I awoke a short time later to the familiar sting of my treatment being injected, a sigh of relief leaving me as I felt the pain subside. I opened my optics and looked over to Shockwave, and I could tell he was agitated by the way his audials flicked.

"It was illogical for you to engage in combat with your current condition." He said.

"You should know by now that I'm not the most logical of beings." I said tiredly. "And I'd do it again if it meant keeping you safe."

"I still do not understand the logic behind your actions."

"Maybe one day you will." I said, a quiet groan of exhaustion leaving me as I slowly rolled my helm to the side. I then closed my optics and went into a light recharge. I then heard the doors of the lab open and heavy pedesteps entering.

"Shockwave, what is the condition of your friend?" I head Megatron ask.

"Stable, for now." Shockwave said, the sound of him moving suggested he was walking towards the warlord. "His condition has improved somewhat according to the latest screening. However, he is still in Stage 3 Cryosis."

"He is a competent fighter from what I've seen. He did quite some damage to the two Autobot Wreckers. Is there any cure for the Cryosis?"

"Negative, once Cryosis has infected an individual, it will continue to attack the systems responsible for durability, stamina, and spark rate. However, it can be put into remission for a time, which I have been attempting to do. It has been proving far more difficult than I originally hypothesized. Knockout suggested open spark surgery, which would be highly illogical given his current state. Perhaps if the Cryosis were to revert to Stage 1 or at the very least Stage 2, it would be safe to do the surgery."

The two continued to talk for some time before I drifted off into a deeper recharge, awaking several hours later to Shockwave gently touching my side.

"Y/D, Lord Megatron has requested our presence. Are you able to attend?" Shockwave asked. I slowly sat up and stretched, my joints popping. I slowly stood and stumbled a bit but regained my balance.

"You wouldn't happen to have a pipe I could use as a sort of staff, would you?" I half jokingly asked.

"I will return in a moment. Please, do not strain yourself." He said, disappearing into the adjoined berthroom to the lab and coming out with an intricately designed spear that was far too large for most Cybertronians to use but was just the right size for me. "One of the vehicon miners located this and no one here can use it effectively due to its size. I believe you may make some use of it."

I gently took the spear and used it to help keep my balance as I followed Shockwave out of the lab and into the halls. Vehicons darted out of our way as I cocked a ridge at them.

'Flighty little things, aren't you?' I thought, shrugging off the strange behavior as we entered the bridge. Starscream was already there with Megatron and Knockout, the medic holding something in his servos.

"Shockwave, Y/D, we have something that might be of interest to you both." Megatron said. Knockout then brought the item to Shockwave, to which he took it and held it up so I could see. My optics lit up as I recognized it.

"Predacon endomatter! And it's in decent condition!" I gasped, my wings twitching excitedly. Megatron seemed amused by my excitement.

"As our leading experts on Predacons, I believe it would be best to start up an old project of yours, Shockwave." Megatron said.

"Hold on, may I ask something before you continue?" I said.

"Don't interrupt Lord Megatron!" Starscream snapped. I whipped my helm towards him and bared by fangs with a low growl.

"Starscream, it is quite alright." Megatron said darkly. "You may continue Y/D."

"How did Predacon endomatter end up on this organic world? Did they exist here naturally?" I asked, a hint of hope in my voice.

"The endomatter you see here is from a Predacon clone produced by Shockwave quite some time ago. I authorized a small army of them to be released so that they may eliminate unsuspecting Autobots that dared to come. However time and elements unfortunately got to them, and thus they are no more."

"But... we can bring them back, right?" I asked. "With the CNA in the endomatter, theoretically, we could bring them back, right?"

"A logical conclusion Y/D." Shockwave said.

"Another scavenger hunt? How logical is that?" Starscream scoffed.

"You think I would send my creations off world without them being microchiped?" Shockwave asked. I couldn't help but snicker in amusement as the seeker became a stammering mess.

"Well, I was! But... seriously, you did?" Starscream asked.

"He's not an idiot Starscream." I growled. "Only an incompetent fool would overlook the possibility."

"As if you are any more intelligent than a damn Dinobot!" Starscream snapped. I let out a deep growl, cursing at him in the Old Tongue that caused Shockwave to seem quite surprised due to the foulness.

"Starscream, you would be wise to respect Y/D." Megatron growled. "He and Shockwave are our top experts on Predacons."

"Then as second in command, I shall organize a squadron to search for the bones." Starscream said pridefully.

"And I shall reiterate the chain of command. Starscream, you will remain in command of military activities, and Shockwave will be in command of scientific endeavors along with Y/D." Megatron said sternly.

"So we, uh, we both report directly to you?" Starscream asked nervously.

"If we are to start such a project again, we are going to need quite a bit of resources in order to construct the gestation chambers." Shockwave said.

"And how are we going to fit them on here? That hulking brute Predaking barely fits through the halls!"  Starscream argued.

"We will do it off-site, Starscream." I said with a cocked ridge. "Do you ever think before you speak?"

"I um well..."

"That's what I thought." I snorted. "Shall I prepare the list of items we need in order to construct the lab Shockwave?" I asked.

"That would be a logical starting point."