Don't Save Me Ch. 8
Summary: Bumblebee tries to befriend the new femme and Prowl realizes his creation is closer than he thought
Rating: PG 13
Warning: bad language (that doesn't need a warning does it?), mention of past violence/trauma
"Hi, I'm Bumblebee."
The Decepticon onlined her optics at the sound of the static filled voice. It was the Autobot she saw before when she was trying to outrun the Decepticons that found her.
She narrowed her optics at him. She had the feeling that she had seen him before, back on Cybertron.
"You look familiar" she said then turned away.
Bumblebee felt his wings droop when she looked away. He was hoping he could have someone to talk to. Sighing, he walked away from the cell and leaned against the wall of the brig. Glancing back at the Decepticon he could see her optics dimmed as she was lost in her own world. With another sigh, Bee turned on the radio to fill the silence.
Through dimmed optics the Decepticon watched the Autobot out of the corner of her eye. Where had she seen him? She could tell that they were in the same age group so she should at least have some idea who he was. There weren't many transformers younger than her.
Besides there weren't many mechs with a yellow paint scheme and she had no doubt that she had seen him before. But where had she seen him?
So clever whatever
I'm done with these endeavors
Alone I walk the winding way (And here I stay)
It's over no longer
And I feel it growing stronger
I'll live to die another day
Until I fade away
Why give up, Why give in
It's not enough, it never is
So I will go on until the end
We've become desolate
It's not enough, it never is
But I will go one until the end
Her doorwings twitched as the music played. Whoever the mech was he certainly had his music turned up loud enough. At least the song was bearable and it was a nice change from the yelling she had to put up with today.
Surround me, it's easy
To fall apart completely I feel you creeping up again (In my head)
It's over no longer
And I feel it growing colder
I knew this day would come to end
So let this life begin
Why give up, Why give in
It's not enough, it never is
So I will go on until the end
We've become desolate
It's not enough, it never is
But I will go on until the end
I've lost my way
I've lost my way
But I will go on until the end
As she listened to the song, the Decepticon searched her memory banks for any trace of the yellow mech. She knew she'd seen him somewhere… Aha! There it was. Her optics widened as she replayed the memory. He couldn't be that mech could he?
The final fight I'll win
The final fight I'll win
The final fight I'll win
But I will go on until the end
Bumblebee sighed when the song ended. Glancing over at the Decepticon he wondered if he should try talking to her again when he heard tapping noise.
Looking over Bumblebee saw Ratchet, fists on his hips and tapping his foot.
"Having fun are we" Ratchet rumbled.
Bumblebee gave a sheepish smile.
"It was boring" he offered lamely.
Ratchet chuckled. "Go and get some rest Bee. I'll watch our friend for the night."
"I'm not...sczzzzeeee" both bots jumped at the sound of Bumblebee's vocalizer giving out.
Shaking his head, Ratchet made shooing motions with his hands.
"Go Bee. I'll be fine."
Bumblebee glanced over his shoulder at the Decepticon before making his way out of the brig.
Ratchet turned to look at the Decepticon sitting still in the cell. Most mechs would think the femme was recharging, but with his advanced sensors Ratchet knew better.
He walked to the cell controls and shut the energy off. Then went to the cell and went inside. The Decepticon didn't even twitch.
He stood in front of her with his hands on his hips.
"I know you're awake" Ratchet stated. "You can behave while I examine you or I could tie you down and do it."
The Decepticon brightened her optics. This medic had sharp senses. She had expected him to ignore her. But seeing how he was a medic who wouldn't go away and she had no desire to be restrained, it was in her best interest to play nice… for now.
"Do what you like, medic" the femme replied. "I'm not in any condition to stop you and it's pointless to damage myself even more."
"Good. Now in order to finish your examination I'll need to knock you out for a while."
Wait knock her out? "I didn't agree…"
"Nighty night."
Everything went black.
Ratchet watched the femme as her waited for her to regain consciousness. Her repairs had taken longer than he expected. He was surprised by the electrical charge running through her systems. A high charge could be the result of arousal in a bot if they were being stimulated, but if nothing was done the charge could become painful. Usually if a bot had a high charge they would either interface or let a friend or mate send EMP pulses in them to release the charge. Another way to get rid of the charge was to use excessive amounts of energy. The femme had so much charge in her systems and no way to get rid of it, she had to be in pain.
After getting rid of her charge he checked the welds and finished the systems check he started earlier, but stopped when he realized who the femme's creator was. Then after the tests were complete he removed the dents and scratches in her armor.
