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Maybe he should've expected this, but Breakdown was an optimist at spark.
"Disgusting, isn't it," Knock Out said conversationally, as though he didn't have a living thing strapped down and struggling on his operating table. "I've almost run out of uses for it."
Breakdown felt like he was going to purge if he opened his mouth, so wisely kept it shut. His actuators were making a strange high-pitched noise. Knock Out had an ugly look in his optic that turned Breakdown's tanks. Decepticon truly meant something else here.
This wasn't his Knock Out.
"You have one chance to reconsider," Megatron said, cannon already beginning to glow.
Breakdown glanced at Starscream cowering behind him. There was no choice. He held his ground before Megatron.
I'm sorry Knock Out.
"No," Breakdown said, spark in his intake. "I won't let you hurt him."
Megatron laughed. "Pity."
His cannon glowed even brighter. Breakdown braced himself.
Knock Out moved.
He was fast, Breakdown had always known that, but Knock Out was behind Megatron and had his broken electro-staff connected to the wiring in his half-transformed arm before Breakdown could blink. A jump, then he jammed the impromptu taser into the back of Megatron's neck.
Megatron fell to his knees with a shout of pain. Starscream gasped and flinched.
Knock Out twisted the taser deeper. "Run!"
Without waiting, Knock Out hopped off Megatron, transforming in mid-air, and sped off through the corridors. Breakdown scrambled to chase after, narrowly dodging a shot from Starscream.
"Get them!" Megatron roared.
Breakdown pressed his accelerator as hard as he dared. He caught up to Knock Out and followed him through turn after turn. Breakdown was lost almost instantly — he'd never managed to remember the differences between the Nemesis and the Vindicator.
"You're an idiot," Knock Out said tersely.
"Yeah, well, what else is new?" Breakdown said.
The door in front of them slammed shut. Knock Out smoothly swerved to the side and Breakdown shot a missile at it. The hole he left wasn't pretty, but it was enough for them to transform and clamber through.
Oh, the escape pods. That made sense.
Knock Out jabbed at the console on the wall and hissed.
"Manually it is then," he said. "Pull that lever, won't you?"
Breakdown hurried to the indicated lever. He pulled it and green lights lit above every escape pod.
Knock Out ran to the middle pod. "Hurry up!"
There was a rumble of pedesteps approaching rapidly from the corridor.
"No, wait." Breakdown pulled Knock Out back. He slapped the panel just inside the lip and dragged Knock Out away as the escape pod closed its door and disengaged from the ship.
Air rushed out, almost taking Knock Out with it.
"What —"
Breakdown slapped his servo over Knock Out's mouth and pulled him further into the shadows. It wasn't a big room and Knock Out had to be so shiny, but everywhere on the Nemesis was darker than Breakdown was used to. Time he took advantage of that.
Knock Out went still as Megatron entered the room. A handful of Vehicons followed him in. One of them looked at Breakdown and Knock Out, colour flashing across his visor in surprise. Breakdown looked at him beseechingly. He gave a short nod and said nothing.
Megatron approached the empty escape pod hatch, sheer weight and ridiculous strength stopping him from being sucked out of the open airlock. He waited, watching the escape pod fly away. Breakdown's spark was in his intake. All Megatron had to do was turn around and he'd spot them.
Then it'd be a fight that Breakdown and Knock Out couldn't win.
Finally, Megatron took the final step and dropped out of the Nemesis, transforming and blasting off after the empty escape pod. The Vehicons followed suit.
"You're an idiot," Knock Out hissed as soon as they were alone.
"Worked, didn't it?"
"For now." Knock Out started the launch sequence for the next escape pod. "Hurry up, it won't take Megatron long to figure that trick out."
"Lord Megatron," Knock Out took a knee to address his commander. "I have some interesting news."
Commander Megatron was an imposing mech. He carried the Pits of Kaon with him and half their battles against the Autobots had been won because he'd been there — a few had even been won purely because he'd shown up and scared the opposition into surrendering. His care for the troops was awkward, but genuine. Everything about him was fierce, from his prowess on the battlefield to his blazing love for Cybertronian life. Breakdown aspired to be like him.
This Megatron — this Lord Megatron — projected an aura of danger, one that had you fearing for your very spark, even though you were on the same side. It reminded Breakdown of Prime — someone who knew that you were scared of them and they did not care.
"An alternate universe," Lord Megatron mused, after Knock Out had given a heavily edited report. "An interesting concept — and I suppose this clone is supposed to be your proof?"
Breakdown straightened under their gazes. He felt judged and found wanting.
"I'm not a clone," Breakdown said. Then quickly added, "sir."
"Even if he is proof," Megatron continued, ignoring Breakdown, "why not capture an Autobot, since they're supposedly the ones with goals similar to ours?"
