Chapter Forty-Nine
In a Pickle
Outside the museum, Optimus slowly got to his feet after recovering from being tasered and he saw the other Autobots coming to his aid to shake off Breakdown and Knock Out.
"Prime!" Ironhide cried out as he came to his friend's aid with his drill at the ready to fight.
"Are you alright?"
Prime turned to Ironhide to answer yet as he did, he heard the sound of jet engines and he looked up to see Soundwave above him and carrying the Harvester!
Knock Out who was about to strike again with the imobilizer also saw Soundwave flying off and knew that was the cue to scarper.
"That would be game." He used then did a backflip before transforming into his vehicle mode and driving off, Breakdown not far behind with Bulkhead, Bumblebee and Arcee firing after them!
They were just about to go after the Cons when they heard shouts from the museum.
"Guys! The Decepticons have the Harvester!" Michelangelo's voice was heard as he ran ahead with the other turtles, Monalisa and Pandora behind him.
"And security have Kemeko!" Pandora added.
"What?" Bulkhead cried in worry.
"Not good!" Ironhide exclaimed.
"We have to get her out of there!" Leonardo demanded pointing back at the museum "We're not leaving without her!"
"Leonardo." Optimus knelt to Leonardo to stop him from running back inside.
"Kemeko may be detained, but she is safe from harm."
"You saying we abandon her!?" Pandora shrieked.
"What choice to we have?" Raphael said, "If we go back in there we risk getting caught too, and with Fowler unable to help, what can we do!?"
As the red masked turtle said that the sound of sirens were heard in the distance.
"And the situation just got a whole lot worse!" Monalisa sighed.
"Cops!" Pandora cried "That guard must have called the police!"
"No surprises there!" Raphael growled.
Leonardo sighed and clenched his fists.
"I'm so sorry Kemeko." He muttered then looked to the others.
"We gotta get out of here!"
"Right away!" Optimus said transforming into his truck from, the other Autobots doing the same and everyone jumped onto or climbed into their respected Autobot vehicle mode.
"Autobots! Roll out!" Optimus commanded and they quickly fled the scene just as a couple of police cars appeared.
They all arrived at the front of the museum and the first one stopped and the door opened to reveal a man in his fifties with greying ginger hair and beard.
"What in the name of chocolate sprinkles is going on here?" he questioned as he walked over to inspect the damage.
"I got no idea Hugh, but whatever's happened here, it's looks like some kind of burglary gone wrong." Sargent Harris said as she got out of another car.
Meanwhile the Autobots and the Hamato Clan made it back to base, yet everyone was stressed and worried for Kemeko.
"Shit! Shit shit!" Leonardo muttered as he got out of Optimus's truck form "How could I have let it happen!?"
"My son?"
The turtle looked up to see Splinter and Donatello leaning down over the railings of the raised platform.
"What happened out there?" Ratchet asked, "Where's the Harvester?"
"Better yet, where's Kemeko?" Donatello asked then saw the stricken looks of everyone present.
Optimus calmly explained everything that happened, yet as he did, Splinter, Donatello and Ratchet were horrified.
"The Con's have the Harvester!?" Ratchet cried.
"And Kemeko's detained?" Donatello gasped.
Leonardo nodded and gripped the side of his head.
"I should have left her here with you two!" he scolded himself "I'm such an idiot! I've let Kemeko get captured and the Harvester is in the hands of Starscream!"
"Calm down Leonardo." Optimus said "Kemeko is safe where she is."
"You don't understand Prime." Leonardo said "She has no record of birth or anything to identify her if they try and find out who she is..."
"Leonardo!" Splinter relied to help Prime in calming Leonardo down "We will get her back! And if anything, if she's in Chicago, Hugh might be able to help should there be issues."
"That's true!" Donatello agreed.
Just then, Pandora felt her shell-cell ring and she quickly snatched it up to see Kemeko's number on the screen.
"Guys! It's Kem!" she cried.
"What!?" everyone cried in unison.
"Is she alright!?" Bulkhead asked anxiously.
Pandora instantly picked up the phone and put it on loud speaker.
"Kem!" she cried "What's happened? Are you alright?"
"I'm fine!" Kemeko's voice came through.
"Lotus!" Leonardo exclaimed.
"Are you safe Kemeko?" Optimus asked.
"I am yeah!" Kemeko said "I'm hiding! I managed to do a pressure point on the guard as he dragged me into his office, but by the time I got out to find you lot, you'd gone and the police showed up so I've had to find somewhere else to hide!"
"Damn we should have waited a little longer!" Michelangelo muttered.
"Shush!" Monalisa hissed then looked at the phone.
"So where are you now?" Leonardo asked.
"I've managed to squeeze myself into a vent in the exhibit where the orb was, I can hide here until it's safe to come out!" she reported "Don't worry about me!"
The Hamato Clan looked relieved, yet the Autobots were still slightly worried.
