14. Adapt
Ibis and Ardyn sat on Donnie's examination table. They had both gotten to shower, and April was kind enough to rustle up their clothes. Ardyn fought with several shirts and pairs of pants before Ibis was able to help her adjust a pair of high-waisted jeans and scrap and old tee. Ardyn was seething. It had taken her an hour to find something that she could wear over her mutilated body, and Ibis actually looked excited.
Ibis had managed to carefully don a pair of black cargo pants. They were too short now, of course, so she ripped the bottom hem and tied them around her calves in a sort of makeshift-capri style. She wore a belt to keep them from sliding down now that the top had loosened when she cut a hole for her tail, and she had the remaining scraps of the black tee Ardyn wore tied around her chest with a deep maroon cut-up tank top hanging loosely over it. How she'd managed to get the worn cloth over her wings without ruining it only further irritated Ardyn. She puffed a loose curl from her face, watching Donnie go over their test results.
Ibis was combing her long, wavy hair with her claws gently, looking somewhat at peace. It was absolutely infuriating.
Donnie turned around, a tablet in his hands. Ardyn leaned forward eagerly while Ibis only raised her eyes.
"It looks like everything is functioning pretty normally," he said, not looking up from the tablet. "The only difference is your body temperatures. Though it doesn't seem like-"
"The only difference?" Ardyn interrupted.
Donnie looked up from the tablet, a little surprised at her abrasive tone.
"What about this is normal?"
Ibis put a warm hand on her shoulder to try and calm her, but Ardyn bat it away and slid off the table, "I have a tail for Christ's sake!"
Donnie looked downright nervous, "All I meant was-"
"I know what you meant," she snapped.
Ibis hopped off the table, "Sweet pea, it's not going to do you any good to be mad at him."
"And you," she pointed to Ibis.
Ibis tilted her head as if to say 'oh, it's my turn now, is it?'
"How can you be so fucking calm about all of this? Why am I the only one that's absolutely furious about having my life taken away from me?"
"Ardy-"
"No! I can't live like this! I won't!"
She turned, slapping Ibis with one of her wings, and left the lab.
Ibis let out a sigh, then turned back to Donnie. "Don't worry too much about her. She's always been emotional. Once she cools down a little, she'll be more constructive."
Donnie nodded, still looking at the doorway Ardyn had left through.
"Doc?"
He turned back to her.
"When you said 'normal'," she brought her hands together, playing with them nervously, "did you mean it like 'as it was before' or...?"
Donnie pinched his brows for a moment before he understood what she was asking. She wanted to know if the mutagen, along with healing her injuries, had cured her as well.
He pulled up the scan that he had taken of her, then spun the tablet around to show her. "I meant 'normal'."
Ibis grabbed to tablet in both hands. Her eyes scanned over the image, brows pinched. She wasn't sure she'd ever concentrated on anything as hard in her life, but she'd never been so desperate in her search for something.
She'd also never not found what she was looking for.
Her crimson stare met his eyes again. "It...I can't...it's gone."
Donnie nodded.
Tears formed in her eyes and she threw herself in his arms. He wasn't sure what to do at first. Hugs weren't a frequent occurance in his life, especially from people he didn't know well. But he did his best to reciprocate it.
When Ibis pulled away, the tears had rolled down her cheeks and around the edges of her smile. "Thank you."
He smiled in return, giving a nod instead of trying to find words.
She handed back the tablet and turned to go, wiping her face. When she reached the doorway, she turned, moving her wing out of the way to look at him.
"Doc?"
Donnie lifted his chin to her.
She pressed her lips together for a moment before meeting his eyes, as if debating. "Don't tell her."
Donnie's lips pressed together and he gave another silent nod.
The corner of Ibis's mouth turned up and she nodded a thank you before turning and walking out of the lab.
...
Ardyn did eventually cool down, like Ibis had said. Though she didn't quite go back to the way she had been. One might call her motivated. She spent most of her time helping Donnie work with the ooze.
Ibis, however, was more herself than she had ever been. She and Raphael spent quite a bit of time together, thick as thieves. As excited as she was to have this new, stronger, body, she wasn't so naive as to think it would be as easy to use as her former one. Not only was she bigger now, she had three extra limbs.
Training herself was as much of a task of focus as it was one of pleasure. She'd never felt quite so able in her life. Fatigue was more distant, soreness was harder to achieve, and her sickness had left no trace. Raphael was impressed with the determination she had in her training. He was all but over the moon when she'd asked for his help. Mikey seemed just as excited. They spent a lot of time in the dojo with her in the days that followed, teaching her the basics and sparring.
It angered Ardyn to no end. Ibis was thriving. She wasn't surprised, however. Ibis's job just got a whole lot easier. She was dangerous before, but now she was an absolute killing machine. Muscles that rivaled the demigods of legend and claws that could gouge their way through solid stone... all coupled with a bloodlust that had been maturing and growing since her childhood. It was a recipe for disaster. Mikey and Raphael were playing with fire, almost literally, considering Ibis's abilities, and they didn't seem to care.
