I'm feeling very pro-skywarp these days, so rejoice Deceptifans :)

Ratchet showed me how to drink the energon when he realized I didn't know how. It was like regular drinking, but minus the chewing and swallowing. It was like drinking a shake, only letting it drain down instead of actively sucking it up, reminding me of putting fuel injector into a car. I wasn't quite able to finish it, but I from my internal room full of tiny lights I could tell that I was full. I was handing the almost empty cube back to Ratchet when Mirage came in through the sick bay door.

"Why is Hotrod stomping around the halls like a youngling?" His eyes fell on me, and he made a comical chirping 'O!' sound.

I smiled and slid off the table, landing on my own two feet for the first time in my new body. I lost my balance and wavered until Ratchet steadied me. "Just take it slow," he said encouragingly. I stepped out slowly, and the rhythm wasn't much different from walking had been before. My body seemed to know how, it was just my mind throwing me off.

I crossed the distance to Mirage and lifted my arms to him without thinking.

He laughed, and instead of reaching down to pick me up, he simply bent low and then wrapped his arms around me, swinging me around like a small child. He finished his spin, hugging me to him tightly, then let me down and knelt to get a better look.

He whistled. "Look at you! All grown up, huh? You look just like Frenzy if he were a femme! Well, a lot like him anyway, but prettier. Spin around, let me see the new you."

I tried, and would've fallen if not for Mirage's quick intervention.

"Watch out, you don't wanna fall and scuff that brand new aft!"

"Watch your language, Mirage," said Ratchet disapprovingly from the table.

The Lexus laughed good-naturedly and patted my shoulder lightly. "Come on, clumsy. I bet you're tired, huh?"

I waited until we'd left the sickbay, then looked at up Mirage. He didn't seem nearly as tall as he once had, though he still towered over me. "Actually, I'm not tired at all. Just weird, like I don't fit in my body."

Mirage looked down and nodded. "Maybe you'd like to play a game then? It'll help you get used to yourself."

"What kind of game?"

Mirage smiled wickedly. "Ping pong."

An hour later found Mirage and me in the rec. hall. I'd lost every game but one, and I could tell Mirage was going easy on me. My arm was just too long and quick to get used to. Several of the soldiers, whom I now felt huge next to, had watched with interest until it became clear that this there wasn't going to be any real competition.

I'd lost count of how many losses I'd had when I felt a lightly tapping on my thigh. I looked down, and a man was looking up at me.

"Hey," he began, "Let me show you how it's done. It's obvious you've never played before."

I stifled a laugh and gave him the paddle, moving to watch from the sidelines.

This guy was actually pretty good. He smoked Mirage in the first volley. Mirage came back, and soon it was a lightning fast game, and they were both determined to win. A small crowd had gathered around the table, mostly cheering for the man, so I took up Mirage's side and cheered him on every time he scored. They were neck and neck when Hotrod came into the rec. hall.

Nobody had noticed him coming in until he walked over to the table, watching me over everyone else. I groaned as Mirage lost a point, then caught sight of Hotrod's red paint job. I looked at him and felt suddenly nervous. He didn't say anything, but he smiled, and I smiled back weakly. I felt embarrassed, maybe because of the whole attempted bonding thing.

Mirage turned to me to say something about the game, but whatever he was going to say died as he followed my gaze. He straightened up, his posture not quite threatening. "Come on, mech, you know what Ratchet said."

Hotrod nodded. "I know, I just wanted to see… I'm not going to start any trouble."

Mirage sighed, and I suddenly felt tired. Maybe I was mentally slithering out of the difficult situation, but I really did feel heavier than before.

"Mirage, can you show me my room?" I asked quietly. Hotrod looked hurt, but I tried not to look at him. I wasn't ready to talk to him yet.

Mirage nodded and put one hand on my shoulder, guiding my away from the ping pong table. The army guys were catcalling us, but I didn't care, and I doubted Mirage did either.

