A wall was blasted down, and an angry Artemis jumped through the gaping hole.
The soldiers came to try and stop them, but blasts of water and balls of fire kept them at bay.
"GO!" She shouted.
Mizu and Don slipped past her to the cleared path, water defending them from stray shots.
They were spread out all over the secret base, desperate to find Lily.
No one was leaving her behind, not today.
Everyone was guilty and worried and determined and stubborn as mules.
They were all leaving this place or no one was.
Well…
Actually, Elie, Ari, and Rose had been left behind with Master Splinter.
They were simply too young to come along.
They probably would have left Z behind if she couldn't crush them with a boulder…
The building rumbled.
She'd DEFINITELY gotten in…
Gabriel and Izzy were with her, if Don recalled…
A nearly-hidden door, and the purple-masked turtle skidded to a halt before it.
Hacking into the control panel beside it, he HOPED this door had his daughter behind it…
It slid open, and he almost instantly wished it hadn't…
"LILY!!!"
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Everything HURT…
She just wanted the pain to go away…
"Lil?"
That voice…
Gabriel?
He wasn't here, was he?
If Bishop had brought her brother to this hell-!
"Lil, it's alright…You're home…"
Home?
But how?
She'd just been…
Her heart shook with the memory, and she curled in on herself…
It was a bed, but she was SURE it was hers…
Her eyes opened slowly, and the blurred vision focused on her brother's face…
"G-Gabe?"
"You're okay now, Lil…"
She almost saw the tears in his eyes…
"No one's going to hurt you again…"
One slipped free, and she lifted a hand to wipe it away…
"How…?"
"We found where they were holding you…I'm sorry we didn't get there sooner…"
"It's alright…"
She caught sight of her wrists, which were wrapped in bandages, and her shoulder.
Both were wrapped thickly, and she felt some on her thighs.
'So it really DID happen…'
She'd wished it had been a bad dream…
"Are you feeling okay?"
She tried to smile reassuringly…
"Yeah…I should be alright…"
The door opened a bit, and Mizu rushed in once she spotted her daughter.
"Oh, Lily! Are you okay, sweetie?"
"I'm okay, mommy…"
"Are you sure? No pain?"
"…Not really…"
"Gabriel, tell the others she's awake." Mizu ordered, and the dark blue-masked turtle hesitantly obeyed.
"How long have I been out?"
"From what we can tell, a couple days."
The older Waterbender sighed, eyes soft and watery…
"We were really worried about you…"
"…I'm sorry…"
"Just don't run off like that again. You scared me."
The door opened again, and Don stepped in, closing the door on the rest of his family.
"Honey…"
"Hey, daddy…"
He smiled, taking hold of her hand and crouching beside her bed.
"You feeling okay?"
"Yeah…"
She looked into their eyes, and guilt filled her…
"You found out…"
"Yes…You should be alright in a couple weeks."
"You can tell us exactly what went on when you're ready…"
She curled tighter, her grip intensifying on her father's hand…
"I-I don't know if I-I'll ever be…"
"Then we'll never know. It's alright."
Lily sighed, closing her eyes…
'I can't…I just…can't…'