Hey, guys! Please keep Israel in your prayers during these trying times.
Chapter 6: Metalhead
You know when you're trying to remember something, and for whatever reason, it doesn't come to you until hours, days or even weeks later? Specifically, just as your about to fall asleep?
Right now, Jade was all too familiar with that scenario.
Ever since their first encounter with the Kraang, she had tried to figure out why alien brains in robot bodies gave her a serious case of déjà vu. And it wasn't until about three weeks later that a specific memory resurfaced in her mind, making her eyes snap open.
"That's it!" she whisper-shouted, sitting up in bed.
The story Splinter had told them when she was six and her brothers were five. The story of how those strange men, accompanied by robots with brains in their stomachs, had hunted them down, which eventually led to the family of six finding their lair.
Sweet mercy, she hadn't thought about that story for years.
And…if memory served her correctly…then the Kraang had said that they wanted to eliminate Splinter, but take Jade and the Turtles. For what reason? Jade wasn't entirely sure.
But if she had to take a guess, they probably wanted to experiment on them.
If they had mutagen, what else could they have?
Jade narrowed her eyes and gripped the edge of her blanket tightly. "Not on my watch," she quietly promised. "Nobody's hunting down my family."
OoOoOoO
"Keep moving!" Leo ordered as he dodged more lasers. "Don't let 'em surround you! Failure is not an option!"
"Technically, failure is always an option," Donnie said.
Raph appeared at the genius' side. "You know what else is an option? Slapping you!"
The Kraang continued firing their weapons at the five. "Mikey!" Donnie called after rolling out of the way of another laser. "On the right!"
"Your right or my right?" Mikey asked. He looked up, and flipped out of the way of two Kraang firing their blasters at him, yelping as a laser fired over his head.
Donnie jumped up and swung his staff down on one of the Kraangdroids' heads, but it did little more than just move it for a second. Donnie landed on his feet, glaring at his weapon. "Are you kidding me? I hate this thing!"
The Kraangdroid he had hit turned around and aimed its blaster at him, but a Sai was thrown into its robotic head before it could fire. Raph jumped onto the Kraang and destroyed it with ease. "Nice work," Raph said dryly as he turned to Donnie. "When we're done here, there's a marching band that needs a majorette."
Donnie glared at the red-banded turtle as he ran off. He momentarily glanced down at his weapon in thought, though was quickly yanked back to reality as more lasers fired past him, and ran off.
Jade, back in her regular outfit, fanned out her Tessen before sliding to avoid another laser, and used it to decapitate the Kraangdroid that had fired at her. The body collapsed and shut down, and the Kraang inside scurried out with a squeal as Jade ran off to the next droid.
"Kraang," one Kraang said to another. "The present is being a positive time to be the testing of the energy cannon."
Two other Kraang slid a pair of large doors open, and a third drove a large machine with what looked like a giant laser cannon attached to it through the warehouse.
"Everyone, stand your ground," Leo ordered, as the five finished taking down a few more Kraang and stood side-by-side.
The cannon started charging up.
"On second thought, run!" Leo yelled.
The Kraang hit the button, and a giant pink laser fired right at them, which they jumped to avoid. They fired a second time, which Mikey jumped over. Raph, who was crouching on a stack of wooden crates, jumped off to avoid a third blast. Jade slid underneath the fourth blast. Leo flipped over the fifth. And Donnie ducked to avoid the sixth.
His staff, however, got hit.
"Oh, come on!" Donnie exclaimed once he saw the part of his staff that was blackened and smoking.
"Dude," Mikey practically laughed, pointing from where he was hiding behind some of the crates. "Your weapon just exploded!"
Donnie ducked again to avoid another cannon blast, and ran to hide behind more crates. "How am I supposed to fight advanced alien technology with A STUPID STICK?!"
Alongside Leo, Raph and Mikey, Jade took down more and more Kraang. She threw her Tessen at one droid while in midair, piercing its head. She landed on the droid's shoulders, knocking it to the ground, and yanked her weapon out with a few pink sparks before running again.
But it didn't take long for the Kraang to start driving the five siblings to one side of the warehouse, using the cannon to continuously push them back. Soon, they were all lined up side-by-side again.
"Kraang," one of the droids said, looking up to the Kraang driving the cannon. "Destroy those who call themselves the Turtles and Cat when that which is the signal is the signal that is given by me."
As the droid spoke, Leo looked around, and spotted a nearby forklift. He pulled out a shuriken and threw it, ricocheting off a metal support beam and the mast of the forklift before imbedding itself in a button. The forklift was activated, and drove into the Kraang and the cannon just as it was about to fire another blast. It drove them all into the wall, exploding upon contact, and all the Kraang hurried out of their droids.
Leo and Raph shared a look, then jumped out of a nearby window alongside Jade and Mikey. "Dumb luck," Raph teased his older brother.
"Wasn't luck, my friend," Leo said with a grin. "And dumb had nothing to do with it."
Donnie, however, was still at the window, trying and failing it pull something through it. "Hey," he said over his shoulder. "Give me a hand with this."
