Further Complications.
Chapter Eight.
As Swindle crouched and pushed Miles to the ground in the maize, there was a cry from Barricade.
"Swindle, stop!"
Swindle turned his single large optic to regard Barricade.
"Why? Do you fear detection? This should not take too long." He said.
"No, Swindle, but remove his upper garment and let me see his arms!" Barricade commanded.
Miles felt himself lifted again, and felt his t-shirt torn none too gently from his body. The black and white mech reached out with a clawed hand. Miles shrank back but Swindle's grip prevented him from being able to escape the fingers of Barricade's hands. The claws touched Miles' skin, the grip tautened, but there was no pain as Barricade delicately pulled Miles' arm out straight and twisted it slightly, looking at the tattooed motif on the shoulder. Then Barricade repeated the action on Miles' other arm. Then he released the arm, and cupped his hands together, holding them under the hand that was gripping Miles.
"Swindle, give him to me. You have seen Starscream's claim-marks on the boy. It is not for us to decide his fate."
"He could have just seen the design somewhere else and had it copied. Do you want to see how angry Starscream would be if he thought us such easy dupes?" protested Swindle. Barricade bent his own gaze to regard Swindle.
"I would prefer he were angry at us for being fooled than be angry because we killed one he has claimed for himself." Barricade stated simply. "The former error can be corrected, but the latter cannot be remedied. Would you prefer our lives be forfeit for destroying one of Starscream's Claimed?"
"N-No Barricade, you are correct." stated Swindle, dropping Miles as if he carried some contagious corrosion. Miles felt himself hit the hard black hands of the other mech, whose fingers curled around him tightly enough to secure him, but not so tight as to hurt. Barricade strode to a place close to the road but concealed by bushes, and Swindle followed. Despite his predicament. Miles couldn't help but wonder what the farmer would make of the swathes of destruction the two mechs had wreaked in the maize. Barricade cut through the fencing, and then set him down.
"For what purpose Starscream has claimed you, I have no idea, but I will not go against him." stated Barricade to Miles. "Stand back: I will take you to Starscream myself." He said, and began his transformation sequence.
"What about the Autobot?" asked Swindle.
"Transportation has been arranged for that one." stated Barricade via the car radio, swinging his door open. "Get in." he told the human.
As Miles did so, he heard a muted bang: looking over, he saw that a green and black camouflaged form had appeared in the field: as he watched, it hauled the limp yellow Autobot scout into its arms, leaped in the air and disappeared with another bang.
"Ahh, Skywarp is big and fast and sneaky enough to get him moved fast." stated Swindle, also folding down into car form. He and Barricade accelerated out of the hole Barricade had put in the fence and joined the traffic flow on the road. Barricade activated his lights and sirens, and he and Swindle sped up as the traffic cleared to let them pass.
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Sam was enjoying a three-way cuddle in Thundercracker's quarters way too much - but didn't really care – when Skywarp straightened from where he'd had been stretched over he and Thundercracker, pulling back his hands from caressing a wing each.
"Lord Starscream, Barricade and Swindle are reporting that they have subdued the Autobot scout and request that I go to take him in." Skywarp said. Sam had been about to tell Skywarp to continue what he'd been doing, but the news that Bumblebee had been 'subdued' drove all thoughts of being stroked from his mind.
"Skywarp, go and get him and bring him here, Thundercracker, go to the med bay and send Dr Syn over, I want him to check the health of the scout when he gets here." Sam said. As Skywarp disappeared, Thundercracker gave him a strange look, and Sam realised he had slipped up in his portrayal, and allowed his concern for Bumblebee to show. Luckily, Sam was a swift thinker.
"A live Autobot is worth more to us in several ways than a dead one. Must I repeat myself or will you do as I command?" he snapped.
"Right away, my Lord Starscream." Thundercracker said sharply, turning and leaving, and Sam realised that he had been too curt with one of the mechs who was supposed to be as close to him – or closer - than a brother. Activating his comm he sent a message to Thundercracker.
I apologise for my harsh words, TC. He said, using the initialisation the older Seeker seemed to view as an endearment. I promise the scout's continued health will be an advantage to us, and I promise to make it up to you later. Sam had quickly mastered the art of using more than just words in a comm, sending Thundercracker several suggestive images to reinforce his words. The arctic-camouflaged Seeker sent back similar images and a satisfied sigh over the comm, and Sam realised his instincts had been correct: the blue Seeker was himself realising the potential value of a live hostage versus a dead youngling, and felt that his patience would be rewarded, and Sam fully intended to fulfil that expectation: once he'd got over his human inhibitions, Sam had developed a taste for interfacing Cybertronian-style.
