Chapter 7: The Arena of Carnage
The Turtles had entered the Ulixies' training deck as the holograms activated to reveal the settings of the Foot headquarters, with Shredder himself sitting on his throne.
"You got this, Leo!" Donnie encouraged as Raph and Mikey cheered while a hologram of Tiger Claw generated and roared.
"Let's see if these upgrades are as good as Honeycutt promised." Leo stated, stretching his arms as he walked up and faced his holographic foe. He then stood across from the holographic Tiger Claw as the two each took a stance.
"Round one. Ready? FIGHT!" The holographic Shredder announced.
Immediately after hearing this, Leo charged towards Tiger Claw as the holographic tiger mutant got out his machete. Tiger Claw swung his machete at Leo's head, trying to decapitate the turtle, but the leader in blue ducked under before the tiger mutant swiped at his feet, forcing Leo to jump back.
Tiger Claw then drew one of his laser pistols and fired at Leo. But the blue clad turtle was too quick as he swiftly drew his katanas and deflected the laser bolt. The tiger mutant then tried to hit him with a flying kick, but Leo leaped over the kick. Once he landed, Leo then jabbed Tiger Claw in abdomen before kicking him across the face, leaving the tiger mutant dazed.
A smirk coming onto his face, Leo dashed forward for the finishing blow. "SHORYUKEN!" He shouted as he hit Tiger Claw with a spinning upper cut, knocking him high into the air.
Leo then did a dab at his victory as the holographic Tiger Claw faded away.
"Substitution, Michelangelo." The holographic shredder once again announced.
Mikey stretched his arms in preparation. "Totally wrong game for shoryukens, bro." He said as he gave Leo a high-three before he stepped up onto the combat platform as a holographic Rahzar generated in front of him.
"Round two. FIGHT!"
Mikey let out a wild yell as Rahzar tried to slash at him with his claws, but the orange clad turtle easily jumped over the attack, smacking the zombie wolf upside the head before knocking him into the air with a flurry of kicks. Rahzar tried to get up, but Mikey didn't let up as he jumped on his back and landed several rapid kicks.
The orange clad turtle then jumped off Rahzar's back, panting for breath while Rahzar got up in a daze.
"FINISH HIM!" The holographic Shredder ordered.
Mikey stood up straight, his face uncharacteristically cold as he pulled a small tube seemingly out of nowhere before he stuck in Rahzar's mouth. He then bent down to the ground, pumping an air-pump repeatedly, causing Rahzar's head to comically inflate like a balloon before popping off his body.
"Michelangelo wins. Flawless victory." Shredder announced as Mikey held up Rahzar's inflated head like a balloon. "BALLONALITY!"
"Aw, yeah! That's how I do it!" Mikey cheered with fireworks in the background as he high-fived Donnie and Raph.
"Eh, that was a mediocre battle at best." Raph stated as he and Donnie stepped forward.
"Watch the new A-Team in action!" Donnie declared, reaching for his staff as the two got ready to face a holographic Bebop and Rocksteady.
However, before the fight could start, the entire simulation suddenly ended, reverting back to the training room, much to their disappointment.
"Apologies, Turtles." Fugitoid announced over the intercom. "But you are needed on the bridge immediately."
A few minutes later, the Turtles arrived on the bridge as everyone gathered together at their stations. "What's up, Professor?" Leo questioned.
"We are closing in on the Triceraton Mothership." Fugitoid answered grimly.
True to his word, the whole crew looked out the main window to see the massive vessel that served as the Triceraton Mothership, the home of the entire remaining Triceraton Empire, hovering around a small moon.
"That's a lot bigger than I thought it would be." April gulped a bit, now feeling a little nervous about fighting the Triceratons.
"So what's the plan, Captain Leo?" Mikey asked eagerly as a three dimensional hologram of the plans to the Triceraton Mothership supplied by Ziro was projected.
"Our best entry point is through the auxiliary airlock." Leo stated, pointing to said airlock on the hologram. "However, we can't risk going in there with the Ulixies unless we want to get blown to smithereens, so we'll take the stealth shuttle to sneak aboard."
"I am certain that with ninety-nine point ninety-eight percent certainty, that it is being stored in their main armory." Fugitoid added. "April and Casey will remain with me on the ship and monitor your progress."
Of course, Fugitoid was immediately met with bits of protest. "Are you kidding?" Casey questioned. "I'm not getting left behind like a chump!"
"He does have a point, Casey." April said, sighing a bit. "We're just not as stealthy as the Turtles." A small smirk then came onto her face. "But I'm getting close."
"Alright, guys. Operation: Infiltrate Mothership is a go!" Leo declared as the Turtles huddled together, putting their hands together in the center.
After getting their space suits on, the Turtles boarded the stealth shuttle before it departed from the Ulixies while the larger ship remained outside the range of the Triceraton's scanners. The stealth shuttle then maneuvered around the moon as the Mothership came into view, with the stealth shuttle activating it's cloak as it got closer.
"Are you sure they can't see us, Donnie?" Raph questioned irritably as they approached the auxiliary airlock.
"Absolutely! Almost completely positive." Donnie replied, sounding sure. But the more he thought about it, the more nervous he became. "Sort-of-ish... uh... no. Uh-uh."
Despite this, Leo piloted the ship as quietly and slowly as he could while they passed by several Triceraton star-fighters approached them. Mikey nearly gasped but Raph quickly covered his mouth with his hand as they passed by the small squad of fighters unnoticed.
The Turtles all breathed a sigh of relief, happy to know that their cloak was working before they proceeded to fly towards the auxiliary airlock.
