Prime Blood/ Spark of Bots: Jazzol
Chapter 8: Final
It was still three months before Jazz could come back to his human form. The SOS call was a long drawn out rescue and repair and it looked like it would go a lot longer. Springer finally has to put a hand on Jazzol and steered him away from the other 'Bots and desperate needs of the planet. As Commander of Xenon, he doles out an order, "Jazzol, you need to go back to Xenon."
"But sir, there's-"
"And it will be waiting here for you in three days. I don't want to see or hear from you for three days. That is an order."
"But-"
Springer puts on his best smile, "I've spoken to Miko. Should I twist those rings myself? I can twist your arm and then the rings," he narrows his gaze daring Jazzol to challenge him. Jazzol looks out at the city in front of them. There was still so much that needed to be done. So many wounded and hurting. Springer sees what he does, "I know. You have to remember, in your spark, you still have a human side and you have a human wife waiting for you. I believe you made her a promise. I intend to do my part in making you hold to it. Go."
Jazzol doesn't move right away. He looks between the city and then back to Xenon. His mother had chosen her family so her husband could do his duty. Both were brave and strong. Both knew their duty. Who should he follow?
Springer leans in quietly almost like he can read his thoughts. "If I understand human biology correctly, Miko can't do her job alone. I believe she needs you. And since I don't know exactly how much, ah time, she needs from you, I'm ordering three days. Last chance to make the move yourself before I make the move for you. You know I always beat you at sparing."
Jazzol turns back to his Commander. Springer is being his friend right now and boy does he sound like the encourager Orion was to him during their college days.
Jazzol smiles to his friend, "Call me if it gets real bad or it's something you can't handle."
Springer nods, "Be assured, I won't." Jazz smiles a nod then drops to a wheeled form much like his name sake. A sprinter fast and light, takes off for Xenon. Springer is very pleased to see Jazz at his fastest nearly taking out two 'Bots exiting the ship while he flies in.
When Jazz makes it back to his quarters, he hears the shower running. Oh that does sound good. He hasn't felt water on his body in a long time. This planet is abundant with it and so the humans have been blessed with long showers, baths and swimming. As quietly as he can, he slips out of his 'Bot form and releases the manual override to the bathing compartment. There she is. His wife running her hands down her naked body singing a wild and unabashed tune. He waits until her back is turned to the door and slips inside. Then weaves his fingers into her wet locks.
She screams, he laughs. Instantly, she turns and strikes him. Too late to block and takes the blow. When she gets the soap out of her eyes, sees its him. "Jazz? What are you doing here?"
Now his glowing blue eyes have a wicked smirk to them, while his red hair is plastered to his head. An almost forgotten husky growl comes forth. "What do want me to do?"
She just has to stand there with her hands on her hips giving him a very cocky attitude. All it does is accentuate every wet curve of her body. One soap bubble slides from her hair, down her shoulder over the tip of one luscious nipple, around the curve of the breast, to the rib and down the hip to stop against her hand.
"I have a three day leave. Springer ordered me on leave." Her body begins to quicken. Three days. She can have him for three days straight. "He ordered me to try again."
Her voice is very husky in want for her lover, "Smart Commander, always did like him."
Jazz doesn't wait another moment. He gathers her in his arms and plays his lips upon her luscious shoulder. Miko doesn't allow foreplay this time and goes straight for the intercourse. Jazz doesn't mind pressing her front to the wall and holding their entwined hands above her head while she screams for him to take her harder and harder. Burying his face into her wet locks, cries out her name in return.
It may have been quick and incredibly hot, yet also desperately needed. The fury of work quashed away now, they turn and lather each other up.
The water runs cold before they are finished with their third round.
Jazz thought he heard the sound of the door chime but his head just wouldn't come to the surface. The soft murmur of voices lull to his brain. Like the times he would listen to his mother and Aunt Alexis talk down stairs. He's just to exhausted to pull out of their wonderful cocoon.
"No! Please, don't go." Miko!
