Stories to Last Lifetimes.
If she was still wary of them, she didn't show it. In fact, she smiled her thanks to the one called Michaelangelo as she took the handle-less cup from him. "Here you go, dudette."
Arista had been offered a seat on the couch, but she preferred the floor by the coffee table. Behind her sat the two unnamed turtles and Michaelangelo was off to her left. The Master sat in a rocker, telling of the story of how they came to be. Arista was quiet through the whole thing, sipping the black tea as if it were a tonic, and nodding as she gave recognition to everyone's names.
"So, what's your story?" Mike asked, leaning forward as he waited for her to answer.
Arista was quiet, contemplating on how much she should say, and what she should keep silent. "The Dragon and I are not...from around here, as you can see. Our home is near APEC castle, and on the property of the DEN." She smiled over her steaming cup as her words brought lost faces. "I cannot relate more than that, we are usually under barrages of attacks from those who wish to take the Ladies' technology."
"What sort of technology?" piped up Don.
"Cloning."
"Cloning!"
"Yes, that's what I said. Cloning. Unknown is a --"
"B-but cloning hasn't been sanctioned by the government! It even hasn't been successful in humans!" Don was clearly excited and anxious about this particular topic.
"Neither is mutations, but it seems that never stopped you," Arista said in a quiet voice.
"We really didn't have much choice," Leo rumbled in correction.
"Any road, cloning works, and it exists," She decided to continue and finish her story. "There are over seventy, maybe even 80 now, Kai clones from APEC. There is an indisclosed amount from Nadless, APECs former enemy who's forces were taken over by The Martha. There were one or two fractions here and there that also took up the cloning business. Unknown was from one such fraction, but he is the only survivor of that batch. But everyone holds their own personality, their own soul. We are basically one large family."
"How can they all be individual if they have the same genetic material as the one? And who is this 'one'?"
"The Original is Kai, who is for all intents and purposes, the father of all Kaiclones. And...he is alive-dead. That makes 99% of all the clones alive-dead. A few of them have...evolved to other forms, I cannot necessarily say 'alive', for they don't fit our definitions of life. But they exist, and they love the ladies they are bonded to."
That last statement was greeted by silence. Mike was the one who decided to venture in clarifying Arista's statement. "You mean you all grew these clones to be love slaves? You couldn't find any decent men to find a relationship with?"
"I am not the one to best explain the intentions of the Elders," Arista began slowly. "I only know what I know, and even I do not best understand it. The original purpose of the clones was for protection, and it became something more, that's all I truly know. I met Unknown in California, and he had saved my life! I knew him before I knew he was a clone, or that there were clones on this planet."
"Whoa. What do you mean...on this planet?"
"I haven't lived here all my lives," Arista replied in a slightly know-it-all tone. "But I didn't drop out of the sky yesterday, either." She stopped for a moment, her hand going to her injured shoulder. "I think all those stitches got ripped out."
Everyone stopped for a moment as if suddenly realizing that she was injured. Splinter was the first to move into action, having his sons collect the necessary items to re-evaluate what type of damage she had caused her arm yet again. Arista moved slowly with a bemused sort of smile on her face as slowly undid the buttons of her shirt so that the dressing could be accessed.
"My apologies for the actions of my son," Splinter began, shaking his head against the reddening stain on the white bandage.
"He acts before he thinks, and he's a hot head," Arista dismissed as she winced. "Reminds me of a very good friend of mine. Psy's almost like that, but he's...mellowed with age."
"*That* must have taken forever," Leo snapped a little. "Seems like Raph will never grow up." He looked up briefly, noticing their guest's state of undress and quickly looked away. Not to say that the off-the-shoulder look wasn't becoming, but this was business. However, he did elbow Mike for staring.
Arista was silent as she watched the dressing reveal a deep puncture wound that had slashed off to one side. Air hissed through her teeth as she watched fresh blood ooze through the wound. "I wonder what made that."
