::We have entered Praxus's airspace.::
Hotspot is already standing outside the Neuropsychiatric Laboratory, scanning the surrounding airspace and looking for any aircraft seeming to head in his direction. He has no idea what kind of aircraft Athena and the others are flying in. When it comes to criminals like Torment, it could be anything, and after the Joint Investigation Unit moved into Praxus again, caution is advised if you aren't on the right side of the law.
He is not even sure there are any criminals left in the city-state after Topkick arrived with his forces and swiftly began to clean out the local criminal underworld. They had all expected a violent conflict, and it seemed Topkick had, too, when he returned to the city-state with the new mandate from the Senate, declaring war against all criminal organizations. But to everyone's surprise and bewilderment, there had been no retaliation from the criminal organization owning Praxus as its territory.
And now he is about to meet the heir to that same organization for the first time.
His brows furrow as he contemplates that development for the hundredth time, not liking Torment's involvement in Athena's life but accepting that that is how it is going to be whether he likes it or not.
::Thank you, Athena. See you soon.::
The short communication cuts and he resumes watching the sky. What looks like a regular passenger aircraft catches his attention when it veers away from the overcrowded flight lanes, flying in his direction. He proceeds to follow it with his optics as it realigns itself in the air above the Neuropsychiatric Laboratory before it descends and lands smoothly on the tarmac in front of the large building complex.
When its engines power down and finally come to a stop, Hotspot leaves the safety of the entrance area, watching with an elevated spark pulse as the passenger door slides aside and the stair lowers to let the passengers exit the aircraft.
The first to move to the aircraft's exit is a large, unfamiliar and intimidating sire who takes a moment to scan the surroundings before finally walking down the stair. Halfway down the stair, the sire turns around and offers his hand palm up to someone out of sight. When Athena moves into the line of sight and takes the offered hand, Hotspot lets out a breath of relief he hadn't realized he had been holding in.
Her smile is radiant as she steps down the stair, her optics solely focused on the sire holding her hand and carefully leading her down, and it fills Hotspot's spark with warmth to see her this happy and in love. However, her attention shifts to him when her feet touch the ground. She walks towards him with purpose clear in her steps, the sire following behind her with optics continuing to scan their surroundings and looking for possible dangers.
"Hotspot!"
Her hug is unexpected but welcome and he hugs her back.
"It is good to see you, Athena. You have no idea how I have missed seeing you in person," He murmurs before releasing her, oblivious to the calculated, assessing look the sire beside Athena sends him.
Athena chuckles softly, her optics sparkling with happiness.
"I have missed you too. Communicating over distance simply isn't the same, and I hope this will be a recurring occurrence from now on."
The sire beside her shifts slightly at her statement, drawing Hotspot's attention.
The cold, assessing look in the sire's optics would have most people trembling at its intensity, but Hotspot meets it coolly, refusing to be intimidated. He has had ample time to prepare for this meeting between them, envisioning Torment based on what Athena had told him about the sire after her first encounter with him. And despite Athena not having introduced him yet, this can only be Torment.
"I'm so sorry! Where are my manners!" Athena bursts out, clearly flustered, but none of them notice it as she finally presents Torment, their gazes focused on the other.
"I do not like you for what you are, Torment. But for Athena's sake, I am willing to give you a fair chance to change my opinion of you. Do not squander it because you only get this chance once." Hotspot says stiffly as he holds out his hand in greeting.
A cold smirk grazes Torment's lips.
"I appreciate your honesty, Hotspot." He says as he takes the offered hand, his grip firm but not crushing.
He has to remind himself that Hotspot isn't a rival but a potential ally in learning more about Athena's life before him and what matters to her. The sire holds a unique position in her life and possesses invaluable information about her. Information he hopes Hotspot will share with him in the future when he has proved himself worthy to him.
"I will not be as easy to sway as Athena was. I still don't quite understand how she could fall in love with you after all you did to her, but then again, there is a reason why some of the deeper mysteries of our spark remain to be solved. As a sign of good faith, however, you can answer some questions I have about you and your people."
Torment's expression remains cold and unreadable while there is a growing wariness in his spark. He knows that any information he gives Hotspot about himself or the cartel can be weaponized and used against him and his people.
"What kind of questions?"
"To start with, why was there no retaliation from you when the Joint Investigation returned here?"
Torment answers the question honestly, going as far as to explain the reasoning behind their tactical retreat, and soon their simple question and answer session become a full-out interrogation. Most of which Torment can answer without revealing any vital information.
