Episode 13: The Hour of Darkness – Part 2

*Note: Alright guys, I'm headed out for a vacation to Illinois, but I didn't want to leave you hanging, so I'll be posting four parts today. This is one of them. That way it will take care of every day I would have posted. We are approaching the turtle entrance I've been waiting so long for! 5/31 I'll post again! Thanks again for anyone still reading.

When they met with Mako, Ethan didn't imagine that less than an hour later they would be running towards the New York Power Grid. His legs were screaming at him from all the running they were doing today. Jess and Kaela were to his right and left as they rocketed themselves over the alleys below towards the water banks where the power grid was sitting. Last year, Ethan could remember they had taken a school field trip to look at the place and learn about electricity and how it works. If it weren't for that, he wouldn't know where on earth the grid was.

Kaela moved quickly until she was running a few paces ahead of him and turned back to look at him. "Do you think we can stop them with just us? I mean – it sounds like from what Jess said, all of the Purple Dragon's are going to be there. Not to mention, I bet Shredder and his crew are going to be on the front lines of this thing."

"I phoned Sam." Ethan said. "He hopefully will show up with backup." It was difficult to talk with the stitch in his side. The Power Grid was far and Ethan was beginning to get really annoyed with the fact that he and Jess couldn't take the subway anymore. At least, not without attracting a lot of unwanted attention. That would likely lead to them being poked and prodded in a science lab.

Jess caught up to him and Kaela on his other side. "Sam is an incredibly well-trained ninja, but he's not superman. I'm not sure he is going to be able to save us from Shredder's whole private army." Ethan didn't want to agree with Jess aloud, but he already had inside himself. "Well, what else am I supposed to do?" Ethan asked. "We can't just sit back and watch him ruin more people's lives. And besides, if all we get out of this is ending Shredder, then I'm fine with it." Ethan could feel the bitterness that he was afraid of starting to return. He knew that Master Hamato never would approve of such an emotion and so Ethan tried to force it back down like he was eating something horrible.

They were running out of time.

"What are you doing! Let me go you freak!" Mako snapped at the fly that was binding him to the same table he had watched Jess on not that long ago. Panic was beginning to spread through to every nerve ending in his body. This hadn't ended well for Jess. He shook his wrists against the restraints so hard that the banging echoed up through the lab.

Shredder was watching from across the room. Tigerclaw had one of his massive, orange paws on Trent's shoulder's forcing the big, platinum blonde headed Purple Dragon to stay where he was. On the other side was Bradford, the zombie wolf, holding Kenta who looked like he was about to wet himself. He whimpered beneath the huge dog's massive, silver claws. The third person, Mako had never seen before. A beautiful Japanese woman, her long black hair reaching the ground, her eyes staring at him, a smile on her face. The long kimono that she wore was patterned in dark flowers.

"It is a shame for you and your friends that you all allied yourself with the Hamato Clan." Shredder said gravely, not sounding sad at all. "But you will all still be of good use to me." He turned to the fly who was busying himself with a control panel, his gnarly claw punching one of the buttons to allow a flowing red liquid to burst into the glowing green mutagen.

The woman slowly walked over to Mako, her kimono and midnight hair trailing behind her. Mako felt a strange uneasiness come over him as he watched her and he stopped trying to escape, captivated by her unreadable expression and her perfect, white skin. Her long nails reached out and she trailed them along his shoulder, as if comforting him and then she slowly brought her hand up to his head, her fingers moving through his hair. Suddenly her eyes became more intense, more wide, and then she let her hand fall away as she chuckled softly. She turned to Shredder. "This one had an infatuation with one of the three you told me of. That is why he revealed our plans to them."

Shredder turned from Stockman to watch. "What consequence does that have Kitsune?"

The woman known as Kitsune walked away from Mako and he noticed that her feet were bare, white as moonlight. She smiled at Shredder, "It is that kind of oversight that cost you the Hamato Clan's escape. Your worm knows nothing of the heart – only of the brain. In a battle of will, the human soul will always prevail. But when that will is turned against itself . . ." She turned back to Mako, that same, small cunning smile on her face.

"Massster," The fly said, "The mutagen is ready for the large one." he pointed to Trent who immediately tried to back up, but Tigerclaw was strong and kept him where he was.

