On the Flip Side

Chapter 2

It was downright bizarre actually sitting in another sentient being.

Don't get him wrong, during his trickster career Loki had done more than his fair share of weird, but this? Just bizarre.

It was interesting to note that Barricade was about as spiritually aware as your average human. That was lucky for him in this case, but still, interesting. When his first tentative brush against his consciousness didn't stir up any response, Loki deemed it safe to linger in his surface thoughts as well. Jodi seemed pretty out of the loop after all, and with her in her current condition she wasn't offering up any useful info.

He watched and listened to the human girl and alien construct interact, feeling hurt-stubbornness-pain on one side and worry-guilt-stress on the other. Given his painfully obvious lack of experience, Loki had to give Barricade props for trying to get some sort of diagnosis from the girl. The fact he was making it a point of keeping her awake was good, considering the rather nasty concussion the kid had, but he didn't know that. Unfortunately, frustration was quickly getting the better of the guy as Jodi blatantly refused to cooperate.

"Stop acting like you care!" Jodi finally spat at him in that way only human teenagers could.

Oh, ouch.

Barricade's guilt was a tangible thing, practically radiating from the condensed ball of his soul. The bright blue thing gave a pulse and strained against its casing, almost like it wanted to reach out to the kid and touch. It caught Loki's attention because it was something most souls couldn't do. At least not without some serious outside influence, like blood magic.

And then the girl's soul tried to pulse back.

Tried being the key word, but still Loki stared, completely gobsmacked. "These two are a goddamned soap opera."

It wasn't like Jodi's soul was reaching out like Barricade's was, no, again, serious mojo needed, human souls just weren't designed that way, but for it to be affected enough to react was astonishing. It was like . . . like . . . Loki grasped for a comparison.

It was almost like two connected spheres trying to resonate, but unable to find the same frequency. He wondered if prolonged proximity to his soul acted as some sort of catalyst, or if something else had triggered it, but without delving head-first into memories he had no way of knowing, and even then nothing was for sure.

Never, in all of his long years, had he seen anything like this before.

And here he had been bored this morning. He snorted. Be careful what you wish for and all that.

He was still reeling from his little realization when he felt another Cybertronian pull into the slew of traffic behind them, the grating feel of Other dragging him back to the present. At some point they had pulled onto the freeway, but even so it was easy to spot their tail, at least for Loki anyway. The alien had a similar soul layout as Barricade, only in the guise of a purple news van. Dark streaks marked the pathways of energy nearly drowning out the blue, and Loki wondered if that meant the same kind of deep corruption as it did for humans. But Barricade had them too, though the streaks were fine, threaded so delicately through his framework that you had to be up close and personal to notice.

But then again, that Prowl guy had implied that he had a history of doing less than nice things, so there was that.

Even if he wasn't still connected to Barricade's thoughts, he would have known the moment he and the new arrival made contact by the way he nearly collided with a car in the next lane. But since he was still lingering in Barricade's mind he was totally unprepared when a monotone voice echoed down the connection, translating through Barricade's bio-mechanical mind.

"Barricade: Report."

It was some sort of communication system, it had to be being machines and all, but the sensation of that sort of connection, no matter how superficial, rattled him as his mind compared it to the only thing that came close in his experience. It wasn't the same, and was on a much smaller scale besides, but still . . . he used to be part of a much larger radio wave, and the memory of it still stung.

Barricade didn't let him stew in his personal problems for long, what with the sudden flood of panic that was drowning his psyche. Apparently the new arrival, this Soundwave guy, was big fish where he came from, high ranking and scary as shit if his frame of mind was anything to go by. Plus a close-range psychic of sorts. Images echoed along Loki's connection as Barricade's thoughts touched on them, memories of metal figures screaming, and then lying still, minds cauterized from the inside out after being tapped dry of useful information.

Well, wasn't that just dandy? What were the odds he would pick up on Barricade's second passenger?

Honestly, Loki wasn't really looking to find out.

Thoughts of life depts and treason swirled across Barricade's mind, followed quickly by fear for the girl's life, and it only got worse when Jodi cottoned on to the fact they were being followed.

