Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/574417.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Underage
  Category:
      Other
  Fandom:
      Transformers:_Prime, Transformers_Animated_(2007)
  Relationship:
      SwindleCO™, SwinKO, SwindleKO
  Character:
      Knock_Out, Swindle
  Stats:
      Published: 2012-11-26 Chapters: 1/? Words: 4044
****** Broken Rules ******
by lost_frequencies
Summary
     Rule #368: When it's apparent that you and the individual between you
     and your goal are both after the same thing, break the ice and try to
     negotiate. There's no harm in peaceful negotiation when it is an
     option.
     It has always been that way for Swindle until a certain Decepticon
     medic, bereaved and on the verge of defecting, threatens to kill him
     and hijack his ship.
     Warnings: Mature/Sexually explicit content.
Notes
     I'd like to dedicate this story to my friend Steele and the SwindleKO
     shippers on Tumblr. Special thanks to At0m for the lovely Swindle/KO
     artwork you supplied and for inspiring me to carry on with finding an
     ending this pairing deserves.
     First chapter was co-written. The rest of this story will be re-
     written by yours truly.
Rule #367: When going treasure hunting, always research the area where you'll
begin your hunt. Be aware of hidden areas, traps and possible ambush locations.
You never know if you've been followed. Statistics show that the quest for
fortune and power is the leading cause of death for ambitious treasure hunters.
Swindle was starting to doubt himself. Not in the sense of doubting his
abilities but in the sense of whether or not he should have gotten up that
morning. Even with his usual medication, his head still throbbed in the
background of his day. But he knew why he was in The Valley Of The Kings in
Egypt and why he actually had to be here.
He originally heard a rumor of an ancient Cybertronian artifact in this region.
It took him some time and research just to verify there was anything here. He
hated to be made a fool out of or to travel all this way for nothing. It would
be a waste of fuel if this was a fake. However, the readings in the area were
proving otherwise. He had chosen dusk as the ideal time for showing up to do
his search. It meant there were no tourists around to watch; privacy was what
the businessmech wanted. He didn't need humans poking around while he went to
retrieve his relic. Swindle knew that something like this would fetch a fortune
on the black market. Not that he needed more credits. He wanted more credits.
Therein lies the difference.
But Swindle was sure that the uncomfortable feeling of sand caught in his
plates would be worth it. Or it had to be damned worth it. He was absolutely
certain that he would spend ages polishing himself up later. He hated looking
dirty or having his paintjob messed with. For one thing, appearance matters
when making sales and building trust among his clients. A dirty dishevelled
mech stood less of a chance making a decent sale than a clean and well-kept
mech. That much he certainly knew.
And that was how he found himself wandering this rocky Egyptian wasteland
tracking down his readings.
Swindle was certain he was closing in on his relic: KV43 was what he had
mentally dubbed the relic simply because of its location in the Valley. It was
near the KV43 tomb.
He didn't really think much of who inhabited the tomb or so much as to why,
especially not with that relic still on his mind.
He paused mid-thought before looking up at the cliff face. That was where his
signal was indicating. It was buried inside the cliff face.
Wonderful. Just fragging wonderful.
Of course, it meant careful climbing and excavation. But to him, that meant to,
“Watch your paintjob.” There was another way he could have extracted it. If he
could simply go back to his ship and power it up, he might be able to use the
on-board drill to excavate and grab the relic. Or that's what he would have
done if it weren't for the sound of voices.
Go fetch me that relic, Swindle heard someone say. The sooner we leave the
better.
“Humans?” he thought aloud. “No. It can’t be.” He had the area staked out
earlier that day in his alt-mode and he personally had watched the last human
leave. So who else could it be? Thinking quickly and with a sudden flurry of
plates and parts, Swindle collapsed down and hid himself. He wanted to be safe
and certain as to who it was before coming out of hiding. He waited until a few
figures were in view. He could see them walking dangerously close to his relic.
However, at least one of these individuals was someone he knew. Swindle
recalled meeting him for the first time when he was still a Neutral. He
wouldn't have really classified this mech as a threat. He could always attempt
to sell him a can of fine wax. Of course, by his own judgement on his current
appearance, the mech could use all the fine wax he could possibly get his
talons on.
Swindle’s mind jumped to two conclusions: either they were both looking for the
same thing or he just so happened to have stumbled into this location for
another entirely different reason. He placed his bets on the former.
Rule #368: When it's apparent that you and the individual between you and your
goal are both after the same thing, break the ice and try to negotiate. There's
no harm in peaceful negotiation when it is an option.

