Chapter 16: To Protect a Friend

Howling filled the cool night air as the Turtles, Po, the Five, April, and Casey quietly snuck through the darkened empty streets.

"This way." Tigress whispered, gesturing for the others to follow her.

The group continued down the streets, making their way through the darkness of the night before coming to a stop at the corner leading to Gongmen Jail.

Leo and Tigress carefully peered around the corner, spotting the two wolf guards hearing the howls in the distance before the two guards leaped off in the direction of the fireworks factory, leaving the prison practically unguarded.

Once they were sure no one was around, the group quickly dashed through the doors and into the prison, Po stumbling on the stairs and tumbling down into the cell arena, which was empty except for Ox and Croc.

"You!" Ox exclaimed. "What did you do? It's chaos up there! What happened to stopping Shen?"

The Turtles, the Five, April, and Casey all turned to stare at Po.

"Let's just say… things got complicated." Raph stated, glaring slightly at the panda.

Po shuffled uncomfortably. "Hey guys, come on. Give me a little credit! I meant for him to get away!"

"You… meant for him to get away?" Donnie questioned skeptically. "Where's the logic in that?"

"Because, uh… it was a trick, was a plot… and I thought I might… figure out his plot… more…" Po explained rather pathetically.

The others continued to stare at him.

"That makes no sense." Mantis said.

"What do you mean… sure it does!" Po said defensively.

"Po, the truth." Tigress spoke standing directly in front of the panda and looking him dead in the eye. "You had Shen. What happened?"

Po, startled a bit by her, stumbled back and fell onto his rear. "What are you talking about, I don't know what you're talking about? I mean, okay, he caught me off guard."

Tigress knelt down to Po's level, still maintaining eye-to-eye contact. "The truth." She said firmly.

The two stared at each other for a good long moment in silence, Po opening his mouth to say something before closing it again.

Tigress sighed. "Fine." She said, standing. "They will keep you far from danger." She gestured to Ox and Croc.

Croc chuckled from within his cell. "Real far."

Po glanced at them before turning back to Tigress with a look of disbelief. "What?"

"You're staying here." Tigress said as she then turned back, walking over to the others.

"W-w-wait!" Po exclaimed, getting up. "I have to go ba-"

He was cut off as Tigress whirled round to face him with a look so fierce that it kicked up a shockwave of wind and stunned everyone silent.

"You're staying here!" Tigress told him, raising her voice with each word.

Po frowned, unafraid. "I'm going." He said. "And you can't stop me!"

He then moved forward, about to walk past Tigress, only for the feline to grab his arm and twist him around.

"Okay…" Po said, caught a bit off guard. "I wasn't ready that time."

"Guys, we don't have time for this." April said, trying desperately to de-escalate the situation.

However, Tigress ignored her as she took a stance. "Ready."

"Look!" Po yelled, pointing towards the ceiling in an attempt to distract her, but Tigress didn't fall for it as she grabbed Po before he could run past her, rolled him up into a ball and tossed him into the air.

Po landed on his head on the other side of the room with a loud thud before flipping back up to his feet. With a frustrated yell, Po practically launched himself at Tigress again, only for the feline to shove him back down, sending sliding back towards Ox's cell.

The others winced as Po kept getting put down by Tigress every time he tried to get past her.

"Stay down." Viper said, unable to watch any more of it.

"I have to get to him!" Po said determinedly.

"Then tell me why!" Tigress demanded firmly.

Po hesitated before finally giving in. "He was there… okay?!" He finally yelled. "The peacock was there the last time I saw my parents! He knows what happened… where I came from… who I am…"

As Po spoke, the anger on Tigress' face slowly faded as her expression softened, turning to one of sympathy.

"Look, I'm going… I have to know…" Po said, getting back up onto his feet. "The hardcore can't understand."

Tigress scowled at that remark, clenching her fists in anger.

"Tigress, NO!" Viper cried, trying to stop her feline sister.

Tigress then lunged forward… and wrapped her arms around Po in a tight, comforting hug.

Po's eyes widened at this action, as did the others, Crane's beak even comically dropping as Tigress held the panda tightly, burying her face into his shoulder.

"The hardcore do understand." Tigress' voice was barely above a whisper as she pulled away, still holding Po's shoulders. "But I can't watch my friend be killed."

Po stared deep into her amber eyes, seeing nothing but true genuine worry… and a feeling of deep understanding. It was then that he realized what she had been trying to say back on the boat.

Tigress wasn't always hardcore. Before she was a kung fu master, she had been a lonely cub at the orphanage, isolated because of her strength and her temper. It was only when Shifu had adopted her did she first feel happiness. It also occurred to Po that during the many missions that he and his friends went on… they had never seen a single tiger other than her. She knew exactly how he felt, wondering where they came from, and if they were truly the last of their kind.

Deep down, Po mentally slapped himself for not realizing this sooner.

Tigress slowly released Po's shoulders as she turned to the others. "We're going." She said as she began walking towards the exit.

As she walked away, the others couldn't help stare after her.

"Wow," Casey murmured, "that was deep, yo."

"Was that really Tigress?" Mikey questioned, a little befuddled by her sudden affection which she had never shown before. "Or have the squirrelanoids infiltrated her brain?"

