Diana was gawking up at Knock Out. "The Nemesis as in the warship of the Decepticons."
"Yes." Knock Out still had her in his left hand, his right cupped about her as if to protect her.
"And Decepticons as in, they want to destroy all humans, Knocks, I'm a human!"
The crimson bot nodded slowly, his voice heavy. "I know."
"What in the name of The Spark have you brought here?" a low voice made Diana and Knock Out freeze, both slowly glancing to the left side of the room, gaze falling on Breakdown.
"Breakdown, I can explain-" Knock Out began.
"You've abducted another human? And brought it onto the ship?" the hulking blue mech stepped away from the console, moving towards Knockout.
Diana had to frown up at Knock Out. "You've kidnapped someone?"
"Erm, long story, later." the Medic said quickly, returning his attention to his partner. "It's complicated alright, I just need to get her out of here so put in new bridge coordinates and - "
The sound of doors opening caused all three to go still, Knock Out quickly tucking his left hand behind his back, hiding Diana from the view of the two Vehicons who strode into the room. For a moment the four bots just looked from one to the other.
"We shall resume our post Breakdown." one finally spoke, both of the Vehicons moving around them to the consoles in the room.
Knock Out kept his face to them, side stepping to keep Diana from their view. "Yes, good." He shot a look to Breakdown, backing out the door.
The blue Decepticon still wore a look of half confusion, half anger on his face, but followed after the Medic nevertheless. Only when the door to the ground bridge closed behind them did he speak. "You'd better start talking."
"Shush!" Knock Out hissed, glancing about, scrutinizing the hallways. "To the med bay." with that he turned down the hall, walking at a brisk pace, keeping his hands behind his back with Diana tucked into his palms.
Breakdown shook his head, following after Knock Out again.
The Medic kept the fast pace, letting out a sigh of relief and slowing only when they were sealed inside the safety of the med bay, his med bay. The only place on the ship he knew he could have his privacy. He stepped to one of the consoles in the room, setting Diana atop it and inspecting her. "You're alright?"
She frowned up at him, reaching up and out to trace her fingers along his chest. "Forget about me, you got shot!" her frown faltered as her fingers grazed the scorch marks on his chest, worry flickering over her face instead. "Are you alright?"
Knock Out smiled, nodding gently. "I'm fine."
"Ahem." Breakdown stood on the far side of the bay, glaring at Knock Out. "That explanation?"
"It's, look it's, complicated." Knock Out turned sideways. "A long story."
"I have time." Breakdown glowered, his angry gaze fixed on Diana.
Knock Out sighed, knowing the tone in his partner's voice all too well, he wouldn't be waltzing his way out of this one. "We, bumped into each other."
Diana scoffed from her perch on the console, arms folding over her chest as she rolled her eyes. "Literally." she mumbled.
"And I kind of, broke her bike so, I've been, repairing it." Knock Out lifted both his hands before his chest, tenting his fingers and pressing them together nervously.
Breakdown seemed to consider his explanation a moment before speaking, disgust in his voice. "Of all the bots, you, you, made friends with a human, and then you brought it onto the ship!"
"Alright alright!" Knock Out sighed, rolling his eyes and letting his hands fall. "Granted, coming to the ship probably wasn't my best idea, but I had no other way out!"
The blue mech stepped forwards on one foot, hostility in the pose. "Dispose of it." he pointed towards the bay doors.
Knock Out growled, stalking up to Breakdown and lifting a finger to his face. "I won't do that, I'll figure something out." his voice was low, feral.
"It is a human, they are nothing but vermin, a blight on -" Breakdown's optics went wide, something having flown across the room to impact the side of his face with a metallic clang.
A spanner sitting on the floor proved to be the culprit, both bots glancing to the other side of the room at Diana, who had hopped over to the table Knock Out kept most of his tools on. She had her hands clenched into fists, rage in her eyes. "Don't call someone a blight if they're in the same room as you you idiot." she glanced back to the tools, looking for something else that would be small enough for her to hurl at the blue bot.
"You, you dare to -" Breakdown was interrupted again, this time by Knock Out's laughter.
"That's my girl." the red mech laughed, walking back to Diana and grinning at her.
