Hey, everyone. I've made some changes to chapter one like grammar corrections and description of scenes so hopefully any confusion has been cleared up. Please let me know as the reader{s} if there is anything that needs to be explained further.
Chapter 2
Leonardo was dragged into a small room that had only a chair. The Triceratons forced him to sit and chained his wrists and legs to the chair so he wouldn't struggle. Erkon stood in front of the Turtle, arms crossed and glaring down at him.
"Leave us," he ordered the two subordinates without turning away from Leo. The two Triceraton soldiers saluted Erkon before leaving the room, closing the iron door behind them.
"What did you do to my brothers?" Leo asked, glaring back at him.
Erkon ignored his question and began circling the chair, observing the Turtle. "It might take some work, but I do believe you'll do nicely."
"What are you talking about?"
Erkon stood in front of Leo again. He raised his fist and thrust it forward as if to strike. Erkon's fist halted inches from Leo's face, but the Turtle didn't flinch. Erkon smirked as if he had been expecting Leo to be unintimidated.
"I thought so. You fear very little, do you?"
"So you were only testing me," Leo noticed. "Why?"
"I had to see if what I heard about you was true."
"What about?"
"I heard you and your brothers had spunk. After you were sent to the Games, you managed to escape. Teamwork was a vital aspect, I'm sure. But you in particular seem to keep your brothers in line. That tells me that you're the alpha."
Leo was quiet as he took in Erkon's words. He frowned, realizing that Erkon was merely hiding what he really wanted.
"So why waste time asking questions? If you know about me and my brothers, then you already know our strengths and weaknesses. What do you really want from me?"
"Loyalty," Erkon answered.
"Excuse me?" Leo asked with a raised eyebrow.
"You and your brothers could prove to be valuable assets to us Triceratons. Pledge your loyalty to us, and I'll make sure you all will be accepted into our military as free men."
"And if I refuse? You'll kill us?" Leo frowned.
Erkon smiled wickedly. "You'll suffer worse than death."
"Good luck with that," Leo scoffed. "Even if you manage to force me to follow you, my brothers won't be so easily fooled."
"I wouldn't be so sure," Erkon put his horn close to Leo's face so he could look directly into his eyes. "After all, control the alpha and you control the whole team."
"It's never going to happen!" Leo leaned forward as best he could despite than chains holding him. "My brothers and I will never join you!"
Erkon chuckled and gripped the edge of the chair. "Well, then. Let's see how confidant you really are then, shall we?"
He snapped his fingers and the two soldiers from earlier reentered the room. The three Triceratons surrounded Leo with wicked grins and cracked their knuckles. Leo had no idea what they had in store for him, but he refused to show any sign of intimidation or weakness. Not ever, especially to Erkon.
Raphael shouted insults as the Triceratons shoved him into his cell. The hot-head stood up and ran to the door, only to have it slam in his face. He growled as he tried pounding it open, but the iron door was too thick.
"Come back and fight!" he challenged, but received no answer. Annoyed, he left the door and leaned against the wall. "I wonder what they plan to do with me. I don't even want to think of the kind of 'work' they may have in mind."
He looked up at the ceiling. "I hope the others are okay. Don's probably already planning a way to escape. Mikey's probably annoying the Triceratons with his mouth. And Leo...Well, I'm not sure what Leo may be thinking, but I'm not going to sit around here and wait for something to happen. As soon as that door opens again, I'm going to bust out and look for my bros."
He wasn't sure how long he waited, but the door did open again. Raph tackled the nearest Triceraton and started throwing punches. He wasn't going to let them think they won just because they had him locked up.
The familiar pain from the prison mark surged throughout his body and he lost his strength. He felt the Triceratons lift him up by the arms and they dragged him away from the prison cells. By the time he could get himself to think clearly again, he noticed the Triceratons had dropped him around a crowd of other creatures of the prison. He stood up and looked around and noticed he and the other prisoners were standing in a large cavern. There was stone, metal, and other materials.
"So that's where they sent me," he mumbled. "Mine worker. Heh, I should have known."
He noticed there were a lot of Triceratons around holding sticks of some kind as well as guns. Probably mostly just for crowd control since there were at least a hundred prisoners in the cavern.
