Chapter 30-Into the Blue
Gina stood before the massive door that led to Optimus' quarters. The Autobot leader had called the young girl to meet with him after she got out of school, and she was a little nervous. Why would Optimus want to speak with her in private? Did she do something wrong? Was he mad at her for making laser weapons with the Minicons? She knew Roll Bar couldn't be trusted to keep a secret, the loudmouth. Gina just hoped Optimus didn't learn about the "boom-stick".
"Uh, Optimus," Gina called out. "I'm here."
"Come in, Gina." Optimus said from inside.
The door slid open for her and she entered the room…with Sara right behind her. The extremely protective android hovered over her shoulder like a second shadow whenever she was in the Ark or meeting with the Autobots, treating both them and the Minicons with a certain degree of suspicion and caution. At first Gina thought her dedication was cute, but now it was getting kind of annoying; but no matter what she said, Sara was persistent on protecting her from any perceived "threat". At this point, she had quit trying to stop the robo-girl from doing her apparent "job", though it hasn't stopped Penny from making a few jokes at her expense.
Gina took a quick look around the room. Prime's quarters didn't look any different from the other Autobots' rooms, save for being a bit bigger. It wasn't as decorated as she thought it would be, though Optimus wasn't the sort to keep a case full of trophies or mount antique weapons on his wall like some (Annie) would do. The place was humble, just like its occupant, and soft orchestra music playing soothed her nerves.
"Good afternoon, Optimus," Gina greeted the red and blue giant standing in front of his desk. "Sorry about Sara. She insisted that she come along and…you know."
"That's alright, Gina. It's no problem." Optimus said. He walked over to the girls and held his hand out to them. gina and Sara stepped into his palm and he lifted them up with a gentleness only Prime could have. He carried them over to his desk and deposited them on its smooth, reflective surface. "Are you comfortable?"
"I am, thank you." Gina smiled. He was always thinking about their well being. "I never pegged you for a lover of classical music."
"It's something I've taken to listening to in my spare time." He told her, sitting in his chair. "I find that I relax better when I'm listening to it. It feels like it's the only way I can settle down these days.'
"You wanted to speak to Ms. Gina about something, Autobot." Sara rudely cut in, staring up at Optimus with her deep emerald eyes. "So speak."
"Sara, be nice!" Gina scolded her android guardian. "He's a friend, so show him some respect!"
Optimus looked at Sara and wondered who built her. She was obviously not of terran origin, she was far too advanced for anything even the likes of OZ can produce. But her technological aspects…they faintly echoed of cybertronian influences. Where she came from, who built her, and why she was on that island in the first place were answers Sara guarded with her life and refused to tell anyone, even Gina. Her interest in Gina was also very curious, though Optimus doubted that she would provide an answer for that as well. At this point, she was just another surprising discovery on this planet. What else was surprising?
"Gina," Optimus began, drawing the blonde's attention to him. "You're very knowledgable in world history, yes?"
"Well, it depends what the topic is." Gina shrugged. "My dad is an archaeologist and most of what I now is thanks to him taking me along on his digs every once in a while."
"In that case, how much do you know about Arian culture?"
"Pretty much everything you've already learned from your missions." She replied. "The Arians were history's first global world power in the Age of Wonders. They were an empire, taking control of large amounts of territory, assimilating other nations into their rule without interfering with the cultures or practices within those regions. It goes without saying that they had an advanced knowledge of astrology, science and technology despite lacking modern tools."
"Which brings me to the reason I brought you here." Optimus pressed a button on his desk and multiple holo-images appeared before Gina. She adjusted her glasses as she studied the images; they were of the "angels" that the Autobots encountered on Brigadoon. "It's clear that these beings have been in contact with humanity in the past, but I cannot be sure how long ago that has been."
"And you think that they might have a connection to the Arian Empire." Gina stated. Optimus nodded and she crossed her arms. "It seems like a reasonable theory. There was no way the Arians could have possibly come up with things like golems and Vimana on their own."
"I've done some investigating of my own and noticed that a number of angelic beings from your world's mythology look very similar to the beings we fought. I don't recall seeing them in Arian lore, though."
"The Arians do speak of them, but in a different manner." Sara said, taking the stage. "Arian scriptures speak of these otherworldly beings with names unpronounceable to the human tongue. They taught humanity the secrets of the world, and of their bodies, both physical and spiritual. They taught man how to live, learn, and grow as a species, on top of teaching them science and medicine."
"I've never heard that before." Gina frowned.
"That is because any mention of them was erased from their records. All that remains are brief mentions of them before the event known as the Great Cataclysm." Sara explained.
"How do you know this?"
"I did some extensive research of my own on these creatures as they posed a threat to you, Ms. Gina. I stumbled on this rare piece of information but thought it wasn't important enough to tell you about it." Sara bowed her head. "My apologies."
"So it's true, they are the reason for the Arians' major advancements…and possibility the ones behind the destruction of their civilization." Optimus said.
"If that's the case, where are they now? You'd think the world would be under the control of these things if they're all as strong as that Fortitudo guy." Gina said.
"Perhaps their hibernation is the cause of something out of their power." Optimus muttered. "Gina, could you do something for me?"
"Sure, what is it?" She asked.
"Since you know so much about Terra's ancient history, could you please do some more research into these angels?" Optimus requested. "You have a better grasp on this than anyone on this ship, and I think it's crucial that we know at least somewhat what we're dealing with."
Gina looked up at Prime in shock. "You want my help? B-But what can I do compared to you guys?"
"You're a smart girl, Gina, the brightest of your generation. You've already helped us numerous times in the past, and your intelligence has helped us save the lives of many Minicons. I truly believe you have the skills for this task."
Gina felt her cheeks turn pink at the praise she got. Earning the respect of Optimus Prime was something many Autobots dreamed of all their lives and here she was, a little human girl from a distant, backwater planet being treated like one of the team by the mech himself. "I'll do my best, Optimus, but don't expect any miracles."
"Your best is enough." He said. "Trust me."
A chime came from the terminal and Ratchet's face appeared on the monitor. "Optimus, we've detected a stasis panel activation."
"I'll be right there, Ratchet." Optimus said and stood up. "It seems I have a task of my own to complete."
"We'll just be getting out of your way, then." Gina turned around and started walking…right off the edge of the desk. Sara grabbed the back of her shit and pulled her back. "Whoa! Thanks, Sara. Jinkies, um…Optimus, could you lend a hand please?"
