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Barricade looked at the much smaller human, took in the determined expression in his face, the hardness in the brown eyes. In his time among the Autobots he had gotten to know Sam Witwicky in his own way, had interacted with him the way he saw fit, and his respect for the human had grown with each of their meetings. Barricade had respected him for facing Megatron and killing him in the end, but Witwicky had gone through a lot more after that, right down to being genetically changed by the Allspark.
He was human, but no longer like the others. He wasn't alien, but he was also no longer genetically of this planet. A lot was still changing in him. Barricade had started to take an interest and had hacked Ratchet's files – until Jazz had told him he could just ask.
"Or do you think Ratchet might take it the wrong way?" his partner had teased. "That he might think you're interested in Sam?"
Barricade had simply huffed. He would deny interest to his last energon flicker. Sam Witwicky wasn't interesting. He was… different and therefore needed to be studied. He could be a tool should someone take control of him, could be a weapon if shaped right, and Barricade would make sure he was a weapon to be used by the faction he had allied himself with.
"Do you know what you are asking?" he now addressed the young human.
"Yes."
He tilted his head, fascinated. "Why me?" the former Decepticon then asked.
Sam sighed deeply. "It's not because you're a former Decepticon, if that's what you're thinking."
"You should know."
"I'm not spying on you!" the technopath snarled.
Barricade smirked. It was so easy to get a rise out of this one. He had a temper, especially when it came to his technopathy.
Sam glared at him. "I'm asking you because I know Bumblebee too well. I can't work this with him. He would never harm me."
"And I would?"
Another glare. "I trust you, Barricade. You got me out of tight spots before, even when I attacked you. You could have hurt me, but you didn't. You also told me I need to train this. It's why I'm asking you. You kept me from harming you, from erasing you. You have that control and I need someone to take me on like that. I'll never learn defense if I don't have an attacker."
Barricade went down on one knee, red optics eye-level with Sam. "You will get hurt, Sam Witwicky."
"I know. It's okay."
"Your guardian and his friends won't think so."
A sigh. "I told Bumblebee what I'm planning and while he's not happy, he won't stop me from this. As for Optimus… I talked to him. Well, he argued and I listened, but he can't stop me either."
"They can stop me."
"I won't let them shoot you, Barricade. This is my idea. I'm running with it."
"You are brave, human. I acknowledged that before."
"No, I'm not brave. I just know what I need to do to control what I am, and to fight off an invader should something like that happen one day. I know the others and they let me train. Hell, Ironhide isn't really all that accessible and he fought me off, but he is still… an Autobot."
Barricade laughed darkly. "And I'm still a Decepticon?"
"No. You're a shock-trooper. You were trained for this." At Barricade's look, Sam shrugged. "Jazz told me. I asked him. I mean, he's part of this in a way."
Barricade was surprised. His partner had talked to the human about this and agreed to let him got through with it? Interesting.
"Will you help me?" Sam asked openly.
"How far do you want to take this?"
He inhaled deeply, evading the red optics for a moment, then met them head-on, determination back in his eyes. "As far as I can."
Barricade studied him, aware of the consequences should something happen to the young man. The Autobots would tear him apart. On the other hand, he had no intention to harm this one. Sam was growing more and more into his powers and he was getting better with each training session. That he had the foresight to ask about defense and attack techniques showed his maturity. Starscream might return one day. He might have back-up. Others might find this world. Everything was possible and Sam wanted to be ready.
The black mech rose. "I agree to help you, Sam Witwicky," he told the human.
"Thank you."
It got him a nasty smile. "Don't thank me just yet. You might regret this."
Sam's smile was wry. "Maybe. But I know that whatever I learn from this, it'll help."
Yes, the boy had guts. He was growing up, in more ways than one, and Barricade was interested to see what his future would be. Right now, here in the present, he would give Sam what he wanted – a way to learn how to fight.
XXxXXxXxXx
Bumblebee didn't know whether to be frightened for Sam or angry at himself for letting his charge go through with this stupid idea. Of course Sam needed to learn how to handle his powers in battle situations, but to ask Barricade?
