Transformers Fan Fiction ❯ Cover Me ❯ From One Garage to Another ( Chapter 8 )

Cover Me

By Black Dragon Queen

Author's note: Enjoy! Must Run!

PAIRINGS REVEALED THUS FAR:

Wheeljack x Ratchet, Past Prowl x Jazz

Font Index:

“Speaking”

`Thinking'

“-Radio Transmissions-”

“Cybertronion”

~*~

Chapter Eight: From One Garage to Another

Sam yelped loudly as he was quite unexpectedly thrown forward, crashing against the steering wheel as `Bee came to a screeching halt. Smashing his nose violently against Bumblebee's prided Autobot symbol he cursed more in surprised than anger at `Bee's abrupt stop almost instantly after Sam had asked his seemingly innocent question. Sam tentatively tested his nose, praying that it wasn't broken as he checked for blood. “'Bee! What's wrong? What happened?” he asked as he glanced down at the steering wheel confused. It was so unlike the Camaro to do anything so random. “'Bee?” Sam called out softly. “What happened?”

`Bee said nothing for a while as he just sat there, idling in the center of the dark road in the middle of the empty desert. `Bee was usually never this quiet, even when they had their disagreements. It was becoming rather unnerving as Sam poked and prodded his nose as he waited for `Bee to say something. Bumblebee was not an Autobot Sam would consider very contemplative. It was quite a while before `Bot said anything. “Where did you learn that term?” Bumblebee asked quietly.

“What?” Sam responded, completely baffled by `Bee's sudden interest in the discussion that only moments before, had wanted over and done with by any means.

“`Stasis lock',” `Bee clarified. “Where did you hear that term?”

Sam blinked in surprise as his hand fell limply from his bruised nose into his lap. He bit his lower lip, wondering if he should even dare say the Decepticons name again since it raised such loathing in his friend. “Why?” he whispered. “What does it mean?”

“Sam, please.” `Bee persisted, somberly. “It's important.”

Sam sighed in defeat as he slouched into his seat, debating on how to answer. “When I was speaking with Barricade,” he finally admitted. “While we were talking, his warning system kept going off saying `stasis lock needed', or something like that.”

`Bee was very quiet for a long time and Sam waited patiently before bringing his hand up to gently run over the steering wheel. “'Bee, what exactly is stasis lock?” he asked quietly, “please? You have me worried now. I need to know what it is.”

Bumblebee started up again and once more moved forward down the road. “It's not good,” he admitted to the boy. “Stasis lock is a last resort system for damaged mechs that basically puts us into what you would consider a `coma'. It usually occurs when our damage is so severe that it endangers our sparks.”

Sam gasped, knowing full well what exactly a “spark” was in reference to his own human body- their souls. “So…” Sam was beginning to tremble as the ramifications of what exactly that meant for the damaged `Con began to sink in. “So he's dying?”

A blast of hot air entered the cab. “Even a Decepticon cannot fake a system warning such as that,” `Bee admitted regrettably. “Did he counter with a code while you were speaking?”

Sam nodded, completely horrified to learn that the `Con was dying and he had had absolutely no idea as they spoke. He had prattled on; blissfully unaware of just how much pain Barricade must have been in as they conversed. He blamed his human logic. If a car was broken, then you just took it to the local grease monkey and just got it fixed. It was completely devastating for Sam to suddenly remember that the Autobots were not infallible. That they, too, could die. Just like a human.

Just like Jazz.

“Bumblebee!” Sam suddenly cried, jerking upright in horror as the realization hit him like a blow to the gut almost forcefully knocking his very breath from him.

“I know,” `Bee replied quietly, already on route towards the high school's location. “Where is he?”

~*~

Barricade looked so very lost and forlorn sitting in his corner as Bumblebee's headlights washed over him as the camaro pulled into the parking complex. `Bee did a quick over scan of the mustang and mentally frowned at the final readout. Barricade was brutally broken. Even in battle, `Bee had never seen a mech so badly damaged.

