Chapter Eighty-One

Locating

Back on the Nemesis, Starscream lay on the medical berth waiting for Knockout to return with a new arm.

As he lay there lost in his thoughts, the dark energon shard he had ripped from his chest after he had returned to the ship started to glow.

Blinking his optics in surprise, Starscream looked down at the shard as it glowed and pulsed almost like it had a heartbeat within.

"My dark energon shard?" he mused "Pulsing? My warrior lives!" he exclaimed realising the energon did work.

He slid off the berth, his vitals still ached as he moved but he ignored the pain as he walked to the doors.

As he did, Knockout appeared holding an arm very much like Starscream's missing one with missiles covering it.

"Ah! Looks what I found in storage!" the red Decepticon medic announced, yet his proud demeaner changed as he saw Starscream limping out the room again.

"What are you doing!?" he demanded.

"You were right Knockout!" Starscream said "I'm much too attached to my original appendage; I will retrieve it!" he stated then started to make his way out of the medical bay, Knockout watching him in bewildered silence.

"I'm willing to bet my flawless paint job that whatever he's up to, it won't go to planned." He thought to himself as he went back into the medical room "He'll be back! And I'll have to haul my craft again."

Back at the Autobot Base, Ratchet was looking at the screens trying to pinpoint the co-ordinates from the cell phones after receiving the text messages.

"...Now calculating for relative time delays," Ratchet mused as he typed "And ionospheric distortions the signal emanated from the exact location as the original ground bridge co-ordinates!"

"But we already looked for them there!" Bulkhead said.

"Yeah!" Michelangelo agreed.

"Perhaps yes!" Donatello said, "But not in the correct dimensional phase as their message stated!"

"Exactly!" Ratchet said looking at Donatello and feeling rather glad that someone was understanding him as the others looked rather confused.

"If I can recreate the feedback loop which triggered the event, I might be able to generate a rescue portal allowing passage from their dimension..."

"Back to the base?" Jake asked as he looked over from the sofa where James and Dahlia had been tending to his wound.

"Keep still Jake." Dahlia reminded the human as she held a cotton ball over where his glasses had cut him.

"No!" Ratchet corrected "We're talking about interdimensional travel here boy!"

"He's right!" Donatello chimed in "Attempting to redirect the vortex trajectory would be far too risky!"

"How so exactly?" Jack asked and the other Knights agreed with him.

"If the co-ordinates aren't precisely the same who knows where the kids could wind up!" Ratchet said turning back to the screens to continue to work, Donatello watching him.

Leonardo, Raphael, Monalisa, Tyroth and Sephie looked at each other worried.

"By Odin..." Tyroth muttered as he looked at the screens "Please find them!"

"Find them, please find them..." Raphael prayed.

Back in the Shadow-Zone, the Geckolings had kept flying with Pandora and Kemeko in their arms as the several hand continued to chase them.

Before long they soon saw Starscream's severed hand on the ground.

"Oh come on!" Pandora exclaimed "This place is like one big Merry-Go-Round!"

The Geckolings placed Pandora and Kemeko on the ground and panted as they stretched their wings.

"I don't know how long we can keep this up." Loki panted.

"We can't run, nor hide from that monster!" Freya said looking behind her "He's bound to find us!"

"And we've had no word back from when we sent our texts." Pandora said gravely.

"Looks like we're history." Kemeko whimpered.

Before they could say anything else, an echoing voice was heard behind them.

"Skyquake! Your Master summons you!"

"No way!" Pandora exclaimed as she looked over to see Starscream appear around the other corner.

"How did that freak get into our dimension?" Freya asked.

"He didn't!" Loki confirmed "He can't see us!"

"How do you know?" Pandora asked.

"He's looking in our direction yet isn't acknowledging us!" Kemeko said waving her arm up at the Decepticon to prove it.

"Guys! Forget Starscream! We gotta run!" Freya screamed.

The kids looked the other way to see the severed arm running after them and they instantly took off running towards Starscream.

Yet just as they were about twenty feet away from him, a Ground-Bridge portal opened before them startling the kids.

"Whoa shell!" Pandora exclaimed.

"A portal?" Loki asked.

Hope rose in Kemeko's chest.

"They must have gotten our text!" she cried happily "That has to be our way out of here!"

"But if we go through!" Freya realised "We'll run straight into Starscream!"

