Chapter 13.5
Hey everyone, since so many people begged me on FF.net to update, I'm updating. I hope you enjoy XD.
Title: To Catch a Thief
Rating: T
Characters: Jazz, Mirage, Hound, Bumblebee, Blurr, Optimus Prime
He was very good at what he did, and what he did was sneak around, break into buildings, and steal things, oh, and couldn’t forget blowing things up. He found it slightly ironic and amusing considering his past and the people he knew, but what he did was necessary. He couldn’t count how many times he’d snuck into a place and snuck back out without being caught. He was pretty good at acting too, which helped in some tight spots, but he tried to stay out of sight as much as possible. Usually when he was far enough away from the place he just broke into, he would detonate charges he had left behind. Such was the life for a Special Ops agent and Saboteur in the Autobots.
He was a cheerful and friendly mech, always joking and laughing. Among the mechs at the base he was stationed at, he was popular and well-liked. He looked out for his comrades and always lent an audio if someone wanted to talk and always gave some advice. He kept up the morale, but he also had an ulterior motive for getting close to the mechs on the base; he was always on the lookout for traitors. Though he wasn’t really the suspicious type, he’d had run-ins with traitors before and he didn’t like them one bit. It was also part of the job description.
But even though he acted happy, he wasn’t always. He often remembered the past and mechs he hadn’t seen since before the war. He wished things were the way they used to be, though he knew it was impossible; he just hoped he’d see those mechs alive again.
“Hey Jazz! You got another mission!” called a blue and white mech with golden optics.
“Comin’ ‘Raj,” called Jazz as he hopped off the couch in the small rec room in the Special Ops wing of the base. Special Ops got many privileges that most other didn’t know about and one of those privileges included their own wing of the base and a rec room. Ops bots tended to be jumpy and paranoid because of their profession and their rec room was a place they could relax without worrying about hurting a non-Ops bot if they were startled. Jazz rarely stayed in that room, but he had felt like he needed a short break from being the cheerful mech he acted like around the base.
“The Commander’s waiting for you in his office,” said Mirage.
“Thanks,” said Jazz with a grin and head headed out of the Ops wing. He was the Special Ops team leader of this base and under him were Mirage the spy that could turn invisible, Hound the tracker, Blurr the fastest mech alive, and Bumblebee a spy and scout. They were a quirky group, but they got along well and worked well together. Jazz made it to the Base Commander’s office and stepped inside after knocking.
“There you are Jazz,” said the mech as he looked up to see the visored silver mech. “I have a mission for you. I want you to infiltrate the nearby Decepticon base and see what they’re planning. They’ve been unusually quiet lately which makes me believe they’re up to something.”
“Understood sir,” said Jazz with a nod. “Anything, or anyone, specific I should look out for?”
“Not that I know of,” said the commander. “But be careful.” Jazz nodded and gave a grin and mock salute before spinning on his heel to leave the office. He headed back the Special Ops wing to gather the tools and things he would need for a sneaky infiltration into a Decepticon base. Once he was ready, he slipped out of the base unseen. It didn’t take him long to reach the Decepticon base and he paused. It was dark.
Jazz slipped into the base and found that it was empty, devoid of life. It would explain why the Decepticons had been so quiet, but where had they gone and why had they left? Once he found the main computers, he hacked in and found that most of the information had been deleted, but a few things had been left behind. There was information about a new base and more troops coming to that base. With that number of troops, the Decepticons would be able to wipe out the Autobot base. He had to get close enough to the Autobot base to send a message warning the commander of what he had found. Running out of the base, he didn’t bother keeping hidden since there wasn’t anyone there anyway.
Once Jazz was far enough away from the Decepticon base, he sent all that he had found to the base commander. The message was received and Jazz sent the same message to his team, though he’d never admit it. He threw himself to the ground and covered his helm as the base behind him exploded. He propped himself up on his elbows and looked at the flames over his shoulder. Something had to have triggered the explosion and Jazz had suspicions it was his transmissions to the Autobots. The Decepticons were notorious for messing with any radio transmissions and it would be just like them to set their base to explode if an Autobot sent a message nearby. Jazz was glad he never sent messages until he was a certain distance from an enemy base; otherwise he could have been killed.
