After Optimus had dropped Saphira off at the mall, she knew she was in for a long day of shopping. Knowing that they would have to go to Peru the next day already made Saphira write a long list of items she was going to need. And it would certainly take most of the day to get everything together for the trip. She just hoped Optimus won't mind carrying it around, as she already had so much stuff that he has had to carry around. It made her feel bad for using him this way, even though Optimus has shown that he does not mind much at all. Though as she was travelling to a foreign country that was warmer, she knew she had to pack for the occasion.

The first thing Saphira hunted for was first aid supplies, knowing she might need it in Peru. She doubted she would need any camping gear, since she could sleep within Optimus's chassis anyway, so she didn't bother getting any of that. She did already have a first aid kit, but she got more items to add to it, knowing she might need it. Including medicine if needed. Once she finished that, she got insect repellent, feminine hygiene products and sunscreen. She had wanted to get this out of the way first, knowing right clothes were the second important thing.

Luckily, at this time, many of the clothing stores were starting to put out summer clothes. They still had racks of winter clothes, but this was just something a lot of retailers did at this time. After all, spring was around the corner, and they want to start selling new styles. And Saphira was happy about that, so she could be comfortable in Peru. She did not know how long they would be in Peru too, so Saphira knew she would need enough clothes for two weeks. If there were laundromats that she could use, she would use them. But when it came to underwear, she bought a lot more as a just in case.

She focused primarily on light, long sleeve shirts, jeans, thick socks, gloves and jeans. She did buy some singlets and t-shirts, but they would likely only be worn if it was fine to do so. While she knew it would be warm and humid, she also had to protect her skin from sunburn and ticks, so the clothing choices she went with were due to these reasons in mind. She wasn't experienced in walking in any kind of wilderness, but Saphira did not want to be unprepared. And she hoped she was not overthinking on what she needed. She also made sure to buy a backpack to fit the first aid, sunscreen, insect repellent and so on in it comfortably.

As for a dress, Saphira took her time looking for something that was flattering and casual. She even took her time looking at different pyjamas and lingerie. As winter had limited her to what she could wear that was nice and flattering, she certainly was looking forward to potentially wearing something that Optimus would like to see on her. She didn't know what exactly she would wear, but there were so many sundresses to try on, and she took a lot of time trying them on to figure out which ones she would like to wear and so on.

Eventually, she found a sundress that was rather nice and she fell in love with it. It is a v-neck, short sleeve sundress with dark blue trimming around the sleeves of the shoulders and helm of the dress. The corset was dark green with black tree shapes, and the skirt of the dress was a lighter green with white wildflowers scattered along it. She loved it, and it showed off her waist very well. She hoped it was a good choice, and that Optimus would like it as well.

Then she went to look at the pyjamas and lingerie. She knew these weren't necessary a need, but she wanted to have something nice. She knew that she wouldn't get them dirty or destroyed, since Optimus would contain them within his chassis for her, so she wasn't worried at all. But she knew she didn't necessarily need them. It was just something. Especially since Peru may open some more romantic opportunities for the two of them to enjoy. Especially under the stars without any skyscrapers blocking them.

Once she finished buying the clothes and necessary items, she moved onto food. Given she had zero idea of how long they would be Peru, she really needed to think on what she needed. She first went with several cartons of bottled water, knowing she would need a good supply for herself for a while. She then looked at all the dried fruit, jerky and nuts that she could take with her to Peru. And the various tin food that she also could take, along with crackers to spread things like tin fish on. This probably took up most of her time, simply because she needed to really think on what she should take that would keep her full and satisfied over the coming weeks.

By the time she bought everything that she needed, it was the afternoon, and Saphira bought some food as she was starving by that time. She waited until after she had her fill before asking Optimus to come back to the store to pick her up. It gave her more time to get the right currency for Peru and she finally made her way out of the mall with the shopping cart and waited for Optimus to arrive. She kept a tight hold on the cart, since it was full currently, and she didn't want someone to come along and snatch it from her.

When Optimus finally arrived, Saphira was relieved and pushed the cart over to the truck. She ignored all the strange looks she received as people noticed the truck, and she began moving everything into the cab. Optimus did form his holoform to help, but only to grab the items from within the cab so people would not notice. It was a big help, especially when she lifted the cartons of bottled water to him.

