The vermillion grounder's optics shuttered online and squinted to a bright light overhead. Voices had roused him out of his darkness as he attempted to move a servo to cover his optics, only to realize they were cuffed in stasis locks at his sides as he was on a flat surface. He groaned as the dent in his helm was ringing from the harsh blow of the large seeker.

The voice of his awakening caused the three in the room to turn and glance at him, before their voices dropped quietly, but were still audible. He glanced over only slightly, his helm restricted by the lock under his chin to restrict all his helm movement. His cyan optics tilted towards the corner of his vision, where the three were nearby.

"Commander StarScream, I assure you you'll be fully recovered in two days, do try to get some rest, alright?" A voice smooth as silk cut the silence. A small whine of disappointment before it was muffled with a whimper as he could hear scraping of claws on the table nearby.

StarScream was seated on a berth as he gripped it tightly as the other grounder had started to pull and trim away parts of the metal that were not able to be repaired. He brought over some kind of material to weld over the wound for a temporary fix. "I'm sorry about this, but we don't have enough parts or supplies for a proper fix. This is the best I can do for the time being until our scouts return with salvageable parts."

"It's f-fine, Knock Out, I expect nothing less from you." He whimpered, letting the medical officer weld the remaining parts of the metal onto his side. Knock Out chuckled softly in response and pulled away. CliffJumper couldn't see much thanks to the light above that made him squint to the point where everything was blurred. Deciding it to be best, he closed his optics and focused on their voices instead.

"There. And please, take this, you'll need it. The nuclear radiation of Jasper is light, but just to be safe."

"Knock Out, I can't take this, please, you need this…!"

"I can make do with one less cube of medical grade, Commander, please."

"If… If you insist… I'll get you more to make."

"Much appreciated, Commander."

The conversation was slightly confusing, but CliffJumper came to an understanding that these Decepticons were low on supplies and apparently low on medical grade. He remembered having his first taste of medical grade and nearly purged it, fanning his glossa with a whine in disapproval. Ratchet had only rolled his optics and shook his helm. "It's not so bad if you don't think about it, CliffJumper." Ratchet had said.

CliffJumper was really starting to miss his little family, but right now it seemed that something was very wrong and off about this place. Even these bots here were a little off to some extent. He craned his helm slightly and furrowed his optical ridges, trying to catch what they were saying.

"Arcee just left him? Left him to flee?"

"Yes, that is what happened, Doctor. I don't understand it myself, but she didn't seem to recognize CliffJumper, even with the color change."

"Now that you mention it, his color is different."

Different? What was different about his frame? It was the same as it always was! As far as he was concerned, CliffJumper didn't change any part of him aside from his Cybertron alternate mode to an Earth alternate mode so he could blend in instead of being some alien hot rod. He would have stuck out like a sore thumb, and he was sure his holoform wouldn't have done him justice. CliffJumper's face contorted into confusion.

"At first we thought it was TailGate, but with the knowledge that Airachnid had off-lined him back on Cybertron we had to assume it was CliffJumper. TailGate's body has never been on Earth."

"Hm, that does make sense. I think Arcee didn't know it was him because she has no knowledge that CliffJumper is dead. Or was."

Wait, he was dead? But he was alive, right here! Venting air and cycling it, spark brightly burning and beating with life. There was no way in the pits he was dead. Just what was going on?!

"What's going on? I'm not dead." He voiced his own question as he peeled his optics open ever so slightly to glance slightly to the side, blinking rapidly to dispel the infectious light overhead. Soon it was shadowed out when a figure loomed slightly overhead, optics a bright cyan. Just like his own. He blinked rapidly and made a confused sound and cringed as a new light invaded his optics, causing them to whirl and shrink before growing again as it was pulled away.

"You're lucky, Lt. DreadWing, you didn't give him processor damage." The medical officer said to the massive seeker as he was standing next to StarScream. He let out a sigh he was holding in. Wait, was he actually concerned about him? Just what the pits was going on?!

"CliffJumper, I'm so sorry about Lt. DreadWing's actions, he's a bit on the rough side." The medic said as he offered a smile. CliffJumper tensed against the restraints.

