Chapter 7 ROH
"Morning Bright Eyes. Did you have fun playing 'Sleeping Beauty'?" Daniel quipped.
Barricade continued running a few diagnostics to review the full extent of the repairs that were completed by the human, when he found that his repair sequences were still running at maximum capacity. This was somewhat disturbing since all other systems were functioning normally. This meant that his regenerative systems should have gone to standby mode.
Barricade looked around to see who could possibly have dared to address him in such a manner. To see the human who had saved his life twice over standing there slightly behind him completely unconcerned for his safety was disconcerting to the Decepticon. He had built both his military career and his reputation on being dangerous in the extreme. Barricade knew that this was the human that had disabled the famed Autobot weapons specialist with a hand held tool. Therefore, it would not be prudent to underestimate him. Barricade knew from the few short years that he had been on earth, that humans could be quite resourceful and extremely devious when needed. They were in fact a very dangerous race, possibly even more so than the Decepticons as a whole. Barricade decided to err on the side of caution until he discovered what the humans intentions were. That did not mean that he would tolerate being insulted to any extent however.
"Well, if it isn't the squishy that likes to attack Autobots with a crowbar." Barricade replied with a small chuckle.
Daniel snickered at this response.
"Seems like we've had this discussion before about that squishy remark, but you might have been too messed up to remember, so let me remind you once again. I do have a skeletal structure that goes crunch. I also have about a thousand different tools that can convince you not to call me squishy again too." Daniel said with just a touch of menace in his tone.
Barricade had to admit that he admired the audacity possessed by the human. Few Autobots would dare to challenge him in such an open fashion even if his weapons were offline. Although the bravado of the human was admirable, it was also, in Barricades opinion foolish.
"It would seem that you don't frighten very easily human. Do you have any idea what the Decepticon army can do to this pathetic backwater world of yours?" Barricade asked.
"They might be able to do quite a bit, IF they ever get here!" Daniel shot back.
"Megatron and the others. . ." Barricade began.
Daniel cut him off quickly. "Are dead. The only survivors are you, Frenzy, some jackass of a jet that left, and another that was left behind in Qatar. There is no one to give you any back up, if you get froggy! Besides, I think that ass whipping that Megatron gave you could well be considered your discharge papers." Daniel said with just a little relish.
Slag! The pit-spawned human is right! All of the Decepticon forces must know that Megatron turned on me by now. From what he said just now, it is obvious that Starscream has played the coward and fled yet again. Now what the pit do I do? Joining the Autobots is completely out of the question. Likewise returning to the Decepticon army. Besides, I now have a Bond of Brotherhood with this human. One strong enough that I am aware of its effects even now. I need more information, but how to get it. This human is not going to be gullible enough to just give it to me. Maybe I can reason with him. Barricade thought.
"You may well be right about that, but don't think that I will join those pathetic Autobots just to save my spark. I have more honor than that! During my entire military career, I have never waged war on civilians, never attacked an enemy from behind, and never allowed innocent bystanders to be injured by my actions or battles! I will tell you now; there is a reason for my hatred of the Autobots. It is not your concern, and I don't expect you to comprehend such a concept as honor." Barricade said with a snarl.
"Yeah, I know all about the concept of honor, I saw the ass whipping go down, remember? I heard every word you two said. THAT is the ONLY reason you are still alive! If you hadn't been standing up to him from that standpoint, I'd have left your ass to die right there." Daniel retorted.
"Ha! Somehow I don't doubt that for a second!" Barricade said ruefully.
"Good! Because that's the absolute truth. Now what I want to know is can you work beside the Autobots without trying to rip them a new one?" Daniel retorted.
"Hmpf! Why should I? I see no advantage to be gained by cooperating with them at all. Quite frankly, I believe that you need something from me or I would never have been reactivated. It's obvious that you want either information or cooperation, now which is it?" Barricade demanded.
"BOTH!" Daniel replied instantly.
"What!? Your slagging processors are cracked, chipped, and shattered if you think for one second that I will assist the Autobots in the defeat of the Decepticons! I MIGHT consider collaborating with YOU, but NOT them! If I have no other choice in the matter, I will be civil, but that is IT! As far as information is concerned, I want a fair exchange." Barricade demanded irritably.
"Fair enough. I ask a question, you answer. Then we switch off. Agreed?" Daniel said with a grin.
"Agreed." Barricade snarled.
"Who is likely to take control of the Decepticon forces now that Megatron is dead?" Daniel fired off the question without hesitation.
"With Megatron dead, there are several who will vie for control of the Decepticon forces." Barricade said simply. He might have to answer these questions but he would NOT give out any extraneous information. THAT would cost the human.
"My turn! How did Megatron and the others die?" Barricade demanded.
"We killed 'em." Daniel said with a malicious grin. Two could play that game.
"Who are the Decepticons likely to be fighting for control of the Decepticon army?" Daniel came back quickly. "I would suggest a little more cooperation; otherwise this will take a long time, and I do get bored easily." Daniel continued.
Barricade growled in frustration as he realized that this human was not going to fall for his tactic.
"There are two that will most likely fight for dominance. Shockwave and Starscream. Both will most likely try to recruit others to their own cause. There WILL be plenty of infighting." Barricade stated.
"Cool. Your turn." Daniel said.
"How exactly was Megatron killed?" Barricade asked.
