A Second Chance.
Chapter Two.
A/N: 1 Joorabout 6.5 hours.
Several Joors Later.
Ratchet stepped out of the med bay, looking weary.
"Jazz is in recharge now: he will be his usual cheerful self once he'd done. We were very fortunate that that is the case, a couple more orns and he would have been beyond saving."
"Everyone said he was dead already. What happened?" asked Prowl.
"Sparks are usually very strong, and even when damaged, will give off a measurable energy." Ratchet said. "The exception to that general rule is if a Spark goes dormant. It powers down so far that it is almost undetectable, even to a medic. Dormancy can happen for a variety of reasons, but the most common one is if the Spark is damaged or depleted of energy. Under such circumstances, medical scans can usually pick up on this. For a reason I am still unaware of, my scans did not detect Jazz's damaged Spark trapped far up in the top of his Spark chamber. Be assured that once I have recharged myself, I shall be running a full diagnostic on my systems to find and deal with any glitches."
"So, his Spark was there but too weak to detect?" Prowl asked. Ratchet nodded.
"The damage it sustained when Megatron tore him in two, the loss of energy, would have forced it into dormancy. A Spark cannot survive in dormancy with so little energy: eventually Jazz would have died. However, Prowl, it seems that it was your mark or respect that saved it, infusing it with the energy it needed not just to come out of the dormant state, but to begin the healing it needed to power up and allow Jazz to awaken. Jazz is alive because of you, Prowl." the medic stated.
"Well, I for one am very glad." stated the tactician. "I guess I should get back to my duties."
"When Jazz awakens, I will call you." Ratchet says. "Prime has also stated that you are relieved if all duties, except in cases of emergency, for as long as you need so that you and Jazz can get reacquainted." Ratchet told him.
Although Prowl's faceplates betrayed no emotion, inwardly Prowl was grinning.
If Jazz still felt the same, he – or more precisely they - were certainly going to enjoy that bit!
oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo
The call came two joors later.
"Prowl. Jazz is awake, please come and collect him." Ratchet told him. Prowl commed Ironhide to take over duty at the gate and headed into the Base.
He walked into the med bay and saw Ratchet giving a smiling Jazz a last scan.
"Hey, Prowler, you here to get me outta here?" he asked.
"I will assume that your injuries have caused some memory difficulties." Prowl said. "My name is Prowl. Not Prowler, and not Prowlie." He said.
Jazz blinked his optics and looked up at Ratchet.
"He hasn't changed a bit, has he?" he said to the medic. Ratchet put his fingertips on the little saboteur's silver shoulders and gave him a little push.
"Find out for yourself." He said with a little smile.
"Any special instructions? What's he medically allowed to do and not do?" Prowl asked.
"Well, he's been completely fixed to the best of my abilities, so he can pretty much do whatever he likes." Ratchet said, turning away as Prowl put a hand on Jazz and began to steer Jazz towards the med bay exit.
"Oh actually, there's one thing." Ratchet said. The two turned to look at him.
"Jazz, no heroics like last time. You are not to try and take on Starscream single-handed in a fight." He said. "I've just spent joors putting you back together; I don't want to have to do that again in a hurry."
"Don't worry, I won't let him take Starscream on single-handed." Prowl said, who had mentally decided that if he had any say, Jazz would never have to face anybody alone again. He patted the saboteur on his shiny shoulder and said "Come on, Jazz, I'll show you around, I hear this base wasn't built until after the Mission City battle, so you won't know it."
Out in the corridor, he steered him slightly up.
"That was the med bay, and this is the rec room, Jazz, and everyone wants to see you again." he said.
As the door opened a soft murmur of conversation sounded. A red, yellow and black mech was just heading for the door, and it was he who saw them first.
"Hey, Jazz, it's good to see you again! He said, approaching him.
"Blaster! No-one told me you'd got 'ere!" he said, glaring at Prowl in mock-annoyance.
"Like I've had the TIME?" Prowl replied. "I have only just come to get you after your repairs. Yes, there have been a few more landings since the big battle, both of friends and enemies."
"Look, I'm about to start a duty shift, but I'll catch you later, Jazz." Blaster said. "These humans have some fascinating music forms I'd like to discuss with you."
"Okay, Blaster, laters." said Jazz. Blaster nodded to Jazz as he exited the room.
By now, almost everybody in the rec room had stopped what they were doing.
"Hey Jazz, it must have been a dreadful experience, almost dying and all that, but you're here now, with all of us, you're among friends here, and we'll help you push it back in your memory, there's lots of fun things here, we'll show you them all, and it's good to know you are back with us." said a big grey and chrome mech.
