Ch.9: Leading the Pawns
Water, that was his first memory, just swimming free in a cool, liquid space. Then the torment started, and pain surged. All he could see began to twist and morph. Images flashed quickly across his mind; a black scale, the infusion of blood. Everything, even him, began to change.
Soon shadows and blades were all around the newly born Slash, howling out to his mutated form. Words rang out saying 'monster' or 'slave', both wanted his mind to bend to their will.
"Join me Slash," whispered out an eerie voice.
"You shall obey!" demanded another.
Slash immediately grasped his head in pain, wishing for the voices to stop, when all a sudden a miracle came to grant his request. Falling from the sky, a bright light appeared, landing in the form of a golden kistune. Smashing her claw against the dark ground, the kitsune's mystic glow shattered away the voices dueling in Slash's mind, and left a field of endless white in her wake.
Slash looked upon this new figure stunned, his green eyes immediately seeking purpose in her blue orbs. The kitsune did nothing but stare back for awhile, returning Slash's gaze, and then she spoke…
"You have his fire."
"What?" Slash questioned, and then found himself waking up in the Shredder's infirmary.
"His fire?" Slash thought "What could she mean?"
The infirmary located in the Foot stronghold was often not where skilled warriors like Karai had intended to be. After Ninjara had defeated Slash and escaped, the large turtle was immediately taken away for experimentation.
Shredder was greatly disappointed when Stockman couldn't find anything wrong, and quickly dismissed the scientist before he could work out his rage. Baxter left, and Shredder took Alopex aside before leaving as well. There was still quite a way's to go before his plans turned to reality.
Leaving her father to plot, Karai went in to check on their patient, and stopped when she saw Slash jolt awake from his slumber. The gleam in his green eyes were confused and disturbed, as if just waking from a nightmare. His gaze traveled around for a few moments more, before his eyes finally noticed Karai.
"Who are you?" asked Slash " Where am I?"
"I am Karai" said Karai " heir to the Foot Clan. You are being treated in our facilities so you can recover,"
"Facilities?" thought Slash, then looked at all medical tools surrounding him "Lab? I hate labs!"
Rage now boiling through his blood, Slash's eyes burned deadly white as his claws extended striking fearfully at everything around him. Karai jumped at the sight of Slash's unexpected breakdown, watching him smash and slice every item in the lab.
Hand moving to the hilt of her sword, Karai decided to take a big risk and called out to Slash, yelling for the black-masked reptile to stop. Slash did stop, and his cold eyes glared towards Karai.
Painful visions blinding his mind, Slash charged at the female warrior. All his confused mind could see was the horrors of the lab, a dark scientist, and the items that no doubt mutated him to his current monstrous form.
Flashing out his claws, Slash swung at Karai, and the female ninja quickly blocked him with her sword. Claws struck steel, and the sharp ring of metal pounded through Slash's ears, erasing all the anger blocking his mind.
He could suddenly see the fox again from his dream whispering the same words that confused him.
"You have his fire,"
Stopping cold, Slash eyes returned to normal and he ceased his attack. Karai kept her katana hanging in the air, not knowing that if she was really safe. After Slash pulled back, and she got a good look at his green eyes, that's when she finally decided to sheath her blade.
"Sorry" said Slash, almost quietly " I don't know what I am anymore. My memories…they're scrambled…I just don't feel whole."
"Don't worry Slash" said Karai " I promise no harm shall come to you here. My father has plans and you play an important role. Nothing will happen to you,"
Meanwhile, in the Shredder's throne room, both the Shredder and Alopex stood in the center of the room, staring at the strange device Shredder had received from Traag.
For years after establishing his undercover operations in New York, the business side of Oroku Saki made it his job to keep a close eye on all his business rivals. TCRI was renown worldwide for the top scientific research, and even though Baxter was now a valueble comodity, he could do little to provide bits of information about TCRI's tech. This one reason Shredder had agreed to the merge. The other reason was this device.
"What is it?" asked Alopex, staring at the silver gadget.
"A trap" said Shredder " that I fully intend to use once our project is complete. Masakodo was a fierce warrior in his day and I shall seize the prize he took with his death,"
"The Muramasa" said Alopex " the most feared weapon in all of Japan,"
"Yes" said Shredder " a forbidden sword rumored to possess great power. Turning even the most noble being savage. With the blade in my hands I will able to crush Splinter and the Turtles once and for all. All I need now is the bait, and a sacrifice,"
Meanwhile, back in TCRI, General Traag was busy working in his office on a few projects for Krang. The portal was still malfunctioning, and his leader was trapped on the home world. Traag had to make sure his experiments here on Earth did succeed, or else Kraang would likely have his head.