Jazz got to his feet and transformed to race towards the Autobot base. Since the base had blown, the Decepticons most likely knew that the Autobots found out about the empty base. Jazz expected them to attack at any time. He made it back to base and found mechs moving around preparing for a possible attack. When he made it back to the Ops wing, his team was waiting for him. They were all prepared for battle and had a few extra supplies for him which he put into his subspace pockets.
Suddenly, the alarms sounded and every Autobot ran out of the base, ready for battle. The Decepticons had hoped to catch the Autobots off-guard, but with Jazz’s information, they were prepared to fight a much larger force than was at the previous Decepticon base. They had also called in reinforcements that would take only breems to arrive. After a while, the Decepticons were forced to retreat and the Autobots celebrated their victory.
The mechs that weren’t injured gathered in the rec room and brought out the high-grade they weren’t supposed to have. They laughed and cheered, telling each other about their exploits in battle while music played. A few mechs even got up to sing, but since they were drunk, they weren’t very good. Every once in a while, a mech would actually have a pretty good voice. All of it reminded Jazz of his time in Praxus when he would perform in a bar and then sit and talk with a quiet mech. He hadn’t sung a single note since then.
It was deca-cycles later when he heard the news. Praxus had been destroyed and everyone in the beautiful city had been killed. There was absolutely nothing left of the Helix Gardens, a place he thought was the most beautiful on the planet, all the buildings were in ruins, and bodies were still being found in the rubble. Jazz prayed and prayed that his friends weren’t among them. He hoped that his friends had left Praxus, but he knew it was probably not the case. He had no idea where any of them were, but he was determined to find out.
Immediately, he headed to one of the computers on the base and hacked in. Most of the files were hidden and well-protected, but he wasn’t one of the best Special Ops agents in the Autobots for nothing. The first name he searched for, Prowl, came up with even more encrypted files, which was a little unusual, but Jazz hacked into those too. Finally, he found out that Prowl was in Iacon. Relief washed through him and he didn’t bother to look at the rest of the file. He searched for Prowl’s brothers, but neither of them was in the database, which meant either they weren’t Autobots or…they were dead. He didn’t want to believe that either of them had been killed. So, he typed in Blaster’s name and found that he was stationed in Crystal City as a Communications officer. Glad that two of his friends were alive, he pulled out of the computer and made sure there was no evidence he had ever hacked into it.
Over the next couple deca-cycles, Jazz waited for the activity around Praxus to die down. He wanted to go and see the destruction for himself and he wanted to look for any evidence of Bluestreak and Smokescreen. When he thought it was about time to go, he asked his commanding officer to let him go. He never asked for much, he never got into trouble, and he did a lot for the Autobots, so his commanding officer couldn’t really refuse him. So, Jazz finally got to go to Praxus.
When he arrived, he was devastated at the sight of the city. Before, it was always lit up with people in the streets and the buildings stood tall against the horizon. Now it was just an open wasteland filled with rubble. Even without any landmarks, he knew exactly where he was; he was on the far side of Praxus from where his apartment used to be. He walked down the debris-filled streets, picking out places he remembered. The library stood there, Prowl’s warehouse with the hidden room used to be there, he passed by where the Enforcers’ headquarters used to be, and he stood in front of where his apartment building once stood. He then moved on to where the Helix Gardens once stood.
There was absolutely nothing left. Remembering the path and the number of steps, Jazz moved to where Prowl’s favorite bench used to sit in front of a massive cluster of crystals. He walked towards hints of rubble in the dust and knelt down, brushing the dust away with his hands. Picking up a piece of rubble, he recognized it as a piece of the bench. He could still make out some of the ornate design. A glint of light in front of him caught his optics and he set the piece of bench down before brushing more dust away. He gasped in surprise at what he found.
It was a piece of crystal. He picked it up and found it was about the size of his hand and a brilliant blue that reminded him of Prowl’s optics. He cleaned it off as best he could and it shimmered in his hands. At least there was some evidence of the beauty that used to be in this desolate place. He wrapped the crystal in a cloth and put it in subspace. When he saw Prowl again, because he knew he would, he would show that to Prowl, maybe even give it to him. He’d show him that not everything was lost.
