Transformers Fan Fiction ❯ On Your Shore ❯ Approach Vector ( Chapter 2 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Ultra Magnus parked on a bluff over Rio del Oro, a tiny town nestled in the foothills of the Sierra Madres, unimportant except for the experimental nuclear power plant that stood out like a blazing sign. Most maps didn't even bother to list this township and the closest freeway was a hundred miles away. He wouldn't be here either, except . . . there, at the base of the giant concaved cylinder of the plant's stack, the Autobot Brothers were sitting around playing cards. If he sat quiet enough in just the right place, their voices drifted up to him.
"Tarnation! That's the tenth hand today! Are you stacking the deck?"
"As an officer of the law, I find the very implication insulting."
"Oh for cryin' out loud, Prowl, will you quit it with the police officer thing? How many times do I gotta say it, Bro? You're not a cop!"
"I'll have you know. . . ."
"So how much longer do we have to sit here?" Sideburn interrupted impatiently. "I've got better things to do . . . like finding the love of my life."
Magnus allowed himself a silent chuckle. As much as he hated to admit it, these three brothers amused him. He tried to convince himself that that was why, when he had overheard Optimus assigning them this guard duty, he had opted to follow them. It had absolutely nothing to do with Prowl. . . .
Against his will, his viewfinder arrowed in on Prowl, bringing the white samurai warrior into sharp focus. Sunlight shimmered off the windows of his lower panels, scintillating along the radar units housed on his shoulders. Light and shadow played across his face, creating the momentary illusion of a smile.
"Optimus doesn't know when the Preds'll come, if they come a'tall. We jus' gotta wait."
"This is rediculous. What, are we going to spend the rest of our lives sitting here?"
"Nah, the experimental rods're only bein' used today. If the Preds're comin', they'll have to come today. Rods'll be back in lead storage tomorrow."
"What's the point? Seems like kinda a waste, if you ask me."
"Experimental procedure is quite exacting, Sideburn. There are rules to be followed, a proper order to things. . . ."
"Forget I asked," Sideburn interrupted. "How about another hand, since we're just sitting here anyway."
Ultra Magnus allowed himself another silent chuckle. They were pathetic, there was no denying that, but there was almost a charm in their patheticness. Prowl's obsession with rules and police code was almost more pathetic than Sideburn's obsession with red sports cars, but at least it was a pathetic attribute that had a sense of charm. Sideburn was just pathetic. And X-Brawn . . . he introduced a whole new level of patheticness.
Long range scanners chirped at him, shattering his daydream as the long range screen zoomed up into the center of his field of vision. Six signatures, the Decepticons. They were hardly being covert, but then again, it didn't really matter. Nothing the humans had could stop them and even the Autobot Brothers would be toast without his help.
"Ultra Magnus, transform!"
His vehicle mode flew apart, rearranging into his more familiar root mode. Power flowed through his circuits, singing it's quiet war song. With a surge of power, he activated his rocket pack, landing in the midst of the brothers' game with a solid whump.
"Sorry to interrupt, boys," he rumbled, overriding their protests, "but we're about to have company, of the Decepticon kind."
"Magnus, what in tarnation are you doing here?"
"Saving your pathetic tailpipes. Sideburn, call base. Unless I miss my guess, you boys are going to need all the help you can get."


Ultra Magnus cradled his weapon, waiting in plain sight as the steady whump-whump of Ro-Tor's blades grew slowly louder. The others were hiding behind the stack, but Ultra Magnus stood at the leading edge of the town, waiting for the Decepticons. Patience, he counselled himself, let them come to you.
He was soon rewarded with the sight of Ro-Tor and Movor cresting the horizon, Rollbar, Armorhide, Mega Octane, and Scourge rolling into view shortly thereafter. He stood immobile, watching them, once again noting their weaknesses and strengths silently. They came within a half dozen lengths before transforming.
"Stand aside, Ultra Magnus. This facility and all it's power belong to Megatron."
"Wrong as usual, Scourge," Magnus replied impassively. "Take 'em, boys!"
"X-Brawn, power up!" "Sideburn, power up!" "Prowl, power-up!"
For a microsecond, startled disbelief registered on all six faces of the Decepticons. It was just enough to give the Autobot Brothers the time they needed to press their advantage. Weapons blazing, the three Autobots charged the six Decepticons. And for a moment, it appeared as though the simplistic ruse had been enough to send the incompetant Decepticons running back to base.
"Don't just stand there, you fools!"
"Decepticons, combiner mode!"
"Sword of Fury!" "Ruination awakens!"
"Oh crap."
"You three focus on Ruination. I'll deal with the sychophant," Magnus directed, opening fire on Scourge.
