Iris:

Winning against time isn't necessary.

It's about the results you get.

In such a lack of time.

What a trip.

Hell.

"Oi, Iris."

Really soothing and reassuring whisper rang in Iris' head, firstly the girl though that to be part of her own mind tricks. Like it had been almost the whole time, her mind the only thing keeping her conscious. But soon it became clear within her what was going on after so long having sleep and resting her muscles; that she was cold. Still. And someone was pintching her cheek right now.

Iris' arm grabbed the person's who was harming her cheek at the moment, feeling it to be warm fleshy arm as she twitched it, making the causer yelp somehow in girly voice. The Leader's one eye narrowed slowly open, her eye making clear that it was Chris, whining still on the ground.

"Touch her and suffer the consequences..." Katie sighed behind him, shaking her head in disbelief. Iris only backed down nearer Optimus and Ann to rest between them, seeking warmth again. They were still at the Arctic, this wasn't any funny dream.

"Here." Praxina formed on for the picture, giving Iris maybe the warmest looking winter cloath not jacket, but very hairy cloath with a hoodie. Her SIC tapped gently then Ann's cheek too and rose to stand. "Ann wake up, we've gotta move."

"Move to where...?" Ann only turned her side more to the Causeway sleeping beside her, earning the femme groan as her holoform flickered off. "Cold!" She was up.

"The walls has begun corrupting down." Zoe informed near their campfire, her finger pointing the icy walls beside them which seemed like starting to melt. "In this cave is enough big tunnel allowing us to walk further, look."

And there was indeed a freaking tunnel.

"I don't know--" Jack lazily brought himself up to his feet when Megatron helped him and Chromia, the man starting to scretch his tense muscles and body. "When we've wondered into caves like these we always get in trouble."

"We have!?" Savannah asked in excitment!

"It's better than going outside." Moonracer gave a shrug, her frame so knot that she had to start jumping a little. "Who knows maybe it's much colder than yesterday."

"I won't go out there if it's not starting to be life-threatening in here." Cyclonus sharply told his opinion, slicing his blade back to it's place before turning like a big Bot to stare at the new tunnel's entrance. Like sensing the dangerous already of it. "We're going forward."

"Geez, it's not that serious." Chris started picking up his stuff, glancing to see did Iris wake up.

"-- Optimus." Iris whined, gently stroking her Guardian's hair to start waking him up. And luckily those beautiful deep blue eyes opened alive, they immediately glancing down to see why Iris woke him up. "We need to move." She tapped his hip before intending to get up. But her legs didn't hold yet so she fell back like a lazy-cat, but Optimus was there for her, catching.

"You shouldn't move so quickly." Optimus sighed, the man himself rose to stand like the coldness was nothing to him. Although he was clingy to Iris for the cloath on hers shoulder, giving some warmness. Pulling her up. And supporting her.

"Alright, we ready to leave?" Elita clapped.

"A little moment still--" Praxina was sitting on Megatron's shoulder plate already as the girl glanced back. Seeing Optimus transform for his original Bot-mode as he scooped Iris up, a yawn escaping his voice vocals. "And we're cool."

"You take the lead." Alex shrugged Zoe and Elita to go in first, which these two did and took the lead. Optimus and Iris didn't this time take the tail of the group but walked beside Andrea and Perceptor who were as tired as they were. Just walking there like zombies.

"Cheer up you four." Jack tried to be very nice and cheerful, it only increasing these four's mood. To badness.

"It's not so cold anymore!" Savannah protested too from Predaking's shoulder while leaping backwards to see. That girl never lets them down by surprisiness. Iris' eyes only closed as her head leaned against Optimus' helm, she wasn't a fucking early-bird strict from the morning. "Besides we've slept already 14 hours, start waking up! It's our journey! Think about it! Not everyone gets a chance like this--!"

"Can I shut her up?" Perceptor groaned very lowly but luckily quietly.

