Chapter Text
Nightfall arrived, and Optimus Prime along with his team still stayed to recharge in the same reconstructed building where they took refuge after the death of Megatron. It was a small, somewhat old and rusty building, but sufficient to shield them from the cold of the night and the sun of the day. Optimus was the one in charge of verifying that everyone was in good condition when recharging, so that the next day they would wake up with energy for their tasks to be effective.
Everything rose with everyone's help.
Opening their rooms quietly and checking that everyone recharged peacefully felt very homely, but that's what they had become. They were no longer just a team; they were a family.
And family always supports each other...
At the end of the hallway was the room of their newest member, KnockOut. Despite the distrust that most had towards him, given all they had suffered against him in the past year, he had been accepted by Optimus, who no longer saw anything wrong deep within his spark.
Well, it's not like he had ever seen it...
That was something he would talk about with him later, privately and at the right moment. For security and on Ultra Magnus's recommendation, KnockOut had been installed in the room farthest from the exit and at a point where most security cameras focused on his movements—all without KnockOut's knowledge.
The only thing the medic knew for sure was about his weapon limitations; they had been confiscated and blocked. Besides, he had specific schedules for going out into the neighborhood they had rebuilt in the last solar cycles.
When it was Optimus's turn to check KnockOut's room, he saw him recharging on his bunk, always as bright as ever. After a quick glance around the room and confirming that everything was in order, Optimus decided it was his turn to rest properly.
As Optimus moved away from the medic's room, a strange sound echoed throughout the hallway. The structure creaked constantly under the new weight and presence; years of abandonment on Cybertron had their consequences. The sound was enough to awaken KnockOut, who dismissed it as unimportant compared to Optimus's departure.
The medic immediately opened his red optics, and upon seeing the light of the sun reflected on one of Cybertron's moons illuminate his room, it also revealed a strange silhouette that made him gasp in fear.
A bitter terror sank within him, and he recoiled on his bunk, falling to the other side onto the floor.
"WHO ARE YOU!?" Unable to say more, his defense systems activated, trying to deploy his saw to defend himself. However, all that came out was an internal funny sound; he had forgotten that his weapons had been removed, and a system block prevented him from presenting any weapons.
Without anything closer within reach, he grabbed his pillow and threw it at the sinister figure. He stared directly at the lone red optic in the darkness, confirming that it wasn't just a hallucination like some he had experienced before.
This was real.
With his horror movie training, he activated his processor and, instead of staying still waiting for death, skillfully approached the access door to leave the room. But upon hearing the familiar sound of metal scraping, he stopped.
This gave the other enough time to speak, dispelling the few doubts KnockOut still had about who it really was.
"Knockout, I've come to assess your psychological state," a deep and authoritative voice strangely calmed him.
"S-Shockwave... I would appreciate it if you knocked first," his body immediately relaxed, and he tried to smile.
"Formalities might result in my presence being discovered and alerting others, potentially preventing me from completing my objective," Shockwave explained, arriving right in front of KnockOut.
A lightning flash illuminated the room, revealing the two bots present. The calm demeanor of both had turned the atmosphere somewhat comical; the situation had shifted from terror to a normal day, as in the past when Shockwave used to give orders to KnockOut.
"Right... your psychological tests," KnockOut spoke, approaching the light switch. He remembered the small notes that Shockwave had written about himself when they were on the Nemesis. Shockwave always liked to study and verify everything, something normal for someone like him, a scientist with years and years of general knowledge.
"I understand your reason for investigating my behavior after everything that happened, Shockwave, but I don't think you'll find anything interesting. I'm perfectly fine," KnockOut said, moving his body in that fiery manner as always.
"KnockOut, in the last solar cycles, I've detected deficiencies in Starscream's work due to the psychological and physical damage Megatron inflicted on him for centuries. I've come to check if you've experienced any similar symptoms to conduct a comprehensive assessment for the records," Shockwave's technical words and cold tone sent shivers down KnockOut's frame, unlike the usual conversations they had.
Before, it was more... calm, as if they were family, full of trust and sincerity despite the dark and strange topics they discussed in the realms of science and medicine.
"And what has the little Screamer presented as symptoms?" KnockOut tried to steer the conversation in a comical direction for his own well-being.
"He has experienced nightmares, hallucinations, and a reluctant aversion to physical contact."
Hallucinations...
"Interesting... if I'm not mistaken, it could be the trauma of war, Shocky. I wasn't on the front lines, in enemy lines, so—" Suddenly, the comfortable atmosphere KnockOut had created dropped.