"I really think it'd work better with you tackling Ruination," Prowl opined as he fired on the gestalt. Ultra Magnus grunted, not wasting the time to reply as he grappled with Scourge. The Decepticon's sword pinged off Blue Bolts, threatening to rip the gun from his hand. He turned with the strike, using it to power a right cross to Scourge's exposed face. His opponent ducked under the punch and Magnus spun away, firing round after round at the Decepticon. A yelp sliced through his concentration briefly, then he pushed it aside as Scourge rushed him again.
Blaring sirens offered a steady candence, a counterpoint to the thundering of his own fuel pump. Power surged through his systems and he lashed out with a spinning backhanded blow. Scourge staggered backwards, momentarily dazed.
"Fool! You will rue this day! Ultimate Main Battery!"
Bombs, bullets, and laser bolts rained down around him, but Magnus ignored them all. He spun his weapon around, shifting to plasma cannon. A pained yowl briefly caught his audios. Power and rage both whistled through his audios, the rage growing hotter when he noticed peripherally that Prowl was no longer a part of the fight against Ruination.
"You . . . will . . . not . . . win!" he growled, punctuating each word with a blast from his cannon. Scourge's laughter rang loudly in his audios as Ruination threw X-Brawn across town. Then another siren joined the background noise, cutting off almost as soon as it sounded.
"Magnus! Let me give you a hand!"
Ultra Magnus had not been glad to see his brother since Vector Sigma had chosen Optimus instead of himself to carry the Matrix. Until now. Relief cascading through him, he clasped his brother's hand.
"Ultimate energy combiner, Omega Prime!"
He loved and yet hated the forced fusion that gave him more power than even Optimus possessed. For with that fusion came the sickening certainty that Optimus knew all of his secrets, just as he knew all of his brother's. They were still separate, and yet terribly combined.
This time I abdicate the power to you, Brother.
Magnus could hardly believe what he was 'hearing' . . . but he wasn't about to question it. Not yet. Weilding the awesome power of Omega Prime, Magnus powered a punch at Ruination that knocked the gestalt into his component combiner team.
"Leave this place, Decepticons!"
"Decepticons, withdraw!"
Thank you, Optimus.
I won't tell anyone you just said that, Optimus sent back with the suggestion of amusement. Or anything else. I've kept your secrets this long.
"Prime, we've got casualties! We need the space bridge, stat!"
The forced fusion collapsed as Ultra Magnus pulled free of his brother. Sideburn was flickering, then powered down, suddenly trapped under X-Brawn's dead weight. Prowl . . . Prowl lay where he fell, energon gel oozing from a gaping wound in his chest. Magnus noted his brother helping Sideburn, but he didn't care.
"Prowl. . . ."
"Magnus, transform and we'll get them back to base."
Magnus nodded mutely, disassembling and reassembling into his vehicle mode. The back doors swung down immediately and he waited, patience worn to a thin veneer of civility. He waited as they loaded first X-Brawn and then Prowl before snapping the rear doors back into position. Opening the space bridge portal himself, he didn't even wait for the other two to transform before driving back to base.


Ultra Magnus lingered in the doorway to Medical, watching while repair droids hovered over Prowl's body. He could hear the soft clicking of their tools and gears, the shortened code T-AI used to direct them zipping between the two droids. He knew little enough about such things, but the readings on the monitors did not look particularly encouraging.
He should have taken out the Decepticons as soon as they crested the horizon. He had beaten the lot of them before, he could have done it again. Maybe if he had, Prowl wouldn't be here now.
"Ultra Magnus? Didn't expect to see you here. . . ."
He looked down at Sideburn, frowning at the interruption of his guilty thoughts. X-Brawn had already been released, deemed largely a victim of power fall off. He was, undoubtedly, resting and recharging quietly. Magnus had to admit he was a little surprised to see Sideburn wasn't doing the same.
"Shouldn't you be resting?"
"I will . . . just had to see how he was doing. X-Brawn made me promise I'd find out, for both of us."
"He'll be fine," T-AI's hologram announced. "Now both of you, get out. You both need to be re-energizing, not hanging around here. Don't make me call Optimus on you!"
"You don't scare me, T-AI," Magnus rumbled.
"I'm going, T-AI, honest. I just . . . had to see him, ya know?"
"I know, Sideburn. Now scoot. As for you, Ultra Magnus. . . ."
He waited, a faint smirk gracing his features as the hologram trailed off, watching Sideburn. As soon as the youngest Autobot Brother was gone, the hologram floated up to optic level.
"I may not know why you suddenly care about anyone but yourself," she whispered, "but I do know how much energy it takes to combine into Omega Prime. I've seen it in Optimus, and now I'm seeing it in you. You aren't going to do anyone any good if you don't even have the power to stand."
"I'm fine," he blustered staring past her to watch the repair droids working on Prowl.
"Magnus, go."
Magnus looked up sharply, but instead of T-AI, he saw Optimus. His optics narrowed as he watched his brother's gaze turn towards Prowl and the repair droids.
