Blast From The Past.
"Another head aches, another heart breaks
I am so much older than I can take
And my affection, well it comes and goes
I need direction to perfection, no no no no
Help me out
Yeah, you know you got to help me out
Yeah, oh don't you put me on the back burner
You know you got to help me out
And when there's nowhere else to run
Is there room for one more son
These changes ain't changing me
The gold-hearted boy I used to be
(…)
Over and in, last call for sin
While everyone's lost, the battle is won
With all these things that I've done
All these things that I've done
If you can hold on
If you can hold on."– The Killers "All the things that I've done".
Warnings: Violence, explicit language, maybe some sex (but I'm not sure) – you know, the usual.
Timing: Post season 2 finale, in my very own Beauty of the Beast Prime timeline.
Rating: T to M (and possibly even MA).
Pairings: multiple.
Starring: Knockout, Daisy the Nurse, Breakdown (flashbacks), Motormaster (flashbacks), Airachnid (mentioned).
Disclaimer: Transformers Prime © Hasbro. Story's plot and OC's © me. There may be some OC's that aren't mine – they belong to their respective creators.
Take Me Out.
"So if you're lonely
You know I'm here waiting for you
I'm just a crosshair
I'm just a shot away from you
And if you leave here
You leave me broken, shattered, I lie
I'm just a crosshair
I'm just a shot, then we can die
I know I won't be leaving here with you
I say don't you know
You say you don't know
I say... take me out! (…)" – Franz Ferdinand "Take Me Out"
oOo
October 14th. Nemesis. Knockout's quarters.
It was an anniversary. Their anniversary of coming to Earth. Knockout glared at the cube of high grade in his servo. It was their anniversary, his and Breakdown's. And Breakdown wasn't here to celebrate it. All because of HER! That damned femme!
He sigh a heavy vent. And that bumbling fool had a crush on her… well, sort of, he would rather consume organic cactus before he would ever admit it to Airachnid openly.
Knockout poured himself another cube. There was no denying to what he planned. Getting slag-faced wasn't his style but what else was he supposed to do? His best friend, the closest person he ever had was murdered by slagged renegade! Knockout had hard time to admit even before himself that perhaps he felt something more for Breakdown, but the truth was that no matter of the true nature of his feelings, that big lug was his best friend. The only person he could rely on in every situation.
Loneliness wasn't anything new to Knockout, he came from higher case, and that meant loneliness from the very moment he was aware enough to remember anything. Then he met Breakdown and since that time he wasn't alone, he had someone, and now this someone was taken away. It was terrible. To possess a treasure and then lose it.
He was pulling his usual haughty attitude for the public use, he was his usual self most of the time, and when he spoke of Breakdown he always told how perfect he was at his job. But inside he felt his Spark bleed and he was dying every time he heard or spoke Breakdown's name. That why he understood Dreadwing and Soundwave, though each of their cases was different, they all lost something that could not be replaced.
Knockout knew that he would never replace Breakdown; he would never again have an assistant like him. Now he had nurses, but they were not assistants, they were not like Breakdown. They were not with him whatever he was doing. They only worked with him and occasionally shared his berth. Well, Daisy mostly… The Doctor suspected it was so because Daisy actually enjoyed his company while other two just wanted a good 'facing. In any case, none of them was Breakdown. None of them could ever replace him.
Knockout rested his back against the chair and eased his head back, staring at the ceiling. This was their anniversary of coming to Earth. But they also met sometimes close to this date. It was some time after Megatron decommissioned Stunticons as a gestalt team. They still kept close, but they were not a gestalt unit anymore, just bunch of soldiers. Motormaster was Colonel and Breakdown was freshly promoted to Lieutenant. His new armour still shiny.
oOo
Cybertron. Sometime after battle in the Kol system1).
