A/N: A short (by previous comparison!) chapter update to move things along. Gonna be getting into some set-up and story building chapters before the big shebang. Please bear with me, lol. If you are wondering how Skywarp managed to put two peeps in his cockpit, the F15E Strike Eagle is a two-seater aircraft. In this scenario, we'll just say Warp forewent proper seating. And as a reminder, I don't own Transformers. People much cooler with a lot more money than I, do. Side note, I've hit Seeker fangirl status. After many years of planning, I finally got a Transformers-themed tattoo. No regrets. Not even a little. Please enjoy.

Chapter 20: Awakening

If the Ark had been in a flurry of activity with the arrival of Starscream and Thundercracker, then the Autobot stronghold absolutely erupted with the abrupt arrival of Skywarp. The black Seeker had pinged on their long distance radar well-before visual contact. At approximately the same time, Thundercracker appeared in the Command and Control room with confirmation that Skywarp was inbound with two severely injured humans.

Ratchet and First Aid had leaped into action preparing their overly-large med bay to receive their smaller, human patients. Unfortunately, Skywarp was either too ignorant of human anatomy or too stressed to provide further details. As Thundercracker observed the ground-speed radar, he would bet some of the finest high grade that it was option 2. The black Seeker was approaching Mach 3 and holding just an octane's fume below 2,300 mph. Of the three of them, Starscream was indisputably the fastest, but given the worried undertones he'd heard in Warp's voice over their internal comm, TC would also bet that on this particular day, Skywarp would have probably beaten the silver Seeker, teleportation notwithstanding.

During the entire exchange, Maria had clung to the blue Decepticon's intake. She had listened quietly to the proceedings occurring between Starscream and Optimus with only herself, Thundercracker, and Prowl present for the historic meeting. When Skywarp had pinged his wingmates of his mission's status, Starscream had silently asked his blue wingbrother to handle the reception. More than likely, Starscream didn't want to lose his bargaining chip in Maria; she would most assuredly want to see her father-creator upon Skywarp's arrival.

Acknowledging Starscream's request, Thundercracker left the meeting and briefed Maria on what was to come. Curiously, the teenaged human had taken the news rather calmly on the outside, but her pale skin and absolute death-grip on his intake indicated she was more disturbed than she verbally acknowledged.

Thundercracker and several Autobots stepped outside to receive the roaring black comet racing across the landscape, a plume of dust over a mile long trailing his thrusters.

Skywarp had slowed his speed significantly on approach to the Ark. While he could compensate for g-forces to a large degree, he still needed to be at a manageable speed for transformation. He had jumped several iterations to arrive in time; truthfully he had teleported way more than his energy reserves could handle. He would have teleported once more had he not known that such an action would throw him in stasis lock and pitch his nosecone into the ground like a glorified lawn dart. Reluctantly, he had been forced to cover the remaining distance with wing and thruster and none too soon.

Stinger had hit unconsciousness before they even warped out of Cuba. Carla had lost consciousness his third jump in. Both humans had spilled more blood and fluids in his cockpit than a pack of Sharkticons in a feeding frenzy. But for once and probably the only time, he wasn't concerned. For with each jump and with each minute, Stinger's life organ was beating with weaker and weaker pulses. His friend was dying.

He pulled abruptly upright, transformed and landed on hands and knee actuators. Seeing the condition of his wingmate, Thundercracker handed Maria over to the closest Autobot, which happened to be Inferno, and stooped beside the black Seeker, Starscream's "request" be slagged. All three of them were in too deep now and if the Autobots valued their idealistic moral high ground as much as they espoused, TC doubted they would turn on them now. Plus, with Stinger and Carla now in the mix along with Maria on their side...yeah, not happening.

Ratchet and First Aid appeared as if magically summoned. Thundercracker gently lifted Skywarp up onto his knees. Once in position Ratchet deftly opened his cockpit with a medic's touch and extracted the two passengers. Just as quickly, he was gone, dashing back to the Ark as quickly as possible. First Aid remained behind with the energy-depleted Skywarp.

"TC? I ma- it? He slurred almost drunkenly, optics flickering with a disturbing amount of scintillation. Medic and Seeker exchanged bewildered looks.

"Yes, Warp. You made it. The medbot has already taken them to the repair bay," the blue Seeker answered softly, keeping a steady grey palm on his rather unsteady wingmate.

"Cool. Imma crash ou' for a few." And with those few words, Skywarp slumped forward, completely offline.

