Saki looked up as the mutant girl walked in, straightening that irritating pink scarf.
"The defences are up, Master." Mona Lisa bowed. Saki saw the fear in her eyes and he was pleased that he had caused that.
"Excellent. Those retched Turtles will not interfere with my plans again. Leave." Mona bowed and backed out. Tears stung her eyes as two Foot Ninjas took her by the arms and led her away, into a lift and down to the underground cells. They threw her in her box room, dirty cell and closed the metal door with a bang. The only light she had was the moonlight filtering through the small barred window, high up in the wall, too high up for Mona to get a glimpse of the outside world.
Mona pushed herself up and sank onto the metal bedstead with its sagging mattress. She lay there and tried to sleep, but that was impossible with all the racket outside. She heard the clanging of metal as swords hit swords. It wasn't a fight. The Foot Ninja guarding her cell would often get bored and spar with each other to catch up on training they had missed.
The Turtles' truck had been sighted. They were on their way, no doubt about it. Shredder had his sentries on patrol outside, all armed with various weapons. The tower roof was set up with large guns that fired when their sensors picked up on the Turtles' mutant DNA. Shredder had this all thought out... with a little surprise for the end of it...
Mona had heard alot about these Turtle characters. As far as she knew, they were mutants too and she yearned to meet them, but the Master would disapprove and have her killed on sight. Treachery was never an option here. But she had a small glimmer of hope- she had overheard the Master describing his plan to the Elite- she was a secret weapon. Mona could control Earth, but she didn't like to as it was extremely draining. The Master didn't understand that. He only cared about himself and eliminating those Turtle fellows.
Mona curled up on her bed. She would only see the Turtles if the Master's plan worked. If not, she was stuck, enslaved to the Shredder for the rest of her life. And that would make her life seriously depressing; a complete misery; a nightmare come true. Mona didn't want that. She didn't want anything to do with the Shredder. But no-one cared what she wanted.
She wasn't sure how long she'd been in her cell, but she started to hear explosions and fighting on all levels. That meant the Turtles had somehow got into the tower. Mona might see them after all. But she daren't get her hopes up. She knew what it was like to get crushed.
Mona had never told anyone. She didn't talk to anyone unless talked to. She'd seen one of the Turtles. Only briefly. And he had seen her. Only briefly. This was a year ago, but she remembered it like it was yesterday:
She'd caused the cave to collapse on them. She didn't want to hit them, so she blocked their way. The Turtles yelled as the cave ceiling fell in front of them. The Shredder had thought them dead or dying underneath. Mona never wanted to hurt anyone. Mona and the Shredder escaped through a new tunnel that she crafted. The Master scolded her for slowing down while she was exhausted. Mona made the tunnel stretch round to the front of the cave, near the original entrance. She looked back. There was still dust from the cave wreckage swirling about outside the original entrance. Through the smoke, she saw the silhouettes of the Turtles, two holding another up. The fourth one walked out of the dust, looking round for Shredder. He had a red mask and weapons drawn- Sighs. Mona thought they were called Sighs. Something like that.
The Turtle caught her eye.
"Raph! C'mon!" One of the other Turtles ordered. Raph. Mona liked that name. Raph disappeared into the dust. When the dust had cleared a few seconds later, the Turtles were gone.
Mona never forgot that. Raph. Had to be short for something. And he had seen her. Maybe he had told the other Turtles. Maybe- by a slim chance- Raph would recognise her. She knew he would recognise him. Straight away.
The door opened. A Foot Elite stood there. Mona got to her feet, faced the Elite and bowed respectfully, like she'd been taught. He inclined his head and led her out. All the way up.
They reached the throne room. It was strangely quiet, filled with smoke and the odd dancing fire. Mona looked around, hoping for a glimpse of Raph. She couldn't see him, but she saw two of her brothers- one with a blue mask and another with an orange mask. They were kneeling on the floor, their hands tied behind their backs, the rest of the Foot Elite standing guard.
"Ah, Mona. Excellent." Shredder turned to the Foot Elite and told them to find the other two Turtles. They bowed and left. The two Turtles held hostage were looking at Mona like she was from another planet. The orange one nudged the blue one. He muttered something and the blue one nodded slightly. "Mona, when the other Turtles get here, I want you to finish them properly this time, despite wanting to dispose of them myself. You will not let me down and you will kill them. All of them. Do not miss." Mona's throat felt tight, but she nodded. The Master seemed satisfied. He walked to the blue one, tipping his head back with the wickedly sharp spikes on his armour. "Leonardo. I thought you would have lead your brothers better." Leonardo. That rang a bell. Leonardo. Leonardo Da Vinci. Italian artist. Painted the original Mona Lisa picture. Mona let a small sad smile play on her lips. Maybe his brothers had similar names. Raph. Raph... Raph? Mona couldn't think.
