Hello again, everyone :)
I am still working on the next chapter of the Catalyst, but for now here is the one-shot for 2211Nighthawk. I got an idea and I ran with it; I hope you enjoy :D
I sat beside Optimus Prime's desk, waiting silently as the young leader perused the contents of the datapad that he held in his hands. He had called me here, to his office, to discuss a matter of moderate importance, and although he had not yet mentioned what it was, I had a fairly good idea.
"Ultra Magnus," the red and blue mech finally said to me, setting the datapad down on his desk and meeting my optics for the first time since I had arrived. "Can I ask for your opinion?"
"Of course, Prime," I responded, surprised as usual that he always felt the need to ask my permission, especially for something as effortless as an opinion.
"What is your impression of the Decepticon prisoner, Ironhide?"
"Ironhide?" I echoed, my initial suspicion having been confirmed by Prime's inquiry.
"Yes." The leader of the Autobots shifted his weight, likely trying to get more comfortable in the chair that he had been sitting in for far too long this orn. Administrative duties, and whatnot... "I have not yet had an opportunity to interact with him. However, you were present during his capture. I would be curious to know what your thoughts are."
It was a rather vague question, but that was the kind Prime would usually ask when he wanted to know what one's concerns were. He gave me a moment to gather my thoughts, and I used the opportunity to truly reflect on the question.
What was my impression of the Decepticon, Ironhide? I had not given it much though previously, as most of my concerns regarding him were related to issues of security and safety. It was my duty to make sure that the mech was properly restrained—or properly supervised—at all times, and that he was not a danger to any of the Autobots around him. Especially the medical team. Even among the medics, only Ratchet was allowed to have any direct contact with Ironhide while the Decepticon was awake, and that was only because he was a CMO in training and needed to be able to handle such situations on his own.
I glanced at Prime, who was patiently waiting for my response. "I would recommend that you ask Medical Officer Ratchet that question. He has—"
A light knock on the door interrupted me, and Prime apologized before he stood to grant entry to the mech who had requested it.
Jazz ambled in, his usual carefree gait being only slightly less pronounced. He stopped in the middle of the room, nodding his greetings before he turned to Prime.
"OP, are you busy?" the silver minibot asked, his optics flickering between me and Prime.
Sometimes, I wished Jazz would not be so informal... It was not professional, particularly not for a special agent, but Prime did not correct him and so it was not my place to do so.
"What do you have to report, Jazz?" Prime asked.
"Ratchet's gonna be moving the Decepticon to one of the isolated rooms with higher security. The mech's still in stasis, but I thought if you had some time, you might wanna see. Ratch invited us to watch."
"We were actually just discussing Ironhide," the Prime explained, turning toward me. "Ultra Magnus, would you like to join us?"
"Certainly," I replied, pushing myself up from the chair and moving to stand beside Prime.
"Awesome." Jazz grinned. "It's always more fun when I'm not the only one Ratchet can throw a wrench at."
I resisted the urge to roll my optics—Ratchet had only thrown a wrench once, but ever since then it had become something of a running joke that even the medic would partake in on occasion. Ratchet's demeanor overall was unusual among medical professionals, but no one could dispute its effectiveness in gaining the cooperation of his more difficult patients.
As we left Prime's office and walked through the halls, I listened as Jazz shared the details of Punch's report. Punch had managed to infiltrate the Decepticon ranks several vorns ago, his alter ego being Counerpunch, and the intelligence he could provide was very specific and often invaluable.
"I just read the last part on the way here," Jazz said as he lead us briskly down a hallway. "Learned a few curious things about Ironhide and his past."
"What did you learn about him?" I asked.
"Well, he's been with the Decepticons pretty much since the beginning, like we already thought, but before that he was a temple guardian in Simfur, and before that he trained in military operations at Stanix."
There was one piece of information that Prime found particularly interesting. "He was a temple guardian?"
"Apparently so," Jazz responded, sounding just as surprised as our leader had. "I never would've guessed."
Neither would I, nor was I completely sure I believed it. Being a temple guardian was not something that just any mech could do—it required integrity, dedication, and most importantly, a strong commitment to protecting the most valuable artifacts of Cybertronian society. All traits that seemed to be lacking in Decepticons.
"That is indeed not what one would expect from a Decepticon," Prime agreed, probably wondering how a mech could go from that to what he was now. Or at the very least, that was what I wondering.
"I'm gonna go see him when he's in the brig," Jazz continued. "Figure that'd be a good time, when he doesn't feel so vulnerable. See if I can get him to talk to me a little bit."
I had to admit that Jazz was a good mech for the job. His small size and charismatic attitude helped him get along with almost everyone, and even those who were openly hostile toward him, such as Decepticons, seemed to dislike him less than most other Autobots.
We arrived at the entrance to the med bay, and stepping inside, I could see Ratchet switching over the monitoring devices from wall-mounted units to portable ones. Jazz walked up to the berth first, followed shortly thereafter by Prime and me. Ironhide was lying still on the berth, completely unconscious, while Ratchet disconnect the last of the cables from the mech's arms.
"Good. You're all here," Ratchet said, his version of a greeting. "Can two of you help me move him onto the cot?"
Prime agreed to of course, and I began to move forward as well but then Jazz stepped out in front of me.
"I'll do it," the silver mech offered. "Always wanted to try something like that."