Now that sharp voice does crack through his sleep and bring him quickly to consciousness. As a good soldier, he only peeks his eyes open assessing the situation before moving. The other voice is soft, clearly not wanting him to be bothered.
What he sees is Arcee on one knee talking to a very upset Miko wrapped in her green silk robe. He really has to ask her what is with all the silk.
Miko pleads again, "Arcee, no, please. No- I don't understand."
Arcee is visibly upset too. "Look Miko, I'm a soldier. Like you, but I don't do well with long good-byes. Ask Jack." They both know that isn't possible, seeing how he is dead.
Miko reaches out a hand to her friend's shoulder, "But Arcee, we're a team. We're-"
Arcee cuts her off before she can say the word with one long finger through the air, "No, we aren't. I don't do partners any more. You know that better than anyone else." She takes a deep breath, "Skyfire is already here waiting for me. Besides, you don't need me as your partner. You have a mate, a far better tradeoff."
Miko's tears begin to run harder. She reaches her hand out to grasp her friend's, but Arcee lifts her chin, also about ready to loose it. "I have two orders for you before I leave. One, look after Springer. He's going to need someone feisty and reckless to keep him on his toes. Second," she lets her knuckle rest on Miko's belly tenderly, "Do me a favor. Don't even think of naming the offspring after me or any other 'Bot for that matter. Just way too confusing." She nods towards resting Jazz. Miko sees the humor and nods even though she just wants to sob.
Jazz props himself up on one elbow letting Arcee see he's awake and clearly heard her orders. He gives her a light smile. Arcee takes notice and stands up. With two fingers to her forehead, she salutes him, "I leave you to your mission, Commander." Jazz just nods with a smirk. Not surprising that Springer would tell her.
Arcee drops her gaze once more to Miko, "I'm glad I'll be going back. I'll be over seeing Prime's protection again. I don't trust Hot Shot."
Miko finds the courage to tease the Warrior Goddess, "Arcee, you don't trust anyone."
Arcee smirks back, "I trust you with Ratchet's son." With that she waves and leaves closing the door behind her. She won't let Miko watch her walk away with her head dropped fighting back her own tears.
Miko turns around and Jazz sits up opening his arms wide. Miko rushes into them and clings to him tightly. He lets her just cry clutching her head to his naked chest. Miko never cries. Sure she cried over the loss of their daughter and now the last 'Bot from her first mission is being reassigned. Tough and cocky Miko has come down a few notches lately….but only with him.
Jazz soothes her grateful he can be here for her and actually holder like she needs. Now he understands the other reason Springer had ordered him home. He knew Miko would need consoling. Jazz kneads his fingers into her nape wondering how Springer was doing. Burring his face into her hair, he too lets off his own tears.
Woman crying in his arms he is no stranger to, but normally it was because he had grown tired of them. He was a player. He broke more hearts between Quebec's Space Design Program and the Kennedy Space Center than they had launched rockets. Very few had spent the night with him. He wouldn't take the risk of siring. Now here he is trying desperately trying to sire with the one and only woman who haunted his dreams for years.
Holding her even closer ponders. He knew plenty of human Christians. His mother used to pray to Primus and swear by the powers of the All Spark, but no one had ever talked about these beings his mother had spoken of. Not until he found out Alexis' stories were all true. Here he could talk openly about Primus and the All Spark as well as God.
Now he found his whole universe in his palms. Weather they be his human palms or (glancing to the corner) his metallic palms. He finds himself bowing his head and praying to a higher power to protect Miko and her heart. Praying harder that their next child will survive to adulthood.
Miko finds herself clutching him tighter praying for Jazz's safety and for the linage of their family. She also finds herself soon falling to sleep in the safety and comfort of her husband's arms. She has fought this war in both stealth and in violence side by side with her metallic friends for a very long time. Never did she think she would have a chance to save their race by falling in love with one of their own. She feels like she could hear Ratchet's soft and comforting voice telling her that all would be alright. Just like that time she took a really bad wong dune bashing with Bulkhead. Comfortable, safe, encouraged…. Loved. Home.
