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This had taken weeks of careful planning, utilizing resources that they otherwise wouldn’t have used, working with allies they had never thought possible. Megatron stood at one end of the table, plans laid out, different strategies of Autobot troops over what ones Starscream was likely to make. Prowl still didn’t trust Megatron, but Prime did, and his orders were orders. But Prowl did have to admit strategizing with Megatron was… fun.
“How long will it take them to retrieve the Allspark?” asked Megatron.
“Lockdown said the Death’s Head was capable of warp 5 in its current condition. So no longer than a day,” warned Prowl. “We have Blaster watching comms and security is on high alert. Once I receive the signal that they’re in the galaxy, we need to move. The whole army is on standby,” explained Prowl.
“So you have said, Blaster is no match for Soundwave,” says Megatron wary.
“He is not, but Stopping Soundwave isn’t the plan,” said Prowl. “Soundwave is good at what he does. Blaster might not be able to out hack Soundwave but he can keep up a distraction. Put him together with Red Alert and they’ll be putting up firewalls that will slow Soundwave down.”
They both fall silent in the room, He can hear chatter over Autobots comms as Jazz and Ironhide get every one into formation. Elita, Bumblebee, and Arcee are headed to the way point where Megatron will be headed as soon as Lockdown gives the signal.
“Do you think Starscream or Soundwave will suspect that we are utilizing Lockdown as a means to capture the allspark?”
“I doubt it, the intel we managed to get indicated that the Autobots favored Devcon. As he was more palatable for Autobot ideology,” said Megatron. “Are you worried for him?”
“Lockdown?” asked Prowl. “No. He’s capable of taking care of himself.” He can feel his systems warm, embarrassed. His door wings flutter as he looks away.
“How long?”
“How long what?” asked Prowl.
“How long have you been… seeing Lockdown romantically?” asked Megatron.
Prowl almost crashes right there. “I-we’re uh, we aren-”
“I’ve known Lockdown a long time,” said Megatron. “He’s never wanted to get involved in the war, so why is he getting involved now?”
“Because we can end this?” asked Prowl more than stated. “He’s as tired of it as we are? We’ll be able to go home? Eventually.”
“Yet he could leave whenever he wanted. He could leave the war behind and never look back, and yet, he answers your request with very little lip and dare I say hope in those optics of his.”
Prowls not sure he could save this. Was it even worth hiding still?
“Its been a groon,” answered Prowl. They have to make friendly with Megatron at some point. Optimus has already had the meeting with them that he really can’t go back to the Decepticons. Weather anyone likes it or not Megatrons been overthrown and this is the only place he can go really.
“So Still new then. The Honeymoon phase as Dorothy would call it. How do the Autobots take to cross-faction romances?” asked Megatron as he leaned against a table, once more looking over the plan.
“He’s not a Decepticon,” answered Prowl.
“He’s not an Autobot either.”
“It would not go over well,” said Prowl. He’s struggled with the idea should anyone find out.
“Optimus took kindly to me switching pretty well all things considered.”
“Optimus knows you,” said Prowl.
A packet with a single set of coordinates attached to it. Coordinates that if followed on earth would be close to the shore of the southern icecap, but on Cybertron would be along the border of Kaon and Praxis.
“They’ve got the goods,” says Prowl to Megatron. “You know the plan.” He puts a comm through to Jazz. “[ignight.]”
“Attention all Autobots,” shouts Jazz over the PA system of the Ark. “Transform and roll Out!”
Prowl and Megatron speed through the corridors until they can see all earthbound Autobots transforming and driving out of the Ark. “Elita is waiting for you at the coordinates,” reminded Prowl. Prowl transforms and makes his way out to the battlefield, Megatron Transforms and does the same, all of their heavy hitters are to be focused on getting the allspark to the space bridge.
Their job is to provide a distraction, that was the entire plan, their plan was to keep Starscream and the rest of the Decepticons from the space bridge. It was always a possibility that a few were going to get through their defenses, how they were able to hold the Bridge at all was still a mystery to Prowl any way. They were underpowered and oftentimes they were stretched too thin.
Starscream usually focused on Prowl or Jazz, Soundwave usually focusing somewhere else, but they had a major bone to pick with Megatron after his defection. Prowl suspected Megatron would be the target of their ire, the pain of his betrayal still too new, and Starscream was always a wild card on if he would attack Megatron or not when they shared a side.
Prowl spit out commands as the battle between Decepticon foot soldiers and the Autobots raged on - The Death’s Head had been shot out of the sky by the Leviathan, they had been able to get a working (though albeit not for long) spaceship. The Arialbots had done as asked, taking out the ships engines once and for all, the ship crash landing just outside the mountain range. Prowl will have to make arrangements for clean up later. Right now they have too much to deal with.
