Prowl, one of the top enforcers in Iacon, is sent to Tyger Pax academy as a precaution for the growing war. Little did he know, he would be dealing with a lot more than his typical enforcer duties…

Lala Tyger Pax Academy 8D

Prowl strolled down the ramp of the ship, black and white door wings twitching, and bright optics darting around to take in his surroundings. At the bottom, he paused, observing the huge structure that was Tyger Pax academy.

One of the most prestigious learning facilities on Cybertron, many well acclaimed bots specialized in the sciences had graduated from this academy. Jetfire, Starscream, and Huffer were just a few of the prime examples.

The war was gaining momentum, the battle between Autobots and Decepticons raging on. The Autobots had the skill, but Decepticons had the numbers and at the end, neither side was giving out. To protect Cybertron's next generation, it was only logical that skilled enforcers would be stationed at the various academies on Cybertron, Tyger Pax being one of the precious few.

Prowl, as one of the more proficient enforcers, was stationed directly in Tyger Pax to oversee the city, its enforcers, and most importantly, the academy. It was a strategic move, one that Prowl himself had suggested. Tyger Pax was a neutral city, not under the jurisdiction of either the Autobots or the Decepticons. Iacon, the city from which Prowl had come from and also the location of Autobot headquarters, was heavily protected. The academy there was safe. Enforcers had already been sent to other cities, like Praxus, Crystal City and Simfur, and there was nothing they could do about Kaon and Polyhex, being under the strict, unforgiving rule of the Decepticon, so Prowl had suggested that he should be sent to Tyger Pax.

Prowl observed the academy with muted interest. He had visited the bright, bustling city before for enforcer business; in such a huge city, law and order was a hard thing to keep, but, he'd never been to the academy itself. Honestly, he'd never been in an academy for any significant length of time, his creators having favored sending him to a private mentor instead, but he'd always been interested in Iacon Academy's inner workings. Many of his best enforcers came from academies, after all.

Tyger Pax Academy was nearly the same size as Iacon's, but the buildings themselves were completely different. While the style of Iacon Academy was very new, Tyger Pax's used a more traditional style that was more popular in the Golden Age. Although Prowl wasn't one for architecture, it was an observation to be noted.

"Sir?" One of the lower ranking enforcers peered down at him from the top of the ramp. "Are you sure you wouldn't like a few of us with you? Just until you get settled in…?"

"No, I am fine on my own." Prowl replied quickly before the other bot could continue. "Thank you for accompanying me this far." The bot, looking rather apprehensive, nodded and retreated back into the hull of the ship. After a couple of moments, the ramp was raised and the ship departed. Prowl watched the ship go for a moment before venting softly, turning and walking towards the academy gates.

Inside the academy was just as grand inside as it was outside. Rows of huge pillars lined it, with lavish details of glyphs that seemed to have been painstakingly carved. He paused at the doorway for a moment, taking in the details before walking straight to the main desk. Sitting behind the desk was a single bored looking green mech. From what he could tell, the bot was playing some kind of game, an obvious lapse in security. He resisted the urge to frown in irritation, keeping in mind that these were not trained enforcers. He decided to speak up. "Excuse me, I'm here to see the Security Director?"

The bot behind the desk looked up, blinking in surprise before smiling awkwardly. "Oh, uh, sorry?"

His doorwings twitched slightly in irritation, but he kept a straight face. "I am here to see Red Alert."

The bot's optics dawned in comprehension. He nodded, relaxing slightly. "Oh, right. He was telling me to expect someone. You're Prowl, right?"

"Yes."

The bot nodded, activating a telecommunicator on the desk. "Red Alert, Prowl's here."

After a moment, the comm crackled to life. "Oh? Are you sure it's him?"

"Um…" The bot glanced up at Prowl again. "Well, he has the doorwing and everything…"

"That could be the same with any Praxian! Be more detailed!"

"Black and white paint scheme, chevron, straight face…"

"Ask for his enforcer identification number!"

The bot behind the desk rolled his optics before glancing up at Prowl expectantly.

