Title: Daring to Break Free
Author: ladyoceana
Rating: PG-13
Verse: G1
Warnings: some swearing, some violence, lawless, alcohol abuse, drug abuse, and other bad stuffs found in underworld. Angst, deaths, maybe needs tissues?
Summary: Before you read this story, you must read my other story, Jazz's Secret first. Referencing to Jazz's Secret chapter 3, Jazz quoted 'I know that you grew up in the poor sector?' And Prowl wasn't happy that part of his past exposed. You probably wonder why his negative reaction to her comment. Well, this time I present you an insight on Prowl's past. This one-shot story is considering a second prequel of Jazz's Secret. Just warn you that there are...dark and sad stuffs in this story. It's super longer than a first part prequel. This is un-beta version.

Notes: I just recently finish a first part- Daring to Escape focus on Jazz's past. Somehow this prequel story spawns a new bunny. A new bunny bites me hard and repeats its bites a lot. *Owww! Darn you bunny! Stop bites my poor foot!* I do not own Transformer. Just own my own characters.

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

Random and dark alley at Poor Sector at Praxus, Cybertron during Golden Age

Crash!

A black and white petit youngling was thrown into the hard wall. A pain in his door-wings flashed hot as his door-wings impacted on the hard wall. He cried out in agony. It added more pain into his door-wings when he fell down along the world as his door-wings and back rubbed against the hard wall harshly. A pain stopped when he finally sat on the bottom. He raised his head to see the three bigger mechs who glared at him viciously. A dark green leader of trio mechs growled. "I was selling you the drug for five hundred credits two orns ago! You suppose owe me five hundred credits orn ago! Where is your credits?"

'Darn...Now I'm out of luck' A youngling mentally cursed his bad luck and felt a fear crept into his spark. Of course, he supposed to owe those green leader five hundred credits for the drug orn ago. Why he bought the darn expensive drug?

Well… he was a drug addict and stole the credits to fed his addiction on the drug. He remembered that he was growing up in unstable home. His sire was constantly drinking and selling the illegal drugs to others. His carrier was working as pleasure femme. Every time his sire went out to sell the drug, his carrier was always bringing the different mechs to home. He was avoiding her berth-room because he heard strange noises from his carrier's berth- room when she was alone with strange mech in her berth-room.

His carrier could have a sufficient credit (from her pleasure job) to support a family but his sire always took most of her credits to feed his high-grade addiction and pay back the dangerous people that he owed to. He left her so little credit that result a black and white sparkling hungry all time.

A young sparkling was so hungry enough to make him seek out any energon hidden in his home. He crawled around the house and poked the hidden places that his sire might hide the energon. He found the bags of glowing sickly yellow goodies. Of course, he was so hungry and did not care that goodies was not supposed to being sickly yellow. The sickly yellow goodies that he thought it was energon goodies was in reality, not energon goodies at all. It was the drugs that his sire purchased and sold to his clients.

It took just one sickly yellow goodie enough to provide a sparkling the highly concentrated energy. Oh…it made him felt so good. If anyone saw him, they might notice that his optics was glowing too brightly and he looked like a drug addict on high. In other words, a poor sparkling was getting high on the drug for a first time.

'More…' His dazed processor told him and he decided to take few yellow goodies instead took a one whole bag. So his sire won't notice that there were few goodies missing. Every times, his energy lowered and he ate one yellow goodie at one time. He got high and dazed afterward. He continued to steal the few yellow goodies subtly without his sire's knowledge. Unwittingly, he got older and more addicted to the drugs.

When he recently became youngling, one day his sire never returned to home. He assumed that his sire was cheated on his client and killed by an assassin whom his angry client ordered. Next 4 orns later, his carrier was murdered by mech's jealous lover. He didn't feel a lot of grief over his creators' death. Yes, he was sad that his creators did not deserve the violent death. But, his creators were never acting like the caring creators to him and they rather were strangers to him.

