How it
Is
Interlude One: Barricade
By:
Nightelfcrawler
Disclaimer: Obviously Transformers is
not my own, and is property of Hasbro. Be gentle.
This fraggin' sucked. There was nothing else that could possibly describe the sensation, the anguish.
The boredom.
The streets were busy with cars flashing by in the hot summer sun, ignoring the black and white car hidden underneath the shadows of an old dilapidated building that looked as if one push in the wrong direction would send it tumbling. Those that DID see the figure parked there in the shadows merely saw a police car laying assumingly in wait for speeding cars to catch.
But it wasn't cars he was interested in.
Barricade was bored.
It had been almost month, according to the fleshling's calculations of time. And what a long month it had been. In that time, he had not received a single signal from one of his comrades.
Not one.
He expected it of Starscream. That coward had little interest in leading a dying group of warriors. With Blackout, Bonecrusher, Devastator and Megatron all out of the picture, and Scorponok out of contact, the coward had fled before even bothering to contact him. He'd just assumed he was dead, the slagging glitch. But it bothered him that Scorponok hadn't maintained contact. He'd listened in on some of the transmissions during the battle and learned that the insect model Decepticon had been left in the Desert, abandoned by his own caretaker Blackout. Possibly this was why he was maintaining radio silence, either way…
Barricade was alone.
Slag it, for once in his life he actually MISSED Frenzy.
That disturbed him. He was really desperate if he missed that little glitch.
He wasn't even sure why he hadn't jumped into help his comrades during the battle. Starscream had sent him a query as to where he was, and he'd just ignored it. He'd put in an appearance on the freeway, but no one had even noticed when he'd dropped behind the action, watching in grim resolution as Bonecrusher was taken out with swift brutality. He'd decided at that point he preferred to stay in one piece. He was NOT a group fighter, he was best at sneaking up and taking out his foe swiftly. There was no way in the Pit that he'd stand a chance against Optimus Prime, and the way the Autobot leader was being careful in scanning the area, he knew he had to bug out and lay low if he valued his life.
Some might call it cowardice, but he preferred to call it street smarts. If the Decepticons won, he could always claim he was waylaid by some errant humans. If the Autobots won, they wouldn't know where he was. Either way, his chassis was saved the rigors of battle.
But still, being the ONLY Decepticon on Earth in range of those pit-slaggin' do-gooders made his energon boil. He had to constantly watch his back, keep his scanners pealed full-grade, shut down the moment one came into range, hoping they didn't happen to SEE him. He'd had a few close calls, but only the first week.
He hadn't seen them since then.
It was odd, he considered, idly scanning vehicles speeding past him in the dusky light. Where had they gone to? He'd have known if they'd blasted off this slagging rock. But it was as if they had decided to lay low themselves, possibly wary of any returning Decepticons. But why should they worry, they had destroyed Megatron AND the Allspark in one stupid move by that small insignificant pesky fleshling of a human.
Barricade's engine revved angrily despite himself. That human. HE was the source of this WHOLE mess, the reason Barricade was stuck here by himself, having to watch out for his back every waking and recharging second. That human had ruined EVERYTHING.
He hated Sam Witwicky, oh yes he did. With a flaming passion.
He had long since considered all the elaborately fun things he could do with the puny human. There were ways to cause him great pain without terminating his bodily functions. Barricade had looked up all the different methods on the internet, and created a few of his own. He favored trying to peel the exoskeleton skin off the creature. That was a bit messy, but he was never a 'con to worry about getting his hands a little dirty.
There was just one problem. That annoying bug that followed the boy around everywhere. What was it's designation again? Some kind of flying insect…Ah yes, Bumblebee. The one who had handed him his own aft on a glorious plate of fried circuitry.
Barricade hated him too.
But he'd had time to plot his move. A little less than a month had passed, and Barricade had watched very carefully from his vantage point across the street from the human's place of information assimilation. Every day the boy came there, placed a feeble primitive kinetic locomotive device into a rack of similar devices, entered his education center, then a few earth hours later, he'd come back out, repeat the ritual in reverse, and never once glance across the street at the hidden black Saleen sitting in the shadows.
He was so unobservant.
There was one thing that had puzzled Barricade. Through this entire ritual, cycle after cycle, he had not once seen, sensed or located the Autobot guardian of the boy, nor any of the others. They were nowhere around. He'd even risked a long-distance sensor sweep and come up empty.
