CHAPTER 21
"So ?"
Bumblebee had been waiting outside. Still in his alt-mode, his spark accelerating, he was afraid that Fowler's injury was too serious and that they might have been too late. He'd been shot into the chest…According to Ratchet, the wound could be serious if a human organ had been affected. On the way for hospital, he hadn't stopped thinking about Fowler…About June…About Jack…
About Raf…
He'd thought of the Team Prime time where the agent had never stopped helping them…he'd never abandoned them…
How would they feel if Fowler went to die?
As soon as Jones appeared in front of him, she looked furious. Bumblebee let her come in. Jones roughly closed the door, seemingly forgetting that it wasn't her car.
"Jones…"
"Fowler is fine. It's the main thing. Doctors treated his injury quite soon. He just needs some rest. His wife will come soon"
He let out a sigh of relief.
Fowler was alive…
Bumblebee slowly started up, giving Jones time to fasten her seat belt.
"Why didn't you chase after him?" She growled.
Bumblebee took a time before he replied.
"I wanted to make sure that Fowler would be safe. That he would be led to hospital"
"I was here!" Jones shouted. "I was around! I could have brought him to emergencies while you chased after him! With your incompetence, Chris Marshall escaped!"
Bumblebee winced…
She could blame him, tell him everything she needed…
"But if I hadn't taken him to hospital, Fowler might not be around any longer."
"You let a criminal escape!"
"We'll find him again!" Bumblebee shouted back.
Silence fell down. Bumblebee realized that maybe he'd got carried away. After all, Jones barely knew him. She wasn't Fowler, after all.
"…We'll find him again" Bumblebee repeated, gentler. "But I prefer to let a criminal escape rather than losing a friend"
That's what Optimus would have done…
He remembered the time where Raf had been deeply injured by Megatron…he'd lost his calm. Without June's help, Raf would be dead.
And he couldn't lose another comrade…He wouldn't accept it.
Now Jones stopped. She winced at his words, and Bumblebee wondered if she's actually considering them.
"…You're definitely too nice"
"I can't let hatred and failure get the upper hand. We lost him, okay. But we'll find him. You too must be probably relieved that Fowler is alive, right?"
Jones didn't answer back.
"…I'll take his place…he needs to rest"
Fine…
In any case, Bumblebee didn't regret this decision…
It'd been the good choice.
Murderer…
Fracture let out a sigh and turned his Pad off. Back into his room, he simply lied down on the berth. He didn't pay to that message any longer even though the word kept resonating in his mind.
He could have tried to find the sender' coordinates but it would have been a waste of time. They were far too encrypted and Fracture didn't take the insult personally. Probably an unhappy customer or someone hating him for a reason or another…or just someone getting bored and wanting to write something down…
He didn't have any other message. It wasn't worthy of any worry. But Fracture could have done without it. He had his arms stretched out, trying to focus on something else.
Outside, the night fell a long time ago.
Suddenly he heard some screams.
He frowned and sat up.
Then another scream.
He stood up. It's coming from outside. He cautiously walked closer to check what's going on.
Outside a group of three bots got someone surrounded. From far he could discern it'd been a femme. He quietly opened the window to listen.
"Come on, pretty! Go to have some fun with us"
"I told you I wasn't interested"
Fracture twitched. This voice…
He let out an annoyed sigh. What was Windblade doing with these guys?
He left the room, not closing the window behind then he hurriedly walked downstairs. He knew Windblade was more than capable to defend herself but…
Something pushed him to step in.
With a heavy step, he came outside. He glanced back at the group. Windblade was definitely encircled by the three gorillas. Fracture noticed one of her swords' blade that she'd pulled out. She pointed one at the dumbasses.
"What? What will you do with your small blade?" One of jerks sneered.
"Come on. Let us having some fun! In a City full of clones, we need to enjoy our time with different faces."
"I told you to leave me alone!"
"Sheesh. A femme shouldn't be allowed to use some swords"
Fracture winced at this. One more word and he'll charge.
"Indeed" Another said. "We have some urges to satisfy"
"GET OUT OF HERE!" Windblade screamed.
She kicked one of them between his legs. The second one growled out of anger and tightly grabbed her arm. Windblade managed to scratch his face with her blade, leaving a deep scar on his face. Fracture rushed over and before the guy could reply, he hit him hard with his shoulderplate, one of his spikes scratching his chassis.
The third turned to him, baring dentas.
"What are—"
My name is Fracture. The latter didn't even answer and just grabbed him by the neck, one of his blades coming out from his wrist before he placed it under his throat.
"Hey!" One of these brave guys called. So brave that they needed to attack three against one.
"I advise you to get out" Fracture threatened, pressing his blade further against the throat. "You and your band…If I meet you again, I'll tear you apart"
"YOU BASTARD!"
