Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Picture this, if you will. Gleaming metallic towers extending downwards into what seems to be a near-infinite black void. Blinding neon signs and electronic billboards adorn nearly all the surrounding buildings, advertising everything from the newest polish and paints to a small local café, just down that-a-way. Hundreds upon thousands of jets, planes, and other flying vehicles all racing to their destinations, maybe hurrying to work, going to the bar, meeting a friend or two, or maybe just taking a ride through the city.

But that part of this gleaming city isn't the focus right now. The real focus is down in that seemingly infinite pit, to the ground levels of the city. Here, bots of all shapes and sizes roam the streets, heading one way or another.

Two bots stood out in particular, a tall and skinny silver-painted bot with strange, red finials that almost resembled the horns of an organic stag beetle and a fairly large chassis, and another, slightly shorter, younger, yellow-painted bot with large, triangular wings and finials that curl back around their head, like that of an organic ram's horns. The two seemed to be on business, walking down the street with clear intent in their EM fields. The yellow bot looked at the silver bot, a slight frown on their face.

‘So you're sure there's some sorta conspiracy goin’ on, Prowl? I swear, if you're leading me down the wrong path, Optimus is gonna have your helm, I'm sure of it.’ The yellow bot had a bit of irritation to their whispery tone. It was clear they didn't want this to be a waste of time, but Prowl had never been wrong in these sorts of situations…

‘Trust me on this one, Goldleaf. There's too much intel for this to be fake. We just need to get that footage, then it'll be done. Okay?’ The silver bot, known as Prowl, whispered back to the yellow bot, known as Goldleaf, in a semi-reassuring tone, though there was still the smallest hint of doubt in his voice.

The two came to a small bar on the corner of some miscellaneous backwater street, Swerve's . Goldleaf was a regular there, and they knew the bots that frequented the place, but they surely didn't expect to be meeting their contact here of all places. ‘... really ? Swerve's, of all places? Prowl, tell me ya didn't tell the contact to meet us here …’ Goldleaf inwardly groaned at that. If this went badly, they'd never be able to go there again.

‘The contact insisted, Goldleaf. Don't worry, it's going to be fine.’ Prowl said, his tone becoming a bit more confident, yet still reassuring, to both himself and Goldleaf. Goldleaf sighed softly, but made no protest. The two walked inside, and walked to the bar. The two sat down, Goldleaf resting their elbows on the counter. The bartender, a cheery Minicon by the name of Swerve, looked at Goldleaf with a grin. 

‘Back again, eh? And you brought a friend with you! Niiice. So, what’ll it be tonight, Goldie? Standard glass of oil, or are we thinking high grade tonight? It's been a tough week for everyone, why not treat yourself?’ Swerve chuckled, looking at Goldleaf with a glint in his visor. The two were good friends, but they mainly talked here at the bar. ‘I… I'll just have a glass of oil, thanks. I don't plan on getting drunk tonight, I'm meeting someone on business.’

Swerve seemed to frown. ‘Business? Huh. Well… care to explain?’ Goldleaf was about to say something, but Prowl quickly clapped a servo over Goldleaf's intake. ‘It doesn't concern you, citizen. It isn't anything of importance. Now get me some high grade, strongest thing you've got.’ Prowl scowled at Goldleaf, his optics glowing a sharp red, his dentae clamped together.

Swerve seemed to flinch a bit at Prowl's demeanour, before chuckling nervously. ‘Okay, okay, calm down, I'll keep my intake shut. One glass of Nightmare Fuel, comin’ right up. Be careful, though. A bot I know nearly died drinking this stuff.’ Swerve chuckled nervously again, before leaning down to the bottom shelf, before standing back up with a large decanter of the aforementioned liquid, black as oil with a dirty green shine to it.

Swerve held it up to his own optic, watching the liquid shine in the artificial light of the bar. ‘...you sure you wanna drink this, buddy? It's pretty heavy stuff…’ Prowl simply chuckled. ‘Sure, li'l guy. Just give it to me.’ He raised one eyebrow expectantly, a slight challenge in his eyes.

I’d drink it. Watch me.

Swerve looked at Prowl for a few seconds, slightly unnerved. ‘...well, uh, okay…’ Swerve reached down under the bar and grabbed a glass, pouring the blackish emerald liquid into it. He slid it over the bar to Prowl, who stopped it with one waiting servo. ‘Thanks.’ He raised the glass to his intake, and in not three nanokliks the drink was gone.

Swerve, Goldleaf, and a few bots who had nothing better to do than listen looked at Prowl, simultaneously astonished, concerned, and a little bit scared. Prowl grinned. ‘So what if I can keep my drinks down? Not that big of a deal.’ 

