A/N: This is the final chapter of "Mutant L!" I had a lot of fun writing this and I'm excited to write more about Mona and the rest of the turtles. I'd like to thank everyone who read, followed, faved and reviewed this story and I hope you'll read my other fics. There's a lot more brewing in my head and I plan to bring it to life. Since this is the final chapter, I would really appreciate a review. Let me know what you thought of the story! Until next time, everyone! Enjoy!


"Save it. I don't want to hear it," Mona turned her back towards Raph.

"Mona…" he started to say.

"Raph! Get back!" Donnie yelled. He was running towards him, but why?

Out of the corner of Raph's eye, he saw flashes of red and blue coming towards his face. Mona was firing at him rapidly. Raph ricocheted some of the shots with his sais but he had to jump back to dodge the majority of them.

"Mona! Snap out of it! What are you doing?" Raph yelled at her.

His words were not getting through. The look in her eyes was blank and lifeless; her body's movements off beat and unfamiliar. Raps was not sure what in her head clicked differently, but she was coming at him with a lethal force.

The shots from Mona's guns were accurate but she fired them in such a rapid succession that she quickly ran out of ammo. Once she realized this she ran straight towards Raph, engaging him in hand-to-hand combat, guns in hand. She made a few attempts to bludgeon him in the face but he blocked her hits with his sai. She was relentless and kept trying to punch and kick him, getting a few hits in but it did not knock Raph down. She finally swept the floor with her leg, bringing Raph down to the floor with a loud thud.

Before he could get up, Mona was on top of him. She discarded her guns and began wrestling with Raph, putting all her weight on him. He held his arms out, trying to keep her hands from his face. Mona pushed down with so much force, her hands started to go through the prongs on his sais.

Her face did not alter, showing no pain or discomfort. Blood ran down her hands and dripped on Raph's unsettled face. He began to lose control of his body which allowed Mona to disarm the sai from his right hand. She ripped the prong from her hand, grabbed the handle and struck it into Raph's right shoulder, impaling him. His shell blocked the sai from going any further.

Raph screamed out in pain. It was unlike anything he felt before. He could feel the muscles in his shoulder pulsing around the blade, excruciatingly pinging with every beat of his racing heart. It started to expand to the rest of his body, causing him to involuntarily drop his other sai to the floor. Mona swept in and picked it up, bringing the blade to his neck. He could feel the metal slowly cutting his skin. Raph realized this was his final moment and he closed his eyes, accepting his fate.

When he expected finality, the weight of Mona disappeared and he saw Donnie standing above him, eyes wide and disturbed at the sight beneath him. His younger brother bent down and grabbed the handle of the sai in his shoulder.

"This is going to hurt," Donnie warned him and then ripped the weapon away. Raph screamed again and felt the warmth of his blood escape him. His vision blurred and he was on the edge of consciousness. Donnie unwrapped the bandages from his hand and wrist and shoved them in the gaping hole. While he did that, Mikey and Leo appeared.

"Leo, Mikey, give me your hand and wrist wraps, quick! Then I'll need you to keep Mona busy while I dress this wound," Donnie ordered.

"What happened here?" Mikey asked.

"No time to explain! Just give me your wraps!" Donnie shouted.

They handed the bandages to Donnie and ran off. Raph had no idea what was going on other than Donnie trying to stop him from bleeding out. Donnie slightly lifted his shoulder up and started to wrap the dressings around. Between the amount of blood he lost and the pain from being moved around, Raph finally blacked out.

"Mikey, I need your help over here," Donnie called out as he tried to lift Raph's body.

His brother ran over and helped him bear the weight. They placed one of Raph's arms around their necks and started to make their exit.

"Get Raph out of here!" Leo demanded, "I'll hold off Mona."

Donnie glanced over to their fight and it was difficult for his eyes to keep up with the speed they moved at.

"We need to hurry and get back to the lair, Mikey, before Raph bleeds to death."

Mikey nodded, "Alright, but how are we going to get there? The lair is too far away for us to carry him."

Donnie let out a long sigh, "I can't believe I'm going to suggest this, but we're going to have to break into a car or something. It's the only way we can get back without losing Raph."

