Part 3: Silence is Broken
"Pray. For the children!You lost along the way
Still remember, the names, and faces...
Cold. And abandoned
They cry, their fate put in your hands…"
-'One More Soul to the Call' by Mary Elizabeth McGlynn (Silent Hill Homecoming OST)
Knock Out roamed the halls of the Nemesis, a wide grin on his face. There had been a search for Airachnid, but she was never found and assumed offline. There had been a brief eulogy, everyone falling back into daily routine afterwards.
But throughout the whole thing, Breakdown had been upset and who was it that stayed by him during this?
The medic smiled again. Who cares whether that freak was gone or not? All that mattered was that he and Breakdown could finally get closer to each other and now he just needed to find the best way to finally tell the beautiful blue van how he feels and…
Knock Out stopped as he sensed something behind him. Scrap! Who was it? He hesitantly turned around, facing a blank visor.
"Soundwave." He said curtly.
The Communications officer stared impassively at the medic, silent as always. Knock Out couldn't help but scowl; Soundwave was Megatron's personal little snitch and would report virtually anything to their 'Lord and Master'.
And frankly, he despised it.
No one deserved to be spied on 24/7 for any trace of insubordination, deceit or even laziness. Not everyone was like Starscream, for Primus' sake! However, the medic knew exactly one mech that deserved it the least.
Breakdown.
Knock Out could remember one time where his love had told him how he felt about Soundwave and his drone Laserbeak. 'It's really weird having Soundwave just watching us. It's getting pretty creepy, don't you think?' He said.
Snapping out of his contemplation, the Aston Martin turned back to Soundwave with a scowl. "What was it that you wanted?"
The TIC said nothing. Instead the air crackled with the tell-tale Kzzt! Of a sound recording beginning. "Decepticons, it is my sad duty to inform you that we have been unable to find Airachnid and that we must declare her… offline." Megatron's voice filled the hallway, distorted by the playback.
Knock Out only rested a hand on his hip. "I was aware of that. So?"
Another recording started, one that caused the red mech to freeze up. "Commander Starscream had asked me to investigate the energon that was collected in one of the lower bays, lazy slagger that he is and considering the amount of energon in said bay, I thought I could use some help."
Scrap! He had completely forgotten that Soundwave was there when he was talking to Airachnid!
Knock Out tried to form a solid defence, only for his processor to short out whenever he tried to think of a good reason; Soundwave could find a tiny contradiction and then shoot it down with ease. He coughed a little and turned back to the darker mech. "Well, I did need to check some of the energon stores and just because I had asked Airachnid for help doesn't mean I am related to her… tragic offlining."
Soundwave only stared at the medic for a little bit before turning on his heel and walking away, going back to whatever he was doing. The medic growled quietly, panic shooting through his systems. What should he do? If Soundwave revealed this to Megatron, then he could be found out!
He had to get rid of the TIC.
***
Later that day, Knock Out summoned Soundwave to the Medbay, lying through his denta by saying that he needed to check the Third in Command's systems.
The medic had the sedative prepared… just enough to keep the spy quiet until they could get to the 'Kitchen' and then he could get the next part prepared…
He was brought out of his reverie when the Medbay doors slid open and Soundwave walked in, Laserbeak docked into his chassis as usual. Knock Out put on a fake smile. "Glad you could make it. My apologies for bringing this up on such short notice." He said, bowing a little with a hand over his spark. "It was just that considering that mission you went on a short while ago, I thought that I should just check over your systems again to make sure that you're in full working order."
Soundwave (As usual) said nothing and instead walked over to a medical berth and laid down on it. What Knock Out said was true to an extent; a few cycles ago, Soundwave was sent to monitor a mining operation, which was then attacked by the Autobots, during which Soundwave was attacked by their blue femme.
The two kept silent until Knock Out broke it. "I will need to administer a sedative. Some of the system repairs will be painful to a conscious mech and so I think it would be best if you were in stasis lock for it." He explained.