A Triceraton approached an overhead ledge, glaring down at them. He appeared to be another commanding officer based on how he was dressed.
"Attention, you lowlifes!" he called down to the prisoners. "I am your commanding officer, Prog."
"More like 'Frog'," Raph chuckled to himself.
From above Prog continued, unknowing of Raph's mumbling. "Each and every one of you will be expected to work within curfew hours. Your job will consist of melting down iron, turning crystals into powder, and bringing one crate of rock from one station to another. Break time is only reserved for meals. It will be hard, dirty, and exhausting, but I believe if we all work together, there will be little trouble."
"Sure," Raph thought as he rolled his eyes when Prog dismissed them. "And while the rest of us toll away, you'll be sitting up there with your feet up and taking life easy."
The creatures around him all began picking up tools for work, but Raph remained in his spot as he glared up at Prog. The Triceraton was still looking down at them with head held high.
Their eyes met, and Raphael was certain he could see Prog smirking down at him from his perch on the ledge. It made the Turtle angry, the commander was so smug! Raph wanted to wipe that smirk off his face!
So he took action! He pulled away from the Triceraton trying to shove him off to do some work and ran up to face Prog, pushing past Triceratons as he ascended the mount. When the Turtle reached the top, he raised his fist towards Prog's face. But he was grabbed by the Triceratons protecting their commander and struggled to free himself. Prog's smirk never faded as he turned to face Raphael calmly.
"Ah, you must be the Turtle they call Raphael. I've heard of you and your brothers. You're the one who believes actions speak louder than words, correct?"
He approached the hot-head and lifted the Turtle's head up by the chin. Raph pulled away and tried kicking Prog in the face, only to miss by a hair.
"My, my," Prog chuckled. "You really do have quite the temper. But that will change. By the end of the week, you'd wish you were dead."
"If you think I'm going to roll over and let you control me like a puppet, you best think again!"
He tried to struggle again, but to no avail.
"Come on, you!" One of the Triceratons ordered as he dragged the Turtle away. "Get to work!"
Raphael gave Prog one last glare, only to see Prog smirking again! Raph was going to wipe that smug look off his face, one way or another!
After being dragged away from his brothers, Donatello struggled to free himself from the Triceratons' grip, but he knew they were too strong for him to take on alone. He decided it was best to wait and plan for escape later. The Triceratons shoved him into an elevator and the car made its way down. The elevator was made of glass and Donnie could only stare in awe at the scene before him as the elevator descended down the planet's core. A large structure stretching from the top floor all the way to the bottom of the planet's core! The structure resembled a large round saucer, almost like an alien space-ship. He wasn't sure how long the structure was, but it was being constructed in a circle around the core and easily stretched several miles down to the core's bottom.
"Incredible!" he gasped. "What is it?"
"You'll soon find out," the Triceraton on his right told him. The Triceraton on his left chuckled.
"Take a good look, Turtle. This is going to be your new home for a long, long time."
Donnie craned his neck to look down at the floor. He couldn't see the bottom yet, but he saw lava and wondered why the Triceratons would keep prisoners in this hot place.
"Surely it's too hot here for anyone to live?"
"The lava isn't as hot as it looks," the solder on his right answered him. "We've actually managed to control the temperature down here."
"Really? How?"
"That's not your concern," the same Triceraton snorted. The elevator soon reached the bottom and the Triceratons shoved Donnie out onto the platform above the lava. As they walked towards the center, Don tried taking in the sight of the structure again to figure out just what the heck it was.
"Shell," he thought. "What IS this thing?!"
He saw other prisoners drilling, hammering, and welding into it. Some were working on the bottom half of it on the edge of the platform, while others were working higher in a harness. But the Triceratons pushed him past the center where everyone was working towards the other side of the core's walls. At the end of the platform was a metal door. The trio stepped through and were greeted by rows and rows of cells.
"So this is where they're keeping the prisoners working done here," Donnie concluded to himself. At the end of the hall was another metal door. The Triceraton on Don's left knocked on the door before leading the way in. He saluted and Don was shoved to the floor by the one on his right.
"The Turtle Donatello, Sir."
The commanding officer turned to face them before standing from his chair. He came around the desk to stand above Donnie. The Turtle pushed himself up to his knees, but didn't try standing.
