Saving Life - Chapter Three
Part: 3/12 Author: Usagi-Atemu-Tom Warnings: angst, romance, suspense, slash, SPOILER for Transformers Movies 1+2 Pairings: Jazz/Prowl Feedback: Please, yes, I love feedback! =^^=
Summary: When one mech is on the edge of being offlined forever, another mech realises the truth of his past and the destiny he is supposed to have. But what do you do, when you wake up from the brink of death just to stare into the eyes of what is supposed to be the enemy? If you happen to be an ops mech - you collect your answers of course.
Disclaimer: Nothing is mine I don't make money with it and write only for fun and to get better in writing English. ^_^
Helpful Pointers:
Vorn - 83 years Stellar-cycle - 7.5 months Orn - 13 days Joor - 8 hours Breem - 6 minutes Astrosecond - 5/6ths of a second Klick - 1 millisecond
"..." - Speaking /.../ - Sparkbond speaking
Please note that I've only ever watched the two movies from 2007 and 2009. While I've 'met' a lot of Transformers from the comics and cartoons, that more often than not show up in fanfics I, of course, have not seen them in action and therefore might not be able to interpret their characters right. I am using mostly what I've learned through the movie (and maybe fanfics) and while catching some ideas here and there I am mainly using my very own ideas for things like energon, space bridges and so on.
And not to forget, much thanks to Taralynden for betareading.
Also, the inspiration for Prowl's and Jazz's past was mostly taken from the fanfic 'Story of a lifetime' written by the wonderful Taralynden. This was taken with her permission. Go and read her story, you'll love it.
Things went downhill soon after the group around Optimus had left in search for the Allspark. At first, the Autobots held the advantage of being organised; Megatron's sudden disappearance having left the Decepticons in confusion and disarray. Prowl had been the one to suggest taking advantage of the hierarchy chaos in the enemy's rank to send off their own search party after the Allspark without the Decepticons noticing.
Sadly enough Starscream was far quicker in gaining command for himself than anyone anticipated. While they could not prevent Optimus and his team leaving without a trace, they were aware of the search and furious about the Autobots' success.
Nearly caught off guard, the Autobots had to fend off an attack that held just as much of the usual viciousness as it would have had under Megatron. Worse, the attack caused the whole force to split into different teams all around Cybertron. That was especially hard on Prowl because he lost contact to the twins who had always been his most faithful support when Jazz was absent.
In the beginning they thought it was only coincidence and luck on the Decepticons' side, but when they realised that Soundwave had successfully jammed their communications - therefore preventing the split groups reuniting - it was clear to Prowl that the attack had just happened as the Decepticons planned.
After the split in their forces, regular attacks took place and it was all the Autobots could do to prevent too many casualties. Prowl reckoned the Decepticons' plan was to destroy their forces by attacking their weakened groups and he concentrated all his energy in preventing just that.
It never occurred to him that the real aim could be the capture of a certain Autobot. The capture of himself, to be precise. He only recognised the real danger when one attack forced him to go out into the fight personally and he suddenly found himself restrained in the arms of Skywarp who used his unusual technique of warping to get the Autobot tactician into enemy territory without a fight.
By the time he realised what had happened it was already too late. He stood bound and half offline in front of a gleeful Starscream. Just one look around told the tactician and current commander of the Autobot forces that his situation was hopeless. And he immediately remembered the promise, he and Jazz made, long ago when they decided to bond.
Jazz had taken a long time to be won over to the idea of bonding. While for Prowl it was the most logical choice to be always aware of his lover whose life was constantly on the line by more and more dangerous ops missions, Jazz had declared Prowl mad and obsessed the very first time he asked his lover to bond.
It ended with Jazz leaving in a huff of anger and Prowl believing that he just lost the mech he had fallen in love with and wanted to be with forever. However, it turned out that the saboteur came to realise he was just as obsessed about Prowl as the tactician was over him. Prowl did not speak about bonding again after they got back together. It was Jazz, who broached the topic the next time, much to Prowl's astonishment.
The war had gone worse and worse, and Prowl came to the attention of the higher ranks with his strategies, therefore becoming a valuable object of information should the Decepticons ever get their hands on him. Jazz realised from the start that should his lover end up in Decepticon hands he would be tortured for sure, and he could not bear that thought at all.
Consequently, the saboteur made a promise. He would bond with Prowl, even at the high risk of an ops mission failing and him getting both of them killed. It would, however, ensure that should Prowl himself ever get caught, Jazz would be able to end everything on his terms, making sure that Prowl would die without ever suffering a single torture session.
