AN: So, I decided not to end it there. I could have, but writing Knock Out's interactions with the Autobots is just too- you know what, I'll just let you read.

Autobot Base:

Bulkhead never thought silence could be loud but that's the only way he could think to describe the lapse of insults between Knock Out and Ratchet.

But, thankfully, Bumblebee broke it. He beeped quietly, keeping his head low.

"Why didn't you say so?" Ratchet sounded angry.

"Because, quite frankly, you scare him," Knock Out was equally abrasive.

"Oh, and would you care to tell me how you're so sure?"

"I didn't just find out what the Decepticons were doing," The red mech stood akimbo, leaning slightly to one side.

"And I suppose you were actually able to penetrate our shields," Ratchet's voice was thick with sarcasm.

"Child's play, as the saying goes," Knock Out's dismissive gesture only succeeded in making the chief medic angrier. "It was so pathetically easy I wondered why the Soundwave never found you."

Ratchet took a moment to calm himself down. "Alright, then. Show me where I went wrong."

"Well, I think that your shields had a gap in them somewhere. That's probably how Breakdown got in." Knock Out walked out, Ratchet following, and soon their conversation drifted away.

Bulkhead looked at Bumblebee. "You get any of that?"

The yellow scout buzzed a negative.

"Me neither."

Jasper, Nevada:

It felt weird to know there was another Autobot, but it wasn't Wheeljack. The white and gray mech was awesome, but Knock Out was just strange.

Miko mulled this over as she left from school. Bulkhead was late, probably because he thought she had detention. She did, but she wasn't about to go.

Raf and Jack would already be at base, so her only option was to walk to her host parents' house.

She strode confidently through the heart of Jasper, not in the least bit worried. There was never any serious crime in the city, so why should she worry?

When Bulkhead showed up after detention let out, he would be worried, and then he would give her the 'Why-Can't-You-Just-Listen-For-Once?' speech. Arcee would be thankful Jack wasn't as disobedient as her. Bumblebee, well, who ever knew what he thought?

It wasn't her fault she had a knack for getting into major trouble. It just happened. That was why Knock Out bothered her. He was a medic, so why wasn't he grumpy? But he was always so vain, not caring in the slightest what she was up to. It was so easy to slip away while he was supposed to be watching her. Once the others found out, they would reprimand Knock Out for not paying attention.

Miko tossed her backpack on the floor once she entered the suburban home. She would get yelled at for it, but she didn't care. It was Friday, marking a week since Knock Out officially joined the Autobots. She wondered what she would do when she went to base with Bulk.

Annoy Ratchet? Dune Bash with Bulkhead? Play videogames with Raf and Jack?

The possibilities were endless.

So why did she want to find some way to get Knock Out to pay attention to what she was doing?

She was just getting ready to go to her room when she heard a horn honk from outside.

"Gotta go!" She called to her host parents as she ran out the door, pausing to grab her backpack on the way out.

Bulkhead was waiting, his engine humming in impatience.

Miko hopped in, strapping herself in as quickly as possible. "Let's go!"

"You seem more eager than usual," her guardian commented, but he accelerated. Then he pieced together why she was already at home. "You skipped, didn't you?"

"No teacher can keep me straight," Miko boasted, twirling a strand of fine black hair.

And they kept going in companionable silence until they reached the base.

When Miko got out, she couldn't see any trace of the medics. "What happened to the docbots?"

Jack leaned over the railing. "Ratchet's doing something important, and Knock Out's on patrol with Arcee."

Miko's face fell, but instantly perked back up again.

Raf waved a controller at her. "Wanna race?"

She smiled, ascending the ladder swiftly. "Since when do I not?"

Somewhere in the Desert:

Arcee transformed, turning to face Knock Out. "I still don't think I can trust you."

The medic just smirked. "And why might that be?"

"I just don't."

"And is that supposed to bother me?" His smug half-smile faded, leaving behind a confused expression.

"Are you always this laidback?"

"Are you always this uptight?"

"I give up!" Arcee changed back to her alternate mode, speeding off, but careful not to exceed the speed limit. Much to her displeasure, Knock Out followed her.

The red medic kept himself even with her for thirteen miles. Then he decided to start teasing her by going ahead and then waiting for her to catch up. Needless to say, the femme was not amused.

She drove Knock Out off the road the next time she caught up with him. He spun out into the sand, his paint getting scratched in the process.

"Do you have any idea how long that's going to take to fix?" His cry was indignant. He transformed, staring down at his ruined paintjob with palpable dismay. "I spent forever getting it to look like that!"

Arcee resumed her primary form, ignoring his anger. "Next time, don't try to tease me!"

Knock Out loomed over the femme, his hand jerking to his holster, where he would normally find his energon prod. There was nothing there. Instantly he remembered. Ratchet didn't want to have any accidents concerning his overreaction to the other Autobots. It didn't help Optimus Prime made that an order after he found Knock Out rummaging through the medical bay looking for his weapon. He scowled, his frustration surfacing in a low growl. All of a sudden, he smiled, his hostility gone. "No harm done," he said lightly. "Just a couple of scratches, that's all."

Arcee stared. "Who are you and what have you done with Knock Out?"

But he proceeded to change the subject. "You know, for a two-wheeler, you're pretty fast."

The femme was quick with a retort. But there was no venom in her voice. "You know, for a racer, you're pretty slow."