Note: There are references to my Fanfic 'Sharks and Ninjas' as well as my dear friend and fellow writer Tyroth Darkstorm's fanfic 'Nemesis' as well as his character Vulstrun in this chapter.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Prisoners
Down in the dungeons, Pandora had been taken to one of the torture chambers by the Ninja, the Venomous Five and Dr Arden.
Pandora had been unable to move due to the Head-on-a Stick Serum, but it didn't stop her from shouting and swearing and calling her captors all the names under the sun.
"Don't you ever shut up?" one of the ninjas complained.
"Never!" Pandora spat.
"Well let's hope that tongue of yours is still wagging when we ask you questions!" Dr Arden sneered.
As they arrived at the torture chamber, Pandora's breath stopped in her throat as she remembered the very chambers, she had rescued her family from those two years ago, but now she was the prisoner and she could see the many tools they used for interrogation, all from medieval style tools to more modern ones like shockers and cattle prods.
But despite her fear, she didn't show it and only glared.
"Where shall we put her Doctor?" the ninjas asked to which Dr Arden pointed to some iron shackles hanging from the ceiling.
"Over there!" he ordered, and the Ninjas walked over to the shackles and clamped Pandora's wrists to them so that her feet and tail hung limply.
But as they knew the Head-On-A-Stick Serum would wear off eventually, they were quick to shackle her feet and tail together and they even wrapped duct tape around her knees and the upper part of her tail!
Cobra smirked.
"Hanging there helpless!" she hissed "Oh I can't wait to have my way with you!"
"The feelings mutual Cobra!" Black Mamba agreed as she flexed her clawed hands.
"You will not touch her until you are told you may touch her!" Dr Arden reminded the Venomous Five to which the two snakes looked disappointed.
Pandora felt a smirk despite her fear and pain, and she looked at the Venomous Five.
"Better listen to your boss you Ugly beasts!" she gloated to which Cobra peeled back her lips to spit.
Dr Arden glowered then produced a syringe before walking over to the hybrid.
"Oh, you're not off the hook crossbreed!" he growled as he stepped up to the hybrid and prepared the syringe and before Pandora knew what was happening, he stabbed the needle into her neck painfully making her cry out.
That made the Venomous Five smirk, along with the Ninjas and Dr Arden withdrew some of Pandora's blood.
"When Shredder has made you speak, he'll let me have what's left of you!" Dr Arden said as he looked at the syringe and Pandora's blood within "It'll be interesting to see what secrets you hold as a mutant hybrid!"
Pandora panted as she took the pain then glared at Dr Arden before spitting in his face!
"Do your worst!" she growled "I'm not afraid of you!"
As she said those words, the hybrid knew it was a lie, she was terrified, but she didn't show it, she knew how frightened she had been when she had faced Vulstrun three years ago, then when she had fought the V5 trying to protect Kemeko when they broke into the Headquarters to save their family and allies.
Now, she was in the hands of her Family's greatest enemy, she could only imagine what they would do to her, she had heard stories from her parents, uncles and even Tyroth in Mutopia about what the Foot would do and how merciless they were.
There was no way they would show restraint on her because she was a young girl, she was their enemy, just like her father, mother, uncles, and grandfather were to them, and they would use her against them, she really was in deep hot water!
Dr Arden leaned close to Pandora and grabbed her chin making her look at him.
"I can smell your fear child!" he hissed, he was so close, Pandora could smell his breath.
"I can smell it! And it is delicious!"
The Venomous Five hissed and laughed as they watched.
"I can taste it too!" Black Mamba said as she flicked out her tongue and the other V5 agreed.
"When we get the all go!" Dr Arden said in a low voice looking Pandora in the eyes "I will enjoy breaking you!"
He then let go of Pandora's chin and walked to the exit of the dungeon beckoning the V5 to follow him.
Cobra lingered at the back and licked her lips.
"Can't wait for some playtime!" she smirked and waved at Pandora "Tootles!"
Pandora watched them leave, the glare still on her face, but no sooner was she left alone in the dungeon than she hung her head and tears fell from her eyes.
Never in her life apart from when she was faced with Vulstrun did she feel helpless, she had only tried to bring Kemeko back from out the city but due to their bad luck they were spotted by Arashi's whore, and they had been taken to the Shredder.
Now Kemeko was faced with the Shredder, and she had no idea what that evil man would do and she was awaiting torture and maybe even death!
"Mum, Dad, Uncle Don, Uncle Mike, granddad, Aunt April, Uncle Casey." She prayed silently as she sobbed "Oh where are you?"
Upstairs in the throne room, Kemeko was kneeling on the floor opposite the Shredder who sat on the small table between them, which had her possessions on it.
The Ninjas had looked through her rucksack and he had found some clothes, as well as her weapons and some other personal possessions.
"Looks like she was planning to run away!" the ninja reported, "Given the items there."
"Very well." Shredder said then looked at the Ninja "You're dismissed, but stay close to the door, I shall signal if I need you!"
"Yes Master," the first ninja bowed, and he and his comrades left the room.
As the Ninjas left, a couple of servants, a couple of women and a man in traditional Japanese servant's wear walked over with some tea, sake and some snacks which included some Castella Sponge cakes, pomegranates, pears, and rice crackers.
After completing the task, the servants bowed and left then Shredder poured some tea for himself and Kemeko as well as gestured to the food.
