Chapter 9: The 'Book of Mutants'.
The cubs finally arrived home in the middle of the night; Saringai was outside waiting anxiously for them. None of them were too tired to be proud of what they had just achieved. Saringai gratefully accepted the book from Michelangelo. It was a happy moment for all. Saringai looked over and admired his ninjas, before furrowing his eyebrows at Donatello.
"What happened to your bo, Donatello?" Saringai questioned.
"It was snapped in half", he replied sadly, before glaring at Raphael who was busy admiring his sais.
"Here, you can have mine. I'll make myself another one tomorrow", the leopard immediately offered, giving his bo to Donatello. The cheetah blushed with honour.
Michelangelo looked at the book that was now rightfully in his master's hands. The book was quite large, thick and heavy (he would know, as he had to lug it all the way back home). The book's cover was brown, old and faded; it's tattered edges made it look fragile to touch. "So what makes this book so important anyway?" Michelangelo asked the question that was on all of the cub's minds. Naturally they wanted to know, as they just risked their lives trying to recover this object. Saringai sighed. He knew that the already long night had just became even longer.
"The 'Book of Mutants' contains the records of all the State Mutants that have ever existed in our history".
"Who and what are the State Mutants?" Leonardo asked, determined for answers.
"That's what you are… the State Mutants of Lesotho".
"State Mutants of Lesotho? But Lesotho doesn't have any states!"
"Well, we couldn't call them Country Mutants otherwise that would mean only five mutants would be protecting extremely large areas such as Russia".
"Master, I don't understand".
"Well then please let me explain before you ask any more questions. Many many years ago, there were five dragons living in the island of Honshu, Japan. Their names were Michelangelo, Raphael, Donatello and Leonardo; they were, what we call now, the First State Mutants. Now…"
"Who was the fifth?" Michelangelo interrupted.
"…Uh… the fifth was a female dragon".
"No, I mean, what was her name?"
"Uh… um… I forget". Saringai lied. "Now, as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted…" Saringai glanced at Michelangelo. "…These dragons were the first ever State Mutants. Their job was to protect the innocents of Honshu from the evil humanoid type dragons whom had plans to take over the world. Therefore, the humanoid dragons were the enemies of the regular dragons, the State Mutants. Today, the State Enemy is the term we use to call the enemy of the State Mutants. For example, you, my students are the State Mutants while Shere Khan is your State Enemy. Understand so far?" Saringai questioned. The cubs slowly nodded, yet looking as though the whole thing had just went straight over their heads.
"What happened to the dragon State Mutants? Did they defeat their State Enemy, the evil dragons?" Donatello asked. He seemed to be the only one who understood what the leopard was saying.
"Yes, they did actually. The female dragon was an extremely powerful Shinobi Shaman, meaning that she could use magic and control and alter chi energy, and with this power, she managed to entrap the evil dragons into a glass prison. Unfortunately, when one enemy goes, another one fills its place. Soon evil, in its many forms, began to spread further around the world. The First State Mutants couldn't defeat the many enemies they now had, so they decided to get some help. So the female dragon cast a very complex spell, a spell that made 'duplicates' of the dragons themselves. Now, in every state across the world, there are five mutants with the names of Raphael, Leonardo, Michelangelo and Donatello".
"Hold on a minute… if we are 'duplicates' of the dragons, then how come we're cheetahs and not some fire-breathing mythical creatures?" Although it was late, Donatello's brain was still as sharp as ever.
"What I mean by 'duplicates' is that you have the same names, same weapons and the same type of personalities as that of the dragons. The only thing that is really different, is the species".
"Why is that?"
Well… let's think about it. The dragons are extraordinarily good at Ninjitsu and on top of that, they can breathe fire. But what would happen if they came across an enemy who could withstand the dragon's fiery breath? You see, every animal has its advantages and disadvantages. You, for instance, have a very low defense but you make up for it with your speed. What's the point of having defense when you simply can't be hit? But what if you were targeting an animal that is slow and has an extremely high defense like uh… I don't know… a turtle perhaps? What I'm trying to say is that having different species of State Mutants allows for diversity; so that if one team fails, then the mutant ninjas in the next state over might have what it takes to defeat the enemy".
