Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Wildbreak was crying. Again.

It was 2:30 in the goddamn morning. Knockout needed to get rest. He was overseeing mine operations tomorrow, and Primus forbid the Autobots show up. Otherwise, he would need every lick of energy to function between battle and fixing up Vehicons.

"Not again..." Knockout grumbled, and ran a hand down his face, trying to drown out the sounds of sobs and cries.

They. Wouldn't. Stop. They just got more louder and desperate.

Pushing himself out of bed begrudgingly, and, trying not to trip over various things in the dark, Knockout walked into Wildbreak's room.

He was standing up, hands on the crib's edge for balance, and his optics were bright and filled with tears. Wildbreak whined as soon as Knockout came into view and reached up to him.

"Shhh shhh it's okay I'm here." Knockout cooed, hauling him up. He cradled the tiny sparkling, and noticed how his optics were always searching around the room worriedly. As if he were trying to find someone.

Particularly, Breakdown.

Ever since his death, Wildbreak had been acting...different. He'd wake up every night crying. He'd refuse to eat. He'd always seem distant during the daytime. He would even push Knockout away when he comforted him, and try and search for his dad.

It broke Knockout's spark.

"He's not here Breaky."

Wildbreak's optics snapped to him, wide and filled to the brim with tears.

"He...had to go somewhere for awhile." Knockout's voice hitched in sadness and his intake tightened.

Wildbreak picked up on the change in mood and whimpered, burying his helm deeper into Knockout's chest. He hiccuped wetly.

Knockout patted Wildbreak's back gently.

"We'll see him someday again." He offered, bouncing his son lightly in an effort to get him to nod off.

Wildbreak clung to Knockout's armour with tiny clawed-servos, making it so that Knockout couldn't put him down if he even wanted too.

His tiny cheeks puffed out, tears streaming down his faceplates, and a loud sob exploded from his mouth.

Knockout exhaled tiredly, and walked back to his berth with a crying Wildbreak still in his arms.

It was going to be one of those nights.

Knockout sat on his berth and rocked Wildbreak slowly.

"Hey it's gonna be alright bud. We'll see him again someday. I promise." Knockout whispered. He wiped away tears from Wildbreak's cheeks, and he stopped crying abruptly. Wildbreak stared up at Knockout and mewled, curling into Knockout's chest and sticking his thumb into his mouth. He hiccupped again, sniffling.

Knockout smiled sadly, patting the small sparkling's back in a soothing rhythm.

Wildbreak's eyes fluttered shut, and Knockout sent waves of reassurance and love over his EM field, trying to ease him into sleep. It seemed to work. Wildbreak sucked his thumb, pressing himself closer to Knockout's chest, listening to his spark.

Knockout laid down on his berth, carefully placing Wildbreak beside him and draped an arm around his precious bundle. Wildbreak stirred. Knockout held his breath, praying to primus that Wildbreak didn't start wailing again and only went back to sleep and-

Primus must have heard his prayers. Wildbreak fell still again, giving out a small grumble.

Knockout stared down at his son, spark clenching in grief.

Other than the memories, Wildbreak was the only thing Knockout had left to remember Breakdown by. And he was going to protect him with his life.

Knockout sighed, and pulled Wildbreak's form closer to his side.

"Goodnight Wildbreak." He murmured, and, he too, fell into a deep recharge.

Chapter Text

Knockout was panicking. He was panicking very very badly. 

He didn't panic for no reason. He never panicked unless it was about his finish. 

But this time, it wasn't about his finish. 

It was about something more important and more valuable then his looks. 

Wildbreak was missing. 

"Find anything yet?" Knockout called worriedly over his shoulder. He heard Breakdown grunt in answer. 

No. He hadn't. 

"Where'd you last see him?" Breakdown asked. He stomped over to him and kept an eye out for the missing sparkling. 

