Chapter Thirty-Eight

Caught

Back in the Main Area of the Base, Bulkhead was speaking to Arcee, Ironhide and Bumblebee about his suspicions on Wheeljack, meanwhile Ratchet was still working on the Ground Bridge controls.

"Almost there…" Ratchet proclaimed as Donatello continued to watch, yet the brainy turtle was unable to concentrate as he listened to Bulkhead.

In fact, the rest of the Hamato Clan, save for Splinter who was still resting in another part of the silo and Leonardo still out with Optimus, were leaning in to listen from the high platform.

"Look. I know Wheeljack better than anyone." Bulkhead insisted.

"Bulk, are you sure you're not overreacting?" Ironhide asked. "Arcee could be right. Centuries stuck in a tin can alone can-do wonders to a Bot's personality."

"Yeah!" Raphael called out "I know I'd go stir crazy being confined."

"We all know you would!" Monalisa agreed with her mate "then again, so would I!"

"Not Jacky. He's survived worse." Bulkhead argued as he shook his head.

Ironhide was about to speak again when a voice from the side of the room caught their attention.

"Hey, what are you guys talking about?" 'Wheeljack' asked as he, Michelangelo and Pandora returned from the tour of the silo.

"I was just telling all the guys about you and me…at the Battle of Dark Mount Pass." Bulkhead answered eyeing his 'friend' with his head cocked.

"That's a heck of a story." 'Wheeljack' remarked with a nervous smirk.

"Yup. Tell it!" Bulkhead demanded sternly.

"What? More jabbering?" Michelangelo asked, his eyes widening.

"Why not wait until after we've had a spin in the desert?" Pandora suggested.

"Mike, Pandora! Stay out of this!" Bulkhead snapped, coming off a bit more harshly than he had intended making both the turtle and Hybrid jump slightly.

"Bulkhead…easy." Arcee reminded him gently and Ironhide looked ready to jump in just in case things got physical.

Donatello narrowed his eyes as he looked over, in fact Bulkhead's outburst made Ratchet jump slightly as the Medic looked over as well.

The Hamato Clan were also startled, and Raphael narrowed his eyes as he looked at Bulkhead.

Despite knowing the green wrecker wasn't the sharpest knife in the box, if he was suspicious about someone he had considered his best friend, then something was indeed off.

"Something's wrong." He whispered to Monalisa.

The Lizard Lady looked concerned and started to walk towards the ladder to see if she could get Michelangelo and Pandora to come to her safely.

Kemeko looked up at Raphael.

"What's going on?" she whispered.

Raphael put his finger to his lips and April stood behind Kemeko and placed a hand on her shoulder.

Casey meanwhile stood next to Raphael and watched to see what would happen.

"I'm not sure I..." 'Wheeljack' started as he shifted on his pedes.

"Tell it!" Bulkhead repeated with a glare as he barked the order making 'Wheeljaclk' jump slightly yet he glowered at the wrecker.

"Fine, if you wanna live in the past, Bulkhead." 'Wheeljack' scoffed to which he proceeded to speak as the Hamato Clan looked at him.

"The Wreckers were trapped between a Decepticon patrol and a smelting pit. The Cons were vicious, bearing down on us with everything they had. Me and Bulkhead engaged the enemy, left them for scrap. Then I made us a way out using their backsides as stepping-stones to cross the molten metal." He told everyone before turning to Bulkhead.

"Isn't that how it happened?" he asked.

"Yeah… That's exactly how it happened…" Bulkhead said with a growl as 'Wheeljack' smirked proudly.

"Except for one little thing…" Bulkhead added suddenly, causing a look of horror to paint itself on 'Wheeljack's' face and everyone froze for a moment.

"I wasn't there!" Bulk declared.

"What?" Ratchet gasped as he stopped working on the Ground Bridge and turned to look at Bulkhead.

The Hamato Clan's blood ran cold.

"I knew something was wrong!" Donatello cried.

"I'd already left the Wreckers to join up with Optimus." Bulkhead revealed to everyone as 'Wheeljack' gritted his teeth and glared realising his cover had been blown!

"But you wouldn't know that if all you did was access Wheeljack's public service record." Bulkhead added squaring his shoulders.