Once everything was put in the cab, Saphira took the cart of a cart collection point and walked back over, sighing deeply as she was satisfied about today, and climbed into the cab, closing the door behind her. She looked around and saw his holoform had disappeared, and she smiled as that was okay. Optimus backed up and drove out of the parking lot, and Saphira looked at the back to see if she needed to tidy and organize everything.

"I was expecting a lot, but…" Saphira looked towards the dash and smiled as Optimus began to speak. "Well, I think the bulk of this is the water bottles you got. Everything else is in smaller bags…but there's about eight bags…

"I know. The clothes only take about four of those bags, my new shoes take up one bag, while the food, first aid stuff and such take up the other three bags. I wasn't expecting to get so much, but I do not know how long we are going to be over in Peru. So I guess I did buy more than I need, but I am thinking ahead." Saphira stretched her arms and yawned a little. "I am surprised it took up most of the day though. The sun is already setting…but I did wake up quite late today."

"I suppose you are right. I have not even considered the length of time that we might spend in Peru myself, so you are right to think ahead. I apologize." She smiled at him as he had no need to apologize. "I have informed the other autobots of this mission. They are aware and ready to travel with us tomorrow."

"Good to know." Saphira wasn't surprised, as she doubted that any of them would want to be left behind. "How did they respond to me finding the sculpture? I left my camera here, so I assume that you showed them."

"They are all very intrigued on what this particular find even means, as it would add a new part to our history for both Earth and Cybertron. Especially as that symbol likely comes from something far older than us. And it gives us all a mystery to do for a while, so we aren't stuck in this city for a while." She could not disagree. A change of scenery was going to be really good, and she was looking forward to it. "We can return to New York from time to time, or another city in America, for you to stock up on items, such as food. We won't force you to remain Peru all the time, as this could take a while to discover."

"I would certainly appreciate that, but we don't need to. There are still towns that I can go to. If they don't have some things that I can use, I would certainly agree to coming back. But I doubt it will be necessary." Saphira looked out the window. "I am looking forward to it, Optimus. Especially…we might find a private spot for just the two of us. There are plenty of rivers and such we could spend time in together."

Optimus was unsurprised that Saphira was thinking that, since he had been thinking about that as well. "I have considered that too. And I am also looking forward to it." She blushed while she kept her eyes looking out the window. "Maybe you and I should have another night together before tomorrow." She looked at the dash and nodded, as she would definitely enjoy that a lot. "I will be sure to wake you tomorrow before Stratosphere lands."

"That sounds fine by me." Saphira did wish she could snuggle against him at the moment, but he still had his holoform off. "At least I shouldn't have another nightmare. All of this excitement is, hopefully, going to give me good dreams. Even dreams about Peru, most likely, because it is so interesting."

"I hope for that. I do not wish for you to be restless and unable to rest because of it. But a change of scenery should at least take away the nightmares as well." Saphira nodded in agreement. "At least we are prepared. Stratosphere appears to be on course for the time he said he would be here, so it will be about midmorning he should arrive."

"Good to know."

Saphira was not sure what to expect the next morning. She was excited, but also nervous. The nervousness was mostly due to the fact she's never been outside the country before, and she wasn't sure what to expect at this time. She already had an idea of where to start, based on the places with the strange animal depictions, as it is possible that the animals aren't actually animals at all. But are actually depictions of a Cybertronian race.

I can't imagine how popular someone would be to discover that. It would also answer the question people have had about the universe. We are certainly not alone in this universe.

She was curious to know how the other autobots were feeling about the adventure. Optimus has already said that they were wanting to go to Peru, but she was still curious about what exactly they were thinking and feeling regarding it. She wondered how curious they were, and if they had any ideas of what their trip to Peru could lead to. And if they were actually excited to go as well, because she would feel bad if they weren't really wanting to go.

Upon arriving at the factory, Saphira saw that Arcee, Bumblebee and Mirage were in their full forms, and she noticed that Mirage appeared to be complaining about something. That was a surprise, because she didn't think he would be complaining about anything. Though that did make her feel a bit bad if he was complaining about the trip to Peru.

Saphira opened the door to begin climbing out, and she heard Mirage speaking very loudly. "But why do we have to travel on Stratosphere? I know he's the only autobot who can carry all of us at once, but he is old and rusty, and he hasn't exactly improved his engines much. I'm expecting turbulence all the way to Peru. I almost wish that I could walk to Peru."

Oh, so he's complaining about Stratosphere, not the trip to Peru itself.

