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Freeway was spending his time on the road tuning his systems into the local Earth frequencies. They were all encoded of course some more so than others. Various signals across the EM spectrum contained either audio or visual data. There were a lot of them. Some were too faint to be useful coming from too far away for the signals to carry but even so there was just so much communication everywhere. The public ones were the easiest to crack open and would be useful for studying the Human culture, other ones were clearly military and required a little more effort to decode but once he had done it the first time it became easier. The good news was that there was no mention about any giant robots having been sighted, so that hopefully meant their arrival had gone unnoticed.

The path that Nova Strike was picking out for them was probably the best he could manage but it was hardly suitable for either of their forms, what Freeway was craving right now was a proper roadway but unfortunately his prayers to Primus were left unanswered as Nova Strike then suggested a further off-road excursion, “As long as the terrain doesn't get any rougher otherwise I'm going to have to transform,” though his ground clearance was at least higher than Nova Strike's, “Lets hope the artificial construct doesn't have too many of the local inhabitants around. I'd rather not run into them until we've had more opportunity to study what they're like. Though they're probably as disgusting as any other form of organic life, trust me you don't want to know how they produce more lifeforms!” the Throttlebot said regreting going through some of the various broadcasts around already.

Transmission for Prowl

>>Silverbolt here reporting for duty are the Aerialbots required for your mission or are we to remain on standby?<<

Central Peruvian Valley: Northern Shores - Ruined Temple

Nova Strike's progress was stopped by a thick grove of broad leafed trees arranged around a rather large boulder. Their roots interwoven under and around the imposing rock of ignious material made simply ramming the impediment impractical and probably damaging. For a quarter of a pictosecond the Ranger considered converting into combat mode and using his primary weapon to clear the overgrown cobbled road. As swiftly as the idea came it was rejected. Their target was close, probably over the next rise. For him to use the primary turret would not only incenerate the roadblock but probably destroy half the countryside... including the structures up ahead.

His sensors poured over the terrain east to west, trying to find the path of least resistance through the jungle vines and broad leaf trees. It was impractical throughout. To get to the target, the small river tributary and the river itself to either side of the structures he had detected earlier were impassible in vehicle form. Bridges were either washed out, rotted through or not built to handle the weight of two Cybertronians. The other fork in the road met with a similar roadblocks or obstructions.

"Looks like our little drive has come to a brief end Freeway," Nova's tone was less than surprised. They were in a jungle after all, vehicle forms were at natural disadvantages here. Without a command the Autobot transformed into robot form with a rapid spin. Faster transformation than many of his model contemporaries had given him advantages on the tracks throughout Nova Cronum and even the underground Polyhex circuits.

"Rest of the way on foot. Its not too far and I don't detect any mobile life signs. Maybe a Jungle Beaver, but no primates." With that Nova side stepped through a crown of trees, carefully pushing branches out of his path as to not snap them with careless motions. He did not need to leave evidence of his presence. After all less details of their visit the less inqueries of the indiginous fauna. From what he had heard of from Bumblebee, the local dominant species were fairly curious by nature and unable to resist a good mystery. He just wished he had made the time to actually do an image search of these curious inhabitants.

The trek through the thick grove and underbrush was without trial and brought Nova Strike and his partner to the edge of a crumbling stone wall. An impressive construction, or at least the segment still visible from the undergrowth, was at least a meter thick and lacked adhesives or other sorts of construction materials that would typically be used in this sort of fortification. Beyond his position he directed his sensors to the center of what he approximated to be a rather moderate sized surrounded space. Perhaps a small city or military fortification. Nova would need more details before he made that determination.

As his sensors mapped the region a small algorthym flashed acrossed his H.U.D. Almost immediately his optics narrowed towards a steep stepped artifical hill covered in vine, moss and other flora he could not readily identify. The signal itself, however, was recognizable. It was similar, by at least 69% degree of probability to the energy signature that Prowl had insisted their sensors be attuned to. "Ya know little partner. I think we may have found evidence of one of our first objectives. Its somewhere in this settlement, but I can't narrow it down beyond possibly that hill in the heart of the fortification enclosure. Signal is faint, and degraded by local radiation sources." He stopped briefly before placing a hand on the smaller mechanism's shoulder. "Guess you're up. Try not to break anything too old. Don't want to give local investigators a reason to linger in this valley."

