Author's note: And just when you may have been adapting to the last curve ball, get ready for another ;-) 10 points to those who may have worked out what is about to happen... go to the head of the class! :-)
Chapter 87 – Only to crash on the rocks below….
PRIME P.O.V
''PRIME!'' we both gave a slight start at the unexpected intrusion as a loud, incessant knocking on the door to our room and Jazz's very troubled and concerned voice yelled to us from the other side, effectively shattering the long-awaited moment between us. ''PRIME, OPEN UP!''
I growled like a feral, enraged animal and quickly stood to my pedes, rounding on the door and the offending voice on the other side, ''SLAG OFF JAZZ – NOW – I MEAN IT!'' I shocked myself with the speed from which I had gone from absolute bliss and happiness to absolute anger and rage, my body shook as I stood there ordering my SIC to leave us alone. Phoenix had sat up, her own face as dark as a storm cloud.
''Prime, Phoenix, I'm SO sorry but ya HAVE ta come. I wouldn't have disturbed ya unless it was BEYOND ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY. PLEASE, I BEG YA, OPEN UP!'' Jazz's voice, normally calm and easy going, sounded desperate and somewhat worried, scared almost. Waves of cold rage, and a small amount of worry, washed away the feeling of joy and happiness that had enveloped me only seconds before when my Phoenix had told me she loved me.
I stalked towards the door, ''SOMEONE HAD BETTER BE DEAD JAZZ OR SO HELP ME..'' I reached the door and almost broke the keypad as I keyed it open. My face must have looked like thunder and my body fairly trembled with barely contained rage at this untimely intrusion. Noble, understanding Prime be damned! I was pissed, and I didn't care who knew!
Jazz blanched at the sight of my visibly irritated and enraged form, ''Ahh, I'm so sorry Prime,'' Jazz looked around me towards Phoenix who had started to walk towards us, her own face clearly showing her annoyance and anger at being interrupted at such an inopportune moment, ''Phoenix. I tried to comm ya, but ya weren't answering.''
I bellowed at my SIC, ''AND WITH GOOD REASON! I TOLD YOU WE WERE NOT TO BE DISTURBED UNLESS IT WAS THE END OF THE WORLD OR SOME LIFE ALTERING EVENT HAD TAKEN PLACE! '' I glowered at my second, ''So, which is it? The end of the world is upon us OR someone is dead?'' I folded my arms across my chest and fixed an icy stare at my SIC.
A small part of me quailed at the sound of my own voice shouting savagely at Jazz but I had just been interrupted from telling Phoenix I loved her for what seemed the millionth time and I was beyond furious.
Jazz looked nervously from myself to Phoenix and had the decorum to look apologetic for a moment, but his next words sent a ripple of concern and fear like an icy river, racing through me, dousing my boiling anger. ''Not so much someone has died Prime as come back ta life.''
I unfolded my arms and stood upright in the doorway, a confused scowl forming on my features. ''What do you mean someone has come back to life? Explain yourself Now!'' I felt Phoenix come to stand beside me, placing a servo on my arm in silent support. I felt waves of concern and worry begin to roll off her too as she struggled to understand Jazz's cryptic message.
Jazz shook his helm, ''I'm sorry Prime, Phoenix. I don't think this one CAN be explained. Ya HAVE ta come and SEE for yourself. I have no words,'' I searched his optics and realised Jazz spoke the truth. In all the years I had known him, Jazz had never been one to be at a loss for words, always finding some smart comment or words of comfort to make but in this moment, I had never seen him so overwhelmed and unsure. My spark began to pulse rapidly, and a flicker of a warning swept through me.
I turned to face Phoenix silently seeking her permission to follow Jazz. She simply shrugged her shoulders and nodded. I sighed out loud and pinched the bridge of my olfactory sensor. ''Very well Jazz. Show us what or who you are talking about.'' Jazz simply nodded and silently turned on his pedes leading us in the direction of the Med Bay.
Phoenix held my servo as we walked the short distance from our quarters to the Med Bay. Jazz strode ahead, reluctant to trespass on our time together any more than he had. I shot her an apologetic look and whispered to her, ''I am SO sorry Phoenix. Once this, whatever it is, is out of the way you and I will be picking up that conversation where we left off and I promise it will be worth your wait,'' I raised her servo to my dermas and kissed it gently.
She sighed, ''Prime you are most definitely worth the wait. We have waited this long. What's another hour or two?'' She smiled sweetly at me and I once again offered a prayer of thanks to Primus for blessing me with my Phoenix.
