The following contains an extensive apology by the author of this fanfiction. If you wish to skip the apology, please scroll down.

I AM SO SORRY! I swear, I didn't mean to make you all wait this long! I had this chapter half-way written and then all these school projects suddenly showed up (or maybe they were there for awhile and I, being a terrible procrastinator, just ignored them until the deadline was practically yelling at me), and then there was this mess with the short story I submitted to my school's literary magazine, and then my schedule was filled up with practicing for the big spring concert that my school's orchestra does, and then my dog developed a real bad limp in her leg that we're worried about, and I was still dealing with writer's block, so it all just went blegh! So please, PLEASE forgive me!

Ok *takes deep breath* crazy rant over.

To make up for the extra long wait, I wrote an extra long chapter, over 6,000 words and 23 pages on microsoft (holy crap. yeah, this might take awhile to read). Some parts may seem a bit choppy due to writer's block, but I hope you enjoy it anyway.

I don't own transformers.

"I told ya I don't know nothin'. Now leave me the hell alone!" And with that, yet another door was slammed in our faces.

"Don't know nothing is a double negative." Zig-zag grumbled. "Learn some decent grammar you Scottish bast—" He glanced at Raf and swallowed his curse. "—butthead."

I sighed. "Well, today certainly has been productive. I think I can now recognize the different species of trees they use to build the doors. This one was made out of cherry."

We'd spent the day traveling around to the various towns of Loch Ness. Lot of good that did us, none of the locals wanted to talk. There was an air of fear about the people, like they suspected at any moment their old superstitions and stories would leap up from the back of their consciousness and take true form. Which in reality, it kind of was. So I couldn't blame them for not wanting to talk. But that didn't mean that I didn't find it annoying as hell.

I sighed again, glancing up at the setting sun. "I guess we should be getting back to the castle."

Bee suddenly sent me a comm. :Val, there's an old human who's hitting my tires with a cane. What should I do?:

:Just hang tight, we'll be there in a minute.: I replied.

I turned to the others. "There's some geezer harassing Bee, we'd better go."

We walked quickly back to where we'd parked. Sure enough there was an old man hobbling around Bumblebee, occasionally lifting his cane to rap on Bee's tires or hood. Bee seemed to have had enough of it and set off his alarm. The old man jumped back and started swearing.

:Bee, cut it out.: I said. :We don't want to give the man a heart attack.:

:He asked for it.: Bumblebee grumbled, cutting off the alarm.

The man looked up as we approached. "So you're the ones that have been askin' around about the attacks."

Zig-zag crossed his arms. "Yeah. So?"

"These are you're cars?" He gestured to Bee and Que. "Typical of you Americans, choosing style over substance. This thing will barely last a year." He slapped his cane across Bumblebee's hood again. I could practically feel the agitation radiating off of the yellow 'Bot.

"It's tougher than you think." Raf said.

"Sir, I don't know what you want, but we'd very much appreciate it if you'd step away from the cars so we can leave." I said, slowly approaching him.

With a speed I would've not thought possible for someone his age; the man grabbed my arm, gripping it tight. "You're like them." The man whispered.

I stiffened. "Like who?"

"The MacSharnons." The man hissed. "You see things like them. I know why you're here."

"And what am I here for?" I asked.

"To get rid of her."

"The monster you mean." I said,

"She's no such thing!" the man cried indignantly.

I raised my eyebrows. "And how would you know?"

The man scowled at me. "I ain't got nothin' more to say to you. You're workin' for those MacSharnons."

"Val, let's just leave the nut job to his ramblings." Zig-zag said.

I held out my hand, silently telling him to wait. This man obviously knew something, and if it helped solve this case, I was going to find out what it was.

"I'm not working for the MacSharnons." I said in my best authoritative tone. "My job is to simply stop these attacks before they draw too much attention or someone is killed. I have no intention of harming the, uh, creature. In a way, you could say that I'm working for Nessie."

