Updated - 30~10~2020

I almost erased the whole chapter and rewrote it again as an idea came to my mind. I got inspiration from the episode Deux Ex-Machina, where Knockout demonstrates to have great skills with the energon prod. So that set my mind to work, and this came out.

Enjoy.

4

Obligated

It didn't took him long to realized that thing had been the responsible of the attack... And the disappearance of whatever was inside the container. That thing had been what they had been looking for, and he really wished he hadn't found it.

Knockout started to back off as the silhouette rose up tall, leaning forwards calmly. The red stepped unconsciously backwards with his wide opened optics fixed onto the black creature that crawled towards him. He did not see where he put his pedes, but at certain moments, he stumbled upon something, or rather someone, although he preferred not know what or who was it.

Stretched out on the ground, he was completely at the mercy of his attacker. The beast, still maintaining the the calm, crouched over the small mech, who was completely terrified. But Knockout knew well it was no time to get stuck in there. If he stayed there, he would suffer his former comrades fate. He had to get out from there.

He obliged his frozen mind to work something out. The creature, with no rush at all, revealed to him an horrid fang-filled insane grin. Completely panicked, Knockout realized those fangs where as large and sharp as his own claws. The jaws opened slowly as a long tongue made it to his face plates, viscous drool dripping over him. That triggered a response from the red cybertronian, who transformed like a lightning, skidding between the creature's legs, and rushed his wheels fast over the muddy soil, disappearing between the woods.

That took the beast by surprise as Knockout could hear a shrike behind. He did not stop, not even for a click. He cursed as the heavy rain did not let him see well the path he was tracing, and the flooded soil difficult him his runaway, loosing twice the steering wheel control. He was a luxury sportscar for asphalted roads, not a land-cruiser, and his tires were getting stuck. Besides, fallen trees weren't helping either.

That obliged him to continue on pede, rushing like rust and hoping he had put enough distance in between. He flanked a trunk on his way and right when he jumped into the air to transform again, something stuck on his pede, making him fall face flat.

Lightly dazed, he moved his servo to his subspace and brought his prod out. He struggled to stand up, but before he could even straighten up, he was launched forcefully, breaking several trees on his way. He had hit his helm, and had lost his visor too. Knockout did not know what was going on at all, but he had one thing clear, he still had his prod in his strong grasp.

He stood up troublesome, panting. The white stripes reappeared not away from him, his own optics locked onto them. There was a tense moment in which time seemed it had stopped, and then, the monster charged. But this time, Knockout had an ace up the armor.

The creature cut the distance and right when he was over him, the red mech activated his energon prod, stabbing it forwards. It made contact with the objective, what triggered a painful shrike. Knockout then realized the black goo had retrieved right away from where his prod had made contact, revealing the unmistakable plating of an Insecticon.

He increased the voltage, managing to make it step backwards. Now he had a clue of how to fight back and probably win. That thing seemed to be deterred by energy forces. If he only had the Force Field Generator hanging around... But then an idea crossed his mind. He had no relic, but he had skills... And his most precious weapon at hand.

Knockout opted for another, hopefully more effective and feasible, strategy to try keep that monster away. He brought the prod little closer to himself, and without deactivating it, he spin it all around himself in fast swing. That created a constant energon flux around his frame, like an energy shield. It wasn't much, but if it could keep the creepy thing away just enough for him to find a way out, it would have been worthy.

While maintaining the creature curb, he tried to contact the base again, getting no other than statics. He was clearly on his own. Starting to feel his arms a little sore, the red mech slowed his spin pace unconsciously. At that, the black creature launched an attack, unsuccessfully, getting it writhe. Knockout obliged himself to change strategy, still desperately looking for a getaway. Following the contact staff basics, he made the prod dance over his frame, what would fortunately grant some rest to his digits, while the energy flux continued.

Finally, he came to the conclusion he had to continue the path behind him. If he followed that way, he may reach the clearance where he had been supposed to be waiting, next to the relic pod. The red mech dared to turn around to peek, while he kept the prod ongoing.

As he had expected, the creature attacked from the back, and with a fast move, he dodged, stabbing the beast once again. The monster growled in frustration and with one last hiss, it disappeared between the woods. That left Knockout confused, but he did not wait. He folded his weapon and transformed, tires splashing as he went by, full speed.

He was mid way already when he felt a huge mass crashing right above him, destabilizing him. Knockout lost control and soon found himself snap rolling in the air. He managed to change into his robot mode, with one servo into his rotary saw and the other one still holding the prod, landing kinda awkwardly.

Before he even had time to react, the monster charged, and right when it was about to tackle him down, Knockout felt something grasping his pede. The red mech only had time to graze his saw over the sleek goo once before he felt his frame will abandoning him. He did not know what kind of attack was that one, but he could feel something viscous slipping under his plating as his body refused to obey anymore.