"Please help yourself child." He said, "You must be hungry."
As he spoke, Kemeko felt her stomach rumble and she clenched it.
There was no denying she was very hungry as well as thirsty since it was hours since she last ate.
She crawled closer to the table and reached for a piece of cake which she delicately took then began to eat.
Shredder watched her as she tried to eat it politely, but soon her need to satisfy her hunger took over and she started to scoff it.
Shredder smirked slightly as he saw her polish off the cake then reach for the tea which she sipped rather carefully as it was still hot.
"It's Jasmine." He clarified "yet we have other options if you wish it?"
Kemeko said nothing as she sipped the tea then looked up at Shredder and shook her head.
"No?" Shredder asked, "Then I am glad the drink satisfies you."
He took a sip of his own drink then looked at the possessions of Kemeko on the table.
"Now, we talk."
Kemeko looked up at the Shredder as he observed Kemeko's possessions.
"From what I gather." He said, "It would seem that you planned to leave?"
Kemeko said nothing.
"Don't deny it child." He said, "I doubt very much one such as yourself would be out during the daylight hours which such things here?" he gestured to the clothes, toiletries, and other possessions.
'Something bad must have happened, so much so you decided to leave?"
"Why should I tell you?" Kemeko asked.
Shredder narrowed his eyes, but he stopped and took a few breaths before he spoke again, keeping his voice calm and low.
"We have a lot to catch up on, after you were hidden from me, and if you have run away, I can offer you a place to stay, after all, I am your real family."
Kemeko glared.
"My family?" she asked "How are you, my family? You're not even of my blood! I was told of what you truly are!"
"Really?" Shredder asked raising an eyebrow.
"I know you're not human!" Kemeko said "Dad told me you're an alien! A creature from out of space!"
Shredder glared yet he nodded.
"That is true yes." he said, "I am not human, but I breathe and feel like one, and I had emotions to care when I took in your mother!"
He stood up and walked over to the window and looked at the city below, the skies were starting to turn dark as the sun was setting.
"I remember it like yesterday when I found Karai, lost and alone in Japan, and I felt pity as well as a want for a child to nurture and raise to be an heir, so I took her in and trained her!"
He then went on to speak about the years Karai was under his wing and tutelage and how he had raised her to be his heir should anything happen to him.
All the while Kemeko sat in silence as she listened.
Of course, she had heard Leonardo's side of the story about her parents, but now hearing it from the Shredder, she was curious to know more.
"She was everything I dreamt of, everything I hoped for, she had promise! After everything I taught her! that was until those turtles interfered, especially the blue masked Leonardo!" Shredder growled.
"He led her astray! Lead her away from me! Made her forget everything I taught her, and of course she went off with Chaplin! And they abandoned the Foot altogether! Abandoned the cause, the honour! She brought shame and dishonour!"
Kemeko winced as she listened then she saw Shredder stride over.
"She left the Foot, and decided to live a different life, away from everything I had given her, and all I sacrificed!" Shredder snarled "She could have destroyed the turtles, but instead she joined them, helped them, then left with Chaplin to begin a new life!"
"But wasn't that her choice?" Kemeko asked "She decided to find a new path in life which didn't mean a life of violence and crime?"
Shredder looked down at Kemeko and glared.
"She was my family!" Shredder said "And my daughter, and she should have honoured my wishes! Yet she threw it in my face! And sided with my enemies! And I never forgave her for that!"
"But she was your daughter!" Kemeko protested "Wasn't she? She might not have been of blood, but you adopted her, very much how Leonardo adopted me!"
Shredder glared at Kemeko.
"I loved my daughter! But her betrayal hurt so much, it was unforgivable! And when someone betrays me, they pay the consequences! Even if they are family!"
Kemeko gasped in horror.
"No…" she whispered as tears erupted from her eyes.
"Karai betrayed me! And she paid the price, as did Chaplin, but the only good thing that came out of their union, was you! And I have vowed that I would find you Kemeko and bring you back to me! Where you truly belong!"
As Kemeko listened, she remembered what her family said about Shredder, Oruko Saki and what her mother had said on the DVD message.
"It was no lie." She thought to herself "He did kill my parents because he believed in his own beliefs, goals, causes, and honour above the love for his adopted child!"
She glared up at Shredder.
"I don't belong here!" she snapped "I am not like you! I will never be like you!" she then threw her cup of jasmine tea on the ground "My father will come looking for me! I know he will!" she screamed "Him, my uncles, aunts and grandfather!"
Shredder didn't flinch as he watched, and he folded his arms.
"You think that child?" he asked.
Kemeko nodded defiantly and glared.
"He will come! For me and for Pandora!" she shouted.
Shredder smirked.
"Well, he will try!" he said, "If I know that turtle, he will try, he and his family, but we will be ready for whatever he tries, in the meantime, you are not going anywhere!"
Kemeko gasped in fear.
Shredder smirked again and evil laughter erupted from his mouth.
"I vowed to make sure you were brought back to me, and here you are! And you are not leaving!"
So Pandora's been taken to the dungeons to be tortured and Shredder has spoken his side of the story about Karai and he's told Kemeko she will not leave the headquarters now she's in his possession.
In the meantime, will the turtles, Monalisa and Splinter find out what's happened? Well stay tuned to find out!