Sorry I didn't get a chance to post last week. College is being dumb with finals rn so I don't have a lot of time outside of schoolwork. As a special treat, y'all get TWO chapters this week ooh boy and also the next two chapters are shorter so hopefully I'll post twice next week but we will see. Enjoy!
"Here's the plan," Leonardo started to say. He gestured towards Cori and said, "She's going to lead me and Donnie to the control room. Once there, Don does his thing and shuts the whole place down."
"What about us?" Mikey asked.
"You and Raph will go around destroying as much of the factory as possible. I think that's more of you guys' speed." Mikey smiled and held out his hand for a high five from Raph. His brother ignored it. Leonardo nodded and said, "Alright boys, let's get to work." Leo and Donnie turned to leave.
Raphael glowered at Cori while she hesitantly followed his brothers. "C'mon, Raph!" Mikey playfully punched his arm and nimbly jumped onto the railing. He crouched for a moment before leaping onto the conveyor belt. He stumbled, flailing his arms about while trying to catch his balance on the moving floor. Once he stopped teetering, Mikey drew his nunchucks. He reeled back and slammed a footbot in the head. The defenseless droid, clattering loudly to the ground. Mikey laughed giddily and moved onto the next one. He knocked it down like the last one, satisfyingly so. Mikey continued his rampage and knocked another completely off the belt. It fell into one of the bright orange pools below.
Raph stood by the railing of the walkway, watching it sink slowly into the molten liquid. He jumped off the walkway towards his brother. He landed next to him as Mikey tossed another robot off the edge.
"Hey, I like your style and all, Mikey. But, I think there's a better way of going about this."
He placed a hand on Mikey's shoulder and pointed down. Mikey looked at the pools and smiled deviously. He followed as Raphael jumped down, landing on various machinery to shorten his falls. The two crouched on a beam and watched the churning pools of metal. They were not so much pools but more like large crucibles. They watched as a large metal arm picked one up and carried it to the far side of the room. The metal on the arm was covered by black soot, hiding its silver shiny finish.
Mikey wiped some sweat off his forehead. It was much hotter the closer they got to the crucibles. The sweltering heat made their skin tighten. Raphael pulled out a pair of shuko claws from his belt and slid them over his palms. He raised his hands so Mikey could see and said, "Follow my lead."
Raphael jumped across to the wall. He held his hands out and slid down. The shuko scraped the wall harshly, slowing his fall. Eventually, he stopped near the rim of a nearby crucible. He winced as his feet touched the burning metal. The heat was unbearable this close to the melted alloys. The toxic metallic smell irritated Raphael's lungs. Michelangelo jumped after and slid down the wall. He clung to the wall, close to his brother. Raph shifted his arms while resting his legs against the rim of the crucible.
"Push!" he ordered. Mikey copied Raph and pushed his legs against the crucible. They groaned as the crucible slowly started to budge. "C'mon...we can...do it…" Raph strained to say. He pushed even harder. The crucible slowly began to tip over. Mikey and Raph slid down the wall when the rim moved too far for them to push. Mikey placed his arms to the sides whereas Raphael swiveled his body around; his back facing where the crucible once stood. Sparks flew off their shuko until they inevitably stopped. Raph twisted his head around to see the carnage they caused.
The crucible crashed onto the ground. Molten liquid flowed out of it, completely flooding the bottom floor. It bubbled and swirled around the other crucibles. It engulfed the various molds and started to melt the bottom of a giant mechanical arm. Raphael's skin felt singed as smoke rose from the giant pool of lava.
"Hey Raph," Mikey yelled, "how are we supposed to get up?"