The TIC moved his helm to look at the medic. Even without showing his face, he could still portray his scepticism very well. "That will not be necessary, Doctor." Starscream's patronising drawl filled the room.
"Oh, I insist. Besides, it's my understanding that Laserbeak can feel what you're feeling and if you're in pain, then she'll feel it too. I highly doubt you'd want that, would you?" Knock Out had to resist a smirk as he said it. It was fairly well-known that Soundwave was very close to any of his drones and wouldn't want them to be hurt…
…Which made another part of this all the more better.
Soundwave remained impassive for a few kliks, before he silently nodded and settled down on the berth completely. Knock Out wandered over to the side and brought a syringe filled with sedative. "Okay, you'll feel a tiny prick and then it'll be over and done with." He said, pressing the syringe against the Spy's neck cables.
The medic watched as the sedative was forced into Soundwave's body and how he slowly faded into a temporary stasis. The medic smirked, his optics wide and demented.
Time to play…
***
Knock Out tapped the side of Soundwave's helm, who was now bound to the wall in a so-called 'Spread-eagle' position. He ran a sharp digit down the seam of the spy's mask and pressed in a little, wedging it in between the tiny crack.
The TIC twitched a little, signalling his awakening. "Wake up Soundwave…" the red mech crooned, pulling his finger away. "I need you up and ready for this."
Soundwave looked around for a bit before looking back at the Aston Martin. "Where… Am I?" Starscream's voice appeared again. "I demand an explanation!"
"Shut up for the moment, you freak." Knock Out snapped, slapping the darker mech across the face. "I'm sick and tired of you and every last bit of your behaviour. How you spy on us… how you constantly kiss Megatron's aft… and also, how you send out your toys to do your work."
With that, the medic grabbed hold of Laserbeak, still docked into Soundwave's chassis, and pulled. Hard. The spy trembled in pain and tried to pull away and make sure that his precious pet wasn't torn away from him. Knock Out ignored the pained keening from the drone as he continued to pull and pull…
Laserbeak finally came off, prompting a shrill shriek from the drone and a pained shudder from Soundwave. The medic held the flailing creature in his hands and walked over to a metal tray, slamming the creature down harshly. "Feisty little pest, isn't she?" he chuckled, grabbing hold of her 'head' and causing more flailing and shrieking. "It never made sense how you could like this thing and still send her out on missions that could kill her!" He increased the pressure.
"Order: Stop it!"
Knock Out paused and looked up at Soundwave. Seeing that he was glaring at the scene, his chassis heaving from his intakes. "Oh, so you can talk!" The narcissist cackled, amused by the sudden break in the TIC's legendary silence.
"Laserbeak: Release immediately." Soundwave bit out, his voice deep and rich. "Consequences: Dire."
The medic only shrugged and went back to what he was doing, his hands still pinning down the thrashing drone. "That connection we were talking about earlier… I wonder if it works in reverse?" He mumbled.
With those words, Knock Out flicked the wrist holding Laserbeak's head, snapping its neck with a short pained cry. Soundwave let out a piercing howl of agony, his head snapping upwards and then falling back down. The drone fell silent and limp, leaving Soundwave with his head hanging. The medic smirked as he saw his 'superior' shuddering and panting quietly. He let go of Laserbeak and walked over to another tray, this one covered in white cloth. "Don't let that get you down… Laserbeak can be with all the others now, can't she?"
Knock Out grabbed hold of the cloth and pulled it off, revealing what was underneath it. Soundwave snapped back to attention and then froze. "…No…" He said quietly.
Three bots lay on the tray, each in a state of disrepair. The first was a black and violet feline, scratches adorning its side and its front right leg torn to the protoform. The second was a black and red Minicon, part of his torso exposed and legs dangling limply. The last one was a purple version of its brother and was in even more of a deplorable state; its left arm was missing and there were patches of circuitry visible everywhere. "Look familiar?" Knock Out questioned. "After all, you had them put on support ever since they were wounded in the war."
