Chapter 10 Now It's Personal.

Starscream woke up in a cell inside Liege Maximo's ship. Then Lockdown came in and opened the cell, pulled him out and started dragging the seeker down the hall of the ship.

Starscream would have fought with him but they had put him in stasis cuffs to keep him from escaping. Lockdown continued to lead him down the hallway till they came to the main room on the ship where Liege Maximo was waiting for them.

"Welcome Starscream." Said Liege Maximo. But the seeker just frowned at him. "I need the Matrix of Leadership to truly rule Cybertron and your going to tell me where you put it." "Now where is it?"

"Like I'm really gonna tell you that." Starscream said to him. "I'm not about to tell you where the Matrix is." "You want to take over Cybertron just like Megatron and so many others did myself included I'm sorry to say." "Megatron started the war that once doomed the planet." "You mind controlled half the population to make them fight and kill each other."

"Megatron started a war and you started something that might as well be a war." Starscream added. "But what you did was worse because at least the Autobots and Decepticons got to choose which side they were going to fight on." "You just mind control have the planet so they don't know what their doing they weren't given a choice."

"I don't care about some random bots ripping each other to scrap I just want the Matrix." Liege Maximo growled. "And your going to tell me where it is!" He added bending one of the seeker's wings causing Starscream to bite back a cry of pain.

"Never." The seeker hissed at him. Then Liege Maximo smacked Starscream across the face.

Then Liege Maximo took on the shape of Megatron. "I know who you fear the most Starscream now tell me where the Matrix is or I'll rip both your wings off then beat you to scrap!"

"No I won't tell you because you know what I fear even more then I do Megatron?" Starscream told him. "You winning and what will happen to Cybertron and possibly Earth and the rest of the universe if you do."

"So go ahead rip off my wings, beat me to scrap, pull out my T-cog, kill me for all I care, do whatever you want to me and I still won't tell you where the Matrix of Leadership is." Starscream said to him.

Then Liege Maximo changed back to himself while clapping his servos. "I'm very impressed Starscream I heard you were a coward in the war look who got brave." "I don't think anything I could do to you will make you reveal where you put the Matrix."

"That's right." Starscream said to him. "Your just wasting your time."

"But I have someone who I think might persuade you." Liege Maximo told him darkly. "Bludgeon bring him in." He said over his com-link.

Then Bludgeon entered carrying the limp and unmoving form of a mech who he tossed to the floor.

"No." Starscream said quickly identifying who the injured transformer was.

His whole body had been ransacked, he was covered in dents, scratches, and cracks and leaking energon from the corner of his mouth as well as some that was dripping down the side of his faceplates that was coming from a wound on the side of his forehead. Starscream had never seen him this badly damaged before but knew right away who it was.

"Take a good look." Liege Maximo told the seeker.

"Knock Out!" He cried seeing his best friend laying motionless on the floor seriously injured. Starscream couldn't tell if the Austin Martin was dead or alive. "What have you done to him?!"

"He was in a fight with one of my men they banged each other up pretty good but he actually came out of top and killed Sideways but for his credit Sideways did manage to weaken him for us just enough that all it took was one punch from me and a stomp to the helm from Bludgeon and he was down for the count." Liege Maximo told him.

"The funniest part was the look on his faceplates when he thought Breakdown punched him." He added taking on the shape of Breakdown again. Now Starscream was mad not only had they hurt Knock Out but Liege Maximo had used the face of the medic's dead best friend to do it. One thing was for sure if Starscream found a way to escape he was going to make both Liege Maximo and Bludgeon pay for what they'd done.

"Now let's try again where is the Matrix?" Liege Maximo asked Starscream who didn't reply.

"Oh you think he's already gone don't you." "It's easy to make that mistake sometimes." Liege Maximo told him. "Bludgeon prove to Starscream that Knock Out is still alive."

Then Bludgeon went over to where Knock Out was laying and twisted one of his servos backwards causing the red mech to cry out in agony as he painfully regained consciousness.

"Stop it your hurting him!" Starscream almost begged. Then Liege Maximo pressed a button that opened one of the ship's doors to reveal that the ship was in flight and very high up.

Then motioned to Bludgeon who grabbed Knock Out by the helm and dragged him across the floor making the smaller transformer whence in pain Knock Out was now conscious but just barely and to badly hurt to fight back. Then Bludgeon stopped in fort of the open ship door.

"No don't do it." Starscream pleaded realizing what they had in mind. Even if Knock Out was in perfect condition a fall from that high up would most certainly kill him.

"Tell us where the Matrix is or you better hope Knock Out suddenly gains a jet mode." Liege Maximo threatened.

"No!" Knock Out suddenly moaned having been just conscious enough to be able to hear them and understand what the stakes were he wasn't strong enough to speak anymore then that but he was trying to tell Starscream not to tell them where the Matrix was.

"Shut up!" Bludgeon barked smacking Knock Out hard across the faceplates.

"Ok I'll tell you where the Matrix is but you have to let Knock Out go and not hurt him." Starscream told them. "You have to promise you won't hurt him!"

"Ok deal." Liege Maximo agreed.

"No." Knock Out managed whimper one more time.

Starscream didn't really want to tell them where the Matrix was but he couldn't stand the thought of losing another friend. And was afraid to lie because there was no telling what they might do to Knock Out if they caught on to his deception. "It's hidden in the original Autobot base he told them as his wings dropped."

"Thanks for the info." Said Bludgeon who then looked at Liege Maximo who nodded at him.