With that he gave a light shove to push Freeway forward towards the Pyramid. "I'll check the perimeter for possible traces of this energy signature."

Peruvian Valley, Central Andes - Outside Abandoned Mine

Once the diminutive archivist had gotten out of the driver’s seat of the Nissan GT-R police car, Prowl was able to return to robot mode, his panels and gears shifting into place. The military strategist listened as Rewind warned Bumblebee to be careful, citing an incident where human miners were trapped underground for 69 Earth days before being rescued. Of course, the black and white had already alerted the yellow minibot about instability in within the old tunnels. So the cassettebot’s cautionary tale, while certainly told for the right reasons, only served to delay things if not to reinforce the police-bot’s own warning.

“Rewind’s correct, ‘Bee,” Prowl interjected, not letting any irritation show through. “Like I said before, get out at the first signs of any instability.” The black and white then moved passed the others and towards the entrance of the abandoned mine where he stopped and crouched down slightly. The wooden boards that covered the opening were only nailed into place, enough to keep a mere human out but definitely not enough to prevent a Cybertronian from entering. Within a few astroseconds, Prowl had grabbed a hold of each board and carefully ripped them away, discarding the half rotted wood to one side.

“There,” Prowl said as he stood to his full height once more. “The entrance is clear for you, Bumblebee. Now, let’s get started.....” the military strategist’s words trailed off as he received a transmission from Silverbolt on board the Guardian. It seemed that the Aerialbot Commander had finally awakened from his CR nap and was requesting permission to bring his squad down planet side. Prowl opened a comm line back as he stepped away from the mine entrance in order to give the yellow scout room to enter.

>>”Good to hear from you, Silverbolt. I assume you are operating at full capacity again. If that is the case, then you are ordered to rendezvous with us down here on the surface to provide air support. However, we only require your services for the time being and NOT the rest of your team. Having five jets flying around the Peruvian Valley would draw far too much attention from the locals. You alone will suffice. Once you have bounced down to my position, I will provide further instructions. I’m sending my coordinates to you now.”<<

Peruvian Valley - Central Andes Mountains

The wooded area was completely over grown grey fox’s scurried around the vegetation while in the tree’s Mantled Howler Monkeys bounded from tree to tree looking for food. The peace and quiet was shattered as the bounce from the guardian was completed the white light faded and what was left was the red, white and gold form of Silverbolt. The Aerialbot commander rose to full height out his crouched position his pale blue optics took in everything, he’d heard about Earth its strange organic creations the huge mountain ranges. He turned slightly and saw the same grey foxes that not 3 cycles earlier where scavenging for food where retreating into the undergrowth at pace. He stirred himself from his wonder and started to walk it wasn’t a long journey to where Prowl was.

Prowl and the small minibot Bumblebee came into view as the Aerialbot emerged from the tree line making his way over to Prowl “Taking an interest in the locals architecture Prowl” a hint of amusement in his voice the Aerialbot commander came to a halt a short distance from the pair as not to tower over the pair. He waited for the pair to finish their business his head swung around still in awe of the planet he found himself on looking up he saw the sky he found himself wondering what it would feel like to fly through the clouds.

Peruvian Valley, Central Andes – Outside Abandoned Mine

It was if Bee was standing on the edge of Hell itself. He knew there was nothing in the mine except possible mineral deposits and energy sources, but he still had an overwhelming feeling of dread. Come on Bee, you can do this. It’s just a mine shaft nothing more. He tried to convince himself. It didn’t last long as his attention was drawn toward Rewind as the small archivist sent his regards. Bumblebee flashed a reassuring smile and a small nod. “Thanks Rewind. I’ll do my best. And don’t worry I have no intention of getting trapped in there.” I hope.

Bumblebee watched Rewind’s retreating form for several moments before his gaze fell on the still sealed off shaft. While he stared silently Prowl set into motion and quickly, but very carefully, removed the wooden planks and placed them off to one side of the entrance. Subconsciously Bee took a step back and away from the opening. That same feeling of dread washed over him once again drawing a slight shiver. I can do this. It’s not…I can do this.

