A/N: This is my first TMNT fanfic, so please be gentle. Also, I apologize in advance for the Kraang dialogue. I really feel sorry for the guys who write their lines for the show. Please R&R! Thanks for taking the time to read.
It had been nearly three weeks since their last standoff with the Shredder and no new activity from the Kraang. Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello and Michelangelo resumed their nightly patrols across the city. Tonight they, or more so Leo, decided it would be best to have a stakeout by TCRI in order to keep tabs on the Kraang's movements. Leo perched himself on the edge of a neighboring building, keeping his eyes peeled for any suspicious activity. His brothers on the other hand, were less attentive to the task at hand.
"Ouch! Stop it!" Michelangelo shouted. Raphael had him in a headlock and was in the process of giving him a noogie.
"I'm having too much fun to stop," Raph laughed while applying more pressure to Mikey's head.
"Come on, Donnie. You've gotta help me!" Mikey pleaded.
"I'd be stupid to get in between that. Sorry Mikey, but this is your problem," Donnie replied with a small smile.
Leo turned around and noticed his brothers messing around. He let out a deep sigh before interrupting, "Can we please focus on the mission, guys? If the Kraang are up to something, it's up to us to stop them."
Raph released Mikey from his grasp and threw his hands in the air, "We've been up here for nearly four hours, Leo, and nothing is happening! I think we can call it a night."
"Raph is right," Donnie added, "I don't think there is anything for us to do tonight."
Leo lifted his finger in a matter-of-factual way, "It's our duties as heroes to make sure the bad guys don't…"
A loud crash came from the ally between the building they were on and the next. The brothers shot up to attention and moved to investigate the noise. They peered over the edge of the building and noticed three Kraangbots moving a large container from a garage into a white van. The container was labeled with the letters "ML" on all sides.
"Be careful with the container that contains the thing called Mutagen L. It is important to the experiment known as Mutagen L," one of the Kraangbots commanded.
"This is what we've been waiting for," Leo whispered.
"It'll only be worth it if I get to bash some Kraangbot heads together," Raph grinned.
"Be patient, Raph," Leo ordered, "This has to be a stealth mission. We need the Kraang to lead us straight to their new base of operations. Donnie, how quickly can you get the Shellraiser here?"
Donnie's face was smug, "Already ahead of you. It's parked around the corner. This'll also give me a perfect opportunity to test out the tracking device I've been working on," Donnie rustled a small black device out and turned to Mikey, "Would you be able to throw this at the back of the van?"
"Sure thing, bro! I have the best aim in all of New York City!"
"That thing is black. It'll stick out on a white van," Raph pointed out the obvious flaw.
"Actually, I designed to camouflage with any surface once activated," Donnie refuted.
"You just have an answer for everything, don't you?" Raph grunted.
"Of course I do. It's called being prepared, Raph. Not like you'd understand."
"Why you…!" Raph jumped up but Leo signaled him to stand down. By this point, the Kraang finished loading up and jumping into the van.
"Save it for later, you two," Leo scolded, "We don't have time. Mikey, get that tracking device on the van, now!"
"Leave it to me," Mikey boasted. Donnie pressed a button on the device and handed it to Mikey. With a swift toss, the tracking device landed exactly on the back of the van door where it instantly blended in with the color of the vehicle. "Bullseye!" Mikey cheered with pumping arms.
"Good work, Mikey," Leo congratulated, "Now let's go see what the Kraang are up to this time,"
The Turtles quickly made their way down to the Shellraiser. The Kraang gained some distance on them but Donnie had their exact location pin-pointed on the map in Mikey's station.
"Nice upgrade," Mikey complimented Donnie while looking at his new map.
"Now Leo, be sure to keep a safe distance between us and the Kraang. We can't let them think they're being followed," Donnie instructed.
"Gotcha'," Leo replied with a thumbs up and slowly drove the Shellraiser towards the Kraang's location.
The van led them to the other side of the city near the industrial district. It slipped into the garage of an old abandoned factory building. It was dilapidated and looked like it would collapse on itself any minute. Leo decided to park the Shellraiser a few blocks away, continuing to follow the van on foot.
Getting into the garage was easy enough since the Kraang left the door unlocked. It was less work for them. The brothers made their way into the building to find the van disappeared. All they saw was a concrete room with a few wooden boxes on pallets sitting on the floor.
"I saw this one coming," Raph sighed with frustration.
"This has to be like the other Kraang hideouts. Let's spread out and find a trigger or a door that either leads to a secret passage way or that creepy portal world," Leo ordered.
They looked high and low for anything that would tell them where the van went. Leo and Raph looked through the boxes while Donnie and Mikey searched the walls and floors, respectively. Still nothing.
"They had to have gone somewhere. The trigger has to be around here," Donnie mused to himself.
"This is a complete waste of time," Raph huffed and slammed his foot to the ground. The force of the contact was strong enough to move the ground slightly and caused the corner of the concrete floor to pop up.
