I don't own transformers. Too bad. Yep, Barricade is practically a soccer mom this chapter :) I JUST moved into my college dorm. It's a new experience but we'll see how this goes! This chap is more of a down moment, it's just how life is, none of the guns blasting stuff :) There will be a taste of that next chapter! Xoxox

Barricade grudgingly agreed to go first to a mall, and then a grocery store. Frenzy babbled the directions to the bigger Decepticon. As soon as he was finished with his verbal explosion Barricade peeled out of the driveway and in a matter of seconds he'd reached speeds that made me afraid to look at the speedometer. I clicked my seatbelt and tried to trust him.

While Barricade was breaking the speed limit Frenzy dragged an apple computer from under the driver's seat. It matched his alternate form exactly. Was that not weird for him at all? He tapped away like a little caffeine addict

I leaned over to try and see what he was doing, but he jealously turned the screen away and glared at me accusingly. I threw up my hands innocently and turned away to look at the green blur out the passenger window.

It wasn't long before he stopped his rapid-fire keyboard torture, and shortly after that he gave me his trademark poke to the thigh. I gave him a blank stare. He was holding the laptop out to me.

"Rrrread it."

I took the laptop curiously. On the screen was a return e-mail from an electronics store.

Dear Ms. Person (Really, could he have been more creative with my name?)

We received your order and payment. We are happy to report that item #24671 is in stock and ready for pickup at any time. Thank you for your business!

John Jackson

Personnel Management

I looked at Frenzy curiously. "Am I supposed to pick something up?"

"Cell phone. Gotta-gotta alter it to on-only take calls on special wavelength. Use for emerrrgencies."

"Oh. No text messaging?"

He glared at me so snatched his laptop back, angling like a flimsy shield.

We were out of the thick trees now and there were occasional houses built near the road. Barricade drove along nearly empty country lanes until he found a highway. He entered on, but traffic was terrible. Everyone slowed down when they saw him, and in frustration he flipped on his lights and siren. Magically traffic parted and he blasted through, once again inspiring fear in every sensible inch of me.

He exited in a busy town a few miles down, finally turning into a huge mall parking lot. He pulled up to the front entrance, and Frenzy grabbed my attention again. "Get phone first-first thing, bring back."

I nodded, making sure I had my fake cards, and stepped out of the car. Barricade stayed where he was, and when I glanced back in the car Frenzy was a laptop in the passenger seat. A strange man with a mustache was sitting in the driver's seat. I started, and then pounded on Barricade's window.

"Who is that in there? Hey! What are you doing in there? Do you realize this is a cop car?"

The man turned to look at me and I felt a chill run down my spine. His eyes were flat somehow. I'd never understood before what it meant for someone to seem soulless, but that man did. The window rolled down and Barricade's growl came from his mouth. "It's me. Get the cell phone."

I stepped back in surprise, and as I stared his body flickered. "A hologram…?"

He looked annoyed now. "Go!"

I backed away more. "Ok, ok… I'll be right back."

I came back ten minutes later, and Barricade was still parked out front. Traffic was being forced to weave around him. His window rolled down as his hologram glared at me. "Took you long enough. Give Frenzy the phone."

I put the box in the car and Frenzy transformed to his spiky robot form. He sliced open the box, took out the phone and immediately popped it apart. His fingers were moving like mad, and I couldn't tell what he was doing to it. In a few short minutes there was a blue jolt from the phone, then he put it back together, handing it back to me.

"Keep it with you at all times," Barricade said. "It will never need to recharge. Frenzy has entered frequencies for both Skywarp and us to the contact list. Only call me in an emergency, or I'll give you an emergency."

I smiled and put the phone in my back pocket. "No problem. I'll be back in a little bit." I turned and went into the mall to begin my shopping spree.

I'll admit, I like shopping, and an unlimited credit card I wouldn't have to pay off was absolutely thrilling. I went from store to store buying things that I needed like clothes, a wallet and a purse, and things I didn't like jewelry, perfume, and ridiculously overpriced lingerie.

I got a smoothie and a slice of pizza from the food court, and then decided I needed to drop off my current haul. I went back out the entrance I came in, lugging my bags, but Barricade was nowhere to be found. I looked around in dismay. Pulling out my phone, I considered the risk, then flipped it open and checked the contacts. Barricade was out of the picture, so I scrolled to the second name and called Frenzy. He answered immediately.

"Ready?"

"Yeah, I can't carry more stuff. Will you pick me up?"

"Coming."

In a few moments Barricade roared around the corner, his wheels screaming to a stop in front of me. The trunk popped open, and I went around to throw everything but my new purse in.

"Ok! Groceries now?"

Surprisingly Barricade, not Frenzy, answered, "Yes."

The passenger door popped open as I came back around the side, and I slid in. Frenzy was laptop form again, so I set him gingerly on my lap. Barricade gunned his engine and started out of the parking lot, and I snapped the seatbelt in paranoia.

Frenzy's little laptop body was too hard to resist, so despite my fear of his steak-knife robot mode I quickly flipped open the screen. It lit up to show wallpaper with the Decepticon logo.

"Hey Frenzy, do you have Internet access?"

"Why you-you-you want it?"

"I just want to look at the news."

At that, an Internet browser came onto the screen without my prompting. It was on but I wasn't exactly interested in that kind of news. Into the google search space on the toolbar I entered missing persons.

The background went white and refused to load. I tapped Frenzy's monitor. "Hey, did you get cut off?"

"Why you looking forrr that?"

I frowned. "It's none of your business."

"Trying to find your old-old name. Past notTUH important, Skywarrp owns you. Won't let you look."

Disappointment welled up in me like a spring and I had to fight back bigger feelings of resentment. "I just want to know."

"Don't care. Have orrrders."

I slammed Frenzy shut and tossed him onto the driver's seat through Barricade's hologram, which was still staring stiffly straight ahead.

We got groceries and I almost considered running away, but fear of being alone in the world prevented me. What if I was alone before…? Also, intrigue had me hooked on these alien robots, and I wanted to see what would happen if I stayed. So I went back to Barricade with a paper bag full of food.

We made the drive back to the cabin hideaway in silence. Barricade dropped the hologram when we got further into the country and Frenzy transformed back to his robot mode. He wouldn't look at me.

Edited March 12, 2010