"So...," the commander frowned as he crossed his arms and leaned against the desk. "You're the smart one, I assume?"
"Depends on what you consider 'smart'," Don answered. "There are different types of intelligence."
"Can you assist in building this?" the commander asked, showing him a blueprint of what appeared to be what the prisoners were working on outside.
"I suppose I could, if I knew what it was."
"Good."
He dismissed the Triceratons who forced Donnie in and the Turtle was alone with the officer. He handed the blueprint to Don.
"You may keep that as a guide. Don't lose it. I expect you to help work on it as soon as possible."
"But I don't know what this is," Don told him. "How can I help build it if I don't know what it is I'm building?"
The commander took a sip from his mug before answering. "If you must know. It's a bomb. At least ten needs to be built within the next two years. It will be used in war against the Federation."
"A bomb?!" Donnie dropped the blueprint map and his body trembled. "You want me to help you build a bomb that could kill millions?!"
"Is there a problem with that?" The officer frowned, glaring at him. Don swallowed before answering.
"Yes, there is! I don't build weapons. If I make something, I use it for good not evil!"
"I order you to help with its construction immediately!" the commander growled.
"I...I can't!" Donnie shook his head. "It's cruel!"
"Then you leave me no other choice," the commander spat. He picked up a very familiar shaped control and pressed on the button hard. Donnie cried out in pain and fell to his knees.
"Will you do as I say now?"
Don shook his head again. "No!...Never!"
"So be it!"
With another press of the button, Donnie screamed in agony and his body dropped to the floor. He couldn't move. The officer grabbed him by the throat and dragged him out the office. He soon opened a cell door and shoved the Turtle into the cell. He pressed his foot over the Turtle's middle, causing Don to grid his teeth in discomfort.
"Keep this in mind; I can kill you with this device. You WILL assist in building the bombs!"
He kicked the Turtle away and walked out the door. He gave him a simper smile and held up the device.
"And to make sure you'll consider the construction..." he gave the button a final push as the door closed.
Don shrieked with pain and tears stung the corners of his eyes. His body twitched and every nerve felt like a needle poking his skin.
Michelangelo gave the Triceraton holding him a nasty bite, harder than the last ones he had previously delivered.
"I said let me go!" he demanded. The Triceraton picked him up and held him under one arm. Mikey kicked, yelled, and struggled, but he could not hurt the Triceraton while being held this way.
"Okay, fine, then!" Mikey huffed. "I obviously don't have a choice on where you're taking me!"
"That's right, you don't!" The Triceraton growled. He dragged him into a break room where a few other Triceratons were playing some kind of card game.
"Special delivery, boys!" The Triceraton chuckled as he dropped Mikey roughly. "This one's for keeps! Who wants to make a wager?"
The Triceratons chuckled and began placing money of some kind on the table. The Triceraton who dragged Mikey into the room had the Turtle pinned by his huge foot, and Mikey had little choice but to wait until they finished their game. Another Triceraton, clearly younger than the others, stood off to the side.
"Mind if I join in?"
"Your funeral, Counselor!" the one holding Mikey smirked. The young Triceraton sat down with the others and they began their game. The minutes ticked by and so did the tensions between the dinosaurs.
Judging by the angry growls and shouts the dinosaurs were making moments later, the one who dragged Mikey in earlier had lost the game.
"Fine! Do what you want with him," he grumbled.
"You're just sore," the young Triceraton smiled. "You'll forget about it tomorrow."
He grabbed Mikey's arm and pulled him out the room. Mikey tried pulling himself free, but the Triceraton did not let him go.
He took Mikey into an empty room. It had a mattress and a window, but an empty room nonetheless.
"Sorry it's not much, but this is where everyone keeps their pets for the day."
"Look, pal!" Mikey glared. "I'm not a pet! I want to know what you plan to do with me!"
He was expecting the Triceraton to smirk evilly and reveal his master plan, but the Triceraton looked at him with pity.
"I'm sorry. I know you don't want to be here, but it's better than being forced to work, isn't it?"
Mikey was confused by the response. The Triceraton continued.
"I have to get back to my shift, but I'll bring you some food later." With that said he left the room, locking the door behind him.
