Chapter Three
Returning Empty Handed
Down in the Mutopia, the Hamato Clan, The Knights, Jun, Cam, Barry, James, and Dahlia returned with heavy hearts.
They were gathered in James and Dahlia's Medical Wing to have their wounds examined.
The Knights didn't need much attention due to having had the water, but the Hamato Clan were suffering from bruises, cuts as well as burns and some sprained muscles, yet miraculously they weren't suffering broken bones due to the fact the Mutopians had protected them when the bomb went off.
Despite Monalisa's more rapid healing as part salamander, she still needed attention and the Chimpanzee and Wolf had run about making sure they had everything prepared to treat her and her family.
The Geckolings had gone to find Splinter and George and as soon as the elder mutants were told of the return, they wasted no time in going to the medical bay.
James and Dahlia, as much as they were worried for Pandora, they knew they had a job to do in making sure those present were alright.
Monalisa and Raphael were sitting on chairs hugging each other crying with Donatello, Sephie and Amber trying to comfort them.
"Please! They got to find her! They have to!" Monalisa was pleading as she clasped her hands together in prayer.
"Please! Find my baby! Please!"
Raphael continued to hold his wife close, yet his own tears fell as he thought of his daughter and where she could be.
"Please…please God, Odin, Yoshi, Tang Shen, Karai, Chaplin, Ancient One! Please let Pandora be okay!" he prayed silently.
James and Dahlia were hooking Michelangelo up to machines to monitor him whilst Kate sat next to him anxiously.
"Is he going to be okay?" she asked "Please! I can't lose him!"
"He will." Dahlia reassured the viper, "Because of yours and Percy's actions in shielding him, he only suffered minor injuries, though he might have concussion."
Kate looked relieved but she was worried about what happened to Pandora and how Michelangelo would react to news about his favourite niece.
"I hope Tyroth, Devina and Sharky found her." She thought to herself.
"You'll need to wash your hair of the blood." Dahlia's voice broke into the Viper's thoughts "Your wounds have healed but the aftermath is still there."
"I will." Kate replied, "But I want to stay with Mikey."
"Be my guest." Dahlia said as she looked over the turtle one more time then went with James to check on the others, yet before she left, she heard a voice behind her.
"What's happened?"
Dahlia froze as she realised Jake had awakened.
"Damn!" she cursed to which James looked over.
"Fill the young man in, then come and help me!" he said to which Dahlia agreed and went over to Jake.
"Dahlia?" Jakes asked "What's happened? Is Everyone okay?"
Dahlia bit her lip unsure of what to say.
"The Knights, your sister and brothers in law are fine." She said quickly, "If not injured." She looked over to Michelangelo and Kate and Jake's eyes widened as he saw the unconscious Michelangelo and Kate's blooded up hair.
"Are they…?" he asked.
"Mike's merely knocked out, and Kate suffered a nasty gnash to the head, but the well's water helped her." Dahlia reported then looked back to the door to the next room.
"Look, just continue to rest, I'll fill you in more later, I need to help James, okay?"
"Okay." Jake said as he rested back on the bed as the wolf ran into the next room, as she left, James looked over at Kate who looked over Michelangelo and stroked his head, he wanted to ask her what had happened, but he decided to wait until he was told officially by Tyroth.
"I wonder what happened?" he thought worried.
Back in the main room, James and Dahlia worked on the Hamato Clan getting their wounds bandages and their burns soothed.
Some of the Knights sat back and waited with them whilst Sephie and Amber helped out as well as continued to console Monalisa and Raphael.
"My children!"
Everyone jumped and looked up to see the Geckolings returning with Splinter and George.
"My children!" Splinter exclaimed as he went over to Monalisa, Raphael and Donatello yet his stomach clenched when he couldn't see Michelangelo nor Pandora.
"What happened out there? Where is your brother, and Pandora?" he asked.
Donatello pointed to the next room.
"Mikey's in there." He blurted.
