Chapter Sixty-Five

Inside the Enemies' Head

Arcee was appalled and everyone at the base could only guess how she was reacting.

"Enter Megatron's Brain?" she exclaimed "Ratchet, are you out of your fragging mind?"

"The Decepticon laboratory should contain all the equipment you need for a cortical psychic patch!" Ratchet went on.

"No way!" Arcee objected "Have you ever even performed the procedure?" she demanded.

"No..." Ratchet replied gravely "But I have thoroughly studied the theoretical literature, invented by Decepticons, outlawed by Autobots."

"What is this?" Kemeko asked "What's he talking about?"

Bulkhead moved over to the raised platform.

"It's a procedure that allows someone to enter their mind and see all that's in here!" he tapped the side of his head.

"They often used it to find the deepest darkest secrets within, especially to those who wouldn't give information willingly, even under torture."

Pandora winced and the turtles, Splinter and Monalisa looked appalled.

"Whoa..." Michelangelo breathed "Can you imagine seeing what Shredder had in his mind?"

"Or Arden for that matter?" Monalisa muttered as she thought of all the sick things the Mad head scientist of the Foot Clan would have in his brain.

"Whoa!" Arcee tried to reason "Can't we just haul Megatron through the Ground-Bridge, buy us some time to figure this out?"

"Time is one thing that Optimus does not have!" Ratchet snapped "One of you must try this! I will not allow Optimus to pass, knowing Megatron will outlive him!" he bellowed.

"Ratchet, I would lay down my life for Optimus!" Arcee stated fervently "Anytime, anywhere, but a mind body split?"

Just then a bleeping noise was heard as everyone heard Bumblebee state in his own language that he would do it if Arcee couldn't.

"You will?" she asked.

"Are you sure Bumblebee?" Donatello asked to which Bumblebee was heard bleeping back.

"He's gonna do it?" Pandora asked in a scared voice.

"Bee's the best scout there is." Bulkhead said.

"Darn tootin' he is!" Ironhide agreed "Best Scout I know!"

Pandora and Kemeko looked at each other in fear for their friend and guardian and their respected parents stood closer to them to offer comfort.

Meanwhile in another part of the ship, Starscream was standing before some of his Vehicons looking furious that the cloaking device on the Nemesis was faulty.

"Why has the electromagnetic shielding not been prepared!?" he demanded.

"The Crews are working as quickly as they can Lord Star..."

Starscream cut him off by slapping him on the chest.
"We are leaking a trail!" he shouted, "All the Autobots need do to pinpoint our position is to access the correct frequency wavelength, accelerate your efforts!" he ordered.

"Yes Lord Starscream." Another Vehicon said with a slight groan in his voice before leaving with the others to continue fixing the ship.

"I don't know if he's worse than Megatron." He thought to himself "We're doing our best to fix the ship!"

As they left, Knock Out soon entered.

"Doctor in the House." He announced.

"Ah Knock Out." Starscream turned to the red medic "And how is the patient doing today?"

"Same old." Knock Out reported with a bored tone.

"An inglorious fate that he should remain in this vegetative state." Starscream lamented with a hint of sarcasm in his voice, as he was pleased there was still no change in Megatron's condition.

"On the contrary." Knock Out spoke up "Megatron's body may be scrap metal, but his mind is still percolating."

"Keep that to yourself!" Starscream snapped "That blasted Soundwave sees and hears everything!"

The last thing the commanding Seeker wanted was the Decepticon communicator to know anything that meant there was hope Megatron would survive, and he would have to step down from his position.

"The Eyes and Ears of the Decepticons." Knock Out said.

"Well as long as their Master remains in limbo, so does their cause!" Starscream reasoned "The Decepticons deserve a strong alert leader."

"One who would require a loyal second in command." Knock Out smirked.
Starscream chuckled.

"A candidate would need to earn that post." Starscream countered "By making a strong case to said eyes and ears."

"A case for Showing Mercy Lord Starscream?" Knock Out asked, his eyes narrowing and his smirk getting wider.

"You scratch my back, I scratch yours!" Starscream replied, the same evil smile curled on his face.

Meanwhile in the Labatoratory, unknown to the Decepticons, Arcee was busy hooking a cable up to Megatron then she crept into a small hidden area where Bumblebee was preparing himself for the procedure.

Donatello was looking scared.

When he realised what they were going to do, he felt ill and wondered what Bumblebee would see in there.

Seeing the young yellow scout, he couldn't help but feel there was a sort of childlike innocence in him as he was the youngest of the Autobots, and he felt rather saddened that unlike Pandora, Kemeko, the Geckolings and even Sonia to an extent, that he hadn't had a childhood in a Cybertronian way before he became a fighter, as Bumblebee had not seen Cybertron during his Golden years like the others, and he hoped that if, or when as the Autobots kept believing the war was over, Bumblebee would live to see a new Golden age, but that seemed a long way away.

