The team had reached another planet with a clear Energon deposit. Much to everyones' relief, the weather is nice, and there are no nasty surprises.
While restocking their stores, Steeljaw excused himself to check something out that he picked up on his handheld scanner. Seeing as there was no danger present, Bumblebee gave him permission to investigate. Starscream and Knockout objected to the Lieutenant's decision, until Moonracer stepped in and promptly got them to shut up. Not that she stayed long, as an alert from the ship called her away from the stockpiling mechs, much to their chagrin.
Normally, little things like carrying an extra load for someone else arouse minimal complaining, but today was not the case. Today, some of the mechs were in a particularly worse mood than others. After an accident with Bumblebee, Starscream is flung into full argument mode. Not wanting to listen to the Seeker argue with someone else, Knockout hastily exits the hangar and fast walks to the bridge.
The doors automatically open once Knockout is in proximity of them, and he strolls into the bridge, venting a sigh of relief.
"Woo! Glad I got out of there when I did," Knockout said.
"What happened now?" Moonracer asked, startling Knockout. The red medic completely forgot that the femme was here.
"Oh, Moonracer! Didn't see you there! Uh… actually… I still don't see you. Where are you?"
"Here!"
At the same time, a small servo popped up into view from behind one of the ship's consoles.
"Ah. What are you doing down there, anyway?" Knockout inquired, casually making his way over to Moonracer.
"Fixing something, obviously," the femme replied from her spot half inside the console.
"Yes, yes, now I can see. So, what's wrong?"
"Um… something."
"Care to be more specific?"
"Trying to focus here, Knockout! I'll tell you when I'm not mere nanokliks away from possibly destroying something vital to the inner workings of this ship!"
Not that she could see, but Knockout put his servos up and backed away from Moonracer, not wanting to anger her and make her do something that he – not "she"… "he" – will regret.
Immediately after his warning, the bridge doors slid open, allowing the arguing pair of mechs from the hangar to come on in and disturb the Velocitronians' peace and quiet.
"I swear, Bumblebee, if you so much as make me do that one more time…"
"Oh for the love of Primus, just shut up, Starscream!"
"Oh scrap," Knockout mumbled under his breath, placing a servo on his helm.
"What is going on out there?" Moonracer asked. The red medic just barely picked out what the femme said due to the increased voices.
"Bee and Screamer are verbally tearing each other to pieces."
"Well, get them to stop, or at least quiet down! I can't concentrate with all that noise!"
"Why don't you just…" Knockout stopped mid-sentence when Moonracer moved just enough for him to see her expression. The red medic turned and cleared his vocals, realizing his mistake. "Right, of course. Leave it to me!"
Without looking back, afraid of what he might see, Knockout kept on walking. He should've known better than to question a moody Moonracer, but considering the small stress build-up within his frame, he would've preferred it if someone else dealt with the cause of today's stress. And he was certainly not waiting for Steeljaw to get back in time before Moonracer decides to kill them all.
Knockout thought about the device used last time, but knowing Steeljaw, he either had it on him, or stashed it away somewhere in his room. The room he always keeps locked. The red medic silently curses at his predicament.
"And why did you let Steeljaw go off alone? Why does he get free time and we don't?" Starscream whined, a little of his past persona shining through.
"What do you mean you don't get free time? You have tons of it!" Bumblebee shot back. "And at least with Steeljaw I don't have to worry about him being a flight risk!"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"I'm sure you can figure that out for yourself, Screamer," Knockout teased, trying to make light of everything despite his oncoming helm ache.
"You're not in this conversation, Knockout!" Starscream spat, pointing a sharp digit at the red medic.
"Starscream, calm down!" Bumblebee ordered. "There's no need for you to bring Knockout into this!"
"Why are you blaming me? He's the one who started it!"
"Seriously?" Knockout said, just barely holding back his irritation, as well as not making it to the audials of Bumblebee and Starscream.
"Quit blaming everything on Knockout, Starscream!" Bumblebee yelled, stepping closer to the Seeker.
"Well it's not my fault he's such a pain in my aft!" Starscream countered, stepping closer to the Lieutenant.
"You're a pain in every bot's aft, Starscream!"
Starscream opened his mouth to make another pointless argument…
"ENOUGH!"
