title: "is it just me, or is he losing it?"

Summary: Knock Out wasn't there. Again. AU post-"Crossfire."

A/N: So, "Armada"...yeah, I'm still not sure what I saw. In all seriousness, I felt its structure was really unsound. Anyway, it didn't exactly give me any new info that I'd want to incorporate into this fic...not even how those Insecticons ended up Earth, seriously, are they ever gonna answer that, is anyone within in the show ever gonna ask that question? I hope it's answered eventually.

Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Transformers Prime.

chapter 4

Honor even suggested to Dreadwing that he should not lie and pretend to himself that he did not feel guilty over Breakdown's death, or that he may possibly be transferring his own feelings over his lost twin to him as well. Or that guilt projected onto his surviving partner and Dreadwing's desire to keep an eye on him. Or that Dreadwing could not shake the impression that Knock Out was small. And a medic, a scientist, his strenghts along those lines, not that of a warrior. That feeling persisted even in the face of Knock Out's admittedly correct and vocal protests that Dreadwing leave him be. And Dreadwing did—

except in cases where they shared a battlefield together.

But Knock Out was no sparkling and Dreadwing had other responsibilities, and so he turned his back to support another segment of the Troopers.

When he turned again, a black cold fury seeped through his chassis when he saw Wheeljack drag an unconscious Knock Out toward a Groundbridge.

Dreadwing snarled, rushing toward the 'Bot that hounded him to Earth and his captive—

Another large body immediately slammed into him, and Dreadwing immediately engaged the other ex-Wrecker, Bulkhead.

Blows struck, missed—until Dreadwing sidestepped Bulkhead's next fist and grabbed, twisted, throwing the large Bot down.

The flyer wasn't given long to savor his victory and pursue Knock Out immediately—a sudden weight barrelled into Dreadwing's back and threw him down as well, straight into a stone wall. It cracked precariously. Half a second later, laser fire fromabove. The stone wall finally just shattered, Dreadwing failing to evade in time, becoming half-buried.

"C'mon Bulk—!" shouted the femme, followed by a frantic beep.

"Do not let them escape with the doctor!" Dreadwing ordered the surviving Troopers, shooting a venomous glare at one in the middle of helping him out from under the rock. That one immediately ceased and turned around to join her kin in pursuit.

Dreadwing quickly dug himself out, transforming and blasting forward in jet mode, hot on the Autobots' trail for the groundbridge, but no Wheeljack, he clearly already had—

The large flyer seethed as he blasted past the spot where the groundbridge disappeared.

He circled restlessly without any target to surround, curtly ordering the Troopers, "Alert Lord Megatron."

###

"You have him—?" Ratchet began to bark, whirling on the the returning 'Bots.

Wheeljack held up the unconscious 'Con, smirking. "Don't worry Sunshine, Doc Knock is knocked out."

"Good," murmured Nemesis over the live feed, and Ratchet snarled at the duplicate tone of his old friend's voice. "Bring me Knock Out now."

A momentary silence, until Fowler broke it, somewhat voicing what everyone had been thinking. "Let me evacuate the area, or we can meet up—"

"No." Nemesis' voice was firm, eerily as firm as any direct order Optimus would give.

Ratchet shot his friend a look. Optimus was trying to mask his face behind something with less emotion, but his distress still peeked out, how disturbed he was by his veritable clone.

"I do not care if your cover is blown. Again, if you try to evacuate, I will open fire. The only thing you can do is make them clear a path for me. Absolutely no obstructions. If anyone or anything is left in my way, I will mow them down. Now, just bring me Knock Out and the energon."

Ratchet clenched his jaw, caught Optimus' eye, his curt nod, and sighed, activating the groundbridge again.

###

Arcee felt pretty fraggin' exposed, strange humans making sudden shocked noises, but she reminded herself to just focus on Jack and June Darby. That's all that mattered.

"Bring Knock Out and the energon to my trailer," Nemesis said.

Arcee glanced to Bulkhead and Bumblebee, who held the bound, unconscious Decepticon and the energon. Optimus stood at her side.

"First Jack and June," Optimus said, his voice low.

Arcee resisted the urge to close her eyes at the sounds of the human bystanders' noise.

Nemesis curtly replied, "No. I have no guarantee that you won't just refuse me Knock Out and the energon afterward. You go first."