Knockout thought for a moment. He'd left Wildbreak sleeping in his crib and went to go get a datapad from the other room. Wildbreak didn't look like he was gonna wake up anytime soon, so Knockout assumed it would be okay. One minute, Wildbreak was there. The next minute, he was gone. Poof. Vanished. 

Knockout sighed, pinching the metal between his optics. 

"His crib. That's where I last saw him. I put him down so I could get something." 

Breakdown thought for a moment, before his optics widened. His face darkened considerably. 

"Do you think the Autobots took him?" He growled, hands transforming into hammers. Knockout shook his head, pushing down Breakdown's weapons. 

"If they did, somebody would have noticed a crying bitlet. Plus, Soundwave would've caught something by now." 

Breakdown hmmed, but didn't look convinced. Instead, he looked angrier. 

Knockout pulled away, and snapped his fingers, trying to come up with an idea. Wildbreak didn't like to be alone. He hated it. Wildbreak was an attention hog, and loved being around other people so they could coo at him and cuddle with him. 

So why would he disappear now? 

Knockout inspected the crib again. Maybe he missed something important, like a clue to where Wildbreak went. 

His blankets were tousled and messy, but his crib looked undamaged and untouched for the most part. 

Where could he have went? 

He was nowhere near tall enough to reach his door controls and open his room, and he wasn't brave enough to climb out of his crib on his own. It just didn't add up. 

Knockout pondered while Breakdown looked in one of the cupboards nearby, almost ripping the small door off its hinges. 

"Easy big guy." Knockout tried to calm Breakdown's nerves, but it was hard when his own were shot and worried. 

Breakdown knelt down to look in the dark space. 

'Please let Wildbreak be okay when we find him.' Knockout thought worriedly, moving over to Breakdown so he could help search. 

He turned on his headlights so Breakdown could see. 

"Did you loo-" 

Beep beep! 

Both Knockout and Breakdown froze. That was a car horn. 

A small engine rumbling reached Knockout's audio receptors. 

Beep! 

It was coming from the main living space. Spark pounding, Knockout took off to the room, Breakdown close behind him, and right smack dab in the middle of the living area was a small, blue race car. 

It beeped again and did a small donut, flicking it's headlights happily at Knockout and Breakdown, whose jaws were dropped.

"Wildbreak!" 

Breakdown crashed to his knees and opened his arms, a large relieved smile spread across his face. Wildbreak gave a happy titter, speeding over to Breakdown and transforming onto wobbly feet. He fell down onto his aft, but Knockout was too proud to care at that moment. 

"He can transform! And into a sports car, no doubt from my side." Knockout teased as Breakdown picked up Wildbreak and held him close. 

Wildbreak giggled at Knockout and buried his face into Breakdown's chest armour. 

"I was hoping he'd be a heavier vehicle type." Breakdown grumbled, but he didn't sound disappointed. He sounded as, if not more, prouder than Knockout was. 

Knockout smiled warmly.  

Chapter Text

Wildbreak drove down the dimly lit highway, headlights on high so he could see the dark area around him. His tires bumped up at the occasional lip in the road, and sand painted his alt-mode a thin layer of brown. 

He slightly sped up and tilted his mirrors to see if anyone...anyone was following him. The red glare from his tail-lights reflected on the mirrored surface, but he couldn't see any familiar looking alt-modes speeding after him in a frenzy. 

Good. 

He could use a little alone time. 

Motormaster was upset with them. Again. The whole train thing was just a disaster waiting to happen. Just so Motormaster could be the 'fastest on the road' quote on quote.  

Wildbreak scoffed. Motormaster already was the fastest thing on this mud ball planet. 

Wildbreak suspected Motormaster was just looking for excuses to cause trouble. 

And they all ended up failing. Again. Those stupid Autobots showed up, kicked their sorry afts, threw them off the train, and saved fleshy town. To add insult to injury, Motormaster was very very angry with them after they'd failed, yet again, another mission.

"Shoulda stayed on Cybertron." Wildbreak muttered. Knockout had warned him Motormaster was hard to work with. He should've listened. 

