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Behind them, something exploded. Something that wasn’t one of Jazz’s charges, because he wasn’t crazy enough to have put any in this hall while he was trying to evacuate prisoners, but something big. And hot.
He felt his plating bubble and start to peel as he grabbed Rewind and shielded the recordicon with his own body. The other escapees dropped to the ground and escaped the worst of the fireball, and so did Rewind.
And then the shrapnel followed, burning hot and stabbing through plating and into protoform and cabling. Jazz hissed at the pain and the recordicon looked up at him, clearly worried. “Jazz?”
“I’m fine,” he lied as damage began scrolling by on his heads-up display. He wasn’t fine, wasn’t even in the same galactic quadrant as ‘fine’ actually, but they also couldn’t do anything about it so it didn’t matter. “Everybody, back on your feet, we gotta get outta here before this base finishes blowing up!"
“Right.” Rewind still looked worried and Jazz set him back down on the deck, but he didn’t push the issue. When Jazz started running, so did the recordicon. And the other prisoners followed.
Energon levels 50% his HUD helpfully informed him as they raced toward their shuttle and another, smaller, explosion went off behind them.
Coolant pressure lost it told him as he stabbed the lock to the shuttle bay with his dagger, and then added Overheat immanent.
And he could feel the buildup of heat in his internals already, but it didn’t matter. The prisoners had to get off this station and back behind Autobot lines. Fortunately, he’d parked the shuttle close to the door when he flew in under his cover as a returning spy, so they wouldn’t have to go far to get on board.
He sent a command to the ships computer with his barely functioning comm suite and dropped the boarding ramp as the prisoners ran through the door. Jazz pulled the dagger out of the lock and turned to throw it at a Decepticon who was following.
Then he ran too, and when he stepped on board the shuttle, Rewind was already sitting in the pilot’s chair and starting it up. Bless his little databanks, because Jazz didn’t think he could fly right now.
“Blast your way out if you have to,” he told the recordicon as he reached for the controls that would close the ramp.
Another explosion rocked the space station, though Jazz didn’t know if it was his or someone else’s. The Decepticon he’d clipped with his dagger jumped for the closing ramp.
The other mech pulled himself on board as Jazz drew another dagger. “Truce! I want out of here as much as you do!”
The Con looked sincere, and Jazz hoped he wasn’t making a mistake. “Fine, sit.”
The Con sat, and Jazz reached into his subspace as Rewind got the shuttle off the deck and moving toward the doors. He tossed a pair of stais cuffs to one of the other escaped prisoners and kept his optics focused on the Con.
It was going to be a mess, if the mech tried anything.
Energon levels at 30% his HUD told him, underscoring the point.
-_-_-_-_-
“Don’t slag me, Jazz.” Ratchet was reaching for him as Rewind left with Blaster, the other rescued prisoners left with First Aid and Grapple, and the Decepticon left with security. “How bad?”
“Bad,” Jazz replied. “Sorry, Ratch.”
“Don’t ‘sorry, Ratch’ me, you–”
Jazz didn’t know what else the medic said. He didn’t even feel himself falling as everything went black.
-_-_-_-_-
“He saved me,” Rewind said softly. “He wouldn’t have… He’d still… It’s my fault.”
“It is not.” He’d known the Prime was standing there, holding vigil at Jazz’s side with him, but he didn’t expect the hand that came down to pull him against the big mech’s leg in an effort to comfort him. “Jazz always knows the risks of his missions. If it is anyone’s fault, Rewind, it is mine. I sent him onto that station to rescue you all.”
“It’s the fault of whatever fragger started the self destruct sequence,” Ratchet broke in, interrupting them before either of them could continue trying to take the blame. Rewind found himself grateful for it. “Now, both of you get out of here and get some recharge. It’s late and visiting joors were over ages ago.”
“I’m afraid to leave him alone,” Rewind admitted quietly.
“And you will not.” Prowl stepped up to Rewind’s other side. “I will comm if his situation changes, Prime. You are relieved.”
"I am not relieved," Optimus sighed. “But thank you, Prowl. Come, Rewind.”
“You shouldn’t stay either, Prowl,” Ratchet began, but the Praxian shook his head.
“One of us needs to be here, Ratchet. Just in case.”
Ratchet sighed. “Fine. I’m as likely to find you in the vents as Bumblebee, if I don’t let you stay. On this base, anyway.”
“Thank you, Ratchet.” Prowl’s wings relaxed and Rewind thought he looked as tired as the recordicon felt. “Goodnight, Rewind, Optimus.”
“Goodnight, Prowl.” Optimus reached down and picked Rewind up before he knew what was happening. “Come, we can fuel together before going our separate ways tonight.”
“Okay.” Rewind sighed. “Goodnight Prowl.”
As Optimus carried him toward the door, though, Rewind caught a glimpse of Jazz’s visor lighting up and he felt his systems relax for the first time in days.
-_-_-_-_-
When Ratchet came on duty in the morning, the fingers of Jazz’s right hand were laced with the finger’s of Prowl’s left and the Praxian was reading softly from his data pad.
“Hey, Ratch,” Jazz greeted weakly. “Thanks for saving my aft again.”