Yo! articmadador here bringing you chapter 14! Nothing much to say except I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas, and New Years is on its way! I DO NOT OWN TRANSFORMERS! Hasbro does. I only own Claire and the squad. Please review and enjoy! Chapter 15 is coming soon!
727 was starting to think rushing off and following the pull of her spark wasn't a good idea. Of course, she did eat a pickup truck and a mini car before leaving dry land. However, no meal could prepare her for the Pacific Ocean. She remembered that it was the Pacific Ocean, and that it was large, only she didn't remember just how large it was. She had been flying for hours, and could not find a place to recharge, or anything to eat.
Now she was really starting to regret it. She was flying directly into a storm, and it was bad one. Even worse, as she scanned it, she realized that it was actually a hurricane. She was already entering the rain bands, and could feel the wind pulling at her wings. The hurricane was a category three, but was rapidly changing to a category four. Either way, 727 knew she didn't want to be in it, but she was already in too far gone to go back.
727 already knew that the hurricane was dangerous. She knew it could kill her, especially with the ocean not far below. The huge, towering waves looked liked they were daring her to come too close. The rain was blinding her, despite the fact that she was using her eyelids, which were not unlike the eyelids of a bird. She had four in each optic, all made of transparent aluminum. They were all active now, which made her vision cloudy. She also found herself working harder to fly. She had to angle her panels in an uncomfortable position just to keep them from getting damaged in the winds. If one panel hit the wind wrong, it could be damaged, or worse, her entire wing could be damaged. She could not turn around, but she was risking too much by going forward.
The moisture, surprisingly, did not bother her. One of her frame's advanced advantages were that it was completely water proof. Moisture did not damage her systems, and she could remain submerged in it for very long periods of time. Although other Cybertronians could interact with water, they could not stay submerged for too long, and when they left the water after being fully submerged, they had to be sure to dry off thoroughly.
727 felt the winds starting to drag her sideways as she tried to fly straight. The winds were becoming stronger, and the rain was blinding, even for her advanced optics. She was already wasting too much fuel, and was soaked to the circuits. She thought about going up to escape the storm, but the higher she went, the worse the winds got. She could not go any lower, for risk of being dragged into the ocean by the waves. However, now that she thought about it, maybe that would not be such a bad thing after all.
*\Maybe I can swim! It can't be no different than flyin'! Besides, what've I got ta lose? I'll loose meh wings if I keep flyin'. Down there I might sink to tha bottom, but I'd rather be stuck down there than wingless.
727 looked down towards the ocean below, but unfortunately she couldn't see. She tried clearing her lids, but even then she still could not see. However, she could use another method. Back in Mexico, she had discovered that she had a sonar system, and by sending out and receiving small electrical pulses, she could collect enough data to form an image and see where she was going. It didn't work well here, since by the time she had received the data, the waves had changed position, but it would work underwater. So, she gathered her courage, angled her wings, and dived when she felt it was the right time.
It hurt when she hit the water. She dived straight into an incoming wave, and the power of it sent her crashing recklessly into the water. She activated her thruster the moment she was fully submerged, and dived straight down. She could swim perfectly, and was very fast underwater, especially with the help of her thrusters. She used her wings as flippers, and her tail as a rudder. Things were more calm underwater, and the deeper she went the more peaceful it became.
It was very pleasant to be underwater. The fish were moving about like nothing was happening. They didn't seem to mind that 727 was there, and moved around her as if she was a normal part of their ecosystem. It was definitely safer here, and she could continue on her way so long as she didn't approach the surface. She used her sonar to be sure nothing was in front of her, and finding nothing there, continued on her way. She didn't like the loud sounds the storm made, and it sounded even more threatening underwater, but there was nothing she could do about it.
She continued to swim for at least an hour before she grew tired of being underwater. She was running low on fuel, and although she was able to navigate easily underwater, she wasn't fond of doing it. It was probably because she had to, and it was the nature of a Predacon to not like being forced to do things. However, she was still human in soul, and she knew she would have to be patient.
After a while, she decided to move to the surface and see if the storm was over. The surface was calm, and as she peaked out of the water, she saw that the storm was far off in the distance. It had been moving towards her, and now that she passed it, she didn't have to worry about it anymore. So, she dove back down, gathered some speed, and flew out of the water. It was easier to take off then she expected, but she quickly found that her energy levels were low.
Her mind was quickly taken off that when she saw an island in the distance. It was very large, and she could she mountains on it, as well as many lights. She realized it had to be buildings. Buildings meant humans, and humans meant cars. That was what she needed, and it was in her favor that the last rays of sunlight were slipping below the horizon. She increased her speed, and as she neared the island, she activated her cloaking software.
She landed on the beach near a hotel. She scented multiple cars nearby, but could hear and smell humans as well. Hopefully they weren't too close to the cars. Luckily for her, there was a line of trees that gave her cover, and the humans were far from the cars. 727 decided she would pick a car, then carry it into the trees and eat where she could eat in peace. She selected a Honda Odyssey and, after making sure it was empty, she quickly picked it up and flew away into the trees.
Unfortunately, 727 had to do this four more times. She didn't like flying in plain sight over the cars, but it was the only way she could get them to the trees. Luckily, the four vehicles were enough to fill her up. She decided she would be safer at higher ground, and that it was time to give her wings a rest for a while.
She definitely had long arms and legs for a reason. She galloped through the trees as fast as she could go, which was unbelievably fast for her size. She navigated through the trees with ease, especially with the help of her sonar. It took longer than she expected to reach the nearest mountain, even at her speed. Upon reaching it, she opened her wings and flew up towards the top. Her intention was to find a cave, or a place where she would not be discovered. She did not want to be near the summit. She had detected warm areas of the beach, and figured out that there were volcanoes on this island. Luckily, the mountain she was on was not a volcano, and if it had been, it wasn't active. She couldn't find a cave, but the trees were tall, and the trails were dangerous. Humans most likely wouldn't be climbing this hill. She landed midways up, and settled in between the trees, despite how close together they were.
727 hadn't realized that she wasn't looking her best. Her armor was scratched and dented, and debris had collected in her wing panels. It was very uncomfortable, and she jumped straight into clearing it out. Clearing the debris out was a troubling task, but she did it nonetheless. She didn't have trouble with the scratches, and actually got rid of them. Her oral lubricant contained a substance that filled in the scratches, and made her armor glow. As for the dents, she would have to live with them. There was no way to get rid of those.
With all the events of the day, 727 had nearly forgotten about the pull on her spark. It was still there, and it was pulling in the direction she had been traveling. She didn't exactly want to leave yet, especially not after facing that storm. There was food here, and she was safe enough from humans. She at least would stay another day or so.
*\What harm can it do? Those last few hours over water tired me out, and there's more to go! I deserve a rest.
She settled down in the trees after doing a scan of the area. No human was nearby, but there were a few birds and plenty of insects. They did not really bother her, but she hoped they would leave her alone. When she finally slipped into recharge, the bunny was there and she continued with telling stories. The bunny seemed sad and afraid, but the only comfort 727 could provide was lending an audio receptor to the bunny's stories.
727's a little hardcore. She's surviving hurricanes and chillin' in the tropics. By the way, she's in Hawaii, although that seemed pretty obvious. Hope you enjoyed!