Chapter 6 – Escape the Kraang
Splinter rotates himself in one spot and walks to the other end of the TV room. He mutters along the lines of wondering if his boys are okay before spinning his heels and going back in the opposite direction.
Baron Draxum, while sitting sideways in the armchair, lets out a long sigh.
"Sit down, Splinter. I'm sure the boys and April are fine." He says with a groan.
"I will not," The rat man replies sternly. "Not until they are back here, safe!"
As soon as he says that, an alarm goes off, and Donnie's computer voice echoes from the lab.
"Escape Pods, Incoming!"
"See, here they come now." Draxum acknowledges nonchalantly.
"Something's wrong. My dad senses are tingling," Splinter mutters before bolting.
The sheep yokai rolls his eyes before following Splinter down the hall.
As Splinter approaches the end of the hall, he can hear Michelangelo speaking.
"We made it. Just stay with me, please."
Splinter's worry turns into panic when his son's voice sounds upset. When he enters the next room, he lets out a loud gasp seeing Mikey holding a blood-stained Leonardo.
Michelangelo turns to see his father enter the room, and tears start streaming down his face.
"I'm trying, but I can't stop the bleeding." He sobs.
"Leonardo!" Splinter shouts.
The father rat collapses on his knees and reaches for his son's face.
"Leonardo," he repeats more desperately.
When there is no response, Splinter becomes so horror-struck that he doesn't know what to do.
Draxum finally catches up as more of the PODS enter the layer. The sheep yokai rushes straight to the wounded turtle and investigates the situation. Realizing it is more severe than he had imagined, Draxum immediately jumps into action.
"Here, let me take him." He says to Mikey.
As he pulls Leo up to his chest, Baron turns to Splinter and adds, "I'm never going to doubt your 'dad senses' again."
The other PODS open, and the rest of the team jumps out and immediately sees Draxum running towards the Med Bay with Leo in his arms.
They all wordlessly follow behind Splinter and Michelangelo as they keep up with Baron Draxum.
Draxum lays the injured turtle on the table and instantly goes through his potions and tools for medical purposes at a frantic speed. He glances over his shoulder and at the family standing at the door. The yokai briefly looks down at Leo before shifting back at Michelangelo.
"Michael, I need you to use your mystic power. Keep Leonardo from bleeding more." He demands.
"I-I'll try," Mikey nervously replies.
His confidence could be more substantial, but since he was unsuccessful in stopping the bleeding with his power during the POD ride home, he is now questioning how reliable his mystic hands are.
"What should we do?" Raph asks, desperately wanting to help.
"You can start by telling me what happened?" Splinter asks demandingly.
Everyone froze. Where do they begin? The whole experience happened so fast.
"It was a trap. The Kraang Leader somehow escaped the Prison Dimension. He is the one that did this to Leo," Casey finally blurted out.
"What? How could that happen? We closed that portal and hid the KEY." Splinter gasped.
"I don't know, dad," Raph replied nervously. "Everything was happening so fast. While the female Kraang attacked us with a small army of mutants, the Kraang Leader separated Leo from us, and when we finally got to the other room..."
Raphael could not finish the sentence. He already hates himself for being unable to get to his brother sooner. Just by looking at Leo, he fears they might have gotten to his rescue too late.
"Why didn't you call us for backup?" Splinter snapped.
Deep down, the rat knows his son didn't mean to ignore his father and Draxum for assistance, but he is so distraught right now.
"I know. I'm, I'm sorry." Raph instantly feels guilty.
His father is correct, but thinking back on the events, it didn't seem right to bring Splinter and Draxum into the fight. There was barely enough space for them, as he recalls the cramped corridor they fought in.
Splinter lets out a regretful sigh and places a hand on his large son's hand.
"Look, I understand," he says. "I'm just glad you all made it back. You are all safe from the Kraang now."
Something about the word 'safe' suddenly has April unsure of their sanctuary, and that is when she remembers something.
"But Splinter, we aren't safe here. Remember? We were hunted down by the female Kraang last time. She was able to track us here. In other words, the Kraang knows where we are." She explains.
Raph instantly flashes back to when Kraang One infiltrated his mind with his tentacles. April is right. They aren't safe.
"They were able to get into my head when I was captured. This is all my fault," he admits in a guilty tone.
"Don't blame yourself, big guy," April assures him. "You had no choice."
Draxum can't help but overhear the conversation and spins around in a panic.
"Are you telling me that those monsters know where we live?"
"Unfortunately, yes," Splinter answers simply.
"If that's the case, then we can't stay here. We got to leave as soon as possible." Casey points out.