Optimus chuckled and helped the two girls down to the floor near the door. It was young people like Gina who gave him such strong hopes for humanity.
XXXXXX
"So," Jazz drawled as he looked down at the water below him. "Anyone up for a swim?"
The words were said in jest, but none of the Autobots were particularly thrilled about taking a dip in the Ceres Ocean. The team, consisting of Optimus, Wheeljack, Arcee, Jazz and Sparkplug stood on the edge of a cliff not too far from where Prowl's group had their otherworldly encounter two days ago. The stasis panel's signal was coming from the Ceres Ocean near the Elladan subcontinent, deep underwater. That meant they had to take dive into the ocean if they wanted to get that Minicon.
"Please don't tell me we're actually going to swim." Arcee groaned.
"Okay, we're not actually going to swim." Jazz said. Arcee glared at him and he grinned.
"You lived in Ky-Alexia, Cee," Wheeljack said. "Don't tell me you're afraid of water."
"Just because I was born in a seaside city doesn't make me a swimmer. Being underwater is worse than being in space, all that pressure around you, crushing you if you get too deep." Arcee shuddered. There was a reason she never took missions to water worlds if she could help it. Leave that stuff to bots with marine alt modes.
"With my underwater gear, you shouldn't have to worry about anything like drowning and the like." Wheeljack said, referring to the aquatic add-ons he supplied the team specifically for this mission. It was a pair of detachable underwater propellers meant to increase their speed in the water, so as to lessen the time they'd have to spend swimming.
"If it doesn't blow up when we switch it on, I'm down." Jazz said. He patted Arcee's shoulder before running off the cliff and performing a few fancy flips before hitting the water with a big splash.
Arcee waited for Wheeljack to go before her and followed him. She wondered if her aversion to water was because of spending so much time around Peppercat. That little kitty avoided water like the plague. Her dive was even smoother than Jazz's, sinking into the water with a minimal splash. Once she was in, Optimus held onto Sparkplug and jumped into the water, breaking through the surface with enough force that a human would suffer from broken bones, but Prime wasn't fazed at all.
The water was cold, as to be expected, and jumping in was a little disorienting at first with how choppy the waters had been that afternoon. The Autobots quickly grouped up and adjusted their optical sensors to the dark, murky waters and switched on their internal comm-link to avoid talking and swallowing water for those who had mouths. It wasn't like they could drown, but it was very unsettling to have gallons of water rush into your mouth and weigh you down. That wasn't good for their internal components.
"Is everyone okay?" Optimus asked.
"We're good, boss bot." Jazz said. Arcee and Wheeljack also gave their confirmation that they were doing fine, though Arcee had a scowl on her face as she tried to acclimate to the cold water surrounding her. "Well, most of us."
"Shut up, Jazz." Arcee grunted. "Let's go before we get attacked by a giant squid or something."
Sparkplug swam onto Optimus' shoulder and took out his waterproof scanner (courtesy of Liftor). "I've got a reading on the panel's signal, but it's faint. It's just a few kliks north by northeast, but judging by the distance, we might have to swim deeper." Sparkplug said.
"That's fine, Sparkplug. We will deal with any obstacles should they get in our way." Optimus said and started swimming. "Autobots, activate your thrusters and stay close to each other."
The team activated their high powered turbines and swam in formation, turning on their headlights as they headed into deeper waters. Thanks to the turbines, they were already reaching depths most human submarines were unable to go due to water pressure. The Autobots, made of stronger alloys, were unaffected by the intense water pressures, but going any deeper would still be detrimental to their bodies. Terra's conditions may not be harsh enough to immediately threaten them, but given time, Mother Nature could bring even the hardiest bot to their knees.
"Sparkplug, how deep do we have to go?" Arcee asked. "I don't like the way things are looking here. We're going a little too deep for my liking."
"Cee is right. Any deeper and the ocean will put the squeeze on us." Jazz said.
"It won't be too far, guys." Sparkplug said. "We don't have to worry about water pressure for quite some time, right Optimus?"
Optimus didn't answer. He was more concerned with the creature that was stalking them. At first he thought it was just the local fauna, but then he realized that the creature tailing them was too big to live this deep in the ocean. Quietly scanning the environment, he spotted large shadow moving behind a rock formation and quickly took out his ion cannon.
"Whoa, what's up, Prime?" Jazz asked.
"Something is following us." Optimus said, looking for the creature. "Weapons ready, Autobots. We're not alone."
The Autobots did as ordered when they heard a loud, metallic groan that was slightly muffled by the water. It echoed throughout the dark depths like a whale's call, but sounded artificial and robotic. No animal lived this deep in the ocean and made those noises. It lasted for several minutes and the Autobots waited for some kind of attack to come. But when the groans died down, nothing happened.
"Huh," Jazz said after a period of silence. "Guess it was nothing."
"Attack!"
The Autobots were assaulted by a barrage of weapons fire from above and looked up to see Nightshade and the Seekers descended upon them through the water. The sea floor exploded around them, and explosions caused them to scatter, though they were slightly diluted by the water, but were no less destructive.
"Target the jolly red giant!" Thundercracker shouted. "He's a sitting duck there!"
"That's what you think!" Optimus fired his ion cannon and grazed the Seeker's wing. "You're no speed demon yourself."
"These guys aren't as deadly underwater as they in the air." Wheeljack said, swimming around a missile shot by Skywarp and returned fire with his blaster. "They're slower down here."
"Yeah, but so are we." Jazz grappled to a boulder and pulled himself around to slam into Skywarp.
"Get off me, you little worm!" Skywarp hissed.
"No way, bro! You weren't invited to this pool party!" Jazz fired a shot into Skywarp's wing and punched him in the face, shooting the larger mech in the chest repeatedly.
Starscream paid the others no mind as he transformed to robot mode and shot towards Optimus and Sparkplug. "Prime is mine!"
"Starscream!" Nightshade flew after Starscream, using her thrusters to move faster through the water to reach him. "Don't break formation, you fool!"
Sparkplug powerlinked with Optimus, who raised his ion cannon and waited for them to get closer. Despite still having a speed advantage, Nightshade and Starscream were still severely hampered by the dense water hindering their movements. A few well placed shots should ground them long enough for the Autobots to get out of the area. This wasn't the place for a long, drawn battle. Unfortunately, nature had the same idea.