Sensing very little threat, Swindle carefully drove out of his hiding place and
transformed back into robot mode. The businessmech then approached casually as
though he were out on a pleasant stroll.

"Hey, Knock Out. Long time no see."
 
                                       .
                                       .
 
His systems were overheating with rage he had kept suppressed since returning
from his last mission. Knock Out had had enough of listening to Megatron’s
incessant praising for Soundwave, of being subjected to humiliation and being
pushed around to do the dirty work.
As long as he was still functioning, the tyrant was determined to keep him on
the edge and Knock Out had no choice but to abide by superior orders no matter
how mundane or unbefitting they were.
The Nemesis was falling apart and so was he. He couldn’t even stand to look at
his own reflection!
With Soundwave working hard on decoding the next batch of co-ordinates for the
remaining relics, Knock Out and his assigned group of Vehicons had been sent to
the Valley of the Kings, a place where ancient rulers lay to rest along with
their treasures.
Despite his already foul mood, a Vehicon soldier designated M1-K3Y thought it
best to share his research he’d gathered on this historic wasteland. "Grave
robbery used to be rampant in the valley back in the ancient—"
“Shut up!” Knock Out snapped at the Vehicon. “Does it look like I care?"
The Vehicon stuttered, "M-my apologies, Officer Knock Out."
Knock Out hadn't bothered to learn much of Earth's history. And he didn't
appreciate being educated on it either. They were here for one thing only and
that was to retrieve a relic from some pharaoh’s burial chamber. He needed to
make sure they’d get to it before those wretched Autobots show up and mess with
his finish again. Never again would he let that happen. Never. Again.
He hated feeling this way. So humiliated, hapless and marred.
Knock Out pinged the soldiers back at base to bridge a driller. Three Vehicons
stood on guard while M1-K3Y assisted the miner with the drilling.
He couldn’t wait for this gig to be over so he could spend the rest of his day
trying to restore his precious framework. It was bothering him so much that he
was utterly lost in a disarray of thoughts.
“How long is this going to take?” There was an impatient tone in the red
medic’s voice. Knock Out could sense the growing uneasiness as he kept goading
the soldiers to pick up the pace.
“We’re working as swiftly as we can, Officer Knock Out,” said one of the
Vehicon soldiers.
He shook his head before walking away, feeling the need to transform and hit
the road at full speed to blow off steam. But there was another bot in his way.
He thought it was an Autobot waiting to jump him so he extended the energon
prod and stood defensively.
The medic kept his optics glued to the bot, his mouth agape with confusion as
his memory banks kept trying to match a name to this familiar face. Knock Out
could've sworn he'd seen this mech around. But for the life of him, he could
not remember. "Have we met?!"
Swindle threw his arms up in the universal I-come-in-peace gesture. He didn't
take a step further to avoid aggravating the situation. "Hey, relax. I'm just a
simple businessmech looking for potential clients. Of course, we have
occasionally crossed paths in the past if my memory serves correct. The name’s
Swindle. Nice to see you again."
"Hmph." Knock Out lowered the prod, his jealous optics couldn't resist staring
at the businessmech’s snazzy appearance. He remembered now. They had met while
he and Breakdown were transiting and waiting to board the next ship bound to
the nearest galaxy. "You're the con-mech from Gigantion."
Swindle said, "Me? A con mech? Perish the thought! I only deal in top quality
merchandise. But I do seem to recall you from Gigantion."
"So what's a mech like you doing in a place like this?"
Slowly, Swindle let his arms drop to his side, knowing for sure he wasn't going
to be impaled by some sharp implement or another. "You know, I was about to ask
you the same thing. It seems a little out of the way, doesn't it?" He glanced
between Knock Out and the crew of Vehicons accompanying him. There seemed to be
something missing, or more accurately, the big blue guy. What was his name?
Breakdown was it? Weren't those two inseparable and practically welded at the
hip? He then asked, "Where's your friend? Isn't the big guy usually with you?"
Knock Out had never trusted anyone else except Breakdown. If it weren't for the
big brute and his friendly disposition, Knock Out would never have let Swindle
talk him into spending his creds for a tub of heavy duty wax and a drill
sharpener.
While Breakdown had found him entertaining to watch and listen to, Knock Out
hadn't the patience to keep listening to the salesmech going on and on and on
about the merchandise he had and why they're the best in the market.
As he stood and squinted his optics in suspicion at Swindle, his mind drifted
