- Chapter 31 -

Notes from the Underground, Part 2

The group slowly backed away as the three monsters closed in on them, backing them back into the lab.

"Not good," Mizuki stammered. "Not good at all."

"Easy," Leo cautioned. "Don't hurt them. They're victims of Krang, not our enemies."

The blue monster opened its mouth and hissed, a stream of green acid shooting out and melting the ground before their feet.

"That's it…" Raph drew his sai.

"Raph, what did I just say?!" Leo snapped, annoyed.

"The alternative is letting them kill us, moron!" Raph shot back.

"At least try to talk to them!"

"Talk to this!" Tai charged forward, the others drawing their weapons and following suit.

"Sorry, Leo!" Kagome cried. "Don't think they're in a talking mood!"

The clawed mutant caught Tai's blade, hissing like some sort of reptilian creature. It threw Tai back, the boy skidding across the floor just as it grabbed a unit, yanking it out of the ground and throwing it at him. Tai narrowly rolled to the side.

"Leave him alone!" Mizuki screamed.

She fired several arrows at the clawed beast, but the rock monster scrambled in, the arrows bouncing off its hide. They all fell back, facing the beasts.

"Okay…" Mikey began, "you guys take the three on the left-"

"There are only three of them!" Jade snapped.

"Wait!" Leo shouted, getting between both groups. "Can we all just calm down?!"

The blue monster glared at them, hissing, before speaking in a deep, gravelly voice. "You will take no more of us! Begone!"

"We're not here to take anyone," Leo removed his swords, tossing them to the ground. "We're not with Krang."

The beasts were still angry, glaring at them. At that moment, a large piece of equipment began shaking, about to topple over and crush the blue monster.

"LOOK OUT!" Leo shouted before instinctively charging forward, tackling the creature out of the way. Both pulled themselves up.

"You… you saved me?" it asked.

"Believe me now?"

The monster turned to its comrades, nodding. The two slowly relaxed.

"Why did you come here?" it questioned, pointing to the blue crystals protruding from Donniie's bag. "And why do you carry those?"

"These?" Donnie asked. "We came down here to find them and destroy them. They're... extremely detrimental to the health of someone we care about."

The monster scowled. "Those crystals are the embodiment of evil!"

"Believe me, we're well aware," Vee said. "They nearly killed our sister. Now why were you sniffing around our home?"

"Their energy is a sign of danger to us, so we considered you dangerous," the monster explained. "Though we usually sense them coming from deeper below."

The ninjas all exchanged looks at that.

"There are more of these crystals down below?" Donnie asked. "And the archives mentioned an underground dwelling. If we can find out where they came from, maybe-"

"NO!" the monster shouted, startling them all. "It is a forbidden place! Something unspeakable dwells there amidst the crystals!" It sighed, shaking its head. "There are some things man was never meant to tamper with."

"Oh man…" Mikey sighed, flinching as Raph raised a hand threateningly. "Hey! Put that away!"

Raph just stood there, eyes narrowed. Mikey rolled his eyes.

"Look, I'm close to peeing my shell, I admit that. But I'm sucking it up for Hisako. So please lower your dope-slapping hand."

Raph did so. The blue monster blinked.

"...Your friend is quite an odd one, isn't he?" it asked.

"Hey!" Mikey objected. "I'm not odd, I'm eccentric!"

"They're odd, yes," Tai confirmed. "But they're the good guys. And so are we."

They reentered the lab, Leo shaking his head.

"I can't believe this," he sighed. "Krang had you all mutated into diggers just to look for us. How low can he sink?"

The monster looked them all over, eyes widening in realization.

"Yes…" it mused. "Turtle creatures. That is what Krang was searching for."

Leo sighed, turning to her and bowing in remorse. "I'm sorry. Krang did something unspeakable to you, because of us. If we had known, we wouldn't have let it happen."

"No, you are not to blame," the monster replied, hissing in anger. "It was Krang who took us and made us like this. If it was to hunt you down, then no doubt you were protecting the city from his vile machinations."

"He just snatched you at random?" Erika asked. "From where?"

"The streets, our offices, our homes," the creature listed off. "Anywhere a shadow could conceal a Krangdroid. We don't know why we were chosen."

