Chapter 11: Secrets
Leo planned to sleep though the morning until his normal training thinking Allie would do the same. But he felt his shoulder being shaken and she he opened his eyes he saw Allie staring down at him. Her eyes seemed to glow and it caught him off guard. What was she doing in his room?
Leo jumped and pulled the blankets up to his chest. "Allie? What are you doing here is something wrong?"
Allie saw the concern on his face. Knowing he felt really guilty about what happened to her. She did a lot of thinking and made up her mind to tell him everything. Karai knows everything about her and it isn't good that the enemy knows all about her and the people she is living with know almost nothing of her.
"We need to talk…like now before the guys wake up." Allie starts to walk out the room and Leo follows her.
Everything felt pretty normal after that. They ate cereal for breakfast and ate in silence. After that they make their way toward the dojo. Allie gets ready to train but Leo stops her.
"We shouldn't train for a few days with your wound." Leo said as Allie gave him a shocked stare.
"But…" Allie tries to find a reason to train but she couldn't without Leo countering her reasons. "…Fine…"
"But you said you wanted to talk to me?" Leo asked and walked under the tree and she followed him and sat next to him.
"…You know Karai?" she began.
"Yeah…I seems you do also." He narrows her eyes.
"Believe me I know what you are thinking and no I am not part of the foot and I am not a spy for her." Allie held her arms up in defense.
"Then explain how you know Karai." Leo crossed his arms.
Allie took a deep breath knowing this is going to be hard. But she couldn't speak. She couldn't get the words out. He was the first person she was telling this to. She never told Karai anything. She read her file but that's all she never told her about her past. How it looked though her eyes- that's it!
"It's a long story." Allie said.
"I have time-" Leo began but Allie cut him off.
"And I will show you…" Allie said slowly.
Leo looked at her confused. Allie looked at him and smiled. And turned around and faced him and he did the same. They looked at each other before Allie spoke.
"I need you to trust me…"
"Ok…" Leo looked from side to side then at her.
Allie closed her eyes. And began to explain how her powers worked. She tried to relax while she explained.
"The way I created an illusion the first time we met works like this. I sang to though you guys off so you can think either one of two things. A) She sings pretty or B) Why is she singing? With that in mind I can get into your head and change the way you look at things. I can make you see other things. Hell, I could have just made you guys believe the Kraang were after you or you were covered with bugs. So I am gonna go into your head and show you my past."
Leo tilted his head. He felt so confused at all of this. Why now? Was it about last night? He could see it still in his mind. The wide crazy smile she had. The wound she had didn't seem to matter at that moment. Most wound have screamed in pain but not her.
One minute she had her head low. Leo was about to run and stop this. He thought Allie pasted out from the pain of the hole in her wing. But before he could move an inch her head snapped up and he saw those glowing like green eyes. Then she was beating Karai to a pulp. He couldn't believe the madness he saw in her eyes and he is sure he wasn't the only one. He needed answers. And he needed them now.
"I need you to think…this tree right next to us…close your eyes and think of the tree next to us. How green the leaves are. The height of the tree. The smell of it." Allie said calmly.
Leo closed his eyes and thought of it. He can see the tree clearly in his mind. He looked at that tree for years and even climbed it a few times. As he thought of it he felt light and the air felt better. He felt relaxed. But when he opened his eyes he wasn't in the dojo anymore.
He was in a apartment building sitting in the middle of a hallway. He looked around and saw Allie looking down at him.
"Hey welcome to my life. Enjoy the saw." He heard a slight sadness in her voice.
Leo sat up and looked around. Something wasn't right about this apartment. At first he couldn't understand what it was. But after doing a 360 he realized what he was missing. The whole place was blurry. Leo turned and looked at her the confused look he had from before was back on his face.
"Sorry I am kinda losing my memory of this place…it's been a while since I been here. Come on." Allie gestures him to follow her.
Leo follows her to a door with blurry looking pink flowers. She turns this gold like blur which Leo could only guess was a doorknob. Inside was dark. The only light was a small nightlight and the streetlights from outside. There were burry things that must have been toys and clothes on the floor. Then he saw Allie walking to a small bed. He walked over to see a small body under some blankets. It had black hair in two braids. She looked so innocent.
"Who is that?" Leo asked looking down at the small child.
"…Me…" Allie said sadness in her voice.