Something large and fast crashed through an undersea volcano with the force of a bullet train, speeding through the water and giving a horrific metallic groan. Optimus quickly turned to the creature, which looked like a giant lobster made of metal and as large as two Osean submarines put together, with large claws and a collection of spiraling patterns along the length of its body. Its pincers snapped and clawed at the ground, smashing through dirt and stone like a bulldozer. Its beady red eyes glowed dangerously as it zeroed in on the cybertronians. This monster was no animal, it was a golem!
"What the hell is that?" Thundercracker exclaimed.
"That would be a giant fish, my friend." Jazz said. He whistled as it smashed its pincers through another rock formation. "A very angry fish. Thank Primus I don't eat lobster."
"Now's not the time for jokes, Jazz," Arcee said. "We need to make tracks before that thing pounds us into a sea wreck!"
"Wheeljack!" Optimus turned to his engineer, who was already mapping an escape route.
"There!" Wheeljack pointed to a large crevice in the ground not too far from them. "We can go through there. It's too narrow for that thing to swim through."
"Then let's boogey!" Jazz kicked off the boulder he was sitting on and swam for the opening alongside his team. Skywarp saw the Autobots retreating and fired a few shots at them, missing entirely.
"The Autobots are getting away!" Skywarp growled and glared up at the giant golem. "That was my pay day you stupid fish!"
Skywarp teleported in front of the golem's face, close enough that its red eyes reflected off his body and pointed his cannons at it. Seeing this, Nightshade, Starscream and Thundercracker tried to stop him from angering the might beast.
"Don't shoot!" They all yelled.
Skywarp ignored them as he fired multiple laser blasts into its face, shattering one of its eye lens. The golem reared back, completely unscathed by the blasts and howled in anger. Skywarp's bravado faded within seconds as he saw the golem glaring down at him.
"Oh frag." He whimpered.
Its mandibles slammed together and channeled energy from its core to create a node between its mandibles. Skywarp realized it was going to attack and teleported away just as it fired an icy blue beam of energy. The beam shot through the water, illuminating the dark area and hit the sea floor with a large explosion that left a deep crater in the ground.
Optimus watched in awe as the golem went on a rampage, wreaking havoc on everything in its sights. It fired powerful bolts of energy and swung its massive pincers like giant clubs. For a golem modeled after an animal humans eat at fancy restaurants, this thing was extremely terrifying. It was surprising, given that it's a product of Arian technology. Knowing that there was once an army of these machines roaming the world at some point didn't put one's fears at ease.
"Those guys are so fragged." Jazz muttered.
"Optimus, Jazz, we need to get going before that thing sees us." Wheeljack warned them.
Optimus nodded and jumped down into the crevice with Jazz. As they went deeper into the tunnel that ran under the tectonic plate, the sounds of the battle got softer and softer, until they couldn't hear anything and all was silent once more.
XXXXXX
The Autobots followed the curving tunnel that took them deeper into the darkest parts of the ocean. They didn't know where they were going or how far they had to go. It was only thanks to the panel's signal that they knew where to go. Eventually they reached the end of the tunnel and emerged at the bottom of a large pool. They swam to the surface and emerged in a small cave. What was different about this cave was that it looked like the inside of a large dome, with broken statues lying on the ground.
"I wasn't expecting this." Arcee muttered. She saw the remains of stone columns and the head of a statue sitting near the cave entrance, which was at the top of a small flight of stairs of all things. "Was this place inhabited?"
The Autobots swam onto land and explored the area. Optimus ran his hand along the walls, which had stylized pictographs carved into the stone. They depicted humanoid figures, but one also showed an image of the golem that almost killed them.
"This place was made by human hands." Optimus said. "And I believe the golem was guarding this area."
"But why? There's nothing here?" Wheeljack said.
"Don't judge a book by its cover, Jackie." Jazz pointed to the pathway leading from the cavern deeper into an underground network. "This road leads to someplace. It might be some ancient highway."
"Ancient highway?" Arcee echoed, sounding skeptical. "And this highway leads to where exactly?"
"That's what we're going to find out." Sparkplug said. He popped off Prime's arm and landed on the ground in vehicle mode. "Let's go exploring."
The damaged but mostly intact pathway extended from the cave into a larger network of tunnels. The "highway" split into multiple paths, much like modern highways. Some led to dead ends, while others led to other caves that had nothing of value or were completely untouched. They mainly followed the central path that was easier to navigate and use as a waypoint.
After twenty minutes of driving along the ancient road in their vehicle modes, sometimes walking and climbing if they needed to, before they reached the end of the path. They passed under an archway that had the crumbled remains of two humanoid statues standing on both sides, which thankfully weren't golems in disguise. That trick quickly wore thin and the Autobots were sick of being caught by surprise at this point.
They entered another, longer tunnel that went for a few miles in an upward slope. They climbed and climbed until they reached the top, where they came upon another archway, this one leading to a cliff overlooking a truly massive underground pocket of air. And in the middle of this gigantic cavern, sitting on a circular piece of bedrock across a canyon with magma rising from the mantle down below, was a city. An uninhibited city deep in the darkest part of the ocean, where no human had ever gone before.
"Is anyone here surprised at seeing a city thousands of leagues deep underwater inside a cave?" Jazz asked.
"Nope." Wheeljack said.
"I'm not even surprised anymore." Arcee said.
"I'm getting used to it." Sparkplug said.
"I'm getting used to this planet's abundance of mysteries. At this point, few things surprise me anymore." Optimus commented.
Jazz clapped his hands. "Good, then it's not just me."
Wheeljack pointed his scanner at the city and the device beeped. "Looks like our Minicon is somewhere in that city."
"Okay," Arcee frowned. "But how are we going to get over there?"
Optimus pointed at a stone bridge just a few feet away from them that led to the other side. It looked stable and large enough to drive over them in their alt modes, but given its age, it was best not to be reckless.
"Onward and downward, my friends." Jazz said as he walked over to the bridge. "Onward and downward."
XXXXXX
Nightshade tried to maintain her aim as she fired an arrow from Gandiva at the golem's metal carapace, but it only left a small hole in its armor. The golem remained unfazed as it's pursued its prey, firing bolts of lightning from its mandibles that tore apart the sea floor, while snapping at the Seekers with its oversized pincers. They weren't doing much to damage it, only further pissing it off.
'This is getting us nowhere!' Nightshade thought. 'The Autobot are long gone and we can't move without this stupid robot chasing us around!'