"The opportunity didn't present itself," Knock Out said. "I know my partner's skill set, my lord, I can put him to better use than any immoral Autobot."
"Then see to it," Megatron said, turning back to the data screens. "Keep him out of my way."
"Of course, Lord Megatron." Knock Out ducked his helm down, then stood and beckoned Breakdown to follow him out of the bridge.
The lighting in the Nemesis was set low to save energon consumption. The Vindicator was the same, but the red lighting strips had been switched for a softer yellow centuries ago to help morale.
"That went easier than I thought," Knock Out said once they'd reached the medbay — situated in what Breakdown swore was the rec hall. "Must've caught him in a good mood."
"That was easy?" Breakdown said disbelievingly.
"Trust me, I'm a professional at handling Decepticon High Command," Knock Out said. "And that? That was easy — just like you."
"Hey!" A surprised laugh escaped Breakdown. "You're the one who only had half a cocktail before you were suggesting we go steady."
Knock Out raised an optic ridge. "Oh, really? That happened differently here: you were so impressed by the way I lethally dealt with a pushy suitor that you fell helm over pedes to get my contact details."
Breakdown's smile faded. It was so easy to get caught up in the fact that Knock Out was alive that sometimes he forgot there were more differences than just optic colour.
"You there!"
Breakdown and Knock Out turned. Dreadwing had followed them from the bridge and was looking at Breakdown with a nasty, suspicious glare.
"Me?" Breakdown said.
"I certainly hope you aren't talking to me with that tone," Knock Out added.
"You say you are from another universe," Dreadwing said, ignoring Knock Out to loom before Breakdown. "Is this true?"
"Yes?" Breakdown glanced at Knock Out, who just shrugged in confusion.
"Then, in that place, does Skyquake still function?" Dreadwing asked.
"Oh." Breakdown scrambled to quiet his combat protocols and react appropriately. Now it made sense why he hadn't raised his suspicions in front of everyone on the bridge. "I'm sorry, but he's one with the Allspark."
"I see." Dreadwing closed his optics, pain clear in every line of his frame.
"I'm sorry," Breakdown said.
As strange as it was to be talking to Dreadwing like this, it was a nice reminder that the Decepticons here were Cybertronian in spark as well as in frame. They grieved the same as any other spark-lit mech.
"How did it happen?" Dreadwing demanded, optics blazing with fury. "Was it the yellow Autobot again?"
"Yellow Autobot? No, Commander Starscream had to put him down," Breakdown said.
"Put him down?" Dreadwing repeated, and there went Breakdwon's threat detection software again. "Like a mechanimal?"
"Like the loose-cannon he was," Breakdown said quickly.
That got Dreadwing to back off, startled, like Breakdown had slapped him.
"From what I'm guessing, that's not true here?" Breakdown continued. "But, where I'm from, Skyquake liked explosive traps with, uh, live bait. Commander Megatron had given him loads of warnings, but he didn't listen and Starscream… made the call after a really bad one."
Dreadwing was silent for a long minute. "I see."
"I'm sorry," Breakdown said again.
"Take your 'sorry's elsewhere," Dreadwing snapped.
He stormed off, wings twitching as though ready to transform. Knock Out barely stifled a laugh.
"Oh, good one," he said.
"What?" Breakdown said. "It's not funny."
"No, no, I'm sure it's not," Knock Out said, still with more humour in his voice than Breakdown was comfortable with. "Come on, I'll show you where the medbay is — and where you can hide when Lord Megatron requires my services."
"It's okay to be nervous," Breakdown said.
"Nervous? Me?" Knock Out scoffed. "Have you ever met me? I don't get nervous unless I have to tell Megatron that someone else killed Prime when he wasn't looking."
Breakdown instinctively glanced around. Knock Out relaxed at his worry.
"No one can hear us," Knock Out said. "You think I'd make jokes like that around our benevolent leader?"
"Just… be careful," Breakdown said.
"This isn't my first street race," Knock Out said. "Relax."
"I'm fine," Breakdown insisted.
Knock Out tiled his helm. "Is this one of those times where you're the one concerned about something but all you're doing is nagging me about it? I'm starting to realise that this is a bit of a habit of yours."
"I'm not nervous," Breakdown said, then realised he was lying. "Well, maybe a bit. It's just… back on the Vindicator … his — your — his last mission involved humans and —"
Knock Out cut Breakdown off by grabbing his clavicle seam and tugging him down to optic level. There was something unbearably fond in his optics and maybe someone a little more vicious would be safer in the field.
"I'm not him," Knock Out said. "I'm me."
Which shouldn't have made sense. Yet…
"I don't want to be left alone again," Breakdown said softly.
Knock Out kissed him. It was exactly the same way that Breakdown had been kissed for centuries. He melted into it, then followed after when Knock Out eventually pulled back.
