- Chapter 13 -
Reunion
Hisako was in pain, a dull, throbbing pain that never seemed to end. She was cold and weak, her limbs feeling like lead. Even without the restraints binding her to the unforgiving metal table, she wouldn't have been able to do anything. Standing over her were a pair of Krangdroids, each of them holding terrifying tools meant to inflict untold harm unto her.
Knowing that fighting was futile, she closed her eyes, hoping that this time they would finally let her die. However, before they could begin, the door to her cell was thrown open. She looked over in time to see a large, monstrous figure with wires hanging off of it enter her cell. It tore through the krangdroids like they were nothing, howling the entire time.
Then, it turned its eyes on her.
-X-
Hisako sat up with a gasp, panting slightly as she came out of her nightmare. She blinked as she looked around, realizing she'd accidentally fallen asleep while meditating.
"You okay sis?" Vee asked, looking up from the book she was reading.
Kagome perked up as well, pulling an earbud out of her ear and pausing the music on her pink I-Pod.
"Something wrong?" she questioned.
Hisako shook her head, giving up on meditating and just leaning against the couch the two girls were on. "I'm fine you guys. Just another dream."
"Haven't been sleeping well after what happened?" Leo guessed, flipping through the channels on the tv.
Raph snorted, banging away on a pinball machine in the corner of the living room. "Who hasn't?"
He spoke the truth. After their ill-fated battle with the Shredder, the Hamato siblings and Kagome had been doing little more then lick their wounds. Even now, they were all lounging around the lair, preferring the solace of their home over the uncertainty of the surface.
"It was our first real defeat," Donnie pointed out, looking up from his laptop. "Of course there would be some mental repercussions."
"Yeah," Raph agreed. "About the only one who's still his normal self is Mikey."
As if on cue, Mikey emerged from the kitchen, his hands suspiciously hidden behind his back.
"Who wants to try my latest creation?" he asked in a singsong voice. "We all like pizza, and we all like milkshakes. So I combined them."
"Okay, that couldn't possibly be any less appetizing," Donnie said flatly.
"I call it the P-Shake!" Mikey proclaimed, holding up a red-and-yellow beverage in a blender glass.
Everyone looked sick at the mere sight of the drink. Donnie even had to put a hand over his mouth to keep from barfing.
"I stand corrected," he moaned in between his fingers.
"Ugh..." Hisako gagged. "I think that's even worse than the last concoction you made."
"You guys just have no sense of adventure," Mikey remarked as he raised the drink to his lips.
"Oh, gross, Mikey!" Kagome exclaimed, turning away in disgust. "I can't believe you're actually gonna eat that!"
Mikey took a hearty swig from the glass. The second it touched his tongue, his eyes went wide. He spewed it right back into the glass, coughing as he did. The room was filled with the sounds of grossed-out moans and attempts to hold back vomit. Vee unfortunately lost that particular fight.
"Excuse me," she said, turning a paler shade of green as she got to her feet.
She immediately ran into the kitchen, sticking her head into the trash can before puking her guts out. The rest of the group flinched at the sounds, cringing visibly.
"I'm so glad we have a surplus of trash cans down here," Donnie commented.
After a minute, Vee returned, giving Mikey a revolted look. "How do you even come up with shit like that?"
Mikey shrugged, opening his mouth before chugging down the entire glass of his foul concoction. Everyone shuddered with revulsion, and in an effort to take his mind off it, Leo flipped through the channels at an even greater pace. His face broke out into a grin as he got to the sci-fi channel, a familiar theme song playing through the speakers.
"Yeah! Space Heroes is on!" he cheered.
"Seriously, Leo?" Raph said flatly. "You know there are other shows to watch, right?"
"So?"
"So, you have got to be the only person in the world who likes this show," Vee pointed out.
"No way!" Leo declared. "There are millions of Spaceniks out there."
Hisako snorted. "Oh, yeah. I'm sure there are lots of fans of this crappy Star Trek ripoff."
At that very moment, a news bulletin interrupted the Space Heroes episode, with Robyn appearing on-screen.
"This is Robyn O'Neil with a Sewer Shocker. City workers attacked... by mutants?"
Everyone sat up at the sound of that, the screen cutting to an interview with a scared city worker. "It was like part man, part reptile, and all monster! It came outta nowhere and attacked me!"
The scene cut back to Robyn, who had a serious expression on her face. "The worker was filming the incident in question on his iPhone. Take a glimpse at this terrifying footage."
