As he hurried after Jazz to the end of the med-bay, Prowl saw the unguarded shock fall on the spy's faceplate. Prowl's tact-net could not come to any suggestions as to what could cause such a reaction in one who was so usually in control.
Then he looked past Jazz to the berth.
For a second Prowl's logic circuits could not comprehend the sight in front of him.
Blackout, the former head of special operations, was dead.
Therefore it was impossible for her to be lying in the med-bay. Yet there she was.
Thankfully, the tact-net embedded in his brain was quick to supply him with the fact that they had never found her body. She had been sent to spy on Shockwave's attempts to make synthetic energon onboard the Nemesis and never returned. Beyond her lack of reappearance, they'd only had Megatron's word as proof of her demise. And at the time, they hadn't had any reason to suspect otherwise.
Which only raised a new set of questions. Why would Megatron lie? How did she survive? And where had she been all this time?
Prowl knew it would be rude to ask but for the sake of the safety on every bot on board he needed to. Thankfully before he could, Blackout started explaining herself.
"Good, now that you're all here I won't have to repeat myself a dozen times." She said, pushing herself into a seating position as she looked at each of the members of High Command crowded around her. For a moment her gaze caught on Prowl. If she found it odd that he had arrived at the same time as Jazz then she decided not to mention it.
"As soon as I snuck onboard Shockwave found me. Like he'd been waiting for me."
Prowl wasn't sure if anyone had told her about Silverstreak's defection yet but if the traitor had been working for the Decepticons for as long as they suspected, then that could explain the unfolding situation.
"He wanted information on our synthetic energon experiments." Blackout continued. "I didn't tell him anything. Not that there was much to tell. Or at least there wasn't before I left." She gave a quick questioning glance at Ratchet's unconscious body. "Anyway, I think Shockwave must have realised that because eventually instead of asking me questions he just started using me as the test subject for his own energon experiments."
"Did he-"
"No." Blackout interrupted before Red Alert's sensors could start sparking. "He didn't succeeded in making any synthetic energy sources."
"And as thankful for that as we are, we are more grateful to Primus that you have returned to us." Optimus said. Even with his facemask on, the smile was visible in his voice. "How are you?"
"I am fine." Blackout replied.
"Well it looks like any superficial damage has scared over from what I can see." Inferno stated. Prowl followed the former firefighter's optics as they checked over Blackout's body. The black of her armour was now a dull grey, covered in small scars that appeared to have been cut and sealed over and over and over again. "There's no sign of a current infection and your basic vitals are all alright as well. I'm no Ratchet, but I could try to hook you up to do a full scan-"
"No." Blackout snapped, flinching away from the wire in Inferno's outstretched servos.
Prowl hadn't known her well before her apparent passing. But never before had he seen her flinch.
"I told you already that I am fine." Blackout insisted, shoving herself off of the berth. She stood on unsteady pedes, once again flinching away Inferno's offered hand. But she stayed upright as she started to march herself out of the med-bay. "I just need to write up my report then I can get back to work."
"Sure thing boss-bot!" Jazz said. "Just need to clean up your office for ya first."
Belatedly Prowl tried to calculate how Jazz felt about the news of Blackout's return. But as ever the spy was near impossible to read. Prowl was sure only he could tell that the spy's smile was off.
Prowl watched as a flicker of something other then a mask of indifference crossed Blackout's faceplate as for the first time, she took a proper look at Jazz. But as soon as Prowl registered it, the look was gone.
"There is no rush. I can write my report elsewhere." Blackout stated.
"Where? The rec-room?" Jazz snorted. "Not like I was using the desk much anyways. You know me, the only way I can write anything's is if I'm hanging upside down."
The corners of Blackout's lips twitched into the semblance of a smirk.
"Yes I do know you. So I know what you're trying to do."
Prowl must have been more exhausted from last night's activities than he previously thought as it had taken him an embarrassingly long time to realise that fact that now that the previous Head of Special Operations had returned, Jazz would most likely be demoted. Meaning that they would no longer be of equal rank. And therefore unable to continue their arrangement.
The obvious solution of course would be for them to make an official declaration of their relationship to ensure that they would be permitted to keep sleeping with each other.
However for reasons that his processor could not provide, the idea of asking Jazz to be in an exclusive relationship made it feel as though the energon in his internals wanted to regurgitate back up his intake.
For a moment, he tried to determine if the twins could have spiked his energon without him noticing, when the deep baritone of the Prime's voice interrupted his theories.
"Reports can wait. First may I suggest that we all get a good night's rest." Optimus said, his suggestion clearly meant to be taken as an order.
High Command started to filter out of the med-bay, only Inferno and Red Alert remaining behind, the former to do his duty and the latter to keep them company.
Prowl overhead Elita say to Blackout that she had been assigned the agents old room but that she was happy to find alternative arrangements if Blackout wished the have it back.
As he left, Prowl thought about following Jazz back to his hab. But Prowl's room was in the opposite direction. Therefore so as to not arouse suspicions, it made sense for him to walk the other way.
Even though, the tiny illogical part of his processor wanted to take Jazz's hands, drag him to his hab and fall back into his embrace.
A/N:
Sorry this update is a week late! I started a new job at the beginning of January and I am exhausted! So I am not going to make any promises regarding any update schedule! Updates may be a bit more random for a while sorry! Xxxxxxx
(Also if you want to learn more about Elita's alternative sleeping arrangements you can read about them in my other fic in this series "Falling Into Empty Space.")