Here is a little longer one-shot for you all to enjoy. This is only the backgrounds for the Chicago Knights, save for Tyroth, Sephie and Amber, but I have also included the origins for the Turtles and Monalisa (that of Bloodrayne666's version, which I use), since their origins are unknown to the other characters.
If you want the stories for Tyroth, Sephie and Amber, please check out Mutant Vigilantes and A Sister's Plight respectively. And for Monalisa, Fury Within Her, by Bloodrayne666, is what you want to read.
Also, big thanks to Bloodrayne666 for her help with this story, I really hope that you enjoy it too! And to all of you, do read her stories, they are great!
Linebreaks to separate individual sections. Got no better way.
Stories Between Friends
During a trip to Mutopia, the turtles and Monalisa were invited by the Chicago Knights to a special night out. Shortly after midnight, after having finished their nightly patrol, the young mutants travelled through the underground caves to one of the many smaller islands in Lake Michigan, where they sat up a campfire for a late-night barbecue with marshmallows and hot-dogs.
"Hands off my soy-dogs, or I'll take a bite of said hand." Sharky said, stabbing one of said sausages with a stick and holding it over the fire.
"I thought you were a vegetarian." said Raphael.
"I am, but that don't mean that I won't bite." the shark said with a wide grin.
"This was a great idea." said Monalisa, roasting some marshmallows over the fire while looking up at the clear night sky. "No light pollution other than the fire, and not a soul for miles."
"It was Percy's idea actually." said Sarah.
"I just wanted us to do something fun, but relaxing for a change." the grasshopper said, looking around for little bit. "Who's got the ketchup?"
"Here you go." Tyroth said, tossing him the small bottle. "I got some hot sauce and mustard too, if anyone wants it."
"Some mustard over here then, please." said Donatello.
"Ah, this is the life. Relaxing and snacking with some good friends." said Michelangelo, giving a soft nudge with his elbow to Kate sitting next to him, to which they both smiled.
"Yeah, after all the training and patrolling, it's nice to just take it easy." said Jack. "And this is a nice change of pace from our normal lives as well."
"Reminds me of my days in summer camp, many years ago." said Sephie. "We would often have this kind of events during the evenings. It was a great way for us to bond, made a lot of friends that way."
"By the way, what did the rest of you guys do before Mutopia?" Michelangelo asked out of the blue.
"Before Mutopia? You mean before we mutated?" Heather asked.
"Yeah, I've been curious about it for a while, so I thought I would ask."
"Mikey, please." said Leonardo. "Leaving their old lives behind might be a very sensitive subject for them."
"But there's no harm in asking, right?"
"Mikey." Monalisa began.
"Hey, it's okay, at least for me." said Jack. "You wanna know what I used to do years back, all you have to do is ask."
"Same here." said Sarah. "We've all left our old lives, but that doesn't mean that it's gone. It's still a part of our past, a part that's shaped us into what we are today."
"Well, here's an idea, rather than telling ghost stories around the campfire, how about those of us that feel like it tell us how they got here? I'm up for it." said Sharky.
Most of the mutants thought it was a good idea, they were already close friends, though Monalisa did feel a bit uncomfortable at the thought of telling them her past. But thankfully it was her choice, so she could decline and they wouldn't think any less of her.
"I would love to start this off, but everyone here knows how I and Tyroth ended up as we are. It's not really a secret." said Sephie.
"We certainly made a lasting impression." said the dragon.
"I guess it runs in the family." said Amber. "My circumstances weren't very subtle either."
"Guess I'll start then." said Jack. "Let's see… Don't know if you remember from our first meeting, but Tyroth did mention that I used to be a gang leader before."
"I remember that." said Raphael. "There was so much new all around at that time, otherwise I would had asked you right there about it."
"Well, I grew up in an orphanage, been there as long as I can remember, never knew my parents or how I got there. Reaching my teens, I rebelled by running away and had to survive on the street on my own. Surprisingly enough, I was quite good at it too, though it included a lot of stealing stuff like food and clothes.
