A/N I've read the comics, not the ones based on bayformers, but mtmte and such.

-:-

Epps watched as Optimus and Ironhide put Amp on the medical berth, arms crossed and leaning on one side. He turned his head when he saw Lennox heading over with an intense look on his face. Ratchet was busy getting his equipment ready, about to examine Amp and see what was wrong inside. As far as Epps could tell he looked like shit.

"So... exactly what was he saying when you guys found him?" Epps looked up at Optimus with a frown.

The big mech gave a deep sigh. "He insisted he was not here."

"Not only that, he was sayin' none of us are real," Ironhide motioned to the three of them with a scowl. "Goin' on about how we're all fictional."

Epps pulled a face. "Fictional?"

"I can understand that he believed that he was still captured," Ratchet piped up, attaching wires to Amp's body and frowning to himself. "but he was..." He shook his helm. He was almost talking as if he were a human. "Nevertheless, I'm not a psychologist. I'm not qualified to understand anyone's psyche."

"But Ratchet's still one smart cookie." Ironhide smirked when he saw Ratchet roll his optics at the human saying.

"Shut up," Ratchet sent him a flat stare before he went back to work. "There was this one psychologist, very good at his job and stayed in the background. Never could remember his name. If he was here he'd be able to work with us and help Amp with his trauma." Not magically take it away, but to help him cope with it.

Lennox frowned. "You never had more psychologists?"

"Of course we did. Before the war started. Not many survived when the fight was over on Cybertron, or they either evacuated. Until there's a call sent out that the war in truly over not many neutrals will come out of hiding." Ratchet shrugged to himself. "This mech is particular, Runt or something, was one of the best and he stayed with the Autobots last I checked. He's probably out there," He waved his hand upwards. "somewhere."

"We have human psychologists." Lennox offered, stepping forward and seeing Ratchet send him a dubious stare.

"And as I understand it, Lennox, your people still think they can reprogram us as if we're just machines," He scoffed loudly, which made Lennox and Epps frown. "Most, if not all, of you don't even think us as living beings."

"Yeah, well, we do." Epps gestured to himself and Lennox with a scowl.

Ratchet rubbed his face and sighed. "Yes, I... Yes, I know you do. It's just that seeing Amp again... and realizing he's living in his own world is..."

"Troubling." Lennox nodded in agreement.

"...I'll consider it," Ratchet was hesitant to let a human doctor examine them. Besides, he still remembers what they had done to Bumblebee when they thought they were still threats. "Okay, all of you get out." Ratchet waved his hand, shooing everyone out. "This hopefully won't take long."

"Meaning we're hoping he's not messed up inside too much." Epps translated, going from a walk to a quick jog when he saw the medic glare at him.

Optimus stayed behind until he was the last one and reached up to place a servo on Ratchet's shoulder. "Let us just be glad he is safe, Ratchet. Do not get too discouraged, no matter what you find." He gave an encouraging smile.

"Yeah..." Ratchet shrugged his hand off and glared at the unconscious mech. "All right, you too. Get out." He waved his hand dismissively.

Usually he'd be nicer, but he had a job to do. Optimus understood. The big mech gave him a smile and turned to head out, leaving the medic alone. Ratchet watched him leave before he sighed and looked down at the red mech. Time to get to work.

He had to meet with a few people today, via webcam, to discuss recent developments. Human lives weren't long compared to a cybetronian, but they did have a tendency to drone on. Optimus sighed when he walked out of the hangar after a few hours, deciding that he should check in with Sideswipe. His worry was only rising. They had arrived at the base midday, and it wasn't long after that that Ratchet had brought Amp into his "med-bay." It was almost midnight and they were still in there, with Amp most likely still in stasis.

"Hey, Optimus!" He looked up and saw Sideswipe heading over with a grin. "Long time no see!" His grin was infectious, so he returned it with a smile.

"Sideswipe," He greeted, raising his hand and resting it on Sideswipe's shoulder in greeting. "It has been a while."

