"You need to rest. You have to get your strength up." Knockout ordered, pushing her back down as she tried to stand up. 

"I have to get back to the Autobots. I can't just sit here." She whined, easily falling back to the floor. 

"You just about died in an explosion. One you should have died in. You have extensive injuries. There is no way your going anywhere." Knockout attempted to reason with her. 

"Ratchet can patch me up." She argued. 

"No, he can't and neither can I. I did what I could, but I know it's not enough." He sighs, looking her over again. 

"Just give me my suit. It helped me with my broken arm. Then I can walk to the Autobots. June should be with them and she can help me." She sits up against the wall, wincing in pain. 

"Your suit is too damaged. There is no way it will help you now. And I don't exactly have another one to give you. Stop moving!" He growls, his servers turning into fists. 

She freezes in place, remembering that he is a Decepticon. "Knockout, your a con. Why are you doing this? Why didn't you finish me off? Why did you bring my suit to Cybertron? Why are you helping me?" She rattles off question after question. Not giving him a chance to answer. 

"It doesn't matter. Once you are well enough, I'll help get you to the Autobots, then you'll never see me again." He says sadly. 

Shelby's face falls at his answer. The realization hit her. He can't go back to the Decepticons. Helping her has sealed his fate.

"We can protect you." She whispers, her eyes locking with his optics. 

"The Autobots can't protect me. No one can. Megatron may have yet to notice I'm missing yet, but once he does, I will be targeted. This is why we need to get you better enough to move, then get you far away from me as possible." He explains, his optics leaving her eyes, almost afraid of what will happen. 

"Where are we?" She changes the subject. 

"An abandoned energon mine. It was the closest one I could get too without causing more damage to you." He answers. "But we can't stay here to long. We will still have to move. I just wanted you to rest a little more and do a more thorough check on your injuries."

"I feel fine. That suit took most of the damage." She barely finishes her sentence and starts to cough. Her hand goes to her chest, the coughing not ceasing. Small amounts of blood fall from her mouth. 

"You are not fine. You have internal damage. That is something I can not fix. You can't walk either. Your leg is broken as well as your arm. You need rest for now until I can get you to a human doctor." Knockout kneels down next to her, pulling a polishing rag out of his subspace and bringing it up to her mouth, carefully wiping the blood from her face. 

"You shouldn't have saved me." Her voice hoarse, her head leaning back against the cave wall. 

"I had to save you." He corrected. 

"I was supposed to die. I'm not even sure how I managed to survive, but it wasn't supposed to happen." She claimed, looking off into the cavern. 

"What I don't understand, is why your the only one that was in the base. Where did the Autobots go? Obviously, they must bridged out just in time, but why didn't you leave? Why did they leave you behind? There is no way Dreadwing was okay with that?" Knockout asks, sitting down next to her. 

"He wasn't okay with that. But I gave him no choice. Optimus either. Someone had to stay back, so I chose to be the one to stay back. Someone had to make sure Megatron wouldn't be able to track them. It was my decision and my decision alone. I intended to die in that explosion. I didn't give my suit enough credit." She explained. 

"You were committing suicide." Knockout looked torn as he speaks. 

"In a sense yes. But I saved lives." She added, looking over at him. Her hands lay in her lap, covered in blood, her body tired, trying to heal. 

"You need to rest. We will depart in the morning to a new location." He glances over at her, her eyes drooping. 

She barely nods her head before sleep takes over. 

------------------

Knockout's vehicle mode shakes as he drives over the rough terrain. They have been traveling for days, only stopping at night or when she was in to much pain. The seatbelt is held tightly around the feverish women. Her sweat soaking into his leather seats. He tries to keep her talking, keep her awake. Around midnight she broke a fever. With humans, he knew this wasn't good. He had to keep her fever down, so he immediately placed her in his alt mode and turned on the a/c. Then he started driving. He tries to get her to tell him where the Autobots are, but her words are incoherent. Unsure of where to even start finding them, he is trying to find the nearest hospital without being detected. 

Driving on a smooth road would be better for Shelby's condition, but he needed cover with the trees. A vehicon had already passed over them as the sun was beginning to rise. Whether it was looking for him or the Autobots, he didn't want to find out. After what seems like hours, he finally finds a hospital. It's ways away from where the Decepticons were digging through rubble and one step closer to getting Shelby help. 

