Chapter Text
For the second in command of the Autobots, finding a single, low-down Decepticon was almost too easy. Finding out the name of the mnemosurgeon who had stolen his memories had been a simple matter. There were few enough mnemosurgeons still alive, and even fewer that were Decepticons. The Autobots already had a list of them on hand, and figuring out which ones had been in the area Prowl had been attacked in hadn’t taken long.
Delirium. A suitable name for such a mech. According to the information on his file, he often stole memories of loved ones. Though it wasn’t specified whether he kept the memories he took.
Prowl hoped, for both his and Jazz’s sake, that he did.
Although he had easily found out who had taken his memories, finding the mech would be much harder. Knowing where a Decepticon was after they had left was a far simpler matter than knowing where a Decepticon was right now. On top of this, Delirium was only loosely associated with the Decepticons and was almost never found on any base.
This would be harder than he liked, but he would manage it. He had to.
In the meantime, he had to talk to Jazz. He sent a quick comm to him asking him to come to Prowl’s office when he had the chance. He hoped Jazz would be comfortable with him after their last encounter last night.
It didn’t take long for Jazz to arrive. As soon as he sat down, Prowl began their conversation.
“I have found out the identity of the mech that stole my memories and as soon as I find out where they are currently hiding, I will be going after them.”
Jazz sat frozen, a look of complete shock painted cross his face.
“I- that’s great Prowl!” Jazz exclaimed, smiling widely. “Wait. You’re gonna try and find the mech that did this to you on your own?”
“Not by myself, there will be others who come with me. I already have their name, now I just need to find out where they are currently holed up. This was already a high priority mission on it’s own due to the other information the mnemosurgeon could have seen, now that I am actively aiding the investigation it should go much faster.”
Jazz leaned forward, a hungry, desperate look in his optics. “Who are they?”
The atmosphere had grown tense. Prowl knew that if he gave Jazz the name, he would go after him on his own. Jazz had many contacts, even within the Decepticon ranks. His help would go a long way. But he was too emotionally compromised by the situation and the last thing Prowl wanted was for Jazz to get hurt because of him.
“I can’t tell you that,” Prowl replied, his tone firm. He wasn’t going to let Jazz go off on his own.
For a moment, Prowl thought Jazz would protest, but after a few moments Jazz simply nodded. “Alright, I understand. Thank you for tellin’ me that you’re lookin’ into it.”
Prowl nodded. “Of course. This is as important to you as it is to me. Perhaps even more so. I’ll keep you updated in whatever way I can.”
Jazz smiled at him. “Thanks Prowl. I gotta run, my shift starts soon, but we can talk a bit more later?”
Prowl couldn’t say no, not with the hope so obvious in Jazz’s voice. “Sure. I’ll comm you when I finish working and we can get our energon together, if that sounds good to you.”
“It sounds great. See you then,” Jazz said, getting up from where he had been sitting. “Bye!”
“Goodbye, Jazz,” Prowl said, watching as he darted off in the direction of Special Operations. Prowl sighed, glancing at the datapads in front of him. He had plenty of work to do, he could think about Jazz some more later.
Jazz was going to hunt down that mnemosurgeon and get Prowl’s memories back if it was the last thing he did. The idea hadn’t even occurred to him until Prowl had brought it up, but now that he had thought about it, he couldn’t let it go, no matter what Prowl said.
It wasn’t like Jazz didn’t understand why Prowl didn’t want to give him the mnemosurgeon’s name. In fact, he understood completely. He was aware that he got a bit irrational when it came to missions where something or someone he loved was at stake, but that wasn’t going to stop him this time. Now that he knew there was a possibility Prowl could get his memories back, and that Prowl himself wanted them back, he would stop at nothing until he found the mech who took them.
Hacking the Autobot servers was easy. Jazz was surprised Prowl hadn’t thought to prevent him from doing so, but with all that had happened to him recently, it wasn’t too surprising that he’d forgotten. Without Prowl’s code keeping him out, there was nothing to stop him from finding out the name of the mnemosurgeon.
Delirium. With a name like that, along with his profession, he would be pretty easy to find.
Jazz quickly pulled up his contacts within the Decepticons. This would be the most tedious part, but Jazz didn’t mind. Soon he’d be face to face with the mech who stole Prowl’s memories and nothing would stop him from getting them back.
