CHAPTER 64
The first thing that struck Father John was the smell.
A smell of the sea ... a soft sea air that came to invade his nostrils. A flurry struck them in the face and the priest could almost hear the wind beat the hair of Mary.
Her hand on his arm, the latter remained clung to him.
"John ..." she whispered, tone low.
Father John did not answer. He hadn't yet realized what had happened. He hadn't yet realized that he was no longer in his church in Crown City.
More ... elsewhere. The two were elsewhere. They had crossed the ground-bridge and now found themselves in an unknown location.
He had followed Swelter.
And Mary ... Mary had followed him.
"... Are you ... are you okay?" he asked her, between two fits of coughing, getting used to the new air around them.
"I'm fine…"
"Where are we?"
"You ... you tell me" she replied a little dryly.
"Are we on Earth?"
Of course they were on Earth. It had been a ground-bridge and they could breathe. But he thought he should ask that question.
Father John used his developed sense to try to guess where they were currently.
Almost as if he could paint the environment on a canvas, Father John had no trouble recognizing the sea. They faced it. But it was far away. Under their feet, Father John did not smell of wet sand or seashells.
Instead, metal. He put his hand on a surface in front of him. When he let it slide, he realized he had leaned on a ledge. They were apparently located on a platform, more or less in height. Nothing was familiar to him.
Father John sniffed the air again. Despite the sea air, it was not pure. He felt through a discreet but present pollution.
He felt Mary move beside him. He guessed that she was watching everywhere, still amazed by what had just happened.
Silence fell. A silence filled with the distant sound of the waves.
"John ... What happened? What did you do?" she ended up questioning him, her tone shocked.
"I…"
"What did you do? Where did you take us?"
Father John did not answer. He guessed that Mary was frowning as many questions crossed her lips.
"I didn't want to practice it. I just wanted-"
I just wanted to follow Swelter.
Suddenly he fell silent. He thought back to Wing. To Autobots… He thought back to the promise he had made to them.
He had sworn to keep their existence secret. Their arrival on Earth. The existence of artifacts ... Reality finally struck him. Father John bit his lip, trying to find a valid explanation.
Mary did not move. He felt her attention focused completely on him.
"... This ... it's not what you think."
"John. How? How could you have brought us here?"
"I promise there is a logical explanation for all of this."
"Well. I'm listening to you."
Mary's tone had suddenly become more severe. Father John suppressed a sigh. Unwittingly, he had revealed to her the existence of Cybertronian technology.
"... This ... this is a new model for the Science Fiction Show to be held in town soon ..."
"John. How do you know about the existence of ground-bridges?"
Father John froze.
Had he heard correctly? Mary paused before resuming, her voice trembling.
"Don't lie to me! The Bible forbids you to lie. Answer my question. How do you know about the existence of ground-bridges?"
"You ... do you know yourself too?"
"Yes, I know ! But you are not supposed to know it!"
Father John swallowed, scratching the back of his head.
"How ... you ... you know everything about ground-bridges? From their origin? From their creators?" he asked her to be sure that he was not mistaken and that he did not inadvertently reveal the truth.
"Are you talking about Cybertronians and the conflict between Autobots and Decepticons? Yes I do!" Mary replied a little too sharply.
Shock crossed him. Father John had nothing to answer to that.
Mary… had known all along? Father John remembered the humans Bumblebee had contacted when Wing, Rung, Arcee and Cliffjumper had been on the planet Messatine.
He'd never thought that Mary would be one of the few aware of the conflict. The latter continued, the timbre of her voice becoming faster and faster.
"It was a defense secret. I am a soldier. I was involved in this file. No one else should know! We had to make sure that the lives of Cybertronians and the conflict were kept secret."
"…I see."
"But you know that! How do you know, John?"
Father John stiffened. He felt Mary approach him.
"Talk to me," she insisted, voice clear. "Don't tell me a story! I need to know to get out of here."
Father John bowed his head.
Then he spoke. And told her everything in one go, being careful not to leave out any details.
When he finished his story, Mary's first response was the most unexpected.
"Do you know Wing?" She cried, almost exploding.
Father John curled up on himself.
"Hold on. I heard right. You did talk about Wing, right?"
"Yes" answered Father John.
"But ... but ... but ..." she stammered.
Her voice became more muffled. She took her face in her hands.
"You knew Wing… from the start."
"But why ? Why are you asking me?"
"Gasket is looking for him!" suddenly shouted Mary.
Father John jumped.
