Vicky says: I'm SO sorry T.T I should have had this up so much sooner, but I didn't...I'll probably give you some more over the weekend to make up for it. It's all because I've just started my college course so had an extremely busy week of which I missed about 3 days of internet because I was exhausted when I got home...

I admit, this is another weird chapter (kinda) but it will be the last time Violet is in cyberspace.

Disclaimer: I don't own the TMNT, just this plot, Violet...and my guest at the end ;D Cookies for anyone who can guess who they are!

Chapter 15: Bits and Bytes

I sense someone enter unprotected, the Shredder near by. Almost immediately I move as an energy impulse (or 'code impulse' as Don puts it) and form a protective shield around them.

"What the-?" Mikey almost screams.

"Mikey…" I sigh as I form in front of him, "What did Don tell you about coming in here without him knowing?"

He looks around us. "First off: What's with the pink energy? You're getting way too much like the Cyber Shredder!" I glance at the shield around us; it's pink.

"It's not my fault the category of energy I generate happens to be of that particular coloration…"

He frowns. "And another thing: Why are you talking so weirdly?"

"I have no idea what you're on about…you should just be happy I came, otherwise Shredhead would have got you," I fold my arms.

I let the shield down and go to move away.

"Wait! Where are you going?"

"I've got tasks to complete…gathering data bits, sequencing them correctly, you know, my job"

He glares at me, "You've been in here for a couple of days and yet you've changed so much, half the time I swear it's not you"

"So are you gonna help me or not?" I ask him, surprising him suddenly.

"Huh?"

"I may be different as you put it, but I'm still me. You try living here twenty-four seven and not being affected"

He summons his Cyber Ripper and boards it. "Wanna lift?"

"My way is quicker" I smirk at him.

"Doubt it!" He zooms off, going an acceptable speed for the time we've got, but I can beat him.

I go back to my energy form and ride an impulse again, coming out at my destination mere seconds later. I start scanning the surroundings for the data bits, quickly spotting them; I turn and fold my arms.

"Told ya that thing was slow" I stick my tongue out at him as he arrives, getting off the vehicle grumpily. "Come on"

I soon lead him towards the bits. I collect them in my hands and put them in a small pouch file I made for them, almost like a portable memory drive.

"We're taking my transport this time, okay?" I grab his hand as he nods slightly. "Ready?"

"For what?"

"This!"

I focus and manifest myself into energy, spreading around him, engulfing him. I form a protective orb around him and force him into his energy state. I then find an impulse and transport us to the next destination.

I let him go, back to normal of course, and re-form myself. "See, quicker than that shopping cart of yours"

"Warn me next time! That was way beyond weird!"

I turn my back on him. "You get used to it after the fourth or fifth time"

After collecting more bits, I take him back to the mainframe where I am currently residing.

"Home sweet home" I sigh as I hold the pouch out in front of me.

"What are you doing?" Mikey asks me slowly.

I smile at him. "Watch closely"

I let the bits come out of my pouch and float in front of me. I look at them briefly then at the grid. They then start to slot themselves into place without me touching them.

"How did you-?"

"If you don't think like a cybernaut, it makes no sense" I give him a half glance.

He frowns. "That's all everyone ever says: Think like a cybernaut…well I don't get it!"

I roll my eyes, "You will…" I let myself appear next to him, making him jump when I drape my arms over his shoulders. "Just act like anything is possible, that's how I learnt"

"Anything?" He gives a cheeky grin.

I nod, countering his cheeky grin with a twisted smirk.

I hug into him, kissing him before resuming our conversation. "So, up for it?" I grin, letting myself float off the ground, away from him.

"Up for what?" he asks.

"Catch me if you can!" I yell, from where I am.

He lamely jumps up and down on the spot. "But I can't fly!"

"Maybe in reality…but here…who knows?" I shrug.

He thinks for a moment, trying to work it out or something. Soon, I watch him manage to hover on spot for a few seconds before falling again.

"Let yourself go, don't think about it" I give him a wicked look, "I thought you wanted to play with me"

He blushes suddenly; he probably forgot I could read his emotions to tell his intentions.

I lay back, crossing my legs and bringing my hands behind my head, as if sitting in a chair. "And I thought you were up to it…maybe I should have tried Raph…"

"Shut up! I can do it! Watch!" He shouts, jumping up and slowly getting closer on a wobbly path. He manages to grab me after a short while and I giggle.

"Fine, I guess I must deliver what I promised…"

I stir slightly from my rest as I hear my brothers talking about something.

"…I mean the creature doesn't seem to be totally organic"

I move to the screen to find out what's going on, soon being told the Shredder is sending animals to the real world in hopes of escape (basically, he's using all these creatures to fine tune his own cyber-portal). Mikey then points out the news reports in which more of the mutated creatures are running amok downtown.

