Chapter Fourteen
Taken
After Fowler, Monalisa and Leonardo left the silo via the Elevator, the other members of the Hamato Clan looked worried, especially Pandora and Kemeko for their respective parents.
"Do not fear earthlings." Optimus Prime said gently "Agent Fowler will keep to his word, making sure no harm comes to Leonardo and Monalisa."
"I'm holding you to that!" Raphael growled "If anything happens..."
"Raphael!" Splinter scolded "As much as this is worrying, we must trust what our friends say about their human liaison."
"Once Agent Fowler has done everything necessary to make sure you are protected and safe, then he will return with your friends."
"Man, I hope so." Michelangelo said worried.
Kemeko said nothing as she sat on the sofa, her shoulders tense and her fingers clasped in her lap.
Pandora meanwhile went to sit next to her and wrapped her arms and tail around her cousin.
Optimus looked sadly at the two girls, feeling guilty that their respected parents had been taken by Agent Fowler, and he wished he could reassure them everything would be alright, but he also had other things to think about such as the dark energon problem he had had to put on hold until Fowler had gotten over his shock seeing the mutants.
Knowing he still had a job to do to protect the planet and try and figure out his ememies plan, he turned to the other Autobots who awaited his command now Fowler had left.
"Autobots..." he said, "Prepare to..." he paused as he looked at the worried looking Hamato Clan.
"Roll out?" Arcee finished for him, looking hopeful that there was another mission.
"Remain here." Optimus corrected then turned to Ratchet and Ironhide.
"Ratchet, Ironhide, you'll come with me."
Ratchet nodded and went to gather his equipment.
"Hey wait!" Donatello cried running over to the railings "Where are you going?"
Optimus looked over at the purple masked turtle and he remembered before the other members of the Hamato Clan had come back and when Fowler arrived, only he (Donatello) April, Casey, Splinter and Leonardo knew of the Dark energon situation.
"Ratchet, Ironhide and I need to investigate the source of what happened earlier young Donatello." He answered, "And we will be out of communication range for some time."
He then turned to Arcee.
"Arcee, I am putting you in charge."
The femme's eyes widened.
"What?" she asked "Me?"
Ironhide nodded.
"You heard the bot!" he said gesturing his eyes up.
Arcee narrowed her eyes at the large red autobot then looked at the Prime.
"Optimus." Arcee argued "With all due respect, playing bodyguard is one thing, babysitting is another!"
"Babysitting!?" Pandora's voice was heard in offence.
"Since when are we kids to be watched?!" Michelangelo countered.
"And besides." Arcee continued ignoring Pandora and Michelangelo "Ratchet hasn't been in the field since the war!"
At that remark, Ratchet looked up.
"My pistols may be rusty, but my hearing is as sharp as ever!" he snapped.
It was true, he was an Autobot who preferred to stay at the base and scout the screens for energon signals as well as research items or relics they found as well as be there as a medic if anything happened to his team mates but he often found himself being believed as not as strong as Optimus or Ironhide when it came to fighting in the field.
"For the moment." Optimus stated "It's only reconnaissance." Optimus stated.
"Then why do I hear an edge in your voice?" Arcee asked, eying her leader with suspicion.
At the same time, the rest of the Hamato Clan looked up at Optimus with the same suspicion, and Donatello, April, Casey, and Splinter were sure that what they had witnessed merely a couple of hours earlier was what the Prime, Ironhide and Ratchet were going to investigate.
Optimus vented.
"Arcee, much has changed in the last twenty-four hours, and we all need to adapt." Optimus reminded the small femme then turned to Ratchet and Ironhide who were ready to go.
"Ratchet." He said, "Bridge us out!"
Ratchet nodded and activated the ground-bridge then everyone watched him leave before the swirling vortex disappeared.
No sooner did they leave than the Hamato Clan sighed, and Michelangelo looked at the others.
"So what do we do now?" he asked.