Here Daniel started laughing. "You know that kid you chased down, while you were looking for the All Spark? HE killed Megatron!"
Barricade was stunned! Surely, this had to be a ruse or deception on the humans part, but if that were the case, he would have felt that through that pit-damned bond they shared! Perhaps there were more to these humans than anyone thought! Barricade would have to stop underestimating them; such mistakes had often proven fatal to other mechs in the past.
"A scrawny little civilian SPARKLING killed Megatron?!" Here Barricade started laughing hysterically. "Oh the irony of it! Oh sweet Primus! The beautiful irony. Megatron must be railing in the matrix as we speak! Killed, not by a mighty warrior, or in a glorious battle. Brought down by a fleshlings sparkling!" Barricade was now laughing so hard that he fell off the platform where he'd been repaired, and landed on the floor with a loud crash.
"Ain't that a hoot? Ya really gotta hand it to the kid. When the chips were down, he pulled out one hell of an ace!" Daniel quipped looking down at the laughing mech.
This only made Barricade laugh harder. He couldn't help but think about the massive ego possessed by Megatron, and how much his demise at the hands of a human child must have galled him. A more fitting revenge for the pain and suffering he'd received from Megatron, Barricade could not imagine. Needless to say, this information put Barricade in a much better mood, and made him ready to agree to almost any reasonable suggestion from the human.
"You said that Frenzy is still alive. Where is he? I would like to speak with him." Barricade said when he finally stopped laughing.
"Frenzy is actually working for us now. He didn't want much to do with the Autobots either, so he decided to join the squishies." Daniel said with a chuckle.
"I'm not surprised by that. Is he still jabbering about that damned coffee?" Barricade asked with a glare.
"Yeah, about that. Why the fuck would you give someone that crappy ass shit from 7-11 as their first taste of coffee? How would you like it if the first taste of fuel you ever had was someone dumping a load of crude oil in your tank?" Daniel demanded belligerently.
"I only let him have that crap to shut him up for a slagging minute or two! Wait, most Decepticons can't even understand that little fragger, so how the pit do you even know anything about it?" Barricade demand puzzled.
"I can understand him just fine. Sure, he's a little spastic at times, but otherwise, he seems ok to me." Daniel said with a small chuckle at the perplexed expression on the mechs face.
"So, will I be able to see my partner or not?" Barricade demanded.
"That ain't up to me. I'm not the one in charge around here. I just do the repairs." Daniel informed him.
"Then who is in charge around here?" Barricade wanted to know.
"That would be my either of my two Bosses. Agent Bannacheck or Secretary of Defense Robert Keller. You'll have to talk to one of them about seeing Frenzy. To be honest with you I don't think it's gonna happen anytime soon. The U.S. and the Autobots both consider you a prisoner of war at this point, and they don't usually get visitation privileges with others." Daniel said candidly.
"You do realize how easily I could kill you and make my escape, don't you?" Barricade asked matter of factly.
"Hmpf, you could try. You might get past me and you might not, but you won't make it past all the military boys posted between you and the exit, if you even know where that is." Daniel stated as he bent down to retrieve his crowbar from his truck box, which was still on the platform.
Once again, Barricade had to admit to admiring the humans courage, because he felt absolutely no fear through the bond he shared with the human, only a growing sense of determination.
"They haven't told you about me yet, have they?" Barricade asked with a chuckle.
"Actually, they said that you are Cybertron's foremost wet work specialist, and that you shouldn't have had any problems killing those two kids and Bumblebee at some refinery. Yet somehow from what I understand you took an ass whupin." Daniel retorted with a malicious grin.
"I do NOT wage war against civilians! When I realized that Frenzy wanted to kill one of them to make the other talk, I had no choice but to let that fragging Autobot win in order to allow that pit slagging scout to protect them!" Barricade replied angrily.
"Really? And just why is that?" Daniel asked curious.
"That is NOT your concern!" Barricade snapped back.
"You're right. It's not my concern. My concern is that out of six billion people on this planet less than five percent are actually military! THAT is MY concern! MOREOVER, IF YOU THINK FOR ONE SPLIT SECOND THAT I'M GONNA LET THOSE GOD DAMNED DECEPTICONS WALTZ IN HERE AND KILL 'EM, THEN YOU'RE EVEN CRAZIER THAN I AM!" Daniel said getting pissed and yelling.
Daniel could now feel the rage seething off the black and white mech in nearly solid waves. The sensation surprised him at first, that is, until he realized how he was able to feel those emotions.
"When I joined the Decepticons I swore an oath. The most sacred and binding oath a Cybertronian can make, that I would never allow a civilian to be injured by my actions or battles. Now it seems that in order to keep living up to the spirit of that oath I must now fight along side those damnable Autobots!" Barricade growled. "I give you my word of honor that I will not take action against the Autobots for the duration of this war, but know this human; if one of them attacks me, then I WILL defend my self." Barricade continued.
"Well, that sounds good to me, but I'm not the one you gotta convince." Daniel replied.
"Well the bitch just done a damn good job of convincing me, and since I AM second in command of the Autobots, I don't see how there's gonna be a problem." Jazz interrupted from the doorway, as he was leaning against the doorframe.
The sudden surprising interruption caused both the mech and the human to drop into a fighting stance, Daniel with his crowbar raised in a deadly fashion, and Barricade had expanded his claws into a nasty looking series of whirling blades. This only made the saboteur laugh.