"Well, it's either him, or a Zombie Con's servo!" Pandora snapped "Take your pick!"

"Not helping Pandora!" Kemeko growled.

Loki glared.

"Well, I don't want to be Zombie Chow or keep running in circles until Hell freezes over!" he said.

"Then we take our chances with Starscream!" Pandora said "Freya Loki! You fly out and aim for his face like you did with Skyquake, that'll distract him long enough for Kemeko and I to escape on the ground!"

Freya and Loki nodded and frowned in determination and Pandora grabbed Kemeko's hand.

"On my count!" she said.

She looked behind her at the servo coming towards them, then at the ground-bridge.

Freya and Loki opened their wings and hovered.

Kemeko bit her lip nervously as she saw the hand coming towards them.

"Pandora..." she squeaked.

Pandora counted then she barked "NOW!" and ran forward dragging Kemeko with her whilst the Geckolings flew above their heads into the portal.

Meanwhile on the other side, Starscream had been surprised to see the swirling vortex open and he wondered whether it was his or the autobots.

He didn't have much time to think on it when a couple of small green Geckolings flew towards him!

The seeker cried out in alarm as they flew past his face and he also saw Pandora and Kemeko run out of the portal and between his ankles!

"What?" he exclaimed "Mutants? Where did you vermin...?" he didn't finish his sentence as he heard a scuttling noise and he looked into the portal to see Skyquake's servo appear and tackle him!

The seeker cried out in shock as it grabbed him by the face and knocked him onto his back!

"Ahhh get off! Unhand me!" he shouted.

Pandora turned around and smirked.

"Yes!" she cheered "Nice work guys!"

"We're out!" Kemeko cheered "Aren't we?"

"I think so!" Freya said, "It's not all shadowy, it's bright and I can smell the dust and heat on the air!"

Just then another portal opened before them, and to the kids delight and relief, Optimus walked through it followed by Ironhide and Bulkhead.

"Freya, Loki, Pandora, Kemeko." Optimus said in relief.

"Optimus!" Kemeko cried "Oh man! So good to see you!" she began to cry in relief.

Optimus knelt and held out his servos and at once the kids clambered into them.

Kemeko was overcome with emotion as well and relief as she hugged Optimus's thumb and cried.

Pandora instantly rubbed her cousin/honoured sister's back to comfort her and looked up at Optimus.

"Lets get you four back to the base." He said giving them a comforting look then he saw Starscream still struggling with the living arm "And quickly." He turned back towards the portal carrying the kids gently in his servos.

"Thank Primus, we got you back!" Ironhide said.

"Yeah! We were so worried!" Bulkhead agreed.

Before long, they were back in the main silo where the Hamato Clan and the Chicago Knights were standing on the raised platform looking worried.

No sooner did Optimus appear along with Bulkhead and Ironhide than Leonardo, Monalisa, Tyroth, Raphael and Sephie ran down the steps, or in Tyroth's case he flew over.

James and Dahlia also ran with them to see if the twins, Pandora and Kemeko needed any medical care.

"Did you find them!?" he demanded.

Optimus looked at the dragon then at the kids in his servos and he knelt to the ground lowering his hands so the kids could climb off and go to their parents.

"Geisha!" Monalisa cried "Oh my Geisha! You're okay! I was so worried!"

"Tigeress!" Raphael exclaimed in relief and both the turtle and lizard lady ran to their daughter who leapt into their arms.

"Mum! Dad!" Pandora wept "Oh Shell! What an experience!"

Tyroth and Sephie meanwhile opened their arms to the twins who ran into them, and they shared a group hug.

"Oh my babies!" Sephie sobbed "My darling babies!"

"My Valkyrie, Trickster." Tyroth said as he hugged his children "You're alright! Praise Odin!"

Leonardo meanwhile went to Kemeko only to see his daughter was still hugging Optimus's thumb crying.

"Lotus?" he called over as he climbed onto Optimus's hand "Lotus!"

"Poor child, seems that experience really scared her." Ironhide commented as he watched.

"It would seem so old friend." Optimus replied, "But she is safe with us now."

He gently touched Kemeko's hair and back with his other digit taking care not to use too much pressure as this small teenage girl was like a flower and he knew she could break easily under his strength.

"Kemeko." He said gently "You have no need to feel fear, you are back at the base, you're safe now."

