Surprising Origin

[usagi_atemu_tom]

Title: Surprising Origin
Part: 1/1
Author: Usagi-Atemu-Tom
Anniversary Challenges: Week one prompt - #Surprising Origin
Rating: PG
Genre: romance, general
Warnings: slash
Pairings: Jazz/Prowl
Feedback: Please, yes, I love feedback! =^^=

Summary: Surviving the attack of Megatron was the easy part. Now Jazz has to face the truth about a mech that he thought he had known and loved in and out.

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.

As a lot of you might already know, the ability of sorcelling has been created by Taralynden and is used with her permission here.And not to forget, much thanks to Taralynden for betareading.


It had been six months since the famous final battle over the All Spark in Mission City on Earth and Jazz was still restricted to the medical bay by Ratchet's orders. After the saboteur's miraculous survival from the fight with Megatron himself he had been in stasis for over six orns until the medical officer had been able to tinker his broken, barely living body back to full functionality. However, even if the Cybertronians were not organic, when they were wounded as badly as Jazz had been their metallic bodies still needed time to recover.

Therefore after the current second in command came online again, his programs took the next few orns to rewrite themselves. He had to learn nearly everything over again: how to speak, how to walk, how to read, how to activate his weapons or access the human Internet. The only good thing was that Jazz certainly remembered every little detail of his life. That was simply part of who he was and whereas laid in his spark, instead of being a simple program. And as Ratchet explained to a dumbstruck Sam, who had been surprised about Jazz not being able to talk the first day, only to come back the next to find him chattering away like a bot the irritated Ironhide called Bluestreak, being forced to rewrite his programs was a task Jazz had to do only once for each program. The moment his language program was finished, the saboteur was able to talk like he had never stopped.

Though at first of course the only language Jazz was able to speak had been Cybertronian standard. He had to rewrite the program for accessing the human Internet first before he was able to address their new human friends personally without a need for a translator. What frustrated the second in command the most, and was the main reason for his lengthy stay in the medical bay, was the fact that as a saboteur he had a LOT of programs to take care of. Some of them were easily repaired since he could just download the codes and main structure from Ratchet or one of his other comrades. However, there were a lot of programs left that even Ratchet had not known about. Now though, Jazz was forced to admit to them, because some were important and he was no longer able to function without them.

To say Ratchet had thrown a fit would have been the understatement of several millennia. The saboteur could still feel the pain of the three dents, courtesy to Ratchet's infamous wrenches, before he had finally been able to take cover. In the end Jazz was forced to rewrite most programs himself, from memory alone of what they should have done. Ratchet was only able to provide help for some of the more basic of these special programs and though basic in this context meant advanced far beyond the understanding of any of the others currently on Earth.

Today, however, was Jazz's last day in the medbay. He was supposed to await the results of Ratchet's final checkup, the medic wanted to be sure that every program installed was running smoothly again, then he would be the pit out of here and hopefully stay away from the grumpy medic and his tender care for a long, long time. While the Autobot second in command was waiting for the medical officer to return, he was surprised when the doors to the medical facility opened and Bumblebee came in.

That the young scout was part of Jazz's personal special ops team was unknown to most Autobots, but no-one had questioned the fact that he had been a regular visitor to keep Jazz from boredom, just like every bot else. But it was already well known thorough the whole base that today was Jazz's release, meaning he was healed and no longer in need for friendly visitor's call. Knowing Bumblebee as Jazz did, this meant that the scout's visit had a more serious meaning.

"Bee, mah mech", Jazz greeted the young special ops agent with an easy smile.

No reason to get to business just because one assumed it had to be that way.

"What brings ya t' th'... how do humans say it? Th' 'lion's den'? Never thought ya would be one of those willin' t' visit th' Hatchet without bein' threatened."

The yellow coloured Camaro transformer shuddered for an astrosecond at the thought of Ratchet's usual maintainance days before grinning back at Jazz easily enough.

#And you, have you enjoyed your stay in Ratchet's everyday care?# he retorted through commlink, since his voice still did not work properly, knowing full well that Jazz had tried at least ten times to escape the medical bay. All without success of course.

"Awww, Bee ya wound mah spark", Jazz snickered, holding a clawed servo over his hidden sparkcase. Both special ops agents shared another quick laugh about their little antics, before they became serious right at the same time.

"So, what's so important it can't wait until after Ah'm released by th' Hatchet, Bumblebee?"

#I've needed to talk to you for a long time, but I realised it would be inappropriate to do so until you had all your programs and skills as our head of special ops back again#, the young scout started to explain. #It's about something strange that happened, and a message I was supposed to give you. A message that I needed to be sure that you can detect any virus in, before I give it to you.#

"A message?" Jazz asked surprised. "From whom? There aren't a lot of mecha down here on Earth that would cause ya t' act this distrustin'. Far as I know, anyway."

