[ti]Ep 2.5[/ti]Cruor [Closed]

[Knock Out]

As the Vehicons moved into formation, Knock Out would back away and gingerly touch at his faceplate. He'd pull his servo away from the wound, grimacing at the sight of the bright blue Energon that'd smeared onto his palm. Flatline would pay dearly for this - and once the Vehicons had done their job and restrained the other mech, Knock Out would take great delight in causing him pain to make up for the scratch to his face. The fact he couldn't see the wound himself meant that he no doubt was imagining that the damage inflicted was a hundred times worse than it actually was. Then again to a priss like Knock Out? Even the tiniest of hairline scratches on his perfect finish were borderline catastrophic.

He was only half paying attention to what the Vehicons were doing, figuring they were trained in this sort of thing and wouldn't need any sort of supervision or instruction – not that he could really bark out orders other than what he'd already told them to do - as he didn't have the faintest idea as to what strategy they'd even use. Just as long as they did what they were supposed to and Flatline was quickly restrained? He didn't care.

His gaze and attention would however shift to the Vehicon on the right as he faltered and hesitated in his steps, and while he wouldn't ask out loud what the frag he thought he was doing – as that would distract the other two from their task and leave them open to attack – he would gawk at him like he was a moron.

One job. They had one job. It was three versus one. It was Flatline. Okay so he was totally feral and crazy right now, but still, they outnumbered him. One job.

And they'd failed it in the blink of an optic.

Knock Out saw movement from Flatline as the Energon prod was thrown – the faltering Vehicon all the distraction the other medic needed, it seemed, and he squawked out in a surprised, frantic yelp as the prod hit its mark. He was only thankful that Flatline hadn't thrown it at him – because he hadn't even been watching Flatline as he remained perched on the bench and would've had no time to react. Surely now the two remaining Vehicons would see that they really, really had to restrain Flatline and that he was a threat!

Any time now, you imbeciles!!

Knock Out scrambled back a couple of clumsy steps, servo still on his faceplate – he didn't want to somehow get caught in more crossfire and get yet more scratches. This wasn't his job. It was upto the Vehicons. What he didn't notice was that the center Vehicon was confused and flailing like a deer in headlights instead of... Well, doing anything.

To put it simply? He was useless, and had given Flatline ample time to work out his next move.

In the split second that followed, Knock Out saw more movement from Flatline. He watched in complete horror as Flatline lunged forwards once more. He'd been expecting him to crashtackle the Vehicon and gauge his faceplate or something, but when he sprang forwards and used him as a platform to jump from? Knock Out scrambled back and away incase the other medic came after him again, because well, he wouldn't blame him.

When Flatline instead crouched? He garbled out a confused yell to the remaining Vehicon to make some attempt at restraining him! Don't just stand there you complete and utter moron! Do what you were trained and commanded to do!

...Or at least, that's what he thought he yelled. Instead it was nothing more than another confused, terrified yelp that joined in harmony with the equally confused and frantic yells of the other Vehicons. Because this situation was going downhill and fast, and his processor couldn't even begin to.. Well, process, what to even do. The Vehicons were supposed to help him! They were supposed to get this under control! That was their job! Instead two of them had messed up, and now the third wasn't doing anything! Why wasn't he doing any-

A gunshot.

Knock Out flinched at the noise, tensing up with red optics wide. Had he just been shot!? That was his first panicked thought. No... No sensors screamed that he had. The only pain he felt was radiating from the scratch on his face. Which meant... That... Had... Had the Vehicon downed Flatline? Did he just... Did...

Frag.

Sadly any hopes and dreams that Knock Out had of Flatline being downed with one shot were quickly shattered as he watched in utter dismay as the other Medic bolted from the room. So much for his not-so-concrete plan of keeping Flatline in the Medical Bay where he could be watched and confined to one place. No. No of course not. Now he was free on the Nemesis. Which would be entirely Knock Out's fault should Megatron choose somebody to blame in all of this.

At least the Vehicon had hit him, though, so there was a spattered trail of Energon to follow. There were enough nooks and crannies on the ship for someone to hide for days should they choose, although given Flatline's current state of... Being feral and completely insane, Knock Out had a feeling he wouldn't want to hide, and would infact be out for blood of whoever it was he ran into, despite being injured.

Which is why he should probably make some attempt at following to keep an optic on his whereabouts, and should probably call for assistance - because he sure as hell wasn't dealing with Flatline at all by himself. No way. He'd tried that and look what happened!

He should get help. Yes. Like the Vehicons had totally done. Luckily there were those on the ship that were competent and could hopefully do a better job of restraining Flatline than what'd just played out in the Medical Bay.

He'd make a mad scramble forwards, ignoring the searing pain from his faceplate for now as he reached out to snatch his precious Energon Prod from the floor. He didn't really give a crap about the poor Vehicon who'd been struck by it, and even if he did? It wasn't like he could waste precious time in helping him to his pedes and seeing if he was alright! He had a feral maniac to follow so he could call on someone else to deal with this problem.

“Well don't just stand there!” He snapped at the Vehicon who'd shot Flatline, “We've got to catch up to him! Move it!” before making a beeline for the door. The Vehicon followed. The two that remained would hopefully catch up once they'd regained their footing and worked out how to actually be of use.

Knock Out tore from the Medical Bay and down the corridor. Running in his root-mode was so not his favorite thing to do, but this was an emergency! He couldn't see where Flatline had actually gone, but there was the tell-tale trail of Energon to rely on. Thank Primus.

Ah, right. The calling someone for help thing. Well, there was only really one person he could call on. One that he trusted enough to even deal with this properly.

::BREAKDOWN!:: He yelled this over the comm. And while he was often known to yell at his partner, this yell had a certain “I AM IN BIG TROUBLE AND NEED HELP” undertone to it. It was panicked. Frantic. Pained. He wanted, no.. He needed Breakdown to help him with this. ::No time to explain!! Make your way to the corridors outside the Medical Bay quickly and if you happen to see Flatline on your way here, for the love of Primus RESTRAIN him until I get there!!::

...Although what if Breakdown didn't hear. Frag. Okay. Backup plan. Those were always good, and in this case? Needed.

::Attention all Decepticons!! Code uh..:: Frag, what was the code when someone had gone crazy-feral and running rampant on the ship?! ::..Uh.. EMERGENCY!! If you see Flatline, RESTRAIN HIM!! Something has happened and he's snapped! Proceed with caution but do not let him out of your sights!! He was last seen running from the Medical Bay. He is bleeding and ATTACKED ME!!::

Okay, well anyone who knew of Flatline and Knock Out knew that there was always some petty rivalry between them, and that an attack from one of them was probably a long time coming, but the franticness and randomness of this comm in the middle of the night was probably enough clue that this wasn't just some pissing contest gone wrong, and that something was infact happening.

