CHAPTER 34
That shot was still ringing into her audios.
Night hadn't even realized how close the shooter had been to them.
At first, she hadn't thought it would be real…She'd thought that it wasn't really happening. It felt like the scene was happening in a movie, on a screen.
But as soon as she heard a second shot, she was pulled backward, a servo grabbing her wrist.
It'd been Esmeral who'd got her pinned onto the ground. She'd done the same to Kat, holding both femmes close to protect them from any assault.
Night couldn't understand…
They'd just stepped out of a bar…
Was it some vendetta happening?
She'd thought that Caminus was a peaceful and pacifist community…that's what Esmeral said…That's what her mother had repeated to her, for having spent some time in…
But even there…
She looked back at the shooter.
It'd been a bulky, fat bot. Red optics…A green and golden armour…
A malevolent smirk on his face…
He pointed a laser-gun at them.
And shot again.
Night heard Kat who let out a surprised cry.
However, after a quick check-in, she realized that none of them three had been harmed.
The bot' gaze moved to their side.
That's right at this moment that Night noticed the presence of another femme who was crawling to the ground…
Another shot almost got her leg hit.
She screamed and immediately froze.
Night watched, not pulling apart from Esmeral. It was quite a slim femme. A white armour but with some shades of grey at some areas. Pale optics…incredibly pale optics…
Was she the target?
"Help me!" The femme screamed.
The shooter sharply moved, as if he was reloading his weapon.
"You think you can escape me, you scraplet?" The shooter growled.
Another shot.
The laser' light almost got her blinded since it passed dangerously close to her optics. Night was forced to cover her face, some lightning coming across her vision.
The femme crawled away more. He'd missed her.
"Xedgar, please! I didn't do anything to you!" The femme begged him.
"No" The shooter stated, calmly walking ahead for her. "You haven't done anything. And it's more than enough"
The femme was on her knees now. She'd her servos joined. She stared at her attacker with horror.
"Stop it!" Esmeral shouted, as she stood up.
Despite all, she kept Night and Kat behind her, stopping them from getting closer.
"Let this person go!"
"You mind your own business!" The stranger spat back.
He kept his weapon up, as a warning.
The green and golden bot grabbed his victim' helm to throw her onto the ground. She let out a yelp of pain. She tried to kick him back but it just encouraged him further.
"Please! Stop it!" She begged.
"Leave her be! Leave her be!" Esmeral screamed, as she grabbed the bot's arm to pull him away from the white femme.
The stranger sharply turned back to her. Before Night could react, he punched Esmeral right into the face. The green femme flied away, crashing on the ground a few meters away. She held her face, trembling while some drops of energon came out of her forehelm.
Night heard Kat shout Esmeral's name.
"No one…No one will ever miss you!" The golden and green bot spat at the white femme.
The latter begged him more.
Her pale optics met Night's.
She could read her despair, her terror…
"Please! Help me!"
It made Night stand up.
She ignored her fear of new shots.
Autobots wouldn't abandon her…
They never abandoned anybody…whatever they did to deserve it…
He was about to pull the trigger again.
Night charged, head first.
And using her shoulderplate, she hit him hard.
He shot in the sky.
The stranger clearly didn't expect it.
He collapsed on the ground, at the exact place where his target had been standing before.
Night looked up.
The femme had taken the opportunity to escape.
In an unknown direction.
The bot stood up.
He murderously glared back at Night.
Night stepped back.
She took a defensive stance but…thinking back about her combat against Saberhorn…she thought it was already lost.
Immediately, the golden and green bot rushed over to the laser-gun that'd been dropped. Esmeral got the same instinct and tried to tear it off his servos. Despite her injuries, she punched him right into the left cheek.
The bot replied with a hard kick in her face. Esmeral gasped in pain and collapsed. The bot put his pede on her back to make her stay down.
"Leave her alone!" Night shouted.
She realized that she was exactly in the same position as the white femme had been a few minutes earlier.
It was a horrific scene…
He was going to kill her…
He'd got a weapon…
"I lost a bounty because of you!"
"What?"
"I never lost any bounty!"
The bot leaned over to roughly put Esmeral up on her pedes. On her face marked with energon, Night realized that Esmeral was on the edge of fainting but she was still conscious. The bot immediately put his laser-gun on her temple.
"No! No! Leave her alone! Please!" Night begged now.
What have I done?
What have I just done?
"A bounty! Did you hear me? 5000 Shanix on her head!" The bot grunted while he got his weapon pressed more onto Esmeral's helm.
"Stop it! Stop it! She has nothing to do with this!"
The sight of that weapon on Esmeral's temple made her hysterical.
"She has nothing to do with this!"
"If I can't take that bounty's life, I'll take hers!"
"Please! Please! Just spare her! Spare her!"
She didn't care…
She just didn't care if she needed to beg, if she'd to ask for mercy…
She didn't care about her pride…Esmeral's life was at stake…
Everything had just backfired…
Night's legs trembled.
"Please! Don't do this!"
"You better repair your mistake, you bitch!"
Repairing her mistake…
The stranger held Esmeral close, never lowering his weapon.