The kid twisted a bit in her seat and stared right through Loki to look at the van behind them. "Is that another one of those Autobot guys?"

"No."

She twisted back to stare at the Holoform sitting in the driver's seat. "What do you mean 'no'? How many factions did you guys have?"

"Just the two."

"Then why . . ." She leveled him with a look, voice tipping towards hysterical. "'Cade, what aren't you telling me?"

"Jodi-"

"No! What aren't you telling me?"

"Barricade: REPORT."

The tension quickly escalated, Jodi's anger flaring to the fore and Barricade trying to quell the panic at ignoring the other mechanical being.

Loki leaned forward, propping an elbow on both front seats as he absorbed the flurry info he was getting from Barricade. For the first time Loki felt the true amount of pain that wracked the alien as a whole, and was startled as he realized that this massive metal being was injured, like borderline could-have-been-fucked-for-life injured. Lies and carefully placed omissions were all catching up to him at the worst possible moment, and now with their new problem he just couldn't deal.

Prowl's name was dropped in a bitter remark from Jodi and for a moment it was like all the electronic elements that made up Barricade froze, and then spun on fast forward as he formed a plan with the new information. Loki felt him send out a specifically coded message, as loud and clear as an open prayer, and broadcasted just as widely.

It screamed desperate measure, and that didn't sit well with Loki.

Especially when Barricade didn't really believe that help would actually come.

Loki leaned more firmly on the driver's seat as the being on wheels doubled his speed. He hovered over the Holoform's shoulder. "If he does show, he's not gonna make it in time to help," Loki told him conversationally. "You know that right?"

There was no reply, of course.

Loki considered leaving again, especially when Barricade cut a swath through traffic with his sirens, and then used his reinforced frame to make holes where there was none. None of the accidents were fatal, Loki could tell that much, but the sheer amount of collateral that the blockhead was leaving was impressive, and not in the good way.

But Loki was already here, and the kid wasn't out of the clear yet. He would leave when this confrontation was over, or when the cavalry arrived, but if things really got hairy he would take the kid and leave.

Once they hit the coastline Barricade burned some serious rubber to put distance between them and their tail, and then quickly gave Jodi a brief rundown of the plan.

Great plan, absolutely stellar.

Sadly, the whole explanation consisted of "I sent out a distress signal. All we have to do is stall Soundwave long enough for him to find us."

"Him", of course, being Prowl. Needless to say, his grand plan wasn't inspiring a whole lot of confidence from anyone present, himself included.

But his mind was decided, and he was sticking to his guns. Not like there seemed to be a whole lot of other options.

The living cop car came to a screeching halt on the blind curve of a ridge, wheels skidding slightly on the loose dirt of the shoulder. The passenger door flew open on it's own as Jodi's seatbelt came undone, all a split second before the girl was shoved from the car by the Holoform. Loki wanted to smack him for his complete disregard for the kid's injuries.

All the same, the trickster took that as his cue to exit as well, popping up a few feet behind Jodi. And good thing too.

Because as soon as the girl was clear, the black and white interceptor fell apart and unfolded before standing on his own two legs.

He couldn't help the sharp cackle of laughter that erupted from this throat, because come on!

Giant. Alien. Robots. And they weren't even of Loki's own design!

Even though he had caught glimpses in Barricade's mind, it was a different experience entirely to actually witness it. Ever a creature attuned to detail, the trickster was quick to note the scuffs and dents in the armor, whole sections where the metal looked thin, and brittle like freshly healed skin.

"'Cade, what are you doing?"

Glowing red lenses glared down at them, well, at Jodi, but you get the idea. Loki was kind of distracted by a rather terrifying face, and all the sharp and pointy angles that jutted from the metal frame when Barricade spoke. His voice was the same, gruff and deep, but kinda tinny, as if run through a filter. "Hide yourself and if you see an opportunity, run."

"I'm not leav-"

"Jodi, now!"

And look at that, the kid could follow directions after all.

Having absolutely no desire to be closer than necessary to the oncoming alien psychic, the trickster trailed after her and plopped himself on the downed tree Jodi came to hide behind. Besides, it would be easier to split if the kid was close at hand.

