Transfromers Fanfic Chp 1 Pt 5

A few minutes later, the four Autobots were ready for the search. Grace walked over to Ironhide. She touched his foot. He pretended he hadn't noticed her at first, but when she tapped again, he couldn't pretend. He looked down at her, optics hard and empty. "What do you want, girl?"
"First of all, call me a girl again and I will tear your optics off," she said, smiling. "Get me up there, with you."
The lieutenant rolled his optics but lowered his hand, only enough to where Grace had to struggle to climb up. He brought his hand to his head level when she had sat down upon it. Grace was smiling at the stoic-faced Autobot.
"What's wrong, grumpy?" Grace asked, rubbing his palm affectionately.
He snorted. "You're siding with that Decepticon."
Grace shook her head. "'Hide, I'm not siding with anyone. Starscream just needs someone to care about him. You knew I would be nice, even if he was a Decepticon. You knew it the moment I asked you not to kill him." She stood and pulled his face close to hers until they were about an inch away from each other.
Grace held his face by the sides of his lower mandible. "Now, listen to me, Ironhide: I care about all of you, but I love you, okay? You're my guardian, and my closest friend, so stop acting like this, 'kay?"
Ironhide snorted again, but nodded. He used his free hand to stroke her back gently. His optics grew softer, and he murmured, "I just want you to be safe."
Grace kissed his metallic nose. "I want you to be safe, too; so be careful, okay? And don't forget: I love you, alright?"
Ironhide nodded, and placed her back on the ground gently. He walked out of the barn, followed by Bee and Skids. Starscream stopped and knelt in front of Grace. His red optics were blank, but somehow Grace knew he was showing emotion behind them. "I wished to… well, I, er, wanted to…"
Grace smiled and tapped his foot. "You don't have to say anything; just go find Barricade, and try to come back with all your parts, okay? And tell 'Hide and the rest I said the same thing to them, aright?" She smiled.
Starscream stood, inclining his head respectfully. He followed his comrades silently.
Grace heard Optimus coming up behind her. She watched her friends trek off through the woods, pushing aside trees and slipping through. Starscream came in last, and many times did a branch slap him in the face, causing Skids and Maria to laugh. Grace shook her head, smiling.
"Do you think they'll ever get along?" she asked Optimus.
"I hope so, Grace. But I do believe Starscream will become accustomed to your affection, so do not think he will always be an empty shell."
Usually, Grace would blush at something like that being said, but she just nodded. "Ironhide is who I'm more worried about. What if he and 'Scream never get along? What if he'll always be a Decepticon to him?"
Optimus shook his head. He watched as Bumblebee politely held a tree out of the way for Starscream to step through. The silver Autobot nodded his thanks, and Bee inclined his head. This sign of kindness caused Optimus to smile a little.
Soon, everyone was out of sight. Grace already missed them. "I know Bee and Starscream will be pretty good friends. But still, Ironhide…"
"My lieutenant is an honorable warrior, who has a spark which cannot compare with any other; he is, although rough on the outside, very kind and caring on the inside. You, of all people, should know that, Grace," Optimus said, looking at the girl.
"I know, I know, but even if Ironhide starts to get along with Starscream, what if because of the way he treats him now, he won't forgive 'Hide?" Grace sighed, crossing her arms and shuddering. "I just hate to think what could happen if neither will accept each other."
The Prime crouched and lowered his hand down to Grace. She stiffly climbed into it and let out a breath, sending a puff of cloud. Optimus smiled lightly. "They will, in time, youngling. Now, you should try to sleep; you seem tired."
Grace shook her head, eyes getting wide with fear. "I don't think I'll be able to, Optimus. I don't want to go to sleep, and I know that sounds childish, but those dreams are painful, real and-and-and…" She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Grace turned to Optimus. "God, Optimus, I don't know if I'll make it through much more of this. I haven't even told Ratchet about my recent nightmare."