"A hand with what?" Leo asked. Instead of answering, Donnie suddenly looked a bit sheepish.
OoOoOoO
"We're carrying this thing because…why?" Raph asked as he and Donnie dragged the upper half of an empty Kraangdroid through an alleyway. Leo, Jade and Mikey were walking ahead of them.
"Don't you wanna understand how these things work?" Donnie asked.
"I know how they work," Raph replied. "You hit 'em 'til the brainy toy surprise pops out."
Mikey lifted the cover off the manhole. "That's your problem, Raph," Donnie grunted as he picked the droid up. "You never think things through." He dropped the droid into the manhole…and it got stuck.
"Was that supposed to fit?" Raph asked dryly, giving Donnie a deadpan look.
Donnie blinked at his brother, then turned his attention to the droid, kicking it several times to fruitlessly try and get it through the hole. Leo sighed and drew one of his katanas. "Jade?" he said.
"I'm on it," the feline replied without looking up, grabbing and fanning out her Tessen. Both of them crouched down and started cutting up the droid into pieces, removing the head and arms, until the torso was able to fall through the manhole. The eldest two grinned at each other, still holding the part they had removed, and jumped in after it. Raph, Donnie and Mikey followed suit, and the manhole cover was slid back on.
OoOoOoO
The next morning, April made her way through the sewers. Since it was Sunday, she usually didn't join the Hamato family until later. But she had convinced her aunt to attend their church's 9:00 AM service instead of their usual 10:30 one, so she could get to the lair earlier.
As she neared the entrance, a new sound hit her ears, making her perk up in interest. It didn't take her long to realize that the new sound was…singing. Six familiar voices singing, to be precise.
April looked past the turnstiles, and smiled when she saw the Hamato family in the pit. The TV was on, and April could hear drums and electric guitars creating the tune of a familiar song. A song that the Hamato family was singing along to. A song that made the words 'morning', 'Lamb', 'souls', 'flame', 'Gospel', 'blood', and 'freedom', along with many others, echo throughout the lair.
Were their voices perfect? No, not by a long shot. But even from here, April could see and hear their passion. All of them had their eyes closed (but would occasionally open them up to look at the lyrics on screen) and were standing up; some had their heads bowed, some had their arms out in front of them, and some raised their hands up.
And on the last word of the verse, April heard Donnie's voice crack.
The ginger-haired teen raised a hand to her mouth to prevent laughter from escaping. His siblings and father, however, opened their eyes and turned to look at him in amusement, with Raph even nudging him as some of them chuckled. April expected Donnie to look embarrassed or at least glare at his immediate older brother. But to her pleasant surprise, he merely rolled his eyes and chuckled alongside his siblings.
They quickly got their laughter under control right before the last chorus played. A chorus that had the words 'Father', 'Son', and 'Spirit' fill the room. The song ended, and one of the singers on TV said a quick prayer, which the Hamato family closed their eyes and bowed their heads to.
April waited until they said, "Amen" and started to sit down before walking through the turnstiles, making her presence known.
"April!" Jade said with a grin. Her hair was down, with her mask tied around her neck like a bandana.
"Hey, guys," she said. As she approached the pit, she spotted a paper plate off to the side. A plate with six crackers, and a small bottle of grape juice next to it. "Mind if I join you?"
"Not at all," Splinter said. April smiled at him, and sat down next to Donnie, who looked more than a little overjoyed, before turning her attention to the TV.
OoOoOoO
"Very kinda weird thing going on here. Jesus allows them to go into the pigs, which is the request. But I don't think the demons counted on the pigs going into the water."
April found herself intensely listening to the pastor on TV, alongside the rest of the Hamato family.
"Isn't it interesting that Matthew's gospel, chapter 12 verse 43, says Jesus spoke it and said that when a demon leaves a man—when a demon comes out of a man who's possessed, the demon will go through areas where there's no water—waterless regions, looking for another human to possess? And if he doesn't find one, he goes back to the man from where he came out of. Why does the Bible say they would leave and go through areas of waterless places? Matthew 12:43. Isn't that weird?"
Donnie was hastily writing as much as he could in a notebook. Leo had a Bible, one with a blue cover, in his hands and was following along.
"It's almost like Jesus is rubbing it in. 'Oh yeah, you can go in the pigs. But the pigs go in the water.' Apparently, for whatever reasons, demons don't like water. But off the pigs go, possessed now. Deviled ham."
The people in the church laughed, and the seven of them couldn't help but join them.
OoOoOoO
Once church had ended, everyone went to do their own thing, as Sundays were their rest days. Mikey was sitting over the pool enjoying some pizza, while the others were in the pit. Leo was polishing his katanas, Raph was interacting with Spike, Jade was sewing up a torn shirt she had found while dumpster diving, April was sitting on the beanbag with her laptop, and Donnie was looking the Kraangdroid over.
"This technology is lightyears ahead of anything I've ever seen," Donnie said. He pulled a part out of the torso. "Do you know what this is?" he asked April, who was sitting right next to him.
"No," April answered, not even looking up from her laptop.
"Neither do I!" Donnie exclaimed excitedly. "But I can't wait to find out!"