He saw Optimus Jump from the smoking hunk of a ship, the cube intact and booking it to the rendezvous point. He hasn’t seen Lockdown yet. But he can’t get distracted, Autobots relayed instructions over the comms Prowls tactical team was doing phenomenal keeping to the plan. There was only so much they could do - they just had to adapt. Something their species was famous for doing.
In real time the battle lasts ten minutes at most but by the time its over, it feels like hours. The battle stops as the space bridge closes. Prime comes over the Autobot channel to tell them the mission was a success but the fight will still wage on, even now that Starscream has lost. Had Megatron been the one to lead the Decepticons to battle he would have called a retreat. Already they had lost their objective, there would be no point in continuing the fight, but Starscream is out for revenge, with a long term rivalry against Megatron, its possible he’s even encouraged to take out his anger on Megatron. Prowl fully expects the battle to continue.
But it doesn’t.
Their human allies, Nest or GI Joe Prowl doesn’t know what they call themselves now, struggle against the Decepticons but they scatter. A few Decepticons deliver some parting shots, but Prowls only guess is that they know that if they are captured here, they will be taken into custody. Prowl sees Thundercracker surrender rather than run, Thundercracker was always the sensible one, unlike Starscream or Skywarp.
“Sir, Thundercracker has surrendered,” says one Autobot.
“Hold him there,” orders Prowl. “Take him into custody, treat him with respect. Take him to the open air cell.”
“Yes Sir.”
“[Optimus Thundercracker has surrendered. Evac is putting them into the open air cell.]”
“[Affirmative, we will hold another tribunal to make an official protocol for this situation.]”
“[Clean up efforts are starting Decepticons are retreating.]”
“[Thats good, and Prowl. We’ll work something out.]”
Prowl stares off confused. Unsure what to do with that information. “Work out what?” asked Prowl in a confused whisper.
“What commander?”
“Nothing, let's continue with clean up,” says Prowl, going back to helping with cleaning up. As Jazz took care of the teams keeping an optic out for trouble.
Cleaning up the mountains takes a while. They aren’t in hiding, but its still policy to clean up after themselves. Blasters cassettes have been on shell casing duty for a while. Ironhides been pulling sheet metal from the mountains and Grapple has been getting the harder to reach stuff with the help of their humans allies.
Prowls tired right down to his very core. Rewind and Eject are covered in dirt and grime and Prowl swears he can hear one of them squeak. He’s pretty sure its Eject.
“You look exhausted,” says a familiar voice. Had it been any other battle before this, it would have been Jazz. But with the way Eject and Rewind scramble, its not Jazz, thats definitely Lockdown.
“Yeah well, its been a long day. How did your part go?” asked Prowl.
“Death’s Head is totaled,” answered Lockdown. “I’ll be around for a while. All four Nacelles are toast, All I have are impulse Engines and thats not enough power to get me out of the Atmosphere.”
“So what are you going to do?” asked Prowl. He scratches at some of the dried mud and frowns as it crusts off, showering is going to be fun.
“Probably stick around, Prime said he’s let me park it on base and repair it as thanks for the work I did,” said Lockdown. “Said I might have a semi-permanent job too, the Decepticons didn’t just retreat they scattered Prowl. Someones got to bring them in. Once I get the ship repaired I’ll go back to my old job, but this time catching Decepticons.”
“It probably wont just be you looking at the Bounty Boards, Devcon and Drift are likely looking for work as well.”
“Well then I guess I can be gratuitous enough to give them a head start,” said Lockdown as he wraps one arm around Prowls waist, pulling him close to his frame.
“Locks I’m filthy - you’re going to get all covered in mud.”
“Like I haven't gotten you covered in worse stuff?” asked Lockdown.
Walking through the halls is easy, everyone is gathered in the mess hall, probably already 3 gallons deep in the twins high grade. Prowl opens the mess hall doors heavy but well maintained after they crashed here in oregon. Inside is nothing but rowdy mechs, celebrating what basically means the war is over. Prowls sees Jazz dancing with a group as Blaster DJ’s the party.
Prowl goes to a dispenser and gets himself a cube, filling it up so he can get his fuel level warning light to finally come off. He glances around the room, viewing new and regular wall flowers. Prowl has never been comfortable in crowded spaces, and by the look of it neither is Megatron.
Lockdown leans over Prowl, feeling his anxiety, blocking him from the masses. Making their own little bubble. Prowl takes a sip of the energon he got for himself and he relaxes a little. Allowing Lockdown the luxury too. “I know you don’t like crowds, I’ll help you clean up,” says Lockdown pressing his lips against Prowls.
Prowl hummed, “okay.”
More people than just Prime and Megatron probably would have noticed their departure if it weren’t for the fact that recently defected Drift/Deadlock and Ratchet were currently making out on a bar stool, putting on quite the show.