He quickly collected the drugs and credits that his creators left in their secret storage before the enforcers or his sire's rivals arrived. He putted the drugs and credits into his sub-space pocket. He left his empty home and entered into the criminal underworld.

Live in the street is hard to survive but he managed to do it. He continued to purchase the drugs to feed his addiction. He lost the credits faster than earned the profits from the drugs he sold to his clients. Luckily, he was very good to steal credits to catch up the amounts that he owed to the drug sellers.

He met a green big mech named Mania who specializing to sell powerful and expensive drugs. He took a sample, and then hooks on that potent drug. He craved and ended up to buy that expensive drug. He craved more and purchased more, which led him to get a huge debt that his stolen credits won't able to cover. Sadly his lucks finally ran out, Mania was coming with his two big underlings to catch him and demand credits.

"I didn't have enough credits cover five hundred credits! Please gave me more time to pay back" said a black and white youngling as he told Mania. He hoped that Mania considered his appeal. A next comment that mania said was crushing his hope to escape the beatings and possible death.

"Oh, you don't have enough credits? Lair, I did not think so. I know that you have more credit at somewhere. Tell me where is your credits?" Mania said angrily and his optics glinted with deadly intents.

"but…" A terrified youngling addict begged with desperation.

"Fine! I'll make you out of an example to all who dare to cheat me. Chop! Sever! Kill him and place his body at a public place." Mania ordered his big two underlings, Chop and Sever.

Chop and Sever grinned with murderous intents and marched toward a terrified youngling. A desperate youngling tried to move but a sharp pain in his door-wings and back prevented him escape from that scary two big mechs who was going to kill him.

'They were going killing me! I didn't want to die!' his thought passed though his processor. He was regretting to buy that expensive drug from Mania. He wished that he never find that yellow goodies in his sire's secret storage when he was sparkling.

Only…only if he wished to break free of that vicious addiction, but he did not know how nor have courage to break free of his horrible fate as drug addict. He wondered if there is someone cares about him.

He closed his optics and resigned. He braced for more pain and incoming painful death. Meanwhile, Chop and Sever were about approaching to a youngling.

Then a gunshot sound echoed throughout the alley.

Startlingly, Chop and Sever jumped back as laser energy slammed on the ground at front of them. It caused them jump back far enough distance away from injured youngling. Mania also was startled by that gunshot sound. An injured youngling's optics snapped open in surprise when he heard the gunshot.

"Freeze! You are under the arrest for attempting to murder the youngling!"

A blue and white Praxian enforcer shouted with a hint of determination and…righteous fury at same time as he aimed three criminals with his gun. He wasn't alone. There was other purple femme enforcer on the right side. Like a blue and white enforcer, she was armed with gun.

"Oh shag! It's enforcers! We have gotten out!" Chop and Sever said at same time in panic and attempted to run away. Mania was also trying to escape in panic.

Unfortunately for these three criminals, their only escape route was cutting off by three more armed enforcers. A one of three enforcers who stopped the three criminals said forcefully, "Don't move! Or we'll shoot you...now raise your servos over your head and kneel down on the grounds…"

Three big mechs looked at each other. Chop and Sever hesitantly raised their servos to show the submission. However, Mania was not keening on relent an enforcer's heed and pulled a gun out of nowhere.

But, a blue and white enforcer was faster than Mania, before Mania shot at the three enforcers. He shot at his right shoulder to disarm him. Laser energy was hitting on the precise target spot that he wanted to aim at.

Mania cried out in pain and clenched his right wounded shoulder. At very moment, Mania held his wounded shoulder; the three enforcers pounced on Mania and his two underlings. A red Praxian enforcer knocked off a weapon from Mania's hand and forced him to lay his front down on the ground. A green and golden Praxian enforcer forced Snap to kneel down on the ground. Another grey Praxian enforcer did same thing to Sever as a green and golden enforcer did to Chop.

"Good reflex, Redshot, Hopper and Greymist!" A blue and white enforcer praised his three fellow enforcers to capture the criminals without getting an injury. A purple femme enforcer ran to injured youngling and attended his injuries. She scanned his battered body and found an internal bleeding in deep part of his body that she couldn't reach it.