She sent Songbird ahead to scout an escape route, but hadn't heard back from her yet, and the Seekers weren't having much luck in dealing significant damage to the golem with their laser blasts and missiles, which were slowed down significantly by the water. A bolt fired by the golem sheared Thundercracker's right wing and he was forced to transform to avoid crashing into the ground. A large shadow fell over him and he saw that it was the golem's massive pincer falling down on him.
"I got ya!" Skywarp appeared next to his Seeker brother and teleported away just before the massive claw slammed into the ground. Then the golem spun its head and fired a bolt at an undersea mountain behind the spot the two Seekers reappeared at, blasting them apart.
"What the-is that thing predicting our flight patterns?" Starscream questioned, eyes wide and teeth gnashing angrily.
'If this goes on any longer, we'll run out of energy and ammo before we even find the Autobots.' Nightshade thought. "Songbird, where the hell are you!"
"Mistress!" Songbird swam over to Nightshade, shooting through the water like a living torpedo. "I've found an escape route. It's through there!"
The Minicon pointed her wing at the same crevice the Autobots took and Nightshade wasted no time in swimming towards it. "Seekers, to me!"
Starscream saw Nightshade making her escape and nodded to Skywarp. The purple Seeker grabbed Thundercracker, warped to Starscream, then teleported to Nightshade, where they all transformed and flew into the small opening. The golem immediately gave chase, firing its energy bolts that sent rocks and dust flying everywhere. They Cons made it into the crevice, but the golem was still hot on their tail.
'Don't look back, don't look back!' Starscream chanted in his mind as he forced himself not to turn back as the metal monstrosity tried to squeeze itself into the crevice to catch them, snapping its pincers at them in a futile attempt to crush them.
When it realized that it was unable to catch them, the golem settled with firing energy bolts that reached farther than it could. Explosions trailed behind the Cons as they flew through the tunnel, but they continued moving as fast as possible, even when their vision was obscured by dirt and rocks.
XXXXXX
When the Autobots reached the city, they saw that it was quite different from what they were expecting. Unlike Arian architecture, the design of the buildings were domed or curved, fluid in design and appearance, but very sturdy at their foundations. The city was completely deserted, and the streets and buildings were made of clear blue stone that gave the settlement a fresh, aquatic feeling. Homes, shops, temples, they all were very old, but not as old that they should be. What was very peculiar was that the statues of what were possibly public figures depicted humanoid figures with fish-like appearances like webbed hands and feet and even gills.
'This city wasn't populated by humans.' Optimus thought. 'Or maybe these were espers evolved to live down here. How many secrets does this planet have?'
In their vehicle modes, the Autobots drove through the empty streets using the signal to guide them through the maze-like city. Wheeljack and Arcee took in everything they could, honestly awestruck by what they saw.
"Is anyone else curious about why there's a city this deep underwater?" Wheeljack asked.
"Jackie, we're all thinking the same thing, but exploring isn't at the top of our priorities right now."
"I know, but I just want to see what we're dealing with." Wheeljack said. "We just avoided getting blown apart by a giant golem shaped like a lobster, I think I'd rather know what's coming next. You think there's any golems that look like sharks or something?"
"Jackie, please don't jinx us." Jazz sighed. "Carnivorous robo-fish is the last thing we need."
When the Autobots finally reached the heart of the city, they stopped and transformed in front of a temple at the top of a long staircase. Climbing the stairs, they made it to the top, where they saw a large domed temple at the other side of a large pond that had still living lotus pods floating on the surface. The Autobots stood outside the temple's main gate, which was a giant stone archway that barely looked older than a few years. Someone went to great lengths to preserve this place. Optimus took a step forward, but stopped when he heard a voice greet them.
"I never thought I'd have visitors in this lonely city of mine. Poseidon works in many strange ways."
The Autobots drew their weapons and pointed them at the large figure that hopped into their view. It was a golem, but one that wasn't as violent as the lobster golem back out at sea. It had a feline construction, its armor gold and silver, but had a head that was eerily similar to a human woman with golden eyes and a smirk on her face. She stood at 20 feet tall, reaching Prime's elbow. The creature walked in front of the archway, never taking her gaze off the Autobots.
"What are you?" Wheeljack asked bluntly. Arcee elbowed him for his rudeness.
"I am the guardian sphinx of this city, charged with protecting its treasures. You may call me Orphia."
"A sphinx? Aren't you like a golem or something?" Jazz crossed his arms. "Granted, I've never seen a golem that could talk."
"I'm simply one of the few who've retained their sanity following the Shattering." Orphia said cryptically. She looked the Autobots up and down. "I knew someone might stumble upon this city sooner or later, but I was expecting someone more…"
"Human?" Arcee finished.
"I was going to say smaller, but human works too." Orphia sat down as she continued to survey the visitors with her large eyes. "Now then, may I know the identities of those who braved the Leviathan's wrath to come here?"
Optimus stepped forward. "I am Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots. We mean you no harm, great sphinx."
"Of course you don't, you merely seek to pilfer this city's sacred relics." Orphia laughed. "You are no different from the others who sought to gain wealth through thievery. Many have tried and many have failed." She nodded towards the large pool behind her. Unknown to the Bots, the bottom of the pool was covered in a layer of human remains, victims of the sphinx's unexpected ferocity. "Will you succeed in getting past me, or will you end up like the other poor souls who thought they could best me?"
"We simply came here seeing another one of our kind. In that temple lies a panel holding a being like us, a refugee who fell to this world ages ago." Optimus said.
"So please, just let us pass. You can make sure that we won't take anything else." Sparkplug pleaded.
"No," Orphia refused, though she was polite about it. "If you want to pass, then you must prove that you are worthy of stepping foot on sacred ground."
"Wonderful." Arcee sighed.
"For the love of Primus, we don't have time for this!" Sparkplug growled. "Just let us go, we don't mean you any harm. But there are others like us who'll destroy this city without remorse, much less show mercy to you!"
"Temper little one." She warned, but Sparkplug wasn't having it.
"I don't care anymore!" Sparkplug marched forward towards the archway. "I've come too far to lose-gah!"
When he tried to walk through the archway, Sparkplug was strongly knocked back by an invisible force field that sent him crashing on his back.
Orphia chuckled. "I told you to mind you temper."
Optimus knelt down over Sparkplug. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine." Sparkplug grumbled. "Just a wounded pride, is all."
"Well, since forcing through way through is out of the question, how do we get in?" Arcee asked.
