'Illusion', this chapter and several next ones were all supposed to be one chapter but I realized it was becoming waaay too longer and I did not know when I would finish it. So while unsure, I still decided to separate it in pieces.

I did read reviews. Thank you for that little treat!

Motorlady, you mentioned that it felt like Jazz just gave up the climb. It was not quite like that and I tried to clarify it in this chapter. Though, he does feel like he failed. That is why there are more chapters to come.

I spent more than a weak to climb from ~2000 words to over 9000 but, wow, I missed writing. I have to study now so I don't know how much more I can post any time soon.

I wish you all the best!

Origin (Transformers)

Chapter 14.

Spirit.

"Little scraplet... Just had to choose the worst route possible..."

"Remind me why you are here..."

Ironhide just growled an annoyed reply and tried to ignore the medic's gaze.

"I thought you didn't like him..." Ratchet knowingly pointed out checking the readings of the scanner he held.

"'Like'?" the mech gave a dry laugh, "That scraplet is like sand in a joint. A smug, overconfident, empty-helmed- aghh... Look where he took us. Scanning the swamp because his rusted processor convinced him that running of into the wildlands is a good idea."

"And you volunteered to make sure he never returns…"

The weapon specialist through his old friend a very annoyed glare, "Don't you dare think I'm getting soft. I was supposed to meet him, so I'm partly responsible. Can't sit at the base and we can't leave him in this pit-like place either, Kaonian or not. The youngster's barely old enough to properly transform."

Ratchet smirked and turned to the approaching figure,"Still trying to use the comm?"

"Might as well try..."

Prowl had been doing so during the whole search. They had a group of mechs spread in the area they predicted the mechling would go to, trying to find any sign. The Spreeder Roots' were messing with the comms but the Praxian still kept it open in case Jazz, for some miraculous reason, attempted a contact. Thanks to the mech they had greatly narrowed the search area. But even with him it was hard to follow the rare signs of the youngling. The group had started at the edge of the swamp, where Jazz could have climbed from, if he did indeed pass the area almost impossible for adult bots to walk through.
"Hey mechs! Overhere!"

From where he stood further away from the edge, Hound waved the four three of them to come.

"See that…" the mech kneeled to the ground pointing at one of the small puddles among the loads in that area, all filled with mix of cooler and black cabel-oil, "He walked in that direction. Though it's old and judging by the prints he's drained."

"No wonder."

"So he did climb out." Ironhide glanced t the swamp glad that they at least did not need to check the nasty place.

Hound looked up, "He wouldn't have walked too far."

"But then why didn't we see him yet."

"He hid to rest?"

"Possible..." Hound followed the trail, "Amphiboids live in this area, they messed up the tracks… There is no guaranty Jazz will be able to keep a straight line though…"

"Which means we need to keep spread." Ratchet signed and turned on the comm. contacting the mechs that were further away on both sides, "Any signs at all? Alright, keep looking."

Prowl was still trying his comm as they walked, slowly spreading away from each other, but the only thing in his audios was the even flow of static. Then he froze.

Ratchet saw the Praxian from behind the rare cables, "Prowl?"

"Jazz. Do you read me?"

Ratchet froze in shock, "He caught the signal…"

The mechling was trying his comm.

Prowl tried his best to adjust the commlink, improving the signal, hoping to hear more then just a short click-long sound revealing itself among the static.

"Jazz, where are you?"

Prowl's wing's jerked up when he managed to hear Jazz's voice, fractured but understandable. The youngling was trying his comm, attempting to receive a response and so far failing to hear Prowl.

"State your location. Signal is weak. Listen to me-"

"Prowl?"

"I don't think he can hear me. He seems to be trying his luck," the Praxain stated sharing the link with the rest of the team,"Jazz. Describe your location, do you copy?"

"~No one'll hea' meh, eh? Shshshsh- m' stuck, -shah-some drop in -shsh-ground… Anyone? Ah can see sky-shsh-cables…It's windy up there…~"

"Up there?"

"I think he fell in a drop of some sort."

"You hear it mechs?! Youngling's fell somewhere, search for any signs on the ground!"

Ironhide was staring in disbelief, refusing to be impressed, "Clever lil' scraplet… He's describing his location…"

"Jazz, do you copy?"

"~…Anyone out th-. No one at all… Ah really don't wanna get stuck here fo' eva'…~"

The mechling's voice was low and hoarse, with a hint of a easiness so typical for the youngster, yet the exhaustion reflected in the speech was contributing against the optimism, "Jazz, it's Prowl."

