The work is progressing slowly, but proceeds. This chapter is for Halo and Trasformette, I hope you like it my friends!
Chapter eight: the memories - step two
The more Ratchet tried to understand what had happened to Jack, the more the doctor understood to be at an impasse. The boy was now unconscious for hours, stable but unconscious. And no plain explanation. The old mech was angry, frustrated, annoyed ... desperate. He could clearly see on humans' and Arcee's face concern and dismay. Once again he tried to give a rational interpretation of the data that read on the screen and once again had to admit to not having it. He closed his eyes, he ran for the umpteenth time his hand over his face and shook his head. Then hit the keyboard with his fist and continued his hectic data analysis.
Jack opened his eyes and slowly lowered his hand. The blinding light that had enveloped him had faded and he could see again what surrounded him. He recognized once again the Hall of Records. He was in a kind of office. But it wasn't day anymore. The building, which until a few minutes before was bright because of the sun's light, now appeared quiet, dark and gloomy, almost ghostly. The only lights that Jack could see were those of the monitor and the only noise that could be heard was that of the server that turned wildly, storing data.
"What are you still doing here?" A voice entirely foreign distracted the boy from his wanderings with the eyes.
"Hmm?" Was the only audible response. Jack identified the source of the noise: a mech sitting at a workstation.
"I asked: what are you still doing here?" repeated, with a sarcastic note, the new mech. Jack watched him best: he was a not very tall bot, white and black. He hadn't eyes, he had a visor on his face and he had a mischievous smile. His arms were crossed over his chest and his eyes fixed on the other bot.
The mech at the workstation initially had his back and he was looking at a screen on which passed through thousands of data. To Jack they reminded to a scene from the movie The Matrix.
When the data clerk turned around, the young human recognized him at once: Orion Pax.
On the face of the young archivist appeared a slight smile. Then he got up from his chair and he made a movement as if to stretch: he stretched his arms upward and clasped his hands above his head, then leaned back, causing a slight noise of his joints. Jack smiled.
"Freedom is every Cybertronian's right!" They were the first words that Orion Pax turned to the mech who seemed to be his friend.
"What?" asked the astonished black and white mech.
Orion laughed lightly "These are the words uttered by Megatronus ... or better, Megatron ".
"Mega ... what? " asked more and more confused the other mech.
"Me-ga-tron" Orion chanted as he placed a hand on the shoulder of the bot "A gladiator of Kaon. I read about him in the Grid. I was impressed by his speeches about freedom and equality for all Cybertronians ... no caste, no restrictions ... ".
"I don't like that light in your eyes Orion. I know you too well ... and I know that you get in trouble, " said the stranger mech, becoming serious.
"Come on, Jazz! We're just talking!" Orion also became serious "But I guess I'll have to talk with Alpha Trion later".
"Oh no ... not today, not tonight!" Jazz, this was the name of the mech, pushed Orion out of the studio, along the corridor to the entrance of the Hall of Records.
"Now you and I go away from here and we head straight to Maccadama" Jazz said, as he gave one last push to Orion out the door.
This time Jack wasn't wrapped in the familiar white light. The background around him became hazy and, when it became clear all over again, he found himself in a totally different place.
At first glance it reminded him of one of those infamous bar he had seen in many movies: the air was heavy and a light curtain of smoke permeated the environment. Tens of mechs and femmes were sitting at the tables alone or with friends and sipping colorful drinks, laughing, shouting, singing. In one of the tables in the back of the room Jack saw Orion and Jazz. He floated up to them and started to listen to their conversation.
"Relax Pax ... you're here to drink and have fun ... and maybe meet new people ... " Jazz winked at his friend sitting right in front of him. For his part, Orion merely raised an eyebrow and launched to Jazz a reproving look. Then he smiled and took a sip from the glass, until then he had held in his hand. Then he kept his gaze for a few seconds to one of the tables on the other side of the room. Not only the young human, but also the black and white mech noticed it.
"Mhmm ... have you seen something interesting " Jazz chuckled " Or should I say... someone? ".
Jack tried to make his way through the giant robotic and he was finally able to see what had caught Pax's attention.