"What you want . . . it's too soon, Brother."
"I don't know what you're talking about," he grumbled.
"Yes you do. Go on. He's not going anywhere."
For a moment, he was seriously tempted to deck his brother. To knock him flat on his skidplate. But the urge passed as he realized his brother knew more about him then he did himself. What else has that forced fusion done to us?
Not certain he wanted to know, Ultra Magnus pushed the thought from his mind. He had enough to think about just with his brother's cryptic comments.


Prowl powered up his optics, an involuntary groan squeezing out of him. He had happily forgotten just how painful a near-death experience could be. In fact, he thought sourly, I could have happily gone the rest of my life without being reminded. Oohhh . . . what hit me?
"How do ya feel, little brother?"
"Like Ruination used me for a punching bag and then stomped on the remnants just for fun," Prowl groaned, trying to bring X-Brawn into focus. It was disheartening to note how long it took, and even then his visual field was fuzzy around the edges.
"Well just you relax, little bro. T-AI says you need to stay in here a couple more hours, then we can take you home."
"How long has it been?"
"Almost a day and a half. You were in pretty rough shape when Magnus brought us in."
"When what?" Prowl asked dazedly. He was pretty certain he hadn't heard that right.
"When Magnus brought us in. Ah, course, you don't remember."
"Magnus brought us in," Prowl repeated, confused.
"I couldn't move and you . . . well, I'll be happy to never see ya in that shape ever again, little bro."
"Ultra Magnus . . . Optimus's brother? Big guy, hates everybody?"
"Sideburn says he seemed pretty worried. Didn't even wait on Optimus and Sideburn to get us back to base."
"That . . . I don't get it."
"Well, try not to strain your processors. Optimus always said there was a side to him we never saw. I'd say we got a peek at it, even if you an' me didn't see it."
"All right, X-Brawn, visiting hour's over. You can come get him in a couple hours."
"Sure thing, T-AI. Rest up now, Prowl, and we'll come get ya when T-AI gives the word."
"As for you," and the holo-girl hovered into Prowl's visual range, a stern look on her face. "You're still in rough shape, so no moving around. Just lay there and rest."
"I couldn't go anywhere if I wanted to," Prowl confessed uneasily. The weakness bothered him, but even that was nothing compared to the confusion.
Ultra Magnus was worried? Maybe Sideburn's confused. Though I'm not sure how you could confuse worry and Magnus. So what does it mean? It's not like this is the first time anyone's been hurt because of his exploits. He's never been worried before.
With no ready answers, Prowl drifted into an uneasy recharge cycle.


Optimus Prime silently marked the days of Prowl's slow recovery, matching them against his brother's increasing distance. As if, once he was certain Prowl would recover, Ultra Magnus resumed hiding behind the facade of not needing anyone. It frustrated Optimus, both because he didn't like seeing his brother acting this way and because he knew his brother's behavior was creating problems with the rest of the team. Largely because Magnus refused to become a part of the team.
I suppose I don't blame him. We've always been competitive, but as equals. So I suppose it's only natural that he would resist bowing to me, especially when he was the one to win so many of our competitions. I've tried treating him as an equal, but he's still fighting me, still intent on getting the Matrix. If it wasn't for the power of Omega Prime. . . .
Thinking about their forced fusion reminded Optimus of the secret he had learned in their last merge. He hadn't intended to peer into his brother's personal life like that, but they were still learning just what the merge meant, learning where the merge began and ended. And neither of them knew how to block their thoughts in that first all-consuming moment of oneness.
On the one hand, he was almost relieved to know Magnus was capable of normal emotions, wants, and desires. On the other, he felt incredibly guilty for having intruded on what should have remained Magnus's own private thoughts. And he knew, deep in his being, that Prowl was not ready . . . neither for the reality of any kind of romantic relationship nor for the impending power of Ultra Magnus's feelings.
And that was going to be a problem. Prime knew his brother quite well, even without the forced fusion. As much as Ultra Magnus projected an aura of cold uncaring, he was a mechanism of strong emotions. His anger burned hotly, crying out for vengeance and the Matrix so strongly that Magnus was willing to kill his own brother to get what he wanted. Optimus knew full well that his brother's quest for the Matrix was the first time the powerful warrior had ever failed to persue a goal with the whole of his being . . . and the first time he had failed to acquire that which he desired.
Prowl is a good soldier, but he's not ready for what Magnus wants, for what Magnus would offer. And I'm not sure how long I can keep Magnus at bay. Easy enough now, while he still doubts his own feelings. But sooner or later those doubts will be erased.
The cheerful ring of the door chime interrupted Optimus's thoughts. His meditative pacing had brought him back to his desk once more. Resuming his seat, he called out to his visitor: "Come."
"Hope I'm not disturbin' ya, Optimus."
