Here we are! On another chapter or episode if you will of Transformers Prime/TMNT 2003 style! Hope you enjoy it!

Note: Credit to Tyroth Darkstorm, a true Transformers fan who has given me the education and knowledge I need for what you see here in this chapter, also, Kate the Viper belongs to him.

Chapter Forty-Five

Who We Were Before

A week after the escapade with the Dingus went by and things were once again quiet.

The Hamato Clan had been back and forth between New York and the Autobot base after April and Casey informed them of some Foot Clan Activity which involved dealings with the Purple Dragons, which they dealt with without issues apart from a few cuts and bruises as well as venom burns when they had confronted the Venomous Five.

Presently, after a morning of ninja training, Pandora and Kemeko were watching a comedy cartoon show on the TV with Bumblebee and Bulkhead watching with them.

Raphael and Monalisa were out with Arcee, Splinter was resting in the bunker, Donatello was watching the screens with Ratchet and Leonardo was with Optimus on another energon scout.

Meanwhile Michelangelo was on his laptop talking to Kate via Discord. He still hadn't told his Viper girlfriend of the Autobots nor their latest adventures.

Leonardo had given everyone strict instructions not to tell their Mutopian friends about the Autobots, at least not now.

Yet Michelangelo felt bad that he was keeping the secret from Kate, and even if he did tell her, he knew Kate could keep secrets, but this was too big a secret to keep even for her so he just chatted with her about their latest missions in New York or life in general back in the lair and how they were looking forward to seeing each other again soon.

Ironhide was standing nearby watching the turtle then he saw a photo of Kate pop up on the computer with her standing naked from the waist up and winking.

Michelangelo quickly made sure no-one else saw that was until he saw Ironhide had caught sight of it, and he went pink with embarrassment that an Autobot had seen the flirty photo she had taken and sent to him.

"Sorry Hide!" he said sheepishly, "You shouldn't have seen that really."

Ironhide chuckled.

"It's alright." He said "Well, you earthlings got your ways when showing affection and love, and we got ours, she's a pretty one may I add." He said speaking about Kate.

"Yeah, she is." Michelangelo said dreamily then looked at Ironhide.

"You got a girlfriend?" he asked.

Ironhide was a bit caught off guard at that question and a look of nostalgia glazed over him as he looked to the roof.

"Actually." The red and black veteran said, "I do have a conjunx endura."

"A what?" Michelangelo asked cocking his head.

"In your term, a spouse." Ironhide explained.

The orange masked turtle gawped as he looked at the red and black coloured Autobot.

"No way dude!" Michelangelo said, "You're married?"

Ironhide nodded.

"Yes, Chromia is her name." He said, "We were together for many stellar cycles, many before the War."

"Stell-what?" Michelangelo asked confused.

"Years Mike!" Donatello called over answering the question before Michelangelo could ask again.

"Ah I see." Michelangelo said then looked up at Ironhide who looked rather dreamy as well as a little saddened.

"Where is she now?" Michelangelo asked to which Ironhide sighed.

"I haven't seen her in over millennia, not since Cybertron went dark, last time I saw her, she was helping Elita One gather other refugees as we were evacuating the planet, she didn't want to leave her leader and best friend."

Michelangelo's eyes widened.

"Whoa Dude!" he said "Over Millenia? I don't think I could never bare to be separated from Kate without speaking to her for that long, if I could live that long." He added the last part.

"Many of us are separated from our friends and loved ones because of the war." Ironhide said sadly.

"That we are." Ratchet said with a sigh as he overheard the conversation.

"So far, apart from Wheeljack, we haven't had contact from anyone else from Cybertron, not since we arrive here on Earth."

"Where do you think they are?" Donatello asked.

"Only Primus knows." Ironhide said "When the Planet was evacuated, everyone just scattered, some are in hiding and won't respond to any calls in fear of being discovered and killed, some are fighting their own battles or formed resistances in other galaxies, and some...well..." Ironhide paused for a moment "Some others well... were terminated by the Decepticons before their ships even took off in air raids..."

"Oh Gosh." Michelangelo breathed, and he started to wonder if this Chromia Ironhide mentioned might have been offlined.

"You mentioned Milenia you've been apart since the Planet went dark?" Donatello asked curiously.

"Are the lives of Autobots so long?"

"They are yes." Ironhide said "The lifespan of a bot or con is nearly unlimited."

"Wow!"

A gasp was heard from Pandora who had also been listening in on the conversation and she blinked.

"So, you're basically immortal?" she asked, "You can never die?"

