Chapter Sixty-Four

Sickness

Back in the base, everyone had been sitting and waiting for Optimus, Ironhide, and Ratchet to return as well as waiting on news from Agent Fowler, Tyroth and Sephie.

Splinter was watching the TV as one of his soap operas was on with Monalisa sitting with him as it was a soap she followed.

Michelangelo decided to get out his comics and he let Pandora have a read of some of them.

Kemeko was practicing her contortion skills on a gym mat, Donatello was on his laptop and Leonardo and Raphael were having a quiet conversation.

Bulkhead was sitting on a berth with his chin resting on his servos, Arcee was leaning against the raised platform and Bumblebee was standing by the screens waiting for a call from Ratchet to bridge himself, Optimus and Ironhide back.

Arcee tapped her fingers on her arm as she looked at the screens thinking about the Decepticon Warship and hoped Optimus, Ironhide and Ratchet would return soon as she was eager to get in there and take the cons down from the inside.

Bulkhead was thinking the same as he kept imagining all the possibilities that could take place once he, Arcee and the others stormed in there, then they could continue their search for energon and a way to restore their planet with no fears of Megatron or his followers stopping them.

"Ironhide to Base!" a loud commanding voice made everyone practically jump out of their skins and they turned to the screens to see Ironhide's face pop up.

"Ground-Bridge to my co-ordinates now!"

"Whoa!" Bulkhead yelled jumping up.

"What the shell?" Raphael cried.

Bumblebee bleeped a few times and narrowed his eyes.

"Just activate the bridge, Bee!" Ironhide ordered "Now!"

Bumblebee bleeped again grudgingly and pulled the lever making the Ground-Bridge roar to life and everyone looked over.

"I wonder what's wrong?" Monalisa asked walking to the rails.

The Lizard Lady's question was soon answered, and she was shocked to see Ratchet and Ironhide carrying Prime whose arms were slung over their shoulders and he was struggling to walk.

"Optimus?" Leonardo cried in concern and Optimus looked up to which everyone recoiled seeing how sick he looked.

His optics were flickering, and there appeared to be some kind of rash over the right side of his face, looking a mix between rust and oil stains.

"What's happened?" Arcee exclaimed "What happened there?"

Ratchet didn't answer but quickly got the Prime over to a Medical Berth and he and the red veteran lay him down.

Optimus groaned as he lay there, and everyone soon had a look at him.

"What the shell happened?" Donatello asked.

"What's happened to him?" Kemeko demanded fearfully.

Ratchet again didn't answer much to everyone's frustration as he ran a scanner over the ill Prime and he looked at it before standing up.

"Cybonic Plague." He reported to which Arcee, Bulkhead and Bumblebee looked horrified and the Hamato Clan looked confused as well as scared.

"It's only contagious if contact is made with the infected energon."

"But what was a plague doing in an autobot Spaceship?" Pandora asked.

"it's passengers were infected." Arcee explained "The virus wiped out millions on Cybertron during the Great War."

The Hamato Clan were shocked as they listened and Pandora and Kemeko looked at each other as they remembered reading about plagues on Earth throughout History from their lessons.

"Basically, when the ship took off from the planet." Donatello theorised "One or more of the passengers was infected and the virus spread to the others, thus the whole ship was infected, and they crash landed on earth before being discovered by Ratchet, Optimus and Ironhide."

"Obviously." Michelangelo drawled under his breath.

"Cybonic plague was engineered in the Decepticons biological warfare program." Ratchet continued "by Megatron himself." He added with a growl.

"You have a cure, don't you?" Michelangelo asked hopefully.

Hearing Michelangelo's voice, Optimus groaned.

"No... Cure..." he managed as if each vent he took caused him agony, and from the look on his face, he appeared to be in pain.

"Optimus please, save your strength." Ratchet said gently and Ironhide walked next to Optimus and held his servo in support and comfort.

Leonardo bit his lip then frowned as he looked thoughtful.

"Would Megatron create a disease without having a cure?" he asked, "I mean, what if he caught it himself by accident?"

"Yeah!" Pandora agreed "Any idiot would know to have a cure if they caught something nasty that they created!"

"it's not like we can ask Megatron, Leo, Pandora!" Bulkhead said with a hopeless shrug, "He's pushing up lugnuts."

