Note: Chapter Three Content has been revised and updated.

The two semi-corporeal creatures strode through the station with the thing between them. A few others looked at them as they passed, curious as to what had been brought in, but said nothing to them.

After a short while, they arrived at a large central chamber with a high ceiling and a machine in the centre. It was this machine they approached, carrying their load as if it were a delicate glass treasure.

"Sire." Said the taller of the two creatures in an eerie, slightly echoing voice as they looked up at the machine from where they stood. "We have brought another body for you."

The machine erupted into life with a fuss, blue lights flicking on and shimmering, and plumes of blue-white fog hissing out of the many vents and other gaps in the machine's mighty form.

"Did it once hold brilliance?" The machine asked, its voice deep and velvety, but holding the same eerie echo as that of the smaller creature.

"By his kind's standards, he was above brilliant. He was an engineer, and created many wonderful and interesting devices. Many of his kind were greatly hurt by his passing, which was caused by this wound near his head." Was the answer.

There was a short, contemplative silence before the machine spoke again.

"Very well. Place him inside. I shall call on his Voice." It said. "Then, I would like you to fetch TakiRyu. He shall be this spirit's guide."

The two creatures moved closer as a large section of panelling slid away, revealing a cavity. They carefully lay the corpse inside the space on his back, and clamped it down before moving away. The panelling slid back around the body with a hiss, sealing it in.

"You are the first we have had in a long time, lost one." Said the machine's deep and powerful voice, as various systems started up through out it's structure. "Let me hear your Voice, and I shall bring you back again."

There were several high pitched tones, and surges of cerulean energy were pumped into the shell, making it twitch and arch it's back. Then, the whistling was joined by another sound; a voice… a male voice with a slightly robotic accent, screaming in agony as loud as it could. The creatures around seemed oblivious to the screams, blocking out the wrenching sound.

The scream and the whistling continued for a long time, seemingly hours. But then the tenors stopped, leaving only the scream for a few moments, before it too subsided, ending in what sounded like a pained groan, as if the torture had been stopped, but the pain remained.

Slowly, the large machine drew out all the blue energy from the body inside it, and siphoned it off into a cylindrical glass chamber on it's side. The energy bobbed and danced inside the chamber, taking several shapes, one after another in quick succession, before settling on one form; a humanoid, but boxy form that mimicked the body that rested still inside the large machine. It curled up into a ball and rested on the bottom of the chamber, it's blue body flicking and pulsing, slowly adopting white and grey into it's appearance.

After a short while, it's movements calmed, and it was still, curled up on the bottom of the concave, looking almost identical to the corpse from which it had come, save the occasional lick of blue smoke that wafted off the seams in it's body, and the blue shimmer that occasionally overtook the white.

"I've heard your voice, Cybertronian." The machine said in it's deep voice. "I've heard your pain, your anguish… your unfinished business." The creature was considered carefully. "Rest well, young one. For there is much learning and much growing to be done when you awaken…"

- - -

When he activated his optics, all he saw was a blue blur.

"…H-huh?"

He stared at… whatever it was that happened to be in front of his optics for a few moments, watching as the haze slowly dissipated.

"…I think he's waking up…" Said a distant voice.

He raised his head and looked around. There was an awful lot of blue about, most of it taking indistinct shapes in front of his unfocused optics. What he could see though, was that he was inside some sort of glass surround.

"What the…?" He pulled himself into a sitting position, grunting in discomfort as he did so. His whole body felt strange. He felt energised but drained, and like someone had been jumping on him for a megacycle or two.

"Oh, yup, defiantly awake." Said a different, through equally distant voice.

He looked up again, this time his optics taking in his surroundings with undoubtable clarity.

He was indeed, in a glass cage… or perhaps tube would have been the better word. Pure and perfect irony that he end up inside a freaking test tube. There were a few creatures around his glass prison, looking in at him as if he were an animal in the zoo to be gawked at. They were all different shades of blue, and so different in shape to him, and then to each other that it was mind boggling.

"Hey there, newbie." One of the creatures said, putting what was presumed to be a hand on the glass. "Welcome back to the green flag."

"Green flag?" He echoed. "What green flag? What happened?"

There was murmuring from many of the crowd. "Wow, he sounds strange." Was one of the comments he picked up.

