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Wheeljack’s Lab

Smokescreen remained silent and kept his optics on Tracer’s troubled visage even as she broke off her gaze from him and peered over his shoulder plate at Wheeljack out in the main lab. The rallybot could tell just by the confused look on her faceplate that she still did not recognize the mad scientist. Her subsequent apology and explanation echoed those non-verbal signs. “I know you’re trying, Tracer. Don’t force the memories too much. Let them come out naturally. Just try to clear your processor and focus on your surroundings. Does this place look like the asylum? The gambler in me is willing to bet that it doesn’t.”

No sooner had Smokescreen asked yet another question, the drug-addled femme had already begun to take in Wheeljack’s Lab, noting the coloring of the walls, the working lights and the scent of the surrounding air. None of which matched the asylum in any way, shape or form. Finally, Tracer agreed that she was not in that terrible place anymore and hadn't been for a long time. However, that did not mean she remembered Wheeljack, although he certainly couldn’t be an orderly if this was actually the Ark-22.

The diversion expert allowed Tracer to step around him and approach the doorway that led into the main lab area. Her gaze was fixated on the mechanical engineer as he continued to work diligently on the replicator. Then she said his name - “Wheeljack”. It was more of a question rather than a statement, but it was a breakthrough nevertheless, eliciting a huge smile from Smokescreen’s faceplate.

Hearing his name spoken, Wheeljack stopped reprogramming the replicator and spun around on his stool. The scientist's optics widened at the sight of Tracer who had just uttered his name. The white mech felt like jumping up and down for joy but remained composed as to not startle the troubled femme. “That’s right, Tracer,” the engineer replied as he stood up and slowly walked over to the doorway, retracting his faceshield to reveal a less intimidating smile. “My name is Wheeljack. I’m a close friend of Smokey’s. I’m here to help you, not hurt you in any way.”

Wheeljack then glanced around at Smokescreen who was looking almost giddy with excitement. “Good job, buddy,” the scientist said with an optical wink.

“Thanks, but I couldn’t have done this without you, ‘Jack,” the rallybot conceded.

“Oh, no no, Smokey,” the engineer countered. “I may have assisted in other areas during this entire ordeal, but you and you alone brought Tracer out of her hallucinogenic state, at least for the most part. The credit is yours in that regard, not mine. I can only hope to avoid this situation again in the future if I can just get this reconfiguration right.”

“I guess,” Smokescreen answered as he came up behind Tracer and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder plate, a wide grin still consuming his visage. “I’m so proud of you, Trace. Now that the worst is finally over we can get back to helping you beat your addiction.”

“Well, let’s not get ahead of ourselves now. She still may have some memory gaps to overcome,” Wheeljack interjected as his optics locked with those of the rallybot. “Plus, I still need to correct what caused this problem and hope it doesn’t happen again. The replicator recalibration is very much a trial an error process with a great deal of uncertainty. First, however, it probably would be a good idea for me to conduct another scan of Tracer’s processor just to see if the high dosage of hallucinogen in the Syk caused any further or unexpected damage,” the scientist suggested as he motioned for Tracer to have a seat back on the metal slab she had previously been lying on.

“Hold on an astrosec, ‘Jack. Let’s not rush things here too much. She may not be ready for another invasive scan after what she’s just been through,” Smokescreen said, putting his hand up before stepping in front of the troubled femme and turning to face her. “Tracer, are you okay with Wheeljack conducting another cranial scan or would you rather just lie down and rest for a while?” The rallybot placed both hands onto her shoulders and cast her a gentle smile. “No one's forcing you either way. The choice is entirely yours.”