"Help me get him to the repair bay. I will need to start an energon infusion immediately before his vital systems hit critical shutdown sequences," First Aid requested, already slinging a black and purple arm around his shoulders. TC complied without question and together the two of them drug the dark Seeker between them and into the Ark, a smaller gaggle of Autobots following curiously. Among them Maria and Inferno.

"Inferno? Ratchet will be able to help them, right?" she asked worriedly, having seen both Stinger and Carla limp and unresponsive in the medic's grip.

"Short stack, no better medic has ever lived than Ratchet for both mech and organics alike! Your folks are with the best and if anyone can heal them up faster than lightspeed, it's him," the fire engine reassured her. "Come on now! Carly and Spike are waiting for ya in the recreation room. Let's hang out there and wait until all this excitement levels off. Primus knows Ratchet would chuck a wrench at both us for visiting now and getting in his way."

Maria nodded understandingly, but despite his words she still worried. Worried over her father's health and Carla's too. Worried about the meeting Starscream and Optimus were still embroiled within, worried about the lack of movement or any indication the Decepticons were still amassing to strike, worried about when or if Megatron would return, and she was doubly worried about her Decepticon guardians? friends? allies? Or whatever relationship they were to her family being in such close proximity to the Autobots. Several mechs had already made it abundantly clear they would like nothing better than to take the Seekers' wings and refashion them into energon coasters. She needed to get back to TC. She knew the burly flier could handle his own affairs, but if her presence alone deterred any frivolous violence then so be it.

Several hours passed before Skywarp had enough energy to online and sit upright. When he did the first mech he saw was TC. Relief flooded his circuitry at seeing the familiar blue frame.

Despite the angry threats and irate gesticulations he received from Ratchet, both medics came to a reluctant agreement to allow the Decepticon to remain. It wouldn't do to have a wild, unpredictable Decepticon online in the midst of Ratchet's delicate operation on Stinger, as TC pointed out in an equally irritable growl to the Autobot.

The decision paid off.

"Easy, Warp. No fast movements. Let your systems recalibrate," TC spoke lowly to his befuddled wingmate.

Skywarp's optics flickered briefly before lighting with vigor. He slowly flexed his digits and rolled his forearm actuators. He gave TC a grin before his face sobered.

"Stinger...?" He moved to get off the berth, but First Aid intercepted him.

"Is in good hands," the medic finished for him. "Please don't go causing a ruckus as Ratchet is currently tending to his substantial injuries."

"Hands off, Autobot!" the black Seeker snarled while swiping the offending hand from his chassis. First Aid took a step back but did not retreat completely.

"You were severely depleted, nearly to the point of stasis lock; however, your timely actions saved the humans' lives. For what it's worth, no other Cybertronian could have rushed them to treatment as fast as what they required. Because of you they will both live. Ratchet is finishing up shortly. He will want to debrief you." The Protectobot withdrew and left the two Seekers alone.

Skywarp exchanged a look with TC, optic ridges creased in puzzlement. "How bad, TC?" he asked softly.

"Bad. A few breems later and both of them would have...expired."

Skywarp looked away, a grimace furrowing his brow. A moment passed before Thundercracker spoke once more. "Did you kill him?"

Warp looked at his wingmate once more, an unreadable expression flicking across his gaze. "No."

It was Thundercracker's turn to look puzzled. "Did he escape then?"

Warp barked a strained laugh. "Ha! Hardly. Stinger's femme put a lead bullet in his processor, Personally, I would have drawn it out, made that fleshy worm suffer ten times over what he did to Stinger," he said with a mixture of satisfaction and slight disappointment, "but I guess it worked out at least."

TC made a rumbling sound of disapproval. "There's something you're not telling me."

Skywarp hesitated for a klik, unsure of whether to tell TC of the long diatribe the Secretary had pummeled his human friend with. While the vile fleshling's words had done nothing but inflame his own anger, Skywarp had at least noticed it had affected his friend in a far different way.

"Warp," TC's voice cut into his hesitation with a warning's edge. "Need I remind you, you suck at keeping secrets. What else happened?" the blue Seeker pressed.

Finally, Warp spoke his vocals full of bitterness. "That pathetic worm got into Stinger's head. He started spouting off how Stinger was a traitor to his country, that his torture was deserved. He told him that he should have died back in Latveria and not come home since he made the decision to help me. Then the femme shot the slagger. All that slag, though...sound familiar?"