Strange? I don't sound strange. They're the ones who sound strange, with that odd echo. He thought quietly.

Just then the room was stilled as a deep voice boomed through it.

"Leave him be!" The voice ordered. "Younglings are not to be ogled at!"

He half blanched. "Youngling? I hope you're not talking about me! I'm no youngling!" He snapped.

There was a collective gasp. "You've got some nerve on you, runt, for talking to the King that way! Show a little more respect and be thankful he brought you back at all!"

He stared at the blue creature that had spoken in a silence of a creature whose supply of words and responses had just run out. The silence stretched, and a few of the creatures began to fidget in the awkward hush. Eventually though, it was broken by a quiet, "…What?" from the being in the glass chamber.

A deep sigh resonated from somewhere nearby. "He means no offence. This is his first awakening and he does not know what you speak of. Go. All of you! Leave him alone!"

And the room was empty in moments.

"Apologies." Said the deep voice after the room had been cleared. The glass walls slowly started to rise to allow him exit. "We have not had a new addition to our ranks for a long time. They have forgotten how confused and disorientated one is after being awoken."

He scrambled away from the tube as fast as he could as soon as he could fit through the gap. "I haven't got a clue what you are talking about." He said, pulling himself to his feet and looking around. The room had sheer walls, and one door. The chamber he had been in was attached to a large black machine in the centre of the room, which seemed to extend far past both the ceiling and the floor. It flashed occasionally with blue lights over it's exterior, and it was hard for the engineer to decide exactly what it was supposed to do.

But the more confounding thing was, although he was sure that someone had been holding half of the conversation, he could not see the owner of the voice.

"Where are you? And, a who, and where in the Pit am I would be nice too."

There was a deep chuckle. "I am called Seimei Kikai. I am the leader of our kind, who live here, on this space station called Quintessence." There was a pause that would have been filled with a smile had a mouth been present. "As for where I am, look before you. The large machine that fills much of this room is where my consciousness resides."

The smaller creature looked up at the black machine. "You're inside that?"

"Pretty much. I have been integrated into its technology."

"Uh huhhh…" He looked over himself. "What happened to me? What was all that talk about being 'awoken' and 'brought back'?"

Seimei paused. "You died, young one."

"Say what?!"

"Exactly that. Our scouts found you, killed before your duty was done. Rather nasty wound too." The King paused. "Our scouts took your body and brought you here, and I resurrected your spirit."

"Stealing a corpse. Nice." He huffed, crossing his arms, before the latter half of the machine's sentence hit home and he looked up again. "What do you mean by resurrecting my 'spirit'? You didn't just fix me?"

Seimei would have shaken his head had he had one. "We are not mechanics or engineers. The form you find yourself in now is a blend of your soul and the energy that allows our kind to reside in the realm of the living. It looks like your old body, because you will it."

"I don't recall willing anything…" he looked down over himself.

"It is the form you are comfortable with and are used to. It is your default."

There was a quiet pause as the smaller creature contemplated this development.

"How did you bring me back, anyway?" He asked.

Seimei chuckled. "You would not understand it. The creator of this technology has long since vanished from this plain of existence, and there are countless failed attempts on my part to teach it to others, some more skilled at engineering than even you."

He looked surprised.

"I heard lots of things inside you when I was bringing you back. Your ideas, successes, failures, a grand amount of memories. You are more brilliant than you or your kind truly realise, Autobot Wheeljack."

"Uh, thanks." Wheeljack looked down over himself again, this time noticing the wisps of blue smoke that was leaching out of his seams. "What the…" He raised a hand up to swish it away, but his hand passed though it as if it wasn't even there.

"Do not worry about the smoke. The energy that makes up your form creates the smoke of its own volition. Even I do not quite know why. But it causes no harm."

"Oh…kay…"

Just then, the door to the room opened, and a large, birdlike creature flew in, landing beside Wheeljack with a flap of very large wings.

"Ah, TakiRyu. Welcome." Said Seimei.

"Thankyou, King." The creature looked up at Wheeljack. "Is this the one you wish me to guide?"

"It is. This is Wheeljack. Wheeljack, this is TakiRyu. He will teach you about our kind, and what you are now capable of."

Wheeljack blinked his optics in surprise and looked back up at Seimei. "Capable of?"

"TakiRyu will explain. He is very wise."

