The following weeks revolve around Knockout's healing process, and how everyone is handling the change. Not just physically, but mentally and emotionally as well.

Surprising everyone, Starscream turned into a mother hen, and became extremely overprotective of Knockout. If he wasn't out and about with Bumblebee and Steeljaw, or in recharge, he was in the med-bay keeping Knockout company. They would talk, drink Energon, play games; Knockout even managed to convince Starscream to watch movies with him, but only under the condition that they would read whichever story the Seeker picked out.

At first, it was a little annoying, but Knockout quickly grew to appreciate the company, even if the company was Starscream.

Occasionally, Bumblebee will drop-in and join the friends' bouts of social hour. If not to give Knockout a break from spending all his time solely with Starscream, but also to check on his health. Not that the red medic wanted to talk about his experience with Airachnid and the Insecticons. The only parts of his health that he worried about were his finish, – no surprises there – and his ever growing cabin fever from being stuck on the ship and not being able to go out for a drive.

And just like Bumblebee, Moonracer was getting nowhere in the mental health department, so she opted to start Knockout on physical therapy. That way, not only will he reconstruct his physical prowess, but it can also simultaneously help his processor heal. If she couldn't get the red medic to talk now, then she'll just have to wait and hope her plan to get him reacclimated to the norm will be enough.

Then there's Steeljaw…

Knockout found it strange how, for the past couple weeks, Steeljaw has visited, but never spoken to him. He's the only one who hasn't tried to do anything with him. He just stands in the doorway, staring at him.

Once he's cleared to walk, Knockout decides to pay his rescuer a long overdue visit.

It is nighttime on the ship when Knockout makes his move. He swings his legs over the side of the berth and carefully plants his pedes on the cold floor beneath. He puts most of his weight on his right leg, as his left leg – still damaged and sporting a nasty scar – is wrapped in a metal brace.

This is really, really annoying. Can't wait to get this thing off and go driving. Stupid Insecticons. Stupid Airachnid. Stupid everything!

During his internal rant, Knockout extended his Energon prod till it was long enough for him to use as a walking stick, and disabled the electricity so that he doesn't shock himself unconscious by accident. If he was discovered up and about without an escort, the others would surely kill him.

Well, Starscream and Moonracer would; Bumblebee, probably not, as he spent most of his rage on that talk that Knockout was expecting and not at all looking forward to. But at least that was done and over with. Now, he has something else occupying his processor.

Knockout limps out of the med-bay, through the hallways, and all the way over to Steeljaw's room, being careful not just with his leg, but with making as little sound as possible, so as not to wake any one of the three he didn't want to deal with at the moment. Once there, Knockout pressed a button on the keypad outside the double doors and waited.

And waited…

And waited some more…

Until, finally, the doors opened, revealing the occupant of the room. Steeljaw looked at Knockout with a confused, half awake gaze.

"Knockout?" Steeljaw said after an awkward silence. He raised a servo and attempted to wipe the exhaustion away. "What are you doing here so late?"

"Well would you look at that? You do talk!" Knockout half-heartedly jokes.

Steeljaw was not amused.

"Any specific reason as to why you woke me up?" He growled.

"Well, for starters, you haven't been talking to me," Knockout answered.

"Seriously? You woke me up, just to talk?"

"Of course I did! You've been avoiding me for weeks now and it's driving me crazy!"

Knockout vented and looked up at Steeljaw. The Lupicon appears to have woken up a bit and is listening more attentively to the red medic's plight.

"What?" Knockout asked. He noticed a flicker of Steeljaw's optics, signaling that he was debating on something to say.

"Nothing, except, that makes two of us," Steeljaw replied, a small smile appearing on his faceplates. His answer was not one that Knockout was expecting.

"Are you saying…"

"That I'm having similar thoughts to yours? Yes."

Steeljaw stood aside and gestured for Knockout to enter his room. The red medic side-eyed the Lupicon, but he came here to get answers, and that's exactly what he's going to do.

Unbeknownst to him, Steeljaw is not planning on making it that simple. He's been watching Knockout from a distance since his rescue, and based on what he's seen, and heard from the others, it's clear as day to anyone that something, possibly life changing, happened to him. So, instead of going to Knockout, he allowed Knockout to come to him, on his own time and terms.

Steeljaw's predictions proved correct, and while Knockout had his back turned to him as he limped inside, smirked and silently congratulated himself on a successful plan. He reaches for the internal lock mechanism and closes the doors.

"Did you just lock us in here?" Knockout asked, having heard a click.

"Only so we're not disturbed," Steeljaw reassured. "This is to be a private discussion between the two of us, is it not?"

"Yeah, I guess."

Knockout rocked back and forth on his one good ped, anxious about suddenly being stuck in a room with Steeljaw. He winced when he started getting a pain in his leg.

"I suggest you sit down, before you're down another leg," Steeljaw said. He gently grasped Knockout's frame and guided him to his berth.

"Uh… thanks," Knockout stammered, surprised, and a little unsettled, by the care and consideration.

"You're welcome."