"I'm not going anywhere," Knock Out said. "And you better stick around too."
Breakdown smiled. He was going to do everything he could to make sure things would work out this time.
Knock Out had been true to his word and Breakdown often found himself doing stocktakes or mine inspections whenever Knock Out had to interact with Lord Megatron. He found it pretty good work. The Vehicons might have been crueller here — what with their tendency to gamble for energon supplies and limbs rather than chits and shifts — but their comradery was familiar and comfortable, especially since Breakdown didn't bring anyone from High Command with him.
Breakdown hadn't realised that the opposite was true until Knock Out returned to the medbay after a huge amount of strange rumbling and with Megatron who was looking far too pleased with himself for having only one arm.
"What happened?" Breakdown asked, rushing over with pain circuitry blockers.
"The Autobots have been routed from their hole and are injured and scattered across the planet," Megatron said gleefully, ignoring Breakdown's attempts to attach a pain blocker.
It took a moment for Breakdown to remember where he'd heard that before. Commander Megatron had said those exact words after the last fight Breakdown had been in, back when he could call the Decepticons good.
The dissonance was too much.
"—down? Breakdown!" Knock Out snapped.
Breakdown rebooted his optics and looked at Knock Out. Gleaming, polished Knock Out with those Autobot-like red optics and a hard look on his faceplates.
"Yeah?"
"Get our lord's arm out of storage," Knock Out said. "Left corridor, third door, there's a good 'Con."
"Uh, right," Breakdown said. He'd be getting away from this twisted version of his dead lover and his commander. Good. "I'll get right on that."
He left, processor swirling.
There was a terminal next to the limb storage room. A cluster of Vehicons was gathered around it, talking low between themselves.
"What're you looking at?" Breakdown asked, wanting — needing — a distraction.
"New headquarters," one of them said. "Darkmount."
Breakdown peered over his pauldron to see an ugly black monstrous tower jutting out of otherwise flat, desert rock. It looked completely unnatural against the landscape surrounding it.
"That's on Earth?" Breakdown clarified.
"Yeah," CS2-534R-CH0 said. "FY7-T28B-1N3 says it looks like the one on Cybertron, but this one's new."
Darkmount didn't ping any search results in Breakdown's processor. The Decepticon's home base where he was from was called Brightfall and looked far less evil and imposing — being mostly a sprawling underground maze. And it had safe holds to keep civilians safe during Autobot raids, which Darkmount didn't look like it was made for.
"Wait." Breakdown zoomed the feed in to a smudgy cluster of buildings nearby. "Is that —"
"Oh yeah," HP4-P04N-1XX said. "There was a human town there."
Was.
Breakdown backed off into the storage room. Unbelievably, sorting through dismembered limbs was going to be more comfortable than losing himself to despair thinking about all the human lives lost to Darkmount's construction.
The escape pod landed with several strut-juddering skips across the landscape. It came to a complete stop against a massive tree.
"Stay still." Knock Out pried open the diagnostic panel on Breakdown's side before he could respond. "I'm going to offline us — as far as Soundwave is concerned."
He plugged in and a heavy static blanketed Breakdown's senses.
"We should move," Breakdown said, vocaliser glitching at whatever Knock Out was doing to him.
"Just a sec."
Knock Out gouged his claws into a transformation seam. Breakdown yelled. Knock Out glared at him then pulled out a small device with a blinking light on it.
"What's that?" Breakdown asked.
"Tracking device," Knock Out said. "Smash it."
Breakdown transformed his hand into a hammer and brought it down on the device. It shattered and the light went out. It was only afterwards that Breakdown thought to ask.
"Why do I have a tracking device on me?"
"Because you're a liability," Knock Out said. "Megatron's not stupid you know." He paused, clearly remembering their escape pod trick. "Mostly not stupid, anyway."
It sat uncomfortably in Breakdown's tanks. He hadn't liked most of the Decepticons here, but he'd still trusted them.
Mostly.
Sort of.
Well, maybe not.
"So, we should get moving," Breakdown said. "Unless I've got more trackers on me."
"That's the only one I knew about," Knock Out said. "However I can't say for certain if anyone else put one on you — you didn't let Starscream touch you, did you?"
"Starscream? No," Breakdown said. "I don't think so."
"Good." Knock Out looked around the pod and tutted when he saw the main door was under their pedes. "Be a dear and put that brute strength to work finding us an exit, would you."
Breakdown put his shoulder against the side of the pod and shoved. They were designed to come apart and it only took a minute to prise off the panel and push his way out. He held a hand out for Knock Out, who allowed himself to be pulled out of the pod with a very appreciative look in his optic.
It was a very familiar look that often spelt a very enjoyable evening for Breakdown — back when it had come from blue optics.
