ROH Chapter 14

Daniel started over to the large mech, but stopped when Rockhammer shook his head. The look on the big mech's face said it all. The loss, the terrible aching loss that had slowly insinuated itself, and which others had lived with and grown accustomed to over the countless long years, was hitting this mech all at once. Rockhammer struggled to get power to limbs that suddenly seemed to have lost all function. His processors were unable to fight the painful, deep, aching despair that clawed at his spark.

He'd just heard all at once how he'd lost his friends, his family, his home, and even his very world. It was too much to accept at once. Tears of energon started sliding down metallic cheeks as an overwhelming grief struck at both the spark and processors of the big mech. Rockhammer didn't want to be with those he'd only just met, not after suddenly learning that everyone he'd ever cared about was now dead. It took him a few minutes to gain enough control of his systems that he was able to get to his feet, and when he did, he stumbled off in a direction away from the others to be alone.

Among the various pairs of optics watching the big mech wander off to be alone with his grief were those belonging to Starglide. In a small way she knew a little of how the mech felt. Suddenly hearing that the Allspark had been destroyed to keep it out of Decepticon hands had been a horrendous blow to her, but then, she'd known about the war and the catastrophic losses caused by it long before now. Her spark ached in sympathy for Rockhammer, and what made it worse was that he still had yet to be told about the destruction of the one thing which might have helped. As much as she didn't want to do so, she could only imagine what that must feel like to the large mech.

Daniel watched the big mech stumble off as he tried to come to terms with the loss and grief that he must be felling. He was more than just a little jealous of the mech who went seeking a little privacy. He knew how he felt about losing those he cared about, and could only wish that he was able to experience that same sense of loss. He knew there wasn't really anything he could say to the big mech that would help, but he realized that he might be able to keep it from happening again. He turned and tapped Starglide on the leg.

"Ya know. The next time you wanna chew my ass out, and rip me a new one, just make sure that you do it in private so no one ELSE has to hear it!" Daniel said quietly as soon as Starglide looked down at him.

Nearly a million different thoughts went whirling through her processors. Quite a few of those thoughts were in direct conflict with the emotions that the human evoked in that moment. She could hardly believe that such an obnoxious individual would even consider forget about actually caring about the feelings of anyone else. Her optics narrowed as she once more appraised the man shrewdly. The tone of voice combined with the numerous glances in the direction that Rockhammer had gone, clearly demonstrated the man's obvious concern. She had to admit that she didn't really know the man all that well, since she'd only known and interacted with him for a few hours, and she was now forced to reevaluate her previous assessment of the man's personality. Apparently, there was more to this human than just the obnoxious and irritating attitude that he so readily displayed to everyone, and that meant that it would take some time to accurately gauge the man's true personality. Daniel was right about one thing though, she should have taken him aside to before attempting to correct him, but the problem was, she kept thinking of him and the other humans as sparklings to be corrected as such; meaning as soon as possible whether in public or not.

Optimus looked around at both the bots and the humans to see that each face held concern and sympathy for the large mech. He knew, deep in his spark, he knew that he'd tried to avoid this war and its consequences for his people, but it hadn't been possible. There were very few things that he wished he could change about the past, but this war topped the list. He couldn't claim to know exactly how Rockhammer felt at this moment, but he knew how devastated he'd been when the first report came to his attention. The opening shots of the war had included the near complete destruction of an entire city and a vast majority of its inhabitants. His gaze drifted over the three bots who been victims of that opening assault. The two mechs were watching Rockhammer for the same reason he had. Starglide on the other hand, was staring speculatively at the human who'd somehow, not only found the mech, but also had brought the mech to the base. Hoping that he might somehow be able to console the newcomer, Optimus left to follow Rockhammer.

John Keller, the Secretary of Defense for the United States, stepped over to where Daniel was closing the BBQ pit.

"Talk about a joke gone wrong." Daniel muttered sourly.

"What joke are you talkin about?" Keller asked puzzled.

"Both of 'em. Me keepin the jet, and then the one about me keepin Rockhammer. Hell, Cade, Hammer, and me even planned it out! Then next thing you know, someone's pissed enough to say shit they shouldn't have." Daniel sighed heavily. "You know, this shit is startin to piss me off enough to go downstairs and take a grinder to that sunovabitch until he talks before I kill him!"

"Then the part about you capturing Skywarp with that slaggin crowbar of yours wasn't a joke; was it?" Ironhide asked quickly.

"Nope! Even got the sore as hell shoulder to prove it. But I guarantee one thing. He'll damned sure tell us what we want to know, or he can fuckin suffer!" Daniel stated in a warning snarl.

"Now you just hold on there a minute! The rules of the Geneva Convention..."

"Don't fuckin apply! First, they ain't human! Second, they didn't sign the agreement! Third, they're already makin plans to wipe us out! Fourth, I'm pretty sure they regard us as some kind of germs or something! All of that means that they won't have any problems when it comes down to torturing one of us! The want a war of extinction, then they can have one! But they better realize real damn quick, that there's more of us then there are of them. We can AFFORD a war of attrition if it comes down to it! I was THERE; remember? I HEARD what Jackass said when he popped Barricade, and if that's the way they wanna do things, then I'm game to play right along with 'em!" Daniel snarled angrily.

Starglide knelt down to get on Daniel's level while she spoke to him. "I will admit that you raise some valid points. However, if we allow you to use force while questioning Skywarp, then we become no better than the Decepticons."