Sam practically leapt out of his seat when `Bee finally came to a stop and made his way over to the dark patrol car, slowing down as he came upon the `Con. “Hello?” he called out uncertainly. The sound of metal shifting sounded behind him as Bumblebee transformed into his mech mode though `Bee was forced to stay hunched over on all fours due to the small confines of the garage.

“He's in complete lock down,” `Bee explained, his optics still running diagnostics on the unconscious `Con. He felt himself torn between the horror of what had happened to the arrogant Decepticon and elation that the slagger had finally been knocked down a few pegs. Barricade had somehow become Bumblebee's designated opposite ever since the two groups had landed on Earth, starting with that first chase scene in New Mexico when `Bee had been following the false All Spark signal Sector Seven had sent out. The mustang had been a pain in his side ever since.

It seemed that whenever there was a scuffle between the two Cybertonion factions, it was always Barricade's ugly mug coming right at him with those blasted saws of his aiming right for `Bee's head. That fact alone almost made `Bee turn and leave right then and there, but Sam turned to him with such sadness in his eyes that he was forced to reprocesses his opinion. “Is there nothing that can be done?” Sam asked desperately. “I mean; we just can't leave him here to die!”

“He's a Decepticon, Sam,” `Bee countered coldly. “He would do exactly that if the situation was reversed. Worse! He would ensure to finish us off!”

“But it's not reversed!” Sam snapped angrily, becoming frustrated at the situation and how helpless he was in it. “We have a choice and I refuse to let him die because we were to stubborn to think that he may have change his ways. Regardless if he did change them or not, it would be too heartless to just leave him here!”

“Sam,” `Bee tried again.

“No!” Sam shouted, refusing to hear it. “No more! We're not the bad guys here. I refuse to just leave him here to die! I don't want that no matter what happened in the past. I can't be that type of person. I will not have anyone else die while I could do something to stop it!”

“And what could you do?” `Bee asked callously, completely astonished that they were actually even having this conversation. “You're a human! You know nothing of how to repair a Cybertronion. There's nothing you could do!” Sam gasped at the callous tone from his friend and `Bee suddenly felt utterly horrible that he allowed his emotions to get the better of him and that he threw Sam's weakness in the boy's face like that. “Sam,” `Bee tried, suddenly feeling two inches tall. “Sam, I didn't mean-”

“Yes you did!” Sam snapped angrily as he whirled around towards Barricade, giving his back to Bumblebee. “Damn it `Bee, he tried to kill me too if you remember,” Sam growled, “but I just don't feel right leaving him to die like this.”

“There is nothing we can do even if we wanted to,” `Bee argued insistently. “Optimus has already decided on this matter-”

“But he doesn't know that Barricade is dying!” Sam cried out desperately. “If we went back and explained the situation-”

“Then I guarantee that Ironhide will come here to finish the job,” `Bee retorted seriously. “We all loved Jazz and I don't think `Hide would care who it was, as long as there was some sort of retribution for him. I don't think even Ratchet would even help him at this point with the loss still so fresh in everyone's memory banks.”

“But, that's impossible,” Sam mumbled disbelievingly as he cast a hopeless look towards the mustang. “There has to be someone who could help him...” `Bee frowned and was trying to think of a way to comfort his friend when Sam suddenly whirled around. “Mikaela!” he shouted triumphantly, laughing gleefully as he realized that there might be a chance.

`Bee's optics flashed as he blinked in surprise. “Mikaela?”

“Of course!” Sam insisted. “It's obvious! Mikaela's been working with Ratchet, and she always get the mechanical aspect of it quicker than me! If we speak to her then I'm sure she'll help us!”

“Now hold on,” `Bee interrupted Sam's tirade. “I did not say that I was going to help this slagging-”

“'BEE!” Sam snapped, halting `Bee in mid rant. “I can't leave him here to die alone!” he said firmly and turned once more towards Barricade, not waiting anymore for `Bee's answer. Sam was done arguing. It was time for action.