"Signal's fine now. Must have damaged his comms during the fall." Ratchet pointed out.

They could hear Jazz's voice, his words fractured by the uneven static, describing features of his location. It seemed the mechling was repeating himself, unsure if anyone could hear him, sometimes asking for confirmation, trying to communicate similarly to how a trained mech would in this situation. Ironhide stopped, hearing a quick weird sound that came from the comm, "What was that?"

"He's damaged."

"Rust."

Hound's increased voice calling Jazz's name came from just further away.

"Well, guess there is no point in keeping low now that he's trying to contact us..."

"You sure he's not calling for 'Cons?"

"I think he knows he hasn't got much option."

Suddenly, following Hound's example, rising his head Ratchet barked out Jazz's name. They kept listening to the comm. though which a voice seemed to be coming lower and then it silenced completely.

"Why ain't he talking?" Ironhide growled at some point his optics jerking in different directions. The light static was all they could hear, as the group tried to search among the uneven terrain separated by the Spreeder Roots and cabling, making sure not to miss any drops or slopes where youngling could have slipped in. The massive mech glanced at the Praxian though Prowl seemed same, focusedon the task and unfazed by the silence on the commlink. They all knew it was no longer the fault of the disturbed connection but the youngster's own silence…

"~…..Prowler…~"

Unexpected call jerked Praxian's help up. His optics pulsed brighter just for a click before he continued stepping through the mud with a barely noticeable stiffness of his door wings.

"Jazz, do you read me." The attempts to contact started again but brought no success. Ironhide caught Hound's calm gaze on the Praxian and then met his optics. While he was surprised, Hound, on the other end, seemed unstartled and turned back, continuing their search.

"He is a youngling, 'Hide. What did you expect." Ratchet spoke behind his shoulder, "Seems that Prowl did make a progress with him after all."

But 'Hide just mumbled back, telling himself that he was still unconvinced, his thought cut by another row of fractured words.

"What's he saying?

"The sky…"

Ironhide glanced at the tactician, "Sky?"

"A clearance. Look up. Where nothing blocks the sky- There!" The Praxian speeded past the two, "Hound!"

"Got it!"

Ironhide looked up. Among the brunches over them, high up he could barely see the edges of two upper levels, but they were further and too high to block the light from reaching the area... It was a bright sunset, now that the clouds had passed. He hurried behind the two mechs, Ratchet behind him. Suddenly they left the crowding chaos of fauna stepping to an opening free from obstacles. No longer was anything blocking the view of the orange light coloring the sky.

"Here's the sky…"

"…and here's the drop."

Ironhide followed Rachet's gaze to see the endless scar on the surface on the muddy ground.

"Is he there?"

"No. I did say he's unlikely to walk straight."

Ratchet walked closer and glanced the drop. It was a log fall and for a frame Jazz's size the hit would be rough. Ratchet did not say anything but a look he gave Prowl was enough for the Praxian to guess the predictions. The fact that Jazz did contact them from the comm. had been a good sign.

Though the youngling was no longer speaking.

They started the walk to the North, following the edge of the drop as the rest of the team was doing the same from both directions slowly approaching the four, unseen due to the line curving away, blocked by trees and terrain. They were looking for a frame somewhere in the bottom of that 'canyon', trying their luck calling the mechling's name. Their massive frames were sinking through the orange and black mud, peds reaching the hard layer of titanium under. At this point though Ironhide was no longer complaining.

Prowl's optics were scanning the muddy bottom, every curve and stone, every shadow and lit edge. He stopped focusing on the shapes. The sacnes were still not showning anything. He saw the reason the first time he had glanced at the drop. The tricky location itself was blocking the signal, not to mention that with such fall the tracker could have been damaged as well, while life signal was most likely also additionally disturbed by the thick layers of mud that were most likely covering the mechling's armor.

The Praxian made a step, then another. There was a big chance that Ratchet and Ironhide walking prior could have missed the obvious figure… He trusted Hound's judgment completely though, the mech walking behind him. He was much better qualified for the search like that.

Prowl's site carefully moved over the orange mud, rounding the boulders fallen in. Searching for imprints that Jazz could have left behind, it glided by the uneven edges of the drop, where the youngling might have tried finding cover and then his site froze.

"Here!"

"What?!"

