A Chance Like This - Knockout x reader
Word count: 7,740
Warnings: none
Takes place on the episode “Flying Mind”
A/N: This is the longest oneshot I’ve ever written and actually turned out pretty good. I wrote this over a year ago. I think I did a good job adding enough that it wasn’t just the whole episode written down.
You were staring wide eyed as Bulkhead told the human charges about his adventure being stuck on Nemesis. The group of listening humans, including you, was standing on the high platform closest to the groundbridge.
“And when the Insecticons backed off, I got inspired by my proximity to the power core, and did what I do best.” He hit his fist into the other servo making a loud crash for dramatic effect.
Miko and you stood by the yellow, metal guards while Jack leaned on the desk, Raf was sitting by the computer, and Agent Fowler stood in the back.
“Whoa,” you let out. Being stuck on the ship would be something you hate; you would have no idea how to get off.
“You trashed Megatron’s ride like a rock star in a hotel room.” Miko threw her hands into the air.
“So what are we going to do now?” you asked when you realized the Decepticons would in one spot and unable to move for a long period of time.
“We should hit the ‘Cons right now, while their vulnerable,” Arcee said to her teammates with determination.
“Megatron’s warship may be grounded, but let’s not forget we remain vastly outnumbered,” Ratchet, who was apart from the group and on your right, reminded.“Especially since he has added the insecticon hive to his ranks.”
“Then maybe it’s time for me in call in an air strike,” Agent Fowler stepped closer to the railing.
“Or for us to consider more extreme measures, Agent Fowler.” The prime had a grim look in his optics that made you uneasy. He gestured for Ratchet to follow him down the corridor. Their heavy, metal steps resonated through the room. Your heart pounded as your mind searched the all the possibilities of what could happen with worry. Not just because Optimus Prime having that emotion was a reason for concern.
Because there was someone on Nemesis that you didn’t want hurt.
He walked back into the room with a blue circular object, with gray designs covering it that made you stumble back.
“Is that…?” you began, but couldn’t finish the sentence.
“The spark extractor? Yes,” Optimus replied.
“I thought that… doing that would be too violent and wrong… to just take all of their sparks at once. Why…?” You struggled for words in shock.
“Although I would greatly prefer lesser means, it could be our only chance to end the war.”
“I guess. I just wish… it didn’t have to end like that. There has to be another way, right?” your eyes reflected sadness and hope.
He let out a sad sigh. “While I wish the same, I fear we have no other option.”
You whimpered. There was the urge to say more and attempt to convince them to choose another path. Yet you knew everyone would probably get annoyed at you for defending the villains, and Optimus Prime made up his mind. Who were you to question his decision? There was still something inside of you that wanted to stop it, that wasn’t at peace.
You didn’t want all of the Decepticons to die. You didn’t want Knockout to die.
You didn’t know him that well, but you were fond of him. His personality, his finish, just everything about him made you have a soft spot for him. When you got the chance, you’d try to get pictures of him, it was just hard to without getting caught. You wished you were actually friends with him, although now it would be too late.
The thought of him dying twisted and stabbed your heart. You probably should have never let yourself get that attached, but there was no going back.
A beeping at the console in front of Ratchet interrupted your thoughts.
“Optimus, I’m detecting a massive energy spike at the Decepticon crash site. It appears to be dark energon.” Ratchet had a serious and grim expression on his faceplate.
Everyone, except Optimus Prime, flinched at the news. They stared at the map with a purple circle on what you assumed to be the crash site.
The groundbridge lit up with the light swirling and dancing once Ratchet flipped the switch. It seemed much blurrier than usual. That’s when you realized how much tears formed in your eyes. You swiftly blinked them away, refusing to be caught. A part of you wanted to run in, to see if there was a way to save him or see him one more time. The thought of seeing his faceplate twist in pain in flinching as his spark was wretched away from him was enough you have you rapidly blinking. Please don’t cry in front of them; please don’t cry in front of them, you repeated in your mind. How would they react if they knew you cared for a Decepticon? They would probably send you to therapy or a mental hospital or something.
All the Autobots but Ratchet, who was staying, and Optimus, who seemed to be planning on entering last. They effortlessly shifted to their vehicle forms and quickly went through. You took a sharp breath when you noticed the extractor in Bumblebee’s hand as he transformed.
Fowler was saying something to the prime about how he had to be there to witness the Decepticon defeat, but you couldn’t pay attention. You just kept thinking about Knockout. Was he going to die? That couldn’t be right. Not now.
Optimus agreed to bring Agent Fowler and drove through the groundbridge. Then the light disappeared, leaving you to wonder when it would be done.