"We're at the airlock, Professor." Donnie reported over to Fugitoid.
"It appears to be unguarded, but remain cautious."
"Relax, Fugi-dude, we're ninjas." Mikey said confidently. "How hard could this be?"
Leo cut a large hole in the airlock doors with his laser katana before kicking it down, allowing the Turtles to enter the Mothership
Going through the airlock, the Turtles found themselves standing in a long empty hallway that seemed to stretch for miles. "Okay. We're in." Donnie whispered over the comms as they peeked around a small corner leading into another hallway. "Lead the way, Professor."
"Right. Head down that corridor and you'll find the passage that should lead directly to the main armory."
Following the Fugitoid's instructions, the Turtles quietly made their way down the hallway. "Aw yeah!" Mikey whispered excitedly. "This'll be easier than stealing pepperoni-" He was cut off when he accidentally bumped into a Triceraton's arm. And that Triceraton just happened to be none other than Mozar himself.
"What?! These creatures?! Again?!" Mozar questioned in shock as the other Triceratons turned towards the Turtles, who were now backing away as their cover was now blown.
"Oh, space apples." Raph cursed.
"Capture them!" Mozar ordered as two Triceraton soldiers rushed forward, drawing their blasters and opening fire, forcing the Turtles to scatter and avoid the blaster fire.
"Might I suggest a tactical retreat?" Honeycutt suggested through the comms as the Turtles used their weapons to deflect some of the blaster fire.
"No way! I'm not running!" Raph stated stubbornly, deflecting a blaster bolt with his laser sai.
"We don't have a choice, Raph! Just do what Fuditoid says!" Leo told him as he deflected another blast with his laser katana. "Everyone, back to the airlock!"
The Turtles quickly began to retreat, running back down the hallway. However, they soon found themselves blocked off as two more Triceraton soldiers ran in front of them, blocking their way out.
"Easier said than done, dude!" Mikey exclaimed nervously.
"Bring it on, horn-heads!" Raph shouted, dashing forward as he threw his sai into the blaster of one of the Triceraton soldiers, disabling it and allowing Raph to jump up and deliver multiple airborne kicks to his face. But the Triceraton quickly recovered as he raised his fist and slammed the red clad turtle onto the ground.
Donnie and Mikey charged towards the two Triceratons with their respective weapons. Donnie knocked one of the blasters out of a Triceraton's hands with his staff, but the Triceraton retaliated by grabbing him and slamming him into the wall. Mikey jumped up onto another Triceraton's back, but the Triceraton grabbed him by the helmet and slammed him onto the ground.
Leo remained the last one standing as he jumped up, slashing a Triceraton across the face with his laser katana before kicking him in the snout. However, he was caught off-guard when Mozar grabbed him from behind and pinned his body against the wall.
"You want the airlock?" Mozar questioned before a sinister idea popped into his head. "Then you shall have it."
Seconds later, Leo, Raph, and Donnie were all thrown into the airlock, all stripped of their space gear and their weapons.
"Not my super rad helmet!" Mikey cried as he tried to keep it on while Mozar was attempting to pull it off. "I need it to breath!"
Mozar, however, was eventually able to successfully pry off Mikey's helmet before tossing him into the airlock with the rest of the Turtles as the airlock door shut.
"Open the airlock, slowly." Mozar ordered as he gazed at the Turtles through the door window. "I want to watch them suffer."
The Triceraton soldiers nodded as one of them lightly pressed the button to the airlock. Inside, the airlock door slowly began to open as the limited oxygen they had was beginning to suck out into space.
Immediately, Raph, Donnie, and Mikey began to panic as they started screaming and flailing around as their oxygen was being sucked out. "Stay calm, guys." Leo told them.
The three turtles stopped screaming as they looked towards they're older brother who was standing at the far corner of the room and looking surprisingly calm.
"Concentrate. Remember your training." Leo instructed before he sat down on his knees in what appeared to be a meditation.
Though seemingly a bit hesitant, Raph, Donnie, and Mikey's faces hardened as they sat down next to Leo in the same position.
Aboard the Ulixes, Fugitoid, April, and Casey were quite panicked when the Turtles signals suddenly went out. Luckily, Fugitoid managed to hack into the Triceraton's security cameras and eventually managed to locate the Turtles.
"What are they doing? Sleeping?" Casey questioned as they watched the Turtles simply meditating while the airlock was still opening.
"No, it's Sendou jutsu." April explained. Casey and Fugitoid turned to her, obviously a bit confused. "It's a meditative breathing technique Splinter taught them. They're slowing their body functions to go without oxygen."
"As fascinating as that is, we should formulate a plan to rescue the Turtles quickly." Fugitoid stated as he began typing away at his console.
"Observe how enemies of the Triceraton Empire suffer!" Mozar said proudly with his back turned to the airlock.
One soldier looked through the window. "Uh... Admiral?"
Mozar turned and looked through the window to the airlock, and his eyes widened in honest shock as he saw that the 'enemies of the Triceraton Empire' were not suffering at all. Rather, they were simply sitting on their knees in a small line, all breathing calmly as if they were at peace.
The Triceraton admiral let out a growl of frustration, these turtles creatures were really getting on his last nerve.
"Enough of this! Open the airlock the rest of the way!" Mozar ordered.
The soldier nodded before fully pressing the door to the airlock door.
