Sorry for taking so long to update, got alot going on. Who doesn't? I mean really? Anyway! I would like to thank EVERYONE for SPAMMING me with notifications about this story, I shit my pants when I opened my inbox for an entire week after this was posted. Needless to say, I needed several new pairs of pants. XD I was sitting there going "Really? It's just one lameass chapter!" But anyway! Thank you so much again for the reviews and watches and favs, damn! D:
Now, a brief overview of this chapter. It's more of a filler, however, it does contain some surprises and will give you insight on where this story is exactly set in terms of time period. And a particular character that will surely get alot of mixed reactions, however, I assure you, her role will be grand in this story. ;) It's taken me much time to craft her, and as the story goes on you'll find out exactly who she is. There's also a nod to one of the most badass youtube Knock Out montages, EVER. Deryn is not in this chapter btw, however, she will be in the next one. Three caps in and shit's about to fly. Hoo!
- Fruity Sangheili
All said and done, Knock Out felt pleased with the service that was provided by the Human employees at Trey's, they certainly knew how to increase a vehicle's beauty factor, and the Red Medic savored every second of it. Despite the still depressing weather, he now sported a high gloss finish that made him shine brilliantly in the amber glow of the city lights, the dent in his front fender gone and his interior brimmed the borderline of 'brand-spanking-new'. His passenger seat was empty now, however Knock Out felt far from lonely.
In fact, he'd almost forgotten about the girl completely, and he'd left her not even an hour ago at the Wash & Repair. She no longer required his assistance to travel, she'd call for a cab in order to make it to her abode. He certainly didn't offer to give her a ride, after all she was the one to offered to care for her 'mistake.'
It still irritated him that he couldn't really blame her for the incident, if he'd paid more attention to the mangy Humans that had sent her flying into him, he'd have tracked them down and given them a real reason to fear the 'Ugly fucking car.' Yet out of the several thousand vermin in the city, what good would it do him? How long would a search like take that? He'd lose interest in pursuing revenge in no time, simply looking at the pale fleshy creatures going about their 'scurrisome' daily commutes was tiresome as it stood alone.
Having nothing to do other than leave the inner city and be on his way back to a meeting point with the Nemesis, his mind wandered over what his day brought him. It made him an unofficial friend for one thing, though honestly he hoped never to cross paths with that sorry excuse of a female again. He couldn't bare looking at her boring and sad eyes anymore than he had to, even when they parted ways she gave him a lonely smile and even lonelier wave goodbye. It irritated him to no end when he thought about her reserved voice and movements that reeked of self-pity, she couldn't even bare herself to look someone in the eye, how embarrassing! No, insulting!
No one was going to eat her and yet she flinched each time he spoke like he was suddenly going to kick her out in the rain and run her over, or that his Holodrone was going to physically harm her.
He sighed to himself, there was no point in getting mad at it now. If she didn't have the self-assurance and confidence she needed to care for herself and change her outlook on her own appearance, then that was her problem. Knock Out himself knew others that cast a sneer in his direction did it out of envy, and oh did he love it. He didn't have to be told he was beautiful, he knew it. He did all along.
People like that, like Deryn, didn't get far in life anyway, and when their great depressing outlook on life always dragged people around them down with their whining, it reflected upon in how they were treated. If the girl wanted him to respect her, then she should've opened up more, yet her down behavior was a joke.
He wasn't sure where that sort of behavior stemmed from other than being continuously shunned for her outer appearance, but he wasn't going to read too far into it. Minds like that were often sick, and the entire time she sat with him, he figured she had to have been thinking many things.
As he mused, he assumed that she collected those robot models because she found comfort in them. They didn't talk back, they didn't shun her, they didn't make ugly faces at her when she wasn't looking, they kept all her secrets and Primus knew what else they'd witnessed.
She could touch them without the fear of being injured for doing so, she could sit around and not worry about being driven out of the room for simply being there, they didn't consider her a bother, they couldn't consider her a bother to be more precise. She also sought comfort in food as well, telling from her generous anatomy, it was disgusting to him personally. Even the fat one the Autobots had in their ranks didn't look anywhere near as unappealing. There was just something about their liquid and carbon based forms that made his spark shuddering horrifically. Through effortless observation Knock Out noticed all these little things about her.
