Ch.14: The End Is Nigh
"Finally" said Zog, as he exited out the raptor and onto his home world, which he hadn't seen in an age " after all this time, I am home."
"Welcome back Sargent Zog" said Mozar, as he stepped up to greet his old soldier " I'm glad that you're finally here. You did great work in locating the Kraang's new outpost. Now you can help us with destroying it."
"Yes Sir" bowed Zog " we shall finally make them pay."
"Excellent" said Mozar, and then looked at Zog with stern eyes " The scouts reported that you had found something special down on Earth, is this true?"
"Yes Sir," said Zog, and then snapped his fingers, signaling two guards to walk out with Raphael's unconscious body lying in their hands.
Zog had no choice but to knock Raphael out once he and the turtle had been teleported onto the scout ships. The red-masked turtle had been very angry to be kidnapped by one he considered a friend.
He should have known better to trust a stranger, especially one known to come from a deceptive alien race. Zog knew this turtle packed great potential, but if Raphael couldn't be made to follow commands, there were other ways he could serve.
"Hmm" said Mozar, looking over Raphael " some kind of terrapin. Special you say? I don't see how he can work for…,"
At this, Zog picked out the core from his belt, which he had stolen from Raphael as soon as he knocked the turtle out cold.
"He carried this," said Zog.
"The core to the Heart of Darkness" said Mozar "Finally! Hmm, maybe your friend is worth something after all."
Finally, pulling into an abandoned warehouse, Kurtzman was able to breathe out a sigh of relief that they had successfully managed to get away from Bishop, and dodge all of the chaos that was happening in the town.
However, he knew that his passengers were not ones to run and hide, and soon they would want to go out to stop this invasion from destroying their home. But there were some things they needed to know first, especially if what Leonardo saw was true, and Raphael managed to get himself kidnapped by a Triceraton.
When the blue-masked turtle had returned late to the van, he made sure immediately that Raphael's disappearance was known. The news of Zog's betrayal was a shock to all of the mutants in the car.
Slash ground up his fists with rage, Mike and Donnie looked at each other and frowned, and Leo tensed with frustration, trying to hold in his rage.
His bubble finally burst when Kurtzman got out of the van, and motioned to the others that they could come on out, stating that they were safe for now.
"Safe?" said Leonardo angrily as he jumped out of the van " What part about this is safe? The city is in danger, and Zog has just kidnapped my brother! I want answers Kurtzman! And I want them now! Just what were you doing there at Bishop's base? How did you to come and rescue us?"
"Well Jack?" questioned Slash, crossing his arms when the reporter failed to respond right away. Every eye was on Kurtzman now.
"Heh," taking a deep breath, Kurtzman sighed and guessed it was time he had better explain and reveal all. " I knew you were there because I was already at Bishop's base at the time. He's been my contact for a long while now. He's the reason I had managed to get so much info on the Kraang. After I accidently discovered his secret investigating the missing scientist reports, he vowed to let me off and keep me informed, after I practically begged and pleaded to be alive."
"Why?" asked Donatello, suddenly curious of Kurtzman's tale " And how did Bishop know so much about the Kraang?"
"Because, in reality" Kurtzman admitted " Bishop is a Kraang,"
This news was a giant shock to the others, and before anyone could begin with the reprimands, Kurtzman continued.
"Bishop is a Kraang" said Kurtzman " but he's not like the other ones you know. He is the brother of Sub-Prime, and was once Kraang Prime's second-in-command. He did a lot of horrible things before he decided to break away from the Kraang hive mind, and join the resistance to stop his race's oppressive rule. That's why he formed the Earth Protection Force, to help with his job."
"If that's so" said Rockwell " then why did he lock us away in chains?"
"Because of the Triceraton you found" said Kurtzman " the Triceraton and the Kraang are mortal enemies, even though the Kraang believed they were safe once they destroyed the Triceratons home world. But they were wrong. Now the war has returned here, and I believe Raphael was taken in order to be forced to help and join their cause."
"What are you saying?! That Raph is going to be forced to join their army?! That's not going to happen!" said Leonardo "We'll stop them before Raph is forced to join any alien race!"
"Then you'll have to work fast" said Kurtzman " The last I heard from Bishop, it seems like the Triceratons may have brought a weapon capable of destroying all the Kraang. But if they use it, there is no denying that the Earth itself will be doomed."
Meanwhile, inside the Shredder's lair, Bebop and Rocksteady cowered as they moved around Baxter Stockman's lab, under the severe gaze of Rahzar and Tiger Claw. The two mutants constantly stood on guard, watching Bebop and Rocksteady's every move, and growling when the two mutants failed to please.
Bebop and Rocksteady were to help Baxter-Fly improve his mutagen brew. Shredder had dark plans for the Turtles now, and was sure to make this the ultimate payback for what Raphael did to Karai.
Yes, Hamato Yoshi and his whole family would suffer, for taking away someone so dear. First Tang Shen, now Karai, they would pay for every drop of their blood.
However, this unexpected double invasion placed a slight delay on the Shredder's plans.
The Kraang had returned, and with them another alien force followed. The two sides were at war, blasting at each other in the air, while the Earth forces tried to their best to defend.
"They won't survive," Shredder thought as he watched.
If the Earth forces couldn't even stand against the first Kraang invasion, they clearly weren't prepared for double the dose.
Today the world might possibly end, and that was just fine in Shredder's eyes.
"The world burns" said Shredder " and soon will my enemies. Yoshi, your end is nigh."
Meanwhile, up inside the Technodrome, Kraang Sub-prime was freaking out as more and more Triceraton raptors came to do damage against their ship.
"Ah!" said Kraang Sub-prime, throwing up his tentacles with disgust "We're losing here! The Triceratons, bah! Who would have thought that this many survived!"
"Do something Sub-prime!" commanded his large leader.
"I'm thinking!" said Sub-prime, trying to find out a way they could survive the Triceraton horde.
He couldn't come up with a single idea though. The Triceratons were a tough and relentless race, quickly adapting to their opponents strategies and then fighting back with pure force. The only way to beat them was the same as last time, with the Heart of Darkness.
Unfortunately, that weapon was no longer in the Kraang arsenal, stolen and destroyed several years ago by that traitor Bishop and his Fugitiod friend.
Without another weapon like the Heart of Darkness, the Kraang were doomed to undergo a major course of destruction and death. Soon, it would be the end of their kind.
Meanwhile, back on the Triceraton mothership, Raphael finally found himself coming back awake, eyes gazing into the depths of a dark room.
Soft, concerned voices could be heard ringing into his ears as he struggled his weary body.
"Wha…where am I?" thought Raph in his mind " The last thing I remember was…Zog."
"Are you okay?" asked a female voice, helping him to his feet.
"I…think so" said Raph, looking towards the girl " but where…"
"You're a slave now Raphael" grunted the largest Triceraton Raph had ever seen " just like all of us."