Captain's Ready Room

A small spiral of smoke curled around the illumination strip embedded into one of the recesses into the wall just above the gunmetal grey door lintle. The acrid stench of burnt rubber, copper and other insulanting materials danced and intermixed with the remanent traces of lingering cleansers and sterilizaters leaving the room bathed in a confused and darkened odor. In the furthest corner just below the primary viewer on the room, just left of the large polarized transparent aluminum port that gave the lone occupant in the room an unobstructed view of the dark side of the planet off the port side, was a pair of damanged and still sparking data pads. Both had been crushed as if they were nothing more than small aluminum storage containers instead of the sturdy titanium devices they were.

A few casual sparks jumped from the small peaks across the valleys carved through the compression of sheer strength of the fingers that had crumpled their now mangled bodies. Another pair of victims to the frustration of the times.

Ultra Magnus had returned from the planet hours before and allowed the Autobots to return to their tasks... much as Kup had recommended. They all needed a return to a normal time cycle, however times like these were anything but. War gripped every aspect of Cybertronian daily life, at least the lives of those who were lucky enough to have had a chance to decide what their lives had been worth. But how they were facing off against a supernatural creature, a beast ripped straight from the pages of legend and mythos.

The Autobot Commander's optics stared at the darkened reflection that stared back at him from the darkened screen of the computer console that allowed him access to the primary database. He had already familiarized himself with the mythos of The Fallen. Read every single available story, legend or log entry that ever mentioned the dreaded one. And so far nothing he had examined offered him any clues, and ever more regretted sending Rewind to the surface with Prowl's exploration team.

It left Magnus with yet another issue he had to deal with. The Autobots in the sector were still unaware of the transfer of command from Prowl to himself. And within the system itself, the Autobots were at a serious disadvantage with the Decepticon Battlefortress looming in orbit over Luna. And of course the specter that loomed even further overhead. "A challenge that only Optimus could over come..." He spoke to himself quietly before he finally pushed himself off his stool and made his way over to the monitor and viewing port.

"Computer, activate sensor scan frames of Survey location." The computer beeped its affirmation and activated the primary viewer. Several microseconds ticked away before the scans began to form. While Magnus was fully aware of the limitations of the scans, and the need for physical exploration, he was also keenly aware of their lack of time. Everything was beginning to press against them and he needed to start building the foundations necessary to protect this world. And from Earth he would protect Cybertronians themselves. But in order to do that the Autobots required a foothold to push back against the Decepticon hordes.

"Good, now overlay current solar radiation absorbtion readings over the valley." Magnus turned briefly to view the screen as the computer placed several wire frame marks across the large glacial valley. Several points absorbed higher levels of solar energy than others, not exactly unexpected. The question now was whether or not those points on the map would be enough to activate the sorts of construction projects he envisioned. "Lay the mortar." His voice echoed in the silence of the chamber.

Ultra Magnus placed his hands behind his back as more details of the scanned region were uploaded at regular intervals. He knew he could not remain idle, not with so much at stake, and nor could the Autobots he now commanded. A simple nod of his head, Magnus sent a silent command to the communications link. He patched into the terminal that linked his office with the lower levels of the ship. He could hear the intercomm static brush across his audio receptors as he left the link open. It was an eerie silence, pregnant with possibilities and dreaded doom that lay on the horizon. "Wheeljack. This is Ultra Magnus." He finally spoke into the communique line. "Do you have a spare moment?"

Wheeljack’s Lab

For a brief moment Tracer stared at the engineer while Wheeljack stood up and approached her. He used slow and careful movements which Tracer was grateful for. But it was the white mech’s reassuring, and genuine smile that put her entirely at ease. The scout gave Wheeljack a small smile but still took a slight step back and away from the approaching mech. He may not have looked like that same bot that worked in the asylum, but there was no reason to let her guard down.

Tracer kept her optics on the mechanical engineer as he and Smokescreen traded pleasantries. After several moments the femme broke away her optic contact with Wheeljack and took a quick look back at Smokey. It was a bit of a nuisance as both mechs felt the need to discuss their achievements when it came to her health while she was standing right there.

