Ep. 1 - The House of Stone and Light - Closed - Finis

[Dart]

Dart left the mech alone after that; she didn't want to disturb him any more than they had to. Every inch of energy he could save she was going to let him have; he'd watched out all night. Now it was her turn to take the point.

Nose forward, she watched the river in front of them, scanning warily over any curl of foam that whirled and tossed. The courier was still, hands on the paddle, shoulders back, ready. Even the dip and flick of the swallows skimming away the flies didn't catch her attention for more than a second or two. It was still beautiful, and the humans were still amazing, but now she was just feeling like she did when she ran a message. Get things where they need to go, and don't stop...

It was automatic for the courier to set herself as much as she could between him and the water frothing up and over them. Dart had no idea if would disrupt their avatars, but she figured it couldn't be good, the constant rattle and push for them to stay solid and react to their environment.

Every time another wave crested the boat, Dart would snort and huff automatically, even if there was nothing she was actually intaking. Sometimes she would nearly drop the paddle, and once she did. Her avatar was over-taxed and overloaded; the paddle fell through her hands. She was barely able to grab it as it bounced back and smacked off the solid foam of her lifejacket.

Something crept back in though, it had to. The rush of the river, the speed; the lift and fall of of the raft. Water glittered and threw rainbows back over them, red and grey stone was lit with sunlight. Flashes of green from the riverbanks; it struck her once again that the humans did this for fun. They did this for fun, and it was just amazing that they would pit themselves - creatures of bone and blood and breath against something like the Colorado River. She herself would have simply splashed through it and called it done, never once thought to travel on it in a way like this.

Right then, the courier could not help but realize that if she wasn't so concerned about their avatars holding, time constraints, how bad off the mech was, and the Vehicons perhaps showing up- erk, couldn't forget that ever-present tank round-

This was an experience she'd hold close for a very long time.

"This better be the worst!" Dart yelled back at Mark as she shook her hair out once again. She was laughing though, and her avatar did a good job of portraying that it was soaked to the bone. "Got it, Sarah!"

Braced against the boat, the courier shoved her nose into the spray. She clutched her paddle in front of her and focused intently on the churning river.

[Deleted]

The raft wheeled as it was sucked into the narrow chutes. It hit the waves tumbling around one submerged rock, bounced off them, and plunged downwards into the drop on the other side.

At once, the noise became deafening. The roar of the river engulfed the raft, even as the waves rushed up to bat the yellow craft from side to side. Working in tandem, Sarah and Mark fought to swing the bow downstream again, pulling hard against their oars. A wall of spray soared over the front of the raft as it pointed itself into the current and launched off another rocky drop.

Max remained motionless during the bumpy ride. Everyone else on board the raft would find themselves hard-pressed to keep the vessel oriented down the river. At one point a group of hikers walking along a trail at the waterside even stopped to watch them shoot the rapids. Mark risked taking one hand off of his oar long enough to wave at them.

Despite the sense of urgency, whenever the raft leapt over a wave the humans laughed, clearly tickled by the ride. Meanwhile, ahead of Dart the channel had grown quite rocky; a big stone emerged from beneath the surf to her left, while a partially-submerged spit of rock loomed beyond it to the right. The water foamed between them, a narrow chute that would be tricky for her to navigate through if she was not quick.

Beside her, Max abruptly opened his eyes. He stared forward with a frown, his expression distracted.

[Dart]

A yelp escaped the courier as they were lifted into the air briefly by one of the raft's myriad twists and bucks. It was one of those sensations she didn't enjoy at all; her jaw clenched, her shoulders twitched. Off the ground. She was off the ground, and at the complete mercy of something else's speed other than her own. When they crashed back down through the first drop and the spray roared into her face and vision, it snapped her back into where she was, what was going on.

Didn't matter, Dart could fully admit that okay, this part? It could be over fast. No, it could be over faster, thank you. That was why you oh, went through the safe parts of a river and not the parts with speed and foam. Underneath her, the boat twisted again, and she couldn't help but marvel a bit at the human's skill in holding it where it was supposed to be, they knew how to use their paddles and their shoulders and were confident enough even to wave at the hikers.