"Yeah, it's like we've stepped into some kind of alternate dimension here." Raph remarked, not even bothering to say how absurd Mikey's statement was.

"Hey, uh… maybe you can't watch me be killed?" Crane asked nervously.

"Stop being a wimp." Tigress told him, going back to her usual stoic self.

Raph shook his head. "Nope. Same dimension."

Monkey nodded. "And she's back."

Po stared after the others as he watched them leave, still standing frozen in his spot from where Tigress hugged him.

Ox sighed from inside his cell. "Don't worry about it, kid." He told the panda. "You're better off here."

Po barely heard him as Tigress' words continued to echo through his mind. But then he frowned determinedly.

"Sorry, Tigress." He muttered under his breath. "But I have to know."

In the Fireworks Factory, Shen lightly wielded his spear as he paced around in the room while the Soothsayer looked on.

"You were wrong, Soothsayer." Shen stated. "We sail to victory tonight… Your magic panda and those young turtles are clearly fools!"

The Soothsayer glared at him. "Are you certain it is the panda and the turtles who are the fools? You just destroyed your ancestral home, Shen!"

"A trivial sacrifice…" Shen said, sticking his lance into a nearby fire until the tip of the blade was glowing hot before stabbing it into a map of the country, sending the entire sheet up in flames. "... when all of China is my reward!"

"Then will you finally be satisfied?" The Soothsayer challenged. "Will the subjugation of the whole world make you feel better?"

Shen hummed, turning to glare at the Soothsayer as he spoke. "It's a start. I might also convert the basement into a dungeon."

Her anger spent, the Soothsayer approached the peacock as he stood on the balcony with his back to her. "The cup you choose to fill has no bottom. It is time to stop this madness."

"And why on earth would I do that?" Shen questioned.

"So your parents can rest in peace."

Shen stiffened at that remark, his expression changing. "My parents… hated me." he said with a bitter tone. "Do you understand? They wronged me. I… will make it right."

The Soothsayer shook her head. "They loved you! They loved you so much that having to send you away killed them."

Shen was silent for a long moment as he stared out into the open. "The dead exist in the past." He said impassively. "And I must attend to the future."

The Soothsayer looked down, looking deeply saddened.

"Set the Soothsayer free." Shen calmly ordered. "She is of no use to me."

"Goodbye, Shen." The Soothsayer said as she was escorted out by a gorilla soldier. "I wish you happiness."

Shen still stood on the balcony nonplussed. "Happiness must be taken." He said. "And I will take mine."

Meanwhile outside, the Turtles, the Five, April, and Casey stealthily approached the factory. They leapt over the outer wall, sneaking past two wolf sentries and a couple of Kraang security orbs before hiding behind a pile of gunpowder kegs just outside of the entrance to the factory.

"If all those weapons leave the building, China will fall." Tigress said, spying several cannons through the partly open doors before they were closed.

"So we bring down that building!" Viper said eagerly.

Raph grinned, pulling out his sais. "Alright, an all you can beat buffet!"

Casey let out a quiet whoop. "Aw yeah! We go in and do some sweet sabotage!"

"While it's great you're all optimistic about this, how exactly are we gonna bring down the whole factory?" April asked. "I don't think even Casey has enough explosive pucks for that."

"Hey, guys! What about this?" Mantis piped up, getting the others' attention as he rubbed his pincers over a tiny pile of gunpowder on top of a powder keg. The gunpowder then lightly exploded in his face, leaving it black with soot and singing his antennae.

Donnie rubbed his chin with a gap-toothed grin. "That actually gives me an idea."

Tigress nodded. "Alright, let's go."

"I can't feel my face." Mantis said as the others set to work with the powder kegs.

As they set them up, Leo lightly tapped Tigress' shoulder, getting the feline's attention. "Hey, Tigress," The blue clad turtle said, "can I talk to you somewhere… in private?"

Surprised, Tigress hesitantly nodded, following Leo as he led her to a spot where they were surrounded by barrels, out of sight from their friends and any wolf sentries or Kraang security orbs.

"Is there a reason you wanted to speak with me, Leonardo?" Tigress asked, sounding a little confused.

Leo turned to her with an unreadable expression, staring at her for a good long moment before he spoke, "Why did you do it?"

Tigress immediately knew what he was talking about. She shook her head with a sigh. "I can't risk Po's safety like this. And this search for his past is going to get him killed if he keeps this up. I don't want that to happen to him."

"But me, Raph, Donnie, and Mikey are his guardians, why not let us handle the job of protecting him?" Leo questioned before he suddenly realized it. "You don't want him to be disappointed, do you?"

Tigress silently nodded, confirming his suspicion. "I never knew what happened to my parents or my family. And… I don't want Po to get hurt looking for answers that will let him down in the same way I did."

Leo nodded in understanding. He then placed a hand on her shoulder. "You really care about him, don't you?" He said with a small smile.

Tigress averted her eyes, nodding again. "I do." She whispered with a ghost of a smile before it morphed into a solemn one. "I just hope he actually listens this time."

Leo nodded before he and Tigress went back to help the others to help organize their plan to take down the factory, completely unaware to a certain panda already making his way there.