Alrighty! Third chapter is now up! Thanks to all of you who have given me feedback. It really helps.

This chapter seemed longer to me. I'm starting to get a good grip on Barricade's personality...he really isn't that bad of a guy. ;P

Happy readin.

~SpiritOfMetal

Barricade could feel himself floating in a great expanse of pure darkness. He was waiting…waiting for something to happen. Or that is what he was hoping for.

He was in a kind of state of limbo, a world between the real and unreal. Sadness chewed away at Barricade like a giant termite. He was sure nothing could save him from this gloom…he was bound to relive his worst memories for eternity, forever wishing he had done more. Anguish flickered through him like a pulse.

…Pulse..?

Barricade could barely feel it…but it was soft, faint, and real.

The pulse of another being.

That same blossom of pressure unfolded in his Spark, stronger this time. It chased away the anguish that had curled around him like a deadly smog.

Light? Do I see…light?

A glimmer of hope. That was the only way Barricade could describe it. He stretched his being towards the light, inviting it closer. It grew brighter. Barricade surrendered to its warmth. His dark world was shot away by the light, and Barricade felt as if he was falling from an immense height, completely blinded by the beacon. He felt the last of the shreds of limbo fall off his being as he hurtled towards the unknown.

He felt himself getting closer, closer to something, closer to –

* * *

Mikaela slowly blinked her eyes open. She coughed, spraying pine needles. She sluggishly lifted herself up off the ground. She felt something hard rub her back, and she turned to notice that she had been lying against a tree. Her back ached with the promise of a large bruise. Her vision was blurry, and she felt…distant, like she had just consumed a sedative. Her thought process was fuzzy, and she could barley piece together were she was. She gradually became aware of her body twitching sporadically. Some of her bones ached, like somebody had reached down into her marrow and punched them a few times. She yielded to the ground and let the strange sensations pass, closing her eyes and trying to recall what had happened. All she could remember was a bright, sudden light, and she had been deep in the forest, doing something important. She tried to moan, but discovered that she could not make a sound. She shot up and started coughing and gagging violently, clearing her throat and esophagus of large amounts of mucus. After she was done, a strange burnt-chemical taste remained in her mouth. She brought up a trembling hand to her face and rubbed her eyes.

"Auuugh…what the hell happened to me?" she moaned.

"Fleshing…you were electrocuted." boomed a gravelly baritone voice.

Mikaela shrieked and whipped her head around. Barricade was sitting up, his long fingers curled around the battery jumper that hung limply from his closed chest. He seemed to be looking at the ground thoughtfully, glowing red eyes shuttering.

A rush of memories dawned on Mikaela's brain. She couldn't believe it! She had brought him back from the brink of death with a simple battery jumper. It almost didn't seem possible. All Mikaela could do was stare at him, mouth gapping.

Barricade glanced up at her, radiant eyes locking on hers. Mikaela froze. He held out his hand, battery charger in his fist.

"Did you revive me with this, fleshling?" he asked, booming voice growing softer. Mikaela's gaze flicked from the battery charger to his red eyes. She hastily nodded her head.

Barricade grew silent. He stared at the device in his claws. Mikaela sat still, afraid she had offended him on some level. Two clicks were suddenly heard from inside his chest, and the battery jumper's cables slid out from his grill. Barricade bundled up the cables, then tossed it over to were Mikaela sat. She flinched as it landed a foot next to her, not taking her eyes off him. He was again transfixed with the ground in front of him. He gurgled something Mikaela didn't catch.

"W-what?" she asked.

"Why. Why did you revive me?"

This question took Mikaela off guard. It took her a minute to gather her reply.

"Well, I saw you just lying out here…I knew something was off about it. I could tell that you needed help. It was kind of a blind decision…" she murmured, poking at her blood soaked bandage.

An uncomfortable silence followed, and Mikaela was afraid to look back into his jewel-like eyes. She felt her cheeks burning red with embarrassment.

