- Chapter 24 -
Karai's Vendetta
The Utrom Karai captured sat in a cage within the Foot Clan HQ, staring out at Shredder and Karai. It glared defiantly, having remained silent for the duration of its capture.
"Talk, creature," Shredder demanded, his voice calm but cold. "Why are you hunting the Turtles?"
"I'm not telling you anything," the Utrom hissed.
"It's not used to being on the other side of the cage," Karai said in discontent, glaring at the Utrom. "Are you, pukeface?"
The Utrom scowled at her.
"I tried to be fair with you," Shredder snarled, "but now my patience has reached its end."
He popped out his arm-blades, brandishing them menacingly. "Tell me what I want to know, or else!"
The Utrom gulped, self-preservation kicking in.
"What do you wish to know?" it asked.
"Why do you hunt the Turtles, and the girl in this file?" Shredder questioned, holding up the Project Oracle file Karai had stolen.
"Yeah, why's she so important?" Karai added with genuine curiosity.
"Project Oracle?" the Utrom scoffed. "She's useless to us, now that the true project has awakened."
Shredder raised an eyebrow. "True project?"
"The Turtles protect her. The one called April O'Neil."
"April?" Karai repeated. "You're kidding me. How is she this 'true project'?"
"Explain. Now," Shredder ordered, waving his blades threateningly.
"She is the final piece that we need for our plan to be set in motion," the Utrom said quickly. "Unfortunately, all attempts to acquire her have proven... disastrous."
"Huh," Karai mused. "April's some special girl. Who knew?"
Shredder saw his chance and took it. "Since you have failed to acquire Miss O'Neil, I offer a trade. We bring you the girl, and you let us in on your plan. We share a common enemy in the Turtles."
The Utrom thought it over, the idea seeming like a sound one.
"I would have to contact my superiors, but this deal sounds... favorable," He allowed.
"Very well, then," Shredder replied.
"Leave April to me," Karai said, smirking. "I have a plan."
The next day...
April and Harmony walked down the street, chatting happily.
"You want me to come to your house for a sleepover?" April asked.
"Yeah," Harmony replied. "My dad said I could invite a friend over. I tried to push for two, but he's pretty strict."
April shrugged. "Kagome's schedule is so packed, I doubt she'd be able to make it anyhow."
"Been there. So, where are we going?"
"My friends introduced me to this amazing Japanese restaurant. Kagome's saving us a booth."
They continued until they reached a place, the words "Murakami's Noodle House" plastered over the door.
"It doesn't look like much," April admitted, "but trust me, this is the best place to get authentic Japanese cuisine."
They entered the restaurant. Kagome, sitting in a booth near the window, waved them over. "Glad you two could make it."
"Sorry it took so long," Harmony said.
"You ordered the gyoza again, didn't you?" April asked.
"How could I not? It's amazing!" Kagome replied. "You guys order whatever you want. I'm buying."
"You don't have to do that," Harmony remarked.
"But she will," April informed her. "I haven't paid for food since I met her."
Kagome smiled. "Being the daughter of Kasumi Lee has its perks."
"So, I guess the talk of her being the richest woman in New York is true," Harmony mused, getting a nod from both girls.
Around that time, an older man wearing sunglasses approached. From the way he didn't look straight at the girls, it was clear that he was blind.
"Good afternoon, ladies," he said, smiling.
"Hi, Murakami-san," Kagome and April said simultaneously.
"You brought a new friend, judging by the third presence with you," Mr. Murakami remarked, bowing slightly in Harmony's direction. "Welcome to my humble shop."
"Thanks," Harmony smiled, before turning to the other girls.
"Miss Lee has been coming to my shop for years," Mr. Murakami explained. "She and the rest of her friends. Did she tell you that they once saved my shop from Purple Dragons?"
"They did?" Harmony asked.
Kagome shrugged. "Mom had me take martial arts classes. And I'm not one to let thugs like that run rampant."
"So," Mr. Murakami began, "two orders of pizza gyoza for Miss Lee and Miss O'Neil. What about you, Miss..."
"Harmony," Harmony answered. "I'll try some of that pizza gyoza."
"Coming right up," Murakami said, walking into the kitchen.
"Murakami-san came up with the pizza gyoza to thank me and my friends for saving his shop from the Dragons," Kagome explained to Harmony. "They're basically pizzatarians."
The girls shared a laugh, and that was when the door opened. In walked a boy around their age with short, somewhat messy black hair and green eyes. He wore a dark green T-shirt with worn blue jeans and black sneakers.
"Hey, isn't that Sam?" April wondered.
