Monkey See 2

Monkey See 2

A Transformers Prime Fanfiction

Oddity

    “Special Agent Nakadai is actually on a training mission,” Jackson Darby was explaining to Smokescreen as he obligingly held up his arms for the decontamination spray. “She wanted to come and sent messages for all of you but this newest batch of recruits wasn’t up to her standards –“
    Knockout gave a derisive snort as he approached with his medical clipboard in hand. The human shot a glance at the display screen and let a look of irritation twist his face for the briefest of moments before it smoothed back into the professional smile Jack usually wore when dealing with the medic.
    “Good to see you Doctor. Here to make sure I am not carrying any nasty viruses I take it?” Jack greeted Knockout.
    “Can’t be too careful with such a small population,” Knockout confirmed. “One little virus could wipe us out; accidently or otherwise.” The implied, almost-accusation aimed at humans in general was coated in honeyed tones and the former Decepticon wasn’t sure if it had gotten a reaction out of the human or not so he tried another track. “Not up to Wrecker standards eh?” he asked with a smirk. “I take it they still have some survival instincts left?”
There might have been a flash of irritation at the more pointed and personal barb but Jack merely chuckled.
    “It is more the integration with the neural interfaces and technical control of the exo-suits that has Agent Nakadai concerned,” he explained. “Ratchet was actually hoping to get your feedback on some of the issues.”
    “Always glad to do my part to build friendly relations with more primitive species,” Knockout agreed aloud. And get a chance to actually get a rise out of you, but you never make it easy. Like father like son as they say.
    The Last Prime’s stoicism had been a byword by the end of the war. That was what had made trying to get a reaction out of him such fun, save for the times when Knockout inadvertently succeeded. He suppressed a wince as he remembered the screech of rending metal as his door panel had been torn off of his arm. Such an annoying ending to what had been an enjoyable evening of racing. Optimus’s overreaction made perfect sense now, hindsight and twenty-twenty as the humans said. Jack had been in danger, and from what juicy bits of gossip the doctor had gleaned over the intervening years, in danger due to disobeying the Prime’s explicit instructions. In retrospect it was enough to send any Guardian into a rage. Still, such moments had been rare. While the little human in front of him didn’t have nearly that level of control yet it was painfully clear that he was striving to imitate Optimus. Sometimes Knockout wondered if the Autobots and their human allies knew that he was aware of the bond between Jack and the Prime, but they had never brought the subject up and the former Decepticon sure as the pit wasn’t going to, no matter how well the little organic mimicked his Guardian.
    Case in point; that last snide remark had failed utterly to get a reaction. Note to self, insulting the human race as a whole doesn’t get a rise out of Little Primeling. As soon as the decontamination session ended Jack leapt lightly to the surface of the examination table. Smokescreen was glaring irritably at Knockout who simply flicked his plating in amused indifference.
    *These first years are critical to building our relationship with the humans and therefore the rest of the organic species in the galaxy!* the temporary head of the Elite Guard nearly growled over the comm.
    *Oh get off your high horse Autobot,*Knockout replied, his plating flicking in amused exasperation. *I know for a fact that you spend a good deal of your time getting ‘fun’ reactions out of him.*
    * I do not!* Smokescreen puffed out his armor aggressively even as he helped towel off his human friend. *I have nothing but respect for-*
    *Starsaber,* Knockout cut him off mid tirade lacing the word through with glyphs for ~fun~, ~irresponsibility~, and ~adventure~.
    It had the desired effect. Smokescreen clamped down his plating and field in shame even as his ministrations to the human grew more careful at the memory of the fiasco. To his credit Jack pretended to not notice the silent interaction.  
    “So anyway we have a rep from Opticorp here this time,” Jack was saying as he pulled on the jumpsuit adorned with his official rank as both a West Point Cadet and the ambassador responsible for two entire planets.
    “Another improvement in spring energon purification?” Knockout inquired.
    “No,” Jack replied with a wide grin. “More energon treat recipes along with music contracts.”
