Chapter Ten:
Explosions, screams and trembles from the earth surrounded Maeve as she found herself next to frantic police officers and… United States military personnel? The screech of F-22 Raptors above her caused her to instinctively duck. As she stared at the devastated city block in front of her, Maeve knew exactly where she was.
Rubble spread across the devastated block and tall buildings sported new scars as debris rained down. Screams echoed in her ears, and injured people clutched various body parts in pain, blood cascading down, as they moved past her; their eyes bloodshot, covered in dust, and wide-eyed in shock.
She was back in the city.
No. No, I can't be here again. This is a dream. It has to be. Oh god… no, no, no, NO!
She sprinted down the block of towering buildings, seemingly ignored by those around her. She knew this city like the back of her hand, and knew exactly where she was going. She didn't know what this was; a dream, a memory, some sort of alternative reality, she didn't much care. All she knew was that one thing was calling out for her. Further she ran, never out of breath, pushing herself on for one thing and one thing only.
She knew precisely what she had to find in the maze of debris and devastated city blocks.
She stopped abruptly when she found what she was looking for.
Herself, four long years ago, huddled next to the over-turned and half crushed MCPD patrol cruiser, begging for help as her partner was lying lifeless, mortally wounded in her arms.
Maeve hadn't realized how panicked and like a child she had looked and sounded at the time, blood streaming down her face from her own wounds as she screamed into the radio. Not that anyone could hear her; the communications had been knocked out by the virus that Frenzy had uploaded to the United States communications network.
She hadn't known then of course that the communications were inoperable.
All she had cared about then was help for her partner, the one who had taught her most of what she had known. The partner that was now drowning in his own blood.
"Please, someone, patrol 2-102; officer down, officer down! Somebody answer! PLEASE, I… I need help bad! Hello, anyone! Officer down! Help!" Maeve instantly sorrowed at how the other her screamed into the radio, her words haunting with their frailty and uncertainty.
The cavalry is scattered and broken, there's no one there to save you…
She watched as the other her clutched her fallen partner, knowing then as she did now that it was too late for him as he expelled blood onto her arms, had stained her with his last blood-mist breath. He had taken his last breath in her arms, his blood staining her uniform and the skin of her hands and arms.
She watched as the two army medics had rushed to the other her, hearing her frantic screams from the next road over. They had taken her partner with them on a portable stretcher even though it was too late for him. They knew it.
She had tried not to. Her mentor was gone. Even now the pain of losing him hurt her.
The other her sat with his blood on her hands, feeling each boom, boom, boom as the explosions, screams and earth tremors grew closer to her position. Maeve watched, knowing, feeling keenly, the shock and horror she had felt those years ago.
It was still so real.
Maeve looked around and noticed for the first time, the Saleen police cruiser watching the other her from across the street. It seemed so familiar... There was no driver, and yet it seemed to be wavering on some sort of decision as it rocked back and forth; before it finally revved backwards into an alley, hiding itself from full view of the street.
Wait… what?
That's when Maeve heard the deep growling voice, and her fear ran rampant in her veins, turning her blood ice cold. She turned back to the other her (that was strange to think), who was still crouched behind the ruined police cruiser, the uncertainty and fear frozen upon the other her's face.
"Get up!" She yelled at the memory or whatever it was of herself. "GET UP OR YOU'RE GOING TO DIE!"
Her fingernails were digging half-moons into her flesh.
Finally.
Finally, the other her bolted from the crushed car at the last possible moment as the explosions reached where she was. The other her cowered in fear as she saw the two robots or whatever the hell they were, one bright red and blue and the other a sort of shimmering grey fighting each other on the downtown street. Concrete, bricks, and other debris rained down upon her, and yet she felt nothing.
Maeve only simply watched the two robots fight each other, hearing their angered screams at each other, watching their desperate fight, watching as more debris rained down upon others. She also saw herself, trying to run away, only to be blocked by debris or by the robots fighting. The other her was terrified. She felt it, and tried desperately to focus on the other robots fighting. Repeatedly they fought, destroying city streets... destroying lives.
Maeve watched all of this with disbelief, reliving the memory and crying out as one of the things came close to squishing her. And then… the huge blue and red one was slammed into another building by the silver one, knocking Maeve, and the "memory Maeve" off their feet by the shuddering impact. At this point, both Maeves ran in the same direction, away from whatever the hell these things were.
