The flight to Peru certainly was not a very short trip. Though Optimus was okay with that. Saphira has already slept for two hours of the trip, and they still had several hours to go before Stratosphere would reach South America. She had fallen asleep against his chassis, and while he has considered moving inside his chassis, he decided not to. He held her gently with his hands as she slept peacefully. She seemed comfortable against him, and he did not want to disturb her by moving her suddenly. It made him happy to watch her as she slept, catching up on much needed sleep. And he would find himself watching her as she slept. And he found himself caressing her back gently with his thumb, and while he knew she was not awake to enjoy it, he felt she would appreciate it.

Though while he held Saphira against him, he would gaze at Bumblebee's body as it sat beside him. Optimus was feeling a lot of guilt at this time. He really did feel like that he could have done more to stop Scourge, and prevented him from killing Bumblebee. He knew he could not go back to change what has happened, but that did not mean that Optimus didn't feel this pain. He wished that they got the key sooner, because maybe this would not have happened.

And the only comfort he had right now was Saphira. He never expected a human to ever win his spark. He never went out of his way to harm humans, but he never wanted to trust humans. He knew that humans would hunt them down if they ever knew the existence of the autobots, and he was not willing to subject any of his autobots to that kind of torment. And he had disliked having to watch a human when Mirage brought her. He had wanted to get rid of Saphira, but it was good that Mirage convinced him not to.

He did find himself watching Saphira from the very start though. Mostly because he had to, but when she would write in her diaries about them, it was definitely interesting to him. Especially as she never mentioned what the autobots actually looked like, which he had thought was an interesting decision she has made. But Optimus had found her respect for the autobots to be suspicious at first. She agreed with him and did as she was told to do, but Optimus had found it suspicious, even though he had appreciated the cooperation.

And when she lost her job the way she did, Optimus had felt bad. Especially since she had been assaulted over it at the time. Looking back, Optimus had regretted his behavior towards Saphira. She didn't deserve the attitude and treatment that he had given her at the time. Though Optimus had the mind of wanting to protect his autobots, and he could not be blamed for wanting to do that. And he knew she never blamed him. She often understood it.

Mirage was watching Optimus quietly as he was intrigued by how gentle Optimus was with Saphira. He was very glad that he brought Saphira that day, even if it was not intentional. Now Optimus has someone in his life who made him happy, even though she was not an autobot. "I have to say, Optimus, it makes me happy that I had accidently brought Saphira that night." Optimus looked at Mirage as the bot began to speak. "It is nice to see you happy. Of course, I know we are all grieving, but you know what I mean."

Arcee nodded slowly in agreement, as she had been watching as well. "I agree with Mirage. When he first brought Saphira to us, I thought he was a giant idiot for doing that." She elbowed Mirage playfully, making the young bot roll his optics in amusement at the femme. "Though, to be fair, I was mostly listening to orders. But Saphira grew on me as time went on, and I am glad she is my friend. The number of times she and I have had some girl time has been nice. Though…it would be nice if we had more time together."

Mirage nodded in agreement. "Yeah…having the Transwarp Key will be great…but that means we will be leaving a new family member behind." He looked over at Saphira with a sad expression. "I didn't overly like humans myself, but I enjoyed watching them and observing their quirks, but Saphira was different. When I first saw her, I thought I was lucky that a pretty, little human was going to be driving me around." He chuckled softly before his expression turned back to sadness. "I'm going to miss her when we get back home."

"Aw, ya making me sad that I won't get much time to get to know the lass," Stratosphere commented as he listened on the conversation. "So is that how ya all met Saphira? Mirage brought her to ya?"

Optimus nodded with a smile. "Yes. I had called them in for a meeting regarding Transit, and at the time, I was not aware that Mirage was travelling with Saphira. She was meant to be going on a date with another human, and as I ensured Mirage understood that it was urgent, he brought Saphira to where we were gathered. I was not impressed at the time."

Stratosphere let out a chuckle of amusement, as he knew that Optimus would not have been happy. "I guess you were going to deal with Mirage's mistake at the time, but you were convinced not to. That was probably a good choice." Optimus nodded, as it was indeed a good choice. "But it seems like a deep bond has been formed between her and all of ya. A shame I was never introduced sooner…but I guess I wouldn't have come to city, unless needed."

