Chapter Sixty-Eight

Troubled Dreams

The following day, Optimus stood in the medical Bay whilst Ratchet flashed a light in his optics.

After Tyroth and Sephie had told their story about their meeting with General Bryce, the Hamato Clan had told their story about what had happened when they were out and they were shocked, but also relieved that Optimus was alright.

Fowler was especially shocked and kept asking if the plague was contagious and if Ratchet had taken every precaution into making sure it wouldn't affect human life.

"If we have to deal with a worldwide pandemic, then we're all screwed!" he said panicked.

"Be reassured Agent Fowler." Optimus had reassured the Agent, "I am fully well again, thanks to my medic, and my scout, and there is no risk of infection."

"And as I have explained, one can only be infected via the contaminated energon." Ratchet had chimed in.

Fowler had still felt worried, but he trusted the Autobots that the situation was under control and there was no need for further action, and he had departed the silo for home whilst Tyroth and Sephie had returned to Chicago via the Ground-Bridge but said they would be in touch very soon after speaking with Old George and the Chicago Knights about what had taken place and that they would be in touch soon.

"Follow the light." Ratchet instructed as the Prime did so.

"Good...Good." the medic then switched off the light and lowered it.

"I wouldn't advise anything strenuous Optimus." Ratchet said, "But it appears that your systems have fully recovered from the cybonic plague."

"Thanks to your medical expertise old friend." Optimus said gratefully.

Ratchet smiled bashfully then gestured to Bumblebee "It was your scout who braved unknown territory to locate the cure." He reminded.

"Shell yeah!" Pandora's voice was heard from the raised platform.

"You bet!" Kemeko agreed smiling up at Optimus.

Bumblebee waved his arms and bleeped as if to say, 'Oh it was nothing!'

"Lucky for us Megatron was still alive!" Arcee quipped.

Ironhide almost choked as he looked at the femme and Bumblebee also bleeped in surprise at Arcee.

"Yeah! I actually said that." Arcee replied.

"I'm with you Arcee." Raphael called over "Never thought I'd say that."

"Agreed Raph!" Leonardo nodded.

"We're all in agreement hun," Monalisa spoke up "If Megatron had been destroyed in that explosion, Prime wouldn't be here."

"It would seem that sometimes things happen for a reason." Splinter said "And Megatron not perishing was a blessing in disguise."

"Exactly!" Ratchet said, "What matters is that you are on the med Optimus."

"Yet the question remains, after what Arcee did shooting the life support cable off of him, did it finish the Pit spawned demon off?" Ironhide asked.

"Well, I did my best to finish Megatron's story after disconnecting Bumblebee, just couldn't stick around long enough to see how it ended."

"Don't worry yourself Arcee." Donatello said, "Given how grievous the wounds were on him, I doubt he'll live much longer."

"And I know Starscream." Ironhide said "He'll be wanting to keep Megatron in that coma forever, as long as he remains leader of the Decepticons, that treacherous seeker has always wanted to be top of the food chain."

Leonardo frowned as he remembered Izo Arashi of the Foot and how he had been leader of the Foot after Shredder disappeared, but then after the Shredder returned he had to step down from his post, and he often wondered if the once leader, now demoted second-in-command ever felt those feelings, yet he always knew how loyal he was to his master and he never did anything to challenge the Ruthless leader, mainly because he believed he still remained in favour as well as his privileges.

"You alright Fearless?" Raphael asked.

Leonardo almost jumped out of his shell as he heard Raphael's voice.

"Huh?" he asked, "Oh yeah, I'm fine, just my mind is elsewhere." He chuckled.

Leonardo wasn't the only one with his mind wandering, as Bumblebee walked to the side, he was looking at his hands, and he could feel something in his processor, almost like he didn't feel like himself.

Since last night, he didn't feel well, almost like he wasn't control of his body, nor his mind.

After Tyroth, Sephie and Fowler had left, he had retired early to his quarters, yet he had been plagued with horrible nightmares.

He wasn't new to nightmares, as he had often had flashbacks of the war of Cybertron and all that had taken place, even though it had been over millennia.

The others had had the same dreams and they often spoke together about them, so the scout wasn't alone, but this was something else.

Looking at his hands, he soon heard a voice inside his head.

"It is a matter of time before Optimus discovers all is not right with you Scout!"

Bumblebee's head shot up as he heard that voice.

"I must reclaim my body, which means taking complete and total control of yours!"

"Bee! Bee!"

Bumblebee shook his head, and he bleeped before looking behind him to see Pandora and Kemeko running over.

"Hey! Bee!" Pandora called "You alright?"

Bumblebee shook his head again and turned to the two girls before bleeping at them.

"We just wondered if you wanted to hang with us?" Pandora asked, "I got a few ideas?"

Bumblebee cocked his head then saw Optimus was walking over to the Ground Bridge that had been activated with Leonardo next to him.

The Prime then transformed into his truck form and Leonardo climbed in and they soon disappeared into the vortex.

"Dad's going with Optimus for some scouting." Kemeko explained "Ratchet allowed him, as long as he doesn't do anything too crazy!"

Bumblebee bleeped as if chuckling and held out his hands to the two girls who climbed into them, and he placed them on his shoulders before walking back to the raised platform pushing away his troubled thoughts.