"By passing my trials," Orphia answered. "Those not authorized by the royal family must pass a trial in order to enter these temple grounds. Trying to force the issue will only end in your immediate demise."
"Um, Optimus, a moment please?" Wheeljack asked. He motioned for the other Autobots to gather around him. "Are we really going to go through with this? I'm not really eager to play Gladiator for a creepy robot with a sick sense of humor."
"We don't have a choice," Arcee said. "You saw how that barrier pushed Sparkplug back. I doubt we can have better luck with that without starting a fight."
"Not to mention we're pressed for time." Jazz pointed out.
"We must follow her rules if we are to get that panel before the Decepticons arrive. The golem will hold them back for a while, and the maze will take time to traverse, but we don't have a lot of time on our hands." Optimus said. "This isn't the ideal place for a battle."
"Then we know what to do." Sparkplug said.
The Autobots turned back to the sphinx and stated that they will take her trials. Orphia's red lips turned up in a cat-like grin that made her amber eyes shine dangerously.
"Wonderful, I knew you would see things my way." She said, then started to explain the process. "Each of you will be presented with a test relevant to your strengths. They are made to test the limits of your mind and body. Pass, and you get to enter the temple, fail and you can go back the way you came. Now, who will go first?"
The Autobots were silent before Wheeljack gave an exaggerated sigh and stepped forward. "I guess I'm going first. Let's get this over with."
He walked past the sphinx and through the archway. The minute he stepped into the courtyard, a purple barrier covered the entire compound, sealing the entrance behind him as well. Wheeljack was on his own.
"Okay, what do you have for me cat lady?" He asked, taking a deep breath to ready himself.
"Your trial will be one of knowledge." Orphia said. "You seem like a smart one, so this shouldn't be too hard for you."
Wheeljack glanced at his team before turning back to her and nodding.
"Your task is simple, answer this question and I will let you pass." Orphia gave her question. "Across this city are temples dedicated to the god of the seas, Poseidon. Since you've most likely gotten a good view of the city from across the bridge, how many temples are there in all?"
Wheeljack crossed his arms and thought hard. The temples she was talking about must have been the tall buildings with blue roofs and statues bordering them. He got a good look at them when he was gawking at the city with the rest of the team. They weren't hard to miss.
"There are…four temples, one at each corner of the city." Wheeljack said.
"Is that your final answer?" Orphia asked.
Wheeljack was silent for a minute before shaking his head. "No, this is a test of knowledge, not memory."
Orphia smiled.
"There is a fifth temple…the one in Pythia, near the cliffside." Wheeljack nodded. "Yeah, I remember seeing those strange statues near the temple that I thought was built for the Oracle. I saw it while scouting for that energy signature with Prowl and Bee."
"You…pass. Well done, Autobot. I knew you were a smart one." Orphia said. A tap of her paw and the barrier lowered itself to allow Wheeljack all the way through into the courtyard. "Now who's up next?"
"That'll be me." Jazz said, strolling forward. "I'll be sure to keep the mike warm for ya, boss bot."
Orphia smiled. "Step forward to receive your trial."
XXXXXX
Your trial will be one of intelligence," Orphia explained to Jazz. "All you have to do is answer my question and should you answer correctly, I will let you pass."
Jazz looked at her suspiciously. "I'm guessing that it's not gonna be the four in the morning, two at noon and three in the evening riddle, is it?"
"Please sweetheart, that fell out of style three hundred years ago." Orphia said dryly. "Now here's your question: Your village is holding a competition in which everyone is allowed to participate. One of the villagers is taller than the others, giving him an advantage over them. What will you do? Exclude the person in the name of fairness or allow him to take part regardless?"
That was certainly a tricky question. There were only two ways he could go about this really; he could exclude the person so the competition could be fair to all, especially if the person had an unfair advantage going for him. But, it wouldn't be fair to the man to be kicked out for something that was out of his control. It was a two-option question, but Jazz could see the hidden implications between the lines. The real question was whether he was willing to segregate a person based on their differences for the good of all accept their differences as part of who they are, regardless of the outcome?
"What is your answer?" Orphia asked.
Jazz took a moment to reply, but when he did, his voice was confident and sure. "I'll keep the person included in the games."
"Oh?" Orphia cocked an eyebrow. "That is the choice you've picked?"
"Yes." He nodded. "The dude may have an unfair advantage when it comes to the games, but to exclude him for something that was out of his power to control would be even more unfair. Making judgment on a person just for their differences is not how a leader is supposed to govern his people."
Orphia smiled. "That is correct. One must act based on the actions of another, not their appearance or physical attributes. Equality, no matter how difficult, is the path of least resistance. You may pass."
The barrier lifted and Jazz entered the courtyard. He jogged over to Wheeljack and gave him a high five.
"So two of us got was might be the two easiest tests here." Jazz said. "Who do you think will get the life threatening one?"
"Prime," Wheeljack answered immediately. "I say it's Prime."
"Same here." Jazz agreed. "That Matrix makes him a danger magnet."
XXXXXX
"Who is next?"
Optimus looked at Arcee, who took a step back. "You go first, Optimus."
He nodded and picked up Sparkplug, placing him on his shoulder as he stopped under the archway. "What is my trial, Orphia?"
"Strength," She smirked. "You will fight against three enemies, golems who guard this temple from unruly intruders who don't take no for an answer. I'm sure you get how this goes by now, so I won't repeat myself. Win and you pass, lose and you die. By their blades…or my claws."
Orphia smiled when Optimus narrowed his eyes at her. "So you aren't easily intimidated. Good, then this trial is perfect for you. Step forward."
Optimus entered the courtyard and the entrance was sealed behind him. He barely took a step forward before a four pillars rose from the ground and together they released a violet energy barrier that was shaped like a dome. The dome itself was nearly half a mile long, enough room for Optimus to fight whatever Orphia had in mind for him. Then the ground before Optimus began to split open, and a large platform started to rise up from an underground chamber. Sparkplug powerlinked with Optimus and Prime took out his Ion cannon.
Standing on the platform were three silver knights, each one holding a different weapon-a broadsword, a spear and a scythe. They were all at least a head taller than Optimus, constructed to look like humans in silver armor, but they had blue lines running along their armor from their chests to their arms. Knight #1 raised its sword at Optimus in a silent challenge. Then it rushed forward, closing the distance between them in a few long strides before slashing at the Autobot leader.
