Chapter Twenty-One:
"How far out?" Alexis questioned her voice tight.
"Maybe a few miles," Barricade stated then quickly moved towards the door. Alexis scrambled up and followed him out. "We need to move."
"We?" Alexis questioned confused as he reached the door to the diner and was walking out and she followed close behind. "We shouldn't be doing anything. You should be leaving and I should be comming Optimus for help."
"I am not leaving you here within the grasp of three Decepticons." Barricade growled. "You have no idea what they are capable of."
"I have some idea." Alexis said with a softer voice, instantly remembering the last run in she'd had with Decepticons. "What good are you to me if they think you're a traitor and you no longer have access to their information?"
"What good are you to me if they get their hands on you and destroy you?" Barricade countered rudely. "Or worse?"
"We cannot just stand here and argue!" Alexis ground out and then he turned back to her.
"Then I suggest you close your mouth and get in the damn car, before I put you in it." Barricade growled out pointing at his alt form.
Alexis locked her jaw and crossed her arms. "No."
Barricade's face shadowed over and what she assumed was Cybertronian slipped from his mouth before he moved. In the blink of an eye he had picked Alexis up and threw her over his shoulder. Alexis shouted in protest before a long string of very unladylike words came out of her mouth and she slammed her fist into his back.
"I warned you." Barricade grumbled before walking towards his alt form as the passenger side door opened. He then proceeded to throw Alexis down into the seat and a seatbelt snapped around her securing her in place. "We are not playing this game. You are not in control here, little one, you are going to sit there and shut up."
Alexis opened her mouth to reply but the door was shut in her face and the engine to the Saleen S-28, his alt form, started and the holo disappeared.
In half of a second the vehicle had backed out of the parking space it was in and quickly sped out of the lot and back onto the highway.
"You should com your Autobots," Barricade's voice originated from the radio. "You do not a warrior make, seeing as you can't follow instruction," there was still a growl in his voice when he stated the last bit. "and I am in no position to protect your impudent ass."
"Excuse me?" Alexis barked out. "I am fully capable of taking care of myself!"
"No against three Decepticons, you are not." Barricade stated. "Call your Autobots,"
"Fine." Alexis said with a sigh and almost instantly did as she was told attempting to open a comline with Optimus.
Optimus?
Alexis, is everything alright?
No. Barricade and I are in a little situation. There are three Decepticons heading our way.
Where are you? Alexis instantly sent Optimus their coordinates. We are on our way, have Barricade keep heading in this direction stay on the same highway.
Yes sir.
"Optimus and the others are heading our direction." Alexis stated filling Barricade in on the situation. "He said to keep heading this direction, stay on this highway."
"Well, the Autobots had best get it in gear," Barricade growled. "They are about to catch up."
"What?" Alexis questioned and turned back to look out the back window.
Behind them were two cars. One from what she could tell was a black Porsche with red stripes and the other was a deep dark blue Aston Martin.
"There's only two." Alexis stated turning back to look at the dashboard of the Saleen S-281.
"No, look again," Barricade stated and Alexis turned back and instantly spotted the last Decepticon.
There was now a black Yamaha in the mix, and it held a human. She couldn't actually see who it was but her stomach dropped realizing who it probably was.
"Looks like you will be facing your counterpart." Barricade stated confirming her thoughts as to who it was.
"Oh, no! No!" Alexis stated gripping hold of the seat she was sitting in, her face paling and her sparkbeat skyrocketing. "I am not ready for that!"
"Well, Quicksilver, it doesn't look like you have too much of a choice."
"Don't call me Quicksilver!" Alexis snapped. "I am not Quicksilver!"
"My apologies, human." Barricade said stonily.
"Damn it…" Alexis almost whimpered leaning her head back against the back of the seat she was in.
"They will catch up before you're Autobots arrive. I would suggest you prepare yourself for a fight." Barricade said his voice breaking through her thoughts. She nodded and almost instantly she transformed into her silver armor. Then Barricade spoke again. "I am not going to be able to stop long enough to allow you a safe exit from this form. I am warning you to be prepared to land on your feet. The wooded area I am coming upon, go to the trees, and run. I will try to keep them from following. Keep your comline open to me for orders, and I suggest this time you follow them."
