My Darkness (Transformers Prime Fanfiction)

Chapter Nine

"Autobots," Airachnid hissed, looking through the device. Knockout peered over her shoulder with Breakdown.

"Approaching?" Breakdown asked, looking closer. "Ooh, it's Bulkhead. Let me get my servos on him."

"All in good time. Someone's got to stay here and watch the prisoner," Airachnid said, a slight purr in her tone. Breakdown sighed.

"Let me patch him up a little and you can toy with him again," Knockout said, patting his partner's shoulder plate and walking over to Optimus. He made a face, his optics narrowing as he flicked the Energon off his digits, welding a broken piece of the Prime's armor back in place.

"Making such a mess," the medic said in disgust, stepping away from the splotches of Energon, shaking one of his pedes off. Optimus' helm was bowed, his optics flickering, hanging limply from the chains, the tips of his own pedes scraping the floor.

"Ready?" Breakdown said, pulling out his hammer. Knockout gestured at the Prime.

"He's all yours," he said, standing back. Breakdown stomped forward and slammed his hammer first into Optimus' gut, hearing a satisfying grunt before bringing it back, then hitting one arm and seeing small chips of metal fly off. Knockout smiled softly in the background.

"The Autobots are infiltrating the ships defenses," Airachnid said, rushing in. Her legs were tucked away, walking on her extra limbs. "Come on, Breakdown. Do what you will, Knockout." The two left, leaving Knockout alone with the prisoner. He turned to look at Optimus. The Prime had gone a long way since he'd been brought. He was duller, his armor dented and scratched, Energon dripping from numerous unclosed gashes. However, Knockout had noticed that ever since the femme had visited, he hadn't felt the torture, become unresponsive.

"Prime," Knockout said, nudging him with his staff. Optimus didn't raise his helm, swaying slightly at the touch. "You're taking all the fun out of this." 

He muttered something inaudibly, making Knockout lean in to hear it. "I betrayed her..." His optics flickered and he shuddered, making the chains rattle.

"What are you talking about?" Knockout asked, slightly annoyed. He took his staff and placed it under the Prime's helm, lifting it. "Betrayed her? Goodness, you must be going insane." He sparked the staff and Optimus opened his intake slightly, his optics widening. "Now I've got your attention." 

"What do you want from me? Youve already taken everything," Optimus rasped, jerking as Knockout pressed the staff against his neck cables. 

"Oh," he said. "You have nothing to lose." Optimus clenched his jaw as Knockout held him from behind. "Who knew you were so weak?" He finally pulled the staff away, leaving the Prime gasping. "I suppose I do remember that day. How did it go?" Sifting through his memories, Knockout recalled seeing a dark femme hanging in front of him, a puddle of black Energon pooling beneath her. He has walked forward to close the wound, then watched as Breakdown joined him and started the next round of torture.

"I suppose I'll have to make do," the medic said, returning to the present. Optimus raised his optics, the normally bright blue dull. "But she spoke a lot about you, how you would come looking for you. But you never came." This seemed to hurt Optimus far more than whatever Knockout had to throw at him. Why hadn't he come for her? Why...?