A/N: Text messages are in italics. Cybertronian Wi-Fi comm-link is in bold.

A Trip to the Skate Park

Chapter 6: The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

Soundwave's original plan had been to rocket straight to Earth, (which was, in his opinion, a stupid name for a planet, and he had every intention of sharing that opinion with the other Decepticons) plunging through the planet's atmosphere like a mighty meteor, and destroying everything in his path. That was the plan. At least until he saw the curious device orbiting the planet. It would be prudent to take a closer look. After all, the human wasn't going anywhere, he could exact his revenge shortly, and if the device turned out to be worthwhile, it would be worth the stop. If not, he'd destroy it and continue on.

He slowed considerably, pacing the object, joining its orbital path. He scanned it carefully, and was pleased that he'd stopped. It was human, pathetically crude compared to Cybertronian technology, but it was one of their communication satellites.

Soundwave latched on to it delicately, so as not to damage the fragile metals of earth. His protoform retracted from its protective casing, and he latched on to the satellite with a firmer grip, letting his head take its normal form, face mask raised, but the rest of him... well that was far from normal. He rode the device piggy-back, like a strange parasite, letting near-organic cables snake their way into its innermost workings. Soon he had a continuous flow of information, not only from the people on the planet, but from other satellites.

Soundwave was in the know. He could find almost anyone, anywhere. And, while he had not tested the theory, he was quite sure he'd be able to use the satellite to channel his telepathy, amplifying its power, allowing him to scan beings on the planet.

He sent his message to Barricade.

Barricade was more than a little shocked to receive orders from Soundwave, demanding he go to specific coordinates, which, just so happened to be about an hour outside Mission City. True, he was used to being ordered around, he was just a soldier, a scout, it wasn't up to him to make the important decisions, merely to do as he was told. Indeed, the shocking bit was that he'd had no idea that Soundwave was even on Earth, and that definitely made him wonder. With N.E.S.T. fully operational, and a complete Autobot base being built he didn't think it would be possible to for any new Cybertronians, friend or foe, to make a landing on the planet anonymously. Clearly he'd been wrong.

He drove the speed limit. Changing from his police guise had caused him a few problems, one of which—he could no longer speed properly. He really didn't want to attract attention from the human police, it could cause unnecessary complications. So he kept to the limit, and used the time to think.

Barricade supposed that Soundwave would want a status report. That was highly likely. He also supposed that Soundwave would want to know why, exactly, he had not participated in the battle at Mission City. That was easy enough. He'd been delayed by the fight (and wreckage from it) between Optimus Prime and Bonecrusher, and by the time he'd arrived, he knew the Decepticons were on the losing side of the battle. Barricade was no coward, but he wasn't stupid either. Why get himself turned to scrap fighting a lost battle when instead he could live to fight another day? He did, however, hope that someone had already informed Soundwave of Frenzy's fate. Barricade didn't want to be the one to tell the much larger mech of his creation's fate. Soundwave was much older, and much larger than Barricade. He didn't really want to fight him unless it was unavoidable.

Unfortunately, Barricade was well aware that Soundwave wouldn't take his mere word for granted. Oh, no. He would be mentally scanned. He had no fear really. Soundwave's telepathic scans hurt, yes, but Barricade was definitely no stranger to pain. He didn't like the feel of it. The feel of Soundwave's essence, his presence sliding through his processors, seeming to turn into a living entity that slid through his hoses and cables like the energon he needed to survive. It was a rather... off-putting sensation. So, while he didn't relish what was to come, he didn't fear it.

After all, he had nothing to hide.

Sam spent the day with Bumblebee.

The first thing they'd done, was go to AutoZone. This was not Sam's idea. In fact, Bee had deliberately taken the steering controls from Sam, and drove them into the AutoZone parking lot. It was enough of a hint.

He dutifully followed Bee's holo into the store, and spent a good thirty minutes buying every kind of car washing supplies known to man. Bee had stood there grinning at him, as he paid the tab, which came to exactly $119.26. As they left the store and walked to Bee's (real body? Other body? It was kind of confusing to Sam) he said, "I guess you'll be wanting a bath?"

Bee just grinned even wider.

Sam delivered his most put-upon sigh. "Fine, but it's gonna cost ya. And it's gonna have to be later 'cause Mom will never leave me alone if I don't get some new jeans. She says I look homeless."

Sam stopped just in front of the bright yellow Camaro, and looked down at himself. Sure, his clothes were a little... worn.. but he didn't think they were a walking advertisement for vagrancy. Of course, he also didn't know how to look at things like a woman would (who did?) so maybe his Mom was seeing something he wasn't.

Pulling himself out of his thoughts, he walked to the Camaro's passenger side, and informed Bee, "You're driving, since you can't seem to exercise self-control. Shame on you Bee, it's what separates us from the animals."