"That's a Pit of a lot of tension between you too," commented Mirage as we walked down the hallway together.

I nodded. "Yeah… It's just weird. You know how things were before, back when I was human. This is like a ton of extra pressure that I don't want to deal with right now. Does that make sense?"

Mirage nodded, patting my shoulder. "Yep, I always knew you liked me better anyway," he said with a smile and a wink in the form of one optic flicking out for a second.

I punched his hip playfully, reveling in the lack of pain I got out of it. Mirage stumbled, groaning, and I panicked. I put my hands out, not sure what to do, when he grabbed me and put me in a headlock, kneeling down to reach me. I couldn't decide if I should laugh or yelp, so I did both, the metallic sound alien to me. He started rubbing my head, which I realized was free of hair of any kind, to the point of discomfort.

"Ok, ok, I give! Uncle!" He released me and I stumbled away, still laughing, and Mirage was laughing too. I felt lighter again, infinitely thankful for the brotherly support. I hugged him again while he was still kneeling and he hugged back, then pushed me away with a mischievous smile. I almost fell on my aft, but he grabbed me just before I went down, straightening me out.

"You've really gotta work on that coordination thing," he said merrily, rising back to his feet.

"I don't have much else to do," I said, smiling. I was about to asking him about Cybertronian style wrestling when he stopped in front of a Transformer sized door.

"Here we are, my dear! It's not much, but it's got a bed that only fits one," he said with another wink. "Do you know how to reach me if you need me?"

I shook my head, and he reached out for my shoulder again. Suddenly something almost like an instant message appeared in my inner vision with a list of names, numbers, and codes, as well as directions for accessing my short wave transmissions.

"Got it?" He asked.

I nodded slowly. "Think so. Thanks for looking out for me, Mirage."

He looked serious for a moment. "Any time. Just call and I'll be there, ok?"

I nodded, then pushed my door open and stepped into my room, shutting it behind me. It was almost pitch black, aside from a line of tiny lights on the floor, my optics seemed to be able to handle it. I crossed the room to the bench and let the overwhelmingl shock finally crash down on me as I sat on the bench. My eyes glowed blue on the floor, and I leaned back against the wall to avoid seeing it, letting my muted terror run its course.

I discovered I had an internal clock, and that it was very late when I came out of my daze. I didn't know if I'd fallen into recharge or just lost track of time, but I was wide awake, so I left my recharge bench and headed back into the hall. They were mostly empty, except for the occasional armed soldier, probably on watch. They usually gave me a nod as they passed, which I began returning after the second time it happened.

I wandered aimlessly for over an hour, following a map Mirage had left in some sort of file form in the message he'd sent me. I'd covered most of the base when I realized there were two doors that didn't seem to lead anywhere. I turned and headed for the closest one, curiously.

When I got there, two guards were standing on either side of the huge Cybertronian sized door. I approached slowly and was about to speak when one of the guards flipped a large switch that looked heavy by the way he had to push, and then the door slid open with a hiss. I looked at them blankly until one gestured at me impatiently to go in, so I did. I found myself at the top of a stairwell. I thought about going back but my curiosity got the better of me.

I walked down the stairwell, which probably would've been tight for someone like Optimus but soared far over my head. It was several flights, and I ignored the part of my brain –processors- that wanted to count each flight, just in case.

The stairs ended in a long hall that turned sharply left, then I was out into open air. It was dark, but my optics had little trouble making the adjustments. Off to the right was a huge door with keypads at both Cybertronian and human height, but to the left was a door with another guard sitting in a chair and watching a few small TVs. I approached him, and much like the last one, he simply looked me over then opened the door with a heavy switch.

I felt gigantic walking past him. I was through, looking around, when the door slammed shut behind me. There was a moment of panic, but then I realized he was watching through a security camera. He'd let me out in the same way. But why the precautions?