The ground shook as the two metallic giants began to duke it out. Loki couldn't see much from here, but that was just fine by him. If he really wanted to he could send his senses out to get a better idea of what was going on, but he was keeping his abilities firmly to himself. They were fine just where they were, and with luck Jodi would find her opening and make her escape.

And then Barricade and his current dance partner very clearly took a tumble over the edge of the ridge.

So of course, in true rebellious fashion, the kid did the exact opposite of what she'd been told and was hastily scampering to where they had disappeared.

You couldn't actually see anything from the top of the ridge and before Loki knew it, the girl had flung off her shoes and was sliding down the sandy trail that cut a steep path down to the beach. She came to a stop about halfway down, eyes glued to the mecha-madness style throw down happening on the beach.

Soundwave was bigger than Barricade, taller and wider, and moved with the ease of someone who knew what their opponent was going to do before they did it. Barricade was fighting terrified and angry and it was clear that Soundwave was using that to his full advantage, letting him work himself up and tire himself out.

The fight was going to be over the moment Soundwave got bored.

For what felt like the millionth time that day, Loki felt the proximity of even more Cybertronians, the presence of so many grating across his senses and making his skin crawl. But scattered among them were about a dozen human souls, and even without peering too closely Loki knew what military minds looked like.

Loki started swearing in every language he knew.

The new arrivals complicated his position to the point of frustration. There were too many witnesses for his signature brand of interference, sisnce someone was bound to notice something, and the last thing he wanted was to personally out the more occult side of the world to the American Government. Or any government really. That wasn't the kind of rep he wanted to have.

Also, he didn't want to test how effective Pagan magic was against giant alien robots. Yeah, thanks, but no thanks.

In short, he couldn't actively interfere with the fight without blowing his cover, so he was forced to watch and wait.

The kid noticed the new arrivals when their group moved closer to the edge. Jodi's hope soared, believing that her buddy would soon be getting some much needed help.

This could be great. This was the cavalry Barricade didn't think would come, but hoped they would. If they stepped in at the right time, Loki wouldn't have to do anything after all, and the kid would be safe without him lifting a finger.

That thought sank like the Titanic when he skimmed into the mind of the nearest soldier. They were aware of the death match going down below, even had a sniper getting into position, but their orders were to not interfere until the girl had been found and secured.

Loki watched the gears turn in Jodi's head as the kid finally pieced together what she was seeing. When she came to her conclusion all her remaining optimism evaporated faster than a water droplet on a hot skillet.

The sudden churn of her emotions threw the trickster into an unwanted memory, an old memory, from long before he was ever Loki.

Back then he had stood on the outer fringes of his home as he watched his family turn on each other, the lines being drawn in stark black and white and was ordered to do something that went against every fiber of his being. It hadn't been something he could fight against, and when asked to choose a side he found he couldn't. He had stood there, and instead of taking up arms he decided to disappear, removing himself from the entire thing instead of fighting, knowing that regardless of who he sided with someone was going to get hurt.

The situation was vastly different, but Loki saw the lines being drawn here, and fully expected Jodi to pull away, to either remove herself from the situation, or go back to the soldiers still looking for her, to let herself be taken to safety. Barricade did tell her to run, after all.

So caught up in his own memory, the trickster almost missed the girl bolting away from him.

Her resolve had turned to granite, her thoughts sending a silent fuck you to all the armed forces that showed with the intention of only saving half their party.

We are leaving together, the promise rang louder than Loki thought it should, until he realized that an open payer came tumbling after it, asking every divine being that would listen to help the two of them survive the day.

There was a bone-chilling screech from down below, loud, and metallic and vibrating right down to the marrow. A glance at the fight revealed that Soundwave had a hand digging through Barricade's chest, clearly going for where his soul was being housed.

Loki was brought out of his horror by the desperate prayer from Jodi, the words a harsh promise.

We are leaving together or not at all.

And then she did one of the finest displays of simultaneous human loyalty and sheer teenage stupidity he had seen in millennia.

He followed in the girl's wake as she raced down to the beach to throw an old beer bottle at Soundwave's frame.