Splinter walked into the pit, holding a Bo staff in his hands. "Look, Spike," Raph said as he tickled his pet under his chin. "Donnie got another stick to break."
Splinter approached Donnie and held the staff out. But instead of taking it, he said, "With all due respect, Sensei, I can't keep fighting alien technology with a six-foot staff." He sat up a bit. "I was hoping to upgrade my weapon."
Splinter hummed in thought. "A seven-foot staff. Interesting."
"No, I meant using modern technology," Donnie said.
"Ah, a solar-powered staff," Splinter said.
"I'm serious, Sensei," Donnie said, looking annoyed now.
"I know," Splinter said. "And yes, you may upgrade your weapon."
"That's totally unfair!" Donnie instinctively yelled back. "You can't just s—!" He paused as it finally hit him. "Wait, did you say 'yes'?"
"Ninjas have improved their arsenal for centuries," Splinter explained. "We are masters of adaptation."
"That is great!" Donnie said, still holding a piece of the droid as he stood up. "Cause with this technology, I will be invincible! Oh, what should I make? Electric Sais? Multi-shot shuriken? Plasma swords?! Oh, I just gave myself goosebumps!" He turned back to April, holding his left arm out. "You wanna feel? Eh?"
April gave him an amused smile, then turned back to her laptop. "Pass."
"But remember," Splinter said. "Technology is a means, not an end. It is you who must prevail in battle, not your weapon." Donnie gathered the head and arms of the droid in one of his arms, and grabbed the torso with his free hand, dragging it to his lab. "Combat is not a video game."
"That's it!" Donnie said happily. "I'll turn combat into a video game! Thanks, Sensei!" He shut his lab doors.
OoOoOoO
"April, think about this," Leo said, stopping the redhead from leaving. "It could be dangerous."
"You know what else could be dangerous?" April challenged. "Standing between me and my father." She crossed her arms and glared at him.
Leo held both hands up, and let April walk past him. As she headed to the turnstiles, Jade walked out of the kitchen, a plate with two slices of pizza and a glass of water in her hands. She turned to her human friend. "See ya, April!" she called.
"See ya later!" April called back, hopping over the turnstiles.
Jade turned and headed towards the closed lab doors, just as Mikey pulled himself out of the pool. Once she was close enough, she set the plate down and tried to open the door, only to find it was locked. She pounded on it a few times, and picked up the plate again right as she heard a familiar click and the door opened just enough for Donnie to poke his head out.
"I brought you some lunch," she said with a smile, holding the plate and glass up.
Donnie grinned. "Thanks, Jade," he said, taking both from her. As he did so, Jade couldn't help but try to look over his shoulder, hoping to catch a glimpse of his latest project. But Donnie immediately saw, and moved to block her view with a sheepish chuckle. "Hey, no peeking. I, uh, kinda wanna keep this one a surprise."
"Oh," Jade said in understanding. "Okay." She turned and started walking away.
"Thanks again, Jade," Donnie said, then disappeared back into the lab and closed the doors, locking them once more. Jade paused to smile, then continued walking into the pit.
OoOoOoO
A couple of hours later, Leo, Jade, Raph and Mikey were all gathered in the pit together, with Donnie still in his lab. Leo was watching a new episode of Space Heroes, while Jade, Raph and Mikey were gathered around a pizza box. Jade had the worn copy of Bacteria and Paint, which she recently finished, in her hands and would flip to random pages as she talked to Mikey and Raph about it.
"And it's so cool!" the feline gushed, pointing to the main character. "Apparently, Rosie started off as a science major, but switched to art during her third year of college. She spends the first year struggling with her mental health and feelings of inadequacy, but she works to improve herself and her art."
"Ooh," Mikey said, looking over the manga as his sister grinned.
"But why would she switch?" Raph asked.
"Because she knew she wouldn't have been happy with a career in science," Jade explained, flipping to a certain page near the beginning and showing it to her brother, who made a small noise of understanding. He made a move to grab the manga, and Jade allowed him to take it, still grinning as he flipped through the pages.
"Did Rosie end up becoming a famous artist?" Mikey asked excitedly.
"Dunno," Jade admitted, grabbing a slice of pizza from the box. "Volume three ended with her starting her second semester of art." It wasn't until she bit into the slice that she remembered something and she perked up. "By the way," she said through her mouthful, using one hand to cover her mouth so nothing would fly out. "Did you know that starfish don't have brains?"
"Whoa, really?" Mikey said, as Raph looked up from the manga.
Jade swallowed her bite of pizza. "Yeah, one of Rosie's teachers mentioned it." She moved so she was next to Raph and pointed to the manga with her free hand. "It's in one of the later chapters."
As soon as those words were out of her mouth, there was a sudden, loud metal clank as the floor shook. Jade blinked in surprise and looked up, along with Raph and Leo. More metal clanks could be heard, each one closer than the last, and each one was accompanied by the floor shaking. Mikey shut the pizza box, containing one last slice, and held it to his chest.
A small, gray and yellow robotic turtle with glowing blue eyes and a small antenna atop its head appeared in the doorway of Donnie's lab. Its mouth opened, revealing a little megaphone inside. "Take me to your leader!" Donnie's voice poured out of it.