After a few years, I had met several others in similar situations, so I took it upon myself to help them survive, strength in numbers and all that jazz. Eventually, our group had grown quite large, and we had to be more active in our actions to survive, having to actively steal money and valuables that we could fence, so that we would have enough food. And believe it or not, but I'm actually proud of all that."
"How can you say that?" asked Monalisa, giving Jack a stern look.
"Here's how it was, I had one rule that I was very strict with; we don't hurt anyone. Sure, we mugged people, picked their pockets, broke into stores and homes, but never ever did we hurt someone in any other way. No beating someone up, no killing or murdering, and especially no raping. We were only interested in loot, nothing else. That's what I'm proud of, keeping the gang together under that ideal."
"Must admit, I was a bit worried at first that we'd have to cut our ties with you." said Raphael.
"I knew what we did was still wrong, but those people could have been a lot worse if they had been in any other gang, and for several years, I kept them in check. As bad as we were, it was the closest thing to a family I had had up to that point of my life. But it didn't last."
"What happened?" Leonardo asked.
"We grew too big, too many members, and some of them thought that we were powerful enough to get away with anything. Sure, none of us had gotten caught by the cops, they considered us small-fires compared to other gangs, but that was no excuse to draw more attention to ourselves. There was one guy especially that didn't agree with my leadership. He thought that I was too soft, and one day, he went too far.
We were robbing this woman, pretty standard thing, but this guy, he wanted to rape her, so I had to stop him, and that was enough to cause a mutiny. A lot of those that were there supported him, so they ganged up on me, beating me within an inch of my life. At least the woman managed to get away unharmed.
Rattletrap had gone topside to scavenge and saw everything, so once they had left, he dragged me to Mutopia, where they tended to my injuries. Once I had recovered enough, I wanted to know what had happened to my old gang, and I found out that they had all gotten arrested. It wasn't until we had gotten to know Hugh that I learned exactly what had happened. Those that were still loyal to me didn't dare stand up to my 'successor', but they had no love for him or his ways, so they turned in the entire gang to the cops, told them everything.
Several of them have gone clean after that, living proper lives now, I even hear that one of them even got married to one of the cops. But that's a different story, and as you can see, I stuck around. Mutopia gave me the very same chance I thought I gave to my old gang, and I felt that that was where I belonged."
"I can see why you were proud of your actions, Jack, you really must have made a difference." said Monalisa.
"I like to think so, even if it didn't last long. Still, I can still make a difference like this, so I guess it all worked out. But that's enough about me, what about you turtles? Since you're brothers, I'd guess that you all have the same origin."
"You're correct with that guess, and our story is… rather complicated." said Leonardo. "It actually began in outer space, more than a thousand years ago, when a ship of aliens called the Utroms crashed on Earth. With their ship damaged beyond repair, and the technology on Earth too primitive for them to find another way home, they decided to wait, hidden among the humans, until the technology was advanced enough.
During their experiments, they ended up with several canisters of chemical wastes, one of which was lost during transport and ended up in the sewers, together with my brothers and I, normal baby turtles at that time. We had been bought in a pet-store the same day, but our owner accidentally dropped our bowl and we were washed down into the sewers, where we came into contact with the ooze, as did our adoptive father, master Splinter, who was a rat at the time, when he took care of us.
The ooze was what caused our mutation, and it took a long time for us to fully mutate, but during our early years, master Splinter raised us as his sons and trained us in the way of the honourable ninja. As to how he knew ninjutsu, it actually ties back to the Utroms, as his owner, Hamato Yoshi, was a guardian, a human ally of the Utroms, and practised ninjutsu which master Splinter mimicked in his cage.
