Disclaimer: I do not own TMNT. I do own Lilly and her parents.
A/N: Welcome to the sixth chapter of Teenage Human Ninja Girl where Donnie utilizes Kraang tech to create a new robot. So, without further ado, I turn it over to Lilly. Enjoy!
"We really need to go out on a date that doesn't involve aliens in robots," I informed my boyfriend as our group once again found ourselves in a firefight with the Kraang inside of an abandoned warehouse.
"Well, it's not like we can do dinner and a movie," Raph pointed out. "At least you're getting fresh air and a good workout."
"You're not wrong," I agreed as we dismantled bot after bot but they just kept coming. "How many of them are there?"
"Keep moving. Don't let them surround you," commanded Leo. "Failure is not an option."
"Technically, failure is always an option," argued Don.
"You know what else is an option?" asked Raph. "Slapping you!"
"Move!" I shouted as a Kraang fired his laser at us, ripping Don's staff in half.
"Are you kidding me?!" exclaimed Donnie after we wrecked the last of the bots. "I hate this thing!"
"Nice work," said Raph. "When we're done here, there's a marching band that needs a majorette."
"How am I supposed to fight advanced alien technology with a stupid stick?!" demanded Don.
"You know you could be a little more sensitive," I told Raph as Donnie looked over some of the Kraang technology.
"Hey, give me a hand with this," he called, dragging a wrecked Kraang droid.
"We're carrying this thing because why?" inquired Raph as we hauled the bot out of the warehouse and into an alleyway.
"Don't you want to understand how these things work?" responded Don.
"I know how they work," proclaimed Raph. "You hit 'em til the brainy toy surprise pops out."
"That's your problem, Raph. You never think things through," critiqued Don as he tossed the bot into the manhole but it got stuck.
"Was that supposed to fit?" asked Raph.
Donnie kicked and shoved the bot until it dropped down inside. We followed in after it and carried it to the lair where April was waiting for us. "This technology is light-years ahead of anything I've ever seen!"
"And Don's in full geek mode," I noted as I sat next to Raph who was feeding Spike. I scratched the top of the turtle's head.
"You want to feed him?" offered Raph.
"Uh, yeah, sure," I responded, taking the leaf and proffering it to Spike. He took a big bite making me laugh.
"Told ya he really likes you," Raph murmured, smirking as Splinter walked in with another bo staff. "Look, Donnie got another stick to break."
"With all due respect, sensei," began Don. "I can't keep fighting alien technology with a 6-foot staff. I was hoping to upgrade my weapon."
"Mmm," mused Splinter. "A 7-foot staff. Interesting."
"No, I meant using modern technology," Don clarified.
"Aah, a solar-powered staff," said Splinter.
"I'm serious, sensei," declared Donnie.
"I know," acknowledged Splinter. "And yes, you may upgrade your weapon."
"That's totally unfair! You can't just-," complained Donnie before understanding what his father said. "Wait, did you say yes?"
Splinter nodded. "Ninjas have improved their arsenal for centuries. We are masters of adaptation."
"This is great! With this technology I will be invincible!" claimed Don.
"But remember," Splinter warned. "Technology is a means, not an end. It is you who must prevail in battle, not your weapon. Combat is not a video game!"
"That's it! I'll turn combat into a video game! Thanks, sensei," replied Don as he got to work.
"Well, this ought to be interesting," I murmured.
~ THNG ~
"Hey, guys," I greeted the turtle brothers the next day after school. "What's up?"
"Just beatin', Leo," answered my boyfriend from where he perched on the couch with our fearless leader playing a video game.
"Where's April?" asked Donnie.
"She's coming," I assured him, sitting next to Raph. "She said she had to check something on her laptop."
"Hey, guys!" called April with her laptop open in her hands. "Check out this post I got. I set up a message board to collect unusual sightings around New York. People send in pics, videos, I also get some stuff that may help us track the Kraang and find my Dad. Like this video of a gas explosion."