Bumblebee and Starscream immediately fell silent. They both turned to look at the enraged form of Knockout. His frame was slightly hunched, pedes literally digging into the metal ground, with fists and jaw clenched, and optics narrowed to furious slits. If looks could kill, then Bumblebee and Starscream would be burning in the Pits by now.
"Knockout?" Bumblebee dared to speak, slowly reaching out a shaking servo.
"I said enough!" Knockout snapped. He lunged at the formerly arguing mechs, both of whom immediately backed away from him.
"Have you ever seen him this mad before?" Bumblebee whispered.
"If I had, I clearly didn't want to remember," Starscream whimpered.
Knockout was still seething, but he made no attempt to lunge at them again. Bumblebee and Starscream stood stock still, afraid that the slightest movement would set him off.
"What is wrong with you guys?" Knockout hissed. "I swear… IF BREAKDOWN WAS HERE…"
Suddenly, the whole room fell deathly silent. Even the ship wasn't making its barely distinguishable little noises. A somber mood had settled.
Time passed on by, and still, nobody moved.
Eventually, the shock wore off and the sounds of the ship were once again ringing in their audials. Both Bumblebee and Starscream relaxed, but their wide optics were still trained on Knockout. The sound of Moonracer removing herself from her task and standing up to look at the mechs is what brings the red medic back to reality.
"Knockout?" Moonracer asked, worried. "Are… you alright?"
"I… I think I need some fresh air," Knockout answered, despondent.
Despite energy levels running low after his outburst, Knockout couldn't spend another second around the others. He rushed out of the bridge, and just as the doors were opening.
"Apologies for the delay, but…" Steeljaw spoke as he entered the room, only to be roughly shoved aside by Knockout.
Regardless of whether he noticed what he just did or not, Knockout wasn't stopping for anyone or anything. He needed to get out of the ship, and away from his crewmates. Knockout couldn't get the hangar to open fast enough before he transformed and sped outside. He kept going, and he didn't stop.
With the way Knockout drives, he arrives at a clearing surrounded by Metal Bark trees within a short timespan. He slowly rolls to a stop and transforms to bipedal mode. He stands in place for a bit, unsure of what to do.
Knockout lifts his helm and looks around at the foliage. He spots a tree with a wide, strong looking trunk, and walks over to it. He just wants to curl into a ball and cry, but when he does reach the tree, something switches in his processor. Before long, the red medic is slashing at the bark with his saw and drill.
"OF ALL. THE THINGS. TO GO WRONG. TODAY." Knockout yelled, unrelenting in his slashing of what would have been a very poor tree had they been on Earth. "WHY'D. IT HAVE. TO BE. BREAKDOWN? WHY. IS IT. ALWAYS. BREAKDOWN? WHY CAN'T I HAVE BREAKDOWN?"
Knockout jerked and nearly fell off his pedes. He regained balance, realizing that this time he dug his saw so deep into the bark that he was now stuck.
"Oh no. No no no no no… ABSOLUTELY NOT! YOU HAVE GOT TO BE FRAGGING KIDDING ME! GET THE FRAG OUT OF THERE YOU STUPID, FRAGGING, GOOD FOR NOTHING…"
The saw wasn't budging.
"SLAG HEAP!"
Punching his drill fiercely and repeatedly into the bark, he was finally able to get his saw out.
"By fragging Primus, about time!" Knockout exclaimed. He transformed his saw and drill back into his servos, only to flinch from pain when he did. When he examined them, he knew why.
The red medic's servos were damaged. Not much, but just enough to make Knockout complain.
"Of course you injured yourself while taking out your frustrations on a big, fat, metallic plant look-alike. Why wouldn't you do something stupid like that?"
Knockout grumbled a few more things under his breath before giving it a rest. He reached up to call for a ground bridge, only to lower his servos back down.
"Too damaged to even make a damn call. Frag me."
Knockout collapsed on his aft and leaned against the tree he was just slicing and dicing moments ago, gently resting his damaged servos in his lap. He closed his optics for a few minutes, only partly enjoying the peace and quiet, while the other part wished that something would distract him from his pain.
"I really wish you were here, Breakdown. I miss you so much. Who can I turn to now to fix me up properly? My servos need some serious tending."
The red medic laughed at himself.
"Of course, I wouldn't have damaged them in the first place if… well, you know."
