- Chapter 6 -
Alien Agenda
The Hamato Family tore 2nd Time Around apart, trying to find any sign of Mr. O'Neil. Sadly, there was no sign of the man anywhere. While they searched for any sign as to where he had gone, Kagome did her best to comfort her friend. April was beside herself, openly sobbing as she clung to Kagome, shaking from fear and sorrow. While they were searching, Mikey found the store's comic book collection. His face lit up as he began rummaging through them.
"Oh, wow!" he said excitedly, picking one up. "Vintage comics!"
Raph snatched it out of his hands and whacked him over the head with it. "Focus, Mikey."
"Right, sorry." Mikey snapped to attention.
Raph put the comic back where it came from, but Mikey did sneakily stuff a copy down his shell. Meanwhile, Donnie was in the back room, taking a look at the security footage, hoping to find any clue on them. Sadly, the antique store's system was an antique itself, meaning he had to figure out how it worked first.
"This thing is at least three decades out of date…" he grumbled to himself. "1984 ended a really long time ago, people."
"Just tell me you got something out of it," Leo insisted. "We need to know who took Mr. O'Neil."
"Well thankfully, the VHS system is pretty similar to our set-up back home," Donnie said. "It's just a matter of finding the right... remote!"
He pressed a button, the screen powering on. "Got it!"
Everyone converged, leaving Kagome and April alone on the couch. Once everyone could see the screen, Donnie pressed a button to show the video he found. On the video, a van similar to the one that tried to take April pulled up to the 2nd Time Around, with those same men piling out. They entered the building, and a few minutes later, they came out, one of them having an unconscious Mr. O'Neil slung over his shoulder. Hisako turned away, covering her mouth as if trying not to throw up.
"The brain men..." Donnie gasped in shock. "They took him!"
"But why?" Vee asked.
"Because we stopped them from getting to their original target," Leo realized.
"Um, more like Hisako kicked their shells five ways to Sunday while we stood there like lumps on a log," Mikey clarified.
"Not the point, Mikey. These things failed to get April, so they came here to try again."
"But because she was with us, she wasn't here to be taken... so they took the next best thing," Raph realized.
"This reeks of a trap," Vee insisted. "I mean, they didn't even bother trying to hide it was them. Clearly, they're hoping we'll come for Mr. O'Neil, then they can catch us and get April's location from us."
"Well, we can't just leave him with those guys, can we?" Donnie pointed out. "Not after what we found out tonight."
"Wait, wait…" Hisako stumbled back, looking terrified. "Please don't tell me you're actually thinking of trying to find these guys!"
"Okay, I won't tell you," Leo said matter-of-factly.
Hisako began frantically shaking her head, clutching her arms tightly. "Leo, this is suicide. You can't win. It's impossible. They will catch you, and you will pray for death!"
"Hisako, an innocent man is in the clutches of those psychos," Leo reminded her. "What are we supposed to do, just leave it?"
"I hate to say it, but yes," Hisako sighed. "This is a fight we're doomed to lose. I'm sorry for April, but… her father's as good as gone…"
The five Turtles just looked at her incredulously.
"D-do you even hear yourself right now?" Mikey questioned. "You're seriously suggesting we leave Mr. O'Neil to suffer all the hellish shit you went through before Dad found you on the streets?"
"I-" Hisako was flabbergasted. "You have no idea what they're capable of! The resources they have! The literal ARMIES at their disposal! We! Will! DIE!" The lights above them exploded. "And that's if we're lucky!"
They flinched, but Leo stood firm. "We can't leave him. That's not how Dad and Kasumi raised us."
Hisako was beginning to hyperventilate.
"Why won't you listen to me?!" she practically shrieked. "I can't lose my family!"
"I get that!" Leo snapped. "But you're willing to let someone else lose theirs?!"
Hisako froze. "I… I just... you'll... we..."
She dropped to her knees, clutching her head. Leo sighed.
"Donnie, can you hack into the traffic cams outside?" he asked. "Try and figure out where that van went?"
Donnie nodded. "I'll see what I can do."