But, the reason for the Utroms crashing, as well as that for master Splinter loosing his master and home, was the doing of one wicked monster who became known as the Shredder, an evil Utrom criminal that was imprisoned on the ship that crashed, he managed to escape and sabotage the ship. He too hid here on Earth, and hunted for the other Utroms, seeking revenge, and eventually formed the Foot clan to act as his private army. Yoshi was killed by Shredder when he refused to give him information on the Utroms. In a very strange turn of events, our most dreaded foe is also the reason for our existence."
"That is some heavy stuff." said Sharky.
"No kidding!" Percy agreed. "And, no offence, but it even sounds crazy enough to pitch as an idea for a cartoon or anime."
"Or possibly comic-books. I bet we could live pretty well of that." Michelangelo mused.
"You and your comic-books." Kate said with a smile. "I guess it's my turn then."
Michelangelo looked at Kate, his expression having changed into a more concerned one. He knew exactly what she had been through, having been told by her after the incident with Shari, or Izo Ren as she was actually named. Kate noticed his look and gave him one that told him that she knew what she was doing, to which Michelangelo placed his hand on hers as a sign of support, earning a smile from her.
"Over the years before my mutation, I've had several bad relationships, and I had tired of that kind of life, so I was looking for a new life, ending up in Chicago. After a few days, while looking for a place to sleep during a late night, I spotted the wolf over there." she explained, nodding towards Jack.
"He didn't notice me at first, so I followed him and eventually I found Mutopia. Seeing how it was filled with fellow outcasts, I chose to stick around, and after a few months, I decided to go through with mutating, finally leaving my old life behind for good. That's about it."
Michelangelo listened to every word Kate said, knowing that she left out some details, and he respected that. In truth, the relationships she had been in had been very bad, and while she had loved many of them with her whole heart, none had returned the feelings and had outright hurt her. Cheating on her, dumping her without reason, even beating her. All of which had caused her to become aggressive and shut her heart away to protect it.
That was something that she had entrusted with him, and him alone, due to the feeling she had for him. He gently held her hand and she squeezed it back.
Monalisa saw this and smiled, but her eyes quickly darted to Percy, fearing that he might want to tease Kate. But to her surprise, he only seemed to smile, and following his eyes, Monalisa saw that he saw Kate and Michelangelo's hands, which further confused her. She felt that she would need to confront him about it one day, if only to still her own curiosity.
"Well, if no-one else minds, I'll go next." said Sharky, and no one did mind.
"Grew up here in Chicago, pretty normal stuff, but my mother did pass away when I was still very young, cancer I think, so I never really got to know her. My old man did his best to keep us with food and a roof above our heads, but working that hard as he did took a heavy toll on him. It ended with him starting to drink just to get through the days, which soon turned into proper alcoholism, and on really bad days he would even beat me for any reason, or no reason at all."
"That must have been horrible." said Donatello.
"It was, but it got worse during my teen years. You see, I started doing drugs, it helped me block out all the abuse and pain from my dad. Like father, like son, I guess. My memories from that time is actually still rather fuzzy, so I don't really know for sure what else happened during that time. This continued for many years, but a few years ago, I had a moment of clarity one day, and I knew that I had to stop and get my life back in order."
"That's strong of you, many don't even get that far." said Sephie.
"Yeah, but it wasn't easy, and it got worse. Those withdrawal symptoms were very strong, and painful. I tried and tried to keep going, to outlast it, but in the end, I just wasn't strong enough. Just wanting it to end, I made a horrible decision, and threw myself in front of a subway train, hoping to kill myself. But I survived, though badly injured and most of my left arm had been lost, probably ripped or cut off by the train.
Either way, I'm told that Cam and Barry found me shortly after, and so I ended up in Mutopia. But I wasn't given water from the well, I actually survived my attempted suicide, mostly thanks to James patching me up. By the time I regained consciousness, it had already been a week or so, and all the withdrawal symptoms had passed, probably because of all the blood I lost. But the craving for the drugs was still there, so once they told me about the well, I didn't waste any time going clean for good."
