A Million Miles Apart
A/N: Hello! Can someone please tell me how I managed to go from updating every other week to only once a month? Seriously, what has made me become so lazy? I need to get a job, soon!
Also, I don't know how I missed this, but until CJthestoryteller mentioned it in her review, I hadn't realized this story is now two years old. Again, I don't know how I missed it, but I guess I don't have to say that every time it happens. But I still find it incredible how I've been writing this story for two years and not given up yet. Granted, I'm not usually one to give up, but still. It's easy to lose interest after a while and I'm impressed that neither I nor my readers have lost interest. So, thank you for sticking around!
I hope you'll like this chapter and please review, favorite and follow!
Chapter 58, Chosen One or Clumsy Fool?
"-and that's when I woke up."
The suns were beaming down on us as Traximus, Mona and I made our way through the city and back to the ship where we would meet up with the others. I had just finished telling them about my dream and also showed them the necklace, so I wouldn't sound like a completely crazy person. Although I left out the part of Traximus praying for my safety, figuring it wasn't something he wanted me to bring up. Mona looked over the locket and ran her finger over the Hamato crest with her finger.
"This is so beautiful," she muttered to herself before she gave it back to me and looked up at me. "Well, I think it sounds like a sign. I mean, Shen said that she came because you asked for their help, right? And she also said that the Aeons have been looking for someone to destroy the Black Hole Generator, and you just happen to stumble into all of this? I mean, it can't all be coincidence." She placed her hand to her chin, absentmindedly rubbing it while thinking for a second, then turned back to me.
"Maybe they wanted to tell you something? Maybe they're trying to say that this is your destiny? The Aeons wouldn't reach out to just anyone, especially not just because they asked for it. And besides, I still think it's a little farfetched that you just happened to end up in this particular situation by sheer accident." Traximus nodded and heaved his axe over his shoulder.
"She makes a good point. It all seems very convenient that you happen to land on D'hoonib and then stumble into the Triceratons' hands and find out about their vendetta with the Kraang. Perhaps they gave you a push in that direction, so that you could be the one to finish this?" I looked at both my friends, groaned and looked down at the locket in my hand.
"Great, just what I needed. Not only do I have to finish this senseless war, defeat the Triceratons and save my planet, but I've also become the Aeons 'Chosen One' and will have their eyes on every move I make, every step of the way. Great. Just fantastic." I know I sounded bitter and snappy as well as highly sarcastic, but I couldn't help it. Like it wasn't bad enough that billions of lives hinged on my success, but now I would also have the added pressure of the knowledge that if I failed, I wouldn't just let my people down, I would also let the Aeons down as well. Terrific. Absolutely wonderful.
I crossed my arms over my chest and sighed heavily, and eventually one hand found its way up to the amulet around my neck and I started to rub my thumb over its smooth surface. I realized more and more that it had become a habit to touch it or hold it. I chalked it up to being a nervous tic, since it usually calmed me down, but it was something I had begun to notice more and more.
Mona placed her hand on my shoulder and shook it excitedly, waking me straight out of my thoughtful daze. She was almost bouncing and had a smile that almost spread from one ear to the other.
"Donnie, you should see this as a massive honor! The Aeons haven't been involved in a war in years, and now that they've made contact with someone for the first time in decades, it's you! They've chosen you to become the great hero to take down Zanramon and destroy the most evil weapon in existence! It means that they see something special in you!" I stared at Mona. She was a lot more excited and thrilled than I had ever seen her be. Even more than when we landed on Filione. This meant something special to her, that was plain to see.
Traximus smiled down at me and placed a big hand on my shoulder. "Mona Lisa is right, Donatello. The Aeons have great power and can see things which the mortal eye cannot. So if they see something in you and believe you are strong and brave enough to complete such a big task, you should see it as an honor and the greatest of compliments. You have all-powerful beings on your side and willing to help you succeed- you can't have a greater ally than that."