Alexis let out a deep breath and nodded. Almost instantly she snapped her battle mask into place over her face and prepared herself to be thrown out of her seat to the ground.
In less than a moment Barricade's bumper was slammed into by the Porsche, and then Alexis found herself among the moving compartments of Barricade's chassis before her feet hit the ground and she rolled to balance herself.
As soon as she found her footing Alexis did exactly as Barricade had told her and bolted heading towards the trees that were less than 50 feet from where she had landed. Alexis managed to miss being squashed by the two mech's fighting above her and had almost reached the tree line before she was tackled from behind.
She landed hard, all the breath being knocked out of her before she was yanked back to her feet by someone wrenching her left arm backwards, and she could feel cables and wiring underneath her armor snapping from the force. Alexis's first instinct was to hit whoever it was to get them to let go of her arm.
When her fist met whoever it was there was a loud clang of metal on metal and whoever it was instantly let her arm go. She backed away and tried flexing her left arm only to have pain instantly jump through the receptors there and halt any further movement. She then looked up at whoever it was.
His armor was midnight blue, his eyes were bright red glowing eerily from their sockets, and Alexis vaguely pondered if that was what it looked like when she transformed. His mask though unlike hers was snapped back and there was a wicked sickening grin plastered across his face.
"Such pretty blue eyes you have Alexis." Anderson drawled out. "Though granted I can't see that pretty face of yours because of that silly mask, afraid of what I might see?"
"Go to hell." Alexis stated, her mask still firmly in place.
"Oh come now, no reason to be a bitch Lexy!" Anderson reprimanded. "And to think I came all this way just to see you!"
"How did you know I was with him?" Alexis demanded. "Do you always suspect your own kind?"
"Barricade was easy to read when he found out his precious Quicksilver was alive." Anderson explained with a laugh. "His memories were easy to hack into, and I knew he would come looking for you. You, the human who carries Quicksilver's spark, such a wonderful little pawn he is."
"You used him to find me." Alexis stated her eyes narrowed.
"There would have been no way to speak to you otherwise, I knew your precious Scout would never let you out of his sights, not including that damn Medic of yours." Anderson said with a tilt of his head. "They're so protective of you, tell me, has one of the two of them laid claim to you yet?" Alexis didn't reply, instead her fist on her right arm tightened. "I'll take your silence as a no," Anderson then laughed. "That Scout had best get a move on, before someone else claims you for themselves."
There was a loud crash that distracted Anderson and Alexis both. Both instantly turned to see what was going on only to spot new bots joining the fight, and there was a shock of yellow both recognized. Anderson then grinned.
"Looks like your Scout joined the party." Anderson turned back to Alexis. "Didn't take him long to come to your rescue." Alexis growled her right hand turning into the saw that was her own weapon, and Anderson laughed and his own hands because swords, much like Sideswipe's did. "I can do that too Sweetheart."
Alexis again didn't say anything standing her ground. The two were momentarily at a standstill waiting for the other to make the first move. Anderson had finally snapped his battle mask back into place finally taking her seriously.
Alexis had finally had enough of waiting for him to make the first move, and almost in the same moment the two moved slamming into each other.
Each move made was easy countered by the other. Alexis deftly avoided the blades and was actually starting to gain an upper hand, finally slamming her saw into one of his arms. Sparks flew and if she hadn't had her mask in place Alexis might have grinned as Anderson backed away from her clearly in pain.
Though her triumph was cut short when she heard a squall of pain and then the definitive metal on metal sound of something being ripped from a mech, and she snapped around to see who it was whom had been harmed.
Alexis's spark nearly stopped when she saw Bumblebee fall to the ground, what she knew was Energon covering him and the hand of the Decepticon who stood over him. Then Sideswipe came out of nowhere and slammed into the Decepticon throwing him to the ground and away from Bumblebee.
"BUMBLEBEE!" the scream issued from her mouth before she could stop it and almost instantly she was scrambling to get to him.
