Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT. They are the property of Nickelodeon, Viacom, Mirage Comics and Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman.
Author's Notes: Thank you for joining me again. I'm so grateful for being able to continue this story and my other stories. I know some of you are probably missing Splinter, but he'll be back next chapter. And for those of you curious about the switch April seems to have undergone from her confession to Donnie to her current hesitancy, keep in mind that April has huge trust issues. She does love Donnie, but I don't think she quite knows what to do about her feelings. I think that's realistic for anyone when confronted with a similar situation. But trust me, your patience is going to be rewarded soon.
Chapter 9
April sat shivering on the rooftop of the building Casey had recorded from, overlooking the entrance to the TCRI building. She was used to staying up much later than this, of course, but always in a warm house or even in the relative safety of her underground home. Not for the first time, she glanced sourly over at the four figures beside her. They had been stone still for over an hour.
"How can they not be cold?" April thought. A gust of wind tore through her and she involuntarily clutched her arms. She felt Donatello's arm slip around her and pull her against him. It was slightly better having his large shell blocking the wind.
"Leo," Donnie said, "Are you seeing anything?" April noted his tone was tipped with ice and she knew it was out of concern for her.
"Nothing yet," Leo said, "I'm not seeing…wait!"
Everyone hurried over to him to look at the new development. A side door opened as a man in a blue jumpsuit hauled several bags out and threw them into the dumpster. Everyone visibly slumped.
"It's just the janitor, you dork," Raph snapped, "This is stupid. We're freezing our tails off waiting."
Raph watched jealously as the janitor went back inside. Then he turned to Leo.
"Why don't we just bust in there?"
"Oh, that's smart," Leo drawled, "We have no idea what we'll run into."
"Bro, could we at least get out of the wind?" Mikey asked, "The building to our right has a greenhouse on it."
"We need to see the front," Leo said stubbornly, "How else can we see what Shredder is doing?"
"The Shredder isn't even here," Raph said, "I say we get inside and have Brainiac here get on the computers."
"Not until we know no one is around," Leo said.
After another hour, all the lights in the building clicked off, leaving only the entrance area lit. The janitor returned a moment later. He was with a security officer and a woman. It was the same woman they'd seen on the video. The women said something to the security officer and then went back inside. The security officer locked the door and left. The janitor also left, the ancient motorbike wheezing painfully out of the alley.
"Whoa, that's a 1950 Black Hawk," Raph breathed appreciatively.
"Not now, Raph," Leo said, "Alright, let's move."
With a flowing grace April would never have expected out of turtles, they dropped to the street. Donnie took April's hand and lifted her onto his back. Then he jumped. April bit back a scream and buried her face in his shell. Despite her fears, her nose filled with his scent; blossoming trees, fresh water and that unique smell of incense that pulled at April's heart. For an instant, she felt weightless and as light as a bird. Then Donnie landed effortlessly and without jarring April from her position.
"You okay?" he asked.
"Fine, I think," April said, "It was like flying."
"I know," Donnie said, "I love that part too. But now, we're done flying. I need you to stay close."
April nodded as they caught up with the others and Leo's left hand flew in a serious of signs. It must have made sense to the others because they all went into action. Donnie pulled April to the side entrance. The door required a key card.
"Terrific," Donnie said, smiling broadly. He pulled out his phone and clicked a thin wire into the slot. The keys flickered and then the door clicked open.
"What did you do?" April asked.
"Electronic skeleton key," Donnie said.
"Wow, they have an app for everything," April said. Donnie gave her a grin. They hurried inside.
"April, stay here and watch the door," Donnie said, "I'm going to the front entrance."
April nodded and pushed her back as close to the dark shadowed wall as she could. The minutes ticked by slowly. April felt her senses on edge and every muscle in her body tense for a run. Finally, Donnie returned and April relaxed.