All Knock Out could do now was wait. And chase. And hope Flatline didn't backtrack and attack him once more. Even with the Energon Prod now safely in his grasp, he didn't really want to get into a standoff with the maniac.

[Breakdown]

     While the chaos was happening between Flatline and Knock Out, Breakdown was elsewhere on the ship, busying himself with tending to the Vehicons. He had been told not to wait up, as Knock Out was off and about doing whatever wherever, but there were still things that needed to be done that Breakdown was slowly finishing up before the end of the cycle. At this point the Vehicons should have all been looked over but he'd gotten such a late start that now it was after their normal hours and everyone was getting ready to wind down. Some of the Vehicons were in their shared quarters so Breakdown just made his rounds that way, not even bothering to tell them to stay out of recharge until he had cleared them. Instead he would just move from one to the other, some of them waking with the process while others remained shut down. This was definitely a bit easier than having each of them reporting in but it would carry into probably the next cycle, which meant that he would have less time to recharge than he should. Either way, however, this had to be done. It wouldn't reflect well for one or more of the Vehicons to fail miserably because of some issue that hadn't been found. Knock Out would be blamed and possibly punished. So, Breakdown would deal with his own issue later and take care of the regular rounds. While Breakdown wasn't able to issue time off should one need some time off for repairs but he could put that suggestion through to his partner. On his own the medic wouldn't put any of the workers on a medical leave, but Breakdown was usually able to get him to yield to that should one of them be in severe need.

     The current Vehicon had been pulled out of stasis while Breakdown was checking him over and had complained about an issue with his arm. Breakdown had paid particular attention to that and scanned it several times to make sure it was alright. Nothing showed up as being an issue and Breakdown couldn't see any visible damage so it was something that his partner would have to tend to when he had the time. Since now finished with another successful check up, Breakdown checked off everything as good then saved the report. He'd turn these over to Knock Out later.

     "Alright, you're all good to go. The scans didn't pick up any issues with that arm of yours, but if it's still a problem let me know and I'll see about having Knock Out look it over for you."

     There was a brief exchange of conversation between them before the Vehicon slipped back into stasis while in mid sentence. Breakdown walked away from him, clearing the screen in preparation for the next patient then scrolling through who else he still needed to see. Something seemed off. A couple Vehicons were missing that were part of the day run, so they should have been in stasis at this point or at least arriving to do so since the rotation had changed a while ago. That was troubling to him. Sure, sometimes they had jobs that took them over their usual schedule though never this long. 

     Breakdown didn't get much of a chance to think it over further before he heard his comm crackle with life. He thought it would be the Vehicons to let him know what was going on. That was just not to be the case and instead it was something a lot more dire. The comm had come from Knock Out and the distress he heard in his partner's voice? That was enough to make the blue coloring of his frame pale. He had only gotten that tone a couple times in the distant past from Knock Out and all of those times it had been a lot more than just a chip in his paint.

     The datapad dropped to the floor, not caring where it landed or if it were safe or in one piece. While slow compared to most, Breakdown was still able to light a fire under his aft should the situation call for it and that he did, picking up speed as he rushed to the instructed location that Knock Out had told him. He didn't so much as even pause to take the corners safely, which was proven to be dangerous as he took one such corner too close and hit it, which broke off a bit of the wall; that didn't slow him down in the slightest. Everyone in the halls were able to hear him thundering through, his heavy steps rippling through the ship as he would near. Thanks to that they were all able to get out of the way of the dangerous wrecking ball- or, if they didn't, they would find themselves on the floor with a need to see the medic to return to functioning levels. 

     When the second call came over the entire frequency for all Decepticons to report and locate Flatline, Breakdown lifted one servo to his audials so he could contact his partner.

     :: I'm on my way, Knock Out. I'll keep an optic out for Flatline. Stay put and barricade yourself until I get to you... or until I find Flatline. :: He didn't ask of that from his partner- no, that tone was definitely an order. Usually Breakdown wouldn't be telling him to stay out of action with that sort of tone, but the distress he had heard reminded him of the old days when he was needing to put himself between Knock Out and the danger. He figured Knock Out would probably recognize that and wouldn't argue. Breakdown was in a different world right now. In that world? No one screwed around with Knock Out without Breakdown showing up and bashing in some helms.

     He came to another turn, focused on not only getting to Knock Out, but seeing if he could find Flatline along the way. 

[Deleted]

It had been a quiet night.

For Skywarp at least.

He'd flown a patrol earlier in the day. Boring. Then had come in and done some heavy lifting. Also boring. After his shift, his new drone courtesy of Knock Out had kept him occupied for a bit.

Such was a typical day in the life of Skywarp.

He'd hit up the rec room afterwards. Glowered at a few Vehicons but had otherwise kept to himself and had terrorised no one.

It was as he headed back towards his room that Skywarp's comm crackled without warning. The seeker halted and listened to the distress message sent by the chief medical officer.

Huh.

How weird.

The spindly mech had gone crazy and needed to be restrained. Skywarp blinked and placidly stared into the ether as he mulled over whether he felt like involving himself or not with this.

On the one servo, he couldn't care less about one Con attacking another. That's how things went in the ranks and while Skywarp had some minuscule investment in Flatline's continued existence, it was not enough to make him go against Knock Out's authority and teleport to the mech's defence when there had been a ship-wide alert to bring him down.

The seeker would have been content to go on his way back to his room, save for two things. One was that he owed Knock Out a favour. In truth, he owed both Flatline and the medical officer but right now there was a chance to pay back only one of them and remove that debt hanging over him. While there were worse mecha he could be indebted to within the Cons ranks, a debt was a debt and Skywarp would not overlook an opportunity to be rid of one.

Secondly, he was just plain bored and it sounded like a good fight was afoot. Or at least a poor one. The spindly mech wasn't much of a fighter. Still, he'd get to hit something and how could Skywarp pass that up?

Skywarp paused for a moment. His mind reviewed the ship's schematics, the medbays location and the Nemesis's travelling speed. Calculations whirled through his processor. Gleefully, he vanished in a flash of light. Since the shiny mech had said the spindly one was heading away from the medbay, Skywarp would reappear at the end of the hallway outside from it.