Leo looked at her then back at the little girl. Now that she said that that. They did have the same black hair and skin. He watched the little girl sleep for a moment before turning to her.
"Why are we here?" he looked at her and she smiled a sad smile.
"Give it a moment."
Just as she said that there was a loud crash and a female scream and a male shout. Allie closed her eyes. Leo looked at her frowning. Just then he saw the girl come awake. She didn't seem to see her as she walked pasted him toward the door. Innocence shown in her walk. She held a teddy bear close to her. She reached for the doorknob just when she reached for it the door opened and she fell on her butt. Shouting from a women and yelling from a man can be heard.
Leo saw from behind the girl. A faceless women and man where squirming and yelling for their daughter. The small version of Allie screamed and tried to run for her parents but a Kraang robot grabbed her and she screamed louder.
"Kraang do we take the small girl know as Alice? She can be a useful experiment to Kraang." It said
Another responded. "Kraang agrees. Bag the small girl known as Alice."
The Kraang robot picks her up and she yells and tries to hit it but it does nothing. The parents scream and try to reach her but can't. Leo follows the Kraang his feet moving without him thinking of doing so. Allie follows.
Leo walks into what he believes is the living room and sitting on the coffee table is something he didn't expect. Leo looked at Allie and Allie nodded as if she knew what he was thinking.
"My parents found the Power Cell this same day and took it in and checked it out. Not knowing what it was. The Kraang came to get it and took me with it." Allie tenses as she follows the Kraang out.
Allie's younger self seem to look right past them then there was the shot of a leaser gun and Allie jumps at the sound. Allie's child self cries louder than he ever heard any child cry in his life. The look of fear on the child's face said it all. Leo felt his heart break for her. He turned to look at Allie who walked past him.
"Let's go." Allie began to walk and the seen changed to the Kraang head quarters that he and his brother's been too often but out of all the time he has been here this hallway looked different.
"Where are we?" Leo asked looking around.
"We are in the experimental wing of the Kraang head quarters." Allie answers simply. "This were where some of the mutants go that they want to well…experiment on. Mutagen is unstable from what I hear. So they want to test it. And I was graced be an experiment."
Leo frowns when he hears her voice ooze sarcasm. Allie begins to walk down the hall. She looked straight ahead as he looked side to side from different doors. But what he seen was nothing until a few doors after. Mutants were dripping mutagen and banging on the doors begging to be put out of their misery. Some looked worse than all the mutants he seen combined. Leo wanted to cover his ears and block out there cries but tried to ignore them. It was almost unbearable until they walked though a closed door.
"How did we do that?" Leo asked looking back at the door.
"It's my illusion I can do anything I want. I can bend it to my will." Allie said looking down from a balcony that surrounded the room. Under them Kraang moved around. Allie's younger self was bound on her hands and feet against a metal table. She was on her stomach passed out.
"But thought we were in the past?" Leo tilted his head and came to join her and look down.
"It is my past but I am using my powers to show you it. It's kinda hard to talk about right now. You are the first person…ermm… mutant I told." Allie looks down.
Leo watched from above as kid Allie becomes away and pulls at the clamps that held her arms and legs. She began to cry. She cried for her parents and to be let go. She begged for help and for them not to hurt her. As much as Leo wanted to look away he couldn't. It was like a horror movie. You can't pull your eyes away.
"Please…please don't hurt me…please. Where is my mommy and daddy? Please let me go?" she sobbed.
"Kraang go get the mutagen. Kraang wants to see if the young human can take it."
"Kraang has a better idea." The other Kraang takes a syringe and two feathers.
Leo watches this. Then he looks at Allie who doesn't look up. She looks like she is getting sick. Leo walks up to her and puts a hand on her back. He keeps watching the Kraang.
They move up to the little girl who watches in fear and pulls hard at the clamps that held her. She wiggles and cries louder. The Kraang hold her down to keep her from moving any more then places the feathers on her shoulder blades. One of the evil robots hold the needle and sticks it in her back and pushes the plunger down and the little girl screams. The Kraang move away as the little girl screams and withers in pain. Leo jumped at them his sword in hand as he tries to slice them but his swords go though them with no effect. The girl keeps screaming.
"They're not real Leo! Leave it be." She said with deep sadness.