Optimus ducked under the sword, feeling the blade swing so close to his body that he felt the wind rush over his back, and retaliated with a shot from his ion cannon. The blast hit it in the shoulder but before he could press his attack, Optimus was forced to dodge a spear thrust down on him from above. He rolled away so that the sharp spear tip hit the ground, but took a kick from its wielder, Knight #2. He hit the ground hard, but still fired his cannon, holding Knight #2 back as Knight #1 rushed at him again and attacked with a barrage of quick and strong strikes from its sword. Optimus deployed his battle blade and deflected a downward strike from the golem before shooting its leg, forcing it to one knee.
Then, acting on his battle instinct, Optimus jumped to the side as a scythe blade hit the spot he was just in. Knight #3 spun its long reaching weapon around its body before lashing out at the Autobot with a series of quick and deadly strikes that kept Optimus on the defensive. He heard heavy footsteps coming from behind him and when Knight #3 came at him with a horizontal strike, Optimus bent down low just as Knight #2 rushed at him from behind. The blade swung over his head and stabbed into Knight #2's side, digging into its armor and inner mechanisms. Optimus used this chance to jump up fire his ion cannon at Knight #3's heat, the ion blasts tearing the knight's head apart in seconds. The body stumbled back before falling to the ground, a molten pile of slag where its head used to be.
Optimus was hit from the side by a punch from Knight #1, sending him crashing through the ground before hitting the side of the barrier, his ion cannon falling not too far from him. Knight #2 pulled the scythe out of its abdomen and threw it at Prime, who just barely rolled out of the way. Optimus deflected the mighty swing from the spear Knight #2 threw at him and when it tried to impale him he leapt to the side. He climbed onto its pole arm and flipped himself up to punch it in the face.
As it fell to the ground, Knight #1 slashed at Optimus, but he ducked under its swing, and grabbed onto the blade in a single movement. Optimus used the momentum of the swing to fling himself into the air and towards the knight's head. With a yell, he stabbed his battle blade into the golem's head, the red hot blade easily cutting into the ancient internal components like it was butter. But Optimus had no time to see the knight fall as he was forced to flip over a spear that was thrown at him from behind. He winced at he felt the blade lightly scratch his back as it rushed under him. He hit the ground hard and saw Knight #2 charge at him and threw a punch down at him.
The Autobot stepped back just enough for the large metal fist to pass by his chest within a hair's breadth and slashed his blade down on its elbow, severing the arm at the joint. The knight caught him with a palm strike that slammed him into the ground and he skidded along the stony tiles, sending sparks flying as he rolled to a stop. He looked up and saw his ion cannon lying a foot away from him and he crawled over to it as the knight retrieved its spear and lunged at him.
"Fall!" Optimus pulled the trigger and released an ion blast that hit the knight right in the head, forcing its upper body back. He kept on firing, not stopping until he saw that the knight's head and shoulders were completely blown off in a smoking mess of heated metal. It fell to its knees and collapsed on its side.
Orphia gave an impressed whistle as Optimus sagged in relief and fell onto his back in exhaustion.
"Now I see why you're the leader." She smiled. "You've passed your test. Please, enter."
The energy field around Optimus faded away and he pushed himself to his feet to drag himself over to his friends. Jazz and Wheeljack ran over to their leader.
"You solid, boss bot?" Jazz asked.
"I'm fine. Fighting three opponents at once isn't as easy as it used to be." Optimus sighed. Sparkplug disengaged and took on robot mode with a frown.
"This is taking too long." He complained. "We should just get the panel now and leave while we still have the lead."
"And risk pissing off the cat lady? No way, Sparky, I'm not taking chances if she's running this slag show." Jazz shook his head. If she could summon three golems, then how much control did she have over this city?
"Besides, only Arcee's left." Wheeljack pointed out. "Let's give her a chance."
XXXXXX
"And so the last Autobot stands before me." Orphia looked up at Arcee. "Are you ready for your test?"
"As ready as I'll ever be." Arcee said.
Orphia nodded. "Good, because your trial will be the trial of courage."
"Courage?" Arcee made an uneasy expression that Orphia caught.
"What's wrong?" The sentient golem asked. "You look uneasy."
"Maybe that's because I'm not courageous." Arcee said. "I'm a mess of a femme who's made so many mistakes in the past it's hard to even keep count. I watched my sister get killed by my former lover and spent a good part of my people's war trying to kill myself in suicide missions out of despair. Even after Jazz helped me cope, I still tried to run away from my past; from the nightmares I'd have, trying to bury it under all these emotional walls. Only to have it come back to haunt me again on this world and threaten the people I love. Darren says I'm strong, but I'm not. I'm just good at hiding my scars when people are looking my way."
Optimus, Wheeljack and Sparkplug looked at her solemnly, while Jazz had an unreadable expression on his face. They knew Arcee's life was among the most tragic when it concerned the war, and spent a long time recovering from the emotional scars that nearly pushed her over the edge. Optimus wasn't surprised her pain went deep, but Wheeljack and Sparkplug were shocked that such a sweet and kind femme had gone through utter hell. Despite being taken in by Jazz and Yoketron, Arcee still tried to forget her pain rather than face it head on. It wasn't until her demons came to Terra and threatened Darren and High Wire that she finally faced her horrors and came out a better person for it. But the road to recovery is forever a long one.
Orphia stared at Arcee for what felt like an eternity, then smiled and nodded. "You pass."
Arcee did a double take. "Excuse me?"
"You pass," Orphia said again. "Being courageous has nothing to do with being fearless or having a spotless past. To admit your faults, even the ones that you're most ashamed of, is showing true courage. Thus, you have passed your trial young Autobot."
Orphia lifted the barrier and Arcee walked into the courtyard to meet with the others. Jazz welcomed her with open arms and patted her on the shoulder.
"You did good, Cee." He told her.
"I suppose," She sighed. "I didn't mean to say all that. It just…all came out at once."
"We know, Arcee," Optimus said. "We all have things from the past that we want to forget. But sooner or later, we will be forced to deal with them. It's what makes us what we are."
"Autobots," Orphia called out. "You have passed all your trials. As such, you are deemed worthy of entering the temple grounds and may come and go as you wish with any of your friends."
"It's about time." Wheeljack said. "Come on, let's get the panel and leave this place before something else happens."
As if queued by fate, the archway went up in flames as a chain of explosions rattled the temple grounds. Orphia jumped away as she saw the grounds she had guarded for centuries be attacked so blatantly. She snarled at the offenders.
"Who dares attack sacred grounds?!" She roared, her visage becoming bestial and savage.