"Sam?" Kagome asked. "Your bio lab partner?"
April nodded and Sam walked over to them.
"Hey, Kagome. April," he greeted, before turning to Harmony. "Harmony."
"Hey, Sam," Kagome said. "Can we help you?"
"I was hoping I could talk to you and April," Sam replied, glancing at Harmony. "In private."
"Maybe later," April answered. "We're eating right now."
"Fair enough," Sam said with a shrug. "Come by the school later. It's... kinda important."
With that, he was gone, leaving the girls more than a bit confused.
"Well," April began, "that was weird."
"Took the words right out of my mouth," Kagome agreed.
At that moment, Mr. Murakami came back, carrying three steaming plates of pizza gyoza.
"Here you go," he said, smiling. "Three orders of pizza gyoza."
"Thank you," the girls replied, taking the plates.
"Enjoy your meal, ladies" Murakami replied before walking away.
-X-
After their meal, Harmony returned home while April and Kagome waited for Sam in front of Roosevelt High.
"So does this feel weird to you?" April asked.
"A bit, yeah," Kagome replied. "I mean, we barely talk to Sam outside of bio class."
At that moment, Sam approached them, now wearing a black long coat with white lining down the arms and sides. Kagome gasped in recognition of the coat's design, having seen it before on a less than welcome character.
"Glad you could make it," he said, smiling.
"What's this all about?" April asked. "And what's with that coat?"
"April, get back!" Kagome shouted, pulling April behind her.
April stumbled a bit as Sam's face visibly fell. Kagome stared him down, maintaining a defensive posture.
"I can't believe it, Sam!" she declared. "You're a TCRI Guardian?!"
"Call me Zephyr while I'm on the job," Zephyr replied. "But yeah."
"Wait..." April gasped. "He's one of them?!"
"So it seems." Kagome glared at Zephyr. "What do you want, Sam?"
"It's Zeph-" Zephyr sighed, deciding there was no point in arguing. "Samson sent me. We want to extend a peace offering."
"Tell him to shove it," Kagome said coldly. "And leave before I kick your ass, because I've been itching to beat the deal out of you Guardians for days now."
"Really?" Zephyr asked flatly. "You hate me that much?"
"Well, you left a little girl to be tortured for years," April retorted. "What do you think?"
"Hey, I was just a baby myself back then. I had nothing to do with what happened to Rita. Hell, because of what happened to her, I hate Krang just as much as you do."
"And yet, you did nothing to try to find her," Kagome shot back. "Master Splinter told you and the Guardians to stay away from us. So take your peace offering and piss off."
"Listen to me for one fucking-" Zephyr began before managing to calm herself. "Please, I'll do whatever it takes. All I want is to see Rita and give her Samson's peace offering."
"Show us," Kagome ordered.
Zephyr reached into his coat and pulled out a metallic orb the size of a basketball, getting raised eyebrows from both girls.
"A magic 8-ball?" April questioned. "Really?"
"No," Zephyr replied. "This orb contains the consciousnesses of the Kaimeras."
That gave the girls pause.
"Isn't Kaimera-?" April began.
"Yep," Kagome replied.
"Mortu keeps a memory archive of all Guardians, past and present, dead and alive," Zephyr explained. "This is the archive of Richard and Renee."
Kagome turned to April.
"Think you can read his mind?" She asked.
"I'll try," April replied, approaching Zephyr. "Now, how does Hisako do this?"
Slowly touching Zephyr's forehead, she focused as best she could. He went stiff at her touch, then his eyes rolled back into his head and he fell.
"Um... oops?" April let out, just kinda holding her hand in her own.
"April, what did you do?" Kagome asked.
"I... think I knocked him out," April answered.
Kagome sighed, hoisting Zephyr over her shoulder.
"Let's see what the guys have to say about this," She decided. "Raph's gonna love this one."
They took Zephyr back to the lair. Predictably, Raph didn't take it well.
"Are you out of your fucking minds?!" he shouted. "Why the hell would you bring a Guardian here?!"
"He had a peace offering!" Kagome said defensively. "That orb thingy!"
Donnie examined the orb off to the side, twirling it in his hands while trying to figure it out. After a minute, he put it down and sighed.
"Yeah, I got nothing," he remarked.
Leatherhead just growled at Zephyr's unconscious form on the couch, holding Hisako like a teddy bear.
"I do not trust him," the crocodile said simply.
Vee came into the room, holding a roll of duct tape. "We all feel ya, LH."
"Let's at least see what he has to say for himself," Leo reasoned.