With that, he walked back into the ruins to the house where Prowl grew up and where Bluestreak and Smokescreen had lived when Jazz had left Praxus. It too was destroyed, but he noticed something off. He climbed up across the debris and found a bit of a hole. It looked like someone had dug something up. Jazz hoped that it meant that whoever was dug out of the ruins was still alive. He inspected the rubble closely and saw scrapes of grey paint, the same color Bluestreak was. If Bluestreak had been trapped in the rubble and in Praxus during the attack, he could only imagine how scared the mech would have been. At least there was the possibility that he was still alive. Jazz stood up and stared out at the horizon; he would not stop looking until he found them.
Suddenly, a shot rang out and pain exploded on the back of his left shoulder. He cried out and spun around as he crouched. Several more shots rang out and jets flew overhead. Jazz knew these weren’t Autobots as they would have ordered him to identify himself first, so he was dealing with Decepticons. Just what he didn’t need. In the distance, he could see three large silhouettes. He tried to contact the nearby base to call for reinforcements and cursed when he found out that one of the ‘Cons had a signal jammer. He pulled out his own gun and fired a few shots before running. He was small and fast, so he had a better chance to survive if he ran than if he stayed and fought.
Jazz cursed creatively as he heard jet engines coming closer. There was no way he could outrun or out-drive a seeker. He had to find a place to hide, and fast. The jets shot overhead, strafing him as they passed. He rolled to the side and managed to dodge most of the shots, but one shot pierced his right calf. While the jets were still turning around, Jazz ran off to the side, looking for a place to take cover. If he didn’t move in a straight line, the seekers would have a harder time hitting him, and his leg definitely made it impossible to move in a straight line anyway. The seekers did another strafing run which Jazz managed to dodge and even send a few shots back, damaging the left wing of one of the seekers. Without that wing, the seeker couldn’t fly, so now it was two on one instead of three on one.
While the seekers were assisting their wounded trinemate to the ground, Jazz took that time to find a place to hide. He found it in a ruined building where some of the support beams piled together in such a way that there was a little nook he could squeeze into. He heard jet engines fly overhead once more and held as still as possible. Any sign of movement or any sound would give away his position. The seekers passed over a few more times, sometimes shooting randomly or firing missiles. It was sheer luck that he didn’t get hit.
Even though he didn’t hear the seekers, didn’t mean that they were gone, so Jazz remained in his hiding place for a least a joor. He eased out of the nook and sat down to do what repairs he could to his leg. He couldn’t reach the injury on his shoulder, or even look at it to see how bad it was, so he left it alone. Looking around, he found the area to be as desolate as before, just with a few more scorch marks.
Jazz got to his feet and began the slow walk to the Autobot base near the city ruins. He’d be able to see a medic there before he headed back to the base he was stationed at. He moved as fast as he could with a pronounced limp, and he kept his sensors on high alert. It wouldn’t do to get caught surprised like that again.
Thankfully, he didn’t see any more Decepticons and he made it to the Autobot base in one piece. At first, the Autobots were suspicious and Jazz couldn’t blame them, but once his identity was confirmed, they rushed him to the med bay where he was quickly repaired. He spent the night at the base before heading back to the base where his team was waiting for him.
“So what happened?” asked Mirage as they gathered in the Ops rec room.
“The city is completely gone. Everythin’ is in ruins. When I was checkin’ one place out, a trine showed up and got me in the back and my leg before I could give them the slip,” said Jazz. His team could tell he was keeping something from them, but they figured he had his reasons and didn’t press. Jazz was grateful for that as he wasn’t sure he wanted to share the information about a possible survivor. He knew he could trust the mechs, but he wanted to be sure there was a survivor before he said anything.
About a vorn later, Jazz was still working at the base with his team, though they had drawn the attention of the higher-ups with all their successful missions. During that vorn, Jazz tried to search for his friends, but he was kept busy by the war. He and his team were kept extremely busy and they were often exhausted.
Then, the Decepticons attacked several Autobot bases simultaneously, including Jazz’s base and Iacon. When the battle was finally over, many mechs on both sides were dead, including the Autobot Third in Command and Head of Special Ops. Many mourned the loss because he was a good mech and very good at his job.
Jazz was sitting in the Ops rec room with Mirage, Hound, Blurr, and Bumblebee a couple orns after they heard the news about the TIC. They sat in silence, mourning the loss. They all also faintly wondered who would take the mech’s place. The door to the room opened and they all spun around, tense. It was rare that anyone outside of Ops walked through that door. It was the base commander.
