Chapter 10
Just stay curled up in a corner, be quiet, and don't make eye contact with anybody. That was a certain terrified Neutrino's survival plan for the time being. She could hear the turtles and the samurai lagomorph discussing her fate several yards away. Kala shuddered as she saw the terrapin in blue staring at her out of the corner of her eye. From that look it was more like he was planning her demise rather than just her shaky, uncertain future. She adjusted her uncomfortable position as best she could in her bound state as she clamped her eyes shut. Her face hurt and she had developed a bit of a headache since her initial encounter with the current Battle Nexus champion. She didn't dare complain. The last thing she needed was another beating. So for now she focused on trying to get some rest somehow. She found the tiniest bit of solace in the fact the turtles at least provided her with some blankets to lay on. As Kala settled into uncomfortable yet much needed rest, the Hamato clan and their samurai friend discussed their plans for the rescue mission.
"Ok, so we'll head out first thing tomorrow," Leo explained. "We need to be rested and alert before we head into foreign territory. Mikey, Mei-chan, and Usagi will be going with me to Dimension X. We'll get Kala to show us all the runes we need to complete the mission, taking her along with us to avoid any treachery on her part. Until then we'll keep watch over her in pairs in two hour shifts. Mike and Raph will be the first shift, Don and Usagi can be the second, and Venus and I will be the third. Don, Raph, after we leave for Dimension X I want you to take the kids back to New York. They've had enough trauma and excitement for the day."
All present matters being settled, Michelangelo and Raphael took the first shift guarding Kala, who was now curled up on her side on top of blankets like a newborn lamb. The two turtle brothers sat on each side of her watching her closely. Kala may have been asleep, but she seemed aware of the turtles' presence even in her unconscious state. She shivered under Raphael's glare as he silently dared the Neutrino to try to escape.
"Ya know, Mikey, if we didn't need this lady to find the kids I'd kill this bitch for what she did to them and what she did to Splinta and Pacha."
"C'mon, Raph. Don't you think you're being a little too harsh? It's not like she did it on purpose."
"The fuck ya mean? She definitely did it on purpose to Master Splinta and Pacha, that's for sure. And it ain't no accident that she made that trap gate. What ya standin' up for her for anyways? That bitch broke up our family twice, Mikey! Twice! Anybody that does that is just plain evil!"
"It's not like she came up with the plan. I mean, her master's holdin' her brother hostage and forcin' her to do this..."
"You can kill dat noise right now, bro! For all we know she could be lying to cover her ass! I ain't fallin' for that bullshit. Whose side are you on anyway? That's your son and Donnie's little girl in trouble all cuz o' this bitch. If anybody should want to make her pay it should be you and Don!"
"I dunno, Raph. She seemed pretty sincere to me..."
"Yeah, sincerely scared shitless cuz she got caught! What is with you, Mike? Are seriously fallin' for that pile of crap?"
Mike slumped his shoulders and shook his head. He was so conflicted about the whole situation. When Kala was explaining her situation he could hear the regret in her voice and see the desperation in her eyes. Something told him that she was a good person being forced to do horrific things. At the same time his baby boy, his pride and joy, was in great danger and he wanted to get him back quickly before something terrible happened to him. Michelangelo didn't dare imagine the unthinkable. Raphael frowned at the clear conflict in his brother's expression.
"Damn it, Mikey. I swear to god you better not be fallin' for this bitch," Raph hissed as he leaned close to his brother. Mike glared at his sibling briefly before looking down at Kala. She was such a pitiful sight with her pained expression and face ashen with dried tears.
"Raph, I may be a bit of a goof at times, but I'm not an idiot. I gotta admit I feel kind of sorry for her. When a loved one is threatened you could end up doing things you never thought you would to protect them. Usually things you'll regret."
"Whateva, bro. Probably all just an act anyway. Turnin' on the waterworks just cause her ass got caught."
Just then Kala stirred and slowly opened her eyes. She glanced at each of the turtles then attempted to sit up in her restrained state, which was just about impossible. Mike took pity on her and helped her sit up as he took note of her uncomfortable expression.
"Hey, you ok?"
For a moment Kala appeared unsure if she should answer.
"Uh...I...need to go the the bathroom...p-please."
Raph scoffed and shook his head.
"Heh. I guess this means you want us to untie you and let you go to the water closet, huh?"
