Prowl felt the familiar warmth of desert sand under his tyres as the column of sparkling light dissipated.
He'd transformed in transit, and had managed to partly conceal himself in a large semi-cylindrical power duct.
He kept still as the dust settled around him.
Prowl knew he'd have to make a move quickly.
Megatron wasn't likely to leave "merchandise" laying around in the spacebridge unguarded for long.
He desperately hoped that no harm had come to the females.
Prowl performed a quick scan, and wasn't happy with the results.
Megatron, Skywarp, Thundercracker, Thrust, Soundwave & Co, and the Stunticons.
The Datsun took stock of the situation almost instantaneously, calculating every remotely possible move each Decepticon could make once he was out of the metal doughnut.
Prowl had never gambled in his life, but he wondered briefly what the wager would be on him making it from the spacebridge to the Ark.
A hundred to one? Smokescreen could probably tell me. I have to get back to the Ark, no matter what. For the virus and this weapon.
He could outpace all the Stunticons.
Except Dragstrip, but the tactician outpaced him with more than flying colours when it came to intellect, especially intellect on the move.
Soundwave was a cold, efficient warrior, but Prowl could be just as efficient in battle.
The big mech's Casseticons were little but lethal; take your optic off them and they'd help a more powerful Decepticon have you.
It was the Seekers who were most dangerous to an Earth-bound Autobot.
And Megatron, dangerous to anybody.
Don't fight, run.
Prowl summed all that up in a couple of astroticks, then blazed through the hatch, heading directly for Wildrider.
That momentarily stunned the Stunticons stationary.
What Autobot was that unhinged when it came to driving?
"Don't just sit there like piles of rust, get him you fools!" Megatron bellowed, firing off a few badly-aimed shots.
Prowl dodged them with ease, noting the Seekers had taken to the air.
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"Man, shouldn't he have been back by now?" Jazz asked uncertainly.
Optimus Prime glanced at his chrono and made a decision.
"I'm going to risk a direct communication to Cybertron,"
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Elita-One answered the priority transmission immediately.
Chromia, Firestar and Moonracer had managed to hold off Shockwave's guards until Elita had arrived with reinforcements.
"Elita...Prowl has not returned,"
Optimus Prime said tightly.
"Something's happened," Firestar whispered.
Chromia cursed, not quietly.
"I knew there was something up! That's why we had such an easy time getting to the spacebridge controls - Shockwave let us!"
"If they've got Prowl we have to find him!" Moonracer exclaimed, leaping up.
Elita held up a hand, pausing her.
"You saw the spacebridge activate?" she asked quietly.
"Yes! I shoved him into it! I initiated it!" Chromia exclaimed.
"Then Prowl is no longer on Cybertron,"
She quickly informed Optimus Prime.
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"Jazz, take a run to the spacebridge. See if it's been active in the last few hours,"
Prime ordered the highly-wrought Porsche.
The saboteur was transformed before the commander finished speaking, but before he hared off, Jazz asked one question.
"Prime...do you think Prowl could be somewhere besides Cybertron or Earth?"
"If he is Jazz, he's much better off than being in Megatron's grip," Optimus Prime said grimly, turning back to the comm console.
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"Slag it Skywarp, help me!" Thundercracker snarled, wrestling with the violently struggling Autobot.
Prowl had more or less allowed himself to be corralled by the Seekers.
He couldn't outrun the jets, and there was little cover between the spacebridge and the Ark.
The haphazard Decepticon weapons fire was far too risky while he was carrying something so potentially disastrous.
But that didn't mean he was going to go quietly.
Prowl's door-panels were providing them with a little extra difficulty in restraining him from behind, but let him use his elbows to their full advantage.
He drove both elbow-joints back with as much force as he could manage, and felt and heard casing crunch and buckle.
"Ow!" Skywarp yelped, letting go in pain, leaving Thundercracker to try and keep a solo hold on the Autobot strategist.
Ravage suddenly took it into his CPU to assist the big Seeker, and leapt at the Autobot, claws and fangs bared.
He managed to slash the black and white door-panels, but in his haste also latched onto Thundercracker's wrist.
Prowl tore himself free as the Seeker's grip lessened, Thundercracker cursing Ravage to the Pit for three eternities as the robotic feline slinked back to Soundwave.
Thrust and Skywarp leapt into the fray, forcing the tactician to his knees and restraining his arms behind him by the wrists.
Prowl struggled almost out of their grip, Energon running from stinging door-panels.
"You fools," Megatron growled.
He'd had enough of these antics.
He strode to the Autobot and pointed his fusion cannon.
Prowl submitted immediately.
One blast from that weapon would activate and spread the virus to all of them.
"I would have thought you'd have more mettle than that Prowl," Megatron sneered, seeing the submission as cowardice.
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Jazz braked hard, just sliding into the spacebridge's shadow.
He transformed and gave the area a quick once-over.
There'd clearly been some kind of struggle.
It didn't take a genius to figure that out.
There were tread marks and scuffs everywhere, some tiny bits of bodypaint, scorch marks, and the all-pervading odour of energy weapon residue.
And some scattered drops of dried Energon in the dust.
Jazz caught sight of a clear, all too familiar, footprint.
"Jazz to Prime: Prowl was here. And so were the Decepticons," the saboteur said flatly.
There was a pause.
"Acknowledged Jazz. Get back here as fast as you can. It's time to bring everything into the open."
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"Prime, we've gotta get moving!"
Jazz exclaimed as Optimus Prime tried to raise Cybertron from his quarters.
"Jazz, I'd like nothing more than to get Prowl back here, but we have no data on the microcircuit," the big Autobot said quietly.
He turned back to the console, but an incoming visual slowly overrode it.