"Leo," Mikey said, looking and sounding bored, while Jade blinked at it again. "It's for you."
Leo stood up and walked over, hands on his hips. "What is this thing?"
Donnie stood next to the robot with a controller in hand, revealing that its height only went to the genius' waist. "Gentlemen and lady. And Raphael." The red-banded turtle blinked at him. "This is the future in ninjutsu." He smiled in pride.
"I always thought the future of ninjutsu would be taller," Raph commented, arms crossed over his chest.
Mikey approached the robot. "Aww, he's so cute." He crouched down slightly with a grin and tickled underneath the robot's chin, making cooing noises as he did so.
And in response, the robot pulled out various weapons, even a pair of wings and a baseball bat. Mikey yelled and fell back in surprise; Jade's eyes were wide as she crouched down to help him up.
Donnie chuckled. "He doesn't like being tickled," he said, clicking a button on top of the robot's head, deactivating it, then patting its head a few times.
OoOoOoO
"Isn't it cool?" Donnie asked as Mikey made faces at the robot. "I reverse-engineered it from the Kraangdroid."
"Ooh…" Jade said in quiet interest, looking the robot up and down.
"Okay," Leo said, then looked back up at Donnie. "Why?"
"So the drone can handle the dangerous stuff while we stay out of harm's way," Donnie explained.
"Oh, I get it," Raph said. "This is for wimps too afraid to fight."
"No," Donnie said. "It's for wimps too smart to fight." He looked around nervously when he realized what he said. "I-I mean—"
Mikey poked the top of the robot's head a few times. "Ooh! Let's call him Metalhead! Why, you ask? Because its got a head, and it's made of—"
"We get it," Leo sighed.
"So, what can it do?" Jade asked, her tail swaying slightly.
"Plenty of things," Donnie said with a grin. "It's got weapons, cameras—"
"I don't need a toaster to fight my battles for me," Raph interrupted, crossing his arms again. Jade flattened her ears slightly.
"This is ridiculous, Donnie," Leo said. "It takes the whole point out of being a ninja."
"It's exactly the point of being a ninja," Donnie said, never losing his grin. "We adapt." Then, his grin turned into a smirk. "Now watch this. Attack the drone. Give it all ya got!"
"You sure?" Leo asked. "I don't wanna break your toy—"
"I do," Raph said as he pushed past Leo, who gave him an annoyed look.
Donnie activated Metalhead again. Raph growled and ran forward, drawing his Sais. He flipped into the air and charged down with a yell, ready to stab Metalhead. But through Donnie's controls, the robot caught both Sais in one hand with ease, and flipped Raph over its head and slammed him into the ground a few times, before throwing him towards the turnstiles.
Donnie chuckled to himself, then stepped back when Jade ran up with a yell, fanning out her Tessen. She flung her weapon at Metalhead and it ricocheted off its shell (which Jade now realized was constructed from a manhole cover). It straightened up, but didn't turn around. Jade caught her Tessen when it spiraled back to her and leaped up, jumping off the robot's head and landing in front of it.
Jade started to whip around and slice her Tessen at Metalhead, but was abruptly stopped when it grabbed the weapon. Jade barely had time to gasp before Metalhead started rapidly spinning around like a top, making Jade yell in oscillation as she was spun around for a few long seconds, until she was lost her grip and was flung away. She crashed into Raph, who was just starting to get up, her eyes practically spiraling. Raph groaned right before the Tessen was flung and imbedded itself into the ground barely a foot away from him, making his eyes widen.
Donnie grinned, then moved again when Leo and Mikey jumped down and started hitting Metalhead with their weapons. But the robot didn't even budge. Donnie waited several long seconds before he made Metalhead grab their weapons and knock the two turtles into each other, slamming their heads together and leaving them dazed for a second.
Then, Metalhead stomped on Leo's toes, making him yell in pain before kicking him in the gut. Leo was sent flying, and Donnie ducked, causing the leader to crash into Raph and Jade.
Metalhead's head did a 180 to look at Mikey, who let out a startled noise, and punched the freckled terrapin hard enough to send him to the eldest three. All four of them were in a dazed, groaning pile.
"I kicked your butts!" Donnie said, all them looking up at him. "And I didn't even have to use the laser cannon. Face it, guys. With this thing, I'm invincible."
Raph stood up and placed one of his Sais against the controller. "Oh yeah?" he challenged, smirking as he knocked the controller out of the genius' hands.
Donnie glared at Raph as he went to go pick it up. "You know what I mean!" Just as he started to pick it up, a pink foot stepped on it, making him look up to see Splinter in front of him. "Sensei!" he said, dropping the controller. "I was wondering if I could take Metalhead for a spin tonight?"
"You may," Splinter said.
"That's totally unfair!" Donnie automatically responded. "You can't just—Wait, what?"
"You have created this new weapon," Splinter said, walking past his son and standing in front of Metalhead, patting the robot's head. "We must see how well it works."
"That's great," Donnie said as he stood up with a smile. "Thank you, Sensei."
