~Knocked-Out~

Story time

Once the tears had run their course, Knockout continued to hold Nightstreak in his arms, staying in the same position for a while more. The silence that filled the air was heavy with guilt, sorry, and worry. Nightstreak wanted to apologize; she had basically lied to him, then cried for half an hour in his arms, all while he just listened to her sobs. She wanted to apologize, but she didn't want to break the atmosphere between them; she couldn't force herself to move. Knockout, on the other hand, just wanted to break the silence, yet he didn't want to be the one to make that move. The silence had moved from heavy to just plain awkward. Neither one knew what to say.

"So, are you ok?" Knockout said, finally growing tired of the silence. Nightstreak jumped, startled by his voice.

"Y-Yeah."

"So, you really don't have anywhere to go?"

She nodded, still in his arms. It was silent for a moment.

"I-I hope you don't mind me asking, but how did you get here. I-I mean, how did you end up on Earth, with no memory of before?"

Nightstreak sighed. "I do have some memory."

"Then, what's your story?"

She sighed again. "I remember, so so long ago, my sire and carrier. They were happy, always happy. We were happy. Together." She chuckled softly at the memory. "But then, everything changed. For as long as I can remember after that, there was yelling. Always yelling, hitting and fighting too. My sire would come home late at night, having drunken to much high-grade, and would start...would start."

Nightstreak could feel the tears coming again.

"I-I would stand outside their door, and hear the arguing, then shuffling around, the sound of slapping. And then...and...and..." She couldn't go on as the tears started again. Knockout didn't know what to do then to hold her closer.

"Then what?"

She stammered. "And then...the screams." She chocked out. Knockout froze at the statement. He had no idea her past was that bad.

"Everynight, I'd fall asleep to the pleading screams of my carrier, thinking they were just playing. I was too young, too weak to do anything. My carrier never smiled after that, locking me and my Sire out. My sire left us, my carrier refusing to see anyone. They...they left me to care for myself." She whimpered as the memory seemed to hurt her.

"You don't have to go on, if you don't want to." Knockout murmured. "If it hurt's that much..."

"I've never gotten this far with anyone else, so I might as well finish." Nightstreak sighed again, then continued.

"Soon, I had had enough of everything, my carrier's saddened face and permanent frown, and the shut doors, the locked doors, oh... and the screaming. That next night, after dark, when the town was asleep, I...I ran away, fleeing my house without so much as some spare energon. I spent the night wondering around the city, until I finally fell asleep under a pile of rubble of a demolished building."

She struggled to say the next part. "My carrier didn't even notice until a week later, yet she did nothing, not a single effort to find me. I spent the day, begging for energon on the streets, and running away from anyone who tried to pick me up or take me somewhere. I...I didn't want to go back. Then, the war began, and the bombs started raining down. I hid as deep as I could go under the rubble instead of trying to escape. I was discovered by Decepticon drones, who tried to take me prisoner. As they had picked me up, I screamed, and cried, but no one heard me. No one ever did. Right before I was taken aboard the ship, I was rescued by Autobot warriors. Once they had driven the 'Cons away, they took me back to look for my carrier." She started sobbing again.