Bumblebee stared in shock at his charge who was glaring at him definitely. It was obvious that Sam had made his choice and was not going to leave that garage without Barricade no matter how hard `Bee may object. If there was anything that the `Bot had learned from humans was that they were stubborn little creatures. It was obvious that there was nothing more that he could say that would deter Sam's decision. He turned to look at the oblivious `Con, contemplating his options. On the one side of the equation, Barricade had always been a rusty bolt in his side that `Bee would love nothing better than to never see again. On the other side, Sam was right. No mech deserved to die alone in some empty parking garage on an alien planet no matter how much of a prick he was.

`Sometimes I hate my conscience,' `Bee growled silently to himself as he looked about the parking garage and made the necessary calculations for hauling the comatose `Con out of there. “I can't-”

“I said I was going to help him, with or without your help!” Sam barked out angrily, surprising `Bee momentarily at the ferocity of the boy's statement.

“Sam,” `Bee said calmly, a little hurt but understanding that Sam had little faith in him in that moment. “I was saying that I can't get Barricade out of here without a tow cable.”

“Oh,” Sam practically deflated at that admission, startled that `Bee was finally agreeing to help. “Um, then what do we do?”

`Bee glanced around the bay again before sighing. “The only one I know of is the one that Ironhide has.”

“You want to ask Ironhide for help?” Sam gasped in alarm.

“Primus, no!” Bumblebee gasped, horrified at very idea of asking the truck to aid them in dealing with an injured `Con. He shuddered at the mental image of the gunner's reaction if they did ask him for help. `Bee shook his head as he slowly backed away from the other two so he would have room to shift back into his vehicle mode. “We just need to… borrow it.”

Sam raised an eyebrow at the yellow camero now in front of him. “And just how do we explain to `Hide that we need his hoist?” Sam drawled sardonically.

“Hopefully, he'll be in recharge,” `Bee muttered as Sam climbed back in and the Autobot slowly backed out of the parking lot, leaving the `Con to once more be swallowed by the darkness.

~*~

Getting the tow cable had not been fun.

First, they had to get by a patrolling Red Alert who suddenly at one in the morning seemed to be less eccentric and more menacing that the two had thought possible. It had taken Sam a long time to convince the red mech that he had forgotten a school book and get back into the base. Then there had been the fact that they had to get close to Ironhide, who thankfully was in recharge by this time, and snag the winch without triggering the gunners perimeter alarms. Thank Primus that Ironhide was actually a solitary `Bot and had claimed one of the smaller hangers for his own private room at least until the rest of the Autobots arrived.

`Bee huffed irritably as he watched Sam sink down onto the cold, hard ground to hook the cable to the underside of the mustang. All this trouble for a slagging `Con who was still in complete lockdown! Blissfully unaware that his entire life was now in the hands of the very two that he had tried to destroy. `Oh the irony,' `Bee thought sarcastically as Sam finished the rigging. `Somehow, I highly doubt he'll be grateful for our help. This is probably the worst thing that could happen to a Decepticon. Owing a life debt to an Autobot. It's going to be hell if Mikaela actually manages to get him up and going again…'

Sam, meanwhile, had slipped into the `Con's cab and looked around the dented interior trying to figure out the different mechanics between his and `Bee's inner workings. It took Sam a moment, but he finally figured out the parking brake release and managed to get Barricade into neutral. Slipping out of the patrol car, Sam made his way back to `Bee. “Do you think I should stay with Barricade and help steer or something since he's still out of it?” he asked innocently.

