Title: Half-Life
Author: Darkfireblade aka Hellsfirescythe
Fandom: Transformers 2007 movie
Rating: PG-13 for violence and language
Characters/Pairings: Jazz, Ensemble
Summary: Re-awakening Jazz with the remaining piece of the Allspark had been the easy part. Dealing with its consequences and the aftermath of Mission City would open a whole new can of worms.
Notes/Warnings: post-movie, contains spoilers.


Chapter Two: The Cure

"You can't stay in there all week, Jazz. Any longer and you'll disrupt your recharge cycle."

There was no answer beyond the thick metal door, no response from the minibot. Bumblebee passed one hand over his helm in frustration, an action he had picked up from Sam. He had been sitting out here for at least a day, not a very long time at all to a Transformer. But it was a long enough time without any responses to start worrying the spy. He had only gotten word of Jazz's self-isolation from Optimus. Apparently, the lieutenant had locked himself in his quarters for four human days. No one had heard a peep from the room and Ratchet was starting to worry.

"At this rate, Ratchet's going to interface with the base's security system and force your room open." said Bumblebee with a small chuckle. He fell silent and listened for any sound that would come through the portal. The spy could just make out the sound of metal scraping into motion. "Jazz, you know that clamming up isn't going to help anything."

Still no response.

"We just want to help..." Bumblebee murmured. 'So why does your pride make you run and hide? Are you that afraid of me? ' crooned Elliott Yamin from the Camaro's speakers.

Something that sounded like a dry laugh leaked past the doorway, muffled, but it was a laugh, a sound. Bumblebee perked up from his slouch on the floor.

The blip of numbers being punched on the other side of the door greeted his audios. Faster than anyone would have thought a giant robot could move, Bumblebee moved smoothly to his feet just in time to see Jazz's door slide open.

Dirt scuffed white paint, a scratched and blemished finish, a tired smile of sheepish surrender greeted Bumblebee's optics.

"Can't hear my own thoughts with you wailin' out here." grumbled Jazz, his half-smile giving his words away. "Aren't you supposed to be with Sam?"

"He's at a concert with Mikaela, they won't be back till the weekend." replied Bumblebee, "They took a bus. I got a call from Optimus right before I was supposed to leave with them." he added at Jazz's questioning look. "It wasn't because of you either, Optimus thinks that we've picked up signs of one of our own on Earth. He wants me to check it out...What's wrong Jazz?"

"Ah, nothin's wrong," Jazz waved away Bumblebee's concern and began walking down the hallway. Bumblebee caught up easily to the smaller bot and made to spin him back around. Next thing he knew it, the Camaro was flying across the hall, his gyros reeling as he made contact with a metal wall with a thundering crash.

Jazz stood in the center of the hall, his face an open book of shock and remorse. The spy watched in a daze as Jazz was at his side in a matter of a second.

"Bee! Are you alright? I'm so sorry...I...I don't..." for once, Jazz was struggling for words. The situation in another time might have made Bumblebee laugh. Right now, Jazz wasn't the only one stunned for words.

Pounding footsteps reverberated down the hall. Ratchet and Optimus rounded around the corner, Ironhide followed soon after with Captain Lennox perched precariously in his hands.

Optimus only took one look at the situation before shaking his head. "Ratchet, take Jazz to the med-bay." the Autobot leader looked back at Ironhide and Lennox. "We'll debrief him there."

Ratchet lay one hand firmly on Jazz's shoulder, leading the speechless minibot away. Bumblebee scrambled up to follow, but was stopped by a small shake of Optimus's head. "Bumblebee, you get back to Sam. I just received a call from Mikaela that the boy wasn't feeling too well. I want you to bring them back home and keep an eye on him. Understand?"

Bumblebee reluctantly nodded, torn between Jazz and his human. Optimus must have caught his forlorn look at Jazz's retreating back. "He'll be alright. Bringing him back to life was a hard choice, and it'll be hard on us and him. Stay strong, Bumblebee. We all need to. Now go back to Sam."

o00o

"What were you thinking? First lieutenant my aft, you're acting more like a sparkling." grumbled Ratchet as he buffed at the scratches all along the transformed Solstice's form. "When something's wrong, you tell me. You do not hide away in your room."

"Don't push it, man. I-I just needed to think and run some diagnostics. It's just a glitch." Jazz protested half-heartedly.

"And who around here fixes the glitches? It definitely wasn't you last time I checked the rosters."

"Ratchet, I think you've grilled Jazz quite enough." admonished Optimus from his standing position a few meters ahead of Jazz's front bumper. The medic made a face and put in one last rough rub to underscore his scolding. "Jazz, Captain Lennox arrived here a few hours ago with news from the Pentagon. News, and it is news to us Jazz, arrived not too long ago about a robot car in the form of a Pontiac Solstice assaulting two adolescent boys in an empty alleyway."

Jazz remained quiet.

Optimus fought the urge to pinch at his olfactory sensors, another human action among many the Autobots had grown accustomed to. "Tests have shown that the boys had been imbibing alcohol and their blood tests show that they've also been dabbling in dangerous chemicals. The report is being written off as drug-induced hallucination. What the US government wants to know is why this incident happened and if it will ever happen again."

"I-I dunno, Optimus. First thing I noticed going down was that they were trying to pop my locks, next thing I knew it I had the punk pinned against the wall." Jazz's voice was uncharacteristically soft, almost a whisper.

"Tell us the whole story, Jazz. I know you are not prone to this sort of behavior," 'Unlike some individuals' was left unsaid, but Ironhide shuffled wordlessly behind the Prime. "Captain Lennox is here to help us in this situation. Just start from the beginning."

