A hidden femme's secret - Part Two
Title: A hidden femme's secret
Subtitle: Pain of the past
Part: 2/3
Author: Usagi-Atemu-Tom
Verse: TF-Bayverse
Anniversary Challenges: Week four prompt - # Daring rescue
Rating: PG 17
Genre: romance, dark, angst
Warnings: death (no main character), discussions of rape, abuse, slavery and abortion
Pairings: Jazz/Prowl, mentions of Ironhide/Ratchet
Feedback: Please, yes, I love feedback! =^^=
Summary: The truth Jazz has been hiding comes to light. Behind the role of a saboteur, best friend and lover lays the tragic history of a femme - abducted, abused, but with the strong will to survive it all and more.
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
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.
"I think I need to sit down!" Prowl whispered shocked, his gaze never leaving the dark blue spark glowing from inside his lover's chestplates. The exclamation, it seemed pulled Ratchet out of his stupor though, because he was at Prowl's side immediately, snarling.
"Oh no, you are NOT going to crash, slagger, not now, not ever, you hear me!"
Prowl just nodded and allowed himself to sit down right next to the two mecha... no, femmes... on the berth.
"Just... shocked", the tactician mumbled, his optics still glued to the glowing spark. "Jazz, you are..."
"Yeah", the saboteur sadly sighed, her sparkchamber finally closing and her gaze seeking that of the shocked tactician. "Ah know that whole thing comes kinda as a shocking revelation an' t' be honest even if Ah've said that Ah needed t' overcome that damn fear an' all Ah just feel."
She strongly vented air through her vents, her whole demeanour a mixture of frustration and barely restrained fear.
"Slaggit, Ah'm stronger than that!" she cursed, body shuddering, which caused Softglow to hug her fellow femme just tighter. "Ah'm sorry Ah've kept ya in th' dark about mah identity, Prowler. An' Ah understand if ya no longer feel like ya want t' be t'gether wit' meh just... just don't leave meh as mah friend, please. Ah've valued our friendship too much, t' lose it as well."
This words, it seemed were the key to get even Prowl out of his stupor, though the tactician's strained processor needed some astroseconds to process what had been said. Then, however, he shot up from his stool and was by Jazz's side before anyone realised what happened.
"Not wanting to be together with you anymore?" the second in command echoed, disbelief in his voice. "Jazz, I LOVE you! And femme or not, you are still the same bot, are you not?"
Jazz nodded, her body still shaking, not even noticing how Softglow pulled herself away from her friend, both intimated by the bigger mech as well as awed about what she hoped and suspected was happening.
"Then I don't care!" Prowl exclaimed, voice taking a stubborn note. "I love you, Jazz, Sparksong, whatever your designation is. I. Love. YOU!"
Sobbing, Jazz threw herself into the tactician's waiting arms, only then realising that Softglow had allowed the two of them space. But all that was fogotten when the saboteur felt those strong, reassuring arms of her beloved closing around her body, keeping her safe and warm.
"Ah love ya, too!" the third in command sobbed. "Please never betray mah trust in ya, never use meh, never fail meh! Ah couldn't bare th' sparkbreak, not wit' what Ah've been through before an' durin' th' war."
"Never!" Prowl vowed just as unusual fiercely as the saboteur was unusual showing his worst emotions in front of others.
Around a joor later, Prowl, Ratchet, Jazz and Softglow found themselves still in the medbay, but they were joined now by Optimus Prime as well as Will Lennox, who had the command of the human soldiers that lived with the Autobots in Cybertron City.
It had taken this long for the first four participants to calm down after Jazz's secret had been revealed. Then of course there came the discussion about who else to involve, if anyone at all. In the end, with a lot of coaxing of Jazz by Prowl, the revealed femme allowed the CMO to call Optimus and Will. The first one because Jazz had served under the Prime long enough that he tried to reassure himself he could trust their commander just as much as he did Prowl and Ratchet.
The human, because Will Lennox had always worked well together with the Autobots and already kept some more delicate secrets, and because in the end he was just that: a human, unable to profit from the knowledge of a femme in their midst.