Though, this little moment of localised fame didn’t last long, as the doors to the bar swung open in a sudden rush, revealing a tall bot, red as the most valuable ruby, decorated with a large harness adorned with spikes and jewels to distract even the most steadfast mech. Said mech strolled over nonchalantly, sitting down at the bar. 『Why hello. I suppose you two are my contacts? ☆』

CONT IN CH. 2

Chapter Text

Goldleaf and Prowl both looked at each other, the same bewildered expression on their faceplates. This… flamboyant ‘bot who looked more suited to a club than a simple place like Swerve’s, was their contact? Prowl shrugged. He’d seen weirder. 

“Uh- y-yeah… th- that’s us. Yep,” Goldleaf answered shakily. Goldleaf seemed completely awestruck, not really sure what to do, whereas Prowl seemed just as cool, calm and collected as always.

“Quite. Anywho,” Prowl waved Swerve over with one hand, the other still clutching his empty glass. Swerve sauntered over, that familiar grin back on his face. The new ‘bot immediately caught Swerve’s optic, his visor glowing ever so slightly brighter.

“Why hello there, pretty mech. What can I do ya for? A cyberpolitan? Frag on the beach? Torus Heights iced tea? Spark igniter? Showstar martini? Nitroboost? Overload? Jewel bloom champagne? Cybertronian sunrise? Or, if ya feel lucky, I could mix up somethin’ special! Off-the-menu… Maybe even on-the-house.” Swerve beamed as he listed the drinks available, seeming to take great pride, as he’d come up with the names himself. All of them were Earth drinks, of course, but that didn’t stop his customers from buying them every night.

“Well…” The ruby-red ‘bot brought a servo to their chin, seeming to consider the options available. They hummed slightly, before dropping their servo to the bar. “Let’s see what you can come up with… Seems pretty novel to me.” The ‘bot flashed a smile to Swerve, who instantly seemed to lose the tiniest bit of composure, before scurrying across the bar to the fridge, grabbing various bottles, big and small, before returning to his previous spot with his ingredients, beginning to mix and taste, trying to perfect a drink for his new - hopefully frequent - customer.

The red ‘bot looked over at Goldleaf and Prowl, who both seemed slightly bewildered at the exchange. The red ‘bot’s finials twitched slightly, and they cocked an optical ridge.

“What? You’re looking at me funny. Is there something on my faceplate?” The red ‘bot tilted their head, not seeming to notice the effect they had on the chatty bartender.

“There’s nothing on your faceplate, but, uhh…” Goldleaf frowned slightly. “What was that? You- you smiled, and it’s like a switch flipped.” Both Goldleaf and Prowl seemed equally confused at the interaction between the strange ‘bot and Swerve.

The red ‘bot seemed equally confused, looking over at Swerve, who was pottering away trying to make the perfect drink for them. He seemed absolutely infatuated, anybody nearby could almost see sparks flying.

“...oh. Y’know, I’ve never really noticed that,” The ‘bot said, seeming slightly amused. “I guess I just have that effect on ‘bots.” They chuckled as they watched Swerve finally finish their drink and slide it over to them.

“H-here ya go, on the house! I hope it’s to your liking.” Swerve seemed almost nervous as he watched the ‘bot sip at the drink once. The ‘bot’s eyes widened as the liquid hit their glossa, and they almost instantly downed the entire thing, much to the group’s surprise.

“Oh, Primus, that’s good!” They exclaimed, before very quickly remembering why they were actually there. “... Hey, you, bartender. Why don’cha go tend to some other customers for a while…? I’ve got business with these two fine mechs right here.” The ‘bot purred, gesturing to Goldleaf and Prowl. Swerve nodded, giving a knowing smile.

“Of course, of course. Just call out if ya need me, ya hear?” The small ‘bot grinned, before sauntering off to go talk to a duo of regulars, Trailcutter and Skids. They were nice enough, as far as Goldleaf was concerned, but he rarely if ever spoke to either of them.

“So, where were we…? Right, we had to meet for that super-specific reason. Yeah. Do you, uh… do you have the thing?” Goldleaf said awkwardly. Prowl muttered something about ‘So experienced yet so inexperienced’, but otherwise didn’t comment.

“Right, right! Yeah.” The ‘bot chuckled. Their demeanour seemed to shift instantly, acting like Goldleaf was a friend they hadn’t seen in aaaages. “Oh, before I forget! While I was up in Iacon, I managed to snag this ring from a jeweler I like, and it reminded me of you!” The red ‘bot pulled a panel on the side of their hip, before handing the case to Goldleaf. The ‘bot winked at Goldleaf, as if saying ‘Play along for now, eh?’.