Again, the rhythm of his heart accelerated.
"Did you mention Gasket?"
"Wing told you about him?"
"You know him? He is here? He was here from the start?"
"Don't reverse the roles, John."
"He disappeared ! Wing is looking for him too!"
A silence fell. ...
It was a very strange situation, he couldn't help thinking.
"… Here we are."
"What an irony" added Father John to lighten the mood.
Knowing that Wing and Gasket had spent their time looking for each other and that the answer to their questions was in the friends of each of the humans who accompanied them. Father John could not believe the coincidences. It was in his moments that he felt God's hand even more in the universe.
And despite the situation, he was happy. He was thrilled for Wing.
If Mary was right ... it meant Wing would find Gasket. He who had been worried so much about him ... now he could find his friend!
"… what were you thinking?"
Father John did not understand the question.
After the stupor, Mary repeated, the tone irritated.
"What stories did you embark on, John?"
The priest took a breath.
"I told you, Mary. Wing was in distress. I only tried to rescue him."
"But this story didn't involve you, John! It was necessary to contact the competent authorities! You had to call me, at least! I am a soldier."
"Wing wouldn't have allowed me to. I wasn't sure you knew. Especially since it was not an Autobot."
Mary's voice became weak.
"You could have trusted me, you know."
"I know" he replied more softly. "But at that time, I didn't think about it."
"You can't help but save everyone ... when it could cost you a lot."
Father John could only nod the chef in response. He guessed that Mary was walking away.
"So was that your pilgrimage?"
"Yes. I needed an excuse."
"But ... your church? Your missions?"
Father John expected his reaction.
"Sometimes there are priorities."
"It was not your role, John" she repeated more firmly.
"I know. You tell me often."
Her tone was calm.
Father John guessed that it was concern that spoke. That Mary didn't really hold it against him. And perhaps he had been too reckless? He only thought he was doing what he thought was right.
"... And you know all the details about the artifacts. Was it to follow Wing that ground-bridge opened?"
"No. To follow Swelter."
"Why? Swelter is a Decepticon. From what you told me, he was at Garboil's service! And you told me he was the one who got the Crown artifact."
The answer seemed much easier. In any case, she was going to reprimand him.
"…Garboil is dead. Swelter was lost. He needed help with kittens he looked after. I think he's not totally bad."
"... Again, you can't help it. Even so, it is the safety of the universe that is threatened by these people."
Father John used his cane to follow her.
"Mary. How did you meet Gasket? Why didn't he contact Wing? At least to warn him that he was okay?"
"You will know everything in due time. Right now, we have to leave this place."
He would be dying to know. Father John finally conceded it. It was better to reach Crown city as quickly as possible.
"Shit" Mary squeaked.
"What's the matter?"
"Do you want to know why he didn't contact Wing? He could not. My superiors removed his communication antenna from him. We had plans to fix it and I almost forgot that I couldn't contact him to ask for help."
"Oh."
Why had her superiors removed his antenna from him?
Father John rummaged in his pocket to look for his phone.
"I can try to contact the Autobots."
But when he turned it on, the phone told him by voice command that he had run out of battery.
Oh no.
"Awesome. How are we going to leave this place, then?" sighed Mary, obviously trying to keep calm.
Father John took his chin, thoughtful.
An idea occurred to him.
"... Maybe by finding Swelter, he could send us a ground-bridge to bring us home?"
The idea did not seem to please her.
"And do you really think he will help us? He's a criminal who helps the Decepticons steal the artifacts!"
She paused.
"Gasket says so. You say it yourself. They have bad intentions! They want these artifacts for their own personal benefit."
"He's not a criminal."
He frequently interacted with criminals. Even if Swelter came from a different species, Father John did not recognize him as such.
"I wanted to talk to him. I got it wrong but maybe I can still try. In any case, we have no other means. Who knows? Maybe there is a ground-bridge mechanism in the vicinity."
Mary did not reply.
He knew her well. She considered his words.
"…We can try. To find a ground bridge mechanism."
"Do you know how to activate them?"
"It wouldn't be that complicated."
He heard a metallic noise.
Father John knew this noise by heart. Mary was a soldier. She took her gun wherever she went. Mary informed her that she only had five bullets.
Five bullets… Father John hoped that she wouldn't have to use it.
Then Mary grabbed his hand to follow him. Tenderly Father John closed it in his in a soft embrace.
She was worried. He wanted to reassure her. In any way.
He felt Mary tensing slightly as they set off.