Classical. One of these dummies tried to attack him by behind. Fracture turned back and just sent him a discharge by using his Taser. The scraphole collapsed. The purple bot still held his hostage.
"I told you to get out or the next time I meet you, I'll send you to the Allspark!"
Yes. It sounded better since the two other fools stepped back. Fracture wasn't joking. They looked scared. In the end, the bounty hunter just pushed his captive ahead. He just hurriedly joined his comrades and these three fools left in the night.
Fracture waited until they were far enough to press on the detonator. They heard a deafening explosion away, a cloud of smoke coming out from his victim's back. Fracture let out a pleased smirk, proud.
He heard coughing. He turned back to Windblade. The latter leaned against the wall, cowering. Looking down, her shoulderplates were shaky. She was apparently shocked. Fracture walked to her.
"…Are you alright?"
"Don't touch me!" Windblade spat, rejecting his servo.
Wow…Such a gratefulness! Fracture felt bitterness coming up again.
"…I'm not going to harm you"
Windblade stared at him. He wasn't ill-intended. He'd just wanted to help her up.
That's all…nothing else to do.
In the end, Windlade took his servo and Fracture helped her.
"…Why?"
They were in Fracture's room to check if Windblade hadn't suffered from some collateral damages. The flier repeated she was fine but Fracture preferred to check. He looked back at her arm. She'd some marks due to the brute who'd grabbed her. But beside these marks, she didn't seem to have anything else.
"What do you mean?" Fracture questioned, before he let her stand up.
"Why did you help me?"
Her tone sounded cold but Fracture didn't comment on it. The purple bot simply shrugged.
"I thought you needed a servo"
He jokingly added.
"And then, I'd to rescue the person who'll pay for the ship's reparations."
But she wasn't laughing. She wasn't joking. She just glared at him out of disbelief.
"Oh, come on, Windblade! It's just a joke!" Fracture sighed.
"I know how to defend myself!"
"No doubt about it. You've been sent by Primus. You got an upgrade and you got some super-powers, after all"
She was quite lucky…Fracture let out another sigh.
"Maybe it was a bad idea to step in…"
"Is that for the same reason you mentioned when we were on the ship?"
Windblade intensely waited. Fracture frowned. He knew what she was talking about. Yet he preferred to brush it aside.
"What are you talking about?"
He didn't want to talk about it now.
But Windblade hadn't finished.
"You know pretty well" She growled. "what I'm talking about. Don't play fool with me"
"I'll let you rest" Fracture said.
He was about to leave the room when Windblade grabbed him by the arm, holding him tightly to force him to look at her.
"You came to help me…because he loved me?"
Her expression was unreadable. Fracture was left speechless.
He nodded.
Why should he deny it?
"That's what I told you, right?"
"You do it for him? Really?"
She thought he's lying…
Why would he lie?
After all, if he'd remained by Autobots' side…that's for a good reason…beside Night…
I care for you
Fracture remembered the day Drift had helped him up…after Divebomb's death…After Airazor's death…
He'd been there for him…when nobody else had been…when the people that'd mattered to him had fallen…
"…That's the least thing I can do"
Being there for people that'd mattered to Drift…when Drift himself wasn't here any longer.
Windblade let him go.
Yet Fracture didn't leave the room.
They hadn't finished yet…and he knew it.
"…We never talked about it" Windblade declared. "We never spoke our mind out"
"Because whenever we tried to, it backfired" Fracture replied, a dark tone. "Any time, you pushed me away and I just gave up…"
She'd loved him too…
Fracture hadn't forgotten it.
"You resent me anyway" Fracture declared, a serious tone. "I see it. I have an idea about the reason. Yet, it's only the two of us now, beside clones. We are alone in this room. The Autobot team isn't here. No one to score"
He took a breath.
Let's be honest…
Windblade didn't immediately answer. But her neutral expression cracked up a bit. She bit her lip and looked away, focusing on the window. She didn't want to face him.
She'd been sent by Primus…she could face him, right?
"…I don't understand"
"What?"
"Why it's been you…"
She shut her optics.
"I loved Drift…I never betrayed him once. The day we confessed our feelings, I thought it would last forever. I always supported him…even after we broke up, even after I met Chase…he's always been there. He tried to make up with me. The day we faced Lockdown he gave me strength again…while I just bothered him. I bothered everyone because I let Lockdown attack me"
She paused.
"Maybe I did something wrong…maybe I didn't do enough for him…Maybe I should have been more careful"
Emotion in her voice. Fracture didn't cut her in. She needed to speak her mind out, for good. He'll speak afterward.
"But you…" She finally faced him. "You always hated him. You always attacked him. Only bounties mattered to you. Drift was your rival. You tried to kill him and his Minicons many times. You tried to kill us many times"
Anger now.
Fracture remained mute. He endured.
Deep down…it stung.