"It really didn't cross our minds to mention you or Wheeljack to her. Especially as you both were not with us in the city at the time." Arcee looked at Bumblebee's body for a moment and sighed deeply, hugging her knees and resting her chin on her knees. "Saphira has become more than just a friend for us. She is family. And for Optimus…" She glanced at Optimus to see he was gazing at Saphira with a loving expression. "I suppose she would have been his sparkmate, if they had the time to become one."

"I had noticed that there was some love between ya two, lad," Stratosphere said cheerfully as he was observing Optimus as well. "Never thought it would be a human who steals your spark, Optimus. But she must be special to do that. I can't help but feel a little jealous of ya."

"I never thought a human would be special to me as well, Stratosphere. When Saphira came to us, she was in a vulnerable state…and I probably did not make things easier for her. And yet…she intrigued after a couple weeks…mostly because I couldn't understand her respect for me. She should have been hating me." Optimus smiled as he gazed for at Saphira. "But she saw from my perspective…and understood why I did not trust humans. She didn't either, and she has very good reasons to not trust humans." Optimus certainly could not forget when Arthur confronted her the first time, nor could he forget when Arthur tried to kill her. He could not understand it at all. "And as she relaxed, and I relaxed, she showed her creative side. But I hadn't realized how much she had been affected, until she stood upon the edge of the river and considered jumping in…and never coming back out."

"Wait, really?" Stratosphere was shocked to hear that about the human. Optimus, Arcee and Mirage all nod in unison. "Wow…I guess the poor lass must have been through a lot to want to do that. Pfft…and we are the ones who have through war too…" There was no argument there, but they all knew that everyone handled things differently. "You must have said something to convince the lass to not jump. Otherwise, she wouldn't be here right now."

"He did. Optimus was able to get through to Saphira, when I could not," Mirage commented with a smile. "And you know what? I am not mad about that." He looked at Optimus, and Optimus rolled his optics at him. "I certainly do not regret dragging that girl into our world. I never thought she would end up being your love interest, Prime, but I guess I was kind of your match maker in this instance."

Arcee snorted in amusement and looked at Mirage. "Match maker? You?" The young bot nodded proudly and Arcee rolled her optics. "Yeah, sure. Keep telling yourself that, Mirage. You only brought the girl here, you didn't sit the two together and force them to get along. It just happened all on its own."

Mirage chuckled as that did sound pretty silly, even though it amused him. "Well…I mean, I can joke about it, can't I? If it wasn't for me, we wouldn't even have Saphira here. And we might not have had a human to go into that museum to try and get the key out to us. I highly doubt any other human would have done it."

"And I would not have allowed it either." Optimus intakes heavily and sighed loudly. "I am grateful that a wonderful person has entered our lives. It hurts my spark knowing that…that we might be able to go home. And while we will be returning to a war, it is more important. And Saphira is not my sparkmate yet…but even if she was, she wouldn't be able to come with us. There is no oxygen on Cybertron."

"It is a shame that we didn't meet Saphira a few years ago," Arcee said softly, and Optimus nodded in agreement. "Maybe…maybe we could have been the ones to save her from the place she was at. Save her from her parents. And, you never know, you might even have become sparkmates by now."

"You know it doesn't work like that, Arcee. It can take years before a bond is made. I know in my spark Saphira would be a wonderful sparkmate. She is what I would want to find in a sparkmate. But…if we successful in defeating Scourge and preventing Unicron from devouring this world, we will be able to leave." Optimus really wished he didn't have to, but he knew that the other autobots on Cybertron needed him. And he felt like he has abandoned them. "But I will want to make sure that she will be okay before we leave."

"I agree. Making sure she gets a roof over her head, a job and going back to school will be a start. That way she can, hopefully, get a degree and move into something that gives her a good life." Mirage looked at Saphira before looking away. "I certainly am going to miss her. But at least we can say hi to her every now and then…that is, if Megatron does not blow our processors out."

Optimus nodded in agreement. That is something he would want to do. He wouldn't want to leave straight away, as he would want Saphira to have a good life without them. It was painful to know this was what needed to happen, but there was little choice. Optimus knew that Saphira knew this as well. He hoped that the mission to Peru would go smoothly, as he didn't want her to be hurt physically as well. Especially as Scourge had taken an interest in her, and not for any good reason.

"I do not want to think about the future at this time, Mirage. A future without Saphira hurts, and we are already morning the loss of Bumblebee. We do not need to add any additional pain to our sparks." Arcee and Mirage nod, as they agree with Optimus. "We do not know what will happen upon reaching Peru. We need to keep our minds clear when we get there. I want none of this conversation to be told to Saphira. It is best she focuses on the mission. And I hope for a good result today."