It was bright day on Cybertron, its twin suns2) shone brightly on the blue, daytime sky over Kaon higher levels. Most Cybertronians already left the ruined planet, but some still lingered for various reasons. Some of them waited for orders to departure, others were still looking for transportations. There were those who were ordered to stay behind and there were those who continued to fulfil their duties until they would be ordered otherwise. Many just hung around because where there were people, there were money to earn, and every shanix was good in current situation. Though these days other currencies were more desired, everything was now worth more than shanix: cassanian quadrocheques, betelguesian sputtle-prog 3), whatever that was exchangeable.
A young doctor, though maybe not so young, during a war everyone gained experience in speed of light; was busy in one of few remaining infirmaries for Kaon sector. Not that there were many doctors in Decepticon cause, but those few that were available were given assignment to large ships or major bases, there was perhaps four of them left on Cybertron, all in Kaon. Most infirmaries were run by nurses and assistances rather by actual doctors. One could count oneself lucky if one ended up with actual medic.
The primary red grounder filled report and sent young femme away, she was getting buster shot against space rust. That was what he was doing lately, since the Cybertron was almost empty now, there were no more battles and thus no more wounded. Sometimes there was a fight and he would have to pull few dents. He was to get assignment soon and he looked up for that moment.
He was about to call it a day when he heard some shuffling and poked out his head out of the examination room. There were two mechs in; the nurse was helping one of them to get up. It was large grounder with mostly blue armour and red face. He looked like some military type, and that meant either training accident or fight.
"Doctor, we have a patient." The Nurse said in bored voice.
"Bring him here. Let's see." The doctor retreated to the examination room and sprayed the berth with disinfectant. "Hop in, soldier. We'll see what's wrong."
"You don't need to see, I'll tell you, Dock, he's a moron." The Blue mech's companion, slightly smaller, yellow mech stated.
"I will be one to judge it, and don't call me Dock." The doctor had the yellow grounder cold glare.
"That's Drag Strip, doctor." The blue mech said. "He's just that way, needs to show how witty he is and always win."
"Hey, Drag Strip, why won't you take your chance and try to outwit my nurse?" The doctor smirked, the Nurse was impossible to outwit. No one ever managed. Not even him.
"Nice try…"
"Out now." The doctor growled and pointed at the door. Drag Strip blinked and left. In never paid to mess with a doctor. Especially a Decepticon one.
"Impressing. He's usually harder to get rid of." The patient smiled shyly.
"The authority of medical degree." The doctor smiled charmingly. "Let's do it properly. My name is Knockout… and no pun intended. Let's start with the chart, shall we?"
"Yeah, sure, the questions."
"Ah, so you know the drill?" Knockout raised his opticbrows. It was a soldier and experienced one if he knew the drill like this. "Go ahead."
"Lieutenant Breakdown, former member of Stunticon Gestalt team (currently decommissioned) stationing in Kaon (waiting for new assignment). No allergies." The mech recited. "Do you need my frame or spark type?"
"I don't think so, but if I will, I'll ask, Lieutenant. So, care to tell me what happened?" Knockout put the chart away and focused on his patient.
"Umm, ughh…" The ex-Stunticon fidgeted a bit, he felt awkward under such an intense glare of brilliant red optics. "It was a bar fight… nothing big, I'm strong enough to manage brawls."
"And yet you are here." Knockout pulled hand held scanner, his built made it impossible to have in-build ones, but he didn't need that. "Let's do some scans to see the extent of your injuries. Where did you get hit?"
"Faceplates and leg." Breakdown admitted pointing his bright yellow optic at the ceiling.
"Let's see… you face is good, not even a scratch… and leg?" The medic scanned the appendage closely. "Mmm… few cables got loose and a ball bearing seems cracked. You're in luck, that's my specialisation."
"Will it take long?" Breakdown asked awkwardly. The doctor was hot as Pit, but he felt shy and he still needed to be back in the barracks before the black out. He was still under his old commander's orders.
