Artificial Mind

10

Tracking down Knock Out was the first step to finding where Minnie went. Smokescreen had great – but sad – pleasure in telling them all that Knock Out didn't bridge away. He annoyingly speeded quicker than himself, and Starscream provided back up to help his Decepticon comrade to escape.

This was an interesting detail, why Knock Out didn't bridge away was a mystery. But it was a mystery which provided them with tire tracks.

"If Knock Out managed to get away by driving, then the Nemesis surely would have to land to collect him, right?" Jack questioned.

"Or they bridged him up on his escape." Arcee answered, Jack's shoulders sagged, he was really hoping that his words were the truth. He was hoping that the Nemesis would still be parked somewhere in the desert, and that Minnie was on board, and that they could go and get her.

"Even if that happened, there'd still be a residue signal." Ratchet said, he was being silent near his computer, typing away on the keyboard. His words caused everyone to look up at him. "What?"

"And you only just thought to tell us this now?" Bulkhead asked casually while rolling a hand in the medics direction.

Ratchet let out an awkward laugh, "Oh come on, I thought it was obvious."

Ironhide shook his head. "Where was Knock Out last sighted?" His question cut off Bulkhead who was no doubt going to exclaim something silly in retort to Ratchet. Someone had to be the voice of reason right now, and Ironhide had decided it was himself.

Ratchet typed on the keyboard and pulled up the map. Smokescreen jumped to stand beside the medic. Reaching up he tapped on the map. "There, I lost sight of him then. Left me in a trail of dust." Smokescreen huffed annoyed that he had been out speeded.

"Let's just say that they did bridge him up around this area." Ratchet sighed thoughtfully. "Then the ship should still be relatively in this area. Keeping that in mind, we need a way to get to it."

"We need-" Smokescreen got cut off.

"Don't you dare say a trap." Arcee narrowed her eyes at him.

"A trap!" Smokescreen said regardless, Arcee sighed and put a hand to her forehead. Beside her Bumblebee tilted his head to the side and beeped and waved his arms.

"As fine of an idea as that is," Ironhide crossed his arms. "I can't help but feel it'll fail."

"If we set a trap, and it works, the Nemesis will surely appear. All we need is a trap which is alluring enough to them. If and when the Nemesis appears, Ratchet should be able to get a lock on it, therefore we'll be able to bridge on board." Optimus appeared from one of the dark corridors, he had been listening to his friend's conversation.

Ratchet guffawed and looked at Optimus. "You make it all seem so simple, like flicking on the light switch or something."

Ironhide narrowed his optics. "What if we don't set a trap?" Smokescreen looked dejected at this. Ironhide eyed up the map. "What if we wait for them to come back down?"

"And leave Minnie up there with those creeps?" Bulkhead snapped.

Ironhide turned and looked at him. "Think about it logically, Bulk. What do we have to use to set a trap? We don't have anything, other than the energon that they let us steal, I think I speak for everyone when I say I'm not willing to use that as bait. But they'll have to come back down, the amount of energon mines they visit, if we disable the drones, we can use their bridge."

"That is a plan which is most likely to heed results." Optimus nodded thoughtfully. "I understand your anger, Bulkhead, and as much as I dislike it, sitting in wait may be the best option." Optimus said seriously. Although truth be told the thought of sitting in wait wasn't exactly what he wanted to go through with.

——

Minnie laid on the metal table. Her arms were tied down, and so was her one leg. What remained of the other was being looked over by Shockwave. Upon noticing her looking up at him, he leaned down. "You're rather fragile. Perhaps it was the years of being inactive." He pondered thoughtfully. Lifting up some tools he lifted up the limb in his fingers, Minnie tilted her head up and watched as he started to reattach her leg. She couldn't feel it, the numbness she thought was surely not normal. Raising an eyebrow, she looked at a small amount of leads which were leading from her body.

She was being drugged, or at least something was going into her system. "Can you explain this concept to me?"

"You are part human, part Cybertronian. Your purpose I suppose in this sense was to be an innocent party."

"Who created me?" Minnie felt very odd saying that.

"I did."

"Why?"

"Because I wanted to see if I could." Shockwave looked up at her. Feeling a twinge Minnie looked down, her leg was back.

"Opportunity." Minnie muttered sadly.

"In some respects, yes." Shockwave unstrapped her limbs and picked her up. "Try walking. If you don't, your leg will seize up and become useless." Minnie awkwardly walked, it was hard, she limped and dragged her leg around.

She pulled the wires around with her. Looking up when the door opened her expression dropped. "Oh, look who is back up and with us!" Knock Out cheered rather sarcastically. He walked over and leaned against the table. Shockwave still looked down at her with his one unblinking optic. "What's the weaponry like on this little thing?" Knock Out smirked.

Minnie dropped the wires in her hands and held them up in defence. "Weapons?"

"Well, yes," Knock Out had great pleasure in saying this. Leaning down he pocked her with a digit, she stumbled and wobbled unsteady on her own legs still. "What? You think Shockwave would go through the hardship of making things like you and not integrate weaponry into your systems?"

"Can you not say systems," Minnie narrowed her eyes up at him.

"She thinks she's human." Knock Out whispered to Shockwave.

"I am."

"No, you're part human, remember?" Knock Out rolled his eyes, bored. Minnie narrowed her eyes at him again.

"Initiate weapons test." Shockwave said mechanically while unplugging her from the wires. Minnie looked confused at the two bots in front of her. She wrapped her arms around herself and took a step back. Knock Out smiled and reached out for her. She shook her head, too many close calls with the red Decepticon just made her all the more reluctant. Stamping a foot she held her arms up in defence as his hand closed in around her.

Shockwave looked at Knock Out when he jumped back and shook his hand. "Path Blaster?! You gave her a Path Blaster?!" Knock Out exclaimed, Minnie looked to what was her arm. Only the flesh of her arm had folded away, and the metal – which acted as her bones – had shifted forms. Raising her arm, Minnie willed the gun to fire again. It seemed to be a skill of will power, the gun went off and hit Knock Out in the chest. "No, no, no! Not the paint job!"

"That's for abducting me!" Minnie shouted, she went to place her hand on her arm to steady the recoil, only the same numbing pain from earlier on kicked in. Shaking her arm frantically she yelped when alongside the metallic arm a sword slid down, the tip of it stopped just above her knees. Raising both arms, she steady the gun with the sword and fired. Knock Out when not yelping, and exclaiming, was growling in annoyance and charged forward only to have Shockwave put an arm in front of him stopping him in his tracks.

"Interesting." Shockwave leaned down and looked at Minnie, she lowered her arms and took a step back.

"Path Blaster," Knock Out murmured again. "Why, why did you have to give her the same damn gun as Primes'?!"

"It's the same?" Minnie looked up, Knock Out just shot her a look as she was scooped up by Shockwave. He placed her back in the cage, twinging and thrashing her arms, Minnie's form shifted back. Wrapping her hands on the bars she looked up. Knock Out hit the top of the cage which caused a loud echo to travel down. Minnie whimpered, crouched and put her hands over her ears.

"Not the point, fleshling." He grumbled and walked off talking about having to get a new paint job.

——

(Edited: 5/August/2020)