The merge with Oroku Saki was a big step towards world domination, and if he could continue fooling the Nightwatcher to join his side then things looked perfect for the master plan.
Typing in one last command on the computer, Traag was about to shut it down for the night when a message from the lobby suddenly appeared on-screen.
"General Traag" said the secretary at the desk " the Nightwatcher has returned with his friend. They want to know a little more about the experiment."
"So he has returned" thought Traag, then responded to the secretary " Tell him that I'll be right down,"
Turning off the message, General Traag brushed his human exterior and descended down towards the lobby, wicked thoughts playing in his mind. Now was his chance to make this Nightwatcher theirs. Krang would be so pleased to have another fierce warrior stand by his side.
"When the portal is fixed" thought Traag " the invasion shall come full course, and the whole Earth will fall,"
Down in the lobby, Raphael was trying very hard not to roll his eyes under the Nightwatcher mask. Standing barely two feet in front of him, clothed again in his Turtle Titan duds, Mikey was busy flirting with the secretary, showing off his pecks as if there was anything to show.
The secretary did not look amused, especially when Mikey noticed her coffee cup and decided to scoop it up to take a drink. Before Raph could go over and smack Mikey in the back of the head, the sudden sound of stern voice startled the red-hooded turtle, making Mikey throw up the cup in the air. Gravity caught up with the cup and crashed towards the ground. However, although the cup would land on the floor, its contents went somewhere else.
"Grrr!" growled Traag, now dripping wet with coffee. He had just entered the room.
Mikey instantly stepped behind Raphael as the man glared, fury burning towards the turtle. Traag did not appreciate getting wet, and his distaste to the Nightwatcher's choices in sidekicks only made him hate Mikey more.
Quickly putting back on appearances, Traag ignored Turtle Titan and focused all his gaze on the Nightwatcher. It was this hero that would be important to Krang, not his friend.
"Good to see you again Nightwatcher" said Traag " I was told you found our experiment?"
"Yeah" said Raph, looking hard at Traag " we encountered in the sewers. You never mentioned your experiment was a two-hundred pound alligator. What's going on here Traag?"
"Hmm" smiled Traag " Would you like a tour? I would be proud to show you around our facilities…answer all your questions. However, maybe your sidekick should stay behind. I don't want anymore accidents,"
"Sorry," mumbled Mikey.
Raphael looked at his brother, torn for a moment. It probably wouldn't do any good to convince Traag to bring Mikey along, not after the incident with the coffee cup. If he wanted any information, he would have to stay on Traag's good side, even if it meant leaving Mikey behind.
"I'll be fine Turtle Titan" said Raphael, turning his helmet to Mikey's solemn face "Wait here. I'll be back soon."
And with that, Raphael left with Traag, disappearing to the upper floors, leaving a depressed Turtle Titan behind, alone.
Meanwhile, back in the dark suburb part of New York City, Donatello and Leatherhead broke their way into Stockman's second story apartment to get any clue on where Chaplin's old partner could have went. The room was drab and messy just like you expected a scientist's lab to be. The bed looked barely slept in, and numerous papers lay scattered throughout the floor.
While Leatherhead looked at the vails assorted on Stockman's desk, Donatello picked up some of the papers from the floor, and scanned them with his flashlight. From what he could read, it looked like Stockman was still alive and performing some new kind of genetic experiments. The design on the blueprint looked suspiciously like a monster version of a snapping turtle, codenamed Slash.
"Hmm" thought Don " I wonder what Stockman is doing with this?"
"Donatello" called out Leatherhead, instantly grabbing the purple-banded turtle's attention " Look, this is the same substance that transformed me,"
"Mutagen" said Don, confirming the substance in the vail " Looks like Stockman managed to grab some before he escaped TCRI, he must be running a few experiments on it,"
"But what for?" asked Leatherhead.
Before Donatello could answer, the door suddenly opened, allowing a tired Baxter Stockman step right in. Letting out a yawn, he flipped on the light switch to his room, and gasped out in shock when he saw two mutants standing in his home.
"What the…?" Baxter said, backing up "Security! Uh!"
The scientist's scream for help was drastically cut short by the sudden pressure of a blade pointed at his back.
"Don't scream" scolded Leo's cold voice " we just have questions, and you have answers,"