The Prime had taken the revelation of Jazz's true identity with great shock and surprise. Will, however, felt a bit confused about the importance of that revealance.
"I know Chromia and Arcee", the man told the mecha present. "And I've seen more than one femme who visited from Cybertron since the beginning of peace. As far as I've always understood, you guys are not like us organics. The distinction into mech and femme has nothing to do with what we humans understand, has it? So why is it such a big deal if Jazz turns out to be a femme? No offence Jazz."
"None taken", the saboteur replied easily enough, smiling at the human. She had calmed down greatly during the last joor and by now was nearly back to her old usual self. Though, just to assure her, Prowl had never moved away from her side. Instead he preferred to keep his lover right where she was lounging on his lap, arms securely around her.
"What you said, Will, is only partly true", Ratchet now joined into their discussion. "Here on Earth your females are not only often enough expected to be the mother of your children, but to take care of your houses and their bonded as well. They are proven to be weaker in build and strength than the male of the species and care a lot about looks.
"A femme however, might more often than not turn out a bit more delicate in build, because as smaller frame is how they feel comfortable the most, but they are far from being weaker than any of us mechs."
"Femmes also don't care about looks", Jazz added humorously. "Not more than a mech who wants t' woe a potential bondin' partner at least. Look at Chromia, for example. More often than not she's more dirty than even Ironhide or Hound and that's tellin' a lot."
"And when it comes to the raising of our sparklings", Optimus continued, "the creator unit usually takes care of that together. There is no Cybertronian that is expected to take more care of sparkling and bonded than the other. It's all about equality."
Will nodded in understanding.
"That's what I grasped so far", he told the mecha. "Also, with your race it doesn't matter if two mechs, two femmes or a mech and a femme are together."
"Yeah, we make less of a deal of it than you humans seem to do more often than not", Ratchet grumbled. "Besides, femmes are rare, that's one of the many reasons why a lot of mechs end up with another mech as their bonded."
"Like you and Ironhide?" the human could not help but cheekily ask. He knew, just as anyone else, that the medic had never made a big deal about his relationship with the weapons specialist and therefore thought that almost no-one knew about them. Having to realise now that this was not the case, Ratchet glared at the amused human and mecha, but nodded in confirmation.
"Yes, yes, like Ironhide and me", he grumbled. "However, to get back to the topic at hand, there is one thing that our femmes have in common with your human females. Their sparks are granted the same ability as the All Spark. They can create a sparkling."
Hearing this, Will's mouth opened up into a perfectly round oh.
"You mean they can bear life?" the Lieutenant General pressed on.
"Our sparks are of a darker colour than that of a mech", Jazz explained. "That's because our sparks harbour more energy which we need if we're t' bear a sparklin'."
"How does that work?" the human wanted to know, curious. Strangely enough Jazz and the other femme, Softglow shuddered slightly at the innocently asked question. The other occupants of course noticed and Prowl threw a worried look over the two femmes.
"I don't need to know", Will told them softly, already having been warned that both femmes were victims of past abuse.
"No, it's all right", Jazz sighed and after squeezing the tactician's servos in reassurance, she looked over to Ratchet. "But ya're th' medic, doc bot. Therefore ya tell him!"
Shrugging, though looking the slightest bit worried, Ratchet complied.
"I told you once about sparkmerge, Will. Usually we do with for pleasure, just like you humans indulge in sexual activities. However, if a femme and a mech merge their sparks and the mech pushes enough energy into the femmes spark, it can cause the separation of that energy into a third spark. That one will nestle next to the femmes spark and feed on it for a while. Usually no longer than two orns. It is just enough time to build a sparkling frame for the little one. Then the femme will separate the little spark from her own spark and settle it into the new frame, thus the sparkling is online."
"Okay, so not so different from the birth of our babies in some aspect, I guess", Lennox mused.
"No, it is not", Prowl agreed, speaking for the first time since Optimus and the human had been called to the med bay. "Though the time period is a lot shorter with our sparklings and the separation is painless, unlike what I have read about the birth of a human baby."