Prowl didn't like giving away his private information, but this bot seemed paranoid enough to accuse him of fraud. "Number one-one-eight-three-two."

Red Alert sounded satisfied at that. "Alright, that's him. Direct him to the—!" The bot behind the desk jumped and Prowl tensed as the Red Alert's voice cut off with a sudden scream. Prowl's mind quickly flitted through the possibilities of what it could be. Decepticons? Seekers? Or even worse, Megatron himself?"Inferno, what's going on?!"

"I don't know!" Another frantic voice called out. "They just appeared out of nowhere!"

"What is it?" Prowl demanded, causing the bot in front of him to look up in surprise. "A security breach?"

"No…it's…it's glitchmice!"

Prowl blinked, stunned, while the expression on the green bot's faceplates cleared before he burst out laughing.

"He finally went on with it!" The green bot chortled before falling into a laughing fit as Red Alert's frantic screams rang through the comm.

Prowl stood there for a moment, trying to make sense of the situation, but ultimately failed drastically. He could feel his logic centers fritzing already. Trying to keep calm, he spoke professionally. "What is the situation, Red Alert?" He said, forcing authority into his tone.

"G-Glitchmice…they're everywhere! They're in the staff lounge, the main office…and they're moving towards the hallways as we speak! Oh no, oh no…"

Prowl frowned. Glitchmice, although they seemed harmless, were one of the most dangerous creatures on Cybertron. Armed with tiny frames, sharp teeth, and a taste for live circuitry, they had the capability to get through the tiniest gaps of a bot's armor and when they did, chewed on everything within their reach, sometimes causing fatal damage. Many bots shivered at the thought of recharging with any within their vicinity. "How did this happen?"

"It was probably Jazz." The second voice, Inferno, spoke up, sounding thoroughly entertained "He always has a foot in these kinds of situations."

"A…student?" Prowl asked, appalled. Academy bots were known for being mature and sophisticated. Releasing glitchmice in staff lounges was clearly the opposite. "Why?"

Inferno made a non-committal sound from the other side of the line. "Who knows why Jazz does anything. But he probably did it for fun."

Prowl's logic centre glitched for a split second. "For…fun?"

"Yep, Jazz is into these kinds of things. Always gets away with it though, Red Alert never catches him." Inferno let out an amused snort. "You're the enforcer, right? Prowl? The one from Iacon?"

"Yes."

"You're the one that has been said to never let a wrong-doer get away unpunished?"

Prowl frowned at that. "I…believe that has been going around, yes."

"Then maybe Jazz has finally met his match."

Prowl considered this for a moment, ignoring the still snickering green bot before him. "You want me to catch this bot?" Catching students with a dangerous mischievous streak wasn't exactly something that he was expecting to do at his new post, but it if it had to be done…

"Sure, why not." Then the bot paused. "Well, to be honest, I don't have the authority to order you around. I'm a student too, but I'm sure Red would want you to…"

"Yes! Catch him!" Red Alert's voice rang out again, sounding desperate. "I know you just got here, and you probably need rest after your trip here, but this mech…"

"I've had more than enough rest before I got here." It was a lie, but Red Alert didn't need to know that. He'd survived an orn or two without sleep before, so this was nothing. "I will search for him right now. What does he look like?"

"I'll send his file over via private comm. I believe you sent your comm frequency with the rest of your information pack…"

"I believe I did." After a couple of moments, Prowl's private comm pinged with an incoming data pack. He opened it gingerly, not sure what to expect.

He viewed the profile of the bot's physical appearance, noting that it was rather sleek – pleasing to the optic. Eye-catching silver paint, a smooth frame, and a visor that gave him an air of mystery, these were features that many bots and femmes desired. Skimming through the pack quickly, he noted it also included some minor personal information, Jazz's spark signature, a map of the academy highlighted with the areas Jazz most likely was at the moment and a few warning notes. He opened the notes with interest.

'Extremely proficient in the art of escaping and also a master in some sort of hand to hand combat.