Leo watches as the Kraang pick the girl up and walk out the room. He realized she finally stopped screaming. Leo watches as they go up the stairs the lead to the balcony. The younger Allie was pasted out on the Kraang's shoulder. Leo saw the rage in Allie's face as she followed them and Leo ran to catch up.
By the time Leo caught up Allie was going inside a room. He watches Allie watch younger Allie waking up and seeing her wings for the first time she cried and pulled at them which seemed to cause her more pain. When she realized it wasn't a dream she curled into a ball and cried. Leo watched feeling so guilty knowing he can't do nothing.
Then he saw things blurry and the little girl was now in the corner were a small bed was as she rocked herself. Her long hair was now cut short. She looked sick. Her wings wrapped around her. Leo turned to older Allie.
"I didn't eat for three days. They didn't feed me and they cut my hair short so it can be easier for them to put things on my head and junk. They cut my hair when they believe it is getting to long."
Leo nods and then a tray of bread was looked like mashed potatoes, string peas, and chicken and a metal cup of water slide into to a small shelf near the window the shows into the hallway and the little girl runs up to it and beings to eat it with her hands. As she eats she looks up at the window and peeks as far as she can which is only up to her mouth and that is on her tip toes.
Leo walks behind her to see what she is looking at. Across from her is a mutant he has red eyes and looked like a sea monster with green and yellow spots on his body. His eyes as all black not whites at all. On the top of his head is what looks like a Mohawk but had to be a fin. His ears were also fins and his hands were webbed. He smiled at her. His teeth were all pointed.
Young Allie gasped and tried to step back. They mutant boy looked to be at least three years older than her. He frowned saddened. The little girl began to eat again and then peek up at him. He stood by the window and stared at her. She looked at him again and he waved with a closed mouth smile and the girl waved back unsure at him. He smiled wider.
Leo saw things fast forward. And he would see the little Allie always try to communicate with the young boy. Leo smiled at the young girl happy that she found something small to give her hope. But then Leo the fast forward stopped. Leo frowned and look at older Allie looked down as a Kraang robot walked into the room. She tried to run but it grabbed her by the hair and pulled her out as she screamed. Then Leo heard a clam voice.
"Don't fight them or they will hurt you more." Leo saw it come from the little mutant boy. "Just relax…"
"…Jasper…" young Allie whispered.
"Hello Alice. Just relax don't worry you will be fine." Jasper smiled.
The little girl relaxes a bit. But the Kraang pulled her down the hall and Jasper walked close next to her. His own Kraang robots behind him.
"Why…didn't they pull you out?" the little girl asks as she wipes tears from her eyes.
Leo and older Allie watches. They slowly follow them as Jasper the younger Allie speak. Leo turns to his Allie and looks at her.
"You real name is Alice?" Leo asks.
"Yes. But as I said just call me Allie." Allie follows as the kids talk.
Then there was a split in the hallway and the Kraang began to take Jasper in the other direction. Allie does look up as she heard her kid self cry out for Jasper. She never had a brother or a sister for that matter. But that is what she thought it must have felt like to have someone try to look out for you. Though there wasn't much they can do but try to speak though the glass and point and make hand gestures. She couldn't really understand things because she wasn't old enough he once tried fogging the glass up and writing but she couldn't really read or write well, she was still learning.
"NO! Jasper! I don't let them take me!" Allie tried to reach out to him.
"No don't fight them they will hurt you! It will be ok we will be fine! Don't be scared it will be all over soon. I will see you later." Jasper smiled his pointed toothed smile and squeezed her hand and walked away the Kraang followed behind him as the little girl cried.
Allie gasp feeling like she was going to cry but she knew she couldn't. Leo walked with her inside.
"Are you crying?" he asked frowning his face was full of concern.
"I can't cry." Allie said looking at him.
"You can cry in front of me." Leo's frown deepened.
"No I really can't cry. As much as I want to I can't." she doesn't look up at him.
"I'm sorry." He answered.
"Not your fault." Allie wiped her eyes even though they aren't wet.
They as they restrained her as she tried not to cry. Then they see a crown like device slowly being brought down inside the crown were needles. Outside the crown were small tubes filled with mutagen. Leo watched as it was lowed and the girl started to cry again and move her head from side to side. Two Kraang robots held her head straight. The needles pushed into her skin and kept going. The girl screamed then the mutagen moved though the tubes into her head.