After their punishment, Drag Strip and the others all sulked in an abandoned garage nearby. Wildbreak saw his opportunity to strike out for a few Earth hours and be by himself. He tapped random coordinates into their groundbridge, found the most unused road there, turned off his signal so the Autobots couldn't find him, and set off speeding through the bridge towards his destination. 

Man, was Motormaster gonna be mad when he got back. He didn't like anybody that wasn't him using the groundbridge for any purpose. 

Wildbreak just wanted to get as far away from his team as fast as possible. 

Wildbreak's wheels jerked, and the pavement beneath his wheels became an unkept gravel road. The rocks stuck between the small grooves in his tires, and Wildbreak grimaced at the feeling. 

The air was still, the Earth's moon hanging high in the sky, and the stars twinkling against the black blanket of night. The desert around Wildbreak was empty and flat, with a few tall rocks in the distance that closely resembled mountains. A few dead bushes dotted the landscape, but all in all, it was devoid of all life. 

Devoid of life. Kinda like Cybertron during the war. 

Wildbreak shivered. 

He'd been told the stories when he was younger, way too young to know any better.  He'd been told of a time when Cybertron was full of life and wonder, and every Cybertronian lived in harmony together.  Wildbreak wished he was back as a sparkling, being cradled in Breakdown's arms, and listening to his stories, optics filled with amazement as he imagined a world other than the grey, bland walls of the Nemesis he was forced to live in.  

When it came time for everyone to return to Cybertron, Wildbreak was a little older.  He was expecting Cybertron to be exactly what Breakdown and Knockout described; beautiful, huge buildings, teeming with alien life. 

What he got was crumbling buildings, flat barren landscapes, and decaying structures.  And then, on top of all that disappointment and bitterness, he was thrown in the brig with Knockout and a handful of troublemaking Vehicons. Knockout managed to convince the Autobots to let him out, as he was only a growing bitlet and he really couldn't do any harm.

They watched him like a hawk, waiting for him to slip up and make a mistake so they could throw him right back into the cell with his fellow Decepticon scum.  Everywhere he went, he was met with scrutinizing gazes and frowns.  He got to see some of his favourite Vehicons though, and he worked alongside them until Knockout was released during the whole 'Unicron reincarnated as Megatron' fiasco. Then, he trailed behind Knockout everywhere he went. 

At least he felt safe with him, unlike those Autobots. 

Something dark and huge came over a small hill.  And the mass was approaching fast.  

To be fair, he was going 140 mph. 

"Woah!" 

Wildbreak locked up his wheels and skidded across the gravel, spraying up small rocks and kicking up dust. He wasn't going to stop in time, the nearest building was so close, he could see the charred burnt material with his headlights. Wildbreak transformed, landing on his side, and grit his teeth as the sting of rock scratched against his metal. 

He stopped just before the tip of his pede touched the building.  Wildbreak sighed in relief. 

That would have hurt if he hit that full speed. 

Wildbreak pushed himself up and brushed off his legs, picking out a small rock lodged into his metal.  A definite dent was on his thigh, and he grimaced. 

"Ouch."

Knockout would have had a hay day with him if he saw that. 

Wildbreak looked up at the broken building, dark with ash and charred from intense heat. 

Curious now, Wildbreak walked around the structure, and found even more buildings in even worse conditions.  Some buildings were missing completely, only a few large boulders left in their place. There was no longer a sand mixture beneath his feet, and instead it was cobblestone. Sand blown over from the desert lay on top of it. The surrounding buildings were crumbling and falling apart, and they were even more burnt than the one he almost ran into.  A strange monument sat in the middle, and it was broken near the top. Powerlines were down, and some were completely snapped in half, as though something large ran into them. 

"Who did this?"

Wildbreak had a vague idea of what might've happened.  Considering the severity of damage to the buildings and surroundings, a scuttle between the Autobots and Decepticons probably happened when the war was still going on.  