"A Kraang droid," noted Leo as we watched the video. "We'll check it out tonight."
"Why not now?" demanded April.
"Because it's daytime," Leo reminded her. "We can't let anyone see us."
"They also know what I look like so I can't go either," I added.
"Well, I can," muttered April.
"Whoa, cuz, slow down," I urged her. "I know you want to find Uncle Kirby but think about this."
"Lilly's right," opined Leo. "It could be dangerous."
"You know what else could be dangerous?" April shot back. "Standing between me and my father."
Leo glanced at me. I sighed. "Okay, cuz, but please be careful."
April nodded and ran out of the lair, following the Kraang droid's signature.
I groaned and plopped back down on the couch.
Raph laid his hand on my shoulder. "Don't worry, Lil. April will be alright. She's smart and resourceful, like someone else I know."
I smiled. "Thanks. Raph."
"No problem," he replied, handing me a controller. "Want a turn?"
"Only if you promise not to cry when you lose," I teased.
~ THNG ~
A few hours later, we were watching Leo's dumb space show when a ton of loud clanging noises made us turn to see a robotic turtle.
"Take me to your leader!" the robot commanded.
"It's for you, fearless leader," I informed Leo.
"What is this thing?" asked Leo as Donnie walked up behind it.
"Lady and gentlemen, and Raphael, this is the future of ninjutsu," he declared proudly.
"I always thought the future of ninjutsu would be taller," cracked Raph.
"Aw, he's so cute," cooed Mikey, tickling it. The robot suddenly activated an entire armory's worth of weapons causing Mikey to scream and fall over.
Donnie laughed. "He doesn't like being tickled. Isn't it cool? I reverse engineered it from the Kraang droid."
"Okay, why?" inquired Leo.
"So the drone can handle the dangerous stuff while we stay out of harm's way," answered Don.
Raph snorted. "Oh, I get it. This is for wimps too afraid to fight."
"No," retorted Don. "It's for wimps too smart to fight. I mean…"
"Ooh! Let's call him Metalhead." Suggested Mikey. "Why, you ask? Because it's got a head and it's made of…"
"We get it," Leo replied, cutting him off.
"I don't need a toaster to fight my battles for me," declared Raph.
I nodded. "It would take away all the fun."
"They're right," agreed Leo. "This is ridiculous, Donnie. It takes the whole point out of being a ninja."
"It's exactly the point of being a ninja," argued Donnie. "We adapt. Now watch this. Attack the drone. Give it all you got."
"You sure?" asked Leo. "I don't want to break your toy."
"I do!" shouted Raph, reaching for his sais. My boyfriend leapt into the air and aimed directly at Metalhead. Donnie's robot caught the sais with its hands and threw Raph to the side.
Leo and Mikey charged Metalhead together, but they were easily beaten as well. In the meantime, I had retreated into the shadows and tried to attack the bot from behind.
"Nice try, Lilly," said Donnie as Metalhead's head did a 180 and fired lasers at me. I dodged but the dumb robot turned the rest of his body around and kicked me into the back of the couch.
"Ouch," I muttered, getting back on my feet as Donnie laughed.
"Are you nuts?!" demanded Raph. "You could have really hurt her!"
"I'm okay, Raph," I assured him.
"Sorry about that," apologized Donnie. "But now you see what I mean. I kicked your shells! Face it, guys, with this thing I'm invincible!"
"Oh, yeah?" challenged Raph but Splinter appeared making him back down. "You know what I mean."
"Sensei, I was wondering if I could take Metalhead for a spin tonight," inquired Donnie.
"You may," Splinter responded.
"That's totally unfair! I mean I know I shouldn't have used the lasers against Lilly, but I promise to be more careful-," began Donnie before understanding. "Wait, what?"
"You have created this new weapon. We must see how well it works," decided Splinter.
"Well, that's great," said Donnie. "Thank you, sensei."
