Coherent. Chapter Three. What is this craziness?
Was not expecting this chapter to be written so fast. Not betad, so all mistakes are mine.
Giant robots are not mine however.
In case anyone's confused due to reading Hermit in the Wilds, this is Prowl!Two, the mech who becomes the-enforcer-that-was. Hermit in the Wilds!Prowl is Prowl!Three, completely and crazy insane tactician Prowl. Er. Not like Prowl!One and Prowl!Two don't have their own degrees of insanity....
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Coherent Chapter Three
"Do you really think you can stop me?" Shockwave demands. "This is nothing more than a petty distraction. I have all the time I need until I get this right."
Prowl laughs despite the agony his misfiring pain sensor wreak on his systems. "We're only at the beginning," he assures the drone. "There is so much we are yet to see."
Shockwave pries away another piece of armor, though Prowl's neural net is so dead he doesn't even feel it go. "Your resistance is pointless. I will win this battle."
The Autobot slumps as the virus tore into the next part of his memory core. "It is the only thing left that I can do."
Twist-Drill looks far too pleased with himself as he climbed onto the city shuttle and announced, “Our first stop on our tour round Cybertron is Praxus!”
Unfortunately none of his assigned mentees looked as thrilled as he was. They stared blankly at him as they accessed their preloaded databanks. Finally, ST14415 stirred and said, “The city-state of Praxus has been inefficiently designed.”
The material extractor drooped. He was rather fond of Praxus, the artistically built city with its incredible crystal gardens. He should have realised that these newly onlined mechs would be unable to appreciate the beauty and could only see it through limited base code.
“I agree, 55% of the land allocated to Praxus could have been better utilised,” LK28812 added.
“Why has so much space been wasted?” XD99521 asked.
Twist-Drill exvented unhappily and glanced at his fellow mentors for help. Immobilizer was sitting at the front of the shuttle and staring straight ahead, though he couldn’t entirely suppress the smirk appearing on the corner of his faceplates. Tech-Gear was going over a math equation with two of the ST144s and was thoroughly distracted. The material extractor was on his own in regards to the relentless curiosity of the new sparks.
“Because…because they wanted to make it beautiful,” one bold, unexpected voice spoke up.
Twist-Drilled turned his helm to the mech that had answered and shuttered his optics in confusion. It was XD95525 or Prowl as the new mech had taken to calling himself. Prowl, a mech only a few decacycles old, able to grasp a concept as abstract as beauty. That just wasn’t normal. Then again, little about the mech was.
“Beauty?” LK28810 was quick to challenge.
Prowl hesitated a moment as his batch focused on him intently. Undoubtedly they were bombarding him with network pings, demanding to know this thing that he could understand and yet the rest of them couldn’t.
“The city is…aesthetically appealing,” he answered slowly.
Twist-Drill was unprepared to discover that Immobiliser had quietly gotten up and was now standing right beside him at some point over the last few astroseconds. As the material extractor recovered from his scare, glaring and cursing the enforcer quietly, Immobiliser stepped forward, staring intently at his strange charge.
“Is that so?” he asked quietly. “Is that what the databanks tell you?”
Prowl tilted his helm as he considered his reply thoughtfully. “No, the databanks are completely objective in this regards. This…is something that I know.” A troubled look briefly flitted across his face before he returned to a neutral expression.
LK28811, who sat next to Prowl, suddenly poked the XD995 to get his attention. “Uplink?” There was no mistaking the sudden interest in the other new sparks as their fields shifted eagerly.
Prowl squirmed away from the other’s touch. “No,” he answered firmly.
LK28811 apparently took that as an invitation to keep poking, despite being denied what he truly wanted. That was not unusual, there was so much for new sparks to explore and discover for themselves and often they would get stuck repeating tasks over and over again until their curiosity was sated. Unfortunately for Prowl, since his responses were so different from the rest of the batch, he was very much a source of interest even more so than the mentors.
The mech endured this poking for several breems before relenting. “Fine,” he scowled, his frame stiffening to indicate that he was engaged in a wireless connection.
Ever since whatever medical treatment that he’d undergone, Prowl was slowly allowing himself to be drawn into grids with the rest of his batch, usually under Immobilizer’s supervision. He still did not connect properly, was unwilling to allow any mech close to him but it was a vast improvement from before.
Twist-Drill was close enough to catch the surge of worry in Immobilizer’s field as the enforcer returned to his seat. -What is all that about?- he tightbeamed in curiosity.
-Memories,- was Immobilizer’s ambiguous answer. There was a click which indicated the shift to a more secure line and Twist-Drill couldn’t help but wonder who was going to hack a conversation between a pair of mentors. Or maybe it was simply an unconscious paranoid habit for the enforcer.
-What?-
-He’s been here before, many times,- Immobilizer explained softly. -His sparks remembers it still.-
-Oh.- Twist-Drill hadn’t been paying too much attention with the whole coherency thing to be honest. He had twenty four other newly sparked mechs to take care of, due to Tech-Gear’s easy ability to get diverted into scientific experiments with the new ST144s, and he hadn’t had the chance to catch up with Prowl’s situation. The material extractor glanced at the enforcer. -Is this bad? Will he be alright here?-
A puzzled frown marred Immobilizer’s face. -I do not know yet. His case is somewhat unprecedented. I have no idea what he might do.-
-We’ll keep an optic on him,- Twist-Drill declared confidently. -If anything goes wrong, we’ll catch it.-
Immobilizer did not look reassured.
Prowl knew this city.
His spark spun as he stepped off the city shuttle, giving a ping of thanks to the transportation mech. An agglomeration of vid files assailed his vision as he took his first step in Praxus, a confusing jumble of impressions that were impossible to understand.
Stop it, he begged his spark. He didn’t want this, didn’t want these second-hand memories. He wanted to be new, wanted every inch of his existence to be his own.
“Where shall we go first?” he distantly heard Twist-Drill ask cheerfully.
His batch would be giving the material extractor dull stares, he knew, unaffected by Twist-Drill’s exuberance. But he couldn’t see it for himself, the city was changing in front of his own optics, receding into nothing, then surging back into existence.
-Easy,- a voice murmured over his comm line and he could feel Immobilizer’s steady field close besides him. The enforcer politely pinged him for an uplink and Prowl drew him into his mind with a surge of relief.
Immobilizer’s strong presence immediately calmed his own frame, stopping the surges from Prowl’s spark somehow. Prowl knew the enforcer was manipulating his spark through his EM field, though how he achieved it was beyond the new mech. He searched the infonet and gone through his preloaded databanks but no information about whatever techniques Immobilizer used were available.
-Thank you,- he said honestly. -I thought…I thought the imprint would have fixed this.-
-We were correcting the part that was restricting your core codes,- Immobilizer answered. -It would be impossible to erase the memories it still holds inside it. Not without cloning--
-No!- Prowl protested immediately, unconsciously bringing up his firewalls to eject his mentor’s presence from his mind.
