Darkened: The hermit in the wilds (Part 3/7)
I was going to write the backstory of one adorable little red mech. But then he started talking and talking and said we should go back here because he wanted a life lesson. Well. He didn't want a life lesson, he really just wanted to be in the spotlight (not that he wouldn't be in his own backstory, but he's not very big on logic) then Jazz came along and gave one anyway. The relationship between the two are really shaping up in my head and I blame being extremely bored and stuck at work for all my productivity this week. Normally it would take me several months to write this much.
Part One and Part Two
The hermit in the wilds
'Prowl’ looked rather exhausted and weak and Jazz felt a slight flicker of guilt for punching the mech again. It was all too tempting though, to give in to his long buried anger and thrash the Autobot until he was senseless. Quite frankly, his lack of control was frightening, he had been determined to be better than this and move on. With effort, he forced the anger back. Not now. Not ever.
“You should get some recharge,” Jazz said curtly. “Your frame’s still integrating the repairs we made. You’ll notice that everything is a lot weaker. We didn’t have anything for your frame size so we had to rework mini-bot parts for you.”
Prowl gave a hesitant nod. “I understand,” he said carefully. “Can I expect to return to the Autobot forces?”
Translation: would he be killed in his recharge?
Jazz smiled slowly. It was not a pleasant expression. “Don’t worry, if I change my mind about letting you live, I’ll inform you of it. There’s no fun in killing you quickly.”
On that threatening note, he left the med-bay. Alright, so he had decided to let things go. Implementing that decision was nowhere as easy as he thought. He’d do better next time…whenever the frag that was.
Jazz paused for a moment, reviewed the conversation then scowled and cursed aloud. His path diverted to his apprentice’s room. He did not knock on the door but instead stormed straight inside.
Zoom-Zoom was plugged into his work terminal. He yelped in surprise at his mentor’s sudden appearance and fell backwards. “You have got to stop doing that,” he said reproachfully from the floor.
“And you have to stop listening in on conversations that don’t include you,” Jazz shot back.
The red mini-bot gave his mentor a sheepish grin. “Well, how do you expect me to learn anything if you won’t tell me what’s going on?” he protested unabashedly.
Jazz narrowed his optics sternly at him from behind his visor. “Do better next time; don’t get caught. Redesign your listening devices so I don’t recognise them anymore and, most importantly, pay attention to your surroundings. Seriously, mech, it has been vorns. I shouldn’t be catching you off guard anymore.”
Zoom-Zoom scowled but gave a nod of reluctant acknowledgement. Then he leant back against the base of the chair and sprawled against it, eying his master lazily. “You really know how to hold a grudge,” he observed. “I mean, really.”
“Mech,” Jazz warned.
The mini-bot dropped it. Ish. “So, he was a counter-shift, huh? That’s pretty cool,” he gave his master a considering look. “You really are as old as time.”
Jazz groaned. “Primus save me from the immaturity of mechs.”
“Were you a counter-shift, master?” Zoom-Zoom asked brightly.
The cyber ninja’s optics darkened at this question. “Uh-oh,” Zoom-Zoom groaned in recognition. “That’s your wise-ninja-lesson-time-now look. Can we just not?”
Jazz gave his apprentice a sharp grin. “Nope. This is a good time to teach you this lesson, half-bit.”
“But I don’t wannaaaaaa,” the mini-bot whined.
Jazz settled himself on the mini-bot’s berth. “Sit up on the chair, Zoom-Zoom and let me tell you a story.”
He waited for his apprentice to climb back into his seat. “I wasn’t a counter-shift specifically but during the rebellions I was an agent for one.”
“Prowl’s previous existence,” Zoom-Zoom prompted. Then the mini-bot paused for a moment. “Which one was he? Was he famous?”
“He was counter-shift 157.”
“Never heard of that one,” Zoom-Zoom frowned. “What was his actual name?”