Saphira reached the floor and turned to Mirage curiously while Optimus transformed. Mirage looked at Saphira and forced a smile, which was new. "Ugh, sorry, Saphira. I bet you can tell I am not so thrilled about how we are going to reach Peru. I am thrilled we found some kind of mystery to figure out here on this planet, but not so thrilled about the travel arrangements."

"I can…" Saphira walked towards the bots while glancing at Bee and Arcee. They also seemed to not be happy, but were not showing it as much. "But…what is wrong Stratosphere? He seemed to be a really nice autobot to talk to. He was pleasant towards me when Optimus reached out to him earlier."

"I'm not saying that Stratosphere is a bad guy. Do not get that mixed up." Mirage glanced at Optimus who was giving an expression of disapproval. "What? It isn't my fault the old bot hasn't improved his engines. I know we lack the resources, but I know you aren't entirely thrilled about travelling. Why can't we just drive?"

"Because there is an entire ocean between North America and South America." Mirage looked at Saphira as she responded in a slightly sarcastic tone. "There's absolutely no way for you to drive. And look, even if there is turbulence while travelling to the country, we should be grateful for it, Mirage."

"Saphira is correct, Mirage." The bot looked at Optimus when he spoke, and smirked at the leader. "Stratosphere is our only means of travelling to Peru. We have little choice of transportation on this world, and you need to accept it, Mirage. Complaining will not change the course of action."

Mirage sighed as he rolled his optics. "I am completely, and fully aware, Optimus. I will do my best to not whinge about it, but I am not looking forward to travelling over to Peru. Maybe once we are there, I'll join Wheeljack and stay there if we have to use Stratosphere to travel between the countries. Because I certainly would rather keep my feet on the ground."

Saphira did wonder if Mirage was exaggerating a little bit as she glanced up at Optimus. "Is he telling the truth about Stratosphere? Or is it only from his perspective?" Mirage scoffed and rolled his optics when she questioned Optimus about his thoughts. "I know everyone has a different feeling when it comes to flying, so I am curious if he is telling the truth."

"You are right that Mirage is only telling you his view. However…" Optimus knew that it would be a bit of a rough ride, so he would have to inform her. "Mirage isn't completely wrong. The travel will be rough. You already heard Stratosphere comment about fixing up his engines for a smoother ride for tomorrow." That was true. Saphira did not really take it as that it would be a rough ride, but that made sense. "You won't need to worry much, as you can reside within my chassis. It will make it more comfortable for you."

Saphira appreciated that he was thinking ahead to ensure she would be comfortable. She didn't know how rough the flight would be, but it wouldn't bother her. "Well, at least I am aware. I understand why you are complaining now, Mirage. But I hope you will not give Stratosphere a headache over it. If he is older, I imagine it is harder for him to keep up with maintaining somethings and that's understandable."

"I know." Mirage shrugged before he smiled at her. "But I will say, that was a pretty good find, by the way." She frowned a little in confusion. "The sculpture you found with the very strange symbol on it." She smiled when she realized what he was talking about. "I imagine it was a surprise when you saw it. It must have been luck that you saw it. But a good thing that you did, because I am super curious about what we might find."

"I agree with Mirage. Knowing that there could be a connection between Earth and Cybertron will be quite intriguing. And if we ever get back home, it will certainly be added to the historical archives," Arcee said with a smile on her face. "Normally, something like this doesn't interest me. But we haven't really found anything interesting on this planet since hunting the decepticons that were here. Now they're gone, we needed something else."

"I guess I am glad that I found it for you guys to learn. It'll be great for me to learn too. I do have a rough idea of where to start at least too." Saphira looked at Bumblebee curiously. "How are you feeling about it, Bee?"

"Fantastic!" He gave her a thumbs up as he had a very excited expression. "We get to learn more about our past. It will be great. And a new country to live in will be just as great."

"I am glad that you are intrigued as well, Bumblebee." Saphira looked around at the factory and shrugged. "At least we won't need to be searching for and hiding inside old, abandoned places like this one."

"Yeah, that will be nice." Arcee nodded in agreement. "Plus, the place we are going to will be warmer. I hope you won't get much of a shock in the temperature change. I know it is probably going to go from one extreme to another."

"I will be fine. It isn't like we are going to the surface of the sun, which I don't know if you would survive either. I have bought a lot of things that I need. I probably bought too much, according to Optimus…" He glanced at her with an amused expression, making Mirage and Bumblebee chuckle as his reaction was amusing. "But I have enough for a couple weeks. And I have money in the currency, so I should be okay."