On the footage in question, the worker casually talked about how sewers aren't so dark and scary. From behind him, what looked like a giant crocodile emerged from a nearby pipe. The sewer worker stopped talking, looking over his shoulder just as the croc roared at him. Hisako's eyes widened in recognition.
"It can't be..." she whispered.
The remote was suddenly yanked out of Leo's hand as she telekinetically claimed it, pausing the footage. She rewound it slightly to where the beast was in full view. Her jaw dropped as the remote tumbled out of her fingers, her suspicions confirmed.
"It is him..."
"Uh, Hisako?" Mikey asked, poking her head. "Are you-?"
"No time!" All of a sudden, Hisako was on her feet. "I have to get to that tunnel!"
She grabbed her tessen, barely taking the time to stuff them in their sheathes before making for the door. The others quickly jumped to their feet, her actions alarming them greatly.
"What the hell?!" Vee exclaimed as her sister ignored her, vanishing down the tunnels. "Hisako!"
"I've got a bad feeling about this," Donnie remarked.
"We better follow her before she gets too far ahead," Leo announced.
After claiming their own weapons, the rest of the Hamato clan took off after Hisako. As they ran, Kagome came up next to Leo, a concerned look on her face. "Leo, a thought just hit me. That albino croc you and Raph ran into that one time... could it have mutated?"
"It's possible," Leo admitted. "I mean, with that wave of mutagen that those three idiots caused, some of it could have seeped down into the sewers."
"But that doesn't explain why Hisako's acting the way she is," Donnie interjected.
"It almost seemed like she knew that thing," Mikey pondered aloud.
"Like how she knew Pete?" Vee asked.
Mikey shook his head. "No way. This seemed way more personal. I mean, it took her hearing the guy to recognize him and she didn't really care too much when he went off on his own. With this guy, she didn't even hesitate to go look for him."
"Either way, the last thing we need is a mutant crocodile causing trouble in the sewers," Raph cut in. "Or bringing some news crew down here looking for him."
"Then let's catch up to Hisako!" Leo declared.
-X-
It wasn't long before they found their wayward sister. She was crouched in front of tunnel 281, the very tunnel the croc had been spotted in. There was police tape blocking the entrance, but it had done nothing to stop her, or her quite irate siblings.
"What is going on, Hisako?!" Raph demanded, slightly out of breath from trying to catch up to her. "You never run off like this!"
Hisako ignored Raph, running her hand along the ground as she straightened up.
"C'mon, where are you?" Hisako wondered aloud. "I know you're there..."
She went deeper down the tunnel, the others in tow. As they walked, they all took notice of a trail of massive, three-toed footprints in the mud along the bottom of the tunnel. Hisako's eyes went wide at the sight, a massive grin breaking out on her face.
"Yes!" Hisako cheered, pumping her fist in celebration. "I knew it!"
She immediately ran off in the direction of the prints, leaving her siblings behind again.
"Damn it, Hisako!" Leo shouted. "Wait!"
They followed after her, and it wasn't long before they heard a loud roar and blaster fire. Hisako's eyes went wide at the sounds, recognizing them immediately.
"Fuck!" Hisako cursed, picking up the pace. "Not good, not good!"
They turned around a sharp corner, skidding to a stop as they saw the giant crocodile clashing with multiple Krangdroids. They all stared in shock and awe as he ripped them to shreds, holding his own despite being massively outnumbered.
"Yeesh," Kagome remarked sympathetically. "Never thought I'd feel sorry for Krang's goons."
"It is him!" Hisako cheered, smiling. "I knew it!"
Raph turned to his sister, having had enough. "Will you please tell us what the hell is going on?!"
Several of the krangdroids pulled out taser sticks, jamming them into the sides of the crocodile. He howled in pain and Hisako saw red. Ignoring Raph once again, she jumped into the fight, throwing her tessen at two Krangdroids to get their attention.
"Get the hell off of him!" she screamed.
Several of the Krangdroids turned towards her, gasping at the arrival of the clan.
"The Turtles and Project Oracle?!" one exclaimed.
"This doesn't involve you!" another snapped. "So butt out!"
"You hurting my friend makes it my business!" Hisako replied.
"Friend?!" her siblings and Kagome repeated in shock.
Hisako just jumped into the air, slashing through one of the Krangdroids before landing in front of the crocodile.
"C'mon big guy," she told him. "Get up. You can't let these brain blobs take you down."
