Chapter 21
NOTES: I will be doing weeks 2 –6 as I want the story to move along a bit quicker than usual. I have lots in store, especially going more in depth on our couples. I am going to do a full chapter on each, letting you all get a glimpse into their daily lives a bit fuller. We already know that Ghosts Labs have the mutagen, and there will be numerous mutants making appearances in chapters. Some will be allied with our group, others will be enemies, Ghost Labs may or may not fall in this chapter, I have not decided yet. ;)
So, let's get started, shall we?
I do not own anything associated with the TMNT universe; my characters are of my own creation and not to be used without my permission.
HOW MUCH IS ENOUGH
April sat by the window with her journal in her lap. Watching the wind catch the branches of the nearby fruit trees and gently shake them, she began thinking about all the things that had happened over the weeks. She wanted to document as much as she could; not for any recognition, but for reference. She liked writing, and thought that someday, she could use the experience of this to possibly write a book or whatnot.
Picking up her pen, she opened up her journal and began to write.
Entry- second and third weeks
I just do not have the time anymore for daily entries, which is the reason why there is a gap in here. Things were, and at times still are, hellish around here to say the least! Each day brings new challenges for us; and each night brings more nightmares in the form of mutants of all kinds. We have fought against a rhinoceros; a warthog; a gigantic spider that Michelangelo named Spider Bites; a giant snapping turtle who is now our ally and fighting alongside of us; a tiger from Asia who is a fierce fighter and nearly defeated us, however we overcame it and won; at least for that day. Other mutants were pitiful looking, some were scary as hell; but they kept on coming, and that was the worst part; no rest for us.
We did find out that Ghost Labs was experimenting with a form of mutagen; hence all the mutants. We also found out that Isleen's parents were indeed murdered by Ghost Labs. News of this only resolved Isleen to work harder in her lab; and she never disappointed us. Always coming up with something to derail the enemies' plans. It was an immense help to us, winning us many battles against Ghost Labs and their allies.
Ghost Labs have powerful allies, and got them involved in things. The government tried to raid the estate, however someone on the inside (we still do not know who this person is) tipped us off to it so we could get prepared, which we were grateful for.
When the government did come, they were met by three thousand active and retired military members; followed by police from not only New York, but also Pennsylvania, Virginia and Ohio who had known Rose and her family. The media was there as well; they had gotten a tip (from me, of course) that the government was coming to take the estate. They said it went into foreclosure and they were seizing it.
Well, long story short, they had no paperwork whatsoever to back them up, the reporters had done their job for once and found out that the estate was paid in full and there were documents to prove this as well. The military members who were there were all friends of Rose and her grandfather, who was also a Marine. They said they were there for support; however should things go bad, these men and women would have no trouble defending their friend. It was quite the spectacle, for about an hour. The government backed down and left, which was good. The media stayed around for quite some time afterward, hoping to get something else good. When they found out that it wouldn't happen, they finally left.
The others stayed for a nice dinner cooked by us, and actually for part of that night, things were good for us. Ghost Labs also backed off; for a while. Soon as they found out that everyone had left the estate, the ramped it up once more, sending a few dozen assorted mutants towards the estate. We found another eight allies in the form of a brilliant chimp that used to be a scientist that Isleen worked with, a pigeon that was part human, and kinda, flighty. (haha) also in this mix was a part bear/part human, a horse who had some human and canine traits, an elephant/human who looked gross, but was quite intelligent, a poor chicken whose brain was bulbous as could be, (later on we found out that she could communicate by typing, and boy was she smart!). The last two were a lizard, who looked normal but could speak, which freaked Casey out because he is kinda afraid of lizards for some reason. The last one was a Gecko/human who loved to skateboard; he and Mikey hit it off wonderfully.
So, our family grew bigger that night, much to the disappointment of Ghost Labs. Things around here have been decent so far. Sure there are disagreements, but that's to be expected when people are cooped up for an extended period of time. Wait, I shouldn't say cooped up; there is more than enough room in this house and the basement, along with the underground rooms and passageways; we mostly had our own space. However, when the fighting would begin, it was kinda hectic, and crowded, with everyone hurrying this way and that. No major arguments, so that was a blessing!
