After what had just happened had time to register. Starscream and Rocketgale called the others on their com-links and told them what went down near the weapons vault. And how Knock Out had been kidnapped by Shockwave. and Rattrap and Ratbat were both dead.

Ultra Magnus reported that they had got rid of the scraplets by spraying them with coolant and sending them through the ground bridge to a location where they couldn't hurt anyone. And the the Autobots wasted no time getting the base out of lockdown and going to the two seekers to get all the details.
_                                                       

Meanwhile Knock Out came to in a cell and studied his surroundings it was a dark gloomy looking place not unlike a lot of Decepticon bases he had been in before switching sides. It was a small cell with a berth that took up most of it. And barely room to walk around in. And no windows so he couldn't see where he was. And Shockwave had deactivated his weapons and com-link.

"Your awake." Said Shockwave who had just walked in. "Now you can get to work on the terrorcon virus."

Then Shockwave let Knock Out out of the cell but kept his arm cannon aimed at the red transformer's back keeping him at gunpoint. And brought him to a lab that he had set up.

"I trust you have everything you need?" Asked Shockwave.

"Actually I could go for some oil and a coat of wax." Quipped Knock Out being sarcastic.

"Sarcasm will get you nowhere." Hissed Shockwave who punched Knock Out against a wall.

"Noted." Groaned Knock Out pulling himself up. "But to make the virus I need Synth-En and Dark Energon and don't see any here."

"I still know how to make Synthetic Energon from working with it during the war so it will be easy enough to recreate." Said Shockwave.

"But what about Dark Energon?" Asked Knock Out. "I haven't seen any of that since the war ended."

"That will be harder to obtain." Shockwave told him. "But it would be illogical to think there is no way to obtain it." "And if we can't I can always keep me deal with Arachnid."

While Shockwave was talking Knock Out used this chance to mix some substances together which made smoke go through the lab like he remembered Ratchet doing once when the Decepticons had him prisoner. And thought if that worked for Ratchet and almost aloud him to escape. Then why couldn't he use the same trick?

The next thing Shockwave knew the lab was full of smoke and Knock Out bolted out of the room and down the hallway then out the exit.

Knock Out kept running as fast as his legs would move till he was outside and saw where he was.

Much to his horror Shockwave's new lab was in an old Decepticon base near the smelting pits. The Smelting pits were pools of hot magma that had been used during the war by the Decepticons to torture or kill prisoners by melting them. And Knock Out knew that if he fell in one of them he'd be done for.

But then he heard Ransack and Crumblezone coming and knew Shockwave had sent them after him. So he transformed and started driving as fast as he could while trying to avoid the smelting pits and being recaptured.

This place was hard to navigate in vehicle mode because there were so many smelting pits and some were so close together that if you drove to fast you could end up going right into one before you even saw it. And there were countless sharp turns.

Knock Out was just narrowly avoiding some of them but had to keep going because Ransack was on his tail and since his alt mode was a motorcycle he was able to make sharper turns then Knock Out. Crumblezone had stayed behind because being a monster truck he'd never be able to maneuver and would be more of a liability.

Then Knock Out saw one of the pits was right ahead of him and turned to avoid it. But Ransack wasn't so lucky and was heading right for it. "No! I'm going to fast I can't stop!" Screamed a terrified Ransack.

"No Ransack!" Yelled Crumblezone fearing for his buddy's life.

"I'm gonna regret this." Thought Knock Out as he made a U-turn and rammed into Ransack in such a way that it made him turn a split second before he would have gone into the smelting pit and hit the ground changing back to his Cybertronian mode.

But Knock Out's back tires touched the magma causing the Austin Martin to cry out in pain as he knew he could feel them melting and tried to keep driving to spite the pain but ultimately had to change back to his Cybertronian mode and tried to run only to be shot to the ground by Shockwave who had caught up to them.

Knock Out struggled to get up but was in to much pain he had been shot in the arm and had energon dripping from it. And he had burns on his legs from when he had brushed against the magma. All Knock Out could do was set there on his hands and knees and stair up at Shockwave with weak optics.

"Saving your pursuer was very noble but illogical." Said Shockwave.

Shockwave waited a few minutes to let the fact that Knock Out's escape attempt failed sink in before hitting him across the helm and knocking him unconscious. And then dragged him back inside the lab and put him back in the cell and ran a scan on him and saw the damage wasn't serious just painful.

And decided to punish Knock Out for trying to escape by letting him waller in pain and only giving him enough energon to keep him alive until he could finish the terrorcon virus. Knock Out regained consciousness a few minutes later and noticed Shockwave and the other two were gone but was in so much pain he just climbed on to the berth all he felt like doing was going into recharge.
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Meanwhile Shockwave arrived on Cybertron's moon where he found Arachnid waiting for him.

"Shockwave do you have that energon you promised me?" Asked Arachnid.

"Yes the Autobot is in the ship." Shockwave told her.

"I'll only call the Insecticon I have for you to come here after you keep your end of the deal." Said Arachnid who went into the ship.

"Wait there's no one here?" Hissed Arachnid.

"I was thinking why should I have an infected Insecticon for the Terrorcon virus when I can just take you?" Said Shockwave as he zapped Arachnid. "And I have the one who made the virus to begin with so I have double the chance of getting it right."

"You'll regret this!" Growled Arachnid before going unconscious.

To Be Continued.

I love cliffhangers don't you?