My Life as a Teenage Autobot
Chapter 17: Scavenger Hunt
"Aw great. Another frozen wasteland." Bulkhead groaned. The Autobots searched the harsh Siberian landscape for the second of the four Omega Keys. Unfortunately a sudden blizzard hampered their progress. "What's the problem? You guys aren't equipped to deal with cold weather?" Jenny questioned. Optimus explained that temperatures below freezing hampered their functionality.
"Jetfire, how are things in the sky?" Optimus asked. "No sign of Decepticons yet Prime. I'll keep my optics peeled." Jetfire assured. The Autobots walked for a few more miles until they were only meters away from the relic's coordinates. They couldn't physically see the pod, but Ratchet assured them that the coordinates were correct.
Using her X-Ray vision, Jenny discovered that the Iacon Storage Pod was buried several meters below the ground. "How are we going to get the relic if it's all the way down there?" Arcee wondered. "Don't worry guys. I've got this." Jenny assured. Her legs merged together to form a drill bit that could easily bore into the frozen soil. After a few seconds, she made it to the pod and brought it back to the surface.
"Did somebody order an Iacon relic?" Jenny joked. Optimus took the pod and twisted the top off, revealing the Omega Key inside. "Two down, two to go." Bulkhead declared. The Autobots were about to bridge back when Bumblebee raised a question in his trademark string of bleeps and buzzes. "I think I know how to solve that problem, Bee." Bulkhead assured…
Long after the Autobots left Siberia, the Decepticon arrived to retrieve the relic themselves. "The Iacon relic is just ahead my Lord." Knockout reported. He and a team of ten Vehicons approached the pod cautiously, wary of a surprise attack by the Autobots.
The search team found the pod resting in the snow and leaning slightly to the left. Knockout gestured toward one of the Vehicons. "You! Open the pod." He ordered. The Vehicon nodded and complied with his order. He twisted the lid counterclockwise and pulled it off. He was not prepared for what he found. The pod exploded in a brilliant flash before the word "GRENADE!" was even out of his vocal processor.
The Vehicon who opened the pod perished instantly, while shrapnel created from the pod damaged the other nine. By some miracle, Knockout didn't receive any damage. "Knockout here; the Autobots found the relic long before we did." He reported. "I think Soundwave may be losing his touch."
"The Autobots have the same database that we do. Not to mention that Optimus spent more time in the Hall of Records than Soundwave did." Megatron reminded. Oh sure. Knockout thought. Whenever Soundwave falls short it's not his fault, but whenever anyone else fails they're incompetent.
Knockout and the surviving Vehicons Bridged back to the Nemesis. After delivering his full report to Megatron, Knockout retired to Sickbay where he found Breakdown working to repair one of several damaged Vehicons. "What is our progress old friend?" Knockout inquired. "40% of the wounded are back to combat status and a further 20% will be ready in the next week." Knockout allowed himself a grin. "Finally. Some good news."
At the Autobot Base…
Jenny dodged a punch from Bulkhead and leaned sharply to the left to avoid a roundhouse kick from Arcee. She swerved away from Bumblebee's right jab and countered with a left hook. The blow connected and sent the scout flying back into a wall. Bulkhead took another swing at Jenny with his Energon Mace, but Jenny rocke jumped out of the way and kicked him in the face.
Arcee tried to grab Jenny, but the teen hero caught Arcee in a hold first and threw her into some equipment that belonged to Ratchet. "Jenny, I needed that!" he complained. "Sorry." Jenny apologized. "Girl just can't help herself. She's got a mean swing." Bulkhead chuckled.
Ratchet was going to give all four f them a stern talking to when Optimus decoded another set of coordinates from the Iacon Database. The Autobots rolled out to investigate.
Meanwhile…
Megatron placed Operation Iacon on hold for the time being in order to investigate an Energon deposit near the Ganges River in India. "Good news, my liege." Shockwave reported. "According to my calculations, there is enough here to satisfy our demand."
Megatron nodded his head. "Excellent. Begin mining operation immediately." The Nemesis lowered its transfer tube to the ground and began off loading bots and materiel to mine the Energon. "Soundwave, are the Autobots otherwise engaged with the Iacon Relics?" Megatron asked. The loyal communications officer displayed the Autobots' location on his visor display." Megatron dismissed Soundwave with a nod and returned his focus to the mining operation.
At the Autobot Base…
The Autobots bridged back with the third Omega Key in their possession. "We're so close I can taste it." Bulkhead declared. "Indeed Bulkhead. We are only one Key away from possessing the ability to restore our home." Optimus noticed something peculiar about Arcee. "Is something wrong?" he prodded.
Arcee looked up at Optimus. "The Cons didn't even try to stop us this time. I'm wondering if we're just doing the dirty work for them." Optimus shook his head. "Whomever restores Cybertron will receive the accolades." He assured. This seemed to calm Arcee a bit and she dropped the matter.
Another hour later, Optimus decoded the final Iacon entry…
A/N: I apologize for not uploading for a while. I've been in Washington D.C. for the past week and haven't gotten many chances to write. Don't forget to comment and check out my other stories.