CHAPTER 60

"You will not go!"

"I will go!"

"You will not go, I said!"

"And why ?"

"Because!"

"That's not an answer!"

"Because that's it! Stop behaving like a kid!"

"Who is the one who acts like a kid now?"

It was nonsense. At full speed, Karan passed Cliffjumper who lifted his nose from his Pad and crossed the base with long strides while Outrigger shouted to her to come back, that he was not done with her. Without further ado, the Cyclops just walked over to the ground-bridge she had opened behind his back.

Under the pretext that Outrigger was responsible for her, he did not have to control all her actions. He wasn't her father, either!

"Seriously, Outrigger, you really annoy me!" yelled Karan. "It's only an outing! This is not a Conjunx bond request!"

"You hardly know that guy!" shouted Outrigger again.

"You didn't say anything when I was having fun at the Crystal Cities."

"Because these are the Crystal Cities! We know everyone there. But here we are on Earth! There are Decepticons who attacked us. Remember!"

Karan groaned in response.

"Except that he is not one of the Decepticons who attacked us!"

"And how can you know?"

"Because Wing told us the names of those who stole the Crown of Solomus! And it is not one of them! And if he was part of it, don't you think he would have been hostile towards me, instead of wanting to spend time with me?"

"It doesn't change the fact that he can be dangerous."

"But I'm a grown-up girl!"

"No, you are not! And now is not the time for frolic!" growled Outrigger. "Wing, Bumblebee and Rung will be back this evening! We are a team, we must all be united!"

Karan turned around.

"A team? I wasn't supposed to be on the trip. You have told me enough."

As luck would have it, she was part of the team when it suited them. But apart from that, she was treated more like a child than they should be watching over, rather than a full member of the team. Yes, Decepticons had attacked them but it wasn't a reason to be paranoid about every Decepticons they encountered. She was a Decepticon herself.

Outrigger clenched his fists.

"Karan, we don't have time for this kind of stupidity! You know it!"

"But I would be careful. Stop worrying! Unless you're jealous that I'm dating someone?"

She had dropped that phrase in a tone that was both amused and curious. Outrigger froze in surprise before he frowned.

"You say you're tired of being treated like a kid. But there is nothing else we can do! You act like one. Your sister Kat and Night would never do such a thing in this situation!"

"Here we are again! Still in the comparison! We irretrievably bring everything back to Night! Seriously, stop!"

It would have surprised her if he hadn't acted otherwise. They heard Arcee sigh from the control room.

"Drop it, Outrigger. She's a spoiled rotten kid. You will not change her."

"It doesn't mean that -"

Karan did not hear the end of the sentence.

She had already disappeared.

At the entrance to Paris, Chop Shop arranged to arrive a few minutes before the scheduled meeting time. Still in his Cybertronian form, the Minicons forming his arms behind his back, the Insecticon thought that it would give it a better impression if it did not arrive late.

When he saw Karan's alt-form appearing in the distance, he gave her an enchanted smile, waiting for her to transform to get closer to him.

"Am I not too late?" she asked him in an almost sorry tone.

"No. Do not worry. You are right on time."

The cliché phrases of any date in the romantic comedies he secretly watched in his room at the Sanctuary.

In any case, it did not miss. He could tell a smile on Karan's expressionless face.

"So? What do we begin with?" asked the Cyclops.

"Hm. Your pick. I've heard that there are flagship places to visit in Paris. But we will have to use our holographic forms to access it."

Karan shrugged.

"That does not bother me. At least you will see my expressions."

"It's not a criteria for me, you know. When it comes to Cybertronian form."

It was partially true. He was not one to criticize the appearance of others. After all, he was just a being made up of Minicons himself.

In any case, his compliment worked. Karan scratched the back of the helmet, embarrassed by the compliment.

"Very well. Anyway, it will be better to integrate into the mass."

"What for?" asked Chop Shop, intrigued. "Is someone chasing you?"

"No! I mean. Yes. My tutor, actually."

"Your… tutor?" repeated Chop Shop.

Karan chuckled.

"He thinks I'm not mature enough to go out alone with a stranger. Suddenly, he is chasing me. I used a ground-bridge but ... we are far enough away that we can hide."

Chop Shop raised an eyebrow, thoughtful. If she had used a ground-bridge and left it open, perhaps he could use it to directly retrieve the Book of Epistemus.

For a moment, he sincerely considered the idea.

"This is ... ingenious. Where is it?"

"Oh. Not very far. But it's fine. He must have closed it already since I left."

"Ha."

He glanced at Karan.

