Optimus Prime looked at the Plasma energy chamber, which in itself resided in a large cavernous chamber.
The type of chamber that made you feel small with it large grey roof and walls with an equally dismal cold chill meandering around the room.
The Energy chamber - for now - was quiet, its domed surface held nothing different from the last time Optimus Prime checked it, nor did any of the red adornments to the chamber.
It remained as unused as ever.
Prime was so engrossed with the chamber that Perceptor's entrance did not rouse him until they were shoulder to shoulder.
"Something wrong Prime?" Perceptor patted the leader's shoulder strut.
Optimus let his large red shoulders sag with a tired sigh.
"I'm sorry Perceptor, I just feel like something's... wrong... I keep getting mixed visions from the Matrix. Sometimes bad, sometimes good."
"Yes, Magnus had told me you had been having these, ah, premonitions" Perceptor nodded, giving another pat in an attempt to relay comfort.
"It probably sounds stupid to say after so long, but sometimes I wish the matrix gave coherent visions" Optimus rubbed his chin before shrugging and putting on a more jovial tone "It would make dealing with whatever the problem is much easier"
"Hm, oh! Yes!" The humor took a moment to land in the scientist's processor and he let out a small titter "Ah, it'd be no fun if things were too easy!"
Optimus had already begun to leave, leaving Perceptor to hurry to his side.
"So, the young ones are on a special mission all their own today then?" The two Autobots travelled away from the energy chamber.
"Yes! I have high hopes for their success!" Even with the mask over his face, you could tell Prime was smiling.
"Quite interesting the Dinobots could detect the pollution in the water stream! I highly doubted they would even be able to recognise any change in chemical structure. Of course, I had to verify this claim from them…" Perceptor busied himself with explaining just about everything that had happened.
Optimus responded to the vocal barrage with several vague 'mmm's and nods before silencing the smaller mech with a hand on his shoulder.
"Perceptor?"
"Yes Prime?"
"Shush" as if to reinforce his statement he held a finger to the approximate location of his lip plates.
"They will be fine, all they need to do is locate the source of the contaminant and dispose of it. I trust they can do that and then the Dinobot's can return to their favourite river instead of getting themselves lost on the outer edges of the Acid wasteland's or wherever they've set themselves up today"
"Oh. Yes, of course" Perceptor rubbed his brow "Not that I could tell you where those Jurassic half-wits have gone today, they don't regard me with the same sort of respect they did Wheeljack and Ratchet"
Optimus nodded solemnly.
"They may have told Cleancut their whereabouts then, possibly, regardless I'm surprised your Scope hasn't proved himself more present in this operation"
"Oh" Perceptor huffed and crossed his arms "Yes I'd hoped he would be more involved but he's more interested in, eugh, leeches of all things"
"Hm, yes he has been studying those for a while now, hasn't he? Couldn't you persuade him into this venture by claiming some vague interest in using leeches as natural filtration devices? Or contamination detectors?" Optimus offered some advice as they neared the exit.
"That could work, but I don't want to interrupt it all… I mean he needs the time to himself to figure things out and besides he never made those leeches from the start! He got them from somewhere else!" Perceptors optics began to shimmer and twinkle with excitement "He's collaborating! I don't know who with but it's a step in the right direction! He'll be socialising soon I just know it!"
As they stepped out onto the streets of the still rather worn and tattered city, the scars of war still marring the horizon Optimus smiled at his excited friend. He could comment that Perceptor had left it too long or was too lenient on his offspring but he didn't want to spoil the moment.
"Perceptor, maybe you should ask Scope to review his peer's mission report, he has an analytical mind, I'm sure he and Firewall can give a detailed analysis" Optimus beamed.
"Oh yes! Of course Prime!" Perceptor snapped upright, despite Optimus's usual request for his troops to stay relaxed and casual Perceptor still saluted the Prime as he left back to his own designated homestead leaving Optimus to mull over his thoughts.
"DJ"
The dark, dank, dripping tunnel echoed the name to and fro as the sound of splashing water echoed out into an almost static-like buzz.
"DJ! Answer your comm!" The voice snapped again and three Cybertronian figures paused, standing still as the rivers water washed over their legs.
"Couldn't ya have got someone more reliable than that cu-"
"Hey!" The second line was cut off quickly by the group's leader. Certainly the broadest of the trio the mech stood tall, wide dark red shoulders held up a blue helm with heterochromia optics peering grumpily at a wrist-mounted communications device.
That one was named Guiltaur and he passed an irritable glare to the one he cut-off.
That one was named Ripraider, mostly grey in colour Ripraiders most notable feature was his Optics as well, he had four large optics that almost resembled flower petals blooming from his face. Although if you weren't looking at him you'd quickly understand the near-constant stream of profanity as he spoke was a very obvious part of him.
"Firewall!" The third figure barked jarring the other two to stare at her with a pang of surprise.
She was shorter than the other two, a somewhat peachy pink in colour but both mechs wavered under her glare.