Leo turned back to Hisako. "Hisako... we're going to get April's father back. If you helped us, it would make this easier."
Hisako looked up at him with a heartbroken expression. "I can't…"
Leo just shook his head in disappointment.
They returned to the lair with April in tow. As soon as they entered, Hisako made a beeline for her room, leaving her tessens by the door before practically slamming it shut behind her. She curled up on her bed, hugging herself and rocking back and forth. Leo watched her go but said nothing, picking up her discarded tessen off the ground. Kagome ushered April over to the couch, still doing her best to be comforting. Splinter and Kasumi entered at that moment.
"April?" Kasumi asked. "What are you doing back here?"
"Those things trashed her house and took her dad," Kagome explained. "We couldn't leave her there."
"Hopefully, the backdoor I left in the traffic cam network is still viable," Donnie said. "Time is running out."
Splinter's eyes narrowed. "What are you kids planning?"
"We're going to find where they took Mr. O'Neil and get him back," Leo replied.
Splinter and Kasumi exchanged shocked glances, before turning back to the group.
"Absolutely not!" Splinter shouted. "I forbid you from going after those creatures!"
"But we have to!" Raph insisted.
"Yeah! He's literally the only family April has!" Donnie added. "We can't just leave him to suffer like Hisako did!"
"Like... like Hisako did?" April perked. "Oh God... is that why she's been such a mess since you found out who took my dad?"
"...Yeah." Leo admitted. "But that's not gonna happen to him. We're going to save him."
"Venturing to the surface on your own is one thing," Splinter said. "Going up against these creatures, I absolutely forbid it. You were lucky to survive your earlier encounter with them. I will not allow you to tempt fate a second time!"
"We can't just abandon April's dad!" Kagome shouted.
"Kagome Lee, you don't seem to understand the seriousness of the situation," Kasumi said sternly. "Those creatures hunted us like vermin fifteen years ago, and now we find out they played a role in Hisako's past trauma. You are not going to face them again, and that. Is. FINAL!"
"But what about my dad?" April asked. "What are they going to do to him? Am... am I ever going to see him again? If I do... will I even know it's him? Will he even know who I am?"
Seeing this, and fed up with her mother's refusal, Kagome lost her temper.
"So that's it, huh?" she demanded. "After what you told us about what happened in Japan, how that Saki guy killed Splinter's wife and my birth dad and ruined your lives, you're gonna sit back and let something like that happen to April too?!"
There was a moment of stunned silence, everyone staring at Kagome. Kagome herself froze, her expression shifting from anger to horror as she realized what she just said.
"No…" she managed. "Oh God, Mom… I-I didn't mean…" She bowed. "I'm sorry!"
The Turtles all winced at Splinter and Kasumi's stunned expressions.
"Man..." Raph said. "Low blow."
"Yoshi..." Kasumi began. "She's right. We... we can't let anything like that happen again."
April looked up, tears in her eyes. "I'm begging you. Please... help me."
Splinter was visibly concerned, then Donnie's computer beeped.
"I found them," he reported. "They stopped outside an office building on 87th. If we leave now, we can save April's dad."
Splinter's eyes fell on April, her pleading expression reminding him almost too much of Hisako's terrified face during her early days. It broke something in him and he relented.
"Kasumi, stay here with Miss O'Neil," he instructed, seeing his children perk up at his words. "I will accompany our children on this rescue mission."
Kasumi nodded, then went over to Kagome, placing her hands on her shoulders.
"Be careful. You're all I have left," she said, fighting back tears. "If I lose you-"
"You won't, Mom," Kagome interjected, placing her hands over her mother's. "I'm coming back. We're all coming back, with Mr. O'Neil."
Kasumi nodded, then pulled Kagome into a hug and gave her a soft maternal kiss on the forehead before withdrawing.
"Okay," Kagome said. "Let's suit up."