#No, there are not#, Bumblebee admitted, before letting out air through his vents like a human taking a deep breath. #The messenger is Barricade. I was fighting him over Sam and the glasses and I won, as you might have heard. However, I always had a feeling that it was too easy. I've fought Barricade before and so far I've never won. Also, when he laid there, twitching inside the mass of power supply lines, he stopped me by a short command and threw me this little datapad. He told me to give this to you, and only you, and that your decision on reading it might decide the outcome of the war.#

Bumblebee now took the datapad he had been talking about out of his subspace and showed it to his commander.

#I should not have trusted him, should not have accepted the datapad I know. But my instincts told me to take it and I decided as long as I did not open it, things would be fine. Still, it might be helpful if you take a look at it. Maybe you'll see something I do not.#

"Hmmm", Jazz took the datapad with a thoughtful thrill and studied the innocent-looking device in his claws. "Ah'm not sure what's goin' on an' certainly Ah've no idea why Barricade wanted meh of all bots t' receive his messages. As far as Ah remember we haven't clashed more 'n once during a battle an' now that Ah think about it, th' only thing Ah remember odd about that incident 's th' fact that he seemed reluctant t' fight meh."

He started to examine the datapad. First only the frame, then the inside as well. He was careful and thorough enough that he was still working on it when Ratchet returned and declared him officially released - he hid the datapad from the medical officer of course - to all through an exchange of energon with the other Autobots and the first human members of what was supposed to become a liaison between the two races called NEST, and his eventual return to his own quarters. Bumblebee stayed with him until Jazz finally was as sure as he could be that the datapad was safe and he finally dared to open the message.

It was only one small paragraph, but for Jazz, the intent was clear.

Prowling secrets! Meet me one joor after your activation of this message. ALONE

Barricade

Coordinates were added to the little message, the guide to a secret meeting point. After Bumblebee made sure that Jazz was not infected by a virus the saboteur dismissed his faithful agent, instructing him to return and read the message hidden in the usual place if he had no chance to speak to his head of special ops after one and a quarter joor.

Fortuitously the meeting point was not too far away from the place where NEST was establishing their temporary base. It was still near Tranquility so that the Autobots were able to see Sam, Mikaela and Bumblebee, who was staying with the human boy for the time being.

To make sure that it was not some kind of trap, Jazz arrived already half a joor before their meeting time to inspect that place. However, it seemed Barrciade had the same idea after being alerted by the opened message, because when the saboteur arrived, the Decepticon was already carefully scouting the area. Jazz, who had been quiet about his arrival, gazed at the Saleen transformer doing his rounds. It was odd but the longer he watched the Decepticon the more familiar he seemed to be. Something was strange about the meticulous way Barricade scanned the area. It reminded Jazz of someone but he simply could not put his talon on who.

Deciding it was useless to hide for another half joor, and with the way Barricade was acting he was sure that things were as safe as they could be with a Decepticon in his path. Leaving the shadows of his hidingplace, Jazz strolled over.

"Yo, 'Cade", he greeted the enemy scout who did something surprising. The Decepticon, after hearing his voice, jumped a mile in shock before whirling around to face the suddenly arrived Autobot.

"Jazz", Barricade stated surprised before his tense body mostly relaxed and a shot of air left his vents in a sigh of relief. "I expected you to turn up earlier to scout the area. But given the time and since I was unable to calculate how far away our meeting place is from your current base, I did not expect your arrival for another quarter joor. Given your unpredictable ways I should have known better than to calculate as I did."

Jazz cocked his head curiously to the side at these words. Barricade made it sound like he knew the saboteur far better than he was supposed to and it made him suspicious and curious at the same time.

"And why do you have to call me by that ridiculous name?" Barricade added as an afterthought. "What is it with you and nicknames anyway? My designation is Barricade, please leave it as that."

The special ops agent blinked his optics in surprise at those words.

"Strange, but for a moment ya sounded just like Prowler", the saboteur mused amused before he turned serious again. "An' speakin' of him, let's get down t' business, shall we? Ah've got yer message an' Ah recognised yer indication for Prowl. Just don't expect me t' tell ya any secrets that aren't confirmed by ya first. If there's any secret anyway. Ah admit ya've meh curious, though. What kind of secret would a Decepticon know that Ah myself don't?"

The Decepticon let out a rough chuckle before he sat down on a boulder in the middle of the scrapyard that was their meeting point.

"Your acting skills are supreme, Jazz. Any other Decepticon might have fallen for it. It's just I know you better than you realise."

Now the special ops agent looked at the other with a challenging look on his face.

"Ya do, don't ya?" Jazz dared him. "Humour meh. What could ya possibly know that others don't?"