"Let's move," he said, instead of reacting like he wanted to.
Knock Out stepped away from the tree roots and transformed way more elegantly than Breakdown could on a good day. It wasn't just Breakdown, any hot-oiled mech would find a smooth transformation like that damn fine.
"A nice chance to stretch my wheels," Knock Out said. "If we can find a road somewhere in this mess of organic matter."
"Just be glad it isn't raining," Breakdown said, transforming too. Listening to Knock Out gripe about mud was the last thing he wanted to hear right now.
Thankfully, they didn't have to drive far before they found a dirt track, which led to a paved road, then actual asphalt. It wasn't the well-maintained, smooth, wide-open roads they'd found here and there on Earth, but it was good enough for Breakdown to open his throttle fully and let his motor run to capacity.
The enormity of his actions was beginning to sink in, no longer numbed by adrenaline and his frantic escape. He'd stood up to Megatron. Knock Out had attacked Megatron.
They couldn't go back.
"Don't panic, but there might be someone riding our tailpipes," Knock Out said, voice tight.
Breakdown flicked his wing mirrors until he spotted five streaks of purple above them cutting a trail through the thin clouds. Vehicons. Thank the Allspark it wasn't anyone worse.
"We need to get offroad," Breakdown said.
"And make it obvious that they've found us?" Knock Out stayed firmly in his lane. "We need to blend in and hope they fall for it."
"We're pretty distinct and it's an empty road," Breakdown said. "They're not that stupid."
"There's a freeway a kilometre due south-southeast," Knock Out said. "There'll be plenty of cars to hide amongst there."
"I'm not risking innocent lives," Breakdown said.
"What about our lives?!"
The choice — and their argument — was cut short by one of the Vehicons opening fire. Breakdown swerved off-road and transformed. His missile launcher got ready and locked on. Hopefully the warning on the Vehicons' targeting systems would make them land and he wouldn't have to shoot any of them out of the air.
They landed, all at once, which was weird because they were at a massive advantage in the air and had better blasters for suppressing fire from a distance. Breakdown needed to get up close and personal with the enemy to really do the most damage.
Hadn't anyone taught them tactics?
A Vehicon opened fire. Breakdown ducked away behind a rock. They continued to fire, despite the rock clearly being too dense to break through with plasma bolts alone.
None of them attempted to get airborne again. Or try to circle around while Breakdown's vision was hampered by his cover.
Actually, come to think of it, Breakdown couldn't remember hearing about any training exercises or lectures being held on the Nemesis. He'd thought he hadn't been included in the mailing list because he was new and untrustworthy, but maybe they just hadn't had any at all.
If that really was the case, how hadn't they all been killed by Autobots yet?
"Stand down," Breakdown shouted. "You don't have to fight us."
They looked at each other. Then they opened fire again.
"What a brilliant argument," Knock Out hissed from behind his cover.
"Lord Megatron will be here soon," HP4-P04N-1XX said. "You should stand down and wait."
Breakdown's oil sat cold in his piping. If Megatron wasn't already on their trail, it was because he'd been checking one of the other empty escape pods they'd released to create confusion around their escape. Being given the runaround would only have made him angrier.
Knock Out might be able to persuade Megatron to spare him for his skills, but Breakdown had been missing from this place for some time already and the Decepticons hadn't been significantly worse off for it. And Knock Out wouldn't step in this time. He was too selfish for that.
Well, it was Breakdown's turn to be selfish for once.
"If you don't stand down I'll have to deactivate you," Breakdown said, missile locking on.
CT2-534R-CH0 fired at him. The plasma bolt singed Breakdown's paint. Breakdown fired back, ripping a hole through CT2-534R-CH0's torso. He fell over, dead.
There were only a handful of Vehicons and none of them had the firepower to take down Breakdown, let alone Breakdown and Knock Out. The fight was short enough that Breakdown managed to avoid thinking about the fact that he'd been making plans with this squad only yesterday, until it was over.
Knock Out pulled his whirring saw blade out of FY7-T28B-1N3's intake cables, splattering energon everywhere. The Vehicon's husk twitched once, then stopped moving.
"Now, if I know what Vehicons on the job are like…" Knock Out rifled under FY7-T28B-1N3's plating. "Aha!" he pulled out a thin metal tube and held it aloft. "Betting rations. It's crystal rather than liquid, but it's better than nothing."
"We should go," Breakdown said, not entirely sure how he felt about stealing from the dead, even if those dead had just tried to snuff his spark.
"It'll be no use running away if we deactivate from lack of fuel," Knock Out dismissed, making his way to the next corpse.
