AMPHIBIA-BOTS
a fan-fiction by Slogokonnor99

Chapter 10: Hunters and hunted

It has been a couple of days since the army started their march towards a location their captain was interested in. Most of them were still in condition, with only a few having sore legs, but there was someone in the group who wasn't enjoying the long trek at all.

-Are we there?- Sasha asked with a tired voice, after all, she just now realized that Grime's warning about "non-stop marching" wasn't a joke, -We'll get there when we get there, creature- Laserbeak replied -unless you have a way to detect old metal-.

The captain was used to his soldiers complaining towards each other, but this was too much for him, as her lieutenant and her bird pet have been arguing forever. -I'm actually surprised how much this creature can complain- he said to himself as he popped open a can of water. Suddenly, Laserbeak flew towards the captain, seemingly being alerted by something.

-Captain, I'd suggest you make your troops slow down- Laserbeak suggested -we're close to the location of a Drone-. The captain in turn made a signal towards his army, and they in turn began to walk slowly. -How many meters until we find its den?- Grime asked, -Den?- Laserbeak asked in confusion -what den? Drones don't hide in dens-, -You said they're elusive to find- Grime replied, -Oh, you small-brained imbecile- Laserbeak replied. Suddenly, the ground trembled; everyone put themselves on guard, preparing for what was coming, but the tremors ended as quickly as they started. -There's your answer- Laserbeak told Grime in a sarcastic tone.

Sasha, having also felt the tremor, decided to go scout ahead to find the source. -We'll be right behind you, lieutenant- Grime told her -just whistle to call reinforcements-, -I got this captain- she replied with a sassy tone. She then headed off, with Laserbeak flying right behind her out of obligation, -Is your plan to get rid of me by killing yourself to a Drone?- Laserbeak asked her, -I'm just trying to find that Drone for the captain, and that's it- Sasha replied in annoyance -why would I do that?-, -Scouts exist, you know?- Laserbeak replied.

Sasha and Laserbeak headed deeper into the badlands they were already in and tried to find any clues of a Drone nearby, -They're supposed to be large robots, right?- Sasha asked, -You're all small-minded idiots, aren't you?- Laserbeak replied after a sigh -you didn't hear my reply to your captain's question, didn't you?-, -I was taught to not get into other people's conversations, alright?- she stated, -OH! Sorry, my lady- Laserbeak replied with a mocking accent -I didn't knew you were that rich-, Sasha only grunted before accidentally putting a foot wrong and falling into a small hole.

-Why didn't you warn me?!- Sasha complained as she spat mud off her mouth, -You were distracting me- Laserbeak replied. Sasha didn't notice at first, but the fall was actually shallow, and the soil seemed a bit humid; Laserbeak, on the other hand, noticed the terrain shape but decided to keep his mouth shut.

Back with the toad army, things were getting a bit boring for the soldiers, as they were just waiting for their lieutenant to come back. -Why didn't you send a scout ahead first instead of the lieutenant?- one soldier asked the captain, -A simple scout would fail to come back given what that bird is guiding us towards- the captain replied -and there's only one person who knows how that robotic bird works-, -Do you really think she is going to come back though?- Bucky doubted -even with that bird on her side-, -Are you doubting our lieutenant, scout?!- Grime scolded Bucky, -With all respect, sir, we haven't even seen what she's capable of- a soldier argued -how do we know she can even handle herself on her own-.

-You really question my decisions, soldier!- Grime yelled at him, but Bucky stood in between the two, -I don't think he meant that, sir- he nervously argued -it's just that if the bird stated that, by extent, a Drone is larger than a burrow, wouldn't that mean it'd be too big for her and the bird to tackle?-. The captain thought about it for a moment and then made a decision; -Alright then, we'll follow her tracks and join her- the captain spoke, putting some toads nervous -anyone who wants to stay here and wait, be my guest, and make camp, at least be useful on something-.

The captain then gathered a group of soldiers, with Bucky joining the party, while the rest of the army began making camp in case the search took longer than expected. -Alright, scout- Grime called Bucky -spot her tracks and guide us to her-, -On it sir!- Bucky obeyed and started to try and find the footprints as a thick fog began to descend. -Sir, on the instance we find the thing, do we bring more weapons in case it's bigger than already expected?- a soldier asked, -Yes, bring in a cannon- the captain ordered.

While some soldiers quickly went back to order the others to deploy the cannon, Bucky arrived back with some news. -Sir! I've found fresh tracks!- he reported, -In what direction?- the captain eagerly asked, -Northeast- Bucky replied -she's heading deeper into the fog-. The other soldiers came back with a wheeled cannon, and once set, the captain gave the order to follow the tracks, with Bucky leading the way.

Deeper in the fogged badlands, Sasha tried to find a suitable ledge to climb out of the hole, all while Laserbeak just followed her from above. -Are you going to help or something?!- Sasha yelled at Laserbeak, who was just walking alongside the edge of the hole, -Well, from up here, I can't see a way out- Laserbeak replied, -Oh, gee! I can tell!- Sasha stated, annoyed -why don't you try to FLY then?!-, -Hmmm… You know what? That's a good idea!- Laserbeak mockingly agreed -that said though, I like walking more. It saves energy-.

Sasha could only grit her teeth to Laserbeak's mocking reply and continue walking, there was no reason why to ask for his help when she could just try herself; however, the annoyance of the mechanical bird didn't stop there, as while he walked around, he was making a rattling noise with his "feathers". -Could you please STO…- Sasha yelled at him before hitting a wall, -Did the killer-pillar eat your tongue?!- Laserbeak asked as he let out a laugh; Sasha, however, instead of being mad, was rather confused. -How is this hole this short?- she asked out loud; she then tried to go around the border from the wall she had hit and then noticed it was narrow as well.

-The proportions of this hole are weird- she thought -and when I crashed into that wall, I felt the soil was humid. Which… c'mon think!... what did Marcy once tell you on that science exam!-; -Are you really having a thoughtful moment in your head?- Laserbeak interrupted her, but a bigger interruption to her thoughts soon made itself present, as the footsteps of a giant began to cause the ground to tremble. -Laserbeak! I need a lift now!- Sasha panicked, but Laserbeak headed down and tried to shut her up, for the culprit of the tremble now made itself present by shadow: a large, squirrel like animal, with seemingly pointier ears than usual.

The shadow remained there for a solid minute before moving away to seemingly find food. -What… was that?!- Sasha asked with as much of a low tone as she could, -This is why you don't go speaking nonsense out loud- Laserbeak stated as he took his wing off Sasha's mouth -Ugh, does your species produce this much saliva?-. Sasha ignored Laserbeak's question and continued to find a way out of the narrow hole; eventually, she found a wall of humid soil that she could shape to form a ramp.

-Ok, give me a hand, Lasey!- she asked for help, but Laserbeak wasn't having it, -I have wings, thank you- he replied, -Ugh, fine, give me a wing then!- she angrily asked, -You can't dig with wings, y'know?- he replied. At this point, Sasha's blood was beginning to boil, never has she ever met someone as sluggish as this robotic, weak bird; but she wasn't going to lash out, that would just waste time, and so, by using that anger as fuel, she began to dig a ramp with her bare hands.

Meanwhile, somewhere else in the foggy badlands, Grime's soldiers also hit a narrow hole, but unlike her encounter, they spotted the culprit relatively quicker. -Hide behind trees and hold your breath!- the captain whispered to his soldiers as the culprit began to make its way towards them; all soldiers quickly tried to camouflage themselves with what they could in an attempt to not be spotted, all but one: Bucky.

The creature arrived at their spot and lowered its head to scan the ground, Grime tried to identify what it was, but the creature's head was covered in mud, covering its identity; however, he could see that the head was triangular and thick on its pointy end; it certainly was a bird of some sort.

Suddenly, Bucky began to move, thinking he had an opening, and in doing so, he broke a branch with his helmet; the creature turned to face the noise, for it heard the noise loud and clear. Bucky knew he had screwed up, and so quickly tried to make himself invisible by hiding amongst some twigs, but they weren't thick enough; the creature approached his location and began to look for anything out of place.

Just as it was about to spot Bucky, another noise caught its attention, but instead of heading towards it, the creature was hesitant, as if the noise had spooked it. -C'mon, move away!- Bucky said in his head, but the creature stayed there, waiting for something to confirm if it was really a threat or another possible target. In the end, the creature left, and the toads emerged from their hiding spots, with the captain immediately heading towards Bucky to scold him.

-You impatient buffoon!- he yelled at him as he hit him in the head with the palm of his hand -why did you break cover so soon?!-, -Sorry captain- Bucky tried to apologize -I had spotted something in the distance, and I thought it was important-, -Well, if you say you spotted something in the distance, what is it then?- the captain threatened him, but Bucky, confident of his finding, guided the captain to the object he saw, and as the group came closer to the object, its shape was distinguished: a robot's body

-See captain! I did see something!- Bucky stated with a grin on his face, but Grime was more concerned about the finding. Why would there be a robot carcass in the middle of nowhere?. -Is this the Drone the bird was referring to, sir?- a soldier asked, -I'm not sure- Grime replied -but whatever it is, this guy took a beating-.

Bucky walked around the body of the robot and saw the cause of its death: a giant, gaping wound, -Captain, I think you're right about this guy taking a beating- he stated as the captain also moved around to find the lethal wound. -Surely there has to be at least something still stable on this thing- a soldier argued -if we found it at least there should be some parts for… upgrades, I'd assume-; Bucky quickly examined the wound and accidentally hit something, projecting what seemed to be a voice message:

"Calling all Autobots, this is Wrecker leader Leadfoot, I've been severely wounded by some Frobot units; I require backup immediately!"

Back with Sasha, she had finally finished digging the ramp and finally climbed out of the hole exhausted. -For a creature seemingly sentient, this really took you a long time to figure it out- Laserbeak mocked her; Sasha couldn't do anything but grit her teeth and keep on walking. The two kept heading deeper into the badlands and once again, Sasha fell in another hole. -OH FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!- Sasha yelled, and immediately caught the attention of something as the ground began to shake, -Once again, this is why you shouldn't speak out loud!- Laserbeak yelled at her.

Whatever was now making its way here seemed to also be big, so Laserbeak quickly pulled Sasha out of the hole and hid inside a dead tree; Sasha's anger had now turned into fear as she even noticed Laserbeak being on edge. -Don't. Move- Laserbeak ordered her as the creature's breathing was now audible; its foot soon showed in front of them, and the creature began to scan the ground. -What is that?- Sasha asked nervously, -Keep quiet- Laserbeak replied in a low tone.

The creature soon tried to look inside the tree hole. Sasha had to hide and hold her breath for her to not be noticed as the iris of the animal moved around to spot something; suddenly, Laserbeak attacked, forcing the creature to retreat with a now damaged eye. -Run for it!- Laserbeak yelled as the animal fell back. Sasha then got out of the hole and quickly bolted in a random direction; the animal, however, spotted her with its remaining eye and extended its arms, revealing itself to be a giant bird.

Sasha kept on running as the bird now gave her chase, but things soon got worse as she accidentally trampled over mud, slowing her down. -Laserbeak! I need some help!- Sasha desperately implored as she felt like she was getting stuck with each move; the bird was reaching her position, but just as it aimed its beak to snap it on her, Laserbeak fired a barrage of shots to its leg, distracting it from Sasha.

-You better move, sentient beast!- he yelled -this distraction won't be eternal!-, -I'm literally stuck! How am I supposed to move?!- Sasha yelled; the bird, in an attempt to get rid of Laserbeak, tried to flap its wings, causing him to retreat for a moment.

Sasha tried her best to get out of the mud, but at this point, she was too stuck to move her legs; the bird, now that it had gotten rid of Laserbeak momentarily, headed towards Sasha, but instead of eating her right away, it decided to play with its food.

The bird pulled her out of the mud by the hair and then started to toss her about; Sasha couldn't do anything but let herself be thrown about, but just as the playing was getting more aggressive, a second creature emerged from the fog, and it quickly went for the bird. Sasha tried to get up, but the beating had left her exhausted; the last thing she sees is the other beast slash at the bird before everything went black.

Meanwhile, the toads were still trying to understand their discovery, why was this robot pleading for help? What are "Frobot" units? What is an "Autobot"?. -Sir, do you think it died from its wounds?- Bucky asked the captain, -I'm not sure, scout- he replied -but whatever these "Frobots" are, they are a force to be reckoned with-; the soldiers then tried to see if they could pull anything from the robot's body, but unfortunately, it seemed that most of the weapons on it were already stripped off.

-Captain, there's nothing of value on this body- a soldier reported, -Something must have arrived here before us- Grime concluded, his thoughts being confirmed as it heard the cries of that bird from earlier, cries of horror and fear; -Let's move- he ordered -the longer we stand still, the more vulnerable we are-.

With that said, the toad army began to walk away from the dead robot, carrying what equipment survived the bird attack. This mission hasn't really gone as the captain had thought so far. -Any news up front, scout?- Grime asked as Bucky moved ahead, -Nothing new, captain- Bucky stated, but his words soon changed when he saw a huge body lying in their way. -Captain, it's the bird from earlier- Bucky stated. The toads were hesitant to go closer, as they didn't know if it was alive or not.

Eventually, a soldier made the first move as it slowly approached the bird, who in turn revealed that it was still alive as it tried to get up and fly. -SIR! FALL BACK!- the soldier yelled at the captain as the bird began to run towards it in an attempted to fly; the captain ordered its soldiers to move out of the way, with many choosing to once again camouflage themselves with the environment.

The bird then ran past the army, seemingly disoriented and, as the toads could see from their hiding spots, with a broken wing. -This place is really a death valley- Bucky whispered to the captain -I'm starting to question if that bird of Sasha's is even trying to help us-, -Me too, scout- he replied -Me too-.

Sasha felt her head spin as she woke up, all that thrashing had left her with a sore left arm and with a nearly scarred forehead. -I assume you're going to say "Thank you" now- Laserbeak startled her as he popped in her view, -Ugh… W.. Where are we?- she asked him as she tried to stand up, -In your most hatred place in these badlands- he replied; Sasha didn't understand the meaning at first, but then she looked up; they're in another hole. -Heh, for once I'm glad of the terrain- she said out loud.

Laserbeak then tried to "help" her stand as it tried to push her up; it was a vast effort for him as his light mechanic body was countering flesh and bone. -Your weight really isn't helping here!- he complained, but eventually Sasha got up, -It's not my fault… that you're slim- she replied to him, causing Laserbeak to just roll his eyes at her.

With Sasha now up, Laserbeak quickly climbed up and soared overhead to see if the coast was clear. -Alright, fleshling, let's move- Laserbeak ordered her, but Sasha didn't move; -Didn't you hear me?- Laserbeak asked -Let's. Move-, -You don't seem to realize I'm hurt, don't you?- Sasha argued, -And?- Laserbeak asked -are you bleeding? Are your bones broken? No! So let's keep moving!-, -No- Sasha refused -we're going back with the captain. We've put ourselves in too much danger, we have to get backup!-. Laserbeak certainly didn't like the suggestion, as he then swooped over her and pinned Sasha to the hole's wall, pressing his talons on her left arm.

-I think you don't seem to understand what we've come here for- Laserbeak threatened her -you want to show your strength and have a roof under your head?-; Sasha shut her mouth as Laserbeak asked that. She certainly didn't want to be alone in the wild again, but she only joined the toads for shelter, and to see if they, at least, had a clue of where her friends are.

-What is it going to be then?- Laserbeak pressured her -you're going to go back and bring nothing? Or are you going to push and find the prize?-, -I… I'll go further- Sasha finally spoke, -Good- Laserbeak replied and then carried her out of the hole once the coast was clear.

Sasha was starting to get tired of Laserbeak's threats, not because they didn't sound that menacing, but because they were coming from a bird, a small, metallic bird to be precise, and besides her seeing him turn into a sword and fly, she really didn't see why to force herself to be with him besides for survival.

-So where do we head for now?- Sasha asked, -We follow the squirrel- Laserbeak stated, making Sasha mad. -ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?!- she asked, but she immediately shut her mouth as Laserbeak gave her a death stare.

-Listen, you may not find my words convincing here- Laserbeak stated -but believe me when I say with certainty that the squirrel isn't a squirrel-, -You're saying that's the…- Sasha replied, -Yeah, that IS the Drone-. Sasha was confused, but at this point, given the "threat" of the bird and the upscale wildlife around, it was better to just follow and get this over with.

-If you're saying that's the Drone… How are we supposed to subdue it?- Sasha asked, -This is the first time I'm actually impressed you asked for useful information, creature- Laserbeak said out loud -these things are almost indestructible, being armored from head to tail; however, most of these things have one common weak spot: the underside-

-So you're saying we have to strike it by the belly? But… how?- Sasha asked, -I never said we were going to strike it- Laserbeak replied, -Then how…- Sasha was about to ask, but Laserbeak covered her mouth with his wing, -Silence, creature- Laserbeak warned her, as his acute hearing picked up a deep, rusty snore -its close by-; Sasha then followed Laserbeak as silently as she could while he led the way, both of them watching over their steps as, soon enough, Sasha also heard a rusty-like shore.

-Stay here, creature- Laserbeak ordered Sasha before flying away towards the noise; Sasha followed his orders and stayed low, in case there could be something else watching. -It's saving energy- Laserbeak stated as he landed silently next to Sasha, almost startling her -let's move-; Sasha then followed Laserbeak as the two approached the sleeping "squirrel"- She noticed immediately that this thing was way older than she initially thought, as the mechanical creature had lots of battle bruises and scars, as well as signs of rustiness.

-Listen carefully here- Laserbeak silently stated as the two of them were next to the "animal" -this creature is controlled by a special command that allows it to act on its own while following its directive, but such things are impossible to change unless we have an access key-.

-So how do we take it out?- Sasha asked silently, -The only way to disrupt it is by shutting the weaponry and severing the neural connection, and for that, you'll need to get to the top of its head-, -And how am I supposed to get up there without waking it up?!- Sasha asked nervously, feeling that this was definitely too much, -Well… ever heard of something called "climbing"?- Laserbeak asked sarcastically, and then flew off to the head of the beast.

Sasha was now starting to regret her choice. -Why didn't I stick with the captain instead of offering myself to go ahead?- she thought out loud as she started to climb the tail of the animal -I don't understand myself sometimes-.

Soon enough, Sasha was up on the creature's tail; Laserbeak then signaled her to follow a path, marked by some lasers. -I hate this- Sasha whispered before moving towards its back legs as slowly as she could, but the creature's tail began to move. Sasha held on for dear life as the tail moved closer to the head, -Well, that's convenient- she nervously whispered.

With the tail having brought Sasha near the creature's head, all she had to do was jump from the tail to the head, but it's easier said than done, as Sasha was hesitant to do so. -Are you stalling or what are you waiting for!- Laserbeak whispered angrily -the head is right in front of you! Just… JUMP!-, -You say it like if it were easy to walk on top of a giant robot!- Sasha whispered back, -It's just like leaping from a rock to another rock; of course it's easy dammit!- Laserbeak whispered angrily again.

Sasha was utterly nervous, and Laserbeak's encouragement wasn't helping; suddenly, one of the "ears" of the squirrel moved and flicked Laserbeak away, Sasha fell back and down the tail, hitting her back first on the ground, and alerting the squirrel. -Oh crap- she whispered out loud as the tail of the creature rose up, revealing an orange eye with a pupil looking directly at her; the creature then rose up, and Sasha began to run once again, trying to head into the trees to lose it, but it was worthless.

With each meter Sasha ran, the squirrel caught up with one stride, but just before it could lunge towards her, Laserbeak pushed her out of the way, making the squirrel stumble. -I TOLD YOU TO JUMP DAMMIT!- he yelled at Sasha as they recovered from the fall -NOW LOOK WHAT'S HAPPENED!-, -HEY! IT'S NOT EASY TO JUMP ON TOP OF A RAVENOUS, MECHANICAL SQUIRREL!- Sasha yelled back; the squirrel then charged at them, forcing Laserbeak to transform into a blaster and attaching himself to Sasha's arm, firing a shot at its face and buying them time.

-MOVE!- he yelled as Sasha was petrified from what just happened, but in the end, she moved; the squirrel recovered and chased them again. Every time it closed in, Laserbeak forced Sasha to shoot at him, making it fall back, but eventually, the two ran out of ground to run, with now a ravine blocking their path.

-Well, what are you waiting for?!- Sasha yelled at Laserbeak, as the sounds of the squirrel's steps were getting louder, -not yet!- he replied, making Sasha panic. The squirrel's eyes were now glowing in the fog as it was getting closer. -IT'S GETTING CLOSER!- Sasha yelled louder, but Laserbeak stayed in place, as if he were waiting for the mechanical beast to come closer, and that's exactly what he wanted.

-LASERBEAK!- Sasha yelled as the creature was within mere meters of them, and without hesitation, Laserbeak pushed Sasha off the ravine's edge, attaching to her back and transforming into a jetpack. -You really had to wait that long?!- Sasha asked angrily. Laserbeak ignored her question and continued to carry her by her back to the other side; once there, he detached and transformed back to his bird form.

-Are you going to answer now?!- Sasha asked, -You moronic creature- he replied -you don't know what timing means by the looks of it-. Sasha may be frustrated and angry at Laserbeak, but he had his reasons to wait; meanwhile, at the other side of the ravine, the frustrated squirrel could only look in frustration at its target, and soon it left the scene.

-Well, good riddance, I guess- Sasha said out loud, but Laserbeak felt something was wrong and encouraged her to move. -Hey, the squirrel is gone- she argued -why do you want me to move?-. Suddenly, the running footsteps of the squirrel became louder, and from the other side, the squirrel jumped and stretched its legs to the sides, gliding towards them.

-IT'S A FLYING SQUIRREL?!- Sasha yelled in panic before she began to run again. Laserbeak attached to Sasha's arm and turned into a blaster again, making her shoot at the gliding squirrel. -KEEP YOUR ARM FIRM!- Laserbeak yelled at Sasha as her running wasn't helping with his accuracy, but fortunately, one lucky shot threw the squirrel off balance, making it crash head-first onto the ground.

At the other side of the ravine, some miles away, Grime's party kept on the search of their lieutenant and her pet thanks to some tracks Bucky managed to find, but the footprints Bucky had found soon faded, leaving the army on a dead end. -Well, scout, now where?- Grime asked Bucky, who was nervous now that the trail had ended. -Maybe they left other signs- Bucky suggested as he inspected a tree, trying to see if there were any marks that indicated a path, but unfortunately for him, there was nothing.

Suddenly, the screeches from the squirrel resonated over the badlands, startling the army. -Something tells me they're where those noises are coming from- Bucky nervously stated, -Let's move out then!- the captain stated before giving the order to bring heavy weapons.

With the toad army moving towards where the mechanical screeches are, it was only a matter of time for the army to rendezvous with Sasha and Laserbeak, however, on the latter's end, things were getting more hectic. -KEEP YOUR ARM STILL!- Laserbeak yelled at Sasha as he continued to shoot towards the now one-eyed squirrel, but Sasha was more desperate to try and hide instead of fighting back, and this was really annoying Laserbeak.

-CAN YOU STAY STILL?!- Laserbeak yelled again, as his shots were not hitting the vital spots of the squirrel's body -WHY ARE YOU TRYING TO RUN LIKE A COWARD?!-, -Oh I don't know!- Sasha yelled back as she tried to force her arm down and keep running -it's not like there's a GIANT ROBOTIC SQUIRREL TRYING TO KILL US!-.

As the uncoordinated pair tried to decide either to fight or flight, Sasha put a foot wrong and fell down a small crack with Laserbeak still attached to his arm; fortunately for the two, however, the crack was narrow and walled by hard rock, so it didn't allow the squirrel to dig them out. -This is our chance, creature!- Laserbeak stated and forced Sasha's arm up, but Sasha fought back and put her arm down.

-I'm seriously starting to lose it! - said Laserbeak as he transformed back to a bird and pinned Sasha to the wall -WHY DON'T YOU WANT TO FIGHT BACK?! WE HAVE THE ADVANTAGE!-, -BECAUSE I DIDN'T SIGN FOR THIS!- Sasha yelled back and grabbed Laserbeak by his neck and threw him on the ground -I DON'T WANT TO FIGHT, I ONLY WANT TO GO HOME!-. Sasha then sat down and hid her face while Laserbeak recovered from the fall.

-Ok, sorry if I'm forcing you to go over the limit here, alright?- Laserbeak apologized with frustration, but Sasha wasn't having it, -Hello? I told you I'm sorry already. Is that not what you want to hear?-, -Just leave me- Sasha stated -I'll wait for the captain to find me-, -Are you seriously going to stay there and do nothing?!- Laserbeak asked in frustration, -I'm NOT a warrior; I'm just a person lost in… whatever this place is!- Sasha argued angrily, almost sobbing -I am a coward, not a fighter. I don't want to hurt anyone; I just want to find a way home… somehow-. Laserbeak then moved towards her and sat down, -Listen, I hate to be empathetic here, but… has your background been soft or something?- Laserbeak asked -like, have you ever suffered abuse, loss, or something to be this soft?-

Sasha rose her head up, and looked at Laserbeak angrily. -I don't want to talk about it- she stated and hid her head again, -You're not making it easier to help you, you know?- Laserbeak complained as he looked at her. Sasha ignored Laserbeak and started sobbing, -Listen, I already told you I didn't choose to be here!- she stated to Laserbeak.

-You said that you wanted a roof under your head, and I delivered it to you, even if it was indirectly-Laserbeak argued -if I was the "non caring" robot bird you think I am, why then do you think I didn't leave you behind when those toads nearly killed you on sight?-. Sasha, not able to come up with an answer for that, simply peeked at him before putting her arms down and looking at him.

-It is thanks to me that you made it out alive, that you now managed to find shelter, and that you are within the ranks of a powerful army, and you still beg for more?!-, -I didn't ask for this!- Sasha yelled -all I want is a way home, and this stupid captain just wants me to help him get a hold of THAT beast so he can use it against his "superiors"?! DO YOU THINK I'M CAPABLE OF DOING THAT?!-. -Of course not!- Laserbeak replied sincerely -but you can't expect to be living there for free!-.

Those words hit Sasha like a wrecking ball, and she definitely wasn't having it. -Are you calling me a freeloader?!- She angrily asked, -Oh, you can't expect a life with servants around you! What do you think you are? A queen?!-. Angry at his words, Sasha pounced on him again and tried to choke the bird to no effect; -Listen here, little pile of scrap- she threatened him -I am NOT a freeloader, NOR a queen, NOR A DAMN F*CKING WARRIOR, I AM JUST A DAMN TEENAGER STUCK IN SOME LAND FILLED WITH TOADS!-.

-I'VE BEEN STUCK HERE TOO, YOU KNOW?!- Laserbeak yelled -FOR MORE THAN A THOUSAND YEARS, I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO FIND A WAY HOME AS WELL, ONLY TO HAVE FAILED COUNTLESS TIMES!-, -WELL THAT SUCKS FOR YOU!- Sasha yelled back -BUT I'M NOT GOING TO SERVE A DUMB TOAD WHO THINKS OF USING ME TO OVERTHROW HIS SUPERIORS!-, -HOW DO YOU THINK YOU'LL FIND A WAY TO GET HOME THEN?!- Laserbeak argued, using his talons to pin Sasha's arms behind her back; Sasha struggled to get free, but she also had no words to reply directly. -I… I'll figure it out!- she replied -you don't have to tell me how to get home!-.

Before Laserbeak could reply, the squirrel unleashed a secret attack: its teeth shifted from a single tooth to a pair of chainsaws, and once its bottom jaw shifted back to its skull, it began to crack the ground beneath it, causing pebbles to rain down on the pair.

Laserbeak immediately attached to Sasha's arm and transformed into a shield, and with the cover of her bird ally, Sasha tried to find a way out of the crack, but with boulders raining down on her and Laserbeak, the task was almost impossible.

-Got any ideas, bird brain?!- Sasha asked desperately to Laserbeak; he, however, was way ahead of her, and as soon as one boulder fell next to them, he quickly transformed from a shield to a jetpack to try and take Sasha out of the crack. -WAITWAITWAIT!- Sasha yelled as she was flown directly towards the mecha's mouth, but on the last second, Laserbeak detached from Sasha's back, letting her freefall for a moment to fire at the squirrel's chainsaw teeth; once it was annoyed, he dove down quickly before Sasha hit the ground and flew her out before the squirrel recovered.

-If you want to live, I suggest you let me take the lead now!- Laserbeak told her as they landed, and he turned into a blaster, shooting at the squirrel's eyes as it tried to give them chase; seemingly torn between fight or flight, however, Sasha began to run again, pissing Laserbeak off. -STOP TRYING TO RUN!- he yelled at her, -STOP ATTACKING IT INSTANTLY THEN!- she yelled back before managing to climb a tree, panting from exhaustion.

The squirrel began to search for the two, but with so much damage to its eyes, its vision was beginning to become glitchy. -It's weak; we must finish it off NOW!- Laserbeak suggested, but Sasha, despite seeing the robot being clumsily trying to find its way around, wasn't falling for it. -Do you have something else besides a pistol?- she asked him; Laserbeak was rather surprised at her question, as this was the first time she's asking for weaponry. -You want more firepower?- Laserbeak asked with a grin on his beak.

Further away, the toad army had reached the ravine, where it seemed like they had lost track of their lieutenant. -Oh great, I think that's our new recruit gone- a soldier stated, looking down at the bottom of the ravine, -Nonsense!- the captain argued -that creature and its pet are smart enough to have found a way across-, -Uh, sir…- Bucky called Grime and pointed at some large footprints -I think they may have gone across, but not in such a safe way-.

Using a small spyglass, one of the soldiers looked at the other side of the ravine, and barely managed to make out the same footprints on the ground. -Sir, I believe our scout is right- he replied -it looks like whatever caused the footprints and took the lieutenant somehow managed to get across-.

-We better find a way across then- the captain stated -I want you troops to scour over and find a safe way across-, Yes sir!- the soldiers replied in unison before separating and inspecting for an easier route. -Captain, do you think our lieutenant is safe?- Bucky asked, -I'm not sure, but I hope so if our plan is to go through- Grime whispered in reply, looking at the other side with a worried state.

Before the soldiers could even come back, a loud explosion was seen in the distance. -Sir! Something big is getting attacked!- a soldier informed Grime and gave him the spyglass; Grime quickly gave a look at what was going on and spotted Laserbeak seemingly bombarding a giant squirrel. -Find a path, and quick!- Grime ordered -our lieutenant is out there and she needs backup!-, -On it sir!- a soldier replied and hurried the others to find a path.

Laserbeak dropped sticky bombs from the air, but he could only do it for so long. -I'm starting to run low on explosives here!- Laserbeak stated, -Just keep the bot distracted!- said Sasha as she was preparing something; with how long she took, however, Laserbeak's explosives were now running low. -OK! Stop firing and give me a lift!- Sasha yelled, and Laserbeak quickly dove down and transformed into a jetpack for her before lifting her up.

-Now what, genius?- Laserbeak asked as the squirrel looked at them, seemingly preparing to jump, -Give me a lighter!- Sasha ordered him, but Laserbeak looked at her confused. The squirrel jumped, barely missing the two of them; -HURRY!- Sasha yelled, and Laserbeak gave her a remote bomb. -I said a LIGHTER!- Sasha yelled, -I'M NOT AN INFINITE INVENTORY! NOW THROW IT!- Laserbeak yelled back.

Sasha threw the bomb down towards the squirrel, but it bounced right off its head. -Your aim is terrible- Laserbeak mocked her before having to dodge another lunge from the squirrel, and to his disgrace, she seems to not even caused damage to the bot. -YOU TOLD ME TO GIVE YOU A BOMB FOR THAT?!- Laserbeak yelled, but before Sasha could reply, the bomb exploded; it did nothing to the robot, but it triggered a fire around the robot.

-You were saying?- Sasha mocked Laserbeak as the fire surrounded the robotic squirrel, and with its regular vision already damaged, it was certain that, even with heat sensors, the robot was now blinded. -Alright, genius, how do we attack it?- Laserbeak asked as the creature struggled to move around due to the fire; suddenly, a barrage of arrows pierced through the fire, annoying the squirrel but causing some damage in between some gaps.

-SURROUND IT!- said the voice of someone familiar: captain Grime -good job on restraining it, lieutenant!-, -No problem!- Sasha nervously stated as the now-blind squirrel lashed out at whatever noise it could hear. The toads now showed their true prowess as they surrounded the mechanical beast: they extended a few long chains from their equipment and tied them around the squirrel's legs. Unable to move, the beast fell to the ground, but what neither the toads nor Sasha counted for was the arsenal of explosions it released as a last method of defense.

-TAKE COVER!- a toad shouted as the missiles flew in every direction, hitting soldiers left and right. Sasha, Grime, and Laserbeak took cover behind a boulder, while the rest of the toads struggled to keep hold of the chains amidst the barrage of explosions. -Any ideas Lieutenant?!- Grime tried to ask before an explosion deafened him, -I'm not sure!- Sasha replied, -What?!- Grime asked back, but Sasha ignored him as she peeked over the cover of the rock, trying to find an opening, any way to try and deactivate it… And that's when she focused on the one spot Laserbeak tried to guide her to earlier.

-Hey, you think you can get me up there?- Sasha asked Laserbeak, pointing at the back of the squirrel's head before another explosion hit their hiding spot, breaking the top of the rock. -No need to ask twice- Laserbeak grunted before he transformed into a jetpack for Sasha once again. The pair took off, and having sort of understood their plan, Grime commanded his army to try and keep the squirrel distracted.

Sasha landed atop the struggling robot, and it immediately tried to shake her off with the confined mobility it had, but Laserbeak helped her keep a grip on the back of its head. -Now what?!- Sasha asked as she tried to keep herself stable, -You're going to have to let me take the lead!- Laserbeak replied, and without even letting Sasha ask why, he proceeded to control her by firmly attaching to her back.

Grime's army, meanwhile, was doing their best to keep the wild robot still, pulling the chains tight to prevent the squirrel from shaking more than it's doing now, but their grip was beginning to slip the more the robot was still trying to fight back. -HURRY LIEUTENANT!- Grime yelled as he saw her trying to do something to the squirrel. Laserbeak spotted what he was looking for, and by swiftly taking charge of Sasha's left arm, he incrusted his wing feathers like a knife, slicing a thick circuit on the back of the robot's head.

The robot's struggles began to lose strength as it began to lose connection between its weaponry and its robotic muscles; eventually, the body stood still, smoke coming from every gap of its paralyzed body. The soldiers finally rested their arms as they let go of the chains, and Laserbeak detached from Sasha's back to transform once again into a bird.

-At least a warning could've been nice- Sasha mumbled as her left arm ached a bit, -It'll buff out- Laserbeak replied -you'll get used to it-. Below, the toads cheered for them both as the creature's power finally shut down, and now, all they had to do was just scavenge what they could… if it wasn't for something unexpected happening before all that: As Sasha climbed off, an energy beam shot out of the squirrel's eye, startling everyone.

As quick as it shot, however, the light quickly faded, leaving the soldiers and Sasha with more questions. -Ok… that… was something- Grime stated, breaking the silence -Well, let's see what we can take from this thing back to base-.

It took the toads and Sasha a grueling 3 hours to dismantle the underside of the robot with what tools they had, but the materials certainly surprised Sasha. For an area where toads used rusty, iron weaponry, seeing pieces of titanium, refined copper, and even some strange fluid flowing off broken cables. It certainly made her wonder why things like these are not available to these warriors from the start, but then again, it could be for a reason she didn't know yet.

-Alright soldiers, we're all pretty much exhausted, but we achieved an important step on our path to recognition- Grime stated as he stood on a piece of fallen metal -we will take our own pace to bring this bounty back to the tower as a reward for our effort, and there will be fried mosquitoes as well once we get there. That is a promise!-.

The soldiers cheered as he finished his speech, partly because of the food offer but, more importantly, because they could get some well-needed rest after the long trek and battle. Sasha, meanwhile, was still inspecting the metallic carcass, trying to find more interesting things, even though she didn't know how most of it worked.

-All of this, built to exterminate the enemies of my kind- Laserbeak startled her as he perched on a broken tube -it was certainly a beauty, but these toads certainly need it most-, -And how is this going to get me home?- Sasha asked, making Laserbeak sigh. -It's certainly going to be one long trip- he stated, giving a look to the mechanisms inside the dead machine -you'll eventually find your way home, once we can get something useful out of these fat blobs-.

Sasha felt a bit irritated; she wanted to be back home, back with her friends, and causing some fun mischief with them. Her mind remembered what fun she and Anne had while skipping school for her birthday, and how they had acquired that box Marcy had suggested them to…

-The box- Sasha said inside her head -hey, you think these pieces can fix anything?-, -If you can repurpose them- Laser said sarcastically, something Sasha didn't catch, -Well, if they can, maybe they can help me with how I got here- she stated, catching Laserbeak's interest, -That's something you definitely haven't told me about- Laserbeak replied as it moved inside the robot's body to seek something useful for himself.

-Well, I remember being in a park with my friends, about to see Anne use her present we gave her- Sasha narrated -and… As soon as she opened this music box, a flash of light blinded me, and then I was here-. -Music box, huh?- Laserbeak replied as it pulled a locomotion chip from the body -that sounds like a piece of junk, but if you say that's how you got here, then it feels like you may have a missing piece on that puzzle-.

Sasha pondered on his words for a moment. The box may have been opened and that light blinded them, but… what if that light was just a diversion?. Could something have pulled them in? Had something from this frog world received that light as a signal to drag them in?. -Lieutenant, come!- Grime's call ended her thoughts -it's time to make our way back to camp-, -Coming!- she obeyed, Laserbeak flying right behind her as she went back to thinking about the box.

Far away from the battleground, someone had detected the commotion as the signal beam flew in the sky like a missile, leaving the mountainside of the valley as it flew into the clouds. -This isn't right- Ratchet stated as he went back to monitor the signal tower, and a suspicion he had was instantly confirmed, as one of the dots he was monitoring had shut down. -Anything new?- Anne asked as she approached to check on the medic, -Nothing good, actually- he replied, offering a hand to Anne for her to climb and get her to see the screen.

-You see those dots on the map?- he stated -those are the Drones left in the valley-, -Looks like video game locations to me- Anne joked, but Ratchet remained worried. -There was one dot here in the badlands, but now… it's gone. A signal beam was also launched into the sky, and I suspect that it must've been a distress signal- Ratchet explained -this is bad for us-.

-Why exactly?- Sprig asked as he heard the conversation and made his way up to Anne, -Because that means that, whatever brought down that Drone, it has alerted someone outside the valley- Ratchet stated worryingly -the signal beam was heading beyond the mountain range that shields the valley, and given our history with the technology, there can only be one place it's heading towards-. -And… where is that?- Sprig asked, now nervous.

-Newtopia- Optimus spoke, giving chills to Anne and Sprig -if they decode the origin and the reason for the call, they'll home in on our location, and the whole valley will be in trouble-. Anne was now even more worried, she hadn't taken the possibility of the valley being breached by whatever was outside, and the thought of what may be beyond the desert she and the Plantars found the other Autobots was certainly worrying.

-What do we do then?- she asked, breaking the momentary silence, -We must first find what made the Drone go offline- Optimus replied -Ratchet, you and Ironhide will come with me; I'll leave Sideswipe in charge of protecting the Plantars-, -Are you sure that's a good idea?- Sprig joked, making Anne punch his side. -The priority is to stop whoever is trying to destroy these Drones, and I'm sure Sideswipe will understand that it requires teamwork, not running in blind- Optimus replied.

Anne and Sprig were then placed on the ground by Ratchet before he and Optimus left to go in search of Ironhide. -And here's me thinking I knew this place like the palm of my hand- Sprig said -I've never heard of something that powerful to take down… that thing-, -There's certainly a lot going on in this place- Anne agreed -I'm starting to think that going home is going to take a while-. Sprig then jumped on her back and tried to be positive; -Don't worry, Anne- he cheered -there guys probably know more than you and I do. If Prime promised you a way home, I believe he will achieve it-.

-Whatever you say, Sprig. Whatever you say- Anne replied as she looked upon the signal tower's screen, wondering what or who was out there, as strong as the Autobots, capable of taking down a Drone.

Perhaps it was time she also did a search of her own.