A/N: I Don't own it. Why I have to keep putting this here? I will never fully understand. Once should suffice.

The next chapter in this story. Hope you all enjoy, and thank you all for your lovely reviews! I know it reflects a lot on Learning to Fly, but that's the point of a memory extraction, right? Also, another surprise in here. Don't know if it has been used before, as I was not about to read through ALL of the stories to find it, so if I stepped on someone else's toes, sorry.

As the scenes played out before them on the screen, they were both struck in silence as they watched. It was his memory as he was trying to leave the atmosphere the first time

Into the distance, a ribbon of black
Stretched to the point of no turning back

It ran a few words across the screen, showing that it was automatically recording as Starscream had seen something coming at him at great speeds. It was the cannon fire! IT also showed when he was being pulled back into the atmosphere, and how dangerous the incoming had been. It showed him unfolding and the temperatures and damage readings were coming up on the screen as they recorded.

Starscream relived the memories as if he was living them again. He felt every emotion, every shut down and every reboot in his own systems, even though they were more simulated than real.

It also showed the time that had gone by as the Seeker was out cold from the crash, and all of the damage he had taken on. They could hardly believe their optics as they watched his HUD reading to him everything that had gone erroneous and defective. Watching this was like living it themselves and they both cringed as they watched Starscream's HUD displays. It showed him shutting down again, this time, it recorded 4 cycles that he had been out, and when he woke again to check his HUD.

Flight Control System Malfunctioning – Not Responding.

Flight Control Pattern – Offline.

Irreparable Damage to Core Flight Processor – Malfunctioning, Unable to Repair.

No one noticed how Starscream's facial features strained against themselves as he was dealing with the memories. Ratchet reached over and paused the replay. He turned and looked at Optimus who seemed saddened beyond belief, "We don't' have to continue this if you don't wish to," He said sullenly.

Optimus thought about it a moment. Would it be best to let it play, and see what Exactly Starscream had been through? Would it traumatize the young mech? "What is your suggestion, Ratchet?"

"I suggest we continue it, not for morbid curiosity, but maybe learn how he managed to keep all his memory of that time,"

Optimus nodded, "Very well, then."

Little did either know there were 4 optics watching also. They belonged to the other two Seekers, who seemed so crestfallen by what they were watching. Had Starscream really suffered the 'Crash and burn'? They didn't hear what was being said, but paid close attention to the screen as Ratchet continued the memory. The two Seekers gasped at seeing the words filter over the monitor. Lucky for them, they hadn't been heard, yet.

It showed how Starscream was completely unable to fly, even though they could not play his actual emotions, they could tell in their sparks how hard this was on Starscream. Then they watched as Starscream tried to rip out his own spark, and in response his automatic systems took over. They watched as the red words filtered over the screen. Starscream went stiff, then relaxed as the shut down played over the screen. Still no one really noticed his movements.

Automatic System Override – Shutdown Imminent – Processor Unstable!

Time in Stasis Lock – 10 minutes.

System Reboot initialized.

A fatal attraction is holding me fast,
How can I escape this irresistible grasp?

Starscream jerked quickly, his arm going out a moment before going lax, and everyone saw the movement, "Do you think he's seeing this too?"

"I am not so sure, it could be just reactions to the actual memories," Ratchet supplied. He really wasn't for sure, he hadn't gone through this before. They watched as the sky came into view, and his long it was there. He was apparently staring at the sky for some time. They all wondered what he was thinking then.

Can't keep my eyes from the circling skies
Tongue-tied and twisted Just an earth-bound misfit, I

The seekers watching were at a loss as to what to think as the memories continued to reply for all who watched. They also watched Starscream twitch. This gave them a new feeling for the young seeker. He had been through all of that, yet he survived? Wait. He was a sparkling. How were they viewing his past life? They both watched with piqued interest.

The memories switched to him walking to a clearing and finding an Autobot at a gas station, who alerted him to his presence. They saw as Starscream made no move to escape but to run. They both realized that he couldn't fly. This had to be one of the worst things that could ever happen to a seeker. They were built to fly. They watched as the warning of an imminent shutdown came again. What had he done to initiate this? It was the pain that showed up in the far corner of the HUD, they assumed.

Unheeded warnings, I thought I thought of everything
No navigator to find my way home
Unladen, empty and turned to stone

Automatic System Override – System Shutdown Imminent – Processor Unstable!

It came over the screen again. This time the time given was 4 minutes and 46 seconds before his systems rebooted. They also watched as he confronted the Autobots, and how they intended to take them to their base. They weren't mean to him at all, that is if you count out the trigger happy Ironhide. They continued to watch in curiosity as Starscream was now at the Autobot base, and no one bothered him. It was quite interesting. They had actually expected the Autobots to interrogate him and attack him, but none came. The Autobots were apparently not as mean as Megatron had made them out to be. Both of the Seekers watching watched as Starscream's memory showed him a spot to sit, and sit he did. Where Optimus showed up in his line of view and said some words, but they couldn't hear. They also watched as Ratchet approached his vision and how he followed him willingly. Something had to be wrong with him to follow the crazy medic without a fight. As they continued to observe, they saw how Ratchet had him in the med bay and how he was talking to him, and Starscream seemed only to be listening, that is, until he shut down again.