"I think I should simply show you, and then you will understand", Barricade replied eerily calm. "I know for a fact that I can trust you. Besides, I would have liked for you to know about this from the beginning. It's just, Optimus Prime wanted to be sure that nothing leaks out, by no accident possible. And it's not that he did not trust you, Jazz, he just wanted to eliminate as much unpredictability as possible."

By now Jazz, who had sat down right after Barricade stood up again, was staring, his face incredulous. The light of his visor was narrowed, certainly just like his optics itself were right now and he watched the Decepticon's every single move with new distrust.

"Optimus Prime? What exactly are ya tryin' t' tell meh here?" the saboteur asked with fake calm, undertone slightly threatening. Jazz certainly did not like being played and right now he suspected just that was happening. Barricade however seemed unfazed even though it was clear he noted the warning undertone.

"What I am about to show you is confidential, Jazz. The only being to know about this is Optimus Prime himself, no one else. And it took a great deal of risk and work to keep this hidden from ops, believe me. You are to tell no one and you are here to help me come up with a plan that will get me away from the Decepticons without blowing my cover. The war hopefully will be over now, but I don't wish to take risks and reveal a precious cover that might come in handy again at a later time.

"I am counting on your skills as special ops here. This is also why I decided to try and contact you, not Optimus Prime. He might have thought that my cover is no longer necessary and become incautious. While he is a great leader and has his strengths, I prefer the knowledge and skill of someone who knows about sabotage. An ops agent - the BEST ops agent."

Jazz had not needed to hear it all to put two and two together. The moment Barricade finished with his explanation, the saboteur was gaping at the Decepticon, visor glowing bright in disbelief.

"Ya're an agent!" he voiced his conclusion. "Ya're undercover! Ya infiltrated the Decepticons. But ya've t' prove it t' meh. Otherwise even Megatron could've claimed t' be simply undercover."

The Saleen transformer inclined his head in acknowledgment.

"Of course I plan to prove my status", he confirmed calmly. "Since I am sure you did your own check of the meeting place, may I ask if we are secure and unobserved?"

"As far 's Ah was able t' tell, yes, we should be safe here", Jazz confirmed.

"Good, this is what I came up with. Now watch. And Jazz?"

"What?"

"I'm sorry I did not tell you sooner!"

And with those words, Barricade's body started to shift and morph in a very painful-looking way. Jazz watched the procedure, shocked and fascinated at the same time. He heard about that technique. As head of special ops he was able to recognise it immediately, even though he had never before met anyone who was able to use it. What Barricade performed was called sorcelling, a form of transformation that allowed a Cybertronian to take on the form of a fellow mech or femme, as long as their body mass matched. It was a great technique for spies to use. Very few possessed the ability and even lesser were able to master it.

The change happened slowly, after all it was a more forceful form of transformation. Jazz watched every single step of it closely. Who knew if he would ever be able to witness something like this again. He was so engrossed in watching the small parts of armour move, that he even neglected to pay attention to the true identity of the mech who was acting as Barricade.

But when the last seam locked itself into place and the saboteur finally looked up into the spy's face, he was in for the greatest shock of his existence. For a moment his voice refused to work as he stared at the mech, who now stood in front of him.

"Prowler?" he managed to choke out at least, not believing his optics.

"Hello, Jazz", the now Praxian looking mech answered softly. The slight flutter of his doorwings the only indication that he was nervous and even that was something only mecha who truly knew him would be able to recognise.

The head of special ops slowly walked up to the Autobot that had once been head of tactical operations as well as the original second in command under Optimus Prime. Dazed, Jazz reached out his claws as if to touch the other's faceplates. In the last moment though, he stopped the movement and instead took a cautious step backwards.

Prowl it seemed, had anticipated that move and lowered his optics.

"I understand that you are angry with me now, Jazz", the Praxian sighed and a surprising amount of emotion, of sadness, could be heard in his voice. He had not moved at all since the revelation of his identity. He neither hindered nor encouraged any of the saboteur's actions, only waited for what the other bot would do.

Jazz, shock his head after hearing the softly spoken declaration.

"Ah should be angry at ya, shouldn't Ah?" the head of special ops whispered absent mindedly before he violently shook his head once again. "But Ah can't. Ah don't feel any anger, only shock an' regret. Ah'm special ops, Prowler. Ah know all about secret missions an' infiltratin'. Add to that yer surprisin' ability t' sorcel, it's no wonder that ya had t' keep this a secret, even from special ops. Sorcellin's a damn helpful technique but feared just as much as it's admired."

He looked at Prowl, the daze now gone and instead his natural amusement over the situation came to the front, making him chuckle.

"Ya know, Prowler, for somebot who's not special ops, ya did exceptionally well, ya aware of that? Ya played yer role rather well, even had my own agent fooled."