Not going to happen. Dart had a death grip on that paddle. In fact, she'd clenched it so hard that her knuckles looked bloodless. She snorted warily at the stones they passed. No, you stay over there, rock. I like rocks. I do, really. I have a great respect for rocks, because you really hurt when I plow into you, but I still like you. You, on the other hand, you, sharp rock at the bottom, I don't like you. Go back to your Precambrian period where you belong.

The humans were laughing though, that helped settle her. They were fine, so okay, the raft was fine, and they'd be all right. This was the worst part. Mark said so; she trusted him, she trusted them. They knew how to raft the same way she knew how to run in places like this; safe zones of brush and sturdy ledges.

Oh, two rocks. Dart shifted her hands on the paddle and eyed the situation, processing it quickly. Motion. All right they had a few seconds before she needed push off the left rock and be ready to swing the paddle immediately to the right to counter...

However, when Max moved, it reined Dart's attention sharply onto him, because he'd been so quiet and still this entire time. The way he lay there was not good, but just that abruptness of motion was worse. She slung her head, knocking her bangs out of her eyes to lock onto his body language and expression.

The river was roaring, and she had to nearly yell to make herself heard. "Sir?"

[Deleted]

Max sat tensely, his head lifted and his eyes fixed ahead. Without warning he abruptly swung around to stare to the north, gripping the side of the raft to keep himself upright.

Dart was not the only one to notice. "Mr Freeman, you okay?" called out Sarah, even as she fought with her oar.

The raft dove at the rock on the left, already wheeling as the current hit it sidelong and swept it downstream. Waves crashed, throwing a crest of spray and foam into the raft. The humans all sputtered as it left them soaked and breathless. Far to the stern Veronica laughed and yelled, "Where's the phone? We gotta take a pic of this!"

Meanwhile, Max looked back and forth wildly. When the spray hit him he did not flinch.

"Do you hear that?" he said...

... as back in the cave the big mech shifted forward into a crouch. He swung his rifle off his shoulder and into his hand, while the fuel pooled inside his plating threaded down his legs. He stared intently at the entrance. "Listen."

A new sound rang down into the lagoon. It came from the cliff walls directly above them, but it was deeper, throatier than the engines of the Vehicon jets had been. It rumbled noisily, then slid to a low growl as several vehicles all shifted to an idle gear at once.

They cut their engines.

[Dart]

The courier had twisted a bit, to at least throw a glancing push at one of the rocks. She turned her gaze to follow his; there was nothing around them here but sharp blue sky and red stone. The humans were yelling as if at a distance; the courier found herself disorientated suddenly by trying to focus both places at once, but...

When the mech lifted his head, she did too; her shoulders shifted and leaned forward. It mirrored the rise of her spoiler across her shoulders, pricking up and forward in the cave as he moved. Her expression instantly was wary and fearful; the avatar's nostrils flared as she lifted her head for a sniff and got a faceful of water for her efforts, but she simply swung her head and tried again. Her avatar flickered at the edges; a brief shimmer of static before it returned to a solid state. The paddle dropped into the boat; Dart tried to grope for it, watching his body language change to one of warning.

"I- I hear it," she replied, and as the mech shifted forward, the courier did too, tucking her legs under herself, pushing her toe behind her. She rolled off of her hip into her own crouch; weight on her feet and on her fingertips. Her head lowered between her shoulders, slanted blue optics gleaming with the sudden surge of system relays. Her spoiler hackled now at the growling tone of the engines. She sucked in several draughts of air, sniffing, trying to pick up any scent, any odor besides the reek of the Autobot's injuries; her nose was focused on the front of the cave.

"I hear it, sir... Not the jets though," Dart breathed. "I don't know who that is. Not familiar. Tone's all off. No communications to me either, swear."

[Deleted]

"Not jets," said Maximus. "Sounded like cars."

