Lies and murders - Epilogue

[silberstreif]

Lies and murders

Written for: prowlxjazz the anniversary challenge 2012

Day: 9
Prompt: Doppelganger
Beta: Starfire201 and taralynden (Two heroes who betaed everything despite headaches, storms and lack of time!)

Verse: AU, G1

Rating: PG-13

Words: 22,240 (completed)

Warnings: none

Summary: A deactivated mech is found in an alley and a witness describes Jazz. Though Prowl gives Jazz an alibi. The trouble - he lies.




Epilogue


Turnout waited patiently in the hall of the Autobot headquarters, knowing that they would soon come straight to him. It was only a matter of time. Behind him the big entrance opened and closed for various Autobots and he ignored that more and more recognised him and stayed to find out why he was here. Turnout wasn't bothered by it.

This time, he wasn't officially here because of his job, though in his life somehow everything was always related to that. He didn't want it any other way. He loved the hunt for a criminal, the challenge to find and puzzle together the hints and the satisfied warm glow in his spark when justice was served.

This time, though, the glow had been dimmer when he thought about Blip, the sweet, spark-broken mech he had gotten to know and like. Blip, the spark-killer, whose own guilt and madness had led to a horrifying death. He hadn't been able to forget the moment when he had entered the apartment and pink Energon had been everywhere, Prowl lying on the floor surrounded by medics and then Jazz, or someone that had looked like him... Analysis of the core had confirmed that it was Blip. Poor mechformer, driven insane by his own ability. A sad fate.

And so, to forget and to chase away the images, he had reviewed the data files created on the case, had organised them and archived them. Just to find himself with Jazz and Prowl's description of the original alibi in hand and to read it again and again...

Which had now led him here to the entrance hall, where he waited quietly for the two Autobot's shift end.

When they exited the elevator, Turnout smiled. Of course, they were together. Another clue for his theory.

“A nice orn,” greeted Turnout the two, who looked at him with barely concealed suspicion. He couldn't blame them after the events of the last deca-orn. “Do you have a breem for me?”

They shared a look, then nodded. “Of course,” said Prowl. “Has something happened?”

“Oh no, you don't need to worry. But do you remember our last conversation, Prowl? It was about the alibi.”

The wings of the Praxian tensed, barely perceptibly. “Yes.”

Jazz shifted closer to his friend as if to offer support and Turnout filed it away as another clue. “I told you then that I would find proof that your alibi was false. Of course, now that it has been proven that Blip was the murderer, it was naturally assumed that the alibi was truthful.” He smiled. “But I suppose I was curious and checked both of your testimonies again.” Curiosity had always been Turnout's biggest asset and sometimes his curse. He just couldn't let things rest. “I calculated the stated time on the files; comparing them and calculating it again, I found one flaw...”

“A flaw?” asked Jazz. “Are you saying we both lied?”

“Well, not exactly,” Turnout amended. “But you didn't tell us the whole truth. Your alibi has a hole of nearly one joor. A joor for which both of you tried to cover up through extending other conversations and activities.”

Turnout could feel how the anticipation in the hall skyrocketed. Every mech wanted to know one thing, what had Jazz and Prowl tried to hide despite the high risk? The Enforcer enjoyed the crackling suspense behind him, the silence as no one dare to move. This, the hunt and then the thrill of closing in on the mystery was what he loved.

To his surprise, neither Jazz nor Prowl seemed very shocked that he knew. Instead, the saboteur smiled at his friend and said: “Maybe we should just tell them?”

“Now?” asked Prowl, and flicked a doorwing in amusement.

“No time like now...”

“If you insist.” The tactician looked the mechs assembled in the hall and then back at the Enforcer. “You're right, something did happen.” He stopped for a moment, and Turnout would have bet his last promotion that it was only to increase the dramatic moment. “In that joor, Jazz decided to ask me if I would want to bond with him.”

Stunned silence. Despite the rumours of them being sparkmates, no one had expected the two famously-secretive and private mechs to give that ultimate trust to anyone, not even to each other. Turnout, though, used the moment and asked: "And what was your answer?"

Prowl smiled. “I wanted to think about it for an orn, but then things happened... and I could only give Jazz the answer four orns ago.”

“And?”

Jazz stepped forward and for once Turnout didn't doubt for a klick that the radiant joy on his face was real. “He said yes.” Jazz grinned. “We've now been bonded for three orns.”

“And it was the best decision of my life,” said Prowl quietly and hugged the saboteur from behind.

Turnout stared. How they could have all doubted the love between that pair, and debated for orns whether they were more than friends or not, was now a mystery to him. Behind him the Autobots started to clap and cheer and he slowly joined in.

If the Enforcers had known about the deep connection between those two, they would have given far less credit to Prowl's alibi. Which had probably been the first reason to hide it, besides the fact that it probably came naturally to them to lie about it after hiding their love over vorns and through vicious war. And then, when the orns passed and Jazz was already in prison, Prowl's confession would have only made him even more of a suspect. Maybe they would even have even tried to pin him down as a confidant. No, their decision to hide it had been logical.

In front of him, Jazz now turned in Prowl's arm and whispered, “The best decision of my life was to ask you for a dance on that party in Tarn...”

Prowl laughed softly, and then they were kissing as if there was no greater treasure in the universe than the bot in their arms.

Turnout smiled and clapped harder and rejoiced with the crowd, as he slowly felt the glow of satisfaction in his spark.

Finally, the case was closed.

END


~ ~ ~~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Blip
is a Decepticon from G1 and quite insane. He claimed to be a Sparkeater among other great and distrubing titles and Magnus arrested him. End of his story.

Axer
is a Decepticon from the G1. He appeards shortly in the Dreamwave and IDW comics. In Dreamwave, he was a bounty hunter and assassin. In the IDW comics, he slightly modified his appearance to infiltrate the Autobots (no mechformer) and tried to kill Optimus Prime.

Backbeat
is an Autobot from G1 and appeared in the IDW comic Spotlight: Hot Rod and Spotlight: Double Dealer. He was a member of Hot Rod's unit, an explosive expert and was murdered by Dealer – who can change his body, is an infiltrator and Decepticon spy. It was fate, Backbeat.

Turnout, Hosepipe and Tumbler – Original Characters.

Thanks for all for kept reading until the end! :)

Comments

[silberstreif.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I tried to keep the readers guessing and there were really a few possibilities... for once I really wanted to keep the tension up until the very end. I have to admit, it's more fun to write a crime novel than anticipated by me.