Chapter 24

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

I saw the light starting to move in our direction, carefully pushing Donnie back into the shadows. I heard him grunt in protest, half pressing myself against his chest as the light passed near my feet, barely inches from where we were hiding.

When it was gone, I turned to look up at him, pointing a finger at him and whispering "You know what Leo said"

"I'm fine" Was his soft reply, and we both ducked under a piece of building as we heard something start to pass over our heads.

"You're my charge... and the love of my life... so I'm gonna watch you like a hawk tonight" I responded, pushing him back into shadows as another light passed near us, both of us standing stock still until it was gone.

Even in the darkness I could see he wasn't happy, but it was his first mission since he'd recovered, and Leo and I had both agreed to keep a close eye on him.

It was another two months, and the others, and sometimes myself, had gone on missions to wipe out the rest of the Yeerk Pool Ships in America. We'd found having the Chanaiben support was helpful, but now the rest of the Yeerks around the world were on high alert, and were on orders from the sub Vissers to shoot on sight. Which was... understandable, since we'd been so successful in our other missions.

But there was still a long way to go, and we all needed to work together now.

This mission, we were in the destroyed city of Paris of all places. I was surprised to see the Eiffel tower had survived this destruction, and now the Yeerk Pool Ship was hovering over it.

"My mum would either have a field day or a freak out knowing we were here" I told Donnie as we darted through the destroyed streets, keeping low and to the shadows.

"Why?" He asked as we ducked into another destroyed building, both of us kneeling against a corner as another light passed over.

"Uh...cause shes French?" I stuck my tongue out at him in the near darkness, both of us jerking at the sound of footsteps and diving under a still standing table. When they were gone, I continued "You should know that"

His response was a sheepish giggle, and I couldn't help but pat his shell a little as he moved out from under the table. I followed, both of us continued to our destination.

"Are you guys done fighting?" Came Kristiana's voice, and we both looked at each other, unable to hold in a grin.

"They're not fighting, but they might jump each other soon" Serah muttered, and I choked on my own spit.

"Now now, none of that until after we're done" Rachel's voice in my head now, and I heard Donnie mutter something under his breath.

"All right, you guys are good to get to the roof" Ithiell's voice cut through the others "It's clear for now, but only move on Kristiana's signal"

"Copy" I looked at Donnie, and we both nodded at one another, heading for one of the still standing buildings, the Pool Ship looming in front of us.

Donnie grabbed me around the waist, pulling himself up on the edge of the building, flipping himself upwards as I let out a sound of protest.

"Oy" I finally managed to get out as he reached the top, letting go of me "I coulda done that myself you know"

"I know, I thought I'd help" Donnie smirked at me "You seem a bit heavier than when I last picked you up"

"Well...maybe you're just weaker than the last time you picked me up" I shot back, a little annoyed that he wanted to go into my weight at a time like this.

His grin widened a little, and I gave him a playful little kick him up the shell, towards the ledge where we needed to be.

"You want to get into it now of all times?" I muttered, moving to the other side of the standing building, moving to grab the grappling gun I had, seeing him do the same.

"Please don't" Came Leo's sigh.

"No, just... observing" He moved his free arm to pull me close, giving me a quick kiss on the forehead, before re-positioning himself.

"Well... don't. You're making me feel self-conscious now"

"So what if she has?" Kristiana leapt to my defense.

"Girls, come on-" Ithiell started to say, but Serah cut him off.

"No... no we want to know why us girls have to be stick thin-"

"Serah, sweetheart... we're turtles" Leo said in an oddly sweet voice "We don't focus on those kind of things"

"Well Donnie-"

"Oh for Pia's sake, children! Focus, please!" Ithiell half snapped, bringing us all back to the present. I turned to look up at Donnie, who simply shifted his glasses up, then winked a little at me.

"You're still a meanie" I muttered, but blew him a kiss. He smiled cheekily at me, then the both of us ducked down as low as possible as a light shot up towards us, moving over our heads. A hyper giggle cut through all of us then, and then a giddy voice "This is the funniest thing I've heard, like... ever!"

Donnie and I looked at one another as there was a hard slap heard through our headpieces, and then Mikey whimper "Owowowow! Why'd you have to hit theeeere!"

"Cause you're being a brat" Kristiana muttered, and Ithiell growled again.

"Why can't you kids focus?"

"We're... almost... adults..." Serah protested, and he just sighed, then I heard "Kristiana, please tell me you and Mikey are in position"

"Almost... Mikey is being a pain, as usual"

"Am not... I just.. got a little lost..."

"Mikey, hurry up! We only have one shot at this" Leo's demanding voice cut through all of us, and after Ithiell gave us the all clear again Donnie and I positioned ourselves again. I bit my lip a little, noticing it was a long way over from this rooftop...

