TITLE:
Burning Another Bridge
Imperfection Deviation
SERIES: Imperfection
AUTHOR: Macx
RATING: PG-13
DISCLAIMER: None of the characters belong to me, sadly. They are owned by
people with a lot more money
Author’s Voice of Warning (aka Author’s Note):
English is not my first language; it’s German. This is the best I can do. Any
mistakes you find in here, collect them and you might win a prize
FEEDBACK: Loved
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He had expected the question sooner. Maybe not immediately
after ‘joining’ the Autobots. His interpretation of that particular move
was more like a loose affiliation that was necessitated because of current
circumstances. These circumstances were still valid, but a lot had changed in
the past two years. That his partner was an Autobot had nothing to do with his
decision. The moment they had met they had already been leaning toward
different factions. The war breaking out just briefly after their initial spark
bond had only driven that fact home.
Jazz’s death at Megatron’s hands… it had been a trigger for Barricade to
reevaluate his life, his purpose, and his continued survival on this planet. He
could have hidden forever, to be eventually discovered. Or he could step out in
the open and see what happened.
He had become part of the small Autobot force, though he would never call
himself an Autobot, nor let them mark him as one. Barricade chose his alliances
and right now he served Optimus Prime, had accepted him as a commanding
officer, and the Autobot now held his loyalty. A particular
kind of loyalty, one with a Decepticon slant to it.
So the question about the Nemesis, her last position and general condition
shouldn’t have come that late. But it had and Barricade looked at the much
taller Autobot leader, trying to see where this was going. Starscream had fled
the planet right after the defeat in
“Starscream most likely took her out,” he now said slowly.
“What was her last position?” Optimus asked again.
“Just behind the planet called Mars.”
“So Starscream could have easily reached her and left.”
Barricade frowned. Of course he could. And of course he would leave. There was
nothing on this planet that interested the former lieutenant to Megatron any
more. Their leader was dead – not that it was of much interest to Starscream. He
preferred it that way. The Nemesis had been one of the last few transport
vessels still intact enough to travel long distances when the small Decepticon
unit had searched for a ship. Starscream had used the transporter as a war
ship, though her weapons capabilities were limited. Barricade suspected
Starscream would seek out surviving Decepticons, gather troops, and declare
himself new leader of the Decepticons. After that, he had no idea what would
happen.
Attack Earth and kill its inhabitants for Megatron’s death? Starscream wouldn’t
seek revenge. Humanity had done him a favor.
The Allspark was destroyed. It served no purpose to linger on this organic
world. Barricade knew of the shard in one of the storage rooms of the base, but
it was a weak shadow of its former glory. It had given most of its remaining
power to restore Jazz. Now it was useless. Starscream wouldn’t risk his life
for it, even if he knew about the sad remains.
“It’s logical for him to leave this solar system, look for survivors,”
Barricade finally said. “I doubt he would return here.”
Optimus didn’t look convinced. “Perhaps.”
They were alone in what Prime called his office, a separate area in the base,
just like Ratchet’s med bay, and Barricade, while not feeling unwell in the presence
of the powerful Autobot leader, had the urge to shift nervously from one foot
to the other. Looking down Ironhide’s gun barrel was preferable to the steady
gaze from the blue optics. Barricade held a hidden respect for the former Head
of State, the Lord Protector’s co-ruler of Cybertron. There was power and
command there, drawing others to follow Prime.
“Word of our existence is spreading,” Optimus finally said. “I’ve come to meet
the heads of different states of different continents and different political
factions in the past year. John Keller thought it was necessary. I agreed. We
cannot ignore the possibility of Starscream returning or another Decepticon
arriving on this world.”
Now Barricade shifted a little.
“The Nemesis is a powerful transport ship.”
“So is the
“Yes. Bringing her here would in fact aide this planet.”
Bingo! Barricade thought, then groaned internally at
the word. Jazz was really rubbing off on him.
“Mr. Banachek gave everything Sector Seven had on their first space faring
vessel, the Ghost 1, to Ratchet. It would be our way of returning to the
Barricade grimaced. “The Nemesis is a ship, not mine. A tool.
I piloted her because it was my job.”
“And you know where she is. You were also the chief science officer, if I’m not
mistaken. Your rank allowed you total access to the guidance and flight
controls. Help us find her.”
“You really believe Starscream would linger?” Barricade asked evenly.
“Yes.”
He snorted. “He’s not that much of a fool. He cuts his losses and leaves.”
Prime didn’t look convinced. “There’s only one way to make sure.”
The former Decepticon shrugged. “You won’t find him. I’ll give you the last
known coordinates, but he’ll be gone.”
“I also request the access codes, Barricade. Everything you have of the
Nemesis.”