It then surprised him that he even read into her that much, but she was a curious Human although she hardly spoke during the wait.
Ugh! Enough… I need to get my mind somewhere else, I'll go mad before I even get back to that dusty bowl of a city… He flicked on his radio, adjusting the knob before finding a station he was content with. He found riding without music to be such a drag, and admittedly, he did find some of the Earthlings had a talent for it.
"Sometimes I wonder why I ever got in…
Blood Market…
Love Market…
Sometimes I wonder why they need me at all!
Zydrate comes in a little glass vial,
A little glass vial? (A little glass vial!)
And the little glass vial goes into a gun like a battery,
(Ahh! Uhh!)
And the Zydrate Gun goes somewhere against your anatomy!
(Uhh! Uhh!)
And when the gun goes off,
it sparks and you're ready for,
Surgery, surgery…"
Now out on the open highway, Knock Out's bass beamed and shuddered through his entire cabin and he accelerated, ignoring the alarmed honks of the Humans around him with a chuckle.
"Hmhmhehuh! … Huh?" His song was cut as his communications line beeped. Surely it was Breakdown, and casually he answered.
"Yes~?"
"Knock Out!" Megatron's raspy voice nearly sent the Aston Martin barreling off the highway.
Scrap…
"Yes my L-lord?" He answered with a break in his usually campy voice.
"It's been nearly a day since your absence! Where are you? Return to the Nemesis, at once!"
"Yes, Lord Megatron! I-I was merely scouting the area… What with the recent attack on our soldiers not being Autobot related, I was curious to see for myself if it was an… Outside source."
"Do you take me for a fool, Knock Out? I've been actively aware of your outings, snooping around in other Human cities, risking a security breach among our secretive existence here to the Human infestation! I will have you punished, Knock Out." The Decepticon overlord finished darkly, inciting a nervous chuckle from the smaller Mech.
"Lord Megatron, I can assure you, my outings are not a time of play!" He attempted to argue submissively in order to save the glittering ruby finish on his aft. After all, he just got it!
"I only felt it was wise to retain a look out. During my outing, I did intercept several curious transmissions in regards to MECH's activity." He forced a serious tone upon exiting the highway and taking a long, empty stretch of road that lead back to the desert and onward to the city of Jasper.
"Really now? And, I would openly assume you'll be sending these Curious Transmissions to me right away? Or were you planning to gift wrap them before presentation?" Megatron's voice was dripping with sarcasm.
"Well, uh… Do you, have a favorite color?" He tried to play up on humor. An idiotic mistake, as he found out, when Megatron snarled through the static over the line.
"I-I-I will s-send them right away, your Lordship!" He babbled. "Securing line… Sending it now."
"Wise choice, Knock Out. See to it that you hurry your way here. Due to our last engagement with Prime's crew, a few of our militia are looking like they've seen better days." The Decepticon overlord said.
"I'm on my way, you'll see me there in less than an hour." Knock Out made sure to disguise any hint of hopefulness in his voice that he wouldn't be destroyed for his playtime.
As the line went silent, leaving The Red Medic to himself once more, he released a sigh. It didn't hold any particular feeling. Knock Out wasn't the type to hide nor be ashamed of the fact he was a sucker for escaping the Nemesis for some outside time, yet it was clear Megatron had had enough of his joyride sprees, all too aware that the smaller Decepticon was more the type to run the streets for fun.
He was a prowler, expedient, a rather silky one if he did say so himself. As he once told Breakdown, he would just travel from place to place and sniff around for anything interesting, going unmentioned was that he was simultaneously getting his ego stroked.
Sometimes he often wondered if he was going to suffer such a punishment that he'd forever lose his graceful vanity, yet up until now he hadn't. Humming in his voice box, he increased his speed, the thought of a frenzied castigation on his mind.
0-O
The Decepticon leader rubbed his spiky digits along the borders of his metal temples, uttering a breathless groan of contempt from between his jagged dental plates. For the moment, he stood alone upon the bridge of his ship, now staring at the Nemesis's main interface. Soundwave stood distant of his Master, silently working away at decoding the Renmark Files he'd just acquired from a recent excursion on a disabled MECH base. Now, he had whole new set of audiofiles to decrypt, sort, and store.