The ninjabot tilted his helm at his apprentice. “He never knew; the Quintessons wiped it from his processor permanently amongst other damages they did to him. He just called himself Counter-Shift when the war was over. Now pay attention, brat.”
“You are really old,” Zoom-Zoom piped up. “Just saying,” he added when Jazz levelled a dry stare at him.
“One orn you will online to discover that everyone you know is a disrespectful young mech. And I will laugh at you.”
“That’s alright. No matter what you’ll forever be older than me,” Zoom-Zoom replied serenely.
“Anyway. Seriously. Stop it with the interrupting.” Jazz glared down at the red mech to make sure he wouldn’t say another word. “Back when I was a young, cocky and obnoxious mech like yourself-” he started dryly.
“I have no idea what you are talking about, master,” the mini-bot broke in guilelessly.
“-let me rephrase that, back when I was a mindless Quintesson slave,” -Zoom-Zoom straightened and instantly lost his mirth at this turn in the conversation- “I met an amazing, clever and very dangerous counter shift who broke the restrictions on my programming. Now, remember when we met and I amazed and impressed you with my insane cyber-ninja skills?”
“You did not amaze me,” Zoom-Zoom said indignantly. “I found that what I could learn from you marginally more interesting that what A3 had been teaching me so I decided to swap my apprenticeship.”
Jazz waved a dismissive hand. “Keep telling yourself that, young spark. You were impressed.”
“Hmph,” the mini-bot exvented doubtfully.
“The point I’m trying to make is, I was young and impressionable just like you were, once upon a time. He became my mentor and taught me everything I knew back then. The thing is, you don’t realise is just how vulnerable you are in such a relationship.”
“I’m not vulnerable,” Zoom-Zoom quickly denied. A pair of energon daggers slipped into his servos almost indiscernibly to prove his point.
“Put the blades away half-bit, you ain’t impressing anyone here. I’m not talking about physical vulnerability. I’m talking about mental vulnerability. You trust me to teach you things, you follow my lead without hesitation on everything we do. So, how the frag do you even know I’m not leading you astray?”
Zoom-Zoom gave his mentor a deeply insulted look. “I’m not stupid,” he said.
“No. You’re impressionable,” the ninjabot pointed a finger at him. “You killed your first mech in this last decacycle, did you even notice that?”
The mini-bot froze. “I-” he gave Jazz a wide look a horrified look. “I…didn’t even think about it. I-I just…”
“Trust is a powerful but dangerous thing,” Jazz said sadly, watching his apprentice shake with denial. “I took you with me when I was hunting Quint infiltration drones. I’ve taught you how move past the automatic refusal to kill something with a spark because the Quint drones give off a false reading. When I told you to take down that Decepticon, you didn’t even hesitate. You didn’t even realise what you had done, in your mind you'd killed another drone. Because you trust me that much.”
He didn’t move to offer Zoom-Zoom comfort. This was a lesson he had learned the hard way and he wanted it to sink in to his apprentice now so Zoom-Zoom might never found himself in a situation anything like his.
“He-he’s a Decepticon,” Zoom-Zoom muttered desperately. “They’re evil, right? It doesn’t matter that I’ve killed him.”
Jazz looked at his apprentice coldly. “He was a mech. He was alive. There is nothing as simple as an evil side in a war. That mech was fighting for what he thought was right. Don’t trivialize his death.”
Zoom-Zoom’s faceplates tightened and he looked away. Jazz waited until the mini-bot had gotten himself under control before continuing on with his lesson. Zoom-Zoom was not one to fall apart easily, he would deal with his emotions and what he had done in his own time and in private. “See how dangerous that trust is? You’ve just gotta believe that what I’m leading you on the right path. But you can never really know for certain. I came very close to killing Prowl for something he didn’t even do in the med-bay just now. Would you have even protested if I did?”
The mini-bot shrunk in on himself. “No,” he answered miserably as he realized the honesty in his answer.