He wondered what would happen to the femme now. If what Ironhide had told him was true, she couldn't return to the Decepticons. Optimus would offer her immunity, but would she take it? And if she did would she really be safe around them? Would they be safe with her? And would her presence cause more harm to Prowl's psyche or somehow fix it?
Ratchet listened as the femme's systems came online one at a time. Hopefully now he would get a little chat.
The Decepticon felt her systems come online. The last thing she remembered was having the medic in the cell with her. She onlined her optics slowly. She met the gaze of a very grumpy medic.
"I hope you feel better" the medic snapped.
She narrowed her optics as a growl rose from her throat. First, the medic had the nerve to knock her out and now he was going to get insolent with her?
"Don't you growl at me youngling" Ratchet warned. "You wouldn't stand a chance n your condition and you know it."
Damn this Autobot. "Doesn't mean I wouldn't try" she said. "You're done with my repairs so get out."
Ratchet snorted. "You have some nerve to talk like that to me femme. I'll leave when I'm ready to."
She growled again. This was just wonderful. Now she would have to play the Autobot's games.
"And when will you be ready to leave?" she asked.
"When you answer some questions for me" the Autobot replied.
Ahh, another interrogation. "Very well Autobot. I'm not going anywhere so you might as well ask till your spark's content."
"Do you know who I am?"
The Decepticon snorted. "You're the Autobots' CMO, Ratchet. Highly skilled in medical knowledge and known for your temper. I dare you to find any Transformers who haven't heard your name once."
"Ok then. Next question" Ratchet said. "Who's your sire?"
The Decepticon's optics brightened at the question. Grinning she replied "That's a little personal for an interrogation, don't cha think?"
"Just answer the question" Ratchet snapped.
The Decepticon shrugged. "I don't see how it's any of your business, but the answer to your question is no."
"No? I didn't ask you a yes or no question. I asked you who your sire is, you little…" Ratchet began.
"Don't start yelling at me, Autobot" the Decepticon hissed. "My answer is no. Even if I did know who my sire is, I still wouldn't tell you."
Ratchet paused. If she did know?
"Are you telling me you have no idea who your sire is?" Ratchet questioned.
The Decepticon rolled her optics. "That's what I said, wasn't it? Are you so old you need your audios replaced? If you really want to know who my sire is, why don't you go harass Barricade? Oops, my bad. I meant Prowl."
Ratchet's optics widened. "How do you…"
The Decepticon grinned. "That silver midget that attacked me was very informative. Now do you have any more questions?"
Bumblebee lay on his berth, looking at the ceiling. It didn't take long for his loneliness to set in again. He thought about what would happen to the Decepticon, but no one would tell him. Optimus was in a meeting with Will Lennox and the rest of the humans on base. He thought about asking Ironhide, but he got the feeling if he did Ironhide would use that as an excuse to unleash his cannons on the Decepticon femme. He had asked Jazz earlier. Jazz's response had troubled him to say the least.
Jazz had been so... so cold. He told Bee that he wanted the Con's outer stripped, her body melted down and thrown in a trash compacter. Jazz wasn't a saint, but Bumblebee never known the saboteur to wish pain onto others. It scared him. Maybe Jazz's disdain for the femme came from the fact Prowl was her creator.
Jazz and Prowl had been together since Bumblebee could remember. Jazz was devastated when Prowl was captured. Optimus had to keep Jazz in the brig to keep him from running off after Prowl. When they learned Megatron had the black and white reformatted into Barricade, it had nearly broken Jazz. Only Optimus' promise to try to take Barricade into custody to fix him instead of killing him had kept Jazz together.
It was easy to understand why Jazz was hurt, but Prowl was back now and the Decepticon was his daughter. Shouldn't she be allowed to stay? Wouldn't Prowl be angry with everyone if they sent his creation away? Bumblebee knew he would.
Bumblebee sighed. Why did he even care? She was just another Decepticon… who was related to the best tactician the Autobots ever had. Besides he didn't even know her name. Well he did have guard duty today. All day. Maybe he could get her to talk for a little while.
Checking his chronometer Bumblebee decided he better refuel before he reported for duty. With another sigh he stood up and made his way to the rec room to start the day.
"Morning Ratchet"
Ratchet turned away from the Decepticon. "Good morning Bumblebee. Your vocalizer is working I see."
Bumblebee shrugged. "For now it is. With my luck it'll just cut out later"
"If it gives you any more trouble come see me" Ratchet called as he left the room.