They finally made their way back up to the surface. Donnie worriedly looked around for a car and noticed an old clunker across the street. He checked up and down the street to make sure no one was around before moving Raph across it. He asked Mikey to take Raph for a moment while he smashed the driver side window and unlocked the car. He pulled the back seat door opened and helped Mikey load Raph in the back seat. He instructed to Mikey to keep Raph's shoulder elevated above his heart to help stop the bleeding.

While Mikey did that, Donnie got to work on hotwiring the car. He had never done this before but he found it easy to do and had the car started in no time. Right as he turned the car on, Leo came out of the abandoned building. He was beat up but he was alright. Donnie ran over to the passenger side and got in, allowing Leo to take the wheel. They wasted no time and sped off down the dark streets of the city.

"How's he holding up?" Leo anxiously asked.

"I'm not sure," Mikey responded, his voice wavering, "His body's really cold and his pulse is barely there."

"What exactly happened, Donnie?" Leo addressed his other brother.

Donnie looked down at the floorboard, "Mona was being manipulated by the Kraang. I think the mutagen she was mutated with had some brainwashing element to it. There's some of her blood on Raph's sai, so I'll have to take a closer look at it when we get Raph back and stabilized."

A few minutes later, they arrived at the manhole cover closest to the lair. Leo was lucky he was not pulled over by the police, especially since he drove at an extremely illegal speed in a stolen car. He and Donnie jumped out of the car and helped Mikey get Raph out, gingerly carrying him over to the sewer entrance. Hindsight being 20/20, Leo realized they needed to climb down a ladder to get to the lair. He offered to carry Raph entirely down the ladder. Mikey went down first in order to catch Raph's body just in case it fell and Donnie followed Leo, making sure the coast was clear.

Once down, they all grabbed Raph and ran him to the garage door to Donnie's lab, placing him on one of the empty tables.

"Raph's lost too much blood," Donnie stated, "I need one of you to stay here and give some of your blood to him."

"I'll do it," Leo volunteered, "Mikey, go get Master Splinter. He needs to know what happened."

"Rodger," Mikey replied and raced out of the lab.

Leo walked over to Donnie, "What do I need to do?"

"Grab another table and place it next to Raph and lie down," Donnie instructed, "I'll have to do a direct transfusion while I close this wound."

"Do whatever it takes, Donnie."

Once Leo lied down, Donnie situated his arm around and carefully inserted a hypodermic needle with an attached tube into his vein. It connected to an IV bag and Leo's blood started to collect. After that, he took another tube, attached it to the other side of the IV bag, and inserted a separate needle into Raph's arm. Then he hooked him up to a monitor to observe his vitals. They were dangerously low, but Raph was still alive.

Mikey returned with Splinter as Donnie started his operation.

"My son!" Splinter gasped as he walked over to the table.

"Perfect timing. I need help flipping Raph over on his side. The wound goes directly through his shoulder," Donnie explained.

Splinter, Donnie and Mikey positioned themselves and lifted Raph's weight to his left side, being careful not to disrupt the transfusion between he and Leo. Donnie asked if Splinter and Mikey could hold Raph there while Donnie hurriedly cleaned and stitched in sutures. After that, they lightly rolled Raph on his back and Donnie did the same on that side. He made sure no vital veins or arteries were struck before stitching the wound close.

Luckily, Raph's vitals did not worsen during the operation. They actually improved as he received much needed blood from Leo. Enough blood collected to unhook Leo from the transfusion and Donnie let the rest of the blood drip from the IV into Raph's arm. Donnie washed up and took the time to sit down and let out a sigh of relief. His heart never raced so fast and he honestly was worried that Raph would not make it through.

"You did well, Donatello," Splinter praised him and placed his paw on his shoulder.

"Thanks, Sensei," he whispered.

"What exactly happened out there? Where is Mona?"

Donnie hesitated for a moment. He had to make sure the next few words out of his mouth would not get confused as something else: "Mona did this to him, Sensei, but her mind was controlled by the Kraang."

"Controlled?" Splinter reiterated.

"Yes," he responded and stood up, "It's something in the mutagen they used on her... which reminds me, I need to study her blood!"

Donnie grabbed one of Raph's sais and took a sample of the blood from the prongs. He took it over to his work station and began to extract and analyze her DNA. It took him an hour to gather the sample and examine it thoroughly. He often took steps back for a second and reanalyzed it, not believing what he saw under the microscope.