"Getting a little jumpy are we?" Jazz asked with a grin.
"How long you been standing there, damnit?" Daniel demanded relaxing after he saw who it was.
"Since you walked in. I was actually gonna talk with ya bout a few things but ya got a little preoccupied before I got the chance." Jazz answered. "Hmpf, looks like Hatchet missed a few of his weapons." Jazz continued as he glanced over at Barricade still in a combat stance.
Seeing that the Autobot hadn't moved Barricade retracted his weapons, and relaxed somewhat. "Hah! You'd have to strip all of my limbs down almost to my bare chassis to get them all Autobot." Barricade said tauntingly.
"Knowing you, I believe it." Jazz countered smoothly. "So, how are you feeling? He does some damned fine work don't he?" Jazz asked nodding hid head in Daniel's direction.
"Yes he does at that. I haven't been in this type of condition since I first joined the Decepticons." Barricade responded after a thoughtful silence. "If this is any example of what the fleshlings are capable of then the Decepticons are in for a nasty surprise." He continued.
At this point Barricade was nearly falling over from exhaustion. Although he had been fully repaired recently, his regenerative systems were still operating as if he hadn't been repaired at all, and it was those systems that were rapidly draining Barricade's energy reserves. Barricade mentioned this disturbing fact.
"Well climb back up here and I'll take a peek at it" Daniel told him bluntly.
Barricade climbed back onto the platform and lay down. Daniel reached into the neck juncture to deactivate Barricade's pain receptors.
The instant Daniel made contact with the now conscious and functional Barricade; there was a power surge that knocked the salvage operator flat on his back. As soon as this occurred Barricade's regenerative, systems tried to exceed maximum capacity. Both barricade and Jazz scanned the human to see what injuries had been incurred. Barricade simultaneously ran a full diagnostic on his own systems to see what had happened to him.
Primus! My regeneration systems are trying to repair the human!Barricade Realized in surprise.
"What the hell did you just do to me?" Daniel asked stunned.
"That was a power surge from my repair systems, you slagging glitch!"
"Power surge huh? And just what the fuck is a 'slagging glitch?" Daniel asked getting pissed.
"That would be something along the lines of fuckin bitch." Jazz put in.
"Oh, ok. Well, in that case, lay your busted ass back down, you son of a bitch!" Daniel retorted.
Both Barricade and Jazz couldn't help but laugh at the pluck of the human as he resumed his examination of Barricade's systems. Barricade was forced to admit to himself that he was starting to like this human. After all, he seemed as fearless as any Decepticon to hit the battlefield. Add to that, the fact that he appeared to be an excellent mechanic, and that he was also fairly good in a fight, judging from how fast he'd taken down the Autobot weapons specialist in less than a second, and you had the makings of a damned fine ally!
Daniel spent a total of fifteen minutes looking over the connections on Barricade's repair system and couldn't find anything wrong. He also couldn't get that system to shut down either.
"I'm gonna have to put you back into recharge until Bones and I can get a better look at this in the morning." Daniel told the former Decepticon.
"Do I have your word that you will reactivate me in the morning?" Barricade asked more than a little distrustful of the situation.
Daniel looked down at the mech lying on the repair table. "Dude, if you think for one second that I have busted my damned back getting your ass back into running condition, just to leave you sitting here collecting dust then you're a hell of lot dumber than you think I am!" Daniel to him irritably.
Barricade growled in response to that, but otherwise said nothing.
Daniel put Barricade back into stasis lock and decided to head back to bed.
Daniel yawned as he said goodnight to Jazz and headed back to the quarters that he was sharing with his niece. As the salvage operator was leaving he turned out the lights in the med bay, that was when Jazz noticed a faint glow about the human that was rapidly fading. He made a mental note to mention this to Ratchet in the morning when he got the chance.
When Daniel got up the next morning, Maigan was already up, dressed and ready to face the day. Daniel grabbed a hot shower, and was in the middle of brushing his teeth when he stopped. He took a closer look at his front teeth and noticed that a chip in his left incisor was fixed. This was getting weirder and weirder. After he'd finished his morning hygiene, Maigan walked back in the room and handed him a large mocha espresso. It lasted about ten minutes, just long enough to go with his morning smoke. The two then headed straight for the med bay.
All of the Autobots with the exception of Ironhide were already there, as were Sam and Mikeala. Everyone greeted the two late risers, as they headed for the platform that Barricade was lying on. Sam was once again showing his apprehension about reactivating the dangerous Decepticon. He didn't really get much of a chance to do anything about it before Daniel had reached in and done the job.
Barricade sat up and looked around the room, taking in each of the Autobots that were present along with the four humans. When Barricade spotted Sam, the Decepticon gave the boy a very scrutinizing examination, then started laughing so hard that he fell off the platform.
"THAT? THAT is what killed the mighty Megatron? Bwa ha ha ha ha ha!" Barricade started laughing even harder; tears of energon were streaming from his optics, as the former Decepticon held his sides while laughing.
Four Autobots were staring at the laughing mech as if he'd fried his processors, two of the humans were waiting for him to attack, and the other two humans were starting to chuckle along with him.
"Oh, Primus! I haven't laughed that hard since I was a sparkling. I owe you one for that, boy!" Barricade said when he finally got a grip on himself.
