AAAAND MORE!
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I watched as my mum, now back to her human self and properly clothed, pace madly around the main room of the base. There was worry on her face as she bit her thumb nail mindlessly, her eyes narrowed and not looking at anything particular.
She looked even more pale than she had in the fighter, and with my medical training I was sure that her mad pacing would eventually cause her to faint if she kept it up for long enough.
Subtly, I saw my dad trying to block her routes, but she simply sidestepped him and kept going.
Even my aunts tried to intervene, but my mum seemed to be a world of her own.
"Crayak's been playing with us for years!" Aunt Rachel snapped, slamming her hand down on the desk she was sitting at, beside Eoran, who visibly jumped at the sudden outburst. Everyone else was sitting or standing around, or trying to slow my mum down. I sat with Cassie, who happily grabbed my arm and hugged it, smiling up at me.
I did notice after walking into the main room, that it had changed, and expanded, since I had come here last.
The base itself was an incredible place, which Eoran's dad had mostly built himself just before the war that ended it all. With a little help from my dad of course.
Since then, it had been expanded several times, more rooms had been added and even a second level, moreso for when all of us came together on family occasions. It had almost everything any of us would want or need.
Since Grandpa Splinter died, our visits had become less and less over the years. Usually, my dad would encourage Ithiell to come to our house when they wanted to collaborate on a project.
"Yes... but I feel this has gone further than... than them" Mum kept going, stopping only once to stop herself from swaying, almost pushing my dad away when he went to help her, before continuing on her war path.
"All right... Dean?" Uncle Leo spoke, making Dean jerk a little, almost standing at attention.
"Yes fath-Sensei?"
"Can you please give us a run down of what happened out there?"
"Yes Sensei" Dean bowed respectfully, before starting to head towards the middle of the room. He only got two feet before Jake grabbed his arm, stopping in his tracks.
"Hold up" Jake now looked around at the parents "How about someone tell us who those nutbags were first"
"I gotta agree with Jake" Eoran stepped up, folding his arms "You guys know more than you're telling, and I'd like to know who it is that thinks that important that they went to the lengths they did to kidnap us"
"And who is Crayak?" I added "Ever since I mentioned his name, you've all been absolutely freaking out and looking more tense than I've ever seen any of you"
"Miah, we-"
"No, my cousins are right" Dean spoke up, sharing a look with Jake "Sorry dad, but we deserve to know the truth. I think we're old enough to handle anything you can throw at us"
All the parents shared a look, and I caught Uncle Leo and Ithiell nod slightly at one another.
"All right, we'll tell you"
"I-I..." Aunt Rachel seemed to choke on her words, before I saw Uncle Raph step up behind her, placing his hands gently on her shoulders. She reached up with one hand to grab his, squeezing it a little. To my surprise, I saw tears start forming in her eyes.
In all my life, I don't think I'd ever seen her so upset, and it worried me a little. What was so bad that it would make my unmovable aunt cry?
"One of them... one of them looked like my cousin Jake. The one that you're named after" She looked at her son, who's eyes widened at the words.
"But... you said he was..."
"Dead, I know. We thought so too" Uncle Raph grunted a little, not looking happy at all about the situation.
"No... not thought... knew" Mum stopped her pacing, finally letting dad help her, leaning back on his chest a little as she sighed.
"Exactly, Sequae made sure of that" Aunt Kristiana now spoke up, her eyes narrowed as she looked at certain spot in the room, almost like she was reliving a memory.
"Sequae flattened him" Ithiell said, then shuddered a little "Just be glad you didn't-"
"They don't have to know that" Uncle Leo said, putting a hand up before shifting on his spot, seeing Ithiell nod a little, going silent again.
"The other... was April" Dad spoke now, and when I looked at him I saw a pain in his eyes. I'd only ever seen that look once before.
"April?" Dean echoed, his eyes going wide as he looked at his dad. He didn't look any better than my dad did.
"She was... she saved us, and then... she didn't deserve to die the way she did" Uncle Mikey sucked in a deep breath, and I could see tears sliding down his cheeks. In an instant Cassie was at his side, and he pulled her close, hugging her as tight as she dared. She returned it, muttering things to her father I couldn't quite hear, but I knew it had to be something sweet and comforting.
"I know, but we couldn't stop it. If only... I couldn't get to her in time" Mum slipped out of dads grasp, starting to pace again.