"Primus," TC cursed, a grey hand pressed to his helm. "And how did he take it?"

"I-I don't know," Warp admitted. "He did that strange thing humans do with the lubricants coming out of their optics. I know it rattled him. He went offline not long after and never said a word."

Thundercracker made a grunt of acknowledgement. "And what? You afraid he'll turn on you? Even after you pulled his afterburners out of the fire? Saved his offspring not once, but twice? And how many times did he come through for you in Latveria? Frag, even me and Screamer?"

"I know! I know!" the black Seeker snarled angrily, "It's just...it's hard not knowing where you stand...or where anyone stands...anymore. We went from Megatron's Elite to traitors and outcasts. The Autobums still hate us; nothing there has changed at least, and now I just know Stinger has doubts and...I don't know how I would feel if he abandoned us too! And Primus damn it TC! I hate not knowing nothing about anything anymore!"

Before Thundercracker could mount a rebuttal, Ratchet walked up, wiping his servos on a clean cloth. "Well, while I can't attest to your human...friend's loyalties at this time; I can tell you more about his physical state and his recovery if you two are willing to listen."

"That would be...acceptable, Autobot, but first, I think I should go and retrieve his offspring before we engage further in this conversation," Thundercracker replied, crossing his arms over his cockpit.

"That is to say 'we'! 'We will go retrieve her!" Skywarp interjected, while standing on wobbly thrustered heels.

'Can you even walk that far, Warp?'

You are NOT leaving me in here with them!'

'You are such a sparkling at times! Can't you manage one breem in the medbay by yourself?!

'Not unless you want them in pieces! Besides, I don't do well with medics ! Let alone Autobot medics!"

A derisive growl. 'Fine!'

Equally derisive growl. 'Fine!'

The entire internal monologue occurred without Ratchet's knowledge. The medic raised a quizzical optic ridge and harrumphed in annoyance. "Very well. I had temporarily forgotten about that girl given all the commotion. But don't try anything foolish! If you do, I can't guarantee that the crew will leave me enough parts to put your lousy, cross-threaded, rust-eaten frames back together again!"

He turned on his heel and walked off, muttering irritably. Thundercracker grabbed Skywarp by the elbow and steered his simmering wingmate around the berth and out of the med bay.

"Focus. Progress report first. Then meeting with Screamer. Smashing Autobots will have to be pushed to next week's command and staff meeting, all right?"

"Whatever, so long as I get to smash something in the next cycle or two," the teleport growled.

They found Maria in the recreation room sitting cross-legged on a large table with the other two humans and a couple Autobots. Thundercracker recognized one of them as being the mech he had handed her off to upon Warp's arrival.

The room had been abuzz with chatter, but upon their entrance all conversations ceased and a tense, strained silence smothered the area. Upon the sudden change, Maria followed the glares of a dozen icy optics to see the two jets standing uncomfortably in the entrance way.

"Warp!" she shouted eagerly while hopping up from her position.

After a brief pause the two Seekers strode into the room, wings stiff and chins high. Skywarp glared down any Autobot that sought to maintain optic-contact with him, but Thundercracker kept his faceplates neutral and his optics focused on the objective. As irritating as the medic had been, he was right: this was not the time nor place to kick off an altercation.

The teenager ran up to the edge of the table, her face beaming. "You found them! And you really saved them!" The smile faltered just a bit. "Is he? Are they..?"

"They're fine," TC answered her fractured questions. He wasn't exactly sure if Warp could speak and not say something that would incite a riot. That was asking a little much at this point. Tact was not Warp's forte. "We're here to take you back to the med bay. The medic wishes to debrief us. Thought you'd want to hear."

"Yes, can I see them too?" she asked hopefully, stepping up onto TC's proffered palm.

He shrugged an intake. "Dunno. But we'll find out." He placed her on his shoulder and turned to leave. Skywarp leveled one more simmering, baleful glare across the room before following suit, his wings high and tight.

Inferno watched them leave before commenting lowly, "I sure hope Starscream and Optimus come to some sort of agreement soon. I was half-ready to jump up and put out some fires what with the way Skywarp was flaming everybody."

"No joke," Carly agreed. "Things could get real spicy here soon!"

"Normally, I'd be all for it. But it seems to me having some human counterparts has calmed those two down a good bit. And I really like that kid. I don't want to see her or her family unit caught up in a crossfire if things get heated, especially after everything they've been through."