"We just wait I suppose." Casey said looking at the doors to the elevator where Fowler, Leonardo and Monalisa had disappeared through.
"For how long?" Michelangelo asked.
"Depends how long it takes for Fowler to get his superiors to meet Leo and Mona then sort out the paperwork, then come back here, if they allow it..." Donatello trailed off.
"Ohhh don't say that!" Raphael groaned as he looked at Pandora and Kemeko still sitting on the sofa.
Arcee meanwhile vented and rolled her optics as she was unwilling to just sit around and wait for Optimus and his team or Fowler to return.
"I'm going on patrol!" she snapped as she walked to the main exit.
"But Optimus told us to stay!" Bulkhead reminded her.
"When you're in charge, you can call the shots!" Arcee shot back at him before looking at Bumblebee.
"Bee! With me!" she beckoned to the yellow scout before transforming into her motorcycle mode.
Bumblebee moaned in a whirring voice as he walked away reluctantly from the Hamato Clan and transformed and moved up to join Arcee.
"Bulkhead! You're in charge!" Arcee called back as she and Bumblebee drove out of the base.
Bulkhead vented in frustration as he watched them then turned to the others.
"So erm...what's on the activity list?" he asked sheepishly with a shrug.
The Hamato Clan looked up at him.
"Again, just sit and wait I guess." Raphael said.
"That is the wisest decision my son." Splinter said, "We cannot do anything but wait."
"And Do what?" Michelangelo moaned "I'm bored already!"
"Well, we got a tv!" Pandora said looking up from the sofa and pointing at the TV in front of it, "And you guys brought back the video games and DVDs from the farmhouse, right?"
"We did yes." April said.
"So, we could play a few games, or watch a movie?" Pandora suggested "And you got your comics right Uncle Mikey?"
"That I have!" Michelangelo remembered.
"Great idea Pandora." Raphael said then sighed "Hopefully it'll stop me worrying about your mother and Uncle Leo for a bit!"
Pandora smiled then looked at Kemeko seeing how her cousin still looked worried.
"You up for a game or movie?" she asked.
Kemeko looked over at Pandora, her face pale and sad.
"I... Well...I..." she said, "I don't know, I'm not sure I can concentrate on a game or a movie, given I'm worried about dad."
Pandora looked at her cousin.
"Look Kem, I know you're worried, I'm just as worried about mum, but worrying about them isn't going to change anything." She spoke.
Kemeko nodded.
"I know, but I can't change my feelings..." she said then stood up from the sofa "Sorry Pandora, I need a moment." She then walked away from the sofa to an area of the raised platform and rested on the railings.
Pandora watched her walk away and sighed.
She then felt April's hand on her shoulder.
"Let her be dear." She said, "She's worried and maybe she just wants to be alone for a bit."
Pandora nodded at her aunt and turned back on the sofa as she saw Donatello hooking up the games consoles to the TV.
Meanwhile Leonardo and Monalisa followed Fowler up to the top of the silo where there was a helicopter waiting for them.
Leonardo and Monalisa climbed into the passenger seats whilst Fowler got into the driver's seat and got reader to fly.
Leonardo sat in the back whilst Mona sat beside Fowler.
"So, you're a pilot as well as an agent?" Monalisa asked.
"Indeed yes." Fowler replied proudly "Wanted to be in the Air Force when I left school, then after my training I took the chance to be a federal agent too."
He sat in his seat and started up the helicopter and it soon took off into the air.
As it took off, Leonardo and Monalisa looked down at the landscape before them and they couldn't help but admire the view of the Rocky Nevada desert below them.
"Seems like a good place to hide a base for giant robot aliens." Leonardo commented as he looked down.
"I'll say." Monalisa agreed.
Agent Fowler meanwhile patched into his radio.
"Sir! Agent Fowler!" he said "We have a situation! I'm on route from Autobot Base with a couple of guests! I'll brief you in person!"
He turned off the radio and looked at Leonardo and Monalisa.
"You two alright?" he asked.