Maeve kept looking back and to the front, and she noticed then that the Saleen police cruiser was following from a distance. She couldn't help but notice how it tried to hide every time the grey thing came into focus, came close.
Was that Barricade? She knew this to be a dream, a memory, but she did not remember seeing him during the actual attack. Were her memories playing tricks on her, now that she knew him? What the hell was Barricade doing here in her memories?
She stopped next to a building as the other her kept running in terror; she leaned against the building, catching her breath, taking in all that was occurring.
She watched as Barricade was slowly following her, keeping himself hidden as he did so.
Another earth tremor nearly knocked her to her feet, and she glanced up at that moment.
And that's when the shimmering grey robot thing, screaming harshly about a boy and a cube, had grabbed a silver early 2000s model minivan speeding down the street that Maeve had recognized all too well and flung it harshly and carelessly behind him as if it were nothing more than a worthless piece of tin.
"NO!"
Her screams echoed harshly as everything faded to black.
Bumblebee and Prowl were driving on a rural road, dust rising from their tires creating a swirling shimmering cloud behind them.
The sun was starting to set behind them, the earth's twilight echoing upon them; dark red, orange, and purple streaks speeding towards the advancing night.
"How much further?" Sam asked.
::Just up ahead there is an abandoned military airfield, that is where they have landed.:: Prowl responded over Bumblebee's radio.
"Prowl, do they know it's you? I mean, you didn't contact anyone and Bumblebee didn't know you were here…so…" Mikaela asked as they drove. Bumblebee let burst a small whine.
::They do not know I am alive. I cannot communicate with anyone that is farther than a quarter mile from myself, but I can hear their transmissions on emergency channels crystal clear.:: Prowl sighed bitterly as he sent the transmission.
Blasted re-entry wounds.
"Oh… that has to be irritating." Mikaela responded.
You have no idea, young human. Prowl thought darkly to himself.
::Prowl, why have you not unmasked your energy signature?:: Bumblebee asked with concern.
::I was unable to unmask it after landing. That program and my communications were damaged during my landing sequence. As it was, only after some… help was I able to unmask it. But only for brief spurts of time, and it used up excessive energon levels and computing time, and therefore was inefficient and a waste.:: Prowl said, with a low clipped tone.
Bumblebee sent him a few consoling Cybertronian beeps and whistles and then fell silent. He had noted the "some…help" part of the transmission, but he knew Prowl would never explain it to him. Prowl was a very secretive mech, and had been for millennia.
Before Prowl's disappearance, even Optimus had trouble at times securing personal information from the Autobot police cruiser.
They turned onto another dirt road, passing an ancient sign that proclaimed trespassers would be shot. Prowl was first as his Charger alt mode pushed through the rusting gates.
Sam and Mikaela gasped at the sight in front of them. An abandoned airfield was in front of them, and a huge silver military airplane was resting on the cracked asphalt of the runway.
Optimus was waiting for them in his alt mode. Next to him sat a blue Chevy Volt, a sleek silver Chevy Corvette Sting Ray, and a golden yellow Lamborghini Gallardo. Jolt was silent, while Sideswipe and Sunstreaker murmured to themselves.
Bumblebee squeaked in terror and slowed his speed, and Sam absentmindedly patted his dashboard.
The four Autobots in front of them transformed quickly when they noticed the black and white police cruiser Dodge Charger racing towards them. The Autobots all recognized the energy signature as Cybertronian but not the specific mech or his faction, and as such pointed their weapons towards the newcomer with wariness.
"Identify yourself." Optimus' voice was cool.
The Dodge Charger immediately transformed. Prowl kept his weapons systems offline and crossed his arms at his wrists to show he was not a threat. His cool blue optics stared back up at his Prime, and the others.
"Autobot Prowl, Chief Security Officer of the Autobot Special Forces. I apologize for being unable to achieve communication prior to today, Optimus Prime." Prowl couldn't help but sink to one knee, his head bowed reverently to his leader.
Optimus blinked once, then twice, in surprise. The other Autobots present, sans Bumblebee, were equally as surprised. Then slowly, a smile spread across Optimus' faceplate.
"Rise, my old friend. It is good to see you." Optimus rushed towards Prowl, and gathered him in an impromptu hug. Sunstreaker and Sideswipe smirked at each other at that. Prowl missed nothing, and simply managed to look rather uncomfortable as Optimus Prime wrapped his arms around him.