But he didn't make his move yet. He had to be sure. It wasn't until now that he finally decided it was time. He'd waited long enough, now it was the time to move.
Slowly, the Saleen moved out into traffic, igniting his standard hologram so the humans didn't flip out and wreck their vehicles. He couldn't afford to draw even a cursory glance from anyone during this operation, as much as he despised using the stupid thing. Really, whose idea was it to give them all identical representations? It had been a patch-job at best, and Barricade hadn't thought much of it at the time, but now despised the thought of sharing ANYTHING with that glitch Starscream. Nonetheless, it served it's function, as no human glanced his way, and instead provided an easier means for him to slip through traffic as they all slowed around him. It made it easier for him to speed up. He didn't have to follow the boy, at least that was a plus. He knew where he lived by now, having followed every step of his route on various days just to be certain. Therefore, it was simple to tail him at a distance, taking his time and remaining several blocks and turns behind as not to be spotted. Not that the human expected trouble, he'd been safe for this long, he likely was becoming complacent. It would make the capture a bit less challenging perhaps, but as long as he got a few good screams out of the fleshling, he didn't care.
He slowed as the boy reached his home, dumped his bike against the bushes as usual and jogged up inside. Barricade parked out of sight from the windows, around the block but still within scanning range. The boy would know him if he lay eyes on him, so it never hurt to be careful. And if there was one thing Barricade DID pride himself in having, it was patience. So he waited. The night grew steadily darker, as he thought of all the fun he was going to have tonight. He knew the perfect spot too, a place out in the desert beyond any other human civilization where the boy's screams would go unheard. There were several sharp rocks and long drops that would come in handy. His engine purred at the mere thought as he idly scanned the boy's room.
Strange…
Barricade hadn't actually scanned the human before. He couldn't identify one from the other, after all they were just all squishy things that gave off no identifiable markers. He had to visually look for the kid before he could separate him from the rest. But now that he attempted to scan for bio-signatures that might indicate the kid's state of stasis or functionality, Barricade found that he was completely lacking any signature at all.
It was as if the room were empty. Yet, he could clearly see the kid hunched over that primitive mess of wires and circuits that he considered a computer, and Barricade KNEW that the puny humans didn't possess sophisticated technology to manufacture holograms. So, he checked again. Two human life-signs and one rodent. There should be THREE humans and one rodent.
Barricade turned this information over in his processor, puzzled.
It was possible that the boy had some kind of residual radiation blocking all scans, he supposed. After all, the human had touched and carried the Allspark, something even he had not had the opportunity to do in his lifetime. Who knows what kind of effects something so powerful could wreck on these fragile fleshies. He'd heard there had been a few 'offshoots' from the boy's careless stumbles, though he hadn't seen any of them himself. So what kind of an effect would life-giving energy have on a biological life-form? He had no clue. It had never been recorded or even theorized before to his knowledge.
Frustrated, Barricade scanned again, noticing the boy's light had shut off in his room.
Nothing.
Frag it.
He was eager to start his devastation on the fleshling, but at the same time insatiable curiosity tugged at him. This wasn't normal. This shouldn't happen. The boy shouldn't be blocking his scans. It was just like he wasn't THERE. Could it be an Autobot deception, a way to protect him? Possibly, the Decepticon thought, turning the idea over in his head. He had never heard of something masking bio-signatures before, but he had heard of the Autobots masking their own signatures before. It had been done in the war and frequently, he might add. It couldn't be that difficult to alter it to accept human biology. But in that case, why even bother if they weren't around to protect him? Surely they couldn't think masking bio-signatures would keep the boy safe? It'd be an easy thing for Barricade to use the boy's parents as victims instead, and he had no qualms about doing so. So why would they do such an irrational thing?
He scanned again. Nothing. Fine, he was moving then. He rolled forward on silent wheels, approaching the house and waiting to see if anyone moved on his scans. The parents were in a room together and not moving, the rodent situated on a plush surface downstairs out of the way, he would not get a better time. With a whine of rotors and digital initialization of his transformation circuits, Barricade pushed himself up, moving slower than normal to avoid detection as he slowly rose to his full 17 foot height. He slowly stepped over the hedge, moving slowly, stepping lightly as not to shake the ground and provoke the weak fleshling's alarm circuits. Nothing moved, not even the little rodent downstairs. Carefully, Barricade lowered his optics to stare into the boy's room, red bathing the bed in an eerie illumination that showed him the human was laying unmoving, deep breaths coming from his torso. So fragile…so pathetic… one stab would end it's stupid life.