"Yeah, you're right. It almost seems unfair, doesn't it? Letting everyone here think badly about Maria, her family, and even the Seekers. I mean, they did technically stop a really bad thing from happening seven years ago and they've been kinda friendly to at least some humans. And yet no one knows about it! Wouldn't that kind of help change things a bit?" Carly asked, her head tilted curiously to the side. "I mean I see them a bit differently as a result, don't you?"

Inferno grunted in response. "A little, I suppose. But one or two good deeds can't rectify eons of bad ones."

"But it's a start," she countered thoughtfully. "And we all gotta start somewhere."

Ratchet was waiting for them when they entered the med bay. He leveled a disapproving look at Maria's perch on Thundercracker's intake, but otherwise did not comment. For her part, Maria crossed her arms and all but verbally dared Ratchet to say something. After her stint at Decepticon Headquarters, she didn't feel nearly as intimidated as she had before. She had quite literally survived worse.

"So, I'll get right to it. Your father suffered massive internal trauma as a result of the physical brutality of his internment. His spleen, kidneys, and liver were all bruised with a substantial amount of intercellular fluid surrounding them. This on top of three broken ribs and a fractured clavicle."

"So is there any good news, Autobot?" Skywarp asked, sarcasm heavy in his voice.

"Yes," Ratchet replied with sorely frayed patience. "As a matter of fact there is. Colonel Kesinger will live and his recovery will be fairly quick."

"How?" Maria piped up, "I mean, broken bones don't knit overnight and nor do bruises."

At her comment, a small smile tugged on Ratchet's lip components. "Not with traditional medicine, no," he agreed, "but Wheeljack and I have been working on a healing accelerant to help repair injuries among our human allies. Our tests have shown promising results with little to no side effects apart from nausea and discomfort."

"So what your saying is…" Thundercracker began.

"The Colonel will be fully healed in two week's time. I want to keep him under observation and ensure there are no mal-effects, but the healing agent is doing what it was designed to do and is helping with cellular repair and regeneration."

"Rachet! That's fantastic news! And Carla too?" Maria exclaimed.

"Carla too. She will recover faster as her injuries were not quite as extensive. I anticipate releasing her in four days' time. Would you like to see them?"

"Yes! Oh, yes please!" she yelped happily, all but bouncing on Thundercracker's shoulder panel. The Seeker gave her a wry grin, before giving her a hand down. Once her feet touched the metal floor she all but bolted after the medic. Halfway across the floor, she slid to a halt when she realized neither Seeker was following.

"Aren't you coming?" she queried.

"Uh-...well...uh…" Warp stuttered, his aggressive and reticent aura replaced with one of uncertainty and doubt. Now that the time had come to actually see Stinger, he was filled with conflicting emotions. Primus damn him! Decepticons were not supposed to feel conflict! Unless it was of the physical variety, in which case he would gladly accept the receiving or the giving end of a pummeling. Anything but this..this...Pit-spawned pain in his spark!

"What Warp means to say is, you go first. It's been many solar cycles since you've seen your creator. We'll stop by later." Once again Thundercracker intervened to gloss over another uncomfortable situation. "Come on, Warp, let's go for a flight and make sure your systems are all calibrated correctly."

The blue Seeker looked over at Ratchet with his best don't-you-dare-say-otherwise gaze and then steered his tongue-tied wingbrother out of the med bay. Skywarp chanced a glance over his intake and caught the brief, but apparent disappointment in Maria's eyes. In all honesty, he'd hardly said two words to her since he returned. Granted a large chunk of that time had been due to over-taxing his systems and throwing himself into an offline status, but still...he almost wished he hadn't seen the sadness that flickered in those grey eyes of hers. TC was right...he needed the sky. The two jets disappeared down the hall, their steps echoing hollowly in the corridor.

Maria turned back and followed Ratchet to the farthest corner of the med bay. There tucked against a corner was a berth where Ratchet had been treating the two human patients. She scaled the ladder quickly and approached the human-sized bed on which he lay. At her appearance, the worn pilot turned his head and the largest smile she had ever seen creased his face.

"Maria…" he croaked hoarsely, tears streaming from his eyes.

She paused briefly before sprinting to the bedside, her own cascade of tears raining down along her cheekbones.

"Dad…I've missed you so much!" And so, father and daughter held each other in a tight embrace for the first time since they became aware of each other's existence.