When Sunstreaker onlined next time, his sensors didn't pinged him at all, he felt numb and before his optics registered the light he knew, he was immobilized and his sensors turned off.
"Sunstreaker" Someone called and it took a tiring amount of his current processing ability to match the voice to it's owner. He felt dizzy.
"Ratchet." He vocalized, hating the ugly static in his otherwise smooth voice. 'Oh Primus' His processor was clearing, data-stream pulsing faster with every astrosecond.
"How are you feeling?" Ratchet asked cautiously. Sunstreaker processed his question - it took definitely to much time to do that - and considered it. Last thing he remembered was space and cold and pain and taking the shell-mode.
"Ugly." he rasped.
"Sounds like himself." Ratchet laughed, and slagg if Sunstreaker didn't miss this laugh. "You gave us a right, good scare, you know you little glitch?" Ratchet said. "I don't know what you went and got yourself involved in, but you're safe now. It's going to take me time to repair you fully though. Optimus will be very pleased to know you're online" Ratchet said and commed Prime informing him that Sunny was awake.
:Understood Ratchet. I'll be there shortly with our other new arrivals:
Ratchet contacted their leader over the open frequency, so Sunstreaker could hear the words as well as Optimus' relieved reply. It was probably the first time when anyone was glad he was still online. He usually wasn't welcomed so warmly when he escaped hands of Primus. Only his brother used to be glad Sunstreaker lived. He wanted to see Sideswipe more than anything now.
"Ratchet can you do anything about my look, Sideswipe will brag so hard if he sees me in this ugly shell-mode." Sunny made a disgusted noise. Gray, matt and designed to be useful and no beautiful at all.
"How about we make sure your not going to offline on us first; Then I'll see about getting you your looks back," Ratchet said.
"Who are you and what did you do with Ratchet?" Sunstreaker eyed the medic warily. Ratchet was never nice... well unless... "It's going to hurt, right? Slagg you!"
"Now, now Sunshine, would I ever take a delight in your pain," Ratchet asked in an oh so sweet voice.
"Fragg yes!" Sunny huffed. Every time Ratchet was nice something was going to hurt and he had enough pain already, his core still twisted when his memories from just after the battle played again and again in his head. "Not that I can't take anything you dish out." He hated pain, really hated it, never showed it though, he couldn't, he was frontliner.
Sunny wished he could see his brother, his spark ached for him. He would understand, only his twin knew the real Sunny.
"Oh I'm going to remember those words later, you little glitch," Ratchet snapped back. "As usual you no doubt went and bit off more then you could shred, probably without backup, so your stuck in my tender care now. Deal with it."
"After we have a chance to speak to him, you may do what you have to Ratchet." Optimus said trying not to laugh as he and the others came into the bay.
"Slagg, Sunny! You look like waste compactor." Sunstreaker looked around to see his brother standing all gleaming and silver between the mechs that entered the med-bay. Sideswipe was grinning like mad. It was so good to see him again.
"Slagg you too! Trash compactor or worse I'll look better than you anytime." Sunstreaker puffed his armor trying to look good... erm better, but inside he wanted so much to have again a shiny yellow and brilliant alt-mode. He felt so.... insecure like that. He watched other mechs that arrived with Prime. He recognized Mirage and Red Alert. Just great, a paranoid security chief and a buffoon noble.
"Prime!" he acknowledged and felt his spark shudder strangely.
"Welcome to Earth, Sunstreaker," Prime said feeling a pull towards the injured mech. He instantly recognized it though with not small amount of shock. He had last felt it when Megatron was still alive. When his previous Lord High Protector lived. It seemed the Allspark made it's decision chosing the new one. But the fact that it was Sunstreaker… The time to inform others would have to wait. Now was not the good time to announce it.
"Earth?" That's such an ugly name. He shuddered, the way Prime looked at him felt different, his systems somehow reacting to it with tingling. "Anything I should be briefed about?" they weren't on Cybertron, well go figure, it didn't look like their home planet, and there was this annoying humidity in the air.
"Megatron is dead and the remaining Decepticons have fled to lick their wounds," Optimus informed him.
"Less opportunities to scratch my paint. Good." He smiled. It was good but it was also bad because he and his brother wouldn't be needed so much anymore, but then maybe he could paint again... "So, who else made it to this planet?" He asked curiously. "I have such a backlog in information, would someone send me a data-pack?"
Sides was about to, when he was blocked by Optimus sending it instead, it was curious that Prime had a priority.
The data-pack contained information about who had arrived on Earth starting with Bumblebee then the rest of the team and the battle of Mission City, there were information about Earth, and everything that happened through all the time Sunstreaker was unaccounted for.
"Bumblebee is newly repaired and the other injured have been taken care of," Optimus said. "Now it's your turn."
"Just great, I go recharge for a moment and you go sightseeing and settle the war without me, not fair. "Didn't matter it was almost 10 metacycles since he left for his mission, didn't matter that when he was leaving everything felt different.
"How long since he'll be able to go out of here?" Sideswipe asked? He was afraid for his brother and he yearned for some time alone with him.
"With as much damage as he's suffered through it's going to take me at least several Earth weeks to get him fully functional," Ratchet said.
"Great so I'm stuck in med-bay," Sunny huffed angrily. It sucked.
"Oh grow up you little glitch," Ratchet snapped. "You're lucky to be alive at all, so shut it or, so help me, I'm going to weld your lip plates together."
"Prime!" Prowl stuck his head in the med bay. "Would you mind coming to me as soon as you're done." He looked at Sunstrekaer and nodded courtly. "We need to inform the human gouvernment about their arrival, register new alt-modes and do some more paper work." If both Sunny and Sides were back, it meant additional troubles and he would be more than glad to discuss security with Red Allert. The mech was paranoid but had good ideas every now and then.
Optimus fought back a sigh, one thing was certain, Prowl hadn't changed. "Of course Prowl, as soon as I am able."
Ratchet snorted, when Prowl came to earth Prime was finally able to cede all the paperwork on his SIC hoping to never ever dab at human beaurocracy again. The only thing he didn't realized was that the mech will find even more paperwork. Using the distraction he scanned both freshly arrived mechs and declared them 100% functional.
"Great now I can finally go back to work." Ratchet stated after Prowl disappeared. "Sunshine is alive you two are functional and you can all go back to your work so I can do MY work in peace."
Optimus looked at Ratchet sending him a private message before he left to suffer through endless paperwork that he knew Prowl would somehow uncover.
Sunny was left with Ratchet. Sidewswipe looked at him like he wanted to stay but thought better of it; they will have time for themselves later. "So what you fixed and what else need's to be fixed?" He asked Ratchet, if he was to spend so much time in the med-bay he could at least talk with someone, even if this someone was going to hit him with a wrench over the head.
"Your stable for now brat, I'm not about to list off everything you've damaged in some way, shape or form. That would take a couple hours if I did that, now glitch I'm going to send you into stasis." Ratchet said as he processed Optimus' private message and knew what had happened.
It was going to complicate things, for sure. Prime obviously didn't want the secret to be revealed just yet, but you can't fight the coding, especially when it's written by the Allspark. It will take time but eventually Sunny would feel the need.
Sunstreaker shifted under Ratchet's hand who stilled suddenly. "So are you going to put me under or keep daydreaming about Ironhide or any other poor slagger you are fragging lately."
"Glitch so help me, I'll end up keeping you online at this rate," Ratchet growled and couldn't help but think for a moment that Sunny himself was a poor slagger. Everything was going to change.