Chapter 2
He gently laid Optimus onto the floor of the cave, he heard the Autobot groan.
"I-I am sorry Sam; please forgive me…." Optimus whispered.
Barricade growled to himself, as he realized what had happened.
"Miserable human…" Barricade grumbled, as he tenderly ran a claw over Optimus' face.
Optimus' good optic dimmed, and then offlined as energon tears rolled down his face plates.
"You're safe now; I swear to Primus no one will hurt you again. I am going to help you…." Barricade replied, as Prime's good optic onlined at his words.
"W-Why…I am a monster just let me go to the Well of Allsparks." Optimus whispered.
Barricade snarled, and then grabbed Optimus' face with ease.
"You listen to me, Optimus; you are not a monster. You tried your best; you didn't know the Fallen had all those armies heading here. You're a great leader Optimus, you cannot help that your brother is a psychopath." Barricade remarked, his clawed fingers gently caressing Optimus' face.
"H-Humans are gone but Sam…he hates me. Autobots are gone all but Bumblebee and myself…Gone all gone, because of me…" Optimus whispered.
"Optimus look you are lucky to be alive, I am going to help you. We need to stay one step ahead of your brother and the Trine. If you think I am going to let you offline your processors are malfunctioning. Do you understand me?" Barricade snarled.
"W-Why do you care about me…?" Optimus asked.
Silence…...
"Megatron's cause was for nothing, I fought because I thought he was right. But look where his cause has gotten our race, all because he couldn't trust your judgment coming to some agreement with you. Our race is down to just a clawful of Cybertronians left now, it's spark-breaking and for what?" he replied.
"I am to blame for all of it; I caused the Allspark to be sent into space. I-I am a poor leader and Prime; if our father could see me now he would be so disappointed in me." Optimus answered, his good optic dimming once more.
"Optimus, you did what you had to do, war breeds chaos and death you know that." Barricade replied.
"All those lives lost humans and Cybertronian; I should have done more to stop it. I -I could have negotiated more with my brother; maybe come to an understanding of some sort." Optimus replied.
"Optimus, he literally stabbed you through your back, I heard all about it he sent message to all other Decepticons what he did to you." Barricade said as he positioned Optimus better.
Optimus was leaning back against the cave wall; while Barricade took care of him. Optimus flinched at the pain, while Barricade took care of him.
"W-When did you learn about medical procedures?" Optimus asked.
Barricade smirked then.
"Hook and Scalpel…I can be programmed for things other than fighting." he remarked, as he patched up Optimus.
"I need to feed you; you are so low on energon." Barricade replied, as he picked up a container. "I have to feed you through your port; I know you won't like it. I will try not to hurt you, alright?" Barricade replied, as he put the nozzle right into Optimus' port and let the fuel go into him.
Optimus cringed slightly, but other than that; he never made a sound. "Just a little more, Optimus…..." Barricade replied.
Optimus tried to focus on something else; he hated being fed through his port. Ratchet would do it to him; when he was sick and he would hate it. After he was fed, then Barricade set out to fix Optimus' optic.
"Okay let's see, try to online the optic." Barricade replied, as Optimus did it.
He bypassed all the warning messages, and looked around smiling. "I can see… thank you." Optimus replied.
Barricade nodded.
"I still have to fix your back strut; Megatron made a nasty wound there." Barricade replied, as he gently turned the Prime onto his stomach.
The Shock Trooper took great care with the Autobot leader, mindful of any sounds emitting from Optimus that were sounds of pain or distress.
However, while Barricade worked, Optimus fell silent as memories flooded him. He saw things he would rather like to erase from his cerebral processors. His intakes cycled wildly, as his memories flooded of Sam. The boy was special to him, and this violent side of Sam against him hurt him. He understood Sam's pain, but he wished to Primus he could comfort the boy at least. He knew Sam would never forgive him, why should he when he himself knew he was a monster.
He was brought out of his silent thoughts; when he felt Barricade took care of him.
"You're very good at what you do…" Optimus noted.
Barricade smiled.
He had finished patching him up, but his claws remained on Optimus' back. He slowly ran his clawed fingers over the Prime's back, and then turned him back onto his back. He gently positioned Optimus back into a sitting position with his back against the wall.
"Thanks…" Barricade replied.
Optimus glanced at him.
"Are you alright?" Optimus asked him.
"Huh, oh yeah I am good." Barricade said.
"Thank you for saving me, Barricade; it was kind of you." Optimus said.
(Where Sam and Bumblebee are)
Sam stared out the window, while Bee drove all the while tears streamed down Sam's face. The boy had lost everyone his family, friends and girlfriend all in the span of several days. Sam wanted to somehow get to the states, and back to Tranquility to salvage any mementoes.
"I should have found something to extinguish his spark; he is to blame for everything, Bee. I HATE HIM….!"Sam snarled.
Bumblebee shuttered, he didn't like his charge talking about Optimus like that. He revved his engine angrily; which Sam was wise to pick up on.
"You're my guardian, Bee; who are you with ME or HIM?" Sam demanded as a whining sound escaped Bumblebee.
Sam crossed his arms over his chest then.
"Everyone is gone because of him, everyone I loved except for you, Bee." Sam remarked running his hand on Bee's dashboard. "Optimus should be punished for his crimes not rewarded. I want him offline, will you help me do it?" Sam asked.
