Universe: Air Superiority alternate timeline (G1/Prime/IDW crossover)
Characters: Smokescreen (G1), Rung (IDW), Prowl (G1), Knockout (Prime)
Plot: a young mech and his teacher have a good chat
Changes: all the events from chapter 5 did not happen.
Notes: you can read this one without having read Air Superiority but I don't advise it as especially the first part makes much more sense if you know what happened beforehand.

Smokescreen yawned boredly as he lounged comfortably in Prowl's office, legs propped up on the usually spotless, almost maniacally tidy desk. Enjoying thoroughly the sensation of the metal and rubber leaving grease marks on it. High grade cubes were scattered all around, and he decided he wouldn't count how many of them were empty.
He didn't know why but being able to cause a ruckus in the temple of law and order really was so fun.

In that moment his data pad pinged and the young mech let his grin become even wider, as he answered a call he had been waiting for it.
"Rung, nice to see you again." he greeted joyfully, looking at the elderly orange mech. Trying not to giggle at how those optic ridges furrowed.
"Smokescreen, are you drunk?" Rung asked and the Praxian just let himself laugh as he lost the fight against his amusement. He adored when Rung tried to be the stern one.
"Aw Rung sorry but if my sire can't change me you can't either." he responded relaxing more and spinning on his chair before putting his legs back on the desk. Just in time to see his old teacher shake his helm.
"Smokescreen... Wait is that Prowl's office? It's surely not yours."
Smokescreen shrugged with a sheepish grin.
"Yeah too tidy. Haven't had enough time to acquaint myself with it." he replied "if you call me in a week from now, you won't be able to tell the difference."
Rung sighed and noted something.
"Okay I need to reassess my evaluation of Prowl's paranoia. I may have overestimated it." he muttered and Smokescreen couldn't help but laugh again, his doorwings fluttered.
"You chatted with my sire? That must have been... Interesting. ' he snorted softly " seriously, if I wasn't extremely biased I would have loved to study him.'
Rung shook his helm and quirked a small smile.
"Only a small chat. Nothing long. He was too busy arguing with Ultra Magnus on everything to give me much of his time. He actually just wanted to ask me if we were still in contact. He must have been surprised to know we talk about the situation in base. ' he replied and amusement danced in those ancient optics of his. Smokescreen grinned widely.
"Poor mech, if he only knew all what I tell you..." he snorted "speaking of which, I have my report for the first week without Prowl, Jazz and the twins."
"This will be interesting, begin."

"First day, nothing much to report. Couldn't be much around the others as Bluestreak clung to me and didn't want me to leave him for anything. Bless Optimus and his decision to let us get the day off. He's such a good leader you know? Wish Prowl was more like him and less like a military commander to his own son. I have to call him sir! In the last commanding staff meeting he was such a jerk when I just... '

"Smokescreen. You told me last week."

"Uh? Oh right. High grade sends me rambling. Sorry. I was saying? Oh, right, Blue." he vented before grinning "took a good Earth day for me to get out without Blue clinging to me, but it has been getting better. Next day I was actually able to do something without him. Something very interesting. I was approached by Knockout. I don't like him much but with Optimus pressing for me to give an evaluation of him I accepted to gamble. I think he wanted something from me, he surely was a terrible player. Lost most of the credits he had with him. We started drinking and... No don't look at me like that. I was lucid enough to know that he was trying push the chat toward a certain topic. Upgrades, if I liked them or something like that. "

" That could be simple chitchat. "

" Aw come on mech. You taught me how to see behind casual signs. I tell you, Knockout's up to something. Has been hanging around with scientists too much for it to be a coincidence. I can't wait to discover what he has in that deceiving processor of his. '
Smokescreen paused even before Rung spoke to protest this time, knowing that worried and disappointed frown too much. He waved slightly.
"Relax mech. Just wanna see if it's bad. If it isn't it would be cruel to bust his fun. You yourself said he needed to find something he enjoys to start integrating in the Autobots."

"You just want to find if he has upgrades for you. '

" Touché. " Smokescreen replied and grinned at him " lucky it fits the official reason just fine. Just let's not have it widely known. Especially with Prowl. Let's just go on with my report. "

"... I correct myself. Prowl does not need medicines for paranoia at all. He just needs a medal."

