CHAPTER 55

"Shall we do it?"

Mary snapped her lighter to light her cigarette. She put it in the pocket of her jacket before taking a puff.

Despite the fact that there was no green around the car cemetery, she could hear cricket noises in the distance, discreetly covering the silence of the night. She raised her head to the sky.

For once, there was no cloud. This would allow her to fall asleep with a beautiful vision on the stars.

However, Mary was not yet ready to fall asleep. Next to her, Gasket was rummaging through the rubble. It had become a habit. He was looking for the least thing that could be useful to him. It did not matter whether they are instruments, batteries still in working order or energon.

The green bot finally stopped and laid down on the ground, exhausted.

"We're not going to have the same discussion every time," Gasket sighed.

"Come on, Gasket ... at the military school, we learn to be precise. Why not contact your friends and warn them that you are on Earth? They must have died of worry at the moment."

Gasket crossed his arms, thoughtful.

"I would like it. But you forget that I no longer have my communication earshots."

Mary blamed herself internally.

Yes. They had been taken from him without his consent. A practice that Mary had not approved at all. Whether it was a Cybertronian or a human, human rights had to be applied fairly. Consent remained a key foundation.

Even that, they had not been able to respect it.

Cybertronians are no longer welcome here. If it is not Autobot, it must be Decepticon.

He must necessarily want us harm. Since the beginning of the war, the Decepticons have not stopped attacking us.

The consequences may be terrible. We cannot allow their presence on our planet. One of these days, they will destroy our planet for good.

Mary took a fresh breath. Each time, these same exchanges were looping in her head.

It does not mean that we should not help him, she had defended.

At the moment, humanity is the priority.

They are intelligent beings. They need us. We cannot abandon them after everything they've done for us.

They are machines, had violently rebuffed her superior. This war is supposed to be over. It's not our fight anymore. Now that this war is over, we have no reason to help these creatures.

Each time, it pissed her off. Fucked agent Dumas. Always to claim the same temper as their former superior. And he had taken exactly all the bad decisions that had needed to be avoided.

"Stop thinking about it," Gasket said as if he had guessed her state of mind. "You are stuck on it."

"If you retrieve your earshots" Mary asked, "would you contact your friends?"

Gasket remained silent. Mary cheekily smashed her cigarette on the floor before turning to him.

"Answer my question."

"I could not," said Gasket sadly.

"You saved this Wing though."

"I know. I had to."

He paused.

"But still the Decepticons are looking for me right now. Airachnid must be wondering why my corpse is not hanging on her door yet. It would be too dangerous to contact them without our waves intertwine."

"You could have stayed with your friend until help arrived. It would have saved you from finding yourself alone."

He took his face in one servo.

"In this case, try to find the presence of Autobots" added the human. "That's what you're told from the beginning" Mary pointed out. "You told me that your closest friend, Drift, was one of them. Why not contact him?"

"You do not understand."

His tone was getting lower.

"If they learn that I sold the artifacts to Decepticons ... I risk a heavy sentence. I condemned the universe, Mary. Chances are that the Kaon Council will order the authorities to arrest me. I will be judged. And knowing Sentinel, I would already be lucky if I get life imprisonment."

She knew. She knew he was scared. Fear prevented him from reasoning properly.

If the Decepticons found him, he could not defend himself: he would be tortured until death ensued. This was the scenario most likely to occur.

If the Autobots found him, he might be arrested and be likened to the same Decepticons who wanted to destroy the universe.

He could have counted on humans. But instead, her superior had decreed that he was a threat and his deactivation should be ordered.

How could he fight against all these threats at the same time? Despite this, Mary was not ready for him to give up.

"There is what is called the lesser evil, Gasket," Mary reminded him, her tone softening. "You do not know what the Autobots will do. You are afraid for your life. You are afraid for the safety of the universe. But it is not by staying in your corner to lament that you will succeed anything. Use this simple doubt to make the right decision."

Gasket remained silent, curled up on himself. Mary leaned against her car.

"You are not used to such pressure. But we are not allowed to make mistakes. I chose to trust you, Gasket. Now it's time for you to take charge. You want to save the universe yes or no?"