He struggled to his feet and lurched to the side as one of his legs gave way beneath his weight. With his shoulder braced against the cavern wall and his rifle in hand he waited, his gaze forward.

"I haven't been commed anything," he said. "Could be the Autobots, though. Perhaps they checked my last position report and tracked me back here somehow."

His optics cut to the side and fell upon her. "You could be in for some trouble, if it's the 'Bots."

Meanwhile, little scent drifted into the cavern that was not recognisable as the smell of sun-warmed sand and flowering brush. And the reek of fuel, of course. Spatters of it lay outside the cavern as well, mingled with the earth and rock where the big Autobot had seated himself the night before and waited for the overheating courier to cool herself in the river. A thin trail of fuel dripped up the beach and into the cave. But no other mechanical scents flowed past her.

Heavy footsteps crunched through the loose shale on the cliffs above. They stopped, and then -

- the raft swung through the rocks and scuttled backwards down a drop, falling a short distance before bobbing into the shallow pool below. An enormous wave smashed over the stern and showered down into the boat. Sarah yelped as it washed over her, nearly knocking off her baseball cap. Mark laughed hysterically as Veronica took the worst of the dousing; she emerged from it drenched and sputtering, her red hair plastered to her skull and her t-shirt hanging off her in dripping folds.

"Ugh!" she gurgled, her arms held awkwardly from her sides. "Ugh! Agh! I'm fucking soaked! Agh!"

The raft swept into calmer water, giving the humans a chance to cling to their paddles and gasp.

"Oh my god!" said Sarah. She laughed and tried to wring out her shirt. "Oh my god! I'm so wet. I didn't think we'd get that wet. Rachel, sir - are you guys okay?"

[Dart]

When he struggled along the wall, Dart started to get up, and extended out her forearm, as if she was offering a bit of support. Then she realized the gesture and immediately dropped her hands onto her hip carriers, her fingers curled around them. She let out a soft trickle of air past her lips, still eyeing the front of the cave. Her spoiler still hackled, she rocked slightly back on her heels.

At his words, the courier turned her head. She peered up at him from under the shadows of her helm. A flicker of fear dashed across her features, but it quickly was replaced by a resigned expression.

"I- I know I could. I mean, be in trouble," the courier murmured and quickly turned back to focus out on the lagoon once more. "If it's the Autobots, sir, the humans will be okay, and... you can get to medical quicker. Personally, I'd rather have it be the Autobots, it's the best option of all of the options. S'all right." She started to make a gesture like her human avatar did; as if she was going to stuff her hands into her carriers. Then she caught herself and didn't open them. Not that she had a weapon in there. Unless it was that map of Oregon. Nope, no vicious paper cuts here.

"It- it could also be Vehicons," she admitted hesitantly, as if she didn't want to bring it up. Or MECH, and that horrible thought made her main pump race. Dart wondered if they knew about MECH, no, they had to, if the Decepticons did, right? Oh wait, yes, the Autobots had been there, they knew, she'd remembered smelling them outside that mine in Russia. "Should have tried to smooth that last night, with brush or something." She sniffed at the air again, staring at the mess on the sand. "I don't-"

When the foosteps crunched up above, her spoiler re-hackled once more, and-

"What?" she said dumbly, holding the paddle in front of her like a shield, between the injured mech and the others before she realized what she was doing and set it across her knees. The boat was rocking softly.

"What- oh gah, I'm sorry, Sarah, I-- ugh, I don't know. I'm all right, yeah, kinda, I think so. Just- that was amazing but I wasn't expecting that much water, whoa." A full body shake; droplets went places and she tried to laugh, but then looked over at the Autobot's avatar. "You all right, Professor? Just a little longer, almost there."

[Deleted]

Max glanced at her. His only response was a small nod before he sank back down against the pack and turned his gaze forward. He stared, his arms folded over his chest and his foot braced against the front of the raft. It was clear his attention was elsewhere.

Meanwhile, the humans gadded among themselves, oblivious to what was happening in a cavern miles away.

"Oh, thank god it's warm out, at least," said Sarah with a sigh as she picked at her wet life jacket.