“Alright. I’ll keep my communicator tuned in.” With a deep intake the minibot took a slight step forward and then crouched down so he could take a quick glance around. The only light filtering into the empty space came from the small opening that Prowl had just unveiled…beyond that was total darkness. Once he was sure there was nothing he could slip or fall on Bee swung his legs around and cautiously slipped inside. He adjusted his optics in order to compensate for the darkness and pressed forward. “Wish it wasn’t so dark in here.” He said aloud to himself. In reality he wanted nothing more than to turn around and head back to the ship. The darkness…the eerie feel of the vacant location…reminded him of his stay in that interrogation chamber. ‘Welcome to my torture chamber’ that’s what the sign said above the door. Another shiver raked over his body as he took one last look at the open entrance from over his shoulder.

>>”Okay, Prowl. There’s nothing in the first chamber. I’m moving in further. I’ll keep you informed.”<<

By the time that Nova Strike finally called a halt to their rough road expedition the road had almost ceased to exist, “Next time we are going to have to do better orbital analysis of our terrain before choosing our vehicle forms an excursion,” said Freeway as he transformed into his robot mode. He wiped some of the dust and mud off his blue paint. He was fine with getting dirty unlike Wideload he wasn't terribly vain but preferred it if people had as few reasons as possible not to make fun of him.

Moving through the trees was difficult enough thankfully following Nova Strike made that an easier task. Nova was a much bigger Transformer and essentially made the path for Freeway to follow, “I just hope none of these humans come across our tracks, they'll be wondering what on Cybertron or should that be Earth made them,” he grinned at his quick turn in wit.

As they moved forward Freeway was still scanning the various radio communications, he picked up one on an Autobot bandwidth too. Even though it wasn't for him he was tempted to de-code it but he guessed it was probably from Prowl, possibly just a routine report back to the ship, if it was anything urgent Prowl would let them know.

“Tell me if you spot any humans, despite our disguises I suspect they might start asking questions like “How did this awesome sportscar get halfway up this pyramid in the middle of nowhere?” would be pretty awkward to answer,” Freeway climbed over the wall and moved towards the pyramid. His radio scanner was good at telling him if humans were in the local area but it still took his optics and audio sensors to tell if they were getting close. Attention to detail though was something he was good at otherwise he would have probably been blown up by now by making a mistake on one of his own traps.

Climbing the pyramid, Freeway became aware of just how sophisticated Human engineering must have been in constructing this. It was clearly an old structure though just how long along it had last been maintained was anyone's guess. That it was still standing suggested it was safe to go up though a little part of Freeway's mind reminded him that the Humans who built had probably never envisaged a two ton robot walking up it, “Any idea what I'm actually looking for up here or have you sent me on a wild petro-rabbit chase?” he radioed Nova Strike, however he suspected that there definitely was something there due to the slightly degraded quality of the radio signals he was receiving. Something was causing a bit of interference.

Peruvian Valley, Central Andes - Outside Abandoned Mine

The bright shaft of light that shot down from the sky drew Prowl’s attention away from Bumblebee for a brief moment. The military strategist knew that it was just the Aerialbot Commander bouncing down from the Guardian and thus he paid the newest arrival little concern, at least until the yellow minibot was well on his way into the mine. The black and white returned his attention to the small scout and nodded as ‘Bee stated that he would keep his communicator open. “Good luck in there.”

Once Bumblebee had disappeared into the dark tunnel, Prowl turned his gaze over to the approaching Autobot flier, whose comment was a poor attempt at small talk. “I take an interest in everything when the security of my team is concerned, Silverbolt,” the strategist said in a serious tone as he stepped in and shook the Aerialbot leader’s hand. “It's good to see you back on your feet again, and just in time. This mission is a simple one, but still very important nevertheless. We are scouting for the location of our future Earth base or Autobot City if you prefer. Freeway and Nova Strike are searching the northern end of the valley, while Bumblebee, Rewind and I are here in the southern region. Currently, we are exploring this mine that the humans have long since abandoned. What we need now is someone to fly aerial reconnaissance to give us a better overall picture of the valley. That’s where you come in.”

Prowl paused for a moment, considering another option he now had available to him. With six Autobots currently on the ground, the teams could now be divided up evenly and the strategist knew the perfect partner for the Aerialbot Commander. “Rewind, change of plans. I want you to team with Silverbolt and help him conduct surveillance from the skies. Since you are small enough you should have no problem riding within the cockpit of his jet mode. As you have done here on the ground, I want you to record and document everything you see from the air. We need a clear view of the entire valley. Construct a detailed map as you go so that we may use it to better navigate across this harsh terrain. A lot of these trails are not on any human map, and thus we must construct our own. Make note of any human presence that you detect and relay their coordinates to me at once. Is that understood?”

