A/N:Thank you so much- we kick up the violence a little on this chapter just fyi. Love comments and reviews, means a LOT 3
CaptainShort19: It is definitely inspired, but our Quints are a LITTLE more cruel.
lightning bird: Coming in SOON for SURE 3
On day five in the forest, they finally had run into other participants in the games.
"Mmm, Cybertronians," the leader said. "Was wondering when we'd run into you." The speaker was a tall, impossibly thin creature with stick-like legs that jutted out from its body like knives. Its body was a cyan, and its armor was white. The leader and its compatriots stood a good three helms taller than the Cybertronians.
Said Cybertronians were a little put out at the moment. They had been chased by the white mechanimal for the past day-cycle, barely having enough time to rest and recharge. They were also extremely low on fuel, not having found any type of energon.
They weren't really feeling this whole intimidation thing at the moment.
"Yeah so we going to fight or something?" Jazz asked, falling into a battle stance. "We're kind of in a hurry." Soundwave and Prowl fell into a formation of a kind on either side of him with Starscream directly behind, poised to jump into the air. They were actually getting decent at fighting like a unit.
A very strange, morally-patchworked unit. But it was keeping them alive.
The leader of the strange creatures smiled. "Sounds like you are hungry too, I'd imagine. Looks like you haven't figured it out yet," he said. It brought his cyan colored hands and clasped them in front of himself. "I would like to trade information, if you are willing. We can tell you how to get fuel. In return we want to ask a question of Soundwave."
Jazz relaxed. Even if this was a trap, he wanted to give the impression that he was entertaining the idea. "Truces haven't exactly gone well for us so far in these games," he said, with Starscream snorting behind him.
"Then allow me to be the first to offer my side of the bargain in good faith. See these trees? They hold your sustenance in them. You have to find one marked with your planet's symbol since there are so many of us in here with different needs- ah this one. I believe this is the symbol for Cybertron?" he said pointing to a small brand in the tree. Jazz noticed that in fact there was a small ancient glyph for Cybertron.
"We'll even give you one of our taps," the creature said, throwing Jazz a metal tube with a sharp end. Jazz inspected it then handed it to Soundwave who walked over to the tree and stabbed it into the rough bark of the tree. After a few seconds, energon began to flow out of the end and onto the ground. The tape-deck ran a finger over the energon to test it. Satisfied, he nodded.
"It seems we owe you then," Jazz said, adding a bright smile to his lips. "Feel free to ask you question."
The leader turned to Soundwave. "You were a court reporter for the Quintessons, were you not? Do you still have those records?"
Soundwave seemed surprised by the question. "Affirmative," he replied. Prowl and Starscream walked over and used their servos to cup some of the flowing energon to refuel.
"We believe you might have been on Case #2812-AKQ. We were wondering if you could tell us the result of that case."
Soundwave tilted his helm in curiosity. "Case #2812-AKQ, the State versus the Ambudektron Republic. Holding: The Ambudektron Republic violated the Quintesson Authority by trying to escape culling and flee off planet. Ambudektron was sentenced to destruction, and the sentence was carried out shortly after the ruling."
The four creatures gradually deflated with each new piece of information that Soundwave revealed, to the point that one of them had fallen to their knees in grief.
Jazz was horrified. "Have you been here all this time? 12 million years?"
The leader nodded without raising his eyes. The other creatures picked up their compatriot off the ground and turned to leave. "We appreciate this knowledge. Good luck, Cybertronians."
"You as well," Jazz said quietly as they walked away.
Prowl and Soundwave looked up the sides of the deep stone hole they had fallen into. Prowl frowned.
They could hear the vicious cursing of Jazz and Starscream as they insulted each other and the mechanimal they were fighting.
"You were supposed to be doing recon, seeker, you have those stupid wings of yours-"
"Forgive me, Jazz; you stupid grounders took the wrong way around the creature and it must have caught your scent," Starscream said, grunting as he gave a flying kick to the giant white mechanimal, similar to the one they had fought before.
Jazz growled angrily as he barely avoided a swipe from the creature's claws. It had been attempting to swat at Starscream but had missed, and nearly gotten Jazz instead. "Watch it-"
"Dodge better," Starscream drawled, flying over to the hole and grabbing Soundwave's arm to pull him out. Prowl waited patiently, and Soundwave gave him a little half-hearted wave. Prowl stifled a laugh.
