A/N: Hiya! Sooo, chappie five... This is a pretty long-ish one. It's actually got stuff of importance in, though, so read it carefully, folks! Bare with me. And if you spot a plothole, lemme know sharpish. I wanna patch 'em all up. Reijiro asked why Naomi was being held as bait if her father had been killed. That is because her family is nearby, you were right. Also, her dadwas out looking for them, to see if he could come to terms with them. They just saw him and killed him. I don't know if I'll have an opening to put that in the story, however, so now you know.
In case you guys wanna know, there is a bit of minor swearing in this chappie. And I mean MINOR. And not directed at anyone. Just to give ya the heads up...
Many thanks to Pirate Queen for beta reading this little piece of ficcage. Cheers:-) And also, huge thankyou to all who reviewed! It helps, really! So even if it's just a sentence, drop one in! Gives me the kick I need to get going. Thanks, guys:-)
Disclaimer: I do not own any Ninja Turtle characters.
Hidden Truth
Chapter 5: Imprisonment
Naomi woke suddenly, aware of a dull prodding in her back. She stirred, lifting her head groggily. Her wrists and ankles were bound together, and she had to try a couple of times to be able to wriggle into the sitting position. The first thing she saw was a large, green-furred face directly in front of her. She opened her mouth to scream, but nothing came out; her mouth was bone dry.
Her entire body, in comparison, was damp. Lakeweed was entangled in the rope she was bound with, and the stink of algae was all around. She looked again at the furry face; the creature was large, and rather bear-like in appearance. It walked on its knuckles, however, like an ape. It's low-slung head and face made it seem rather sloth-like too. It cocked its head and studied Naomi. Intelligence flickered in its deep-set brown eyes, causing her to shiver.
The creature grunted at her, a low, almost soft sound. It turned and pulled something into her limited range of vision; a plant, dirt still clinging to its bear white root. It pushed the plant toward her, keeping its eyes on her the whole time.
Naomi swallowed, trying to draw moisture to her throat. She wriggled one hand over to the root and picked it up. The bear-creature was watching her, as if trying to tell her what to do. She brushed the dirt off the root and sniffed it; recognizing it as an edible plant, she bit into it, the ravenous hunger that was gnawing at her stomach craving food of any kind. The creature looked satisfied, and turned and loped out of the small cavern. Naomi finished her meager meal and turned, studying her surroundings.
She was in a cave. An underwater cave, by the look of it, she thought. A pool to her right looked very deep; the inky blackness seemed so infinate that she shuddered and groped her way toward the wall, away from the endless void. The ceiling was fairly high up. But, she noticed, it wasn't natural. It was carved. Her eyes followed the ceiling left. The farther it went, the smoother it got, as if the construction had began to improve. It finally sloped downward to a sort of doorway, where the bear-creature had disappeared. The opposite end of the cave was rough, as if the construction had been halted halfway through.
Something hit the top of Naomi's head; she looked up in time to see a droplet of water falling from a sizeable crack in the ceiling. It hit her on the nose. Then a second one hit her forhead, followed by another, and another. Thirstily she licked the drops up, relishing the taste. When she was done she inched away from the crack, further toward the back of the cave.
I need to get out, she thought. My powers! She paused. No. I vowed not to use them. I hate my powers! She ground her teeth so hard they ached, and shifted backwards again.
A sharp pain bit into the palm of her hand; wincing, she looked down. A jagged rock was the source of the problem. She could see her blood glinting on its surface…
Wait a minute, she thought. Where's the light coming from? An underwater cave should be pitch dark. Slowly she looked at the ceiling. A large, bluish crystal, roughly a foot long, was suspended from the rock. It glowed, casting weak beams of light around the cavern.
How could I have overlooked it? Naomi thought. The crystal winked in and out, as if laughing at her. She resisted the urge to stick her tongue out at it. Pushing such childishness from her mind, Naomi turned back to the jagged stone. She wriggled into position, managing to pick it up. With a grunt she twisted her wrist, and hooked the edge of the rock under the ropes binding her hands. She began to laborously rub it back and forth against the cord. It hissed as it frayed. Just a bit more…
A soft burbling sound came from the pool; a green, scaly head emerged, water streaming off its surface. Fins sprouted either side of the face, which had large, fishlike eyes, and a fishlike mouth. The creature had no real nose or ears. It's digits were attatched by a thin film of webbing like a ducks'. It rose almost silently from the water and stepped onto the rock. It regarded Naomi, the large, orblike eyes not blinking once. Then it spoke.
You are the human?
Naomi dropped the stone in shock. The voice echoed inside her head, like a thought, but not one of hers. The voice sounded again.