"War doesn't decide or even care who's right or wrong; war only decides who's left!" Daniel retorted instantly. "I don't know about you, but I don't plan on letting the human race become DEAD RIGHT in this one!"

"While that happens to be an admirable sentiment, it is also wrong. What you say about war is true to an extent, but this happens to be one of principles and morals, as well as the other aspects that the Decepticons wish to include. I for one would not want to live with myself if I resorted to the methods that they would employ." Starglide said firmly.

"Well, you know what? I may not be too happy with what I do to make sure of winning this thing, but I figure that I can live with that a hell of a lot better than what the result will be if we DON'T fight by their rules! With Cybertron dead, they need real estate, and the only place I know of that fits the bill is right HERE! Well if they want it, they can 'Come and Take It!' as my fellow Texans once said at the Alamo! I'll give 'em a taste of what for that'll make damned sure they don't wanna come back for seconds!" Daniel retorted.

"I will readily admit that your courage, and your willingness to stand and fight for your world is both admirable, and necessary, but there ARE distinct advantages to doing this the right way and following the principles that we both seem to revere. A perfect example of that is standing right there." Starglide said as she pointed at Barricade.

"If one were to follow the methods that you just suggested, then he would not be standing there to assist in our efforts to defend this world. Frenzy is another example of that. With the Allspark destroyed, Cybertron rendered lifeless, and Megatron now dead; it's more than possible that we will be able to recruit additional assistance from within the Decepticon ranks, but we CAN'T do that, if they believe they'll be killed out of hand!" Starglide said reasonably.

"The Lady's right you know. Defectors can be a pain, but they can also be a big help too." SecDef Keller added in.

"Exactly! What greater victory can we achieve than that of winning our enemies over to our own cause? Their strengths, their knowledge, and their skills will become ours! That alone presents a tremendous advantage, and it's one that THEY can not exploit. The morals that we live and fight by give us an advantage that our enemy can't compete with, but it's up to US to USE that advantage!" Starglide explained in a tone of triumph.

Daniel looked into the sincere optics of Starglide and sighed in frustration. "All right. Then just how do you wanna handle that joker downstairs?"

"Ohhh... I think I can come up with something that will prove quite effective." Starglide said sweetly.

A soft whistle sounded a short distance behind Daniel, and he turned around to see who'd made it. The sight of Robert Epps, Capt. Lennox, Col. Anderson, and Gen Mallory walking towards the trailer greeted him.

"I don't know what you got cooking on that thing, but I'll tell you that it smells wonderful." Epps said with a smile.

"What all you got on there anyway?" Gen. Mallory asked interestedly.

It was Daniel's turn to grin, and he did so proudly. "I got five briskets, a few dozen porterhouse steaks, chickens, burgers, sausages, and I even picked up a few hot dogs for my friends."

"What's the occasion?" Will demanded with wide eyes at the list of food.

"Let's see... We got first contact with alien robots. An official, even if it's STILL a secret, alliance with those same robots, PLUS the fact that we done saved several of 'em. Besides, Maigan asked me to." Daniel finished sardonically.

"Yeah. I was wondering if you were going to include that little fact. Because we both know that you wouldn't be doing this if I hadn't asked you to." Maigan piped up.

"Looks like we just found out who's wearing the pants in your outfit." Gen. Mallory snickered.

"Yup. She's the beauty, and the brains of my little operation." Daniel said instantly before he pointed his right thumb over his shoulder at Maigan. "Beauty, brains, and finally the mayhem." Daniel said as he pointed at himself in closing.

"Truer words." Epps began when he was cut off by Starglide.

"I don't believe that you have ever uttered a more profound truth while in my presence." Starglide said in a wondering tone.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Daniel retorted sourly as he looked over at his niece.

"Oh! By the way. Since you seem to have forgotten. I stopped and picked up some potato salad, cold slaw, pinto beans, green beans, and corn on the cob. I figure we might as well do it up right, since we're doing it to begin with." Maigan said with a smile.

"See what I mean!" Daniel said smugly as he pointed at his niece.

"Yeah, leave it to someone else to think of the good stuff to go with the BBQ!" Epps piped up.

"Okay, that's enough of that! Now speaking of thinking. Has anyone figured out where the hell we're gonna put this repair bay?" Daniel asked sourly.

"Sure have. It'll need to be quickly accessed from the surface, and we'll probably need to be able to transfer some of the mechs from the ship, so I picked out a huge room that was intended to be an underground hanger. It's got four separate lifts for surface access, and it's right off the underground airstrip." General Mallory answered easily.

"Sounds perfect! Let's go take a look since the food won't be ready for another couple of hours yet." Daniel said eagerly.

General Mallory led the way; followed by the other two officers, the enlisted soldier, Daniel, Mikeala, and Maigan. Pure curiosity prompted Starglide to follow them to see the new medbay for herself. She was certain that Ironhide, Bumblebee, and Jazz decided to follow for the same reason. As the group entered the hangar to use the lift to venture underground, they encountered Ratchet, and Daniel promptly invited the medic along to see what modifications the room would need.

"I think you should know that this war is not something that any of us wanted. I tried to do everything I could think of to avoid it, and not only did I fail in those efforts, but this war has now encompassed this word and its inhabitants. It doesn't help matters any that the instigator is now dead. All it means is that others will try to forcibly assume command of the Decepticons and continue the war to satisfy their own agendas. The Decepticons have taken many things away from all of us with this war. Our history, our home, our civilization, our way of life, and far too many of our friends and loved ones. I know what pain fills your spark, and it saddens me to know that there is nothing that can be done to assuage that pain. All I can say is that revenge is not an answer, and never has been." Optimus said heavily.