She screamed the whole time then it stopped and the device was taken off of her and the girl screamed until they shot her with something and her mouth closed and she stopped. Leo watched the pain of knowing he could do nothing almost killed him. He thought finally they put her to sleep but her eyes were open and moving back and forth with worry.
They took some tools and began to operate on her eyes. They girls eyes shown pain and tears fell from her eyes. Leo looked away sick to his stomach. But as much as he wanted to tell Allie to stop this he couldn't see anymore he couldn't do it. He wanted to know about her. She needed to share this with him and he knew it.
"…They did this to me with even operation. My eyes were next. It happened a few weeks later and I couldn't see for a month. After that I could no longer produce tears…It's to painful to show you."
"I'm sorry." It was all Leo could think of saying but he knew it wasn't comforting.
Allie said nothing as she watched them continue. She fast forwarded it and they began to walk unclamp her from the metal table her younger self laid on. They walked the girl out and Allie waited for the scream they she knew would happen. Leo ran out and Allie followed behind.
Leo saw little Allie holding Jasper's body against her chest. He had blood on his face and arms. Leo watched the girl as she rocked his back and forth.
"Jasper…Jasper? Get up. Come on you promised you would see me later. You said we would get out of this together. You promised me. Please get up. I can't...I can't do this alone. Jasper… JASPER!" she screamed.
The building began to shake. The doors opened and closed. She screamed and screamed the Kraang tried to grab her but they couldn't touch her. Then her eyes began to glow green and she attack the Kraang. She hit and attack. A slight joy spread on her face.
Finally the Kraang grabbed her and pulled her off and knocked her out Allie and Leo followed her to her room. Leo sat down next and Allie sat next to her. She Allie closed her eyes and watched her. Allie spoke.
"They killed him." Leo said closing his eyes. "That's why you couldn't tell me?"
"That was the hardest part. I woke up and realized my best friend was dead. The Kraang did experiments on me, like putting mutagen in my muscles. Mutagen in my muscles didn't affect me the way it affected others. Instead of melting my muscles it only hardened them and made them stronger. I was the best subject they had."
"But how did you get the scratches and burns on your skin?" Leo said as Allie winced.
She closed her eyes and they were in a metal looking boxing ring. Leo watched as the younger girl she saw before now looked older her eyes green as her attack another mutant who looked like a snake. He had arms and legs but had the head of a cobra. It hissed and Allie smiled this creepy smile and moved like water as she hit and kicked.
Leo was speechless and he watched the girl fight. The scene quickly changes to her being electrocuted as she ran on a treadmill. The Kraang made it go faster as she looked like her legs were about to give out. They shocked her back, her legs and her arms. Then they stopped it as she fell to the floor then they made her use her mind powers. The scene fast forwarded to her flying against a giant fan.
"They would put us against each other when we get older. Or if they were kidnapped at a older age they will put them in. Some they just threw the mutagen at. But like me there were others who they worked on to see how I advance they can make me. But other than these fights we didn't get much interaction. Many mutants knew which of us of "special treatment" and which didn't. "
Leo had millions of questions buzzing in his head. He wanted to ask them all but decided to ask the one that was buzzing the loudest and save the others for later. This is what he has been doing while she showed his these things. He needed to watch and see what has happening the most of the questions can be saved for after. But this one needed to be asked.
"How did you get out?" Leo asked.
As Leo watched she saw the illusion Allie turn older to the age normal Allie was. She was flying against the fan. This time it didn't seem to bother her. The Kraang turned it off as she dropped down and walked to the treadmill. The Kraang hooked her up and put it on a faster pace. They began to shock her but she didn't seem to be notice.
The Allie that Leo was with turned to look at the door away to see Karai there. Leo turned pale at the sight. What was she doing here?
"Karai?" he said to her but she just watched the illusion Allie run.
The zaps of the cattle rods and her running was the only sound in the room that and the sound of the Kraang moving their arms to zap her. Leo watched Karai wince and watched in shock. It was the first time he has every really seen that expression on her face. When the illusion Allie was done running she stood tensely and walked slowly toward the exit.
The expression she had on was cold and emotionless. She seemed to look right past Karai. The Kraang walked behind her. She held her chin high and her hair was a bit shorter then how long it was now. She walked past Karai and down the hallway. Karai went up to a few Kraang that were left behind. But Leo didn't get a chance to hear what Karai was going to say.