Leonardo was giving Shredder evils. The orange one grinned.
"You just got death stare from Leo." Shredder raised his hand at the orange one. Leonardo tensed.
"Back off, Shredder." He ordered through gritted teeth. Shredder's eyes flared and he struck out at Leonardo. The orange one yelled out. His brother was still alive, but he had gained a nasty, two lined gash across his cheek. Blood ran down his face and dripped onto the floor. Mona stared at the injury, eyes wide in shock. Shredder saw her staring.
"Yes, Mona. This is what happens to those who cross my path. And that was only a warning." Shredder stalked back to the other end of the room.
The doors were kicked open. Roughly half a dozen Foot Ninja were trying to pin down... Raph... who was putting up an impressive fight. Two other Foot Ninjas followed in, carrying the purple Turtle, who was unconscious. Shredder stalked over to Raph and punched him in the stomach. Raph fell to his knees, winded. The Elite appeared in a cloud of swirling smoke and aimed their weapons at him. Raph looked around as the Foot Ninja tied his hands together behind his back. The purple one was dropped on his front near the other two, who were looking worried for their brother.
Mona felt eyes on her. She looked round and saw Raph looking at her. In his eyes, those lovely brown eyes, she saw understanding. She liked his name. His eyes. His dark green skin. She admired his courage.
He recognised her.
Raph had recognised her. Hope flittered through her. And then Shredder reminded her what she had to do. "Mona, now. It is either they die, or you die." Raph struggled against the Foot Soldiers as they dragged him over to join his brothers. Mona looked up at the ceiling above them. Sure enough, her Master had a large metal wire net filled with various sized rocks and boulders. All she had to do was give a thought and the Turtles would be crushed underneath it all. But she couldn't do it...
They were watching her. Mona saw worry and slight fear in their eyes. She looked at Raph. He had definitely recognised her. She could tell by the look in his eyes. He broke their lingering gaze when his brother started stirring.
"Don, you OK?" The orange one asked as Don sat up.
"Yeah. What have I missed?" The orange one nodded in Mona's direction.
""Yes, Donatello. You have catching up to do. And quickly. You don't have long left." Mona studied the Master, horrified. "Remember what I said, Mona. I never fall back on what I say." Mona bit her lip.
"That ain't true, Buckethead." The orange one spoke up. "You see, you always say that we won't leave 'blah-blah' alive and that our 'doom is at hand' and all that. But you always eat your words." The Shredder rounded on him. The smiles on his brothers' faces vanished as Shredder raised his hand. Mona panicked.
"No!" She shrieked, running forward slightly, hand out-stretched as if she could stop him. The Shredder rounded on her, red eyes furious.
"No? Did you just say no?" He stormed towards her. Mona backed off nervously.
"Hey! We're ya main target! Leave 'er alone!" Raph had stuck up for. Mona didn't know what to think.
"I will deal with you later." The Master threatened.
"Donnie, how long until kerblooey?" The orange one asked.
"Two minutes and ten seconds, Mike." Mike nodded, looking at his older brother, Leo. "Raph, is that the mutant you told us about after the cave incident?" Donnie asked, looking at Raph. Raph nodded. "Right."
"Mona, kill them! Now!"
"I-I can't..."
"Can't? Or won't?" Mona shied away. Raph was struggling against the restraints on his wrists. Leo was just sitting there, blood pouring from his cheek. Raph hoped he was forming some sort of plan. "If you don't destroy them now, I will destroy you, painfully and slowly." That Mona girl was hesitating. She caught Raph's eye, her eyes flashing 'please help'.
Explosions rocked the building. Mona was still refusing to obey her master. The explosions startled her, the building shaking so violently, she lost her balance. The ceiling collapsed, beams criss-crossing in front of her, smoke and fire filling the room. She and Shredder had been sectioned off. He lunged at her. Mona managed to duck in time and her scarf fell away.
Shredder raised his hand. Mona flinched, closing her eyes. His strike never came. There was this thud and heavy metal hit the wooden floor.
Mona looked up. Leonardo had got free and kicked the Shredder away.
The fires scared Mona. They spread quickly. She wasn't sure what was going on with the Turtles and her master. She was crying, dodging falling beams as best she could.