Also note that he if he doesn't want to be caught, he probably won't be. No one has yet to beat him yet. Good luck.'

Somehow, he got the feeling that Red Alert wasn't the one to write such an unprofessional note. Prowl vented, nodding politely at the bot at the front desk, who just stared back looking torn between giggling and laughing hysterically. Prowl shook his head and turned, walking away and adding, "I'll get to the task immediately."

The bot at the front desk, who finally seemed to gather his bearings, sat up as soon as Prowl was out of earshot, keeping the comm on. "He…has no idea what he's heading into. You just gave him the most impossible task possible."

The sounds of Red Alert panicking in the background could be heard as Inferno laughed. "Who knows. Maybe they've both found their match."

"Jazz, you better get back here or I promise you, you'll be stuck in the punishment room for more than just an orn!"

Laughing manically, Jazz sprinted away from the staff area of the academy. He could hear the angered shouts of his pursuers behind him, but there was no chance that they could catch him. He chanced a quick glance behind him, snickering when he saw how far they were behind. Slow afts.

Humming thoughtfully, he turned a corner, silently slipping into the room that he knew was a supplies closet, closing the door behind him quickly. Listening silently, he heard the telltale thunder of many trampling pedes and shouts go by, showing that they'd fallen for it.

"Attention students and staff, there has been a recent outbreak of glitchmice in the staff lounge and the main office. Cleaner drones are on the job, so do not panic, I repeat, do not panic- AHHH!" There was a clatter as what was probably the comm transmitter fell to the ground, followed by some rather hilarious hysterical screaming before the transmitter was suddenly cut off. At this point, Jazz couldn't help it, falling against the door and collapsing into a fit of uncontrollable laughter. It was always entertaining watching uptight academy bots flail around like a bunch off younglings.

As one of the most prestigious schools on Cybertron, most of the students in Tyger Pax Academy were…afts. So, of course, it was up to him to make sure that these bots were put in their rightful places.

And also, he was just bored.

After his laughter had died down and he was sure there were no sounds outside, he stepped out of the closet, still chuckling softly as he strolled down the hall. Just a normal day in Tyger Pax Academy.

There wasn't much he could do now, he realized as we eyed the panicking students running past him with swarms of glitchmice at their heels. As fun as it was watching academy bots squirm, after the first dozen screams, it just wasn't the same.

With not much else to do, he comm'ed Inferno.

"Inferno? Ya there?"

After a couple moments of silence, the comm cracked to life, Inferno's voice on the line. "Jazz?" His voice was full of exasperation and amusement.

Jazz grinned widely. Out of all the bots in Tyger Pax Academy, very few were actually decent to hang around. Inferno was one of them. "How's Red?"

"In a fritz. As you know." Inferno snorted. "Thanks for nothing by the way, because I'm the one who has to deal with it. Again."

"Always here." Jazz replied easily, passing a bot that was yelling while jumping on one leg, shaking the other in an attempt to dislodge the glitchmouse probably burrowing in his pede. Hm, he felt like getting some energon toasting for a prank well done. Deciding that he indeed needed a cube of energon, he headed toward the recreation room. "Ya gave some glitchmouse repellent ta Hound too?"

"And Red too."

"Aw really?"

"Jazz, you already make his paranoia nearly unbearable on day to day bases. Imagine him with a glitchmouse crawling around him…"

"Hm. Ah guess you're right."

"Yeah. Anyways, I need to tell—" Inferno cut off suddenly. "Slag it, don't glitch out on me Red!" The comm line was dropped rather abruptly. Jazz cycled his optics, no quite as surprised as he probably should have been. Red Alert must have fritzed out from hysterics alone. He wondered what Inferno had been saying before shrugging, continuing to walk towards the rec room. He could ask him later.

Jazz raised an optic ridge as he entered the room. It was completely empty, devoid of students or even glitchmice. The others must have gone to their rooms to escape the glitchmice…though it was a bit odd. There was no way they could possibly be organized enough for them all to know where to go. Shrugging, he picked up an empty cube and placed it under the energon dispenser, waiting for it to fill.