"Oh, we die just like you Earthlings." Ratchet said, "Whether by being killed or old age, but we always become one with the All-Spark eventually."

"You know something." Kemeko said pausing the cartoon show she and Pandora were watching.

"You guys never told us what you did before the war."

Everyone looked at the Asian Girl.

"You know, like jobs and lifestyles." She explained.

"That's a thought!" Pandora piped up as she jumped onto the top of the sofa "I bet you all weren't born to be warriors."

"Not all of us weren't, no." Ironhide said "Well, I was part of the Elite Guard, so I was trained to fight."

"Cybertron Military Force." Donatello said.

"Yep, one of the most dedicated students at the Autobot Academy before I worked my way up to be one of the high-ranking soldiers." Ironhide stated proudly.

"Nice!" Michelangelo said, "Although I'm not sure I'd be keen on the harsh discipline and drills."

"Never been your thing, Mike!" Donatello said, "You wouldn't last five minutes! You barely focus when training with sensei, and even with Tyroth when he's doing training with the Knights!"

"Hey!" Michelangelo called over making the girls laugh "I resent that!"

"What about you Bulk?" Pandora asked looking at Bulkhead.

"Me? Before I became a warrior, I was a labourer." He said "Construction."

Pandora stared at the wrecker with her head cocked on one side, yet she could imagine the giant autobot being in that kind of job given how big and strong he was.

"I know right?" Bulkhead said, "Funny coming from a Wrecker, but even though I'm good at breaking things, I can build things too!"

"Ratchet's always been a medic, he was the one of the top medics in the Elite Guard." Ironhide said pointing a thumb at Ratchet.

"And I still continue the same work currently as I did back then!" Ratchet said.

"What about you Bee?" Kemeko asked looking at the yellow scout who looked up then started to bleep and whirr in reply then Ratchet spoke.

"Bumblebee was part of the last generation born before the All-Spark was lost." He said, "When he was born, all he knew was fighting for the planet, he never saw what Cybertron was like before it was plunged into Chaos."

"Wow..." Pandora said, "So basically you've been born into the war and learnt to fight from the day you functioned?"

Bumblebee bleeped and nodded.

"Wow..." Pandora breathed then she looked at Kemeko.

"Almost like us in a way, we've been born into the world of Ninjas, and fighters, as that's what we live to do."

"True that." Kemeko agreed "Yet our planet is still normal in a way, we have our pleasures as well as our times in battle, unlike Bee who only knows fighting."

Bumblebee then spoke in bleep again to which Ironhide translated.

"He might not have known Cybertron before it's war, but since arriving on your planet, he has experienced the pleasures and joys of it, as well all have! Even you Ratchet!" he added with a sneaky grin to which Ratchet rolled his eyes.

"Come on Doc!" Ironhide grinned "Admit it! You've found Earth rather enjoyable despite your reservations!"

Ratchet groaned and rolled his optics again.

"Alright! Alright!" he said, "I will admit this planet is very different to Cybertron with it's softer surface, and more colours, but that's it!" he added with a snap before turning to the screens muttering and making Pandora chuckle.

Just then there was a rumbling of engines, and everyone looked to see Arcee returning with Raphael and Monalisa.

"Whoa! Great ride Arcee!" Raphael said as he got off Arcee's bike form along with Monalisa removing their helmets then Arcee transformed into her bipedal form.

"A pleasure Raph." Arcee winked then looked at everyone gathered at the raised platform.

"What you guys chatting about?" she asked.

"Hi Arcee." Ironhide said "The Earthlings are curious about our lives before the War, or at least those of us who remember the years before the Great War." He added.

"Are they now?" Arcee asked intrigued as she walked over, Raphael and Monalisa following behind.

"What was your job before the war?" Michelangelo asked, studying the femme, and trying to guess what her job would be.

"Me?" Arcee asked "Well, I was born just before the War, in fact according to what I was told, I came to be just as the Age of Rust began."

"Age of Rust?" Donatello asked.

Ratchet looked rather ill, as did Ironhide.

"I don't know which is worse, the Age of Rust or the Great War." Ironhide said.

"Both were equally bad!" Bulkhead chimed in.

"The Rust Plague was just as nasty as Scraplets, if not worse."

"Dare I ask what it does to you?" Pandora asked.

"It's a micro-organism that devours Cybertronian metals," Ratchet explained "If an Autobot or Decepticon is infected, it grows all over the body, then eventually they waste away to nothing..." he added in a grave voice.