Jazz leant forward. “I am trying to teach you right, for what it’s worth. Swore that I would. I trusted my mentor the same way you do. And what may have started off innocently for me sure as frag did not end the same way. I don’t want to see the same thing happening between us.”
Zoom-Zoom looked up slowly. “How do you-how do you even begin to sort yourself out?” he asked in a small voice. “I mean, I trust you…but I can also see what you’re saying and I have no idea how to-how to make myself step back. Where would I even start?” He narrowed his optics. “Don’t tell me it's with lots of meditation,” he made a feeble attempt at humour. "I hate meditation."
The cyber-ninja gave a bitter laugh. “Try a complete personality matrix rewrite.”
The mini-bot gaped at his mentor. “No one can do that. That’s impossible.”
“To most mechs, yes,” Jazz agreed. He gave Zoom-Zoom a hard look. “He didn’t just manipulate me using my trust, Zoom-Zoom. He messed around with my core-codes. I was a slave in my own frame and I didn’t even realize it. Completely rewriting my core codes and my personality matrix was the only way I could be certain that I was free from him.”
The small mech shifted uncomfortably away from his master. “You know, you are really freaking me out here. How the frag do I know you haven’t done the same to me?”
“A3 taught you some fancy code tricks. I’m sure you would have noticed if I’d reprogrammed you,” the ninjabot said blandly. “I also wouldn’t have brought this up if I had, brat.”
Zoom-Zoom relaxed slightly. “Right. Of course.” He scrutinized his master. “Are you teaching me to disobey you? Cuz if you are, I’m liking this lesson. Uh. The meaning of the lesson. Your mentor sounds creepy. I can see why you’re tempted to kill Prowl. Uh. Not that you should. Don’t kill him. That wouldn’t be good.”
Jazz sighed heavily. “I’m teaching you the importance of thinking for yourself and not to follow someone’s lead blindly. Please pay attention, Zoom-Zoom.”
“I am,” the red mech protested. He leant forward seriously. “I appreciate what you’re telling me, Jazz. I won’t forget it. And uh, I’ll endeavour to doubt you more often.”
Oh he would. He would doubt Jazz often. Very often. As often as possible.
“Question me,” Jazz corrected quickly, sensing the mischief in his apprentice’s thoughts.
Zoom-Zoom levelled a disapproving look at his teacher. “You have been trying to teach me prehistoric dance moves the entire time I’ve known you. I find that rather questionable.”
Jazz narrowed his optics at his apprentice. “You have no appreciation for the classics, mech. There is nothing questionable about me trying to teach you how to dance.”
“Pfft. Your dance moves are questionable!” Zoom-Zoom sneered.
“You have no sense of style, Zoom-Zoom.”
“Your sense of style is out of date, master.”
“You are a brat,” Jazz growled in exasperation as he climbed to his feet.
“And you are old and senile,” Zoom-Zoom said cheekily, “And don’t know a thing about what is socially acceptable in these modern times.”
Jazz waved a hand in denial at him as he left the room. Zoom-Zoom waited an astrosecond, then slipped over to his door and listened expectantly.
His master’s low, smooth chuckles floated back to him as he walked down the hallway.
Zoom-Zoom settled back on his chair and congratulated himself on a job well done.
The End
(Or is it? O_o)
Part 4
A/N: Apparently, I wrote...fluff? Fluff involving murder, brainwashing and slavery. Go figure. Things are kinda dark in this verse. I blame Counter Shift. He has become substantially creepy since I initially devised him. He was such a nice guy back then :(
And Zoom-Zoom wants a whole little mini-series devoted to his amazing adventures. My headspace!characters are insanely demanding. Maybe if I gave him an icon or something he'll leave me alone (visiting Google images made me realize the infeasibility of such an idea. The poor kid gets no love). There are all these other mechs I need to do things with. Go awaaaaay.
Wondering where the slag you are chronologically? Check out the timeline
Table of contents