Bee threw back his head an laughed. When Sam settled into his seat (and oh, it felt so good having him there) he adjusted the radio station.

You and me, baby, ain't nothing but mammals, so lets do it like they do on the Discovery Channel...

Sam could feel himself starting to blush, which was ridiculous, as he knew full well that Bee was only joking around... even though a small traitorous part way deep down wished he wasn't. "Haha, very funny. Real cute, Bee. But, I hate to break it to you, you aren't a mammal." Sam glanced over at Bee, and faltered somewhat. Was he just imagining things, or was the look Bee giving him rather... heated? No, it couldn't be. Bumblebee had already made his feelings clear. But still, more flustered than ever Sam said, "Can we—can we just go and get me some pants now?"

Bee briefly considered telling Sam that he didn't need to wear any pants, but read the boys hormone levels and decided against it. As it was, the song was enough to embarrass him. Smiling to himself, Bee pulled out of AutoZone, and started making his way to the nearest department store.

Later that day, Sam and Bee parked at the look out, under the shade of the tree. Sam lounged, stretched out on Bee's hood as they listened to music. Occasionally, they'd talk, but mostly, the just relaxed and enjoyed each other's company. Sam decided he was glad Bee had left his holo turned off. For some reason, he felt having the holo-Bee present would make him... less comfortable.

Not that he didn't enjoy having the holo version of his friend with him. Since Bee had gotten his holo-projection unit fixed, the most he'd really used it for was kicking Barricade's tires and helping Sam's Mom out in her garden. Today, had given Sam an idea of just how liberating Bee's holo would be for their friendship.

They'd been so limited in what they could do together before. For instance, if he'd taken Bee to the store before, poor Bee would have had sit in the parking lot while Sam went in alone. Today, though, Bee had come with him, and Sam had actually gotten an idea why women always went shopping in groups. It was more fun than going alone. He'd picked up a pair of jeans, eyeballing the size, and Bee had said, "Wow, those'll make your ass look huge." Hell, Sam was still laughing about that.

And they hadn't even been to the movies yet.

The fact that Bee was a girl magnet hadn't gone unnoticed by Sam, either. Women had been going out of there way to get Bee's attention, not that Sam could blame them. All it took was one look at his soft, blond, windblown hair, or his gentle blue eyes, or his full lips, and he knew he—

… Dear God, what was he thinking?? How could he possibly be thinking that kind of stuff about his best friend? One, that, in Sam's opinion he was lucky to still have considering his relationship with Barricade. What was his problem? Was he just—

Blessedly, his cell phone, gave a quick buzz, followed rapidly by another. He had a text message! Something to keep his mind off his current line of thinking, which was definitely disturbing. He shifted slightly, to give himself freer access to his pocket and pulled out his phone, so he could check the message.

Mikaela: I have 2 tell u. U need 2 know.

Sam: What?

Mikaela: Bumblebee is n love with u.

Sam stared dumbly at the last message. Was she smoking something? There had to be some mistake. Mikaela must have some wires crossed. Either that, or she just wanted to get Sam to stop seeing Barricade. He'd known she wasn't too thrilled about the idea when he'd taken Cade to her uncle's shop for repairs. Still, he didn't think she'd stoop to lying about something like this just to interfere with his relationship. He answered her: I think u have some wires crossed.

Then a few seconds later,

Mikaela: No. He loves you.

Sam: How do you know?

Mikaela: He told me.

That bit of news gave Sam pause. It was so frustrating tapping out each message a letter at a time, but he didn't want to call her, not when Bee could hear everything they said. Sam sighed and thought for a few minutes. She said that Bee told her. He really couldn't see her lying about something like that. So, what? Was Bee trying to get Mikaela to play match-maker?

Sam: He wanted u 2 tell me?

Mikaela: No. He will rat me out 4 it.

Sam: ???

Mikaela: To Ratchet.

Sam: U like Ratchet?

Mikaela: That's not the point! I told u on my own.

Sam: Why?

This time, her answer took longer, but finally:

Mikaela: Cuz I think u love Bee 2.

Barricade was in the middle of the desert. No trees, no hills, and most importantly, no Soundwave. That made him anxious. He knew he'd gotten the coordinates straight, so why wasn't Soundwave here to get on with the debriefing? He decided it was best if he waited. He let himself settle on his axles just a touch, and then he exploded.

Or, at least, that's what it felt like. He'd gone from mentally bitching about the gritty feel of the sand underneath his tires, to planet consuming pain. He felt as though a wild animal had burrowed its way into his internal mechanisms and started clawing at his delicate inner workings... clawing and ripping them apart unmercifully. He started gearing himself up, trying to fight the pain so he could begin to launch a counter-attack, but he didn't know what to attack, there was nothing there.