"It is, uh, good to see you as well, my Prime." Prowl's voice radiated with uncomfortable tension. He was still unused to emotional displays, especially organic-based ones, and Optimus couldn't help but smile at that as he pulled away. Typical Prowl.
"Indeed. I was hoping you would arrive here soon. How long have you been here on Earth?" Optimus asked, curious. He noticed Prowl shifting uncomfortably, a look of anxiety quickly crossing the mech's faceplate.
"I arrived on Earth several human months ago." Prowl responded, and Optimus gave him a look of surprise, and innate suspicion, which Prowl did not miss.
Prowl continued, "I was, ah, injured during the landing sequence and unable to communicate with anyone. However, I was able to hear all of your transmissions on the emergency and public channels." Prowl fell silent at that, and Optimus simply nodded. He did not miss the bitterness in Prowl's voice. He knew not to press Prowl for any more information, especially in front of the others. If there was more, Prowl would tell him in private.
"Ratchet shall be here soon, my old friend. He shall repair your communications errors. I cannot express how glad I am that you are here. You do not have to share what has happened to you until you are comfortable." Optimus' optics glowed warmly at the police mech.
Prowl responded with a weak smile.
Then, Optimus noticed Bumblebee, trying to blend in with the asphalt runway as much as he could… which being a bright yellow Camaro with black stripes, he was failing quite spectacularly at.
Immediately, Optimus tensed.
Prowl placed a warning arm against Optimus' chest.
"Bumblebee recognizes what he has done wrong. Bumblebee, please send Optimus the datapack of what has transpired, since I cannot." Prowl gave Bumblebee a pointed look.
Bumblebee cycled his vents in a sigh, and his front end bobbed twice in recognition. Optimus received the transmission, downloaded it, and read through all of it quickly. He compared it quickly to the transmission from Barricade, at least up until the point Barricade had fled with the humans, and saw no disparities.
It was enough for him.
Optimus nodded curtly at Prowl, and then turned to Bumblebee. He stared at the younger Bot with a mixture of disappointment and annoyance that was very clear to Bumblebee.
Bumblebee couldn't help the low whine that escaped his vocal processor. He was in serious trouble.
"Bumblebee, we will deal with your insubordination later. I am extremely unhappy with what has happened, but contrary to what Miss Mikaela has said, I will not offline you. You will, however, face punishment once we are able to return to base." Optimus said sternly.
Bumblebee groaned.
Optimus continued, "For the present, however, we have more pressing matters. Apparently, Ironhide and the others arrived just a short time ago from Diego Garcia; and without my approval, are now in route to the young law enforcement officer's home to encounter Barricade. Ironhide, apparently, believes as you did, Bumblebee, that the human police officer is a ruse. We must head there immediately, or this situation may turn out even worse than it already has." Optimus had a dire and unhappy tone in his voice that was apparent to all present.
Bumblebee let forth a whirl of whines and clicks. His mistakes this day were becoming even more dire than he had thought.
Sunstreaker and Sideswipe stared at each other. Without saying a word, they knew they didn't quite believe the datapacks that Optimus had sent them about the woman. They were more inclined to believe the mech that had taught them all they knew: Ironhide. Still, they also knew a pissed off Ironhide was not someone they wished to mess with.
Sunstreaker vocalized his unhappiness with that.
"Great, a pissed off Ironhide. He scratches my paint and I kick his aft to Alpha Centauri." Sunstreaker muttered darkly, which prompted a stern look from Optimus.
Sunstreaker managed to look entirely innocent as Optimus glared at him.
Sideswipe rolled his optics at his brother, and pointedly kicked him in the foot.
::Sunstreaker, don't piss him off, he's had enough with Bumblebee's stunts.:: Sideswipe sent over their spark-bond connection, and Sunstreaker cycled his vents in annoyance. Sideswipe always was the more "sensible" mech of the Elder Twins.
::Fine. But I am serious, if that psycho bot even scratches my paint but an inch, he's going to be in serious trouble. He may be our Teacher, but no one touches my paint and gets away with it.:: Sunstreaker huffed.
::Yeah, yeah, yeah, stop being a drama queen.::
Sunstreaker gave his brother a look of horror. ::Yeah, we'll see how you react when Ironhide scratches your paint. I bet you get just as angry as I would!:: Sunstreaker's pompous communication just made Sideswipe roll his optics again.