Even Leo had begun to trust her. She had hoped he would be the one Ibis couldn't sway; the level-headed leader was never quick to let his guard down.
But even he had begun spending time with her.
It probably started the night he came back from a nightly patrol to find Ibis sitting in the Dojo with Master Splinter. She had asked for his help with her training. He had something in common with her that none of the boys did, and she wanted his expertise on the subject:
A tail.
When he trained the boys, he often used his tail as if it was another arm or leg. It provided support at times, and an extra strike as well. Ibis wanted to learn to use every advantage she had, no matter how strange it was.
Leo often spent the sessions in the dojo with them. Ibis sparred with him on occasion, when Master Splinter was satisfied that she had learned the forms correctly enough to employ them.
What perhaps bothered her even more than Ibis's ease of adaptation was that she commanded the attention of the five of them so easily. She was able to fool them into thinking she was some easygoing, friendly, non-homocidal-psychopath. Weren't they supposed to watch out for people like her? People that relentlessly hunted mutants and humans alike? Had they forgotten everything Ardyn had warned them about?
When Ibis wandered into the lab and started talking to Donnie about the modifications they'd made on the truck without her, she couldn't take it anymore.
The abruptness of her rising and her clumsy, tail-dragging departure left both Ibis and Donnie at a loss for words. They exchanged glances, and Ibis decided to see just what had made her snap.
Ardyn hadn't learned anything about her new body since the mutation. Any time she moved around, her wings slapped things she passed and her tail dragged noisily over the concrete. She was less than stealthy to begin with, but her anger only made it worse. Raphael poked his head out of the tunnel with his weight bench, eyeing her as she passed. He made eye contact with Ibis a few moments later.
"What's eatin' Shorty?"
Ibis raised her arm, palm up, as she passed. "What isn't, these days?"
A puff of air came through his nose before he disappeared back into the tunnel.
Leo was already making his way down the tunnel Ardyn had disappeared into, but Ibis caught his arm.
"Let me, Blue. It's probably my fault, anyway."
"What did you do?" he looked at her curiously.
Ibis shrugged. "I'm about to find out."
He gave her an amused look as she started walking backwards down the tunnel. "Good luck."
She gave him a salute before turning back around.
...
Ardyn rested her chin on her knees. The abandoned turnstile before her had a few lights around the bottom that illuminated the room just enough to not fall off the edge of the unfinished tunnel, and the distant sounds of the city above provided a calming white noise. She often came here to think, when the lair became too noisy. It reminded her of being in her own apartment, if she closed her eyes. Her own space, no matter how small, that she didn't have to share if she didn't want to.
It was getting harder to hold herself together. Every time she moved, she was reminded how her body had changed. Her claws tangled in her hair whenever she tried to pull it back from her face, and she'd scratched herself on accident several times. Her wings hit everything she walked by, and her tail had to be wrapped to keep the skin from becoming raw. It dragged behind her and often got underfoot. She'd rolled over it with her office chair a couple times, too.
Then there was Ibis.
She'd never seemed more natural. It was as if this was what she was supposed to be since her birth, and she'd been waiting. It didn't even bother her that Shredder had, once again, ruined them.
"Sweet Pea?"
Ardyn stiffened, jerked from her inner monologue, but didn't turn.
"You left kinda fast, back there," she sat beside Ardyn, kicking one leg over the edge and bending her other one up to rest her elbow on. "Something on your mind?"
Ardyn pressed her lips together, "I'm fine."
Ibis was giving her a look. She could feel it, but she didn't turn.
"It's okay to not want to talk about something," Ibis said, still looking at her. "But don't lie and tell me you're fine when you clearly aren't."
Ardyn ground her teeth, puffing her hair from her face. It fell right back where it was. She reached up to move it and scratched her cheek.
Ibis's expression fell as she watched.
A beat later, she stood, moving to crouch behind Ardyn. Her claws felt like a massage from long fingernails as they combed through her hair. The untamed waves untangled around her fingers as she pulled gently at them.
"Your hair is just like your mama's was," Ibis said softly. "You and Ash both always had such pretty hair."
Ardyn didn't say anything, closing her eyes as Ibis worked.
"Pop used to say your mama took a ray of sun with her wherever she went," Ibis continued. "I always thought he was crazy when he said that stuff. But when I got older, I realized he was colorblind and trying to be romantic."
Ardyn let a breath slip out of her nose as her mouth pulled up to the side.
Ibis smiled at that, starting to style her hair. "He used to say that she had a voice like an angel, too. I think you got that from her. Do you still sing?"
"Not really," Ardyn answered half-heartedly.
"Why not?"
"Why would I?"
Ibis shrugged, "It used to make you happy."
Ardyn shrugged.
