Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT, so you can't sue me. I'm just borrowing them for a bit. But Magnolia and the others are mine, so if you want to use them, please just ask. Thank you.



Chapter 4: Truth and Annoyances

I woke again sometime later, feeling a bit better than I had before but not up to full strength. I was still in that dimly lighted darkness, which was now so much a part of my world. It had become somewhat of a comfort I guess, since I had been in it so long. But the longer I stayed, the more part of me grew edgy.

That part of me, a small piece to begin with, didn't want to stay in the darkness any longer. It wanted to leave this place and be out in the light there. In the light, there was safety and understanding. In the darkness, there was only fear and uncertainty.

And as time passed for me again, it grew. It made itself known bit by bit, until it consumed a greater portion of my mind and forced me to realize that it was time to leave the darkness. It was time to find the light again. All right, if that's so important, then I'll do it.

Big mistake. I tried to open my eyes slowly, though they felt as heavy as weights when I tried. When they were barely open, just a slight crack, light poured into my eyes again. That was all it took. The light had barely touched me when I let out a gasp of surprise and sudden pain. My eyes closed again instantly, once more closing myself in darkness.

Okay, so that probably wasn't one of the smartest things that I've ever done. Then again, I really didn't think that a bit of light would hurt my eyes so much, even now as they still stung from within. I don't think anyone does really. I've opened them in bright light before and been all right. So why was it so different this time?

Hmm, newsflash for Magnolia my brain seemed to say sarcastically. The reason it was different was because your eyes have never gone this long without seeing light in full. The longest you've been without seeing before this was a night, when you were asleep. You don't know how long you've been out now, so you can't be sure how long it will take your eyes to adjust again.

Makes sense, though I never thought that my own brain could talk back to me like that. Must be another sign of that fever dream that I had. Another sign that I must be losing my mind or at least starting too.

"Not quite ready to rejoin the rest of us, I see," a voice rumbled.

For the second time since I found myself in awareness, I was startled. I had heard a few sounds, creaks and whispers that didn't make much sense, but not another voice. So it took a moment for me to register that I was indeed no longer alone and that this wasn't a part of a fever dream. This was real.

"You should wait a bit longer and let me dim the lamps a bit. Less light won't hurt your eyes as much," the voice continued, which I now saw as male.

I heard footsteps moving away from me and into the distance. There was a clicking sound that I hadn't heard before and something else that I couldn't quite identify. Then the footsteps approached again and I felt a weight settling on the end of where I lay.

"Now," he said," Try again and this time, do it more slowly than before. If you try too quickly, even in dimness like this, you'll just sting your eyes again. Give them time to adjust on their own terms."

Easy for him to say. He wasn't the one who was stuck in gloom and with his eyes stinging like something had scratched them. But I followed his advice nonetheless, taking it slower than before. To my surprise and irritation, it actually worked.

Little by little, with my eyes still stinging like crazy the whole time, I was able to take the light in again. I couldn't see much at first, mostly a big blur that took a long time to clear up. When it did, I was able to focus on one large object that I assumed to be the one that I spoke to.

The object was fuzzy at first, edged in blurred lines that were caused by the light flooding all around us both. But after a couple of minutes of trying to focus and blinking my eyes several times, it started to come into alignment. Though when it did, I wasn't exactly too pleased to see who and what I had been talking to.

It was a male of my own species, Katrian. Like me, he was a sort of feline humanoid, with the same obvious differences that I had from the humans I had grown up among. Ears that were larger by far and that caught every sound and movement about. A tail that helped to convey emotions as well as any expression, and claws that could tear and rend, just as well as aid another. But that was where the similarities between us ended, in more ways than one.

This creature was a being cloaked in a skin of coal black fur, something that made him much darker when compared to my own pale white-grey fur. He watched everything through a pair of blue-green orbs that were also a sharp contrast to mine, which were a sort of fawn color that were strange even here.

He was much larger than me as well, even while I was lying down like this. But that was a given. In the Katrian race, males are always the larger ones. The normal height for them is about seven feet or more, with only a few that are just below that. Females like myself however, only reach about six and half feet at the most, and that is what the majority of us are. I however, am one of those few exceptions.

Even after I had hit my final growth about a year ago, I was still under six feet. In the ways of Katrians, this set me at sort of a disadvantage. After first arriving in Dimension X, I had learned that Katrian are a rare breed and of those that exist, they are all fighters. Size and strength to them is the only way to prove one's self. So I have my strength, which also showed up the last couple of years, but I didn't have the size. And now, with this creep looking down on me, it really did seem like a problem.

Of course, I hadn't really expected to see his face when I woke up. Then again, not all that long ago, I hadn't been expecting to wake up period, so I guess there was room for other surprises. Still, of all the things I had been thought to see, this guy was definitely at the bottom of my list. Right around that area that has Shedder, Vynde, and a few other boneheads who would like to see me dead. A bit hasty on my part maybe, but after what he said to me the last time we met, I think it was a group this creep fit into perfectly.

