Chapter 5
Poena

AN:-laughs nervously- Did I say that the fourth chapter was last...I said it might be, but hey, look! New Chapter!

So...no one's not going to guess who 'they' is? 'cause I don't even know who 'they' is at all. Child of Jon Snow asked a really good question here. ;)

It wasn't another week until Knock Out came out from his emergency stasis, feeling a bit better and able to ignore the stinging pain from his wrists. Everything was musky, and smelled of familiar, mineral earth that he had grown to like during his time in Decepticon. Knock Out had to say that he quite literally missed Earth much more than he missed his old home in Cybertron.

He was even thankful that Bumblebee was next to him, putting his own work aside just to make sure he was okay. Bumblebee is his only anchor here right now, his only sanity away from hurt, away from those tormentors that seemed to be latched to his frame.

But seeing Bumblebee much more older and taking care of two teenagers, a dinobot and a Minicon was a huge hit in the spark for Knock Out. Time and Space seemed to have gone ahead without him, forgetting that he even exists. It was even hard to see that Bumblebee had suffered much more, having to lose all of his old friends who had withered in time. It nearly almost reminded him of Big O when he was contemplating with life.

Turning his attention away from his yellow friend, he looked at his patched wrist to see that it was crudely done-which he nearly tsked at such work. As a veteran medic, it was mediocre at best, but it was done enough to keep it from bleeding.

Funny thing was, the dirty void was gone-clean as if it was completely gone from existence. Just like his tormentors who weren't here, did not exist in life and only remain within his processor.

Knock Out was afraid to tell Bumblebee about this. He didn't want to push his only comfort away, leaving him alone with the tormentors that were eerily silent. They only attack when he's alone, when no one's watching. He can see them watching him in the shadows, crawling near his medical berth, swiping at his pedes like turbo-cats.

Ignoring their presence, and grimacing when the blue one swiped at his pede, he turned his attention back at Bumblebee, who was looking him over with Energon in his servo.

"I-I'm fine, Bee." Knock Out frowned at his stuttering and his croaked voice. He couldn't remember when was the last time he was able to talk. Bumblebee said nothing, but instead held Knock Out's servo as if he wanted to make sure the newly made wounds were healing nicely. Along the way, he handed Energon to Knock Out.

"I don't exactly know when was the last time you had refueled during your run," Bumblebee replied, gesturing the Energon in Knock Out's servo, "but getting into emergency stasis three times probably took much of you."

Knock Out choked in surprise, three times! Three times he went into emergency stasis and he still survived. The odd in this was very surprising, but Knock Out didn't feel exactly happy about this, as he knew that getting stuck into emergency stasis multiple times is not really healthy for any mech and femme. He's even more surprised that his withered frame would take this much damage.

He took a tentative bite out of the glowing blue Energon, only for him to harsh it down like a crocodile. He couldn't remember when was the last time he ate, and it took him a moment that he was very hungry.

"Whoa! Whoa! Clam down." Bumblebee hushed as he laid his servo on his scarred servo, "Don't want you to choke on Energon while you recover. I don't want to add choking on the list."

Knock Out chuckled a bit airily, looked over Bumblebee where the green one is lazing over Bumblebee's shoulder. It stared at him, it's arm wrapping around Bumblebee like he was the most precious treasure that it refused to let go. Blue eyes snarling at him as if he would melt, but Knock Out quickly ignored them, he didn't want Bumblebee to know that he's seeing things.

"Knock Out? Are you alright?" Bumblebee's voice snapped Knock Out's gaze from the green one, who was still hissing at him.

"Y-yeah," he replied, "j-just dazed, I-I guess."

Bumblebee hummed as Knock Out continued eating his Energon, this time a bit slowly as he felt Energon spreading through his system. Knock Out relaxed as he felt the effect of the Cybertonian food thrumming through his system. He missed this greatly, better than any oils he had in his lifestream.

"S-so," Knock Out swallowed, a habit he had taken from humans, "w-what I've m-missed?"

"Other than finding each other? Not much." Bumblebee sighed, "One of my teammates, who's a Minicon took a huge hit that he was assigned to a ship that may have housed any wrongly accused mechs and femmes. So far we've only met Terrashock and Filtch that may be suffering the same way you do."

"O-oh..." Knock Out mumbled, not knowing whom this Terrashock or Filtch was. He guessed that they're like him; tortured, scarred, and hurt. He flinched when Bumblebee moved a bit, the green one hissing at him.

"Sorry." Bumblebee whispered when he saw his friend flinch, but Knock Out waved his apology away. He doesn't deserve it, not really when he was this scarred, this hurt, this broken.

Both of them didn't say anything, feeling more awkward than before. They just don't know where to start, as well as what to talk about. Bumblebee knows that Knock Out doesn't want to talk about his time with them as the same with Knock Out, afraid to even make a peep on to where he had disappeared.

However, their odd get-together was interrupted when the small orange minicon, Fixit, Knock Out learned by hearing Bumblebee answering minicon's frantic chatter. Knock Out wasn't sure if he was thankful or not for breaking the moment between them.

"Sorry, Knock Out." Bumblebee grunted as Fixit left, "There has been another...life signal in the scan and I have to check it out. Don't want government or any human know of our existence."

Knock Out felt odd as he heard this...weren't Autobots still in legion with Earth?

Bumblebee must've seen his confusion as he clarified, "My team and I weren't supposed to be stationed in Earth. You could say that I...may have used Space Bridge Illegally to get to Earth."

Wait...Space Bridging was illegal?

Knock Out doesn't even remember that using Space Bridge was illegal. Not allowed because of low Energon ration; yes, but as a law to make it illegal was something new.

"I-I see..." Knock Out murmured, "I-I think y-you s-should head out to p-pick up the life signal..."

Bumblebee nodded as he told Knock Out to rest as he headed out, off to lead his "official" Team to the unknown life source. Knock Out did as he was told, but instead of resting, he was thinking.

Space Bridging had been illegal; this was shocking news to the scarred mech. Space bridging was one of the most used method in both Golden, War, and Recovery Day. Golden because it was invented to make shipment to other planets and meeting point easier; War to reach the battle front or location easier; Recovery because of sending and retrieving any refugee easier.

Only to make it illegal was enough to turn warning signs in his processor. Knock Out gripped his marred servos together nervously as he looked at the unchanging brown dirt.

"He'll leave you." One hissed, suddenly, grabbing his arm. Knock Out's chest were squeezed and weighted down by unseen force as he tried to calm his breath down. But the squeezing doesn't stop, as he struggled against the unknown force away from his neck.

His red optics looked back at the familiar blue, which was grabbing his arm, its grin wide and psychotic.

"He'll leave you." The blue one hissed, scratching his arm, "He'll leave you behind when he knows how ugly your are."

"S-shut up." Knock Out growled as he tried to push the blue one away along with the green one that was on top of him, "Shut up, you don't know anything."

"He is ours." The red-green hissed, near to his audio, "He is ours to keep. He doesn't need you."

"SHUT UP!" Knock Out screamed, clamping his servos to his audios, "SHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUP!"

Suddenly, the air felt light, and he could breath again as he looked around the now empty room. Spark's tight beating rang through his audios, as his intakes were fast, still cycling the air through his vents as he felt his vision getting blurry and clear at the same time.

Something's not right.