"That's probably going to be a good thing. Never hurts to be overprepared. And given we only have a small lead, this could take a while." Arcee let out a soft chuckle. "I used to hate listening to bots who would tell stories of the past. They would go on and on about it, and here I am about to set off on a venture to dive into our past."

"Ah, but no one is here telling you stories of the past. We are searching for it. Big difference, Arcee," Mirage said with a grin, waving his index finger around as he spoke before he looked at Saphira. "I imagine you must be feeling a tad tired from all the shopping today. At least you can have a bit of a break."

She nodded. "Yeah." She turned to Optimus for a moment. "I don't suppose you could take me to a bathroom so I can shower. Peru's going to be humid and hot, and I want to feel refreshed at least until we get there."

Optimus nodded with a smile. "I can do that for you. Do you want to go now?"

"While the temperature is not so cold. I don't like waiting for night to shower at the moment, Optimus. You already know that."

Optimus nodded and he transformed back into his vehicle mode, facing the exit of the building and opened the door for her. Saphira smiled and climbed into the truck, where she was greeted with his holoform, making her blush upon seeing him. "And maybe you and I should spend a bit of alone time before we return here." She nodded in agreement as she closed the door and kissed him. "I am looking forward to going to Peru with you."

"Me too." Saphira kissed him again as she settled in the front seat while Optimus drove away.

She certainly believed that going to Peru was going to bring a lot of adventures for them. It was going be fun doing to the investigating and learning more about her world, and Cybertron as well. And while she still did not know what they would find in Peru, but it was the mystery of that discovery that was exciting, and Saphira knew that it could take a while to figure out, but she did not mind. She would be spending time with Optimus and the autobots. And she found that to be the most important part.

Optimus drove through the city to bring Saphira to the public shower she uses regularly. She was happy to use it and spent a little extra time in the shower, mostly because she was excited and she could not help but think and imagine how things would go. And she was also excited about spending time with Optimus again tonight. She enjoyed it the previous night, and she knew she was going to enjoy it a lot again tonight. She had considered surprising him with her wearing one of the lingerie sets she bought, but decided against it as she wanted to save them for Peru.

When she was finished, and returned to Optimus, Optimus drove through the city to return to the same spot they were at the night before. Saphira was pleased with that, because of how secluded it was, they wouldn't be disturbed by anyone. At this time, the sun had mostly gone down, and it was dusk now, but it was darkening quickly, and Saphira was glad that she had showered, as rain began to fall at this time instead of snow, which will still drop the temperature.

Saphira was brushing her hair and she noticed that Optimus's holoform was just watching her quietly, which made her blush. "I am not sure what's so fascinating here, Optimus…um…I'm just brushing my hair…"

"I am not fascinated by that, but I am fascinated by you, Saphira." Her blushed deepened instantly. "You fascinate me because you are beautiful. You are a human who has managed to get into my spark, and your personality intrigues me." She giggled as she looked away, acting like she did that just to brush one side of her hair. "I love you, Saphira. I am…grateful for your presence. You care about us, and you want to help us with this new mystery." He crawled closer to her and gently grabbed her wrist to stop her from brushing her hair. "And I think you have brushed your hair a little too much."

Saphira giggled softly and looked at him. She was about to respond, but he cut her off with a kiss and she let out a soft moan. He took the brush from her hand to place it by her bag and wrapped his arms around her waist. Saphira wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed herself against him. His body vibrated against her, making her shudder as she felt goosebumps cover her skin upon feeling his reaction.

She let out another soft moan, especially as Optimus moved his hands under her shirts. She had already taken her jacket off, and he didn't have so many layers to remove this time. He ran his fingers up her stomach slowly, lifting both shirt and singlet up and making her shiver in anticipation. She could feel a fire ignite in her stomach, and she moved her arms up as Optimus lifts both shirt and singlet off. He took care in separating the two items before folding them and placing them down.

Saphira had begun to pull her pants off at this point, and Optimus grinned, since she had them down halfway by the time he noticed, and she slipped them off before folding them to place them on the shirt and singlet. When she did that, she giggled as he placed his hands on her sides, gripping them in a firm, but gentle way as he pulled closer, slipping her to sit on his thighs, making her blush deepen again. They kiss passionately and Optimus laid back on the seat.