The black and white then turned his attention back to the Aerialbot leader. “Silverbolt, you and Rewind will be our optics in the skies. Stay low and within the confines of the valley, itself. Avoid human detection at all costs. There are some low lying clouds in the area which should provide you with the necessary cover if you suspect that you've been spotted. When you’re finished surveying the lower regions, you may head to higher elevations and continue your observations. Are there any questions?” Prowl glanced from Silverbolt to Rewind and then back again before continuing. “If not, get a move on. Time is off the essence. Good luck to you both.”

Prowl then received Bumblebee's communication from within the mine and gave a simple reply to the minibot: >>"Understood."<<

Northern Inca Settlement Ruins

Nova Strike pressed his fingers down into the relatively soft soil, allowing the grains of rotting vegetation to flow through his splayed hands to join the gently trowled mounds of earth. His sensors flowed through each scoop, pouring data into his systems, his refined data banks began filtering out the information that was required for the mission and filing the entire body into data bursts that would be transmitted at the appointed time or by command of Prowl. Personally, the ranger found the task to be a complete waste of his rather valuable talents and time. Then again, being assigned to Optimus Prime's former command had not exactly been all that exciting for him anyways. "Soil analysis. The sort of work for a scientist, not a ranger," Nova's voice was low and pointed with the tediousness of the task he had been assigned.

Surface scouting, decidedly not one of his more favorite past times. He dug his fingers deeper into the earth's soil once again, pausing briefly as the tips of his right index digit struck the side of something solid. A simple grumble he patched into Freeway's communique frequency, in time to hear the smaller mechanism ask what exactly it was they were supposed to be hunting for. "Got to admit it Shortstack, I am not to sure what it is we're looking for. All I know is its got something to do with that energy signature Prowl wanted us to scan for."

His left hand retracted into its wrist compartment. A soft click extruded a small air blower, the kind used to uncover mines and other boobie traps left by Decepticon defenders on more hostile worlds. He flicked it on and began dusting the artifact he already begun to uncover. "Probably going to be some sort of crystal. Red or Blue or something. Not really sure, never seen this stuff before." With a puff of dust and debris the artifact was cleared from the muddled ground. A tug at one of the roots caused a large chunk of clinging to the face of what appeared to be a plaster mural.

The ranger's optics narrowed as he began recording as much data as his sensors could comprehend. "Hey Freeway, I am sending you a visual. Some sort of holy relic or whatever. Its that radiated thing on that carved pedistal I am transmitting now." Nova transmitted the fragmented and damaged image. It was incomplete, a pair of bipedal weapon holding figures, one on each side of the alter with a broken wedge cut through the heart of the alter itself. Only the base of what could have been an idol, and an elbow were visible.

“Shortstack? Shortstack?! I might be short but I'm not a stack, Sparky,” said Freeway testily, he did not enjoy having any kind of nickname. He climbed further on up the pyramid seeing if there were potentially engravings or art on the stonework that might potentially show up anything useful about this culture. There was some but a lot of it was to do with their religion, he climbed further up, “We probably should have brought some scanning equipment with us instead of just relying on a ranger's sensors. Your sensors are good for tracking Decepticons not for geological surveys and energy analysis. As my sensors, well lets just say if tracking things down is what Prowl wanted then he needed the moldy green Throttlebot, not the dashing blue one,”

Freeway got near to the top of the pyramid, close enough to take a peep over the top of it, he did not want to risk going to the very top and being spotted by any near by Humans. Nova Strike then sent a visual over to him of whatever he had discovered, “Yep, that's definitely looking some kind of something. Don't move anything, we might be able to learn more about it from the Human art surrounding it. I know they are primitive but even they must have some kind of story about how they found it and why they held it in such high regard,”

Though he was by no means a scholarly Autobot, Freeway knew that keeping the crystal in its context would help them understand what the Humans knew about it. That information could be useful in them learning about it, “Of course what would be really useful is if we had some kind of science-bot with all kinds of sensors who could tell us within five seconds exactly what it is. I'll come to you, two heads are better than one on a brain teaser like this and the view from up here isn't going to win the Must See Sight for Solar-3 Award,”