By the next afternoon, the couple is enjoying lounging in each other's arms sharing the little fruit and fudge Springer had slipped into their quarters while they slept the night before. Jazz picks at the silk sheets, "What is with all the silk?"
Miko turns to his stunned, "Hello, I am Japanese. Duh." He shakes his head smiling at her so relaxed answer. So she turns to him and crosses her arms, "Okay, big fancy executive, don't tell me you didn't have the finest furnishings. I saw them."
He waves an apple slice at her, "Maybe I had leather furniture, but not silk sheets, silk shirts, silk underwear, etcetera, etcetera."
She leans in to him and smirks teasing his adoptive heritage, "Fine then, Canadian. What is considered nice?"
He turns to her with his glowing eyes, "For your information, I was conceived and born during a blizzard. Does that answer your question? Fleece, cotton and wool. Duh!" and sticks his tongue out at her.
She chokes on her orange, "Blizzard?"
He narrows his gaze, "I thought you did all kinds of research about me. I thought you knew everything about me."
She trails a finger down his dump truck scar covered over with the tattoo of a double open ended wrench, "Seems there is always something new to learn about you, Jazzol Praxis Mecanico. I still want to know about that middle name."
"My mother's home town. Orion carries my father's. I'm sure you know the cities of Cybertron?." He takes another large bite of fudge and savors the taste. Miko flushes to the fact that she didn't pay attention to Cybertronian geography. "Yes, my mother fondly reminds us that we were born during a blizzard."
Miko settles down to her stomach tucking the pillow under her chest ready for his story. When he doesn't start right away she gives him a foul look. He chuckles and then settles down into a likewise pose. He waves the fudge at her, "This story is told much better with a big cup of hot tea before a roaring fireplace snuggled deep in warm comforters."
Miko chuckles, "Yeah well tell the 'Cons that. It's their fault you are stuck in a titanium can naked under silk sheets with me."
Jazzol can't help but laugh heartily, he's anything but displeased about his present accommodations. Then takes a deep sigh, "Alright, my mother said this was one of her favorite stories, but I know the prequel is really her favorite." He leans over with a knowing smile and gives her a delicious kiss to which his father had probably instigated his conception..
She enjoys it and then pulls back slowly, "Trying to get out of telling me the story, are you?"
He chuckles, "Not at all, just leading up to it." He smirks back and takes another drink of the champagne. "So, there was this kid who was really hurting in an out of way town. My mom went to help him, against her doctor's orders. You know, doctors really are the worst patients, according to Starlex." Miko joins his laugh and then shoves him to go on. "Alright alright. So here my mom was, back at her hotel room stranded on the way to the remote town. She got lucky enough to find a room before it got too bad. Keep in mind, my mother had never experienced childbirth. Sure some of her colleges had talked about it but she had no really frame of reference. Battle wounds and plague attacks, sure, but childbirth, ha!"
Miko thinks about that one for a moment. Not even Ratchet or Arcee talked about Cybertronian births. She had to learn about it later with the refugees.
"Yeah, I know that's not at all what she told us as kids, but it make sense now. I can tell you the unclassified version of the story now." Miko just nods. "So she feels these strange feelings like her guts being ripped out. She'd had her arms ripped off so she did have that reference."
Miko shoves him again to get on with it. He laughs, "Alright, so she called my father, being a medic. Now I know how, but he was off world and static was playing havoc with their communications….. Ratchet did his best to help his beloved with the assistance of a human but when all is said and done, Connie was on her own. She was alone in a strange room with only the light from the fireplace with the wind howling and growling outside. She said -later I read it in her own words- 'it was like screaming through an unstable wormhole while my body screamed in pain ripping my heart out. And just as bad, hearing Ratchet screaming with me frustrated at not being there to help me.' He kept saying he was sorry he wasn't there for her. She just told him to keep that com line open. So Orion arrived first. My mother wrapped him up and tried to describe him to my father as best as possible, but she didn't have time to wait. Less than five minutes later, I arrived. She got us cleaned up and hunkered down next to the fire to keep us all warm. Five minutes later, my father was in battle and she was alone with her sons. It was two days before anyone found her. Power was still out and the local phones were down. But she had us and according to the hospital -she finally made it to- we were fine too. My mom did the little boy's surgery with much assistance and then headed back home with us. So, every time there is a blizzard or we get snowed in, my mom bundled us up next to the fire with a bowl of fruit and fudge."
