Ghosts of the Present (Rescue Bots AU)

34. The King of Catastrophe

As soon as Heatwave stepped through the groudbridge and out on the other side, his systems felt the atmosphere of the place. Everywhere he looked was green vegetation, the sky barely visible through the canopy of leaves.

But the humidity, the amount of water lingering in the air and all around him, he could feel it soaking into his framing. His hydrokinetic powers were quite active, and while he felt the moisture in the salty sea air of an island home, this was different... The air of the jungle was sticky and clung to him, making him feel like he was suffocating.

"Whoa..." Blades whispered as he stepped out right behind him, "...We are not in Griffin Rock anymore..."
He looked up at the top of the trees, "...Do you feel that...?"

"Sticky, gross humidity...?" Dani groaned, sharing Heatwave's sentiment.

"No... Listen."
Blades looked around the still, quiet trees. "...There's no wind down here."

"So wonder it feels so stagnant... Ugh." Heatwave remarked; there was no wind to stir the air, so it all settled down here. "...We'd better get moving. The sooner we find Woodrow, the sooner we can make sure he's safe."

He pulled out the GPS scanner from his subspace, looking it over. "...The signal's coming from this way."

He led the way, pushing branches out of their way as they walked through a tight and winding path in the trees. He did his best to maintain a straight path following the signal, but from time to time, they did have to veer off in one direction to avoid damaging their surroundings.

"We're not alone out here..." Blades murmured, "I can hear things moving around in the trees and bushes... Hopefully it's just the kind of animals that sing about not worrying..."

"Can't guarantee that one, Partner..." Dani informed as she looked around, "...But it'll be fine, there aren't any animals here that you bots couldn't handle."

They wandered for a good while, before the signal led them into a clearing. The clearing was full of damaged human computer equipment and torn canvas tents; they'd found Woodrow's camp- or at least, what was left of it.

"I can see why Woody didn't call back..." Chief murmured as he looked at the smashed computer monitor, "What could have done this...?"

The bots looked around, and then Heatwave saw footprints in the soft soil. "There... Those prints are definitely not human."

"Do you think whatever did this is still here...?" Blades whispered, "...Watching us from the trees?"

"Nothing we can't handle, remember?" Heatwave reminded, "Besides, even so, there's enough water in the air to keep my tanks full for days...!"

"There!" Chief announced, "Bootprints! Woody must've escaped this way."

They followed the trail from the clearing and a little ways into the brush, and Dani stepped back from one of the bushes with her uncle's satchel in hand.

"I've never seen this bag without him..." She worried, "...Maybe he's still nearby-"

She gasped as Blades suddenly snatched her up, looking back behind her as something big came out of the bushes.

A large, male gorilla.

The bots prepared for battle, but Chief Burns motioned for them to stay still as they were approached. "Hold on, Heatwave... He's not being aggressive..." He whispered as the gorilla sniffed him. He then yelped as the gorilla grabbed him, but then began the gorilla began to rub its knuckles on top of the man's head.

"He's... Giving Dad a noogie...?" Dani murmured as Blades set her down.

"Just like I taught him!"