"Swelter must not have gone far ..."
Mary did not let go of his hand, leading Father John to a place that was becoming more and more narrow. Father John used the other hand not to hit a wall.
"Yet he is nowhere to be found," growled Mary.
"Tell me what you see."
Mary stopped. She took a long breath before describing their surroundings to him.
"We are in a long corridor. The ceiling is so large that it would take a skyscraper to touch it. There are clearly Cybertronians who live here."
"Perhaps we are in a landmark?"
"I don't know where we are. But if we are in a landmark, I pray that it is not a Decepticon's."
Father John guessed that she winced.
"But if you told me that you've followed Swelter so far and there have been Deployers, chances are this is the case. And if that's true, we are in serious danger."
"Mary ..."
He was trying to appease her, but Mary's voice was gradually overcome by panic.
"No, John. You listen to me. You don't know who they are. You may know Cybertronians but you don't know them as well as I do! What they did to Gasket ... what he told me ... I can't describe it to you."
Father John winced in turn.
"I imagine Gasket suffered a lot."
"More than you can imagine. You don't realize who the Decepticons are. If they find us, they risk torturing us in unimaginable ways."
The priest could only wrap her arms around Mary's shoulders to hug her.
She had to calm down. Otherwise, they wouldn't get out of here.
"I can imagine what the Decepticons will do," he whispered to her. "That's why you shouldn't panic."
"You seem so sure of yourself. You ... you stay so calm."
"Let's say that ... as I told you, I have already met some. I know what to expect now."
Hardshell. Zizza. Vertebreak. Saberhorn. Filch. Kickback. Garboil. Canopus.
Even if what he had suffered with them should not be compared to what had suffered Gasket for Mary to get carried away like that.
"... One of them tried to cut me to pieces, another threw me into the void and a third caused a fire in which I was trapped in it. And I got out of it" he said, half joking and half serious."I mean, I laugh but at the time, I can assure you that I was dead of terror."
"... I can't believe you went through it all ..."
"Hey, I can't believe it myself. Wing still helped me a lot. Let's say that I tried to contribute to the safety of the universe in my own way. But nothing comparable near you, I think."
"…No."
Despite the events during these years, Father John realized that part of him still wanted to impress her, like at the beginning of their relationship.
Mary moved away from him. She seemed a little calmer now. Father John patted her gently on the shoulder while Mary pulled him so that they could resume walking.
"I'm sorry I dragged you to this place."
"There's no point in apologizing."
"Someone is coming…"
Father John touched the wall. He understood that he and Mary were hidden in a corner of the wall. Cybertronians were very tall. Perhaps they would not notice them with their size? Previously, it had served him at Garboil's mansion.
"Don't move" whispered Mary.
She made a movement. She risked her head to see who was coming.
"What do they look like?"
"…There is everything. Cybertronians of our size ..." she described.
"Minicons."
"... And Cybertronians ... bigger."
Father John nodded. He wondered if Swelter was among the Minicons. For a moment, he wanted to ask Mary about him. But unfortunately, he would be unable to describe his appearance to her. He did not know it himself. He only recognized the warmth that surrounded him every time he was close to him.
The hubbub made themselves heard. He did not understand. But listening, he heard someone shouting "go to work" at the others.
Go to work…
"What do you think they do for work?" asked Father John.
"I do not know."
Mary put a finger on his mouth.
They waited a few minutes. Minutes that seemed long to them. Then Mary pulled his arm again. With wolves' steps, they trotted for several meters.
The noises became more distinct. Next to cries, murmurs, groans, metallic noises resounding across the corridor.
As if someone was using a hammer. Again, Mary stopped him. She pulled away from him, before informing him.
"We're close to a door. It looks like a factory. They are workers apparently."
They remained motionless.
Father John guessed that Mary was checking if there was something resembling a ground-bridge mechanism.
He was delighted to have her with him. Without her and her eyes, Father John would not even have made such a journey.
Mary pushed him gently so that they set off again. The further they moved away from the door, the more the hubbub muffled.
Father John couldn't help but wonder if they had missed Swelter.
But from the views of the voices, none matched his. Perhaps he was not working here? Maybe he was elsewhere?
Mary stopped him again. They were in front of another door.
"Same. Other workers. Do you recognize the voice of one of them?"
Father John listened. He shook his head. No familiar voice.
Mary again pressed Father John behind a corner. They were in front of another door. Someone was whispering behind. But seeing the timbre of their voice, it was surely closed.