The boy doesn't show it, but his childhood fears are returning. He remembers his entire youth running and hiding from the Kraang, and he is about to do that again. This upsets Casey because he is just getting used to living a more peaceful life with a much younger Leonardo and his family.
"Where can we go? In case you don't know, our options are somewhat limited. Not to mention Leo is hurt." Raph adds.
April perks up as a thought arises.
"I think I know a place. It's about a five- to six-hour road trip in the country, though." She explains.
"Really?" Casey turns, invested in this idea.
Donatello stopped listing to the discussion a while ago when he started focusing on what was happening to Leonardo instead. He first witnessed Draxum placing an oxidation mask over Leo's mouth and nose before fiddling with needles and tubes. Next, the sheepman takes a saline pack and pokes into Leonardo's forearm with one of the needles before returning to his potions and beakers.
He does all of this while yelling at everyone in the room.
The intellectual turtle can't seem to look away from Leo's condition. The first thing Donnie notices is how pale his brother's skin looks. His usual vibrant lime green skin is faded to near light grey tint. Thanks to Michelangelo, the bleeding appears to have stopped; however, Leonardo does not look any better. To Donnie, he already looks dead.
This is something he is unable to cope with. All audio around him becomes muffled, and he does not respond when Raph talks.
"Donnie!" Raph shouts, grasping his younger brother's shoulder.
After being jolted to reality, Donatello looks up to his older brother.
"I need you to focus, okay," Raphael tells him. "Go get your tech. We need it for surveillance and defence. Did you hear me?" He concludes, giving his brother a brief shake in case he zoned out again.
Slowly, Donnie nods, acknowledging what is being said to him.
"April, go with him," Raph adds, addressing his sister-like friend.
"Right, and I'll call my dad about my late Great, Great Gram-gram home," April responds quickly. "Come on, Donnie." She adds, grabbing the turtle's arm and pulling him along.
"Raphael and Casey, take these," Baron hands them a handful of his activator cells.
"I have conjured these activation cells to erupt when intruders get close. Some of them will grow vines. If we are lucky, some will explode a glue-like substance that should hold them down for an hour or two hours. I have even included a few of my golems, as well. This should buy us some time, at least." The Yokai explains says.
"Okay, let's go, Cas." Raph orders.
Draxum turns his attention back to Leonardo.
"Mikey, you're doing great. Keep doing what you're doing just a little longer, okay." Baron praised the young turtle and his mystic power.
Despite showing signs of exhaustion, Michelangelo responds with a simple nod through his tears. So far, this is the longest he has ever used his mystic hands. With one look at his brother's face, Mikey knows he must continue for Leo's sake. However, he is grateful for his recent additional training with Draxum and Splinter. Now he can focus his abilities without feeling like it was tearing him apart, much like when he opened the portal to the prison dimension.
"Splinter, I could use your help with the adhesive for his cracked plastron," Baron asks.
"Just tell me what I have to do," Splinter says, following the yokai to the table.
OoOoOoOoOoOo
While Donnie stares at his tech as if he isn't sure what to bring, April is on her phone. She hears the ringing and straightens when she hears the call connection and a male voice responding.
"Dad," she immediately responds. "Do we still have the old farmhouse that Great, Great, Gram-Gram owned?"
April pauses for a moment as her father speaks. Then, with an excited expression, she raises her fist in victory.
"Great, what is the address again? I -" pausing, she realizes she needs to explain why she needs the information without explaining the truth.
"I am doing a journalism assignment with a few colleagues from school, and we wanted to research the old country home."
Quickly reaching for a pad and pen from her backpack, April quickly jots down the details her father is explaining. She then pushes the information to Donnie, which he taps onto his wrist gauntlet and adds coordinates in his GPS app.
Donatello nods to April, ensuring he has the information to get them to this location. She nods in response and puts the notepad back in her bag as she finishes the conversation with her father.
"That is great. Thanks, dad. You are amazing. I gotta go now. We'll talk soon, okay? Bye." April says just before tapping 'end call' on her phone.
The second she puts her phone back into her pocket, she notices her friend with a lost gaze. April knows what is on his mind and leans over with a hand over his.
"Donnie, he's going to be all right. You know, Leo is too stubborn to give up, and neither should we."
"If you say so," Donnie sighs.
"Come on, let's get what we need packed up, all right? What else do you think we may need?" April asks, softly coaxing her friend to focus on the task.
"Sheldon," Donnie slowly starts. "I should activate him to help protect the layer while we escape."
"Okay, let's do that." April nods supportingly.
