Skywarp hasn't seen Thundercracker since Nacelle arrived at D-14.
"You're too close," Nacelle had told him when he had asked the green and white seeker why he is keeping him away from Thundercracker.
He hadn't liked it, but Nacelle's field had been open and honest.
At least it isn't another form of punishment.
His experience with isolation still sits deeply in him.
To be alone in the darkness without any sense of the world around him.
Numb.
While knowing that he has done nothing wrong.
He doesn't even know what caused Thundercracker to suddenly freak out.
The noise had alerted Sonar, and when the guard had opened the door, Thundercracker had been flush against the far wall with the evidence of Skywarp's overload smeared all over his pelvic plate. Skywarp had seen a vast amount of emotions flicker in Sonar's optics as the guard analyzed the scene in front of him, clearly coming to a conclusion with a deepening frown.
He is sure that he could have explained to Sonar what had happened, but Megatron and other guards had arrived before he could.
After that, he had surrendered to his fate.
No one understood.
No one listened.
The only one that could explain and make them understand what had transpired wasn't in a state of doing so.
And then Primus had granted him mercy in the form of Nacelle.
Nacelle is like an approaching storm and had stepped in to defend him and finally make them understand that he hadn't violated Thundercracker.
The green and white seeker's field radiates with protectiveness and safety while he is confident and straightforward in his approach to Skywarp.
Nothing in their interaction gets hidden from him. Everything is clear and forthright.
His trust in Nacelle had been easy to establish, and that trust had later helped him when his wings had healed enough to withstand the pressure of flight.
Nacelle had insisted that he needed to get cleared for flight.
No argument.
"Remaining grounded is detrimental to your mental health," The green and white seeker had stated seriously. "Simulations don't fool your flight sensors - they need the pressure of air to trigger the proper reactions in your nervous system."
He had watched while Nacelle got strapped into the flight simulator, and when it had been his turn, the psychiatrist had been close by, offering strength through his embracing field.
"I know you can do it."
He had held onto those words of confidence while he slowly had been hoisted into the air.
His spark had begun to pulse erratically, the memory of the flashback filling his mind.
"Don't think. Just do."
Nacelle's sharp words had brought him out of his approaching flashback, and he had fired his thrusters.
"That's it. Push it. Let me see what you can do."
The encouraging words had filled his spark, and he had done as ordered, pushing the flight simulator to the limit of its capability.
"And stop."
He had not wanted to stop, but the simulator powered down and he had been lowered to the ground.
"You have overcome your first fear, and there is no limit to how much else you can do if only you believe in yourself," Nacelle had told him, field radiating satisfaction.
It felt like a burden had disappeared from his spark, and it encouraged him to work with the rest of his issues.
Establishing link...
Establishing link...
Encryption commencing.
Code required.
Nimble digits enter the twenty cipher-long code.
Verifying, please wait.
Verified.
Connection established.
::Does anyone suspect you?::
Nacelle stares down at the datapad in his lap.
::No.:: He answers. ::Megatron doesn't like me, but my credentials are hard to dispute.::
::I can imagine.::
::Any updates?::
::Nothing concrete. Anything worthy to know about D-14?::
::The security is pathetic, and no one has noticed I'm weaponized.:: Nacelle scoffs.
::They don't expect you to be. You are a psychiatrist. You pose no danger.::
::I am a lot more than that, and you know it.:: He says, his optics glinting with anger.
There is a pulse of apology within his spark, and his expression softens.
::It is clear to me that Megatron has failed to inform them about the attacks. Why he is withholding the information, I don't understand. They might be far away from the center of conflict, but you and I know that one slip can be catastrophic.::
::It is why I sent you there.::
::Not to get me away from the danger?::
::That too.::
There is a knock on the door, and Nacelle looks up from the datapad.
::I have to go.::
With the tap of a digit, he closes the connection and the rotating Joint Investigation Unit logo fills the screen.
After subspacing the datapad, the green and white seeker rises to open the door.
Psychiatric conference: 01-00-26-1839.
Present: Solace(Dr. med. dipl. psych.), Echo(cand. psych. ph.d.), Nacelle(Dr. med. dipl. psych.).
"After having had five sessions with Skywarp, I stand by my initial conclusion. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, with Major Depressive Disorder and Anxiety as comorbidities." Nacelle hands Solace and Echo a copy of his psychiatric report on Skywarp.
"Megatron overreacting and confining him to isolation for more than a day might have caused a fresh trauma or worsened his former ones. You really shouldn't allow him to do it, Solace. It might be an easy solution, but it is damaging to the fragile trust many of our clients have to the world around them," He adds displeased.
"He did it without my authorization," Solace argues.
"Even more reason to reinforce the hierarchy when it comes to the treatment of our clients. Megatron does not know how his excessive reactions affect traumatized victims, and I won't allow him to ruin the hard work we are doing rehabilitating them."
"As for Thundercracker, I suspect a severe case of Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. I have yet to identify possible comorbidities, but I'm fairly certain about my diagnosis," Nacelle continues with the briefing. "In particularly the reoccurring emotional flashbacks he experiences convince me that I'm right in my deduction."
"His difficulty with self-perception is another fundamental struggle for complex trauma survivors. And then there is the way he keeps reliving flashbacks from his encounters with his frame-type. At times he appears to be dissociative, not to a degree where he forgets the trauma, but more as a way to protect himself from whatever evil he believes will happen to him. I suspect it to be a coping mechanism he has utilized during his captivity."
Solace leans back in his chair after reading the complete psychiatric report on Thundercracker.
"What do you recommend?" He asks, acknowledging that he has been too confident in his own knowledge. It impairs his ability to choose the most efficient way to treat the clients' issues when he is this far away from the hospitals specializing in psychiatric diagnoses and the development of new and more successful treatment methods.
"Component-Based Psychotherapy, including EMDR, Memory Reconsolidation, and Alpha/Theta training, would be my suggestion in regards to Thundercracker, with group therapy later on. As for Skywarp, group therapy would be perfect for him. After his success with the flight simulator, he is open to working with his traumas. To have that first success, to overcome what has hindered him, is a strong positive incentive we need to utilize," Nacelle answers. He is choosing the therapies that, from his experience, have the highest success rate in helping traumatized seekers to overcome and recover from the traumas that have been inflicted upon them.
Client-specific treatment plans established.
The next psychiatric conference has been scheduled for 01-01-67-1839.