"NO!" Trent yelled and Mako winced as Tigerclaw practically picked up the big blonde Purple Dragon and half dragged, half carried him to the opening that Jess had been thrown into not long ago. Mako slammed his wrists against the restraints and yelled out in protest, but nobody was listening him, or even looking at him. Kitsune stood in stone silence, her eyes sliding over to watch the distress of Trent with that usual small, uncaring smile on her face. Mako closed his eyes in horror of what was happening to his friend and heard a final plea, a scream, then a splash. He didn't open his eyes. He couldn't. He could hear Kenta whimpering nearby. It was so loud that they were beginning to apex into sobs.

Finally, after hearing the hinges that ejected the victim from the mutagen tank, Mako opened his eyes. He could hear his friend groaning, but could not see what he was now. Shredder nodded to Tigerclaw who slowly descended, using the jet pack on his back, fire pluming from behind him to take him down to the victim below. The mutagen tank slowly began to fill up again and Stockman, the fly, began to busy himself with the buttons on his panel again.

Kenta turned to look at Shredder and Rahzar who held him fast. "Master Shredder," he pleaded, wiping at his nose with the corner of his wrist. "I didn't have anything to do with this! It was all Mako!"

Mako was speechless. These people had been his friends – hadn't they? "Kenta!" He yelled. "What – I thought . . ." He went silent again as despair began to fill him. Perhaps this was what Jess had felt as well. Perhaps something worse.

Shredder didn't seem to be listening to Kenta's pleas in the least and turned away from the young Japanese boy as suddenly Tigerclaw had re-appeared with Trent. Mako felt the breath leave his lungs. His friend's blonde hair hung in locks on his thick, fuzzy skull. Huge pointed and twisted horns protruded from his head. His chest was even larger than before now, with massive shoulders, hands the size of frying pans. An Ox.

"Shredder please—." Kenta clawed at Rahzar's long sharp nails but he was already being dragged by the zombie dog towards the opening of the mutagen tank. It had filled back to the brim and another vial of red liquid appeared from above, carried by a metal arm. It attached to the side and with a thump, the liquid vanished and mixed into the mutagen. "MAKO!" Kenta started to scream. "MAKO! YOU'LL REGRET THIS!" Another second and he vanished over the lip with a final sob and Mako was forced to clench his eyes tight again.

The same splash of mutagen came and the new Ox Trent trembled at the sound. Kenta's sobs became drowned with the sound of mutagen and then the sob transformed into a high pitched squeal that hurt Mako's ears to hear. He was trembling, sweat trickling down his face and he could feel tears stinging at the corners of his eyes.

What had he gotten himself into?

Then, the tank drained again and the sound of a body hitting the metal below echoed into the lab. Shredder leaned over to look down and nodded to Rahzar to copy Tigerclaw's actions in grabbing Kenta. Kitsune however, had turned her piercing eyes to look back at Mako. He froze and felt his stomach begin to churn.

He was next.

Kenta's body was dragged up into light. His pointed features were the same, but his skin had become a light gray, two huge ears appearing on the sides of his head, and attached the under-girth of his arms were long leathery wings. His nails and receded and black claws had sprouted. The earring in his ear had luckily not mutated. When he sobbed again, Mako could see two pointed fangs – a bat.

Shredder slowly turned to face Mako.

"Now it's your turn." he said gravely.

"Wait." Kitsune held up her hand daintily to stop him, the palm of Shredder's armored chest. She glanced back towards the Stockman, all of her movements as fluid and beautiful as water rolling through a stream. Shredder didn't say a word but watched, his expression showing annoyance. "Bug." Kitsune said it politely, although the word was harsh. "I was told that you were able to morph Karai in such a way as to allow her to transform between her human body and her mutated form. Is this true?"

Stockman looked nervously at her, his body twitching as he buzzed under his breath. "Yessss." he finally said with uncertainty.

Kitsune on the other hand, nodded, pleased by the answer. "Mutate this boy in the same manner."

Shredder slammed his fist against the control panel in fury, but Kitsune didn't even flinch, her eyes still on Mako. "No!" Shredder yelled at her, "This boy is the one who should be made to suffer the most, Kitsune! I will not have you undermining my authority in the Foot!"

Kitsune raised an eyebrow. "Kinishinai de." She said softly and Mako wondered what that meant. "The boy will suffer, Saki. Without his human form intact, we will be unable to use him to his full potential. Remember – it is the heart that you must destroy if you are to defeat the Hamato Clan. And this boy is one of the vital arteries."

Mako did not like the sound of this. "Stop talking like I'm not here." He spat at them.

