"I cannot help but think this might be a . . . . . waste of effort," Karai murmured quietly. She stood in the laboratory of one of the Foot's strongholds, staring at the object floating in the tank in front of her. An enormous shadow loomed out of the darkness.
"It's okay; you can say it. This is a stupid idea," Hun growled. For once, Karai didn't argue with him.
"I hope the Shredder doesn't hear you say that," a mechanical voice announced. Karai groaned and rolled her eyes as a smaller tube tank rolled up to them, the brain and eyeball that were all that was left of Baxter Stockman providing a gruesome reminder of what happened to those who disagreed with the Shredder. "And for your information, the idea was the Shredder's, but it has been brilliantly carried out with my unfathomable genius!"
"Stockman, your unfathomable genius has led you to become a brain in a jar," Hun pointed out.
"By failures that were beyond my control! This plan will work!!" Baxter snapped.
"No," Karai said quietly. "It won't. There are too many uncontrollable aspects. When this creature is awakened, it will be as a newborn child! It won't even be able to walk or speak!"
"You underestimate me again," Baxter said smugly. "A direct neural interface downloads all necessary information directly into the brain. The muscles are electrically stimulated to mimic real exercise. She's perfect."
"A direct neural link? Like in 'The Matrix'?" Hun asked. Baxter's single eyeball flailed around briefly. It took Karai a few minutes to figure out he was trying to roll his eyes.
"Yes, like the Matrix," he sighed.
"It knows ninjitsu, then?" Karai asked.
"Virtually instructed by Shredder himself," Stockman said smugly. "When this creature is awakened, it will be the perfect assassin to take out the turtles. There's no way they'll be able to resist." The object in the tube jerked suddenly, causing Hun and Karai to jump.
"It's moving!" Hun cried, startled.
"Of course she is," Baxter sighed, exasperated. "Note the REM—rapid eye movements. It's dreaming, that's all." A few of the monitors in the lab jumped, the images dissolving into static for a few seconds before resuming their normal displays.
"What is happening now?" Karai asked.
"The computer programs tasked with monitoring her brain activities have problems with abstract dreaming. Sometimes they lose track of it for a minute or two. It's nothing to worry about," Baxter stressed. Hun and Karai watched the monitors jump and fizzle uneasily.
"How soon is that thing going to be out of the tube?" Hun asked.
"Very soon!" Baxter informed him happily. "I just can't wait to see her in action! I already have a name picked out and everything!" Unnoticed by the three watching the tube, a few of the security cameras shifted slightly to focus in on the small group. A computer monitor in the back of the lab flipped on by itself, the security routines and codes running across the screen faster than the eye could follow.
"A name?" Karai said coldly. "Allow me to guess: Eve."
"How about Karai Jr.?" Hun suggested, grinning evilly. Karai shot him a dirty look.
"I won't dignify that with a response, Hun."
"Well, it is from Judeo-Christian mythology, but it's not Eve. It's the woman who came before Eve; Adam's demon wife, Lilith," Baxter yammered on, oblivious to the hostility between the two warriors.
"Lilith? Hmm. Very appropriate," Karai allowed. She turned to go, then cast one last look at the thing in the tank. Well, there was no getting around what it was; it was a human-turtle hybrid. A female one. One personally instructed by the Shredder and programmed to be the perfect assassin by Stockman. She was a marvel of genetic engineering, a perfect blend of all the best parts of both Mutant Turtle and human being, and as flawlessly designed as a sculpture by the original Michelangelo. Lilith was tough and loyal and beautiful; Karai couldn't help but wonder if Lilith was also her replacement.
In an abandoned warehouse on the corner of Eastman and Laird, a sudden light lit up the windows. It dimmed quickly, leaving four dark figures standing in the middle of the floor. They quickly darted into the shadows, leaving the warehouse just as they had left it.
"I can't believe this," a deep voice growled from the shadow of a support beam. "Mikey and Makai went out for that pizza over an hour ago! Something must have happened to them!"
"Keep calm, Raph," A second voice said from a shadow in the corner. "We'll find them. Pele, do you think you know your way around enough to search a section of the city?" Silence reigned. "Pele?"
"I heard you, Leo," said a feminine voice from the shadow of an armored car. "I just don't think it will come to that."
"Why not?" asked a fourth voice. Pele gave an exasperated sigh.
"Because the Battle Shell's giggling and smells like pepperoni." The small turtle stepped out of the shadows and studied the large, imposing vehicle. "Plus the windows are all steamed up." Pele was wearing a black gi to cover her light, showy markings and a black bandana covered her hair lest the moonlight glint off of the fair tresses. Hopping up to perch awkwardly on the Battle Shell's running board, Pele wrenched the door open, eliciting two startled cries from inside.
"Perverts!" she declared, averting her eyes. Mikey and Makai climbed out sheepishly, both adjusting the baggy clothing designed to cover as much of their mutated bodies as possible. The other three turtles left the shadows.
"Michelangelo!" Leo cried accusingly. "We've been worried sick about you and you were up here with Makai . . . ."
"Necking?" Donnie suggested helpfully. Leo flushed a deep purple.
"And I suppose the pizza's cold now, too?" Raph growled, retrieving the pie from the front seat of the Battle Shell. "I hate microwaved pizza."
"Sorry," Mikey muttered bashfully. "We just got a little carried away."
"Tramp," Pele growled. Makai turned on her sister, pulling down her dark sunglasses.
"You're just jealous!" she declared. "I bet you and Leo haven't even kissed yet!" It was Pele's turn to blush. Of course, this was of no great shock. Pele blushed all the time. She blushed when she was angry, embarrassed, shy, pleased; the list went on and on. Perhaps it was the white skin on her face that made it so easy to notice, or perhaps Pele lived up to her namesake in that every strong emotion started a fire raging under her skin.
"I . . . I . . . uh . . . we . . . um . . . we're just good friends," she stammered helplessly. Leo looked over at her, a slight look of distress coming to his face. Over by the lift, Raphael barely managed to hide a smug smile. So Pele hadn't made up her mind yet? There was still hope for him, then.
"Come on, you guys. Let's get home before the pizza gets any colder," he cried, feeling better than he had in a long time.
"You shouldn't waffle back and forth," Makai chided. "It's cruel to lead Leo on like that. After all; where else is he going to find another female turtle?"
"Master Shredder, that thing is awake!" Karai reported, unsure if the feeling in her stomach was dread or disgust.
"What?! The Dark Genesis project was not to be awakened for two more weeks!" The Shredder rasped, starting up from where he had been meditating.
"I am sorry to disappoint you, Master, but it has awoken of it's own volition. I ordered the lab techs to keep it in its tank until you could be summoned."
"Good work, Karai," the Shredder spat. "No doubt this is that idiot Stockman's doing. To me, Karai! We will see to this matter before it becomes a problem." Karai fell in behind her master wordlessly, secretly glad that Baxter's pride and joy had gotten off to a less than perfect start.
When the Shredder burst through the doors of the laboratory, the first thing he saw was project Dark Genesis. She was floating upside down in her tank, her feet just barely touching the lid and the breather mask stretched downward as far as it would go. She was locking eyes with Hun. The turtle-hybrid had blue eyes, Karai noted. And right now they were boring into Hun's eyes with all the cold precision of a diamond drill bit. Hun was glaring back at her with all the ferocity he possessed, but the creature looked distinctly non-plussed. She was simply looking him over in a calculating manner, as if judging how much trouble he'd be to fight . . . . or how much meat his carcass would supply.
"Stockman!!" Shredder roared. Hun looked away from the tank sheepishly. His eyes looked a little red, as if the staring contest wasn't going his way. Karai barely resisted the urge to roll her own eyes. Anyone who'd get into a staring contest with someone immersed in fluid was the worst kind of idiot. Of course, this is where she had always grouped Hun, so this thought was no great leap in logic. Stockman came rolling up in his jar.
