A/N: Just to let you know now, this chapter is rated M for violence (better safe than sorry). I had a lot fun writing this chapter. Special thanks to my husband for helping me overcome writer's block. Please enjoy; this chapter goes out to all you Barricade fans out there! Don't forget to review!

Disclaimer: Don't own TF's; Hasbro does.

Chapter Seven: Turning the Tables

"We're not getting anywhere with this. I'm tellin' you he's onto us," the agent riding shotgun said to his partner. They had been tailing Barricade for the better part of half an hour and all the police cruiser had done was give them one of the nicest tours of Mission City they had ever had.

"Quit your grumbling. He's just trying to blend in with the surroundings, you know, cop stuff. Besides, we've been trailing far enough behind I know he hasn't seen us. Dr. D's equipment hasn't failed us yet, has it?"

"Well, no it hasn't," the other shorter agent replied. He fingered the small scanner he held in his lap. "Dr. D" had designed it to pick up Cybertronian energy signals from great distances, making any type of reconnaissance mission fairly easy. "But I've got a funny feeling about this…" he trailed off and licked his pale lips.

"You've always got a funny feeling, Charlie. Give it a rest, will ya?" Dawson turned his attention back to the road. Despite his assurances, he too was beginning to feel a little uneasy about the mission. Dusk was settling around the city and they had entered the "rougher" side of town. Blocks and blocks of abandoned and "semi-abandoned" warehouses lined the streets. As of now, the signature was leading them down the eastside of the rail yard. Homeless persons cried out to the dark vehicle, while others stalked in the shadows and hid their faces from view.

"Hey, this a perfect hiding place, right Charlie?" Dawson said, trying to lighten the mood and drown out his own concerns. "Only the crazies and hobos live here and no one would believe them if they saw anything."

Charlie said nothing as he looked down at the scanner. Suddenly, the little blip they had been tracking disappeared all together. "Uh, Dawson. We have a problem. He's gone," the shorter agent said, a twinge of worry lining his pudgy features.

"What do you mean gone? That's impossible. Dr. D said that thing could pick them up within a 200-mile radius." Dawson reached over and grabbed the scanner from his partner. Sure enough the little screen was as empty as the banks on holiday. "What the hell?" He muttered under his breath.

Darkness had clothed the trainyard in inky blackness by this time. Dawson slowly pulled off the road and into a small alleyway. He quickly flicked on the cabin light and began giving the scanner a once-over.

"Hey, D-Dawson, we have c- company of the cop kind," Charlie stuttered. Dawson whirled around, drawing his specially modified handgun at the same time. Another one of Dr. D's inventions, the handgun was designed to fire bullets that were hot-loaded for a magnesium burn. It was one of the few weapons with any potency to harm the NBEs.

However, Dawson relaxed marginally, when he saw a human officer step from the vehicle. In the flashing of the lights, Dawson observed that car was a solid color, not black and white as their subject had been. On another comforting note, the headlights were wrong for this cop car to be a Mustang. He instantly recognized the distinctive Dodge Charger shape.

The officer approached their vehicle with flashlight in hand. A few seconds later and he knocked on the glass. Dawson cracked the window and waited to be addressed by the officer.

"Is there a problem, gentlemen?" the officer inquired.

"No, sir," Dawson replied with a grin. "We're just trying to figure out how to work this confounded navigation system. We just bought it, you see, and thought we'd give it try coming back from our business meeting."

"Well, I hate to inform you, sir, but yes, you do have a problem," Dawson blinked several times as he watched the officer lower his head to hide an evil grin.

"What do you mean, officer?" asked a genuinely confused Dawson.

"Me."

When the officer looked back up, Dawson noticed too late the officer's name badge. Officer B. Kade. The sound of metal grinding on metal assaulted his ears as Dawson turned and saw the cruiser begin to change shape.

"Oh SHIT! Run Damn it, run!" He cried, as he made to open the door of the SUV. The "officer" easily held the door in place, barring him from exiting. Charlie had all ready made his escape, running like a fox before the hounds down the alley. Before Dawson even thought of crossing the short distance to the passenger side door, two massive hands grabbed the SUV on either side. The ear splitting screech of protesting metal accosted him, and he quickly tried to bring the gun to bear. Suddenly, the roof collapsed as if a wrecking ball had been dropped onto the vehicle. Glass shattered everywhere, covering the terrified human in glittering shards. Again and again, the robotic being struck the roof until the SUV was a fraction of its original height.