"We were so close... but..." Uncle Leo stopped, sharing a look with my mum, both of them looking like they were blaming themselves.
"Okay, so..." Dean started slowly, looking at his dad, then around the room "If these two people died all those years ago, then... how are they here now?"
"And why would they want us freaks?" Jake's last word was a growl, anger and hurt on his face as he looked away.
"One, you're not... that word" Aunt Serah pointed a finger at him, making him back up a little "And two... there's only one answer"
"Crayak" Aunt Rachel almost flew out of her seat, the fire in her renewed "He did this!"
"Dad?" I queried, seeing him slowly look to me "Didn't you say that other guy was the Shredder?"
He nodded slowly "Yes, but your mum and your aunts... they did what we couldn't do"
"Killed that bastard!" Now Aunt Rachel was starting to pace "He tried to kill us and-"
"Rach, please" Aunt Kristiana put a hand up, and I saw Aunt Rachel stop in her tracks, looking at her "Relax, we defeated him the only way we could"
"So why are they all here now? I mean... they..." Jake stopped, now looking at Dean, who nodded.
"All right, I might give you the short version. We went out to the place we'd last seen that truck... we fired off one of those bursts from that machine Miah had... and then..." He stopped, shaking his head a little "Well... you're not going to believe this... but..."
"Pink fluffy foxes attacked us! Like... a billion of them!" Cassie spoke up, almost jumping up and down. Even Uncle Mikey seemed surprised at her outburst.
"You... can't be serious" Uncle Leo looked at me, then the boys.
"Sorry dad, but it's true" Dean chuckled a little himself "I wouldn't believe it either if I hadn't seen it"
"Stupid little..." Jake gritted his teeth, folding his arms and leaning back on the wall again.
"They attacked, and we didn't have any choice but to fight back, but... well..."
"As soon as the creatures made any kind of hard impact" I continued for Dean "They... well, pretty much exploded into a pink dust, that had a sedative affect on us. And it acted quickly"
I stopped, wondering if I should mention the figure I'd seen before I'd passed out, knowing it would probably upset my uncles and dad too much at the moment. After everything else we were now hearing...
"Crayak has been known to be tricky, but... pink fluffy foxes?" Mum shook her head "That's-"
"It's possible it was enough to keep them off guard. I mean... what the heck would you do with a whole heap of cute, furry, pink animals all around you?" Eorans mum, who had been fairly quiet the entire time, now spoke.
"Sounds plausible" Ithiell now "I mean, I don't really know what I'd do if I were faced with anything like that"
"Neither did we" Eoran said "I mean... Cassie picked one up-"
"Only cause it came to me, and it was cute!" She retorted, shooting daggers at Eoran.
"They stopped being... cute... after about ten seconds" Jake put in.
"All right, so now we know what happened, well sort of, but... why them? Why did Crayak bring back... them... to take our kids? And... why our kids?" Mum spread her arms wide, looking at everyone in the room.
"I have a theory... but you're not going to like it" Dad spoke up, then looked straight at me.
"What?" Mum raised an eyebrow.
"Well, you said there were two..."
"Yeah, Crayak and..."
"The Ellimist!" Aunt Rachel growled "Oh I should have known he was involved in this! It's probably the reason we got knocked up in the first place!"
"Well, we did work out it should not have been-"
Dad never got to finish, because at that moment my mum's eyes closed and she fell backward.
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After making sure my mum was resting and getting the right fluids into her, Uncle Leo and Ithiell decided that we should all get some rest. Tomorrow we would talk more, but for tonight, we would... 'recharge', as Uncle Leo stated.
So we were all shuffled off to our rooms, saying goodnight to my cousins as I entered my old bedroom when we used to visit here. I noticed I'd left some old toys of mine here, making me realise how long it had actually been since I'd stayed in this room.
I lay in the wonderfully soft bed, relieved I was still not tall enough to overhang it, but sleep was furthest from my mind at the moment.
Instead, it was shuffling through the events of the afternoon, and once again I wondered what was so special or important about me.
Jake was right, in a way. We were freaks of nature, and the thought that I would be any kind of important to what I could only guess was a fairly nasty person was confusing.
Was he some kind of necromancer or magician? The parents said that two people... well, three, technically, from their past that were dead were the ones that kidnapped us. So... how did he manage to do that?
Unless they weren't actually dead... but that couldn't be possible. From what Ithiell had said, and the looks on my mother and Uncle Leo's faces, they had seen these two people die in front of them. There was no doubt in any of their eyes that these people were dead, and permanently.