The last time you saw him could literally have been the last time you’d ever see him. You’d never get the chance to meet him or be friends with him. He’d be gone forever. You were panicking. When would the spark extractor be generated? Had it already happened? Was he already not existing anymore? Would you feel something when he was extinguished, like suddenly feel a part of you was missing or punched in the gut? All of these questions and negative emotions filled you and you believed you would burst. You already wandered and began pacing in the corner where everyone would be less likely to notice you. Just in case you broke down crying, which was becoming more likely by the second.
“Team’s down, requesting medevac,” Fowler’s voice came through the comm.
Your eyes widened and your heart leaped. “What?” you turned to the screen. You had been prepared to gain sadness from Knockout being terminated, not the Autobots being injured. Needless to say, you were concerned.
“What happened?” Ratchet asked.
“The Nemesis shot some crazy beam at the 'Bots and now they’re frozen.”
“Are they…” Raf wasn’t able to finished the sentence in fear.
“I don’t know. I need to examine them. Hang tight. I will be there.” Ratchet opened up the groundbridge.
It took a while to get everyone back. Ratchet was the only one big enough to carry them and had to do so one at a time. As they were brought in, all the humans grew more sad and worried. It was terrible to see them still and lifeless like that. You prayed they were okay.
“Did they get the chance to use the spark extractor?” you asked when the question crossed your mind and you managed to reached Fowler on the higher platform.
“No. The 'Cons were too fast,” Fowler answered.
A sigh of relief escaped you, however as you did so, you masked it as a cough, to avoid everyone’s questioning eyes. It meant Knockout was alright. It may have been wrong, with everyone frozen, but you were actually happy the turn of events happened. It meant Knockout was still alive. You just hoped the others didn’t stay that way forever.
The other three on the floor below were still gazing in sorrow at the awkwardly posing cybertronians as Ratchet scanned them. His metallic steps echoed through the quiet room as he inspected the console.
“They’re alive, but I’ve never encountered this form of stasis lock.” He held his chin with his digits while staring at a large screen that currently showed Optimus.
“The 'Cons are crossing the Atlantic,” Fowler marched right up, near the vitals displayed in green. Ratchet’s optics shifted from the console’s information to the human. “Making a bee-line for North America,” he waved his arm horizontally to illustrate his point.
“Wait, we can track them?” Jack noticed as the three other walked over on the floor below.
“Why aren’t they cloaked like usual?” Raf lifted an eyebrow.
Your eyes widened when you realized it now that they mentioned it. Fowler’s facial expression changed, a clear indicator that the same just occurred to him.
“None of this makes a lick of sense,” the black male voiced what everyone was thinking, “they had us in the crosshairs, but the 'Cons just took off.”
“They even bailed on that spark extractor thingy.” Miko waved her hand, as confused as everyone else.
“Megatron could have gotten the spark extractor AND destroyed Optimus. He would never turn down something like that. Why?” The thought tangled in your mind as you tried to make sense of it.
“Wait,” Jack said when an idea struck him. “If the ship isn’t cloaked, maybe the communications relays are open and-”
“Ehp, eph.” The medic cut him off and rotated around to the teenagers. “Are you suggesting that we just call Megatron and ask him what’s happening up there?!” he sarcastically thought, attempting to show the insanity of the idea.
As ridiculous and unlikely as it sounded, surprisingly, it didn’t sound like a bad idea considering the circumstances. The kids simultaneously shrugged and Ratchet looked in shock as it struck him that they were serious. For better or worse, it was probably the best plan. You needed to know what was going on. It was worth a shot. Ratchet then stared at Fowler and you for your opinion. You both did the same as the humans before.
After contemplating, he finally opened up communication. This gave enough time for the three to climb up onto the same floor you were on. “This is Outpost Omega One to Decepticon warship. Megatron, please respond.” If he felt awkward sending a message to Megatron, he wasn’t showing any signs of it.
He glared at the larger screen, waiting for a response, but none came. You held your breath. Were you actually going to hear Megatron? Even if he was on Nemesis and couldn’t do anything to you while you were safely at the base, the thought terrified you. At the same time, you wanted him to answer, to figure out if everything was okay, if Knockout was okay. Maybe you would get lucky and the shiny, red mech would answer. However, that scenario was unlikely and everyone would be suspicious if you began fangirling before you could stop yourself.
More silence. Was it supposed to be this long? Did Megatron decide to ignore them?
“Megatron,” Ratchet repeated.
Everyone seemed to freeze, yet there was more silence. You expected it to last as long as the last one, when suddenly a noise hit your ear. A bee-do-beep of someone connecting to the comm link reverberated in the air.