After what seemed like an eternity, Barricade finally made a noise that half-way sounded like a choked sob. Mikaela looked up in surprise. She didn't know if she was hearing things - Barricade appeared to still be absorbed by the ground, his claws piled on top of each other in front of him. Mikaela quickly looked away, pulling her knees up to her chest.

"Fleshling…your endeavor to revive me is much…" a short pause, "…appreciated." He mumbled quietly.

Mikaela looked up at him in astonishment. Did the Decepticon just thank her? She hastily cleared her throat.

"Well, ah, ahem, you're welcome."

An awkward silence enveloped them.

The sun was almost completely hidden by the trees that surrounded them. Mikaela began to feel the chill of twilight creep into the forest. Something nagged at her to convince Barricade to leave with her before nightfall. An urgency that crept up her spine and prickled her scalp.

Mikaela stood, her legs wobbly from the electric shock she had received. She put her hands on her hips as Barricade looked up at her curiously.

Ignoring her sudden flush, Mikaela met his glowing eyes and tried to portray seriousness.

"Barricade, I, um…I don't know how to describe this, but I have a feeling that you should leave the forest. Soon."

Silence. He just continued to stare at her. Mikaela could feel a cold sweat wash over her.

"If you are concerned about humans finding me, abandon that worry. I can take care of them myself." He boomed, a growl crawling into his voice.

Mikaela's heart skipped a beat. The last thing she wanted was him getting angry with her.

"No, no, that's not what I mean." She sputtered. "I mean…I have a really deep feeling that you should get out of here, before something worse happens."

Barricade cocked his head and stared at her. "And just how do you suppose this happens?"

Mikaela opened and closed her mouth a few times. This was the tough part.

"Well, if you could transform…"

Barricade made a loud huffing noise, almost like a snort, except it made Mikaela's skin crawl."

"Fleshling, I can not do this."

"W-what? Why?"

Barricade flicked a pinecone with one of his claws, sending it spinning into a tree. The thing seemed to vaporize.

"I am malfunctioning. Something is wrong with my body. This is how I ended out in the vegetation in the first place."

Mikaela licked her lips. Malfunctioning…is that the robot word for "sick?"

Pity swelled in her chest for him.

"Can you describe what's wrong?"

Barricade eyed her suspiciously. He growled, then made a whooshing noise. "Moving is very painful. My processors can only handle so much of it. It soon becomes unbearable. The infuriating part about it is that my scanners can not detect the problem."

A light bulb lit above Mikaela's head. She crossed her arms, nonchalantly nudging a twig with her foot. "I have an idea…well, scratch that, more like a proposition."

This grabbed Barricade's attention. He watched her, eye shutters narrowing. She met his eyes.

"Go on…" he growled, waving his clawed hand at her in a gesture.

"If you can manage to get into vehicle form, I can toe you to my dad's work shop and I can try to find the problem."

Barricade snorted at her, louder this time.

"Fleshling, what makes you think you can find the problem?"

Mikaela crossed her arms. "Well, I am a mechanic, after all. Have you ever been operated on by a human?"

"No, I have not. I have never required your kind's assistance, and I shouldn't have to."he growled.

"Humans may not be as accurate as you guys, but we do have the skill and know-how to fix things up. And we could probably get to things that you couldn't because of our smaller size."

Barricade growled. He dug his claws into the ground, flexing his arms.

"The catch…?" he gurgled.

"I will help you as long as you vow to not harm anybody or anything while in my care."

Barricade gritted his teeth and snarled, claws sinking deeper into the ground.

Mikaela was about to run for her life when he finally relaxed. He looked rather defeated, shoulders slumped, head dropping.

"I accept your proposition." He mumbled forlornly.

Mikaela felt a smirk grow on her lips. She suddenly felt giddy and victorious, like she had just won a battle of tug-of-war."

Feeling a bit more confident, she walked over to a rotting log and sat on it.

"You don't like making deals, do you?"

"No, in fact, I don't. I try to avoid them at all costs." He mumbled.

"This one will probably be one you were better off making."

Barricade paused, then looked at her. Mikaela held his gaze steadily until he looked away.

