Chapter Six
Informing the Sanctuary
A little later, Tyroth was in the Mess Hall on the stage looking down at the whole of Mutopia gathered before him including his parents, and the Hamato Clan.
His heart was in his throat and his stomach felt like it was going to fall off his back. He had practised what he was going to say yet he wasn't sure if the words he was going to speak would come out of his mouth.
He glanced down at Raphael and Monalisa and he felt tears form as he saw how devastated and broken, they were.
Monalisa had regained consciousness not long ago and she believed she had been dreaming and that Pandora was alright and with them.
Yet she was devastated to learn the truth and she broke down into sobs into Sephie's arms and the gecko held her close.
"No…No please!" Monalisa had pleaded "This is a nightmare! No!"
Sephie had just held her sister in spirit, not knowing what to say, nor how to diffuse the situation, and James and Dahlia had stood close just in case the lizard lady needed to be sedated like Michelangelo.
"Why?" Monalisa had wept "Why did God curse me to feel such pain? Was it not enough I was ripped away from my family many years ago, raped and tortured then murdered? Then Dr Arden tortured and experimented on me? Then my youngest brother is almost killed by the Shredder then he turns on me when he mutated into Diablo? And compromises Mutopia's safety? Now I lose my only child? Why? What? What did I do to deserve this?"
Sephie had just held Monalisa close and tears of her own fell, normally she knew what to do or say to help Monalisa, but here she had felt so helpless.
The Hamato Clan sat at the front, all holding each other.
Raphael and Monalisa were clinging onto each other silently mourning, Sephie was rubbing Monalisa's back in comfort.
Jake was in a wheelchair next to Raphael and stroking his brother in law's shell whilst Amber sat with him holding his other hand.
His wound meant he couldn't walk without feeling pain so he was using a wheelchair to get around, or Amber would carry him.
Kate was holding Michelangelo close, and Percy was on his other side helping comfort him.
The rest of the Chicago Knights were sitting in silence, although Sarah and Heather were crying softly.
All the other residents too were silent and were looking up at Tyroth waiting for him to speak.
Even Rattletrap was lost for words staring down at his feet and fiddling with his tail.
Tyroth looked over to George who was sitting with Splinter along with James who had Dahlia and Jun next to him and he nodded at the dragon to speak.
Tyroth nodded back appreciating the encouragement and he turned to the Mutopians.
"My dear friends." He said, "Here I stand before you to deliver such sad news, never before have I found myself in this position, I prayed to all the powers that be, to the power of Odin, to the land of Valhalla that I never would have to speak of this, but tonight, one of our warriors didn't come home."
He looked up at the crowd and he saw how sad they looked, and a couple of sobs were heard.
"That one was Pandora of the Hamato Clan," he said, "The eldest child, and the only daughter of Raphael the turtle and Monalisa the lizard." He glanced down at Raphael and Monalisa who were still holding each other in grief.
Tyroth took a deep breath, and he began to explain all that had happened that night to which everyone apart from the Chicago Knights, The Hamato Clan, and others present at the event gasped in shock especially when they learnt that the Foot had been in Chicago, and were working with the Kodama Yakuza and the 95th Street Gang then Pandora searching out Hanako alone.
"And as it stands, Pandora is Missing in Action, since her body has not been found." Tyroth continued.
"Sharky searched the river and Devina scanned the area from the air with her life detection power, yet Pandora was not located."
He looked around the room, then he saw a couple of hands went up, one was Bill the Duck and the other was Rose the Lynx.
"Yes?" Tyroth asked them.
"So she's really gone?" Bill asked.
"Yeah, if Sharky and Devina were unable to find her." Rose added.
A few gasps were heard as well as some sobs from the Hamato Clan and Tyroth frowned.
"No." he said, "Even though Pandora's not been found, I refuse to believe her to be dead."
A couple of murmurs were heard.
"But Boss." Hacker said raising one of his many arms "It's most likely that..."
"No!" Tyroth barked raising his paw and making a few residents jump "As from now, I will not rest until Pandora is found, dead or alive, as of now, she is only missing, and until she is found, it will remain so."
Again a few murmurs were heard as well as some theories and Tyroth could hear a few of them clearly.
"If she's alive then wouldn't she be trying to come home?" Vincent the Owl asked.