"Must you be so harsh?" Piped a distant, pint female voice. It was come from around Megatron's feet. He seemed amused at this voice and glanced down at it's source with a cruel gaze. Yet through his gaze he held a fondness for the press-button tempered youngster female organic that stood with arms crossed within her gray lab coat, rich purple shirt and outlandish high-waist 40's style black pants.
"Dear Maeve, must you cluster around my feet like bacteria?" He addressed her with a quickly deteriorating affectionate tone, his mouth falling into a frown and optics burning in the child's direct.
"Kind of related…. I'm suppose to." Maeve pressed a finger beneath a chunk of hair that lay limp over her face, tossing it aside. "Besides, there's nothing to do and if I bother Breakdown anymore, I'll end up a meat pie on the floor."
"Then I'll be sure the clean up crew will take great care to lift your smear off my deck! Get out of my sight!" Megatron threw his arm over her head and outcast it towards the bridge doors, yet this Human didn't flinch at his violent movement. Instead, she simply growled to almost inhuman tones which caused Megatron to raise a brow plate.
"… I think mother was nuts in one way or anything to get it on with you." She scoffed sourly. It was then that she took a step back as his face abruptly dropped to her level, casting a shadow over her except for the red of his optics that seemed to burn right into her. Her vision began to waver when she attempted to return his stare, the light too intense.
"You, are an accident! I did not want you!" He hissed hoarsely. "Nor did your mother and I 'get it on' or whatever other cruel ill iteration you've come up for the ideal substitute of 'copulation'!"
"Woah, big words. It hurts." She said sarcastically, turning her head away briefly with her hands grasping her cranium as if it ached. Would any other Human have spoken to Megatron in such a demeaning tone, they'd be nothing more than a stain in seconds.
She then returned his aggressing stare. "Well now here's a question Mr. Almighty! Why am I still standing here… Arguing… WITH YOU? I didn't just pop out of my mother with your genetics without reason or cause!" Her shrieks caught the attention of the Vehicons below, even Soundwave paused to gaze at the spectacle. Internally, it bothered him not, to see the Decepticon Lord battle it out with his organic spawn, she was like her father in more ways than she realized.
Just as Megatron's lips parted to further unleash his frustrations on the young lady, the blip of a contact rang out through the ship's intercom. He straightened, his argument fast forgotten.
"Saved by the bell." Maeve hissed at him, following her father's brisk, thundering footsteps off the bridge like a duckling behind it's mother. One could almost hear the soft cheeping as they observed the peculiar sight. He went on, oblivious of her remark now that the energy signature of a Renmark object surfaced.
"Wassup, Soundwave?" Maeve addressed the frail-appearing Decepticon in a surely manner, yelping as her father's foot came into view and booted her 'gently' into a roll away from where he stood. She stopped on her rear several feet away, rubbing her back with a pained expression. Hissing through her teeth quietly at the pain, she blinked up at the faceless Communications Expert who was staring at her before looking to Megatron.
"Soundwave, report." Megatron spoke with surprising calmness despite being embarrassed by the unwanted growth. He dare not obey the urge to sneer at the girl, and instead diverted his attention the overhead screen that he and Soundwave stood beneath. "Another weapon… The last one. We mustn't lose this to the Autobots, it is, crucial. Quickly, assembly an infiltration crew, have Breakdown take lead. I don't care if it is nothing more than a paper gun! Get me that weapon!"
Nodding wordlessly, Soundwave's middle swiveled around to spread the order throughout the ship and to summon Breakdown from his quarters.
"Is there possibly something I could do?" Maeve spoke up, her spiny behavior from before, quelled by the punishment she was dished out. She lifted her head, pulling her silver and black hair from her face to get a better look at the Silver Tyrant who was her one, true founder.
He seemed to be in thought as he turned to address her.
"Yes…. Actually. Stay out of my way, and I'll reward you." He glared down at her.
