Sorry this is so late, my grandmother recently passed away and we had the funeral on Mother's Day, which sucks. So I've been depressed lately and it took me forever to write this chapter!
But on a lighter note, for the very few who are interested in my life, my band received a Grammy award for the 'Enterprise' category, so that's pretty exciting.
Okay, enough of my boring life, on with the story!
Sunstreaker had arrived at the high school soon after Optimus, Ratchet, and Ironhide. He noticed that Sideswipe wasn't there, but decided that was the last thing he should worry about. His main concerns were finding Sam and avoid being turned to scrap by Ironhide and Ratchet for leaving her. Unfortunately, the latter would be close to impossible seeing as Ratchet and Ironhide already noticed him when he pulled up. His three superiors had their holoforms activated and were searching for any clues, and the minute Sunstreaker's holoform stepped out of his alt mode, he was lucky Prime was right there; though he wasn't sure how helpful Optimus would be, considering he did practically abandon his charge.
His spark froze as the realization pelted his processor. He had abandoned her; he wasn't there to protect her. Now her life was in the hands of Sideways, something he and Ratchet had tried to prevent for ten years. He was so lost in thought, that he didn't even realize Ironhide stepped away from the group to confront him.
"Where were you?" Ironhide asked. Sunstreaker glanced up to meet his cold stare. His holoform was tense and his fists were clenched. Sunny really didn't want to deal with him right now.
"Nowhere." He snipped and tried to walk past him. Ironhide growled, grabbed Sunstreaker's shirt collar, and shoved him against his alt mode. Sunstreaker didn't say anything; he knew he was going to deserve the beating from him.
"That's a slagging lie, Sunstreaker!" he roared, getting Ratchet's and Prime's attentions. They rushed over, calling out to Ironhide and telling him to stop. Sunny just stood there with an emotionless expression.
"Ironhide, stop!" Ratchet shouted, but he didn't listen. Optimus and Ratchet were trying to pull Ironhide away but he still held on.
"What the hell were you thinking? You knew she had nothing to protect herself with! You knew Sideways has been waiting for the opportunity to grab her and now, thanks to you, he's got it!"
"Ironhide." Optimus snapped.
"Who knows what his psychotic mind is planning? Hell, who knows what he's doing to her right now-"
"Ironhide! That is enough!" Optimus commanded. Seeing he crossed the line, Ironhide backed off, not taking his glare off of Sunstreaker.
"A human is not just some toy or piece of property you can afford to lose, Sunstreaker. I thought you realized that when you became her guardian." Ironhide stated calmly before walking away, leaving Sunny to stare at the ground.
"Ironhide, this is not helping anything. You are not the only one concerned with finding Sam." Ratchet snapped. Ironhide just ignored him. Sunstreaker looked up from the ground to his retreating form.
"I'm going to find her." Sunstreaker stated. Ironhide stopped mid-step. "I need you to at least expect that much from me." Ironhide turned around.
"Sam has been attacked by Sideways twice, and now he has her again, all because you can't keep an optic on her. I don't expect anything from you." He turned back around and continued walking towards his alt mode. Sunstreaker got angry at Ironhide's view on his guardianship.
"Is that what you think I do?" You think that I just treat this like a babysitting job?" Ironhide shrugged.
"I don't know. Could've fooled me if you had any feelings for her." Ironhide froze when he didn't get an immediate response. He looked back at Sunstreaker. "Do you have feelings for her?" he asked seriously. Sunstreaker just looked away.
Ratchet and Optimus, having suddenly become interested in the conversation, stayed silent and waited for Sunstreaker's answer.
"Sunstreaker." Ironhide snapped. "Do you love Sam?"
Sunstreaker hesitated before giving a slight nod. Ironhide's and Ratchet's jaws almost fell to the ground while Optimus' remained impassive.
There was an awkward silence before Optimus walked away, looking around. Ratchet's face went from shocked to angry to PO'd while Ironhide's just remained shocked. Sunstreaker, noticing the growing tension in the air, noticed that Optimus found something.