Automatic System Override – System Shutdown Imminent – Processor Unstable!

Starscream twitched and went lax as the shut down on his memory HUD flashed. They watched as it took a full 8 minutes for Starscream's systems to boot him back up. They were taking longer and longer, and they were also seeking issues with his HUD as each time he shut down seemed to harm him more.

Processor Damage – 21 Percent Functional – Stable.

By now, the two Seekers watching were really wondering what was causing Starscream to shut down so much. They both decided if they ever became grounded to be killed immediately and made a silent pact to offline the other should one ever have this happen. As they looked at each other, they looked back at the screen.

Ratchet and Optimus watched as Starscream attacked Sideswipe. Ratchet knew immediately what was happening, but the Seekers who were watching had no idea. They hadn't realized he was trying to self terminate without doing it himself. They watched as Starscream reached for his own exposed spark, but didn't' touch it, his arm just dropped. Why was he moving? Maybe the two should alert the medic that something more was going on as they viewed the screen. They watched as Starscream was blindsided by someone and the screen went dark. He had apparently been forced into Stasis Lock. His HUD read out that he was out for 12 minutes.

Processor damage – 42 Percent Functional – Stable.

Navigations Systems – Offline.

A soul's intention is learning to fly
Condition grounded but determined to try

The two seekers watched more, seeing how Starscream's HUD was telling him that his Processor had sustained over 20 percent more damage just from that offline. They both gasped, this time being heard by the two inside the room. Ratchet and Optimus turned abruptly, pausing the machine. A dark glare came from the medic as he approached the doors and pressed a button, letting them slide open, "Just what do you two think you are doing here?"

"We are watching, Ratchet, we feel the need to, we never… we never realized the trauma he had sustained. When did all of this happen?" Skywarp asked.

"Years ago. When he was sparked, he was brought back to life. It still baffles me as to how he is remembering," Ratchet's voice went soft.

"He's moving, you know, is he supposed to do that?" Thundercracker asked.

"He what?" Ratchet abruptly turned to look at the Seeker on the berth, but saw no motion, then looked back at the two who had been spying, "I don't' see anything,"

"He did!" Skywarp insisted, pointing to the Seeker.

"Ratchet, Optimus, I think us two should continue to watch this,"

"Why?" ratchet asked briskly.

"Because… he is our leader. We feel we have a right to know what he has been through. We have been with him since he was sparked – the first time. It's only right."

Optimus nodded, they were right. They were his wing mates, "Let them in Ratchet," Ratchet followed the two other Seekers in and moved to the consol once again, "Are you ready?" he asked, "This isn't going to be pretty,"

Both of the Seekers nodded their heads, and Ratchet turned to the consol and started the playback once more. They first heard a pained whine from the Seeker who lie on the berth. It wasn't a normal pained whine, but one that seemed to plead to the powers that be. They glanced back up at the screen. They watched as Starscream seemed to look around and then again, his HUD displayed their red warnings. This time the warnings were different. Optimus' concern was evident. Was he supposed to be acting like that? Ratchet hadn't said anything, but he felt that he might want to.

WARNING: Automatic System Override – System Shutdown Imminent – Processor Unstable!

Both of the wing mates looked to Starscream who seemed to tense then relax again, "Why was he shutting down so much?" Thundercracker asked.

Ratchet stopped the playback, and turned to the pair, a saddened looked crossed the medic's face, "Because he was trying to kill himself, and his self preservation was kicking in." He tried his best to sound professional, but he knew it was failing.

"What about the processor damage?" Skywarp asked before Ratchet could start the playback again.

"Because each time he shut down it was frying his circuits." Ratchet's voice betrayed how professional he was trying to sound. He turned and reluctantly hit the button to start the playback again. It showed his processor had been offline for about 16 minutes this time, and when it finally showed his damage on his HUD it was different.

WARNING: Processor damage – 58 Percent Functional – Stability Check Failed – Recheck?

They watched as Starscream's body shuddered, but did nothing more. They glanced back at the screen as it showed his damage reports.

WARNING: Processor damage – 58 Percent Functional – Stable.

Optimus move to the button he found to be the one that paused the playback, Ratchet looked up at Optimus, "Is something wrong?"

"I want to know why he is reacting to those playbacks, Ratchet,"

Ratchet glanced to the body on the berth, then back to Optimus, "I can only assume that they are physical reenactments of what happened then," Because he really didn't know.

"Are you sure this is not harming him in any way?"

"The computer would have told me so,"

"Wow," Thundercracker sighed, staring at the last playback that was paused. That warning. He had never seen such a warning in his own lifetime. He glanced at Skywarp who was also glued to the warning. He couldn't believe his optics. It was crazy to think that Starscream was still even moving with such dramatic damage to his processors, but out of curiosity, they continued to watch. It showed him getting up and how he bolted, headed beside a building, which they assumed to be the main building, and how he headed for a really high fence. Starscream himself shuddered and jerked quickly, then relaxed again as the playback showed him clearing the fence and how others were hot on his tail.