"Are you sure you will be alright Kemeko?" Optimus asked in a serious tone.
"With my skills in contortion and ninja training, I will be!" Kemeko reported back "I can even keep an eye on things from where I am!"
"What can you see there?" Monalisa asked.
"The Police are investigating the area and Hugh's amongst them!"
"Hugh?!" Everyone exclaimed.
"Mutopia's human liaison!" Donatello explained to the Autobots who looked at each other in surprise.
"They're investigating the theft, but even with their expertise in forensics and all, they won't find any evidence of us or even the Autobots!"
"At least you're safe Lotus." Leonardo said, his shoulders sagging, "Well done for getting yourself out of a sticky situation!"
"I learnt from the best daddy!" Kemeko said, a hint of a smirk in her voice to which Leonardo smiled proudly.
"That's my girl!" he said.
"Stay safe my child." Splinter said, "Keep yourself hidden and keep us informed when it's safe to bridge you back."
"Will do Grandpa!" Kemeko replied before hanging up.
"At least Kemeko's safe and hiding!" Pandora said.
"Yeah!" Michelangelo agreed.
"But now our main concern is the fact the Decepticons have the Harvester!" Ratchet said, "With that thing in his possession, he'll be quick to use it on us!"
"Agreed Ratchet." Optimus said then looked at the Autobots before him.
"In All likelihood Starscream will use the energon harvester to gather as much energon as quickly as he can on the planet un-mineable Enrgon Desposits."
"You're darn tootin he will Prime!" Ironhide said.
"So what's the plan?" Arcee asked.
"Ratchet will bridge you all to different locations where Starscream will more than likely try to use the Harvester to gather energon, and when you do, proceed with caution."
"Gotcha Prime!" Ironhide saluted.
Bumblebee bleeped and saluted and Arcee nodded in agreement.
Ratchet then typed in co-ordinates around the world and one by one, the autobots went through the Ground-Bridge to their designated co-ordinates.
Bulkhead was ready to go as well but Optimus stopped him.
"It is best you remain here Bulkhead." The Prime stated.
"What?" Bulkhead protested.
"To help Ratchet." Optimus said to which Bulkhead sagged his shoulders disappointed.
"I know you're worried about Kemeko, but she is safe where she is until we are able to bridge her back."
"And We'll keep contacting Agent Fowler!" Monalisa called over.
Optimus nodded at the Lizard Lady then transformed and went through the vortex before Ratchet shut it off.
Bulkhead groaned as his leader disappeared and he turned to Monalisa who shrugged as she received no answer from the agent.
"Nothing." She said, "Just keeps going to voicemail."
Bulkhead growled in frustration.
"Fowlers lounging around some poolside cabana!" he shouted before bringing his fist down!
Unfortunately, the object of his fury turned out to be one of Ratchet's tools and the medic looked over along with Donatello!
"Bulkhead! he shouted. "I needed that!"
As he said that last part, he heard Donatello's voice join him and he looked over at the purple Masked turtle who had been holding up some yellow metal against a structure he had been working on.
Pandora clapped her hands over her mouth to suppress a laugh, as she realised the two had spoken in stereo and Ratchet was giving Donatello the look of 'That's my Line' whilst Donatello had the look of 'What did I say?'
Michelangelo also heard and chortled.
"Oh man Don!" he said, "You're spending so much time with the Doc Bot you're starting to sound like him!"
Donatello blinked a few times as he thought about it then looked at Ratchet who was looking back at Bulkhead.
"We can free Kemeko! If we can return the Harvester back to the museum!" the wrecker said.
"So the Decepticons can steal it all over again?" Ratchet questioned.
Bulkhead was quiet for a moment then he realised how stupid that sounded and grabbed his head.
"I AM SO DUMB!" he shouted to himself.
"If you had just calmed down and actually thought for a moment Bulkhead!" Donatello called up from where he was "We were going to help the situation by returning this replica to the museum!" he gestured to the object he and Ratchet were working on which was half an orb with golden coloured metal covering it.
"The construction of which would be going a lot quicker if Bulkhead hadn't just mangled my frame welder!" Ratchet added furiously.
"We've become trespassers and thieves," Michelangelo said, "Might as well add forgery to the list."
Bulkhead sighed feeling helpless then another thought came to him.
"Wait!" he said suddenly "The painting of the harvester isn't the only thing we found in those ruins!"
"What?" The Hamato Clan and Ratchet looked at Bulkhead and Pandora thought for a moment then clicked her fingers.
"Of course!" she cried "There's energon there! And Starscream's going to use the Harvester to mine the energon there!"
"Exactly!" Bulkhead cried "He's gonna take the easier way!"
"Then we know where to go!" Pandora announced with a grin.
So the police have arrived along with a well known face! Hugh! Who belongs to my dear friend and co-writer Tyroth Darkstorm!
And the Hamato Clan and Autobots have learnt that Kemeko managed to get away but she's still stuck in the museum in hiding.