back to their first deal on Gigantion.
"Come on, KO. Where else are you gonna find anything like that anywhere. Sounds
like a good deal to me."
"Ah, Breakdown." Knock Out finally gave in. He smiled back at the Stunticon as
he made a wireless transfer of 1200 creds to Swindle. "Sometimes I find your
gullibility to be persuasively endearing."
Swindle, the arms dealer. Of course. Everything was coming back to him now.
Even after milleniums, Swindle's smooth-talking had left quite an impression on
Breakdown.
Knock Out wasn't going to tell Swindle about his recent loss. But he was
willing to bargain: "You're here for the relic."
"And you're here for the same thing,” Swindle replied. “I suppose we should get
down to business." He glanced up at the cliff face. The Decepticon drillers
would never be able to reach that relic easily. However, The Endeavour's drill
would be able to do it. He just had to go back to his ship and fly it over to
this location. That all would have been easy if it weren't for the bright red
(and currently scratched up) mech standing right in front of him.
"I can tell you that your drills will not be able to reach the relic so
easily,” said Swindle. “But I do have something that will. I will loan you the
use of The Endeavour's drill and perhaps allow you to keep the relic for a
certain fee. Of course, that's entirely up to you. You can keep having a rough
day as it appears that you have been having or I can help bail you out. Your
choice.”
Knock Out would hate to admit that he was at fault, that he'd been giving the
drones the wrong instructions and now they're wasting time drilling their way
up toward the chamber. They could've just bridged the driller at the top.
What was he thinking?! No wait. He wasn't. He was too bothered, too distracted,
too angry to be himself right now. He knew M1-K3Y had known about this all
along but he'd been too afraid to tell his officer otherwise.
These drones had been so wary and afraid of him since he'd lost Breakdown. It
was Breakdown they liked, not him. Breakdown was the mining supervisor. He was
the one who knew how to instruct the miners and operate the drillers.
Retrieving relics used to be a lot easier when he had Breakdown to do the work
for him. And the big brute never seemed to mind.
He'd even encourage Knock Out to go out for a drive while he's busy monitoring
the drones. Knock Out had saved his life time and time again and that was just
Breakdown's way of returning the favour.
"Because you deserve it, KO," Breakdown used to say.
"STOP!" Knock Out's voice boomed throughout the valley. The drilling stopped.
M1-K3Y and his comrades were now staring at Knock Out and Swindle.
"If you want that relic," Knock Out said to the dealer, "you would have to
negotiate with the one who'd ordered for me to retrieve it—Megatron."
"Well, if you don't require use of my drill, then I will simply sit here and
watch you struggle. Could be fun," said Swindle before finding himself a wall
to lean on. Something's off with the dealer, thought Knock Out. The salesmech
wasn't looking very good all of a sudden. "OH ALRIGHT. How much do I owe you."
Despite everything, Swindle gave Knock Out a smile. "Smart choice. Glad to see
you have come to your senses," he said, pulling out a datapad from his
subspace. He punched in some information into his contract template and held it
out to Knock Out. "With everything included, I think you will find this price
reasonable."
"25, 000—Are you trying to rob me, dealer?!"
Since joining the Decepticons on Earth as their medic, Knock Out sure had been
paid well. All thanks to Starscream. At least the former Second-in-Command had
been generous in that regard. However, he wasn't going to spend his hard-earned
credits for some stupid relic.
Knock Out called for the drones. "Give me the passcodes to your cred accounts.
ALL OF YOU!"       
The Vehicons jumped at their Commanding Officer barking for their accounts.
Vehicons made decent funding. Perhaps collectively, they could pay for
Swindle's drill. Perhaps if they did, maybe they might actually get praise?
Well, they were sure if they didn't it would come with the threat of unwanted
surgeries. Slowly but surely, account codes were being relinquished. There was
no telling on the Vehicons’ faces if they were glaring at Knock Out with pure
hatred or shock.
Swindle, on the other hand, was actually pleased with the outcome. He might
have lost the relic for the moment but wasn't walking away empty handed at the
very least.
Knock Out transferred the combined funds to Swindle. "Now bring us that
driller."
Swindle took his datapad back and subspaced it. "I'm glad to have you as a
repeat customer. It's a pleasure doing business with you," He then quickly
collapsed back into vehicle mode. "I'll be right back.”
The Vehicons murmured among themselves. They couldn't believe Knock Out had
just transferred their creds to the dealer without any hint of confirmation
that he would bring the driller to them.

