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Peruvian Valley, Central Andes – Inside Abandoned Mine

Being excessively cautious was not something Bumblebee usually did. That was something Prowl did, or even Prime, but now, now things had changed. He had his guard down the last time, but that would not happen again. From the holster on his hip the small espionage expert drew his laser pistol and pressed further into the darkened mine. Once more his optics adjusted to the low light that was barely trickling into the depths. Sooner or later there would be none leaving Bumblebee alone in total darkness. Oh Primus please let my lights work.

At Prowl’s short, curt reply Bumblebee huffed. The least the black and white could do is show a little bit of concern, but we were talking about Prowl here…epically cold Prowl. With a shake of his head Bumblebee pressed forward.

A short while later and there was nothing…at least nothing he could see physically. The yellow mech stopped suddenly the sound of his intakes the only thing breaking through the utter silence. He didn’t know which was worse; not seeing or only hearing himself.

“Okay, Bee. You can do this. There’s nothing in here that’ll hurt you. He’s not here. None of the ‘Cons are.” Mentally psyched to move on, Bee took one hesitant step but stopped once more. “It’d probably help if I turned on my lights.” With a shaky chuckle the headlights adorning his chest lit casting a bright glow throughout the shaft he was now standing in. Nothing. As in no mineral deposits, no humans and certainly no ‘Cons. He breathed a sigh of relief and opened his comm link with Prowl.

>>”Nothing in the second shaft. I’m movin’ on. Hopefully I’ll be able…”<< Bee cut himself short as his scanner began to pick up something in one of the lower cambers. Unfortunately from his location he could not determine if it was something that was occurring naturally or if it was something else. >>”…my sensors are picking up something. Not sure what it is. I’m gonna go and check it out.”<<

Peruvian Valley - Central Andes Mountains

Silverbolt was taken aback by Prowl shaking his hand it wasn’t often that prowl got tactile with his welcoming gestures. He hadn’t earned the nickname the autobot Shockwave for nothing usually cold and aloof even more so than Silverbolt himself. The tall autobot listened as Prowl outlined the details for his mission in the valley aerial recon and he’d have a passenger the diminutive Rewind even smaller than Bumblebee who he’d caught a glimpse of vanishing into the darkness. Prowl finished up with his briefing it just left him with one question but he kept it to himself for when Rewind wasn’t in audio range to ask Prowl that particular question it wasn't the thing to question a superior officer in front of the troopers.

The Aerialbot turned and called out to his smaller colleague “hey Rewind let’s get this show on the road, not sure how long this cloud cover is gonna last” he transformed into his alternate mode a sleek B1 bomber his wings where outstretched his access hatch to his cockpit. “Might be a little cramped in there but I’ll try to make your flight as smooth as possible” it sounded corny even Silverbolt thought that but he was covering up his nerves flying even at low altitude was still enough to set his nerves jangling but he was focusing on keeping Rewind safe.

Peruvian Valley - Central Andes Mountains

Rewind wasn't too far away when Prowl called for a change of plans. The tiny archivist jogged back over to notice that Silverbolt had arrived. The assignment was practically the same as the one before, except this was in the skies. Which...was preferable actually. Rewind had no wish to accidentally run into some of Earth's non-humanoid lifeforms.

"Understood, Prowl," was the archivist's short reply.

"Right!" he said to Silverbolt as the Aerialbot commander transformed into his alternate form. The diminuitive archivist climbed up into the cockpit and settled into the seat. An aerial point of view would speed mapping the area along significantly. Although, it would make seeing humans on foot a tad harder. But...hopefully there wouldn't be any around.

"All set, Silverbolt. Up, up, and away!" Rewind said in his usual cheer.

Peruvian Valley, Central Andes - Outside Abandoned Mine

Prowl nodded at his two subordinates as both Silverbolt and Rewind accepted their new orders without any questions, at least none that were audible, anyway. While the tiny archivist seemed eager and ready to get going quickly, the military strategist sensed a bit of apprehension in the Aerialbot Commander’s demeanor. The flying mech clearly had something on his processor but was for some reason keeping it to himself. At first, the black and white considered simply leaving it alone but then thought the better of it. If any member of his team had a legitimate question regarding the mission then they should speak up so that there would be no misunderstandings of what was to be expected of each mech.

Before Prowl could say anything, Silverbolt had moved away and transformed into his B1 bomber mode while Rewind wasted no time in climbing into the cockpit. Regardless, the strategist wanted to make sure that the Autobot flier was good to go and thus he approached the Earthen jet with a look of seriousness on his faceplate. There was no room for error here. So, any uncertainty, no matter how minute, needed to be addressed.

“Silverbolt,” Prowl said as he stood over the B1 bomber. “Before you transformed you appeared to have a question for me, but you remained silent. Is there something on your mind that you wish to discuss or are you fully ready to commence with your assignment? It is important that we are open and honest with one another if this mission is to succeed. Therefore, speak now with any questions that you may have as it might be too late to do so later.”

As the black and white dealt with the Aerialbot Commander’s unwillingness to ask a simple question, Prowl received Bumblebee’s latest transmission from within the mines, indicating that the yellow minibot had detected something unknown beyond the second shaft. Opening his private comm line, the military strategist sent a simple response: >>”Proceed with caution, Bumblebee. If you find something, report back to me immediately.”<<

Peruvian Valley, Central Andes - Outside Abandoned Mine

Silverbolt heard Prowl ask him about his unspoken question “wasn’t important it won’t impair the mission in anyway” the doubts however minor where not relevant to the success of his mission brief.

The Aerialbot commander was looking forward to testing his engines and his alt mode as he throttled up it took him a couple of hundred metres to get airborne he wasn’t sure if Rewind hadn’t been shaken to pieces by the rough makeshift runway as his undercarriage left the ground the incessant rattling and shaking stopped. His wheels lifted up just before the tree line the trees bent and swayed as his frame’s backwash brought a rush of air past them. As soon as he was airborne his large wings spread further to their maximum width to encourage lift at the slow speeds he’d be flying. His heading was set for the end of the valley “So Rewind what’s best for you to get the maximum camera coverage if I fly wing tip to the floor or upside down?” the Aerialbot commander demonstrated the manoeuvres he wanted to get the right angles for the archivist before they started mapping the valley.

He banked gently at the end of valley putting himself in a holding pattern his wing tips creating air vortexes as the cool air met the on rushing hotter air rising from the ground. Silverbolt hit an air pocket his frame shuddered but made only minor adjustments unlike his early flights where he’d over compensate for everything from crosswinds to turbulence. As a back up to Rewind Silverbolt started to calibrate his own sensors for terrain mapping work.

“Let me know when you’re ready to start videoing the terrain”

Peruvian Valley - Central Andes Mountains

Rewind wondered why they hadn't taken off yet when he noticed Prowl walking over to the them. Curious, the tiny archivist listened as Prowl addressed the Aerialbot commander. The diminutive Autobot was about to encourage Silverbolt to go ahead and just ask his question when the Aerialbot quickly replied and launched them both into the air.