"Quickdraw! He has an internal bleeding in deep part that I can't reach to fix with my basic aid! He needs a med-bay and medic now." She said to Quickdraw. Quickdraw instantly move close a youngling on the opposite side to face a front of purple femme.

"Understand, Rapidkick, I'll call Bluecross right now and please use my energon. It should help him keep going little longer." Quickdraw quickly turned on his internal comm. speaker and contract a medic to inform him that a youngling was seriously injured and need the emergency surgery at same time as he offered his left arm to Rapidkick.

Meanwhile, Rapidkick took basic tools for energon transfusion out of her med-kit. An injured youngling looked up dazedly at Quickdraw and wondered why he saves the drug addict like him. He blurted out to him confusedly.

"Why do you help me? I'm just a drug addict and dealer like these mechs?"

Quickdraw smiled sadly and replied. "Because it is right to save a mech's life, you don't deserve to die as drug addict. No younglings like you should became drug addict. You deserve a normal youngling hood."

A youngling's optics went wide as he was shocked to hear his answer. He stared at the blue and white enforcer in disbelief.

'He…he care about me?' he thought in disbelief, and then he suddenly felt drowsy and exhausted by all recent chaos and events. Darkness slowly crept in his world.

"Am I going to die?" He asked Quickdraw pitifully.

Quickdraw's spark clenched at that saying came from that youngling.

"No! You will not die. I know you will make it. Bluecross will keep you alive." He tried to reassure a youngling. A youngling nodded weakly.

A youngling finally fell into a stasis as darkness claimed him.

Bluecross's Med-bay

A youngling groaned in pain and opened his optics. Then he quickly closed his optics because a light almost blinded and gave him a processor-ache. This time, he slowly opened his optics in order to adjust the lights. He raised himself and sat on the berth. He found himself sat on the berth alone in the isolated room.

He felt a dull pain and soreness from his door-wings. He looked back at his door-wings and surprised to see his new shiny door-wings. He realized something and looked at himself. He discovered that his black and white armor was repairing and clears of grimes and dents that he got during his homeless statue. He never saw his armor being clean and…so shiny before. He didn't remember being clean and shiny since his late creators died. He was too distracted by his clean armor condition that the door shifted and opened.

Quickdraw walked through an opened door and can see a youngling stared at his own clean armor in wonder.

'He never saw his own armor being clean and shiny before?' Quickdraw thought in disbelief as he continued to watch a youngling touched his shiny armor in wonder with his servos.

Quickdraw wondered that how long this youngling live in the street. A youngling's door-wings finally sense his presence with twitches and alerted him of his presence. He stopped to touch his armors and look at him warily. His door-wings went flare wide. It signaled that a youngling was in defense mode to ready to protect himself from a blue and white enforcer.

He noted a youngling's obvious defense reaction and felt little sad to see that a youngling obviously wary of adults. He raised his hands to show that he means no harm to a youngling. He spoke in very gentle and non-hostile voice to scare a youngling.

"I'm not going to hurt you. My name is Quickdraw. What's your name?" He introduced himself to a youngling.

A youngling heard his introduction and paused to recall that enforcer named Quickdraw did save his life. His door-wings relaxed but still alert. There was a silence for a few klicks. He finally answered.

"Prowl"

70 vorns passed since Prowl and Quickdraw's first introduction.

Prowl was recently upgrading from a youngling to a full adult. He sat on the berth and stared at a wall blankly. Older Redshot looked at Prowl worriedly.

Redshot knew that Prowl was very close to Quickdraw and looked up at him as a creator-figure and personal hero. Quickdraw took this youngling in and became his caretaker until Prowl became an adult. Prowl struggled to overcome his drug addiction. It was very long battle and so hard to make Prowl felt miserable. Every times, he was about giving up; Quickdraw stubbornly encouraged and told him to not give up. Even Quickdraw asked his fellow enforcers; Redshot, Rapidkick, Greymist, and Hopper to offer their moral supports for Prowl.