“Sorry about barging in, but none of you were answering your comms,” said the base commander and the Ops mechs relaxed slightly. “Jazz, you have a video call in my office.” Jazz glanced at his team with a raised optic ridge and they shrugged. They didn’t know what it was about either. Jazz got to his feet and followed the commander to his office. “Go ahead, have a seat.” The base commander motioned towards his chair and Jazz cautiously sat down. The commander pressed a key on his computer before quickly vacating the room. The screen came up and Jazz was shocked to see who it was.
“Optimus Prime!” cried Jazz. The leader of the Autobot forces was calling him. It was shocking to Jazz that the mech would even know his name to call on him in such a way.
“Hello, you must be Jazz,” said Optimus with a smile. Jazz could only nod in response. He had never met Optimus Prime in person, but he had been told many stories about him, how he was noble, self-sacrificing, wise, kind, and fierce in battle. “I have a request of you Jazz.”
“Anything you need sir,” said Jazz. It was an honor to be called by Prime to be asked personally for a request.
“I hope you still feel that way after I tell you my request,” said Optimus wryly and Jazz detected a hint of sadness in his tone. The silver mech wondered what kind of request would want him to change his mind about his previous statement. “I would like for you and your team to transfer to Iacon. I would also like it if you became my Third in Command and Head of Special Ops.” Jazz could only stare at the screen, stunned. When Optimus mentioned a request, this definitely wasn’t what he had been expecting. “I understand that this is sudden, but I need a new Third in Command and Head of Ops. I’ve heard of your skill and reputation and thought you would be perfect for the job.”
“I…I don’t know,” said Jazz quietly.
“Go for it Jazz,” said Mirage as he appeared in the room. The door opened and the rest of the team walked inside.
“Ya guys were listenin’?” asked Jazz and they all grinned unrepentantly.
“Of course,” said Bumblebee. “We all think you should accept. You’d make a great Third in Command.” Jazz sat quietly, staring at his team for several moments before letting a gust of air from his intakes.
“You have a very loyal and supportive team,” said Optimus with a smile. Jazz quirked his lips and nodded in agreement.
“Do ya guys really think I’m the right mech for the job?” Jazz asked his team and they all nodded while grinning. “You’re all conspirin’ against me, I know it.” His team laughed and Optimus chuckled. “Alright, I’ll do it.”
“Excellent. A transport will arrive later in the orn, so have your things ready. It will take you straight here to Iacon. I’ll meet you outside and I’ll debrief you in my office. I look forward to meeting you all face to face,” said Optimus.
“Likewise sir,” said Jazz and Optimus nodded before cutting the transmission. “Alright mechs, let’s get our things together and tell the commander we’re headin’ ta Iacon.” The Ops bots nodded and headed for their quarters to pack their things while Jazz dealt with the commander. When the transport arrived, they were ready and boarded quickly. Just like Optimus said, he was waiting for them when they arrived at the Iacon base. He led them inside and showed them the Ops wing so they could drop off their things before heading to his office.
“Now, I would like to officially welcome you all to Iacon. Things are done here the same way they’re done on every other base, so I don’t think I need to debrief you on that,” said Optimus wryly earning him a few smirks. “Along with your Ops missions, you’ll have to work shifts in the command center and other areas of the base since this place is so large, and your schedules will be on the duty roster which you can check every morning. You will be notified if I have a mission for you. Also, when you go on missions, I want the plans to be looked at by my Second in Command. I know you Ops bots are particular about planning your missions, but he’s the best tactical mind I’ve ever seen. On another note, there are a few mechs with quirks on the base though, so you might want to watch out for them. I’m sure you’ll find out who I’m talking about within an orn or so. Now, might I have a word with you Jazz about your duties as Third in Command?”
“Of course sir,” said Jazz and he turned to his team. “Ya guys can get goin’. Relax for a little while, maybe get ta know some of the mechs here.” His team nodded and left the room.
“Many of your duties as Third in Command are administrative, but it’s not too much of a work load. I think you’ll have enough to deal with commanding all of Special Ops. You’ll work closely with my SIC to plan missions and other such things. He should be here soon, so you can meet him,” said Optimus. The door opened, but Jazz remained facing Optimus. “Ah, there you are. I was just debriefing our new Third in Command.” Optimus didn’t get a response which was apparently unusual by the confused look on Optimus’ face. “Is there something wrong Prowl?” Jazz snapped to attention at the name and spun on his heel. Standing in the doorway was a very familiar mech.