Miko is curious waving the fruit, "Why that?"
Jazz smirks, "As kids, we didn't ask. She just said it was a fond memory of a time with our father. As teens we figured it was probably something more. When she died, I found out why."
Miko doesn't move waiting for the answer. "You know," he tells her. She shakes her head. "She dragged his sorry damaged body back to her secluded barn and shot him with the human virus, turning him into a human like herself. Hello? Nearly a week trapped in a barn and blizzard together. You read enough mush novels, I saw them in your stuff. You know…." He leans in, "They were passionately in love and had a very short window of time together. They took it and made the best of it." He quirks a slight arrogant smirk to himself.
This time she is ready for the story to be over. She leans in and runs a lingering hand across the small of his back, "No, I don't understand. Educate me."
He pushes the dish away and then curls his hand around the back of her neck tilting it back so he can kiss her exposed throat. The champagne's intoxication spell is nothing compared to the spell her husband's lips have over her whole body. All the champagne did was make it harder for her to silence her cries of ecstasy. Everybody left on Xenon knew what was happening in the chief medic's personal quarters and the occupants didn't care.
The three day leave had the desired result. Miko dove into her work patching security networks and reprogramming the planet's computer networks. She was about four months along when Xenon finally pulled out. They hadn't been out far when they ran into the next mission. Xenon became an emergency assistance ship while trying to make it back to Cybertron to resupply. With a laugh, Prime changed their status. Most members of the crew were happy to do this work. But Springer was getting anxious. He really wanted to get back to Arcee. It almost got to the point of brooding.
By the time the twin daughters Xioshi and Yokima arrived, Springer had becoming a grouchy hermit. No one spoke to him unless absolutely necessary. When push came to shove, he was a good leader and completely focused, but with out a mission, he was sullen and quiet. Someone even had the gall one day to snicker, (a little too loud and a little too close to Springer) "Geez, should we just start calling him Optimus?"
Springer speared them with his gaze, "Maybe he had a good reason to remain silent and withdrawn." With that, Springer left the commissary and sealed himself inside his quarters.
He didn't come back out until the barrage of panzer blasts began pelting the hull. Swiftly the situation was dealt with and then back to his quarters he went.
Jazz pulled Miko into their quarters one night. "Do you have much access to Prime?"
Miko shakes her head, "I haven't dealt with Rodimus much."
Jazz sighs, "We've got to do something. He's beginning to drive everyone crazy."
Miko tucks Xioshi a little tighter into her bassinet, "I may not have any connections to Prime, but let me see if I can reach Kup." Jazz nods.
Whatever Miko said, helped. Because within a few days, Skyfire was back. He was dropping off a new commander, Kick Start, and taking Springer back to Cybertron. Something about an intense search going on and needing his specialty. Meanwhile Xenon was to continue on to a distant planet and set up a base.
Within a year of the twins birth, Jazz noticed something else about his body. When he switched from 'Bot to human, his human side was having a harder and harder time coming around. And he seemed so tired.
Waiting a few years after their third daughter is born, he finally talks securely with First Aide, not wanting to scare Miko. First Aide reminded Jazz of his human age vs. 'Bots who have a much longer life expectancy. Sinking into the chair, a new reality sinks into his heart/spark. He will probably out live his own children if he stayed as a 'Bot, but if he stayed as a human, he might not last a year. Experiments and transfusions and other things he was able to stave it off for many years. Finally, he just spent more and more time as a 'Bot and Miko said nothing. She noticed it, but refused to bring up the same issue Connie and Ratchet had faced.