She was stopped though by a hand grabbing her ankle and tripping her causing her to fall face first into the dirt. When she flipped over to kick at Anderson to get him to let go of her foot, she found herself trapped underneath him her one good arm pinned to the dust below them.
"Let me go!" Alexis shouted at him struggling to get lose from his grip.
"What good are you?" Anderson stated with a snarl. "You are no warrior, all it takes is one mech being hurt and you lose focus. You can't separate your emotions from your fighting,"
"Go to hell!" Alexis shouted at him, kicking her legs in a vain attempt to get out from underneath him.
"What good are you to Optimus and his army?" Anderson said with a wicked laugh his blade now resting at her throat tipping her head back to look at him. "You are nothing more than a piece of scrap metal that will get in their way. The only thing you are even remotely good at is mechanics! And even that is laughable! You are of no use to anyone, darling. I should just kill you now and save you're Prime the trouble."
"Go ahead." Alexis snarled in a dare. "You won't get very far."
Anderson didn't say anything else just put more pressure on the blade at her throat causing the blade to slightly cut into the metal on her neck.
"C'mon Lexy baby, let me see that pretty face of yours before I kill you, hm?" Anderson taunted a sick twisted grin on his face again when he noticed her battle mask still in place.
Alexis then had an idea. Taking a deep breath she concentrated on moving her left arm and even though pain instantly started pinging through her system, almost making her sick, it still moved on her command.
Letting out a deep breath, Alexis snapped her battle mask back like Anderson had been asking, and when said movement distracted him she moved, slamming her left arm up and into his head and knocking him off balance. He was disoriented enough that she was able to knock him off of her and scramble up to her feet.
Anderson stood where he was for a moment before turning his focus back to Alexis. She braced herself ready for another attack, her battle mask instantly snapping back into place.
"Well, Lexy, I do believe I will have to say farewell to this evening." Anderson said then saluted her, before grinning again in a wicked way before disappearing into the trees before Alexis could follow.
Alexis let out a deep breath, her battle mask snapping back revealing her face. She then looked to her left arm to try and figure out the damage done. As she opened her mouth to mutter something she was surprised when only a small squeak came out.
Almost instantly a red warning blipped across her vision informing her of the damage done to her body, and as she read she almost wanted to scream, well that would be if she could. There was extensive outer and internal damage to her arm, and then there was her voice modulator.
It had been damaged, apparently from when Anderson had pressed his blade so tightly to her throat.
She abruptly turned when she heard someone approach, her battle mask instantly slipping back into place as she faced an unknown opponent. Alexis recognized the holo, whose hands were held up in surrender and her battle mask snapped back and away from her face.
Sunstreaker. What're you doing here?
Sideswipe was here. So I came here.
He alright?
He's fine. You alright? Why are you not speaking aloud?
Minor damage, nothing that can't be fixed. Alexis then proceeded to try and speak again allowing only a squeak to come out.
You're voice mod's busted? Ratchet will be pleased with that information.
Possibly. Alexis paused ignoring the sarcasm. Are the others alright? And Bee, is Bee alright?
Optimus and Butterfly are repairing what they can of the damage to be able to get him back to base so Ratchet can help him.
Will he be alright? Alexis pushed for the information.
I am not a medic, I do not even wish to try to be, that's why I came to find you. Sunstreaker paused. We need to get you back to base as well,
I'll wait 'til I know Bee's alright.
As soon as Alexis commed this she faltered and probably would have fallen if Sunstreaker hadn't reached forward and grabbed her right arm to support her.
No, I do not believe you are. Sunstreaker commed irritation easily filtering through the line, and he stepped up beside Alexis and pulled her right arm over his shoulder and placed a hand on her left hip to help support her.
Alexis set her jaw irritated as well. Alexis sighed and even though she didn't want to admit that out loud, let alone to him, she knew he was right.
We're going back to the base. Sunstreaker commed obviously leaving no room for argument and heading towards where she assumed his alt was.
We should probably let Optimus know,
It's been taken care of. Sunstreaker commed and by this time they'd reached his alt and put Alexis in the passenger side seat gently before his holo disappeared and the Viper took off leaving the area with a jerk.
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