“Megatron has been relieved of his command,” an unfamiliar, intimidating voice shot out of the speakers. There was no picture on the screen identifying who it was. Almost made you wish the 'Cons stayed quiet, but it presented an important piece of information and you were eager to learn more.
Ratchet’s faceplate briefly twisted in confusion before returning to its former stern state. He was probably wondering who it was and how Megatron, being as strong as he is, could be pulled off of his Decepticon throne. The latter was the one currently on your mind, along with if Knockout was well.
“Who is this?” Ratchet questioned.
“ 'Who is this?’ ” the deep voice repeated.
“Have you taken control of the Decepticon vessel?”
All of the humans stared at the huge cybertronian monitor, while Raf stared at Ratchet. Fear of the current situation was written on the young boy’s face.
“I AM the Decepticon vessel
The color drained from your face at that news. The warship was alive? Whaaa…
"Any Cybertronian who interferes with my mission will be neutralized,” Nemesis continued.
The previously green screen suddenly hosted large pictures of frozen Decepticons. It flickered through three individual images, displaying some vehicons frozen to panic and insecticons on the ceiling unmoving. To your dismay or relief, it didn’t show Knockout. It only left you feeling restless at the uncertainty of his condition. Then they faded away to how the console appeared before.
“What mission?” Ratchet asked in a less authoritive tone, most likely a result from processing the new, alarming information.
“Priority one, decrypt Iacon database and recover Decepticon technology.” he spoke as if reading a script
“For what purpose?” the medic pressed for more information.
Everyone stayed focusing on the blurry, static picture as if it would change into something interesting. No reply. Then the static identification picture blinked out as the link ended.
“He hung up? Rude!” Miko commented and crossed her arms. You stared at her. Clearly her priorities were pretty mixed up if her first concern was a huge warship being rude, rather than the fact the Decepticon vessel just got a mind of its own and is holding the 'Cons hostage or worse.
There was no telling how dangerous it could be. Although, your top concern was what happened to Knockout. You prayed with all of your heart he was safe.
“Rude?!” Apparently, the older agent had the same thought as you. “There’s a giant spaceship, flying around, collecting Decepticon weapons of mass destruction!” He waved his hands around.
“Ah ah,” Jack interrupted, “A ship filled with neutralized Decepticons.”
“How does that make it any better?” you questioned.
“This could our only chance to slip aboard and download the Iacon database,” the teenager explained. He pointed up as if the ship were above you.
“So Optimus can decode it,” Raf finished Jack’s thought.
You nodded and had to agree. It was a great plan, and you were surprised it never occurred to you.
Ratchet turned to them, staring down as he processed it. “Ingenious.” He was clearly impressed. He looked up with certainty. “I will infiltrate the Decepticon warship.”
“No!” you blurted out. Provided, you were mostly concerned about Knockout, but you still cared about your other Cybertronian friends.
“Not ingenious,” Jack disagreed, putting emphasis on the first word. “You saw what it did to the Decepticons.”
“And probably Megatron too,” Raf added.
“And team Prime,” Miko read more off the list of Cybertronians who were neutralized. Her gaze became hard and serious.
“Yeah. We can’t have you frozen too,” you objected.
“But that tub had me dead to rights, and I’m still breathing,” Fowler pointed out, smiling.
“The ship may be blind to humans,” Jack concluded the best answer.
A smile crept onto your face as a plan cooked in your mind.
“Very well, Agent Fowler,” the Cybertronian reluctantly agreed. “But at the first sign of trouble, I am bridging you right back here.” He shifted to face the console and pulled out what looked to be an alien version of a USB, like what Jack had that restored Optimus Prime’s memory. “Now, in order to download the database, you will need a compatible transfer drive.” He held out the USB, which was relatively the same size as a book. A slightly oversized book.
“A what?” Fowler had confusion written all over his face as he took the drive with two hands.
“He’ll also need tech support,” Raf volunteered with a smirk, knowing that he’d be coming along.
“And backup,” Miko nodded with her arms crossed.
“Which includes me.” You stood tall. You wanted to help your friends. Besides, it would be cool to go on the ship and possibly see your favorite Decepticon. It would be nerve-racking, but your excitement removed any fear.
“Hrmm, very well,” the medic grumbled. Faltering over to the controls for the groundbirdge, he punched in the coordinates and the way through started up out of nowhere.
The colors danced around in a wonderful phenomenon, however your eyes and mind had grown accustomed to it with how frequently it was used. You took a deep breath to steel yourself, knowing that the enemy’s vessel was on the other side.
“Be careful,” Ratchet reminded, his voice taking a more gentle tone.