"What's your name?" Leo questioned.

"I am Quarry of Tunnel Squad 3," the monster, Quarry, replied. "The others are Stonebiter and Razorfist."

"No," Leo shook his head. "Not what Krang called you. Your real name."

Quarry cringed. "We do not remember…" He clutched his head, shaking it. "Our memories of our human lives are hazy. All I remember is that it starts with an 'S'. The experiments performed on us have stripped us of who we are…"

For once, Mikey stayed silent, not bothering to mention anything about the mutant names.

"Krang…" Jade hissed in restrained anger. "When I get my hands on that fucker, I'm gonna make him wish he died when you guys sank his spaceship."

"Yeah?" Raph said. "Well, get in line."

"Hisako gets first dibs," Kagome cut in.

At that moment, a loud roar sounded from the caverns. Everyone perked, turning toward the door.

"There are… more of these underground monsters, aren't there?" Tai questioned.

Quarry just nodded as another roar sounded, this one closer.

"Oh, my God!" Hana cried out in horror. "They're coming this way!"

Quarry ran over to the control panel near the shield generator, pressing several buttons. "We must activate the energy shield!"

The Hamato Clan all went pale at that.

"Shield?" Mikey questioned.

"Big, blue energy field that repels anything organic?" Donnie added.

"Yes," Quarry replied in surprise. "Why do you ask?"

"We… kinda met your force field," Mizuki said nervously. "And I… kinda broke it."

"You did WHAT?!" Quarry screamed.

"It was gonna crush us!" Mikey defended.

"Donnie, those crystals you brought," Leo said quickly. "Can you use them to fix the shield?"

Donnie nodded. "See if you can buy me some time!"

He hurried over to the shield generator, working as fast as he could.

"What's going on?" Jade questioned. "Those other monsters… what happened to them?"

"Their minds have deteriorated," Quarry explained. "They're violent and crazed... they prowl the tunnels endlessly. It was a side effect of our mutation."

"Then… that means…" Erika began, the realization dawning.

"Yes," Quarry said sadly. "It is only a matter of time… before we succumb as well."

They looked at him with nothing but sympathy and compassion. Another roar sounded, this one much closer, and multiple monstrous shadows approached from down the hall.

"Here they come!" Makoto shouted.

Razorfist and Stonebiter hurried over to the doors, pulling them shut. Leo, Raph, Tai, and Mikey all ran to help keep it closed as the monsters made it to the door and began furiously pounding on it. They strained to keep it shut under the assault.

"I'm too pretty to die this way!" Mikey whimpered.

Donnie planted the crystal into the shield generator before hurrying over to the control panel, pressing several buttons. After a minute, the shield activated, and the group all hurried to the central area as it expanded outwards, repelling the other monsters. They spent several minutes pounding on the field before giving up and walking away.

"And stay out!" Vee shouted.

"They'll be back tomorrow," Quarry informed them. "They always come back."

They all stole a look at the crystal Donnie placed there, which had burned out.

"Then you're gonna need another crystal," Kagome remarked.

Quarry shook his head. "We will not survive another journey to the Forbidden Zone."

"Question," Mikey cut in. "What makes it so… forbidden?"

"The ancient catacombs stretch for miles," Quarry explained. "We were forced to explore them. Many of us never returned."

"Um…" Mikey began, "maybe they got lost?"

Everyone just looked at Mikey with deadpan stares.

"Is he really that dense?" Mizuki questioned.

"Jury's out." Raph replied.

"They were taken..." Quarry replied, "by a ghostly entity. There is never any sign of a struggle. They're just… gone."

Kagome paled. "Did you say… ghostly?"

Tai scoffed. "There's no such thing as ghosts."

"Like there are no such things as mutants, monsters, and aliens?" Leo suggested.

Tai opened his mouth to refute, but quickly closed it. "Point taken."

"Besides, entity or not, we need to get them a new crystal," Leo insisted.

Vee turned to Leo, blinking. "Um, excuse me, Leo. Wasn't the entire reason we came down here to destroy those things? Y'know, so Krang doesn't get them to repower the Technodrome or, even worse, make Hisako's head explode?"

