Do I really need to address my chapter. You know what's coming. That's right. We're getting handsy. ... Or, in the Cybertronian sense, servoy. ... Handsy sounds more exciting.

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Ultra Magnus was impressed with the strength of his new servo. It had been reattached with no complications only the night before. And, in this time, Shockwave and Ratchet's work on the once-blob in the gestation vat had progressed.

So much so that Ultra Magnus was now struggling to keep the clone down, finding himself impressed with the functionality and strength in his recently attached servo.

Breakdown's bright yellow optics glared up at the blue mech and he pushed harder against him to get his servos on him, roaring angrily.

Ratchet was trying to pull Breakdown back down onto the med berth with Shockwave, both mechs having the clear expression in both faceplates and body language that this was not what they had expected.

Smokescreen moved carefully from his spot on the side of the berth, running towards the doors.

"Where are you going?!" Ratchet hollered, dodging the blow the clone's arm would have delivered by dropping to the floor.

"Starscream, Knockout, anybody!" the blue mech replied, going out the door, "Anyone he'd recognize!"

Smokescreen ran down the hall, out of Starscream's sight from the other side of the hall. The seeker's wings twitched in curiosity and when he heard the shattering of glass and another familiar growl, he shuddered, remembering back to a time on the Nemesis, which he and Knockout narrowly survived…

Another roar put the gray mech into a sprint and led him to the open door, glaring angrily as he watched the unpainted mech toss Ratchet away and kick Ultra Magnus back, "Breakdown!" he snarled, trying to recompose himself.

The clone froze, his bright optics drifting to the seeker. Instead of calming down, he only growled, the fight growing in him again.

Starscream clicked his peds loudly against the metal floor to give the newly awoken mech something to concentrate on as he walked cautiously forwards, "You dare conduct yourself this way?" he hissed, wings fanned out wide and claws flexed, "These doctors repair you, save you, and you fight them? What would Megatron say to this?"

Ratchet stood, his chassis aching, "You think it's wise to bring that up?"

The seeker watched as Breakdown still struggled to keep Ultra Magnus away and Shockwave from touching him, "Authority is something he responded well to before…"

Breakdown kicked Magnus back again, harder, and sent the blue mech crashing into the other med berth, "This is becoming too dangerous to allow it to continue," his servo transformed into a blaster and aimed.

Shockwave threw himself in front of the gun, his rumbling form protecting Breakdown as he continued to try to keep him down on the berth, "Doctor, remove the former Autobot before he does harm to our patient. His presence is the logical cause of all this."

Ratchet looked like he wanted to retort, but he simply took hold of Ultra Magnus' blaster and aimed it down, "He's right, we can handle this, we're not defenseless," he motioned the blue mech to the door, "Just get Soundwave and Knockout here, that can only help."

Magnus looked at the clone as Breakdown roared again, trying to shove Shockwave away, but he sighed and nodded, rushing out the door, "You best be right doctor, or I will end this and all experiments of the sort will be over!"

Starscream looked to Ratchet for instruction, but the look on the mech's faceplates told him he didn't want to think about what would, and wouldn't, happen if they couldn't calm Breakdown.

I do not know what I can say to help this, Starscream. I have never dealt with something like this before…

The seeker scoffed, going to Shockwave's side to help him get one of Breakdown's servos away from the purple mech's helm, "Well, I doubt most of us have had to deal with the clone of a fallen comrade in this capacity," he hissed.

"But we will get through this, Starscream," Shockwave rumbled, using his giant gun as a barrier, "We just need to get him to relax. Once he's calmed down, he will respond better."

Starscream knew that Ratchet at least hoped so. If Breakdown's clone proved too dangerous, the plans for a Cliffjumper, and especially the Prime clone, would be scrapped.

The medic rushed to the pair's side, a sedative gripped tightly in his servo, "Hold him, this should do the trick!"

Shockwave did as he was asked, while Starscream grumbled on the other side of Breakdown's berth, having his own battle to keep the mech's left arm down.

Ratchet managed to get the needle in between the clone's arm joint before he was suddenly smacked away. Another angry roar erupted from the mech as he moved to smack Starscream back, when a new noise made him freeze once more.

"Breakdown-" Knockout gasped from the doorway, Smokescreen behind him.

The clone stared at him a moment before growling in pain, Shockwave taking the moment to get the sedative in all the way before injecting in. Breakdown finally started to calm. His form slumped slowly and his helm fell back, his optics dimming as he fell into recharge.

Knockout shakily walked from the doorway down into the room, staring, "Was… was it supposed to be like that? Is he supposed to be like that?! Why is he like that?!" he yelled, shock apparent on his faceplates.

Ratchet and Shockwave had no answer to give him, so they said nothing. Starscream avoided optic-contact with the red medic. He didn't want to have to see the rage and pain Knockout must have been feeling. A part of him knew it was going to be a very trying and stressful rest of the cycle.