It was the Decepticons, damaged from their fight with the leviathan but still operational and ready to fight, emerging from the flames with their weapons charged and ready.
"I see you four finally got past the giant lobster." Arcee said. "Took you guys long enough."
"Shut your mouth." Nightshade hissed, totally not in the mood. Powerlinked with Songbird, she pointed her electrostatic cannon at Prime's chest. "You fools thought you could leave here without a fight, but you forgot that we have a teleporter on our side."
"A half-baked outlier is nothing to brag about, you stupid turkey." Jazz said.
'He dies first.' Nightshade thought. "Seekers, attack!"
The Cons opened fire on the Autobots, who made to return fire, but were interrupted by the loud metallic roar of Orphia, who lunged at Skywarp. She pounced on his chest, digging her claws into his chest plate and biting and tearing at his shoulders and head. Not expecting this attack, Skywarp flailed around, trying to get her off before she literally tore him limb from limb. His team paid him no attention as they advanced on the Autobot, planning to storm the temple. Optimus stopped the Autobots from meeting their charge and glared at the Cons.
"You are no friends of ours." He said.
The barrier appeared over the temple grounds, stopping the Cons from advancing. Nightshade stopped just in time, but Starscream ran headfirst into the barrier and was strongly repelled, sending him crashing into a stone column.
"What is this?" Nightshade looked up at the large barrier that formed over the entire temple. Seeing that Skywarp was still fighting off Orphia with Thundercracker's help, and making little progress, she shook her head and aimed Gandiva. "Time to improvise."
She pelted the barrier with her powerful arrows, but none of them broke through the barrier. Each arrow, harboring enough power to almost rival Megatron's fusion cannon, hit the energy field and exploded on contact with a resounding boom akin to a thunderclap. Optimus saw that the smoke from the explosions started to cover Nightshade's view and formulated a plan.
"On my mark Autobots, get ready to rush them all at once." He said. When he lost sight of Nightshade he willed the barrier to fade as he transformed to his truck mode. "Now!"
Right after Nightshade finished shooting another arrow, the barrier faded away and she heard the blaring horn of a truck. Optimus burst out of the smoke cloud at full speed in his truck mode and slammed into her, knocking the bow from her hands and barreled past Thundercracker and Skywarp. He kept driving until they both flew off the edge of the staircase and tumbled down all the way to the bottom. Upon reaching the bottom, Nightshade flipped to her feet, but leaned back to avoid Prime's axe as it sailed past her face. Nightshade leapt back and drew her swords before leaping at Optimus, blocking another strike from his axe.
Back at the top, the Autobots and Seekers were engaged in a fierce battle. Skywarp, severely wounded by Orphia, was trying his best to avoid being mauled by the feline golem again, but wasn't able to do much with Wheeljack shooting at him with a high powered photon rifle of all things.
Jazz and Arcee took on Starscream and Thundercracker respectively, though they often switched opponents frequently, screwing with one Con before changing partners and doing the same thing to the other. The Seekers tried to trade blows with the pair, but Starscream was losing his patient, as they were getting on his nerves with their constant dancing.
"Would you two take this fight seriously!" Starscream growled. Jazz flipped behind him and smacked the back of his head before jumped away to avoid getting cut by Starscream's bayonet.
"We are taking it seriously." Jazz grinned, blocking Starscream's next strike with his laser staff. "We're just not taking you seriously."
"Oh? Then let's see if you'll take me seriously now!" Starscream leapt up and fired up his boosters, directing them at Jazz's face. White hot flames shot out of the nozzles on Starscream's feet and nearly incinerated Jazz's face had he not been quick enough to jump back, though his armor was a little blackened.
Starscream flew back and converted his arm into his null ray, but did not point it at Jazz…instead he pointed it at Arcee! Jazz cursed and ran for Arcee.
"Arcee, look out!" He called out.
Arcee didn't know what happened, all she managed to see was a purple beam heading her way and hearing Jazz's shout before she was pushed away. She saw the beam hit Jazz in the arm and send him sprawling to the ground. Arcee had no time to process his actions as she quickly picked him up and pulled him away from Thundercracker's artillery fire. Starscream grinned and joined Thundercracker in the assault. He wanted revenge for that last mission those bastards humiliated him on.
Jazz had lost the feeling in the arm where he was hit, but he could still fight. With some effort, he snagged one of Arcee's swords and threw it at Starscream, stabbing the mech right through his forearm that was his null cannon. Arcee drew her blaster and fired a couple of shots at Thundercracker before grabbing her other sword and charging at him, slashing away.
"Skywarp, stop fooling around and get over here!" Starscream yelled.
Skywarp, who was still fighting off Orphia and Wheeljack, heeded his commander's call and began to teleport. Acting quickly, Wheeljack leapt forward and grabbed Skywarp's wing just as he vanished. This was one exploitable setback to Skywarp's power- he could teleport himself and others along with him so long as he was in physical contact with them. The problem was that anyone could be teleported along with him, no matter who it was. And that included an enemy who was fast enough to grab onto him just before teleporting.
The outlier materialized beside Starscream with his unintended guest and Wheeljack quickly took advantage of this to land an improvised surprise attack. Before either Con could realize the dupe, Wheeljack slammed his knee into the back of Skywarp's head and jumped off his shoulders to shoot his rifle into Starscream's chest before landing on his feet. Skywarp shot at him, but Wheeljack was close enough to duck under his cannons and punch the Seeker in the face. But as he fought Skywarp, he didn't notice Starscream making his way towards Gandiva.
Back at the foot of the stairs, Optimus and Nightshade continued their dance of death. Covered in cuts and dents, neither bot was willing to give in. Nightshade, despite being stuck in a stalemate with Prime, had to marvel how a mech Optimus' size could wield an axe with such speed. She attacked him with fast sword strikes, but he deflected them with his own attacks, turning his sole defense into a retaliatory offense that left her with a few singed pieces of armor and a deep gash on her left side. Her hands were starting to hurt from having her sword block a strike from his axe.
Knowing that she wasn't going to achieve much like this, she deflected a slash from Prime and kicked off the ground to propel herself back. She fired her cannon at him before changing to beast mode and flying back to the temple. Optimus leapt up and grabbed her wings to hold her in place, despite having his face and upper chest bathed in the white hot flames of her thrusters.
"Let go of me!" Nightshade growled.
"You're not going anywhere!" Optimus grunted, digging his feet into the ground.