Redshot remembered correctly that Quickdraw quoted "Prowl, I know it's hard to beat your addiction. But please remember as long as you continue to fight your addiction, you will never lose unless you gave up. You are not alone to fight. We are here to help you fight your addiction."

That very quotation Quickdraw told Prowl was helping Prowl kept to persist and finally defeat his drug addiction.( Unbeknownst to Quickdraw, his quotation always keep Prowl persist to live on no matter that he face uncertain future during civil war in far future) It took 30 vorns for Prowl to overcome his drug addiction successfully. Quickdraw was setting up a party and invited Redshot, Rapidkick, Greymist, Bluecross and Hopper for celebrated Prowl's victory over his addiction. Redshot can't help to smile that memory.

At that time at party, Prowl was profusely thanking Quickdraw and them for support him to fight until he defeated his addiction with their help.

A most touching part is he told Quickdraw; he quoted "Quickdraw, if you haven't avert that mechs, I might not here right now. I could end up dead or continue as miserable drug addict until I died. You gave me courage to break free of this awful fate as a drug addict. I… I'm really happy that you care about me. You are more real creator ever than my late creators… I sometimes wish that you are my real creator instead my original creators. I really admire you and wish to become enforcer like you. T-Thanks you for care about me and became m-my caretaker." Prowl was hugging Quickdraw with a full of gratitude and love.

Quickdraw can't help to touched by his saying and returned hugs with parental affection. (Redshot swore that he saw a happy tear leak from Quickdraw's left optic. At his work, He later asked Quickdraw about a happy tear that he saw. Quickdraw denied that a fact is, he did cry happy. He snorted at Quickdraw's denial and said with a sarcasm "Yeah right.")

After successfully defeat his addiction, it became obvious that Prowl did not come out without the damage left by the drugs. Because of his addiction started early when he was sparkling, it damaged his emotion control protocols that help to prevent emotion overcome his processor and cause Prowl to crash. In other words, Prowl can't control his wild emotions and when every time he felt happy or any simple emotions change, he constantly crashed. It's not very healthy to crash all time. Prowl was now currently in medical coma stasis to prevent a damage on his processor at Bluecross's med-bay.

Bluecross offered a suggestion that an advanced tactics computer can help Prowl's wild emotions under control. Quickdraw resisted that suggestion at first because he met a mech who had an advanced tactics computer once. His first impression of that mech was he was extremely emotionless. He was not going to let Prowl end up became emotionless like that mech.

But Bluecross explained that any normal tactics computer was too weak and would end up frying by the Prowl's wild emotions. Only advanced tactics computer was strong enough to withstanding his wild emotions. Because of Prowl's extreme emotional control loss, he can still feel his emotions despite he had an advanced tactics computers installed. It just made Prowl less emotional and more logic mech, he still show the subtle emotions. An only disadvantage is when he crashed when he countered illogical situations or in rare case, extremely intense emotion strong enough to overwhelm an advanced tactics computer.

Quickdraw was listening to Bluecross's explanation and pondered that suggestion for 4 breems. (He later admitted to Redshot that time he had a hardest time ever to decide that choices for Prowl's glitch compared to the dangerous situations he faced during his field work.) He finally agreed to that suggestion.

Both Bluecross and Quickdraw quickly arranged Prowl's operation for installed the advanced tactics computer. Prowl's operation went smooth without any complication. Prowl was now much better and no longer crashed all time.

Sure, he occasionally crashed few times but it's better to crashed few times rather than crashed all time. He got smarter because of advanced tactics computer. He showed his emotions less than before, but he still had emotions. Overall, Quickdraw and Prowl accepted that result.

Prowl applied and accepted by Enforcer Academy. Quickdraw and his close friends were very proud of Prowl. Prowl passed and aced all of the courses with the flying colors which is very impressive. Next ten vorns later, Prowl will soon graduated next two orn and eager to invite Quickdraw, Redshot, Rapidkick, Greymist, Bluecross and Hopper for see his graduation.