"Ailis, her name is Ailis." the man grumbled. "She was never fond of that nickname."

Silence stretched out for several minutes as we stared at the old timer.

"Whoa, hold up there, you've actually talked to the Loch Ness monster?" Zig-zag asked incredulously.

"How?" Raf asked.

"As easily as I'm talkin' to you." The man sighed, glancing over his shoulders. "This isn't a good place to discuss this. Follow me, quickly, before I come to my sense and chase you lot off." He hobbled off down a dusty street.

"All those in favor of not following the psycho grandpa, say aye." Zig-zag said. "Aye."

"Nay." I said and started to follow the man.

"Val, you can't be serious." Zig-zag grabbed my shoulder. "This guy has clearly blown on the bagpipes one too many times."

"He knows something." I said.

Ziggy groaned. "This is one of those stupid gut instincts, isn't it?"

"Yep."

"You don't even have a gut anymore!" he protested.

"I think Val's right." Raf chimed in quietly. "We should follow him."

"Thank you Raf, you're now my new best friend." I stuck my tongue out at Zig-zag. "Ziggy you've now been replaced."

I started walking away with Raf beside me.

"That's real mature, Val." Ziggy called.

I ignored him and kept walking.

:Are you sure you know what you're doing?: Bee asked.

:Not really. I never do. But we need answers and this guy seems to have a few.: I replied.

:Just be careful.:

:You're starting to sound like Optimus.: I teased.

Footsteps thudded behind us as Zig-zag came running up.

"You guys suck, you know that?" he panted.

"You could've stayed behind with Bumblebee and Que." I said.

"And miss all the crazy crap? Not a chance." Ziggy snorted.

"Hurry up now." The man called. "I'm the old one here, yet I'm moving faster than all of you."

We followed him down the narrow street lined with small cottages. He hobbled to the entrance of a little stone cottage, opening the door and beckoning us in. The house was small but well-kept; the little kitchen, though worn, was spotless; a couch covered with miss-matching pillowed faced a television that hadn't been in style since the early seventies; a squat little wood stove and an rickety armchair sat in a corner; hung along the walls were sketches and watercolor paintings of the loch during the different seasons. Overall: not bad for an old timer.

"I'm Valerie by the way." I said, taking a seat on the lumpy couch. "This is Raf, and the paranoid albino is Zig-zag."

Raf raised his hand in a shy wave while Ziggy sent me a death glare.

"Darcy Afton." The man grunted, stooping to start a fire in the stove.

Zig-zag snorted and I kicked him in the shins. "So I hate to beat around the bush, but how exactly do you know Ness—Ailis?"

Darcy sighed and settled into the armchair. "I probably know her better than anyone, more than those stuck-up MacSharnons. They don't give a rat's soggy bottom what happens to her."

"Yeah, Caelan MacSharnon doesn't really care for this place." Raf said.

Darcy snorted. "The young one? Hah! Of course she doesn't care, all young people have a problem with quiet places like this; they can't stay in one place for too long, always need to be moving. No, I'm talking about the elder."

"Brigid MacSharnon?" I asked.

"Doesn't even deserve to carry the family name." Darcy spat. "Never cared about Ailis. From what I know all the MacSharnons have kept some sort of communication with Ailis, but as soon as Brigid took the reins she cut off all connections."

That was certainly an interesting tid-bit of information. "And how do you know all of this? How did you come to be uh friends with Ailis?"

The old timer chuckled. "It's a bit of a long tale."

"We've got some time." I said.

"And I don't really want to go back to that creepy castle." Raf said.

Darcy leaned back in his chair, a faraway look in his eyes. "It was my tenth birthday and my parents had given me a little red sailboat, my Pa had made it himself."

"Oh great, here comes the monologue." Zig-zag grumbled.

I kicked him again. "Sorry, about Ziggy, we're still teaching him manners. Please continue."