The Brainy turtle was soon brought out of his thoughts as Arcee arrived with the cable and looked at Bumblebee who gave her a thumbs up.

Arcee nodded back at him and commed Ratchet.

"Ratchet we're ready!" she reported.

"Initiate Cortical psychic patch." Ratchet ordered and Arcee connected the cable to the back of Bumblebee's head.

As she did, a purple zig-zag appeared on the cord showing it was active and Bumblebee's head jerked and his eyes widened and flashed then he slumped as they went off as if someone had switch him off inside.

Donatello watched in worry and Arcee sat next to Bumblebee as well as kept glancing at the body of Megatron wondering what her comrade and friend would see in there as well as keep her eyes open in case anyone came in and discovered them, which was possible, and she was ready to fight if they did.

Back at the base, as Arcee connected Bumblebee to Megatron, Ratchet, Bulkhead, Ironhide and the Hamato Clan watched the screen and before long a landscape of rocks and a red sun and dust appeared.

"Communications downlink activated." Ratchet reported.

"Wow!" Pandora and Kemeko cried together as they watched.

"This will allow us to see and hear everything Bumblebee does while within Megatron's subconscious mind." Ratchet explained.

"Awesome!" Michelangelo said.

Leonardo, Splinter, Monalisa and Raphael didn't speak as they just observed.

"Where's that?" Kemeko asked as she saw on the screen a long metal bridge in the red and brown firey fog.

She then heard Bumblebee's bleeps on the screen as he answered her question.

"Kaon." Bulkhead confirmed "The Decepticon state capital back on Cybertron."

"Whoa...seems appropriate." Pandora said.

A couple of pained gasps were heard and Ironhide looked up worried.

"Ratchet!" he said, "Optimus's vitals!"

"I know." Ratchet said softly then looked at the screen pinning all his hopes on Bumblebee to find the cure.

"Quickly Bumblebee." Ratchet encouraged "I know you're in unknown territory, but you must figure out where information might be filed in Megatron's Mind."

Leonardo shifted a little on his feet, as he looked at Optimus still laying there on the berth trying to stay alive long enough for the cure to be found, and his stomach did a few somersaults in worry.

After all the weeks of bonding with the Prime, and how he now considered him a good friend as well as a role model like Tyroth, he was terrified he would lose him.

"After all we've been through so far Optimus." He thought "Please, don't give up, please...stay..."

He soon felt Splinter's paw on his hand, and he looked over.

The rat was giving him a comforting look, one he recognised from when he felt he was in his darkness moments, many he didn't wish to recall.

"Don't give up hope Leonardo." Splinter whispered, "Bumblebee will find the cure and Optimus will be well again."

Leonardo blinked as he felt a tear escape his eye and Splinter reached up and wiped it away.

"Be strong my son." He said, "For Optimus."

Leonardo nodded and he closed his eyes before praying to the powers that be that Bumblebee would find the answers and Optimus would be saved.

Meanwhile, Bumblebee as he had been connected to the cable had lost all sense of where he was in the real world, and he found himself sucked into the mind of Megatron.

He had been rather shocked that the patch worked and was even more surprised to hear Ratchet's voice in his comm-link.

As much as he was amazed as well as a little scared at where he was, recognising Kaon from back on Cybertron.

But he pushed his feelings aside as he knew he had a job to do, and that was to find a cure for Optimus and save his leader from Cybonic Plague.

The Yellow Scout walked on a little further until he came to a large area surrounded by rocks and metal, he searched around the deserted place until he saw a familiar being standing a few feet away from him!

Bumblebee's eyes widened as he saw Optimus standing there and he ran over to greet him, only to hear Ratchet's voice.

"Bumblebee! That is not Optimus, but a figment of Megatron's mind, it cannot see or hear you."

Bumblebee was alarmed as he realised that Ratchet could see what he could see, yet he didn't have the chance to question how or why when he heard a familiar laugh behind the Prime that made his energon run cold.

"Optimus Prime!"

Bumblebee then saw Megatron standing on a ledge above looking down on Prime with a smirk on his face, one that appeared triumphant.

"Your Autobot Armies are defeated! Bow before your New Master!"

The figment of Optimus turned to face Megatron.

"Never Megatron!" Optimus stated as he produced his blade "One shall stand! One shall fall!"

"So be it!" Megatron growled before producing his own blade and jumping down from the platform to Optimus's level before running at him, Prime glowered and also charged towards him, yet before he could lay a blow on Megatron, the Warlord sliced through Optimus, and he froze before turning to dust!