The war had continued after their bonding and Prowl soon found that Jazz was indeed right to assume that Prowl was not made to withstand torture, learning the hard way when his own superior turned out to be a Decepticon spy attacking Prowl in their own office.
Being in the hands of Decepticons now, Prowl recollected his poor intolerance to pain and his first instinct was to destroy the buffer of his bond and send a message to Jazz to inform his mate of the current situation. But then he remembered the very mission his bondmate was performing and the value of it.
Everything in him, from logic centre to battle computer, told him that Jazz was needed for this task; that without him and his exceptional ops skills they might lose their only chance at getting the Allspark before Megatron. He knew that his bonded would certainly not be pleased, should they survive and he ever found out what Prowl did, but for now supporting Optimus' team was more important than anything else.
The Autobot commander decided against breaking the buffer and instead strengthened the unawareness already caused within their bond through distance. As low as his tolerance to torture might be, he would have to be brave and endure. And hope that he was able to hold out long enough til either a rescue team retrieved him, or he was terminated by the enemy.
With all the tactical scenarios as his battle computer could come up with, it never occurred to Prowl that the Decepticons might have a different plan with their prisoner in order to gain information.
After Starscream's speech about Prowl being the key for their victory, the Autobot commander had been taken offline. When he came online again he found himself strapped onto a berth, just as he expected. What he had not taken into account was waking up in a place that looked more like a medical bay instead of a torture chamber.
He recognised Starscream standing near the berth he was strapped to. There was also a second mech in the room though and that one sent shivers down Prowl's plating. Shockwave was well known by most Autobots, since he was the highest ranking scientist officer under the Decepticons and had a reputation for being cold sparked and beyond cruel in his experiments. That mech did not know any limit as long as it sated his scientific curiosity and brought the results Megatron expected.
The two Decepticons were unaware he had come out of his forced recharge, otherwise Prowl suspected they would have not discussed their current topic so openly in front of him.
"Are you sure this will work without complications, Shockwave?" Starscream asked the Decepticon scientist sceptically. "We cannot lose the life of this one, he is the only chance to find that damn Prime and his following idiots. We NEED him alive and with the knowledge he has intact."
The single eye of the Decepticon flashed brightly before Shockwave answered in a cool, clinical voice.
"The tests have all been successful, Lord Starscream. He will survive this. When he wakes up he will have lost his Autobot personality. He will be a loyal Decepticon who remembers infiltrating the Autobots and gaining valuable information from them. The virus can control what memories are destroyed and what is left untouched and twisted to our liking."
"Good."
The satisfied Seeker turned around and Prowl vaguely realised that he should have pretended to still be offline, but the shock of what he just heard was too deep. Even though the words were a bit vague, he was not head of tactics and the highest ranking commander after Optimus Prime for nothing - Prowl realised what the two Decepticons were talking about, as horrible and unbelievable as it sounded.
They never planned to torture the information out of him but to use him as guinea pig for a new experiment of Shockwave's that would force Prowl to lose everything he was and brainwash him into becoming a faithful Decepticon follower.
This was worse than death and far more damaging not only for himself but for his own people as well. He had been sparked and raised from the very beginning with the sole purpose to become a high ranking tactical officer that would be of use to the Autobots. He had always believed in the cause of the Autobots and the very idea of betrayal was like a stab into his spark.
To think that now he could be forced to betray without a choice, that was a nightmare Prowl never thought he would face. Suddenly it no longer mattered if he was willing to be brave or not, if Jazz was important to the mission of finding the Allspark or not. If the Decepticons succeeded in this plot, he would become a weapon that could completely destroy the Autobots. They would lose their most important tactical officer while in the same breath the Decepticons would gain just that.
Prowl could not let that happen. As Starscream started to curse and jump into action to reactivate the machine the tactician was connected to which would ensure his forced recharge, Prowl fought for time. He all but tore apart the buffer of his bond and was just to send his first impulse of distress through to his bondmate, when he realised that even though he gained the advantage of learning Starscream's plans for him, he was too late to prevent it.
Dizziness overwhelmed his processor and he lost all strength. He could not even think straight. Prowl felt as if he just went ten high grade sessions with the twins. The impulse he intended to send to his bondmate turned out too weak. He could feel how it got lost halfway through the bond.
He never had a chance. All that was left was the overwhelming feelings of panic and despair. What would become of him? What would happen to Jazz? Would his bonded ever find out what had happened? Would they someday end up fighting against the other, not knowing about the connection they had? Or would Jazz recognise his spark through the bond and not know what to think of it?
How could he leave Jazz like this? And the Autobots? Even though Starscream was wrong about him knowing anything about Optimus's location, he still held too much valuable information. Information that could get a lot of brave Autobots killed. And everything just because in a streak of bravery he decided that he could hold out through torture for the sake of the mission.