"Too long!" His grin widened. "I would've met up sooner, but the Galactic Council was being a pain in the aft..." He waved his hand and rolled his optics with a sneer.

"Understandable." Optimus nodded slowly. The Galactic Council, a council made of organic alien races, were wary of any Cybertronian, and there had been some rumours they would attack and kill any lone ships once they confirmed they were cybertronian. Unfortunately, for them, they had a harsh reputation of being warmongers, having plunged their entire world in a war. Hopefully the council did not come to this planet.

"I heard that Amp was captured," Sideswipe crossed his arms and looked at him curiously, with no judgment on his face. "Is he okay?" Optimus remained stoic, though the his optics went dark. Sideswipe furrowed his optic ridges and stepped close to pat the Prime on his chestplate. "Hey, no harm, Prime. I'm sure you did everything you could."

"We will go over everything once Ratchet has completed his report," Optimus saw Sideswipe give a small nod. "Until then, tell me of your adventures."

Sideswipe grinned.

Optimus listened, nodding and smiling every once in a while, while Sideswipe regaled his tales with enthusiasm. Once Ironhide joined them he had tried to speak even louder but had quieted down once he was told that the humans on the base were retired for the night.

"So this planet has short cycles?" Sideswipe looked upwards at the dark sky.

"Yep. The humans sleep every time it gets dark," Ironhide shrugged lightly. "They're a short-lived species, they barely live past a joor."

Sideswipe raised his optic ridges in surprise. "Wow. Barely enough time to make friendships." He grinned when Ironhide sent him a dry stare.

"They may not live as long as us," Optimus replied, sending the black mech a sharp stare when he heard him mutter 'here we go.' "but they are a brave, courageous species."

"That doesn't go for the entire species, Prime." Ironhide grunted with a sneer, seeing Optimus nod with a frown.

"Of course, old friend," He wasn't naive. Like them, the humans could be cruel. Enough evidence pointed to Bumblebee's brief imprisonment with Sector Seven. "We won't allow another mech to be taken prisoner by them." Ironhide gave a satisfied nod.

"So... who're these fleshbags that took Amp?" Sideswipe shrugged with a frown, and grinned sheepishly when he saw Prime send him a sharp stare for his little name.

Ironhide opened his mouth to answer, having a lot to say about the "fleshbags" when Ratchet slowly walked towards them with a grave look in his optics. He stood up from the ground, facing the medic with Optimus and Sideswipe. Ratchet handed Optimus a datapad, rubbing his face tiredly and sighing loudly while the Prime went over the datapad slowly. The look in his optics slowly went dark.

He looked up. "Call a meeting."

"They took him apart?!"

Ironhide looked appalled, along with everyone else in the hangar. As soon as Lennox and Epps had heard they were having a meeting, they had insisted they attend, even though they looked like they were going to fall over. Sideswipe eyed them curiously, having a hard time comprehending that one of these little creatures took down Megatron. Meanwhile, Ratchet, standing with his fists on his hips, slowly nodded.

"I could see where they made the... incisions," He scoffed and glared ahead. "They were careful. They made sure not to cut any energon lines. From what I could tell they made sure to preserve his helm and spark."

"They took him apart," Epps said, looking slightly nauseated. "As in they... they took his head off his... body..."

Ratchet nodded. "They did. To study our anatomy and inner workings, I imagine. My first guess is that they tried to "hack" him to control him," His rolled his optics, having used air quotation marks. "but we're not machines and your machines are far too primitive to try and "hack" us. So once they figured they couldn't control him they decided to study him."

"To what?" Sideswipe frowned. "To make their own Cybertronian?" He gave an incredulous scoff.

Ratchet snorted and shrugged. "For all we know that's what they intend to do," He looked around the hangar, seeing every mech looking disturbed. "But the fact remains is that what they did was enough to traumatize Amp."

"And this conversation about... thinking we're fictional..." Jolt frowned, arms crossed over his chestplate. "What did he mean by that?"