"Of course…"

"But you think you cannot! You drop your weapons, you wave the white flag! The Decepticons are on their way to the artifacts. You cannot stop them alone. Call for help! As soon as you have made yourself a new communication headset, call Drift! Or Wing. Talk to them and trust them."

Mary advanced at his pedes, eyes riveted in his optics.

"You have failed. But you can still succeed."

"And what will they say ...?" questioned Gasket, jaw clenched. "To me?"

"Are you afraid that they will judge you? You were a prisoner. Of course they will not resent you. They will blame you for not having contacted them earlier."

"You think so?"

"Of course! Secrets do not help anyone. You have made enough of it."

Mary sighed. Gasket was really stubborn. But unlike her superior, she thought he knew how to think. That he was able to make the right decision.

"Whatever the ordeals," said Mary, "if you really care about your friends, Drift, Wing ... you must know how to endure to ensure their safety and yours. You will not come to anything alone."

"... You're right, Mary."

Gasket leaned gently toward her.

Had she managed to convince him? To make him listen to reason?

"I will not do justice to the help Undertone gave me. Not only to him ... you helped me too. And ... I would be remiss if I did not know how to keep you safe ... after what you did."

"... I have principles," replied Mary. "I still believe that the Cybertronian society is worse than ours. But sometimes, the position must be dismissed for the sake of the greatest number."

"That's right," Gasket smiled softly. "I have to think about Drift, Wing ... you too."

"You will make me cry."

Mary stretched before opening the door of her car. She felt Gasket's sad gaze on the small bed in the back seat.

He blamed himself. He was angry that she got there. He must have thought it was his fault. And maybe it was legitimate.

But Mary was not mad at him.

"Now ... how can I contact the Autobots? With the Decepticons, the humans outside ...?"

"It's still a safe hiding place. At least temporarily. You made the decision to fight" Mary replied. "It's already a lot for today. We will think about a plan of attack tomorrow."

"I feel like I'm in the army," Gasket chuckled.

Mary shrugged before lying on the bench.

"Mary?"

"Yes?"

"... You still have not told me the name of this man. This human whom you would give your life for."

"... This is not the most important."

"And you think he would accept you sleeping in your car? You said it yourself. Secrets do not help anyone."

Mary shook her head. He really wanted to play this card?

Yes. He was not wrong. But it was out of the question to involve John in this story.

And then ... she'd manage. She always managed.

"Good night, Gasket."

"Good night, Mary."

Then, silence.

And distinctly, in the distance, the crickets resumed their song.

"... it was great. "

It was not until early morning that Karan and Chop Shop left Las Vegas. Still in their human hologram, they waited until they were far enough away from the human population to sit on a bench, away from prying eyes.

Karan opened her pocket in which she had joined the human Shanix, throwing them on the floor with loud cries of joy.

"We have enough to be rich until the end of our days" laughed Karan.

"Too bad it's only human money" said Chop Shop, bitter. "It would have been so much better on Cybertron."

"I doubt we would have won so much. Humans are so naive."

Karan offered him another blow in the shoulder. He had to take pleasure and release the pressure from time to time.

"At least ... It was a great night" said the human Chop Shop, scratching his head.

"Of course. The Earth is rather pleasant to visit."

"And even. There are many other places."

Silence fell. The human Karan stared at him before smiling.

"Hey. Thank you for helping me nail this human's beak."

"Even humans can be rotten at times," Chop Shop whispered. "But ... it was with pleasure."

He crossed his arms.

"So ... where do you live?"

"Do you think I bring home mechs the first night?" Karan sent him.

Well ... yes. It was what she usually did. But ... it was not a date after all.

"I only want to know where you live on Earth. If it's not too complicated to hide from humans."

"Well ... we'll say I have a little hiding place in Jasper," Karan shrugged. "And you?"

"Hmm. I live on a small island. Humans never come there."

Karan's human hologram smiled again.

"I would love to visit an island. It would change me from the desert."

"Oh believe me. The ocean and sand is not as impressive as it looks" Chop Shop said.

"Same. It would be cool to visit."

Chop Shop gave her a wink.

"Would it be a way to ask to see each other again?"