Bumblebee turned away from Ratchet's retreating form to see the femme staring at him. Bumblebee shuddered as her gaze never left him. It was as if she could see through his armor to see his soft protoform.
"I remember you" the femme finally said.
Bumblebee cocked his head confused. Is that why she had been staring at him? He didn't remember seeing her before. "Remember me? Where would you have seen me, I don't remember you."
"I would be surprised if you did" the Decepticon replied. "I was there when Megatron ripped out your vocalizer."
"You were there?"
She snorted. "Yes. Though I suppose you wouldn't notice after all the energon you lost being smart with Barricade. You're lucky Megatron thought it would be amusing to leave you alive to tease Optimus Prime."
"I… Shzzeeee" Bumblebee choked as his vocalizer decided to cut out again.
The Decepticon cocked her head. "Does that happen often?"
Bumblebee shrugged.
The Decepticon sighed. Now it would be a one-sided conversation if the mech couldn't talk.
"How do you communicate with your team if you voice keeps glitching?" she asked.
Bumblebee shuttered his optics and thought of a way to explain his use of the radio for talking. After thinking for a few minutes Bumblebee face palmed. How stupid was he? All he had to was turn the damn thing on.
The Decepticon listened carefully as Bumblebee played music out of his speakers again. What was this Autobot's problem? She had asked him to explain how he participated in a unit with no real way to communicate, not play on the radio. Listening, carefully she realized that he was picking out parts of the songs and broadcasts to make him understood. He used this method to 'talk' to the people around him.
"You talk through the radio. That is clever, for an Autobot anyway."
Bumblebee chirped at this. The femme had complimented him. An offhand compliment meant to be an insult, sure, but it was still the compliment.
Using the radio, Bumblebee asked "More?"
The Decepticon smirked. She would indulge this, what was his name; Bumblebee. Besides, she had nothing else to do. Maybe it would be somewhat entertaining.
"Sure why not the hell not, Autobot."
-Should I do this?-
-I have to. I have to know-
Prowl walked uncertainly towards the medbay. If anyone would tell him anything, it would be Ratchet. He would. He considered asking Jazz, but after the slight brush-off he received from his mate a few minutes ago in the rec room he knew Jazz wouldn't tell him anything. Ratchet would tell him though. He had to.
After his break down yesterday, Jazz had held him till he fell into recharge. He didn't remember anything else. Except the truth he had been denying for months. He was Barricade. He didn't choose it, but still… He was haunted by memories, but maybe now he would be able to get through a night without waking up screaming.
Lost in thought, it took Prowl a few minutes to realize he was standing outside of the medbay doors. For a moment, Prowl considered walking away and pretending he never had this doubt, but he couldn't. Not when his spark felt a familiar pull that wasn't his bondmate. He sighed as he thought about the events that made him decide to seek out the grumpy medic for answers.
It was that pull that woke him this morning. He onlined to see Jazz staring with concern at him.
"Jazz?" he rasped.
"It's alright Prowler. I have ta go soon, Prowl. Optimus is havin' a meeting and I can't skip. I'll only be gone for a little while and when I get back we can get some energon 'kay?"
Prowl nodded. "Kay."
Jazz smiled and put his hand on Prowl's face. "I'll be back soon Prowler. Just get some rest."
After Jazz had left, Prowl felt another tug on his spark. He was certain it wasn't his mate. Prowl spent the next three hours lying on the berth trying to remember something from last night. All he could come up with were faces and names of bots he knew. One face in particular stuck out to him. A face and a flash of white armor. Then he felt another pull on his spark. This time it was much stronger, almost as if someone was calling him. As soon as the feeling came, it slipped away.
Prowl frowned he knew this wasn't normal and if something was wrong with his spark. Sighing, Prowl got up and decided it was time to meet Jazz in the rec room.
Prowl entered the rec room and looked around. He wasn't surprised to see Sideswipe and Jolt in a corner keeping each other 'occupied'. On the other side of the room the Arcees were talking to some of the soldiers on break. The rec room always had someone in it.
Prowl checked his chronometer and chuckled to himself when he noticed Jazz was late. Knowing Jazz was never one for punctuality, Prowl decided to get a cube and wait for the extra ten minutes it would take his mate to arrive.
Now sitting with his cube, Prowl watched the Arcees and the blue one became agitated. The other two tried to soothe their sister, but she was having none of it.