"Master Shredder?" he said innocently. The Shredder pointed his blades at the turtle in the tank.
"What is it doing awake?!"
"Ah . . . she woke up early. On her own. All of her systems appear to be complete and intact; it seems she was just . . . . ready to wake up," the former scientist said weakly. The Shredder said nothing, simply glared at the female turtle before him. Dark Genesis stared back at him impassively, her long black hair floating up around her head and shoulders. After a moment, she pushed off the lid of the tank and somersaulted gracefully. Twisting a bit on the way down, she settled right side up facing the Shredder. Karai couldn't help but notice her feet were in ballet's third position. Reaching up as casually as if she were tying back her hair, the turtle grasped the thick cable that seemed to run straight into the back of her head. Baxter suddenly rushed forward.
"No, no, no! Lilith, don't do that! Don't touch your cranial jack! Leave it alone! Do it for Daddy, okay?" Lilith spared Baxter a momentary glance, then pulled sharply. The cable came away with a spark, causing all of the monitors in the lab to go black.
"Lilith?" Shredder echoed.
"Daddy?" Hun said in the same breath. Lilith didn't even look down at her 'daddy', who was currently trying to coax her into reattaching her cranial jack. Her diamond blue eyes were locked on the Shredder, her hands resting lightly on the glass of the tank. The breather mask still obscured the lower half of her face, but her entire body radiated a sense of expectancy.
"It seems she is ready to come out. Drain the tank, Stockman," Shredder ordered. Baxter hesitated, turning back and forth from Lilith to the Shredder before going to a console and inserting a probe from the base of his tank. The fluid began to drain from Lilith's tank instantly. It only took a few minutes for the last of the fluid to gurgle out of the bottom of the tank. Then the glass rose, leaving Lilith standing alone. She pulled the breather mask off and shook her hair back, wobbling slightly. Still unsteady, she stepped down from the platform and made her way towards the Shredder. Her legs shook with every step. Lilith was only a few feet away when Karai realized why. These were Lilith's first steps; she had never had to support her own weight before. But . . . wait, Stockman had said that her muscles had been stimulated electrically to mimic exercise. So why was she so unsteady? Lilith suddenly fell, landing sharply on her knees just in front of the Shredder. She gazed up at him through a dark curtain of wet hair.
"Master . . ." she breathed. Though his metal mask covered Oroku Saki's face, the corner of his eyes crinkled up as though he were smiling.
"I think you'll do nicely," he announced.
Lilith spent the next two weeks training under the Shredder's diligent eye, killing three Foot ninja, mortally wounding five, and seriously injuring an Elite Guard in the course of her 'lessons'. Karai was less than pleased about the loss of her men, but the Shredder seemed delighted with Lilith's bloodlust. He entrusted her with her own quarters and free run of the entire complex. It was driving Karai insane.
She wasn't jealous of Lilith being the Shredder's new pet project any more than she was jealous of Baxter Stockman for being smart or Hun for being strong. It wasn't even the casualties to the Foot ninja; part of being a ninja was danger and the loss of a man, even to sparring practice, wasn't that unusual. It was Lilith's smirk. It didn't matter what circumstances they met under, it could be sparring, it could be out on training runs, they could simply pass each other in the hallway; Lilith would ever-so casually slide her blue eyes in Karai's direction and the corner of her plush lips would turn up so slightly and she would just smirk. Lilith smirked like someone who knew all your darkest secrets and couldn't decide who to tell first. She smirked like a cat that had not only eaten the canary, but managed to blame it on the dog. She smirked like someone who had taken a long, hard look at life and finally seen the joke. Karai wanted to wipe that smirk off of Lilith's face with her fist.
Perhaps that was why Karai was a little surprised to find Lilith in her private quarters, holding up Karai's black silk furisode up her shoulders like she was shopping.
"What are you doing in my chambers?!" Karai demanded. "That's my best kimono! Put it back where you found it!" Lilith turned slightly, peering at Karai through a thin veil of black hair. After a moment, she smiled.
"I was waiting for you, dear Karai," Lilith murmured. Lilith's voice was deep and throaty, perfect for a seductive assassin. Lilith was beautiful; after all, she was designed to be. For every deadly technique she mastered, it seemed she also learned another seduction technique. She flirted with every male she came in contact with. Oh, not the giggling, eyelash fluttering of some besotted schoolgirl, but the subtle invitation of an accomplished courtesan. Every move she made was judged for grace and beauty. She left her black hair long and loose, painted her oversized finger and toenails blood red and had even taken to wearing makeup. Karai had wondered who was teaching her all of this on more than one occasion, but didn't think it was her place to ask.
"And why," Karai growled through gritted teeth. "Would you be waiting for me?"
"Perhaps I just wanted to talk to you," Lilith suggested, bearing her teeth in a brilliant white smile. Her mouth may have smiled, but her eyes continued to mock.
"What would we have to talk about?" Karai asked. Lilith paused to return Karai's furisode to its display hanger.
"Oh, just girl talk. You know; fashions that can easily conceal weapons, hairstyles that hold up well in combat, and makeup that can hide unsightly bruises?" Karai glared icily at the turtle. "No? Does this mean we can't be the best of friends?"
"Get out of my chambers." Karai ordered pointing at the door. "I have no interest in your friendship. Rest assured, we won't be 'just like sisters' or 'best friends forever'." Lilith shrugged lightly, that bemused smirk still firmly in place. She started towards the door.
"Well, of course we couldn't be like sisters," Lilith stated, waiting until she was just inside the door before letting the other shoe drop. "You're my mother, after all."
"Would you care to repeat that?" Karai asked coldly.
"I believe you heard me," Lilith said. "The human portion of my DNA came from you, Karai. You are my biological mother. Now obviously there was some corruption of the helixes when it was merged with the mutant turtle DNA, but the mitrochondrial strains remain intact. Mummy dearest." Lilith treated Karai to an evil grin.
"You're lying," Karai protested weakly. Why had she never noticed the slightly Asian slant of Lilith's eyes . . . or the fact that they were the same shade of blue as her own?
"Am I? Perhaps you should ask Master Shredder." With another of her maddening smirks, the turtle human hybrid headed out into the hallway.
"Wait!" Karai cried. "If I'm your biological mother, which one of the turtles is your father?!" It shouldn't have mattered, really. But for some reason it mattered deeply. Lilith saw this and simply gave one of her icy smiles.
"Who did you want it to be?" She challenged in a near whisper. Karai stared, willing herself to remain silent. "Hhhmn. If you'll excuse me, I'm off to torment Hun now. That man has serious psychological problems. They're fun to play with."
Hun was in the locker room. He had just emerged from the showers and was still nude except for a towel wrapped around his waist. The locker room was empty; most of the Foot Ninja preferred training in groups. At least, Hun thought it was empty until he felt a warm, eager tongue run up his bare spine.
Hun bellowed like a wounded bear, whirling around to plant a meaty fist in his adversary's head. But his attacker was already gone and his hand met only metal. Hun cursed, pulling his lacerated fist out of the remnants of the locker behind him.
"Oh, poor Hun. Did you hurt yourself?" Lilith appeared as if by magic in the same row of lockers but just out of reach.
"Freak slut! This is your doing!" Hun growled, brandishing his bleeding hand at her. Without a word, Lilith snapped out a clean white towel and bandaged Hun's hand gently, almost tenderly.
"There we are," Lilith murmured, bowing her head to kiss his wounded digits. Hun jerked his hand back before her lips could touch his flesh.
"What do you want, freak slut?" He demanded. Hun didn't protest her presence in the men's locker room, or his near nudity. He wouldn't have given her the satisfaction of knowing she had caught him off guard. Lilith smiled. She liked Hun. He was strong, straightforward and uncomplicated. Despite what she had told Karai, there wasn't anything desperately wrong with Hun's mind . . . not yet anyway. Lilith had hopes of inducing a psychosis or two before she was finished with him.