Rewind had hurriedly braced himself for the bumpy takeoff. Only now did he relax. He much preferred to be on his own two feet. The tiny archivist soon refocused on the task at hand when Silverbolt performed the angles that he could fly for maximum coverage. Flying upside down definitely gave him the widest view, but there were extra factors that he would have to calculate.

"Fly wingtip to the ground around the perimeter of the valley, then upside down straight up the middle. That should let me formulate a holographic map of the entire valley. I'll let you know if we need to do a few more passes over certain sectors."

Rewind stored away the videos that he'd recorded recently - Howlstike's decapitated body, and the like - into the archives and created a new databank for Earth locales. Once those preparations were complete, Rewind braced himself again for the sideways tilt.

"All set, Silverbolt! What were you going to ask Prowl?" Rewind added in a conversational tone.

Northern Inca Settlement Ruins

It was a brief over the comm link discussion before whatever Freeway found demanded a face to face conversation and reflection on ideas, or at least possible translations to the glyphs that both Autobots had discovered. He was still unsure of what it was they were looking for. For the most part, their orders were to find a potential landing space for the Ark 22. But the fact that his sensors triggered activation of the secondary objective, to locate information regarding a specific energy signature. That search lead the pair to what appeared to a settlement for a moderate sized number of terrans, whatever it was they looked like, and was literally soaked with the radiation signature they had been hunting for.

The ranger knew full well that did not mean that the entire area was completely saturated with ore. It was probably more likely that there was a very small quantity of potentially refined crystal that had been left somewhere undisturbed to contaminate the region. It was rather impressive really, abhorantly impressive but impressive never the less. The fact that these creatures, primative or not, would leave such raw power behind in whatever flight they may have taken. It harkened back to the start of the current Cybertron Civil War.

Nova Strike placed his excavated tablet down upon a recently unearthed stone top. He knelt down into the leaf litter and reactivated his duster, blowing clear another square of exposed dirt along the stone wall where his initial trenches had been dug. He retracted the duster and placed his palm down on the dirt next to the stone that was embedded in the ground where his tablet currently lay. His optics zoomed in briefly at the edge of octagon still partically buried in the soil.

His fingers traced the smoothly cut material edge as his sensors locked onto the approach of Freeway, carrying something. He straightened his posture as his partner finalized crossing over the ruined threshold of the building base that Nova currently occupied. His own readings immediately confirmed, at least partially, that what the blue throttlebot carried was the source of the radiation that pervaded the localized region. The ranger flicked off a chunk of dirt from one of his fingers, allowing it to sail over the natural cover of the living fence of tree. He then began to rub at his chin as his optics darted from the crystal to the tablet.

"So we've found a fragment of this mysterious Ore that Prowl and Magnus wanted. But so far we don't have a lot of evidence that they knew anything beyond its a Crystal that has a glow." Nova pushed himself to full height and allowed his optics to glance over the lower brush towards the direction where Prowl and Bumblebee had gone to explore. "If Rewind was with us, we'd be able to do a detailed mapping and excavation of this area. But given that he's off with the others, guess we're on our own in creating our own hypothesises."

A silent whir of his internal servos caused Nova's optics to activate hidden zoom in features. He began to detect scrapes and other marks that represented potential manipulation. "Well its pretty obvious that this thing is probably a holy relic of some kind to the original inhabitants. If that is the case, then we'll probably find information around the Temple site."

Nova stepped back and acidently bumped into one of the trees that had made its home in the heart of the building. The ranger momentarily lost his balance before grabbing onto the organic life form to steady himself. However his efforts caused the tree to bend down in an unnatural angle creating massive pressure into the earth. Seconds later the tree trunk wobbled and caused the ground around the stone octagon to fragment, crack and crumble. Then the trunk fell to the ground with an echoed crash as its leaves and branches smashed into the grove on the other side of the settlement wall only a few meters away. The roots were entangled around the stone octagon and drew the column from the wounded earth.

The dust began to swirl and settle as the stone octagon landed on the ground with a muted thud. The tablet a meter away, chipped further but otherwise unharmed. "Umm..." Nova paused briefly as he released the dislodged tree trunk and allowed it to rest on the ground. "Or we can umm look underground."

Arriving at where Nova Strike was Freeway took an opportunity to analyse the crystal. It was certainly emitting radiation which was the cause of the faint glow. He had heard that certain forms of radiation were very damaging to organic life and Freeway wondered if this crystal had caused any deaths, “If we're talking primitive culture here and humans are pretty damn primitive then I guess they had no idea what this crystal really was, didn't bother to do any scientific analysis and treated it like an oddity,” as Nova Strike pointed out it was probably a holy relic to them, “Worshipping a chunk of glowing crystal? Poor humans must have been confused when that did nothing to help them whenever they needed it,”

Freeway watched impassively as Nova Strike then knocked over a tree and the stone tablet in an effort to steady himself, “Oh don't worry it wasn't your fault that you lost balance it was clearly the planet's gravitation field going through a random morphing,” he said with a snicker, “You're a ranger? Aren't you guys meant to be super good on your feet?”

Moving over to inspect the damage that Nova Strike had done to the ancient temple, “Smooth, Sparky,” he then went to the stone octagon and picked it up. It seemed to be a well craft object, someone had clearly taken their time over though it was weather worn once crisp edges had been gently rounded, “So if the crystal was important, why would it be out here? Surely someone would have wanted to keep it safe, even when the civilisation fell someone must have seen value in it,”

Northern Inca Settlement Ruins

Nova Strike delievered an iced stare at the smaller mechanism. He said nothing regarding his abilities, particularly due to his failure to adjust his own gyroscopes for the magnetic fields of the planet before leaving the ship. Internally he made the necessary adjustments and retuned his sensors back to the task at hand. "It happens." Was his only response. Even the best racers, sport stars or rangers had their more embarrassing moments.

Turning his attention back to the artifact that had been dislodged, Nova Strike knelt down and placed the index and middle finger of his left hand onto the dirt crusted granite octagon. Gingerly he pulled off a clog of dirt and mud that caked the surface of the artifact and flicked the mass over his shoulder and absently towards Freeway. A few more clots were pulled away to reveal a faint scarlet hued representation of the crystal that the Throttlebot held, carved into the stone.

"Maybe they didn't get a chance to take it with them." Nova Strike retracted his wrist again and activated the powerful dust blower to begin cleaning off the rest of the artifact. "Maybe the radiation from the Crystal was too much, melted them to organic sludge or something. You know what prolonged exposure can do to us after all, and these organics are decidedly weaker metal."

A larger piece of the puzzle was now uncovered, a pile of muck, roots and rotten leaves splattered across the stone wall and uprooted tree trunk. The image was badly weathered as if battered by successive floods, rains and other corrosions had eaten away at the once vividly detailed picto glyphs. "I can't make heads or tails of these marks." Several chuncks had been rendered blank due to the invasion of tree roots that had assailed it for centuries.

