Author's Notes: I've waited long enough to share this hopefully well received chapter, it's going to include more Decepticon characterization, more Decepticon personality and more Bumblebee Vs. Barricade.
For all my readers expressing an interest in seeing non-film Autobots from both the toyline and the game showing up you'll just have to wait and see although I'm making no promises, this story is focusing on the Decepticons. Autobots are relegated to cameos during fight scenes and maybe one or two strategy meetings between Prime and his troops as the Decepticons continue to develop their plans towards the sinister and ultimate goals of Starscream.
Once again... Bold is Cybertroninan and Itallics are inner monologue/thoughts.
And now
Chapter Two: 'Bee Vs. 'Cade. Round Two
The armored personnel carrier sat parked at the curb a holographic human inside dressed in standard military fatigues, African-American, five foot three with a pair of shades perched on his nose and an emotionless expression on his face. The name Greer was stitched onto a patch over his left breast pocket and dog tags appeared around his neck the full name Carl Greer barely visible, hiding in plain sight considering the increased military presence following the initial Decepticon attack on Hoover Dam.
The Decepticon known as Wreckage had been charged to find the Autobots hiding spots, although Bumblebees' whereabouts were clearly known. That didn't matter, Wreckage was more interested in locating Optimus Prime; not for any particular reason mind you he simply enjoyed a challenge.
Tranquility could be hiding the other Autobots though, that was the only reason why he was here, but he had to make certain the resident spy of the Autobots did not alert them to his presence.
"Excuse me Soldier, but where do you think you're going driving in that?" A uniformed officer demanded approaching the Decepticons side, the hologram turned to face him with a silent invisible glare due to the shades. "You know the laws forbid these lumberin' giants to be driving in a residential area." He stated pulling out a pad and pen. "Where're your orders son?"
"I take no orders from fleshlings." Wreckage squealed in native Cybertronian, starting his engine the eight-wheeled behemoth lumbered away from the cop without another word.
"Shit, you get back here you damn jarhead!" The man cried after him, Wreckage ignored the verbal shouting and the string of profanities which followed. He wasn't going to get anything here, better to track down Prime using a more subtle approach. It was just a pity Frenzy wasn't around to do the leg work.
Hoover Dam, once the site of the greatest secret the American government had ever known now a decommissioned headquarters for Sector Seven. The lights were dimmed to barely visible levels conserving energy in the empty facility, though abandoned rather quickly considering only two weeks had passed power still flowed here. Stirring slightly a twisted metallic body scuttled from out of the ducts; instead of being captured Frenzy had used the confusion of the battle to hide himself in order to remain unaccounted for, he'd also needed to regenerate from his own stupid mistake slicing his head off.
"Barricade better be nearby." He complained with a curse at last standing upright his multi-limbed form stretching as he emerged from the duct. "Frenzy to Barricade, come in." He clicked opening the secure line, roughly three hundred and sixty miles away a black and white Saleen S281 police cruiser roared to life inside an abandoned warehouse.
"It's about time." Barricade complained turning on his flashers.
"Don't get testy with me, you ditched me here to go play soldier." Frenzy shot back his clicking tone echoing in the cavernous remains of Hoover Dams' base, having watched the former Sector Seven evacuate from hiding he was a little surprised they hadn't discovered him. It had taken only a week and a half after the battle at Mission City to actually get all of the minor equipment out, but still Barricade had been staying away just in case anyone was still monitoring the place despite its uselessness in the war.
"It's not playing runt, don't make me gut you when I get there." Barricade threatened turning onto the Interstate, Frenzy sighed, he'd known the Decepticons got their skid plates handed them. After millennia of being locked in a stalemate a few weeks on Earth and the stinking Autobots managed to slag most of the high command, it was a crippling, demoralizing defeat.
"Scrap sucking flesh bags, if not for their interference we'd have the Allspark right now." Frenzy kicked a twisted sheet of metal across the room denting the wall. "Megatron, Devastator, Blackout, Bonecrusher maybe even Scorponok… I don't relish goin' back to Starscream in command he's probably gloating." He grumbled crossing his arms over his chest, all four of them.
"He isn't the worst leader; we could be taking orders from Shockwave." Barricade pointed out, Frenzy shuddered.
