Chapter Twenty

Recon

It took over half an hour, but everyone soon arrived back at the Autobot base.

No sooner did they do so than the Hamato clan exited their respective guardians and ran to greet Master Splinter, April, and Casey.

"My children!" Splinter cried in joy and relief as he saw everyone, yet he was shocked to see the conditions of Fowler and Pandora.

"What has happened?" he demanded.

"Pandora? Fowler!" April and Casey exclaimed.

"They're okay Master!" Leonardo reassured the rat as Arcee and Bumblebee carried the casualties to a couple of mattresses on the raised platform and April and Donatello wasted no time in applying his medical skills to make sure they were okay.

Donatello looked over Fowler and April tended to Pandora.

Monalisa and Raphael instantly wanted to go over to their daughter, as did Michelangelo and Kemeko but Casey stood in the way and told them to stay back and let April and Donatello work.

Kemeko meanwhile after she had exited Bulkhead had run into Leonardo's arms and hugged him tightly sobbing.

"Oh Daddy!" she wept "Are you alright?"

Leonardo hugged her close.

"Shhh, shhh Lotus." Leonardo soothed as he hugged her close "I'm alright, if not a little bruised and squeezed but I'm alright."

Kemeko hugged him even tighter.

"I love you so much dad!" she wept then looked up at Arcee, Bumblebee and Bulkhead who was looking down at them feeling proud they had managed to reunite the turtle and his adopted daughter.

Yet the voice of Splinter soon caught their attention.

"What happened?" the rat asked again.

"Yes, what did happen?" Arcee demanded looking at Bulkhead whose optics widened, and he opened his mouth to speak before Raphael got there first.

"Don't blame him!" the red masked turtle quickly spoke "We insisted on accompanying him!

Bulkhead nodded.

"They did!" he said, then he started to explain what happened, Raphael, Kemeko and Michelangelo cutting in every so often to assist.

"They caught you?" Splinter exclaimed.

Raphael nodded.

"I tried to lead them to the entrance whilst Bulkhead there was a distraction to the other cons, but it seemed that those giant rust buckets were able to spot us!" he said.

"And it was broad daylight too!" Michelangelo added "Not much use to sticking to the Shadows!"

Splinter sighed and was about to speak when Donatello's voice was heard.

"They're both going to be alright." He said to which everyone looked relieved.

"What's the damage?" Arcee asked.

"Fowler's got a few bruises as well as electrical burns from that prod that was used." Donatello explained "But nothing too serious, although he will have some muscle spasms for a bit because of how much energon was exposed to his nervous system."

"Thank Goodness." Leonardo said, "And what about Pandora?"

"It seemed that when she struck Starscream's ankle wires with Mr Swinger, the electrical current shocked her as it ran through the metal." April explained "She's got some burns on her hands..."
"Oh my poor baby!" Monalisa cried.

"But they're healing!" April said, "Thanks to the Salamander regenerative DNA she inherited from you Mona."

"That's good news!" Michelangelo said "Man, I wish I could have seen what happened! My Geisha is so brave!"

Raphael growled at Michelangelo and was about to speak when the screens from the computers lit up and Optimus's voice was heard making everyone jump.

"Arcee!"

Arcee quickly went to the Controls.

"Come in Optimus!" she said.

"Ground Bridge to our co-ordinates!"

"Right away!" Arcee confirmed and activated the ground bridge.

No sooner did she do so than Optimus, Ironhide and Ratchet appeared.

Ratchet was cradling his right arm and Ironhide was walking with a limp with Optimus helping him.

As they entered, Optimus instantly saw how everyone looked, from the Autobots having damage on their armour to Fowler and Pandora laying on mattresses with Donatello and April looking over them.

"What in tarnation happened?" Ironhide asked, wincing from his injuries.

"What has taken place here?" Optimus asked, his voice serious as well as concerned.