Mona's DNA was fused with inorganic materials; tiny chips to be exact. He took a closer look at the chips and snagged some data from them. He transferred it to his computer and started to decipher the coding. Luckily, Mona's freeze on his computer was gone. She was true to her words.

"What did you find out?" Splinter questioned as he came up behind Donnie's chair.

"I was right. The Kraang have figured out how to meld organic and inorganic material together through the mutagen. It's a lot harder to fix the biological aspect of her DNA, but I should be able to create a kind of antidote to the mind controlling technology in her blood."

"Get to work on that, Donnie," Leo ordered, "Next we have to figure out where Mona is. I'm sure she's not in the same place."

"Alright got that covered," Donnie boasted, "I was able to plant one of my tracking devices on her before knocking her off of Raph."

"Good work, Donnie. Figure out where that is after you create that antidote."

"There's a slight problem with that," Donnie added.

"What is it?"

"I need a larger blood sample from Mona in order to make it."

"Are you telling me we have to capture her somehow and bring her back here?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying, Leo."

Leo sighed, "Alright then. Track her down and I'll think of a plan that won't get us killed."

A faint moaning came from behind them. Raph was waking up! Everyone rushed over to the table to see how he was doing. Raph attempted to sit up on his own but he was too weak. Mikey assisted him, gently maneuvering him into a comfortable position.

"How're you feeling?" Donnie asked.

"Like crud," he groaned.

"Well, you're going to sit tight and heal up while we go rescue Mona," Leo told Raph.

"What happened with her?" Raph asked, still quite unsure of what all ensued previously.

Between Donnie, Mikey and Leo, they retold the entire scenario as well as what Donnie found out about Mutagen L. The expression on Raph's face was hard to look at as the story went on. Not only was he physically hurt, but he was emotionally hurt too.

"I'm going with you," Raph decided.

"No way!" Leo told him, "You are in no condition to go anywhere."

"I have to fix this, Leo. It's my fault this all happened in the first place!"

"I'm sorry, Raph, but I can't let you…"

"I'm going!" he restated.

"No, and that's an order!" Leo bellowed, "You'll stay here with Master Splinter."

"Leonardo is right, Raphael," Splinter agreed, "It would be best if you stayed behind. We'll help move you to a more comfortable spot before your brothers leave."

Raph really had no choice in the matter and submitted to the pressure. Everyone wordlessly helped Raph over to the couch and then Leo, Donnie and Mikey moved out.

"I can't believe this," Raph complained to Splinter.

"Have faith in your brothers, Raphael," Splinter said as he sat down next to Raph, "I know you care a lot for Mona. I see the way you look at her. You should consider telling her how you feel when this is all resolved."

"I already have, Sensei," Raph blushed.

"Oh?"

"But I messed up big time. I made her really angry by interfering and trying to keep her from being shot by her brother. That's how we left things when this happened," he said as he pointed to his wound.

"So you were both in the wrong?" Splinter inquired.

"Hai, Sensei."

"I don't believe I've ever told you the whole story about the night I lost my beloved Tang Shen and Miwa, Raphael. The truth is, earlier that day, Tang Shen and I got into an argument. We were both stressed out, especially as a newly wedded couple and first time parents. Those daily stresses finally built up caused us to say hurtful things to each other. We did not speak for the rest of the day and in fact, we slept in separate rooms that night.

Little did I know that Oroku Saki would strike that night, attempting to take my life. During our fight, a fire broke out in the house, prompting Oroku Saki to flee, taking Miwa with him. Unknowing of what he did, I was frantic for the safety of my family and began searching for them. Unfortunately, Miwa already disappeared at that point and Tang Shen was left crying. She begged me to find Miwa and told me that she was sorry for everything she said to me earlier.

Suddenly, part of the roof collapsed and landed in flames between me and Tang Shen. Her apology was the last I ever heard her speak and I never got the chance to tell her sorry myself. That moment haunts me every day of my life."

Raph was nearly in tears from the story. He knew how much Splinter lost that day, but he never truly understood what he felt until now.

"What I'm trying to say, Raphael, is to make sure you let the ones you love know you do. You'll never know what'll happen a few moments from now, so it's best to live a life of love than of hate and anger."