The Ranger rubbed at his chin briefly as he looked back at Freeway. "I doubt either of us can read ancient human. But it looks to me like they believed this thing to be the representation of their deity... Proof for your theory. But I don't recognize any glyphs that could possibly mean refinement." Nova Strike stood up to full height and let his arms rest at his side.

"Well, its not like this is our specialty. But even as it stands and its up to us, we may as well bring Prowl into the loop. Its not as if we haven't accomplished a minor confirmation of the side objective. Though it also begs the question as to whether this crystal idol is made from local sources." He gave a commanding smirk to the smaller Autobot. "I nominate you for the first report in. I got the data to sort and prepare for transmission. Besides Freeway, I am sure Prowl would absolutely tolerate your witty reporte."

“I don't think the radiation would have melted them into organic sludge, it certainly hasn't done so to anything else in the area, I'm no xeno-biologist but all those plants look to be just fine,” Freeway said taking a look at the various trees and brushes around them, “We'd probably have to capture an organic lifeform and put it near to the stone for a prolonged period of time before finding out the effects it has but I'll leave that up to someone like Perceptor to carry out,”

Freeway took a look at the tablet that Nova Strike was holding which had various human glyphs on it. It was clearly quite old, “We should probably bring all this stuff with us back to Prowl when we move on, not that Prowl will do a better job of figuring out what it is but he'll be able to pass it onto someone who can do that. You're right it'll take someone with the right programming to understand all of this,”

Nova Strike of course volunteered Freeway to make the call back to Prowl, the robo-chicken. At least with his communications equipment he was used to being the messenger, “Okay, I'll call Prowl and report but you do the reporting in person when we get back,” he said to Nova Strike.

He opened up a secure signal to Prowl and transmitted, “This is Blue Squad calling Red Horns, Blue Squad calling Red Horns. Come in, Red Horns,” said Freeway pretty pleased with his improvised call-sign for Prowl, “We have identified a source of radiation in the area. Some kind of refined crystal, our scanning data is being transmitted now. We found it in some ancient human ruins along with various iconography and writings. We believe it might have once held religious significance to the humans who once lived here. We'll upload the pictures of these to you now. If we got anyone in our ragtag team of misfits who can decipher all of that then good luck to him,”

Peruvian Valley, Central Andes - Outside Abandoned Mine

Prowl watched as Silverbolt took to the skies with Rewind secured inside his cockpit, having shrugged off the military strategist’s query, claiming that it was nothing important and promised that it would not affect the mission in any way. “I certainly hope not,” the black and white muttered to himself as he shook his cranial unit at the Aerialbot Commander’s unwillingness to share whatever concerns or doubts he may have. The analyst then regarded the open entrance to the mine where Bumblebee had disappeared into before attuning his scanners to the surrounding region outside.

So far there were no signs of humans nearby, and that was a good thing. However, that could also change at a moment’s notice so vigilance was paramount in this situation. Prowl knew that this was, for all intents and purposes, a mere scouting assignment, that while important was still simple enough to execute. Of course, even a scouting mission could diverge into something far more complicated if the teams were discovered by either members of the native population or by members of the opposing faction. Both groups needed to be avoided at all costs.

As Prowl slowly pushed into the trees of the surrounding forest to help extend the reach of his scans, he received a communique from Freeway along with a transmission of data that the throttlebot and his ranger companion had compiled while investigating the northern regions of the valley. They had apparently detected a radiation source that proved to be emanating from a very familiar crystal ore, the same unrefined ore that Perceptor already had a small sample of and was currently studying in his lab on board the Ark-22. That sample had been much harder to procure if memory served, but at least now they appeared to have access to a bit more of the unknown substance. Now, if they could only successfully stabilize it, they would have all the energy to power not only a new Earth-bound city but also the Autobot war machine and thus even the playing field if the Decepticons had already succeeded in refining the new ore for themselves.

Prowl opened a secured comm line to both Freeway and Nova Strike:

>>”Understood, data received. Good job, both of you. Secure the crystal ore in a protective container and handle it with care. It is not as stable as it may appear to be. Perceptor already has a small sample of this same substance up in his lab. He’s been trying to figure out how to refine it into a new energon that would give us increased power. The ‘Cons have already been experimenting with this stuff and it apparently contributed to the destruction of their old base. As for the ancient writings, they are curious but ultimately not as important as the ore, itself, and whether or not there is more in your area. It is logical to conclude that primitive humans would mistake such a crystal as something god-like. They simply lacked the technology to truly understand what they had. I doubt that their writings would provide us with any added knowledge, but I will have someone on the Ark-22 take a look at them once our mission is completed. For now, however, continue scouting the area for more crystal samples. In the meantime, I will have Silverbolt and Rewind do a fly over at your coordinates and provide you with a detailed map of the ruins. With their assistance, you should hopefully be able to pinpoint and excavate more deposits of the ore if there are any. Coordinate with them once they arrive overhead and keep me apprised of your progress. Prowl out.”<<

Cutting his comm link with “Blue Squad”, Prowl opened another secured channel with the Aerialbot Commander and his tiny pilot, who were currently in the skies above:

>>”Silverbolt, Rewind, this is Prowl. I need you to do a fly over at the following coordinates ASAP. It is the location where Nova Strike and Freeway are currently scouting amongst some ancient human ruins at the northern end of the valley. They’ve located a new ore that has the potential to provide us with enough energy to power our future Autobot City. Conduct a thorough aerial survey of the area and provide Nova and Freeway with a detailed map. This will aid them in locating any further crystal deposits that may still be the region. Is that understood?”<<

With the coordinates sent, Prowl returned his attention to the region surrounding the abandoned mines, keeping his scans focused on any possible human intrusions while he waited for further word from Bumblebee.

Inca Settlement Ruins

Nova Strike tapped a small blue metal armor plate just above a triforce shaped triangle on his left wrist. The armor plate disengaged its magnetic locks and rose ever so slightly before retracting to a small raised brace at the top of two hidden tracks. Within the newly exposed area a black onyx polished surface immediately rose to fill the void left by the thick armor covering.

The ranger's optics darted from his wrist over to Freeway as the smaller communications Autobot specialist began his report to Prowl. It wasn't exactly the stuff of combat legends, or the sort of story that left a legacy, but at least it was one step closer to completing a mission he had been given. Quietly, Nova returned his attention back to the sensor readings he had been compiling for a larger more complete data burst back to the Ark scientists as well as Rewind when the time came and the archivist was within range.

Effortlessly and without pause the blue warrior's fingers dashed across the computer terminal within his arm. His fingers pressed holographic nodes adding compressed data before finally adding his own theories to the possible connection between the locals and their glowing green rock. As he worked his audio receivers opened up to the coded frequency that his team had agreed to utilize for this operation. Freeway's report was short and to the point, well maybe that was a bit of a stretch, but at least it managed to convey personal concerns regarding the potential linkage they had discovered.

Prowl, on the other hand, lived up to the verbose acceptance of the information from a tactical perspective and rejected the potential link. Nova couldn't blame the strategist, the posibility that the primative organics of this world could refine such a power source and yet not detect the radiation that it was emitting was laughable. However, Nova Strike maintained that the link was different beyond a technological standpoint. Perhaps by investigating the writings on the settlement walls, tablets or other alters and surfaces, could unlock the very details that they sought regarding the potential deposits of these ores.