Jazz's expression changed from amused to admiring and he finally invaded Prowl's personal space again and nudged him to sit down onto the bolder. When the Praxian allowed the saboteur to position him as he liked, the Solstice transformer took a seat besides his comrade and looked him over again. He even went as far as stroking one of the enticing doorwings Prowl always used to hold so proudly.

"So, this' th' true form of th' feared Barricade. Ah have t' say Ah'm impressed."

For a moment, both Autobots started at each other. One curious, the other strangely grim. Then Prowl offlined his optics and allowed his vents to push air out with a loud noise.

"There's more, and you honestly deserve to hear the whole truth", the former Autobot tactician declared more to himself before he onlined his optics again and focused them on Jazz with an intense stare. "This is not my true form, Jazz."

Again, the saboteur had to admit that he was shocked and knew he certainly looked like it, too.

"It's not?" he finally choked out. "But if that's not yer true form then..."

Realisation hit the head of special ops and his mouthplates formed the round form of an 'o'.

"So, why 're ya pretendin' then?"

Prowl let out another sigh like noise through his vents and looked at Jazz with surprisingly sad optics.

"How many Autobots do you know of that have been sparked and raised in Kaon, Jazz?"

Immediately understanding hit the saboteur, though he still took the time to mull the question over.

"Well", he eventually admitted hesitantly, "the twins've been in Kaon for a long time..."

"But they were not sparked there", Prowl interrupted. "And while their manners certainly leave much to be desired, they do not have typical Kaonite looks and still have a past and a future outside of that city they can look back to."

"Agreed", Jazz admitted with a sigh. "So, what about yerself?"

Prowl smiled slightly at the saboteur, the whole thing looking a bit bitter.

"I was sparked and raised in Kaon", the Autobot tactician told the other calmly. "But ever, since the very beginning I have been an outsider, someone odd, not fitting. First there were the crashes of my logic centre. For mecha in Kaon a glitch like that was seen as weakness. You can imagine how my creators reacted about finding out."

Jazz winced a bit and without thinking about it, he took Prowl's hand into his own servos. Even though no emotions have swept through Prowl's storytelling, the saboteur knew the other very well. At least he thought he did and while now the fellow Auotbot was revealing a rather shocking truth about his origin, Jazz doubted that it changed anything about what he knew of Prowl's feelings. Therefore, even if he did not show it, the head of special ops was sure that the other was hurting like the pit inside his spark by thinking of his past.

He did not interrupt, however. Jazz had the feeling Prowl needed to tell this as much as he himself needed to hear it.

"So, what happened t' ya?" the saboteur gently urged the other on.

"My creators tried everything they could to compensate for that glitch I had. They tried to harden me, to raise me as a fighter. To their dismay that was another thing where I differed from the rest of the mecha in Kaon. I despised the violence of my home. I hated the gladiatorial games and the usual thirst for energon. In the end I ran away as soon as I was sure that my odds for survival were over 40 percent."

Jazz thrilled softly at this, knowing that usually Prowl preferred to not accept a plan that had a success rate under 80 percent. The tactician showed him a small smile, having a good guess what he was thinking.

"Those were different circumstances and it was only about my own life", Prowl explained. "It seemed worth the risk. I ended up on the streets first. In fact I lived there for a long, long time, surviving because I used my head instead of body strength like so many other younglings did.

"Finally, when I was a young mech, I stumbled upon a situation with a Praxian enforcer. He had gotten himself into trouble, very serious trouble, and I could not stand back and watch. I saved his life and he, realising that I did not seem to fit with the rest of Kaon's inhabitants, he took me away from there to Praxus."

"So that's how ya ended up there, even though ya're Kaonite."

"By that time I was old enough to live on my own legally. Still that Praxian presented me to his bondmate and their little mechlet and they took me in. His mate was a well respected medic and it was him that looked me over and found out about my ability to sorcel. And since enforcers are taught all there is to know about sorcelling in theory, Quickstrike took me aside and tried to teach me."

"Successfully, if yer current show 's anythin' t' go by", Jazz could not help but point out proudly. To his surprise, Prowl however, shook his head.

"No, I did not succeed, even after a long period of training", the tactician admitted. "Even though I had a strong motivation. Praxian mecha quickly became suspicious of me, the strange, dangerous-looking mech from Kaon. As a medic Softspark was able to change my appearance in small ways, but my Kaonite heritage was unmistakable. Quickstrike thought that my wish to fit into Praxus might be motivation enough. Sadly, it seemed not to be so. I think now that I was doubting myself and my abilities too much. Ultimately, the only people who really accepted my presence in Praxus were my step-creators and their little sparkling."

"But in th' end their acceptance were what counted th' most, was it not?" Jazz asked.