[Zercon]

The left Vehicon who had been slammed by the Energon prod, also known as DIZ-901, was left lying on the floor in complete disarray and disorientation. He was alive, that much was evident in the way a leg would slide to draw up, before slumping the limb straight again, but just because he was alive, didn't mean he was useful in the moment. He was effectively out of the game for now, the prod having a good deal of power to it that could put nearly anyone in a bad state. To be fair, it had downed Optimus Prime before, so... the little trooper didn't stand much of a chance.

His frame smoldered from where the prod had pressed between his armor, curling black trails reeking of molten plastics and rubbers, and a few fried out neural clusters. But while DIZ-901 groaned in pain and tried to recuperate, the other two Vehicons were far livelier, one turning against the other swiftly.

"What was that all about!?"

RGE-529, the central Vehicon who had taken the shot, yelled at the right Vehicon who had faltered, anger evident in his voice with a hefty dose of frustration laced within. The other, WLM-684, sat up abruptly after his topple, one hand placed flush with the floor, and the other still a rifle. The rifle's barrel was instantly raised up, as if having a delayed reaction to wanting to shoot at Flatline, only to see that he was long gone. The trooper's helm turned around slowly then, seeing where the open door was, before peering back at RGE-529.

Neither would have a chance to say or do more with their immediate banter however, before Knock Out yelled a command and the two functional individuals flinched to attention. Instantly, RGE-529, who seemed to be the more competent out of the trio, surged forward with his rifle drawn to run out into the hallway after Knock Out and Flatline, but not before giving WLM-684 a sour look while he passed ((Or as sour a look his visor could give)).

WLM-684 looked to DIZ-901, before down at his leg a moment. He only had time to turn and raise a hand in a questioning manner, starting to say something, before the large doors of the Med Bay spiraled closed with a thrum of mechanics.

------

The hallway was quiet.

The Medical Bay always had a sound to it. The soft whir of machines, a clicking of spinning compounds or churn of systems making heavy calculations. While it could be peaceful; and quiet, there was always a life to it, as if the area was a living entity. But now, with Knock Out and the Vehicon closed away from that world, it was truly silent. Broad yawning catacombs, repetitive architecture and colors, the only varying indicators being the occasional directional board or lighting that signaled sectors within the massive warship.

The Energon Trail was plain and visible in the dim lighting, the spatters stretched apart from one another in a way that betrayed Flatline's run. Speckles, flecks, it wasn't so much hemorrhaging out from wherever the Vehicon had struck, it more snapping off of the points of his armor as he fled. This trail slid down the hallway before hooking sharply to the right down a corridor.

RGE-529 surged ahead once he was out in the open, his longer limbs allowing him to cross more ground than the smaller medic. This allowed him to hook the corner, and began following that trail, his red visor locked straight ahead with determination and intent to do what was commanded of him. Well... that and perhaps a bit of glory chasing. When that call was yelled across the ship for all to hear, than there would be a certain level of honor he could boast about if he finished this task on his own.

------

The datapad that was dropped by Breakdown clattered loudly with a bang and a crack of glass, it drawing awake the Vehicons nearby that had been resting. GJF-376 snapped to attention first, lurching upright in alarm while he clutched onto his arm that had been bothering him. His visor flickered and sputtered as his systems frantically tried to catch up to what was happening, while others around were merely turning to see what caused the disturbance.

It would have not been a concern past a casual glance, for accidents happen, but the way Breakdown suddenly lurched into action... That wasn't normal, that wasn't what happened with the big guy unless something was legitimately wrong. All of them were clueless to Knock Out's first comm, and many looked at one another trying to understand.

As Breakdown barreled forward out of the common living area for the Vehicons, it drew a good deal of additional attention from those who were still awake, or those that were light sleepers. His heavy run, and the way he took corners as gracefully as a rhino, meant that once he was gone, there was a trail of curious helms poking out trying to get a glimpse of what was going wrong.

This nosy eavesdropper approach was stopped however, when the second message, the one they could actually hear, was broadcast.

An alert? An Emergency? This had to be big if it was called out on the primary channel like this! This had to be Autobot attack levels! But no, hearing what the issue actually was just caused more gossip than a rise to arms. A few who had not yet received true sentience rushed forward however, acting on automation to follow Breakdown and try to resolve the issue, while others who had received the gift, started to chatter.

'I knew he was feral'
'Insecticon finally showing true colors!'
'I heard he isn't really an Insecticon though'
'Have you actually seen him?'
'Do you think we should help?'
'For Flatline? No...'
'Yeah, enough have gone already, let them figure it out'
'Isn't like Megatron ordered it! Just Knock Out!'

Their chattering continued at full force.

------

As Breakdown hooked down the halls to the nearby Medical Wing and took a corner too recklessly, there was a loud slam and a clatter as shrapnel was torn off from the edge of the wall to expose the structural foundation of the system. It was loud, it was brash, it probably would leave a mar on the tank like mech's plating, but the real concern was neither the structural nor aesthetic look of the wall or shoulder, it was what was directly around the corner from him.

The individual stood tall, resolute, unphased by the chaos of the turn, and haste of Breakdown's progress. Navy armor, bleeding into the surroundings like a shadow, edged in purple illumination that streaked and jolted over black plating like the circuits on a computers internals. They looked Breakdown in the eye height wise, but were thin, arching plates swooping up into the air at either shoulder like scythes, that then flowed into slender arms.

Soundwave.

The Third in Command did not seem to truly even care or consider the brute of a mech as a threat, merely taking a casual and well calculated step to the side while Breakdown blasted through to get to the declared emergency. He only just got out of being clipped, the featureless visor turning slowly to watch him pass and continue down the hall, evidently to assist his partner.

Soundwave watched for a moment as Breakdown departed, before gradually turning and starting to follow at a casual stride...

------

Knock Out and RGE-529 would turn the corner to see that the trail lead down the hall to the first of many four way intersections around the Nemesis. It was here that things took an immediate change.

What had been a repetitive pattern of splatters, suddenly stopped, pooling together into a mass that half looked painted onto the floor.

The right turn corridor would lead deeper into the Nemesis, hooking behind the Medical Bay and continuing past it to other sectors of the base and eventually the engine room. There were many branching paths leading out from this, and many can double back to the Medical Bay itself. The Energon on the floor here was a long smear, blue drug across the ground with gored edges like Flatline had stumbled and fell a moment. A few spatters were past this, flecked until the trail ran cold.

The left corridor would lead up towards the primarily elevators and the Control Room. It also had access to the high Command living quarters, and as with the other path could lead in a myriad of other directions. The Energon Trail here consisted of a few ragged smears and hand prints, clawing and clambering forward to lead down that direction. As with the right side, the spatters and small flecks would hastily vanish after a short distance.

