Now edited for grammer, and a few minor goofs.
Disclaimer: The Transformers aren't mine I just like to write about them.
A sense of trust
When he had first arrived in Iacon Mirage had hated it. The Autobot capital was nothing compared to his lost home of Crystal City. It had none of its beauty or charm, it was utilitarian and toughened by the war that had ravaged the planet, but somewhere in the last few vorns his feelings had changed, and as he realised that there was less than a mega-mile to go he could barely wait to get back.
It wasn't so much the place itself that he liked, but the company he had kept whilst there; most of them wouldn't know culture if it waltzed past them reciting poetry, but they were open, caring, and had accepted him to a degree that had surprised him.
He's been away for almost half a vorn on his mission, and for most of that time he had been invisible in order to observe his enemies, and discover the diabolical plan that the Decepticons were slowly bringing together. The only Autobot he had spoken to, on the few occasions when he was sure he could without being detected, was his direct commander.
"Mirage to Iacon," he transmitted over his comm link.
"Jazz here 'Raj," his friend answered cheerfully. "What's your status?"
"Exhausted, and I had a bit of a run in leaving Vos."
"You're wounded?" Jazz's tone changing from happy to worried in an instant.
"Nothing serious, but it's taking it's toll. I'm going to have to visit Ratchet before I present my findings to you."
"I'll tell him that you're on your way, and send someone down to meet you. I'd come myself, but I'm needed here right now."
"Understood. I'll comm you when I get out of medical."
"Copy that," Jazz responded, and he cut the link.
The brief conversation was enough to sustain Mirage for the rest of his journey, and soon enough he was on the threshold of Autobot Headquarters. where Wheeljack was waiting for him.
With some difficulty he transformed, and as soon as he was in his robotic form he stumbled, due to the damage he had taken to his leg, but Wheeljack steadied him before he fell.
"Primus Mirage, what have you been doing to yourself?" the engineer scolded him, but he sounded more concerned than anything else.
"I can assure you that none of this was self inflicted. Unlike yourself I do not have an unhealthy obsession with trying to blow myself up."
Wheeljack chuckled. "That was pretty sharp Mirage, did you practise that one?" He teased him good-naturedly.
"I've had nothing else to occupy my processor for all the time I've been away," Mirage responded dryly. Wheeljack didn't seem to have much to say to that, but he wrapped an arm around his waist, and helped him make the short walk to the med-bay.
Ratchet ordered him onto a berth almost before he was through the door, and bent over him. "Your self repair systems have taken care of the worst of it," the medic observed. "Must hurt like slag though. I can soon sort that out, and patch up your armour."
"Hey," Sideswipe interrupted from the only other occupied berth in the room. "How come he gets seen first?"
"Because he was injured doing his job, you decided that it would be fun to crawl into the cooling shafts for some Primus unknown reason, got stuck, and had to be cut out," Ratchet snapped.
"It was Blue's idea. Not mine."
Ratchet cycled air through his vents quickly in a sign of frustration, and turned to face the red twin. "Then why the slag wasn't he the one who needed rescuing?"
"Door-wings," Sideswipe said as if it was the most obvious answer in the world.
"Primus save me from mechs who don't have the processing capacity they were created with," Ratchet muttered as he switched his attention back to Mirage, who was trying to hide a grin. "You actually missed this didn't you?" the medic asked him.
"Yes I did. The average Decepticon's concept of a practical joke is firing afterburners in a wing mates face. Compared to them Sideswipe's ideas are pure genius."
"Finally, someone who appreciates me," Sideswipe grinned.
"Mirage," Ratchet growled. "It's good to have you back, but if you encourage him any further I will deactivate your invisibility function, and send you back to wherever the pit you've been. Are we clear?"
"Missed you too Ratchet," Mirage smirked. Wheeljack had the good fortune to be wearing a battle-mask to hide his smile, Sideswipe didn't even try, but he did manage to duck the laser scalpel that Ratchet threw at him.
A short time later the medic stepped back. "Done," he said simply.
"Thank you Ratchet." Mirage smiled as he tested the work that had been done to his leg before he activated his internal comm-link. "Jazz."
"I'm in Prime's office. Come on up."
"Copy that." He pushed himself off the berth, and after a few quick words to the mechs that had helped him headed off.
Optimus Prime was sat behind his desk when Mirage walked in, Jazz and Prowl had joined him a few breems earlier but little had been said. A sense of nervous anticipation had settled over them, even Jazz's easy-going nature had been affected, and he wore an uncharacteristically worried look, but that subsided a little at the sight of the spy.