-X-
Some time later, Kagome emerged from a different room wearing her ninja outfit. It consisted of a white and pink sleeveless top that exposed her midriff and shorts with magenta thigh-high socks. Fishnet coverings were visible under the shirt, and she wore a pair of gray and white all star Converse sneakers with magenta shoe laces on her feet. Long magenta ninja gloves with armor and ninja gear decorated her ensemble, topped off with a long, yellow and magenta scarf emblazoned with the insignia of the Hamato Clan. Her hair was tied by a magenta ribbon in a small ponytail to the right side of her head with the rest of the hair loose. Finally, strapped to her legs were twin short swords, which she affectionately called "Shiranui blades."
"Whoa..." Raph let out, absolutely gaping at the sight.
"Pick your jaw up off the ground, Raphael," Kagome said sternly. "We've got a job to do."
Raph snapped to attention, shaking his head to clear his thoughts. "Right."
"Donnie, come on," Leo insisted, seeing his brother scribbling something on a post-it note. "What are you doing?"
"Writing down the address," Donnie answered, pulling the note free before approaching Hisako's room. "Just in case… y'know…"
Leo stayed silent as Donnie pasted the post it note on Hisako's door. During their entire prep, there hadn't been so much as a peep from her room, and Leo didn't hold much hope that she was coming out anytime soon. Still he took the tessen from the weapon's cabinet, placing them on a small table by her door.
"We'll come back, Hisako," he told the closed door. "We'll come back okay."
He pulled away from the door, then followed his family out of the lair. He didn't notice the note glowing for a brief moment, pulling free of the door before sliding beneath the crack…
It didn't take long for Splinter and the teens to find the building in question. They stood on a nearby roof, casing the joint before meeting back up.
"Place is locked down tight," Raph remarked. "Lots of goons with rayguns."
"Definitely not gonna make this easy on us…" Leo said. "We're gonna need a distraction if we want to stand a chance of getting past them."
"How about that?" Mikey pointed to the alley just below them, where a garbage truck sat idle and unattended. "If, say, a big garbage truck ran wild and plowed through the front door, we could easily sneak past them, right?"
"It is not a conventional ninja tactic," Splinter mused, stroking his goatee in his paw, "but this is not a conventional mission. Donatello, see what you can do."
Donnie grinned like a mad scientist. "Oh, this is gonna be fun."
-X-
On the ground, several of the men stood before the front door, discussing things.
"Do you think they'll come?" one of them asked.
"They came to the rescue of the girl," the other replied. "No doubt they will do the same for the girl's parental unit."
"Still, the platoon was completely wiped out."
"This is different. We vastly outnumber them, and they're coming to us. This time, we have the advantage."
A loud, low horn blared across the sky. They turned in the direction the sound came from to see a garbage truck barreling toward them at high speed. Several of the men on the roof began firing on it, only for the truck to plow through the men in front and smash through the front door.
"Security!" one of them shouted. "We have a breach! All hands to the front gate!"
They ran to the crashed truck, blasters at the ready. The leader grabbed the door, throwing it open... only to find the truck was completely empty. In fact, all that was in the truck was a brick shoved onto the gas pedal with a stick, and a sticky note with the words "Made ya look" written on it.
"What?!" he exclaimed.
-X-
Unbeknownst to them, around back, the Hamato ninjas were all scaling the rear wall.
"See?" Mikey boasted. "Told ya it would work."
They got to a window, Leo cutting a hole in it so they could slip through. The minute they stepped through, they found themselves in an advanced, hi-tech place.
"Wow, I've never seen anything like this," Donnie remarked. "They're using a metal alloy that I don't even recognize."
"Oh Lord, a metal alloy even you don't know about?" Raph deadpanned. "It boggles the mind."
"Dude, you wanna talk metallurgy with me? Bring it."
"I don't, and-"
Vee grabbed them, clunking their heads together. "In case you two haven't noticed, we're right in the middle of an enemy lair."
"Venus is correct," Splinter agreed, leveling his sons with a glare. "We cannot afford to make a single mistake. Stay quiet, and stay alert."
Donnie and Raph silently nodded, moving forward with the rest of the group. As they continued down the hallway, they stopped short, pressing against the walls as they heard footsteps approach. What came into view was not what they were expecting; rather than the sharply-dressed men in business suits outside, the figures were robotic endoskeletons with brain creatures similar to the one Hisako ripped out and incapacitated in the abdomens.