Going straight would be the quickest path to get to the science wing of the Nemesis. The lower bowls of the ship where Shockwave's laboratory and other arrangements were located. It also had easy access to the storage rooms, and some living quarters for those that were higher up than typical Vehicons. The Energon marks here were swooping and broad, smeared thin with claw marks through them. A few pronged hoof prints were after it, turned around every which was as if Flatline couldn't decide what way to face. It was after a couple patterns that the trail also went cold.

In the center of the three paths was a puddle where many of the streaks were drawn from, the surface of the liquid not smooth, but rather rippled with some kind of grit or texture inside of it.

It was this area where Knock Out approached, and it is this intersection where Breakdown was charging. It was also where Skywarp would find himself teleported to...

Directly in front of Breakdown.

[Knock Out]

Time was a funny thing when you were panicking.

Everything had happened so quickly, and yet... Everything seemed so painfully slow all at the same time. Mostly because Knock Out hadn't expected anything like this... Not here, not on the safety of the Nemesis. Sure there had been incidents that'd scared him in the past - like Breakdown being taken by MECH, or incidents where the idiotic Autobots had gotten onto the ship, namely Bumblebee and Arcee... But nothing could've prepared him for what'd just happened – and in the Medical Bay, no less. He was honestly still trying to wrap his processor around it all, while trying to scramble into action about getting this entire thing resolved. Sure, he'd had training for when patients went berserk, there were times in the war when patients would come to him and lash out on the medical berth purely out of fear, but... That was to be expected from some of them. They were hurt. Scared. Lashing out like wounded animals.

Flatline, though? He'd... He'd been totally coherent when he entered the room. He'd seemed fine. He wasn't visibly injured. He wasn't in any notable pain. He'd seemed like himself. He had no reason to lash out! No reason to snap! From a medical standpoint, the cherry-red mech was frustrated, angry even, because he couldn't think of the top of his head what this could even be – not that he'd had much time to think at all with how fast this'd gone downhill. It'd gone from a standard medical procedure to being violently attacked in mere seconds!

If it weren't for the severity of the situation, he might've laughed, even! If only because of who this'd happened to – it always did make him smile at seeing Flatline mess up... But since he'd been on the receiving end of an attack, and seen just how crazy the other mech was? The thought of laughing hadn't even crossed his processor. There was a time and place, and this most definitely was not it. Especially now that Flatline was loose on the ship.

They were supposed to be safe up here on the Nemesis. It's where the majority of their forces were. It was where their Warlord was. It was where Knock Out was!! There was a part of him that briefly thought he'd been overreacting in calling out for help over the main comms channel, but... He had a bad feeling about all of this, and had acted on impulse. He'd rather get scolded by Megatron or Starscream for being overly careful and dramatic by waking people from recharge with his screeching, than not calling for help at all and have this end up being a hundred times worse - simply because he'd done nothing. Especially when he didn't know what the hell was wrong. Right now, as far as Knock Out was concerned? The ship wasn't safe.

He'd never seen anything like this that wasn't circuit-booster related – and the other Medic wouldn't even dream of touching those - so it ruled that out near instant.

He hadn't realized quite how fast Flatline could move until he found himself staring down an empty, silent corridor in dismay. Then again he was stupid to even think that Flatline would still be lurking nearby. The silence was honestly unnerving when confronted by it. And if it weren't for the telltale trail of Energon left by the injured Flatline? There were no raspy vented gasps, no screeches of pain from the other mech at being shot – so therefore was no clue as to where he'd gone. Which on a ship of this size? Could've been anywhere. He'd seen too many horror movies, and his processor began to jump to a million different scenarios - all seemingly worse than the last.

He didn't get to linger on his thoughts long however, as the Vehicon that'd had enough sense to come with him had charged on ahead. While Knock Out didn't mind this one bit, as it meant the other would be the first to run smack into Flatline? It also meant that Knock Out would be alone - which absolutely was NOT happening! Not with the uncertainty of everything that was going on! He would do his best to keep up, although would trail slightly behind as he charged around the corner. Energon prod clutched tightly in one servo, the other still shifted into a sawblade.

He'd garbled the two yells over the comm system so quickly that he hadn't even been thinking when he spoke, and now that he wasn't calling for help? Realized that he hadn't really... Reflected the severity of the situation with his frantic word-vomit. He briefly debated calling again, but the problem with the ship-wide comm was... Well, Flatline could, and would've heard the first one, and any others ran the risk of Flatline feeling trapped and cornered, thus making him more dangerous than he already was if he knew that everyone was out to get him.

He even wondered if anyone would take his yell seriously. He was known for his theatrics and dramatics so what's to say that this wasn't anything other than that?

He knew Breakdown would respond though, it was just a matter of waiting for him to either wake up from recharge and reply, or make a thunderous beeline straight to where Knock Out had told him to go.

Thankfully it seemed to be the former, and relief washed over him as he heard his partners voice over the comm; and while he recognized the tone of voice from the other mech as an order? It was far too late to do as Breakdown said, as he was now down the second corridor and - a quick side step later to avoid slamming into the back of RGE-529 who appeared to have stopped - was now staring at the various pathways, each with their own little trail of energon splattered everywhere.

Huh. Well so much for following the trail. Seems Flatline was smarter than he let on.

Which was annoying.

“Hey Knock Out, Sir, look at this,” RGE-529 had stopped for a reason aside from the trail splitting, and quickly bent down to look at the puddle that the streaks had been drawn from once Knock Out had caught up. “You ever see anything like this?” He reached out with one servo to touch at the weirdly textured Energon – only to yelp in surprise and flinch back as Knock Out smacked him upside the helm with the flat of the sawblade before he could poke at it properly. “Ow!”

“Don't touch that!” Knock Out snapped quickly. Energon wasn't supposed to settle like that. Healthy Energon, at least. “Just... Just leave it. We find Flatline, then I'll be taking samples of whatever that is, maybe it's a clue in what happened to him.” He muttered quietly. His response alone gave away that he really hadn't seen anything like this before. Maybe Flatline had? Oh wait! He was feral! Thanks Flatline.

Knock Out stood up straighter, the sawblade shifting back into his arm with a quiet hiss – replaced with his servo, which he'd place on his hip as he stared down each corridor in turn. RGE-529 stood bolt upright, aiming his weapon down each corridor, but making no other movements. All the corridors looked the same to him, each had a trail that ran cold after a few splattered marks – so at this point it was up to Knock Out to work it out. Either that or just guess and hope he got lucky.

Sadly, the Chief Medical Officer also had no idea which way Flatline could've gone, based off the trails. But he had to make a decision – and fast. Time really was of the essence here, because who even knew what Flatline was doing, and what he was even capable of in this awesome crazy state of his. He hummed in thought, as if calculating and working out what to do and where to go.