"I had taken the boat out that day, all on my own. I spent hours out on the loch, never noticed the sky, never saw the storm coming until it was right on top of me. The middle of the loch is not the place you want to be in a swell. My boat capsized, I tried to hold onto the wreck and when that failed I tried to swim to shore. I never stood a chance. Before I knew it, I was under several feet of water, didn't know which way was up and which was down. Just as I was figuring on dying, I bumped into something. Thinking it was a rock, I grabbed hold. But rocks didn't move. Whatever had me pulled me up and I broke the surface and got a good look at what'd saved me." Darcy chuckled. "I'll admit, I damn near pissed myself when I first saw her. Actually, far as I remember, I lost consciousness, 'cause the next thing I knew I was on the shore. Thought it all was a dream, 'til I saw her peeking up from the shallows. Never really understood why she stuck around. I guess she just really needed a friend. Still, it took several months before she'd actually speak to me."

"And what, you just became buddy-buddy with the Loch Ness Monster?" Zig-zag asked skeptically. "I'm sorry, but someone would've noticed you're little chit-chat sessions with a giant amphibious creature."

Darcy's eyes flicked to a sketch. I followed his gaze to see a picture of a dark grey horse standing at the water's edge. Looking at the image brought a memory from Ella's lesson to mind.

"That's a picture of her isn't it?" I asked Darcy.

He nodded.

"The horse?" Raf asked.

"Kelpies are shape-shifters." I said. "They often take the form of a horse or a youth. In fact, kelpies are more often referred to as water horses."

"Done your homework." Darcy said.

Ziggy jumped up to examine the sketch. "So you're telling me that horse is the Loch Ness Monster?"

"Beautiful isn't she?" Darcy sighed.

"Uh yeah, gorgeous." I said. "Mr. Afton, when was the last time you saw Ailis?"

The old man's brow furrowed. "Several weeks ago, a little less than a month I think. It was a strange thing; she'd been all ecstatic and joyous over some sort of awakening of some sort, something about the Old Mother."

I nodded. "That would've been around the time that Gaea gained full control."

Darcy tilted his head questioningly. "Gaea? Why on earth are we talking about Greek gods for?"

"Long story short; she's sort of my boss." I said. "Please continue."

"Well, the last time I saw her, she most definitely was not happy. She was nervous; borderline terrified if you ask me. I tried to get her to tell me but she left too soon, saying something about checking the prison."

I stiffened. "Prison?"

Darcy nodded. "That's what she said, though I'm not sure what she meant by that."

I reached into my bag and brought out the book. "I think I do. Mr. Afton, I don't suppose you can read this?"

He flipped through the pages. "Bits, my granddad taught me some when I was a lad." He paused at the page with the image of the man trapping the monster. Darcy paled at the sight, eyes quickly scanning the page. He swore loudly. "Curse me for a fool! Now I understand."

"Don't suppose you could share with the rest of us?" Zig-zag grumbled.

"This shows the history of one of the first MacSharnons." Darcy said. "And his imprisoning of the Beast, or so the book calls it."

"It's not Ailis, is it?" Raf asked.

Darcy shook his head. "No this creature is most definitely not her, but it's just as old."

"What exactly is it?" Ziggy asked.

"A male kelpie." Darcy whispered, a trace of fear in his tone.

Ziggy snorted. "Ok, it's a guy Loch Ness Monster. What's the big deal?"

"Foolish boy," Darcy snapped. "Males kelpies are the worst of their kind; they're vicious, conniving, bloodthirsty creatures. I assume you've heard about some of the darker tales of kelpies?" he asked, turning to look at me.

I frowned in thought. "Something about drowning."

"Yes, that's how they liked to kill their victims. They'd take the form of a horse or beautiful youth and lure young women and children into the water, once there they'd drown their victims then eat the poor soul's heart and liver."

Zig-zag's face was tinged green. "They ate a human's heart and liver?"

"And I thought haggis was gross." Raf squeaked.

"So the eldest MacSharnon gets wind of this guy and traps him in an island." I muttered in thought. "So the main question is how did he escape?"