"Why not?" Karan chuckled. "It's a lot more fun with you. And then ... At least, I would take care of myself."

Chop Shop nodded. Convincing him was apparently much easier than expected.

"Why not?"

"When?"

"Tomorrow?" proposed both at the same time.

Karan chuckled before sending him another blow in the shoulder.

"There is one place I'd like to see. Paris, do you know about it?" Karan questioned him.

"No. It will be a first time for me. But I have a friend who went there and likes it" approved Chop Shop.

"So, you're not alone?"

"Let's say ... I have roommates. Far from Cybertron and his discrimination."

She could not help but sympathize. She knew that feeling perfectly. She did not doubt that he had fled to Earth just as his parents had sent him to the Crystal Cities.

"... We'll have to discuss it tomorrow in detail" suggested Karan.

"At what time?"

"Let's say ... eight o'clock?"

"it works fine for me."

Chop Shop offered her a thumbs up.

Then, after an exchange of goodbye rather hasty to the taste of Karan, the human hologram of Chop Shop disappeared.

Karan waited a few minutes before turning off hers. She found herself at the base again, between these walls.

Karan touched her chassis, gradually getting used to her Cybertronian form again.

Being human was something special. And it was not at all unpleasant. For once she had an expression allowing her to smile ...

Then she got up before strolling through the base. Suddenly at the spark, she realized bitterly that the ship was already gone. Wing, Bumblebee and Rung had already made their way to Arkus.

She sighed before sitting down again. She would have enjoyed sharing with the white bot on their evening and if he had also had a good time with the priest. The human was not around either.

She finally established a communication and waited, enjoying her repaired antenna as new.

Then, Kat's voice rang out.

"Kat! I met a mech!" Karan said as a hello, her tone excited.

"Karan ... Another?"

"But he's too handsome! If you knew what we did tonight! Wait, take a cube of energon and I tell you everything in detail!"

"Do I have a choice? What's his name?"

"Ha! you are curious! It's my sister! Always to exchange gossip!"

"Karan ..."

But her tone sounded amused. She took it as an invitation to say "go ahead! tell me everything and don't dare leave me into the unknown".

Karan sneered and sat down, telling everything that'd happened since her arrival on Earth.

For his part, again in his Cybertronian form, Chop Shop walked in the sand, near the ocean. At times, Chop Shop glanced at the horizon. The sky was gray, large clouds gradually approaching the islet. A storm was approaching.

At least it was not Acid Rain. But that did not take away the fact that Chop Shop felt oppressed. The idea of not being able to leave the islet as he wanted it sometimes made this situation all too uncomfortable.

In the distance, the little group was waiting for him. Chop Shop accelerated the pace. He chose this place for the same reason as the others: a quiet place for discriminated breeds. But he had arrived here only at the end of the reign of the old authority. Even before she was killed by Airachnide.

This place had seemed so promising ...

Chop Shop finally stopped. In front of him, Glowstrike, Filch and Rose were ready to listen to his report.

The Deployer could not help wondering about the presence of the butterfly. After all, her rank was among the lowest. Why invite her to an appointment on such an important mission? Not that he did not like Rose. He even loved her. But ... it was surprising.

"So?" Glowstrike questioned, arms crossed.

"Their base is in Jasper," said Chop Shop. "That's the thing I'm sure of."

"So, it is likely that the artifact is there too."

Chop Shop nodded.

"It's a possibility."

"I am not satisfied with the possibilities. Is it there or not? We need the five artifacts. Remember."

The Deplorer bit his lip. He ended up confirming again with a nod. He sincerely hoped that his hypothesis was correct.

Because if he was wrong ...

The second gave a slight sigh.

"In that case, you know what you have to do. Filch and you."

"I understood the plan," said Chop Shop, his tone detached. "Getting closer to them and steal the Book of Epistemus. It's pretty simple, actually. I am good enough to make me appreciate."

"Filch is as good as you!" the crow creaked. "Shiny!"

"Do not argue," smiled Rose.

"Rose, make sure they do their job," Glowstrike told her. "The Queen wants the artifacts, regardless of means we're using. She just wants them."

The butterfly nodded. So, she was their supervisor? Chop Shop could not help but feel bitter. He was a big fellow. He could take care of himself.