"Nahh, she's right." Andrea yawned, starting to slap her cheeks to remain awake. "It's time for us to start shining!"

"-- Whoa!" Jack gasped once Chromia's ped stepped on a slippy point, pretty much everyone tensed because of it and turned to see were they okay. The femme had managed to maintain her balance by leaning onto the ice wall. "Yeah, now I remember why I hate winter."

"Watch your steps." Zoe ordered, Elita even looking down while walking forward. How fearless could a femme be? "But hold your position!"

"Easy for them to say..." Chris groaned. It seemed that just Iris wasn't starting to get annoyed by Zoe's bosiness. Shouldn't Iris be the one leading?

Don't tell me now you want to lead?

"It's nothing personal." Optimus had noticed Iris' eyes had drawned to stare at Zoe checking on the walls and the tunnel they had walked already for quite some time, this time the girl turning to look at her Guardian. "I do realize how badly Zoe wants us to succeess, this way you can rest more too."

"I hope it doesn't come to be personal, nor a habit." Iris crossed her arms, wanting to keep her team's sides even though she still denyed of leading her team.

"Aww, you care for us that much?" Ann teased right in front of them, seeing how Iris made out a deep huff as turned her head. Let's just say everything annoyed her at the moment... do not interrupt the sleeping Iris.

"Leave her be." Chromia warned, nudging Cayseway's shoulder and almost causing this femme to slip and fall. "You okay for the night?"

"It just got bit into my processor-- the frost bite I mean." Causeway rubbed her helm, glancing back at the jumping Moonracer as on the panicking Alex. "But for our third femme..."

"She's cool." Ann chuckled, Jack nodding in agreement. Iris only yawned again, earning quite some laughs in defense. "And so is Elita."

"Thanks for worrying after us too, femmes." Perceptor slightly said annoyed. This wasn't going to end well as they all knew this fight to be really familiar. "We mechs are doing just fine, thank you."

"Shut up." Andrea stood up to shut Perceptor's dentas close, but wasn't going to success on the way she wanted to.

"You're keeping too much voice." Elita said from the front, warning everyone.

"You haven't heard of the ways 'femmes watch after each other' or of the fact that sparkmates will die upon protecting the loved one?" Chromia's helm almost crouched 90° degrees around, still her faceplate was terrifying.

Sparkmates?

"Maybe my processor is bit of a rusty-side then." Perceptor came forward threatenly but got Optimus to stop him. This wasn't time for a fight.

"Stop it." Iris was awake, rubbing her tired eyes in so annoy that even Perceptor flinched by her red eyes and creeps sending warn-look. "You start battling down here, and that wall's gonna come down. Try at least stay in one harmony between each other before I start using some fire-power."

What's wrong with me?

But it got these two to stop, they taking on some space between them.

"Scary." Chris was sarcastic.

"We talk too much." Katie sighed from Drift's shoulder, only watching the walls in awe. "But wait... did I leave behind my blaste--?"

The ground.... ice was slippy.

Too slippy.

In fact there came a point where the tunnel just led down, and no one saw it-- no one. It formed up from thin air, even Elita or Zoe couldn't see it as everyone just slide down the gorge within loud yells. It was like an ice-tunnel literally, the speed only increasing as you couldn't do nothing about it.

"WHAT THE FUCK--!?" Praxina exclaimed, with such a jumpy point she and Megatron got unattached from each other. Well to be exact and in the ending game all humans were back, and the Bots had taken the front as they were way heavier. Just sliding down the endless gorge.

"It's no use!" Jack tried to use his blades in order to stop but it started to be hopeless. They only going down with so much speed.

"Optimus...!" Moonracer pointed forward, everyone glancing back to see the ice only continuing towards another big, black void. But this time maybe only an edgy point, maybe the ground or ice was much closer? "Again!?"

