Warning: mild gore
Knock Out seethed through the rest of viewing Starscream's memories, feeling the urge to pull the plug on the seeker the more Jack showed up in brief snippets that Starscream waved away as his imagination, each time more unconvincing than the last.
He had just about pulled the plug though when he was mentioned in the seeker's conspiracy to offline Megatron. Knock Out would have succeeded too if not for Dreadwing stopping him; the mech was really beginning to become a thorn in his side. First he let Jack have the means for his escape, then he completely failed to be of any help on the scouting mission to find him, and now he stopped him from getting rid of two potential problems.
Well, Starscream was going to die soon enough, so he kept himself in check, making an excuse on the fly when Dreadwing demanded what he was doing. He played it off as just checking the equipment, but couldn't stop from feeling curious about Starscream's offhand comment about trying to revive Skyquake, but didn't know if it actually worked.
Knock Out's mood soured quickly though with the confirmation that Starscream was going to be allowed to stay after all. Although, as he brought them out of the psychic patch, having just missed Dreadwing storming off, Knock Out knew he would have his chance soon enough.
Starscream still needed a T-cog, and accidents happened on the operating table all the time...
"Now, let's see if we can find a cog in here somewhere." Knock Out knew exactly where those were, but he pretended to rummage around the sickbay as Starscream stood imperiously like he'd never left.
The seeker lifted his wings haughtily. "Is this going to take long? I'd prefer to have my flight back; something I'm sure you'd never understand."
Knock Out gritted his denta, but what made him even angrier was the wistful look in the flyer's optics. The medic hadn't missed one bit how Jack had wings now either. "So, who was that hot little seeker in your memory banks? Don't think I've seen him before." He couldn't let it show on his faceplate, but when Starscream's wings drooped, he grinned internally.
"As I told our lord, he is...no one." he replied, but Knock Out kept poking at it, if only to make him suffer before he offlined him.
"He couldn't have been no one, not with how friendly you two got in those memories-or were they just fantasies? Though it is strange he's not here with you; he get bored or did you? Was the interfacing not very good after all?"
Starscream scowled at him, wings hitched high. "You know nothing. We merely had a...difference of opinion. He will come back when he's ready to rejoin me."
"How forgiving of you." Knock Out muttered sarcastically. Inside he wished that for all the pain he wanted to inflict on the seeker that he did make Jack come with him. This would be so much easier then. "Though I suppose that answers my question: he must have been wild in the berth."
Starscream's jaw twitched, his optics narrowing. Oddly, he didn't give a scathing retort, or any kind of retort-he just glared and seethed.
Knock Out thought he might have struck a different nerve, but he dismissed it out of hand. After all, Decepticons took what they wanted. Knock Out had wanted Jack, and took him no matter what the other bot tried. Starscream must have wanted Jack too, otherwise he wouldn't have fantasized about ruling the Decepticons with him by his side-or just in his berth-so there was no reason he wouldn't have interfaced with him-willingly or not.
"Don't be shy now, you boast about everything else, why not your sexual prowess?" Knock Out prompted.
The seeker vented deeply, his fists unclenching and clenching for a moment. "That is none of your concern, medic. Do your job, and be silent."
Knock Out huffed. "Seems some things haven't changed after all."
Jack didn't know how he was going to broach the...topic with Wheeljack. It had been uncomfortable enough to realize just what it was he's experiencing, but actually talking about it... You talked to Starscream though, about something much more awful, he reminded himself.
Yeah, he could say that, but to actually say something was different. It made for a rather quiet journey back to the ship, all things said. His mother at least supported him, and that meant a lot. Jack wished he could just live with her again, but there was just too much in the way.
The Autobots, Knock Out, the war...
Jack landed, and shook his head. He saw Wheeljack drive up to the ship as well, and transformed. "Can we...talk? It's sort of...awkward to explain."
"Is it going to take a while?" The Wrecker asked dryly. Jack nodded sheepishly; given how hard it was to get these words out, yeah, probably a loooong time. "Then let's refuel first."
"Sure." Jack mumbled. He lagged behind, but as his optic wandered to Wheeljack's legs and how they moved, he snapped his gaze back to the ramp before him. Stop looking, he berated himself. You're not ready for anything, what happened with Starscream is it for now.
Wheeljack tossed him a cube haphazardly, and he chuckled when Jack scrambled to catch it and scowled at him. "What? You gotta keep those reflexes sharp."
Jack snorted. "I saw all those weapons in your room-not to mention those swords you sure know how to use." he rubbed his neck. "Even remember how to fight hand to hand?"
"Didn't get to be a Wrecker without cracking a few heads-some even with my servos." Wheeljack retorted, smirking at him.
Jack's faceplate warmed. "Right, forgot about that." he said wryly. It was better to play his naivety as a joke, but from the way Wheeljack's smirk widened, it didn't work. Jack cleared his vocalizer awkwardly. "If-if my blaster doesn't work-for any reason at all," he rubbed the back of his neck, "do you have any-" he winced, moves you could teach me almost came out and that was not how he wanted it to sound -"any kind of-er, techniques I could use?"