"No!" the blue femme shouted as all eyes turned to stare at what would be the new juicy gossip on base. "This is bullshit!"
"Sister please" the pink Arcee begged. "Sit down you're making a scene."
"So what? Prime has lost his mind if he thinks I'll…"
"What Prime thinks isn't your business" the purple femme cut in. "If he tells you to do guard duty, then you'll do guard duty. Now stop bitching. It's undignified."
"I'll bitch as much as I want if I have to waste my time babysitting some Decepticon femme who does nothing but sleep all day!" the blue one yelled.
Prowl sat in shock as the purple and pink Arcees dragged their sister out the room. A Decepticon femme, on base? But there was only on femme he knew of and she was… Uncertain, Prowl reached out with his spark. He followed a weak connection on his spark, but was met with a block. Pulling back, Prowl frowned. If he could feel a block, does that mean the pulling on his spark was her?
"Prowler?"
Prowl turned to see Jazz. Jazz must have come up while he was distracted. If there was a Decepticon on base, Jazz would know. But could he ask him? Prowl hadn't forgotten Jazz's reaction the other day when he learned that.. That he had a child.
"Prowl?" Jazz asked. He felt nervousness and unease pouring over their bond in waves. "Prowler, what's wrong? Talk ta me, love."
Prowl looked over. "Jazz I need you to tell me something."
"Anythin' Prowl, ya know that. What's wrong?" Jazz frowned at the question. He could feel Prowl's anxiety through the bond, but he couldn't sense what was bothering his mate so much. It worried him.
Prowl locked optics with Jazz. It was now or never.
"Jazz, is there a Decepticon being kept on base?"
Behind his visor, Jazz shuttered his optics a couple times. He knew it wouldn't take Prowl long to hear about the Decepticon's presence on base. What he couldn't figure out was why that would bother Prowl so much, it wasn't like the Autobots had never had a Decepticon in the brig before. Granted, this time they were on a new planet and the base had humans in it.
"Yeah, Prowl. A Decepticon was put in the brig right after we came back from responding to Bumblebee's distress call the other day."
"Jazz I have to know. Is the Decepticon a femme? A femme with white armor and doorwings? Please love. I need to know." Prowl begged with wide optics.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Prowl sighed as he stood in front of the doors. Jazz had told him not to worry about it. That he was still on light duty and he should use the time to rest. He knew Jazz was worried, but he didn't need rest goddammit. He needed an answer.
"How long have you been standing in front of my door?"
Prowl turned to see Ratchet glaring at him with his typical why are all these bots suicidal look. Prowl vented air quietly as he mentally prepared himself for the conversation he would have with the medic. "I need to talk to you."
"Obviously" Ratchet huffed. "Or you wouldn't be standing in front of my door. What do you want?"
"I would prefer to talk somewhere more private than a hallway."
Ratchet scowled as he watched Prowl fidget. Dimmed optics and lowered doorwings suggested that Prowl hadn't recharged well and was under stress. Stress was the last thing Prowl needed right now, whatever was bothering the mech it wasn't good for him.
"Come on" Ratchet said as he opened the med bay doors and stepped inside. He waited for the doors to close before turning to face Prowl.
"Now tell me what's wrong" Ratchet said gently, losing his gruff tone. He had known Prowl for a long time and even though they tended to get on each other's nerves, he considered Prowl a friend.
"Ratchet you know about the Decepticon on base, don't you?" Prowl asked. Ratchet was eloquently blunt. He knew Ratchet wouldn't dodge the subject. Not with him.
"Yes Prowl. I've been down to examine her. She's been a little beat up, but it's nothing that won't fix itself in a day or two." Ratchet understood what Prowl wanted now.
Prowl was probably feeling the creator bond between himself and the femme. When sparklings are born, they have a bond between with their creators. As the sparkling gets closer to adulthood, the bond between child and parents would fade away unless the sparkling became injured or was under extreme emotional distress. The femme must be unconsciously calling out to Prowl for comfort through their bond.
"You believe she might be your creation so you want me to describe her to you" Ratchet stated.
Prowl nodded. "Yes."
"She has white armor and large sensory panels on her back. I took a reading of her spark signature. She's yours Prowl."
"She is, she's alive, she's…" Prowl broke off, trembling.
Ratchet wrapped his arms around the shaking black and white.
"What do I do? What do I do Ratchet?" Ratchet wished he knew.
Prowl continued to tremble in Ratchet's embrace. What was he supposed to do now? His creation, his child was here. She wasn't with the Decepticons. She was alive. The Autobots had captured her.