While April grabs a box and starts placing the important tech and laptop inside, Donnie presses a code on his mystic gauntlet, and the robot turtle's eyes glow. Sheldon takes a brief moment to analyze everything around him before unplugging himself from his station. Then, he steps forward and stands before his creator.
"Greetings. How may I assist you today?" Sheldon stands poised, ready for his command.
"Sheldon, there's danger coming to the layer. I need you to protect our home." Donatello states.
"Shall I download my recent program to the backup software?" The android offers.
Knowing that having his memories backed up is a lifesaver whenever Donatello must rebuild or upgrade his robot son – mainly when they fought the Shredder. If the turtle genius hadn't downloaded all of Sheldon's data back then, he would have lost his favourite tech/son forever.
"Yes, do that," Donnie agrees.
"Donnie," April calls out, picking up the whole box. "I'm going to take this first load to the Tank. If there is anything else we should bring, place it on the table, and I'll grab it when I return."
With a nod, Donnie turns to his computer as his friend leaves the room. He begins to type and show the security cameras. So far, there are no signs of the Kraang, but two screens spot Raph and Casey planting the activator cells Draxum gave them.
Donnie's mind races back to when they rescued Leo, and he suddenly remembers that the Kraang leader is back from the Prison Dimension. Curiosity gets the better of him, and with a few clicks on the keyboard, the camera shows the drop shaft where he hid the KEY.
"No. How?" He gasps in disbelief.
His suspicions are realized when it shows that the KEY is no longer in its hiding spot. This fact has Donnie doubting himself as a genius and wondering why the alarm hadn't gone off when the KEY was stolen.
Has he lost his touch? With the KEY gone, how will they get the Kraang back to the prison dimension?
OoOoOoOoOoOo
The sheepman finishes scrapping a final layer of mystic plasticine over a section of Leonard's shattered plastron. He successfully matched the mustered yellow texture of the turtle's shell, so there should be very few signs of damage when it is settled.
"There, done," Draxum announces, brushing his forearm along his sweaty brow.
"Will this work in fixing Leonardo's shell?" Splinter asks while applying a gauze pad over the tender area and strapping the bandage tap to keep it in place.
"My adhesive is designed to heal and strengthen his shell. I recommend giving him at least two to three weeks of bed rest until it is fully healed, though." Draxum explains with a sad tone.
With that said, Baron turns to start cleaning up his workstation.
"So, Leo is going to be okay, right?" Mikey asks, hopefully.
Baron freezes in mid-action of putting away the unused materials in his med kit. He lets out a guilty sigh before glancing slightly over his shoulder.
"You better go help your brothers pack up the Turtle Tank, Michelangelo," Draxum says, practically avoiding the young turtle's question and his gaze. "Your father and I will get Leonardo ready for the trip."
"Anything, in particular, should I get?" Mikey asks.
"Blankets, lots of blankets, and food," Splinter suggests. "Also, I need you to go to my room and collect a few of my books and spare robes," Splinter adds.
"All right," Michelangelo says.
The youngest turtle stops just as he reaches the door and glances back at his two dads. Something still isn't feeling right. Mikey looks over at Leonardo briefly. The fact that his older brother is still very pale and wearing an oxygen mask over his mouth fills the young turtle with concern. He worries about his brother's condition terribly, but Michael decides to trust his elders and continues down the hall.
Splinter watches his youngest son leave before turning his attention to Draxum. The yokai sheep is closing his med case and lets out another heavy sigh. This instantly tells the rat something is wrong.
"Draxum, what is it?" He demands.
The former villain winces before looking at the old rat.
"This injury isn't like the ones he suffered last year." Draxum starts talking about the aftermath of when the turtles defeated the Kraang. "Those were more internal, with a couple of broken ribs. With one injection of my medicine, his mutated blood mostly healed his wounds within a few weeks."
He pauses momentarily, rubbing his eyes to prevent tears from escaping.
"But this time," Draxum continues. "He lost way too much blood. He won't be able to heal fast enough, even with my medicine. He might have been in better condition if they had brought Leonardo here sooner. I – I don't think he will be able to survive the trip, little alone the night. I'm sorry." He finally finishes, regretfully, looking away from Splinter.
The rat's shocked expression showed he was processing the information. Gradually, Splinter glances at Leo. A flood of memories of when his boy was younger fills him with emotional despair. There must be something they can do to save him.
"My son," Splinter says quietly and mournfully. Suddenly a hopeful realization hits him. "My Son!" He speaks more vocally.
Snapping his head, Splinter looks up at the yokai with a determined expression.
"Draxum," Splinter practically shouts.
