Chapter Sixteen
Returned...
Meanwhile, completely unaware of what was happening back at the base, Optimus, Ironhide and Ratchet were walking together through a large Canyon in silence taking in the area as well looking around for danger or any onlookers.
The area was vast and dark, and Rocks towered high above the Autobots creating a maze around them.
"Optimus." Ratchet questioned breaking the silence "What do we hope to find here?"
"The sight of the largest Cybertronian battlefield in this galaxy." Optimus answered.
"Oh Earth?!" Ratchet scoffed "You must be joking!"
Ironhide looked at the Medic then up at his leader.
"You believe that?" he asked.
"You recall the period late in the war?" Optimus asked his two friends "When both sides began hiding their energon spoils off-world?"
"Of course." Ratchet replied, "It's the reason Energon deposits exist on planets like this one."
"It is also the reason battles came to rage on planets such as this one..." Optimus said in a worried tone "And I fear Megatron's memory is as long as History."
"You think Megatron is going to use some dark energon to resurrect the warriors that fell during the battle fought here?" Ironhide said looking rather ill at the thought.
Optimus said nothing but Ratchet and Ironhide looked at each other and they shared the same worried and disgusted look at what the Decepticon Warlord could be capable of.
They walked on a little further once again being aware of their surroundings until they came to where Optimus believed was where Megatron would come.
All three Autobots stared in horror at the mess of cybertronian bodies that lay sticking out of the ground covered in dirt and rust.
"Well still my beating spark!" Ironhide gasped "This is carnage!"
Ratchet vented as he took in the sight.
"For the first time in my life Optimus." Ratchet confessed "I had hoped you were wrong."
"That makes two of us!" Ironhide agreed.
Optmius narrowed his optics as he looked around, then his audios picked up a roaring noise and he stood still trying to place where it was coming from.
As it got louder, he stiffened up and he looked up.
Ratchet and Ironhide soon heard the same sound and they too stood up.
'I don't like the sound of that." Ironhide said then he saw a large grey jet flying above them and they saw it wasn't like any of the jets of the human world, nor those forms of the Decepticon Seekers.
Optimus gritted his denture as he recognised the Jet, as did Ratchet and Ironhide, and they watched as it flew towards one of the higher rocks then transformed into a giant grey Cybertronian Mech whose armour was spiked at the shoulders and his eyes were a poisonous purple.
"It's him!" Ironhide snarled "First time he's shown his ugly face in three years!"
The Grey Mech smirked down at the three Autobots below.
"Optimus! Been well?" he mocked in a deep threatening voice "I see you brought your trusty watchdogs!" he remarked to Ratchet and Ironhide "I was certain they'd be convalescing in a scrapyard by now."
"Oh I'll give him a Scrapyard!" ironhide growled.
"Why don't you invite him down here for a chat?" Ratchet suggested punching his fisted servo into his hand.
"I know why you're here Megatron!" Optimus proclaimed as he glared up at the evil Mech.
"Hardly a surprise, Optimus." Megatron said with a grin showing rows of sharp denture and his purple eyes flashing which Ironhide caught on as well as his Decepticon Insignia on his chest and looked at Optimus.
"Do you recall his optics being Purple before Prime?" he asked to which Optimus shook his head.
"He's infused in Dark Energon..." Ratchet murmured.
"He what?" Ironhide gasped yet Megatron spoke again.
"After all, you and I have been at this for a long time. And your time has come to an end."
As he said that last part, He hoisted a glowing shard of Dark Energon for Optimus, Ironhide, and Ratchet to see before throwing it to the ground below.
Once the shard hit the ground, it disappeared below the surface.
For a little while, nothing seemed to happen, but then the three Autobots below felt their energon run cold as the ground started cracking up and glowing a burning purple.
At the same time, a glowing burning purple appeared on Megatron's chest!