Nevermind. His original purpose had been to make her speak, to ask her for directions on the exact location of her base. But hey ... It shouldn't be too complicated, in the end.

"Very well. Let's do our best and don't get caught!"

"Yeah!"

As synchronized, they simultaneously activated their human holograms. Human Karan gave him a delighted smile before the two holograms made their way to Paris at a brisk pace.

"I'm going to get used to the human form" commented Chop Shop.

"Oh yes. Me too."

Where could she have gone? Outrigger sighed as the ground-bridge closed behind him. He looked around, looking for the slightest trace of the Cyclops.

Evaporated. As if she had never crossed the ground-bridge. No matter, he would find her and bring her by the neck to the base.

Outrigger raised the optics before setting off. What not to do to monitor her ...

"Skwak! "

Outrigger nodded.

"Yes. I agree. You can go ahead, Beak" he approved.

"Skwak!"

Immediately, Beak spread his wings and flew high. Remaining on the ground, Outrigger followed him, inspecting the area.

He finally noticed the city of Paris taking shape in the distance, made up of skyscrapers the size of a standard Cybertronian. As he got closer, he noticed two shapes on the ground, each in a sitting position.

Outrigger squinted at the optics and walked over to discern who it was. Karan. And the guy named Chop Shop they'd met once. Outrigger could never forget such an appearance.

He clenched his fists. It only meant one thing: they had already activated their human holograms. Great. How was he going to be able to find them now?

Maybe he had to wait ... wait for them to come back. But what if something happened to Karan during this time?

No. It was too risky.

"Skwak!"

Outrigger turned suddenly in the direction of Beak's voice. Immediately, he was frozen in place, noticing the silhouette of a large blue bird plunging in their direction.

A blue bird of his acquaintance. Immediately, he called back Beak who hid behind his shoulderplate as they watched the bird turn into a Cybertronian of their acquaintance.

"Shiny!" cried Filch, pointing Beak with the tip of her claw.

"No! Certainly not!" spat Outrigger, placing himself in a defensive stance.

Filch stared at him with a bored look.

"Oh. Outrigger knows Filch anyway."

"I told you I didn't want to see you here again!"

"Filch gave her word. You can't stop Filch from hanging around on Earth."

Filch crossed her arms. Outrigger frowned at this finding. He had to admit that she was not wrong.

"You're with Chop Shop, aren't you?" grunted Outrigger after a silence.

"Filch is not responsible of Chop Shop."

"But you're here together, right?" asked Outrigger. "Where's Karan?"

Filch tilted her helm to the side, thoughtful.

"Filch doesn't know Karan. But Chop Shop attends whoever he wishes."Outrigger looking for Chop Shop?"

"I want to bring Karan back, that's all."

"Karan doesn't risk anything with Chop Shop. Chop Shop treats femmes well."

Filch sat on the grass, as if to catch her breath. Outrigger did not take his optics off her.

"What are you looking for ? What is your goal?"

"Nothing. Filch wants to be left alone. Outrigger already knows."

"Come on."

It didn't matter whether Chop Shop treated Karan well or not, he was not confident enough to leave her alone with him. Outrigger was about to walk away when Filch called out to him.

"Filch has not forgotten Outrigger's gesture."

"What gesture?"

Filch gave him a significant look.

Oh yes. The energon cube. Outrigger had forgotten. The blue bird straightened up.

"Does Outrigger want to spend time with Filch?"

For a moment, the brown bot hesitated. He shook his helm.

"No. I don't have time for this."

"Outrigger is protective of Karan. But Filch says she doesn't risk anything with Chop Shop. Outrigger should believe Filch."

"Why should I believe you? You kidnapped Beak."

Filch frowned in turn.

"Filch wants to make up."

"Really?" he asked, not really believing.

"Wait Filch here."

The blue femme straightened and transformed again. Then she spread her wings to fly in an unspecified direction.

Outrigger could not know why he had chosen to wait for her, instead of setting out again and looking for Karan as he had originally wished. When she returned, after a quarter of an hour, it was to give Outrigger a cube of energon.

"Shiny!"

"... Thanks, I guess. But you didn't have to. Especially if you are looking for energon."

"Filch likes to return the gesture."

She started drinking, before staring at Outrigger with round optics.

"Outrigger drinks with Filch?"

"… only drink. Then I go back."

It was a stupid idea. However, Outrigger felt that Filch was sincere in her idea to send the elevator back to him. Why not give her the benefit of the doubt?

After some hesitation, Outrigger sighed and eventually imitated her, drinking the cube in small sips.

"Wow!"

Karan leaned slightly toward the edge to admire the view.