"'Freak slut' almost sounds like an endearment coming from you, Hun." Lilith said lightly, pacing around Hun, her shapely hips swinging. "I'm feeling very unloved right now. I entrusted Karai with the knowledge that she is my biological mother and her only concern was which turtle was my biological father. She could have at least been proud of my skills."
"Really?" Hun said with sudden interest. "And did you tell her which one it was?"
"I asked her which one she wanted it to be and she became very upset."
"Really?" Hun sat on a bench, tapping one finger against his chin in sudden cogitation. Dark, self-serving thoughts flashed behind Hun's eyes. Lilith smiled.
Her motive in betraying this bit of information was the same as lying to Karai about Hun's mental state: she wanted the Shredder's lieutenants to hate each other. There was already a deep rift between Hun and Karai; Lilith wanted to widen it to a chasm. Karai already thought Hun was little more than a knuckle-dragging psycho, so why not encourage that line of thinking? Hun believed Karai to be having second thoughts about the Foot's mission in New York, so why not keep him updated on her doubts? Lilith had no immediate use for Karai and therefore wasted no time in alienating her 'mother'. Hun, on the other hand . . . . oh, she had such delicious plans for Hun. Lilith paced around to stand next to the massive human male with the measured grace of a ballet dancer.
After a moment, Hun turned to her with a wide, insincere smile.
"It's very good that you brought this to my attention . . .Lilith. If Karai shows any other disturbing behavior you'll keep me informed, won't you?" He hesitated before saying her name. It was the first time he had ever used it. The corners of Lilith's lips turned up in a smirk. She reached for Hun's injured hand and brought it to her lips for a gentle kiss. This time he didn't pull away.
"I'm sure we can work something out."
Way down below street level, Pele suddenly waved out of a sparring match with Leonardo to lean against the wall.
"Are you okay?" He asked. Pele was concentrating on breathing evenly and deeply.
"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just a dizzy spell."
"Why are you having dizzy spells?" Leo asked, still concerned. The others left off their training to gather around the small turtle.
"It's April," Pele said by way of explanation.
"What's April got to do with it?" Mikey asked, clearly confused.
"The month, not the person, dummy," Pele growled.
"Ooooooooh," Makai said in sudden understanding. "It's spring again already? Where does the time go?"
"'Ah spring; when a young man's fancy turns to love'," Splinter quoted, joining the group. "And what does a young lady turtle's fancy turn to?"
"Nesting," Pele admitted. There was a long, uncomfortable silence.
"Nesting?" Raphael echoed. "What do you mean by 'nesting'?"
"I mean, I'm getting ready to lay an egg," Pele said.
"An Egg?!" The four brothers shouted at once.
"You mean like, an 'egg' egg?!" Donnie cried.
"And . . . who is the father?" Splinter asked suspiciously. Mike, Don, and Raph slowly turned and looked at Leo, who turned a pale shade of chartreuse.
"There is no father," Pele announced. "It won't be a fertile egg. It will just be a dud. There won't be a baby in it."
"Aw, that's a shame," Raph chuckled. "I thought things were going liven up around here." Pele made a face at him.
"Well, being gravid is kinda like being pregnant; you still blimp up, get morning sickness, and get cravings. It just only lasts a month or so. Then you just lay an egg," Pele explained.
"We're going to need to get you someplace to lay," Makai interjected.
"That's true. We can build a nest box like we did when Hurricane Inniki hit the islands," Pele said.
"Are you going to lay an egg, too?" Mikey asked, turning to Makai.
"No, Pele lays in the spring and I tend to lay in the fall. I don't know why it's different; that's just the way it's always been."
"I see," Splinter said. "Perhaps you should discontinue training for the day, Pele. I wouldn't want you to overexert yourself."
"Yes, Master Splinter," Pele said, bowing out of the dojo. She headed for the kitchen. The was a jar of crunchy dill pickles calling her name. Oh, and maybe some ice cream . . .
"Oh, you're so smart, Daddy! Will you teach me something new today?" Lilith simpered, gazing adoringly at what was left of Baxter Stockman.
"Certainly, sweetheart!" Stockman said, guiding Lilith's cranial jack into place. The myriad of computer screens surrounding Lilith lit up as they were activated by her brainwaves. "What would you like to learn today? Genetic engineering? Quantum physics? Nanotechnology?"
"How about . . . robotics." Lilith said with a cold smile "Or cybernetics."
"I think we can manage that," Baxter said, keying in the orders to download the information directly into Lilith's brain. "I can even give you the technological secrets we gleaned from the Utroms."
"Delicious," Lilith purred.
"You're so lucky that I'm here to teach you," Baxter continued, oblivious to the deadly edge to the turtle hybrid's voice. "Who knows more about technology than the genius, Baxter Stockman?"
"Don! Don!!!! DON!!!" Makai yelled, both hands clamped firmly over her ears. She was in a cavernous chamber newly re-claimed from the sewers. Donnie was supposed to be making a ten foot by ten foot box of sand for Pele to nest in. Makai sucked in a deep breath.
"DONATELLO!!!!!" Donnie finally looked around and shut off the masonry saw he had balanced on his hip. He pulled the respirator off of his beak and slid the ear protectors down onto his neck so he could hear.
"Hi, Makai. What's up?"
"WHAT PART – I mean, what part of 'a box of sand' did you not understand?" The Hawaiian turtle inquired. Donnie looked at the materials in the room like he'd never seen them before. There were the cement bricks stacked loosely across the middle of the floor like a wall, the water pipes lain against the wall, the remains of an industrial water heater he planned to fix, the water pump, bags of cement waiting to be mixed, and just about every power tool on the market. The only things absent were a box and sand. Makai felt like someone who had ordered a gravel footpath and come back to find construction underway for an eight lane highway.
"A box with sand in it. That's all we need," Makai reiterated. A determined look crossed Donnie's face.
"I can do better than that." He stated, putting on his safety gear and firing up the saw again.
Karai hesitated at the doorway out of the complex. She shouldn't be doing this. This was wrong; very wrong. If Master Shredder found out . . . but somehow, she just couldn't stop herself. Karai ghosted through the doorway and disappeared into the shadows of the city. It had been several weeks since Lilith's great revelation about her blood relationship, but Karai still hadn't learned who her biological father was. Lilith remained her usual smug self, but Karai could feel the evil in her building, like a dark shadow that followed the hybrid through the complex. Even Hun was getting jumpy and nervous around Lilith. The darker and more dangerous she grew, the more the thought of Leonardo and the others welcoming the viper into their home tore at Karai's heart. She couldn't sleep at night. Food no longer held any flavor for her. Karai had begun to go on late night patrols alone. At first she had told herself it was simply to clear her mind, but now she knew what she was really doing. She was looking for Leonardo. The Foot Ninja had spotted him out by himself more and more lately. Karai didn't know what she would do if she found him. All she knew was that she had to look.
"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! We've got leakage here!! Donnie, shut the water off!!" Casey bellowed. Mikey, Makai, and Casey quickly scrambled for higher ground as water poured out of the large brick pool that encompassed almost half the room. Pele looked down with interest as the water sloshed around her bare feet.
"Ooo, it's already hot," she noted with a smile. The actual 'nest box' was already completed. It was a raised brick box that looked almost identical to the hot water pool; only it was filled with sand and warmed by sunlamps. Donatello had added a hot shower to a post in the middle of the room, a small steam sauna covered over with plastic sheeting skillfully stretched to look like paper walls, and was now working on a gigantic hot tub. The room looked more like a Japanese bathhouse than a delivery room. Donatello abandoned the water pump to scowl at the water trickling out from between the bricks.
