A/N: Sorry for the wait, got a little writer's block. Fight scenes suck. But hey, longest chapter yet!
Chapter 11
They'd come out of no where; swarming the street, blasters blazing and ran them off the road. They had no choice but to get out of the van and fight them off. Donnie, April and that other guy were still in the Mental Plane and couldn't defend themselves. So they confronted the swarm of Tagoos in a run down part of town where no one really lives anymore.
Leo, Raph, Mikey and Casey now stood back to back, surrounded by the little aliens. There was more then last time, leaving Leo to reason that these were the last few squadrons. The last time they fought, they only had to deal with one squadron at a time, now they've got three at once. Needless to say, the numbers were a little over whelming.
"What do we do?" Raph shouted as his sais clashed with two sparking batons and he forced back his opponent. Casey dashed around, hitting everything close by with his baseball bat. He was currently wailing on one guy who didn't seem to understand the concept of moving out of the way.
"Just, try and hold them off," Leo replied as he sliced a blaster in half and kicked its wielder back, taking out two others rushing towards him. Leo knew that they were in trouble. The Shell Razor was down, and the one who usually fixed it in these situations was out of commission. He couldn't call for a retreat either. They could leave the Shell Razor behind, but not the people still inside.
"Hold them off until what?!" Raph demanded.
"Until . . .Oh, just hold them off!" Leo ducked under blaster fire and shot two shuriken at a Tagoo which lodged themselves in its head gear, causing it to spark and burst into flame. The Tagoo took off running, flailing its hands above its head while two others tried to put the fire out but only managing to knock each other down.
"Works for me," Mikey grinned mischievously. "Booyakasha!"
They flew into battle with renewed strength, and they lost themselves in the clash of metal, the zapping of blasters, and the gibberish of Mikey's battle cries. But then a strange crackling was heard over the sounds of battle.
Before anyone had a change to process the new threat, electricity flashed from out of nowhere. The lightning joined all the Tagoos together like a game of Connect-the-Dots, jumping from one bad guy to the next. Their weapons shorted out and exploded and their robotic armour started to smoke. As quickly as it appeared, the electricity vanished, leaving the three squadrons of Tagoos to simultaneously drop to the ground. The only ones left standing were three very confused mutant turtles and one overly excited hockey addict.
"Dude! That was so metal!" Casey exclaimed, waving his baseball bat in the air as he jumped over the prone forms of the fallen aliens.
"Been a while since I got to do that," a voice cut through his excitement. The fighters looked over towards where the Shell Razor crashed and saw the new kid standing on top of the van, with residual electricity jumping between his hands, arms and body and the Shard cradled in one arm was glowing slightly.
"What was that?" Donnie breathed in awe from the entrance into the Shell Razor. April stood beside him and they took in the fallen army, some still sparking but all defeated, before turning to look at their new ally in amazement.
"Guardian's got to have some way to protect the Shard," Jay shrugged and jumped down from the van, holding the Shard close.
"You shoot lightning?" Raph asked skeptically.
"Electricity," Jay corrected.
"What's the difference?"
"Donnie!" Mikey exclaimed and tackled his brother to the ground. "You're okay! Did you get your Soul Thingy back?"
"Get off!" Donnie exclaimed as he pushed him off. Mikey grinned as Donnie regained his feet.
Leo breathed a sigh of relief as he checked Donnie over, he seemed okay so he turned back to the kid. "What happened in there? Did everything go smoothly?"
"Explanations later," Jay said. "We have to move. If the Tagoos have found us, then reinforcements won't be far behind. Did you see their Commander?"
"Commander? Does he look any different from the rest of them?" Raph scoffed. "Cuz they all looked the same to me. Short and ugly."
"You'd fit right in," Mikey quipped before jumping back a few steps to avoid Raph's fist.
"Trust me," Jay said. "You'd know him if you saw him."
"I think I'm seeing him right now," Donnie whimpered as he pointed behind them.
The team tensed as an earie squeak of grinding metal echoed in the empty street. As one, they turned around and took in the giant, looming machine that stood taller than the telephone poles, with dull armour caked with grime. The robot had giant appendages equipped with blasters and projectiles, with a domed cockpit where they could make out another Tagoo, larger than the others operating the controls. It was something right out of Super Robo Mecha Force Five with a hint of Kraang, but without the pink.
"Dude, how did we miss that?" Mikey said.
