Skywarp's limbs are gone. He is a torso with cables clinging to him from every direction. The glass of his cockpit has been torn away leaving his inners exposed to the world. He's about as close to being "naked" as a Cybertronian can get. Thundercracker feels a compassionate pity for his fellow seeker, as Skywarp's freedom has been stripped from him. No one deserves to be reduced to a piece of hardware against a wall.
It was hard enough just looking at his condition, but the change that concerned Thundercracker the most was the silence. Skywarp was a talkative person. Very loud and at times abrasive. A joker and a prankster. Now that he was forcefully integrated with Teletraan-1, the once vibrant mech has very little to say. Or perhaps the physical trauma had left him with trouble speaking.
Either way, Thundercracker wished Skywarp would talk to him more. He wants to know what he's thinking. What is he feeling? Is he lonely? Angry? Scared? Is he in pain? How bad is it? Does he feel anything at all?
There is a way for Thundercracker to get those answers, and that would be through interfacing. He could extract the information he's seeking while simultaneously providing Skywarp a deeper comfort that is felt rather than simply heard.
This would mean more outside cords connecting to Skywarp's ports. Another intrusion into his body that, although familiar, may not be something he necessarily wants at the moment. It wouldn't be without purpose, though. It's hardly even for pleasure. This is Thundercracker reaching out to his partner in the most direct and intimate manner.
Thundercracker takes one of his own cables and inserts its end into an exposed port hole on Skywarp's midsection. Then he reaches into Skywarp’s open chest to retrieve a cable from within, and feeds it into his port. Completing the circuit.
Before he could link to Skywarp's internal systems, Teletraan's software dominates the connection. Thundercracker is immediately bombarded with its extensive data storage, environmental analysis details, communication programs, repair and recalibration warnings, security protocols and defense systems... it was overwhelming due to the sheer volume of information pelting into him.
Thundercracker's fans switched on to blow out all the excess heat his body was generating. He felt a little disoriented and unbalanced. His head was beginning to throb in slow pulses. Despite this, he tries to bypass Teletraan's barriers to isolate Skywarp, but it's a challenge to sever the two. They are dependent on each other's circuitry to remain functional.
Too much prodding has Thundercracker flagged by Teletraan as an intruder. The computer starts to push him out, cutting him off from the various programs he never wanted entry to in the first place. It also begins piercing the tiny piece of a connection he managed with Skywarp.
He was being pulled in two directions. Away from Teletraan and towards Skywarp. But as they both currently stand intertwined, it felt like a ping pong of access throwing him back and forth. Skywarp was doing all that he could to latch onto Thundercracker more securely, but this encouraged Teletraan's defensive measures to fight back with a considerable intensity.
The strain of everything forces Thundercracker into a powerful overload. It did not feel pleasant in the slightest. Pain ignited throughout his body. He grunts through clenched teeth while clinging to the console in front of him to prevent himself from collapsing onto the floor. He twitched and trembled with each passing wave of stimulation. Thundercracker could do nothing but wait for enough of it to pass so that he could move again.
It does fade after a long moment, and with shaky hands, Thundercracker reaches between himself and Skywarp to disconnect their cables from each other.
There is an echo of dejection that Thundercracker could feel right before his port is freed. It's not Skywarp's fault. Neither of them are responsible for what Starscream and Soundwave has done to him.
"Don't apologize." Thundercracker tries to keep his discomfort out of his voice. "You'll have your wings back soon. I promise."
