Note: The Character Vulstrun mentioned appears in Tyroth Darkstorm's TMNT fanfic 'Nemesis'.
Chapter Eleven
Discoveries
The following morning, Raphael and Monalisa rode out of the Autobot Silo on Arcee followed by Bumblebee and Bulkhead who had Pandora, Kemeko and Michelangelo with them.
After waking up and having breakfast (Most of which was what food they had taken from the farmhouse which consisted of bread, preserves and cereal with the milk they had left as they had as yet no means to cook anything, but no-one complained), Optimus had suggested that whilst he and Ironhide had a conference along with Splinter and Leonardo about their situation, that Arcee, Bumblebee and Bulkhead take their new friends out for some bonding time.
Ratchet meanwhile wanted to study the liquid found on Arcee and Donatello and April requested to stay and observe, much to the Medic's chargrin, but he agreed as long as they didn't pester him with endless questions.
Meanwhile Casey decided to keep himself entertained with the television in the base, he was still rather sad at the fact he couldn't go back to the farmhouse for a bit, but he held onto the hope that they would before too long.
As they left the base and through the long tunnel, they had realised that the base was hidden inside a large rock formation of Cathedral Gorge in the middle of the Nevada Desert!
"That is amazing!" Monalisa had exclaimed as they left via the secret entrance.
"I'll say!" Raphael agreed looking behind him but then looked where he was going to avoid crashing before he realised that it was Arcee driving herself and he didn't need to control her vehicle mode.
Monalisa watched Bumblebee and Bulkhead drive off with Pandora, Kemeko and Michelangelo and she hoped they would be safe despite Optimus's promise that they would as he trusted his soldiers to protect their charges.
"I doubt it's Bee and Bulkhead you need to worry about." Donatello had said "Michelangelo and Pandora are double trouble enough when they're together!" to which the Hamato Clan agreed.
"Either messing around or playing pranks, they're true partners in crime." Raphael groaned.
Ratchet had looked almost relieved at the fact the turtle and Hybrid wouldn't be in his way and from the look on his face the mutants and humans wondered if he had known anyone who was just as troublesome.
Before long the turtle, lizard and Arcee reached a long road in the middle of the desert where there were no cars nor houses.
"Why we here?" Raphael asked as Arcee slowed to a halt.
"It's a quiet road here." Arcee explained "I tend to do a few drives down here, and sometimes the odd race..." her tone was slightly sad for a moment, but she cleared her voice then she got upbeat.
"Tighten your grip Raph, Mona!" she said warningly, and Raphael did so, as did Monalisa then Arcee sped off like a rocket!
"Whoa! The Shell!?" Raphael cried.
"What's with you Arcee?" Monalisa squealed as she held onto Raphael tightly.
Arcee then suddenly did a wheelie move and drove on her rear tyre which both scared and excited the two mutants at the same time.
"Thought you might actually enjoy the ride if you were not getting shot at by Cons" Arcee replied playfully.
"Wow! Bring it!" Raphael grinned and he felt Monalisa's arms around his waist tighten as Arcee went faster and both whooped and cheered excitedly like a couple of young teenagers.
Meanwhile in another part of the desert, Bulkhead and Bumblebee were with Pandora, Kemeko and Michelangelo.
The two Autobots were sitting on some large rocks watching the hybrid, turtle, and human girl as they were demonstrating their fighting skills.
Michelangelo had brought a picnic with them for lunch (Or rather a plastic bag of potatoe chips and fizzy drinks) and was standing to the side as he watched Pandora practising with Mr Swinger and Kemeko was dodging and leaping around to avoid the weapon.
Bulkhead and Bumblebee both watched in fascination as well as flinched as Pandora threw the ball end of Mr Swinger at Kemeko who did a backflip then she grabbed the chain as the ball whizzed past her and she pulled Pandora towards her.
"Get over here!" she growled and threw Pandora to the ground knocking the wind out of her!
Bumblebee bleeped and Bulkhead winced.
