Ghosts of the Present (Rescue Bots AU)

16. Panic on the High Seas

The second the Q-Drones had released Heatwave from his frozen state, his teeth snapped at them, blocked by a rapidly rising energy field that locked all four of them in yet another cell, but at least they could move again.

Heatwave turned as he heard Blades moan in pain, and he remembered the pterosaur had been hit right before being captured. "Blades, you alright?" He whispered.

Blades moaned, pulling his helm up from the floor and shaking it a little. "Y-Yeah..." He mumbled, "...Just got my bell rung back there. Got all of my complaining done in my helm on the way here."

"Well, I didn't! Augh, I told Chief Burns this wouldn't happen again and then..." Heatwave groaned, "...Some plan. I have a feeling we were set up!"

"Not to mention our trackers aren't working...!" Blades muttered as his tracker turned red.

"The scoundrel is no doubt blocking their transmission." Chase surmised.

"So why don't you unblock it, Chase? Fry this ship's systems!"

"We do not know what kind of effects damaging the ship's electrical systems could result in. We may very well set it to self-destruct with us inside of it."

Boulder nodded in agreement, "Not to mention all the animals. Look!"

He looked out of their cell, seeing several others along the edge of the room, stasis pods of sorts with various animals in them. "If we damage the power structure to the entire ship, we might harm the animals inside." He then gasped, "A dodo bird! But...Those are extinct! You'd need a time machine to get one!"

"That's what they'll be saying about us in a little while...!" Blades whimpered.

"Not gonna happen." Heatwave stood up straight, "We bust out of here and find Whiskers."

"Shh shh!" Blades hissed, "Someone's coming...!"

The bots all quieted as an elevator lowered down from above, watching it closely.

"Oh good show!" The large man stepped out of the elevator, a cane in hand and a safari hat on his head. "Quite impressive...You may not be real animals, but you open up a whole new category of collectibles! Erm, I shall call it, 'Robotic Wonders!'"

Sounds like this guy isn't interested in letting us free-roam either. Boulder murmured. What's the plan?

Same as before. Follow my lead.

The second the forcefield holding them back was disabled to let the drones through again, Heatwave fired his water guns at them. One was sent flying by Blades grabbing it in his talons, others smashed to pieces and electrocuted by Boulder and Chase. Split up!

As it turned out, there were four corridors, and each of them took one, disappearing into the twisting and turning tunnels of metal.

Once he'd gotten a little ways into the tunnels, Heatwave slowed, mostly to avoid hitting his helm on any low-hanging pipes or trusses. "Keep in touch... Send out a ping if you find Whiskers and we'll try to meet there."

Affirmative...

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The Burnses were also angry about the botched sting, but not at Heatwave or the bots. Cody was enraged and believed Quarry had warned Chumley about their plan, but there was no true evidence to prove it, and Quarry was only willing to assist further if they let him go.

Chief was angry that Chumley had proven more crafty than they'd anticipated, and that he'd taken his boys hostage.

His boys... It was something that struck Chief prior to their return one night. Whether the bots felt the same way or not, he saw them not just as his family's alien partners and vehicles... Unofficially, they had been adopted by the white-haired father and police chief... They were his sons.