She placed her hands on his cheeks gently as they kiss passionately. She felt his right hand move to her back, touching the clip of her bra and she giggled softly. They both were feeling a little bolder tonight, since this would their second time like this, and Saphira was enjoying it thoroughly. She moved to kiss his cheek and moved her lips to his neck. He hummed softly and she felt her bra clip coming undone. She smiled, moving her arms to slip them out of the straps as Optimus pulled the bra away and folded it to place on the clothing pile.

Saphira shivered when he placed his hands on both of her breasts, squeezing gently, and she kissed him again. She shifted her legs to be more comfortable, and she felt Optimus shudder underneath her, and the truck cab vibrated as well, and she chuckled as she had not meant to brush against the crotch plate, even though it was a little hard to avoid. She did find herself curious about it though, so she felt like she might want to remove the plate tonight.

Optimus himself was completely entranced in the moment right now. He enjoyed feeling the girl's body against him. He could easily hurt this human against him, as she was fragile compared to him. But he was extremely gentle with this human. He loved her, and wanted to cherish her for her whole life. He moved his hands to her waist again to hold her, and she seemed to like it, as she responded with another tremble.

He moved his lips to her cheek and pressed his lips together a little to gently pinch, making her giggle in response because it tickled her. So he did it again, and she moved her head away, looking at him as he gave her a playful expression. She rubbed her cheek to try and rub away the tickle feeling before she resumed kissing him passionately. She moved her hands to his chassis to feel and explore and moved them to his stomach.

She was about to move them down when Optimus suddenly stopped kissing her and turned his head to look towards the window. Saphira leaned back at his sudden reaction as it was unexpected. "Optimus?" She assumed that there were humans nearby, except his holoform faded underneath her suddenly, making her flinch in surprise as she slipped a little on the backseat and looked towards the dash. "What's going on?"

Optimus did not respond other then he began to roll forward, and she got more nervous. She didn't know what was happening, and she couldn't see what was happening, but she scrambled to put her clothes on, in case she needed to look decent. Especially if there were humans outside, and she could not see. Once she had her pants and singlet back on at least, she climbed to the passenger seat to look out. But she saw no one, so she was confused.

"Optimus, what is going on? You are acting strange." Saphira's voice was full of nervousness. "I cannot see what you have seen…"

"This cannot be…" She flinched as Optimus's voice was filled with disbelief, and he suddenly began to transform, making her shriek in surprise. She was immediately concerned about someone seeing him as, while this place was secluded, it wasn't secluded enough for him to just transform. Plus, as soon as he finished transforming and held Saphira in his hand, she felt the freezing raindrops on her body and she immediately began to shiver and fold her arms. "Calling all autobots! Calling all autobots!"

"What…what's going on?" Saphira looked around and saw Optimus's gaze was at the sky, but she saw nothing. "I can't see anything, what is happening? And why didn't you wait for me to get my jacket on?!"

Optimus looked down at Saphira in surprise and realized quickly. "Sorry, I am just surprised." He opened his chassis and placed her inside, making her sigh in relief as he closed it. "You can't see what I can see?"

She shook her head as she began to remove her drenched clothes. "No!" She was more annoyed that he had been a little careless rather suddenly. "I can't see what you are seeing at all. What is it?"

"Prime, this is Arcee." Saphira flinched as Arcee spoke through the com link before Optimus could respond to Saphira. "Bee, Mirage and I have a visual. What are we looking at?"

A visual? Of what?!

Saphira was very annoyed because she couldn't see what they were seeing, but it also had her worried. Especially if it was something bad. She grabbed some towels to dry her skin and cover herself as she quickly changed underwear and began to put dry clothes on. She was annoyed this had interrupted this moment as well. She didn't like it, but clearly it was important enough to get interrupted…even if it was unexpected.

"What are you looking at Optimus?" Saphira asked in a calmer tone. "Please tell me. And the autobots too."

Optimus did not respond at first, as he was staring in disbelief. But then he uttered the words that Saphira did not expect to hear for a long time. "A way home."

She widened her eyes in shock, and stared out the window, not knowing what he had just seen. But if what he said was true, she could not help but feel dread. Because that meant that the autobots could leave Earth soon, and she would lose her new family and newfound love as well. And she didn't know how to feel. She made sure to not be emotional as Optimus transformed to drive back to the factory to meet up with the autobots to discuss it, even though she had no idea what they had seen and why it suddenly appeared.