"It will take just a moment. Faster than my Nurse will be able to slap your friend." Knockout gave Breakdown another charming smile. And the soldier almost melted. "You don't have to watch if you don't want to. Many mechs prefer not to know how their own frames look from inside."
"I don't mind." Breakdown answered feeling his faceplates heating up.
"Serve yourself." Knockout applied local aesthetics and proceeded to work. He replaced the ball bearing and reattached the wires in what seemed a moment. The moment he sealed Breakdown's knee joint one loud slap could be heard.
Breakdown glared at the door and Knockout laughed silently.
"I told you." The red grounder said and winked to his patient. "Now, lubricate it before sleep and come to me in… let's say 8 joors 4)."
"Yes doctor." Breakdown got up from the diagonal berth.
"Now, shoo." Knockout smirked and allowed the blue mech out. Outside Drag Strip was holding his cheek with stunned face while the Nurse looked smug.
When both mechs left, Knockout stretched a bit and called it a day. The blue mech looked kind of cute with the shy look in his yellow optics. He looked like a brute and he sounded like some of those though guys, but there was also something soft in him. Knockout found him companionable.
oOo
It was exactly 8 joors later when Breakdown knocked shyly to Knockout's office door. He felt a bit awkward, but it was doctor's orders and he didn't want any rust in his undercarriage or something as nasty.
"It's open, come in." Came the reply from the inside, so the ex-Stunticon entered.
"I was to come in 8 joors for a check." Breakdown said looking around; the cute doctor wasn't anywhere to be seen.
"I'll be right at you, in a moment." The voice came from behind some massive doors. "I'm in a bit if disarray right now…" Knockout came out carrying few jars of various chemicals; they looked like some artificial sweeteners for energon in various colours, but probably were some medications. Knockout put them down on a table and took a look at his patient, his face brightened. "Ahhh, the bar fight, right? Get on the berth, I'll give you the check out and see if all healed nicely."
Breakdown blinked and did as told. He didn't expect to be remembered so well. It was a bit… unsettling.
Knockout took his scanner and gave Breakdown's knee a diligent scan. "Hmmm, all looks clear lubricate your joint for another quartex 5) before and after recharge and all will be good." The red doctor announced.
"Thank you doctor." Breakdown got up from the berth and looked around again.
"It was my duty… and pleasure. If you will give me a moment, I should have a can of medical lubricant left somewhere here, it is far better than the stuff you can get on the market." Knockout smiled and started to look around. "Unfortunately packing causes mess… Now where did I put it?"
"You're leaving, doctor?" Breakdown asked with surprise.
"Hmm? Yes. I got new assignment and will leave soon. That's why my Nurse isn't here today, he already left." Knockout opened few boxes and looked inside. "I'm moving off-world to rather parlous region – Red Light System 6)."
"I've heard that it isn't that bad." Breakdown said slightly surprised. "We've been on Nova-Amsterdam 6) once, the place is perhaps a bit dingy, but it ain't that bad. We were hanging at this dive called 'The Last Waterhole' 6) all the time and no one gave us as much as funny look. True, most of them were smaller than us, but there were few guys as big as Motormaster… and they had this bouncer that looked like he ate his own carrier…"
Knockout looked at his patient with slight surprise. That was the longest he heard Breakdown to speak, but then again, he didn't knew the mech that long.
"There's only one problem. I'm not being sent to Nova-Amsterdam." Knockout sighed. "Even my Nurse bailed out."
"He's not going with you?"
"No. I was told that I can pick myself a new assistant." Knockout checked a crate filled with various items. "But I doubt that I will be able to find anyone who will go with me. Not when they'll hear where I'm going to… That place doesn't even have a name… Ah! There it… false alarm, it's a spray paint…"
"Then it has to be one of the asteroids… Rich in various ores and energon, pretty strategic place." Breakdown admitted. "But in these holes you better not wander alone."