"Hey, Bumblebee, don't sweat it," Jazz told him, smiling reassuringly. "He'll be fine. Barricade won't hurt him."
"I'm not so sure. I mean," he added quickly, "I know he won't physically harm him, but…"
"Bumblebee," Jazz interrupted. "Sam trained with all of us and he has learned to counter-act our attacks, but he needs to expand, and he needs someone willing to go past the protection protocols. We protect humans, you protect him in particular. None of us would ever want to hurt them."
"Barricade doesn't have that inhibition."
"Exactly."
Bumblebee slumped against a wall and exhaled air, something he had picked up from Sam. "I just don't like it."
"Neither do I," was the quiet confession.
Bumblebee winced a little. Barricade meant a lot to Jazz and putting himself voluntarily at the mercy of a technopath was… dangerous.
All they could do was wait, let the two individuals in question train. Bumblebee knew he would be there for Sam at the end of each fight, like Jazz would haunt Barricade – even of the former Decepticon wasn't likely to be fretted over.
XxxXxxXxxXxxXxx
The headache was the mother of all migraines. Sam pressed the cold pack against his forehead, whimpering softly as the iciness seeped into his skin. He wished he could freeze his brain, make this go away, but until his mind quieted down, he would have to suffer through this. He blindly reached out for Bumblebee, but his friend wasn't here and that was how he had wanted it. He needed to handle this – by himself. Bumblebee might not always be there to soothe his overtaxed abilities and in a battle situation he had to rely only on himself. He didn't want to be a liability by having to turn to his friends for help. He didn't want to rely. He wanted to be independent, and to be that he had to train – even if there was pain.
Sam didn't know how long it took, but when the headache finally receded and he opened his eyes, Barricade was sitting across from him, dimmed red optics watching him like a hawk. He could feel the black mech's presence, his mind twittering like a nervous horse, prancing and ready to bolt. Another part was hissing and snapping, willing to lash out and invade what he knew was currently weakened.
He had both under control and the slow smile on the terrifying features showed him that Barricade knew.
"You already pack a punch, human," Barricade rumbled appreciatively.
"Yeah, but the backlash is murderous," he whispered.
The skin on his forehead was numb from the cold, but it felt so wonderful.
The mechanoid leaned forward. "You will learn."
Sam squinted at him. "Huh. Right. How are your circuits?"
Barricade smirked. "Sore."
"Do ice packs work for you guys?"
That got Sam a chuckle. "No. And aside from freezing your skin off your head, it won't work for you either. You need to learn how to switch off your abilities and recharge. Otherwise you'd be useless in battle."
"Easier said than done."
Sam closed his eyes and tried to think of nothing, but that didn't really work. He let the ice pack drop onto the ground and just let everything… be. His awareness of Barricade was still very strong, as was the temptation, but he kept steering away from that and into safe waters. He imagined Bumblebee's presence, what it felt like to be anchored in the calmness of the other electronic mind, and finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the headache was nothing but a memory.
Barricade watched him for a long moment, then rose and transformed. He opened the passenger door and Sam didn't hesitate to get in. The drive back to the base was spent in mutual silence. Sam went over the mechanoid's words.
He'd be useless if he didn't learn how to cut through the agony and push away the discomfort. He had to learn to be prepared. That's why he wanted to do this with Barricade. As much as Ironhide was a really tough nut to crack and as much as he fought against Sam, he still had a last reservation.
Sam knew he could do this. He had to. He wouldn't be a tool to be used. He would be in control of his abilities; only him.
XxxXxxXxxX
They were already expected and Sam almost laughed out loud how frantic Bumblebee appeared. Barricade's low chuckle was only audible inside the Saleen.
"Oh, stuff it," Sam heard himself mutter.
"He's an Autobot," Barricade commented coolly. "It's in his systems."