"Hey! That's my line!" Pandora cried as she looked up at Kemeko who was grinning and Michelangelo was laughing.
"Sorry! Couldn't resist!" Kemeko said holding a hand out to her cousin to which the hybrid took it and was helped up.
"You okay kid?" Bulkhead asked concerned and Bumblebee bleeped the same question.
"Yeah? You okay?" Kemeko asked as Pandora dusted herself off "Didn't throw you down too hard, did I?"
"I'm good!" Pandora said, "I've had worse before."
"That you have!" Michelangelo said, "All the times you've been thrown about by Purple Dragons, Foot Ninja, the V5, not to mention that time with Vulstrun!" he paled as he remembered that time.
Even though it had been years, five to be exact, he still felt a funny tingling in his belly because of how scary it had been.
Bumblebee looked at Michelangelo and bleeped to him in question to which the orange masked turtle looked confused.
"Huh?" he asked scratching his head where the knot of his mask was "I don't speak bleep."
Bumblebee frowned then Bulkhead spoke.
"He asked who those guys you mentioned were." He translated "Since your Rat Sensei didn't speak much about the enemies you've faced when we met yesterday."
"Oh right!" Michelangelo said "Well..."
He then started to speak more about the Gangs back in New York, as well as the Foot, and enemies they had faced before Monalisa came into their lives and before the girls were born, all the while the two Autobots stared at Michelangelo in amazement and Bulkhead's jaw dropped slightly.
As the turtle was talking, Kemeko looked at Pandora.
"We might need to figure out a way to communicate better." Kemeko suggested looking at Bumblebee.
Pandora nudged Kemeko.
"He's like Sweep from The Sooty Show." She said to which Kemeko agreed.
"Yeah, I still wonder how they are able to understand him, but then again that was a show."
Meanwhile back at the base, Casey was on the sofa still watching the TV, whilst Donatello and April were standing near to Ratchet on the high platform as he was analysing the liquid he had found on Arcee yesterday.
He had taken a sample to be looked at more closely by dropping a bit on a glass slide to put under a microscope.
Ratchet was glad for the peace and quiet as in his mind houseguests could be such a bother, although he didn't mind the fact that Donatello and April were interested in his work, so he allowed the them to observe.
Right now, the Autobot medic was looking through a large microscope and was analysing his latest find.
"So what is it have you found there Ratchet?" Donatello asked as he watched.
Ratchet looked up.
"I'm analysing some purple goo that was found on Arcee yesterday." The medic replied a little peeved he had been distracted.
"What is it?" April asked.
"I'm not sure." Ratchet answered, "The base elements of this goo are nothing like I've ever encountered "But it must have been extremely concentrated to have affected Arcee so rapidly, unfortunately complete results are slow coming without the use of proper diagnostic tools, thank you very much Bulkhead!" he grumbled the last part.
Donatello leaned in to try and see, yet as he did, his ninja ears picked up a small tinkling sound.
April noticed his look and she looked around as well then blinked as she too heard the same noise, and it was getting louder.
"You hear that?" Donatello asked to which Ratchet looked up frowning.
"Hear what?" he demanded.
"Sounds like scattering legs." April said then looked to Casey who had muted the TV when he took heard it and stood up.
"It's getting louder." Donatello muttered taking out his staff ready to protect April and Casey from whatever that noise was as he didn't trust it.
Ratchet meanwhile called Optimus's name wondering if it was his leader but then he cried out in shock when he looked behind him.
"By the Allspark!"
Before them was a large metal claw like tool with metal legs like a spider and a purple light in the middle like a menacing eye!
"What the shell?!" Donatello cried.
"It's the tool Bulkhead broke earlier!" Ratchet cried as he swiped at the possessed piece of machinery to get it away from him as well as his three companions.
"How come that thing is alive!?" Casey cried as he pulled April behind him whilst Donatello spun his bo staff as he stood in front of the two humans.
Ratchet meanwhile picked up a metal bar as the creature came at him again! It then jumped over him and onto the platform where Donatello, April and Casey were!