Steps were heard. Workers came and went in the corridor. Mary sighed in relief. They hadn't noticed them.
Behind the door, Father John heard two female voices exchanging.
"This is the mission. You know. " A soft, fairly deep voice.
Father John leaned towards the door to listen more.
"We chose you because you were peerless thieves. You have been here longer than me. No failure will be tolerated."
Peerless thieves ...
Silence ensued. Then the other voice spoke. A sharper voice. More childlike.
"Shiny."
"Filch" the other voice replied softly. "Don't be so upset."
"Filch is not upset."
"When you answer with "shiny", it means that you are."
Filch ...?
In view of the conversation, this did not appear to be a hostile exchange. It looked like a discussion between two close people. Like members of the same family.
"What are you worried about? You said you would do it with pleasure."
"Find someone else."
"Filch, be reasonable."
A new silence.
"Is it because of this Cybertronian? What's his name ? Outrigger?"
It was the effect of a stab in the stomach. Father John turned pale. They were talking about Outrigger ...
"Leave Outrigger out of this!" growled the so-called Filch.
"No, Filch. If the superiors find out, they'll be less lenient than me. Your loyalty should not be questioned. We both know that."
"Shiny! Filch is loyal!"
"I have no doubt about it. And I know it's difficult. But we need this item to keep us safe. The security of the Sanctuary is all that matters."
"Filch knows! But Filch doesn't want to do it."
Mary put her hand on Father John's shoulder. She was telling him to move on. Father John wanted to stay and listen to the rest of the conversation. But unfortunately, the situation did not allow it.
The fact that they mention Outrigger that way ... he couldn't help wanting to satisfy his curiosity. Mary led him a few meters away, and Father John could not hear the rest of the conversation.
"What's wrong with you?" whispered Mary.
"They talked about Outrigger. He is in danger."
"As we all are!"
What item were they talking about?
An item ... an artifact ...? Father John let thoughts invade him. Mary accelerated the pace and he had to try to keep up.
"Hold on. We are almost there. We are about to leave the corridor."
This information did not fail to relieve him.
"It will be fine, then," said Father John. "We will get there."
"Always optimistic."
But what followed proved him right. Soon the black became darker.
Mary stopped.
"I go up or I go down?"
Father John hesitated.
"We are going down."
Mary did so. Together, hand in hand, they carefully walked down the steps.
"Outrigger ... is he here too?" asked Mary as they got off.
Father John replied in the affirmative. Mary stopped to help him step over the steps, which were much larger than those of stairs on a human scale. These were Cybertronian-sized stairs, after all.
"They mentioned an item that they had to recover" informed Father John. "It cannot be anything other than artifacts."
Mary stopped.
"…How many do you have?"
"Dai Atlas asked Wing and the Autobots to collect them all. But we only have the Book of Epistemus at the moment."
"… And what about the one Gasket names the Diamond?"
Father John's heart sank.
"The Decepticons got it back. At the price of the City of Arkus. Wing, Rung and Bumblebee went to find the other two."
Father John frowned at the thought.
He had just had an idea.
"If ... if they hide the artifacts here ... maybe we can try to take them back? I mean, both of us?"
The Crown, the Diamond ...
If that would allow them to prevent the destruction of the universe ...
"... It would be too risky, John" replied Mary sadly.
"We are here. No such opportunity would arise."
But a few words from the woman whom he had shared his life for many years with discouraged him from exploring the idea.
"Think about it. We are in a landmark full of Decepticons. And the artifacts are probably ten times our size. We cannot transport them to Autobots."
Father John bit his lip.
He wanted to contribute, help their friends to protect the artifacts. But she was right. If they tried, they would get caught quickly. Perhaps the Decepticons would be even more suspicious than ever?
"You are right."
"I know you want to help. But you have to realize that we cannot help everyone at the same time. We have to think about our survival."
Yes… their survival… They should not forget their current situation.
Only one fight at a time, as Wing mentioned.
"John... Stop."
Father John froze.
When he was about to descend further, Mary helped him to lie on his stomach on a step. Whispers and murmurs were heard at the bottom of the stairs.
"What is it about?" whispered Mary.
Father John again used his developed hearing. New voices. Father John leaned more.
A female voice. A male voice. Two people were chatting downstairs.
Father John hoped that he and Mary were out of reach and that they would not notice them. The male voice was hoarse and rather aggressive. The other seemed much calmer, speaking as if in a breath.
"You have further reduced the rations!" scolded the male Cybertronian.