"Raph, come on!"
"No, Leo! Gimme a minute!"
"Raph!" Leo protested. Mona looked up at the sound of their voices, but the smoke obscured her vision. She struggled to breathe straight, she struggled to see.
A creaking above her was the tell-tale sign of a falling beam. It fell quicker than she expected. She tripped up and her legs were crushed underneath it. She half-screamed in pain, tears pouring down he cheeks. She tried desperately to pull herself free, but the beam was jammed under several more smouldering ceiling supports.
She looked up as the beam above her groaned. She started to panic. A silhouette could be seen jumping through the smoke, holding something in their hand. Mona yelled out to them. They turned in her direction and jumped out the smoke. Raph... holding her scarf. He tucked it into his belt and started trying to free her.
"It's jammed!" The beam above complained again. "Just go!" Raph shook his head, clearly one with a stubborn streak. He managed to lift the bottom beam slightly. Mona had to be quick. She crawled backwards, free. Raph dropped the beam. Her legs were agony. Raph knelt next to her. She rubbed at her cheek, wiping away tears. Raph held out her scarf, offering it to her.
"Come with us." He said kindly.
"I-I can't..." she stammered. "I- Shredder..."
"Forget 'im. Ya can start again. A second chance." Mona looked into his eyes, seeing truth and honour in them. "C'mon." Mona hesitated slightly, so many questions flooding her mind. The place was falling down around her. Raph was waiting patiently, still holding out her pink scarf. She took it, her fingers brushing the back of his hand. He moved closer and picked her up in his arms, her legs most likely broken. With her, he jumped over rubble and fallen debris. His brothers were waiting by the door.
"I'm letting you off just this once." Leo said to him, spotting Mona. Raph nodded and followed his brothers out.
Mona felt safe for the first time in her life. She sat on the sofa at the Turtles underground lair, her legs on the mend. They had to settle with bandages and splints, as medical supplies were limited for mutants. Mona didn't mind.
The Turtles were kind, although they could be immature. She was shy around them at first, but they insisted she rest and recover while they helped her with whatever she needed help with. She never went hungry, three square meals every day. She had a warm, safe place to live. The only problem she had were the nightmares. In her sleep, she was back in that dingy cell in Shredder's dungeon, following his orders, receiving punishments for failing him. Often, she would wake up crying. One night, the nightmares were at their worst and she woke up screaming. Raph had been up at the point, walking past. He dropped his drink and went to calm her down. Mona found the most comfort in him, and Mikey, who always made her laugh.
While she was with them, Mona found out that, although they were brothers, they couldn't have been more different. Leonardo was the eldest, disciplined and studious, centred on ninjutsu and very loyal. Raphael was temperamental and enjoyed the physical, violent side of his ninjutsu training, often annoyed quickly by Mikey's practical jokes and antics. Donatello was clearly the brains of the group, scientific and reserved. He was always tinkering with some gadget or coming up with new vehicle plans and inventions. Michelangelo was a pain in the shell, with a wicked sense of humour and a knack for quickly and easily getting on people's nerves. He had a pet cat, Klunk, who was adorable. Mona had taken a shine to the young, behaved ginger cat. The Turtles had a master too- Master Splinter. They called him 'Father', 'Master' and 'Sensei'. Master Splinter wasn't a Turtle, but a humble, polite, wise, ninjutsu master rat. Mona was familiar with rats, getting the occasional rat in her old cell.
They started teaching her basic self-defence as soon as she was back on her feet. They would stand in a line and simultaneously train. Mona soon picked it up and felt better in herself.
A few months later, Mona watched her friends. They'd fallen asleep on the sofa, their film still on, Mikey's hand still in the empty popcorn bowl. He was leaning on Leo, seemingly comfortable. Leo sat at the end of the sofa, elbow resting on the arm, head propped up on his hand. Don slept where he sat. Mona thought Raph was asleep too, until he got up carefully and walked off. Out of curiosity, she followed him to a back room she hadn't noticed before. He was tinkering on a motorbike. A red one that shone in the dim light. She moved silently and sat in the shadows. Raph worked for a good half hour, before rising, tools in hand. He seemed content with what he had done and moved to put the gear away in a battered, faded red tool box. He straightened again, kicking the tool box further into the shadows.
Mona shifted away, sticking to the shadows as Raph walked out. Mona listened for a minute before hearing the shower running.