"Welcome back Mirage," Optimus greeted him.
"Thank you Sir, but I wish I had better news."
"Well don't keep us hangin' any longer. Get to it," Jazz put in.
"Chromia was right to draw our attention to this. Megatron has designed a device that can literally suck the energy out of the planet, and contain it so that he can decide who gets it," Mirage reported.
"Oh Primus," Jazz whispered, but his despair didn't last for more than a moment before it turned into barely contained fury. "Where's it being built?" he demanded.
"Most of the Decepticon bases are constructing parts, but few of them know what they are building. It seems that Megatron doesn't trust many of his troops, not even his officers."
"So where will it be assembled?" Prowl asked.
"I've got seven possible locations, but I couldn't verify any of them. It looks to me as if Megatron himself is the only mech who knows for sure, and needless to say I couldn't even get close to him."
"Do you know how long we have?" Optimus asked.
"A vorn maybe, if we're lucky. Everything has to be perfect, so Megatron won't risk using it until he's absolutely sure. He wants to conquer this planet not destroy it."
"Well done Mirage. You did good," Jazz congratulated him, "but we need more information. Prime, with your permission, I'd like to take this mission myself."
"The pit you are," Prowl growled.
"My game Prowl," Jazz shot back in a warning tone.
"This isn't a game Jazz. This is life or death. The Decepticons are ruthless, and if you're discovered you'll be killed."
"You think I haven't figured that out yet?" Jazz snapped. "I can handle myself Prowl, I can do this and I'm not going to allow you to stop me just because you're worried."
"What else am I supposed to be?"
"Enough!" Prime roared. "Both of you," he added in a softer, but still commanding tone. "I don't ask much from the two of you, but I do ask that when we meet like this you leave you feelings for each other at the door. Understood?"
"Yes sir," Prowl responded without hesitation.
"No," Jazz said defiantly.
"What?" Optimus and Prowl said together, and with equal disbelief in their tones.
"You heard me," Jazz said. "I said no. My feelings for Prowl make me who I am. I will not put them aside for any reason."
Mirage couldn't help shifting uncomfortably as the three mechs glared at each other, but he cursed his actions mentally as they drew Prime's attention back to him. "Thank you for your report Mirage," he said as calmly as he could, but it was very clear to the spy that he was still angry. "Dismissed."
Mirage didn't need any further instruction before he bolted out of the room.
A few breems later he'd found a quiet corner of the rec room, and was drinking a small cup of high-grade to settle his systems, when the base wide comm-link blared into life. "Attention all mechs," Prime's stern tone ordered. "As of this moment Jazz is relieved of duty for insubordination. Inferno will be taking over as head of Special Operations until a trial can be convened."
For a moment there was complete silence as everyone processed the information, before everyone started talking at once.
"Wheeljack report to the Brig," Prowl ordered over his internal comm, he quickly excused himself from helping Ratchet in the med-bay, and headed out. The announcement a breem earlier had shocked him, and all sorts of reasons as to why his presence was needed in a place he seldom went ran through his processor as he hurried through the corridors.
What he found in the brig was one situation he hadn't thought of though. Both Jazz and Prowl were waiting for him, but Jazz wasn't in a cell, or incapacitated in any way, unless Prowl's arms wrapped around him in a touching embrace could be taken as such.
"You asked for me?" he said to alert them to his presence. "What's going on?"
The pair of mechs drew apart reluctantly, and turned to face him before either of them spoke. "Sorry about this 'Jack but we have a few favours to ask of you," Jazz answered.
"Name them," Wheeljack said immediately.
"Mirage's report told us that the Decepticons are building a weapon that has the capability to destroy us all," Prowl said matter of factly. "We had to think fast, we know that Megatron has his spies the same as we do, and if he realises that Jazz has left Iacon then he could be in more danger than he will be already, so nearly everyone on the base will think he's here instead for a while. We can't hide his departure forever, but we can give him a head start."
"Blue's just got off-duty. You'd best go to him," Jazz told his mate softly, Prowl nodded and excused himself quickly. "We can't leave him in the dark," Jazz explained to his friend as he leant against a wall, giving the appearance that he was making himself more comfortable.
"I can understand that. Who else is in on this?"
"No one. Prime'll know soon enough, once Prowl can get him somewhere they can talk with no risk of being overheard, the same goes for Red Alert or he'll want to know why I'm not in the brig, and anything could happen from there, and I want you to keep an optic on Mirage. If you think he's blaming himself for this then talk to him, if not leave it be."
