I'm feeling loads better after writing that oneshot. I was so depressed over Ironhide that I failed to put this next chapter up yesterday. Hmm, anyway. Enjoy! Also, beware that there is human swearing in future chapters. Hot Rod doesn't know any better because he was raised by a human. So just be a bit careful as this story progresses, also, here's a chart for you on Transformers time units.

Nano-Klik = 1 Second
Micro-Klik = 10 Seconds
Klik = 1 Minute
Nano-Cycle = 10 Minutes
Micro-Cycle = Hour
Cycle = Day
Mega-Cycle = Week
Deca-Cycle = Month
Ano-Cycle = Year
Giga-Cycle = Decade
Vorn = Century

Bystanders had never seen anything like it before. The humans watched as a flame-coloured Ford GT40 zoomed past them, the wind whipping up female dresses as the black and white Saleen police car and the navy blue Dodge Avenger followed closely on his tail. None of the humans had ever seen a car chase like this before. Some of them pointed and thought it was stunt driving for a movie, while others believed it was a senseless driver trying to escape the law. Whatever was going on, it appeared to them that it was as normal as everyday lives normally are.

Hot Rod finally drew out into an open highway, but it was much to his surprise that there were hardly any vehicles on it. He was smart enough to guess that, somehow, the police car had ordered the other police to keep it clear and to not interfere with this chase. Well, if the police car wanted no one to interfere, then Hot Rod might as well have to take it to the next level.

He slammed on his brakes as hard as he could, fishtailing for a moment, as he did a one-eighty and faced the police car and the Dodge Avenger. He saw them skid to a halt when they saw him face them. Determination pulsed through his insides as he stared them down in defiance. If he was going down, then he might as well go down fighting.

"Whatever your reason is of wanting me, I am not interested in coming along," Hot Rod growled.

"The thing is, boy," said the police car, "you don't have a choice!"

Hot Rod's witty comeback was lost to the sound of thunder rolling in the clouds above them. Soon, he felt rain pelt down on his metallic body. He muttered a human curse word as the rain poured down in massive raindrops. Lightning clashed in the distance, but the sound did not bother him one bit. He had seen enough storms to make him unafraid of any weather, but he still hated getting wet after a near encounter with a lightning bolt in the past.

"Come on, Barricade," said the Dodge Avenger. "Let's just get him already! If we wait any longer, then Megatron is bound to have our afts."

"You might have a point there, Onslaught," the police car (now known as Barricade) said.

Then, to Hot Rod's shock, Barricade's body started coming apart and rearranging themselves into a new form. As Barricade stood on two feet, Hot Rod saw the face of a monster with gnashing fangs and red eyes instead of the human faces he had grown accustomed to. He backed away nervously, but held his ground soon after. He tried to hold back his gasp as Onslaught transformed too, his face also revealing red demon eyes and animal like features that he wanted gone from his mind.

Barricade's hands converted into spinning spikes that spun faster than Hot Rod could calculate.

Onslaught pulled out his cannon and aimed it at Hot Rod, the plasma within humming.

"Transform already so that we may finish you!" Barricade snapped.

"Why?" Hot Rod asked. "So you can have the pleasure of killing me in a better way?"

Barricade's mouth formed into a smirk, but he didn't answer Hot Rod's question, letting it hang in the air.

The three forms stared each other down, but Hot Rod did not move nor did he transform. He hadn't done it in a while because of how Tracy had warned him to stay like this unless it was absolutely necessary to become his true form. Fear gripped him from the inside, but it was not the fear of Barricade and Onslaught that frightened him. He felt his insides dripping with beads of a liquid he didn't even know he had.

"Oh, this is taking too long!" Onslaught snarled and he charged forward, much to the surprise of both Hot Rod and Barricade.

"Onslaught, wait!" Barricade ordered.

But Hot Rod quickly recovered from his shock and, like how he had taught himself, he swiftly transformed into his bipedal form. He flipped onto his back as Onslaught drew nearer, grabbed his shoulders, and flung him over. He heard a satisfying crunch as Onslaught landed several metres away and Hot Rod turned to face Barricade, his blue eyes flashing with fury. He saw the surprised look on Barricade's face, but it vanished just as quickly as it came.

"I see you have a few tricks up your sleeve," Barricade smirked.

"Trust me," Hot Rod answered as he converted his back armour into one of his plasma cannons, "I'm full of surprises."