Then a tragedy struck, Quickdraw and his partner, Rapidkick, were killed in action in attempt to rescue the innocent people from mad-mech who tried to blow up its bomb with the trigger in the restaurant. Quickdraw attempted to pin a mad-mech down on the floor at same time, Rapidkick freed the hostages. By the time, all of the hostages were gone and Rapidkick shifted her attention on two struggled mechs. She could see that her fellow enforcer have a trouble to pin down the mad-mech. A mad-mech was very strong obviously. She rushed to help Quickdraw to overcome that mad-mech.

Quickdraw desperately prevented a mad-mech to press a trigger. Sadly Rapidkick arrived too late and a mad-mech won a strength battle over Quickdraw. He pressed a trigger. A bomb exploded. A within range of explosion was instantly vaporizing everything and destroyed the restaurant. Only the other enforcers and hostages were staying away at safe distance from an explosion.

News about Rapidkick and Quickdraw's KIA reached to Redshot's audio receptor. Redshot was on duty-off and stunning to hear his best friend killed in action. He was worrying about Prowl react to his care-taker's death. He went over to Quickdraw's home where Prowl lived in. He arrived at the door and then paused hesitantly.

In Quickdraw's home

Prowl currently worked on his assignment. He had no classes today so he had an opportunity to work on his uncompleted assignment.

*Chime! Chime!*

That doorbell ringed and startled Prowl out of his focus on his assignment. He was standing up and walking ahead the entry door. He opened the door and saw Redshot. He looked at him confusingly.

"What do you doing here?" Prowl asked.

Redshot looked with an unreadable expression. "Prowl…Have you heard any news?"

"No. I haven't heard any news" Prowl replied uneasily as he realized something bad happening.

"Prowl….I got a bad news…Rapidkick and Quickdraw were recently killed in the action." Redshot finally said sadly.

Prowl was stuttering in shock. "wh-what?"

'Impossible! It can't be true.' His processor cried in denial. He stared at Redshot's face and tried to look desperately for a hint of lie or joke. He found nothing in his expression. He realized that Redshot told a truth.

It dawned on Prowl's processor that Quickdraw was really killed in action. His world exploded with grief and pain as same time as the darkness welcomed him.

In Bluecross's med-bay

Prowl woke up with a processor-ache and found himself again at Bluecross's med-bay. It seemed that he crashed again. Redshot sat nearby the side of the berth that Prowl currently was on. Then he remembered a reason why he ended up crashing his processor. He felt intense grief and pain crept in his spark and his processor for a fact was, his creator-figure and hero was gone forever.

Of course, Prowl was aware that Quickdraw and his fellow enforcers would be kill in action anytime. Still, he struggled to accept Quickdraw's sudden death and never have a chance to good-bye to him.

"I never got a chance to say good-bye to Quickdraw…" Prowl spoke out his mind sadly.

"So I do… I never got a chance to say good-bye to him either" Redshot agreed with him.

"He doesn't have a chance to see my graduation ceremony next two orns, it's not fair! Why does he die in that senseless way? why? WHY?" He kneed out his grief and anger. Prowl started to felt overwhelm by these intense emotions. Redshot could see that Prowl was about crashing again. He was grabbing and hugging him tightly.

Prowl went stiff when Redshot grabbed and hugged him tightly. He relaxed little and let Redshot's comfort soothed his out of control emotions and pain.

"I don't know why…" That's all Redshot could said to Prowl as he continued to hug Prowl.

Prowl remained silent. He closed his optics and leaned on Redshot's comfort hug. He recalled that his first meeting with Quickdraw, Quickdraw became his care-taker, Quickdraw's encouragements to help him to overcome his addiction, Quickdraw set a party to celebrate his victory over his addiction and so many wonderful times with Quickdraw. He admired Quickdraw's strong sense of justice and duty, stubborn persistence, and compassion for younglings and vulnerable people. Quickdraw was always standing strong for a vulnerable people who need his protection. Quickdraw was a one of best enforcers in Praxus and held a record on being fastest to react when it come to pull out his gun. He also had a highest amount of precise shots compared to others. Overall, Quickdraw was an incredible mech and immortal hero in Prowl's optics.