Because obviously thousands of pounds of metal-man could be brought down by a tiny bit of green glass. While it didn't actually bring him to his knees, it did gain her his full and undivided attention, plus some sort gun aimed at her head. And as she sat there staring down the barrel, Loki could feel Jodi's panic anchor her in place, and for one terrible second he had no idea if he could protect her from whatever it was loaded with.

Everything after that happened quickly and in rapid succession.

"NO!"

Barricade kicked up hard at his assailant, the shot vaporizing sand instead of paralyzed human teenager.

Barricade roared at Jodi, ordering her move, to make a run for it.

Loki snapped himself to Jodi's side. "You heard him kid, move it!" Infusing his fingertips with a tiny bit of power, he jabbed her in the flank to spur her to haul ass. A small compulsion might have been involved.

As the kid made a break for it Loki turned and was a bit unprepared for Soundwave's lunge. Bladed fingers reaching for the girl's retreating form, clearly intent on slicing the girl in half. With a grunt he lifted his arms to physically deflect the blow, but all he managed was to slow the follow-through. In the same instant Barricade latched on to the larger being, and hauled him back from Loki's invisible form, further lessening the blow.

It didn't save Jodi from having metal claws score across the length of her back.

Looking over his shoulder Loki saw the girl stumble, and hastily chased her down the far side of a sand dune where her body came to rest. Her already waifish form was crumpled on her side, reminding him of an old marionette he saw once, crushed and discarded with all of its strings cut.

Through the shreds of her school uniform her back was laid open, displaying three parallel lines that were wide and red and exposing spinal tissue.

Loki inhaled sharply as the reaper arrived, standing still and patiently waiting at the edge of his vision.

This was bad.

By all rights should make his exit now, with the reaper here that meant the kid was as good as gone anyway, and any other trickster would call it quits here. He could still zap himself to the next town, wipe this whole thing from his hands and call it a day.

He knew he wouldn't.

"Son of a bitch."

The core of him, the one who had seen the Beginning and had once been the herald of the Word and Divine Justice, rebelled at the thought of leaving this human child to die, after everything that she had survived. Her motives sang with pure intent, driven by nothing but love and loyalty, and it was a siren song to the part of him that remembered.

However, Loki's power lay in tricks and illusions, manipulating the fabric of the world to suit his needs. All of it had been built over time, grown by the days he was worshipped by the thousands, and sustained through the ages by his aliases and energy stolen from other Pagan gods that had fallen under his hand. While linked to creation and destruction both, Loki had no actual healing ability to speak of.

But Gabriel did.

Just acknowledging his true name set several things in motion. His wings woke in their confinement, straining against their bonds as his grace rose up and sang for action, demanding it, and it was all he could do to keep a lid on the sudden swell of holy power. He held tight to the reins, keeping the energy in check even as he laid hands on the girl.

The residual energy in the burn scar on her arm buzzed at him, agitated, but it was barely worth acknowledging.

Grace surged to the point of contact, waiting to be released, to restore the damage.

He checked himself just in time.

Without knowing exactly what kind of red flags he would be setting off, it was unlikely that he could get away with a full divine healing unnoticed. He hadn't spent eons building his cover just to blow it all now. He refused to risk it, not with so many witnesses, and not when he had no clue who was watching. He had to work carefully.

He could See every injury, old and new, and was aware of every nerve, every blood vessel, every damn molecule that composed her entire being, right down to every last atom. He ignored the physical and chemical damage to her right eye, knowing that the injury more than a year old and too noticeable to repair, regardless. Her wrist was so shattered, she would be lucky to use it even after surgery, and there was no surgeon on earth that would be able to let her walk again. Even if Soundwave hadn't chipped and cracked the vertebrae, the tissue and nerve damage was enormous. The cuts were deep, blood spilling hot and fast, seeping into the sand.

But he could ensure that she lived.

He would ensure that she lived.

He flicked blazing eyes up to the reaper, who was giving him an amused and knowing smile, the bastard. Death's crew always recognized him, he knew they did, and he hated it, but being what they were, they were the last ones to give his secret away.