Behind him, though it was still very blurry to me at the moment, was mostly a great piece of gray-brown. It made me think of rock for some reason, because I remember other stones that color from when Donatello showed me his collection back in the lair. But I really didn't focus on that much at the moment, since the only main thing I could see was my 'benefactor', if that's what you could call him, and what I was doing in his company.

"You remember me, don't you, Lia?" he asked gruffly.

"Yeah, I remember you. You're Zenith," I snorted, unable to stop myself from glaring at him when he called me that.

Right from the start, I've hated it when others called me Lia. It's the very last part of my name, Magnolia, and the one that people here in Dimension X use when they're addressing me. See, for some reason that's beyond me, folks here can't exactly manage the pronunciation of a difficult Earth word like Magnolia and they think that Maggie sounds too weird, so they just call me Lia instead. Whether I like or not.

"Good," he nodded, returning my scowl with one of his own," That means that your memory is still intact. I was afraid that your mind might have been damaged when they beat you."

Him, afraid of my brain being damaged? Nice sentiment, though coming from this guy, I doubted that it was true. From the first time I had met him in the swamps over a year before, this one had never cared for anyone else but himself. I could understand that somewhat, since here in Dimension X, the first and only person that you can usually depend on is yourself, but this guy took it to the extreme. He was about my age, maybe a year or two older, but still close enough, and as far as I knew, he never attached himself to anyone. If I remember correctly, he said that having others along was a liability and would just slow him down. So he never bothered with the little things such as friends and took care of himself.

I can respect that, but only so much. I know what it's like on both sides of the tracks, so I know that a lot of times it's better to have friends. Then you have someone to watch your back when you can't. And in a lot of places I've been to, that's a policy I can agree with.

"So," I said dryly, my voice more of a croak than before," What is this place, and why the heck am I with you?"

"Guess you are feeling better. You're already asking questions when you should be resting," Zenith said, his voice still gruff.

"Yeah, and I prefer to have them answered," I snorted.

Still glaring at me, just like I still was at him, Zenith replied," I see that you're still as straightforward as you were last time."

"And I see that you're still just as slow to give an answer. Now, where am I and what I am doing with you?" I snapped.

For a moment, Zenith looked like he would have liked nothing better than to hit me. I can't say that I can blame him much, since the feeling was mutual and I didn't bother hiding the fact in my expression. But no blows ever came. He just glared down at me for nearly a minute, eyes still cold.

"We're in one of the caves of a rebel base," he said instead," I brought you here after you were taken out of Rancor."

"You, got me out of Rancor?" I scoffed," Forgive me if I don't laugh, but the last thing I recall before passing out was that I was being held in a cell in the fort, not out in the open."

"You were, until they decided that you weren't good for anything else but feed. So they dumped you near a pit on the edge of Rancor for the next fodder run and that's where I and some of the others found you. We took you and got out before anyone noticed," Zenith growled.

"And who were these others?" I asked suspiciously.

"That would be us, she-kat," a new voice said from the other end of the room.

My head turned toward the voice in a split second, and I was reward with another shock of pain. I let out a small gasp, but managed to hold the rest in.

And that was a true test of myself, since all I wanted more than anything right now was to just yell and scream as pain shot through me every time I moved. But I didn't, not while I was being watched.

Ignoring the ache now growing in my head and neck, I looked at who had entered. It was hard for me to make out at first, since they were so far away. Zenith obviously knew whoever had come, because I caught him lifting a hand in greeting out of the corner of my eye.

Whoever had come seemed to return the gesture and then moved to come closer to us. As they approached, I was able to make out more detail and soon realized that I was staring at what could only be a Neutrino.

It was a male, probably in his early to late twenties, though there was no way to tell for sure. All Neutrinos looked kind of like human children, since the tallest they normally grow is about four to four and a half feet tall. They're usually pale skinned and have long pointed ears that curve along the length of the side of the skull they're on. Both facts that this one seemed no exception too. Their personalities are a lot like children and teenagers too, even the adults, though I don't think that applied to this one, who seemed serious right off the bat. That's because all Neutrinos like to spend their time having fun and a general good time.

At least, that's what they used to spend their time doing. When Krang came into power about two Earth decades ago, most of the good times for the Neutrinos and a lot of others came to an end. With their homes and families being attacked on what became a regular basis, they didn't have much choice but to fight back.

Which is what they're doing now. The Neutrinos are among the few remaining factions of Dimension X's wide frontier that are still fighting to drive Krang and his forces out of power for good. So far, the battles are being won but not the war. That probably won't happen for a long time, since Krang has the advantage of troops and resources and the Neutrinos and their allies have that of knowing the lay of the land and cause.