"I'll have to re-seal it again. Then we'll have to wait another day before we can fill it up."
"Awww," Mikey groaned. "Does this mean no hot tub party tonight?"
"That's exactly what it means," Donnie said, pulling out a caulking gun and crouching down inside the tub. A chorus of groans met his prognosis. Makai and Mikey tossed down the towels they had brought and headed back into the Lair proper. Casey started to follow.
"Hey, are you coming, Pele?" He asked. Pele had levered herself up onto the edge of the bath and was watching Donnie work.
"No, I'm going to stay here and watch," she said.
"Suit yourself," Casey said, following Mikey and Makai. Pele had, indeed, 'blimped up' in the last few weeks. She was visibly pregnant now, waddled instead of walked, and ate constantly. She had taken to wearing one of Casey's old Rangers jerseys over her swollen body. Pele watched Donnie work with interest, crunching away at a bag of potato chips. After a few minutes, he sighed and turned to look at her.
"Do you think you could crunch those a little quieter?" He asked, clearly irritated. Pele paused, popped another chip into her mouth and chewed.
"Apparently not," she admitted.
"Then do you think you could let me work in peace?" Don asked.
"Sorry," Pele muttered, sliding off of the bath wall. She headed towards the door, clearly disappointed. She had really been looking forward to a long soak in blistering hot water. Her back and legs hurt all the time and there was no comfortable position to lie in anymore. God, she hated being gravid. Before Pele reached the door, steam rising from heated water caught her eye. Along the wall was a brick housing similar to the bath and the nest box. It contained the water pump for the bath. The top was still open pending the completion of the bath itself. Leaning over the fixture, Pele could see that while the tub was still leaking, the housing around the water pump was full. There wasn't a great deal of room inside, but a small turtle might just fit. Casting off her hockey jersey, Pele eased down inside, stifling a groan as she was immersed in hot water. Oh, yes, this was just what her aching muscles needed. With a sigh, she settled back against the brickwork. Shell, she could almost fall asleep in here.
Karai had found him. Leonardo was by himself once again, leaping from rooftop to rooftop as casually as most people walked down the street. He had a small parcel tucked under one arm but it didn't look like anything suspicious. Karai was on his tail before she even realized it, closing the space between them in record time. Leonardo gave no outward appearance of having noticed her until she was right behind him. Then he whirled around, katana drawn and at her throat before she could have even thought of doing anything about it.
"Karai." Leo said in surprise, taking a few steps backwards. He still had his katana at the ready with one hand. In the other he held a small bag containing a jar of pickles and a carton of ice cream.
"Leonardo." Karai breathed. Now that she had finally found him, she had no idea what to do or say. When she said nothing, Leo's eyes darted around, obviously seeking the Foot Ninja he expected to be with her.
"I came alone," Karai assured him. "I should not be here."
"What do you mean?" Leo asked.
"You said once that I understood honor. Perhaps that is why I am here. I fear my honor is being compromised by serving the Shredder." Karai looked away shamefully as she spoke.
"You don't have to serve him," Leo said quietly.
"I must. It is my duty. But the least that I could do is warn you. The Shredder will try to infiltrate your home. Accept no one into it; no matter how appealing they seem."
"Karai?" Leo said, the question obvious in his voice. Karai started, suddenly wary.
"I must go! I have said too much already!" Karai bolted for the edge of the roof.
"Wait!" Leo cried. The lady ninja hesitated. "Thank you. Not only do you understand honor, you possess a great deal of it." Karai hesitated a moment longer, gave Leo a sad smile, then leapt off the roof and disappeared into the night.
When Pele woke up she was freezing cold and stiff. She soon realized why; the water in the housing around the heat pump had drained away while she slept, leaving her soaking wet and curled up in the floor of the pump housing. Oh well, that had been nice while it lasted. With a yawn, she reached up for the edge of the housing wall. Her fingers found the edge, but quickly slipped off the wet tiles. She tried to sit up so she could just stand, but her swollen abdomen quickly put a stop to that plan. All right then, she would roll over onto her stomach and just stand up from there. Pele tried turning and found that her bent knees couldn't turn in the narrow confines of the pump housing.
"Holy shell," she muttered out loud. "I'm stuck in here."
Karai quickly re-entered the compound and made her way back to her quarters. A thousand emotions were warring in her chest. She should feel ashamed for betraying her master, but all she felt was relief on that front. Leonardo had said she possessed a great deal of honor, but she was still standing by while Lilith was primed to destroy him and his whole family. Tears burned her eyes as she locked herself in her chambers and leaned back against the door.
"If you only knew the truth, you wouldn't think me honorable, Leonardo. Not at all," she whispered. A single tear leaked from the corner of her eye and trickled down her cheek.
"Delicious." Karai's head whipped around as Lilith melted out of the shadows. "You're in love with him! How utterly revolting!" The turtle hybrid laughed merrily. "If you'd fall in love with the enemy, you might even betray your master."
"Don't be ridiculous!" Karai snapped. "I was merely speaking to myself concerning a matter of honor! I don't expect you would understand. I would certainly never betray the Shredder." Lilith arched an eyeridge, produced a small tape recorder and pressed a button.
"The Shredder will try to infiltrate your home. Accept no one into it; no matter how appealing they seem."
"Karai?" Lilith clicked the 'off' button, relishing the trapped look on Karai's face.
"Didn't anyone ever tell you it's not nice to lie?" She purred.
"So. I expect you will show this to the Shredder now?" For some reason, Karai felt almost relieved. If the Shredder no longer trusted her, that meant she would no longer be expected to serve him. Even if he slaughtered her as punishment, she would no longer have to live a lie.
"Well, it depends on what we can work out, really," Lilith said pleasantly.
"You're blackmailing me?" Karai hissed.
"I prefer the term 'extortion'. The 'x' makes it sound cooler."
"And what is it you wish me to do?" Karai asked through gritted teeth.
"I'll let you know when I think of it. Until then, just consider this little baby your Sword of Damocles. And I must say, you're taking this surprisingly well. Hun nearly blew a gasket when I procured the information to blackmail him with." Curiosity got the better of Karai.
"What was that?" Lilith told her. Even ninja training couldn't keep the look of total revulsion off of her face. "No!"
"It's true. Hun was rather eager to keep that little tidbit private," Lilith purred, an evil grin on her face.
"How did you find out?" Karai asked. Lilith didn't answer, just smiled quietly to herself. Karai turned green. "You-you didn't, did you? I'm going to be ill!"
"Hey Donnie! Could you give me a hand?!" Pele called, her voice echoing off of the tiles. Silence greeted her. "Donnie? Donatello?" Still no answer. Don must have finished resealing the tub while she was asleep and left the bathhouse without ever seeing her. Pele was stuck until someone came back in.
"Makai!! Mikey! Shell, I'd even settle for Casey!!" The small turtle called. There was no evidence that anyone had heard her cries. "Somebody?! Anybody?!" Pele had all but resigned herself to spending the night in the pump housing when she heard the door slide open.
"Donnie? Mike? Leo?" She said quickly. There was a pause as the newcomer tried to locate her.
"Pele?" Raph said questioningly.
"I'm here!" Pele stuck her hand up out of the tub and waved frantically. Moments later, Raphael's face appeared above the pump housing.
"What are you doing in there?" He asked. Pele felt her cheeks flush red.
"I'm stuck. Can you get me out?" The fair turtle asked in a small voice. Raph looked her over, clearly bemused, then leaned so far down into the well housing Pele thought he was trying to claim a kiss for getting her out.
"Put your arms around my neck," he instructed in a strangely soft voice. After a moment's hesitation, Pele did so. Raphael pulled himself upright easily, even with the fair turtle hanging off of him. When he was standing, he swept one arm under her knees and carried her over to the tub. Raph deposited her gently by the towels discarded by Makai and Mikey then picked them up and wrapped them around Pele.