Diana scoffed, setting her hands on her hips. "Don't you know the phrase, if you don't have anything nice to say don't say anything at all?" she stuck her tongue out at Breakdown, the bot blinking out of confusion.
Knock Out arched a brow. "Since when do you follow that rule? We insult each other all the time."
"Ah ah." she lifted a finger, shushing him. "That's different."
"How is it different?" he asked, still watching her, amusement in his voice.
"Because you are an insufferable asshole, that's fact. And I? I am a controlling bitch, also fact." she set a hand on her chest, speaking as if she were royalty addressing her citizens.
Knock Out had to laugh again, reaching a finger out to poke at her stomach. "Moronic skinjob."
"Egotistical asshat." she retorted, a wicked grin on her lips.
Breakdown was quiet a moment, looking between the two before a grin finally formed on his lips. "It sounds just like you, I see why you like it."
"I'm not an it, I'm a her." Diana huffed.
An unsure rumble was Breakdown's only response.
Knock Out sighed, laying one arm over his abdomen and resting the elbow of his free arm on it so he could tap the fingers of said arm against his chin. "I need to figure out how to get you out of here now."
"Don't worry about me, you need fixing." Diana spoke, pointing to his scarred chest.
"That can be dealt with later, but for now -" he began.
"Knock Out, I am not going anywhere until you deal with that." she rose onto her tiptoes, jabbing a finger against his arm.
Breakdown's laugh echoed about the bay, the mech finally stepping over until he stood beside Knock Out, stooping a little to inspect Diana. "You're not so bad, what's your designation fleshling?"
"Diana, and I know you're Breakdown. As offensive as you are, I hear I owe you a thanks." she smirked up at him.
"Oh?" Breakdown arched a brow.
"Yes, as I understand, you're the reason Knocks can sneak off this rust bucket, thus, thank you." she dipped her head in a polite bow.
"Mmm, I do more than that." he stood up straight, elbowing Knock Out. "This glitch would've died long ago if not for me, I keep his aft alive."
"What?" Knock Out shoved the mech away. "Who saved who's aft by soldering their legs back on hmm? And then taught said mech how to repair bots instead of just smashing things?"
Breakdown grinned, shrugging slightly. "I'm going to go, make sure Starscream isn't lurking around." he turned and left without another word, leaving Diana and Knock Out in silence.
"He seems nice." she chirped, making her way to the console he'd placed her on initially and peering up at the screen atop it.
"Oh you have no idea." Knock Out chuckled, glancing down to inspect his chest.
"Are you really okay?" her quiet question drew his eyes back up.
He gave her a soft smile, stepping close and bending forwards until she was level with his eyes. "I'm fine, I promise." He brought his right hand behind her, stroking a gentle finger down and along her back.
Diana smiled, her cheeks tinting pink at his touch.
He smiled again, rising and reaching for his tools. "Just a little bit of reshaping, cleaning, redo the finish and I'll be good to go."
"Do you want help?" Diana asked, watching as he readied his selected devices.
"I'm not sure you could handle my stuff." he lifted one tool for her to examine, the thing nearly as big as her.
"Oh, well then I'll supervise, lord knows you can't do anything right unsupervised."
"Hah hah." he replied, giving her a quick grin before setting to work.
"There, satisfied?" Knock Out gave a little spin, showing his repaired self to Diana.
"Hmm." she was sitting cross legged on the console, eyes looking over his frame. "I'd say the mouth is a little big, give me a welder and I can fix that no problem."
"Bring it, I dare you." he stepped close to her, leaning low and smirking.
She couldn't help the blush that returned to her face whenever he was near.
"Now, to get you home." the Medic straightened, worry on his once again face as he thought. "Soundwave sees and hears everything on here, we need to be very careful."
"Well, I'm little, maybe I could sneak out?"
Knock Out jerked his gaze back to her. "Absolutely not, I'm not letting you walk about alone." Without warning, he went still, cocking his head to the side as if listening to something. "Scrap! Need to hide you!"
He reached for Diana, who hopped into his hand without hesitation as he dashed to the far side of the med bay, kneeling to set her on the ground.
"Hide under there, crawl space." he rose and turned back to his console, not looking back and taking to inspecting the readouts on the screens in the room.