Hold it… What the frag is THAT? Barricade froze, optics focused on the human's breathing figure, but focused internally as a warning abruptly flashed on his display. He called it up, and read the diagnostic, still as a rock in the meantime, as not to provoke the boy. What the frag… no… this wasn't possible. He scanned the display, sure his diagnostics were on the fritz. His optics shifted back to the boy, and he frowned, then shifted views, bright glowing red distorted to a bloody orange color as he pulled up a different viewing mode.
Frag! What the pit is going on!? He thought angrily, staring at the display in disbelief. He hadn't seen it, detected it nor even thought it possible, yet there clear as day on his infra-red display, was a shimmering aura around the boy. It was almost like a heat register, but it hadn't come up on his thermals. He switched modes, remaining stock still, as a dull burnt orange color replaced his optics as he pulled up another viewing selection. He froze. Impossible! There was no way this could be right. It registered as an electromagnetic field. Humans didn't radiate that kind of field. Ever. Such a pulse required significant amounts of metal and electric energy to generate, none of which the boy should have.
Unless…
His processor stopped operation abruptly as the thought idly drifted across his CPU.No…that can't be right. Humans are lower life-forms, incompatible with our own, he thought darkly. But still… the boy had held the Allspark in his hands, and even more important, he had USED it. That in itself shouldn't have been possible by all accounts. Non-mechanical life forms shouldn't be able to use the cube. The Sector Seven morons had used technology to access it's powers, that he could rationalize. But no human holding it in his bare hands should have been able to initiate it's destructive powers.
Yet…Sam Witwicky had done it.
Barricade shifted his optics back to normal mode, their gleaming red glaring down accusingly at the human. Whatever the answer, he wasn't going to be having any fun tonight. He wanted answers. If this human had used the Allspark, and it had left it's mark on him in some manner, he had to find out precisely what it had done to the boy before he acted rashly. The last thing he wanted was to join Megatron in the depths of the ocean. Slowly, the Decepticon pulled back from the window, and made his way back across the grass, steps silent and light, barely imprinting the grass as he stepped back to the street, transformed and silently rolled down the road, coming to a stop at his previous location.
None of this made sense. Yet, Barricade operated on facts, not fiction. The fact was, he had a mystery on his hands, and one that he intended to solve.
So he waited.
The boy went to school the same time as usual, and he followed once more, this time training his sensors on him the entire time, trying to get a ping. Nothing. Empty. Every other human going down the street registered loud and clear, but this Sam fleshling just simply did not exist, according to his scans. It was ultimately even more frustrating when he lost him within the school, and had to sit waiting impatiently for the day to pass once more, until the boy came out again, rode home and entered his domicile once more.
Predictable he was.
That night, Barricade made the attempt again, drawing close once more. He had every intention of just grabbing the frail thing in his hand, squishing it in one swift move. However, as he neared the window again, staring into the boy's room, he stopped.
Something was different.
He flipped on his electromagnetic sensors, and stared in surprise as the energy field around the boy began to fluctuate rapidly. This was totally unlike the night before, the field was jumping up and down wildly, and he warily pulled back as he saw a sharp spike take out a clock on the wall. Energy flares… impossible, unless what he was slowly beginning to guess was true. The energy pattern was weak, distorted, but it's signature DID match the one in his databank as the trace he'd followed to this miserable little planet.
The Allsparks' energy trace.
Barricade pulled back slowly, his scans active as he warily transformed and deposited himself back in his favorite spot. This changed everything. If the boy had some kind of Allspark connection, residual or not, he needed to find out what it was. But he wasn't sure he could do that without calling attention to himself. He turned the problem over in his processors the whole night long.
The next morning, the answer presented itself to him in a most displeasing way.
A sudden signal on his radar jolted him out of a drowsy recharge, as his sensors began to go haywire. Autobot! He quickly shut down all active scans and essential systems, going into stealth mode, leaving only his sensors active. Moments later, a familiar bright yellow Camaro rolled into the high school parking lot, parking out front. It didn't notice him, thankfully, or he would have been in a pinch. Not that he had any issues squishing humans in a fight, but it would alert the Autobot to his presence when he hoped they all thought him gone. The last thing he wanted to do was alert himself to their presence. However, this DID throw a kink in his plans, he realized with a curse. He couldn't sneak up and capture the little fleshling if that pesky scout was hanging around. He'd wasted his chance by thinking that they weren't going to come back around, that they'd abandoned him. Stupid move, armature move. He'd just ruined his chances of ever getting his hands on the boy.