Raph and Mikey placed Zephyr in a chair, which Vee promptly taped him to. Leatherhead put Hisako down long enough for her to wake him up, reclaiming her as he began to stir. He groaned, his eyes fluttering open. He looked around, taking in the angry faces around him. Rather than be intimidated, Zephyr just smirked.
"So I finally meet the Ninja Turtles in person," he remarked. "Where's my autograph book?"
Off to the side, Casey was going through the pockets of Zephyr's coats, tossing the contents out on the table.
"Is that really necessary?" Zephyr questioned.
"Well, let's see," Mikey began, listing it off on his fingers. "We don't like you. We don't trust you. Need I go on?"
"Hey, guys!" Casey cut in. "One of the buttons is flashing. Should we be worried?"
They all looked, and sure enough, one of the buttons on Zephyr's coat was flashing red.
"A tracking device?!" Donnie exclaimed.
"Just a precaution," Zephyr replied. "Think they'd let us run loose without a chaperone?"
Leo nodded at Casey, who promptly dropped the coat to the ground and stomped on it.
"Vee, Raph, scout the tunnels for more Guardians," he ordered. "You find any, knock them out, strip their coats, and bring them here."
Raph and Vee nodded and departed. Zephyr watched them go, then turned as Casey stomped on the coat a few more times.
"Hey!" Zephyr objected. "That was expensive!"
Casey looked right at him before stomping on the coat one more time.
"Oops," He let out unapologetically.
Zephyr sighed.
"Casey Jones, you are a dick," He groaned.
Leo deliberately looked the other way as Casey approached Zephyr and punched him in the face.
"I ain't takin' lip from someone like you," he snapped.
"What is going on here?!"
Splinter and Kasumi entered just in time to see Zephyr spit out a small amount of blood.
"Well, nice gift from the NYC Sewers Welcoming Committee." he deadpanned. "What next? A fruit basket and some sponge cake?"
"What is this?" Splinter demanded, already angry.
"Zephyr here happens to be one of TCRI's Guardians," Donnie explained. "He approached us with a so-called 'peace offering.'"
"And you respond by tying him up and physically assaulting him?" Kasumi questioned.
"He's with the asswipes who left Hisako to die !" Casey pointed out. "He's the enemy!"
He promptly withered under Splinter's glare.
"Zephyr may be with TCRI, Casey, but you forget one thing," he said sternly. "He was a baby himself at the time Krang took Hisako. The sins of Mortu and Samson are not his to bear."
"Thank you!" Zephyr declared. "That's exactly what I said before Kagome told me to piss off, April knocked me out, and they both threatened to beat me up!"
"Okay, in my defense, I didn't mean to knock you out," April pointed out. "I was trying to read your thoughts. I've only been telepathic for a few weeks now."
Kagome could only grin sheepishly as Kasumi gave her a disappointed look
"He approaches you with a perfectly reasonable request, and you respond that way? We raised you better than that, young lady."
Kagome twiddled her thumbs, looking down at her shoes. "Sorry, Mom."
"Now," Splinter began, his eyes narrowed in anger, "you are going to cut him loose, and we are going to hear him out. Unless you seven want to spend the next two months in the Hashi!"
Leo quickly cut through the tape binding Zephyr to the chair. He got up, rubbing his wrists.
"I'm glad at least one of you is reasonable." He sighed, then straightened himself out. "Listen, I give you my word that there's no ulterior motive to-"
The doors were then thrown open as Vee and Raph dragged in an unconscious Samson.
"Look who we found!" Raph declared.
"Our least favorite brain blob lover," Vee snarled.
Leatherhead growled, pulling Hisako closer as the blood drained from Zephyr's face, realizing how bad this looked.
"Okay, look. I had no idea he was following me. He swore he'd let me handle this myself!"
"So this was a trap!" Kagome demanded. "You led this guy right to our lair!"
"No! Kagome, for God's sake! I swear I didn't know!"
Hisako glared at him, her eyes narrowing as she read his thoughts.
"He's telling the truth. He legitimately didn't know Samson was here."
Raph noticed Zephyr free and standing, instantly stiffening at the sight. "Back up. Why is he not tied up anymore?"
"Because we said so, that's why," Splinter answered in a disappointed tone.
Raph and Vee perked, seeing their parents looking at them reproachfully.
"Now that all seven of you are here, I can say this…" Kasumi took a deep breath. "How many times have we stressed to you to try to use your words for a more peaceful solution instead of automatically assuming the worst and resorting to violence?"
"The first tenant of Ninjutsu is do no harm," Splinter added.
