Bumblebee hated this time of day. He would wait patiently as Sam's parents got up and eventually departed for work and chores or whatever it was adult humans did during the day. And then he would drop Sam off at school. He was always instructed to either wait for Sam in the parking lot or to drive straight home with his holo on.

Sam was always lecturing Bee about how he did not want to see in the news anything at all about ghost Camaros.

On occasion, Sam would permit Bee to drive off into the desert and visit his fellow Autobot friends. But often, Sam worried so much that Bee would consent and simply go home and wait.

He did most of his driving at night when his family and the other humans were sleeping.

Bumblebee tried not to be bored or restless during these other times in the day. He would often give himself tune ups or upgrades with the meager car tools Mikaela had left for him. Or on occasion, he would play with the small creature, Mojo, that Sam seemed to care for so much.

On this overcast day, Bee felt more than a little restless. Shifts in weather always left him feeling anxious and like he needed to get out of the garage and just drive.

On Cybertron, they didn't have weather changes. Or weather at all for that matter.

Perhaps it was the subtle pressure changes that affected his tires or the temperature changes that messed with his engine and fuel lines.

Either way, Bee found himself sneaking out of the garage with his holo-form in the driver's seat.

He turned towards the desert where he could often get away with speeds that caused Sam to frown and lecture him in ways that often reminded him of Optimus Prime.

His processors started to wander as he winded down the open road, passing a few of the cars that dared to venture out into the heat of the day.

He was just passing another car in a curve when suddenly flashing lights caught his attention. Sam was going to kill him! He had been using the false ID plate that Sam always worried about, but he still didn't fancy having to explain this to the boy.

He briefly considered running, then thought better, thinking of the highly disapproving look Optimus would give him if he found out.

He was slowing and starting to pull over when he suddenly caught a good look at the cop car that was following him.

A Mustang, car number 643. He didn't have to look much harder to see the words that Prowl strongly believed in and enforced, twisted into a sick joke on the sides.

He cursed for having left himself so open. How could he have not picked up that slime ball's signal? The 'con must have gotten more upgrades, courtesy of his fanatical hacker pet.

If he ran now, Barricade would only follow, unable to resist the chase. While Bee could outmaneuver and outrun him, he was hesitant to do so out in the open day. What if other cops saw and joined in? They wouldn't understand that Barricade was not one of them simply tracking down a law breaker.

Yet, the 'con wasn't so bold as to openly expose himself either. As much as he loved to damage and maim, he was still in hiding and didn't wish for his lingering presence on earth to be detected.

Bee then did the only thing he could think of to completely catch the 'con off guard.

He pulled over.

This tactic worked as Cade plowed right into his aft. The sirens whooped a few times loudly, followed by a more than pissed blare of the horn.

It was very clear to Bumblebee that Barricade had been expecting and wanting a game of chase. He got another rough bumper nudge before Cade settled along the side of the road behind him, simmering and rumbling like a pissed off dog deprived of the hunt.

Bee sat there, feeling quite smug with himself, however briefly, while he tried to figure out what to do next.

To his utter surprise, the driver's door opened and out stepped a very pissed off looking cop. His black, perfect uniform completely out of place in the hot desert. Bee found himself wondering when Barricade had decided to get his own unique holo-form.

Bumblebee's own holo-form sank lower into his seat as he watched the other walk up to his window and tap on the glass loudly.

The window slowly rolled down and large blue eyes met red.

"Was I going a little fast, officer?" He smiled slightly, suddenly feeling like a sparkling caught playing with the matrix.

Cade only leaned in, casually resting against the side of his door. It was an odd feeling. The light, but solid touch the holo-forms were able to give off mixed with the energy of Barricade as he created it.

"License and registration. Now." The gruff voice didn't sound amused at all.

Bumblebee fought the urge to sink lower in his seat as he scanned his glove compartment. Sam was always going on about some sort of papers… He pulled them out and reluctantly held them up, suddenly afraid that Barricade was going to run off with them. Who knew what kind of important information was on those papers? And if he lost them, Sam was sure to lock him in the garage for a week!

Cade snatched them and looked them over. "No license, and your tags are expired. Not to mention your papers state you are a used hunk of junk."

His mouth dropped open in an expression he often saw on Sam. "What?"

"That alone is enough to warrant a search of your vehicle, Bee." Cade smirked and tossed the papers back at him.

Bee could only stare at him incredulously as Barricade slowly walked around to the front and leaned heavily on his hood. He considered driving off while he had the chance, but it was mid day and the road was slowly starting to fill up as the humans set out for food and other necessities.

"You'd better open your hood. I need to check for anything illegal…" Fingers slowly made their way under his hood, urging him to release the latch.

He had been worked on many times by his human friends. Repairs, upgrades, tunings, cleanings… And while it had felt nice, their touch had been strictly business and remained on the known earth like parts and outer casings. Only Ratchet was allowed to delve in deeper while he was heavily sedated under his EMP.

He was understandably reluctant to obey. But the loud roar behind him quickly reminded him that the real Cade was likely to do more damage than a holo-form could ever possibly manage.

With a glare, his latch popped and the hood was quickly lifted and propped open. He was quite positive that the 'con had never seen his engine like this before, and was more than a little on edge as he started to feel roaming fingers pressing around his lines and caressing the hot metal.