"I know, an it don't make anything better ta hear that everyone I knew is dead. I was gonna return to Cybertron to let them know that this world will be ready for trade in another hundred vorns or so. I don't mind stayin here. I like the place, but for Primus' sake WHY would this world become involved in a war on Cybertron?" Rockhammer asked in grief.

"We were betrayed by Megatron who sought to rule Cybertron for himself. He wanted a foundation that he could expand into a galactic empire. His first attacks were against femmes and sparklings. By eliminating them, and gaining control of the Allspark, he could ensure that all new creations would be loyal to him alone. Bumblebee launched the Allspark into space on an unknown trajectory in the hope that it would be forever lost to Megatron. It landed here, and it was found, first by Megatron, and then by others. Both Megatron and the Allspark were found and experimented on by some of the humans who inhabit this world. These events culminated in a last ditch battle that took place several days ago. At the end, it was a human named Sam who chose to place the Allspark in Megatron's chest instead of mine after I asked him to sacrifice my own life to destroy the Allspark and prevent this war from ravaging the rest of this galaxy. The American Government has told us that we are welcome here, but that a majority of their people are not yet ready to learn of us. So we will remain a secret to most while we try to rebuild what little is left to us." Optimus said gravely his tone heavy with his own grief.

"I just don't believe it. I mean, sure, when I left there were some rumors that Megatronus Prime was going to try something, but everyone was sure that the other Primes wouldn't let him get very far with it." Rockhammer said sadly before he shook his head. "But ta find out that a war like that is still going on... all this time... Is there ANYTHING still left of Cybertron?" Rockhammer asked forlornly.

"Cybertron still exists, but with the Allspark destroyed, it is a world without life, and is unable to sustain us. But I don't understand what rumors you mean. Megatron was never a Prime." Optimus said in confusion.

"Wait! What do you mean other Primes?" Optimus blurted in near stunned surprise as he realized what the big mech had said.

"You know... the other twelve Primes." Rockhammer answered candidly.

"Are... Are you referring to the Original Thirteen? They are supposed to be a legend, nothing more than a myth. Are you saying that those Primes are REAL?" Optimus demanded in disbelief.

"I don't know nothin bout this Original Thirteen of yours, but I know of the thirteen Primes that were made by the hand of Primus himself, and I'll admit that I even worked with a few of em." Rockhammer replied honestly.

Optimus gaped up at the mech in pure astonishment. "Just how long have you been here?"

"I've been on this planet just over five hundred million years. Why?" Rockhammer responded.

"Then you really DID know the Original Primes? For ages now, there has been only one Prime at a time with myself being the current one, and the Matrix is only passed on after the death of the previous Prime." Optimus said in confusion.

"One Prime at a time? How in the world did you ever learn ta use a Matrix with only one Prime?" Rockhammer demanded in disbelief.

"What do mean, learn to use it? It merely holds the knowledge of the Previous Primes." Optimus responded gravely.

"Oh no it DON'T! It'll do a damned sight more'n that! Each Matrix is able to link with the others being held by any Prime with similar goals. With the Matrix, you can feel the nearby presence of another Prime. That's why all the Primes were siblings, because they were all LINKED by a Matrix! Any Prime could use the Matrix to contact another across entire galaxies. But without a Matrix, and a Prime ta teach ya, there ain't no way ya could a known what all it can do. Look, concentrate on the Matrix and think about another Prime that might be close." Rockhammer instructed.

Optimus shuttered his optics and started focusing on the Matrix that had become a part of his systems. He felt the strange, almost otherworldly sense of power that had always accompanied the activation of the Matrix, and he sent his thoughts flowing into it. He focused his thoughts and tried to concentrate on another Prime. He both felt and sensed the flow of power from the Matrix, and then he was suddenly aware of an open communications port, but before he could examine that any further, his primary comm system activated.

"...imus Prime. This is Blaster to Optimus Prime. If you try to respond to this message, I will not be able to receive that response. I am broadcasting under my own power. The comm systems of the Ark are heavily damaged and can't be repaired until we land. The Decepticons used astroidal strikes to damage the Ark. At this time, we are all functional except for Prowl. Wheeljack believes that it might be spark related, but that is unconfirmed. We will arrive in orbit in approximately thirty-six native hours. I will repeat this message each hour for the next twelve to ensure reception. This is Autobot Blaster signing off."

The optics of Optimus Prime snapped open in joy. This was incredible news! The Autobot leader turned to stare at Rockhammer in joyous disbelief. "Did you hear that? Did you catch that message?"

"Fraid not. The sender used some kind a encryption key that I'm not familiar with, so I couldn't decode it. What'd it say?" Rockhammer asked curiously.

"My apologies Rockhammer, I'll get you the encryption codes today. In the meantime. The Ark will land as scheduled, and we are supremely fortunate that there is only one casualty on board, in spite of the heavy damage the ship must have taken. Finally, the chance to give out some GOOD news for a change!" Optimus concluded happily. "Care to join me while I go tell the others?"

"Sure, why not?" Rockhammer replied as he realized that his grief would have to be set aside until later, because for now, there was work to be done.