"Yeesh," Mikey whispered. "The naked C-3PO look does not look good on these guys."
The second he said that, the robots turned to him. He yelped, covering his mouth. "Just how good is their hearing?"
"We have intruders," the leader turned to one of his men. "Investigate."
The robot headed where they heard Mikey's voice. As soon as he rounded the corner, he was grabbed and yanked into the rafters, the teens pinning him down. Kagome had one of her blades in hand, raising it threateningly.
"Okay, brain guy," she began. "We're gonna ask you a few questions. Depending on how you answer, you may walk out of here without a lobotomy."
Immediately, the brain thing jumped out of its robotic body, latching onto her face. Kagome let out a muffled scream, clawing at it desperately.
"Get it off! GET IT OFF!"
Raph grabbed the thing and pulled, stretching out its tentacles until it finally pulled free. Kagome was shaking in pure horror and revulsion, a hand on her chest as she tried to control her air intake.
"Okay you little facehugger, talk!" the red banded turtle demanded. "Now!"
"And if I refuse?" the creature snapped, only to himself facing the business end of one of Raph's sai, aimed right at his eye.
"Let's just say I have very little reason not to get... violent."
The creature swallowed hard. "W-what would you like to know, then?"
Kagome wiped her face, composing herself. "We know you're holding Kirby O'Neil hostage. Where is he?"
"Holding cells in the lower levels," the creature responded. "There's an elevator down the hall."
"Now was that so hard?" Raph remarked. "Thanks. Now you get to take a nap."
He smacked it against the wall, knocking it out cold.
"Nice job," Leo said. "You okay, Kagome?"
"We're never watching Aliens again," Kagome said bluntly, shuddering. "That thing was so slimy... and gross. As soon as we get April's dad out, I'm taking a shower."
"Still, that thing caved pretty quickly," Raph remarked. "We sure these are the same creatures who made Hisako's life hell?"
"Either that, or it's a trap," Vee pointed out.
"Most definitely the latter," Donnie agreed.
"Indeed…" Splinter said. "This is far too easy."
"Well we don't have much of a choice," Leo reminded.
They headed for the elevator. As it descended, Leo looked up at the access hatch, an idea forming…
-X-
On the lower levels, crowded outside the elevator door, several of the robots were gathered, blasters at the ready as they saw the elevator descend. The minute they heard the beep of the elevator arriving on their floor, the leader smirked, throwing up his hands.
"BLAST THEM!"
The robots opened fire with everything they had, perforating the elevator door and riddling the interior with burn marks.
"Alright, alright!" the leader held up his arms, the rayguns powering down. "Hold your fire! Let's see what's left."
The doors slid open to reveal... nothing.
"What the-?" the leader gaped. "Where are they? You, go check it out!"
The robot in question went to look, blaster at the ready as he entered and looked every which way. Then, his gaze slowly drifted upward, where he saw Mikey smiling and waving from the open hatch.
"Hi there!" he greeted cheerily before jumping down, smashing the robot.
As he landed, the others followed one by one, brandishing their weapons. They spread out quickly, doing everything in their power to incapacitate the robotic aliens. Donnie jabbed one robot in the torso, nailing the alien brain inside before swinging his staff at its head, knocking it to the ground. Mikey leapt between the blaster shots before jumping up and striking a robot with his nunchaku, knocking it back. Vee meanwhile leapt up into the air and brought her twin kama (1) down on the back of one robot, causing it to drop to its knees so Vee could decapitate it.
Kagome quickly darted forward and used her Shiranui blades to stab one robot in the chest, impaling it as another robot approached from behind. She quickly yanked it out before spinning around and slicing the second robot in half, causing it to fall to pieces. As another robot took aim, a sai sailed across the room, embedding itself in its head as Raph leapt towards it. He grabbed the sai and used it to force the robot to the ground, taking it out. He then yanked out the sai and turned towards another robot, using both sai to stab it in the chest and tossing it towards two more oncoming robots.