"You mean you're not going to kill me?" Sam asked after swallowing a rather large lump in his throat.
"No. For several reasons. First I prefer a fair fight, second, I don't wage war on civilians, and third, I never liked Megatron anyway." Barricade finished with a chuckle.
Maigan, Daniel, and even Jazz were all laughing at the expressions on the faces of the others.
"Well, you did throw me on top of that car pretty hard." Sam retorted, trying to justify his fears.
"Oh, you could at least be somewhat realistic about that. You didn't even put a crack in that pathetically flimsy windshield you landed on!" Barricade said condescendingly.
"I was just trying to scare the information out of you. If I'd had any idea that you could move that fast I might have tried something else instead." Barricade said with a rueful chuckle.
"So, what happens now?" Barricade asked as he got to his feet.
"Sector Seven personnel have been dispatched to Qatar, where Scorpinok was recently sighted. Captain Lennox and his team have been accompanied by Ironhide to gather some sparklings that were created during the battle. As soon as all that is done we can begin relocating to a new facility that will better accommodate us." Optimus stated.
"Hey that reminds me! That joker is able to haul ass when he wants to. Can all of you move faster than the vehicles you're modeled after, or do you use a different drive train?" Daniel asked as he and Maigan climbed down to the floor.
"We use the same drive train designs that your cars use but our Cybertronian alloys enable us to work them at twice the level of your designs." Bumblebee explained.
"Really?" Here the salvage operator had a look on his face that could only be described as maniacal.
Now everyone present started staring at Daniel as if he'd lost what was left of his mind. Barricade had seen such expressions before among the Decepticons; he recognized it as one that originated from an incredible idea. Barricade could also get a sense of what the humans emotions were through the bond they shared; what he felt through that bond made him start laughing.
"What did you have in mind?" The black and white mech asked with a chuckle.
"Maigan, Mikeala, Sam, y'all take Buzz Boy and Jazz down to Tenth and Trinity, where all the tuners hang out for their street races. See if those two can find a better drive train that will work with their models. I'll take the others to a place where they can get some better drive trains as well."
"Having access to a second and faster drive train would be a help to us if we needed to cover a long distance at high speed." Optimus mused quietly. "Do you really know where we can get them?"
"Hah! If he doesn't then no one will!" Maigan responded.
"But I am modeled after one of your cargo haulers. How do you intend to find a faster and more powerful engine for my alternate form?" Optimus asked curiously.
"Leave THAT to me!" Daniel said in his best Darth Vader impression.
None of the humans present could resist a snicker at that comment. Needless to say, all of the Cybertronians present were completely baffled.
"SIMMONS!" The full-throated roar that emerged from Daniels mouth as he bellowed out the name was enough to impress everyone there; and loud enough to be heard through out most of the Hoover Dam complex.
Simmons came running in ready for anything. He'd even snatched up a 40mm M-79 grenade launcher with a belt of S.A.B.O.T. rounds.
"What, what?" He demanded in a breathless voice as he looked around and saw that there was no need for the hardware.
"Round up another corpse, we gotta take these guys for a drive." Daniel said with a grin.
"Ok, no problem." Simmons said as he left the room shaking his head and still trying to catch his breath.
Six minutes later Simmons returned with Agent Bannacheck in tow.
"Ok, what's this about taking the Autobots for a drive?" Bannacheck asked dubiously.
"Well, Boss it's like this, If those Jack asses hit D.C. how long is it gonna take these guys to get there? They can work their engines twice as hard as ones that we build, so even Big Rig here will be limited to 180 to 200 miles an hour, half the city would be trashed before we could respond. So, I wanna take 'em where they can get some better engines!" Daniel explained.
Agent Bannacheck seemed to think this over for a minute or two before he nodded thoughtfully. "Excellent idea. We could definitely have done better at Mission city, if they'd been able to cover distance faster."
"Ok, now that that's settled let's go." Daniel said happily.
"One question, whose going to ride with him." Simmons asked wide-eyed as he indicated the now functional Barricade.
Daniel was grabbing some drinks from his ice chest. Most of the ice had melted, but the drinks were still cold. He had also picked up his three-foot Gorilla bar.
"I will!" Daniel said with a grin.
Barricade couldn't resist chuckling at the discomfiture of both the Autobots and the humans as they regarded him. He also couldn't help but admire the brazen fearlessness of the human he'd formed a brother bond with. That reminded him!
"Ratchet, my repair systems are still running at maximum capacity trying to repair the injuries he has." Barricade said as he indicated Daniel.
"You gotta be shittin me!" Daniel blurted in exasperation. "Is THAT what knocked me on my ass last night?"
Barricade nodded in reply as Ratchet started scanning Daniel. Ratchet could find nothing out of the ordinary except that the injuries he found did not match up with those he had first detected when he met the human.
"Somehow your systems HAVE been repairing him. I'm not sure how this is even possible." Ratchet said.
Then Barricade walked over to Daniel and grabbed him in a solid grip to prevent him from being tossed across the room in a repeat of the previous nights incident. As soon as Barricade made contact with Daniel, an obvious energy discharge sparked between the two that shared the brother bond.