Ratchet, Optimus and Ironhide gasped in horror as they realized what was about to happen and Ratchet thought about the purple substance, he had found on Arcee, the broken equipment coming to life and attacking him, Donatello, April, Casey, and Splinter and now seeing the glowing on Megatron's chest as well as on the ground, it started to click into place for all three Autobots.
"He's infused himself with dark energon." Optimus said quietly "And he now possesses its limitless power..."
"Scrap..." Ironhide and Ratchet said together.
"Rise, my army!" Megatron shouted as his eyes and circuits glowed along with the ground below.
Upon Megatron's call, from the ground rose many Transformers who were lost in the battle that occurred on the very stood they stood on eons ago. Their eyes and circuits below their rusted armour glowing the same poisonous purple as his eyes.
The shard Megatron threw to them brought back the dead Transformers buried underground in mass graves!
"By the All Spark!" Ratchet and Ironhide gasped quietly as more soldiers began to rise.
Optimus said nothing, but the shock and horror in his optics said it all as he looked up at the Evil grey Mech who had started the Great War on Cybertron and in the end had cost them their home planet.
"Behold! The power of Dark Energon!" Megatron proclaimed.
Slowly, the army summoned by Megatron approached Ironhide, Ratchet and Optimus, snarling and growling.
Immediately, the three Autobots knew of the danger they were in.
When a Cybertronian is revived by the Blood of Unicron the Destroyer, they have only one instinct within them and that is to destroy anything standing in their way.
And standing in their way were Ironhide, Ratchet and Optimus Prime. Therefore, their instinct is to destroy their master's enemies…
Megatron laughed manically as he watched his army of undead Cybertronians slowly advance on the trio...
Meanwhile, Bulkhead and the Hamato Clan arrived at their destination after enterng the ground bridge from the base, and after the mutants and Kemeko got out of him, Bulkhead transformed to his Autobot form and looked around and they found themselves in a rocky area in the Nevada Desert under a hot burning sun.
"Fowler?" Bulkhead called "Mona, Leonardo?" he then looked in front of him and his optics widened.
"Uh oh!"
The Hamato Clan heard his voice and they too looked up to see the large spiky foreboding Decepticon Ship!
"The Whole Decepticon She-Bang!" Bulkhead muttered.
"Whoa!" Michelangelo breathed.
"Now that's a proper mother fucking ship!" Pandora whispered.
"Amazing!" Donatello said as he looked at it.
"No time for admiring the scenery guys!" Raphael said "We gotta find Fowler, Mona and Leo!"
Kemeko said nothing as she looked, and she thought about the prisoners.
"You think they're in that giant thing?" she whispered.
"Without a doubt." Pandora said narrowing her eyes.
"And the area is filled with guards!" Michelangelo pointed out as they saw many Decepticon guards patrolling around the ship.
"So what's the plan?" Pandora asked.
"Right now? Stay close guys!" Bulkhead said, "And don't get underfoot!" he reminded them.
He moved towards a rock hoping to use stealth to get closer to the ship.
As they did, a guard walked past their hiding place yet luckily, he wasn't looking in their direction so they avoided detection must to their relief.
"We'll have to play it quiet for now." Donatello suggested.
"Stealth's not my strongest but we got no choice!" Bulkhead said.
"Don't worry, this is our best asset!" Michelangelo said clicking his tongue.
As he said that, the clan heard a whirring noise, and they looked over to see the same guard who walked past pointing his gun at them!
"Oh shell!" Pandora cried.
"Help!" Kemeko whimpered.
"Oh crud!" Raphael yelped.
"Oh way da go Mikey(!)" Donatello hissed.
Michelangelo just squealed in fear.
"GET DOWN!" Bulkhead shouted to which the Hamato Clan turned and ran away just as the Decepticon fired and the shot hut where they had been standing only a few feet away.
"Oh crap! I think I've soiled my shell!" Michelangelo cried yet he yelped as Raphael grabbed him by the ribbons of his mask and pulled him away again to avoid another shot from the guard who fired again determined to kill the Earthlings that kept trying to run away.