"I know." Knockout reached deeper into the crate and fished a can of the lubricant he was looking for and then it hit him. Breakdown was large and strong, he was an ex-Stunticon, gestalt team members were never weaklings or morons, a stupid and weak mech would never survive the merging. And Breakdown's team was decommissioned, the gestalt programming was removed, he was free and said it himself, without an assignment! Then on the other servo he didn't knew the mech, but he had nice, low timbre of voice and behaved calm. Sure, it was true that most of the gestalt members were at least a bit crazy, but Knockout had a hunch that this one was not problematic… and Knockout's hunches were usually accurate. And on top of that Breakdown looked good, he would not bring shame to the doctor by being untidy…
"Here you go…" Knockout gave the can to his potential assistant. "Say, Breakdown, are you still without assignment?"
"Umm… yes… Why?" The big blue mech took the can reluctantly. There was something in the doctor's face.
"I was thinking… now that your unit was decommissioned, you probably could use an assignment?" Knockout presented his most charming smile.
"I would… But Motormaster won't allow it. He's still our commander and he won't let any of us to leave." Breakdown said with his optics pointed at the floor. We would want to leave, but there was no chance for that.
"Well then, you're in luck!" Knockout grinned. "Yours truly happens to be exclusively under Conclave and High Command orders."
"What does it mean?"
"It means that I can contact them, tell them that I found myself an assistant, give them your designation and they will contact you directly to confirm. Then you will receive an official assignment as my assistant and departure order." Knockout explained. "Motormaster may be your boss now, but he's not above the High Command, and he will have to respect their orders."
"You must be someone important." Breakdown stared at the small red mech in awe.
"I just had the pleasure to operate on Lord Megatron once and left impression good enough to earn me a place in the inner circle." Knockout shrugged as if he was doing similar things every day. "That's probably why I'm being sent to Red Light System – they need good surgeon there. Not that I like the idea, but I guess that's the price for being noticed."
"Ugh, I prefer to be in the background." Breakdown hummed with displeasure but then his optics widened as something occurred to him. "But how am I to be an assistant? I have no idea about medicine! I only went through obligatory first aid course!"
"And that's enough." Knockout waved his servo dismissively. "You need no more, I will teach you what you need to know, you will do fine."
"Really?" The blue mech gave his new partner hopeful stare.
"Of course. Now, go and act normally, I will take care of all the formalities. Come to me when you will get your new orders. Now be nice mech and go, I need to finish packing." The medic shooed his new assistant away.
oOo
One Mega Cycle 7) later.
Motormaster was sitting in a private room in one of few bars that were still opened in Kaon. His unit… ex-unit… was somewhere close, all four of them. Stunticons were decommissioned, but they were still his mechs and under his orders, and he kept them on a tight leash. He took another bite of his cube of solid energon, decent grade too, tasted good. He ate it with appetite and was chewing on the last piece when a silent knocking caught his attention.
"Whff?" He asked with his mouth full, growled, swallowed and asked again.
"It's Breakdown." A familiar voice answered.
"What is it? I was to be left in peace!"
"I've got orders." The voice answered again.
"Well, come in!" Motormaster felt his tanks protests, he was too nervous and it didn't do any good for his systems but that was the burden of commandership.
Breakdown walked in with troubled face. This was the conversation that he feared. Motormaster should get the orders in the same time he did, but the ex-Stunticon leader usually opened his mail before the recharge, so he probably still didn't know.
"I've received an assignment." Breakdown started with his spark in his throat. "Off-world."
"Nonsense." Motormaster burped between syllables. "None of the other fools have come whining to me about any assignments and that means that I haven't got any , and it means that you haven't got an assignment either."
"No. Not the unit. Me. I got an assignment. Few… few moments ago." Breakdown felt hot and cold at the same time. He was almost paralysed with fear of Motormaster. The mech was tyrannical in ways that Megatron wouldn't even imagine.
"Impossible. They wouldn't give you an assignment without the team." Motormaster felt a helmache forming. He hated to perform any duties right after having a solid energon; it was harder to digest than liquid.