Although she pouted, she was use to the abusive behavior her father had been delivering her. Although she only knew him a year, she was willing to bond with him more than he was to her. This abrasive behavior was natural of Megatron, particularly the disgust he showed when he found out she was his genetic heir. He'd refrained from killing her for reasons he cared not to say, although it came to fill Maeve's mind that he did find her to have captured the affectionate cockles of his Spark. Hard to believe he even had any. Antics she did around the ship no doubt reminded him of himself as he was now, or perhaps when he was young. Would one look at the mighty and fierce creature clad in brilliant silver now, they'd think him to have crawled out of the deepest pits of Hell itself, as if nothing remotely mortal could've birthed such a being. Maeve often found herself wondering what he was like as a child, perhaps she could soften him with the question once things were quiet on the ship.
Yet on numerous occasions he'd shown some degree of concern for her safety. She was troublemaker, and throughout her stay on the ship, the 14 year old was getting into everything and driving possibly every Decepticon besides the ever-calm Soundwave, mad. Knock Out had begun to call her 'Mini-Mega' for her tempermental outbursts and occasional seriousness.
She wasn't particularly hyper, that was something to be thankful for. But she was a curious thing, and ill-tempered. Her constant attempts to affectionately connect with her father were bothersome to say the least, and somehow, unwittingly, she started regarding Soundwave as her big brother. That unsettled the Decepticon CE even more, he didn't want to form a bond outside of Carmina, with anyone.
Her punishments were never as severe as Megatron had held them so high to be, partly due to the fact that he wanted to see just what sort of a reputation his raising her would bring out. To see if she had the potential for greatness like her father. There were already a few traits of his showing through. The relentlessness, lack of realization, quick thinking, an all-time serious nature - Yet for her it was still at it's half-shift - and the temper the Warlord was famous for. Oh did she have it, and she wasn't afraid to use it on him either.
As Soundwave watched her mull away with a sulk on her face that she'd been ruthlessly burnt off her attempts to gain his favor, he felt a ting of pity for her. Megatron was impressed by her temper and cleverness, secretively. She was a feisty thing, quick-witted and sarcastically humored. Yet she was also uncharacteristically gentle towards other people - her father aside - and other living beings. It was the Human part of her nature coming forth, and also due to the way she was brought up by her mother.
Lilith Maerbourne. Deceased.
The girl had a lot on her mind, Megatron's harassing hard-ass love motives weren't helping her scarred psyche one bit. She was nothing but an experiment for him for the time being, more than a daughter. Being a spike in Megatron's aft wasn't exactly a favorable position to be in, yet she kept imbedding herself further in for every pestering attempt she made.
Megatron's thundering footsteps emptied the bridge, having said all he needed to in order to get the Human out from under his shadow. Surprised by the feeling of warmth on his foot, Soundwave's head dropped, finding she curled on his toe with a depressed visage.
"What am I doing wrong, Soundwave? I've tried everything. Why did mum leave me to this guy? He's a complete asshole! …. I wish he'd just squash me already." She sighed.
"…"
She then raised her face when she received no answer and frowned at her own distant reflection. "Christ. You have talk at some point you know. Either Starscream talks too damn much and you act like your voice box is ripped out. What the Hell's wrong with all you people on this ship? Are all robots this wonky in the head?"
"…. Darkspark." He finally quipped, a hint of irritation laced in the name.
"He's too busy. I almost can never tell him apart from the other Vehicons, and Borderline is… Well. Busy too." She slumped on his foot, much to Soundwave's dismay. Luckily, he hadn't planned on moving for several more minutes, hopefully in that time she'd find somewhere else to release her worries.
"I mean, damn. I offered myself to him, wanted him to give me a productive job so I don't feel like some useless pea on this ship…. Mother raised me to be a constant worker, my brain can't go without it for too long…. Like a bird, I'll start mutilating myself if I don't get the attention or activity I crave… I feel like some teenage stereotypical anime kid! Shoot me!"
"Keep up your whining, and I will." Dreadwing sneered at her from behind the Communication's Officer, having grown tired of listening to her voice since he entered not but a minute ago. She peered up at him the around Soundwave's hock, returning his ugly grimace.
"Don't be such a dick. If you had a shred of consciences you'd feel bad for me."
"Glad not to be the lucky owner of it then." He answered gruffly.
