A/N: Sorry for the delay. :D

musicluvr - Wise words from a wise master.

Sciencegal - I had NO clue what that woman would say up on stage. She has far more positivity than planned. Especially compared to Nia, Sophia, and Mel...

DuckiePray - Always brace for the unexpected, as you well know. ;)

D - Coyo just needed SOMEONE (except Izel) to believe in her way. *nods* Now, prepare.

CHAPTER 31: STRIKE (PART 1)

Trembles raced through Coyolxauhqui for indeterminable reasons. They could stem from the adrenaline that heightened her senses the closer Yolotli lead her to the Yaoqui. They could be leftover emotions from her speech at Tlahcoyan. Or maybe they belonged to someone else entirely. Perhaps Zaddir as she stood guard with the other Teo or…

Coyo glanced towards Leonardo. The turtle-man crept through the night, veering no further from her right than Tlaloc did from her left. He spared a look as he passed through several ferns, but the smile he once wore had died the moment the Tonalquizca entered the rainforest.

It was strange watching him transform from a supportive friend into a warrior. Alarming, even. Was this the confident grace he had shown in New York City?

"Must you gawk?" a voice whispered in Coyo's ear.

The woman jolted; she did not realize how close Tlaloc had come. "I was not—"

"Focus," Tlaloc continued.

"Coyo is!"

"On our strike? Or Ayotl?"

Coyo sighed, following the sound of Yolotli's beating wings down a steep ravine. "Tlaloc."

"I worry, Chief."

"The plan will work."

"So you plan on dying?" At the ravine's bottom, Tlaloc sunk in the mud. "This is a poor idea."

"And it is Coyo's. Tlaloc always says she should make more choices."

"I was mistaken."

"I understand your feelings," Leonardo interjected. Yo perched on his shell's edge, head bobbing when the turtle-man nodded at Tlaloc. "You think I like this idea? You are not the only one who cares for Coyo."

Tlaloc answered with silence and an expression hidden under the moon's subtle light.

"The alternative is we get captured as a group," the turtle-man continued. "Which makes it harder to sneak around."

"One of us should go with her."

"No." Coyo patted Leo's front shell and Tlaloc's tacky chest. "Coyo will surrender. Coyo alone."

"This ruse—"

"Will help. Trust me. Please."

"Chief!" Coaxoch pointed at a break in the tree canopy. "Is that the Yaoqui village?"

"Not so much a village as an outpost," Leo said. "These people are not a family."

The young woman glowered, scrunching her face's burned skin. "What do you mean?"

"All I can tell you is that I have seen many EPF idiots sacrifice each other for personal gain."

"How can an army last if their people undermine one another?"

"That is a question we plan to test." The turtle-man chuckled briefly, a hand on Coaxoch's shoulder, and Yo took flight as he faced Coyo. "A coastal base," he added. "High ground. Ample cover, surprisingly. They did not want to be snuck up on."

That was an understatement, Coyo decided. She stared up the revine's opposite side. The entrance looked no more impressive than a slab of smooth, moss-riddled stone nestled in a dirt mound, and its slender door loomed with the mature trees that obscured it. It had no visible locks, no weapons, no warnings, yet it made the Chieftain's chest thump faster when she noticed the ambient glow beyond it.

"Shit," Tlaloc spat. "We were prepared for a wall. This?"

"I doubt their whole base is underground."

"Do you, Ayotl?"

No; Mozallo filled Coyo's mind with images of a mesh cage as if to tell her Leo only hoped their battle would take place above ground. "You will find a way," the Chieftain told her warriors. "Coyo's distraction will help."

"Distraction?" Huemac questioned.

Coyo sent her people a lopsided grin.

"Yaoqui scum! See Coyo? Open! Open!"

Leonardo struggled not the laugh where he hid amongst tree branches. However, he found it difficult to keep quiet when Coyolxauhqui flailed below. She waved, danced and taunted the security cameras in a way Michelangelo would envy.

"Did she learn this tactic from you, Ayotl?" Tlaloc whispered on the same branch.

"This is all her," Leo replied.

"Coyo make truce!" Coyo continued. "Hear? Yes? Pialli?" Snarling, the woman kicked the door with bare feet. "Open, stupid, stupid—"

Floodlights ignited the area, the entrance groaning as its rusted entry panned upwards to reveal four soldiers. Each aimed a Plasma Rifle at the Chieftain, and a hot surge pulsed below Leo's plastron when one tapped his weapon's muzzle between her shoulder blades.

"You speak English?" he asked.

"Coyo can." Coyo kept her tone even, despite the anxiety the mutant sensed through Mozallo.

"I didn't ask about Coyo," Soldier A spat. "I asked about you."

"She is Coyo, Idiot," Soldier B added.

"Talks in third person?" Soldier C snorted. "Weirdo."

"What are you here for?" asked Soldier D, the most disciplined-sounding of them all. "How did you find us? Why did you leave your barrier?"

Coyo's anxiety cooled; it left Leo tingling. "Take Coyo to Yaoqui chief."