Starscream threw Soundwave into the air, and the tape-deck landed on the back of the creature and started going to work punching the creature into submission.
Starscream flew back and pulled Prowl out next and hefted him out as well. The former enforcer landed with a flourish and ran over to Jazz to help take some of the attention from the creature. Starscream turned to attack again only to be swatted by a giant claw and flung away. His back crashed into a tree.
The creature crowed and made to attack Starscream when Soundwave finally breached it's plating and was pulling out wires coated in internal fluids and lubricants.
The creature cried out in pain, falling to the ground. It twitched as it died painfully. Prowl was scowling but jumped up to help Soundwave pull out more wires and tubes to try and hasten the creature to death.
Jazz walked over to Starscream who was still a little dazed and shaking his helm, trying to clear the dizziness. "You dodge better," he said laughing and offering a servo to help the seeker up.
"Aft," Starscream said, but smiled back.
They had decided to make a fire not really for warmth but to try and heat up some tools they had found to try and fix some of the dents in their armor. They reluctantly missed the androids that came and would repair them after every match.
Starscream and Prowl had fallen into recharge next to each other and were practically cuddling. They were on their sides facing each other, with Prowl's helm tucked under Starscream's chin. The seeker shifted and his servo rested lighting on Prowl's arm as they slept.
Jazz was amused and could not wait for one of them to wake up and notice the position they were in. Soundwave too looked amused, given the glitter of his visor. The visor also dimmed for a moment, indicating that he might have taken a still image of the scene. Jazz gave a toothy grin and shook his helm, looking up at the dark fake sky overhead.
"This game is stupid," Starscream said as he sipped his energon cupped in his servo.
"You're only saying that because I told you it's a human game," Jazz said. "And besides, it's a way to get to know each other."
"I know you all better than I would care to-"
"Soundwave: will play," the tape deck said.
Starscream gave his fellow Decepticon a withering look. "Of course you will," he said. "Fine. You go first, Jazz."
"Never have I ever shot at Megatron in the back," he said with a grin.
Starscream for his part didn't look the least bit guilty as he sipped. Prowl also took a sip.
Prowl then said, "Never have I ever almost caused world destruction."
"You're just trying to get me over-energized," Starscream said sipping with a light glare. Soundwave shrugged and also sipped. "Never have I ever had a human in my processor," he said, arching an optic-ridge.
Prowl sipped with a smile. "He was very nice about it," he said laughing.
"Soundwave: Never has used attack called 'Sound and Light Show.'"
Jazz stuck out his glossa and then grinned happily as he slurped his energon.
Soundwave dodged as the mech attempted a very powerful right-hook. There was considerablee force behind as the air was displaced around it, and the tape-deck would have been in trouble had it landed. Soundwave then dropped to a crouch and sprung up from the ground with an uppercut punch, right under the mech's jaw. Worked perfectly. His combatant went down for the count.
Starscream trying to jump into the air, but his attacker kept managing to get in too close and grapple with him. Starscream managed a good kick, but the mech was able to catch his pede. Starscream then jumped to kick with his other leg, flipping backwards and freeing his pede. His combatant staggered backwards with a snarl.
Jazz and Prowl were back to back with their attackers circling them and taking jabs. Finally, one managed to grab Prowl's wrist. The mech turned him and had him in a hold around the neck with his arm. The mech pulled out a knife and held it to the Praxian's throat.
"HEY now, slow down-" Jazz said, his vocalizer a little uneven. He held out his servos in a placating way.
Both Starscream and Soundwave noticed the situation and tried not to make any sudden movements.
"What do you want? We don't have any weapons, or anything-"
"We just wanted to say hi," said the mech. "Heard a lot about you all from the display."
Jazz smiled. "Hi. Pleasure to meet you," he said, even as his spark was beating in his audials.
The gray mech pushed the throat closer to Prowl's neck. "Your interview seemed to suggest you two were together."
Jazz swallowed. "Can't help who the Quintesson's decided to drag here."
"But I mean if I never get to see my bonded again, why should you?" the mech said leering.
"We're not-"
And the knife sliced through the soft protoflesh of Prowl's perfect throat. Energon immediately welled out of the wound.
Sound disappeared and all Jazz could see were the pained blue optics of Prowl. They were full of regret and watching him. Why were they full of regret? Did he regret his relationship with him? It certainly seemed that was the reason why he had just had his neck slashed.