"That's a thought." Chloe the Butterfly said.
"But what if she's lost?" Alice the Chinchilla questioned.
"But doesn't she know Chicago as well as she knows New York given how she's been patrolling the city with the Knights in the past?" Bill mused.
"Yeah!" Chloe agreed.
"But then again, given what she's done, she may be too scared to return?" Rose cut in "She knows she's broken the rules and gone off on her own, and she's scared of the consequences that face her."
"Well after Diablo betrayed us and fled." Louie said yet as he said the Raven's name a few people winced or looked appalled "He knows what awaits him if he's caught, and Pandora…." He didn't finish his sentence as Patch the Badger looked over.
"Don't say that!" she said "She wouldn't! She can't be on the run like him!"
"Yeah! She didn't betray us, she just left to fight an enemy alone! And paid the price." Leona the Fox cut in.
"And that brings something else to the table!" Louie said, "With her out there, isn't Mutopia's safety compromised even more?"
A few gasps of fear were heard around, and more residents started to murmur.
"By gum he's right!"
"We're gonna be discovered!"
"It's not just those disciples we're gonna have to deal with, but now Pandora's out there."
"We're all in trouble!"
"Order! Order!"
The whole room went silent and turned to Tyroth who was banging his paw on the podium like a gavel to get everyone's attention.
"Everyone!" Tyroth sighed "There's no point in bringing up catastrophic theories."
He thought for a moment as the residents did have a point that with Pandora lost, that if she was found or taken if not by the Foot, Boss Kodama or worse the government, she would be experimented on and her source would be discovered, but there was a slight difference between her and Diablo, and that was that her mutation source was not through Mutopia's Well but via Raphael and Monalisa's DNA so all they would find was that she was a born mutant.
He decided to discuss this with George and the Knights later, but his priority now was finding the hybrid and bring her back.
He looked back to the crowd.
"I understand your fears, especially after Diablo fled the sanctuary and gathered his own followers which left us in a compromising situation, but Pandora's DNA won't reveal our location as she is not of the Wells mutation."
A few voices were heard as they took in what the dragon said.
"He's right."
"She isn't of Mutopia's Well's source."
"But her being out there, she's at risk at being found by someone other than us."
"But as of now," Tyroth said "As I said before, Pandora is Missing in Action and so I am requesting that each and every one of you, should you venture topside that you look out for any indication of Pandora, if she is anywhere in the city, we will find her, and bring her home!"
Everyone agreed in unison.
"We'll search every place in the city!" Cam and Barry said together.
"Me too!" Rattletrap squeaked "She's much loved here!"
"For once he's said something right." Sharky muttered as he looked at the scruffy brown rat.
"Thank you everyone." Tyroth said "this meeting is adjourned."
He clapped his paws, and everyone started to get up and go about their business if not a little worried and sadly.
Louie went into the kitchen to begin preparing for lunch, Patch joining him yet with heavy hearts.
Cam and Barry muttered to each other as they left.
"We know Chicago almost as well as we know Mutopia blinded folded." Barry said, "We'll search everywhere!"
"And I'll sniff her out too!" Rattletrap said "When I go topside, I'll be on the search!"
After everyone else had left, except the Chicago Knights, James and Dahlia and the Hamato Clan, Tyroth walked over to the turtles, Monalisa and Splinter.
"Guys?" he asked making them all look up and the Dragon saw how pale and drained they were.
Monalisa and Raphael looked worse as if they were dead inside.
"You're welcome to stay here in Mutopia, I know it's been weeks since you came from New York after what happened at the Foot Headquarters."
"Thank you Tyroth." Splinter said in a sad voice "We are very grateful…"
Michelangelo wiped his eyes.
"If Pandora's out there." He said "I want to look for her! I refuse to believe she's dead, she's out there and if she's scared to come home, she shouldn't be!"
"Mike?" Kate said.
"I wish we could tell her in some way she shouldn't be scared to come home! We love her! In spite of what she did! We love her and just want her home!"
Raphael looked at his brother and signed to him.
'I couldn't agree more! I am willing to remain mute for the rest of my life if it means my daughter will be found, and found alive!'
Donatello sighed as he looked down leaning on his bo staff.
Monalisa meanwhile said nothing.
Sephie looked at her sister in spirit.