    “I’m a bit surprised that your government is giving Raf’s little business such a monopoly,” Smokescreen interjected with a frown. “I mean it’s not a very big corporation yet. Raf only started it because Abulita wanted to protect his interests.”
    “Every contract they give to Opticorp means fewer people have to know about Cybertron,” Jack shrugged his shoulders.
    “I suppose the American economy is doing well if a little start up like Opticorp can handle all that so quickly,” Knockout commented casually.
    “I didn’t know you followed Earth markets,” Jack noted with a sharp look at the maroon mech.
    Silently cursing the slip Knockout put on his best mischievous smile. “Oh you know me. I follow anything related to racing. The highest class of races is pretty dependant on the disposable income of the masses you know.”
    Jack nodded, accepting the explanation, or simply being too polite to press an ally for personal information. You never knew with the little Primeling. His sense of propriety made him all the harder to read and predict Knockout mused. Meanwhile the all clear sounded for the other decontamination chamber and the doors irised open to reveal the lanky form of a femme sauntering through.
    “Let’s get this show on the road,” she declared. “Primus I can’t wait until Ratchet can get that automatic decon system set up.”
    Knockout took a moment to admire Arcee and nearly did a double take. Like all femmes she possessed a grace he had always envied. There was a poise to her light frame, which she had displayed from the first moment he had seen her on the battle field, that was now infused with a powerful confidence gained from eons of experience. Knockout shot a quick glance at Jack and just suppressed a slight frown. That added layer of emotional stability clearly came from having a stable partner. It was not that the medic didn’t appreciate what the human provided for her, rather it was the given that in less than a vorn the human would be gone and someone was going to be left cleaning up the emotional mess that left. Knockout had seen the psyche profile on Arcee. That kind of dependency was a weakness they couldn’t afford. Oh like you are one to talk! His inner voice sneered.
    Knockout refocused on what had caught his attention in the first place. Arcee looked good. The femme had always taken care of her overall health a little better than the mechs on her team. Being smaller and lighter any blunt force damage was far more dangerous to her. But her appearance had received even less care than Ratchet’s if that was possible. Even Bumblebee had taken better care of his mesh than she did. It had improved slightly when she was on Earth, something Knockout had at first attributed to her wanting to put up a good appearance so as not to disgrace the Darby family name, given that she had relapsed as soon as she had returned to Cybertron.
Now however she gleamed. The many scars and dings she had carried proudly through the war were fading faster than even Knockout’s healed with his constant maintenance. The faint flickering field that was generated by external repair nanobots was so robust that the medic could note it without specialized scans. She had to be doing something new to get her mesh from meh to wow so quickly and Knockout had to know what it was.
    The question of why she would bother flitted across Knockout’s processor as they left the decon facility and stepped out into New Icaon. They transformed and Jack lightly mounted Arcee’s alt mode once he had settled the nervous Opticorp employee into Smokescreen’s alt. Perhaps it was as simple as the femme wanting to be a presentable ride for an officer with the standing that Jack would no doubt have once he graduated. But from what Knockout knew of American military culture a pristine bike was seen as a sign of inexperience, with the scars on a man’s ride telling the story of his life and conquests. At least that was what the instruction at the drive in theater led him to believe, for what that was worth.
    The little convoy pulled into Iacon tower which was abuzz with construction workers running this way and that. Arcee and Jack headed straight for the council chambers, no doubt to discuss important points of treaty and trade with Ultra Magnus. Knockout gave an annoyed exvent and left Jack a message to meet him as soon as they were out. Whatever Arcee was doing for her mesh it was working better after two weeks on Earth than anything that he had managed for his own mesh after two years on restored Cybertron. He had to know what was up and the little Primeling was far more likely to answer him than the femme who still had a few issues with him. Most of which centered around him trying to kidnap/maim/kill Jack. Odd how life worked out like that.