"Pick up the humans!" Predaking commanded as his Beast-mode transformed on, his claws allowing him to further forward and let Savannah transform with him. That was a beautiful sceen; Predaking's metal parts only shifted around Savannah's fragile body to change it as a femme figure Predacon. Elita used Megatron and Optimus as a jump-board to catch Zoe and intending Praxina and Iris... but these two were keeping the tail.

"I've told you two to start eating more!" Chris growled out loud while he managed to slide down to Cyclonus as his Guardian used to throw his humongous blade for him and told him to sit on it. Then it just came down for him.

"Shut the fuck up!" Praxina snarled, but she was caught on surprise as Iris slowed behind her. "Iris--!?"

"Go!" Iris transformed and kicked some fast speed for Praxina. It indeed send her down more, but sadly it only got Iris more far away from others. The girl now rolling a bit as transforming back.

"You idiot!" Praxina cried once Megatron finally got Praxina, the only ones remaining on the free fall were Iris and Alex oddly. This boy hadn't made it either for his Guardian.

"Come on!" Moonracer tried to run but it was impossible, and it didn't matter what Alex did his speed remained. "We're closing the edge!"

Optimus' blades got stuck for the ice, his frame making agonizing stop but he at least stopped the further sliding down. His blade was firmly in the ice, his servo reaching up for the incoming Alex first. And he got him, but felt how the ice begun cracking and heard when others fell over the edge. Well, the fall was impossible to avoid, but he couldn't leave the humans unprotected.

"Faster Iris!" Alex pleaded, the girl rolling over her stomach to slide more with a speed. And in mere seconds Optimus' blade slide off. But he got Iris right on time, now shielding the two humans. "Oh SHIT--!"

"And catch!"

Optimus froze, along with the humans. To look up the fall was only 20 feet high, and to put gazes beneath them there was Megatron and Predaking/Savannah waiting, these three slowly settling them down. Optimus sighed deeply in relief, showing the two humans which were alright and well.

"You should've seen your faces." Praxina smirked, climbing on Optimus' servos before hitting Iris' metal-arm. "That was not cool trick!"

"-- Guys?"

Andrea's squeaky voice called. Everyone turned again for to see what was there to expect them. But this was something none of them expected. And it got loud gasps earned. A humongous ship. Not Earth-made, more like an alien space ship which had been crashed down there. It had been frozen halfly, mostly it just resembling a semetery which no one dared to step on to. The paint had been washed-out, leaving only a silver metal shine upon it.

"What's that?" Jack asked rather in disbelief.

"A space-ship?" Ann got interested, almost stepping closer to check on it if Causeway wouldn't be the one stopping her. "Oi. You're blocking my view."

"Is that... the Ark?" Moonracer knew this ship no doubt about it, and so did most of the Bots too. They only blinking in so much for confusion. The humans exchanged looks, starting to go and investigate the ship if it was Cybetronian made. "No, Jack." But the femme pulled her Charge back, kneeling down.

"What's 'the Ark'?" Praxina demanded, it sounding like something from a bible back on Earth. But this girl wasn't much of believer in those kinds of things.

"A ship... where we transported sparklings and sparked femmes out of Cybetron during the war." Optimus kept a pause, taking in a silent moment to allow the humans understand it much better. "It's location was unknown after the Allspark was sent into safety in deep space, but now we do know where it has crashed down upon on."

"In third dimension?" Chris was staring with wide eyes, in shock.

"Poor things..." Andrea was again crying, keeping her hands above her chest as it was rising and falling heavily.

"How long do you believe it has been down here?" Savannah/Predaking questioned, but let's just say that the girl asked it.

"Decades, cycles-- who knows." Megatron didn't like the sight of this ship, just once glad in his entire life-time that he didn't cause this damage. His spark couldn't take the pain or the responsobility of killing a sparkling. "But it gives me chills."

"No kiddin'..." Praxina crossed her arms, now hesitant of proceeding forward. "But you know, perhaps someone has survived?"

"... Could it be operating?" Iris questioned, widening her eyes to realize something. "Maybe this ship is our way out of here." Her turquoise eyes looked up at Optimus and rest of the Bots, who remained hesitant about her suggestion.

