Optimus held the eggs in his trailer, wrapping them in a heating blanket every three hours in an attempt to change the genders, though it was hopeless. Ratchet still had some kind of hope that they could be changed and that it wasn't too late. Meanwhile, the Prime allowed Jeremy to stay in the base and he escorted him to and from the lake via GroundBridge and alt-mode. None of the crew seemed opposed to having a Cybertronian escort, especially with a Predacon unaccounted for.
Optimus had sent Predaking and Skylynx out to hopefully track the female down. They had yet to return. Jeremy felt as though they should return to the lake in case she returned to her old nest, but Optimus was less than optimistic about that. He refused. The human persisted. Optimus gave up.
The Prime took the trailer with him, set it on the shore of the lake, and while Jeremy cast off, Optimus ducked under the water to come face to face with the female Predacon.
She was watching him with one dull optic, her bad optic. Optimus could see the fog over the lense and he knew she would be unpredictable if he spooked her. He knelt slowly in the water and he reached out to touch her helm, but she wasn't Predaking. She snapped at his digits, faster than Optimus had predicted, but she didn't draw Energon and she didn't take any digits with her. She settled back down on the lake bed and sighed. Optimus moved slightly and saw that the remaining eggs were under her tail. One was completely crushed.
She was growing careless, Optimus realized, and he had to get her away from the eggs if the species was to survive. So he drew a dagger, and against his better judgement, shoved the blade through her wing and into the rocks beneath it. She didn't even twitch. Optimus looked at her with concern and he sighed softly before he got up and walked out of the lake.