"But you also said that if we mean to do harm, then do lots of harm," Raph countered. "And if anyone deserves to be harmed, it's these guardian jerkwads. Especially this one."
He shoved Samson to the ground.
"Perhaps…" Kasumi gestured to Zephyr. "But he does not."
"Look, I don't know why he's here, but I swear on my mother's grave that neither of us want any harm to come to you or yours," Zephyr swore. "We want to make peace, start fresh."
Raph just scoffed, only to get another look from Splinter.
"You forget, he's your age. Samson and his ilk may have been negligent with Hisako's fate, but Sam was a mere infant himself at the time. He had nothing to do with it, so do not blame him."
Vee sighed. "I hate when he makes a point like that."
"But… him?" Leo pointed at Samson.
"As I said, peaceful solution before violence," Kasumi replied. "Once he comes to, we'll find out what he wants."
-X-
Samson slowly came to, finding himself laid out on the couch. He slowly sat up, looking around to find himself faced with Zephyr and the Hamato Clan.
"Hello again, 'guardian'," Leo greeted with an audible bite to his words.
Zephyr looked over at Samson, both worried and angry. "I thought you were gonna let me handle this myself, Samson."
"Their quarrel is with me, not you," Samson explained. "If this went south, I didn't want you to suffer for my mistakes."
"I am afraid that my children still have much to learn when it comes to situations like these," Splinter said. "However, I do find it curious that you disregarded my warning to leave my family in peace."
"Sam gave you my peace offering, didn't he?" Samson asked. "The memory orb?"
"Newsflash," Donnie retorted. "It doesn't work."
"Because it will only work for Rita," Samson informed them. "In the hands of anyone else, it's just a ball of metal."
"How convenient…" Vee scoffed. "And how do we know it's not something specifically designed to target her?"
"You really want a long-winded explanation on biometrics and DNA?" Sam deadpanned.
"You want another punch in the face?" Casey shot back.
"Okay, enough!" Hisako pinched the bridge of her nose. "Look, neither of them have tried to fight us since this whole mess began, and frankly, I'm sick of all this yelling. So just give me the damn orb."
She dislodged herself from Leatherhead's grip, walking over to Donnie, who was still holding the orb. As she took it, Leatherhead glared at Zephyr and Samson.
"If that device harms her in any way, I will eat you both."
"Duly noted," Zephyr said casually.
Hisako took the orb from Donnie and it began to glow. She gasped as she was enveloped in light.
-X-
When Hisako opened her eyes, she found herself in a place made entirely of clouds.
She walked around for a bit, and eventually came across the two people she saw in Samson's memories. One was a man with sandy blonde hair and blue eyes. The other was a woman with long black hair in a bun and stormy gray eyes. Both of them were wearing the coats of the Guardians, and they seemed to be sparring with one another. Hisako stopped short, just staring at the two of them.
"Mom...?" she said aloud. "Dad...?"
The two people stopped their sparring, turning towards her. The woman gasped before facing the man.
"Richard, is that...?" she asked.
The man, Richard, nodded. "I think it is."
They approached her carefully, all three embracing after a minute.
"Our baby..." Renee whispered. "Our little Rita..."
-X-
Hisako awoke back in the real world, wiping happy tears from her eyes. The others were watching her carefully as she set the orb down.
"I saw them..." she informed the others. "My parents..."
"Well, I'll be damned," Raph remarked. "These two were telling the truth."
"Yeah, they were…" Hisako turned her attention to the two Guardians, bowing to them. "Thank you for this. With luck, this can be the stepping stone of a fresh start between us."
"Just don't expect us to be going to you for favors just yet," Raph interjected. "Trust still needs to be earned and all that."
"We'll take what we can get," Zephyr remarked, slowly standing up. "Also, I didn't just approach you guys for a peace offering. I wanted to tip you off about another of-"
Hisako waved her hand frantically, giving Zephyr a "cut it out" motion.
"Ix-nay on the ang-Kray," Mikey warned, gesturing to Leatherhead. "He will eat you."
Zephyr nodded once.
"Right," he let out. "As I was saying, we wanted to warn you about one of you-know-who's schemes."
He walked over to the table where Casey set the items in his coat pockets, picking up one object in particular: a sealed vial of a green fluid.
"What is that, mutagen?" Donnie questioned.
"No," Zephyr replied. "Have you figured out what he plans to do to the Earth yet?"
"Uh..." Leo began, "not exactly."
"He wants to turn our world into the new Utrom homeworld," Zephyr continued. "A new Dimension X."
"Say what now?" Vee questioned.