"We'd have to go to the island to figure that out." Raf said.

"No, Ziggy and I will have to go to the island. You are going to be staying as far away from the water and any horses as possible." I said, thinking that I might have to send him back to Nevada soon. "If it is this male kelpie that's attacking the ships, it probably won't be too long before he goes after easier prey."

"We don't even know what island the prison is on." Ziggy said.

"There's only one island on Loch Ness." Raf said. "Cherry Island."

Darcy shook his head. "Nay boy, that's a crannog; an artificial island built centuries ago." He tapped the pages of the book with a wrinkled finger. "But it's not old enough to have been around in old MacSharnon's time. There was only one natural island that existed here."

"Was?" I asked.

Darcy nodded grimly. "Dog Island. It sat near the southern end of the loch, not far from where Cherry Island is, until it was submerged when the Caledonian Canal was built in 1822. Now it lies several meters under water. It was a common tale, when I was a child, that the waters around the sunken island were haunted. Now I see there is some fact behind that fiction."

"That's where we need to go." I said.

"No, where we need to go is back to sanity-land." Zig-zag wrung his hands. "You can't seriously be considering diving into the loch to look for some ancient magic prison that may or may not hold a vicious kelpie who may or may not be prowling through said loch looking for its next meal which may or may not be you."

I rolled my eyes. "I thought you were excited to go Loch Ness Monster hunting."

Ziggy huffed and crossed his arms. "Yeah well, that was before I found out that the monster we're hunting is an ancient homicidal Jurassic Park reject."

"But you really should make sure the kelpie hasn't escaped, because if it did, you can bet it's gonna go after the MacSharnons. That includes Caelan." Raf said.

At the mention of Caelan, Ziggy paused and seemed to think it over; reason battling with infatuation. I wanted to applaud Raf for his quick thinking.

Ziggy groaned and slapped a hand across his forehead. "Fine. Just do me a favor: if I get eaten, tell Caelan I went out fighting."

"I really don't think she'd care, but ok." I said then turned to Darcy. "I understand that divulging such a precious secret to complete strangers wasn't easy, and I want you to know that we appreciate your help very much. You've given us our first real lead in this case."

He nodded solemnly, "Just find Ailis."

Darcy tried to hand the book back but I shook my head. "It'll do us no good since we can't read it. Besides, I can't think of anyone who'd appreciate the story more than you."

We said our goodbyes and left the man in his cottage. As we walked back to Bumblebee and Que, my mind mulled over the new information. The need to solve this case had just intensified. Especially after giving the Loch Ness Monster an identity. Now she wasn't some mystery hidden in the loch, she was a missing person, someone who was desperately missed by loved ones.

:So it's safe to assume you haven't been off-lined by that eccentric human?: Que asked when we came into few of the two Autobots. His tone sounded just the slightest bit bored, and I felt a pang of guilt for having them sit in their alt-modes all day long.

:I'm sorry we kept you guys waiting. I know it's probably killing you being stuck doing curbside duty for this entire trip.: I said over the comm as I climbed into Bumblebee's driver seat.

:It's ok.: Bee chirped. :Besides it's a nice change of pace from being shot at by Decepticons.:

I chuckled. :Well hopefully the pace will pick up a bit now; we have a new lead.:

I filled them in as we drove to the southern end of the loch. The trip had taken over an hour and by the time we'd arrived the sun was a mere sliver over the horizon and to make matters worse storm clouds were gathering along the eastern edge of the sky and approaching fast. We pulled off the road and parked. Through the trees I could see Cherry Island, a small slab of stone and pine trees only a few hundred feet in diameter. The water around it seemed tranquil, yet there was something that brushed ever so slightly against my sense, the tiniest hint of evil. I squinted, trying to see some sort of outline of Dog Island under the water, but the island was down too deep.

I sighed, taking my jacket off. "Well there looks like there's only one way to get to it."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I've seemed to have forgotten to pack my scuba gear." Zig-zag snorted. "I'm not getting within ten feet of that water."

