Note: References to Tyroth Darkstorm's fanfics 'Ancient Legacy', 'Mutants Misplaced', 'A Sister's Plight', 'Cursed and Blessed' 'Mikey's Date' and my fanfic 'A Dangerous Captive' appear in this chapter.
Also, credit to Tyroth Darkstorm for his help in the last part of this chapter!
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Continuing our Duties
Back at the Hanger, after Tyroth, Cam and Barry had left with the van to take Leonardo and Kemeko to the airport, Jack decided to gather the Knights and take them to the abandoned School where Jun had been the other night.
They knew they had to be careful about their activities as well as not give any inkling to the Hamato Clan about what they were going to do, so Jack said to the team that they were just going to do some topside exercises.
"Alright guys." Jack said as he watched the van leave the hanger and he turned to Sharky who was standing closest to him "Spread the word to Percy, Jake and the girls, we leave for a topside run in twenty minutes."
"Got it sarge!" Sharky replied with a wink, then turned to the others where he saw the Hamato Clan were gathered and talking.
"Man, I do hope things go well for Leo and Kemeko." Michelangelo said.
"Me too Mike." Donatello agreed "I remember how hard it was to see our leader and beloved big brother leave the first time, but it was for the best."
"It was indeed my son." Splinter said, "But now he feels he must give the same to his daughter to help her find peace."
Raphael nodded and signed that he agreed as well and he stroked his throat wondering if by the time his brother and niece returned, he would have regained his voice.
"Do you think they'll be gone as long as Leo was the first time?" Michelangelo asked in a worried voice.
"I doubt it." Donatello replied "At least, I hope not anyway, first time he travelled by ship, second time, by plane, and this time it's by plane, so give or take, they may return depending on how Kemeko needs to be there, about a month or six weeks at most?"
On hearing that, Pandora sighed sadly.
"I'm going to miss her." She said, "We've never been apart that long!"
"Don't worry Geisha." Donatello said soothingly "It's not forever, she'll be back before you know it!"
"Yeah!" Michelangelo said in an upbeat tone, "She'll come back from Japan hopefully the same happy girl she was before!"
Monalisa looked at her daughter and stroked her hair.
"Don't be sad sweetheart." She said, "And you're not gonna be alone, we're all here for you, and Sonia and the Geckolings will keep you entertained, won't you kids?" she looked over at Sonia, Freya and Loki who looked up and smiled at their aunt.
"Oh, for sure!" Sonia said with a forced smile, yet she looked at Pandora and thoughts of how the hybrid had been for the past couple of weeks, she wasn't sure if she would be distracted from what had happened before and now Kemeko was gone, she was worried about how Pandora would feel now.
The Geckolings felt the same, but they kept up appearances for the Lizard Lady.
"That's right eh Pandora?" Loki said to Pandora making the hybrid look up "We'll look after you and keep you happy till your cousin/honoured sister comes home!"
"Yeah!" Freya agreed "We sure will!"
Pandora smiled at Sonia and the Geckolings.
"Thanks." She said softly and in a sincere voice which Sonia, Freya and Loki heard was genuine, yet they weren't sure if she was acting like that in front of her family.
In the past couple of days, she had appeared calm and had spoken to them and joined in their activities and seemed more into it than before, but they still weren't certain.
"Come young ones." Old George spoke up getting everyone's attention "Let us return to the sanctuary."
"Yes, we must." Splinter agreed and beckoned for everyone to follow him.
As he did that, the Hamato Clan and the children walked on ahead yet Jack beckoned to the Knights to hang behind so he and Sharky could speak of their plans.
"Guys!" Sharky hissed as Percy, Jake and the girls of the Chicago Knights hung back.
"What's going on?" Jake asked.
"Before the boss left, he asked me to inform you that we need to do a topside run, and other things." Jack said tapping his muzzle "So be ready to leave in twenty!"
"Okay Jack." Sarah said.
"Yes sarge!" Heather agreed.
"Got it!" Kate replied.
"Affirmative!" Percy said.
"Okay!" Jake nodded and Amber just saluted.
About an hour later, Jack led the Chicago Knights out of the sanctuary to head to the abandoned School.
Kate sighed as she looked back at the tunnels leading back to Mutopia.
When she realised she was needed topside, she had to lie to Michelangelo saying she need to do some training in the city, and not tell him the real reason why, and it was eating her within.
"You alright Kate?" Heather asked.
"Yeah." The viper replied, "Just feeling bad about lying to Mikey, about what we're doing."
"You're not alone!" Amber said "We all feel guilty! The Hamato Clan trust us with their lives, and keeping secrets from them is the last thing we want to do."
"But it's for their own good!" Sharky called over "Jun told us the Foot are in the city and if they knew what was happening, then it'll make matters worse!"
"They're all suffering from their wounds and PTSD, and if they knew the Foot were here, who knows how they'll react!" Jack said.
Jake frowned and walked up next to the wolf.
"My sister is no fool Jack." He said, "She'll find out sooner or later what's going on!"
Jack narrowed his eyes.
"Then you better make sure she doesn't pick up on anything!" he replied, "Don't make it out there's something wrong!"
Jake was a little taken aback and he frowned harder.
"I'm not intending to spill the beans!" he snapped.
"Guys!" Amber cut in "Stop it alright! There's no time for bickering, we need to just get up to that school and find out what's going on! Then report back to my brother what we've seen! No fooling about alright?!"
At Amber's tone, Jack and Jake instantly stopped bickering and nodded.
"Yes m'am!" they said together.
"Trust the boss's sister to keep those two in line, eh?" Percy chuckled to Sharky who nodded.
"Shows women know how to keep guys in line!" Sarah agreed.
"For sure!" Heather and Kate said together.