By now, his brothers and sister had gone back to doing their own things. Leo was sitting on the ledge above the pool, Raph and Mikey were in the pit looking at the manga again, and Jade was laying on the beanbag chair.
"But it is a test only," Splinter said, turning back to his son. "Do not take it into combat."
The smile vanished from Donnie's face, not saying a word as Splinter walked away.
"You're taking it into combat, aren't you?" Raph asked rhetorically, not looking up from the manga.
"Totally!" Donnie said, laughing to himself as he held up the controller again.
OoOoOoO
One by one, the Hamato siblings quietly headed to the edge of a rooftop. Leo jumped down from the rooftop of a higher building, Mikey ziplines down a powerline with his nunchucks, Raph climbed over the edge and rolled forward, and Jade jumped from another nearby building and landed on a billboard, stepping down to join her brothers.
Then, a metal clanking noise reached their ears, making them turn around in time to see Metalhead jumping off the higher building and landing on the roof hard enough to make it crack beneath it. Leo placed a hand to his head, Raph crossed his arms over his chest, and Mikey and Jade both look at the robot with uncertain expressions. Donnie had opted to stay behind in the lair, where he was controlling the robot.
Metalhead ran towards them, still loudly clanking and practically making the rooftop shake, then stopped in front of them, steam releasing from the 'earholes' on either side of his head. "Should we double back?" Leo asked. "I think there's a car alarm he didn't set off."
"I kinda like it," Raph said. He knelt down and patted the robot's head a few times. "It goes nicely with all the sirens and cries for help."
"Oh, come on," Donnie's voice came from the robot. "You guys are just jealous, 'cause you're out there in the cold, and I'm here eating Mikey's last slice of pizza."
"Hey!" Mikey exclaimed. He punched Metalhead's arm. "Ow!" he held his hand.
"Hello?" a feminine voice said nearby. Jade's ears perked up.
"Guys, quiet," Leo instructed. "Somebody's coming."
The three turtles and the feline all got down on their hands and knees quietly. Metalhead did the same, though still made metallic clanking noises in the process. Leo rolled his eyes
"Guys, it's me."
They looked into the alley below, finding a familiar redhead walking through it.
"April!" Leo said, jumping down. Raph, Jade and Mikey followed suit.
"Guys," April said as the four landed around her. "I was just looking for you."
A whistling noise filled the air, steadily getting louder, before landing in the nearby open dumpster with a loud crash. April yelped and flinched away, while the turtles winced, and Jade grimaced as she flattened her ears to her head.
April relaxed and looked over at the dumpster, just as whatever had fallen inside knocked it over. Leo facepalmed, while Raph smirked in amusement.
Loud clatters and crashes sounded from the dumpster, until one of the lids was kicked open, and Metalhead walked out, looking up at April. The redhead blinked in surprise at it.
"Still, it's stealthier than the real Donatello," Raph broke the silence.
"What the heck is that?" April asked.
"It's Donnie's latest, brilliant creation," Leo explained. "Metalhead."
"Catchy name, huh?" Mikey asked as Jade rubbed her ear. "My idea." He knocked on the robot's head a couple of times, then rested his elbow on it. April just stared at it, unsure of what to say.
"Oh sorry, April," Donnie's voice poured out again. Except this time Metalhead opened its mouth and used the megaphone. A loud screeching noise accompanied the genius' voice, making all five of them cover their ears in pain. "I'm still getting used to the controls. Whoops." Metalhead closed its mouth, and the screeching thankfully stopped. "Megaphone button got stuck."
"Please don't do that again…" Jade whimpered out, hands still on her ears. Mikey gave her a sympathetic look.
"Guys," April said as Jade lowered her hands. "We gotta do something. The Kraang are gonna poison the city's water supply with mutagen!"
"The whole city will become a disaster area!" Leo exclaimed.
"There'll be mutants everywhere!" Donnie added.
"Wow," Mikey said, hugging Metalhead. "Think of all the friends we can make." Jade blinked at him, while April, Leo and Raph narrowed their eyes at the youngest. Even Metalhead turned to look at him. Mikey released his grip on the robot. "Excuse me for bein' a glass-half-full kinda guy."
They were all silent for a moment before Leo declared, "Let's go!" He ran down the alley with Raph, Mikey and Jade.
"Yeah!" Donnie said, turning Metalhead around and making it follow his brothers. "The Kraang don't stand a chance!" He was stopped by Leo holding up a hand in front of him. "What?"
"Donnie, I need you to hang back," Leo said. "Metalhead is just too clumsy. It'll get in our way."
"Clumsy?!" Donnie exclaimed. Metalhead threw its arms out, knocking over some nearby trashcans in the process. Metalhead looked at them for a moment, then turned back to the others. "I did that on purpose to emphasize my point."
"You're not coming, Donnie," Leo said. He, Raph and Mikey all turned and ran off. Jade turned to Metalhead, giving Donnie a sympathetic look and a shrug, then ran after her brothers.
April placed a hand on Metalhead's shoulders, making it turn its head to her, and the robot slumped forward a bit in disappointment.
