A/N: So there has been a small change (which really doesn't effect much of anything at all). The war has been going on for FIFTEEN years rather than ten now. For the sake of a storyline that I wanted to tell. Due to the fact that the timeline really hasn't come into conversation or anything yet, no previous chapters have been effected or edited. :) Just a heads up for later.

I have also decided that Optimus has been in power for 14 years. Meaning that he was only not in power during the war for ONE year.

Anyways, such ends the small changes that don't effect the story that I need y'all to know about!

Thanks to my beta, TFPRIMEKOFANGIRL, for her work on this chapter!

...

CHAPTER 3
Tensions on Base

Jake tried to stay out of Prowl's way for the next couple of weeks.

They kept their distance, him doing his own thing while Prowl did his. It made life easier that way, if they only had to see each other while eating. And while Prowl, for his part, did try to talk to him, he did his best to do the opposite. He didn't want to risk that this mech might get into his head, not at all. So he spent most of his time outside of their quarters, and doing whatever he could outside in the other areas of the base.

Right now, he was seated just near the exit to the base itself. Hidden with a one-way mirror that on the surface would look like any other metal on Cybertron. From where he sat, however, he could see outside and the freedom that was the planet's surface. Jake sighed, he longed for freedom, but here or with the Decepticons, he was kept hidden. Whether to protect him (supposedly) from Decepticons, or to keep him enslaved.

He took a sharp intake of breath as the sound of footsteps grabbed his attention. He peered over his shoulder as the Autobot approached him. And just looking at the way the mech's optics were narrowed, he knew trouble was coming. "Hey! Punk, get down from there! What do you think you're doing at the entrance!?"

Jake blinked, that was a new one. Why would someone find fault with him relaxing near the entrance? He stood to his feet slowly, and looked the mech in the optics. "I was just relaxing and looking outside. Why? What's wrong?"

"Relaxing and looking outside my aft!" The mech snorted. "While you're the only one here? You sure you weren't sending signals to your little Decepticreep buddies?"

Jake's eyes bulged, oh no, no, no. This guy was not accusing him of that. If he did that he'd probably go to prison sooner than he had even expected. "No! Honest! I was just looking! I'll go though, promise!" Jake hopped from his perch, and started past the mech, only to find himself snatched up by the back of his shirt. "Hey! Let me go!"

The mech narrowed his optics even more at Jake. "Yeah, we'll just see what one of your guardians thinks about that. Prowl sure seems to know how to make a liar talk." Jake gulped, his eyes filled with fear. "He'll see through an obvious spy like you in a sparkbeat!"

"Did I hear my designation?"

Jake struggled now. Of course, Prowl was the type of mech that checked on his charge when he was not in his constant line of sight. So now was no different. The Autobot that had hold of Jake's shirt spun around, pointing to Jake with scrutiny. "I found this spy looking outside! What gave him the idea that as someone we took from the Decepticons he could do that yet? He shouldn't be out this far until he proves he isn't a spy!" He added with a blunt attitude.

The boy closed his eyes and felt his cheeks heat up, embarrassment setting in. Did the Autobots really think that low of him? What had he done to deserve this? "He's twelve years old and spends his time in an underground base. Of course he looks outside when he can." Prowl replied, his voice level and calm. "You can't honestly stand here and accuse him of having ulterior motives. Paranoia such as that is completely illogical."

Jake's eyes snapped open at Prowl, stunned to silence. Had Prowl just defended him? HIM? The boy who had been making his life a living hell? "You can't tell me you trust the kid. From what I hear he's a handful and defiant. Probably because he's loyal to the 'Cons-"

"Or because he's the victim of brainwashing and abuse." Prowl snapped back. "Put my charge down, Keycode. Jacob is not spying, and if he were I'd have picked up on it long ago. So if you'd kindly quit accusing him..."

"I'll accuse an obvious spy all I want!"

All the same, Keycode did put Jake down, rather roughly at that. "Of course, it is within your right to have a completely unfounded opinion and share it. But it is NOT your right to lay your hands on my charge. Nor prevent him from roaming in the base." Prowl stated, getting angrier now. "And if I see you doing it again, I will be reporting it to Magnus himself. Perhaps you can answer to him why Jacob's trust of us isn't higher than it could be."