Having calmed down, Knockout rose to his pedes and walked off, back in the direction of the ship. He could have transformed, but right now, he wanted to stay in robot mode. As much as he loved driving, he didn't want to listen to his engine or the radio right now.
He walked for a while, but just as he was about to transform to car mode, a sound reached his audials. Knockout froze, freaked out by the noise. On this planet, as he and the others have all noticed, nothing – to their knowledge – makes a sound. So to hear one now, while he's alone and slightly damaged… Knockout didn't want to think of all the bad things that could happen.
Still, as silence seems to be the norm around these parts, the sound of something strikes Knockout's curiosity.
Keeping his less damaged servo close to his Energon prod, Knockout sneaks through the forest, being careful where he steps. This may not be Earth with leaves and branches lying all over the place, or roots sticking out of the ground, or camouflaged animals hiding in plain sight, but it was close enough.
Knockout stops at the sudden yet recognizable sound of a bridge portal opening. His vents hitched as he grabbed a hold of his Energon prod and leaned just a little bit out of his hiding spot. He had to restrain himself from giving away his position when he saw what it was…
An Insecticon!
And realized what it meant.
Airachnid.
Fueled by vengeance and bloodlust, and throwing most if not all caution to the wind, Knockout snuck into the portal, just behind the Insecticon.
As soon as he was out on the other side, Knockout quickly dove for cover behind a cluster of rocks. He peeked his helm out and spotted the Insecticon just a little ways ahead, perched atop a boulder. It sat there for a few minutes before another joined it. The Insecticons spent a few more minutes conversing before flying off. Knockout checks to see if the coast is clear before following them.
The Insecticons are rather slow fliers, due to their more bulky, not at all Seeker-like frames. This lack of speed is really annoying for a Velocitronian like Knockout, but it isn't unbearable. Besides, right now he needs stealth, not speed.
Knockout continues trailing the Insecticons until they come across a large canyon filled with countless holes. The giant metal bugs fly towards them, but their tag-along had his optics set on something else. He circled around what he could only assume were the entrances to underground Insecticon burrows and came across what appeared to be a ship graveyard.
Dozens of Cybertronian ships, and a few others that Knockout didn't recognize, were littered across the rocky ground, all of them in relatively bad shape, ranging from some with a few parts missing to others that were stripped clean of everything.
There was an excess of corpses, too, but Knockout preferred not to think about that. He certainly didn't want to think about all of the white stuff that was covering nearly every square inch of the place either.
In fact, he refused to and yet totally thought about how screwed he was.
"This is not good," Knockout commented, knowing full well what he had to do now. Despite the pain, he reached for his commlink…
A large, clawed servo snagged his arm and swung him around.
"Eager to leave, are we?" A dark red/brown insecticon rumbled, tightening his hold on Knockout. He didn't need to; he just wanted to watch the small trespasser squirm.
"See? I told you I smelled something weird!" A slimmer, dark green Insecticon spoke, lumbering up side-to-side with the red/brown one.
"Ah, shut it! No need to rub it in."
"Let me go!" Knockout demanded, trying and failing to free his servo from the Insecticon's grasp.
"Besides, even if he did call for help, he wouldn't be on long, anyway," the red/brown one said, ignoring Knockout's struggles. "His servos are a mess! Bet they can't hold anything for long."
"Let me see! Let me see!" The green Insecticon pleaded. Without waiting for permission, he reached forward and grabbed Knockout's free servo.
"Hey, careful!" Knockout snapped.
"Stop complaining, 'Bot!" The red/brown one hissed.
"If you think I'm not going to need that servo later, then you're dumber than I thought you Insecticons could be."
Before he could second guess what he said, Knockout was shoved to the ground, the larger Insecticon's servo keeping him in place.
"You want to try saying that again, runt?" The red/brown Insecticon asked.
"Considering how bad I am at opening my mouth, probably not," Knockout vented, straining to stay online.
For the moment, Knockout thought the Insecticons were going to kill him. That is, until the scrambling of pedes and muttering of voices reached his audials.
"I hear you have something that may be of interest to me?" A femme asked, and Knockout knew immediately who it was.
"Yes, my Queen!"
Just as quickly as he was released, Knockout was shoved to his knees, damaged arms held behind his back in the Insecticon's rough grip. The red medic struggled out of reflex, but his attention was soon solely focused on someone else.
"Ah, Knockout, what a pleasant surprise!" The all too familiar spider-like femme mused.
