Author's Note: I had so much fun writing this chapter, and I think it's actually my longest yet. Once I started it, I couldn't stop, and so here it is, less than a day after the last chapter got posted. You may find the newest character in here to be a bit OOC…well, we've already proven that I like twisting certain characters to suit my purposes, and who knows what he'd actually do in this situation…so I feel I can get away with it. And like I said, I had way too much fun to change any of it. There are lots of fun surprises in here, some of which many people have been waiting very patiently for, so I really, really look forward to hearing all your thoughts on it! Enjoy! :)

Dance with the Devil

Chapter 10

By Morgan O'Conner

The first thing Sam was aware of was the pain. It was bone deep, and left no part of him untouched. An aching, debilitating pain that spread from top to bottom, covering him like a blanket. When he tried to move his hand, it was like icy fire, and he cried out, an involuntary scream of distress.

"You would do well not to try to move, hybrid."

He couldn't open his eyes, and his Cybertronian optic was apparently offline as well, as no information was seeping through on his current whereabouts or conditions. He was relatively sure that wasn't Starscream's voice…which was good. But it was definitely Decepticon…which was really not good.

"I'm sure you're wondering what I've done to you." The voice was conversational, but taunting, and Sam hated it more than he thought he'd ever hated anything in his entire life. "Your Autobots managed to forget one very important thing…very stupid of them. Security is something they've always taken for granted, the firewalls that protect them have been with them since they were Sparklings. You, however, are not so lucky. I've uploaded what you, in human terms, would think of as a virus. Directly into everything that makes you Cybertronian. It has paralyzed that side of you entirely, everything from your bone structure to your ability to transmit messages. Everything that could possibly help you right now."

Sam struggled to remember what had happened…any snippet of information that could tell him how he came to be in the clutches of a Decepticon. He had a flash of driving home with Mikaela, and doing homework at his house…and later, unable to sleep, begging Bumblebee to take him to their spot. He remembered they talked for a few hours, Sam lying comfortably in the backseat of Bee's Camaro form. And then…a flash of light, and then nothing. Bee…what happened to Bee? He wondered desperately, but couldn't force his mouth to form the words.

"No doubt you're worried about your guardian." The word was said with such distaste that Sam cringed. "Do not worry, hybrid, he lives. It would do me no good to kill him when I need the help of the Autobots."

Help?! This…this…cretin wants their help?!

"I gather you find that amusing? Well, think what you will, but they will help me." Something moved, and Sam realized that the Decepticon was walking toward him. "Now that you're here, and not much of a threat, I'm going to purge the virus in you. You will have everything back except for your weapons, and I'm sure you can understand why I can't allow that. Prepare yourself, this may…tingle."

Something sharp plunged into his neck, and Sam's insides were filled with ice. His back arched, an inhuman scream tearing from his lungs as it spread, more debilitating than the pain had ever been, before, finally, it settled into an uncomfortable cold feeling in his bones. Cautiously, he opened his eyes.

His human eye took in his surroundings. He was in a dilapidated building of some sort, in a room that looked like it should have caved in years ago. The ceiling was cracked and bulged downward in the center, and the walls had spider-web cracks running through them all over the place. He was lying on what appeared to be a metal slab of some sort, and that was the only thing in the large room. Besides, of course, the Decepticon.

Barricade.

His Cybertronian optic was able to tell him little more of any use, except that it was late afternoon, and as Barricade had promised, all his systems were back online, except for a red flashing light that indicated he had a weapons malfunction. He tried to access what he thought of as Autobot GPS, but another flashing light told him that that was also not working. He shot a glare at the Decepticon.

"I'm sure you've just realized that you also can't access your coordinates. This, also, is for my protection. You have the ability to communicate with the Autobots and tell them you're alive, but I have no desire to have them find me and offline me."

"If you think kidnapping me is going to in any way get them to help you, you're sadly mistaken," Sam said through clenched teeth.

"Oh, that is not my goal, don't worry. In the end, it will be you who convinces them that helping me is in their best interest. But before I continue, you really should let you friends know you're alive. I've no doubt they've done nothing but worry about you since you disappeared." Barricade sneered as only a Decepticon could.