Inside, the airlock door opened completely, breaking the Turtles' concentration as much of the cargo in the airlock was sucked out into space. The intense vacuum started to pull the Turtles out as well as they tried to hold on to whatever ledge of the wall they could find. Leo held on to a ledge as Donnie held onto his waist, and Mikey held his legs while Raph held a ledge while also holding Mikey's hand. But that didn't seem to be enough as they felt that they were starting to loose they're grips.
Outside, Mozar sneered almost sinisterly as watched as the Turtles were about to be sucked into space. Finally, those wretched creatures would not bother the Triceraton Empire anymore!
However, Mozar's holoprojecter suddenly started beeping, snapping him out of his cruel thoughts. He pulled out his holoprojecter as it projected a small hologram of his leader.
"Hail Emperor Zanramon!" Mozar and his two soldiers said, bowing their heads respectfully.
"Admiral Mozar, I want you to halt this... 'execution'." Emperor Zanramon said, much to Mozar's shock and anger.
"But, sire, these creatures-!"
"These four terrapins intrigue me." The Triceraton Emperor interrupted. "Perhaps they will make for good sport in the Games." With that, the hologram shut off, leaving Mozar to scowl to himself.
Back inside the airlock, the Turtles screamed as Leo finally lost his grip on the ledge and they were about to be sucked out into space when the door suddenly slide shut, causing them to slam into it.
"Yes!" Mikey exclaimed joyfully as they all lay in a pile, trying to catch their breath. "Sweet, sweet air!" The orange clad turtle began to comically inhale as much oxygen as he could.
"What... what happened?" Leo wondered breathlessly.
The airlock door then opened, revealing several Triceraton soldiers aiming their blasters at them as Mozar glared down at them.
"Take these four to the Tri-Arena!" Mozar ordered. "All the empire will watch you fight and perish in 'The Games'!"
After being cuffed, the Turtles were then roughly escorted to a large transport ship along with several other prisoners. As they looked out the window, the Turtles gave an audible gasp as they saw a large gladitorial-like arena down below.
Inside the arena was a small alien, which they recognized was an ugnaught, screaming for it's life as it was brutally eaten by a large creature which the Turtles also recognized as a rancor, resulting in the crowds of Triceraton's cheering.
Everyone on the ship, even the Turtles themselves, looked rather frightened by this. "I think we were better off in the vacuum of space." Donnie stated fearfully, with the other turtles silently nodding in agreement.
Once taken down to the arena, the Turtles were then shoved into a small cell, just barely big enough to fit all of them. Raph immediately banged his fists on the door.
"Let us outta here!" He shouted angrily.
"Save it, Raph." Donnie sighed. "Those walls are solid rock."
"There's gotta be a way out of here." Leo stated as he began looking around while Donnie and Raph simply sat down.
Mikey, however, seemed to notice a strange sort of vent at the top of the cell. Maybe it was just big enough for him and his brothers to fit through. "Ooh! Give me a boost, D!"
"Wha-" Donnie didn't have time to react as Mikey already tried to climb on top of his shoulders. "Mikey! What are you doing?!" He grumbled as he tried to support Mikey by grabbing his legs as he tried to stand up.
"A little higher! A little to the left!" Mikey said as he reached and grabbed a bar, only for him to be electrocuted along with Donnie. Sparks danced along their bodies as they collapsed to the ground, sizzling a bit as they both groaned in pain.
However, what they did not expect to hear was a deep, rumbling chuckle coming the cell next to them.
"Save your strength, little ones." The voice gruffly told them. "There is no escape from the Tri-Arena."
"Who are you?" Leo asked as he peeked through a crack in the wall, trying to see where the voice was coming from. "Another prisoner?"
"We are all prisoners here."
Donnie leaned back against the wall. "Maybe the Professor, April, and Casey are working on a rescue plan."
"What do you mean you can't find them?!" April practically shrieked.
"I understand your distress, but you must remain calm." Fugitoid stated.
"Remain calm?!" Casey questioned, his voice full of panic. "What if they're being dissected?! Or deep fried?! Or skinned alive?! Or-"
"We get it, Casey!" April snapped. "I'm worried about them as much as you are, but panicking isn't going to help!"
Professor Honeycutt typed a few commands on his console to try and pinpoint their friend's location. After a few moments, the scanners finally managed to pick them up. "Found them!"
"So, where are they?" Casey asked. "I'm ready to bust in there and break them out, goongala-style!"
Honeycutt typed in a few commands as they looked to the main screen. On the screen were the schematics of the Triceraton Mothership as some of the live security footage displayed the Turtles in their holding cell, as well as another screen of the Tri-Arena where several Triceratons sat in the stands, cheering with anticipation.
"Oh, dear. It seems our friends are scheduled to compete in 'The Games'."
"'The Games'?" April questioned. "What are those?"
"'The Games' are a series of brutal fighting matches in which prisoners are forced to fight to the death for their lives and their freedom." Fugitoid explained, causing April and Casey to gasp in horror.
"You mean like gladiators?" Casey questioned as an eager grin came onto his face. "Wicked!"
"Yes, wicked, cruel, and barbaric." Fugitoid said. "There's no telling what creatures they'll be forced to fight."
"Well, we can't just sit here!" April exclaimed. "We have to rescue them!"
"I could remote-pilot the shuttle." Honeycutt suggested. "If we sneak aboard while everyone is watching the Games, we should have little trouble finding their prison cell as well as possibly take the Black Hole piece while we're there." His robotic face then faltered. "Assuming that our friends survive their first battle."
Leo, Donnie, and Raph all groaned in disgust as Mikey stuffed one of small slug-like creatures in their cell into his mouth. "It tastes kinda like fried calamari." Mikey said cheerfully as he chewed and swallowed the slug.