Goldleaf got the memo instantly, and took the box, a surprised grin on their face. “Awww, thank you, dude! You shouldn’t’ve!” Goldleaf embraced the ‘bot, chuckling slightly. “So, how was the trip? Ooh, ooh, did you get to see the Spire? I bet it was just as amazing as all those holovids showed…!”

The ‘bot laughed, gently embracing Goldleaf back, if for a few moments. “Of course, of course, buddy! It was even taller than in those vids! I forgot to take any photos, though… I promise I’ll snap a few for ya next time I’m up there, m’kay?” The ‘bot’s tone was warm, as if the situation they were acting out was actually happening. Goldleaf gently let go of the ‘bot, smiling brightly while looking down at the ‘gift’.

Prowl chuckled warmly, looking between the two. “Well, it’s good to have you back, friend. Goldie here really missed you while you were up in Iacon, y’know.” Prowl chuckled, internally surprised at how easily they’ve managed to fake this entire situation.

The ‘bot hummed in an amused manner, their gaze turning to Prowl. “Oh, jeez. I probably should’ve called more, eh?” They grinned, flashing their dentae. The ‘bot stood up, stretching their arms up in the air. “Oogh… well, it was really nice seeing you two again, but I’ve gotta bounce. It’s getting late, and you never know what kind of ‘bots are out there. Stay safe, you two. See ya.” And with that, the ‘bot turned away and left the building, but not before sliding a note onto the table.

Goldleaf immediately grabbed the note, quickly reading it.

‘ Thanks for that conversation, you two.

The name’s Redlight, by the way.

Oh, and here’s my frequency. 

Call me when you get the chance.’

Written below was a series of numbers, the frequency for Redlight’s comms. Goldleaf quickly placed the note behind a panel on the back of their servo.

“What was that about?” Prowl asked curiously, eyeing the spot where Goldleaf had placed the note. Goldleaf snapped their gaze up to meet Prowl’s.

“O-ohh, that ‘bot left us a note. They said their name’s Redlight, and they left their frequency, as well. Said to call ‘em later.” Goldleaf answered, the nervousness fading from their tone. They knew for a fact they could trust Prowl, and they didn’t want to make him suspicious of anything.
“Mhm. Well, I suppose if they’re a colleague of ours, then we can trust them…” Prowl’s tone held the tiniest bit of hesitance, but not enough to signify proper caution. Goldleaf nodded in response.

“...Well… Now that that’s done, we should probably get going, hmm? Jazz and Soundwave will want to see this.” Prowl stood up, and Goldleaf followed suit.

The two walked out of the bar, giving Swerve a quick wave goodbye. The outside air of the city was simultaneously fresh and stale, but for Goldleaf, it was the air of home. The two walked down the now-quiet streets, before slipping into an alleyway. The two transformed into their alt-modes, Goldleaf being a bright yellow fighter jet with red and black accenting, and Prowl transforming into a sleek silver helicopter, the two flying up to the higher levels of the city, before flying out and away into the distance, heading for Iacon.

As the two flew through the Cybertronian night sky, a silence slowly started to grow between the two colleagues, until Goldleaf piped up, their sensors focused on the starry sky above the two, a sense of wonder present in their EM field. “...y’know, the skies out here really are beautiful… you can see so many stars… it’s amazing.” Prowl didn’t answer immediately, however, his sensors focused downwards, to the barren, dull, metal landscape below them. “...mhm… yeah, they are.” Prowl’s sensors didn’t even change axis, just idly agreeing with Goldleaf.

Goldleaf’s tone changed to be slightly confrontational, detecting Prowl’s simple lie, their EM field radiating a sense of annoyance. “...Prowl, I can sense your sensors too, y’know. And they aren’t looking where I am.” They sounded slightly offended at the fact that Prowl didn’t even bother to just look up. “...is… is something on your mind?” Goldleaf’s tone changed again, sounding almost worried. “...you… you can tell me if you’re sad, y’know. I can listen.”

Prowl paused, his EM field radiating a slight sense of surprise at Goldleaf’s concern. “...I… I am fine, Goldleaf. I’m just… thinking.”

“Thinking? Care to tell me what you’re thinkin’ about…?”

“...this… this conspiracy. I mean, we have the evidence to act, but… what if it’s faked? The technology is readily available, a rouge ‘bot could easily fake it.”

“Oh, c’mon, Prowl, you’re just being anxious. Besides, there’s too much evidence to have it all be fake. Witness accounts, testimonies, pictures, and now this? This is the final piece. We won’t have to worry after this, Prowl…”

“...I… I guess you are right.”

“That’s the spirit! Now let’s get this chip to Jazz n’ Soundwave, eh?”

“...I… yeah. Let’s go.”

Then, the two sped off across the metal plains, and Goldleaf could distantly detect Prowl’s sensors shifting up to look at the stars.