"No, it's quite all right, X-Brawn," Optimus replied evenly. "What can I do for you?"
"Well, I was kinda hopin' you could straighten out somethin' for me," the eldest Autobot brother confessed. He then promptly lapsed into silence, picking up the crystal paperweight from Optimus's desk. He toyed with it absently, as if he had never seen it's like before.
"This new?"
"A gift from Koji shortly after Ultra Magnus arrived from Cybertron, though I don't pretend to know where he found it or how he managed to afford it. But the paperweight isn't what brought you here."
"No . . . no it isn't. See, I've been hearing rumors over the last couple days. Rumors that maybe things aren't exactly copacetic with Ultra Magnus. Now I know he's your brother an' all, but I gotta admit, it's a little worryin' ta hear the guys talking about him hanging around Medical while my little bro was injured."
"You should know better than to trust rumor, X-Brawn."
"I know, I know. But I also know I can trust my baby brother to tell me the truth. And I believe him when he says Magnus was in an all-fired hurry to get us back to base. Not that I'm not grateful, mind, but when Sideburn tells me he saw Magnus at Medical right after gettin' me settled back in our quarters, well. . . ."
X-Brawn looked back down at the crystal in his hands. Optimus watched him a moment before reaching across the desk to quietly liberate the peice of worked crystal. X-Brawn's face was impossible to read, but something in his optics told Optimus that he was worried he was coming to the right conclusions.
"Magnus has a very finely tuned sense of guilt, believe it or not. And while I doubt he will ever admit it to you, I wouldn't be surprised if he blames himself for Prowl's injuries.
"As for any other rumors . . . what my brother may or may not feel for anyone here at headquarters is hardly my business. Or anyone else's, for that matter."
"In other words, there's a grain of truth in all that muck about him and my brother."
"In other words, while I know what's going on inside my brother's head, I'm not about to air his secrets. They are his to share or keep as he so chooses."
"You know I'd agree with ya, but Prowl. . . ."
"Prowl's old enough to make his own decisions, X-Brawn. Have a little faith in your brother. And in me."
X-Brawn studied Optimus in silence for a moment before slowly nodding.
"A'course. Well, I won't take any more of your time," he drawled, quietly leaving the office. Optimus studied the door long after X-Brawn was gone. Despite what he had said to the Autobot Brother, a part of him wanted to tell X-Brawn the truth.
Listen to your own advice, he scolded himself. Have faith in your brother. He knows not to push. He'll walk easy with Prowl. I hope.


Prowl had been out of Medical for almost a week when it happened.
"I can't believe it! I saw it with my own optics, and I still can't believe it!"
"Prowl? Hey now, little bro, settle down an' tell me what happened."
"I have seen him do a lot of insane, reckless, thoughtless, cruel, and vindictive things, but this . . . this is the last straw! The absolute last straw!"
"Prowl, will ya calm down a minute and tell me what happened?"
"What happened? What happened?!? I'm going to kill him this time, I swear to Primus, I am going to kill him!"
"Prowl! Stick it in neutral an' tell me what happened!"
"You wanna know what happened, X-Brawn? Ultra Magnus happened! He happened all over downtown, that's what happened! That . . . that . . . that Mech is a raving lunatic, that's what happened!"
Prowl paced the generous quarters he shared with his two brothers, obviously agitated. X-Brawn was a little surprised he hadn't started throwing things. Particularly since that was what had happened the last five times Ultra Magnus had done something to upset Prowl.
"Why don't ya start at the top, okay, little brother?"
"You mean you haven't heard? How can you not have heard? By the Matrix, X-Brawn! People died today! Innocent humans! People who's only wrong was to be in the wrong place at the wrong time! If you don't even know about that, then there's no point in even trying!"
Prowl stormed out of the apartment, anger swirling around him in a dark cloud. X-Brawn was trying to call after him, to make him stop, but Prowl was beyond caring. He didn't want to talk, he wanted to break something. Preferably Ultra Magnus's head, though a good wall would suffice.
"Prowl! Prowl, calm down! Build Team has enough work to do without going around behind you, mending walls."
Prowl looked up, surprised to see Railspike frowning down at him.
"Calm down? Why should I calm down? Innocent lives were lost today in a totally senseless act!"
"Collateral damage isn't new, Prowl."
"How can you be so callous? Humans died today!"
"They've died before. They will die again. I take no pleasure in it, but there isn't much I can do about it, except try to limit that loss."
Prowl gave in to a wordless growl, then stalked away from the larger bullet train. He was just about to enter the simulation room when Optimus caught him.
"Prowl, my office, now."
"Optim--"
"I said now, Prowl."
The Voice That Must Be Obeyed. Prowl knew it well, felt his feet carrying him towards Optimus Prime's office even before he could think about what he was doing. But far more disturbing, his body betrayed his will, his feet continuing to carry him into the office even after he caught sight of Ultra Magnus.