"Forced to hide on this mud ball, act like humans." He snarled. Barricade literally chuckled.
"Not in a million years Frenzy, I'd rather be scrapped by Prime."
"You could have been." Frenzy pointed out actual concern for his partner showing through. "I'm… Glad you're ok." He admitted Barricade did not respond to that at first, it was not the Decepticon way, but he silently acknowledged the genuine emotion in Frenzy's voice. "What do we do now? With the Allspark gone we can't even reproduce… I mean replicate new sparks, stupid Human knowledge." He muttered the last part, on the road Barricades' holographic form frowned.
"I don't know Frenz." He admitted lamely passing Earth vehicles without care for the speed limit. "Not like any femmes wanted to join up with us… Eh I doubt couplin' would replace the Allspark anyway." He growled resisting the emotions trying to come to the fore, he would not be scared of the future and what it meant. "We both lost, no real point to continuing this war if you ask me."
"Maybe not the war 'Cade, but we can make their lives a living hell." Frenzy stated with a mad cackle, Barricade smiled, indeed that could be a very noble purpose… Slag noble it'll just make me feel good. Barricade thought as he rapidly approached Hoover Dam.
"I'm here." Frenzy scuttled up the wall and headed for what he hoped would be the nearest exit.
"Bumblebee and the brat?" He asked.
"Round Two." Barricade agreed with a smirk on his holo drivers' form his engine revving at the prospect of another skirmish with the puny Camaro.
Wreckage had driven for three days and four nights often forced to use back roads and fields to traverse the distance due to his size, but his search would not be deterred. As the sun dawned on the fourth day the Decepticon passed a sign declaring this to be the road to Missouri City, he'd been tracking a faint energy signal since some place called Dallas in Texas that might have been the big guns himself, Optimus Prime.
With no one to talk to the trip had been one of silence only once had he needed to transform, during a particularly dense trek through forested wilderness. The signal grew stronger as he neared what appeared to be a large refueling station for the semi trucks constantly traversing the long stretches of road, transporting goods and services to be used by the infesting vermin called Homo Sapiens.
Activating his scanners he traced the signal, again he was to late; only trace elements of Cybertronian fuel sources could be found in a stall near the refueling ports of the humans. Holographic figure grimacing Wreckage continued to drive not bothering to stop and oblivious to the gazes of the cattle seated in the Diner, Optimus Prime was close, he could feel it.
Sam Witwicky and Bumblebee were driving Mikaela home when a police cruiser rammed into the concept Camaro without any warning, a rather familiar and deadly looking police cruiser.
"What the hell?" Sam cried out as Bumblebee jerked the wheel to the right before Barricade moved to crash into him again.
"Not again." Mikaela groaned. "Didn't Prime kill this guy?" She demanded angrily.
"Not exactly." Bumblebee remarked looking for a way out on the crowded street, pedestrians and motorists alike were startled by the strange demolition derby that had broke out in the middle of suburbia Tranquility. "He knocked him into stasis, it's a kind of sleep mode for Cybertronians when they suffer light damages." He explained, it had been two weeks since his voice was repaired yet Bumblebee still sounded the robot equivalent of hoarse.
"Come on Bumblebee don't you wanna play?" Barricade jeered over a communications line, Sam jerked his head to the left and spotted Frenzy bouncing up and down in the passenger seat of the Decepticon. The hyper active Frenzy stuck up his middle finger at the human and appeared to be laughing.
"Fuck, he should be toast." Mikaela swore catching sight of the creature. "You know you'd think we'd be more concerned." She added to herself.
"We can't fight." Bumblebee remarked. "Barricade you've lost your mind." He shouted at the Decepticon, Barricade growled and transformed ramming in to Bumblebee and flipping him over ignoring the screams from other motorists.
"You Autobots Killed Cybertron!" The Decepticon bellowed in his native tongue genuine distress and deep pain in his tone. "I'm going to kill every last one of you." He vowed switching to English. Pulling out his weapon he approached the upturned Autobot a maniacal glint in his optic.
