I... don't feel like this is up to my usual standards. Hope you guys like it anyway.
My thanks to Autobotguy710 and journal129 for beta-reading. And a final shout-out to GoldenEagle13. Thanks for being my beta for so long!
Knockout cut another bandage from the roll. His former master sat silently on a convenient rock, optics scanning their surroundings. He barely seemed to notice his wounds, even as they leaked energon on his feet.
"I know you pride yourself on your combat skills," Knockout said, wrapping the bandage around a gash on Megatron's forearm. "But you really should be more careful. You're not invincible, my liege."
"Don't call me that!" Megatron growled, his old ferocity returning for a moment. It quickly faded, however, and he went back to his new, sulkier self. "I am no one's liege anymore," he sighed. "I am merely a relic of the past, drifting across the planet in the wind with the rest of the detritus."
Yeesh, he's gotten cheesy, Knockout thought with disgust. He didn't say that aloud, of course; he'd learned long ago to watch his tongue around Lord Megatron. "You've gotten awfully poetic," he commented instead. He cast a brief glance at the corpses around them. The sight gave him the creeps. "I see you've kept busy in your isolation."
Megatron surveyed his handiwork distastefully. "The Autobots have enough to deal with without worrying about these monstrosities," he muttered. "It's a small atonement for my misdeeds."
The warlord sounded almost…regretful. Knockout never thought he'd see the day when the Decepticon leader voiced true remorse. Perhaps he really had had a change of spark. "I'm sure they'd appreciate it if they knew about it," Knockout assured him. Megatron didn't respond—he continued his silent contemplation of the battlefield around them. Knockout decided it would be best to stop talking now.
As he worked, his mind wandered briefly to Sideswipe. He hadn't been able to shake off his anxiety about the sparkling. Ever since Sideswipe had run off and gotten hurt, Knockout didn't feel comfortable leaving him by himself. Once again, Knockout tried to reassure himself. Leaving Sides alone had been the best option; when he'd received Megatron's message requesting repairs, it had been too late to find someone to look after the sparkling. And he certainly wasn't going to bring Sideswipe along—if was far better for him to be home alone than here, miles from civilization, in a field of recently-slaughtered Terrorcons.
Besides, Sideswipe had been sound asleep last time Knockout checked on him. By the time he woke up, Knockout would be back and Sideswipe would be none the wiser to this late-night trip. That was best, anyway. Knockout didn't need anyone knowing that he'd paid a house call to the former Decepticon leader.
Knockout finished welding the tear he was working on and stepped back. "All right, that should do it. How do you feel, my liege—I mean, sir?"
Megatron rubbed the repaired area tentatively. "I feel fine. Excellent work as usual, Knockout."
A compliment from Megatron-this night was full of surprises. Knockout went over the repaired areas, double-checking everything. "The bandages should prevent contamination until your self-repair systems finish fixing things. Don't take them off for a couple days. Are you sure you weren't bitten?"
"I'm certain," Megatron said, standing up. That was the biggest concern when dealing with Terrorcons. A scratch would heal, but you couldn't reverse the effect of a bite. Knockout had been hesitant to come out here with the risk of Megatron being infected, but he'd decided it'd be better to comply. Reformed or not, the former gladiator was not someone he wanted to anger.
Satisfied with his work, Knockout re-packed his supplies. "Take it easy for a little while; you don't want to reopen those welds," he advised. "I might not be able to come next time you need repairs—"
He was interrupted by a scream. Both he and Megatron jerked around at the sound.
"What in blazes—" Megatron began, but Knockout didn't hear him. That scream, which was far too familiar, froze him in his tracks. It's impossible… He can't be here—!
Knockout bolted toward the scream, all sense of caution lost. "SIDESWIPE!"
Sideswipe's only warning was the creak of metal grating against metal. It came from behind him, where nothing should have been moving. He turned quickly and scarcely had time to register the monster lunging for him.
"Aaah!" Sideswipe shrieked as he dove out of the way. The monster smacked its face into the boulder behind him. It hissed in pain and swung to face him again. The monster was one of the dead bots. It dripped streams of blue from its wounds as it lurched to its feet. Standing, it was even taller than the scary mech Knockout had been helping. A long tendril sprouted from its mouth, like a cyber-viper's tongue tasting the air.