So that could only mean that something supernatural had happened. But... what?
Logically, it shouldn't be possible to bring someone back from the dead. But I was a little more open to to paranormal due to Aunt Kristiana's powers. I'd seen her in action, and there was nothing 'normal' about them.
So... what was Crayak then?
The parents still hadn't really explained him to me. Instead, they gave me more questions.
Like... who or what was the Ellimist?
Was it another person? Was it a device?
Was it on our side... or something else we needed to be wary of?
The questions just kept coming, as well as the frustration, until I couldn't take it any more.
Maybe I could hack into Ithiell's computer, to see if he made any references to any of this. I mean, it was better than laying around all night with all the questions in my head. I needed hard facts, I needed something to answer all these burning questions that wouldn't settle in my mind.
I did half wonder if any of the answers would leave more questions, but I figured that I could rattle them out of the parents one way or another tomorrow morning. Then maybe some of it would make sense.
I got up, moving to open the bedroom door as quietly as possible, shutting it behind me as I went.
I'd have to use my skills as a ninja to make sure no one heard me at the late hour. It had been some time since everyone had gone to bed, so I was hoping by now everyone was sound asleep. Still... I'd have to be cautious.
I reached the stairs to head up to the main area, almost gliding silently up them, feeling more and more confident as I went along.
This would hopefully be easy. The thing I had to worry about was any security measures that Ithiell had-
I stopped when I was almost at the top stairs, almost by instinct, listening intently. The lights were still on, so could that mean-
Dead silence. I could have sworn I heard-
"You need to work more on your stealth Miah" My Uncle's voice made me let out a small squeak, realising he was in the main room.
"Uh... sorry?" Was all I could think to say, moving up the rest of the stairs and heading into the room. Surprisingly, all the adults were there, including my mother. Uncle Leo raised an eyebrow when he saw me.
"So what were you doing, sneaking up the stairs so late at night?"
I felt my face flush, biting my lip and wishing I could just slip back into the shadows. All the parent's eyes were now trained on me, and it made me feel... well, small.
"I uh... I uh..." But my mind was blank.
"She was probably coming up here to hack the computer" My dad folded his arms over his plastron, his eyes now boring into mine. I suddenly felt even smaller, managing to move my eyes away from his and look at the wall instead.
I hated how my dad knew me so well. He'd obviously picked up on it the second my Uncle Leo spoke.
"Miah, why did you want to hack my computer?" Ithiell now, and I knew he was probably giving me the same stare my dad was.
When I didn't answer or look at anyone, I heard my mum speak up.
"Miah, come on, we won't bite"
I forced myself to look at her, seeing she still looked pale. She was sitting on one of the couches, next to my Aunt Rachel, who was almost glaring at me. My mum was still hooked up to the drip, although it looked like they'd just wheeled the drip out beside her.
"I just... I wanted to get some answers, and you... well... I still don't even know who or what Crayak is. I think... I think I need to know, since he seems to find me so valuable... well, apparently. According to one of your ghosts"
Mum sighed, rubbing her face with her hands "I really wish you weren't so curious"
"Take's after Donnie all right" Uncle Raph chuckled a little.
"I have to agree with you Jade. Right now... I wish she wasn't so much like me" I turned to dad, who had a sad look on his face, a small smile playing across his lips.
"Sorry?" Was all I could think to reply with, shrugging a little.
"She can't help who she is, and I think she needs to know" Aunt Kristiana said "I think she'll be able to handle the information"
I jumped a little as Ithiell put a hand on my arm, leading me over to the second couch to sit next to Amanda, sitting on the arm beside her as dad now sat on the other side of me.
"Crayak is... well I guess you could say a higher being. Almost god-like. He's able to bend the laws of physics to his liking, manipulating people and situations. Most times it's subtle, but this time... well, it seems like he's broken all the rules"
"And that's where the Ellimist comes in" Ithiell continued "He's the counterbalance to Crayak. He's helped us before, but he has almost always played by the rules. Him and Crayak have always played games-"
"With us" Aunt Rachel grunted, but a look from Ithiell stopped her from saying more.
"Well, from what Ellimist has revealed, he's always tried to help humans and this world. Although... Crayak did focus on your mother and Jake- not your cousin- long ago when they were fighting the Yeerk war"
"So... hang on, a celestial being, who can control our fates and intervene whenever he liked... just stopped?"