Leo meanwhile sliced through one robot before turning to see another behind him. He quickly deflected the blasts the robot was firing with his swords before redirecting one right back at the robot's face, hitting it in the eye and disorienting it enough for Leo to slice it in two, taking it out. While that was going on, Splinter ran across the room, using the blade inside his cane to slice through the robots in rapid succession. As he reached the end of the room, he sheathed his blade, allowing the robots to fall to pieces, much to the amazement of the young ninjas.
Seeing they were on the losing end of the fight, the leader took off running. Vee yanked a shuriken from her belt, flinging it into the back of the robot's head and dropping him. That didn't stop the brain within from squirming out and trying to make a break for it.
"Don't let it get away!" Leo shouted.
They all dashed after the fleeing brain. Before it could hit a button on the wall that was clearly the alarm, Vee stomped down on its back tentacles, stopping it cold and getting a pained screech.
"Ew, ew, ew!" she exclaimed. "It's so disgusting and slimy!"
She kicked the creature away, watching it hit the wall before slumping unconscious before wiping her foot off on the wall.
"Be thankful it didn't touch your face, Vee," Kagome said matter-of-factly.
Vee nodded. "Boy, do I feel sorry for you."
"Focus," Splinter cut in. "The longer we stay here, the more forces we draw to our location."
"Sensei's right," said Leo. "Let's find Mr. O'Neil and get outta here."
They broke off, checking each of the cells to try and find their target. Eventually, Donnie hit pay dirt, finding a balding middle-aged man with a red beard in one of the cells.
"Got him!" he called to the others.
Everyone rushed to the door as the man looked up, gasping in horror.
"Please, don't hurt me!" he pleaded. "What do you want?!"
Kagome pushed her way to the front.
"It's alright, Mr. O'Neil," she assured. "I'm Kagome, April's friend from school. These guys are with me."
Seeing Kagome, Kirby slowly relaxed. "You... what are…"
Kagome held up a hand. "We'll explain later. Right now, we need to get you out of here."
Donnie turned to the door's lock, going slightly pale at how high tech it was.
"Um... this might take a minute."
He got to work, the group standing guard. As seconds turned to minutes, Kirby cleared his throat.
"Not to sound ungrateful, but... could you please hurry up?"
"Hey, you think it's easy trying to pick a lock with these hands?" Donnie shot back, holding up his chubby three-digit mitts for emphasis.
"Yeah, that's a good point," Kirby conceded. "Well made."
Unbeknownst to them, the creature from earlier had regained consciousness, and was dragging itself across the ground towards the button. With a malicious smirk, it raised a tentacle, pressing the button. Immediately, red lights blared, along with a Klaxon.
"Shit!" Leo cursed.
"Sorry D, no time for delicate!" Raph declared.
He grabbed his brother by the shell, yanking him aside. Drawing a sai, he began violently stabbing the lock until it sparked, the door sliding open and allowing Kirby to exit.
"You know, that would never work again in a million years," Donnie deadpanned.
Raph shrugged. "Don't need it to."
"Mr. O'Neil, your daughter is quite worried about you," Splinter informed him.
"April…" Kirby gasped. "They kept asking about her. Please tell me she's safe."
"She's at our home," Leo replied. "We're taking you to her."
Kirby sighed in relief. "Thank you."
"C'mon!" Raph shouted. "Let's blow this popsicle stand already!"
-X-
Just outside the office building, shouts, crashes, and laser fire sounded before the door burst open, the Hamato family and Kirby hurrying out.
"Get the door!" Leo shouted.
As one of the robots reached out for them, Raph grabbed it by the arm, yanking it out of its socket before kicking it back. He slammed the door shut and looped it through the handles, locking it tight.
"That oughta hold 'em," he turned to see his siblings and Kagome giving him blank looks. "What?"
"You… are seriously twisted," Leo deadpanned.
"It's an evil alien robot," Raph defended. "Not like it felt that."
"He's not wrong," Mikey conceded.
"Well, let's not stick around and wait for them to find another exit," Leo decided. "I promised Hisako we'd all make it home and I am not breaking my word."
"That's too bad," a new voice cut in. "Because I will."