"Leave," he barked. "She's not making your list today."

The reaper gave a slight nod and vanished, leaving Gabriel to his self-appointed task.

He replenished her blood as she lost it, keeping her heart beating, and her organs operational. With another miniscule brush of his grace he made sure that she remained unconscious, and that she was feeling no pain as he decided what he could get away with healing. As he debated what to do about her back, he pulled the shattered fragments of her wrist back together, making it a cleaner fracture that would be easy for the humans to treat.

He had it all under control until Barricade arrived, calling the girl's name.

Gabriel barely spared him a glance as he approached, taking quick note of the mangled frame, and that his chest cavity was exposed, the blue light from his soul illuminating the hole.

It was all well and good until the big metal behemoth scooped Jodi up, and unintentionally Gabriel as well, bringing them both up close and personal with his partially exposed soul, and Gabriel cursed the alien's stupidity as he struggled to balance himself. As Barricade tucked the tiny broken human tighter to him, his soul gave another strange pulse and a stray tendril of energy reached out and attempted to wrap around her.

Considering that he was the only thing keeping Jodi alive and really didn't need the interference, Gabriel acted on instinct and brought up a wing to simply brush the tendril away.

And in that instant the entire state of California was almost wiped clean from the map as two foreign energies collided head-on.

Eons of carefully cultivated control and iron-clad stubbornness were the only things that saved everyone here from the total obliteration that only an archangel was capable of. Gabriel highly doubted any of his brethren would have been able to do the same, then again the majority of his brother's didn't have the same regard for the planet as he did.

Gabriel had expected Barricade's soul to react like any other sentient being's would, easily rebuffed and pushed aside. In his assumption he forgot that this soul was not created by his Father, was foreign, Other, and didn't necessarily play by the same rules.

He thought he was being attacked at first, it almost felt like it, but no. In it's desperation to reach Jodi, to connect, the damned soul used him as a conduit, hijacking his grace as a direct hard-line to the kid. Never in his long life had anything, monster, deity, or otherwise, tapped into his energy like this and all his Holy Warrior instincts screamed to fight and the Loki side of him demanded to run, and caught between the two he found he could do neither. Because in that instant, less than a fraction of a second at best, the three of them were connected and for him to forcibly break that bridge would shatter them both. That, and the backlash from the resulting explosion would inevitably alert several key members within the Host, and Gabriel wasn't ready to face his brothers just yet.

So he buckled down and forced himself not to react, maintaining the connection while he continued to keep Jodi's blood flowing, all the while watching as his day took yet another big leap into the bizarre.

Earlier Gabriel had noticed the odd reaction these two souls had to each other, and now that they were connected they pulsed in tandem. Two heartbeats now in sync, one anchoring itself firmly to the other. Then the tendril of energy, a part of Barricade's very soul, fractured from the whole to bury itself within Jodi. As the rest of his soul retreated, it dragged a tiny shard of Jodi's soul with it, breaking it off forcibly and then absorbing the energy seamlessly into itself.

Gabriel was glad the kid was unconscious. He had it on good authority that tampering with a human soul hurts like a son of a bitch, much less breaking a piece off.

And then the link was broken.

The whole exchange had lasted mere seconds, but after the strain of holding himself immobile it felt more like days. Gabriel snapped back to himself with a gasp, resurfacing and reeling. As he collected himself he became aware of angry voices around them, demanding his focus to the situation at hand.

At some point during their connection, the soldiers had made their way down to the beach and had assembled themselves in a semi-circle around Barricade, weapons up and at the ready.

As Gabriel tried to get his bearings, he cursed himself even as he got a better understanding of the current situation.

What had he gotten himself into?

Author's Note:

I wont lie, this chapter ran away from me for a bit and it didn't help that Gabriel was chattering in my ear about multiple stories. Hopefully this means that I'll get another chapter of Hit Restart out of him (fingers crossed).

Anyway, one more chapter for this guy, so sorry about that guys. the next one is going to be a lot shorter than the first two. I just need to address one or two more things, before I move along in Wayward Ones. Thank you for your patience guys and I hope you enjoyed the chapter.