Another short chapter but it's a chapter! To make up for it keep a peeper out for the quick oneshot that I will post in the next day or so...
Disclaimer: I unfortunately don't own Transformers... Though I did find TF:A Soundwave and Lazerbeak at Rite Aid earlier this week... I couldn't pass him up... I mean come on the likelihood of me finding that particular version of Soundwave in the freaking stores now... Yay for luck!
Disclaimer 2: I got the idea for Barricade and Jazz being brother's from a fanfic by Moonofwinds called Run. The theorem of Polyhexian Rut comes from their uh... citrusy work. *coughs* So Credit goes to Moonofwinds for spawing the brotherhood of Jazz and Barricade...
Many thanks to my beta Khalthar!
Word count: ~ 1700 *Hangs head in shame*
Chapter 20: Perplexity
~x~
~Cassie~
~x~
"Brother?! How is that possible? You look nothing alike!" Cassie blurted before her brain could stop her mouth.
Barricade's optics narrowed on the little human. "How did you know that?" he growled as he opened a compartment on his chest and placed the sparkling in it before standing to tower menacingly over the bound brunette. "There is no way you could possibly know that."
Oh shit... "Um... I have Turrets? Don't pay any attention to whatever spontaneously bursts from me?"
"Nice try fleshling, but I have seen your medical files."
"Is there no privacy nowadays?" Cassie grumbled before squeaking as she soon found herself in his tight grip.
"Tell me how you know that!" Barricade snarled.
"Lucky guess? I don't know! Please don't kill me!"
"Tell 'im da truth Cassie." Jazz said as he ran his servo over the other mechs doorwings in an attempt to try to calm the angry mech. Cassie was pretty sure that was just making him even edgier. As it was Barricade's engine was snarling as he glared at Cassie as if he was torn between wanting to torture her or throw her...
"For the love of everything holy Jazz would you stop molesting your brother before he kills me already?" Cassie snapped at the spirit who quickly lifted his servo's in defeat.
~x~
~Barricade~
~x~
His optics widened as the irritating itch that had been driving the sensors in his doorwings vanished almost immediately after the human snapped. He shuttered them twice as his processor finally processed just what she had said...
"For the love of everything holy Jazz would you stop molesting your brother before he kills me already!"
He raised an optic ridge. "Jazz? What you going on about?"
The human bit her lip as she continued to glare over his shoulder. A flick of his doorwings told him that no one was there. She let loose an irritated sigh. "Would you believe me if I told you that I can see the dead?"
"Highly unlikely. Your species capability for psychic abilities is low."
"Well I can and Jazz is the one that has been making your metal crawl."
"My brother is offline. Offline and in the Well."
"Yes he is offline, but he's still very much here. In fact he's been haunting me for several weeks." the femme said dryly. "And before you argue with me about it, I don't know why he's still hanging around here and not chillaxing in roboheaven. He doesn't even know why himself."
"Prove it."
"Pardon?"
"Prove it. Tell me something only he would know."
"Okay..." she trailed off as she frowned. "He said that the first time he met you, you two didn't get along. In fact you took it upon yourselves to instigate a prank war so bad that you both ended up magnetized to each other for about a metacycle because your sire thought it would be a good idea to teach you to get along with each other."
"Hm..."
"He also used to glue you to the ceiling several times out of revenge when you would mess with his datapads. And... The reason you don't look alike is because you took more after your carrier who is a Praxian... though that still doesn't answer my question..."
"Polyhexians go through a rut cycle... where they latch on to another Cybertronian, usually one they either know well or desire and well..." Barricade coughed to clear his vocalizer. He could feel the energon flush to his faceplates as he shifted uneasily in discomfort at the somewhat embarrassing topic.
The fleshling blinked before blushing. "Okay... That is a mental image I don't think I needed..."
"You asked."
~x~
Crescent~
~x~
She'd been tapping in Morse code on the doorframe for the last few minutes out of boredom as Sideswipe neared the forest, followed by the other bots. She was wondering if the bot would ever figure out what she was up to...
"I hope you realize that that is annoying..." Sideswipe growled through his clenched teeth.
"I sometimes wonder if it was even worth learning Morse code in the scouts..." Crescent grumbled. She kept tapping away on as they reached the edge.
~x~
~Cassie~
~x~
"What if I helped you with the negotiations?"
An optic ridge raised.
"Just hear me out. If we play this smart the bots hopefully-"
"Heaveh emphasis on da hope part o tha'." Jazz muttered.
"Hopefully won't go nuts on you for kidnapping us. If I can keep them calm long enough to listen-"
"I highly doubt that." Barricade hissed lowly as he glared off into the distance. "They're already here, they just tripped the sensors I left at the edge of the parameter, and they're already in their Basemode."