If she was still wary of them, she didn't show it. In fact, she smiled her thanks to the one called Michaelangelo as she took the handle-less cup from him. "Here you go, dudette."
Arista had been offered a seat on the couch, but she preferred the floor by the coffee table. Behind her sat the two unnamed turtles and Michaelangelo was off to her left. The Master sat in a rocker, telling of the story of how they came to be. Arista was quiet through the whole thing, sipping the black tea as if it were a tonic, and nodding as she gave recognition to everyone's names.
"So, what's your story?" Mike asked, leaning forward as he waited for her to answer.
Arista was quiet, contemplating on how much she should say, and what she should keep silent. "The Dragon and I are not...from around here, as you can see. Our home is near APEC castle, and on the property of the DEN." She smiled over her steaming cup as her words brought lost faces. "I cannot relate more than that, we are usually under barrages of attacks from those who wish to take the Ladies' technology."
"What sort of technology?" piped up Don.
"Cloning."
"Cloning!"
"Yes, that's what I said. Cloning. Unknown is a --"
"B-but cloning hasn't been sanctioned by the government! It even hasn't been successful in humans!" Don was clearly excited and anxious about this particular topic.
"Neither is mutations, but it seems that never stopped you," Arista said in a quiet voice.
"We really didn't have much choice," Leo rumbled in correction.
"Any road, cloning works, and it exists," She decided to continue and finish her story. "There are over seventy, maybe even 80 now, Kai clones from APEC. There is an indisclosed amount from Nadless, APECs former enemy who's forces were taken over by The Martha. There were one or two fractions here and there that also took up the cloning business. Unknown was from one such fraction, but he is the only survivor of that batch. But everyone holds their own personality, their own soul. We are basically one large family."
"How can they all be individual if they have the same genetic material as the one? And who is this 'one'?"
"The Original is Kai, who is for all intents and purposes, the father of all Kaiclones. And...he is alive-dead. That makes 99% of all the clones alive-dead. A few of them have...evolved to other forms, I cannot necessarily say 'alive', for they don't fit our definitions of life. But they exist, and they love the ladies they are bonded to."
That last statement was greeted by silence. Mike was the one who decided to venture in clarifying Arista's statement. "You mean you all grew these clones to be love slaves? You couldn't find any decent men to find a relationship with?"
"I am not the one to best explain the intentions of the Elders," Arista began slowly. "I only know what I know, and even I do not best understand it. The original purpose of the clones was for protection, and it became something more, that's all I truly know. I met Unknown in California, and he had saved my life! I knew him before I knew he was a clone, or that there were clones on this planet."
"Whoa. What do you mean...on this planet?"
"I haven't lived here all my lives," Arista replied in a slightly know-it-all tone. "But I didn't drop out of the sky yesterday, either." She stopped for a moment, her hand going to her injured shoulder. "I think all those stitches got ripped out."
Everyone stopped for a moment as if suddenly realizing that she was injured. Splinter was the first to move into action, having his sons collect the necessary items to re-evaluate what type of damage she had caused her arm yet again. Arista moved slowly with a bemused sort of smile on her face as slowly undid the buttons of her shirt so that the dressing could be accessed.
"My apologies for the actions of my son," Splinter began, shaking his head against the reddening stain on the white bandage.
"He acts before he thinks, and he's a hot head," Arista dismissed as she winced. "Reminds me of a very good friend of mine. Psy's almost like that, but he's...mellowed with age."
"*That* must have taken forever," Leo snapped a little. "Seems like Raph will never grow up." He looked up briefly, noticing their guest's state of undress and quickly looked away. Not to say that the off-the-shoulder look wasn't becoming, but this was business. However, he did elbow Mike for staring.
Arista was silent as she watched the dressing reveal a deep puncture wound that had slashed off to one side. Air hissed through her teeth as she watched fresh blood ooze through the wound. "I wonder what made that."