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Everyone was standing outside the med bay, save for Starscream, Knockout and Soundwave, who were inside watching Breakdown recharge.

Ultra Magnus crossed his arms lightly, bracing himself, "I'm going to need an honest prognosis, doctors," he addressed Ratchet and Shockwave, "Don't omit anything. What's happened to him?"

Ratchet looked at a loss for words, so Shockwave spoke up, "At present, we do not know what caused his excessive aggression earlier today. I had to readjust the growth process and formula to accommodate the newer samples of CNA I was given to work with. I can say that Predacon CNA and that of a modern Cybertronian is similar to working with two separate computer formats."

"Well, why didn't he recognize you?" Smokescreen asked nervously, "Don't cloning protoforms clone memories, too?"

Ratchet sighed, "Cloning protoforms take data straight from the energon they're given, and yes, memories are a part of that. But that is because they were programmed to do so. Protoforms like that were mostly used to clone drones so they wouldn't have to be trained over and over. This is something a bit different…"

"In theory," Shockwave rumbled, "Predaking retained some of his memories over time because of situations he was exposed to that triggered memories. My explanation has much to do with the fact that my research shows the spark of any Cybertronian can retain memories, even if it is selective about what it remembers."

Bulkhead scratched his helm, "So, Breakdown's chassis doesn't have a spark? Does that even make him alive?"

Ratchet waved him off, "Bah! He wouldn't be up right now without a spark! This isn't protoforms we were dealing with, remember? This cloning procedure requires he have a spark!"

"How did he get one?" Ultra Magnus asked, looking more and more stern by the breem.

Shockwave held out a datapad to the blue mech, "It's all in here for you to see, sir," he rumbled, being formal with the delicate situation, "When we activated Breakdown's chassis in order to convince it it was alive, its spark chamber had to call for his spark and return it to the chassis. This was done cycles ago when he was still in a gestational stage. The second activation we induced was to begin connections from the processor to the spark chamber. It would have been easier to finish the procedure had we also thought to keep him sedated. This is the first time I have performed such an experiment…"

Magnus still didn't look pleased, "Is he going to get better?"

Ratchet stood stiffly, looking at the grim expressions around him, but he hung his helm anyway, shaking it, "We… don't know."

The blue mech turned away slightly, "If we are this unsure, then it would not be wise to keep Breakdown alive much longer. I cannot allow him to stay aboard this ship in that capacity."

Starscream's wings dropped flat against his back. He knew Soundwave and Knockout heard the same thing.

You do not like this decision.

Would anyone? The clone was currently resting peacefully. Perhaps earlier was just a fluke. How would anyone know unless they waited?

Knockout said nothing as he silently crept to the doorway, trying to remain unseen as he typed into the control panel. Some of the bots on the other side jumped in surprise as the doors locked, sealing them out, but Magnus banged on the door loudly.

"Knockout," he hollered, "open this door now! This is not the way to go about this!"

The red medic scoffed, waving a servo as he walked back down to Breakdown's berth, "Oh please! I've used that door to keep out some of the worst scrap, I'm not afraid of you!"

Starscream sighed, shaking his helm, "Are you sure this is how you want to do this?"

Knockout sat on the berth beside Breakdown's peds, "Medicine is all about time, Screamer. And they're not even going to give Breakdown that. I call that malpractice."

The seeker shook his helm again, slowly looking at Soundwave. The silent mech quietly stopped typing into his console to look back, saying nothing.

"Starscream!" Ultra Magnus suddenly called from behind the door, "You better open this door then!"

Knockout looked at the door, then the seeker, not moving. And neither did Starscream. He owed the red medic that much at least. Just a little more time.

"Starscream!" Magnus ordered again, but Starscream only scoffed.

"Like Knockout said," he answered, "I'm not afraid of you!"

Knockout smiled a bit, and Soundwave typed a little louder than usual to get some attention, "Soundwave's not afraid of you either! Breakdown's going to wake up fine and you're all going to look like impatient fools!"

Grumbling and arguments sounded like they were going on beyond the door that separated the med bay from the rest of the ship. It didn't sound pleasant.

Do you think this is the right thing to do?

Starscream honestly didn't know. He had told everyone that this was wrong in the first place, but just like Megatron before them, hardly any of them listened. But he could at least support the one mech who was vested in it.

Knockout was busy settling things for Breakdown, making sure he was comfortable on the berth, "Can you imagine how much easier things are going to be in this bay once he's up, Screamer? I'll be able to go racing again."

The seeker snorted, "Oh, yes, because that's the important thing here."

"One of the important things."

Starscream shook him helm. This wasn't going to be pleasant for a while…

Breakdown groaned slightly, a growl escaping from his vocals as he reached up to rub his helm. Knockout gasped and quickly ran to a shelf on the other side of the room to grab a polishing cloth and some wax. As he fussed over which solvents to grab, the unpainted mech sat up, glaring angrily at Starscream, who sat in front of him.