Title: To Catch a Thief
Rating: T
Characters: Jazz, Mirage, Hound, Bumblebee, Blurr, Optimus Prime
He was very good at what he did, and what he did was sneak around, break into buildings, and steal things, oh, and couldn’t forget blowing things up. He found it slightly ironic and amusing considering his past and the people he knew, but what he did was necessary. He couldn’t count how many times he’d snuck into a place and snuck back out without being caught. He was pretty good at acting too, which helped in some tight spots, but he tried to stay out of sight as much as possible. Usually when he was far enough away from the place he just broke into, he would detonate charges he had left behind. Such was the life for a Special Ops agent and Saboteur in the Autobots.
He was a cheerful and friendly mech, always joking and laughing. Among the mechs at the base he was stationed at, he was popular and well-liked. He looked out for his comrades and always lent an audio if someone wanted to talk and always gave some advice. He kept up the morale, but he also had an ulterior motive for getting close to the mechs on the base; he was always on the lookout for traitors. Though he wasn’t really the suspicious type, he’d had run-ins with traitors before and he didn’t like them one bit. It was also part of the job description.
But even though he acted happy, he wasn’t always. He often remembered the past and mechs he hadn’t seen since before the war. He wished things were the way they used to be, though he knew it was impossible; he just hoped he’d see those mechs alive again.
“Hey Jazz! You got another mission!” called a blue and white mech with golden optics.
“Comin’ ‘Raj,” called Jazz as he hopped off the couch in the small rec room in the Special Ops wing of the base. Special Ops got many privileges that most other didn’t know about and one of those privileges included their own wing of the base and a rec room. Ops bots tended to be jumpy and paranoid because of their profession and their rec room was a place they could relax without worrying about hurting a non-Ops bot if they were startled. Jazz rarely stayed in that room, but he had felt like he needed a short break from being the cheerful mech he acted like around the base.
“The Commander’s waiting for you in his office,” said Mirage.
“Thanks,” said Jazz with a grin and head headed out of the Ops wing. He was the Special Ops team leader of this base and under him were Mirage the spy that could turn invisible, Hound the tracker, Blurr the fastest mech alive, and Bumblebee a spy and scout. They were a quirky group, but they got along well and worked well together. Jazz made it to the Base Commander’s office and stepped inside after knocking.
“There you are Jazz,” said the mech as he looked up to see the visored silver mech. “I have a mission for you. I want you to infiltrate the nearby Decepticon base and see what they’re planning. They’ve been unusually quiet lately which makes me believe they’re up to something.”
“Understood sir,” said Jazz with a nod. “Anything, or anyone, specific I should look out for?”
“Not that I know of,” said the commander. “But be careful.” Jazz nodded and gave a grin and mock salute before spinning on his heel to leave the office. He headed back the Special Ops wing to gather the tools and things he would need for a sneaky infiltration into a Decepticon base. Once he was ready, he slipped out of the base unseen. It didn’t take him long to reach the Decepticon base and he paused. It was dark.
Jazz slipped into the base and found that it was empty, devoid of life. It would explain why the Decepticons had been so quiet, but where had they gone and why had they left? Once he found the main computers, he hacked in and found that most of the information had been deleted, but a few things had been left behind. There was information about a new base and more troops coming to that base. With that number of troops, the Decepticons would be able to wipe out the Autobot base. He had to get close enough to the Autobot base to send a message warning the commander of what he had found. Running out of the base, he didn’t bother keeping hidden since there wasn’t anyone there anyway.
Once Jazz was far enough away from the Decepticon base, he sent all that he had found to the base commander. The message was received and Jazz sent the same message to his team, though he’d never admit it. He threw himself to the ground and covered his helm as the base behind him exploded. He propped himself up on his elbows and looked at the flames over his shoulder. Something had to have triggered the explosion and Jazz had suspicions it was his transmissions to the Autobots. The Decepticons were notorious for messing with any radio transmissions and it would be just like them to set their base to explode if an Autobot sent a message nearby. Jazz was glad he never sent messages until he was a certain distance from an enemy base; otherwise he could have been killed.