Mark laid his oar across his knee. He took off is floppy hat and shook it.

"You'll dry out fast," he said. "We're not far from the Ranch now, like maybe a mile back. Did you want to look for a phone or a radio as soon as we get there, Rachel? Like I said, I think there's a ranger station there. And an emergency medical centre too, just a small one."

"And a restaurant!" said Sarah. She clapped her hands. "We should go there! Do they ask for reservations?"

"Smile!" said Veronica. She tugged the cell phone from a small sidepack and aimed it at them. Snap!

Crack, went a rock, tumbling and rattling down the cliff. It struck the sand outside of the cavern.

Maximus tensed.

"If it's the Autobots, I'll work out some arrangement," he said gruffly. He didn't look back at her. "No room for prisoners anyway. Maybe an exchange. Or-"

Something hit the beach.

It straightened up out of the flying dust cloud, black and angular. It loomed in the entrance, silhouetted by the radiant sand. Three more struck down behind it, rising ominously from their crouched impact craters.

The lead figure revved the tires in its shoulders and lifted its arm blaster. It's red visor glowed.

"Courier Dart," it said. "Explain."

[Dart]

"Radio or a phone, the rest of the group's out there, I mean- the guys we were surveying with need to know, I don't know how close they are, but a phone first so they know we're okay, I'm sure they're frantic."

She swallowed, resting her hand on the side of the raft. It turned in the current, her hand came up to rub at her chest. "Ranger station, right, sir? There first, right, I know you won't go to medical until you call in because you're..."

It was incredibly difficult trying to listen to both places at once. His gruff tone was in contrast with what he was saying. She didn't look up at him again, but there was a slight motion of her spoiler across her shoulders; the left side moved back and forth on the back hinge. She still focused outside though, twitching as the rock thudded into the sand. No call, not that she would answer, but wouldn't the Autobots call out for him and -

Flash of the camera. She tried to blink water out of her vision. "Um. Hi- uh...."

Another blink back in the cavern. Dart had not been expecting who stood there. Obviously he'd been thinking with some relief that it might be the Autobots as well. Both of them had been distracted for just a split second, and that second had been enough. Her intakes rattled as the red visor gleamed in front of them.

Dart reared back, clipped her hip on the wall and then spooked again, bouncing back towards the big mech. She whuffed out a noise of panic and then threw out her hands.

"Run!" Dart barked at the Vehicons. Her spoiler had clamped to her shoulders, she ducked her helm and there was no mistaking the look of terror on her face. "Now! Get out of here. Run, fly, but listen to me, you have to go now, or you're all dead!"

[Deleted]

The lead Vehicon reared back, while the three mechs behind him shifted on their feet and exchanged glances. The red visor fixed upon her.

"Contact established," he said.

The whine of the charged blaster echoed into the cave.

Red light strobed across the walls as the shot blasted past the courier and smashed directly into the hastily raised forearm of the big Autobot beside her. The energy splashed harmlessly off his armoured plating, and Maximus staggered. The next instant he roared, and the ground rumbled as he thundered forward in two leaping strides -

- and Veronica lowered the cell phone.

"Oh, that's gonna be a good pic," she said as she flipped it around and tapped up its photo album.

The raft flowed swiftly down the river. The current was strong at the foot of the rapids they had just passed, and it carried them past sloping walls of cragged stone. Sparse brush grew along the shoreline, which was treacherously rocky. The canyon was narrow here, the walls not as high as they had been at the campsite, though beyond them a mountainous range of rocky hills extended far into the distance, through which dirt trails wound in zig-zagging paths. The air was baking hot beneath the sun.

Mark fanned himself with his hat.

"There are a bunch of these little cabins around the river," he said. "Sometimes you'll see lights in them, and hear a generator running. If you follow up the trail to the north you'll soon hit the Bright Angel Campground. I think there's water there. There might even be a phone."

"There's a mule train that passes through there taking supplies up to the Ranch," said Sarah. She laughed. "You can even rent mules and ride them up. It's really cool! I love the mules. Oh, there's the Kaibab suspension bridge!"