"I don't know." Perceptor rubbed his audioreceptor. He shrugged. "Maybe it's worth a shot, if one escape-ship is still operating."

"We should scan the whole ship and find the mainroom before we can start searching. I am not going on that ship, knowing how much lives it has taken." Chromia pointed the ship very dangerously, not into the task of going inside.

"You wait outside, and we will search." Cyclonus suggested, approaching the ship already. Even Elita or Zoe had nothing to argue this time as they only followed after him and Chris.

"The ones who'd like to remain outside can stay, the rest of us shall go inside and invesigate the Ark, but with care." Optimus' optics were directed upon the already fighting Ann and Praxina, who flinched and nodded in defense. All and all Causeway and Moonracer remained with Chromia added with Andrea and Alex. "Precaution isn't denyed either."

"So care-taking." Iris joked while walking towards the ship, Optimus coming right behind. "Alright, lift me up. I can see much better from higher."

Optimus shook his helm and grasped Iris with him, approaching the ship where Cyclonus and Drift were already struggling to open the doors. The girl was settled on his shoulder.

"Out of the way." Megatron gestured, firing with his cannon probably six times as it caused a huge smokescreen. But the doors fell down, and the former Warlord stumbled inside with Praxina. "I'd like to warm my tanks a bit."

"You could've done nicer entrance..." Ann sarcastically begun, stepping inside the flinchs sending ship. Once Optimus and Iris were inside with rest of the gang they listened very carefully, only the ruins moving and ice thicking the ship's surface were heard. And that was hella scary. "Alright, Iris I'm with you two."

"Glad to have you." Iris replied as Optimus picked her up too. Not to leave a team-mate behind, ay? "Alright, Zoe. Do we split up or something?"

"What's with the tone?" Elita glared back at the small human, cooling only down as Optimus made reassuring look for her.

"It would be wise, as long as your Bots are just comm' away?" Zoe glanced back, totally ignoring what Iris' tone was like. Like she didn't even notice but watched the ship carefully around only to see trash and ruins everywhere.

"They work." Perceptor tested, his Charge was Jack this time. Oh boy, this duo.

"Inform if you find something interesting, but our goal is to search the mainroom and posssible ship out of the Arctic." Zoe commanded, Iris only sighing in defense. This old lady was much better option for a Leader she tells that much. "But maintain precaution. We never know what possible lived on this ship."

"Uhh, sparklings?" Praxina raised her brow, before they all were heading in different directions. "Iris. My patience with that lady starts to be up to it's limit." She hissed, Iris only then seeing that Megatron and she tagged along with them.

"Say no more." Ann groaned, glancing at Iris who remained deep in though. Not giving much of mind-burden about Zoe, she can do what she must. "You're our Leader, girl! You need to take control again."

"And cause more trouble?" Iris sighed, only laying down. "Zoe has the spirit to lead, let her try and act like one."

"But she was the one claiming that this wasn't hers trip." Praxina huffed, crossing her arms and looking away. She was expecting Iris to put somekind of fight for her duty. "There's something fishy with that Elita too..."

"Stop that nonsense." Megatron gestured friendly, earning quite the hit on his cheek this time. Optimus only led the way and listened, maybe thinking also.

"Which side you on!?" Praxina exclaimed out loud. But the ship beneath them suddenly shifted on right side, causing Optimus and Megatron go and hit the wall. Not agonizingly anyway. "Jesus--"

"We shouldn't discuss of this in here." Optimus pleaded, making one firm glance back before looking the two human females resting on his both shoulders. "I might know where we are now."

"Shouldn't you actually know the ship like your own pockets?" Ann required, frozing. She saw incoming dead femme lay there on the ground, reminding like a zombie but without any optics as she looked like rusted for quite some time. Green energon pond right under her. "No..."