Far below the surface, the Autobot CMO was anxious to see what would become his new medbay. The improvised conditions that he'd been forced by circumstances to accept had long since gotten old. Often forced to perform delicate operations in less than ideal and usually even primitive conditions, the medic was really looking forward to having an actual medbay for once.

"Hey, I just thought of something. Since we're going to take a look at the new medbay, why don't we drag Skywarp along for the ride? He can be my first patient." Ratchet said happily.

"You mean 'victim' don't you?" Barricade asked casually.

"No! He means patient! I think it might be possible to convince Skywarp of the error of his ways." Starglide corrected.

"Okay, Ratchet, here is what I need you to do." Starglide began explaining to the medic as they looked over the captured Skywarp.

"Okay, but why are we doing this before we start on the medbay?" Ratchet asked irritably.

"I'll answer that for you. While you are dealing with him, I have a couple of officers rounding up construction specialists who are currently off base. When they get here, you'll have a work force of more than five hundred people who are ready, willing, and more than able to get the job done. Besides, that hangar up top is somewhat small compared to what you can have for a medbay, and that's gonna take some work to remodel. Does that make sense?" General Mallory asked with a grin.

"Yes, it does. And that kind of help will be greatly appreciated. Thank you." Ratchet replied.

"Good! Then let's see about getting things set up, so I can ask Skywarp a few questions that I KNOW he'll provide answers to!" Starglide stated in a satisfied tone.

As they walked along, Starglide and Ratchet were exchanging ideas about the methods that Starglide was going to use while questioning Skywarp. Starglide was relating suggestions that she thought would work.

"Grinder." Daniel muttered during a pause.

Everyone ignored the salvage operator in favor of what Starglide was currently suggesting.

"Cock Roaches." Daniel muttered during another lapse.

Starglide paid no attention to the mutterings of the human trailing behind them, while listening to a suggestion from Jazz.

"You know Jazz that might actually work." Starglide replied to the saboteur.

"Fire Ants." Daniel said maliciously.

"Okay, now just what in the WORLD would you want with 'fire ants'?" Gen. Mallory finally demanded in exasperated curiosity.

"Ants just LOVE electromagnetic fields. Like the ones made by electrical components. They'll chew their way into switches, relays, and they positively go NUTS over wires! It don't matter how many of 'em get fried, they still keep at it. They just keep chewing away until they just short out the system." Daniel said as he ignored the horrified shudders of the bots around him.

"I think we'll stick with our original plan, since we want him operational afterwards, but thank you for the suggestion. If I ever need to torture a bot I'll know who to talk to." Starglide answered pleasantly while shooting a dubious look down at the demented little man.

"You'll have to do a lot better than that Starglide. Subtlety is not just lost on him, but wasted too." Maigan chimed in with a grin.

"Subtle? I'm about as subtle as a crowbar to the head." Daniel retorted.

"I already know THAT! I'm just warning Starglide." Maigan answered.

"Yes, I've figured that out. BUT, I'm going to make sure that he learns the fine art of subtlety when dealing with me. Besides, I won't be letting him get away with much. He's too much like a sparkling or child in your terms." Starglide replied.

"Thanks. But I'm beginning to think that the only time he really causes trouble is when he can get on someone's nerves. Otherwise, someone would have probably killed him since I visited last year." Maigan hypothesized.

Starglide gave Maigan a thoughtful look before entering the room in which she'd laid dormant for so many years, but which now held the unconscious form of Skywarp. She gave the seeker a cursory glance, but then gave him a closer inspection when she saw no physical damage to the frame of the seeker.

"How did you manage to capture him without nearly KILLING him?" Starglide demanded as she rounded on Daniel.

"Let's just say that one of my crowbars came in handy." Daniel answered smugly while smiling up at the femme.

"Really? Then just where is the damage from that pit spawned crowbar of yours?" Ironhide demanded angrily.

"Hey! Just cause he got dropped, don't mean your gonna be able to find out HOW he got dropped." Daniel answered with a cryptic grin, before he turned and winked at Barricade.

Barricade just HAD to laugh! Both from the way that Daniel was currently acting, which he knew would happen, as well as from the way that the seeker had been begging none other than PRIMUS to be released from the situation he'd gotten himself into. He knew from the wink and the expression on Daniel's face that the human was having a bit of fun at the expense of the others and he figured that it might be a little fun to join in on it.

Starglide looked over at her creation who was laughing quite happily. "Tell us what happened, since you OBVIOUSLY know what occurred!" She demanded angrily.

"I'll fill you in on what I know, but it's not going to tell you anymore about how he finally captured that glitch then he's already told you." Barricade said easily.

Barricade then played the audio recording of the incident for everyone to hear. "See? That recording even verifies that I did TRY to warn him! So, you can't blame this one on me!" He stated defensively.

With the exception of Barricade, every bot in the room was staring at Daniel in a mixture of surprise, disbelief, and horror.

"You had him pleading with Primus to get you to stop! Can you NOT tell when someone has surrendered?" Starglide finally demanded.

"Actually, he never DID ask me to stop. All he was yelling about was 'Get it off! Get it off!' and I wasn't all that inclined to cooperate with him at that point." Daniel answered truthfully. "Now if he'd started yammering about how he was giving up, then that might have been a different story."

"Possibly, but I notice that you STILL haven't told us exactly HOW you managed to capture him!" Starglide insisted firmly.

Daniel looked over at his niece with a thoughtful expression on his face while he rubbed at his jaw with his right hand. "Hmmm... How should I put this...? I know!" He exclaimed as he looked up at Starglide brightly.