"If you have complaints to make" answered his interlocutor in a posed way, "there are schedules to respect."
"You want the people to die or what?"
Steps were heard. The interlocutor took a while to answer.
"I'm not the one who decides" she replied, almost apologetically. "She's the Queen. I am only the Second. I follow her orders."
"You dissuade yourself from your damn responsibility. You let people starve! And when they come to demand accountability, you torture and execute them!"
The tone of the female Cybertronian changed.
Father John could not restrain a shiver. He did not understand where it came from. The Cybertronian took on a softer, almost honeyed tone.
A tone that let no real emotion show through.
"The Queen only wants the best for her people."
"Lies! You feed on the backs of the workers! Because you are the heads, you believe you can afford it!"
The male Cybertronian adopted a more hostile, almost threatening tone.
"You know. One of these days there will be revolts. And you will be the first ones to suffer."
"Is it a threat?" retorted the femme, the chilling tone.
She was not afraid ... Unlike him right now. Father John grabbed Mary's hand to shake it.
The female Cybertronian took a while before responding more calmly, without however hiding a certain warning.
"You know," she said finally. "I think you may be right."
"About what?"
"Perhaps revolts are necessary to make the authorities understand the resentment of people."
She paused.
"We are really trying to satisfy everyone. But in these times of war, it is complicated to satisfy the desires of the people and the Queen."
"What do you mean?"
"I'm afraid the Queen has abandoned herself," she informed him after a while. "But we can't blame her. She is in mourning. Her former Conjunx joined the Allspark recently. And even if I try to make her hear reason, my voice will not count as much as that of the people. I'm only the Second, after all."
The Cybertronian groaned, even if Father John guessed that he was taking her words into consideration.
"What do you advise me to do?"
"The Queen only listens to those who are stronger than her. Physically and mentally. Scowl, right? You look tough. I learned about you. You like to destroy things, right?"
"Indeed."
"If you want to be listened to by the Queen, you should not be afraid to destroy people too. Including the Queen herself. If you show her who is the most persuasive, I'm sure she will listen to your demands."
Father John was struck down by this story.
The one called Scowl seemed to hesitate.
"Are you asking me to use force? But ... it's the Queen!"
"You wish to speak on behalf of the people. Do it. People will surely respect you for having the courage to express their feelings first. And anyway, it won't bother the Queen in any way."
Scowl stammered.
"But ... what if I'm executed?"
"It will not happen. I have to know the Queen. And I know she loves pain more than anyone. In the worst case, she will be seduced enough by your persuasion to give you a high place within her ranks. And then…"
Her tone became lower.
"You have a family, right? A Conjunx and sparkling on the way. If you manage to make yourself heard by the Queen, you will only inspire fear and terror among your friends. No one will touch your family. The Queen, myself, will take care of it personally. Unless you would rather continue to live like this. Or are you just running away like a coward and in retaliation, you would prefer watch your family get slaughtered?"
No, Father John thought. Do not listen to her.
Still, it was obvious that Scowl was hesitant. He really hesitated.
"… Do you think it will work? Will the Queen listen to me?"
"Of course. She is currently in the throne room."
"In that case…"
He was not going to obey, was he?
It was a trap ... Mary's hand tightened her grip.
Footsteps were heard. Scowl was about to walk away, to leave.
Suddenly, a familiar male voice echoed on the stairs.
"You don't have tasks to do, Scowl?"
This accent ... Where could he have heard that voice?
As Scowl groaned down the stairs, the newcomer spoke again.
"... What are you doing, Glowstrike?"
He thought he guessed a shrug from the female Cybertronian.
"I was just chatting. He had demands to make" she replied placidly. "I sent him to the Queen to talk about it."
The individual clapped his hands in applause.
"Bravo, Glowstrike! Well down! You're such a genius. I hadn't thought about it myself."
But there was only sarcasm in his voice. Then his identity was revealed the instant Glowstrike retorted coldly.
"Don't start lecturing me, Saberhorn."
Saberhorn ...
"You know him ? whispered Mary."
She must have seen his reaction probably. Father John nodded.
One of the guests at Garboil's Castle... he had also been here ...
He should have expected that. When he'd chosen to help Wing, he should have expected to meet those who had taken the Crown of Solomus.
Glowstrike sighed.
"I failed to kill the Queen last time. I'm only trying something else while Hardhell is far from the Sanctuary."
"And that "something else" involves sending that poor mech to death because he would have challenged the Queen?" he asked, ironically.