"Uh…" Raph gulped while looking at the floor, completely covered by the fiery liquid. He looked over to the soot-covered arm. It still carried a crucible but began to lean over as its base melted. "Over there," he yelled, nodding his head towards the crane. It took a moment for Mikey to catch on. He grinned and stuck his tongue out playfully before jumping forward. Raph watched as his little brother fearlessly leaped across the lava below. And he watched, realizing Mikey had not jumped high enough to reach the top of the crane. Raph's heart pounded as his brother slowly fell. Suddenly, Mikey whipped out his nunchucks and threw one end towards the crane. The chain wrapped around the crane's arm. It lurched forward slightly with a deep rumbling noise while Mikey hung from the chain. He swung back and forth wildly before coming to a gradual stop. He tightened his grip on the nunchuck, the shuko claws digging into the nunchuck's handle. With his other hand, he reached out towards his brother who was still clinging to the wall. "C'mon!"
Raph braced himself, exhaling a hot breath, and launched himself off the wall. He was not as graceful as his brother. He flailed his arms and kicked his legs wildy while he plummeted. His hand missed Mikey's and he continued to fall. His brother quickly grabbed his forearm, preventing his fiery demise. Raphael screamed in pain as he hung limply. "Mikey! You idiot," he howled.
"What?"
"You're still wearing the claws!"
Blood dripped down Raph's arm. They pooled around the palm of Mikey's hand. The turtle awkwardly chuckled and gave a weak smile. "Sorry…" Raph gritted his teeth and threatened, "When we get out of here, I'm gonna kill you!"
The crane lurched forward again. This time, it shrieked loudly as metal scraped against metal. The crane was steadily falling now. "Hold on," Mikey shouted over the noise. He swayed his body back and forth, gaining momentum. Raphael hissed as the claws dug deeper into his arm. Mikey swung his arm up, throwing Raph into the air. The claw lacerated his arm before finally letting go of his flesh.
For a moment, Raph was weightless in the air. He reached his arms out above him and grabbed onto the crane's arm. His weight came back, struggling to pull himself up onto the top of the arm. Below, Mikey climbed up his nunchuck's chain. He carefully grasped the chain so as not to cut his hands on the claws on his palms. Raphael was just about to help his brother up but stopped himself. His mangled forearm reminded him against recklessly grabbing Michelangelo's arm. Mikey pulled himself up and paused to catch his balance. The crane was falling faster now; its metallic base was completely engulfed in the magma below. Raph wiped some sweat off his forehead before jumping off the crane. He landed on another failing piece of machinery, trying to desperately reach the walkway that they started from. Mikey followed as they hopped from one machine to the next.
Each piece slowly sank, having them jump even higher than before. Together, they leapt up and finally reached the walkway. They clambered onto its grate floor and collapsed. The two turtles panted while lying on their shells. Raphael had his arms spread out wide and closed his eyes.
"Hey Raph?" Mikey asked through gasps.
"Yeah?"
"Let's never do that again."
Raph nodded but did not say anything. He was content with laying there for the rest of the night, even if the ground below them was a fiery hellscape. His arm throbbed from its deep cuts. Warm blood dripped and cooled his hot skin.
Clanging footsteps reverberated through the walkway, causing the turtles to lift their heads. Raphael opened one eye to see a Kraang bot standing above him. The robot's silver skeleton reflected red from the melted magma below. Unlike most of the robots in the base, a small pink alien resided in its stomach. It pointed a gun to his face and trilled. Mikey and Raph shared an exhausted look and sighed.
"Alright," Raphael said flatly, "let's get this over with."
Before the robot could react, Raphael twirled and knocked its legs out from underneath. It crumpled onto the railing, grabbing desperately at it with one arm. He kicked up and punched the Kraang over the edge. It squealed as it fell to its molten demise.
"Who's next?" Raphael declared loudly with his arms spread out. He winced slightly from lifting his sore arm but nevertheless continued taunting the alien androids. Three more robots ran onto the walkway. Raphael looked past them, noticing some Kraang guiding the pods that lined the room through a portal. He nodded his head to the back and called out to his brother.
"Hey Mikey, mind dealing with that?"