"Looks like you've outlived your usefulness." Bludgeon then hissed in Knock Out's audio receptor just loud enough for Starscream to hear. And before the seeker could process what was happening Bludgeon shoved Knock Out through the open door and off the ship into a freefall.

"No!" Starscream yelled actually managing to break free from his restraints and tried to jump out after his friend who was currently plummeting to his doom. Hoping to maybe be able to fly under him in his jet mode and save his life.

But Bludgeon grabbed him as the seeker struggled to get out of his grip but in vain as Starscream was forced to watch Knock Out disappear beneath the clouds and knew it was to late to save him. He'd fallen to his death. Then Bludgeon let the seeker drop to the floor.

"No!" "You said you'd let him go and that you wouldn't hurt him!" Starscream cried as he fell to his knees in a sob. "You promised!"

"We did let him go and we didn't hurt him but gravity most likely did." Liege Maximo told Starscream. "Bludgeon toss him in the brig."

Meanwhile back at the scrap yard Strongarm and Sideswipe had set up a table with energon on it and glow sticks because energon is flammable so candles would be dangerous.

They meant it to be a romantic dinner for Knock Out and Spotlight as a surprise and part of their plan to get them together.

But they kept having to stop Grimlock from taking the energon and they were getting ready to wake Knock Out and Spotlight. But Sideswipe who went to wake them up said Knock Out wasn't there then they found his note.

"Looks like you can have the energon Grimlock Knock Out's a no show." Sideswipe explained. Which made the dinobot happy because he had been wanting a midnight snack.

"Wait it says Knock Out left this at 10pm and it's 6:00 in the morning now they should have been back a long time ago we better wake everyone to look for them." said Strongarm.

"Wait we were gonna wake them up for a romantic dinner at 6:00am." Strongarm added just realizing what time it was.

"Well forgive me for recharging a little too long I had a big day yesterday." Sideswipe defended himself.

Then they woke up the others and they all went to look for their friends.

Meanwhile DeAnn was trying to find her way back to the scrap yard when suddenly Lugnut and Demolisher showed up and started chasing her.

Just when it looked like she'd be caught Hot Rod showed up and started fighting them. He had woke up from recharge and saw Starscream, Knock Out and DeAnn were missing and he'd gone out to look for them and fortunately had found DeAnn just in time.

But he was now out numbered two against one. When all of a sudden a cybertronian jet came out of nowhere and transformed reveling it's self to be Megatron.

As soon as they saw who it was Lugnut and Demolisher but pledged their loylalty to him and explained that they would rather follow him then Liege Maximo.

So Megatron told them to go with Soundwave who was already on her way to help the Autobots and they both obeyed. Blitzwing and Steeljaw had both joined Megatron as well. Blitzwing apologized to DeAnn for attacking her before. Then he and Steeljaw went on to the scrap yard with the other three.

And DeAnn explained everything to Megatron who figured out that Starscream and Knock Out had most likely been captured and would go to Liege Maximo's ship and find them.

While Hot Rod and DeAnn would go get the Matrix and put it somewhere safe because if he had Starscream Liege Maximo would probably get the location out of him.

So DeAnn got in Hot Rod's vehicle mode and they drove off to get the Matrix. While Megatron flew off to find Liege Maximo's ship and save Starscream and Knock Out.

Meanwhile the Autobots were searching for their missing friends. When Fixit called and said an energon signal had popped up in the Artic so Spotlight went to investigate it.

But the ground bridge shorted out. So she would be stuck there till they got it fixed. She decided to see where the energon signal was coming from while she waited.

She walked until she came to where to the signal was coming from. But what she found made her spark sink.

There laying in the snow and ice in a pool of his own energon was Knock Out.

"Knock Out!" She cried as she rushed to where he was laying. She could till he was seriously injured at best and didn't even want to think about what he'd be at worst.

But as she got closer she was horrified to hear the ice below them starting to crack and suddenly Knock Out fell through it. And without thinking Spotlight jumped in after him.

It was dark so she had to use her glow to find him and when she did she grabbed him and got him back to the surface then gently half dragged half carried him to safety.

Once they were out of the freezing ice water she looked him over and started crying when she saw what bad shape he was in.

He was scratched up, covered in cracks and dents, leaking energon in several places as well as having several wires exposed some with sparks coming from them. And he had one arm that was just barely hanging with only a couple of wires keeping it from falling off and his fall through the ice didn't help either some of his wounds had gotten ice in them.

Spotlight suddenly looked down and saw one of his fingers twitch on the arm that was still attached and heard him let out a low moan. He had somehow survived all that.

But his core temperature was dropping fast and his injuries were so serious she didn't know how much longer he had.

And to make things even worse Spotlight couldn't get her com-link to work after jumping in the icy water to get Knock Out.

Spotlight didn't know what to do she wasn't a medic and couldn't even call for help. Had she found Knock Out only to watch him die?

"Please don't leave me." She whispered to him fighting back coolant tears. "I love you."

Just then she heard cybertronian footsteps and for a minute braced herself for a fight she hadn't thought to bring any weapons with her so it would be easy for an enamy to just come over and kill them both.

And she was ready to use whatever time she had left to try to save Knock Out. But it turned out she didn't have to because the mech who appeared turned out not to be an enamy. It was Optimus Prime.

To Be Continued.

"Wow this chapter was long." "Will Knock Out survive?" "Will Starscream escape Liege Maximo's ship?" "Can they save Cybertron?" "Only time will tell." "Hope you liked this chapter I'll try to have the next one up soon." "Until then feel free to send feedback."