She was here.
Rating: PG 13
Warning: bad language (that doesn't need a warning does it?), mention of past violence/trauma
"Hi, I'm Bumblebee."
The Decepticon onlined her optics at the sound of the static filled voice. It was the Autobot she saw before when she was trying to outrun the Decepticons that found her.
She narrowed her optics at him. She had the feeling that she had seen him before, back on Cybertron.
"You look familiar" she said then turned away.
Bumblebee felt his wings droop when she looked away. He was hoping he could have someone to talk to. Sighing, he walked away from the cell and leaned against the wall of the brig. Glancing back at the Decepticon he could see her optics dimmed as she was lost in her own world. With another sigh, Bee turned on the radio to fill the silence.
Through dimmed optics the Decepticon watched the Autobot out of the corner of her eye. Where had she seen him? She could tell that they were in the same age group so she should at least have some idea who he was. There weren't many transformers younger than her.
Besides there weren't many mechs with a yellow paint scheme and she had no doubt that she had seen him before. But where had she seen him?
So clever whatever
I'm done with these endeavors
Alone I walk the winding way (And here I stay)
It's over no longer
And I feel it growing stronger
I'll live to die another day
Until I fade away
Why give up, Why give in
It's not enough, it never is
So I will go on until the end
We've become desolate
It's not enough, it never is
But I will go one until the end
Her doorwings twitched as the music played. Whoever the mech was he certainly had his music turned up loud enough. At least the song was bearable and it was a nice change from the yelling she had to put up with today.
Surround me, it's easy
To fall apart completely I feel you creeping up again (In my head)
It's over no longer
And I feel it growing colder
I knew this day would come to end
So let this life begin
Why give up, Why give in
It's not enough, it never is
So I will go on until the end
We've become desolate
It's not enough, it never is
But I will go on until the end
I've lost my way
I've lost my way
But I will go on until the end
As she listened to the song, the Decepticon searched her memory banks for any trace of the yellow mech. She knew she'd seen him somewhere… Aha! There it was. Her optics widened as she replayed the memory. He couldn't be that mech could he?
The final fight I'll win
The final fight I'll win
The final fight I'll win
But I will go on until the end
Bumblebee sighed when the song ended. Glancing over at the Decepticon he wondered if he should try talking to her again when he heard tapping noise.
Looking over Bumblebee saw Ratchet, fists on his hips and tapping his foot.
"Having fun are we" Ratchet rumbled.
Bumblebee gave a sheepish smile.
"It was boring" he offered lamely.
Ratchet chuckled. "Go and get some rest Bee. I'll watch our friend for the night."
"I'm not...sczzzzeeee" both bots jumped at the sound of Bumblebee's vocalizer giving out.
Shaking his head, Ratchet made shooing motions with his hands.
"Go Bee. I'll be fine."
Bumblebee glanced over his shoulder at the Decepticon before making his way out of the brig.
Ratchet turned to look at the Decepticon sitting still in the cell. Most mechs would think the femme was recharging, but with his advanced sensors Ratchet knew better.
He walked to the cell controls and shut the energy off. Then went to the cell and went inside. The Decepticon didn't even twitch.
He stood in front of her with his hands on his hips.
"I know you're awake" Ratchet stated. "You can behave while I examine you or I could tie you down and do it."
The Decepticon brightened her optics. This medic had sharp senses. She had expected him to ignore her. But seeing how he was a medic who wouldn't go away and she had no desire to be restrained, it was in her best interest to play nice… for now.
"Do what you like, medic" the femme replied. "I'm not in any condition to stop you and it's pointless to damage myself even more."
"Good. Now in order to finish your examination I'll need to knock you out for a while."
Wait knock her out? "I didn't agree…"
"Nighty night."
Everything went black.
Ratchet watched the femme as her waited for her to regain consciousness. Her repairs had taken longer than he expected. He was surprised by the electrical charge running through her systems. A high charge could be the result of arousal in a bot if they were being stimulated, but if nothing was done the charge could become painful. Usually if a bot had a high charge they would either interface or let a friend or mate send EMP pulses in them to release the charge. Another way to get rid of the charge was to use excessive amounts of energy. The femme had so much charge in her systems and no way to get rid of it, she had to be in pain.
After getting rid of her charge he checked the welds and finished the systems check he started earlier, but stopped when he realized who the femme's creator was. Then after the tests were complete he removed the dents and scratches in her armor.