Mikey's three older brothers could only cringe in disgust as he bent down and ate another one. Naturally, Leo, Donnie, and Raph weren't exactly surprised that their little brother would do something like this as he had often been known to eat anything he got his hands on. Heck, they had even seen what it was like in his head for crying out loud! Still, that didn't make it less disgusting to watch.
The orange clad turtle then grabbed another slug before he tossed it up to the electrical bars, frying it. "Heads up, neighbor." Mikey called out as he caught the now fried slug before he slid it under the wall and into the cell next to them. "Extra crispy for ya."
Looking under the crack, they could see their 'neighbor' pick up the slug. "Thank you." The prisoner said before the Turtles heard the sounds of loud chewing.
"I wonder what they're gonna have us fight." Mikey pondered.
"Fresh meat always fights a Rathtar." The prisoner stated, overhearing Mikey's pondering. "You will meet a quick and painful end."
Leo gave something of a scoff. "I don't suppose there's a way of stopping it?"
"Rathtars are massive beasts with a savage nature, making them nearly invulnerable." The prisoner replied. "Except for one white spot on it's flank. But even that is near-hopeless to reach."
Their little conversation was brought to a screeching halt as the cell doors suddenly opened, where three Triceraton soldiers had their blasters trained on them. "Prisoners, prepare for battle!"
"Good luck, warriors. You'll need it." The prisoner said as the Turtles got up and began to walk out of the room.
"Wait, what's your name, dude?" Mikey asked, suddenly stopping near the door entrance.
"They call me.. Zeno."
The Turtles had been given back their weapons to give them a 'sporting chance' before they walked out of the main tunnel gate and out into the arena. Outside, the Turtles could only look in awe at the sheer size of the Tri-Arena, as well as the countless roaring Triceraton spectators.
"Fellow Saurians!" A Triceraton announcer began, appearing on a massive upside-down triangle-shaped machine that hovered above them. "Subjects of the Empire! We have new contestants for the these games! I give you... the Adolescent Warrior Terrapins!"
The Turtles were immediately met with boos and shouts of hate from the crowd.
"Heh, looks like we're pretty infamous." Raph remarked, twirling his sais in his hands.
"Well, that happens when you fight an evil alien empire." Donnie stated.
"Whoa, check that Dino-dude out!" Mikey exclaimed, pointing to one of the far ends of the arena. At the far end of the arena was a large platform that remained suspended above the field. On the platform was a large throne, and there sat a Triceraton wearing black and gold clothing with a dark purple cape and a black crown on his frill.
"Wonder who that guy is." Raph said.
"From the way he's dressed, and the fact that he's sitting on a throne, I'd say he's the one in charge here." Leo deduced with a small growl. "The Triceraton Emperor."
Raph, Donnie, and Mikey said nothing as they all gave hateful glares towards the Triceraton Emperor, the true mastermind behind the destruction of their planet, of their home. It may have been Mozar who had brought the Black Hole Generator to Earth, but it was most likely the Triceraton Emperor who gave the order to use it.
Zanmoran stood up from his throne, raising his hand and silencing the crowd. "Warriors!" He boomed. "You shall perish for your treachery! But I give you the chance to win your freedom through the glory of combat!"
The crowd cheered before Zanmoran raised his hand to silence the crowd again.
"But first," Zanmoran began, lowering his hand, "you must prove your worth against the challenges that await you!"
The crowd once again was instantly in an uproar as the four mutant turtles turned to see a large gate at the far side of the arena opening.
"Whatever comes out of that gate, we stick together and go for it's vulnerable spot, like Zeno said!" Leo told his brothers as they drew their weapons and stood on-guard.
However, what emerged from the gate was not what they had expected at all. What stepped out, or rather rolled out of the gate was a large, red blob-like creature with large orange spots all over it's body, a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth, and multiple tentacles that violently thrashed around.
"Vulnerable spot?!" Mikey questioned, terrified.
"MOVE!" Leo shouted as they all scattered to avoid a tentacle smashing them.
"Finding it's vulnerable spot might be harder than we thought!" Donnie cried, noting it's many spots that almost completely covered the creature's rubbery skin.
The Rathtar let out a horrifying screech as it lashed one of it's tentacles at Leo, forcing the blue clad turtle to jump and dodge. He then jumped up, attempting to stab the creature, but the Rathtar caught him in it's tentacles before flinging him away.
Mikey tried to fight back with his nunchucks, but was quickly ensnared by the Rathtar's tentacles before being dragged across the ground and lifted into the air. "Anyone see that white spot, dudes?!" He cried.
"All I see are tentacles trying to rip my face off!" Raph snapped as he swung his sais to fend off the incoming tentacles before the Rathtar suddenly rolled forward like a ball and knocked him to the ground.
"Those terrapins have spirit!" The Triceraton announcer said. "But the Rathtar is looking rather hungry today!"
Donnie was knocked to the ground by the Rathtar before it ensnared his leg and tossed him up into the air above it's mouth, ready to eat the purple clad turtle alive.
However as he fell, something atop the Rathtar's head among it's many orange spots caught Donnie's eye. His eyes immediately widened when he suddenly realized he was staring at the Rathtar's one weakness. "There's the white spot!" He exclaimed. Acting fast, Donnie whipped out the naginata blade from his staff and flung it like a spear. The naginata made it's mark as it directly impaled the white spot, causing green puss to pour out of it as Donnie landed safely on the ground.