"I have to agree with Vee on this one," Donnie chimed in. "Believe me, the scientist in me wants to collect these things to study more, but…"

"There are some things man, and turtle, were never meant to tamper with," Mikey added. "And these things? They're at the top of the list."

"We can't just leave Quarry and his friends to fend for themselves either," Kagome pointed out. "Without another crystal to power that field, they're dead meat!"

"One should be okay though," Makoto remarked. "I mean, Krang abandoned this place, right? So he's not gonna come looking. So leaving just one so they can be safe…"

Raph signed in resignation. "Fine. But just one, and we smash the rest."

"I don't like letting any of them stay intact either, Raph," Leo told him. "Not after what they did to Hisako. But it's because of us all these people were mutated into monsters in the first place, and we put them in even more hot water by breaking their security system. The least we can do is help them out."

Quarry smiled. "Thank you. Truly."

"Okay," Kagome groaned as she turned towards the entrance to the deeper tunnels. "I really hope there isn't an actual ghost there."

"Only one way to find out," Vee said.

As they went out the door, Jade turned to Kagome. "What's with you and ghosts?"

"Raph found a copy of Poltergeist when we were little and talked us into watching it when Mom and Master Splinter were asleep," Kagome replied. "Worst decision I ever made."

"Been scared stiff ever since," Mikey added.

Kagone nodded. "So no real tears were shed when Hisako came along and they banned horror movies."

"Even if some idiots never learn," Raph remarked, gesturing to Mikey.

"Hey!"

-X-

The team moved down the tunnels. Razorfist and Stonebiter hesitated, looking visibly afraid, but Quarry patted their heads comfortingly.

"Be brave, my friends," he assured them.

Mikey overheard this, turning back to the others.

"Generally speaking, when scary things get scared?" he remarked. "Not a good sign."

"We have to help them," Kagome insisted. "It's our fault they're like this."

"Right," said Leo. "Besides, it's too late to turn back now."

Quarry approached them.

"We know a shortcut. Follow us," he said, walking ahead before turning back only slightly. "And as I told you, none of us blame you for our mutation. Krang and Ch'rell did this to us, not you."

"We know," Leo replied. "But they only did this to find us."

"Krang's an evil, heartless scumbag, Leo," Hana insisted. "He would've found an excuse to hurt and mutate people even if you guys hadn't been there."

"We know," Vee said. "It just hurts knowing these guys were made because of us."

"Well, maybe we could find a cure?" Erika suggested. "I mean, there's gotta be some way we can turn them back."

"Hmmm…" Donnie mused. "That could be possible. But we'll worry about it after we get Quarry and his pals a new crystal."

-X-

The group eventually made it to the shortcut Quarry mentioned, only to find themselves tumbling down a curved, slide-like rock formation. After several painful seconds, they landed painfully in a heap before a pool of bubbling yellow liquid.

"That's what you call a shortcut?" Tai questioned, getting up slowly. "I think I broke my ass."

The three monsters climbed down the rock, their claws easily allowing them to do so.

"Sorry about that," Quarry said. "We forgot you can't scale rock."

Jade sniffed the air, wincing in disgust.

"Oh God! What stinks?" she asked before looking out at the pool before them.

"Uhhh…" Jade began, "am I looking at a pool of boiling pee?"

"Thanks for that image," Donnie said sarcastically. "And no. That's a sulfur pool."

Quarry gestured to multiple stones in the midst of the pool, leading across to the other side. "We must keep moving. The others wander down here. This is their territory."

Each ninja took their turns slowly hopping across the sulfur pool.

"Gross," Kagome remarked. "And I thought the sewers stank to high heaven."

"So, Donnie," Makoto began. "Just out of curiosity, what would happen if any of us fell into this stuff?"

"Severe thermal burns," Donnie replied. "We're talking third degree from just a drop. The gas is also poisonous, so don't breathe in the fumes."

Makoto gulped. "Thanks for the warning."

As they all made it across, a bubble emerged from the sulfur pool, popping and revealing a screeching bug-like creature. It barely made it a few inches before Quarry captured and devoured it with a long frog-like tongue.

"Well…" Hana said, thoroughly grossed out. "I think I'll skip dinner tonight."

Quarry wiped his mouth, belching. "We've learned to either live off the land, or it lives off us."