She pointed. Ahead of the raft a long, black suspension bridge spanned the width of the river, perhaps eighty feet over the water. The raft rushed towards it; they would sweep beneath it within minutes.

Sarah shaded her eyes with her hands and stared up at it.

"That's a good sign!" she said. "Not far past it is a place where we can pull the raft up onto the shore right by the trail. We're almost there!"

Max said nothing. He lay back tensely, his eyes shut.

[Dart]

"No, no, no!" Dart barked again at the Vehicon. With a shove of toe, a sharp whuff of air, the courier lunged forward and threw out her hands again as if she was chasing geese off of someone's front yard. "Stop! Don't shoot him, he's got- just- "

Too late. She spun and flung herself off to one side as the bolt skimmed by her. The walls of the cave lit up; the stones throwing jagged shadows across them. Wet spatters of fluid gleamed crimson. What are you doing, you don't - you're not supposed to shoot into a confined space, into a obviously volitile situation. All Dart could think of for a split second was well, yep, I'm still expendable. Good to know that hasn't changed--

Even horribly injured, down on fuel, Maximus was responding before she had dug her heels in, before she could yell at them again to stop. A bolt that would have ripped a hole casually in her own armor was blocked effortlessly by the mech, and his furious, wordless challenge shattered the silence of the cavern and the canyon-

Dart's avatar mirrored her emotions. The girl facepalmed right there on the spot.

"W- what?" she echoed, when she finally looked up. She was soaked and sopped, twitching slightly. Dart couldn't pull her bearings back from what was happening - the calm river, the elegant canyon walls. The bob and swirl of the raft and the cheerful tones of the humans. She lifted her head and whined softly, then shook herself oddly from nose to hip; water flew. Then she tried to wring out the bottom of her shirt, like it did any good. In center of her chest, there were a few thin rips in the shirt fabric, as if she'd caught it on something during their plunge through the whitewater.

"Oh. Little cabins," she said. "Oh thank goodness, a phone that would be... mules?"

Dart inclined her head. "I love mules. They're neat. I mean, they're like horses but not like horses, they can get in all those places where your horse breaks a leg down. You think they're carrying supplies up there today, and --"

Bridge? What bridge? She was caught between looking at Max where he lay in the bottom of the boat and the bridge. "Oh, that bridge." The dark line of it broke through the natural ones of the canyon. It was weird, how man-made things looked so out of place down here. This bridge was dark and delicate, stretched across the canyon. Columns of stone rose around it, as if they'd supported this structure that had been picked up from somewhere and placed there.

"Kaibab. I'll remember that. It's not a vehicle bridge, is it? It's beautiful. I mean, it looks so delicate."

[Deleted]

Sarah shook her head.

"Nope, it's a foot bridge!" she said. "It's for hikers - people who want to cross from the north rim to the south. Mark, you did the rim to rim run two years ago, didn't you?"

He nodded proudly.

"Yep, in the winter," he said. He clapped his hat back on and grinned. "Did it in nine hours, forty minutes. From the South Rim across the river to the North Rim, and then all the way back. It was hard, it was really tough, but I can say now that I did it. Which is pretty cool! Next year I might try it again and drag Sarah with me."

At that, Sarah jabbed him fondly in the side with her oar.

"Don't you dare! I'd probably collapse halfway through it - "

- and rammed his fist squarely into the Vehicon's side. It smashed into the wall.

The other Vehicons immediately dropped into combat stances and raised their weapons. Dart's cries went ignored as they fired into the cave. Their orders were to destroy the injured Autobot, and they had come from a higher authority than her.

Maximus simply braced himself, his forearm raised. The shots hit his armour and streaked off it, striking into the rock. When the big Autobot staggered back again the Vehicons relentlessly followed, still firing. In the narrow confines of the cavern his size and strength could not be properly brought to bear, his movements hampered. Maximus glared at them from under his forearm, and in a fit of desperation he raised his rifle -

" - and die," she laughed. "Maybe another year."