Breakdown kept watch while Knock Out scavenged and tried not to feel bad about offlining mechs who didn't understand the awful situation they'd been put in. Anyone who just followed orders wasn't worth feeling sorry for, but Commander Megatron would've tried to get through to them instead of just being as selfish as Breakdown had been.
However, Knock out was alive, and that was worth Breakdown's guilt-generation subsystems kicking into overdrive.
Technically, the vault wasn't somewhere Breakdown should be. However, it was a good place to have peace and quiet from everyone else and it meant Breakdown didn't have to look at Darkmount.
He paused, as he always did, before Airachnid's stasis pod.
"I don't care how evil Knock Out says you are," Breakdown said. "You're not a trophy, this is wrong."
Knock Out had made Breakdown promise to never release Airachnid, with something beyond fear in his optics.
"She killed you," he'd hissed. "And she'll do it again. Don't let her out."
That Breakdown had never spoken to this version of Airachnid made it harder to draw the line between the Airachnid he knew and this one he'd only ever been told about.
She was a conservationist. She'd spent her life outside the war, travelling from planet to planet, protecting them from Autobots and preserving species the universe over. Breakdown couldn't imagine doing what she did, but he respected it — respected her — nonetheless.
Airachnid had been there when his Knock Out had — had —
"I'm sorry." She'd cried when she'd given Breakdown the report. "I don't know if it was my shot that —"
"Cylas!"
Breakdown jumped as an unknown mech appeared out of the wall. Through the wall, like a ghost.
"What? No! Urgh." Breakdown shuddered.
His revulsion was enough for the intruder to lower his weapons. He still didn't look familiar, but Breakdown hadn't been paying proper attention to Autobots since humans had —
Breakdown shook himself out of unpleasant memories.
"What are you doing here?" he demanded. "If you're here to try killing anyone I'm going to stop you."
"Wait, you're the good one, right?" the Autobot said. His guns transformed back into hands. "You're from that other place? Where the Decepticons are nice?"
Breakdown opened his mouth to insist that Decepticons were always nice and it was Autobots that were nasty, but caught sight of Airachnid trapped in stasis and shut it again.
"Yeah, that's me," Breakdown said instead.
"Ah, cool," the Autobot said. "So, I am some kind of sick, twisted bot where you're from?"
"Uh, you're… Hot Rod, right?"
"Smokescreen," Smokescreen said, the smile dropping off his face. "I'm Smokescreen."
"Right." Breakdown shrugged awkwardly. "Sorry, I didn't pay attention to Autobot movements a whole bunch."
At least, not after —
"What are you doing here anyway?" Breakdown asked.
"Oh, right." Smokescreen straightened his shoulders. "I need something to help Optimus."
"Prime's alive?"
Breakdown knew they hadn't found a body yet, but it was still a surprise to hear that Prime had made it out of there in one piece.
"Yeah," Smokescreen said. "But he needs a bit more help than I have right now."
He looked at the golden hammer hanging in the grav-capsule opposite Airachnid's.
"The Forge of Solus Prime." Breakdown whistled. "It must be serious."
"So, you gonna try and stop me?" Smokescreen asked, his casualness belied by his actuators faintly whining as they warmed up in preparation for a fight.
Breakdown could win this easily. He wouldn't even have to take on the Autobot entirely on his own, all he had to do was make enough of a racket for Soundwave to pick up on the fight and send reinforcements.
"How many humans died?" Breakdown asked. "At Darkmount, how many died?"
"None," Smokescreen answered. "They were evacuated as soon as our human friend saw what was happening."
"Then I never saw you," Breakdown said.
Smokescreen blinked in surprise, then grinned.
"Thanks," he said. He reached into the anti-grav and heaved the Forge out — nearly landing it on his pede. "Here's hoping it can do more than a new coat of paint."
"You could try blue," Breakdown suggested.
"Urgh, no." Knock Out tapped his brakes to shudder. "As much as a midnight blue would obviously suit me, I'd clash horribly with you."
"I should probably change my paint too."
"To what? Red? Because that's the worst idea I've ever heard," Knock Out said. "You'd look like a fire engine."
"And therefore not like me," Breakdown said, warming to the idea.
"No."
"But —"
"No," Knock Out said firmly. "The drones' pattern recognition isn't that good. I'll get a few extra decals and you can get those silver highlights I've been saying you need to get done for years. That ought to be enough."
"And if Lazerbeak or Starscream show up? I hate to say it, but the best way we can not look like us is if you mess up your paint job," Breakdown said.
"Never!"
As stressful as the situation was, it was still comforting to know that some things never changed, even across universes.
Knock Out noticed Breakdown's improved mood and eased closer until he could feel a shift in air flux between them. If you took away the impending threat of Decepticons spotting them, it could be any off-shift joyride they'd taken together.
"So, want to try explaining why you thought jumping between Megatron and Starscream was a good idea?" Knock Out asked too casually.