Steeljaw wandered over to his desk, grabbed his chair, and dragged it back over to the berth.

"Consider it my own thank you for the breakfast in bed a while back."

"Back on Phoria. Oh yeah. How could we possibly forget that?" Knockout laughed, remembering how messed-up that world of living nightmares was.

But he quickly regretted his words when he looked over and saw how uncharacteristically bothered Steeljaw was.

"Oh scrap. Sorry, Steeljaw, I forgot the effect that planet had on you. I mean, we were all affected, but you… you kind of went through something different than the rest of us. Well, those of us who were under the influence, so-to-speak, anyway."

"Eh, it's fine," Steeljaw shrugged-off, pretending that his experience on Planet Phoria didn't bring a whole mess of old memories to the surface.

Knockout wasn't at all convinced by this. In fact, he was suspicious as to why Steeljaw was being so… not so sneaky as he usually is.

He's up to something.

"Is there a problem, doctor?" Steeljaw asked.

"Just wondering why you're holding something back," Knockout replied.

"What makes you say that?"

"You're not acting yourself. It's like…"

"I'm doing this on purpose?"

Scrap. I knew it! He wants something from me! He's trying to throw me off my game so he can push me for information. But what could he possibly be interested in about me?

Knockout thought on it.

He perked a minute later.

Oh no.

"Ah, there you go," Steeljaw mused. "You figured it out."

"Did the others put you up to this?" Knockout demanded, his servos clenching into fists.

"Nope."

"So this is all your doing? Not talking to me, making me go crazy with curiosity, on purpose?"

"Yep."

"Why?"

"I saw it, Knockout. That flicker in your optics. The flicker of realization. You know why."

Knockout desperately wanted to yell and throw a fit, wake up the whole ship and get the others to get him out and away from Steeljaw. For two weeks, he drove the red medic crazy with his weird behavior, and now, as he said earlier…

"You know why." Curse you Steeljaw and your admittedly clever plan.

"Well, I guess it would be a waste of your two weeks if I didn't give you something to think about or whatever you plan to do with whatever I tell you," Knockout admitted. He wasn't happy about it, but at the same time, a small part of him wanted to talk more than anything about what happened.

The red medic raised his gaze to look at Steeljaw.

"However, I do have a condition before I tell you anything."

"I promise not to tell the others," Steeljaw immediately spoke. "That is what you were going to request, correct?"

". . . How do you do that?" Knockout asked, impressed by Steeljaw's apparent sixth sense: mind-reading.

Steeljaw chuckled at Knockout's reaction.

"It's a gift."

Knockout chuckled as well and rolled his optics.

"Alright, enough jokes."

The mechs settled down and allowed peace and quiet to overtake them as they spent a few minutes gathering their thoughts. Knockout knew he wouldn't be able to lie to Steeljaw, or rather, not get away with lying to him.

Just tell the truth. He'll listen to you.

Knockout vented. He lifted his helm in order to be optic-to-optic with Steeljaw.

"Well… um… where do you want me to start?" Knockout asked, twitching in place. "I mean, it is kind of a long story…"

"What did she do to you?" Steeljaw interrupted. The red medic was a little put-off by the bluntness of the other mech.

"You mean Airachnid?"

Steeljaw raised an optic ridge.

"Ah, yes, of course you meant her. Who else could it have been, right?"

"Knockout."

"Yes?"

"I know you've been in similar situations before."

"You've been looking me up?"

"What can I say? I love to do my research, especially when it comes to those I'll either work with or against."

Knockout gritted his jaws, but kept his mouth shut. He needed Steeljaw to keep talking.

"Anyway, yes, I did look you up, as you put it," Steeljaw continued. "I scanned your personal profile and other data banks, as well as talked to the others… you want to guess, or…"

"Breakdown," Knockout choked out, his voice barely audible. His frame began to shake, causing the berth he was sitting upon to shake, too.

"Your partner."

"My… my lover."

Knockout heard a gasp followed by something falling over. He snapped to attention and nearly burst out laughing when he realized it was Steeljaw, who fell out of his seat and was rubbing the back of his helm.

"Steeljaw, you okay?" Knockout chuckled.

"You have a conjunx-endura?" Steeljaw exclaimed, completely ignoring the other mech's question.

"Had a conjunx-endura."

The mood once again turned somber.

"Right, sorry," Steeljaw apologized, returning to his seat.

"It's okay," Knockout reassured, even though he didn't really mean it. He thought about getting off topic while he has the chance. "How about you?"

"Me?"

"Yeah. Do you have a conjunx-endura? Or anyone special in your life?"

"We're here to talk about you, Knockout. Not me."

"And we will! I just want an answer first!"

"No."

"But…"

"No is an answer, and the only one you're getting. Moving on."

Knockout huffed out of annoyance, but he knew one thing: he certainly wasn't going to forget about this.

Two can play that game, Steeljaw. You look into my past, I'll look into yours.

"So, Breakdown, your partner, was killed by Airachnid many years ago," Steeljaw restarted. "Then, just a couple weeks ago, you put yourself in a life-or-death situation with the same femme. She tortured you, obviously, but the physical damage is the least of our concerns."