Shockwave approached enough to place his servo on KnockOut's shoulder.
The medic stopped talking to turn his gaze to the servo on his shoulder and then back to Shockwave's lone optic.
The servo with sharp digits began to descend his arm. Immediately, KnockOut tried to move away, but Shockwave tightened his grip forcefully. KnockOut's chassis began to feel sore, and that familiar and recurring bitter feeling of terror returned.
The feeling of being so powerless.
"As for touch, it's not as severe as it is with Starscream, but certainly... reaching areas of this type where I have control over your movements activates some symptoms."
"Stop... LET GO OF ME!" KnockOut shouted, moving away from the scientist and colliding with the table in the process.
Shockwave didn't stop there and continued to approach.
Knock Out, terrified, gasped and tried to move away. He turned the table, and with nerves and tremors not befitting a doctor, he took one of the tools that Ratchet had secretly lent him for self-defense.
"Self-defense against the imminent domination over the subject, high levels of psychological sequelae to the mistreat—"
"SILENCE! GET AWAY FROM HERE!" He aggressively threw the table and furiously, several boxes fell loudly to the floor, but Shockwave showed no reluctance to stop his movements.
"I don't intend to harm you, and I believe you're aware that I would be among the last Decepticons to intend to hurt you."
"Your... methods for investigating this aren't exactly comfortable."
"But they are necessary. I need to ensure that your deficiencies in presenting these symptoms don't compromise your safety when you're already working with the Autobots."
"I think... Optimus will understand if I have problems."
"I want you to inform me of any sign of attack against you."
"Shockwave... You worry about nothing. Come on, I'll be fine. As long as no one touches too much, everything will be fine! I've been very calm here recently; I think everything will be fine."
"Your overall health is not guaranteed. Medication and rigorous studies are necessary."
"Everything will be fine! I assure you, if something happens, I would be the first to let you know."
"And what would be the means of communication you'd use?"
"Oh, right..." Knock Out placed one of his servos under his helm, thinking of something.
Shockwave stared at him, intimidating to some, but Knock Out didn't mind. He liked it when someone paid attention.
He went to his spare parts shelf: arms, servos, digits, and optics to be used until he reached a specific section.
"I could use one of the transmitters I found and modify it to create a ghost signal for us to communicate!"
"Are you aware that all of this has been a significant violation of Autobot orders?" Knock Out immediately looked saddened.
"I know, but... it was something that would happen sooner or later. If they find out, I'll escape... I don't intend to tell you anything for the Decepticons to emerge again with weaknesses of the Autobots, but I also don't want us to stop communicating."
"Illogical but logical."
"That doesn't make sense." He placed one of his servos on his hip area.
"Your opinion on my words and results is not relevant, at least 87%. I will repeat the plan in case of an emergency, a distress call on the ghost signal created by this communicator." He pointed to the object Knock Out held between his digits. "When I hear your voice, I'll trace the location of the transmitter, and if necessary, I'll have to use force on what I consider a danger to you."
"It's a good plan, but again, I don't see the need to organize it." He shrugged, smiling broadly.
"If that were the case, you wouldn't have tried to follow an emergency plan."
"I did it because you asked me to."
"Your effort to follow my orders may represent alarming and unnecessary approval that keeps you—"
"Yeah, yeah, I don't need your explanation or psychological theories about my behavior right now. Thank you very much for coming to visit me after several solar cycles. It was also a pleasure to see you again!" Knock Out quickly tried to push Shockwave's heavy and robust body back to where he had come from, out of the room through the window.
Between his shoves, Shockwave passed by a box of spare parts, knocking them to the floor and causing quite a noise. Unlike the table he had thrown, the falling objects triggered an internal alarm in Knock Out.
"QUICK, THROUGH THE WINDOW!"
Optimus quickly woke up due to the noise. His sleep was quite light, and the slightest sound of metal against the floor made him wake up from his recharge. He got up to check each room silently, searching for the reason for the noise, trying not to cause another noise and wake everyone up. It wasn't until he reached Knock Out's room that he saw a strange shadow escaping through one of the open windows of the room.
Knock Out was standing next to the door, quite agitated and trembling.
"Knock Out! What happened? Are you hurt?" Optimus quickly took the medic in his servos.
"I-I'm just... alarmed." Now that Shockwave was gone and Optimus was the only one present besides himself, Knock Out could express the emotions he had been holding back.
The terror, horror, the fear of not being seen as someone uncontrollable and arrogant, terrifying...
"Calm down, I think he just knocked over a couple of boxes." Optimus approached Knock Out, ready to protect him with his own frame if needed.
