CHAPTER 10
"Hmm…Airo and Htab…"
Fixit leaned over to the keyboard. On the screen, there'd been a dozen, a hundredth of names written in Cybertronian signs scrolled up. Fracture and Night remained up, standing behind Fixit, unmoving. The Minicon wasn't stopping, keep taping on the virtual keyboard. Her dentas gritted, Night tried not to display any emotion. She'd been the one who'd asked Fixit for assistance to…
She didn't even know. What was she searching for anyway?
She shyly glanced back at her mother.
He didn't react. His face was devoid of expression. She knew him enough to understand that it's intentional.
Airo…Htab…
Her spark beat faster. She guessed what it meant. But her mother had advised her not to jump to conclusions.
But…If not, what else did it mean?
After a few minutes, the screen didn't show up any result. Fixit sighed.
"Sorry…I didn't find any-bot-though-thing!" Fixit replied, punching onto his own chassis.
"We expected it anyway" The purple bot said, frowning a bit.
"You know that the database only contains criminals' names who were on the Alchemor, remember. Did you think finding something else in?"
Night felt a servo on her shoulder. Her mother didn't look back at her.
"Not really…But at least, we'd have gotten some clue with it"
"Who are you searching for?" Fixit curiously questioned.
Silence fell down. In the end, Night answered.
"No one…Just…some people"
"Oh. I see"
Night turned around to leave the scrapyard. Her mother followed her quickly. It'd been late anyway. And she knew that her mother didn't like remaining at the scrapyard whenever it wasn't necessary. But today, she'd needed it…She'd needed to hold onto something…
Something special…
On the way for the garage, silence fell down between them. They just heard wind and their steps on the grass.
Night looked down. So many questions in her processor…but no answer at them.
No new message.
Yet she'd tried.
She stared back at the grey and white Pad in her servo.
Two messages sent by the sender and one answer. From her mother as soon as Night showed it to him.
Who are you?
Because that's just what they'd been wondering. Though to Night, Airo and Htab' names brought more questions up.
"…Night…"
She looked back at her mother. The latter sighed.
"…Is that your wish?"
"I don't know"
"I know what you're wondering about"
Deep down she wondered if she'd been hurting him, acting in such a way. But he didn't protest. He didn't say anything.
But it was obvious. It didn't make him happy.
"Your optics belong to an Autobot" He stated, a monotonous tone. "Whoever they are, your parents cannot be wanted criminals that'd been part of the Alchemor ship"
"You think so?"
"Autobots having blue optics are quite rare. So…It's probably the best hypothesis"
Night didn't react. She kept her arms crossed, confused.
"…There is only one mama to me" She declared, more to reassure herself than reassuring him. "Even if…you adopted me…It'll never change anything"
"Night, don't lie to me"
He stopped. He stood up behind her, a serious look on his face.
"You wish to know about your origins"
"Mama…"
"Listen. All I can say is…you might get hurt"
"…Why?"
He paused. In the end, he walked ahead again, not turning back to her.
"If I told you…you'll suffer."
"…What do you mean?"
He remained silent.
Night got it. He wouldn't say anything else.
He checked that she'd been recharging to turn his Pad off. In the darkness, she wouldn't notice that he'd been awaken.
Fracture tried to connect to a Cybertronian network. As he was alone, he let himself be drown in his thoughts.
Airo and Htab…
At first, he'd desperately tried to believe that it'd been a childish joke. A bad joke. He would kill the responsible if he found out who it had been.
But now…Names had appeared. Specific names…
It couldn't be random.
It was hard to swallow.
He didn't know who'd been the person behind these messages. Had it been one of Night's parents? Airo? Htab? They'd found their daughter?
Their natural daughter?
Fracture clenched his fists at the thought. Beside confusion, anger had taken over him.
It was unfair.
He'd taken her in. He'd raised her up. He'd been the one who'd taught her to do her first steps. He'd been the one who'd sheltered her. He'd protected her.
Primus! He'd even given up on his bounty hunter career, his old lifestyle because he'd thought it would be far too dangerous to her!