Energy levels – Critical – Suggest Stasis Lock.

Apparently Starscream ignored the request and kept running. It showed him firing at the Autobots as they closed in on him, and showed as he fired on everything and anything except humans and buildings, trying to get the Autobots attention, trying to get them to offline him. When none of the Autobots attacked him back, Starscream's HUD showed that there was incoming. About 4 jets were sent to dispatch of the threat. The Seekers watching jaws dropped as they saw Starscream make no move to attack them. Optimus and Ratchet looked away. They knew what happened here. They were there. The two Seekers continued to watch as Starscream was bombarded by Sabot rounds and missiles. They gaped even more as Starscream's body jerked and moved as if he was really being attacked. Fear and anguish plain on their faceplates. They looked back at the screen to see in red all of the failures that were on Starscream's HUD.

WARNING: Outer Armor – Damaged – Unstable.

WARNING: Weapons – Damaged – Unstable.

WARNING: Ocular senses – Critical – Failing.

WARNING: Communications System – Failed to Initiate – Offline.

WARNING: Energon – Critical Levels – Stasis Lock Imminent.

"No, it can't be!" Thundercracker called out, watching as the warnings flashed over the screen. Skywarp was speechless, "I can't believe this! This can't be! He was one of the most proud Decepticons in the fleet."

Ratchet nor Optimus answered as Starscream's memories played out.

WARNING: Energon Pump – Failing – Damage Critical.

WARNING: Spark Chamber – Damage Critical.

WARNING: Spark Unstable –Damage Critical – Termination Imminent!

And it was here that every watched as Starscream's spark took off from his body. This had to of been it. There was something peculiar about it. Sparks don't just leave their bodies, they die out, so what had happened? He had become a ghost, in a sense. To this, Ratchet put 2 and 2 together and came up with 5. Starscream was no ordinary Cybertronian. There was something about him. His memory banks continued to as he floated and flew through the air as nothing but energy, "That's it," Ratchet pointed at screen, "He's n ordinary Cybertronian, and he has a gift."

"Wh-what gift is that?" Thundercracker could hardly form any words.

"He has the ability to leave his shell – or body – per se. This makes him older than I thought. When Optimus re-sparked him, he brought him from wherever he was into a new body."

"You think he's older than Megatron?"

"Oh, yes, I bet so." Ratchet answered as he glanced back at the sleeping Seeker on the berth. This was a good enough explanation as to why he was so intelligent if not sometimes downright stupid, the trademark of intelligence.

Above the planet on a wing and a prayer,
My grubby halo, a vapor trail in the empty air,

They all stared at the screen in shock. This was monumental! Here, in this room, they all witnessed something so amazing that none could really form it into words.

Ratchet stared at the world around the spark that floated freely. There wasn't much thought process. In fact, the watched as he went through the air, playing as care free as he had when he was first re-sparked. It was a feeling that overwhelmed them all as they watched from the sidelines. Not only was Starscream gifted, he was also older than any of them could imagine. How old was he, exactly? How was he able to leave bodies like that? How many times has he actually been re-sparked? So many questions with so little answers. But the question that made Ratchet curious is: Did he know he could even do it?

Above the clouds I see my shadow fly
Out of the corner of my watering eye
To dream unthreatened by the morning light
Could blow this soul right through the roof of the night
There's no sensation to compare with this
Suspended animation, A state of bliss

Just as they were all gaping at the spark that was flying so freely, it screen suddenly went dark, and Starscream started to move.

Connection terminated.

System idle – Awaiting instructions.

The silver Seeker moved more and more, and finally he reached up with his left hand and pulled at the wires, causing them to spark madly as he disconnected them by ripping them from his body. He doubled over in pain when he ripped the one from his spark, "What… What happened to me?" His voice was scratchy at best, as if it had been offline for years.

"Starscream, relax," Ratchet demanded, and the seeker looked up at him, "I swear I just had the worst nightmare…" He paused, looking around. Even though he was looking, he was realizing it hadn't been a dream, it was something far more, "…Ever." And he stopped.

"Starscream? What's the matter?" Thundercracker asked, pushing himself in front of Skywarp.

"I… I don't know." Starscream answered, grabbing at his helm, he fluttered his optics. All of this had been a memory. From his own memory. But how? What!? He was so confused! The only one who could answer was standing there, and he moved his hand from his face and glanced at the medic, "Explain this!" He suddenly demanded, causing Ratchet to flinch at his harsh demand.

"Starscream, I…" he paused, thinking of a way to tell him.

"Tell me what is going on!" the demand had an underlying tone that made Ratchet reel back.

"I.. your… your memories, Starscream," Ratchet stuttered over his words, trying to find something he could tell, but found it difficult, "Your memories are from a past life, Starscream,"

Starscream's face went to shock. How could this be? "Past life? How is that possible? I saw all of you."