Easier said than done. But, haltingly, Jazz related the story to his audience. Optimus watched in concern as it was delivered, realizing with a sinking feeling that something was being omitted. Lennox remained silent until the end.

"From what I can tell, your actions can be classified as self-defense." said the captain. "He'll safe, Optimus. All I know is that the Pentagon will stay edgy for a bit before calming back down."

"Thank you, captain." rumbled Optimus gratefully. He glanced at Jazz as the lieutenant shifted back into robot mode.

"Sorry 'bout makin' such a ruckus, Cap." Jazz looked wryly at Lennox, the two eye-to-eye with the lieutenant crouched down on the ground.

"It's no problem, Jazz. Anything to get you all out of a jam." smiled Lennox, giving Jazz a light jab. Optimus noted with alarm the stiffening of his second's form. He wasn't the only one that noticed as Ratchet and Ironhide both took one step forward. Only Lennox remained blissfully ignorant. The human had no way of detecting the minor subtleties of Cybertronian body language.

"Ironhide, you can escort Captain Lennox back home." Optimus's voice gave the Topkick no room for questioning. The weapons specialist cast one brief look over Jazz before ushering the human captain out of the med-bay.

As soon as Ironhide and his charge were out of ear-shot, Optimus turned back to the withdrawn form of Jazz.

"You left out information." stated Optimus. Jazz looked up, startled. "There were parts of your narrative that didn't fit together. Like I said before, this behavior doesn't fit you. Will you tell me the full story?"

o00o

With the heavy gazes of Ratchet and Optimus Prime weighing down upon him, it was hard to find the right thing to say. It was hard to disguise the conflict and confusion in his tone as he answered back. "I know this sounds crazy, Op. But I'm hearing voices. A voice. It's, it's so dark. I know it doesn't belong, that's foreign. Kinda like oil on water."

He looks to Ratchet for help, but all the medic can offer him is a faint look of confusion.

"So when Lennox touched you, did you experience the voice then?" asked Optimus.

Jazz didn't look away from Optimus's even stare and nodded. "'Crush them, crush the little insects.'" he whispered softly. Four-digit hands formed into fists. "I almost did."

[Should have.

Dismay flooded into the expression of the Autobot leader. Jazz watched as Prime turned to Ratchet. "I want you to give him a full-scale scan. Report any anomalies immediately. Understand?" commanded Prime. The lime-green mechanic nodded and swept away in search of his tools.

"Optimus?"

The semi snapped out of his dazed look to focus on Jazz.

"Thanks man," said Jazz with a ghost of a smile.

"We'll figure out what's wrong as soon as possible, Jazz. Things will be back to normal soon." replied Optimus in a comforting tone.

It might have just been a pleasantry, but it was enough to relax the lieutenant as Ratchet laid him under the scanner. They'd figure out what was wrong. He trusted them.

[Sentimental scrap.

'Shut up.'

"The scans have been completed, Optimus." Ratchet skimmed over the results that rolled over his HUV, memorizing their contents before turning to the expectant Autobot leader. "Come on, Jazz. You'll need to be hearing this as well."

Optimus rose from his silent thoughts and walked forward as Jazz gingerly picked himself from the berth before sliding off to weave his way towards Ratchet. The medic tapped a few controls in his helm, transmitting the results of the scan to his audience.

"Your systems are optimal. They should be, I just reconstructed them. But...there was one anomaly." Ratchet paused and symbols blazed to life in the air. "There are some extra strings of coding throughout your system...it's not Autobot, it's-"

"Decepticon," finished Optimus, one of his large fists clenching tightly. His optics flickered in apparent frustration.

"The problem should be simple enough to rectify. If I transmit some virus anti-bodies, they should latch on to the foreign data and eradicate it." Ratchet shut of the simulation and transferred his attention back to Jazz. "We'll have to start the procedure right now. It's not a static coding that's downloaded into your systems. It's spreading, currently you have enough extra data storage for it to be not a problem. But as the coding grows, your systems will automatically begin dumping other data to make room."

"Start the procedure now." interrupted Optimus, earning a startled stare from both mechs. "I want that coding eradicated ASAP." With that, the Prime exited the med-bay, his attention caught by an external call.

Ratchet barely detected the minuscule flinch passing through Jazz's body. "I'm in some deep shit, eh Ratch?"

"Don't start doubting me now, you smart aleck. Back on the berth." snapped Ratchet with a short barking laugh. The amusement in both died down as the medic began attaching various cables to Jazz's chassis and cranial. "So what'd it say this time?"

"Whaddaya talkin' about?"

"When Optimus left, I detected minor vibrations rolling off your body"

Jazz slowly lay down on the berth, never taking his optics away from Ratchet's even gaze before shrugging. "Just mocking Optimus. Ratch, I...I recognize that voice. Ain't nothin' that take that voice out of my memory banks. I think it's M-"

"Hush, don't go leaping to conclusions. Right now, it's just a few lines of excess coding. Nothing I can't get rid of." said Ratchet. 'I hope.'

Ratchet watched as Jazz slowly settle back down into the berth and ran back over the scans. What could pass as a frown flashed over his visage. The coding was spreading, spreading a lot faster than he had anticipated. An image of Optimus's tight expression appeared fleetingly in his thoughts.

'There's something he's not telling us.'

"Alright Jazz, I'm starting up the program."

"..."

Looking back at Jazz, Ratchet's movements quickened. The lieutenant had entered shut-down, something that would make the job of his anti-virus programs easier. Good. He wouldn't let the other down. Not this time. Returning his attention back on the computer screen, he failed to see the brief flicker of consciousness in Jazz's optics appear and disappear with a faded red glow.


'Wait for You' by Elliott Yamin