"Airachnid," Knockout replied, malice and sarcasm slipping smoothly from his voice box. "I'm not sure how I should feel about you being online."
"How so?"
"Well, I'm either mad that you're alive, and I want to kill you. Or I'm thrilled that you're alive, so that I can kill you."
Airachnid laughed.
"Well then, I guess I might as well keep you around for a bit. Should be fun."
The femme turned around and started walking away, gesturing for the Insecticon holding Knockout to follow her.
"What about the ones he was trying to contact, my Queen?" The red/brown Insecticon asked. Airachnid stopped in her tracks and turned around to look at Knockout.
"What do you mean by that?" Airachnid said, but the Insecticon didn't answer. She walked closer to Knockout until she was standing right above him. "Heard from one of the crew on the last ship that came down that the War was over, but knowing the good doctor here, he certainly wouldn't have come alone. So, who'd you come with? Megatron and the 'Cons, or Prime and his 'Bots? Considering how you are, I wouldn't at all be too surprised if you switched sides."
To the femme's surprise, Knockout kept his mouth shut.
"Interesting. In that case, how about we call your friends once you're settled inside, okay?"
At that, Knockout began to panic, but willed himself to stay quiet. He couldn't tell if that annoyed or amused Airachnid. Possibly both.
Meanwhile, back at the ship…
Bumblebee is pacing the length of the bridge, his frustration and worry made very clear.
"I don't like it," he stated. "He should've been back by now."
"Maybe something happened to his oh so pristine finish and he had to fuss about it," Starscream said as he lounged in his seat and absentmindedly studied his claws.
Bumblebee slipped the Seeker an irritated glare.
"Normally, I would agree, but after what happened?" Moonracer brought-up.
The two mechs stopped and stared at the femme, then each other.
"Well, he was rather upset…" Bumblebee began, rubbing the back of his helm.
"Upset? He was about ready to kill us!" Starscream exclaimed, straightening in his seat.
"Can you blame him, though? We really stressed him out with all our arguing."
"I highly doubt that that's why he is so much more than upset. A contributing factor, yes, but not the real reason."
"You mean Breakdown, don't you?"
The clattering of something falling on the floor interrupts the mechs' conversation.
"Sorry, sorry!" Moonracer frets, reaching down to grab the tool she dropped.
"Something the matter?" Bumblebee asked.
"No, no, I'm good!"
"Sounds to me that mentioning him doesn't just affect Knockout," Starscream said, twisting in his seat to look at his companions. "So, what was Breakdown to the two of you?"
Moonracer looked surprised by Starscream's question. She didn't answer immediately, as the whole thing is not only private, but also, Knockout isn't around to take part in story time.
"I'd rather wait for Knockout to return before we even consider discussing… our relationships with Breakdown," Moonracer responded, shifting her pedes.
"Aw, really?" Starscream whined.
"Starscream, this is a private matter, and if or when they want to talk about it, they will," Bumblebee argued. "Now, let's leave Moonracer alone and focus on more important things…"
"Like hauling that pompous turncoat's aft back here so that we can finally leave? My pleasure!"
Starscream catapulted out of his seat and rushed towards the bridge doors. Bumblebee attempted a move to stop him.
"Wait, Starscream!"
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
The sound of someone calling the ship made everyone freeze.
"Moonracer, your work didn't involve communications, right?" Bumblebee asked.
"Of course I did, but don't worry, it's working as it should!" Moonracer said as she walked over to the receiving terminal. "Hopefully, it's Knockout."
"I hope so, too. Preferably before I'm forced to let Starscream loose."
Said Seeker just stomped his ped in indignation.
"It… is Knockout!" Moonracer piped, immediately brightening.
"Oh, thank Primus for that," Bumblebee vented a sigh of relief, then turned to the only other mech in the room. "Sorry, Starscream, but no going out now."
"And I really wanted to drag him back here, too," Starscream muttered, turning and slinking over to Moonracer. Bumblebee flanked him.
Once the mechs reached the console, Moonracer pressed a button to take the call.
MR: {Knockout!}
silence
The bots share confused looks.