She got quietly to her feet and quickly moved to the bike. She walked slowly around it, admiring it from every angle. She would've loved to have had a ride, or to just sit on it, but she had learnt not to mess with Raph's stuff without permission. She examined the bike for a nice, quiet ten minutes.
"Wut cha doin'?" Mona spun round, startled. Raph stood in the doorway, watching her warily, as if she dare mess with his bike.
"I-I-I was..." Mona swallowed nervously and pulled herself together. "I was... just looking." Raph relaxed slightly. "I wasn't- I wouldn't, like, break it or anything." Raph smiled grimly. Mona stayed silent, biting her lip.
"Yeah, OK." Raph turned and left. Was he... trusting her to look at the bike? Trusting her to go near the bike- his bike? Sweet.
"Raph! Wait!" Mona ran after him. Raph had stopped, looking over his shoulder at her. "I... erm, never really go to thank you for... err, getting me out of Shredder's place." Raph had turned to face her. He and his brothers were the same height and she came up to their shoulder.
"'S OK. Ya safe now anyway."
"No, really thank you. I... I kinda guess I owe you my life now."
"Huh." Raph smiled slightly. "Well then, I guess this is where I say yur welcome." Mona smiled, relieved. Raph looked round at his brothers as Mikey said something about the Turtle Titan in his sleep. "Jeez, wut a bum." Mona giggled feebly. "Yu go get some sleep. I'll ya in the mornin'."
"OK. Thanks again, Raph." He nodded and walked off. That had to be the longest conversation she had managed to hold with him.
Mikey had found out that Mona's seventeenth was coming up and he was planning something special for her- under Sir Leonardo's watching eyes. Working around Leo wasn't one of the easiest things known to mutant turtles. He would ask for help from Donnie, seeing as his brother was the brains, but Mikey was almost certain that his brother was a little uncertain around girls. Or what to do about or with them.
Mikey had managed to sneak out, donned in human clothes. Mona's birthday was ten days before Christmas and it was already snowing. Mikey walked carefully along the sidewalk, dodging stray snowballs and keeping his face covered and listening to his Walkman. He bopped along the street, getting smiles and strange looks from other pedestrians.
Mike felt in his pocket. He reckoned he had enough money to get Mona's birthday present and do his Christmas shopping at the same time. Get that out the way so he wouldn't have to do last minute shopping like he did last year- he lost three hours of comic reading and video games. Not the best way to spend the eve of Christmas Eve.
The song finished as Mikey walked past an alley. He instantly heard the sound of a scuffle. Delving into his pocket, he paused the new song. He scanned the alley, it's semi-darkness concealing what sounded like a fight. Mikey slowly walked into the shadows. A sharp whistle to his right told him to duck. Still crouching he kicked out. There was a muffled yell and then a dull thud.
"Hey! What'd you think you're doing?" A figure jumped out of the shadows, landing a few feet from Mikey. She- clearly a she from the irritated female voice- she was wearing tracksuit bottoms and a dark hooded jumper, the hood pulled low over her face. In her hands were sky blue knives that seemed to glow.
"Eden, he might be on our side!" The girl, Eden, turned sharply, glaring into the shadows, her grip tightening on our weapons.
"Emeli, he could be a lucky civvie!"
"Lucky civvie?" Mikey echoed, dumbfounded. "Dudette, please." Mikey reached into his pockets and drew his beloved chucks. He joined- well, he wouldn't say joined as this Eden girl didn't seem too happy with him being there. He aided the girls in their fight. After a while, he noticed that the opponent was a mix of Purple Dragons and Foot Ninja. "How come you girls are fighting this scum? I thought girls had a higher decency level than us guys." One of them laughed. There were three of them, all dressed the same. Eden, Emeli and another who had stayed silent.
"Shut up, male." Eden spat.
"Eden, he's helping us!" Emeli protested. Mikey side-stepped a sword attack from a Foot Ninja and a split second later he ducked a high kick from a Purple Dragon. He jumped up and split kicked them away.
"I guess it's safer to stay out of it?" Mikey grinned, his chuck wrapping around a Purple Dragon's bat. He disarmed the goon and swung his free chuck, whacking the crony upside the head. The fighting had gotten quieter and quieter, then eventually stopped. "And that's that." Mikey slid his chucks back into his pockets and dusted his hands off. Something- someone tackled him. He landed flat on his shell a blue knife held to his throat.
"Eden!" Her two accomplices grabbed her by the arms and dragged her back. Eden struggled against them. "Eden, calm down! He helped us, at least hear him out." Emeli's tone was very persuasive.