"Mahalo. Please don't tell anyone I was stuck in there," She said, looking acutely embarrassed. Raphael gave her another bemused smile.
"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone," he said, his voice still strangely soft. Pele simply looked at him for a moment. Why was his voice different? It was so . . . . nice. And his expression was much softer than usual; not at all the look of jaded boredom he usually wore. What was so different? Pele was so involved in gazing into Raphael's eyes that she didn't notice he was leaning forward until their beaks were practically touching. Oh Gods! He was going to kiss her! Pele tried to jerk her head backwards but found she was already flat against the brickwork of the tub. Her blue eyes flew open wide as Raphael's lips covered hers. Pele was surprised she could hear anything over the panicked thundering of her own heart, but the sound of a bag containing a jar of pickles and a carton of ice cream hitting the floor reached her loud and clear.
Raphael pulled back to look in surprise at Leonardo. Pele took the opportunity to sock Raph roughly in the shoulder then scramble away. The gravid turtle lurched awkwardly to her feet, taking shelter behind Leo for a moment before fleeing back to the Lair. Raph rubbed his shoulder awkwardly.
"You could have just said 'No'," he muttered under his breath.
Leonardo was seeing red. It was one thing if Pele had decided she wanted to be with Raphael, but she obviously hadn't. Raph had forced his attentions on her. He had overpowered her when she was heavy with egg and unable to protect herself. Leo didn't even remember moving. He only vaguely aware of drawing one fist back and punching Raphael square in the mouth. Then he was on top of his brother, pounding away with his fists while his lungs burned and his heart pumped battery acid. Everything was a blur until Mikey grabbed him by one arm and Donnie the other, hauling him away from Raph, who sat up gingerly, clutching his bleeding face.
"Geez, Leo!! What the shell happened?!" Mikey cried.
"I saw you, Raph! You were forcing yourself on Pele!! And just when she's gravid and can't defend herself!! You scum! You disgust me!!!" Leo roared. Raphael spat out a tooth and stared at his raving brother with shocked disbelief.
"Forcing myself?! I kissed her, that's all! And she wasn't complaining until you came in! Damn, Leo, I can't help it if she's so damn cute when she's pregnant." There was a moment of silence.
"You think pregnant women are hot?" Donnie asked.
"Raph's got a pregnant fetish," Mikey sang teasingly.
"Eeeeeewwwww," Donnie groaned.
"Pele hit you, Raph; she was fighting back," Leo protested, shaking himself free of his brothers' grip.
"She hit me after you came in. She didn't make a peep before that." Raph sighed, knowing he had bungled things up bad with Pele. "She looked like she wanted a kiss," he muttered. Leo growled deep in his throat. Mikey quickly caught him and steered him towards the Lair.
"Hey, here's an idea; why don't you go find Pele and cheer her up?" He suggested brightly. The two of them almost ran smack into Makai, who was heading in to see what all the fuss was about.
"Um . . . . if you're looking for Pele, she said she was going to April's for a while."
" . . . . And then Leo came in and I just kind of panicked and bolted. I mean, I like Leo and I'm pretty sure he likes me, but well . . . . . Raph kissed me. Leo's never tried to kiss me. I mean, I think he's just shy, but how long should I wait to find out? 'Cause . . . . Raph kissed me. And he has such a deep voice . . ." Pele finally stopped talking long enough to pop a few grapes in her mouth. April leaned her head back against the couch pillows and wished she had something stronger than the glass of wine in her hand. For all the wisdom and honor her unusual friends possessed, she sometimes forgot they were just teenagers; hormonal, moody, and in some cases, temporarily pregnant teenagers. April took a sip of wine and glanced sideways at Pele, who was back to her inane ranting about the whole Leo vs. Raph issue. The whole 'gravid but not pregnant' thing really threw her. As an intelligent, educated woman, technically she did understand the concept, but her instincts kept telling her Pele was about to have a baby.
"So, I just don't know what to do. What do you think I should do, April?"
"Well, you know, there's no rush to pick one of them. If anything happens, it will happen in it's own time," April offered, trying to sound worldly and wise. Pele gave her a flat look.
"Have you tried living with Leo and Raph while they were both trying to win your heart?" She inquired.
"Um, no," April admitted. Just plain living with Leo and Raph had been bad enough.
"Let me tell you, it inspires you to make up your mind a pretty damn quick," Pele growled, stuffing more grapes into her mouth. "I don' (gulp) (smack) know which one t' choose."
"Oh, just pick the one who's best in the sack," April muttered under her breath. Pele swallowed hard.
"What did you say?!"
"Um, I said, given your rather unique situation, you should choose which one would make the best father!" April suggested brightly.
For the first time since her arrival, Pele stopped eating. Her blue eyes grew as big and round as saucers, as if April had suggested seppuku was the best alternative to choose.
"The – the best . . . . father?" She said weakly. For a moment, Pele mind wandered ten years into the future . . . .
"Splinter Jr. this room is a mess!" Leo cried, gesturing about the neat and orderly space. "These books should be grouped by size, then alphabetically! Not just by size! And look; these bamboo training swords should be spaced at least eighteen inches apart . . . this one's only twelve inches from the others! As my eldest son, you have a duty to set an example for your younger brothers! What do you have to say for yourself?!" A turtle toddler, no more than four years old, stared up at his father and pulled his thumb out of his mouth.
"Sowwy, Daddy," he whispered.
"Splinter Jr. it's time to train now. What do you call me when we're training?" Leo said sternly.
"Sensei, Daddy. Sensei."
"All right, go get your little brothers, Splinter II and Splinter III and start your katas. Your sister, Splinterina, is six months old today. I think that's old enough to be potty trained."
Back in the present, Pele shuddered.
"Well, I'll be sleeping with the lights on tonight."
"Don't be so dramatic. I'm sure they'll mellow out as they get older," April sighed.
"They'll mellow out, huh?" Pele murmured. Maybe a mellow Raphael wouldn't be so bad . . . . .
"You were supposed to be watching the kids, Raph! I go to visit Mama Kai for two hours and now they're gone?!" Future Pele cried.
"Oh, they're around here somewhere, sweetheart, don't worry." Older and much more mellow Raph said. Grinning, he picked up the mangled remains of a baby gate. "I told you this thing wouldn't work; they are my kids, after all." From upstairs, the sound of a horrendous crash shook the small house.
"See? I told you they'd turn up." Swearing under her breath, Pele waddled upstairs, already heavy with her next no doubt fertile egg. Five turtle kids looking like they'd all been born nine months and fifteen minutes apart peered out the shattered window with interest, as if throwing a full chest of drawers from a second story window was a great scientific achievement that needed to be fully documented. The oldest girl flashed a panicked look at her mother.
"This looked like a great idea on paper, Mom," she tried. Two of the boys got into a scuffle for no apparent reason.
"DAD!! Maui hit me!!" One bellowed.
"Well, you hit him right back," Raphael said.
"No, don't!" Pele cried, but it was too late. The fight had already escalated to encompass four of the children and showed no signs of stopping.
"Aw, just let them wear themselves out," Raph said, pulling Pele close. "You know I can't resist you when you're getting ready to give me another baby . . . ."
Pele whimpered. Maybe she should just join a convent. The sound of a window sliding open in the next room made April leap up from the couch. She peered through the doorway, muscles tense, then visibly relaxed.
"Hi, Leo," she said. Pele jumped, looking around for an escape route. Her eyes lit on the doorway leading to the roof.
"Hi April. Have you seen Pele?" Leo asked.
"She's in here and she's in a right state--," April turned back towards the couch, but Pele was already gone. The door to the roof was slightly ajar. April sighed and rubbed her forehead.
