Chapter Fourteen: Facing up & facing off

Phoenix felt as if she was pulling herself out of a dark hole. It was as if she was emerging from darkness into light; traveling upwards and out. Then pain hit - a sharp searing pain at the back of her head. She tried to focus her vision and reached round to feel a roughness and something that felt like congealed blood. Her whole body was suffering from the pain which came from falling and landing heavily. Her wings had failed to stay and she had fallen, luckily not the full height from the rooftop but about a third of it. On reflection she had been lucky, now she just had to figure out where she was and find the fastest way out of here.

Pulling herself up she looked around the room; it appeared to be some sort of workshop and she was contained in some sort of glass box. This did not look good. In fact all the greatest horror movies involved some sort of entrapment. The victim would usually be female, pathetically beautiful and then pathetically dead.

Phoenix saw herself neither pathetic nor beautiful and there was no way she was going to see herself end up dead. She had already fought too hard in this life to let it go now. Banging the side of the unit with her fists then her feet she shouted out several times but no-one seemed to hear her - or if they did they chose to ignore her. Cue part two of horror movie cliche: the watcher - an integral part of the film where the killer is secretly watching the victim as they scream and try to escape.

She decided to try a different tactic - if this box was immune to her flailing fists and kicks perhaps she could melt it with flame. She tried. It failed. Letting out a groan she kicked the box hard and slid back down into a seated position. This was not her giving up - this was her re-evaluating the situation in hopes of finding a more successful plan of escape.

Suddenly the door crept open - she heard movement and immediately fixed her sights on one of the other mutants; not the one called Raphael. This one was tall like him but not as muscular - he wore a blue bandana and his bright blue eyes were firmly set on her as he lowered down to her level. His gaze seemed to pierce into her very soul, like he was searching for something, looking for an answer to a question she didn't know.

"What?" she shouted. He looked at her blankly. "You let me outta here right now!" she stood up once again and laid into the box with all her strength.

"Calm down" his voice was firm and determined. Rising up to his full height he was at least a foot and a half taller than she was.

"Calm down? Are you out of your fucking mind? You have me locked in a box! Would you be calm?"

"Look, it's for your protection and ours. It's to keep the situation safe. We don't know you, you don't know us and I for one am not having my family put at risk" His eyes were still holding her own. She felt an ice cold chill cross her body - as if someone invisible had walked through her. She must have shuddered because he noticed.

"You cold?"

She slid back down the wall into a seating position "No"

He again followed her lead and crouched down besides her "Once we've established it's all okay, you'll be free to go"

"Great. And until then I'm stuck here" She refused to look at him.

"I'm sorry okay but it has to be this way for all our sakes" His hand was resting on the glass - she noticed how large it was. "Can I ask you something?"

Phoenix glanced at him "Sure, I may not answer though"

"Where are you from? I mean, really, who are you? Do you have a name?"

She couldn't quite believe what she was hearing. There was this enormous mutated turtle asking her where she was from - at least she looked like an average human in spite of her powers. He was anything but.

"Yes I have a name and I'm from New York where do you think I'm from?"

He almost looked disappointed as he once more rose up to full height - towering over her in the process. "And you don't know her?" He held something against the glass. She glanced and saw the photograph of a blonde haired girl about her age...wait a minute...this girl looked...

Walking on her knees Phoenix stared at the photograph before her: the girl looked like her - she was like a mirror image apart from the hair and eyes. Again she felt a cold chill. Looking up at the tall figure she shook her head: "No, I don't know her. She looks like me but.." her words faded into nothing.

"It means nothing to you?"

"No. Nothing" She sat back down on her bottom and looked at her hands, grinding them together as if moving her focus away from the photograph and away from this intrusion. Something about this whole situation felt weird. And anything weird made her feel out of control which was her worse fear.

The door once again opened and this time she was greeted with the sight of three more giant turtles. She was getting bored of the inquisition - and now there were three more it could only get worse.

"She doesn't remember anything Raph, says she's from New York and doesn't know the photograph, though she does realise it looks like her"

The geeky looking one was checking out the computer attached to the tank - he must be the one who controls it - he could therefore be the one to get her out of here. She stood up and walked over to him.

"Can I be let go please?" She never used the word please - or even thank you for that matter. But on this occasion she made an exception - they looked like they expected her to be polite. She wasn't going to beg though, that would be going a little too far.