Shredder turned to look back at Stockman, ignoring Mako. "Very well. Proceed."

The sound of button beeps filled the lab, along with Trent's moans and Kenta's sobs. A few moments later, Stockman said, "We are ready Massster Sssshredder."

Tigerclaw and Rahzar both walked towards Mako and he yelled, trying to escape, but there was no hope. Escape wasn't an option anymore.

At long last, Ethan could see the power wires up ahead. The Power Grid loomed before them. Jess and Kaela stopped at the edge of the building and they looked down together. Jess slapped at her tail, as if trying to get it out of her way. "How do you control this thing." she hissed lowly. Kaela chuckled, but Ethan felt her pain. He was still trying to get a hold of his own tail.

The Power Grid hummed with electricity. Large metal boxes sat in all four corners of the grid, huge towers stacked on each one where all the wires were threading like vines. A fence had been placed around the whole perimeter, complete with big yellow: DO NOT ENTER signs. The whole place was littered with stone walls, colander like power generators and wires that crisscrossed in every which direction to make a maze of hazardous electrical wires. "Look there." Kaela pointed down to their right. The fence had a huge hole cut into it, the barbed wire bent out of the way and several dark shadows were moving through.

The Purple Dragons.

"Let's take them down. But move cautiously. We need to know if Shredder is here before he knows that we are." With that, he jumped off from the building and clawed his way down towards the ground level. Kaela moved around the other way so she could climb down the fire-escape. Jess followed after Ethan, using her long claws a little more cautiously than Ethan did. At last, Ethan's padded feet hit the ground and he slid against the wall to ensure that he wasn't seen.

Jess stood next to him, her breath quiet against the side of his face, blowing at his fur. Kaela reached the ground next, her weapon already out. "There are only five of them. Six if you include Hun." Kaela informed them. Ethan nodded gratefully and then motioned for them to move.

Pulling his naginata out and avoiding the electric wires strewed above them, Ethan came up right behind one of them. But by the time the huge Purple Dragon heard his feet, it was too late. With a precise swing, Ethan slammed it across the backside of his knees and watched him drop with a yell and with a final smack to the side of his head, he went silent. "What is this?" Hun snapped, turning, but already another one of the Purple Dragons had slammed into one of the power generators and went still as a blue ribbon snatched him backward. Kaela landed gracefully, snatching her dart from the air and then straightened with a smile. Jess swung the handles of her kama's into the shoulders of a third and he yelled only once before crumpling. Two others had backed away with cries of worry until they were hiding behind Hun who Ethan assumed was glaring at them from behind his sunglasses.

"I don't know if you've realized this yet, but sunglasses are for when the sun is out." Kaela said.

"Hmph!" Hun snapped. "Take them down."

The two jumped out from behind Hun, fists flailing like a windmill.

Kaela and Jess ducked out of the way from a particularly huge one, but he brought himself straight into the power generator and with a final slam into his ribs from Kaela's dart, he was on the ground. The other didn't even try after that – but turned the other way and ran. "Come back here you coward!" Hun cried after him.

"Maybe we won't need Sam after all." Kaela said.

Hun snorted and then raised his hand and motioned to them with his hand, making Ethan feel like snorting from laughter. "You planning on taking down the whole New York City power grid by yourself?" Ethan asked.

Throwing his sunglasses off, Hun laughed, "You think these fools are the only Purple Dragon recruits here? Already we are shutting down the power, you mindless animal." Ethan jumped forward and slammed his naginata at Hun but the martial artist blocked it expertly with his palm and then swung his booted leg up and brought it back down on Ethan's shoulder.

He yelped and fell to his knee but Hun's leg didn't follow as the bolt twisted around Hun's leg and she yanked, throwing him off balance with a cry. Jess' knee came up to meet him and he spat, flecks of blood on his lip. "You ingrate!" he cried, his voice going high pitched and he jumped over Ethan and rocketed forward, his leg coming in contact with Jess' stomach and she doubled over. Kaela ducked out of the way of Hun's continued assault and then with a swing of her ribbon, threw him to the ground, the dart making a sickening crack against his shoulder blade.

"We're done." Kaela helped Jess up as Ethan stood, the three surrounding Hun.

The panic in his eyes immediately dissolved and then he smiled.

Ethan raised an eyebrow. "You should start talking Hun, or we will knock you out cold and get answers from you at our lair."