"I'll go after her," Leo said, loping up the steps two at a time.
Pele was standing on the roof, looking out over the city. The wind tugged at her hockey jersey and damp hair.
"Pele?" Leo asked.
"I'm sorry," Pele said abruptly. "I'm sorry you saw Raph kissing me." For a few minutes, there was no sound but the wind.
"Did you . . . . want him to kiss you?" Leo asked eventually.
" . . . . . no . . . . I don't know . . . ." Pele whimpered, the frustration bringing tears to her eyes. "He was nice . . . . you're always nice, but . . . . . you've never tried to kiss me, Leo." This was seriously unfair. Pele had grown up with the knowledge that she would never have to choose between two men. It was unfair that she had to do so now, and especially when she was so close to laying and was emotionally out of whack to begin with. Leonardo came up and leaned against the edge of the roof next to Pele.
"That's true. I never have." He stated simply.
"I thought . . . . I didn't . . . . maybe you were just shy . . . ." The gravid turtle floundered desperately, lost in confusion and a sea of hormones. "I'd rather it had been you." She whispered.
"So you could punch me in the shoulder afterwards?" Leo deadpanned, a smile curving his lips.
"No!" Pele giggled briefly. Sobering up again, she leaned against the wall and looked down at her hands. "I- I just . . . . I don't know what to think. I'm confused." Without a word, Leo reached out and pulled her into a tight hug.
"When you've laid and you're thinking a little more clearly, we'll talk about this," he murmured. Pele didn't answer, merely clutched tightly at him. After a little while, Leo pulled back and simply stared into Pele's eyes. Then he pressed a kiss to her forehead.
"Are you ready to go back home now?" He asked.
"Not yet. I want to stay here a little bit longer." Pele admitted. She needed to think.
"Okay. Call me when you're ready to go back and I'll come and get you."
"Okay." Leonardo was only halfway across the rooftop when Pele's voice stopped him cold.
"Leo." There was no petulant, confused whine to the Hawaiian turtle's voice. No teasing laughter either. There was a warning. Pele had only said his name, but she might as well have screamed 'Danger!' Leonardo whirled, both katana at the ready. What he saw made him gasp out loud.
There was a female turtle behind Pele, holding a razor-sharp tanto to the gravid female's throat.
"Ah, so you're Leonardo." She purred in a throaty voice. "At last we meet."
"Who the shell are you?!" Leo demanded. Pele had her hands behind her back, no doubt already bound, but she was eyeing the stranger with a calculating gaze. Leo gave the barest shake of his head. He couldn't risk Pele trying to fight in her condition.
"Did you just substitute 'shell' for the word 'hell'?" The dark haired turtle inquired. "How very PG-13 of you."
"What do you want from me?" Leo growled.
"Oh, I already have what I came for," Lilith purred. "And what a lovely bit of serendipity she is, too." The dark turtle paused to pinch Pele's cheek with her free hand. "Who's my fat widdle bargaining chip?" Pele snarled an oath in her native language, but was quickly silenced by the blade pressing sharply against her throat.
"Let her go!" Leo cried. "Take me instead." He quickly put down his katana and stepped away from them.
"Don't be stupid, Leonardo. If I wanted you, I would have taken you. Now pick up your swords and stop being silly. I'm going to tell you how this is going to work." Lilith's manner sobered. "If you want your pregnant tart back in one piece, you're going to come to the docks precisely at midnight."
"I expect you want me to come alone." Leo said.
"On the contrary, I want you to go home and bring back all your little friends and be ready for a fight."
"Pele?" Leo called. "We'll come for you. Don't do anything risky." Pele scowled at him, but remained silent.
"That's right, Pele; Auntie Lilith will take good care of you. Ta ta, Leo! See you at midnight!" Lilith dropped an object almost casually onto the roof between them. Smoke shot from the small canister, enveloping the roof in a thick, choking gas. By the time it had cleared away, both Lilith and Pele were gone.
"W-what are you—who is that?" Karai demanded. Lilith paused in lugging an unconscious Pele into position.
"Why Karai, are you following me? Naughty girl, nobody likes a snoop," Lilith panted. She braced her own shell against Pele's stomach to hold her in place while Lilith wrapped the chains around Pele and padlocked her to a pillar.
"Who is that?!" Karai repeated. Lilith took a step away from her captive and smiled.
"Isn't she a splendid little find? Pretty coloring, too; hard to fade into the shadows with coloring like that, but she's still quite pretty."
"Who is she?"
"You know, Karai, when I realized you were in love with Leonardo, I didn't think it could get much better than that. I mean, imagine, the Shredder's most trusted lieutenant in love with his most hated enemy. But then I happened upon a choice little scene on the roof of an apartment building and I realized I was wrong. You see, Mummy dearest, this girl is Leonardo's mate. I found them cuddling on a rooftop together, discussing plans for what to do after she's laid her egg." Lilith reached forward and jerked up Pele's hockey jersey, revealing her swollen belly. "And she's about to pop any day now." Karai's eyes grew round. This was impossible. This couldn't be! But, when Karai had met Leonardo on the roof he had a package with . . . .Karai's heart sank . . . pickles and ice cream. This brightly colored turtle was Leonardo's mate. Funny, how that realization made her heart go curiously cold and numb. Breathing normally suddenly became a challenge as the urge to suck in great lung-fulls of air overwhelmed her.
"You see, if Leonardo returned your feelings, it would simply be yet another retelling of the archetypical star-crossed lovers. But you have given your heart to him across terrible obstacles and not only does he not return your feelings, he already has a woman and a child on the way." Lilith gave a nasty laugh. "This is so good it has to be fattening."
Karai could say nothing. She felt as if a hot knife were piercing her chest. This was ridiculous. She couldn't be in love with Leonardo. She'd never do anything so stupid in her life. But the very thought of him holding and kissing this small turtle, not to mention begetting a child on her, made Karai's throat close up. He was to have a baby, then? Leonardo would be a father. He would be a wonderful father; Karai knew that instinctively. He would be gentle and caring, yet stern when the situation called for it. He would be the kind of father every woman would desire for her children. With a start, Karai realized she had tears swimming in her eyes.
"Now, now, buck up, Karai. . . . or should I start calling you Eponine? But if you feel the need to sacrifice your life to help him, make sure I'm not around or I may have to vomit. Now," Lilith turned to her flabbergasted mother. "I'm calling in that favor. Go back to the base and tell the Shredder to have the Foot Clan at the docks at midnight."
"But that wasn't the plan," Karai protested weakly.
"Plans change." Lilith announced.
Leonardo melted out of the shadows to glare at the figure standing alone on the roof of a warehouse by the docks. She was wearing a long trench coat, but it was unmistakably Lilith. Without seeming to move, Leo receded back into the shadows. Behind him, Mike, Don, Raph, Casey, Master Splinter, and Makai looked expectantly at their young leader.
"She's there, but I don't see Pele anywhere. We'll go with the plan, but be ready to fight your way out of a trap."
"Do not worry, my son," Splinter said, laying a hand on his son's shoulder. "We will get Pele back."
"We'd better . . . . or I'm taking it out on that green-skinned bitch out there," Makai growled. She wore a black gi to cover her own white markings and had a pahoa gripped in each hand, but also kept a pair of tonfa shoved into her belt, just in case.
"Don't worry, sweetie, if she has to keep Pele much longer, I'm sure this Lilith will be begging us to take her back," Mikey murmured. He managed to coax a rueful smile from the sea turtle.
"We're gone," Leo hissed, leaping across to the warehouse roof.
Lilith watched him approach, her hands shoved in her pockets casually. Her pale eyes raked over the others with him. The rat had to be the turtle's beloved Master Splinter, and the human was the vigilante Casey Jones. As for Leo's three brothers, Michelangelo was the one with the nunchaku, while Raphael carried a pair of sai and Donatello a simple bo. It looked like everyone was present and accounted for.