"What the pits are you apologizing for? You're Decepticons, you're liars and thieves! What the pits is going on?!" He demanded before the medic moved to turn the light slightly to the side. His cyan optics met the others and they grew wide. "No way…"

Before him stood the medical officer he had heard of named Knock Out- but the problem was, he wasn't red like he was. He was blue. Teal to be more precise. CliffJumper's jaw dropped open as he stared at the grounder before him. He had heard of him and his crazy obsession with taking things apart, which caused him to squirm slightly to try and look down at himself.

"Easy, CliffJumper, I haven't done anything to you. You're safe here with us." He smiled as he gave the others arm a reassuring pat. CliffJumper tensed.

"Please just tell me what's going on. Is this a dream?" He asked, he secretly hoped it was a dream because he wanted so desperately to wake up and laugh it off. He couldn't wait to tell the guys about this crazy messed up dream of his. But he started to rapidly take in short in-takes of air as Knock Out frowned and shook his helm.

"I'm afraid not, CliffJumper, please understand. We don't know how you're still—"

"I never slagging died!" CliffJumper interrupted, only to have DreadWing growl at the rudeness he was providing to their medical officer, who flinched at CliffJumper's tone of voice. He looked and seemed genuinely hurt at the others attitude. Sure he was strapped to a berth and he would act that way.

"I came out of a ground bridge Ratchet put up and then suddenly I'm here! Then I get shot at suddenly at that big oaf over there." He growled, DreadWing's hackles rose as he bared his denta.

"How dare you!" He snapped, being held back by StarScream's servo that was splayed on his chassis as he stood in front of him. "Commander…!"

"No, DreadWing, please…" The seeker pleaded. He looked back to Knock Out who had his optics adverted to the floor before he looked up, brows furrowed. He marched up to CliffJumper and gave him a clear smack across the faceplates, which startled everyone in the room. The sound of metal on metal echoed in the large room and CliffJumper instantly shut up after that.

"Listen to yourself! You act just like them!" Knock Out started, raising his voice as he continued, "If what you say is true and you're not from here then you shouldn't be acting like them! But you are just like them! It's no wonder Jasper was lost to the Auto Bots! You even took away San Francisco and New Jersey! While you and your comrades in arms are out tearing apart the world, we're working frantically to fix it!"

Knock Out was nearly screaming at CliffJumper now, who stared with wide optics. He looked down slightly and stared at the clenched servos before he heard StarScream come closer to gently put his servos on Knock Out's shoulders. Knock Out had tensed before he sighed deeply and rubbed at his optics. "I'm sorry Commander…" He said softly.

"It's alright, Knock Out, we all feel the same way…" StarScream reassured before he gently nuzzled his helm to reassure him. Knock Out nodded quietly.

"I won't step out of line again." He said with a weak voice. Looking up to CliffJumper who seemed utterly at a loss of words and confused, he looked down slightly. "I will remove your cuffs if you promise not to attack." He said softly.

CliffJumper was about to protest, but he kept his mouth shut this time. After a moment of staying quiet, CliffJumper slowly nodded. DreadWing stayed nearby as he shifted his weight and crossed his arms over his chassis. After getting his word, the stasis cuffs were deactivated and CliffJumper lay still for a moment before moving his wrists slowly to rub them. They weren't on tight but from previous experiences he knew that cuffs could eat into the plating and leave neuron damage.

"I don't know how to explain to you what's going on since we assume you're the original. But clearly you're not." Knock Out said, watching as the red grounder sat up.

It was now he understood the different colorations. Knock Out was almost completely teal. The gold of his collar vents and wheel struts were blue. Just a normal blue like the Crayola crayon blue. Baffled, CliffJumper was confused.

"Take your time." Knock Out said, seeing the confusion and curiosity of the other like a sparkling with a brand new toy or pet cyber kitten. CliffJumper muttered a thank-you as he stared at the grounder. Why was his optics cyan? They should be red, weren't all of the Decepticon bred with red optics…?

