Catalyst: Chapter One

Characters: Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, Perceptor, Prowl, Bluestreak, Jazz, Optimus, Ironhide, Devastator, Menasor, Slingshot, Silverbolt, Hot Spot – Some of them are probably OOC, sometimes on purpose, others because I may not be overly familiar with the character.

Rating: T for language

Words: 1662

Summary: Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, Bluestreak, Perceptor, Jazz, and Prowl have been keeping a huge secret. Literally.

Author's Notes: Just a random idea that popped in my head. I'd love to hear everyone's opinion on this since I may or may not post more chapters online for this. If I do post more, updates will be slow in coming since I work on a number of different fics at one point in time so that I don't get bogged down on/in one when my brain just don't wanna work. I did the editing myself, but if ya catch anything, I'd like to know. Reviews help tremendously, so any and all things would be awesome. Thanks.

::bond::

~comm.~

::~bond and comm. simultaneously~::

Thoughts

::~Sideswipe, I need you to distract one of the Devastator team. I don't want you or Sunstreaker to have to break them apart,~:: Prowl's calm voice said, bringing a bit of order to the chaos the frontliner was currently in. ::~You know the vulnerable points.~::

:: Gotcha, Prowler. You owe us for this.::

:: I know. Ignore that you're setting up pranks.::

Prowl continued ordering the battle as well as possible from both his perspective and his mates' perspectives. They were all slowly edging closer to each other, unable to stay too far apart when they chose to link themselves so closely. Before the six mechs knew it they were only a hundred feet from each other and desperately fighting. The Seekers were shooting at them from above and the Devastator team along with the Menasor team was closing in on them.

:: Frag. Double frag,:: slipped through the bond from the tactician. :: I don't see us getting a way out of this since they're going to form up soon.::

A shocked silence permeated the bond for a split second.

:: Slag!:: That was Bluestreak.

:: Fraggin' fantastic!:: came Jazz's sarcastic thought.

:: We knew this would happen at some point,:: Perceptor pointed out.

:: Fraggers, the lot of them,:: Sunstreaker growled.

:: Primus in the Pit!:: Sideswipe cursed.

:: Well. Our secret is soon to be out. Any last words, gentlemechs? No?:: Sunstreaker said over their bond before shouting, "CATALYST! FORM UP!"

Mechs turned to look regardless of what they had been occupied with before, no matter if it was throwing a punch, squeezing the trigger, buried in the internals of an injured mech, or throwing insults back and forth. What they saw was both awe-inspiring and horrifying. There was another gestalt? How in the Pit did that happen and how did nobody know of it?

The twins merged in the air to form the torso and part of the shoulder-mounted cannon along with the head. Prowl and Bluestreak, their weapons subspaced, formed the legs that the torso came to rest on as Jazz and Perceptor merged as their arms, the microscope's barrel formed the rest of the cannon.

The earth shook as Catalyst barreled forward into the newly formed Menasor, deftly plowing a fist into the joint holding the gestalt together and knocking them apart. He was careful to not step on any of the mechs as he turned to faced Devastator. This gestalt was about the same age as Catalyst as a combiner, but the mechs forming him were older and more experienced. The Autobot combiner would have to be careful when taking him on.

:: It should be his left shoulder joint,:: Perceptor said after a moment of contemplation. Catalyst rolled his arms at their merge points before calmly walking towards the lime green and purple combiner.

:: You would think they'd at least choose appropriate colors for their alt modes,:: Sunstreaker grumbled.

:: I agree. How can they possibly blend in like that?:: Prowl said, allowing the gestalt mind access to his battle computer. Too bad it wasn't needed as Megatron called for a retreat.

:: Time to face the music,:: Jazz joked as they broke apart into their individual mechs.

"That saying fits surprisingly well. Of course, you're also really into music, Jazz, so it fits even better. Especially when you say it. Don't you think so?"

"O' course, Blue. It's ah good way ta express tha'."

The Catalyst team stayed close together as the Autobots converged on their position after all of the Decepticons had left the battlefield. They visually checked each other over for wounds and did what needed to be done.

:: Do you think that we'll be questioned really harshly?:: the gunner asked hesitantly.

:: Most likely,:: the tactician answered. :: They'll be wondering why we kept this secret.::

"Yeah. Well there was a Pit slaggin' good reason and if we hadn't have had to today, there'd still be a Pit slaggin' good reason," Sideswipe muttered heatedly as Perceptor finished welding closed the slight tears in his coolant and energon lines.

"We're all agreed there, Sides," Sunstreaker said. "We have a lot to worry about too-"

"Slaggin' right ya have a lot ta worry 'bout," Ironhide said as he reached the group of mechs. "What possessed ya ta not inform us that ya formed a gestalt? Ya know how much of an advantage that would have been? How many more battles we coulda won?"