At that table sat three, no four, femmes. One of them had all pink and chrome-plated frame, one was orange and red, one dark blue and one ... Jack couldn't help but notice how one of them looked incredibly as Arcee. A moment? That femme WAS Arcee. He could recognize her friend and guardian among a thousand!
"'So... do you wanna have some fun? Do we want to make a little wager, don't we? " The playful tone of Jazz Jack distract the boy from his careful observation.
"What kind of fun?" Orion asked, watching his friend with a Decepticon's grin oh his face.
"The kind that I bet a glass of high grade that you'll never know the name of one of those four beautiful femmes sitting over there!" Jazz came a few problems to point directly to the four in the back. The confusion was such that in any case no one noticed.
Orion seemed to hesitate for a moment. He stared for a few seconds the group, then turned to Jazz and said "I bet I get out of here with the code of the comlink one of the four. But ... who loses will be the slave of the other to an internal jorn-end! " Concluded defiantly Pax as he stared at his friend, crossing his arms over his chest.
Jazz didn't hesitate and stretched out his hand toward the young archivist "Gone!" Ruled as he shook Orion's hand.
The data clerk then drank in one gulp the drinks before standing up and heading towards the table of femmes with a mischievous smile on his lips.
With ease, Orion crossed the room and approached the table. He said something, but Jack at that time was too far away to hear the words spoken by the red and blue mech. He saw, however, that the four femmes began to smile. A second later, Orion was sitting at the table with them, sipping a strange purple liquid in their company.
Jack found the scene quite extravagant: he had never thought of Optimus as a heartbreaker, just the thought seemed him really strange.
He thought that this was further proof that he and Prime were not so similar. Jack had always had problems in approaching the opposite sex, excluding Miko. Orion instead seemed confident.
From what Jack could see the pink and chrome femme (the name had to be Elita) was particularly interested in Orion. The young human could see it from the way in which the femme stood beside the young archivist, by the brief and fleeting contacts that she procured. He noted, however, that Orion's interested was always turned to Arcee. And every time he looked at her, she looked down, intimidated. The conversation ranged over various topics, most of which Jack ignored. Then the evening ended with Elita that communicated to Orion the code of her comlink.
The four femmes saluted and stood up, leaving Orion alone for a while. The young clerk stared at the glass in front of him. Then he started to smile when he heard someone cheering: it was Jazz.
"Well done, our dear femme magnet" said the black and white mech sitting down next to his friend and throwing an arm around his shoulders "I guess I owe you a glass of highgrade."
"Eh no, my old friend" said Orion while got unstuck Jazz "I think you owe me your services for a jorn-end!".
"But don't you just have obtained the comlink of that sexy femme?" Jazz was looking for a way to escape "Are you going to call her, aren't you?".
"I do not know. Maybe!" said Pax while turning over that code in his hands" For now I have other things on my mind".
"That Megatron and his ideas ... " ruled Jazz " Not good, Orion ! "
" Actually, I'm referring to the purple and pink femme with which I attempted to speak for the entire evening and which I was only able to figure out the name ... " He paused " Arcee ..." he whispered Orion " A beautiful name. .. isn't it? And her eyes ! She has beautiful big eyes ... " .
"Are you falling in love Orion Pax?" asked Jazz with a disgusted face .
"Me? Falling in love? " Orion began to laugh" Of course not! " he sipped a part of his drink " And, as I have already said, I have other things on my mind!".
Jazz looked at him quizzically , but said nothing . He waited for his friend to continue.
"Freedom and equality my friend! " said Pax while the smile disappeared from his face.
Jazz raised his glass "To freedom ! To equality ... and to Arcee !" he said touching his glass with Orion's one.
The young clerk smiled and drank the last sip of his drink.
Jack had been a silent witness. The evening was strange, but fun. The only thing that annoyed Jack was that Arcee had never told him about his meeting with Orion Pax. Perhaps his former guardian didn't remember that young archivist she saw one evening in a bar. Or maybe it was one of those many things that her friend didn't want to let anyone know. As Jack put all these questions, he was again wrapped in the usual light and everything around him faded ... again.
Now I'll go to read Exodus to take some inspirations for the next chapter...