Badlands: Chapter 4
Cade and gang felt very relaxed and rested as they continued their drive to the Badlands. They had decided to begin the day quite early to catch the sunrise in Badlands. As the sun was peaking over the rolling hills, the Earth began to sparkle different colors of purple, and pink mixed in with the brown and red dirt. "These were minerals left by the Ancients, some are led to believe there are sources of energon located within. We know this was an early ground to pay honor to the Ancients, the Dinobots had called this area one of their homes." Ironhide was rambling.
The group stood in a daze admiring the beautiful colors, and the sparkling. Quickly though the draw wore off as the sun rose above the horizon. "Okay gang, next stop Mount Rushmore. We'll make a stop as we pass through Rapid City." Cade tried gathering the group and breaking away from the allure, but something had caught their attention.
Far off in the distance a plume of what appeared to be smoke was rising. "Mr. Y, is that a forest fire?" questioned Shane. "No, I think it appears to be a convoy, of military vehicles. Ironhide, you may be right about this holding valuable materials to the Transformers and the ancients." They decided to keep moving, so they would not be recognized.
Little did they know, as they continued their drive, that they were indeed being followed and watched. General Daniel Oranik had been assigned to keep an eye on the Yeager family and radio back to the Yeager base with any interesting finds which may come up. His wife Ruth Oranik was in charge of intercepting those radio communications and pass them along to the respective government offical. The key with this new government is that everyone knew each other, and weather they knew it or not, they were all tied together, and working for the Transformers.
The landscape began turning from the red and brown desert type to more mountainous terrain. They could see the outline of the city and knew they were approaching Rapid City. They resupplied with some snacks, and water, as they planned on hiking while at Mount Rushmore. For now they would rest and enjoy the sites and sounds of Rapid City.
Curious times were arising as the group noticed more military vehicles coming in and out of the area. It was almost as if they vehicles were preparing for some kind of attack on the soil. General Oranik was ordering the troops to set up camp just outside of Mount Rushmore. There they would go undercover and just be as hikers in the woods. They would also stop and talk with Cade and family.