"I don't think so." he said, his eyes looking past all of them and suddenly, the fur on the back of Ethan's neck stood on end and he turned to see who was watching them.

Shredder stood on one of the power generators.

Next to him was someone Ethan hadn't seen before.

A woman – more beautiful and regal that Ethan had ever seen before. She looked familiar – likely from all the beautiful murals of Japanese women he had seen in text books. She wore a long kimono, the folds of black and red spilling over the side of the power generator as if she had staged it to look that beautiful. Her raven hair cascaded down her back and to the ground, a crystal comb keeping it in place. In her hand was a fox mask, patterned in red and white designs.

Not even Jess had anything to say and the three stared in awe.

Shredder nodded to Hun, "Make sure the power grid is destroyed." he commanded and Hun scampered off.

The woman next to Shredder chuckled. "Ano kodomotachi wa omae no hanashita teiki daro ka?" Ethan knew it was Japanese the second he heard it, but had no idea what it was that she had said. "Yes." Shredder replied solemnly, his cape blowing in the wind, the moonlight glancing off the blades on his shoulders and the ones that protruded from his gauntlet. His eyes were like fire, staring down at them. The woman chuckled again, her voice sounding like a summer breeze, fluttering through the air. "Sore Jya, watakushi ni ojamashinaide." She suddenly paused as her eyes fell on Kaela and her mouth fell open slightly, her long fingers going up to her lips in surprise that broke all the calm air around her. Then she burst into laughter, this time filled with mirth.

"You have seen them before, have you?" Shredder asked.

Ethan turned to look at Kaela, but she was just as confused as Ethan and she shrugged her shoulders at him. "Oh yes." The woman said. "But not for a long time. You seem to have forgotten, children. Allow me to remind you," Her Japanese accent was beautiful and almost made her English sound more elegant. "I am called Kitsune."

Jess seemed to have finally gotten her voice back, "A-and you think you can actually fight in that dress?" She asked. "Both of you come down here so we can get rid of that smile." She pointed up at Kitsune with her kama and Ethan still stood in stunned silence, an odd feeling growing in his heart. We have seen her before . . . but where?

But all of that left as Ethan looked up at Shredder and he felt rage boil in him again. "SHREDDER!" He yelled. "I'll make you pay for what you did to Master Hamato!"

"I don't have time for petty threats." Shredder hissed and then he turned to Kitsune.

She nodded to Shredder. "You will not be fighting us children. Come on out my adorable servants."

Suddenly from the light, a figure stepped forward.

"Mako?" Jess said in horror.

The Purple Dragon emerged, his skin white, the purple highlights on the tips of his hair were familiar, but he looked terribly ill. "A brain worm." Ethan said worriedly.

"Jess." He muttered, his arms trembling as he stepped closer.

"Mako." Jess stepped forward, her arms out as if to embrace him, but he held his hand out before she could come any closer.

"Stay away from me." he said. "Jess, you need to run."

"Mako, what are you talking about?"

Kitsune suddenly reached her hand out over Mako and her eyes widened, intensity appearing in her features, something close to fury. "Mako." She said lowly, "All of this has happened because of her."

"What are you saying?" Jess backed away, glaring up at Kitsune, "No it's not!"

But Mako wasn't listening to Jess, his eyes had gone wide as he looked into space. Ethan stared in horror as Kitsune continued to speak. "All the pain you have suffered is because of that girl. You selflessly gave over and over again to her, risked even your own life. Yet, she judges you. She only knows you as a low-life, a criminal. You are nothing to her but a means to an end. She only wants to get to her enemies." Mako had put his hands over his face and began to shake his head as if trying to get rid of a fly that buzzed around his head.

Jess went to run at him but Kaela and Ethan grabbed her arms to stop her. "She's lying to you! Why are you believing her!"

Kitsune chuckled, her features turning back to their gentle features and she smiled. "He doesn't have a choice now, child." She then looked down as Shredder laughed, "Mako. You must destroy her."

Mako then looked up. "Yes." he said, his eyes were pitch black and Jess gasped in horror. "Jessica must die." Suddenly his hands were morphing, the skin peeling backward to reveal huge black claws with long purple streaks running down them. Slashing through the back of his pants and protruding tall, arching over his body was a huge tail, patterned in the same colors, a barb on the end like a –

"A scorpion mutant." Kaela hissed under her breath.

Then Mako lunged with a vicious snarl, the purple tips on his hair flashing under the moonlight.