April's head whipped back from the force of the blow to her cheek. He hadn't been kind enough to remove his glove, but he did use his palm. As she spit out the blood pooling in her mouth from her split lip, she was grateful for that. Those razors would've been more than she could bear at the moment. Her chain-bound hands rose to wipe her face and she dared lift icy blue eyes on his half melted face.
Shredder scowled. "Foolish girl. Beg your friend to obey, or suffer far worse than a tap on the cheek."
Beside her, Renet whimpered. "April, I'm so sorry."
"Don't do it, Renet." April glared at Shredder, determined to keep her eyes on his as his closed fist rushed towards her face. At the last second she rolled back popping her feet up to block the blow. The force of it hit her feet pushing her backward ramming her shoulder hard into the concrete she was chained to, but she suspected it was better than the blow to the face that would've knocked her out.
Shredder snarled as he spun around and kicked her in the side, shoving the air from her lungs like a deflated balloon.
"STOP! I'll do it!" Renet screamed.
The room darkened as April wondered if her lungs would ever open up. Don't do it Renet. Please don't do it. April tried to push her chest from the floor but couldn't lift her chin. Her organs screamed, burning for oxygen, and she focused on Splinter's teachings to keep her conscience calm while her body panicked. But it wasn't easy.
"Wise choice, Apprentice." Shredder's boots scuffed the concrete near April's face and she opened her eyes to a blurry image of him, arms crossed standing over her.
"But I— I need the scepter." Renet swallowed, as she scooted closer to April.
Finally, April's lungs opened up. She took in a breath in, felt a sharp pain in her ribs and felt the air rush out of her again. Trying again she drew in slow, tiny breaths, filling her lungs and drawing out the pain into a tender ache that ended in a sharp jolt. Her vision sharpened and she pushed herself to her knees. "Shredder," she gasped, "don't do this. It's over. Hamato Yoshi is—" it never got any easier to say, "he's gone. Let it be over. You won."
Shredder ignored her, wheeling on Renet with a backhand that knocked the headdress from her, revealing a tumbling mass of long blonde locks. Renet's eyes flashed. "I told you I'd do it!"
His teeth bared he drew close to Renet's face. "And you say you need the scepter. Don't toy with me insolent child." Spit sprayed from his chapped, disfigured lips.
"I'm not! I do, I need the scepter." Renet waved her hands towards him, yanking her chains then gritting her teeth.
Shredder laughed. "I know. I just want you to know who's in charge before we begin this little… adventure." He snapped his fingers and the sound of mechanical legs stomping across the floor came before Xever's wretched fish form filled the room. Scepter in hand.
Renet's brown eyes widened. "The Master's scepter. But— how did you get the Master Scepter?"
"My comrades and I—" A sick toothy smile spread over Xever's hideous face, "dispatched of the Time Master."
"No!" Renet gasped, tears filling her eyes. "No!" She yanked on the chains. "No!"
As Shredders laugh, echoed by Xever's cackle filled the chamber, echoing off the walls, Renet struggled until April's hand wrapped around her friend's shoulder.
"Very good. Now you understand. Your job is to obey. Xever, give the new Time Master her scepter." Shredder instructed.
Xever held the scepter out to Renet whose shoulders were hunched over the chains that bound her, head dropped. "You don't understand, if I use the that scepter I become Master. And I can never,—" She lifted her head, revealing a cascade of tears down her cheeks. "The choice was supposed to be mine. Not like this. Not… like this."
Xever jabbed her with the time managing device. Renet lunged toward him, snatching the scepter then pointing it at him while Shredder grabbed April up by her throat.
"That will be enough Time Keeper, or your friend dies." Shredder held a gasping, red face April, dangling from the meat of his gloved hand.
Renet lowered the scepter, her features sharp beneath the tears stains of her cheeks. "Release me. I can't take us anywhere like this."
Shredder lowered April to her feet, released the gasping choking reporter and pointed his finger at Xever. The fish scrambled to unchain both women from the ground but handed the long end of a chain-bound April to Shredder.
"You are my insurance, Miss O'Neil. If the Time Keeper disobeys, you suffer." He turned toward Renet whose face contorted as if she'd smelled death. "Now let's go."
"Where to?" She glared at him.
Shredder scoffed. "Japan, 1999."
Renet's eyes widened. "No."
Shredder jerked April close, held the razor edges of his gloves to her jugular. "Last warning." He looked to Xever. "Did you get the compound when you took them?"
Hun whistled from the doorway and April's eyes flew to the vial floating up in the air and spinning before landing in his hand. "Fishboy, did not. I did." He strolled toward them, eyeing April. "Mind if I come along?"
The not-deformed corner of Shredders mouth curled into a sick smile as his good eye drifted from Hun to April and back knowingly. April's stomach turned.
"Hey! My name is not Fishboy!" Xever protested.
Shredder thrust a hand into the fish's chest sending him flying into a wall. He bounced off, landing in a heap. "There's no room for mutants on this mission. My Tang Shen will be frightened of such abominations."
April felt air hit her eyeballs they'd grown so wide. They flew from the vial in Hun's hand, to the scepter. Japan 1999. Tang Shen. Mutant blocking compound. No. Oh no. No. "Kill me, Shredder!" she heard herself scream. "Don't do it, Renet! Let him kill me!" Her teeth ground together, tears streaking her cheeks as she struggled, the metal cuffs digging into her wrists. "I'd rather die than let you harm them."
Shredder laughed. "I'm not going to hurt your precious turtles. They'll just never exist." He tossed April's chain to Hun and latched his hand onto Renet's bicep, yanking her close to his mouth. "Japan, 1999. Now."
Renet's eyes met April's. "Donatello would never forgive me if I let anything happen to you, April."
Even as often as they'd fought in recent days… she was really fighting for him, without him knowing. And she knew two things to be true. One, whether the brainy brother would ever forgive her or not, he would still love her and always come to defend her. And two, Renet was right, because he'd give up his existence in a second if it would save her life.
So the Time Master tilt her scepter, forgoing her choice, risking the lives of her friends to save the one beside her, and April's world spun in to oblivion.