“We go that way,” He spoke confidently, and he'd start heading down the left corridor, removing his servo from his hip and shifting it into the sawblade once more. “Keep an optic out, keep your audials open, stay alert - and keep looking up.” He'd seen far too many Alien movies, and his first thought was that Flatline was infact crawling through the vents above them. Possible? Yes. Probable? Well, he'd find out soon. Either way, this path went to the Control Room – where he could hopefully gain access to the security monitors and find Flatline that way, rather than creeping through the corridors just waiting to be sprung upon.

They didn't make it down the corridor far before he heard the thundering footfalls of what he could only assume was his partner behind him. Three would be better than two at this, and he did want Breakdown's help, so would swivel on his heel to turn and face back down where he'd just come from... Just in time to see Skywarp teleport into the path of Breakdown.

Good thing he and RGE-529 had moved, because it was right where they'd been standing just a few short seconds ago.

Some good in the situation though - at least Skywarp had responded to the frantic call as well. Either that or he'd just happened to be teleporting around because he was bored, and was in the right place at the right time. Not that it mattered any - the other mech owed Knock Out a favor, so would be roped into this little search party if he wanted to do so or not. If he helped find and restrain Flatline? Maybe Knock Out would add another speed setting to that silly little drone of his.

Depending on how this went, of course.

[Breakdown]

     Breakdown was charging blind. Everyone knew to just get out of the way of the large brute unless they wanted to be plowed over or risk heavy damage for being careless enough to not take notice of the very loud thuds of the large blue brute as he barreled through the halls. Soundwave had been clever, moving to the side with all the grace of the slimy little parasite he was known to be, allowing for Breakdown to continue on without needing to stop for him- cause Primus forbid if someone managed to harm Megatron's prized snoop. Other than that brief encounter and some Vehicons who peeked out from their posts to see what the noise was. Point a, point b, nothing in between. Breakdown was free to charge without having to sorry about explaining anything more than some damage to corners here and there though nothing else.

     But then that was all ruined.

     The culprit who was the cause of it? Well, it was another who wasn't as careful- or rather, wasn't as aware. Not that he really ever seemed to be, not even in this situation when there was clearly something dire happening. The teleporting dork of the ship had managed to become the one obstacle that stood between he and Knock Out which was an unfortunate thing... for the both of them. 

     Which clearly was about to become worse. 

     With Breakdown's processor already on edge about needing to get to Knock Out and keeping him protected from the imminent danger running around somewhere on this ship, he was about as tightly strung as ever. So when that delicate little brick wall designated as Skywarp teleported in his path, Breakdown wasn't even paying attention since he hadn't really needed to, at least not until the last possible minute. Breakdown's optic widened for a moment then narrowed and he slammed on the brakes... as well as possible. For him? That wasn't very possible. The funny thing about objects being heavy and large that had a good bit of momentum behind them? They didn't exactly stop all that well. That lesson was one that Skywarp was about to learn.

     Breakdown collided into him hard, the resulting sound enough to rumble through most ( if not all ) of the Nemesis's halls. Once he had realized that neither of the two's frames were going anywhere, Breakdown took a step back and kept that stern, narrowed-optic gaze at Skywarp.

     "Get the frag outta my way, Skywarp! I don't have time for this..!"

     Okay, maybe Breakdown was a TAD bit more testy than normal, because before he finished the second statement? He was already taking a swing at the large seeker, more to get him out of the way, but it was a very convenient closed fist.

[Deleted]

Ow…

That was Skywarp's only thought in response to getting slammed into by a heavy shape seconds after coming outta warp.

It was painful, no doubt about that. But so were a lot of things and Skywarp had been through a considerable number of them. He was a large mech and because of this, that Breakdown's considerable mass and speed did not straight up bowl him over. He turned a confused and somewhat placid stare onto Breakdown -and it was Breakdown, the ground hugger- who has run into him.

He wasn't angry, not yet, more puzzled by this series of events. That was not long to last because first, the grounder had yelled at him and then, immediately had decided to throw a punch at the seeker.

Knock Out's distress message, the reason why the seeker had even teleported into the hallway, was promptly forgotten. Breakdown wanted to fight and that was a billion times more aligned to Skywarp's immediate destructive impulses than hunting down Flatline. For once, the seeker had not started a fight, so surely no one could blame him for it.

Breakdown's intention might have been to get Skywarp moving out of the way and not to hit the seeker at all. But Skywarp wasn't going anywhere, in his throttled processor, to move was to signal weakness, that he was intimidated by the mech. And Skywarp definitely had nothing to fear from a ground pounder, superior life form that he was.

So staying in place it was. Breakdown's fist crashed into Skywarp's armoured middle, beneath the glass of his alt-mode's cockpit. The armour held fine, a little dented perhaps, and while the blow hurt, it wasn't anything that was going to slow the seeker down.

"I'm not in your way, you need to watch where you're going!"

With that, Skywarp took a step forward and threw a punch of his own- directly at Breakdown's face.

[Knock Out]

Aaah, the sound of metal slamming against metal.

Knock Out could do nothing but flinch, recoiling some with his optics closed tightly as Breakdown and Skywarp collided with one another. Then again in Breakdown's defense, he had absolutely no chance of avoiding what'd just happened. Skywarp, though? Surely he had some way to tell that he was about to be teleporting into harms way. Or in this case, an overprotective and seemingly unstoppable charging big blue mech. Sure, he wasn't as big as Skywarp, but Breakdown had bulk!

As evidenced by the fact that when they did slam into each other? Neither of them even budged an inch. Just the echoing, painfully loud noise which probably alerted Flatline (wherever he was) to the fact that things were happening. Good job guys. It also meant that, hopefully, more Vehicons would be roused from recharge or directed this way from their patrols – if Knock Out's earlier frantic garble hadn't alerted them anyway.

Slowly, Knock Out would open his optics at hearing Breakdown's voice. He'd expected a knight in shining armor! His savior! Instead? He got a front row seat to his partner swinging his fist at the seeker.

Uh. Hello. We have an issue here. Flatli-- No, okay, you're going to punch Skywarp. Alright.

He'd flinch again as the fist made contact. Hopefully that would be enough to settle... Whatever this was, and then the four of them could split up and locate the bigger, more important issue here. Sadly it was not meant to be, as Skywarp didn't even seem to flinch – and then threw a punch of his own.

