Ch. 13-The End…Or is it?
Four turtles, a rat and two humans sat in the main room. Mikey and Leo sat cross-legged on the floor, Mona, Raph, and Master Splinter sat on one couch, while Donnie, April and Casey sat on the other, in that order. The red-banded turtle and mutant lizard exchanged a glance before Raphael began. "Okay, so I was outside fighting the Krang when one of the big blue ape droids kicked me in the face and knocked me out. Next thing I knew, I woke up in a top-security Krang cell, but I wasn't alone." He sent Mona Lisa a sideways glance, letting her know that she could jump in at any time.
She said nothing and Raphael was about to continue when April cut in. "You'd think the Krang would have realized that putting two mutants in the same cell was a bad idea."
Mona was the first to reply. "The Krang had specially designed the cell to keep me inside. There was no way we could have escaped, even if we were working together." April stared at her in confusion. "Let's just say I've been in Krang prison long enough to last me a lifetime. They didn't want me escaping again."
"Why did they want to keep you there in the first place?" Donnie asked.
"After my life was destroyed by the Krang, I became obsessed with the idea of bringing them to justice. I broke into their labs, hacked their computers. I've seen battle plans and Krang military tactics that were meant only for the eyes of Krang Prime. I hacked my way into their main database and began learning all I could. Everything from their origin to their current status, everything I could get my fingers on. And I kept learning, honing my technological skills, until I knew more about the Krang than I did about the human race. And I never got caught, until last October. I had heard that Krang Prime had developed some new invasion plans, again. Fool that I was I rushed in blindly, so bent on stopping them that I failed to notice it was a trap…before it was too late. They took me to the preliminary."
"Why didn't they just kill you?" Raph glared at Leo for the bluntness of the question.
"Oh I was far too valuable for that. You see, I broke in and sabotaged their computers and hacked their plans, but apparently during one of my earlier jobs, I downloaded a rather sensitive piece of information. Many years ago, before the Krang decided to take over the galaxy there was a planet called Telketron in the Krang system. Apparently, eons before our planet was even created, the Krang were a warrior race, vicious, mean and savage. Bitter rivalry and soon hatred was felt from both planets: Telketron and the Krang home world, Planet X. Finally, after thousands of years of conflict, the two planets formed a peaceful alliance and their system prospered. Until Kraang, an ancestor of Krang Prime, wanted to return to the planet's warrior ways of the past. Kraang concocted a great scheme to destroy the alliance and frame the Telkenians for the fault. Not long after, half of Planet X was destroyed by what appeared to be Telkenian attacks. The destruction led to an immense fallout between the planets and eliminated all hope for peace. Kraang used the event to his advantage and rallied his people, who would later be named the Krang in his honor. Kraang's forces killed millions of Telkenians before detonating the planet. You can imagine that the Krang history books don't exactly match the story I've just told you. But I found the truth complete with evidence. I downloaded it onto a special data containment unit and hid it where no one could ever find it. Not even the Krang. They want that data unit back. If they kill me, well…"
"They can't afford to kill you, unless they want to risk someone finding the data chip and plunging them straight into a period of civil war." Donatello stroked his chin as he put the final pieces together.
"Exactly. They tortured me, threatened to experiment on me, everything they could think of failed. No one was able to extract the information. It was about six months before they finally decided to give up and let me rot in the cell."
"Wait, wait wait. Back up. You were in that prison cell for an entire year, and you're still sane? Dude." Casey stated in awe, Mona Lisa rolling her eyes at him. "But seriously, what did you do?"
"Hope. There was little else I could do." Raphael put a soft hand on her shoulder, as though letting her know he was there. "Thanks." She whispered, barely audible.
"You said the cell was impenetrable, inside and out?" Leo's voice cut through the silence like a katana through pizza. The lizard mutant nodded. "Then how did you get out?"
A small smile formed at the corner of her mouth, "I told Raph there were two best ways to escape a Krang fortress: hit 'em when they take you out of the cell, or use some kind of high-tech gadget to break out of the cell."