Part of him roared in outrage. Prime had never asked anything of the like of
him. Barricade had been wary at first, expecting the Autobots to question him
for Decepticon secrets, but nothing of the like had happened. He had slid into
their small unit, though not seamlessly, always at the fringe, and he had been
tolerated without too many questions. Sometimes Barricade wondered what Optimus
Prime already knew about him, what he hadn’t told others, because to tolerate a
former Decepticon in his team meant he had knowledge of him in a way. The spark
bond alone wouldn’t let anyone but Jazz trust him that deeply.
Another part just shrugged in indifference. He was no longer serving the old
faction. Whatever Starscream would do in the future, Barricade would never
accept him or anyone else as his commanding officer. He had served the Lord
High Protector of Cybertron, even when Megatron had destroyed their homeworld. Now
he served Optimus Prime. At least in a way. Starscream
might still call his followers and himself Decepticons, but in Barricade’s mind
that was solely reserved for Megatron. Those days were over.
“You want a download?” he asked emotionlessly.
The Autobot leader looked mildly surprised and Barricade sneered a little. Prime
hadn’t expected such cooperation. He enjoyed unsettling the others from time to
time. Right now was such a time.
“Ironhide will handle these matters. I know the two of you have your
differences, but…”
“He’ll have what I know by tomorrow,” Barricade interrupted, then just turned
and left. He hadn’t been dismissed, but he knew the conversation was over.
Outside in the main hangar, Barricade transformed and left the base. Downloading
his knowledge and information would take time, necessitating a quiet place
where he felt safe. Of course, he could have used the medical area, and have
Ratchet do the download, but that was out of the question. He had only once
entrusted himself into the medic’s care and that had been once occasion too
many.
Barricade accelerated and tore across the uneven desert ground, the bumps and
shocks rattling through his chassis. He didn’t care. It actually felt good.
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Jazz had been privy to Optimus’ plan and he knew it was vital to a) know
whether the Nemesis was still there or not and b) find access to the
So Prime had decided to request assistance from their only possible source of
help: the former pilot of the Nemesis.
Jazz had wanted to be there for the talk, but Optimus had asked him not to. In
a way he understood. Like he understood Barricade leaving the
base to be alone. He wanted to be with his partner now, too, but he
would give him some room for now.
Walking back into the base he passed Ironhide, who was frowning at the
disappearing dust cloud.
“Tough decision,” the weapons specialist rumbled.
“He has already made up his mind,” Jazz told him quietly.
Blue optics shot him a surprised look. “How do you know?”
Jazz smiled. “I know him. That behavior means he has made the decision, isn’t
really all too happy about it, but realizes it’s necessary. You’ll have what
you want, Ironhide. Maybe even by tomorrow.”
Ironhide regarded him closely. “It’s that spark bond, right?”
“If you mean it’s knowing him for a long time and recently getting as close as
we were meant to be, then yes.”
The larger Autobot grunted, gazing at the outside once more. Then he turned and
walked away. Jazz remained where he was, then made up his mind and transformed.
He headed out, but not where Barricade had driven off to. He went toward
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Barricade had chosen a rather unusual hiding place: the car park of the Mission
City Police Department. Sitting in a corner, camouflaged as just another police
vehicle, he had started the download while his sensors kept a minimum of
attention on his surroundings. There was a coming and going of police cruisers
and motorbikes, patrol officers on foot, even one surveillance vehicle, but it
was no threat to him.
The former Decepticon went through all his data files on the Nemesis, chose
those that fit Optimus Prime’s required information, and stored them on a
separate data chip that could be easily removed.
Night fell, lights went on around him, and twice within an hour he was startled
out of his work by sirens going off and police vehicles tearing out of the
parking lot. Out of curiosity, and maybe habit because he had done it quite
often before, Barricade listened in on the radio traffic. Both times it had
been accidents involving drugged drivers, driving under the influence.
He completed his download of the selected files by early morning. Barricade
looked at the compiled data, feeling strangely detached to that life. The
Nemesis meant nothing to him anymore. All access codes and security files were
nothing more but data. He was sure they were already changed when Starscream
had flown the transport ship out of this solar system, but if Optimus felt he
needed the old data, so be it. What wasn’t old were the blueprints and
information on the weapon systems.
But he didn’t care.
Not any more.
The Saleen left the parking lot between shifts, sneaking out as invisibly as he
had come in. His holographic driver was in place and he headed down the
familiar streets, patrolling. Barricade had done it countless times before,
knew both
Rolling to a stop at a red light, he scanned the streets and found nothing
amiss. One shop had closed down and was currently being refurbished. From the
announcement painted on a piece of white board in the window, it would soon be
a Health Shop, whatever that was. All the other merchants were still the same.