Are you the human?
Numbly, Naomi nodded.
You poor child, the creature said. Its voice was musical, reminding Naomi of flutes and raindrops hitting the lake. She guessed by its body shape and voice that it was female. They did not say you were young. The fish-thing came closer. It smelt of waterlillies and cedar. It knelt next to the awed girl and cupped her face in its flipper-like hands. Naomi felt as if the creature could see into her very soul.
You should not be held responsible for the actions of your ancestors. The creature released her, eyes sad.
"Ancestors?" Naomi's voice sounded thick and rough compared to the fish-creature's lilting tones. She continued regardless, her curiosity driving her on. "You're one of the servents of the Y'Lyntians!" Mark had told her everything that his brother had found out. She had not fully believed him, but now she was beretting herself for being so closedminded.
Yes. We are some of the last survivors of a great race, driven into submission by the cruel Y'Lyntians. The fish-woman was studying Naomi critically, searching her face with her large eyes. We have sought your kind for generations, striving to rid ourselves of your threatening presence.
"We aren't the Y'Lyntians!" Naomi felt tears in her eyes. "We aren't out to get you! We just want to be able to live in peace, without having to watch our backs in case you decide to jump out and kill us!" She gulped. "You killed my mom!" The fish creature bowed her head.
I am sorry for you loss. Truly I am. But my people will not stop on the word of a child. They plan to use you to draw your family here to your aid to kill them. Naomi saw a flicker of something in the mer-woman's eyes. Regret? She didn't know nor did she care. With a sob Naomi scrambled back, shaking her head, trying to rid herself of the haunting voice.
"Just go away! I don't want to talk to you!"
The fish-creature stood, sorrow etched on her face. Naomi felt the presence in her head slowly fade. The creature turned and walked out of the cave, leaving Naomi alone. The girl felt hot tears slide down her cheeks and buried her face in her hands, letting the sobs wrack her body.
Akasha pushed back a clump of bushes, eyes narrowed. Early morning sunlight illuminated the forest. Behind her, Raph and Mikey were arguing.
"Look, shut up," Raph snapped at his younger brother.
"But it's not my fault you hate getting up early," Mikey whined. His complaint rewarded him with a sound smack upside the head from Raphael.
"I said shut up." Raph's temper had been at breaking point all morning. Despite the fact that he did not so much as raise his voice at Akasha, he snarled readily at any of his brothers, and was easily triggered into roaring.
"Raph needs to grow up." Leo had caught up to Akasha. He cast a disapproving glance at his red-masked brother who was now glaring fiercely at Mikey.
"He's not a morning person," Akasha pointed out absently, surveying the lake worriedly. Leo tried again.
"He should control his temper," he replied. "He needs to practice meditation more often, too."
"Look, if you've got nothing better to do than criticize your brother, I suggest you leave me alone," Akasha said tartly, looking sharply at Leo. The terrapin looked taken aback.
"Hey, Leo!" Mikey ran up to them. "Raph's found something!" Akasha cast Leo one last, annoyed glance before following Mikey over to where Raph was crouching among some bushes at the lake's edge.
"The Blue Heron!" Akasha breathed. The canoe bumped gently against the pebbly edge of the water. Akasha, upon peering inside, found the paddles there, along with a bailing bucket and whistle that were essential safety items.
Nothing out of the ordinary, she thought ruefully, stepping back. But why would there be? Naomi just went out for a break to cool down.
You could have stopped her, a small, unbidden voice in the back of her head whispered tauntingly. You could have stopped her. But you let her go.
I was asleep! Akasha told the aggravating voice.
Yessssss. Asleep. That's a wonderful excuse.
"Just how are we supposed to find Naomi?" Mikey asked, staring at the canoe. "She was pulled underwater, right? How are we supposed to find her there?"
"I have no idea," Akasha said, realizing for the first time how pointless her search was.
"Well at least she's doing something," Leo said, jumping to her defence.
"I don't need your help!" Akasha snapped.
Raph was now watching them with a degree of interest. Don's eyes were flicking from Leo's confused face to Akasha's completely and utterly annoyed one, as if trying to work out what had just happened.
Suddenly a rustle in the undergrowth alerted them of another's presence close by. The turtles slipped behind a clump of trees, but Akasha wasn't quick enough.
"Akasha!"
Jordan stood there, clad in her nightgown, and barefoot.
"Jordan!" Akasha gasped. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"I saw you leaving and followed you," Jordan shrugged, bare toes digging into the soft dirt. "I was just wandering where you were going."