"What's your deal, Dreadwing- EHY!" She started, but was cut short when Soundwave's thin digits plucked the back of her jacket, promptly dropping her a few feet from above the control console before him and lowering his face towards her quickly. She groaned at the fall and glanced up at him, demanding an explaination only to retreat in fright. Getting the message at the terse gesture, Maeve quickly retracted from his reflective faceplate, sensing the frown he was giving her. It was a message to shut the Hell up before she got her tongue ripped out by her father or someone else.
"Sorry, big bro." She raised her hands submissive, nearly falling onto her back. Her body's natural reaction was the curl into a defensive ball at his aggressive advance, which she did partially, and released an unexpected but muted whine.
He shook his head at the partnering title briskly.
"No."
"No what?" She asked softly, uncoiling when she felt he was less threatening. Her eyes wandered over his faceplate before she looked somewhat heartbroken when it crossed her mind what he was 'no'-ing at. "You don't like it when I call you 'big brother'?"
He repeated the negative action of his cranium, making her sigh.
"…. Sorry Soundwave." She said quietly. "I wish you'd have said no to it earlier, I thought you were okay with it. I'll just call you sir, or by your name, from now on." She mumbled out the last of her sentence, fiddling with a wrinkle in her top.
Glad that the issue was settled, Soundwave returned to the usual tapping of the keys before him, ignoring her obvious mope. He wasn't going to warm up to her and feel sorry getting mad at her and denying her a friendship with him. Pit damn him, he was already providing her some wisdom and insight to keep her from getting in trouble, he was ending up her protector and mentor. That was the last responsibility he wanted to top off all the work he had on his shoulders anyway. Juggling a relationship and family with this sort of job was hassle enough, dealing with another child was just ridiculous! Keeping it to himself, Soundwave felt Megatron should've taken better care of his spawn, he wasn't her father.
Carmina was holed up in a house in Barcelona with three… Outcomes, of their meetings. She hadn't complained a bit about dealing with them on her own, much to his gratefulness. Sandia, Saoirse, and Serle. His two girls and son. Sandia, was his firstborn, rambunctious, sweet, with chubby cheeks and smiling eyes that softened the Decepticon each time she looked at him. Saoirse, his second, troublesome at times, even destructive and plotting, but she yearned for adventure, and loved her family closely. Then, Serle, his quiet, self-excluding and contemptible son. To where he got such a strange trait was beyond him, he loved him no less than his other children.
Subtly, he smiled beneath his mask at the memory of the last time he arrived at her doorstep, shrunken down and ready to be swarmed by overly-happy children. His tentacles weren't safe, and had in fact been dwindled down to nothing more than wiggling jump-ropes and other sources of simple athletic entertainment for his charge. Once they all got old enough to walk, that was that and Hell broke loose. Several times did he scare them into behaving, rightfully so.
To be honest, they really had to fear the wrath of their mother. He continued to decode the newly arrived messages thanks to Knock Out, and relaxed into a steady rhythm, knowing that the soft tapping of the keys would eventually lull Maeve into sleep.
0O
"Hey Jack, you won't believe who just drove by me. He seems in a hurry." The Asian woman pursed her bubblegum pink lips, she sat back, lax against her escort's seat, her legs bracing either side of the obnoxiously painted motorcycle. "Any news on that weapon-thingy yet?"
"Nothing yet Miko. Who was it that was in a hurry?" Said the man tiredly on the other end of the line.
"Knock Out. He's flying. It's gotta be something' good! Me and Jukebox are going to go check it out!"
"Miko, no, Optimus said to stay out of the Cons way! If you get hurt, tegh, no telling what will happen!"
"Relax Jack! I'll take good care of her. Besides, we won't get into anything, just a little recon!" Jukebox transferred in her voice into the phone call. She would've been smiling had it not been for her current state.
"Jukebox, not you too-"
"Sorry Jack, static- Line's fuzzy!" Miko acted up, abruptly cutting her phone's line. She smiled deviously, returning her cell to her jeans pocket with haste. "Let's cut this place! With Bulkhead in the shop, there's nothing better than making a smashing substitution!" She wrapped her pale fingers around Jukebox's handlebars, grinning ear to ear when the femme launched from her parking space, leapt the curve and raced to catch up with the fiery Decepticon speedster.