"Dimension X," Samson began. "The dimension from which the Utroms hail. Their foul leader intends to terraform the Earth, make it into a new Utrominon."
"And that's bad news for anyone who isn't an Utrom," Zephyr added. "The air is a mix of nitrogen and sulfur, and as for the water..."
He held up the vial for emphasis. Raph raised an eyebrow to that, pointing at the vial.
"That's water?" He asked.
"They've begun the process of converting Earth's water into Utrominon water," Zephyr explained. "As for what'll happen to any non-Utrom who drinks it..."
He opened the vial and set it down on the table. He then picked up a piece of pizza crust from a nearby box and plopped the chunk into the water. It promptly sizzled and dissolved into nothing. A chorus of collective gasps sounded from the Hamato Clan.
"Utrom water is acid?!" Kagome exclaimed.
"Jeez, how do those brain blobs even live there?" Raph demanded.
"Millions of years of evolution in such an environment," Samson said matter-of-factly.
"How long do we have?" Leo asked.
"About a week or so," Zephyr replied. "The Utroms have an underwater lab in the waters around Staten Island, where they're converting New York's water supply. You need to get in there and blow the place to Hell."
"Well then, we're in luck," Donnie said, smiling. "I've got just the thing to get us there."
Some time later, the Hamato siblings and Kagome were in Donnie's new invention: the Shell Sub. The Shell Sub was a makeshift submarine shaped like a sea turtle, hobbling along through the water. Within, Donnie was at the controls, while the other six were pedaling on exercise bikes.
"Worst. Invention. EVER!" Raph snapped.
"Seriously, Donnie?" Leo demanded. "A submarine powered by bicycles?"
"Less talking, more pedaling," Hisako grunted. "We need to get to that lab."
"Pipe down, you guys," Donnie ordered. "Kinetic energy is the only way to power the engines, which should be done right about now."
He flipped a switch, which activated jets on the sides of the sub, sending the entire sub gliding through the water. Everyone slumped over their bikes, panting heavily.
"Feel like I just went ten rounds with Mom and Splinter," Kagome panted, "with my hands tied."
"Yeah..." Leo wheezed. "Up periscope."
The periscope descended, revealing itself to be made from, among other things, an old car stereo and a toilet seat. Everyone looked at it in disgust.
"Um, ew?" Vee let out.
"Dude, seriously?" Mikey remarked. "You expect us to put our eyes on that?"
"We live in a sewer, guys," Donnie shot back. "Minimal budget; I had to improvise!"
"Hello? Rich best friend here," Kagome pointed out. "In the future, you could just ask me and Mom for what you need instead of playing MacGyver."
Donnie twiddled his thumbs nervously.
"I... like a challenge," He admitted.
With great reluctance, Leo looked through the periscope. He saw something giant swimming through the water, and gasped.
"Uh, Donnie?" he let out. "There's a giant sea mutant swimming around out there."
Donnie saw the creature in question, and scanned it for a minute.
"That's not a mutant," he reported. "Based on its physiology, I'd say Krang brought him here from Dimension X."
"How can you possibly know that?" Hisako questioned.
"The scans don't identify it as a mutant," Donnie replied. "There'd be mutagen in its system, so... process of elimination."
"And how does knowing what it is make it less horrifying?!" Leo demanded.
Donnie shrugged. "It doesn't. I just like to be accurate."
"So, you have a fact scanner and a toilet seat periscope," Mikey mused. "You need to fix your priorities."
"Hey, if you can build a working submarine out of spare parts and scrap metal, go right ahead," Donnie retorted.
"Anyway, whatever it is," Kagome said, pointing, "it looks like it's guarding that."
They all looked, seeing a dome-shaped metal building attached to the seabed.
"Well, now we know what the base looks like," Leo remarked.
"But how do we get in?" Raph asked.
Donnie smirked, and pressed a button. A flare fired out of the sub's "nose" and into the distance. Seeing it, the monster chased the flare away.
"Okay," Kagome declared. "Now we gotta get in there before the monster comes back."
"But how're we gonna get past a buttload of Krangdroids inside?" Mikey asked.
"We don't," Leo replied, smirking. "We make them come to us.
Hisako grinned, cracking the joints in her neck.
"This is gonna be fun." she chuckled.
Meanwhile...
Back in the city, Harmony led April to her apartment. Eventually, April stopped short, gaping at a sizable, expensive-looking penthouse.
"Whoa..." she let out. "This is where you live?"
"Yep. Pretty sweet, huh?" Harmony remarked. "May not be as big as the Lees' mansion, but it's home."