They all froze before turning to face the owner of the voice. This robot was easily twice the size of the foot soldiers, decked out in bronze colored armor. Its human face was completely bald with bright red eyes and a gas mask-like muzzle over its nose and mouth. In its abdomen was a similar brain creature with spikes adorning either side of its head and yellow eyes.
"That… is a really big robot," Mikey let out.
They were instantly on the defensive, hands on their weapons.
"So… you the head honcho here?" Vee asked.
"I am General Krang," the figure said. "And you... have become quite an inconvenience for me."
Splinter stepped between his children and the alien General, brandishing his sword. Krang seemed to grin at the display.
"Ah, the rattus rattus mutant that eluded us all those years ago," he mused. "I almost didn't believe my men when they said that they had spotted the turtles after all this time, and now you're here as well. Is it that human holiday with all the gifts?"
Splinter scowled, prepared to fight. "You will not lay a hand on my children."
"Your children, you say?" Krang chuckled darkly. "You think you're their father? If anything, I am. After all, it was my mutagen that made you what you are today."
"Are you also the one who tortured Hisako?" Splinter demanded.
Krang tilted his head quizzically, his robot mimicking the motion.
"What is a Hisako?" He thought before perking, recalling what his surviving men had mentioned. "Oh yes, you must mean Project Oracle. I must say, it was a surprise to learn she survived. And the power she's displaying…"
He licked his lips. Everyone shuddered.
"This truly is some sort of holiday. In fact, I'm in such a good mood that I'm willing to offer you a deal." The alien leered at the mutants, all of them tightening their grips on their weapons.. "Hand over Project Oracle and the O'Neil girl, and I'll let the rest of you go free. Believe me when I say that this is an offer I would not refuse."
"You're out of your mind if you think we're accept!" Kagome snapped.
Krang scoffed. "April O'Neil is a stranger to you. Why not just let me have her and save yourselves the agony?"
"Because we're not heartless alien machines, you slimy motherfucker!" Raph shot back.
"Shame," Krang remarked. "Well, Ch'rell has been complaining about wanting fresh test subjects. Seems I will finally be able to provide him some."
Krang raised his fists, bringing them down on the group as they leapt out of the way.
"Remember that you had your chance to save yourselves and walk away!" he roared. "You brought this on yourselves!"
"We'll take our chances!" Leo replied before running towards Krang and slashing at his robot body with his swords.
Krang tried to grab at him, but Leo quickly backflipped out of the way before he could. Kagome ran forward next, slicing at Krang's leg and forcing him back a bit. He raised his feet to try and crush her, but Raph quickly leapt forward, tackling her out of the way. The two tumbled on the ground, landing on top of each other and blushing a bit as a result. They were snapped out of their trance quickly though as Krang loomed over them. They quickly got back to their feet and readied their weapons, charging at the towering machine. Raph leapt towards Krang, only to get backhanded away as Kagome got kicked aside. Donnie meanwhile ran up from behind and leapt up, activating the hidden blade in his staff and stabbing right into Krang's back. Krang tried reaching to grab Donnie, but Donnie quickly pulled out his blade and leapt off. Krang however, spun his torso around, striking Donnie and knocking him to the ground hard.
"Is this truly your best defense?" Krang mocked. "Truly pathetic."
"We're not beat yet, gum head!" Mikey declared, running forward as he spun his nunchucks.
Krang tried bringing a fist down on Mikey, but he quickly leapt over it, running up his arm and leaping towards his brainy torso. He smacked Krang in the face with his nunchucks before backflipping to the ground, smirking. Krang shook his head before looking down at Mikey menacingly, causing him to gulp in fear before getting kicked aside.
"Mikey!" Raph shouted in rage. "Nobody gets to wail on Mikey but us!"
Raph got back to his feet, spinning his sai as Vee rushed past him, brandishing her kama. She leapt up and slashed at his arm before Krang grabbed her by the hair, slamming her into the sidewalk.
"Vee!" Raph cried out, running to help her.
Krang swatted Raph aside before preparing to punch Vee. Before he could, Splinter came in and sliced at Krang's hand, severing it.