The crocodile's breath had become somewhat labored, but it let out a growl, getting back to its feet. Hisako grinned, getting into a fighting position as the croc loomed behind her, glazed-over eyes focused on the Krangdroids. One stepped forward, an angry expression on his face.
"Enough of this!" he shouted. "Tell us where you hid the power cell you stole from us, NOW!"
The crocodile glared at them. "NEVER!"
Hisako immediately dove to the ground, covering her head at the crocodile leapt over her.
"Guys, stand back!" she shouted. "Trust me!"
They all did so, putting their backs flesh against the wall as the crocodile violently tore through the Krangdroids in a frenzy. Bits of machinery and alien parts flew through the air as he mercilessly decimated his foes. Donnie groaned a bit, putting a hand to his mouth again.
"I think we just found something worse than Mikey's cooking," he gagged.
"Hey!" Mikey let out indignantly.
Before long, all of the Krangdroids were all lying in pieces. The crocodile stood there, still mad and breathing heavily. As he stood there, Hisako slowly got to her feet, stowing her tessen before approaching the croc.
"Good job, big guy," Hisako told him calmly, holding her hands up as one would towards a wild animal. "They're gone now. You're safe."
Kagome's eyes went wide as she approached the beast, moving to intercept her. Leo stopped her, all of them watching as the croc let her approach. She placed one hand on his back, rubbing in slow circles as she shushed him. The croc slowly calmed down, his eyes clearing up as he turned to her (1). His eyes widened as he looked at her, finally seeing her for the first time. His eyes got misty as he slowly reached for her.
"Oracle?" he growled out, caressing her face gently. "Can it be...?"
"It's me, big guy," she replied, sounding a bit choked up.
The croc grabbed her, pulling her into a hug as what looked like years of worry lifted off of his shoulders. "Oracle! You're alive!"
"And kicking," Hisako agreed, hugging him around the neck.
He let her go, placing her on the ground in front of him. She got her feet back underneath her, then immediately swat the croc on the snout like a puppy. The others gasped, half-afraid the monster would attempt to lash out. However, he merely rubbed his snout, looking quite cowed as Hisako suddenly went off on him.
"How could you just leave me behind like that?! Do you have any idea what you put me through?! I thought you were dead! Or worse, recaptured!"
The crocodile looked down for a moment, shame crossing his features. "You were so sick. I didn't have the means to take care of you. When I saw that rat mutant on the streets and heard him mention children, I knew that leaving you for him to find was your best chance at surviving."
Kagome gasped in realization. "That night... it was you! You were the one who left Hisako behind that dumpster!"
The turtles all caught on after that, the pieces finally falling into place. Hisako nodded in reply.
"It's why I reacted so badly when I woke up," she explained before she turned back to the crocodile, tears in her eyes. "You scared me to death, big guy."
"Please... forgive me..." the crocodile pleaded. "If I hadn't left you with the rat, you would have died."
Hisako sighed, hugging him again. He returned the hug in kind, even his massive tail wrapping around her.
"Of course I forgive you, you big dummy," she assured him. "You saved my life over and over again. If it wasn't for you, I'd still be locked up in that hellhole."
After a minute, they parted, wiping away the last of their tears. The turtles finally decided it was safe to interject, Leo speaking up first.
"So... what's your name?"
"I don't have one," the crocodile replied, shaking his head sadly.
"None of the mutants were ever named," Hisako clarified. "Pete... he kinda named himself."
"Well, today's your lucky day," Mikey declared, "'cause I happen to be a genius at naming stuff."
Vee rolled her eyes. "Here we go again."
Hisako turned to the crocodile. "He's gonna name you no matter what, so just roll with it. Okay, big guy?"
The crocodile nodded, and Mikey walked over, examining him and feeling his skin.
"Hmmm... your head's kinda leathery," he muttered, rubbing some of the scales on his head. "How about Head Leather? Heather? No, wait! Leatherhead! Even better!"
"Leatherhead..." the crocodile said before nodding. "That will do."
"Well then," Hisako declared, "can we get Leatherhead back to the lair before reinforcements show up?"
The others exchanged looks.
"On one side, I'm a bit worried since we saw him rip those bots apart in a blind rage," Kagome remarked. "But he is Hisako's friend."
"Hey, anyone who can tear into these brain blobs is good in my book," Vee piped up. "Besides, I'm sure Dad would like to meet him."