They were back in room as the illusion Allie sat on her bed and looked up at the ceiling. When Leo was just about to ask why they were here watching her stare at the ceiling the door opened. She got up as if ready to leave. But Karai stepped in.
"Hello." She said walking in like she owned the place.
Leo watched as Allie stared at her with narrow eyes and didn't respond.
"Can you talk?"
She didn't respond.
"I guess not-"
"I can speak. Why are you in my room?"
Leo looked back and forth between them then at the Allie he was with. She just watched her face gave nothing away. She watched it as if it was a movie. Leo then turned his attention back to the two illusions.
"Simple. I want you on my team." Karai said walking around the room which had nothing inside but a toilet and a cot.
"Not interested." Allie said simply.
"This could get you out of here? What do you mean not interested? Wouldn't you rather be free from here?" she practically shouts.
"Of course I want to be free. However, you work alongside the Kraang and I have no interest in the Kraang once I escape. So I must respectfully recline." Allie went to lay down and close her eyes.
"They said you were one of the strongest mutants here. My father needs more mutants and I told the Kraang you are coming with me!" Karai snapped.
Allie opened her eyes and they snapped green. Her face turned lethal. "Listen princess nobody tells me were to go-"
"Except the Kraang." She answered with a smirk.
"Listen I don't trust you. And everyone has someone that is above them and you ain't above me sister now get out before you really piss me off."
Karai leaves and Allie sighs and relaxes. "She must be insane to think I will join her team."
Leo saw only the lights in the hallway from the window on the door. Illusion Allie was asleep. Just when Leo was going to ask what was going to happen next. Then, an alarm sounded and the door opened. She jumped from bed and looked ready to be taken. But she seemed taken aback by the lack of Kraang. She looked around and saw Karai run into her room.
"What's going on-" she began.
"You said you don't trust me. How about we do trust exercise?" Karai said trying to catch her breath.
"I am not following." Allie said taken a step back. Leo could hear the chaos outside.
"We don't have time. I am giving you a chance to get out. If the Kraang don't get you first you are free. Let's go." Karai ran out as illusion Allie shifted her wait from foot to foot. Her cold eyes debating what to do.
She ran after her and Leo and her Allie followed running beside her as the other Allie spoke. She didn't seem to break a sweat as she ran her eyes shown a hint of green in them. Leo wanted to ask why they did that but he needed to focus on running.
"What's in it for you? There has to be a catch nobody does this sort of thing for free." She looked serious her jaw clenched.
"I am showing you my trust isn't that enough?" Karai looked at her as they turned a left.
"You don't seem like a person who does stuff for free." Allie didn't look at her.
"…I am doing this because you will come to me soon enough." Karai stopped by a window and threw a small looking device.
It blinked and the window imploded. Allie covered her face and looked at Karai. She narrowed her eyes and stared at her. She heard the Kraang coming this way but she needed to know what made her believe she will ever go to Karai.
"What makes you think I will come find you?" Allie said narrowing her eyes.
"Because…you will see being free from them isn't as simple as you thought. You will come back to us weak and desperate in a matter of days. You seem like a strong girl I will give you even two weeks." Karai said as Allie jump onto the window ledge.
"You're wrong Karai. I know what is waiting out there and I am ready. You're betting on the wrong horse girl and you just threw away your money."
And with that she fell back and Leo and Allie watched by Karai's side as she turned and opened her wings and flew fast and far. Karai smiled and ran down the hall. Leo turned to Allie.
"After that I found an abandoned apartment building made my home there and lived on scraps of people's food and leftovers from trash cans. That time you saw me was the first time I stole after I felt sick from eating those other things I ate." Allie said looking the broken window.
"How did you know how to use those powers?" Leo asked.
"I was able to connect to another mutants mind and use this power so I mostly used it on people so they won't seen me stealing scraps and chase me away." She looked back at Leo.
"This is the only time I held it for so long. I'm gonna break the connection ok? I am use you have a lot of questions and I will answer them after I break this." Allie said simply.
Leo closed his eyes and this he felt like a cord that held them together have been snapped. He has to say he felt this for a second when this first happened to him but this was different. It was like something was holding him up and then it was cut and he was free falling. Everything went dark and he couldn't stop fall. He screamed but no sound came out.