A Million Miles Apart
A/N: Merry Christmas, everybody! I hope you all have a great holiday! And also, YAY, I managed to update! And I come here with a new chapter that you can see as an early Christmas gift from me. I hope you'll enjoy this chapter and please review, favorite and follow!
Chapter 22, On our way to Filione
Starlee, the Professor and I had worked at the computers for a very long time- although exactly how long, I wasn't sure; partly because I had no idea what time it was when we started, and partly because I didn't know how time worked in this part of space and how these people saw time. But after -what I think was- hours of work, we called the other aliens to the computers to tell them what we had found out.
"Okay, Donnie, what is it this time? Found any Triceratons and want to pick a fight with them?" Mona Lisa leaned against the wall and looked at me as if I had done her some wrong. I glared back at her. This girl was really getting on my nerves, but I had to stay calm.
"No, Mona Lisa, we haven't found any Triceratons. In fact, we've bought ourselves some time, and we have a head start since they, for the time of being, don't have any ships. At least, not that many, anyway. No, we've found some info on the Black Hole Generator and how we can find it." I saw Jhanna sit up straighter from where she sat on the stairs, where Traximus had wrapped up his knee earlier, and stare at us expectantly.
"Really? Well, what did you find? How much do you know?" Starlee typed on the computers, and on the 'windshield' of the ship, a picture of the Black Hole Generator, a big circle-shaped device made out of some kind of metal, appeared, along with information about it on the side.
"The Black Hole Generator was an invention of the Kraang, built centuries ago while the Kraang and the Triceratons still fought against each other. It was built to destroy the Triceratons once and for all, and they used it to suck the Triceratons' planet into oblivion forever. They didn't realize that a handful of Triceratons had managed to survive in their ships. But I assume you all know that story." Starlee smiled apologetically at Traximus, who shrugged with an understanding smirk. I took over and walked up to the picture of the Black Hole Generator, pressing on three places in the picture and splitting the invention up into three sections.
"At the time, the Intergalactic Allegiance had tried in every way they could to help stop the war between the Triceratons and the Kraang, and when they found out about the Black Heart, they confiscated it from the Kraang, destroyed any evidence of the invention that the Kraang had, and then split it up into three pieces and hid it on the most well-hidden and unknown planets they could find, hoping nobody would ever find the pieces and put it back together." The pieces on the screen floated away from each other and then disappeared onto three different planets with no names. I turned back to the others.
The Professor stepped up to the screen as well and pointed at the three planets. "We haven't found the two last pieces, but we have found a planet where the first piece most likely is. Planet Zerij is a planet covered in nothing but rock, and most of it is riddled with caves- it is pretty hollow, similar to one of those cheese sorts you can find on D'Hoonib." Oh, so D'hoonib had its own version of Swiss cheese? 'Cause that's how I saw the planet's hollow structure and had tried to explain it as such, but Starlee and the Professor hadn't understood what I meant. Anyway, the planet Zerij appeared on the screen- it was a dark grey rock planet that looked like a bigger, darker version of the moon.
"There's also very little intelligent life on the planet; all we could find as a sign of life was a few species of fish that live deep down in the underground lakes in the lower tunnels. We tracked one of the fragments to this planet, and we believe it's hidden somewhere in the depths of the tunnels or in one of the caves. The ship is now headed in Zerij's direction, and if Donatello's calculations are correct, we'll be there in about five days." Starlee stood up again took a small tablet from the instrument board, pressed on the screen a few times and then shot a glance over at Mona Lisa for a second. She then walked up to her, pressed her tablet to her chest and folded her arms over it.
"But, since we've also promised Mona Lisa to drop her off on her own planet, we'll make a small stop on Filione to gather some supplies and rest up a little. Fortunately, there's also a wormhole only a few days away that will take us closer to Filione. Also Zerij is also really close to Filione, so we'll be there in about a week, maybe a little more- give or take." Mona smiled – for the first time in a while, now- and played a little with a strand of her brown hair.
"Thank you, Starlee," She nodded at the robot, "Professor. I really appreciate it." I rolled my eyes at her. Oh, sure, 'cause Starlee and the Professor were clearly the only geniuses around here. Clearly some things were still the same since I left Earth. I guess it's true, what they say- that a true genius is never appreciated in his time. Starlee shrugged, and while her mouth smiled, her eyes didn't look quite as friendly. The arms she folded over her chest tightened and she nodded her head in my direction, her bangs falling over her eyes.
"Thank Donnie- he was the one who looked for the quickest way to Filione and then to Zerij. He took quite some time to think up a way to get to Zerij as quickly as possible without having to take too much of a detour that would allow us to drop you off on the way." She brushed her hair out of her eyes and then walked up to the instrument board and placed her tablet on the polished white metal.
"Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll go and take a shower. If anybody needs to know anything more or has any questions, go to Donnie or the Professor. They'll explain everything that they know to you." She walked over to the door that led to the shower room and disappeared through the automated doors. Mona Lisa looked over at me and then down at the floor, her hair covering most of her face as she folded her arms over her chest.
"Thanks," She muttered, then left the room. I rolled my eyes. What was the deal with this girl? Why could she never even try to sound pleasant? Couldn't even look me in the eyes when she thanked me. I crossed my arms and glared after her.
"Oh no, it's nothing. Really, you don't need to shower me with so much gratitude- it was nothing. Really." I pressed a few buttons on the instrument boards, shutting down the visuals on the screen, and then turned to the Professor.
"Professor, you start setting the coordinates for the wormhole that'll take us to Filione, and start increasing the ship's speed from eight to eleven. We wanna keep as big a distance between us and the Triceratons as possible. I'll come and help in a minute." He nodded and started to type on one of the keyboards on the walls of the ship. I walked up to Jhanna, who smiled and played a little with one of her ponytails.
"Nice presentation. You really sound like you know what you're talking about. Are you good with science and tech?" I blushed slightly and nodded at her.
"Well, heh- I don't wanna brag or anything, but I've always been interested in science, technology and finding out how things worked. I guess I got interested after accidentally blowing up the toaster at home when I was three, and since then I've been stuck to the subjects." I chuckled awkwardly and rubbed the back of my neck. Jhanna looked confused and her arms dropped to her sides.
"What's a toaster?" I stopped laughing and looked at her with equally confused eyes. Eventually I shrugged and tried to figure out what to say.
"Well, it's a small machine that heats your bread, if you like it that way. Or just thaws it- like, if your bread is frozen, you can put it in a toaster and it'll get warmer faster and makes it really tasty. Kinda crunchy and browner and-" I looked at her and saw she was still confused and just dropped it. "Eh, forget it. It doesn't matter." Jhanna nodded and looked back out the window.
"Though there's one thing I don't understand. The Triceratons want to use a Black Hole Generator to destroy your planet, right? So what makes you guys think that we can ride through a black hole without getting destroyed in the process?" I shook my head and started to explain.
"Oh no no, it's not a black hole, it's a wormhole. They're quite different, I assure you. A black hole is a region of space from which nothing, including light, can escape. Any matter or light entering the black hole's even horizon remains there and can never come out again. A wormhole is more like a tunnel through space." I picked up a piece of paper, upon which I had earlier written some notes, and a pen.
"Picture that this is space, right? Well, let's say that space is filled with wormholes and that space is two dimensional." I folded the paper on the half. "And if there's a wormhole here, it'll be like a tunnel that'll lead from one place in space to another, like this." I pressed the tip of the pen through the paper, and then folded it back out again. "So a wormhole is a tunnel that'll lead from here to there." I pointed to one of the holes and then to the other. Jhanna nodded and I could practically see the wheels in her head turning as she processed the information.
"Okay, I think I get it. So black holes swallow everything and nothing can ever escape, and a wormhole is like a shortcut from one place to another, right?" I nodded and put the paper down again.
"That's right, you've got it. It's really not so hard, is it?" She shook her head and fingered the sword in her belt. Then, after a few seconds of thought, she started to walk towards the room with the Food-Replicator and the couches.
"No, I guess not. Well, if you'll excuse me, I'll go and train in the holographic chamber- in there. Good luck with those computers," She looked over her shoulder and winked. "Captain." She then slipped through the doors.
I froze on the spot. 'Captain'? Said who? Who on this ship had ever said anything about me being captain? Oh, heck no. I had just helped with the computers and with some other things. I wasn't a leader. I had never lead anyone in my life. And now people expected me to be captain aboard a space ship? No way, no how! I could never do that.
"Donatello?" I turned to Traximus, who had placed his big hand on my shoulder and was gazing down on me with a concerned look on his face. "Are you alright? You look a little pale." I shrugged and looked down at floor, biting my lip.
"I don't know. I guess I'm still trying process everything that's happened so far. I mean, I'm in space, on a spaceship, and I have two alien races chasing me- and my friends- to either destroy or kidnap us. I don't know if I can handle it. I don't..." I sighed and looked up from the floor.
"I don't know if I'm ready for this." Traximus hummed a little and removed his hand from my shoulder to pat me on the shell instead.
"Donatello, there are a lot of people that never feel ready for what the world and their planets, their leaders or their people throw at them. Sometimes they are ready and sometimes they're not. But sometimes, you have to make yourself ready for it. Because it might depend on the betterment of their worlds, their planets or their people. If you have make a sacrifice or change yourself to make sure you're ready, then that would be a very small price to pay, wouldn't it?" He walked away and I stared after him, part of me wanting to stop him to talk to him some more and the other part still processing what he had said. And the more I thought it over, the more I thought that he had a really good point.