"Where's Pele?!" Leo demanded, stopping about twenty feet from Lilith.
"She's relatively safe," Lilith assured him.
"Whaddya mean, relatively safe?!" Raph roared.
"She's safer than you," Lilith elaborated, gesturing with one hand. From everywhere, Foot Ninja appeared. The quickly surrounded the four turtles, Splinter and Casey. Karai alighted on the corner of the roof and stood watching the turtles sadly. There was a puff of smoke behind Lilith and the Shredder and his Elite Guard appeared out of the smoke. Almost as an afterthought, Hun came wading through the ranks of the Foot Ninja.
"Lilith!!" The Shredder roared. "This was not what I had planned for you!!" Lilith gave the turtles a little smile, then turned to face the Shredder.
"True; but then, your plan sucked. Mine's much better." The female turtle said flatly. There was a moment of stunned silence as Lilith's small act of rebellion sank in.
"What did you say to me?!" The Shredder roared.
"How much time, manpower and money have you wasted trying to get rid of four humanoid turtles and a giant rat? They may keep foiling your plans, but did it ever occur to you to move to a different city? They live in a sewer, for crying out loud; it's not as if they have the means to follow you. You are a fool, Shredder." Lilith said levelly. Without another word, Shredder drew his katana and brought down in a slash that could have cut the turtle hybrid in two. Or it would have if the Shredder hadn't stopped his swing half and inch from Lilith's head. The dark turtle never even flinched. She treated her master to a nasty grin.
"You're also sloppy. The Utroms usually tightly encrypt the signals they use to control their exosuits to guard against overlapping channels so that one Utrom doesn't accidentally effect another's suit. Being by yourself for seven hundred years, I guess you missed that notion." Lilith reached behind her and lifted up her hair, revealing a small device clinging to the nape of her neck. "I hacked into your suit's security routines and downloaded the control frequency into my mainframe, then whipped up this little beauty to override your control. You should have used better signal encryption, Shredder." Lilith said with a slight smile. Taking a few steps backward, she paused to laugh heartily. "I can't believe you never suspected a thing! None of you! Do you think I really would have allowed myself to be your slave? Do you think I would have whored myself out to my biological father and uncles simply to please you? That I would have been satisfied to live my life as a pet?! And did you honestly think I didn't know you were planning to exterminate me if your idiotic plan failed?!?! DID YOU?!!" Lilith's cool exterior slipped away bit by bit until she was screaming the last few sentences. Then she paused and smoothed her hair away from her face, visibly calming down. In the stunned silence that followed, Mike leaned towards Donnie.
"Um . . . . I think we missed something," he muttered. Donatello's eyes were shining as he looked at Lilith.
"Do you think that signal disruptor plugs directly into her brain?" He whispered back, his voice excited.
"You traitor!!" Karai cried, leaping forward.
"You're one to talk, Karai," Lilith said smoothly, her calm, calculating facade back in place.
"I may have had my doubts, but I will always be a servant of the Shredder! You called him Master as well!"
"Oh yes, I remember; now how did that go?" Lilith suddenly sagged, trembling as if weakened. She took a few tottering steps forward before falling to her knees. "Master . . ." she breathed, gazing up at the immobilized Shredder in adoration. Karai and Hun's mouths hung open. The performance was an exact copy of Lilith's exit from the cloning tank.
"You've been planning this from the start!" Hun roared.
"But how?! Your brain was monitored so that we would know the instant you awoke!" Karai protested.
"So perhaps I was asleep, dreaming that I was awake. No matter. I'm taking my leave of all of you."
"You don't think your hold over us is strong enough to let you just walk away, do you, freak slut?" Hun growled.
"I'd never be so foolish," Lilith said. She turned back towards the turtles, Splinter, and Casey. "If you ever want to see your precious Pele again, I'd suggest you keep me safe."
"Foot Clan, attack!" Karai cried.
"Leo?" Raph said questioningly.
"We have no choice! Protect Lilith!"
The six warriors charged into the fray as the Foot Clan surged forward, trying to overwhelm Lilith. The Elite Guard disappeared in a puff of smoke, only to reappear surrounding Lilith. She smiled at them a moment before the Shredder careened into the group, taking down two of the Elite Guard with a flying kick. Without a pause he attacked the remaining two with the katana he still clutched. He didn't say a word, though anyone standing close might just be able to hear muffled alien swearing coming from his stomach.
Using the Shredder's back as a springboard, Lilith vaulted over a group of Foot Ninja just as Karai swooped in for the kill. Landing in a crouch, the turtle hybrid flexed her arms and blades shot out of the trench coat sleeves, shredding the fabric. Spinning as gracefully as a dancer, Lilith slashed at the Foot Soldiers surrounding her before leaping back as Karai lunged forward once again.
"Traitor! You will die!" Before she could make good on her threat, Karai fell back under Leonardo's flashing blades. "Leonardo! You must let me finish her!"
"I can't, Karai! I have to get Pele back safe and sound!" Leo roared, a strange fog of rage and bloodlust clouding his normally cool head.
"But—." A roundhouse kick to the head cut off Karai's protest, sending her sprawling across the tarpaper. Leo whirled and rushed for the nearest foot soldier. Every punch or slash that hit home was another inch closer to having Pele back safe. His heart was pounding in his throat and all he wanted was to fight. In the back of his mind, he wondered if this was how Raphael felt all the time.
Lilith cleared the space around her with another pirouette, but stopped about ten feet short of the roof's edge.
"Don't think those pigstickers will get you past me, freak slut," Hun growled, placing his considerable bulk between Lilith and freedom. The turtle hybrid gave a nasty grin and sheathed her blades.
"Don't worry, Hunny pot. I've thought up something special for you." With a furious roar, Hun charged at her, only to be knocked off balance by a flying kick from Donatello.
"Hey!" He called to Lilith. "How does that cranial plug work?! Do you have a small computer implanted inside your skull or does it plug directly into your brain?"
"Uh . . . it's a direct interface," Lilith spluttered, thrown off by the random question.
"That's awesome!" He declared, giving her a thumb's up. Before he could say anything else, a freshly recovered Hun punched the brainy turtle half-way across the rooftop. Lilith was already airborne as Hun charged. With a flick of her wrist she drew a bullwhip out of her trenchcoat and sent it curling around Hun's mammoth body.
"Hah! Pathetic!" He sneered, catching the end of the whip. As Lilith touched down on the tarpaper, she yanked on the whip with all her might. The braided leather tightened around Hun's body and then the handle snapped off. A strange beeping came from within the length of the whip, as if something had just armed itself. Before Hun could do more than look alarmed, the whip exploded, spraying Hun with a burning liquid that quickly set fire to his clothing. Hun went tearing around the rooftop, scattering friend and foe alike before learned behavior overcame raw instinct and the Nordic giant remembered to 'stop, drop, and roll.' Unfortunately, whoever had come up with this maneuver and spent so much time and energy ingraining it into the heads of the last three generations of American children hadn't anticipated the burnee 'stop, drop, and rolling' on a highly flammable substance. Hun had just set the roof on fire.
"My sons! We must flee!" Splinter cried, knocking down three Foot ninja with a single sweep of his tail.
"We have to protect Lilith so she can tell us where Pele is!" Leonardo insisted.
"Uh, guys? Where is Lilith?" Casey asked. There was a momentary lull in fighting as both sides did a quick sweep for the chaos inducing chelonian. Lilith was gone.
"This is all your fault!" Karai yelled, pointing her katana at Leonardo. "That traitor is gone and it is all your doing!"
"I have to find Pele!!" Leo roared back.
"I know where your precious woman is!" Karai practically screamed. Leo blinked.
"You do? Where is she?! Is she safe?!"