After getting Delirium’s location from his contacts, Jazz set off immediately. He would have to make up for missing energon with Prowl later. Though returning his memories would probably go a long way in making up for it on it’s own.
The small hideout was only a few kilometers from the Autobot base, which made Jazz suspicious. Did Delirium want them to come after him? Jazz didn’t stop to think about it too hard. If the mech left this hideout, there was no guarantee Jaz would be able to find him again, considering how little he communicated with the Decepticon central command.
Breaking into the base was easy enough, the security measured barely existed. Once again, Jazz wondered if Delirium wanted the Autobots to come after him. He slipped through the corridors of the hideout. There weren’t many places to hide in such a small area, but Delirium had managed to make himself scarce. Perhaps he’d already left, maybe Jazz was already too late.
Jazz stopped walking for a moment, trying to avoid thinking about what he’d do if Delirium was gone.
“Ah, finally. I was beginning to wonder if you’d ever show up,” a voice said from behind Jazz, startling him. “Tell me, Jazz. How is Prowl doing?”
Jazz spun around, finally facing Delirium. So he had been expecting someone to come for him and he had been expecting Jazz specifically. Interesting.
“Delirium. You have something I want.”
“Oho?” Delirium chuckled and began circling Jazz. “What might that be, dear Jazz?”
That was what Prowl had called him. So Delirium was storing Prowl’s memories directly in his brain module, which meant Jazz couldn’t hurt him without risking the memories.
“You know what. Prowl’s memories. I want you to give them back.”
“Is that what you want?” Delirium asked, suddenly far more sinister than he was a moment before. “Well then, dear Jazz. I want you to beg for them.”
For a moment, Jazz felt his pride overwhelm his good sense and almost refused. But then he remembered why he was here. Immediately he dropped to his knees, hunching over. “Please. Please give them back. Please, I need him, I need Prowl’s memories back. Please.”
The Decepticon cackled, his joy at Jazz’s desperation growing more with each plea.
“Oh, what a joy it is to bring the proud Autobot Special Ops commander to his knees. Tell me, what would you give me for these memories?” Delirium asked, his face twisted into something that could be called a smile.
“Anything,” Jazz gasped, “I would give you anything.”
Delirium’s smile grew and suddenly Jazz wondered if he’d made a mistake in coming here alone. This mech was clearly more dangerous than he’d been told.
“Well, these memories must mean an awful lot to you. I almost want to keep them to myself just for that. But… no. No, no. I have a much better idea.”
For a moment, Jazz was left in suspension to wonder what the other mech would ask of him. There was almost nothing he would say no to, not with Prowl’s memories at stake. He needed his conjunx back.
“Give me your memory of falling in love with Prowl,” Delirium demanded, and Jazz’s head snapped up to him. He wanted to protest, but he considered the offer for a moment.
“Just that memory?” he asked, still debating with himself. The memory was precious to him, but it wasn’t anything compared to
“Yes,” Delirium replied, looking pleased. “That’s the memory I really wanted from Prowl, but there wasn’t just one memory. He fell in love with you every day he was with you, and that just takes up too much of my memory storage. All I want is a single memory, so let me take one of yours in return for all of his.”
And wasn’t that something to hear. Everyday Prowl fell in love with him. Jazz made up his mind.
“Yes.”
Delirium smiled, walking around Jazz to get to his neck. The last thing Jazz heard before losing consciousness was a soft “Thank you.”
Later, Jazz would wake up in the Autobot medbay with an angry Prowl sitting next to him. Prowl would scold him for his recklessness and Jazz would listen dutifully before laying out his reasons. They would argue for a few moments, then Prowl would throw himself across Jazz’s chassis and start to cry.
“I’m sorry I made you feel like you lost me,” Prowl would say through static, and Jazz would realize that Prowl’s memories were back.
“Well, we’ve got plenty of time for you to make it up to me,” Jazz would say.
Prowl would manage a laugh and they would talk about what had happened in hushed voices, until Ratchet would arrive and tell them both to leave.
“There's nothing wrong with you, so go be mushy somewhere else,” he would say grouchily.
Prowl and Jazz would leave without complaint, going back to the quarters they once again shared. Jazz would smile. All was as it should be.