"Tch." Iris closed her eyes and bit her lip. What a crucial find that was. Luckily Optimus and Megatron quickly passed her, the former Prime making sorrowful look upon the knowledge that this was all his fault.

"The energon... why it's green?" Praxina watched to see another corpses, this time a small sparkling held by a femme tightly in her arms. That was hard to see, even for a tough human girl like she was. "This is horrific."

"The energon has been infected by the ship's rust... let's just hope it has nothing to do with Cybonig Plague." Megatron carefully avoided stepping on the energon nor especially on the corpses, looking with narrowed brows after them. Some sympathy and respect!

"A Cyboen- plagic-- what?" Ann blurted out a little dumbfounded, glancing back at the former Warlord.

"A Cybonig Plague; bad infection which you can die within 24 hours, the contagion decease was used during the war as it killed thousands of Cybetronians. There was a treatment for it, but Megatron was the one developing this deadly decease... so only he knew the formula of cure for this one." Optimus told, at same time teaching these three human girls something of their world. It was fun to teach back at on Earth for Rafael, Miko and Jack.

"He what!?" Praxina jumped up, glaring her Guardian now with death-eyes. Megatron gave a sigh by this, knowing he deserved the incoming punches which he was going to accept. Yet it still didn't compensate of what he had done. The lives he had taken. "Are you an imbesile--!?"

The ship took this time direction on left; the two mechs with the humans moving rapidly towards the wall again. This time the hit was much harder, causing Optimus and Megatron groan in pain. The humans somehow still managing, only shaking their heads. But once Iris raised her gaze up; her eyes were deepened to read the wall.

"Mainroom." Iris gasped, noticing the two slided doors now. Like they had gone stuck like that. Optimus raised his gaze up too, hope glimming in his optics of the sight.

"We're the best." Ann grinned when Optimus stood up again by Megatron's help, all of them now entering the very spacious mainroom. All consoles, buttons, working tables, maps of space-- everything shocked the humans. They hadn't seen nothing so metallic, yet so magestic. Like a work of art indeed, but the windows closed made the room much more darker to see. "Woah..."

"You can say that again." Praxina grinned, watching Megatron stumble on the nearest control-table as he pressed it on. The whole room hummed to life, all the colors lighting up as it roared to life. Weakly however.

"Most of the ship has been damaged permanently..." Megatron tapped his digits there like no other day, Iris only figuring out some ships and halls, tanks and motors. Nothing more, Cybetronian writing was so odd. "But there are few working rescue-ships right beneath us."

"Open up the hatch. It's easier and faster to go down than waiting another wave of ice's moving." Optimus ordered, Megatron simply pressing a button down as something popped open not near them. That startled the humans entirely.

"Could you stop scaring us to our deaths!?" Praxina demanded, but shut up as Optimus raised to press his comm down. "It's not funny..."

"Optimus calling for Team X, can you hear me?" Optimus questioned, taking a hold of his hip while listening. Iris couldn't hear a thing, before got startled as after static came squeaky voice of Savannah's. Although it was only mumbling for her. "We've discovered the ships' location, head down for floor seconth to assist on finding fitting seats for everyone."

"We fit to sit on your lap." Ann giggled as Megatron was first to jump down. Optimus jumped soon after inside the darkness, but when he landed with the other mech sudden lights formed up around them. Lighting the way. "But drag Causeway inside and you're master of it."

"Look. At. This!" Praxina screamed in excitment, like a child watching in awe at the huge machines ment for Cybetronian traveling. These weren't small traveling objects indeed, but Megatron seemed to have some idea of what they were going to travel as he approached one ship. "Hold on, Bucket-head! I want to see them all!"

Megatron sighed as he settled the eager and childish Praxina down, the girl running towards maybe the second largest ship with squeal. Optimus did the same for Iris and Ann, only that he stopped his Charge for second.

"Remain close. I want all of you on my eye-sight at all time." Optimus warned; earning a sheepish smile as Iris only hugged his servo.

"Will do."