"Okay, now we're in position" Kristiana finally said, sounding nervous. I'd almost forgotten it was her and Serah's first mission on the ground with us...

"All right, everyone?"

"Ready" Raph's and Rachel responded almost in unison.

"Oh...were uh.. good here" I heard Serah giggle a little, and I sighed, knowing something must have happened with her and Leo.

"We're aimed and ready to go" Donnie said, and I heard Mikey snort, then a yelp as I guessed Kristiana slapped him again.

"All right... Kristiana, just give the word when you're ready to go" Ithiell said, and I knew he was somewhere above us. The Ellorian was hovering not far from the city, waiting for their que as well.

A few tense seconds, then I heard Kristiana taking a deep breath "Okay... I'm doing it... in five... four... three...

"I got her" Mikey responded, finally sounding serious. He had the important job of-

"Two... One..."

I heard her yell in anger as well as pain as we saw the force field drop, and the power start to short circuit.

"Go!" Ithiell yelled, and we shot the grappling guns, seeing them lodge into the side of the ship, watching as Ithiell uncloaked, passing under them and shooting holes in the large ship for all of us to get into. We both jumped off the edge of the building, letting the grappling hooks reel us up towards the huge ship, and I suddenly felt panicked, hoping we didn't slam into the side of this ship-

"We're in!" Mikey yelled "But her nose is bleeding! Hurry!"

"In!" Leo's response as Donnie and I angled ourselves to hit that hole, seeing Donnie breeze through it, yelping as I managed to move to hit the ship with my feet, groaning at the impact and looking down as Donnie popped his head out.

"Come on!" He held his arms out, and I let go of the gun, dropping into them. He yanked me inside as we heard Rachel yell "We're in!"

"Us too!" Donnie's response as we looked around the hallway, and I looked at the opening Ithiell had made, seeing the shield shoot up again.

"Is she okay?" I heard Ithiell ask as Donnie put me down and we finally started to move, running towards the area we needed to be in.

"I'm...I'm okay... " Kristiana's voice sounded a little weak.

"Are you going to be able to-"

"I'll be good Ithiell. You just go do what you have to do" She tried to sound strong, but I knew it had to have taken its toll. It was the first time she'd done something so taxing with her powers...

"All right, keep in contact with the Ellorian, I'll see you guys soon" I heard him say, knowing he had to go check on the second team. Lowri and his followers were taking down another Yeerk Pool Ship, with the help of Sequae and my old team, as well as Tobias, Marco and Splinter. Ithiell had devised that the best plan of action was to have eight of us go in and set charges. Kristiana had offered to take down the shields so we could get in, but Donnie and I would handle taking them down after that. And after what she'd just done... I knew she was really starting to become powerful...

"Uh oh.. they've seen us... Serah, shift!"

"On it!"

I heard Leo make a battle cry, and soon the sound of an animal was joining the fray. I just hoped she didn't freeze up...

"Us too... Rachel, get behind me!"

"No way!"

"Zappers!" I heard Leo yell as Donnie skidded to a stop, and I bumped into him, almost falling backwards.

"Uh, Jade..."

"Zappers!" I grabbed them from my belt, diving around Donnie and throwing them in front of us, seeing both human and Hork-Bajir controllers yelp, then fall to the ground.

"All right, we're almost there!" I told them, running past the now smoking bodies with Donnie following.

"Babe, stay here-YAH!" I heard Mikey yell, and the sounds of battle were in both mine and Donnie's ears as we ran, Donnie managing to pull up his blue screen, pointing ahead of us as the doors of the bridge loomed huge.

"Mikey, you okay!" Donnie asked as he moved to the panel beside the doors, starting to work away as I prepared to throw two smoke bombs, as well as an electrical "zapper" as Leo had called them.

"We're good!" Kristiana replied, then made a strained sound.

"If you need help..." I let it hang in the air as I heard the doors start to open, screeching as they did-

TSSSSEW!

"Whoa!" I half ducked out of the way, tossing the smoke bombs in first and seeing the room fill as more shots were fired.

"Look out!" Donnie hit me, both of us collapsing to the floor as a shot barely missed us, and before we hit the ground I threw the zapper bomb in, hearing screams of anger.

"Up! Now!" I yelled, managing to get out from under Donnie, seeing him flip into the madness and hearing the crack of his Bo in the smoke.

I dove in as well, grabbing my dagger and using every trick and technique master Splinter had taught me, taking out my opponents with one quick slice, before moving onto the next.

(Yeeeeeeeee-haaaaaaw!) Came Rachel's giddy cry, and I heard Raph laugh a little as well. They were both enjoying this a little too much...

"Ha!" I yelled, making quick work of the last enemy I could find in the smoke, seeing it start to clear as the body collapsed in front of me, standing up and looking around.