The Autobot leader walked towards Ratchet's medical bay, nodding. He stayed quiet until they reached the bay, where they found Ratchet with Mikaela. They were talking about something. Optimus waited patiently while they finished speaking. Mikaela vacated the bay with a wave to Grace. Optimus put Grace on the patient bed.
"Grace wishes to tell you of her newest nightmare," the Prime said.
Ratchet nodded and started scanning her again. Grace was getting quite tired of all these scans, considering the medical officer already decided she was retarded.
"Now, you already babbled about some of your dream," said Ratchet, running a scanner over Grace which produced a greenish light. "But was there much more, dear?"
"Well, Megatron told me he was seeing if I had enough strength to do something for him. And he said that he was going to kill you all…" She trailed off, face paling swiftly.
"Go on, Grace," Ratchet said gently.
The girl nodded, blinking a few times. She tried to keep her eyes from watering, but she had no luck. "He was holding my arms and they were bleeding. I felt the blood, and it really hurt, as if it was actually happening," Grace said, breath getting faster as her eyes began glazing over with deep fear. "He-he said he was gonna kill us all, he said he'd kill you guys and Starscream and he said I wasn't safe, he said you guys couldn't help me and—" Grace suddenly burst into tears, babbling unintelligibly. Ratchet quickly put the scanner away, and grabbed Grace gently.
He began to speak to her, and was saying how she was safe, and she wouldn't get hurt again. He promised her, and Grace slowly calmed down.
Optimus' optics filled with confusion, and his ridges creased in more confusion. He wondered how nightmares could reduce such a calm, strong human to a state like this. The Prime stood in the med bay for a while longer after Ratchet stepped out, still trying to calm down Grace.
Megatron must be more powerful than I believed if he is able to do this, Optimus thought. Not even a girl like Grace could be reduced to a babbling child, even if she had a nightmare. Megatron must have something inducing this behavior to the girl.
Sam, Seth and Mikaela sat on the couch as Ratchet came into the main room with Grace. She was against his chest, shuddering uncontrollably. Her eyes were red and her face was pale. Ratchet was murmuring softly to her, and it was obviously calming her down, because she began to stop shuddering a bit.
"Another nightmare?" Seth asked, putting a hand of cards on the coffee table he and Sam were playing on.
Ratchet nodded. "She was telling me about her recent one. Apparently, Megatron intends to use her as a vessel to deliver something."
The three friends' eyes went wide. Mikaela asked, "Does she already have it?"
Ratchet shrugged slightly. "My scans detected nothing unusual."
"Except a mental illness?" Grace joked, voice cracking.
Ratchet smiled and gently placed her on her favorite recliner. He nodded and removed a strand of hair from her face. "Indeed."
That made everyone smile, and Grace laughed a little. Ratchet was glad to see her quickly recovering from her breakdown, but he was worried what the dreams could mean. Perhaps it was only a vivid nightmare, produced by her fear of the Decepticons. But if that was the case, he reasoned, Grace wouldn't awake screaming and crying like a young child.
Optimus' voice snapped Ratchet back to reality.
"Grace, you cannot go home tonight," he said. "I would like to monitor you in your sleep. Perhaps we can pick up some clues with how you react, and if you are unconscious to the world around you."
Grace nodded, wiping her eyes quickly. "Of course, Optimus." She forced a crooked smile.
Ratchet smiled at her reassuringly. He tickled her nose fondly. "If you get scared, simply call for us. We will be here, watching and protecting." The medical officer turned to the rest of Grace's friends. "Now, you shouldn't go back home tonight; it's too dark, no Autobot could go with you, and with Barricade out, I wouldn't want you unprotected. Go to the rooms we have for you here."
Sam and Mikaela walked off, but Seth propped himself against the couch. "I wanna sleep on the couch, tonight, if you don't mind."
Ratchet simply nodded.
Grace closed her eyes, relaxed, and tried not to think of Megatron or her nightmares. She thought instead of Ironhide, Bee, Starscream, Skids and Alex as they went out to find Barricade. She imagined Alex riding in Skids' green van thing, smiling and asking constant questions. The thought made her smile; she swiftly fell into a world of black, and her dreams began taking place.