"Front is clear," Donnie whispered, "6 cameras posted. One pointing to the front door,, two pointing down this hallway, 2 up stairs and one pointing outside at the bus stop. Leo and Raph are on camera waiting for the bus. "
April nodded and followed after him. They hurried down the hall and into the janitor's closet. Climbing onto his shoulders, April pushed open the small window over the sink and Mikey slipped in. He gave them the thumbs up and hurried out the door. Mikey effortlessly swung over the light fixtures and slipped a circular filter over each security camera. The filters had been specially prepared by Donnie to show the room empty. As long as they avoided the doors and windows, they could move undetected in the building.
"Raph and Leo will come in through the skylight," Donnie said, "You stay down here and watch those cameras."
Mikey swung a rope up to the skylight and he and Donnie shimmied up to open the skylight. Mikey flipped the catch on the window and Raph and Leo slid down the ropes to the floor, followed by Donnie and Mikey. April watched the cameras but nothing reacted and no alarms sounded. Not that April expected them too; her boy was just too good. April blushed inwardly at the thought.
"Okay," Leo said, "What's first up, Donnie?"
"We get into the computers and files and find anything that has to do with mutants," Donnie said, "Use the cameras to snap pictures, and if you find more cameras, use the filters."
"Let's go," Leo said, "April, stay with Donnie."
April nodded. They all hurried up the stairs into the main part of the building. Kraang Inc occupied the first 7 floors. It would make the search long and difficult, if it weren't for Donnie's research into the building. The first two floors were guest and company meeting rooms. The 7th floor was an executive floor and Leo's goal. Raph and Mikey would handle floors 4 through 6 and April and Donnie would check the second floor as well as the third and overlap on the fourth floor.
"Got the camera ready, April?" Donnie said and April pulled the small card thin camera and snapped a picture of the file Donnie held out to her. The only sound that told April success of the picture was a small beep. Donnie put the file back and continued to search. April opened another cabinet, but had no luck. In a few moments, they had collected only one other picture. It was the same on the next floor. In the last room, April had finished her row of cabinets and stood waiting for Donnie. She clenched and unclenched her fists in nervous anticipation. Right now, she felt her father had to be close by. She glanced at her watch. It was 1:30 in the morning.
"Donnie," April said, "Let's head up to meet Raph and Mikey. I don't think we're going to find anything."
"You might be right," Donnie said, "But there's just a couple more rows."
"Well, why don't I go up and meet Raph and Mikey?" April said.
Donnie looked at her with a suspicious glance.
"I'll go right up there," April said assuredly.
"I don't know," Donnie said, "I told Leo you'd stay with me. And we're supposed to keep to our teams on a mission."
Donnie looked at the remaining rows and grinned thoughtfully.
"But Raph could probably use a break from Mikey," Donnie said, "Send Mikey to meet me here."
April nodded and gave Donnie the camera. Donnie caught her hand and gave it a small kiss across her fingers. April smiled at him and left the room. As she climbed the stairs, she could hear nothing except the faint tap of her shoes on the floor. As she rounded the steps to the next floor, a high pitched beeping reached her ears. The rhythmic beeping was in a pattern that April recognized: Morse code. It was an SOS.
April followed the sound to a room where a number of computers were set up against the wall. April found one that was on. On the screen was a file with a number of pictures. Of her.
April could only stare at the screen. All the pictures; pictures of her riding her tricycle, making cookies, playing in the sandbox, and a picture that April had thought lost years ago. She'd last seen it on the night her mother had been lost. The image of her father and mother holding her as a toddler had been slammed down and broken in a cry of grief from her father.
"Why does Kraang Inc. have it?" April said aloud.
"Because you are the catalyst, April."
April whirled on her heel and saw the woman standing in the doorway of the computer room.
"How nice to have you here, April O'Neil," the woman said, "I had hoped the video the boy recorded would attract your attention."
April flinched visibly. So she knew she'd been recorded.
"Your father would be so happy to see you," the woman continued, "He's been very worried about you being alone in the sewers."
"How do you know about that?" April asked before she could stop herself.
"We've been monitoring you for quite some time now," the woman said.
"Who are you?" April said sharply, "What is Kraang? What do you want with my dad? What do you want with me?"