"It was decommissioned and the gestalt programming was uninstalled." Breakdown took one small step behind. "So they don't have to assign all five of us, they treat us as individuals now. And I got an assignment."
"And I say that you don't have a scrap!" Motormaster stood up instantly. He would regret that later when his tanks would give him sparkburn, but now he didn't care. „You're staying with the unit!"
"It's from the high command." Breakdown felt himself ventilating deeply and fast, he was really scared now. "I cannot say 'no' to the high command…"
"I don't care! You stall. I will deal with it! And GET OUT you COWARD!"
Breakdown ran off like a sparkling. It wasn't a good idea to aggravate Motormaster… unless one was from the high command.
One thing Breakdown was sure: Motormaster would learn that he accepted the assignment and that it was proposed to him by Knockout, and then the ex-gestalt leader would be so mad that he would probably vent fire. Breakdown knew he had to get off-world as fast as possible. Luckily, Knockout was already ready to leave in his ship, just outside of the city limits.
Breakdown transformed and sped with his top speed. He didn't want to wait for Motormaster to have half a chance to do as much as growl in his direction. Not ever again.
oOo
Motormaster didn't waste any time. It wasn't in his custom but he immediately looked through his in-box and found the orders for his underling. It was a copy for the commander so he knew that the soldier didn't went AWOL. He opened and saw that Breakdown was telling the truth.
"From: Nemesis High Command/Medical Dept.
To: Lt. Breakdown former Stunticon Gestalt Team
CC: Col. Motormaster former Stunticon Gestalt Team
Subject: Reassignment order No. 234/556/MA/RLS/44A Ref. Nr. HG/MD/5812/28/08/14
Decepticon High Command, Medical Department informs that Lieutenant Breakdown (formerly Stunticon Gestalt Team) is being reassigned as medical assistant to Captain Doctor Knockout.
Location: Red Light System.
Signed:
General Hook (Constructicon Gestalt Team)."
So, it was truth. Motormaster tapped his as a commander he had the privilege to ask few questions and verify the notice just in case. He waited few moments for the connection to be answered.
oOo
One Groon 8) later.
Breakdown transformed and ran to the ship. It took him a while to get through the city's labyrinth of streets, passages and bridges and then he had to speed to the ship that was set just outside of the Kaon. But now he was there. Finally free!
He jumped to the ramp and just skipped to the entry hatch when he heard Motormaster's angry roar behind him. He looked back and saw Motormaster speeding in his vehicle mode. Knockout heard the noise and appeared in the hatch only to see a raging truck. He glared at the speeding vehicle for a moment.
"Let me guess. Motormaster?" He asked while giving Breakdown one raised opticbrow.
"You don't want to know him, trust me." Breakdown shook slightly. "He's a Colonel; he will scrap you and don't care about anything."
"Megatron would be displeased upon hearing that I was slagged." Knockout gave the truck another glance. "But it would not bring me back from the Allspark."
"Just go. I want to be out of his fire range as soon as possible." Breakdown entered the ship fully and looked back as the hatch closed and the ramp lifted to form part of the hull.
Almost instantly the ship lifted and just jetted into the air.
Motormaster was too late. He transformed the moment the ship flew away. What he said wasn't fit to repeat out loud.
That moment every ex-Stunticon got a message from Breakdown. Motormaster only opened his the next day.
"From: Breakdown.
To: Gestalt
Subject: reassignment.
Hey guys. Sorry for not saying goodbye but I was in a hurry. I got reassigned off-world. It was pure luck; I got proposed and said yes. We got decommissioned and now that I am free I just couldn't stay here anymore. I wanted to go on, be free again. Be good to Motormaster, he'll be slagged-off for some time because I kind of didn't told him the whole truth.
And the Doctor that I went with is an OK guy, and good looking too. I'll have plenty of fun being Medical Assistant. Maybe we'll see again, so until then.
BD."
oOo
Nemesis. Present time.