I rolled my eyes. "I didn't expect you to. You and Raf can go wait back with Bee and Que."

"Wait, I want to stay here." Raf protested.

"I know, but you also need to stay safe. And being so close to the water with a homicidal kelpie possibly on the loose is not safe." I said.

:How about a middle ground?: Bee whirred. There was a sound of transformation then he walked over to us closely followed by Que. :This way Raf and Ziggy and keep safe, we can watch your back, and we get out of our alts for a bit.:

I sighed in resignation. "Fine, but if you see any splashing, and I'm not the one doing it, shoot."

Bee mock saluted. :Aye-aye, captain.:

"Are you going to change to bi-pedal mode?" Que asked.

I shook my head. "I'm gonna try and keep it in Pretender for as long as I can. But if push comes to shove I'll make the change."

"And how are you supposed to hold your breath?" Ziggy asked skeptically.

"Uh Zig-zag, Val technically doesn't need to breathe." Raf pointed out. "None of them need to."

"Seriously? When were you going to tell me about this, Val?"

"Uh, never?" I said, yanking off my shoes and socks. "It didn't seem like that big of a deal. I mean: I see the dead, I turn into a robotic dragon, I breathe fire, and I can summon ancient spirits. Does it really seem that important compared to all that other crap?"

"Well, when you put it like that…" Ziggy grumbled.

I walked towards the water and stuck my toes in, shivering at the chill. A few more steps in and my jeans were soaked up to my knees, the water already making them heavy.

"Duh-dah…duh-dah…duh-dah-duh-dah-duh-dah…"

Without even bothering to turn my head, I called back. "Zig-zag, if you don't stop singing the theme to Jaws I'm gonna have Anansi put millions of spider eggs in your bed that'll hatch and crawl all over you while you sleep."

That shut him up.

I walked up till the water reached my waist. Pausing, I took several calming breaths then plunged into the loch.

One good thing to know about Loch Ness: it's murky as hell. I could barely see five feet in front of me. I didn't see the island until I nearly crashed into it. The island was really no more than an elevated slab of rock now, maybe four or five hundred feet in diameter. What little sunlight that managed to cut through the water was now fading fast, so I had to work quickly. I swam slowly along the island, noticing the ancient Gaelic markings, faded and worn from time. The visibility conditions got so poor I eventually had to close my eyes and use my hands to guide me. The stone was smooth beneath my fingertips, almost unnaturally so. I was starting to grow frustrated when my hands plunged into an open space. Opening my eyes, I expected to see a giant crater blown out of the side of the island. Instead there was only an opening about the size of a city manhole, just big enough for a human to fit through.

I opened the comm link. :Well I found…something.:

:What is it?: Bee asked.

:An opening, I guess. But it seems too small for the monster I saw in my vision.:

:You did say that this creature can change its forms.: Que pointed out. :So the size of the opening would not matter. The important thing is that the creature did escape. Your question has been answered, now I suggest you return to the surface before something down there decides to make a meal out of you.:

Still I lingered by the hole. :There's something wrong with it. If the kelpie had simply broken out of its bindings there'd be more damage to the island; fractured stone and such. This opening is…too neat.: I ran my hands around the edges, noting the smooth texture. :The rock isn't broken, it's more like it's been melted away. This was deliberate. I think…: I didn't like the idea that was forming in my mind.

:Think what?: Que asked.

:I think the kelpie had help escaping.: I said. :That's the—: I froze when I felt a dark chill race up my back.

:Val, what's wrong?: Bee chirped worriedly.

:Hold your positions up there.: I ordered. :Don't go near the water.:

They tried to protest but I closed the comm link. Flattening myself against the stone, I squinted into the gloom. There was nothing to see, yet that anxious feeling persisted, if anything, it grew stronger. Suddenly a flash of light from above briefly lit up my surroundings, a muffled rumble of thunder followed soon after. I looked up at the surface of the loch some thirteen or fourteen feet above me. Another bolt of lightning lit up the sky. And it illuminated the massive silhouette of an approaching creature.

