Title: The Lesson

Prompt: Ironhide/Jolt - "my past, your future"

A/N: Why this pairing? Well, it was a prompt on lj user="tf_rare_pairing" and struck sparks, so I wrote something. I hope you enjoy.

"No, not like that!" Ironhide reached over and grasped Jolt's wrist, then slid his hand so their fingers meshed. "You flick your wrist like this," as he demonstrated, "and be looking where you want the whip's tip to go."

Ironhide stepped back and motioned Jolt to try again. Ventilating the hot air from his chassis, Jolt reset himself and flicked the whip toward the target.

"Better," Ironhide rumbled, but came over and corrected the angle of Jolt's hand. "Keep your forearm straight. All the motion should roll from your shoulder and flow down to your wrist. Don't try to crack it yet, just work on getting the motions down properly. Once you have them, it will work better."

Jolt nodded and continued the motion, over and over again, shifting slightly as Ironhide walked around him and offered tips and ideas. Finally satisfied, Ironhide stepped away and nodded.

Pleased, Jolt began moving his arm faster and faster until the whip's tip was finally at the sound barrier, then breaking it. He stopped and looked at Ironhide.

"Good work, Jolt. Tomorrow we'll work on the other whip, then start coordinating the pair." Ironhide walked out and gathered up the targets, then walked back to Jolt. "How are they integrating with your systems?"

Jolt flexed his hands, turning them over and examining the slots that held his new whip handles. "They're working out just fine, Ironhide."

"Good," Ironhide said, "otherwise, I'd have to take you back to Ratchet for further work. This is a pretty complex mechanism we've installed and I don't want to fry your systems."

Jolt said, "I'm due for a checkup in about four days, anyway. Ratchet wants to make sure my ability to generate this much electricity is not detrimental to my other systems."

Ironhide nodded, "Good. Well, young 'un, I'll see you tomorrow. I have a patrol to do."

Jolt walked with Ironhide to the main camp, where Ironhide was to meet up with Sideswipe for patrol.

Instead, he was met by a grim Ratchet. "The skating wonder managed to run himself into a tree. We're tough, but not that tough. He's out for another five or six hours. You'll have to do patrol alone."

Ironhide sighed. "Did the tree survive?"

Ratchet laughed, "No, but then, Sideswipe didn't either when it dropped on top of him."

Jolt stepped forward, "I can take Sideswipe's patrol today, Ratchet."

Ratchet looked at him, then nodded, "Fine. Thank you, Jolt. I'll see you both back here after patrol."

Jolt took off in one direction while Ironhide went the other. Ironhide transmitted the patrol route to Jolt, and Jolt acknowledged the transmission, but didn't close the channel.

::Ironhide? Is this…do you design a lot of weapons systems like mine?::

There was a long pause. Jolt focused his attention on scanning the ground around him as he drove on the little track they'd forced through the aggressive vegetation that covered this world.

::No, not like yours. But I do design weapons systems, Jolt. It's my job.::

The buzz of the open comm line echoed as Jolt thought about that. He was young, of the generation that had been built for war, whereas most of the older mechs had changed their functions. Ratchet, for example, had been a politician and was now a medic, but Jolt had no idea what Ironhide had been before the war.

So he asked. ::Ironhide? What did you do before the war started?::

Even through comm lines, he could emhear/em Ironhide's startlement. ::Jolt…I was made for war. I served under Megatron in the Cybertronian military. I've always been fighting, mech.::

Jolt was stunned. He'd never realized that Ironhide hadn't changed professions. ::Oh. I guess that explains your familiarity with weapons, huh?::

::Yeah, it might have something to do with it.:: Ironhide replied.

Somberly, Jolt closed the comm channel and finished his patrol. When he drove into the main camp, Ironhide entered from the other side and headed straight for him, transforming just in front of him. Jolt transformed himself.

Ironhide leaned down and asked, "You alright, kid?"

Jolt nodded. Ironhide put a hand on his shoulder. "Jolt, you're a good soldier, and I have enough experience to know this. What you're going through, fighting a war when you don't remember peace, is what I've done all my life. It's not necessarily a bad thing, mech."

"Why does Ratchet say it is, then? I mean, he's always going on about how this war is unnecessary and a waste of life." Jolt beseeched Ironhide.

Ironhide straightened up and looked across the camp at Ratchet. "He believes there was a peaceful solution to Megatron's insanity. Me, I don't think about that stuff. We're in a war, my job is to train the young mechs to survive what happens out on the battlefield. Your job is to learn from me so you will survive."

Jolt absorbed this, then nodded.

Ratchet stomped over to them. "Welcome back. We've just received a comm from Optimus, so we need to get ready to go, Ironhide."

Ironhide nodded, "Did you get Sideswipe fixed up?"

"Yeah, I installed a gyroscope to help him keep his balance. We're heading off-planet in four rotations. Jolt, let me check you out, make sure we got the shielding done properly. I hate for you to fry your systems and be weaponless after we leave."

Jolt obediently followed Ratchet to the medical area. Springer came over to Ironhide.

"Keep an eye on him, Springer. He's got a lot of potential."

"Oh, yeah, especially when he's let that electricity build up for a day or two, he really has a lot of potential then."

Ironhide shoved the grinning mech. "Not that kind, and you know it." He nodded over to the young mech. "He's a thinker, that one, and he's now absorbing what it means to be at war."

Springer sobered and said, "His future is kind of a reflection of your past, hm?"

Ironhide chuffed out air. "Yeah, I guess all the young ones are going to learn my way of life. Train 'em up right for me, Springer."

"I will, Ironhide. You take care of Prime, OK?"

The two mechs clasped hands and took their leave of each other.

The End.