He was rather proud of this particular prank. He had been planning this one for several orns now, having been forced to go through quite a bit of effort to acquiring the glitchmice themselves. And they had to be specialized glitchmice, ones that had dull teeth and were meant to be pets rather than just any virus infected one off the streets. Just because he enjoyed seeing academy bots squirm didn't mean he was cruel. And plus, the medics would kill him if the glitchmice caused actual damage...

Suddenly, his sensors detected an unfamiliar spark signal approaching – one that was much closer then it should have been. It seemed to have been dampened to avoid his notice until they were close. Scanning the room for an exit other than the main one the unfamiliar bot was blocking, he realized that he had been trapped. He cursed his own stupidity—he should have realized that the academy bots weren't intellectual enough to organize themselves. He turned around slowly to face the new bot, casually sipping from his energon cube.

A black and white bot stepped into the rec room, a pair of doorwings held high and proud and faceplates blank and emotionless. He was unfamiliar, definitely not an academy bot. He held himself differently…more elegantly, with less pride, unlike the academy bots, and Jazz was sure none of the academy bots were Praxian. Optics hidden under his visor, he let his them rove over the other bot's frame with interest.

"Is your designation Jazz?" Said bot's optics narrowed at the query, trying to read the new one's faceplates. The new bot was good at keeping his faceplates blank. Jazz frowned.

"Who's asking?"

"I have orders to apprehend you from the academy's security director." The bot said stiffly. At this, Jazz's faceplates split into a wide grin. Had Red Alert brought in another enforcer? How fun.

"On what terms?"

The black and white bot's doorwings twitched in what Jazz interpreted as irritation, the first and only sign of emotion Jazz had seen since the bot had entered the room. "You know very well what terms."

Jazz grinned, lifting his cube of energon and tipping his head back to take another sip. "Ah'm afraid ah have no idea whatchya talkin' bout. Come back later when ya have a valid reason to apprehend me."

"You are being taken in under rightful suspicion." The bot said. His voice and faceplates still lacked emotion, and that bothered Jazz, a bit. Most bots would have shown something by now. Jazz tilted his head to the side, eying the bot. Was he a drone or something? Jazz shrugged, putting down his now empty energon cube. "Come with me or you'll be taken by force…"

The bot trailed off as Jazz dropped into his alt mode, engine revving loudly. Jazz snickered at the look on the bot's face before he surged forward, barreling straight for the bot in front of him. The bot let out a startled sound, leaping out of his way just as predicted. With a screech of tires, Jazz turned sharply and took off down the empty halls, leaving the other bot in the dust.

Prowl cursed under his breath, transforming into his alt mode and tearing after the silver bot. The halls were empty, Prowl having sent most students in this area of the academy to their rooms, or to the medic bay if needed.

As an enforcer, his alt mode was one of the fastest to enable him to be able to catch fleeing law breakers. But for some reason, Jazz seemed marginally faster than the average academy bot. Briskly, Prowl opened a map of the academy and scanned it for any possible escape routes the other bot was heading for.

Logically, from the direction the silver bot was heading, he was going stage his escape at the main entrance of the academy. Quickly, Prowl mapped out the fastest route that would get him there, turning halls and speeding off down the more efficient route. He kept his sensors on Jazz, just in case.

Soon, he was back where he started. Transforming back to his bipedal form and ignoring the shocked look from the green bot at the main desk, he glanced around, scanning the area for signs of Jazz. Realizing the flashy silver bot was nowhere in sight, Prowl checked the map again. From the speed the other bot was going, he should have been there. He double checked his sensors – and to his shock, Jazz had completely disappeared. He hadn't even noticed.

"Jazz isn't here." Blinking, Prowl looked at the green bot, who gave him a slightly pitying look.

"…What?"

"I know you probably have a map of the academy but…" The bot shrugged. "Jazz knows his way around here."

Unable to comprehend that he'd lost the silver bot, he scanned the area once more.

"…Frag."