"Sir, what if he doesn't return?" asked M1-K3Y.

Knock Out's shoulder pauldrons fell in realisation. He emitted a low growl but
didn't turn to look at the soldier. "Oh he won't be able to get away so easily.
I'll make sure of that."

They waited. But deep down, Knock Out was praying for Swindle to keep his word.
 
                                       .
                                       .
 
Swindle’s ship was disguised as a rather large sand dune. Now he could have run
off with the credits and leave Knock Out stranded without a sufficient drill.
That's what other business bots would have done. Those other business bots were
usually the dead ones. Swindle usually liked to have at least delivered a
product.
Moments later, he returned to the safe haven of his ship. It was a smaller
older model Iaconian Drive Yard special to which Swindle customized the ever-
loving Primus out of. For one thing, it was very fast. No sooner that he had
gotten on board and fired up the engines that he took to the air and toward
Knock Out's location.
For one thing, Swindle was grateful for being on his ship. It meant that on at
least one level, he could deal with his medical issues alone without anyone
watching him directly. It was going to be a quick project, he reminded himself.
Quickly done and then he can land somewhere for a while. Take his meds and
recharge for a bit. That sounded like a plan to him.
He arrived with his ship hovering over the drilling site. With a flick of a
switch, the drill slid out from under The Endeavour and began the process of
drilling. Swindle would have loved to relax for this moment, but keeping the
ship in one spot was critical or any number of things could happen and all of
them negative.
His body was giving him no mercy. He rubbed at his faceplate almost as if it
would bring him some sort of relief.
Almost done.
The drill bore through and powered down. It folded back in to its bay for
future use. Pulling away, Swindle landed on a nearby dune.
Before he left his ship, he checked himself over. Other than how he felt right
now, he looked presentable. At this point, that was all he could ask for.
Swindle stepped out of his ship walking over to the drill site for he was also
curious as to what this relic actually was. Even he didn't know what it was or
what it was capable of.
 
                                       .
                                       .
                                        
"There he is!" said one of the drones after spotting a ship hovering over the
cliff face.
 "You. Follow me," Knock Out ordered M1-K3Y. While the rest of the drones
remained on the ground, Knock Out and M1-K3Y started climbing up to the burial
chamber where Swindle's driller was already cutting through the cliff face.

And there it was, KV34--the tomb of Tuthmosis III. M1-K3Y could not believe
that he was looking into one of the most sophisticated tombs in the Valley. If
he had a face, Knock Out would probably be tempted to slap away the awe he was
expressing. He wished he had been smaller so he could actually explore the rest
of the chambers. But the driller had already caused so much damage.

M1-K3Y almost felt bad. It was a pity that they had to destroy such a
historical monument but a job's a job.

Knock Out reached for something that was hidden within one of the broken
pillars in the chamber. Unlike M1-K3Y, he didn't care about what's around him.
He had the relic! And a rather strange-looking one, he thought. "What...is it."

"That's Isis--one of the Egyptian gods," informed M1-K3Y. "She was modelled
after an ancient seeker who visited Earth. Look at the wings and the orb
resting on the helm. That's an electromagnetic sphere."

Knock Out turned to look at the drone. And this time, he was really intrigued.
"How do you know so much?"