Nightshade tried to shake him off, but Prime was putting all of his strength in not letting her budge an inch. Unable to break free, she contacted Skywarp. "Skywarp, I'm in need of an assist!"
Skywarp spat out a glob of energon as he heard Nightshade's call for help. Seeing Wheeljack lash his energo-whip at him, he rolled to his feet and teleported away before the whip could cause him more damage. He reappeared right next to Optimus and fired his laser cannons at Prime's back to make him let go.
"That's no way to treat a lady!" Skywarp cackled as he unleashed a barrage of laser fire on the Autobot leader.
Already seriously wounded from Nightshade's exhaust flames, Optimus was forced to let her go in order to defend himself. Nightshade flew over to Skywarp, who touched her talons and began to warp away. Not done with them yet, Optimus ran at them and leapt forward, touching a finger to Nightshade's wing and was teleported along with them.
XXXXXX
"No you don't Starscream!"
Arcee jumped at Starscream and grabbed at Gandiva, trying to wrnech it from his hands. Starscream sneered at her and tried to pull it away from her, but Arcee kept a tight grip on the shaft of the bow. The two grappled with the weapon for a bit, neither giving in, though they failed to notice the crystals on the bow start to glow near Arcee's hands save for Orphia. Realizing what this meant, and seeing that the bow was something much special that she thought, Orphia leapt onto Starscream's back and started biting and clawing at him. Starscream yelped in pain and tried to get her off, losing his grip on Gandiva.
Just then, Skywarp and Nightshade reappeared with Optimus, who punched Skywarp in the chest and knocked him down. As for Nightshade, she spotted her powerful bow glowing in Arcee's hands and snarled, rushing to get it back. Arcee saw the angry Con charging at her and jumped back, aiming the bow and pulling the string back to generate an energy arrow. Nightshade's eyes widened as she realized that Arcee was able to use the bow and that she was in a very bad position to be in. At this range, trying to escape Gandiva's arrow would be no better than trying to dodge lightning. Arcee let the string go and the arrow flew, releasing a deafening boom that engulfed the entire courtyard, followed by a huge explosion.
"Incredible." Orphia gasped. They had such a weapon in their possession? She thought only her creators had such a weapon at their disposal.
When Nightshade's senses returned to her, she realized that she was still alive, though her audio sensors were ringing. There was a weight on top of her and when she pushed it off, she saw it was Thundercracker's body, which was missing a large part of his lower torso and his legs were hanging to his upper body by just a few cables. Thundercracker jumped in front of her just before the arrow could hit her. Nightshade looked up and saw that Arcee had dropped Gandiva in shock, not used to using such a powerful weapon.
Acting quickly, Nightshade ran forward and snatched up Gandiva, returning to Thundercracker's side. Looking around, she saw that Starscream was seriously wounded from Orphia's assault, and Skywarp was struggling against Jazz and Wheeljack. She scowled and cursed furiously, knowing that this battle was lost. But she wasn't leaving until she got revenge for Thundercracker!
She pointed Gandiva at Arcee, but before she could pull the string, she felt the barrel of a large gun press against the back of her head. "Don't, Nightshade." Optimus said calmly. "You've lost this battle. Retreat while only one of your soldiers is injured."
"You think I'll run from you Autobots?" Nightshade said. "I can still fight."
"One of your soldiers is critically injured, the other two also seriously wounded." He said, looking at the damaged Seekers. "You're smarter than this, Nightshade. You know when a battle is won or lost."
He was right, she did know the difference, and it was absolutely humiliating. Fighting the leviathan had worn her team down and made fighting the Autobots harder than it needed to be. She was also the only one who didn't look like she was mauled by a pneuma-lion. Hissing angrily, she lowered her bow and dragged Thundercracker over to Skywarp.
"Skywarp, take us out of here." Nightshade ordered drearily. "We're retreating."
"What? Are you insane?!" Starscream hollered. "We can't run now! The Minicon is right there!"
He was promptly silenced by a punch from Nightshade that was so strong that the optic lens over his left eye shattered. He fell to the ground and yelped when Nightshade drew Gandiva on him.
"I am your superior officer, Starscream, and I won't have your fragging insubordination this time. You will follow my orders to the letter or you won't live long enough to see this planet burn! We are retreating. RIGHT. NOW!"
She didn't wait for Starscream's reply as she pushed him towards Skywarp and touched the outlier's shoulder as he began to glow. Nightshade gave the Autobots one last baleful glare before she, and the Seekers, disappeared in a bright flash of purple light. They were now gone from the temple and the Autobots were alone.
For a moment no one said anything as they recovered from the intense fighting that just went on. Then Orphia let out a purr and said, "That was certainly the most fun I had in a century. Can we do that again?"
XXXXXX
The temple of Poseidon, as Orphia had named it, looked more like a place of worship than a treasury. It was a large dome that had ancient, but extravagant relics sitting on pedestals in every corner of the temple. Each relic was made of gold or silver, and had tiny jewels like sapphires and diamonds encrusted into them. They all had to be thousands of years old but looked no more worn that a week after they were made. The walls sported murals of the same warriors that Optimus had saw out in the city, and like before, he noticed that they had blue skin and fish-like attributes not common in humans.
'I wonder how Gina will react to all this.' Optimus thought. He made sure to have Sparkplug take pictures of everything to show her later. She'd love it all.
However, they were here for one thing, and it was sitting right before them. the stasis panel sat at the far end of the temple, resting on a soft red pillow and decorated in jewels like the other relics.
"Nice of these people to fancy up the panel for us." Arcee said as she picked it up and handed it to Sparkplug.
"It's going to be a pain to get this out." Sparkplug groaned.
Optimus knelt down before Orphia and gave his thanks to her. "Thank you for allowing us entry. And I am sorry for the destruction we've caused during our battle."
"Think nothing of it. It's been a while since something this interesting happened." Orphia said. "Besides, I've only got a few more months before I've got to move on."
"Move on?" Optimus inquired.
Yes, I am leaving this wonderful city and taking these relics back to my masters' home. Something came up a few weeks ago and it's got them spooked for some reason." Orphia shrugged. "I don't know. Prophets are strange like that."
Optimus knew that he was going to open another can of worms here with this next question, but he couldn't help himself. "What is your home exactly, if you don't mind me asking?"
"I don't mind at all, but I can't say much. Confidentiality and all that." Orphia said. "Besides, I'm sure you've already heard of it. After all, who hasn't heard of Atlantis?"