"I think now every woman would envy you", the Lieutenant General joked at that, which earned him slight chuckles from the present mecha, even the still overly fearful Softglow. However, soon the mood became serious once again.
"Okay, now I've learned a bit more about femmes", Will concluded. "And I see they have a special ability. However, back then, you guys had the All Spark and it was the main source of your progeny - still is, is it not? So what is the deal with a femmes value then, if I may ask?"
Shuddering, Jazz pressed herself tighter against Prowl and when she saw that Softglow was near tears again, she invited the distressed femme into open arms, Prowl wordlessly accepting his lover's need to reassure her friend. Venting air heavily through her intakes, Jazz decided it was her time to explain.
"Ya've t' understand one thing, Will", she started her tale. "Before th' war, Cybertron had a certain ruling system. Th' Prime of course was th' highest rankin' of all. His main task was t' handle bondin's an' th' receivin' of sparklin's from th' All Spark for family units that requested a creation. Of course, th' Prime had a lot more to handle - t' be exact, th' whole planet - an' as advanced as we were, rulin' a whole planet's just too much for a single Cybertronian.
"Therefore Optimus' predecessor created some kind of co-rulers. Th' Lord High Protector who was t' take care of th' safety of th' planet as well as that of th' Prime. An' th' council, a bunch of politicians that were supposed t' regulate important things like th' rationin' of energon, work an' of course th' incomin' requests from family units for a sparklin'. Of course everything they ever decided had t' be signed by th' Prime."
Jazz broke off and sighed loudly, causing Optimus to take over the telling.
"Unfortunately I did not know back then, that my predecessor had been corrupt and the council he chose was just as corrupted as him. A lot of the low ranking mecha suffered under their regime, until an uprising ended the life of the Prime and his bonded, who was Lord High Protector back then. The council survived though and they choose me and Megatron as successors in large part because we were inexperienced and from a part of the planet that did not witness the suffering. We were told the death of Prime and Lord High Protector was the work of evil. They called them Decepticons. Ironic, really that Megatron later choose that as the designation of his faction. But I digress.
"When I started my rule as Prime, I soon noticed a lot of things I did not like and I changed many of the rules created, hoping that I could end the suffering I witnessed. The council's power was reduced, and with Megatron becoming as intimidating as he is now things soon seemed to calm down and peace settled over the planet. However, I assumed that the problems and rules had all been a miscalculation of my predecessor, not planned, as I only found out when we were already in the middle of the war."
Hanging his head in shame, Optimus closed his optics to battle away the memories and pain about what he found out when it was already far too late.
"What Optimus could not know", Ratchet spoke softly as he took over, "while the council realised they had underestimated the intelligence and kindness of the new Prime as well as the cunning and danger of the Lord High Protector, they were not willing to give up control. They reduced their activities to those they could handle undetected by the Prime. They took control over who was allowed to receive sparklings. A lot of the poor had no chance at all. And even some of the rich, for example the Tower mecha, were not permitted their own sparkling."
"And that", Jazz took over, voice angry but determined, "was because th' council knew that they could make more credits wit' desperate bonded who really wanted their own sparklin'. Of course they couldn't collect the credits themselves, they woulda been found out sooner or later. Instead they came up wit' cunnin' reasons as t' why th' bonded couldn't have a sparklin'. Then they ensured that a group called Breeders got in contact wit' th' couples and offered them a deal. Th' rich would pay credits an' rare energon, th' poor be forced into service until they paid their debts which of course would never happen.
"If they agreed, th' Breeders gave them a sparklin', sparklings they more or less BRED", Jazz spat the last words hate filled. "They kept their own femmes, which they usually abducted as sparklings and as soon as they were in their adult frame they would force them to sparkshare, either wit' each other or wit' a mech they brought for pleasure services. Another activity th' council itself indulged in", the saboteur added bitterly. "We were worth even less than a pleasure bot; those at least were legal, choosing their vocation out of free will, not forced like us."
"Sounds a great deal like our human traffickers ", Will Lennox concluded shocked and angry. "I'm sorry Jazz."