"Move!" Leo shouted as he jumped out of the way of the first shot from the Commander's energy canon. The blast connected with the open road with a ringing explosions, sending chunks of asphalt shooting everywhere. A smoking crater five feet across was left in the road like a giant pot hole.
"Oh, that's not good," Leo muttered to himself, then called out as everyone scattered around. "Everyone keep moving! Don't give him a clear target!"
The Commander clicked in amusement as the team was scattered again, dodging blaster fire and exploding projectiles. Leo smacked away a flying explosive with a katana and watched as it sailed through the air and slammed into the Shell Razor, which promptly blew up.
"My baby!" Donnie screamed as the van was knocked onto its side and started smoking as something inside caught fire. "You're gonna pay for that! Do you have any idea how long it took to tune the break shaft?!"
Leo flinched, thinking for a moment that Donnie was spazing out at him. But then Leo watched as Donnie reached into his belt with a smile that would have anyone running scared that was only enhanced when Donnie spoke.
"I've been wanting to test this out."
A chill went down Leo's spine when he heard this, but he knew what he had to do.
"Take cover!" Leo yelled as he ran past the others and took shelter in an alley. "Donnie's testing something new!"
They all dove behind the closest object that was attached to the ground, knowing what that Donnie's test runs implied. Well, everyone except for Jay, who had no idea why everyone had apprehensive expressions (or overly excited one's in Casey's case). He only had time to watch Donnie throw a what looked like a mis-shaped ball of metal at the thirty-something foot mech and dive for cover himself.
The Commander saw it coming and shot at the projectile, trying to dispose of it before it hit its target. Bright energy bolts shot out of the blaster, but whatever Donnie threw was so small that he couldn't hit it. In a last ditch effort, the Commander swung one of the mech's large arms to try and swat it down. The mech's arm hit it dead on and as the projectile came into contact with the mech, it imploded. What looked like a miniature nuclear blast erupted and the Commander's mech was lost in a mushroom cloud that rose above the surrounding buildings.
"Aw yeah baby!" Donnie yelled as he jumped up and threw his hands in the air. "How does twenty mills of nitro-explosives taste?!"
"Yea boy!" Mikey exclaimed and high-threed Donnie.
"That was awesome!" Casey whooped.
"I'd say that test was successful," Raph crossed his arms with a smile.
"Not as successful as you'd think," Jay said as a silhouette formed from within the clearing smoke, looming tall above them.
"You've gotta be kidding," Raph moaned as the mech stepped out of the smoke. The machine was by no means defeated, but it did take damage in the blast. The arm that took the brunt of the explosion now lay limp by its side, but the mech was otherwise functional.
"Donnie," Leo said. "Please tell me you've got more of those."
"Only had time to make the one," Donnie said sheepishly. "Although the explosion was more powerful than antici—"
"Not helping!" Leo snapped before the skirmish started again.
It was seven on one, but out numbering it didn't seem to do too much. Jay was the only one who seemed to be making any progress. He stood on top of an abandoned car and shot lightning—sorry, electricity—from his hands. That in itself hadn't fully registered in Leo's mind, but the fact that it was doing more damage than swords and wooden sticks sure did.
The Commander took a blast of yellow electricity to the chest and stumbled back before crashing into a building. The metal on his chest smoked and was slightly melted, but it didn't keep him down for long.
With an angry click, the mech pushed itself up and charged at the Guardian. Jay hopped down from the car and started backing up, looking for someplace to take cover. Then Mikey jumped in and threw his kusarigama, the chain wrapped around the mech's legs, tripping it up and sending it face-planting onto the ground.
"Quick! Go for the cockpit!" Jay yelled over the creaking of the mech as it tried to right itself.
Leo took the cue and launched himself at the mech's domed cockpit, where he could make out the Commander frantically pushing buttons and pulling levers. With both hands on the hilt of his katana, Leo jumped up and used the momentum to stab down through the cockpit, shattering the dome and impaling the Tagoo Commander. At least, that's what was supposed to happened. Instead, his blade slid off the smooth dome without even a scratch.
"What?" Leo said and then jumped back as the Commander retaliated.
"Kape?" Jay yelled as the mech picking itself up with an ear piercing gratting as dirty hinges protested against the added force it took to accomplish the task. The Shard glowed faintly in his arms in response to his request.
"What was that?!" Leo demanded. The mech stomped down with his giant metal foot and Leo lunged out of the way and was back up and running even as he called out again. "We had him!"