"I gotta say," April said, "it looks like your dad could give Kagome's mom a run for her money."
"If only," Harmony replied. "C'mon in. He's eager to meet you."
She led April inside the penthouse, locking the door behind her.
"What?" April quipped. "Afraid I'll get away?"
"It's New York," Harmony answered. "Never know who might be lurking around."
"True," April admitted. "I've had more than my fair share of close calls."
"Hello, girls."
April and Harmony turned, and April gasped at the sight of a tall, well-dressed man. What caught her attention was the man's face. He was bald, clearly blind in his right eye, and more than half of his face was covered in disfiguring burn scars that left his nose deformed. Realizing she was staring, April shook her head.
"Oh, I'm sorry," she began. "I didn't mean-"
"It is quite alright," the man replied, giving a small smile. "You must be April."
He held out a hand to her.
"I am Tohoru Masamune (1)," he greeted. "Pleasure to meet you."
April shook his hand, giving him a smile.
"I have heard much about you," Tohoru said.
"All good, I hope," April quipped, trying to lighten the mood.
Tohoru just nodded at that, and April's curiosity got the better of her.
"I..." she began, "I don't mean to offend, but-"
"You wish to know what happened to me?" Tohoru asked, getting a small nod.
He sighed. "There was... an accident. A terrible fire in which we lost Harmony's mother."
"Oh..." April looked at him sympathetically. "I'm so sorry."
"No worries," Harmony replied, giving a small smile. "The two of us got out alright, anyway."
"A fact I am thankful for every day," Tohoru added.
"Ah," April began. "Well... can I borrow your bathroom?"
"Not at all," Tohoru answered. "Down the fall, first door on the right."
April nodded and went down the hall, and as soon as she was out of earshot, Harmony (better known as Karai) smirked.
"This is perfect, father," she declared. "We have April O'Neil right where we want her!"
"Indeed," said Tohoru (better known as Shredder). "Soon she will bring Hamato Yoshi and the Turtles to us. But first, we must ensure our alliance with the Utroms."
"The Utroms?"
Shredder and Karai turned at the sound of the voice, seeing April standing there, wide-eyed.
"Harmony?" April let out. "What's going on?"
After exchanging a look with her father, Karai just shrugged.
"Well... guess the cat's out of the bag," she said nonchalantly.
"I've made a deal with the Utroms," Shredder confessed. "Deliver you to them, in exchange for the Turtles."
April's eyes widened and she gasped in horror.
"Oh my God..." she said in realization. "It's you. You're the Shredder!"
She turned to Karai.
"Then that means... Karai?" She whispered.
Karai smirked, doing a mocking bow.
"In person," She declared.
"I... I can't believe it," April gasped, reeling from the information. "All this time... I thought you were my friend!"
"Well, duh. You were supposed to," Karai answered, taking a step forward. "It's nothing personal. Frankly, those slimy brain blobs disgust me just as much as they do you. But Father's word is law."
April took a step back, then twisted around and fled down the hallway, attempting to escape.
"After her!" Shredder commanded, and Karai obediently chased after her.
Running frantically, April focused on her power and threw herself out a nearby window. Her form flickered yellow, going in and out as she reached the next roof. She rolled hard, groaning before getting up and hobbling away. As she ran, she reached into her pocket and pulled out her T-Phone, dialing frantically...
Focusing her power, Hisako thrust out her hands and sent a massive shockwave through the water, shaking the entire base.
"There," she said, clapping her hands together as if dislodging dirt. "That should do it."
"Get ready," Leo ordered.
A hatch in the bottom opened up, and several Krangdroids descended into the water to investigate. With that, Donnie maneuvered the Shell Sub to the top hatch and the septet descended into the base. They looked out the window, seeing the sea monster swim past.
"Shit, it's back!" Raph swore.
"How are we gonna get past it, Leo?" Kagome asked.
"We'll worry about it later," Leo replied. "Right now, we've got bigger fish to fry."
"I don't think we're gonna find a bigger fish than that," Mikey remarked, getting a groan from the others as they went along.
They made it to an upper level and found themselves looking over a large machine with several Krangdroids crowded around it.
"That must be what Krang's using to transform the water," Donnie mused.
"Smash and destroy?" Mikey whispered.
"Stay quiet for now," Leo replied. "Take out the guards."
"Leo, we're ninjas," Donnie pointed out. "We know how to be quiet."
At that very moment, Donnie's T-Phone went off. Everyone stiffened and within minutes, the Krangdroids were firing on them.
"Seriously, Donnie?!" Raph shouted as they dodged lasers.
