Loose Ends Will Make Knots

Megatron walked in, with absolutely no shame whatsoever, re-entering their lives with bloodied rents in his armor that he mostly ignored, a sneer on his face, and a confident stride that showed clearly that he felt every right to come there and make demands, the clearest proof that he had not learned a single thing after all.

Not that Knock Out had needed any more proof than-- well, than common sense, really. But if that somehow had not been enough, the knowledge that torture didn't reform a narcissistic abuser, the way he had yelled at and physically intimidated Starscream even while proclaiming himself put off of oppressing people had certainly already put paid to the idea that he would change.

Knock Out had a feeling that he'd never understand or want to understand anything he was actually doing wrong... and, even more frightening a thought, sie suspected that if Optimus had lived, he never would have, either. Not what he himself had done wrong: What Megatron had.

And what it came down to, unfortunately, was a resurrected Megatron swanning around the planet until right this moment, when he walked right into the Nemesis once more and into the now-Autobot base that it had become, and had given Ultra Magnus, Bumblebee, and Arcee an unimpressed, slightly amused look when they pulled blasters on him.

"I was expecting a warmer welcome," he mocked.

"State your business," Ultra Magnus said, stiff and professional as she always was, but -- now that Knock Out had gotten more used to her -- noticeably cold.

"I require your doctor's assistance," and the blunt words were so sure, Megatron was so certain that he was entitled to it that Knock Out, who had taken several steps back when he'd entered the room like a nightmare, almost laughed in disbelief.

"And what makes you think I have any interest in saving your sheet metal?" Ratchet's dismissiveness was, quite frankly, a pleasure to behold; sie didn't even seem all that angry, there was outright disinterest there, like the microseconds it took for Megatron's words to translate from audio receptors to processor were a disappointing waste of time.

"Oh, but I'm sure that Optimus will want it," Megatron said, affecting surprise -- or maybe he was surprised, even, but he was so obviously pleased with himself at the same time, there was always that self-aggrandizement there. Megatron was not only the main character in his own head, he was one of the only two important characters to exist -- he, himself, and Optimus Prime. "A gesture of goodwill, for our improved relationship. I knew I could depend on Autobot kindness, after all."

Ratchet snorted outright at that. "Autobot kindness, perhaps. But not from me. I have buckled under to any number of things Optimus wanted -- but not that."

"Not from me, either." Bumblebee's battlemask, put away since he had gotten his voice back, had snapped up again in instinctive terror the moment Megatron had entered, even as he had transformed out his blaster. It was still trained on Megatron, his arm tense. "Optimus might have forgiven you, before--"

But Knock Out had seen where this would go. Sie knew Megatron, at least better now than sie had, and sie could take his measure to a certain degree, and he had walked in here presuming on them and believing that Optimus Prime was still alive. What would a man whose only two important people in his universe were himself and Optimus do if he found out Optimus was dead? Sie had seen his rages, and blasters trained on him or not, five against one or not, he might just kill them all, especially if the others weren't expecting it.

More than that, he felt entitled to demand medical treatment of them, and he did not so easily admit to weakness. He must be more hurt than he was letting on, and he arrogantly believed they would not press that weakness, would not take advantage...

Knock Out was stepping forward the moment Bumblebee mentioned Optimus's name; it was only luck that Ratchet hadn't referred to the Prime in the past tense, much less said "Optimus is dead," and Bumblebee would almost certainly out with it. It was a pretty major thing. Though it took a lot for hir to approach Megatron again, sie tried not to let even a hint of that show, smiling reassuringly and ingratiatingly.

"Now, now! Let's not be hasty, he has a very good point. Lord-- ah, I mean, Megatron. I would be happy to patch up these wounds of yours. You even forgave me, after all," sie looked around to the other four, meeting their amazed (and, in Bumblebee and Arcee's cases, somewhat betrayed) expressions, chipper and blinking guileless at them, "And it would be cruel to deny any noncombatant medical treatment. And I'm sure Optimus will be pleased to see him when he gets back from patrol."

Bumblebee's eyes widened, but his jawdrop wasn't visible with his battle mask up, fortunately. Knock Out wasn't being obvious about it, per se, but even over the short time that they'd gotten to know hir... Well, it was obvious at least to him that sie was mugging wildly right now, and he didn't dare glance at the others to see if they realized it, too, but his blaster aim wavered.

"As simpering as ever, Knock Out," Megatron sneered, because of course 'reformed' didn't mean he could show a scrap-shaving's appreciation for a former Decepticon expressing potential loyalty and speaking up on his behalf. He stepped forward, far too much into Knock Out's space all of a sudden, looming over hir, and sie didn't have to fake her flinch, and sie gave ground again despite herself. Then again, he obviously enjoyed that sort of thing, so giving in might have made hir safer. Sick thought. "Still chasing after scraps of Autobot kindness. If they actually trust you to do medical work..."

Ratchet turned away, abruptly, turning hir back on Megatron and the way he was intimidating Knock Out and the entire proceedings, symbolically washing hir hands of the whole thing. "Well, if Knock Out wants to work on you, you're welcome to one another. I certainly won't do it. Whatever Optimus might say when he returns."

"...Mm," Knock Out managed, impressed despite the sick spin of hir spark, the way Megatron tore down everyone around him and went after weaknesses, and was completely, obliviously delusional as ever. Delusional, and dangerous. Ratchet's act was a damn good one, even if the effect of being around Megatron again was such that even just a few minutes of this made Knock Out second guess how much of that Ratchet might actually mean.

Just get through this. One moment at a time.

"Ultra Magnus?" Knock Out glanced over to her, and the Magnus looked a little lost, but her expression was mostly schooled and she put away her blaster with a stiff nod towards Knock Out.

"Permission granted."

Arcee put her blasters away, too, finally, eyes narrowed and displeased, expression and body language closing off as she moved away from Megatron, closer to Bumblebee. As if she couldn't stand to be near him and wanted to protect Bee both, which was probably true. And Megatron brushed confidently past Knock Out, leaving hir to scurry after him, clasping hir hands nervously. Sie didn't have to fake that, either. And it didn't escape hir that it was a posture sie had seen many times over before, in Starscream.

"Frag him." That exploded out of Bumblebee, quiet but desperate, almost immediately after the door hissed closed behind Knock Out. Then he looked over to Ratchet's back, then towards Ultra Magnus, uncertain. "...Is sie going to be okay back there?"

Ultra Magnus looked troubled, frowning towards the closed door in concern. "I'm not certain," she admitted.

"He'll be more suspicious if any of us head back there with hir," Ratchet muttered, continuing on with hir work, but the panels of hir back were tense with hir own anger and concern. "Let hir work."