"Nothing you need to know about," Akasha snapped, a little sharper than she had intended. She softened. "I'm sorry, but you need to go back to the cabin. Your dad'll be looking for you."
"He's at the Den," Jordan replied, bottom lip trembling. "He said to stay in the cottage and not to go anywhere."
Akasha sighed, and narrowed her eyes. Mark was not the best parent in the whole world. He did his best, she knew, but as far as she could tell, it wasn't enough. Ever since the girls' mother had died, the family unit had fallen apart, leaving the children to primarily fend for themselves.
Akasha was shaken from her thoughts by a piercing scream. A great, green furry something had erupted from the bushes behind Jordan. Akasha was reminded vaguely of a bear, but did not waste time to think of it as the creature snatched the hem of her cousin's nightgown, towing her toward it. Jordan screamed again and yanked away; the cheap polyester fabric tore easily, leaving the bear-thing with nothing but a clawful of faded blue cloth. The creature tossed it aside and started once again for Jordan, eyes fixed on its prey.
"Oh no you don't!" Akasha lunged in, kicking the beast in the chest. It roared and sprawled backward. After a moments hesitation it rose unsteadily, shaking its head. Its eyes ranged wildly before settling on Akasha. It seemed to pause for a second, as if weighing her up then charged once more, a feral screech tearing from its throat.
Akasha swung away, letting the creature whip past her. Then she turned and kicked its legs from under it. By now the turtles had some running out of the forest. At the sight of reinforcementes, the creature seemed to change tack. It got up and lumbered unsteadily toward the lake. It waded in until the water was up to its belly fur, then it dove under.
Jordan had tears of shock pouring down her face and she ran up to Akasha, hugging her hard. Akasha hugged her back, a grim expression on her face. Raph came up and put a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it comfortingly. Leo was watching them, a scowl on his face.
"Jordan, you go to the Den," Akasha said, turning to her cousin. "I know your dad said to stay put, but this is important. Tell him that I have an idea of where Naomi is and that I'm going after her. Tell him to not to worry. And –" she paused, eyeing the turtles "– One of them will come with you, okay?" She pointed at the terrapins. "They will help you in case you're attacked again." Jordan sniffled and nodded, teary eyes fixed on Akasha's serious ones.
"I can do that, Ash," Jordan answered, wiping her eyes.
"Who's going?" Akasha asked, turning to the turtles. "One of you has to. I'd go myself, but… Naomi needs me."
"I'll go," Don replied after a moments pause. "Do you think they'll be okay with my – er – unusual appearance?"
"They accepted the Y'Lyntian servents, they can accept you," Akasha said stoutly. "You're no weirder looking than that bear-thing. And at least you can talk. Explain that you know me, they should understand then." Don nodded and turned to Jordan.
"Let's go tell you dad, then," he said. Jordan slipped her hand into his and started along the path.
"She's taking it well," Raph noted in surprise.
"She's a good kid." Akasha turned back to the lake, unzipping her sweatshirt as she did so.
"What are you doing?" Mikey asked, looking highly unnerved.
"We're following that creature. It's gonna be wet." Akasha stripped off her T-shirt revealing her bathing suit. She quickly slipped out of her jeans and sneakers, piling them under a nearby bush. Raph was watching her, Mikey noticed. His eyes were traveling up the curve of her spine, the criss-crossed shoulder straps, and back down again. A suspiciously glazed look had crossed his face, and Mikey had to hold back a giggle.
Leo had noticed the target of his brother's attention too. He was looking furious, his hands clenched into fists. But before he could do so much as utter a word, Akasha, feeling Raph's eyes on her, turned around.
"What are you staring at?" she demanded. Raph shook his head.
"Uhh… nothing. Are we going or what?" he walked over to the lake. "Ladies first." Akasha snorted and with a shudder dove into the lake. She bobbed to the surface almost immediantly.
"Shit!"
"What is it?" Raph asked hurriedly.
"This water is bloody cold," Akasha snarled through her chattering teeth. Raph dove in, bobbing up beside her.
"It's not that bad," he replied indifferently, treading water. Akasha was shaking now, goosebumps coursing down her body.
"Let's just go," she growled, turning away from the shore. Akasha took a deep breath and dove under. Leo and Mike followed. Raph cast an uneasy glance at the shore before submerging.
Under the water, he could just make out Leo and Mikey's dark forms swimming down below him. Steady streams of bubbles trailed after them. Akasha's pale skin was far more obvious. She was quite far under now. Raph accelerated, trying to catch up with them.
