Barricade Fires

The Decepticons… They were here. In the Lennox’s hometown.

Their town… all those innocent people… Sarah… Annabelle… They’re all in danger.

The news reports, on the radio said it was getting worse...

Barricade is here, the race track patrol commander was in this town. The one that Will’s family lived in.

No one knew why, exactly, but the only knew that they had to evacuate everyone, to keep them out of danger, to prevent any further sightings of us, the Cybertronians. Autobots. Decepticons.

And the Northern sky looked like the end of days,
The end of days...

The fire alarm went off; a loud blaring horn could be heard all over the small town.

The wake-up call to a rented room,
Sounded like an alarm of impending doom...

Barricade had started a fire; he shot a telephone pole, and the wiring cut off, sending sparks and lighting a nearby tree on fire.

It had started lightly, but the wind didn't help matters at all, it spread. More and more as the wind blew.

When the wind picked up, the fire spread
And the grapevines scene, left for dead...

I could only think of one thing at the moment. “Will! We have to get Annabelle and the other children!”

He quickly nodded in agreement. “I know, Ironhide! C’mon!” Captain Lennox quickly and hastily jumped into my cab, and before he could even shut his door, I sped off.

I weaved through all the military cars, drove past all the small houses, stores, buildings… hastily searching for little Annabelle’s educational facility.

We bought some wine and some paper cups…
Went to your daughters school to pick her up...

We arrived at the small building, and much to my relief, the fires hadn’t completely reached this area. My scanners indicated that Barricade was nowhere near, but we still could not relax, the fires were in visual range.

Will and I had found Annabelle, she was crying softly. I could hear her, softly calling out to her caretakers. “Momma…Papa…” She cried, sniffling. “’Hidey…” She called out my name. Why?

I revved my engine; she looked up, red puffy eyes with tears streaming down her soft, rosy cheeks. Almost immediately her eyes lit up when she noticed my alternate mode, seeing her father jumping out and jogging towards her. He pulled her into a hug and picked her up, jogging back to me. If I were in my true form, I would have been smiling.

The military personnel helped gather all the children in the small school or “pre-school” as some called it.

And drove to a cemetery on a hill...
On a hill...

We took them to a wide cemetery on the far side of town, a place farthest away from the fire, the safest place to be. How ironic. A field of graves filled with the bodies of many deceased humans, would be the only place to prevent any further deaths.

A small grape vineyard could be seen from afar, the purple and green blended in with the smoke consuming the sky.

When I saw how scared little Annabelle was, my anger rose, and I drove off to find the Decepticon glitch who would dare scare my little Bell.

When I arrived, I noticed how he was in his own alt form, a Saleen Mustang Police cruiser. When he recognized my energy signature, he immediately transformed. So did I.

To warn us it's only a matter of time...

He flinched when he saw my absolute furious expression, but he still charged. We had fought out for approximately two breems, about 16.6 earth minutes, before he realized he would sooner or later lose this battle and quickly retreated back, transforming and driving away. As much as I wanted to give chase to little glitch, I realized I was needed here more. Much more.

I drove past the firemen who worked to put out the fires, all their hard work was greatly appreciated, although it might never be enough.

And the firemen worked in double shifts,
With prayers for rain on their lips...
And they knew it was only a matter of time...

I quickly drove back to the cemetery. When I arrived Will was sitting with Sarah on the grass. I pulled up next to them and watched as the smoke consumed the blue in the sky turned it an eerie gray.

But what caught my attention wasn’t the sky. It was Annabelle. She was smiling again, dancing with her friends to unheard music, twirling and spinning, laughing and singing. It was amazing how younglings could lift anyone’s spirits just by a simple smile.

And we watched the plumes paint the sky gray,
But she laughed and danced through the field of graves...

Seeing all of her happiness and beautiful, young, petite features made my spark feel pure happiness and joy; something I haven’t felt in a long time. Ever since Chromia and I…

No, I wouldn’t think of that now. She was off somewhere on the other side of the universe. All that mattered at the moment was Annabelle.

And there I knew it would be alright.
That everything would be alright...
Would be alright...
Would be alright....
Would be alright......

I smiled to myself and gave a small honk. When she turned around and saw me with that big smile of hers and started running towards me, I couldn’t think of anywhere I would have rather been.

But I couldn't think
Of anywhere I would have rather been
To watch it all burn away...

“’Hidey!!”

Would be alright....