"Okay," Leo conceded. "We'll take him back with us."
"Yes!" Hisako cheered.
As they walked along, the newly christened Leatherhead picked up Hisako, placing her on his back. She settled onto his back as if she naturally belonged there, riding him all the way back to the lair.
At the lair, both Kasumi and Splinter were surprised when the turtles, Kagome and Hisako returned with Leatherhead.
"My children," Splinter let out. "Who is this?"
Hisako slid off of Leatherhead's back, patting his shoulder with a smile. "Dad, Kasumi, meet Leatherhead. He's the mutant that saved me all those years ago. It's thanks to him that you found me when you did."
Splinter nodded in understanding, giving Leatherhead a bow. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Leatherhead. I have often wondered about who left Hisako for me to find."
"Hisako?" Leatherhead repeated.
"It's the name that we gave her," Kasumi explained.
"You can still call me Oracle," Hisako assured. "If it's you, it's okay."
Leatherhead nodded gratefully, then returned his attention to Splinter. "You nursed her back to health, raised her, and cared for her where I could not. I cannot thank you enough."
"It was an honor," Splinter replied. "Hisako has been quite a blessing to our home."
Leo cut in at that moment, curious gnawing at him. "Leatherhead, I need to know. What is this power cell thing those Krangdroids wanted from you?"
Hisako's eyes widened and she desperately tried to get Leo to shush. Unfortunately, it was too late. Leatherhead's eyes glazed over and he let out an infuriated roar.
"KRAAAANG!" he screamed, grabbing Donnie by the face and shaking him.
"HELP!" Donnie screamed, his voice slightly muffled by Leatherhead's hand. "GET HIM OFF ME!"
Hisako quickly hugged the irate croc, gently petting his back. "Leatherhead! It's okay! You're safe! Calm down!"
Leatherhead slowly relaxed and set a shaken Donnie back down. With that, Hisako whirled on the others.
"Do not say the K-word around him, okay?!" she declared. "You-Know-Who screwed Leatherhead up real bad! And definitely don't mention his partner, EVER!"
Vee put a hand on Donnie's shoulder. "Are you okay?" she whispered.
Donnie nodded, sighing in relief. Leo did the same, then turned to Leatherhead to try again.
"Okay. What's this power cell that You-Know-Who wanted from you?"
"For the past five years, I have kept tabs on the Utroms," Leatherhead explained. "That power cell is the key to their plans. A power source for the Technodrome."
"The what now?" Mikey repeated.
"The Technodrome," Hisako explained, shuddering slightly. "It's this... massive ship that they have, their main base of operations. It's buried deep underground at the moment, and its dormant thanks to the missing power cell. The reserve power is enough to keep the labs running and basic life support functioning, but not enough to get it airborne and fully functional."
"And it must remain that way," Leatherhead insisted. "Should the Technodrome be restored to full power... I fear nothing will be able to stop it."
"And how long have you had it?" Kasumi asked.
"I took it the day I broke out..." Leatherhead recalled, looking over at Hisako. "The day I freed both of us from that godforsaken place."
Flashback
The entire ship was on high alert. Alarms were blaring loudly as an inhuman figure threw itself against a thick, metal door. The metal buckled and warped under the stress of the attacks, eventually exploding outward. From the hole, the mutant croc emerged, long wires trailing along his arms and legs. His eyes were glazed over with rage as he let out a howl. He then ran through the halls, desperate for an escape route. On its trail was an entire army of Krangdroids, all of whom were attempting to blast at the fleeing figure. They managed to corner the beast, all of their weapons trained on him.
"It's over, mutation," one announced. "Surrender now, and perhaps we will show leniency."
The creature did no such thing. It merely let out a loud roar, pouncing on the Krangdroids without a second thought. Metallic limbs went flying as the monster decimated his foes. The Utroms inside attempted to flee, but soon fell victim to the monster's claws.
With a moment to catch his breath, the creature leaned against a door marked 'Oracle'. In between the sounds of his own labored breath and the blaring alarms, he heard a soft whimpering come from the room behind the door. His gaze drifted through the small window, where he saw two Krangdroids standing over a shell of a girl, no doubt the Oracle the door advertised. The tools in their hands made their intent clear, and the croc's blood boil.
He roared in rage, tearing the door to the room open. Both Krangdroids turned to him, neither of them given even a moment to so much as blink. He tore into them, ripping them apart savagely until there was no way they could have survived.