“We will,” Jack nodded before marching through.
they casually walked in, confidence boosted by the fact they were all paralyzed. They all stood there, towering over you. The fact that they were so stiff and lifeless made it feel like a horror movie. As soon as Fowler made it through, the swirling vortex closed behind you as if it was never there.
“Fowler to base. We’re in,” the agent reported back with the drive tucked beneath his right arm.
“Good,” Ratchet answered. “Their data core should be accessible from any console.”
All of you began your trek through Nemesis’ dark and long corridors. They all stood there, towering over you. The fact that they were so stiff and lifeless made it feel like a horror movie. Miko stared up and Jack stepped over a giant foot.
Was the fact that the corridors were long mentioned before? Because you were beginning to sweat. You prayed that you wouldn’t have to walk much farther. Then again, this is a Cybertronian sized ship. What did you expect? And of course Megatron would have to punish the Decepticons with long walks and halls that all looked the same!
Raf gulped when you reached the end of the corridor and it split into two, “H-here’s one.” He tentatively point to the right.
Your prayers were answered, both of them. A console, and the one you wanted to see the most.
You spied Knockout, frozen and leaning on the console. He may have been paralyzed, but at least he was still alive. It made your heart ache and wish you could help him. However, it was probably better that he wasn’t awake, so he would be unable to squish any of you. That was the problem with him being a Decepticon.
The Japanese girl ran up to him. She banged her fist on him three times. Knock, knock knock! You had to clamp your hand over your mouth and bite your tongue to prevent yourself from screaming at her to be careful, not hurt him, or mess up his finish.
“Doc Knock is knocked out,” she grinned with satisfaction.
You smiled slightly and loosened up at Miko’s joke, finding it somewhat humorous. Although you felt guilty for it.
After Miko confirmed that Knockout wouldn’t be awake to hurt you, you were the first to run over. Your eyes stared up at him and all of his shiny glory. The way the light from the console shone on him and causing the illusion of his color being slightly altered was magnificent. He was even more hot in person, especially this close.
Your heart skipped a beat. You had never been that close to him before! After some hesitation, and wiping your hands on your pants, you lightly ran your fingers against his finish. Although it wasn’t long, since you didn’t want to ruin perfection with your oils. It felt so smooth and glossy. A touch of heaven. That made you both want to touch it more, and afraid to touch it in fear you would spoil it. You were dragged back to reality and took a step back when Raf began speaking.
“Look. The ship’s decoded two sets of Iacon coordinates.” Raf stepped closer and stared up at the console with wide eyes. Red from the screen reflected off of his glasses. A beep cut through the eerie silence and a row of random lines was added to the other two. “Three!” he added. The young boy flipped around to Fowler and the drive. “Let’s rip and run.”
“Okay,” you nodded and stared up, trying not to lock your gaze on the red mech since everyone was watching. “How’re we gonna get up?”
Without any words, Raf rushed to the bottom of Knockout’s pede with Agent Fowler following closely behind. You tilted your head in question of what they were going to do when they began climbing on the Cybertronian, using him like a ladder to get up. A bright red blush to rival your crush’s armor sprang onto your face. It came into realization that you would have to do the same.
“There’s the port,” Raf said once he reached the top, but you hadn’t made it up yet.
You never felt more nervous in your life. At first thought, you considered taking your shoes off, as to not scuff the paint. However, you were doubtful of how clean your socks were, besides, the others would question why you took your shoes off. Taking a deep breath to calm your nerves, you placed a shaky hand on Knockout to steady yourself as you hesitantly began climbing.
“Sorry, Knockout. Please forgive me,” you whispered under your breath, facing down in attempt to make this plead unheard by the others above you.
Your face became a more radiant red, if that was possible as you made your way up him. You did everything in your power to not get finger smudges on him. Thankfully, the way he was leaning forward made it easier to scramble up, rather than having to vertically scale him.
Fowler and Raf had moved a lot quicker than you as you were hesitant and careful. You heard the drive click into the port and a soft beep emanated from the data being downloaded. When you reached the top, you stayed standing on Knockout, on the black part between his head and red shoulders, for a few seconds, not wanting to leap off of him. You debated sitting on his shoulder or not. At first you decided you had a job to do and the others may judge, although it was a shame considering you would probably never be the same position again.
Taking a glance down, you noticed that Miko and Jack decided not to climb up. Another blush crept up as you realized that you didn’t need to climb up. Well, it was done. Now you wanted to stay, and you were glad you were able to touch him so much. You pressed your lips together into a line and pondered it. On second thought you decided you would sit, you didn’t need to stand on the console. They didn’t need your help. Besides, you were afraid you would accidentally press a wrong button on the control panel if you did.