"Indeed it was", Prowl confirmed, the light of his optics now dimmed in what the saboteur recognised as a sign of sadness. "Their adoption of me and their love, born out of kindness and their thankfulness for saving one member of their family unit, was what kept me with them. I learned to see Praxus through the optics of an enforcer who wanted to protect it. And I saw its beauty through the optics of a soft sparked medic who showed me everything he loved about his town. It also helped that their innocent sparkling, who I often watched during my stay, showed me his very own perspective of the world he lived in. It was he, who allowed me to fall in love with Praxus Crystal Parks, more than anyone else."

"An' Ah'm happy for ya t' hear that", the head of special ops told the tactician with a smile before becoming sad. "Oh Prowler, wit' hearing yer story Ah'm so sorry about what happened t' Praxus!"

For an astrosecond, Prowl was surprised about the saboteur's actions, but soon enough he clung to the smaller mech's body, accepting the offered comfort as he always had with Jazz. No matter how much the tactician had always been able to close off his emotions in front of surrounding mecha, from nearly their first meeting Jazz alone had been the only mech who pushed through his defences and forced him to let out his feelings.

The tactician still ended up quite subtle about showing his emotions, but the head of special ops had always been a quick learner and soon he was able to read Prowl's every subtle sign like an open book. It was what made them become such great friends so quickly, one of the many quirks that had drawn the former Autobot second in command like a moth to the flame. And he never regretted one klick of the time he had with Jazz. The only thing he did regret was not telling the saboteur the truth of his origin.

And Prowl hoped with all his spark, that coming clean now, under the current circumstances, was not too late and that he would still be welcome in Jazz's arms by the time his tale was told. So far, and especially with the saboteur's current actions, his battle computer calculated him a chance of 80 percent that at least their friendship would be restored.

Deciding to bask in the moment as much as he could, and taking all of the comfort offered - he really needed it for what he was about to tell next - Prowl stayed in the Solstice's arms while he continued with his story.

"The sad truth is, the destruction of Praxus was part of the trigger I needed to finally master sorcelling", the Autobot tactician whispered. "When the Decepticons attacked I was away, carrying out a delivery request from Softspark. When the first bombing took place I immediately tried to return to the very mechs who had become my family unit. But unfortunately I was buried under a collapsing building. I was lucky enough to survive. The stones fell in a way that left me caged into a small hole. I suspect it saved my life, but it took me a lot of time to get out of my prison.

"By the time I was able to free myself, the attack was over and Praxus left in ruins. My logic centre told me it was over just after the first look around, but I still needed to see for myself, so I went back to the place I called home. I found Softspark first. He must have died instantly after getting hit."

Jazz tightened his embrace.

"Their sparkling was nowhere in sight and Quickstrike seemed to be missing as well. At first I feared the worst, them vaporised into nothing by the weapon of the Decepticon. Then I remembered the hidden cellar, Quickstrike had told me about once. He had been rather proud of it, too. Neither of my step-creators had been blind to the events in Cybertron. They had recognised the warnings of a war long before and decided to build that cellar, if worst came to worst, to protect their sparkling.

"After I was able to dig out the entrance of the cellar, I realised that the force of the attack had been so strong, even the well-built hiding place had collapsed."

Here Prowl stopped with a choked sob and buried himself deeper into the offered embrace. Remembering that day had always hurt. But he never expected it to still hurt this much, now that he told Jazz the story out loud. Had he buried his emotions about that time so deep, that it now came out rather more violently than it was supposed to? The tactician was not sure, but after starting to tell his friend everything he could no longer stop. Therefore, voice shaking slightly now with that unusual amount of emotion, he continued where he left off.

"I found Quickstrike first, his body mostly buried under the debris. He was still alive, but barely and even with my little medical knowledge I could see it was hopeless to try and save him. He was awake though and he noticed me. He told me in a silent, yet strong voice, that I was supposed to try and scan his form, then sorcel.

"But I was so shocked and overwhelmed with grief, I could barely grasp what he wanted from me. And even when I did, I refused to do it, telling him, that it was no use and how sorcelling would neither be able to save him, nor bring his bondmate back to life. Again he ordered me to sorcel. He told me that I could not emerge as one of the few survivors of Praxus looking like a Kaonite. While he knew that I was more of a Praxian at spark than most of the other mecha he had known, he was not blind to the way of how the world worked.

"And then he told me that I needed to become a Praxian, because I was the only one left he could ever entrust with the care of his sparkling. It was only then that I noticed the offline mechlet lying in the arms of his creator. Quickstrike protected his offspring with his own body, saving the little one's life. The sparkling only had minor injuries and the stress caused him to fall into stasis, but nothing worse.

"It was Quickstrike's forceful order, coupled with the fact that I was to become the sparkling's protector while I was supposed to be protected as well that let me forget all about my insecurities. I successfully scanned my step-creator's form and changed into it. The last thing Quickstrike did was smile at me proudly and handle me the offline sparkling for protection. I will never forget that moment, never as long as I exist.