Arcee and Mirage agreed. They did not want to think about the future, even though they all knew that they would have to face it eventually. Now they needed to focus on Peru, and locating the other half of the Transwarp Key. It was good that Saphira was getting plenty of rest, because they don't know how long it will take for her to find clues regarding the key. And she needed to be able to focus, so it was good for her to sleep. Nonetheless, there were still some hours before Stratosphere would land outside Cusco. And Optimus did not plan on waking Saphira at all. Though Mirage did question how Saphira would be able to use the bathroom if she wakes up, and they weren't there yet. That amused Optimus and Arcee, even if it was a reasonable question to ask.

Several Hours Later…

"We are making our approach, Optimus! I will be landing very, very shortly," Stratosphere informed Optimus as approached the city of Cusco. "You might want to wake the lass up." Optimus tensed and moved both hands over Saphira as they began to feel some turbulence. "It might get a little rough. The wind's pretty wild at the moment, and I am doing my best to keep myself steady."

"Terrific!" Mirage was less than happy, and he winced as they feel the plane shake and tremble from the turbulence. "Might want to wake her up now, Optimus, or she is going to wake up terrified."

Optimus nodded in agreement and he gently began to nudge her with his index finger. "Saphira." She didn't respond straight away, so he kept nudging. "Saphira, you need to wake up." She groaned and covered her face with her arms, making Optimus smile. "Saphira, we are about to land and…" He paused as the walls shudder loudly around them, which seemed to make Saphira jump as she heard it. "It's alright, we're still on Stratosphere."

Saphira grumbled something under her breath just as there was another shake, which made Saphira jump again and open her eyes with a gasp. She took deep breaths and glanced around for a moment before realizing she was still on Optimus's chassis. She smiled and blushed as she was glad to see she had not been moved, and she yawned a little as she was still half asleep. Though as she was about to stretch, Saphira jumped to the sound of a shudder and grasped Optimus's hand firmly.

She took deep breaths as she looked around nervously. "Um…i-i-i-is this a normal thing?" She asked nervously and the bots nod. "Uh…I guess Stratosphere's engines must be…"

"Oh, no, it's just turbulence," Mirage interrupts gently with a smile. "The ride has been pretty smooth so far, but the wind has picked up, and he wanted you to be awake."

"I think I would rather be asleep…" Saphira gasped and grimaced as there was another shake and she moved her knees closer to her chest, taking deep breaths. She looked at the pair hands around her and she knew she would be safe, but she was feeling quite nervous. "I've never flown on a plane before, so turbulence isn't something I've experienced."

"I know. But you are in no danger. And I will keep a hold of you, Saphira." Optimus kissed the top of her head gently before glancing up a little. "How far are we from landing, Stratosphere? I am not sure if I want to endure feeling this turbulence myself for much longer."

"Ten more minutes, lad. Cusco is not far, I just need to make sure we land safely. I am not going to crush the poor lass for lack of planning." Optimus hoped that was true, as he didn't want Saphira to feel too frightened, even though she was currently trembling from the fear of the turbulence. "Don't worry, lass. This won't last too long. Optimus will keep you safe."

Saphira knew she would be safe, she just didn't like the shakes and shudders around her, especially as they were loud, and she could actually hear the wind whistling loudly outside the plane too. At least there was no storm, or she would probably panic, but as the wind was still rough and causing turbulence, she would be nervous until Stratosphere would land. She was sure he would land safely and she would likely be very happy to touch the ground again.

She kept a hold of Optimus's hand as well. She was not abou to let go, even if Optimus had a good grip on her as well. It made her feel very secure. She did not like the loud shaking and rumbling and shaking that was around her. She knew that Stratosphere was not to blame for this, as a strong gust a wind is never expected. And even an autobot clearly has a hard time navigating through it. But they were not far, and that was the main thing.

No one really said a word as they all knew Stratosphere was concentrating on getting them all down safely. Mirage was the only bot to be a little nervous, mostly because he had known something like this would happen. The ride has been relatively smooth most of the flight up until this point. He had wondered if Saphira would have remained asleep during this time, but that didn't matter anymore. She was awake, and she was clutching Optimus's hand tightly. She grimaced as there was another shudder and she took deep breaths to try and keep herself calm.