"Optimus," he started, set to protest.
"No. This nonsense has gone on long enough. Settle it."
Before either of them could protest, Optimus stalked out of the room.
"Well this is another fine thing you've gotten us into," Ultra Magnus grumbled darkly.
"That I've. . . !!"
Words failed Prowl at that point, his anger leaving him incoherent. That this renegade, this lunatic, could blame their situation on him . . . he didn't even know where to start.


"So are you going to tell me why you have it out for me? Or am I supposed to guess?"
"As if you don't know," Prowl hissed. "As if you weren't there. As if you aren't responsible."
"Don't tell me all this rampaging on your part is because of a little collateral damage?"
"A little collateral damage?!?!?! You utterly insensitive, raging maniac! How dare you call yourself an Autobot! You're no better than the Decepticons!"
"I would not say such things if I were you," Magnus rumbled.
"It doesn't even bother you that people died today, does it? You emotionless bastard."
"Why are you doing this, Prowl? Am I really such a heinous person?"
"Innocent people died today, don't you get that?"
"This isn't the first time, Prowl. I don't remember you busting REV's tailpipe when he got caught in that thirty-car pile up; ten people died in that mess. And when Midnight was ambushed and derailed by Slapper, it was all you could do not to hug the crybaby."
"Those are completely different. Those were accidents."
"You certainly didn't give Rapid Run any grief over the car that tried to beat him across the tracks. You and I both know transformation could have prevented that."
"Optimus investigated the whole thing and declared it an accident," Prowl grumbled moodily. Magnus fought off the urge to shake some sense into the smaller Mech. This was deeper than just some dead humans; he wanted to know why.
"Then just what is your problem, Prowl?"
"My problem? Tetsun Mikado will never see his grandson. Avril Setsunna will never graduate from university. Dr. Hikaru Tonaka's family is planning a funeral now instead of a wedding. And they weren't even killed by the Predacons."
"Damn you, Prowl, stop blowing smoke in my face! This isn't about dead humans and you know it! Just what the hell is your problem with me?"
"Because you killed them!" Prowl shouted back hotly. As soon as the words were out, Prowl turned away from Magnus, every line of his body collapsing in on itself in raw and vulnerable anguish. An anguish far greater than the deaths of three unknown humans warranted.
Ultra Magnus didn't know what to say, an unhappy realization of it's own. A peice of his spark ached to comfort Prowl, to hold him close and soothe his hurts. To shield the young warrior from whatever terrors crept through his thoughts. For a moment, protective instincts he thought he had long since learned to live without swirled around him. Then iron control clamped back into place.
"Prowl, I. . . ."
"Don't. Don't hand me platitudes you don't mean."
"I wasn't going to," Magnus rumbled, annoyed in spite of himself. "I just want to know why . . . why you're being this way. Why these deaths mean anything more than any of the others before."
Magnus waited, watching Prowl in silence, but the other Autobot said nothing, kept his back turned to him. A faint tremor shook through Prowl, betrayed by the faint rattling of his doors. Concern overriding his caution, he reached out to touch Prowl's back lightly. The young warrior flinched, his whole frame rattling with the motion as he collapsed even further onto himself.
"Prowl . . . please. . . ."
He could feel another tremor shake through the middle Autobot Brother, then a sigh welled up, seemingly from the very depths of Prowl's spark. Casting aside his cautions, Magnus stepped closer, lightly resting his hands on Prowl's shoulder-mounts. Another flinch, but not enough to actually pull his radar housings out from under Magnus's hands.
"Dead . . . for nothing. . . ."
"Prowl. . . ."
"Dead . . . and you killed them. . . ."
This time it was Ultra Magnus's turn to flinch, though he fought against it. He knew it was shear luck he hadn't killed someone before, as many times as the Predacons had either ambushed him in or planned a strike on heavily populated areas. Not that he cared if humans were killed, so long as Megatron was stopped. But it mattered to his brother. And obviously it mattered to Prowl as well.
He was so involved in his own musings that he didn't notice Prowl pulling away from him. Nor did he immediately notice the other Autobot had turned around to stare up at him with deeply troubled optics. It was, in fact, more the hitch in the other's voice that captured Magnus's attention.
"I . . . I c-can't do this. Not . . . not again."
"Can't do what?"
"I . . . please, don't . . . just . . . go home," Prowl whimpered, pleading. Ultra Magnus frowned down at him, studying him closely. As much as the faceplate obscured his face, making it difficult to read easily, Magnus could still pick out the signs of turmoil. Tiny signals that nipped at Magnus's resolve, testing his commitment to caution for weaknesses.
Slowly, he reminded himself, urgently trying to silence the howling voice that prodded at him, cajoling and begging him to forget caution. A voice that counseled immediate and decisive action . . . and that was getting harder and harder to ignore.