Both Mutants nodded.
"Sure!" Monalisa said "We're used to such flights!"
"Come again?" Fowler asked cocking his head.
"Never mind!" Leonardo said looking at Monalisa saying with his facial features that they should inform the Agent at a later date with such stories.
Agent Fowler shrugged and concentrated on his flying, yet they hadn't flown far when an alarm came up on a screen on the dashboard making Monalisa, Leonardo and Fowler stare at it.
Fowler frowned as he looked at the screen.
"Hey Big bird!" he snapped "I'm flying here!"
"What's going on?" Monalisa asked nervously as she looked out the windows and Leonardo frowned and did the same.
"Hang on guys." Fowler said as he started to fly the helicopter faster and higher and as he did, he saw a strange looking aircraft flying over to them, nothing like he had seen before.
"What in Sam's Beard?" he exclaimed as he looked through the windscreen and Monalisa and Leonardo saw as well.
"What the shell is that?" Monalisa cried as she saw what looked like a large metal bird flying towards them!
As it came towards them, Fowler pulled the controls and the helicopter lifted avoiding the metal bird as it went for them.
"Oomph!" Fowler cried "First the Freeway's aren't safe! Now air travel?"
He ducked into a canyon to try and shake off the metal bird, yet it still kept coming after him, Leonardo and Monalisa.
"What do you think it is?" Monalisa cried.
"What if it's associated with one of those robots who attacked us in the woods?" Leonardo asked as he held on tightly.
"No idea!" Fowler shouted, "But I know how to outwit it!" he smirked "Hold on tight!" he ordered to which both Leonardo and Monalisa did so, and Fowler controlled the helicopter as he flew through the canyon, the metal bird chasing him until he reached a dead end!
Monalisa shrieked in shock but just as they were about to hit the wall, Fowler pulled up and they flew up onto some rockies and flew on then he ducked down into another canyon just as the metal bird flew over their heads!
"Aww yeah!" Fowler cheered then hovered the helicopter up, so he was following the metal bird!
"You wanna dance Con?" Fowler smirked the activated the guns on the helicopter to shoot it down "I'll lead!" he chuckled as he fired the guns at the metal bird.
Leonardo and Monalisa watched to see if the ammo would harm the metal bird, but they were dismayed to see it did little harm and the bird just kept flying, the ammo barely scratching the armour!
Before long the ammo ran out and the bird shot upwards above them and then dived behind them.
"What's it doing?" Monalisa asked yet she screamed as the bird dived down and struck the back of the helicopter smashing the tail off!
Fowler meanwhile tried to regain control of the aircraft as the warning signals went off within the craft.
"Never an autobot around when you need one!" he growled.
"You thinking that right now!?" Leonardo yelled "You got an emergency signal or something?"
"There!" Fowler shouted pointing to the dashboard as the helicopter went down and Monalisa tried to undo their seat belts so by chance they could jump out and onto the rock cliffs.
At the same time, Leonardo saw the distress signal on the dashboard, and he slammed his paw on it!
No sooner did he do so than he felt the helicopter get grabbed and he saw the metal bird was above them and a couple of metal tentacles appeared and grabbed him, Fowler and Monalisa before wrenching them out of the helicopter!
"No!" he shouted as he kicked his legs as well as made a grab for Monalisa as she almost fell, and he grabbed her hand!
"Leo!" she screamed as she grabbed him.
"I got you sis!" Leonardo shouted.
No sooner were they snatched from the helicopter than it crashed to the ground and exploded into flames!
"What's happening?" Monalisa screamed as she held onto Leonardo as the metal bird carried her, and him and Fowler above the rockies and into the distance.
"I don't know" Fowler shouted.
"And I don't want to find out!" Leonardo shouted as he looked up at the metal bird carrying them through the air...
Oh no! Look like trouble has found Fowler, Leonardo and Monalisa? Can any of you guess what's happened?
Tune in next time to see what's happened!
Happy Good Friday Everyone!