CHAPTER 37
"You'll have three children…"
"You'll become rich"
"The war will be over soon"
"Autobots will be victorious"
"Decepticons will be victorious"
"Only chaos will get around you"
"You'll get killed soon. At the exact moment you'll not expect"
So had been Moondream's statements. Somewhere, in a hidden place located in Praxus, away from Autobot and Decepticon forces, Moondream's old appearance, blue and black slim shape, established predictions for anyone seeking his help.
For some Shanix.
Of course, his customers had been rare. They were already rare during the Golden Age of Cybertron. After all, people didn't believe in these things anymore. Cybertronians went sceptical over time. Technology's advance allow anybody to guess their future. Yet today, more war kept on, more technologies were used by one or another faction to win the conflict destroying them. Energon fed them…and bots died. They didn't believe in anything anymore.
So, Moondream came to welcome poor souls who needed to find a reason to live on a planet where anyone could die the day after.
He was called a crook. Nevertheless, that's only business to him. He'd to gain his energon. He had to survive in some way. This work didn't require to kill anybody. Maybe he could be the indirect cause of many incidents but he didn't care. He didn't control the choice of his customers. At the same time, he thought he helped them as well. He gave them a reason to go on, not to giving up.
He just had to find something in the ones who came to ask for his help. A dark past, a carrier, a lost love…
From there, Moondream could suppose anything. About individuals' personalities, about whatever they could gain…whatever they risked…
Then came Fracture.
This purple bot stepped in his office as any other customer. As he looked up back at him, Moondream wasn't impressed.
At first.
"What can I do for you?"
"You can apparently predict the future"
Moondream glanced at his insignia. A Decepticon. He must be cautious and carefully choose his words.
"That's true."
"Can you predict mine?"
The blue and black bot invited him to take a seat. Fracture complied with a smirk. A wicked, smug smirk.
Moondream understood the meaning of it. He didn't bat one optic.
"If that's what you wish…"
"Oh, but I wish it."
A sarcastic tone.
"You don't think I'm able to predict anything" Moondream guessed.
That wasn't a question. He knew that kind of customer pretty well. Kids who came here to listen to him talking about their future, about their Conjunx, children and yadayada…Just for fun. However, Fracture wasn't a child. Or maybe he was…a completely immature adult.
"It would amuse me" The purple bot replied.
"To the point of spending your Shanix?"
He shrugged then handed two Shanix over. Moondream stared at them without any emotion. He was interested yet greedy.
He let out a sigh then grabbed them. He must do with it. Since the war, he'd been forced to lower his prices.
"…You can have one favour."
"Only one? Wow."
"That's as high as you wish to give me."
He could guess that Fracture suppressed a growl out of annoyance. He'd his arms crossed, staring back at him.
"If you are able to do that…come on. Tell me about my future. I would like to know about the extent of your 'powers'."
"If you insist…"
Moondream faced him, his servos on the table. He stared back into his red optics, a Decepticon-themed colour.
"…You shall know that some revelations might be unpleasant to you…it may even shock you."
"How caring it is of you. You know…I'm not the one to be easily shocked."
Moondream frowned. As usual, he asked questions while observing his customer carefully. His body language, his behaviour, his tics…anything.
Anything to give him back a proper answer.
"Are you a careerist?"
"Is it that obvious?"
Good. He'd guessed right. It had been the very first thing he'd noticed about it anyway. His ambitious, arrogant attitude…he was the bot who put his job above everything else.
"Your job…"
"Guess"
"Probably an unsavoury job."
The hint of sadism…his cruelty on his face…
The bot would definitely watch another die without doing anything…as long as he could gain something out of it…
"Bounty hunter. Or assassin."
"Wow. You played well."
Fracture smiled, almost admirative.
"You aren't bonded to another. You don't have any child."
"Really? Did you see me? Me having kids?"
Too selfish for having children…well, in one way it was a good thing.
"You don't have any personal attachment to anyone." Moondream guessed.
"You're really good. Really, you could offer your services to the other factions. By the way, did Megatron already come here?"
No.
But maybe he would.
"However…even while watching you closely…I'm not able to guess if you are truly happy or unhappy."
Indeed.
He couldn't read him. It shouldn't be that difficult to guess.
Yet…he didn't know.
"…You are good, right? Guess"
Moondream frowned.
That kind of bot kept his cards hidden pretty well.
That's rare…yet nothing betrayed Fracture. Not a tic, not body language showing off his state of mind…nothing.
That's quite blurry to him.
Fracture kept smirking. A false smirk. Like plastic.
But was everything false…or was everything real?
"You can't?"
"You asked me for your future. Not about your happiness."
"Hm…touché"
Yes.
Yet Moondream didn't like to be ignorant.
How could he establish predictions when he didn't know anything about the bot facing him right now?
Establish a future…
Fracture stared at him, as if his optics were scanning him.
He took him for a quack…maybe he was right.
Yet…it shouldn't be that difficult.
"You have no power" The purple bot stated, disappointed.
"Believe what you wish."
"You made me waste my time. If you are unable to predict my future, I can spread horrible rumours about you. Your business will sink and you'll end up like everyone else…you'll die."
Moondream looked back.
He viewed himself as above everything…
Did he believe he would survive?
"Yeah…you'll probably survive" Moondream nodded.
Fracture stood up. He was about to go. Moondream shouldn't keep on. He wasn't forced to hold him back…
Yet…
"I can't say the same thing about your loved ones"
"Excuse me?"
The purple bot turned around.
"You're really a crook. Well actually…you are more a fool."
"For which reason?"
Fracture rolled his optics, disdainful.
"Shall I teach you your own job?"
"I'm curious about whatever you have to say."
"Carrerist…no personal attachment…that's useless to talk about my parents. I'm not bonded. I have no children. Do you really think I have loved ones? Seriously?"
"Maybe not now…but you eventually will…"
"I don't think so"
Fracture stood up in front of the door.
He despised him…yet he stayed.
"I'm a bounty hunter. I can take your life if it suits me. I will feel no remorse. I won't do it because it will not give me anything. It will only bring me troubles."
"You'll get into troubles someday"
He didn't need to predict the future about this matter.
"Really?" Fracture repeated, unimpressed. He didn't believe it.
"We are never completely alone. One day, you'll not be above the world any longer. You think you'll never know pain. Nothing can reach you. Others' lives are nothing to you. But you see…no one is safe. Even not from ourselves. Not from Optimus. Not from Megatron. Someday…it will happen."
"What will happen?"
The purple bot didn't smile anymore.
He looked like he was ready to lunge at him.
"You'll take as much as you gave, Fracture" Moondream declared. "You'll know a pain as horrible as the one you inflicted to others. Everyone must pay their debts one day. Your arrogance, your coldness…it will be your loss. This time…you'll hate yourself that much that you'll not be able to love anybody."
"I can't love"
Fracture didn't pay him more attention.
He left his office after having sent him one last glare.
A glare full of hatred…
This hatred he'd expected.
Moondream didn't know Fracture. His predictions were entirely falsely made…
But this one…he knew. It was the truth.