Knock Out knew better than to even attempt to try and get between the two larger mechs to break them up. That'd just be ridiculous, and he'd already been scratched today by a crazy-feral Flatline. He did not need more dents to his already marred frame. Especially dents caused by a fist attached to a mech that doubled his size and mass.

No, he knew better than that. Still, a verbal attempt would be made to get them to stop – even though he figured they probably weren't listening.

“Enough!!” He snapped. “When you two are done, we have a very real problem here,” He'd growl, shifting his sawblade back into his arm and moving his servo to his hip, the other holding the Energon Prod out toward the pair – as if to convey just how annoyed he was at them. He was so totally nonmenacing and unimposing, but his field indicated that he was furious. “Save your energy for taking down Flatline, then feel free to scrap like idiotic sparklings on your own time!”

RGE-529 just stood awkwardly as Knock Out scolded the pair. As entertaining as it was to see them punching the slag out of each other, 'cos who didn't love a good fight?! The fact of the matter was... Flatline was the priority here, and after what he'd seen? Everyone would need to be on their A-game and be paying attention – especially as he'd covered his tracks somehow and could be anywhere.

Knock Out tsk'd, snorting after he finished speaking. He couldn't help but wince, too, as fresh pain radiated through his systems from the scratches on his faceplate. Whatever. This had wasted enough time, and even though he was positively terrified at this point? He was going to keep doing his original task. He figured that, if anything, his next move would make Breakdown realize how serious this all was - and his partner would stop messing around and throwing punches and actually help.

“Either way, I am going to find Flatline.”

And with that, he would turn on his heel once more to continue down the left corridor. RGE-529 would follow, as he'd been commanded to do so earlier.

[Breakdown]

     Breakdown had expected that the mech would have tried to get out of the way of the punch, which was part of what he had been counting on. He just wanted Skywarp to move so he could keep going on to reach Knock Out. Instead the blow made contact. Okay, he could deal with that. Whatever, he would just keep going after that. But no, it wasn't going to stop at just that first sign of aggressive contact.

     Nope, instead Breakdown felt the impact of Skywarp's fist against his faceplate. His helm turned to the side slightly, pausing there for a moment as he processed what had happened. Really, the punch was nothing compared to what he was used to from the heavy wrecking ball fists of Bulkhead but that didn't mean that he didn't have as big of a problem with it. When he turned back to face the Seeker there was a look of pure hatred in his optics. Oh, now it was on. No one struck him and got away with it! If this mech was going to stand there in his way like this, Breakdown would just have to go -through- him...

     ... and have no qualms with it whatsoever.

     So Breakdown reared his fist back, ready to deliver a much more intended blow. If he didn't feel the first one? He was definitely going to feel this one. Only that blow would be one that would never be followed through.

     There was a voice of reason that arrived just in time to settle Breakdown's nerves, almost as sudden as they had been triggered. There stood Knock Out, fussing briefly about the situation and being as intimidating as he could be with his Energon Prod. That is, if you considered a tiny mouse shaking a stick at a bull to be intimidating since that was about the visual comparison one could have from the outside looking in. Breakdown was entirely focused on his partner, recalling then that had been the reason for why he was headed this way, and let his disgust towards Skywarp be swept under the rug ( for the time being, at least). Breakdown was more focused on what he was looking at. Knock Out wasn't.... Knock Out. He was busy staring at the marks on his face, the gashes that ruined the perfection his partner was so meticulous about. Something had happened...

     Flatline?

     'Scrap! I'm so stupid. That must have been...'

     There was no chance to ask. When Knock Out turned to leave, Breakdown finally moved and shoved past Skywarp- making sure to 'bump' Skywarp with his shoulder along the way- and followed after his partner.

     "Knock Out! Your faceplate..." Right, that probably was a sore subject. He wasn't going to play dumb about it. "Flatline, I assume. What's the situation?"

[Deleted]

There was no denying that Skywarp enjoyed a good fight. There was a real visceral pleasure in tearing into another mech. The seeker's response might have been out of proportion to Breakdown but all Skywarp felt was satisfaction.

Make that smug satisfaction, when Skywarp registered the look of loathing that Breakdown was giving him. Aw yeah, come on ground pounder, let's see what you're made of.

At the sight of the other mech's fist reared back, ready to strike, Skywarp flashed Breakdown a sharp grin, fully unrepentant that he'd punched a fellow Con.

Alas, it was not to be. Knock Out cut in, a voice of reason that Skywarp reeeeally didn't want to listen to. The seeker didn't look at him until Breakdown's attention shifted over to the medic. Shooting Breakdown one last sneer - he still wanted to beat the mech into the floor, the seeker finally looked at the reason why he'd teleported to this level and into Breakdown's way.

Wow.

Skywarp raised an optic ride, impressed, "Woah," he said, tone admiring as Knock Out started moving. "The spindly mech did that to you. Nice. I didn't know he had it in him."

Speaking of the spindly mech…something, something, oh yeah didn't they need to find Flatline? Skywarp had felt no impulse to follow Knock Out and Breakdown. His gaze briefly turned to the floor, at the energon spilt there then up as he took in the other passageways. He absently toed at the energon as he pondered his options.

Middle or right…which way to go…

Huh. That didn't feel quite right. The energon under Skywarp's foot wasn't entirely liquid, it was gritty instead. The seeker immediately removed his foot from it.

Ew, Skywarp wasn't usually bothered by gore but that energon was wrong. Having spilt plenty of it in his lifetime, Skywarp had a pretty solid idea on what it should feel like.

It was beginning to sink in now for him that something really wasn't right with Flatline. The spindly mech had actually straight up attacked Knock Out. To be honest, Skywarp didn't think much of the red medic as a threat, so ordinarily he wouldn't have regarded that as an impressive feat had it been anyone but Flatline that had done the deed.

Middle or right…

Skywarp shrugged and went down the middle on pure whim. Didn't think all that much about it, in the end.

"Here Flatly, Flatly," He crooned.

As he walked, Skywarp began to hum tunelessly to himself. He…wasn't going to be sneaking up on anyone.

[Zercon]

RGE-529 wanted to stay, he wanted to see what would happen with the two giant Cybertronian fighting, but he wouldn't be gifted such gratification. Knock Out had ordered him to come with, and now he was expected to follow the Chief Medical Officer and get back on task. Not that it was a task he WANTED, but... he would do as he was told, and had no intention of failing it. However, when Breakdown decided to give chase and follow, plans changed.

"Feel free to go down one of the other corridors, uh... Whatever your name is... Breakdown and I have this one covered. Maybe you can catch up to Skywarp or take the remaining corridor - the sooner we find Flatline the better, after all."