Before the drone could answer, Swindle walked in. He grinned. "Well! See
anything interesting? You didn't really think that an honest mech such as
myself wouldn't return, now would you?" He then stole a quick glance at what
was, as far as he could ascertain, the relic. It was a strange looking thing
disguised as a deity statue. Oh if only those humans actually knew how
frighteningly accurate their ancient astronaut theory was! "That is certainly
an interesting artifact. I would have to say that the ancient Cybertronians
picked an equally interesting way of hiding it.”
Knock Out detached the electromagnetic sphere from the deity's helm. It was so
small he could wrap his servo around it. He smiled connivingly as he had an
inkling of what it was capable of.

Millenniums ago, Knock Out was involved in a military experiment with a
similar-looking spherical device invented for stealth and teleportation.
However the soldier who volunteered in the experiment didn't return after he
dematerialised.

Vorns later, shortly before the war began, Vosian Airmechs discovered the
soldier's upper torso at the peak of Mount Vector. The other half of his body
was never found.

The medic placed the electromagnetic sphere in between the prongs of his
energon prod to activate it.

"What I've always looked forward to after a successful relic hunt is the chance
to conduct an on-site experiment," he said, before swerving the head of his
prod and emitting a strong wave of electromagnetic radiation in Swindle's
direction.

"Let's not be too hasty here! I'm sure that there's another perfectly willing
guinea pig who'd love to be electrocuted!" said Swindle quickly.

But before he could say anything more in an attempt to dissuade Knock Out, the
sound of an electric charge hit the air with a familiar snap. He felt the
tingle in his arms before anything else. Then followed by that foreign feeling
of NOT BEING ON SOLID GROUND! Glancing downward, he could clearly see that he
was up a certain height. His feet were no longer touching the earth.
Knock Out laughed. "Ahh...just as I suspected. It's a levitation device!"

"H-hey! Let's work something out here! How about you put me down so we can
negotiate?" said Swindle with nervousness in his voice.
"The Levitas," said M1-K3Y.

"The what?" Knock Out asked.

"That's what we should call it," replied the Vehicon.

Knock Out then released Swindle from the prod's electromagnetic power. Swindle
dropped to the ground suddenly with a very audible sandy wumph. The bot could
drop and hit the ground in pieces for all he cared. He rolled his optics at the
drone. "Ugh. Must you spoil everything for me? That's the most ridiculous name
for a levitation device I've ever heard!"
Knock Out thought if he could get to the rest of the relics before Soundwave
started decoding another set of co-ordinates, he might be given the upper hand.
This was his chance at regaining the dignity he'd lost. And he was certain that
there were similar relics like this.

He knew there was a teleportation device. The Military had talked about it,
back-engineered it, tested it, but could never get it to work as close to the
original. Technology might have been simple then, yet the ancients held secrets
modern science has yet to unravel.

Since there was a levitation device, a few other similar devices must be in
existence in order to activate its cloaking and teleportation capabilities. Now
if only he could find the accompanying relics and get the devices to generate
enough electromagnetic radiation...

He ordered for M1-K3Y to leave so he could negotiate with Swindle in private.

"Are you familiar with the history of ancient seekers and their ability to
teleport great distances in search of suns to harvest? Well this is just one of
it. The number of electromagnetic spheres needed to generate enough power has
yet to be determined. This is where you come in. Your job isn't complete yet,
dealer. I need you to locate the remaining relics for me. And...am willing to
pay for your services."
Swindle picked himself up and dusted himself off. This was starting to look
more lucrative than he originally planned. That was if he didn't end up as part
of another experiment. However, Knock Out did seem willing to pay and that
meant steady income for a while.

Spitting sand out of his mouth, he propped himself up on his arms and glanced
up at the medic. He held his tongue in saying anything particularly biting.
Instead, he kept as civil as he could given the circumstances.
"I have heard of such stories in the past. I didn't give them as much credence
until recently. However, it would seem that it was a great mistake to doubt
these stories as recent evidence would suggest. For the right price, I can
assist you. Allow me to draft up another contract and we can call it a deal,"
said Swindle.

With his datapad out and a new contract drafted up, he held it out to Knock Out
with a sly smile.

"All you have to do is sign on the dotted line."
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