The next day Starscream having returned to his home after Knock Out had been called to see Ransack the night before had gotten up and was taking care of Blue Jay when he got a call on his com-link.

"Hello?" Starscream answered the call.

"Starscream bad new it's about Knock Out." Said Smokescreen from the other end of the call.

"What is it what's happened?" Starscream asked knowing it was something bad from the way Smokescreen's voice sounded, He sounded sad like something was very wrong.

"Apparently he went to see Ransack and had an accident on his way back to the space bridge Ransack called and told us they found the aftermath of it this morning." Smokescreen explained.

"Starscream he didn't make it." Smokescreen finished and the seeker heard his voice crack over the com-link as the last part left his mouth.

"No." Starscream said as his wings drop and he buried his faceplates in his servos, This couldn't be happening Knock Out couldn't be dead this had to be a mistake.

"We're going to Velocitron with paramedics to collect the body now." Smokescreen added sadly.

"I'm coming too." Starscream told him struggling to hold it together as he hung up and put Blue Jay in his subspace then left to go to Velocitron still processing what he had just been told and hoping this was just some kind of sick joke or nightmare he would wake up from.

Sensing his master's destress Blue Jay jumped out of Starscream subspace and climbed to his shoulder and started licking him on the cheek and whined knowing something was wrong and wanting to comfort the seeker, Starscream took the bumble puppy in his servo and petted him as he left to go to the space bridge not wanting to believe that his only friend was dead.
_

Once he arrived on Velocitron Starscream went to the location where the crash happened to get the details wanting to know what had happened to his best friend.

Once there he was greeted by Smokescreen, Ratchet and Bumblebee who was off bed rest now and Ransack who was talking to the three of them.

Starscream could see skid makes from where someone had desperately tried to stop that trailed off the side of a cliff and he walked over and looked down to the bottom of it where he could make out spilled energon most of it covering a sharp looking rock.

"What happened to Knock Out?" Starscream asked fighting back coolant tears.

"I spoke to him and told him that we haven't found a lead on the missing racers yet and I told him to be careful but I think he took it hard that we couldn't find those friends of his Override and Moonracer and I think he stopped somewhere and had high grade because witnesses said they saw him driving irraticly like he was under the influence of something." Ransack explained.

"He went too fast and right off that cliff, We had to send a team down to collect the body, He landed on a sharp rock down there at the speed he was going it was impossible for him to stop in time and it looked like he might have transformed a second before impact the rock stabbed right through his spark chamber and we believe he was killed on impact." Ransack finished.

"There's no way, Knock Out would never drive while under the influence he was too smart for that he wouldn't even touch high grade." Starscream said shaking his helm.

"You can look at the body and see for yourself." Ransack told the seeker and pointed to where a gurney was with a tarp covering the body. "My deepest condolences."

Starscream walked over to the gurney with his wings down and pulled down the tarp, feeling his spark sink and if he was human he would have been turning pale and holding his breath it felt like everything was happening in slow motion as he moved the tarp to reveal what had clearly once been a bright red paint job that was now gunmetal grey.

The others were still standing next to the cliff except for Ratchet who was starting to make his way over to where Starscream was currently standing next to the body.

"Wait this isn't Knock Out!" They suddenly heard the seeker cry out in what sounded like a combination of shock and relief.

"He right this isn't Knock Out." Said Ratchet who had just gotten close enough to get a good look at the body on the gurney. "It looks like Knock Out but it's not him for one thing the head is a slightly different shape and some of the details are slightly different."

"It is almost the spiting image of him though I mean seriously this bot could pass for his twin brother." Added Smokescreen who had now also gotten a good look at the mech on the gurney.

"Then two questions who is this? And where is Knock Out?" Asked Bumblebee.

"We'll take this body back to the medbay to identify it and have everyone form search parties to look for Knock Out I'm afraid he may have disappeared like the other winning racers." Ratchet told the others and they agreed.

Starscream was relieved that the body hadn't been Knock Out's but he felt bad for whoever it was and worried about his friend hoping they could find him and the other racers alive and well, and he noticed that Blue Jay kept growling at Ransack the same way he had Megatron.

Starscream decided to take the bumble puppy back to Cybertron not wanting to cause an incident if the bumble puppy decided to bite or leak transmission fuel on Velocitron's leader not knowing what had gotten into him.
_

Meanwhile Knock Out had started to regain consciousness he felt so weak, tired and sick that he couldn't speak or even open his optics he could hear voices around him but couldn't make out what any of them were saying.

He could feel someone touching him he felt them gently lift his head up and hold something to his mouth and tell him to drink it and not having enough strength to protest he did and upon realizing it was energon he started sipping it more willingly.

Knock Out still couldn't get his optics to open or move any part of his frame and felt extremely weak and out of it but after he somehow managed to finish the energon he felt two arms wrap around him as if hugging and trying to comfort him before losing consciousness again.