As much as he hated admitting anything the overgrown bully said could be true, he knew he was right. Bumblebee?

The response was almost immediate. Sam! Where are you?

I don't know yet, Barricade did something to screw up my tracking system. Are you all right?

Barricade! The name was growled. I should have known. I am fine, Sam. Barricade never touched me, he must have grabbed you somehow when you walked away for a moment last night. Are you all right?

I'm fine…he's not really acting like he wants to hurt me. But I've got no way to escape, and no weapons to fight him. I just wanted to let you and the others know I was okay.

I'll let them know. Optimus will probably contact you soon to get more information. Be careful, Sam.

I will.

The transmission ended, and Sam glared up at Barricade. "So now what?"

"Now, hybrid, I give the Autobots a gift." At Sam's confused expression, the Decepticon's mocking smile turned evil. "I give them a soldier to add to their ranks that isn't useless."

"I don't understand…"

"They are much too soft to force you to do something you are afraid of. I, however, have no such qualms. Until you learn, you are utterly useless on a battlefield. So I'm taking it upon myself to make you learn the one thing you don't want to."

Sam shook his head, terror in his eyes. "No…you can't…" He hadn't realized he was so absolutely afraid of it, hadn't known until right this instant how much the idea made him feel sick to his stomach.

"Oh yes, hybrid. You're going to learn how to transform."

88888

"Bumblebee, what's up?" Mikaela asked as the yellow 'bot terminated the connection he'd had with Sam.

"That was Sam," he said, and Optimus, who was with them at the outlook, turned.

"Is he all right?" the leader asked.

"He seems to be," Bee replied. "It was Barricade. We should have suspected, but I thought he was offlined during the battle at Mission City."

"No, he was never accounted for," Optimus said angrily.

"What, the coward ran away?" Mikaela asked, shocked.

"It wouldn't be the first time a Decepticon decided to leave his comrades to save his own hide." Bee was angry, and worried. "But Sam is with him, supposedly undamaged although he claims Barricade is blocking his coordinates, as well as his ability to use his weapons. He didn't say what the Decepticon wanted, but I'm sure we can guess."

"Bait." The answer came from Mikaela. "He wants to use Sam as bait to trap the Autobots, right?"

"That would be my guess as well," Optimus agreed. "But it doesn't make sense…you said Sam was unhurt, and that isn't like a Decepticon. If he wanted us to lunge in there on a half-baked rescue plan, he would have been better off using a Sam who was damaged and weak."

Bee's large fist clenched at the thought of his human in pain. "I don't know what Barricade is up to, but he will not get away with it. We must find them."

"We will, Bumblebee," Optimus promised. And then he was folding himself into a big-rig, and Mikaela was climbing inside his large cab as Bumblebee followed suit. Within moments, the truck and the Camaro were speeding down the highway at record speeds, the only thing on their minds the need to save their friend.

88888

Though Barricade had lead him outside, Sam still had no idea where they were. There were trees on all sides, but there was a lot of forest in and around Tranquility, and that offered him no clues.

"You can't do this," he said desperately as the Decepticon did a perimeter sweep of the area. He wasn't above begging, not for this. "Bumblebee was going to teach me, just not yet -"

"Ah yes, Bumblebee. The guardian. The friend," Barricade said in that awful mocking tone. He turned sardonic eyes onto Sam. "I wonder if Autobots ever have a clue as to how galactically stupid they really are."

Incensed on behalf of his friends, Sam glared. "What are you talking about?"

"Well, really, it doesn't take a genius to figure it out, but apparently your stupid yellow 'bot just isn't with it. I wonder, really, just how long it will take him to realize, through the haze of his overprotectiveness, that he's rather ridiculously in love with you."

Sam fell back a step as though struck by a physical blow. His mind reeled. "What?" he asked, voice shaky. "You don't…know what you're talking about."

Barricade let out a malicious snort of laughter. "Of course not. What could an evil Decepticon possibly know about it, hmm? Well, you ask yourself that the next time you see him. The next time you notice how much he watches you, or the next time he goes out of his way to protect you, even from your mutual friends."