“NO!” Bumblebee snapped, swinging his driver door open for Sam to climb back in. Sam rolled his eyes at the `Bot's surly tone but climbed back into his seat without protest. Bumblebee waited for him to strap himself in before giving an experimental tug on the cable now bolted to his rear bumper. Feeling the other mech smoothly roll forward, `Bee braced himself as he tried to pull the `Con's full weight. The mustang jerked forward and nearly rammed right into his bumper, startling the other mech forcing him to pull forward again to take up the slack.

“It seems to be working alright,” Sam smiled in relief as he watched the mustang following dutifully in the rearview mirror. `Bee grumbled but said nothing as they started to slowly ease up the small incline onto the street above. Scanning the road, `Bee revved his engine as he began to haul the `Con up the small hill. Snarling, `Bee was forced to gun it as Barricade's dead weight began to pull him back down into the garage and with a final heave the smaller camaro managed to crest the small hill, that may have well have been a mountain and made his way into the street.

“So exactly where are we taking him?” the `Bot asked as they slowly made their way down the back alleyways. `Bee was not taking a chance at being spotted by the locals of Tranquility city.

“Um, I don't know.”

`Bee instantly braked and once more was nearly rear ended by a `Con, and an unconscious one at that! “What do you mean you don't know?” he shouted incredulously. “There has to be someplace.”

“Well,” Sam shifted uncomfortably, “I just wanted to ensure that we got him out of the garage so he wasn't towed away somewhere that I didn't really think of where we should bring him.”

Bumblebee sighed at the small admittance. “Well, it isn't like we could take him to a local mechanic…”

“I know,” Sam groaned, slouching into his seat and the two fell into slices as they thought. So they all just sat there, one boy and two alien robots parked in a dingy back ally behind a dubious Chinese restaurant. “Well, I suppose there's no help for it,” Sam finally muttered miserably.

“What is that?” `Bee asked. “Do you know where we can take him where he won't rouse suspicion?”

“Yeah,” Sam moaned as he dropped his head into his hands. “My house.”

`Bee gasped in horror as he started to log onto the Internet and began pulling up the different maps of the area, desperately searching for an alternative. “There must be something else,” he pleaded.

“I don't think so,” Sam admitted glumly. “Take us home, `Bee.”

Bumblebee sighed but dutifully turned his engine over and started a course for the Witwicky residence. “This is not going to go well.”

~*~

Ronald Witwicky groaned as a loud knock sounded against the panel of the bedroom door. “It better not be those government nut's again,” he growled as he rolled back over trying to recapture the evading dream he had been having.

“I doubt they would knock first,” his wife Judy muttered as she sat up and reached over her groaning husband to grab the radio clock he kept on his end table. “Ron, it's close to four in the morning!” she gasped. “If that's Sam, then he missed his curfew!”

“What do you want me to do about it?” Ron groaned, trying desperately to fall back under the wonderful spell of nod. “Make time go backwards so he's not late?”

“RON!” she hissed.

Ron groaned again and slowly rolled back over, swinging his leg out from under the covers and snagged his robe off the bedpost. “Yeah, yeah, I'm coming!” he muttered as the knocking still continued on repeatedly. Yanking the door open wide, he glared down at his one and only child. “Is the world ending again?” he demanded irritably.

Sam blinked in surprise at the sudden question. “Um, no?”

“Are those `seven' guy's back again to destroy my path?” Ron fired at him.

Sam blinked again. “No?”

Ron frowned. “Then what in the world is the problem? And you're late young man.”

“Yeah, dad. I know, and I'm sorry about missing curfew its just,” Sam wrung his hands together nervously. “There was a problem.”

Ron raised an eyebrow incredulously. “What sort of problem?”

“One of the… `cars' was damaged,” he admitted as he moved over towards his parents bedroom window and gestured down towards the back yard.

Ron frowned as he marched over to the window and glanced down at what his son was pointing at. “What the hell are they doing on my grass?” Ron snapped angrily.

“RON!” Judy chastised as she too came over to the window and glanced down at the two cars parked on the lawn. She gasped at the sight of the patrol car. “Oh dear, what happened to him?”