"What is it, sir?" he asked. The tension dropped when Ironhide and Ratchet looked over to their leader, who was staring down the street where an alley was.
Optimus looked back at the group for a brief moment and turned around again.
"That alley. Sam mentioned she saw a suspicious cop car watching her. She hung up when she was being chased."
"Barricade." Sunstreaker growled and clenched his fists. The others turned and looked at him suspiciously. Sunstreaker tried his best to stay calm, but he was failing.
"Is there something you're not telling us, Sunstreaker?" Optimus asked.
Sunstreaker mentally weighed his options, wondering if he should tell them about the encounter with Barricade or not. He sighed, he might as well.
"I ran into Barricade the other day. It was just a talk, nothing more." He added quickly when he saw the others tense. "He was warning me, about Sideways, about how Sam was in danger."
"And yet you still couldn't keep an optic on her." Ironhide huffed.
"You know what Ironhide-" Sunstreaker started going at him, but Optimus got in between them..
"Stand down Sunstreaker, that's an order." Sunstreaker stopped, but kept glaring at Ironhide. Optimus turned to Ironhide. "Ironhide, I know you're just as concerned about Sam as we are, but picking fights with each other is not going to help bring her back."
"Optimus!" No one had noticed that Ratchet was further down the street until he shouted over to Optimus. Ratchet had left during Ironhide's and Suntreaker's argument and was now staring at something on the ground a good distance away.
Their holoforms disappeared and they drove down to where Ratchet was, parked next to his alt mode, and reactivated their holoforms.
"What did you find, Ratchet?" Optimus asked. Ratchet didn't answer, he just bent down and picked up a bag; however, this bag sent all four battle-hardened mechs rigid. It was Sam's dirtied and torn backpack.
"And that's not all." Ratchet gestured to the scorch-marked ground a few feet away. He turned back to Optimus, Ironhide, and Sunstreaker. "We have to find her."
-With Barricade-
It was dark when he arrived back at the warehouse, and he wasted no time. He transformed before he came to a complete stop, threw open the warehouse doors, and froze at the sight before him.
"No." he whispered. On the ground before his was Sam. Her clothes were torn, hair a wild mess, a pale and bloody heap. He knelt beside her and, with foreign tenderness that surprised him, he picked her up and held her close to his spark.
'I've got to get her out of here and to the Autobots.' He cursed himself for suddenly being weak over a pathetic flesh creature, but he felt committed to bringing her back.
"It's a shame how fragile humans are." Sideways said from behind Barricade. He quickly stood up and faced him, desperately wanting to rip him apart. "That's why it's so dangerous to form a relationship with them."
"Sideways." Barricade growled. "I thought you needed her alive." He chuckled, but hten grew serious.
"Change of plans, partner." Sideways started walking towards him, causing Barricade to back up. He had to get to the door, but Sideways was blocking it.
Split second decision, Barricade transformed, securely strapping Sam in the front seat, spun his tires, and bolted past Sideways and out the door.
"You're not getting away from me this time." Sideways growled before transforming and following Barricade. "Both of you."
Optimus, Ratchet, Ironhide, and Sunstreaker were about to head back to base to try and locate Sam. They were heading out when Ironhide suddenly stopped. Sunstreaker had to slam on his brakes to keep from running into him.
"What the Pit, Ironhide? Why'd you stop?" he snapped. Hearing Sunstreaker, Optimus and Ratchet slowed to a halt. Ironhide just sat there, idling.
"What is it, Ironhide?" Optimus asked.
"I'm picking up on Cons, two of them. They're heading this way, hot." A wave of tension flowed through them.
Sunstreaker was the first to act, releasing an angry rev and high-tailed it in the opposite direction. He was going to end this today.
"Sunstreaker, wait!" Ratchet called, but he didn't listen.