I caught the eyes of Donnie as he stood up, holding his Bo at the ready. Then both of us scanned the room, seeing we'd taken down all of the enemies on the bridge.

TSSSEEEW!

We both ducked, looking to the door as we saw more controllers running up the hallway.

"I'll get the door! You get to work!" I yelled, running towards the panel next to the door, slamming my hand into it and screaming a little as another shot barely missed me.

"On it!" Was his high pitched reply as I threw another "zapper" out the door just before it shut, hearing screaming just as there was a metallic clang.

"Doors locked" Was Donnie's reply as he worked away, frowning a little.

"You know what to do. I'll hold the door" I turned, knowing there would almost definitely be more... and they would definitely find a way to get through before we were done.

"Charges set!" Came Leo's response "Heading to the next location"

"I'll try and clear a path" Donnie again, but I had no time to worry about what he was doing as I started to shift into the former Visser Three's favorite morph. Eight of everything... I just hoped it would give me the upper hand...

"Thanks brother" Leo's response as I had to duck low now, hearing noises from outside.

"We've set the first ones too... but we don't need a path cleared" Mikey now, almost sounding shocked. I heard Kristiana almost yelling in my earpiece. She must have been using her new powers to throw people out of their path...

I'd seen her do it... just practicing... to Mikey and Leo once... it made me glad she was on our side. If she hadn't caught them before they fell...

I shook my head, hearing the banging finally start. I readied my new body, hoping the door would hold long enough for Donnie to finish.

"We're good too" Raph now, and I heard more screams were what I hoped from the enemy as I finally heard Serah scream wordlessly.

(Serah! Are you-)

(I'm good... in fact I'm better than goo-yyaah!) She yelled again, almost sounding like Rachel for a moment, before she finished (I feel incredible!)

"She's amazing" Leo almost swooned, but then seemed to snap out of it.

"All right, I got it! But..."

"Uh, guuuuys?" Kristiana suddenly sounded worried.

"What's wrong?" Leo ask, then a grunt as I guessed he hacked away at his enemies.

"Guys? The scanners are picking up... well..." Donnie's high pitched voice from behind me made me worry. He only got that high pitched when-

"It's Shredder! He's wandering around below us, but I can sense... he's coming up!" Kristiana finally said, and I heard Mikey let out a strangled cry.

"Oh great! Change of plans... everyone get out, now!" Leo said "We can't take on Yeerks and the Shredder!"

"On it!"

"We should have planted just enough so that-" I didn't hear the rest of what Leo said, because at that point the door exploded inwards, making Donnie cry out a little. I arched one of my heads back, throwing a fireball even as the smoke started to clear, hearing a horrible scream from one of them.

(Donnie! Are we done-ah!) I yelped as one of my heads was shot off by a Dracon beam, feeling him half hide behind me as I threw another fireball. More screams, then "Definitely!"

(All right, lets get back to that entrance!) I grabbed a Hork-Bajir in one of my huge hands, throwing it at the other controllers as I started to slowly move towards the door, finding I was too big to get out.

(Uh, Donnie...)

"On it!" He threw one of the zappers between my many legs, seeing it hit the floor and the controllers scream in agony. Sadly part of it also hit me, and I grunted a little, glad I was such a big creature at the time.

(I think you fried my legs) I muttered, seeing the controllers fall and started to shrink.

"Sorry" Was his response as I was finally myself, taking off after him through the bodies.

"Yah!" Donnie yelped as a shot barely went over his head, grabbing my hand and the both of us running back through the corridors.

"Which way?!" I yelped, seeing Donnie quickly pull up his blue screen, both of us jerking as more shots went over our heads.

"There" He pointed, and we both took off down the right corridor, finally seeing the big gash in the side of the ship we'd come through.

"Almost-whoa!" Donnie and I both skidded to a stop, seeing a figure step around the corner on the other side of the hallway. We were only a few steps from the opening...

"Oh no, it's him" Donnie almost squeaked, seeing Shredder start to walk towards us, filled with purpose.

"Donnie, move!" I shoved him roughly, and he slowly started to head towards the entrance, with me shoving him again.

"How do we-"

"Grab the grappling gun!" I snapped, pushing him a little as he leaned out the opening, reaching upwards. Shredder was getting closer... and still, he hadn't said anything...

"Donnie..."

"Got it!" He grabbed me in one arm, half throwing us out the opening, extending the rope of the grappling gun and seeing us slip down towards-

"Foolish turtle!" Came the growl from above us, and we both looked up to see him half hanging out the opening, both of us knowing exactly what he was going to do next-

"What the heck is going on?!" I heard Leo say, watching as Shredder cut the rope we were both hanging off, and we fell downwards, both of us screaming madly.

x -x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Constructive criticism appreciated!