Introduction: This happens right after the meeting in chapter 21 of Revolution

Mainspring watched Jazz thoughtfully as the black and white mech sat down across the desk from him. He'd claimed he wanted to meet to assure Jazz that they knew he was trustworthy. But in reality, he was hoping Jazz would assure him.

It hadn't been too hard to trust this mech when he'd been in Kaon, but now that he was here, especially after discovering the lengths he'd gone to stay undercover…

Mainspring wasn't so sure.

Jazz glanced around the room, crossing his arms, then seemed to focus his attention on Mainspring.

It was hard to read his expression of course, because of his visor, but Mainspring thought he looked a little nervous.

"So," Mainspring said. "You wanted to talk about your credentials."

"Yeah," Jazz said. "And why exactly ya think I'm trustworthy, cuz if I was you, I wouldn't trust me."

Mainspring nodded, reaching under his desk for a box. "Before that, I should give you back the contents of your subspace."

"Oh, yeah," Jazz said. "I wondered if I'd get any of that back, after Red Alert took it all."

Mainspring set the box on the desk. "I actually have a few questions about this, if you don't mind…" he pulled out several small containers and vials. "You have quite the pharmacy in here."

"Doesn't hurt ta be prepared." Jazz shrugged.

"Prepared for what, exactly?" Mainspring said.

"I don't know," Jazz said. "Anything."

Mainspring frowned.

"Look," Jazz said. "Some of that stuff's pretty valuable. I can trade it on the black market for favors, credit, or information. Some of it's useful. There's a few toxic or acidic chemicals that can be surprisingly helpful depending on the situation. And yeah, there's a couple of really nice painkillers too."

"I see," Mainspring said.

Jazz leaned back in his chair. "As ya can see, there ain't very much of anything. If I was addicted ta any of the drugs in there, don't ya think there'd be more than one or two doses?"

Mainspring was not entirely convinced.

"How about this?" he asked, pushing one of the vials forward. "We couldn't even figure out what this is."

"Oh, that," Jazz cocked his helm to the side. "That's a virus I coded, mech."

"A what?"

"It's harmless," Jazz said. "Doesn't do anything to ya until ya go inta recharge, and then it turns off all your external sensors so ya don't wake up, even if it's noisy or someone moves ya."

Mainspring stared. "What… what exactly would you use that for?"

Jazz sighed. "Well, mostly robbing Polyhexian noblemecha. Once the household is in recharge, and there's only a couple of guards awake, ya can block the comms so they can't contact enforcement, go in there, take out the guards—who usually freak out and don't know what ta do when they can't wake their boss or any of the other staff—and then ya can take whatever ya want."

"That's…"

"Terrible," Jazz said brightly. "Yeah. It's also pretty useful for kidnapping mecha. I mean, you gotta get the virus inta their energon somehow and then wait for them ta recharge, but…"

"Jazz?"

"Sorry," Jazz said. "I know it's bad. I don't use it for anything these orns, but I like ta hang onta it, cuz I'm kinda proud of it. Took me a long time ta code it. Mecha's processors are fragging complicated."

Mainspring wasn't sure whether to be horrified or impressed. But at least it did seem like a fairly harmless virus.

"So…" Jazz said. "Do I get my stuff back?"

"Yes," Mainspring said, looking in the box. "The rest of this appears to be various weapons, and some bits and pieces of datapads and other computing devices. Also several trackers and cameras and that sort of thing."

"I like ta tinker with things," Jazz said. "If I wasn't a criminal, I mighta become a computer engineer or something."

"I'm not sure if some of these weapons are legal."

"Some of them ain't," Jazz said.

Well at least he was honest about it.

Mainspring sighed and pushed the box toward Jazz, who scooted his chair closer to the desk and started taking things out and subspacing them.

"So," the black and white mech said. "Change your mind about working with me? I don't think most of these mecha really know or understand—even Orion, though I've confessed a lot of stuff ta him. But ya're different—ya were part of enforcement, weren't ya?"

"The interesting thing," Mainspring said. "Is that I find I do want to trust you. And there are some things I've learned about you that make me think you should at least be given a chance. Here," He pulled a datapad from subspace and handed it to Jazz, who set it on the desk while he finished looking through his things and subspacing them.

"That's your file," Mainspring said. "You'll find everything in it, from your early life to your time in Quantum to your incarceration, all the way through your decision to become a double agent for us."

Jazz finished subspacing his things and grabbed the datapad. Mainspring watched the reflection in his visor when he turned it on and the screen lit up.

"May I highlight a few things in it?"

"Okay," Jazz looked up. If he was uncomfortable, it didn't show in his posture or his voice.

"You were expelled from a private secondary school for your involvement in seriously injuring another student."

Jazz dipped his helm forward in acknowledgment.

"However, from some reports, it seems you actually tried to prevent your friend from hurting the other student."

Jazz smiled, shaking his helm. "Mech, ya're reading things inta that that aren't there."

"Would you care to tell me the story then?"

"I assume ya know about Soundwave."

"That he's a telepath? Or that he was the student your friend injured?"