"Well, he could only do so much. When he failed the second time I think he gave up on me"
"Or so we thought. Seems like Ellimist changed the game on him" Aunt Rachel and my mother shared a strange look, before turning back to me. I had a feeling I knew what it was, but I didn't want to say more until I was sure. They were all being so open with me, it was only right that I stop trying to interrupt and just listen.
"It looks like the Ellimist gave us the ability to... well, create... children" Dad looked a bit nervous now, a hand on my shoulder. I was sure he was embarrassed to admit that the reason I even existed was because him and my mother were.. intimate.
I found it oddly sweet but also not something I wanted to think too much into. The thought of them doing... that...
I shook my head, instead thinking of an equation in my head, the small distraction being exactly what I needed to keep my attention on the current conversation.
"And we carried them... you remember that Don" Aunt Serah wiggled her finger at him, and he put his hands up defensively.
"Not ever going to argue that point"
"Good"
"Back to the point" Uncle Leo cleared his throat, making me turn my attention to him.
"Due to the danger of this situation, we have all come to a decision when it comes to you kids"
Now that had my full attention.
"Wait... what?"
"Miah... I know you won't like this, but..." Dad stopped, squeezing my shoulder gently, before getting up and moving away from me. I looked after him, then at my mum, wondering what was going on. Were they going to take us somewhere?
All eyes went to my fearless uncle, who seemed almost surprised, but then sighed, lowering his head a little before he spoke.
"Miah, we have decided that it's time you and your cousins... as well as Eoran... learn how to use your... other... abilities. It's the only way"
I froze. Every muscle in my body went stiff as I gaped at him, then at my parents.
"W-wait, no... I... it... no!" I jumped up, shaking my head "And... Cassie and Jake can't- I mean, they dont-"
"Cassie showed us today that she has... traits... from her mother" Uncle Leo continued, sharing a look with my other uncle and aunt. Both seemed a more than a little worried.
"Wait... when? What?" My heart was thudding hard under my plastron, looking from on adult to another, all of them looking like this wasn't the easiest decision.
"When you were headin for Shredder... which was stupid of you" Uncle Raph growled a little.
"Didn't you feel like something winded you?" Aunt Kristiana asked, leaning forward a bit. Her eyes now bored into mine, and this time I felt I couldn't look away.
It was like a light bulb in my head, when I thought back to that moment.
"But I thought you-"
She shook her head "No, I had to focus my powers entirely on your mother. And I know no one else has the same power that I do. The only thing we've been able to come up with, was that my... gift... was passed onto Cassie"
"But I... but I..." I started to back up a little, everything feeling like it was crashing down on me. I was going to... mum was going to...
"I know this wasn't something you wanted to do sweetie, but it might be something that saves your life one day... like it did mine" I saw mum get up, moving to come toward me, bringing the IV drip with her.
"If your mother had not shifted when she did, there would have been no plausible way to save her" Rtaia, who had been oddly quiet the whole time, now spoke up.
"But I haven't checked the variables! I need to make sure that my genetic makeup can handle the shift of-" I rambled now, meaningless words falling from my lips as I looked from one parent to another.
I was terrified. The last thing I wanted to do was loose my form... and become another. It could... I was afraid I'd loose myself...
"It could be the difference between life or death one day Miah. And trust me... the last thing I wanted to do was force this on you, but..." Now my mum was starting to tear up, finally stopping in my tracks and letting her come to me. She put a gentle hand on my cheek, and I realised then that my face was wet with my own tears.
"Sweetheart, I don't want you to be hurt, or die, because some bastard has a grudge against me"
I had nothing to say to that. My mouth opened, but no sound came out as I looked at my poor mother, knowing she was right but also afraid of what would happen if I tried to shift.
I knew a substance called mutagen was what made my father and his brothers, and my mother got her power to shift through Ithiell's blood, but I didn't know what would happen to me. Shifting could have unseen effects on my body, or cause some kind of permanent damage. I'd wanted to test my blood and its properties, but I knew some part of me was scared as to what I'd find. Part of me liked the thought of being left in the dark when it came to my DNA...
Through all the panic and worry, I managed to latch onto a simple piece of logic that my brain had caught onto and stored without me realising. So I said what I was thinking.
"But... but Jake doesn't have any powers, does he? I mean... morphing we know isn't hereditary, so he wouldn't be able to... I mean..."
