Note: Ironhide's drill weapon is a nod to what he had in the G1 Pilot episodes. Thanks to Tyroth Darkstorm's knowledge in the franchise. Thanks so much! :D
Chapter Seventeen
Breaking in
Megatron smirked as he watched his army of Dark Energon-powered Undead rose from the ground and began to march towards the trio of Optimus Prime, Ironhide and Ratchet.
The three Autobots could only watch on in horror at what Megatron had just done.
"That piece of scrap has gone too far..." Ironhide muttered as he narrowed his optics and clenched his fists.
"Not even the dead are free from his warmongering." Optimus sighed in frustration as he stepped away from the advancing undead.
Ratchet glared up at the warlord who smirked more and licked his fangs as his army of undead ancient Cybertronians advanced on the Autobots.
"At last,…symbiosis! I can feel it!" Megatron proclaimed loudly.
"I now possess complete control over my army!" he then looked down at the trio and narrowed his purple optics.
"Destroy them!" Megatron bellowed and at his command, the army of the undead began closing in at a quicker rate but, before they could reach the Autobots, Optimus Prime unfolded his cannon from his arms and opened fire, Ironhide and Ratchet following suit.
Unfortunately, the blasts had no effect as they just knocked the monsters sideways but didn't bring them down.
"Optimus, if our combatants are already deceased, how can we possibly defeat them?" Ratchet asked as the army came even closer.
"Yeah! How can you destroy something that's already dead!?" Ironhide demanded.
Optimus was quiet for a moment, but he had no answer for his old friends.
"Ratchet! Retreat! Bridge yourself and Ironhide back to base!" He ordered.
"No way Optimus! We're not abandoning you." Ironhide fired back at the Prime.
"I agree with Ironhide." Ratchet said firmly as he unfolded some short sharp blades from his arms.
"Besides you may require a medic when this is all over." He stated.
As a team, the trio of friends ran towards the oncoming army ready to attack.
Optimus and Ironhide continued firing their blasters at the undead.
Meanwhile Ratchet decided to get up close and personal by slicing up the undead Transformers with his blades.
As a medic, Ratchet had studied Cybetronian anatomy as well as where some might overlook certain details, especially in the heat of battle.
This allowed Ratchet to notice that the enemies he had slashed apart with his blades were not getting back up.
As they parts fell, whether they be limbs, or heads, the purple glow around them would fade when they were sliced off from the bodies.
Seeing this, Ratchet was able to come up with a solution to their current situation.
"I recommend dissection! The smaller the pieces, the better!" Ratchet advised Optimus and Ironhide.
"Sound advice, old friend." Optimus complimented as he changed his blasters to his blades.
"Leave it to Ratchet to come up with a solution even in the heat of battle." Ironhide said with a grin as he put away his rifle and a large drill appeared which he turned to the nearest undead Cybertonian and stabbed it into the throat making the spinning drill appear through the top of its head.
"Oh yeah!" he cheered.
The Autobots began hacking away at the undead Cybertronians with their blades. They cut off limbs, decapitated heads from the bodies, and gutted them.
All the while Megatron watched from the high rock seeing the trio fighting hard, and he hoped it wouldn't be long before they fell from the huge amounts of numbers of undead still coming at them.
They couldn't keep up the fight forever, as he knew they would eventually run out of steam.
"I have mastered Dark Energon." Megatron declared. "When you fall, Optimus, you too shall join my army!"
Optimus growled lowly at Megatron's declaration.
"Never..." he snarled behind his battle mask as he ran into the crowds of undead, slicing and dicing them down with his blades.
Ironhide and Ratchet did the same, keeping their promise that they were right at Optimus's side, and they would not stop until the army were defeated, even if it was just the three of them against almost a hundred.
Meanwhile back at Bulkhead and the Hamato Clan's location, they hid behind the large rock and wondered what to do.
The area was still crawling with vechions and Bulkhead despite his size, he couldn't take them all on by himself and he wondered what was taking Arcee and Bumblebee so long.
"We gotta get in there!" Raphael said as he stood on Bulkhead's shoulder and looked at the large warship.
"Yeah, but how?" Bulkhead asked.
Raphael looked at the ship as it hovered above the ground then he saw the hatch was open at the back and low enough to the ground for him and his family to jump onto from a nearby mound of rocks.
"I think I might have a plan!" he said.
He slid down Bulkhead's arm and onto the ground to join the rest of the Hamato Clan.
As he landed on the ground, he looked at the others.
"Gather!" he said.
"What?" Pandora asked, "What's the plan dad?"
"The hatch is open at the back!" he said "I say we make our way across to get in! We're small enough compared to those guys! And if we stick to the Shadows and keep quiet..." as he said that he glanced at Michelangelo who looked rather sheepish at what had happened earlier leading them almost get caught.
"Then what?" Bulkhead asked.
"We find out from the guards should they speak about them, the whereabouts of Fowler, Mona and Leo!" Donatello concluded.
"Exactly!" Raphael said "But we need to be careful! And quiet!"
"I never imagined I'd see you leading us this well Raph!" Donatello said, "Years before you would have been running straight in there without thinking!"