He wouldn't blame him. Jazz was so much the opposite of Prowl, and he had never understood why the brooding military strategist had every given him the time of day. It had taken Jazz months to convince the enforcer that he wasn't messing around and it wasn't some elaborate prank. Jazz always felt like he kept messing up and Prowl was so patient with him.
This was one of those failures you couldn't walk back.
He should have been able to talk the mech out of this. He was a negotiator; he was a spy. He had a silver glossa and could convince a mech of almost anything he wanted to. Jazz was losing his touch.
Jazz numbly watched as Soundwave knocked the knife out of the gray mech's servos, and Starscream caught Prowl in his arms and quickly put pressure on the wound. Prowl's servos were twitching and Starscream grabbed one of them and pushed it up against Prowl's throat to help put pressure on it as the seeker tried to reach in and tie off the energon lines that were broken.
Soundwave was summarily beating the gray mech within an inch of his life. It appeared his companions had left him behind.
Soundwave was now filling Jazz's vision. At some point, Jazz had fallen to his knees, and Soundwave was roughly picking him off the ground. He shook him a little and sound was coming back quickly.
He heard the sputtering gasps of Prowl, the cursing of Starscream, the labored breathing of the gray mech on the ground.
He saw that Soundwave was holding out a knife and offering it to Jazz.
Jazz's face darkened.
He took the knife, grabbed the pede of the gray mech, and pulled him a little distance away.
Soundwave watched silently and without comment.
Prowl was recharging quietly, and Starscream gently checked the make-shift leaf bandages on his throat. They were no longer bleeding through, and Starscream believed that they had avoided losing him.
They had relocated to a small hollow inside a tree that was big enough for the four of them to fit inside. Starscream had just wanted to find a place that was dry to help aid Prowl's healing.
Soundwave stood watch outside, waiting for Jazz to return.
Starscream leaned his back and wings up against the sides of the hollow, trying to relax. He pulled his knees up and let his helm fall forward, exhausted from trying to save the Autobot's life. His servos were still sticky with energon but he wasn't ready to leave Prowl alone yet to try and clean them.
The Praxian stirred. He wheezed a little and his optics burst open and looked around wildly, settling on Starscream. The seeker leaned forward and put a calming servo on his forehead, nodding. "You're going to be okay," he said gently.
Prowl attempted to speak and found he could not.
Starscream's optics dimmed in rare sympathy.
Jazz, Prowl mouthed, though the movement strained his neck injury and he winced.
Starscream tried to keep his face impassive and nodded in understanding. "I'll get Soundwave to go find him," he said looking out into the clearing. The tape-deck had heard his name and peered in, his visor meeting Starscream's optics.
"Find Jazz, will you," Starscream said, giving him a look.
Soundwave paused a moment then nodded, turning around and jogging away.
Prowl gasped again as a wave of pain flowed over him. Starscream placed a servo on his shoulder, trying to steady him. "You know, I never thought in my wildest dreams that I would be the one to stop you from bleeding out," the seeker said with a laugh. "You were always so annoying on the battlefield, with that processor of yours."
Prowl grimaced but the tug of a smile was at the corner of his mouth. He shivered with another wave of pain.
Jazz suddenly appeared, quietly slipping into the hollow. Starscream was slightly unnerved that he hadn't heard him coming. Jazz knelt down and pushed his forehead onto Prowl's and closed his optics. "Gave us a scare there, Prowler," he said smiling. Prowl's frame visibly relaxed at the sound of Jazz's voice.
Starscream glanced at Soundwave who was sporting a small injury on his forearm. He lifted his chin when he saw the seeker's gaze.
Starscream looked back to Jazz. "His vocalizer is offline. I've done the best I can to repair the damage and stop the bleeding, but I don't know about his voice," he said quietly. "I'll just… be out there," he said getting up to leave.
Jazz flung out his servo to catch Starscream's wrist. Impossibly fast.
He looked up at Starscream with his blue visor, and Starscream could see the optics behind it staring back at him intensely.
"I am in your debt," he said quietly.
Starscream swallowed and nodded. "Call me if his bandages bleed through."
The seeker left the hollow and stood by Soundwave, holding out his servo expectantly for the arm. He quietly patched it with some leftover leaf bandages he had made. He gave a curious look to the tape-deck.
"Soundwave: startled Jazz," he said by way of explanation.
Starscrem nodded. He then looked up at Soundwave. "Did he-"
"Affirmative," Soundwave replied.
Starscream stared back at the hollow, his optics narrowing. "Good."