I looked away from Traximus and down at the ground. "I guess. But I don't understand what they could see in me. I mean, there have to be thousands of strong, capable warriors in the galaxy, so why would they choose someone like me? If anything, it's my fault that the Triceratons are hunting after the pieces to the Black Hole Generator in the first place! Why would they think I would be the one to end their tyranny and bring peace to the galaxy? Aside from the obvious, my brain and my scientific knowledge, I don't have anything to offer anyone, especially not in a war. I'm… I'm nothing special. " Traximus smacked a hand against my shell so hard that I almost faceplanted on the ground.
"That is not true, Donatello." I managed to stay on my feet, but almost had to run a few steps just to make sure I wouldn't land on my face. But I barely had time to stand up straight before he practically slammed his hand back down on my shoulder, almost making my knees buckle under me. It was a miracle I remained on my feet.
"Man, one of these days this guy's gonna get me seriously hurt." I muttered under my breath as I straightened myself up. But Traximus wasn't finished just yet.
"Donatello, you underestimate yourself too much. You have a stronger spirit and more determination than anyone I have ever met, and you also have so much love and compassion in your heart. Not many warriors see the value in kindness and compassion these days. You've survived this long and I have no doubt that you will succeed." He grabbed both my shoulders and turned me towards him so he could look me in the eyes.
"You cannot let Zanramon or anyone else make you feel inferior. That's exactly what Zanramon wants; to knock you down and make sure you don't get back up again. He may not see you as a threat or take you seriously, but I know you have more than enough strength in you to knock him off his throne. You have made it this far and I know you are too stubborn to give up. And, for what it's worth, I am honored to be a part of this mission. I will be behind you every step of the way; I hope you know that." I just stared at him for a while, wracking my brain, trying to think of something good and intelligent to say. But before I could, I felt Mona's hand on my shoulder and when I turned to look at her I saw that she had a huge, sincere smile on her face.
"Donnie, I know we haven't had the smoothest friendship during this trip, but I won't abandon you guys. I am scared and I don't know how much help I'll really be. I'm not strong or brave or smart, but I will do what I can to help. I won't turn my back on you now that we've made it this far, and I know Jhanna and Starlee won't either. You're not in this alone, Donnie. We've got your back."
I looked between them a few times and had blink a few times so they wouldn't see I had tears forming in my eyes. I took a deep breath and placed my hands over theirs. "Thank you, guys. You have no idea how much this means to me." Traximus smirked good-naturedly at me and patted my shoulder.
"Let's go. Jhanna and Starlee are probably waiting for us at the ship by now." He started to walk down the street again, his axe still thrown over his shoulder. Mona and I shared a look at each other, smiled and then hurried after him. But as we kept walking, I couldn't wipe that stupid smile off my face.
'Man, how did I manage to find friends like these guys?'
Once we made it back to the ship, we saw that it was still being looked over. A few large creatures in suits were working on the hole in the roof, and a few others seemed to be working on the fuel containers.
Starlee and Jhanna were sitting outside the ship on a low stone wall, each with a drink in hand and a lot less clothing on. Today was just as warm- if not warmer- than yesterday had been when we arrived, so I guess it made sense for them to not dress in long pants and two layers of shirts. Starlee had a knee-long skirt and a tank top and she was still wearing her roller skates. Jhanna was wearing cargo shorts, a tank top and pair of sneakers, but what really caught my attention was her hair. While it was still tied up- only this time in a ponytail- it was significantly shorter and only reached down a bit past her shoulders and her bangs were cut into side bangs. All this, accompanied with the ponytail, made me think of April and I felt my heart clench painfully. But I couldn't let them see it, so I put on a smile and came up to them, trying to act as if nothing was wrong.
Starlee looked up from her glass, smiled, jumped down from the wall and came skating up to us, throwing her arms around me, then Mona and finally Traximus. "Hi, guys! I was starting to wonder when you were gonna show up." Jhanna, who was sitting one leg over the other, smiled teasingly before she uncrossed her legs and jumped down to greet us.
"It's about time you showed! We were starting to wonder if you had gotten lost or something." I raised an eyebrow at her and crossed my arms over my chest.
"Alright, out of all of us, who is the most likely to get lost, really? I've got quite the photographic memory, remember? I'd be more worried about you two getting lost." Jhanna rolled her eyes and brushed her bangs out of her face.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever." She leaned on one leg, resting one hand on her hip and her teasing smile turned more genuine. "So… how was your night? You didn't have any more trouble, did you?" I shrugged and uncrossed my arms.