"I left the place I came to call home and after running through the ruins of Praxus I finally reached an outpost of the Autobots they had erected right after their arrival to help their search for survivors.

"By the end of the night I found out that the sparkling and I were the only survivors of Praxus. A strong and proud city, destroyed just like that. I became an Autobot right at the end of that night vowing that I would do all I could that something like this would never happen again."

For a moment silence descended over the scrapyard. Both Autobots were busy reining in their emotions and getting over the content of the story Prowl had just told. Jazz, even while deep in thought, continued to stroke over the tactician's body soothingly, hoping that the small gesture could at least bring a little comfort to the pain his friend must certainly feel.

It was only until the saboteur was done recalling everything told to him, that he realised something.

"Just a klick, Prowler. Ah remember th' night of th' attack on Praxus. Ah was one of th' helpers trying t' find any survivors. An' while Ah didn't met ya personally Ah certainly found out later who that sparkling had been."

He stopped his summary, the full meaning of his own conclusion hitting him like a brig on the head.

"Bluestreak", the head of special ops whispered shocked, "Primus, Prowler yah were part of th' family unit that belonged t' Bluestreak."

The tactician nodded against the saboteur's shoulderplates.

"Quickstrike and Softspark were Bluestreak's creators", Prowl confirmed softly. "He is aware of that fact and he knows that I lived with his family, practically became his older brother in all but energon. However, he remembers almost nothing about that time. His CPU was not well developed back then, and most of the memories files were not saved for access. Therefore he does not know about my origins. As far as he is concerned he thinks I am a Praxian orphan who got adopted by his creator."

"An' ya wish that it stays that way for little Blue", Jazz concluded. Prowl nodded.

"Please!"

"Anythin' for ya, Prowler", Jazz whispered before he tucked the tactician back against his armour and continued his stroking over the Praxian doorwings. They stayed like that for quite a while, until the head of special ops was sure his friend regained control over his emotions again.

"So", the saboteur started conversationally, his arms keeping a loose embrace around the tactician, "since ya just revealed t' meh that ya not really Praxian an' wit' what Ah know about sorcellin' how come that ya body's sensors always reacted t' mah touch th' way it's supposed t' be even though Ah've heard that sensors usually stay at the place of the original body?"

The question shocked Prowl so much, he ended up speechless for an astrosecond, before he groaned and half heartedly glared at the saboteur.

"Jazz, while I appreciate your attempt to lighten the mood, do you really have to ask THIS of all questions?"

"But ya can't deny it's a good question", the Solstice transformer chuckled, patting the other's head. "An' wit' ya back in mah arms after all this time, th' issue just popped up in mah processor, Ah couldn't help it."

Releasing air through his vents in a sign of exasperation, Prowl pondered over the best answer for the question. Even if it was the last thing he had expected Jazz to wonder about, he had sworn to himself to be truthful tonight with the mech in whose arms he currently sat.

"All right, you remember the form Barricade has, don't you?" the tactician finally asked and Jazz nodded. "Well you might notice then, that while more dangerous and obviously a Kaonite design, the build of my true from and that of a Praxian are not too different. I simply had luck. My original creators designed my protoform with doorwings even, do not ask me why because my only guess would be it had something to do with their annoyance over the Seekers from Vos."

At that point the head of special ops was able to put the answer together himself.

"Ah so yer build differs not too much from Praxian, meanin' that most of yer sensors sit at th' same place."

"Exactly", Prowl confirmed.

"An' what about ya endin' up as undercover agent for us?" Jazz wanted to know next. "As far as Ah remember, ya're always most effective wit' tactical plannin' an' yer job as second in command. While Ah'd noticed yer mind an' talents fulfillin' th' conditions for special ops, ya were always more beneficial as our head tactician. What changed?"

Prowl sighed again with a burst of air through is vents. This question he had expected from Jazz.

"That would have to do with the fact how Optimus Prime found out about my ability to sorcel."

"Ah", Jazz concluded and nodded his head in a silent gesture for his friend to continue.

"As you should know, the ability to sorcell still requires the user to return to their true form every few vorns latest. In my case, I required a return to my true form around every second vorn. For a long time I was able to plan it out well enough that I could vanish for a joor or two to perform the required change and return to my Praxian form and rest a bit."

"Oh Ah remember how ya were sometimes more exhausted than usual, every second vorn or so", the Solstice could not help but point out, realisation hitting him. "So that wasn't about ya overworkin' yerself again but ya usin' th' trick of sorcellin' twice in such a short period."

"I have to admit, your insistence when you noticed my exhaustion was rather helpful on those days", Prowl told the saboteur with a small smile and Jazz could not help but chuckle. "But do you remember that five vorn long besiegement we had to endure by the Decepticons not long before we shot the Allspark into space?"

"How could Ah not?" Jazz retorted dryly. "Ah was made third in command durin' that time an' Ah had t' put up wit' Sunstreaker bein' in a bad mood for thirty orns straight."