Nova was not about to interject himself into the potential argument between Freeway or Prowl regarding that particular hypothesis. Instead Nova Strike finalized one of the more robust encryption codes he had been given privy access to and attached it to the compressed data burst. At the mention of Silverbolt being added to the operation, Nova Strike began to loose a smile. Perhaps now they had the means to find more dedicated sites for mining of these ores.

Nova Strike activated a simultanious link with the Aerialbot Commander and the Archivist that he was escorting. "Nova Strike to Silverbolt. Glad to hear you are back to operational status, though flying semi solo. I am sending you and your passenger a complete compressed data packet of the readings and text we've collected down here. If we can get a translation from Rewind and combine that with the maps Prowl requested, we might be able to dig out the original vein."

As Nova Strike sent his communique, he heard the orders from Prowl regarding the securing of the artifact. "Great, and I forgot my radiation proof lead box back on the Guardian." He turned to face Freeway and the glowing artifact. "Any ideas on how to load this thing up without damaging it or turning our inner electronics into Silicate Soup?"

<Got that, Red Horns. Blue Team will report when we have something else to report. Out> Freeway said finishing his mission report to the Autobot tactician, “Honestly using my name, you think he had never heard of using call signs?” he said to himself still he had to admit that if there were Decepticons in the area they probably would have noticed their arrival by now so it was probably safe to communicate without the need for call signs.

“So we'll have those hot-shot fly-bots on station if we need them, I'm sure they'll be a great use in mining. I always said that fly-bots needed to do some real work to keep their feet on the ground,” Freeway smirked, the Aerialbots had their uses of course, they had proven themselves good at scouting in the sky but it wasn't quite the same as having to infiltrate behind enemy lines on the ground, Freeway knew he was never able to turn tail and flee at mach four.

An idea did occur to Freeway about the question posed by Nova Strike, “Still Silverbolt might provide us with a solution to our problem. The Aerialbots can travel in space, yes? That means they have radiation shielding to protect themselves from stellar radiation. Maybe they'll be able to carry this thing without getting all melty? As for protecting it in transport we can pack it in some of this mud then use my laser to bake the outside of the mud into a crust so we have a safe way for moving it,” Freeway was well versed in the uses of mud as Wideload had learnt on several unfortunate occasions.

Peruvian Valley, Central Andes – Inside Abandoned Mine

Bumblebee sent a nonverbal acknowledgement to Prowl as he pressed deeper into the mine shaft. He ran his hands lightly over the surface of the rock using them as guides as he moved toward his intended target. The lights coming from his headlights seemed to become absorbed into the inky blackness of the shaft. It was actually very eerie. What if the hunger of this darkness was not satiated with the illumination coming from his headlights? Bumblebee shivered at the thought.

Several minutes longer and several meters further and his sensors began to pick up that same reading from earlier. “Finally.” He breathed. Bee took a step but stopped when he heard the tell-tale sound of shifting rock. “Uh oh.”

The minibot attempted to leap away, but the floor was faster. The rock beneath his feet crumbled sending him down into a dark abyss below. “NOO!” Bumblebee hit the ground hard, landing on his right shoulder dislocating it. He let out a low hiss as he grabbed it with his left hand.

Bee rolled onto his back and offlined his optics. He waited trying to will the pain in his shoulder to ease. It didn’t work. “Nice going, Bee. Your first assignment since…ugh!” He removed his left hand from his shoulder and slammed his balled fist into the ground, hard. “Prowl is gonna kill me. Or worse, reprimand me in that stoic tone while Ratchet beats me senseless with his favorite wrench.”

“Okay. I can’t lie here and sulk. Gotta…” With a grunt he lifted himself up into a sitting position and at the same time onlined his optics. “Aw man. Lights are out.” He ran his hand over his headlights and felt the jagged edges of what used to be glass. He had hoped he wouldn’t need to resort to night vision, if only to conserve some energy, but it seemed that it was his only option.

The entire area was bathed in a sickly green hue as his optics switch over to night vision. Bumblebee took several moments to take in his surroundings. Unfortunately, there was nothing. No exit, no way to climb back up through the breach he fell through and nothing of any use. Upon his second sweep he caught a glimpse of something that, to him, seemed out of place. “What is that?” He questioned.

His left hand back to gripping his shoulder, Bumblebee carefully stepped over the debris that had fallen into the pit along with him. Once he was close enough he ran a scan, the readings showing up clearly on his HUD. “It’s coal.” Bee ran his hand down the length of the wall. “Oh wow. Maybe I won’t be talked to death by Prowl.” A broad smile worked onto his faceplate as he opened up a commlink with the black and white.

After several long agonizing moments Bumblebee’s smile dropped. There was nothing. Not even static.What happened? The minibot raised his head and looked to the hole in the ceiling while he ran a diagnostic on his communicator. “Aw slag. Must’ve been damaged in the fall.” He spun around in place trying to find some way of either communicating with Prowl or to find a way out. Neither panned out.

The sound of rocks being crunched underfoot drew his attention back down and into the pit. It was dark. Primus not now. Not here. In one last desperate attempt to get help, Bumblebee cried out hoping the tactician would hear. “HELP! PROWL! ANYBODY!”

Peruvian Valley, Central Andes - Outside Abandoned Mine

Prowl continued to busy himself with scans of the surrounding area, keeping a careful lookout for any human intrusions that could stumble upon their little scouting mission. So far, so good. There was nothing to report and that suited the logic-driven mech just fine. However, with his primary focus on scanning and analyzing the immediate area, the black and white had almost forgotten about Bumblebee until his internal chronometer alerted him that the minibot’s check-in was long overdue. It certainly seemed a bit strange that the minibot had not checked back in to update the military strategist on his progress and/or potential findings. It was very possible that ‘Bee had simply forgotten or had lost track of time while searching through the tunnels, but that was still unlike him. A more logical conclusion was that something bad had happened.

Taking no chances, Prowl opened a comm line to the yellow scout as he approached the mine entrance:

>>”Bumblebee, this is Prowl. I haven’t heard from you in three breems now. What’s your status?”<<

There was no immediate response from the minibot as only static came back across the shared channel. Logically, there was one of two explanations. First, Bumblebee was too deep inside of the mine for a transmission to reach him or two, the scout’s communicator was damaged. If the second option was the case, then it was also logical to assume that ‘Bee, himself, was damaged, as well.

>>Bumblebee, this is Prowl! Can you hear me? Report at once!”<<

The strategist’s second attempt at contacting Bumblebee was just as unsuccessful as his first attempt. The black and white then knelt down at the entranceway and peered inside. “BUMBLEBEE! Can you hear me!!” The sound of his voice echoed into the dark tunnel, but he got no response back, at least nothing that his audios could pick up. Standing back to his full height, Prowl set his scanners on high and attempted to penetrate as deep into the mine as possible. The results showed nothing. The mineral ores that comprised the rock acted as a shield, only allowing scans to permeate so far in, and ‘Bee was apparently well out of range.