With a smile, you sat on his shoulder. You made a small prayer that your pants were clean enough. It felt nice sitting there, like you belonged there. You were convinced you could have stayed like that forever. When you were sure no one was looking, you stared down and admire Knockout’s face.
That’s when a brilliant and awesome idea came into your head. What if you took a selfie? That would be like a dream come true, aside from actually being friends with or dating him. It was risky, as in they could very well spot you doing it… It was too tempting. You would probably never get the opportunity for this again. The rewards outweighed the risk, and you simply couldn’t help yourself.
You stepped down and flipped out your phone. After tapping on the camera, you started to angle it correctly.
“Seriously?” Miko on the ground shook her head in disbelief.
“When else will I get a chance like this?” Your eyes stayed fixed on the phone screen, carefully positioning the phone so it gets both you and Knockout’s face without dropping your phone. Dropping it this high would probably break it. With the way his helm was dangling from being shot with the paralyze beam, it made it more difficult than you wanted.
Upon clicking the button to take the picture a few times, you smirked and examined the selfies. They were clear and fit enough you and him in. It was a little dark, but there wasn’t much you could do about it. If you activated the flash, you’d have the whole room’s shifting their focus onto you. Apparently the teenage girl decided to ignore you, because she wasn’t paying you any attention now. Thankfully, no one else seemed to take notice of her remark. You were very giddy and grateful that you got the opportunity to do that. You felt like a kid left in a candy store, told you could get whatever you want.
Miko and Jack below stared up. They studied the screen and the warship’s destination displayed on it.
“Um, why is the warship heading for Manhattan?” Jack inquired upon peering closer at a smaller screen to the left of the larger one.
Everyone else followed his gaze to verify the truth of his words. What you saw confirmed it. It displayed a map of the north section of the western hemisphere. One moving circle hovered above the Atlantic ocean, most likely where you were located now, and the other stayed grounded in New York.
Raf’s eyes shifted back over to the decoded coordinates. The first set was flashing. “Because that’s where first set of coordinates are located?”
“What?!” you let out in surprise, sitting up straighter and almost standing. Thankfully, this didn’t draw any attention to yourself and they didn’t notice you sitting on the Decepticon. They were too concerned with processing the information and staring at the screen.
Fowler’s face displayed fear like you had never seen from him before. “What would a relic from Cybertron be doing in the Big Apple?”
“The Iacon relics landed on Earth eons ago, Agent Fowler,” Ratchet explained gravely on the other side of communications, “long before the city was built atop it.”
Jack immediately deciphered the meaning of the situation. “Which means if the ship wants this one it may have to move some buildings out of the way.”
All of the present humans’ eyes stayed locked on the map in horror. The Nemesis clearly had lots of power, and without the Decepticons controlling it, it would make no effort to stay hidden. It would simply use all the fire power it could to complete its goal. How much damage would be caused and how many lives would be taken if it reached the city?
“Our mission just got complicated,” Fowler stated while pressing the earpiece. “How do we deter this ship?”
As he spoke, you noticed the other two humans, climbing up. Barely managing to stop the whine that desired to vibrate in your throat, you hopped onto the platform for the console’s keyboard. You couldn’t help but cross your arm and glare whenever Jack and Miko appeared in your line of vision for ruining your time with Knockout. Instead you averted your gaze to the map as they stepped onto the same platform as you. Normally you’d be nervous and doubting if it could support everyone’s weight, although these uncertainties to the back of your head. Raf was staring down, holding his chin while he thought.
“I would advise disabling the navigation module. Call up the main navigation menu,” Ratchet instructed.
You followed everyone’s gaze to the controls to the left of the one you stood on.
“There,” Raf pointed. How he knew that the other panel was for the navigation, you had no idea. It looked exactly the same as the one you were on. Maybe because it was under the screen displaying the map.
Before the boy could make any other movement, Agent Fowler lifted his hand in front of him. “Step aside, son.”
He leaped to the other side. When he tried to figure out how to make it work, it pressed his hand onto a slab of metal that stuck out slightly farther than the rest. As soon as his hand came into contact, there was a zap. Electricity danced around his hand. You and the other three jolted in shock. The government agent groaned previous to falling backwards unconscious. Unfortunately, backwards was right off the platform.
“Agent Fowler!” Jack cried out.
All of you rushed to reach him, but it was too late. He took a heavy hit as he slumped to the floor. You cringed at the muffled bang of him colliding with the ground. All you could do was pray that the damage from both the shock and falling would only be temporary. He rolled over and groaned weakly.
