Felt a little bit angsty tonight...
The medbay was quiet—eerily so, with only the faint hum of machines breaking the silence. Knockout, always so meticulous, was tending to his tools, making sure everything was in its place. It had been a rather slow day, but that was normal. After all, the Decepticons had been laying low for a while. Still, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was off, something he couldn’t quite place.
His thoughts were interrupted by the sudden crash of the door slamming open. Two Vehicons rushed in, their armor battered and scorched, struggling to drag a third figure in between them. The moment they entered, Knockout’s entire frame stiffened. His spark skipped a beat.
His optics locked onto the form they were carrying—the broken, battered body of a young femme. Her body was covered in deep gashes, energon dripping from the torn openings in her frame. She was barely conscious, barely even moving, her head hanging limply between the two soldiers. Her right arm was missing entirely, the jagged end a cruel reminder of the battle she had just faced. Her side was torn open, energon leaking freely.
For a moment, Knockout’s mind couldn’t comprehend what he was seeing. The injuries were so severe, the body so unrecognizable, that his first thought was, It can’t be...
And then, as if his processor had finally processed it, the horrifying truth crashed down on him like a wave. His body froze, the tools slipping from his hands and clattering to the ground. He could feel his energon run cold in his veins, a sudden surge of panic overtaking him.
“Y/N...?” he whispered, his voice barely a breath as his optics flickered over your form again. It can’t be...
But the realization was unmistakable. His twin sister—his baby sister—lay in front of him, broken and nearly lifeless.
The Vehicons, having done their part, stepped back, their faces showing a mix of worry and reluctance. One of them spoke with a strained voice, his own concern showing.
“W-We found her like this, Knockout. We tried to get her back... but we... couldn’t.”
Knockout didn’t hear him. He didn’t need to. His entire focus was on you. His twin. The one who had been by his side for so long.
He stumbled forward, unable to believe the sight before him. “No... no, no, no, no... Y/N!” His voice cracked on the last syllable, the word ripping through his chest like a blade.
You were barely hanging on, your movements sluggish and weak. You hadn’t even opened your remaining optic to acknowledge him, your head lolling to the side as you tried to fight the pull of unconsciousness.
With shaking hands, Knockout gently cupped your face, brushing away some of the blood and dirt that had smeared across it. His voice broke as he whispered again, “Y/N, please... please, wake up... don’t do this to me...”
But you didn’t respond. Your labored breathing was all he could hear, shallow and uneven.
He moved quickly, his hands trembling as he began to assess the damage. His medical knowledge kicked in, but even as his scanners registered the overwhelming extent of the damage, he couldn’t bring himself to stop. His twin needed him—you needed him.
“Stay with me, please...” he murmured, his voice thick with emotion as he began to work. He sealed the open wounds on your side as best as he could, but the damage was extensive. The missing arm couldn’t be replaced—not this quickly. And then there was the matter of your damaged optic. He couldn’t fix everything, not in time.
Breakdown entered the room at that moment, his optics going wide when he saw the situation. He had been following behind, unaware of what awaited him, but the sight of Knockout cradling your broken body made his spark drop. He quickly moved toward Knockout’s side, placing a large, reassuring hand on his partner’s shoulder.
Knockout’s optics locked onto Breakdown’s, full of desperation, pleading for help in a way that words could never express. “Breakdown... I can’t... I can’t lose her... Please, tell me I can fix her...” His voice cracked as the weight of the situation settled heavily on his shoulders.
Breakdown, usually the steady, unflappable one, couldn’t hide his own grief. He saw the way Knockout’s frame shook, how his partner was barely holding it together. He had seen Knockout in countless dangerous situations, but this was different. This was personal. This was the one person who had always been with him, the one person Knockout loved unconditionally, now broken beyond repair.
“You don’t have to do this alone, Knockout,” Breakdown said quietly, his voice rough with sorrow. “I’m here. We’re here for you.”
Knockout didn’t respond. His hands continued to work frantically on your body, but there was no way to fix the unfixable. He felt so helpless. He wasn’t used to feeling powerless, but now... now he was faced with something even he couldn’t repair.
“Y/N, don’t leave me... Don’t leave me like this...” His voice trembled as he spoke, the fear and panic now fully taking over. “Please, Y/N, please...”
He felt the vibration of your weak pulse beneath his fingers, and for the briefest moment, he allowed himself to believe that you might make it—that you might pull through. But his hopes were dashed when the vital signs came through as dangerously low, and your remaining optic flickered out.
“Y/N...” Knockout whispered, his voice barely a sound, his hand trembling as it held yours. “No, no, no... please...” His chest tightened painfully, a pressure he couldn’t escape. His spark pounded in his chest like it was trying to escape the cage of his frame.
With one final, ragged breath, your body went still.
Knockout didn’t notice at first. He was so caught up in his frantic attempts to resuscitate you, his thoughts wild with denial, that he didn’t see it—didn’t see that the life had left your frame.
When he finally realized that your chest had stopped moving, when the quiet became deafening, it hit him all at once. His spark, his twin, his Y/N—was gone.
“No...” Knockout’s voice barely formed the word, his whole body trembling as his grip tightened around your cold hand. His optic flickered with the sting of tears he hadn’t allowed himself to shed. “No, no, no...” He repeated over and over, the word losing all meaning as it became a desperate chant, a plea to bring you back, to fix it, to undo what had been done.
Breakdown didn’t say anything. He simply sat down beside Knockout, his massive frame resting against his partner’s smaller one. He gently placed a hand on Knockout’s back, pulling him close, his own optics filled with sorrow for the one he loved so much.
“Shh... Knockout, I’m here,” Breakdown murmured, trying to offer whatever comfort he could. But the words felt hollow in the face of the devastation that had overtaken Knockout. He could only hold him as the medic’s body shook with the force of his sobs.
Knockout let out a broken sob, his optics closed as he buried his face in his hands. He could feel the weight of grief settling in on him, suffocating him. His spark had never felt so cold, so empty. You were everything to him. And now you were gone.
“I couldn’t save her...” Knockout whispered between his sobs, his voice raw with guilt and loss. “She was just a sparkling... I should’ve protected her better... I should’ve been there...” He couldn’t bring himself to look at you, even though every part of him wanted to. It was as if, by looking at your lifeless form, he would be admitting the truth he couldn’t bear.
Breakdown pulled Knockout closer, his hands rubbing soothing circles on his back, even as he tried to hold himself together. “You did everything you could, Knockout. You fought for her. And she knew you loved her. That’s all you could do.”
But the words didn’t reach Knockout. Nothing could.
And so, there they sat, in the quiet medbay. The body of Knockout’s twin sister lay motionless, and the silence between them was deafening. It was a silence that echoed with the loss, with the pain of a life cut short.
And Knockout’s heart, once full of pride and strength, was now an empty, aching void.
The love he had for his twin sister would never be forgotten, but it was now a memory, a shadow, something he could never reach again.
The medbay was still. Silent.
And Knockout, for the first time in his life, felt truly alone.
gn! ^^ *runs to a corner and sobs to sleep*