"Are you sure you can lift him, Jazz?" I asked, wanting to make sure that the eager mech did not injure himself.
"No worries. I got it," Jazz replied, smirking. "I'm stronger than I look."
I glanced anxiously at Ratchet, making sure that he did not have any qualms about Jazz's participation. Ironhide was by no means a small or light mech.
Ratchet met my gaze and nodded once, indicating his approval, and I stepped back. If he was all right with Jazz helping, then so was I.
The three mechs positioned themselves to move Ironhide from the berth to the cot, Prime and Ratchet supporting the mech's upper body and Jazz guiding his legs and feet. With one coordinated movement, they lifted the Decepticon and moved him onto the cot. Then Ratchet secured the mech to it with a series of straps.
"Is he in stasis most of the time?" Jazz wondered.
"Most of the time, he has been. But it's for medical reasons. As much as I might want to, I can't keep him in stasis forever."
"Have you had much interaction with him?" Prime asked next.
"Some," Ratchet answered. "He drifts in and out, but without having a baseline, it's hard to tell what's part of his normal personality and what's due to the sedatives. He does seem rather compliant."
"Isn't that probably the sedatives?" Jazz asked the medic.
"While they can have that effect," Ratchet explained, "it's also true that Ironhide began cooperating before I even lightly sedated him. However, it's too soon to know if that was because of his injuries."
Ratchet disengaged the lock on the cot's wheels, beginning to move it toward the med bay's exit. Prime automatically took up a position on the other side to help the medic transport his patient.
"Ultra Magnus," Prime said to me as we made our way back into the hall, "I would still be curious to know what your impression of Ironhide is, since you were also present when he was captured."
"Well," I started, not exactly sure what I was going to say, "he was hostile initially, as one might expect, but like Ratchet said, he did begin cooperating."
"Have you seen this with other Decepticons?" Prime asked.
"I have not, however I also agree that it is too soon to tell what the reasons for that behavior might have been."
Jazz rejoined the conversation then. "How can we find out?"
We all glanced at Prime, except for Ratchet who was watching where we were going.
"My intentions are to simply have Ironhide observed for the time being," Prime said to all of us. "Once he has been cleared by medical, we should move him to a holding cell for our safety as well as his own. What will happen beyond that point will depend on his behavior. If he continues to be cooperative, we can conduct some tests to help us determine whether or not his actions are genuine."
"I have my doubts, Prime," I voiced my opinion, "that a Decepticon of Ironhide's rank would be significantly different from Lord Megatron himself. For all we know, everything Ironhide has done has simply been in the interest of self-preservation. It would be to his advantage to cooperate with us."
"A valid concern," the red and blue mech acknowledged, "and precautions will be taken. However, as you said, 'it is too soon to tell.'" Then he smiled, making sure I did not take offense at his use of my own words.
As Ratchet steered the cot around a corner and into the isolation room, I was surprised that we were there already. He positioned the cot near the berth and then locked the wheels, getting ready to move Ironhide once more.
"Jazz, are you up for this again?" Ratchet asked the minibot.
"You bet!" Jazz darted forward, eager to help. With Prime helping Ratchet again, I opted to hold the cables from the monitors, keeping them out of the way.
Ratchet began counting, much like he had when we first lifted Ironhide out in the Badlands. "On three. One, two, three."
The transition was much smoother than it had been then, when we had needed to carry the Decepticon a short distance over rough terrain. Ratchet centered Ironhide on the berth and then gratefully accepted the cables from me, reattaching the various medical devices and monitors.
"Well, thank you all for your help," the medic said, still setting up one of the monitors. "It makes it much easier for me."
"You are quite welcome," Prime answered on behalf of all of us. "We're glad to be of assistance."
"And to get out of the office for a while?" Jazz teased the red and blue mech.
The Prime chuckled lightly. "Yes, and that, although I regret to say that I should get back to my work. There is much to do before the end of the shift."
"Ah, that's why I couldn't be Prime," the silver mech jested. "Too much red tape."
Prime smiled again. "Indeed. Ultra Magnus, would you accompany me back to the command level? I would like to discuss some things with you."
"Of course." I turned to the other mechs. "Good orn, Jazz. Doctor."
Ratchet looked up from the monitor. "Good orn, Ultra Magnus. Optimus."
"See you later." Jazz waved to us courteously, then turned to Ratchet. No doubt, he was curious to find out more information from Ratchet. That was also part of the reason why Jazz was so skilled at what he did—because he had a genuine interest in learning new things.
Prime said goodbye to the two mechs and then I followed him out of the room, matching my pace to his. I was curious to know what was on his processor, and I did not have to wait long to find out.
"Ultra Magnus, I would like to put you in charge of overseeing Ironhide's transition from the med bay. Whatever you see fit as far as how much trust we should grant him, I will support."
"Me?" I said, sounding more like a surprised youngling than Prime's second in command.
Prime just seemed amused. "Yes. I believe that you would be well-suited to the task, and Ironhide is already somewhat familiar with you."
I had not expected that, especially considering my reservations about the mech, but perhaps that was exactly why Prime had chosen me.
"I will do so to the best of my ability," I said, fulling intending to keep my comrades safe while also treating Ironhide respectfully.
"I know you will, Ultra Magnus," Optimus Prime replied. "Thank you."