"Don't be", the third in command sighed, grimacing. "For meh it's all in th' past. Though Ah guess Ah can't deny that there's still part of meh that doesn't handle th' memories well."
"Jazz, I am sorry to ask, but how did you end up with the Breeders?" Optimus Prime asked gravely, carefully. The saboteur shrugged, his way to conceal the true effect that question had on him.
"Ah got there the same way as most femmes have: abducted as a sparkling'", she told those present before grinning darkly. "However, th' Breeders miscalculated wit' meh, because they thought Ah was th' sparklin' of poor energon dealers. In fact, mah creators were undercover enforcers an' mah creation an' birth had been unexpected. Therefore they had t' keep meh wit' them. For mah protection Ah was installed wit' a special processor. Ah also turned out more intelligent than th' average sparklin'. Ah remembered an' when Ah became older Scapeground, th' leader of th' group of Breeders wasn't able t' turn meh into one o' his obedient bitches. Quite th' opposite, Ah made sure that every single femme prisoner there knew of her true heritage, that they were abducted an' held against their will or that of their creators. Turned out quite th' rebellious little bunch of femmes."
"Sparksong taught us all t' survive", Softglow suddenly added quietly, her glowing, thankful optics never leaving those of her fellow femme. "Of course we still were forced into sparksharing but wit' th' knowledge Sparksong gained as a natural hacker, she soon made sure, that getting sparked became a rare occurrence wit' us. We made their life as difficult as we could. And later", here she suddenly stopped, venting air repeatedly through her vents, her body shuddering and her voice becoming distressed. "Then later she taught us how..."
"STOP!" Jazz sharply told the femme and immediately pulled her into a tight hug before continuing softly. "Don't do this t' ya, sweetspark. Let meh, Ah'm stronger."
Nodding and trying to suppress her sobs, Softglow stayed silent and allowed the saboteur to take over.
"While th' mechs were sold t' live wit' at least lovin' family units", she told the listening audience quietly, "it soon was clear that every femme, as rare as we are, would be kept t' be raised as another breedin' machine. Ah started t' experiment then. First... Ah learned how t' extinguish a spark before it was fully developed. Then Ah taught th' other femmes until we all seemed t' miscarry wit' every spark we ever developed."
"You killed the undeveloped sparklings?" Ratchet interrupted, voice faint with shock. "Primus, Jazz... JAZZ!"
The medic looked at the saboteur and her fellow femme, face stricken with grief yet also understanding for their situation. While Softglow burst out into tears, the third in command gazed sightlessly at the next wall, surprised to find her body shaking violently and being pressed tightly against Prowl who had buried his face right beside her neck and was mumbling soft words of comfort and assurance. It was only then, that the femme realised she was crying. Swallowing another sob, she refused to look into the ashen face of the human or the horror stricken faceplates of the remaining mechs and continued her tale, though haltingly.
"Ah've tried more... Ah... Ah couldn't bear th' thought of all th' lives lost... Th' little one's... they had done nothin' wrong, an' despite th' way they were conceived, we... still felt love for th' undeveloped sparklings. So Ah went on, tried t' find a way t' scan th' sparks to know for sure if they were a mech or a femme. After all those long, agonisin' orns, Ah succeeded in tunin' mah sensors t' measure th' intensity of th' developin' spark an' Ah found a way t' teach th' others t' do so as well. From then on, we left th' mech developed fully, but if one of us sensed a femme..."
Jazz trailed off and could not help the sob that escaped her throat.
"Ah never wanted any of them t' be terminated", the femme started to cry helplessly against Prowl's chestplates, who pressed her against him, making soothing noises while trying to hold back his own tears. Tears he had not shed since the day Praxus was extinguished by the Decepticons. But the tactician could not help it. His spark reached out to the mourning saboteur who had gone through far more than he would have ever expected.
"Ah wanted all of them t' live", the third in command continued bitterly. "But what choice did Ah have? Should Ah allow a poor, defenceless femme t' be another prisoner in that hellhole? T' live th' life we had t' endure? Ah could never bear th' thought, so Ah decided it was better they went on t' th' Well of Allsparks, hopin' they will forgive meh, when Ah mahself arrive there."