Donnie moved in to examine the piece closer. He started to lift the large piece and noticed a hole underneath it, "Hey, help me with this. I think there's a tunnel under here."
The other three moved in to help Donnie lift the slab up. They moved it aside and looked down into the dark abyss. Not wanting to waste any time, Leo motioned his brothers to move in. The fall was not as far as they expected, landing on the ground with a light thud. Wherever the heck they ended up was nearly pitch black. The only source of light came from the far end of the tunnel. It was light enough to illuminate some sort of exit, but not enough to allow them to see their surroundings. They didn't have any other option though and they made their way down the dark passageway. Leo whispered quietly to walk towards the light.
The first few minutes of their walk shrouded them in silence. No one dared to say a word to each other. They had no idea if they were alone or not and didn't want to risk giving away their location. As they got closer, they could make out the faint silhouette of their bodies. After a couple of steps further they began to hear muffled sounds. As they continued walking, the noises became clearer and they began to hear parts of a conversation. One voice was obvious just from the annoying robotic tone of it. The other was not one the Turtles expected to hear.
It was a feminine voice.
Eventually, the conversation became understandable.
"Let me go! You can't lock me up like this!" shouted the female voice. There was a slight pounding noise from below them.
"Releasing the one called Mutant L is not a thing Kraang can do for the one called Mutant L."
The Turtles made their way to the source of the light and commotion. There was a large grate on the floor of the tunnel looking down into a room with a Kraangbot guard. However, the angle they were at didn't allow them to see who was locked up. All they could see was a corner of a holding cell.
Leo looked to his brothers and gave them a flurry of hand signals. He conveyed that Donnie and Mikey were to start making noises a little further away down the tunnel to distract the Kraang guard while he and Raph jumped in and ambush him and any other threats. Before Leo could finish the last sign, Raph dropped on top of the Kraangbot and swiftly stabbed the robot in the head with his sai.
Leo shook his head, "He never listens to me."
With the plan nixed, Leo, Donnie, and Mikey followed suit and dropped into the room. The room was poorly lit and the side with the cage nearly consumed by blackness. The half that was lit housed four other Kraangbots and it didn't take long to take them down. After the last Kraang squealed and scurried away, the brothers looked towards the force field cage. Cowered in the corner was a humanoid figure but it was hard to make out her appearance.
Leo approached the cage door. "You don't need to worry. You're safe now." He held out his hand as a welcoming gesture to lure her out of the corner.
"Who are you?" the girl asked.
"My name is Leonardo and these are my brothers, Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo."
The girl took a small step forward. Leo could tell she wore her hair in high ponytail but the rest of her was still in the shadows. "You look like turtles."
"Yeah, we're ninja turtles. Pretty cool, I know," Mikey suddenly stepped in.
Raph jabbed him in the stomach, "You're not supposed to say that, you idiot."
"Ninja turtles, huh? I take it you're mutants then?"
"Yes, that would be correct," Donnie joined in.
"Then maybe you can help me with this predicament I'm in. I'm not exactly sure what to do now."
The girl finally stepped forward into the light. Her hair was a dark mocha brown and pulled into a high ponytail, just like Leo noticed previously. It was tied together with a light pink ribbon. She also had choppy bangs that sat right above her eyes, accentuating their brilliant blue hue. However, it wasn't her hair or eyes that stuck out the most. It was her body. She looked like a human lizard. Her body was light green with the exception of her yellow colored chest and abdomen. Her tail swayed back and forth lightly as she walked straight up to the edge of her cage. The four fingers on each hand pressed up against the translucent walls.
"How ugly do I look?" she asked. She was obviously upset.
The brothers looked at each other in complete shock. They stammered with some sort of answer but couldn't manage to say anything clearly.
"I see," she sighed, staring at the ground.
"Don't be like that! You're not that ugly, it's just that we've never met a mutant like you before," Mikey stumbled.
Tears began to well in the girls eyes.
"Not helping, Mikey!" Donnie spat.
"What else am I supposed to say?!" Mikey pouted.
Raph took a step forward, "I don't think you're ugly. I think you're kinda cute…or something like that." Raph winced at his words. That wasn't what he wanted to say.
Leo, Donnie, and Mikey glared at Raph, jaws dropped.
"You said what?" Donnie shouted.
The girl began chuckling, "You're too sweet, but you don't need to lie to make me feel better. I asked because I haven't actually looked in a mirror since the Kraang changed me. All I've seen is my body and this tail. I have no idea what my face looks like. Anyways, how about getting me out of here? I'm sick of being locked up."
"Yeah, sure thing," Donnie snapped out of his state of shock and rushed up to the control panel. After messing around with it for a minute, a small beep sounded and the door opened. The girl walked out and held out her hand to her rescuers.
"Where are my manners? I should have introduced myself earlier. My name is Mona."