Prowl had no choice now. He had to determine what had happened and since the rest of the scouting team was preoccupied with other matters, the logical decision was for Prowl to enter the mine and find Bumblebee on his own. Of course, there was the small problem of how he would fit inside, but he already had a solution for that.

The black and white took a step back and transformed into his Nissan GT-R police car mode. Instantly, his human avatar, dressed in a policeman’s uniform, appeared in the driver’s seat. In this form, Prowl should be able to drive into the mine with just enough room to make clearance overhead and to both sides. At least that’s what he had determined visually with his optical sensors. He just needed to go slow to avoid unsettling any of the surrounding rocks and thus causing a cave in.

Easier said than done, Prowl thought as he opened up a comm line to the rest of the scouting team to inform them of what he was doing:

>>”Everyone, I’ve lost touch with Bumblebee. I’m heading into the mine shaft to locate him. It’s probably nothing but a busted transmitter, but if you don’t hear back from me within four breems assume that means we’re in trouble and will require assistance. I’m sending the mine’s coordinates now just in case. Until then, just carry on as previously ordered. Prowl out.”<<

With his message sent, the police car carefully rolled forward into the mine, disappearing into the dark void.

Inside Abandoned Mine

Prowl’s headlights were set on high which illuminated the darkened pathway ahead. He drove at a steady pace for almost a full breem, making sure not to strike the sides of the tunnel as he went deeper and deeper into the empty mine. It was a very tight fit, but his sensors alerted him of any outcroppings along the walls so that he could try and avoid such obstacles and thus maintain the integrity of the shaft.

“Bumblebee! Where are you?! Are you okay?!” Prowl’s vocals echoed all around him and throughout the mine, itself. At first he heard nothing, but then a cry for help echoed back to him. It was the yellow scout and he was clearly in distress. “I’m coming, Bumblebee! Just hang on!”

Picking up the pace slightly, the police car continued forward for several more meters until his headlights revealed a deep hole in the tunnel floor ahead of him. Prowl stopped several yards from the edge of the pit, not wanting to get too close and risk the surrounding earth giving way. Unable to transform due to the extremely tight confines around him, the black and white decided that it was best to send his holomatter avatar out to see if Bumblebee was down in that hole as the minibot’s pleas for help seemed to echo everywhere and therefore was difficult to pinpoint his exact location. Unfortunately, opening his doors was also impossible due to the close quarters and thus a little ingenuity was in order.

Prowl’s avatar vanished from behind the driver’s seat and immediately reappeared in front of the police-modified Nissan GT-R. The wonders of modern holomatter projectors, the strategist thought as his consciousness looked out through the eyes of the faux officer. The avatar then walked towards the edge of the hole and peered down into the blackness below. There wasn’t much he could see except for a slight metallic glimmer that might just be an Autobot.

“Bumblebee, can you hear me?! Are you down there?!” Prowl’s avatar called out, hoping to get the response he was hoping for. Of course, if ‘Bee was down there, it would be a real chore to get him out without risking the rest of the tunnel floor collapsing and trapping both of them within the mine. If that happened they would be stuck until one of the other members of the team came looking for them.

Peruvian Valley, Central Andes Mountains - Skies

Rewind had been spending his time dutifully mapping out the valley, constructing a three-dimensional holographic version of it at the same time. He was doing the best that he could anyway. With Silverbolt largely unresponsive to any of the tiny archivist's attempts at conversation, Rewind had grown quiet and simply carried out his duties with a small nagging concern that something was wrong with Silverbolt. The tiny archivist would have normally taken the Aerialbot commander's silence in stride, considering that Silverbolt probably had a few things on his processor. However, considering their non-existent proximity to the ground and the fact that Rewind lacked any flight capabilities whatsoever, the tiny archivist tried once again to break the silence.

"Hey...ah, Silverbolt? You doing alright there?"

Before the Aerialbot commander had a chance to answer him, Prowl's voice crackled over the comm lines.

>>”Silverbolt, Rewind, this is Prowl. I need you to do a fly over at the following coordinates ASAP. It is the location where Nova Strike and Freeway are currently scouting amongst some ancient human ruins at the northern end of the valley. They’ve located a new ore that has the potential to provide us with enough energy to power our future Autobot City. Conduct a thorough aerial survey of the area and provide Nova and Freeway with a detailed map. This will aid them in locating any further crystal deposits that may still be the region. Is that understood?”<<

A new ore? Perceptor would have a field day with that back on the Ark 22. The Aerialbot commander and Rewind had done a few passes within the proximity of that area before, but as of now, Rewind only had a rough image of the landscape. They would need to fly over there once or twice more. Circling it would be even better!

"You hear that, Silverbolt? Let's make tracks! Or...whatever the appropriate term is for aircraft. Vapor trails?"

Rewind was enjoying his role in this venture. There were terabytes of data and information to store into a whole new section of the Archives. It wasn't long before Nova Strike sent the airborne pair a communique as well.

"Nova Strike to Silverbolt. Glad to hear you are back to operational status, though flying semi solo. I am sending you and your passenger a complete compressed data packet of the readings and text we've collected down here. If we can get a translation from Rewind and combine that with the maps Prowl requested, we might be able to dig out the original vein."

"Semi solo?! What am I, spare parts?" Rewind huffed. The tiny archivist actually didn't mind the comment. He was all too eager to set his processor to work translating the text from the data packet Nova Strike had transmitted. Rewind loved a challenge like this. Accessing the archives, Rewind began cross-referencing the text with some other early human writings. It was slow going, but the readings slowly started to come together. A few letters evaded Rewind to the archivist's frustration. The tiny archivist was so absorbed in his work that he almost missed Prowl's communique about going into the mine shaft to look for Bumblebee. Pausing, Rewind frowned and hoped the scout would be alright.

Rewind decided to send a progress report in to Nova Strike and Freeway, opening an open link between the four of them. >>"Nova Strike, Freeway, this is Rewind. I'm almost done with the translation, and the map'll be done once I and Silverbolt here do a couple flyovers."<<

That done, the tiny archivist dove right back into the meticulous task of translating the text.

Above the Peruvian Valley
Silverbolt was paying attention to his tiny passenger but he was concerned about his fellow Aerialbots he doubted Rewind knew what it was like to be in command of a team yet not have them to hand or even know where they were. He knew for certain Fireflight was in one piece on the Guardian probably lost in a day dream same as Skydive probably had his nose in flight combat data adding to his aerial warfare knowledge but what of Air Raid or Slingshot. Admittedly it was quiet without the braggart of the Aerialbots but Silverbolt couldn’t help but miss the little Scraplet.