Something shiny caught his eye.  When he looked, it was a metal part, shiny even through the layer of dust that caked everything.  He approached it cautiously, spark pounding in his chest for no apparent reason.   Something about this place just didn't sit right with him. 

Wildbreak picked up the piece and turned it over. Dried energon encrusted the entire bottom, and Wildbreak dropped it.

"Gah!"

It clattered noisily against the ground. 

Something bad happened here.  Something very bad. 

Cold fear ran through him, and a strong urge to run away almost made him transform that very instant. 

But curiosity ate away at him, and he wondered what actually happened. 

Wildbreak scooped up the metal again.  It was dark blue in colour, purely dark blue, and there were no highlights on it.  The energon was old and crusty, and flaked at his fingertips.  Wildbreak gagged at the feeling. 

He may be a medic's son, but that didn't mean he liked to see or feel energon. 

Wildbreak set the metal down, and he stepped over it towards a building much larger than the others.  It seemed to have sustained the most damage in whatever happened. The walls were crumbling and weathering down. He tiptoed through the 'doorway', his spark beating even faster now. 

He could fit inside; it seemed to be an old cargo building, and the roof was blasted off.  The southern wall was completely gone, and so was the one at his left side.  The right side was horribly damaged, and it curled outwards, leaning against another building close by.  

Wildbreak took another step, and his foot met empty air.  There was no floor. 

"Scrap!" His voice echoed throughout the empty space, and he scrambled backwards.  When he was calmed down enough, Wildbreak peeked over the edge. 

The bottom was only a few feet drop, and Wildbreak could easily step down without any damage. 

The moon shone through the roofless building and illuminated the hole with a pale light.  There was a broken, rusty railroad track and it seemed to look melted to the floor.  Some of them were twisted up, others were moved to the side.  It was creepy. 

Wildbreak soon found himself in a curved sort of tunnel, with the broken, melted tracks leading somewhere. The walls had chunks missing, and broken pipes leaked mushy brown water onto the ground.  

The lights were broken, and he was forced to turn on his headlights to avoid tripping over anything in the dark.  His headlights brightened up the tunnel and bathed everything in white light, and Wildbreak found himself relaxing.  One of the rusted pipes chose that moment to gurgle and spew out a mass of greyish brown goop.  It slopped on the ground. 

Wildbreak could swear it was moving. 

"Blegh." Wildbreak gave a disgusted look at the sludge pile, and kept going. He made sure to jump over the goop though.  No telling what was in it, so Wildbreak decided to not test fate. 

The tunnel turned slightly up ahead. 

He came across a broken down brick wall, completely destroyed with only a few sad bricks left laying on the ground.  Through the wall was a sort of operation room.  There were monitors everywhere, a grey Cybertronian medical berth with straps for the feet and hands, and a few pieces of metal were laying haphazardly around the room.  Painful looking torture devices hung from the ceiling, and some were on the ground and curled over the berth.   

Wildbreak thought he stumbled upon an old Decepticon base. 

'No it can't be' Wildbreak mused, approaching the berth.  There was energon stained all over it, dried up and faintly glowing.  Wildbreak ran a hand along the edge of the berth, energon flaking under his fingers. He cringed at the feeling. 

'The Decepticons only had the Nemesis as their base...they wouldn't need another one.' 

Maybe it was an old Energon mine that ran dry, and while they were mining, they used it as a base of operations instead of going back and forth between the two areas.  But still, that didn't make sense.  They always bridged back and forth between the Nemesis and energon mines.  Wildbreak drew his hand back, studying the energon running down the sides of the berth.

"Boy, whoever was strapped to this had a bad day."

Wildbreak grimaced at himself for making such a horribly bad, morally wrong joke. 

Wildbreak set his sights on the monitors.  Now that didn't make sense. 

The monitors were small, too small for a Cybertronian to handle.  Unless they were a Minicon, like Lazerbeak, but Wildbreak remembered never seeing him leave Soundwave's chest except for recon. 

There were teeny tiny platforms running up and down from the computers and stairs connected them to the ground.  Some of them were broken, twisting away as though something deliberately smacked it. 