The enforcer gave him a very dour look. -That’s illegal, new spark. Anyone crazy enough to do that you would be executed.-
-….Oh,- Prowl transmitted a feeling of apology, then politely nudged his mentor to leave his processor.
Immobilizer retreated with a concerned frown on his face. “We should not have brought you here,” he said.
Prowl quickly went over his reactions and made some mental connections. It was a flashback of sorts, disjointed and disorientating. However his newly programmed pride subroutines had him scowling at his mentor. “I will not allow this to control me,” he insisted.
The enforcer did not look any happier at this declaration. “If this happens again, let me know.”
He walked off to corale a few escaping XD995s, too curious for their own good to remain in one place whilst Twist-Drill got the group together. Prowl turned away and stared across the bustling crowds, his spark twisting with a restlessness that even Immobilizer hadn’t managed to quell. The enforcer was nice and just wanted was best for him. But there was a place out here, a place hidden somewhere in the city that could give him the peace he was so desperately looking for.
He just needed to find it.
After touring the Crystal Gardens and the Ultra Sonic galleries without losing a single new spark, the three mentors were feeling rather pleased with themselves. While their mentees were shut down for recharge, they quietly celebrated with a cube of high grade.
They onlined to discover that one mech had slipped out during their moment of inattentiveness.
Left turn. Another left turn. Then he went straight into downtown Praxus, where the streets were safe only if you had the right attitude or knew the correct people. Prowl didn’t question how he knew this, he just knew that the knowledge was there. Just like he knew there was a place he needed to be.
It was irritating. He would not be a slave to the core codes his spark had tried to write nor would he indulge the every whim of a long dead life.
Except just this once.
Then it’d be over.
He wasn’t safe down here, he knew that. His dull grey colours marked him as a new spark and in some ways that afforded him some protection, a new spark wouldn’t have anything valuable on him. At the same time, it attracted attention, why exactly would such a mech be wandering around this part of the city without any form of supervision? It was only a matter of time before someone approached him.
He hoped he’d make it to his mysterious destination before then.
Right turn, then left. Another right. Almost there…ignore the mech that was tailing him....who was getting closer. Prowl almost broke into a run but knew that would only spur his pursuer on faster, for now it was better to pretend that he had not noticed the other mech. He was painfully aware that the approaching stranger was gaining slowly on him. Just before the other was close enough to reach out and grab him, Prowl ducked right into an open doorway.
The door almost immediately slid shut, shutting off the sounds of a bustling city and separating him from his pursuer. The silence was sudden, unnerving. The room was dimly lit, plasma globes were placed in the far corners but Prowl automatically adjusted his visual optics to the correct wavelengths so he could look about. It was a large room he was standing in, unlike any other he'd ever seen, with a depression in the middle taking up most of the room.
His batch, had they been here, would have been having fits over the unused space.
Prowl took a cautious step forward. He was here, wherever here was.
The place was empty, long abandoned and whatever he had been expecting, nothing wasn't it. All in all, Prowl suddenly felt incredibly foolish. He'd come here chasing a memory of something so very long ago. Why should there have been anything left?
He moved further into the room, down into the depression as he searched the room for a clue for whatever had been here before. But there was nothing at all, the room was completely empty.
Suddenly Prowl stiffened. He was being watched, he was certain of it.
The realisation came too late; something struck the back of his neck and he sunk into darkness.
He came online to the gentle murmur of conversation. Prowl did not move or switch on his optics. He would not let whoever had attacked him know that he was online.
"You should not have hit him so hard," a voice chided gently.
"I wasn't expecting this," another replied. "I may have panicked somewhat. He shouldn't have even been able to get inside."
"How strange that the door just happened to open," the other mused.
"Yes, it is a bit strange. Master, I must know, what are you up to?"
The first mech gave a quiet laugh. "So suspicious! I have not had a servo in this at all. What happens now is up to our guest."
There was a rough exvent. "He is so new. Zeta recently onlined a batch, didn't he? The others must be around in Praxus somewhere, wondering where he's got to. I'll go find them."
The second mech walked off and Prowl was left with the first speaker. After several long breems of silence, his watcher stirred. "It is alright," he said softly. "You are quite safe here. Your presence merely surprised Vibes and he reacted without thinking. In fact it is a bit shameful for him to make such a simple mistake."
There was no point in pretending anymore. Prowl onlined to a friendly face smiling down at him. The mech had a highly modified XD995 frametype, he was far more bulkier than other mechs Prowl had seen. That was military grade armour, the new spark somehow knew.
Prowl shuttered his optics once. Then he stiffened as a myriad of impressions slammed through his processor. 'No-!" he spluttered, clutching his helm in agony. A torrent of memories overlaid all of his senses, no, stop; he didn't want any of this-
"Be calm," a soft voice murmured, though Prowl had no idea how he heard him when a thousand different voices were all speaking at the same time inside his head. Then, suddenly the storm inside him died as a wave of...serenity and peace suddenly washed over his fields.
He onlined his optics -he didn't even remember switching them off- to the other mech in front of him, a steadying hand on his shoulder. Prowl stared up at him in awe, everything...everything inside of him was finally still! Not even Immobilizer had been able to calm his spark to this extent.
"How did you do that?" he blurted in open relief and appreciation.
The stranger laughed. "Well, that is just my little secret new spark." He flicked Prowl's helm with a teasing servo. "A calming exercise to center oneself which can easily be used to settle others."
Prowl grabbed the other mech's hand, tugging it impatiently. "Can you teach me how to do it?" he asked earnestly.
"Such manners!" the other scolded with an amused tone. "You have not even told me your name and I have not given you mine."
The new spark gave an annoyed scowl. "Prowl," he answered, sending a quick databurst. "Now can you teach me?"
With his other hand, the older mech flicked his helm again. “Patience,” he exvented in exasperation, “And manners. Both of them would serve you well.”
Prowl let go of the other mech and settled back, realizing the other would not budge on this. “My apologies,” he said formally, though he was unable to hide the eagerness in his voice. “My designation is Prowl. What is yours?”
“Yoketron,” the other replied warmly. “I am the Circuit-Su master of this dojo. Come along Prowl, I’ll show you some basic meditation techniques to help you keep your spark stable.”
The young mech was quick to rise to his feet and follow Yoketron to the depression in the middle of the room. The plasma globes were brighter now, illuminating the room with a light blue glow. “What is Circuit-Su?” Prowl asked.
“A battle technique,” the other mech answered, settling onto the floor. “It teaches a mech discipline, giving them the means to control themselves. It also provides them the tools to defend themselves.”
Prowl accessed his databanks as he sat down in front of Yoketron. “It’s normally practiced by members of the Cyber-Ninja Corps,” he stated. He gave Yoketron an interested stare. “Are you one of them?”
The mech laughed gaily. “Oh no. I’m not so impressive to be a part of their ranks. I am a simple practitioner of the arts. Now-” Yoketron drew a simple clear crystal from his subspace and placed it on the floor between them. “Turn off you optics, empty your mind of all thoughts and focus on this crystal. Let it be the only thing in your processor. Its shape, the dimensions, how much it would weigh, how light would pass through it from different sources…”
Prowl offlined his optics and immersed himself in the lesson.
