A/N: This first chapter is a bit of an alternate take on 'Darkmount NV' so things will naturally change accordingly for the time being.

Chapter 1

Jack hadn't known what happened, but he knew off the bat one text message was trouble. He wouldn't regret letting his mother know he was okay, but he would regret getting caught. He hadn't been able to discern what they were doing at first since they fired at him, but then it was like they had a complete one-eighty and plucked him right off the ground when he'd fallen down from the fence to try and escape.

He was currently struggling in the grip of one of those Eradicons as he was being marched down the darkly lit hall of the Decepticon's fortress before he was brought up to the top where Megatron sat on a throne. Jack thought that the mech certainly had an ego on him. He flinched involuntarily as Megatron's malicious red optics narrowed in on him and he noticed Starscream standing to the side, but Jack was more concerned with the Decepticon leader at the moment.

The Eradicon stopped just a few feet from Megatron and knelt down in a bow. "The human has been captured as per orders."

Jack was stunned. He was supposed to have been captured? Did they fire on him to throw him off or something? Or had it just been something done at the last minute? Jack almost hoped it was the last option, because the other two meant there had been planning involved, and that they needed him for something. He didn't know what he could give them, as they'd already destroyed the Autobot's base and he didn't know where his friends were anyway.

Megatron narrowed his optics further. "Excellent. He is to be placed in the container, dismissed."

Jack snapped out of his stupor and couldn't believe this. "Wait, why am I here? I have nothing to give!"

"You dare to speak, human?" Starscream growled.

"Enough, Starscream." Megatron admonished and looked derisively at Jack. "You wish to know why you are still alive? You will know soon enough." He said ominously.

Jack had no idea what that meant as he was carried away. He just knew whatever was in store for him couldn't be good. Everything else had gone downhill, why should things be looking up now?

Jack leaned sullenly against the wall of a large container, with an open top, but it wasn't as lean as the one he was previously held in. It didn't look like it was meant to be carried anywhere, so was this short term or something? He'd just been dropped in a little while ago, as his phone had been taken away and was set mockingly just outside the box.

Were they expecting him to try and call for help? Why would they take it away from him, didn't they want him to try and do just that? It seemed for whatever reason they didn't want him to either have any contact or try and find out the time, since he'd lost track of how long he was sitting in here. Minutes, hours, he wasn't sure.

Which was why he nearly jumped out of his skin when the doors to the room finally opened, and wished that he was alone once he saw who entered. It was that crazy medic who tried to play dentist with him. Were they going to use him as some kind of human lab rat? It made Jack warily watch the red 'Con as he walked toward him, tilting his head as those strange red optics seemed to be examining him.

"Huh, you were actually brought back unharmed." He sounded too surprised. "I was expecting to come back and find you dead or injured." He continued and his expression shifted to one of complacence. "It seemed my lowly request has been indeed followed."

Though Jack had no idea what Knock Out was talking about, he was starting to piece together what the Decepticon meant. "You…you were the one who wanted me here, not Megatron?"

"Why would he?" Knock Out asked flippantly. "A few minutes of revenge, maybe, but I made a very valid point that your continued existence would be so much more vindictive if you remained alive. As a…experiment of sorts, you could say."

"Why? What possible use could I be used for?" Jack questioned and glared at the mech.

Knock Out narrowed his optics as he stared down at Jack. "I'm sure there could be some use for you," he said and the next part came out in a mutter, "though I'd need to find out quickly."

Jack got to his feet, his expression incredulous. "You don't even know." He accused and the mech glared at him. "That experiment thing; that was the reason you gave Megatron, what's the real reason?"

Knock Out glanced around before he hissed at him. "Keep quiet! I'm sure without my request you'd be dead by now."

"At least I'd still be with Arcee." Jack retorted.

"Don't think," Knock Out said coldly as he leaned down closer to the box, "that just because you're small that makes you any safer."

"Who's the one trying to keep me safe? From your own mouth, it was you who wanted me here." Jack shot back.

Without any preamble movement, Knock Out suddenly reached down into the box, and picked Jack up by the back of his shirt. He held him up the air, a smug look making its way onto his faceplate. "Hasn't it crossed your mind once that this isn't
about you? If you died, yes I'm sure it'd be terrible for whomever," he said dismissively, "but it would also be a great inconvenience to me. Out of all you humans, you're probably the one who has the most chance of survival here."

Jack snorted, because despite being so high in the air, he wasn't going to take Knock Out at his word. "Why would that be? Aren't we all just insignificant little organics to you 'Cons?"

"You are," Knock Out affirmed, "but Megatron doesn't like you, and I'm sure he'd be pleased to know that you would be implicitly tormented under my 'care.'"

Jack stared, disbelieving of what he was hearing. "You're not?" he asked surprised, but then he narrowed his eyes. This could easily just be a trick. "Why?"

