Ties That Bind Passage-Archforce’s and Barricade’s scene
First time writing a fanfiction in a long while. The fanfiction passage is based after @artsy-hobbitses humanformers au Ties That Bind. I will say that editing and rewriting the passage changed the route a lot, especially when learning about how her characters would react and what positions they’re from. I might post the first draft later on. Or maybe a later part of the scene. We’ll see.
EDIT: I also thank artsy hobbitses for giving me details on how the characters would react and why.
Context: What leads to this scene is when Serah Santos codename:Sureshot, once the Autobot base’s primary caretaker, forager, and gardener, gets assigned as a scout alongside her friend Wardina codename:Windcharger. However, on one of their first missions, Windcharger gets captured along with some fellow Autobots. Serah singlemindedly forgets to call for help, and runs to save her friend.
Meanwhile, Athaliah codename:Archforce and Barrin codename:Barricade lead the prisoners to a truck to transfer them to a POW camp. Later, Athaliah’s keen feline sense of smell has her find Serah, She notices Serah, whom she’s reunited with a few weeks ago at the Dead End Library, sneaking close to the truck. The grey haired girl sneaks to her sister’s hiding spot, and whispers to her what the fridge is she doing.
After some explanation, Athaliah decides to help Serah, but warns she must only save her friend. But Serah refuses and wishes not to leave anyone behind. Athaliah concludes she’ll help Serah with her goal, but only without blowing her own cover. But no matter how much they try to free every prisoner they could, Serah and the other Autobots and Wardina get captured. Of course, Serah does land a few sling shots onto some Decepticon faces. One of the rocks gets into their eyes.
Now, knowing Serah might be lost again to her forever, Athaliah turns to Barrin to save her sister.
Athaliah slams her fists to Barrin’s torso.
“Hey.” He blocks her fists with braced arms. “Quit it. Ever since we got a new supply of prisoners, you’ve been acting weird.” He grabs her wrists. “What’s gotten into you?!” He swears, he saw Athaliah just sneaking around, just…hiding something or bringing prisoners to different directions than just ‘use the bathroom.’
She grits her teeth, “I fucking told you!” She front kicks him to his gut, leaving him breathless for a second. “I want Serah spared. NOW!!!” And she throws a punch; it didn’t matter if it landed.
It did matter, frustratingly so, that Barrin caught her wrist and flipped her into an arm lock. Curse his fucking cop combat training, though Athaliah.
Barrin fixed his palms onto her elbow and forearm, his boot grounding the young one to her knees,“ That’s enough rookie. You’re not offering a good excuse.” He presses down again for each time she struggles, “and who’s Serah?”
Athaliah thrashes as hard as she can under the lock hold, as though suffocating within an invisible box. She screams and cries; she’s failed her sister again. She’s lost her sister again. She failed, failed, failed! All because she couldn’t properly explain to her why they can’t save everyone but her friend Wardina. She’s just a lousy, lazy, pathetic sister; can’t even intimidate or use the proper cunning needed to convince the lead of Decepticon security. She needs to accept she can’t save her and get away.
Fury and despair stew in her tears, “Serah’s my sister. That’s why I helped her try to save the prisoners.” Curiously, the grip lightens.
“What?” She feels him let go, and now the arms feel so naked. “I thought Maggie’s your sister.”
Legs crumple her posture further to the ground; her claws shuffle through her hair and onto her skull to quell the headache. “Serah…she’s my sister from my manual labor days.” She continues with a growl, at memories from when cops took her away from Serah, “Maggie’s my stinking biological sister.” With a breaking soul kissing the earth that’ll soon welcome her sister, she rises her head, feeling the devastation bleed to make room for anger. Claws cut deep as they can on her armored palms, “It’s a long story. But please.” She looks at him, still tearing with anger and whatever sadness is left. “We’ve only reunited a few weeks ago. She doesn’t talk much about what happened while I was gone.” Legs lift and tread to Barrin with shakiness, “The most I know is she lost our moms from something she regrets.” Claws grip and bury as deep into his arms as they could, “She-she…she told me she and Wardina met when they were both homeless.”
She’s just a failure, these voices scream at her. She starts hitting against his chest with her fists and head, to bring focus against the storm. She yowls, “I’m scared she’ll suffer at the camps alone. Just take me instead.”
Barrin just looks down to the softly sobbing little girl before him, her arms just drooped o her sides, but her head still bumps against his torso. This girl broke so many protocols for a few months old newbie. But…who can blame someone for loving their family, especially when they’ve suffered so much hardship. His heart turned heavy as a cold stone from the last memories he had of his family disowning him. Maybe she feels her ‘biological’ family abandoned the ones she called her own. It’s one thing if an Autobot’s a close family member.
But it’s another when a Decepticon directly helps an Autobot they’re directly related to or love dearly. Fuck, how would Megatron react to this?
Barrin reaches for his comm link and makes a call. He tells the prison carrier containing Serah and her friend to stop driving. He closes the call and pats her now stilling head. “It’s alright. They’ll have a chance to be released soon. Maybe we’ll find away to convince them to join us ‘Cons after we hear everything that happened between you two. Trust me, I’ve seen this before, we’re always ready to welcome family from enemy lines.”
“Wh-what? Really?” Red, slit eyes look to him with surprise and hope.
“Yeeeah, but you’ll have to face Megatron for cooperating with the enemy.”
She looks with a silent, pursed frown and wide eyes, “Oh fuck.”
Yo this is FANTASTIC, I love the buildup and poor Athaliah trying to argue for her found family ;;
Barricade was nicely written as well, love that you added the bit about him being disowned by his bio family.
Great buildup too! Can’t wait to see the follow-up ❤️