April screamed, Casey grabbed his hockey stick from his golf bag and stood with Donatello to fight it!
"Bring it!" Casey shouted throwing his stick around, but the creature leapt for him, and the turtle and it landed on Casey pinning him down!
"Casey!" April screamed as the creature got ready to tear at her downed husband!
Donatello ran over to assist and struck the creature with his bo staff but the creature slashed at him with one of its sharp metal legs and sliced the bo staff like a hot knife through butter!
"Hey!" Donatello shouted in defiance as well as shock!
"Move!" Ratchet roared and hit the possessed claw tool with the metal bar making it leap onto the Medic's workstation!
April and Donatello went to see if Casey was alright which thankfully he was if not a little shocked and they watched Ratchet battle with the creature as it scattered around then it sliced the microscope Ratchet was using minutes earlier in two!
"I needed that!" Ratchet roared, angry at the fact that two of his machinery was destroyed in a short space of time!
Yet the Medic jumped back as the creature came at him again but just as it was about to a shot was heard and the creature was blasted out of the air, and it fell to the floor crackling electricity!
Ratchet, Donatello, April and Casey looked over and saw Ironhide had fired the shot and Optimus was behind him with Leonardo and Splinter on his left shoulder and holding onto his neck cables to be secure.
"What in the tarnation is going on here?" Ironhide asked as Optimus placed his hand up to his left shoulder so Splinter and Leonardo could get on it which they did and he gently put them on the platform so they could check in on their friends welfare.
"My son! Miss O'Neil, Mr Jones!" Splinter said concerned "Are you alright?!""
"Man! We glad to see you guys!" Casey sighed with relief as Donatello and April helped him up.
"What happened here?" Leonardo asked, "We heard shouts!"
Ratchet was about to explain but he jumped as the possessed clawed monster suddenly got back up again, but before it could do anymore damage, Prime's giant foot stamped on it and crushed it flat!
"And stay broken!" Ratchet stated at the crushed machinery then turned to Optimus who was looking at him in concern.
"Now what could have caused that!?" Ratchet asked to which Optimus looked grim.
"I have a grave decision Ratchet." He said gravely "Dark Energon."
"Dark what?" the two autobots looked over when they heard Donatello's voice and the others had joined him at the railings.
Optimus looked at them in concern whilst Ratchet started to clean up the remains of the possessed tool to dispose of safely with Ironhide helping him.
"Did that creature harm you?" he asked worriedly looking at Donatello, Casey and April.
"No luckily." Donatello reported looking at Casey, "It knocked Casey down, but didn't leave a mark, though same can't be said for my staff!" he held up the two broken pieces.
"I do apologise." Optimus said sincerely.
"It's alright." Donatello sighed "It's not the first time my Bo Staff's been wrecked; I'll just have to make another one."
"We got it!" Ironhide called holding up a large glass capsule with the pieces of the broken possessed tool to which Optimus looked at it and pondered.
"I must have dropped a bit of that goo on it when I was taking it to be analysed." Ratchet mused then sighed feeling guilty that the creature had almost hurt the humans and turtle they were supposed to be protecting.
Ironhide noticed his look and placed his servo on his shoulder to reassure him.
"So what happened exactly?" Donatello asked from the platform "What made that thing attack us?"
The others agreed.
"Yeah! How?" April asked.
Optimus looked over at the platform and at the curious turtle.
"If the residue of that substance Arcee found on Cliffjumper brought Ratchet's broken equipment to life, it would stand to reason the very same substance brought Cliffjumper back from the dead."
"That would account for his life signal inexplicity coming back online." Ratchet admitted.
"What?" Leonardo asked, "You mean that stuff...?"
"Dark Energon." Ironhide said in a worried voice as he placed the glass capsule in a nearby disposal unit and closed the lid.
"What is Dark Energon?" Leonardo asked.
"Doesn't sound good to me! After what we just saw!" April stated.
Ironhide looked at the two humans, two turtles and Rat before them and frowned.
"The blood of Unicron." He explained.