Now Ratchet began scanning both of them. The results showed that Barricades medical nanites had permeated Daniels body and were working in critical mode to repair the injuries that had been sustained during the humans life. Ratchet had been unable to detect them earlier because they were mostly dormant until contact was re-established with Barricade. Then, the nanites went into critical mode. Ratchet began reviewing all information about every bonding process he'd ever heard of, there was nothing available to indicate that one mech could use his systems to repair another. This was completely unheard of. Ratchet then analyzed the unique conditions in which this particular bond was formed. Both had been damaged, normally this would have meant that Barricades spark would have forcibly rejected ANY attempt to form a bond, but the human had been covered in Barricades own energon at the time. The initial formation link had also lasted far longer than anyone had ever attempted before; most mechs or femmes would have needed to recharge or at least stop for energon sustenance, but that hadn't happened either. Instead, the initial link had lasted for three entire days! Not, the six to twelve hours that was used to form some of the strongest bonds that he'd ever read about. This was unprecedented anywhere in Cybertronian history!
Ratchet sent this information to Barricade in a data burst transmission. Barricade could receive but not send, even if he had been rather forcibly expelled from the Decepticon forces, they were not about to trust him completely.
Barricade was still holding Daniel when he fell flat on his aft with a stunned expression on his face.
"What the hell did you do to him?" Daniel asked looking over at Ratchet.
"The same slagging thing that you like doing to us you little slagger. I glitched his processors for a minute." Ratchet said with a smug grin.
"Oh, you blew his mind. OK!" Daniel said after thinking about it for a few seconds.
Barricade put the human down and started getting back to his feet. He wasn't happy with the implications of this Brother Bond that he now shared with a short-lived human at all. Knowing that they could feel one another's emotions would also mean that they would be able to feel each others pain and injuries as well.
What is it going to feel like when he dies? Primus, there is no way to sever a spark bond once it's formed! How the pit am I going to deal with this? Barricade thought to himself.
Maigan was busy trying to question Jazz about what a spark bond was and what it entailed, but Jazz wasn't answering any of her questions. Sam was also pestering Bumblebee about that same topic, the yellow mech kept silent not wanting to give his young friend any ideas.
Barricade and Daniel both turned to look at each other at the same time. Both of them had a suspicious look on their face.
"That's just creepy!" They had both spoken the same words at the same time. They stared at each other for a few seconds then started chuckling, Barricades laugh was the more sinister sounding of the two, and this only made the human laugh harder.
"So I've got this evil alien robotic healing system now?" Daniel asked as he turned back to Ratchet.
"It would appear that way." Ratchet replied.
"Oh CRAP!" Maigan exclaimed with a look of astonishment. "And I thought he was nuts before! He's gonna be even crazier now!" She continued.
The laugh that Daniel let out on hearing that was menacing enough to make even Barricade take another look at the human he was bonded to. He didn't like what he saw and felt through his bond.
Daniel looked down at his diving watch and decided that it was time to go.
"Enough chatter, let's get a move on." Daniel said.
"Sounds good to me. I could use a chance to stretch out my wheels." Jazz put in.
Ratchet pulled a pair of portable scanners out of subspace and showed them to the humans.
"Since we may not be able to walk up to these cars that we'll be scanning, we may need one of you to use these to let us get a proper scan of a suitable drive train." Ratchet explained.
"Cool! Sam, you take one, and I'll take the other. We'll be splitting up anyway." Daniel popped in.
"Wait a minute. Where are you going?" Maigan shot back.
"Y'all are going to where the tuners hang out, and I'm taking the rest of these guys to an NHRA show!" Daniel said with a truly evil grin.
The Autobots had confused expressions on their faces after accessing the web to find out about the reference, because they still had no clue about what Daniel had in mind.
"How will this help us find a better drive train?" Optimus asked still puzzled.
"Don't worry about it. I've got that covered. Trust me." Daniel replied with a grin.
The Autobots transformed and the humans started getting into their respective rides.
"Well, let's see what ya got!" Daniel told Barricade with a smirk.
The Decepticon transformed with a growl of his engine, and sat there revving it while Daniel looked him over.
"Hmmm, not bad; not bad at all. But you'll be even better when I get done with you today." Daniel told the black and white mech as he got in the driver seat.
"Wait just a minute, while I reactivate his transmitter so we can communicate while on the road. We will be watching you so don't do anything stupid." Ratchet warned as he activated the Decepticons transmitter.
"I wouldn't dream of it, Hatchet." Barricade retorted in a sneer.
Ratchet growled upon hearing that hated nickname, and swore that he'd make the Decepticon pay for it later.
"I'll do the driving thank you." Barricade told his passenger as Daniel tried to start the engine.
"Yeah, about that. I've SEEN how you guys drive, am I am less than impressed." Daniel retorted in a voice dripping with sarcasm. "It's time someone showed you what driving REALLY is!" Daniel continued with a grin.
Barricade knew that the human was trying to manipulate him, but he also knew that he'd just been issued a challenge, and Barricade had never backed down from an honest challenge in his life.
Smoke started flying through the room at the same time that an ear-shattering wail of screeching tires went ripping through the entire Hoover dam complex. Daniel had floored the accelerator, and kept it there as the rear tires of the alien mech fought for purchase! Finally, they heated up enough to get a grip on the surface and the two were off like a shot from a cannon! Ratchet was already bellowing at Daniel to take it easy on his newly rebuilt patient, while Barricade was waiting to be impressed. The rest of the Autobots had already headed for the main gate while Daniel was busy burning rubber.