OoOoOoO
Leo, Jade, Raph and Mikey all headed to the warehouse, while April and Metalhead stayed behind on a nearby rooftop.
"Looks like a Kraang picnic down there," Leo said, the four of them observing from the beams above. Right now, there were only four Kraangdroids below them, and two of them were carrying canisters of mutagen.
"Ready to bash some bots?" Raph asked with a smirk.
"Destroy some droids?" Leo added.
"Rip up some robos?" Jade continued.
"Clean some closets?" Mikey asked. His siblings blinked at him. "Uh, I meant to say, crush some Kraang?"
"Nice save," Jade said in amusement, making Mikey grin at her.
Leo jumped down first, slicing one droid holding mutagen. Raph landed and took out the droid next to it, ripping off its head with his Sai. Two nearby Kraang aimed their blasters at them.
"Booyakasha!" Mikey exclaimed as he landed on one Kraang and Jade landed on the other. Jade stabbed her droid in the back of the head with her Tessen, while Mikey repeatedly punched his. Jade stood up, Tessen in hand, and Raph grabbed Mikey by the back of his shell to pull him away from the beaten down Kraang. Mikey kicked it a few more times before joining his brothers and sister.
The four made their way through the warehouse, quickly moving to-and-fro, until they were hiding behind a couple of barrels—Leo and Raph behind one, and Jade and Mikey behind the other. There were more Kraang in the warehouse, holding either blasters or mutagen canisters.
A metallic thud reached their ears. Their eyes widened and they turned around, seeing one of the Kraangdroids on the ground and lifting itself up just enough to let out a metallic noise before collapsing. The four winced, and turned back to see that the Kraang were all now facing them.
The Kraang fired their blasters at them, and the four yelled as they hurried to jump behind a nearby stack of barrels. But that didn't stop the Kraang from continuing to fire at them. And it didn't take long for them to bring out their trusty energy cannon.
Jade heard Mikey yell after one blast from the cannon was fired. "They're everywhere! Run!"
"Leo!" Raph exclaimed, as he and the blue-clad turtle flipped over the pink lasers to hide behind more crates and barrels. "We're runnin' outta…" Mikey and Jade did the same. Their backs were almost literally to the wall now. "Room."
"We're trapped," Leo said.
"Or maybe they're the ones who are trapped?" Mikey suggested with a hum. He peeked over the top of his barrel, and narrowly avoided getting blasted in the head. Jade's eyes widened, and she pushed Mikey back down by his shoulders. "No, it's us."
More lasers fired past them, and they flinched away. Just then, the sound of glass breaking reached their ears, and they looked over in time to see Metalhead crashing through the skylight and landing on a couple of Kraang. But its arms were at weird angles as it straightened up.
"What are you doing?" Leo asked. "What is wrong with your arms?"
"My hands aren't on my hips?" Donnie asked.
"No!" Leo exclaimed. Raph facepalmed.
"Sorry," Donnie chuckled. "Forgot to press B."
Metalhead placed its hands on its hips. The Kraang charged up their blasters and aimed them at the robotic turtle, forming a circle around it. The four siblings glanced at each other in worry as the Kraang fired at Metalhead. But the pink lasers did little more than just leave the metal smoking slightly.
"Now it's my turn!" Donnie declared. Metalhead's left hand was turned into what looked like a gun barrel. "Eat hot laser!" Metalhead rapidly fired several blue lasers at the Kraang, knocking them down with ease. Donnie laughed almost manically as he turned Metalhead around to face more Kraang and fired at them. "Want some of this?! Whoo, haha! Yeah, baby!"
Metalhead stopped firing lasers. Then, the robot raised its right arm, and launched its fist off its body. It flew through the air and hit several Kraang, then returned to its original place on Metalhead's arm.
"Hey, Raph?" Donnie called. "How does it feel to be shown up by a toaster?"
Raph stared at the robot, humming in annoyance. Leo smiled, and Jade gave the red-clad turtle an amused look.
"Burn," Mikey said.
"Yeah, I thought that was a good one," Donnie said as Metalhead placed its hands on its hips again, completely oblivious to the Kraang coming up behind it.
"No!" Mikey exclaimed, pointing to behind Metalhead. Jade turned back to the robot, her eyes widening. "Burn!"
"Oh, right!" Donnie said. What looked like a gun barrel slid out of Metalhead's right palm, and the robot turned around, releasing a plume of fire at the Kraang, knocking them down.
"That thing which does violence at Kraang," one of the nearby droids said, but couldn't be heard over the crackling flames and other metallic crashes. "You should do violence for Kraang." The droid powered down, and the Kraang inside pulled itself out.
Metalhead brought the left-hand barrel back out, and continued firing blue lasers at the Kraang. Mikey, Jade, Leo and Raph all made startled noises as they ducked out of the way of the lasers, then poked their heads out again once it stopped. "Dude!" Mikey exclaimed.
"Oops," Donnie said, firing in the opposite direction now. "Sorry, Mikey."
"Donnie," Leo said. "Watch the friendly fire!"