“System access detected,” the same voice from early on the comm broke you out of your transfixed horror. Once again, you and the other three jumped and hastily searched the room, although this time out of fear. Your figures were rigid. “Interference will not be tolerated.”
“There,” Raf said once he spotted it.
He pointed up at something that resembled an egg poking out of the ceiling and lowering slightly. It was shiny and black. If you were seeing correctly, you thought you saw a camera installed in it. It swiveled around to scan the room.
“Reveal yourself,” it demanded. At one point, the camera seemed to point straight at you
“It doesn’t see us,” Miko grinned in victory, loosening up her fighting stance.
You felt yourself smile a little, relieved at the good news.
“Yet,” Ratchet grumpily reminded. “The ship must not be scanning for carbon-based life-forms. But once it widens its search parameters…”
“We’re toast,” Raf finished.
“No,” Jack waved his hands in an 'X’ while firmly refusing. “There are millions of lives at stake in New York, and we four are currently the only ones who can do anything about it.”
Once again, Jack was the master of logic, and you agreed. If humans couldn’t be seen, then the four of you were the only ones who could save everyone. You glanced down, shifting from Fowler to Knockout, your eyes lingering on the red mech. You didn’t want the same thing to happen to you, but you needed to stop this thing to save Knockout from this frozen state… oh, and the Autobots… aaaannd all the other people in New York that you completely just forgot about. Apparently Knockout’s life, although he wasn’t technically dead, meant more to you than millions of people. You had strange priorities. Maybe it was time you got them straight and/or took some therapy… Nah!
“If it knows we’re here now, shouldn’t we talk more quietly so it doesn’t detect us through sound?” you urgently whispered.
“The sounds you’re making is too quiet for the ship to detect,” the medic answered you. “You’re out of your element, Jack. These readings, the ship’s rapid recovery,” he listed, “all point to the fact that Megatron employed Dark Energon to repair it.”
Jack had leaped down when Ratchet was speaking. “Hold on,” Jack interrupted as he took Fowler’s pulse. “If you’re saying the ship is fueled by dark Energon, we can dump it, right?”
Miko and Raf lowered themselves on the edge and let themselves drop to follow Jack. They landed on their feet with zero apparent injuries.
It probably wasn’t a long way down if they were fine, but it looked unsettled from your position. You bit your lip as you prepared yourself to jump. However, when counting down from three, you stopped on two because of an idea floating into your brain. You practically skipped back to Knockout and climbed down on him. Not only did you get to touch him again and be close to him
“Hmm,” Ratchet made a sound of approval you never thought you’d hear. “You’ll need to reserve the warship’s Energon infuser. Follow the main overhead conduits,” he instructed.
“I think I should stay here,” you stated, holding your hands close to you, “in case anything changes on the screen and to watch Fowler. I don’t think we should move him in this state and I don’t think we should just leave him either.”
They nodded. “Good idea,” Jack approved, “Just stay out of trouble.” With that, they bolted down the corridor, following Ratchet’s directions.
“I will.” You mumbled as they turned out of sight, “Not much trouble I can get into just sitting here.” You knew what they meant, don’t get neutralized. Then once again, your eyes landed onto the familiar glossy finish. With a smirk, you added, “Well, if he were awake I see how I could get into trouble.”
Most of your time was spent admiring Knockout, sitting on him and kicking your legs back and forth. You occasionally glance at Fowler or the screen to make sure nothing changed. To most, it may have been uninteresting, but considering that most did not have an obsession with a shiny red Decepticon, or maybe most would if they knew his existence, you were occupied with studying every detail of Knockout. The only thing that could make it better is if he were awake, in a situation where you’re friends, and you could talk.
While gazing into his face, you realized something you could do. Something you were tempted to do. Kiss him. Your face flamed up to the same color as his armor. You could do it, no one would see. Wait a second, there were probably security cameras, although even if that weren’t a possibility, you’d still be hesitant just because it’s embarrassing. Whining slightly, you bit on your lip as you restrained yourself.
A sound of smooth motors moving distracted you from your current daydream. Your eyes immediately leapt to the ceiling to observe a gun device lowering and pointing at you.
“I am infested with alien life-forms!” Nemesis growled.
It must have widened its search enough now. “Uh oh.” You let yourself slid off of Knockout. Fortunately, the cannon was aiming higher, probably at your head, thus it just barely missed Knockout. You were barely look back at the blaster before it began firing again. A light blue electrical orb sailed over your head as you ducked and bolted out of its path. Your head turned all over the place, with your hair flying, to find a place to hide.
