CHAPTER 19: The spark of Inspiration
This is an exciting chapter for me! We're meeting another key OC in this fic. Someone who will be returning in many of my other TMNT fanfics. I absolutely love her and admittedly she is based somewhat on 2018 ROTTMNT April
You hear stories all the time, some real and some are fabrications, like something you would tell around a campfire at summer camp. Something to make people learn to be more cautious and calculated about how to react to someone's kindness. It was always scary though, hearing about missing people and cases where someone has multiple people chained up in their basement. People always claim they have a method, some kind of pre-planned attack they would carry out flawlessly if someone was trying to mug them, or get them into their car, but honestly what would you do?
Time honestly felt like a concept at this point, well sure it was always just a concept put forward by someone else that the world just seemed to adopt. Last time she had any concept of time was back in late May. With not much else to do, she found herself often overanalyzing that one fateful encounter. All she wanted was some fresh air, although it wasn't like anyone else seemed to care too much when she announced she was leaving the hotel room to grab a drink. It was harder than she had originally anticipated, being seventeen and in college already. Sure she was never 'Miss. Popular' in school, always the youngest in her grade for surpassing her peers.
Being accepted into Georgia's Institute of Technology was something she wanted so dearly to flaunt, but it always seemed to fall on deaf ears. Being raised in the south as an immigrant had its downfalls sure she wasn't stupid but it's not every day a minor is accepted with scholarships to a college like that. Of course she was quickly disregarded by her family for her older brother's football scholarship. It really didn't matter anymore though. Now she was just another missing person who would be written off as dead. It would have been better to be dead in her opinion. The way she couldn't even bring herself to scream for help, or fire even when those suited men grabbed her and threw her in the back of that van.
At the time, she wrote off the fact they had looked identical to the way they threw her into the van, the probability she had a head injury was higher than she wanted to admit. Although with everything she had seen since her abduction, she knew she was either in the middle of some Government conspiracy or her speculations of Aliens were far more true than just some hypothesis she conjured up during her middle school debate club.
By this point the things she had witnessed and heard through the kennel-like cage she was confined in, she knew that she wouldn't last much longer herself. Many of the cages around her were empty now, rarely to be filled with more people. From the few sights she could catch from the grate-like door, those alien-suited men would bring people to kennels based on that vile man's specifications. What those were she honestly didn't know, but catching a glance down at her own legs made her shutter. What was once her warm, cinnamon brown skin was spotted with blotches of dark green. Remembering the fire that tore through her body after that man had injected her with whatever it was made her physically curl up on herself. Nothing she did could relieve that pain other than clenching down on her jaw, a terrible habit honestly but a far better vice than smoking or drinking.
Hearing the bang of the door opening at the end of the hall, she pushed herself into the back corner of the kennel. It was agonizing the way those men's methodic marching echoed through the stainless steel halls, only made worse when she put together that they were indeed coming closer and closer to her confinement.
Please for the love of god, please don't come here..por favor virgen maria protégeme
Her breath hitched in her throat, feeling the presence of three beings practically standing right outside her door. If it had been under any other circumstances she was sure she would have cursed them out, maybe even attempted to fight them. Growing up the only girl out of four brothers gave her some kind of upper hand for sure, but she couldn't deny the fear that coursed through her body at the thought of what else they could do to her. Feeling and hearing the kennel next to her open and close, the men just marched away. The feeling of a short lived relief washed through her, although sympathy quickly took its place as she listened to the new resident beside her struggle with the pain she knew all too well.
She was not much of a conversationalist, unless it was for her gain admittedly. The way she had grown up it was far better to keep your head down and ears focused besides possibly coming face to face with some kind of hazing or ridiculousness. However she couldn't bring herself to ignore the shaky breathing coming from the cell next to her, the sounds of gasping sobs that made her own heart hurt. Is this what she sounded like? It was horrible being alone through that, and she didn't want to neglect someone in need if she could help it.
?:...I-If you clench your jaw and hug yourself…it helps a lot…
Met with no reply, of course. She couldn't help but feel dejected from being ignored, quickly coming to the conclusion that they probably couldn't reply even if they wanted to. It took her a long time to even calm down to a point where she could move, let alone make any noises. The dejection lifted from her mind, listening to the sounds coming from her neighbor shift slightly. A faint smile formed on her face as even in this situation, she was still able to help someone in pain. An audible gasp escaped her lips as she heard the person beside her reply, although it was somewhat strained.
April: T-Thanks. It helped to do that…
How long had it been since she spoke to someone? She would sometimes make a few noises, just to hear herself talk and make sure she had the ability to do it still. She cursed the social anxiety that started to boil inside of her stomach, suppressing it to the best of her abilities. While she was in no way one to jump at the notion of chatting, it was obvious she desperately needed some level of interaction that wasn't being poked at and checked on by the psychotic doctor. Being put on the spot again by her neighbor, quickly painting some kind of image in her mind as to what she looked like, adjusting her cracked glasses.
April: A-Are you okay? Gosh I sound kind of silly asking that since I just got put in here…my name is April by the way.
?: Me? Uh…define okay? And my name is Charlotte.
Feeling her face spread into a grin was odd given the circumstances, but getting someone to laugh given her dry reply was nice. Often people didn't understand her humor or jokes, writing her off as moody and rude. She wasn't one for her brother's typical humor revolving in someone getting hurt or made fun of, so to have someone positively respond to her quip was refreshing.
April: Nice to meet you. Or I suppose hear you? Forgive my bluntness but how much do you know about what is going on?
For the first time in what could be forever, Charlotte felt herself becoming comfortable with another person to the point her posture even adjusted, leaning closer to the shared wall they had. One thing Charlotte was good at was information, she was a listener after all. Taking a moment to collect her thoughts before letting loose on her new found confidant.
Charlotte: Well…honestly as you can see, there are not many left on this side of the building. From my understanding that burra seems to have us categorized in some way. I have rarely heard those guys talking but I keep hearing phrases like 'Mutagen' and 'Kraang'. Honest I can't come to much of a conclusion…well other than I am definitely having a reaction to whatever he injected me with..
April: So you were injected already…I can tell you a bit about what's going on Charlotte but I'll have to start at the beginning. It may take awhile.
Charlotte smiled to herself, getting comfortable against the wall and giving April an unseen nod. Allowing herself to feel joy in this moment, letting herself jump to the conclusion that in this moment she had a friend, not something Charlotte found herself saying very often.
Charlotte: They don't interact with us much besides a small hole offering food and water a few times a day, honestly we have all the time in the world. Besides, I like stories.
April: Well in that case…it all started in Japan during the 90's…