Knockout lifted his optics to see Daisy standing in the door. The Nurse looked just like every other Vehicon but she was adding some details that were hard to notice for anyone who didn't saw her every day. Except for the medical markings of her arms that is.
"I think you have had enough, doctor." She said in her feminine voice. 9) "You need to get to the berth and recharge this off."
"No." Knockout avoided the Nurse's visor. "I want to stay up and drink myself until I can't tell an aft from a helm."
"I don't think it is a good idea."
"It's an anniversary… of me and B… him coming to this accursed planet." Knockout squeezed the cube but didn't break it.
"It was not your fault, Knockout."
"It doesn't matter. Leave me be."
"As you wish." Daisy left silently. Breakdown was a touchy subject. It was probably better to allow Knockout to deal with it his way for now. What else could she do at that moment anyway?
oOo
Sometime later.
Daisy walked into Knockout quarters knowing what she will find. And she wasn't surprised. Knockout laid under the table, completely knocked out… all puns intended. The Nurse shook her helm and grabbed the unconscious mech. Luckily she had the regular Vehicon built, so lifting the mech was nothing big to her. She moved Knockout to his berth and covered him with thermal blanket and prepared the hangover kit: painkillers and some low grade. Knockout was bound to suffer when he will wake up, but it was his own choice and the Nurse didn't felt sympathetic for the doctor in that matter. He did it to himself.
She looked at the mech for a moment and sighed. It was still a fresh wound, but he couldn't deal with it this way, he needed a help to deal with Breakdown's death and due to Decepticon unwritten rules, he couldn't show weakness by asking for help. It had to be offered and Daisy was ready to help. She liked the doctor (she also liked Breakdown because he was an all right mech), and she knew that while she couldn't replace his dead partner, she could make it easier.
Now she had to return to her duties in the infirmary.
Next: Soundwave.
This story happened during Spider Woman, just when Motormaster, Barricade, Frenzy, Rumble and Ravage arrived on board of Nemesis. This is what Knockout has been doing before he got himself wasted.
Now, I do not promote drinking alcohol (or high grade), I am strictly against it. But seeing as this is part of the plot, Knockout is going to end up under the table. However I didn't show Knockout getting to the pitiful state he ended in, plus Soundwave stated in his own way that drowning sorrows in cube/glass won't help… And because Soundwave is smart guy, always listen to what he says.
1) Mentioned in More Than Meets the Eye, issue 7 "Rules of Disengagement".
2) See Transformers Ultimate Guide for reference.
3) See Robots in Disguise, issue 3 "Stick Together".
4) 1 Joor = 6 hours. 8 joors = 6x8 = 48 hours.
5) 1 Quartex = approximately one month.
6) The Last Waterhole on Nova-Amsterdam in Red Light System – place borrowed from ABC Warriors. Deadlock (not to be mistaken with Drift's Decepticon name), the Grand Wizard of Knights Martial wrote his "pearls of witless wisdom" there.
7) 1 Mega-cycle = 93 hours.
8) 1 Groon = approximately one hour.
9) Daisy speaks in the voice of Elizabeth Mary McGlynn, who is a singer, actor and a voice actor (for anime, video games and cartoons), and as it happens, privately she is wife of Daran Norris who is the voice actor that voices Knockout – it's just a little detail I decided to add for all the Knockout fans.
I just read MTMTE 32 and ran in circles like a loon with grin like a watermelon quarter (only less pink and without any seeds in it).
Ravage and Megatron conversation = YAY!
Rewind news = YAY!
Now I can't wait for more!
I also read RiD 32 and was pleased to see that Soundwave was all right in the end. And he was kind of right about Prowl… because Prowl is… well… Prowl. Not that I hate him, but he's just that way. Plus, I'm a Deceptigirl; I will support anything that Soundwave has to say about Prowl as a default.
Also, there's a new series: Primacy, which is continuation of Monstrosity and Autocracy series.