Strangely enough, when the fact that it was an area built for larger creatures was taken into account, there weren’t many places to take cover. One of the few places you spotted was underneath the console controls, a dark pocket to stay out of sight. That was the area you rushed to. Blood pounded in your ears as you pumped your legs as fast as you could, paranoid that a blast would hit you.
Once in the cover of the shadows, your eyes searched for any danger. You noticed Fowler still passed out on the floor. Fortunately, the warship seemed to completely pass over Agent Fowler, probably since it already shocked him. That made it easier for you; all you needed to worry about was yourself. In the middle of your thought, you spotted the gun lowering itself until it saw you. Without any time to spit out a curse at your luck, you lurched out of the way.
“All parasites will be eradicated!” it shouted again.
The only other place you could go to avoid being neutralized was behind Knockout. You didn’t want him to get him himself from being your shield; however that blaster wasn’t giving you much of a choice. You ducked behind him, your back just an inch away from touching him. The balls that Nemesis attempted to throw at you buzzed upon coming into contact with him. “Sorry.” You hoped it wasn’t hurting him.
It seemed like it ran out of options of how to freeze you, or maybe it just hadn’t calculated another way yet. Before it could, the gun slowly choked and paused like a lawnmower running out of gas.
“Critical power drain. I am… in… command. Prepare to be… neutralized…” The final string of its power and command was undone. It sputtered while being pulled back into the ceiling, a welcomed action that caused you to sigh in relief. The light began to fade from red to blue.
“They must have done it.” You smiled in victory.
The screens and lights faded from creepy red to a pleasant blue, not to different from the color of energon or the Autobots’ optics. The room was still dim, yet it filled you with hope and served as another sign that the mission was accomplished. Agent Fowler was gradually waking up. You were unaware if the damage had simply worn off, or if all the Cybertronians who were hit would presently wake up.
Your gaze shifted to Knockout. You felt guilty about using him as a shield, but now you were worried about something else. What if he wasn’t paralyzed anymore? He did seem to be slumping over more. You decided to hide in case he wakes up, not wanting him to crush you or be disgusted by a human. If he was disgusted at the sight of you it would break your heart. You managed to drag Fowler under the console into hiding with you, to prevent him from meeting the fate you imagined.
Upon seeing Jack, Miko, and Raf dash to you, a rush of joy came over you. The fear of being caught by a non-neutralized Decepticon flowed out of you and was replaced with euphoria for saving the day and the mission completed. You came out of hiding under the console to meet them. The whole time you moved as quickly as you could while helping Fowler walk.
“You’re back! Is there a button we need to press to make the Cybertronians go back to normal or-” you began, wanting to make sure Knockout and the Autobots would be able to move again.
“They’re already waking up.” Jack pointed behind him, “We saw Megatron unfreeze. We need to get out of here.”
“Megatron?!” Your eyes widened and felt a scare cord being struck at the tyrant’s name. Your friends were brave. Then your brows furrowed in confusion, since Knockout was still frozen. Then you nodded when you remember how many times he was hit when you were hiding. Of course it would take him longer to come out of it, considering that the ship was firing every three seconds.
Miko slung Fowler’s arm over her shoulder. "On your feet, soldier!” She aided you, taking the man’s weight out of your hands.
“And beavers and ducks and walnuts and grandma?” he deliriously spoke while flailing his other arms as much as you would allow. With that he wiggled out of yours and Miko’s hold, causing him to fall onto the ground again. Miko appeared seriously freaked out. If it weren’t for the still dangerous circumstances you were in, you might have laughed.
A beep emitted from the monitor which drew your attention to it. A fourth Iacon relic location was revealed. The bar that displayed the download progress was half way filled.
“That’s all that’s been downloaded?!” Jack exclaimed in frustration at the slow rate of progress.
Maybe it would have been better to let Nemesis stay in control for just a little longer to download more. Then again, that wouldn’t have been an option considering that it detected you humans just seconds before you shut it off. If it had seen you sooner, you all may have been immobilized.
“The Iacon file must be huge!” Raf reasoned in attempt to calm the older teenager.
The whirring of a groundbridge appearing from behind made you turn around. There it was, your beautiful ride home in all of its colorful glory, although not as glorious as Knockout’s colors you might add. Speaking of which, you probably needed to book it out of there before he awoke.
“Sa-weet!” Miko let out. She attempted to carry Fowler out by supporting his arm on her shoulder. Raf did the same on the other side. “Come on! Here’s our ride!” Her eyes locked onto the portal as they stepped towards it.
You were about to copy their movements when you noticed Jack standing his ground. That was when you remembered the drive. Oh right, you felt like facepalming, you were such a dummy! How could you forget something so important?
Raf noticed it too. “Jack?” he turned his head.