As quickly as it had begun, it ended. Shaking like a pair of maracas, Dawson cracked an eye open and viewed his position from the vehicle's floorboard. Silence. Was it over? Twisting and groaning he managed to turn himself around and stare through the crumpled metal that had once held the windshield. Nothing. He chanced a glance around, and saw to his horror that the SUV had been systematically crushed to eliminate every possible exit.

Then he felt, rather than heard the footsteps. The vehicle lurched violently upwards and Dawson knew that the non-biological entity had picked it up.

"Finish me, damn it!" he cried, claustrophobia slowly taking its hold on him.

"Not just yet, fleshy," a deep baritone, metallic voice filled the vehicle. "I'm not quite finished with you yet." A deep chuckle followed those last words. Dawson paled, and totally lost all his self-sacrificing bravado. "Please, PLEASE let me go. I'll…I'll tell you anything! Anything you need to know…want t-to know. Just please let me go!" Tears were streaming down his cheeks by this point, mingling with the blood from the cuts on his face.

Barricade ignored the man's pleas and continued the short trek to the rail yard. He soon came to a large crossing; pure malice filled all four of his optics and an evil grin split his face. Placing the crumpled vehicle in the center of the tracks, he knelt down to bid the human farewell.

"You and your people will regret the day that you believed you could deceive a Decepticon, maggot!"

"What in the hell are you talking about?" Dawson cried, desperation ringing in his voice.

"Did you honestly think you could track me, and believe that I would not notice? You are more foolish than the Autobots," the interceptor growled. Dawson cringed at hearing the mockery in the alien's voice.

A train horn pierced the short silence that had fallen between the two. "Well, earth scum, it looks like you have a train to catch." A deep, evil laugh resonated high above Dawson. "I wouldn't want to keep you waiting." He heard the strange sound of the being transforming back into its vehicle form, and then heard the powerful revving of an engine.

"Wait! You can't leave me here! You son of bitch!" But his words were drowned out in the peeling of tires and the wail of a train horn.

"Oh, Lord in heaven forgive me…"

From a secluded alleyway across the tracks, Barricade watched with morbid fascination as a large fireball erupted from the crossing. Shrapnel and flames engulfed the passenger train's engine before the train itself derailed and sent several cars scattering across the yard. Barricade could hear the cries of trapped, injured and dying; it was music to his audios. It had been too easy. For once Starscream's advice about changing his alt mode had been useful. His thoughts drifted back to the scene before him. As much as he would have loved to stay and revel at the carnage, he still had one more squishy to take care of.

Charlie briefly paused two alleyways over from where the initial attack had occurred. He heard no sound of pursuit, or for that matter any sound indicating his partner had made it out alive. All of a sudden, he heard a large explosion followed by a loud shriek of metal coming from the direction of the train yard.

"Oh my God," he whispered. Wiping his brow, he took several steps backwards before continuing his flight. Charlie covered another 100 yards before he had to pause and stop for breath again. Even as a child he had never been in the best of shape. He stood in another alley, hands on his knees breathing heavily. Small droplets of sweat dripped from his nose to the filthy pavement.

The soft purr of an engine drifted across the stillness. With a start, Charlie looked up to see the black and white Mustang sitting at the end of the alley. "No, no, no, no, no…" the man mumbled, fleeing in the opposite direction. The Sector Seven agent tripped and stumbled over various bits of debris littering the small street. He glanced over his shoulder stunned that there was no giant alien robot pursuing him. Not wasting another moment, he continued his mad flight out of the alley. Shortly after, he came to one last alley which led straight to a bustling street.

"Yes! That metal freak wouldn't think of revealing himself this close to this many people," Charlie exclaimed to himself. Salvation was near at hand.

"Don't count on it."

A powerful hand grabbed the short man on the shoulder and whipped him around. Charlie paled to a ghostly, almost translucent white as he stared into the crimson eyes of the police officer who had spoken with them earlier. Glancing over the broad shoulder of the "officer," Charlie gulped loudly when he saw the black and white interceptor.

"P-P-PLEASE! Don't kill me! P-p-please! I'll give anything you want! Just don't kill me...we were only following orders…we…"

"Silence! You babbling worm!" A vicious backhand blow caught the groveling human square on the jaw, sending him careening into the brick wall lining the alley.

"I believe you humans use the phrase 'you're under arrest' for situations like this," the dark-haired officer said oily. He reached down and grasped Charlie just above the elbow on the underside the arm and twisted—hard. With a sharp crack the bone broke causing the frightened man to howl in pain.