The forest was now taking on the other-worldly gray color of twilight. Mikaela noted that Barricade looked like he belonged in this lighting. It exaggerated his spikiness and dark color. He was menacing in a…almost dazzling kind of way.

"We should get out of here." She said quietly, uneasiness making her legs itch. She stood and took a few more steps towards him. He still seemed engrossed with the ground.

"Can you stand?"

Barricade glanced at her, his ruby eyes boring into hers. Mikaela almost gasped at how the twilight lighting made his eyes ten times more…alluring.

He moved his arms to his sides, bracing himself. Mikaela stepped back, giving him a wide berth incase he toppled over.

His whole body became a cacophony of noise as he forced himself off the ground. Mikaela heard his joints clinking, the plating on his body clanking against each other, and another whirring noise that she could only describe as a sophisticated electric-gas engine in idle. Only the Cybertronians made this noise.

There was also a sickening cracking noise she heard occasionally…it sounded wrong, like it shouldn't be there. He gave guttural grunts of pain when she heard the cracking noise. Finally, he had maneuvered himself into a mild slouch. He was using a tree as a crutch. His legs shook, but Barricade slowly brought himself to his feet. He swayed slightly, but managed to stay standing.

Mikaela expelled the breath she realized she had been holding.

"Ok, now can you walk?" she said softly, not wanting to rush him.

Barricade grunted, but shakily put a foot forward, then another. She could hear that cracking noise, and his wheezes of pain, but he soon didn't need a tree to support himself.

"Alright. Just follow me." She said as she trotted around him, giving him some clearance. She pulled a flashlight from her backpack and navigated her way to the toppled tree trail. She was always glancing behind her, checking to see if he was still behind . He managed to keep up, but Mikaela could see he was having a hard time walking. He growled and grunted, stumbling over trees that he had previously felled. He needed to rest.

Mikaela would normally be creeped out by the dark forest, but she didn't even give the gloom a second thought with Barricade behind her. She knew he was the scariest thing in the forest, and he was in no shape to hurt anyone.

They soon came upon the asphalt trail. Mikaela stressed the importance of being quiet now. Barricade made a huffing noise, but followed in a quieter manner.

Mikaela ran ahead to check to make sure nobody was in the parking lot. The only car that remained was her old rusty Volvo. She jogged back to him and found him slouched in the middle of a nearby trail.

"Just stay here. Don't make a noise. I'm going to go get my dad's tow truck."

"Just…hurry…" he murmured.

Mikaela grew worried. His voice sounded pained…she could tell he was growing worse.

She ran to her car, then speed out of the parking lot. She was relieved that who ever left the reserve last hadn't put the gates up to lock vehicles out.

She returned to her father's garage, ran inside, grabbed a set of rusty keys, then ran around the building to the back lot. There, in the street lights yellow glow sat her father's dingy teal tow truck. She jumped in and stuck the key in its ignition and listened as its diesel engine bubble to life. She navigated out of the lot to the nature reserve in record time. She backed it up closest to Barricade's location, drew its crane down, then raced to see Barricade.

He still remained in the same spot. She waved with her hand, and he shakily stood and followed her. They soon came upon the toe truck.

"See? Just turn into the Saleen and I can get you to the garage." She whispered hastily.

Barricade didn't say a word, but complied. His transformation was slow and pained. Mikaela cringed as she heard more of that dreadful crunching. Finally, he was a scratched up, dirty Mustang Saleen police cruiser. He pulled closer to the tow trucks end then abruptly turned off. Mikaela quickly placed the tow trucks hook underneath his grill, then hopped into its cabin and turned the crank on. The thing shuddered as it hauled Barricade further into its trailer. A beeping noise alerted her that the crank was done with its job. Mikaela put the truck into drive, not wasting a second, and toted the Saleen out of the dark parking lot.

* * *

Barricade dully noticed himself sway on the tow trucks crank as the truck traveled down a dark street. He was in desperate need of a recharge, but he tried to stay on guard until he knew he was safely in a garage.