Not that Jazz looked much calmer, but he pulled off the coolness a lot better. The silver Autobot just transformed and both partners drove away, leaving Sam with his guardian. Blue optics checked him, trying to see if one hair was out of line or missing. Sam was warmed by the concern, but this concern was what inhibited his friends from doing what Barricade could – fight him for real.
"I'm fine, Bee," Sam only said.
And he was.
And he would get even better.
XxxXxxXxxXxxX
The first time Sam made it past Barricade's defenses, he was so surprised that he didn't react to the sledgehammer blow that catapulted him back into his own mind and had him scream in pain. His body collapsed as all nerve signals were blocked from his mind, and darkness overwhelmed him.
When he could see again he found himself lying limply next to Barricade on the ground. The red optics reflected mild worry that couldn't be hidden. Sam coughed as his lungs violently tried to expel whatever he had swallowed, and for a while there as just his aching head and his pounding heart beat. He was aware of holding on to Barricade's presence like a drowning person and in a way it was an anchor. Not like Bumblebee's mind, but it was a focus for reality. Barricade was a lot more guarded, like a fortress, and he had breached those walls and found brief victory, only to be violently removed.
"You were unprepared," the black mechanoid growled. "Expect the unexpected."
He sounded like some drill sergeant.
Sam nodded weakly. From now on he would. This was what his learning experience was all about.
That day the headache wouldn't go away and his intake on sweets was more than on regular days. Bumblebee was there, but he kept his distance as not to crowd Sam, and the young man fell asleep an hour after coming back.
The second time Sam made it past Barricade's defenses he was prepared to defend himself and he managed pursue his mission to knock the other out until he accidentally veered off course and more or less literally collided with the spark bond. For the past weeks he had actually managed to avoid being lured away from his objective and explore what was simply beautiful to his eyes. He had sworn not to touch this sacred connection and endanger Jazz, too.
But today all his good intentions were blown away when spark energy whispered past him. It was like a bright light to a moth and he hungrily followed.
Sam had a nano-second at most, then Barricade tore him away and he cried out at the claw-like swipe that had him back outside the alien mind.
There was pain. An incredible, unending pain. An agony he couldn't escape. He knew he was screaming, he knew he was begging, but no sound left his lips.
When he was conscious again, Sam was inside the Mustang, the passenger seat reclined to make him more comfortable, and it was dark outside. They were still in the middle of nowhere.
"B-barricade?" he croaked.
Memories flooded back. Memories of beauty and warmth and another presence and him…
"Oh god, I'm so sorry… I didn't want… it was an accident…" Sam stammered, trying to sit up. His mind felt like raw hamburger. A whimper escaped his lips and he curled up, wishing for the ice pack.
"No harm done," was the quiet reply.
But Barricade felt shaky. Bruised, too. Even though his mind was highly sensitive at the moment, and even though Sam normally shied away from touches, he still let the technopathy scan the mechanoid.
Barricade was physically all right, he knew. Just very, very shaken. His systems felt… guarded. Fiercely guarded, and when he came to close, he almost got another shock. Sam pulled back, whispering another apology.
"I was afraid this might happen," he tried.
"I knew it would. I thought I was better prepared, more in control," was the level reply. "I wasn't. I told you I wouldn't hurt you. I did."
"No more than usual," Sam tried to joke, but from his general weakness and sensitivity, he knew this had been a brutal blow.
Barricade was no monster. He had defended something very personal and Sam knew that feeling how he did was a small prize to pay for his violation. He flushed a little with embarrassment.
"You need energy," the Saleen stated, interrupting the mortification moment.
Sam saw his backpack on the driver's seat and with shaking hands opened it, pulling out several chocolate bars. It took a while for his system to process the food into energy, but finally the tremors stopped. He was still curled up on the reclined seat, too weak to do much more than just be.
"Barricade?" he asked softly.
"Yes?"
"I'm not going to run away from this now. If you… If you you're willing to continue, so am I."
Sam felt the other's gaze on him, like a heavy weight on his mind. Finally Barricade chuckled dryly.
"You won't give up."
"No sacrifice, no victory," Sam only quoted.
"A fitting motto, Sam Witwicky. I won't discontinue the training if you are still willing to work with me."