He should have contacted Jazz immediately. Hesitation should not have been Prowl's choice of action. And now everyone would be paying the price. Feeling his consciousness slipping, Prowl's last panicked thoughts were that he could not allow the Decepticons to destroy his personality and gather any information. Then there was blackness.
The following orns had been the pit tenfold for Prowl. He never really gained consciousness again until that fateful day on that small planet called Earth in the human town with the designation 'Mission City'.
Up until then he was - aware. Everything the new designated Decepticon Barricade did was watched as if through some thick fog. He was not even aware that Barricade was supposed to be him at first. It was more like he was watching a second mech's actions but restricted to never interfere. Oh but Prowl tried to, many, many times.
In the beginning of course, Barricade just woke out of recharge, confused as to where he was. Then memories filled him, false memories. To Starscream's utter dissatisfaction, Shockwave's virus provided the new Decepticon with a dedication to Megatron alone. Barricade was willing to tolerate Starscream as temporary leader but he was eager to find Megatron and get him to return as leader of the Decepticons.
Starscream must have secretly been hoping to mold Barricade after his own image, just like he had with his seekers, but he had not expected Shockwave's loyalty to Megatron with all the cold logic ruthlessness he possessed.
The second discovery that left Starscream highly displeased was the fact that Barricade was not able to access a single memory file concerning the Autotbots. It was as if the information had been destroyed together with the personality files Prowl possessed.
Strangely enough the tactician, who had been forced to watch the whole situation unfold in his surrounding fog, was able to recall every fond and important memory he possessed about the Autobots. And his memories were strangely enough not hindered by a fog or something else. He could recall his past clearly and without hindrance.
Starscream had thrown a mighty fit when he realised that the reformatted Prowl was not useful to him but then had discovered that he had at least access to Prowl's battle computer. He decided then and there, that if he could not have Prowl's valuable information about his fellow Autobots, then he could at least use Barricade's battle computer to gain the upper hand in the fight against the Autobots.
That had been the first time Prowl tried with all his might to fight against his invisible restrictions and the fog surrounding him. But it was all in vain. Helplessly Prowl had to watch Barricade fighting and winning against his fellow comrades. Then he had to endure as Starscream used Barricade to plan their own journey into space to find the Allspark. The tactician was reduced to nothing but an observer as Barricade used his precious battle computer to simulate scenarios and come up with the best route to take.
But one of the worst moments had been after Barricade arrived on Earth and found Bumblebee for the first time. The young scout was barely younger than Prowl himself and though the tactician had had not a lot to do with the yellow Autobot after he found him as one of the few survivors of the destroyed Neutral sanctuary, he was very aware that his bondmate valued the young Autobot greatly. The few times he had interacted with Bumblebee had always been pleasant. The young ops agent was mostly polite and easy going, even after everything he had been through.
Certainly he was the last mech after Jazz and Optimus that Prowl wanted to hurt. Yet as much as he fought against his invisible bonds and the fog surrounding him, he could only watch helplessly as Bumblebee was able to flee after receiving a few bangs and scratches.
Only one time had Prowl the feeling that he had been able to break through the fog and restrains, if only for an astrosecond. It was after Barricade found and cornered that human boy Sam. The resulting fight with Bumblebee left Prowl desperate and for the first time feeling something else besides hopelessness and defeat. Barricade had registered the call for help Bumblebee had sent into space and Prowl knew that soon his bondmate would arrive on Earth together with the rest of the Allspark search team.
And what would he find when he arrived? A terminated ops agent, some killed humans and a lost cause? And he, Prowl had done nothing but allow it to happen? Anger bubbled up deep inside the Autobot tactician's spark. Anger at the Decepticons, at Starscream and Shockwave in particular. Anger at the current situation and about his helplessness. And for an astrosecond, a beautiful, unbelievable astrosecond, Prowl was able to break through the fog and take control of the body that was supposed to be his, even though it did look far from that.
Truth to be told, an astrosecond could not really be counted as time at all, but in this situation it was enough. Barricade's halt for just that little moment helped Bumblebee to land a spectacular hit against the Decepticon that thrust him into a power pole, leaving him near offline.
Before Prowl could even register what just happened, Bumblebee had taken his two new charges and drove away, no doubt to meet up with the rest of his team. Forced into the same daze Barricade himself was in he watched, falling off- and online in between, as Ironhide, Ratchet, Optimus and Jazz, his beautiful, precious Jazz performed their entry into atmosphere.