Soldier C sniggered, rifle lowering to the tribeswoman's gut when he performed the 'Robot' with one arm. "Take me to your leader."

Soldier D sent him a glare. "Knock it off."

"Sorry, Man. This is exciting. I mean, we do almost nothing here. Now?" Soldier C stepped forward. He should count himself lucky the mutant had no Shuriken; otherwise, the ass would've bled when his attention traveled down the Chieftain's torso. "We get to offer Rook some fine meat."

"Not ordinary meat," Soldier A corrected. "The savages' leader. Right?"

"K'ekchi no savage," Coyo hissed. "Yaoqui are."

"Let's agree to disagree," said Soldier C.

"She just offers herself on a silver platter?" Soldier D's rifle clicked against the tribeswoman's arm, and she flinched. "Smells like a set-up."

"Tribe no know Coyo with Yaoqui. She want no blood, no pain. Tired. Hurt. Want truce."

"You really think Rook would accept a truce?"

"Well," Soldier B faced Soldier D, "he does like talking. And if this is a trap, there's only one way to find out."

"Let's go see the boss," Soldier C added. He shoved Coyo towards the open entrance. "I'll frisk her inside for anything odd."

'Touch her,' Leo thought as the group filed through the closing door, 'I'll remember your uniform number.'

"Ayotl"—Tlaloc's brows furrowed—"what does 'frisk' mean?"

"It means he'll lose his hands," Leo answered in English.

"What do we do now?" Coalt asked from a higher branch.

Leo gave the teen a nod. "Stick to the trees like Coyo wanted. Their base is bound to be exposed somewhere."

"Can Leonardo handle the trees?" Coaxoch teased with a smirk. "Last time, you lost against Hupaxque."

Leo mirrored the young woman's smirk. "I will be hyper-alert for any super spiders this time. Bite me once, shame on me. Bite me twice?" Coaxoch stared with bright yet blank eyes. Right, she would be unfamiliar with such a saying. "Nevermind. Yo, stay here. Tlaloc?"

Yo squawked disapproval when Tlaloc motioned for his warriors to follow but obeyed. Leonardo trailed behind, cutting back his speed so he would not outshine the Tonalquizca superior. It was harder than expected; he glided across the canopy effortlessly, lept from branch to branch before the limbs had a chance to sink with his weight. Recro-12 granted him the agility, and for once, he considered the serum an asset.

Soon, the horizon's distant glow intensified into commercial-grade spotlights, but not before the trees doubled in size. Genetic engineering was an obvious factor in the EPF's coverage, and the Tonalquizca sat so far above the outpost that the cliffside breeze chilled Leo. Soldiers busied themselves around tube tents, either jogging, training, chatting, or organizing crates and machinery.

"I do not see Coyo." Tlaloc sounded panicked and hung between branches like a monkey.

"They may have taken her another route," Leo said. "Or we missed her."

"Seems like a waste to have such a fortified gate for a base so easily accessible."

"It makes sense, actually. Its the only level passage. Like back at the quarry. The place is protected by a cliff and rock faces. Doubt they accounted for a strike team to swing in from the trees like Tarzan."

"Who?"

Leo grimaced; how he missed Pop Culture.

"Logical or not," Ollin added, "they have vulnerabilities."

"Do not underestimate them," Leo told the tribesman. "A maze of tents and some forklifts are not what the EPF has to offer. This is cover. They probably have cameras everywhere. Even if we managed to kill the lights, we should consider thermal vision, heat sensors, and...none of you have any idea what those are." The mutant glanced around the treetops, meeting each Tonalquizca's confused expression, from the youngest teen to oldest man. "Perfect. How about this? We need to take out their eyes. With surveillance, the weak point is that it can all be manned from one station."

"Find the station—"

Leo met Tlaloc's hard stare. "Blind them. At least long enough to get inside."

"Very well. Lead the way."

"Wait. Me?"

"I am not stupid, Ayotl. Even though I have warred with the Yaoqui longer than you, I—" The man sighed through clenched teeth. "You know what to look for. Find it."

So Leonardo wasted no time arguing; he fanned out the Tonalquizca and prayed he had picked up enough pointers over the years from Donatello not to raise any electronic red flags when he sabotaged the station.

How much further down did the Yaoqui's base go? Coyolxauhqui swore she was at the Earth's center by the time the path leveled again, and when the corroded tunnel ended, it revealed rippling blues and jagged rocks that stretched on forever. The ocean? She was to walk in the ocean? Impossible! Coyo planted her feet against the cold, hard floor to no avail; her escorts pushed her over the threshold into the cramped walkway beyond. Sea life swarmed the area with only an invisible force to keep them and a wave of water from crushing the woman. She had to wonder how the Yaoqui could trust it would not break and walked hunched until she entered a massive, round room.

"Agent Rook, special delivery," one escort said.

"About time. Did you take the scenic route?" An aged man strolled through the room's center. He spread his arms wide, dark eyes framed by silver hair both at the top and bottom of his long face. "Well, well, hail to the chief."

Coyo frowned.

"Don't get that reference? Mierda, how do you savages survive without modern art?"

The woman furrowed her brows, focusing on her enemy's grin.

