Sorry it took so long to get this done. I was a little distracted playing God of War 3 that I didn't even think about anything else. But you will be happy to know that I have finished the game (In 13 hours a new best) and am more than ready to continue with this.
Now then were where we? Oh yeah now I remember...
Ironhide slowly got up from his crouched position next to Barricade's lifeless form. His cooling system working overtime to keep him from overheating. He turned around and made his way quickly to Bumblebee's side. He saw the young 'bots optics flickering and he knew that any moment he would fall into stasis to try and save himself.
"Bumblebee." Ironhide said rolling Bee onto his back.
"I... Ironhide." Bumblebee's static voice called out.
"I am here you don't need to worry." Ironhide tried to comfort him.
"S... Sam..." Bumblebee forced out using his good hand to point to the other side of the high way.
Ironhide followed Bumblebee's shaking finger and did a quick scan of the area. It didn't take long to find the sparkling's hiding spot.
"Don't worry about him little 'Bee." Ironhide said using his old play name for Bumblebee. "Rest, help will be here soon."
Bumblebee nodded his head weakly. Not a moment later his optics went black and his body limp as he fell into stasis. Ironhide checked over Bumblebee making sure that there was no more damage done to him by the 'Con. When he saw that the only thing harming the scout was the removed arm Ironhide stood up and quickly brought it back over. He set it down next to Bumblebee before stepping over the barrier and making his way to his sparkling.
While he walked he sent a message to the base telling them that there was an emergency and they needed Ratchet there quickly. By some kind of good luck when he got the reply it was from Optimus telling him that they had gotten an S.O.S from Bumblebee and that Ratchet and a few others were already on their way. Checking in with Ratchet Ironhide found that they were not to far away and that they would get there in about 30 minutes.
Ironhide stopped at a small pile of broken cars. Carefully stepping over them he crouched down to find his sparkling curled into a tight ball and not moving. Gently Ironhide picked up the sparkling and tried to get some kind of response from him. Only he found that no matter what he did the young one stayed in his curled position not moving or making any sound at all. For a moment he feared that Barricade had managed to hurt him but he pushed that thought from his CPU. He didn't want to think about it.
Carefully he made his way back over to Bumblebee's side to wait for Ratchet and the others. Just as he got back the sound of a powerful engine made Ironhide turn and look at the pile of cars. He saw a sleek motorcycle shooting along the side of the road. It didn't take him long to realize that the person riding it was Will. Ironhide snorted in amusement and shook his head.
'Should have known that kicking him out wouldn't stop him.' Ironhide thought.
Will pulled to a stop right next to Ironhide's foot and took in everything quickly.
"Jesus." He breathed."What the hell happened?"
"Barricade." Ironhide grunted out.
Will moved around Ironhide's foot until he saw the dead Decepticon's body.
"Christ 'Hide!" Will call up to him. "What did you do to him?"
"Less then what he deserved." Ironhide told him.
Ironhide lowered himself so he was sitting on the ground. He cradled the sparkling close to his spark hoping that the presence of his spark would bring the young one out of whatever was holding him.
"Is he alright?" Will asked looking at the held sparkling.
"I... don't know." Ironhide said.
"What where the two of them doing out here?" Will asked more to himself then to Ironhide.
"I don't know but Prime and I are going to have a long discussion about it." Ironhide said.
Will looked up at Ironhide at the edge of danger in his voice. It made Will go a little pale.
'Ironhide gets pissed when one of his friends is in danger.' Will thought. 'I don't even want to know how angry he is since his... kid... was in danger.'
Ironhide stayed where he was, keeping an optic on the sparkling and Bumblebee. Mean while Will was doing his best with crowd control. He ushered people back into their cars and made a call to make sure that the highway was closed down on both sides. Soon the sound of several powerful engines began to be heard and a moment later four cars pulled up.
The first was the dark yellow hummer ambulance that was Ratchet. The second a mustang police car much like Barricade but this one hid the form of Prowl. The third was a red Lamborghini which was Sideswipe and the final one was a regular semi truck with a flat bed attached to it.
"What in the name of the pit happened!?" Ratchet yelled once he transformed and looked at all the destruction.
"It was Barricade." Will told Ratchet. "He attacked Bumblebee and the sparkling."
Ratchet gave a shocked look over at Ironhide whose focus was fully on the sparkling in his hands. Ratchet bent down next to Ironhide who didn't even look up. Doing a couple of quick scans Ratchet straightened and made his way to Bumblebee's other side to look at the damaged arm and where it belonged.
Ratchet spent a few minutes fixing it so that Bumblebee didn't lose anymore energon, before he stood up and motioned for Prowl and Sideswipe to help him. Together the three of them lifted Bumblebee and set him gently on the flatbed of the semi. They made sure that he was strapped down tightly before helping the truck to turn around. Ratchet let out a huff and turned to look at Ironhide who hadn't moved.
"He is going to be fine." Ratchet told him. "He is in stasis as well and no not from injury."
Ratchet added the last part when Ironhide's head snapped up.
"My guess is the shock of the battle between these two scared him so much he shut down." Ratchet finished.
Ironhide grunted and stood up.
"Can you bring him out of it?" Ironhide asked.
"Yes... but I am not going to." Ratchet said. "At least not here and not now. When we return to the base."
Ironhide knew better then to argue with Ratchet so he sighed and nodded his head.
"Fine." He grunted.
Ratchet snorted before transforming and popping open his back doors.
"Please place him in side." He told Ironhide.