"You're right, Sensei, we let our anger get the best of us. I just hope she'll be forgiving."

"If she loves you as much as you love her, then she is probably feeling the same regret right now. Admitting you were both wrong is not only an act of humility, but of compassion. And compassion is part of the foundation of a devoted relationship."

"Thank you, Sensei. I should probably get some rest. Who knows how long it'll be before the guys come back."

"Good idea," Splinter agreed as he stood up and made his way back to the dojo.

It did not take long for Raph to fall into a slumber.


When Mona woke, everything around her was hazy and disoriented. It took her a couple of minutes to clear her vision and when she did, she realized she sat locked up in a similar cage right after her mutation. She looked around and noticed she was back in the same chamber she brought Raph to in the underwater facility, and this time, she was not alone.

Also locked up were Bebop and Rocksteady. Their demeanor was the calmest Mona had seen of them. They acted more human-like than beasts within the cell. In fact, they were talking with each other. Mona could only catch bits and pieces of their conversation, but they said something along the lines of memory loss.

Mona could empathize. One moment she was arguing with Raph and the next she was here. She mentally kicked herself for acting out against Raph like that. She got caught up in the moment and blew up at him, especially since she was in the wrong. Raph saved her life and she repaid him with malicious words.

She clenched her hands and a shot of agony raced up from her hands. She looked down and noticed the large pricks in her hands, covered by dry blood. She did not remember receiving the lacerations from falling down so how did get them? She tried her best to remember but it was impossible. In a fit of anger, she slammed her fist against the wall behind her, causing more pain.

"The one known as Mutant L finally woke from the sleeping state she was formally in."

"Kraang!" she yelled out, "Explain yourself! What's going on here?"

"Kraang does not need to explain itself to the one who is held captive."

"What did you do to me? Why can't I remember anything?"

The alien ignored her.

Mona let out a loud aggravated sigh as the robot walked away from her, leaving the mutants in the room alone.

"I take it they never told you," Bebop spoke up. His voice was deep and tough.

"If you'd like to fill me in, I'd really appreciate it," Mona huffed.

"I'm assuming you were mutated with the same stuff Rocksteady and I was. If that's the case, then there's some sort of mind controlling element to it, at least, that's what the Kraang told us. They want to create some sort of legion of mutants or something like that."

"Legion?" Mona's head perked up, "Did they use that word specifically?"

Bebop nodded his head.

"That must be what the 'L' means in Mutagen L!" she thought aloud, "I always thought it was just connected to me, but it would make sense why the Kraang refer to us as letters; You guys are B and R an I'm L. Though I still don't know why they chose L…"

"There are others like us too," Rocksteady joined in. His voice was surprisingly higher pitched compared to his pachyderm figure, "Twenty-six, if I recall correctly. I think that's why they specify us as letters."

"Have you met them?" Mona wondered.

Rocksteady shook his head, "No, only you and Bebop. Who knows if they've mutated anyone else?"

"So do the Kraang just turn the mind controlling thing on and off when they want to?" Mona inquired further.

"Yes," Bebop replied, "As far as we can tell, the Kraang can remotely activate it. Regardless of where we are, the Kraang have a hold on us."

The Kraang must have waited to activate control on me since I was trying to spy on the turtles. I guess when they found out I wasn't going to work with them anymore…

A loud bang and crash broke Mona from her thoughts. The sounds came from the other side of the room. A couple more thunks and thuds later three figures appeared. Mona stood up to get a better look and had to do a double take, but it was definitely Leo, Donnie and Mikey.

"Mona, we're here to get you out," Leo stated as they rushed up to her cage.

"Where's Raph?" Mona asked, noticing the missing turtle.

The three looked at each other, wondering who was going to break the news. Silently, they decided on Donnie.

"Raph's gravely injured, Mona."

"What? How?"

"By you," he solemnly answered, "The mutagen the Kraang used on you can control your mind and…"

"I just found out about that part," Mona interrupted, not caring about those details. She was more interested in Raph, "So I hurt him without knowing? What did I do exactly?"

"Yes, you did," Donnie paused, wondering if he should tell her what happened or lie. He decided it was only fair to her, but he knew he was going to regret this decision, "You grabbed one of his sais from his hand and impaled him through the shoulder with it. That's also how you got those cuts on your hands. He's lost a lot of blood, Mona."

