TF Backstories: Reality

Chapter 3: Bipolar

Several system warnings were what greeted Barricade with when he came out of stasis. He definitely felt like slag, though he knew he couldn't complain. He had expected much worse after all.

"Ah. It zeems zat you are finelly online." A voice drifted through his audio processors. It was thick with a foreign accent.

When the decepticon hunter onlined his blood red optics, he was met with the visage of the tiny docbot, Scalpel. As he took a quick survey of his surroundings, he noted that they were in some kind of old storage facility. Probably one of the dilapidated old structures that littered the yard.

No light filtered from the high windows, confirming what his inner chronological systems were telling him. It was still the early hours of the morning. The sun wouldn't rise for a while. The only source of illumination came from several fluorescent lights.

"You have recovered quite qweekly. All ze wounds have healed on zey're own quite vell, actually." The tiny doctor's tone sounded curious.

"Your self-repair systems vill be more zen enough to compensate for ze rest of your injuries."

Scalpel continued to talk as he skittered over his chest plates, tapping at various welds that were now in place, each warning message clicking off as the bot finished making a few more repairs.

With Barricade so deep in thought, the doctor only received an occasional grunt in response.

"From vat I can tell, you should ve back to battle capability before midday."

If black and white mech was human, he would have supposed that he had blown his situation over the top. However, he knew his systems records didn't lie.

Going over the data that was stored in his memory banks, there was no doubt.

He knew he had been heavily damaged when the yellow scout had left him. How could he have recovered at such an exponential rate?

Scalpel did not miss the confusion showing on Barricade's faceplates.

"Quite curious indeed… iz it not?" He tittered, as though he could read what was on the larger bot's processor.

Barricade growled and sat up, ignoring the soreness he felt. He was a decepticon soldier, after all. He had been forced to fight in worse conditions before, even when he was close to a forced stasis lock, numerous times before. This was nothing.

"I'm sure zat you are quite aware zat ze zcout would never 'ave left you in zat junk yard unless he was sure zat you would deactivate. After all, you are ze one zat tried to offline 'iz charge." He chuckled again.

The black and white mech was quickly tiring of the doctor's beating around the bush. He wanted answers.

He glared at Scalpel, "Get on with it!"

The outburst did nothing to faze the spider-like bot. His only response was a sly look in his optics, and words that would make Barricade's systems stall for a moment.

"We would have indeed lost you to ze matrix were it not for zat."

One spindly digit pointed in a direction behind the larger mech.

Barricade turned his head, surprised to see Starscream, of all mechs, holding something small in his servo.

A human.

A dark-haired human femme. Somewhat similar to the one he had seen with Ladiesman217, but this one was different.

Oh, so much more different.