"You did the right thing, Jazz", Prowl reassured his lover, stroking over her head tenderly. "I have seen femmes held by such Breeder groups and I know they went through the pit and back. Oh Primus, Jazz, YOU went through the pit and back."
"Which gets us to the question", Ratchet interrupted the former enforcer, though voice far softer than his usual barks. "How did you get out of that pithole?"
Silence descended over the medical bay. Jazz and even Softglow took the time they needed to pull themselves together. The saboteur even beckoned the other femme closer again, so she could seek comfort in the Autobot's arms. When both femmes had finally dried their tears, it was surprisingly Softglow who looked up first.
"Sparksong could have gotten out any time", she told the audience with a thankful smile in Jazz's direction. "She was skilled, she learned and wit' help from the rest of us she always trained t' get better. After less than three orns, 'Song was able to sneak up an' at least injure anyone fatally wit' bare servos.
"We told her to go, but she refused t' do so without us. Instead she trained us again, t' be at least silent, an' t' keep away from th' security cameras. She sneaked out repeatedly t' scout out th' base an' th' surroundings. Seriously, she didn't rest until an infallible plan was ready that would get us all out. We didn't learn about it until she pulled it off, instead she even told us a totally different time of action, drilled us through th' course until we could recite it in our recharge circles. Then, all of th' sudden Sparksong simply opened th' door an' told as t' run as she taught us. It was incredible."
"Ah put them t'gether in groups of three", Jazz took up the tale. "They were supposed t' stick t'gether until they were in th' next city, then separate an' each run in a different direction. Ah told them t' get as far away from that place an' th' city as possible, then find some disguise an' watch an' learn about th' life of the mecha around until they felt confident enough t' join in."
She now looked at Softglow directly, her face showing confusion and resignation.
"Seems not all made it out, Ah'm thinkin'? Ah do wonder, how did they get ya, since th' plan was supposed t' be foolproof."
The other femme looked to the ground, her faceplate desperate and ashamed.
"Oh Sparksong, everyone got caught again", she finally confessed not looking at anyone. "We made th' mistake of not listening t' yer order, t' separate an' cut contact t' anyone. It was Darkfin who suggested t'gether we would be quicker, stronger an' slyer than th' Keepers. She even offered t' try an' find ya, so she left us in our hiding place for about half a joor. But when she returned, she was captured by Scapeground. We had no chance at all, they had us surrounded."
Softglow broke of suddenly, her optics glowing brightly and panic made itself known on her faceplates. Desperately the femme sought optic contact with everyone.
"Primus, th' other femmes!" she shouted, her voice desperate. "Ah beg ya, we need t' save them! Now that ya've taken out Scapeground we haven't much time left. He left instructions, just in case, what was t' happen wit' th' other femmes if he was not t' return. It was their way t' keep us in check, telling us that something would happen t' th' others, t' YA. Ah'm just so grateful ya got out of there again."
"Again?" the saboteur interrupted her, confused. "What ya mean, again? Ah've been out since that time Ah got ya all out. They never caught meh again. Ah was lucky enough t' find a medic who was skilled in reconstructin' frames an' who didn't ask questions if offered th' right amount of payment. Wit' mah hacking skills, Ah stole enough credits t' pay him for a mech frame, calibrated voice included. Ah joined th' Decepticons right after Ah found out that th' council was receivin' part of th' profit th' Breeders made.
"Ah wanted justice, but sadly enough Ah soon realised that Megatron seemed t' be no better than th' council. When Ah found out about th' plans of destroyin' Praxus, Ah was outta there an' went over t' th' Autobots."
Here Jazz paused and turned her head to Prowl.
"Ah'm sorry Ah was not able t' reach th' bots in time", she told the tactician softly. "If Ah'd found out about th' plans earlier, maybe we mighta gotten there in time, instead of too late."
"It's not your fault", Prowl disagreed, voice soft, though optics full of old and new pain for events of the past. "You did what you thought was right, and it's a good thing you reached us at all. If you had not tried to warn us, the few mecha that did survive the attack would not have lived, exhausted, injured and low on reserves as they were. Bluestreak certainly would not have made it."