"Yikes..." Pandora and Kemeko said in unison whilst Michelangelo looked scared.

"Nasty!"

"Anyway." Arcee said decided to change the subject as she didn't want to scare the Hamato Clan any more than needed.

"I was a Scout to the Femme Unit lead by Elita-One during the Great War." She explained "Trained with them to be who I am now."

"You mentioned this Elita-One before." Michelangelo said, "Who was she?"

Arcee opened her mouth but closed it again like a fish before looking at Ratchet and Ironhide who looked rather conflicted.

The three Autobots looked at each other as if contemplating whether to speak about her or not which got the Hamato Clan curious especially when they started to speak in Cybertronian.

"There they go again." Pandora said, "Must be a big secret, this Elita One?"

"Gotta be a reason behind why they're having their private chat." Kemeko said.

"Also, we haven't found out what Optimus did before he became Prime." Pandora pointed out "Now him I'm very curious about."

"I'm inclined to agree Geisha." Raphael said as he looked towards the entrance of the base "It would be rather interesting to learn who he was, he can't have like how he is now since the day he was born."

"Which brings me to another question." Donatello said "How Cybertronians are born."

"Can't be like us on Earth?" Kemeko mused "Like live birth or laying eggs or whatever."

"We can ask them that at a later date, we can't bombard them too much with our questions." Donatello advised.

"Maybe we could ask them to dedicate a day where they tell us about the timeline of events on Cybertron before they came here?" Monalisa suggested "We've heard a few stories from them but not in full detail."

"That's a good idea sis!" Donatello smiled then looked back at Ironhide, Ratchet and Arcee still deep in Cybertronian Conversation.

"I wonder if Prime might tell us a few stories?" Raphael pondered as he thought of Optimus and Leonardo out on their solo scouting mission.

"Do you think Leo might tell us anything the Big O told him?" Michelangelo asked curiously.

"I don't think he will Mike." Monalisa said "From what I've observed, Optimus seems like a private bot, and even if he and Leo have gotten close, I doubt he'd tell anything too deep."

"I've noticed your older brother and Optimus have gotten very close." Bulkhead spoke up to which Bumblebee agreed with a few bleeps and whirrs.

"The Boss Bot never seems to let anyone join him when he's scouting, although on rare occasions when he needs company, he often asks Ironhide or Ratchet."

Bumblebee bleeped then Bulkhead nodded.

"Yeah, true that." He said, "He's known them the longest, even before the war."

"Yet Leonardo seems to be on the same level now, and rather fast too." Michelangelo said.

"They seem to have a lot in common." Monalisa said looking to the entrance of the silo.

"And it's nice to see Leonardo with someone he can talk to, rather than just Tyroth about being a leader and the many responsibilities one must carry."

Just then, a bleeping sound came from the computer screens, and everyone looked over.

"I'm detecting a fresh energon pulse, from a nation called, Greece." Ratchet reported.

"Greece?" the Hamato Clan exclaimed.

"Oh wow!" Pandora cried clapping her hands "Greece!"

Bulkhead looked over to the hybrid.

"You seem excited." He stated.

Pandora looked over at him.

"Like yeah!" she said, "My name is Greek!"

"It is?" Arcee asked.

Pandora nodded and Monalisa and Raphael stepped forward to explain.

"Pandora was the first woman in Greek Mythology," Raphael explained "And our Pandora was the first-born mutant in our clan."

"That I am!" Pandora exclaimed proudly then looked at Ratchet "Can I go too? Please?"

Bulkhead looked at the excited Pandora then back at Ratchet.

"Don't see any harm." He said, "I can search for energon whilst she explores right?"

"Sure!" Ratchet replied without looking away from the screens "whatever works!"

"Yay!" Pandora cheered.

"Me too!" Kemeko joined in "I'd love to see the history of Greece!"

"Field Trip!" Donatello said, "I'm for it! It's been difficult to do those as mutants unless we go topside after hours in New York."

"So am I." Monalisa said before hugging her daughter and niece.

"Stay safe girls."

Raphael also hugged his daughter and Kemeko.

"Be good." He winked before letting them go.

"All ready Ratchet!" Bulkhead said giving the medic a thumbs up.

"By all means!" Ratchet said putting in the co-ordinates and the Ground bridge fired up the Bulkhead transformed into his vehicle form and the girls jumped in before driving through the ground bridge.

So the Hamato Clan have learnt more on the Autobots as well as some others, and I'm sure those who've seen the shows across the ages know of whom were spoken of!