The Rathtar screeched in pain as it thrashed around, trying to get Donnie's staff out, but to no avail. And soon, the Rathtar collapsed to the ground, dead.
"Yeah! High-three!" Mikey cheered. But his little celebration was cut short as the crowd of Triceratons immediately began to pelt them with rocks while they booed and jeered.
Despite the crowd's displeasure however, Zanmoran instead laughed in amusement as he had actually enjoyed the match. "How quickly they turned the situation in their favor." The Triceraton Emperor observed. "They fight better than expected."
Mozar, who stood by his side, gave a huff. "Pure luck, sire." He scoffed.
One soldier suddenly walked in through the doorway. "Admiral Mozar, sir." The Triceraton spoke up, getting Mozar's attention. "It's the Fugitoid and two of his human companions." The Triceraton said, showing Mozar a small control pad with a live footage being played, displaying the Fugitoid, April, and Casey quietly running down the hallways. "I don't know how they got past security."
Mozar let out a growl. "They must be here to rescue their mutant comrades." He assumed before a smirk came to his face. "A mistake they will soon regret."
Honeycutt continued to lead April and Casey down the hallways as fast as they could. They soon came to a stop at a large intersection.
"Well, we're completely lost." Casey said as they turned another corner.
As they walked down the hallway, they pass by a large door that suddenly slid open, revealing Mozar as well as two Triceraton Soldiers.
"Aw, nuts!" Casey cursed as the Triceratons raised their blasters.
"Blast them!" Mozar ordered as they opened fire on them, forcing Fugitoid, April, and Casey to retreat. "But capture the Fugitoid alive! Kill the others!"
As they ran, April tried to shoot back with her blaster, but couldn't even land one shot.
"Both of you, run!" Fugitoid told April and Casey as they turned a corner, trying to find cover. "Go for the Black Hole device, I'll find the Turtles!"
"What?! But Professor, we can't leave you!" April cried.
"There's no time!" Honeycutt stated. "Go!"
"But-"
"You heard him, Red!" Casey told her. "Run!"
With much reluctance, April followed Casey down the hallway, pressing a large button in the middle of the corridor which shut a large blast door behind them. Honeycutt turned the corner, whipping out his wrist-mounted blasters, only to be punched in the face by Mozar and knocked to the ground.
"The Fugitoid is finally ours!" Mozar exclaimed in victory. He then turned to the two Triceraton soldiers. "Find the two humans and destroy them! I will take the Fugitoid to the Emperor personally."
The two Triceratons nodded before going down the hallway while Mozar picked up the unconscious Fugitoid and dragging him to the Arena.
The Turtles, after they're victory against the Rathtar, were immediately thrown back into their cell. Despite the fact that they were once again trapped and without their weapons, the Turtles were at least relieved to be able to get some rest as the battle had been quite tiring.
"Congratulations." Zeno spoke to them from his cell. "You are lucky to be alive."
"That's not luck, it's ninja training." Mikey boasted.
"That and you told us how to beat the Rathtar." Donnie added. "So thanks, Zeno."
Zeno said nothing, only giving a small grunt of acknowledgement as the Turtles sat down in they're cell.
"Hey, Zeno." Mikey spoke up, shifting a bit in his position. "How'd you end up in here?"
There was a brief moment of silence in the room. "I am a traitor to the Triceraton Empire." Zeno explained. "I was once a powerful and respected Triceraton warrior. But I disagreed with the Emperor's plans to find and use the Heart of Darkness."
"The Black Hole generator?" Donnie asked in surprise, along with Leo, Raph, and Mikey. "You were against that?"
"There is no honor in a weapon that destroys worlds from afar, to destroy the innocent along with the guilty." Zeno stated. "For saying such things, I was accused of treason and thrown into this pit."
Something quickly came to Leo's mind. "Hey, Zeno, are there others like you out there? Triceratons not with the Empire?"
"Perhaps." Zeno answered. "Are you aware of our history with the Kraang?"
"Yeah, you were fighting over Dimension X, right?" Raph recalled, remebering everything the Utrom, Bishop, had told them.
"Correct." Zeno said. "Then you must also know that the Kraang used the Heart of Darkness to destroy our home planet. Though a vast majority of the surviving army was consumed by hate and sought vengeance, there were those who grew weary of the constant warfare. Eventually, they left the Triceraton Empire and chose to find a new home where they could live out the rest of their lives in peace."
The Turtles looked to each other in surprise. There were Triceratons not aligned with the Empire? Perhaps they could be allies.
"Do you know where they are now?" Leo asked.
"I do not." Zeno replied. "If I did, I would be living amongst them myself. I may be a warrior, but even I know when there is a time to lay down the sword."
Before they could dwell on these thoughts any further, there was a loud knock on they're cell door. "Your up again, aliens!" A Triceraton said.
"Already?" Donnie questioned as the door slid open and two soldiers moved in to escort them back to the Tri-Arena.
"I fear I know who you are fighting next, young ones." Zeno told them as the Turtles stood up. "Fight with honor, and you will find glory."
"Zeno... if we don't see you again after this, good luck getting your freedom." Leo said as they left the room.
"Thank you my friend." Zeno said as the Turtles left. And as soon as the door to the Turtles' cell slid shut, Zeno's cell door slid open. "I might need it."
"On your knees!" Mozar shouted, throwing Honeycutt to the ground behind the Triceraton Emperor, right next to his throne above the arena.
"Professor Honeycutt, welcome." Zanmoran greeted, overlooking the arena. "Feel free to witness the destruction of your turtle comrades."