Sam bit his lip, wondering how to explain the problem without having to explain who Barricade really was. “There was a small scuffle,” Sam explained. “We need a place to put him in order to keep him out of the public's eye,” he turned towards his father. “I was hoping we could… put him in the garage.”

“The garage?” Ron screeched in surprise. “As in my garage? Why? Don't they have that new base of theirs? Why do we need to put him in my garage?”

“Ron's right,” Judy agreed with her husband. “Why on Earth would you want to put him in the garage? It's obvious that your friend needs medical attention.”

“You mean a hammer and a welding kit,” Ron muttered and then yelped at his wife's small slap at his arm.

“Isn't one of your friends their medic?” Judy continued on. “The one who's an ambulance? Named after a screwdriver or something like that?”

Sam began shifting from foot to foot and now both of his parents were staring at him suspiciously. “Sam,” Ron drawled threateningly. “Just what's the story here? What's going on?” Sam bit his lip and Ron crossed his arms and glared down at the boy.

“He's a Decepticon,” Sam blurted out, crumbling under his parents combined stares.

Ron and Judy looked puzzled for a moment before the realization seemed to sink into his mother. “He's one of the bad guys?” she gasped in surprise.

“What?” Ron screeched again as he stared at his wife in shock. “The ones who blew up Mission City? The ones who tried to take over the world? The ones who destroyed my lawn?” Sam cringed as he slowly moved back away from his enraged father.

“RON! That's not the point! Are you forgetting that they tried to kill our son! That those,” and here she waved out the window, glaring at the mustang before gasping in shocked horror. “He's a cop car!” she blurted out. “You said it was one disguised as a patrol car that tried to kill you! He tried to kill my baby!”

Judy was reaching for her bat placed conveniently next to the bed when Ron suddenly realized what his wife was up to and managed to snag her before she could reach the wooden weapon. He made a small head gesture at Sam and the boy sneaked behind his mothers back and snagged the much-feared bat. “Honey, calm down-”

“YOU CALM DOWN!” Judy screamed as she struggled to free herself. “They tried to kill Sam!”

“Mom! Mom!” Sam rushed back into the room after safely stashing the bat. “It's okay! I swear!”

“How is it okay?” Judy demanded. “He tried to kill you!”

“`Tried' mom, he `tired' to kill me. He didn't succeed! And what else would you have expected from him? He was at war! They were at war, but they're not now! Not anymore! With the All Spark gone, the war is over!”

“But,” Judy murmured dazedly, amazed at the determination her son was presenting her. Even Ron was staring at his son in awe at the conviction Sam had on the subject. “But the secretary said that there was more of them…”

“Mom,” Sam sighed, the anger just suddenly draining out of him. “Mom, the ones who hurt him were his own people.” Judy gasped at that announcement. “He came to me for help mom, and I just can't leave him like that.”

Ron patted his wife on the shoulder before turning a somber gaze at his son. “You really are serious about this, aren't you?” he asked him in amazement. “No matter what we say, you've already made your decision.” Sam nodded, his mouth thinning into a grim line. Ron looked Sam right in the eye, surprised at the defiance that shone with in them. It was true. His son had made his choice and Ron felt his heart swell with pride and just a touch of sadness. Ever since they had bought that car off the used car lot, his son had fought a war and saved the world.

And had grown to be a strong, caring man while Ron wasn't looking.

Ron sighed as he turned towards the bed and snagged his shoes from the foot of it. “Let me get my keys and we'll get my car out of the garage so we can get your… friend in there.”

“Barricade,” Sam supplied.

Ron snorted as he shoved his feet into his sneakers. “Stupidest names I've ever heard.”

Sam smiled, relieved that they were going to help him. “Thanks dad! Really, it's only until Mikaela manages to fix him and he can survive on his own.”

“You think that mechanical ex-girl of yours will be able to fix all that?” Ron asked surprised. “Son, I know she's good but he's made of completely different technology than ours.”

