A Need For Contact
A Need For Contact.
Chapter Three.
"By the way, I am designated Prowl." Stated the other black-and-white mech who, but for a slightly different alt-form, blunter hands, and a different head-shape and facial features, could have passed for Barricade's twin.
"Okay, Base orientation tour first, I think." Prowl said, turning. "We'll start outside and work our way in…."
After Prowl showed Barricade the car lot and open space, they came back inside, and Prowl stopped and turned to Barricade.
"Now, I shall take you to have your weapons checked over by Ironhide, and then I will take you to the rec room, where you can meet some of the others." He set off down the corridor, and Barricade followed.
Prowl reached a door, and went in, waving Barricade forward as he sent a databurst to Ironhide. The big weapons specialist came in, his optic ridges narrowing as he spotted them.
"Ironhide, I've brought Barricade in to have his weapons checked over, as Optimus asked.
"Yeah. Been 'specting you." The big mech replied. He headed over to a large work surface and stood behind it. He held out his hands.
"Yer weapons. Let's see 'em."
Barricade brought out his long rotating saw blade, which Ironhide looked over. He checked the joints, oiling them and checking that they moved freely, then moved his attention to the lethal cutting blades. He grunted.
"Some of these could do with sharpening." He reached under the table to a storage compartment, located the relevant materials, and bent his head to sharpen the aforementioned blades. Once he had done so, he asked Barricade to put the weapon away, and turned his attention to Barricade's forearm missile-launchers.
"I don't usually deploy these in bipedal form, they get in the way. If I'm at a distance, yes, I'll use them, but I prefer fighting close-up." Barricade stated.
"Well, they all seem in order." Ironhide said, nodding to Barricade to tuck them back away, which he did. "I won't bother checkin' yer hydraulics, Ratchet has probably done that, but I will take a look at yer claws." Ironhide said, holding his hands out.
Barricade extended his hands, and Ironhide took them firmly in his own, turning them over, carefully examining each claw-tipped digit. He nodded and released Barricade's wrists.
"They seem sharp enough, but if they blunt, I can sharpen them again for you." He said. He nodded again.
"I'm gonna tell you now that I don't trust you. Nothing personal, but we have had to fight you, opposite sides. In my book, trust needs to be earned." Ironhide finished up, fixing Barricade with a scowl.
Barricade's response was to laugh.
"I like you, Autobot." He said. "You would be a fool to trust me, although I have no intention of betraying you. You are correct, trust needs to be earned. I think yours will be difficult to earn, as you undoubtedly know my reputation for gaining trust, and then betraying it." He moved one hand in a flourish. "I look forward to the challenge. Even if I never gain your trust, I hope we can still work together."
Ironhide's response was a nod and a grunt, but Prowl, who had stood back to observe how the two interacted, could imagine Ironhide and Barricade embarking on a working relationship founded, if not on trust, on mutual respect. The two were suitably matched, Prowl mused-neither wasted time on dressing up how they felt, neither of the two used pretty words, just bluntly spoke their minds. They would know exactly where they stood with each other.
"Okay, I'll show you the crew quarters and your room, and the stores, then take you to the rec room to meet some of the others." Prowl said, leading Barricade out. As he had promised, he took Barricade down to show him where the stores were, showed him a room that had been quickly set up with a rest pallet, chair and storage area, and then took him up the corridor, pointing out doors and explaining where they led on the way.
As they approached the rec room, Prowl was surprised to see Bumblebee, his human friend sat in the palm of the hand curled to Bumblebee's chest, come in at the entrance. Bumblebee was an infrequent visitor to the Base, and Prowl hoped that Optimus had not neglected to tell the young scout about their guest. Prowl quickly stood between Bumblebee and Barricade as the yellow scout registered the latter and adapted a defensive stance.
"Bumblebee, did Optimus not inform you of Barricade's presence here?" Prowl asked. Bumblebee nodded.
"He did, but I was not expecting to see him so soon. I reacted on instinct." He looked down worriedly at Sam, who had also noticed Barricade, and was anxiously watching while grabbing onto one of Bumblebee's digits with both hands.
"I won't hurt you or your fleshy friend." Barricade said, stepping to one side of Prowl. "Why would I want to? The AllSpark is gone, I have no orders to destroy any of you, and I am accepting your hospitality. Why fight when there is no need?" he asked, spreading his hands.
"Well, okay, if Optimus has said you are welcome here, then I trust his judgement. Just stay away from Sam!" Bumblebee said, striding past. "Sam wants to tell Optimus something, excuse me."
Prowl just shrugged and turned in to the rec room, pausing just inside the door.
Directly in front of them were two mechs, one red, one yellow, throwing pointed projectiles at a marked target board. At the other end of the table was a green table with red and yellow balls on it, and there was another door in the opposite wall. Various-sized blocks provided seats, around which several people were seated, obviously having a discussion. It was Jazz, the silver bot near the green table, who raised one quadradactyl hand and called "Yo, Prowl, hello Barricade!"
Everybody stopped what they were doing at Jazz's shout, and turned as one to regard the two new arrivals. There was a short bark of laughter from Hound, who was amongst the assorted seated 'bots, and then a voice spoke up.
"I thought there was only one set of twins on this base, and that they were red and yellow." The comment was said in a voice edged with both tenseness and humour.
Both Prowl and Barricade turned to look at the speaker, a small purple 'bot, about nine feet tall, whose wheels proclaimed her alt-form to be a motorbike. Arcee's body was tense as she took a couple of steps forward, although her face wore a smile.
Her comment provoked another bark of laughter from Hound, as Sideswipe took a step forward as well, matched by his twin a moment later.
"Okay, which one's which?" asked Sideswipe with a small, mischievous
grin.
"That's easy, brother." Said Sunstreaker with an equally cheeky smile. "The good-looking one's Barricade."
Prowl stepped forwards and gave Sunstreaker a good-natured shove. "Watch it!" he said.
"What's he doing here anyway?" asked Cliffjumper, the small red mech, pushing forwards and regarding Barricade suspiciously. "I came here to relax, not to watch my back!"
"Cliffjumper!" snapped Prowl. "Shut your vocal unit and cast your processors back to Optimus Prime's last announcement. If you can't spend your recreation time in the same room as Barricade, I can always give you some extra patrol assignments to get you away from him."
Cliffjumper took a step back.
"Uh, no sir, that won't be necessary, I'll get used to it I guess." He said. Prowl turned to see how Barricade had reacted to Cliffjumper's statement, and realised that Barricade had not even noticed Cliffjumper's comment, or anything else, for that matter, for Barricade only had optics for Arcee, who was watching him cautiously.