I am exhausted beyond belief, so I'm going to turn in. I will try and write more soon; if I can. There is talk about several of us sneaking into Ghost Labs to take out the top guns. Just talk, mind you; for now. Something has to give, and I know it won't be us.
Entry: Fourth and Fifth weeks
Even with our new allies helping, things are still hellish and hectic. Sleep only rears its head when we are totally wiped out, and at times cannot even make it to our beds. Just yesterday I almost tripped over Donnie trying to make my way to the bathroom. The poor turtle was fast asleep on the floor, his laptop half on his lap, half hanging on the floor; he was in the middle of doing a search on the perimeter to check for any weak areas. I knew Isleen was still awake, so I had her come and take over.
We had a new hell tonight, brought to us by Ghost Labs. Bats; at least, that's what they look like. Their bodies are grotesque and bulbous, and they have a green froth coming from their mouths. Donatello was able to capture a few to see if they are dangerous; and yes they were! The froth coming from their mouths was an acid based chemical that, if it touched the skin, would eat through it in moments! We had to make sure anyone who was outside was covered from head to toe in layers of clothing. As long as it hit the clothing, you were alright for a few seconds; you needed to get the piece off before it would burn through. None of them ever bit anyone, which was good because Donnie said if that would have happened, we would have been dead. It's kinda hard trying to shoot them from behind cover; we used up a lot of ammo trying to kill those little bastards, but we did it, and it was a miracle that nobody got seriously hurt! We had a few where their clothing got hit, and Tas was concentrating so hard on killing them that he didn't even see his clothing smoldering. Not to worry though, Casey noticed and pulled him away.
I've lost track of the days; it just seems as though everything blurs together. Tension is running high; and there is more talk about infiltrating Ghost Labs and possibly taking the building out. Maybe that will help stop this onslaught, maybe it won't; however, we can all agree on this, it HAS to stop.
Well, it's decided now, Ghost Labs is going down. The team was chosen for the mission; Rose, Raphael, Genie, Hulk, Donatello, Leonardo, Michelangelo and Tas. Donnie and Genie would handle the security system, and any other technical things that would pop up; the others would try and find any other mutants that might be locked up in the labs. They were not too concerned with the other humans in there; their goal was to bring about the destruction of Ghost Labs, not just the building. Rose had made a compelling argument that if they did save them, they would just find another building and continue on with their experiments. And after what they witnessed, there was not one person who was not for it.
All we can do now is sit and pray that they succeed. The rest of us know that tonight will be even worse; we will be down seven people. However, we will fight even harder than we have in the past weeks; because if we lose this… well, I don't want to think about it.
I have to go now, Leonardo is calling me downstairs. I hope to be writing again in here soon.
Rose was in the kitchen with Raph and Leo, wanting to speak with them privately. She was nervous and excited at the same time; always feeling like this before going in on a mission. The nervousness was her wanting to get started, she never really had much in the way of patience when it came to taking out the enemy, the excitement, well, she relished the fight, and loved taking out those who would harm her or others. She did her job, and she would do it very well.
"Guys, I need for you to hear this from me, and I don't want any questions yet, just listen up… please"
Raph and Leo looked at one another, wondering what she was going to say; however, she said no questions, so the obliged her. Nodding, both of them came in closer to her, Raph wrapping his arm around her waist and Leo draping his arm around her shoulders.
Rose was thankful for the closeness; they had been through so much together, and she didn't want it to end there. "Alright, here goes; should anything happen to me," She began, holding up a hand when Raph was going to protest her choice of words. "If anything happens to me, Brissen knows what needs to be done. I am saying this as a 'just in case'; I do not plan on dying anytime soon, but I like to be prepared."
The guys were a bit taken aback by this, never having been told this before. However, they let her continue.
"Tonight we have to be even more observant than ever, and we CANNOT let anyone fall behind; one goes, then we all go." Taking a breath, Rose closed her eyes for a second; what she had to tell them next was so secret, that she had kept it hidden from the turtles and the girls (with the exception of Isleen). I know the layout of Ghost Labs; I know where everything is; because I have been studying it for years. You see, when I was a teenager, Ghost Labs took me and… experimented on me; that's how I can pick things up so easily. Isleen filled me in on everything a while back, letting me know that she was giving them reports about me on a quarterly basis. She told me it was the only way Ghosts Labs would stay off my back, so I let her continue with it."