"Sam, Mikaela get out." Bumblebee ordered knowing he couldn't transform while the humans were his passengers, thankfully they hadn't been injured when he flipped over. If he could just contact one of the others, but most of them were out of range at the moment dealing with the military. The humans were quick to slip out of their seatbelts and escape the Autobot, Bumblebee didn't want to do this in front of witnesses, but Barricade was a very real threat and apparently emotionally scarred. Not to mention fucked up royally as Captain Lennox might say. Transforming just in time he avoided the spinning blade of the Decepticon, Sam watched nervously as his friend rammed into the Decepticon and started fighting in the middle of traffic.
They tussled back and forth barely missing a Ford Mustang as it swerved to avoid being crushed, the driver was obviously freaked; Bumblebee took a punch from Barricades left hand his battle mask deflecting most of the attack. Returning the strike Barricade stumbled backwards losing the grip on his weapon, Frenzy leapt from the chest compartment of his partner scrambling over the Autobots' shoulders and using all four hands in an attempt to pry off his battle mask.
"Stinking Autobot I'm gonna tear out your optics." He clicked in their native tongue fighting for purchase with his feet.
"Get off Bumblebee!" Sam shouted picking up a rock and hurling it at the small Decepticon.
"Sam don't!" Mikaela cried out fearfully as she watched Barricade retrieve his weapon and start it up again. Shrugging Frenzy aside Bumblebee pulled out his gun and fired the blast tore into Barricades shoulder armor plating and burned it, Barricade howled in pain and lashed out with a foot kicking Bumblebee to the ground. Their fight had traveled up the road and now they were close to a stop light, yanking it out of the ground Barricade used it like a club to bash Bumblebees' chest in.
"No!" Sam cried worried for his friend, Bumblebee caught the stop light in his hands on the next swing and twisted breaking it in half.
"I get knocked down, but I get up again. You ain't ever going to keep me down." Played over his radio as Bumblebee got up and intended to fire on Barricade, without warning a red sportscar slammed into Barricade and knocked him down.
"What?" The Autobot spy wondered confused.
"Starscream will not like this." The red car noted speaking over a private communications line with Barricade in Cybertronian.
"Swindle what are you doing on Earth?" The police cruiser 'Con asked equally confused as the Autobot.
"Retrieving you and the others glitch for brains." Swindle retorted revving his engine angrily. "Now is not the time to be announcing our continued presence on planet to the Humans, get back in vehicle mode and let's go." He ordered, optics narrowing angrily Barricade eyed Bumblebee unwilling to just leave the Autobot or the Human alive.
"This is not over Autobot; I will have your head and that of Ladiesman 217 as well." He declared before finally shifting back to vehicle mode, Frenzy hopped out of the bush he'd been stuck in and converted to stereo mid leap landing in the passenger seat. Together the three Decepticons drove off.
"Next time Autobot scrap." Frenzy threatened before they all vanished around the corner and into rush hour traffic.
"Strange." Bumblebee remarked prior to reverting to his Camaro mode before he alerted anyone else to his presence here, Sam and Mikaela climbed back inside.
"You ok 'Bee?" Sam asked trying to cover up the humiliation he felt at being called by that damn user name again.
"Yes Sam I'm fine, I suffered minimal damage." Bumblebee replied.
"Who was that red car?" Mikaela wondered, Sam blinked he hadn't figured the other car was a Transformer, mostly because of the Jeep Wrangler full of College Girls laughing at him after hearing the Decepticon refer to that name. Obviously not everyone was stupid enough to forget Sam had come out of the big transforming robot-Camaro.
"I'm not sure Mikaela." The Autobot returned distractedly, he had a small idea who it might be, but it didn't make sense. "Optimus isn't going to like this." He muttered to himself as they finally reached Mikaela's house, Sam said goodbye and apologized for the near death experience and together the two of them left intending to report back to Prime.
Seated on a small ridge near the fight scene was a dark black SUV, Agent Simmons put away his binoculars and pulled out a notepad and pen. Jotting down something he pulled out a walkie talkie next, Sector Seven may have been forcibly disbanded but that wouldn't stop Simmons from keeping tabs on the alien robots just like his father and grandfather had always wanted of him.
"Saleen Cruiser still online, a new one showed up too… Looks like this is far from over." He reported to the unknown listener on the other end.
To Be Continued
Uh-oh, looks like Swindle made a mistake in letting Bumblebee know about him and yet why did Bumblebee recognize him? You'll have to wait for Chapter Five or Six to find out sadly.