Cassie wriggled in her bonds. "If you'd just let me go out and explain-"
His grip tightened on her. "Stop squirming and maybe I will let you attempt to convince them."
"It's kind of hard not to, since I'm wrapped tighter than a mummy. Couldn't you untie me?"
Barricade let out a sigh before running a claw against her bindings, and they fell away. Cassie let loose a whistle. "Don't you think ya need to trim those things Freddy?"
Barricade grunted before glancing down to where he had left Judy... Only to find a pile of ropes. "How in the pit did she get out of those?"
~x~
~Judy~
~x~
Judy had knew she had no chance in getting her niece out of the bot's grip. So when he noted that the bot's were nearby she had bolted.
She cursed as she tripped over yet another root, sprawling face first into the mast. She spat a rouge acorn out of her mouth as a spotlight light grazed over the area she had landed in blinding her briefly before her eyes readjusted.
"Judy!" Ron's voice echoed from hidden speakers. "Don't be afraid- We come in peace!" sounded before the woman was scooped up out of the dead matter by a yellow servo.
"Boy am I glad to see you." Judy said as she was raised up to be inspected by Bumblebee. "It's about time you lot got here. What the hell took you so freaking long?!" she jabbed an angry finger at him.
"Mrs. Witwicky where is Cassandra?" the big black bot rumbled as he towered over the smaller bot's shoulder.
"The four eyed freak still has her. Back that way." She nodded her head back in the direction she had come from. There was a silver blur that could only have been the corvette in his bot mode dashing past. The blue and red bot and the black one quickly followed.
"Bee let me see Mrs. Witwicky." the yellow bot said as he ambled up to pluck her from his palm.
"Hey don't you manhandle me!" she snapped as the bot ran a green light over her. She could only assume it was a scan.
The bot gave her an unamused look before saying, "Shush."
"I know you did not just shush me." Judy growled up at the dayglo bot.
~x~
~Sideswipe~
~x~
Sideswipe broke in to the glade, blades drawn, optics immediately landing on Cassie who was... Laughing? He froze at that. What in the pit? Why is she laughing?
"I can't believe you did that! Good grief everyone knows better than to stick anything into an electrical socket!" she snorted.
Electrical socket? "C-Cassie?" he stuttered as he blinked at her.
"Oh hey Sideswipe." she smiled as she turned to face him.
"You're freaking kidding me! You get kidnapped by this fragger who should be doing something dastardly to you, and all you can say is 'oh hey Sideswipe'?!" He shouted as Optimus and Ironhide broke through the tree line. He growled and tightened his grip on his blades. "What the frag did you do to her?! It's got to be some Con brainwashing or some slag!"
"He didn't brainwash me you moron. Oh hey Crescent. Took you long enough." Cassie grinned at his shoulder which was still tingling with the presence of the afore mentioned ghost.
"Hand Cassandra over Con." Ironhide growled.
"You can take her. She's getting quite annoying." Barricade held his hand out.
"Hey! It's not completely my fault that you keep digging your own humiliation grave."
Barricade huffed irritably as Sideswipe reached forward to pluck the femme out of the Con's palm. Before he could grab her she wrapped herself full body around one of the ex-enforcer's digits.
"Cassie what in the-"
"Promise me you won't attack him the instant I'm away from him and I'll let go."
Sideswipe vented through his nasal ridge as he contemplated ripping the girl off of the pointed servo... "Please tell me this isn't Stockholm Syndrome." he muttered as the tingle on his shoulder vanished.
"Please! You need to swear to me that you will listen to what he has to say before you guys do anything rash!" Cassie said as she pointedly glared at Ironhide who's cannons were primed.
"Cassie-"
"Swear it." Cassie's voice took on an echo as her eyes paled to a light grey. And now even Crescent is defending the fragger...
"Cassandra, I give you my word that we will not cause any harm to Barricade until we have heard him out." Optimus said solemnly. The girl relaxed her grip on her captors servo, and Sideswipe plucked her out, holding her tightly against his chassis as he backed away, his engine growling angrily as he glared at Barricade.
He exited the clearing as he relaxed his stance before glaring down at Cassie. "What the frag is wrong with you? He could have killed you and you freaking defend him?!"
"This is more of a screwed up mess of unfortunate circumstances, Sideswipe... He really needs to speak with Optimus but you guys are always gunning to shoot him first and then ask questions. What were you planning to do when you found me? Cut him down? If you had you would have taken an innocent life in the process."
"Barricade is far from innocent." Sideswipe spat as he neared the fall back area where Ratchet was waiting to scan her.
"Yeah well the sparkling with him is." Cassie shot back.
Sideswipe froze. "Wait… Did you say sparkling?"
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