"...I'm not completely sure." Ratchet looked frustrated.

Optimus stepped forward. "I am sorry, old friend. You may not completely trust the humans, but we are in need of help for Amp when he awakens," A frown of disapproval crossed Ratchet's face. "His level of... trauma has troubled me."

"You and the rest of us," Ironhide grunted with a scowl. "When do we wake him?"

"Tomorrow," Optimus decided, seeing everyone nod. "For now we will let him rest without worry." He looked at Ironhide and Ratchet, seeing them share a look. "This meeting is dismissed. We will speak of this tomorrow with Amp."

Everyone walked out of the hangar with the exception of Optimus, Ratchet, and Ironhide. Once they were alone Ratchet reached up to rub his faceplate with a groan. Ironhide reached over to pat his back while Optimus frowned with an unfocused look in his optic.

"You noticed it, too?" Ratchet questioned, seeing the other two mech stare at him curiously while he covered his lower face with his hands. He gave them a dry stare. "How Amp was referring to himself as if he were human?"

Ironhide paused and gave a brief nod. "Yeah. When he called himself a "man." Why do you think he'd do that?"

"You got me. As I said previously, I'm not a psychologist," Ratchet crossed his arms with a frown. "And we're screening every shrink that Lennox recommends us." He gave the Prime a look, receiving a nod of agreement in return.

"I will not lie to you... I am worried about Amp," Optimus stated, looking disappointed with himself. "For all we know he may never recover."

"Hey, don't speak like that, Prime," Ironhide his his shoulder lightly with a tense grin. "All of us are messed up in the head from this war." He received a very dry stare from Ratchet for his lack of tact. "Amp's trauma just... The humans are the ones that did it."

"Yet we could have prevented it." Optimus offlined his optics and gave a great big sigh.

They were all silent before Ratchet waved his servos. "All right! That's it! No more depressing feelings! We're going to recharge, right now, so we're all bright-eyed and whatever else the humans say when we get Amp out of stasis." He made shooing motions towards the other two mechs, seeing them stare at him in surprise. "Come on, I'm not joking. Get moving!"

Ironhide was about to make a comment when Ratchet reached into his subspace. Optimus was already out of the hangar before he brought his wrench out.

He smiled when he heard Ironhide yelp out in pain.

Darkness.

That's all he experienced while in stasis.

Until...

"Wake up."

Amp frowned, hearing how annoyed the voice sounded, and onlined his optics with a groan. He stared at the ceiling for a few seconds, feeling groggy and confused. Where was he? Last he remembered he was walking through the woods... He was a mech, he couldn't forget that. He was a transformer that couldn't transform... And then he saw... Did he really see them? Did he really or was it all a dream?

He raised an optic ridge, still staring at the ceiling before he turned his helm. He wasn't registering what he was seeing, not yet, he still felt groggy. Felt like he just woke up. Which he... technically did.

Amp stared at the group of mechs for a few more seconds before his optics popped wide open.

He screamed and pushed himself to sit and fumbled around, then gave a high-pitched scream when he fell off the berth. He landed on his back, with his legs still on the berth, and then groaned out, long and low. He heard a few steps and voices, but ignored them.

"Pain..." Amp groaned, reaching up towards his head. "So much pain..." He moved his legs until they were on the ground, and cringed when he felt and heard how loud they landed. "Why did I even do that?"

"Amp..."

He froze and then slowly pushed himself up and peeked over the berth. At the forefront was Optimus, and he gawked before he ducked his head. He stared at his servos, turning them over and silently cursed. It wasn't a dream! He was still like this! And they still called him Amp!

He furrowed his optic ridges.

What was going on?

"Amp," He cringed and then peeked over the berth again. Optimus was looking at him worriedly. He gave a tense, lopsided grin and then slowly stood. "Are you alright?" The big mech stepped forward and held a hand out.

