The Lights We Burn (tfp Knockout/Breakdown X mech!reader)[on Hold]

3: Weight of His World

-with the Autobots-

"By the Allspark!" Ratchet exclaimed as the trio of bots stumbled through the ground bridge with significant wounds, Optimus grunting in pain as Bumblebee helped him to the med bay Ratchet immediately got to work on repairing the Prime.

"What happened out there?" Bulkhead asked when he saw the condition of his comrades.

"We were ambushed." Arcee said. "Con got us pretty good."

"Wait, wait, one 'con did all this?" Miko asked in disbelief. "Who the scrap is he?"

"Not sure, but he knew Optimus and not in a good way."  The group looked over to the injured prime, his expression saddening as Ratchet welded his wound shut. Once the wound was closed, Ratchet helped him sit up somewhat so that he could speak with the others.

"Optimus, who was that guy?" Bumblebee whirred.

"Someone I thought had rejoined the Allspark a long time ago." Optimus said grimly. "And... the result of a terrible mistake."

"What do you mean?" Arcee asked.

"During the war on Cybertron, the Decepticons used many unaligned settlements to smuggle weapons and other items of war to the front lines." Optimus explained. "One of those settlements was called Axelias. The home to many refugees. For a long time, it remained untouched by the Decepticons until we received intel that the settlement was the hiding place of Trypticon, the Decepticon's war titain. In haste, the Autobots struck to destroy the war titain. But we were deceived. The intel given to us was purposefully altered, and, as a result, hundreds of innocent lives were taken. This included Megatron's sparkmate. However, we received word that Megatron's son was spotted entering the settlement a day before the strike, but never leaving.

"Wait," Arcee said with shock. "You're saying that con I stabbed was really -"

"Y/D, son of Megatron and the late High Council Speaker Solaris."

"So let's scrap him!" Miko piped up. "We need to get back at him for what he did to Optimus!"

"I admire your eagerness, Miko," Optimus said with a grimace. "Y/D, just like his sire, is just as dangerous, perhapse even more so, than his sire."

"Why?"

"He was the leader of the Decepticon Justice Division." Bulkhead said.

"The Decepticons had a justice system?" Miko asked in disbelief.

"If you count hunting down rogue Decepticons and doing awful things to them before eventually killing them, then yeah, the Decepticons had a justice system." Arcee said grimly. "Y/D was the leader during the war on Cybertron before Tarn took over when everyonethought Y/D was dead."

"What did he do?"

"He was their top interrogator," Bulkhead said. "Some say he could rip information out of a bot like it was nothing. All without even hurting you. Absolutely ruthless."

"Least according to rumor." Ratchet said. "Something I do not entirely believe."

"Why's that?" Bulkhead asked.

"Because if he truly was as ruthless as they said, Optimus, Bumblebee, and Arcee would no longer be functioning." Ratchet said with a strange expression on his face.

"Wait, back up." Jack said. "What are you saying?"

"He could have easily taken Bumblebee and i out with his weapon, yet he set it in a way that only caused knockback." Arcee said as she furrowed her optic ridges in thought. "And he could have shot Optimus right in the helm or the spark, yet he didn't."

"Maybe he has poor aim?" Miko suggested.

"You kidding? Y/D was Cybertron's top shooter. He could knock a bolt off the top of a bots helm from miles away without scratching him. And trust me, I've seen it."

"Whatever Y/D's motives were for attacking this way," Optimus said. "He has proven to be just as dangerous as ever."

-with Y/D-

"I said I'm fine." I grunted as I tried to shove Knockout away from me.

"You almost went offline, Prince Y/D." Knockout said. "As your medic i strongly urge that you stay put." I flopped back onto the medical berth with an exhausted and annoyed grunt. I hated that Knockout was right.

"Prince Y/D." Starscream sneered as he entered the med bay. "I see you... survived your failed encounter with the Autobots."

"Don't remind me." I huffed before my expression saddened. "I almost had him... I almost had the murderer of my carrier, and yet he got away!" Tears pooled in my optics, and I looked away from Starscream with shame. "It all could have ended... yet I failed."

"You left him in pretty rough shape, my liege." Knockout said. "That's got to account for something."

"Oh, don't encourage him, Knockout." Starscream spat. "His recklessness could have ended in disaster!"

"Aw, you do care." I teased, Starscream making sounds that were a mix of shock, disbelief, fluster, and anger. "Look, I wasn't expecting that two-wheeler to get the drop on me like that. Something I'll have to take into account the next time I face them."

"Oh please, what are you going to do? Analyze them?" Starscream huffed just as Soundwave entered, shutting the seeker up. Soundwave looked over to me, and I could tell by his body language that he was relieved, a small and rare smile tugging at my dermas.

-----

Thankfully, I was released from the med bay the following morning and was back on the command bridge with Soundwave, the silent bots body language telling me all he wanted to say.

"Yes, I know." I sighed. "It was beyond foolish for me to attempt to take out Optimus that way. I just... I wanted to prove to Starscream and the others that I'm just as capable of fighting as they are. I mean, sure I could get a grounder to believe they could fly if I wanted to or figure out the thought patterns of someone with just a 10 minutes conversation, but what use are words in warfare?" I looked forward through the front windshield and stared into the pale blue skies. "Maybe they're right. Maybe I'm not cut out for this."

Soundwave placed a gentle servo on my shoulder, and I looked up at him with a sad expression. He then played a recording of my sire on his visor, something that cheered me up somewhat.

"Y/D is still learning to be a warrior." Soundwave played. "Despite what the other DJD members believe, he shows far more potential than any of them combined. And I don't say that just because he's my son. He's survived much and will continue to survive. Soundwave, I want you to pull Y/D from the DJD and have him meet me at Axelias. I think it's time he learned how to fight in the open instead of in the shadows."

"Y/D will. Survive." Soundwave played in multiple recordings. "Y/D will. Lead. Soundwave has. Confidence in. Y/D."