Mona looked at her hands and they began to shake. The cuts did match with the prongs on the sais. She could not believe she did that, especially to Raph. He probably hated her for it. First she got angry at him and then stabbed him to the point of nearly bleeding to death. Not exactly the way to say 'I love you' to someone you care about.

She glanced up, with a determined look on her face, "You have to get out of here. I'm too dangerous to be around. If the Kraang find out you're here, I'll probably kill you."

"Sorry, sis, but that won't be part of the plan," Mikey informed her.

Donnie walked over to the lock and easily got through: "I can counter the technology controlling you, but we have to take you back to the lab."

"If you plan to do that, I hope you planned to tie me up," Mona explained, "Apparently the Kraang can remotely activate it whenever. When they notice I'm gone, they'll for sure flip the switch."

"Which is why we're going to knock you out," Leo told her as he entered the cage.

"Knock me ou…" Mona started to say before Leo pinched a pressure point in her shoulder blade. The weight of her body dropped to the ground and Donnie and Mikey caught her before she crashed to the ground. Mikey securely tied her hands behind her back and they began to make their way out. Mikey glanced over to the two other locked up mutants, noticing they were not acting like ferocious monsters anymore.

"What about them?" he pointed out, "We can't just leave them here too. They're just like Mona and need our help."

"Unfortunately we don't have the time or man power right now, Mikey," Donnie elucidated.

"He's right," Bebop interjected, "We're only a danger if we come with you. Get the girl out and help her."

"We'll try to come back and help you," Leo offered.

"Don't worry about us," Rocksteady answered, "If she helps you find a cure for this curse, then that's all we can ask for. Hopefully the next time we meet we won't be trying to bash your heads in. If that's not the case, then our apologies in advance."

"Any day now, guys!" Donnie complained.

Mikey and Leo agreed that they had wasted too much time and hastily made their escape. Luckily, Mona did not wake up en route to the lair. When they got back, they propped her body up against the concrete pillar in the middle of the living area and tied her hands and feet to it. If she woke up, she would not be able to move and would not be a threat to anyone.

By this time, Raph awoke and a giant wave of relief escaped from his body, knowing Mona was safe. It unsettled him that she had to be tied up like an animal, but he understood it was for her and everyone's safety.

Donnie did not waste any time getting to work on the antidote. He took a larger blood sample from her arm and rushed into his lab, closing the doors behind him. Hopefully by the time he came out, he would have a cure. In the meantime, Leo, Raph and Mikey waited outside, silently watching over Mona.

An hour passed before Mona woke up, grumbling incoherently. When she finally came to, she lunged forward, yelling and grunting, trying to break free of her restraints. The empty eyes and the aggression were positive signs of her not in control of herself.

They needed to knock her out again and this time, Raph volunteered. He grabbed one of his sais with his left hand and clonked her in the back of the head with end of the handle. She fell limp at the moment of contact.

"You didn't need to use that much force on her!" Leo chastised.

"What do you mean?" Raph shrugged, "How else was I supposed to do it?"

"I don't know, maybe with a pressure point? Did you not pay any attention to our lessons about disarming people without being too physical?"

"Nope, I must have been daydreaming during that," he came back sarcastically, "Plus, she'll stay out longer with this hit than some stupid pressure point."

"Fine by me," Leo retorted, "Then you get to explain to her why she has bumps and bruises all over her body."

Donnie poked his head out from his lab and yelled, "Will you two stop arguing? I'm trying to concentrate here!"

"Sorry, Donnie," Leo and Raph apologized in unison. Donnie slipped back into the lab and the living room fell silent again.

Three more hours passed and still nothing from Donnie. Mikey and Leo broke off and silently held a conversation on the other end of the couch. Raph could not hear them, nor did he care about what they were saying. He sat right across from Mona, mutely reflecting on everything that happened in the past few days. He replayed each scenario in his head and considered if things would be have changed if he did or said anything different. He regretted every mistake he made but knew there was nothing he could do at this point but to try and make amends. He thought back to what Splinter told him and he desperately wanted to tell Mona he was sorry and make it up to her somehow. She held a special place in his heart and right now, it was shattered into a million little pieces. The more and more he waited on Donnie, the more and more he grew anxious.