---

Prowl was walking down the hall silently, his doorwings high and rigid just like he liked to keep them. Especially among those... Insubordinate  glitches. Even worse than the ones on Earth, and that was saying something! He sighed softly reaching his quarters, and opening the door. Immediately, the basics. Look left, toward the always suspicious cabinet, then right toward those shelves, searching for paint bombs hidden between data pads. Nothing? Good. But Prowl didn't relax, stepping toward the desk. He didn't know the whole office as well as he desired, so he continued searching. First on the clean, neat desk, then kneeling to check every single drawer, his movements smooth with practice. Open, empty, data pad by data pad, then wipe it and fill it again. Then repeat with the one below. Prowl's processor continued unhelpfully spitting out data on all what he could had done in the time he had to use to make sure one of his idiotic comrades didn't prank the only responsible, competent mech in the whole army. They were all stupid. Especially the Wreckers. Maybe he should leave some of his work to Ultra Magnus or Springer, so they would understand.
But they would mess up, so no he could not.

When Prowl finally finished this boring, useless task, without finding anything out of place, he straightened himself, happy to be able to finally focus and work. Going to move his chair, carefully. Then his doorwings flicked, catching a small sound.
'click'.
A blur of red flashed in front of his optics and Prowl rose his arms to stop whatever it was, but then his spark clenched in horror. A liquid was covering him from above, sticky. It's white color soon covering his optics too. And Primus, it burnt! He wanted to cry out but as soon as he opened his mouth that thing got inside and... Glued it shut. He struggled, unable to move, unable to almost vent. Despair flaring inside his spark.
When his processor crashed, he welcomed it for once.

The beeps were the first thing Prowl heard. His optics flickered, as he forced to online them, confused on what happened. Bleary, he mumbled something trying to touch his optics, as they were aching so bad. But someone caught his arm.
"No you don't. That glue is still on you and you'll hurt your optics further. ' a female voice chided. His vision finally focused and he found himself looking at a white helmed femme.
" Minerva. " he mumbled softly, his mouth feeling tingly and slow to respond commands, recognizing the Iacon CMO. He didn't manage to utter much else, he was just exhausted, his optics and helm hurting terribly.
"Rest now."
That order was so inviting Prowl didn't even try and acknowledge it. Just slumping again in glue-less dreams.

---

A red devil was watching the recharging commander with a grin on his face. Another red and orange one beside him with a matching expression.
'Rodders, come to Earth sometimes. You are a genius.' he said and grinned 'l don't know how you heard them, but I think Rung will find it fitting. "
Hot Rod laughed and nodded, approaching with him carefully. Attaching a handful of medals on the still sticky armor before  retreating silently.
The only sounds in the private room now being the beeps of machines and, barely audible, a soft dripping.

---

The energon curdling snarl that echoed in the whole base made all the bots sane wince away and find a place where to hide. Even Ultra Magnus opted for a strategic while still dignified retreat in his office. For work. Of course.
But Hot Rod knew he wasn't sane already. So he did not even wince and just took a sip from his cube, leaning on the chair and turning his helm to the side to give Jazz a small smirk.
"What did ya... ' said mech started asking but his words died on his lips as Hot Rod just grinned more before starting laughing. This was just perfect. A running red Lamborghini passed them at full speed followed by a brown and white praxian. Golden shards gleaming hit by the lights like some sort of shiny lights. And following the multicolored mech, a sweet scent hit them like a wind.
"Chocolate?!' Jazz managed to gasp while giggling, having lost his fight with laughter not long after Hot Rod.

' Well Rung said Prowl deserved medal. But we are generous, so  decided to give him more than one! But you know, metal is expensive and Prowl would bite our afts for wasting resources. ' he explained grinning 'so we decided to go for cheap stolen children stuff so he could not complain! It only had a small problem with heat... '

"Ma mech ya'll are crazy an' evil. Ah like that"
Hot Rod grinned again. Then a squeak came to his audial.
'It was Hot Rod's idea! "
The look on the Commander's face made his laughter get stuck in his vocalizer. He seemed a predator on the hunt. Hunting him.
' Frag it. ' he managed to whisper, before getting up and making a run for it, claws closing a few inches from his audio fins.
"It was just a gift Prowl! ' he yelled out, but the snarl that replied made him focus on moving his legs instead of his mouth.
He hoped it would be enough.

---

A very serious Rung walked over to Jazz and slumped on the empty chair, after the running duo and the hunting praxian were out of sight.
' I need a better soundproofing in my office. " he said desolate, before shaking his helm " preferably on another planet after Prowl realizes I unknowingly gave them the idea.'
Jazz patted his back with a sympathetic smile.
'Ah' ll try mah best mech. "

Author's note.
This wasn't definitely supposed to end up like this. This was supposed to yes be a light-hearted piece but went from that to pure delirium.
But I regret nothing! Consider it a crazy, early Christmas present.