"…Ravage… Rumble… Frenzy…?" Soundwave gasped nigh-silently. He shook in his bonds, whether out of rage or grief, Knock Out wasn't sure. The TIC looked up, no doubt enraged underneath the mask. "Why!? Why did you do this!?"
Knock Out's expression suddenly became darker, grabbing hold of Rumble's still frame. "I know you put these three on support after they were damaged in the war, since you 'knew' that they would come back." He said, holding up Rumble to examine him closer. "But… it was pointless. You just don't understand! Even with your intelligence, you don't even know! They. Are. FRAGGING! DEAD!"
With that, Knock Out slammed Rumble back down, rattling the tray and the other two bodies. Soundwave thrashed in his binds further, looking as he were trying to break free in order to kill Knock Out. The medic glared up at Soundwave harshly. "You see? You just can't handle the fact that they're dead, can you?" He hissed. "Wow… even if with all your intelligence, you couldn't figure that out? But, who cares? They're just your little drones…"
"SILENCE!" Soundwave growled. His head hung down again. "Cassettes: More than that… Cassettes: family…" He quietly mumbled.
"I didn't hear that." Knock Out said, walking over to Soundwave with a laser scalpel in his hand. "Say it again." With that, he jabbed the scalpel into Soundwave's shoulder.
The TIC winced and sucked in an intake of air. "Cassettes… family…" He said again, a little bit louder.
"Louder." Knock Out ordered, twisting the scalpel.
Soundwave grunted. "C-Cassettes: Family…!"
"LOUDER." The medic thrust the scalpel further in.
"Cassettes: FAMILY!" He finally screamed. Silence followed, broken only by the spy's harsh intakes of air. Knock Out chuckled and pulled the scalpel out, making sure to twist it as well.
"Oh? Is that so? You thought of them as a sort of family?" He cooed, earning a shaky nod from Soundwave. He burst out laughing. "How pathetic. Makes me want to purge my tanks."
He looked down and started to pry at Soundwave's abdomen, looking for a manual catch. He dug his claws in, eventually hearing a tiny 'click' and smirked. He quickly pulled and revealed to Soundwave what he was looking for.
The Data cables.
"I bet you've done some lewd things with these things, haven't you?" Knock Out sneered as he took out the right tentacle and held it out to be examined. "But then again… I doubt anyone would want you."
The medic clenched both the tentacle and the laser scalpel, pressing the tiny blade against it. "Next step…" He whispered, before swiftly digging the scalpel in and drawing energon. Soundwave made no noise, even when the scalpel cut in deeper and deeper, energon flowing frantically.
Before long, the tentacle was completely severed and Knock Out had tossed it onto a nearby tray, clanking miserably. Soundwave still showed no reaction to it. The medic scowled and turned his attention to where the second tentacle was, pulling it out and starting the process over again.
However, he paused as the tentacle was left half-severed and pulled the scalpel away. He suddenly laughed. "You know Soundwave… why do you always pretend to be emotionless? That you can't feel pain, physical or mental?" He asked, a cruel smirk in place. "Do you just want to prove that you're better than us? Well…"
The red mech grabbed hold of the half-severed cable and pulled harshly, stretching it painfully and finally forcing Soundwave to start moaning in agony. Knock Out smirked wider, his denta exposed and proceeded to pull even harder. The spy kept on with his pained noises, which refused to evolve into full-blown screaming.
The tentacle was finally ripped away, forcing Soundwave to gasp in pain and his head flung back, hitting the wall behind him. Knock Out only hummed and threw the appendage to rest with its twin. "See? You're not that tough." He sneered. "Now, I suppose there's one thing I want to check."
The Aston Martin walked forward and traced the edges of the TIC's mask, his fingers pressing into the seams. Soundwave appeared to realise what was going and tried to move his head around, attempting to make sure Knock Out didn't find the manual latches…
Too late.
Knock Out's fingers bumped against a catch and he smirked, flicking it open. He swiftly found three more catches and opened those as well. With a tiny chuckle, he grabbed hold of Soundwave's mask and pulled it off.