Raph and Leo could feel Rose tense up while she spoke, and, truth be told, they were not angry with her because she withheld this info; on the contrary, they were relieved. This explained a lot of things; like how she was so accepting of mutants, she was one of them in a way. Raph gave her a soft kiss on her cheek and Leo pressed his forehead on hers, both silently telling her that it was ok.
Smiling slightly to acknowledge their motions, she continued on. "I was pissed off at Isleen for a few days because she also let me know that they gave me something to erase my memories of there. She knew what happened to me, but played along with it as if she had no clue. After thinking about it, I relented and forgave her; after all, she was looking out for me, and if it wasn't for her, I'd probably still be there."
"What I'm getting at is this; I've wanted to take these bastards down for years now, but knew I could not do it alone. After finding out what horrible things they have done, and are still doing; they have to come down, have to be destroyed. I'm sorry I didn't say anything sooner, I just… I didn't know how you guys would feel and all."
Rose thought that Raph would be the first one to speak; instead it was Leo who took the lead. "Rosie, we're not upset with you, and this clears up a lot of questions we had. We agree with you and are here to fight alongside of you. We're family now; and family stick together, right?"
Raph took up where his oldest brother left off. "We all love ya Rosie, and this don't change a thing, ya got that? Nothin's gonna happen to ya, we're not gonna let it!"
A lone tear trailed down her cheek as she smiled once more. "Thanks guys, I love you too!" Wiping the tear away, she straightened herself up. "Right then, let me get finished dressing and I'll meet up with you all in a minute."
The brothers nodded and started to walk away; Leonardo halted for a moment; turning to Rose the oldest turtle spoke softly. "So that was why you were so upset with Isleen before; because you thought she had betrayed you to Ghost Labs when in fact she was forced to do it by them."
"Yes Leo; however, that's in the past; after tonight we will be starting everything new, and I, for one, cannot wait!"
April's journal: entry… whatever
I can only write for a moment; things are happening so fast that it is hard to remember everything! I can say this, morale is high and we just may be able to pull this off! Will continue afterwards…
*Basement of the estate*
"Alright, so everyone remembers what to do, correct?" Her nervousness was gone now, and all Rose wanted to do was kick some serious ass and end this. "Soon as we are out of security range, put up the walls again Isleen." Turning to their new ally, Rose continued. "Doc, I'm counting on you to help Isleen out with any tech issues that may occur, okay."
"I will do what I can to keep things running smoothly Ms. McDougal." Doc bowed to her; he was quite a gentleman!
"Marines, I expect nothing less than excellent from you; kill the enemy any way necessary! OORAH!"
"OORAH!"
"Right then, coms on everyone, I want clear communication at all times, got it?" Rose was eager to get underway with the mission.
Everyone nodded, turning on their devices and checking them. When things were in working order, the next step was revealed.
"Hulk, Tas, Leo and I will get all of the devices in place on every floor. We start at the top and work our way down. We gotta move quickly and silently; signal if you run into trouble, whoever is nearest will go to help." Checking her watch, she called out, "Watches in synch; time is 0200 hours; we have three hours to get in, set up, and get out, OORAH?"
"OORAH!" The turtles even joined in on the response; to the others, they were considered full Marines now, having proven their worth fighting alongside Rose's unit these past weeks.
They decided to take Braveheart and Big Mama as both vehicles would be able to blend in with any environment. This was their best chance to be able to slip by the enemy. Unknown to those at Ghost Labs, there was a secret tunnel that ran under the estate and out to a back road that led to the highway. They drive with the headlights off, the moon their only light; thank God is was clear that night!
"Alright, they're clear now, put up the security system." Seren was watching the camera; saying a silent prayer for them as they drove out of view. "Are we ready for the decoys yet?"
"Almost; just fine tuning the remote control system!" Called back Isleen. She and Donnie had been hard at work making new inventions, some were tinkered with before all this hell broke, some were thought up during the past weeks, and all were hoping they would do the job they were made for. The first two are ready and waiting to take off!"