TakiRyu looked at Wheeljack with his sharp purple eyes, before taking to the air again with a beat of his great wings. Then he did something interesting. He shrank.

Going from about the same size as Wheeljack, which, at 25 feet, was nothing to be sneezed at, to about the same size as Laserbeak. Then he perched himself on Wheeljack's shoulder.

"It is nice to meet you, Wheeljack. I am TakiRyu. I would be honoured to show you around the station, and teach you."

"By the look of it, I've got a lot to learn." Wheeljack commented. "How'd you shrink like that?"

"That was simple. You can perform such a feat too."

"No, I can't."

"You can." Seimei Kikai interjected. "All of our kind can, and you, Wheeljack, are now one of our kind."

"Hnnn… Dunno."

"Come." Said the birdlike TakiRyu as he struck the air with his wings and flew in the space before the inventor. "I will show you."

He glided effortlessly towards the door, and, left with little option, Wheeljack followed.

- - -

As they walked through the station (Well, Wheeljack walked, TakiRyu flew.) the birdlike creature presented the engineer with a brief overview of their kind and their hierarchy. The engineer was fascinated. Apparently, the long ago gone Designer created the Resurrection Machine to bring back a loved one from the dead. Then they used it to return a scientist who had been killed in a war. Then Seimei was brought back, and it went from there.

"That's pretty neat." Wheeljack commented. "I bet Prowl would be at home in this Republic place. He was a Chess sort of guy." The former Lancia looked down the hall behind him. "So Seimei is the 'King'. That means he's the leader. Who holds the other ranks?"

"We have been without a Queen for a long while." TakiRyu explained. "We have four Knights, one Bishop, and one Rook, me."

"You're the Rook, Taki? You keep everyone in line?"

"It is a simple job, everyone is very well behaved. Most are so grateful to be returned to the land of the living that they do as told without hesitation."

"Huh." The engineer looked towards a window in the wall, which allowed one to look out into space. "How many stations are there?"

"A few. I think there is close to fifty or sixty stations, but there are also small satellites that orbit some stations that count towards the population."

"And there's that many different races, all in the one place?"

"That's correct."

He looked back at his guide. "Any of my kind?"

Taki looked down. "Your kind is here, Wheeljack. You're not what you were anymore."

Wheeljack looked hurt.

"We can not bring creatures back from the dead as what they were. That is the price for bringing them back in the first place."

"So now what, I'm just another face in the Kata-Tenjimasu Kokoro crowd?" Wheeljack demanded.

"You are unique, just like every other member of our kind. We have spirits from more races than you have ever encountered before. "

"So? This body you've given me may be like yours but at heart I'm still Cybertronian, and I'm still an Autobot! I need to get back to my friends!"

Taki shook his head. "You need the King's permission to leave the station. And even then, you must return."

"Is that just a rule, or is that a physical need?"

The creature looked uncomfortable, and said nothing. Wheeljack sighed and lowered himself to his haunches to be level with the creature.

"Look, don't get me wrong, I'm grateful for being brought back. This certainly beats being dead by a mile. But I still have a duty to perform, and that duty is to my faction."

Taki seemed to consider this very valid argument. After a few moments, he nodded. "Agreed." He said, although he still sounded down. "L-let's go. I still need to teach you how to change your shape."

"Sweet as, I can still transform." Wheeljack joked, smiling to himself when that seemed to cheer Taki up.

- - -

Wheeljack was pleased to discover that changing his shape, the most prominent skill of the Kata-Tenjimasu Kokoro, was quite simple. It was all a matter of will, and he had a decent amount of that. Primus, it was easier than transforming had been! No need to worry about how this part goes here and there and stuff, your whole self just changes.

So, within an hour, Wheeljack was zipping around in a shape that resembled his old Lancia alternate mode, with Taki flying behind him.

"Wheeljack!" The bird creature called after him. "Calm down!"

"Life's too short to be calm!" Wheeljack answered, choosing to forget that 'life' meant something completely different to him now.

The bird sighed and continued to follow.

Wheeljack sped through the halls of the station with very childish glee. But then, after taking a turn far too quickly, he was flung into the air, and shifted back to his 'default' form before landing on the floor in a heap, giggling very unprofessionally.

Taki landed near him. "Are you done being stupid?"