Akasha was now feeling along the bottom of the lake. Leo and Mikey were searching the sloping stretch of dirt that extended from the shore downwards. Raph swam over to Akasha his movements laborously slow in the water. Akasha barely acknowledged him, but continued her frantic search of the lake's bed. Raph scanned the area. Nothing out of the ordinary was in sight, however. Long strands of lakeweed were spotted about, along with large rocks, doomed for an endless existence underwater. A waterlogged tree branch and an old tyre stood alone a little way off.
Akasha tapped Raph on the shoulder, gesturing with her other hand to her mouth. Understanding, Raph gripped her upper arm, ready to help pull her to the surface for a breather. But something grabbed his ankle. Twisting around, he saw a pair of large, orblike eyes staring at him from a fishlike face. He let out a surprised cry, only to feel his mouth fill with water. He thrashed around, and caught sight of Leo and Mikey being cornered by a pair of the fish things. Akasha was floated beside him, seemingly unconcious.
I know these guys, Raph thought as he moved forward to engage the fish creature. Its thick, almost rubbery skin slid fluidly through the water. One of its flippered hands grabbed his wrist. Weak from lack of oxygen, he struggled to shake off its grip, but it only held on tighter.
Not now! He thought frantically as his vision became edged with black. No… He faught the consuming darkness, but it eventually overtook him.
"Pssst… Raph!" Raphael felt something shake his shoulder. He tried stubbornly to remain asleep. He ached all over.
"Noooo…" he moaned. "Lemme sleep…"
"Dammit, Raphael, wake up or I'll tickle you!" He sat bolt upright, only to crack his head on the low rocky ceiling. He reeled back, running into someone who sat behind him.
"Raph! Sit still." Raph tried to open his eyes, but fabric blocked his vision. Feeling the damp flutter of his bandanna tails on his plastron, the dazed turtle realized someone had turned his mask around. He raised his hand, trying to right it, but his wrists were bound in front of him.
"Wh-where the shell am I?" he mumbled, gazing blindly around.
"Not really sure." As the terrapin slowly woke, he realized the voice belonged to Akasha. Her presence at his back shifted slightly as she managed to wriggle into a more comfortable position. "I blacked out in the lake. Then I woke up here." She groped at his shoulder and found his bandanna; with a tug she righted it. As the eyeholes settled in their proper place, Raph looked around.
They were in a very small, narrow rocky cave. Akasha was sitting with her back against the wall, watching him. He could see that she had managed to get free of her bindings somehow. Two dark shapes lay nearby, doubtless Leo and Mikey. They seemed to be unconcious, or asleep. Light filtered through the tiniest of cracks in the rock at one end of the tunnel, making it look twice as eerie as it was.
"Here." Akasha untied his wrists. Raph massaged them to get the blood flowing again, and tried to sit up straight. His head hit the ceiling again. He cursed loudly; it echoed off the cave.
"Believe me, if swearing helped, we'd be outta here by now," Akasha said dryly. "It just makes your head ache. I gave it up hours ago." She smothered a yawn; Raph could see her shivering.
"I-I'm freezing," she muttered. She scooted a little closer, sharing body heat. "Aren't you cold-blooded?"
"Only in extreme temperatures," Raph replied. "This is nothin' compared ta the lair without a heater on." He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She chuckled at his attempt at a joke.
"The others are asleep," she said after a pause. "They're fine, just exhausted. Where d'you think we are?"
"Under the lake somewhere," Raph guessed. "And I know who took us, too." He told her about the fish people.
"We've met them before," he finished. "We were camping with Case and Ape and one of them came out onto the land. She'd been hurt by some leaking radioactive junk from a nearby power plant. She died in the end. Apparantly she told April that she and five other ones of her kind were the last on earth." He frowned. "She must'a not known there were others in Canada."
"Those must be the Y'Lyntian servents," Akasha murmured. "Or one kind of them, anyway."
"April did mention that the fish thing said that she had once lived with the Y'Lyntians," Raph muttered under his breath, as if to him self. "She didn't tell us what happened in great detail. She seemed to want to keep it to herself."
"I can't believe my mom never mentioned this whole thing to me!" Akasha said, slamming her fist against the ground. "Why did she even let me come if she knew about the creatures?" Raph scratched his head.
"Maybe she thought that the creatures wouldn't find you," he shrugged. "She would never put you in harms way on purpose. She must have thought it safe to allow ya ta come."
"Yeah. But I still think she should have told me," Akasha grumbled rebelliously. She snuggled further down, trying to keep warm.
They passed the time slowly. At first they discussed various random topics such as music and TV shows. They played thumbwar, although Raph won nearly every round, and I Spy, finally moving onto 20 Questions.
"Is it an animal?" Akasha asked. Raph shook his head.