Wheeljack paused in taking a sip, but finished it before setting it on the seat of his pilot chair. The mech crossed his arms and Jack tensed up; he knew Wheeljack wasn't checking him out-not this time anyway-but the scrutinzing gaze, like he was sizing him up, still put him on edge.
Finally, the Wrecker shifted on one pede. "You're a bit thinner than me, but I can show you a few moves. And those claws on you can cause some damage-could even turn a fight if you get 'em in the right place. Like here," Jack blinked when Wheeljack crossed a digit over his throat-right in the place he'd put his swords to Jack's neck, "or here," he ran the same digit along a seam on his chest. Jack felt his optics widen as the digit dropped to the Wrecker's thigh, "and here."
Jack felt warnings in his systems, to release his vents, about overheating-and Jack acknowledged it, but deep in his spark felt incredibly tense. His limbs were so stiff and locked, he couldn't even drink his energon. "I-I'll keep that in m-mind."
Wheeljack raised an optic ridge. "You okay? You're kinda...edgy right now."
"I-I'm fine!" Jack cringed by how forced it sounded. "I-I just to clear my head." his limbs ached as he set the unopened cube onto the console and bolted for the entrance. "Don't wait up!"
Knock Out stared down at Starscream, his gaze not turning to the spark monitored to even make sure the seeker's sensory systems were off. He knew enough from the blank look on Starscream's face that they were-Jack did the same thing when he tinkered around in his head.
The medic scowled down at the body, his optics narrowing. His servo landed on his trolley, digits curling around a scalpel. "I've always admired your finish," he hissed, "but I do owe you for my finish. Let's start with a little...comestic surgery first."
Knock Out dug a digit into Starscream's shoulder-just below a main energon vein. The seeker wouldn't be that lucky though. No, he wanted Starscream to feel everything once he flipped the sensors back on. Knock Out wanted the satisfaction of watching Starscream struggle to comprehend how foolish he'd been-in coming back, in thinking Jack was his.
Scowling, he left a shallow cut along the metal. It beaded, but didn't fall. Knock Out smiled as he placed all five digits onto Starscream's wing. "I'm sure Jack getting a flying alt-mode was your idea; I can't very well touch his wings without thinking you of-but then again you won't be needing your wings, so I suppose it's a fair trade."
Digits scrapped down the wing, deep gashes leaving a trail of screeching metal and torn wires. Energon coated Knock Out's digits, and the blue liquid slowly began pooling over the wing. He grinned, and ran his talons over the stomach plating-leaving five more drag marks that had energon grazing through or just from the liquid already on his digits. He didn't care, he just wanted it to hurt.
"In fact, I don't think I can touch Jack at all while knowing you've had your filthy spike in him." Knock Out gazed down to the space between the seeker's legs. "Won't need your wings, won't need your spike..." he trailed off, raising his scalpel as he moved towards Starscream's legs. "This," he grinned visciously, "is going to feel good."
He lowered his scalpel, the tip at the seam of the spike cover-
-and the door hissed open. Knock Out froze, his gaze frenzied as he looked wildly at the door rapidly sliding away. Scowling down at the seeker, Knock Out dropped the scalpel and dropped to the floor. He hesitated, but there was no way he was going to get out otherwise.
Knock Out slashed his digits over his cheek, and bit down on his arm to keep the scream back. He squeezed his optics shut as heavy steps rushed in.
There was a pause, and heavy footsteps closed in before Knock Out felt a large hand shaking his shoulder. "Knock Out, what happened?"
It's Dreadwing, Knock Out thought bitterly, and grit his denta before getting into character. He groaned and blearily opened his optics. "Wha-" his optics widened. "Did he get out? Is he loose?"
Dreadwing frowned. "What are you talking about?"
"Starscream!" Knock Out shouted. He scrambled to his pedes, and when he looked at the slab, he sighed in relief. "He's still here. I don't know what went wrong," he didn't have to fake the anguish as he felt the gashes in his face-these were going to take hours to get rid of, "I think being out in the wild for so long brought out something feral. Starscream just went under, when out of nowhere he attacked me!"
"What of the injuries to himself?" Dreadwing pressed.
Knock Out scoffed. "He did those to himself! I was lucky to get away with so little damage." he frowned. "What are you doing here though?"
"I heard a loud screeching coming from in here." Dreadwing replied, his optics landing on Starscream's wing. Perhaps out of some seeker sympathy, the larger mech winced. "I shall inform Lord Megatron that Starscream has perhaps succumbe to sky hunger."
"Does this look like he perhaps succumbed to it?" Knock Out asked incredulously. "He should be put out of his misery, he could turn on us again!"
"You do not understand seeker mentality." Dreadwing said. "Sky hunger is difficult to shake, but we are in the air-that should soothe the hunger." he nodded to the prone seeker. "Patch him and yourself up; I shall stand watch should he suffer another attack."
Knock Out almost growled. Why couldn't you have just kept on walking? Instead, he smiled and nodded-as though he were actually grateful. "And after?"
"That is for Lord Megatron to decide."
Knock Out gritted his denta. He looked down to avoid having the other mech from seeing his scowl. He glared at Starscream. Next time.