Then he felt it. The unbearable coldness as Soundwave's telepathic power, increased to the nth power, superimposed some of Soundwave's own reptilian personality on to Barricade's. His processor cracked under unrelenting pressure, and soon, he was seeing flashes of memory as Soundwave saw them: Sam bringing him to overload status in the grassy clearing, himself kicking Bee's tires as Bee's holo kicked his, his holo using Sam for pleasure, taking him from behind at Mikaela's, the battle with Bumblebee that got him there, watching Sam eat cookies at Gramma's house, all those things and more, flashed before his optics in the blink of a human eye as Soundwave perused his thoughts as though reading a good book.

When the onslaught against his processors ceased, Barricade wanted to sag on his axles with relief, but held himself still. He didn't know where Soundwave was, and it was unwise to show weakness. He waited for Soundwave to either blow him to slag or open a wi-fi communication channel. Soundwave's did the latter.

Explain.

The battle at Mission City was destined for failure when I arrived--

About the boy.

I know his movements. I have gained his trust, Sir.

Barricade caught a hint of Soundwave's distaste through the comm-link, And you're interaction with him?

Barricade mentally shrugged. I saw no reason not to enjoy myself. Besides it created an added bonus. Unable to contain it, Barricade's glee was obvious to Soundwave as he transmitted, The boy has fallen in love with me.

Does the old woman have any significance?

Only in that she adds to my credibility. The misunderstood Decepticon, befriending old, crippled fleshlings... so much easier to trust. To Love. I have even gained the yellow Autobot's trust, to a lesser degree.

Soundwave considered Barricade's words. He'd always thought of Barricade as little more than a pawn that did only as he was told. He'd underestimated the Decepticon scout's taste for inflicting agony. It was easy to cause pain with rendered flesh and bone, with brutal physical force. It was far more difficult to bring about the true agony of psychological suffering, something that, as a telepath, Soundwave had a great appreciation for. He knew from the millions of communications he monitored through the satellite, as well as the plethora of information available on the Internet how much of themselves people put into loving one another. Physically, emotionally, mentally. He knew that Barricade's betrayal would wound the boy far more deeply than any mortal cut or blow. He was pleased.

You know what you have to do?

The ferocity of Barricade's answer was a pleasant surprise for Soundwave...

With pleasure.

Sam thanked God that Bee wasn't one to pry. He hadn't even asked who was texting Sam, probably figuring that if Sam wanted to share, he would. Sam didn't want to share. Not at all. He'd been sitting for a couple of hours, trying to look relaxed and only half-assed paying attention to the radio, all the while, his brains were running around in circles.

And he'd accomplished nothing.

In fact, rather than being productive, his brains had started to feel like a large lump of mashed potatoes inside his skull. The only thing he'd decided upon for certain was Mikaela's honesty. He believed she was telling the truth. He'd also decided he wanted to find out a bit more about her crush on Ratchet. As crotchety as the old medic could be, it was bound to be interesting. As for that last bit though, about him being in love with Bee, well, he'd decided not to examine that too closely for the time being. Instead, he was looking at the other side of it, Bee's side. Could Bumblebee be in love with him? That seemed a little far-fetched. Though, when he thought about, it seemed even more far-fetched that Barricade would love him, after all, he was a Decepticon. He thought back, examining the fight between Bee and Barricade. At the time, Sam had thought the viciousness of the fight had merely been a Decepticon/Autobot sorta thing, at least on Bee's side of it. Bee had already known that Barricade wouldn't hurt Sam, he'd seen them together at that clearing. Now he was starting to think Bee's blood-thirst had been fueled, not by an ages long feud between sides, but by jealousy.

Bee shook himself lightly under Sam to get his attention. "It's getting late Sam. We should probably get back to the house."

"Yeah." Sam was a little reluctant to go. Despite, the recent addition of confusion, and mashed-potato brains, Sam had enjoyed being with Bumblebee, and didn't really look forward to it ending.

He slid off the hood, and climbed into the passenger seat. At once, he was presented with a new problem. Before Mikaela told him about Bee's feelings, he'd always been extremely comfortable sitting inside Bee's car form. Now, though, he was very aware of his hands, and what they might be touching. He settled them in his lap instead of letting them flop down all over the place like he normally did.

If Bee could tell he was tense, he didn't comment on it. The ride back to his house was uneventful, and after a few minutes, Sam was almost able to get himself back to normal. This was Bee, he told himself, it didn't matter where he put his hands, or how he sat.

When they got back to Sam's house, it was no surprise that Barricade was parked along the street waiting for him. As they pulled in the driveway, Cade started his engine and pulled forward, parking behind Bumblebee.

Cade's holo walked up as Sam was getting out of his seat. He gave a curt nod in Bee's direction, clearly trying to be polite, sort of, and hugged Sam gently. "Did you have a good day?"