The feeling of anxiety soon turned to one of fear as the figure got closer. It twisted as effortlessly through the water as I would the sky. I finally got a good look at it as a third flash of light bolted down from the clouds. It was the same kelpie from my vision. I may not have been an expert on kelpie recognition but I knew it was him. He swam calmly toward the island. An aura of power radiated off him. This guy could probably bite a Decepticon in two by the time it took someone to sneeze. He was, well, a killing machine. And he enjoyed doing it, I could just feel it.

I needed to get out of there. Desperately running through my arsenal of powers, I tried to think of how to get away. Bast? Ha, a cat goddess underwater, that'd never work. Anansi wouldn't be any help either. Zephyros and Euros were useless as well; the wind spirits could do nothing for me here. I wanted to smack myself for not thinking to form a contract with some sort of water spirit. I couldn't transform either; it would take too long and attract too much attention. That and the creature was more than twice my size. The kelpie didn't seem to have noticed me, but he was almost directly above me, blocking me from swimming to the surface.

Feeling incredibly closed in, something inside me just snapped and for a moment the dragon in me took control. I needed out, I needed to be in the sky. My nails dug into the stone and I lifted my head toward the kelpie, opening my mouth to breath fire. Too late, I came to my senses and realized my mistake. I couldn't breathe fire while in Pretender mode and worse, I was beneath the water, so when I opened my mouth, instead of flames coming out, a deluge of water came in.

Figures, Autobots didn't need to breath, yet I'd be the first to somehow manage drown.

On instinct, I began to thrash, trying to swim to the surface as the water filled my system, causing me to become sluggish. The kelpie turned and spotted me. A look of dark amusement lit up its eyes, and I knew I was screwed.

Suddenly Bee burst through the comm link. :Val, you need to get out of there now!:

:No…kidding, kelpie is…right…in front…of…me.: my message was going in and out as the water messed with my systems.

:No, that's not it. Well, yes that's part of it. But I'm talking about Que, he's about to—:

Just then there was a small splash just above the kelpie, and a small blinking device sunk slowly towards the creature.

Oh, shit. I swam as fast as I could away from the blinking bomb of doom. I glanced back to see the kelpie closing in fast.

A blinding flash of light, the water heated up, and suddenly a found myself shooting out of the loch like I had been stuffed inside a water cannon. The blast tossed me several feet up in the air.

"Zephyros, Euros, get me to land now!" I cried out and soon I was rocketing through the air back towards the others.

Unfortunately the wind spirits overshot, and instead of landing near the others, I found my face meeting a fir tree. I fell some fifteen feet to the ground, hitting every single freaking branch on the way down. Once on land, I began coughing up water, purging my body of the liquid. I rolled onto my back to find the others looking down at me.

"So how was the swim?" Ziggy asked with a smirk.

:I think Val tried to swallow half the loch.: Bee whirred.

I let out a chuckled that caused me to cough up more water. Sitting up, I turned to Que. "Remember what I told you about not bringing explosives?"

Que nodded apprehensively.

"Well you can completely forget that I ever said that. Your bomb just saved my bum."

"So did that destroy the kelpie?" Raf asked.

Thunder rumbled overhead.

"I don't think so." I sighed. "That would be too easy. No, I reckon all we did was just piss him off."

"So the hunt continues." Que murmured.

Just then the lightning lit up the sky and rain began to fall in a heavy torrent.

"So much for trying to get dry." I sighed and stood up. "We need to get to Castle MacSharnon and give them a heads up on the situation."

"And I need to get my things to go back to Nevada." Raf said in a resigned tone.

"Yeah, I'm sorry, but it's starting to get a little too dangerous." I said.

Raf nodded. "I understand, and I don't want to be in the way of you solving this case."

I ruffled his hair. "You haven't been in the way yet. In fact you've been a big help. More than Zig-zag that's for sure."