The last thing he could do was cry in desperation. Then fainted away, falling to the ground

An agonic cry was heard through the forest, making animals flew away in pure terror, and Arcee froze on her tracks. What had been that? Her senses got alert, blaster ready. The sound was confusing, but she would swear it came right the direction she just came from. Immediately her mind figured it out. Knockout!

The femme was pretty far from the relic spot and she knew it. She shouldn't have left him alone. By the time she made it there he would probably be deceased. She cursed. She would have to hurry up now. She jumped over a log, transforming and as soon as her tires where on the ground accelerated, maybe she was still on time.

It took her a while, but she finally made it into the clearance. No sight of the medic, neither fighting signs in there. He must had disobey her orders and went wandering himself around like an idiot. Whenever she found him, she was definitely killing him. Now the thing was were to find him?

She tried to contact him twice, but statics filled the comm. Scrap. She swiped the area with her gaze, trying to get any hint of the direction he had headed. She found some trample grass heading East, he must had gone that way. Just when she was about to proceed, someone dragged her along from behind.

And odd sensation ran through his frame as the heavy rain still showered over him. He didn't not know what had just happened, nor remembered much of it, he simply remained still, tended on the ground. Slowly, and with no rush at all, he opened his optics, looking at the leaves swaying under the water drops, almost creating a symphony. He couldn't deny it, it almost looked gorgeous.

With a lighten frame, he sat up slowly, not processing absolutely anything. He clumsily stood up, kinda feeling his frame wasn't his anymore. Knockout, dazed, shook his helm, resting himself on the nearest tree. He sensed his saw was still engaged, so he transformed his servo back, and noticed the energon prod right at his pedes. Reluctantly, he picked it up, grimacing disgusted, before putting it away.

He finally pushed himself away from the trunk and straightened up, optics suddenly settled onto the Insecticon laying dead a metron away from him, with no sight of the black goo. As if he had being stabbed with his own prod, the images of the past few breems came to him in a flood, those white stripes and jaws burned into his processor. Panic and anxiety started growing inside him.

Completely freaked out, drove all the way back to the clearance, not minding anymore if the mud got stuck in his grill, he only wanted to get the scrap outta there. The mech started to devise the clearance where they had initially spot the pod, and found the commander with her back given to him.

He did not said a word, nor waited for her to notice him. He just transformed and dragged her by her wrist on his rush, hillside down. Arcee shouted something, but he did not pay attention, he was way too busy trying to reach the road that lead to civilization.

Still not understanding what was going on, Arcee made him stop on his tracks before freeing herself. With burning fury deep in her optics, she made him face her.

"What the frag is going on with you!" She growled, while the mech looked all around nervously.

"We need to get out from here." Knockout grabbed he by her shoulders, tight, fixing his optics on hers. "Danger." He hushed. "Danger everywhere. We have to go. Get out from here." He was each time more anxious. "Now!"

"No. We're not going anywhere until you tell me what's going on and what scrap happened to you." She stated angry, getting ride of his grip, while having a look at his frame. "What kind of danger are you talking about, Decepticons? M.E.C.H.?" He shook his helm frenetically.

"No, no, NO! You don't understand!" He shouted. Her expression changed. "Decepticons were here not long before us, but never left." Explained lowering his voice. There was terror in his optics, real fear, what made Arcee think he might have seen something shocking, something he shouldn't have to. "They are everywhere." He murmured.

"What do you mean they never left?" She asked serious, never letting him catch her worry. "Everywhere? What does that mean? Are we under attack?" He mumbled something but words never formed. Arcee frowned, holding his helm between her servos, making him look straight into her optics. "Knockout, concentrate! Are we under attack? Are Decepticons ambushing us? Describe everywhere."

Knockout shook his helm reluctantly. "Energon... Lot of it. Frames... Scattered... Everywhere." His voice was trembling. "Whatever we were looking for... Not a relic... It found them first..." The mech gave a quick gaze towards the direction they had come from, referring to the 'Cons. "... And we are next." He whispered.

"I see..." Arcee let go of him, pondering their next move. "Optimus said we should destroy it in case it was something dangerous. We must complete the mission bef..."

"NO!" He screamed in pure terror, walking backwards. The mech hit a tree with his back, he jumped in fright, engaging his saw and cutting it in an act reflex. The trunk fell next to them, making Arcee dodge away, raising her servos up in surprise.

"Ow, ow, ow! Calm down, Knockout, you're overacting. Knockout!" He did not seem to hear her as he frantically looked everywhere. "Ratchet, we require a ground bridge. And prepare the Med Bay, we do have a situation here."