Barricade needed days to recover from the defeat he had suffered. During his time of healing he did not hear anything about the newly arrived Autotbots. It was not until he received Frenzy's gleeful message of having located Megatron and the Allspark that he got an idea of where the Autobots certainly must be located.
Every Decepticon currently on Earth left their hiding place and headed into the direction of Megatron and the Allspark. Barricade met up with his current Decepticon comrades on the highway that lead to a big human town called Mission City. It was here that Prowl finally got his first glimpse of his bondmate after centuries of separation. Seeing Jazz right in the middle of the fight caused something to snap inside the tactician.
It was stronger, clearer and tighter than what he felt in any other situation, even back then with Barricade's fight against Bumblebee. Suddenly Prowl found some strength he had already doubted he might posses and literally fought tooth and nail against the fog surrounding him. He got strong enough to upset Barricade so much that the Decepticon was forced to fall out of the fight and simply watch from a small side street.
And then Jazz got caught by Megatron. It was like a dam had broken lose. The realisation that he was about to lose his bondmate right in front of his eyes and could do nothing about it, it was too much, too overwhelming. Prowl did not know how he did it but suddenly he was no longer restrained and no longer watching through fog. He was there, he was in control. He remembered, he acted, and by the end of the day he existed only to ensure his bondmate's survival.
The orns that followed after his final victory went by in a different kind of blur. The first three orns he spent offline simple because the strain of strengthening his mate's spark was so great. After Jazz's spark had stabilised just the slightest bit, Prowl was able to keep himself online during the day and recharged during the night. He hold out for another ten orns before his systems informed him that he was in an urgent need for energon or he would fall into stasis and maybe never wake up again, if he was not found.
Thankfully Jazz's spark was by then strong enough to endure nearly a joor without a sparkmerge. Prowl was very careful on his search for an energon substitute. After the fight in Mission City the damage within the town had been mostly rebuilt and the city was alive with humans again. Thankfully so far no one had cared much for the abandoned building, but Prowl was cautious to keep an eye on every bit of information the internet, TV and radio had to offer about the place he was currently hiding in.
He used Barricade's altform and the helpful avatar he possessed to provide an energon substitute in form of car fuel. Admittedly Prowl felt a bit bad for hacking into a foreign account to gain the money for payment, but his logical centre pointed out that this was an emergency and Jazz life was priority to him.
After his successful purchase of fuel, he returned to their hiding place and made sure that Jazz received his necessary amount of fuel as well. From then on, it all became routine. Watching during day, recharging during night, fuelling every sixth orn.
The routine only changed once. After nearly two stellar-cycles passed after the fight in Mission City, the humans finally set their eyes on the abandoned building Prowl and Jazz were hiding in. Plans for a tour to decide the further fate of the property were discussed over radio and internet.
The Autobot tactician realised immediately that it was time to abandon their safe haven and search for a new one. It took him joors of research but Prowl was lucky. Not too far outside the city was a small deserted farm for sale, with a barn big enough to host Jazz and himself away from prying eyes.
Another half a joor later and Prowl successfully obtained a trailer small enough for his altform to pull but big enough that Jazz could be hidden inside without upsetting his wounds too much. Again this was only accomplished because of Barricade's useful avatar.
Prowl and Jazz left Mission City in the depth of the night and arrived at their new 'home' before sunrise. Routine returned to the lone Autobot and his offline bondmate and more orns went by. Until finally, after such a long time of waiting, Jazz became strong enough to emerge from recharge for the first time after nearly five stellar-cycles.
Jazz easily recognized the feelings of immense happiness and relief that accompanied the memory of his awakening. But he could also feel the fear and terror that grabbed his bondmate's spark at the question of what Jazz's reaction to him would be. The worst scenario being the denial of their bond as there was no way to break a consumed bond after it had settled.
The Autobot saboteur decided that here was as good as any time to stop the memories and soothe his mate's worries and fears.
/Ah'm not plannin' t' ignore that nice little bond of ours ever/, he assured his mate through their spark connection. /An' neither do Ah hate or despise ya for what happened. The Decepticons would be a differen' matter but never doubt for a klick that Ah do not love ya!/
This reassurance had to do for now because both Jazz and Prowl could feel the exhaustion that sharing of memories and feelings over their spark connection had left them with. Sending small pulses of love and understanding through their bond Jazz gave in to the urge of recharge. He now knew what happened. And his realisations of what had been done to his Prowl could wait till the end of his recharge circle. As long as Prowl now was here, with him - safe and himself.
/Recharge/, he ordered his equally exhausted bondmate, reassuring him one last time over their bond. /We'll sort this out after recharge./
And as he slipped offline, he could feel an echo through his spark as his mate followed him into recharge.
tbc...