But the Guard didn't have a chance to fire a third shot before Bulkhead ran up and tackled him to the ground!
"Stay there!" Bulkhead shouted as he started to pound the guard several times with his giant fists.
The Hamato Clan felt the punches vibrating through the ground as they hid behind another rock.
Pandora was fascinated as she watched.
"Whoa!" she said.
"Wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of that!" Michelangelo muttered.
Raphael shushed them both as he placed his hand on Pandora's shoulder ready to pull her back if needed.
Bulkhead kept pounding the Vehicon until he was caught off guard when the Decepticon slashed him with his sharp talons causing him to back up.
Yet the large green Autobot recovered, and they fought in hand-to-hand combat before Bulkhead managed to get the upper hand and they struggled against each other.
"Guys!" Bulkhead looked to the Hamato Clan still hiding "Look away!"
"What?" they asked.
"Turn your heads away!" Bulkhead ordered, yet the Hamato Clan didn't, apart from Kemeko who covered her face with her hands, and they saw Bulkhead drive his servo into the vehicon's chest and rip out the wiring and what could determine, his cybertronian heart!
After seeing that, the three turtles, and hybrid gaped.
"Sewer Apples!" Donatello said.
"What happened?" Kemeko asked looking up from her hands.
"Bulkhead just ripped out that guys heart!" Pandora told her cousin and Kemeko looked at the dead vehicon on the ground and Bulkhead dropping the wiring on the ground next to it like rubbish.
"Brutal..." Raphael gulped.
Bulkhead then placed his digit on his audios.
"Bumblebee, Arcee!" he said into it "Do you read?"
He paused for a moment then looked at the Hamato Clan and worry spread over his face.
"They're gonna kill me..." he mouthed as he waited for a response from his teammates.
"I have a situation..." he said in a singsong voice as he looked at the Hamato clan then up at the Warship.
He then proceeded to tell Arcee and Bumblebee through his com link what had happened and where he was along with the clan.
He then winced and even the Hamato Clan could hear Arcee's voice through the com-link.
"YOU ARE WHERE!? THEY'RE WITH YOU?!"
Bulkhead closed his optics as Arcee's furious voice filled his audios and the Hamato Clan felt sorry for him.
After a minute, Bulkhead lowered his digit and looked at the Hamato Clan.
"Bumblebee and Arcee are on their way." He confirmed and he looked nervous wondering how he was going to explain himself, first to them and then to Optimus, Ratchet and Ironhide, that was if they were to make it back alive or in one piece.
But they also needed to get Fowler, Monalisa and Leonardo out of the warship and safe and before any of them were forced to give away the location of the Autobot Base.
Meanwhile inside the Warship in the Interrogation, Fowler still hung from the chains whilst Monalisa and Leonardo were being held by a guard as Starscream waited for the other guard to return with the prod he had requested.
The door soon opened, and the guard arrived with a what looked like a large cattle prod or taser and they both looked at Fowler in worry.
Starscream held up the prod before Fowler and sparked it to life making it light the dark room up briefly.
"I'll ask nicely, one last time!" Starscream growled "The Autobot base!"
Fowler looked up defiantly at the Decepticon.
"Sure thing buddy." He said, "Right after you eat my Star-Spangled Shorts!" he spat looking Starscream in the eye.
Starscream growled angrily and he jabbed the prod into Fowler's stomach making him scream in agony.
"NO!" Monalisa shouted yet she cried out in pain as she was squeezed.
Starscream meanwhile smirked as he watched the Agent squirm in pain.
"As I imagine." He sneered "Energon and human nervous systems don't mix!"
We've checked in with Optimus, Ironhide and Ratchet and they have witnessed Megatron returning and summoning an undead army with the Dark Energon! They're in trouble for sure!
Yet so are Fowler, Monalisa and Leonardo! Starscream's upping the torture on the agent to learn of the Autobot Base's location, and Bulkhead and the Hamato Clan are yet to rescue them!