She was prepared to say something when Wheeljack mentioned another scan of her processor; something Tracer remembered all too well Axle performing. Optics wide with fear, the blue and white scout tried to back away as much as possible, however Smokescreen had already positioned himself directly behind her, his hand placed gently on her shoulder. Tracer pressed back against Smokescreen when the scientist motioned toward the metal slab she had been laying on earlier.

The femme was ready to protest when the rallybot moved to stand in front of her. She stated back at Smokescreen for a long moment before she took a quick peek over his shoulder at Wheeljack. “No! No more!” Tracer moved away from the red and blue mech and only stopped when she was pressed up against the medical slab. “No! I don’t want anyone in my head! Not again! Not anymore!”

The femme took a long hard look at the engineer before turning her optics to Smokescreen. “I don’t want him near me. Not him or the other one.” It several minutes but Tracer finally began to calm down. “I just want to get out of here.” She spoke in a low tone so that only Smokey could hear her. “Take me somewhere else, please. At least for a little while.” Tracer reached for the mech and lightly ran her finger tips over the top of his hand. “Please.”

Deck 6 - Aerialbot Barracks

Technically it was labeled the Airforce Hanger Bay, but Slingshot wasn't exactly too subtle about pointing out to the ship's Quartermaster that he and the rest of his squadron were the only airforce in the sector. It wasn't a hard arguement to make, given the entire roster of fliers could be counted down on one hand. So under the watchful optics of the Aerialbot sharpshooter, the Ark 22 Quartermaster removed the initial plaque over the primary metallic burnt orange double doors and replaced it with the larger more prominant sign labeling the hanger the official Aerialbot Barracks.

Slingshot could be very persuasive when he wanted to press the issue. He really didn't care about the mechanim's sarcastic quip as he disappeared around the hall back towards the lift. The Aerialbot was too busy carrying in his small box of trophies he had collected from the Guardian, including recent additions as fragments of Blitzwing and Astrotrain.

Various parts of machinery and munition racks lined the walls on three sides. Seven recharge slabs were along the fourth wall with the largest of the series was set in the middle the series. It was at least double the space that had been allocated to them onboard the smaller alcove that the squadron had been given, probably a touch more. It made sense given that an Ark type vessel was literally four to five times larger than a Destroyer.

The heroic flier immediately placed his box on the slab closest to the large quad monitor set on the far side of the chamber. Its terminals rigged for universal commands and conversions. While by his own right for getting them the space onboard ship, Slingshot could have procured the larger slab for himself, inwardly he knew he did not deserve such an honor. Leave that for the more capable and fearfilled leaders that ran the squadron. He served best by being locked away and staying out of the line of fire. After all he was a worthless flier.

Slingshot looked down at his box of trinkets and trophies. A small smile crossed his faceplate as he set the box down on his claimed slab. He extracted a twisted piece of purple metal from the broken and wrecked wing of Astrotrain. He then pulled a small thermite rocket from its housing and set it on another rack on the opposite side of the chamber next to where he assumed Air Raid would claim. He then placed the trophy in the weapon's slot and soon added the broken chunks of Blitzwing followed by a fragment of Thrust's exhaust manifold.

Once his trophies were set and secured, Slingshot activated the team communications link, excluding that of Silverbolt who had been reactivated and return to Earth under Prowl's supervision. He had to admit, his fearless leader had a knack for getting out of the tough and fun assignments. "Slingshot to Fireflight, Skydive and Air Raid. Looks like we've got our own friendly haven to call our own. Meet on Deck 6 of the Ark 22. We can bring this space up to our standards... before Fearless Freap returns from his little scouting assignment."