Jazz reached the doors to the Med Bay and knocked, an unusual practice which only served to heighten my apprehension and intrigue. Rachet appeared, his face seemed drained and in shock, as though he had just seen a ghost. When his optics came to rest upon Phoenix and I, he closed his optics for a moment before addressing us both.
''Prime, Phoenix. I am SO sorry that we had to interrupt you. Please believe us that if we felt this was not absolutely necessary, we would have left you be.'' Rachet's sense of sorrow and regret sent another wave of worry and concern washing over me.
I held my servo up to silence his apologies, ''Rachet, what on Earth is so alarmingly important as to disturb Phoenix and I when we SPECIFICALLY requested NOT to be disturbed?'' I placed my servos on my hips as I stood before the doors to the Med Bay.
Rachet looked to Jazz, silently asking him if he had let on to us about anything. Jazz shook his helm slowly, ''Don't look at me Rachet, how do ya explain this! All they know is they had ta come and see for themselves and that it was not a case of someone dying but rather coming ta life.''
Rachet once again closed his optics for a moment, as if gathering strength for what he needed to show us. I felt myself begin to lose patience. ''Will ONE of you please tell me, tell US, what has happened?''
Rachet simply nodded and began to lead us in before he froze for a moment, turning to face me. ''Prime, you might want to come in alone for this, at least at first,'' he sent an apologetic smile towards Phoenix who looked hurt and annoyed at the same time.
I shook my helm, ''No Rachet. Whatever it is you need to show us, concerns the both of us and we will face it together. We are together and nothing will come between us,'' I turned to face Phoenix and squeezed her servo. She sent me an appreciative smile of thanks.
Rachet sighed out loud and Jazz made a small wincing noise. ''As you wish Prime. I hope what you say is true.'' He began to lead us inside the building and down the corridor to the recovery rooms. As he walked, he turned back to face us, ''don't say I didn't try to warn you. Prime, Phoenix, while you both were ''sequestered'' away, we received a distress beacon on the Autobot frequency. A pod crash landed on Phoenix Islands in Kiribati in the South Pacific.'' Phoenix made a small gasp at the strange coincidence but Rachet ignored it.
Jazz continued, ''I notified Morshower and Mearing as ta tha possible arrival of a new ally and arranged for Ironhide, Rachet and Dino ta attend tha site and recover tha occupant. We decided we would help tha new arrival fit in and adjust until ya both were ready ta be introduced. We didn't want ta intrude on ya time together.'' Jazz looked sheepish for a moment. I nodded my understanding thus far.
Rachet once again took up the narrative, ''However, when we arrived and opened the pod, that plan disappeared when we saw who it was who lay injured inside the pod.'' Rachet ex-vented deeply as he came to a stop out the front of the final door on the right – the same one I had first seen Phoenix after her transformation over three years ago.
''For Primus sake Rachet! Who is it you are so cryptically referring to? This had better be damn good!'' I felt myself angrily bark at him and his elusive answers. I was on edge and somewhat exasperated.
Rachet gave a wry and sad smile as he looked at us both, especially Phoenix. ''I'll leave it up to you to decide if it is ''good'' or not.'' With that he keyed open the door and stood back. I pushed passed him and over the threshold into the room.
My spark stopped pulsing.
Time stood still.
My world shattered.
Hope was both reborn and died.
There, laying quietly in recharge, was a ghost. A beautiful ghost who once held my spark.
I felt my optics close and shutter wildly as I struggled to comprehend what I saw. A sound very like a strangled cry was wrenched from my dermas, /Or at least I think it was my dermas?/. Phoenix, who had since come to stand beside me, had raised a servo to her face as realisation broke upon her like a thunderous wave as to who the pink and white femme laying before us was.
My spark once again started to pulse – slowly, and somewhat painfully. I was able to move, taking small hesitant steps towards her form, my servo stretched out nervously before me, unsure if she was real or not. /It cannot be! HOW?/. I had reached the side of her berth and stood there, transfixed for a moment.
Her face was as I recalled, with a few scars here and there, souvenirs of battles and likely whatever final confrontation that saw her crash land here. My optics travelled over her supine form, recalling the last moments I had seen her. I suddenly reached out to hold the side of her berth, as I was overcome with memories and emotions as they swirled around inside me and threatened to drown me.
All at once a steadying servo come to rest on my shoulder strut as a lifeline was offered to me. I raised my helm to see Phoenix with a small, sad smile on her dermas as she came to stand beside me. I placed my servo over hers and squeezed it in appreciation. I tried to speak, but no sound would come out.
I closed my optics and forced myself to calm down, to centre myself. With a steadying ex-vent, I slowly and quietly introduced my future, to my past.
''Phoenix. This…. is Elita 1.''