"You've been using inferior human parts." Fingers slowly slid along his hot radiator. "You actually let those filthy flesh creatures under your hood? Tch. I bet you enjoy it. Their disgusting hands working you over while you pretend to be a part of their family."

Bumblebee tried to stay still, his holo-form trying to lean down to see under the gap in the hood. Anxiety was filling him as he attempted to see just what Cade was up to. Logic told him that he didn't have to sit here. It was just a holo-form. He could simply drive through it and get away. But he couldn't bring himself to do it. The 'con was using a very real feeling and looking illusion. He wouldn't put it past Cade to make sure Bee felt the thump as he ran it over. Cade might even go so far as to make the thing bleed, just to toy with Bee's mind.

It was a weakness that Cade had learned to exploit. He recalled the few times he had run into the Decepticon cop after the battle in Mission city.

Bee had been carelessly driving out across the desert at night only to find that the cop had been right on his tail the whole way. It had become apparent to him that the twisted cop enjoyed the chase more than anything.

As Cade's fingers slowly pressed into a vulnerable opening, he cursed himself for not alerting the other Autobots of the 'con's continued presence in the area when he'd had the chance.

Frankly, he hadn't seen the cop as a real threat. He'd always outrun him before. A part of him had always secretly enjoyed the chase too. The thrill had filled him and always left his young spark pulsing heavily each time he'd gotten away and returned to the comfort of Sam's garage.

"Do you ever overload while they touch you?" Cade sneered and leaned in closer, sliding his hand down to work over his electrical wires. "Do you get hot, spark shivering and heating up as their hands stroke your engines?"

Bee shifted back on his wheels, as fingers found a sensitive bit of his engine, slowly working a finger into an area no real human could safely touch.

"No? You aren't going to tell me that you've never overloaded, are you Stripes? That's just too pathetic." He suddenly pulled something Bee didn't even know he had. His spark leapt as his engine roared to life, shuddering in pleasure.

His holo-form clutched the steering wheel, trying desperately to maintain a look of calm. The calm expression slowly started to crumble as that wire was pulled again.

"Stop… The…There are people…." He shuddered as a car passed by, the driver inside glancing over at the cop examining the foolish young driver's car to the side of the road.

Cade only snarled and pulled harder. "You honestly think those foolish slag heaps are going to know? To them, you're just a broken down pile of junk meant to transport them around like some mindless drone! Just like you do for that boy of yours. You honestly think you're one of them?"

Bee shook his head, half in protest and half trying to steady himself as he struggled to keep his composure. "Sam is my friend. You wouldn't understand something as deep as that."

A loud moan escaped him as Cade maliciously dug his fingers into a delicate area and started to pull and twist, undoing anything he could reach.

"I can't believe what I'm hearing. You talk as if you actually want to be one of them." Bee tried to protest and only managed another moan as his spark shuddered hard.

"Maybe you need a little reminder… Right here where they can all see you squirm, Stripes." A hard nudge from behind suddenly had Cade pressing up on his bumper roughly.

His human form squirmed hard in his seat, mouth open and panting hard. He had been using the holo-form more and more as he got used to driving Sam and Mikaela around. He had even started to react subconsciously with the form, talking with it and expressing emotion on his face as he tried to effectively fit in and put on the show of a real driver.

Bee's spark was pulsing harder, reminding him of those reckless drives at night with Cade hot on his tailpipes. It was alarming to feel it swell and heat up inside him, feeling as if it was about to burst out of his frame.

"Stop." His voice failed him as he switched over to a more private channel. Another moan rumbled out of him, his tires shifting restlessly in the dirt below. Cade was only encouraged by the soft whimpers and pleas.

"You like this. Sitting out here while I play with you. It's why you always come back. Why you always show up and run. You want me to catch you. You want me to remind you that you aren't some human's pet."

"No… I… I just like the drives. You… You're just a scrap heap that still hasn't figured out that he's lost yet!" Bee shifted again as Cade suddenly dug deeper, brushing over an energy line and digging the fingers into another sensitive area he didn't even know he had.

"Face it, Stripes. You want to be one of them. Well maybe…" Another hard pull. "I should start treating you…" A squeeze and Bee was shifting again, his engine desperately roaring loudly to hide his moans. "Like the filthy human…" A jerk and Bee was positive Cade had caused damage as his internal temperature suddenly spiked and warnings went off. "You want to be."

It felt like his spark was exploding slowly, pressing out and filling him. Heat and energy coursed through him and flooded every sensor he had. It lasted for several minutes as Cade continued to press and pull. It was all too much and Bee suddenly found himself screaming out in pure pleasure before everything went black.

Bumblebee jerked hard as he came back online. His sensors were slow and fuzzy as he slowly tried to force himself fully awake.

Everything seemed to be functioning properly… Why had he… "Oh Primus."

He quickly scanned the area, suddenly remembering just what had happened and why he was still out on the side of the road.

Barricade was nowhere in sight. A glance at his internal clock told him he'd been out for several hours. Sam was going to KILL him. He'd been out of school for at least a half hour by now.

He didn't have time to try and process what had just happened. Or why he had let it happen. His wheels spun as he took off.

Partway down the road, he noticed a slip of paper caught in his windshield wipers. He moved them carefully as he drove, leaning his holo-form out to snatch it off.

He starred incredulously down at the paper. It was a ticket.

"For speeding, reckless driving, and inappropriate conduct in a public place."