Jazz got to his feet and transformed to race towards the Autobot base. Since the base had blown, the Decepticons most likely knew that the Autobots found out about the empty base. Jazz expected them to attack at any time. He made it back to base and found mechs moving around preparing for a possible attack. When he made it back to the Ops wing, his team was waiting for him. They were all prepared for battle and had a few extra supplies for him which he put into his subspace pockets.
Suddenly, the alarms sounded and every Autobot ran out of the base, ready for battle. The Decepticons had hoped to catch the Autobots off-guard, but with Jazz’s information, they were prepared to fight a much larger force than was at the previous Decepticon base. They had also called in reinforcements that would take only breems to arrive. After a while, the Decepticons were forced to retreat and the Autobots celebrated their victory.
The mechs that weren’t injured gathered in the rec room and brought out the high-grade they weren’t supposed to have. They laughed and cheered, telling each other about their exploits in battle while music played. A few mechs even got up to sing, but since they were drunk, they weren’t very good. Every once in a while, a mech would actually have a pretty good voice. All of it reminded Jazz of his time in Praxus when he would perform in a bar and then sit and talk with a quiet mech. He hadn’t sung a single note since then.
It was deca-cycles later when he heard the news. Praxus had been destroyed and everyone in the beautiful city had been killed. There was absolutely nothing left of the Helix Gardens, a place he thought was the most beautiful on the planet, all the buildings were in ruins, and bodies were still being found in the rubble. Jazz prayed and prayed that his friends weren’t among them. He hoped that his friends had left Praxus, but he knew it was probably not the case. He had no idea where any of them were, but he was determined to find out.
Immediately, he headed to one of the computers on the base and hacked in. Most of the files were hidden and well-protected, but he wasn’t one of the best Special Ops agents in the Autobots for nothing. The first name he searched for, Prowl, came up with even more encrypted files, which was a little unusual, but Jazz hacked into those too. Finally, he found out that Prowl was in Iacon. Relief washed through him and he didn’t bother to look at the rest of the file. He searched for Prowl’s brothers, but neither of them was in the database, which meant either they weren’t Autobots or…they were dead. He didn’t want to believe that either of them had been killed. So, he typed in Blaster’s name and found that he was stationed in Crystal City as a Communications officer. Glad that two of his friends were alive, he pulled out of the computer and made sure there was no evidence he had ever hacked into it.
Over the next couple deca-cycles, Jazz waited for the activity around Praxus to die down. He wanted to go and see the destruction for himself and he wanted to look for any evidence of Bluestreak and Smokescreen. When he thought it was about time to go, he asked his commanding officer to let him go. He never asked for much, he never got into trouble, and he did a lot for the Autobots, so his commanding officer couldn’t really refuse him. So, Jazz finally got to go to Praxus.
When he arrived, he was devastated at the sight of the city. Before, it was always lit up with people in the streets and the buildings stood tall against the horizon. Now it was just an open wasteland filled with rubble. Even without any landmarks, he knew exactly where he was; he was on the far side of Praxus from where his apartment used to be. He walked down the debris-filled streets, picking out places he remembered. The library stood there, Prowl’s warehouse with the hidden room used to be there, he passed by where the Enforcers’ headquarters used to be, and he stood in front of where his apartment building once stood. He then moved on to where the Helix Gardens once stood.
There was absolutely nothing left. Remembering the path and the number of steps, Jazz moved to where Prowl’s favorite bench used to sit in front of a massive cluster of crystals. He walked towards hints of rubble in the dust and knelt down, brushing the dust away with his hands. Picking up a piece of rubble, he recognized it as a piece of the bench. He could still make out some of the ornate design. A glint of light in front of him caught his optics and he set the piece of bench down before brushing more dust away. He gasped in surprise at what he found.
It was a piece of crystal. He picked it up and found it was about the size of his hand and a brilliant blue that reminded him of Prowl’s optics. He cleaned it off as best he could and it shimmered in his hands. At least there was some evidence of the beauty that used to be in this desolate place. He wrapped the crystal in a cloth and put it in subspace. When he saw Prowl again, because he knew he would, he would show that to Prowl, maybe even give it to him. He’d show him that not everything was lost.
With that, he walked back into the ruins to the house where Prowl grew up and where Bluestreak and Smokescreen had lived when Jazz had left Praxus. It too was destroyed, but he noticed something off. He climbed up across the debris and found a bit of a hole. It looked like someone had dug something up. Jazz hoped that it meant that whoever was dug out of the ruins was still alive. He inspected the rubble closely and saw scrapes of grey paint, the same color Bluestreak was. If Bluestreak had been trapped in the rubble and in Praxus during the attack, he could only imagine how scared the mech would have been. At least there was the possibility that he was still alive. Jazz stood up and stared out at the horizon; he would not stop looking until he found them.