Monalisa gasped then looked at Pandora and Michelangelo who were still on the ground in-between Bulkhead and 'Wheeljack'.

"Come here! NOW!" she ordered, to which Michelangelo and Pandora started to make their way towards her yet the Lizard Lady screamed as 'Wheeljack' reached a servo down to the turtle and Hybrid!

In fact, he was just about to grab Pandora, but Michelangelo bravely shoved her forward and he was grabbed instead!

"No!" Monalisa shouted.

"Mikey!" Raphael and Donatello cried in horror whilst April and Kemeko screamed in fear and Casey gasped in shock.

"Mike!" Bulkhead cried yet 'Wheeljack' moved towards the Ground-bridge controls and turned back to the group.

As that happened, Pandora turned around as she saw her beloved Uncle get grabbed by the imposter Wheeljack and her eyes flashed in anger.

"Let him go!" she screamed brandishing her claws and pounced like a tiger towards the disguised Decepticon but he lifted his pede to kick her!

"PANDORA! NO!" Monalisa and Raphael screamed at the same time!

But Bulkhead was quick to act, and he grabbed the Hybrid in mid-air and scooped her to him before turning to the fake Wheeljack furious that he had Michelangelo as a hostage and almost killed Pandora.

"Stay back or I'll squeeze him into pulp." Makeshift threatened in his real voice as he held Michelangelo out in front of him in a death-like grip as Michelangelo struggled to get free.

"Fooled you all pretty good, didn't I?" he cackled to which everyone glared at him.

Ratchet who was behind Makeshift attempted to help but the Decepticon glared at him with Michelangelo in his servo, warning the medic to back off.

"Decepticon coward! Let the turtle go and face me!" Bulkhead challenged angrily as he placed Pandora on the high platform to which Raphael pulled her close in a hug, and the wrecker got into a fighting stance.

"Don't fret," Makeshift hissed "Plenty of fighting to come."

The Hamato Clan glared daggers at Makeshift as they watched as well as felt scared for Michelangelo.

"Is there a REAL Wheeljack?" Casey asked worriedly.

"Oh there is!" Ironhide growled glaring at Makeshift.

Donatello's eyes widened as he started to piece together what must have happened.

"The Decepticons must be holding him captive." He revealed to the group "They sent this imposter in Wheeljack's place so he could learn the location of your base so Starscream can attack us when we least expect it!"

"What!?" the Hamato Clan cried and Monalisa hurried to the side of her mate and daughter in fear.

Makeshift smirked at Donatello.

"You're a clever one." He chuckled.

"That was your plan all along, wasn't it, Makeshift?" Ironhide demanded as he revealed the Decepticon's identity.

"Indeed. And I am sure that Lord Starscream is making sport of him." Makeshift tormented, angering Bulkhead even more as he thought of his friend and brother in arms at Starscream's mercy, or lack of it.

Back On the Decepticon Warship, as part of the plan to infiltrate the Autobot Base, Starscream and Soundwave stood on top of the Decepticon Warship with a large group of Eradicons ready to storm the Autobot base as soon as Makeshift opened the Ground Bridge into their base.

Yet unknown to them, Wheeljack was silently climbing up the side of the warship.

"Are you certain we are at the coordinates we supplied to Makeshift?" Starscream asked Soundwave, which earned him a nod in response.

"Then what is taking him?" He asked angrily.

He was running out of patience and was ready to attack once Makeshift made his move and the thought of the spilt energon of the Autobots on his servos was making him excited yet his energon ran cold as he heard a voice behind him.

"Maybe they gave your boy such a hero's welcome he got the warm and fuzzies and decided to switch sides."

Starscream was visibly surprised at the sound of the voice, and he looked around to see Wheeljack striding over, mouth guard in place ready to fight them head-on!

Starscream was indeed shocked at the fact the Autobot had escaped his cell, but he didn't show it.

"Do you not see you are vastly outnumbered?" Starscream tormented him gesturing to the soldiers behind him, yet his voice showed some concern seeing the wrecker walking over.

"I see fellas who might vastly enjoy me pound some dents into you." Wheeljack retorted as he rubbed his right hand over his left fist menacingly making the cowardly seeker flinch.

