Aftermath

by Fianna9

For the Prowl/Jazz Anniversary challenge 2017 Prompts: breaking the rules; secrets; must keep quiet; Summary: What happens after Prowl discovers Jazz. After all, he has to hide Jazz' nature while still searching for a way to free him. And for that, they're going to need allies. Including a new one they gain along the way. Warnings: G1 AU Sequel to "The Ancient Datapad"

1. Covering Their Tracks

Chapter Title: Covering Their Tracks

Prompt: breaking the rules

It had been four orns since Jazz had marched up to Ironhide and formally joined the Autobots, and Prowl was still frantic to finish covering their tracks. It would have been easier if he'd gathered information and waited until he had everything in place like he intended, but he had underestimated how compelling the afreet could be.

He'd been working long past his shifts, but he was almost done with the fabrications. Jazz was now officially listed as a Polyhexian-Praxian mech from a small clan in one of the lower class areas of Praxus. It was one Prowl had encountered during his time as an Enforcer, and he recalled them as being more tolerant of outcrossings than his own clan. Unfortunately they like so many others had been wiped out during the destruction of the city, but at least this way one more clan would be remembered and allowed to continue. The two of them would still have spend some time creating a history for Jazz that was complete enough to pass casual inspection but wouldn't have created records that would have existed outside of Praxus.

As an Enforcer it troubled him to be fabricating evidence like this, but the reality was that few outsiders believed that the jinn and their cousins ever existed. Genies were considered by most to be little more than fanciful creations of imagination. It didn't help that the evidence for their existence seemed to disappear as they moved between masters.

Prowl gripped the edge of desk and almost threw it against the wall. Master. He truly despised that word more than he'd allowed Jazz to perceive. Slavery was abhorrent to a Praxian, and they had fought against it for ages. It was undeniable that freeing an afreet would be potentially deadly, but he refused to remain what he despised any longer than necessary. It would take time and resources to fix this situation; things he did not have readily available right now.

That didn't mean he couldn't start planning for the future. The highest priority was to find allies he could trust to understand why this potentially deadly situation was so necessary. It would be an unfortunately short list and was going to require a thorough investigation of any potentials; an investigation that was going to break even more regulations. Once again ignoring his chronometer and his protocols, Prowl accessed the database of current residents and got to work.