"There's a thing called vibrate!" Hisako snapped. "Use it!"
As they ran around, Donnie answered his T-Phone.
"April, hi!" he said. "Now's not a good time, but-"
"I need help!" April's frantic voice came over the line. "My friend Harmony... she was Karai all along! The sleepover was a trap!"
"She what?!" Donnie screamed, just as Kagome tackled him out of the way of blaster fire.
"Karai's after April!" he informed her, holding up his T-Phone.
"What?" Kagome demanded. "I thought she was at a sleepover with Harmony!"
"Kagome, Harmony is Karai!" April shouted.
"What?!" Kagome exclaimed.
"We'd love to help, April, but we're kinda in the middle of something!" Donnie told her as they ducked under a volley of fire. "Just take a deep breath, stay calm... AND RUN! RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!"
"What do you think I'm doing?!" April snapped.
Donnie hung up and the gang crowded together as the Krangdroids surrounded them.
"We need to go!" Donnie insisted. "April's in trouble!"
"Are you forgetting something?" Raph asked. "If we leave now, then Krang's gonna poison everyone in New York. Including April!"
"Right," Donnie remembered. "Destroy the machine, then save April."
The lead Krangdroid smirked.
"So, it seems our deal is progressing wonderfully," He mused. "The Shredder will soon deliver April O'Neil to us."
"Shredder?!" Leo exclaimed in shock.
"That dumb bastard's selling out mankind!" Hisako shouted. "I can't believe it!"
"Mom always described him as a revenge-obsessed nut job, but this?!" Kagome said.
"Okay, think!" Leo snapped, taking charge. "How do we blow this place up?"
"Well, the chemical is highly explosive," Donnie mused.
"And how do you know that?" Vee questioned.
"Well, because of that sign."
Donnie pointed to a sign on the wall, depicting a "no blasters" message and an image of an Utrom enveloped in a mushroom cloud.
"Huh," Mikey remarked. "How'd we miss that?"
Donnie charged at a Krangdroid, piercing it with his naginata blade and grabbing its blaster before running back to Raph.
"Raph, get this blaster open!" he ordered.
Raph raised his sai, cracking the top of the blaster open. Donnie fiddled with it as the others held the Krangdroids off.
"Okay, I'll short out the power supply and leave it by the chemical tanks," he listed off. "It'll overheat, and the whole place'll go BOOM!"
"Stop talking about it already!" Hisako shouted. "JUST DO IT!"
Donnie pressed a button on the blaster, and it started whirring.
"Hisako, I need a boost!" he shouted.
He jumped into the air and Hisako propelled him into the air telekinetically. As soon as he was high enough, Donnie pierced the side of a chemical tank with the blaster.
"Okay, we got ninety seconds!" he shouted. "MOVE YOUR SHELLS!"
They all sheathed their weapons and took off at a dead sprint, piling into the sub.
"Punch it, Donnie!" Leo shouted.
Donnie did so and they shot through the water as the base exploded.
"Okay..." Donnie said. "Now let's get to April."
That's when they heard a loud bellow and saw the sea monster swimming at them at full speed.
"Are you kidding me?!" Donnie shouted in exasperation.
"Brace yourselves!" Leo screamed.
They did so, and the monster grabbed ahold of the Shell Sub, wrapping its limbs around it. Raph and Kagome clung desperately to each other as they shut their eyes, Hisako doing the same to Leo, and Vee grabbing Mikey's hand.
"That's it!" Donnie shrieked. "IT'S GOT US! WE'RE GONNA DIE!"
At that moment, they heard small squeals, and a slight thumping noise on the outside of the sub. They all looked up, wide-eyed and grossed out as they realized what was happening.
"Please tell me it isn't doing what I think it's doing," Hisako begged.
"It is," Leo winced.
"Oh... my... God," Kagome managed.
"Gross!" Mikey let out. "We're not that kind of sub!"
Leo sighed and pulled a lever, releasing depth charges into the water, blasting the sea monster off. They took the opportunity to peddle away as fast as they could.
"Well..." Vee began, "now I need to wash my eyes and bleach my brain."
"I volunteer my services," Hisako offered.
"Let's just never speak of this again," Raph declared. "Ever."
Murmurs of consent sounded throughout the sub as they continued toward dry land.
Back at the city...
April had managed to make it to street level, and leaned against a wall. She was out of breath, both from her run and her earlier attempt at telekinesis.
"Well, well," came Karai's voice, "what do we have here?"
April whirled around, seeing Karai casually approaching her.
"I can't believe you," April hissed. "You tricked me. You were my friend!"