"I took one of my crowbars, and I stuck it where the sun don't shine!" Daniel stated with relish while wearing a malicious grin.

Starglide's optics shot to their widest setting at that remark, even as her mouth opened and closed several times while she struggled to form coherent speech without resorting to crudity. She thought about what he'd said for a second or two, before she looked over at Barricade.

"Please tell me he didn't." She demanded softly.

"You know, I do believe that I CAN recall seeing him stick the curved end of that crowbar in a place where the sun doesn't shine." Barricade said honestly, as he watched almost everyone, human and bot alike squirm their hips while wincing at a horribly painful thought.

Daniel and Barricade nearly fell over laughing as Ratchet immediately flipped the unconscious mech over and began scanning him. Now, Ratchet was truly perplexed. There weren't any signs of damage to the mech's aft, and after a complete scan, he found that there were no signs of damage ANYWERE! Puzzled, and sure that he was missing something, he ran a thorough diagnostic on his scanners, only to find them working perfectly.

Ratchet stared down at the unconscious mech for a couple of long minutes as he tried to figure out exactly HOW the seeker had been captured. He could detect that the power levels had been recently depleted by high stress exertions, but then that was to be expected with any type of combat. The problem was that he couldn't even find any indications of recent repairs, or Earth made materials.

"Okay, I want to know EXACTLY what you did to him! And I'm NOT accepting any of your stupid excuses!" Ratchet demanded angrily.

Daniel looked up at the CMO with a completely innocent expression. "What excuses? I'm not giving any excuses. I used my crowbar, and if you don't believe me then you can always wake him up and ask him, and you also ask him if he wants some more."

Starglide knelt down quietly and made certain that her face would be level with Daniel's once she got his attention.

"You are an obstinate little being, aren't you? Stubborn, tenacious, determined, utterly ruthless, and yet mixed in there somewhere is an apparent sense of honor that is as unyielding as the rest of your traits." Starglide said with a small amount of admiration in her tone.

Daniel grinned as he reached out and patted the femme on her nose. "Not quite the whole package, but you're getting there. You'll learn." He said condescendingly.

"Your bravery is admirable, but I foresee that it will get you into serious trouble one day. You are a lot like my foster sibling, Ironhide. There is one major difference between you however. HIS body is composed of high strength alloys, and YOU are not! I am perfectly willing to give you every bit of the due credit for capturing one of the deadliest fliers on Cybertron, especially considering that you did so without inflicting any DETECTABLE signs of damage, but I do NOT want you putting yourself in danger like that! Nothing good will come of it. As hot-tempered as he is, even Ratchet tries to avoid the thick of battle because the Decepticons will ALWAYS try to target him and Optimus FIRST! It is a tactic that is horrible to have used against you, but it is also one that makes sound strategic sense. Kill the leaders, and the medics, and you can then destroy the rest at your leisure." Starglide lectured calmly.

"That's exactly what he told me when he asked Jazz to lookout for me!" Maigan interrupted in surprise.

"That was very smart of him, because the Decepticons are ruthless enough to exploit such tactics." Starglide told Maigan before she turned her attention back to Daniel while looking at him shrewdly.

"I'm beginning to realize that there is a lot more to you than you allow others to see." Starglide stated thoughtfully.

She was about to say more when she was interrupted by Daniel who planted a loud kiss on the end of her nose with a huge grin on his face. "You're such a sweetheart, you know that?"

Instantly, Starglide was trembling in rage over the action of the salvage operator, but then her optics narrowed dangerously as her battle computer kicked into high speed while she analyzed his actions. That was when it struck her, and she nearly smiled at just how smoothly the little man had tried to distract her from what she'd been about to say. Oh, Primus, but she had to give the little man credit for being a crafty one!

Faster than a striking rattlesnake, Starglide's right hand whipped out and wrapped around the salvage operator. Then she stood up to her full height and brought the man closer to her face so she could make sure that he understood the situation he was now in.

Several of the humans and two of the mechs started to raise some serious objections to Daniel's behavior, but Starglide held up her left hand to signal for silence.

"First, I will say 'thank you' for the compliment, and leave it at that. Second, I believe that you and I have quite a few things to discuss in private later. Wouldn't you agree Daniel?" Starglide said in a tone that was so reasonable and understanding that everyone, Daniel included was looking at her strangely.

"It sure looks that way." Daniel reluctantly agreed not sure what was going through the femme's mind, but knowing that something was up with her.

"Good!" Starglide exclaimed sweetly with a genuine smile before she placed Daniel back down on his feet. "Now, I'll need a room with a single spot light to question Skywarp. Now, Ratchet if you would take care of the restrictions I asked for..."

"Oh all right! Might as well, since if I don't, you'll never let me hear the end of it." Ratchet groused as he went to work on the unconscious mech.

"Now, Ratchet, you make it sound as if I'd asked you for one of your limbs." Starglide laughed.

"I don't like completely disabling any bot! ESPECIALLY for something like this! This is NOT what I became a medic for! I became a medic to save lives, NOT assist with interrogations!" Ratchet growled angrily.

"I think I'll watch this interrogation of yours, if'n y'all don't mind. Not that it really matters much, since I'm gonna watch one way or the other." Rockhammer said firmly as he and Optimus approached the room.