"Forget it," he said. "Come, have a seat. I have so many questions. How do you know English? What brought you here? Are really a chief?"

"Uh, Sir?" another escort asked.

Rook sunk in a strange-shaped chair with a subtle curve then waved towards the group. "Dismissed."

"You're just gunna—"

Rook silenced his followers with a look so sharp Coyo shivered. "Dis. Missed." They listened, and their footfalls echoed as they backtracked through the unnatural tunnel. "Like my living room?" the man continued. "It's where I come to relax after a hard day. There's something about fish schools that's just calming. Ya know? You got a relaxation spot?"

Coyo grimaced. "You Yaoqui leader?" she asked.

"What is a Yaoqui?"

"You."

"Collective 'you' or a personal 'you'? Gotta be more specific with English."

"You!" The woman padded forward, a finger jabbed in the man's direction. "You fight. You hurt. You hunt."

"Collective 'you' then." Rook buried his fingers in his thick hair. "Our official title is the Earth Protection Force, and no, I'm not the leader. Not of the organization, anyway. I do lead this faction. So I guess the answer is yes."

"Is yes?"

"Yes. Now, seriously, take a seat. Would you like a drink? Some food, maybe? We got crab rangoons. Fresh."

Coyo narrowed her eyes, unmoving.

"Come on," the man added, "none of it is poisoned. If you're who you say you are, you're more useful alive. Trust me."

She didn't yet she believed him and slowly inched towards the seat if it meant he would consider her proposal.

"Excellent," Rook said with a laugh. Just what was so funny? "First things first, tell the truth: are you the savage leader?"

"K'ekchi Chief."

"Right. K'ekchi. Whatever. Are you? I've always imagined you as this fierce warlord, battling our forces through inhuman means, not this...little girl. You must be pulling my leg."

"Coyo no touch Yaoqui leg," Coyo spat. Nor would she want to.

Rook raised his bushy brows then drew one down. "I take it you're Coyo?"

"Coyo Ke'kchi Chief. Coyo me."

"Talking in third person? That's a new one. So, Madame Chief, care to share how you found our establishment? I'm dying to know."

Coyo soured; if only.

"Decades of war and never once have your ancestors knocked on the front door. Especially not as"—the man's thin lips quirked—"spirited as you did."

"Forest see much," the woman answered. "Bring Coyo here."

"Cryptic."

"True. Yaoqui no like nature. No see. Blind."

"No, we like nature," Rook corrected, leaning forward with interlaced hands. "What we do, why we formed, is to preserve nature. Human nature. What you protect ain't human. Those Jinchos don't belong on Earth. Neither does that turtle abomination you harbor."

Did he mean Leonardo? How did they know he was with the K'ekchi?

"Oh, so I am right." Rook laughed again. "Anyone ever tell you that you have a horrible poker face? Scratch that, you don't know what poker is. Uh." The man clicked his tongue then leaned back in his curved chair. "All this at stake, and you come here proposing a truce? Excuse my skepticism."

"War kill K'ekchi future," Coyo said. "War need stopped."

"And your solution is surrender? No strings attached?"

"What strings?"

Rook groaned. "Chica, you're killing me. I mean, what will this surrender cost? What are the conditions, requirements? What do you want in turn?"

Coyo had considered bartering. She never told anyone else, not even Leo, but she had rehearsed the answers so many times in her mind that she replied without hesitation, "Omipalan cure."

"Omipalan? What's that?"

"Sickness. Death. Omipalan eat insides, make bones brittle."

The man's bearded-mouth formed a circle. "You mean that parasite plague we released, like, twenty years ago. That's still around? Thought it failed."

"With Teo. Not K'ekchi."

"Shit. You drank the Kool-Aid. Are the Teo...?"

"Languu."

"Got it. Let me guess: someone you love is infected. Husband? No. Best friend? Sister? Ah, brother." Coyo's hands curled in her lap when Rook grinned. "Well, it's doable. I'm sure our scientists can whip up a treatment. Of course, that means you'll have to bring your brother here. While you're at it, you may as well bring the whole tribe. We can inoculate them all."

"All?" Coyo whispered.

"You could stay. Work for us. We have a great health care program."

Live with Yaoqui? Become Yaoqui? Never.

"Think about it, Madam Chief. What better way to guarantee your people's safety? You said yourself continuing to war would kill their future, which is why you're here. Unless these are a bunch of hollow words. I expect they are. But mine aren't. I mean it, join us; it would benefit everyone."

"Not Teo."

"Everyone human then." Rook inhaled, his massive chest flexing as he rested one foot on the roundtable that separated the leaders. "Don't toy with me, puta. I've fought a long time, and I'm itching for progress. I'll have it, one way or the other. Either you do as offered, bring down your barrier and give the Languu to us. Or, I use my secret weapon to rip it apart and capture the freaks anyway. Maybe we should ask your friends what they think."

Coyo fought to hide the pain in her chest. "Friends?"

"There's no hiding from a psychic," Rook said with teeth bared. "Why don't we go join them in the training room? I'd hate to get blood on my floor."