Chapter Text
The canyon where Megatron had first raised dead mecha by the power of dark energon was not the only such Cybertronian battlefield. Almost forgotten by everyone involved in the war, save Soundwave who never forgot anything, were several others scattered around the Earth, undiscovered by the primitive humans. They had never discovered energon either, almost as if it were invisible to them. Exactly how was a mildly curious thing, but Megatron dismissed it as one more sign of their inferiority. It was convenient, at least, that humans were rarely found near sources of energon, and there was no need to expend energy on exterminating them. All energon produced by the mines could, therefore, be used to serve the Decepticon Cause, and the mines were producing well, save one.
The mine that was not producing as it should be was located near one ancient battlefield, had probably been the cause of that battle. The miners reported difficulties with their equipment, frequent breakdowns, and the mine had the highest repairs cost of all their operations on Earth. Mining equipment that was brought in, functional, from another location would stop working only to begin again once it was removed. Megatron wanted to snarl and rage at incompetence, but a worker who was incompetent at one mine would still be so at another.
Besides, Megatron had been a miner once, long ago, and he knew that mines, especially the deeper ones, were sometimes the homes to strange things. This mine was very deep indeed.
The miners began to whisper that the mine was cursed or haunted, though only where Megatron couldn't hear. Soundwave heard, of course. Soundwave heard everything.
"It is not cursed," Megatron growled. Soundwave only looked up at him, patient and waiting as always, though since they were in Megatron's quarters and not on the bridge, also sitting in his lap. "I will go to the mine myself and prove it."
Soundwave nodded once, then leaned against Megatron's chest and began to distract him with other, more pleasant things.
Megatron stalked through the mine, sensors on alert for anything unusual. He hadn't been a miner for a very, very long time, but he'd never forgotten – never let himself forget – what it was like to spend almost all his time in the tunnels. This mine had been dug by and for Decepticon miners and Megatron had just enough clearance to get through some of the tunnels. Soundwave, trailing him on a rare journey off the Nemesis, had considerably less trouble.
"You never saw the mines, did you Soundwave?" Megatron asked reflectively. "No, of course not. I, however, spent many years in the mines of Messatine, years of thankless drudgery, and yet at times, strange things did happen. But I do not believe in curses or spirits. As for the things I saw in the deep mines, I have no explanation, but one must have existed."
Possible explanations: unknown creatures/vibrational patterns/sonic anomalies, Soundwave texted.
"All far more likely, yes," Megatron agreed.
They walked on, and Megatron noticed that the mine seemed to become darker, feel smaller, even though his sensors told him it had the same illumination level and dimensions as the previous tunnels. It was strange, yes, but not something that could cause an equipment malfunction. Megatron was just about to head back to the surface, ready to declare the mine free of hostiles, when Soundwave texted him to wait and listen.
Megatron paused, trying to hear what Soundwave heard, even though Soundwave's sensors in that regard were far superior. Soundwave stood still, listening, and at last, pointed to a tunnel branching off the one they were in.
"What is it, Soundwave?"
Soundwave only pointed again. So, Soundwave didn't know either, hm? Curious.
Megatron entered the tunnel Soundwave had indicated. It felt as if his shoulders should be brushing the stone, even though his sensors still told him he had more than enough clearance. He disliked the disconnect between the reality his sensors gave him and what he felt. But he would not be defeated by nothing more than a strange feeling: Megatron pressed on.
Perhaps a dozen steps into the tunnel, he thought he heard voices. Not the voices of his Decepticons, but the vaguely unpleasant, organic sounds of human speech, though there was something – hollow about it.
"Soundwave, analyze those sounds."
Soundwave was silent, of course, but Megatron could easily picture the analysis running across his visor. And yet, it seemed to take longer than it should. Megatron was about to prompt his spymaster when Soundwave sent the results.
Sounds: anomalous. Source: unknown. Language: detected.
"Play it back, Soundwave," Megatron ordered.
The words were about the speakers' ownership of the mine, the presence of intruders, and the need to protect what was theirs and drive away the intruders – who Megatron presumed to be his miners. There was also a discussion about gold, which Megatron was somewhat aware humans found valuable for reasons other than its usefulness in electronics.
"Enough," Megatron ordered. "What else have your sensors found here?"
Anomalous electromagnetic fields: present. Suggest: EM anomalies and audio anomalies are linked.
"And could these anomalies be responsible for the equipment malfunctions?"
Possible. Data: inconclusive.
"Hnh. I have no patience for this." Megatron turned and began to leave. Such nonsense. "Deal with it, Soundwave."
Soundwave: obeys.
Soundwave's solution was simple and elegant: he brought an EMP generator to the tunnel, placed it where the anomalous fields were clustered, and detonated it. The equipment malfunctions ceased immediately, and energon production levels began to return to normal. A minor vein of gold was located, and the mineral retrieved for future use.
As to the true nature of the anomalies, Megatron never found out, nor did he care.