And he keeps falling falling falling falling…
Falling…
Falling…
Falling…
Falling…
Falling until he hits water and sinks far below the surface. The impact temporarily freezes his systems, preventing him from moving. Fortunately, he saved his charge from the same fate, as she was safely tucked away in his subspace just seconds before the crash.
Blasted Pits! This day just keeps getting better and better! And why am I so itchy? It's like I'm covered in…
Thunderhoof's optics dilated, coming to a realization. Systems rebooted and once again able to move, he reached out and grabbed the edge of a trench he was just about to fall into. Digging his hooves into the side, he hoisted himself up and over. He crawled a short distance before rising to his full height.
Despite the opacity of deep waters, Thunderhoof's vision is strong and focused enough to pick out bits and pieces of his surroundings: rocks, algae, and a myriad of aquatic animals.
Scrap. Not only am I back on Earth, but I'm stuck IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FRAGGING OCEAN!
Thunderhoof circulates his vents the best he can underwater and calms down.
Losing your temper ain't gonna do us any good. Just keep moving until you find your way out.
He picks a direction and heads that way.
– 2 hours later –
The day's events catch up to Thunderhoof, wearing him down. He hasn't had a moment to stop and rest, but that may be changing soon. He's noticed the sea floor steadily rising, and as it does, the surrounding waters brighten, both in light and in life. There are more plants and fish. Crabs crawl out of their hidey-holes and try to ward him off with their pincers. Shrimp attach to his plating and clean what little algae has collected on the metal.
Almost there. I can feel it.
Thunderhoof grunts in surprise when he loses his balance. His servos hit the ground first, preventing the rest of him from following.
What the frag?
The Cervicon looked down. His left hoof broke through a crack in the ocean floor.
You've got to be kidding me.
Thunderhoof tried to pull out, but much to his chagrin, was trapped.
I suppose that break I was hoping for came sooner rather than later.
He decided to rest for a few minutes before trying again.
Come on come on come on…
Clang!
Something hard, blunt, and heavy landed on top of Thunderhoof, bringing him to one knee and further embedding his trapped leg in the hole. He attempted to shake whatever was on him off, but only further entangled his antlers in whatever else was attached to the object.
FRAG DAMMIT! CAN ANYTHING ELSE GO WRONG TODAY?
Thunderhoof immediately regretted his train of thought.
A boiling heat swirled around his entombed leg. He felt the plating crumple, and the proto-form burn and blister beneath. Thunderhoof grunted and writhed in excruciating pain. His helm was ringing, and his systems felt like they were on fire.
In his distressed state, he didn't notice the anchor detach from his antlers, or the boat he almost dragged below the surface.
.
.
.
.
.
{Dani, Kade, what's your twenty?}
"Just about there, dad!" Dani said, looking out through Blades' window at the fishing boat running rampant across the water's surface.
"Yeesh, it looks like Captain Wild lost control of the boat!" Kade commented from inside Heatwave's watercraft mode. "Are you sure it's not a false alarm?"
"Either way, we still need to stop it before somebody gets hurt," Heatwave deliberated.
"You don't think I don't know that by now?"
"Sometimes it's hard to tell."
{Heatwave, Kade, save the argument for later.}
"Sorry, dad."
"Understood, Chief."
"Hey, are you guys seeing this?" Dani interrupted, looking through her binoculars.
"What?" Everyone else asked.
"The boat, it just stopped moving," Blades said.
Kade and Heatwave looked ahead, and lo and behold, Dani and Blades were right. The boat was at a standstill.
"Unbelievable," Kade muttered under his breath. "How did it go from crazy to calm in a second? We weren't even distracted for that long!"
{We'll worry about that later. Right now, I need you to check on Captain Wild and bring him and his boat back to shore.}
"Copy that," Dani responded.
The Burns siblings and their Rescue Bot partners approached the fishing boat. Dani and Kade got out of their vehicles before they transformed and joined them on deck. A pudgy man with white hair and wearing fishermen's attire wobbled out of the cabin.
"Captain Wild, we got your call. Are you okay?" Dani asked, giving the older man a preliminary once-over.
"No, no, I'm fine! Just a little dizzy from being swung side to side," Captain Wild reassured.
"What do you mean by that?" Kade asked, crossing his arms.
"What happened, exactly?" Heatwave asked as well.
"To tell you the truth, I don't know," Captain Wild admitted. "I haven't fished this spot in a while, so I thought I'd come back today and try it out. I dropped my anchor, but when it hit something, it didn't sound like anything I've ever heard. Before I could do anything about it, my boat just went crazy! I panicked and called you. I was going to call back when the ruckus stopped, but it just started up again. I've been waiting in my cabin until you all arrived."
The rescue team exchanged looks of confusion.
"That's certainly strange," Heatwave rumbled.
"Do you think it's a sea monster?" Blades whimpered, hiding behind his leader.
"Blades, we talked about this! There are no sea monsters!" Dani exclaimed.
"How do you know? According to some of the nature documentaries I watched…"
"Any sea monsters that do exist won't hurt you, and none of us will ever encounter one. None of us are deep sea divers, Blades."
"Not unless you go to an aquarium," Kade quipped.
Dani turned to her brother, scowling.
"Kade, not helping!"
The red-head just laughed.