"Has that ever happened? Has a State Enemy ever defeated the State Mutants?" Donatello asked another question. Saringai began to wonder if the cub was ever going to call it a night. He looked at his other students. Michelangelo was yawning constantly, struggling to keep his eyes from closing. Both Raphael and Leonardo had blank expressions on their faces. Saringai wondered if they were sleeping with their eyes still open. He sighed exhaustedly.
"Uh… yeah. There's one famous story where a State Enemy, he was a Kodiak bear I think, managed to defeat seven groups of State Mutants, slowly conquering one state at a time. It wasn't until the First State Mutants, the dragons, finally found out and helped, did they eventually vanquish him".
"So what happens when the State Mutants die? Is the area they protect left unguarded?" Donatello questioned. Saringai groaned. He wanted to go to bed.
"Um… this where it gets a bit more complicated. I did say that it was a complex spell that she cast. When three or more of the State Mutants die, then a new generation is born… like its destiny or something. So lets say that Raphael, Michelangelo and Leonardo have died and that you, Donatello are the only one remaining…" Donatello's brothers whimper in unison. "…then within the next year, four boys with the names of yourselves will be born. They don't have to be cheetahs, they could be anything from an insect to an amphibian, but usually it's an animal that lives around that area. The only other way that the next generation of State Mutants can be born is if the current State Mutants have children of their own. That sometimes doesn't work though. So if Michelangelo has children, then they might become the next State Mutants. Get it?"
"Oh, ok. But let's say that my brothers died. What would become of me, since I don't have to fight the State Enemy, Shere Khan anymore because the next generation of State Mutants will handle it?" Donatello queried.
"Rumour has it that the remaining members become the Masters of the next generation of State Mutants. But the Master of the State Mutants could really be anyone though", Saringai answered uncertainly, fearing where the conversation could lead.
"OH! So… so you used to be a State Mutant?" Donatello asked excitedly.
"No", Saringai lied again. He hated to lie to his students, but he really didn't feel like going into his past at three a.m. in the morning. It was the second time that night that he had lied. He had first lied about the female dragon's name, which was Venus. 'The Venus' always joined the group late. It was a known fact and it was stated in the 'Book of Mutants'. There were many theories as to why this was. Some say that it was so the boys could bond, others said that the female would cause too much of a distraction, and the males would never learn Ninjitsu to their full potential. Whatever the reason, 'The Venus' was the most valued asset to the State Mutants because of their Shinobi powers. It is only after 'The Venus' has joined, can the State Mutants finally defeat their State Enemy… and Shere Khan knows this. If Saringai told his students about the fifth member of their group, then the boys would go out on purposely and search for her. Shere Khan has read the 'Book of Mutants', and if he finds out that the boys are searching for Venus, then he would look too… and destroy her. That is what Saringai feared the most. He had decided ages ago not to tell the boys about her, and hoped that destiny would naturally take its course.
"What has all this got to do with that book we nicked from that tiger dude?" Michelangelo asked impatiently, bringing the conversation back to its starting point.
"Well, with all the different State Mutants around, the First State Mutants thought that it was important to keep a record of everyone in the case of an emergency, like that evil Kodiak bear. So the 'Book of Mutants' was created for that purpose. Every four years, a group of State Mutants will travel around the world recording information about every other State Mutant. Information includes the type of species of both State Mutant and Master, their current enemy if any, the type of transport they use, who's the leader of the group and roughly where the State Mutants live. It's a giant task but very rewarding. You'll get to meet the First State Mutants, go to all of the famous cities and get to spy on some of the more powerful State Mutants like the ones that live in Mexico City, Hong Kong and New York City".
"Spy?"
"Well yes… the thing is, you can't let the other State Mutants know about you".
"Why?"