The Turtles all walked out into the Tri-Arena as the Rathtar corpse had been cleared out. However, once they stepped out onto the battle grounds, Leo looked in surprise once he saw who was beside the Triceraton Emperor.
"Fugi-dude?!" Mikey exclaimed in surprise.
"Great!" Raph said sarcastically, pinching the bridge between his nose. "Now we gotta get out of here and rescue Fugitoid?!"
"But if he's here, does that mean April and Casey are here too?" Donnie questioned, feeling nervous for their friends' lives.
"They're probably looking for the Black Hole piece while all eyes are on us." Leo deduced. "Huh, that's a pretty good strategy."
"And now, the vile mutant terrapins face your Triceraton champion!" The announcer began as a large gate opened on the other side of the arena, revealing the silhouette of a large Triceraton as he walked out into the arena. "The great... the merciless... Zeno the undefeatable!"
The Turtles each took a double take. "Dudes, did he just say...!" Mikey exclaimed.
"ZENO! ZENO! ZENO! ZENO!" The crowd cheered repeatedly, with even a quartet of Triceratons standing up with the aurebesh letters for Z, E, N, and O painted on their chests.
"... Zeno." Mikey finished with a squeak as Zeno himself stood before them.
Looking at him, Zeno was huge with many scars on his body. He was about twice the size of virtually every Triceraton! Zeno had the garb of a gladiator, dressed in intimidating armor that oddly resembled bones on his body, and carrying a massive steel mallet. The massive Triceraton gladiator threw back his head and let loose a ground-shattering roar.
"Zeno?!" Mikey cried. "Is that really you, dude?!"
"I did not mean to deceive you, friend." Zeno replied honestly as he looked down at the Turtles. "But now we meet as was intended, in glorious battle!" He then raised his mallet above his head before bringing it down, trying to smash the Turtles.
Luckily, the Turtles just barely managed to avoid Zeno's attack. "But, bro! We can't fight you!" Mikey pleaded while Leo, Raph, and Donnie drew their weapons.
"Ya think?!" Raph questioned sarcastically, his voice full of frustration. Zeno let out a roar as he swung his mallet again, forcing Leo, Raph, and Mikey to leap out of the way. However, Donnie was unable to dodge in time as the mallet hit him like a runaway freight train, sending him flying across the field.
The three remaining turtles were immediately put on the defensive as they ran around Zeno while he tried to smash them with his mallet.
"You are all honorable beings and deserve a warrior's death!" Zeno told them, swinging his mallet. "Perhaps I will only sever a limb or two!"
"What?! How is that better?!" Raph questioned before Zeno swung his hammer at them, hitting the ground and creating a sort of shockwave that sent the three turtles tumbling across the field.
All of the spectating Triceratons cheered as they watched Zeno beat the Turtles to a pulp while Zanmoran sat on his throne, holding a large stone wineglass in his hand as he laughed at the display.
"Why let your friends suffer?" The Triceraton Emperor asked Honeycutt, who could only look at the ensuing battle with distress. "I might consider sparring their pitifully, worthless lives if you complete the Heart of Darkness."
Fugitoid simply glared at him with his robotic eyes. "I will never build such a weapon for you, Zanmoran." He hissed.
Two Triceraton guards stood on duty in front of the door to the main armory, however, their attention was more or less drawn away as they heard the cheers from the Trio-Arena.
"Come on!" One guard said. "We deserve a three-nexton break. We're missing the big fight!"
The other guard nodded in agreement as they walked away from their posts. As soon as they were gone, two large stone chests opened up from the inside, revealing April and Casey.
Seeing that the guards were gone, April and Casey quietly got out of the crates before silently walking up to the door of the main armory. The door was rather large and there didn't seem to be any control panel to open it.
April griped her crystal fragment, which she had made into a necklace, and focused her psychic powers as the crystal began to glow and pulsate brightly. After a few seconds, the door suddenly opened almost automatically.
"When did you learn to do that?" Casey asked.
"The Professor's training." April explained. "The crystal shard I got from the Aeons helps me focus my powers."
The two then entered inside the main armory, and after a bit of searching around, they found what they were looking for. "There it is." Casey said. "The first piece of the Black Hole Generator." The two then stood in silence for a moment. "So... how are we gonna carry that big thing?"
April pursed her lips as she looked around the room. Casey did have a fair point, the Black Hole fragment was far bigger than them, and as such, was probably very heavy.
She then snapped her fingers, an idea popping in her head when she saw a small crate carrying a series of small devices that were just like the ones used to capture their friends back on Earth before it was destroyed.
Taking one of the devices, April placed it on top of the Black Hole fragment before pressing the button to turn it on. The device then engulfed the fragment in a red bubble-like shield, causing it to float slightly.
Detaching it by a small tether tied to the device, Casey peeked outside the armory, looking down the corridor to see if there was anyone. Once feeling assured that the coast was clear, Casey tried to pull the shielded fragment out, only for it to get stuck in the doorway.
Frustrated, Casey tugged at the tether, trying to get to come loose. After a few tugs, Casey finally managed to get it lose from the doorway, however, he had been pulling so hard on the tether that once the bubble came loose, he was thrown back against the wall. The bubble-shield then bounced around a bit, bumping into a nearby crate before landing Casey's leg.
April quickly grabbed the crate to keep it from falling over before grabbing the tether and pulling the bubble-shield off of Casey.
"That wasn't such a chore now was it?" Casey said confidently as they walked down the halls with the Black Hole fragment in tow. However, once they turned a corner, they came to immediate stop as they stood before the two Triceraton guards from before who were now laughing and carrying snacks and drinks.