Meanwhile, Heatwave was thinking about what Captain Wild said, trying to piece it all together, and he could only come to one conclusion. Whatever is going on, it doesn't have to do with the boat's functionality. Something must have caught the anchor, and since the boat was being pulled all over the place instead of in a single direction, the culprit must be an animal. A shark, maybe.
It'd have to be one heck of a giant in order to move a heavy metal anchor.
"Chief, are you still there?" Heatwave talked into his commlink.
{Yes, Heatwave. Go ahead.}
"I think I know what happened, but just to be certain, I'm going under to check out the scene."
{Okay. Keep communications open, and be safe!}
"Will do, sir!"
Heatwave turned to his partner.
"Are you going to stay up here where it's safe?"
"Not a chance!" Kade scoffed, already getting ready to jump off of one boat and into another.
"Figured as much."
The lead Rescue Bot transformed and opened the hatch for his human partner to climb in. With Kade sealed inside, Heatwave submerged and followed the anchor's chain. It didn't take long to come to the end of the line, but once they did, they couldn't believe it. Heatwave floated in place as he and Kade struggled to come to terms with what was in front of them.
"Is that another bot?" Kade gasped.
"I… I guess so," Heatwave stammered. "I don't recognize him, though."
The bot in question looks big and strong enough to drag the fishing boat around. The anchor lies on the ocean floor just a few feet away, but the chain connecting the anchor to the boat is still tangled in their antlers.
"So… What do we do?" Kade asked.
"Well, we can't move the boat until the anchor is detached from whoever it's stuck on…" Heatwave trailed off, something not sitting right with him. "Why haven't they removed the chain?"
"Why are you asking me?"
"I'm not! I'm thinking aloud! His arms look fine, no damage there. So why…"
"Dude, stop overthinking! Just go over there and take care of it yourself!"
Heatwave growled, but he didn't immediately snap back. He hesitated, uncertain of how he should proceed. They don't know who this bot is. It has been made quite clear, though, that they are powerful, and even from a distance, are bigger than any other bot around, save for maybe High Tide.
"Earth to Heatwave!" Kade said while banging on his console. "What's going on in that thick head of yours?"
"Just shut up and let me handle this!" Heatwave snapped, finally coming to a decision. "Get ready to call the others if something happens."
Kade grumbles something under his breath. Heatwave doesn't pay him any attention as they cautiously approach the stranger. Feeling the change in current, the stranger lifts their helm, revealing a pair of glistening red optics. It seemed almost as if he wanted to say something, to yell at them or threaten them to leave him alone, but he didn't. He kept his mouth shut.
"Okay, he sees us. Why hasn't he said anything?" Kade asked.
"I don't…" Heatwave broke himself off mid-answer. He recognized the signs of a bot in extreme physical pain, trying to hide it to look strong in front of others, because he does the same thing.
"I think he might be hurt. Call the others."
"Are you…"
A heated glare from Heatwave was enough to get Kade to shut up and contact the rest of the team.
"Hey, guys, we found the problem."
"Kade! I was just about to call you! You and Heatwave were down there for so long, we started to get worried!" Dani responded.
"Uh, thanks?" Kade replied, confused.
{Are you two alright? You said you found the problem.}
"I'm fine. Heatwave's a little spooked."
"I am not spooked!" Heatwave snapped. "I'm just surprised that another bot is here."
"What did you say?" Blades asked, a twinge of excitement added to his voice.
"A bot I don't recognize is down here. The anchor fell on top of him and the chain got all tangled up in his antlers."
"Antlers?" Dani repeated. "You mean like a deer?"
"More like a moose, but yeah, same thing," Kade corrected.
"But how come he hasn't untangled himself? Why is he still down there?"
"I don't know where, I don't see any wounds, but I know he's hurt," Heatwave answered.
"Do you want me to come down there?" Blades asked.
"Affirmative."
A few minutes later, Blades joined them on the ocean floor in robot mode. The stranger tilted his helm to get a better look at the orange Rescue Bot. Heatwave was afraid something bad might happen right then and there. He was tempted to give out a warning.
The stranger's arms, which were supporting his frame, gave out. He nearly collapsed, but caught himself at the last minute. He struggled to return to form, his inability to keep balance worrying the Rescue Bots.
{Kade, Heatwave, Blades, what's going on down there?}
"Whoever this is, Chief, he's not looking too good," Blades reported, circling the stranger, searching for signs of what may be wrong. He stops halfway around and gasps.
"Oh dear."
{What is it?}
"His leg is stuck, and whatever he's stuck in, the water around it feels unusually hot."
"That sounds like a hydrothermal vent," Graham said, joining the call. "If you don't get whoever it is you're talking about out of there, then the damage to their limb may be irreparable."
Blades looked worried.
Heatwave felt worried.
{Alright, team. We have a lot to do all at once as quickly and efficiently as possible. Blades, untangle the bot. Dani, once you get the all-clear from Blades, you and Captain Wild head back to shore. Heatwave and Kade, stay there and try to get in contact with High Tide, see if he can't come over and help out. Once you free the bot, bring him to the cove. Graham and Boulder will meet you guys there.}
"Why the cove?" Kade asked.
{Because I don't want to have to explain this new bot to the townsfolk without knowing what's going on first. I'd rather he be kept separated from the public.}
"What about you and Chase, dad? And Cody?" Dani asked.
{Chase and I will meet you at the docks. We'll drop Captain Wild off at the hospital, then pick up Cody on the way to the cove.}
It was a good plan. No one argued against it.