"Hey shut up. I'm enjoying myself here."

Taki smiled. "Well, that's always a plus."

- - -

Elsewhere in the station, Seimei Kikai was deep in thought. Their newest member was sure to be restless, he knew. He had seen Wheeljack's memories concerning the war, and just how much of an impact his passing had made. The Autobots were put at a disadvantage without him, that was of no doubt.

So, what to do now? Keep him here, when he would definitely want to leave to find his friends and work with them again? Or let him go? If you wanted to do the right thing… he'd have to let him leave.

But how would the Autobots react, seeing a dead comrade back again? Truly, he is a ghost to them now. To everyone now. That is their nature, and the meaning of their name; Kata-Tenjimasu Kokoro… shape changing spirit… Even he, who seems so defined, is no less vague than the others. That is just one of the ways they pay for their resurrected life.

But Wheeljack, like the others, had a duty. That is why they were brought back in the first place; so they could do their duty. And Wheeljack couldn't exactly do it from Quintessence Station.

What to do?

- - -

Wheeljack on the other hand, was having great fun with his new shape changing ability. Just for kicks, and to show Taki his old comrades, Wheeljack had taken the form of Optimus Prime, Ratchet, Prowl, and many other Autobots.

"You loved them all very much." Taki said as the engineer took his usual form.

"I guess you could call it that." Wheeljack answered, looking away. "We were all close. We had won many victories together and survived many losses. So… I gotta find my way back to them. To help them."

Taki nodded, but was not hopeful for his companion's chances of getting out. Wheeljack picked up the emotion easily.

"You don't think Seimei will let me go?" He asked.

"He may. He may not. I can't be certain. That decision is his and his alone to make. As our King, he needs to do what is best for all of us. The needs of the many outweigh…"

"…the needs of the few. …Or the one." Wheeljack finished, recognising the phrase. "I know. Prowl liked that saying."

The birdlike creature cocked its head to one side. "So you will understand if he forbids you from leaving?"

"I suppose." Wheeljack looked at his hands as a flicker of blue shot through them. "But what would I do otherwise? What good am I here, to you guys? I might as well have not been brought back if I wasn't going to allowed to finish what I started."

Taki mulled over this information for a moment, before gently nudging Wheeljack's arm with his nose. "Don't dwell on things like that, Wheeljack." He suggested. "Let's do something to take your mind off that until a decision is made. Show me more forms that you know."

Wheeljack put a hand to his chin and stroked his battle mask thoughtfully. "Well, I guess I could show you human form… but, I don't really wanna take the form of any of the humans we knew."

"Then create your own."

Wheeljack looked down at him. "We can do that?"

"Of course!"

"Well, as long as that's the case…"

Wheeljack changed without hesitation, changing into a six foot tall, black haired, blue eyed, spectacled human male with thin limbs, and a long white lab coat over his green shirt and light grey pants. His hair was long, about waist length, and tied back in a loose pony tail.

Taki gave a flap of his wings and shrank to the size of a small hawk, before landing on the human shaped engineer's head. "That form suits you Wheeljack."

"You think so?" Wheeljack said, looking over his new form. It felt alright, that was for sure. Like his 'default' form did… and the form of the old Lancia he used to turn into. They felt right… normal.

He grinned and struck a pose, his coat flaring dramatically out behind him. Taki chuckled. "You're very funny."

Wheeljack offered a chuckle of his own "You don't get to be as brilliant as me by bein' borin'."

Just then, a pleasant chime echoed though the hall, followed by a deep voice. "This is Seimei Kikai. TakiRyu, Wheeljack, please, your presence is requested in the Resurrection Hall. I must speak with you both again."

Wheeljack blinked his sapphire eyes, before returning back to his default shape. "Maybe he's made a decision. Maybe I can go home now!"

While though thought of going back to Cybertron, or even Earth, clearly made the engineer very happy, TakiRyu was not so pleased. If Wheeljack was given permission to leave, he would, without doubt. Then… then Taki would lose his new friend… who he was growing more and more fond of.

But regardless, he took to the air, and flew after Wheeljack as he headed back the way they had come.

- - -

The large black machine that housed the consciousness of Seimei Kikai issued a stream of light blue smoke in greeting as the two Kata-Tenjimasu Kokoro entered the room.

"Hello." The King said politely.