“Get Fowler out of here,” Jack ordered.
“I’ll help.” You ran back to him. You didn’t particularly want to be around when Knockout came out of his neutralized state, for reasons stated above. Although you didn’t want to seem like a coward, especially after the other three dumped the dark energon while you stayed behind. Plus, you were still somewhat reluctant to leave Knockout.
“No, I can handle it, you need to go!” He waved his hand.
“Nope! I’m helping,” you shook your head, firmly refusing.
He sighed knowing that it would absorb too much time to convince you to go. Marching forward, he stared at the drive with the precious downloaded information. “Some’s better than nothing,” he admitted. “I’m not leaving without that drive.” With that he clambered up.
To your amazement, you began crawling up Knockout before Jack did. You grinned at your triumph over your uneasiness about it. Now if only you had remembered gloves. It was painful to feel how oily your fingers were on his flawless finish. You could possibly leave a note apologizing for the fingerprints. You pouted when you remembered that you had to leave as soon as possible and couldn’t linger on his shoulder that time.
Promptly, you hopped off onto the panel and tugged on the drive along with Jack. His back was facing Knockout, while you were facing the opposite way, wanting to see Knockout as you worked. You grunted while pulling on it, the drive showing resistance.
As soon as the Decepticon medic opened his optics, you saw, since you had been staring at him without realizing it. “Uh oh,” your face paled. Your eyes widened, however, not from shock, from staring into his amazing red optics. You didn’t think you’ve ever seen any more gorgeous optics, the way it was a glowing red ring surrounded by dark red. It made you forget everything for a second. Maybe it was worth possibly becoming squished to witness it.
The way he smirked after spotting you just made him twice as hot. At that moment, Jack noticed your reaction and turned around, his facial expression making it clear that he already guessed what happened. He stepped back, completely forgetting about the drive.
Knockout flicked his servo into a long, skinny drill that would be terrifying enough to make it into a horror movie. At this motion, Jack stumbled back and fell. You took another step away while crouching and gnawing on your lip. No, he’s the villain and about to kill you, you can’t be mentally fangirling over how hot he is, you thought to yourself.
“Say 'ahh’,” he spoke in a threatening tone with his smooth voice while moving the drill closer to you and Jack. Yet his face still appeared as handsome as ever and you wished you could take a picture.
“Ah,” you quickly said, before you could stop yourself from following his command.
His drill flinched back and paused. He seemed confused and raised an optic ridge, surprised and amused by your response. A small smile began to creep into his facial features.
“I’m here to offer a second opinion,” Ratchet, who you hadn’t noticed coming through the groundbridge because your attention was set on Knockout, said right before he threw a punch. It knocked the Decepticon medic, who was turning around, into the console with a loud crash. The impact then sent him flying back and hitting the ground, his back facing the ceiling.
You felt bad for him, staring down. Who knew Ratchet could pack a punch like that? Or maybe you should have known. Once again, you were tempted to kiss Knockout, as if your affection would heal him. If there were camera filming, whoever would watch it would think you just walked close to Knockout and not realize unless they actually paid attention. Either that or there would be so much going on they would completely miss it.
Plus, Jack and Ratchet were focusing on each other. It left an opening. In the chaos and what was going on, you’d do it so briskly no one would even notice. It was risky, but the lack of time pressured you. When else will you get a perfect opportunity like that? In the end you decided to go for it.
You allowed yourself to slip down and began rushing to his face as soon as your feet hit the floor. Since you had made your decision so quickly, Ratchet was just beginning to reach over to pick Jack up while you were doing this. Upon reaching the mech’s white faceplate, you leaned in a placed your lips on his cheek for a second. He felt so cool and smooth, like before. However your lips were more sensitive than your fingers, making the experience twice, or even triple, times as amazing.
You heard the drive being pulled out with a shink, which meant it was time to go. After giving him a small peck, you practically skipped around to where they’d see you, feeling giddy with what you’d done.
“Where’s (Y/n)?” Ratchet asked while he searched the room.
“Down here!” you yelled and waved on your tippy toes, now standing just a foot away from the tip of Knockout’s helm.
Ratchet reached down to pick you up after handing Jack, who was in his other hand, the dive. You could have run just fine, but the Autobot medic was faster than you, and he probably wanted to get you out of there as soon as possible.
“Bye,” you yelled and waved happily, still excited from what you accomplished, as you were carried through the tunnel of light.
Although the whole dark energon taking over the Nemesis was a bad thing, you were still happy it happened. If it didn’t, Knockout would now be dead and you wouldn’t get to see him up close or kiss him. You hoped you would see him again soon.
