Chapter 12

Confession

The mutants arrived back at the lair and Tyroth was feeling a little better that he was about to tell them the truth, but at the same time, he was very worried of what was going to happen, especially to his family.

As the reptiles gathered in the kitchen, they were joined by Splinter, April and Casey. Tyroth swallowed hard as he tried to find the words, there was no turning back now.

"This whole… mess started four days ago," he began, looking down at the table where he sat. "when Jennifer called. You all noticed that I was upset, but as you probably have guessed, I wasn't honest about exactly why."

"So, that story about her being used by some jerk wasn't true then?" said April.

"No, but I wish it was..." Tyroth said, clenching his fists so hard that the knuckles almost turned white, while tears started to fall. Sitting next to him, Sephie placed her hands on his. Seeing him so broken was painful for her, he was always so strong and for something to have this effect on him, it had to be very serious, and everyone knew it.

"The truth is… that she was forced to call me, to deliver a message. Jennifer...Mom and Dad... they… they've been kidnapped by Arashi!"

Everyone went pale.

"That fiend! How dare he?!" Sephie said with hatred in her voice, breaking the silence. "They aren't any threat to him!"

"Going after ones family, especially one that doesn't even have anything to do with this, just how low can that bastard sink?!" said Monalisa.

"When I get my hands on him, He'll sink another six feet!" said Raphael.

"Enough!" Splinter barked, causing everyone to become quiet. "I know that you are all angry, but it will not help Tyroth or his family."

"Master Splinter's right." Leonardo agreed. "And there's still more that we need to address, like this guy you fought tonight."

"I'm not quite sure what he is, but I'm willing to bet that Arden's involved." Tyroth said after taking a few breathes to calm himself. "But I do know his purpose. Arashi wanted me to fight this champion of his, if I would loose, I'd be captured, and if I would win, my family would be freed in exchange for my blood."

"Of course. What else could the Foot want from you, those clones and hybrids were really tough." said Donatello.

Monalisa shuddered, she remembered how one of those hybrids skewered and almost killed her. Had it not been for Tyroth insisting on them using the serums Arden had made from his DNA, she wouldn't have survived. Not wanting to think about that gruesome night, she decided to ask Tyroth a question, to take her mind off it.

"Why didn't you tell us? We could have helped you."

"Believe me, I wanted to, but I didn't dare. If I told anyone, or didn't do what I was told, Arashi would make them suffer. The same thing would happen if I got too close to their base."

Hearing that, a startling realisation hit Sephie.

"What if that ninja thought that Tyroth had told us when we arrived?"

"Then we might have put Jennie and her parents in danger." said Donatello.

"I'm afraid that that might be the case." Tyroth said, getting up from the table and walking over to the entrance to the kitchen, leaning at the corner.

"Oh honey, I'm so sorry. I never wanted anything like this to happen." said Sephie.

"It's not your fault, love… It's mine..." said Tyroth. "I should have made sure that my family was safe, that no one could threaten them. I should have made sure that Arashi and Arden were dead! I should have ripped their heads off!"

Punching the wall in anger, he punched right through it, leaving a hole the size of a basketball.

"What I can't understand is why Arashi would have you fight this guy, why not just ambush you when you come to save your family?" said Casey.

"If he's one of Arden's sick experiments, I wouldn't be surprised if it's some kind of test-run. And I wouldn't put it past Arashi to mock Tyroth, holding all the cards and all." said Donatello.

"But how did they even find out about them? You didn't say a word when they had captured you." said April.

"I never said anything, other than what I though of those bastards." said Tyroth. "But I'd sure like to know as well."

"I think I have a theory." said Donatello. "Since you're part human and part dragon, your DNA might still have some human DNA left in it. I'm guessing that they somehow found enough human DNA to identify you, and from there, locate your family. It would however require that your DNA have been registered somewhere."

"Like my old medical profile, or the police records."

"But you burned Arden's lab to the ground, along with everything in it. Did he have backups?" said Sephie.

"If so, then he might be able to do the same with my DNA!" Monalisa exclaimed, worried about her own family's safety.

"This is very serious. We can not allow them to continue like this." said Splinter. "But we must not rush in blind, assaulting their base is not an easy task."

"We know, master. We need to plan this very carefully." said Leonardo.

"We can't wait! Who knows what they are doing to my family!" Tyroth snapped.

"Hun, I know how you feel, I felt the same way when you were captured. I didn't want to sit around either, all I wanted was to go and save you." Sephie said.

"She's right, and she was even prepared to fight us." said Leonardo. "Just give us a little time and I promise you, we'll get them out of there safe. You know just as well as the rest of us how dangerous the Foot's headquarters is. We were lucky last time."

Tyroth growled and clenched his fists, he knew that they were right, but that didn't mean that he liked it.

"Fine..." he sighed. "Just don't try to leave me here when it's time."

"You have my word." said Leonardo.

"And it's not like we'd be able to stop you." said Michelangelo.

"Try to get some rest, you'll need it." said Monalisa.

Sighing deeply, Tyroth nodded and walked to the guest room, his head slightly lowered from both fatigue and anger. Maybe a nap would do him some good. Once the door closed, the others began their planning.

"So, what's the plan, Leo?" Michelangelo asked. "Scouting out the Foot HQ?"

"No. If Tyroth wasn't allowed to get too close to their base, it's safe to bet that Arashi has posted extra lookouts. If we're spotted, Arashi will punish Tyroth's family without a doubt. We might already have done them harm as it is."

"Then we have to find a way in without you being noticed, and that's hard enough normally." said April.

"Then we better get to work." said Donatello.

Tyroth has finally come clean with everything that's been happening and the others of course wants to help, but will it be enough? No one knows what has happened to Jennifer, so they have a few nasty surprises in front of them.

Next time, we see what happens while the group make plans. See you!