I flickered as fast as I could toward my twins, reverting back to my invisible and insubstancial form to save energy and move faster. See when i flicker, the farther i travel the longer it takes. But if i divert my energy from staying solid and visible into flickering, I can move faster. This would be the farthest I had ever flickered since i had never left the base since I died, but I knew the city well and knew exactly where Baricade was heading.
I could feel the slight drain of energy, something I had not felt in a few weeks, but it was nothing to hinder my mission. I had arrived just as Baricade pulled into an old junk yard. I knew the place, I used to come here as a little kid becuase this was one of the few places no one ever came too so it offered a bit of a refuge. Apparently Baricade thought so too. A faint memory surfaced in my mind.
I was crying as I picked my way through the junk yard, searching for a safe place for the night. The other, larger kids had attcked me again that day, forcing me to flee. I knew no one ever came to the junk yard so i would be safe. That was when something caught my eye. A little way away was a cop car, but close to it was the perfect space for somebody as small as me to sleep in. But I did not want to get caught by the police. Hesitantly I creeped forward, my tears now dry, to see if any one was in the car. I checked to see if anyone was in it, and to my surprise, it was empty. In fact, it looked like it was abandoned. Still cautious i moved to the spot I had found and settled down. From that day on that car was always there. Sometimes it looked like it was in a different position, like a dog guarding a charge. Sometimes it would talk, like an imaginary friend. Then one day when i came to visit, it was gone.
I stood still for a moment as I remembered one of the few happy times durring my childhood. The shock still coursing through me. Barricade the Decepticon, was 'Cade, my imaginary friend and protecter. In the distance I could sense my twins and the rest of the Autobots getting closer. I sent my senses out to see if I could find the Decepticons. When I found them I began thinkning. I had about Five minutes until the Autobots reached this place. Ten until the Decepticons reached here. I took in 'Cade's apperance.
The mech was dented in areas and scraped up, leaking a small amount of energon. Nothing was life threatening, but it still looked like he was sore and tired. I made my decision and became visible as a approached the mech, though I was not solid, I had no idea how the mech would react.
"Cade." Red optics looked up and met my green ones. For a moment Cade's optics were blank but then a hint of recognization flitted in.
"Little femme." Cade made no movements and I stepped forward. He knew who I was now, he recognized me as the little kid that used to come here all the time.
"The Autobots are coming to find you. The Decepticons are too. You have to hide someplace." Cade snorted at me.
"Let them come." Cade was planning on making this his last stand. I could not let my former guardian die here, expecially not by the hands of the ones I loved most.
"Cade, you left the Decepticons right? That's why they are after you?" Cade said nothing so I knew I was right. I ploughed on, desperation leaking into my voice. Even if he had not been my childhood friend and guardian, I could not not let a mech do this.
"Come with us to the Autobot base, please. Then you don't have to fight any more."
Cade looked at me for a moment before looking off into the distance. "I heard you were dead. Either somebody was lying or I'm dreaming." I shook my head, making myself solid now as I reached the mech and pressed my hands to his leg.
"No, I'm dead, but I'm here and you aren't dreaming. Please Cade." I had just found my childhood friend, no way was I going to let him leave again. I flickered up to Cade's shoulder, ignoring his shock and annoyance. I could feel the Autobots getting closer. Urgency crept into my voice.
"Please Cade. I can convince them to take you with us." Cade was silent for a long moment as he took in my apperance. Finaly he nodded and I let out a relieved sigh and smile.
"Katrin!" I knew Sunny and Sideswould arrive at that moment and so I faced them with a determined look. Behind them the rest of the Autobots filled in the junkyard.
"Cade's coming with us." i said before anyone could open their mouths. My twins started spluttering their words and a few others shouted. Prime remained silent and we met eachother's gaze. He inlcined his head to let me speak while silencing everyone.
"Cade's already hurt and the Decepticons are after him because he left them. He'salready agreed to come with us but you guys have to agree too. If we leave him here they will kill him. We don't have much time and the Deceptiocns are close. Optimus please, I'll explain everything when we get back to base safely."
For a long moment the large mech was quiet and I feared he would say no. At last he spoke.
"Very well Katrin. But he will be guarded and restrained until we can trust him. Do you agree to this, Barricade?" To my surprise Cade nodded. A few of the other Autobots voiced objections but Optimus silenced them. I could feel my twins's anger amoung a few other things over our bond but I ignored them for the moment. If we left now we could be gone before the Decepticons showed up.