Next to her, Chop Shop was looking in the same direction. He had to admit ... For a monument on a human scale, the organics knew how to surprise people. Karan sneered as she bowed a little more.

"To say that if we had come in our Cybertronian sizes, we would have been bored"

"Please don't fall" smiled Chop Shop.

"Well. It's a hologram. It is not me."

"Yes. But humans wouldn't know it. I think that from this height, a normal human would have died. They are fragile, they say."

Karan shrugged. Beside them, a human male looked at them questioningly.

Chop Shop smiled before approaching her to lean on the edge.

"It's the Arc de Triomphe but… I've heard that the Eiffel Tower offered a better view" said Chop Shop.

"The Eiffel Tower?" repeated Karan.

"Here."

He pointed to the Tower which stood opposite the Arc de Triomphe. Karan smiled again before nodding, approvingly.

"We'll go for a walk, then!"

"I also agree."

He cleared his throat while Karan pulled herself up to sit at the edge, facing the human Chop Shop.

"So ..." he began to quietly raise the subject. "How many are you in your base? Did you choose Jasper for a particular reason?"

Karan kept her head riveted on the horizon, staring over her shoulderplate.

"We're a small team."

"Full of Decepticons?"

"No ... We're pretty mixed up. Autobots, neutrals and Decepticons, in fact. Although… when I speak of Decepticon, I am the only representative."

She stifled a laugh. Chop Shop didn't understand and couldn't help but ask for details.

"Mixtures? Between factions? But ... it's not common."

"No. But well, the war is over. You don't have to stay in your own faction, as some people say."

He had never thought of that.

"Old bitterness is not easily forgotten, you know," said Chop Shop softly. "I know something about it."

For all the times that the Insecticons had been discriminated, they thought they were right not to blindly trust the Autobots.

"I know. My parents share your point of view, even if they don't forbid the presence of Autobots in their workplace. But ... My mentor is neutral" Karan replied before looking at him again. "He is from the Circle of Light. However, he took me under his wing. Me like other Decepticons."

"It's ... rather strange."

Chop Shop ended up sitting by her side in turn.

"He's very bossy. Very Code-based, at least when it comes to training" Karan said. "But hey ... he is very tolerant and he is an example to follow. I mean… my sister's girlfriend was born out of a union between Autobot and Decepticon and he trains her without holding any grudge."

Chop Shop blinked, listening more and more.

"A union between Autobot and Decepticon," he repeated, puzzled.

He never thought it would be possible. But according to Karan's attitude, breaking down the factions would become a phenomenon on Cybertron.

"The Cybertron I knew before coming to Earth was very discriminatory."

"It still is" sighed Karan. "That's why our parents sent us to the Circle of Light. Me, Kat and Night… they wanted to keep us from this"

She paused.

"But ... if the Autobots and the Decepticons are more inclined to work together, maybe we can get there sooner than expected" said Karan, not hiding hope in her tone.

Chop Shop could hardly believe it ... Yet Karan had no reason to lie to him.

Unlike him.

"I can't see the Autobots and the Decepticons working together, hand in hand."

"That's what my parents believed too" said Karan. "I was conceived after the war so I cannot know how it was before. But ... nothing is impossible, obviously. Esmeral, the Conjunx of one of the members of the Circle of Light, took a Decepticon as an Amica. And Wing befriended a human when the Circle of Light was neutral in regard to the Autobot position towards organics."

Indeed. These were factual examples, but they did exist ...

Chop Shop couldn't help but think of the Queen and the attitude of the residents in the Sanctuary towards Autobots in general. He thought it was the same on Cybertron. The Autobots acted as racist as they did.

Suddenly Karan grabbed his hand. This surprised Chop Shop slightly, but the latter did well to remain silent. She got back up on the ground and pulled him toward the exit.

"Now, are we going to the Eiffel Tower?"

"Why not?" approved Chop Shop before following her. "Let's go."

"Okay, that's the top level!" Karan whistled as they climbed to the top of the Eiffel Tower.

She stretched out her arms, embracing the Paris landscape in front of her. Chop Shop coughed slightly, a little exhausted from having endured the whole climb of the stairs.

However, when he joined Karan, he reacted as amazed as she was to the landscape.

"Indeed" Chop Shop whistled in turn.

"Do all humans behave the same way? In all places?" asked Karan.

"Well ... it depends. I don't hang out with them as much as I would like but ... I think some people behave differently in different countries. According to their culture. A bit like us and according to the different planets where we live."

Such as the Camiens and Cybertronians who each had different cultures. Karan seemed delighted with this information and turned to him.

"Paris has nothing to envy Kaon. Did you live in Kaon?"