He slowly straightened up, turning to Oracle. His gaze softened as he saw her lifeless eyes meet his. They looked at each other for a moment, then the girl turned her head, exposing her neck. The croc stared realizing that she was surrendering to him, not bothering to try and save herself.
He reached for Oracle and she instinctively flinched. Instead of hurting her, he simply caressed her face. Her eyes went wide, surprised by the gentleness of the touch. She looked at him in confusion as he tore off her restraints.
"Why…?" she asked, her voice mentally echoing in his mind.
He gently gathered her up in his arm, cradling her against his chest as gently as he could.
"We have been hurt enough..." he snarled. "We will be free."
He emerged from the cell, his new passenger on his back as he took off down the halls. He rounded a corner, coming face to face with a platoon of krangdroids.
"There he is!" one Krangdroid shouted, pointing right at the croc. "He's got Project Oracle!"
"Catch them!" another commanded.
Oracle squeaked, burying her face in the croc's shoulder. The croc held her closer, then took off back the way he'd come. They took off after the pair, firing the entire way. Desperate to avoid the barrage of fire, the croc dove into a nearby room, taking refuge as the Utroms ran past.
The hum of machinery drew the croc's attention. He turned, surprised to see that he had ended up in the main power generator. He approached it, both he and Oracle examining the entire array. She let out a weak noise, pointing at a purple crystal suspended in a glass container. The croc could tell it was important, the hum of the machines emanating from it.
"This must be what powers this place..."
Realizing what this meant, the croc's eyes glazed over as he grabbed it with his free hand.
"This ship will never fly again," he snarled, yanking the crystal's container free of the engine.
Almost immediately, the humming trailed off. The lights dimmed, back-up generators kicking in. The door to the generator room were thrown open, the krangdroids all panicking when they saw the crystal in his hand.
"The power cell!" one of the bots shouted. "The mutation has taken the power cell!"
The croc didn't give them time to react. Holding Oracle close, he charged at the droids, slashing one to pieces with his claws before whipping his tail around and slamming another into a wall. With his path clear, he ran as fast as he could, whipping around a corner. The Krangdroids went to follow, only to find their quarry had vanished.
They nervously backed up, keeping their guns ready. That's when the croc emerged from the shadows, bashing them aside with his arm. One managed to get a lucky shot, connecting with the back of the croc's neck. He roared and collapsed, still clutching both the power cell and Oracle. She grunted in pain as the weight of her savior nearly crushed her, desperately pushing on him to wake him up.
The remaining Krangdroids approached, and the crocodile's eyes suddenly snapped wide open. Letting out a vicious roar, he got back to his feet, sweeping the Krangdroids away with his tail.
"We need to leave..."
With that, he took off as fast as he could The pursuing Krangdroids grew even more desperate, firing on them both. Oracle let out a thready whimper, clinging to Leatherhead as he charged through them, shielding her with his own body as he busted through the wall of the Technodrome. Once he dropped down into the subterranean tunnel, he put Oracle on his back, getting on all fours so he could move faster. The Krangdroids congregated at the hole, watching as they escaped.
"Damn it all!" one Krangdroid shouted. "They got away with the power cell!"
"Mobilize all units!" another declared. "Retrieve the power cell and Project Oracle at all costs!"
Flashback Over
"After that, I did what I could to hide us, keeping the power cell out of their hands," Leatherhead continued. "But Oracle's condition got worse. I didn't have the means to care for her, so I went out to find someone who could."
"And that's when Splinter and I showed up," Kagome added.
Leatherhead nodded. "It pained me to leave her as I did. But it was either that or watch her die."
Kasumi laid a hand on Leatherhead's arm. "You did the right thing."
Leatherhead looked over Hisako, as well as the Turtles. He saw the way she huddled close to them, the trusting embraces and honest love in their eyes. The sight brought a feeling of joy to the crocodile.
"I always wondered if I had. I am glad to see that my decision was a wise one."
Author's Note:
(1): Think like the whole "lullaby" thing between Black Widow and the Hulk from Avengers: Age of Ultron.
Yep, Leatherhead was the one who left Hisako for Splinter and Kagome way back in Chapter 4! What a twist, am I right?
Yeah, this chapter was a bit of a break after the beatdown our heroes got from the Shredder. But next chapter, the action will pick back up.
A big thank you to Writing Avenger 2016 for helping with the fight scene in the flashback.
Please R&R. Until next time!