"Why?" Monalisa said quietly as fresh tears fell "Why did this happen? What did I do? What did I do to deserve this?"
"You didn't hun!" Sephie said in a worried voice trying to soothe her best friend before it escalated "Don't think on it!"
Monalisa ground her teeth and stood up breaking out of Sephie's grip.
"Why?" she yelled making everyone flinch in worry "Why did God curse me with such pain?"
"My daughter!" Splinter cried standing up to comfort her, yet Monalisa grabbed her hair in grief.
"Why! Why!" she sobbed.
"Sis!" Jake said and he stood up from his wheelchair, but he cried out in pain and doubled over as his wound spasmed at the sudden move.
"Jake!" Amber cried in concern as she watched her human partner fall to the ground and James and Dahlia instantly jumped up to assist.
Monalisa also looked over seeing her brother double over and the stress was too much, and she started pulling her hair and fell on her knees!
"Oh shit!" Tyroth cried and he reached for Monalisa, but he gasped she pulled some of her hair out!
"Fuck you! Fuck you!" Monalisa screamed "I hate you God! Why did you curse me?"
Raphael opened his mouth forming his wife's name in shock and the other turtles gasped in shock.
"Mona! Stop!" Donatello leapt over and tried to pull her hands off her head as he saw she had ripped some out!
Dahlia meanwhile produced a syringe, and she strode over tapping it to make sure there were no air bubbles and Donatello saw her before restraining Monalisa by grasping her in a bear hug pinning her arms to her sides and Dahlia quickly injected the lizard lady with the drug.
No sooner did that happen than Monalisa flopped in Donatello's arms and her cries ceased.
Sephie sighed as she watched and looked at Tyroth.
"She can't be left alone." She said, "I'm worried what she might do."
Dahlia analysed Monalisa and checked her hair then sighed.
"She's ripped out a few chucks, there's a couple of bald patches." She said then looked at James who was checking on Jake and looking at his wound.
"Your wounds not reopened luckily." He said, "But you must not do that again alright?"
Jake nodded.
"Sorry doc." He said then looked at Monalisa "Is she alright?"
"The grief is strong." She said, "I can't imagine the pain she feels." She looked at Tyroth "I think she'll need to stay in the medical bay for a bit, just for observation."
"Agreed." James called over as he helped Jake back into his wheelchair.
Raphael looked at his wife then at the doctors before signing to them.
'What are you going to do?'
"Nothing Raph." Dahlia reassured the turtle placing a hand on his shoulder "We're only going to monitor her and look after her."
Donatello scooped Monalisa up bridal style and followed Dahlia and James to their medical room, Amber pushed Jake's wheelchair and Raphael went with them so he could be near his mate.
Splinter sighed sadly.
"My poor children." He lamented.
Tyroth sighed then he looked up to see Louie and Patch had been watching in concern and curiosity from the hatch in the wall leading to the kitchen, but when the Dragon looked up they went back to their work.
"I promise Master Splinter, we'll do all we can to find Pandora." He said to which Splinter nodded.
"I trust you Tyroth." He said then sighed "My main concern now is how we are to break this news to April and Casey, and Leonardo and Kemeko."
"We'll deal with it as it comes my friend." George comforted.
Tyroth nodded then turned to the Knights and Michelangelo.
"We'll have another meeting in ten minutes in the small conference room." He said, "Our hunt for Pandora begins now."
"Got it boss." Jack said with a salute then turned to the others "Come on guys."
The other Knights nodded and followed the wolf out of the mess hall, yet they looked saddened and almost shaken by Monalisa's outburst, but they understood why she acted the way she did, Sharky and Devina looked especially saddened as they thought about their earlier failed attempt to find the Hybrid
Sephie looked at her husband and sighed in worry.
"Poor Mona." She walked over to Tyroth and hugged him, and her lover held her close "She's so broken, I know I'd feel the same if anything happened to our babies!"
Tyroth hugged her back.
"I know sweetheart, I know." He said then looked up at the ceiling.
"Even if it takes forever, I will find you Pandora, wherever you are…"
Mutopia has been informed, and as much as everyone is saddened as well as worried, they have agreed to all help in the search for Pandora.
If only they knew where she was now.
Poor Monalisa, again it's the worst thing, loosing a child and given what Monalisa's been through, it's especially heartbreaking.