The seeker's wings were pressed flat against his back again as he stared back. Soundwave had already silently backed away from his station at the console, but was still braced in case the clone turned on him instead.

Breakdown growled lowly and balled his servos into fists, moving to get off the berth.

"Breakdown, no," Starscream said quickly, simply.

It was all he could think of. It really was.

And the mech before him looked as confused as the seeker did at the limited command. His anger looked washed away. Now it just looked like pain.

Knockout came running back happily with a cloth and a few bottles, setting them on a table beside the berth, "I've been waiting for this for as long as I can remember!" he preened, pulling out some cans from under the berth, all labeled blue, "Now hold still, this is going to take a lot of patience and your commitment to it all."

Breakdown stared as the red mech took out an airbrush and opened a can, testing the equipment before beginning his work on the mech's arm. Starscream had to turn away as Knockout began to paint. It was obvious from the look on the clone's face that he didn't know what was happening. That he didn't remember any of them. That he wasn't Breakdown anymore.

Starscream slowly stood up straighter, making his way to the red medic's side, "Knockout? Maybe this should stop…"

Knockout shook his helm, "I've only done a first coat on his arm and I'm not even finished with that-"

"You know that's not what I'm talking about," the seeker murmured softly, "This needs to stop."

Knockout frowned, glaring back at him, "Why?"

Breakdown looked at the both of them, his optics flickering as he registered their emotions.

The red medic was getting furious very quickly, "I asked why."

"And you know why," Starscream said calmly, "A long while ago, Megatron fragged up and sent Dreadwing and Breakdown to finish something he started. Something he should have ended himself," he shook his helm, "Breakdown didn't make it that cycle. And this isn't Breakdown anymore."

Knockout snarled and punched at the seeker, but Starscream grabbed him and pinned his arms back, turning him to face the clone, "Look at him," he hissed, trying to keep control of the red mech, "Look at him and tell me he's Breakdown. Tell me that."

"He is-"

"He's not!" Starscream growled, "This is a clone! He doesn't know who we are or what we should mean to him! Even now, look, look at him!" he forced Knockout to stare at the mech, who only watched them from his berth, "If he were Breakdown, he would have come to your aid by now, no orders, no questions asked, he would have beaten me off you and had the buffer ready."

Knockout growled angrily, struggling to get away, but the seeker's hold didn't budge, "You're lying! He just needs more time!"

"How much time are you going to give him?" Starscream snarled, "How much longer will you allow this to torment you? Breakdown died because of Airachnid, he can't be brought back as you knew him! Let him be put to rest!"

The red medic whimpered softly, staring at the clone, "But he's right in front of me, he just needs-"

Starscream let him go, turning him around to face him, "Someone once told me that not every mech can be saved, as much as we want it. I wanted Megatron to survive so I could face him and end that excruciatingly painful chapter of my function, but he died. I didn't want to watch him die, but I accept it. I accept that he's gone. And you need to do the same again."

Knockout shook his helm, "I can't…"

"You need to," he turned him back around to face the clone, "I want you to look at him again. I want you to remember when you were given the news of his passing. I want you to recognize how torturous this is for you. And then I want you to tell me if you could live the rest of your life knowing you did this to what remained of him that was untarnished."

Noises could be heard at the door again, but Starscream ignored them, "If you don't do this, it will haunt you forever."

Soundwave watched quietly from the side, his attention cycling between the three of them. His digits tapped together slowly, nervously. This was why he said nothing at all times. It was better to observe.

"You need to do this now," Starscream murmured; he gently nudged the red mech towards the berth, "You won't be given a chance to soon…"

Knockout looked the clone in the optics, whimpering again, "Why can't I just pretend…?"

The seeker's wings drooped, "Because life doesn't work that way… It wouldn't be fair to you, or to Breakdown's memory…"

The red mech whined and nodded slightly, reaching out to put a servo on the clone's shoulder, "I'm sorry, Breakdown…" the mech only stared, "But…"

"Doc…"

Starscream's wings perked up high when he heard it and Soundwave visibly jerked in surprise.

Knockout's optics widened as he watched a small confused smiled form on Breakdown's faceplates, "Hey… Doc…" both his optics flickered on and off, "When did you get me a new optic?"

The door behind them opened just in time for the others to see Knockout grab Breakdown's helm excitedly, "Breakdown!" he sobbed excitedly, "Oh, thank Primus, I thought I was going to be stuck with Bumblebee as a back up forever!"

The unpainted mech's voice was muffled against the red medic's chassis, but Starscream smiled when he heard him say, "O.K., sure, but why are the Autobots even here?"

It seems all went well then…

For the moment, Starscream thought as he looked behind him to see the relieved and shocked expressions of the others. For the moment…

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I'll post again once I have more chapters to do so. In case y'all haven't noticed, I try to post in pairs. I'm cool like that.