"I bet the acoustics in here are awesome," Ibis continued, finishing Ardyn's hair and resting her hands on Ardyn's shoulders. A low whistled tune came from Ibis's lips, echoing pleasantly around the large concrete room. "I was right."
"Hm."
Ibis sat back down, "Do you still play guitar?"
Ardyn pursed her lips, "I did when I had all my fingers."
Ibis looked at Ardyn's hands, "Have you tried?"
Ardyn tensed, "I can't, Ibis. I'm missing two fingers and I have claws now."
Ibis thought for a moment. "Piano? I saw one in your apartment. I didn't know you played."
"I learned when I was in Paris," Ardyn grumbled.
"Have you tried that?"
"I don't have all my fingers, Ibis!" she snapped, turning to glare at her.
"And you're gonna let that stop you?"
Ardyn's sharp expression softened a little. Ibis didn't look at all bothered by her attitude.
"There's a lot of people out there who don't have ten fingers and play the piano," Ibis reasoned. "It's not impossible. But, if you don't want to anymore, that's a different story."
Ardyn pinched her brows, "What difference does it make to you?"
Ibis shrugged, "I guess it doesn't. I've never heard you play. But I know someone who has, and he makes it seem like you were passionate about it. I'd hate for you to give up something like that because you set limitations for yourself."
Ardyn turned away, "Not all of us are ecstatic about this change, Ibis."
"Ya don't say."
"I'm not a fighter," Ardyn continued. "I can't be like you. Imagine if you were weaker, and smaller. And couldn't do all the things you used to love to do. All the things you used to be good at, you suddenly weren't anymore."
Ibis looked out into the room, mouth pulled to one side, "I can imagine."
"This form is wrong. It's not the one I was born with, and I can't use it."
The words fell from Ibis's lips before she thought better of them, "Can't or won't?"
Ardyn glared at her.
Ibis stared right back, beating her to the punch, "I know you're unhappy. Everyone does. All you've been doing is moping around. I get it, it's a lot. But we're working on it, okay? It would be nice if you could stop making everyone else feel like shit."
"I'm making them fell like shit?" Ardyn asked, dubious and offended.
"You're complaining about being a mutant in a house full of mutants. It's not exactly praise, Ardyn!" Ibis snapped.
Ardyn stood, "So I'm supposed to pretend I'm okay for the sake of their comfort, is that it?"
Ibis stood, "Hold on, a minute, I didn't say that-"
"Yes you did!"
"No, I said you should stop making them feel like shit for what they are."
"How is that different?"
Ibis just stared at her in disbelief, "You're so wrapped up in yourself that you can't even see how you're hurting someone else? Are you really that selfish?"
Ardyn clenched her hands into fists, frost falling from them, "I am not selfish!"
"Yes, you are!" Ibis fired back. "All you can think about is getting back to normal. What about finding Shredder? Or the two dipshits he mutated after us? The damage they're going to cause to the city?"
"What about you?" Ardyn shouted back. "All you do is train! All you can think about is fighting!"
"I'm bettering myself," Ibis argued. "When it comes time to take that bastard down, I'm going to be there, and I'm going to hit the hardest!"
"You're nothing but a murderer!" Ardyn shouted. "Now you're an even bigger monster than you were before!"
That ignited the fire in Ibis's chest, "You think that's all I've ever done, don't you?! 'Ibis the Killer', 'Ibis the Psychopath'... Let me tell you something," she backed Ardyn to the wall, a terrible heat coming from her, "I have done more for this fucking hellhole of a country than you've ever done! And all you do is sit in your little apartment and blame the world for everything that you hate about yourself. When are you going to grow a fucking backbone?"
Ardyn slapped away the hand that was pointing at her chest, "I've protected myself my entire life! I was safe, no thanks to you."
"No thanks to me?" Ibis growled. "I carried you out of a burning building when you were still shitting your pants on a regular basis!"
"You're the reason it was burning in the first place!" Ice coated the floor when she stomped her foot, the jagged spikes pointing at Ibis. "You're the reason I never got to know my mother! You're the reason I can't be with my brother!"
The force of the blow shook the tunnels, all the way back to the lair. The sound alone was enough to activate Donnie's sensors, but the impact cracked the cement bricks. Ibis's arm was buried to the wrist in the wall, the stone armor glowing red and orange with the heat that she was generating. Ardyn looked more startled than enraged.
Ibis yanked her fist from the concrete over Ardyn's shoulder. Dust fell to their feet, but neither of them paid it any mind. Ibis retracted the stone armor of her right arm without breaking her heated stare.
"You want to blame me for every bad thing that happened to you? Is that how you cope with all the shitty parts of your life? Fine. Go ahead. It's not like I've ever suffered. It's not like I hear their screams in my sleep. It's not like I thought I would die when I found out Ash wasn't going to come home. Psychopaths don't have feelings, not like you normal people."
She turned and walked away, leaving a fuming and speechless Ardyn alone.