"Damn it!" Jay exclaimed as he blasted the mech with another electrical attack. The mech stumbled, giving Leo enough time to get a safe distance away. "It made of Togrim. It's a lot stronger than any metal. Your blade won't be able to do anything to it."
"So the cockpit's out," Leo said digging deep for another possibility. "Can we get through with something stronger?"
"Unless you have a diamond powered laser handy, that's not an option."
"Can't you just, like, blast it with lightning?" Casey called out.
"I have been!" Jay said between clenched teeth.
A new whirring drew their attention once again. The Commander smiled wickedly behind the seemingly indestructible dome and threw another switch. The mech jolted before a large metal part from its back dislodged and swung up over its head before bending. A shaft swirled open, making a large hole where some projectile will surely be shot from.
"Gas bomb!" Jay shouted just as the barrel of the new appendage started to glow a sickly green colour then shrieked as a large green orb was fired. The projectile didn't travel far and hit the ground hard before exploding in a green oozing blast that swept over the area like a disease. The shockwave was immense and sent everyone to the ground, clutching their ringing ears and trying not to gag on the sickly green fog that clouded the street. The only one who managed to stay on their feet was Jay, who was the only one who had an idea of what was coming.
"We're getting our shells kicked here," Raph growled. "Leo, we need a plan."
"I'm working on it," Leo replied as his mind buzzed through possibilities. "Donnie, you think you can sabotage it?"
"I'd need a way into it's wiring," Donnie replied, his eyes running over the mech for possible weaknesses. "That is, assuming that the alien technology isn't too complicated."
Jay listened as the turtles came up with a plan that wasn't going to work. Their weapons weren't strong enough to pierce the mechs armour and it won't be easy to get inside.
But what if . . . He thought as the idea popped into his head
That could work, Jay heard Kape's voice through their connection. Tagoos are vulnerable to such attacks, even the Commanders.
Jay watched as the turtles surrounded the mech swinging hooked chains around their heads. They let the chains fly and wrapped around the mechs legs. For a moment, the mech seemed to trip over itself, but before it went tumbling to the ground again, it managed to regain its balance and rip through the chains. The turtles were sent flying as the mech swung the chains around.
"No!" Jay heard April call as she watched her friends hit the ground harder than was good for them. Casey started shooting hockey pucks equipped with fire crackers at the mech, which didn't do anything, but seemed to amuse the Commander none-the-less. Jay took the opportunity the distraction created.
"April!" Jay called over the sounds of battle. "You have to merge with Hyper! You can take him out together!"
April stared at him, and understood instantly.
You with me? April asked her inner self, feeling swirls of their bond in her mind.
Always, Hyper replied in her head. Let's bring this mech down.
April closed her eyes and felt Hyper's will entwine with her own. Their thoughts synchronized and their minds linked. They became one, they became whole and their combined power flooded their very being.
"Let's do this," a two-toned voice said as April stepped forward, a new breeze whirling around them.
Leo watched in horror as April's hair faded to white once more and dark veins snaked around her arms. Hyper April was back. Something must hove gone wrong on the Mental Plane. April must have lost control of the Hyper. Leo grit his teeth and was about to lunge toward the new threat when a hand on his shoulder stopped him. He glanced back to see Jay holding him back.
"It's alright," Jay reassured him. "Hyper's on our side now."
Leo turned back in confusion to watch the supposedly now good Hyper April finish her transformation. Without the Shard's power, her form no longer glowed with yellow light, her tendrils were slower to react and black in colour. At the same time, she looked more sure of herself, more confidant than before. Leo's trepidation faded quickly as he saw the familiar defiance that April always held as she stood alone against the Commander of the Tagoos in his mech.
It was a classic stare down: oversized, giant Mech-Lord Commander versus psychic human girl. Or something like that.
April let Hyper take the lead, feeling how the psychic energy was channeled through her counter part and out towards the Commander, aiming to take control of his mind, like she'd done to the other Tagoo squadrons earlier that night. She squeezed her eyes shut in concentration and placed her fingers on her temples to focus. She felt the tension build up in her head, and she gathered more power.
When she felt like her head was about to burst, she released the wave of energy with a yell. She swept her arms out in front of her and a shockwave of psychic power flew towards the mech, hitting the Commander head on.