"And the next day, you claim you love him. Drift welcomes you with open arms. He said he didn't want any binding relationship because Wing was still in his memory…"
Of course, Wing had been in Drift's memory…he'd been in until his death…
"Yet, a few months afterward…You appeared. Drift let you come. You came in a place where you weren't supposed to be. At this moment, I thought about your teamwork. Your time together at the Mount Fuji and I just wondered if he'd put an end to our relationship because of Wing…or because of you…"
Fracture felt some fire burning his spark.
He understood what she meant…
"…You resent me because you think I stole Drift away from you?" Fracture asked, his tone off.
"I resent you…Because I just don't understand what you are doing here. You're a Decepticon. You're a criminal. You hated Drift. We easily forgive you. Then Drift easily forgives you? Bumblebee let you free while we come to arrest other Decepticon fugitives. Yet, you have a daughter. You have Night"
"…And I don't deserve it…"
"Did you tell her the truth?" Windblade asked, almost shouting now.
Fracture simply shivered.
"About your past? Your background?" She specified. "Your Decepticon past? Your bounty hunter background? Your crimes?"
He shook his head.
No…Because it'd destroy her.
Learning that her only parental figure had been a murderer…A criminal…
Night loved him…He knew she put him above others…
She said that the other Autobots were unfair, treating him like this…
But if she knew the truth…
It would destroy her.
"…Don't you think she deserves to know?"
"She'll know, one day or another"
He cowered.
He let out a sigh. Apparently, that's all from her.
"…Maybe you think I stole Drift away from you…"
His voice slightly went shaky. But he was unable to pretend strength now.
"…But out of us, I think you're the one who'd been able to enjoy your relationship more. You enjoyed your time with him. I…I spent my entire life in hating him, wishing his death…I only discovered his qualities and good traits later. Even too late. And now I regret it…I'll always regret it"
He remembered Esmeral's words…
Another world…A parallel world…
Yet he'd some trouble to believe in, the more he thought about it…
"…He probably cared for me but he didn't love me. I'm sure of it. I'm sure he didn't know I ever came to genuinely love him. That it wasn't just a game to me…"
"…Why?"
"He's the one who convinced me…He helped me up, he gave me something else than my revenge and my greed…because else, I would have let myself die."
His vision went blurry.
"Yes, I'm a criminal. I deserve to end in a stasis pod…I deserve to be imprisoned; I deserve a death sentence. Because that's what you wish, right? You hate me and you want my death? I accept it. I understand it. And maybe it would have been much better…"
He clenched his fists.
Yeah…he deserved it…
"But today…let's compare our lives a bit. You're lucky. You have friends, you have a family…you found love again…You have Chase. I'm sure your couple will last. I'm sure you'll have a future with him. And about me…I only have Night. Except for Night, I have nothing. I hold onto her. I love her. I need her. I lost Divebomb. I lost Airazor. And I lost Drift"
He felt like he was stabbed at each word.
"…I don't think I'll ever love someone again. I'll never find love again. I don't deserve it. You're right. I'm a criminal. I don't deserve to love or to be loved or to have a child. Because if I'm alive today, all people who deserved to live are dead."
A scum…
A criminal was a criminal.
"…Good people always leave first. Scums like me always survive. That's a harsh reality. But to me, it's not even a life. I don't enjoy it. Or rather, I don't enjoy it any longer. If you believe I have a good life, you're wrong. I don't know if it's worse than prison or death…it's all up to you"
Yes…
There were more punishments than just prison or death.
Losing the people we loved was a good punishment…
And he'll never finish to pay.
Windblade remained speechless.
Fracture closed his optics again. His own cheekplates were wet.
"…I shall be ashamed…to be alive, indeed"
Yes…
Why them and not him?
Because Primus punished him?
Obviously.
"…If you do these things for me because of him, because he loved me once" Windblade answered, a calmer, gentler tone. "Why such a treatment toward Jetstorm and Slipstream?"
Jetstorm and Slipstream…
They'd been the ones that Drift had loved the most…
He'd promised to keep a watch on them.
Yet…he didn't love them. He couldn't love them.
It's cold, it's cruel…but it was harsh reality as well.
"Why don't you try to make efforts toward them?"
Fracture turned around, his back facing her.
This time he was the one who ran away.
"Answer me"
It wasn't an order.
It sounded like she was begging.
"…Because whenever I see them…It's Divebomb and Airazor that I see. I'm angry at them because they are dead…because Drift is dead…"
"You think it's their fault? They wanted it? His death?"
No.
Of course, not.
"…They are the reflection of my failure…"
"Don't make their lives more complicated, Fracture"
She headed for the door.
"..They suffer as well. Much more than you can imagine. Remember that."
Remember…
Of course. He wasn't the only one to suffer.
The door got closed.
He remained unmoving for a few, long minutes.
Then tears fell down.