"Don, I'll go check out what the Shredder's up to, you guys sort out things on your end"

I am soon gone, traveling as fast as I can to where the Shredder lives, the place I first woke up. I stop as I come up outside the entrance, controlling my breath before entering.

I dare a peek inside the doorway, looking in on what he's doing. He has many animals in there, which he is sending into a cyber portal. It's only when his lackey Khan calls in that he stops.

"Master Shredder?"

He sounds annoyed. "Yes Khan, what is it?"

"My lord, are these creatures really necessary? They're proven…difficult to contain"

"The creatures have allowed me to refine the portal. I will not risk losing even a fraction of my program! I am the Shredder! I will return in tact, or not at all! The portal is close to perfection, as you can see each creature has arrived less mutated than the last. Perhaps it is time to perform… one of the final tests…"

I don't like the way he said that…I have a sudden bad feeling about all this.

"One using something…closer to your heart"

He produces an image of Khan and sends it through the portal. Apparently it was a success as he starts gloating about it. I start to move closer, only to find myself jumped.

"HA! You thought you could surprise me Violet?" He grabs me, restraining me easily. "Just in case images are not sufficient enough, when the time comes, you'll be going through the portal with me!" He laughs mockingly.

"Um…in case you don't remember, you made it so I can't leave dude," I continue to struggle, trying to use my newer cyber skills to my aid, but I'm failing miserably to put in bluntly.

He continues to laugh as he shocks me similarly to before, causing me to cry out once more. "Not any more, you will accompany me through the portal child!"

I guess he's going along the lines of: That way if the portal doesn't work properly, he'll be taking me down with him!

He pulls me up onto the platform and orders it to start the transferral, forcing us into a kind of stasis while it works…Man, his is much slower than Don's portal!

I am unsure of what happens for the next three minutes or so, but I soon find myself falling off the platform as Shredder pushes me forward. I stare up at the scene before me; the most scared I have been in ages. There are a load of foot ninjas who have captured Leo and Raph! They look equally as worried as I feel.

"At last! I AM FREE!" Shredder announces loudly.

All his supporters yell in unison "Long live the Shredder!"

"And now as I just taste life, you turtles shall now taste your doom!"

I back off towards my brothers who are also backing off.

"It's good to see you Violet, but I'm afraid the re-union may be cut short," Leo hisses at me.

"I'm scared Onii Chan…" I mutter as I near them. It's then when I stop and curl up into a ball, overcome with pain, screaming out in agony.

"Violet?" Leo comes up next to me.

Raph grits his teeth, "Don and Mikey must have messed up the cyber portal, 'cause whatever is happening to Violet is happening to Shredhead too"

"Stay away" I growl as I feel myself begin to change, squinting over at the Shredder to see him mutating bizarrely as well.

He throws us all backwards, making us fall outside. I am not really aware of much though; I'm in too much pain.

My shell forms sharp pieces and grows outwards. I feel my hands converting to claws, as well as my small tail becoming way bigger. All parts of me seem to be bigger than usual, but I find it hard to tell. I feel my teeth grow sharp like fangs and I also form a lot of spikes, all along my tail, on my shell, even down my arms…I'm…

I turn my gaze up, finding myself shuddering still, only to see my brothers destroy the Shredder, his body turning to data strands that fade away.

I start to back off, some strange instincts taking over, almost making me flee.

A helicopter lands and my other two brothers jump off, telling the others the portal Shredder had is now out of commission.

"Violet!" Mikey runs over, looking at me sorrowfully.

I give him a confused look, kind of disorientated. "Monster…" I manage a growl, fighting the 'attack everything' feeling I've gained.

"No…" Mikey is kind of lying, even in my muddled state of mind I know I essentially am.

"Am…can't control…my…"

I suddenly roar loudly, losing the speech entirely. Rage engulfs me, strange feelings that irritate me more filling my head. I dive past Mikey, embedding the claws in my hands and feet into the brick wall and climbing up it.

"VIOLET!" I hear them shout at me, but I continue scaling the wall, reaching the roof quickly then roaring out over the city again.

Everything is in a haze to me, almost as if I'm looking at the world through different eyes. I begin running along the rooftops, grunts and growls escaping me as I do so.

The helicopter flies ahead of me, a lone turtle jumping out to obstruct my path. "Violet…you understand me, I know you do…more than anyone else" they speak as I begin to circle them cautiously, readying myself to either attack or run. "I love you Babe"

"L…love?" I manage to growl, breaking part of the haze around me. "Mi…Mikey…" I stutter, finding it difficult to keep control of the monstrous rage, "Too…hard…" I wince slightly, nearly losing it entirely. "Send me…back!"

I feel myself jerk forward so direct the attack at the ground instead. I smash the part of the roofing I hit, screaming out again at him.