They should have been more careful. No, he should have been more careful. He’d been in Prowl’s spark, seen the things that his spark could still remember even though Prowl’s conscious mind did not. The mech remembered Praxus and right now he could be anywhere in the city. There were hundreds of different places that each held their own importance to him.
Immobilizer scowled as his latest lead turned out to be another dead-end. Tech-Gear had been left behind to mind the batch as the enforcer and Twist-Drill searched the city for their missing charge. Already they had sent out an alert to the local enforcers and the Praxus city networks to keep an optic out for him.
So far, they had found nothing.
How did a new spark vanish so thoroughly? It didn’t seem possible. They weren’t exactly the most inconspicuous mechs. And whilst they had received reports of Prowl’s path, no one knew where exactly he’d gotten to inside downtown Praxus.
There was a flash of red in the corner of Immobilizer’s optic, then a vaguely familiar field brushed against him. The enforcer spun round and stared at the mech that had snuck up on him.
“Vibes,” he asserted.
The mech paused. “Interesting,” he commented lightly, as though used to random strangers knowing his name in the middle of a crowd. “I know your designation, but then again, I happen to be looking for you and your details are freely available on the infonet. How did you know mine?”
Immobilizer paused, rocked to the core for a moment as he realised that he’d picked the mech from the imprint he’d given Prowl. “It’s…complicated,” he answered weakly.
Vibes tilted his helm as he considered the mech in front of him. “Complicated huh? Well, I’m willing to learn how complicated it is if you’re willing to know where exactly a certain Prowl is.”
Tension filled the enforcer instantly. He almost went for his shock baton before realizing -remembering- how dangerous the ninjabot in front of him really was. “I-”
“Easy there friend,” the other mech interrupted, looking thoroughly unimpressed. “I don’t need to know right now. In fact, I’ll tell you where he is and you can pass the story to my friend, he’s looking after your missing mech.”
Immobilizer narrowed his optics. “Just like that?” he challenged suspiciously.
Vibes exvented roughly. “Look, I’m sorry I’ve accidentally given you the impression that we’ve kidnapped your charge. I was actually going to tell you where he was, out of the goodness of my spark and the likes but you kind of blindsided me with this whole ‘it’s-complicated’ business. This really hasn’t been my orn.”
The ninjabot pinged him a set of co-ordinates and Immobilizer almost stalled. Yoketron’s dojo, of course. He should have realised Prowl would have headed to Immobilizer’s old mentor; his spark had known the mech well. Cold fear blossomed inside the enforcer as Prowl’s old memories rose, there were many secrets about the aged Circuit-Su master that he had known and Immobilizer hadn’t.
And few of them were pleasant.
He pushed away from Vibes, stalking off through the crowd. “You are welcome!” the ninjabot hollered after him.
Yoketron was well prepared for when his old student stormed into his dojo. He’d guided Prowl through a few basic relaxation techniques, then left him to continue them on his own. The mech had picked them up unnaturally fast but that was not surprising. Yoketron knew exactly whose spark pulsed within Prowl’s chamber. It would seem history had come full circle.
But it did not matter. Prowl was a new individual and he was unsettled, grasping for some measure of control of himself. The old ninjabot was happy to teach him the necessary discipline, basic Circuit-Su techniques in order to give him some semblance of a normal functioning. Nothing more though. Not everyone was suited to be a cyber-ninja and he would never in a million vorns dare to lead Prowl on such a path. His spark had passed on from that life and Yoketron could not begrudge him for that.
Vibes had contacted him the moment he’d located Immobilizer. Yoketron had watched the resulting conversation with interest, surprised at his student’s knowledge of Vibes’ designation. As far as the two ninjabots were aware, Vibes and Immobilizer had never met. Vibes made sure no one ever observed him when he entered Yoketron’s dojo and never showed his presence to anyone who was not a member of the Corps. Similarly, Yoketron did not advertise his oqn involvement in the Corps, having since retired from most of its operations. Whilst it was known that mechs that trained under him sometimes went on to to become cyber-ninjas, Yoketron never revealed that he had been involved in their selection.
Immobilizer had been one of his former students but he had shown a steady inclination to the enforcers and so Yoketron had never disclosed his cyber-ninja background to him. The enforcer’s unexpected knowledge was…dangerous in some ways. Had there been some sort of security breach in the Corps? The old ninjabot was determined to find out. Immobilizer had always been a respectful student and hopefully would speak easily with his mentor.
When Immobilizer stepped into the dojo, he was not surprised to see his old master waiting for him. “Where’s Prowl?” he demanded bluntly.
Yoketron raised an optic at the other mech’s hostility but gestured down to the training floor. “He is well,” he answered.
The mech in question onlined his optics and looked up at Immobilizer. A smile slowly blossomed across his face. Prowl was relaxed and looked rather comfortable.
“Hello Immobilizer,” he called out pleasantly.
The enforcer was disorientated for a moment by how…content the new spark was. He shot his old master a look but Yoketron was his usual unreadable, cheerful self. “Hello Prowl,” he said, forcing himself to be polite. “You gave us quite a scare disappearing on us.”
The smile slowly faded as Prowl took in Immobilizer’s tense posture and realised how worried he was. “I’m sorry,” he apologized. “I didn’t even think-”
“No, you didn’t,” his mentor cut in shortly. Prowl frowned unhappily, no one had ever reprimanded him before and the new spark looked distinctly uneasy at what was to come. “You did not answer your comm, you did not let any of us know where you were, and you endangered yourself by coming here unescorted! What would you have done if you have been attacked? You aren’t even a stellar cycle old!”
“Easy,” Yoketron said softly. He could see how the inner peace that Prowl had worked so hard to attain was about to shatter. “He knows better now and will not make the same mistake.”
Immobilizer span round, angered by the ninjabot’s interruption. “He-” Yoketron’s hand clamped down hard on the enforcer’s arm and turned him to look properly at his charge. Prowl was downright miserable and contrite. Immobilizer deflated.
“Come,” Yoketron tugged him away and gave Prowl an encouraging smile. “Excuse us for a moment, us old mechs need to have a talk. It might take a while so try repeating the exercises I taught you.”
The enforcer darkened at this but watched as Prowl immediately cheered up. He hesitated and pulled away from Yoketron’s grasp. “Are you enjoying what Yoketron taught you?” he asked.
Prowl carefully considered them both. “Yes,” he answered decisively. “He knows many interesting things. If it was possible…I would like to stay here a little longer to learn more. I know you want to go see the other cities but I like it here.”
Immobilizer gave a curt nod then allowed himself to be drawn away. Yoketron settled them at the far end of the room so they would be able to converse in private but still be able to keep an optic out on Prowl.
The ninjabot’s calm countenance was completely opposite to the anger that was still simmering away inside his companion. “I don’t like this,” the enforcer spoke slowly but there was no denying the force in his voice.
Yoketron followed Immobilizer’s gaze to the training floor where his latest pupil was sitting in a basic meditation posture. “Is there a problem?” the cyber-ninja asked, careful to keep his voice mildly curious and utterly oblivious.