After Optimus and Leonardo left, Bulkhead walked over with a large metal ball in his servos.

"Michelangelo had this idea we have a go at a game of Basketball!" he said to the yellow scout.

"Yeah!" Michelangelo called over "Well Basketball by Way of Cybertron!" he explained, he then pointed to a makeshift hoop on the side of the silo.

"Basically, you try and dunk the ball in this net and whoever gets the most dunks is the winner!"

"Sounds cool Uncle T!" Pandora cheered "What do you say Bee?"

Bumblebee nodded and bleeped then placed Kemeko and Pandora on the raised Platform with the rest of the Hamato Clan whilst he went to join Bulkhead.

"I'll keep tab on your points here!" Ironhide volunteered.

"Place your bests guys!" Michelangelo cheered "Whose gonna win?"

"I'm with Bulkhead!" Donatello said.

"I'll side with Bee!" Monalisa said.

"Who cares?" Kemeko asked "It's just a game!"

"She's right!" Raphael said "Come on guys! Give it your best!"

Bulkhead cheered then tossed the ball to Bumblebee who caught the ball and spun it on his finger then tossed it to the hoop, yet Bulkhead leapt up and caught it before doing a spin on his pedes and threw it to the hoop and it went through.

"Whoop!" Pandora cheered "One point to Bulkhead!"

Ironhide chuckled and made a note as he watched then Bulkhead picked up the ball and tossed it between his hands.

"Come on!" he said, "Best two out of three!"

He tossed it to Bumblebee who caught it, and the Scout ran to the hoop dodging Bulkhead who tried to stop him.

"Go Bee!" Kemeko shouted "You're in the clear! Dunk it!"

Bumblebee ran to the hoop. Yet as he did, he paused as he felt a throb in his processor and the silo faded and he started to see images.

Images of Megatron striking Optimus down on the spacebridge, then it starting to implode as the undead army from Cybertron tried to enter to invade Earth.

It was like he was dreaming whilst awake and he tried to pull himself away from it.

That was until Bulkhead's voice broke into his thoughts.

"Bumblebee! Bumblebee!"

Bumblebee blinked as he heard Bulkhead's voice.

"Quit Hogging the Ball!"

Bumblebee shook his head then without thinking he hurled the ball at Bulkhead who ducked, and the ball hit the wall behind him.

"Hey!" Kemeko shouted.

"That's not how you play the game!" Raphael called over.

"What the shell?" Donatello cried.

Monalisa just watched in shock.

"It's basketball, not dodgeball!" Pandora reminded the scout.

"Bee! Hoops over there!" Bulkhead said pointing to the hoop.

Bumblebee looked over then scratched the back of his head and bleeped.

"You sure Bee?" Ironhide asked to which Bumblebee nodded.

'What's wrong?" Kemeko asked concerned as Bumblebee bleeped at her then started to leave the silo.

"Don't worry yourself lass." Ironhide said with a forced smile "Bee says he just needs a moment."

"Okay..." Kemeko said yet she watched the scout leave and she frowned wondering what was wrong with her friend and why he was acting strangely since he returned from his mission on the Nemesis.

"Somethings not right..." she thought "I just know somethings not right..."

Kemeko wasn't wrong.

As Bumblebee walked down the hallways back to his quarters, he felt like his body wasn't his own he could hear that same voice in his head and no matter how he tried, he couldn't push it away.

"If I am to return to my body, I must first restore its functionality! How did I escape annihilation?"

A scene soon appeared in Bumblebee's head that showed Starscream plucking a shard of energon from Megatron;s chest, yet the scout could see everything from Megatron's point of view, he could see the purple shard get pulled out, then Starscreams's evil smirk looking down on him.

"Starscream..."

On the Nemesis, Starscream stood over the body of Megatron tapping the forehead of his former master tryng to find some sort of reaction to give him notification that he was alive, yet there was nothing, much to his pleasure.

"Knock Knock!" the Seeker taunted "Is anyone in there? No? Oh well?"

He stepped back and looked upon the motionless and brain-dead body of the gray warlord.

'Seems I possess the only thing that would allow you to rise off that slab and walk again, my Dearest Megatron!" Starscream said with dramatics "The only scrap left on his planet, plucked from your very spark chamber, but it cannot restore your mind! The Decepticons need a leader, not a decorative centrepiece! And I will convince them that I am the true heir to your throne, with a plan so epic..."

"That not even the mighty Megatron could have conceived it?"

Starscream almost jumped a foot in the air and hid the dark energon shard behind his back as he turned and saw Knock Out standing at the door of the medical room with his arms folded and a knowing smirk on his face.

Starscream chuckled sheepishly.

"That was the idea Knock Out." He said, "How long have you been there?" he demanded.

"Long enough." Knock Out replied striding over with the same smirk on his face "And it's commander Knock Out to you, Once and future Lord Starscream."

Starscream glared as he watched Knock Out walk over to Megatron's body.

He knew that Decepticon well, he was a good medic, but he was a coward as well as an opportunist and given how easily Knock Out could easily switch sides if it worked in his favour, he had to keep him on his side, even if it meant promising him a position at his side if Megatron did perish.

Starscream glared, yet he clenched his fists and vented to keep his cool, things were going so well, he couldn't let it go wrong now...

Bumblebee's showing some troubling signs...not good...