Disclaimer: I still do not own Transformers.
Chapter Eight:
Optimus Prime was horrified and angered at what he saw. Battle-hardened as he was, he had never expected Bumblebee to act in such a way, especially with his charges present. It was reckless and intolerable; not to mention flat out dangerous.
It was also strange that the ruthless Decepticon Barricade had mentioned a human charge of his own.
Barricade, of all Decepticons, a Guardian? Optimus wondered if he had heard wrong, but as he replayed the message, he knew that he had not.
Optimus pondered that strange set of circumstances briefly, and then shook his head. Now, his priority was to find and order Bumblebee to stand down before Sam and Mikaela were hurt.
He tried to get a hold of Bumblebee on the Autobot's personal frequency and snarled when he realized that the little 'Bot had blocked him out.
Sideswipe and Sunstreaker, who had been receiving a lecture for yet another practical joke that they had pulled before Prime had been contacted by Mikaela, were startled by Optimus Prime's livid yell, his demands for someone to answer him, the subsequent snarl and the utterly deadly look on his faceplate.
::Uh-oh, that can't be good.:: Sideswipe sent over their personal twin-bond frequency. Sunstreaker just nodded at his spark-brother's simple assessment. Somebody, most likely Bumblebee, was in for it. They looked at each other, and resisted the urge to shrug in front of their leader.
Optimus already looked like he was going to commit boticide.
::Who do you think it is?:: Sunstreaker asked his brother over their twin-bond, unable to contain his curiosity.
Sideswipe rolled his optics. ::If it's not us? Most likely the Younger Twins, or Bumblebee. Considering we heard Optimus cry out "Sam" and "Mikaela", my guess is Bee. Which sucks for Bee. Glad he's younger than us, means he gets the worst punishment.::
The Elder Twins smiled at each other. The smiles faded quickly though, as they looked at their leader, who was clearly fuming with unfettered anger. Their twin bond inadvertently drew them closer together - the twins held onto the bond for dear life.
Only one mech ever scared them enough to obey, only one mech held their allegiance completely and totally - and that was Optimus Prime. To see his anger so clearly upon his faceplate hit upon old fears they had had as sparklings.
Optimus' blue optics were ice cold as they stared at Sideswipe and Sunstreaker with extreme intensity. They knew it was not directed towards them, as his optics managed to look faraway even in their intensity, and yet it was still disturbing.
::That look freaks me out.:: Sideswipe sent to his twin, trying to feel his twin's notorious confidence, if only to make himself feel better, over the twin-bond.
::Brother... you and me both. Confidence. Come on. We are stronger than this:: Sunstreaker responded, trying to keep himself, and his twin, feeling good. It was hard though, as Optimus glared.
Primus, Optimus was scary at times. Like now. The red and blue mech, who towered over them, was staring with an intensity that Sunstreaker hadn't felt since he was a sparkling. He and Sideswipe instantly drew closer to one another as they waited for their leader to snap out of it. They both wondered what had their Prime so aggravated.
Optimus Prime then seemed to come out of it, and stared at the two bots closest to him with a chilling, yet desperate, look, further intriguing the Elder Twins.
Optimus activated an emergency comlink.
AUTOBOT EMERGENCY FREQUENCY ACTIVATED
::Silverbolt, I need you NOW for immediate transport. Jolt, Sideswipe and Sunstreaker, you three must come with me on an urgent mission, and Blaster, you are to stay on base and send me all vital communications and locations. Let the humans know we have an emergency, and that Silverbolt will be flying fast. I do not give a slag what their liaison may say, this is critical. Red Alert, keep the base safe.:: He hurriedly sent a datapack to all involved so they could have at least some semblances of an idea of what was going on in Tranquility.
Confusion and surprise erupted as each Autobot received the datapack.
Truth be told, Optimus was just as confused as the rest of them.
Sideswipe and Sunstreaker gaped at each other in horror now as they began to understand what had their leader in such disarray.
What the hell was Bumblebee thinking going after the Decepticon with his human charges present in his alt form? Was that human law enforcement officer truly real or just another one of Barricade's infamous ruses? And if she was a real human, why was Barricade protecting her? And what the pit was Bumblebee thinking? What the slag was going on?
While the Elder Twins didn't necessarily care for the fleshling organics, they knew Bumblebee and his love for the squishies, and this was not like him. They also knew the very strong bond that a Guardianship held. To deliberately place his charge in danger, with no care for the charge's life, was anathema to what a Guardianship meant.
Bumblebee was doing just that, and it was appalling to them. No matter the organics, just the very nature of the Guardianship bond had them wincing for Bumblebee's sake.