"I heard that!" Ziggy huffed.

I rolled my eyes. "Let's get going. We'll contact base on the way back."

I frowned as static filled the comm link. "I'm not having any luck getting through. How about you guys."

:Nothing.: Bee said.

:It's the storm, it's causing a disruption in the long distance link.: Que informed us. :We'll have to wait for it to pass.:

I looked out the driver's side window at the black clouds and the thrashing trees. "This thing looks like it's going to take a while to clear."

"There's something I don't understand." Raf murmured quietly from the passenger seat. "From what we know, the monster has been free for several weeks. How come it hasn't attacked the MacSharnon's yet?"

"Probably bidding it's time." Zig-zag said through the open comm. "It's most likely plotting some twisted way to get its revenge."

Plotting some twisted way to get its revenge. Those words bounced around inside my head for a moment. If I the kelpie and I were trapped for hundreds of years I'd certainly find time to plot my revenge. I wouldn't want to just kill them; I'd want to make them suffer. But how would I do it? Capture and torture? Or would it be more psychological? Like, say, getting close to a member of the family, gaining their trust, learning their secrets.

My hands tightened around the steering wheel as my brain put two and two together.

:What's wrong?: Bee asked.

"I think I figured out who our kelpie is." I said.

"Care to share Scooby-Doo?" Ziggy asked.

Bee suddenly slammed on the brakes, tires squealing against the wet road. Que, not far behind us, did the same. Illuminated by Bee's headlights was a familiar but half burned figure.

"Feoras." I muttered.

His stance was casual, and he wore an easy grin. But his hair was singed and fresh burn marks covered his bare chest and right arm.

"Stay here." I said to Raf.

I stepped into the pouring rain and walked around to stand in front of Bee. Despite the seriousness of the situation, I couldn't help but note what Feoras was wearing.

"Nice skirt." I said.

Annoyance flashed through his eyes but he didn't lose his smile. "In Scotland we call this a kilt."

"Well, in America we call that a skirt. And what the heck is it made out of seaweed? Or is it lake-weed—er—loch-weed?"

Feoras twitched a bit. "Are we going to speak about my apparel or discuss more important matters?"

"What kind of important matters? Like your taste for human hearts, or your plot to destroy the MacSharnon's?" I asked.

"My business between the MacSharnon clan do not concern you. And as for my what I like as a meal…well what can I say? It's in my nature."

I clenched my hands. "It wasn't in Ailis' nature."

Feoras smiled. "Ah yes, my dear Ailis."

"Where is she?" I demanded.

He shrugged nonchalantly. "What does it matter? She's probably dead by now."

I growled as energy coursed through me. My spark thrummed as an ethereal representation of the Star Saber formed in my hands.

Feoras took a step back, eying the blade warily. "My, my, you summoned a weapon. From what I hear not many of your kind can do that now a days."

"I'm old school."

"You know, it didn't have to be this way. If you had just left then I wouldn't have to eliminate you. But alas, you're just too curious for your own good." Feoras sighed. "Still, at least some good will come of this; that boy of yours likes rather tasty."

Behind me Bumblebee revved his engine angrily. :Kill that fragger!: Bee all but snarled. It was the single most violent thing I'd ever heard Bee say.

"Will do." I growled then lunged forward, slashing at Feoras.

He jumped back but not before I'd managed to nick his burned arm.

He let out a hiss of pain. "So you want to play then?"

His skin began to stretch and shift as he twisted, his limbs seeming to pop out of alignment, his neck stretching to a gruesome length. I ran toward Feoras hoping to strike while he was vulnerable like that, but he was quicker than I anticipated. I had to roll to the side to avoid being crushed by a giant webbed claw. The kelpie stood before us, every bit as terrifying out of water as he was in it.

:What's the plan?: Bee asked.

:You two are going to get Ziggy and Raf out of here. Get to the highlands, as far away from the loch as you can.: I said.