That's when his energon lines froze.

The monitors, the platforms, the stairs...they were all made for humans to walk across and manage. 

Wildbreak snapped his head over to the berth again. 

That means some humans captured a Cybertronian-captured a Cybertronian-and somehow managed to get them on the berth and strap them down. 

Wildbreak's head reeled, and he swayed.  That didn't make any sense either!

The humans were tiny, teeny tiny beings who could be crushed at any moment.  They were fragile, didn't have a protective outer shell, and worst of all they didn't have metal.  They were just...meatbags filled with blood and organs!

And somehow they managed to capture a live Cybertronian. 

"Must've been a weak Cybertronian!" Wildbreak exclaimed to himself, hand on his confused head.  

He thought about leaving. After all, he was considered a weak Cybertronian, and if fleshies could strap down a strong one to a flimsy table, then he stood no chance.

But there was a fine layer of dust coating everything, and nothing suggested the humans were even around anymore.  There was a few little pawprints from rodents crawling around in the tunnel, and other than that there was no signs of human activity. 

His frame relaxed. 

Now, with the threat of humans bearing down on him with flashlights and guns gone, he was more curious.  The fear disappeared, and he only wanted to know who the Cybertronian was, and what they did to them. 

He tread over to the biggest blank monitor, and pressed the tiny power button gently with the tip of his finger.

"Must have been an Autobot..." Wildbreak mused as the screen hissed static and pinged to life. 

That would be ironic.

The only thing on the black screen was a folder in the middle.  There was a name under the brown folder.  It read Project Chimera.

"Project Chimera?"

Okay, this was definitely a human base.  They always named everything weird names.  

Wildbreak tapped on the screen, hoping he didn't accidently break it with his finger.  Nothing happened.  He tapped again and again.  Nothing. 

And then he saw a small round piece of plastic on a felt pad.  It was connected to the computer. 

Humans.  Always making everything more difficult than it needed to be. 

Wildbreak took the small contraption and maneuvered it on the felt pad.  There was a small pointer on the screen, and he clicked it on the folder.

The screen blew up in a flurry of white.  Subfolders upon subfolders greeted him, and Wildbreak groaned. 

"More searching..." He grumbled, using the small roller thing on the plastic to scroll down the folder page.   

Near the middle was another sub folder named Live Sample. 

This had to be it. 

Wildbreak was expecting documents and maybe some photographs and a few pie charts or whatnot. 

Nope. 

Videos.

There were tons of them, labelling from Log 467 all the way to Log 500. 

Wildbreak scrolled through them with wide eyes. 

The pictures varied on the videos, but they always had a gruff looking human on the front. He was wearing some sort of skintight black outfit, and his face was riddled with scars. He always took up the screen, and sometimes you could see more humans in the background, but they were all wearing masks with large goggles. 

Yet you couldn't see who or what they were working on behind the man's back. 

Wildbreak could see the tip of a pede, and that didn't really tell anyone anything about identity. 

"Let's see who the unlucky bot was." Wildbreak muttered, and he selected the very first log. 

The screen disappeared and a loading bar popped up. It loaded rather quickly. The human's face greeted him on the large screen, and Wildbreak jumped back. 

This is Log 467. 

My name is Silas and I lead a group dedicated to helping the world move forwards in robotics and electronics. We strive to push the known limits of man, and in turn, we gift the world with new technology that nobody else can make. 

How you may ask? 

3 years ago, my team picked up strange radio frequencies coming from outside our Solar System. We tracked them and found similar frequencies on Earth. 

We had found Aliens. Not the sort you see on TV programs about Area 51, but actual aliens with amazing tech that was waiting to be harvested. 

Cybertronians. 

My friends, let me introduce to you one of these Cybertronians. 

The fleshy-Silas-moved out of the way. 

Wildbreak could feel his spark stop. Literally, it stopped. 

On the berth, strapped down and spitting insults, was...Breakdown.