I don't own Transformers. I am really, really excited :) I just finished chapter 9, but it's going through the same rigorous editing that all my stuff gets. (bb 2010: haha…) 8 and 9 should be up by tomorrow night or so :) xoxox

The log cabin had a kind of clubhouse appeal, ideally placed in the middle of a thick forest, but the fun quickly faded. Frenzy and Barricade barely spoke to me, and only if spoken to. Barricade would not let me drive him, but he did seem to enjoy my admiring inspection. Mustangs were my second favorite kind of car. I couldn't remember my favorite, but that would probably come with time. Like my memories might come back.

Frenzy sometimes let me use his alternate mode to get on the Internet, but any time he suspected that I was trying to learn more about my condition or myself he would cut me off. I was limited to news feeds and games, until I got tired of them. He would often take control of the better games and I would have nothing to do but watch him beat level after level.

When the boredom was really starting to drain me, I asked Frenzy where Skywarp was.

"Checking whole planet for new arrivals."

"What if he doesn't find anyone? What if they never come?"

"Then he has gotta-gotta make a plan. Let Skywarp worrrry about it."

I sighed and went out the back door of the cabin to practice some aikido rolls in the thick grass. I did as many repetitions as I could stand then tried to practice the walking kata, but my heart wasn't in it. I gave up and turned around to see Barricade's nose poking around the side of the cabin.

"I smell bacon…"

The engine revved and he rolled around the corner. I watched him coming and coincidentally, the thought occurred to me that I had never seen him transform.

He rolled clear of the house and abruptly he started to shuffle. I was in respectful awe as I tried to enjoy watching a transformation without complete and utter shock in my system for the first time.

I was a little taken aback when he was done. His face looked incredibly cruel, with bars that looked like sharp teeth around his mouth, augmented by his forcefully glowing red eyes. I was suddenly nervous about how I'd been treating him.

He leaned down to me and my heart started pounding. I expected him to snatch me up and suck out my blood or something monstrous like that, but all he did was ask, "Are you in need of repairs?"

I couldn't answer. My throat had tightened up, and the close up view of him was not helping matters. I couldn't explain my instinctive fear of him, but it was shaking me like a dog with a chew toy. My knees weakened and I slid to the grass.

He frowned, even scarier than his worry, probably concerned about what Skywarp would do if he found out I got sick or died in the cop car's care. He leaned back and turned to the house. His roar of "Frenzy!" would have knocked me down again if I weren't already as limp as a rag doll.

Frenzy exploded out an open window, landing with all his little steak knife points out and his stance on the defensive until all he saw was his big friend and his bigger headache.

"What's wrrrong with itAH?"

"I don't know, I saw it rolling around and pacing without going anywhere. Then its olfactory sensors malfunctioned. Now it won't get up. I think it's broken."

I was staring at the dirt, trying to control my fear. It was stupid and irrational. I had liked him before, until I saw him like this. It occurred to me that maybe I had seen him before, but my memory wouldn't give me the information. I forced myself to look up at Frenzy, and then Barricade.

"Have you ever seen me before this?"

Barricade's face gave away nothing. "All you humans look alike."

I looked at Frenzy, but all he gave me was a blur of intelligible nonsense. As soon as he was finished he turned and dashed back into the house through the door, slamming it shut behind him.

"Are you going to live?" Barricade had backed off, speaking with a weary non-concern.

"When is Skywarp coming back?" Despite my flying protector's harsh attitude, I trusted him infinitely more than I suddenly felt that I could trust Barricade.

"When he comes back."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Annoying little slave animal, it means that he'll be back when he's back. Go eat your food and be quiet."

I stayed where I was; I would have to walk around him to get to the house.

His face contorted and his voice rose to a snarling bark, snapping, "Do as I say or I'll squash you and tell Skywarp it was an accident!"

I lurched to my feet and streaked to the door, whipping it open and slamming it shut more forcefully than Frenzy had. I looked around for the little Decepticon, but he was nowhere to be found. I shuffled to the couch, completely drained after my adrenaline overload. I tried watching TV, but nothing was on and I realized I was starving for a little normal conversation, but the last few times I had tried to get Barricade to take me out, he had refused, stating I had everything I needed to function.

It suddenly occurred to me that Skywarp had wanted me to get a tattoo… Bingo. I would go get the tattoo, and try to convince Barricade to let me stay out for a while.