"You are perfectly welcome to watch, and so long as you don't try to interfere, then you'll hear no objections from me. Be warned however, that I will NOT tolerate you or any one else trying to settle a score while Skywarp is unable to defend himself. The first one that tries will die at my hand before they even get to cause any damage!" Starglide said as she turned to face the other bots. "Am I completely understood?"

"That means I can still put a bunch of crickets under his plating, right?" Daniel asked eagerly.

"Can these crickets of yours cause damage?" Starglide demanded in a warning tone.

"No, they cain't! But they'll sure drive a bot right out of his processors! I had one, and it WAS just one, stuck under my armor about a hundred and fifty years ago, and that little bug had me nearly ready to kill everything that moved!" Rockhammer answered sourly before he rounded on Daniel.

"You bring ANY of them critters near me or any other bot an I'll hang you by your toes till HE dies of old age!" Rockhammer said while pointing at Barricade.

Daniel turned to Gen. Mallory with a thoughtful expression on his face. "You know... I THINK he might be serious on that one!"

The military officer only shook his head while trying not to laugh. Maigan made a signal for silence to Barricade, and then waited until her uncle looked back at Ratchet who was working on Skywarp before smacking him in the head.

"HEY!" Daniel blurted while several bots including Barricade burst out laughing.

"Do you take ANYTHING seriously?" Starglide asked in a curious tone.

"Nope! I don't believe that ANYONE should EVER take life seriously." Daniel answered.

"And just why not?" Starglide asked already doubting what she was about to hear.

"Because you will NEVER get out of it alive!" Daniel answered smugly.

The only sound that was heard at that point was Optimus who was certain that this one vorn was going to seem as if it would last ten million Cybertronian lifetimes.

He came online slowly, and waited in dread for the unbearable processor ache that always happened when he onlined after teleporting too many times. When the expected agony never hit, he onlined his optics in surprise. When he was greeted by total darkness, Skywarp shuttered his optics a few times before trying to run a diagnostic on them. That was when he discovered that his diagnostic routines were unavailable. With more than a little concern, he started trying to access various systems in his frame, but the only ones he had any access to at all were his optics, vocal processor, and audio receivers.

Now Skywarp was scared. He couldn't access his weapons systems to even find out if he still had any. Not that it would have made any difference if he did, because he couldn't even move! As if that weren't bad enough, his scanners and teleporting unit was also unavailable!

"Oh Primus, please let this be a dream." Skywarp begged in a nearly soundless whimper.

"This is no dream Skywarp. This is real."

Although the tone was soft and kindly, the disembodied voice was even more terrifying to the seeker.

"No, please, I don't deserve to be in the pit. Please, I did exactly what I was ordered to do. I followed instructions. Please, I don't... don't deserve to be here." Skywarp begged.

"Whose orders have you been following?"

He knew the voice that was speaking to him belonged to a femme, and it seemed familiar, but he couldn't match the voice with anyone he knew. "I followed Starscream's orders, his, and Megatron's." Skywarp answered fearfully.

"Did they order you to do as you were trained?" The femme asked interestedly.

"No. Of course not. They made me a frontline seeker, gave me a promotion, and even made me a part of the lead trine." Skywarp answered confused.

"But they gave you no orders to defend Cybertron, DID they?"

There was anger in the voice now. Skywarp was sure of that, but he still couldn't place the bot that the voice belonged to.

"No. They didn't." Skywarp told her.

"If fact, they gave you orders to attack some of Cybertron's people, didn't they? DIDN'T THEY?" The voice demanded in a cold deadly rage.

"Yes. Primus help me. They said I had to join them or be killed." Skywarp said in a whimper.

"Tell me Skywarp. How many times have you been damaged? How many times have you had to ignore the training you received? How many times have you engaged in battle without knowing how to fulfill the role they assigned you?" The voice demanded.

"I... I don't know. Please... I don't deserve to be here." Skywarp begged softly.

Then, slowly at first, a face began to emerge from the impenetrable darkness. The face of a femme. Then he recognized the familiar face of the femme who had once been his commander. The femme who'd been speaking to him was none other than The Air Commander of Cybertron!

Skywarp felt his spark sink, and every drop of fuel in his tanks turn sour. He became certain, without any doubts that he was now, not only dead, but trapped somewhere in the pit of the Matrix itself.

Skywarp felt his spark skip a few beats as the femme's optics came online and she looked at him with a cold pitiless expression.

"You... you're dead! The Autobots murdered you!" Skywarp blurted in surprise.

"Really? And just who was it that told you that information, Skywarp?" Starglide asked firmly.

"Starscream. Him and Thundercracker. They told all of us that the Autobots had murdered you because you wouldn't side with them." Skywarp stated honestly.

"They lied. They lied to you, and to all of the others, Skywarp. I did join the Autobots. My decision to join them was made long before Megatron even gave his first attack orders. That attack was on my district and my home by the way. It was carried out by Thundercracker and Shockwave. Never would I violate my oath to defend Cybertron and the citizens by siding with a power hungry tyrant. I trained you better than that Skywarp, and I would have thought that I had taught you better as well." Starglide replied.

"I didn't KNOW! They said lots of things, and I didn't want to believe any of it, but there was no one who would argue with them or say anything different, so I didn't know what to do except follow along like I always do." Skywarp said mournfully.

"I wish you had been there to tell me the truth. You were my Commander; you even met my creators before they were killed in the lab explosion. I heard you promise them that you would watch over me, and you did. I know I'm no good at fighting on the frontlines, but it was a promotion and I thought I could learn to be good enough to deserve it." Skywarp lamented sadly.