"Do not die on me." He orders as he turns on his holoform, with deep short red hair, pointed nose, pale skin and a cherry red button up to match. 

He picks her up ever so carefully, pulling her in close to his chest. Cradling her like a baby in his arms. He takes long strides into the emergency room doors.

"Help!" He screams, trying to hold back the tears, "She needs help."

Nurses rush over, two pulling a gurnee. They have Knockout lay Shelby on the rolling bed and start asking him a million questions. He lies through his teeth, saying it was a motorcycle accident. That he was following her when she lost control. He explained her injuries that he could see and the thought of internal damage. Once he finished, they whisk her away. He watches her being carried away and the sense of helplessness comes back. All he wants to do is go with her, be with her. Mainly so she isn't alone.

Hours later a nurse comes to find Knockout leaning against the wall in the waiting room. His eyes are closed. She gives him a small tap on his shoulder and he jolts awake, hands going up ready to defend himself. He looks around realizing where he is and see the nurse giving him a strange look. He straightens up, pulling down his shirt.

"Is she alright?" He asks.

"We had to do emergency surgery to stop internal bleeding. We were able to reset her leg and that and her arm are now casts. But she is stable. We were also able to get her fever down." She explains.

"Can I see her?" He asks slowly, afraid the answer will be no.

"You can, but she has yet to wake up." She says and he releases the breath he was holding in. "Follow me."

She starts walking away and it takes a moment for him to follow. He is able to catch up quickly.

"Are you here boyfriend?" The nurse asks as they walk through the double doors.

"No, just a close friend." He answers, looking down at his feet.

"Does she have any family around? They may want to know what happened?" She continues.

"They will find out." Is all he says, not willing to tell the nurse anymore information.

"Well this is her room. Like I said she isn't awake yet, but it should be anytime now. Please let me know if you need anything." She says before leaving him at the door.

He stands at the door for a moment. Staring at the women laying wrapped in bandages. The monitor beeps at a rhythmic pace. The only thing showing a sign of life. He takes a few small steps in, stopping at the edge of the bed.

"I need to get a hold of the Autobots." He mutters under his breath. His eyes drifting to the monitor.

"Yeah you do." A hoarse voice comes from the bed.

"Shelby! How are you feeling?" He rushed to the side of the bed, reaching for her hand, but stopping himself.

"I'm not sure if I'd say better, but I can at least talk now." She gives a small smile.

"Where are the Autobots? Let me get them and bring them to you. You need them, you need Dreadwing, more than me." The words hurt her as much as they hurt him.

"I will only tell you, if you agree to stay with the Autobots." She negotiates.

"Shelby...I can't. The Autobots would never trust me. I would probably die by them just as I would if I went back to Megatron." He argues.

"You would have my word that none of them would touch you. I will make them accept you. You saved my life...twice. They will take you in." She tries to reason.

"I'm not a cyberpup that can be adopted." He growls at the notion.

"Knockout! Please." This time she grabs his hand and squeezes.

He breathes in and out before he speaks, "Fine. I'll do it. But if they even try to do anything to me, I'm out."

"Nothing will happen to you. But you gotta promise me, you won't go to Megatron.  Cause then I will kill you. Can I trust you Knockout?" She looks him straight in the eyes and waiting for them to weaver.

"Yes." His eyes stay looking into hers. Not being any doubt in his mind.

----------------------

"They didn't find the body." Agent Fowler says after getting off the phone from in his office.

"What do you mean they didn't find the body?" Dreadwing growls, his servos immediately turning into fists, optics glowing a brighter red.

"Either cons took her body or she was able to get out." Fowler says bluntly.

"Why would the cons take her body? It's not like they can do anything with a human body." Arcee wonders out loud.

"She's alive. She has to be." Hot Rod tries not to sound excited. This causes the room to fill up with chatter.

"Now now, don't get too excited. Even if she is alive, she could be on the brink of death who knows where." Fowler states the obvious. Something no one wanted admit.

The alarms around base begin to sound. Ringing throughout the hanger. Guns were being pointed at a specific red speedster at the front gate.