At once, everyone started talking at the same time, Leonardo explaining how a metal bird working for the Decepticons had shot down Fowler's helicopter and captured them.

Arcee taking the Blame for leaving Bulkhead with the Hamato Clan, to Bulkhead saying he had allowed the Hamato Clan to tag along to rescue Leonardo, Monalisa and Fowler when the Decepticons had captured them to how they had gotten out of the situation.

Optimus was shocked and raised his hand to try and silence everyone, but they just kept talking.

Eventually Ratchet closed his optics, his arm was sore but the constant chatter from everyone else was starting to grind his gears.

"QUIET!" he bellowed to which everyone went silent.

Ratchet vented and leaned on the raised platform.

"Thank you!" he groaned.

Optimus also vented.

"Thank you Ratchet." He sighed then looked at everyone.

"Everybody please, one at a time." He looked at Leonardo.

"You first please Leonardo."

Leonardo nodded and began to explain what had happened to him, Fowler and Monalisa whilst Optimus started to tend to Ratchet's arm by putting on a metal brace, meanwhile Ironhide sat down on a medical berth to await his turn.

When Leonardo explained how a metal bird like creature had taken them, the Autobots's eyes widened as they recognised it.

"Laserbeak!" Ironhide said.

"Who?" Leonardo asked.

"A Deployer of Soundwave." Ironhide explained "The Eyes and Ears of the Decepticons."

"What's a deployer?" Donatello asked looking up from analysing Fowler.

"They're cybertronians that have chosen to form a partnership with one or more Mini-cons, a small race of Cybertronians."

"Ironhide." Optimus interrupted "We may discuss the explanations of those later, right now we must hear the current escapades of our friends."

Ironhide nodded.

"Very well Prime." He agreed.

Optimus nodded at his friend then at Leonardo to continue.

Leonardo then explained how they had been taken to the Decepticon Warship.

"The Nemesis!" Ratchet exclaimed.

"Good name..." Michelangelo muttered to which Raphael shushed him.

"Starscream held us hostage in the brig, then tortured Fowler." Leonardo continued "yet he refused to speak about where you guys were located." He took a breath "But then Starscream decided to use us as leverage to make Fowler talk, but it was then Arcee, Bulkhead and Bumblebee showed up!"

"A close shave there!" Ironhide said then looked at Fowler "I never realised how tough humans can be, and I speak for all of us to spay, we may not like Fowler's attitude sometimes, but he is intent on keeping us secret! He's a tough one!"

"Agreed Ironhide." Optimus said, "We are grateful as well as relieved that Fowler stayed strong and not reveal our location."

"And he's going to be okay." Donatello called over "Once he's healed."

"Thank the Allspark." Ratchet said then he looked at Pandora "And what happened to the young one?" he asked.

Raphael sighed.

"She used her weapon Mr Swinger to strike Starscream's exposed wires." He said, "Gave herself a nasty shock even if she did cause him pain."

"She what?!" Ironhide cried as he looked at the still unconscious Hybrid "A tiny girl taking on Starscream like that?"

"What was she thinking?" Ratchet asked.

"She wasn't..." Raphael sighed "She doesn't always think before rushing into battle...very much like me..." he added under his breath to which Monalisa placed a hand on his.

"She might have been foolish to do so." Optimus comforted looking at Raphael "But you should be proud that she was fearless to take on someone more than ten times her size."

Raphael and Monalisa looked up at the Prime who gave them a small smile and they felt a light within them, and they looked at each other with a smile before looking at Pandora.

"Still gonna have a few words with her when she wakes up." Raphael added to which Monalisa agreed.

Optimus then looked at Arcee and Bulkhead and asked for their side of the story to which Arcee went first saying she and Bumblebee had gone on patrol and hadn't intended to be long then she had gotten the call from Bulkhead about their situation.

"We would have gotten to his position quicker if someone knew how to use the ground bridge." She said, "But that's not their fault."