Brissen, who had been intently listening in on the frequency that Ghost Labs were communicating on, came across some chattering that was alerting her they were getting into position to attack. "Hey guys, about 2oo feet from the west wall, they are moving around…" Stopping for a moment to confirm the number, she added, "150 of them are going to try and blow the wall."
"Doubt it." Isleen growled; she had been keeping in her anger at these bastards for months; now that it was coming to a close, she felt it was time to bring it out, and she did not hold back either. "Let's show them that they can't fuck with us! You ready Doc?"
'Yes, yes, let us do this!" Doc was rather excited about it; he wasn't much of a fighter, however, when it came to science or tinkering with things, he was a damn downright genius!
"Starting up Operation Pisser!"
Corkscrew, who loved to name their ops, was almost busting up laughing at the name of this one; and you know how he is, just had to ask! "How in the hell do you guys come up with that name? Is it gonna wiz on 'em?"
"Fuck you Corkscrew," Isleen growled again, "There is no urine coming out of these babies, rather, the pissing is referring to a wonderful chemical that Donatello and I invented; I am sure you know what acid does right," He nodded, his interest peeked. She continued, "This is quicker than acid; kind of like what those bats had, only better. There is no washing it off once it hits you, and it doesn't stop till there is nothing for it to consume anymore. The way it is distributed is how it got its name. Just watch the monitor and see."
Everyone gathered around, wanting to witness just how good the stuff was. Doc had come up with the idea to hit them from both land AND air. Both were remotely controlled, the vehicle by Doc, the balloon by Isleen. The vehicle was powered by batteries so it was relatively silent; the balloon was inflated with helium and also powered by remote control.
There were 'Oooooh's' and 'Aaaaaah's' and a few 'Hell yeah's!' thrown in as they did their job. More radio chatter came in from the very few who had managed to escape, and it was quite chaotic for some time over there. Eventually things got sorted out and the next move was planned for both sides. Again, Rose's side had a hand up on things, and again, the enemy was pushed back.
While this was going on, Splinter was communicating with his sons, Rose and her unit mates. They had made it to Ghost Labs without any incident. He filled them in on what was happening at the estate, which made Rose and the others smile.
However, their moment was cut short when the front doors to Ghost Labs burst open. Armed men began pouring out of the building as vehicles made their way to the curb. They thought at first someone might have seen their vehicles, but that was not the case as they were soon to find out.
"Come one, everyone out! Get to that estate and blow it to bits, I want this ended TONIGHT!" The voice was that of Doctor Richard Smith; the one who was the head of the current 'study' with the mutagen; and also the one who experimented on Rose with the serum he had invented.
They guessed he heard about what happened at the estate and was now sending every available man that he had there. This was a good sign; there would not be many there that they would have to take care of. And once the building was gone, and anyone inside along with it, the fighting would be over with quickly.
"I'm gonna take out Smith before we detonate it." Rose spoke up, her voice menacing. Nobody said anything for several moments, not wanting to be the one to suffer her wrath; but someone had to, and Raph was willing to take that job.
"Babes, let's just concentrate on taking down the building; he'll probably be inside anyways when we bring it down." Raph was concerned; on one hand, he saw her need for revenge, on the other, they had to get in and out quickly so THEY wouldn't be casualties as well. "If he gets in our way, I can take care of him, don't worry."
Turning to face the muscular turtle, Rose studied him for a moment. She knew he meant well, however, this was her decision; and when she set her mind to something it was not easily distracted from the task at hand. "Nope, this is my kill, you just worry about getting any mutants out that want to ally with us and kill anyone who gets in your way; got it?" The last two words were spoken as an order, and Raph knew better than to fuckin' piss her off any more than what she already was.
"Alright, alright, I got it!"
"Good, now for the fun part, and I've been wanting to say this so badly… it's time for ninja mode!"
"Aw yeah, it's ninjaaaaaaaaaaaaa timeeeeeeeeeeee!" Mikey, as always, was excited to knock some heads in. He and Rose loved to taunt the enemy like mad during battles; it was their way of throwing those idiots off guard; and the names these two made up were just fuckin' hilarious!
"Security is disabled." Donnie informed the others. "I was able to get into their system and take it all down, no cameras, no locks, not even internet or phone; we are good to go!"