Alex indeed was sitting in Skids' car, the Autobot driving alongside Bumblebee, who was in his yellow Camaro form. The two had split up from Ironhide and Starscream, who had gone towards Wal-Mart, searching for Barricade. Bee and Skids were heading towards Main Street, keeping their sensors on all activity, desperately trying to find any sign of another Transformer.
"Barricade was the first Decepticon to be on Earth, right?" Alex inquired.
"Pretty much, I guess," replied the green Autobot.
"And he attacked Sam when Bee rescued him, right?"
"S'far as I know."
"Cool! Did Starscream say where he found him?"
"Why don't ya contact 'im? Let's hope him and 'Hide haven't killed each other, eh?"
Alex laughed. She pulled out her black mobile phone and dialed the secretarial number for Starscream's communicator. The voice that rasped out was Starscream's.
"Starscream."
"Hey, 'Scream, where did you fight Barricade?" Alex asked right away.
He didn't respond for a few moments. "I found him near the road called Tuggle Hill."
Alex nodded. "Thanks 'Scream. You be careful, alright? Don't forget what Grace told ya."
"Indeed. Starscream over and out."
Alex hung up and stuck her phone back in her pocket. "Tell Bee to head to Tuggle Hill; that's the last-known location of Barricade."
"You got it."

Ironhide cruised through the Wal-Mart parking lot, keeping a sharp optic out for the sheriff car Barricade chose as a terrestrial form. The silver truck drove past a red convertible car, the roof folded back and a teenage-girl sitting in the driver's seat. She had long blonde hair and blue eyes.
She was talking rather loudly on a phone about a boy, Ironhide heard.
He continued cruising the lot and contacted Starscream on his communicator. "Starscream, do you have any readings?"
"Negative; no anomalies on my end. And you?"
"Same. I'm leaving the human store and heading to the McDonald's." Ironhide shut off his communication and swerved around, zooming past the red convertible, leaving an angry girl shouting about her car's delicacy.
Ironhide drove up to the red-light and waited impatiently as it changed from green swiftly to yellow, and then to red. The warrior growled as a car from the right drove through in front of him. As soon as the light switched to green again, Ironhide pulled out quickly and raced to the restaurant.

Starscream was about fifty miles above Rogersville, looking down and scanning the area for any unusual readings. He desperately searched for his comrade, wondering if they would even find him.
Then, suddenly, out of nowhere, a signal appeared on his screen. Starscream realized that the blip appeared in the same area as Ironhide was in.
Starscream opened a channel on all communicators. "This is Starscream; target found. Location is McDonald's in Rogersville. Pursuing from above."
"Affirmative, on our way," Bumblebee said.
"Me'n Alex are en route, yo!"
"I have him in my sights."

Barricade's spark went cold from fear. The Autobots were hunting him, and he had no companions to help him. The night before he had found Starscream, and attacked him. The Decepticon realized the Autobots were trying to kill him.
He had been trying to hide in the parking spaces of the human restaurant McDonald's, but when the first lieutenant of Optimus Prime appeared on his screens, the Decepticon thought he had detected him. Barricade had instantly powered up and drove away swiftly, heading out of McDonald's through the entrance and zooming to the right, going past Raceway and then turning left.
How did they find me so quickly? Why did Starscream betray us all? These were the thoughts of the fleeing Decepticon as he raced past all sorts of cars, hearing the rev of Ironhide's engines behind him. The Decepticon disguised as a sheriff car went about eighty miles-per-hour, desperately trying to escape his pursuers.
Why couldn't they leave him alone? Would they simply kill him, no questions asked? Or would Starscream put in a good word? Would the Prime disagree to murder him in cold blood?
"Barricade." The voice of the traitor sounded in Barricade's car. The Autobot was using the communicator he'd used as a Decepticon!
"Barricade, I know you hear me. Please, listen to me."
"What do you want, traitor?" Barricade snarled.
"We will not harm you. Optimus Prime wants you to come back to our base. You can leave the reign of Megatron! Join the Autobots and fight against that twisted Decepticon!"
"Lord Megatron—"
"He is not there! Make your own decision! The Autobots will defeat him if he rises again! Be on the winning side!"
Barricade stayed silent, thinking hard. He knew Starscream was right; Megatron was always defeated by the Autobots, and his minions punished for failure. He resented the Decepticon leader, and only served out of fear. But if he joined the Autobots…"
"Barricade. Please. I will assure your safety, but you must surrender. Ironhide won't hold back if you resist."
Barricade shut off the communication and pushed to ninety miles. He was swiftly past the scrap metal dump, his lights shining on the road in front of him. He could feel the lights of the first lieutenant on his tail-bumper, and that made him push to one-hundred miles.
Maybe he should join the Autobots, and be with one of his old comrades….
Slag it all!