It was nearly a quarter past six when June Darby's white sedan drove through the entrance to Outpost Omega One. In the passenger seat, Jack was absently fiddling with a loose strand hanging off the cast on his arm.

He hadn't been to the base for nearly three weeks. Sitting around the house had been like torture, but he had bared it for his mother's sake. June had been awfully shaken from the episode on the Nemesis and had initially banned him from seeing them until he was fully healed. He'd had to plead for hours just to convince her to take him to see the 'Bots today. He hadn't really spoken to any of them since he'd left, so he was excited and also a little worried to see what had been going on around the base. Especially since Knockout was there now.

"Now remember I'm just dropping you off, so have Ratchet or someone drive you home, okay?" June said sternly, keeping her eyes forward. "I don't want you using the groundbridge in your condition. And I hardly think you need reminding, but NO MISSIONS."

"Yeah I got it mom, geez!" Jack grumbled, picking furiously at his cast. "Like I'm gonna go chasing Decepticons in a wheelchair..."

Finally, June rolled to a stop in the main room and opened her door to get out.

"Evening, doctor." she called up to Ratchet who stood nearby. Then she hurried around to help Jack out of the car. As June was helping him into his wheelchair, Jack heard his name being called by a number of voices but most loudly by the girl now sliding down the platform ladder to run towards him.

"Jack's back!" She shouted, promptly grabbing ahold of the wheelchair's handles and zooming off with him.

"Ah, Miko! Be careful!" June called after her. She didn't seem to be paying attention though; she had just continued talking to Jack. June just gave a short shake of her head and circled back around her car. "Alright, well I've got a shift at the hospital, so I won't be home for awhile. But I'd like for you to be home before it gets-"

Jack couldn't even hear the last few sentences his mother said to him before she drove off because Miko was drowning her out by shouting right next to his ear.

"Oh man, it's been crazy around here since you've been gone!" she continued, rolling him up the ramp onto the platform. "Seriously, you missed some super cool adventures! We're gonna have to catch you up."

"O-oh yeah?" Jack grasped nervously at the arm rest with his one good arm as she kept wheeling him on.

As they reached the top of the platform Jack finally got a chance to get a good look around the base. Ratchet was in his usual place in front of the console, Bulkhead was lying across the medical berth on the opposite end of the room, Bumblebee was leaning over the platform's railing to look at what Raf was doing on his computer, and Knockout was sitting nearby mulling over some datapads. Even though Jack had been expecting to see him there, it still felt a little weird to see the ex-'Con just sitting around so non-nonchalantly in the Autobot base.

"Oh and... where's Arcee and Optimus?" Jack continued before Miko could speak up again.

"They're meeting with Agent Fowler right now." Ratchet replied. "They had to report in on a recent incident we had with MECH."

Knockout let out a disapproving huff of air at this. "I can't believe they didn't take me with them," he grumbled.

"You're not going anywhere." Ratchet snapped back, glaring at him. "Not for a long while, so get used to it!"

"There was an incident with MECH?" Jack asked. "What happened?"

"Hehehh, yeah there was! And Knockout's on 'probation' now because of it!" Miko said, grinning deviously at Knockout.

"Probation?" Jack repeated, "Why? What did he do?"

"I'm glad you asked!" Miko jumped in front of Jack, gesturing widely with her arms. "It's an amazing story! Last week Knockout and I teamed up and fought MECH together!"

"Oh Primus please don't tell it again..." Ratchet moaned, turning away.

"Wha-? You and Knockout?" Jack asked, glancing back and forth from her to the red mech. "I... I'm surprised. I had thought you two wouldn't get along."

"We don't." Knockout stated flatly.

"Yeah, we're sworn enemies." Miko agreed with a nod. "But, we do make a pretty good team, regardless."

"Please stop saying that. We are not a team."

Miko just laughed and made a grand gesture towards Knockout. "So Knockout, you wanna help me tell Jack all about how we trounced MECH together?"

"No." Knockout waved her suggestion away. "You can keep reliving that nightmare if you want to, but I'll have no part in it."

"Fine, I'll tell it myself!" Miko hurried back around Jack again and started pushing his wheelchair towards the couch. "Okay, so it started off last week when Bulkhead and Bee went to investigate this Decepticon mine..."

Jack glanced back over his shoulder at Knockout. He made a mental note to himself that, if he ever managed to get a word in edgewise, he would ask Miko why the tips of Knockout's digits were painted red.