Glances Into a Spark - Sacrifice
Title: Glances Into a Spark - Sacrifice
Fandom: Transformers
Characters/pairings: ensemble
Rating: PG
Summary: Oneshots about any and possibly all of the movie cast, and then some.
Warnings: language
Notes: Old writing, in it's mostly original format (very minor corrections may have been made)
Table of Contents
o o o
Theme #57: Sacrifice
o o o
Ratchet was on point as they crossed the desert, sirens wailing in the chill morning air, warning the few humans on the road out of their way. Jazz followed the huge form of Optimus, Ironhide filling his review mirrors (and weren't those the most useless additions he'd ever carried in vehicular form.)
The Solstice's processors were in overdrive, churning over the most recent developments in their situation. He kept coming back to two points - Bumblebee's capture, and their Prime's words at the observatory behind them. But the latter was slowly and surely edging out the former. He could deal with Bumblebee being gone - grudgingly, and angrily, but he could deal.
Optimus Prime being dead was an entirely different matter.
Unable to keep quiet any longer, Jazz tapped into a little-used, heavily encrypted frequency, a direct link to Optimus Prime that Jazz shared with only four other Cybertronians in the universe - one dead, one insane, and the other two far beyond the range of communication. "Jazzimus Prime isn't a title I ever wanted to carry," he said casually, trying to hide the sense of abandonment and despair that had fallen over his emotions since they left the observatory.
There was a brief hesitance from the truck. "Don't think it would suit you?" Optimus asked mildly.
"The title of 'Prime' doesn't suit any of us," Jazz replied flatly.
There was an impression of a sigh through the connection. "What would you have me do, Jazz?" Optimus asked, and Jazz ached, because there was no demand in the Prime's voice, only weariness. "This war must end, and only the destruction of the Allspark will ensure that. I will not allow another world to fall to our war, and I will not ask one of you to make this sacrifice in my stead."
"We would," Jazz answered tightly. "Any one of us."
"I know."
"Optimus, don't," Jazz all but pleaded, and he hated himself for sounding like a whinging sparkling, but somewhere along the line, Optimus had gone from a leader to his friend. "I'll take the Allspark, Ironhide would take it, Ratchet wou-"
"And I will not ask any of you to do so," Optimus cut him off. "This isn't 'just another suicide mission', Jazz. What I'm planning borders on blasphemy at the very least. To even contemplate destroying that which gave us life-"
"You think that matters to us?" Jazz snapped. "Maybe way back when, yeah, it would've mattered." It would have more than mattered, at the start of the war. Had Optimus suggested this early on, Jazz probably would have killed the leader himself to prevent such an event. Amazing how time changed one's priorities. "We're not following you for the good of Cybertron," Jazz continued. "We're following you because you're Optimus Prime, and you're our leader and our friend. The Autobots are nothing-"
"No," Optimus said, almost harsh. "No. If all we have fought for can be thrown away just to save my life, then we have failed. I am not consummate, Jazz."
They drove in silence for a time, the sun creeping higher in the sky, warming the day. Finally, Jazz spoke again. "I'll take the Matrix," he said quietly. "I'll carry the thing, I'll even accept being called 'Prime'. But only under two conditions." There was a question in Optimus' silence that Jazz took as permission to continue. "I won't keep it forever. If Prowl or Ultra Magnus show up, or even if Ratchet asks real nice, I'll hand it over. Despite what you say, I think after so long with you, the Matrix wouldn't be all that happy with 'a slag-sucking spy who slits energon lines in the night'."
"You underestimate yourself," Optimus murmured, a hint of amusement in his tone.
"Pot, kettle, black," Jazz shot back, not bothering to explain the human saying. "Second condition: you have to beat me to the Allspark."
"Absolutely not."
"Absolutely. If I get to it first, it's my spark that's getting it. And you can't order me not to - if I'm dead, I'm not too afraid of whatever punishment you might dream up." Jazz couldn't tell if Optimus was more annoyed at his words or the smug tone he used. "Race you there, Optimus."