Sam grinned. He couldn't help it. Seeing Cade made him feel light and happy, and for a few minutes, his problems ceased to exist. "I had a great day. What about you?"

"Not bad," Barricade lied smoothly, "I spent the day with Gramma, trying to redeem myself at cards."

"Did you?"

"Not at all. Have time for a ride? I'd like to catch up." He gave Sam a look that said talking wasn't all that was on his processor.

"Well, its 9 o'clock now, curfew's at 11. So, I have a little time, anyway."

"I can live with that."

Sam patted Bee's door. "See ya when I get home, Bee?"

"Of course."

Smiling, Sam walked around to Cade's passenger door. His smile tried to falter when thoughts of Bee's feelings flitted through his mind, but he heaved it back into place. Bee was already aware of the situation, and he certainly couldn't start ignoring Barricade now.

Sam slid into the seat, as always, enjoying the way the leather seemed to mold to his body, as if Cade was trying to get as close to him as possible. He'd thought they were probably going to go to the clearing they'd went to before, but evidently he was wrong because Cade turned in the opposite direction. They were silent for a bit, and Sam watched Cade's dark haired holo 'drive'.

"Where are we going?"

Cade answered him first with a grin, "It's a surprise."

Sam leaned over the center console and licked Cade from his collarbone to his ear. He gasped when he suddenly found himself into Cade's arms, held harshly in a crushing embrace that was both desperate and a little frightening. He opened his mouth, at Cade's quietly frantic urging, only to find the velvety softness plundered by the warmth of Cade's tongue. Sam squirmed in the too-tight embrace, struggling to get closer to Cade, to press fully against him. His cock was a hard throbbing ridge in his jeans, and his stomach tightened with need, with anticipation of Cade's touch that would, oh, please God, come soon.

And then it ended. Cade pushed him gently back to his seat, and buckled the seat belt around him. "When we get where we're going, Sam."

"Where are we going?"

Cade rolled his eyes. "I already told you it was a surprise."

"Worth a shot."

Looking around, Sam realized they'd already left Tranquility, heading West, toward a small industrial town called Marksville. Normally, it was about a 45 minute drive, Sam had been there a few times, but Cade, usually so watchful of the speed limit, was clearly in a hurry, because only enough minutes to equal about half of that had gone by, and already they were almost there. Just in case, he put his hands in his lap. If they did get pulled over, Sam really didn't want the cop to see the bulge pushing up under his zipper. Cade chuckled lightly at Sam's antics, and received a shitty look for his mirth.

Another few minutes went by, and they were cruising through the center of the town, heading for the out-laying area of closed and condemned factories and warehouses on the outskirts of the dying town. Sam heard the soft snick of the door locks engaging, and started to ask Barricade why he'd locked them when his seat belt tightened hard, lashing him to the back of his seat as effectively as an length of rope. He couldn't lean forward at all. He pulled at the belt, trying to get it to loosen up, and when that failed, he tried the buckle itself, only to find it locked.

"Cade? Cade what's going on?"

Cade's holo ignored him, then flickered out of existence. For the first time since Cade had initially shoved him into his Mustang alt on their first meeting, Sam's arousal abandoned him, and he started to feel the first twinges of fear.

Cade, now appearing driver-less, slowed down in front of a gigantic, dilapidated old factory. He drove around to the back, ignoring Sam's frantic and slightly panicky questions. Barricade stopped in front a large metal door that must have easily been twenty feet high and ten feet wide. He waited for only a second, and the door started rolling up.

"Cade, please. Tell me what's going on! Talk to me, Cade. Please..."

Leathery wings of panic and confusion beat inside Sam's chest and head. Cade was ignoring his questions, ignoring him, as though he didn't exist. He was bound to his seat, and locked in almost like he was Cade's prisoner, rather than his lover. The metal door rolled up far enough to allow Cade entry, and he idled in almost lazily, not bothering to depress the gas pedal.

Barricade's headlights didn't illuminate much inside the cavernous interior of the old factory. They reflected off the far back wall and indirectly lit some of the building to either side. The tons of equipment that was once housed there was removed, probably sold for scrap. It took a few seconds for Sam's eyes to adjust enough for him to see much more, and the little he could see, was enough to make him wish for blindness.

Terror turned his blood to sluggish ice crystals. Pain seemed to set his soul on fire. What he saw—the faint gleam of light reflecting on metal exoskeletons, and the bright glow of red eyes—confirmed his earlier observation and his deepest fears.

He was Barricade's prisoner.

He was the Decepticon's prisoner.

A/N: As always, thanks so much to everyone that takes the time to read this! I decided to set this a little before the second movie. I couldn't really make it blend in with the events of RoTF, and keep to the story as I'd originally intended. Anyway, I hope ya'll think this chapter is worth the wait, and I promise I'll start on the next one as soon as I can. Enjoy!

Xen