Barricade took a right and drove slowly up the main street, then headed into
the industrial sector. On a Sunday morning it was the quietest of places.
And it was where a silver Solstice was parked next to a closed factory
entrance. Barricade slowed, then rolled to a stop.
“Checking up on me?” he asked coolly.
“Do I have to?” Jazz asked lightly.
Barricade grunted.
The other rolled noiselessly closer until his fender came to rest against
Barricade’s. The former Decepticon let him, not pulling back, and the Autobot
sent a little electrical energy through his skin, touching Barricade’s outer
shell. He felt a soft hum.
They stayed like this for a long time, neither talking, and Barricade felt some
tension flow out of his system.
“Am I expected?” he finally asked, his voice close to
a growl.
“Not by me,” was the simple answer.
Barricade snorted. “I have information you Autobots want. I suspect someone
will be breathing down my neck soon enough about it.”
“Ironhide’s back at the base.”
“Not much longer.”
“Cade… there’s no ultimatum, no pressure. Optimus said you agreed to help and
he trusts you to deliver what you promised. In your own time.
We’re still not ready to launch the first phase of the plan.”
Barricade knew that. The human vessel that would have to act as a relay station
wouldn’t be finished within just a few days. Even though he was just a soldier,
Barricade understood politics, and these were alien politics. Since their
existence among Earth’s people was a secret, launching a ship into space would
be just as secret. It needed a crew, it needed ground support, and while Sector
Seven employees now manned different posts in the human government system, it
would take a lot of preparation.
Barricade let low electrical currents race across his skin and he felt the
answering shudder from the Solstice. The other spark pulsed softly, invitingly,
but this wasn’t the place to be caught unawares, even for a second. He also had
the information to deliver.
The Saleen started his engine, a soft rumble breaking the silence. Jazz
followed, reluctantly pulling back. Barricade sent a wordless promise and Jazz
followed him out of
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Ironhide looked at the data disk in his palm, then at the downloaded files on
the screen. He knew he had a whole lot of work ahead of him. The amount of data
was extensive, more than he had expected. Barricade had slapped the disk onto
the desk, red optics flaring a challenge, then he had
turned and left. Ironhide had exchanged a brief look with Optimus over the
silent delivery, before going off to check the contents.
His opinion of Barricade kept changing, almost weekly. The former Con managed
to surprise him again and again, had acted differently than Ironhide expected
him to. His association with Sam alone had kept Ironhide on his toes. He had
suspected all kinds of vile and foul things to happen, but according to
Bumblebee, the Con was really helping their human ally. Sam himself insisted
that the training was doing him a world of good in the way he handled
technopathy. He actively sought the Con out.
The weapons specialist let the disc slide onto the desk and turned to the data.
It was all in Decepticon code, but he would have no problem cracking it. It was
actually fun to put his mind to something, not just got over already broken
code. Barricade probably thought it to be amusing to leave it in the original
encryption. Ironhide was almost thankful to have a challenge.
Not that he would tell the Con.
Ever.
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They had had a work-out. It had been one on one, with
Jazz giving it everything. Going up against Barricade was a full-blown
challenge and avoiding those sharp claws was more than difficult. His partner
wasn’t one of the prime class shock troopers for nothing. He hadn’t made it
into Megatron’s inner circle for nothing. He was good and Jazz, while fast,
didn’t have the ruthless fighting style Barricade called his own.
Their regular sparring sessions also drove home the point that he could have
bought it on that alien world when the Decepticons had engaged the Autobots,
with the human crew of the Ghost 1 trapped between them. They had never talked
about the possibility that they could have been facing each other back then. Jazz
had had his share of trouble with Barricade’s former comrades, while the shock
trooper had tried to take out some of his partner’s friends.
The ‘What if’ had been on Jazz’s mind ever since the beginning of the war. What
if he actually had to go up against his partner? What if Barricade was sent to
kill someone and Jazz was in the way? There had never been an answer to that,
never a real confrontation.
Jazz moved to the left and was just fast enough to evade another blow suddenly
coming from the right. Still Barricade caught him, claws closing around one
wrist and then Jazz found himself on the ground, looking up into brightly glowing,
red optics.
Maybe he should be glad for not encountering the shock trooper in battle. The
mech was ruthless, intense, deadly, and he didn’t give up. Add to that a much
harder armor than Jazz’s and the specialist knew he would draw the shorter straw.
“Still can’t figure out how you can move like that,” he drawled, grinning.
Barricade drew back. “You get easily distracted.”
“Must be your incredible charm.” The red optics
narrowed dangerously and Jazz laughed. “You might just want to teach me that
move, hm?”
“And lose my advantage over you?”
