Hey guys! I used 2 songs in this chapter, so just getting some "official stuff" out of the way:

Lyrics from "Dream a Little Dream of Me" are by Doris Day and lyrics from "You Will Be Found" from Dear Evan Hansen are by Ben Platt. Just adding some musical flavor to this world; I don't own either.

I hope you guys enjoy the new chapter so soon after the previous one! The writing bug just struck me. I've also got Chapter 15 outlined, so that should (hopefully) be along within the next week.

Now enjoy the story!

March 20, 2012

"Stars shining bright above you… Night breezes seem to whisper 'I love you'... Birds singing in the sycamore tree… Dream a little dream of me…"

April took in a shaky breath as she paused her song. It was three hours after she had been kidnapped by the Kraang. She was still shaken, so she was trying meditation to bring herself back from the brink. The girl flinched as the events of the past three hours came to the forefront of her mind.

xXx

April's eyes locked with Donnie's, giving him a reassuring grin before registering the fear on his face. Her eyes widened as she felt an arm snake around her waist from behind. She yelled as she was dragged backwards. NO! She wouldn't let them take her! Not after what they did! April thrashed wildly, trying to lose the arms holding her prisoner. Shaking one of her arms free, she reached for the two turtles trying to get to her.

"DONNIE!" She screamed. April barely got his name out before the doors to the van closed and started driving away. "NO!" She snarled.

She continued to fight, her rage blinding her to what she was hitting or what was looming behind her. Apri felt a prick in her neck and her world went black.

The girl slowly blinked as she returned to consciousness. Whatever the Kraang had used to knock her out must have still been in her system; her limbs still felt heavy and there was a weird purple haze in the small cell she was contained in. The door to the cell opened with a whoosh. Two metal creatures were backlit by the light in the hallway. April's blood ran cold as the familiarity of the situation settled in. She whimpered, backing herself into a corner of her cell.

"Please… no…" She whispered. One of the metal men held an empty needle, the other reaching to hold her down. The poor girl barely had any strength of will to fight. It's like she was five years old again. "Daddy… help… please…"

After the Kraang had come to take her blood, April broke. Her sobs wracked her petite frame. If the Kraang cared about the mental state of their prisoners, they would have come in to sedate her; but so such relief came. April wept out of fear for her family: "Are they still alive?"; she wept for being back under the control of the Kraang: "They killed Mama. They've probably killed Daddy… are they going to kill me once they're done with me?"

"Be still, my child." April's head shot up. "Papa?"

xXx

April shook herself back to the present. Splinter's words from their first ever meditation when she was a child reverberated through her mind: When the world seems overwhelming, be still, my child. Breathe and focus on the next objective. Focus on what needs to be done. Whether it's waking up to eat a yummy breakfast or to give someone a hug because they are sad. Your focus will block out the distractions around you.

The girl took his words to heart and settled herself into a meditative pose. To focus her mind, she sang a song she remembered her father singing to her when he would come and tuck her in at night.

"Stars shining bright above you… Night breezes seem to whisper 'I love you'... Birds singing in the sycamore tree… Dream a little dream of me…"

She took a shaky breath, feeling herself falling deeper into the meditation.

"Say 'Night-ie night' and kiss me… just hold me tight and tell me you'll miss me… While I'm alone and blue as can be… Dream a little dream of me…"

The cell around her began to fade away. Her body relaxed. Another deep breath and she felt the familiarity of… home.

"Stars fading but I linger on, dear… still craving your kiss…"

"April?"

"I'm longing to linger til dawn, dear… just saying this…"

"Why am I hearing April's voice in my head? I've never heard her sing this song… only her dad in her memories…"

"Wait… DONNIE? You can hear me?" I must have meditated so deep our telepathic bond was strengthened. She thought.

April could almost feel the tears streaming down Donnie's cheeks. "You're alive! You're okay?" She sniffled herself, grateful to hear his voice.

"Yeah. For now. Are you guys okay? I've been so worried!"

