"Is your bond with Prowl open?" Barricade asked in a whisper, walking Sideswipe into one of the detention cells and ripping off the last of Airachnid's web.
Sideswipe just nodded.
"Get comfortable, Autobot. You and I are going to be spending a lot of time together. "
Sideswipe kicked at Barricade who nimbly jumped aside. "Tut, tut, such a lack of manners. Is that what your Prime teaches you, or maybe you learned how to be so rude from your loathsome Second in Command."
Before Sideswipe could respond Galvatron stormed into the cell. He grabbed Barricade by the back of his neck and threw him face first against the far wall. The ex Enforcer landed on the floor with a sickening thud and grinding metal. Galvatron walked over and jammed his knee in Barricade's backplating in between his doorwings.
"Aaargghh, my Liege, what?" he gasped, energon pouring from his faceplates.
"SILENCE!" Grabbing Barricade's left servo, the Decepticon leader wrenched three digits back and twisted each one until they snapped off, as Barricade howled in pain.
Sideswipe stood, chained to the wall in stunned, shocked silence, relaying the entire scene to Prowl and Sunstreaker across the bond. Their shocked revulsion matched his.
"Now you know how my Airachnid felt when you snapped her legs off!" Galvatron raged.
"My Liege, that was millions of vorns ago. Even before Sentinel offlined," Barricade explained. "She killed an important-"
"NO EXCUSES!" Galvatron was slamming Barricade's wounded servo into the ground.
"You're right, my Liege, I was wrong," Barricade spluttered.
"Yes, you were, at least you admit it." Apparently pleased by the admission, Galvatron removed his knee from Barricade's backplate and stood. "Remember that."
Turning to leave, the Decepticon warlord only now seemed to realize Sideswipe was there. He slammed his fist into the frontliner's face and stalked from the cell.
"I hate that bitch," Barricade wheezed as he sat up and picked up severed fingers. Standing he approached the dazed prisoner.
Using one of his own severed digits, Barricade lifted Sideswipe's chin until they were staring optic to optic. "Once these are put back on, I will return."
Shaking his helm to clear his processor, Sideswipe stared back. "I'll just send a quick comm to Sunstreaker telling him not to hold dinner for me."
"You do that." Barricade left the cell and locked it, taking the locking key with him.
In the Command Center Onlaught and Brawl shut the feed from the brig down. Sideswipe wasn't going anywhere.
"Ons, Galvatron's crazy," Brawl muttered. "He makes Megatron look sane."
"We must obey, we have no choice."
He opened a comm to his gesaltmates ::You will obey Airachnid and tread carefully around her. Never speak out of line and always give in to what she says.::
::Frag that, I hate that bitch:: Vortex barked.
::Brawl is sending you all a video feed. And this is for an offense Barricade committed before Galvatron even knew Airachnid existed.::
::Son of a-fine we'll do what you say, but I still hate that bitch.:: Vortex cut the comm.
::Don't we all.:: Blastoff answered before he cut the comm..
Swindle never bothered to reply. The conmech was too smart to even consider crossing Airachnid, he wisely feared the spider and Galvatron.
""Knockout, put these back on, now," Barricade commanded as he stalked into Medbay.
"Why, Barricade, how nice to see you amongst us once again. Do come in," the medic drawled, sarcasm lacing every word.
"Don't make me mess up your pretty paint. FIX. NOW. "
"Breakdown," Knockout pointed to the welder and other tools he would need.
Barricade sat on the medical berth, his four red optics glittering with silent rage.
"So who did you slag off?" Knockout asked, as he began slowly reattaching the severed digits.
"Lord Galvatron. Apparently Airachnid is still harboring a grudge about the legs I snapped off."
"But that was millions of vorns ago," Knockout said, his shock evident.
"That is was."
"I will consider myself forewarned. "
"I don't like her, she's mean and the extra legs are creepy," Breakdown muttered, as he shuffled around the berth.
Knockout just snorted in agreement.
"I'm going to need to refill my supplies from your stores. I spend too much time planetside to be caught without enough medical supplies, and it's a waste of energon for me to come back for every lasershot and dagger wound and organic based rust," Barricade said conversationally.
"You forgot the magic word."
"Dismemberment." Barricade fired up his bladed close range melee weapon.
"And to think no 'Con has snapped you up and bonded with you," Knockout quipped, bravado masking his nervousness. "Help yourself to what you need."
"I plan to."