Prowl could not help but smirk when he remembered the one time he had not had to put up with the vain twin's antics for once. It had been a small comfort, given their overall situation, but it was still a memory he kept with fondness, even though he had felt sorry for the one mech who had already been his lover back then.

"Yes, Sunstreaker happened to be in a bad mood a lot during that time", the tactician admitted. "Though I have to say there had been worse cases. Anyway, things got more heated than I could ever have anticipated and I was unable to leave my post for more than 3 breems most of the time. Even with the generous amount of time I calculated in a case like that before and after my usual time of taking on my true form, did not help me out at that point. In the end I worked myself into exhaustion and the hold I had on my cover form burst when I was in a private emergency meeting with the Prime. It had been a blessing in disguise that it was only Optimus with me, when my body broke down and started to sorcel back without my consent."

"When ya hold that form for too long ya get exhausted an' in th' end yer body itself forces ya t' return t' ya true form if ya do not do it yerself, right?" Jazz summarised what he knew about the rare technique, and Prowl nodded.

"I was lucky Prime did not think of me as a spy, when it happened. Instead he allowed me to rest in private, then of course he wormed out the whole story and after I told him everything I was willing to tell him, he reacted with understanding and swore he would not tell anyone. However some time later he came to me about a problem we had with the unpredictably of the Decepticons and the fact that he feared for the safety of the Allspark. After a long discussion and the working out of a plan as safe as possible, it was decided that the Autobot second in command was to go missing and soon a Decepticon by the name of Barricade to be born."

By now Prowl had released himself from the embrace of his friend and put a bit of distance between them. With slightly dimmed optics, he looked at Jazz, faceplates showing as much of an apology as the usually reserved tactician was able to show.

"I am sorry I could not tell you of that plan, Jazz", he said softly. "I asked Prime for permission to at least induct the head of special ops, since this was a plan typical for your area of expertise, but if you remember we lost some mecha just before because a Decepticon spy overheard a report, a classified report."

"Yeah", Jazz sighed with a burst of air from his his vents, "Ah remember. "An' as a told ya before, Prowler, Ah'm special ops, therefore Ah understand the value of silence, even against yer best friend or lover. Been there, done that."

It was as much a declaration of acceptance as it was a confession of the secrets he still had to keep from Prowl. The tactician simply nodded returning the acceptance and thankfulness.

"Then there is one thing that I do not understand, Jazz", the former Autobot second in command came to his final point. "While I am thankful for your understanding and belief in me, how is it that you trust me so easily, even though I have done nothing so far that would prove I am not simply a Decepticon trying to get under your armour for information purposes."

At these words, Jazz grinned.

"While Ah have mah reasons t' believe that you've told th' truth so far, Prowler, Ah'm far from over checkin' yer identity", the head of special ops stated. "Ah just wanted t' hear ya story first an' gauge yer reaction about mah actions. Ah've found nothin' so far t' doubt yer identity. But ya're right. So how do ya plan t' prove yer identity once and for all?"

Prowl hesitated for a moment, his whole body tensing in a flash of insecurity. Then he straightened, posture calm and determined as every Autobot who knew him, was used to.

"Do you remember the present I gave you, just before I needed to leave?" the tactician asked the saboteur softly. Jazz thought for a moment before recognition hit him.

"Th' small crystal from Praxus' crystal gardens. Ya told meh the crystal was able to glow in synchrony with a sparkbeat. Have t' tell ya, though, that Ah tried it an' it was not really in synchronic wit' mah spark at all."

The Praxian looking Auotobot could not help the small, fond smile that his lipplates formed. He watched with hold spark and bright optics as the saboteur hold the beautiful looking crystal out of his subspace. So the head of special ops had kept the crystal with him in memory, even after his disappearance and then the saboteur's own journey to Earth.

"Of course the glow would not synchronise with your spark, Jazz", Prowl told him. "What I have to admit I neglected to mention is that such a crystal is special. I received it from Softspark just before the night of the attack. He told me that it is tradition for a carrier to give their creation such a crystal when they are old enough to look out for a mech or femme to bond with.

"He told me that when I found the one I was certain I would like to spend the rest of my existence with I was free to activate the crystal and synchronise its glow with the sparkbeat of my own spark. When I get up the courage to gift the mech or femme of my choice with the crystal, it is supposed to stand for them holding their spark in their servos, a declaration of my feelings, if you will."

For a moment Prowl had to break off his explanation and he looked uncomfortably everywhere but at Jazz while he added hastily.

"So if you open my sparkcase, you will realise that my sparkbeat is in harmony with the glow of the crystal you hold in your servos. It's the best and most honest proof I can offer to you right here and now."