"Obviously, since all my gadgets and weapons had been confiscated there was only one way out." All faces turned to Raph who took over. "The Krang came to the cell and took me out, not without a fight, mind you, but they dragged me away down a corridor and into some kind of communication room. I activated the communication orb, thinking I might be able to contact you—"
"We received your transmission and were able to view it for a while, but the communication cut short right when the Krang were about to-to…" Donnie's voice faded into nothing and he stared at the ground. "We thought you were…"
Raph stood moving behind where his little brother was seated on the couch and bent down, pulling him into a backwards hug. "It's gonna take a lot more than Krang to bring me down, Don." He said softly as he hugged his brother.
Donatello savored the moment before his brother pulled away and became the rough, tough, hot-headed turtle once more. "I raised my hands and the Krang shot the cuffs, one of the shots bounced off the wall and damaged the communication orb, otherwise I would have tried to reestablish contact. I went back to the cell and sprung Mona. We were going to head home, but Mona told me that the reason we hadn't seen any other prisoners was because the base was actually home to one of the Krang's most important computer systems."
"Destroying that computer saved thousands of lives, including yours." The light green reptile added.
The turtle clan stared at Raph, their faces a mixture of fear and shock. Master Splinter gave his second son a stern glance. Raphael's shoulders drooped but his eyes narrowed in determination. "I know it was risky sensei, but you always said that we have to put the group before the individual. If we hadn't taken the chance, people would have died. People that I could have and did save."
"You took the correct course of action, my son. But that doesn't mean I have to like it."
"How did you destroy it? A computer that vital to the Krang cause would have had all kinds of protective measures." Donatello stated quietly almost as though thinking aloud.
"I attempted to hack into the database, but I only ended up setting off an alert. The computer was protected by an extremely complicated encryption."
"After the alarm went off it was only a matter of time before the Krang shut us down. There was only one way to destroy the computer: by rupturing the power cells." Raph's brothers could only stare wide-eyed.
Donatello opened his mouth several times before he found his voice. "How many power cells were there? You said cells as in more than one."
"Four."
Donnie's eyes were practically bulging out of his head. "F-f-four? The resulting explosion should have unleashed enough force to level the building." He stated meekly in confusion.
"That was my calculation as well, but the room was built for maximum security. The Krang probably had it reinforced so that it would remain structurally sound, even in a case of bomb warfare. But we didn't exactly come out unscathed either, you know. Raph had the burns on his arm and we were both covered in rubble and debris."
"Considering the type and size of the explosion you should have been…"
"Lizard's luck I guess." She shrugged.
"No kidding." Mikey stated, still slightly awed.
"And what may I ask do you plan to do now that you are once again free, Mona Lisa?" Splinter asked her. Bright green eyes watched her, waiting nervously for her answer. "Have you any family or home that you must return to?"
"The Krang captured me when I was six. I don't remember my family." She said, eyes never leaving the ground.
"Then you may be part of ours."
"No, I couldn't possibly-"
"It is no trouble at all, my dear. You have said yourself you have nowhere else to go. There is an extra room at the end of the hall you may occupy for as long as you like, though it may take a while to get it properly furnished. For tonight you may sleep in Raphael's room. I'm sure he will not mind the couch for now."
"Hai, Sensei." Raphael agreed.
Splinter nodded. "Then it is settled. Also, Mona Lisa, your computer hacking skills as well as your extreme knowledge could prove useful in my sons' battle against the Krang. Would you consider training alongside April to become a kunoichi?" Raph stared at his sensei, his brothers, and finally Mona.
The lizard girl smiled and nodded. "Hai, Sensei." She replied, before standing as best she could giving the rat a small bow of respect and gratitude.
"Yeah, girl! You one of us now!" Mikey shouted as he threw an arm around her, almost knocking her over. "Welcome to the Family sis!" He said as he squeezed the air out her with a bear hug. The rest of her new family just laughed at her facial expression nodded their approval, Raphael giving her a small, yet genuine smile and she smiled back.
Raphael had never been one for expressing his feelings. Usually he hid his insecurities behind a mask of anger and indifference, dubbing any other emotions signs of weakness. He feared his naturally emotional nature would make his brothers think him weak. But when he saw Mona Lisa standing there and saw the smile spreading slowly across her face, it didn't matter. As long as Mona Lisa was there, he didn't need the mask. As long as Mona was there he could be himself, free from the opinions of others. And whenever Mona Lisa smiles, for a brief moment time stops and nothing else matters.
I have a plan for a sequel, but I want to know what you guys think! Should I go through with it? Let me know! Thanks for reading! :)