"Don't you see?" Prowl whimpered. "You killed them. Not REV, not Midnight, you. And I . . . I can't do this again."
"Do you have any idea how infuriating you are when you're being obscure?" Magnus queried gently, surprised when Prowl flinched again, looking down at his hands.
"You killed them and you don't even care. A cold, calculating, murderer."
Prowl's frame rattled as another tremor shook through him. So close, so tantalizingly close. And he hates me with every diode in his body.
"I . . . I wanted to hate you. I still want to hate you. I've tried . . . Primus, I've tried so hard to hate you. And then I couldn't hate you. And then I thought maybe . . . maybe I could . . . could l-l-luh. . . ."
He trailed off with a rasping noise, his optics firmly focused on the deck plates. He coughed once, then spoke in a rush of words: "And then you killed those people and you didn't even care enough to find out who they were. You didn't even try to clean up your mess. You fight and then you walk away, and to the pit with any consequences to anyone else. Like nothing else matters, as long as you win the fight. Only real life doesn't work that way. There are consequences to everything you do and sometimes they're messy, but that's life and you deal with it. And when you kill someone, you ought to have the grace to at least admit that you're the one responsible."
"I know there are consequences, Prowl," Magnus murmured, surprised at the lack of anger he felt, despite Prowl's accusations. "Believe it or not, I've been weighing those consequences more than you think."
He doesn't hate me. That thought alone was almost enough to break his restraint. The knowledge that his own feelings were not in vain, that there was even a chance Prowl could love him. . . .
"I can't l-l-luh . . . a killer."
"Prowl, Prowl, Prowl," Magnus crooned, all doubt - and all restraint - melting away as one hand reached down to cup Prowl's chin, "you can't have life without death. They're two sides of the same coin.
"If you can hate me, even a little," he continued, his thumb rubbing against Prowl's faceplate, "then you have it in you to love, as well. And if I have to court you madly to prove it, then so be it. But somehow, I suspect I won't need to go that far."
A shudder shook through the smaller warrior, a deep rattling that Magnus both heard and felt. A rasping sigh dragged itself out of the samurai as his head drooped forward even further.
"How can you? After everything I've done, how can you?"
"You have a real problem with that word, don't you?" he replied, chuckling softly as he lifted Prowl's chin.
"This isn't a laughing matter," Prowl grumbled back at him. And yet, despite his tone, he made no move to free himself from Ultra Magnus's grasp.
"No? Well, perhaps not," he conceded, his right hand sliding along Prowl's left shoulder. He could almost feel a current passing through them, tingling over his metallic skin. Prowl shuddered again, a strangled sound escaping him. Smiling, he let his hand slip down along the underside of the radar housing, to be rewarded with another strangled sound, almost a whimper.
"Not . . . fair," Prowl panted.
"Then maybe you should do something about it," Magnus challenged. Prowl responded by stepping back, pulling free from Magnus, but not quite out of reach.
"I . . . I can't. . . ."
"Can't? Or won't?"
"I can't. . . . I won't. . . ."
"Scared. Funny, never pegged you as a robochicken. Guess I was wrong."
Magnus turned his back on Prowl, pretending to be absorbed in studying Optimus's desk. It was a ruse, of course; he had no intension of giving up on Prowl so easily. He watched the interceptor from the corner of his optical range, watched the turmoil that telegraphed itself all over his body. Watched and silently prayed to Primus that he wasn't wasting time.
"Ultra Magnus, I. . . ."
Again, Prowl trailed off, but this time he almost looked like someone who didn't trust himself not to say the wrong thing. He started to turn away, stopped, started to walk towards Magnus, stopped again, and then just stood in place, staring at his hands as if they held the answer.
By Primus, I've had it! Magnus vowed vehemently. Ignoring the startled protest, Ultra Magnus grabbed Prowl around the waist, lifted him bodily into the air, and sat him down again on Optimus's desk.
"Enough of this mincing words, slag it. If you didn't feel anything, you wouldn't even be here right now. I've played your game long enough, Prowl. And I'm tired of it."
Ultra Magnus reached up to trail fingertips along the underside of the radar housings. Prowl's optics flickered as another strangled whimper forced it's way out of him. . . .


A low rumbling chuckle cascaded around me, a warm sound I had never heard from him before. Laughter, yes, but not like this. This carried with it a tingle that somehow reached into my very core. And his touch . . . I had never realized how sensitive one could be to touch. I had certainly never considered those treacherous housings. Nor had I thought his touch could be like this, like a cool fire that burned more in its absence than in its presence.
'Shouldn't be doing this,' a fragment of my awareness scolded. I was tempted to agree; I didn't want to be hurt again. I had loved before, a killer in more ways than one. I didn't dare love again. And yet. . . .