More time passes and the girls grow up to me active members of Xenon's team. They were no fools either, they knew what was happening.
Unknown to Jazz, First Aide had put Miko on with a blind conference call. She heard this conversation. There were looks that passed between First Aide and Miko. Miko would have to convince Jazz to stay as a 'Bot…permanently. She signs off and starts her plans.
Just about that time the human doctor came back with notice for Miko, (now in her sixties), she was terminal. Exposure to the radiation during one of her earlier flights before she met Jazzol, is now back coming to haunt her. She doesn't have much time, but he has lots. There is no limit to him in his 'Bot form, but she doesn't know how to tell him. She has done her best to hide it, but now her children are asking about their mother's failing health.
Miko makes a final call, "Springer, Kup, I need you to take Jazzol off Xenon for a few months."
Springer can see the change in her appearance is more than just age. "Miko?"
She wipes a silent tear away, "The children already know. But I know that if he tries to come back to me, he will never come back to you. He hasn't got the strength."
Kup knows all too well how she feels, "Alright, but you must leave him a message." She nods. Kup puts his hand up in blessing, "Be at peace Commander Miko Mechano." She smiles at him using her military and married name together.
Springer has watched far too many humans die for so many reasons. All he can do is smile at her strength. Miko knows he has no words for her. So she just holds up her peace sign. He gives it back and then Miko closes it off.
A couple days later, Jazz comes to Miko and smiles, "Hey, Skyfire is coming over and they asked me to run down to Heron 5 for a medical check. Wanna come?"
Miko smiles, "Can't. Skyfire is also bringing a patch for the hydroponics bay. I've got to see to the installation. Why don't you take Zephyr. I know she would love it."
"Okay." But something nags him as he heads out the door, "Miko, is everything okay?"
Miko smiles up at him reassuringly, "Fine. I feel very peaceful. Things are good right now. Go have some fun."
He narrows his gaze, "Looking for rustic lice is not my idea of fun." She laughs at him. Just last week the humans had an outbreak of lice. Not fun! He leans over and gives her a zephyr like kiss on her head and turns.
"Jazzol, I love you very much." She manages to get out without choking.
He turns back, "And I love you even more."
She smiles, "I'll have fudge waiting for your return."
He points a finger at her, "You better."
But when he returned a month later, that's not all he found in his quarters. With Zephyr on his shoulder they laughed their way into the quarters. "Miko, we're home." On his bunk, beside a box of fudge is Miko's urn. A metallic canister that their grown twin children had engraved some of Miko's favorite things. Rock music, pink streaks, combat boots. In Miko's own writing she inscribed, "To the only partner better than Bulkhead."
Jazzol sink to his knees and looks to his twin daughters on either side of the urn. Together they all weep. She set him up for a mission of mercy so he wouldn't sulk while she died. Too much life in her to go out watching people pine over her. That afternoon, Zephyr and Jazzol added their own markings to the canister. And then Jazzol was given Miko's last recording.
She looked awful. Tubes and wires. Everything she hated to see on herself. "Jazzol, please don't be mad because I would be mad if you had been here. I love you and the children. The greatest gift we ever could have gotten. I understand Connie very well. I understand very much why she push and made Ratchet go do his duty. And you know it too. Go. Live the legacy of your parents. Take our children with you. Teach them what we did. Tell them everything. Hide nothing. Life is too short for secrets. I never made our love a secret."
Watching the screen fade out as Miko turns her face away, he looks down to his own legacies. Three daughters as spunky and smart as himself and Miko combined.
Not for one moment has he been sorry that Miko had watched over him. Not for one moment has he ever questioned her love for him. Not once did they ever argue about work and duty because they did it together. And even now, death will not stop them. No, he will just keep going.
Happily, Jazzol does just that.
Yeah yeah I know, a fast quick wrap up. Sorry guys but I didn't want it to suck with meaningless frivolies. Spring and Arcee will return in something else I have planned. There is a single chapter in One Shots for them.