"I found him!" Prowl announced grabbing the edge of the cliff's corner to make a rough but quick way down, while Ratchet clumsily tried to use the uneven slope he saw.

Ironhide looked down and almost missed the figure once with silver-ish armor now covered completely with orange and grey barely recognizable among its surroundings.

Prowl's peds hit and sank in the mud as he hurried to Jazz's whose upper body lay on a drier surface. The youngling's helm lightly moved at the sound and he turned his helm towards the approaching mech, optics opening and revealing the pale red light.

"Jazz…"

"How is he?" Ironhide shouted from the top as Hound announced through the comling that they have found the youngling.

Prowl kneeled down looking the youngster over, though realized that he would hardly recognize the damage with all the mud covering the mechling. Ratchet was quick to sink next to him and before the scanner even showed the results, was quick to analyses the exterior damage.

"Cracked the joint in his lower leg, dislocated some elements. Armor was pulled open but his knee joint is fine, that's good. Jazz's do you hear me?"

Prowl sat behind Jazz's helm lightly lifting his upper body up, pulling it out of drying mud. The youngling's optics were half open but loosing focus while he tiredly tried to re-calibrate them. He saw the two of them and did recognize the mechs as well. Prowl rubbed away the bigger piece of mud stuck to his helm and lifted him further in the sitting position.

"Jazz?"

Barely able to hold himself, after a short hesitation, he gave a light nod.

"Caused us some trouble, didn't you, heh? Prowl, I need to stabilize that ped and we can lift him."

Prowl nodded supporting the swaying youngling as Ratchet carefully cleared the mud away and slightly moved the ped.

Jazz gave a slight jerk but never said a word while the medic worked. On top, Hound had already prepared the straps to lift the youngester up. Finishing his job, Ratchet quickly glanced at Jazz and when the mechling did not meet his optics shared a look with Prowl. There was a lot of talking to come once they returned to Iacon but for now, nor did the youngling have much strength left, nor did he seem too eager to meet them despite having attempted the contact.

Ratchet's gaze slept to the cliff's side behind Prowl and his optics froze at what he saw. He stared in disbelief and the Praxian followed the medic's stunned gaze. What he saw made his doorwinds jerk.

On that lower side of the small canon, in the wall of mud and stone edges they could see the clear signs of attempted and failed climbs. Imprints caused by servos and only one ped went up in rows of trails reaching different height, some of them passing two thirds of the way.

Jazz had climbed. Again and again, with a damaged ped, he had pierced his servos in the terrain, grabbed the uneven edges and against all odds had climbed.

They had not received a call from a youngling who had realized his inability and breaking throw pride decided to call for help. Jazz had not tried his comm hoping for a rescue because he had finally gotten scared of the 'aventure' he had undertaken.

The youngling with some unimaginable determination had gone on despite all odds, all the obvious reasons that did not even need to be listed. Only after the frame was exhausted to the point of none-moving, when he could no longer use the only route of escape, only then did Jazz use his comm. The last course of action forced by a will to keep going.

Ratchet's expression was hard when he looked back at the damaged ped and sad, "Let's get moving."

They pulled the straps and slowly fixed them around Jazz's frame.

Once at the top, Hound and Ironhide position him on the ground waiting for Prowl and Ratchet to make a slower way up. Hound kneeled down the lying drained youngster, ignoring the other mech's low once again started complains.

"Hey, scout." Hound called with a light grin but the red optics did not move staring half opened into the space.

"It's going' to be fine, don't you worry about it."

One wouldn't say but Jazz heard him and Hound knew the mechling could care less at this point. Hound could see what hid behind that empty gaze. The most he knew about the youngster was from Mirage's stories or some of Bluestreak's sudden talks in both of which Jazz surely seemed like a nice kid.

The mech grinned giving a light pin to Jazz's shoulder and stood up, "A strong spirit you've got."

Ironhide had glanced at Jazz once. Now the kid was safe, the mech really wanted to burst open all his thoughts about the matter but is somehow felt like a bad time to so.

"What?" he demanded seeing the approaching medic's expression, who gave him a short answer and walked pass, "Look at the cliff's surface."

Confused, Ironhide stared back but after some clicks of misunderstanding he finally noticed, at first not believing his optics.

Prowl sad no word, lifted Jazz up, youngling's servo places around his neck, and started a walk. Ready to follow Ironhide caught Hound's surprisingly but impressed expression as the mech with a grin stared at the trails left in the mud.

"A strong spirit…"