And yet, inspite of my better intentions, my own core had betrayed me. I had tried to hate Ultra Magnus, to dump on him all the worst possible motives for his actions. Somehow, the harder I tried, the less success I had. So I faked it, fooling everyone, even myself sometimes, while deep inside this love grew against my will.
And now his hands - such powerful hands - were methodically exploring every centimeter of my outer plating. I fought against a moan and lost as he found places I had forgotten completely. Soft clicks distracted me a moment, and then the hidden seals that bonded the shield to my right arm disengaged.
"No sense in keeping that around," he crooned, his mouth tantalizingly close. Forcing myself to concentrate, an increasingly difficult task as his hands continued their teasing explorations of my body, I mentally released the seals on the faceplate I had worn faithfully and almost continuously for . . . I couldn't even remember how long. I smiled at the shocked expression on his face as I pulled away the faceplate, carefully setting it on the far side of the desk.
"Any more surprises?"
"You'll have to wait and see," I murmured, daring to cup his angular face in my own hands. An amused smile turned his lips a moment, inviting and challenging at the same time. For a moment I tried to resist that taunting smile. Then I realized how senseless it was to even try. That I had no reason to try. He was here, and he was mine. I threw my caution to the wind, leaning forward to kiss him.
Electric fire coursed through my systems. He pulled me closer, the sound of my doors scrapping across the surface of the desk loud in my audios. But I couldn't make myself care about something as mundane as scratched furniture. The feel of his hands as they slowly worked up my body . . . the way his mouth nipped at mine . . . a ragged moan forced itself out of me. My optics dimmed fractionally, as if that alone could counter the overwhelming sensations my processors were receiving.
'Please Primus,' I begged silently, 'please don't let this moment end. Let me live in this moment forever. This perfect moment.'
Energy flickered through me, tingling and teasing with the promise of stamina and strength. Power surged through me, familiar as it swept through my systems. At first, I couldn't believe what I was sensing: I had powered-up without my conscious control. But the readings were very real.
"How. . . .?" I mumbled, catching Magnus off guard. He pulled back, clearly surprised by what he was seeing. Not that I blamed him.
"Don't know," he rumbled, surprised. "Does it matter?"
"No," I conceded, trailing a hand up his right arm as it circled around me. He captured my hand easily, a knowing smile touching his lips. Slowly, he raised my hand to his lips, kissing the fingertips. Surprise washed through me at this sensation, a gesture at once natural and unbelievably gentle. He nipped at the less sensitive palm, sending a shiver through me.
"Problem?" he murmured, his optics sparkling golden over the tips of my fingers. I could only shake my head, words failing me. I had never imagined that he could have this gentle side to him and I caught myself marveling at this discovery as he kissed my palm again. My other hand came up to hang between us, unable to reach out and touch him despite my desire to do so.
I was afraid, there was no other way to say it. Afraid of the feelings that lurked under the surface of my thoughts. Feelings that railed against my denials. A part of me, a very strong part, longed to to touch him, to hold him and be held by him. But stronger still was the fear. The fear of being hurt again. I had let passion rule me before and it had nearly cost me everything. I dared not take that risk again, for I feared this time there would be nothing left of me.
My thoughts shattered as teasing fingers stroked the underside of my left radar housing.
"Bastard," I whimpered hotly.
"You love it and you know it," he replied in a fierce undertone, his arm still tight across my back. His hands worked an odd sort of magic, relaxing and yet tensing my body at the same time. A choked whimper pushed out of my vocoder as I hunched forward, my head sinking down to rest on his chest. Deep shudders rattled through my frame, the power from the Matrix leaving me as suddenly as it had come.
"'m sorry," I murmured, frustration with myself welling up from deep within me. "Primus, 'm sorry, Magnus."
"Shhh. You've got nothing to be sorry over, Prowl," he replied, brushing light kisses along the top of my head. A heavy sigh rattled and caught, the usually steady in-out rhythm of my air vents hitching and shaky. His arms folded around me protectively and I willingly relaxed into his embrace, until only his arms kept me upright.
Time passed without meaning as I basked in the safety of his embrace. Slowly, painfully so, the rattle vanished from my air vents, the tensions of the day flowing out of me with a quiet sigh. I felt more than heard his amused chuckle as he lightly kissed the top of my head again.
"Mmm . . . we should give back Optimus's office," I murmured without any real desire.
"We will," he replied quietly, rhythmically stroking the back of my head, "when you're ready."
"Mmmm . . . keep that up, and you'll never get me to move," I crooned quietly, tilting my head slightly to smile up at him.
"If that's supposed to be a threat, it doesn't work," he teased, kissing the top of my head yet again. I smiled, but couldn't summon the power to do anything more than lean against him, letting him do as he willed. He tilted my chin up slightly, then kissed me with an intensity that froze me in place. Such raw lust, such raw desire . . . my mind couldn't handle the assault. I wilted with a ragged moan.
"Magnus. . . ."
