Knockout's optics flickered on and he glanced around the dark room. He was confused. Why was it so dark? Was it night time already? Did the others just turn off the lights?
He rubbed at his optics. He had no idea how long he was recharging for but he was feeling really sore. That's what you get for recharging on a medical berth instead of a regular berth.
He sat up and carefully slid off the berth. He walked towards the room's door, "Hello? Anyone there?" he called, well, more like whispered.
It was eerily quiet and he didn't like it. He protectively placed a servo on his swollen stomach, knowing that something wasn't right.
He walked through the med. bay, glancing around in every direction. There was a sound from behind and he stopped, turning around. He scanned through the darkness but couldn't see anything. There was something definitely wrong.
He slowly backed up, bumping into his desk. He quickly turned around and started feeling around the top of it. He hissed, "Come on, where is it."
His search became more frantic as he heard pedesteps from behind. He didn't dare to turn around, not until... "Ah ha!" he exclaimed and quickly turned around with his energon staff but instantly froze once he saw who it was that was right in front of him.
"Sta-Starscream!?"
All the Seeker did was smirk, looking down.
Knockout frowned, realizing that he could feel an intense pain in his stomach. He slowly looked down and his optics widened in horror.
Starscream's claws were... right through his stomach. The only light in the darkness was the glowing blue energon spilling to the floor.
"N-NO!" Knockout exclaimed and jolted awake, his servos transforming into his saw blade and drill as he sat up.
"Kn-Knockout," he flinched at the sudden voice and he looked over to see Jazz with a terrified look on his face. He was confused for a second at why he was afraid until he realized that his drill was right in the white and black mech's face.
He looked over at his saw blade, seeing that Smokescreen had his servos transformed into his blasters and had them pointed at Knockout, with that saw blade right in front of his face. He looked ahead to see that Wheeljack was standing there, both his swords out and were positioned on either side of the red medic's helm in a scissor like formation.
Knockout looked down, realizing that he was venting really hard. It was just a dream. That's all it was. A dream.
He took a second to calm himself before lowering his arms, transforming the saw and drill back into servos. He didn't dare to move anymore then that until Wheeljack removed his swords rather reluctantly before giving the red medic a skeptical look, "Doc? Are you alright?"
Knockout nodded before resting his helm in his servos, feeling a bit nauseous from sitting up too fast, "Yea, I-I'm fine," he replied, his chassis shaking a bit and he could feel that his spark was beating rather hard from the dream.
Smokescreen had lowered his blasters after transforming them back to servos, "We heard a racket going on in here and came to check it out, finding that you were fidgeting in your recharge."
Jazz nodded his helm, "You were also talking in your recharge. D-did you have a bad dream or something?"
Knockout kept his gaze down from everyone. He glanced down at his swollen abdomen and rested a servo on it, feeling relieved that it was not damaged, "It was... just a dream. N-nothing to get worked up about."
But what if it wasn't a dream but a message. He hadn't seen Starscream ever since the final battle started and that was many months ago. What if the Seeker was alive. What if he had changed. Knockout's optics widened. What if Starscream didn't like him anymore. Wh-what if he became angry with him for being sparked and does try to...
Knockout closed his optics, the nauseous feeling he was getting before increased. The thought of Starscream actually trying to kill him for being sparked was making him feel rather sick. He placed a shaky servo over his mouth, trying to hold himself back from purging.
"Uh, oh," Smokescreen was the first to notice.
Jazz turned to Wheeljack, "Quick, find a waste bin."
Wheeljack didn't argue and returned his swords to his back while he ran out of the room. He quickly searched around the med. bay, trying to find a waste bin. He soon spotted one by Knockout's desk, grabbed it and almost ran into Soundwave on his way back into the room.
Knockout took the waste bin once the wrecker handed it to him. He sat there with his helm over the bin for a second before purging into it. He groaned when he got a chance to rest but it soon started up again.
Jazz placed a servo on his back between his wheels, rubbing there gently. It was always sad to see a mech suffer like this. Purging is never a fun experience. He looked at Smokescreen, "Would you mind getting him some energon? Make sure its low grade."
The rookie didn't bother to protest and kept his optic on Soundwave, who was just outside the door, as he walked around him.
Knockout's frame shook when he finished, his systems overheating a bit from the strain. Overheating wasn't a good thing when being sparked so he just sat there, trying to calm himself so he could cool down to a safer temperature.
"Are you okay now Doc Knock?" Wheeljack asked.
Said mech grumbled, lifting his helm up from the bin, "At the moment, yes."