I turned to find out. Mostly huge open holes in the walls, each room sparsely decorated with a recharge bench of Cybertronian proportions, some bigger than others. I saw a bright white glow a few cells down and went to look. They were faintly humming bars. So it was a cell. I peered through the diffuse light and saw a large dark form lying on the bench. As I watched its head turned to look at me and I saw a pair of scarlet eyes, and I recognized Skywarp.

I gasped and stepped back. There was so much hatred in that look. Skywarp simply stared at me, and I slowly walked closer to the faintly humming bars. "Skywarp?"

The Seeker simply growled, a sound like boulders crashing down a canyon. He looked back up at the ceiling.

"I'm sorry you're stuck here, I had no idea. I didn't mean for any of this to happen. Believe me, if I had any idea they'd caught you I would've said something."

I started to reach up to grab the bars in front of me, when Skywarp looked at me and with a sharp tone said, "Don't touch those."

I shrank back just slightly. "Do you hate me now?"

He sighed heavily. "Look, just because I had my orders back then, it doesn't mean I had anything against any of the femmes. I didn't have much choice either. Why the hell did they let a femme down here anyway?"

I stared, realizing he was referring to the femme extermination. He didn't recognize me "You think I'm… Oh. You've never seen me like this. It's me, Skywarp. Bravura."

There was a grind of metal and Skywarp was across the room with a speed that frightened me. I stepped away from the bars reflexively.

"Bravura?" He asked, his voice suddenly lower and less menacing. "They didn't tell me you were awake." He studied me for a long time, then leaned as close to the bars as he could get. "Prove you're her."

I thought about it. There were a few things only we'd shared, but none of it seemed good enough. I looked down at my wrist, at the sharp lines of the Decepticon logo, and slowly held that up for him to see.

He watched, optics glued to the insignia, then looked back to my face. He looked suddenly frail despite his bulk, and he dropped from a crouch to his knees, lowering himself to be closer to my height. "You made it…"

I nodded. "I'm a little different now. It's not like being human."

He shook his head. "I should hope not." He looked me up and down. "It's obvious you take after Frenzy, but somehow it looks good on you."

I rubbed my shoulder self-consciously. "Yeah, I don't know the new standard for attractiveness, but that's what Mirage said too. I'm like girl-Frenzy."

Skywarp gave me a stiff smile and shook his head again. "I didn't say you look like Frenzy, I said I can see the resemblance. You don't have that miss-clocked look he's got. And you're… smoother. You don't have an alt mode yet, do you?"

I shook my head. "No, I still don't know how to check my e-mail much less turn into a toaster."

"A toaster?"

"A little machine people stick bread in to make it crunchy."

He stared at me blankly, and I shrugged, changing the subject. "Why are you locked up in here?"

He looked away, some of the bitterness coming back. "The Autobots asked me to help you, so I went to find their scientist. When I came back that little- Hotrod looked like he was trying to spark bond with you before your human body died. I didn't think, I just attacked. I was outnumbered, and I've been in here ever since."

Three weeks in this prison, all because he'd tried to help me. Guilt flooded me, and I crossed my arms, feeling suddenly shy. "I'm sorry, Skywarp."

He looked back to me, and to my relief there was no blame in his expression or his voice. "It's worth it, knowing it helped save you. You're all I've thought about. I've wondered what you would look like. You're still so small."

I shrugged. "I feel huge, and heavy, and clumsy."

He nodded. "You're just in that awkward stage," and I could swear he was teasing me. "I remember when I had my first growth spurt, practically grew ten feet in my recharge. I was lucky Starscream and Thundercracker covered for me then, or I would've been the laughing stock of the Seekers."

This side of Skywarp was new. He'd never confided his past to me like this before. Maybe my new body made him more comfortable with me? Or maybe he just finally saw me as an actual person.

"I thought you hated Starscream?"