"Charming," Raph said flatly.

-X-

Eventually, the monsters led them to a tall cliff, overlooking a giant underground whirlpool.

"This is it," Quarry informed them.

"Wait," Tai began. "Are you saying-?"

The monsters didn't let him finish. One by one, they all jumped into the whirlpool, leaving the Hamato Clan staring after them. After a moment, Vee shrugged.

"Well, when in Rome," She recited before jumping off, holding her nose. "Cowabunga!"

One by one, the other Turtles jumped in after her, followed by Kagome.

"Okay," Tai said flatly. "They're nuts."

"You see any other way down?" Mizuki asked rhetorically.

Tai shook his head, sighing. "This is gonna suck."

With that, he took a deep breath and jumped down, followed by the others. They surfaced in a stream, headed right for a slew of crystal spikes.

"Oh, SHIT!" Jade shouted.

They frantically tried to swim against the current, but it was no use. Just before they could get skewered, Stonebiter leaned in from the stream-bank and latched onto Tai's head with his jaws, yanking him out of the water. The others quickly grabbed hold of Tai as well as he was pulled out. They sat down, catching their breath, while Stonebiter still had Tai's head in his mouth.

"Um," Tai began, "not to sound ungrateful, considering you saved our lives, but... COULD YOU PLEASE SPIT ME OUT NOW?!"

Stonebiter obediently did so.

"Thank you," Tai replied, smoothing out his hair before joining the others.

"How far away are the crystals?" Leo asked Quarry.

"They're here in the catacombs," Quarry replied. "But from this point on, we must keep very quiet."

"You hear that, Mikey?" Vee said. "Keep your sneezes to yourself."

"Alright already," Mikey grumbled. "Yeesh, you cause a cave-in one time, and they think you're the Underminer."

The group rounded the bend, and soon came to a stop when Quarry pointed out a crystal embedded in the wall.

"This will do," he informed them. "We needn't travel any deeper into this evil place."

As he reached for it, they heard the sound of rocks tumbling from the ceiling..

"Oh boy…" Tai sighed, realizing what was about to happen.

On cue, one of the insane monsters burst out of the ceiling, snarling and roaring. It looked vaguely like a spider, only twenty times bigger, fifty times uglier, and a hundred times deadlier.

"So much for an easy trip!" Raph shouted.

"We need to get to cover!" Leo insisted.

"But that way leads to-!" Quarry began.

"We don't have a choice!" Jade cut him off. "Let's GO!"

Quarry relented and they hurried deeper into the tunnels, only to find their progress stopped by a very heavy looking door. The monsters all took turns trying to break down the door, Quarry even spitting acid on it, but nothing worked.

"What a time to run into a locked door!" Makoto shouted.

"Look for a doorbell or something!" Mikey suggested.

Donnie saw a small indentation near the wall, and put two and two together.

"The crystals!" he declared. "It's activated by the crystals!"

"Then what are you just standing around for?!" Vee demanded. "OPEN THE DAMN DOOR!"

Donnie quickly plugged the crystal in, but it didn't seem to work.

"No!" he screamed.

"Do something, Don!" Raph shouted. "We. Are going. To DIE!"

"Maybe it's upside down!" Mikey suggested.

"It's not upside down, Mikey!" Donnie retorted.

"How do you know?!"

Donnie hesitated, then flipped the crystal. Sure enough, it was upside down, and the door opened.

"Ha!" Mikey declared. "I told-!"

He paused as he saw something strange emerge from the door. It looked like a bola made of crystals, and the others could only watch as it wrapped around Donnie and he vanished in a blinding flash.

"DONNIE!" Mikey screamed.

"Oh, my God, it was the ghost!" Kagome shrieked. "It took Donnie!"

Jade looked behind them. "And in a few minutes, we're gonna be monster chow!"

Indeed, the spider creature burst into the tunnel after them, followed by its friends.

"So…" Quarry said, resigned, "this is where it ends."

The remaining Hamato Clan ninjas readied their weapons, prepared to go out fighting as their doom approached…

Author's Note:

Another one bites the dust.

Next chapter marks the end of the Notes from the Underground arc.

Please R&R. Until next time!