“I think you got more than one move, Cade.”
Barricade chose not to answer and Jazz grinned even more. His optics glowed
affectionately and he sat up, looking at his partner who was equally sitting on
the ground.
“You think it’s a bad idea, right?” Jazz asked softly, all serious all of a
sudden.
“Teaching you new tricks? Hardly. Your survival is in
my interest,” was the even reply.
He chuckled. “Thank you. It’s appreciated. And I wasn’t talking about fighting
techniques, though I wouldn’t say no. This is about getting the
“You know my opinion on that matter.”
Jazz did. They had discussed it.
“The technology on the
“No one’s come so far.”
“Remember how long it took us to find this world? It might be another human
lifetime until we have a new contact, but the planet should be ready. The last
fight was bad enough. If not for Sam, we would have lost.”
Barricade was silent. He knew that only too well. “You know I will cooperate,”
he finally said.
A gentle touch against his armor had him start a little. “I know,” Jazz said
softly. “And Prime knows he has your allegiance and loyalty. I know I can
depend on your word. I trust you, Cade. You know that.”
He did. Unconditionally.
“We might be the last ones of our kind. We might be lost in the vastness of the
universe, on a planet no one else knows about. But we might also face a battle
again one day. I, for my part, want to know that the people of this planet are
protected. Leaving the
“We’d give them weapons to destroy us.”
“They already have them.”
Barricade’s optics narrowed. “The people of this planet are a destructive
force. They will find better and faster and more efficient way to terminate us,
a threat to them, with our technology.”
Jazz shook his head. “They aren’t that much different from us.”
“Which is why I think this is a bad idea.”
“You thought the spark bond was a bad idea as well,” Jazz teased.
Anger flared. “What are you talking about, Autobot?”
“Kidding,” was the easy reply.
Jazz’s hand kept running over the black armor. Barricade found it distracting
and he didn’t object to the closeness.
“We live here now, Barricade. I think of this planet as a home. A new home. I love Cybertron, but… our home is dying. This
is it. Here and now. And I think we need to protect this planet, with
everything.”
The former Decepticon caught the distracting hand, keeping his silence. Finally
he nodded once and rose. Jazz got to his feet and made a grab for Barricade’s
arm again.
“Barricade… it’ll be fine. Nothing will happen within the next months or even
year.”
“But when it happens it might be too late.”
“Which is why I live for the moment.” The cocky grin
was back. “Like right now. This moment. I think we’re
missing out on something not using it.”
Barricade shot him a slightly annoyed look.
“Cade?”
“You are a nuisance, Autobot,” was the growl, but Barricade didn’t
resist the closeness again.
“I’m your nuisance.”
“Which is even worse.”
“Idiot.”
“Idealistic do-gooder.”
“Now that we’re clear on that…” Jazz teased, then
turned serious. “You know that any input you have will be listened to.”
“I already said what I think of the idea.”
“You only said you suspect Starscream has left, taken the Nemesis along. If
she’s still there, we could need your ideas again.”
Barricade didn’t say anything for a while, then
nodded. He was their ally. He would help. The survival of the Autobots was his
as well. Jazz let go of his arm, smiling invitingly, then transformed.
“Any plans for today? Or tomorrow?” he asked lightly.
“Patrol,” Barricade answered gruffly and transformed as well.
“Fun.”
“Exactly.”
The Solstice laughed. “Only you.”
It got him a flash of annoyance in form of blue and red lights winking on and
off. Barricade started his engine and drove back toward
Switching on his favorite music, he allowed himself to drive just above the
speed limit.
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Barricade didn’t know why he had ended up in front of the building complex
where Sam Witwicky had his college apartment, but here he was. It was late,
close to midnight. He detected faint energy signatures from Bumblebee, as not
otherwise expected. The Autobot was parked close by. Barricade himself powered
down and let his sensors sweep the area.
Nothing amiss. Everything was quiet.
Good.
Barricade took an interest in the human’s health and survival. He couldn’t
logically explain it and he refused to think of Sam Witwicky as a friend. He
was an ally. A useful weapon. So he checked up on him.
There was a brief burst coming over the com channels normally used by the
Autobots. It was the human’s guardian. Bumblebee had discovered him, asking if
something was wrong.
Barricade sent a negative, refusing to explain why he was here. The Autobot
didn’t ask any further questions. The former Decepticon couldn’t explain his
presence here, nor could he really explain his continued interest in the
training of the technopath, so he argued it chased away the boredom. It did, of
course, but it also brought him ever closer to the Autobots. Each connection
reaffirmed the others, already present ones. It was a dangerous path he was
walking, but he couldn’t stop himself from taking new steps.
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The Mustang left the street in the early morning hours, resuming patrol.