"Was it necessary to freeze him?" Thundercracker asked Starscream at the eternal plane.
"We would be left vulnerable if they see us right now. We haven't gained full access to our frames yet. I have faith in our people, but if something like this occurred to you and you couldn't explain it, wouldn't you search deeper?" Starscream asked his wingmate.
"How far has the process gone?" Skywarp asked. He longed to be back in the mortal world.
"Our sparks are left. I estimate one more cycle before we can enter our frames without risking rousing our systems before they are ready." Starscream reassured.
The commotion in the hangar had taken several cycles, with the wariness everyone walked around the place.
"I hope I can mend our fliers when we return. Strife, the poor thing is scared out of his processor. And I still don't like your action against Atone." Thundercracker said. Crossing his arms and sending Starscream a stern gaze.
"I know dear friend." Starscream sighed. He would have done otherwise if he had had any other choice, but he didn't. It wasn't easy to manipulate the mortal world from the eternal plane, and only thanks to The Sphere still in his mortal body and connected to his spirit was he able to do as he did. He had channeled the energy from The Sphere with his own signature, his nullification.
Breems went by as they silently watched the area around Jetfire and carefully watched the health of the shuttle. So far the forced hibernation seemed to work without any consequences.
"So how do you think they react when we emerge?" Skywarp voiced.
"It is going to be a scare of their life" Thundercracker laughed.
"Yeah it isn't like we can prepare them." Starscream added thoughtful.
Inside Jetfire one last green notification happened in the frames of the three fliers signaling every systems working and integrated properly.
Their sparks began to rotate at the same moment as their systems once more rebooted, initiating awakening sequences.
As the sparks began rotating they became visible to the detectors in the mortal world, and Flocal placed at the command center watched as three unidentified spark signatures suddenly appeared on the monitors INSIDE The Atlantis. Security still active at level 2 Flocal did the only thing he could, activating the klaxons and alerting the command of the security breakage.
"What is the situation Flocal?" Stroza asked through the comm.
"Unidentified spark signatures inside our perimeter Sir. They just popped up." He responded solemnly.
"What! How can they-"Stroza didn't make it further as Stormcloud poked his shoulder. He had gotten words from his men down at the hangar.
"Situation at the secluded area Commander" Stormcloud said, watching understanding in the others optics.
"Very well. Follow." Stroza almost ran to the lift.
In the brig Optimus and the other Cybertronians heard the klaxons blaring, but it was only Optimus who understood the implications.
The matrix send him a faint pulse of calm just as he thought about what was going on down at the hangar. 'It is happening' and he wondered how dangerous this would turn out to be. He didn't know who emerged, just that someone, or something had messed enough within the eternal plane to make someone or something come back.
He just hoped it was who or whom he guessed and not someone else. You could never know.
"Relax" he bellowed above the klaxon, stilling his men's panic awoken by the klaxons. "Nothing is going to happen" he said. Hoping it would be enough to still the most of their unease at being unable to do anything in a crisis.
At the eternal plane Starscream informed his wingmates:
"It is time. Our frames are ready to repossess us." He smiled.
"Finally" Skywarp sighed.
"See you soon." Thundercracker smiled as he reached his new frame and disintegrated into particles which were absorbed by the frame just as Starscream and Skywarp at their frames also disintegrated and let their essence repossess the frames. These made their sparks begin to rotate and alert their surroundings about the transformation. If not enough, the light engulfing Jetfire alerted everyone present in the hangar about the change.
As Stroza reached the area where Jetfire had been ordered at his return he just saw the brilliant blinding light filling the whole area.
Not thinking, he ran to the back of the shuttle hoping to see Atone once again moving, but was met with the still frozen form of his subordinate. The look made his fuel tank churn. His hope dwindling.
Guilt flooded him at the thought of Atone never becoming himself once again, and that it was his fault.. The stoic façade of the Commander cracked and he went to his knees sobbing. He couldn't handle this. He felt so alone. The fliers he used to confide in; the royal trine was no more. Who else would understand him among his fliers?
Then he heard a voice.
"Don't fear. Don't despair." He jerked his helm up, still blinded by the light.
There.
At the entrance to the cargo bay something moved.
The light began to subside slowly, centering on the movement before him, and as his optics adjusted to the light residing he saw the outlining of three mechs.
They had no coloration, just plain silver. They were higher and more bulky than any Dormanian, and not looking like the Cybertronians either. When the light disappeared fully he found himself looking at three pairs of wings. His mouth opened in wonder. Only Dormanians to his knowledge had wings!
One of them began walking down the ramp to the devastated flier on the ground, so far dismissing the frozen soldier in his way. As he reached the Commander he knelt.
"Have faith" Starscream voiced to the Commander as he gently caressed the other's cheek.
"Who are you?" Stroza whispered, stunned by the appearance of the other.
The only answer he got was a brilliant smile, and then the other looked back at Jetfire.
Stroza couldn't stop following the direction, and what he saw made his air intake hitch. One of the others had stopped at Atone.
He wanted to protest when the other reached for the soldier, gently caressing him, but when he sensed the spark beginning to spin once again his mind stopped every thought.
Relief filled his spark, and once again he found himself sobbing, all the stress leaving his frame. He would live, Atone would be okay.
He had forgotten everything about the mech beside him, but as he felt himself being lifted in the other's arms he protested. He was the Commander for Goddess sake.
At that moment Stormcloud decided to interfere, finally having found where Stroza had run off to. He didn't like seeing his commander vulnerable in a strangers arm.
"Put him down!" he ordered the stranger, weapon raised.
The stranger froze on the spot, but didn't let go of the commander, instead he looked behind him as one more strangely looking mech emerged, having Atone in his arm.
The silver mechs silently stood there patiently and Stormcloud cursed inwardly.
Atone let out a whimper which stalled everyone. They hadn't seen his "revival" and still thought him frozen.
"How?" Stormcloud asked bewildered.
"Favor of our healer", the one holding Stroza voiced, gesturing in the direction of Jetfire. Thundercracker had given Atone to Skywarp so that he could wake the hibernating shuttle.
"Who are you?" it seemed that question would be repeated on and on. Starscream laughed inwardly. If they just knew.
Instead of spilling it all to them then and there he decided to serve the fact to the commanders bit by bit.
"We are the future." Starscream said. His green optics sparkled playfully at the surrounding mechs. He found the situation quite funny.
The third silver mech joined the two others just as they heard Jetfire groaning coming alive. Sensing his cargo bay empty the shuttle transformed to bipedal. "What happened?" he asked no one in particular.
"You were forced into hibernation my friend" Starscream told the confused shuttle.
"Huh?" it took some time for Jetfire to process the fact and when he did he almost bellowed "What?!"
"Why? How?" he asked, but suddenly dismissed the questions for another one.
"WHERE ARE STARSCREAM, THUNDERCRACKER AND SKYWARPS FRAMES?" he yelled panicky, not remembering unloading his cargo.
The question stunned the rest, except the three strangers. Where were the frames indeed?