"P-please, if you would be so kind?"
"Hell no! We ain't givin' you a chance to escape!"
"But I...!"
"Shut it, lady!" Raphael glanced at his younger brother. "Hey, Mike, go get that chamber pot over there."
"Raph, you can't be serious!"
"Hell yeah, I'm serious! I ain't lettin' this bitch outta my sight! Whateva she gotta do she can do it right here." The red clad mutant glanced back at Kala. "You ain't getting a chance to escape. Not on my watch."
A mortified Michelangelo brought the chamber pot over while Raphael undid Kala's restraints. Mikey politely looked away as Raph glared at the Neutrino female with his arms folded. Kala looked down at the pot then back at Raph, who hadn't taken his eyes off of her yet.
"What are you waitin' for? Go ahead and piss, shit, or whateva ya gotta do! And don't ask me to wipe your ass, cuz it ain't happenin'!"
When Kala looked back down she noticed a roll of toilet paper set on the other side of the pot. She really had to go, but not with someone watching her. Kala glanced at Michelangelo, who had his back turned, then at Raphael. She subtly hinted that she would prefer some privacy, but Raph's scowl let her know that he wouldn't be cooperating with that notion. So, with a sigh of resignation the Neutrino swallowed her dignity and did what she had to do as tears of humiliation pooled in her eyes. As she made herself decent she heard the red clad ninja scoff in irritation.
"I hope you don't think I'm doing this outta some kinda sick perversion. I'm just makin' sure you don't disappear on us before givin' us the information we need to get our kids back."
Kala silently wiped her tears and laid back down on the blankets as Mike put the chamber pot back in the corner. She noticed that the orange masked one looked quite apologetic when he returned to his post.
"Hey, uh, Kala...you comfortable? You need another blanket?"
Kala stared wide eyed and speechless before shaking her head. She was so shocked by his kindness she wasn't sure if she should thank him or if she was being set up to be executed later on. She got the feeling he didn't want to hurt her, but Mike was a definite minority among this group. She decided to set aside all thoughts of her possible impending doom and get some sleep.
After a couple hours Usagi and Donatello came in to relieve Raph and Mike. On their way back to their family's quarters Raphael gave his younger brother a hard nudge, almost knocking him into a wall.
"What the hell was that for, Raph?"
"You're kidding me, right? You really think I wouldn't call you out for flirting with that bitch?"
"Wha...? What are you talking about?"
Raph clasped his hands beneath his chin and fluttered his amber eyes.
"Oh, Miss Kala, are you okay? Ya comfy? Are these meager accommodations to your liking? You must get your beauty rest after all!" Raph mocked before giving his brother a nasty sneer of irritation.
"I wasn't flirting, okay! I was just being polite," Mike protested as he rubbed his shoulder.
"Mike, what the hell is wrong with you? That lady has turned our lives upside down in a matter of seconds puttin' two of the kids in danger. Not only that she took our father from us! She don't deserve no politeness from us or anyone else whose life she's ruined! Now stop being such a pussy for a pretty face and stay focused on what's important! Getting Moondoggie and Lovie back!"
Mikey was too tired to get into it with Raph so he grudgingly kept quiet and let the matter rest for now. He was very distressed over what happened to his son and niece, but at the same time he could identify with Kala's desperate circumstances. It was a horrible situation all around and he wanted it all resolved as quickly and peacefully as possible. Once they made it back to their quarters Mikey laid down next to his daughter, who was still awake. The ninja could tell his precious offspring was utterly devastated by what happened to her brother and sister-cousin. He held her close and kissed the top of her head. Gidget sniffled as she clung to her father, relieved that he still loved her. She still felt it was her fault that Aphrodite and Milan were gone. She was the one that knocked them onto the trap gate after all. She just wanted this nightmare to be over so her twin brother and younger sister-cousin could come home safe and sound.
The next morning Kala woke with a start. She sat up and looked around in a state of panic. She was still laying on the pile of blankets but something was different. She was soaking wet. Her confused gaze shot upwards when she spotted a large, two-toed, green foot next to her hand. Once again she was caught in Leonardo's steely gaze. She noticed he had a wooden bucket in his left hand. The bucket was swinging loosely as if it was empty. She noted the ring of moisture near the bottom.
"I see you had gotten a bit too comfortable. You didn't respond when I called your name or when I shook you. So I had to resort to this."