"Excellent work Don! Lock and load boys, let's go a-huntin'!" Rosie was in her zone now; relishing the thrill of it all and knowing that this was going to work and they would soon be free to live their lives once more without idiots like Ghost Labs tracking them down.
They split off into two groups; Rose, Raph, Mikey and Genie were in one, Leo, Donnie, Tas and Hulk the other. Taking two elevators, they had no problem making their way to the top floor. There were ten floors altogether, so with one group starting on the left, the other on the right, they would be able to set up the explosives quite quickly. There were only a handful of guards left and they were dealt with easily; however, the mutants they came across were another story.
"Holy shit man, some of these… well fuck all, I dunno what to call them!" Hulk was clearing rooms as they went along, and what he found in some of them were; well, just downright frightening! 'Fuck this, I don't think we can save even some of them; they are that bad off!"
Leo and Donnie looked blankly at one another; even they didn't know what to call these… well, things was the best word to use. "Hell, I think that even if we did try to save them, they would probably end up dying; I just… I just don't know how I could help them!" Donnie felt bad; they were mutants; however, he had no idea what was done to them and no idea of how to cure them. "Best thing to do is put them out of their misery."
Leo nodded, his decision made. "Do it; but make it quick so they don't suffer."
Tas and Hulk nodded in understanding, beginning to open the unlocked doors and dispatching the poor creatures.
Rosie's group was having it a bit easier, not having found any mutants thus far, and they were making excellent progress as well. Splinter was keeping them updated on how things were fairing at the estate while Donnie and Genie kept tabs on the security systems. So far, they had not come across the doctor; however it was only a matter of time before they found him.
They got down to the second floor when an issue came up. The mutants that were on the top floors were probably the defects; the second floor was mostly filled with mutants that were more; well, more distinct looking… and powerful. Those were given a choice of becoming allies or perishing in the explosion. All but one took the group up on becoming allies. The one who did not was a bull/man whose stubbornness was greater than Raphael and Rose put together. The turtles were trying to talk him into joining them; however Rose knew they were running short on time, any moment now, Smith would know shit was going down and attempt to contact his goonies to return there. Rosie and Hulk ended the discussion by filling the room with hot lead, killing the mutant.
Before any of the turtles could even open their mouths to speak, Rose gave them one of her 'Don't even fuck with me right now' looks. They knew not to say shit to her, although Leo was pissed off, he'd leave it for later.
Richard was stuck on the first floor; he knew they were there, knew that they wanted his blood; and there was no way for him to get in touch with his men. He had even tried his mobile, but no service. Cursing to himself for ending up in one of the exam rooms that were sound proof (and thus could get no signal whatsoever), the doctor looked around the room for any type of weapon he could use. Not finding too much, he had settled on a microscope, two scalpels that he found, and a syringe filled with a numbing agent. Picking out a spot right behind the door, he stood there waiting for them to come. He knew he'd probably be killed; however he was going to try like hell to at least take one of them down with him.
"One more floor to go dudes!" Mikey wanted to get this over with now, they were all tired and just wanted to go home and rest. However, they still had to clear the floor and get out to the vehicles without incident; then there was the matter of finding the doctor and dispatching him, then getting away as quickly as they could.
The last room Rose and her team had to clear was the room the doctor was in. Now, they did not know this at the time; however Rose was cautious about the open room. "It says Exam Room #4, but why is this the only door open when the others were closed?"
"Uh, maybe someone was in there and left in a hurry?" Mikey responded with.
"Well, there shouldn't have been any other workers here besides security and Smith" Donatello piped in with. "So maybe one of them left it open."
Rose didn't look like she was satisfied with those answers. "Still though, let's err on the side of caution, alright. I'll take the lead."
"Oh no you won't missy!" Raph grabbed Rose by the arm, attempting to pull her behind him. "It's my turn now, why do ya get all the fun, huh?"
Rolling her eyes, Rose gave the slightest of smiles. "Jesus big guy, you pick a fine time to get all chivalrous on me!"
"Ain't no chivalry 'bout it girly, I just want in on beating stuff up is all."
"Can you two love birds put a cap on it till this shit is done; I wanna get outta her already!" Hulk responded, trying hard not to laugh.