"Yep!" Everyone jumped at how loud and how high his voice was. His arms were close to his body, optics wide and grin tense. "I'm fine! Totally fine!" He held his hands out and backed away, making sure to keep his optics on the mechs. "Y-You can see me, right? Fine!" He held his arms out to show just how 'fine' he was.

Everyone else looked at each other, but Optimus kept an eye... or optic on him. He rubbed his servos together and looked to the side, grin still wide and tense. He sucked at trying to act "okay." He jumped violently when he felt something touch his shoulder and turned to see Ratchet looking at him with a frown.

"Sit on the berth." Ratchet ordered, pointing to said berth.

Amp stared at him with wide optics.

"Now." He didn't look like he was going to take no for an answer.

Amp chuckled nervously and held his servos out towards Ratchet, slowly inching his way to the berth and then sitting down. He tapped his fingers on his knees, making sure to look anywhere else instead of the medic. Instead of the Transformer. Instead of... Ratchet.

His optics flicked over to the medic.

He heard something, hearing a voice(baritone, probably Optimus) telling the other mechs to wait outside. Amp heard them leave and continued to tap his fingers. He vented slowly, trying to calm himself. He bet if he were human(and why the hell wasn't he human?) he'd be sweating buckets right now.

Ratchet...

From Transformers.

From a T.V show(or movie).

Right in front of him.

You'd think he'd be freaking out, considering how much he loved Transformers, but right now panic seemed to be at the forefront of his mind. He couldn't think straight with his how his... spark(?) was pulsing. Amp reached up to lay a hand over his chest. It wasn't like having a human body. He would feel how hard his heart was pounding, but this... feeling nothing except for a light pulse was almost soothing.

The pulsing seemed to slow down the longer he kept his servo there.

"You're quiet," He jumped and looked up to see Ratchet frowning at him. The pulsing sped up. "Is something wrong?"

"Uhh...!" Amp grinned nervously. "I-I... just... seen something shocking."

"That you're safe?" Ratchet asked with a quirked optic ridge.

Amp paused and furrowed his optic ridges in confusion. He... He had said that before, too, didn't he? That he was safe? What did he mean by that? It didn't make any sense. He had been at home recently and these guys... they kept acting as if they knew him? Home... Home... What did it even look like? He reached up and touched the back of his head with a frustrated frown. He felt a hand touch his shoulder and jumped, almost just as violently as when Ratchet touched him. Amp whipped his head around.

Optimus stared at him, holding his hand up. "It is just me," He said, as if it was normal that Optimus Prime was just standing there! Amp stared, optics wide while he nodded somewhat jerkily. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Uh...?" Amp shrugged with an awkward smile. "I guess?"

Optimus continued to stare at him worriedly.

"Uh... yeah! I'm doing fine!" Amp gave him a thumbs up just to be sure.

He didn't look reassured, and that made Amp lose his smile. He lowered his hand and rubbed the back of his helm, looking forward when Ratchet told him to do so and then squinted when a light was shined into his optic. He was told to look left and then right, having a normal check-up. Once he was done Amp gave a relieved sigh and lowered his shoulders. Having check-ups was never fun.

Ratchet stepped in his field of vision and he looked up to see Ratchet frowning down at him with his arms crossed. Optimus walked up behind him and muttered something to him, which he waved off.

"...Do you know who I am?" He asked, pointing to himself.

Amp cocked his head to the side.

"Huh?"

"Do you know who I am?" Ratchet repeated himself, his frown looking more stern.

Amp shuttered his optics. "Yeah?" From cartoon shows, he thought to himself.

That was enough to make Ratchet relax with a relieved sigh, which only confused Amp. Optimus then stepped forward with the same question and received the same confused 'yeah?' from him. They both looked happier, while he only looked more confused. Was he... not supposed to know them? Ratchet grabbed his arm and lifted him up until he was standing and then pushed him towards the hangar doors.

Wait. Hangar doors? Amp frowned and quirked an optic ridge.

Where were they?