"Because it was wrong," Breakdown said. "Megatron shouldn't have done that."
Knock Out made a noise of derision. "How else is Starscream going to learn?"
"Pain doesn't teach anything good," Breakdown said. "If he failed then he should discuss why and then maybe have better help with it next time."
"You always tell Megatron what he wants to hear first and fix things after," Knock Out said, exasperated. "He'll forgive any ignored orders if you're successful — Starscream tends to overreach himself."
"It shouldn't be like that," Breakdown said stubbornly. "Was I supposed to just let him get beaten for no reason?"
"Yes!" Knock Out snapped. "That's what Screamer does! He tries to get one over Megatron, fails, and Megatron puts him in his place! That's how it goes."
Breakdown squared his axles. "It shouldn't."
"It's just Starscream," Knock Out said, exasperated. "You sound like an Autobot."
"Maybe that's a good thing, since we're defecting."
"Defecting?!" Knock Out screeched to a halt.
Breakdown turned and pulled up beside him. Knock Out's plating was clamped down hard enough that he was going to scrape something if he tried to drive. Breakdown had never seen him so scared.
"Yeah?" Breakdown said. "What else are we going to do?"
"Neutrality has a certain ring to it," Knock Out said.
Breakdown snorted. "You'd never go for that."
Knock Out let his engine turn over in derision and relaxed his plating just a tad.
"The Autobots are good," Breakdown said, as weird as that was to say. "They'll help defend us from Megatron." And that was even weirder to say.
It still felt like he was betraying his commander every time he said anything against Megatron.
It wasn't right. How could a mech who had, by all accounts, been through what Commander Megatron had been through in the Pits of Kaon, ever decide that ruling tyrannically was a good idea? How could a mech who had been through that still think that beating his subordinates would work?
"They might talk a good game, but the Autobots are just as selfish as us," Knock Out said. "They won't do us any favours unless we're willing to reciprocate — which I'm not! Plus Megatron will be even harsher when he catches us if he finds out we joined Prime."
Knock Out's certainty chilled Breakdown to his struts.
"Prime's the only one who can stand up to Megatron," Breakdown argued. "If he finds us alone, we're done for. Prime can help."
"Prime won't help." Knock Out let out a ragged vent and a hollow laugh. "What am I saying? Prime loves helping — saviour-complex soft-spark that he is."
The Knock Out that Breakdown had mourned might have talked tough, but he was the softest spark Breakdown had known. No one else would have found hundreds of different ways to make pain blockers out of local materials from whatever planet the war had landed them on this time.
This Knock Out wasn't a soft-spark at all.
"So, it's like a competition thing?" CS2-534R-CH0 clarified.
"Friendly competition," Breakdown said firmly. "It's not for extra rations or less shifts. It's to help morale."
The group of Vehicons he was talking to looked at each other like morale was something novel.
"But we can rub it in team SX-53's faceplates if we beat them, right?" FY7-T28B-1N3 said hopefully.
"When we beat them," CS2-534R-CH0 said.
"We can work out all the rules about rubbing whose faceplates in what later," Breakdown said. "I'm just trying to get an idea of who'd be interested. Once I get enough 'yes's I can organise schedules with Soundwave and get it set up properly."
"Sure," CS2-534R-CH0 said. "Count us in."
The rest of his squad nodded. This was the third group Breakdown had spoken to and he could already feel more cheer in the Nemesis's gloomy halls. He'd done this. He'd made a difference. He wasn't just a useless waste of space tagging along after his dead lover, Breakdown was doing his job and helping mechs feel better about themselves.
Breakdown heard heavy pedesteps coming down the corridor and weighed up how much he wanted to face Lord Megatron right now. CS2-534R-CH0 noticed.
"Go," CS2-534R-CH0 said. "He'll ignore us if you're not here."
Breakdown only dithered for a moment. Avoidance won out and he ducked into the nearest room. He pressed his audial to the door, but, as expected, Lord Megatron didn't bother to interact with his troops whereas Breakdown's commander would have at least given a greeting.
It was only after Megatron had stormed past that Breakdown realised which room he'd barged into.
It was one of the labs. All glinting machinery and strange liquids. It was tempting to have a poke around, but Knock Out had been rather insistent that Breakdown stay away from his lab and Breakdown was terrible at remembering which rooms belonged to who on the Nemesis. This could be Knock Out's lab, which would be bad, or it could be one of Shockwave's labs, which would be even worse.
A moan of pain drew Breakdown's attention before he reached the door. He looked back and bit his lip. He shouldn't be messing around where Knock Out specifically told him not to.
But if someone was hurt and needed help…
Anyone from the Vindicator would help. Knock Out would've helped. Breakdown couldn't call himself a Decepticon if he didn't at least try.
