Nevada Winds - TFP

7.

Kayde

With his arms pumping at his sides and his lungs filling with air, Kayde kept his eyes on Ratchet and Optimus. He'd found a slope around the canyon but hadn't been able to make his way down all the way safely, unlike the two huge bots, who'd just effortlessly jumped down onto even ground. Climbing over the tough terrain was nothing new to him, not when he'd spent a chunk of his life doing it as a job--on top of carrying heavy gear and a rifle.

Kayde moved his hair behind his ears to stop it from sticking to his face. Now that it was the afternoon, the setting sun blazed and sweat stuck the strands to his forehead. His stomach churned from the fatigue, but he forced himself to push that out of his mind. There is no way I'm letting some freak space robots out-walk me. In order to keep Flynn safe, the best course of action was to follow the bots' and figure out what they were really doing. Not only Flynn, but for the kids' sakes as well. Raf was only a preteen for Christ's sake, Jack and Miko were early high schoolers too. There was no reason why they should be involved with any of it.

If I can prove this shit is dangerous then Flynn will actually have to listen to me this time. Kayde had told  himself. Back at the base he'd observed how Ratchet activated the 'ground-bridge', thankfully the exact coordinates had already been entered from the last transportation. He'd taken the opportune moment when Miko had started making a ruckus and distracting Bulkhead to cover up the sound of the bridge, then jumped down on the handle and slid down to the floor. Then he'd slipped through the ground-bridge. He'd had to sprint for a few minutes to track down Optimus and Ratchet. This isn't too far from the base if it's still in the desert. Which means this Megatron guy is too close for anybody's liking. These canyons must be a hotbed of activity for these bots, but why?

Kayde set aside his thoughts, saving the speculation for later. He didn't have the time or patience for that kind of thing at the moment. He had to keep his focus on his mission: proving these things were dangerous no matter how many times they promised to keep them safe. Then maybe Flynn would actually listen to him...maybe. If Kayde was being honest he wasn't always the best influence himself, but his motto of 'do as I say, not as I do,' had always worked in the past with his little brother. So why wouldn't it this time?

Optimus and Ratchet were having some sort of conversation but he wasn't yet close enough to hear it properly. Kayde scaled the rocky terrain and narrowly avoided loose boulders that could fall and give away his position. He ducked down lower into a crouch as soon as he got close enough so they wouldn't see him but thankfully it looked like they weren't even paying attention. For warriors they sure are oblivious to their surroundings. Kayde thought wryly. 

Finally he was able to get close enough. An overhang of rock stretched out like a bridge between both sides of the canyon, it circled around on the edges to create a clearing that was closed off with a single exit. Not the smartest idea to corner yourselves. Kayde ranted to himself. Were these guys really soldiers? Any good one would know not to put himself in any danger like this. Especially with an opponent as strong as that 'Megatron' they kept mentioning.

"Optimus, what do we hope to find here?" Ratchet asked just as they passed beneath the bridge overhang. Kayde knelt down and red dust covered the knees of his jeans, nearly making him sneeze.

Optimus replied rather somberly, "The site of the largest Cybertronian battlefield in this galaxy."

Both Kayde and Ratchet's thoughts were audibly expressed by the medic when he exclaimed, "On Earth? You must be joking!" Knowing Prime, probably not. Far as I can tell he's dense as a boulder when it comes to casual conversations. Kayde retorted inwardly. But past that, this meant the bots had visited Earth before, far longer ago than he would have guessed. And from the sound of things, they spoke about it like it was ancient history. These aren't the only ones who have been here...not by a long shot. But they're only just making themselves known to us now? Why...?