His vents sighed. "He changed a lot, working for Megatron. He started wanting power. He wasn't happy playing with his lab toys anymore. He just changed… I don't hate him, but… things are different now. When you're a Seeker, your brothers are your family. Maybe you can't stand them, but you can't change family."

"I didn't know you were brothers."

"More like adopted brothers. Seekers almost always go in threes, it's just the way we are. The three of us have been together since before we can remember." He rubbed his neck awkwardly. "So… what sort of alt mode would you choose, if you could transform? I hope you're going to say a plane." He was teasing again.

"Didn't you say when we first met that you chose your alt based on the skills you already have?"

"Yes."

"Well, I can't fly."

He laughed. "That's just because you've never tried. Though… you're awfully small for most planes. I don't know if you could even manage a crop duster."

I laughed, secretly marveling at the ring of metal in my voice. "I'll probably go for some wheels, if they make anything small enough. Maybe a golf cart?"

He gave me a blank look, and I shrugged, smiling.

We sat in silence, just looking at each other for a long time. I hated seeing him locked up like this. Maybe he was really just misunderstood after all. The side I was seeing now wasn't at all like the frightening giant I'd first met, or even the Skywarp from the base. Maybe my new body was giving me a new perspective on him, too.

"Maybe… Maybe this is your chance to join the Autobots, Skywarp? Don't you see how silly it is to keep fighting like this? You aren't even fighting for anything, you're just following old habits."

"Haven't I explained this already?" He looked vaguely irritated. "You wouldn't know what it's like, you're neutral. I can't help but hate them."

I carefully reached my thin arm through the glowing bars, not quite able to touch him. "You can help it, Skywarp. You found Peceptor for them, didn't you?"

"No, I found him for you. That's a big difference," he said gruffly, but he reached out and delicately took my small hand in his. He was warm now, not hot like I'd thought before. "I would do anything for you, Bravura." His other hand felt along my wrist, one finger brushing the insignia there. Before I knew what he was doing, he'd popped my wrist guard open.

I jerked back in surprise, but he held me firmly. "Calm down," He said, as if I were being childish.

"What are you doing?" I demanded. He kept hold of my hand, using his free hand to pop open a panel on his own forearm, and withdrawing a cable. "Hey, whoa, what it that? What are you doing?"

"Shh." He stretched the thin cable to my own wrist, a glint coming off of the oddly shaped end. He pressed it into something in my arm, and for a moment, nothing happened.

It came on slowly, like a wave coming to the shore.

It was like a pale version of what Hotrod had done in the sick bay. Exhilarating electricity raced through my body, and I could feel another mind stroking those feelings through my senses. It seemed to beckon to me, and tentatively I sent a shock back through the connection. Skywarp's huge body jumped slightly, almost knocking my arm into the bars, and then he settled with a chuckle. "Maybe not so hard, next time," he whispered. "Like this." The pleasure whispered through me again and I shivered, barely able to stand despite my solid frame.

I sent a smaller shock back, following it through the connection. I could feel Skywarp now, and I tried to mimic what he'd done to me, pushing the jolts gently through his body. I was feeling his response like it was my own when I realized what this was. This was some kind of sexual thing.

I withdrew instantly, but the lack made me feel cold and small. He stayed with me, sending a caress down my back, seeming to say, Don't be afraid. I was about to slowly reach out again when a whistling hum distracted me. Skywarp fled back into his own body, giving me one last brush, and the physical connection was broken as he released me and he rose to his feet, then stepped away from the bars.

I fell back on my aft, shaken. I caught my breath, my vents working overtime, then looked up at the source of the whistling. It was Prowl, and he was pointing a gun at Skywarp.

"Try that again and I'll make sure it's your last time," the Charger said to the Raptor, his voice low and dangerous. He gestured to me to get up, so I did. "Out, Bravura."

I walked away guiltily, looking back at Skywarp over my shoulder. I felt a strange reluctance to leave him.

Teehee, robot smut. Don't worry, that's about as graphic as it gonna get. It could get that graphic again later :)