"I have received the final results from your time spent in the socialization simulator." Nacelle informs Skywarp, when the black and purple seeker sits down across from him. "And I'm sure you are anxious to know how well you did."
Skywarp nods tersely.
"Breathe, Skywarp." The green and white seeker adds at the sight of the high-held agitated black wings, "It is not an exam. You can't fail. You can only improve."
"And if I don't improve?"
"Then it is me that have failed, not you." Nacelle reassures. "You can't do anything wrong. This is why we are using the simulations."
The tension bleeds from Skywarp's frame with a deep exhale.
"In general, you fare as expected, following the baseline common for victims freed from illegal arenas. Echo has set your score to 27%. If we look at the graphs generated from your responses to the scenarios, you have a favorable reaction to sparklings and young adults, while you overreact, has a delayed response or doesn't even react in your interaction with adults of both gender."
"If we did a new simulation today, I'm sure we will see improvement. The time spent in group therapy is not only to talk about what you have experienced, but also to improve your socialization skills. You need to learn the proper way to react in any given situation, and seeing how others react, you create a frame-of-reference for the way your processor responds. Basically, you learn what is right and what is wrong, and your processor naturally adjusts your reaction pattern to fit within that frame-of-reference."
Skywarp opens his mouth to say something, but the distinct sound of a seeker taking off diverts his attention to the window behind Nacelle and the sky beyond.
Thundercracker...
If the blue seeker is flying, then...
He rises and moves to the window, hoping to get a view of the blue seeker, but there is nothing but Thundercracker's distant contrail.
His wings lower in disappointment and Nacelle places a gentle hand on his shoulder.
"I can arrange a flight for you, when he returns." The psychiatrist suggests.
He nods distracted, still watching the sky.
There is a deep longing in his spark and his wings twitch.
It is so tempting to throw caution to the wind and follow Thundercracker.
The hand on his shoulder tightens its grip in warning.
"Or I can revoke your permission to fly at all." Nacelle adds when he through their mingled fields senses Skywarp's desperate urge to follow the blue seeker, "I had planned to talk to you about giving you access to your warp-gate, but if I can't trust that you will follow my orders, then it will have to wait."
"You'll allow me to teleport?" Skywarp asks shocked and turns around to stare at the green and white seeker.
"It is a vital part of your identity and I think it is time for you to become whole." Nacelle explains softly, "But! I want you to promise me that you won't use it to seek him out. That is my ultimatum."
There is no hesitation as Skywarp agrees to the terms, Thundercracker momentarily forgotten.
When was the last time he was able to teleport?
He can't remember.
And the prospect of experiencing it again overshadows everything else.
"I'll contact Fixit to schedule an appointment, but first I need you to sign a few documents."
They sit down again and Nacelle provides him with a datapad with several legal documents. He reads them briefly before adding his signature at the bottom of them.
Within the entrance to the facility, hidden behind a pillar, a pair of curious optics stare at the scene on the tarmac outside.
Skywarp, Nacelle and a small team of medics and technicians are standing outside the facility. Skywarp nods to an instruction from one of the technicians and then a purple mist begins to form around the black and purple seeker.
A moment later it dissipates and another technician indicates a positive to his colleague.
What's going on?
"Thundercracker."
He startles at the sound of his name and turns around to see Megatron walk towards him.
"Megatron." He greets before his gaze returns to the strange occurrence outside.
There is a calm silence between them while they watch Skywarp complete the final tune-up of his warp-gate.
"I'm sorry that I overreacted." Megatron breaks the silence, "I just want to protect you."
Thundercracker turns to the director again, his optics meeting Megatron's.
"I don't think that I need that protection anymore." He answers with a little smile and places his hand on a bulky arm, "But I still need a friend. Whatever happens, I will still need support from those around me to get me through rough times."
Megatron nods in understanding and places his own hand in reassurance on top of Thundercracker's.
"And..." Thundercracker returns his attention to Skywarp, "...I'm not the only one that deserves your apology."
"I know." The director accepts, "I should have taken a moment to listen to him."
"And if you had listened to me in the first place, then it wouldn't have happened at all." Thundercracker adds, scathingly.
Megatron looks confused down at the blue seeker, and Thundercracker's gaze takes on a sharp edge.
"I am a seeker. I am not like other fliers. The fact that my systems can reach speeds exceeding what other flight-frames are capable of, means that I need to be allowed to fly to my frame's outmost capability to remain mentally stable, or I end up in a painful emotional turmoil caused by misaligned systems." The blue seeker states matter-of-fact, punctuating his words with a push of a digit against Megatron's chest, "You not allowing me to fly as I needed drove me into such a state."
"As for what happened between me and Skywarp, you reacted to the sign of a seizure, but if you hadn't come, then I think the situation would have resolved itself. If I had had the time to evaluate Skywarp's actions. Unfortunately, your arrival halted that process and when I finally analyzed the situation, I had been colored by the reaction from everyone around me." He adds, the sharpness in his optics softening.
"He honestly didn't do anything to you?" Megatron asks.
"Nothing I didn't need." Thundercracker carefully formulates his answer, because of course Skywarp did something to him. But the director clearly doesn't understand the casualness among seekers when it comes to bringing someone to overload without the intention to derive pleasure from it.
"Nacelle called it a..." Megatron hesitates, grimacing awkwardly when he continues, "...'cold' overload. Is it true? And did Skywarp truly help? I saw the transfluid, hard to miss, and I don't really understand what happened between the two of you."
Thundercracker laughs at the director's obvious discomfort with the topic.
"Yes, Nacelle is right." He answers, "And yes, Skywarp did help me. I sought him out for that purpose. After our argument I was distressed, angry and suffering the effect of misaligned sensors constantly sending conflicting feedback. I didn't feel that anyone else would understand what I needed, and I wasn't in a state to go into a longer explanation to get what I needed."
"And Nacelle?" Megatron asks, "I would be blind, if I didn't see the remarkable change you have gone through after he arrived. What I want to know is... Did we truly fail you? Could we have done something else? Forced you into therapy? Or did you simply need someone with that in-depth understanding?"
Thundercracker turns to the scene on the tarmac again.
"Skywarp was the catalyst. I don't think I was ready to confront my past before he arrived." He answers, his optics sparkling with emotion as they follow Skywarp closely.