Daniel was heading for the wall at a very dangerous speed when he cranked the steering wheel to the right, hit the emergency brake, released it then cranked the steering wheel back to the left in the textbook execution of a beautiful drift around a right hand turn.
"What the fragging slag are you doing?" Barricade bellowed at the top of his vocal processors capability.
The deranged human only laughed in reply. Of course, this only made Barricade begin to think he'd made a serious error in judgment by letting the human inside him at all. The Autobots had exited the base and were approaching the first turn when Daniel caught up with them. Daniel was laughing like the maniac that he was as he passed them in the middle of the turn executing another excellent drift.
Instantly both Bumblebee and Jazz wanted to know just how in the pit of the matrix Barricade had pulled off a turn like that; while at the same time both Optimus and Ratchet were bellowing about being deceived, and how dire the consequences would be if Barricade didn't pull over and release his human captive!
"I'm not doing the driving you fragging glitch ridden slaggers! Talk to that psychotic fleshling friend of yours; and get him to slow the pit down!" Barricade bellowed back.
Meanwhile of the humans who had witnessed the maneuver, Maigan was laughing and urging her uncle on. While Sam and Mikeala were laughing at the discomfiture and at the expense of the Decepticon on the receiving end of such a ride. Agents Simmons and Bannacheck were just shaking their heads at the thrill crazed salvage operator.
Jazz and Bumblebee both recognized a challenge when they saw one, and THIS definitely qualified as a challenge! While Barricade and the scout were fairly evenly matched in speed, the saboteur was another story. He had speed to spare!
He took over the driving and quickly gained on the Decepticon, and then passed him with no problem. Then Jazz had to brake hard and slow down for a hairpin turn. Daniel didn't! He took the turn at more than twice the speed that Jazz was maintaining, and passed the silver mech on the outside of the turn, and kept right on going! Both of the Autobots nearly stalled out in disbelief as they were left in the dust of the smooth maneuver.
"Hey how are you doing that?" The black and yellow mech sent through the com system.
"What the pit was THAT?" Jazz demanded through the com system as the black and white mech blasted past him.
Barricade didn't have any clue as to how to answer either of those questions so he routed the communication in to his cabin so Daniel could answer them.
Daniel was having the time of his life, and it showed. His caffeinated drinks and smokes were totally forgotten in the speed driven adrenaline fueled rush that he was now experiencing! He just laughed when Barricade routed the questions to him and pushed even harder on the gas! Barricade had rarely felt true fear, but he was getting very close to knowing what it was, as the psychotically deranged human continued to drive. Finally, after repeatedly blowing past Jazz in the turns, it was Sam that told the silver mech that it was called drifting! Suddenly ALL of the Autobots and the Decepticon were looking this up on the web! What they found on the subject terrified them!
"How has this race managed to survive at all! It's a wonder that they haven't self exterminated!" Each of them wondered in their own way.
Then just like that two Autobots were back in the lead, their Cybertronian reflexes combined with the knowledge of how to work their own bodies giving them a huge advantage over the human driver. That didn't mean that Daniel was out of the running though, he just started taking greater chances. Pushing Barricade to his absolute limits. Barricade now that he knew this wasn't something the human was doing to try to kill the both of them, but instead a legitimate driving style, was starting to enjoy the ride. He was even urging the human to go faster and harder! He didn't care how they were beaten as long as the Autobots lost! To see them humiliated by a human driver with only the most infinitesimal fraction of their driving experience would be the single most satisfying thing that Barricade had seen in a long time. This was turning out to be a truly wonderful day!
"Holy FUCKING SHIT!" Daniel yelled in stunned amazement as he watched the huge blue and red Peterbuilt come sailing past in a beautifully executed drift of his own.
All the humans were yelling compliments and encouragement to the Autobot leader as he pulled out all the stops while making that single perfect high-speed drift that took him past all three of the racing mechs and put him in the lead.
Even Barricade, had he been asked would have admitted that he was impressed with the stunt that the big old mech had pulled off. Maybe there was a redeeming quality about these humans after all.
A short while later, they reached the outskirts of town. This was where they split up. With Bumblebee and Jazz going to one location and Ratchet, Barricade, and Optimus going to another. The Tuners tended to hang out near the center of the industrial district, while the local NHRA certified strip was closer the northern edge of town.
When the Decepticon and the two Autobots rolled up to the racing complex there was already a fairly huge crowd.
With amateur, Pro-Am, semi-pro, and Pro racers tuning, tweaking, and testing the vehicles for the soon to start drag racing season. All three Cybertronians were parked next to one another among the spectator vehicles. There weren't very many of these since it was a weekday and most people had to work. Agent Bannacheck and Simmons decided to stay and chat with Optimus and Ratchet, wile Daniel went looking for "the GOOD stuff" as he called it.
The first acceptable engine that Daniel spotted would be great for Ratchet. It was a race modified 6.8 liter Ford Power Stroke Diesel. After asking the owners about the engine, he found out that it had been bored out 90 over to accommodate larger pistons. It had also undergone a considerable amount of other modifications since it had a huge blower sticking out of the hood!
"Hey Bones! How does this drive train grab your attention?" Daniel said through the built in com link as he activated the scanning device.
The response that he got was unintelligible since Ratchet had forgotten to use English in his amazement.