Awhile later Knock Out woke up again this time he was able to get his optics open and rase up now feeling better.

"Knock Out thank goodness!" Said a voice as he felt the same two arm wrap around him again.

"Moonracer." he replied now recognizing his old friend and crush and returning the embrace, He noticed he was in a cell with her and Override and there were other cells with Velocitronians in them this was where all the missing racers had been taken there were at least 10 bot there counting himself.

"I was worried you wouldn't wake up." Moonracer explained almost in coolant tears.

"Don't worry I think Ransack give me an unsafe dose of whatever he used to knock me out with but I'm feeling better now." He assured her.

"She was really worried about you when they brought you in and you were sick." Override chimed in. "I'm glad your ok."

"I'm glad to see you two are both alright I was worried and trying to figure out what happened to the two of you." Knock Out answered the femme he saw as a sister.

Just then they heard a crash like a window had just been shattered followed by pedsteps coming down the stairs where the cells were located in a dungeon like basement.

Knock Out was surprised to see Swindle come down them and the combaticon looked surprised to see all of them.

"What are you all in for?" He asked utterly confused.

"We've been kidnapped why are you down here?" Asked Knock Out.

"I sometimes break into abandoned wearhouses to find new merchandise to sell." Swindle told them.

"So he just came here to steal stuff." Knock Out thought to himself.

"Can you please get us out of here some bots want to sell us to the Quintessions." Moonracer pleaded.

Just then Ransack and Overlord got back and came to the basement discovering Swindle.

"Hello." The Combaticon greeted them.

"Who are you and what are you doing here your not freeing our prisoners." Ransack barked at him as Overlord stood next to him looking board.

"Wouldn't dream of it, Your planning to sell them to the Quintessions right I respect a good business vencer and if you let me go with some credits not only will I keep my mouth shut but I'll tell other bot from Cybertron to compete in races on Velocitron that should help keep you in business." Swindle suggested.

"The Quintessions are asking for at least 50 bots in each batch we send them so far we only have 10." Ransack explained. "Ok it's a deal."

"Ok just give me 10% of the profits and I'll also take this to sell." Swindle added picking up Knock Out's energon prob that had been propped against the wall next to the door.

"Ok then do whatever you want with it." Ransack told him. "Just keep your mouth shut and send us more bots."

"Pleasure doing business with you." Swindle said as he started up the stairs with credits he had just been handed and Knock Out's weapon not going to help the imprisoned racers, His greed having won out.

"Swindle how could you do this to us?!" Knock Out yelled after him. "You dirty turbo rat!" But he was already gone.

"Nice to see your awake Knock Out I was afraid I accidentally killed you by getting the dosage wrong with the sedatives and painkillers." Ransack mocked.

"You stole those from the medbay at the race track didn't you that's why they ran out do you realize how much Bumblebee had to suffer because we didn't have them?!" Knock Out practically roared at him.

"It makes it easier to capture and transport our winners." Ransack told him sarcastically. "And unfortunately your friends figured out your death was a fake so their probably still going to be poking around Velocitron."

"What?" Knock Out asked now confused.

"Oh I killed your lookalike Knockoff I think that was his name." Ransack said not caring at all that he had taken a bot's life.

"I remember him he was obsessed with me and always trying to steal my identity and posing as me it was annoying but he was harmless and he had a life that you had no right to end!" Knock Out yelled now having lost it.

"What did you do?" He added letting himself slump against the wall.

"I attempted to get the Autobots to back off by letting them think you were dead I figured it would scare them away from investigating farther figuring they wouldn't want to risk losing anyone else after that." Ransack explained.

"So I invited Knockoff out for high grade and got him drunk then challenged him to a friendly race and by the time he realized he was driving towards a cliff it was too late and he was going too fast and was too plastered to stop in time." He continued.

"He actually survived the crash and the fall but he didn't survive Overlord slamming him over that rock and stabbing his spark chamber through it." Ransack finished.

"Why didn't you just kill me if you didn't want them to look for me?" Asked Knock Out who was feeling devastated that a bot had been killed as an attempt to prevent his friend from searching for him and blamed himself that an innocent bot had to die just for looking like and trying to copy him.

"Your too valuable I promised the Quintessions all the winners." Ransack said before he and Overlord left the basement and went upstairs.

"Your sick and twisted!" Knock Out screamed after them hating both of them for what they were doing and all the harm they were causing him and his friends and so many other bots.

"We need to escape." Knock Out told the others after he saw they were gone and well out of hearing range. "Those two just made it clear that their willing to kill and being given to the Quintessions is even worse then being killed."

"They said they wanted to get 50 bots to give them and they only have 10 of us so far so we have time to plan our getaway we just need to figure out the how." Knock Out said to them.

He was determined to stop Ransack and Overlord and save all the bots in the basement cells with him and stop them from getting anymore.

To Be Continued.

Hope this chapter turned out ok, I'll try to get the next one up soon, In the meantime feel free to send feedback.