Sideswipe, the more knowledgeable of the Elder Twins, felt the danger in his very spark. He knew what Guardianship meant, to the very nature of the link, and he knew what a sudden loss of that link meant for any mech. He also knew that Bumblebee had already lost Sam once, and he was sure the mech's spark was still scarred from that incident.
Sideswipe was worried.
Sunstreaker, as his twin, felt it also, though he did not quite understand the very gravity of the situation as his twin did. Sunstreaker was not dumb, by any means, but he was also not fed by rationale or logic as much as his twin was.
Sunstreaker understood what Guardianship meant, and he knew the emotions of it, and ultimately what a rejected Guardianship could do. However, he did not truly know what it meant. For that, he relied on his brother to explain.
That explanation terrified him as Sideswipe whispered it to him.
Sunstreaker did not fear much. This, however... it was enough for any mech to fear, and with good reason.
Either way, both twins resolved that they would be in the thick of the matter. It was only natural, of course. They were front-liners, they were more than enough to deal with this type of situation. That arrogance sustained them both, fed their sparks, and made them grin at each other.
And yet, Sideswipe and Sunstreaker both pondered the other parts of this equation.
Barricade was a major part.
Barricade was one they regretfully respected. He was a good opponent, a worthy enemy, one who truly tested their abilities. He also was a pit-spawned maniac half the time. Still, he was a good opponent, far better than most Decepticons, and thus, one whom they would always grudgingly respect.
However, they still hated him. Hated him for what he had done to their mentor, hated what he had done to Prowl, hated what he had done to the older Autobots. They hated him, on principle. It was only natural. He was a Decepticon, after all. After all he had done, Decepticon or not, hate was their only natural recourse.
And yet... Barricade... protecting a human? Guardianship was almost always considered anathema to the Decepticons, and it was certainly anathema to Barricade. That mech hated organics... and yet, here he was protecting one. Supposedly.
It was strange to their audio inputs.
Barricade was not a loveable mech, either to Cybertronians or organics. He was cold, collected, and ruthless. He cared for no one. He was violent. He did only what was best for him, and for his missions. He cared not for any repercussions, and he cared not for the damage he did, on any planet. He only followed his mission, whether it led to blood and gore or a peaceful send-off.
Often, it led to blood, gore, and the Decepticons winning the battle.
And yet... the twins stopped musing.
No matter how strange the situation, the Elder Twins were going to be involved. They had to see how this was going to shape up. And hopefully be the heroes of the day, they sent to each other over their twin-bond frequency.
They grinned at each other darkly.
The two transformed into their alt modes and zoomed to the runway to meet Silverbolt, leaving Optimus standing next to the dilapidated hangar alone. He didn't notice, as he was too fixated on his own thoughts and fears.
Until Blaster practically screamed in his processor.
::Prime, that second contact just came up! It's an Autobot! Looks like it is a mile away from Bumblebee and the Decepticon; I am uploading their locations now!:: Blaster sent the information to the mechs as the others rushed to get everything ready to leave the Northern Arizona base.
At that, Optimus rushed to get everything ready, putting aside his moments of forgetfulness and inability to do anything.
Optimus was glad that they were not so far away from Tranquility. This was close to what he had feared when Blaster had informed him of the Decepticon contact in Tranquility. If they had been in Diego Garcia... Optimus tried not to contemplate the consequences of what the future would have held if that had been true. There was still hope then to stop Bumblebee.
There was hope, and that was important. This situation was not what he wanted, but it was occurring, and they had to put a stop to it before anyone got killed. Even if it meant helping a Decepticon. Optimus tried to shy away from how much that thought hurt him.
His audio inputs shrieked, however, with the next transmission.
::Optimus, what the frag is going on out there?:: Ironhide roared over the comlink.
Earth distances were miniscule compared to what the Autobot emergency frequency channel was designed to handle. Optimus winced as he wished he had remembered such a thing.
Optimus didn't respond, instead deciding on sending a compressed datapack of what was occurring in Tranquility to Ironhide and the other Autobots at the base at Diego Garcia. More roars of outrage, gasps of surprise, and what sounded suspiciously like William Lennox cursing in Cybertronian in the background of several feeds, which he no doubt had learned from Ironhide, were sent over the emergency channel in response.
There was a moment of silence on the comlink.
::Prime, are we certain that this is not a trap? Barricade is notorious for his ruses and ability to inspire and then break trust to acquire what he wants. I am not comfortable with just believing his datapack.:: Ironhide's communication was dark in tone.