"Hello." Wheeljack offered a wave, and Taki bowed his head for a moment. There was a pause, before the Autobot spoke up. "Am I going to be allowed to leave the station?" He asked.

Seimei seemed to hesitate. "You are the first to want to leave the station permanently, you realise."

"I wouldn't be surprised." Wheeljack said airily. "But…"

"But, what could you offer us here?" The machine cut in. "You are a great engineer, Autobot. But our kind has no further need for inventions. We have our station, our small fleet of shuttles, and me. Even if we were to be attacked by some other race, an our belongings destroyed, we would continue on. The station could be rebuilt by the capable hands already in our ranks, our shuttles can easily be bought again, and I… I can forge myself anew should it be needed. Yes, what can you offer?"

TakiRyu bristled. It sounded like their wise king was insulting Wheeljack… but Seimei didn't do things like that… he didn't…

"So," The king continued, not oblivious to the birdlike creature's discomfort. "I have come to this conclusion; you shall leave here." He paused, noting Wheeljack's delighted gasp and expression. "However…"

"However?"

"TakiRyu, I would like you to accompany him."

Taki's jaw dropped open.

"Are… are you banishing me?"

"Goodness no. Nor am I banishing Wheeljack. In fact, I encourage you both to come visit, often." There was the feeling of a kind smile in the air. "Taki, I'm not blind just because I have no eyes. You would feel quite sad, should Wheeljack leave you alone again."

Taki flinched, and Wheeljack looked at the other creature in surprise and curiosity.

"So go with him, Taki. Help him fulfil his purpose. And perhaps you can find your own, as well."

- - -

The leader of Quintessence Station gave them some parting advice which they decided to heed; "Before seeking your comrades, explore the rest of the Republic. We have neighbours of many cuts and calibres, and you can learn much from them."

Wheeljack looked down at Taki. The engineer was in human form, sitting on his companion's back as he glided towards one of the nearby stations. "Taki? Are you okay?"

"Yes." He lied. "Just fine."

"Oh, shut up, you are not." Wheeljack quipped. "Come on bud, tell me what's wrong?"

Taki grumbled. "I've not left the station for centuries. Leaving doesn't bother you because you were there for… what, five hours?"

Wheeljack smiled. "You're homesick already? We can always go back again. Don't think of it as leaving, think of it as exploring, and learning things to take home with you. That's how I survived being on Earth, away from our home planet, Cybertron, for so long and not losing it."

"But…"

"Hey! Did I, or did I not tell you, to shut up? Just chill. You'll end up having so much fun you won't have time to be homesick."

Taki turned to look at the creature on his back. "You like that human form, don't you?"

"I do. It's quite comfortable, actually." He smirked. "Nice changing of the subject, by the way."

Taki flushed a little, and turned his eyes to the front again. "Sorry."

"Don't be. Life is too short for apologies."

"Wheeljack, we're eternal."

"So? Life is life. And hey, it's not like I was worrying about reaching the end of my lifespan before I was bumped off, so why would I bother now?"

Taki was quiet.

Wheeljack shimmied forward and gently pat the top of Taki's head. "Cheer up."

"…I'll try."

"Don't try, do." Wheeljack quoted, thanking the twins for making him watch that rather inspirational human movie.

Taki shook his head and sighed, but a smile found its way onto his face. Wheeljack noticed and smiled broadly himself, before looking forward, over Taki's head at the station they were headed for.

- - -

Just after the pair left, a shuttle returned to the station, and its pilots traversed the insides of the floating labyrinth to reach their leader.

"Sire, they accepted the gift." One of them announced, reaching the hall where Seimei Kikai resided.

"Good. It would not do well for that body to remain here."

The smaller creatures nodded. "We did not ask for anything in return… should we have?"

"No." Seimei said gently. "They already do us a service in taking the body from us."

"If I may sir, where did he and TakiRyu go?"

There was a pause.

"They headed towards Verelen Station."

"Verelen? Why would they visit Verelen? There is nothing of interest there."

"To the explorer, everything new is of interest. But it is not the destination that is important, but the journey. From Verelen, they will head somewhere else, meet others, see many things that our kind normally would not bother to discover."

There was silence as the Kata-Tenjimasu Kokoro took this in.

"Yes, it is the journey that is of value. And they are in for a great journey indeed."