"I understand, you're all worried about my mental health and believe that I'm doing more harm than good by not talking about what happened, but that's not it," Knockout vented.

"So… let me get this straight… you refuse to talk about what happened because you are actually fine?"

"Well, yes and no, but… it's just… it's just hard to explain."

"I'm all ears."

Knockout vented again. For the next few minutes, he tried to figure out how he wanted to say what he was thinking. Steeljaw sat back, quietly, patiently waiting for the red medic to continue.

"I mean, it was during the Great War, so everyone was affected, but we all expressed ourselves and dealt with the stress and trauma a little differently," Knockout explained. "For me… well… I'm sure you can see for yourself."

Steeljaw didn't speak; he nodded his helm in response.

"Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that, being caught by the Insecticons, and tortured and held prisoner by Airachnid, isn't what really bothered me. I mean, it did, because of course it would. Anyone with a functioning processor would be bothered by the whole experience."

Knockout paused, then vented.

"But while I was there, Airachnid decided to talk to me, and not just about Breakdown."

Now, Steeljaw was on the edge of his seat. Out of all the ways this conversation could've gone, he wasn't expecting what was happening to actually happen. Whatever Airachnid and Knockout talked about clearly did a number on the red medic's psyche, and Steeljaw was ready and willing to hear exactly what happened.

"She… she started saying all of these things. And, yeah, some of it I knew about, but the rest of it, and even some of the stuff that I did know about, I just… like… how did she know? You know? How come someone who spent so little time on the Nemesis knows so much? Then again, I guess that's another reason to add to the list of why nobody onboard trusted her. Not that we really trusted each other, especially Starscream, but most of her time onboard was during Screamer's exile."

"Knockout," Steeljaw interrupted, his tone calm yet firm. "I hate to interrupt, but I believe you're getting off-track."

"Oh, sorry," the red medic apologized, rubbing the back of his helm out of embarrassment. "So, where was I?"

"You were about to tell me what Airachnid told you, or at the very least give me a semi-coherent summary of what you two talked about."

Knockout immediately deflated. He really didn't want to talk about this. Not because it hurt, – which it did, but that wasn't the primary issue – but because of how confusing it was. It was unbelievable how believable Airachnid was, and, as much as Knockout hated to admit it, the spider-like femme did make some compelling points.

I suppose getting a second opinion will help, and from the only one who doesn't seem biased or emotionally… well… emotional about the whole thing.

So, Knockout told Steeljaw exactly what Airachnid told him…

One information dump later…

And to say Steeljaw was stumped would be a complete understatement. Knockout figured he broke a part of his processor.

"Hey, uh, Steeljaw, you awake?" Knockout asked. The other mech almost immediately snapped out of his trance.

"Huh? Oh, yes, of course," Steeljaw answered, rising to his pedes and pacing the room. "Just thinking about what you said. I can see now why you haven't told anyone before now. What Airachnid said must have really rattled your plating when you first heard her words."

"You have no idea. I just don't understand. How did she know so much? And why tell me? If she was trying to mess with my head, then she succeeded. But why tell me the truth? Or was some of it lies? Gah! I'm so confused! I'm getting a processor ache just thinking about it!"

"Calm down, Knockout, before you fry your circuitry! Tell you what? Give yourself a break from thinking about what was said…"

"Easier said than done."

"Yes, I know, but for everyone's sanity, and especially for your mentality, please try to give your processor a break from obsessing over the whole thing and let me take over the thinking for a while."

Knockout scanned Steeljaw, searching for any sign that he may be lying. He wasn't, much to the red medic's relief and surprise.

"Alright, I'll try," Knockout vented. "Thank you, Steeljaw, for listening."

"Again, you're welcome," Steeljaw spoke as he grabbed a hold of Knockout and helped him off the berth. "And now you have to go, before one of the others notices you missing from the med-bay."

"Yeah, I've had more than enough lectures to last me a lifetime, thank you very much."

The mechs laughed, enjoying each other's company. Steeljaw held Knockout steady as he grabbed his Energon prod and rebalanced himself. With assistance, the red medic limped towards the exit.

"Oh, by the way, what happened to Airachnid?" Knockout asked.

He nearly fell forward when Steeljaw came to a sudden halt.

"The others didn't tell you?" The Lupicon replied.

Knockout turned around, confusion clouding his optics.

"Of course not. Why am I not at all surprised?"

Steeljaw brought Knockout over to the exit, but instead of opening the doors, leaned the red medic against the wall next to them.

"Wait here a moment."

Steeljaw walked to the very back corner of the room, sorted through a pile of scrap, then returned a minute later with a box clutched in his servos. Without waiting for a response, or even taking a few seconds to give a warning, Steeljaw opened the box. What Knockout saw inside, he wasn't expecting.

"What… but… how did… who…" Knockout stuttered, his optics wide and unmoving from the contents of the box.

"You did."

Knockout had to do a double-take. He looked up at Steeljaw, then back in the box, and then back to Steeljaw again.

"I…"

"Killed Airachnid."