Ch. 117

"Does it hurt?"

Starscream whined, "Eh... only if I really think about it."

Optimus slowly approached him, "How did this happen?"

The seeker frowned, growling, "When that fragger caught me aboard his ship! Stupid hologram-thing! He grabbed me and snapped me in half!"

The Prime frowned with him and activated his COMM, "Ratchet, can you-"

"We already read you, Optimus," the medic answered, "and we see what you both see. Soundwave is with me now. He's not pleased with Starscream's condition."

Optimus nodded, "Nor am I. Shall we end the session?"

"Negative. Starscream's condition: reversible. Cortical patch sessions: essential."

Starscream growled louder, "Great. My mind is broken into pieces and the only way to fix it is to have you wandering around in my helm."

"Not necessarily," Ratchet continued; he was quiet for a few moments before speaking again, "It would seem that the condition you are in now makes you vulnerable for a patch session. You would be able to hide nothing, feel nothing, think nothing, without the second party knowing everything. This is a completely downloadable situation. With a normal patch, the aggressor would have to work to get the information. But the way you are right now..."

Starscream scoffed, "It's like I'm hemorrhaging the information for them. So, how do we fix it again?"

Optimus hummed, "I believe I must help you strengthen your mind. I must actively pursue the answer to a question you will know and you must stop me."

"Hm. Pass," the seeker frowned, "Maybe it would help more if I attacked your mind. Take on some of that Prime knowledge and secrets you're hiding."

The Prime smiled, "I would be more than willing to allow you the challenge of accessing my mind, but perhaps after we have sorted your own problem first."

"Both of you stop," Ratchet grumbled, "Soundwave tells me you're both right. Sessions like this will help strengthen and reaffirm your mind, Starscream. You don't have to do a session with Optimus, it can be any of us. But I'm putting you on a regiment now. Every day, twice a day, you're getting a cortical psychic patch session."

Starscream whined loudly, "What?! That is so unfair! I should be getting rest, not over exerting my mind!"

The medic laughed almost mockingly, "Rest it? No, you need to fill those giant cracks in your armor with hard work and exercise. Things aren't rebuilt out of nothing."

The seeker scowled, "But this is my mind we're talking about. My beautiful, brilliant mind!"

Optimus nodded, "And we will take this session slowly until we see progress. This will not move unreasonably quick, but it will be done the way it needs to be done. When you are ready, Starscream, I will create a landscape for you to train upon."

Starscream frowned, "It's like being back in boot camp. Run this way, jump over this, transform, now transform back..."

The Prime began thinking, the area shimmering in color, "Not necessarily, but I can understand how it may feel that way..."

Ratchet sighed as he watched the monitors, then glanced back at the two mechs still wandering within the cortical patch, "How long would it take to restructure them then?"

Soundwave looked them over, "Optimus Prime: minimal restructuring required. Estimated time of completion: four days."

The medic nodded, "That's better than the rest of us... And Starscream? With that extra damage..."

"Starscream: restructuring on hold. First session: test limits. Second session: rebuild mental strength. Third session: test rebuilt mental strengths. Fourth sess-"

"Alright, get to the estimation part," Ratchet grumbled.

Soundwave nodded, "Starscream restructuring estimation: one to three months."

The medic's optics widened, "Up to three months?! We don't have that kind of time!"

The blue mech shrugged and Ratchet glared, "Is there any safe way to speed up that process? To a couple weeks, if that's not asking too much?"

Soundwave nodded again, "Starscream's cortical psychic patch sessions: limit to sessions with Optimus Prime and Soundwave. Starscream's rate of success estimated at two hundred and thirty-two percent increase."

Ratchet hummed, "With just the two of you? Are you sure that's wise? You're the epitome of 'lost in space'. Any of us patch with you, and you could send our minds to the void."

Soundwave played his evil laugh clip, making the medic scowl, but shrugged again, "Soundwave's capabilities: easily measurable. Soundwave's first session with Starscream: level one."

Ratchet nodded, "If you think that will work, we'll have to try it..." he picked up a data pad, looking at his notes from the sessions done earlier in the day, "I'd say out of everyone who has gone so far, Arcee is at the head of the pack. Though, I'm not surprised, really. She's probably going to be your first real opponent unless Starscream gets there first."

Soundwave hummed, "Arcee: moves too quickly. Soundwave: will easily dominate."

Ratchet chuckled, "You're underestimating her."

"Soundwave: watched Arcee and Knockout session forty-six times. Soundwave: knows all her weaknesses."

"Then help her identify them," Ratchet huffed, "don't exploit them. We're trying to avoid a Decepticon-based cortical patch information download... remember?"

Soundwave nodded, but the blue mech was still somewhat energetic, "Soundwave: will still dominate."

Ratchet looked him over, then smirked, "I think I've just found your weakness, Soundwave. You seem very competitive."

"Soundwave: does not disagree."