MR: {Knockout?}
silence
BB: {Knockout, are you there? Why aren't you…}
SS: {ANSWER US, YOU ANNOYING LITTLE…}
KO: {SHUT UP, STARSCREAM! I CAN HEAR YOU JUST FINE!}
Not expecting an answer, let alone at that volume, Bumblebee and Moonracer bounced back, startled. Starscream was expecting that response from the get-go, playing into Knockout's love-hate thing with the Seeker himself.
SS: {How nice of you to finally answer us! Mind explaining why it's taking you so long to get back?}
KO: {Ah… well… um… let's just say that I'm a little tied-up, at the moment…}
{And he means that literally.}
Moonracer stiffened from the femme's voice that slithered through the connection, but her fear was leagues behind Bumblebee and Starscream, who recognized the other speaker almost immediately. The two mechs slowly turned to look at each other, optics wide and mouths agape.
"Is that?" Bumblebee whispered.
"I… uh… no… no, it can't be! She's…" Starscream rambled, shaking his helm.
{Supposed to be offline? Honestly, I should say the same thing about you. By the way, hello, Starscream! It's been too long.}
SS: {Not long enough, you horrid, back-stabbing glitch!}
A: {You're one to talk.}
BB: {What do you want, Airachnid?}
silence
A: {Whoever you are, you clearly know me, but I don't recall ever hearing your voice. Speaking of which, I could've sworn I heard a femme, too. It isn't Arcee, which is disappointing…}
BB: {Bumblebee! And the femme is of no concern to you!}
A: {Bumblebee? As in Prime's little scout?} *laughs* {Who knew the bug would last so long!}
BB: {Enough is enough, Airachnid! What are you going to do to Knockout?}
A: {Doesn't matter what I wanted before! I have something else in mind, something I've been looking forward to for a long time.}
SS: {Meaning?}
A: {I'm willing to give you back the good doctor, but in exchange, I want Arcee. We never truly settled scores, and as much as I will miss our little exchanges, I want to end her for good.}
SS: {Are you crazy?}
BB: {That is not happening, Airachnid!}
Suddenly, the call is bombarded by cries of pain and agony, and what sounds like metal slicing through metal. Even the splat of spilled Energon can be faintly heard.
MR: {KNOCKOUT!}
BB: {AIRACHNID, STOP!}
A: {Arcee, or no deal.}
SS: {Fine. Deal.}
BB: {Starscream, you don't have the authority to do that!}
KO: {Seriously… Screamer… are you stupid?}
SS: {At least I wasn't the one to go off alone and randomly run into Airachnid without back-up! Or without letting the rest of us know!}
KO: {Fair point.}
A: {Enough! Now, little Bee, since you seem to be in-charge, do we have a deal or not?}
Bumblebee looks at the bots surrounding him – an anxious Starscream and a frightened Moonracer – before making his decision.
BB: {Alright… deal.}
A: *chuckles* {Excellent. I'll supply you coordinates, and I expect Arcee to be there at least a cycle from now.}
SS: {A cycle? You really want to wait that…}
commlink ended
" . . . Long," Starscream finished. He lowered his helm and shook it, optics closed, and claws digging into the console.
Bumblebee didn't want Starscream ruining Moonracer's hard work from earlier today, but he decided against it, knowing full well that if he tried anything, the Seeker would claw him to death. So, he focused his attention on Moonracer, who was frozen in a state of shock, arms wrapped around her shaking frame.
"It's alright, Moonracer, we're going to get him back," Bumblebee consoled, dragging the femme into a hug.
"I just… I don't want to lose him, too," Moonracer whimpered. "First Breakdown, and now Knockout? I can't lose another one of my friends, Bumblebee! I just can't!"
"I know, I know. It's okay. It's all going to be fine."
Moonracer didn't respond. She continued to cry against Bumblebee's chassis.
"That was enlightening…"
Bumblebee, Moonracer, and Starscream all swerved around. Steeljaw was standing in the open doorway.
"But it also raises some questions. I do hope you and Starscream plan on sharing with the two of us who are out of the loop, Lieutenant."
"Of… of course, Steeljaw," Bumblebee stuttered.
"Where have you been?" Starscream snapped.
"Working," Steeljaw answered simply as he walked over to the others.
"On?"
"Guys, later!" Moonracer hissed, her fear being overridden by anger and frustration.
Starscream cursed something under his breath. If Steeljaw heard, then he ignored it.