"Oh for fuck's sake, then go already Raph, but I'm gonna be right behind you!"
Smirking, the big guy readied his weapons. "Wouldn't have it any other way babes!"
Raphael got hit first; in the left arm with the syringe, instantly numbing his arm. He yelled out a string of curses as his arm lost all function and fell limp at his side, sis sai sliding from his hand. The doctor then brought the microscope over his head, attempting to daze the muscular turtle. However the doctor did not count on the mutant being so huge; he also did not count on how fast Rose and the other reacted to what happened to him.
Instantly, Rose was in the room; pushing Raph out of the way, she raised her left arm to take the brunt of the blow. Luckily for her the doctor was not very strong; however, the blow was sufficient to cause a hairline fracture to her forearm, making her wince in pain. It didn't stop her though.
Kicking the doctor in the groin hard, he fell like a sack of potatoes to the floor. With one hand, he wrapped his fingers around one of the scalpels, swinging it in front of him as he tried to push the group back.
"Stand aside or I will slice your arm off bitch!"
This comment made Rose, and the others, stop. However it was not because they were afraid.
Rose started laughing, causing the others, with the exception of Michelangelo, to look at her strangely. Mikey kind of had an idea what she was up to, however he stayed quiet and let her have at it.
"Doctor Smith, we meet at last; too bad you won't be alive much longer! Your days of playing god are over, you heartless bastard!"
Still holding the scalpel in front of him, Richard composed himself somewhat. He would not let this woman get the best of him! "You don't scare me, and you won't kill me either! I have information that you need!"
Raphael stepped in front of Rose; he was pissed the fuck off now. "Try an touch her an I will rip yer heart out and shove it down yer throat!'
Rose ignored Raph for the moment; stepping out of his shadow, she replied to the doctor. "And what info would that be? There is nothing you can say that I would want to hear!"
"Oh, on the contrary my dear; you WILL want to hear this… especially since it deals, not only with your parents, but also the parents of your two friends; Brissen and Seren!"
Rosie's face went red with rage, "How the fuck do you know my parents, or their parents you rotten son of a bitch?"
"You ever wonder why they all died on the SAME day, SAME year, and at the SAME time." Smith thought he was getting the upper hand; ever so slowly, he made his way to the still open door as he kept on talking. "They were ALL involved in Ghost Labs! They worked on a project called 'Regeneration'; its main purpose was to find a way to regrow not only skin, but body parts and organs so we wouldn't have to rely on animals for things we needed. They were close to realizing this dream too! However, there was a drawback to it; the test subjects needed to be human so we could study any after effects there might be. It HAD to be humans, since this is what we ultimately wanted. All the calculations were perfected… in theory. We had to try it out in order to see if this would actually work!"
Taking a step closer to the doctor Rose screamed, "YOU LIE!"
Still careful in his movements, the doctor continued. "Do I? Have you ever gone through your parents journals? Through the boxes they kept in the attic? No? You should! They all died because they refused to do human trials without more research! There was no time for it! The bosses wanted the finished product right then and there; they refused to produce it so they were killed!"
Standing there, the group was silent for a few moments. The doctor finished with, "You can kill me, but you cannot kill us all; there are many more like me who will find a way to succeed! Your pathetic group of ragtag misfits cannot stop it! They WILL come for you; they WON'T stop until they capture you all or kill you!"
The doctor kept on raving on like a lunatic until Rose had enough and ended it right before he was set to flee. One shot to the head, right between the eyes felled him in an instant. She unloaded the rest of her weapon on him, screaming at the top of her lungs every obscenity she could.
Rose kept on pulling the trigger, even after she exhausted all of her ammo. Raph's hand gently wrapped around hers, taking the gun off of her. "It's over now babes, he's dead."
She looked at him like he was crazy; then his words sank in; it was done, and now, the building could be demolished and they could go home. Suddenly feeling drained of all her energy, Rose leaned up against him, closing her eyes for a second.
"C'mon dudes, let's blow this joint to hell and head home!"
Smiling slightly at Mikey, Rosie draped her arm over his shoulders. "That's the best idea I've heard all night Mikey! Let's go then."