"Oh my~!"
To the medic, Soundwave didn't look that bad. He couldn't help but admire the spy's features. There was nary a scratch on his pale silver face and his tiny mouth was slightly open, exposing very small fangs, very similar to Megatron's own. The TIC opened his optics and Knock Out marvelled at the colour and shape; almond-shaped that were black and in the middle were fluorescent pink-purple rings with a white centre. He looked towards the medic and scowled. "Knock Out: Satisfied?" He spat venomously.
"…Very satisfied." The red mech purred, leaning in close to Soundwave's face. "Such a shame that a pretty face like that is going to go to waste…" He gently took the other's face into his hands and chuckled as he watched the other's expression twist into a mixture of puzzlement and fury.
"Knock Out…!"
The words were swallowed as the Aston Martin kissed Soundwave fiercely, purring happily. His lips moved eagerly against the spy's resisting pair, nipping them every so often and forcing the other to flinch. The medic chuckled and deepened the kiss eagerly, his tongue grazing against Soundwave's fangs and he explored. Knock Out finally pulled away, the two mechs panting, one with an amused smile and the other with a deadly glare.
"Hehe… Shame that I didn't see your face… I'd have considered letting you go…" Knock Out chuckled, wiping at his mouth. "But alas…" He picked up the laser scalpel again and held it up.
"Any last words?"
Silence hung in the air, suddenly broken by a mechanical chuckle. Soundwave raised his head and a smirk on his face. "Soundwave: Superior…" He said, his expression suddenly twisting into anger. "Knock Out: Inferior."
The red mech's expression darkened greatly, his hold on the scalpel tightening. "I'm afraid you've got that completely backwards." He hissed, raising the instrument to the left side of the spy's throat. "Farewell Soundwave. I hope you rot in the Pit."
Knock Out thrust the scalpel forward, the end embedding into the Third-in-Command's throat. Soundwave only gave a brief gasp, but showed little to no reaction. The medic smirked cruelly, slowly dragging the scalpel along the rest of his victim's throat and watched with glee as energon poured from the wound. H even jostled the scalpel every so often, hoping to cause more pain for the spy.
However, Soundwave tried to keep a neutral expression through it all, his optics dimming and dimming until the light in them faded away, a quiet sigh leaving his lips and his body stilling…
Dead.
Knock Out ripped the scalpel out of the spy's throat, smirking as more energon fell to the floor. He cackled loudly, the sense of victory washing over him.
Another obstacle was now gone…
***
Knock Out sat in the Medbay, looking over the medical files of those on board the ship, making sure that they were all up to date and correctly filled. He clicked through each one, scanning the details and making a few edits when necessary. He went through them swiftly without pause.
He spotted a particular entry and smirked.
The picture was that of a femme, her strange pink-purple optics glaring out from the screen and her lips set in a hard line. Knock Out chuckled as the word 'OFFLINE' were underneath the picture. "Oh dear Airachnid… I wonder if you got what you deserved…" he mused, pressing a button and deleting the entry forever.
He continued to scan the files and didn't look up when he heard the Medbay doors open and a set of heavy footsteps lumber in. "Hey Knock Out…"
Ah, such sweet music…
The medic stopped typing and turned in his chair, smiling as he came face-to-face with the other mech. "Yes, Breakdown?" He asked, crossing his legs and leaning back a little. "Did you need something?"
The larger of the two made a small grunt. "Soundwave's gone." He said simply.
Knock Out put on a façade of confusion. "Seriously? That's strange…" He said, lying through his denta. "I wonder where he's gone… It's so unlike him to do this…"
"I think someone may have taken him offline." Breakdown suggested, his hand curling into a fist. "Or he's being held hostage… there's just so many questions that we don't know the answers to…!"
Knock Out stood up from his chair and held onto Breakdown's arms. "Breakdown, please. Keep calm." He assured the larger. "I'm sure Soundwave is fine. In fact, I think he has nothing to worry about… and you shouldn't worry either…"
TBC