"But!" Ratchet said with a raised digit "We might be able to access the Decepticon Database!"

"And you got a pinpoint on the Warship!" Kemeko exclaimed.

"Genius!" Michelangelo cheered.

"There is hope!" Splinter said.

"That we do." Ratchet said.

Arcee narrowed her eyes and turned to Bumblebee.

"Bumblebee," she said, "Come with me!"

"And me!" Donatello cried jumping up from the raised platform "I'm coming too!"

"My son!" Splinter looked at his purple masked brainy son.

"Donnie?" Leonardo stopped him.

"I wish to help!" Donatello said, "I've been studying the Cybertronian language was well as observing Ratchet's work, and I want to assist since we're a team!"

"Don't worry Master Splinter." Arcee said "We'll keep Donatello safe; we promise."

Splinter was reluctant, but he knew how stubborn Donatello could be when it came to anything to do with science, mathematics, and the medical field and how much he wanted to learn.

"Alright." He said giving his blessing "But be careful my son." He ordered.

"Yes Sensei." Donatello said bowing.

"Good luck Donnie." The other turtles and Monalisa said and Pandora and Kemeko hugged their uncle before Bumblebee held out his servo and Donatello climbed into it before placing him on his shoulder and Ratchet activated the Ground Bridge to get them onto the Nemesis.

"Arcee." Ratchet said looking at the femme as she led Bumblebee and Donatello through the bridge.

"Quickly..."

Arcee nodded and she, Bumblebee and Donatello went through the Ground Bridge and Ratchet looked back at Optimus before speaking in Cybertronian.

Optimus moaned in pain but nodded at Ratchet before looking at Ironhide.

"Hang in there Prime." The Red Veteran said, "Just hold on alright?"

Optimus nodded then placed a hand on his side and produced something wrapped in a rag before holding it close to him then started speaking in Cybertronian to Ironhide.

All the while the rest of the Hamato Clan watched and listened.

"I wonder what they're saying?" Pandora whispered.

"Something private, I'm sure." Monalisa replied before putting a finger to her lips.

"Private enough for them to speak in their own language." Raphael agreed.

Leonardo meanwhile watched Optimus and saw him hold the object in the rag close to him and he wondered what it was.

In fact, he was sure he saw something sparkling underneath a gap in the fabric, but he couldn't be certain.

But whatever it was, he pushed that thought aside, as he along with everyone else hoped Arcee, Bumblebee and Donatello could find a cure for the Autobot Leader before the virus consumed him.

Meanwhile, the ground-bridge transported Arcee and Bumblebee into the Warship and they readied their guns yet luckily, they found themselves in an empty hallway.

Arcee looked around then turned to Bumblebee.

"Let's start with the Lab." She suggested.

Donatello who was still sitting on Bumblebee's shoulder also looked around, his ninja ears open or any small sounds as the two Autobots skulked the hallway and towards the lab.

They soon approached it, yet the doors opened and Knock Out appeared to which Bumblebee and Arcee quickly hid behind the corner.

Donatello frowned as he looked at the Decepticon Medic and he was surprised to see he didn't sport the colours of what he'd perceive as one of Megatron's followers.

"Who's that?" he whispered.

Arcee turned her Optics to him.

"Knock Out." She whispered "The Decepticon Medic."

"Him?" Donatello asked "But he's...he's..."

"I know." Arcee replied "Clean and rather arrogant." She put her finger to her lips as the red Decepticon paused for a moment as if he had noticed something, but then shrugged it off before walking off down the hallway.

The two Autobots and turtle watched him leave then they went to the doors to the lab.

"We'll talk about him later." Arcee said "Right now we need to find a cure for Optimus."

"Right you are!" Donatello agreed as he sat on Bumblebee's shoulder, and they walked into the lab before Arcee started to type at the database.

"I'm in the network!" Arcee reported as she started to search.

Bumblebee placed Donatello next to her so he could watch whilst he started to explore the place, both to find more clues as well as keep on the lookout for any Decepticons, whether they be drones, Vehicons or even Starscream or Soundwave themselves.

At the same time, Ratchet watched the screens which showed Optimus's body and anatomy and how the virus was slowly but surely attacking his body and he hoped against all hope that Arcee, Bumblebee and Donatello would find the cure and save their leader.