Immobilizer turned back to his former mentor with a frown. “He is a coherent spark and was suffering from trauma that was restricting his core codes. It was decided a spark imprint was the best way to treat it and he requested that I should provide it. When I gave him the imprint…I caught some of his memories by accident. You know him,” he stated firmly.
“I have no idea what you are on about,” Yoketron replied blithely. “And those memory files should have been purged immediately or firewalled away.”
The enforcer ignored him and leant forward and grabbed Yoketron’s wrist tightly in warning. “His former existence knew you. Knew you very well. It is illegal to influence new sparks, coherent or otherwise, into people who have passed on. He was a cyber-ninja, wasn’t he? And you would train him to be one again.”
Yoketron tilted his helm and evaluated Prowl again. “No,” he said calmly. “No, I am afraid I don’t know what you are talking about. I’d not met Prowl before this orn when he scurried into my dojo.”
The enforcer relaxed his grip slightly. “It would be best if perhaps things could return to that state.”
“What, we should suddenly forget our acquaintance?” Yoketron courteously handed over a cube of energon from his subspace. “Such negative energies,” he chided. “I think I should feel ashamed at how easily I have lost your regard. You have never hesitated to put your trust and faith in me before.”
“That was before I looked into Prowl’s spark and learnt that you are a war criminal,” Immobilizer said darkly, not even looking at his cube. “The things that you have done, without remorse and hesitation...I cannot in good conscience entrust him to you, ever.”
The cyber ninja’s smile never faltered. “That was a very long time ago,” he murmured. “I was a different mech then.”
“You are not,” Immobiliser rebuked sharply. “It frightens me to realise that you are capable of making such decisions rationally. It frightens me to realise you could make them again even now.”
Yoketron composure finally cracked. He stiffened and all traces of warmth vanished from his posture. “Such are the necessities of war. It is so easy to judge when you have never been in the thick of it and likely never will. I thought I had taught you better than this.” His voice was colder than ice. At this moment, there was no mistaking that Yoketron was a dangerous mech; that a relentless killer lurked beneath his affable façade.
Cowed, Immobilizer ducked his head. But he was not so easily deterred. “What are you doing here?”
The ninjabot arched an optic. “I believe I am in my dojo, sharing energon with an old pupil who is making some very hurtful accusations against me. Why? Are you experiencing something entirely different?”
“Do not test me,” the enforcer warned. “The Prime and the Corps might be content to overlook your crimes but I will not. What do you intend to do with Prowl?”
Yoketron sighed and glanced back to the training mats. “I am an old mech,” he muttered tiredly. “I now do nothing more than pass on the arts to the troubled sparks that need it. And Prowl is one mech in desperate need for my teachings, regardless of my past acquaintance with his spark. If he remained here, all I wish is to teach him calmness, how to settle himself so that he can lead a normal life. I have no plans for him, no desire to bring back the long dead.”
Immobilizer leaned forward, optics flashing in warning. “Your teachings would eventually bring him back to the cyber-ninja way. From what I’ve seen in his mind, he very much wants to be a new person, a new individual. Prowl does not need your influence in his life. He should not even be here.”
The ninjabot waved his companion forward. “By all means, I see now that you are not listening to me,” he said calmly. “Do what you will. Take Prowl away from here. I will not stop you.”
Pleased, the enforcer stood up to leave, placing his untouched cube of energon on the floor. “Of course,”Yoketron’s voice rang out thoughtfully, “I will not stop him either if he wishes to return. He is a free mech after all.”
Immobilizer's anger flared. "He is a new spark entrusted to my care," he said stiffly. "I will not allow him to be subjected to your machinations."
The aged ninjabot gave a careless shrug as he calmly refueled on the cube Immobilizer had discarded. "I think you'll find he is independent enough to make his own choices. If you saw as deeply into his spark as you claim, you'd realise he is not one to be controlled by anyone."
"I am not trying to control him!" the enforcer protested, deeply offended. "I am trying to do the best for him."
Yoketron watched him with all too perceptive optics. "I wonder if that's how Prowl will see it," he murmured almost to himself. “In fact…this is not like you, Immobilizer. You are never so obtuse and unwilling to listen to someone. I wonder why you can’t see that.”
“What are you on about now?” the enforcer glared.
“Aside from my sordid history and far too many secrets of the Cyber-Ninja Corps, just what else did you take away when you looked into Prowl’s spark?” the ninjabot asked carefully.
It took him a moment, then Immobilizer stiffened with realisation. “Primus,” he whispered in stunned disbelief. “You are right. This is not me.” His servos curled into fists as he sagged in shock. “This…this has been a complete breach of his privacy. Your privacy even.”
“According to the law, everything you took from Prowl’s spark should have never been accessed, at least until he reached his majority and decided he wanted to know,” Yoketron murmured with concern. “That way Prowl would be able to have an unhindered existence. Yet you, an enforcer of the law, have chosen to go digging through a dead mech’s life and are almost…possessive in your regard for Prowl. No, that is not like you at all.”
Immobilizer shuddered and switched off his optics. “But you know who this is like.”
Yoketron gave a thin smile. “I was very well acquainted with him as you have made clear.”
“Is this permanent?”
The ninjabot disinterestedly examined his empty energon cube. “It shouldn’t be,” he answered. “I could of course offer some help with that but then again, I am a ruthless and callous individual who cannot be trusted with anything.”
The enforcer flinched at his sharp words, recognising the rebuke. Yes, he had been harsh with his mentor, forgetting the many metacycles they had spent together as Yoketron had taught him Circuit-Su and instead judging him for his actions several lifetimes ago. “I’m sorry,” he said quietly.
Yoketron gave him a calm and assessing look. “But you still think that Prowl should not be here.”
“Yes.” On that Immobilizer was steadfast. The law was very clear about this and Yoketron was treading a very fine line as it was.
The ninjabot nodded him down to the training floor. “Very well. In time, I am certain we can work something out. Now allow me to sort out the mess you’ve made of your spark…”
The enforcer hesitated for a moment. “What are you going to do about my knowledge of the Corps?” there was no hiding the worry in Immobilizer’s voice. He trusted Yoketron, yes, but he also knew the lengths he was capable of going to protect the Corps.
Yoketron gave him a slow and unworried smile. “Oh, nothing, nothing,” he said cheerfully, ushering Immobilizer forth. After a pause, he leant closer and added quietly, “I’ll let Vibes take care of that.”
Prowl had onlined his optics at their approach and had been watching Immobilizer with resentment. He had realised the full implications of his actions as soon as he saw how worried and stressed the enforcer was. He’d be more careful in future; there was no doubt about that. There hadn’t been any need to be yelled at at all.
Then Yoketron moved closer and whispered something near Immobilizer’s audials and his mentor’s countenance plunged into horror.
Yoketron was the coolest person ever.
A/N: I have discovered my OCs have the unfortunate habit of getting lives of their own. They even go crazy like my canons. Just what kind of universe is this? Is no one sane here?? What mind crack spawned this...?