"Hey, guys?" said Veronica from the back of the boat. She looked up from the cell phone. "Speaking of mules..."

She pointed. Sure enough, on their right the shoreline grew smoother, dirt and red sand forming a wide clearing littered with shale and brush and clumps of cactus. Broad-leafed trees stood further back from the river. A dirt and rock path wound up through them, climbing the hillside. Standing patiently next to the trail were four mules - two bays, a chestnut, and a dapple-grey - hitched together with a single rope. They wore saddles laden with bags and simple leather bridles, little more than halters with soft rope reins tied back to the saddle horns A small group of hikers loitered nearby, chatting and sharing bottles of water between themselves.

"Perfect!" said Sarah. She hefted her oar and dug it into the water to steer the raft towards the shore. "Come on! Everybody paddle hard. Let's get you guys on solid ground. And I admit, maybe I want to see a mule too, okay."

[Dart]

"I bet it was a beautiful trail," Dart murmured. Right now she wanted to be on it, moving, anything, trotting forward. "I'd love to hike it sometime, I love runs like that, I like them tough because at the end, you're like, wow, I actually did that, didn't I, it's-"

She flinched when Sarah poked Mark, and her hand came up off of the paddle handle. She started to bring it up to her chest, to curl her shoulders a bit as if she'd have to protect herself too. No, no, stop it, stop doing that, sit, stay, sit right there you can't screw this up. She tipped her shoulders back. Focus. Keep focus. Too much motion in both places, so different. Dart tried to cover it up with turning to look where Sarah pointed. Mules. Horses with long ears, look at those, concentrate on that.

"Oh, look at the dapple one!" she said suddenly and pointed it out to Sarah and Veronica both. Heck, she even pointed out to Mark."I don't see that color often. I mean, the wild horses don't have it. The Kiger mustangs, I mean, I've been following them for weeks now back home and no, I've never seen a dapple one before. They're all shades of dun, mostly, and the same color as the rocks. No greys. No blacks, either. I think black is recessive though, in horses. I'm pretty sure it is. I remember that, from something I was reading once..."

"Can't remember what it was though," she admitted with a sheepish grin up at the other young woman. "I- I can't remember, wish I could, you know, but... oh, good, right, let's paddle this." Dart shifted her own oar around and shoved it into the water, leaning forward, her toe pushing against the soft side of the raft-

- and into the hard ground of the cavern. The sand slipped under her weight as as Maximus was pushed backwards by their assault. Dart frantically backpedaled, but there was no where to go, she was trapped between the mechs and solid stone, and that was not a place that Dart ever, ever wanted to be at any time.

Every instinct was shrieking to get out of this place where walls pressed in. She reared back again when a shot struck the wall. The stone turned red hot and there was a hissing sound as it actually melted and then dripped down the cavern wall, crystalizing into a fanned pattern of blue and pale green. In response, Dart lashed out a foot at nothing close, at nothing in particular. It was simply a reactive, frightened kick at empty air. The smell did not help as it too slammed into her sensors; the reek of fuel, of injury now speared with the sharp, bright scent of the Vehicon fighters as they charged in.

Cornered. No where to go for him or her and what- what if they killed him, could the backlash cause the thing in his pack to explode and fine, okay, she'd probably be dead as well and that was part of the job, okay, she could deal with that part, but... the humans were on that raft and all they'd done was go out for a day of hiking in the woods- rafting. Rafting on the river, ugh.

Abruptly, Dart kicked back and set her foot against the stone wall behind her. It was a brace, she could push off of easily from this stance. Nowhere left to retreat. As the Vehicon smashed into the side, a low sound curled up from somewhere in the depths of her scarred chest...

[Deleted]

Maximus reeled. He caught himself, one leg thrown back to halt his slide. His foot tore through the sand, dragging a furrow.