Keycode looked as though he wanted to hit Prowl. But at the same time, didn't do a thing. Perhaps knowing that Prowl was a very skilled fighter and would, undoubtedly, win a fight. "You're a real piece of work, defending him." Keycode snapped. "If that kid ends up being the death of us, it's on your head now!"

"He won't be." Prowl replied flatly.

As Keycode left, Jake stared blankly at Prowl. He really had just stood up for him, big time. And as someone who wasn't used to adults sticking up for him, he had to admit he was shocked. "You didn't have to do that." Jake murmured at last, hesitating. "I..."

"You're my charge, and I don't like bullies." Prowl explained, turning to scan Jake quietly. "You don't seem hurt, but I'll ask anyway. Are you in any pain? Did he hurt you?"

Jake looked to be baffled by the concern Prowl showed. He looked the mech over, as if running his own scan. Looking for any sign that the mech was simply trying to feign worry. When he found none, he stood there for a moment before speaking. "N...No." Jake replied, his voice tight. "He just scared me if anything..."

Prowl nodded his head, seemingly satisfied with the answer. He took a deep breath, his optics looking up towards where the mech had left. "Keycode has lost a lot to the war. A part of me believes that he's not fully there." The tactician explained, his voice calm. "He is a little mentally unstable..."

"Or a lot." Jake replied. "Who did he lose?"

"Pretty much everyone. His sparklings, his sparkmate... I think even his creators." Prowl explained, Jake's eyes softened a little. "Decepticons leveled his small town. If he hadn't been out of town on business he probably would have been dead as well. It was a real tragedy."

Jake felt a bit bad for the mech now. But not enough so that he forgave him for his actions. No, it wasn't his fault the Decepticons had taken everything from him. "Yeah, well... I guess it makes sense that he hates the Decepticons. But not me. I'm not a Decepticon, not anymore at least." Jake told him bluntly.

"You'll find that doesn't matter to some people here." Prowl's own voice was tight now. "War does ugly things to people, Jacob. I don't need to tell you that, I know. But it's not just in the way of children, it does horrible things to adults too."

Jake hadn't really thought of that, honestly. He'd only really thought of the effect the war was having on him. But now that Prowl put it that way... "Either way, you should come with me." Prowl replied. "I don't want you out here after that situation. You can spend some time with me in my office."

Jake didn't reply for a moment, but nodded. "Alright, yeah... I guess that makes sense."

But even as Prowl led him away, he couldn't help but feel a pang of fear. What would happen if Prowl wasn't around next time, after all?

...

Jake tried to act uninterested in how Prowl handled the rest of the day. But to be honest, he was the most curious he had been since he'd gotten to the base. But things seemed to just pass by like normal. He didn't talk much, but when he did it was mostly small talk. And by the end of the day, when they were back in their quarters, Jazz was still off on some sort of assignment. Jake knew he was Special Ops, so he doubted that the mech would be back for a bit given how late he'd left that day.

After dinner, he finally had the guts to ask the question on his mind.

"Why did you stand up for me?"

Prowl blinked, peering over at the boy from his perch on the Transformer sized couch. He stared at the young human, who himself was seated on a human one in the den for a moment before responding. "Why wouldn't I? Of course I was going to stand up for my charge. You're just a child and my responsibility. Anyone who has a problem with you will have to contend with me as well." He replied rather deadpan.

"But you barely know me." Jake pointed out. "You don't owe me anything."

"If this was about me owing you I'd do nothing for you. No, this is about what's right and wrong. And what he was doing was very wrong." Prowl explained without missing a beat. "You're a child, not a soldier. Not a spy. A child. And people need to stop and think about that."

"I was one though." Jake muttered.

"Was being the operative word." Prowl explained. "And it wasn't your fault either."

He stood to his feet, making his way to wash out the remains of his energon cube in the nearby sink. Jake had a lot to learn about putting his trust in others. But then again, what else was new? He'd known since he'd come to live with him that was the case. "You keep saying that, but how do you know I didn't just go willingly with the Decepticons?"

"Did you?" Prowl asked inquisitively.

