TITLE:
Embrace
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:
relates to Choice and Change, kinda like a
sequel :)
It had been a month since Barricade had more or less joined the ranks
of the
Autobots. Well, ‘joined’ was a rather loose word for it. He
wasn’t a Decepticon by affiliation any more, but he wasn’t a true
Autobot either. He refused to be ‘branded’ as he called it.
Bumblebee would have felt uneasy seeing his own symbol on the black
mechanoid. This
way he was like a neutral unit.
He also didn’t stay at the Autobot base. Wherever
Barricade went to recharge, probably only Jazz knew. It wasn’t
like the Decepticon hadn’t lived for four years among the people of
this
planet, always in disguise, already. He knew places where to rest and
where it
was safe to drop into a full recharge.
As for Jazz, Bumblebee had never seen his friend this happy and he
envied him a
little. Not because of Barricade but because he had shared his spark,
had found
his perfect other half. A spark that resonated with his own energies,
that was
– and he was thinking about Barricade here! – warm
and affectionate and trusting. It was beautiful and sacred to their
kind and despite
all misgivings Ironhide had about the Decepticon shock trooper, he
couldn’t argue that a bond like this meant more than any other
declaration Barricade might have made.
Sam wasn’t very happy about Barricade’s presence. The former
Decepticon had threatened and nearly killed him
– well, badly bruised him – and it still sat deep.
“He won’t harm you,” Bumblebee had tried to reassure his
charge again and again.
But Sam hadn’t looked very convinced. He came to the base, determined
not
to be afraid, but since Barricade was never around, there was nothing
to help
lessen the fear or to prove to Sam he wasn’t in danger.
Bumblebee looked up when Jazz drove into the hangar that was their
base. The
second in command transformed, grinning at the other Autobot.
“Hey there, Bee. What’s kickin’?”
It was so good to have him back. His revival had been a miracle and
Bumblebee
had been overjoyed that the Allspark shard
had had
enough power to restore what little had been left of Jazz’s spark.
Apparently, Barricade felt the same.
“I was about to ask you that. I thought you’d gone lost or
something. Had a good time?” Bumblebee teased.
Jazz chuckled. “Wouldn’t you want to know, kid.
Everything A-okay around here?”
“Yes. Ironhide accompanied Will home. He’s on call should we
need him. Ratchet is doing something or other in his lab. Optimus has a
video
conference with John Keller.”
“And you’re getting ready for the weekend with Sam?” Jazz
smiled.
“Yes. Sam said something about a camping trip.”
“Well, have fun.”
“What about you?”
“Oh, ‘Cade and I have plans.” The blue optics glittered.
Bumblebee chuckled, not even asking what those plans were. He had an
idea or
two.
“Jazz?”
“Hm?”
“Why doesn’t he come here?”
Jazz’s face grew serious. “Would you want him here, Bumblebee?”
he asked evenly.
Would he? Really? Wasn’t there just a tiny
sliver of doubt? And a huge aura of menace around
Barricade,
too? The Decepticon and Bumblebee had collided in past battles,
sometimes almost literally, and even here on Earth he had faced the
shock
trooper. Bumblebee had come out on top each time, as his survival
showed. Now
and then it had been sheer, damn luck.
“You trust him,” he now said. “I think that’s good
enough for me.”
Jazz smiled, but there was no humor there.
“Thanks,
Bee. That means a lot. And I do trust him. With my
spark.
‘Cade can’t change how he is and maybe not even who. Coming here
would provoke too many negative emotions. Ironhide in particular isn’t
too happy about him and me even meeting -- think about what Barricade
coming
here would do.”
“Yes, I know. It’s just… sad.”
Another smile, reflecting just that sadness.
“Yes,
it is. But he’s here, with us. It’s something I always hoped for,
and it never happened.”
Bumblebee nodded. An inner alarm told him it was time to leave and pick
up Sam.
“I’ll see you in two days,” he said, waving at Jazz.
“Yeah. Have fun!”
Bumblebee chuckled and transformed, heading out the base. He was sure
he would.
*
Barricade didn’t know if happiness was what he experienced right now.
It
was a feeling of general well-being, of completion, of… satisfaction.
He
was content where he was, what he was, and with whom he was. He didn’t
feel any pressure, any need to change his current situation, or any
alarm. While
his sensors were always scanning for danger, his very… soul was at
peace.
There was a soft hum from somewhere close, a vocal expression of his
state of
mind. Next to him, on the hill Jazz had first shown to him a few days
ago,
parked a silver Pontiac Solstice. Their
fenders were
touching and while Barricade didn’t have the microfine
sensor net Jazz possessed, he felt the Autobot’s presence like an
embrace. The receptors that covered every surface of the silver skin
were
normally used to analyze atmospheric and environmental conditions, but
they
also gave Jazz a sensitivity that Barricade had used for his purposes
in the
past. Sensory input overload often triggered sharing and it was intense.
Barricade let low electrical currants race across his skin and he felt
the
answering shudder from the Solstice.
“Feelin’ cocky today,” Jazz teased.
Barricade rumbled. There was so much he wanted to say, wanted Jazz to
know. He
wanted him to understand that this meant more than a brief moment of
sharing to
him, but his voice processor failed him. Decepticons didn’t express
emotions. Barricade hadn’t been born a Decepticon, but he had always
been
hard-pressed to accept he even had emotions of such kind. He was a
warrior. He
was fierce and relentless and strong and fast and tough. He wasn’t
about
to gush out his thoughts and then slink away in embarrassment. That
wasn’t him.
The other spark seemed to glow, seen and felt through their shared
bond.
Barricade knew how easily Jazz assimilated information, how fast he
processed
it, how acutely aware he was of everything around him. Jazz knew him,
without
talking, without asking, by just looking. Barricade was frightened of
that
ability of the other mechanoid to see so much, but on the other hand he
was
also a little thankful.
::I know:: Jazz whispered, sliding deeper
into the
sharing. ::I missed you, too::
Barricade shivered. He had been so lost. Alone.
He had
been ready to die. Even now, all that time with Jazz
already, he was still in danger of falling into the abyss that had
opened after
he had heard about the Autobot’s fate. He would always remember the
scream rising in him, the blackness of despair, the fury of betrayal,
and the
sole wish to destroy all who had cost him everything.
But back then the Decepticons had perished and the lone survivors had
disappeared. Scorponok hadn’t been found yet and Starscream,
opportunistic coward that he was, had turned tail. Barricade would gun
him down
without a second thought the next time he saw him.
Jazz was all around him, embracing him, holding him together, and they
shared
what couldn’t be put into words. The abyss was pushed back again, the
other spark warm and all-encompassing.
::Don’t:: Jazz whispered.
Don’t think about it. Don’t let it eat you. Don’t let it
stand between them.
This was sacred, the ultimate act of trust and understanding as both
sparks
merged for what would seem only seconds to a human. In their time, in
the world
of electronic minds, it was an eternity.
Barricade dropped his last guard and opened himself up completely,
trusting
only this one being with everything he had.