Back in the sewers, they entered the lair and saw Splinter sitting on
the couch in the living room.
"Where have you been?" he asked. "I return from Andre's house, and you all are gone, without even so much as a note."
"Sorry Master, but we were out saving Raph's shell." said Leo, looking accusively over at Raph.
Raph sneered at him.
Mikey quickly went to the kitchen muttering, "Food food food."
"Where was he?" asked Splinter.
"The dragon fortress." said Venus.
Splinter looked at Raph with a stern expression. "We must talk."
Raph looked down, he knew he had a royal scolding coming his way.
"By the way, where is Ashton?" asked Splinter as he glanced around.
"Hey yeah, where *is* she?" asked Donny.
Back at the dragon fortress, Ashton crept out of a closet. She listened carefully around her as her ears turned every which way. She carefully made her way to the white room that intrigued her so much earlier.
She went inside, and saw that no one was in there. Ashton looked at all of the equipment and gadgets, and couldn't help but shudder. She looked at one very familiar machine.
("Now just look at the screen, it won't hurt you." says a man. A bright light flashes, and a little girl screams.) Ashton shakes her head, trying to push the memory away.
Ashton looked around some more and noticed a file cabinet. She went over to it and tried to open it, but it was locked. Extending one of her nails, she pried the lock open. After retracting her nail, she opened the little door, and saw three drawers of files, and began rummaging through them.
She flicked over many files some labeled "mutagens", others labeled "equipment".
One file in the back of the last drawer caught her eye. It was labeled, "Hybrid Theory". She opened it and began reading a particular page.
"Hybrids: Mixtures or crossbreeds. DNA of a human to be mixed with that of an animal. Experiments conducted by Doctor Cornelius Quease in the Chuquicamata Laboratory. See "Chuquicamata, Chile Experiments".
"Quease." Ashton growled as she looked at his name. She remembered him all too well; his white hair, his pale, purplish complexion . . .
Ashton shook her head, trying to forget his face. She put the file back, then searched through the drawer until she found the file labeled, "Chuquicamata, Chile Experiments." She sat down on the floor and opened the folder. She read the first paper.
"The following are the subjects, experiments, and reports done at the Chuquicamata Laboratory in Chuquicamata, Chile."
Ashton then found a picture of a man standing in front of a white background.
"Subject #1, Mr. Nelson Lenille. 30 years old. Perfect health. Found in Iquique, Chile." read the caption below his picture.
Ashton then saw a picture of a woman on the next page. "Subject #2, Mrs. Corra Lenille. 27 years old. Perfect health. May be pregnant. Found in Iquique, Chile." read the caption below her picture.
Ashton looked at the picture of the woman for a moment, she could recognize the familiar face and complexion; it was her mother. She fought back tears as she gently laid the picture down next to her; she planned to take it with her when she left. Ashton then looked back at the picture of Subject #1.
"So, he's my dad." she thought. She gently touched the picture. "I'm sorry I never knew you." she said softly. Ashton then put down his picture, and continued onto the next pictures, all of subjects, ages ranging from 20-40, all taken into the lab for the hybrid experiments. She saw pictures of the results of some of the experiments. She tossed aside these disturbing images, and went on to the next paper.
There, she found an envelope which contained a report, and another picture.
"Subject #2, which survived the panther DNA injections, was tested, and it is now confirmed that she is about 2 months pregnant. Her pregnancy is being monitored carefully. Dr. Cornelius Quease has put her under special observation. The unborn offspring's growth and progress will be carefully monitored. The mother will also be carefully monitored."
Ashton put down the report and looked at the picture. There was a woman in the picture with yellow/brown eyes, just sitting on a bed in a white room. Ashton gave way to tears. "Momma." she muttered; she missed her mother so much. She stared at the picture for a while, then put it down, next to the picture of her mother when she was healthy.
After wiping away the tears that had begun to fall, Ashton flipped through some papers in the file, all about different observances during the pregnancy. She soon found some pictures of her as a baby. Some with Quease, but the more recent ones were without him.
Just then, Dr. Quease entered the room.
Ashton quickly stood up, letting all of the papers fall from her lap. She looked towards them for a moment.
"Who are . . ." Dr. Quease stopped as Ashton looked up and he saw her yellow eyes. "Oh my."
Ashton looked at him, and immediately recognized him.
("Hello little girl. My, you are an odd-looking little thing." said Dr. Quease as he saw 4-year-old Ashton sitting and crying in a lonely room.)