At least, that's what I've heard and been able to piece together. Other than Unai when we were at Rancor, I haven't known any Neutrinos personally. So I don't know the whole story on them or really what to expect of them. Which might explain why I was feeling so edgy around this one, who, now that he was close, I saw was eyeing me like a vulture.

His clothing, a pale blue shirt and a pair of pants, was torn like a good many things I've seen but still surprisingly in good repair. It had a few holes and patches but otherwise seemed new. His hair, a fierce reddish- brown, was somewhat a mess as well, partially matted and disarrayed. There was a ponytail in the back, but it did little good to tame the rest of the mass.

"And just who are you?" I asked.

"I'm called Kale," he replied evenly," And I believe that you are Lia."

"I've been called that and a lot of other things," I snorted," But I'll answer to that one quick enough, since it's part of my whole name."

Kale and Zenith, neither one losing the hardness of their faces, looked at me quizzically. But I offered no reason for my answer. As I mentioned before, most of those who knew me in this world had no idea of my full name and even if they did, it would do them little good. None here had ever been able to pronounce it correctly and thus they and I were stuck with the shortened term of Lia. And if my mentioning this little bit of information, even if it wasn't total, then they could just deal with it. I mean, if I could deal with Lia, they can just deal with a little confusion.

For these two, that didn't seem to last too long. If they were still curious to know more about what I spoke of, they hid it well. Instead, their faces went featureless again, except for their eyes. Those still shone with mistrust and silence.

"It's good to see that you are finally awake, Lia," Kale said finally, his voice neutral," After seeing what they did to you, we thought that you never would. You must have a strong spirit, to pull through with what I presume is a sound mind."

"It takes more than a bunch of muscle-brained punks to keep me down for long," I countered calmly," Besides, I've dealt with worse."

All right, maybe that was stretching things a bit. I've been hurt quite a bit in my life, but never as bad as that. I had never before come that close to death or fallen into a coma. The worst that I had gone through was a few broken bones and a concussion when I got in a fight when I was twelve. But I wasn't about to say that much to these two. The last thing I needed was to appear weaker than I already had, so I could afford to exaggerate just a bit.

"Perhaps, but I would not wish to experience such," Kale sniffed.

Zenith said nothing. He continued to stay off to the side, watching the two of us. I barely gave him a second glance however, since my attention was now focused on Kale.

"Perhaps so," I nodded.

All right, enough with the small talk. I was starting to get a partial idea of what had happened. If what they said was true and it had to be since I was here, then they had gone and taken me from Rancor, a risk in itself. If they had been caught, then they would have been as dead as I would have been. So it made me wonder, why would they risk so much just to help me? It was a question I wanted to ask, but kept to myself for the moment. No reason to appear overeager or more wary than I already was.

I don't know how, but Kale must have guessed at what I was thinking. He acted quickly, speaking the words that I had not said myself.

"Now that you're awake, I suppose that you're wondering why we brought you here. Am I right, Lia?" Kale replied calmly.

"The thought had crossed my mind," I replied coolly.

"One would think so," he said," And I will answer that, if you wish. But first, let me ask you something. Do you know remember a young Neutrino woman named Unai?"

Unai? Of course I knew her, but what did she have to do with anything?

"Yes, I know her. We were in the same work shift for about six months in Rancor," I replied, still a bit confused," But she isn't there anymore. She and some others..."

"Escaped from Rancor, with the help of a Katrian female. Namely, you," Kale finished abruptly.

Okay, now if it wouldn't have hurt so much, I know my jaw would've dropped at hearing that. Just how did this guy know about my helping Unai? Despite the dead on suspicions that got me beaten up at Rancor, the only people who knew that for certain were myself and those I helped.

"How did you know that?" I said, unable to hide the surprise in my voice.

"I know because Unai told me. She's the one who sent us after you," Kale replied.

Once again, if it wouldn't have hurt like a nightmare, my jaw would've dropped at least a foot at this rate. Unai, a kid who couldn't even keep herself out of trouble for more than five minutes, had not only managed to keep from being recaptured, but sent someone after me? Boy, I really have to stop underestimating people like this.

"Unai, huh?" I replied," Remind me to thank her for the favor the next time I see her."

"A nice sentiment, Lia, but one that will not be possible or necessary," Kale sniffed," Unai has other responsibilities that require her attention and she sent us after you as a return for the favor of helping her to begin with."

"Which would be?" I asked.

I couldn't help but wondering at that. As I said, Unai was a good kid, just a year or so younger than me, but she hardly knew how to take care of herself. Back in Rancor, she was always getting into some sort of trouble, whether she meant to or not, and I was constantly having to save her from being pummeled by someone. It still amazes me that she wasn't killed outright on some occasions, even with me there.