"Now's not the time to fight each other!" Bumblebee stressed. He turned to address Moonracer and Steeljaw. "To make a long story short: Airachnid used to be a Decepticon, sort of, but she's more of a in it for herself type. She and Arcee have a bad history, and try to kill each other whenever they can."
"She also killed Knockout's partner, Breakdown, and can control Insecticons," Starscream interrupted, adding his own information. He refrained from telling them about the whole Terrorcon debacle that both he and Knockout were responsible for.
"We all thought she was offline, but I guess she just ended-up somewhere else," Bumblebee said, shrugging his shoulder plates.
"You can thank Soundwave for that," Starscream mentioned, ignoring the looks he received from the others because he already knew that they would want him to elaborate. "After she escaped aboard the Nemesis during a… lab accident… Soundwave bridged her and the Insecticons off world. Of course, we never bothered to check, as we didn't want her back…"
"So why didn't you just kill her?" Moonracer interrupted.
silence
"That is a good question," Starscream admitted, stroking his chin with a claw.
"Ponder over it later, Starscream," Bumblebee ordered, skimming through the contacts list for back-up. "Right now, we need a plan, because it's not just Arcee that's going."
"And knowing Airachnid, she's not going to play fair. I bet she'll have those brutish, mindless drones of hers along to make sure the scale stays tipped in her favor."
"Yeah, and no doubt she's going to leave Knockout behind, too."
"Leave that part to me," Steeljaw said, prompting everyone's optics to focus on him.
"You… are going to rescue Knockout?" Starscream questioned.
"All by yourself?" Moonracer added.
"Have a plan, Steeljaw?" Bumblebee asked.
The Lupicon smirked.
"Since when do I not have a plan?"
Knockout's optics fluttered open to slits, peering at nothing in particular. He wanted so badly to patch-up his injuries, to give himself a good buffing and a wondrous repaint. Especially that nasty gash that Airachnid was more than happy to inflict upon him when Bumblebee and Starscream refused to accept her terms the first time.
The red medic tilted his helm and looked down at the worst of his injuries: from knee to ankle joint – give or take a few centimeters – was a large, deep cut, stained blue and white, and possibly rusting at the edges. It was a lot worse earlier when the Energon rapidly flowed from his leg. Fortunately, Airachnid needed him alive, and thus did a minor patch job to prevent him from bleeding out.
Knockout slightly shifted in place, careful not to disturb his badly damaged limb while attempting to make himself as comfortable as possible.
"He looks awake to me."
"Apologies, my Queen. He was not so restless a moment ago."
"Whatever. Just leave us be for a bit. Don't interrupt me under any circumstances."
"But…"
"Under no circumstances! Understand?"
"Yes, my Queen. Call if you require anything."
The sound of transformation and buzzing of wings signaled the departure of the Insecticon guard. The approaching ped steps required no thought for identification.
"I come all this way to speak with you, and you won't even bother looking at me," Airachnid said, making more of a statement than asking a question.
Knockout looked away from his leg and up at his captor. Airachnid, servos placed on hips, wasn't standing too close for comfort, but she was close enough so that they didn't have to shout in order to hear each other.
"What is there to talk about?" Knockout asked, meaning for it to be rhetorical.
Airachnid was undeterred by the red medic's foul mood.
"Oh, I'm sure there's a million things for the both of us to talk about, but I only have the time and interest in something a little more… how shall I say this… personal?"
Knockout dreaded where this conversation seemed to be heading.
"What?"
One look at Knockout's face and body language, and Airachnid was gleaming with her typical sadism.
"I believe you already know what, or rather…" Airachnid trailed off as she closed-in on Knockout. She leaned over him and grabbed his helm in her servo. "Who I'm talking about."
Knockout wanted to move away, to get as far away from Airachnid and this whole mess he found himself in, but even if he wasn't crippled, escape would have been impossible. He was tied to a stalagmite by chains, his servos webbed behind his back. Even if he somehow had the power and energy to free himself from his bonds, there was still the matter of getting past the guards, not to mention every other Insecticon around.
"Hmm… I guess I'll get more out of you if I give you some room," Airachnid said, releasing Knockout from her hold and backing away.
"Since when are you civil?" Knockout questioned, giving his helm a slight shake. He could still feel Airachnid's digits on his faceplates.
"Doesn't matter. I'm just here to talk for a bit. You couldn't possibly imagine how boring it is having only Insecticons to talk to. Most of them don't even talk, anyway, but those who do…"
"I bet you can't wait to kill them."