"Thanks, Prowler", Jazz replied equally soft and for a short moment she activated here energy field to touch Prowl's in a gesture of a kiss. Both bots shuddered from the contact, but soon put their full attention back to the other mecha and the human in the room. This time, it was Lennox who had a question.
"If Jazz has been free all this time, how come you thought otherwise?" he asked Softglow slow and carefully. "I am assuming that you don't simply believe the word of scum like them?"
The femme shook her head, then opened one of her frameplates to reach into one of the many compartments she kept hidden there. After a while she pulled out a green visor, not unlike the visor that Jazz wore now.
"Darkfin told me that they got ya as well", Softglow told her fellow femme directly, offering the visor to her. "After our capture she gave me yer visor, telling me ya were caught just when she found ya an' they threatened her t' kill ya if she didn't lead them t' th' rest of us. When we asked for ya later, Scapeground told us since ya were th' obvious leader of our group he keeps ya separated from now on an' it was in our best interest t' succumb or ya would be th' one t' pay th' price.
"Ah don't understand, Sparksong", the femme added, confused. "How could they have yer visor an' claim t' have captured ya, if that hasn't been true?"
Jazz exchanged a dark look with the other mechs in the room, the answer to that question obvious to all the war-scarred Autobots and even the human.
"You have been betrayed", Prowl quietly told the femme who was still sitting in Jazz's embrace and therefore in his as well. "During my time as an enforcer I had my share of cases with Breeders that paid one of the lower femmes to help them trap their victims. A lot of them were captured and put into the brig for a long, long time."
"Ah gave mah visor t' Darkfin right after we broke out of that pithole", Jazz added darkly. "Back then Ah honestly thought it was coincidence that we met. She musta known that she would never get meh t' agree t' keep contact wit' any of ya, so she asked for mah visor for keepsake, t' never forget meh.
"Ah never suspected anything", the saboteur added miserably before adding a string of curses in her upcoming anger.
"I am surprised this organisation survived the war", Optimus voiced his own thoughts for the first time once Jazz had calmed down a bit. "After all, as the war started, Cybertron became a place of chaos and destruction."
"As far as Ah know", Softglow told the Prime, "Scapeground stayed near th' bigger Decepticon strongholds. He made his profits by selling sparklings t' th' lower ranked Decepticons."
She stopped and burst out into tears.
"Ah really don't want t' know how many of my little ones ended up as soldiers, extinguished on th' battlefield", the now distressed femme cried out and immediately Jazz enveloped her into another tight hug, making soothing noises and did everything in her power to calm her friend down.
When Softglow at least was able to stop her sobs, she continued, but tears still ran down her faceplates.
"When th' war got more out of control we were shipped away t' a different planet where Scapeground kept business running, waiting all those thousands of vorns until finally word of peace reached our hiding place. We returned t' th' nearly destroyed Cybertron an' right now they're making business by offering some of us femmes as bondmates as well as selling our sparklings. We femmes are an expensive commodity right now, at first because we no longer had th' All Spark, an' now it's because it's too far away for some of th' mechs t' reach. And Ah was th' first t' be bonded."
"We are still in the process of constructing a space bridge", Ratchet confirmed thoughtfully. "Of course this might take several more stellar-cycles to be done and certainly some of those impatient slaggers cannot wait at least one more vorn."
Jazz however, was no longer listening to the medic venting out his anger. She was staring thoughtfully at the door of the med bay, ideas and suggestions racing inside her processor.
"We need t' rescue th' femmes", the saboteur finally voiced his thoughts. "Prime, permission t' come up wit' a plan t' blow up the whole group?"
"Do you really want to handle this yourself, Jazz", Optimus asked uncertainly. "You are deeply involved in this, emotionally."
The special ops agent nodded her head in admittance but her look never lost its determined edge.
"Ah'm aware but Ah've got control over mahself", he promised their leader. "An' Ah'll include Prowler in th' plannin' as well as mah special ops team. Bumblebee and Mirage would be great, if they're free right now."