"You'll find her!"
"What?"
"My target! You'll find her and you'll bring her back to my ship! Or I swear I'll get exterminated!"
Suddenly he shot in the sky again.
Night's vision went blurry.
"No…"
"You'll bring her to me! Else, she dies! I'll take her life instead!"
"Give…give me some delay! Give me some time! Please!"
How could she find her?
Esmeral's energon ran down her face.
"You have one hour" The stranger stated. "One hour"
One hour…
She wanted to scream, to call for help…
"You better hurry up"
He'd kill her…
She couldn't give into her urge to attack him…
She wasn't thinking straight any longer…
She turned around and transformed, driving as fast as possible on the road that the white femme had used.
She needed to calm down…
But she couldn't…
Esmeral was in danger…
Kat didn't care about the password.
She'd used a moment of inattention from the shooter to rush over in the bar, screaming like a fury.
Help…
She didn't have any choice…
She'd no else right now…
She went straight to Saberhorn. Still at the same place as before. He gave her a friendly smile.
"Aren't you with your princess?"
"Help me!"
Kat wasn't thinking straight either.
If she could, she would cry.
But her globe didn't allow her to.
She grabbed Saberhorn's shoulderplates, using all her strength.
"Wow, wow, what's going on?"
Her smile vanished.
Kat broke down.
Why…
Why was it happening to them?
She explained everything as much as she could…though emotion was still so strong. She spoke quickly, to the point Saberhorn had to make her repeat many times.
In the end, as soon as she'd explained everything, he simply nodded, just taking one last sip of his cube.
"…Good. If you promise me a good fight."
He nodded at three of his crewmates. He pulled two swords out and walked outside, accompanied by his colleagues. Kat followed them with difficulty. She was afraid of the scene yet to come…
If she could fight…
If she had been able to…
Instead, she'd to rely on them.
As soon as they were outside, the bot was already gone.
Like Esmeral…
Like Night…
Kat nearly burst out again.
"Do you have an idea of their whereabouts?" Saberhorn questioned her.
She tried to focus, thinking about it.
Thinking…
Trying to…
"…I heard a ship"
"It's a small place. A few of people stop here. We should find it easily"
And they ran again.
Kat transformed to follow them.
Hopefully it wasn't too late…
Hopefully they'd make it in time…
Saving Esmeral…
Finding that femme…
Finding that bounty…
Night tried to get her panic appeased…
She was trying not to think about time…
But…She didn't have any time.
Night looked around…
She couldn't have gone that far…
One hour…
Else, she dies.
Saving Esmeral…
What choice did she have left?
How could she find her?
She could be anywhere…
In front of her, Caminus' mountains…
Close to mountains, there was sea…
She hadn't expected to find any sea at this place…
But more than anything…A ship.
A white ship.
She blinked. She was brought back in her memories, remembering about that white ship she'd caught sight of in space, during the pirates' attack.
It couldn't be the same one…
No. Impossible…
She'd imagined things…
This stranger…
She needed to find her.
"Primus!" She screamed hard, angry. "We didn't ask to be involved in your problems!"
There was a bounty on her head…
That bot was a bounty hunter…
These uncaring, emotionless individuals that killed people for money, without any remorse…
Just like assassins…
And she was his victim…
And Esmeral…may die while she had nothing to do with it…
Suddenly, she slowed down.
She realized what she was about to do…
That femme hadn't asked for it…she'd begged them to rescue her…
And that bounty hunter…asked Night to sell her out, in exchange of Esmeral's life…
Night hadn't thought of it…
That bounty hunter was a killer…He could take a life for another…
And she was quite hypocrite…
She tried to save Esmeral while she also should try to save this person…as she'd tried to do earlier…
Night transformed again.
One hour left…
She needed to act quick…
But how could she do? How could she save Esmeral?
She must make a choice.
But the femme was nowhere to be seen…
And Esmeral…her life was at stake as well…she couldn't abandon her…
She could try to contact Caminus' authorities…but would they make it in time?
She clenched her fists.
No…She mustn't get panicked…
But how could she do? Why wasn't she able to use her processor?
She heard a noise from far.
It came out from behind one of rocky houses.
Night slowly came closer. As if a voice told her to follow this noise…
She checked behind the house.
She stopped.
She was here.
She stood in front of her…
She cowered, in complete terror.
"Please…leave me…"
Her optics…
They were so pale…
She looked much older than Night…and yet, Night was the one who got her terrified.
She didn't have any choice.
"…He'll kill my friend" Night explained, her voice broken.
"I didn't do anything…please…Don't sell me out…he'll kill me…these monsters…these bounty hunters…they don't have any mercy…they…they just think about money…whatever their target is…"
She felt horrible…
That femme hadn't done anything to her…and she was right. Bounty hunters didn't care about who they'd kill.
They were monsters…and she wasn't better than them.
She just sentenced her to death…
But how could she convince her to follow her?
She would never accept…
"Please…"
She was begging again.
Her vision went blurry again.
What should she do?
Could she try to fight again?
Or should she make her conscience shut up and just delivering that femme to the bounty hunter in order to save Esmeral?