"Firewall, someone with sense answer me!" Cleancut continued to her own communicator.
"Firewall here" Another femme buzzed over the line "You are progressing fine no?"
"DJ here" suddenly pinged from Guiltaurs communicator almost in response.
"Yeah we will now radio-heads finally remembered where he is" Cleancut finished off her conversation with brief acknowledgment from the femme on the other end.
"DJ, why didn't you respond? This is a team effort and you're meant to be giving us directions!" Guiltaur hissed.
"Chill brother, I have the map right here!" Paper rustled over the line.
"Fucking wonderful" Ripraider huffed sharing a similar look of being unimpressed with Cleancut.
"There's another fork in the river, which way should we go?" Guiltaur ignored his companions mumbles.
"Ooooh another one, eh? Not enough of you to split up and search for clues, this time, right? You know the other team hasn't had a single issue with their search" DJ crooned in a mildly melodic manner.
"We ARE looking for the source of contamination, DJ isn't likely to know which route it came from" Cleancut interjected.
"I know that!" Guiltaur suddenly seemed to jerk to life, desperately defending the actions he had been taking "It's just a team effort! Remember! Aaand as the good leader I am, I need to make sure everyone's playing their part! DJ can tell us if it's an unsafe route!" The longer the sentence went on the higher Guiltaur's voice seemed to get.
"Nah man, both are good, one on the left's a tight squeeze though" DJ interrupted before Guiltaur's 'self-defence' turned into a long-winded ramble.
"Good! We go right then!" Guiltaur straightened himself up as if nothing happened and flashed a charismatic smile which would've been far more appealing if it wasn't an obvious attempt at trying to smile himself into a better mood.
"Ripraider you were brought on this mission for two reasons remember, you could be far more helpful here" Cleancut side-stepped to be closer to the mech, her optics not moving from his.
"Aaaah you're a piece of shit, one I do respect, but a piece o' shit nonetheless!" Ripraider's four optics squinted down at Cleancut "But you fuckin' know I don't like transforming and I ain't gonna do it unless I gotta!"
"Honestly, I don't know how you could've messed up your alt mode Rip! I doubt I'll ever change from mine! The code I was created with had a wonderful alt mode if I do say so myself!" Guiltaur undeniably preened himself as he walked down the right passage, water noisily sloshing around his feet.
"Yeah well you just got the same shit-juggling alt mode as fuck-truck Prime! Hardly a fragging difference between ya!" Ripraider snorted angrily "Difference between the two of you is YOU need a proctologist to find ya goddamn head!"
"Don't speak back to your leader like that!" Guiltaur squawked awkwardly as his path meandered, the mech only just stopping himself from spinning around to stare down his 'subordinate' and ignore the small titter from Cleancut.
"Oh I'm fuckin' sorry sir, guess I ain't in the best of moods! Didn't get out of bed on the wrong side more did a pirouette into a steaming shit-pile eh?" Ripraider could not drop his confrontational attitude and it left Guiltaur bristling much to the former's amusement.
Ripraider didn't get a chance to drop any more snarky comments, seeing fit to nip the behaviour in the bud Cleancut put herself in between the two, her doorwing spread out just enough to make her presence clear to Ripraider and to cease his talking.
Still, irritable Guiltaur was near stomping through the water when he stopped at another opening.
The river flowed down this route too, but the direction of the passage lead in the opposite direction to the way they were heading.
"Does this river split into two?" Guiltaur turned to Cleancut who shrugged in response.
"DJ is meant to be reading the map and giving us directions"
Guiltaur took a tentative step towards the opening, shyly peering round the edge.
Ripraider needed to clasp a hand to his lip plates when Guiltaur leapt backwards like a startled cybercat. It was a pretty silly sight, especially as Guiltaur flailed so amazingly to try and right himself as quickly as possible.
"There's voices!" He hissed
"What?" Cleancut advanced on Guiltaur the larger mech quickly backing away to let her examine the opening "Yeah, you're right I can hear talking"
"Ain't no other fuckers meant to be down here right?" Ripraider looked between his companions but made no attempt to move.
"Yeah, yeah you're right!" Guiltaur suddenly seemed to flash to life as if he figured everything out, he drew up to his full height and put on a bold pose. His chest plates puffed out he replaced Cleancut at the opening of the new passageway.
"Hey you three" DJ 's mumbled voice came back over the communication line and Guiltaur shushed him "No, I need to tell you something before Firewall has my aft"
Guiltaur practically slapped the communicator off and Cleancut offered a mildly apathetic but still somewhat confused glance to Ripraider.
"Right!" Suddenly put on a loud booming voice ensuring his words would echo down the passage "Whoever is down there identify yourself! You do not have clearance to be here!"
Cleancut still seemed unimpressed but her body arched, ready for whatever may happen and Ripraider quietly shuffled up next to the two.
It all seemed a bit pointless until the quiet echoes of the other voices fell silent at Guiltaur's words.