Barricade laughed, "Really? And I thought you were really something special. But I don't see that so called specialty that Megatron speaks about." He took a step forward, causing the tension in Hot Rod's grip on his cannon to tighten a little. "He's heard rumours about a Transformer from one of his spies that has a symbol just like Prime's."

"What are you talking about?" Hot Rod asked, aiming the cannon at Barricade.

"Oh dear," Barricade laughed mockingly. "I think I've said too much. The point is, Megatron wants you offline and out of the picture."

"Enough talk!" Hot Rod yelled as his cannon's barrel hummed with plasma. "Are we going to fight or talk?"

"As you wish, boy."

"Bring it on, jerk."

But before Hot Rod had time to react, Barricade charged forward and knocked him to the ground, pinning his arms to his sides and his legs underneath his feet. Hot Rod struggled in an attempt to get away, but he was not used to fighting with his body. He had been far too used to running and hiding in his vehicle form. The only time he ever was in his bipedal form was when he had to steal fuel from petrol stations, using his hands to place the tubes into his mouth and suck the fuel dry like a straw.

"You are so used to your vehicle form you can't even use your hands properly to fight back," Barricade sneered. "You're pathetic!"

"I'll show you pathetic!" Hot Rod spat as he struggled in an attempt to get away, but he failed miserably as Barricade held him down, preventing him from escaping his predicament.

"My, you've got spirit," Barricade chuckled. "I like high-spirited mechs who think they can get away."

"Come on, Barricade," Onslaught said from afar as he approached from the sidelines. "Let's just kill him already. Once he's out of the way, Megatron can attack the Autobots and bring their Prime down without fuss. Knowing their Prime, he's getting up there in his years."

"Have patience, Onslaught," Barricade replied as he looked Hot Rod in the eye. "First we'll have some fun with him, and then we'll kill him. How does that sound to you?"

"For once, Barricade," Onslaught smirked, "we agree."

As Barricade stood up and brought Hot Rod to his feet he put on some form of handcuffs on his wrists that gave off a static charge, shocking Hot Rod. His eyes went offline and his equilibrium sensors shutdown as he lost balance and fell. He cried out in pain and fell onto his side, withering in pain. This was the first time he had ever experienced pain before, and Hot Rod did not want to feel it again. His eyes soon came back online, but he was awoken to more pain as Barricade kicked him in the chest, earning a groan from his mouth. He heard Onslaught approach next to his head, and then something slammed onto his neck and pressure was applied.

Hot Rod gasped, feeling the oxygen leave his body and making it difficult to breathe. He tried to make a grasp for the foot that was holding him down and get some air back, but his hands were strapped tightly in the handcuffs. And the more he moved them, the more the static charge shocked him.

"I love a target that cannot fight back," Onslaught snickered.

As his pain receptors continued to send more pain throughout his body, Hot Rod gritted his dental plates, his optics squinting as he stared defiantly up at his enemies.

"A target that cannot fight back is certainly an interesting concept," Barricade said as he looked down upon the weakened mech. "However, I am puzzled by what the spy said about him. He's been watching him ever since that human partner of his died from the influenza. He said that he's been doing nothing but move from one city to the next, stealing fuel and watching humans as they pass him by." His smirk grew bigger. "What's your designation, boy?"

Hot Rod opened a pained eye, saying nothing.

"Looks like he's going to be a stubborn one," Onslaught said, putting more pressure on Hot Rod's neck and was rewarded with another choking gasp. "I hate stubborn afts!"

"You hate just about anything," Barricade snorted. One of his hands converted into his spinning spikes. He then moved it closer to Hot Rod's face. "What's your designation?"

Still Hot Rod refused to answer.

The spinning blades were soon pressed against his forehead, their blades scraping his armoured face. Hot Rod gritted his dental plates again, still attempting to hold his ground. He felt terror grip him, but he couldn't afford to break. Tracy had taught him that when it came to facing enemies, always look death straight in the face and try to be brave while meeting it head on.

"Why should I tell you?" Hot Rod asked, smirking. "Even if I tell you, you'll still kill me."

"True," Barricade replied, withdrawing the blades from Hot Rod's face somewhat. "But I want to know what it is before I kill you. That way I can have your head and designation mounted on my wall so that I may know who I killed."

Hot Rod frowned, but he sighed with defeat. "Fine," he admitted. "My designation is..."