"And Pandora?" Splinter asked to which everyone went pale and some of the Knights lowered their heads.
"What?" Splinter demanded as he looked at everyone then at Monalisa and Raphael who hugged each other tightly and tearfully.
The Rat blinked several times as he went pale.
"No." he whispered, "It's not…."
"Master Splinter." Jack cut in quickly "We…We don't know yet, The Boss, Sharky and Devina are still looking for her!"
"You mean she's lost?" George asked, "Or captured?"
"We don't know Gramps." Amber said "But Tyroth should be back soon."
"I hope so." Sephie whispered "And with Pandora…." She squeezed Monalisa's shoulders as she took a few deep breaths.
Sonia meanwhile held the Geckolings close as they cried.
"Do you think dad will find Pandora?" Freya asked.
"He's got to! As will Sharky and Devina! Sharky's the best swimmer and Devina's got her life detection, she can see all around in a 200 feet radius! She should be able to find her."
Sonia lowered her head as she hugged the twins.
"I Know she's done wrong, and she attacked us because we tried to stop her." She said "But I still love her! She's my cousin! She wasn't thinking straight!"
"She's got to be alive!" Freya wept.
"How will Kemeko take this?" Loki asked.
"Shhh, Shhh." Sonia whispered "Don't think on it, let's just pray, and hope."
Just then, the door to the wing opened and everyone turned to it, some gasping in fright as they weren't prepared.
As the door opened, they were greeted by Sharky and Devina.
"Guys!" Jun cried as he ran over "You're back! Where's…."
He stopped mid-sentence as he saw how pale and distressed the Vampiress and Shark looked.
Sharky and Devina lowered their heads as tears fell rapidly and they moved aside to show a pale and tearful Tyroth walking in like he was walking to the gallows and holding Mr Swinger in his hands.
Words weren't needed when everyone looked at him and they saw Pandora's weapon in his paws and it was the confirmation they needed, that Pandora was gone.
Donatello, Monalisa, Raphael and Splinter just stared in stunned silence.
"No…" Donatello breathed shaking his head "It's not true!"
Raphael flinched in shock and held Monalisa close as tears fell from his eyes, yet as he did, he felt her slump against him, and he was so alarmed at the fact he almost dropped her!
"Mona!" Sephie cried in fear, and everyone looked over to see the Lizard Lady had collapsed in a dead faint!
"Sis!?" Donatello yelled equally worried.
"My daughter!" Splinter exclaimed as he saw the Lizard Lady fall from Raphael's arms to the ground almost lifeless.
As that happened, Dahlia raced over and, in her hurry, almost tripped as she landed next to Monalisa and checked her over.
"The shock's really hit her!" the wolf barked as she gathered the lizard lady up in her arms with Sephie's help "She's fainted!"
"Put her on the bed in there!" James ordered pointing to the door.
Dahlia nodded yet tears filled her eyes as she imagined the lizard lady's pain, as she knew only too well how her family and Jun's had been affected by their supposed disappearances and never wished that on anyone.
Jun opened the door for the wolf nurse, and she ran inside with Sephie to an allocated bed next to Jake.
Jake saw the whole thing and he sat up, yet his wound from the other night spasmed and he fell back onto the bed.
"Mona?" he asked to which Amber appeared having followed Sephie and Dahlia into the room and she walked over to him.
"Jake…" she said, tears falling from her eyes.
"What happened?" Jake asked, "What's happened to Mona?"
Amber shook her head and through sobs she told Jake what had happened and how Pandora was missing thus the shock and devastation had caused her to faint.
Jake's eyes widened as he heard everything, then he brought his hands to his eyes as tears fell.
He only remembered how his mother had felt when Monalisa had gone missing in New York all those years ago, and now his sister was feeling the same pain.
"No! Oh God no!" he wept them he felt Amber wrap her arms around him and pull him close.
"I'm so sorry." She whispered as she held him.
"No…no, my poor sister, Raph…no!"
Amber said nothing but held Jake tightly letting him cry into her chest.