Though it was only ten minutes before Stratosphere began to descend and the bot had finally managed to get out of the rough, gush of wind, it felt like hours to Saphira. She held onto Optimus's arm tightly and she took the time to listen to Optimus's spark pulsing beneath, which helped her to be distracted from the loud shudders and rumbling around them. She honestly could not wait to land.

"Alright, my dear friends, I deeply apologize for the turbulence, but we are approaching land right now. It had been my pleasure to travel with you all to Peru. I intend on sticking around in case you need me. And Optimus..." Optimus glanced forward when Stratosphere spoke to him. "I can keep Bumblebee's body safe. I doubt you want to travel around with him, even though I fully understand that we all miss him."

"Thank you, Stratosphere. Taking that burden upon yourself is greatly appreciated." He looked down at Saphira and kissed the top of her head gently, making her jump in surprise as she had been staring at the wall. "I apologize for startling you. Stratosphere will be landing shortly. You will be able to relax soon."

Saphira smiled at him at his apology. "It's okay…um…" She took a deep breath and sighed deeply. "I am going to need…to run out of the plane…as soon as possible…"

"Why?" Optimus raised an eyebrow in confusion. "You do look pale…"

"Oh, no…" Mirage gasped as he listened on what Saphira said. "You are going to sick." Saphira nodded, pressing her lips together. Mirage sighed deeply. "Stratosphere…"

"If I land too fast, it will be worse for all of you," Stratosphere interrupts Mirage bluntly. "I understand the lass isn't feeling too well, but this will not be rushed. Brace yourselves. My wheels are about to touch the grass."

Grass? We aren't landing on a runway?

Saphira did not like that and she tensed, whimpering as she braced herself. Optimus braced her as well, and she yelped as they felt Stratosphere landing. The plane jolted a little and rumbled loudly as he rolled along the ground while breaking hard. She clenched her eyes shut as she waited for him to come to a stop. She hoped that it would not take long to do. She could feel her stomach twisting and she knew she would need to find a bush nearby as soon as possible.

It did not take long for Stratosphere to slow down, and Saphira was relieved to feel that. Optimus and the autobots shifted away from the door so Stratosphere could open it, though Saphira took deep breaths to control her nervousness and to keep herself from vomiting over Optimus's arm. That would be extremely embarrassing if she did that, and she knew it. She knew Optimus wouldn't be mad, but it would just mean they would have to clean up before heading into Peru. Though she might have to herself.

"Alright, my friends…" Stratosphere finally came to a stop. "Wheeljack should arrive at our position shortly…" The ramp began to lower and the bots walked towards it to make their way out. "I do apologize for a not so smooth landing, but we are here in one piece. Hopefully, if we return to North America, the ride will be much smoother."

Saphira hoped for that and tapped Optimus's arm. "Put me down, Optimus…" She glanced around anxiously. She saw Stratosphere must have landed at a very old, tribal area, due to the rockwork around them and the houses built into the hill. There was no bush to run to, but there was a few boulders. "I really need you to put me down."

"You better do that, or you will have a human purging all over your arm," Mirage said with a smirk, while Optimus rolled his optics at him.

Optimus lowered Saphira to the ground, and he was about to say something when she bolted over to the boulders. He watched her and grimaced slightly as she hunched over and began to puke loudly. She coughed as she emptied the contents of her stomach on the ground and Optimus sighed, walking over to her and kneeling by the pushes before reaching over to gently rub her back, which startled the girl, due to not expecting anything to touch her.

"There goes her breakfast," Arcee commented with an expression of disgust. "I hope that isn't going to be a problem later." She looked ahead before smiling. "Oh, here comes Wheeljack now. Not a great way to introduce Saphira to him though."

Optimus rolled his optics, and looked at Arcee. "I highly doubt that Wheeljack is going to be bothered by it too much. It is just unfortunate that the rough landing has caused Saphira to be sick." He looked at Saphira as she straightened up, taking deep breaths as she felt much better at the moment. "Are you feeling better?"

She nodded. "Yeah…" She rubbed her neck with a grimace. "You didn't need to see that…I hate it when I get sick…" She took another deep breath and stepped back, only to yelp as she accidentally tripped over one of the rocks, though Optimus caught her quickly. She sighed in relief and looked at him with a smile. "Thanks…I wasn't paying attention." Optimus helped her back to her feet and she walked away from the boulders. "Um, can I have a bottle of water? My throat is burning…"

Optimus nodded, opening his chassis to grab one of the bottles carefully and handing it to her. "Take you time. We aren't heading into the city just yet." Saphira frowned for a moment as she heard a horn beeping loudly, and leaned after taking the bottle to see a brown and white Volkswagen minibus. "Hopefully, Wheeljack knows the city well enough to get us to the temple."