"Yeah!" Michelangelo agreed "Always fight first, think later!"
Raphael glowered.
"I've had to take more of Leonardo's advice, as well as be remanded by my dear wife a few more times than I care to think about!" he growled "And to be truthful, Mona's better at it than Leo a few times!"
He looked the warship then at the guards still patrolling.
"You think we might be able to avoid those other guards?" Kemeko asked nervously "What if we're spotted again?"
"That's where Bulkhead comes in!" Raphael said looking up at the large autobot who cocked his head.
"Me?" he asked.
Raphael smirked.
"You think you can distract them?" he asked, "Keep those metal bozos busy whilst we get into the ship?"
Bulkhead looked at the guards then gave Raphael a thumbs up and winked on of his optics.
"Great!" Raphael smiled then looked to the others.
"Alright guys!" he said, "Follow my lead!"
As Raphael lead his family to the other side of the rock, Bulkhead transformed into his vehicle mode and drove out into the area.
As he did, the vehicons saw him and started firing at him trying to shoot him down, yet Bulkhead kept driving around to avoid the blasts.
He then drove under the ship towards the rocks nearby and putting metal to the pedal, he drove up the side of the mountain and jumped before transforming then gripping the cliff face and climbing up to get to the roof of the ship trying to get the vehicons to follow him and not notice the Hamato clan as they tried to get into the ship.
At the same time, Raphael led the way to the ship, the others close behind, moving in intervals to get closer to the ship.
When he got to a rock that was closest to the open hatch at the back of the ship, he frowned as he saw there were no other places for them to hide before they could reach the hatch.
"Oh Great(!)" he said annoyed, "We can't get any closer to the hatch without risk of being exposed."
"So now what Leader?" Michelangelo asked.
"I'm thinking, I'm thinking!" Raphael snapped.
"Breaking into the Foot Headquarters back in the day was a lot easier!" Pandora sighed looking at Kemeko who nodded.
"I wonder how Bulkhead's doing?" Donatello asked as he looked around trying to find the Autobot, but as he looked behind him, he suddenly heard a stomping noise and he turned to see three Vehicons behind them!
"Uh...guys?" he said tapping Raphael's shoulder to which the red masked turtle looked behind him.
"Oh Shit!" he cried.
At his words the others also looked over and saw the vehicons looking down at them!
Michelangelo again squealed and Pandora and Kemeko cried out in fright, yet none of the clan had a chance to run away before they were grabbed!
Pandora and Kemeko were grabbed by the first one.
Kemeko started screaming whilst Pandora started shouting obscenities as she struggled.
"Let me go you fucker!" she shouted.
"Kids!" Raphael screamed yet he too was grabbed along with Michelangelo and Donatello by the other two guards.
"Looks like those strange freaks from the woods yesterday!" one of the guards said.
"I remember them!" the second one said holding Raphael up level with his face.
"Put me down, you big trash-can!" Raphael roared yet he gasped as he was squeezed slightly.
"Help! Help!" Michelangelo wailed "We're being mutant-napped!"
'Maybe this wasn't such a good idea?" Donatello asked as he struggled in the grip of the Decepticon that held him hostage.
"No point in regrets or reprimands now bro!" Raphael shouted as he struggled then looked around.
"Bulkhead!" he shouted yet he couldn't see the giant green guy anywhere.
"Where are Bumblebee and Arcee?" Kemeko asked "They said they were on their way, right?"
"Yeah!" Pandora said with a quick nod of the head as hope rose in her belly "Oh shell! I hope they get here soon!"
Bulkhead meanwhile had no idea what was happening with the clan as he climbed up the mountain face and up onto the roof of the warship.
As he climbed up, he saw one vehicon looking over the side and spotted him, yet Bulkhead was quick to act, and he pulled the vehicon over the side of the ship throwing him off.
He then vaulted up onto the roof of the ship and charged the other vehicons pounding them down with his servos which transformed into large round balls almost like boxing gloves.
As he pounded one down, he saw a door open in the roof and two more vehicons stepped out!
They were surprised to see Bulkhead there, but they didn't waste time in going for him, starting by shooting at him with their guns.
But Bulkhead was ready for them too, and he withstood their blasts before running over and grabbing one of the sonar dishes on the ship.
With a grunt, he pulled and ripped it off before throwing it at the vehicons like a frisbee.
As he did the Vehicons couldn't dodge the large object and they were knocked down like skittles at a funfair.
Bulkhead smirked triumphantly and seeing the open door in the roof, he ran over and jumped through it and inside the warship.
Once he was inside, he looked around and seeing no-one around, he started to run down the hallways hoping to find where Fowler, Monalisa and Leonardo were.
Oh dear! Looks like things are going from bad to worse!
Optimus, Ironhide and Ratchet are still being overpowered by Cybertronian Zombies, whilst Bulkhead and the Hamato Clan are trying to get to the Decepticon Warship to rescue Monalisa, Leonardo and Fowler.
But now the rest of the Hamato Clan have been captured and Bulkhead has no idea! Oh No! Arcee and Bumblebee better hurry!