At that moment there was a bang of displaced air, and Skywarp reappeared with the feebly-moving yellow scout held in his arms: Sam swept his hand towards the unoccupied berth and Skywarp obeyed the unspoken command, placing the yellow Autobot on the berth: on the large expanse the damaged scout looked painfully vulnerable.
Sam moved over, resting one hand on one of Bumblebee's arms.
"Do not fret, youngling, you are far more use to us alive than dead. A medic is on his way to heal your injuries." he assured his friend. he woild hae liked to assure him properly but with Skywarp there, he couldn't. At that moment Thundercracker returned with the big jolly brown medic Dr Syn in tow. His optics were drawn to the berth and their focus zerored in on his patient. Apparently ignoring the three Seekers – although it was merely that his mind was on the injuries before him – he moved over to Bumblebee.
His scanners whirred and his hands touched several areas of dented plating gently: Bumblebee flinched and cried out. Dr Syn muttered something comforting in Cybertronian and the yellow Autobot quieted. The medic expertly located a section of plating, made some adjustments and damped down the pain. He gently peeled back some plating, made a few visual checks, then turned to Skywarp, giving him a list of components. Skywarp stared at him in bafflement.
"Well, go and get them then." The medic said cheerfully. "I'd like to get started this joor, not the next." He said in that same happy tone, tipping back his head to lock his optics with the green Seeker's. Skywarp muttered something that didn't sound very polite, but disappeared in another bang of displaced air.
Turning back to Bumblebee, the medic removed several sections of dented armour, then extracted a flexible curved pad and what looked like a rubberised hammer and handed then to Thundercracker.
"I know you can bang out plating, so if you'd make a start on that, please, I can get on with the more delicate work." Thundercracker gave the medic a hangdog look, but got on with the task.
"Lord Starscream, if you would, you can come around here and hold his hand." The medic requested. Puzzled at the odd request, Sam eyed the medic as he went round. Why would the medic want Starscream to hold… The flicker of a shutter over one optic caught Sam's attention and a realisation hit him. He didn't know how, but somehow this medic knew not just that he was not Starscream, but who he actually was. His comm. beeped and a message from the doctor came up. 'I think he would find it comforting.' This only served to confirm Sam's realisation: Bumblebee would most likely offline in terror if the real Starscream were to take his hand.
Sam did not speak but looked at his yellow friend as Skywarp returned with the requested parts and Thundercracker continued banging dents out of Bumblebee's plating. The medic thanked Skywarp and then Thundercracker finished hammering out the armour. The medic retrieved some of the tools of his trade from Thundercracker, removed several tools from a storage compartment under an arm plate, and then politely dismissed both the other Seekers. Sam found himself glad that a Seeker's face could not smirk, because seeing Thundercracker dismissed from his own quarters by the doctor really made Sam want to grin. Neither Thundercracker not Skywarp protested, and both left via the door.
The doctor looked at Sam.
"The door is locked: now it is safe to speak to your friend and reassure him out loud." He said.
"How do you know?" Sam asked in astonishment. Dr Syn simply smirked – his face was capable of the action - and then surprised Sam
by using the human gesture of putting a finger beside his nose to indicate he would not be saying, then turned back to work on Bumblebee.
Sam did vocalise reassurances to Bumblebee, and the medic had announced he was almost finished repairing him when there was a commed request to open the door. Sam put a finger to his lips to warn Bumblebee, stopped holding his hand, took three steps back and allowed his visitors to enter.
Barricade walked in, with Swindle beside him.
"Perhaps you could solve a dispute between Swindle and I Sir." Barricade stated, with his hands behind his back. He brought them forwards abruptly, and Sam could see a human form clasped in them.
"This one bears a mark of your Claim: Swindle thinks he saw it and put it on himself because he thought it looked good: I say only you could arrange for such an accurate representation. Which of us is correct?" Barricade asked.
Looking closer at the human the Decepticon held, Sam recognised him. Half-naked, scared and dishevelled, the human was nonetheless familiar to Sam.
It was Miles.