After the transmissions Silverbolt heard the comment made by Rewind “well I am flying solo your just a passenger and get your feet of the dashboard” chuckled Silverbolt as he swung around for another pass the engine note rising to a menacing rumble as Silverbolt increased his speed his wings sweeping back into a more swept position at the increase in speed. “Heads up Rewind target location coming up I can open my bomb bay for a better view you can get to it via the small hatch at the back” the hatch swung open as the bomb bay doors opened in response. “As for your earlier question I’m worried about the Air Raid and Slingshot I know Skydive and Fireflight are on the frigate. Now back to the matter in hand”

Peruvian Valley, Central Andes – Inside Abandoned Mine

It had been several breems and Bumblebee was starting to believe that one of two things up top was happening. One; Prowl was preoccupied with something else, like a Decepticon attack, or two; the other team was in need of his help and the logical thing to do was leave him in the hole he fell into until a better opportunity to save him popped up. Both options pretty much sucked.

Now, for what might have been for the hundredth time, Bumblebee tried to climb out of the pit. Unfortunately with only one working appendage the feet was not working as well as he’d expected.

With a thump and a crunch of rock Bumblebee fell back down to the floor on his aft. The minibot lifted himself up and let out a low growl. He rarely got angry but being trapped in this dark locale was just not his cup of energon. “Come on!” The scout gritted his teeth and set back to trying to climb out. And again he lost his grip, however he wasn’t as careful as he had been in his prior attempts and reached out with his injured arm to stop his decent. “UGH!” Hot searing pain shot through his shoulder as he lost his grip and he tumbled to the floor landing, once more, on his damaged shoulder.

He tossed his head back in a silent scream before rolling off his shoulder and digging his actuators deep into the loose gravel. Finally, the pain subsided enough for him to clench his hand onto a tight ball and slam it down in frustration. “Such an idiot. I should have seen that the floor was covered in loose rock before it even came into view.”

Bumblebee lay there for several more minutes before he began to hear what he thought sounded like an engine? The yellow mech lifted his head off the ground and keyed his audios to a much more sensitive setting. He picked up dripping water, the sounds of bats squeaking, and…a voice!

He scrambled up onto his feet, grimacing when he again tried to use his injured arm. “Gah! P…Prowl?! Is that you?!” Bumblebee moved to the wall of the pit and strained his neck cables as he tried to look up and over the rim of the pit.

And there it was. A smile spread over his dirty face as he finally heard the tactician’s voice. “Here! I’m here, Prowl! I fell into…well, I feel into a pit!” He grunted slightly as he tried to reach his hand up the wall. “I can’t climb out, busted up my shoulder pretty good!”

For a moment Bumblebee remained quiet as he drew his optics over the area he was trapped in. “Be careful! The ground’s not stable!” He had had time to examine every part of his prison and if he couldn’t be lifted out there was probably only one other option. “You might be too heavy to get close enough! But I might have an idea if whatever you’ve got planned doesn’t pan out!”

Peruvian Valley, Andes Mountains - Inside Abandoned Mine

Prowl was relieved when he heard Bumblebee’s voice coming from the bottom of the dark pit. From a logical standpoint, the military strategist had found his subordinate and did not have to waste anymore time searching the mine for him. Of course, that would’ve been problematic considering that there was a big hole preventing the black and white mech from progressing any further. As it were, there was an alternate problem in the form of the minibot's damaged shoulder, which had apparently hampered the scout's attempts at climbing out of the deep crater, himself. It was a difficult position to be in, but not an insurmountable one especially with the strategist now on scene.

“Understood, Bumblebee,” Prowl’s avatar called down to the injured Autobot. “I’m well aware of the unstable ground around the hole. You may not be able to see it, but I have my holomatter avatar deployed and standing at the edge while my actual self remains in car mode several yards back. Unfortunately, I am unable to transform due to the tight confines within the tunnel. Therefore, my human representation will serve as my body for now. It should be light enough to avoid any additional cave-ins. So, just hang tight. I do have a plan to get you out of there.”

The faux police officer stepped away from the edge and returned to the front of Prowl’s Nissan GT-R alt mode. The grill then opened up, revealing a basic grappling hook that would hopefully be long enough to reach the bottom of the pit. The avatar bent down and grasp the hook in one hand as the strategist extended the metal cable, providing plenty of slack for the holomatter human to work with. Walking back to the edge, the artificial cop threw the hooked end into the gaping hole while the GT-R continued to protract the cable to its maximum length.

When the metal cord had reached its limit, Prowl’s avatar peered over the edge again, trying to get a clear view of the minibot-in-distress. It was hard to tell if the hook had reached far enough into the dark pit for the scout to grab a hold of it. “Bumblebee, I’ve deployed a grappling hook down to you from the front of my alt mode. I’m afraid it’s not as long as something Hoist would possess, but it’s the best I can do in our present situation. Can you see the end of the line? Are you able to reach it? I might be able to give you a little more slack if need be, but not a lot as I would be risking the floor collapsing even further if my real body came much closer.”

Peruvian Skies - Central Andes Mountains

"I'm sure Slingshot and Air Raid are alright," Rewind said companionably to Silverbolt, "Nothing you can do for them right now anyway." Attempt at reassurance accomplished, Rewind finished up the translation of the text and filed away both the translated and original readings. Hopping out of the pilot's seat, Rewind made his way down to the open hatch in the bomb bay carefully. The last thing that he wanted was to get sucked out into open sky.

Bracing himself, Rewind leaned out to look down at the valley below. Chromedome would probably kill him if he ever found out how close the tiny archivist was to the edge. Leaning down low, Rewind all but stuck his head out of the bomb bay doors to get the best possible view of the valley. After a few passes, Rewind had the complete map of the area.

Retreating back into the safety of the bomb bay - nestled among bombs, not really safe, but hey - and took a moment to appreciate not being blasted by the wind. The tiny archivist wormed his way back up to the hatch and crawled back into the seat, closing the hatch behind him.

"Phew! Got it, Silverbolt!"

Rewind spent the next few astroseconds compressing the data of both the translated text and the map and transmitted it to Freeway and Nova Strike.

>>"Rewind here! I'm transmitting the text and the map now. Happy hunting, you two!"<<

Peruvian Valley, Andes Mountains – Inside Abandoned Mine

Bumblebee strained his neck cables trying to get a better look up the mouth of the hole he had fallen into. All he wanted, needed, was to see either Prowl’s black and white frame or his holomatter avatar, but it was just too dark, even with his nightvision engaged, or the officer was out of sight. With a low sigh the minibot lowered his head and took in his surroundings for what seemed like the millionth time.

Just as he cast another desperate gaze up to the lip of the wall Bumblebee spotted the familiar sight of Prowl, well the human looking avatar that stood in for the mech anyway. “Oh thank Primus.” He whispered. He gave the “human” a quick nod and moved to the wall where the grappling hook would, hopefully, come into view.

“Alright.” Bumblebee grunted lowly as he set his foot on a rather precariously stacked rock while trying to reach for the elusive hook.

The yellow mech’s hand groped anxiously for anything but it found no grasp. “Ugh! I can’t reach!” Bumblebee let out a frustrated cry just before the rock he was poised on slipped out from under his foot sending him to the floor flat on his back.