::Whatever, brother. Let's just get this over with and look damn good doing it:: With that, both brothers smiled wickedly.
Jack and Janet rushed into Maeve's home. Maeve was thrashing about on the table, moans and intermittent screams escaping from her lips. Her pale skin had turned to a ghastly white.
"What is happening, why is she making those sounds?" Barricade demanded from the backyard.
"I don't know! Jack, grab her arms and hold her down if you have to, she's going to hurt herself if we don't get her still!" Janet demanded and Jack hurriedly did as he was told. All three, the two humans and the one Decepticon, watched helplessly as Maeve continued to groan and whimper, trying to flail about even as Jack held her down as much as he could.
"Janet. It's the nightmares. It has to be, she hasn't been like this in months." Jack whispered to his wife, and Janet sighed. She stared at her young friend, her eyes radiating with sympathy and anxiety. Janet looked back at her husband.
"I think you're right. Shit."
At that point one statement escaped Maeve's lips, clear for all to hear and saturated with obvious pain.
"Just kill me, Dead End … just kill me." Maeve slumped then, all her previous frantic movements ceasing.
A single terrifying growl of rage echoed from Barricade's position in the backyard.
Jack and Janet both jumped at the sound, but they quickly exchanged nervous glances. They both knew the Decepticon had recognized the name that Maeve had just spoken.
"I knew it." Jack whispered softly. This was not the first time he had heard such words from Maeve. Janet also knew those words, had heard them often enough on her nursing shifts at the hospital while Maeve had been recovering from the incident.
"The nightmares aren't just nightmares, then, they must have really happened." Janet sighed as she gazed sadly upon the young law enforcement officer. Empathy coursed through her.
Maeve was terrified as the deep ruby optics stared down at her with a menacing look.
She cowered next to her smashed Crown Vic, her entire body screaming with pain. She had chased the thing in front of her, when it had been a black Audi R8 with red stripes for miles in the city of Tranquility, and then just outside of it.
Traffic had gone from heavy to nonexistent as she had chased the R8 at exorbitant speeds down what was a city highway to a two-lane country road. The R8 had toyed with her, trying to send her careening into a ditch and having to avoid the heavy traffic, and then speeding forward, and then toying with her again as the traffic around eased.
On and on, it had played its deadly game, each smash further destroying the Crown Vic, and jarring Maeve. It was no longer a public safety matter, this was personal now.
Maeve had been so red with rage she could hardly see straight.
And then suddenly the R8 had transformed into a giant metal robot, picking her Crown Vic up with its needle-sharp talons before she had time to react, squeezing the metal around her until suddenly it flung the car off the deserted highway.
Maeve had screamed in terror until the car had slammed into the ground with a nauseating crunch, the cruiser landing on its top. She had been momentarily knocked unconscious, hanging upside down, until the ground quivering beneath her had awoken her.
She had crawled out of the destroyed loyal cruiser, ignoring the horrendous pains that shot through her body as she crouched next to the ruined door panel. She pulled her handgun from its holster, unhooked the safety, and cocked the handgun.
Her breaths were ragged and shallow as she peeked above the chassis. The thing was looking at her, the deep ruby optics inspiring fear in her that she hadn't felt for years. They stared at her with a radiating curiosity, and... obsession.
Maeve shivered at the possessive look.
"Finally, I have found you. Oh, dear little squishy; your blood, your skin, sings to me like pure undiluted energon. Starscream shall be very pleased, my sweetheart, very pleased he shall be." The thing's deep voice rumbled to the very core of her being as she held her Glock 17 9MM close to her. She highly doubted her handgun would even remotely do any significant damage to the robot in front of her. She couldn't get to her SWAT bag, couldn't reach her AR-15. Even then, she doubted that even that high-powered rifle could do much to the metallic robot in front of her.
She was fearful, yes.
Really though, no matter how much fear ran through her veins, she was pissed. These things had destroyed her life, and her family. This one was talking like she was some commodity to be purchased, and it was practically purring over her in pleasure as its optics stared at her with possessiveness. Her body involuntarily shuddered at the thought.
The damn thing was just creepy, even without the whole giant-alien-robot factor. She had had enough.
"Who the FUCK are you?" She screamed in rage, and the thing chuckled.