"Here's some for you!" Donnie said, not stopping his attack on the Kraang. "And some for you! And oh yeah, I saved a little for you too! How'd that taste?!"
Jade brought a hand to her mouth, laughing to herself. But then Donnie fired at another droid, who happened to be standing in front of crates that had several propane tanks on top of them. Her eyes widened in realization, but she barely had time to scream out, "DONNIE STOP—!" before a laser pierced one of the tanks and exploded, causing the others around it to the same. The warehouse shook as a deafening BOOM filled the air and was accompanied by a blinding blaze.
Jade was pretty sure she screamed as she was thrown back, the pain spreading from her ears to her entire body. Everything was too much—too loud, too bright, too hot! No! Make it stop!
All she could hear was her own heartbeat roaring in her ears, everything else around her forgotten. She didn't know where she was. All she could do was cover her head and curl up as much as her body would allow her.
It took her several long seconds to realize that she was now on the ground. Just as things started to calm down, something suddenly touched her shoulder. Her entire body flinched and curled up even tighter. She couldn't even bring herself to whimper, and could only quietly yet sharply gasp. But whatever had touched her was still on her, and it started moving up and down her back in a soothing manner.
Jade felt and heard her heart calm down. Things were starting to quiet down, and the world wasn't as overwhelming now. She relaxed a little, lowered her hands, and opened her eyes to see that Raph was on his hands and knees next to her, a worried expression on his face as he rubbed her back.
Jade collected herself enough to sit up, Raph's hand still on her back. It took her a moment to realize that Leo and Mikey were a few feet away. Mikey was sitting up, rubbing his head painfully, and Leo was kneeling next to him, looking his youngest brother over.
Faintly, Donnie's voice reached her ears. "Guys! If you can hear me, you might wanna run!"
The four of them turned to the source. Metalhead was standing there, flames of orange and purple flickering behind him. The robot now had a Kraang on top of its head, and its eyes were now pink.
Metalhead stomped towards them as they stood back up, the Kraang's voice now pouring out of it. "The ones that which are called Turtles and Cat, will now be called Turtles and Cat that are…" Metalhead's mouth opened to use the megaphone. "Destroyed!"
"Whew!" Mikey sighed in relief, the other three turned to him. "I was really afraid at the beginning of the sentence, but then I sorta just lost interest towards—"
The left-hand barrel slid out, and Metalhead aimed it at Mikey. "Okay," he said quickly. "I'm afraid again!"
Mikey scream as he dodged the now bright pink lasers. The four quickly scattered while Metalhead continued firing, pulling out their weapons before jumping and landing around the robot.
"Give it everything you've got!" Leo ordered. All four of them attacked with their weapons, clanging against the metal. "It's gotta have a weak spot!"
"This always works," Mikey said. He pulled his leg back and kicked Metalhead in the groin. Mikey's eyes widened. "Ow!" he hopped on one foot, holding the other and looking at it painfully. "Well…usually."
Metalhead punched Mikey away, then turned to Leo and Raph and did the same to both of them. Gritting her teeth, Jade snapped her Tessen shut and put it away, and grabbed the brain on top of the robot.
Immediately, the cold, wet, slimy and squishy texture made her freeze up. The Kraang loudly shrieked as soon as she touched it, and with both the feeling and the sound, Jade instinctively pulled her hands away. The Kraang remained on top of Metalhead, and Jade barely had a moment to recollect herself before she was punched in the gut, sending her tumbling to where her brothers were.
Metalhead approached them, with several Kraang holding blasters behind it. "Now Kraang will destroy you," it said. The four stood back up, with the Turtles holding their weapons. Jade hurriedly rubbed her hands on her clothes and grabbed her Tessen. The Kraang charged up and aimed their blasters at them. "Which one wants to be first to be destroyed by Kraang?"
"Me!"
They all looked up to see Donnie falling through the destroyed skylight, Bo staff in hand, and landing on his feet between his siblings and Metalhead with ease.
"Donnie!" Mikey exclaimed, the four smiling at their brother. "Bangin' entrance, dude!"
"You guys deal with the droids," Donnie said. "I'll handle Metalhead."
The four started running past their purple-clad brother to deal with the Kraang. Jade stopped just as she passed Donnie and turned to him. "If you need a hand, just holler," she said. Donnie nodded once, and Jade ran off to help her brothers.
In the end, Donnie didn't need to holler for help as his siblings took down the Kraangdroids. And the fight ended with Donnie using his ingenuity to make Metalhead knock a steel beam onto itself, with Donnie's broken staff piercing the robot's chest, pink sparks flying out.
"Booyakasha!" Donnie cried out victoriously.
"Sounds weird when he says it," Mikey said as Leo finished off the last droid.
"Sounds weird when you say it," Raph replied.
"That which is the revenge will be had on those who themselves the Turtles and Cat." Metalhead closed its mouth, and the light of its eyes died down. The Kraang on top launched itself onto Donnie's face, making him scream, then jumped off and scurried away.
The four were quickly at the genius' side. "Nice job, bro," Mikey said.
"Way to go, Donnie," Leo added. Jade held out her hand, which Donnie took, and pulled him up. The purple-clad terrapin practically beamed at his siblings.