"We're fine. Raph and Leo almost killed each other, but we're all okay." She was flooded with waves of guilt. "April, I'm so sorry I let them take you! This is all my-"

"Don't you DARE finish that sentence, Donatello." The girl snarled. "It's nobody's fault but the Kraang."

There was silence before Donnie whispered in her mind. "Did they hurt you?"

April bit her lip. "They- they held me down to take my blood after I woke up. I think I had a panic attack…" She flinched at the righteous anger flowing from Donnie's end of the bond.

"They took your blood? Again?"

She was overwhelmed by the deep protective instinct from her friend. And… something else she couldn't quite place… Regardless, these feelings sent April over the edge again. She curled in on herself while she cried.

"Dee… I'm scared. I-I don't want to be stuck here again… alone…" She gasped as she felt pressure on her cheek, as if a hand rested there to comfort her.

"April," His warm voice sent shivers down her spine. "We're working on a plan to come and get you. We're going to bring you home."

"And oh, I know someone will come running… And I know they'll take you home… YOU WILL BE FOUND."

April dropped to the floor, panting for breath. That last song… She didn't know it. But she felt its message in her heart. Her family was coming for her. She took one last deep breath before setting herself upright. Talking with Donnie grounded her and gave her the strength to start thinking of a way out.

Yes, they were coming for her, but she would do all that she could to meet them halfway. She sat down in the middle of the cell, giving herself plenty of room to maneuver in preparation for a fight.

It was another hour before the Kraang returned to her cell. "The human female prisoner will now come with Kraang to Kraang's lab where Kraang performs experiments on special humans for future Kraang knowledge." They must have thought she was in the same mental state as before because they only sent two Kraang to retrieve her.

Eyes flashing, April leapt to her feet. "This human female will NEVER be experimented on by the Kraang EVER AGAIN!"

She easily took out the two Kraang, having grown up wrestling four ninja brothers. April peared around the corner of her cell door. The coast was clear. Time to get out of here!

xXx

"What has Kraang so excited?"

April had found her weapons near her cell. From there, she found a grate that lead into the ventilation system. She could get around the entire compound through these tunnels. She paused above a grate that looked down onto what smelled like a laboratory. The girl was also curious at what made the usually monotone Kraang 'excited'.

"The DNA Kraang collected from the human female prisoner confirms Kraang's suspictions. The human female prisoner is Experiment 274, also known as April O'Neil. Experiment 274 has evaded Kraang capture for 11 years after the termination of Experiment 273."

"Have you confirmed with Northern Base that the DNA collected from the human female prisoner matches that of Parental Samples Experiment 273 and Kirby O'Neil?

At the mention of her father's name, April slapped a hand over her mouth to keep from making any noise. Was her father… still alive?

"Affirmative. The DNA collected from the human female prisoner reveals that the human female is a direct descendant of Experiment 273 and Kirby O'Neil."

"Excellent, Kraang. This means that Kraang's transformation of the planet known as Earth can resume. Experiment 274 will play a crucial part in Kraang's plan." The Kraang shut down their computers, turning to leave the lab.

"It might be a good idea for Kraang to reach out to Earth criminals to aid Kraang in Kraang's plan. Perhaps the one known as Shredder?"

"Perhaps, Kraang. Let's go grab some grub."

The Kraang left the lab for who knows where. April felt the metal about to give away beneath her, so she shoved open the grate to flip out of the vent before the sound of falling metal could give away her position. Once again, she found herself on her knees panting.

This… this was a lot of info to take in. April grit her teeth. No. She'd have to focus on that later. Right now, she might as well make use of the time she had until the boys came to get her.

The girl booted up one of the computers in the lab, rolling her eyes at the easy password guarding the files - KraangRulez. She browsed through the recently accessed files before finding a folder labeled Experiment 274. April grinned. She yanked open a drawer to locate a thumb drive. She plugged in the one she found and began the waiting game as the files downloaded.

"I hope Donnie enjoys the new reading material."