Suddenly, a shot rang out and pain exploded on the back of his left shoulder. He cried out and spun around as he crouched. Several more shots rang out and jets flew overhead. Jazz knew these weren’t Autobots as they would have ordered him to identify himself first, so he was dealing with Decepticons. Just what he didn’t need. In the distance, he could see three large silhouettes. He tried to contact the nearby base to call for reinforcements and cursed when he found out that one of the ‘Cons had a signal jammer. He pulled out his own gun and fired a few shots before running. He was small and fast, so he had a better chance to survive if he ran than if he stayed and fought.
Jazz cursed creatively as he heard jet engines coming closer. There was no way he could outrun or out-drive a seeker. He had to find a place to hide, and fast. The jets shot overhead, strafing him as they passed. He rolled to the side and managed to dodge most of the shots, but one shot pierced his right calf. While the jets were still turning around, Jazz ran off to the side, looking for a place to take cover. If he didn’t move in a straight line, the seekers would have a harder time hitting him, and his leg definitely made it impossible to move in a straight line anyway. The seekers did another strafing run which Jazz managed to dodge and even send a few shots back, damaging the left wing of one of the seekers. Without that wing, the seeker couldn’t fly, so now it was two on one instead of three on one.
While the seekers were assisting their wounded trinemate to the ground, Jazz took that time to find a place to hide. He found it in a ruined building where some of the support beams piled together in such a way that there was a little nook he could squeeze into. He heard jet engines fly overhead once more and held as still as possible. Any sign of movement or any sound would give away his position. The seekers passed over a few more times, sometimes shooting randomly or firing missiles. It was sheer luck that he didn’t get hit.
Even though he didn’t hear the seekers, didn’t mean that they were gone, so Jazz remained in his hiding place for a least a joor. He eased out of the nook and sat down to do what repairs he could to his leg. He couldn’t reach the injury on his shoulder, or even look at it to see how bad it was, so he left it alone. Looking around, he found the area to be as desolate as before, just with a few more scorch marks.
Jazz got to his feet and began the slow walk to the Autobot base near the city ruins. He’d be able to see a medic there before he headed back to the base he was stationed at. He moved as fast as he could with a pronounced limp, and he kept his sensors on high alert. It wouldn’t do to get caught surprised like that again.
Thankfully, he didn’t see any more Decepticons and he made it to the Autobot base in one piece. At first, the Autobots were suspicious and Jazz couldn’t blame them, but once his identity was confirmed, they rushed him to the med bay where he was quickly repaired. He spent the night at the base before heading back to the base where his team was waiting for him.
“So what happened?” asked Mirage as they gathered in the Ops rec room.
“The city is completely gone. Everythin’ is in ruins. When I was checkin’ one place out, a trine showed up and got me in the back and my leg before I could give them the slip,” said Jazz. His team could tell he was keeping something from them, but they figured he had his reasons and didn’t press. Jazz was grateful for that as he wasn’t sure he wanted to share the information about a possible survivor. He knew he could trust the mechs, but he wanted to be sure there was a survivor before he said anything.
About a vorn later, Jazz was still working at the base with his team, though they had drawn the attention of the higher-ups with all their successful missions. During that vorn, Jazz tried to search for his friends, but he was kept busy by the war. He and his team were kept extremely busy and they were often exhausted.
Then, the Decepticons attacked several Autobot bases simultaneously, including Jazz’s base and Iacon. When the battle was finally over, many mechs on both sides were dead, including the Autobot Third in Command and Head of Special Ops. Many mourned the loss because he was a good mech and very good at his job.
Jazz was sitting in the Ops rec room with Mirage, Hound, Blurr, and Bumblebee a couple orns after they heard the news about the TIC. They sat in silence, mourning the loss. They all also faintly wondered who would take the mech’s place. The door to the room opened and they all spun around, tense. It was rare that anyone outside of Ops walked through that door. It was the base commander.
