – but she relaxed when she realized they were the sort of guns that only fired foam-rubber projectiles.

"It's a little early to be training him to be a soldier," Shockwave remarked, and not for the first time Glory decided her Commander could never have been a sparkling himself if he didn't recognize playtime when he saw it. "Echo, come here a moment."

The bronze sparkling skidded to a halt, staring up at Shockwave, then slowly made his way over. With some amusement Glory noted that his hands were covered in glitter. Well, a couple of cassettes had wasted no time in recruiting him for their own ends, it seemed…

"Hi, Shockwave," he greeted, moving to stand beside Soundwave.

"You seem to be in good repair," Shockwave noted. "I trust you have been treated well here?"

Echo nodded.

"Excellent. Your new caretakers will be pleased to hear that."

Echo frowned. "New caretakers?"

"You're finally going to a new family," Glory replied. "A forever home. They'll take good care of you, I promise."

She had expected Echo to be relieved at this news. But he responded by grabbing onto Soundwave's hand and huddling close to him, looking up at Glory and Shockwave with a stricken expression.

"I don't wanna go."

"This is not the time for an argument," Shockwave insisted. "We went to a lot of trouble to arrange new caretakers for you, and the file-work has already been drawn up-"

"I wanna stay here!" he insisted. "Soundwave, don't make me go… please…"

Soundwave bent down and lifted Echo in his arms, letting the little mech tuck his face into the crook of his neck. "Echo stays. Soundwave: permanent caretaker."

Glory just stared at him, stunned. Just a few weeks ago he'd acted as if being saddled with Echo for a few days was an immense burden. Now… now he was refusing to let Echo go. And Echo had gone from being terrified of Soundwave to seeing him as family. How had this happened?

Her gaze moved from Soundwave and Echo to the inside of the apartment. What floor she could see from the entryway was littered with toys, far more than she'd seen Soundwave purchasing that first evening. A viewscreen flickered in the living room, playing one of the Fantasia cartoons, and papers covered in multicolored scribbles were spread over a table. The apartment looked thoroughly lived-in, bearing the clear stamp that a sparkling lived here and was being outrageously spoiled by his caretakers… and enjoying every moment of it.

"This is not the time to be obstinate," Shockwave declared, headfins pinning back in annoyance. "The child has a family now, and by refusing to release him into their custody you are violating several laws-"

"Shockwave," Glory cut in. "Let him stay."

Shockwave's head swiveled about to glare at her. "You side with him, then?"

"In this matter… yes. He's clearly happy here, and Soundwave wants him to stay. What harm is there in letting him? We can easily adjust the adoption file-work to make Soundwave Echo's guardian."

Echo had been shaking in Soundwave's arms, on the verge of crying, but he lifted his head and gave Glory a hopeful expression.

"You do realize that anything dealing with file-work and the bureaucracy is far from simple," Shockwave informed her, but his voice was losing some of its sternness.

"We can handle it," Glory replied. "Please… Echo's lost one family already. Don't put him through the pain of losing another."

Shockwave's headfins flicked, then straightened back up. "Very well. Soundwave, I appoint you permanent guardian over Echo. I will expect you to complete the appropriate forms the next time you report for duty."

Soundwave nodded. "Understood."

Shockwave nodded back, then turned his attention to Echo. "You behave yourself for Soundwave. You were a good student in my Academy – I expect the same here."

Echo smiled. "Yes, sir."

Shockwave turned to leave. Glory just flashed Soundwave and Echo a broad smile before turning to follow him… and caught Echo waving at her from the corner of her optic before the door closed behind them.

"That did not go as planned," Shockwave muttered as they headed for the lift.

"Given that every single caretaker we've interviewed thus far has informed us they're keeping the sparklings, are you really surprised?" Glory asked. "It looks like we didn't have to go to the trouble of hunting down new caretakers after all. They've found their families already."

"True… though had we known this earlier, it would have saved us a lot of trouble." He keyed open the lift doors. "Torque and Switchback will be disappointed to learn their adoption has fallen through. We will have to move them to the top of the wait list for the Vector Sigma key as a restitution of sorts."

"I think that's a good idea," Glory replied. "I'm glad Echo is happy, though. I was worried for him."

"Sometimes I think you worry too much for the individuals, and not enough for the Decepticons as a whole," Shockwave told her, and stepped into the lift.

Glory wondered what he meant by that, but put the cryptic words out of her CPU as she followed him into the lift. She was already pondering how the rest of the sparklings would do with their new families, and whether they'd be open to organizing a playdate of sorts. Swift would love the company, and would be eager to learn that her friends from the Academy had found homes of their own.