If I were to go on this journey and also win in the end, I had to change a few things. I couldn't be a nitpicker; I had to toughen up and be stronger than I had been before. I had never really been that strong, since I had always thought that Raph and Leo were the strong ones, and I usually stuck to the shadows. I was always the strong one mentally. But that was about to change.
I had to be strong both mentally and physically, and if it was true, what Jhanna said- that I was captain now- then I would have to act like it, too. It might be hard and it was probably going to be tougher than anything I had ever done, but, just like the training with Traximus, I had to do it in order to succeed- it was necessary for Earth the people who lived there.
I nodded to myself and walked back to the computers and the instrument boards, sat down beside the Fugitoid and started to turn the ship slightly and program in the destination of the wormhole, about 10 light-years away from us. The Professor had increased the speed to eleven and I quickly calculated that if we went this speed with consistency, we would arrive at the wormhole in three days. Seemed doable, and seeing how we still had that head start, we could make it to Filione and get to Zerij without the Triceratons ever getting there before we had already left. Still, I hoped it was enough and that the Triceratons didn't figure out where the piece was- or follow us to it.
I sighed heavily, leaned back in my seat and placed both hands over my face. So much was happening and I was still running to catch up with it all. My head was spinning, my eyes were dropping and everything still felt so new. I know that ninjas adapt and that we've had to do it before, but I had to adapt to so much and it was all happening so fast that I didn't quite catch it all. Still, I had to keep going. I wasn't about to quit just because I was a little tired.
"Donatello, are you listening?" I snapped out my thoughts, lowered my hands and looked at the Professor, who seemed confused. I rubbed my hands over my face and felt the fatigue wash over me.
"Oh, sorry, Professor. I'm just a little tired, that's all. Uh, what were you saying?" The Professor looked from the computers to me.
"Um, I said that I have just activated the auto-pilot and that you can go and relax. You look a little pale and you obviously need some rest." I shook my head. No, I was not about to look weak right now. I had decided to be stronger; I couldn't back down seconds after I had made that decision.
"Oh, really? Is there nothing I can do here? Maybe the fuel tanks need to be overlooked? I mean, seeing how we've increased our speed to get to the wormhole quicker, more fuel will be used, right? Maybe if we lower the heat to the ship, more fuel will be used and we might spare some more if we-" The Professor suddenly reached his arm towards me and placed his hand on my forehead. I had no idea if he could feel warmth with his robotic body, but seeing how he was a very advanced robot I guess anything was possible.
"Donatello, you have a fever. All right, it's not very high, but it's still there. You really should get some rest. Go and lie down in the one of the beds to rest a little. I can guarantee you that if something goes wrong in any way, there will be an alarm that would wake a sleeping giant if it sounded off. Now go and rest. There's a room ready for you in the corridor from the dinner room, fifth door on the right." I sighed, stood up walked into the room that Jhanna had gone through. I saw her training with her sword, but I didn't really look that much at her- I just walked through another door and into a corridor.
Jhanna had mentioned something about bedrooms when she had gone to burn her clothes earlier, so I guess they had already chosen which room they wanted. I opened the fifth door on the right and came into a medium-sized room. There wasn't much in there: a small dresser for my spacesuit and gear, a lamp that lit up the room pretty well, a nightstand, and a bed- a pretty big bed, compared to one in my room back home, which was twin-sized, had a thin blanket and a pretty flat mattress. This bed was probably, at the very least, queen sized, had a thick covers and big pillows.
I guess this ship had been used for people in very high places on D'hoonib, since everything here was so comfortable. I felt like a prince, since I could eat whatever I wanted, train in an advanced dojo and an experienced teacher, up to date technology around me and sleep on a bed that made me feel like I was sleeping on clouds. I sat down on the bed to test the mattress, and it felt marvellous. I immediately lied down, nuzzled my face into the pillow and sighed. Yeah, I could totally get used to this.
"So you know where they're headed?" Commander Mozar kneeled before me and lowered his head to the floor.
"Yes, Prime Leader. They're headed towards the planet Filione, and that's a long way from here. They won't get there until the end of the month. The piece must be there, and they'll lead us right to it. That little brat destroyed most of our ships, but we have a few that still work. Our mother ship is also ready for takeoff, but it will be quite, um, conspicuous, and our enemies will spot us immediately if we take it. What are your orders, Sir?" I thought it over and then gave my answer.
"Send out as many of our ships as you can after those brats- but don't destroy them! It's likely that they know where the pieces are by now and they'll most likely go there, so follow them. They will lead us to the demise of The Kraang, and of Earth..."
A/N: Dun dun dun! Yeah, not much happened, but still. There can't be action in every chapter, right? And I also try to sound smart in this chapter and for the future, but I'm not a genius in those particular areas*, so I'm doing the best I can.
*This is where Kame tried to be self-depreciating ("but I'm not smart"), and also where I, Violet, her beta, refuse to let her say such nonsense. Kame, you're VERY freaking SMART! Don't go hating on yourself, girl!
I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please review, favorite and follow! G'night everybody!