Diana had just jumped down into the space when the doors to the bay opened, two bots she didn't recognize walking in with Breakdown at their heels.
"Knock Out, where have you been." the tallest of the mechs spoke, his voice echoing with brimstone and rage.
"Lord Megatron." Knock Out turned away from the console he had pretended to be studying. "I was merely out to, stretch my legs as it were." He wore the same grin he had when he first met Diana, smug and confident. "Was I missed?"
"You are not to leave without the explicit consent of myself - " the second bot, tall and thin, began to speak but faltered as Megatron glared at him. "- and Lord Megatron, eh heh..."
Megatron growled, irritation in his voice. "Shut up Starscream." he turned his violet gaze back to Knockout, who still wore an amused grin. "If the Doctor needs his time to think, to function at his best, so be it." He stepped closer to Knock Out. "But if I find out you've been causing trouble with the Autobots again." he snarled, raising a hand and clenching it into a fist.
"Of course Lord Megatron, merely a coincidence, it shan't happen again." Knock Out nodded, barely batting an optic at the Decepticon Leader's show of anger.
Megatron grumbled, turning to stalk out, Starscream following.
The second the door closed behind the pair Knock Out scoffed. "Bucket head."
"Hey, get your own insult." Diana spoke, hopping and reaching for the ledge to pull herself up and out of the lower space she'd been hiding in.
"Don't tell me what to do fleshy." Knock Out smirked to her, dropping to a knee when she approached him and gathering her in his hand again. "Thanks for the heads up Breakdown."
The blue bot nodded. "Have a plan yet?"
"All we can do is try for the ground bridge." Knock Out said softly, looking to Diana.
Breakdown nodded with a soft rumble of understanding. "I talked the two out of their post before, I think I could get you a few seconds, anything more and Soundwave may pick up on it."
"We'll just have to try." Knock Out said, shaking his head. "So, ready?"
"As I'll ever be." Diana said, smiling at both mechs.
Knock Out lifted her, setting his hand against his shoulder. "Sit there, keep low, you shouldn't be seen."
She nodded, carefully climbing onto the space between his neck and shoulders. "Drop me and I'll kick your ass."
Breakdown laughed, turning for the door once she was settled. "Just like you." he grinned at Knock Out.
Once the stepped into the halls of the Nemesis again, both mechs went rigid, on alert as they made their way through the ship.
Diana did as she was told, keeping quiet, but watching everything. She mapped each turn they made, trying to imagine the halls in her mind. This place was huge.
Eventually they came upon the doors to the bridge, Breakdown turning to glance at the pair. "Give me a moment."
Knock Out nodded, leaning against the wall, trying to appear nonchalant.
Breakdown stepped into the room, exchanging soft words with the two bots inside. Seconds later the two 'cons walked out, not bothering to look to Knock Out as he slipped inside the room.
"Gotta hurry." Knock Out said, slipping to the console and typing in a series of words with symbols Diana couldn't understand, Cybertronian she guessed.
Once he had finished typing Breakdown reached for a lever, pulling it downwards and engaging the bridge, it's glow engulfing the room in green light.
"Just walk through, it will take you right to your shop." Knock Out lifted his hand to her so she could step down into his palm.
"You're not coming?" she gave him a worried look as he lowered her to the ground.
"That would be unwise." he glanced to the doorway then back to her. "Go."
Diana hesitated a moment, keeping her eyes on his optics. She finally nodded, placing a hand against his leg as a goodbye. She looked to Breakdown before stepping into the bridge. "Thanks, I owe you one tinny." With a smirk she stepped into the light, her form fading until vanishing altogether.
Knock Out rose, facing the bridge, standing quietly as Breakdown shut it down.
"You're really in deep this time." Breakdown murmured, slapping a hand on the Medic's back to break him from his trance.
"You have no idea."
*happy squees* New episode of TFP = me happy... new episode of TFP with a Knockout appearance = me fangirl bouncing in my seat! :D
So I ah, kind of had a theme in mind while writing this, to set a mood for them arriving and getting to the med bay ^_^' If you'd care to hear it, it is: Aralakh Company - from Mass Effect Three. (It's a gooder!)