Scientific Method.

Chapter Six.

A/N: The Autobot's reactions should have been brought in a few chapters back, one day perhaps I will remedy the error, but for now, mention of it in this chapter will have to suffice.

Autobot Base.

Optimus sat at his desk, pinching his nose-bridge in frustration. Since Sam's unexpected and sudden abduction by Barricade, the teen seemed to have apparently disappeared off the face of the planet. Bumblebee, Cliffjumper, Hound, and the Twins were out searching, and Optimus had Mirage trying to contact the Decepticons on all frequencies, but so far none of their attempts to contact the Decepticons or locate their Base, and hopefully Sam, were bearing fruit.

Optimus was worried about Bumblebee for the young scout blamed himself, even though the abduction had occurred without warning, and so swiftly that even Bumblebee's fastest reactions had not been quick enough. Although both Barricade and Starscream had been seen since, they had not answered any hails, instead making themselves quickly scarce. Bumblebee had earlier told Optimus that next time he saw Barricade, he would act rather than speak. Optimus, acting as what humans would call 'Devil's Advocate' had suggested trying to keep to the diplomatic approach. Bumblebee had replied that, in his opinion, the only diplomacy the Decepticons would understand would be the sort delivered by the energy cells of his cannon.

Optimus had no response for that, but privately thought that Bumblebee might be right.

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Sam's first night, to his relief, was restful, the Seeker allowing him to sleep a full night and then giving him some cereal with milk when he awoke.

"After this, you must earn your keep, even if it just involves scratching my itches, helping me set up my equipment or minding your manners and giving me the respect I deserve," Starscream told him. Sam privately wondered if enough disobedience would make Starscream deny him water long enough for him to die of thirst, but was not confident enough that he wouldn't to try his luck. It was more likely that Starscream would find a more effective way to punish him instead, something he didn't really want to think about. So he decided the most sensible course of action was to do as he was told, for while there was life, there was hope.

"Yes Sir," he said obediently. "Do you have something you'd like me to do now, Sir?"

"Actually, yes," Starscream told him. "I would like a polish. I will provide the wax and cloths, and show you how to use it on one arm, then I want you to polish the rest of me."

He removed the wire top and reached in, lifting Sam out, and set him on a work surface. He moved to a cupboard, took out several sheets of fabric, and a large, shallow dish with translucent purple wax inside it. The smell was strong but actually quite pleasant.

"Now, you don't need much of this, a little goes a long way. If in doubt, ask me." He wadded one sheet up and took a dab of wax about the size of a tennis ball. "This should be enough for one arm, one leg, one side of the body or one side of a wing," he said. "Observe."

He dabbed the spot of wax in a random pattern on his arm, leaving behind little dabs until his arm had an even smattering of spots of wax. "Distribute it like this, then take the cloth, and use circular motions to rub it all over my hide." He demonstrated, showing how he could widen the circles so the areas would merge, then brush wax from the circles into any areas left unwaxed.

"Then you take a different cloth, and using both circling and sweeping back and forth motions, remove excess wax and buff to a shine," he said. He finished his polishing, showed Sam his gleaming arm, and said "I want you to polish me to that shine, or the nearest equivalent your pathetic fleshy body can manage."

"Okay Sir," Sam said, executing a bow and accepting the cloth Starscream handed to him. He dipped a bit of it into the wax and took a similar amount to that which Starscream had taken, and walked around to Starscream's other arm. The Seeker rested it on the work surface, allowing Sam to reach it and dab the wax on in as random a pattern as the Seeker's. Then the human rubbed it in and buffed Starscream's arm to as high a shine as its partner.

Although the effort had exhausted Sam, he quickly jogged down to the leg and began dabbing wax on that, worried that seeming slow might result in a loss of privileges or some other form of punishment. He continued like this until Starscream was gleaming, and Sam was exhausted and sweaty.