And now she was contacted about her real genitors. Maybe her real parents wanted to meet her again…Maybe they wanted to take her back…
He'd no right on her…but neither they had. They'd abandoned her. Even if abandons had been daily during the Post-War time, they'd put her in a trashcan without any consideration.
What would have she become? If Nightingale hadn't forced him to take her along?
She would have died! Or she would have lived in an orphanage. Maybe she'd have turned out wrong…
It was awful! Then they dared hide themselves behind messages! Couldn't these assholes be more precise, and revealing themselves instead of making some mysteries?
He didn't want to lose her…and if she discovered the truth, she would be hurt. He would be hurt as well.
The network turned on.
Fracture didn't waste any time.
Airo. Htab.
So many results appeared…But it wasn't very useful when it came to search for a specific individual.
He tried 'Airo'.
Results were multiplied. Fracture tried out many names. Many generations of bots that'd been named Airo.
Which one could it be?
Airo sounded like an Autobot name to him. As soon as he tried 'Airo Autobot', results didn't change any less.
Great.
Htab was a more unconventional name. He tried. Many times, an error appeared on the screen. He tried again.
He found one Htab.
Htab. A yellow and blue femme. A proud expression. However, her optics had been white. He frowned at this.
It might be her…if the father was orange, just like Night.
However, as soon as he clicked on the link about her, no name about a partner or a husband had been mentioned.
Unless there had been no bond between them?
Or maybe they were dead…And someone else had put Night in a trashcan. Even if it'd been a horrible thought, Fracture couldn't deny that this hypothesis would rejoice him.
Night would stay with him.
She wouldn't leave him to join her natural parents back.
Autoboots would be horrified at the selfish thought…they would call him out. Even Drift would have shared their opinion on this, if he'd been still alive.
Maybe Stingheart would be more understanding…He'd adopted children as well…
But it was just his thought.
Fracture turned his Pad off. He wouldn't recharge well tonight…He glanced back at his daughter's room.
She'd been recharging…at least, he hoped.
He lied down, arms underneath his helm, staring up at the ceiling.
If people wanted Night, he would give them some money. He would threaten them, he would make them get out of here…but he'll not let them take his daughter away.
It'd been a light that got her awakened.
Night opened one optic. Around her, all had been darkness. Only moonlight coming out from the window got the room illuminated.
Only silence in the garage.
On the other side, she could hear her mother snoring in his room.
She barely sat up.
This light…it was coming from the Pad.
Her optics widened. Had the person replied?
She grabbed the Pad. A new message.
What would the person say?
You were recharging.
Her energon went icy. Immediately she turned back to check if there'd been someone behind her.
No one, of course.
She focused back on the window. She hesitated. These words gave her some chill.
She couldn't help her tremblement.
In the end, she headed for the window to check outside.
Nobody else either.
She stepped back. How? How did the person know? It was night…of course…of course the person could guess she'd been recharging.
She stared down at the Pad.
She was tempted to awaken her mother up and showing it to him. He would get furious and would write threats and insults back at the sender.
But she wouldn't get any answer.
She just sat down on her berth.
She slowly wrote.
Who are you?
She waited.
The reply went quickly. She was surprised a bit. A new message.
She read it.
I cannot tell you. But I'm a person close to you…Airo and Htab. I guess you already know who these people are, right?
For one moment, she thought she'd been dreaming.
She wrote again.
My genitors, right?
The reply was immediate.
Yes
Of course…
But Night wasn't sure if she wanted to know more…these messages terrified her.
The sender didn't wait any longer.
A new message appeared.
I haven't answered to Fracture because he would take it badly but…would you wish to know more?
She got startled.
How did the person know that Fracture had been the one who'd replied back to them?
How…?
She tried to got herself reassured by thinking that the person might have expected that Night would show these messages to somebody…
Still…
Night wasn't sure what she should answer. She wanted to throw that Pad off, never answering again…maybe was there a way to block them? Her mother had tried to track the localisation where messages had been coming from…but unfortunately, the system was well encrypted.
Her mother had said it wouldn't stop him…
A new message.
If you wish…rendezvous tomorrow at the abandoned steel mill, at around 11 pm.
A rendezvous…
Then one last message.
Don't bring Fracture. I don't want any discord.
Then, nothing else.