Giving a brisk salute to show he understood what was asked of him, the Vehicon turned heel and started to run back to the intersection where everything had gone wrong. As he neared, he saw Skywarp toeing at the Energon, trying to figure out what was wrong with it. This... made him nervous, and he wanted to point out how Knock Out said not to touch it, but he knew better than to instruct the teleporter. He heard plenty of stories about Skywarp, and he didn't want to get on his bad side.

It is because of this the Vehicon merely stayed put, and watched until Skywarp made his choice and started to depart. He was going to consider following him, to back him up knowing it wasn't needed ((since who would want to go alone?)) but the other Vehcions that had chased after Breakdown finally arrived. Their footfalls rang down the hallway, and RGE-529 perked up at the sound of his brethren coming, turning to look back in the direction of the Medical bay.

Choosing to leave Skywarp alone, RGE-529 would vanish down the third option, taking the others with him as he went.

------

Breakdown and Knock Out would begin to walk down the corridor towards the command wing. While the structure and construction of the Nemesis was consistent through its entirety, something about this part of the ship seemed nicer and far better kept, only contrasted by the pathways that lead to the control room that held a worn surface from seeing much use and even more cleaning.

There were no more clues to lead them, no more speckles of Energon, or coolant, nor any noises that betrayed Flatline's presence. Instead, the duo would be met with nothing but the hollow sound of the ships engine, and systems, able to converse or make a game-plan if they felt it needed.

------

Skywarp in contrast would have more luck.

There was a bit of a distance until he would see small flecks of Energon again. The soft illumination making the tiny drops stand out as small beacons in the dark, speckling every few yards. A scratch here, a smudge, whatever care Flatline had made to cover his path had quickly dissolved. When Skywarp turned the bend in the hallway, he would be able to see the mech in question.

Just... standing there...

A dark outline, not moving more than rattles of heavy ventilation.

Even Skywarp could piece together the level of 'wrong'.

[Flatline]

It hurt so bad...

Flatline walked... no... limped at a poor pace down the corridor, having bled away all of his fear and injury spurred 'adrenalin' to make his diversion. He had moved so fast to paint the Energon, and had tried to smear away the blue from his peds and stem the hole in his hip so that he didn't leave a trail, but it would only do so much. He didn't have the time and means to pull out his tools to weld or crimp shut the seared lines, for he knew his diversion had a chance of failing, especially when the entire ship was looking for him.

A call to arms, an alert, the black and red Mech snarled in a low growl as the Decepticon's general channel had activated with the call to arms. The underside of one of his eyes twitched up as a newfound venomous anger spurred upon hearing the words, stress and hostility coursing through his lines. He would make Knock Out pay for what he had just done, but he couldn't focus on that, he had to get somewhere safe, and get out of the halls where everyone would be looking for him. Get back to his lab and patch himself.

But... it was so hard to think... so hard to plan.

Flatline stumbled and limped down the hallway towards the science wing of the Nemesis, his stride wavering a bit from the garish wound on his side. His hips were composed of two of the wheels in his alt mode, the center of it holding the mechanisms for the actual hip assembly. The Vehicon's blast had torn into this wheel, and ripped out a hefty chunk of metal, leaving the rubber and rim badly damaged. The movement from running which pivoted his lower leg along this part of the 'track' caused the rubber to shred and rip up, now hanging in ragged tatters off the side of his hip. There was also raw metal exposed, all glazed with a healthy coating of Energon and coolant that smeared neon over black armor. This same Energon was also coating his hands, since he had used them to paint and smudge his abstract art back at the onset of the corridor. Most of it was wiped away, left on the floor in his wake, but a few mostly dry smears remained.

Flatline's hasty run had faltered, and he now just walked down the hallway at a casual pace, drifting lazily from one side to the other in a way that almost seemed inebriated. His posture was hunched, hooked forward with arms hanging slack from their joints to slump at his side. He didn't really seem to have a goal, his haste forgotten for now, that is until Skywarp's words could be heard down the way.

He would stop, helm crooking ever so slightly to listen for the heavy footfalls that neared. However, even when Skywarp would grow closer, and would be able to see him clearly, he still didn't turn, his frame rattling in heavy ventilations and stress.

[Knock Out]

Knock Out ignored Breakdown for the time being as he caught up. It was nothing personal. He was just so highly strung right now over everything that'd happened - and couldn't believe that his partner had opted to start a fight rather than do what he'd been called over to do, which was to rush to Knock Out's aid near instantly. Because of course, everything revolved around Knock Out - or at least he thought so. That and Breakdown had instantly drawn attention to Knock Out's faceplate when he spoke, which was... Not helping him stay calm, so he chose to stay quiet for right now.

Knock Out wouldn't address Skywarp directly, either, having already turned down the corridor - although would wave his sawblade dismissively above his head at Skywarp's words.

“Unfortunately for him, he did indeed,” He called out over his shoulder to the Seeker. “So be sure to be careful if, and when, you find him.” He didn't think Flatline had it in him either, but he wasn't sure of anything anymore after what he'd seen and encountered first hand.

He quickly realized that there were now three of them walking down one corridor, which was highly unnecessary. Although given that he'd seen Flatline take down three Vehicons moments earlier? The more the merrier. That being said, though, he did have Breakdown with him, who he knew could protect him against the lunatic that was Flatline. Plus Skywarp was no doubt off on his own, which... While Knock Out didn't care, he figured that RGE-529 was no longer needed with him and Breakdown, and could cover more ground if he was sent elsewhere. Or, he could buddy up with Skywarp, since traveling alone probably wasn't wise.

"Feel free to go down one of the other corridors, uh... Whatever your name is.” He didn't care to remember every single designation of every single Vehicon out there! “Breakdown and I have this one covered. Maybe you can catch up to Skywarp or take the remaining corridor - the sooner we find Flatline the better, after all."

Only after RGE-529 had made his way from the corridor, did Knock Out finally turn to his partner. The strong, almost confident field he'd been fronting would melt away and it'd reveal just how afraid he actually was. This was so far out of his comfort zone. He hated the frontlines, he hated combat in general. Mostly because there was a chance he'd get his perfect frame scuffed and scratched – and that'd already happened, so he was miserable.

“No, I did this to myself!” He smiled sarcastically, wincing as he did. “Yes, it was Flatline, Breakdown!!” That smile fading as he growled, deadpanning up at his partner. Really, Breakdown? Of all the stupid questions...

