Scientific Method.

Summary: When Starscream reads information online about humans, and the effects of certain conditions upon them, his curiosity is piqued. He decides to conduct his own research, with one unwilling Sam Witwicky as his human subject...

Rating: M for safety.

Continuity: Movieverse.

Disclaimer: Transformers and all associated canon characters belong to Dreamworks/Paramount and Hasbro, not me.

A/N: Due to various reasons, this story will be slower to update than many of my others. Please bear with me.

Scientific Method.

Chapter One: Single-Blind.

As Barricade commed politely at the door to Starscream's hangar, the Seeker broke off from his deeper reading of subjects on the human Internet, and gave him permission to enter.

The frontliner walked in, full of swagger and attitude, something the Seeker disliked but could not really punish Barricade for, for the frontliner stayed well within the boundaries of manners and etiquette. He was just insolent enough to torque the Seeker off, but not so much he could punish him for it, keeping a balance between respect and mockery that Starscream admired him for even as he despised it.

"My Lord Starscream, I have completed this morning's patrol," the police cruiser Decepticon said obsequiously. To those who did not know Barricade, the words and tone would seem the epitome of polite, but Starscream knew Barricade well enough to know that Barricade would query those he respected. With Barricade, the more polite and deferential he acted towards you, the less he respected you. At best such treatment was patronising, at worst it was used as a form of mockery, and Starscream was certain that the frontliner was using it in both ways. However, without outright defiance or insolence, Starscream dared not challenge Barricade.

"Then give your report, Barricade," Starscream stated irritably. Barricade flashed his optics at Starscream, very briefly holding the Seeker's gaze before casting his optics to the floor in a submissive manner. This subservience, Starscream was certain, was an act, and he wondered how long it would be before Barricade began to seek support for a leadership challenge, if he wasn't doing so already, something Starscream hoped he would soon find a way to head off.

"Nothing has changed, Lord Starscream," he replied. "Both our sides continue to receive reinforcements from space, the Autobot Base is getting better defences every day with the help of their squishy allies, and Megatron's killer, the Destroyer of the AllSpark, still walks free and unmolested by any."

Here was the problem, Starscream knew, that the Witwicky boy had not been brought to task for his actions in Mission City. Barricade, he knew, had much support on this issue. Starscream himself was concerned that trying to target the boy would bring unnecessary attention to them while they were at a disadvantage, and his decision to avoid that particular squishy was unpopular.

Then the Seeker had a flash of inspiration. If this worked, he could save face, possibly gain the frontliner's loyalty and respect, and indulge his own curiosity. Leaning back almost lazily, he sought for and caught Barricade's optics with his own.

"Well, Barricade, we can't have that, can we?" the Seeker asked. "It seems to me that after going for so long without any trouble that perhaps both the boy and his Autobot protector may have become less wary, slightly more relaxed, not so worried that we will attack." As Starscream paused, he saw the frontliner's optics flare with surprise, and suppressed a smile, instead continuing to speak.

"Hopefully he has fallen into a routine, one you will know. If I send you out after him, do you think that you could capture him and bring him here, alive and mostly unharmed?"

Barricade raised his head to look Starscream in the optics challengingly.

"Why unharmed?" he demanded.

Starscream was pleased to note the change in Barricade's behaviour and tone, this was closer to how he had seen Megatron and Barricade interact in the past. This seemingly rebellious behaviour actually served to soothe the Seeker, for at least he was not now being mocked.

"I didn't say 'unharmed', Barricade, I said 'mostly unharmed,'" he stated. "You may use reasonable force, including non lethal or non- severe injury, to bring him in, just don't break him too badly."

"Why not?" Barricade asked. "He deserves it."

"I would agree with you there, Barricade, but that might be too easy for him, too swift and painless a death. Bring him here, Barricade, for I have a use for him." He leaned towards Barricade, his optics burning hotly.

"By the time I am finished with him, he may well be wishing for death."

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Sam closed the door of the yellow Camaro, patting his hood as he headed off across the car park to the lift. Shopping for his last year of school was a royal pain in the ass, but it had to be done. He would have liked to have taken Bumblebee with him, and would have invited him to use his holoform, except that the moment he rounded the corner to get in the lift, he was out of direct line-of-sight of Bee's physical form, meaning the Autobot's hologram would de-res and die.

As Sam rounded the corner, whistling, his hands in his pockets, he heard an engine rev. Turning, he saw a police car headed directly for him, recognised it even as he dodged and fell to the floor, his hands outspread. Looking around he saw he was blocked in, and that he would be unable to get out without risking being hit by Barricade reversing or going forwards. Barricade flicked his door open next to him. Sam noticed people going to their cars or to the lift had stopped to see what was going on.

"Get in, boy, or I'll transform and start using those gawking members of your species as target practice," threatened Barricade, his voice so low only Sam could hear. "Then, if you continue to resist, I'll level this centre, block by block." Sam turned his head towards he car park as he heard something transforming: perhaps Bumblebee could save him, but that hope died with Barricade's next words.

"Oh yes, there is Bumblebee, but he risks you if he engages me, and your Autobot friends may get here in the end and possibly even stop me, but how many of your kind will I have destroyed in the process? The choice is yours, human, come in, or I start killing until you do. You have fifteen seconds to decide."

Although Sam had fifteen seconds he had made it in five: he would not have the blood of the innocent passers-by on his hands, and reluctantly climbed in.

"Don't forget to do your seatbelt up, I would hate harm to come to you before Starscream has chosen what he will do with you." Barricade said, mock-politely. "You have crimes to answer to, squishy creature, and Starscream has decided it is time you answered those charges."

His hands shaking, Sam put on the belt as Barricade slammed the door shut and took off, narrowly avoiding those watching.

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"Here, I got him for you," Barricade stated as he dropped Sam from a height of eight feet on to the floor in front of Starscream, then spread his arms to catch Sam should he attempt escape.

"Ah, good, Barricade, you have done well," Starscream said. As Sam stood in front of him, shoulders hunched and looking up, Starscream brought down his hand to pick Sam up, squeezing hard enough to make Sam cry out.

"You are in my power, human boy, I could kill you now and I should, considering what you have done to us," the Seeker told him. "Our species faces extinction thanks to you destroying our only means or reproduction." Sam began trying to defend himself, but Starscream shook him violently.

"Be silent! I do not wish to hear your whining protestations of innocence or your pathetic excuses for your actions!"

"I was fighting for my life!" Sam cried.

Starscream hissed. "I told you to be silent! Now you will learn the price of disobedience!" He held Sam up and bared his sharp knuckle-claws , slashing them at Sam's front to shred the front of his T-shirt, and Sam cried out as the sharp edges nicked his skin. Starscream ignored the cry, bringing the claws back up again, and this time Sam's sensitive skin was their target. The human cried out again as three shallow lines of fire seemed to race over his chest, then again as Starscream repeated the action from his left shoulder to his right hip, then Starscream abruptly released him. Sam dropped to the floor, bleeding from six slashes and two smaller scratches across his chest, holding his shredded T-shirt to him, looking up at his two captors with pain and fear in his eyes.

"Barricade, take this creature to the smallest cell we have," Starscream ordered. "Put it in chains and give it some water, we would not like it to expire before we have made it face up to the consequence of its actions, and suitable punishment can be exacted." He turned away, as if Sam was a passing diversion, as Barricade scooped up the bleeding human with a sound of disgust. Only once he heard Barricade exit the hangar did Starscream allow himself a small smile.

Let the experiments begin…