- Chapter 96 -

The Cosmic Ocean

Slashuur stood before Dregg on his personal bioship, the Hornetron, relaying his recent decision.

"What do you mean our contract is terminated?!" Dregg demanded.

"Exactly what I said," Slashuur replied matter-of-factly. "I've already refunded the money you gave me upfront."

Dregg scowled. "I don't accept take-backs, Slashuur."

He snapped his fingers and several Vreen drones surrounded Slashuur, brandishing their weapons. One swung at him, but Slashuur caught it between two fingers.

"You do not want to do that. The Hamato family was smart and had me controlled through ancient tradition." He yanked the blade out of the Vreen's hand, snapping it in two. "You and yours have no such protection."

He dropped the now broken blade.

"Now, good day to you, Dregg."

With that, he teleported away, leaving Dregg to seethe.

"Insolent… vile… INGRATE!" the insect king screamed, smashing the table next to his throne. After stewing in rage for several seconds, he composed himself, sighing.

"If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself."

Back on the Ulixes, the group was watching Chris Bradford's 2 Ruff Crew. Well, most of them, anyway. While his family, along with their new arrivals Wingnut and Screwloose, watched the TV, Leo was off to the side, lost in thought. Seeing this, Splinter walked over to him, sitting next to him.

"Leonardo, what is it that troubles you so?"

Leo sighed.

"We've faced defeat before, but we've always managed to fight back and overcome it. This is different. We've got one chance to save the Earth. If we don't get the third piece of the Black Hole Generator, we've lost everything. And it'll be on me.

Splinter placed a hand on his son's shoulder.

"Do not be so hard on yourself, Leonardo. You have led your siblings to victory many times, and have pulled them from the ashes of defeat as well. I have faith that this will be no different. You just have to have faith in your abilities."

"But Dad, what if we-?"

"You must not give in to despair. Hold on to hope. And with that hope, you must lead by example."

"Leo, you gotta get over here!" Mikey called. "You do not wanna miss this!"

Leo sighed, then smiled.

"Thank you, Dad," he said gratefully. "That's just what I needed to hear."

He stood up and went to join his siblings, who had gathered in the cockpit, all of them staring in awe at the vast space before them. It was a kaleidoscope of colors all swirling in one another as if someone had managed to trap an Aurora borealis in an endless wave of water. Starlight twinkled within the sea of colors, and various creatures could be seen within this captivating mass.

"My friends," Honeycutt declared, "I present to you the Cosmic Ocean of Varuna!"

"Whoa…" everyone let out in awe.

"It's so beautiful…" April remarked.

Kagome pulled out her T-phone, taking a picture of the sight.

"Wait," Mikey piped up. "Did you say cosmic ocean?"

"Yes," Honeycutt replied. "Varuna is a vast interstellar liquid nebula in a region of space unlike any other in the universe. Here, within its depths, lies the third fragment of the Heart of Darkness."

"So what's our plan going in?" Vee asked.

"Varuna is the home of the Daagon," Honeycutt explained. "Ancient beings and allies of the Utrom, who have been entrusted to protect the fragment."

"Here's hoping they did better than the Aeons," Raph said flatly.

"HEY!" Hisako and April said in unison.

"They did the best they could," April insisted.

"It's Mortu's fault for leaving it with them," Hisako added.

Everyone looked at them in confusion.

"Uh," Donnie began, "why are you being so defensive?"

"Because it wasn't the Aeon's fault," April told him.

"Anyway, the Daagon," Hisako insisted, pulling everyone back on topic. "What are we looking at?"

"The Daagon are an ancient, noble, honorable amphibian race," the Professor explained. "Once we get in, we have to find them."

He then began to chuckle nervously, taking a tentative step back from the ninjas.

"And... do keep in mind that I have no idea whether our computer systems will work or if we can even survive once we enter the nebula."

"Wait, WHAT?!" Leo exclaimed.

"Here we go!" Honeycutt declared, grinding gears and flying for the nebula.

Everyone braced themselves, and the ship darted through, splashing into Varuna. They all took in their surroundings, gasping in awe.

"Wow!" Donnie said. "A complete ecological system bigger than any ocean in any world!"

Raph was more concerned with something else as he whirled on Honeycutt.