He slammed his fist into the ground and quickly sprung back to his feet. With an angry snarl the usually calm and collected Autobot flung himself at the wall gripping desperately at the rock face in yet another vain attempt to scale the wall. And, of course, it ended the same way it had all the other times, with him slamming solidly into the floor.

Vents heaving, Bee picked himself back up off the floor, but instead of trying to get out he backed stepped until his back gently hit the cool rock behind him. With a low defeated sigh Bee slowly slid down to a seated position and ran his good hand down the length of his face. “I can’t…I can’t reach the hook.” Bee’s voice was low but it still echoed through the pit and the cavern above. “This place is too…it’s too close.” He lowered his hand and looked around the tight space.

“It’s like being back in there...with him.” He offlined his optics and rested the back of head against the wall behind him. It didn’t take long for him to online them again. The image of that lone optic tossed across the table had him pressing hard into the wall. “Primus. I thought that only happened during recharge.”

There was a soft crunch and a slight vibration from behind him that caused the minibot to turn to the side and place his hand against the solid structure at his back. It was shifting. That meant there was either a void just beyond, or the wall, and possibly the rest of the pit, was going to collapse in on itself. “Um, Prowl?!” Bee set his scanners on high and concentrated on the wall. To his relief it appeared as though there was a small void with the surrounding rock thick enough for support, if say, an opening was made.

A small smile crawled onto the dirt covered mech’s faceplate as he called up to his superior. “Prowl! I may have an alternate route out of here!” He let out a low hiss as he pushed back up onto his feet. “I just need you to toss me a low yield thermal charge!” if this idea worked he’d be out of this hell on Earth and in a nice open, well lit mine shaft.

Peruvian Valley, Andes Mountains - Inside Abandoned Mine

Prowl’s avatar peered over the edge, barely able to see Bumblebee at the bottom of the chasm as the minibot tried in vain to reach the end of the grappling hook. Apparently, the cable wasn’t long enough to reach the injured scout who only succeeded in falling onto his aft section over and over again. The black and white considered telling Bee to put some more effort into it, but he ultimately decided against it. Prowl needed to learn how to keep some of his more condescending thoughts to himself and not always express them verbally. That was one of the many reasons he wasn’t well liked by most of the Autobots under his command. They saw him as an emotionally challenged prick and they weren’t exactly wrong, either.

Still, there was the problem of how to get Bumblebee out of the deep hole he now found himself trapped at the bottom of. For a moment, Prowl considered sending his avatar down the cable to assist the small scout, perhaps even give ‘Bee a small boost. Unlike a real human, a holomatter creation was much stronger and could even mass shift to a certain extent. However, before the military strategist could make the suggestion, the minibot had come up with an idea of his own. It seemed that there was another potential way out, but the yellow mech needed a low yield thermal charge in order to break through.

“Bumblebee, don’t take this the wrong way but....are you crazy?” Prowl’s avatar replied, not holding back on what he thought of the scout’s request. “Even with a low yield charge you take the risk of bringing this very unstable mine down all around us! Not to mention you could injure yourself further.” The faux police officer paused for a moment, trying to regain his calm in the face of such an illogical request. It wasn’t that he didn’t understand what Bee wanted to do. Prowl just didn’t feel that the risks outweighed the benefits in this situation. Regardless, once the minibot had his mind made up to do something it was usually very hard to get him to change it. Therefore, instead of allowing their conversation to degrade into a back and forth argument, the strategist was willing to play along, but not without concessions.

“Okay, ‘Bee, fine!” Prowl’s avatar finally relented as he walked back to the police car and withdrew a very low yield charge from a front compartment. The officer then returned to the edge where, instead of tossing the device into the hole, the faux human jumped down into the dark abyss. If he had been a real human, he would have been dead or at the very least had every bone in his body broken. Thankfully, holomatter was far more resilient than actual flesh and blood.

Landing softly on the ground next to Bumblebee, Prowl’s avatar looked up and gave him a smile that seemed as fake as what the synthetic officer was made of. The patrolman took note of Bee’s damaged shoulder, realizing that a medic would be required to get it properly repaired. “If you’re going to do this then you’re going to do so my way.” The strategist’s voice came across clearly through the holomatter human which then subsequently grew in size to match that of the minibot’s height. It was funny for an Earthling, even a fake one, to be of the same proportions as a Cybertronian, but who really cared at this point? No one else was around to see them anyway.

“All right, ‘Bee, here’s the charge. Plant it where you want and then get behind me. The holomatter will shield you from the blast and any further damage. Understood?” Prowl’s avatar said as he handed the low yield device over to the minibot. The strategist wasn’t looking forward to what might happen next, but his real body up above was all set and ready to zoom backwards out of the mine if anything went wrong. After all, it made no logical sense for both of them to be buried alive if it could be avoided.

Peruvian Valley, Andes Mountains – Inside Abandoned Mine

Had he the ability Bumblebee would have rolled his optics. Of course the tactician would try to convince him that his idea was not going to work. After all it was a logical course of action. “Come on Prowl, I’m not stupid.” A small smirk spread across his face when he heard the black and white finally relent to his request and walk back to his alternate form. It was a small victory that not many could say they accomplished.

Bumblebee took a fleeting glance over his shoulder when he heard the light landing of Prowl’s holomatter avatar. He wouldn’t admit to it outright, but it felt good to know that he had won over the stiff, unrelenting second. The police officer gave the scout a smile which Bee knew was obviously a failed attempt to ease Bumblebee’s misgivings. The yellow mech almost called the officer out on it, but instead he simply held his tongue and took the thermal charge from the faux human’s hands. “Thanks.” He gave Prowl a nod assuring him his order to take a position behind the avatar would be followed through. “Understood.”

He let out a low hiss as he moved his damaged arm and began to remove the cover to the small device’s housing. The small toolkit he had carried in his storage compartment was quickly put to use. As he placed the cover down on the ground Bumblebee adjusted his position so he could make use of both of his hands. “I’m gonna remove two of the charges. The remaining charge shouldn’t cause much damage. Instead it’ll heat the rock just enough for me to blast through with my gun.” He flashed the police officer a side smirk before adding, “Well, that’s what I’m hoping anyway. Heh.”

Half a breem later and the cover was replaced, the two extracted charges safely stored away, and the device set in place. As per their agreement, the minibot placed Prowl’s avatar between him and charge. “Okay. Here goes nothing.” The final click of the clock and the detonator ignited. An astrosecond passed before the sound of the explosion sounded throughout the pit and the shaft above.

A brief moment ticked by before Bumblebee lifted his head and peeked around the unharmed body of the holomatter human. The scout took a hesitant step around ‘Prowl’ and noticed that the rock was, indeed, hotter than the surrounding area. “Heh. How do ya like that. It worked.” From his hip holster, Bee removed his pistol and flashed Prowl a wide grin before raising his weapon and firing on the weakened rock wall.

Once the dust started to clear and the last of the loosened stones had settled, Bee stepped forward to peer into the new opening. He said nothing at first instead opting to take a few readings and some preliminary scans. When checks came back as reading nonhazardous he pulled his head back in and cast a glance at the officer. “It’s another shaft. Doesn’t look like there’s anything dangerous in there. Want me to go check it out?”