"Ratchet..." the medic turned to look at Optimus who was still laying there venting in pain and the rash was spreading more over him.

"Were...you...? Or Ironhide...?"

"Infected?" Ratchet asked "No."

"Me neither Prime!" Ironhide countered squeezing Optimus's servo "We promise."

Optimus relaxed back on the berth, he was glad his two oldest friends hadn't been infected, but he felt like a failure that he had let an ancient virus consume him, and he wondered if when he, Ironhide and Arcee were stranded in the Arctic that didn't kill him, he thought this virus might, and he never imagined he was go this way.

He closed his eyes and held the object wrapped in rags closer against him.

Just then, Arcee's voice was heard over the screens.

"If it's here, I don't see it!"

'Are you certain Arcee?" Ratchet asked.

"I searched every file!" Arcee reported "Nothing!"

"Well search again!" Ratchet ordered.

Back on the Warship, Arcee was still searching the database, Donatello also searching with her to find the cure they were seeking for their leader.

"Clearly you missed something!" Ratchet accused.

"I scanned the entire Database!" Arcee snapped.

"Did you use a redundant quantum algorithm?" Ratchet demanded.

"Don't tell me how to research!" Arcee shot back "You think you're the only one who cares about Optimus!?"

Just then Bumblebee bleeped over to Arcee and Donatello and the Femme and turtle looked to the yellow scout who was pointing to the side of the room and looking rather scared.

"What is it!?" Arcee asked irritated and strode over to see what Bumblebee was gesturing to.

"What's going on?" Donatello asked and Ratchet asked the same question over the comm link as Arcee walked over to Bumblebee with Donatello in her arms and she and the turtle saw what Bumblebee saw and their blood or in Arcee's case energon ran cold as they saw the impossible!

There laying on a medical berth and hooked up to large thick wires and computers monitoring his vitals, was none other than the dangerous warlord and leader of the Decepticons, Megatron!

"What the shell!?" Donatello cried as he saw the grey and silver warlord laying there "I thought he was dead!"

'Likewise..." Arcee muttered as she and Bumblebee walked over.

"Arcee?" Ratchet called over the comm link "What's going on?"

"It's Megatron!" Arcee reported "He's...alive..."

Back at the base, everyone was shocked to hear that.

"No way man!" Michelangelo cried.

"Bullshit!" Pandora exclaimed.

"No..." Splinter breathed.

"She's joking right?" Kemeko asked.

"No way!" Ironhide gasped.

"That's not possible!" Ratchet snapped.

"Well I'm staring right at him!" Arcee's voice was heard "Good news is, Megatron isn't exactly staring back!"

"She's not shitting you guys!" Donatello called over the comm link "I can see him clear as day! As plain as the shell on my back!"

"And Donnie never lies!" Monalisa reminded everyone.

"Megatron?" Optimus moaned opening his optics as he heard that his enemy was still alive and Ironhide glowered whilst holding his servo.

"He's critical." Arcee's voice was heard "Hooked up to life support! Time to finish this once and for all!" she hissed, and everyone heard her about to fire her gun, yet Ratchet yelled via the link.

"WAIT!" he shouted 'DON'T!"

"One good reason!" Arcee was heard "Fast!"

"Megatron maybe Optimus's hope for survival!" Ratchet explained.

"What are you talking about?" Arcee asked.

"Does he display Brainwave activity?" Ratchet asked.

On the warship, Arcee looked at the screens Megatron was hooked up to and she saw clearly how despite Megatron's deep slumber, his mind was still alive.

"Spiking hard." She reported "His sick mind is still at work!"

Donatello gasped as he watched.

"She's not kidding!" he countered "His body might be useless, but his brain is still active!"

"Perfect!" Ratchet cried almost happily to which Arcee, Bumblebee and Donatello were confused until Ratchet spoke again.

"If a cure exists, Megatron maybe the only one who knows it!"

"What do you mean Ratchet?" Donatello asked.

"You must enter his brain and find it..."

We're in the Sick Mind Episode, Arcee, Bumblebee and Donatello are within the Warship to find a cure for the virus that has struck Optimus and they've stumbled across a comatoise Megatron!

For those who have seen the show know what's gonna come next! Keep checking back to see how that goes!