"It'll do, I'll give you some water and a sponge to wash, and then you can go back to your area," Starscream said. He missed the chatter and banter he and his wing brothers engaged in when polishing, but he'd find them later for a bit of fun time when Sam was sleeping. He got the medic to bring through a bucket of water and a sponge and drying cloths, and pointedly looked away to give the human some privacy to wash. Once he had sent Sam back into his cage, and given him some food and water, Starscream moved off to go out for a flight, after which he planned to find his wing brothers to remedy his loneliness and low mood.

Sam used the time to lie down for a rest, not knowing what Starscream was planning next for him. He had decided for now to play along with Starscream, hoping that maybe he might get a chance to escape. Not now, of course, not while Starscream still thought he might try, but when Starscream relaxed his guard, or when an opportunity presented itself. Until then, he would conserve his strength.

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Barricade drove around that day's assigned patrol route, wondering what progress Starscream was making with Sam. Since the trial of the human, the passing of his sentence by the Seeker, and then the testing of the first experiment on the boy, Barricade had seen nothing of him, and little of the Seeker himself, which was no loss as far as Barricade was concerned. He and the Seeker were far from friends, Starscream's propensity for taking the least of the risk, but the most of the credit, for any victory, galled the frontliner.

He wondered if Starscream might allow him a chance to interrogate the boy. Not that he thought Sam would know much, but if Starscream's intention was to make Sam's life a misery, Barricade was sure he had something to contribute. Maybe he could be persuaded to allow limited physical harm, such as would repair itself after some time. It was common knowledge that human bones, if broken, would heal, given time, and if they were permitted to heal back out of true, it would be not only very uncomfortable for the human, but would make it that much more difficult for the human to escape, should he try, which Barricade was certain that at some time he would.

He was enjoying his thoughts so much that he did not notice the yellow Camaro with black stripes that had turned onto the road and was following, just a few cars behind him. He did not, in fact, realise that he was being tailed until he turned into a less well-travelled, more deserted part of the town.

He turned into the deserted, abandoned car park and began to transform, and Bumblebee was just a Spark-beat behind him.

"Where's Sam?" Bumblebee asked.

"What makes you think I know?" Barricade said. Bumblebee made a grab for the frontliner, who dodged.

"I saw you, I heard you, I know you abducted him," Bumblebee said, then raised his arm and jumped back as Barricade made a feint towards him.

"Yes, I abducted him, but what did you expect of me? He killed Megatron, did you think I would let such insult, such a crime, just pass?" He made another feint and followed it with a lunge, his claws scoring Bumblebee's hide before the scout could twist away. "Getting slow before your time, Autobot? Rust setting in with nothing to do and no fighting to speak of?" Barricade taunted the younger mech. Bumblebee made a mechanical growl and leaped for the frontliner, who was unprepared, and belatedly tried to pull back. Bumblebee grabbed Barricade's arm, twisted around, and used the leverage gained to throw the Decepticon over his shoulder and slam him into the ground. By the time Barricade got back to his feet, Bumblebee had his cannon pointed at the frontliner's Spark.

"Where's Sam?" Bumblebee snarled at the Decepticon.

"At our Base, and still alive, but if I don't return, and Any Autobot, but particularly you, are found to blame, I cannot guarantee that that will remain the case," Barricade said. Bumblebee looked for a moment as if he were about to shoot the Decepticon, but then lowered his cannon, and stepped back.

"Leave," he said, and let Barricade transform back into car form and zoom off.

Looking in his rear view mirror, Barricade realised, as he suspected would happen, that Bumblebee was tailing him. He smiled internally. Let Bumblebee follow him in an aimless chase all around town. He had no need to return to their Base for quite some time. Until then, he'd have some fun with the Autobot until Bumblebee realised he was being played, and gave up the chase.

Revving his engine, he went fast enough to make Bumblebee think he'd not been spotted, but slowly enough to make sure the scout could keep him in sight.