Unfortunately, that one moment is all it took: Iguanus recovers and blasts Soundwave with one of Shockwave's experimental weapons, overriding his transformation circuits and forcing Soundwave back into his alternate mode. Soundwave hesitates for a moment before remembering the apocalypse that was nearly perpetrated by Thunderwing and renewing his resolve. Soundwave, remembering Thunderwing's previous devastation of Cybertron, decides that the only recourse is to destroy them: for once, he remarks, he's working for the greatest good instead of his own! He looses Ravage and Laserbeak, who take out Iguanus and Bomb-Burst but are easily dispatched by Bludgeon. Bludgeon sneers at him and tells him that they are not motivated by avarice or ambition rather, they have seen the truth, and their goal is the resurrection of Thunderwing himself!

While they are still disoriented from the orbital bounce, Soundwave announces his presence and tells Bludgeon that he wants a cut of the profits.

He allows events at the construction site to run their course the site is destroyed, the energon is claimed, and the Decepticons return to their base. That night, Laserbeak 'liberates' Soundwave from his 'owner' and flies him to Bludgeon's base within Mount St. Listening in via Laserbeak, Soundwave overhears Bludgeon's plan: the foremen will plant explosive charges to destroy the construction site, and then Bludgeon's team will remove the Ultra-Energon ore they need. When the foremen leave to report to Bludgeon, Soundwave sends Ravage and Laserbeak to track them. Soundwave records their conversations, and learns that they discovered Ultra-Energon below the construction site. Taking on his cassette deck alternate mode, he allows himself to fall into the possession of a construction worker in order to spy on the two foremen, who had been replaced with facsimiles by Bludgeon. He continues watching as, long after Cybertron is quarantined, Bludgeon, Iguanus, and Bomb-Burst leave for Earth in 1984. He continues watching as something is recovered from Cybertron's depths, sealed up, and guarded around the clock. Bludgeon never mentions it in his reports to Megatron, and, by the same token, neither does Soundwave. He notes that one of Shockwave's projects called Regenesis is of particular interest to Bludgeon. Soundwave watches and observes, relaying information back to Megatron as he does so. As the Decepticon leader did not fully trust Bludgeon, he also assigned Soundwave to spy on him. Several stellar spans ago, Megatron assigned Bludgeon to delve into Shockwave's research and relay all the information back to him.

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