So, chapter 1 was 1,666 words. That's kind of awesome. I really didn't notice when I'd uploaded it. It makes me happy. I've also received a huge response for the first chapter, and I'm going really well on this so I wrote another one today. Updates are sure to slow (let's face it, one chapter a day is a bit crazy) but I will keep updating until the story is finished.

Fanfiction key:

Eradicons are the flying drones and Vehicons are the ground drones.

In brackets and quotes are ["comm links"]

A meta-cycle is a year.

An orbital cycle is a month.

A solar cycle is a day.

A cycle is an hour.

A breem is ten minutes.

A klik is one minute.

A nano-klik is less than a minute.


Knockout clanked down the hall, too proud to drag his feet but too drained to walk with the usual elegance. He reached his quarters as soon as possible, dropped his prod on the floor and collapsed in his washracks, turning the water on to patter on his frame as he stared blankly into space. In one solar cycle, he'd managed to get himself absolutely filthy trying to tear down a wall of dirt and rock with the help of Soundwave, his best friend and partner had perished in the mission, he personally assisted his leader to rape another mech to death as a punishment for inadvertently and accidentally causing the death of his partner, and all faith and trust in his leader was snapped into pieces, if there even was any in the first place. This had been a long, torturous solar cycle and all he wanted to do was recharge, but all he could hear was first the roar of his best friend as the rocks collapsed and caved in on him, stopping his spark, and the pitiful cries and pleas for mercy from his commander as he was beaten, raped and tormented to death in front of him.

He got up to try and shake the horrid cries from his mind and finally get his finish as beautiful as it was when this horrible solar cycle started when Soundwave suddenly appeared beside him, just outside the spray of water, making him uncharacteristically jump, his engine stalling.

"What are you doing here!? Don't you know how to knock, Soundwave? What is it?"

Soundwave's face lit up with an image of Megatron, his speakers emanating their leader's voice. "Find Knockout, make sure he is mentally prepared and capable for tomorrow. We'll be doing another energon run and I need that bright red idiot functioning to repair everyone when we get back. If he's not prepared and capable, make him."

"HAS HE LOST HIS PROCESSOR COMPLETELY?"

The outburst seemed to shock Soundwave, as he ever so slightly leaned back, ready to defend himself as Knockout went pacing about in his washracks, shouting about how Megatron's dark energon intake had caused him to short-circuit and fry. "You would honestly have to be completely insane to think that after losing my only companion and assistant, I should be ready and completely mentally stable to work on a hundred wounded mechs, all solar cycle, with no rest, especially after what happened on the bridge. He has completely lost it. What does he want you to do anyway, force me to be happy? Are you going to say anything Soundwave? Do you even talk?"

"Soundwave: now Second in Command. First assignment: prepare Knockout for medical bay duties. Most logical course of action: Therapy."

Knockout just stared at his -now commanding officer-, stuck between completely shutting down and...completely shutting down. All he could manage to stutter was "...therapy?"

Soundwave stepped in and proceeded to wash down Knockout, causing something in his head to spark, making him collapse. When he awoke his systems reported his finish was in perfect condition and he was laying on his birth only a cycle after his unexpected shutdown. He reluctantly opened his optics, only to see Soundwave with his back to him sitting on the foot of his berth, his face screen armor sitting beside him. Which meant his face was exposed, and...

"Soundwave, what are you doing here...?"

"Assignment: prepare Knockout for medical bay duties. Most-"

"Yes yes I realize that but...why didn't you just leave me in stasis until tomorrow?"

"Stasis: does not fix mental issues. Therapy: offers peace of mind, lack of distractions, increased concentration, a-"

"Turn around for me, Soundwave..."

Soundwave stood up and turned, and Knockout's spark stopped. His real face was simply the most gorgeous thing he'd ever seen in all his solar cycles (aside from himself, of course.) From his soft pink eyes to the smooth contours of his face, and his extreme expressiveness; he was like an open datapad, everything he was feeling or thinking was written on his face, plain as day. It made sense now why he wore that creepy face mask, Intelligence officers always need the greatest poker face they can muster and if this was Soundwave's poker face...

"Knockout: functioning?"

Knockout slowly relaxed his cables, still stunned by the beauty of Soundwave's real face. Knockout blinked and look Soundwave properly in the optics. "I...yes, sorry...Soundwave, why are your optics pink...? I've never seen that before..."

The two mechs delved into a long conversation that lasted the entire night, about Knockout's despair upon losing his partner and best friend, his feelings about assisting Megatron violating Starscream, and his lack of trust or belief in Megatron at all. As it happens, Soundwave is forever loyal to Megatron, but their leader had turned into something other than the passionate, strong mech that he pledged himself to. Megatron had changed so much that Soundwave felt Megatron was not himself anymore, and thus, his oath of loyalty is not broken as Megatron isn't Megatron anymore, only a mad shell of what he used to be. Like when an Earth organic succumbs to the rabies virus, soon they lose their sense of self, their personality, and all that's left is fury. Knockout himself was not sure how to proceed, what with his only friend offline and his fellow traitor-in-not-so-secret offline as well. As it turns out, there may yet be a spark like his left in the world, and surely not who he expected, but with a face like that...


I hope you guys enjoyed that chapter. I'll be working on the third chapter soon, which will have some action in it. Give me all your feels! Please review, it really helps me to update, even if it's just a "I really liked it please write more!" sort of review. I'll be rewatching TF:P season 1 on Netflix to try and nail down Knockout's character as I feel he's quite OOC. I'd like any input you may have on that too, if you have two cents to spare!