"Destroy him!" Starscream immediately commanded and at once, the Decepticon task force began open fire to which, Wheeljack retaliated with his own attack, using his swords to reflect their shots and make them hit the Decepticons who approached him instead letting out a war cry as he ran forward!

Within the Autobot base, Makeshift typed in some commands into the ground bridge whilst still holding Michelangelo hostage.

The Autobots were on guard and were trying to find a way to stop Makeshift, but also how to without causing harm to Michelangelo as they knew his life was at stake.

Pandora was hugging her father and tears of fear and hopelessness fell from her eyes as she saw her beloved Uncle at Makeshift's mercy.

She wanted to attack Makeshift like she had Starscream to save him, but she knew she risked Michelangelo being killed if she tried anything.

"It's alright Geisha." Monalisa soothed stroking her daughter's hair in an unsuccessful way to soothe her but to no avail "Everything's going to be okay..." she muttered looking at the glaring Autobots then at Makeshift and Michelangelo in worry.

Makeshift was making sure to keep a tight grip on mutant turtles as he was the only thing keeping the Autobots from tearing him limb from limb, while he waited impatiently for the Autobots' Ground Bridge controls to warm up.

The instant the Ground Bridge became operational, Makeshift input the coordinates given to him by Soundwave.

"About time." He said impatiently before activating the Ground Bridge vortex.

"Oh shit..." Raphael muttered.

"Oh boy..." Casey gulped.

"I wish Optimus was here!" Kemeko whimpered as she hugged April tightly.

"Me too Lotus." She whispered as she held the scared Asian girl close.

Hearing that, Donatello glared as a thought came to him and using his shell cell whilst Makeshift wasn't looking, he hit the distress call to alert Leonardo before turning to Ratchet and catching his optic, he winked.

Meanwhile back on the road in Nevada, Optimus and Leonardo were still driving and talking together after the incident with the traffic cop earlier.

Leonardo was telling Optimus about their friends in Mutopia and the adventures they had had together.

Although he did leave out the story where they had been accidently transported to Skyrim as well as the spell that had been cast on their Dungeons and Dragons game, they did years back where they ended up in that world as characters in the game.

As the Prime listened to his turtle companion, he was astonished to learn that there were other mutants in the world, not just the Hamato Clan.

"By the Allspark." He said, "Who would have comprehended there are other mutants on your planet."

"I know right?" Leonardo said, "For a long time I believed my brothers, Splinter, and I were the only mutants in the world, until Monalisa arrived, then we met the Mutopians."

"Your friend Tyroth sounds rather interesting." Optimus said, "A Dragon of all creatures, and as brave, strong and inspiring as one can possibly be."

Leonardo nodded.

"A very loyal and brave warrior." He spoke in an admiring tone "As well as a true friend and ally."

"I hope very much to meet them one day." Optimus said, "Should it be possible to do so and hopefully not under dangerous circumstances."

"We can only hope Prime..." Leonardo said until a bleep from his shell-cell made him jump.

"What the shell?" he questioned.

"Is everything alright Leonardo?" Optimus asked in a concerned voice.

Leonardo said nothing as he inspected his shell cell then his eyes widened, and his blood ran cold.

"Shit! It's Donnie's distress signal!" he reported.

"Distress?" Optimus questioned then his spark rate quickened as he thought of everyone back at the base.

"It's coming from the base!" Leonardo cried in horror "Oh Shell!" he then shouted in shock as Optimus made a suddenly turn on the road performing a doughnut ring manoeuvre and started to speed back towards the base.

"We shall return right away Leonardo!" he said, "Hold on tight!"

Leonardo nodded as he recovered from his fright and Optimus started to get in contact with Ratchet.

"Ratchet, Come in Ratchet, is everything alright!?"

Makeshift's cover has been blown! Yet he's holding Michelangelo hostage as he gets in contact with Starscream! But Donatello, clever as always has alerted Leonardo and Optimus to return to base!

Note: For those unsure, the Skyrim adventure and Dungeons and Dragons incident Leonardo doesn't tell Optimus yet come from Tyroth Darkstorm's Fanfics 'Mutants Misplaced' and 'Role Playing Gone Wrong' and the character Tyroth the Dragon as well as Mutopia belong to him!

You can check out his amazing stories on his page via my favouraite authors tab on my page!

Have fun!