"Are you ready?"
Thundercracker looks from the closed door leading into the room housing the flight simulator and down at Echo by his side.
"I don't know," He answers with a sigh.
"He is in a stasis-pod and won't know that you are there."
"No point in delaying further, I guess," Thundercracker says with another sigh. "I need to face my fear to overcome it."
It is up to Thundercracker to activate the opening of the door, and they can remain standing in front of it for another half an hour. The psychologist knows that she can't force this moment. It has to be Thundercracker that takes this step, just like he took the first step by accepting to be a mentor to Skywarp and thus allow Skywarp to arrive at the rehabilitation facility.
The blue wings remain in constant movement, alternating between agitation and determination until they finally relax and lower calmly on his back when Thundercracker steps forward to push the activation button to open the door.
It is done.
He has taken another step on the road to recovery.
Echo is the first to enter and she turns around to stare expectantly at him.
When he steps over the threshold, her optics beam with happiness, and the sight is so infectious that he can't help smiling. If it hadn't been for the seriousness of the matter before them, then he is sure she would have performed a victory dance.
At the thought of the other seeker currently inside one of the stasis-pods, his smile falters a bit, and he turns his attention to the section housing the pods. Only one stasis-pod is active, and he notices its size.
"He is not that big, but it is the size that is most comfortable for him. He has a set of rather wide wings," Echo explains encouragingly and moves to the stasis-pod in question.
Thundercracker remains where he is, knowing what Echo is doing, but his curiosity has been piqued. After a little moment of internal debate, he follows the psychologist over to the stasis-pod with a barely audible curse, but deliberately stops one step from it.
"Can you please stop it, Echo? I know what you are doing," He says exasperated while staring accusingly at his friend.
"Why? It is working, isn't it?" Echo laughs. "I got you this far. Now the rest is up to you."
Overheat warning.
Now or never.
Significant increase in spark pulse.
He takes the last step.
Increased processor activity.
He looks down.
Alert! Alert!
Flashback detected.
Shutting down.
The stasis-pod hisses open and releases Thundercracker from its confines. Disoriented and suffering a flashback, he doesn't register the many voices around him. Instead he curls in on himself on the floor, trying to ground himself.
"Thundercracker, can you hear me?"
"He is gradually progressing."
"I don't think it is wise to continue."
The voices become clearer as the flashback abates and he regains his senses.
Echo, Serenity and Solace.
"I want to continue," He manages to croak as he slowly rises from the floor.
"I strongly advice against it." Solace, one of the two psychiatrists stationed at the rehabilitation facility, says, his voice clearly showing his displeasure at Thundercracker stressing himself like this.
"Noted," Thundercracker growls stubbornly. "Echo?"
"You are progressing, but I suggest a break before you try again if you are going to continue." The psychologist says, looking helplessly at Solace. They can only force Thundercracker to stop if what he is doing is detrimental to his general health, and so far, it isn't. Flashbacks aren't dangerous per se as long as someone supervises him and the simulator has a failsafe to stop if specific parameters are detected.
"No break," Thundercracker says and moves to enter the stasis-pod again, but he stops when the door into the simulation room suddenly gets slammed open. Megatron walks in, his optics burning with a hellish aura, and the director gestures for Solace to follow him. A moment later, Echo gets hailed, and before Thundercracker can ask any questions, the psychologist is sprinting out of the room, everything around them forgotten.
::Status?:: Thundercracker asks on the general communications line before Serenity can stop him.
::Emergency in the medical bay,:: An auto-generated message informs. ::All personnel occupied. Please wait.::
Only half the seeker's size, Serenity stands no chance in stopping Thundercracker from hurriedly following Echo out of the simulation room. When the blue seeker arrives at the door to the medical bay, a guard stands on either side of it and prevents him from entering.
"Who is it?" He asks worriedly.
"Skywarp." A tired voice behind him answers, and he turns around to see Sonar sitting in a chair further down the corridor. The helo-former holds his right arm protectively against his frame while a worryingly amount of energon drips from a fairly deep wound.
"What happened?" Thundercracker asks softly, sitting down in a chair beside the guard. If Sonar's rather severe injury has been down-prioritized, then it must be critical.
"A violent flashback that suddenly came out of nowhere, resulting in severe physical mutilation. I got this when I tried to prevent him from ripping his other wing off. Thank Primus, the others reacted so fast to my hail for help. He suffered a massive loss of energon," Sonar explains, his voice trembling.
"You saved his life, Sonar," Thundercracker reassures. "Without you there..."
The rest of the words are left hanging unvoiced in the air, too painful to be spoken out loud, and Thundercracker makes a decision.
::Echo?:: He contacts the psychologist on her private communications line.
::Yes, Thundercracker. What is it?:: Echo responds, sounding somewhat occupied.
::I want to see him.:: Thundercracker says, his voice soft but with an edge of determination.
Silence.
::Are you sure?:: Echo asks after a while, her voice unsure.
::He is not one of them. I understand that now.:: He adds as an explanation. ::He is hurting, and maybe I can help him through this.::
::He is still in surgery. They are trying to save his wings, but it doesn't look good. Can we talk about this later?:: The connection cuts before Thundercracker can respond, and he remains in the chair, silently waiting for any update.