Michelangelo quickly jumped up, looked at the portal, and nodded. He slyly slid off his shuko claws before sprinting past the Kraang on the walkway. His footsteps shook the grated floor. Raphael ignored the sinking feeling in his gut as the ground wobbled beneath him. The Kraang turned to watch Mikey pass by, oblivious to the much more violent turtle approaching them. Raph reached out and grabbed one of the robot's arms with his claws. He swung it down to the ground. The walkway jittered and Raphael swore it used to sit at a straighter angle. The robot's gun fell out of its hands, clanging off the walkway. The two other droids fired at him. Pink lasers flew at him relentlessly. He jumped around erratically to avoid them. Hopping onto the railing, he flung himself at one of the robot's and kicked its head. While Raph's rampage continued, his younger brother set his eyes on the triangular portal opening on the other side of the walkway.
A Kraang bot stood next to some levers, controlling a large metallic arm that grabbed the footbot pods lining the walls. It methodically moved them through a large portal at the end of the conveyor belt. One by one the storage units disappeared into the pink light. Several Kraang flyers panickedly flew around the robot, watching its slow process. One of the brain-like aliens hissed and barred its yellow needle teeth. Another waved its metallic tentacles about, gesturing obscenely. Michelangelo whipped his nunchuck towards a flyer and wrapped the chain around it. The Kraang squealed in surprise. "Where do you think you're going?" he taunted as he swung the terrified alien around. He finally let it go, flinging it against the wall.
The other Kraang circled around the turtle as the android continued to guide the pods to safety. Mikey swatted at his pesky foes while they circled above like buzzards. "Dudes, get away from me!" he cried out. He batted one away, but it only floated back towards him.
"Alright, you asked for it."
Mikey crouched low to the ground before pouncing upwards into the air. In his hands, he held several little daggers. He twirled in the air, pelting the flying Kraang with the kunai. Each one hit its mark, striking the robotic devices that kept the aliens in the air. Sparks flew and the Kraang shrieked as their flyers malfunctioned, tossing them about. Mikey landed on the ground. The walkway shook from his fall, but he maintained his balance.
He stood up and turned to face the lonely Kraang bot. It desperately ushered the pods through the portal. Mikey pointed towards it with a menacing look. The Kraang bot ushered the pods faster; its arms a flurry of movement as it pulled on various levers. The metallic claw moved much faster but wobbled as it set the pods into the portal. Mikey sprinted at the droid and launched himself at it. The android had no time to dodge, receiving the full force from Mikey's kicks. It tumbled over the side of the walkway, meeting its fate like the other Kraang bots.
The immature turtle leaned over the rail and taunted his fallen foe with an absurd expression. A flicker of movement stopped his goading as he turned to watch another robot fall into the magma below. Mikey looked over to see Raphael dusting his hands off, presumably after tossing one of his foes down below. The two glanced at each other before smiling impishly.
"We're getting good at this," Raph bragged to his brother. The drawback to fighting the Kraang was that there were always too many of them. The benefit was that you started to get good at fighting them after bashing a couple hundred bots.
Raphael wiped some sweat off his face and huffed a hot breath before adding, "Not that I love to sit in sweltering hot, face-melting heat, but maybe we should go find the others already."
"Sounds like you can't…take the heat." Mikey giggled at his pun, seemingly pleased at his cleverness. Raph scoffed saying, "Ugh, you're starting to sound like Leo. C'mon."
He ran down the walkway towards the exit. His younger brother followed behind but slowed down as he gazed at the large portal. A small silver device etched with three hexagons floated above it. The glowing portal was much taller than ones the alien menace normally used, but the device that controlled it seemed the same. Mikey laughed mischievously before calling out to his brother. "Hey, Raph! Watch out!" Raphael tilted his head back to see his younger brother jumping towards him. He yelled hoarsely as Mikey jumped onto his shell, pushing himself off only to spring onto the conveyor belt beside them. Raph nearly fell from his weight and cried, "Mikey, I am so gonna kill you!" Mikey's only response was a laugh.