Ratchet was surprised at Sunstreaker's actions, then again, he wasn't. He knew the traits of being a guardian were practically eating him alive since Sam was kidnapped and was put into over-drive when he found out Sideways had been looking for her. Ratchet understood what the young, egotistical warrior was going through, because he went through it himself when he was Nina's guardian. Yes, he cared deeply for Sam's mother, perhaps too much for his own good. And when Nina died that night it tore him apart from the inside-out, and the fact that he almost lost the closest thing he had to a daughter only made the pain so much worse. He had practically lost his whole family in a single night, by a single mech; and now, ten years later, this same mech was, once again, threatening the life of his family, the one he considers his child, and he refused to let history repeat itself.
I began to regain consciousness, but something felt different. I wasn't on the cold floor, I was sitting up in a leather seat. I tried to move, but discovered I was strapped in. It felt like the world was moving really fast, but I didn't know what was going on, or where I was. My eyes snapped open and I began to freak out, thinking it was Sideways. I screamed and flailed my arms, hitting something hard in front of me- a dashboard. I was in a vehicle. I struggled more.
"Ow, femme, will you stop that! I'm trying to rescue you here!" Barricade's voice filled the cab. Wait- Barricade's voice! I froze, looking around, trying to figure out where his heavenly voice came from. Before I knew it, his holoform fizzled to life in the driver's seat. A handsome man in his twenties with black hair and reddish eyes.
"Barricade?" I couldn't believe my eyes. It was really him! I almost didn't think he was real. I reached out and touched his face; yep, he was real. Mixed emotions rushed through me all at once- shock, happiness, relief, anger, confusion. I punched him really hard in the shoulder, and he apparently felt it.
"Ow, will you stop hitting me!" he yelled. I pulled back.
"I'm sorry." I said quickly. He gave me a sideways glance, but I tried to avoid it, then turned his gaze back to the road. I kept looking at the side mirror, expecting Sideways to be following us, but I didn't see anything.
"Are you okay?: he grumbled. It was then I remembered the pain I was in. I was bruised and cut all over, and the blood was beginning to dry a little. I looked back to him and lowered my head.
"Yeah." I mumbled. He didn't buy it. He pulled over to the side. This neighborhood is so weird, there's no people.
Barricade turned to me, but I refused to meet his gaze.
"Look, kid, you're not okay. You're hurt."
"Where were you?" I asked, my voice cracking. He was silent for a moment.
"I went out. But that's not important right now, you need medical attention."
I stayed silent.
"Look, kid-"
"My name is not kid, or femme!" I snapped, still not looking up, my fists clenched tightly. "It's Sam, get it right! S-A-M, Sam, and don't even think about pushing it and call me Samantha!"
Barricade just stared at her for a few minutes. Her eyes were squeezed shut, tears threatening to fall, ad her short, messy hair covered part of her reddened face.
"Look fem-Sam," he corrected himself when she looked at him. "I shouldn't have left you alone. If I had known what Sideways was planning to do with you, I never would've left."
I couldn't help but stare ar=t him. Was he trying to apologize? Barricade, the ruthless Decepticon, was actually apologizing to me, a human.
"Where did you go?" I asked.
"I was going to retrieve the Autobots. I know exactly where they are, so I was going to lead them back to you by any means necessary."
My eyes widened. 'He was really going to sacrifice himself to save me.' My mind drifted back to what Sideways told me.
"He had so much potential, but now it makes me wonder, how attached he's gotten to you."
I couldn't help but feel a heavy feeling in my chest.
'Barricade is supposed to be a fearless Decepticon warrior. Why, then, is he giving it all up to help me? He can't really be that attached to me, can he?' I looked back up to him, looking into his eyes, but he was gazing away from me. But I could still see the pain and sadness, everything that he's probably been hiding inside during his years as a Con. If only the others could see him the way he is now. I felt the seatbelt unlatch itself from around me and the passenger door opened. At the same time, his holoform disappeared.
"Get out and hide." He said quickly.
"Why? What's going on?" His seat tilted and I fell out onto the ground on my back with an 'oof'.