"Now I understand why you are so intent on keeping drugs off the streets, even more so than the others." said Leonardo.
"Well, I've lived through it, and I don't want anyone else to suffer the same."
"What about your dad? What happened to him?" Amber asked.
"No idea, but I do hope that my 'death' made him snap out of his drinking habits and get some help, maybe start living again. But all in all, I don't really dwell much on my past. What's done is done. But that's enough from me, so how about someone else take their turn? Maybe… Mona?"
Monalisa felt a knot of discomfort in her stomach, and the turtles, Tyroth, Sephie and Amber all looked at her with worried faces, all of them knowing just how horrible the events that led to her mutation. Raphael placed his arm around her and held her close for comfort.
All the others noticed that it was a sore subject for her as well.
"Look, if you're not okay with this, it's okay. Just forget I asked you." Sharky apologised.
"…No, it's not your fault." said Monalisa. "My past is… difficult to speak about… but I trust you all with my life, and you deserve to know what happened to me."
"Are you sure, babe?" Raphael asked, to which Monalisa nodded in response before beginning to tell her story.
"Like you Mutopians, I used to be human and was living in Wisconsin, and many years ago, I came to New York with some friends from High school doing a gap year before college where I planned to study to be a teacher. I had gone out to buy supplies for us, and on the way back, I made the stupid mistake to cut through an alley, that's when I ran into members of the Purple Dragon gang, the most feared gang in New York.
They captured me, even though I fought back, then they beat and abused me, and they… they raped me…" Tears fell over Mona's cheeks as she continued. The others were shocked to hear what had happened, disgusted over the fact that such lowlifes even existed.
"I was so in such bad shape before they were even half done that I passed out, but they weren't finished even then, as they covered me in reptile poison as a final insult, I only just felt them rubbing it into my face and wounds, and believing that I was dead, they dumped me in the sewers like a piece of rubbish to get rid of any evidence.
When I awoke hours later, I looked like this, the poison had mixed with toxic waste in the sewer and mutated me. After that, I spent two years trying to survive one my own, stealing food and clothes and sleeping in an abandoned building, all while I hunted for those that ruined my life.
But after those two long, hard years, the turtles found me, and while we didn't get along at first, they took me in, gave me a new home and a new family. And during my time with the turtles, we were able to find and kill those bastards that did this to me."
"Man, I didn't think… I'm sorry I asked you." said Sharky.
"It's okay…" Monalisa said, wiping her tears. "The memories, they still hurt… but they are all in the past and I try to not think too much about it. And I know that I'm not the only one that have been through something terrible, or that misses their family. Besides, while I didn't think so, it does feels like it helps talking about it, with the people I know I can trust."
"You honour us with your trust." Heather said with a warm smile.
"You okay, babe?" Raphael asked, holding his mate close.
"I'm fine, love, just… just give me a minute to gather myself again."
"Then maybe my story will help you take your mind of things, it's not exactly a sad one." said Sarah.
"Thank you. Does it include how you learned kung-fu?"
"Sort of. You see, I actually left my home in Arkansas, but I didn't run away. All my life, I never really felt that I belonged anywhere, so once I was old enough, I left to do some soul-searching. My parents weren't too happy about it, but they supported me all the same, so we parted on good terms, even though there was a chance that I would never return.
So I travelled all across the country for a few years, picking up some skills on the way as I had to get part-time jobs or just tried things on, my kung-fu included, learned that during a month's stay in Minnesota, a bit of a hobby I took on while working. Eventually, I ended up in Chicago, stayed here for about a week before moving on, but a heavy rain storm delayed me, so I took cover down in the sewers that night.
It wasn't as bad as I thought it was, and as I waited for the rain to stop, I met Jack, who was out scavenging. I was very surprised, but I didn't feel afraid of him, so what might have been against better judgement, I started talking to him, and he actually kept me company for a while, long enough for me to tell him basically what I've told you right now. After that, he was kind enough to invite me to Mutopia, at least until the weather had gotten better.