"My, my, so many questions," the woman said, "But you'll have answers soon."
Five men with guns came into the room and grabbed April by her arms. April struggled with them but it was as though she had been bound with steel cables.
"Let me go!" April shouted.
"Don't worry," the woman said, "You'll be serving a greater purpose."
April opened her mouth to scream but hands clamped over her lips. Then everything went black. When the world came into focus again, April was laid out on a table, her arms and legs clamped down, not unlike she had been in Stockman's lab.
"Let me go!" she shouted, "Someone help!"
"No one is here to help you, April O'Neil," spoke the woman. April glanced around her and saw the woman standing above her in a observation room. On either side were more of those men she'd seen. But now she could see they all had the same face.
"Who are you?" April repeated.
"I have no name," the woman said, "At least, not a name that you would understand. I am the Prime of Kraang Inc., so perhaps "Miss Prime" will suffice at the moment."
"Miss Prime," April said, trying to stay calm. She had said there was no one here to help her, so she didn't know the Turtles were in the building.
"You have something of ours, April O'Neil," Miss Prime said, "A unique talent that belongs to Kraang Inc. and we will take it back."
"I don't have anything from you," April snapped, "You have something that belongs to me! You took my father from me!"
Miss Prime blinked at her and turned to something behind her. A second later, a door opened and April's eyes filled with tears. Her father was wheeling in a computer and two more henchmen were flanking him. Her father's eyes blinked at her rapidly and twitched.
"Daddy," April sobbed, "Daddy, please help me!"
Her father continued to blink at her before he looked down at his computer screen. He nodded up at the woman.
"All is ready, Miss Prime," he said in a hollow voice.
"Good," Miss Prime said, "Now we can put April O'Neil to the use she was made for."
"What are you talking about?" April said. She struggled to pull her arms free from the straps but they didn't budge.
"Show her," Miss Prime said. April's father turned the computer screen to April. On it was a face she could barely remember anymore.
"My mother?" April said in confusion.
"Your mother was a creation we made," Miss Prime said, "A clone that was the 56th variation that allowed Kraang Inc. to have control over the minds of every mutant in the city."
"For the last 100 years, Kraang Inc. has created clones to control the minds of the population of mutants around the world. But with each new clone we made, more and more sentience began to grow," Miss Prime continued, "15 years ago, the clone that was your mother gained enough intelligence and self-awareness to escape from us."
"For three years, we could not find her. When at last we made a reconnection, we discovered she had produced a child with a human male. We recaptured the clone and prepared to restart our work, but your mother fought us. It resulted in her destruction."
"That's not possible," April said, "My mother was not a clone."
"She was," Miss Prime said simply, "I wrote her genetic code myself."
April stared as she saw pictures and videos of her mother in a similar room. She stared out with vacant blue eyes, pupils so contracted they seemed gone. She was connected to various wires. Some of the videos showed her twitching and muttering to herself as cells powered on around her. One video showed her sitting quietly on the floor with her head on her knees. A final video showed April the night her mother had escaped. April saw her mother smile at the camera above her, her pupils were dilated and she seemed so in control.
"As the offspring of a clone and a human, you are less than ideal for what we have planned," Miss Prime said, "But with careful preparation, you will serve until we can extract what we need from you in order to get a new clone form."
"But why clones at all?" April said, "Why do you need me?"
"We don't need you," Miss Prime said, "We need your brain, specifically the psychic neurons and synapses that were initially developed in our clones to control the mutant population."
"Unlike technology, a living mind needs to connect physically and socially. The mutants need another living mind to guide them, but it's our voice that they hear."
"That's what you were doing with all those mutants," April said, "You've been able to control them with technology."
"Yes," Miss Prime said, "We were very excited to find that you inherited your mother's abilities. A new colleague of ours was happy to share much with us."
"What 'new colleague'," April asked. Miss Prime smirked and beckoned behind her. An all too familiar face came to the glass.
"Stockman!" April shouted.
"Hello again, Mizzzz O'Neil," Stockman said, "ZZZZSo zzzzzsorry to have to do this."