"They wanted you for frontline fighting for the same reason that I had you as a frontline reinforcement. Your ability to teleport makes you a dangerous adversary, but none of the Decepticons are familiar with the drawbacks that go with teleportation, and I'd even bet that you have to keep reminding them of your limits, don't you?" Starglide asked gently.

Skywarp tried to nod his head in an affirmative answer, but had forgotten that he couldn't move. "Yes."

"You see Skywarp most of the Decepticons do not care about anyone but themselves. I protected you from the frontlines, because you are better suited to appearing behind an enemy who is gaining the upper hand on one of your teammates. Your random processor functions allow you to fit perfectly in such a role, because you are able to hold back, watch the entire battlefield, and see when someone is in trouble. THAT is your strength, Skywarp. How often was your team defeated during training? You and I both know that such defeats almost never happened while you were under my command, but how many times have you been defeated while among the Decepticons?" Starglide asked easily.

"I... I don't know..." Skywarp muttered.

"I will only make this offer once Skywarp, so I want you to consider this carefully. Are you willing to serve under my command once more?" Starglide asked firmly.

Skywarp's optics brightened noticeably as a sudden hope flared within his processors, but then they dimmed once more as he remembered where he was. He knew that the other Decepticons had nearly always insulted him, ridiculed him, and even made him the butt of their cruel jokes. It wasn't his fault that his processor functions were so random, that it was sometimes hard to simply think. He knew now, that he had disappointed his former CO and that hurt him more than any physical damage she might have done to him. He didn't understand HOW she could be offering him this chance to do the right thing, but he didn't want to let this chance go either. Serving under Starglide would mean that he would be protected as he had been in the past, and while he would no longer be a frontline seeker, he could regain the respected position he'd held before the war.

"Y... yes. I want that. But... I'm different now. I'm not smart like I was." Skywarp answered sadly.

"We'll just have to see about that then, now won't we? I want you to understand something Skywarp. This will not be easy for you. Many Autobots will not trust you for a long time, some, may never trust you. Can you deal with that?" Starglide asked bluntly.

"Will I be under your command again?" Skywarp asked in a tone filled with hope.

"Yes, you will. You will be under the command of myself, Optimus Prime, and whichever human officer is also in charge. Again, can you handle that?" Starglide answered.

"Yes... yes I can. The Decepticons didn't trust me either. They always made fun of me, so this won't be anything new, except that I'll have a friend here." Skywarp told her honestly.

"Yes, you will, and I suspect that you'll earn more friends as time goes along. One of the first things we'll need from you is information on the Decepticons. Specifically, information on the first trine, what Megatron might have been up to, and what Starscream could be planning. Do you have any problems with doing that for me?" Starglide asked him.

"You told me that friends wouldn't always make fun of me, that they would tell me the truth about the important things, and that I could trust them. I didn't have any friends with the Decepticons, and you were the only friend I know, so I'll tell you anything you want to know." Skywarp stated.

"In that case Skywarp, I have only one request of you for now. Will you swear to Primus, upon your honor that you will help the Autobots, and the humans to protect Earth from the Decepticons?" Starglide asked gently.

"Yes! I swear! They never liked me anyway, so why should I help them when I can have the chance to fly with my commander again?" Skywarp answered readily.

"Good. For now, I want you to recharge. When you wake up, we'll talk some more, and you can meet some of the others that you'll be working with." Starglide instructed.

Starglide waited until her scanners told her that the seeker was actually recharging, before she turned off the spotlight and left the room. Once in the hallway, where the rest of the bots, and quite a few humans were waiting for her, she cycled a lot of air through her vents in what sounded like a sigh of relief. She shuttered her optics few a second or two before she opened them back up and looked over at Optimus.

"I just have one burning question, if you don't mind." Sec Def Keller spoke up. "How come you didn't extract the same oath that Barricade and Frenzy swore to?"

Starglide twitched in anger for just as split second when she heard that question, but then she remembered that this man knew nothing about the seeker he was referring to. "I would NEVER exact such an oath from someone who might not be able to comprehend the consequences. Skywarp... can be highly intelligent on some things, but in other areas, would be considered far below normal intelligence. I'm not sure of the word I'm looking for, or if you'll really understand what I'm trying to tell you, but I can provide an example. He can provide the raw data, on almost any subject you want, but he lacks a type of practical intelligence that can be somewhat disconcerting."

"What she means is; he has no common sense. That is well known among the Decepticons. On some things, he's a genius, but in common sense terms, he's an absolute idiot." Barricade interjected forcefully. "A good example would be asking him to destroy a structure. Most of us would simply stand back and cut loose with our weapons. Him? He'd figure out the fastest way to bring it down from the inside and then go through with it. Forgetting that he should be OUTSIDE when it comes down!"

Maigan started laughing loudly at the explanation, even while her uncle was snickering.

"That is NOT funny! Skywarp is fiercely loyal, and has been known to give one of his teammates his LAST share of energon! I have SEEN him do it! Skywarp would gladly give his life for someone that he considers a friend and he would do so without a SINGLE regret! So, do NOT make fun of him!" Starglide hissed angrily.

"I'm sorry Starglide, but that's not what we're laughing at. That example of Barricade's? My uncle's actually DONE that! It was a barn, and he knocked it down right on top of his ears." Maigan cackled loudly.

Starglide looked down at Daniel in stark disbelief. "Tell me she's not serious."