"But it is a test only," emphasized Splinter. "Do not take it into combat and no more using lasers against your teammates."
"No problem, sensei," promised Donnie, grinning the second his father walked away.
"You're taking it into combat, aren't you?" guessed Raph.
"Totally!" confirmed Donnie before glancing at me. "I do promise to not shoot lasers at any of you guys again. I really am sorry I got carried away."
"It's all good," I replied. "No harm done."
~ THNG ~
Later that night, Leo, Raph, Mikey and I went topside while Donnie controlled Metalhead from the lair. Not surprisingly, the tin can was extremely loud and clumsy as we made our way to April.
"Should we double back?" whispered Leo. "I think there's a car alarm he didn't set off."
"I kinda like it," opined Raph. "It goes nicely with all the sirens and cries for help."
I smirked. "Should we toss him over the side of the roof and be done?"
"Oh, come on," said Donnie's voice coming from Metalhead. "You guys are just jealous because you're out there in the cold and I'm in here eating Mikey's last slice of pizza."
"Hey!" yelled Mikey, hitting Metalhead only to hurt himself. "Ow!"
"Hello?" whispered a familiar voice below us.
"April," I murmured, heading down to the alleyway. "Hey, cuz."
"Lilly, I've been looking for you guys," she replied as Raph, Leo and Mikey quietly joined us while Metalhead landed face first into a dumpster. April yelped and jumped out of the way.
"Huh, how fitting," I quipped while Leo facepalmed.
Metalhead knocked the dumpster over and banged his way out.
"Still, it's stealthier than the real Donatello," noted Raph.
"What the heck is that?" demanded April.
"It's Donnie's latest 'brilliant' creation, Metalhead," explained our fearless leader.
"Catchy name, huh?" added Mikey. "My idea."
"Oh, sorry, April," apologized Donnie over some seriously annoying radio feedback. "I'm still getting used to the controls. Whoops. Megaphone button got stuck."
"No kidding," I muttered.
"Guys, we gotta do something," April told us. "The Kraang are gonna poison the city's water supply with mutagen!"
"The whole city will become a disaster area!" declared Leo.
"There'll be mutants everywhere!" agreed Don.
"Wow. Think of all the friends we can make," breathed Mike, causing us to glare at him. "Excuse me for being a glass half full kind of guy."
I sighed and glanced at Leo. "Well, fearless leader?"
"Let's go!" ordered Leo.
"Yeah, the Kraang don't stand a chance!" exclaimed Don who started to follow us before being stopped by Leo. "What?"
"Donnie, I need you to hang back," Leo told him. "Metalhead is just too clumsy. It'll get in our way."
"Clumsy?!" repeated Donnie, knocking over garbage. "I did that on purpose to emphasize my point."
"You're not coming, Donnie," commanded Leo and we rushed on without the robot. We raced across rooftops to a warehouse full of the Kraang. "It looks like a Kraang picnic down there."
Raph grinned. "Ready to bash some bots?"
Leo smirked. "Destroy some droids?"
"Clean some closets?" tried Mike, making us stare at him. "Uh, I mean to say crush some Kraang?"
"I think what Mikey meant to say was kick some Kraang," I offered.
"Yeah, what Lilly said," replied Mikey, smiling at me. "I am so glad we added you to the team."
I smiled back. "Thanks, Mike."
We leapt down and took the Kraang out no problem before moving on, keeping out of sight or so we thought. Apparently we didn't crush one of the Kraang bots hard enough as it told its buddies where we were.
"So much for stealth," I muttered as more Kraang appeared and we headed for cover.
"Aah! They're everywhere!" screamed Mikey. "Run!"
"Leo, we're running out of room," said Raph after we hid behind some crates.
"We're trapped!" noted Leo unnecessarily.
"Or maybe, they're the ones who are trapped! Hmm?" mused Mike, raising his head and almost getting a laser blast in the face.