He wondered what would happen to the femme now. If what Ironhide had told him was true, she couldn't return to the Decepticons. Optimus would offer her immunity, but would she take it? And if she did would she really be safe around them? Would they be safe with her? And would her presence cause more harm to Prowl's psyche or somehow fix it?
Ratchet listened as the femme's systems came online one at a time. Hopefully now he would get a little chat.
The Decepticon felt her systems come online. The last thing she remembered was having the medic in the cell with her. She onlined her optics slowly. She met the gaze of a very grumpy medic.
"I hope you feel better" the medic snapped.
She narrowed her optics as a growl rose from her throat. First, the medic had the nerve to knock her out and now he was going to get insolent with her?
"Don't you growl at me youngling" Ratchet warned. "You wouldn't stand a chance n your condition and you know it."
Damn this Autobot. "Doesn't mean I wouldn't try" she said. "You're done with my repairs so get out."
Ratchet snorted. "You have some nerve to talk like that to me femme. I'll leave when I'm ready to."
She growled again. This was just wonderful. Now she would have to play the Autobot's games.
"And when will you be ready to leave?" she asked.
"When you answer some questions for me" the Autobot replied.
Ahh, another interrogation. "Very well Autobot. I'm not going anywhere so you might as well ask till your spark's content."
"Do you know who I am?"
The Decepticon snorted. "You're the Autobots' CMO, Ratchet. Highly skilled in medical knowledge and known for your temper. I dare you to find any Transformers who haven't heard your name once."
"Ok then. Next question" Ratchet said. "Who's your sire?"
The Decepticon's optics brightened at the question. Grinning she replied "That's a little personal for an interrogation, don't cha think?"
"Just answer the question" Ratchet snapped.
The Decepticon shrugged. "I don't see how it's any of your business, but the answer to your question is no."
"No? I didn't ask you a yes or no question. I asked you who your sire is, you little…" Ratchet began.
"Don't start yelling at me, Autobot" the Decepticon hissed. "My answer is no. Even if I did know who my sire is, I still wouldn't tell you."
Ratchet paused. If she did know?
"Are you telling me you have no idea who your sire is?" Ratchet questioned.
The Decepticon rolled her optics. "That's what I said, wasn't it? Are you so old you need your audios replaced? If you really want to know who my sire is, why don't you go harass Barricade? Oops, my bad. I meant Prowl."
Ratchet's optics widened. "How do you…"
The Decepticon grinned. "That silver midget that attacked me was very informative. Now do you have any more questions?"
Bumblebee lay on his berth, looking at the ceiling. It didn't take long for his loneliness to set in again. He thought about what would happen to the Decepticon, but no one would tell him. Optimus was in a meeting with Will Lennox and the rest of the humans on base. He thought about asking Ironhide, but he got the feeling if he did Ironhide would use that as an excuse to unleash his cannons on the Decepticon femme. He had asked Jazz earlier. Jazz's response had troubled him to say the least.
Jazz had been so... so cold. He told Bee that he wanted the Con's outer stripped, her body melted down and thrown in a trash compacter. Jazz wasn't a saint, but Bumblebee never known the saboteur to wish pain onto others. It scared him. Maybe Jazz's disdain for the femme came from the fact Prowl was her creator.
Jazz and Prowl had been together since Bumblebee could remember. Jazz was devastated when Prowl was captured. Optimus had to keep Jazz in the brig to keep him from running off after Prowl. When they learned Megatron had the black and white reformatted into Barricade, it had nearly broken Jazz. Only Optimus' promise to try to take Barricade into custody to fix him instead of killing him had kept Jazz together.
It was easy to understand why Jazz was hurt, but Prowl was back now and the Decepticon was his daughter. Shouldn't she be allowed to stay? Wouldn't Prowl be angry with everyone if they sent his creation away? Bumblebee knew he would.
Bumblebee sighed. Why did he even care? She was just another Decepticon… who was related to the best tactician the Autobots ever had. Besides he didn't even know her name. Well he did have guard duty today. All day. Maybe he could get her to talk for a little while.
Checking his chronometer Bumblebee decided he better refuel before he reported for duty. With another sigh he stood up and made his way to the rec room to start the day.
"Morning Ratchet"
Ratchet turned away from the Decepticon. "Good morning Bumblebee. Your vocalizer is working I see."
Bumblebee shrugged. "For now it is. With my luck it'll just cut out later"
"If it gives you any more trouble come see me" Ratchet called as he left the room.
