So here we go, a teensy bit shorter than previous chapters but, well, bear with me, it was a logical place to stop. Also thank you for all your love, dear readers.


The nightly roads were empty, they had traveled for a while now, Wheeljack was starting to get suspicious. The tail lights of the Aston Martin brightened and they slowed down again, this time at an official-looking backlit banner saying "Organisation européenne pour la recherche nucléaire CERN". The office building was well-illuminated and a row of lights in the middle floor was on. They slipped past the main building and continued onto a dark dirt road leading to a crop field. Any time now.

-"What now?" Wheeljack chose to speak seeing as nobody was around to hear, also his comm signal was jamming, strange.

-"I guess now we walk." Knock Out's optics constituted red circles in the dark, the rest of his body remained concealed by shadows. The wrecker trained his eyes on the dim, red biolights to follow the medic's movements.

The only reason why Wheeljack was comfortable in his current situation was because he was sure that he could handle whatever the ex-con threw at him in manner of offence. He did not startle when the red mech turned around - his body language transmitted expectancy, not aggression. -"I am afraid it was not just a joyride."

Wheeljack tensed slightly at those words. In the world of wreckers that usually meant an impending assassination attempt. However granted the situation Wheeljack chalked it up to something Knock Out might have picked up from Breakdown. Scratching his neck in what he hoped passed as absentminded manner, Wheeljack made sure the sword handles were within easy reach. -" Figured crop circles were not your thing." The area did send him on edge. The air pulsated with unstable energy. Particle emissions palpable in the air for the two Cybertronians.

-" What is it Wheeljack? You seem tense." The red circles in the dark scrutinized the wrecker. What unnerved the wrecker was that the other mech Knew something was off, he just wanted to hear it from the engineer.

Wheeljack frowned, looking around for the source. All he could see was the terrestrial flora, no technology in sight.

-" Feels like groundbridge but unstable, with... overlapping frequencies and...nowhere in sight? Knock Out, what is this place?"

A flash of relief passed over the medic's features. -" A circular tunnel constructed by humans for nuclear research. I also thought of ground bridges when I first came across this site but I wanted your expertise in this matter."

-" Gotta hand it to you Red, for a mech who is supposed to be prone to shirking there is way too much business in your playtime."

Knock Out shrugged -"Sorry to disappoint you." he retorted with a flippant smile -"Oh and by the way." He now put a servo on his hip. -"Going for an occasional street race is not necessarily indicative of proneness to slacking." He started examining his nails matter of factly, waiting for Wheeljack's apology. When wheeljack did not react to his posturing he rolled his optics with an exasperated groan (wreckers, so rude) and continued in a more serious manner. -" I was wondering, how likely it is for this." He gestured around himself. -" To create a viable bridge."

- "Can't tell for sure without proper equipment. Not very likely, frequencies are unstable, you would have to be very fast. Is it about Soundwave?" Knock Out had to admit Wheeljack was not daft at all. Also, his opinion the former decepticon TIC's predicament was not exactly secret. Which was probably why he was still on probation. Either way the medic played it off cool.

-" Now that you mention it, the issue of Soundwave should be properly addressed but I was merely worried about Cybertronian technology falling into Their hands." By that he meant human hands. -"As you said, it is highly unlikely, so no threat in that." Knock Out wanted to dismiss the touchy subject as soon as he could. Wheeljack clearly was not taking it well.

-"Not yet." Wheeljack murmured.

-"I beg your pardon?"

-"Not until they manage maintaining it for longer than few seconds at a time."

Knock Out's faceplates moved as if he was tempted to say something but could not decide if bringing it up was a good idea. Wheeljack noticed this little struggle and added for good measure. -" I do not know what past you two share but he is better off where he is now, for everybody, including you." The implication was clear, defectors were, after all, considered worse than proper enemies. Still, it was a high price to pay for unwavering loyalty, Knock Out could sympathize. Yet… the trust Knock Out had gained was tentative at best without bringing another Decepticon mech into the picture so he chose his words very carefully.

-" It will sound strange to you but I consider it a cruel solution." Wheeljack bit down a remark on decepticon concept of cruelty, that would have been underhanded towards the ex-con.

-" Did not quite take you for the emissary type."

Knock Out snorted -"I see no point in slaughtering more bots. Or in this case, starving them to death. That is hardly what emissaries do."

-" I'll take your word for it." Wheeljack chuckled

The chances may have been negligible but then again, it was Soundwave they were dealing with - a little courtesy may come a long way. The air around them settled, the particle accelerator experiment must have stopped. Knock Out observed a quiet shadow pass over the starry sky, the area was known for its nocturnal birds of prey.

-" Ok Mr. Ambassador, I am getting a call through, someone is not happy to see you away."

Knock Out used the moment of Wheeljack's distraction to take a small flask out of his subspace and place it on the ground. He turned his back to his little cache and faced Wheeljack with a big, smug grin.

"- I wonder who that might be."


Oh, Large Hadron Collider, how many inappropriate jokes have you fuelled?

Also, if you paid close attention you may now form links as to why it was that Autobot energon refiner started giving up the ghost...just putting it out there (There is a plot to this story I swear!)