"Nevermind about that, just hurry!" I nodded, stood up, and began running. I heard the shifting of metal behind me and turned to see Barricade transform. I nearly shouted at him to stop before someone saw, but I remembered no one was here. I quickly ducked into a nearby alley and poked my head out to watch. Barricade's back was facing me, but I could feel his anger and over-protective aura. His arm transformed into cannon and aimed it down the road at nothing. It was dark, save for a few lamplights lighting up parts of the street.
I was about to come out of the alley, thinking the coast was clear, but Barricade never relaxed. I quickly changed my mind at the sight of the bright LD lights and the sound of an angry engine fast approaching. Suddenly, Sideways was in full view and didn't slow down. When he was close enough, Sideways transformed and literally flew at Barricade, knocking them both to the ground.
I squeaked and ducked farther into the shadows of the alley when they tumbled past me. I had to hang on to the wall because of the violent shaking in the ground. Feeling brave, I poked my head back out and my eyes widened. Barricade was on the ground trying to get up, sparks flying out of his shoulder and elbow joints, with Sideways standing over him.
"No." I whispered. "Damn it, perfect time to be without my guns and board!" I let out a silent growl, trying to will Barricade to get up, but Sideways kicked him back down, placing his foot on his chest to hold him down. His cannon came to life and aimed at Barricade's spark. Oh Hell No!
"Ah screw it!" I ran out of the alley and to the middle of the street. "Hey you walking scrap-heap!" I shouted, waving my arms. This caught both of their attentions. "Leave him alone." I growled.
Sideways removed his foot from Barricade and started to walk towards me.
"Oh scrap." I mumbled, my voice shaking. I did not think this through.
"You're pretty brave all of a sudden." He mused. I tried to run, but my damn fear froze me in place. Sideways sensed it.
"Or I could be wrong." I looked towards Barricade and saw him trying to get up, energon leaking from his wounds. I gulped. I looked back to Sideways, who was reaching down to grab me. My legs, at that moment, decided to work as I jumped to the side, rolled, sprang up, and ran towards Barricade.
"Barricade! Cade, are you okay?" I asked when I reached him.
"Don't call me that." He groaned. "What are you doing, you idiot? I told you to run."
"I'm not leaving you!" I said, my voice firm and unchanging. Large footsteps came behind me and I turned around and saw Sideways walking towards us.
"Get behind me." Barricade grunted as he struggled to sit himself up. I did what he said, but a little ways back.
"Why must you constantly do things the hard way, Barricade?" he asked, stopping in front of him. "From what I've heard through Decepticon radio transmissions, you were pretty brutal when you tried to obtain the human boy all those years ago. Now, you're willing to risk your life for the sake of a single human girl, and have the millions of years spent fighting this war wasted?"
"There was no point in continuing this war and you know it." Barricade snapped. I couldn't believe how strongly Barricade really felt about this. I assumed that he would just give up and take off to save himself; yet, here he was, fighting for a new dream, one of peace. A part of me wondered if there was any other motive driving him that he hasn't made known, but there was another part, that was stronger than the first, that was impressed by him.
Sideways let out a low growl and grabbed Barricade's armor, making him yell out in pain, and threw him into a building.
"Barricade!" I shouted. I froze when Sideways pointed his cannon at me. I stopped breathing as I stared into the glow of the large barrel. A shot from the side rang out and Sideways staggered when he was blasted in the side. I looked over and saw Barricade leaning against the building, his cannon releasing smoke from the blast, anger radiated in his fiery optics.
"Don't. Touch. The girl." He seethed.
Sideways was about to retaliate when he suddenly turned to face down the street. Cursing in Cybertronian, he transformed and sped away. I jumped out of the way to keep from getting run over.
Confused, I looked to the distance to see four pairs of headlights speeding towards us. I have never been so happy in my life.
Okay, sorry it took so long. But I'm already starting the next chapter, and hopefully it won't take forever to upload. Thanks for hanging in there!