"Enough talk," he whispered, his voice ragged, almost harsh with desire. He nipped at my lips, as if determined to summon an equal desire in me.
"Optimus. . . ."
"Isn't coming back," he growled. "Stop fighting me, Prowl. You know you don't really want to resist."
I whimpered, caught up in an inner battle between caution and desire. His hands held me close while exploring my body intimately, caressing under the radar housings, along the inside of my left leg, peppering light kisses along my cheek. I pulled back, flinching as his arm cleared the desk with the clang of metal on metal and the sharper sound of glass shattering.
"Wha--?"
"Shut up, Prowl, and enjoy yourself for a change," he grumbled, pining me back against the desk.
I didn't know what to think, didn't know what to feel. Shock rooted me in place as much as Ultra Magnus's superior strength. He was holding me down, refusing to let me resist . . . and I craved it. I craved that loss of control, that utter powerlessness that our current position only brushed against. I craved the chance to surrender completely . . . to surrender to my lover's whims. I desperately wanted Magnus to be the one. And feared to Primus to actually follow through with these dark desires.
Because that surrendering was what had nearly cost me everything before. Tears of cleanser formed, anxious to spill down my cheeks and betray me. I wanted Magnus, longed for him . . . and feared him. Frustration crested within me; I wanted to give myself over to all the pleasures he could give me and yet I was deathly afraid to let myself cross that line.
My whole body rattled as I shivered from the depths of my core. I coud feel the lines of treacherous cleansing fluid streaking down my cheeks from the corners of my optics. The harder I tried to make them stop, the more my body refused to obey me. Even my own vocoder betrayed me.
"Please. . . ."
And then he was pulling me up into his arms again, whispering apologies, begging for my forgiveness. I tried to speak, to make him understand that he needn't apologize, but it was as though my body was not my own. All I could do was rest my head on his shoulder, waiting to regain command of my own body.
"Prowl, I'm sorry. Please . . . say something. . . ."
"It's . . . it's not your fault," I murmured, tilting my head up briefly before continuing. "I . . . I want to, Magnus. Oh Primus, I want to . . . I just . . . can't."
I sighed, a despair welling up from the deepest, darkest corners of my being. Would he understand? Or would he think I was just stringing him along? I switched off my optics, afraid to face him. Afraid to face his disappointment . . . or worse.
"Fear is a cruel master," he murmured, his hand turning my head back towards him. I felt more than heard a brief snort, and then he kissed me. My optics snapped online, a fresh wave of shock rippling through me.
"I'm not giving up on you so easily, Prowl."
"You'll . . . you'll wait?"
"Patience has never been my forte. But . . . if I must, I will try."
I smiled, kissing him impulsively. I felt the first faint stirrings of desire as his lips steadily devoured mine.
The crystal tones of the door chime shattered the moment. I scrambled for my facemask, guilt welling up as I found it amidst fragments of crystal. 'Optimus will not be impressed,' I thought suddenly, hurrying to appear completely normal. Ultra Magnus, on the other hand, looked fit to be tied. I pitied whoever was at the door.


"You bastard!"
Ultra Magnus was well familiar with over a dozen different flavors of fury. Blind fury, righteous fury, jealous fury, the fury evoked by betrayal. But this . . . this consuming fury was beyond anything he had experienced before. To have been so close. . . !
Optimus stood in the door to his office, managing to look like an intruder despite the fact that it was his office. Prowl, for his part, was slowly edging away from the desk, trying to look innocent of any wrong-doing.
"This is my office," Optimus declared, regaining his sense of righteous outrage, walking in to let the doors close behind him. "I let you use it to get you two to talk. Talking does not include thrashing my desk. If you two are still set on destroying things, then use a sim room. Now go on, get going."
Magnus growled at his brother, intent on verbally raking him over the coals, when he noticed Prowl was no longer in the room. Why can't things ever be easy? he thought to himself darkly.
"You knew why I wanted to talk to him. You knew what was going to happen."
"I knew what you wanted to have happen, Brother. That is hardly the same. And more importantly, you know as well as I do that that sort of behavior belongs in personal quarters, not my office.
"Now go," Optimus continued, his tone softening, "before his brothers get ahold of him."
He snorted, but left all the same. Tracking Prowl was easy, but his luck was not in; Prowl was already with Sideburn. And from the look of things, now was not the time to be joining them, under any pretext. Frustration threatening to get the better of him, Magnus retreated to his quarters.
All right, Prowl, I said I would wait, and I meant it. I don't discourage easy. You will be mine.
A smile touched his lips as he remembered the feel of Prowl in his arms, the completeness of that moment. There had been something so . . . so right about the way Prowl felt in his arms. And now . . . now he could feel something missing. He hadn't ever noticed it before, but now that he had a taste of complete happiness with Prowl, he felt somehow less without him.
Someday, my love. Someday I will know what fear keeps you from me.