"The Queen may not be as strong as you think. He destroyed cities. Perhaps he can get the upper hand."
"I see."
Saberhorn went up again. Mary and Father John froze.
If they were spotted ... But Saberhorn did not go up any more. He hadn't finished talking to the so-called Glowstrike.
"Maybe you can just hire an assassin, my dear."
"I thought about it. Believe me. But I wouldn't have enough to pay for it."
She took a breath.
"Besides, I don't really expect him to kill her. Rather than weakening her."
"Enough for you to give le coup de grace?"
"…Indeed. At least they would see who they should obey afterwards."
"It's mean and not honourable. I would have liked the idea in normal times."
When Wing and Father John had met him for the first time, Father John had always wondered about Saberhorn's honesty towards them. In regard to Wing, above all. But in the end, the human had preferred to give him the benefit of the doubt.
Until he had listened to the tapes to unmask the Garboil's murderer. From then on, doubts had been no longer allowed.
Saberhorn's tone changed. The sarcasm disappeared.
"But I thought you wanted to protect the Sanctuary from Airachnid herself?" he said seriously.
"And so?"
"You would send a worker from the Sanctuary to death. Just to kill Airachnid."
Glowstrike said nothing. Saberhorn continued.
"Isn't that a bit contradictory, my dear?"
"We have to make sacrifices. I sacrificed Zizza. And you took care of this Toolbox to protect my secret. You shouldn't be worried about it now."
"Maybe that's what you think."
Father John guessed that Saberhorn had come closer to her.
"... But since what happened at Arkus, I've had enough of watching innocent people die again and again. Even if that would get rid of Airachnid."
"... is that what you really think?" Glowstrike replied in a low tone. "Do you feel guilty about Arkus?"
"... Would you be surprised if I answered yes?"
A new silence. Glowstrike made a movement. Probably to turn around.
"You doubted. It's normal. You could not have foreseen the destruction of a City."
"Are you giving me excuses?"
"I would be hypocritical if I didn't."
He felt a smile in Saberhorn's voice. It was strange. He seemed to be a different person from the one they had met at Garboil's Castle.
More sincere, more tender.
"After a while, excuses don't just work any longer. And if you give me excuses, you admit that I committed an unforgivable act" he said softly.
"I don't have to judge you."
"So, don't imitate me. You have a goal to accomplish. You want to regain your emotions. If you want to protect the Sanctuary as the old authority did, don't sacrifice the very residents of the Sanctuary that you want to protect."
Their relationship could not be clearer.
They were lovers. Or maybe they were at the very beginning of their relationship. It was the same atmosphere that Father John had shared with Mary in their youth, before he became a priest himself.
"…You are annoying me"
Even though Father John couldn't hear anything in Glowstrike's voice, the next moment they heard her call Scowl back. When the latter returned, Glowstrike coldly invited him to respect the schedules to submit his demands to her, not without leaving him a warning about consequences of any possible physical threat against herself and the Queen.
Apparently Saberhorn had cast doubt on Glowstrike's mind. Enough to change her mind.
To make her change her mind for the better, Father John couldn't help thinking.
"Satisfied?" asked Glowstrike.
"That my opinion matters to you? Of course, my dear" joked Saberhorn.
"Don't add more."
"By the way…"
Saberhorn paused.
"Did you have a nightmare last night? I heard you call in your sleep."
"…It does not matter."
"I'm just worried. You looked ..."
"Terrorized when it's impossible?" Glowstrike finished.
Father John guessed a nod from his interlocutor.
"... It was only when I was younger, I slept in my father's berth to reassure myself. Maybe sleeping with you reminded me of that memory."
"I see."
New steps were heard.
Father John had no difficulty guessing what was going on. Saberhorn had taken Glowstrike in his arms to hug her.
Despite himself, as if to reassure himself in turn, Father John approached Mary.
To feel her nearby. Near him.
Then, abruptly, Father John felt a powerful grip around his waist.
His feet left the ground before he could even cry.
A voice resounded in his eardrums.
"Humans here!"
No…no…
"Let us go!" screamed Mary who had been lifted in turn.
"They are so cute!"
The voice… the same voice that spoke with the so-called Filch moments earlier.
Father John tried to free himself but his breathing stopped. The Cybertronian who held them began to accelerate the pace, descending the stairs four by four.
Father John trembled, no sound coming from his mouth.
Then the Cybertronian stopped.
"Saberhorn! Glowy! Look what I found! I believe humans have managed to find our Sanctuary!"