He landed onto the conveyor belt, a feat much easier done now that it had stopped moving. In fact, the machinery below it had melted, tilting and warping the conveyor slightly. Michelangelo pulled out his nunchucks one last time to grapple the portal device. As the weapon collided with the alien tech, the pink portal closed. Mikey lept upwards and grabbed the small piece of metal as it fell. He rubbed it with his thumb before mumbling to himself, "Cool." He pocketed it and bounced back over to the walkway. Raphael waited for him at the entrance with an unamused look. Before Mikey could pass by him through the door, his older brother harshly poked his shoulder.
"Don't. Ever. Do that again. Ya hear me?"
"Ow, alright. I promise I won't use you as a jump boost again."
Mikey blinked at him with large eyes, hoping to convince him. Raph tsked but was satisfied with his response. The two headed out the door back into the rest of the base. The air was cool and refreshing out here, not like the poisonous gasses they inhaled in that manufacturing room. They both breathed in deeply and relaxed their shoulders.
Raphael groaned as he flexed his arm. He stared at the deep cuts on his forearm he had gotten from Mikey's shuko. It glistened slightly, but most of the blood had already dried and clotted. The numbing effects of adrenaline started to wear off, being replaced by a hot tingling sensation. He did not have the time to clean his wound. He had to find his other brothers and get out of here already.
"So," Mikey said after a long sigh, "how exactly are we gonna find Leo and Don?"
"Easy," Raph replied. "Just follow the shooting. I'm sure those knuckleheads already got caught by the Kraang."
Michelangelo was pleased by this answer, not really thinking too much about the plan's flaws. He gave a thumb's up and said, "Sounds good to me."
"C'mon, let's go find us some Kraang."
The two sped off, sneaking through the base once more.
o-o-o-o-o
"What the shell happened to you guys?" Raphael stepped further into the room with Mikey close behind. He shoved his sai into his belt and rushed over to Leo. When his brother got closer, Leo could see scratches and bruises covering Raph's skin. Dried blood smeared around a cut on his cheek and covered his hands. But most noticeably, thick globs of clotted blood welled around several lacerations on his forearm. Raphael pulled Leonardo off the ground saying, "You look like you got hit by a bus."
"You don't look so good either," Leo responded, eyeing his bleeding arm. He rubbed his fingers together trying to wipe off Raph's blood from his hand. He looked back to where the destroyed biotroid sat. He could barely see Cori behind the hulking stature of the droid. Mikey had already run over to her and crouched by her side. Leo hobbled over to the girl, ignoring his aching bones. Cori was lying on her back with her head tilted to the side. Her mask was angled awkwardly on her face, covering more of her cheek rather than her eyes. Mikey lightly shook her shoulder.
"Crow? Crow, are you okay?"
Cori weakly coughed in response.
"Well, at least she's not dead," Raphael said sharply.
"She's hurt real bad," Mikey said sympathetically. He grabbed her gently, pulling her into a sitting position. She slouched against the wall, mumbling something inaudible. Leo wrapped an arm around his stomach and walked over to Donnie. Of the four turtles, he was the least scratched up. However, there were a few large bruises covering his legs. "Did you figure it out, yet?" Leo asked. "Can you shut this place down?" Donnie bit his lip and responded, "Yes. But…"
"But?"
Donatello rubbed the side of his head and looked over to his brother. "But, I'm not sure turning off the power will help. They'll be able to reboot the system within a couple of days. Sure, we could steal the power cell, but that didn't go well last time. Who's to say they can't just get a new one?"
"I'm not following."
"What I'm saying is unless we destroy this base, they'll have it up and running again in a couple of weeks."
"Hey, me and Mikey did a number back there," Raphael argued. "There's no way they're building more footbots any time soon."