::I am not comfortable with it either, Ironhide, however Barricade has opened his frequency to me, and judging by what I am seeing now… the situation must be handled, and Bumblebee must not be allowed to continue putting his charges in danger. Bumblebee is the primary situation we must deal with, Ironhide.::
Ironhide huffed at that. He was internally seething. Optimus was his Prime, whom he always respected, but there were times in which Ironhide doubted the Prime's ability to judge other mechs, and that Prime too often gave others the benefit of the doubt.
This was one of those times.
In his not-so-humble opinion, Ironhide agreed with Bumblebee that the Decepticon was lying about the supposed human and that it was really a holoform. Barricade was one Cybertronian he would never trust again.
Ironhide scowled. He was furious.
Ratchet sighed, as he spoke now on the comlink, ::Fireflight, Ironhide, Arcee, Lennox, Epps, an additional team of seven humans and myself are already on our way. We left after your last transmission. I will request that Fireflight make this a top priority mission if you so wish. We are already close to the North American continent, and we shall be in Tranquility within a human three quarters of an hour, or less, if you make this top priority. Also, if you need to forcibly offline Bumblebee temporarily, please have Jolt be the one to do so. There will be less permanent damage that way.:: The concern in Ratchet's voice was clear to all.
::Of course. I affirm your order to Fireflight, Ratchet. Get there as soon as possible. As for Bumblebee, that is only if I do not arrive there first and offline him myself.:: Prime responded darkly as he stomped to the concrete runway. He was at least glad to hear that his allies were already well on their way from the small island of Diego Garcia to his current position on the North American mainland.
::Optimus, do not do anything rash. I do not wish to pick up the pieces of any youngling, no matter how much you wish to dismantle him!:: Ratchet warned harshly.
::You may warn me all you wish when you get here.:: Optimus replied shortly, in no mood to hear one of Ratchet's infamous temper tantrums.
Silverbolt was waiting at the runway in his alt form. The Elder Twins were already inside, while Jolt had been waiting for Optimus. They both transformed, Jolt driving into the silver C-5M Super Galaxy cargo plane, Optimus backing in behind him.
::Make it fast, Silverbolt.::
::Understood, sir.::
Optimus' alt form trembled. I just hope that we are not too late. Oh, Bumblebee… what have you gotten yourself into, youngling? Optimus cycled his vents in frustration as Silverbolt took off for Tranquility.
Maeve had aimed wide, praising the stars that the freeway had been cleared for them. The shots hit the pavement, flecks of asphalt pitching harmlessly in the air.
The young kids in the Camaro looked terrified as she perched precariously on the driver's side door panel of Barricade's Saleen form with the AR-15. She deliberately avoided aiming the assault rifle at the yellow Camaro, instead aiming for the asphalt around it. But the kids didn't know that. If it weren't for those kids, she probably would have shot the Camaro right in the heart of its engine block.
It was hard work, aiming around the yellow car that was trying so hard to kill her and Barricade, but she breathed in, then out, slowly, and brought the cool metal of the assault rifle to bear, closing one eye, finding her target, and then pressing the trigger softly.
And then again.
And again.
She didn't want those kids to get hurt, but it was hard-going at such high speeds and insane maneuvers by the Camaro and the one called Barricade whom she was riding on.
I'm shooting around a freaking Camaro that's trying to kill me, with kids inside, while perched on a sentient robot car named Barricade, of all things. What the hell have I gotten myself into? The thoughts briefly floated in her mind.
The Camaro still wouldn't stop, edging ever closer to the Saleen. Maeve saw the hit seconds before it came and tried desperately to slip her upper body back in the car in time. She had just managed to slip her head inside when Bumblebee slammed into Barricade's left side, the hardest hit he had given in this bizarre chase.
::Die, you worthless Decepticon!:: Bumblebee snarled harshly.
Barricade couldn't correct, his balance compensators completely failing as the impact sent him reeling in a wide spin.
The impact sent Maeve flying, her screams cut short as she slammed into the passenger side door frame, hard. She laid crumpled half on the floor and half on the seat, her arms sprawled this way and that, while blood began to pour down her face.
Barricade then smashed against the concrete divider with a sickening thump, coming to a screeching stop with a groan. His systems were screaming, warnings flashing haphazardly. He saw the woman inside him, and how she hurt, and fear struck his spark.
It literally hurt him. Excruciating pain was all he felt. His injuries should not have hurt him this much... until he realized.
He was in pain from not only his own injuries, but hers. He didn't know what to think about that. Only one thing mattered to him: she had to be alive. He could have been a half second from death, and he wouldn't have cared, so long as she was alive.
She had to be alive.
And if she was not, Barricade thought darkly, he would kill that moronic yellow youngling himself, rip him limb from limb, and feed his bastard of a spark to the planet-eater himself.