:But what about—:

:I'll be fine. I've handled worse than this creep. And besides, he's injured and out of his element. Don't worry about me. Wait till there's an opening then gun it out of here.:

:But—:

:That's an order.:

Feoras lunged at me. I jumped back and he followed, leaving the road partially clear.

"Now!" I yelled.

Tires squealing, Bumblebee and Que raced away. I had a brief moment to feel relieved before I had to dodge a whip-like tail. Feoras snapped his teeth at me. I danced forward and sliced at his nose. He drew back in a hiss.

"You have some skill." He noted.

"Would you believe I never took a single fencing lesson in my life?" I jumped back to avoid his claws.

"There is something odd about you." Feoras mused as he tried to bite my leg. "A certain presence. It's powerful. I wonder what you really are?"

I gritted my teeth as I blocked his attack. "You really want to know?"

I spotted an open space several yards away, large enough for me to make my own transformation. I knew what Optimus had said, but changing to my true form might be the only way to beat this guy.

I took off running, preparing to shift. But lady luck decided to pull a cruel joke and I slipped on the wet road. I landed flat on my face, my sword skidding several feet away before disappearing. A deep chuckle echoed behind me. I turned to see Feoras standing over me, a malicious smile spread over his reptilian face.

"You certainly get points for trying."

The roar of an engine echoed in the night air. I looked up to see a large set of headlights heading our way. The light stunned Feoras long enough for me to roll out of the way of the oncoming vehicle. I caught a glimpse of a familiar red and blue paint job as the semi rammed into the kelpie, right where the burn marks were. There was a sickening crunch and Feoras bellowed in pain, his front right leg, bent at an odd angle, appeared to be broken.

The door to the semi opened. "Get in."

I didn't need telling twice. Scrambling into the cabin, I all but flung myself into the seat. The door slammed shut and we raced away.

"You know, when I said that I might need you to save me from the big bad monster, I was only joking." I said as I leaned against the seat.

"You have a rather twisted sense of humor then." Optimus rumbled. "Because what just happened back there was not amusing."

"You need to get out more then." I groaned as I rubbed a sore spot on my arm. "How'd you know we needed help? None of our messages could get through."

"I am not sure. I suppose you could call it a…"

"Gut instinct?" I finished for him. "Yeah, I get those a lot. Don't worry; they're not life-threatening. But I'm guessing you left without telling anyone, so we shouldn't expect more backup."

"Unfortunately the base was unoccupied when I bridged over."

"Well that's just peachy."

"So I assume that creature was the one you came to hunt?" Optimus asked.

"Actually no. The creature that I came looking for is M.I.A, possibly D.O.A, and I.D.K what I'm supposed to do next." I had to explain some of the acronyms to Optimus.

"We must regroup with the others." Optimus said. "Then perhaps we can devise a plan."

"The storm has been causing some interference, but the short range comm should be working." I said. "I told Bee to high-tail it up to the hills, away from the loch. Kelpies can't last too long out of water."

"What of the MacSharnon's, have they been warned?"

"No but…" I paused, thinking of everything I'd learned today. "I can't help but think that the person we should really be looking out for is Ailis."

"Who?"

I sighed. "I fill you in when we meet up with the others. If Ziggy or Raf have their cell phones on them, I'll have them call Castle MacSharnon and give them a warning. But right now, I really need to find the Loch Ness Monster. The good one."

Optimus was quiet for a moment. "I don't not like the idea of putting humans in danger, but I trust your judgement."

"Thank you." I said. "I just have a feeling that Nessie—I mean Ailis—holds the last piece of the puzzle."

I only hoped that she would be alive to give it to us.

Looks like Optimus managed to come after all.

The next few weeks are gonna be a bit crazy for me, what with finals and graduation and all that jazz, so I'm not sure when I'll update next. At the latest would be end of June, hopefully I'll update before then. Thanks so much for sticking with the story, you're all awesome. I'm so sorry for the wait.

Sincerely,

Wolfwitch