Table of Contents
Timeline
Giant robots are not mine however.
In case anyone's confused due to reading Hermit in the Wilds, this is Prowl!Two, the mech who becomes the-enforcer-that-was. Hermit in the Wilds!Prowl is Prowl!Three, completely and crazy insane tactician Prowl. Er. Not like Prowl!One and Prowl!Two don't have their own degrees of insanity....
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Coherent Chapter Three
"Do you really think you can stop me?" Shockwave demands. "This is nothing more than a petty distraction. I have all the time I need until I get this right."
Prowl laughs despite the agony his misfiring pain sensor wreak on his systems. "We're only at the beginning," he assures the drone. "There is so much we are yet to see."
Shockwave pries away another piece of armor, though Prowl's neural net is so dead he doesn't even feel it go. "Your resistance is pointless. I will win this battle."
The Autobot slumps as the virus tore into the next part of his memory core. "It is the only thing left that I can do."
Twist-Drill looks far too pleased with himself as he climbed onto the city shuttle and announced, “Our first stop on our tour round Cybertron is Praxus!”
Unfortunately none of his assigned mentees looked as thrilled as he was. They stared blankly at him as they accessed their preloaded databanks. Finally, ST14415 stirred and said, “The city-state of Praxus has been inefficiently designed.”
The material extractor drooped. He was rather fond of Praxus, the artistically built city with its incredible crystal gardens. He should have realised that these newly onlined mechs would be unable to appreciate the beauty and could only see it through limited base code.
“I agree, 55% of the land allocated to Praxus could have been better utilised,” LK28812 added.
“Why has so much space been wasted?” XD99521 asked.
Twist-Drill exvented unhappily and glanced at his fellow mentors for help. Immobilizer was sitting at the front of the shuttle and staring straight ahead, though he couldn’t entirely suppress the smirk appearing on the corner of his faceplates. Tech-Gear was going over a math equation with two of the ST144s and was thoroughly distracted. The material extractor was on his own in regards to the relentless curiosity of the new sparks.
“Because…because they wanted to make it beautiful,” one bold, unexpected voice spoke up.
Twist-Drilled turned his helm to the mech that had answered and shuttered his optics in confusion. It was XD95525 or Prowl as the new mech had taken to calling himself. Prowl, a mech only a few decacycles old, able to grasp a concept as abstract as beauty. That just wasn’t normal. Then again, little about the mech was.
“Beauty?” LK28810 was quick to challenge.
Prowl hesitated a moment as his batch focused on him intently. Undoubtedly they were bombarding him with network pings, demanding to know this thing that he could understand and yet the rest of them couldn’t.
“The city is…aesthetically appealing,” he answered slowly.
Twist-Drill was unprepared to discover that Immobiliser had quietly gotten up and was now standing right beside him at some point over the last few astroseconds. As the material extractor recovered from his scare, glaring and cursing the enforcer quietly, Immobiliser stepped forward, staring intently at his strange charge.
“Is that so?” he asked quietly. “Is that what the databanks tell you?”
Prowl tilted his helm as he considered his reply thoughtfully. “No, the databanks are completely objective in this regards. This…is something that I know.” A troubled look briefly flitted across his face before he returned to a neutral expression.
LK28811, who sat next to Prowl, suddenly poked the XD995 to get his attention. “Uplink?” There was no mistaking the sudden interest in the other new sparks as their fields shifted eagerly.
Prowl squirmed away from the other’s touch. “No,” he answered firmly.
LK28811 apparently took that as an invitation to keep poking, despite being denied what he truly wanted. That was not unusual, there was so much for new sparks to explore and discover for themselves and often they would get stuck repeating tasks over and over again until their curiosity was sated. Unfortunately for Prowl, since his responses were so different from the rest of the batch, he was very much a source of interest even more so than the mentors.
The mech endured this poking for several breems before relenting. “Fine,” he scowled, his frame stiffening to indicate that he was engaged in a wireless connection.
Ever since whatever medical treatment that he’d undergone, Prowl was slowly allowing himself to be drawn into grids with the rest of his batch, usually under Immobilizer’s supervision. He still did not connect properly, was unwilling to allow any mech close to him but it was a vast improvement from before.
Twist-Drill was close enough to catch the surge of worry in Immobilizer’s field as the enforcer returned to his seat. -What is all that about?- he tightbeamed in curiosity.
-Memories,- was Immobilizer’s ambiguous answer. There was a click which indicated the shift to a more secure line and Twist-Drill couldn’t help but wonder who was going to hack a conversation between a pair of mentors. Or maybe it was simply an unconscious paranoid habit for the enforcer.
-What?-
-He’s been here before, many times,- Immobilizer explained softly. -His sparks remembers it still.-
-Oh.- Twist-Drill hadn’t been paying too much attention with the whole coherency thing to be honest. He had twenty four other newly sparked mechs to take care of, due to Tech-Gear’s easy ability to get diverted into scientific experiments with the new ST144s, and he hadn’t had the chance to catch up with Prowl’s situation. The material extractor glanced at the enforcer. -Is this bad? Will he be alright here?-
A puzzled frown marred Immobilizer’s face. -I do not know yet. His case is somewhat unprecedented. I have no idea what he might do.-
-We’ll keep an optic on him,- Twist-Drill declared confidently. -If anything goes wrong, we’ll catch it.-
Immobilizer did not look reassured.
Prowl knew this city.
His spark spun as he stepped off the city shuttle, giving a ping of thanks to the transportation mech. An agglomeration of vid files assailed his vision as he took his first step in Praxus, a confusing jumble of impressions that were impossible to understand.
Stop it, he begged his spark. He didn’t want this, didn’t want these second-hand memories. He wanted to be new, wanted every inch of his existence to be his own.
“Where shall we go first?” he distantly heard Twist-Drill ask cheerfully.
His batch would be giving the material extractor dull stares, he knew, unaffected by Twist-Drill’s exuberance. But he couldn’t see it for himself, the city was changing in front of his own optics, receding into nothing, then surging back into existence.
-Easy,- a voice murmured over his comm line and he could feel Immobilizer’s steady field close besides him. The enforcer politely pinged him for an uplink and Prowl drew him into his mind with a surge of relief.
Immobilizer’s strong presence immediately calmed his own frame, stopping the surges from Prowl’s spark somehow. Prowl knew the enforcer was manipulating his spark through his EM field, though how he achieved it was beyond the new mech. He searched the infonet and gone through his preloaded databanks but no information about whatever techniques Immobilizer used were available.
-Thank you,- he said honestly. -I thought…I thought the imprint would have fixed this.-
-We were correcting the part that was restricting your core codes,- Immobilizer answered. -It would be impossible to erase the memories it still holds inside it. Not without cloning--
-No!- Prowl protested immediately, unconsciously bringing up his firewalls to eject his mentor’s presence from his mind.
The enforcer gave him a very dour look. -That’s illegal, new spark. Anyone crazy enough to do that you would be executed.-
-….Oh,- Prowl transmitted a feeling of apology, then politely nudged his mentor to leave his processor.