Sam's head was shaking no, but he could not make a sound. Of course Barricade was crazy, this whole thing was crazy, him being here was crazy, and obviously the Decepticon was out of his mind. But -

"Now then, we were about to commence with training, right?"

And abruptly all thoughts of Bumblebee cut off. "No…please no…why are you doing this?"

"That is for me to know right now."

"I can't."

"I assure you, you can," Barricade said, and now his voice was menacing. "Is this who the human brave enough to befriend the Autobots truly is? I whiny brat, scared of his own shadow?"

Sam's fist clenched, anger sparking in his eyes. "You have no idea. No idea at all what I've been through the past few months. And you're calling me scared? You, who abandoned the rest of the Decepticons just before the final battle so you could run off like a coward?"

Barricade was the same size nearly as Bumblebee, relatively small by Cybertronian standards, but he was still intimidating under the best of circumstances. When he was angry…

He growled angrily and bent over until he was at eye level with Sam. "You, hybrid, would do well to keep your mouth shut about things you don't understand. I may yet decide you're not worth my trouble."

Sam swallowed, understanding the threat – this was a Decepticon, after all, who would have no problems killing Sam if it came down to it. The only reason he was still alive was because the bot needed something.

"Good," Barricade said, straightening. "It is good that you still fear me, it might just save your pathetic life. Now, transform your arm."

Sam was obviously not going to get anywhere by arguing. He took a breath, forced himself to calm. I can do this. I can do this. I can do this. He remembered Ironhide's words, remembered that that 'bot, as well, had wanted him to get over this fear, had wanted him to learn something important. So, he wasn't doing it for Barricade. He was doing it for Ironhide. That might get him through this nightmare. I can do this.

As he had done in the past, he focused his mind inward, brought the Spark energy up and into his arm, felt it transform.

Something was different, he realized, and it took him a moment to realize what it was. Barricade had somehow locked onto his energy and grasped it. It wasn't just his arm transforming, Barricade was forcing a full-fledged transformation.

"No!" he yelled at the Decepticon, panicked.

"You obviously don't have the guts to do it yourself, so I'm helping you along," Barricade growled.

The change seeped up into his shoulder, over his chest. He was shaking, breathing erratically, trying to pull away from the mental grasp Barricade had on him, but he couldn't. He heard his shirt tear as the flesh on his back and stomach gave way to metal armor. The change went lower, over his hips, his groin, his legs.

The last thing was his head, and this he fought against with every fiber of his being, but Barricade was stronger than he was, more experienced, and the battle was lost before it ever began.

When he felt the hold break, he dropped to his knees on the ground, using his hands to catch himself. Hands shrouded in midnight-black metallic armor. Hands that were not his own.

"Damn you!" he yelled, and then gasped when his voice came out sounding more machine than human. It was his voice still, but with a mechanical sound that didn't belong, almost like it was being heard through an old radio or intercom.

Barricade said nothing, only observed the changes in the young hybrid. "Interesting," he said. "Somewhere in your travels, you appear to have already acquired a suitable alternate form."

"What?" Sam said, wearily glancing up at the Decepticon. His breathing was returning to normal, the panic receding now that it was over. What was done was done, and there was no going back. Instead, a bone-weary sadness was taking it's place. He had grasped as tightly as he could to the delusion that he was still human, and that had been torn from him.

"I expected that when you fully transformed into your Cybertronian form, you would only have a protoform, as I had not believed you could have scanned and replicated a vehicle mode yet. It appears, judging by your armor and appearance, I was mistaken."

"That's not possible. I've never transformed before. I don't even know how to scan a vehicle." He stood on legs that should have felt wobbly, but instead felt incredibly strong. There was no weakness to this body, no part of him that felt vulnerable. It was almost a rush, but he shied away from that thought before it could even fully enter his brain. The whirring and clicking that he'd always associated with the movements of his friends sounded strange coming from him, and he focused on that strangeness instead.

"Much of what you've learned already could have been learned by instinct. You learned to put yourself into stasis before you even completed your transformation. It's possible this happened the same way. Perhaps you saw a vehicle and focused on it, thinking of how much you liked it, and somewhere the Cybertronian side of you caught on."