Smokescreen came back into the room with a cube of energon, handing it to Knockout, "Here."
"Th-thanks," Knockout mumbled before taking careful sips of the energon. He was still feeling nauseated but the need to purge his tanks was gone. That was a great relief. Just to make sure though, he was keeping the bin with him.
"What was that dream about?" Smokescreen asked.
Knockout closed his optics, shaking his helm, "I would rather not talk about it."
Knowing that there was a need for a topic change, Jazz cleared his vocals, "We've just about finished that temporary quarters of yours. Would you like to check it out now?" he suggested.
"You could probably get some better recharge in there instead of in here," Wheeljack added.
Knockout sipped more of his energon, feeling exhaustion trying to grab at him again but he didn't want to recharge. Not yet. Not after having a dream like that. He nodded his helm, setting the waste bit down beside him before swinging his legs over the side of the berth, "Sure, I'll check it out."
He carefully slid off the berth, ignoring Jazz's offered servo to help him. He could tolerate certain help but being helped from a berth was one thing he wouldn't tolerate. Not yet at least.
He shuffled towards the doorway. He swore that his stomach was not only looking bigger each day but was also making him slower. Hopefully by the time he's ready to deliver, his appearance isn't warped by his expanded stomach.
He padded Soundwave on the shoulder as he walked by and the silent mech soon followed him and the others, not wanting to be alone in the med. bay. As they stepped out of the med. bay, Knockout turned to Wheeljack, "So, where did you guys build it? It better be close."
The wrecker pointed down the side of the small building that held the medical bay , "Just over there."
They continued to walk and came to a door and Jazz put in a number into the keypad and the door slid to the side. Knockout stepped in and glanced around, appreciating the simplicity of it and the size. There was a berth which looked so inviting right now that he wanted to just collapse onto it, a desk, a few windows to let in natural light, and a separate door to the side that led to a wash rack. Knockout couldn't resist walking into the wash rack, grinning when he saw a full body mirror like he had in his other wash rack.
The temporary quarters had pretty much the same stuff in his previous quarters but was not only larger but had a bigger berth, a few extra windows and he noticed that he would be having his own energon dispenser. It was better thasn he expected. It would be nice to have a T.V. though but there wouldn't be any Cybertronian shows. Maybe he can somehow get one to play human shows. They were mildly entertaining to watch.
He shrugged. Oh well. He turned to the others.
"Well?" Jazz asked.
Knockout nodded his helm in approval, "I must admit, you three did a splendid job. It not only has the basic stuff I would need but it is also a decent walk away, unlike my previous quarters. I greatly appreciate it."
"Wow, he actually likes it. I thought he was going to be a drama queen and complain," Smokescreen admitted with a surprised look.
Knockout had ignored the rookie but Wheeljack punched him in the arm, rather hard and Smokescreen whined as he rubbed his now sore arm, "Who's complaining now?"
Smokescreen scowled, "Why are you so mean?"
"Maybe because you're mean to Knockout?" Jazz added.
"When are you going to face the facts that Doc Knock isn't a Decepticon anymore. He's done so much for us already and you still can't seem to trust him," Wheeljack said to the grumbling rookie.
Knockout raised a servo, "It's alright if he still doesn't trust me," he then pointed at Soundwave who was standing a little ways away from them. "But he should be more suspicious about Soundwave than me for that matter. He was not only the Communications Officer but also Third in Command after all," he turned to look at the silent mech. "No offense Soundwave."
Soundwave just nodded his helm, pretty much saying that no offense was taken.
"Yea but..." Smokescreen stopped when he saw Jazz glare at him. He ex-vented, "Fine, I'll try to act... nicer towards you but don't expect any favors."
Knockout crossed his arms, smiling, "Well of course."
There was a brief silence then Wheeljack cleared his vocals, "So, what should we do now? With the others gone there really isn't much to do."
Knockout looked over at Soundwave, "You have any ideas on what to do Sounders?"
Soundwave just stared at him for a bit before shaking his helm.
The red medic frowned, "Can't think of anything either, huh?"
"What about lobbing?" Smokescreen suggested.
Knockout winced, placing a servo over his abdomen, "If you plan on doing that I would rather sit out unless you use a small lob ball instead of a large one."
Jazz clapped his servos together, "So its settled. We'll play some lob ball with a small ball."
"Sound good to you?" Knockout asked the silent mech who took a rather long time to decide, settling on nodding his helm rather slowly. He had a feeling that this wasn't going to end well.