Again, I want to extend my thanks to all those reading. This is a chapter I'm sure most of you will enjoy. I hope. Hehe. Anyways, it is a few days into Jazz's mission now. Let's see how he's doing.
Jazz
After three jours of traveling at night and recharging during the day I had penetrated deep into Decepticon territory. I was one jour ahead of schedule with less than a jour's travel to the Decepticon base. I noticed with each travel parsec the chance of being discovered escalated as I had to elude more patrols with the closer I got to my destination.
Thankfully the ruins of the demolished towns, long since deserted, between Praxus and the base provided me with ample hiding places. At the moment, I was taking advantage of the basement of what used to be medical facility. There was still a couple of more breems of darkness I could have used but I felt that I should be cautious since I was so close to my objective. Too much was at stake with this mission to be brash and take unnecessary risks.
There was a huge advantage to being deep below ground level. It enabled me to not have to power down my systems so I could recharge properly. I'd also be able to light up a small area to do some reading and perhaps relax, ever so slightly. While I couldn't detect any movement from above, I did set up a few electronic booby traps to alert me of potential threats heading in my direction.
Confident I'd be safe here I turned the light off and started to settle down for recharge. Only just before I deactivated my optics, my audio receptors picked up a faint rustling sound from inside the room large room.
At first I thought I was imagining things. I listened intently for a few klicks. Nothing. Chalking it up to debris settling I relaxed back down in the darkness and turned my optics off.
The sound happened again. I reactivated my optics dimly, relying on my visor to see for me. Lying as still as possible, I pulled my blaster out of subspace and listened. It sounded again mere moments later.
Some thing was definitely in the room with me. Far right side if my audio receptors triangulated the position properly, which they always do. Patience was key now. I waited for the rustling noise to occur again. When it did, I quickly, but silently rolled over to get my feet beneath me.
Staying crouched low, weapon aimed, I tracked the rustling sound as it slowly moved. I didn't dare make a sound as I advanced towards it, wanting to surprise the intruder and thus take care of them quickly. This mechanism was obviously stealthy as he or she made it past all my traps.
However, all my special ops training never prepared me for what I was about to see as I got even closer to the rustling sound. As I squatted, listening, my optics were focused on a disheveled stack of medical berths in one corner of the room. The sound was definitely emanating from there, I'd bet my spark on it.
From a dark opening at the bottom of the pile of berths a small face suddenly appeared, startling me. I jerked back, barely managing to not fire my blaster. I growled to myself for my stupidity. My blaster would have attracted attention, even down here! Slaghead!
Quickly subspacing my blaster, I retrieved a light instead. I'd only gotten a brief glimse but I recognized it was a sparkling! Of all places why the frag is a sparkling here?
"It's ok li'l one, ya can come out," I said, daring to shine the light into the opening. Two dimly lit round cobalt orbs blinked rapidly when the light hit them. "Sorry, I'll shine the light else were 'til ya get used to it."
The sparkling didn't react as I expected. The optics disappeared from my view and I heard scurrying behind the medical berths as it made a hasty retreat. In all good conscience I couldn't leave it to go unattended. So quickly and quietly, I moved all the berths out of the way, one at a time. At the same time I talked quietly, calmly to it, keeping my voice steady and kind.
"Primus Almighty," I gasped, when I removed the last medical berth and revealed a small alcove.
It was definitely fabricated using whatever debris was down here and hidden to make sure it appeared like part of the ruins. Also, it appeared as if the sparkling had been here for some time. Too long. Its supply of energon was used up, the thermal blanket was filthy, and the sparkling itself, although huddled and trembling in the corner, was scuffed up and its energy levels were extremely low.
"I guess no one came back for ya," I sighed, remembering hearing about reports of some of our patrols finding abandoned sparklings in and around the outskirts of the Decepticon territory, some alive, some dead.
It was believed that the sparklings were abandoned by their femme creators who'd been held captive by the Decepticons and used as breeders. They didn't want the sparkling but weren't cruel enough to kill it. In my opinion, abandoning a sparkling was equally cruel.
"Do ya know it's not polite to go prowlin' aroun', startlin' saboteurs?"
The sparkling blinked up at me and shuddered, curling up into a tiny ball to protect itself.
"I'm not mad at ya. I'm here to help ya," I smiled, kneeling down.
With slow movements and gentle clicking noises I moved close enough to the sparkling to be able to pick it up. Poor little thing kept trying or press itself further into the wall with no other way to go. I made sure to keep my tone soft. I even retracted my visor so the little thing could see my optics. Mother told me it was important for sparklings to see your optics in order to gain their trust.
"Shh, I'm not gonna hurt ya," I cooed, cradling the little body close to my chest.
Another trick my mother taught me was that sparklings loved being near a calm spark, even if it wasn't their creators. Their tiny bodies were sensitive to a spark's energy frequencies. Being close to one helped to settle them down when they're anxious or scared. From the way this little one was shaking, it was terrified!
It took several long klicks of cooing, warbling, and clicking to get the little mechanism to stop shaking. But it was worth it to feel the tiny warm body relax ever so slightly in my arms.
"Are ya hungry?" I asked, settling down back with my small camp. "Of course ya are. Let me see if I rememba how to make sparkling energon from regular energon."
The sparkling clicked quizzically making me smile. That was a good sign that my voice or spark was helping it relax.