Wheeljack’s Lab

Tracer’s reaction was something Smokescreen had expected. The look on her faceplate alone had been more than enough to tell him that she was not going to have Wheeljack or anyone else probing her processor again, not for a very long time, at least. "Okay, okay! Tracer, it’s all right. No one’s going to force anything on you. I said it was your choice and I meant it,” the diversion expert promised as the troubled femme quickly backed away from him until the makeshift medical slab prevented her from retreating any further. The rallybot kept his distance while she began to slowly calm down. The last thing he wanted was for Tracer to relapse into her delusions again. The former street racer wanted her to feel safe and to trust him even if she didn’t trust anyone else.

Turning briefly to face Wheeljack, Smokescreen shot his friend a weak smile. “Sorry, ‘Jack, any further scans are going to have to wait for now. She’s just not ready for that kind of thing yet.”

Wheeljack sighed and returned the rallybot’s smile with one of his own. “I understand, Smokey. I guess it was just wishful thinking on my part. Axle’s not going to like it, but he’ll get over it. Just keep a close optic on her and let me or Axle know if she exhibits any kind of weird behavior or further lapses in her cognitive processes. Okay?”

“Of course,” the diversion expert responded as he gave Wheeljack on pat on his shoulder plate. “You’ll be the first to know anything.”

Wheeljack nodded just as his comm line came alive with the sound of Ultra Magnus’ voice, requesting to see the scientist as soon as possible. Opening a return channel, the mechanical engineer sent a response to the City Commander:

>>”As a matter of fact I do have a spare moment, Commander Magnus. I will be up to see you shortly.”<<

Once the message was sent, Wheeljack switched off his comm link and returned his attention to Smokescreen. “Sorry about that. I’ve been called away for a meeting with Ultra Magnus. I don’t know what’s it’s about, but I’m sure it’s nothing too serious. Think you will be okay here with Tracer while I’m gone?”

“Sure, no problem,” Smokescreen replied with a thumbs up.

“Good. Not sure how long this will take. Just stay in the lab and out of trouble until I get back.”

The rallybot responded only with a wry smile as Wheeljack’s faceshield slid back over his mouthpiece again before he turned towards the exit. Within astroseconds, the engineer had left the lab and was making his way through the corridors of the Ark-22, not wanting to keep Ultra Magnus waiting.

Smokescreen turned back around, giving his undivided attention once again to Tracer. It had taken several minutes, but she finally calmed down from the threat of more cranial scans. The troubled femme wasted no time in conveying to the red and blue mech just how much she wanted to get out of the lab, begging him to take her anywhere. The rallybot considered her request for a moment. With Wheeljack now gone, it would be easy for them to sneak away without him finding out. They couldn’t be gone for too long, and there was always the chance of running into Axle along the way, but it just might do her a vorn of good to see what’s outside of the lab, which could further reinforce the fact that she was not in the asylum anymore.

“Okay, Tracer,” Smokescreen reluctantly agreed as he slowly moved in closer to her, placing a gentle hand on her cheek. “Wheeljack was called away for a meeting so we should have no problem taking a little stroll. But, we can’t be gone for more than a cycle or two at most and you need to stay close to me. It would also be helpful if you didn’t interact with anyone. Now, I have an idea on where we might go. Your personal quarters are located over on the Guardian. Maybe if you see some of your own things, you’ll feel more comfortable with your surroundings and any remaining gaps in your memory will be filled. Sound like a plan?”

Corridors outside Captain’s Ready Room

Stepping out of the turbo lift, Wheeljack made his way swiftly to the location where the City Commander’s signal had originated from. The Captain’s Ready Room was a good distance from his lab, but it still felt great getting out and actually seeing the rest of the ship after being cooped up with two love-struck patients for so long. The only reprieve he had gotten was when the engineer had taken Smokescreen’s original body down to be incinerated and that was hardly a fun romp through the ship.

Wheeljack wondered what Ultra Magnus wanted to talk to him about. Many things ran through his processor, not the least of which was what had happened to Smokescreen. Surely, Prowl had entered an incident report into the Ark’s database by now, so the subject would likely come up. All the scientist had to do was stick to the story they had all come up with and everything would be fine. Besides, this meeting might not have anything to do with Smokescreen or his faux cosmic rust outbreak. Actuators crossed.