"I'm sorry about this Babe" he brings out a gun and aims carefully as I continue to attempt control. "I'll see you soon"

He shoots a dart, it lodges in my neck, a strange sensation overcoming me, almost as if I am still a part of Cyberspace that was lost, and now I'm being pulled back there quickly. I spy a small data flow from my right hand side before disappearing.

…

Back...

…Am I really back?

For a moment, I swore I was gone and wouldn't ever return. I rub my eyes, regaining myself slowly.

"There she is!" I hear someone call out.

I stagger and fall onto my front, feeling drained. I feel someone roll me over and prop me up into a sitting position.

"Violet" I sense their smile but can't tell who it is; everything has gone so hazy for me.

I return a smile, the voice still not recognizable to me. I know it sounds silly but I can't tell what's going on!

I feel myself drifting into a calming sleep, even in this cyber world.

"Let's take her home," I think Leo said that…it sounds like the sort of thing he'd say.

Am I truly safe now?

Am I…?

…

I groan as I come to, opening my eyes to find I'm staring at the ceiling of my and Mikey's room.

After Karai destroyed the old lair, Leo saved us and brought us to this place. It was just as big as the old lair, but Mikey managed to convince our father/sensei we should be allowed to share a room. I guess that helped our case in the future, we just needed Cody's permission.

Mikey is next to me, sitting on his side of the bed impatiently. "What took ya?"

"Shut up!" I restrain a giggle as I pull myself into an upright position.

As I suspected, Donny had about a million and one tests for me to check 'my body wouldn't get stressed from being in cyberspace for too long' or something.

"Mikey?" I ask as we exit the lab together. He doesn't want to leave my side right now; he's clingy because of everything that has happened recently.

"What is it?" He looks at me curiously.

I give a sad smile. "What would you have done if…" my breath catches in my throat making it near impossible to speak. Tears start to run from my eyes as I think about it once more.

"…If I'd lost you?" He finishes my sentence as he hugs me. I nod as I cuddle into him. His answer makes me laugh though, lightening the mood a little. "I wouldn't"

I gaze upwards at him. "Did you feel as empty as I did?"

"Of course…" he seems fairly calm at the moment. "I knew we'd see each other again though. Time can't stand in my way!"

I smirk at him. "You sure have been optimistic recently"

"Yeah, well-"

An alarm starts to go off, making all of us jump.

Don shouts over to us "Someone has tripped the perimeter alarm…whoever it is, they're coming in!"

We all take up our positions near the entrance, readying ourselves for the worst and Don kills the lights. I take out my recently re-acquired tessen and unfold them silently.

I hold my breath as I try to calm myself. It feels like an eternity of waiting! My heartbeat accelerates with each moment. What worries me more is I can sense everyone's emotions BUT the intruders.

I feel a hand rest on my shoulder. I look up and meet the smile of my Onii Chan. I return it, finally not so stressed.

I watch as a figure comes in slowly, the way they move is as if they're on all fours…

They stand, even in this light I can see they are in a hooded cloak. As they go to move further into the lair, Leo signals for us to make our move.

We all jump out, forming a circle around the intruder. They chuckle slightly at us, as if we're joking.

"What business do you have here?" Leo demands, holding his katana at the ready.

They remain silent, but take up an offensive position. I watch in the low light levels as Leo grits his teeth.

We all stand still for a minute, no one wanting to make the first move. Raph is first to get impatient and attack.

He runs at the cloaked figure, stabbing at them with his sai. The figure jumps backwards, easily dodging each swipe. They then grab his wrist and fling him into the wall. Ouch…

Don is next to attack as they try to continue over to his machines.

As he unsuccessfully attacks, I look to Leo. "Am I the only one who recognizes that style?"

"I do too…" he frowns in thought.

"I just can't place it though!" I moan.

Mikey runs forward to try and help Donny who has been flung to the floor. Leo quickly pushes me out the way though as the intruder throws Mikey towards us.

I nod to him. "Thanks Leo"

He nods back and we both rush to the cloaked figure. Leo tries to attack using his katana only to find himself quickly disarmed. He's then kicked back to where Raph is.

The cloaked figure turns to me, tutting slightly at us all. It aggravates me somewhat.

I slice at them quickly with my tessen, but they are much faster. They move with ease around each attack thrown at them, using their speed to their advantage.

They kick my hand and force one of my tessen into the air. They then catch it and seem to be inspecting it curiously.

"HEY! Give that back!" I run forward once more and use my other tessen to attack.

They use the one they took to defend my attacks. The way they do so annoys me further, they don't even look like they're trying!

I try another attack only to find myself fully disarmed, my other tessen thrown across the floor. Next thing I know, I am being attacked by this cloaked figure.

I fall over onto my shell. I find the intruder towering over me, holding the tessen they stole from me to threaten me. They hold it over me, fully unfolded, ready for the final blow to end the fight!