But, I ended up staying several days longer, and when I thought about it, I realised that I actually felt at home, so I decided to stay, as a Mutopian."
"That certainly sounds like a good way to end up there." said Donatello. "Seems like Jack is responsible for bringing at least some of you there as well."
"Just coincidences," Jack said. "but I'm glad I was able to help more people all the same. But it is usually those of us that go on scavenge runs that run into or find people in need."
"So it seems." said Leonardo. "But I have to ask, Sarah, what about your parents?"
"Well, before I underwent the mutation, I sent them a letter, telling them that I had found a place where I truly belonged, but also that I wouldn't be coming back again. I also told them that I would miss them and always love them. I still miss them a lot, but this is my place in the world, and I know that they will be okay."
"I suppose all is well that ends well. No pun intended." said Monalisa, remembering the source of the Mutopians' mutations. "But now I'm very curious about you, Percy. Is that okay?"
"Sure thing." the grasshopper said casually. "As you've all learned, I like to have fun, and that didn't sit well with my parents."
"I wonder why." said Kate dryly, having been on the receiving end of Percy's idea of 'fun' more times that she would like to count, though Percy didn't even notice the remark.
"This is how it is, back in Florida, my parents were very rich, and very strict too. To them, and especially my dad, I wasn't so much a son as I was a legacy, dynasty or lineage, one or the other. What I was wasn't what they wanted, so they tried to change me into their ideal offspring, when all I wanted was to live and have fun. I've lost count of how many times I had to go through military drills if I misbehaved or didn't live up to their expectations.
As soon as I got the chance I hit the road, and never looked back. I just drifted wherever the wind took me more or less, and when I finally wanted to decide where I went next, I couldn't choose between Detroit and Chicago, so I flipped a coin and here I am. And much like some others in Mutopia, I was found by them as I kept drifting through town. They had kept watch over me for a few weeks before they revealed themselves and invited me to Mutopia. And I have never regretted the decision to join them, or wait, there was that one time during the actual mutation. That really hurt, but in the end, it was worth it."
"Never thought you were some rich-boy." said Raphael.
"Didn't really have a lot of money that I personally could spend, so I wasn't living as wealthy as it might sound. And I'm sure my parents would have disowned me by now, if they haven't declared me dead already. Doesn't really matter to me, I'm having way too much fun here to care."
"Then that only leaves Heather, unless I'm mistaken." said Leonardo, but when he did, the dragonfly's face fell. "If it is difficult for you, you don't have to tell us."
"It is not that I do not want to tell you my past, it is just that I do not know it myself."
"Seriously?" said Michelangelo.
"I was found nearly fifteen years ago, laying unconscious and very badly damaged in the sewers. And to this day, I have no memories of anything before the Mutopians took care of me. James tended to my wounds, and he did confirm that I had only been beaten, not sexually attacked, but beyond that, nothing else could be discerned."
"Why didn't you get your memory back when you mutated? I thought the well could heal anything." said Monalisa.
"Anything physical, yes." Tyroth clarified. "But damage to the psyche is not the same as damage to the brain. The well can repair the brain, but memories are just signals in the brain, neural impulses, if those are lost, not even the well can restore them. It just wasn't designed that way."
"I guess it wasn't deemed necessary for it to do that to allow us to fight the demons." said Sephie.
"Regardless, before me becoming Heather, I was no one, quite literally. Because of that, I had no reason not to stay in Mutopia, and out of all of us here now, I have been here the longest."
"I'm really sorry to hear that, Heather." said Monalisa. "But were there no clues whatsoever to your past?"
"Sadly no. But I did ask Hugh to see if he could find something, based of the time and my human appearance. While it have gone a long time since then, I am still curious to where I came from. So far, he has not discovered anything."
"Personally, I think she's a long lost princess from some tiny country." said Percy. "Or a tribal chieftain's daughter. Something like that."