Approaching the doors to the Captain’s quarters, Wheeljack found them to be unlocked, a clear indication that he was expected. The doors parted down the center, revealing the imposing form of the City Commander standing silently across the room. The mechanical engineer stood within the threshold and gave Ultra Magnus a respectful salute. “Commander, Wheeljack reporting as ordered. Permission to enter, sir?”

Bounce Chamber

After Fireflight had blinked into existence within the bounce chamber, he missed a step in walking off of the platform and almost tripped. He didn't though. He caught himself and looked around to see if anyone else and seen him before quickly exiting the bay doors in to the corridors of the ship itself.

He had made progress of about twenty meters or so when he realized he had forgotten where Slingshot had told them to meet up. A quick scan of his internal message archives revealed it to be deck six.

Hmm. Okay. Where's deck six? What deck am I on now? How many decks does this ship have?

Realizing he knew the answer to none of those questions right off the top off his head, he found the nearest panel and accessed a ship's directory. He found a little red dot that indicated his current positioning and then traced a finger between there and deck six. Having found the answer to his question, his mind quickly wandered off to more enjoyable pursuits such as when he would have the opportunity to play someone at Matrix next. Or maybe some holobetting.

As he walked off, thoughts of deck six and its location were soon forgotten.

Captain's Ready Room

Ultra Magnus turned at the first sound of the compressing piston as it pulled the large doors back into the recesses in the threshold. His optics caught the first sign of the racing green stripe on the shoulder of the chief engineer of the Ark 22, and probably the chief design engineer in the entire Autobot Army. Immediately his mind shifted to a previous report he had received from Prowl before he had dispatched the survey team to the planet surface.

"Permission Granted Wheeljack."

The doors closed behind the inventor with a muted hiss of pressure as gaskets sealed, preventing sound from being leaked out into the gathered masses of the bridge or beyond. One thing Magnus did not need was a potential leaking of information before he was ready to put his pieces on the board. Though he had not yet received reports from the surface, not entirely unexpected given their limited exposure to the region in question, Magnus wanted to get blue prints on the boards ready for construction as soon as Prowl gave the green light.

Of course there were other angles he had to address as well. Soon he was going to have to address the entire combined force around Earth, and the time he had allocated to preperation was swiftly ticking away before that announcement. "Have a seat Wheeljack. I trust you have addressed the immediate concerns within your laboratory." He spoke carefully as not to put the inventor on edge. This was not an inqusition after all.

His fingers interlocked behind his back as he turned to face his comrade in arms. His features were as soft as he could make them, though that was tough to go given he was no Optimus. Magnus waited a few moments before releasing his hands and carefully lowering himself onto the chair that had barely managed to avoid his initial bout of irritation and wrath.

Without another moment of pause he pressed a toggle on the underside of the desk and leaned back as two invisible cones of light erupted forth from the walls and collided in the heart of the table just above the damaged computer monitor. "On to the business at hand. Currently I have a small team investigating this particular region of Earth. A heavily wooded continent in a tropical region with spots of more moderate temperments. In general this one location, a valley, has access to a great many variety of landscapes, environmental hazzards and indiginous lifeforms." The hologram entered a colored representation of the region Prowl and his team were currently exploring.

"This is the region in question. As you can see by the initial sensor uploads, it has a bevy of power resources to tap. However, as you can expect, there is atmopsheric disturbances that leaves clear readings almost impossible... Hence the scouting missions." He paused. At least now the Engineer would be brought up to date with what was known. He did not necessarily want to go into details regarding potential building materials. Details of that nature was part of the reason he had dispatched the survey to begin with.

"Now that you are up to speed. I have an assignment for you that relates to this particular region. This valley, provided we locate an approprately hidden venue within the boundaries of said valley, is going to be the site of a new Autobot Colony. A command hub for the sector." He toggled the map again highlighting several detectable solar radiation zones.