"Eh, nothing more than a few bigots. Nothing we couldn't handle. The night itself was calm and we didn't have any trouble finding a place to sleep." I lowered my voice a little and leaned in closer to her so she could hear me. "Though I had a really strange dream last night." Jhanna narrowed her eyes and leaned in closer.
"About what?" I looked around and saw the Professor coming out of the ship, so I quickly told her that I'd fill them in later and looked over to the Professor. He smiled his usual robot smile and waved at us.
"Hello, friends! Wonderful day, isn't it?" Jhanna and I smiled at him and Starlee and Mona came over to us.
"It's very hot, that's for sure," Jhanna muttered and brushed her sweaty bangs out of her eyes. She clearly didn't like the heat, but Mona smiled contentedly, spread her arms out and tilted her head to the sun and closed her eyes.
"Mm, yes, isn't it wonderful? I didn't realize how much I had missed the sun until today." Starlee and Jhanna looked at her like she was crazy, probably because of how their bodies didn't handle heat the same way we did. And given how their foreheads were already glistening with sweat, I could understand them. Me and Mona on the other hand were quite enjoying the temperature and I didn't feel overheated or uncomfortable at all. In fact, if anything, it felt wonderful to be out of the cold, dead ship and be outside under the sun and in the fresh air.
Traximus walked up to the Professor and placed his axe against the stonewall. "How are the repairs coming along?" The Professor's smile dropped and he let out a tired groan.
"Well, unfortunately, when we arrived most repairmen had already gone home, so I had to wait until early today for help. They have only just started and it will take some time before they will be finished." Then he perked up again and smiled again. "But on the bright side, I have contacted Pluto Khan and he is here, just as I suspected he would be. And I told him I wanted to arrange a meeting today. He told me to meet him at a bar on the city's town square."
He came over to me and the girls. "Unfortunately I have to stay behind and watch over the repairs. I told Pluto Khan that I would send my friends to see him and that he needs to look out for you." I looked at the others and then back to the Professor.
"But we don't know who he is or how he looks. How will we know who he is?" The Professor smiled and placed his hand on my shoulder.
"Oh, you can't miss him. And even if you don't know him, he will know who you are. Don't worry, you will be fine." Mona rolled her eyes and folded her arms over her chest.
"Well, that doesn't sound incredibly vague or anything. You don't have to give us all the details, Professor, we can figure a few things out for ourselves." The Professor shrugged and laughed nervously.
"Well, I would go with you if I could, but I have to stay here and overlook the repairs. But I have told him to look out for you at the bar, so he'll know you when you walk in. You'll be fine."
I sighed heavily and looked over at Mona and Jhanna, who just shrugged- it was my call, apparently. I sighed again and nodded tiredly, fingering the amulet around my neck.
"Alright, we should get moving, then." The Professor looked at the amulet and then at me with slightly nervous robot-eyes.
"Uh, are you going to bring that device with you? I mean, it is filled with black matter, which is very dangerous. Wouldn't it be better if you left it back on the ship?" I shook my head and let go of it.
"I don't want to leave it here with a bunch of workers here. They might find it and steal it or break it. I want to keep it close by, so I can keep an eye on the stuff." The Professor didn't look entirely convinced, but I ignored him and looked over at Traximus. "Are you coming with us, Trax?" He shook his head and placed a big hand on the Professor's shoulders.
"No, it would be better if I stayed behind. I will help the Professor with repairing the ship. Also, it would make things that much harder for you if Pluto Khan saw you with a Triceraton. It's better if I stay here." I nodded. He made a good point, though I was little disappointed that I wouldn't get a chance to talk more to him about my dream.
"Okay. Well, we'd better get going. See you later. Come on, girls, let's go." We started to walk down the street, when I suddenly heard the Professor call out for us, making us all turn back to look at him. He came up to us with a bottle in his hand, which he gave to Mona Lisa.
"It's very warm today and it will probably get warmer. You need to stay hydrated. Also, make sure you are back by sundown. Even if the ship isn't ready by then, I don't like the idea of you running around the city after dark." Jhanna waved nonchalantly at him and smiled wryly.
