Never Again

18

-Enjoy ❤️
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Knockout spent most of his time studying his notes on the formula for synthetic energon. What took his Cybertronian ancestors thousands of eons to create and perfect, he was meant to create within six months.

Slaving away over the formula he so desperately tried to complete was taking away time for him to recharge.

And buff out his painting.

He grumbled under his breath as he stared at his chipped and scratched painting. They were the end result of a battle with the Autobots several weeks before. But after Megatrons hasty demands and Breakdowns constant calls to the field, Knockout was left with no other choice but to wait to get buffed out.

Tired optics landed on the screen in front of him, then back to the vile filled with a blue mixture of formula he was sure was incorrect. Megatron would not be pleased.

"Knockout," The medic jumped, almost letting out a yelp, as his master came over his comm link. "report."

Knockout raised an optic ridge. "The synthetic energon is still in the making, my Liege-"

"I do not wish to hear about your failures, Knockout. What did you find on the necklace?"

Now he was confused.

"M-my Liege?"

"What did you find?" Megatron growled.

"I-I do not understand what you are asking. I was never given a necklace to examine." Knockout stuttered.

Fear crawled all over his metal platings like a scraplet hungry for a meal. He was not sure what his master was asking of him, so he held his breath as the warlord paused.

"What?" Megatron snarled. The rage was dripping from his voice. Knockout couldn't help but imagine the boy clenching his sharpened digits and baring his denta.

"I was never given a necklace to examine." Knockout repeated slowly.

Heavy venting was his only reply. Then, the comm cut off, leaving the medic his much needed moment to let out a shaky vent of his own.

Meanwhile, Megatron paced his throne room. He specifically ordered Soundwave to give the necklace to Knockout for examination. The medic was either incompetent or oblivious to Megatrons direct orders.

Soundwave should have completed his order.

Unless...

He had not seen his third in command recently. In fact, he hadn't seen Soundwave since he'd ordered him to obliterate the human. He could be in his berthroom.

Megatron would get to the bottom of it.

Soundwave, of course, was oblivious to his masters rage as he studied the contents that lay before him in his palm. It was a tiny cardboard box, filled with items the human femme would need.

His first instinct had been to simply go to a human store and use his holoform. Of course, Knocked had strictly forbade any of the Decepticons to use their holoform, since he hadn't had the time to perfect them yet.

Soundwave had decided to take a chance.

A young man with jet black hair and bright purple eyes had stared at the front doors of a local store for several minutes, hesitating.

Something was tugging at his spark. A feeling he couldn't quite understand. Something in his processor to go elsewhere to gather what the human needed. Somewhere more personal.

Why should he care if the human was comfortable? She was just a fleshy. A weak, tiny fleshy he could stomp on with his pede. It would be so easy just to end it and forget he had gone against his masters orders at all. Yet, he couldn't bare the thought.

Home.

That one word rang through his head over and over. She wanted to go home. How long the human girl was going to be stayed he with him, he was unsure.

The young man glanced down at the glowing necklace around his neck. He had kept it with his alt form. He had tried to take it to Knockout, but just couldn't.

It didn't want to leave him.

Now again, it began to glow and tug. The word kept repeating in his head. Home. The sudden image of a young human crying and hugging herself as she sat in a dark room appeared out of nowhere.

Soundwave stared down in shock at the necklace before nodding. Suddenly, his mind was made up.

He would let it guide him home.

Lynlee could not sit still as she waited in the darkness back on the Nemesis. She longed for her mother and yearned to return home. Back where she truly belonged.

To keep her thoughts from drowning in the dread that practically suffocated her mind, she hummed a short tune her mother had always sung to her when she was little.

She was cut short a few hours later when a swirling mass appeared out of nowhere in front of her, and Soundwave stepped through.

A small cardboard box sat in one palm, and another box sat in his other. No words were said as he stepped forward towards the metal desk she lay on.

It hurt to move, so she just held her breath and watched as he placed the two boxes down next to her. One box was open, and she could spot medical supplies inside. The other was sealed closed, and Lynlee couldn't help but wonder what was inside.

But it did look awfully familiar...

She turned back towards Soundwave. "Where did you get-"

She let out a short scream and jerked when she found that a body stood over her. Much to her surprise, the body jerked as well, and stepped back a small step. But maybe he was just moving towards the medical box that was now at his feet.

Lynlee stared at the man as he tilted his head and stared at the contents inside of the box. He didn't move for the longest time, but kept his head tilted and looked in deep thought.

Finally, he pulled out wrap and rubbing alcohol. Lynlee got a better look at him as he turned into the light. The man, who looked much younger in the light, was wearing blue jeans and a purple jacket.

The hood was pulled over his head, leaving a dark shadow across his face. Lynlee struggled to see who was underneath.

"Who are you?" she asked quietly.

Silence.

She frowned and studied him harder as he took a few steps forward. She tended as he approached and then bent down in front of her. On hand grasped gauze and the rubbing alcohol.

A soft grip on her arm kept her from moving as the young man found a large cut from her fall the day at the cemetery. Lynlee grimaced and tried to pull her arm away as he applied the alcohol.

A small whine slipped through her lips as she tried to pull away again. The mans grip grew tighter as he finally looked up.

"Do not...move." His voice was soft and hesitant. Almost as if he wasn't used to speaking.

Lynlee squinted at him. Her gaze trailed up to Soundwave, whom she'd seemingly forgotten until then. Her eyes widened in sudden realization, and everything clicked.

She jerked her head towards the man again.

"Soundwave?"