Bumblebee instantly stopped driving, revving his engine in fury.
"NO…!"
"Fine, then I will find a weapon; and do it myself." Sam growled, as he got out of the sports car.
Sam stalked around until he happened on a military van; there were a few bodies of dead soldiers and civilians on the ground. The smell of death was too overwhelming to Sam, as he searched for the perfect weapon to end the Autobot leader's life. He found just the thing a rocket launcher, a smile played on his lips then.
"This will do it…" he mumbled, as he walked back toward Bumblebee.
He got inside with the rocket launcher in hand.
"Is there a trick to catching a spark, please tell me how to aim it at least, Bee?" Sam pleaded.
Bumblebee felt guilt wave after wave of guilt at Sam's question.
"Please Bee for Mikaela; please tell me how to kill him, please." Sam pleaded once more, as his eyes filled with tears then.
Bumblebee whined then in sadness.
'Forgive me Optimus'
"Alright Sam, get out and I will show you where to hit him to ensure he offlines." Bumblebee remarked, his tone rather cold and sarcastic.
Sam got out of Bumblebee, he watched Bumblebee break apart. Then parts spun around, and snapped locking in place. Sam watched the transformation until Bumblebee stood in front of him in bipedal form. Bumblebee was not happy, he was sick in his spark to be telling Sam how to kill Optimus.
Bumblebee offlined his optics and sighed; while Sam walked up to him. "Bee, please for Mikaela….." Sam begged tears running down his face.
"Okay….." Bee whispered.
Bumblebee bent lowering his hand for Sam to hop on; he brought Sam level to his chest plates.
"He is a Prime, so he is harder to take down then normal Cybertronians. You have to aim right for his chest, you will get him quicker if …"
Sam looked at Bee then, because he stopped talking.
"Bee…?"
He sighed.
"If his chest plates are open, you stand a better chance of taking him down." Bee explained.
"Really…. But how do I manage to get his chest plates open, it's not like he will just open them for me?" Sam asked.
Sam fell quiet then.
"Can you get him to open his chest plates?" Sam asked as Bumblebee lowered his head and whined.
Sam had no way of knowing, just what he was asking of the little scout.
Silence…
"Bee….?" Sam asked.
"Yes, I can get him to open his chest plates; but I would rather not…"
"Bee, he's a monster I need to do this, and I need your help." Sam urged.
"Alright…..." Bee finally answered his spark hurting.
"Can you find his energy signature?" Sam asked.
"Yes, you want to do it now?" Bee asked.
"Yes, the sooner the better." Sam replied.
Bee's intakes cycled rather hard then. "Alright, I can read his signature he's close." Bee answered.
"Okay, then it's time to bring down a heartless monster." Sam snarled.
(At the cave)
Barricade fixed a few more things on Optimus; then needed to find extra metal to make more patches for a few more wounds he still had.
"You stay still; I'll be right back, alright?" Barricade said
"Alright, and watch your back." Optimus replied.
"I will," Cade said.
Optimus sighed then.
"I have no right to be alive, all of the humans, my Autobots and even the other Decepticons. Our race will perish now and…..."
Barricade placed a clawed hand under the Prime's face and forced him to look at him.
"Stop it okay, just stop it. This is not your fault; I keep telling you Megatron is the one who started this war." Barricade replied.
"I made mistakes, and those mistakes have cost the lives of so many. How am I supposed to live with that, how am I supposed to live with the fact I doomed not only our race; but another race as well?" Optimus demanded.
Neither Optimus nor Barricade, heard Sam and Bumblebee enter the cave.
"That's disgusting siding with a Con, you're a traitor no wonder you're a monster now!" Sam growled even as Bumblebee glared at Optimus not understanding Barricade protected Optimus.
"You are a pit spawned traitor just like your brother." Bumblebee snarled his cannon whirled to life pointing at his former leader.
"Bumblebee please, he saved my life and we've become friends" Optimus tried to explain, but was interrupted when Sam fired at Optimus before Barricade could protect him.
The rocket exploded taking Optimus' whole left arm, Optimus was shaken the one human he trusted with his life was now trying to end it. Optimus understood now, this wouldn't end until Sam believed he evened the score.
Barricade snarled and was going to attack; when Optimus stopped him.
"He needs to even the score let him finish it, I must die in order for him to have peace." Optimus whispered as pain sky rocketed through his systems.
"NO…!" Barricade roared.
"He is right I am to blame for this let him do this. I must ask that if you kill me, that you will leave in peace and not harm Barricade." Optimus asked.
Bumblebee remained silent, and put his cannons away. It was then he understood what was going on, but he doubted his charge would.
"All I care about is taking you out; we will leave once I take your spark." Sam snarled.
"Very well…." Optimus said.
"OPEN YOUR CHEST PLATES….!" ordered Sam.
Optimus did as Sam ordered, and opened his chest plates.
Sam leveled the rocket launcher and fired, it hit Optimus' spark with perfect aim.
"Damn perfect shot, got him!" Sam shouted, as he watched for his own clarification; that he had gotten the leader once and for all.
Optimus struggled briefly, then his optics dimmed and he deactivated. Barricade roared in pain sinking to his knees, while Sam took aim at him next and fired at the Shock Trooper taking him out breaking his promise to Optimus.
"Let's get out of here, Bee…" Sam retorted as he and his guardian left the cave.