Once he was outside he looked around curiously, looking upwards to stare at the bright sky and then at all the soldiers around him. No one appeared to be surprised to see him. Some red mech stepped up and grinned at him, while he only tilted his head. Who was this guy? Where are they? What was going on with him?

"It's been joors since we saw each other!" The red mech threw his arms apart with a wide grin. Amp only shuttered his optics. Joors? Wasn't that like eighty or something human years? "How've you been?"

"...I've been better," Amp muttered, turning is head to see Ironhide step forward and slap his shoulder. He stumbled forward and jolted when someone grabbed him to steady him. "...Way better."

"Bumblebee's on his way here," Ironhide piped up, seeing the red mech rub his arm. "You'll finally get to catch up. Nothing seems to separate him from Sam."

"With the exception of the news that you're free." Ratchet handed him something, and he stared at the cube curiously.

Amp smiled uneasily before he turned his helm and stared down at the two humans. He stared at them for a moment before he jumped back with a yelp. He could see just how much he towered over them. Amp stumbled and jumped when someone caught him, turning around to see Optimus looking down at him worriedly. He gave an awkward smile and moved away.

He was fucking huge!

"You did the same thing when you met us!" The one of the right said with a grin.

Amp shuttered his optics rapidly. Wait... He knew these two. He held the cube in both hands and started tapping it. Lennox and... Shit, it's been a while since he saw the movies. Epps...? Was it Epps? Probably. He didn't know. He noticed the past tense. What did they mean when he met them?

The pulsing in his chest sped up.

"Do you at least know us?" Lennox stepped forward and motioned towards him and Epps.

Amp nodded tensely. "Yep." He muttered and looked to the side.

Ratchet observed him before he waved his hands. "Alright, you all saw him! Give him time so he can actually relax!" He shooed everyone away. Or tried to. Some mechs started protesting before Sideswipe stepped forward with a grin.

"So what did you mean when you said Prime and the others were fictional?!" Optimus sent him a look of disapproval.

"Sideswipe—"

This was Sideswipe? But... he was silver in the movie wasn't he? Then again, he was red in the comics and cartoons. And he had feet instead of wheels. Amp chuckled nervously and looked to the side, making sure not to make any contact with anyone's optics. Right now he was doing everything in his power to stay calm. And that meant not talking. But...

"Well, you know, just that fact that, uh..." Amp rubbed the back of his helm and looked upwards. "None of you are supposed to exist."

Everyone looked surprised at that.

When they shouldn't, because none of this should be real! He could only guess that he was at that secret base at Diego Garcia, and that they brought him here. But why? Why was he even here? Why couldn't he remember anything? Why was he surrounded by fictional characters that were acting as if they knew him?!

Oh, great, he was panicking again.

"I-It's just that none of you should be real," Amp gave them a wide, nervous grin along with an equally nervous laugh. He backed away from them, holding a servo up while he looked around. "I-I mean all of you are from a movie... A movie!" He gave a hysterical laugh and rubbed the back of his helm, looking around wildly. He should calm down. "A-A-And now I'm here. In a movie! W-With a bunch of fictional characters!"

Ratchet motioned for everyone to back up, who could only stare in stunned silence.

"I'm here... in a movie..." He muttered to himself and dropped the cube, turning around with shaky hands. "Alright... alright, let's calm down now... We gotta calm down..." Or else they'll think you're crazy, he thought.

Amp looked back to see everyone giving him varying levels of concerned looks.

Okay, given their expressions they already thought he was nuts.

Ratchet stepped forward with his servos out. "Amp—"

"Oh, no, you don't!" Amp snapped, pointing at the medic accusingly with a scowl. He edged around him, seeing Ratchet give him a confused stare. "Last time you got close to me I passed out! So that means you did something to me." He gave him a suspicious glare and paused before he grabbed the cube from the ground. "I'm fine! I'm good! I'm not panicking anymore."

Everyone watched as he trembled.

"...Right." Ironhide gave him an unimpressed stare.

"I am!" Amp couldn't seem to stop his hands from shaking and the pulsing in his chest was going fast.