"Wait!" Mikey yelled as he tried to pry open the door. He gave up and turned towards the window. He was curious about his surroundings. Perhaps there was a way to open the window and climb down. He walked over to the window and looked out. He swallowed as he realized there was no way for him to climb down onto anything. The window overlooked a steep edge that would certainly lead to death if he tried climbing out. He examined the window as well and realized there were no handles to open the window. He sighed in defeat and looked out further. There was a wall surrounding the prison's courtyard, most likely used to keep the prisoners in. But beyond the wall, Mikey was certain he could see the edge of buildings. Could there be a city beyond the wall? He looked up towards the sky and covered his eyes to shield his mask from the glare of sunlight. Mikey believed it was sunlight, but he knew this sun glaring down over this planet could not possibly be the same sun from the Solar System he was familiar with. At least it was sunlight and not dark on this planet. The sunlight made this planet seem less frightening.
Mikey wanted to cry out again, but didn't think it would solve anything. If anyone did answer his cries, it would probably lead to being forced to be quieted down, maybe tortured. He thought of his brothers. He hoped they were okay.
"Leo had seemed really angry as me and the others became separated. Leo usually never looks that mad about anything," Mikey thought outloud with concern remembering his oldest brother's look.
Mikey wasn't sure how long he was there in that empty room. But he also didn't care. He just hoped his brothers were okay. A voice woke him up from his thoughts and he realized the young Triceraton from earlier had come back. Mikey flinched, he had not even heard the door unlock or open!
"I'm back!" the young Triceraton greeted as he walked in. The Triceraton didn't seem to have noticed Mikey's nervousness. "I brought you something. It's not much, but you'll get a better meal tonight." He approached Mikey and set the tray down by him. Mikey wasn't sure what it was the Triceraton brought him, but it didn't look like food.
"Poison?"
"Of course not," the Triceraton looked offended. "I assure you, it's quite edible."
Mikey accepted the tray of food offered. "Uh...thanks, I guess."
The Triceraton smiled, no longer bothered by the slight offense. "I'm sure you've been through a lot. You're welcome to rest. I'll come get you when my shift is over and then I can take you back to my place. My wife is great!"
He looked down at a device on his wrist that Mikey assumed was a watch of some kind and paled a bit. He went to the door before giving his 'pet' one last look.
"We'll talk later, Okay? I gotta go before Commander Erkon notices I'm gone. Enjoy your meal!"
He left the room and locked the door again. Mikey stared at the door in confusion.
"What just happened? He seemed nice, but I thought Triceratons were suppose to be mean?" He then remembered the conversation and frowned. "He assumes I went through a lot, then he says he's going to take me back to his place? As if that will make things better! And what does he mean by having a 'wife'? I mean, I'm sure there are obviously girl Triceratons, but still! The whole thing sounds weird!"
He looked down at the tray of food in his hands and started to think of the possibility of it being poison again. He thought about throwing the food against the wall, but then he remember how offended the Triceraton acted from Mikey's assumption of it being poison. Maybe he's just overreacting due to his situation and without his bros around?
He hesitated, but took a bite of the food. He wasn't sure what it was, but it didn't taste that great. "I guess it's not that bad." He then shoved the food away, losing his appetite.
"What's the point of eating?" he mumbled as he hugged his legs. "My bros and I are stuck here. I have no idea how long, either. It could be weeks, months, maybe even years. What if...What if I never see them again?"
He lied down on the mattress. It was comfy, but he couldn't relax enough to sleep. How could he? This place was horrible, and it smelled bad too! He wanted to be home with his brothers and Master Splinter. He wanted to be lying in his own bed, with Klunk curled up in his arms. He wanted his comic books, the scent of the sewers, the sound of the subway train echoing throughout the sewer's tunnels.
A lump hung in his throat. He wanted to cry.
"No! I can't cry! I can get through this!"
But his efforts to hold his tears back was too difficult to prevent. His eyes stung with tears. A small whimper cry threatened to erupt from his throat. He managed to keep his tears quiet, but he couldn't prevent the cry to escape his lungs. It sounded pathetic!
He buried his face in his hands and his shoulders heaved.
"What's going to happen to me and my bros while we're here? What do the Triceratons want?"
He wanted safety and security. He wanted to run above the city on the rooftops and to feel the wind blow against his face. He wanted the Lair. He wanted home.