With a snarl he leaned against the wall and pointed his rifle. No sooner did the barrel whine into life than a canny Vehicon took careful aim and snapped off a shot. It struck hard, and the big Autobot's hand flew back. A moment later the heavy rifle smashed into the ground a short distance behind him. The next shot drilled into the side of his helm, knocking his head aside. He stumbled backwards, nearly into the courier. The wash of heat from his battered frame blasted over her, plating shifted to vent dirt and flecks of fouled gore from his systems.

Sarah laughed delightedly.

"I have no idea what a Kiger mustang is, but I'd love to see one too," she said. Her oar dipped into the water, each stroke pulling the raft closer to shore. "Man, you should give us your email address when all this is over, Rachel! Mark and I could totally take you on a trip somewhere. Maybe go see some wild horses. Horses, Gandalf! Veronica, you'd come too, right?"

"The horses are all yours, ladies," said Veronica. Her paddle was back in the river, the cell phone perched on her knee. "My next trip is to the Panama Canal."

Fighting the current to swing the raft into the shallows was difficult, but with all four of them paddling against the flow they were able to drag the yellow boat sidelong into the shore. It hit the gravelly bottom with a bump and scraped up onto the silt. Sarah leapt upright and jumped into the river, landing awkwardly with a splash.

"Mark, help me drag this up!" she said. "Rachel, go ahead and jump out. You and the professor. Hanging in there okay, sir?"

Stunned, Maximus fell against the cave wall. He hoarsely coughed, labouring to draw air through the great rent that had split apart his chassis. Fuel spattered the sand beneath him and he sagged.

With their weapons trained on the big Autobot, two of the Vehicons stood back. The third advanced upon him, his black armour melding into the gloom.

There was a quiet click as his blaster retracted and reconfigured itself. Light from his red visor gleamed on the edge of the combat blade.

"Stand far back, Courier Dart," he said.

[Dart]

"Kiger mustangs. They're only found in one area, I've been living there a while. I love it, but I miss Portland a lot. I mean, it's better where I was in Australia, kinda. My boss hates being out in the boonies, though. Not you, Professor, sorry, I didn't mean that. Um, oh, sure, my email, gosh yeah, I'd love that actually," she said, trying to keep her focus and then she blinked.

"I don't know how much time I have off from work though, it sort of eats my soul, you know?"

Dart threw up her hand as a line of fuel and coolant spattered across her forearm and chest. She was panting, her intakes heaving as much as the big mech next to her. That sound that was in her chest was rising and falling softly, a sing-song noise that was drowned out by the metallic rasp of the Autobot's body sliding down the wall. A line of dark fuel and glowing energon was painted up nearly to the ceiling. She could taste it, it was burning at the back of her throat, and she shook her head.

"N-no, you don't understand," Dart growled. Her spoiler was rising again, tips pulled forward as if by invisible strings. "You can't! You can't kill him, you can't, you'll kill..."

Dart shifted her weight and lifted her nose into the breeze blowing off the river. The scruffy student simply took it all in, red stone bands, green touch of the brush, the way the light sparkled off the water dripping from the paddles. Wide sky and open space. Pretty. So close, just nod and run, duck and dive past them and you're out in it and you can outrun everything, that's your job, you outrun it. She sat, one foot braced against the rubber edge as the craft rasped onto the shore.

Somewhere else, the rasp of a knife mirrored it.

The courier peered up at Sarah. She just looked at her, then Mark, then Veronica... and finally back down at the man lying against the side of the boat.

"I promise, you'll get to see the horses." Her voice was oddly solemn; her expression equally so. "They're up on the ridge. Best time is the morning, before all the traffic gets there."

"Okay, Professor..." she murmured, and inclined her head to look directly at him. "You ready?"

Dart leapt; she pushed off, scrabbling in the dirt. Sand and pebbles flew, she hurtled forward across the floor of the cave, spoiler clamped against her shoulders, body tucked up. Abruptly though she swerved and suddenly slammed into the Vehicon's mid-section in an attempt to knock him down and back away from the mech. Something crunched deep in her shoulder, there was a popping sound; the courier let out a yelp-

Even as she put her hand on the raft and hopped out over the side and into the water. She didn't make a splash.