The two Triceraton guards immediately stopped and stared at the two teenagers in alarm once they realized that they had the Black Hole piece.
"You just had to say something, Jones!" April stated in annoyance as they quickly ran past the two Triceratons, using the bubble-shield to knock them down.
"You! Intruders! Halt!" One of the Triceratons yelled as they pulled out their blasters and began firing at April and Casey.
Back at the Tri-Arena, the fight between the Turtles and Zeno had proving to be rather one-sided as it mostly consisted of the large Triceraton gladiator pounding the four turtles into the ground. The Turtles' attacks also did little-to-nothing against the Triceraton gladiator as they all leapt at him with their weapons ready, only for them to bounce off of Zeno's chest like bouncy balls.
Zeno roared loudly as he showed no mercy, first grabbing Mikey by the leg and slamming him onto the ground before smashing Donnie against the wall with his mallet. He hit Raph a hard kick, sending him flying across the arena, before he grabbed Leo in one hand and one of the hovering cameras in the other and repeatedly bashing it into Leo's face.
"Those pathetic terrapins are no match for the great Zeno!" The announcer exclaimed as the crowd cheered wildly.
Zeno slammed Leo on the ground, pinning him down with his massive hand while he raised his mallet to deal the finishing blow.
"LEO!" Mikey, Donnie, and Raph exclaimed as they quickly ran to his side.
"Wait, dude! Zeno, we're friends!" Mikey cried. "We want the same things like fried calamari and getting rid of that black hole thingy."
"Please, the fate of our planet is at stake." Donnie pleaded.
"Yeah, we don't have to be enemies!" Raph exclaimed.
"Zeno," Leo spoke up. "The Triceraton Emperor... if he wants to use a weapon that kills so many people just to get his way, than he's a monster. But your not like that, Zeno! I know we've only known each other for a short time, but you've proven yourself to be a good person." He then closed his eyes as Donnie, Raph, and Mikey dropped their weapons, leaving their fate in Zeno's hands. "Whatever happens next, we trust you. And we won't fight you."
"Do it, Zeno!" Zanmoran called to him. "Finish the terrapins and you will have earned your freedom!"
"ZENO! ZENO! ZENO! ZENO! ZENO! ZENO! ZENO! ZENO!" The crowed chanted in encouragement.
But Zeno hesitated. He looked down at the four turtles as they closed their eyes, awaiting their fate. Zeno felt his own eyes waver. These children were here for the same reason he was, he could tell that every word they said was true. And deep down he knew this wasn't right. None of this was. He may sacrifice his freedom, maybe even his life, but he was not about to forfeit his honor.
Closing his eyes with an almost silent breath, Zeno turned around and in one swift motion threw the mallet towards the throne, spinning through the air before it shattered the throne. The entire crowd was rendered totally stunned silent, even Honeycutt was completely speechless at this selfless act of defiance.
Zanmoran's look of surprise faded, as he had moved his head out of the way just in time. A furious scowl came across his face as he stood up from his shattered throne. "You dare?!" He questioned angrily.
Zeno glared right back as the Turtles got up, retrieving their weapons. "These are honorable beings." The Triceraton gladiator stated, gesturing to the Turtles. "We are here because we wish the Heart of Darkness destroyed. But you would use like some cowardly Kraang!"
The Triceraton Emperor growled at the insult dealt to him. "DESTROY HIM!" He ordered.
All of the gates in Tri-Arena opened as dozen of Triceraton soldiers came pouring out into the field, surrounding the Turtles and Zeno as they readied their blasters and electric batons while the Turtles readied their weapons.
"Escape." Zeno told them. "Find the Black Hole generator! Destroy it!"
"We will." Leo replied. "Thanks, Zeno."
The Triceraton gladiator simply nodded before roaring and punching away the soldiers coming his way, even sending a few into the stands. The crowd started cheering again anyways as they still enjoyed seeing Zeno fight.
Taking advantage of the Zeno's distraction, Mikey used his kusarigama chain to ensnare one of the hovering cameras as he yanked it down to the ground.
"Donnie, can you hot-wire that thing?" Leo questioned as Donnie ran up to the hover camera.
Acting quickly, Donnie cut open the hover camera with a tanto knife before he typed a few commands in. "Well, it's not necessarily meant to be a vehicle," He then grinned as he finished typing in the commands while the hover camera began to float again, "but with a few adjustments I think it can be something!"
Donnie's grin quickly vanished as a Triceraton soldier came up behind him and was about to shoot him. Thankfully, Zeno came in and punched the soldier away as several more Triceraton soldiers poured into the Trio-Arena.
One soldier jumped on top of Zeno and grabbed him by the horns, but the Triceraton gladiator easily reached back and pried the soldier off of him before slamming him into the ground. Another Triceraton soldier tried to tackle him, but Zeno backhanded him away before stomping on him. A third Triceraton ran in and grabbed him, but Zeno elbowed him in the back, knocking the soldier down. Another Triceraton soldier came in, only for Zeno to grab him and punch him several times in the gut before throwing the soldier away before several more Triceraton soldiers began piling on him, slowing Zeno down.
Zanmoran and Mozar both sneered as they watched Zeno be overwhelmed by several Triceraton soldiers. However, they were taken by surprise as the Turtles came up to them, riding the hover camera that Donnie had hot-wired.
"Surprise!" Leo said as the Turtles grinned.