But he never got a chance to finish.

A plasma blast appeared from out of the blue and shot Onslaught right in the face, blowing his head off. He never got the chance to scream in agony as he fell to the ground dead. Barricade and Hot Rod blinked in surprise and looked in the direction the blast had come from.

There, standing with furious blazing azure optics were more gigantic mechs.

The next shot came from one of the strangers, blasting the handcuffs that held Hot Rod in place. The handcuffs sparked with electricity as they short-circuited from the blast, no longer holding him.

And during Barricade's distraction, Hot Rod kicked out with one foot. Barricade cried out and held himself as Hot Rod rolled away and sprinted as fast as his legs could carry him. But as he ran, he heard three pairs of footsteps chasing after him. He dared himself to look back and spotted a blue mech with red flames coating his body, a silver speedy mech with blades on his wrists and wheeled feet, and a lime green boxy mech.

But instead of having red eyes like the other two did, they had blue eyes that shone as blue as the sky.

Hot Rod continued to run, his hands still immobilised by the handcuffs. But they no longer gave off a static charge to stop him in his tracks; however, they were still on him. As he continued to bolt for the nearest set of cover he could find, he used his strength to break the handcuffs and they clattered to the ground with a satisfying ring on the asphalt beneath his feet.

Now that he was free from the handcuffs and pain, he could make a run back to city and hide in the nearest old building.

Swiftly, he transformed into his vehicle form and made a dash to the closest exit of the highway.

He heard shouts behind him in a language that sounded strangely familiar to him, but he paid them no heed as he kept on going, determined to lose his pursers and onwards to freedom. But there was a loud thud behind him and he checked his rear-view mirrors to see that all three mechs had become vehicles too and was giving chase.

"So you want me too, huh?" he asked himself. "Well eat nitro!"

He ignited his exhausts and he was flying across the road like the speed demon he believed himself to be.

As Optimus Prime, Sideswipe, and Ratchet sped after the mysterious mech, Ironhide and Bumblebee were left alone with the groaning Barricade, who was still holding himself after the mech kicked him in the groin. Ironhide suggested that Bumblebee go with Prime and the others, but the yellow mech refused to leave because he believed he owed Barricade a little payback after their last encounter, despite Bumblebee coming out on top. But their latest encounter had left a terrible scar upon the yellow scout, and Ironhide knew that Bumblebee was hurting deep down inside.

"Bumblebee," Ironhide said as they approached Barricade, "vengeance won't get you anywhere."

"It isn't vengeance, Ironhide," Bumblebee replied stoically. "Barricade took away what I cared about. I am not going to let him get away for what he did." His forearm armour extended to reveal sharp blades that sparked with electricity.

Ironhide stood back, having never seen the latest form of weaponry being added to Bumblebee's structure. He watched as Bumblebee marched up to Barricade and thrust an arm forward, the stinger stabbing itself beneath Barricade's armour and shocking him, earning a cry of agony as the Decepticon's body jolted from the pain.

"What are your plans?" Bumblebee demanded.

"Frag you!" Barricade spat.

Bumblebee thrust his other arm forward, shocking Barricade again.

"Tell me again," he ordered. "What are your plans with that mech?"

"Sorry, Bumblebee," Barricade laughed mockingly. "It ain't my right to tell you that."

Ironhide frowned as the more Bumblebee jabbed Barricade with his stingers, the more the old mech believed that Bumblebee's processor was clouded by vengeance. As he listened to Barricade's cries of pain and Bumblebee's growls of hatred, he unfolded his arms from across his chest and stomped over towards them, no longer taking anymore of Bumblebee's actions.

"Where's your sense of compassion, Bumblebee?" Barricade asked in a mocking tone.

"I lost it the day you murdered him!" Bumblebee growled, stabbing him again.

Barricade's cries echoed throughout the city.

Bumblebee was about to stab Barricade again when a hand from Ironhide stopped him in his tracks. Furious, Bumblebee shot a glare at the elder warrior and attempted to remove his arm from his grip, but the grip was as hard as steel, along with the gaze from Ironhide.

"Let me go," Bumblebee warned.

"What you are doing is wrong, Bumblebee," Ironhide growled at the young scout. "You, above all others, should know that torturing is against our beliefs. I know how much Sam meant to you, but this is not the way to honour his memory. Don't waste your energy on vengeance and lay down your weapon."

