From Teens to Sparklings

Chapter 14 Knock Out finds out

Miko hugged her knees to her chest, optics watering. Why did they have to wander so far from home? Sniffing, she took in a deep breath, trying to calm herself down before she completely lost it. The glow on her boots flashed, illuminating her pale face in the darkness. A sharp pain suddenly assaulted her processors, causing her to squeeze her optics shut.

Images flashed. The desert, the inside of a vehicle, a human hand resting behind a rain splattered window. And two faces, unmistakably human. She couldn't see their eyes, but they were smiling.

Miko blinked. Eyes? When had she started calling optics eyes? Shaking her head, she turned to the window beside her, craning her neck to look at the near full moon. Pale silver light washed over her, making her paint appear silver, casting a faint glow into the cockpit. The silver light reminded her of the silver metal on Jack, causing a new wave of sadness to hit her. Miko curled into the soft material of the seat, casting a glance at Raf, who was turned away, his wings shaking.

Soundwave was furious. What kind of Decepticon was he? Letting an inferior life form capture a Sparkling like that. It was degrading. He was Soundwave. He was supposed to be superior. He sent a com to the Nemesis, letting it know that he was about to land. He would show that smug human that antagonizing him had been a fatal mistake.

Transforming, he landed inside the massive legendary warship. The Sparklings gripped onto his chest, surprised by the sudden transformation. Soundwave quickly supported them, gathering them in one arm, making swift strides towards the main control deck. A couple of curious Vehicons peeked around a corner, stepping back in surprise when they saw the small beings hanging onto Soundwave. One Vehicon, damage clearly visible on the right side of its face, stops walking and waves, recognizing the Sparklings. Raf blinks and waves, a shy smile gracing his tear stained face.

Megatron glanced over some data pads, deciding which Energon mine he should send troops to, when he heard the door slide open. Glancing over his shoulder, he fully turned, optics widening as he grinned.

"Well done Soundwave! I knew i could count on you." Megatron praised, standing to greet the Officer of Communications.

Soundwave said nothing, the only indication of emotion was a barely detectable flick of a flap on his wings. Seekers had a sort of second language, Wing Speech. They communicated by subtle, or obvious, movements of their wings. Small ficks upwards indicated happiness.

Megatron picked up Miko, holding her like one might hold a kitten. The femme puffed herself up, clearly afraid of this intimidating mech. Megatron chuckled.

"While it is understandable to show fear in my presence, i assure you that no harm will befall you or your friend." He said, holding the Sparkling in his servo, making sure that she couldn't fall. The tiny femme looked around, optics wide. The glow on her boots flashed erratically. She decided that she did NOT want to be here.

Miko's leg shot out, kicking Megatron's digits. The warlord flinched in surprise. Miko launched herself off his servo, chirping to Raf as she hit the floor and sprinted away in fear. Raf, in a panic, sunk his talons into Soundwave's wing, tearing off after Miko. The two bigger mechs froze for a moment, before racing after the Sparklings, who had disappeared into the nearby hallways.

Knock Out leaned against Breakdown's side, relaxing with his partner on their berth while they had a bit of spare time. The Medbay was quiet, the only sounds being the occasional Vehicon walking by. Breakdown was in recharge, getting some rest before he was deployed on his next mission. In the quiet, Knock Out's thoughts began to drift back to happier times, back when things hadn't been so bad. He and Breakdown had been happy together even back then. They had wanted to maybe start a family. But then... the incident shattered that dream.   

Knock Out sighed sadly as he ran a clawed servo over his spark chamber. His spark pulsed at a steady rate, the soft blue light it gave off no doubt shining beneath his plating. It was depressing to think about, so he dismissed the thoughts, deciding to occupy himself by looking at his reflection. Yup, still the most fabulous mech in the universe.

Footsteps raced down the hall, and Knock Out was about to tune them out, when he noticed how quiet they were. Vehicons, although not the biggest of soldiers, still made a fair amount of noise when they ran.

"What in Unicron's name..." Knock Out muttered, sliding off the berth. 

He moved over to the door, stepping out as it opened. The halls were empty, and no alarms were sounding to signify an attack. Knock Out stepped out fully, turning to look down the other end of the hall.

SMACK

Knock Out spun as something hit his pedes, a small metallic 'twang' sounding out. He quickly pulled out his saws, ready to fight off the tiny attacker. When he saw what had hit him, however, his demeanor swiftly changed. Two small forms were on the floor, holding their heads, dazed. Knock Out's entire form stiffened, his processors stalling and yet at the same time bringing up horrific memories. While his mind reeled to understand what he was seeing, other, much heavier footsteps stomped down the halls. One was very heavy and loud, and one was swift and nearly silent. Megatron and Soundwave.

The Sparklings seemed to hear them too, as they quickly bolted behind Knock Out, hiding behind the medic. Knock Out, finally understanding what he had seen, took a protective stance. If Megatron or Soundwave wanted to hurt these precious Sparklings, they would have to go through him, Breakdown, and the impressive amount of Vehicons that were more loyal to himself than Megatron. He did dictate exactly what happened to them when they got injured, after all. Knock Out's body tensed as the two mechs rounded the corner.

Megatron slowed to a stop when he saw the two Sparklings hiding behind a very tense Knock Out. The warlord knew that he had to appear non-threatening, lest he wake up with a Scraplet corpse where his arm should be and a missing T-Cog. 

"Ah, i see you've met the newcomers." He started, not advancing. 

Knock Out relaxed a bit when Megatron didn't approach with hostile intentions. He nodded, glancing back at the small Sparklings.

"Lord Megatron... i have to ask, where did you find them? They appear younger than a Vorn." He asked, cocking his head.

Megatron leaned against the wall, explaining the Vehicons report. Knock Out nodded, taking in the information. He sighed.

"So, these are the last, huh?" He said quietly.

Megatron was about to reply, when Soundwave jolted, remembering what had happened again. The two mechs gave him an odd look as he pulled up a video feed. It was of another Sparkling, but this one was vastly different. Megatron and Knock Out exchanged shocked glances. The video feed flickered, and it switched to something that made Knock Out really want to hurt something. It was the same Sparkling, only this time it was pinned under an electrical net with the barrel of a gun pressed against its head. Its sad cries for help broke Knock Out's spark. He lifted a servo to his mouth as the smirking human threatened to kill the Sparkling unless Soundwave backed off. He closed his optics, his mind already made up.

He would find that human, and he would make it wish it was dead.