Baron looks over, surprised to see the former Lou Jitsu grovelling at his hoofed feet.
"Splinter?" He questions the rat's actions.
"You used my DNA to create my sons; now I'm begging you, take what you need to save Leonardo!" He expresses desperately while lowering himself as far as he can go.
The yokai briefly ponders before he realizes the rat may be right.
"I can filter it so only your human DNA is taken, and I still have some mutation that I can mix in with medication. If anything, it could give our boy a fighting chance." Draxum says in a confident tone.
"Then do it. We don't have much time." Splinter orders.
OoOoOoOoOoOo
Almost an hour goes by, and time runs short as Draxum pushes the gurney bed with Leonardo on it out of the med bay. Splinter staggers out, trying to keep up with the sheepman's brisk trot.
Now that Leo is more stable, thanks to Splinter giving some of his DNA and Draxum's mutation-infused medicine, the two elders are more confident that their injured boy will survive the trip. Leonardo rests in a dreamless sleep with the oxygen mask secured over his mouth and nose, his blue mask removed, and a warm blanket covering his cold body.
As they enter the garage, to their relief, the two adults see that everyone else nearly has the Tank all packed.
Casey exits halfway down the Tank's ramp and waves at Draxum.
"Bring Leo here. I set up a spot where we can strap and secure the gurney." Future boy calls out.
"Good," the sheepman acknowledges.
Draxum, with Leo, follows the young boy up the ramp and into the Turtle Tank.
Sheldon walks up to Donatello with a flashing light from the computer screen on his robotic arm.
"Donatello, we have intruders heading this way. They've just set off the first set of traps." The android explains, showing the screen on his forearm.
The softshell turtle puts the box of his tech down to lean over at the image on Sheldon's screen. He frowns, seeing the Female Kraang and her mutant followers being attacked by purple vines, and some are being wrapped in a sticky substance. Then, a golem activates and begins smashing them.
However, with the speed and agility of the female Kraang, she can break free and rip apart anything that is attacking her. The Female Kraang does this, of course, with a big grin and psychotic laugh.
Raph, Mikey, April, and Splinter peek over Donatello's shoulder at the impending danger on Sheldon's screen.
"Those traps won't hold them for long. We don't have much time." Donatello points out.
"You're right," Raph nods in agreement. "Donnie, we'll finish packing while you start the Tank."
Draxum and Casey exit the Tank, passing Donnie as he rushes into the driver's seat.
"What's going on," Draxum asks.
"The Kraang are almost here." Michael blurts out.
"Everyone, get in the Turtle Tank. I'll stay behind to distract them." Splinter suggests.
The rat suddenly felt dizzy and nearly passed out. But, lucky for him, April appears to be standing nearby and catching him.
"Easy Splints, I gotcha." She says soothingly.
Draxum groans while rolling his eyes skyward.
"No way you are in any shape to fight, Splinter. You go with the kids. I'll stay as the distraction." He decides.
Splinter reluctantly agrees as April and Michelangelo help him into the Tank.
As they finish packing up the Tank, an alarm goes off.
"Intruder Alert!" Donnie's computer voice echoes down the hall.
"They're here!" Mikey screams.
"Get inside, Mikey. We got to go now." Raph orders.
Raphael watches his little brother do as he is told before he rushes in after them.
"Raphael, wait. I almost forgot," Draxum quickly swings his hand up – opening a purple portal.
The mutant snapping turtle stops to look back at Baron.
Baron reaches inside his portal and pulls out a quartz crystal-like object. The sheepman then proceeds to hand it off to Raphael.
"Take this and put it on your dashboard. It will create a hologram shield around the Turtle Tank, giving the appearance that you are driving in something, ..well, less obvious." Draxum explains, addressing the Tank's exaggerated look.
"Thanks," Raph nods before rushing inside and closing the ramp.
Now that everyone is inside, Donatello accelerates, and the Tank speeds toward the exit.
"Good luck," Draxum mumbles.
Behind him, he hears the Kraang entering the layer. He summons more activator cells, and the second Draxum sees them coming into the garage, he throws the cells, commanding the vines to attack the intruders.
OoOoOoOoOoOo
Raphael rushes towards the front. He glances at the secured gurney with Leonardo safely strapped down. Casey just finished setting up another saline drip before touching his arm. Splinter leans against April, and Michelangelo curls his knees up to his chest, staring worriedly at his brother on the gurney.
The snapping turtle reaches the dashboard and slams the crystal down on it. The crystal activates, and a camouflage warps around the Tank. Then, as the vehicle leaves the garage, it suddenly turns into a 1960's Volkswagen van.