Bumblebee turned away from Ratchet's retreating form to see the femme staring at him. Bumblebee shuddered as her gaze never left him. It was as if she could see through his armor to see his soft protoform.
"I remember you" the femme finally said.
Bumblebee cocked his head confused. Is that why she had been staring at him? He didn't remember seeing her before. "Remember me? Where would you have seen me, I don't remember you."
"I would be surprised if you did" the Decepticon replied. "I was there when Megatron ripped out your vocalizer."
"You were there?"
She snorted. "Yes. Though I suppose you wouldn't notice after all the energon you lost being smart with Barricade. You're lucky Megatron thought it would be amusing to leave you alive to tease Optimus Prime."
"I… Shzzeeee" Bumblebee choked as his vocalizer decided to cut out again.
The Decepticon cocked her head. "Does that happen often?"
Bumblebee shrugged.
The Decepticon sighed. Now it would be a one-sided conversation if the mech couldn't talk.
"How do you communicate with your team if you voice keeps glitching?" she asked.
Bumblebee shuttered his optics and thought of a way to explain his use of the radio for talking. After thinking for a few minutes Bumblebee face palmed. How stupid was he? All he had to was turn the damn thing on.
The Decepticon listened carefully as Bumblebee played music out of his speakers again. What was this Autobot's problem? She had asked him to explain how he participated in a unit with no real way to communicate, not play on the radio. Listening, carefully she realized that he was picking out parts of the songs and broadcasts to make him understood. He used this method to 'talk' to the people around him.
"You talk through the radio. That is clever, for an Autobot anyway."
Bumblebee chirped at this. The femme had complimented him. An offhand compliment meant to be an insult, sure, but it was still the compliment.
Using the radio, Bumblebee asked "More?"
The Decepticon smirked. She would indulge this, what was his name; Bumblebee. Besides, she had nothing else to do. Maybe it would be somewhat entertaining.
"Sure why not the hell not, Autobot."
-Should I do this?-
-I have to. I have to know-
Prowl walked uncertainly towards the medbay. If anyone would tell him anything, it would be Ratchet. He would. He considered asking Jazz, but after the slight brush-off he received from his mate a few minutes ago in the rec room he knew Jazz wouldn't tell him anything. Ratchet would tell him though. He had to.
After his break down yesterday, Jazz had held him till he fell into recharge. He didn't remember anything else. Except the truth he had been denying for months. He was Barricade. He didn't choose it, but still… He was haunted by memories, but maybe now he would be able to get through a night without waking up screaming.
Lost in thought, it took Prowl a few minutes to realize he was standing outside of the medbay doors. For a moment, Prowl considered walking away and pretending he never had this doubt, but he couldn't. Not when his spark felt a familiar pull that wasn't his bondmate. He sighed as he thought about the events that made him decide to seek out the grumpy medic for answers.
It was that pull that woke him this morning. He onlined to see Jazz staring with concern at him.
"Jazz?" he rasped.
"It's alright Prowler. I have ta go soon, Prowl. Optimus is havin' a meeting and I can't skip. I'll only be gone for a little while and when I get back we can get some energon 'kay?"
Prowl nodded. "Kay."
Jazz smiled and put his hand on Prowl's face. "I'll be back soon Prowler. Just get some rest."
After Jazz had left, Prowl felt another tug on his spark. He was certain it wasn't his mate. Prowl spent the next three hours lying on the berth trying to remember something from last night. All he could come up with were faces and names of bots he knew. One face in particular stuck out to him. A face and a flash of white armor. Then he felt another pull on his spark. This time it was much stronger, almost as if someone was calling him. As soon as the feeling came, it slipped away.
Prowl frowned he knew this wasn't normal and if something was wrong with his spark. Sighing, Prowl got up and decided it was time to meet Jazz in the rec room.
Prowl entered the rec room and looked around. He wasn't surprised to see Sideswipe and Jolt in a corner keeping each other 'occupied'. On the other side of the room the Arcees were talking to some of the soldiers on break. The rec room always had someone in it.
Prowl checked his chronometer and chuckled to himself when he noticed Jazz was late. Knowing Jazz was never one for punctuality, Prowl decided to get a cube and wait for the extra ten minutes it would take his mate to arrive.
Now sitting with his cube, Prowl watched the Arcees and the blue one became agitated. The other two tried to soothe their sister, but she was having none of it.
"No!" the blue femme shouted as all eyes turned to stare at what would be the new juicy gossip on base. "This is bullshit!"