Then Daniel spotted the rigs. They were a lot easier to find then the muscled funny cars, since they were a lot taller than anything else around was. Daniel headed in that direction, and his eyes practically lit up brighter that any Cybertronians could have done! There sitting in the early spring sunlight was a huge black Kenworth driven down the strip by a Pratt and Witney F-100 thruster! The grin that stretched across the salvage operators face as he thought of Optimus doubling the power and speed of that incredibly powerful jet engine could only be described as totally psychotic!
"Hey Big Rig! Get a read on this thing quick, before they move this monster out of range!" Daniel whispered urgently into the com link.
"That particular engine is not normally found in grounded vehicles, is it?" Optimus asked quietly after a few minutes of silence.
"What the hell difference does it make as long as it works?" Daniel shot back.
"What the slagging pit do you take him for? An aerial? Do you really expect him to actually USE a design like that?" Ratchet demanded hotly.
"Well, yeah. I mean why not?" Daniel asked confused.
"I appreciate the effort that you have gone to in order to find a more powerful drive train for me to use; but unfortunately, I can not duplicate the design of that engine. Even were I to scan the entire vehicle I still could not recreate the engine." Optimus said trying to be diplomatic and not hurt the humans feelings, after all, the slightly crazed human HAD made an honest effort to give him a drive train that would have enabled him to respond to nearly anywhere in the country with in a reasonable amount of time.
"DAMN! I was SO looking forward to the ride when you tried out your new top speed!" Daniel replied in a truly disgusted tone.
"That's ok. I can make do with the one I am currently using. Since it works out just fine." Optimus said trying to let the human down lightly. He didn't really believe that even the very resourceful salvage operator could find a better engine for a mech of his size and stature.
"Like hell, Big Rig! So you HAVE to use an I.C.E., big deal, there are plenty here for me to choose from. I'll just find one that you CAN use!" Daniel replied.
Daniel continued to wander among the rigs until he found an older styled Kenworth running a race-modified V-8! The owners had the hood panels open and Daniel could clearly see that it was the largest Diesel engine that Kenworth produced. His eyes were lighting back up as they were more than happy to answer his questions about the engine. Daniel backed away to light a smoke, he also used the opportunity to com Optimus once more.
"OK Big Rig! I know THIS one will work for you!" Daniel told him with a slightly sinister snicker.
All three of the Cybertronians accessed the scanner simultaneously. Barricade and Ratchet did so out of curiosity. Optimus did so reluctantly, not wanting to have to let the human down again. All three mechs were stunned by what they found through the scanner!
Suddenly Optimus was reconfiguring his drive train. He just HAD to find out if he could actually USE this one! There were stunned remarks from both of the nearby agents as a huge air scoop emerged from the hood of the Autobot leader. Optimus was now sporting an eight thousand horsepower monster of an engine that, with his advanced alloys would send him rocketing down any road at speeds that no one would ever believe!
Ratchet was sinking down on his wheels in pure astonishment when everyone's attention was drawn to a very smug sounding chuckle.
Daniel was standing there, arms folded across his chest looking like a cat that had been turned loose in a bird shop.
"You are riding back with him to test that thing out!" Agent Bannacheck told the smirking nut.
Daniel's chuckle turned in to an all out laugh as he headed back in to the pits to find one last engine set up.
It took the salvage operator another twenty minutes to find the top fuel funny cars. Then it took him another fifteen minutes to find one that was running the exact engine that he wanted. It turned out to be in a '67 Mustang. There it was the ultimate dream engine for ANY muscle car. A fully blown, nitrous injected, super charged Hemi!
"Here ya go, Bro! Make it quick he's about to take off!" Daniel said as he signaled Barricade to scan the alcohol-fueled monster.
Barricade growled at being referred to as a humans brother, even if he WAS bonded to the human, there was no need to rub it in.
Then Barricade conducted his scan.
That was when the '67 Mustang made its run! Nailing the take off perfectly, the funny car flew down the strip in a few short seconds, finishing the run at a jaw dropping 337 miles an hour! It was now Barricade's turn to start babbling happily in Cybertronian as he reconfigured himself.
When Daniel got back to where the three mechs were parked. They were all clamoring with questions. Ratchet and Prime were wanting to know what their new top speeds would normally be, while Barricade was demanding to do the drifting on the way back.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Daniel told the excited mechs. "One at a time." He said with a smug grin, while laughing at the same time.
"Ratchet, you first." Daniel said pointing one of them out at random.
"Why can I not find any specs for these engines on your web? And just what are their capabilities?" The rescue hummer promptly asked.
"Well, you ain't gonna find these on the web because they are used in competition. Which means that EVERYBODY'S gonna keep as much as they can a secret. As for the top ends? Well, yours would be around 300 in the quarter mile run, but you guys can pretty much double that, so your top end should be about seven hundred miles an hour, same with barricade. Big Rig still got the prize though; that big monster of his in a normal semi does a quarter mile faster than you wanna know about!" Daniel said with a huge grin.
"I don't quite understand; why would I not want to know my own top speed?" Optimus asked slightly puzzled.
"Ok, get out your crayons and your coloring books, because I'm only going over this one more time." Barricade could NOT stop the burst of laughter that erupted when he heard that remark!
"You can now move fast enough that a wreck would probably kill even you!" Daniel explained in a very patronizing tone.