Ironhide hesitated for a moment not wanting to be separated from his sparkling again. But at Ratchet's impatient revving he did as asked and gently place the sparkling inside. Once that was done Ratchet started to head off in the direction of the base with the semi holding Bumblebee right behind him. Both Prowl and Sideswipe transformed and followed after them leaving Will and Ironhide to take up the rear.
The drive back to the base was a quick but quiet one. Neither Will nor Ironhide spoke a word. Ironhide stayed quiet because he was angry and Will stayed quiet because he knew Ironhide was angry and didn't want that anger turned on him. When they got to the base they were greeted at the gate by almost half the Autobots on base along with a few of the human soldiers.
The semi stopped just past the gate and instantly several 'bots gathered around it to unstrap Bumblebee and move him into the med bay. Ironhide let Will out and transformed so he could take the sparkling from Ratchet's back. Once clear Ratchet transformed and held his hand out for the sparkling.
"I will take him to the med bay to rest while I work to fix Bumblebee." Ratchet said. "Once I am finished with him I shall bring the young one out of stasis."
This time Ironhide didn't hesitate to hand over the sparkling. He wanted the little one as far away as he could be right now, he didn't want him around more violence then he had to be. Even if he wasn't able to see it. Ironhide watched Ratchet walk off to the med bay and slowly the rest of the Autobots that where there started to clear away. All except one.
"Ironhide."
Ironhide slowly turned around and saw Optimus standing there looking more tired than Ironhide could ever remember seeing him.
"Prime." He responded.
Optimus took a few steps closer and placed his hand on Ironhide's shoulder.
"Everything will be alright..." Optimus began.
Optimus was about to continue but whatever he was about to say was lost as Ironhide's large black fist smashed right into the side of Optimus's face. The Prime stumbled backwards a look of complete shock on his face plates.
"Ironhide!?" Optimus asked his voice sharing the surprise that was on his face.
Ironhide stepped forward and his fist connected with Optimus's midsection making the leader double over. Ironhide grabbed hold of both of Optimus's shoulders and with a mighty grunt spun him around and sent him flying into one of the empty buildings nearby.
"HOW COULD YOU LET HIM GO OUT!" Ironhide yelled.
Optimus slowly detached himself from the side of the building and stumbled a few steps before gaining his balance.
"Ironhide... You must calm down." Optimus tried but Ironhide wasn't listening.
"HE IS ONLY A SPARKLING! HE ISN'T READY FOR THE WORLD OUT THERE, NOT WITH SCRAP PILES LIKE BARRICADE STILL RUNNING AROUND!" Ironhide kept yelling advancing on Optimus.
Optimus blocked the next blow from Ironhide but got hit by the second which led to a third and then a fourth.
"He... he had Bumblebee to protect him." Optimus said.
"AND LOOK WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM! HE ALMOST DIED AND BARRICADE ALMOST TOOK OFF WITH HIM!" Ironhide screamed and punched Optimus so that he fell hard on the ground. "HE IS OUR RESPONSIBILITY PRIME! IF HE WANTED TO GO OUT ONE OF USE SHOULD HAVE BEEN WITH HIM!"
Optimus looked up at Ironhide with a sad look on his face. He couldn't deny the mechs harsh words. He didn't want to admit it but he had tossed the responsibility of watching the sparkling to Bumblebee. He knew that he could have taken some time away from his work to take the youngling out but there had been so much of it that he put that above everything else.
"You are right." He said sadly.
Ironhide looked like he was going to strike Optimus again but the words made him stop.
"What?" He asked.
"You are right Ironhide." Optimus repeated slowly getting back to his feet. "It is our responsibility to watch and protect him. I selfishly forced that task onto Bumblebee just so I could have a few hours peace."
Ironhide took a few steps back and watched Optimus as he stood to his full height but with his shoulders slumped down.
"Please... forgive me." Optimus begged.
Ironhide glared at Optimus bot really sure what to do. He had never had the Prime apologize to him like this before. He wanted to forgive him; they had been friends for longer than he could remember. Only the words wouldn't come out. In the end Ironhide did as he always did when faced with a problem like this. He snorted and walked away leaving Optimus standing alone next to the half ruined building.
Mean while down in a separate room attached to the med bay where Ratchet was busy fixing Bumblebee. The sparkling lay on a small berth. Ratchet had unlocked his joints so that he could lie down fully while he worked in the next room. Inside the sparkling's head images where constantly playing. Somewhere horrifying beyond anything he had ever thought possible. Giant twisting silver monsters shooting at the ones he called family.
One particular twisted evil face haunted him more than the others. Its red eyes burned into him as it yelled and shot at him. He could feel pain running through his body and then the feeling of him flying through the air before nothing but darkness. Then a voice called out to him.
"Boy."
He tried to look around in the darkness but couldn't see anything.
"Boy what are you doing?" It asked.
"I... I don't know." He called out. "I am lost."
"I know." It answered. "You have been for a long time."
"What is going on? Where am I?" He asked.
"There will be time for that later." The voice said. "But now you must wake up."
"Wait what was all that? What did all those images mean?" He called.
"Remember." The voice whispered to him.
He tried to call out to get the voice to answer him again but there was something pulling at him. As he got closer to the surface of the darkness where it gave way to light new images started to play. Bumblebee fighting with a black and white monster.
'Decepticon.' He thought. 'Barricade!'
The sparkling's optics on lined and he shot up on the berth.
"BUMBLEBEE!"
Alright sorry it took so long to get this out. But what are you going to do? Hope you liked this chapter.
Please leave a review on you're way out.