"No!" Krang cried out.
"I warned you to stay away from my family," Splinter told him. "I will not let you harm them!"
Krang released his hold on Vee, using his remaining hand to punch Splinter. Splinter easily evaded the attack before slicing at the fist, severing it as well. Krang staggered back as Splinter charged forward, preparing to deal the final blow. However, one of the fists quickly shot out wires towards the arm, allowing it to be pulled back into place and reattached. The massive robot then caught the blade, wrenching it from Splinter's grasp. Krang then snapped the blade in his hand as his other hand reattached, grabbing hold of Splinter and raising him off the ground.
"You have proven to be more trouble than you're worth," Krang declared. "Time to put you out of my misery."
Krang began squeezing hard, causing Splinter to cry out in pain. However, just before he could go further than that, something came flying through the air, cutting off the hand holding Master Splinter. He fell to the ground, gasping as his eyes fell on the object that saved him: a green, metal tessen.
"Get your hands off my father!"
Krang and the others turned around to see Hisako standing on the rooftop above them, glowing brightly as mist rolled off of her. Krang chuckled darkly, the surprise fading.
"Ah, Oracle," he remarked. "So glad you could join us. How long has it been? Five years?"
Hisako didn't reply, merely jumping down and landing superhero style in front of the massive robot. The turtles all looked at her in stunned shock, Leo taking a step forward.
"You came… You… actually came."
"Of course I did. I may be afraid of these things… " her gaze turned back to her brother, softening ever so slightly, "but I'm afraid of losing my family even more. "
Krang reattached his arm, cruelly smirking at Hisako.
"I suppose I should thank these mutants for taking care of you, Oracle. I'll be sure to keep you all together in the Technodrome."
Hisako whirled on him with a scowl, recalling her tessen. It returned to her hand and she immediately got into a fighting stance, the wind whipping around her wildly.
"My name is Hamato Hisako! " she screamed.
"What…" Kirby whimpered, feeling the wind pushing him back. "What is this?"
"Something she's needed for far too long," Kagome answered. "Everyone get back!"
Everyone quickly backed away, even Splinter after a moment. Krang began to sweat, before scowling, clenching his fists.
"You want me, Oracle?!" he shouted. "I'm right here! I'm not scared of you, you little FREAK!"
He charged right at Hisako, who sidestepped the charge and raked her weapons across his back.
"No more… " Hisako growled, voice echoing. "No more nightmares… No more pain… No more little girls crying at night because of you! I won't let you hurt anyone else, especially not MY FAMILY! "
Krang snarled and charged again, but Hisako saw it coming and dodged. When Krang tried to grab at her hair like he had Vee, she took out his arm with her tessen. It fell and she delivered a hard kick to his exposed, alien face. Krang roared in pain, recoiling.
"How dare you?!" he shrieked.
"Go Hisako!" Raph cheered. "Kick his slimy butt!"
"You're stronger than him!" Vee declared. "You don't have to be afraid of him anymore!"
"Kick his ass!" Kirby shouted, getting rather invested in perhaps the weirdest scene he had ever witnessed.
Krang's eyes darted over to the small group, and a viscous grin spread across his face. He grabbed the rear bumper of the crashed garbage truck, shouting as he gave it a throw. However, he wasn't aiming at Hisako, but at the observers! All of them looked up in horror, rushing to get out of the way in time.
"NO!"
Hisako threw her hands out, sweat dripping down her forehead as she struggled to catch the truck. She managed to stop its descent, barely keeping it from crushing Mikey. He swallowed hard as Leo grabbed him by the edge of his scutes, yanking him out from under it, all of them backing away as Hisako slowly lifted the truck into the air.
"Well, well," Krang let out, genuinely impressed. "It seems I underestimated you, Oracle."
Hisako grit her teeth, blood starting to drip from her nose.
"My… Name… Is… Hisako!"
And with that, she brought both of her hands down, smashing the alien despot with the garbage truck. She was still seething, so she clenched her fists and brought them down over and over again. An unseen force came down on the truck, smashing it and flattening it further. After about five or six of these attacks, she felt a hand close around her wrist. She turned around sharply, seeing Leo holding her gently, but firmly.