The grumbling noises in front of him drew him out of his thoughts. Mona was waking up again. It also caught the attention of Mikey and Leo and they made their way over.

"I'll do it this time," Leo instructed. As he lifted his hand up to place it on Mona's shoulders, Donnie burst out of his lab.

"Wait, don't!" he called out, "I have it ready!" He dashed forward with a syringe gun in his hand loaded with an emerald liquid, "She needs to be awake for this to make sure it takes effect."

Mona fully woke up and started the thrash in her restraints. Mikey and Leo grabbed her and pinned her against the pillar, restricting her movements further. Donnie moved in and shot the injection into the crook of her neck. She stopped resisting and eventually passed out. Seconds later, she came to in a less violent manner, observing everything around her.

"Did you…?" Mona started to say.

Raph's heart skipped a beat. Elation filled every inch of his body.

"I'll have to take another blood sample from you to make sure, but yes, I figured out an antidote," Donnie replied as he pulled out another syringe and took more of her blood, "Until then, we'll have to keep you like this but I promise it won't take long for me to look at it."

"That's understandable," she agreed, "Do what you have to."

Donnie raced back to the lab, leaving the other turtles with Mona. She looked up at Raph and smiled. It surprised Raph and he was at a loss for words. He frantically tried to think of something to say but all he could manage was to weakly smile back.

"Raph, I…" Mona said before Donnie came back in.

"It worked!" he exclaimed, "Now let's get you untied."

Leo and Mikey broke the ties, giving free movement back to Mona. She rubbed her aching wrists, trying to relieve the pain and numbness there but felt it all over. Then she rubbed the back of her head and felt a bump. That explained why she had a pounding headache.

"That was my bad," Raph nervously admitted, "But I guess that makes us even now."

Mona laughed, "It does, but I don't think we'll ever be even about your…" her words drifted as she pointed out the bandages on his shoulder.

Raph walked up to her, pulled her close to his body with his uninjured arm and planted a soft kiss on her lips. Emotions flooded her mind, causing her eyes to well up. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back, not wanting to ever let go of him.

Meanwhile, Mikey, Donnie and Leo's eyes were wide with shock, jaws agape and bodies paralyzed as they tried to rationalize what was happening in front of them. They obviously missed something because Raph was the last turtle they would ever imagine to hook up with a girl.

Raph and Mona shared that special moment a couple of seconds longer before pulling away. Raph placed his forehead on hers and whispered, "I'm sorry, Mona."

"I'm sorry too, Raphael," she whispered back as she raised his head and looked into his eyes. They did not have to explain anything to each other because they could read every emotion and thought in each other's gazes. They both knew they messed up and they both forgave each other for that.

"Um, this is really awkward," Mikey spoke out, breaking up the sentimental moment.

Mona and Raph looked over to the trio, realizing what happened. Raph's cheeks flushed and Mona nervously laughed aloud.

"So are you two dating then?" Mikey continued.

"Mikey!" Raph shouted and started to chase his brother around with a fist in the air.

"I'll take that as a yes!" Mikey yelped, trying to avoid being punched.

Ignoring Raph and Mikey's antics, Leo turned to Mona and asked: "What are you going to do about your brother? He's still out there."

"I'm not sure," she answered truthfully, "It'll probably take a while to track him down again. In the meantime, I guess I'll have to find a way to put my skills to good use."

"You could help us track down Kraang and Foot activity," Donnie suggested, "I can even hook you up with whatever tech you'll need."

"Really, you'd do that?" Mona asked in surprise.

"Of course. You're one of us now and we mutants need to stick together."

Mona gleamed in happiness. After a rapid succession of unfortunate events in her life, she finally found a place she truly belonged. It could never replace the familial bonds she had with her mother and brother, but her life was always filled with discord. She finally found stability with her mutant friends and that was more than she could ever ask for.

She would eventually find her brother again and reclaim that part of her life. She also wanted to destroy the Kraang and their Mutagen L project. But for now, she wanted to enjoy what she had in the present and foster her relationship with Raph.

No worries, no fears and no regrets. That was the life she planned to live.


End of "Mutant L" and Part One of "Mona Lisa's Ballad"