He ventured further into the lab and stopped dead.
Dead was a poor choice of words.
It was him. His body, lying strapped to a slab amid a mess of saws and syringes. Breakdown knew that Cylas had gone to the Decepticons here, but he hadn't known that they still had his remains. Breakdown's remains.
Breakdown had seen Ratchet's lab once and that had given him nightmares for a month. This was so much more awful.
Did Knock Out know about this? Breakdown couldn't imagine living on a ship where his dead mate was being treated like some kind of terrible Autobot experiment.
The body twitched. Then it gave the same groan that Breakdown had followed here.
He backed off, fuel tank in his intake.
Cylas was alive?!
"Breakdown!"
Breakdown flinched violently. He crashed into a table and knocked a tray of laser scalpels and drill bits to the floor.
Knock Out stood in the doorway, mouth pulled in a serious line. He watched Breakdown clumsily pick up the tray and hastily scoop the equipment back on with a haughty raised optic.
"Sorry, Knock Out," Breakdown said. "I… it was… I…"
Knock Out stepped forward, waving his explanation away and letting a slow smile creep across his faceplates. It was such an alien look that Breakdown thought for a terrifying moment that he'd somehow hopped dimensions again and this was someone even worse.
"Haven't you heard the humans say that curiosity killed the cat?" Knock Out said. "Still, I'm not surprised that you found your way in here eventually."
Knock Out was in a good mood. Breakdown wondered if that meant an Autobot had been offlined.
He hoped it was something so simple. Knock Out had been on a mission that wasn't supposed to involve any Autobots.
"I don't understand," Breakdown said. "Why's he — why's that — here?"
Maybe he should've expected this, but Breakdown was an optimist at spark.
"Disgusting, isn't it," Knock Out said conversationally, as though he didn't have a living thing strapped down and struggling on his operating table. "I've almost run out of uses for it."
Breakdown felt like he was going to purge if he opened his mouth, so wisely kept it shut. His actuators were making a strange high-pitched noise. Knock Out had an ugly look in his optic that turned Breakdown's tanks. Decepticon truly meant something else here.
Breakdown had to fight back his purge again as the mech wearing his dead lover's faceplate syringed some greenish-yellow synthetic energon into the thing strapped to the table.
"Cylas here is my test subject," Knock Out said viciously. "Isn't that right? It's only fitting, after what he did to my Breakdown."
Cylas groaned pitifully.
"Would you like to do anything to him?" Knock Out asked. "No one will care — as long as you leave him alive. Wonderfully cathartic, if you ask me."
Breakdown took a step back and hit the wall with a thunk. Knock Out's optics snapped to him and the humour fell from his face.
"Breakdown," Knock Out snapped. "Do something."
"No."
Knock Out dropped his syringe and approached Breakdown, servos threatening to transform into his saws. It wasn't right.
"Don't you care?" Knock Out hissed. "Don't you care about me?"
"I do," Breakdown insisted, "but you're alive. He didn't do anything to you. He didn't even do anything to my Knock Out, that was a different Cylas."
"I'm your Knock Out!" Knock Out snarled, pointing a claw in Breakdown's face, uncomfortably close to his optic. "You followed me here because you wanted me enough to overlook our differences. It's not my fault you're hung up on a dead mech who was too stupid to avoid humans!"
"Don't talk about him like that!" Breakdown shouted. "You don't know him."
A low chuckle filled the room before it was cut off by a grating cough. Cylas strained against his bonds and grinned at Breakdown, mismatched optics making him look deranged.
"This is just too good," Cylas said. "Trouble in paradise?" He coughed harshly. "Figures you can't get your replacement to do any better than the original."
Knock Out casually stabbed a pry tool into Cylas's transformation seam, though there was an agitated brightness to his biolights that wouldn't have been there if Cylas hadn't managed to get under his plating. Breakdown looked away.
"Breakdown…" Knock Out said warningly.
"Why not just kill him?" Breakdown asked the floor. "Why… why this?"
Cylas should be dead. Commander Megatron had promised he would see to it back home and Breakdown had never wanted anyone to stop existing more.
And this Cylas was clearly trying to goad Knock Out into ending his awful existence. So why hadn't he been granted mercy?
"Because unlike some, I don't forgive," Knock Out said. "And I like hearing him scream."
The purging urge was back with a vengeance.
"Who are you?" Breakdown choked out.
"Get out!" Knock Out's plating flared aggressively and his sawblades flipped out. "Get out of my sight and don't come back until you're willing to fight for me — not just a dead mech!"
Breakdown couldn't stay here. He'd already seen what he'd look like on Knock Out's operating table.
Breakdown nearly ran straight into Starscream coming into the lab. Starscream sneered at him, but didn't make any comment — clearly whatever schemes he was working on with Knock Out were too important to derail by chastising Breakdown for not saluting properly.
