Chapter Thirty-Seven
Suspicions
Back in the base, the party was still on-going and Bulkhead and 'Wheeljack' were still throwing the metal ball back and forth as the Hamato Clan, Arcee, Bumblebee and Ironhide looked on.
"Coming at ya!" Bulkhead said as he threw the metal ball at 'Wheeljack'.
However, Bulkhead threw it so high that 'Wheeljack' had to jump to try to capture it but he just barely missed it and it crashed into the wall nearby then landed Ratchet's nearly repaired Ground Bridge controls making everyone jump and Ratchet jumped back to avoid getting hit.
Startled by this as well as frustrated his work was interrupted, the medic turned and glared at Bulkhead.
"You know, I am attempting to perform sensitive calibrations here!" He shouted.
"Sorry, Doc, guess we're a little charged up." 'Wheeljack' apologized as he grabbed the lobbing ball and picked it up.
As he did, He walked over to Ratchet and paused to look at the Ground Bridge unit.
"You built this bridge from scratch, huh?" He asked curiously.
"I did." Ratchet answered curtly.
"That's quite a feat of engineering." 'Wheeljack' complemented.
"Yes. It is." Ratchet agreed happily feeling rather pleased that someone apart from the Earthlings was actually impressed by his work.
"Something wrong with it?" 'Wheeljack' asked curiously.
"I didn't care for the way it sounded this last jump. I put it in shutdown." Ratchet explained.
"What if you need to use it?" 'Wheeljack' pressed.
"Oooh, I can't interrupt the defrag process without causing irreparable damage." Ratchet replied without turning around.
"So, uh, how long will the defrag take?" 'Wheeljack' questioned.
"A few hours if, we're lucky, maybe longer." Ratchet admitted with a shrug before resuming his work.
If Ratchet hadn't turned back so quick, he would have noticed the angry and annoyed look that appeared on 'Wheeljack's' face.
Yet Donatello, who had been listening in on their conversation as well as watching Ratchet work, didn't miss the look and narrowed his eyes at 'Wheeljack'.
'Why is he so interested in the Ground Bridge?' the brainy turtle wondered suspiciously, since according to what he had seen recently, Wheeljack was more interested in action than science.
Whilst that was happening, Bulkhead was telling the Hamato Clan the story about one of the missions he and Wheeljack took part in as members of the Wreckers back on Cybertron.
"So there we were." He said as he waved his arms and threw himself about in dramatics.
"No communications, low on energon, surrounded by Cons, so what does Wheeljack do?"
Bulkhead asked to the Mutants and humans who were leaning forward eagerly as they listened, Pandora, Raphael, and Michelangelo more than the others.
"Tell them, Jacky!" Bulkhead said with a chuckle gesturing to 'Wheeljack'.
At once, the Hamato clan looked to 'Wheeljack' who chuckled uncomfortably for a little bit.
"What I do best." He answered giving a thumbs up.
Bulkhead laughed before finishing the story.
"He chucked his only grenade smack into the main heat exchanger!" He announced.
"Yeah…seemed like a good idea at the time." 'Wheeljack' shrugged.
"The joint went supernova!" Bulkhead exclaimed, throwing his arms up in the air in dramatics.
"Awesome!" Michelangelo said excitedly.
"You're a rockstar!" Pandora cheered at 'Wheeljack'.
"Yeah, I'm still picking shrapnel out of my backside." Bulkhead remarked as he scratched his behind.
"I'm not surprised, given the size of your backside." Arcee said teasingly with a smirk to which Ironhide laughed and Bumblebee bleeped in agreement.
As that happened 'Wheeljack' gazed over at Ratchet who was still fiddling with the Ground Bridge controls, and Donatello who was helping the autoboot medic caught sight of him looking over and his eyes narrowed.
"Why's he looking over here?" he asked.
As intelligent as the purple masked turtle was, he wasn't as good as Splinter or Leonardo when it came to the demeaner's of an individual and he wondered whether to bring it up with them, yet that was impossible right now as Leonardo was with Optimus and Splinter had gone to rest in his allocated quarters in the silo.
"I think I'll keep an eye on him." Donatello decided as he looked back to helping Ratchet.
Meanhile Bulkhead who hadn't picked up on what Donatello was thinking, knelt next to 'Wheeljack' and pointed to the grenade attached to the autobot's hip to show the Hamato Clan.
"There is it. Jacky's signature, one grenade, one shot."
"Awesome dude!" Michelangelo said.
"I'll say!" Raphael said.
Bulkhead nodded and grinned before noticing that 'Wheeljack' wasn't paying attention.
"Hey, you alright?" He asked waving his hand in front of 'Wheeljack' to snap him out of his daze.
"What?" 'Wheeljack' responded looking over at his 'friend'.
"You don't seem like yourself." Bulkhead observed as he stood up straight.
"What do you mean?" 'Wheeljack' demanded as he stood up.
"I don't know. You seem…quiet." Bulkhead pointed out with a shrug.
"Ah, I've been stuck in a can too long." 'Wheeljack' reasoned. "I should go topside before I go stir-crazy."
"I have patrol in the morning. You can come with." Bulkhead offered 'Wheeljack' excitedly.
"Let's go now." 'Wheeljack' requested.
"And break up the party?" Bulkhead objected.
"Come on! The gang is loving you! You've gotta tell them about the Battle of Dark Mount Pass!"
"You tell them." 'Wheeljack' stated. "You're better at it. How about if one of your little friends here shows me the rest of the base?" He suggested looking down at the Hamato Clan.