Kate glared at Percy.
"You better that in mind Locust!" she hissed.
Percy winced at the comment and looked forward, following Jack, Jake, and Amber towards the surface whilst Sarah and Heather chuckled at the grasshopper.
Meanwhile Sephie sat with Monalisa in the bedroom she shared with Tyroth.
The Lizard lady lay on the bed looking up at the ceiling whilst Sephie sat on the chair next to it stroking her honoured sister's hand.
After they had returned to the sanctuary Sephie had noticed Monalisa was looking rather sad and had invited to have some one-to-one time in her bedroom.
Monalisa wasn't so sure at first, but Raphael had signed to her that if she wanted to, she could have some girl-talk with the gecko, and he would go and spend time with his brothers.
'You and Sephie need to spend time together babe.' He said signed 'Gods know you need it, and I'll be there for you later on."
It was then Monalisa felt confident to go with her sister in spirit and after having a couple of drinks of brandy Sephie kept in a drawer, the lizard lady relaxed and lay on the couples bed whilst Sephie sat next to her and talked to her about her emotions.
"How are you feeling Mona?" Sephie asked "It hasn't been long since you were brought out of your coma?"
Monalisa sighed and ran a hand over her forehead and hair.
"I don't know Sephie." She said "It feels so strange, I was asleep for so long, and suffering nightmares, and I know Donnie felt the same…and I can't imagine Kemeko's…" she placed a hand over her face.
Sephie squeezed her friend's other hand as she watched.
"Mona?"
She had seen Monalisa at her lowest, from the first time they met to the present, she had seen the torment behind Monalisa's blue eyes.
She had seen Monalisa's rape and her mutation, her torture at the hands of Dr Arden, and the betrayal of her younger brother when he became Diablo, and she was seeing more within her sister in spirit.
"Please don't hold it in Mona." She said, "I can sense the hurt within you."
Monalisa looked at Sephie.
"Sephie? Have you ever been trapped in your nightmares?"
Sephie blinked in surprise.
"No... not really. I think the closest I've been to that was." She paused "When the Foot had captured Tyroth, all that pain and fear, it never left me alone."
Mona squeezed her eyes shut as she remembered.
"That was a horrible time for you, for us." She said, "But in my coma, all I saw was the enemies we fought, I was surrounded, and I couldn't escape" she sucked in a breath "After Black Mamba poisoned me, the last thing I saw was my family, my mate, my daughter, my niece, all falling, defeated."
Sephie lowered her head.
"That must have been awful." She said "Again, I haven't really experienced that, not like you have."
Monalia looked at Sephie.
"But there have been times where I've thought I've lost someone, or very nearly." The Gecko confessed.
"Back when Tyroth killed Overlord, I thought he died in that explosion, when Amber and Tyroth's parents were captured by the Foot, and when Tyroth was poisoned by Fumetsu." She took a breath before speaking again.
"Not to mention when we found Kate stabbed by that Shari, or rather Izo Ren." she glared as she though of the niece of Arashi sent to assassinate Michelangelo and infiltrate the lair of the Hamto Clan.
"Or when you nearly drowned in Skyrim."
Monalisa looked back up at the ceiling as she remembered those times.
"And don't forget Sephie, we almost lost you too, and that almost broke me, when Xazahl killed you, and Vulstrun broke your neck!"
Sephie winced as she remembered, and she stroked her chest as well as her neck with her free hand.
"We've gotten so close to losing the one we love or seeing them hurt bad." Monalisa said then tears fell from her eyes as Raphael came to her mind and the fact he couldn't speak due to Hanako's attack on him.
"Oh Raph!" she sobbed as the emotions boiled up within her.
Sephie looked at Monalisa who curled up on the bed and she got up off the chair and lay on the bed before wrapping her arms around Mona, holding her close comforting her and gently shushing her.
"Your lover is as strong as he's passionate about you, Mona, and just as stubborn. And with a little more help from Devina and the others, I do believe that he will get his voice back." She said trying to sound positive.
Monalisa leant into Sephie appreciating her comfort.
"I hope so Sephie." She sobbed "I didn't want to show it, but I was heartbroken, I'm devastated he had his voice taken away, I didn't want to show it, I'd never show it!"
"Go ahead and cry all you want, Mona, let it all out." Sephie soothed as she hugged Monalisa tighter "You're so strong all the time, it must be exhausting."
"If I had to choose between waking form my coma to giving Raphael his voice back, I'd choose the latter! I'd give him his voice back!" Monalisa wept.
Sephie was shocked to hear that as she instantly thought of Pandora and how the young hybrid would feel if she lost her mother, but she decided not to bring that up and rather focus on her best friend's current feelings.
"And I'm sure that he'd give his voice to heal you from the venom and wake you up again. The two of you love each other so much." The gecko said.
"He told me in his letter to me." Monalisa informed "When I was discharged, we'd do anything for each other."
"I don't doubt that for a second." Sephie replied rubbing Monalisa's back.
"Thanks for being here Sephie." Monalisa said softly as she rested against the gecko's chest.
Sephie returned the hug and smiled, as memories of when Monalisa first opened to her back in the turtle's lair those years ago when they first met.
"You're my best friend, Mona. My sister in spirit. I love you more than I dare say, and I will always be there for you if you need me."
"I love you too Sephie, and I say the same to you." Monalisa replied "I'll be there if you need it, always."
"I know Mona." Sephie said softly as she kissed Monalisa's forehead "I know little sis."
So Jack is leading the Knights out of Jun's tip off as Tyroth has been busy making sure Leonardo and Kemeko make it to the airport to go to Japan, and Sephie and Monalisa are having some time to talk.
Again, huge thanks to Tyroth Darkstorm for his help!