Starscream was wrong. Megatron was wrong. Knock Out was wrong.
Why had Breakdown ever thought he could live here?
They hadn't been waiting long before a Ground Bridge opened. Two unfamiliar silhouettes walked through, pedes shaking the ground.
It was Prime, though he'd had an upgrade since Breakdown had last laid optics on him, and another big truck of a 'Bot.
The other mech stayed back, checking the perimeter. Knock Out hid behind Breakdown as Prime approached. Breakdown forcibly reminded himself that Commander Megatron — his Megatron — trusted this brightly-painted Prime.
Even with different colours and less of an aura of menace, it still felt like the Prime Breakdown had known. The battle mask on his face was intact and didn't give any hint as to his mood.
"Prime," Breakdown said.
"Breakdown." Prime stopped far enough away to avoid looming. Breakdown appreciated it. "I received your message."
"Right," Breakdown said.
Everything he'd been planning to say left his processor. This was important and Breakdown always messed the important words up. He opened his mouth, then closed it again. Lost.
Prime stepped forward and retracted his battle mask. It helped more than Breakdown cared to admit.
"What do you need from us?" Prime asked.
"We've left the Decepticons," Breakdown said. "And we need somewhere safe."
He had reasons. Good reasons. Why couldn't he remember them?
"We can trade for intel," Knock Out said, still hiding behind Breakdown.
"Yeah, that," Breakdown said. "And we can fight for you and protect this planet."
Prime held up his hand. Breakdown fell silent.
"You need only ask for sanctuary and I will give it," Prime said. He continued over the spluttering of his companion. "I made a promise, to a mech I believe in with all my spark, to grant you shelter, should you find yourself in need of it."
Breakdown slumped in relief.
"Optimus," the other mech said tightly. "Allowing Decepticons — even former Decepticons — free reign in our headquarters would not be wise. I have approved restraints —"
"There is no need to worry, Ultra Magnus," Prime said. "I trust Breakdown and if he vouches for Knock Out, that will be enough."
A small part of Breakdown wondered if cuffing Knock Out wouldn't be in everyone's best interests. However, he'd promised to look after him.
And, in his own way, Knock Out had done the same for Breakdown when they'd first arrived in this crazy backwards world.
"Knock Out saved my life," Breakdown said. "He attacked Megatron. There's no way he's going to be able to go back."
Knock Out muttered something about 'Starscream' behind Breakdown, but if Prime heard he didn't react.
"If that is indeed the case, then welcome," Prime said. "Ratchet, send a Ground Bridge."
A Ground Bridge appeared behind Ultra Magnus. Breakdown felt something loosen in his chassis. It wasn't over — wouldn't be over until one side or the other was completely gone and Ultra Magnus would no doubt want a more rigorous investigation by the scowl he was still wearing — but they'd made it.
Terrorcons were frightening, but not nearly as frightening as reporting to Megatron in the aftermath of Starscream and Knock Out's experiment. Breakdown had been helping implement the quarantine measures and was trying not to get upset over Soundwave's disinterested account of casualties.
Didn't lost sparks mean anything to him? Or any of the other officers?
Breakdown was startled back into the present when Megatron backhanded Starscream across the bridge. Breakdown started to reach for him, but Knock Out grabbed his arm and hissed, "What do you think you're doing?"
Breakdown stared at him, but both Knock Out and Soundwave weren't acting like anything strange was happening. Was this normal here? Didn't they see that this was plain cruelty, not punishment?
Starscream wailed as Megatron grabbed him by the wing and threw him into the floor again.
"Master! Please! I've learned my lesson!" Starscream cried.
"You have learned when I say you have learned," Megatron snarled.
"Forgive me!"
Breakdown was a Decepticon — a true Decepticon — and he couldn't let this injustice continue. He shrugged out of Knock Out's grasp and rushed forward.
"Breakdown!" Knock Out hissed desperately.
Breakdown put himself between Megatron and Starscream.
"Don't hurt him," Breakdown said as firmly as he dared.
Megatron lowered his fist and looked Breakdown up and down like he was an unpleasant stain on the floor.
"What are you doing?" Megatron demanded. "Stand down."
"Hurting people doesn't help anything," Breakdown said, trying to remember the words Commander Megatron had told him once. They'd been such good words and had made Breakdown understand what being a Decepticon really meant. "It's not right."
Megatron raised his arm again. This time it was to point his cannon directly at Breakdown's helm.
"You have one chance to reconsider," Megatron said, cannon already beginning to glow.
Breakdown glanced at Starscream cowering behind him. There was no choice. He held his ground before Megatron.
I'm sorry Knock Out.
"No," Breakdown said, spark in his intake. "I won't let you hurt him."