Optimus minutely nodded, and Bulkhead and Bumblebee grudgingly took the Decepticon and the energon to the open trailer as directed.

Arcee approached the cab of Nemesis' alt form. Optimus stood aside, eyes scanning the entire scene.

"Decide who will go," Nemeis murmured, and Arcee stopped.

"What?"

"I never ever said you could have both humans."

"You lousy—!"

Optimus glared, but said nothing while Arcee continued to curse his clone out. The Autobot leader already knew what answer they would give.

"I still need some sort of reassurance that you will not follow and interfere with my plan. Keeping one of the humans with me should be enough for that."

From inside, there was the snap of the seat belts loosening from somewhere, and June's voice ordered, "Take Jack!"

"Mom, no—!"

"Do you concur?"

Arcee's jaw clenched and she trembled with her helplessness and rage, but said, "Give me the boy."

"Very well. Please have your people move a safe distance away. Then I will let the boy go."

Reluctantly the Autobots obeyed. Arcee glanced behind, and her finish crawled; the humans seemed to be a writhing shocked mass behind the police roadblock, cameraphones held up to record their images...

"No, damn you, don't—"

"Don't worry sweetie, I'll be fine—"

"Mom—!"

One of Nemesis' seatbelts snaked out, pulling a struggling Jack out and flinging him to the ground.

Arcee went to him as Nemesis roared away down the path that had been cleared for him.

Jack gasped out, "We can't—!

"

"We won't," Arcee growled, and immediately transformed and tore after Nemesis Prime, wheels screaming against the pavement.

###

"Well," was all Dreadwing caught from Lord Megatron's quiet, thoughtful voice as he entered the bridge. Looking up, he had an inkling of what reduced his master to only so many words, though not a complete understanding, as he had not been undercover on Earth long. On multiple screens were newscasts and amateur video of the Autobots right in the middle of human civilization.

The thing that most grabbed Dreadwing's attention was Knock Out slung over one of their shoulders.

###

Arcee was immediately frustrated. She figured her comrades felt the same. They pursued Nemesis, but there was only so much they dared to do with June as a hostage. What if he had hurt her already, or worse?

The femme's engine roared more viciously. They had made it out into the open, away from the city that had witnessed their blown cover, and yet there was something about Nemesis' speed, or lack of it. Was he toying with them...?

Arcee's comm ringed with June's alert tone the minute the Decepticons came into sight, Dreadwing and Soundwave leading them.

"Scrap!" Bumblebee beeped as the Cons opened fire on Nemesis Prime, warning shots at first. Clearly human footage had noticed they had Knock Out, and clearly the 'Cons had been watching...

The femme answered her comm. Predictably, it wasn't June, but Nemesis' voice that answered. "Can everyone hear me?"

"I'll patch you in with the rest," was Arcee's snarled reply. "There, now we can all hear you."

"Good. Deal with the Decepticons."

Bulkhead snapped. "The frag we will, you—!"

"It is what you do, isn't it?" Nemesis cut in smoothly. "More to the point, should the Decepticons come too close to capturing me, I will kill June Darby. You have no choice but to assist me one last time."

"Unfortunately," Optimus said, very low, the only indication of an order to his people.

Arcee snarled and engaged the 'Cons with the rest of her team.

###

Dreadwing had noted there were two vehicles that looked like Prime. He assumed it had to be MECH's attempt to construct a Cybertronian, much farther along since Breakdown's demise and Knock Out's retrieval of his optic.

The flyer furiously backhanded the blue femme when coming to the uncomfortable realization that he had lost sight of the second Prime in the chaos of battle. And Knock Out was nowhere to be found here.

Out of nowhere, Megatron's clipped voice commed them, ordering a retreat. Dreadwing could only assume Soundwave had kept him up to date during the fight. Reluctantly but obediently, Dreadwing obeyed, though still he seethed over losing the medic. Lost the smaller Decepticon's partner, now he had lost the smaller Decepticon himself...

A/N: I still have mixed feelings about Dreadwing actually, but I want to write him well in fic at least. I don't really like Wheeljack either, but again, I don't think I should willingly write him badly. Just mixed up lines from "Flying Mind" and "Triage." Knock Out should be back in the next chapter!