"Guys?! Roof on fire?!" Mikey yelled, darting in between the two. The Shredder suddenly jerked, staggered, and went to his knees. After a twitch or two, he stood again, obviously back in command of his exosuit.
"Karai!!! Hun!! To me!!" He roared. Karai hesitated.
"Please," Leo whispered. "Tell me where she is."
Lilith leapt and danced through the shadows of the docks, leaping from roof to roof and even from boat to boat before she made her way up to stand on the roof of the bridge of a massive freighter to observe the chaos on top of the warehouse. The fire had spread quicker than she anticipated.
"It's just the way I am,
Have to take it for a fact.
Life can really burn you up
When you're a pyromaniac!
If you love somebody
Better set them on fi-re!" Lilith sang merrily, reaching into her trench coat. She pulled out a remote control. Pulling out the antenna, she paused to take in the fighting still going strong on the burning rooftop.
"Oh, all my friends and family, soon to be dead. It's so sad," she announced to no one in particular. "I love to see them all at each other's throats . . . . . but I love messy explosions more." Lilith reached for the button on the remote.
Pele stirred. She remembered that bitch Lilith pressing an ether-soaked rag over her mouth and nose, then nothing. If Leonardo hadn't been so insistent about her waiting to be rescued, she would have taken on the dark turtle. It's not like she actually had a baby to protect or anything. Pele tried to move and found she was chained to something immovable. It felt like a support beam or a pillar or something. Rubbing her temple against her shoulder, she finally managed to shake off the blindfold tied around her eyes. Crap. Looking around, Pele wondered what time it was and how long she had until this place opened. Well, no time to freak out; she just had to work herself free and beat feet back to the Lair; easy as kulolo. Before Pele could free so much as her second fingers, a familiar ripple of pain flared through her belly.
"Oh ho'ino wale!!" The little sea turtle moaned out loud. "Not now!!"
"'Ilio wahine!!" Lilith jumped, turning towards the cry. As quick as she was, she was far too late to avoid the flying kick aimed at her head. Makai sent the dark turtle sprawling across the deck, the detonator falling from her stricken hand. Lilith flung herself to the right to avoid the pair of pahoa that slammed down on the deck where she had been lying.
"Where's my sister, you backstabbing whore?!" Makai demanded. Lilith flipped back to her feet and caught one of Makai's pahoa just as the sea turtle was bringing it down in a strike.
"Not quick enough with those sticks, are we?" Lilith asked, panting only slightly.
"It's a pahoa, not a stick!" Makai growled, illustrating the difference. Pahoa are equipped with a ring of shark teeth around the tip. Makai twisted and jerked, slicing open Lilith's hand. "Now where's my sister?!" Lilith fell back before this assault, only just managing not to fall on her shell as Makai hooked one foot out from under her. The dark turtle's control was fully taken away as Makai clubbed her over the head with the opposite pahoa, then snapped the strap from the first one deftly around Lilith's neck and pulled it tight.
"My sister. Location. Now."
Shaking her head, Lilith cursed her lack of foresight. No one in the Foot Clan had been aware of Pele's exsistence, and yet she had simply assumed the fair-skinned turtle was the only other female. Stupid, stupid. Lilith reached for a pouch on one of her gloves. The garrote around her neck tightened hard enough to make her see stars and the shark's teeth from the other pahoa dug sharply into her neck.
"She's in the reptile house at the Central Park Zoo!" Lilith gasped. "You only have a few hours before the employees arrive to start caring for the animals. And she's chained with combination locks." Lilith finally succeeded in pulling a piece of paper from the pouch. "Here's the combination," she said, holding it up. Makai reached for it quickly, but not before Lilith flicked it into the wind. "Go fetch."
Lilith may have expected Makai to chase after the paper immediately before it fell into the water, but she forgot that Makai was a sea turtle. The Hawaiian warrior merely whipped her head around for a moment to track the movement of the paper then turned her attention back to Lilith.
"I'd love to give you more, 'ilio, but this will have to suffice!!" With all the strength gained in a lifetime of training, racing, and fighting the ocean currents, Makai kicked the kneeling Lilith right in the head, actually cutting her leg on Lilith's cranial jack. Without even waiting to see the turtle hybrid's reaction, Makai whirled and launched herself over the side of the ship with all the power and grace of an Olympic high-diver.
"Karai, tell me where Pele is!" Leonardo cried. "If you've seen her, you know she's not—she can't--- in her condition—Please! Where is she?!"
"Karai!!" The Shredder warned.
"Big flames!! Probably compromising important structural integrity or something!!" Mikey warned, pulling at Leo's arm.
"I am sorry! I cannot!" Karai sobbed, tears forming at the corners of her eyes. Over the roar of the flames, the chirping of Donatello's shell cell seemed almost like a lack of sound.
"Hello? Guys! Makai knows where she is! And . . . . EXPLOSIVES?! We gotta go! The whole building's wired to blow!" For a split second, all parties involved forgot their particular motivations. Within seconds, Foot Ninja and mutants alike had disappeared. Apparently, while they saw no problem in lingering on a burning building, no one wanted to linger on a burning building loaded with enough TNT to blow a four block hole in the city.
Back aboard the ship, Lilith remained kneeling, her blue eyes wide and unfocused. When Baxter had created her, he had looked upon her brain and mind as a super-computer and had programmed them as such. Now the only words Lilith could bring to mind were: Electrical malfunction. Fatal system error. Emergency shut down initiated. The light slowly faded from her eyes. Lilith tumbled off the edge of the bridge. Her limp body plummeted into the open doors of the hold, punching through the top of one of the cargo containers inside.
"Okay! We're at the zoo and we've got, like, twenty whole minutes before somebody gets here to take care of the animals. No problemo!" Mikey babbled as the group dashed through the shadows of central park.
"Hey guys, I'll stay here and try to slow down anybody who comes early!" Casey said, leaning against the zoo entrance, trying to look casual. The mutants continued to the reptile house, stopping before the glass doors.
"Stand back, guys; I'll handle the lock," Raph said, forcing the tumblers into place with the blade of his sai. The turtles burst into the reptile house to find a pile of chains draped loosely around a support pillar in the middle of the entryway. There was no sign of Pele.
"Pele?! Sis, where are you?! Makai called. At the green turtle's cry, a curly shock of blonde and gold hair peered around a corner under a display of a six-foot monitor lizard. Pele had a hairpin jammed in her teeth and was using it to pick the lock on the handcuffs clamped on her wrists.
"It's aoot 'ime oo 'uys 'ot here," she grunted, managing to free one wrist. "Of course, I totally had things under control."
"We are so glad you are unharmed, Pele," Master Splinter said, helping the girl to her feet before giving her a hug. "Now quickly, we must be away from here before any humans come."
"Sounds good. But um . . . could somebody carry me home?" Pele winced, clutching her stomach. "I've been in labor for the past two hours."
"You're in labor?!"
The dawn was breaking over the New York Harbor as the bomb squad detonated the last of the bombs in the dockside warehouse. Two of the dockworkers kept busy unloading the container ship that was moored a short distance away.
"Who would want to blow up an empty warehouse?" One wondered.
"It's the terrorists, I tells ya. It's all the terrorists these days. They just wired up those bombs to a warehouse and then didn't explode them just to screw with our heads," the second groused, securing the last container on a semi-trailer. The first dockworker considered this for a moment.
"So we just had a brush with a cell of highly organized Zen terrorists?" He asked, failing to keep the amusement out of his voice.
"Don't screw with me, boy. Just make sure the cargo gets to the airport."
"Yes, sir," the dockworker sighed, climbing into the cab. As the semi pulled away, the supervisor shook his head. His disgust wasn't at his younger cohort, but at the fact that the top of the container had been damaged; there was a big gaping hole in the top.
"Damn terrorists."