"Oh, she's serious all right. I needed to knock it down and didn't feel like takin two days ta do it. I looked around inside, spotted one pole that'd bring the whole thing down and took a chainsaw to it." Daniel replied candidly. "Wasn't until I heard that damned thing comin down that I realized where it was gonna land, and took off runnin. I wasn't fast enough." He finished with a sardonic laugh.

"Oh just slagging WONDERFUL! I'm sharing a bond with an organic version of Skywarp!" Barricade complained irritably.

"Are you honestly telling me, that Daniel does completely idiotic things because he lacks the intelligence to avoid doing them?" Starglide asked in surprise.

"Kind of. It's more that he doesn't have any common sense. It's all book smarts, so most of the time he doesn't bother to stop and think about the consequences." Maigan replied candidly.

"Oh Primus!" Starglide said as she looked down at Daniel. "No wonder you irritate everyone. You and Skywarp are almost exactly alike!"

"Really? Well, if he's a lot like me then we ought to get along just great." Daniel shot back with a snarky grin.

"Oh no! Oh PRIMUS NO! There is no WAY that I am letting to two of you get together for ANYTHING! Dealing with you as individuals is difficult enough, but the two of you together? That would be enough to force the Unmaker into offlining himself!" Starglide exclaimed in exasperation.

"Primus in a junk yard! That is NOT going to happen!" Barricade growled with a glare at Daniel before turning to Starglide. "You keep Skywarp occupied, and I'll deal with this one." He told her fervently.

Daniel shot the black and white interceptor a dark scowl as he thought of a REALLY nasty reply. He jerked his head to his right with a loud series of popping joints right before he collapsed to the floor.

Barricade gave an inarticulate cry of agony as he too fell to the floor in pain.

"What the PIT!" Ratchet bellowed as he began running a deep level scan on both the human and the mech.

As soon as he scanned the human, Ratchet knew that he'd found the source of the problem, but it took a deep level scan to discover exactly what that problem was. More than half the nanites that had been infused into the man's body were now located in the cerebellum and spinal cord of the human. When the human had popped his neck, the movement had forcibly readjusted his spinal cord at a fairly high speed. The result was that the fluid in the disk refilled the previously blocked portion of the disk and slammed against the wall of that disk with enough force to create an audible noise. It had also caused the nanites to shift in their positions inside the spinal cord, and that was were the pain had originated from.

Nanites that were created to make high speed repairs on Cybertronian frames composed of alloys with an incredibly high tensile strength, were able to rebuild fragile human flesh with ease, and Ratchet knew instantly, that the more time Daniel spent in contact with Barricade, the faster he would be repaired. For right now, Daniel would have to refrain from popping his neck and back, or he would receive another burst of pain like that one he'd just gotten.

"Well? What's wrong with them?" Starglide demanded promptly.

Ratchet quickly reached down and deactivated the pain receptors on the mech before he answered the femme's question. "What's wrong is that Barricade's nanites are currently trying to rebuild the extensive nerve damage that Daniel has. The lumbar spinal damage and even his brain damage may eventually be rendered nonexistent."

"I thought that nanites couldn't effectively repair processor damage." Barricade said in a pained tone as she climbed to his feet.

"In a bot, it's extremely difficult yes. Unless the bot is taken offline for the duration of the repairs, because the nanites have a difficult time working on a functioning processor due to the active electrical currents. But the human body doesn't produce enough voltage or amperage to affect nanite functions. Plus, organic tissue is far easier to repair than Cybertronian materials, and considering that they'll base the repairs off his DNA, he should be a perfect example of human health when they finish. The bad part is the amount of damage they have to deal with. That slagger should have been in a wheel chair like Figueroa." Ratchet explained as he used a medical program to access a diagnostic report from the nanites in question.

It was a medical routine that had rarely been used in Cybertronian history on a living subject. It was normally used in gaining an autopsy report on the system status of a deceased bot, so that the examiner wouldn't be forced to resort to disassembling the bot in question. Now, however it was a different case. Daniel had no repair systems that could be accessed by ratchet to retrieve a diagnostic report, so the only other option was to get one from the nanites that were actually conducting the repairs.

The results were somewhat surprising to the CMO. The sheer number of nanites contained in Daniel's body was phenomenally high when compared to what had used to rebuild the severed legs on Figueroa. Instead of repairing a single system at a time in order of priority, they were spread out and focusing on several sites at once. The human's metabolism had already been cranked back up to what it had previously been. Thereby providing the raw fuel, material, and reserves for the repairs that were taking place. The minor joint damage in the hands of the human were nearly complete, while the damage in the knees was just being initialized. The neurological damage on the other hand, required much more precise repair, and was being done in the meticulous fashion that nanites were known for.

"Well break me up and sell me for scrap!" Ratchet exclaimed almost happily. "Those nanites are far more effective on humans that I would have imagined. I'll have to remember this."

"So, you're saying that he'll eventually be fully functional? As in no longer glitched?" Starglide asked hopefully.

"Physically glitched? No, not once the nanites complete the repairs to his nervous system, but his thought patterns are already pre-established, which means that he'll still most likely THINK the same way that he does now!" Ratchet explained grouchily.

"So, you mean to tell me that we're gonna have a perfectly healthy screwball on our hands when those things get done with him?" SecDef Keller asked worriedly.

"I believe so." Ratchet replied in a near growl of disgust.

"God help us all when that happens." Keller muttered sourly.