It lunged again. Sideswipe scrambled away. The creature landed heavily, mere inches away from him. He tried to run, but a claw-like appendage hooked his foot. He fell to the ground with a yelp. The creature dragged him backwards. Sideswipe clawed furiously at the ground, screaming. His hand found a rock. Acting on instinct, he snatched it up and twisted to face the monster. Its hideous face filled his vision like a nightmare come to life. Quickly, he hurled the rock at it. It cracked the creature's glowing visor. The thing let out another shriek, and Sideswipe scrabbled out of its grip while it was distracted.
"KNOCKOUT!" He screamed for his guardian as the monster reared up for another strike.
An energon staff flew through the air. It embedded itself in the creature's neck cables. The monster let out an oil-chilling screech as electricity coursed through it. Sideswipe saw a red blur at the edge of his vision and suddenly he was scooped into Knockout's arms. The sparkling clung to him as he raced away from the monster. Over Knockout's shoulder, Sideswipe saw the monster shake the staff loose. It swung with a hiss to face them, preparing to give chase.
A boom echoed across the plain, so loud it made Sideswipe's audials ring. All of a sudden, there was a hole through the creature's spark chamber. It froze, staring dumbly at the gaping wound.
There was another boom, and the creature shrieked as its arm was blown off. It fell to the ground. The scary-looking mech was standing behind it, his arm raised. The massive cannon on his forearm glowed with heat. Sideswipe dimly realized that the big mech had shot the monster.
As soon as the creature had been shot, Knockout screeched to a halt. He fell to his knees and pulled Sideswipe face-to-face with him, gripping the sparkling's arms painfully tight. "Did it bite you?" the medic demanded.
The intensity in his optics was frightening. Sideswipe struggled to get out of the too-tight grip. "Let me go-!"
"Did it bite you?!" Knockout shouted, shaking him. The motion made him nauseous. At that point, Sideswipe's systems decided they'd had quite enough shock for the day. Sideswipe doubled over and purged on his guardian's feet.
Knockout abruptly let him go. Sideswipe emptied his tanks on the ground, coughing at the taste of half-processed energon. He was trembling, he realized. He couldn't seem to make himself stop.
Sideswipe retched again, although there was nothing left to come up. He was vaguely aware that Knockout was next to him, rubbing his backplates. Sideswipe huddled against his guardian. Murmured reassurances filled his audials, though he didn't really register any of them. He nuzzled into Knockout's side, trying to get as far from the outside world as possible.
Knockout held Sideswipe close, feeling the sparkling shiver. He glanced back at the Insecticon. Megatron was in the process of dismantling it. It had better stay dead this time. Knockout turned his attention back to the terrified sparkling in his arms. Sideswipe was scraped and scratched, but Knockout didn't see any bite marks. Oh, Primus, please don't let him be infected…
Megatron tossed the Insecticon's severed head aside. He approached Knockout, eyeing the sparkling curiously. "Where did the child come from?" He asked, his confusion evident.
"He's mine. He's supposed to be at home. I didn't know he'd followed me here…"
Megatron cocked his head incredulously at the medic. "Yours?"
"Yes, mine." Knockout bristled at the warlord's disbelief. "He's my charge."
Megatron did not look convinced. "I find it hard to believe they would allow someone of your—reputation—to care for a sparkling."
"It doesn't matter what you believe." Knockout snapped. For some reason, his usual fear of the gladiator vanished as he held Sideswipe near. "Your repairs are done. You can go back to drifting along with the detritus."
Megatron stared at him coldly. Knockout instinctively cringed back—he knew what that look meant. He braced himself as Megatron stepped forward. But the gladiator didn't strike him. He knelt down next to them. Sideswipe glanced up, looking into war-weary red optics with his innocent blue ones. Then—to Knockout's bewilderment—Megatron smiled. Not the sardonic smirk that he wore right before ripping someone's helm off, but an actual smile.
"What's your name, sparkling?" Megatron asked softly.
"…Sideswipe," the sparkling muttered. He seemed wary of the strange mech. They looked at each other for a long moment. Then, with a gentleness Knockout didn't think possible from the ex-gladiator, Megatron stroked the sparkling's helm.
"It would be wise not to repeat this excursion, little one," Megatron said softly. "The wilds are no place for a sparkling." With that, he stood up. Sideswipe watched him transform. A sonic boom rippled through the air as the big mech flew off.
"Who was that?" He asked Knockout. His guardian stared after the retreating mech, his face expressionless.
"…No one important," Knockout said finally. "Come on; let's get you home."