Knock Out's servo gripped one of Optimus's arms tightly, and Optimus immediately noticed his trembling movements.
"Calm down, I'm here. No one will hurt you."
"I hope so..."
-
Remaining in the darkness of one of his laboratories had become his daily routine.
Not that he complained about it, but it was getting boring. Hiding due to the Autobots' victory was logical, but it didn't make it any less annoying.
Especially after bringing Starscream to his side.
"Shockwave!" That shrill voice always filled his circuits.
Although he couldn't feel sorry for it since hating Starscream was logical.
"I'm talking to you! Have you finished your camera drones?" Starscream arrived at his side.
"My performance would improve if you weren't bothering me and coming here every ten minutes." He finished attaching an exact wing for one of the drones and let it fly alongside several others that were already in the air, testing their duration.
The drones were originally assembled for espionage, beyond Starscream's intentions to find a way to destroy the Autobots in revenge for Megatron's death. Shockwave planned to use them to spy on someone specific.
Starscream lifted his gaze to see the rest of the specimens. "I'm surprised at all the effort you put in just to see him again, even though he's safe."
"Long air duration, mirror camouflage, and good-quality cameras... the best to see him with..." He spoke with that venomous glossa.
Starscream didn't support his plans, which was logical. He hated Knock Out. Just when the sports car had reciprocated his feelings, it betrayed him and left him locked up.
But really, what did Starscream expect? After the cruel treatment towards Knock Out, they couldn't expect everything to be happy and colorful with just the little speech they had crafted in less than five nanocycles.
"I'll send three drones to find him, and the rest are free to handle on your own. If any fail, I won't be—"
"Yeah, yeah, you won't take responsibility and won't repair them. Now give me that!" Starscream snatched the control from Shockwave to start maneuvering them.
He still didn't fully understand the logic behind Starscream's plan. Recently, he had shown a high degree of trauma and little successful work in his future plans, with Shockwave having to do 97% of the work. And all because of the trauma Megatron had left him. Shockwave couldn't comprehend why Starscream desired revenge for someone who had hurt him so much.
Shockwave went to another room to handle his corresponding personal mission.
Leaving the location of the area they were in.
They could call him stubborn or say he didn't listen to what they told him, but in Shockwave's processor, his plans for espionage and constant monitoring of Knock Out were logical.
Of course, he trusted him; he was one of his pupils, his best result in terms of experimental studies and Cybertronian medication. But let's be realistic, the Autobots wouldn't welcome him with open arms.
And really, blaming them made sense from a common sense perspective, but it was illogical for their Autobot words, for their ideology, and for what they fought for. If they acted as expected, it was completely logical, considering that there was always the possibility that Knock Out could betray them and cut them down with his saw from behind.
But from the Autobot perspective they fought so hard for, they would welcome him with open arms.
Pure scrap...
He wouldn't leave one of his pupils unmonitored among so many Autobots.
Before leaving the laboratory, he made sure to locate the ghost transmission that Knock Out had created. It wasn't too difficult to decipher the code where he had hidden the transmission signal, knowing him well; it would be in some old human radio signal.
His intakes let in and out air somewhat annoyed; he wasn't that good at deciphering that kind of code.
"Soundwave, where are you right now..." he thought deep in his processor.
Maybe after ensuring Knock Out's location, he would find the secret behind Soundwave's whereabouts.
Soundwave...
It took a couple of kliks until he managed to find the ghost channel that Knock Out had created for their communication.
He quickly waited for the three drones to take flight, searching for the red sports car, keeping an eye on them through the ghost signal.
The cameras were activated instantly, 180 degrees, a view in all directions to not miss anything. When capturing the view outside the new Autobot settlement on Cybertron, he activated the mirror camouflage, making it difficult to identify. He just had to be careful with the sun; it could cast an unwanted shadow and reveal his location.
He approached cautiously to where he remembered searching for Knock Out. The reconstructed apartment complex.
Unlike Starscream, who used a special control, Shockwave managed them from the datapad integrated into his arm. More practical and simple; at least he didn't feel like a sparkling playing with his experiments.
He had chosen three specific drones; fortunately, they were also "on foot," unfortunately, they were slower than in the air. One of the three would be responsible for flying over the entire reconstruction area used by the Autobots. Another would sneak into Knock Out's room and settle in a corner where it had a complete view of the room.
The last one would be responsible for tracking Knock Out's movements and perhaps storing in its processor the new routines he had implemented.
It was a concise and well-elaborated plan, not exaggerated at all, as Starscream had criticized.
He only hoped it wouldn't be necessary in the end.