"In the beginning, the First State Mutants told the others about their origins and how they were all part of one big society or organisation. It was alright at first, but soon the other State Mutants lost self worth. Telling them made them feel as though they weren't unique anymore. Their whole existence revolved around a Shinobi spell. Soon every State Mutant didn't care about saving innocents. That was ages ago, everyone by now has forgotten the true reason why they exist. As they say, 'ignorance is bliss'. Which is why we now have to spy. The only reason I'm telling you all of this, is because this time it is Lesotho's State Mutants turn to travel around the globe to record all the State Mutants in existence. You'll be doing that next year. First of all you go to Honshu, Japan to speak with the dragons. When you are there, the dragons will tell you what state to go to last. You give the 'Book of Mutants' over to the State Mutants of the last state you visit, so then in the next four years, they will have to travel around the world. This helps to share the responsibility around so it doesn't become one group's job. Also, because everyone has to meet the dragons; the dragons can control who they want to meet next".
"Is that why English is the international language for Intelligent Mutations? So that whoever we give the book to, we should be able understand each other?" Leonardo finally spoke up. Saringai simply nodded.
"How did Shere Khan get hold of this book? Why was it so important for us to get back?" Leonardo asked another question.
"Three years ago, the State Mutants of Natal, South Africa, gave this book to us. They were mutant red duikers to be exact. That was around the time when the habitants of Ikahaya Labantu, lead by Zareb's father, launched a full assault on Shere Khan and his followers. Unfortunately, when they captured Zareb's father… and later… beheaded him, they also gained access to the 'Book of Mutants'. To answer your second question Leonardo, the 'Book of Mutants' contains other miscellaneous information like the history, personality traits, what each member is like when they are the leader and stuff like that. It was dangerous for Shere Khan to have it, knowing what each group is like around the world, and who each State Enemy is. He was the first State Enemy in mutant history to read the book. There's no telling what he could do, knowing all that information". Saringai finished. There was a brief pause before another question was put forward, once again by Donatello.
"So apart from our species, are we exactly the same as all the other State Mutants out there?"
"No. In some groups Leonardo could be the leader, while in others it could be Raphael. Your personalities aren't exactly the same, as your individual experiences change the person that you become. Your fighting styles and level of skill will be different to other groups. And there always seems to be two members of the group who fight a lot, usually it's with the leader. That will also be different, so will be the closeness of the group. State Mutants who are related to each other are more close and more in tune as a group, compared to State Mutants who aren't related", Saringai tried his best to explain. There was quite a long silence after.
"So we call the Michelangelo, Raphael, Donatello and Leonardo's the State Mutants, and the State Enemy is the enemy of the State Mutants. Correct? Donatello questioned.
"Correct", Sraingai reassured.
"So what do we call other mutants, like the locals of Ikhaya Labantu who are neither State Mutants or State Enemies?"
"Extras", Saringai answered simply. The leopard could see Donatello thinking of another question. He groaned inwardly. Donatello opened his mouth but Saringai cut him off. "Ok, it's time to bed!" The adult announced enthusiastically. Michelangelo, Raphael and Leonardo tiredly cheered before trudging off to bed. Donatello groaned as he wanted to learn so much more but reluctantly followed suit. Saringai smiled. The leopard climbed up to his favourite branch before allowing the comfort of sleep to take over.
Author's Note: Ok, hope I didn't confuse you all too much. The word 'state' probably appeared 100 times in that chapter! Unfortunately, this is one of those chapters where if you don't understand it, then you're going to have a lot of trouble with the rest of the fanfic. This chapter is basically the whole backbone to the story. I've tried my best to make it as simple as possible. If you got confused, then all you really need to know is that in every state across the world, there is a Michelangelo, Raphael, Donatello, Leonardo and a Venus. I was going to add on what happened to Venus, but I thought that this chapter was long enough as it is.
This coming Thursday, I'll be leaving to go to America as part of an exchange student program. I won't be back till the 22nd of January. Therefore, this fanfic won't be updated for a while (I might be able to squeeze one more chapter in before I leave). If you get bored, then read some of the previous chapters, as you will now probably be able to guess Saringai's past and find out other bits of info as well. Thanks to all the people who have reviewed (Raphielle) as I really appreciate it. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and I wish you all the best of luck in the New Year.
P.S. If you live in the Seattle area and see an Aussie chick freezing her butt off (because she doesn't own any warm clothes!!!), then come over and say 'hi' to me.