"If he's been here long enough, he will." Saphira glanced up to see Airazor landing nearby. She sipped some water to soothe her throat. "Too bad we had such a long flight. You would have benefited from fresh air, from being on my back."

Saphira widened here eyes slightly. "Maybe…though I might prefer to travel in them claws. Only because I know you don't have any kind of seatbelt on your back."

Airazor chuckled lightly and nodded in agreement. "I suppose you are right. I am most certainly not a vehicle, and cannot transform into one." She looked towards the approaching autobot curiously. "But at least we are here now. There is still plenty of daylight left, which gives us time to find the other half of the key. And I hope you have now had plenty of sleep." Saphira nodded affirmatively. "Good. Hopefully, we will have some success today."

Saphira nodded as she walked towards Wheeljack, watching him transform, as she was curious to meet him. He seemed to be quite relaxed upon transforming, and yet he was happy to see the autobots again. "Sorry I'm late. I was taking a harmonious moment between a serene butterfly and an unruffled caterpillar. Such tranquillity."

"That sounds lovely," Saphira commented and Wheeljack looked towards her and he smiled. "Um, hi. It's a shame we haven't spoken before. Though, to be fair, I haven't heard much about you, Wheeljack."

Wheeljack widened his optics in surprise. "Oh, no, that hurts my feelings." He looked at Optimus, Arcee and Mirage in shock. "Have you seriously failed to mention me to this young lady?" They do not respond, though Mirage just shrugged with a smug expression. "Aw, come on…it would have been nice to take the time to mention and talk about me."

"They mentioned you once, Wheeljack. And don't worry about them, I am happy to hear all about you from yourself, Wheeljack." Wheeljack smiled as he seemed to like that. "I am curious on what made you decide to stay in Peru, instead of meeting up with Optimus in New York."

"That choice was my own, pequeña dama." She raised an eyebrow as he seemed to know Spanish, though she wasn't familiar with the language. "This part of the world seems to be a lot more peaceful, and I have had the rare opportunity to enjoy it for so long. I didn't want to be chasing a fight or war, but I guess it will be coming to me anyway." Wheeljack chuckled softly and looked at Optimus. "At least you got yourself a local tour guide, Optimus. Cusco is a lovely, small city to explore."

"We are not here to explore like human tourists, Wheeljack. We are here in a mission." Optimus walked towards him with his hands on his hips. "Lead the way to the city, Wheeljack. We need to reach the Inca Temple of the Sun. You can lead us there, can you not?"

Wheeljack nodded and gestured for them to follow. "I can lead you to the city, that is no problem. Getting to the temple…" He shrugged as he turned to walk away with Saphira and the autobots following. "Mmm…might be a little tricky."

Saphira looked at Wheeljack with a raised eyebrow. "What is that supposed to mean? That we are too late."

"No, no! Goodness, no!" The bot chuckled lightly and looked back at Saphira. "If we were too late, I think my paint job would smouldering with smoke and fire right now, pequeña dama. By the way, I never got introduced to you. What is your name, mujer joven?"

"Saphira."

"Hermoso! What a lovely name!" Saphira brushed a strand of hair back and sipped some more water. She wasn't expecting a compliment from Wheeljack, but he seemed to be quite a gentle soul, and she liked it. "Someone with a lovely name like that, must have a beautiful personality too." He chuckled softly and glanced back at Saphira. "Especially as I heard from the wisp of a butterfly's wing, that you and Prime have a bit of amar between the two of you."

Saphira shrugged with a nod. "Yeah…we do." She looked up at Optimus with a smile. "Never thought I would ever…ever fall in love." She blushed deeply and looked ahead.

Wheeljack clasped his hands together with a light chuckle. "It is a wonderful thing to see. Even a human and an autobot can make each other happy. It is certainly a hermoso thing you both have. I hope it will lead to a spark bond between the two of you."

Saphira did not respond to Wheeljack on that, nor did Optimus. They both knew that it might not happen, and Saphira has accepted it. But they did not wish to discuss it further. But they were now in Peru. Saphira couldn't believe it as she looked around at the beautiful mountains, and this old village that was once busy with a group of people. Saphira was extremely happy to see this beautiful place, and she was going to enjoy it while it lasts. Especially as they were about to reach the city, and she would have to find the other half of the Transwarp Key.