Leo dropped the bucket next to her and watched it roll across the floor until it bumped against a nearby wall. When some of the lingering clear liquid spilled out Kala was glad he hadn't splashed her with the contents of the chamber pot.
"Get up and dry off."
A stern looking Venus handed the alien female a dry towel. Not much longer after Kala made herself decent the ninja clan leader tossed a couple of small objects at her, which she caught in her hands. It was a small notebook and a writing utensil.
"I want you to draw the runes for the gate to your dimension and for the red gate you mentioned. And no tricks!"
Kala carefully drew five runes in a circular pattern on the top sheet of paper. Before she could even start on the second set of runes Leo snatched the notebook from her.
"Donnie, take a look at these."
Kala held her breath as the reptilian mutant looked at the notebook then turned to Leonardo.
"These aren't the same runes she drew on the floor in the Hall of Heroes."
"I see."
In a flash Leo had Kala by the throat.
"I said no tricks!"
Kala instinctively grabbed at his hand to free herself from his grip.
"Wait! Let me explain!" She rasped. "Those are the runes I use to get home! I wouldn't use a trap gate on myself!"
Leo's grip around her throat loosened by he didn't let her go.
"We don't need to go to your home. We want to take the same route as the children to make it easier for us to locate them."
"But that will put us in my master's hunting grounds!"
"Good! Because that's exactly where we want to go! Haven't you been listening? Now, stop wasting our time and draw the runes for the red gate."
Kala had a coughing fit after Leo let her go. As she drew the secret runes she thought to herself that it may be good for the Turtles to drop into the beast's hunting grounds, but it certainly wouldn't be good for her. After she finished writing she handed the notebook back to Leo, who pocketed the notebook in his weapon pouch. She immediately began eying the nearest exit, but saw Raphael standing there.
"N-now can I go?"
"Of course...but not without us. You're staying in our custody until our missing children are safely home."
"But...!"
"If you hadn't tried to trick us with the wrong runes I would have let you go on your merry way. But you had to go and play games. I don't trust you one bit, so..." Leonardo tied Kala's wrists with a long rope. He then took the loose end of the rope and tied it around her neck and waist, making her appear like an animal on a leash. When Leo tugged on the end of the rope Kala was quick to comply. She could tell if she resisted in any way Leo could pull on the rope and choke her.
"Don, I need you to draw the runes she used in the Hall of Heroes."
While Donatello did so the children gathered in the room to say goodbye. Most of the children were doing their best to stay strong, but it was very difficult for Gidget to keep from crying. She still felt so guilty about what happened and now her daddy was going off to a strange world to get her brother and sister-cousin back. She was terrified that her parents and uncle would never return. A few minutes later Donatello had completed drawing the trap gate. The children hugged Leo, Venus, and Mikey goodbye. Gidget clung to her father tightly until Mike gave her a kiss and pulled from her embrace.
"I gotta go, sweetie. Go stand with Raph and Don, ok?"
Gidget reluctantly obeyed as she wiped tears from her eyes. Leonardo then pulled Kala to him by the rope and stepped on the trap gate with her. In flash nothing but a single shuriken and a small, green button lay in the center of the gate. Venus, Usagi, and Michelangelo soon followed leaving behind a kunai, a ceramic teacup, and a key chain shaped like a surfboard. Raph and Don carefully picked up the objects before Don erased the trap gate from the floor.
Rowan approached his father, looking unsure and terrified. He took hold of Raphael's hand looking for comfort and assurance that all would be well. Like the other children, he wasn't quite sure what was going on. All he knew was that he wanted his family to be mended from all this chaos. Raphael could see the fear and confusion in all of the children's eyes and felt his anger rising as he clenched his fists. He hoped his older brother would make that alien bitch pay dearly for disrupting their lives not once, but twice! He snapped out of his angry haze at the sound of Rowan crying out in pain. He had squeezed his son's hand and quickly apologized.
"Don, let's get the hell outta here. If I stay here any longer I'm gonna go nuts."
"Where are we gonna go, Daddy?" Veronica inquired, her voice strained with stress. Raph hugged his twins close then glanced at his brother.
"We're goin' back to New York."
Next Chapter: Leo and company arrive in Dimension X and, of course, land in the middle of a dangerous situation. Also, Don and Raph try their best to comfort the kids and help them focus on the positive.