Daniel 'Drawback' Drake (c) Vino-Lerrej on Deviantart (vino-lerrej . deviantart . com)
Design of Drawback by me


Tigerclaw brought Karai and Drawback back to the Shredder. His back was turned to the returning warriors. Tigerclaw shoved Karai to her knees while keeping Drawback in his grip. Tigerclaw would do everything he could to show her off as dishonourable as he believed she was. "She has betrayed you, Master Shredder. She fought alongside the Turtles," Tigerclaw tattled. The Shredder tilted his head, but made no other movements; no other indication of his mood, thoughts or reactions to this news. Drawback remained silent, glaring from the tiger mutant to the Foot leader.

"Tell me the truth!" Karai shouted angrily. She faltered a moment, shifting her gaze away from him. She had never spoken to him with such ferocity before. She looked back up at him, frowning aggressively. "Splinter is my father, isn't he?" The Shredder stood still for a moment, staring out the large windows that made up his wall. It was a shock when he suddenly turned on his heel, pausing another moment. He slowly walked towards Karai, eerily quiet after being scolded by a child. Her heart nearly stopped from his uncharacteristic behaviour, the fear levels inside of her reaching high peaks. He finally reached her, but said nothing for a long moment, letting the silence build into tension.

"Yes," his words oozed. "Hamato Yoshi is your true father."

Karai's eyes bulged, the last bit of doubt vanishing from her very soul. "What?" she breathed. She stared at the floor, completely numb to everything around her; just the heavy weight of the truth crushing her reality. Shredder slowly walked past them, heading towards the exit of his throne room.

"Tigerclaw. Bring them," he ordered. The tiger pulled Karai up to her feet. She could barely stand. He dragged her and Drawback along as they made their way to the laboratories, where Dr. Stockman worked. He buzzed and twitched around the lab, carrying viles and chemicals to various areas. He noticed the group enter and flew down to greet his leader. Shredder held up a hand to Tigerclaw, motioning for him to hold back. The armoured ninja approached the fly mutant, ordering him to bring him something. Stockman flew off to retrieve it. Shredder returned to Tigerclaw and the two teens, who had both been bound. He took Karai by the shoulders with both hands, squeezing it tightly so she winced. Stockman returned with a vile of mutagen, and Shredder nodded at Tigerclaw. He nodded in response, knowing exactly what to do, and pushed Drawback towards Stockman. He shoved him into a clear, glass tube that had no top. Karai's heart began to pound, already knowing the answers to the questions she was about to ask.

"What are you doing!?" she demanded, sweat beginning to form on her brow.

"He distracted you, Karai. Encouraged your curiosity," Shredder responded in a low mono-tone. "Look at what his actions have caused us."

"He hasn't done anything! Stop this!" she begged. But Shredder wouldn't be deterred. He nodded again and Stockman flew above the tube's opening, mutagen in hand. Drawback looked up in horror as he saw the giant fly untwist the cap of the strange, glowing liquid and hover it above his head. He pressed himself against the walls, desperate to avoid what was going to be dropped on him, however futile it was. His breathing grew heavy, but the frown on his brow only intensified, not wanting to show his true emotions. Stockman tilted the vile. Drawback squeezed his eyes tight, pressing his cheek against the glass and tensing his muscles. The liquid poured out, washing over the young Purple Dragon. It burned to the touch and he began screaming immediately. Karai flinched away, not wanting to watch as his body arced in pain. He clutched his head and retreated into the fetal position, all the while still screaming. The vile fluid washed over his body and got into his mouth, causing him to gag and spit it out. It burned his throat and he was no longer able to scream, or even breathe without the pain shooting throughout his chest. Then he felt his bones popping; a similar feeling to cracking knuckles, but a lot more painful. He could feel this sensation throughout his entire body, felt his bones shifting beneath his skin. And then it stopped. Even the burning lowered to a tingle over the surface of his skin. He took a deep breathe, euphoric at the feeling of oxygen re-entering his lungs. He stayed in the fetal position as water began to rise from the bottom of the tube. It swirled a bit, making sure to remove the majority of mutagen, and then drained out the bottom again.

The tingling stopped, but Drawback did not feel the same. He had been oblivious to his captors watching him as he struggled to deal with the pain, and only now noticed the horrifying look on Karai's face as she stared at him, tears trickling from her eyes. Drawback lifted his hand and pressed it against the glass. And that's when he saw what Karai saw; insect-like armour covered his arm. His breathing picked up again. He stared out the glass, at Karai. She lowered her head, and her shoulders sank. He focused on the translucent reflection in the glass to get a better sense at what they had turned him into. It wasn't a clear image, but he could tell he wasn't human anymore; not even close. He saw sandy and brown coloured skin on a hulking, hunch-backed creature. Large pincher-fangs protruded from his mouth, making it impossible to press his lips together completely. His eyes looked to be the same colour, but larger, and fuller. His nose and ears were gone from what he could see, and his left ear ring was now fused into the side of his head. He still had hair, but it looked like it had been shaved into a low Mohawk. He looked down at himself, finding it hard to pivot his head without moving his shoulders with it. From what he could tell, he now had four arms and four legs. Two of his arms were large with scorpion-like claws instead of hands, and the other two were smaller, closer to the size his arms had been before, with three digits on each hand.

He scowled at the Shredder, clenching his jaw and fists. He banged against the glass, cries of agony sounding more like the roars of a monster. The Shredder approached Drawback once Tigerclaw took his place in guarding Karai. His steps were slow and ominous, and Drawback glared at him intensely the entire time. The ninja master stopped in front of the glass tube, casting an indifferent stare at the now mutated boy. He leaned down, and spoke in his gravelly tone, "this is your punishment for turning my daughter against me. You will never again be allowed her company." Drawback thrashed around in his confinement, hissing and roaring furiously. Claws sprang from his fingertips and he began using them to cut at the glass. The Shredder turned back to Tigerclaw, ignoring Drawback's fit. "TigerClaw, take her away," Shredder ordered. Tigerclaw obeyed, grabbing the back of her neck and leaving the room. Drawback paused only a few seconds to see his closest friend being taken away, knowing it may be the last he saw of her. He continued his thrashing, now more futile than before. "Stockman. Put him with the others," Shredder ordered. Stockman buzzed about, grabbing a remote and typing in a few commands. A robotic claw came down, grabbing the tube with Drawback inside. It was placed on a small circle on the floor, with markings that suggested a launch pad. There were a few clicks and hums of mechanics as the tube was secured to the floor. Stockman pressed another button, and the bottom of the tube fell away, sending Drawback tumbling into another prison; a prison full of more monsters like him.

...

Tigerclaw dragged Karai to the lower levels of the headquarters and threw her into one of the cells. He slammed the door closed and turned his back on her.

"No," Karai shrieked. "No! No! What are you doing?" She held the bars, desperately begging to the only family she knew, feeling a horrible, unfamiliar ache at being betrayed and used by people she had trusted with her life. She stretched her hand through the holes in the cell door, "Nooo!"