"Miah" Dad spoke now "Do you remember that blood sample I was working on the other day?"
I nodded, feeling numb now. I felt like everything had just hit a different speed, and I wasn't really keeping up with any of it anymore.
"Well..." Dad now looked to my hotheaded uncle, who faltered slightly.
"Jake... he hasn't... been feeling well lately. We were worried, so we asked Don- I mean, your dad, to check him over. He took Jake's blood..."
That certainly got me.
"Wait... Jake never said anything about not feeling well... he still looks and acts like his normal self"
"So you haven't noticed he's more aggressive than usual? Or that he sometimes seems off balance?"
I put a finger to my lips, mulling over the events of the last week. Jake did seem a little more aggressive that night we went on patrol... he was quick to want to start a fight... and he did slip once on that rooftop...
Then there was that recent fight we'd had with those little pink devils. He had been the first one of us to be hit with that dust... he was usually...
"Wait... is Jake all right?"
"Well, I think so. He's been having headaches a little bit here and there, and some dizziness, but other than that... well... " Aunt Rachel now looked at my dad, who picked up where she left off.
"His blood has been changing for a while now, from what I can tell. It seems that... the mutagen, as well as some aspect of the morphing technology, have mixed in his body to... well, it's had an unforeseen affect as he's matured"
"I took a sample of all of your blood when you were young, and Donatello compared the samples I took from him then to the one he took now. I have seen his results... they are quite extraordinary" Rtaia seemed to be deep in thought, almost as if she was talking to herself.
"I thought morphing wasn't hereditary" I said again, almost willing it to be true, my mind now going through all the interactions I'd had with my cousin. It had to be happening for longer, maybe he just... he hid things well, so maybe...
"It's not. Well, at least it's not meant to be. Seems like something that transferred from me to him" My aunt said, shaking her head "I'll be buggered if I know how though"
"None of us can explain it"
"So... what can we do? What's wrong with him? Can it be cured?"
"I don't know Miah" Dad now looked almost frustrated "I'd have to run more tests, but... I compared his sample to the rest of yours... the one Rtaia took about a year ago... and..."
He paced a little, before looking at me again "It shows some similar traits to Cassie's blood work"
"We just have to find what he might have, and then try and help him use it"
"But... how is that possible? Cassie? I mean... has he got some kind of telekinetic power too or something?"
"Miah, we don't know. Now settle" My mum pointed to the edge of the couch where my dad had been sitting, and I reluctantly sat down. Even weak and pale, my mum was still not a force to be messed with.
"Once we run some more tests we might be able to pinpoint it, but for now... we're just going to take things one day at a time" Ithiell said, getting up and moving to his computers. I was surprised when he sat down and started typing away.
"All right, well I guess it's time we all actually got some rest" Uncle Leo got up, moving over to my Aunt Serah, holding out a hand for her to take. He helped her up as I noticed all the other parents doing the same, Uncle Mikey stretching a little and seeing Aunt Kristiana go to tickle him. She let out a squeak when he picked her up, throwing her over his shoulder and heading for the stairs.
"Goodniiiight" She almost sang, waving and giggling when Uncle Mikey slid her down into his arms, the two disappearing from sight. Soon the other parents paired off, going down the stairs, my dad and Rtaia helping my mum back into the medical bay. I guessed my dad would be there with her tonight-
"Miah" Ithiell's voice broke through my thoughts, and I turned to look at him, seeing him smiling warmly at me.
Before I could say anything he got up, offering me the seat. All I could do was stare, wondering what he was up to.
"You can research all you want, if it makes you feel better. I won't stop you... you just have to ask first"
I was so shocked, the only word that came from me was a mumbled "T-thankyou"
He eventually had to take me by the shoulders, gently leading me over to the seat and sitting me down.
"I... I can really-"
"Yes, but you need to share what you find with me, deal?"
I nodded enthusiastically, turning in the seat and letting my fingers hover over the keyboard. I looked up at the screens, feeling oddly humbled that Ithiell would let me use something this complex, something that he and my dad helped build, and upgrade, and... just... it was amazing.
"Don't get too carried away" He said, and I heard him walking away "Oh, and one more thing"
I looked at him, seeing him smile again at me.
"Don't look in my personal files... you might very well get a fright"
I could only stare in horror as he finally disappeared down a corridor, laughing like a madman.
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Hope you enjoyed! Feel free to let me know!
Thanks guys and gals!