Ratchet frowned. "All right, Amp. With me." He motioned him to follow and turned around.

Amp frowned, seeing everyone looking at the medic and then looking at him. He ducked his helm before he was following him. He heard someone say, "I think you need to get that psychologist, Prime." He scowled in indignation. He was perfectly fine! He didn't need a shrink! He looked at his hands and then at the passing soldiers. Or maybe he did... He continued to follow the silent medic, still holding the cube in his hands. They were his only lifeline at this moment. If he let go he might panic even more, if possible.

He followed Ratchet into an empty hangar, looking around and jolting when he realized that they used this place as a communication room or something in the movies. Amp looked around and grinned to himself, feeling geeky for a moment. Cool.

"I'm going to leave you alone now," Ratchet instructed, turning to see the red mech jump and turn his head to look at him. "Take as long as you need to calm down. As soon as you feel like you've calmed down enough you come find me or Optimus. Understood?"

Amp paused before he smiled in relief. Ratchet narrowed his optics at his lack of response, though he did note the smile.

"Uh... yes!" Amp nodded and then saluted, as well. "Got it!"

Ratchet rolled his optics at his salute. "Take as long as you need," He watched him nod and went to walk past him. He paused and then turned. "We'll help you, Amp. Just remember that."

Amp turned to stare at him for a moment and gave a small nod. Ratchet returned the nod and then left the hangar. Amp was left alone, looking worried as he stared at the cube in his hands. Slowly, he vented and let it all out with a sigh.

"I don't think anyone will be able to help me." He gave a sardonic smile.

"I think it was a bad idea to bring him out of stasis." Was the first thing Ironhide said.

Optimus sent him a stern stare, but Ironhide refused to back down. He crossed him arms and sent the Prime a glare. Everyone else had left, all looking worried and confused. How else were they supposed to feel when one of their own claimed they weren't supposed to exist? When Ratchet returned they went to the "med-bay" which was just one of the hangars they were given.

"Maybe," Ratchet turned and frowned. "but his behaviour right now only brings more questions."

"Yeah, like what the frag happened to him?"

"It will take several days to get a psychologist here," Optimus looked at them both to see them frown at the news. "Unless you are willing to talk to him and help us make sense of what he is saying?"

Ratchet and Ironhide cringed at that. They weren't good when it came to having a spark-to-spark with other mechs that had survived horrible incidents. Optimus stared at them before he offlined his optics and sighed. He nodded to himself, making a decision, which only made his comrades send him looks of suspicion.

"You are giving him a chance to calm down?" He questioned, seeing Ratchet slowly nod while still giving him a suspicious glare. "Then once he has calmed down I will speak with him." He walked past the both of them.

At least that's what he intended until his arms were grabbed by both Ratchet and Ironhide.

"Optimus, the mind of a mech isn't something to handle so carelessly," Ratchet gave him a frown. "Wait until one of their psychologists arrive, with our approval, before we speak with him."

"I wish only to ease his mind," At their confused stares he shook his arms and nodded gratefully when they released him. "Ampere is confused and scared, and we are only overwhelming him by surrounding him with mechs and people he has known. I will give him time to calm down and speak with him and reassure him we are his friends."

"And ask him about... how he's doing?" Ratchet frowned.

"Yes."

"This could work or backfire badly, Prime," Ironhide crossed his arms and gave him a long look. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

Optimus gave a wry smile. "We have all dealt with someone that has gone through a traumatizing time." Which was, unfortunately, true.

"Well... what else can we do?" Ironhide shrugged. "Kid was always prone to panic attacks."

"Yeah, and in his line of work that is sloppy." Ratchet rolled his optics.

"Besides," Ironhide sent the Prime a sly smirk, one that made the taller mech narrow his optics suspiciously at. "He always did love your voice."

Optimus offlined his optics and reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose. "Ironhide..."

Ironhide guffawed while Ratchet reached over to cuff the back of his head.

∠( ᐛ 」∠)＿