I hadn't had a reason to get dressed or try to look nice before, so I ditched the sweats and t-shirt I had on and spent some time to make myself nice. I convinced Frenzy to come out of hiding and got him to ink a perfect Decepticon logo on a piece of plain paper. Then I went out to ask Barricade.

He was parked in the driveway again. I approached him cautiously. "Excuse me, Barricade?"

No response.

"Skywarp gave me some… orders, before he left. He wants me to get a tattoo of the Decepticon symbol. I want it to be done before he's back and it'll need a little time to heal. Can we go to town so I can take care of it?"

His engine grumbled resentfully. "Fine, but that's it. I'm not taking you to that mall for three hours like last time."

"I'm a woman, what could you possibly expect?"

"I would be surprised if you could manage to pick your nose; don't expect me to understand whatever primitive fleshy issues you're talking about."

"Ten-four squad leader." I went over to his passenger door and got in. He was much less intimidating to me in his vehicle mode, and I felt myself faintly enjoying the Mustang. He backed out of the driveway and, revving his powerful engine, took off down the deserted road.

I clicked on my seatbelt and leaned back. Something about Frenzy's behavior wasn't right, almost like he wanted to hide something from me. I wanted to find out what, but Barricade wasn't going to let any clues go without a fight. I would have to chip away at Frenzy for more clues: anything to explain my irrational fear at the sight of Barricade.

Barricade found a tattoo parlor with a 'good record' and left me alone on the sidewalk in front of the shop. I went in, and because it was one o'clock on a weekday, I got to talk to an artist immediately. He asked a lot of questions about it, obviously bored and looking for something to do, but I told him it was a tribal symbol. He shrugged, and after I told him how to color it he got started.

The tattoo, on my left wrist, was very small, maybe a little bigger than a quarter. I didn't want it to catch attention on its own; I felt cut off as it was. The guy gave me some instructions to take care of it and covered it with some gauze. I paid with my card, and was about to leave when he spoke up from behind his counter.

"I know what that logo is. It's on the news all the time. You might think you're cool, but those guys almost destroyed Mission City and killed a lot of people. Whatever group of friends you're trying to impress isn't worth it."

I looked back him and smiled weakly. In an undertone I said, "It's not that simple," and stepped out the door. Barricade was gone, so I walked down the street away from the parlor and called him. He didn't answer. I tried Frenzy, but he was missing as well.

"Great. Maybe they abandoned me. Hope the pound doesn't catch me…"

I borrowed another store's phonebook to call a cab, and then realized I didn't know where I wanted to go. Instead, I went out to the bus stop on the corner and sat on the bench, hoping Barricade would come back. The day was warm, but cloudy, so I wasn't too uncomfortable.

I found myself daydreaming about meeting Hot Rod again when I heard the screech of tires on concrete some ways down the street. I looked up, and before long a sports car whipped around the corner. It blasted down the street towards me and as abruptly as its arrival on the street, it slammed on its brakes, weaving a little and squealing to stop. I gasped.

Here was my favorite car. An Aston Martin V12 Vanquish S, the most beautiful vehicle ever built. I would have preferred black, but it had a ruby red paint job with some tasteful yellow custom designs and it still looked great. I stopped admiring the car long enough to check out the driver and groaned.

There wasn't one. The door popped open.

I jumped to my feet and held up my hands in front of me. "Oh no. Oh, oh no. I'm tired of taking rides with strange aliens. I've had enough. Go away."

A familiar voice came from somewhere in the car. "Bravura, you have to remember me. It's Hot Rod. Come on, get in now. Barricade is looking for me. I lost him but it won't last long. We can help you."

"Who? The Autobots?"

"Yes!" He was getting a little frantic and his engine revved. "Please get in," he pleaded. "I know they've tried to scare you. Whatever they've done or threatened to do, we'll stop them. You've got to trust me-"

I heard Barricade's sirens before I saw him. He skidded around the corner a short way down the street in front of Hot Rod. The Aston Martin barely had time to back up and turn himself around before Barricade was on him like a rabid dog.

I heard him call, "There's nothing I can do here. I'll bring help, Bravura!"

And then he was gone down the street. I sighed in admiration. He could do 0 to 60 in four seconds.

Barricade chased him to the intersection like rottweiler after a greyhound, then turned around and came back to me. The door swung open sharply and I got in without being told.

xoxox If you get a chance, look up a pic of Hot Rod's vehicle mode. He's lovely. More of him next chapter!

(bb 2010: this reminds me, I haven't chosen a new alt mode for OE Hot Rod… must fix…)
Edited March 12, 2010