"Feisty fleshling. Oh yes, Starscream shall be very pleased with you. As will I. Oh, you will be mine, little sparkling, this I promise you. You shall be Dead End's little beautiful human pet." He moved closer as he purred, reaching a metal clawed hand towards her.
Making up her mind, Maeve aimed directly for his optics. She sent a well-aimed shot towards one, then the other in quick succession. A furious metallic scream echoed amongst the arid desert landscape of the deserted road. Maeve couldn't help but smirk as she looked back up at the thing. It was clawing at its eyes, in apparent pain. Maeve took advantage of the situation, and edged towards the trunk of the Crown Vic.
She shot a bullet into the upside-down lock, and the trunk quickly dispelled her SWAT bag onto the ground. She hastily unzipped it, keeping tabs on the screaming and ranting robot that was still clutching its non-functioning eyes, and quickly jammed a clip into her AR-15 as she pulled it out.
In any other situation, the stomping and screaming robot would have been hilarious. Instead, Maeve's mind ran through the tactical options and she decided on one that was no doubt risky to herself, but most likely to do the most damage to the homicidal prick in front of her. She ran towards the blind robot that almost looked like it was throwing a human toddler temper tantrum as it howled in pain.
"I am not going anywhere with you, YOU PSYCHOTIC PIECE OF SHIT!" She screamed in rage as she stopped and fired several well-aimed shots from her automatic rifle into what appeared to be vital and sensitive areas.
Three bursts in each knee joints, three bursts in the hips, four bursts in the joints that connected the robot's arms to its chest, and then finally a few in several exposed areas of the chest.
The robot screamed in anger, and fell to one knee, shaking the ground on which she stood.
"Miserable human, you shall pay dearly for this!" It (Dead End?) screamed. Maeve continued to fire bursts into the robot as it continued to howl and flail about.
A metal arm slammed into her with such force that her breath was knocked out of her.
"Ahhhh!" She screeched in pain, as she was thrown at least ten feet. She hit the ground hard, and it took her a few moments to process what had happened. The robot had managed to hit her with its flailing arms. She winced as she sat up, her lungs screaming in pain, and then realized that her weapon was nowhere to be found. The impact had knocked it clear of her hands and was now god knows where. She had left her handgun at the car, and cursed herself for making such a stupid move.
She quickly got up, dodging a stampeding foot, and then got an idea. The robot had exposed wires and cables, and random plating throughout its body.
Now there's an opportunity. She thought to herself quickly.
She jumped on the foot, and scrambled her way up the robot, pulling as many wire bundles, metal plating, and anything that even looked remotely important out as she made her way up. Howls of pain were the thing's responses.
She grabbed a particularly large tube peeking from under a protective plating in the robot's upper thigh and grabbed her K-Bar knife that she had sharpened past department standards, and grinned in pleasure as she succeeded in slicing through the tube deftly.
A blood-curdling scream issued from the robot and she leaned back, startled at the intensity of the scream. And then, a bright purple-pink and metallic smelling liquid had come shooting out of the robot's severed thigh tube so fast that she let go.
She smashed into the ground with a sickening crunch.
"Ahhhh," escaped her lips as she winced in pain from the impact. Still, she had to get up. The thing was enraged, that much she could tell. She didn't notice the generous coating of neon purple-pink metallic liquid covering her upper torso which the tube had sprayed her with before she had fallen. The liquid burned her exposed skin, but right now, Maeve was all business.
She had no weapons now, except for mace, a baton and a Taser. All of which were non-lethal on humans, and not even injurious to giant homicidal maniac robots like this one.
Except… she had a thought. A smirk slowly spread on her lips as she grabbed her Taser. If it was really a robot, then maybe an electrical burst might have some impact on it. She moved quickly, wincing as she did so as pain rippled throughout her body, coming close to the thing that was now half sitting and half lying on the pavement, still keening hideously in pain.
She could see a bright blue light escaping from a single small area in the robot's chest. Crawling up one of its legs and getting as close as she could to its chest, she removed her Taser from the holster, and aimed for the sparkling blue light. She had to get it just right...
She fired.
"Arghhhhhhhhhhhh! That is ENOUGH, human!" The robot screamed at her.
While the Taser had made the robot thrash about a bit uncontrollably and there seemed to be a few sparks and flames that erupted from several areas on its body, the electrical charge hadn't done enough.