The team of fighters all watched with trepidation. For a few moments, all was still. No one moved. . . Then the mech creaked. A low squeak that dragged out as the legs seemed to be working hard to keep the machine upright, filling the empty night street with a keening that grated on one's nerves. Then one leg jolted forward, and the mech caught itself before it had a chance to fall.
Inside the cockpit, the Commander's face flushed and he clicked in rage. He slapped buttons and yanked on levers with unnecessary force and the mech jerked into motion once again as Hyper April lost her grip on the Commander's mind.
"It didn't work!" Mikey exclaimed as he ran in anything but a straight line, dodging the new stream of blaster fire.
"What gave it away?" Raph grunted.
"What happened?" Jay asked as he drew level with Hyper April. She looked winded and fought to catch her breath and stay on her feet.
"Not enough power," Hyper April gasped out, her two-toned voice wavering with effort. "We don't have the Shard's support like last time. . ."
That can be easily fixed. Kape whispered in Jay's head. He groaned inwardly, knowing that it would come down to this eventually. But he had to admit, at this point they didn't have much of a choice.
"Alright," Jay gave in. He turned to the others weaving in and out of the mech's firing range, trying to make a dent in its armour. "Keep the Commander busy. We need time!"
"What are you doing?!" Leo yelled as he deflected plasma rays off the reflective surface of his katana.
"Power boost!" Jay replied before dragging Hyper April into a narrow alley that would provide them with cover.
He held the Shard out in front of him and looked at the girl in front of him. Her now white hair was tangled and fell in her face, her pony tail long since fallen out, and her once bright eyes were dimmed from the Dark element that empowered Hyper.
"I don't have time to explain fully," Jay started, "but the only way to power you up enough to be able to defeat the Commander is for you to merge with the Shard."
"Merge?"
"Like what happened the last time you touched it, but instead of only a fragment, you'll be taking in Kape's entire essence. The influx of power will be immense, but it's our only shot."
"Do it," Hyper April said with no hesitation.
"You have to understand; this won't be like anything you've ever felt before. It usually takes months of training before being able to handle it, so instead Kape will have to keep it toned down so you don't get overwhelmed."
"Whatever, just get on with it."
"When it's done," Jay said, looking her straight in the eye, "let Kape take control. She's the only one who will be able to process the change and control all the power."
"Got it," Hyper April said, her determination never leaving her face.
Jay took a deep breath before holding out the Shard. April placed her hands on it and they both closed their eyes and they connected once again. The Shard glowed brightly as the yellow light filled the alley and yellow strings started to circle around them.
April and Hyper felt it as Jay guided Kape towards their single mind. Then they touched, and power exploded through their mental connection. It was the same as when April first touched the Shock Rock, she was glued to it and couldn't move, could only let the overwhelming power flow into her.
It was over as soon as it began. Jay opened his eyes and watched as, not April nor Hyper stood in front of him. The girl's hair now shone a golden yellow and her eyes swam with and unnatural neon yellow light that pierced through the darkest nights. Yellow strings swirled around her arms and danced around the night air.
"Wow," she whispered in a monotone voice, Kape's voice, as she inspected the hands of the body she now occupied.
"You good?" Jay asked.
Kape smiled in answer and walked past him and out of the alley to once again face the Commander. Jay was left alone, clutching what was now only just a rock, its once glowing veins dark, cold and empty.
Oo-oO
The fighting grew still when a flash of yellow light brightened the empty street. From a nearby alley, April emerged standing tall and strong. Her hair was gold and glowing, her eyes bright and piercing, her tendrils now strings that flitted around her in a defensive manner.
The girl who was so many people at once, once again stood strong against the Commander of the Tagoos. Only this time, the Commander knew he was up against more than he could handle. The Shard managed to find someone who was compatible and merge with them. He had to inform Kentoki. . .
"Let's settle this," Kape called out. The others flinched at the unfamiliar voice coming from their friend. The Commander froze in his cockpit, then slapped the controls in desperation.
The mech once again transfigured itself. The arms rotated above the cockpit and joined together, they grew longer before swinging down and pointing the most powerful blaster it had at the girl. The barrel glowed red hot before a piercing light fired from the cannon. Kape only watched as the blaster fired and hit her. The resulting explosion was the largest yet and the others were thrown off their feet and buried in rubble as the street lights simultaneously burst and cast the street in darkness.
"April!" A few of them called out, searching for their friend as they tried to blink spots out of their eyes.