"Bluestreak!" cried Jazz happily. He was strangely fond of the big gunner who typically used a hundred words to say what could be said in ten. "Glad t'see you too!"
"Hey, he's here, Jazz is here, it's true, he's alive!" said a Bumblebee-sized red mech.
"Heya, Cliffjumper, you made it too?" Jazz said. "So who else is here?"
He was distracted by a touch to one shoulder. Turning, he looked puzzled.
"Did you touch my shoulder?" he asked Prowl.
"No, I did not." The tactician stated. As he did, Jazz felt a touch to the top of his head. He whirled. Nobody was in range. He took a step forward, felt hands grab his doorwings, stopping him from advancing any further. He turned his head around, expecting it to be Prowl, although such a prank seemed out of character for the tactician. However, Prowl was stood back watching impassively, and there seemed to be nobody behind him – which told Jazz exactly who his 'assailant' was.
He laughed.
"Hello to you too, Mirage. Now, letta go o' my wings if ya please." He said.
A giggle sounded, but the hands released the doorwings, and a few seconds later Mirage shimmered into view, laughing.
"Sorry, Jazz, but I have just been relieved by Blaster and came into the room to find your doorwings waving about in front of me and you oblivious to my presence. It was too good an opportunity." He looked around, looked at Jazz's hands.
"Hey! Have none of you lot had the manners to let him get an energon? Or to get one for him?" he said. "Shame on you, hold on Jazz, I'll be getting myself one, I'll getcha one." Mirage said.
"In answer to your question, the others who got here who are all on duty, are Hound, Powerglide, and Air Raid." He gave Jazz a sly wink. "Not forgetting either the arrivals of Elita-One and Arcee, who said the rest of their team are en-route."
"So, we got femmes, - and fliers!" Jazz said. That should even out the score a little. We have people who can fight Starscream in his own element."
"Starscream, Thundercracker, Skywarp, Thrust, Dirge, and Ramjet, actually." said Mirage, looking glum. "They have all landed."
Jazz groaned. "The two most Pitspawned trines of the lot have both landed with all members accounted for?" We only have two fliers against that lot?" he asked.
"Three, actually." said Prowl. Jazz turned back to him as Mirage struck out to the energon dispenser.
"It seems this planets poles attract our kind. Megatron was not the only one of our kind entombed in the ice. We found a big flier there, seems he left on a scientific expedition before the war. Goes by the name Skyfire, he used to be Starscream's friend. At first he professed himself neutral, but after he found out what Starscream and the rest of them were planning to do with this world, he decided to join our side." Prowl explained. "He's still hopeful that in time he may be able to use his past association with Starscream to negotiate some sort of ceasefire, but at the moment, Starscream doesn't seem to be in a listening mood."
"Hi Jazz." Said another voice, and Jazz turned back to the room at large as Bumblebee, Mirage right behind him, approached. Sam was perched in Bumblebee's right hand, and waved at Jazz too, giving him a thumbs-up. Jazz returned the gesture as best he could with his finger arrangements, then gratefully took the cube of energon Mirage handed him. Bumblebee carefully put Sam on a nearby surface, then threw his arms around Jazz in a prodigious hug.
"Jazz!" he cried. "You're alive!"
Holding the mug of energon away carefully with one hand, Jazz brought his other up to pat the yellow scout's back gently.
"Hey, Bee, easy, I'm okay. Chill, 'k?" he said. Bumblebee gave Jazz one more squeeze before dropping his arms and stepping back.
"Have you two discussed what you were telling me earlier?" Sam asked Prowl, who had stepped over to rescue Sam from the surface he was on.
"Um – not yet, I'm giving Jazz his base orientation tour." Prowl said.
Sam stared at Prowl and rolled his eyes in disbelief. This human gesture never failed to fascinate the Autobots, who with their fixed-shutter optic arrangement had never seen the gesture until they had met humans.
"Prowl, the base orientation tour can wait! You two need to talk!" He looked around the room at the other Autobots. "Alone."
"We could use the chill-out room." said Prowl.
"Nope, Skyfire's in there, resting." Cliffjumper said.
"Prime's office is free." said Mirage. "He was taking a shift in the main control room when I left so I know."
" I know the code to Prime's room, come on Jazz, we've got to talk." Prowl said. He handed Sam back to Bumblebee, put his hand on Jazz's shoulder, and steered him out of the rec-room and down to Optimus' office.
Once inside, Jazz turned to Prowl.
"Okay, Prowl, wha' was Sam talkin' about? What's this all important conversation Sam's sayin' we need?"