Hina's optics fluttered open to the sound of Iacon's late morning traffic. The city's constant sounds were Hina's morning alarm clock. The sun shined through her habitation suite as the femme sat up in her berth, stretching her arms and legs before leaving the room. 

A sweet aroma filled the air as the femme made her way down the hall towards the kitchen. Energon treats and flavored drinks were prepared as she was greeted by Optimus Prime and Elita-1. 

"Morning, darling!" The pink femme greeted with a hug. "How are you feeling?"

"Better," Hina sighed with relief as she returned the gesture before pulling away to smile at the femme. "All thanks to Optimus," 

"It was nothing," The Prime waved it off as the two femmes neared the counter, the mech handing Hina her plate of energon. 

"Nothing? You call talking some sense into me nothing?" Hina teased as she took a seat next to Elita-1, munching on an energon stick. 

Optimus chuckled as he took a seat across from the femmes, reaching out for this glass. "I wouldn't say it like that," 

As the trio enjoyed their breakfast, a sudden knock at the front door of the house seemed to catch the group by surprise. 

"Optimus, were you expecting company this morning?" Elita-1 asked, looking puzzled. 

"No, I wasn't," he shook his head. "Were you?"

The pink femme shook her helm before the pair turned their gaze towards Hina. The brown and gold femme rose her servos defensively. "Don't look at me, I hardly know anyone in this neighborhood, let alone Iacon!" 

Which was kind of sad really. Sure every now and again, Elita-1 hosted some parties, and invited their closest friends. The only Cybertronians Hina really knew from all of their get-togethers were Ironhide, Chromia, and on occasion, Sunstreaker, when he wasn't too busy running his Body Painting Studio. 

The knock on the door came a second time, and this time upon hearing it, the Prime's optic ridges frowned as he stood up from his chair, raising his servo at the femmes. "Remain here," 

Elita-1 and I turned our helms as we watched the Prime venture forward, the pink femme placing a steady servo on Hina's shoulder.  

Who could be at the door?

The Prime neared the door, reaching out to the handle as he pulled it open. With his big frame, the two femmes couldn't see behind him and find out who was at the door. That was until a familiar voice spoke out and it made Hina's spark erupted in both relief and excitement. 

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" 

"Ratchet?" Hina called as she sprang out of her chair, making her way down the hall. 

After hearing her voice, the Prime looked back to see the femme coming their way as he stepped to the side, allowing the brown femme to meet the gaze of the Autobot medic. After all of these months, it didn't appear as if he changed at all. 

"Hina!" He smiled in greeting. 

"Ratchet!" Hina's pace quickened as she jumped the medic, giving him a bear hug. "What are you doing here?!" 

"I too am curious as to why you are here," Optimus agreed. "Why aren't you on the Lost Light?" 

"I was, but last month I left and journeyed back here to see Hina," Ratchet explained as the femme moved away from him. 

"Wait, me?" Hina rose an optic ridge at the mech.

"Yes," he nodded. 

"Why? Did something happen?" Elita-1 asked as she neared the group. 

Ratchet took a moment to compose himself before meeting Hina's optics again. "Hina, something has happened aboard the Lost Light, and I believe in order for things to return to normal again, I need your help to bring back the mech the crew cast out for a crime he did not commit," 

Hina's optics widened upon the explanation, the digits of her servos beginning to twitch as she balled them into fists to regain herself. "Are you saying...!" 

"I'm going to go look for Drift," he stated. "I've narrowed down his location, and I'd like for you to come with and assist me in finding him," 

"Are you serious?!" Hina exclaimed. 

"I thought no one else would be more capable of accompanying me," Ratchet replied, smiling proudly with his servos on his hips. 

It's finally happening. Hina could go out and get Drift, just like she had promised him! But wait. . . Drift had made a condition, however. To only go get him once Hina had fully recovered from her last encounter with Lockdown. Physically she seemed fine, but mentally?

A frown formed on her lips as she crossed her arms, thinking things over. It seemed to catch the medics attention as his expression changed, seeming bewildered. "What's wrong? I thought you'd be delighted to this news,"

"Believe me, Ratchet, I am," Hina reassured him. "But. . . I'm just not sure if I'm ready,"

"Come again?" Ratchet questioned. 

"Remember before the Lost Light arrived back here on Cybertron, Rodimus and I told you about the visions and nightmares I was having of seeing Lockdown?" I reminded. 

Ratchet's optics clicked with surprise, humming with realization as he cupped his chin. "They're back are they?"

"Hina has been making excellent progress in her recovery, but the nightmare returned just last night," Elita-1 explained. "Optimus calmed her down though,"

"I thought I was getting better, but he-- it was just waiting for me to let my guard down and then get the jump on me!" Hina hissed, crossing her arms. 

"You are getting better, Hina," Elita-1 stated, stepping forward as she placed a comforting servo on her shoulder. "Drift would be proud of you to see how strong you've become,"

"Like crying out to him when I felt completely helpless to the darkness?" I recalled with a sulk. 