:: There would have been little difference and we normally serve other purposes in the army,:: Sideswipe groused. Perceptor sent a wave of calm over to the twins. Keeping them level-headed at this point in time was a priority.

:: Of course not, Sides,:: Prowl said placatingly. :: You know that I am normally kept off the battlefield and we are all separated too far on a normal basis.::

:: Yeah, but Prowler, they ain' gonna be thinkin' 'bout tha'. They gonna be thinkin' 'bout their lost comrades an' tha like.::

:: That is far too true,:: Perceptor said quietly. :: They will all be rather angry with us, I do believe.::

Optimus pulled up to the small group and transformed to root mode. His expression behind his mask reeked of disappointment. Jazz rubbed a hand soothingly down Prowl's arm. They were all nervous about what could happen to them – stripped of rank, thrown from the Ark, or kept from what they enjoyed.

Sideswipe stood close enough to Sunstreaker to lend him support physically but far enough behind him to recognize his position of leadership and slung an arm around Perceptor to support him and calm him. Prowl laced his fingers with the frontliner's with Jazz wrapping and arm around his waist and Bluestreak latching onto the saboteur's other side. The tactician rubbed a soothing hand across the gunner's doorwings. They were all emotionally supporting their leader and, physically, declaring who they followed. This apparently did not make it clear to the rest of the mechs barring the Aerialbots and Protectobots.

"Prowl. Why were we not informed of your combiner unit?" Optimus asked.

Sunstreaker's engine rumbled in threat. Passing by the leader to ask another gestalt mate was an insult. Silverbolt and Hot Spot looked at the Prime like he had grown another head. How did he not notice the way they were standing? Their own gestalts stood the same way.

"You address me, Prime, before you go to my mates," the yellow frontliner hissed.

Ironhide stepped forward, cannons whirling threateningly. Sunstreaker paid him no mind though the other five mechs moved significantly closer to him. In fact, they reached out to touch his back plates as if to reassure themselves that he was there.

"Ya don' address Prime like that, youngling," the weapon's specialist growled.

"And you don't frag with a pissed off gestalt leader," Prowl stated matter-of-factly. "In fact, I would recommend that you back off. We may not slag you later."

To hear such a thing from the straight-laced tactician was surprising and many of the Autobots looked at him strangely. A grin splayed itself across Sideswipe's faceplates. Jazz and Bluestreak smiled at him happily and gave him a thumbs-up. Maybe he would be more open to showing them affection in public.

"Do you go to Silverbolt's or Hot Spot's team without consulting with them fist, Prime? No. They're gestalt leaders. They need to know what's going on with their team. I'm leader of the Catalyst team and it was fraggin' well-earned. Are you gonna undermine that just because of who I am?" Sunstreaker asked with a dark glare for the huge bot.

"Well, it's not like anyone told us anything," Optimus grumbled.

"It is rather obvious, Prime," Slingshot said. "We stand behind our leader. So do Hot Spot's mates."

:: Is it just meh or does Prahme seem ta be ratha more outta sorts than we though'?:: Jazz asked. His confusion filtered over the bond along with his thoughts.

:: Definitely not how we thought he'd act .It's not like we're different mechs. The only thing different is that we are part of a gestalt. I mean, I don't feel any different. Do any of you feel any different?::

A chorus of 'no's answered him before Sideswipe continued. :: None of us are different, but we have been, along with Red Alert, keeping a huge secret from the rest of the Autobots.::

:: It doesn't help our case that Jazz and I are two of the highest ranked officers and we kept this from him.::

The red frontliner tightened his hold on the black and white tactician. For being the most standoffish socially, he really was a touchy-feely mech with them. Of course, he was never close to them before everything happened and they had all been friends. Since then, he had opened up to them just as they did the same and came to accept and enjoy touching and being touched. Whether that happened for any reason was on his terms though. They had learned to interpret the feedback they got from him on when it was acceptable.

:: This would be better done on the Ark,:: Perceptor observed, stroking the arm that Prowl had wrapped around the red frontliner.

"So how was I supposed to know that it was something all gestalts did?"

"Even Motamasta is at tha fron' o' his group," Jazz muttered.

"The leader leads. For Catalyst team, Sideswipe and I are first with support from Bluestreak and Perceptor. Jazz got the information that Prowl needed for the plan we follow and scouts for us just to be on the safe side."

"Isn't the leader of the gestalt supposed to have the highest rank?" Prime asked.

Sunstreaker answered, "No. That's just a construction that you all came up with. Of course, they were sparked gestalt. I support my mates in what they want to do. Jazz, Prowl, and Cep chose to rise in rank. We provide them with what they need."