Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Angst, I guess
Setting: Transformers Animated AU
Disclaimer: Transformers belongs to Hasbro!
A/N: I am deeply sorry to all of those who have been waiting patiently/forgot about this story entirely. I absolutely love this story and have been fine tuning it in my freetime (I've tweaked all of the previous chapter) but had major writers block for the last few years, but no longer. I glad that people seem to enjoy what I've done so far and have lots more to come. Hang in there! I'll be back again with more soon.
Prowl hadn't come out of his room in solar cycles. Lockdown would have been worried that the kid wasn't fueling himself, except that the energon cubes he left by Prowl's door were empty later on. The muscle car was unsure of how to handle the situation. At first he thought that leaving Prowl alone would be the best option; but as the solar cycles went by, and the ninjabot still hadn't emerged, Lockdown decided a new course of action was needed.
The anguished look on Jazz's faceplate as he fell back to the planet haunted Prowl's recharge. The shame he felt at the look of agony and betrayal he saw made him want to purge his fuel tanks. He also dreamed of what his teammates' reactions would be once they learned the truth of his betrayal.
Optimus would take it as a personal blow, as he would be added to the list of friends to desert him. The black bot wondered if he would be talked about in a tone worse than when Optimus talks about Sentinel Prime, filled with pain and bitterness. Bumblebee would be mad and act as if he had know something like this would happen all along, but would later go silent, keeping his pain bottled up. Bulkhead wouldn't understand why he had made his choice, but knew that the larger bot would be incredibly hurt. Rachet would spit upon his very name, which was understandable, considering all that Lockdown had done to the old medic. And Sari, sweet, little Sari, Prowl hoped they wouldn't tell her, he didn't think she would be able to handle it. Prowl had always been fond of the little human and had began to think of her as a little sister figure.
But no more… he had ruined any chances of that the moment he decided to leave with Lockdown.
The bike heaved a heavy ex-vent, optics dim. He was now more unsure of his decision than ever before. How could life as a bounty hunter with Lockdown, of all mechs, be worth the betrayal of his friends?
Speaking of the other mech, the larger bounty hunter had been surprisingly caring, in a gruff way. Once the ramp had closed shut, and Jazz could no longer be seen, Prowl had walked dazedly to his room. He had passed Lockdown in the control room, who had given Prowl a quick, awkward pat on the shoulder, as if he couldn't quite make sense of what just happened either. Some time later, he didn't know whether it had been mega or solar cycles, he heard a soft tap-click outside his door. When he heard nothing else he went back to meditating. However, once his fuel tank was demanding sustenance, and he finally stuck his head out his door, he found much to his spark fluttering surprise, a few cubes of energon. This pattern had continues for a few more refills of energon left next to his door, before an agitated rap sounded on his door.
"Kid, open up. You've been in there fer an orbital cycle, time t' get back t' work."
When Prowl gave no reply, the muscle car swore, "Slag it, Prowl, open the door! Yer no good t' me, sulking in your room."
The silence continued.
The big mech sighed, the fight leaving him. A dull thunk echoed in the quiet hall as
Lockdown rested his hem against the door, suddenly very tired. It wasn't often he felt his age, but at times, the eons had a way of sneaking up on him.
"Thing is, I know what yer goin' through. I know it ain't easy right now, 'ow painful it is, but it'll pass," Lockdown's optics dimmed to a dull ember, "Everythin' does in the end."
It had been almost 3 million stellar cycles since the older mech had last seen Yoketron, on that dark night. Prowl could never learn of the truth of what happened to his old master. The kid would surely offline him if he did. Though not an extremely long time for a Transformer his age, it was long enough that the guilt and pain had reduced to a dull ache, easily ignored but renewed at times.
When Prowl's door opened suddenly, the spiked bounty hunter raised his helm enough to be at optic level with the two-wheeler.
The bike's derma plates twitched briefly into a smirk, "Who are you and what have you done with Lockdown," he teased.
Lockdown stared dumbfounded at the smaller mech before a sly grin spread across his faceplate. Lockdown straightened and slung an arm across Prowl's rotor cuffs, whose small smile turned into an annoyed pout, as he glared at the offending arm.
"Ready to go make some credits, Partner?" asked the muscle car. Prowl was grateful that Lockdown seemed to have returned to his normal self and was glad the larger mech didn't bring up what had happened, nor forced him to talk about it. He'd just have to sort things out himself, though his curiosity about Lockdown's past was once again aroused.
However, Lockdown had never forced him to talk about his past. He couldn't even imagine what the older mech must have experienced in his long function. Prowl liked the trust that existed between them despite knowing very little about the other. And after all that had transpired the last orbital cycle, Prowl couldn't believe how well they still meshed.