Of course, Jake hadn't. He'd been snatched up off the street, but that was beside the point. He looked off to the side, unsure of how to reply. "No, I got dragged off the street by some Decepticon I never saw again. I just... I'm surprised you trust me enough already not to have asked." He replied with an insane level of honesty for his age.

Prowl paused, his throat tightening. "Because I don't buy that you could have joined a cause willingly. Especially not with how afraid you appear to be of them." He explained. "You may have tried to go back to them the first few days. But you haven't done so at all since."

Jake blinked, Prowl was right. He HAD stopped fighting about them giving him back over. Maybe because it seemed to be a lost cause. Maybe because he truly believed they would capture him back anyway. But there was a part of him... However small... That thought that maybe he was right and there was another reason.

No, Jake told himself. He trusted no one but the other kids in the program. That was how his life had always been, and always would be.

Jake took a deep breath, looking up at the mech. He also knew that Prowl did deserve at least a little bit of trust from him. He had stood up for him, and seemed to not even regret it. And while he didn't know if that meant he could trust him, it did mean that he was a good mech. And that, in the end, was the reason he spoke up with a... "Thank you." He paused a moment. "I did appreciate you sticking up for me... And not... Thinking I'm like them."

Prowl did a double take at the sentence, leaning back carefully. Had Jake just thanked him? He paused a moment, thinking over how to respond. It wasn't easy to think of an answer, even if it was as simple as "You're welcome." Because this was, after all, the first time Jake had said something to that effect. "You're welcome..." Prowl finally spoke up. "Though I hardly think the thanks is necessary."

Jake didn't say anything else, nor did Prowl. But the mech couldn't help but reflect upon what had just happened.

...

Prowl tried to make his footsteps light as he did his routine check on Jake's room that night. The boy hadn't said a whole lot since their talk earlier. In fact, he'd gone to bed not too long after the chat without much more than a quiet "goodnight". He lingered a moment in the doorway, wondering what had gone through the boy's head. At times like that, he wished he could honestly read a human's mind in that regard; or anyone's mind for that matter.

So it stood to reason that it made the fact he was to report to Ultra Magnus on the boy a bit ironic.

None-the-less, Prowl knew not to keep the commander waiting. Least of all while he watched the human sleep, even if it was a peaceful activity. Rather, he made a second run through of the security in his and Jazz's quarters, giving Jake's room one last glance before making his way to Magnus's office.

Said office was rather large, housing many different screens, a massive desk, and a couch for more "casual" visits. Prowl hadn't found much reason for such casual visits, believing that any chance to talk with the commander was anything but. Thus, when offered the couch, Prowl had gestured to his commander with a hand, but declined. "Alright then, let's get to it. How is our young ward adjusting?" Magnus questioned, skipping pleasantries.

"Some would suggest it varies orn to orn. Jacob has his good days where he might open up to a degree. But most of the time, he's still very introverted and fearful." Prowl explained honestly. "I would like to say that some of our ranks' distrust of him is not helping."

"Distrust?" Magnus questioned.

"I found Keycode interrogating him for simply looking out the viewing port." Prowl explained calmly, though he grew a bit tense. "And while he is the only person to physically confront him, he is hardly the first person to voice his distrust. The other orn, I heard a group discussing why we have not put him into a prison yet."

Magnus gave a sharp intake of breath, a frown appearing on his face. "Noted. War is an ugly thing but if we begin to accuse enslaved children of such actions... We will have no hope of rehabilitating these children from the very first one we've found." He explained. "Some of our ranks do forget that we are not the terrorists in this war."

Prowl couldn't argue with him there. He felt his doorwings stiffen a bit, but after a moment, he looked at Magnus. "It seems the boy is fascinated with the outside. It is my belief that he may not have seen it for some time before his "mission". He spends a lot of time observing through the one-way mirror which could make some mechs suspicious." He explained. "Perhaps a solution would be a short, monitored excursion to the outside."

"We shouldn't risk taking him out into the open." Magnus replied.

"I am not suggesting anywhere in the city-states where they will be looking for him. Such an action would be illogical and dangerous, yes." Prowl replied, in a matter-of-fact manner. "But perhaps to one of the smaller towns. There are several of them near here. If we take one of our underground tunnels, I don't foresee a problem so long as he is not recognized."