We all left the junk yard. I turned back into my ghost form and rode with Optimus. The twins's emotions were making me uncomfortable. Barricade was surrounded by Optimus in front and Ironhide who drove behind the ex-Decepticon. Finaly Optimus broke the silence.
"I trust you had a good reason for racing ahead of everyone and then defending Barricade." I materialized in the passenger seat of Optimus's cab.
"I did. It's something I haven't told anyone yet. Care to listen to my story?" Optimus listened as I told him about the Voice and about Barricade's strange signal on the moniter and then about when I was a kid.
After the whole explination Optimus stayed silent for a while. I had reverted to my non-solid form to save energy. I was starting to get worn out. Finaly he spoke.
"Now I believe I understand your actions. In the time I have known you you have never done something without reason. Very well, I will do what I can, but in the end, Barricade is the one who must prove himself." I nodded, relieved that Optimus understood. Before I became a ghost again to save my remaining strength, I asked Optimus to keep my secret about the Voice until it was time to let everyone know. He agreed and I settled down to rest, blocking out the feelings from the twins.
When we arrived back at base, all of the Autobots and a few humans like Lennox, gathered for a meeting. Cade was there too, guarded by Jazz and Ironhide. I was still invisible to save energy. Flickering so far away had used up alot of energy. When everyone was gathered I became visible. I had taken a seat on the railing of the catwalk so that I could be seen by everyone and see everyone alot easier. All eyes and optics were on me. Then I began eplaining everything.
"When the alert went off I was observing the moniter. Something about the signal was off but everyone left just as I figured it out. Barricade's signal was showing he was already injured. Then there was the fact that he was running away from the Decepticons. Barricade does not run away from anything, nor would he allow anything to hurt him. That's when I had the hunch of something being wrong. So I had to confirm it for myself.
That's when I went to find Barricade. The junk yard he had been hiding at was one I used to hide out at when I was a kid. When I got there, that was when I remembered something. As a little kid alot of the older kids would rag on me so I had to find a place where I could escape to if I wanted to stay alive. No one ever went to the junkyard so it was the perfect hiding spot. One night I went there to sleep and there was this cop car.
Normaly when a kid is out on the streets, they try to avoid cops. So I was a little suspicious, but the car was abandoned. I often frequented the junk yard and that car was always there. After sometime I began to notice things. The car was not always in the same postion. Every now and then the car would make a noise. Then one day it talked. The car became my imaginary friend named Cade. On the rare occations that somebody did happen to find the junk yard, Cade blocked the view of my hidding spot, and his apperance as a cop car often scared people away.
I never seen him outside of his car form so I never put the pieces together. Until I saw him at the junkyard. That was when it all hit me and I figured out what was going on. That's when I convinced him to come here with us."
I finished my explination and several Autobots looked deep in thought, though several looked doubtfull. Only my twins lacked any expression. Tentatively I opened the bond again. Then I nearly slammed it down again but stopped myself. They were brimming with anger, disblief, and betrayal. I opened the other bonds to see if this was what everyone else was feeling.
Anger, annoyance, disbelief, doubt, worry and a trickle of acceptance flowed through. I abruptly stood and stared straight at my twins, fully opening my end of the bond with everybody. My anger, hurt and betrayal at everyones lack of faith in me flowed out. Then I was over come with anger. I grasped at a memory and flung it at everyone.
I was a little girl, less than ten, running away from the bigger kids again. I could not get home so I would hide at my secret spot with my secret friend Cade. He would protect me, even if he was a car. I ran through the dark streets and into the junk yard. There I could see Cade where he always was. I dashed over to his side and collapsed in my hiding spot. The crunch of gravel told me Cade had moved a little so he blocked the entrance of my hiding spot. I could hear thesound of people running and shouting now and let out a were close now and had found the junk yard. They kept getting closer and closer and I let out another whimper.
Suddenly Cade's police lights lit up and his siren went off. I jumped a little but I could hear the other kids shouting as they ran away. Cade then once again quieted down into silence. I let out a sleepy smile.
"Thank's Cade. Good night." The gentle rumbling of an engine sent me off into sleep.
Everybody was a little disoriented after that but I did not notice. I did not notice Cade staring at me or the guilt the twins felt. I did notice, however, that my body felt impossibly heavy. And then, I was falling.
"Slag!" Ratchet was the one who caught me but I was too weak to even look at him. I had used up too much power and was starting to fade. I heard Ratchet yell something but I had no energy to even understand what he was saying.
Somebody, Sideswipe I think, appeared beside me and doc bot. I barely made out something blue and glowing before everything went black.
Sorry for any mistake. Review, no flames