"Hey, there is strength in numbers you know," The pink femme reminded with a squeeze of her servo. "You don't have the fight those demons alone," 

"Hina, fighting your nightmares on your own will help your recovery go so far," Optimus lectured. "There is nothing wrong with seeking the help from those you hold dear to your spark. I believe this mission with Ratchet will be the perfect opportunity to help you make a full recovery," 

"You miss Drift, as do I," Ratchet added. "Perhaps Lockdown's presence wasn't the only thing causing your nightmares."

". . . Drift's absence," Hina slowly pieced together, raising her helm to face the medic once more. 

"Preciously," Ratchet nodded. "I know you want to fill the void you're feeling inside of you, which is why I'll ask you again; Will you please help me find Drift?" 

Hina stared at the medic for a brief moment before looking over at the Autobot Commanders Couple, the pair regrouping and holding servos. 

"Well?" Elita-1 teased with a smile. 

Hina couldn't help but smirk as she returned her gaze to Ratchet, uncrossing her arms as she formed her servos into fists, fist bumping. "I'll do it!" 

*******

It was tough having to say goodbye to Optimus and Elita-1. They've done so much for Hina, it was like they became part of her little family. An giant transforming robots family that is. The commanders saw the pair off at the space port where Ratchet had a ship waiting for them. 

The ship was a small two seat fighter, the same ones Hina remembered from the Lost Light. Seeing the familiar paint job made Hina sulk as the ship began to take off. She truly missed her Lost Light friends, and she hopes that one day she'll see them again. When and where? She did not know. But hopefully soon. 

The ship launched into hyper space, the stars surrounding them along with Cybertron in the distance vanishing before their optics as a blue portal appeared and the ship flew right inside, flying straight forward at an incredible speed. 

Ratchet typed in a command in the driver's seat before taking his servos off the controls, turning towards Hina. "Alright, I think it's time I got you caught up on what's happened since you left," 

Hina listened inventively to everything Ratchet told her, and her processor was totally blown. She couldn't even believe half of the stuff the doctor said was even true! 

First of all, the Lost Light has a co-captain now. It's Megatron. As in the ex-leader of the Deceptions! Not only that, but it turns out Brainstorm actually a Decepticon and that briefcase he had? It was actually a time machine all along! He had an elaborate scheme to go back in time and to murder Megatron before he could finish being built. Luckily, Ratchet and the others managed to reverse engineer the device, as Rodimus, Ultra Magnus, and a select few of the crew went after the weapon specialist and caught him. 

"Brainstorm's punishment is the reason I came out here and picked you up. Rodimus and I had a debate on how to treat Brainstorm. I scolded Rodimus for the inconsistent treatment Brainstorm had received in comparison with Drift's exile." He added. 

"So you're saying it should have been the other way around. That Brainstorm should have been the one to be exiled and Drift arrested in a cell on the Lost Light?" Hina spoke, asking for clarification. "If that's the case, I agree with you," 

"I didn't like it, not one bit," Ratchet shook his head. "After talking about it with Rodimus, I convinced him to let me depart the crew. I appointed First Aid as the new Chief Medical Officer, and once we stopped at the next planet, I took this ship and began my quest as Swerve would call it,"

Hina giggled quietly to herself. "Quest. . . I remember the ones Swerve told me about," 

"They miss you, you know," Ratchet replied. "Swerve and the others, I mean,"

"They talk about me?" Hina perked up, sitting up straight in her chair. 

"Swerve misses his best waitress. Popularity at Swerves went down after Mirage opened up his own bar," Ratchet explained. "He says it's because you're not working there anymore,"

Hina scoffed playfully at the thought. "I doubt that,"

The two of them shared a quick laugh as the ship began to slow down. Something beeped at the controls as Ratchet typed in a series of buttons. "We're here,"

The ship exited hyper space as the stars returned and a giant space station could be seen not too far from their present location. Giant cruisers surrounded the station as Hina leaned forward in her seat, staring at it in awe. 

"What is that?"

"That, Hina, is one of many Galactic Council outposts. There's dozens of them scattered all over the galaxy. They're a group that deal with interstellar conflicts of all kinds, some cases even Cybertronian conflicts." Ratchet explained. 

"Like the war between the Autobots and the Decepicons?" Hina predicted. 

"Correct," Ratchet confirmed, steering the ship closer to the outpost. 

"So why are we here exactly? Has Drift been here?" Hina asked. 

"Before I set out to fetch you, my scanners detected an Autobot signal that belonged to an old ship. It was said to have been lost in one of the many battles that took place after the war moved off of Cybertron and to other planets in the cosmos. It detected a similar life signal, so I had my sensors track it for me," Ratchet explained. 

"Do you think the life signal belongs to Drift?" Hina questioned, sounding hopeful.

Hina was so entranced by the doctor's words that she didn't even realized that they had docked at the space port of the outpost until the ship shook as it landed, making Hina wobble in her seat before her arms latched around the backrest of her seat. 