Kemeko upon hearing the Prime's voice looked up and she turned to see Leonardo and she instantly let go of Optimus's thumb and jumped straight into his arms.

"Daddy!" she cried.

Leonardo almost stumbled but he kept his balance and held her close.

"Oh Lotus." He said, "Oh sweetheart, it's alright, everything's going to be okay, you're safe now."

Kemeko sobbed into Leonardo's plastron.

"Dad." She said "I was so scared! I thought Pandora, the twins and I were going to be trapped in that dimension with the zombie-con!"

"I'm so glad you got our texts!" Pandora said as she looked up from hugging her parents.

"And we're glad you were able to inform us Geisha!" Donatello said.

"In fact, you owe Ratchet a big thanks as he was able to locate you." He added.

"That he did!" Raphael agreed.

The four kids looked up at Ratchet and they smiled.

"Wow! Thanks Ratchet!' they said.

"You're welcome." Ratchet replied with a small smile "I'm just glad I was able to find you."

"And you did." Monalisa said "We are forever in your debt!"

"Indeed, we are!" Splinter agreed "Thank you for finding the children."

"I say three cheers for Ratchet!" Michelangelo said.

"Too right!" Percy said, "Hip Hip!"

"Hooray!"

"Hip Hip Hooray! Hip hip Hooray!" everyone shouted and cheered at the same time.

Ratchet couldn't help but feel proud as he looked at the mutants and humans cheering for him.

"Well..um..." he stuttered scratching the back of his head "I uh...I only did what I could..."

"And you did old friend." Optimus smiled placing a servo on his shoulder "Well done."

Tyroth smiled at Ratchet then looked at his twins.

"I think you should tell us how your little escapade went." He said, "We curious to know."

"Sure thing!" Michelangelo agreed.

Pandora grinned.

"Oh boy! Have we got a story for you!"

Kemeko said nothing as she continued to hug Leonardo.

"Come." Splinter suggested "George and I will make some tea and we shall speak together about what happened."

"Sounds like a plan Master." Leonardo said as he gently led Kemeko to the raised platform.

Optimus knelt and held out his servo to them both.

"Allow me." He said and after Leonardo and Kemeko stepped into his hand, he gently lifted them onto the raised platform.

"Thanks." Kemeko sniffed as she looked up at Optimus feeling rather embarrassed she had let down her guard, despite not being as hard or unwilling to admit her weaknesses like Pandora, she still felt upset she had shown that she was like a frightened child after all that had taken place in the Shadow zone despite keeping her wits, guts and emotions together, and the Autobots were seeing that.

Optimus gave a gentle smile and reached out to her and placed his digit under her chin making her look up at him.

"Kemeko." He said, "I understand how you feel, you have no need to feel disappointed, you were very brave, and you had some good friends and family looking after you."

He smiled over at Pandora and the Geckolings.

Kemeko sniffed, yet she nodded.

"And I am curious to know how you worked together to keep safe when we could not reach you." Optimus continued.

"Well, we can tell you everything Prime!" Loki piped up.

"Please do." Optimus said.

"Well, make yourselves comfortable." Pandora said, "We'll tell you everything!"

"Then let's get started!" Jack said as he, the Knights and the Hamato Clan started to get comfortable as Splinter and George prepared some tea and snacks.

Back on the Nemesis, Starscream lay on the medical berth with Knockout tending to him.

After he had been attacked by Skyquake's severed living arm, he had requested another ground-bridge to let himself back and returned to the medical bay.

Knockout tutted as he worked.

"What happened?" he asked "Did Megatron pound you like scrap metal again?"

"I would rather not discuss it!" Starscream snapped.

"Honestly Starscream!" Knockout commented "You need to take better care of yourself! Didn't you retrieve your limb?"

Starscream growled in response.

He hadn't been able to find his missing arm, so in the end he decided to let Knockout attach the new arm he had found in storage, yet not finding his missing limb wasn't the only thing that angered him, but it was also the fact that he still hadn't been able to locate the undead Skyquake.

Another plan had failed, yet that never stopped him.

No, Starscream never gave up, he was determined to fight his way back to the top, no matter how many times his plans failed, he was ready to take on any challenge to get ahead, and that would never change!

And thats the end of the Shadowzone Episode with my take on it! I hope you enjoyed it! And stay tuned for the next episode 'Operation Breakdown' this will be fun to work with!