"Professor, just how many times are you gonna keep LIFE THREATENING INFORMATION FROM US?! The next time you do this, I'm gonna recycle you into a POP CAN!"

Honeycutt nervously took a few steps away from him. "Duly noted."

April looked over their environment.

"Wow…" she said aloud in awe. "So this is what my Uncle Augie must've felt like, exploring and traveling."

"Who?" Casey asked, turning to her.

"My Uncle Augie," April replied. "It's short for Augustus. My dad's older brother. He ran the 2nd Time Around back when I was little."

"Where is he now?" Donnie questioned.

"Traveling. He's never stayed in one place for too long."

Suddenly, both she and Hisako clutched their heads, sensing something. Everyone stiffened, realizing what that meant.

"Oh, no…" Mikey groaned. "Please be something good."

"The Daagon," Hisako replied. "They found us."

As if on cue, they saw several humanoid fish people swimming up to the ship, all of them brandishing tridents and spears.

"Crap!" Leo let out. "Professor, what do we do?"

"Nothing," Honeycutt said simply. "We show them we're not hostile, then allow them to escort us to our queen."

"Our best course of action, no doubt," Splinter agreed.

Honeycutt opened the hatch to allow the Daagon onboard, and everyone stayed silent and calm as they looked them over.

"Professor Honeycutt," the leader said at last. "It has been some time."

"Yes." Honeycutt agreed. "We seek an audience with Queen Hiidrala."

"Very well," the Daagon guard replied. "Your ship remains here."

"Uh, this is basically water, right?" Kagome asked. "Please tell me the Enviropacks also let us breathe underwater."

"That I can promise you," Honeycutt assured. "They're designed for any environment, save for extreme toxicity."

Kagome sighed in relief at that.

-X-

The Daagon led the group out of the ship, save for Wingnut and Screwloose, who remained behind to guard it, along with Midnight, who Hisako didn't feel comfortable bringing. Almost as soon as they stepped out, their Enviropacks lit up, surrounding them all with transparent skin-level shields.

"Huh," Leo mused. "Force fields that let us breathe underwater. Nifty."

"This is pretty cool," Hisako remarked.

"Focus, children," Splinter cut in. "We have a mission to complete."

They swam after the Daagon, eventually arriving at a massive city within a bubble.

"Whoa…" Mikey said in awe. "It's just like that underwater bubble city from The Phantom Menace !"

"Never saw it," Casey replied. "Original trilogy's way better."

Mikey shrugged. "That, Casey, is strictly a matter of opinion."

The Daagon led them into the city. They passed through the bubble, soaking wet, but in an artificial atmosphere. The girls all rang out their hair before they went on.

Eventually, they entered a throne room, containing a tall, regal-looking female Daagon, resembling a purple octopus mermaid, undoubtedly their queen. The Daagon guards immediately knelt before her, as did the Hamato group and their friends.

"Who enters the realm seeking audience with Hiidrala, Supreme Ruler of the Daagon?" the queen asked.

Leo raised his head. "Greetings, Queen Hiidrala. I am Hamato Leonardo, and these are my companions."

"Rise, and speak," Hiidrala ordered. "Why have you come to my realm?"

"We come on behalf of Mortu and Professor Honeycutt. We seek the fragment of the Heart of Darkness your race guards."

"And for what purpose do you seek it?" Hiidrala asked.

"To keep the Triceraton Empire from taking it and using it to destroy our planet."

Hiidrala crossed her arms. "Mortu entrusted the fragment to me, giving me ultimate say over it. Are you truly worthy to claim a device of such devastating power?"

"I would like to believe so. We've fought huge battles, saved whole planets, and defeated the likes of General Krang and his army more times than I care to count."

"Even so, the power the Heart of Darkness wields is a heavy burden. I have seen too many 'worthy' beings succumb to such power. Even the purest of hearts can be tainted by such promises of unlimited power." Hiidrala knelt down to Leo's level. "If you desire the fragment, you must face Cthugga, an ancient beast that obeys only me." she insisted. "If you are indeed worthy, it will sense this and let you take it freely."

"And… if we're not?" Leo asked nervously.

"Then it will devour you whole," Hiidrala said simply.

Leo gulped, as did everyone else.