His optics widened. If they had cyan optics, then that meant they were good. And that would only mean that his team would have red, meaning they were affiliated with evil. He frowned at this before he looked to StarScream. Who had his servos in front and clasped as he watched CliffJumper, a little more nervous as his wings were slightly lowered.

His crest and optics were cyan as well. Everything red, he realized, was blue. The rest of the seeker's frame was the same color, the gray was gray, black was black. StarScream adverted his gaze, a little wary of the other since he had hurt him in the side and shoulder, although the shoulder guard was just slightly charred.

Leaning slightly to look at the larger seeker behind the two of them, DreadWing glared back quietly. CliffJumper could hardly make out that his blue frame wasn't red, but mustard yellow. And like the other two, his optics were cyan, even the yellow on his frame was a pastel dark blue. Not dark enough to be navy blue, but if it was lightened, that's what it was. CliffJumper tilted his helm slightly before looking back at Knock Out who was wringing his servos.

"I know it's confusing as all pits, but I can't explain it." He frowned before StarScream nodded quietly.

"We're only trying to stop you—I mean them, from destroying Earth. They have more supplies than we do and we're barely getting by." StarScream said softly as he watched CliffJumper move to stand, DreadWing giving a warning growl, but was silence when Knock Out raised a servo.

"Please excuse Lt. DreadWing, he's protective of us. We don't have as much combat experience as we'd like to have, but our place is on the Nemesis and making sure everyone is accounted for." Knock Out explained as to why DreadWing was on edge often. "He's really a sweet spark if you get to know him." The teal grounder smiled with a soft chuckle.

In all honesty, CliffJumper didn't know wither to laugh or scoff, so he remained silent. "Uh… So… What did I look like?" He asked as he tilted his helm slightly at Knock Out, whose smile faltered.

"You were blue. Not like me, no, a bit darker teal." He explained, "With vermillion optics."

"Vermillion optics… Blue frame…" He echoed as he rubbed his helm and noticed that one of his horns was broken. He exclaimed in surprise and touched it, tracing the jagged edges. "What the pits happened to my horn?!" CliffJumper nearly yelled.

"I'm sorry, that was my fault." DreadWing said as he pushed himself away from the wall and came closer. He was very much bigger than the three of them. "I may have hit you a little too hard." He apologized with a small bow of his helm. He watched the larger seeker pull out the broken horn and offered it to him in his talons.

CliffJumper sighed as he stared at it. "Oh man now I feel like an unbalanced bovine." He whined as he reached out and took the broken horn. "Thanks for hanging onto it, though." CliffJumper mumbled. DreadWing nodded again with an apologetic look as his optic horns slightly wilted.

"At least it is a battle scar." The larger seeker said to reassure the other. CliffJumper tilted his helm as he rolled the tip of the horn between his digit tips.

"I like the sound of that. Thanks." He said with a small smile. Knock Out smiled, as did StarScream who moved over and lightly touched his shoulder before he placed his servo fully on it.

"Now that we understand one another, we have to figure out how to fit you in with the rest of us…" He sighed as he looked over to Knock Out, who had a servo to his chin as he was studying the red grounder before him. He motioned StarScream over who went over and they turned their backs to him, whispering to one another. Occasionally they glanced back and then continued to whisper. CliffJumper stood awkwardly and shuffled his pedes, rolling the horn in his servo as DreadWing watched his two comrades.

When the two broke out of their huddle, StarScream was the one to announce their plans. "The only way for you to fit in here with the rest of us is to change your paintjob and your optic filters. We have enough materials to do both. But the sad thing is, we have to return you to your comrades. And in order to not arouse suspicion, we might have to… Mutilate you a little so they believe you aren't from elsewhere. Don't worry, CliffJumper, we'll keep in touch with concealed communication frequencies that only we use."

CliffJumpers shoulders sagged even further. "Oh Primus are you serious? I don't think I look good in blue." He whined slightly before he sighed, "But you're right. If I have to fit in to stay alive, then I will." He gave a firm nod, Knock Out and StarScream returned it.

"First let's get you something to eat and some rest before we start the transformation." Knock Out smiled, laughing lightly at his own pun. StarScream smiled as did DreadWing.

And CliffJumper laughed lightly.