Immobilizer retreated with a concerned frown on his face. “We should not have brought you here,” he said.
Prowl quickly went over his reactions and made some mental connections. It was a flashback of sorts, disjointed and disorientating. However his newly programmed pride subroutines had him scowling at his mentor. “I will not allow this to control me,” he insisted.
The enforcer did not look any happier at this declaration. “If this happens again, let me know.”
He walked off to corale a few escaping XD995s, too curious for their own good to remain in one place whilst Twist-Drill got the group together. Prowl turned away and stared across the bustling crowds, his spark twisting with a restlessness that even Immobilizer hadn’t managed to quell. The enforcer was nice and just wanted was best for him. But there was a place out here, a place hidden somewhere in the city that could give him the peace he was so desperately looking for.
He just needed to find it.
After touring the Crystal Gardens and the Ultra Sonic galleries without losing a single new spark, the three mentors were feeling rather pleased with themselves. While their mentees were shut down for recharge, they quietly celebrated with a cube of high grade.
They onlined to discover that one mech had slipped out during their moment of inattentiveness.
Left turn. Another left turn. Then he went straight into downtown Praxus, where the streets were safe only if you had the right attitude or knew the correct people. Prowl didn’t question how he knew this, he just knew that the knowledge was there. Just like he knew there was a place he needed to be.
It was irritating. He would not be a slave to the core codes his spark had tried to write nor would he indulge the every whim of a long dead life.
Except just this once.
Then it’d be over.
He wasn’t safe down here, he knew that. His dull grey colours marked him as a new spark and in some ways that afforded him some protection, a new spark wouldn’t have anything valuable on him. At the same time, it attracted attention, why exactly would such a mech be wandering around this part of the city without any form of supervision? It was only a matter of time before someone approached him.
He hoped he’d make it to his mysterious destination before then.
Right turn, then left. Another right. Almost there…ignore the mech that was tailing him....who was getting closer. Prowl almost broke into a run but knew that would only spur his pursuer on faster, for now it was better to pretend that he had not noticed the other mech. He was painfully aware that the approaching stranger was gaining slowly on him. Just before the other was close enough to reach out and grab him, Prowl ducked right into an open doorway.
The door almost immediately slid shut, shutting off the sounds of a bustling city and separating him from his pursuer. The silence was sudden, unnerving. The room was dimly lit, plasma globes were placed in the far corners but Prowl automatically adjusted his visual optics to the correct wavelengths so he could look about. It was a large room he was standing in, unlike any other he'd ever seen, with a depression in the middle taking up most of the room.
His batch, had they been here, would have been having fits over the unused space.
Prowl took a cautious step forward. He was here, wherever here was.
The place was empty, long abandoned and whatever he had been expecting, nothing wasn't it. All in all, Prowl suddenly felt incredibly foolish. He'd come here chasing a memory of something so very long ago. Why should there have been anything left?
He moved further into the room, down into the depression as he searched the room for a clue for whatever had been here before. But there was nothing at all, the room was completely empty.
Suddenly Prowl stiffened. He was being watched, he was certain of it.
The realisation came too late; something struck the back of his neck and he sunk into darkness.
He came online to the gentle murmur of conversation. Prowl did not move or switch on his optics. He would not let whoever had attacked him know that he was online.
"You should not have hit him so hard," a voice chided gently.
"I wasn't expecting this," another replied. "I may have panicked somewhat. He shouldn't have even been able to get inside."
"How strange that the door just happened to open," the other mused.
"Yes, it is a bit strange. Master, I must know, what are you up to?"
The first mech gave a quiet laugh. "So suspicious! I have not had a servo in this at all. What happens now is up to our guest."
There was a rough exvent. "He is so new. Zeta recently onlined a batch, didn't he? The others must be around in Praxus somewhere, wondering where he's got to. I'll go find them."
The second mech walked off and Prowl was left with the first speaker. After several long breems of silence, his watcher stirred. "It is alright," he said softly. "You are quite safe here. Your presence merely surprised Vibes and he reacted without thinking. In fact it is a bit shameful for him to make such a simple mistake."
There was no point in pretending anymore. Prowl onlined to a friendly face smiling down at him. The mech had a highly modified XD995 frametype, he was far more bulkier than other mechs Prowl had seen. That was military grade armour, the new spark somehow knew.
Prowl shuttered his optics once. Then he stiffened as a myriad of impressions slammed through his processor. 'No-!" he spluttered, clutching his helm in agony. A torrent of memories overlaid all of his senses, no, stop; he didn't want any of this-
"Be calm," a soft voice murmured, though Prowl had no idea how he heard him when a thousand different voices were all speaking at the same time inside his head. Then, suddenly the storm inside him died as a wave of...serenity and peace suddenly washed over his fields.
He onlined his optics -he didn't even remember switching them off- to the other mech in front of him, a steadying hand on his shoulder. Prowl stared up at him in awe, everything...everything inside of him was finally still! Not even Immobilizer had been able to calm his spark to this extent.
"How did you do that?" he blurted in open relief and appreciation.
The stranger laughed. "Well, that is just my little secret new spark." He flicked Prowl's helm with a teasing servo. "A calming exercise to center oneself which can easily be used to settle others."
Prowl grabbed the other mech's hand, tugging it impatiently. "Can you teach me how to do it?" he asked earnestly.
"Such manners!" the other scolded with an amused tone. "You have not even told me your name and I have not given you mine."
The new spark gave an annoyed scowl. "Prowl," he answered, sending a quick databurst. "Now can you teach me?"
With his other hand, the older mech flicked his helm again. “Patience,” he exvented in exasperation, “And manners. Both of them would serve you well.”
Prowl let go of the other mech and settled back, realizing the other would not budge on this. “My apologies,” he said formally, though he was unable to hide the eagerness in his voice. “My designation is Prowl. What is yours?”
“Yoketron,” the other replied warmly. “I am the Circuit-Su master of this dojo. Come along Prowl, I’ll show you some basic meditation techniques to help you keep your spark stable.”
The young mech was quick to rise to his feet and follow Yoketron to the depression in the middle of the room. The plasma globes were brighter now, illuminating the room with a light blue glow. “What is Circuit-Su?” Prowl asked.
“A battle technique,” the other mech answered, settling onto the floor. “It teaches a mech discipline, giving them the means to control themselves. It also provides them the tools to defend themselves.”
Prowl accessed his databanks as he sat down in front of Yoketron. “It’s normally practiced by members of the Cyber-Ninja Corps,” he stated. He gave Yoketron an interested stare. “Are you one of them?”
The mech laughed gaily. “Oh no. I’m not so impressive to be a part of their ranks. I am a simple practitioner of the arts. Now-” Yoketron drew a simple clear crystal from his subspace and placed it on the floor between them. “Turn off you optics, empty your mind of all thoughts and focus on this crystal. Let it be the only thing in your processor. Its shape, the dimensions, how much it would weigh, how light would pass through it from different sources…”
Prowl offlined his optics and immersed himself in the lesson.