“We just need to get him out of stasis lock.” At his parent's confused stares Sam clarified “It's basically a coma. That's the main priority right now. `Bee said he has maybe three more days until he suffers from a complete shutdown. Mikaela has been working with their medic, and it's Ratchet by the way, so she should be able to at least help that much.”

Ron snorted as he finished tying his shoe. “It's not right to have to rely on her to help with this mess,” he said, rising to his feet and snagged his keys. “Let me move my car and dig out my tool kit and we'll see what we can do in the meantime.” Sam's eyes widened in shock as he stared at his father completely stunned at the announcement. Ron shuffled embarrassed before he faked a cough and clapped a hand on his son's shoulder. “I don't just build garden paths you know,” he declared as he began to maneuver his son out the door.

Judy sighed, as she looked from one to the other, wondering what she had done in a past life to end up with such stern, stubborn men. “I guess I'll go put on the coffee then.”

Sam stopped in the doorway and looked at his parents, completely moved by their support. “Thank you.”

Judy smiled down at her son and gave him a tight hug, “it's what we're here for.”

~*~

“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!”

Optimus Prime and Ratchet were rudely jolted out of a peaceful recharge in the early dawn of the next morning by the sudden resounding wail emanating from the hanger next door. Forcing himself out of saver mode, Optimus stood and made his way out of the main hanger and out into the bright sun; all the while trying to comprehend the multitude of assorted curses and occasional roars of frustration that floated from the other hanger. Ratchet, on the other hand, was instantly fully awake and marched over to the adjacent hanger, slamming open the door and making a beeline for the complaining truck. “WHAT IN THE NAME OF PRIMUS IS WRONG WITH YOU?” Ratchet's voice thundered over Ironhide's deafening rant.

Ironhide fixed the medic a vicious glare. “I'll tell you what's wrong!” the gunner shouted and whirled around to point an accusing finger at the security chief who had just wandered into the confusion. “RED! Your security ain't worth scrap!” Red Alert was now instantly awake and moving as the red `Bot jumped and ducked behind the groggy Optimus who suddenly found himself at the receiving end of a very threatening snarl as Ironhide stalked towards them.

“Now, just hold on! Wait a minute!” Ironhide ignored him as he tried to snatch Red Alert from behind the larger `Bot but Red, who understandably did not want to be caught, dodged around to the other side. Soon the two `Bot's were playing some odd version of the game “catch me if you can” around Optimus, rendering the poor leader dizzy for a fourth time in as many days.

Ratchet's frowned at the bizarre sight before him as he watched his teammates duck and dodge around Optimus like some whacked out cartoon that Bumblebee sometimes borrowed sound bytes from. Shaking his head, he took a deep breath. “ENOUGH!”

The other three Autobots all froze at Ratchet's resounding bellow. Red Alert had halted in the act of climbing up Optimus as if he were a tree and it looked as if Ironhide was right behind him when Ratchet's roar caused the three to stop in their tracks. “Much better,” Ratchet sighed, reviling in the quiet stillness. “Now. Ironhide. Please explain to us why you have decided to rouse us out of recharge with such,” Ratchet paused as he searched for what would be an appropriate word to describe the odd situation he suddenly found himself privy too, “slagging inane caterwauling?”

Red's head tilted quizzically at the new word. “`Caterwauling'?”

“Why?” Ironhide whirled around and stomped over towards his teammate with a rather menacing gait. Ratchet, ever the solider, held his ground as the gunner stopped almost toe to toe with him. “I'll tell you why!” Ironhide growled as he reached down and pulled out an oddly empty bracket from his chest plate and dangled it in front of the bemused medics face. “WE'VE BEEN ROBBED!”

-- To Be Continued

~*~

I went ahead and bought the movie's comic book prologue. That is where I got this information about New Mexico. ((I love Starscream's one-liners in that book!))