Leo informed Splinter that Ghost Labs was no more, and what the doctor had said. There was still the situation at the estate that needed to end though, so the group had to return quickly.
After informing the other side that Doctor Smith was dead and Ghost Labs was no more, the fighting quickly ended. The other side had no need to fight any longer; they were not going to get paid since Smith was dead, so why get killed over something that they had very little information about?
As quickly as this had started, it ended just as fast. With the first signs of the dawn, Rose and her group stepped out of the estate to survey the damage done over the past several weeks. Nothing that was serious and everything was fixable; although it was going to take time to do, they were all glad it was over with… for now.
Rose had informed everyone on what the doctor said; still not believing it herself, she decided to listen to Raphael and go to the attic to look for their journals and any boxes that could give her more clues as to exactly what went on there.
She did indeed find boxes; twenty to be exact, and a handful of journals written by her parents. Rose gave the boxes to Isleen, Donnie and Genie to go through because she really didn't understand the contents. The journals, however, she kept for the time being. Wanting to read them first so she could possibly get a glimpse into what her parents were really doing, and why they never mentioned any of this to her. All this time, she had thought that her mom was a university professor in psychics and her dad was a stockbroker; WOW, was she off!
The days went by and buildings were fixed, animals were brought outside to bask in the fall sun once more, and the house was given a good cleaning. Things began to return to as normal as could be around the estate and the group bid farewell to their Marine friends.
Giving Rose a hug, Hulk smiled down at her. "Ya know what Death, that was fun, in a fucked up sorta way; but let's wait a LONG while to do this again, alright."
Laughing, Rosie gave him a slap on the back, "Yeah, you know shit like this fuckin' follows me around Hulk; and ya know ya love every damn second of the fight too!"
"Shit yeah woman! I'm glad we got 5 months till we deploy next; I really need a recoup this time around!"
"Wish I could join ya," Rose sounded kind of sad; she wanted to go with her unit mates, however, she was not active at the moment. "Maybe I should reenlist?"
"Nah," Tas returned with, walking up and giving her a hug, "You hold down the fort here Death; because when we come back, we're gonna party hard, go that?"
Laughing, Rose rolled her eyes at him. "Yeah, like the last time; you hurled chunks all over your wife and she knocked your ass out with a right hook to your jaw! Now THAT was some good shit!"
The other Marines heard and laughed along with her, as did Tas. "Yeah, I deserved that one; but damn, I had no idea she could hit that fuckin' hard!"
Corkscrew had to put his two cents in. "Well, she's married to you Tas, she gotta know how to keep your ass in line, and what better way than crackin' your jaw with her fist!"
"Alright, alright, let's get a move on it Marines; I wanna be home by sundown!" Turning once more to Rose, Hulk smiled again. "If you ever need us again, just call. Try not to get your ass into fuckin' trouble until we get back, that a deal Death?"
"No promises, but I'll try! Drive safely Marine, OORAH!"
"OORAH!" Each of them saluted Rose before getting into their vehicles and leaving. She watched them drive until they were out of her sight. Whispering softly to herself, Rosie sighed. "Please keep my guys safe over there Lord, they are part of my family and I want them around, even if they are pains in the ass."
"They will be fine babes, they're Marines, and Marines ALWAYS survive." Raph came up behind her, his arms snaking around her waist and pulling her close to his body.
Giggling lightly, Rose squeezed his hands, resting her head back on his chest. "You are more and more like a Marine every day big guy; I taught you well!"
"Yes you did babes… yes you did."
Standing together for several minutes, the couple enjoyed the view of the estate. They were going to survive; they had what it took, just like her Marines had what it takes to do what's needed.
Turning, the two slowly walked back to the house, hands entwined and softly talking about the next step in their lives.
NOTES: So, the building is gone, however Ghost Labs live on, same with the doctor. There are others who will take his place, just like there are other buildings that will house other experiments. The bosses are still out there, biding their time until they can gather another army together; to conduct more testing; and to capture human subjects to do unspeakable acts to. This is just a respite for them, and no one knows how long it will last. The next few (or more) chapters will be about our turtles and gals, along with April and Casey; I want to get a bit more in depth with them. Then they find some of that mutagen that Donnie and Isleen will be working on. Ice cream kitty is coming folks! hehehe