It lingered a moment before it cycled again, this time to an older schematic set. "You can probably gather what this is." It was the image of a basic ring designed gateway. Various notes and scripts highlighted various components including the transwarp generator. A global space bridge portal node.

"I want you to build a team around Blaster, Ironfist and Hoist. Your objective is to design new systems, from power generators to manufacturing facilities, that can be built rapidly and operate on this planet without detection from local inhabitants or orbital sensors. In addition I want a refined design for a global space bridge network as the hub of this new facility."

Ultra Magnus paused briefly as he allowed his optics to glance over towards the polarized view port. "I realize that this is a tall order Wheeljack. Designing new technology, not just using tried and true methods is indeed difficult. However, not all of our needs can be met just by using standard construction equipment." He paused briefly before he returned his attention back to the inventor. "Do you have any questions so far as to what I am asking?"

OOC: SInce no one has posted any of the Autobots from Sea of Change yet, I hope it's okay if I get things started.

Bounce Chamber

Once the almost blinding light disappated, Groove found himself standing on the bounce pad of the Ark-22 along with the rest of the Autobots. While he shook off the dizzying effects of the bounce, his mind was stilled filled with everything that had happened on Earth, the return of the Fallen being at the forefront of his thoughts.

To think that such an ancient, terrible legend could reappear..... I can't help but wonder if it really is a sign that our extinction is at hand......

Though dark worries filled his processors, he didn't forget the words of their new leader, Ultra Magnus, and his reassuring hand on the scout's shoulder. He spoke of hope for the future, that this new challenge was no different than the countless challenges that their people had faced before.

Groove raised his head up with optimism. The Fallen had been defeated before, surely he could be defeated again. And perhaps, as unlikely as it may have seemed, there was the potential of both Autobots and Decepticons settling their differences and ending the war in order to face this mutual enemy. If it was possible the two factions could cease their fighting for just a breem or two like they just did, then there was at least a tiny micrometer of a chance it could happen.

Groove took a step off the bounce pad, and his optimism was quickly replaced with soreness. Though he hadn't been seriously damaged, he had taken a good beating from Vortex's cyclone and it's swirling debris. With many small dents and bruises, he stepped over to Hot Spot.

"I think I could use a breem or two in the CR chamber, Hot Spot."

Groove looked around again at the small group, seeing only Kup, Ironhide, and the only other Protectobot, Streetwise. The scout remembered that they had been bounced onto the Ark=22, while First Aid and the other injured had probably been bounced back to the Guardian. He sighed, he wanted to talk with his close friend about everything that had happened, but knew that his commander wouldn't want him to waste time walking across two ships. Maybe he wasn't as close to Streetwise, but it looked like the Interceptor was his best chance for a talk on recent events.

"Streetwise, I'm going to the medical bay for some minor repairs. Would you care to join me?"

Wheeljack’s Lab

From her vantage point Tracer kept a close eye on Wheeljack while he and Smokescreen had their little conversation, which was about her, no doubt. After a few minutes the scientist excused himself and left the lab. Tracer furrowed her brow as she watched Wheeljack suddenly leave. She let out a relieved sigh, tossed her head back and shut down her optics. This whole ordeal was just so draining. Right now all she wanted was to get away.

Tracer onlined her optics and pressed her cheek into the rallybot’s hand when she felt him press it gently against her. Smokescreen then went on to announce that the now absent engineer had been called away and that they were going to be alone for an unknown amount of time. Her interest piqued further when the rallybot told her he was more than willing to take her out of the lab, and their destination would be her own quarters.

The scout gave Smokescreen an enthusiastic nod at the plan and added a very happy, “Yes.” She stepped away from the slab very ready to leave the confines of the lab. Tracer then moved to the door where she waited for Smokescreen to follow.