Raphael went to follow them, yet as he did, he tripped and fell on his knees, it was then he broke down into silent sobs, his mouth forming his daughter's name as it hit him hard that she was gone!
He clenched his fists and pounded the ground in grief.
Donatello landed next to him to comfort him, but he was just as heartbroken over the loss of his niece.
Splinter meanwhile dropped his cane, and he clutched his chest as if he had been shot and he fell on his knees.
"My granddaughter, no!" he wept as George knelt beside him to comfort him.
"My friend, I'm so sorry." He said equally saddened.
Meanwhile the other Knights took the news with utter grief.
Sonia and the Geckolings started crying and wailing as they hugged each other.
"No! No Pandora!" they sobbed.
Sarah and Heather instantly went over to the younger mutants to comfort them, yet they were just as heartbroken.
Jack instantly went over to Tyroth.
"How can you be so sure?" he asked.
"Yeah!" Percy added "She's got to be out there!"
"We searched the river up and down!" Sharky said, "I couldn't find her anywhere in the water!"
"Neither could I!" Devina replied, "Even with my life detection vision, I couldn't find her!"
"Didn't you look further?" Percy demanded.
"You saying I didn't try!?" Devina asked as her red eyes flashed, and she bared her teeth in anger.
"Shut up!"
Everyone jumped and they looked at Tyroth who was clenching his paws around Pandora's weapon and holding the ball end against his forehead.
"Just shut up!" he growled "I just…. I just need to think here!"
Devina and Sharky looked at each other and stood back, and Jack and Percy also backed off from the Dragon.
At the same time, Sephie appeared from the other room making Tyroth look up.
"Sephie…" he breathed, tears falling from his eyes.
Sephie took a deep breath and looked to the others.
"Sarah, Heather, can you get Sonia and the Geckolings to their rooms?" she asked to which the Cheetah and Dragonfly nodded and started to gently lead the chameleon and Geckolings away.
"Mum, dad?" Loki asked worried.
"We'll come and see you soon alright?" Sephie said "Just go with Sarah and Heather."
The Geckolings and Sonia reluctantly left the medical room and Sephie looked at her husband who was on the verge of breaking down.
"Honey?"
"Sephie…. I…I…" Tyroth sobbed "I tried! We tried, but we…. we…"
"Shhh, shhh," Sephie cupped Tyroth's cheeks and lead him to a chair where he sat down, and he continued to clutch Mr Swinger.
"It's not your fault hun!" Sephie said, yet seeing her husband so broken almost made her want to crumble with devastation too, she could only imagine what the Hamato Clan were going through and given what her sister in spirit had been through, this was a proper fatal blow and it worried her what would happen to her.
But she had to focus on her husband as he cried against her chest, and she could only hold him and comfort him despite the hurt she felt as well.
Jack, Devina, Sharky, and Percy turned away and looked to the other room to see Splinter was kneeling with Raphael and Donatello holding them close whilst George stood nearby offering comfort.
Jack sighed.
"What are we going to tell the rest of Mutopia?" he asked, "About what happened?"
Percy shook his head.
"I can't even imagine it…" he said, "How can Pandora be gone?"
"Don't!" Sharky snapped "Just don't! I just wish I could have found her! I should have found her! She can't be gone!"
Devina meanwhile gripped her hair and looked at Tyroth.
"If my life detection powers didn't find her, she must either be dead…." She mused, even though that thought tore at her, she didn't want it to be true.
"But if she was, Sharky would have found her, but if he couldn't…. she must be somewhere else, but where?"
She looked back at Tyroth who was still crying against Sephie as the thought kept niggling at her, that small ray of hope that Pandora might be out there.
"You're out there, Geisha…. Tigress." she thought "I pray to the Divines you are…and we'll bring you home…."
Tyroth, Devina and Sharky have returned, yet only with Mr Swinger.
No parent should go through the pain of loosing a child, I cannot imagine it.
Yet despite the grief, Devina still has a thought, or hope remaining.