The young mech looked down upon Barricade and then back at Ironhide.

Barricade opened an optic, one of them sparked after being broken by Bumblebee's assault.

"What do you know that I don't?" snapped Bumblebee. "How would you know how I feel?"

Ironhide continued to stare at the young mech, fury glowing in his old optics as he held Bumblebee back. The yellow mech seemed silent for a moment as both Autobots stared each other down, none of them moving, not even Barricade as he watched them stare each other down. Finally, Ironhide removed his grip from the younger mech; taking a chance that Bumblebee would not do anything stupid any further. The stingers reverted back into his armour and Bumblebee let off a soft whistle.

Once Bumblebee was seduced, Ironhide took that opportunity to pick Barricade up by the neck and stared him in the face. Barricade's optics flickered on and off as though he was fighting off this automatic recharge systems as he attempted to pull his face away from the larger mech. But Ironhide quickly shook him so that he stayed awake.

"Tell us Megatron's reasons for sending you after that mech," Ironhide demanded in a calm tone. "If you tell us, I may let you go or we could bring you into custody."

But Barricade continued to stare in defiance. "Can't tell you," he coughed, energon splattering onto Ironhide's face. "I would rather die than tell you."

Bumblebee's hands tightened into fists, but Ironhide gave him a stare that silenced him.

"This may take awhile," Ironhide muttered.

Sideswipe swerved out of the way just in time as a random vehicle sped past him, just barely avoiding a collision with it. Ahead of him, the flame-coloured Ford GT40 was speeding furiously with its nitrogen thrusters pushing it further and further away from him. Optimus and Ratchet were no longer behind him, having decided that the best option to catch the terrified mech was to trap him by going in different directions. But the young mech didn't appear to be slowing down, and his swift movement was making it difficult for Sideswipe to concentrate.

"Sideswipe, what's your status?" Optimus asked over the com-link.

"I'm still pursuing the vehicle, Sir," Sideswipe replied. "He doesn't look like he's short of breath despite what Barricade and Onslaught did to him. Where are you?"

"Ratchet and I have split up to surround the vehicle," Optimus answered. "We are on the outskirts of the city. I've managed to call the local police to make roadblocks so that he cannot escape and make it easier for you to get to him."

"Sideswipe, this is Ratchet. This mech obviously has some form of experience in conserving energy, but from what I read from scanning him during his scuffle with Barricade, his sensors are offline. Obviously he can't tell the difference between friend and foe, hence his reason for running scared."

"Thanks for the tip, Ratchet," Sideswipe groaned.

A screech caught his optics and Sideswipe realised that the flamed vehicle was turning a corner on his left. Quickly, Sideswipe skidded to a halt and continued his pursuit of him. Ratchet was right; the young mech was running scared and was extremely desperate to escape. He was doing everything possible to shake him off. But if Sideswipe was smart enough, he could perhaps outsmart him.

Then Sideswipe saw the opportunity.

"Optimus," he called, "we may have him."

Just up ahead, there was a police block that was blocking the road, their red and blue lights flashing their warning to the vehicle. But instead of slowing down, the vehicle sped even faster. Sideswipe watched in surprise as the vehicle suddenly shifted over to another lane, drove over a parked truck with tyre ramps on its back, and ignited his nitrogens, pushing him over the roadblock and landing on all four tyres.

However, Sideswipe was close behind as he quick-changed as fast as could, leapt over the roadblock, transformed again as his wheeled feet landed on the pavement, and continued the chase.

"Scratch that, Optimus," Sideswipe sighed. "It was a near miss."

"Copy that, Sideswipe," Optimus answered. "Continue your pursuit."

"Roger that, Sir. What's your ETA?"

"My approximate is 5 minutes. I'm nearing your street."

"Understood, Sir. Sideswipe out."

But then, the vehicle suddenly stopped and turned to face him. Sideswipe stopped dead in his tracks, just several metres away from him. The two stared at one another, silence engulfing the world around them. Not even a cat stirred as the silver Corvette stared at the red and yellow Ford GT40. The vehicle stared back at him. None of them moved or even said a word. Finally, Sideswipe realised why the vehicle had stopped. Behind him was a huge roadwork block that prevented all vehicles from going into it due to wet cement. There was no detour either, and Sideswipe realised that the vehicle had nowhere to go but forward.

