Traitor

Chapter Three

Barricade had reached the specified co-ordinates, and was waiting, with his sensors spread as far as they would go. Which is why he picked up the convoy of seven Autobots heading his way. He could tell they had gained the co-ordinates by the way they were zeroing in in his position without so much as a slight deviation. They not only knew which general area he was in, they knew exactly where he was. They were purposefully moving in his direction.

Barricade was no coward, but he knew when he was outnumbered. It was time for him to alert Starscream to the Autobots' presence, and then try to hold them off until Starscream got there. That was, if Starscream had found any more Decepticons, and if he was close enough to render aid.

He opened an encrypted channel, for it was obvious that the Autobots had got his location from the unsecured channel Starscream had so carelessly used to contact him last time.

His hail was answered.

"What do you want, Barricade? Report."

"Lord Starscream, my sensors have picked up a group of seven Autobots homing in on my position. Have you found many other Decepticons, and can you render some assistance? I am significantly outnumbered."

"My search was successful, Barricade. I have located eleven more Decepticons, and we are returning to the planet. Six of them are fliers like myself." Barricade was relieved. As far as he knew, the Autobots had no flying-types, one way in which the Autobots were at a disadvantage.

"Are you close enough to render assistance, Lord Starscream?" asked Barricade.

"Yes, I am close enough, Barricade, if I were of a mind to assist you. However, I am not." Starscream's voice took on a hard edge. "You abandoned your comrades for that useless Frenzy, and he wasn't even functional. I brand you traitor, Barricade, and as of now you are no longer part of the Decepticon forces. We'll let the Autobots deal with you for us. Be warned, that if somehow you do survive, if you show your chassis near our base again, I shall personally tear you apart! Fasrewell, Barricade, and join your partner in oblivion by Autobot hands and weapons, traitor!"

The connection was abruptly cut, and although Barricade tried to re-establish communication, Starscream refused to respond.

Expelled from the ranks of the Decepticons, branded a traitor, and with sworn enemies closing in on him swiftly, Barricade had never felt so alone. He transformed to bipedal mode and brought his cannons online. This was no time for self-pity. He knew that his chances of surviving this battle were so slim as to be virtually non-existent. He knew he couldn't win this fight, but he determined that he'd take as many of the Autobots with him as he could!

Neither Starscream nor Barricade knew that this conversation had also been heard by the Autobots. As Bumblebee had pointed out earlier to Optimus, the Autobots had recently cracked the latest Decepticon encryption. As none of the Decepticons knew this, they were still using it, and had no idea that what had been spoken of was privy to the audio receivers of all the Autobots in the convoy.

It was Cliffjumper who spoke first after they had heard the exchange.

"I refuse to work for the Decepticons in any way, shape, or form!" he said. "I'll disable if I have to, but I will not function as Starscream's executioner!" he said,

"He will not extend the same courtesy to us, Cliffjumper, but I find myself in agreement with you." Ironhide said. "I will only shoot to destroy if there is no other choice."

"There is always another choice, Ironhide, even if it's just to turn back now, although the shoot-to-disable idea should work. We have Ratchet here to repair him afterwards." Optimus stated.

"What I want to know is what Barricade has done to Starscream to torque Starscream off so badly that he's abandoned him." said Mirage.

"Of course, Mirage, you didn't hear the first communication, did you? In the first communication, Starscream was annoyed at Barricade for going off to rescue Frenzy instead of helping to fight at Mission City." Bumblebee explained.

"I would surmise that Starscream only put up with Barricade as long as he has because, with the exception of Scorponok, who as far as we know is still in Qatar, he was the only other Decepticon on Earth. Now he has eleven more, six of them fliers like himself, he no longer feels the need to keep him around." theorised Optimus. "Now that Starscream no longer needs him, he has, in typical Starscream fashion, punished what he sees as an act of treachery. Barricade is now alone on Earth, with both sides hostile towards him."

"Prime, we can't destroy him, he's at a disadvantage." said Ratchet. Optimus looked sad.

"If he goes berserk, we may have to, Ratchet." said Optimus.

"Wait a minute, Prime." Ratchet said. "The whole reason for planning to take Barricade out was because we feared Starscream would use him to harm humans. Now that we know that piece of flying scrap-metal set Barricade up-"

"-He could just go and take it out on any nearby humans anyway, just as stress relief." Optimus interrupted.

"Prime, let me try to speak to him at least." pleaded Prowl as they drew closer to where Barricade was. "Let's at least try some form of negotiation. Look at the team we have! Optimus Prime, the noble Autobot leader and consummate diplomat, Ratchet, who was also a diplomat, not just any diplomat, but your representative to the High Council of Ancients, and me, his older brother, who he always used to hear out! With a team like that, shouldn't we at least try?"

"You are correct. We should at least make the attempt." Optimus said.

"If that doesn't work, I could always try being the annoying little brother, and 'bug' him about it, as Sam calls it." said Bumblebee.

"Be careful, Bumblebee." cautioned Ironhide." I had small brothers myself, they can be very annoying, and I was tempted to take one or more of them out on numerous occasions. Barricade may not hold back the way I did."

"Then we'll have to defend him, that's all." stated Mirage. "Let's just do it!"