Chapter 1 of 17

Prowl laid on his back in a medical berth and watched the medbay's very orange ceiling. Why was it orange? He didn't know. The second in command thought about that rather than Ratchet's tirade. It had been long and loud. The hardest part was that Prowl knew he deserved it. He had worked too intensively and forgotten to refuel and recharge. Well, he hadn't actually forgotten, but he had planned to read one more datapad and things went downhill after that. This wasn't the first time he had worked himself to stasis. Jazz is going to be so angry with him when saboteur returns from his mission, he thought and Prowl was sure that Ratchet would tell him.

The medbay was silent. The second in command waited for Ratchet to come back. The medic had told him to wait and Prowl didn't want to irritate him any more than he already had. Processor ache started to slowly go away and the tactician got up and decided to sit rather than remaining laying. He had been out cold for a few hours and his limbs felt stiff. The second in command stretched his limbs and decided to be brave enough to stand. After a few minutes he sat back down.

Ratchet hadn't said when he would be coming back, so Prowl took a non-work related datapad from his subspace and started to read. Jazz had given him a collection of human detective stories and the tactician had found that he liked those. The second in command wondered how much background research Jazz had done so the saboteur would find stories that Prowl would like. The tactician put up a reminder to thank Jazz.

"I hope that isn't a work related datapad."

Prowl switched his gaze to Ratchet and raised the datapad so Ratchet could see it clearly. "This is a human story I got from Jazz. Nothing to do with work."

"Good. I'll make a few more scans to be sure that everything is alright and then you are ready to go. Down you go."

The tactician put the datapad back into his subspace and lay back down willingly on the medical berth. Ratchet took a medical scanner from the table and walked up to Prowl. The second in command felt small tingle when Ratchet scanned him. The tactician was ready to get up when Ratchet stopped, but medic's hand prevent him from moving.

"Is something wrong?" Prowl asked carefully.

"I need a another scanner. Don't move."

Ratchet went to his office and the tactician heard him cursing and moving things. It didn't sound good. After a few minutes the medic came back with a small medical scanner in his hand. Prowl laid obediently on the berth when Ratchet scanned him again. The scanner's buzz was loud in the otherwise so silent medbay. The medic scanned him twice and then put the scanner down on the nearby table.

"Prowl", Ratchet started. "Your spark's energy level is low. Too low."

"What do you mean?"

"It isn't dangerous yet, but we have to find out what's causing it or it will eventually become fatal. I need to do more tests."

"Now?" Prowl asked and sat up.

"Yes. Now. You are not going anywhere until I have found out what's causing this. Don't even try. My favorite wrench likes you."

"I have work to do and-"

Clang.

"Do I have to repeat myself?" Ratchet asked.

Prowl decided to be quiet and lay back down. In theory he had already done all of this day's work and part of tomorrow's and Ratchet knew it.

After two hours of tests Ratchet put down his equipment. Prowl had ended up with a concussion that shouldn't have surprised him. Knowing the tactician's mindset he decided to take the bull by the horns.

"How often have you interfaced?"

"What?" Prowl blurted out and sat up now than Ratchet had backed off.

"Is there something wrong with your audio receptors? How. Often. Have. You. Interfaced?"

"How is that related to my spark's condition?"

"Which one of us is a medic? Just answer my question." Ratchet snapped.

Prowl stared at the red and white bot, but he seemed to be completely serious.

"I don't interface." The second in command said after a while.

"Not at all?"

"I haven't been in a relationship after I joined the Autobots. How is it relevant?"

"Interfacing is an important part of our lives. It literally sustain it. You should know this." Ratchet said in his lecturing voice.

"Know what?" Tactician asked puzzled.

"Overload is an important part of a spark's welfare. The extra energy that builds up during the overload goes to the spark and maintains it's energy level. If you don't interface the spark will fade after many vorns." Ratchet explained in simple terms.

"I have been fine for thousands of vorns."

"After which time your spark has faded enough for my scanners to notice it."

Prowl didn't know what to say to that, so he kept quiet. Ratchet let the second in command process all the information he had given him and started putting his equipment away. After a few minutes Prowl stood up and turned to look at the medic.

"So I'm at risk to deactivate?"

"Not in a few hundred of vorns, but eventually, yes." Ratchet said and continued. "Nothing irreparable has happened - yet. The spark will return to the way it was after gaining enough extra energy."

"I see."

The medic saw that the tactician wasn't happy about the situation, but he couldn't change the facts.

"Don't you have anyone you could ask?"

"I don't know". Prowl hesitated.

"I'm sure that Jazz is more than ready to help you." Ratchet said knowing that the two of them were best friends.

"I don't think about Jazz that way." The tactician said more harshly than he was thinking.

"Doesn't anyone here interest you?"

The second in command found the floor very interesting. The last thing he would do was to confess to Ratchet's his unprofessional feelings toward certain members of the crew.

"If you want to keep it strictly as a medical procedure I can help you." Ratchet said after he realised that Prowl wasn't going to say anything. Not that he had expected him to. The tactician was a very private bot.

"Thank you Ratchet. I'll think about it." The second in command said politely. The medic was just trying to help him after all. "Can I leave now?"

"Yes. Get out. Think about what I said." Ratchet said knowing that Prowl wasn't ready to talk about it.

The tactician nodded and left the medbay with mixed feelings. They were at war, so the risk of dying was real for him, but to deactivate because he didn't interface was somehow absurd. Prowl pushed the situation out off his processor and commed Ironhide. The old warrior could now take the twins out of the brig to his office. The second in command had work to do after all.

Next: Prowl will lecture twins, but everything doesn't go as he had planned.

This is 17 chapter long story. I have already written it down. It only requires translation. That depends also other people's schedules, so I cannot say how long that will take. Hopefully not too long.