"Somehow I find that unlikely, but I guess that's not impossible." said Amber.
"Hey, does anyone else smell something burning? Other than the firewood?" said Sephie.
"Oh shit! The food! We completely forgot the sausages!" Jack exclaimed.
"And the marshmallows! Save the marshmallows!" Michelangelo cried.
Unfortunately, the food was beyond saving, and close to indistinguishable from the charcoal among the burning firewood, but luckily they had more, so it wasn't a total disaster. For the remainder of the night, they had a great time, all having grown closer by sharing their pasts with each other.
A few days later, Heather was flying over Chicago late at night, but she wasn't on patrol, she had another purpose, a personal one. Keeping her eyes open, she searched after a place where she could land undetected, and still reach her objective. With no people nearby, she quickly landed on the top balcony of an apartment, looked around one more time and then knocked on the door.
She waited with baited breath, constantly scanning her surroundings, and finally, the door opened and she quickly slipped inside.
"Glad you could make it." she heard the male human say as he closed the door behind her. He was Hugh Beauregard, police commander and close friend of Mutopia, and the Chicago Knights especially.
"I hurried as much as I could." Heather responded. "Have you really found it?"
"Sure have." Hugh said, walking over to a desk. Picking up a folder, he handed it to Heather. "It took a while, but I managed to dig up the truth. It's all in there, everything there is on your human self."
It was with trembling hands that Heather took the folder.
"You have read this, have you not?" she asked.
"Otherwise I wouldn't have been able to check it all. But let me say this, I never knew the girl you used to be, I only know who you are now, and my opinion of you is no different now from how it was before."
"It is actually a little funny, just the other day, we were talking about our pasts together with our friends from New York, and now, I am holding the answers to who I was in my hands."
She slowly opened the folder ever so slightly, but stopped before she could see the contents.
"Problem?" Hugh asked.
"All these years, I have wondered who I really am, who I was. I am so close to knowing the truth, yet I do not feel as excited as I imagined I would. In fact, I do not know what I feel at the moment."
"Whether you open that folder or not is your choice, just know that there is no going back if you do open it. And whatever caused you to loose your memory, must have been traumatic enough for your mind to block it out."
Heather stared at the still partially opened folder, her blue eyes fixated on the edge of the paper on the inside. Then, she closed the folder.
"Every Mutopian has left their old life behind, moved on with a new life, and I am no different. Whoever I was, I am not that person any longer. I am Heather the dragonfly, proud member of the Chicago Knights and citizen of Mutopia. And that is who I will remain, no matter what."
She handed Hugh the folder.
"Thank you for doing this for me, Hugh. I am sorry that it was for nothing."
"Think nothing of it, lass." Hugh said with a small smile, taking the folder. "Everyone deserves to know where they came from, and if you are fine with how things are, there's no need to change it."
"Indeed, Hugh. But that means that I must take my leave. Thank you once again for your help."
Once Heather had made sure that no one would see her, she exited the same way she had entered, and flew off into the night, returning to Mutopia. As she headed home, Hugh watched her from his balcony for a while before re-entering his apartment and closing the door, still holding the folder.
"For what's it worth, I think you made the right decision, lass." he said to himself, walking through his apartment to the open fireplace that he had. "Better get rid of this then, just in case."
Opening the folder, he read the contents once last time, before tossing it into the fire, and as the flames quickly consumed the paper, one part of the paper was still readable for a few seconds more before disappearing for good.
Name: Nathalie Elgoran.
Presumed dead after going missing fifteen years ago.
Next of kin: Parents.
Mother: Madeline Elgoran.
Deceased. Murdered fifteen years ago.
Husband sole suspect, but lack of evidence meant that no charges could be made.
Motive unknown.
Father: Oleg Elgoran.
Presumed dead. Factory explosion three years ago.
Body never recovered, but remains of organs identified.
Survival highly unlikely.
Suspected to have murdered wife and daughter. No evidence.
Also known as Overlord.