"Yeah, not bad," Raph said, arms crossed over his chest. "Except for that part where you built the thing in the first place." Donnie's smile fell. "And the part where it broke. And the part where it tried to kill us. And the part—"
"Okay, I get it!" Donnie snapped. Jade gave him a sympathetic smile and placed a hand on his shoulder, making him turn to her. And his expression softened a bit.
OoOoOoO
"I'll go make those cookies!" Jade announced, hurrying to the kitchen as soon as she and the others passed the turnstiles. April had gone home as soon as they defeated the Kraang, while the five headed back to the lair.
"Don't burn 'em this time!" Raph called after her.
"Neh!" Jade exclaimed as she stuck her tongue at him.
"Neh!" Raph did the same. Leo rolled his eyes with a smirk, and Jade went into the kitchen.
The feline quickly washed her hands, preheated the oven, and pulled the tub of chocolate chip cookie dough that April recently given her out of the fridge. She decided to only make a dozen for now. After scooping out twelve pieces, she ran out of the kitchen, and came back a minute later with a one of her sewing pins between her fingers.
Yeah, she could probably get Mikey to make her cry from laughing again, but this was quicker. Wincing slightly, Jade pricked her left pointer finger, and squeezed a drop of blood onto each scoop of dough. Once that was done, she placed her finger in her mouth and set the pin down, then rolled each scoop into a ball and placed the tray in the oven.
The pin was washed and put back in her room. And once the cookies were done, Jade placed them on a plate and headed into the living room. Raph was playing one of the many games on the arcade machine, with Mikey and Leo gathered around him, and Donnie was sitting on the edge of the pit, tinkering with something.
Mikey sniffed the air, and turned just as Jade entered the living room. "Cookies!" he exclaimed and ran towards his sister, with Raph and Leo right behind him. Just as all three of them had taken a cookie and started biting into it, a familiar disappointing beeping sound came from the arcade machine.
"No!" Raph yelled, nearly choking on his cookie.
"Aww, so close to my high score," Leo taunted, making Mikey laugh. Raph let out a noise of frustrated and ran back to the machine.
Jade rolled her eyes with a chuckle, then walked over to Donnie. "Want one?" she asked, crouching down and holding the plate out to him.
Donnie looked up from his work. "Thanks," he said, giving her a small half-smile as he set his tool down and took one of the cookies.
"Mind if I sit here?" she asked.
"Not at all," Donnie responded, shoving the treat into his mouth. Jade set the plate off to the side and sat on his right side, biting into one of her own cookies. For a few minutes, neither of them said anything, with Jade pressing her shoulder against Donnie's as she watched him make something that combined his broken staff with machinery.
She was sure the whole thing had been upsetting for him, based on how quiet he had been since leaving the warehouse. And even though she wasn't sure what to say, she still wanted him to know she was here for him.
Eventually, Splinter walked into the room. "What troubles you, Donatello?" he asked, making his son and daughter look up at him.
Donnie sighed heavily. "This was all my fault, Sensei." Jade shot him a sympathetic look, even though his eyes were on the ground right now.
"You are responsible, yes," Splinter said.
"Yeah…" Donnie said quietly. Jade wrapped an arm around his shoulder, wordlessly bring him closer and pressing her cheek against his comfortingly. Donnie didn't protest or try to pull away.
"Responsible for destroying the mutagen," Splinter continued. Jade and Donnie pulled away to look up at him. "Responsible for saving the people of the city. Responsible for defeating advanced technology using only ingenuity, bravery, and a stick."
Donnie smiled up at Splinter, while Jade was beaming at her brother. Both of them stood up. "Thanks, Sensei," he said. "Maybe you're right."
"I am," Splinter said.
"I guess with proper training, there's nothing better than a wooden stick," Donnie continued.
As soon as he said that, Jade saw Raph turn away from the arcade machine and start trying to choke Leo out. She let out a startled, "Oh!" as she ran over to help Mikey try and pull him off.
And just as she did so, she heard Donnie add on, "Except a laser-guided, missile-launching wooden stick."
Within seconds, a beeping noise filled the air, and the four stopped to look at Donnie. The missile on the end of the staff was shaking. "It's not supposed to do that!" he turned to his siblings in a panic. "RUN!"
Leo, Raph and Mikey all ran towards the entrance screaming, while Jade hurriedly grabbed Donnie and yanked him towards the turnstiles, making him drop the staff in the process.
Hopefully it wouldn't go off and they wouldn't have to deal with a missile in the lair, right?
Right?
The song they were singing was supposed to be "King of Kings", specifically the Newsboys and Bart Millard version. But once again, FFN has the "no lyrics unless they're public domain" rule, so I had to improvise…and please tell me that my family and I aren't the only ones who do the "quietly laugh when our voices crack while singing" thing XD
The sermon they were watching is from a real sermon titled "When Jesus Goes To Work" by Jack Hibbs (a really good pastor and Bible teacher; gives real Biblical teachings and no fluff pieces)
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this! Please leave a review letting me know what you think! Jesus loves you! Have a blessed day!