"I'll just bet you are," April hissed.
"You're right," Stockman said, "But mannerzzzzz are not zzzzzzsomething one should ever throw aside."
"Doctor Stockman generously shared his findings with us," Miss Prime said, "And now that we have you, this machine will amplify your abilities and let us reach the mutant population and gain control again.
"Well, all that sounds very X-men," April sneered, "But I have no intention of going through with it."
"You will have no choice," Miss Prime said, "The machine is designed to keep you under complete control. You will have no ability to fight the commands we give. Your father is to be thanked for that. His work on the machine is commendable."
"My father wouldn't do that!" April shouted, "He'd never do anything for you."
"Kraang has the ability known as "persuasion" that is used to persuade the one known as Kirby O'Neil that he will be persuaded to do what Kraang wishes."
"Stop talking like that!" April shouted, "You're all insane! I will not let you use me!"
"Again, as we said April O'Neil," Miss Prime said, "You will not have any choice. Hook her up to the machine."
April renewed her struggles to break free, but it was useless. She hissed in pain as a needle punctured the crook of her arm.
"Stop, Dad, please!" April shouted, "Don't let them do this!"
Her father continued to stare blankly. April tried to bite their hands, but only hurt her mouth. Suddenly, all the lights went out.
"Check the breakers," Miss Prime said, "Prepare the emergency lights."
April heard a flurry of motion and saw the dark outlines of people stumbling around. She also thought she heard a sound overhead of metal and steel.
"Are you zzzzzzsure the girl was alone tonight?" Stockman said, "I told you that zzzzzzshe was with a group of mutants."
"There was no one else," Miss Prime replied, "No one else matters except April O'Neil."
April felt rather than heard her bonds cut around her hands and ankles. She felt the needle pull free from her arm and strong arms picked her up and she flew skyward. A familiar scent filled her nose and she clung tightly to it.
"Hold on," Donnie whispered. His voice was soft and filled with the same tight anger she'd heard in Stockman's lab.
"Turn on the emergency generator," Miss Prime said.
"That which is known as the generator cannot operate the power in this place," one of the men responded, "The wires that power it are not powering it and will not operate in this place."
"Then check the breakers," Miss Prime hissed and April could hear a whirring tinny sound underneath her words.
The lights flickered on and April froze in place.
"The girl is gone!" Miss Prime shouted. A man held up the steel cuffs which April saw now had been cut through.
"Her bonds have been cut in the same way that the wires on that which is known as the generator has been cut in the same way as the bonds that were around the one known as April O'Neil," the man said.
"April O'Neil is no longer in the place that she is supposed to be in this place," another man said.
"Find her," Miss Prime said, "Stockman, come with me. Do not leave the O'Neil man alone."
Two men stood beside April's dad and stared vacantly at the wall. April looked over as Miss Prime left the observation room with Stockman buzzing behind her. He gave the thumbs up as the door closed. Raph and Leo jumped to the floor and swung their blades into motion. April stared in horror as Leo's sword pierced one man's head. She was about the scream but then saw electric sparks and wires hanging from his head. Raph had done something similar and twisted the head clean off.
"Robots?" April said. Raph tossed the head up to them and Donnie caught it deftly in his fingers.
"Time to go," Leo said, "Grab April's dad and vanish."
Mikey and Donnie joined their brother's on the floor and took hold of April's dad. He did not move with them so Mikey slung him over his shoulders. The doors banged open and Miss Prime stormed in.
"They are getting away!" she screamed. Taking out a laser, she fired. Leo put up his katana blades and the laser ricocheted off and hit April's shoulder. April gave a gasp of pain as the burning sensation hit. Donnie threw a shuriken at the laser gun and it exploded. Miss Prime's body gave a massive spasm before it collapsed. Her hand was spitting sparks and wires from where the weapon had melted.
"Whoa, Robo-CEO!" Mikey shouted. Leo kicked open a window and jumped. April, already dizzy with the burning pain in her shoulder, felt everything go black as Donnie leapt after Leo into the empty night.
To Be Continued