Barricade didn't know what it was that let him trust the female, but he went along with her plan anyway. At the time, he was too worn to question it. She had came up with a better idea then he could have.

He knew she meant no harm in her intentions…and exactly what fueled them was a mystery to him. He had had a rough time submitting to her proposition, the warrior in him resisting and fighting for dignity. In the end, he ignored his pride and gave into her. It was tough, but he did.

He had never been helped with such blind kindness before…it baffled him. He could not come up with an explanation for her generosity. He also didn't know how to react to kindness. He just went with it, the blossom of pressure in his Spark warming his core.

She means well…and for this, I am thankful.

* * *

Mikaela pulled into the garages driveway. She climbed out of the truck and eyed the Saleen.

Besides its dingy-ness, it still looks like a great car.

Mikaela hurried into the shop and came to the garage, pressing a button on the wall. One of the garages doors started opening with a clang. She walked through the garage, clearing tools and chairs away from the space Barricade would occupy. She walked to the truck, then operated the crane to lower Barricade to the ground. She heard Barricade's engine rev softly as his wheels met the cement. Mikaela pulled the truck forward a tad, giving Barricade the room to sit on all four wheels. The truck eased off its shocks as Barricade was fully dropped off its trailer. Mikaela got out and unattached the hook from under Barricade's grill, then drove the truck around the Saleen and parked it back in the spot she had found it. She walked back to the garage and found Barricade still sitting there, his engine idling.

"You can go in now, if you want…" she murmured, gesturing towards the open garage.

Barricade was still a second, then softly revved his engine and rolled into the garage. Mikaela followed, then pressed the button on the wall and the garage door closed behind them. A LED work light was on, which illuminated the fraction of the garage that occupied Barricade. His head-lights helped light up the murky garage.

Mikaela walked over to a shop stool and sat on it. She sighed – it felt nice to rest her butt on something other then pineneedles.

"This garage is very accommodating." grumbled Barricade. His voice echoed around the garage.

Mikaela smiled slightly. "Yeah, it has to be if we are working on multiple motorcycles and cars."

Barricade paused, then flicked his lights off. The garage grew noticeably darker.

"I am going to recharge now." He said. Mikaela noticed how his tone was different…he truly sounded tired.

Mikaela hoped off the shop stool.

"Ok. I guess that's my cue to leave you alone. I'm going to get some sleep too."

She padded over to the LED worklight and grabbed it, using it to see her way to the garages door. She stopped at the door. She heard Barricade's engine turn off.

"'Night." She whispered under her breath as she opened the door and closed it behind her.

Mikaela found her way to the stairway that lead to a small spare apartment. She frequently used it when she was too tired to go home after a long nights work, or if a particularly valuable machine sat in the shop somewhere and needed to be guarded. The apartment was small, yet welcoming- it had one bathroom, a small kitchen area, and a large room that doubled as the living room and her bedroom. Most of the things from her room at home were already moved here: she had clothes in dressers, and most of her toiletry supplies in the bathroom. Even some food sat in the refrigerator. When Mikaela finally moved out, this was where she was planning on making her new home.

She climbed up the stairs, unlocking the double-bolted door to the apartment. She went in, threw her things on the couch that folded out into a comfortable bed. She took a quick shower, changed into some billowy pajamas, then folded out her bed. She grabbed her pillow and sheets, then nestled herself into the couches comfy folds.

She had had a long day, and her muscles still ached from all the running she had done.

She closed her eyes and smiled as she thought of the snoozing Saleen parked down in the garage. Things had worked out nicely with the Decepticon…there was something strikingly different about him. He was even mildly polite. Nothing like she had thought he would be like.

Luckily, the shop would be closed for the weekend. She knew at some point she would have to show her father her newest "project." It wouldn't be too hard to break the news to him, being that he already knew about the Autobots. He didn't mind them, as long as they left him out of their business. They were happy to oblige.

She didn't know how he would react to housing one of the "bad guys," but she was sure he would eventually agree to let him stay until he was fixed up.

I'm sure tomorrow won't be boring in the slightest.

So! Tell me what you think!