"No. I lived in Polyhex" informed Chop Shop.

He had been assembled there at the very end of the war. He had worked there and when Polyhex elected an Autobot Council as its head, he found himself unemployed and subsequently lost his apartment. But Chop Shop was careful not to add this part of the story.

It didn't concern Karan after all.

"So ... You and your sister. Are you really twins?"

This information would bring him nothing about the Book of Epistemus. He knew it. But he was curious.

"Yeah! When we were younger, we were painted the same way" Karan replied. The others had trouble identifying us. But in the end, our parents wanted to give us our own identity and they painted us to match their colours. I inherited those from my father and Kat is more like my mother. They were right, in the end. We are radically opposed in personality."

"I see…"

Chop Shop leaned against the wall.

"We are very different" added Karan after a silence. "She was always more gifted than me in studies and in tasks but it was I who defended her when she was bothered by other children. I hated her being hurt. And I still hate it so much anyway. I'm glad Night takes care of her."

"You seem very close," replied Chop Shop.

According to the way she talked about them, there was a deep and genuine connection between them. Karan's expression darkened, which puzzled Chop Shop in spite of himself.

"I think it's not like it used to be. I know we both grew up but ... it still feels weird to me. I would like, sometimes, that we get our relationship back again. The one before."

Chop Shop remained silent at this statement.

Then his voice rose again.

"Familial relationships are always complicated" he agreed, the soft tone. "I didn't have a sister or brother. I found them in a family of sparks, you might say."

"Hey! that counts as much as the real spark bonds!" smiled Karan.

"Yes. I have a "sister" who is a real pest. We always fight for shiny things."

It was strange ... Even though he had always viewed Filch as such, he had never expressly confessed to anyone else.

"And you fight often?" sneered Karan.

"Oh yes. All the time, even."

"Is she like you in personality?"

"Not really. But I know that where I am, people often mock her. And such like you with Kat, I don't like her to be harmed."

"Ha. The "I love you, me neither," thing, right?" Karan agreed.

"We'll say it like that."

Yes ... it was the best description of their relationship. Karan had the right word.

It was not unpleasant to raise this subject ... And Karan was rather pleasant to talk with. A little talkative, but pleasant.

Karan turned her attention to a salesman sitting nearby. They sold small Eiffel Towers in miniature version. The smile of the human Karan widened and she approached him. Chop Shop gave an amused smile, understanding her intention.

If she brought back a memory of their "date", so be it.

She presented him with the miniature Eiffel Tower. She said nothing but her gesture was unequivocal.

This surprised Chop Shop.

"... Why are you giving me this?"

"I give it to you. I didn't thank you for fixing my antenna."

"But ... you don't have to" said Chop Shop before he backed away.

He only did it to make himself pleasant. Karan shook her head, insisting more.

"Go. Take it. You don't have a lot of human memories, do you?"

"I've been living on this planet for some time."

"Hence the reason why it is better to recover memories ... if one day, you decide to return to Cybertron."

Karan kept her hand out. A little embarrassed, Chop Shop opened his mouth.

No words came out. In the end, he took the small miniature to contemplate it in silence.

The intention was touching ... but ...

Karan continued to smile at him.

In the end, he chose to accept and placed it in his pocket.

"…Thank you."

This time, he didn't need to pretend.

"You're welcome" Karan agreed.

"Unbearable! She is just unbearable" he ended up concluding.

He and Filch had finished their cubes long ago, but the discussion did not stop there. Outrigger hadn't realized that they had spent more than four hours sitting in this position, near the Cybertronian bodies of Karan and the Chop Shop.

When he realized it, Outrigger facepalmed.

"I talk too much," he sighed.

"They won't escape us," said Filch. "They will eventually come back."

Filch placed the cube next to her.

"Young bot is too protective of Karan."

"I must be so. She is irresponsible."

He paused.

"At least Kat and Night know when too much is too much. Even if Night was hard to train at the start, she never gave up. And she understood that what we were doing was serious. Karan does not learn this lesson."

"Does Outrigger like Night?"

Outrigger froze.

He hadn't expected such a question.

"…No. Why?"

"Outrigger talks about her as if she were the most precious person in his optics."

"Well ... She is indeed precious to me" he replied, scratching his head.

It was true.

"…But. Not like this."

"Maybe Outrigger should stop comparing Karan to Night. She feels that Outrigger is making preferences and it is not going to help Karan feel better."

This silenced Outrigger.

He ... he hadn't realized it. He could have denied if someone he knew had made the remark. But there it was Filch. The latter knew neither Night nor Karan. She'd never met them before.

