AN: Anyone else notice Knock Out's been absent from the show ever since Operation Bumblebee Part 2? Wonder what happened to him. Hunting down Airachnid, perhaps? Or something bad happen to him? By the way, a joor means an hour.
Autobot Base:
Jack was extremely surprised at what he saw when Knock Out and Arcee returned from patrol.
No arguing, no punching and fighting, not even a raised voice. They were just talking. Peacefully. As if they'd been friends the whole time.
Jack found himself a little bit annoyed when he saw how friendly Arcee was being with the red mech. And how Knock Out had a faint smile in place of his usual smirk. The only consolation he found was when he noticed the numerous scratches and scrapes on the vain mech's exterior.
As they got closer, the human trio caught snippets of their conversation.
"… must've been some partner."
"Cliff was the best."
"Same with Breakdown."
"Even if you were on different sides?"
The medics reply was so indistinct that no one could hear it.
Arcee laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I understand. It's hard to lie to a friend, even when you have to."
"For some reason, my assistants never last long," Knock Out gave a dry, humorless laugh. "But it is easier with him gone."
The two seemed to notice the others watching them for the first time. Knock Out drifted to the medical bay, leaving Arcee standing in the middle of the room, looking quite self-conscious. She smiled sheepishly. "You said I needed to get on with him."
Ratchet shook his head in confusion. "I meant you had to stop arguing with him every time you were near him."
"We had a talk, and found we have a lot in common."
Raf interrupted before the conversation increased in tension. "Ratchet, what was Knock Out like before he became a double-agent?"
The old medic laughed wistfully. "Sly, difficult, brash; much the same as he is now." That earned him an indignant 'Hey!' from Knock Out. But he continued regardless. "There were times I thought I could kill him for his latest antic, but he was a good 'bot.
"He had a thing for getting himself in to situations that, logically, he shouldn't have returned from alive. But he always came back, albeit damaged. Then he would complain for a while, and finally decide to do something about his ruined paintjob."
Knock Out stuck his head around the corner. "I didn't complain for that long," he objected.
"Really?" Ratchet asked. "You moaned for five joors after Springer totaled your new paintjob during a training session."
"I had just finished waxing it," the red mech quipped. Then he vanished back into the medical bay.
Miko was listening interestedly now. "Did he ever get in trouble with the bossbots?"
"Plenty of times," Ratchet answered. "Perhaps the worst time being when he accidentally pranked Perceptor."
A faint, "Oh, please, no." was heard from the general direction of the medical bay.
"This was before the war, so Shockwave worked with my division of medics and scientists. Knock Out was a new apprentice and thought he could get away with anything. I tried to teach him patience and restraint, but he wouldn't listen.
"Shockwave criticized everything he did, even when it was done correctly. Knock Out acted like he didn't care, but something happened, and then he snapped. He began devising all of these traps and weapons, careful not to let anyone see. After a while of him being too quiet, I started to grow suspicious. I started to keep him as busy as possible, so he wouldn't have time for whatever it was he was doing. But he did it anyway.
"Before I tell you what it was, let me say, the design was flawless. If only it had worked."
Bumblebee beeped questioningly.
Raf nodded. "What went wrong?"
"Nothing," Ratchet said simply. "It was executed perfectly."
"Then why didn't it work?" Miko was growing impatient.
"Because Shockwave wasn't the one caught in it," the red and white medic smiled. "Perceptor was. He ended up magnetized to the floor and buried in spare parts. Knock Out was so proud of himself until he realized he'd trapped the head research scientist."
The racer in question yelled loudly, "As I've said before – it was an accident!" Softer, he added, "I meant to get Shockwave... and maybe Ratchet too."
Ratchet shook his head and continued. "Perceptor demanded he be demagnetized at once. Unfortunately, Knock Out didn't know how to do it. Once I got Perceptor loose, I ended up spending the next half-joor pounding dents out of his armor." Loud clanging interrupted him as he started to continue. "But that wasn't the worst of it. Knock Out was confined to the outpost for the rest of his apprenticeship, and banned from racing. That's why he loves to street race – he hasn't done it since his early days as a medic."
A crash came from the direction of the medical bay.
"He better not be looking for his energon prod again." Ratchet muttered.
"I'm not!"
Miko looked intrigued. "So he was an impulsive 'bot? Getting into trouble all the time?"
The chief medic shook his head. "Not all the time, but when he did – Primus assured – it was a lot of trouble."
Arcee shook her head. "Sounds like Miko."
Bulkhead nodded. "Yeah, it does."
Miko frowned. "I haven't been getting into so much trouble lately."
"You've been in enou-" Ratchet's scathing response was once again cut off by the sound of something falling – something heavy. "What are you doing, Knock Out?"
Another crash came, making Raf jump. "You'll see," was the reply.
"Knock Out, if you don't get your sorry chassis-"
"Not! Now!" There was a sickening sound of metal being dragged across metal, followed by a heavy thud. "Busy! Ask. Again. Later!"
"What could he possibly be doing that requires such noise?" Arcee wondered aloud.
Jack spoke for the first time. "Probably looking for something he's not supposed to." He felt his face grow hot as he remembered the way the racer and his guardian had been talking earlier. "You can never tell."
The others considered this in stride, taking into account the number of scratches Knock Out had had when he returned.
Suddenly, a frustrated voice broke through the thoughtful silence. "Where the Pit is the buffer?"