"Raph," Donnie replied impatiently, "that was just one of the dozens of rooms here. For all we know there could be ten more manufacturing rooms like that!" Raph's red mask furrowed around his brows as he frowned. He crossed his arms and continued. "Alright, let's blow the whole place up, then. I don't see the problem."
"The problem isn't how. It'll be easy to overload the powercell and cause an explosion. The problem is we might not have enough time to get out."
"How much do you think we got?" Leo asked. Donnie faced away from him and rubbed the back of his neck. He sighed before saying, "Five minutes, at most."
"Five minutes! No way," Raph yelled. Leo stared at the ground silently. "We can do it," he said lowly. Raphael turned to him with an incredulous expression. "Whoa, hang on now. I can't believe I'm saying this but have you lost your mind? I know my plans are a little crazy, but that's lunatic!" Leo frowned and stared at the powercell suspended above the console. Raph softened his tone and continued. "What I'm saying is, you can barely walk. And Cori can't walk at all! We're not gonna make it."
Leo's mouth twitched. A common habit of his whenever one of his brothers was right about something. The three turtles stood there quietly, struggling to think of an escape plan. Mikey squinted his eyes before standing up abruptly. He left Cori leaning against the wall and ran up to his brothers shouting, "Guys, I just had the best idea!"
"What is it, Mikey," Raph said, already annoyed.
"What if we use...one of these!"
Mikey dramatically pulled out the silver device he had retrieved from the destroyed manufacturing room. Donnie greedily took it out of Mikey's hands. "A teleporter! Where did you get one?" Suddenly, Donatello's tone shifted and he glared accusingly at his younger brother. He shifted his weight and pointed at him before asking, "Did you take the one sitting on my desk?"
"No! I picked this one up from here while me and Raph were trashing the place."
"Nice going, Mikey," Raphael said. He held his hand up for a high five. Mikey goggled at his hand before slapping it excitedly. "Oh yeah, baby! Mikey for the win!"
Donnie tapped the small device a couple of times before lifting it upwards. It continued to rise above his hand and floated in the air above them. The hexagonal decorations turned bright pink and a triangular portal appeared. "I set it to the lair's coordinates," Donnie explained to his brothers. "We can leave as soon as I overload the power cell." He walked back to the console and studied its holographic screens.
Leo turned to Raphael and ordered, "Alright. Raph, go grab Cori, and let's get out of here already."
"Wait, we can't take her back to the lair! We don't even know her. She could tell everyone about us."
"She's hurt, Raph," Mikey said with big puppy dog eyes. "We can't leave her here."
"I wasn't saying we should leave her here. But, why don't we take her back to her apartment? I don't like the thought of some stranger walking around in our home."
"She won't be just 'walking around' in the lair," Donnie interjected. He typed something into the computer and continued. "She's got a pretty serious burn. If we take her back to my lab, I can patch her up. Besides, she's unconscious. She won't remember a thing." Raphael huffed but walked over to Cori. She was still sitting where Mikey left her. The only movement was her chest slowly rising and falling. He hunched over and lifted her into his arms. He carried her easily. Raphael had never really struggled to carry anyone except maybe his brothers. She was lighter than even April despite being taller than her. Cori's head rolled towards his plastron. Her mouth was slightly open as she breathed. "Fine," Raph grumbled, "so long as we get rid of her by the time she wakes up." Raphael stood next to Mikey near the portal.
Leo walked over and rested his hand on the console. "You ready?"
"All I have to do is divert the power back to this room and amplify the current and...done!" Donnie stepped back and watched bright electricity zap the power cell. The lights in the room started to flicker and the crystal grew brighter and brighter. "I think it's time to go," he said. He ushered his brothers through the portal and faced the power cell one last time. The lights blinked irregularly. Several of them burned out dramatically; the glass shattering and spraying across the room. The glowing crystal started to shake while it floated there. It jolted around in its glass container while more electricity striked it. Donatello rushed through the portal to join the others. Once through, the pink lights on the teleporter shut off. The triangular portal closed and the device fell to the ground.