"Sister please" the pink Arcee begged. "Sit down you're making a scene."
"So what? Prime has lost his mind if he thinks I'll…"
"What Prime thinks isn't your business" the purple femme cut in. "If he tells you to do guard duty, then you'll do guard duty. Now stop bitching. It's undignified."
"I'll bitch as much as I want if I have to waste my time babysitting some Decepticon femme who does nothing but sleep all day!" the blue one yelled.
Prowl sat in shock as the purple and pink Arcees dragged their sister out the room. A Decepticon femme, on base? But there was only on femme he knew of and she was… Uncertain, Prowl reached out with his spark. He followed a weak connection on his spark, but was met with a block. Pulling back, Prowl frowned. If he could feel a block, does that mean the pulling on his spark was her?
"Prowler?"
Prowl turned to see Jazz. Jazz must have come up while he was distracted. If there was a Decepticon on base, Jazz would know. But could he ask him? Prowl hadn't forgotten Jazz's reaction the other day when he learned that.. That he had a child.
"Prowl?" Jazz asked. He felt nervousness and unease pouring over their bond in waves. "Prowler, what's wrong? Talk ta me, love."
Prowl looked over. "Jazz I need you to tell me something."
"Anythin' Prowl, ya know that. What's wrong?" Jazz frowned at the question. He could feel Prowl's anxiety through the bond, but he couldn't sense what was bothering his mate so much. It worried him.
Prowl locked optics with Jazz. It was now or never.
"Jazz, is there a Decepticon being kept on base?"
Behind his visor, Jazz shuttered his optics a couple times. He knew it wouldn't take Prowl long to hear about the Decepticon's presence on base. What he couldn't figure out was why that would bother Prowl so much, it wasn't like the Autobots had never had a Decepticon in the brig before. Granted, this time they were on a new planet and the base had humans in it.
"Yeah, Prowl. A Decepticon was put in the brig right after we came back from responding to Bumblebee's distress call the other day."
"Jazz I have to know. Is the Decepticon a femme? A femme with white armor and doorwings? Please love. I need to know." Prowl begged with wide optics.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Prowl sighed as he stood in front of the doors. Jazz had told him not to worry about it. That he was still on light duty and he should use the time to rest. He knew Jazz was worried, but he didn't need rest goddammit. He needed an answer.
"How long have you been standing in front of my door?"
Prowl turned to see Ratchet glaring at him with his typical why are all these bots suicidal look. Prowl vented air quietly as he mentally prepared himself for the conversation he would have with the medic. "I need to talk to you."
"Obviously" Ratchet huffed. "Or you wouldn't be standing in front of my door. What do you want?"
"I would prefer to talk somewhere more private than a hallway."
Ratchet scowled as he watched Prowl fidget. Dimmed optics and lowered doorwings suggested that Prowl hadn't recharged well and was under stress. Stress was the last thing Prowl needed right now, whatever was bothering the mech it wasn't good for him.
"Come on" Ratchet said as he opened the med bay doors and stepped inside. He waited for the doors to close before turning to face Prowl.
"Now tell me what's wrong" Ratchet said gently, losing his gruff tone. He had known Prowl for a long time and even though they tended to get on each other's nerves, he considered Prowl a friend.
"Ratchet you know about the Decepticon on base, don't you?" Prowl asked. Ratchet was eloquently blunt. He knew Ratchet wouldn't dodge the subject. Not with him.
"Yes Prowl. I've been down to examine her. She's been a little beat up, but it's nothing that won't fix itself in a day or two." Ratchet understood what Prowl wanted now.
Prowl was probably feeling the creator bond between himself and the femme. When sparklings are born, they have a bond between with their creators. As the sparkling gets closer to adulthood, the bond between child and parents would fade away unless the sparkling became injured or was under extreme emotional distress. The femme must be unconsciously calling out to Prowl for comfort through their bond.
"You believe she might be your creation so you want me to describe her to you" Ratchet stated.
Prowl nodded. "Yes."
"She has white armor and large sensory panels on her back. I took a reading of her spark signature. She's yours Prowl."
"She is, she's alive, she's…" Prowl broke off, trembling.
Ratchet wrapped his arms around the shaking black and white.
"What do I do? What do I do Ratchet?" Ratchet wished he knew.
Prowl continued to tremble in Ratchet's embrace. What was he supposed to do now? His creation, his child was here. She wasn't with the Decepticons. She was alive. The Autobots had captured her.
She was here.