Sam's eyes narrowed. "How long have you been following me?"

"Since just after Mission City. It was a stroke of luck when I realized your part in this could be far greater than I had expected." Barricade was silent for a moment, then, "Seeing as we've come this far, it would be a shame to stop. I'd like you to transform into your vehicle mode, to see what it is. You've got nothing to lose anymore."

The worst part, Sam thought, was realizing that the scumbag was right. "I don't know how," he said through clenched teeth.

The Decepticon smirked that same mocking smirk. "If you can transform one way, you can transform all ways. Cybertronians typically have a switch, if you will, that we can 'flip' – this enables us to transform. You've saved yourself a step by subconsciously scanning a form already. Ratchet taught you to use meditation, and I see no reason why you can't continue to use that same method. If it's not broken, don't fix it, is that not the human term?" He waved a hand. "Proceed, we haven't got all day."

"I think I almost liked you better when you were throwing me on top of cars and in my face yelling at me about my eBay ID," Sam muttered, but did as he was told and closed his eyes, focusing his mind inward for a second time.

The energy seemed brighter now, that Spark buried deep inside him, and when he grasped it in this form, he could actually feel it spark and sizzle within him. Unlike the transformation from human to Cybertronian, this transformation required no effort, no prompting of any kind. He touched the energy within him and it exploded outward.

He did not notice the whirs and clicks and mechanical sounds this time. With closed eyes, he noticed only the energy, expanding and contracting where it was needed. His perception folded in on itself, he felt himself shrinking, and while his human mind thought, this should be painful, it was more like a pleasant tickle.

He knew the second it was over. He wasn't sure what he expected, but he didn't think it was this. He could still see, but it wasn't like his normal vision. It was lower, for one thing. And his peripheral vision was spread wider. He could see Barricade in front of him, and the Decepticon looked almost…proud. But that couldn't be right. Sam figured he was still getting used to this different form of sight.

"Congratulations, Sam Witwicky. You are now a somewhat worthwhile soldier."

"I hope you burn in the most fiery depths of hell. Just so you know. You could at least be helpful and tell me what I look like." Whatever he was, it felt powerful. Without consciously knowing how he did it, he revved his engine, and that felt good as well. Damned if I couldn't actually get used to this, Sam thought, and this time he didn't shy away from it.

Barricade turned his head a little and twin beams of light shot from his eyes. A hologram formed in front of him, and Sam couldn't help but stare. It was a motorcycle, but it was a nice motorcycle. He didn't know much about bikes except that Harleys were what every guy craved. This wasn't a Harley, but it was built for speed and for power and he imaged that that form on a Cybertronian frame was going to kick some serious ass.

"You appear to be a 2008 Yamaha YZF-R6. A nice motorcycle, from all accounts on the world wide web, built for speed, which is always helpful." Barricade flicked the hologram off, and, with effort, Sam forced himself to transform back. "Very good, you can reverse transform already. Now to human…"

Sam followed the instructions, and found himself breathing a sigh of relief to be back in his own skin. "Well, this has been an…adventure," he stated. "I don't suppose I can go yet?"

"Now where would the fun in that be?" Barricade asked. "Do not worry, your friends are on their way. I sent them a transmission half an hour ago with out whereabouts, and while I will be long gone by the time they get here, you will be safely back in their care. With your precious Bumblebee." He smirked again.

Sam didn't allow himself to rise to the bait, didn't allow himself to even think about that. Not yet. Instead, he stared. "What? Just like that? What's your game, Barricade?"

"I told you I need their help. It will benefit all of you to help me with what I require, and I believe I have already proven that I am trustworthy."

Sam snorted. "Just because you didn't kill me doesn't make you trustworthy."

The Decepticon conceded the point with a nod. "Regardless, my request is simple and, as I said, will benefit you all. Handing you back over to your friends will simply ensure that they have no reason to fully distrust me."

"Sure. Like they didn't have enough reasons already," Sam muttered. "And what is it you need?" he asked warily.

"I need your help destroying Starscream."

Chapter completed on May 29, 2008