"Don't worry about it, Professor. We'll be fine; we're not kids, we can take care of ourselves! Now, come on guys, we're losing daylight just standing around here." Mona rolled her eyes but with a very small, barely visible smile, followed, with me quick to join them. Starlee was still skating, but was considerate enough to match her speed with our pace.
Suddenly I felt a faint prickling in my neck and stopped to look around me. Mona stopped too and looked at me. "What's wrong?" I looked around in every direction I could without seeing anything out of the ordinary.
"I… I feel like someone is watching us." I looked around again before shrugging. "Eh, it's probably nothing. I'm probably just paranoid or something... let's keep moving." We started walking again, but the feeling was still there. I grabbed at the amulet around my neck nervously and rubbed my thumb over its surface.
'Relax, Donnie; it's nothing. There's no one here who wants to hurt you- how would the Triceratons know where to find you?'
I tried to reassure myself and it worked pretty well, but there was still that small voice deep down that told me something really bad was going to happen today.
I don't know how long I had been watching that ship, but it was probably at least an hour until they finally showed up. I had seen Jhanna and Starlee outside almost the whole time and it took a whole lot of effort to not run out there and grab them right away.
'Well, why can't I? What reason do I have to follow through on the deal? It's not like I'll lose anything by leaving right now.'
While the thought was tempting, something in me made stay put, if only because the thought of the Triceratons wanting revenge for my betrayal and hurting my sisters wouldn't leave me alone. So I waited and waited until all of them started to head into the city.
"Well, that's my cue." I adjusted the wig and my clothes, hoping I looked as inconspicuous as I needed to. If Jhanna and Starlee recognized me, the jig would be up in a millisecond and they would know something was up. Or at least Jhanna would- she had always been suspicious of my intentions and disliked my loyalties to our father. She just refused to understand why I did what I did.
I walked out of the ship and started to walk after the little group, with Zog's device in my pocket, and made sure to keep enough distance between us so it wouldn't look like I was following them, but also made sure to always keep them within sight. I saw that reptile freak turn around to look behind them, so I had dived in behind another ship until they started walking again.
I sighed and shook my head in annoyance as I got back up on my feet again. "That Triceraton freak's little circus better be worth it," I muttered to myself and hurried after the little gang so I wouldn't lose them the first thing I did.
As we walked down the street towards the bar, I looked between the girls. "If we finish talking to Pluto Khan quickly, we may have some time over to explore the city. I'd love to see more of this place." Starlee smiled widely and threw her head, flicking her hair out of her eyes.
"That would be great! I'd love to have a little fun in between all the drama and action that's been happening lately. I don't think I've ever even seen so much fun stuff in one place in all my life." Jhanna looked over at her with a teasing smile.
"That's because you haven't, Sis. I've been all over Peblak back home and there's absolutely nothing fun outside of dance clubs and pubs. And that's not exactly fun if you're not into that stuff." Mona wrinkled her nose and seemed disgusted by the ideas the words 'clubs' and 'pubs' gave her. And I couldn't exactly blame her; I had heard what could happen at pubs in big cities on the news back home.
Now that the city was in broad daylight and since we had been here for a while, it didn't feel at all as hostile as it had yesterday. I guess that was because we weren't in that 'anti-reptile' zone anymore, but it still felt a lot better now that the sun was out and it was still early noon, barely past ten AM. For some reason it made everything seem very fresh and newly awoken. Not a whole lot of people were out yet, but some shops, restaurants and a few other places were starting to open for the day. Birdsong was heard from a distance and soft music was playing from some of the opened buildings. The planet was awake, and its residents were starting to wake up with it.
I took in a deep breath through my nose and let myself breathe in the wonderful feeling of this morning. I knew it would only get more hectic as the day went on, so it would be best to savor this feeling while it lasted.
Mona Lisa seemed to enjoy this morning just as much as I did, especially the sun. I caught her tilting her head towards the sun quite a few times and just let herself bask in its warmth. She had the Professor's bottle in the belt around her waist and it swung and bounced slightly against her hip with every step she took. Jhanna and Starlee didn't seem to enjoy it quite as much, though Starlee was certainly somewhat enjoying it. At least both of them had been smart enough to dress accordingly so they wouldn't overheat.