Peruvian Valley, Andes Mountains - Inside Abandoned Mine

Prowl watched and listened through the eyes and ears of his avatar as Bumblebee explained what he was going to do with the thermal device. Apparently, the minibot’s objective was to remove two of the three charges within which would lessen the impact of the explosion considerably. If everything went according to plan, the rock wall would only suffer enough heat damage that would allow the yellow scout to blow a hole through it with his handheld weapon. The rest of the mine would be fine and remain intact. “I hope you’re right, ‘Bee,” the faux officer said with a tone of uncertainty in this voice.

Half a breem later, Bumblebee was finished and planted the charge on the wall. Once the small mech was safely behind the Cybertronian-sized holomatter human, the device detonated with a loud boom as the avatar was easily able to absorb the brunt of the minor explosion. Thankfully, the mine did not come down around them and the wall seemed to be heated just like the minibot had anticipated. “I always like it when I’m not buried alive. Now, be careful with your...” Bang! “...gun.” The cavern shook slightly as the scout’s blast blew a hole through the already weakened wall. ‘Bee wasted no time in checking to see what was on the other side of the opening, stating that it was another shaft that appeared to be safe. “Well, appearances can be deceiving, ‘Bee. Let my avatar check things out first.”

Without waiting for a response, Prowl’s human persona stepped past the yellow mech and entered into the new shaft beyond the crumpled wall. The police officer stood in the center of the tunnel and looked in both directions, seeing very little but more darkness and rock. From the Nissan GT-R above, the military strategist was able to initiate a series of his own scans, confirming what Bumblebee had already said. There appeared to be no dangers in the immediate area and the floor of this new shaft had no empty void beneath it. It was solid. However, with the scout’s injured arm, the black and white didn’t want him going too much further without getting the repairs that he needed. Still, it was important to thoroughly check the mine for any potential resources they could use which was the only reason the black and white was allowing Bumblebee to continue.

“Okay, ‘Bee, you can come in and check things out for yourself,” Prowl said as his holomatter representation looked back through the hole at the minibot. “But my avatar is going with you. Although, I’m not sure how much farther I can project it especially considering how dense the surrounding rock is, but it’ll go as far as possible. If you haven’t found anything, including another way out, by the time the holomatter starts to shimmer and fade, then it’ll be time to head back. Likewise, if you encounter any other potentially dangerous situations, it'll be time to head back. My avatar can boost you up to the grappling hook and my alt mode will haul you up the rest of the way. This is non negotiable. Understood?” The faux officer then stepped aside to give the minibot room to enter the new shaft and continue his search of the abandoned mine.

Ruins of Incan Settlement

Nova Strike rubbed his chin briefly at the smaller Throttlebot's suggestion. It definitely warranted consideration. He added to the other options they currently had available to them. Unfortunately the list was incredibly limited and not exactly workable given the materials on hand. He also had to take into account the facts of time, and how much of an enemy it truly was on this world.

Their expedition had landed what was possibly as close to Mid Day as one could reasonably tell while under a thick cover of broad leafed foliage. They had spent a considerable amount of time examining the ruins to find the artifact that Freeway currently possessed. Add to that, the time frame that Prowl had issued before the next check in was rapidly approaching.

"Probably the only option we have. Bag it and have Silverbolt call for a level 2 containment retrieval bounce." Nova adjusted his sensor package from the more passive thermal detection settings, to a more accurate topographical mapping protocol. The range was frustratingly limited, but for what a ranger required, it served its purposes. Nova knelt to the ground again and placed an open palm down onto the recently uprooted bramble that had once held the trunk of a tree. His sensors reached out through unseen tendrals into the ether and began tracing the ground around them. It was painstaking work, but after a few minutes Nova Strike was able to locate a patch of ground that was near enough to the settlement and a small pool of ground water collected from the last rains.

Nova Strike deactivated his sensors and extracted his blaster from the right holster. He checked the weapon's setting, adjusting the beam to that of a more finely tuned cutting device rather than an instrument of destruction. "Stand back," the ranger called to the smaller mech as he leveled the weapon just below the base of an already compromised wall. He squeezed the trigger and sent a sustained pulse of compressed energy straight through the leaf litter, earth and stone. Moments later a the energy bolt cut off and Nova spun the smolderling barrel of his gun before returning it to his hip holster.

Not waiting for protest, the ranger stepped up to the hole in the ground and stomped twice causing the tunnel he carved to begin spurting out a small stream of heated water. "Looks like I've done my part buddy bot. Time for you to get your hands dirty." He gave a wry smile to his partner as his communication receiver activated.

The data burst was quick and insightful. As he suspected before, and much to his chagrine, the bulk of the text was regarding the life cycles of their radioactive god. What was useful, however, was that one of the symbols translated by Rewind was that of Origins. It did not necessarily refer to that of the origins of the god. But it instead mentioned the origins of the gods representation, and in that Nova found value. They may have just located a method of finding more of these samples. Nova reopened the channel to the optics in the sky and gave a quick thanks as well as asked Silverbolt for permission for a containment bounce to be commenced once their artifact was indeed secured.

By now the lights in the wood began to fade. It was now dusk and visiblity was dramatically lessening as the seconds ticked away. Nova Strike watched as Freeway commensed with the final touches of their makeshift casket through the light provided by his chest lamps. The check in time with Prowl was nearing its final tick, and still no word from their mission commander. In fact they lacked word from the sub commander of this operation also caused Nova Strike a pause for concern. Seconds neared the termination of the countdown, and still no word. Finally Nova Strike was finished waiting.

The ranger pushed himself off of the damaged stone wall that he had been using as a bench while Freeway worked. "I think its high time we check in with Prowl and Bumblebee..." Nova was forced to pause in midsentence as his sensors ignited with a flury of activities. To the north end of the valley, approximately twenty minutes away, four to five small energy sources appeared at the edge of his sensor range. His sensors were normally more attune and had greater range, but Nova reasoned that some mineral or combination of minerals in the mountains had to have masked their approach. Yet another thing Nova would have to add to his tactical report of the location.

He filed it away and immediately doused his headlamps and switched to night vision. Five trucks, and a sixth smaller jeep just crossing the pass. Their engines were incredibly hot, an indicator of their primative combustion technology, and evidence that the locals had become roused. The ranger wasted no time and sent an emergency link to Silverbolt and Rewind. "Hate to disturb your bonding experience Silverbolt. We've got company on the North Western pass leading over the mountains. Going to need some up to date stat reports on their positions and movements, possible courses." Nova paused, knowing full well that Silverbolt out ranked him but for a Ranger used to working alone or in a small squadron, such formalities were rarely adheared to. "Freeway will attempt to contact Prowl and bring that team up to date. We'll stay out of sight, but we'll need constant monitoring from the air."

Nova gave a nod to Freeway, a silent assignment to begin the update. Things weren't out of hand, and probably not all that dangerous. But they were decidedly a bit more complicated, and Nova Strike wanted to ensure that those sort of complications did not endanger their mission, or their lives.