"So long as he is not recognized." Magnus repeated sharply.

Prowl knew he had a point, what would he do IF they were spotted? There were no Autobot bases in the smaller towns. Most of them were in neutral territory, after all. So any back-up would have to come from their base and that could take more time than necessary. "We can have camouflage constructed for him in some manner." Prowl explained. "Perhaps in a manner similar to our holoforms."

Magnus seemed to consider the thought for a moment. He stroked his chinplate. "You really believe that the boy wishes to see the world outside?" Prowl inclined his head in a nod. "I'll discuss things with the engineers, but I can't promise it will be a possibility. But if it helps to the recovery process... It's worth looking into."

"Sir, I wish to request one more thing." Prowl explained.

"Continue."

"I want access to Jacob's records." There was a lingering silence. "I know the government of Praxus has them. I believe in order to better help Jacob, it would do me well to know better who I am dealing with. And knowing his parental heritage may help with any overlooked medical issues."

Magnus was silent for a long moment, reflecting on his words. "I already had his file sent to me when he came here. It may give you an analysis of his foster care and medical history. But I implore you... Don't divulge whom his creators are to him." Magnus explained. "That is information best left without his knowledge."

"His parents abandoned him at birth, according to him. I doubted there would be much information to work-."

"That's what they wanted him to think, Prowl. But it's not the truth, far from it actually." Magnus replied, his voice tight, he motioned for Prowl to close the door. "And I'm only telling this to you because I believe you can keep a secret better than most mechs."

Prowl stared at Magnus quietly, then closed the door. It was a long moment before Magnus spoke again, his optics baring into his spark. "You'll find in his documents that Jacob was born Steven Mathius Jameson. You'll also find that his father's medical records... Are that of Nathaniel Torrence, though outdated." Magnus explained.

Prowl was deadly silent at that, the air growing tense. "Nathaniel Torrence the Decepticon general? The leader of Megatron's personal human death-squad?" He questioned, Magnus inclined his head. "Sir, Nathaniel never had child-."

"He didn't to his knowledge, no. When his wife realized she was pregnant, she fled the Decepticons. Came to Optimus herself, begging for sanctuary. She had wanted away from his abusive hands for orns by the time she came to us." Magnus leaned forward slowly, his optics now matching Prowl's. "She died when he was three months old, under Autobot protection. And it was decided, for his best interests, that we needed to rename the child and put him in foster care. We had reason to believe that Torrence had gotten wind of where his wife was... And he had a hand in it. Therefore, we believed the boy may be in danger."

Prowl tensed slowly, his thoughts turning to Jacob. "Do you think that's why they picked him off the streets at such a young age? Do they... Know?" He asked.

"Since he shows no knowledge of Torrence at all, I doubt it sincerely." Magnus replied, leaning back. "But with the Decepticons, one could never be too sure... That's not my first concern, however. My biggest concern is what some of these unsavory mechs in our forces may do if they found out."

Prowl didn't want to think that any Autobots would resort to retribution. But Nathaniel Torrence was one of the most despicable humans to ever live. He'd murdered hundreds in cold blood, tortured, maimed, and... Prowl cringed. Yes, the point was, someone would undoubtedly try to do something in retribution. "I can assure you, these files will be under lock and key far from anyone's reach. I would never let harm come to a child." Prowl replied evenly.

"Will this effect your guardianship of him?" Magnus asked honestly.

Prowl shook his head, knowing that would never happen. Jake was a child, he had never known his father, he would hopefully never know his father for that matter... "No, sir. He's a youngling, I would not hold this against him. You have my word."

"Very good. Then the files will be in your terminal upon your return." Magnus explained. "Dismissed."

For the second time that day, as he exited the office, Prowl tried to mull over this newfound information.

...

A/N: This was something I had not initially planned but I thought make for some interesting tension. Plus, I had not thought of any human Decepticons in this universe yet. As such, I am not sure we will be meeting Nathaniel Torrence later on here, or in one of the upcoming main stories (if those happen). But I wanted the option to at least be there.