There was a moment of stunned silence, before Optimus let out a tired chuckle. "Fine. A race."
Fandom: Transformers
Characters/pairings: ensemble
Rating: PG
Summary: Oneshots about any and possibly all of the movie cast, and then some.
Warnings: language
Notes: Old writing, in it's mostly original format (very minor corrections may have been made)
Table of Contents
o o o
Theme #57: Sacrifice
o o o
Ratchet was on point as they crossed the desert, sirens wailing in the chill morning air, warning the few humans on the road out of their way. Jazz followed the huge form of Optimus, Ironhide filling his review mirrors (and weren't those the most useless additions he'd ever carried in vehicular form.)
The Solstice's processors were in overdrive, churning over the most recent developments in their situation. He kept coming back to two points - Bumblebee's capture, and their Prime's words at the observatory behind them. But the latter was slowly and surely edging out the former. He could deal with Bumblebee being gone - grudgingly, and angrily, but he could deal.
Optimus Prime being dead was an entirely different matter.
Unable to keep quiet any longer, Jazz tapped into a little-used, heavily encrypted frequency, a direct link to Optimus Prime that Jazz shared with only four other Cybertronians in the universe - one dead, one insane, and the other two far beyond the range of communication. "Jazzimus Prime isn't a title I ever wanted to carry," he said casually, trying to hide the sense of abandonment and despair that had fallen over his emotions since they left the observatory.
There was a brief hesitance from the truck. "Don't think it would suit you?" Optimus asked mildly.
"The title of 'Prime' doesn't suit any of us," Jazz replied flatly.
There was an impression of a sigh through the connection. "What would you have me do, Jazz?" Optimus asked, and Jazz ached, because there was no demand in the Prime's voice, only weariness. "This war must end, and only the destruction of the Allspark will ensure that. I will not allow another world to fall to our war, and I will not ask one of you to make this sacrifice in my stead."
"We would," Jazz answered tightly. "Any one of us."
"I know."
"Optimus, don't," Jazz all but pleaded, and he hated himself for sounding like a whinging sparkling, but somewhere along the line, Optimus had gone from a leader to his friend. "I'll take the Allspark, Ironhide would take it, Ratchet wou-"
"And I will not ask any of you to do so," Optimus cut him off. "This isn't 'just another suicide mission', Jazz. What I'm planning borders on blasphemy at the very least. To even contemplate destroying that which gave us life-"
"You think that matters to us?" Jazz snapped. "Maybe way back when, yeah, it would've mattered." It would have more than mattered, at the start of the war. Had Optimus suggested this early on, Jazz probably would have killed the leader himself to prevent such an event. Amazing how time changed one's priorities. "We're not following you for the good of Cybertron," Jazz continued. "We're following you because you're Optimus Prime, and you're our leader and our friend. The Autobots are nothing-"
"No," Optimus said, almost harsh. "No. If all we have fought for can be thrown away just to save my life, then we have failed. I am not consummate, Jazz."
They drove in silence for a time, the sun creeping higher in the sky, warming the day. Finally, Jazz spoke again. "I'll take the Matrix," he said quietly. "I'll carry the thing, I'll even accept being called 'Prime'. But only under two conditions." There was a question in Optimus' silence that Jazz took as permission to continue. "I won't keep it forever. If Prowl or Ultra Magnus show up, or even if Ratchet asks real nice, I'll hand it over. Despite what you say, I think after so long with you, the Matrix wouldn't be all that happy with 'a slag-sucking spy who slits energon lines in the night'."
"You underestimate yourself," Optimus murmured, a hint of amusement in his tone.
"Pot, kettle, black," Jazz shot back, not bothering to explain the human saying. "Second condition: you have to beat me to the Allspark."
"Absolutely not."
"Absolutely. If I get to it first, it's my spark that's getting it. And you can't order me not to - if I'm dead, I'm not too afraid of whatever punishment you might dream up." Jazz couldn't tell if Optimus was more annoyed at his words or the smug tone he used. "Race you there, Optimus."
There was a moment of stunned silence, before Optimus let out a tired chuckle. "Fine. A race."