They should have been more careful. No, he should have been more careful. He’d been in Prowl’s spark, seen the things that his spark could still remember even though Prowl’s conscious mind did not. The mech remembered Praxus and right now he could be anywhere in the city. There were hundreds of different places that each held their own importance to him.
Immobilizer scowled as his latest lead turned out to be another dead-end. Tech-Gear had been left behind to mind the batch as the enforcer and Twist-Drill searched the city for their missing charge. Already they had sent out an alert to the local enforcers and the Praxus city networks to keep an optic out for him.
So far, they had found nothing.
How did a new spark vanish so thoroughly? It didn’t seem possible. They weren’t exactly the most inconspicuous mechs. And whilst they had received reports of Prowl’s path, no one knew where exactly he’d gotten to inside downtown Praxus.
There was a flash of red in the corner of Immobilizer’s optic, then a vaguely familiar field brushed against him. The enforcer spun round and stared at the mech that had snuck up on him.
“Vibes,” he asserted.
The mech paused. “Interesting,” he commented lightly, as though used to random strangers knowing his name in the middle of a crowd. “I know your designation, but then again, I happen to be looking for you and your details are freely available on the infonet. How did you know mine?”
Immobilizer paused, rocked to the core for a moment as he realised that he’d picked the mech from the imprint he’d given Prowl. “It’s…complicated,” he answered weakly.
Vibes tilted his helm as he considered the mech in front of him. “Complicated huh? Well, I’m willing to learn how complicated it is if you’re willing to know where exactly a certain Prowl is.”
Tension filled the enforcer instantly. He almost went for his shock baton before realizing -remembering- how dangerous the ninjabot in front of him really was. “I-”
“Easy there friend,” the other mech interrupted, looking thoroughly unimpressed. “I don’t need to know right now. In fact, I’ll tell you where he is and you can pass the story to my friend, he’s looking after your missing mech.”
Immobilizer narrowed his optics. “Just like that?” he challenged suspiciously.
Vibes exvented roughly. “Look, I’m sorry I’ve accidentally given you the impression that we’ve kidnapped your charge. I was actually going to tell you where he was, out of the goodness of my spark and the likes but you kind of blindsided me with this whole ‘it’s-complicated’ business. This really hasn’t been my orn.”
The ninjabot pinged him a set of co-ordinates and Immobilizer almost stalled. Yoketron’s dojo, of course. He should have realised Prowl would have headed to Immobilizer’s old mentor; his spark had known the mech well. Cold fear blossomed inside the enforcer as Prowl’s old memories rose, there were many secrets about the aged Circuit-Su master that he had known and Immobilizer hadn’t.
And few of them were pleasant.
He pushed away from Vibes, stalking off through the crowd. “You are welcome!” the ninjabot hollered after him.
Yoketron was well prepared for when his old student stormed into his dojo. He’d guided Prowl through a few basic relaxation techniques, then left him to continue them on his own. The mech had picked them up unnaturally fast but that was not surprising. Yoketron knew exactly whose spark pulsed within Prowl’s chamber. It would seem history had come full circle.
But it did not matter. Prowl was a new individual and he was unsettled, grasping for some measure of control of himself. The old ninjabot was happy to teach him the necessary discipline, basic Circuit-Su techniques in order to give him some semblance of a normal functioning. Nothing more though. Not everyone was suited to be a cyber-ninja and he would never in a million vorns dare to lead Prowl on such a path. His spark had passed on from that life and Yoketron could not begrudge him for that.
Vibes had contacted him the moment he’d located Immobilizer. Yoketron had watched the resulting conversation with interest, surprised at his student’s knowledge of Vibes’ designation. As far as the two ninjabots were aware, Vibes and Immobilizer had never met. Vibes made sure no one ever observed him when he entered Yoketron’s dojo and never showed his presence to anyone who was not a member of the Corps. Similarly, Yoketron did not advertise his oqn involvement in the Corps, having since retired from most of its operations. Whilst it was known that mechs that trained under him sometimes went on to to become cyber-ninjas, Yoketron never revealed that he had been involved in their selection.
Immobilizer had been one of his former students but he had shown a steady inclination to the enforcers and so Yoketron had never disclosed his cyber-ninja background to him. The enforcer’s unexpected knowledge was…dangerous in some ways. Had there been some sort of security breach in the Corps? The old ninjabot was determined to find out. Immobilizer had always been a respectful student and hopefully would speak easily with his mentor.
When Immobilizer stepped into the dojo, he was not surprised to see his old master waiting for him. “Where’s Prowl?” he demanded bluntly.
Yoketron raised an optic at the other mech’s hostility but gestured down to the training floor. “He is well,” he answered.
The mech in question onlined his optics and looked up at Immobilizer. A smile slowly blossomed across his face. Prowl was relaxed and looked rather comfortable.
“Hello Immobilizer,” he called out pleasantly.
The enforcer was disorientated for a moment by how…content the new spark was. He shot his old master a look but Yoketron was his usual unreadable, cheerful self. “Hello Prowl,” he said, forcing himself to be polite. “You gave us quite a scare disappearing on us.”
The smile slowly faded as Prowl took in Immobilizer’s tense posture and realised how worried he was. “I’m sorry,” he apologized. “I didn’t even think-”
“No, you didn’t,” his mentor cut in shortly. Prowl frowned unhappily, no one had ever reprimanded him before and the new spark looked distinctly uneasy at what was to come. “You did not answer your comm, you did not let any of us know where you were, and you endangered yourself by coming here unescorted! What would you have done if you have been attacked? You aren’t even a stellar cycle old!”
“Easy,” Yoketron said softly. He could see how the inner peace that Prowl had worked so hard to attain was about to shatter. “He knows better now and will not make the same mistake.”
Immobilizer span round, angered by the ninjabot’s interruption. “He-” Yoketron’s hand clamped down hard on the enforcer’s arm and turned him to look properly at his charge. Prowl was downright miserable and contrite. Immobilizer deflated.
“Come,” Yoketron tugged him away and gave Prowl an encouraging smile. “Excuse us for a moment, us old mechs need to have a talk. It might take a while so try repeating the exercises I taught you.”
The enforcer darkened at this but watched as Prowl immediately cheered up. He hesitated and pulled away from Yoketron’s grasp. “Are you enjoying what Yoketron taught you?” he asked.
Prowl carefully considered them both. “Yes,” he answered decisively. “He knows many interesting things. If it was possible…I would like to stay here a little longer to learn more. I know you want to go see the other cities but I like it here.”
Immobilizer gave a curt nod then allowed himself to be drawn away. Yoketron settled them at the far end of the room so they would be able to converse in private but still be able to keep an optic out on Prowl.
The ninjabot’s calm countenance was completely opposite to the anger that was still simmering away inside his companion. “I don’t like this,” the enforcer spoke slowly but there was no denying the force in his voice.
Yoketron followed Immobilizer’s gaze to the training floor where his latest pupil was sitting in a basic meditation posture. “Is there a problem?” the cyber-ninja asked, careful to keep his voice mildly curious and utterly oblivious.