“Sorry about barging in, but none of you were answering your comms,” said the base commander and the Ops mechs relaxed slightly. “Jazz, you have a video call in my office.” Jazz glanced at his team with a raised optic ridge and they shrugged. They didn’t know what it was about either. Jazz got to his feet and followed the commander to his office. “Go ahead, have a seat.” The base commander motioned towards his chair and Jazz cautiously sat down. The commander pressed a key on his computer before quickly vacating the room. The screen came up and Jazz was shocked to see who it was.
“Optimus Prime!” cried Jazz. The leader of the Autobot forces was calling him. It was shocking to Jazz that the mech would even know his name to call on him in such a way.
“Hello, you must be Jazz,” said Optimus with a smile. Jazz could only nod in response. He had never met Optimus Prime in person, but he had been told many stories about him, how he was noble, self-sacrificing, wise, kind, and fierce in battle. “I have a request of you Jazz.”
“Anything you need sir,” said Jazz. It was an honor to be called by Prime to be asked personally for a request.
“I hope you still feel that way after I tell you my request,” said Optimus wryly and Jazz detected a hint of sadness in his tone. The silver mech wondered what kind of request would want him to change his mind about his previous statement. “I would like for you and your team to transfer to Iacon. I would also like it if you became my Third in Command and Head of Special Ops.” Jazz could only stare at the screen, stunned. When Optimus mentioned a request, this definitely wasn’t what he had been expecting. “I understand that this is sudden, but I need a new Third in Command and Head of Ops. I’ve heard of your skill and reputation and thought you would be perfect for the job.”
“I…I don’t know,” said Jazz quietly.
“Go for it Jazz,” said Mirage as he appeared in the room. The door opened and the rest of the team walked inside.
“Ya guys were listenin’?” asked Jazz and they all grinned unrepentantly.
“Of course,” said Bumblebee. “We all think you should accept. You’d make a great Third in Command.” Jazz sat quietly, staring at his team for several moments before letting a gust of air from his intakes.
“You have a very loyal and supportive team,” said Optimus with a smile. Jazz quirked his lips and nodded in agreement.
“Do ya guys really think I’m the right mech for the job?” Jazz asked his team and they all nodded while grinning. “You’re all conspirin’ against me, I know it.” His team laughed and Optimus chuckled. “Alright, I’ll do it.”
“Excellent. A transport will arrive later in the orn, so have your things ready. It will take you straight here to Iacon. I’ll meet you outside and I’ll debrief you in my office. I look forward to meeting you all face to face,” said Optimus.
“Likewise sir,” said Jazz and Optimus nodded before cutting the transmission. “Alright mechs, let’s get our things together and tell the commander we’re headin’ ta Iacon.” The Ops bots nodded and headed for their quarters to pack their things while Jazz dealt with the commander. When the transport arrived, they were ready and boarded quickly. Just like Optimus said, he was waiting for them when they arrived at the Iacon base. He led them inside and showed them the Ops wing so they could drop off their things before heading to his office.
“Now, I would like to officially welcome you all to Iacon. Things are done here the same way they’re done on every other base, so I don’t think I need to debrief you on that,” said Optimus wryly earning him a few smirks. “Along with your Ops missions, you’ll have to work shifts in the command center and other areas of the base since this place is so large, and your schedules will be on the duty roster which you can check every morning. You will be notified if I have a mission for you. Also, when you go on missions, I want the plans to be looked at by my Second in Command. I know you Ops bots are particular about planning your missions, but he’s the best tactical mind I’ve ever seen. On another note, there are a few mechs with quirks on the base though, so you might want to watch out for them. I’m sure you’ll find out who I’m talking about within an orn or so. Now, might I have a word with you Jazz about your duties as Third in Command?”
“Of course sir,” said Jazz and he turned to his team. “Ya guys can get goin’. Relax for a little while, maybe get ta know some of the mechs here.” His team nodded and left the room.
“Many of your duties as Third in Command are administrative, but it’s not too much of a work load. I think you’ll have enough to deal with commanding all of Special Ops. You’ll work closely with my SIC to plan missions and other such things. He should be here soon, so you can meet him,” said Optimus. The door opened, but Jazz remained facing Optimus. “Ah, there you are. I was just debriefing our new Third in Command.” Optimus didn’t get a response which was apparently unusual by the confused look on Optimus’ face. “Is there something wrong Prowl?” Jazz snapped to attention at the name and spun on his heel. Standing in the doorway was a very familiar mech.