You can do this, you're fine...

Knockout had been telling himself that ever since he'd gotten off of the ship with Sunstreaker and was back on Cybertron.

He didn't know why he was so nervous. Half of the new High Council were bots he'd worked with before...and fought before. It had been a good thing that Sunstreaker had been there to back him up, that Windblade femme didn't seem as understanding as Ratchet or Bulkhead.

Despite their history, however, they'd revoked the banishment, and even given him a residence to get re-integrated into society. People still glared at him as he passed, but he had found some bots were welcoming, and he'd gotten a position at a local medical station. He did routine physicals, nothing serious, but in his free time, he researched and catalogued his findings about the growing condition affecting bots off-world...The condition he was about to inform the Medical Council about.

Thank Primus Ratchet was willing to listen to him.

"The Medical Council of Cybertron is assembled..." Ratchet's voice echoed from the interior of the chamber as Knockout hid in the shadows of the corridor leading to it. There was a chorus of mumbles and groans from the other medics taking their seats around the space. "Yes, I know this was short notice, but we've received a crucial report from one of our own..."

There it was...No turning back. He stepped out into the light, looking down at his feet to avoid making eye contact with the muttering and groaning bots around him. Yes, he wasn't liked by many, but he wasn't going to pull out now.

"Everyone, please...Knockout, you have our attention."

Knockout held his data pad with both hands as he stepped forward, all eyes falling on him. He felt like he was on trial, but this was more important than his comfort, and they all needed to hear his findings. "Medical Councilmechs and femmes... As some of you may have already known, I have returned from a many-year-long exile from Cybertron, assigned to me by the Decepticons that infitrated the High Council's chamber all those cycles ago."

"Get to the point..." One of the other medics muttered. "It's late."

Knockout cleared his vocal regulator, and then looked down at his data pad for a brief moment. "During this time off-planet, I encountered many Cybertronian outposts and colonies across the galaxy, and I was introduced to a serious condition that the public must be informed of... This condition is what I'm calling Unibot Reproductive Syndrome, or Budding. To put it simply... Bots are being born from other bots."

Murmurs lingered through the chamber, and Knockout gave a brief glance to his notes. He wanted to make sure the information was given properly to avoid sounding like a fool.

"What is the extent of this condition, Knockout?" Another medic asked.

"At each of the colonies, I did a tally of how many bots had been effected, how many bots were sparked from this, and how many had not demonstrated any of the signs I'd found. Depending on the colony and the landscape of the planetoid they were on, there was 30 to 65 percent of the colonists who'd already budded, or were in the process of creating a new life when I studied them. Study of all of the bots revealed to me that they all had the same kind of programming in their systems, but while in all of the colonists it was active, I have yet to find any bots here on Cybertron with an active programming."

"Are you saying that this programming for creating new life from ourselves is in every one of us?"

"All of the bots sparked after Cybertron's resurgence, definitely. I will need more time to study it, but I intend to spend my hours doing so until I can know for certain what causes it, and what might be done to prevent it from happening without warning. My theory is that Cybertron itself emits its own subliminal signal to the inhabitants that keeps the programming inactive while they are on the planet, but the signal does not reach any bots when they leave the planet, so anyone leaving Cybertron may be at risk of it activating if they are off-world for an amount of time."

"So as long as we remain on Cybertron, we're not suseptible to the program being activated?"

"That is my theory, yes. But we cannot trap every cybertronian to the planet. There are traders, prison ships, ships patrolling for Decepticon activity out in space, they're all needed and cannot do their jobs by remaining on the surface."

"What have you observed about the process itself?"

"The 'parent,' as I'm referring to them, will initially experience heightened levels of energon and electrical activity at first. Over the course of a few deca-cycles, they'll experience pressure in their chestplates, and joint aches, and then finally a mass of cybermatter is expelled from them and over a few minutes to a few hours, the cybermatter takes on the form of a new bot. The new bot's appearance is influenced by the 'parent's' thoughts during the process, much like programming a new program for an existing hard drive."

"What happens to the bots afterward?"

"Both the parent and new bot recover and are able to function just fine within a few solar cycles of the expelling. I have yet to see any severe after-effects to it." He looked down at his notes once more. "I will be continuing my research on the matter, but for now, I would suggest that any bots planning to leave Cybertron's surface should have an evaluation to ensure their health is optimal should it occur while they are off-planet."

"A viable suggestion...This session is adjourned. You are all free to go."

As the bots began to file out, they were murmured to themselves, trying to wrap their processors around this new phenomenon. Knockout didn't like how many of them were referring to it as a threat, but it did remind him of something.

He waited until Ratchet walked out of the chamber before catching him. "Ratchet, may I have a word?"

"I'd say you've earned a few moments..." Ratchet replied. "What is it?"

Knockout took a moment to collect himself, "...I have a favor to ask..."

"Yes?"

"One of the Stunticons that Bumblebee captured and were transported here by Optimus Prime...I would appreciate it if you would release them into my custody."

"Oh? and why is that?"

"...He's mine. I didn't know how he existed at the time, but I couldn't bring him with me when I was banished, and now he's gotten himself in the wrong crowd, just as I did all those centuries ago." Knockout sighed, "I know he's partially responsible for a lot of things, but if his sentence is permanent stasis, then at least let me see him one more time..."

Ratchet was quiet for a moment, and then placed a hand on Knockout's shoulder. "...I've seen from humans how strong a parent-child relationship can be...I will see what I can do."

"Thank you...Now if you'll excuse me," he collected up his data tablets. "I am going to rid all these jitters with some smooth high-grade...!"

Ratchet chuckled, but then paused. "Knockout, one question."

"Yes?"

"...You said that these new bots are born from bots... Any bots might be affected?"

"Yes, why?"

"No reason... Goodnight."

Knockout was hesitant, but then gave a nod, transforming into vehicle mode and driving off into the city. He wondered why Ratchet seemed so curious about it, but his own curiosity was not enough to question the other medic further.

Meanwhile, Ratchet's thoughts went to a conversation he'd had a few months prior, back when Knockout had been on Earth...With Bumblebee...

"...Bumblebee knows something..." He muttered.

"Something the matter, Sir?"

Ratchet looked to the young medical student he was tutoring, "Ah, Lifeline... No, nothing's the matter. I just may have to make a trip to Earth."

Lifeline peeked out from behind her pile of data tablets in her arms. "Earth? Are you certain that's wise, Sir? After what Knockout just said?"

Ratchet smirked. "Oh don't you worry. I'm far too old for that sort of thing..." He took some of the data tablets from her. "Come on, let's get back to the academy and get these sorted out..."