My eyes fell on Jhanna. I don't know what it was, but something about her made me think of April whenever I looked at her. Her newly cut hair, the ponytail, and the clothing really reminded me of her. And while it made my heart clench and ache just like earlier, it also made me feel strangely at ease. Kinda like she was here with me, despite how Jhanna was not really that much like April. At least not personality-wise, except for that crazy stubbornness and loyalty. My feelings for April were still there and I found myself lying awake at night wishing she was there with me and that I could see her again. You only get so far by looking at photographs for a few months; after a while you want to see the real thing.
I was so deep in my thoughts that I didn't realize I was staring and Jhanna looked up at me and jumped a little. Her cheeks turned a light shade of purple and her eyes flickered a little before meeting mine. I cleared my throat and tried to think of something good to say and my eyes fell on her hair again.
"Uh, y-you've cut your hair," I stammered lamely and tried to sound more confident than I felt. Jhanna blinked at me and then looked at her ponytail and fingered a little on her bangs.
"Uh, yeah, Starlee helped me cut it a little last night. Though it feels a little weird that my hair isn't as heavy as before." She sounded a little dismissive, as if she was trying to act like she didn't really care about it, but I also picked up on a little anticipation in her tone. Like she wanted to know what I thought, but didn't want me to know that. So I smiled and teasingly pulled at her ponytail.
"I like it. It suits you." She smiled and pushed my hand away with a playful smirk. But I also saw her cheeks were still a light shade darker than usual. I shrugged. It was probably because of the heat. But when I looked away from her, I saw that Starlee was looking at Jhanna with a knowing smile on her face. Jhanna noticed this and glared at her younger sister, which only made Starlee's smile widen. I shrugged and assumed it was just sisters being sisters and kept walking, until I heard Jhanna talk again.
"Hey, Donnie? You said something about a weird dream, are you gonna fill us in on that?"
Starlee looked up and stared at me. "Dream? What dream?" I quickly told Jhanna and Starlee about last night's dream, how Tang Shen had talked to me, and told them about the advice she had given me. I also showed them the locket she had given me, so they would believe me. Starlee looked at me with wide eyes and listened carefully to every word I said.
"Wow, the Aeons spoke to you? That's amazing! I've never heard of anyone speaking with the Aeons." Jhanna seemed a little less convinced and eyed the locket with suspicion.
"Seems a little convenient if you ask me. I mean, you ask the Aeons for a sign and it comes the very same night? Why didn't they come earlier, or try to help you before, if they have kept such a close eye on you? I don't know, seems like a bunch of hooey if you ask me." Mona rolled her eyes and took the locket from me, almost shoving it in Jhanna's face.
"Uh, hello? Did you miss that he woke up with the same locket he saw in his dream? It couldn't just be dream, or else this wouldn't be here!" Jhanna raised her hands defensively and shrugged with a nonchalant expression on her face.
"I'm not saying that he's making this stuff up. I'm just saying that it seems a bit weird that the Aeons, who say they watch over everyone and protect life in every way, choose to wait for people to ask for their help rather than help because they want to. 'Oh, look, these kids are getting involved with the Triceratons and may possibly need our help to save billions of lives, but let's wait for him to come to us before we intervene.' Talk about picking your battles." Mona narrowed her eyes and I could see that she felt offended on the Aeons' behalf, so I quickly put the locket away, ready to try and change the subject.
"Well, she said that their power has gotten weaker over the years, so maybe they have to pick and choose their battles a bit. I mean, they may not be able to help everyone in the galaxy." I quickened my pace, forcing the others to hurry up a little so they could keep up, thus dropping the subject of the Aeons and my dream.
A/N: Okay, it's finally done! Seriously, you have no idea how much I struggled with the last part of this chapter. So much so, I eventually scrapped it and decided to use that part in a later chapter. Well, we're starting to get closer to the really emotional and dark stuff. I both want to get to it right away and also want to spare you from all the horrible things that are going in my mind.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please review, favorite and follow! G'night everybody!