Hotspot looks satisfied with the answers, and when Athena's colleague has no further questions, Torment takes the opportunity to ask about something that has eluded both him and Talon since they heard about the Joint Investigation Unit's reinstatement.
"Do you have any information on who has become the Joint Investigation Unit's new director?"
Hotspot stares skeptically at him at the question, knowing without a doubt why Torment is interested in that bit of information but answering it nevertheless.
However, to Torment's disappointment, it is a nonanswer since it turns out no one has been appointed for the position yet. The Senate is apparently preoccupied with the election for Vice President and is waiting for it to be over before they select the unit's new director. Which explains why they have been unable to find any information on the new director.
Hotspot continues to stare skeptically at him, and Torment knows he has lost a great deal of credibility by asking the question, showing himself to be what Hotspot believes him to be and what he is, a brutal criminal prone to use violence and death to achieve his goals.
It is what he is and isn't going to change in an attempt to please Athena's colleague.
All he can do to change Hotspot's opinion of him is show there is more to him than violence alone.
In the blink of an optic, Hotspot's demeanor suddenly changes from hostile to open and friendly at the sight of something behind Torment. Torment looks over the shoulder to see that Thundercracker is walking down the aircraft's passenger stairs, soon followed by Skywarp and Nacelle.
"There you are, Thundercracker!" Hotspot exclaims enthusiastically as Thundercracker walks over to them, pulling the blue seeker into a tight embrace.
Thundercracker smiles softly as he reciprocates the embrace, identifying Hotspot as someone he knows based on the familiar field intermingling lightly with his own. But even then, it is only a vague memory from when he had been in his most early stage of mental development. He only knows that he has had good experiences with this field.
"It is good to see you too, Hotspot." He answers politely, drawing on what Nacelle and Skywarp have taught him about social interaction.
Hotspot releases him and looks at him with a warm smile.
"You don't remember me, do you?"
Thundercracker hesitates at the statement formed as a question, unsure how to respond to it, but gives the only reply he can come up with.
"No. Not really."
"And I didn't expect you to." Hotspot states reassuringly. "We met briefly while you were at a delicate mental stage, and in addition, your processor had sustained significant damage to its memory center. I knew there would only be a slim chance for you to remember me when we met again. Hence why I embraced you instead of introducing myself to you verbally."
There is a logic behind Hotspot's explanation and Thundercracker instantly feels better about himself, knowing that it had been out of his hand and that he hadn't done anything wrong by not remembering.
"I am pleased to see how well you have developed and have so many questions for you, but let's have them inside instead of out here. Then I can also introduce you to the team that will assist in returning your memories to you."
He leads the group into the building and glances over his shoulder at Torment.
"I have ensured I am the only one at work today and have called in a team of three specialists I trust. It is the same team I had here to help me when I, a month ago, discovered Senator Enigma had been one of Retrograde's victims. They will not bat an optic at your presence and know how to keep a secret, so there is no need to intimidate or threaten any of them, is that understood?!"
Torment answers with a noncommittal sound of acknowledgment, sending an all-clear to Shade, who, alongside Turborazor and Ripstorm, remains on standby in a stealthed assault aircraft nearby, ready to step in at first sight of trouble.
"Where are we going?" Nacelle inquires as he notices Hotspot isn't leading them to his office.
"Wait and see."
They follow several corridors before they come to a large automatic door, and as it opens, the three specialists Hotspot had mentioned turn around as one to stare at them. The room they enter is spacious with a strange-looking device in its center. Some kind of scanner combined with a surgical apparatus.
"This is the equipment highly specialized processor surgeons use to operate on their patients and the same equipment we will use to install a link-up cable in Thundercracker's memory center. The connector will be implanted right above his audial and will be shielded by a protective plate. Since I'm not a processor surgeon, Prodigy is here to perform the procedure. He will work alongside Icestorm. Icestorm is a stasis specialist and will monitor Thundercracker closely during the procedure. Snowdrift is an ICU specialist and will be on standby, ready to step in if it becomes necessary. It isn't certain he will be needed, but it is always best to be prepared for the worst possible outcome when it comes to processor surgery since the tiniest inaccuracy can cause severe damage and potentially become fatal."
Nacelle doesn't know what he expected, but this is not it.
However, as the first shock has left him, he realizes that of course processor surgery is the only way to return the memories to Thundercracker.