"Greetings Prime," Megatron said with a self-satisfied smirk.
"What do you want?" Optimus said flatly, but he and Jazz both already knew the reason for this communiqué.
"Is this what you're looking for?" the Decepticon leader sneered, hitting the wide-screen angle.
Prowl, in the Decepticons' desert base, in the physical custody of Thundercracker and Skywarp.
Jazz took a vicious small pleasure in the fact that the Seekers weren't entirely undamaged.
"You sl-" he started, and Optimus Prime silenced him with a glance.
"Release him at once Megatron," Prime ordered sharply.
"Not until I know why your trusty second in command "abandoned" you Prime. Highly unusual. But it may be of interest to me,"
"Prowl, are you all right?" Prime demanded.
"I'm fine Optimus," the tactician said calmly, and looked directly at the saboteur.
"Jazz: Queen to queen's level two,"
"Queen to king's level one," the saboteur answered automatically.
"What is that drivel are you leaking?" Megatron demanded.
"TechChess terminology. I wanted to let him know my final move," Prowl stated coolly, "We're finishing up a game, and I enjoy it too much to let it go unfinished."
"Spare me the details of your amusements," Megatron snapped.
He switched back to normal view and leaned close to the screen.
"Tell me what you are hiding, and I may consider killing him quickly Optimus,"
Prime took up a similar intimidating position.
"Do not threaten me Megatron," he said with quiet fury.
"I want to speak to Prowl again,"
The two Seekers forced him closer.
"Prime, do not attempt a rescue," the tactician said firmly. He still spoke calmly but they could see drying Energon on his door-panels.
"You will be putting Autobot lives in danger if you do so. Don't worry about me."
The screen cut to Megatron.
"There you have it Prime. He is still functional. For now," he sneered, and Optimus Prime came close to putting his fist through the screen.
Optimus Prime stood up, and Jazz saw the controlled anger in his optics.
"How can he worry about TechChess when he's in so much danger?" Prime blurted.
"Oh man. Prime, wait," Jazz said quickly as the commander began to stride out, "It's a code,"
Optimus Prime stopped in his doorway and turned back.
"A code? What are you talking about?"
"Prowl came up with the idea. It's a way for us to let the other know of a threat to the Ark, or the rest of the Autobots,"
Prime thought quickly.
How typical of his second in command.
"So you believe there's danger to the rest of us, the Ark?"
"I know there is. Prowl wouldn't have given me the code if there wasn't,"
Jazz confirmed seriously, "Prime, I'm guessing it may have something to do with whatever the Constructicons have been working on,"
Prime nodded, the anger in his optics replaced with anxiety.
"That would fit Jazz, if there were any evidence of it. But no one has been able to find anything,"
"Prime, Prowl gave me the code. That means we better move fast," Jazz said, low.
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Optimus Prime had gathered the Autobots, and made sure those who were located too far away to be there received him.
"We have all been aware of Prowl's recent behaviour-"
"Haven't we ever," a voice muttered from the back of the room.
"And the time has come to tell you that he was acting directly under the explicit orders of myself and Elita-One,"
The revelation hit like a bolt of lightning.
Reactions ranged from startled expletitives to huge sighs of relief.
Cliffjumper spoke up, completely perplexed.
"Wait, everything Prowl's done was under orders? Running from a fight, whacking Ironhide, showing up late, wrecking Wheeljack's thing-"
"Yes," Prime confirmed firmly, "Everything was under orders. Not everything was planned to the letter -that would have been impossible- and Prowl had to be on his toes to make the worst of every situation at every opportunity. But yes, it was all under the instruction of Elita-One and I,"
"I knew it!" Bluestreak crowed, "I knew Prowl couldn't have become like that,"
Sneaking smiles were growing on both Ironhide's and Ratchet's faces.
Jazz looked around as more and more smiles began appearing.
All the bad feeling in the air seemed to have been swept away, but Jazz could only concentrate on worrying about the tactician.
"Prime, why?" Wheeljack managed to ask over the increasing noise.
The Autobot commander waved them into quiet, and explained about the deadly virus that could become a weapon of war.
By the end of his explanation, there was dead silence.
It began dawning just what Prowl was doing.
And how much potential danger he'd put himself in to do it.
"Wh...where's Prowl now?" Bluestreak spoke up.
Jazz and Prime exchanged a pained glance.
"He is in Decepticon hands."
"Well come on, we gotta bust him outta there," Ironhide urged, amid a chorus of assertive agreement.
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"I will give you one final chance. Tell me why you went to Cybertron," Megatron said, slowly and deliberately, towering menacingly over the Autobot.
Prowl got to his feet, never breaking optic contact.
"You've been fooled Megatron. I would never betray Optimus Prime. You can interrogate me until you rust, but you won't get a word out of me," he said, low.
The Decepticon commander stared at him.
"We'll see if you change your logical but tiny mind," he growled.
Megatron stalked to the cell door and led Soundwave in.
"The Autobot will talk," the large communications mech promised ominously.
Soundwave advanced on the tactician, and Megatron left him to it.
"Well, Megatron?"
A shrill voice cut through the low chatter as the commander strode back into main control area.
"Well what, Starscream?" Megatron snapped without stopping.
Unfazed, the Seeker got out of his seat and went to him.
"What is the Autobot hiding?"
Megatron brushed him aside, literally, and kept going, but answered.
"Soundwave is using his skills of persuasion to discover just that, Starscream."
Thundercracker shuddered involuntarily.
He'd never been comfortable around Soundwave from the first time he'd met him.
And all the talk about his "skills of mental persuasion" just added to the wariness.
I feel sorry for you, Autobot, the Seeker thought to himself frankly, wondering how many of his marbles the black and white mech would still have a grip on when Soundwave was through with him.