The fact that an apparently objective person gave him this advice ... It left him speechless.

"Filch doesn't say that everything is Outrigger's fault. But… a bird gives good advice." "

I see."

He felt a little relaxed. Still, it had felt good to vent out. Even though it was clear that Filch didn't understand everything, it did him good that someone listened to him carefully.

Outrigger straightened up. Beak landed on the floor and timidly walked toward Filch, staring at her with suspicious optics.

Filch looked down at him, a little surprised. She turned her attention back to the brown bot.

"…May Filch?"

"... Only if you don't kidnap him."

Filch smiled at that response, which spurred Outrigger's spark. She put her servo in the direction of the camera-bot to pet him but Beak made a gesture of retreat. He hurried to hide behind Outrigger's back in response.

"Camera bot doesn't like Filch" she sighed.

"That's normal" said Outrigger. "He doesn't have a very good impression of you."

"Hm."

She shrugged. Then she asked him out of the blue.

"And Outrigger likes Filch?"

His cheeks warmed. He replied with a shrug, trying to hide his embarrassment.

"… Let's say I tolerate you a little more."

He didn't have time to add anything else.

A movement cut them off. They turned around in a block.

Next to them, the respective forms of Karan and Chop Shop were reactivated. The four optics of the second flashed at the same time as he regained consciousness of his body while Karan folded and unfolded her limbs.

"Thanks for the day" she said to Chop Shop, recognition evident in her tone.

"... You're welcome" he replied, pretending it was nothing.

Outrigger cleared his throat. They turned towards them. Karan froze as the Chop Shop offered them a friendly smile.

"Filch ... and the owner of the camera-bot."

"My name is Outrigger," he grimaced.

The Cyclops tensed.

"The worst part is that you dared to follow me. You couldn't leave me alone for two minutes" she sighed.

"I have no choice with you. You're so-"

He was going to add "immature" or "irresponsible".

But when he crossed Filch's optics, he remembered that it was not the right solution.

No. It would not be the right solution. There was no point in lecturing her. After all, involuntarily or not, he had chosen to spend the afternoon chatting with the bird femme on his side.

He had as much to blame himself as Karan. He ended up suffocating another cough, before standing up to face them.

"…Well. Karan ... the others are waiting for us."

"Ok, I'm coming."

Outrigger turned to Filch for a nod. To which Filch responded in the same way.

Karan faced Chop Shop, tucking in, looking down.

She seemed ... shier, more vulnerable that way. This surprised Outrigger slightly, even though he remained to observe discreetly.

"…Thank you."

"Thank you as well... for the miniature" replied Chop Shop with the same almost nonchalant tone to hide his embarrassment.

"Take care of it."

Karan leaned over. The latter froze but let her come as she placed her globe against his cheek, the way Cyclops did to kiss another Cybertronian. The contact did not last long but it seemed to slightly disturb the Insecticon.

Karan broke away from him before joining Outrigger.

"Good return," Chop Shop wished them, no emotion in his optics.

"Yes. You too," replied the brown bot.

The ground-bridge had opened. Outrigger let Karan enter first and, after a last look in the direction of Filch, he followed Karan and went inside.

"... Maybe you're right" said Outrigger.

"Hm?"

"... We must not be paranoid towards all the Decepticons we meet."

Karan placed her servo on the shoulderplate in response.

"Glad you made it."

Outrigger nodded before patting her on the top of the helmet in affection.

Filch was right. He had to stop comparing Karan to the others. She had her own personality and even if he would keep calling her out if it's needed, he had to stop criticizing her on the pretext that she was not acting like his other students.

"When we come back, do we train?" asked Karan.

"…Of course."

She would improve at her own pace.

Outrigger had to realize and accept it.

" So?" Rose asked them as soon as they crossed the ground-bridge to reach the Sanctuary.

She was surprised to see Chop Shop and Filch come back empty-handed. After all, Glowstrike chose them for this mission because they were masters in theft and burglary.

So, having them come back without the requested artifact ...

Filch just walked past her as Chop Shop suppressed a sigh, his face closed.

"… It will not be long. I won Karan's trust. There is nothing left but to wait."

That was it. Chop Shop went to join Filch towards the South Tower while Rose watched them go.

Despite the Insecticon's response, their attitude was strange.

They seemed ... elsewhere. Did something happen during their mission?

Something hid the optics. She smiled, guessing who it was.

"Kickback ..."

"Nice to see you too" replied the grasshopper.

Rose smiled before turning to him and taking his servo to follow him.

"Aren't you busy?" he asked.

"For you, I'll always find the time."

"Your place or mine?"

"Yours?"

"Gladly."