Chapter Eleven

A New Environment

After a few minutes, Leonardo saw Mona start to move and moan as she started to awaken, "Guys!" he said in a loud whisper "she's waking up!" the other turtles and Splinter looked up and leaned in slightly as Mona groaned a little and opened her eyes.

"Sleeping Beauty's waking up" said Michelangelo grinning wildly.

Raphael and Leonardo shot him a warning look causing his grin to vanish instantly. Mona lifted her head and sat up slowly, her eyesight was blurred for a few seconds as she rubbed her head and the side of her neck.

Her after blinking a few times, her eyesight finally cleared and she saw before her eyes four tall male humanoid turtles and a large elderly rat standing before her. She was so shocked she couldn't scream. She sat bolt upright and stared at them with wide eyes not believing what she was seeing.

Michelangelo instantly decided to break the ice "Hi" he said softly lifting his hand and waving to her with a sheepish smile.

Mona looked towards him then at the other three turtles and the giant rat and tried to move back but her back hit the rail of the bed "Don't be afraid" said Leonardo gently "We're not gonna hurt you".

Mona brought her hand up to her face and realised she wasn't wearing her cowl.

"Where's my mask?" she cried as she held her hands up to her face covering it, even though she was looking at four mutant turtles and a giant rat she was still self conscious without her mask. Leonardo realised he was still holding it and handed it over to her.

Mona instantly placed it over her face and tied it around the back under her hair. "What in the name of...?" she questioned as she lowered her hands after tying her cowl on. She looked at the turtles again. "Who are you!" she demanded fiercely glaring at them "Where the hell am I?"

"In the Sewers under New York City" said Splinter gently.

Mona turned to look at him and her eyes widened at the sight of him. "This is the home of me and my four sons" Mona looked around the room and saw the walls were all made of stone and brick. She looked again at the turtle's then back at Splinter still feeling scared.

"Do not fear Child" said Splinter "you are in safe hands here, my sons and I mean you no harm" Mona relaxed slightly hearing the rat's gentle tone, she looked around the room again. "The Sewers...?" she whispered "I'm...I'm in the sewers?"

"Indeed child" said Splinter "over twenty feet underground, you're safe here" Mona lifted her hand again and stroked the side of her neck where she remembered being struck there then passing out.

"I...I don't know what happened to me..." she whispered, "all I remember was being in the alleyway then I saw your four..." she looked at the turtles, "and then..." she looked at Leonardo as she stroked her neck "What did you do to me?" Leonardo looked a little guilty and held up his right hand showing his three fingers.

"I...er..." he said "It was a pressure point technique"

Mona's eyes widened again when she saw his three fingers but she was confused by what he was saying "Pressure points?" she asked.

Leonardo nodded, "certain points or 'Kyusho' in Japanese, on the body, I struck a sensitive area on your neck rendering you unconscious"

Mona rubbed her neck again "can you tell us your name?" asked Splinter. Mona looked up at the rat and hesitated. "I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours" she said softly in an unsure voice.

Splinter nodded understanding "very well" he said kindly "You seem unsure and afraid, and I can tell you need to know more about us before you tell us about you" he sat down on the chair again and rested his paws on his wooden stick "my name is Splinter, these are my sons"

He then began telling her their names as he motioned towards them with his paw, "Leonardo" he said as Leonardo bowed, "Donatello" Donatello then bowed, "Raphael" said Splinter as Raphael bowed "and Michelangelo" ended Splinter as Michelangelo instead of bowing waved still keeping that sheepish smile on his face.

Mona looked at them all as they bowed to her (or in Michelangelo's case waved) and whispered "hello". "Hi" said the four turtles together. Mona gave a weak smile at how friendly they were.

"How did you become what you are?" she asked.

Raphael then spoke "we were mutated by a Radioactive Substance when we were baby turtles, it's kind of a long story"

"And a story it is indeed" said Splinter with a slight smile.

"What is your story?" asked Mona sitting up straight in the bed and relaxing into the pillow.

Splinter smiled again and spoke again, "Even though it has been over eighteen years, I remember it like yesterday...at that time I was not what I am now, but a normal rat, living in the sewers of New York, it was like any other day, but this certain day I remember is one that changed my life forever, as well as the course of others" Mona looked at the old rat and leaned in to listen to him:

"Long ago, before I became what I was, I was just an ordinary rat living in the sewers of New York. I was scavenging the alleyways of the city for food when I saw a young boy carrying a jar containing four pet infant turtles, he was waiting to cross the street when an old blind man started to cross the road, just as a large truck was coming towards him, luckily he was saved by a young man who pushed him out of the way but caused the boy to drop the jar causing it to smash. As the truck swerved, a metal canister bounced out and onto the road, as it did, the baby turtles were swept into the gutter by the rainwater and down into the sewers, the canister followed and smashed over them releasing a glowing green ooze that covered their bodies. Seeing the unhappy turtles, I took pity on them and gathered them up in a coffee can getting the ooze on myself in the process. I took them to my burrow and decided to care for them. The next morning, I awoke to find that the baby turtles had doubled in size due to the substance; it had affected me as well, making me bigger, and more intelligent. As the weeks past, they followed me everywhere and I cared for them like my own children, soon they began to walk on two legs as they got bigger, and they soon began to speak. I have to admit I was amazed when they first spoke my name. As the years past and the older they got, I realised the world above was sometimes a dangerous place, and that no-one would understand why we are so different, so I began teaching them Ninjtsu, the secret arts of Stealth and power and all that I knew of this world"

After Splinter finished his story Mona was amazed "Wow" she said, "that's...well...amazing...but how did you know Ninjtsu?" she asked.

"That my child" said Splinter "Is a story for another time"

"Ok..." said Mona confused, she looked at the turtles, "let me guess" she said "you guys are named..."

"Named after the great artists of the Renaissance" said Splinter completing her sentence; I found the names from a battered book on Renaissance art that I had found in the storm drain" "Groovy" said Mona making the turtles smile. "And you are..?" questioned Splinter.

"My name...is" whispered Mona hesitating slightly "my name is Monalisa, Mona for short"

The turtles and Splinter looked at each other in amazement realising the connection between her name and the names of the turtles, "Mona Lisa" said Splinter "the famous painting by Leonardo da Vinci"

"Cool" said Leonardo looking impressed "what a coincidence"

"Tell us child" said Splinter gently "tell us more about you, how you came to be what you are"

Mona swallowed hard as she tried to remember, "Well..." she said hesitating a little "I wasn't born like this" she touched her face through the cowl.

"I was once human" she said, the turtles gapped and looked at each other.

"I was a young student living in Wisconsin, under the name of Monalisa Freeman, hoping to become a qualified teacher in Martial Arts when I attended University after High School"

Splinter nodded his head as he listened "That explains why you were able to fight my sons" he said "Do continue"

Mona obliged and continued "I've always been into Martial Arts; my parents signed me up for classes in Karate, Bushido. Kung Fu and other martial arts when I was five so I've always been able to defend myself, I owned many certificates, trophies and medals from competitions I went in for throughout my life, I continued my classes though high school as well as taking up an interest for Physics, before graduating High School, I made up my mind to take a Degree in Martial Arts Teacher training and Physics at University..."

Mona's awakened in the Turtles Lair, and boy is she surprised!

Tune into the next chapter where we will hear the story of how Mona became what she is now!