Mulling the saboteur's suggestion over, Optimus rubbed his chinplates thoughtfully. Prowl on the other hand, was already one step ahead. He faced the Softglow, optics hard and determined.
"Softglow, how long did Scapeground plan to stay here? And do you know how he planned to contact the Breeders before his return to Cybertron?"
The femme ran over her memory banks of the past stellar-cycle.
"No contact before they return t' Cybertron", she finally confirmed. "Since th' Lord High Protector an' th' Prime are working together again, Scapeground thought it too risky in case someone overheard th' communication an' would have been able t' decode th' message. But he set a time period of two stellar-cycles til his return."
"An' do ya know where th' hidin' place is?" Jazz asked next. The femme, however, shook her head, optics sad.
"Ah'm sorry but we were kept rather tightly this time an' durin' transports we were always kept in stasis. Oh Sparksong, how can we find the hiding place before the time is up?" the distressed femme asked her friend desperate.
But the saboteur had not given up yet.
"What about customers?" she wanted to know.
"Oh they are usually greeted somewhere nearby."
Jazz started to grin rather nastily.
"Great, then it's no problem since we still have that nice little customer of yers in captivity", the third in command concluded satisfied. "Hey Ratch' thank ya for keepin' meh from killin' him, seems that mech bein' alive'll come in handy now. Permission t' interrogate that piece of slag, Prime sir?"
"Will you lose your temper again like you did with those four dead mechs, Jazz?" Optimus asked his friend gravely. The saboteur gazed back at the Prime and even went as far as to take off her visor to allow her friend and leader to look straight at her optics.
"Ah'll not regret killing Scapeground an' his little slaggers, they had it comin'. However, th' mechs Ah killed were all those Ah knew, who hurt meh an' others. Since Ah don't know that wannabe bonded an' mah anger's cooled down, Ah promise ya Ah won't kill him, just try mah worst t' find out what he knows about th' meetin' place of the Breeders."
Optimus gazed sharply into the special ops agent's optics for one last time before he nodded.
"Get Mirage, give him an update of the current situation and you two can start interrogating the prisoner for the required information", he ordered, then turned around to the CMO. "Ratchet, please bring your patient out of stasis and prepare him for the questioning."
While Ratchet grumbled a little bit out of habit, not because he had any sympathy left for a mech who paid money to bond to a femme without her consent, the medic turned to go to the berth that hosted his only remaining patient right now. Jazz meanwhile saluted the Prime and made about to push Softglow from her lap while getting herself out of Prowl's arms, but then she remembered something important.
"How much am Ah supposed t' tell Mirage, sir?"
"Only what you are comfortable with, Jazz", Optimus answered her gently. "I am not expecting you to give up your secret to any more mecha outside this room, Jazz."
The saboteur vented the air through her intakes in obvious relief.
"Thank ya, Optimus", she sighed before she looked straight at Softglow.
"Hey Sweetspark, will ya be able t' stay in this room wit' these mechs til Ah go an' get mah subordinate for questioning?" she asked the still slightly frightened femme softly. "After we are done ya can stay wit' meh an' Prowler for a while until Ah've th' chance t' introduce ya t' Chromia and Arcee, our current free femmes here on Tron City."
"Chromia! Are you crazy, mech?" Will shouted shocked, before sheepishly adding. "Uhm, I meant 'femme' of course."
Chuckling the saboteur grinned at the only human present.
"Ah'll have ya know that Chromia's a no-nonsense femme wit' a lot of bark an' bite. She'll be good for 'Glow's self esteem an' teach her some more about self defence than Ah was able t' back then."
"It's all right, Sparksong", Softglow voiced her own opinion, faceplates looking brave. "Ya go an' get th' help ya need t' save th' others. Ah'll survive a few breems surrounded by these mechs, Ah'm sure."
"Right, then let's get us started on operation 'Daring rescue'!" Jazz exclaimed, demeanour right back to the familiar way the bots knew their saboteur to be. And before anyone could blink an optic, she was out of the doors.
tbc...