"Nope, it's definitely us," I muttered while the Kraang kept firing. Suddenly Metalhead came crashing through the skylight and landed on one of the Kraang.
"What are you doing?" demanded Leo.
"Clearly getting in the middle of a Kraang fire fight," I replied as the Kraang turned their blasters on Metalhead but they bounced right off.
"Now it's my turn!" declared Donnie, activating his own laser and taking down the Kraang. He then hit the droids with Metalhead's detached right hand. "Hey, Raph, how does it feel to be shown up by a toaster?"
Raph grumbled while Kraang droids snook up behind Metalhead.
"Not to step on your moment, but you might want to turn around," I advised him.
"Oh, right," agreed Don, spinning around with his flame thrower.
"That thing which does violence at Kraang used to do violence for Kraang!" realized one of the bots before shutting down and the alien scurried out.
Meanwhile, Donnie was out of control and firing lasers at random including in our direction.
"Hey, what happened to your promise?!" I shouted as we got out of the way.
"Whoops, sorry, Lilly, again," apologized Don, focusing solely on the Kraang and blowing up the mutagen knocking us backwards. Metalhead hit a pole, breaking his antenna. The alien Kraang then latched onto Metalhead's head.
"Well, this can't be good," I murmured as the alien took over Metalhead.
"Uh oh. Guys, if you can hear me, you might wanna run," suggested Don while Metalhead strode towards us.
"You know what, Donnie? I hate your robot!" I told him as we got back on our feet and the Kraang announced we would be destroyed before shooting at us. "What now, fearless leader?"
"I'm thinking," he replied.
"You might want to think faster," said Raph.
"Give him everything you got!" ordered Leo after we surrounded Metalhead but the bot was even more powerful than before. "He's gotta have a weak spot."
"Yeah, where?" I inquired. "Because repeatedly hitting him is not working."
Metalhead knocked us on our butts as more Kraang droids appeared behind him. "Now Kraang will destroy you. Which one wants to be first to be destroyed by Kraang?"
"Me!" yelled Donnie, dropping in from the busted skylight, wielding his new bo staff.
"Nice entrance, Don," I approved.
"You guys deal with the droids," responded Don. "I'll handle Metalhead."
"You heard him. Let's go, guys," said Leo and we rushed around Don and Metalhead. After getting his staff busted again, Don utilized his brain to crush Metalhead, literally.
"Booyakasha!" yelled Don triumphantly.
"Sounds weird when he says it," opined Mikey after we had taken care of the rest of the Kraang.
"Sounds weird when you say it," shot back Raph, making me smile.
"That which is the revenge will be handed on those who call themselves the Turtles," declared Metalhead before shutting down. The alien then attacked Don's face and ran away,
"Nice job, bro!" exclaimed Mikey as we joined him.
Leo nodded. "Way to go, Donnie."
Raph smirked. "Yeah, not bad. Except the part where you built that thing in the first place. And the part where it broke. And the part where it tried to kill us. And the part…"
"He gets it, Raph," I assured my boyfriend, cutting him off. "Let's just go home."
We headed back to the lair and I sat next to Donnie while the others were playing with the arcade game.
"Don't beat yourself up, Don." I advised him. "Your heart was in the right place. Things just got out of hand. Don't let it kill your creativity."
"Lillian is right," agreed Master Splinter.
Donnie sighed. "This was still all my fault,"
"You are responsible, yes," replied Sensei. "Responsible for destroying the mutagen. Responsible for saving the people of this city. Responsible for defeating advanced technology using only ingenuity, bravery and a stick."
"Thanks, sensei," said Donnie, standing up. "Maybe you're right."
"I am," confirmed Splinter.
"I guess with proper training there's nothing better than a wooden stick," mused Donnie.
"Now where have I heard that before?" I murmured, smiling at Master Splinter who smiled back.
A/N: And there you have it! Til next time, read review and show the love!