Barricade pulled the screaming human to his feet (using the broken arm) and clamped a hand firmly over his mouth. "You're coming with me, meatbag. I have a few questions for you. Answer them and I might let you live." Kicking like a rabid mule, Charlie fought the iron grip that held him, but to no avail. Within seconds he was tossed into the rear of the Mustang, the seat belts wrapping around him like pythons, firmly holding him in place.

The Saleen reversed and drove back into the forest of warehouses and dilapidated buildings. Several unsettling minutes later, the cop car entered a very old warehouse. Releasing the seat belts, Barricade opened his passenger side door and allowed the human to crawl out.

Charlie literally crawled away from the cruiser doing his level best to get away from the metallic demon. Barricade transformed smoothly, and watched with disgust as the human wormed his way away from him. Taking two steps he easily overcame the fleshling, snatching him up with one clawed hand.

The human cried out in pain and fear, but a quick shake of Barricade's hand silenced him. "Now, answer me, worm. Why were you following me?"

"Y-you'll let me go if I tell you everything?" Charlie stuttered, fear permeating the air around him. Barricade nodded his head one time.

"Promise?" the human pressed.

"Yes, I promise fleshbag, but only if your answers are satisfactory," Barricade growled, a hard glint in his blood-red optics. "Now ANSWER ME!

Charlie gulped loudly, but answered the question. "We were sent by Sector Seven to follow you to your base of operations."

"Sector Seven was disbanded after the Battle of Mission City," the Decepticon rumbled, narrowing his optics to red slits.

"Officially, yes, we were. But shortly after that a benefactor took up our case. Some of us weren't ready to throw in the towel, you know. So this guy hired those of us who wanted to continue and kinda like turned the agency into a private operation, you know? So now, we work for him."

"Who is this benefactor you speak of?"

"I don't know." Barricade's grip tightened around the pudgy agent. "I really don't know!" the man gasped. "No one does except for Miller. He calls him the Commander."

The fist loosened ever so slightly.

"Who is this Miller?"

Charlie took a moment to catch his breath then continued, sweat pouring from his brow all the while. "He's like our SIC. Whatever the Commander wants, he tells Miller and then Miller tells the rest of us."

"What does he want now, and what does it have to do with us Decepticons?" Things were getting interesting now; Barricade brought the human closer to his face, so close Charlie could see his reflection in the creature's optics.

"He-he wants a girl named D-Dezba Collins. I don't know why. Only that she was supposed to be killed, until one your allies interfered. They had to cover up her disappearance somehow, so they staged a mock suicide note. I think they're hoping it will keep the legit fuzz off their backs, you know? That's when me and Dawson were dispatched to follow you, hoping that you'll lead us to her, that is if you haven't killed her yet."

Barricade chuckled darkly. "Perhaps we have, fleshy. What about it?"

"Well, I guess you made our life a little easier," Charlie replied, not sure if it was a trick question or not.

"Why is she so important to Sector Seven?" Barricade suddenly demanded. A hot fire lit his optics.

"I don't know that either. Only that we needed the mom too. Something about their family history having something to do with a great treasure, I don't know. Miller seemed to think they were loose cannons, a threat. He doesn't even want those other aliens to know about them."

"Hmmm. Interesting. Very interesting indeed," the Con mused to himself. "You've done well, fleshie. Now, answer this one last question in order to gain your freedom." A wicked gleam flashed over Barricade's visage, but Charlie didn't seem to notice. He placed the human back onto the ground. Barricade then transformed his hand into his spiked flail, carefully observing each and every point. "Where can I find this Miller?" He asked, not even casting a glance at the human who was edging away from him.

"He'll be at the main base. A place called the Boneyard. That's all I know. Can I go now?"

Barricade gave his flail a slight turn before replying. "Yes, leave before I change my mind, earth germ." He grinned to himself, observing the mirror-like sheen on his weapon.

Charlie quickly edged his way around the metallic monster, and then sprinted across the empty floor as fast as his legs could carry him.

Without warning the Decepticon whirled around in a blur of black and white wind and impaled the fleeing human through the back. A gurgled scream was quickly extinguished as Barricade flicked the spikes and sent the body flying into the far wall. A soft thump was heard and then silence.

"Awe. Looks like I changed my mind. Too bad," the Decepticon scout suppressed a laugh then stored his flails away. "Barricade to Starscream."

"Yes, Barricade?"

"I'm enroute back to base."

"Affirmative See you shortly. Starscream out."

Barricade quickly transformed into his alt form and peeled out of the warehouse. Fun time was over.