Angrily, he tuned in his sensors' audio capacitors to maximum, focusing his beam directly on the Camaro in time as the boy rushed out of the building and into the car. He listened in carefully to the whole discussion.Frag. I'm too late. Barricade growled to himself. The Autobots apparently were back in town… and if he knew what was good for him, he'd be turning tail and splitting right now.
But the Allspark… Did the stupid do-gooders even KNOW about the boy's secret connection to it? He'd not known it right away until he'd done an extensive scan, and chances were the complacent mechs hadn't any reason to scan the boy. And he couldn't let them find out and exploit it to their own uses… he had his own reasons for needing it.
A shudder passed through his chassis, as a sudden idea sprung into his mind. Pit, he wasn't REALLY going to consider THAT was he? His own processors fell on internal silence, as he realized he really didn't have a better idea. If he wanted to stay close enough to monitor the boy, he HAD to… there was no other option. Pit… I'm a fraggin' idiot. A traitor, that's what I am.
But wasn't he already a traitor? He'd abandoned his fellows.
Barricade sighed, and pulled up the files in his processor, watching idly as the two talked briefly, then moved out of the parking lot. He followed at a significant distance, as he regretfully pulled up a list of classified communications frequencies. He'd swore he'd never use them…but here he was doing it. If the others ever found out, he'd be gutted for scrap in a nanosecond.
Grudgingly, he pulled up the frequency, and activated it.
Barricade to Optimus Prime.
There was a long pause. It gave him plenty of chance to change his mind, to block the frequency from tracking him. But he doggedly waited, engine angrily revving in traffic.
Finally, after what seemed like breems, the reply came. Barricade. The reply was curt and civil, more than he expected of his enemy. To what do I owe the pleasure of this communication?
Don't sound so fraggin' smug, Prime. He shot back hotly. I'm not doing this because I WANT to talk to you.
Then why are you doing so. Surely you are aware we can trace this signal.
Yeah, I fraggin' know, okay? He shot back angrily. I want a truce.
Another long pause. A truce? The reply was wary. For what purpose?
Look, Prime. I'm alone here. I don't got no backup, and I'm sick of running and hiding my aft from you and your trigger happy weapons specialist. I don't wanna surrender to you, but I don't want to have to keep watching my aft for the next hundred orns either. I'll come to you and let you take my weapons offline if you must. In return, you don't scrap me.
There was another long pause, and Barricade had the sneaking suspicion that the Autobot leader was consulting said weapons specialist. You would surrender to us peacefully? The reply finally came.
Yeah… He sent, grudgingly. Primus he felt humiliated at this. But it was the only way.
I will have a few more restrictions to offer you if I am to accept the terms of your surrender.
Fine. What?
You will be tagged at all times and not permitted out of our observation. Your weapons will be disabled. You will share intel with us in regards to your companions, and work with us to secure against any attack.
What?! He snapped back, feeling his energon run hot as he studied the terms. Betray his companions? But was it really betrayal? The only reason he was loyal to Megatron was because the slagger had been powerful. He was dead, and Barricade had absolutely no respect for that pit-spawn Starscream. Eventually more Decepticons would come he knew… but when would that be? If the Autobots were really as soft as their reputations claimed, he might be able to break away later and give them the slip once they were complacent enough with his presence. Was he really willing to walk a gray line? Fine. He sent tersely. But I have one condition as well. No fraggin' cells. You let me walk around free within your perception radius. I'll let you tether me, but I'm not being caged.
Very well. So long as you do not harm the humans, any of their dwellings or possessions, and cause no destruction of their resources and supplies, you may have free reign. However, be warned that if you take an aggressive move or attempt to infiltrate secrets, we will execute actions against you without prejudice.
I got it. He sent bitterly. Yeah, he knew that well enough. But he wasn't interested in hacking their systems or secrets. Fine.
I see by your signal, you are pursuing Bumblebee. Continue to follow him to our base. I will inform him not to fire upon you, so you may approach. But I will give him permission to defend himself if you take action.
Yeah yeah… I got it already. He shot back bitterly.
Primus… he was never going to forgive himself for this. Even Decepticons had honor to a degree. Well, most of them.
Was it worth it?
He'd have to find out… Only time would tell.