"I'd say our cause is a worthy one, Your Highness," Kagome said. "We're gonna destroy the Heart of Darkness."

"Mortu said the device cannot be destroyed," Hiidrala remarked. "Why do you think it was hidden away?"

"That's… not exactly true," Honeycutt piped up, getting their attention. "I've been researching the fragments we've retrieved, and I believe I may have found a way."

"And you're just now telling us this?" Raph demanded, annoyed.

"I didn't want to give you false hope," Honeycutt defended. "I wanted to be a hundred percent sure there was a way before I told you."

"We can discuss this later," Splinter cut in. "We must retrieve the fragment."

"Yeah," Mikey declared. "We can defeat this Cthugga!"

Honeycutt turned to him, visibly nervous. "Understand me when I say Cthugga is one of the six Cosmic Monsters you do not want to mess with!"

"We don't exactly have a choice," Leo said. "We need that fragment. So one way or another, we're going."

-X-

With that, the Hamato group swam out of the city and into a small system of asteroids near it.

"Amazing…" Donnie said. "An entire planetesimal system in the depths of an oceanic nebula. The wonders of the universe never cease."

Hisako and April focused, holding their Aeon crystals as they sensed around.

"We got something," the girls reported in unison. "An ancient, powerful presence... there."

The two pointed to a large cave down below.

"That's gotta be where Cthugga is," Vee said.

"Everyone, we approach this cautiously," Leo ordered. "No weapons, no sudden movements. Do not give it any reason to attack us."

Everyone nodded, and they slowly swam toward the cave, holding still before it. A monstrous growl sounded, and after a few minutes, out swam a massive, blue-skinned octopus-like creature possessing a large mouth on the top of its head.

"Whoa…" Casey let out.

"Cthugga?" Leo said, keeping his voice level and calm. "We seek the Heart of Darkness fragment you protect, and would be honored if you allow us to take it."

Cthugga looked them up and down, sniffing at them. After a few minutes, it exited the cave, gesturing with one tentacle.

"Okay," Kagome said, relieved. "Looks like we're good."

"As I said, Leonardo," Splinter began, "have faith."

They swam into the cave. A short distance inside, they came across an advanced-looking device, undoubtedly the fragment.

"There it is!" Hisako cheered. "Three down, one to go!"

Honeycutt grabbed the piece. "Finally. Now then…"

-X-

They swam back to the city and stopped short at the sounds of battle and blasters firing from within.

"What the hell?!" Raph exclaimed.

April and Hisako suddenly collapsed, drifting in the water.

"It's them…" Hisako let out, clutching her head.

"The Vreen…" April groaned.

"Dregg?!" Leo exclaimed. "He followed us here?!"

"Must not have been happy Hisako sent Slashuur packing." Casey mused.

They quickly got to the city and ran into the throne room, finding Hiidrala and her guard facing Dregg and his Vreen drones. Dregg smirked at their entry.

"Ah, Gamarons," he remarked. "And you have the Heart of Darkness fragment."

"What?!" Raph shouted. "How did you-"

"My eyes and ears are everywhere," Dregg said simply.

Honeycutt tightened his grip on the fragment.

"Professor, get to the ship," Donnie ordered. "We'll handle Dregg."

Honeycutt nodded and made to go.

"No," Dregg snarled. "Hand over the fragment, or I'll start fileting you one by one!"

"I don't take orders from you," Hiidrala scoffed. "You're nothing but a lowlife gangster."

Dregg scowled at that. "I am the ruler of Sectoid 1! My consumption knows no end! You will give me what I desire, or I and my children shall feast upon you all!"

"You will have to face me first, bug," Hiidrala snarled.

"So be it!" Dregg declared. "Vreen! Destroy them all! Leave nothing alive, and nothing intact!"

At that, a massive fight broke out, and the Turtles and Co. assisted Hiidrala in fighting Dregg and his drones.

"Leave the Daagon out of this, Dregg!" Vee shouted. "Whatever issues you have with us are between you and us!"

"Silence, pest!" Dregg snapped, backhanding her. "I do not take orders from a sniveling lower-life form."

"You're the lower-life form here, pal!" Raph shot back. "Back home, we step on bugs like you!"