Yet Quickdraw's death shattered Prowl's world and reminded him a painful loss of a person that he always looked up as his creator-figure and hero.

Will he able to continue to live with a pain over a loss of a loved one? His spark whispered to Prowl. 'Yes, he can learnt how to live with that pain because he wanted to became an enforcer to honor Quickdraw's ideals and protect the vulnerable citizens of Praxus that Quickdraw considered his home.'

A few vorns later since his graduation from Enforcer Academy

He was standing a front of an open stage at Praxus Garden and faced at the front of the audience. So he can see and able to catch any unruly spectator at front of the stage. He placed and extended out some of his fellow enforcers at front of a stage to catch and prevent any unruly spectator breached on the stage.

He was working hard and rising slowly advance through the ranks. He was now currently Junior Sergeant Enforcer. His chief commissioner assigned him along other fellow enforcers to control and prevent the audience to get too excited over a new star-rising singer from Iacon. He heard of that femme singer who turned upside down the cybertron music industry with her amazing singing talent. She was often known by her name- Siren.

Praxis was one of the cities that Siren visited for her music tour. It was a first time that she visited Praxis to sing. Her Praxian fans were very excited and eager to hear her beautiful voice. That's why he and his fellow enforcers were here to get the audience under control. The audience quieted down as the music started to came out.

Prowl did not see a silver femme singer come out of the stage cover because his door-wings and back was at a front of femme singer. But his door-wings twitched and alerted him that singer was now on the stage.

Then he heard her voice for a first time and instantly captivated by her voice. Her voice produced the most sensual and sweet sounds ever he heard. It caused his door-wings quiver and his spark shivered in pleasure. He could see the Praxian fans' entire door-wings quiver and even his fellow enforcers' door-wings reacted same to her voice. Well, he could see why her name suited her very much. He continued to enjoy her singing and watched the audience at same time. Her singing voice get quieter as the music slowly faded away. At a moment, music stopped and her voice finally dissipated quietly.

His spark then did something he did not expect; his spark pressed against a back of his spark case and wanted to call out to a femme singer's spark desperately. He gasped silently and put his servo on his chest confusedly. His door-wings fluttered in confusion. His action and body language went unnoticed by the audience because the audience abruptly cheered and clapped loudly to show their appreciation for Siren's amazing singing show.

'What is that?' A sentence crossed his processor as he was completely baffling because his spark went back to normal if it never happened.

'That's strange .Perhaps her singing voice affect my spark enough to react? It could be a reason why my spark reacted like that.' His advanced tactics computer suggested that it was a possible call of spark-mate.

'Spark-mate?' He heard of the myths or stories of the spark-mates from his late care-taker. After all, Spark-mates supposed to die together at same time and have an ability to talk though their spark-bond. His late creators' example proved that there was no spark-bond exists between them. It's normal for him being skeptic that the spark-mates myth exists at all.

He dismissed his thought on a possibility of spark-mate's call and a strange spark reaction. His door-wings went back to its normal still position. He shifted his attention on the audience and focused on doing his enforcer duty.

Prowl never took a good look at Siren's appearance nor watched her in the entrainment news because he was too busy to reach his dream became a best enforcer in Praxus.

Unbeknownst to Prowl, that very same silver femme singer, whom currently stand behind him and made his spark to react in that way, will destined to become his spark-mate in far future.

….Wow…that's longest story ever I write in my life…it's over 4000 words. I hope I did ok on writing a dark/sad/ angst part. It's my first time to write dark/sad stuffs. I hope that Prowl's past is realistic as much as possible. *moan in pain while I hold my poor bloody foot with a full of nasty bunny bites* please review this story! Your review sooths my pain and heal my poor foot…oh by the way, if you guess right about that silver femme singer is Jazz. Then you are right. *grin*