While waiting the femme let out a startled gasp and took a quick back-step away from the door. She looked down and noticed a turbofox pressed against her leg. The animal seemed familiar, but she couldn’t remember why. Tracer stared at the creature for several moments before she slowly squatted down to get closer to it. “Razr?” She questioned more to herself than her pet as she reached forward. She didn’t have to move her hand very far as Razr quickly stood and pressed his head against the palm of her hand.

“Yeah. Good boy.” A broad smile formed on the femme’s face as she relaxed and stroked the turbofox’s head. But to her surprise Razr moved past her and stood directly in front of the door. “Oh no. I have a feeling it’d probably be better if you stayed here, Razr.” The small critter cocked its head to the side and regarded its master with an unsure expression. Tracer smiled and very quickly gave her pet a series of hand signs that sent Razr from the door to the back room where he set down on his haunches and waited.

Tracer stood turned away from the door and watched as her pet followed her silent directions. With a small smirk the femme raised her hand and dropped it at the wrist. No sooner had the gesture been made Razr stood back up and moved under the far workbench where he curled up and settled down for a recharge. “Ready? I really want to get to my quarters to have a look around.” Tracer said to Smokescreen once her little companion was resting soundly.

Wheeljack’s Lab

Smokescreen saw the excitement in Tracer’s optics as she enthusiastically said “yes” to his idea of taking a quick trip over to her personal quarters on the Protectobot frigate. The now happy femme moved away towards the door where the diversion expert watched as she interacted with Razr, whom she didn’t seem to recognize at first before the memories of her favorite little pet came back to her. They hadn’t even left the lab yet, and more pieces of the puzzle that comprised Tracer’s mind was already coming together. She even remembered her hand signals that succeeded in making the turbofox head off into the back room where he fell into recharge.

“I’m glad that you’ve become reacquainted with Razr,” Smokescreen said with a broad smile as he approached Tracer by the door. “And, yes, I’m all ready to go. However, there’s no telling how long Wheeljack will be, so we should get started now. Take my hand and follow me. Just stay close and everything will be fine.” The diversion expert then reached out and placed his right hand into her left before taking the lead and exiting the scientist’s lab.

Corridors

Traversing the numerous hallways of the Ark-22 was not as inconspicuous as it once was only a cycle ago. A majority of the Autobots had been reassigned to the larger vessel from the Guardian and were beginning to fill the previously empty corridors. Smokescreen simply nodded at many of his comrades as he passed by them, sparing only a word or two in some instances. Thankfully, no one had yet taken notice of his new body or perhaps they had just assumed he reformatted into a new alt mode, which wasn’t entirely a lie nor was it the truth, either. Regardless, with a good portion of mechs now on board the Ark, it should make it somewhat easier to move around on the Guardian without drawing too much attention to themselves.

“You still with me there, Tracer?” Smokescreen quietly asked as he glanced around at the troubled femme whose hand remained gripped firmly within his own. “We’re almost at the docking ring now. Shouldn’t be too much longer after that.”

Rounding one final corner, the love-bots found themselves staring straight down the throat of the docking tunnel that lead over to the medical frigate. Smokescreen stopped at the threshold for a moment and looked over at Tracer who had done quite well during their travel through the increasingly populated Ark-22. “All right, I’ve got you this far. Now, let’s see if you can get us the rest of the way. Okay?” The rallybot turned and smiled, giving her hand a gentle squeeze of reassurance. “Across this tunnel is the Guardian. It’s the ship you came here on, allowing us to finally be reunited after so many vorns. Do you remember how to get to your quarters from here, Trace?”

Smokescreen didn't want to do all of the work for the drug-altered femme. It was important for Tracer to rediscover things for herself even if it aggravated her to some degree. A little bit of aggravation was better than the alternative. She had made so much progress thus far that it was only a matter of time before the hallucinogen was completely purged from her systems and her memories were once again made whole.

(OOC: Wheeljack will be a separate post.)