"Yeah, sure, Jacky, go ahead." Bulkhead agreed with a nervous laugh.
"I'll take him!" Pandora volunteered.
"I'll go with!" Michelangelo offered standing with his favourite niece then looked up at 'Wheeljack'.
"Right this way big guy!" he called up wrapping an arm around Pandora's shoulders and gestured 'Wheeljack' to follow them.
As Wheeljack, Pandora and Michelangelo left the main silo, Bulkhead watched them with a solemn look on his face, and the other Autobots apart from Ratchet who was still looking at the Ground bridge controls noticed this.
Ironhide, Arcee, and Bumblebee knew something was wrong with Bulkhead seeing how he watched his best friend walking off, and they had a mental debate as they looked at each other.
"Maybe you should ask him Hide." Arcee suggested.
"Well, I'll give it a go!" Ironhide shrugged and he walked over to the green wrecker.
"Everything alright?" Ironhide asked placing a servo on Bulkhead's back between the tires that stuck out on his shoulder blades.
"Yeah, just out of sorts, I guess." Bulkhead shrugged, obviously unsure about something which Arcee picked up on.
"Don't tell me you're…jealous." Arcee asked lightly, teasing Bulkhead.
"That Pandora and Mike are making a new friend? Come on!" Bulkhead asked indignantly before he looked back at the corridor the hybrid, turtle and 'Wheeljack' had walked down.
"It's just, something… something is just not right about Wheeljack." He admitted, making his suspicions about his friend known.
"Bulkhead, really?" Arcee asked in disbelief.
"He's travelled galaxies. You haven't seen him for centuries. He could just be rocket lagged or… well, Bots do change, you know?" She reminded him.
"That they do!" Ironhide agreed and Bumblebee just nodded.
"Not Jacky." Bulkhead retorted stubbornly as he looked down the Hallway seeing 'Wheeljack', Michelangelo and Pandora disappear behind a corner.
Meanwhile, Donatello looked back at what had taken place and his eyes narrowed more.
"Hmmm." He thought seeing Bulkhead's attitude, "I'm no Splinter, nor Leo, but I know when something is slightly off, and if Bulkhead has suspicions about his best friend, if that's what he believes, then something really isn't right."
Back on the Decepticon Warship, Starscream was getting impatient as he stood at the controls of the Nemesis and thought about Makeshift within the Autobot based disguised as Wheeljack.
Despite the success at the mole gaining the trust of the Autobots, he was yet to complete his task in exposing the hiding place of their enemies.
"Makeshift still hasn't opened their ground bridge!" he growled "Or otherwise transmitted their co-ordinates! His disguise maybe be flawless, but he will not fool the Autobots forever!"
Meanwhile in his cell, Wheeljack, the REAL Wheeljack was struggling against his bonds as he tried to escape.
He knew that Makeshift wouldn't fool the Autobots forever as Starscream had stated, but even if the Autobots uncovered his disguise, it might be too late anyway, and he needed to get out and warn them.
As he struggled, the Decepticon guarding him heard his grunts of determination and occasional frustration and He walked up to Wheeljack with his blaster unfolded from his arm and held it to Wheeljack's face.
"You're not going anywhere, Autobot." the Vehicon sneered before turning back to go back to his post.
Wheeljack grinned and seeing his chance, He wrapped his legs around the Decepticon's neck.
At once, the Decepticon struggled against his tight grip and started shooting laser blasts from his blaster all over the room!
"Blah, blah, blah…" Wheeljack muttered cockily as he used his legs to guide the Vehicon to his intended target.
With the right moves, Wheeljack managed to make the Decepticon shoot the control panel that kept the restraints that were restricting him active.
With the control panel destroyed, the restraints were de-activated and Wheeljack to the ground.
He landed on top of the Vehicon's head crushing it and off lining it.
With a triumphant grin, Wheeljack made his way to the exit of the cell, looking for any means of escaping the Decepticon ship so he could find and warn his friends.
Back at the Autobot base, Michelangelo and Pandora were showing 'Wheeljack' the silo they had been allocated by the US Military when they arrived, pointing out all the areas, including the quarters they had been given to stay in, the energon stockpile, the power generator and Armory.
"So, that's pretty much it." Pandora finished, as she wrapped up the tour for 'Wheeljack'.
"Where's this bunker located exactly?" 'Wheeljack' asked curiously as he looked around him.
"If I told you, I'd have to rip out your spark chamber." Pandora answered dangerously before giving 'Wheeljack' a smirk.
"Kidding!" Michelangelo followed up nudging Pandora who laughed with her favourite uncle.
"Just outside Jasper, Nevada! Though I don't expect that to mean much to you!"
"Can't say it does." 'Wheeljack' replied vaguely as he, Michelangelo and Pandora continued walking down the corridor.
"So, any way out of here besides bridging?" He asked casually.
"Why?" Pandora asked as she paused in her tracks and looked up at him.
"You're not planning to leave already, are you?" she questioned with a doleful look in her eyes, and Michelangelo joined her.
"Yeah! Not now! We were just getting to know you!"
'Wheeljack' wasn't sure how to answer this but then Pandora smiled at him.
"Come on. I'll show you." She offered before leading him back to the main area.
"Thanks kid!" 'Wheeljack' smirked as he followed the Hybrid and turtle back to the main silo.
As we've seen, no-one is none the wiser and Makeshift is doing well in his diguise as Wheeljack.
Meanwhile the real Wheeljack has gotten himself free of his bounds and is attempting to flee and warn his friends!
Stay tuned for more coming soon!