"I'm sorry Miss but as yet, no"

"What?! What the fuck have I ever done to you?" She kicked the glass several more times, made a noise of frustration and sat back down.

"Hey.." She recognised that voice. Big red had bent down beside her.

"She seems really mad" whispered Michelangelo to his elder brother. Leonardo nodded.

"Don't blame her though, not really"

"Will she ever forgive us?"

"I don't know little brother, I don't know"

The truth was he really didn't know. He didn't have a clue who this girl was - she seemed so wild. But when he looked into her eyes he saw what Raphael must have seen.

Rebecca.

"It'll be okay.." The one called Raphael was attempting to offer what is known as 'comfort'. Phoenix was not in the mood.

"How can it be okay if I'm locked in here!" she shouted, presenting the box with a flurry of fists.

"It's unbreakable so you are technically wasting your time"

She looked round at him "Seriously? Who has an unbreakable box to hold people? Are you guys crazy?" Jumping up she smacked it again several times, causing her knuckles to turn red in the process. Raphael was trying to get her to stop but she wouldn't listen and instead kept going - it made her feel better - she could pretend it was one of them.

The geeky one looked flustered as the door flew open and what looked like some sort of giant rodent joined them "What is all this noise about?"

"Sorry sensei, she's a little upset.." reasonned Donatello.

The rodent thing came closer to the glass, it stroked it's long beard and looked hard at her "It is a good job Joshua is not here. So you are our new house guest?"

"Treat all your guests like this do you? I'm surprised you ever get anyone coming over ever at all!" she snapped. Bumping down heavily she buried her head into her knees and squeezed her eyes tight shut - that way she wouldn't have to see any of them and she could pretend she was somewhere else.

"Is this really necessary Leo? It don't seem fair" Michelangelo was tapping the glass.

"You were the one who said you had a bad feeling" began Donatello "I thought you were the one who was most scared?"

"Nah, I had a bad feelin' for her that's all - not me"

"Meaning what Mikey?" This got Leonardo's attention. Raphael was not impressed.

"He's just rambling again like he always does - it means nothing"

"No Raph, let's hear what Mikey has to say" encouraged Leo, standing back and folding his arms "Go on brother.."

Michelangelo stood up and faced all of them "Well, I just get the feelin' she's in trouble is all and yet she doesn't know it."

Raphael waved his hands "Garbage as usual, Mikey you do come out with some crap sometime"

"No, no. You remember how Becky got brainwashed and was all scary and working for Shredder but she didn't really want to... well, it kinda feels like that. I don't think she's a bad girl I just don't think she knows how to be good. It's like she's forgotten - you know like what D said last night.." The youngest stopped and what followed was silence - even Raphael couldn't think of anything to say in response to that.

Raphael looked down at the girl who still had her head buried in her knees. Her long red hair was draped over her legs and arms as she tried to make herself as small as possible. Sometimes Mikey could practically make sense. Sometimes.

"So what do we do?" he turned back to his brothers and master "We can't keep her in here just because your girlfriend said she was dangerous"

"Karai is not my girlfriend and yes I know that we can't keep her here. Look Donnie has started tests - we wait for the results and then we review - mean time Raphael you keep talking to her - see what you can find out" Leonardo shot a pitying glance towards Phoenix - she saw it and stuck a finger up at him before burying her head again. She knew they were talking but she couldn't hear them - the geeky one had obviously done something to the box and made it soundproof.

"Did you ever think she could be Nolan? I mean, he can change shape" Leonardo was not going to ignore that possibility.

"Yes he can but he can't change sex - Donnie.." Raphael indicated towards his scientist brother for the follow up.

"Raphael is right, Shapeshifters can change their appearance but they have to stick within their own sexual origin to do so. And that is a fact"

"Okay thanks for that Donnie, lets just stick to this plan then and see what we can find out by the end of the day. Joshua is out with Casey so we're fine for time"

Phoenix felt tired - she knew if they kept her here that she'd change - she'd weaken. Perhaps that what they wanted. Perhaps she was going to end up like the victim of a cheesy horror; destroyed by four giant turtles and giant rodent.

Perhaps that was what was truly meant for her - perhaps the prophecy had been wrong all along.