Jazz was silent for a long time. He stared at the crystal he was still holding, while Prowl fidgeted in front of him in an uncharacteristic show of nervousness. Suddenly, the saboteur looked up and fixed the other with a rather intense gaze.

"Are ya tellin' meh, Prowler, that ya just proposed for us t' bond?" the saboteur whispered, awe obvious in his voice. Prowl nodded with a nervous jerk of his head.

"Ah would have told you the true meaning back then, but I knew I would be on my way for that special mission and with all the unpleasant things happening each orn, I did not wish to leave you with the promise of something that might never come to be, no matter your willingness to accept or not."

"But ya proposin' t' meh now?" Jazz asked, barely taking notice of the reasonings of something that happened in the past. They had been close for a long time and he still trusted Prowl's judgement, even if sometimes the results were rather unpleasant.

"I... guess... that is...", Prowl was tensing up, a sure sign that his logic centre was about to pull himself into one of those loops that would end in a rather unpleasant processor crash. The head of special ops did not allow for that to take place. In a flurry of motions he threw himself into the strong arms of the tactician laughing rather giddily.

"Yes, yes, an' yes", the saboteur chanted. "Honestly Ah don't care if ya meant t' propose or not, th' meanin' of th' crystal is clear enough for meh an' Ah accept whenever ya're ready t' offer yerself in return."

He nuzzled the front of the Praxian looking Autobot rather affectionately. Prowl tried to protest, wanting to point out that Jazz had still not confirmed his identity, but the Solstice forced him into silence.

"Hush, Prowler", he whispered and pushed his audio near the place where he knew the spark of the tactician beat. "Ya remember Ah've rather sensitive hearing, yes?"

And with those words he listened intently while his visor was focused on the glowing crystal in his servo. After a tense moment of silence, the saboteur nodded his head and pulled back, smiling up into the taller built Autobot's faceplates.

"They are identical", he confirmed to the dumbstruck tactician before he put the precious crystal back into his subspace, satisfied.

"But Jazz", Prowl could not help but protest. "What if I have been able to infiltrate the Autobot base already back then and am in truth a Decepticon?"

The saboteur growled in mock indignation at the one mech he just declared to wish to spend the rest of his existence with and put his servos on his hips in acted annoyance.

"Jeez, Prowler, give a mech a bit of credit, will ya? Ah'm a spy as well. Ah pride mahself t' know at least a bit of mah work of expertise. So far no traitor has come past meh an' one of them once feigned t' be mah best friend. Did a damn good job as well, an' it was only for mah instinct that Ah pressed for more an' more proof until th' Con finally got nervous an' made a mistake. Ah know yah find that one illogical, but mah instinct helped meh out more than once an' wit' ya it had stayed absolutely quiet. Besides all the small Prowler-things ya did since ya revealed yerself as well as th' fact that there were some moments where ya acted certainly not like yer usual self, were already proof enough for meh. Th' crystal's simply th' icin' on top as th' human sayin' goes an' Ah can live wit' that. Ya're mah Prowler, now stop doubting yerself an' come here!"

He pulled the tactician back down on his place to sit before pushing himself boldly into Prowl's lap, enjoying the closeness and contact their new sitting arrangement offered.

"Well, now that we have taken care of that", Jazz cheerfully continued as if nothing spectacular happened at all, "how about ya tell me what exactly ya had in mind for Barricade's disappearance and Prowl's return after he went missing."

Sighing but smiling slightly at the same time, the tactician gently punched the saboteur in the sides earning himself an indignant squeak.

"That is why I wanted YOU here, Jazz not Prime", Prowl stated matter off fact. "You are head of special ops, so let's come up with a plan."

"Okay, let's start", the head of special ops agreed. "Th' sooner we're done here, th' sooner Ah've ya all t' mahself."

"JAZZ!"

But the exasperated cry of protest died when the laughter of the saboteur filled out the empty scrapyard.

One and a half orns later reports reached Autobots and Decepticons alike that the Decepticon Barricade had gone missing after being hunted down by Jazz and Bumblebee during a routine guard duty.

Another orn later Optimus Prime received a message from his original second in command, who had officially gone missing back on Cybertron. The head tactician requested the assistance of Jazz, who was ordered on a mission back to Cybertron.

One and a quarter stellar-cycles later Prowl and Jazz sent a coded report back to the Autobots on Earth, informing them about a fight with some stray Decepticons and a warning that something bad was coming. They promised to gather as many reinforcements as they could possibly find from the scattered Autobots and return to Earth.

Nearly four stellar-cycles after the battle in Mission City, a message containing the death and revival of Optimus Prime reached the nearing group of Autobots in space.

Four orns after that final exchange of communications a large group of Autobots landed on Earth, lead by a the newly bonded third and second in command of Optimus Prime. Their successful arrival marked the end of the war between Autobots and Decepticons on Earth and the beginning of a promising time of peace.

The End