Knock Out smirked as he placed Jack in his other servo and clamped his other servo over him, but he scowled as he heard Jack's startled exclamation of surprise. "Be quiet." He said and walked out of the lab and Jack didn't know where there were going until he heard the swish of another set of doors and when Knock Out lifted his hand, Jack found himself staring a replica of his house.

It hit Jack a moment later that this was his house. He could see patches of dirt and grass at the edges and he doubted Knock Out would keep a garage on it, but the one thing that caught Jack's immediate attention was that the house had no roof, which meant he'd have no privacy.

"What is this?" he questioned softly.

"I did a little recon of my own before your town was decimated and I thought this would make things a bit…homier if I brought you your actual home." Knock Out replied, and his tone implied he was expecting some kind of praise for this.

Jack was filled with dread. "My mom's not in there is she?" he questioned and would feel sick to his stomach if she was.

Knock Out scowled. "No, it's just you." He retorted sharply. He seemed angry that Jack didn't like his surprise. He leaned down and set Jack into the building's hall, which had picture frames shattered on the floor from the house being so forcibly removed from the ground.

Jack wondered just how much he would need to clean up, as he didn't want to be stepping on things and get cut in the process. With how things seemed, it looked very much like this had been planned. "How long did you have this scheme in your head for?"

Knock Out tilted his head slightly. "I wouldn't say for very long, it actually just started as idle thinking of wanting the Autobots to be crushed by the loss of one of their pets, but now that they're all scattered and suffering from the loss of their Prime, I figured you'd just be more salt in their wounds."

"Arcee is the only one I was travelling with." Jack retorted.

"And eventually when they all converge, they will no doubt notice your absence." Knock Out replied. "I hear Arcee's sore spot is her partners, and she won't know what we're doing to you."

Though Knock Out had sounded like he meant he wasn't going to actually do anything to him, Jack still regarded him warily. He could just be trying to trick him and then the nasty surprise could come. Jack walked toward his room, but stopped when he saw that Knock Out's optics were following him; it kinda creeped him out.

"If you don't leave me alone, I'll throw one of these pictures at you." Jack warned.

Knock Out snorted. "Please, what can that do to me?"

"Probably not much," Jack admitted, "but it could scratch your paint."

Knock Out narrowed his optics again, before he stood up, huffed, and left from Jack's line of sight. Jack looked through the window and saw Knock Out leave through the sliding doors and he continued toward his room. His thoughts settled in and his pace picked up, as if that would be enough to escape from them.

Too bad if tried to escape from his house then he would go splat from the drop it was put on.

Once Jack was in his room, he saw that his bed was skewered, his desk was toppled over, and his shelf was too. He sighed and sat down on the mattress part of his bed, and ran a hand through his hair. He didn't know what he was going to do, could he even try to escape?

Jack wasn't going to give up, but things would be pretty bleak if he didn't think of something.

Knock Out had been feeling pretty smug, he'd successfully gotten Jack, but now that he had him, things weren't really meeting his expectations. Oh, he still felt smug, but Jack hadn't been as submissive as those previous times he'd seen him. Granted, Knock Out was very aware that both times Jack had been terrified for his life and for those other two kids, but the sudden fire he'd seen on Cybertron had been unexpected.

It hadn't deterred him, but now he wasn't as sure as before.

Maybe this could be interesting, but he'd been expecting Jack to be scared for his life and willing to agree with him to keep himself alive. Hmm, he had a few tricks still up his sleeve, but he was now beginning to think he should have also threatened him some more. It looked like the security he'd given him was now harming his chances.

Knock Out knew his plating would be on the line if he didn't make it seem like he was actually experimenting with Jack, so maybe he could bury his feelings for now to rough the boy up to give proof he was doing something to him. He took a moment to see the irony of his attraction toward the organic, which had been disgust for feeling this toward a human before it cooled to desire and he'd made his request to Megatron prior to his trip back to Cybertron to scavenger anything useful.

What, or rather, who he'd found had been very surprising. It was also worth the look that came over Starscream's faceplate when he saw that Shockwave was still functioning.

Currently though, he'd only had time to check in on his 'experiment' before he was called to see Megatron once more. He found himself soon enough at the top of the fortress, bowing as he caught a glance of Starscream in the background. "You summoned me, my lord?"

"Due to Shockwave's re-emergence, you will report to him, understood?" Megatron questioned gravely.

Knock Out nodded, but there was something else on his mind right now. "Will I be forced to relinquish my…specimen?"

Megatron narrowed his optics. "Not unless you are unable to bring forth results."

"Don't worry, Lord Megatron, I have just the thing in mind." Knock Out said smoothly and left the room once Megatron dismissed him.

While spending so much time with Jack in his lab would be seen as him preparing a test for him, Knock Out now had that cover to do what he wanted. Knock Out smirked; this was going to be fun.