"That's really none of your concern. Just know that Unai is a very important figure in the Neutrino forces and had the Stone Warriors found her in time, she could have been used to gain information on our operations. We couldn't allow that to happen or else more than half our forces would be destroyed," Kale replied.

Whoa, that was certainly something that I hadn't been expecting. Unai was important in the rebel forces against Krang? Man, you certainly wouldn't believe that if you saw how she had been at Rancor. But I guess that you never really can judge a book by its cover and that was just another reason never to underestimate someone.

"Which is why she and the others needed to escape so badly. They couldn't risk being caught," I said, finally understanding where this was going.

"Yes. Somehow she managed not only to smuggle a group into Rancor, but to keep it hidden for six months, gathering information the whole time. But they were eventually found out and the Stone Warriors were on their way to pick her up. Unai got word of that and knew that she had to escape by any means necessary, even if it meant paying the ultimate price," Kale replied.

"Would imagine so," I said," Easier to get in than out."

"Yes," agreed Kale," Which is why they were getting desperate to try just about anything and were quite ready to terminate themselves before the Stone Warriors arrived."

"Until I offered to help them escape," I concluded.

"Exactly," Kale nodded," And you can imagine that it must have seemed like a miracle that you were offering to do so, despite the risk you were taking and the gains that could have been yours had you turned them in. That was also why you were beaten so badly. They couldn't prove it, but you had aided in the escape of what could have been a very important source of information had they gotten it."

"And here I was thinking I got it so bad because they didn't like me," I snorted.

"Joke if you will, Lia, but what I speak of is serious," Kale said sternly," If you had stayed just one more day in that place, you would have been dead. It's only because Unai told us to find you that you're alive. Though I don't see why you would take such punishment upon yourself for another, that was what saved your life."

I repressed a sigh at hearing these words, once more finding myself surprised at the acute weirdness of this universe. There was certainly war and death all over the place, with betrayal and its ilk as a commonplace. Any fool could see that. But I still found it hard to believe that no one could believe in a thing like simple kindness. That one person would help another, despite what the consequences could be.

"I suppose," I shrugged, wincing in the process.

"And that was the other reason we agreed to find you," Kale continued," A being such as yourself is a rare find, and we felt that you might be worth the effort for us, regardless of Unai's debt."

"Worth an effort?" I snorted," Well, that's the first time I've heard those words in a long time."

"Perhaps, but they may well prove to be true. Though I won't jump to any conclusions, based simply on what I've learned," Kale nodded.

Smart choice on his part, one of the few that I've heard since getting here. Most would either dismiss stories outright or take it for more than it was. But, I guess that's beside the point. We each have to believe what we can in this world and just go with what we feel is right. Still, I found myself respecting this guy a little more for at least this decision.

Now, that just left one question for me to ask. What was I supposed to do now? Once I recovered, and I was certain that it wouldn't take too long for that, despite how much I hurt, I had to do something. I wasn't about to stay cooped up forever in some cave, no matter how safe. I had to do something and I wanted to know what else these people wanted from me, if they even did.

"All right, now that we've got that straight, there's just one thing I want to know," I said," Now that you've got me, what are you going to do with me?"

"That's up to you, Lia," Kale replied," Our main reason for getting you out was because of what you did for Unai, and once you recover, that debt to you is paid. We won't force you to remain or go, but you'll have to do one or the other. If you stay, then you'll be welcomed to join our ranks and you'll have to earn your keep. If you go, then it's for good. You'll be escorted away and won't be allowed to return. I'm sure that you can understand when I say that we can't afford freeloaders or risk being discovered."

"Yes, I do," I replied.

I certainly did understand, more than either of these two could possibly know. Life on Earth was certainly better than this place, but there were certain similarities that still around. Like having to hide in the darkness and keep from being discovered or risk being captured for experiments and study. Oh, I knew all about what it meant to stay hidden.

"Good," Kale nodded," You have until you've recovered enough to care for yourself to give me a decision. Until then, you best get some rest. Someone will be by later to check on you."

With that he saluted and left the room, thus leaving me alone once more with the Creep of Dimension X. Not that he remained long after that either. For probably just a minute or two after Kale had left us, Zenith stood there, staring down at me.

His expression was unreadable as before, the scowl he had first given me long gone. But his eyes were still shining with that gleam of distrust that I've found common among the inhabitants of Dimension X. I could only guess why he felt such a way toward me, despite such things. We were, after all, the same species. And even if this meant little in the scheme of things, you would think he would at least have that much respect for me. I gave him that much at least. That and the respect that one warrior gives another.

I really didn't dwell on that long nor did I have the chance. As I said, Zenith remained only a few moments at the most after Kale had left us. He watched me intently during that time, watching my every move. Then, when I was about to say something, he withdrew. He just left, leaving me alone in the chamber where I lay, with only my own thoughts and surprise as company.