Barricade scanned Maeve's still body, terrified of the results. His spark beat slowly, painfully, as he awaited the results, and then... relief. Utter and sheer relief. His spark beat more normally.
She was alive, but unconscious. Her injuries were worrisome, and the large gash on her forehead was exuding a large amount of blood.
Barricade couldn't help but shiver as the organic's life source leaked its dark red liquid onto him. It was disgusting, but Barricade forced himself not to care. It may have annoyed him, but stopping that blood loss was key to her survival. He knew that much. He had to find a human, a sympathetic one, a human who knew Maeve, to help her survive.
To be honest, his own injuries were also worrisome and he wondered if he could even transform completely out of his alt form. The pain was excruciating, but he had to ignore it.
His rage helped.
He was livid over the yellow Autobot's attack, and Bumbletwit's strange and sudden disregard for human life. Barricade was furious as he stared at the still form of his charge and then to the angry yellow Camaro that was trying to screech to a stop, yards in front of him.
"You fraggin' glitch of a mech, do you have any idea what you've done?" Barricade roared with immeasurable rage as his alt form groaned in protest from his anger. All he wanted to do was kill the little bug, for what he had done. But he couldn't, no matter how much he wished to. She was more important. An organic, of all things. It killed him, and yet saved him.
Jack and the Charger pulled up next to Barricade at that moment, the look on Jack's face a mixture of disbelief and anger. Barricade couldn't help but cycle his vents in relief.
Here, at least, was a human that could help his human charge.
Jack bolted from the Charger to the Saleen, the look on his face grim... and angry.
"How is she?" Jack demanded, deliberately not contemplating the fact that he was speaking to an alien life form disguised as a car.
"Get in. We have to go, now." Barricade whispered, his tone still full of rage, opening his dented driver's side door. He didn't have much time before the Autobot came back to kill him. Jack exclaimed in anger as he knelt on the seat, pressing two fingers to Maeve's wrist. He sighed in relief that she was alive, but his anger was beginning to match Barricade's.
"What about my car?" He asked as Barricade revved his engine.
A dark chuckle managed to escape the Saleen as Barricade answered, "Your car will be just fine on his own."
Jack just stared at the dashboard, an alarmed look cascading across his face.
Bumblebee had finally screeched to a stop a few hundred yards away, popping his doors open. Mikaela and Sam flew from the car, eyes wide in fear as they jumped down the shoulder of the highway and laid flat on the warm red dirt. They watched as Bumblebee transformed to his bot mode, his battle mask set firmly in place.
"Bumblebee, STOP!" Sam screamed.
Bumblebee looked over at Sam and Mikaela, his faceplate completely unreadable. But his optics were the darkest red Sam had ever seen; Bumblebee's usual crystal blue color of the Autobots had disappeared entirely. This wasn't the Bee he knew. This wasn't his friend. This was something entirely different, and the depth of anger and fury reflected in Bee's deep red optics shook Sam to his core.
Mikaela trembled beside him at the glare Bumblebee gave them.
This distraction was all Barricade needed to get out of there. He accelerated faster than he ever had on this wretched planet, his aching joints and systems screaming in protest as he drove in the opposite direction down the freeway.
Bumblebee howled in frustration as Barricade flew down the road. He pointed his plasma cannons at the fleeing Saleen, and shot three bursts as he started to run towards the damnable Decepticon.
Barricade yelped in pain as one blast grazed his right rear corner panel. The other two were wide and he was able to evade them, pushing himself ever further to get the two humans within his alt mode to safety.
Jack was pushed back into the seat, while he held onto Maeve's limp cold hand. Barricade didn't know where to go, but he was going to get off this damn freeway and hide as fast as he could.
Bumblebee's attempt to transform to catch the fleeing police interceptor was cut short as the Dodge Charger in front of him, still sitting next to the place where Barricade had crashed, let out a short burst of furious Cybertronian.
::Bumblebee, you are to cease and desist this instant and if you do not, I will be forced to offline you permanently! THAT IS AN ORDER and you WILL abide! STAND DOWN NOW!::
Bumblebee stumbled and slid right onto his aft as the Charger began to transform. Bumblebee's optics clicked in surprise, his battle mask sliding back as the mech stood over him with a furious look that Bumblebee had ever only seen reserved for Decepticons.
Bumblebee whimpered in fear.
A/N: I realize the timing for Ratchet, Ironhide and the others to fly from Diego Garcia to California is totally not realistic - but my thinking is that since it's another Cybertronian, one of the Aerialbots, flying them, then he can go much faster than what human-made planes are capable of. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter!