Chapter Fifty-Eight
Unexpected Discovery
Back at the lake in Australia, Pandora and Kemeko were still enjoying the water whilst Optimus continued to scout for energon.
They had been at the location for almost an hour.
As Pandora did a dive down, she suddenly saw some shining blue lights below her, she started to swim a little more down but as she felt the pressure of the water the deeper she went, and was forced to return to the surface.
Kemeko who had been looking for Pandora when she went down saw the hybrid appear spluttering and pointing downwards.
"What is it, Pandora?" Kemeko asked.
"I think there's energon at the bottom of the lake!" she panted pointing downwards.
Kemeko looked down and did a dive, Pandora following suite and they both went down as far as they could to see if it was energon and they soon saw the bright blue colours shining in the darkness of the deep lake.
Looking at each other and confirming that what they saw could very well be energon, they swam back to the surface to inform Optimus.
Meanwhile the large Autobot leader was walking alongside the lake as he looked at his scanner when he heard shouts from the lake and looked over to the girls.
"Optimus! Optimus!" Kemeko called out.
"Over here Prime! Can you hear us?"
Optimus at first thought they were yelling to him for help but what he heard from them caught his interest.
"What is it girls?" he asked.
"I think we found something!" Kemeko reported "Glowing Blue Crystals!"
"Yeah!" Pandora agreed "In the water right below us!"
"They look just like the ones you've shown us!" Kemeko added "It might be energon!
"Energon?" Optimus exclaimed hope rising in his spark "Please show me."
"If you can swim! Follow us!" Pandora called out as she began to swim out into the middle of the lake, Kemeko not far behind.
Optimus as carefully as he could started to step into the water, taking great care not to move too much so as to not wash away the girls, yet the waves he created provided them with some fun and soon he was up to his knees, then his waist and as the girls arrived at the point where they saw the crystals, his face almost on the same level as the girls.
As Pandora turned back to look at Optimus and saw how only his head was showing and the rest of him was underwater, she started laughing.
"What's so funny?" Kemeko asked.
"Optimus." Pandora chortled "With just his head poking out of the water."
Kemeko rolled her eyes then remembered the energon.
"Sorry about her Prime, anyway the crystals are right below us."
"Then, let us have a closer look." Optimus stated as he knelt submerging himself completely into the water.
As he did that, Pandora and Kemeko grabbed his helm so they could watch, and they held their breath as the Autobot leader went down.
Optimus examined the crystals for a few seconds then he slowly stood up again resurfacing his head and the girls let go of his helm.
"This was a good find, girls. This energon may just be the tip of a larger seam here." He reported.
"It was an energon find?" Pandora asked "Cool!" she then looked at Optimus and at how he stood in the water and how it wasn't affecting him in any way.
"You sure you're not gonna rust in the water?" she asked to which Optimus smiled at the hybrid's concern for him.
"There is no need to worry young Pandora." He said "We only rust if we are very ill. Had I been so inclined, I could have adopted an alternate mode more suited for an aquatic environment."
Pandora laughed as she imagined Prime as a boat.
"Do you know any that took the form of boats Optimus?" Kemeko asked.
"A few yes," Optimus replied, "But I will tell you that at a later date."
"Awww." Pandora pouted.
"So what do we do now?" Kemeko asked.
"I think you two can have a little more time here before we return to base." Optimus replied, "Whilst I gather the energon you found, If you would want that."
The cheered the sulky Pandora up instantly.
"Wow! That would be great! Thanks!" she grinned.
"You sure Optimus?" Kemeko asked.
"As long as I remain in my vehicle mode, we should not draw too much attention if anyone were to spot us from a distance." Optimus replied.
"Aww dude!" Pandora whined "I was gonna say, since you're in the water with us, we'd have a laugh!"
Optimus gave a playful smile half frown at the Hybrid.
"I am sure you would. But I would prefer to remain inconspicuous."
"I agree." Kemeko sided with the Prime "Out of the three of us, I'm the only one that looks 'normal' to other humans."
"True that!" Pandora agreed.
"I will keep watch on the beach." Optimus instructed "Enjoy the time you have now, because we will be returning shortly."
"Okay Prime, will do," Pandora replied, but then she gave a sweet smile and batted her eyelashes, "But please, one more wave? Just one? Please?" she pleaded in a sweet high voice which made Kemeko roll her eyes at her cousin trying to wrap Optimus around her little finger.
Optimus snorted and gave a playful frown.
"I did say that there would only be the last one." He said in a firm voice, but he then smiled and held up a piece of the energon crystals from the bottom of the lake. "But I believe you have both earned another one!"
"Yippie!" Pandora cheered.
"Thanks so much Optimus!" Kemeko smiled feeling proud that she and Pandora had been able to help Prime in his mission.
Optimus started to wade back to the beach area, as he did, he scanned the area to make sure no-one was watching.
The girls did the same, yet as they did, Kemeko noticed a dock a few miles away and a group of teenagers were climbing into a sailing boat!
"Pandora! Prime! Look!" she pointed them out and the Autobot Leader and Hybrid turned to look.
"Humans. Problematic." Optimus stated in a worried tone.
"well shit!" Pandora groaned then saw the boat sailing out from the dock to the middle of the lake.
"Double shit!" Pandora cursed "We're fucking boned!"
"I can remain undetected if I remain at the bottom of the lake." Optimus mused.
"And I'm human, so I won't stick out. But me being on my own out here will." Kemeko suggested.
"So only I am in danger?" Pandora exclaimed "Well, That's just prime" she looked to Optimus realising what she had just said.
"Erm, no offence Optimus." She said sheepishly.
"None taken, Pandora." The Prime replied.
"you gonna be okay down there? Well, it's not like you can breathe right?" the hybrid asked.
"I believe that I have already stated that the water poses no danger to me." Optimus reminded the Hybrid "I am, however, concerned about the two of you. We know not the intentions or personalities of these humans."
"You did yeah," Pandora remembered "Man, why can't Ratchet just bridge us and the energon out of here?"
"What?" Kemeko shrieked "You crazy? If Ratchet creates a ground bridge underwater, he could flood the base, and drain the lake!"
Pandora blinked then mentally face-palmed.
"Oh yeah, didn't think of that!" she muttered.
"Shell for brains!" Kemeko mumbled.
"What was that?!" Pandora growled looking at her cousin and looked ready to tackle her, yet Optimus lifted a servo out the water in-between the girls before a fight could break out.
"Girls, please!" he said, "Fighting will not solve our predicament."
Kemeko instantly snapped back to their situation and shook her head.
"You're right." She said frowning at Pandora who in turn put out her tongue, yet Kemeko ignored her.
"Okay," the Asian girl mused as she tried to think of a plan "So we're gonna have to do something to either distract the humans long enough or something…gotta think!" she muttered.
"I could transform into my truck mode underneath the water, allowing the two of you to ride inside of me." Optimus suggested "I can keep the cabin sealed to keep the water out, though I fear the humans will get suspicious to seeing a land vehicle drive up from the lake." He added.
"True…" Pandora said as she looked at the humans, "We need to figure out a way out of this..."
She tapped her chin, then suddenly an idea game to her and she smirked...
Back in California, Arcee was still studying the tracks she had found near the crashed ship, with Monalisa and Raphael not far behind.
As the couple watched their Autobot friend, they saw her stiffen up and look ahead as if in a world of her own.
"Arcee?" Raphael called over concerned, and Monalisa ran ahead to inspect their friend to see why she was frozen on the spot.
"Arcee?" she called up, only to see the femme staring ahead with the look of pure horror on her face and she felt her heart sink.
"Arcee!" Raphael shouted and waved his arms "Arcee! Wake up!" he shouted.
"Arcee!" Monalisa joined in "Snap out of it!"
At their shouts, Arcee shook her head as she snapped out of her trance and turned to the turtle and lizard before quickly transforming into her vehicle mode.
"Arcee?" the shocked couple cried in unison.
"Climb on!" Arcee ordered in a voice that informed the couple that this was one order they had to obey.
Raphael got on first and Monalisa climbed on behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist whilst Raphael gripped the handlebars.
No sooner had they got on than Arcee raced off at lightning speed!
Raphael cried out in shock and Monalisa couldn't stop the shocked scream that erupted from her mouth.
Arcee drove fast through the forest dodging trees and zooming around rocks then she flew over a deep part of the craters that the damaged ship had made before landing on the other side and screeching to a stop.
"Holy shit!" Raphael gasped.
"Was that really necessary?" Monalisa demanded angrily as she and Raphael climbed off.
But again, to the frustration of the lizard lady, Arcee didn't answer but again tried to get through to the Autobot Base.
"Arcee to Base!" she spoke only to get no answer.
"Scrap!" she cursed before moving forward yet Raphael placed his paw on her seat to stop her.
"Look, we've seen danger before...!" he began.
"Wait here!" Arcee snapped "I mean it this time!"
Raphael scoffed and he started to get angry.
"Okay first you shut Mona and I out and now you're ditching us?" he demanded "What the fucking Shell?"
Arcee transformed into her bipedal form and turned to the couple.
"I thought we were your partners?" Monalisa chimed in.
"No, Raph, Mona!" Acree snapped "You're Earthlings! You're only here because this was supposed to be no risk! Got it!" she added in a warning tone and leaning down to the turtle and Lizard almost like a parent telling off their child, then before Raphael and Monalisa could answer back, Arcee turned away, transformed, and drove off into the forest which was now submerged in darkness.
The couple watched her vanish into the mess of trees then looked at each other.
"Somethings really scared her Raph." Monalisa said "This is really serious."
"I agree babe." Raphael said "But what is it that's gotten her so scared? I've seen how she's taken down Decepticons without fear, but this?"
"I wish she could just tell us rather than run off on her own!" Monalisa said then took out her shell Cell "We should see if we can get back up."
"Good idea babe!" Raphael said then took out his own shell cell.
As they opened them up, both were shocked to see they had no signal.
"Damn! No service!" Monalisa snapped "If Arcee's com links down, whatever's affecting it is doing the same to our shell-cells."
"This is bad." Raphael said as he started to walk towards the crater that Arcee had flown over and looked down into it seeing how deep and far it went, and he saw it was a long way down as well as a long way across and despite their ability to jump far they knew the jump was too wide even for them.
"We can't let this go Mona." Raphael said, "We can't let Arcee deal with this alone."
"But what can we do Raph?" Monalisa asked "If whatever or whoever is out there that Arcee's scared of, then it must mean we'll have no chance!"
"We might be able to fight it, whatever it is, but we can at least make sure Arcee knows we're supporting her!" Raphael reasoned "We'll get down there and see what she's dealing with, then we'll take it from there!"
"Okay." Monalisa agreed reluctantly and hoping that Raphael knew what he was doing.
"We're ninjas, we can move around quietly and hopefully whatever's out there won't notice us until we figure out what's going on." Raphael suggested as he looked around at the crater then took his wife's hand.
"Come on." He said, "We'll need to climb down then try and find another way to the other side."
"Alright." Monalisa said "And I'll keep trying to get through to the base or to the others to let them know what's happening."
"Good idea." Raphael said, "And we stay close and watch each other's backs!"
Monalisa nodded and followed her husband into the deep crater then thought of Arcee.
"Hang in there Arcee." She thought "I know you told us to stay put, but we're not going to let you handle this alone! No matter what you think or see us as, we're your friends, and we're going to help you, no matter what!"
Pandora and Kemeko found energon in the Lake much to Optimus's pleasure, yet the trio are in a pickle as some humans are on the lake, yet what's Pandora's idea?
Meanwhile Arcee's driven off on her own to find out who or what is in the area with her, Raphael and Monalisa.
Again those of you who've seen the show have a good idea who's there!
Keep checking in to find out the results for both parties!