Back at the base, everyone watched on the screen that showed everything from Bumblebee's point of view.

The Hamato Clan gasped as they watched, yet Bulkhead cocked his head in confusion.

"That never happened!" he pointed out.

"Yeah!" Ironhide agreed "What gives?"

"It's not a memory." Ratchet explained "We're seeing Kaon as Megatron has recreated it, in his darkest dreams".

"Makes sense." Raphael said, "I'm not expert, but I'm sure we've had dreams where we're recreated scenarios of previous battles or adventures right?"

"I am inclined to agree Raphael." Splinter spoke up as he watched the screen.

Back in Megatron's mind, Bumblebee had stepped back and had watched the whole scene in horror, but he was even more surprised when another figure of Optimus appeared from the rocks near him and started to step towards the Warlord.

"Megatron, your treachery ends here!"

As that happened, Megatron turned to Optimus and put his sword away before activating his arm cannon and aiming it at the Prime.

As he did so, Bumblebee felt the need to leap in front of Prime to save him and he dashed forward as the Warlord fired.

As he did so, the shot went past Bumblebee and hit Optimus who once again turned to dust!

Bumblebee gasped and whirred as he saw that then heard Megatron step up to him and growl.

"The Autobot scout!" he snarled "The punishment for trespassing in my domain is your destruction!"

He lifted his blade and with a yell brought it down on Bumblebee who jumped back in shock, yet to his surprise, the blade went straight through him!

Bumblebee bleeped in shock and looked up at Megatron whose fury turned to alarm.

"How can this be?" he questioned then started to slash at Bumblebee again, only for the blade to phase through him!

When that happened, the Warlord kept slicing and dicing, yet still the blade did nothing.

Back at the base, everyone watched the whole scene and despite their initial fear, they soon realised no matter how much Megatron tried to slash at the scout, he couldn't be hurt!

"Megatron can't touch Bee?" Kemeko asked.

"Because he's not a creation of Megatron's mind." Ratchet explained "Bumblebee is immune to his Physical attack."

"That's comforting." Monalisa said.

Back with Bumblebee, the Scout looked up at Megatron who stopped trying to attack him and started to study him to find out why he couldn't touch him.

"You're not wearing displacement armour." He said, "Your eyes track my movements so you're not a hologram, and I do not believe in spirits."

He paused and glared down at Bumblebee.

"So tell me Scout!" he snapped "What are you?!"

"Megatron!"

Optimus's voice was heard again and Megatron and Bumblebee looked over to see not only Optimus, but Bulkhead, Ironhide, and Bumblebee accompanying him.

Back at the Base, everyone continued to watch and were surprised to see the four Autobots including a clone of Bumblebee.

"Uh oh, Special Guests stars." Michelangelo quipped.

"This is not Good..." Ratchet muttered.

"What do you mean, not Good?" Pandora asked.

"Shhh." Raphael hissed to his daughter.

Back in Megatron's mind, Bumblebee looked at the four figures including himself and looked at Megatron bleeping at him then walked over to the four figures then over to himself before waving in front of them bleeping as if saying 'Hello!', yet the figures didn't respond to him as he wasn't as Ratchet stated a creation of Megatron's mind.

Megatron meanwhile roared in frustration and fired his cannon at the figures and Bumblebee, yet the scout again remained unharmed whilst the figures crumbled to dust.

Megatron glared as he watched and came to the realisation of why Bumblebee was there.

"You are real!" he said, "They were not!"

He then chuckled as he began to piece together what was really happening.

"A cortical Psychic Patch!" he exclaimed "How unexpected."

The Warlord stood still and looked around as he contemplated the situation then glared as he started to realise more what was going on, yet he didn't have any answers to his theories to why the yellow Scout was there in his mind.

"If this is my subconscious." He mused then turned to Bumblebee before leaning down into his face.

"What are you doing inside my Head!?" he roared.

Back at the base, Ratchet looked concerned.

"We've stirred Megatron from his Oblivion!" he announced.

"We have?" Ironhide asked.

"He's becoming self-aware!" Ratchet reported.

"Aww shell." Michelangelo gulped.

"Crud..." Raphael muttered.

Leonardo meanwhile frowned as he watched and hope rose in his belly as he thought that if that was happening, it meant that they were able to get the answers they needed to help Optimus.

"Come on Bee," he prayed "Come on, find the cure...please..." he looked back at Optimus who was still venting and struggling to stay conscious, Ironhide still holding his servo as well as clutching the object in the rag to his chest.

Bumblebee has entered Megatron's mind and the Warlord has discovered the Scouts Presence...