"I am."
"I advise regeneration time first."
For both of them. Because this had truly hurt. Sam nodded and the Mustang's engine came to life. They drove back to the base.
By the time they were back, Sam felt well enough to make it to his bed on his own two feet and while he drew a quizzical look from Lennox, the Major didn't stop him. Before he could go to sleep, though, he had to do something first. Then he could sleep. A very, very long time.
XxxXxxXxxXxxX
Jazz leaned against the door jamb, watching Barricade. His partner was in recharge, inside the Autobot base, which told the specialist more than anything else how overtaxed Barricade had been after the last training session. While the black mech hadn't told Jazz anything, Sam had. The boy had been worried and had apologized three times before Jazz had finally told him to go into his own recharge and forget about it. Barricade was alive and well, which was what counted.
At least on the surface. Deep inside, in his spark, Jazz had ached a little at the description of what had nearly happened. He knew he was behaving like a new-born. All his experience didn't keep him from worrying. He had watched enough human soaps from all over the planet to know he was really falling into the category of mother-hen, but he couldn't help it. This was Barricade.
True, he had survived the Cybertronian War, he had survived coming to this planet, he had survived Mission City… and Jazz had never truly worried. He knew his partner was a capable warrior. One of the best. He was a shock-trooper and they were really hard to kill.
Now he was facing something none of them had ever come up against, something that was deadly for all of them. Sam Witwicky. If Barricade lost his mental footing he might end up with areas of his processor erased or severely damaged. Not that Jazz thought Sam would ever do that, but accidents happened.
Like this time.
"Stupid," he murmured.
Barricade hadn't expected Sam to veer off his chosen attack path and seek out the spark bond. But to the technopath it was alluring and interesting.
Jazz understood the attraction. Cybertron's Pits, he was attracted to that spark. Maybe it was different than what a technopath saw, but it was beautiful and wondrous and so very much them. The bond had undergone a development in the last two years that hadn't happened in all the millennia before. Maybe it had been the distance, maybe it had been the separation, maybe it had been because both had only ever briefly dropped their shields to truly Share.
Here they were free, were safe for now.
Walking into the recharge chamber, Jazz closed the door and locked it, leaving them in private. He sat down on the second bed, optics never leaving the prone form, and he waited. He knew it was silly and served nothing to be here, but it satisfied a need in him. They couldn't share while one was recharging, but he had every intention to keep Barricade inside this private room for as long as he could, just to give him a break.
Even if his companion wouldn't let him live it down for weeks.
Sentimental idiot, Jazz thought.
Then he smiled.
XxxXxxXxxXxxX
The third time Sam made it past Barricade's defenses it had been three months since they had started the training sessions and Barricade had upped the ante. By now Sam moved across the dangerous obstacle curse that was the former Decepticon's mind with vigilance and never-wavering preparedness. He was caught again, claws wrapping around his mind-presence and stopping him, just short of painful.
He pulled back, feeling the weight of his physical form, and he exhaled sharply, stumbling. Like every time he was caught in gentle claws, but he no longer felt so jelly-kneed. Still, Sam let the hand balance him, then he pushed away. He felt like he had run a marathon, but his headache no longer flared with such viciousness.
Barricade nodded at him, relaying his approval. Sam gave him a smile.
XxxXxxXxxX
Bumblebee would have breathed a great sigh of relief when the training sessions finally wound down from every other day to once a week – if he had been human. So he just felt a wave of relief pass through his systems. His feelings were probably mirrored by Jazz. While the others had only watched, and Ratchet had taken seriously long and deep scans of Sam's condition after each training, Bumblebee knew they had been ready to intervene should things get out of hand.
But how?
None of them could stop the technopath and aside from shooting Barricade, which Ironhide had opted for, there was no way to end such a training.
It had been a long four months and while Sam was getting better and better, he wasn't satisfied with what he could do yet. He often still fell prey to Barricade's attacks and Bumblebee understood that his charge wanted to be able to work with his powers, to no longer be a victim when something got a bit too intense.