There was a series of loud hissing noises as air went whistling out of the tires of all three mechs. They'd known that their new engines were fast, but a lethal crash in to weaker structures? This human truly WAS insane!
"Now there IS one problem with these engines. They go through fuel like hell. They use about ten gallons during a run. So DON'T use 'em unless you really need to!" Daniel explained. "Besides, they will also need constant tune ups after each use." He continued.
This of course turned out to be a huge disappointment to the three very enthusiastic mech who were so eager to try out their new engines, that the acted much like kids on Christmas morning.
Daniel had to chuckle at the grumbled comments as all three humans got in to the mech that was acting as their transportation.
They had only gone a short way down the road when Daniel told Barricade to com the other two.
"And in Five! Four! Ready! Steady! GO!"
Barricade instantly switched back to his racing engine, only to find that Ratchet had beaten him to it and had already taken the lead. Both mechs were quickly left looking for a dust trail after Optimus had casually switched to his new engine and quickly left both smaller (and now slower) mechs far behind!
Bumblebee and Jazz were already back at the Hoover Dam complex when they got back, and everyone wanted to know what the others had found.
"Yo! Buzz Boy, Transform and pop the hood! Let's see what you're sportin'." Daniel said as he walked over to the black and yellow scout.
Bumblebee was more than happy to comply with the request since he was really impressed with the engine that Mikeala had picked out for him. Strangely enough, once it was pointed out to her that they could use almost any engine setup they wanted, even if it didn't fit their normal designs, Mikeala had chosen two very similar drive trains for the two mechs.
Bumblebee was proudly showing off the quad turbo charged twelve-cylinder engine straight out of a GMC Delorean! He had reversed some of the design specs to convert it into a front engine rear drive system, but it worked great.
Jazz on the other hand, was packing the power plant out of a Ferrari Testarosa GT! With his smaller vehicle size and lighter weight than the scout, Jazz would be able to fly if he could only find some wings! Both mechs and all three humans were pleased with the choices that she'd made, but only the members of the other group knew why she was staring wide eyed at Optimus in a state of pure shock.
Optimus hadn't transformed back in to his alt mode yet, but he also hadn't switched back to his normal engine either! She was readily able to see the difference in the engine parts that were visible on the still standing Autobot leader.
"What did you do? Give him the engine out of a top fuel drag racing semi?" She demanded looking at Daniel as if he'd lost what was left of his mind.
"Yup." His answer was simple, and yet it was so filled with mirth that ALL of the teens present knew right then that Optimus had gotten the sweetest engine available.
"Show 'em what ya got Big Rig!" Daniel said proudly.
Optimus wasn't normally one to show off, but having tested the engine out to a small extent, he was exceedingly pleased with it and for once willing to do a small amount of showing off. There was the almost musical sound of whirling gears, and shifting metal parts as the big mech transformed. After he did so, he started that huge power plant up.
It didn't make the stuttering, and seemingly random exhaust sound of a gasoline engine; instead, it was a smooth brrrrup, brrrrup of an extremely well tuned racing diesel. It almost sounded like half of the cylinders would fire, and then a second later the other half would fire off just as fast. Just seeing the massive Ram Air Induction scoop sticking out of the rigs hood was impressive enough, but to hear and FEEL the rumbling vibrating exhaust of that massive power plant was beyond belief!
"How fast do you think he can go?" Mikeala asked quietly while still staring at the Autobot.
"Honestly, it would not surprise me one bit to see him break the sound barrier!" Daniel replied just as quietly.
There was dead silence in the med bay as everyone processed this information. Then everyone was bellowing at the salvage operator, and Ratchet was the loudest of them all!
"WHAT?! You glitch riddled slagging chunk of scrap! Do you have any idea of what will happen to him at those speeds? Are you trying to kill him?" Ratchet was so enraged that his arm was twitching as his cannon kept starting to switch in and out of subspace. It was if Ratchet couldn't decide whether to shoot the psychotic human, or tear him apart with his bare hands.
Daniel was looking back at the raging medic with a bemused expression.
"You know, I never did say he HAD to go that fast. I only said that he COULD go that fast." Daniel clarified with a mischievous grin.
"Oh!" Ratchet said slightly stupefied by the human's behavior.
Then Daniel got a very serious look on his face as he shot a glance at Optimus, and then looked back to Ratchet.
"You know, there really is only one thing you can do if he DOES decide to go that damned fast." Daniel told the medic.
"What would that be?" Ratchet asked puzzled.
"GET THE FUCK OUT OF THE WAY!" Daniel yelled at the medic before starting to laugh his head off.
Everyone else in the room was rolling on the floor having a good laugh at the seething medics expense. Even Barricade thought that this was funnier than anything he'd heard in a long time.
Authors notes: I sincerely apologize for taking way too long to get this chapter out to you. My plot demons are on a rampage, and have me writing out scenes that won't be ready to in a chapter until around 17 or later. I have also been helping my girlfriend out with her story a bit. She encountered a nasty case of writers block on some action scenes and asked for my help. I gave it to her without hesitating. I am also still helping her with it. It's a very good story and I am enjoying both reading it and working on it. It's called "Small Packages" and I highly recommend it. /s/4253470/1/
A small warning though, it WILL blow your mind. Things are about to start getting more than a little crazy in this story, and I know my updates have been sporadic at best, but I can't promise anything other than that I am NOT going to leave this unfinished!