"You." Ashton said in a low, angry voice as she glared at him with hate in her eyes.
"Where have you been?" he asked. "I return from Andre's house, and you all are gone, without even so much as a note."
"Sorry Master, but we were out saving Raph's shell." said Leo, looking accusively over at Raph.
Raph sneered at him.
Mikey quickly went to the kitchen muttering, "Food food food."
"Where was he?" asked Splinter.
"The dragon fortress." said Venus.
Splinter looked at Raph with a stern expression. "We must talk."
Raph looked down, he knew he had a royal scolding coming his way.
"By the way, where is Ashton?" asked Splinter as he glanced around.
"Hey yeah, where *is* she?" asked Donny.
Back at the dragon fortress, Ashton crept out of a closet. She listened carefully around her as her ears turned every which way. She carefully made her way to the white room that intrigued her so much earlier.
She went inside, and saw that no one was in there. Ashton looked at all of the equipment and gadgets, and couldn't help but shudder. She looked at one very familiar machine.
("Now just look at the screen, it won't hurt you." says a man. A bright light flashes, and a little girl screams.) Ashton shakes her head, trying to push the memory away.
Ashton looked around some more and noticed a file cabinet. She went over to it and tried to open it, but it was locked. Extending one of her nails, she pried the lock open. After retracting her nail, she opened the little door, and saw three drawers of files, and began rummaging through them.
She flicked over many files some labeled "mutagens", others labeled "equipment".
One file in the back of the last drawer caught her eye. It was labeled, "Hybrid Theory". She opened it and began reading a particular page.
"Hybrids: Mixtures or crossbreeds. DNA of a human to be mixed with that of an animal. Experiments conducted by Doctor Cornelius Quease in the Chuquicamata Laboratory. See "Chuquicamata, Chile Experiments".
"Quease." Ashton growled as she looked at his name. She remembered him all too well; his white hair, his pale, purplish complexion . . .
Ashton shook her head, trying to forget his face. She put the file back, then searched through the drawer until she found the file labeled, "Chuquicamata, Chile Experiments." She sat down on the floor and opened the folder. She read the first paper.
"The following are the subjects, experiments, and reports done at the Chuquicamata Laboratory in Chuquicamata, Chile."
Ashton then found a picture of a man standing in front of a white background.
"Subject #1, Mr. Nelson Lenille. 30 years old. Perfect health. Found in Iquique, Chile." read the caption below his picture.
Ashton then saw a picture of a woman on the next page. "Subject #2, Mrs. Corra Lenille. 27 years old. Perfect health. May be pregnant. Found in Iquique, Chile." read the caption below her picture.
Ashton looked at the picture of the woman for a moment, she could recognize the familiar face and complexion; it was her mother. She fought back tears as she gently laid the picture down next to her; she planned to take it with her when she left. Ashton then looked back at the picture of Subject #1.
"So, he's my dad." she thought. She gently touched the picture. "I'm sorry I never knew you." she said softly. Ashton then put down his picture, and continued onto the next pictures, all of subjects, ages ranging from 20-40, all taken into the lab for the hybrid experiments. She saw pictures of the results of some of the experiments. She tossed aside these disturbing images, and went on to the next paper.
There, she found an envelope which contained a report, and another picture.
"Subject #2, which survived the panther DNA injections, was tested, and it is now confirmed that she is about 2 months pregnant. Her pregnancy is being monitored carefully. Dr. Cornelius Quease has put her under special observation. The unborn offspring's growth and progress will be carefully monitored. The mother will also be carefully monitored."
Ashton put down the report and looked at the picture. There was a woman in the picture with yellow/brown eyes, just sitting on a bed in a white room. Ashton gave way to tears. "Momma." she muttered; she missed her mother so much. She stared at the picture for a while, then put it down, next to the picture of her mother when she was healthy.
After wiping away the tears that had begun to fall, Ashton flipped through some papers in the file, all about different observances during the pregnancy. She soon found some pictures of her as a baby. Some with Quease, but the more recent ones were without him.
Just then, Dr. Quease entered the room.
Ashton quickly stood up, letting all of the papers fall from her lap. She looked towards them for a moment.
"Who are . . ." Dr. Quease stopped as Ashton looked up and he saw her yellow eyes. "Oh my."
Ashton looked at him, and immediately recognized him.
("Hello little girl. My, you are an odd-looking little thing." said Dr. Quease as he saw 4-year-old Ashton sitting and crying in a lonely room.)
"You." Ashton said in a low, angry voice as she glared at him with hate in her eyes.