Now she jumped from the leg and ran, as the robot finally seemed to get its bearings and was getting up.
No WAY was she just going to wait around for that.
She ran towards her patrol car, but too soon she was plucked from the ground in very ungentle metal hands. She shrieked in pain as the needle-sharp edges of the fingers tore deep into the flesh of her side. Not deep enough to kill her, but enough to hurt and to make her bleed. The robot raised her in front of its ruby optics, one of which was apparently still working.
Damn, coulda shot that one better, she thought. And then she cringed as it looked at her with a look of pure hatred and loathing and evil that she had only seen once before. The thing squeezed harder.
She couldn't think of anything but the pain as the talons bit ever deeper into her soft flesh.
"Ahhhhh…" she whimpered. The excruciating pain was the only thing she could concentrate on, bright white light flashing before her eyes.
She wanted to die.
"You will respect Dead End, fleshling. You are my slave now, and I will do what I wish with you. You are mine. Barricade shall never see his little human charge ever again. You are mine, ha ha ha!" The thing cackled at her in almost a sing-song voice.
Dead End? That's its name? Barricade? Human charge? Huh?
Her mind was muddled, the large amount of blood loss she had endured was affecting her mind. Maeve knew that death was upon her, and the only thoughts she had was that it couldn't come soon enough. At least then she could join her baby…
"Just kill me, Dead End… Just kill me." She muttered in defeat. Dead End laughed, and she recoiled as he pressed his faceplate close to her body.
"You shall always be my slave, pathetic fleshling and nothing shall save you now. I shall not kill you, for you are to be mine to feed off of forever." He cackled again, and at that moment, Maeve shook herself from her pain-induced stupor.
She was no one's slave.
Shit shit shit shit shit shit shit. Think. Think, Maeve. Tactical options. Surrender and be this thing's slave. Oh hell no. Scream. No one around to hear. Weapons won't work. She thought to herself as she looked around.
And then, she noticed a protruding large bundle of wires from the robot's wrist. They were in range of her hands. She made up her mind, and ignored the pain of the talons deep in her side, ignored the dizziness of exorbitant blood loss.
Maeve, with a speed that surprised even her, grabbed the entire set of wires, and pulled with all her strength. She was rewarded with a popping sound from deep inside the robot's arm and another of the agonizing metallic screams that blew at least one of her ear drums. She whimpered in pain as a reflexive squeeze from the robot caused the talons to plunge even deeper into her body.
And then the metal hand relaxed its grip, the needles releasing from her body in quick succession.
She fell twenty feet to the ground and passed out as she hit the asphalt of the two-lane highway with an atrocious impact for a second time.
She never saw Dead End limping from the rural road back to Starscream, giving up on taking her with him. And she never saw or heard Barricade speeding towards her and transforming to cradle her in his own talons, this time not malicious in nature like Dead End had, but comforting and caring.
She never heard Barricade calling in her coordinates and status to her department, screaming for the EMTs to come. She never saw Barricade leaning over her, doing what he could to stop her bleeding and treating her Energon burns so they would not harm her to the point of death.
She never heard him whisper that she had to hold on, that she had to live, for all their species' sakes. She never saw him disappear into his alt mode as sirens and lights came close to her position on the deserted highway.
When the EMTs arrived, they were surprised to find her all alone, never noticing the Saleen police cruiser hiding in the darkness a few hundred feet from their position, anxiously watching as they analyzed her. He had done what he could before they had arrived, but it had not been much. The EMTs had been expecting another cruiser, as the call had clearly come from another officer, and yet there were none.
At any rate, they focused on the broken body of the female officer before them.
"Damn Bill, have you ever seen anything like it?" One of the EMTs gave his superior an astonished look as he spoke. The other just shook his head.
"No. We're lucky that call came in when it did, any more time had passed and she would have died out here. Jesus. What the hell did this to her?"
Essentially, she never knew that Barricade had saved her.
And never would, for that matter, if Barricade had his way.
Author's Notes: Feel I gotta explain here. Maeve's first "memory" of Mission City, and seeing Barricade, is a memory PLUS what she "feels" is an explanation for Barricade's appearance, so she is actually remembering parts that she doesn't remember seeing in Mission City because it was so crazy at the time, basically details becoming clear that she had missed during the attack. Maeve's memory of Dead End is just that - a pure memory.