"Don't worry li'l one," I remarked, setting the sparkling comfortably in one arm while I pulled out my own special blend of nutrients I like to add to my energon. It basically made a small amount of energon go a long way, perfect for these kinds of missions. "My mother taught me a few things 'bout sparklings. Yup, that's right. My mother knows a lot 'bout sparklings. She works with them every day. She…oh slag! Oops! Ya didn't hear that. Here, sit there and don't move. Sorry, I'm a little out of practice."
With both hands free, and one optic on the sparkling who was intently watching what I was doing, I was able to make the energon mixture without spilling any of it. Before I handed it over I tasted it just to make sure. Then one last trick my mother taught me, I made a straw out of some spare tubing and inserted it into the canister.
"Here you go," I smiled, holding the small canister in front of the sparkling with one hand, while using my other hand to put the straw in its mouth. To my surprise the sparkling was coordinated enough to take the canister and hold it. It instantly sucked down the energon fast. I gently pulled the drink away. "Slow down. I don't want ya to get an upset tank."
Big tears were slow to form in its optics and its bottom lip trembled so much that it just about made my spark break.
"I'm sorry li'l one. I'm only lookin' out for yur best interests here," I cooed, placing the sparkling on my lap. Soft sniffles sounded and hiccup sounded. Oh Primus, I thought I was about to cry! "Here, I'm goin' to hold it but I want ya to drink slowly."
Thankfully it seemed to understand and sucked slowly on the straw but it big round optics watched me closely as if anticipating I'd take the drink away. I didn't want to take the drink away again unless I really had to.
"Yur doin' good," I praised, smiling at how cute it was drinking its energon with is hands curled up into little fists held tight against its chest. I even chuckled when I heard the canister was finally drained. At least it didn't protest when I took it away that time. "That better now?"
I heard a soft burp as a response that made me chuckled.
"Ya must be a mech," I smirked. "Never heard a femme sparkling do that. Shall we find out? I have a cleanin' rag I could use to get that filth off ya and see what I'm dealin' with."
Out of habit, I started humming a random song as I started cleaning the sparkling, tending to a much needed waste dump and carefully checking to see if it was a mech or femme. My spark ached to think that a mother had to abandon her sparkling in such a manner. She or perhaps he, if it was the father, obviously was coming back. But from the amount of waste and filth on the little mech all did not work as planned for the creator or caretaker.
It took me half a breem to complete clean the sparkling mech from head to two little peds. His armor was all white armor with black trim on its chest, black forearms and lower legs down to its feet. On it's back…two tiny black and white protrusions. I didn't notice them before with so much filth on him.
"Well, aren't ya the lucky little mech," I smiled. "Yur growing wings. My guess is yur gonna have some might fine lookin' doorwings once yur mature. Can you move them?"
The little mech warbled questioningly.
I frowned, noticing how slack there were on the sparkling's back. Even though they were probably jours or even possibly a couple of deca-cycles old in development, if they weren't stimulated properly he wouldn't know he had them and thus wouldn't use them, making them useless as he grew older.
"Please Primus, let them be ok," I whispered and then began softly stroking the winglets with my fingers tips.
To my relief the sparkling started purring and fluttering the tiny appendages.
"You like that?"
He smiled as his optics shuttered lazily.
"Hm, what have we here?" I said, looking closer at his forehead.
Two little red nubs appeared to be growing on his forehead. From what my mother told me, a sparkling's chevron starts growing at about one vorn. Same with the winglets. Flyers were born with winglets. Ground mechanisms grew theirs at a later date.
To verify, I placed the sparkling on his feet to see if he could walk and how well. His legs trembled but from lack of energy but he looked sturdy on them. No swaying or immediately sitting down, which most sparklings do if they're not ready to walk yet. So he was at least on vorn old. This also means he should have a limited vocabulary.
"Can ya talk? My name's Jazz," I said pointing to myself. Then I pointed to him, touch his chest. "Yur name is…"
The sparkling blinked at me. So I repeated my name, trying to get him to say his. Still nothing. He'd just watch my finger go back and forth between him and me. He didn't even make a little beep as he climbed onto my lap and stared up at me.
"No luck," I sighed. "How 'bout I just call ya Prowler for now since ya like prowlin' around in the dark. Ya like that?"
He yawned wide as his optic covers slowly closed. I smiled sadly, watching the sparkling fall into recharge. Ever so gently, I shifted him up more on my chest so I could lay down.
I was stuck with a dilemma.
My processor echoed with the words from Highjump. I still had an important mission to complete. So much was at stake. So many mechs were relying on me. I couldn't let them down. I couldn't!
Yet, how could I go on now? If I left him here to complete my mission I was no worse than those who'd left him before. What kind of mech does that make me?
All life was precious to me. That's why I became an Autobot. An Autobot's roll was to protect such innocent mechanisms just like this little sparkling.
With a heavy sigh, my optics locked once again on the sparkling watching as he recharged deeply, comfortably. Of course, looking at him only amplified my feelings and my dilemma. One hand was clinging tightly to my armor as he knew I might have to leave him behind to complete my mission.
"What am I going to do with you li'l Prowler?" I asked, tenderly caressing his helm.
Yes, that's right! He's met his future sparkmate. Only Jazz doesn't know it yet. Up next we'll find out what Jazz decides. His decision will decide li'l prowler's fate.