Driving out to the lake to take some time off and relax with each other, Bumblebee was only too happy to feel Sam's mind in his systems again, anchoring and relaxing. It was amazing to feel Sam like this, like one of his own kind, uplinking and comfortable with his own touch. He knew they were crossing incredible boundaries between two species, that Sam's ability made him special. And he was glad Sam was so comfortable with him to do something so personal.
"You're a worry-bot," Sam teased, lying on the hood of the car, smiling.
"I can't help it."
Sam was warmed by the concern, by all their concern, and it showed him how much a part of the team he had become. Still, his resolve to go through with this was unbroken.
"We'll be fine," he murmured, patting the hood.
Bumblebee gave a soft hum, something that was barely audible but which Sam felt in every cell of his body, it seemed. It was like an embrace, something personal and only between them, and he closed his eyes, enjoying it.
XxxXxxXxxX
Jazz had tried to hold back, not to be a worry-bot, but the moment they were alone and far enough away from the base for Barricade to let his guard down, he let his energies flow along the connection between their sparks, embracing his companion.
Barricade radiated amusement at the fact, but he didn't resist the embrace, and he opened up to share. Jazz lost himself in the intimate sharing and felt whispers of reflected emotions all around him.
::Idiot:: he murmured.
It got him a soft hum, nothing more. Jazz smiled and sank deeper, pulling Barricade with him.
::You want to continue?:: he asked after a while.
::Yes. He has learned, but this is only the beginning::
::Sam's good:: Jazz remarked, lazily flowing around and through Barricade's presence.
::Only as long as he isn't surprised:: Barricade remarked. ::I can knock him out by pulling an unexpected maneuver. This will take time.::
::Which we have::
Barricade looked quizzically at him.
::Optimus told me he talked to Ratchet. Ratchet thinks you made perfect progress, so he won't pull the plug on this::
Barricade snorted. ::As if he could::
Sam had his own head and no one could get him to stop something he so desperately needed and wanted.
::Anyway… Optimus said as long as no one gets hurt he'll let this go on::
Another snort. Jazz was perfectly well aware that even if Optimus was against it, Sam would just find another way – and Barricade would help. He smiled at the image of his partner sneaking away for secret training sessions.
Barricade gave the spark presence that was Jazz a little poke and it had Jazz laugh.
::You're a good teacher, Cade::
::I do what's necessary::
::Which makes you so good::
Barricade didn't answer, just stayed close, and Jazz didn't prod any further. He knew that the former Decepticon had come a long way in being accepted by the other Autobots, and his involvement with Sam was just another piece of the puzzle that was him. At least he was a puzzle to the others, like Ironhide, who could no longer distrust him just on the basis that he was a Decepticon. Too much had happened. Jazz was proud of the development, of the alliance, and he was even prouder of Sam's progress because of Barricade.
::Got any plans for the next week?:: he asked into the comfortable silence between their Shared sparks.
Barricade radiated suspicion. Jazz smiled.
::You're planning a road trip:: the mech finally said slowly, voice leaking disapproval.
::Yep::
::Why?::
::Same reason as each time, Cade. Fun. Relaxation. Just us and no one else::
::Where to?::
Jazz knew he already had him. Barricade always put up an argument, but in the end he came along and away from the base, Barricade was a lot more relaxed.
::Dunno. South?::
::Next you're asking me to camouflage again::
Jazz wrapped his presence around the other, clearly transmitting his emotions. ::Only after we cross the border. Keeping the cover, you know::
Barricade rumbled, adding a sigh of disgust just for good measure. Jazz knew he had won.
They stayed together for a while longer, then separated, awareness returning. Not much time had really passed in the human world. Red optics regarded him steadily and Jazz grinned.
"Ready to go on a trip?" he teased.
A slow, dark smiled crossed the black mech's features. Jazz laughed and transformed.
"Race you to the border!" he called his challenged and tore off.
There was a split-second transformation and Barricade was after him.
Soon only a cloud of dust spoke of their presence any more.