"Unicorn?" Casey asked looking rather confused.
"No, Unicron." Ironhide repeated and was about to explain but Ratchet spoke over him.
"But Optimus." Ratchet said "Dark Energon is so scarce as to be virtually non-existent! What would it be doing on Earth?"
Optimus frowned.
"It was transported." He said
"By Megatron." he growled.
"For what purpose?" Ironhide asked to which Ratchet agreed as it sounded strange.
"To conquer this planet." Optimus answered gravely "By raising an Army of the Undead."
"WHAT!?" a chorus of voices was heard from the platform and the three Autobots saw their friends looking rather horrified.
"Conquer the planet?" Casey squeaked.
"Puh-lease!" Ratchet chuckled "Megatron will need to break quite a few toaster ovens, I mean, where on this world would he find that many Cybertronian dead?"
Optimus was about to answer when the sound of engines coming from the tunnel and they looked over to see Arcee, Bumblebee and Bulkhead returning.
Splinter looked at his sons and the humans.
"I think it best we do not tell the others what we have heard as yet." He advised to which April, Casey, Leonardo, and Donatello agreed and tapped their noses or beaks respectively.
Once the two turtles, female lizard, hybrid, and human girl exited their Vehicle modes, the three autobots transformed back.
"That was awesome!" Pandora cheered.
"I'll say!" Michelangelo agreed.
"Ditto!" Kemeko added.
"Wow! Never experienced a rush like that before, not even on my shell cycle." Raphael exclaimed.
Monalisa meanwhile touched her hair which was all wild and blown about.
"That was just a thrill!" she chuckled "My hair's all over the place but I don't care!"
Raphael wrapped his arm around his mate and kissed her cheek.
"Still my beautiful babe!" he chuckled "Loved hearing your joyful cries!"
Yet their joy and excitement was soon turned to curiosity when they saw the faces of Optimus, Ironhide and Ratchet.
Bumblebee, Arcee and Bulkhead also noticed and cocked their heads curiously.
"What's up?" Pandora asked.
"Autobots..." Optimus began but before he could continue, the proximity sensor went off.
"Oh great(!)" Bulkhead groaned.
"Oh Scrap! Did it have to be now?" Ironhide asked agitated.
"He's back..." Pandora muttered nervously.
"What's going on?" Michelangelo asked.
"Agent Fowler." Kemeko explained.
"Who?" Raphael, Monalisa and Michelangelo asked together.
Ratchet looked worried.
"Optimus...maybe our guests shouldn't meet him at this time?" he said.
Optimus nodded in approval.
"Who's Agent Fowler?" April asked.
"We'll explain later." Bulkhead said, "But right now you need to hide!"
"You heard the guy!" Pandora cried as she and Kemeko raced off to hide by Ratchet's work station, Michelangelo following them.
"But what about our stuff?" Leonardo asked looking at the many bags and the mattresses near the sofa on the raised platform.
Optimus instantly picked up the items with his large hand and he carefully placed them in a corner behind the platform where they couldn't be seen.
"Thanks!" Leonardo said quickly then he, Donatello, Splinter, April and Casey hurried to the back of the elevator.
Raphael and Monalisa meanwhile dived over to a large metal box near the stairs just in time as the elevator doors opened and Fowler marched out looking rather angry.
"PRIME!"
So far, it's been eventful for the Hamato Clan and the Autobots, and things are gonna get even more intense now Agent Fowler's shown up!
I'm sure a lot of you have recognised how I've changed things around to how they were in the actual show, but hopefully it's all working out well to fit in with what I got planned!
Also, for those of you who don't know, when Kemeko and Pandora talk about Sweep and The Sooty Show, The Sooty Show is a British children's televison series starring glove puppets I loved to watch with my brother as a child, and I'm not afraid to admit I do enjoy watching some old episodes of the show from when I was young. Sweep was one of the characters in the show, a glove puppet dog who spoke in squeaks.
Anyway, we now end on a cliffhanger, although I'm sure some of you might be able to guess what's coming next!