Airachnid smirked at Knockout's interruption. He knew it wouldn't make her mad, but he almost wished it did. If she was angry, then she would leave him alone to avoid killing him.
"Yes, that," Airachnid said. She crossed her legs and studied Knockout for a while. "Anyway, Breakdown."
"What about him?" Knockout asked, his voice filled with venom.
"Nothing much, but I would be lying if I said that I didn't have a miniscule soft spot for him. He may have been big and brutish, not to mention lacking a processor, and way too loyal to Megatron for my liking, but he wasn't the most intolerable mech around. In fact, I probably wouldn't have killed him if he hadn't been ordered to kill me first. Based on your reaction, I can tell this is a little bit of new information for you."
"No it isn't! I just can't believe what you're saying! It makes absolutely no sense!"
"Doesn't it, though? Tell me this, Knockout, do you remember a single instance where it looked like I may have been thinking of carrying out something like that?"
"You're always thinking of killing."
"Well, that's besides the point. What I'm saying is that I had no real reason to target Breakdown, especially since Arcee and that… thing that's always with her… blew-up my ship, and my collection with it."
As much as Knockout hated Airachnid, Primus be damned if he wasn't curious to hear what she had to say.
"Okay… for sake of argument, say I believe you," Knockout reluctantly said. "What are you trying to tell me? That when you killed Breakdown, it was out of self-defense?"
"For argument's sake, then, and precisely," Airachnid purred.
"Why kill him, though? Couldn't you have just trapped him and let him be?"
"I'm a hunter, Knockout. I guess you could say that I got a little carried away."
"Clearly."
"However, I still would've preferred it if I hadn't had to kill him in the first place, but it was either him or Dreadwing, and I didn't feel like going back to finish off that bucket of bolts. I chose the mech closest to me, then left before the Big M – as I know you so affectionately call him – showed-up to take me out himself, like he should have done in the first place. At least then he wouldn't have had to lose a warrior, not that he actually cared about Breakdown. Not after that MECH incident."
"How do you know all of this?" Knockout interrupted, not believing some of what he's hearing. He's never known about a few of those things, and for a rogue like Airachnid to apparently know so much more than him…
"Now, now, are you scared of the fact that you might not actually know the facts?" Airachnid questioned, grinning.
Yes, he was frightened by this.
"You do know that Starscream attempted a rescue, right?"
silence
"Mmm… of course not. I couldn't believe it when I first heard about it, either, but I'm sure it's true. I doubt anyone would lie about Starscream – the Starscream – being nice. At the end of the day, it was just him being opportunistic, trying to build alliances and such, but the point still stands.
After that whole fiasco, Breakdown was desperate, and that annoyed Megatron. It only became worse when Starscream left, but I believe you already knew that… and know what happens next."
"You tried to take over and Soundwave stopped you," Knockout added to the story.
"And then Megatron found out. He ordered Breakdown and Dreadwing to kill me, then sent the three of us on a mission to… I suppose get me away from the ship and execute me in secret. Although, I don't see why he didn't just do the deed himself, and on the ship no less! Really, was he so petty that he didn't want to dirty the floors or something? Lazy, psychotic fool."
silence
"So, what does this mean?" Knockout whispered. When he received no response, he raised his helm and voice. "What are you trying to say?"
Now, Airachnid was looking irritated. She couldn't fathom how her point hasn't immediately gotten through the red medic's helm yet, or maybe it has and he just needs more justification. Either way, Airachnid was beginning to lose patience. She had to wrap this up quickly.
"Let me put it this way: I wouldn't have had to kill Breakdown, if Megatron hadn't forced him to kill me first," Airachnid explained.
" . . . You're wrong. You have to be. You're lying. You're… YOU'RE LYING! You're lying… right?"
Airachnid stared at Knockout for a few minutes, then surprised him by turning around and leaving, without so much as a word or sound effect. He gave it another minute before relaxing his frame, allowing it to go limp, and returned his gaze to the ground, but with other thoughts in mind. Not about his predicament. Not about what the others are doing right now. He's only thinking about what Airachnid told him. Wondering if what she told him was true.
"Right?" he choked out.
The more Knockout thought about it, the more unsure and confused he was.
He quickly broke down crying, wishing for it all to be over.