"I don't think, I know," Ratchet clarified. "Follow me,"

Getting the feeling back in her legs, Hina quickly jogged after the doctor, following him out of the ship as she got a good close up look at the outpost. The place was huge! Giant skyscrapers meshed with the solid rock of the giant asteroid they were built on, and all sorts of alien life walked freely with one another.  Hina knew that there were other alien light forms out there, upon learning about the Traders when she first met Drift over a year ago, but this was the icing on the cake! 

"So, where exactly are we going?" Hina questioned the doctor as she walked beside him.

"There," He pointed straight a head towards another ship that was just docking into its own port, and Hina caught the familiar Autobot signal embedded on its side. 

As they neared it, the pair could hear voices inside. They were arguing back and forth with each other. It was a bit hard to hear considering they were muffled through the metal plating of the ship, but once they were close enough. . .

"Here's a rule; Be shoosh. How's that for a rule? Is that a fun rule? Here's another one, not one more word about the Galactic Council,"

That voice. . . that familiar and welcoming voice--!

The latch door of the ship began to open, as a Cybertronian mech stepped out from the dark inside of the ship, but froze. His blue optics widening with surprise as the white, red and black paint of his metal armour jumped when he saw the pair before him. 

"You can't seriously be leaving them with the Galactic Council?" Ratchet lectured, servos on his hips. 

"I take it you were sucessful in your rogue Decepticon hunting?" Hina questioned with a slight tease, crossing her arms over her chest. 

"Ratchet?!" Drift yelped. "Hina?!"

The samurai stood there in complete and utter shock, trying and struggling to form words as Ratchet made his way up the latch. 

"How did-- how are--- how?!" He finally spoke. 

"You're flying an Autobot ship. I tracked you down," Ratchet answered. The medic placed his servo on the side of the archway, peering inside as he got a good look at the Decepticon prisoners Drift captured. "What are you thinking about bringing these Decepticons here?"

"Yeah, no," Drift waved his servos, seeming fed up. "How about we start with you two. What are you doing here?" 

"Looking for you," Hina stated as she finally stepped forward. "We came to bring you back," 

Hina's spark swelled with joy upon seeing the face of her love again. She could tell Drift felt the same way as well. The piece of his spark that resided in her own pulsed that same feeling, but twice as powerful in fact. She wanted nothing more than to wrap her arms around him and not let go. But she could also sense something else within Drift's shared spark piece. . . regret? 

There were cracks along his yellow cheeks of his helmut, and his body armour was covered in dents, war-torn paint. He appeared to be exhausted, it was almost frightening to see him in such a state. But it still worried Hina, especially with the look on his face

"I was exiled," he replied, lowering his head in shame. 

"But for something you didn't do," Hina clarified, standing before him as she took his servos in hers. 

This feeling. . . finally feeling his touch for the first time in months, it was taking over Hina's senses. He felt so warm. . . how was it possible to miss such a small little thing?

"We know you took the fall, Drift," Ratchet continued. "You were following orders. Overlord, all of that, it wasn't on you. We all know that now," 

Drift watched the medic explain his side before turning his helm back to look at Hina. She could feel his hold on her servos tighten ever so slightly before one of his servos freed themselves, raising it to gently caresses her faceplate. 

"I've missed you. . ." he spoke softly. 

"I've missed you too," Hina replied, relaxing (finally) in his touch. 

"Come on, let's go back. We'll get these two to Cybertron where they belong," Ratchet ordered as he neared the Decepticon cage. 

"And then what? Back to the Lost Light? Back to the Autobots?" Drift questioned, moving his body to face Ratchet as his free servo moved away from Hina's faceplate. There seemed to be a hint of anger in his voice as well. 

"Drift," Hina gently called out to him to try and regain his attention, but he ignored her and kept speaking. 

"I'm not going back, and these Decepticons are not going to Cybertron," 

"I'm missing something," Ratchet spoke. 

Again, Drift turned to look at Hina once more and she could feel the ping of regret in his spark before he looked back at the doctor, his dentas clutched. "I'm not. I'm making a difference out here, Ratchet. I'm saving people, saving lives!"

"So I've heard. You've been busy," Ratchet acknowledged as he took a look around the ship. He rose his servo to a exposed wire, examining it. "When was the last time you went in for repairs?"

"The shuttles fine," Drift answered quickly. 

Okay, that's it. Hina had enough of this. Her hold on his servo tightened as she rose her free servo to cup his chin, forcing him to look at her. "He wasn't talking about the shuttle," she stated,her voice stern. 

It was then the femme saw a sort of twinkle in his optics. It was as if his spark was crying out for help, and his physical form desperately wanted to, but something inside him wasn't allowing it. "Hina. . . I---" he shut his optics, lowering his helm again as if he was ashamed to look at her. 

"Drift," Hina spoke softly, stepping closer to him as she gently pulled his face back up to face her, a look of concern on her features. "What's become of you?"