She gestured to April, Casey and Splinter who nodded in agreement.

All the while Optimus listened as he put a metal brace on Ironhide's ankle.

Bulkhead had then explained how he had tried to stop the Hamato clan from following him, but they wouldn't take no for an answer, and insisted on following him.

Optimus sighed.

"Seriously Prime." Michelangelo backed Bulkhead up "He did try to get us to stay put, but we refused."

"Yeah!" Raphael agreed "I insisted."

"I can understand why." Optimus said, "You wanted to rescue your loved ones, as any of us would."

He stood up from tending to Ironhide and looked down at the mutants and humans on the raised platform.

"But it was dangerous what you did, and you're all lucky to be alive, especially Fowler and young Pandora." He glanced at the casualties.

"I concur with Prime." Splinter agreed "You all put yourselves in grave danger, but you all came home alive."

"And that's not all Master!" Michelangelo piped up "Donnie! Show them what you saw!" he reminded the brainy turtle.

Donatello remembered and pulled out his Shell Cell before holding the screen up for Optimus to see.

"What happened to you guys anyway?" Kemeko asked looking at the damaged armour of the Prime, Ratchet and Ironhide.

"We engaged in an army of undead cybertronian warriors." Ratchet explained calmly as he held his damaged arm.

"Wait what?!" Kemeko cried.

"Undead?" Monalisa asked.

"You mean like... Zombies!?" Michelangelo squeaked.

"No way man!" Casey cried putting his hands on his head.

Everyone else went pale and Donatello almost dropped his Shell cell but Optimus held his digit under his hand so he could look at the photograph.

"Ratchet." He said, "Have a look, it could be of importance to Megatron."

"Wait...Megatron?" Leonardo cried "He's back!"

"That's bad right?" Michelangelo asked.

Ratchet looked at the photo and narrowed his optics as he studied it then went to the screens before typing in the data.

Everyone was quiet as they waited and Raphael and Monalisa had gone to sit by Pandora's side until she woke up, Kemeko decided to join them, worried for her cousin.

Donatello meanwhile decided to watch Ratchet, whilst April and Casey watched over Fowler.

Splinter meanwhile with Leonardo's help made everyone some tea and prepared some snacks.

Donatello watched Ratchet's face as he concentrated hard, the brainy turtle was fascinated by the cybertronian language and patterns on the screen but as he looked at the Autobot medic's face, he could tell what he was looking at wasn't good news.

His fears were soon confirmed when Ratchet's optics went wide.

"By the Allspark!" he gasped "Optimus!" he called over his shoulder to which the Prime walked over.

"What did you find Ratchet?" he asked.

"These are engineering specs for a Space Time Vortex Generator!" Ratchet explained.

"A what?" Donatello asked raising an eyebrow ridge.

"Megatron is building a Space Bridge." Optimus muttered gravely "If he hasn't already."

"He's what!?" Ironhide's shocked squawk was heard behind him.

"The sooner he leaves the better!" Bulkhead piped up as he and Bumblebee walked over.

"Bulkhead!" Ironhide reminded "A Space Bridge runs in two directions!"

"Megatron may not be using it to leave Earth, but to bring through his conquering army!" Optimus said sounding graver than ever, and he looked at Donatello who went pale.

"You mean...?" he asked then looked at Ratchet.

"The main event Megatron referred to..." Ratchet said, "But the only place Megatron could possibly recruit that many fallen soldiers is..." he trailed off as the truth hit him.

"No way!" Ironhide cried "By the All Spark, you mean he's going to use..."

"Precisely." Optimus answered as his gaze drifted skywards to the roof.

"Cybertron..."

Everyones back at the base and everyone has explained their sides of the story.

Fowler and Pandora haven't regained conciousness but it's good news they're going to be alright if not without injuries.

Meanwhile the data Donatello found and showed to Ratchet has revealed that Megatron is planning something really big that could mean chaos and Crisis to Earth! Not good!