"What?!" Mozar barely had the chance to react as he was knocked to the ground by the Turtles as they trampled over him. When he got back up and turned around, Mozar was horrified to see the Turtles surrounding Zanmoran, with Raph hanging onto the Triceraton Emperor's frill while aiming a blaster at his head as Leo had a blade to his neck.
"One wrong move and king Dino-breath get's it!" Raph warned.
"Let the Professor go and we walk out of here." Leo demanded, pushing his katana closer to Zanmoran's neck. "Or you'll be looking for a new emperor."
Mozar growled lowly, but with the emperor's life on the line, he knew he had no choice. "Very well." He replied reluctantly.
No sooner did Mozar say that, Honeycutt immediately jumped to his feet and joined the Turtles. "My friends!" He exclaimed joyfully. "I was just formulating a most excellent rescue plan."
"Wait, dudes. What about Zeno?" Mikey asked in concern.
The group turned back to the arena just in time to see the Triceraton gladiator jump up and grab one of the hover cameras before smashing it on a group of soldiers.
"Looks like he can take care of himself!" Donnie said with a smirk.
With that, the group quickly left the Tri-Arena with their hostage as they ran down the hallways, with Raph still on Zanmoran's head with the blaster still aimed at his head.
"Fools!" Zanmoran told them. "You have made a grave enemy of the Triceraton Empire this day!"
"Even if you get off this ship, there is nowhere in the galaxy or the ten dimensions that we will not find you!" Mozar added as he and a small battalion of Triceraton soldiers chased after the group.
The Turtles and Honeycutt simply ignored them as they continued to run. As they ran however, the sounds of screaming and blaster fire ahead of them got their attention as they looked to see April and Casey round the corner while dragging the Black Hole piece behind them, running from a trio of Triceraton soldiers.
"Look out! Triceratons behind us!" Casey cried.
"Triceratons behind us!" Raph shrieked back.
Raph and Casey both screamed as the two groups rammed into each other, knocking them all down as the pursuing Triceratons immediately halted in shock.
"Emperor Zanmoran!" A Triceraton soldier gasped. "HOLD YOUR FIRE!"
"NO! THEY HAVE THE HEART OF DARKNESS!" Zanmoran shouted. "BLAST THEM!"
"WIPE THEM OUT!" Mozar ordered. "KILL THEM!"
"This way my friends! BLEEP!" Fugitoid exclaimed, jumping to his cybernetic feet and pointing down a long hallway as the group quickly got up and made a run for it as the Triceratons fired their blasters at them.
"I hope you guys parked close!" Leo said to Fugitoid, April, and Casey.
"Yeah, hold your breath, guys!" April replied as the group made another turn before they headed straight for a nearby air-lock.
"Oh you've gotta be kidding!" Raph shouted in frustration as he knew what this meant.
April slammed her fist on a button as they ran. The airlock in front of them opened, allowing the group to be sucked out into space while the Triceratons held on to whatever they could to keep them from being sucked out. Fortunately, April had already concentrated into her crystal shard and formed an invisible oxygen shield as they floated toward the de-cloaked stealth-shuttle.
Once they were all aboard, the group quickly got into their seats and piloting the shuttle straight back to the Ulixius.
"DON'T LET THEM ESCAPE!" Mozar shouted as he hit the button that closed the airlock before he accessed his comms. "Launch Raptors!"
Several Triceraton fighters detached from the Mothership and began pursuing the Ulixius as the Fugitoid wasted no time in setting a remote course in the Navi-computer.
Once the proper coordinates were put in, the Ulixius immediately jumped to light-speed, just barely escaping the Triceraton Mothership.
Back inside the Mothership, Zanmoran let out a growl as he punched one of his soldiers. "They have the fragment!"
"Sire, I swear to you by the Empire, I shall hunt them down to the ends of the galaxy, retrieve the completed Heart of Darkness, and obliterate those wretched aliens!" Mozar swore.
Zanmoran snarled. "You had better, Captain Mozar." He stated.
Mozar doubled-back slightly before growling in anger as he had now just been demoted. He clenched his fists tightly as he swore that those terrapins and their companions would pay dearly for this humiliation.
Finally away in hyperspace, the group all breathed a sigh of relief as they all tried to catch their breaths.
"Phew! Now that was a close one." Donnie stated breathlessly.
"I can't believe we just fought our way through the Triceraton Mothership and back out again." Raph said, still a bit stunned by everything that had just happened.
Donnie jumped with a slight yelp as Casey suddenly gripped him by the shoulders. "I can't believe I missed your awesome gladiator matches!" Casey said excitedly.
"We wouldn't have made it without Zeno." Mikey said, lying on the floor as he ate some more of the alien slugs that he had snagged from their cell.
"One piece down, two more to go." April stated, putting some optimism in their situation.
"Hey, Professor Honeycutt," Donnie spoke up, getting Fugitoid's attention, "Zeno told us there were Triceratons not aligned with the Empire. Do you have any idea where we could find them? They might be of aid to us and our cause."
"But what about the rest of the Black Hole pieces?" Leo questioned. "Where are we gonna find those?"
"Not to worry." Honeycutt told them. "I believe I have an idea where we can find them both."
Mikey jumped up while still chewing. "That calls for... for a booya... booya-" He didn't get to finish as Fugitoid shoved him aside.
"BOOYAKASHA!"
Finally done. Just to let you guys know, there was this weird thing going on with chapter 6 where the content of that chapter was replaced with the unfinished content from this chapter. I greatly apologize for any confusion as I have fixed that error. Hope you enjoyed this and I will see you all later!