The street was a wreck; it couldn't even be called a street anymore. More like a pile of asphalt. But as the dust settled and spots faded from their vision, they all stared opened mouthed as a ball of yellow light created from the interlocking strings formed a shield that protected Kape from the impossibly powerful shot. The strings broke up and filtered through the air, casting their yellow glow in the place of broken street lights. Kape stood strong in the middle of a circle of asphalt untouched by the ravaging attack.
She kept her gaze up on the Commander, who went still in his cockpit. She raised a hand and concentrated on the thoughts of April and Hyper as they guided her through the attack. With a flick of her wrist, the same shockwave of psychic power erupted from her once again, only this time it was so powerful that everyone around felt it. The psychic attack was so strong that it invaded everyone of their minds, they all blacked out and collapsed to the ground.
Oo-oO
Leo wasn't sure how long he was out, but as soon as he remembered what was happening, he was up on his feet again. A wave of dizziness almost sent him right back down, but he leaned on a katana to keep his balance. His eyes wandered around what was left of the battle field. Chunks of pavement were strewn everywhere and the dust from all the explosions were finally settling.
The Commander's mech lay in a giant heap of metal, seeming to have simply fallen over, crushing a parked car and taking out a telephone pole. Whatever April, or Hyper April, or whoever she was now. . . whatever she did, it didn't look like the mech was moving anytime soon. The Commander lay in the cockpit, eyes wide and unmoving.
He continued roaming the area and his gaze landed on the pair that was standing alone in the middle of the chaos, in a circle left untouched by the disaster. April, back to her normal appearance although she still looked a little disheveled, stood in front of Jay. They held the Shard between them as the last bits of the Shard's power left April and returned to the rock that had began to glow again.
"What happened?" Leo croaked out as he approached them.
"Leo!" April smiled. Red hair, single voice, normal eyes. Yep, definitely April. Around them, the others managed to drag themselves up to their feet and make their way over to the growing group.
"Ohhh," Donnie moaned when he got a good look at the Shell Razor. "My poor baby." He ran over to inspect the damage, fussing over the all the work he'd have to do to repair it.
"Dude," Casey said he took in the damage done to the street and the motionless mech, "that was one of the top five most awesome moments of my life!"
"Can it Casey," Raph growled at him. "This is serious."
"The Commander's been dealt with," Jay said, drawing their attention, "but more will come. I appreciate all that you've done to help, but this is our problem now. You've done enough here, and it's best you don't get mixed up anymore than you already have."
"Wait," Leo interrupted. "You're just gonna ditch us? You haven't even explained what the heck is going on! No way, nuh uh. You're not getting rid of us that easily—,"
Leo was cut off by a crackling of static coming from the seemingly incapacitated mech. The group tensed before drawing their weapons once again.
"Come on!" Raph said, twirling a sai. "What does it take for this thing to stay down?!"
The mech twitched a moment, before the dome of the cockpit slid open and a thundering voice boomed in the quiet night.
"HOW LONG HAS IT BEEN?"
"Kentoki," Jay growled and clutched the Shard closer to himself. The others seemed to relax when they realized that the mech wasn't going to attack again, but remained apprehensive.
"We meet again boy," the ominous voice pierces through the empty street, emanating from the mech's cockpit. "It has been too long since we last faced off. I must admit, I did not think you had the gall to enter the Hyper Vacuum, but it seems that I underestimated you."
"As you always have," Jay replied.
"But it was all in vain. Your plan to stall for time has failed. I've found the Shard before your precious Light. And I shall take it when I defeat you myself."
"You seem to forget that we've been through this before," Jay said. "You've never succeeded and you never will."
"And you seem to forget that once again, Light has failed to come to your rescue. Admit it, your Light is weak, uncomplete. It won't be long before the Darkness takes over. You Guardians may have bought some time, but it will never be enough to stop me. Prepare yourself, boy, for tomorrow will be your last day. I will arrive on Earth and destroy all you and your new allies."
"I'd like to see you try," Jay taunted before the transmission cut off.
Jay seemed to sag a bit and held the Shard to his chest.
"Looks like you could use some help," Leo said with a raised eyebrow.
Jay sighed. "It's best I explain the situation to you fully, before you make a decision. You may find that you aren't as willing to get into something as big as this."
A/N: Battle scene, end! Finally. Next chapter are the long awaited answers and back story. It's time for a history lesson, boys and fangirls.