"A person?"
"Nope."
"An object?"
"Nuh huh."
"An emotion?"
"No joy."
"A TV show?"
"Yep, and that's five questions down."
"It's Corination Street," mumbled a sleepy voice from the other end of the cave. Akasha peered over.
"Mikey?"
"Yeah. He loves that show."
"Stuff it, Mikey," Raph grumbled sourly. It seemed his younger brother was right. Akasha grinned and crawled over to Mikey.
"Rise and shine," she teased, untying his wrists. Mikey scrambled up, smacking his head on the ceiling.
"Saves me having to do it," Raph smiled in satisfaction.
"I'd smack him, too, if he spilled about me loving Corination Street," Akasha smirked. "Never figured you'd watch soaps."
"He makes us record them all," Leo said. He was sitting up, wrists freed, watching them. Akasha had not even heard him wake.
"Don't help me out or nothin', Fearless Leader," Raphael snarled, hands reaching for his sai's. Realizing his belt was empty, he cursed fluently. "They took my blades!"
"Watch your language, Raphael," Leonardo snapped. "We can replace them."
"It's not like that if your precious katanas go missing," Raph sneered. "'My katanas!'" he mimicked. Leo ground his teeth furiously.
"Shut up, Raphael! You have no idea what it's like!"
"Yeah, you named yours," Raph shot back. "Like Mikey and his 'chucks. Do you cuddle them at night, too?"
"Shut up!" Leo was looking mutinous now. He made to get up.
"THAT IS IT!" Akasha yelled. It reverberated off the cave, making it sound ten times louder. Leo and Raph stopped and stared at her, looking shocked.
"Just because you've both been at odds lately doesn't mean you can both act like two year olds!" she snapped. "I'm sick of you arguing! We're trapped in here together, and will probably be in here for a while, so both of you just shut up! You're giving me a headache!"
"Chill, Asha," Raph began, reaching out to rub her shoulder. She let him do it, eyes still smoldering. "We're sorry." He glared expectantly at Leo.
"Sorry, Akasha," Leo said reluctantly. He turned his back on them, as if to meditate.
The time passed slowly. The steady drip drip of water faded into the background. They talked about the fish people and, after exhausting that topic, about how small the cave was, and how uncomfortable.
"I mean," Michelangelo said. "Couldn't they have given us something a tiny bit bigger? I can't even sit up straight! My legs are cramping."
"Lie down," Akasha instructed. "That'll at least stretch your leg muscles. There's just enough room to get one at a time lying down. We'll have to take turns." Mikey lowered himself onto the cold rock, wincing as his cramped muscles uncurled.
"How did they get us in here, anyway?" he asked, settling his head on a more comfortable rock. "I don't see any door."
"I dunno," Akasha murmured, crawling over to one end of the cave. She began feeling along the rock face, fingers periodically blotting out the light, throwing them into darkness. Mikey whimpered.
"He's afraid of the dark," Leo said softly from his place at the back of the cave. It was simply a statement, meant to benefit Akasha's general knowledge. Mikey replied,
"Am not!" although he reached out for Raph's hand with one of his. Akasha took her palm off the crack, letting light once more spill into their prison.
"There's no door or entrance," she said. "Not that I can find, anyway. It seems to be completely naturally formed, as if the earth grew over the entrance." She snorted at how stupid that had sounded. "As if."
"Wait a minute," Mikey said, propping himself up on his elbows. "That's exactly what happened when that crazy Y'Lynian dude attacked us! Remember, guys? He had been trapping the mutants – Quarry, and them – and trying to transform them back! Of course, without me, you would have all perished! Because I am –"
Raph growled threateningly.
" – The Battle Nexus champion!" Mikey finished proudly. Akasha threw a chunk of dirt at him, spraying the orange-wearing turtle with damp soil.
"You hadn't even won the stupid thing yet," she snapped, having heard her fair share of stories about it.
"Mikey's right, though," Leo said, ignoring his brother's whines. "About the powers. But I thought the creatures were against the Y'Lyntians. How could they use Y'Lyntian powers without the Y'Lyntians themselves?"
"I have no idea." Akasha crawled back to Raph and leaned against the cave wall, dejected. "Right now I just want to eat chocolate. And be dry." She shivered, moving closer to Raphael. Leo turned his shell on them again, and continued his meditation. Time ticked on…
A/N: Not much to say. Just review. (grins hopefully) I really hate these end author's notes... Oh yeah. And no offense to anyone who likes Corination Street. I couldn't think of anything else. And I actually don't mind the show. So... yeah. Just thought I'd toss it in there... (shrugs)