Wheeljack nodded. "What do you need?"
"A disguise, and the biggest bomb you can come up with that can be transported safely in sub-space. I don't know how long this will take but intend to make sure Megatron's plans never happen."
"The visor will have to go. Not many mechs use them."
"I can manage on scanners, but you'll have to work out how to make my optics look like they work."
"Shouldn't be too hard. Leave it with me. When are you going?"
"As soon as I can. Preferably before the end of the cycle," Jazz hesitated as he pulled two datapads out of sub-space. "This one's for you. It's the details of the plan, and the cover story so you don't get caught out," he said handing over the first one. "And, if I haven't asked too much of you already, could you give this one to Bluestreak for me? I know that Prowl will reassure him as best he can, but there are some things he can't say for me, and I'm not going to get the chance to talk to him."
The engineer took both of them, turned to leave then looked back. "Jazz," he said softly.
"What is it 'Jack?"
"You sure this'll work?"
"No," Jazz said softly, "but it's the best we've got."
Much, much later that cycle Wheeljack finally completed the work he had to do for Jazz and, stopped off at Bluestreaks quarters to deliver Jazz's message. The younger mech had accepted it gratefully and started reading it before he left again.
He was worn out, but decided that he needed to get himself a ration before he turned in for the night. The rec room was all but empty when he walked in, Mirage was the only other mech there, sat in his usual corner, and staring rather blankly into his half drunk cup.
"Mind if I join you?" he asked as he moved closer.
"Not at all," Mirage said barely raising his head. "But I don't think I'll be very good company."
"Too much going on in here?" Wheeljack asked taping the side of his helm. "Know the feeling."
"It isn't just that. For the last half a vorn all I've wanted was to be back in Iacon, but now I'm here and I can't seem to believe that I'm safe," Mirage confided. "And this whole situation with Jazz isn't helping any. All he did was speak up, and Prime put him in the brig. Can you believe that?"
"How well do you know Jazz?" Wheeljack asked quietly.
"As well as most mechs, which probably isn't as well as I think I do."
"At least you realise that much," Wheeljack complimented him. "What about Prowl?"
"Not very well. He took a dislike to me after I made a pass at Jazz, he keeps telling me that it's my imagination, but I remain unconvinced. I'd only been on the base a couple of cycles, how was I supposed to know that they were bonded?"
Wheeljack stifled a chuckle. "Well I certainly can't argue with your choice. I was thinking of doing the same before I found out."
"What?" Mirage exclaimed. "When was this?"
"About twenty vorns ago. We met in Perihex not long after the Decepticons took over the city. I know that I'm not the easiest of mechs to get along with, but he accepted me, and at that time it had been a while since I'd met anyone who could do that."
Mirage nodded in agreement. "That was how made me feel too," he admitted quietly.
"Anyway can we go back to what I was trying to say before we got distracted?" Wheeljack asked and at Mirage's nod he continued. "I know both of them well enough to know that what you see isn't always what's really going on between them. Their bond gives them the ability to have two conversations at once, and the one that you hear can be just a cover for what they're actually saying to each other."
"So the argument I heard…"
"Wasn't real," Wheeljack finished. "They were already making plans for Jazz to leave Iacon unnoticed, so the Decepticons wouldn't be expecting him."
"He's not in the brig then?"
"I doubt he's still in Iacon. Not many 'bots know what's going on, but he asked me to tell you so that you wouldn't blame yourself."
"Oh," Mirage said quietly and the disappointment in his voice earned him a sharp look from the engineer. "I thought you were talking to me because you wanted to," he admitted as it became clear to him that Wheeljack wanted to know why he sounded that way.
"I could have just explained things to you and walked off," Wheeljack informed him, "but I enjoy your company Mirage, and that's the only reason I've been sitting here telling you things that no one else knows."
The other mech smiled at that. "So have you had enough at me yet, or would you like to join me for a little high-grade?"
"I think I could stand you long enough for one more," behind his battle-mask Wheeljack grinned. The data-pad Jazz had given him had included a little more than the mech had told him. The last page had been a personal message thanking him for his friendship, asking him not to worry too much, and telling him that if he spent a little less time in his lab he would see that someone was waiting for him to come out, and that he could do a lot worse than Mirage.
He wasn't sure how Jazz had noticed this when he hadn't, but he had realised as they had started talking just how much he did like spending time with the spy, and that if he could just show the mech a little trust he would find the thing that had been missing from his life for a very long time.