Dregg howled in rage, turning to kill him. Suddenly, Hiidrala's tentacles wrapped around him, conducting an electric shock. Howling in pain, Dregg turned to her and raised his hand, somehow launching it right off of his wrist. The hand clamped around Hiidrala's face, covering her eyes and forcing her to release Dregg.

"Say goodbye," Dregg said with a sadistic smirk.

He turned to her and his chest opened up, revealing a stinger-like missile. Seeing this, Leo kicked a Vreen back and ran in front of it, jumping in front of Hiidrala just in time to take the hit. The blast knocked both Leo and Dregg to the ground.

"My son!" Splinter screamed.

Anger coursing through him, he darted forward, attacking Dregg and beating him back in a rage. That was when Hiidrala ripped Dregg's hand off of his face. She saw the fallen Leo and started pulsing with rage.

"Insolent insect…" she snarled. "You will pay for that!"

She let out a blood-curdling screech and a low roar sounded as Cthugga swam in. The ancient being's presence drowned out the Vreen's, allowing the two psychics to recover. Seeing Leo's condition, Hisako's eyes lit up with rage and she grabbed April, the two blasting back Vreen until only Dregg was left standing. He turned, seeing Cthugga looming over him.

"Oh, fu-" he managed before the creature snapped him up in his mouth, swallowing him whole.

"Oh, man!" Mikey exclaimed. "Hope he doesn't get indigestion."

Hisako ran over to Leo, gathering her brother into her arms.

"Leo? Leo? You okay?" she said frantically. "Speak to me!"

"Ugh…" Leo groaned, opening his eyes. "Little shell-shocked, but I think I'm okay."

He carefully got to his feet, wincing. Hisako sighed in relief.

"Thank goodness for thick plastron," she remarked.

Leo turned to Hiidrala. "Are you okay, ma'am?"

"I am, brave Gamaron," Hiidrala assured. "Thanks to you and your noble gesture."

"I just did what I felt was right," Leo replied. "Turtles fight with honor."

Hiidrala smiled at that, then turned to the others. "You all fought to protect our kingdom. For that, you have our deepest gratitude especially mine."

"It is greatly appreciated, your highness," Splinter replied. "Perhaps with the Heart of Darkness fragment removed from your waters, you will know peace once more."

"Indeed," said Hiidrala. "The fragment is yours. If you claim you can destroy this infernal machine, then the Daagon honors you."

"Thank you, your majesty," Donnie answered.

They returned to the Ulixes, Leo being supported by Raph and Kagome, and Casey carrying the fragment. Wingnut and Screwloose greeted them when they arrived.

"What happened to you, Leo?" Screwloose asked. "You look like you got blown up!"

"I was," Leo replied. "Dregg followed us here. He had missiles."

"I insist you let me check you out before we leave," Honeycutt piped up. "I will not be accused of lack of medical care."

Leo nodded and Honeycutt looked him over.

"Nothing too serious," the scientist remarked after a few minutes. "But I suggest you spend the night in the medical bay, just to be sure."

"Alright," Leo agreed. "Don't wanna push myself too hard. Especially now that we're so close."

"Yeah." Kagome agreed. "One more fragment, and we can go home."

As the ship departed, April watched the cosmic ocean go by. "This was one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen. I'm sure gonna miss it."

"Yeah," said Vee. "But I'm not gonna miss Bug-Boy."

"Agreed," everyone said in unison.

Wingnut and Screwloose looked mildly offended and Raph held up his hands.

"Not you guys. Dregg," he clarified and they relaxed. "With any luck, he's probably nothing but a pile of space Kraken crap by now."

Meanwhile, Cthugga had just returned to its cave to rest when the Hornetron approached it. As Cthugga came out to attack, the ship launched several Vreen eggs into its mouth. The eggs hatched, and pried the squid's mouth open, allowing Dregg to swim out, mild burns on his skin from the creature's stomach acids.

"Disgusting abomination," he spat as Cthugga retreated into its cave.

With that done, Dregg boarded his ship, plotting a course after the Ulixes.

"Vengeance will be mine," he swore.

Author's Note:

And with that, the third fragment of the Heart of Darkness is secured!

Next chapter, we go back to Earth to see how the Turtles' friends and allies (and Shredder) are prepping for the coming invasion.

Please R&R! See you next chapter!