How else would they get the stolen data back into his memory center?
He looks at Thundercracker, wondering what the blue seeker is thinking about this development, but as he reaches out with his field to read Thundercracker's, there is no worry in it, only calm and acceptance.
"How risky is the procedure?" He asks skeptically, needing to get the numbers on the table for his own peace of mind.
Prodigy looks at him, her facial expression utterly professional.
"There is a statistically 15% mortality rate when you operate on the processor, but then you have to consider that 99% of processor surgeries are done on processors already suffering a life-threatening condition. The mortality rate, in this case, will be lower since we are operating on an intact and healthy processor and are performing a less invasive medical procedure. And before you ask, my operative mortality rate is 7% in acute cases and 2% in non-acute cases."
Her clear-cut no-nonsense answer instantly makes Nacelle like her.
This is the kind of surgeon he wants to rummage around in Thundercracker's processor.
"Prodigy is one of the best in her field of expertise. Thundercracker will be safe in her hands." Hotspot assures Nacelle, understanding the green and white seeker's nervousness.
Processor surgery is, after spark surgery, the riskiest medical procedure, but the procedure they are performing today will lessen the overall risk to Thundercracker. Because if they don't implant the up-link cable, Thundercracker will have to undergo processor surgery every time they return memories to him, and additional surgeries naturally carry a higher fatality risk.
Nacelle looks at Thundercracker, hoping that the blue seeker has understood the severity of what is about to happen.
"What do you think, Thundercracker?"
Thundercracker walks over to the combination of a scanner and surgical table, clearly thinking things over. Then after a prolonged silence, he looks at the three specialists before meeting Nacelle's gaze.
"I'll do it."
At Thundercracker's statement, Icestorm begins to prep his equipment while the room clears of everyone except for him, Prodigy and Thundercracker.
Nacelle stops in the doorway and looks back at Thundercracker with uncertainty in his spark. He has been responsible for the blue seeker's safety for so long, and now that Thundercracker is in a situation that can turn life-threatening, he is forced to leave his side. It is hard for him to let go and trust others to protect his client-turned-friend, but in this specific situation he has to.
"I will be okay, Nacelle," Thundercracker says comfortingly as he sees Nacelle hesitate in the door.
Unable to get any words over his lips, Nacelle answers with a nod and takes the last step out of the room, the door shutting behind him.
Prodigy pushes the scanner aside to let Thundercracker lie down on the surgical table and moves the scanner back into place when he has done so. After a brief gentle caress to his shoulder, she walks out of sight.
While Prodigy makes her final preparations for the surgery, Icestorm sits down in the seat at Thundercracker's head and brings the monitors hanging from the ceiling online. Then he looks at Thundercracker with a gentle smile and establishes a medical link-up to follow the status of Thundercracker's internal systems in real-time.
Thundercracker looks curiously at the monitors as they show his vitals. His spark pulse is steady and his internal temperature is within normal parameters. Another line goes up and down in a violent zigzag pattern, while a different line below is straight without input.
"This is your processor activity," Icestorm explains as he points at the overly active zigzag line. "I will be paying close attention to it in correlation to the line below that will tell me how deep you are in stasis when you have entered it. If it is too deep, it will cause some of your internal systems to stop working. Too light, and you will be able to feel pain. It is a matter of keeping perfect homeostasis to keep your processor and frame functioning optimally while preventing you from feeling Prodigy operate on you."
"I am ready, Icestorm." Prodigy announces, moving up to stand at Thundercracker's right side.
Icestorm looks up with a nod and looks down at Thundercracker again.
"Are you ready for me to put you under?"
Thundercracker stares at Prodigy and the surgical robotic arm fitted with all kinds of medical tools the surgeon has moved into place above him before looking back at Icestorm and nodding.
"I need a verbal answer, Thundercracker."
"Yes, I am ready."
"Good. Now slowly count down from ten and don't fight it as your vision begins to darken and blur at the edges."
"Ten."
A tingling numbness fills him.
"Nine."
Darkness begins to creep in.
"Eight."
The room begins to spin weirdly around him.
"Seven."
And he is gone.
Icestorm watches as Thundercracker's optics go offline and gradually deepens the state of the blue seeker's stasis until the processor activity has slowed sufficiently. Then he performs a final test, pinching Thundercracker's wingtips hard, satisfied when there is no response to the pain stimuli.
"He is all yours, Prodigy." He says as he rises to give the surgeon more space to work.