"Both. I had kidnapped his symbiot and we were using that to try and blackmail him into giving us proof that he could read minds. If we'd been successful, we might have exposed him as a telepath. He could have been worse than injured if we'd succeeded. He could have been worse than killed. And when Motormaster attacked him, I stepped in because I was a mechling and I didn't want ta see someone die in front of me, not because I cared about Soundwave."

Jazz's tone was mostly casual, and Mainspring hoped that he wasn't imagining the hint of remorse in it.

"I mean…" Jazz said at length. "I was kinda tired of bullying Soundwave and his friends, anyway, but I didn't stop until it was almost too late."

"All right," Mainspring said. "As far as evidence of your moral quality goes, I guess that's not quite as convincing as I thought it was. But I appreciate that you're being honest about it. In fact, I appreciate your honesty about the contents of your subspace as well."

Jazz nodded. "Ain't no reason ta lie. If we do end up working together, ya oughtta know what ya're dealing with."

"Another thing I'd like to talk about is Quantum," Mainspring said.

Jazz's shoulders slumped a little. "Yeah?"

Interesting. He seemed uncomfortable now. "You made it very high up in the organization, but then you were put on their kill list. Something about treason? What was that about?"

Jazz frowned. "How did ya find that out?"

"I was an archivist for enforcement," Mainspring said. "About a vorn ago, we got some slightly outdated records from Quantum that someone had found. I was the one who read through them looking for useful information, and I happened to remember your designation."

Jazz nodded.

"So… what did you do that was treasonous?"

"I was helping other mecha desert," Jazz said. "Ya'd be surprised how many mecha join Quantum and then change their minds about it later. But ya can't leave, because then enforcement and Quantum will be out ta kill ya. I helped mecha disappear and go inta hiding."

That sounded consistent with the information Mainspring had found. And that was a fairly strong argument in Jazz's favor. "I assume you were one of those who joined and changed their minds later."

"I wouldn't have joined in the first place," Jazz said. "Except all my friends did. And I don't want ya ta think I'm using that as an excuse. It just means I knew better and I still joined the gang."

Mainspring nodded. "After you left Quantum, there was a period where I could find almost no information about you, until you turned yourself in. Why did you do that?"

"Got tired of running," Jazz said. "That's all. Anything else?"

"There are other ways to stop running. If you had wanted, I'm sure you could have gone into hiding somewhere."

Jazz shook his helm. "I didn't have the patience for hiding. I guess I realized that… I could either keep finding new ways ta escape my problems, or I could face them, and do what I knew was right. I figured… Well, ta be honest, I figured if I turned myself in they'd kill me and I wouldn't have ta deal with everything I'd done anymore."

So he may have been suicidal in the past. Even now, the risks he'd taken in becoming a double agent suggested he didn't care much about his own survival.

"Then they didn't kill me," Jazz said. "They just locked me up, and eventually gave me an opportunity ta get out and start running again. So I took that opportunity, and here I am."

Mainspring nodded. "It sounds as if you regret some of the things you've done in the past."

"I regret a lot of things," Jazz said. "But I can't change them. I can only try ta be better in the future."

"How do you intend to be better in the future?" Mainspring asked. "Are you worried you'll ever slip back into the kind of mech you were before?"

"I don't know," Jazz said. "I mean… before I turned myself in, I promised myself I'd never kill anyone again, and I've held myself to that so far."

Mainspring nodded. "That sounds like a good goal. It may be somewhat difficult to avoid killing in the future, though. I think we're going to have a war."

"Yeah," Jazz said. "But I ain't gonna be a soldier."

"No," Mainspring said. "You aren't."

"Ya still want me co-commanding with ya?" Jazz said.

Mainspring sat back in his chair. Jazz had been very friendly and open throughout the conversation, but while Mainspring felt much more comfortable about him after talking to him, he shouldn't equate the mech's affability with trustworthiness. "After talking with you… I think so." Jazz was probably just as dangerous as Mainspring's research suggested, but he also seemed very sincere, and loyal to his friends. Furthermore, Mainspring was mostly convinced that Jazz was sorry for the crimes he'd committed. "Your past is messy, but I do believe you can put it behind you. Besides, there's not as much of a choice as you think. We need your help, Jazz."

Jazz looked down.

"Are you willing to accept the position Optimus has offered you?"

"Yep," Jazz said. "I am."

"Excellent. I should introduce you to the mecha who'll be working under you."

Jazz stood. "Thanks. Not right now, though. There's something I gotta do."

Mainspring frowned. "What?"

Jazz hesitated.

"You don't have any responsibilities yet," Mainspring said. "In fact, I think you're supposed to be resting still."

"I know," Jazz said. "But I'm hacked inta the cameras in the tower and I just saw Ratchet get in the elevator. I have ta go follow him and see where his mechling telepath is, so I can keep tabs on that. We can't let the 'Cons get another telepath."

Mainspring frowned. "I don't think—"

"I'll be back." Jazz ducked out of the room, surprisingly nimble on his peg leg.

Mainspring watched him go, hoping fervently that trusting this mech wasn't a terrible mistake.