He couldn't help but be a sarcastic aft. He was on edge and tense – and now that Breakdown was here, he felt he didn't have to put up a facade and take charge of the situation like he had been trying to do with RGE-529. He'd snapped the reply because he was scared. He hadn't actually seen the wound inflicted, so had no clue as to just how bad it actually was - and was, of course, imagining the worst. All he knew was that it hurt. A lot. And would take a long time to repair itself to the perfect state it was in before, given the delicate nature of faceplates.

Flatline would pay for what he did.

He vented in sharply, trying to calm himself. He'd be no use to anyone all riled up. Not that he was much use in a combat situation to begin with, but at least he had his Energon Prod and could offer assistance to Breakdown should he need it. Or at least that was the plan, anyway.

“The situation is that Flatline has gone insane!” He replied in dismay. “He came to the Medical Bay feeling unwell. A few standard checks revealed he had some kind of blockage, and after I applied some numbing agent to actually start treating him? He snapped,”

He realized now that he was talking that... He hated the silence that surrounded them. These corridors were too damn quiet. He was on edge, gaze darting around constantly even though there was no other noise other than his and Breakdown's footfalls on the floor, and his own voice as he explained the situation. There was also the general hum and background ambience of the ship itself, but Knock Out was more than accustomed to that. 

“He arched up like some sort of deranged creature and LUNGED at me!” He shook his head, tightening his grip on the Energon Prod. “I've never seen anything like it. He tore the diagnostics cable right out of his neck and attacked me. He wasn't... Him. He took out three Vehicons, and now is loose somewhere on the ship - and Primus only knows where he could've gone!”

Speaking of... The further they made their way down this corridor, the more that Knock Out realized that Flatline probably hadn't actually come down this way. He was unsure if he wanted to continue – as appealing as hiding away in the Control Room and watching monitors was, he was the Chief Medical Officer and it was his job to diagnose and treat whatever had happened to Flatline.

He'd wait to see what Breakdown decided to do. Knock Out may have had rank here, but Breakdown was more level headed (punching Skywarp aside...) and would know what to do.

::Are you having more luck than we are, Skywarp?:: He'd comm to the Seeker. It wouldn't hurt to ask, after all.

[Breakdown]

     Breakdown knew the moment he had opened his mouth that he had made a big, BIG mistake. It was too late to correct himself and Knock Out was quick to flip into that frantic over the top attitude that he had about him. The way he looked at him and used that tone of voice made Breakdown flinch just slightly. He stood there, taking whatever Knock Out had to dish out to him for the foolish question. Yeah, Breakdown could have figured that he wouldn't have done that to himself, mainly out of how vain he was that drove him to be as cautious as possible to make certain his appearance was flawless. So, in a way, Breakdown kind did deserve it.

     This was certainly uncomfortable. It had been a while since Breakdown had been on the receiving end of this level of lashing, and it briefly took him back to a much less favorable time. Back when he would have had to fight the urge to smash Knock Out's helm in; when Knock Out took enjoyment out of poking him out of annoyance and spite and intentionally calling him by the incorrect designation. Back then he was trying to force Breakdown out by any means possible and his cruel words had no hidden meaning than 'get the scrap out'. 

     Coming back to the here and now? Breakdown just trudged after Knock Out when he had taken up walking again and going over the situation. Breakdown was silent the entire while, letting him get out what he needed. He was still paying attention, even if his processor was assessing the entire situation, but with what had happened with Flatline and just how serious things were. Knock Out had gotten scrapes and dents and lost chunks of paint before so the damage to his faceplate was not the only cause of Knock Out's lack of levelheadedness.

     Oh, it was clear as day to Breakdown. There was no hiding what was going on in his partner's head, even as he tried to hide it behind his sarcastic, loud tone. To ones on the outside looking in it would have seemed like a spat not unlike a level of degradation that Knock Out usually showed to the Vehicons on the ship. This was normal for them to see, to get out of the medic, but not for Breakdown; not anymore at least. But he knew the reasoning.

     His conjux was scared.

     'Fragging idiot...'

     Breakdown vented softly. This called for him to be as clear headed as possible. He had to keep his cool and try to bring Knock Out to a more reasonable level where he wouldn't be blinded by his fear or frantic actions. Breakdown knew he had already screwed up once by starting a fist-fight with Skywarp when his conjux was needing him at his side. He was going to do what he could to make up for it. When Knock Out went quiet, his digits indicating that he was sending a comm someone- who he didn't care- but when that was over? The big dark blue mech finally spoke and strategically planned his move.

     "It's alright, Knock Out. We'll find him." Breakdown stepped forward with longer strides so that he was at the side of the smaller mech and reached out, delicately brushing the back of his index digit over the back Knock Out's servo. It wasn't anything more than a small indication through a minor touch that he was here. Sometimes that was all Knock Out needed to reset himself. "I'm here now. Flatline won't get to you again. You're safe."

     'And when I find him, he'll be lucky if I don't rip him limb from limb for what he did...'

[Deleted]

Oh hey, more energon.

The trail had run thin several steps down the mouth of passageway. There had been large splashes early on that quickly dwindled to nothing as Skywarp walked. He hadn't minded and kept going, it had been the same case for the other passage which he had not taken.

Covering more distance however soon showed that his decision had been the correct one. Small flecks of energon dotted the hallway now. Skywarp's absent-minded humming shifted tone, to a more interested state. It looked like he was on the right path.

Then Skywarp turned the corner and there Flatline was, standing still in the middle of the hallway like the creep he was.

Yup, definitely on the right path.

The spindly mech didn't look all that great. Someone had put a hole in him. Huh, kinda looked like Knock Out might have given as good as he got. Wasn't this turning into an evening of surprises.

Skywarp observed Flatline for a curious second. The spindly mech was just…standing there, not doing anything. The seeker knew that he hadn't been quiet -and even if he had, his weight and footsteps would have been sure to give him away.

And-

The thought to contact anyone else -not for help, since Skywarp rarely ever asked for it, but to announce that Flatline had been found- never occurred to the seeker. Not that it mattered, Knock Out's voice soon crackled over his comm lines. For the moment, Skywarp ignored the red medic, concentrating on his next move.

Nor did it occur to him to order Flatline to stand down or to explain himself, or attempt to communicate whatsoever with the spindly mech.

He shifted weight then shrugged to himself, deciding to let his actions do the talking. Skywarp lowered his left shoulder and charged directly at the stationary figured in the middle of the hall. It didn't matter to him that Flatline was coated in energon and it probably was as gross as the stuff he'd stepped in the hallway. The seeker really, really just wanted to fight someone and having been denied Breakdown as an outlet, the spindly mech would do just fine.

Hey Knock Out had said that Flatline needed to be restrained. Breaking a few limbs would be adequate, right? He'd get back to the medic once he'd brought Flatline down.