Immobilizer turned back to his former mentor with a frown. “He is a coherent spark and was suffering from trauma that was restricting his core codes. It was decided a spark imprint was the best way to treat it and he requested that I should provide it. When I gave him the imprint…I caught some of his memories by accident. You know him,” he stated firmly.
“I have no idea what you are on about,” Yoketron replied blithely. “And those memory files should have been purged immediately or firewalled away.”
The enforcer ignored him and leant forward and grabbed Yoketron’s wrist tightly in warning. “His former existence knew you. Knew you very well. It is illegal to influence new sparks, coherent or otherwise, into people who have passed on. He was a cyber-ninja, wasn’t he? And you would train him to be one again.”
Yoketron tilted his helm and evaluated Prowl again. “No,” he said calmly. “No, I am afraid I don’t know what you are talking about. I’d not met Prowl before this orn when he scurried into my dojo.”
The enforcer relaxed his grip slightly. “It would be best if perhaps things could return to that state.”
“What, we should suddenly forget our acquaintance?” Yoketron courteously handed over a cube of energon from his subspace. “Such negative energies,” he chided. “I think I should feel ashamed at how easily I have lost your regard. You have never hesitated to put your trust and faith in me before.”
“That was before I looked into Prowl’s spark and learnt that you are a war criminal,” Immobilizer said darkly, not even looking at his cube. “The things that you have done, without remorse and hesitation...I cannot in good conscience entrust him to you, ever.”
The cyber ninja’s smile never faltered. “That was a very long time ago,” he murmured. “I was a different mech then.”
“You are not,” Immobiliser rebuked sharply. “It frightens me to realise that you are capable of making such decisions rationally. It frightens me to realise you could make them again even now.”
Yoketron composure finally cracked. He stiffened and all traces of warmth vanished from his posture. “Such are the necessities of war. It is so easy to judge when you have never been in the thick of it and likely never will. I thought I had taught you better than this.” His voice was colder than ice. At this moment, there was no mistaking that Yoketron was a dangerous mech; that a relentless killer lurked beneath his affable façade.
Cowed, Immobilizer ducked his head. But he was not so easily deterred. “What are you doing here?”
The ninjabot arched an optic. “I believe I am in my dojo, sharing energon with an old pupil who is making some very hurtful accusations against me. Why? Are you experiencing something entirely different?”
“Do not test me,” the enforcer warned. “The Prime and the Corps might be content to overlook your crimes but I will not. What do you intend to do with Prowl?”
Yoketron sighed and glanced back to the training mats. “I am an old mech,” he muttered tiredly. “I now do nothing more than pass on the arts to the troubled sparks that need it. And Prowl is one mech in desperate need for my teachings, regardless of my past acquaintance with his spark. If he remained here, all I wish is to teach him calmness, how to settle himself so that he can lead a normal life. I have no plans for him, no desire to bring back the long dead.”
Immobilizer leaned forward, optics flashing in warning. “Your teachings would eventually bring him back to the cyber-ninja way. From what I’ve seen in his mind, he very much wants to be a new person, a new individual. Prowl does not need your influence in his life. He should not even be here.”
The ninjabot waved his companion forward. “By all means, I see now that you are not listening to me,” he said calmly. “Do what you will. Take Prowl away from here. I will not stop you.”
Pleased, the enforcer stood up to leave, placing his untouched cube of energon on the floor. “Of course,”Yoketron’s voice rang out thoughtfully, “I will not stop him either if he wishes to return. He is a free mech after all.”
Immobilizer's anger flared. "He is a new spark entrusted to my care," he said stiffly. "I will not allow him to be subjected to your machinations."
The aged ninjabot gave a careless shrug as he calmly refueled on the cube Immobilizer had discarded. "I think you'll find he is independent enough to make his own choices. If you saw as deeply into his spark as you claim, you'd realise he is not one to be controlled by anyone."
"I am not trying to control him!" the enforcer protested, deeply offended. "I am trying to do the best for him."
Yoketron watched him with all too perceptive optics. "I wonder if that's how Prowl will see it," he murmured almost to himself. “In fact…this is not like you, Immobilizer. You are never so obtuse and unwilling to listen to someone. I wonder why you can’t see that.”
“What are you on about now?” the enforcer glared.
“Aside from my sordid history and far too many secrets of the Cyber-Ninja Corps, just what else did you take away when you looked into Prowl’s spark?” the ninjabot asked carefully.
It took him a moment, then Immobilizer stiffened with realisation. “Primus,” he whispered in stunned disbelief. “You are right. This is not me.” His servos curled into fists as he sagged in shock. “This…this has been a complete breach of his privacy. Your privacy even.”
“According to the law, everything you took from Prowl’s spark should have never been accessed, at least until he reached his majority and decided he wanted to know,” Yoketron murmured with concern. “That way Prowl would be able to have an unhindered existence. Yet you, an enforcer of the law, have chosen to go digging through a dead mech’s life and are almost…possessive in your regard for Prowl. No, that is not like you at all.”
Immobilizer shuddered and switched off his optics. “But you know who this is like.”
Yoketron gave a thin smile. “I was very well acquainted with him as you have made clear.”
“Is this permanent?”
The ninjabot disinterestedly examined his empty energon cube. “It shouldn’t be,” he answered. “I could of course offer some help with that but then again, I am a ruthless and callous individual who cannot be trusted with anything.”
The enforcer flinched at his sharp words, recognising the rebuke. Yes, he had been harsh with his mentor, forgetting the many metacycles they had spent together as Yoketron had taught him Circuit-Su and instead judging him for his actions several lifetimes ago. “I’m sorry,” he said quietly.
Yoketron gave him a calm and assessing look. “But you still think that Prowl should not be here.”
“Yes.” On that Immobilizer was steadfast. The law was very clear about this and Yoketron was treading a very fine line as it was.
The ninjabot nodded him down to the training floor. “Very well. In time, I am certain we can work something out. Now allow me to sort out the mess you’ve made of your spark…”
The enforcer hesitated for a moment. “What are you going to do about my knowledge of the Corps?” there was no hiding the worry in Immobilizer’s voice. He trusted Yoketron, yes, but he also knew the lengths he was capable of going to protect the Corps.
Yoketron gave him a slow and unworried smile. “Oh, nothing, nothing,” he said cheerfully, ushering Immobilizer forth. After a pause, he leant closer and added quietly, “I’ll let Vibes take care of that.”
Prowl had onlined his optics at their approach and had been watching Immobilizer with resentment. He had realised the full implications of his actions as soon as he saw how worried and stressed the enforcer was. He’d be more careful in future; there was no doubt about that. There hadn’t been any need to be yelled at at all.
Then Yoketron moved closer and whispered something near Immobilizer’s audials and his mentor’s countenance plunged into horror.
Yoketron was the coolest person ever.
A/N: I have discovered my OCs have the unfortunate habit of getting lives of their own. They even go crazy like my canons. Just what kind of universe is this? Is no one sane here?? What mind crack spawned this...?
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