But fine. They did not question orders, after all.

"Hardshell and Saberhorn have already left for Arkus. They join Scorponok there" Glowstrike informed them. "If we could recover both the Book and the Diamond, two birds with one stone ... that would be very useful for us."

"We will not fail anything."

"I hope so."

Glowstrike turned and it was then that Chop Shop noticed something she was wearing on her shoulderplate.

A creature mewed to catch her attention and the firefly hastened to caress him with the tip of her digit, the being rubbing against her metallic cheek while purring.

"The newest member of the tribe" giggled Rose. "Galamb. She is cute, right?"

"Shiny!"

"No, Filch. It is not for you."

"Gift!" pointed the crow.

Chop Shop noticed a small bracelet worn by Rose on the wrist, made of flower petals.

"It's from Kickback," Rose chuckled.

He swore that her cheeks had warmed up.

Chop Shop did not answer. His lack of reaction did not go unnoticed and Rose looked worried.

"... You think you can do the mission?"

"Yes," said Chop Shop, sighing. "As long as I can continue stealing."

Then he unfurled. Each member of Chop Shop landed on the ground, the spiders regrouping to join the South Tower in single file.

Being together made them stronger, especially in this kind of place. But sometimes you had to give them a little freedom. Otherwise, they became too dependent on each other.

Nothing easier. Karan seemed to be easy to fool. It would not be difficult.

Messatine had been a cold planet, empty and devoid of population.

Arkus was all the opposite. Arkus was a planet made up of thick sand, higher heat temperatures than those in Jasper, and a robotic population, each living in buildings made up of that same sand and other local produce.

"We are in the right place?" Rung asked.

When they arrived at the coordinates given by Dai Atlas, Wing, Bumblebee and Rung took a little time to contemplate their environment. None of them had ever visited this place before. And their presence did not go unnoticed since some inhabitants turned to observe them with curiosity. Sometimes this same curiosity gave way to mistrust. As if they were wondering about their intentions.

"Apparently, yes," replied Wing.

"It looks a little like Egypt on Earth," said Bumblebee, walking straight ahead, the trio merging into a narrow lane.

"Egypt?" Rung repeated, tilting his head to one side.

Bumblebee turned to Rung to smile at him.

"You should take the opportunity to visit the Earth. Whenever you can."

"Will I have time?"

"Why ? Of course you will have time."

"Earth is very beautiful," said Wing. "I understand why you defend it."

The smile of the yellow bot widened.

"Thank you" he gratified.

Nevertheless, Rung did not seem convinced by Bumblebee's words. As if something disturbed him... Wing wanted to ask him the question but he was cut when he found that they reached a dead end.

"We are at the right coordinates, right?" Bumblebee asked.

"These are the ones Dai Atlas gave me."

"Maybe the city has changed," Rung offered.

They had to go to a place called the Adaptus' Fall. Apparently, Primus was a highly practiced religion on this planet, although when they passed some Temples, they noticed other rites they had never seen before.

Wing had stopped in front of one of the Temples that worshiped the Guiding Hand Adaptus. As if it were an independent being of Primus. On certain stained glass windows, Adaptus was shown giving his faithful worshippers the ability to transform themselves.

As stated in Dai Atlas' book... Adaptus. The blacksmith.

Wing had already watched on some planets the Cult of Solomus but never cults of other Hands. It was surprising to see Adaptus being worshiped this way. Wing wondered if Mortilus, who represented Death, could be so worshiped while he was hated by many Cybertronians.

"Yet the Adaptus' Fall must still exist today," growled Bumblebee irritably.

He questioned one of the inhabitants, who recoiled by his gesture. When Bumblebee asked him to tell them where they were going, the locals just pointed out the dead end that barred their way before he left.

"Great" Bumblebee sighed. "In what way does a dead end-"

"That's not the dead end," pointed Rung.

Wing and Bumblebee looked up, following the gestures of the white and brown bot's gesture.

There ... Behind the dead end. A very tall building, located high on a platform, shaped like a triangle.

This silenced the trio.

"A pyramid," Bumblebee finally commented. "We are definitely in Egypt."