And the young Leader ran after her team-mates, seeing them climbing the humongous wheels already. It was so huge, so massive compared for these three. The vehicle could think them as small life organics nor pests which it could easily destroy. Yet these two started climbing.

"If you fall, it's not my fault!" Praxina reminded Ann right on her tail-pipe. These two could never drop the case, huh?

"If you're such a loser, don't complain!" And Ann passed Praxina easily, she like a real monkey while climbing towards the slided doors. Of course the SIC got her fighting spirit back on for winning, her transformation flickered on as she jumped.

"Wait till I get ya!"

Iris sighed really deeply.

"Yo!" Jack's voice rang across the room, Iris' head spinning to see him making run for it to her. Perceptor right behind. "You here all alone--?" Iris pointed above, the young man looking up in confusion before gasping. "Ohh."

"Big-Rig and Megs might require your skills, Perceptor." Iris chuckled as watching the compadetors fighting, pointing at the ship near them. "Right there."

"It better be good." Perceptor rolled his optics as he made his way forward, everyone knew deep within he cared about others too.

"You not gonna join them?" Jack raised his brow, they right on time moving right to avoid a blast hitting them. Iris made a look towards him, who chuckled in defense. "My, my-- I wouldn't go either if I was you."

"Good." Iris tapped his shoulder, dragging him with. "Then you will accompany me with searching something useful."

"When you say it like that it sounds death-sentence for me." Jack knew he couldn't leave Iris wonder all alone so he tagged along, walking beside Iris towards the exit. "But... shouldn't we stay with our Bots?"

"They're not far--" Iris crawled her way out of a small hole, glancing to see Jack hesitant of this idea. "Oh C'mon. Trip of a lifetime, remember? Besides here can't be anything that bad for us to rely on our Bots."

"You're not Iris." Jack glared, seeing the girl only roll her eyes and start walking the huge hall she had entered into. "Wait, Iris--!"

"I'm sworning that here's something much more interesting than our escape out of here." Iris groaned, knowing that Jack was already with her by his loud footsteps. "If here's something I want to find it. It can be useful concidered for our mission."

"I would feel much safer with Bots with..." Jack murmured while glancing back, his arms crossed. Iris came into an intersection, turning so fastly that Jack gasped also as hurrying after her. "Hold on, should we think this through?"

"Is there something to think--?"

And freaking ground again.

But this time it was a pile of rusted metal which didn't hold on these two's weight, allowing them to fall even deeper inside the ship. But they didn't stop on third floor but went right crashing down with it too; luckily Jack had a grip of Iris as he tried to avoid getting through the fourth floor. But noup. They went right slamming through, falling on something hard, into the darkness, only the hole above them giving them some light to see.

"-- Fuck." Iris hissed, her metal-arm was fine but for her fleshy one... it kind of twitched in pain. "Fuck, fuck, fuck!"

"Again?" Jack sighed, making his way over to Iris after looking the hole they had fell. He knelt down, replacing his both hands to scan Iris' arm, seeing it had really deep wound on it. "Jeez, why is it always you taking all the hits for us?" He tore his shirt's sleeve, cleaning the wound a bit before wrapping it around the bleeding wound. Iris flinched, gritting her teeth.

"... Well, now we're stuck." Iris glared the hole, not believing her luck was like this. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay. As long as we know that we're alive and well." Jack reassured, helping Iris up to her feet. But they both looked down only then, realizing what middle of them they were. Not any terrorizing or something, but there were these circles around them, all and all nine balls different colored selected in a line... like a ritual. Something led straight into the darkness. Something was glowing in the darkness. Something was calling them in the darkness. "What the hell...?"

Iris saw a small rock roll over to the both of them.

It had a face hewn formed right middle, an emoji which smiled.

"Welcome, Guardians of the Stones."

"OPTIMUS!"

"CHROMIAAA!"

《~~|||~~》

I love making these cliffhangers XD.

~keep reading.