Prowl dipped his helm, shaking it bemusedly, as the taller bot steered them in the direction of the control room, still stuck at the hip. The bike knew there was no point in trying to shove Lockdown's arm anyway, he would just put it right back. And besides, maybe he kinda liked it there.
They entered the bridge just as the computer signaled an incoming call. Releasing Prowl from his grasp, the muscle car hustled over to the controls and put the caller up on the screen. A dark blue and purple fem with pink optics, a grey faceplate, and a large chassis appeared on the monitor. Prowl thought she would have been attractive, were it not for the haughty, bored expression on her faceplates as she shined her servo-tips with a polishing cloth. The two-wheeler stayed off to side. With the trouble he knew he must be in with the Autobot authorities, keeping his presence on the Death's Head a secret as much as possible seemed wise.
"Thunderblast, I was expectin' to hear from ya earlier." groused Lockdown, crossing his arms, "Wasting fuel here without that info."
The fem rolled her optics before focusing on the shininess of her fingers, "Yeah, well a bit of fighting sprung up planet side yesterday and the boss had to step in." she drawled in a nasally voice, still not looking at the spiked mech.
Growing annoyed, Lockdown glared at the fem on the screen, "Did you get the ship's ID, or not?"
"Give me a nanoklik, yeesh, impatient mech," Thunderblast replied, exasperated. She typed away at the controls she was stationed at, "There, I sent it to you, you ungrateful little-"
"Lockdown!" thundered a deep voice from off screen before a large orange servo pushed Thunderblast aside. The purple bot let out and indignant squeak as she fell out of the chair she had been sitting in.
A large, orange and red, enraged mech with pointed rotor cuffs and helm, a maroon faceplate and orange optics filled the screen, "Find that little glitch and bring her back to me, got it? No one breaks out of deal with Scourge. No one!"
The call ended, screen going dark. Prowl moved towards his tall partner, who ran a servo across his helm.
"What's the prey?" asked the bike, coming besides the other, knowing that all would be explained in time.
Lockdown pulled up some info with an image of a lithe femme. She had red optics, a blue faceplate and a golden helm. A cheetah face rested on her chassis.
"Name's Cheetor, a feline, beast-former." began the older bounty hunter.
"A beast-former? Like Blackarachnia, or the dinobots?" interrupted the young cyber-ninja. Prowl knew that beast-formers were driven out of Autobot territory during the Great War or thrown in the stockades. He was uncertain however, whether that was because they were considered abominations by most Autobots or that most of them sided with the Decepticons.
"Yup, been Scourge's property about 3 million stellar cycles." affirmed the mismatched mech, punching in some co-ordinates into the ship's guide computer, "Got the name of the ship she fled on. Now we just have t' find her."
When Prowl didn't leave to go get ready, Lockdown turned his attention back to the bike, optic ridge raised. "Somethin' on yur processor?"
The black and gold bot hesitated, worried that his question would pinch a wire, "You said she's Scourge's property. As in a slave? Doesn't that bother you that we're going to recapture her?"
The larger bot leaned against the control panel and crossed his arms, expression serious,
"Why does it bother you?"
"After knowing what it's like to be away from the control of the High Council, how can I knowingly force another into servitude?" asked the younger mech. It did, yet didn't surprise him that Lockdown had a wide berth of knowledge and in-site. The more he got to know the spiked bot, the more intrigued he became of the other.
"'Cause life ain't simple. Most bot's don't even realize they're being controlled, they just blindly stay in the place they're put." Lockdown began evenly. Prowl couldn't help but think of all of the Autobots who did just that. "There're also bots that want to be controlled, who need orders to function or risk becoming unstable."
"I suppose you have a point." Prowl considered the other's words thoughtfully as the older mech pushed away from the control panel and and took the large step towards his partner to be towering over him. Stilling, the two-wheeler stood his ground and gazed up at him in some trepidation.
"And then there's you." continued Lockdown, the corner of his lip plates curling slightly.
"What about me?" replied the bike cautiously, raising an optic ridge.
"From what I've seen, you always try to be more than the sum of yer parts. You push yerself to see just how far you can go," said the mismatched mech, optics dim as he raised a servo to brush its digits gently down Prowl's arm, "and keep surprising me."
The cyber-ninja shivered at the light caress, wondering what was going on between them now and how things had changed since he rescued the other mech.
"Lockdown, I..." the bike didn't know what he wanted to say, the muscle car's attitude change had thrown him for a loop again. But Lockdown dropped arm before turning away to study the info sent to him on the screen.
"Go relax kid, we still got some time till we get there." said the muscle car softly, purposefully not looking at him as he made his way back to the console and began making adjustments to their course. Prowl raised a servo, then let it drop back to his side before turning and leaving the bridge, not noticing the red optics following him out.