"It's alright," he said softly, watching the glow fade from her as her body went limp. "It's over."
She collapsed against him, crying softly as he scooped her up, cradling her gently. In the distance, the sound of police sirens filled the air, making all of them perk up.
"It is time to go," Splinter declared.
Not wasting anymore time with words, they all vanished into the night, unaware of the massive fist punching its way out of the garbage truck…
The group led Kirby down to the lair, where Kasumi and April were sitting on the couch. April jumped up at their appearance, brightening visibly.
"Dad!" she shouted before running over and embracing him. "Are you okay?!"
"I'm alright," Kirby replied, smiling and hugging her back.
April turned to the Turtles, Hisako, and Kagome. "Thank you so much."
"Don't sweat it, April," Kagome replied. "Though between you and me, I suggest you get a new security system for your shop."
"I could whip something up for you," Donnie said. "Wouldn't be much trouble."
Kirby smiled at that. "Thank you."
"You got my number, April, and I got yours," said Kagome. "If anything else happens, call me, and I'll let the guys know."
"It was a true pleasure to meet you, Miss O'Neil," Splinter said.
"Same to you," April said, smiling. "And please, call me April."
-X-
Some time later, the group was lounging about the lair when a news report suddenly came on. The reporter in question looked like an older version of April, with darker red hair and green eyes wearing a yellow jacket.
"This is Robyn O'Neil, reporting live from a nearby warehouse. The police have investigated a recent fight, and discovered this at the scene."
One of the Turtles' shuriken appeared on-screen, and everyone gaped at it.
"Uh..." Mikey said nervously, "that wasn't mine."
"Could there be actual ninjas hiding in New York? " Robyn continued. " The answer remains unknown. This has been Robyn O'Neil for Channel 6 news."
Leo turned off the TV, and Kasumi turned to them, a stern look on her face.
"You do know that a ninja's most powerful weapon is that they remain a mystery, right?" she said. "Making the news will not help that. Be more careful in the future."
"Oh, relax, Kasumi," Raph said flippantly. "What's the worst that could happen?"
Across the seas, in the city of Tokyo, Japan, within the hideout of the Foot Clan, Oroku Saki just happened to be watching that very same broadcast, flanked by two of his Foot Ninja. His eyes widened as he recognized the insignia on the shuriken.
"So… it appears that Hamato Yoshi is alive after all. And raising a ninja army in New York." He turned to the Foot Ninja at his sides. "Both of you, prepare my private jet. We are leaving for New York City immediately."
The ninja ran off to do so, and Saki reached for the helmet on the table next to his chair, donning it. "It's time to pay a visit to an old friend. Soon, he and his army will know the fury of the Shredder..."
Author's Note:
(1): A traditional Japanese farming implement similar to a sickle used for reaping crops and also employed as a weapon. It is often included in weapon training segments of martial arts. Sometimes referred to as kai or "double kai", kama made with intentionally dull blades for kata demonstration purposes are referred to as kata kai.
Oh, snap... Shredder's coming.
And yeah, a few changes for the original. The main one: it's a separate base rather than a Technodrome. Author of the Insane and I agreed it was too early for them to raid it.
Voice cast for this chapter:
* Krang - Steve Blum (Spike Spiegel from Cowboy Bebop, Vilgax from Ben 10, Wolverine from a LOT of X-Men cartoons and games, Orochimaru from Naruto, Vincent Valentine from Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Roger Smith from The Big O, Kazuma from s-CRY-ed, Sub-Zero from Mortal Kombat X and 11, Killer Croc from Batman: Arkham)
* Robyn - Tara Strong (Rikku from Final Fantasy X, Vicki Vale from The Batman vs. Dracula, Bubbles from The Powerpuff Girls, Kylie Griffin from Extreme Ghostbusters, Timmy Turner from The Fairly OddParents, Raven from Teen Titans, Dil Pickles from Rugrats, Melody from The Little Mermaid II, Batgirl in the DCAU)
Please R&R. Until next time!