"Sorry, them's the breaks, April," Karai said flippantly. "Like I said, it's nothing personal.
April scowled, getting into a defensive position.
"If you think I'm just gonna come quietly, then you're an idiot," she spat. "I've seen what those things are willing to do. You've seen what they're willing to do. How are you just going along with this?!"
Karai sighed. "Like I said, my father's word is law. I can't go against him, no matter what."
"Oh, right," April deadpanned. "Even if it destroys the world, you just have to be Daddy's little supervillain."
"He's all I have left!" Karai snapped.
"I only have my dad, too!" April shot back. "And those things took him! Ever since the Turtles saved him, he's been a nervous wreck! He won't even leave the house!"
Karai faltered in her step at that.
"What?" She let out.
"Do I have to repeat myself?!" April exclaimed. "My dad and sister are all I have left, and those psycho aliens fucked him up! And your dad wants to throw in his lot with them!"
Karai looked down at her hand, visibly shaken.
"I knew they were messed up," she remarked. "I've seen the file, but..."
"KARAI!" screamed the voice of Kagome.
Both April and Karai turned to see the Hamato septet running up to them.
"Get away from her!" Kagome shouted.
Donnie reached them first. He pinned Karai to the wall by the throat with his staff and glared at her.
"If you ever come near my April again..." he hissed through his teeth, deadly calm.
Karai continued to look at April, her expression conflicted and confused.
"Just go," she managed. "Before my father gets here."
That surprised everyone. Donnie backed up, looking at her like she'd just grown a second head.
"Say what?" he asked.
"You heard me," Karai said firmly. "Take April and get the hell out of here!"
"You heard the princess!" Vee declared. "Let's book it!"
April nodded and fled with the Hamato Clan, leaving a thoroughly-conflicted Karai to collapse to her knees.
-X-
At the lair, Donnie was treating April's wounds as she explained what had happened to her.
"You jumped out a window?" Hisako asked.
"A penthouse window," April corrected.
"That would explain the glass in your arm," Donnie remarked, slowly pulling a shard of glass out of April's arm with tweezers. "And the minor contusions."
"I tried to use telekinesis to cushion my fall," April explained. "Guess I need a little more practice."
Kasumi was pacing around, rubbing her temple.
"I can't believe this," she said. "One of Saki's own henchmen was at Roosevelt High talking with my daughter for weeks! And none of us had a clue!"
"Not a henchman," Leo corrected. "Daughter."
"Doesn't make it any better," Vee pointed out.
"Seriously April," Mikey began, "first was that Zephyr guy, now Karai. Do you have any normal friends?"
"At this point, I'm not sure," April admitted.
Splinter stroked his muzzle in thought.
"This is not good. Not good at all," he remarked. "If Shredder wants you... he will stop at nothing to find you."
"And now both he and Krang are after me!" April exclaimed. "I've got a goddamn target on my back!"
"You, your dad, and your sister," Hisako added. "Krang will use them to get to you."
"April, get your family," Splinter ordered. "The wisest decision is for all of you to remain down here in the sewers with us, for the time being."
"That's gonna be a hard sell on both of them," April remarked. "But... I don't have a choice, do I?"
"I'm sorry, April," Leo said sadly. "But once we stop Krang at least, you can go back to the surface."
April nodded, looking up at them with determination.
"Then we better get started."
Author's Note:
(1): The name of Shredder's actor in the 2014 movie.
Major change from the original. Splinter and Kasumi don't approve of them taping Sam to a chair and manhandling him; he's innocent and had nothing to do with what happened to Hisako.
The events Murakami is referring to are the 2012 episode "Never Say Xever." I... never really got around to adapting it before Xever's mutation, so let's just say for the sake of clarity, it happened offscreen.
Those who read my fic Kingdom Hearts III: Darkest Storm will recognize my OC Zephyr; altered his character and backstory a bit to fit him in here.
Voice cast for this chapter:
* Zephyr - Sam Riegel (Jude Mathis from Tales of Xillia, Donatello from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2003, Yajiro Kojima from Grenadier, Shirou Emiya from Fate/stay night, Teddie from Persona 4, Phoenix Wright from Ace Attorney)
* Richard - Dave B. Mitchell (Knuckles' current voice in the Sonic games, Ryu Hayabusa in Dead or Alive 6, Geras in Mortal Kombat 11, 004/Albert Heinrich in 009 Re:Cyborg)
* Renee - Evan Rachel Wood (Sophie-Anne Leclerq from True Blood, Queen Iduna in Frozen II)
Please R&R. Until next time!