"You've come to kill me too?" asked the vehicle in a cold tone that surprised Sideswipe.

"No," Sideswipe answered coolly.

"Then why did you and your friends kill that other one?"

"Because you were in trouble," Sideswipe replied. "It is our duty to help the innocent."

"What do you know about innocent?" the vehicle demanded. "All my life I've done nothing but survive! If you really do help the innocent, then why didn't you come and help me when I needed someone?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb! You're obviously involved with those two. No doubt you want me too."

This wasn't getting anywhere. But if this conversation really was going to keep the mech still long enough for either Optimus or Ratchet to come, then he would have to keep him talking. However, Sideswipe didn't like the way how the mech was talking. Was he afraid of something or did something happen to him long ago that made him this way? He didn't know, but he was determined to do what he was told. Optimus had ordered him to keep the mech busy, and that was exactly what he was doing.

"We don't want you. We just want to help you."

"How can someone like you help me?" the vehicle asked. "After all I've been through; I don't deserve anyone's help anymore. Now let me through before I crack your windshield like I did with that freak."

Sideswipe was about to answer when he heard a sound that made him feel relieved.

A semitrailer horn blared as Optimus appeared from the vehicle's right, transformed into his bipedal form and tackled the vehicle to the ground. The vehicle cried out in surprise as he was forced to transform too and they rolled several times before they slammed into a building. Sideswipe saw the young mech's optics flicker on and off before they went offline as Optimus held him down to prevent him from escaping.

Sideswipe transformed as Ratchet arrived through an alleyway. Together, they approached the two as Ratchet pulled out a syringe and quickly jabbed it into the young mech's neck. Sideswipe watched as a pale blue liquid was released into his body.

"What did you do?" Sideswipe asked the medic.

"I forced him into recharge," Ratchet replied as Optimus picked himself up. "It will keep him unconscious until we get back to base."

"What do you suppose we'll do with him?"

"We'll keep him put him in the brig and work out what to do with him later," Optimus answered as he looked down at the mech. "Until then, he will remain under constant supervision. Though he possesses no faction symbol, we cannot be too careful."

Sideswipe nodded, but his thoughts soon drifted to Ironhide and Bumblebee. Knowing those two, they would do anything to bring Barricade back with them. But since they had gotten no response from them, it meant that Barricade was not cooperating and were working out other ways on how to make him talk. Sideswipe was about to suggest that they contact Ironhide on their status when he was silenced by the sound of an approaching shuttle.

All three mechs glanced up and spotted a small shuttle flying towards them. It landed just inside the park that was not too far from where they were. Ratchet looked at Optimus for an explanation, but the Autobot commander was as puzzled as he was.

The ship's aft opened up and a green and white armoured mech stepped out from it, followed by Ironhide and Bumblebee.

"Wheeljack, you beautiful son of a glitch," Optimus laughed.

As the three mechs approached, Sideswipe noticed a frown forming on Optimus's face plates. He thought about asking what was wrong, but decided against it when Ironhide stood before his Prime and explained what had happened.

"Barricade wouldn't talk," Ironhide explained. "So we had no choice but to call for pickup. Barricade is secure inside the shuttle. He's not going anywhere until we can decide on what to do with him."

Optimus nodded before turning to Wheeljack. "Is this the secret project you've been working on?"

Wheeljack beamed from earfin to earfin. "Yes, Sir," he answered. "The humans were kind enough to offer me some equipment to build our very own shuttle so that we can transport any injured Autobots or troops across the world without having to drive around all day to get to an objective. I managed to build two and they're equipped with hyper-drive forces, allowing for quick travel in a short amount of time."

"Well done, Wheeljack," Ratchet praised. "Now let's get this troublemaker onto the shuttle before he wakes up."

"You finally caught him?" Bumblebee asked, blinking in surprise.

Sideswipe smirked. "Yes," he answered. "But he seems to be quite the smart one. He could be a well-trained warrior if I take him underneath my wing."

Optimus chuckled. "Perhaps," he said. "But we must first get him back to base. Until we decide what to do with them, both Barricade and this mech will not be leaving the brig."

The others nodded and both Sideswipe and Wheeljack helped each other drag the unconscious mech into the shuttle. Ratchet strapped the mech's limbs down in case he came out of recharge and tried to escape or fight. Wheeljack settled himself into the pilot seat, with Bluestreak as the co-pilot, and the shuttle departed back to base.